Just Drabbles

Chapter 13: Silent Inquiries

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

Y'know, plot bunnies are awesome when one is need of updating a story or fresh material, but it's not cool when it's a triple attack and the author is in class! Here I am in Psychology trying to learn about the amygdala when Wham! Three stories simultaneously manifest themselves in my mind. *sigh* C'est la vie.

PS: The third story will be up tomorrow, my creative juices and energy are in short supply tonight.

*Ding Dong!*

Twenty four year old Richard Grayson jumped as the sound of the doorbell resonated throughout his three story house. He immediately regretted jumping for he had been shaving when he was startled, causing him to nick himself. Wincing slightly, Richard reached for a washcloth and after making sure it was damp, placed the towel over his small wound, staunching the blood flow.

He heard the front door open quickly followed by a sweet female voice calling out, "Richard, I'm home!" The sound of the soft soprano tones caused Richard's already pounding heart to increase its speed two fold. He took a ragged breath, opened the bathroom door and yelled out, "I'll be down in five minutes Kori!" Richard barely heard her reply as he closed the door. He gripped the sink and looked hard at his reflection in the mirror before him.

"Relax Grayson," he mentally berated himself. "It's just Kori. You remember Kori right? Your girlfriend of six years and who currently shares a house with you and completelyowns your heart?" Richard took another, more even breath, forcing his nerves to settle. He grabbed the navy shirt he had slung haphazardly over the shower bar and shoved it over his head. He quickly jumped into black jeans before tearing out of the bathroom. As Richard raced down the stairs, he raked his fingers through his hair in a desperate and completely futile attempt to tame his rumpled locks of obsidian.

When Richard laid eyes on his girlfriend who was waiting patiently for him in the living room, his nervousness melted away. "Hey," He greeted her with an easy smile. "Sorry about the delay," his grin turned sheepish. "Shaving accident."

"Aw," Kori cooed. She walked over to Richard and placed a gentle kiss on his bandaged jawbone. "Does that help?"

"Yeah," Richard replied, welcoming the familiar loving warmth he felt flood his being whenever Kori was around. Feeling the childish mischief that also crept over him when he was near Kori, Richard tapped his lips and said," but now they're starting hurt too from being left out."

Kori rolled her eyes, inwardly chuckling at Richard's immaturity as she pressed her lips against his.

"Satisfied?" She asked a minute later.

His pout was still visible, "not really."

Kori giggled. "You can have a victory kiss, if you win."

"Oh Miss Anders," Richard began in a voice worthy of a debonair hero belonging in a nineteen-forties era movie. "You are going down, my love."

"We shall see," a fiery gleam reaching Kori's eye.

Richard laughed and went to go fetch the game the couple had played for years. Kori was born in a country called Tamaran, it was small land, nestled near Monaco, rarely seen on the map. Having spent the first six years of her life in Tamaran, Kori had no idea how to approach learning the English language when she and her uncle had moved to America. When she entered school, Kori was ostracized for her heavy accent and broken English, kids telling her she was better off staying silent.

Richard remembered the teacher gently guiding Kori over to his desk during the lunch break. She had placed a Scrabble game on the desk, pushing over a second desk so Kori could sit. The teacher asked Richard to play the game with the new student in the hopes of Kori both making a friend and learning the language. Richard was hesitant at first, he himself a shy boy who preferred to spend his free time alone, a trait he had picked up from his adoptive father. Yet when he looked at the forlorn look on Kori's face, he knew he couldn't leave her alone, no matter how much this contradicted his nature.

That hour, Richard and Kori played, Richard patiently rearranging any misspelled words Kori made and answering any questions she had about both the English language and America. Not only had Kori increased her English vocabulary by the time lunch was over, but both she and Richard had made a new friend.

Ever since that day, either Richard or Kori would break out the game at least once a week. Once Kori had surprised Richard by using Scrabble to return the favor and teach him her native language. It was now part of their routine to alternatively play a game in either English or Tameranean. Luckily for Richard today they were playing in English.

Richard grabbed the beloved board game, sauntering over to his beloved, a "game on" smirk already on his face. Kori returned the smirk as she sat at the dining room table across from Richard. Seating himself, Richard took out the game board and placed it in front of him. He slid the tile bag over to his girlfriend who took out the arbitrary seven tile pieces before giving it back to him. As he took out seven pieces for himself,

Richard gestured to the board and said, "Ladies first."

"My how chivalrous," Kori drawled before sticking out her tongue. She looked at the tiles on the plaque before her, sheilding the letters from Richard. After a moment had passed, Kori placed her letters on the board spelling out the word "quasar". Grinning at the word, Kori took a pencil lying in the box and scrawled a thirty-two on the pad found next to the pencil, sixteen points for the word plus another sixteen for landing on the double word square. "Your turn," she told Richard brightly.

Richard looked at his tiles carefully choosing which tiles to use for the present moment and for which he'd need to save for later. Trying to maintain a nonchalant air, Richard attached the tiles with a "J" and "M" emblazoned on two tiles respectively to the "A" in Kori's quasar spelling out the word "jam." Kori looked at him quizzically. Usually Richard would spell out something a bit more challenging on his first turn but decided not to dwell too much on it. Fishing for tiles in the bag, Kori managed to spell out "save."

A half hour passed with Kori clearly in the lead and Richard still not satisfied with the tiles he had. Kori frowned softly. "Richard?" She asked, "Are you feeling alright? You usually do so much better with the game. Your countenance is screaming that you're stressed." She reached out and covered Richard's hand with her soft tan one. "Please tell me what troubles you."

Richard smiled at Kori, "Ah, I'm fine Kor, thanks for being concerned, but it's okay, don't worry." He leaned arcoss the table and kissed her briefly before returning to the game. He reached into the bag, silently praying that he would finally have the tiles he wanted. Pulling out two tiles, Richard grinned at what he saw. He looked at Kori, his smile melting away any worry she had. He flipped the board to face him, knowing Kori hated it when he did that for she wasn't quite skilled at reading upside down.

Richard summoned all of the willpower not to succumb to the puppy-dog face she was sporting and focus on the game at hand. He took a deep breath adding courage to the willpower he had summoned, trying to get his fingers to stop shaking.

Very carefully and deliberately he put the tiles down on the board away from their current game. Smiling shakily at his handiwork he spun the board back around to Kori.

Kori peered at the board, her jaw slowly dropping as she took in Richard's words. The tiles he had placed on the board spelled out "Marry me." Kori looked up--shock still plastered on her face--to see Richard smiling a boyish, sheepish smile holding up a small velvet box, a small engagement ring made of a star sapphire and diamonds encircling it nestled in royal blue satin. Her look of shock changed to a look of shining joy and pure love as she practically leapt over the table into Richard's lap, kissing him fervently. When the two surfaced for air, Kori spun the board back to face them as she attached a "Y" and "S" to Richard's "E" in "me".

Looking at her answer, Richard grabbed her left hand and slid the ring on her hand before sliding his hand into her thick crimson locks cupping the back of her head as he eagerly reaquainted her kips with her own, their game left forgotten on the table as the newly engaged couple got lost in their private world filled with nothing but love.

Of Patent Leather and Sneakers

Kori Grayson eagerly awaited the moment her husband Richard would return home from work. She was so grateful for teaching morning kindergarten for she feared she herself would be bouncing off the walls so to speak, that's how much excitement filled her.

Kori paced the living room, nearly wearing a hole into the carpet with the speed she walked. She leaped at the sound of a key entering the lock of the front door. Kori practically skipped over to the door, grabbing Richard's as soon as the door opened, pulling him into the living room. Richard laughed at his wife's childish antics.

"Glad to see me honey?" He greeted, kissing her chastely. Kori nodded.

"I have a surprise for you," she whispered.

Richard grinned. "Oh really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Kori hummed. "Close your eyes."

Richard obeyed his jubilant wife. "Now hold out your hands," she instructed. Richard did so. He frowned, slightly confused as he felt Kori place something lightweight in his hand then use his other hand to hide the surprise object. He tried to make sense of the texture he felt in his hand. Make that textures. One felt smooth while the other one also felt smooth but it had ridges that felt alien to him.

"You may open your eyes Richard," Kori said amusement in her voice as she watched the confusion flit across his handsome face.

Richard opened his eyes as he took his hand off of his surprise. There in palm of his hand sat two small shoes. One a tiny Mary Jane, the one an equally tiny sneaker. The size that could only fit the foot of a...

"You're pregnant?" Richard whispered in awe. He looked at his bride, taking in the shimmering joy that danced in her emerald pools. She took his free hand and pressed it against her stomach.

"You tell me," she whispered back.

Richard's heart soared as he pressed his lips against Kori's in a tender, passion-filled kiss. "I love you Kori Grayson," he murmured against her lips.

"I love you too."

Richard looked back at the shoes in his hands. "Twins?" He asked, his voice never going higher than a

whisper.

Kori giggled. "I am only five weeks along Richard, I am not sure yet. But we will find out together won't we?" She pressed her forehead against his.

"Yes we will," he answered, kissing her once more.

Eee! Oodles of fluff!!! And nope, I don't own Scrabble or Mary Janes either.