A/N: A few days later and I'm back. I'll be honest. It's late as hell, and I've still got homework to do, and posters to finish, so I'm sorry for posting so late, lolz. Here are the responses though. :D
TheDreamChaser: me either. I went back and saw my comment, and I was like.. was I high when I posted this? lolz. But I meant 'lots of love for the Jason AND Rachel PAIRING.' lol. Well the drama continues! Hope you like it.
Mewgirl223: I don't blame ya! And I loved writing that chapter almost as much as I loved this one. Thanks for reading and reviewing, hope you enjoy!
After Lunch
They were walking after lunch drinking smoothies and not speaking for a while. Usually she didn't mind the quiet, but this was agonizingly silent. "Please say something." she looked up at him a few moments after asking.
"I don't know what to say really." he laughed still looking forward. "I guess I'm kind of impressed."
"Huh?" she had expected a speech or lecture. He finally had a chance for payback and he wasn't taking it. No wonder he was her best guy friend.
"Yeah. I mean, I didn't think you had it in you."
"It's nothing to be proud of." she scolded herself.
"Oh come on. They're not married yet. Besides sometimes good people do bad things." they sat down on a nearby bench. "I could see you guys together." she smiled but didn't dare let him see it. "So what now?" he asked.
"He wants to stay here this weekend. It's Independence Day. We could play the work card. And then see what comes of it."
"Hmm." he nodded. "And what do you want?"
"I want…" she trailed off really thinking, "..not to want him. At least not now. Not like this. I mean poor Kori."
"Hey. I can tell you this. If the roles were reversed, 'poor Kori' wouldn't even hesitate." he had a point
Later During Rachel's Break
"What do you think of these?" Kori asked holding a pair of red shoes in her hands.
"I think I have to get back to work." she said impatiently.
"What about these?" she held another pair. They were a bright yellow with bows on the top front.
"Did you even hear me?" Rachel asked.
"Fine, but can I read you something first?"
"Really fast?" she asked.
"Really fast." she promised. She sat down and pulled out her phone. Rachel took a seat across from her.
"Ready?"
"Ready." she said checking her watch.
"Okay." she cleared her throat. "Dick. Our love is like the ocean. Endless and deep and always flowing." Rachel scrunched up her face at that. "What? No good. You hate it don't you?"
"What no? I don't hate it. It was lovely."
"Buuuuuut."
"But oceans don't flow." she pointed out. "Rivers flow." she offered.
"See you're better at this than me." she nudged. "Help me?" she asked in a little voice. "Please?"
"I already told you I have to get back to work." she said about to stand up.
"Please!" she whined. "Please!"
"Fine!" she snapped. But Kori didn't notice. She just smiled. Like a kid who didn't care that they'd annoyed the crap out of somebody. Just that they got what they wanted. "Forget the ocean. Tell him-" she thought for a moment. "Tell him that when you're with him, everything makes sense. That he makes you the person you want to be, instead of the person you are. That life without him is not only unbearable, its unimaginable."
"Oh my god!" she heard Kori shriek. "You guys made it." Kori ran over to her friends who had just arrived and ignored everything her friend said. Rachel realized she poured her own feelings for Dick right out to Kori without realizing. She knew at that moment, she was lucky. And she had to be more careful.
She texted Richard and agreed to stay home with him for Fourth of July weekend.
Fourth of July Weekend.
Saturday morning, Rachel met Dick and they started walking around the city. He was dressed in casual jeans and a red polo shirt. She did the same, only it was a black t-shirt. It was a lot more quiet with everybody in Gotham out of town for the holiday. They went around talking and laughing with each other. They tried their best to avoid anything awkward. Including the wedding and Kori. Everything else smoothed over as they continued their date.
Later that night Rachel led him to her rooftop where she'd set up a comfortable spot for the both of them. They lay next to each other talking about nothing and everything for an hour.
"Do you remember that night when we were studying for that Torts final? And you were laughing so hard." he asked. She didn't even have to try to recall it.
"Yeah. I do."
"Didn't you feel what I was feeling?" he asked. It had been bothering him for a while and he wanted to know.
"I was hoping you were feeling what I was." she admitted. "I didn't know for sure."
"But then. That night. I thought you set me up with Kori."
"I just didn't think you wanted me." she admitted after a while.
He kissed her passionately. In that moment, he showed exactly how much he wanted, how much he needed her. She took off his shirt and he removed her belt before she stopped him. "Wait."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't think we should do this here." she shook her head.
"Yeah. Maybe we should take it slower." he pulled away a little bit wanting to respect any boundaries she had.
"No." she tilted his head down and kissed him. "We're on a roof top. We should go inside." she laughed slightly. He picked her up and kissed her before bringing her down and locking the door behind them. They didn't leave that room all night.
The Next Morning
"Hey." Rachel woke up and smiled at Dick. He had a huge smile plastered on. She realized he had been watching her sleep. "This is a nice way to wake up."
"I want to tell you something." he said immediately.
"What?" she asked guessing that it wasn't that serious.
"I love you." he said. She hadn't expected him to say that. "I love you Rachel. I always have." she smiled.
The two went for a walk in the park in the afternoon. The time when most people would be out for lunch and away from the area. Unfortunately people were there today and as much as he wanted to, Richard couldn't do most of the things he wanted to do with Rachel. Flirt openly, glare at the men staring her up and down and hold her hand. But he was able to tell her so.
"Imagine I'm holding your hand right now." he moved it closer and she didn't move away. They barely touched and her cheeks flushed pink, looking red against her pale complexion. "You're blushing." he teased.
"No I'm not." she shook her head trying her best not to smile.
He looked behind them and saw his adoptive mother and father walking towards them. "Richard?" his mother called.
"Is that?"
"My parents." he suddenly felt like he was in high school again being caught out with a girl.
"I should go." Rachel said nervous.
"No. Don't" he stopped her.
"Dick?" she asked confused.
"Stay." he urged.
"Diana." he stopped walking and she ran up to hug him. "Good to see you again Bruce."
"You too Dick." his gaze landed on Rachel.
"You remember Rachel Roth right?" he pointed. "We went to law school together."
"Nobody could forget those eyes." Diana gushed.
"Nice to see you again Mrs. Wayne."
"We were just about to get lunch. Join us?" she asked.
After Lunch
"And he ran around naked saying, 'I am the night. I am vengeance! I! Am!-'"
"Ahhhh." he cut his adoptive mother off and laughed nervously. "Thank you I am now fully embarrassed Diana." Rachel laughed a little bit.
"Richard. Could I speak with you for a moment in private while Diana tells more of your famous adventures?"
"Sure." They walked far away from the table.
"She's doing a lot better." Bruce said.
"I can tell." he smiled
"You know I've never seen her so happy. Must be the wedding." he mused.
"Dad can I ask you something?" Richard barely ever called him dad, considering he wasn't really. But he was really serious.
"Anything."
"Have you ever gone down a road? And I mean far down one road and realize that somewhere along the way, its not what you really wanted?" he asked and Bruce looked at him worried. Then back at Rachel.
"Wanted? What we want and what's right isn't always the same thing." he looked dead at him. "Is it?"
"Dad,-" he started but was cut off by Bruce almost instantly.
"Whatever is going on with you and that girl needs to stop. Now."
"But dad-"
"We are not those kinds of people Richard. You know that."
"Yes sir." he said and looked down.
The Walk Home
"Your mom is such a sweet heart." Rachel laughed as they walked to her apartment. "Your dad… well I see where that strong silent thing comes from."
He laughed dryly.
"Are you okay?" she asked noticing a change.
"Yeah I'm just tired." he waved off an excuse.
"Well do you want to come up?" she asked offering a place for him to rest.
"I do." he smiled then looked a little bit down remembering what Bruce said earlier. "But Kori texted me and said that she's on her way back now. So I should be there when she gets home."
"Yeah. You're right."
"Rachel. About what I said this morning. In bed. I just need you to understand I meant it." he kissed her cheek and held his lips there for a few moments as if it were the last time he would be able to.
Lunch With Roy (The Thursday After)
"That's what he said?" Roy asked a few days later.
"It's complicated." Rachel said sitting down with her lunch. He looked at her questioningly "No. Don't." she warned but he did anyway.
"Don't what? Its not complicated Rachel. He's being a dick. And you're being kind of stupid."
"Wha- wait. I'm being stupid?" she asked.
"Yes. He's just stringing you along and you're letting him."
"He's not even married yet Roy."
"Exactly! Rachel he's not even married yet." he pointed out. "Which means he could leave Kori at anytime. He just hasn't yet. Has he? " he asked harshly. "Have you even seen- have you even talked to him since the Fourth of July?" she thought about it and stopped mid chew of her burger. "When did you become one of these women who just waits and waits?" This got her pissed. Maybe because she knew it was true.
"What about you? I don't see you living out your happily ever fucking after Roy."
"Maybe your right." he said unphased. "But at least I take chances."
"When?" she challenged. "When was the last time you took a chance on anything?"
"Two days ago when I decided to move to London."
"That doesn't even count beca-" she stopped herself at realizing what he said. "You're moving to London?" she asked.
"Last week, a publisher said he loved my novel and wanted me to move there where I could write some more. Get some paperwork done and do some promos. But I'd have to live there for a long time."
"When were you going to tell me?"
"About two minutes ago before you started yelling and cursing at me."
"That's incredible." she said truly happy for him.
"Do you want to give me a killer going away present?" he asked feigning excitement.
"What?" she asked knowing he was about to say something smug.
"Tell your boyfriend to make a choice." she rolled her eyes.
Rachel was walking down the street after lunch and she saw Jason skating with some younger kids and teaching them new moves. He saw her and she waved politely. He walked over to her and they sat down on a nearby bench. They talked for a few minutes about how they've been then he said,
"So I'm lying in bed last night. Thinking about you. Wondering if I should jerk off or not." she looked up at him in surprise and a very very small sliver of flattery.
"What a charmer you are." she said with her token sarcasm.
"Let me finish." he held up his hands in defense. "But I couldn't get it up. That has never happened before. And don't get me wrong. I think you're really hot. But now all I can associate with you is failure because of that experience." she snickered and eventually busted out laughing. Jason was absolutely ridiculous and he knew it.
"How do you make the most hideous things sound somehow charming?"
"It's a gift."
"A gift?" she questioned.
"So how big do you think it is?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.
"The house."
"What house?"
"The one that Kori and Dick are looking at." At this she immediately stopped laughing.
"What?"
"Kori didn't tell you? My dad is Dick's dad's realtor."
"Really?" she asked pissed off.
"Yeah. They're moving out of the city after the wedding. Dick's dad is getting them a huge place far away from the city. It's way out there." he explained thinking she already knew. She just stared into space not wanting to believe Roy was right.
That Night
Rachel was in her apartment going over some final paperwork wishing she wasn't so good at her job when her cell phone rang. She saw it was Kori and picked up full of rage.
"Hello?"
"Hey you little tart." she joked while applying lotion to her legs. Dick was right beside her looking over files for a new case. "Jason said you guys saw each other today. So spill it. Is he circumcised?" she asked teasingly.
"When were you going to tell me about buying a house?" she asked bitterly. Dick looked at the phone worried. But Kori just sighed.
"Oh. How did you know? Wait never mind you saw Jason today. It wasn't like a secret or anything. Wait til you see the house we love."
"We haven't decided anything yet." Richard chimed in nervously.
"Oh am I on speaker right now?" Rachel asked curiously ready to cut him with her words.
"Hey Rach." he said meekly.
"Hey Richard. You like the house too huh?" she asked seething.
"Uh. Yeah it- it was okay."
"Okay? What are you talking about?" Kori asked. "We loved it."
"That's great. But I've gotta go. And Kori."
"Yeah?" she turned her attention to the phone.
"Yes. Jason is circumcised." she answered her earlier question, hung up her phone and threw it picturing Richard's face.
Kori looked confused and Richard looked a little pissed and disappointed.
The Next Morning
Rachel's assistant and friend Jenn walked into the office with a sticky note that said, Richard Grayson is on the phone. He's called 3 times! She shook her head no. Jenn rolled her eyes, walked out and came back with another full bouquet of roses. She looked up and mouthed for her to put them in the corner with the rest since she was on the phone with a potential client.
She got a text message and saw it was from Dick.
I need to talk to you. Can we meet again?
She shook her head and wrote back harshly tapping on the keys,
GO TALK TO YOUR NEW HOUSE!
A/N: Ouch... I think someones just a teeny tiny bit upset. Hehe. Until next time, Read and Respond
Much Love and Respect,
~Poppie~