AN: Argh. FanFiction annoys me. I'm sorry if the last chapter is still in italics for the last part, because I've replaced the chapter several times, and it still keeps coming up in italics.
Let's hope that doesn't happen with this chapter.
On a lighter note, happy Fourth of July, all you Americans out there!
"Right on time." Kory remarked with admiration when Dick opened the door for her and waited for her to climb in. Hurriedly, he made his way around the front of the vehicle and started the engine.
"And risk you changing your mind because I was late? I could never let that happen," His blue eyes glistened as a streetlight's glow caught in them.
"I'm glad."
"I'm glad you're glad." She giggled and relaxed in her seat as he drove through the streets of Gotham and passed places she'd never even heard of. When her sister had told her that Gotham's size could compete with New York City's, Kory thought Komille had been throwing out another excuse for her to come out there. Now, though, Kom's words were beginning to make sense. "So where are we going?" The car made its way onto the ramp for I-95 and Dick turned up the radio, settling back into his own seat.
"You think I'm going to tell you?"
"To be honest, I'm starting to think you are a serial killer and you're luring me into a trap." At his gaping expression, she released another round of laughter. "I'm kidding, Dick. But seriously, where are we headed?" While he chewed over whether or not to at least give her a hint, Phil Collins' filled the silence as Kory waited patiently. "You don't have to tell me, you know. I suppose I am simply curious as to why we are this far out of town."
"I was hoping you would say that, because it wouldn't be as exciting if you knew where we were headed, now would it?" She agreed and the two fell into a comfortable silence as he drove ahead. Only when they passed a sign for Brooklyn did Kory realize they'd been in the car for over twenty minutes, simply listening to the music playing from his iPod he had hooked up when the radio stations began to grow fuzzy.
"I gathered from your classroom at the gym that you enjoyed the Caribbean culture, so after scouring the Internet for a few minutes this evening, I found this place," He motioned to the restaurant in front of them as the car pulled into an empty parking space. Her green eyes lit up as he moved quickly around the vehicle again, opening the door for her. Kory slipped out and pressed her lips to his jaw lightly.
"Thank you, Dick."
"We haven't even gotten inside yet, Kory," He smiled sheepishly as she shrugged, sliding her arm through his easily and tugging him along to the entrance.
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"Right on time." The voice giggled excitedly, stretching the black latex gloves over its hands and reveling in the snapping sound they created when meeting with flesh. Aurora glared at the murderer, her eyes a steel blue that matched the pounding of the waves outside. "Oh, my Rose, you will look so lovely once I put you to sleep."
"Let me go, you fucker! I ought to take that needle and stab it into your-" A blood curling scream arose from the pit of her body and the voice closed its eyes and memorized the sound, storing it away into the depths of the mind. Aurora would take some time to subdue- she sure was a feisty one, but the voice knew what would happen, in the end, even if she still held onto her faith.
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"Wanna take a spin?" Dick pulled his date closer and directed her towards the multicolored Deno's Wonder Wheel near the end of the boardwalk. Kory inhaled the sight of the contraption.
"I uh… I've never been on one. You are sure they are safe?" The grin he couldn't keep off his face the entire night reappeared, broader this time at the knowledge he would be honoring her with her first time on a Ferris wheel.
"Positive. Trust me?" She nodded swiftly and together, they boarded an empty car and were waved away by the technician. Kory jumped slightly as the machine brought them higher and higher, her spine tingling as they edged closer and closer to the top.
"Oh, you can see the water from here!" Dick followed her slender finger to where a strip of moonlit water could be seen beyond the colorful game booths. The bright lights from below the ride lit up the green in her eyes like fireworks, the technicolor orbs gleaming happily at him as they reached the top.
"Enjoying the view?" Kory snuggled closer into his shoulder, blocking the wind coming off the water that caught her crimson hair. The light strands floated upwards as if swimming towards the surface of the planet. In response, she nodded again and sighed happily.
"Want to hear a secret?"
"I'm all ears." He ignored the quizzical look on her face because as soon as it appeared, she was talking again, stopping him from asking about it.
"This is better than washing laundry and drinking beer."
"Well," He pulled his arm tighter and chuckled as she shivered under his touch, "It's good to know that our date upped your regular Friday night."
"Hey! I never said that was what I did every Friday. It just so happens to be that it would have been… safer if I had stayed indoors. Alone."
"Safer? Why?" Great job, Grayson. The girl you're crushing on is some type of schizo or she's got some demonic family member that wants revenge -
His inner conscience was interrupted with a wave of her hand, "Oh, don't worry. I'm trying to avoid a troublesome ex-boyfriend. It is nothing to worry about. Weston would hurt no one, but he is rather… demanding." Dick couldn't help but laugh lightly, knowing someone exactly like this Weston. "You find this humorous, Dick?" Kory again gazed at him with that quizzical expression. He didn't want to admit how damn cute she looked when she made that face.
"No, no, Kory," He found himself stumbling over his words as the wheel started up again, "I can relate. There are some certain people in my life that don't understand the meaning of… personal space." The tightness in his chest which he attributed to heartburn from the Caribbean food could have definitely been classified as anxiety. When the redhead smirked, though, the "heartburn" surprisingly disappeared.
Another gust of wind brought them closer again and in the single instant, Dick's hand pressed tightly against her lower back, beckoning her to him. Their bodies touching, warming at the feeling of one another, he leaned his head down, exhaling shakily before capturing her lips with his own. It was gentle and sensual, a light tasting of each other, but enough to bring the fireworks back into her eyes.
"I did not check the handbook earlier to see if we could date clients." Her voice was barely a whisper while the air around them swirled.
"Then kiss me for now." They laughed at his flippant humor but agreed entirely, because neither one stopped the other from moving forward for another kiss.
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"Simply gorgeous." Fingers moved through sun-bleached hair. Lips touched the silken tresses. Breath tickled the frozen features. "I am rather sorry, Rose, but if I tried to explain my reasoning, you would never understand."
"Try me." The creature below murmured in a drunken slur. The voice chuckled again, eager to send this princess on to her final stage of existence.
"I would if I could, darling Rose, but now it's time to sleep." The fingers that caressed her hair moved towards the final syringe full of pancuronium toxin and the tip of the needle emitted a tiny bit of fluid that dripped down to the concrete floor. A glaze hovered over the eyes of the killer as the needle edged closer and closer, like two lovers meeting for the first time. In a rush of passion, the tip plunged into the unmarred, milky skin of the princess. Aurora struggled at the sensations sweeping over her body as her lungs began to fail her and she thought of the term "sleeping with the fishes" was completely relevant because right then, she probably looked like a fish with her wide eyes and gaping mouth. She sought for the oxygen to create the blood her heart craved. She found none.
"Why?" Aurora crooned out her last word. Her mind drifted off, though, before she ever received an answer. The lips that once touched the golden strands moved towards the frightfully icy blue irises, giving both soft butterfly kisses and wishing her a safe passage.
"It is all right. Everything is complete. Worry no more, my Sleeping Beauty."
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"I had a glorious time. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Kory. And… likewise." Cars buzzed by along the street, completely oblivious to the couple perched on the cold sidewalk, they themselves a small speck of light among the darkness. His hand twitched as the wind brought a few stray pieces of her hair across her face. Finally giving into the urge, his fingertips brushed lightly against her skin, tucking the hair safely away behind her ear.
"Would you like to come in for a moment?"
"Sure. That'd be great."
Kory's apartment was simply that: Kory's. As she moved on past him to retrieve a beer for them, he placed his coat on the back of the loveseat and eyed the blinking plasma-screen with interest. The breezy coastline colors surprised him because he'd been expecting another shocking round of orange or bright purple to go along with her fiery attitude. "You were playing Arkham Asylum?" He asked as she entered the room, wearing a smirk and a shrug.
"It was either that or walk Silkie." The swell of her lips surrounded the tip of the bottle as she took a sip. Dick took a seat on the couch, admiring the bamboo floors that peeked out from between the edge of the couch and the living room's rug, all the while trying to contain the rush of electricity he'd experienced when her lips met the bottle.
"Silkie?" His answer came in the form of an aged Alaskan Malamute bounding joyfully towards him and he immediately put out his hands to stop the animal from jumping onto his lap. At the same time, Kory raised her hand and lowered it, simmering the dog's emotions down to a simple tail wag. "Don't these dogs need a ton of exercise?" She brought her attention away from her beloved companion to her newest one, smiling at Dick's incredulous expression.
"Well, Silkie here is nearing old age, the poor fellow," She comically covered the ears of the animal, who whined in protest, "He's almost seventy-two in dog years."
"How long have you had him?" The dog leaned into Dick's touch, panting softly, and it amazed Dick that he hadn't been able to tell she owned a dog at all when he'd walked in.
"Since I was seventeen." The look that crossed her face wasn't a quizzical one this time; instead, it was something he recognized. Pain. But the look came and went like the rest, appearing as suddenly as it disappeared.
"Would you be interested in a round?"
"Of what?" The bottle in her hand tilted dangerously toward the floor.
He picked up the controller and motioned innocently to the game system, "X-Box. God, Kory, what did you think I was talking about?" She playfully stuck her tongue out and grabbed the spare controller she owned. Soon, they logged in and eyed each other's Live accounts with interest.
"Nightwing?"
"Starfire?" In unison, they shrugged and settled into the couch for a round of ass-kicking as the fictional Batman and his trusty sidekick, Robin.
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The musical voice bid goodbye to its creation and knelt down to place the Sleeping Beauty fairytale by her side. A single red rose adorned the place where her hands clasped together and a latex-covered finger danced over the soft petals there. With a flick of the lights, Aurora succumbed to the poison in her bloodstream and drifted off to an eternal rest.
AN: Chapter Three: "Kiss a Girl" by Keith Urban
Having never touched an X-Box in my life, I hope that everything I wrote was up to par regarding the game system. If Robin's character isn't in the game "Arkham Asylum," lo siento, mis amigos.
Pancuronium is the paralysis drug that is used in lethal injection to slow down the heart and diaphragm.
In case you didn't know, Dick and Kory's first date was to Coney Island. I just had to put the Ferris wheel scene in here somewhere! And the restaurant mentioned does exist and it's called "Footprints Cafe." Having never been to New York, I don't know if the cuisine there is good or not, but hey, can't blame a girl for trying at some realism.
You know the drill.