Just Drabbles
I think it's about time I say that I don't own the Teen Titans.
Chapter 32: Vow Renewal Blues
For Star of Airdrie who asked for more of Lydia and Mari. For the readers who don't know who those girls are, they are the four year old twins of Richard and Kory Grayson from chapters 26 and 27.
"Oh Kory, it's gorgeous!" Cried Karen Stone, nee Beecher, a friend of Kory's since high school. Kory grinned at the dress hanging on her closet door. It was a strapless white satin dress with an over layer of finely spun thread woven into intricate patterns of butterflies, dragonflies and the occasional humming bird. So tiny were these designs, they were only thrown into relief if Kory was in sunlight.
"You'll look like a goddess in it!" Karen continued to gush.
"Too bad she has to wear Great-grandma Theresa's veil with it." Kory turned around and shared a wry grin with her older sister Koma who had flown in from Paris to see her sibling renew her wedding vows. "I didn't know Dick could be so romantic," Koma commented mischievously.
"Richard can be quite romantic," Kory retorted. "As a matter of fact he--"
"Wait, wait, wait," Karen interjected. "Before you tell us how Dick asked you to renew your wedding vows, why don't you explain what's wrong with your great-grandma's veil?"
"Headdress is more like it," Koma muttered.
Kory rolled her eyes and went over to a large square blue box sitting on hers and Richard's bed. Opening it, Kory pulled out a massive lace veil with long and short layers, the short pieces looking like they had fallen prey to a butcher on a rampage with his knife. Holding the veil together was a rather gaudy looking tiara with large and small pearls protruding from the silver. Ever since the Anders sisters were teenagers, they always thought the bigger pearls looked like zits just begging to be popped.
"Yikes," Karen murmured. "Well, your grandma Theresa certainly had interesting taste."
"That's putting it mildly," Koma said.
Kory looked at the veil with a mixed expression of both wistfulness and disgust. "Every woman in our family has worn this."
"Not me," Koma said immediately. "I refuse."
Before her sister could retort, there was a knock on the door. It opened halfway to reveal Richard standing in the hallway, a hand clapped over his eyes. "I'm not looking," he said. "Just delivering the girls, they wanted to see the dress." Awkwardly, he pushed twin four year old girls forward. "Oh and Koma, thanks so much for the make-up kits you sent to the girls for their birthday." She chuckled. The girls toddled in, Richard quietly closing the door behind them.
Kory beamed at her daughters, Lydia and Mari Grayson. They were her pride and joy. Her world. They were fraternal, but they shared a beautiful bond nonetheless. She watched as Mari went over to the dress while Lydia went over to great-grandma Theresa's veil.
Lydia tugged on the monstrosity. "Is this your dress Mommy?" She asked, sapphire eyes identical to her father's that were wide and shimmering with innocence. The women in the room giggled.
"The dress is over here, Lydia!" Mari exclaimed as she beckoned her sister over, bouncing on her little feet. The two reached out with cautious hands and stroked their mother's wedding dress. "Mommy, you're going to look like a princess!" Mari declared before spinning around and bounding over to her aunt, climbing into Koma's lap without pretense.
"Like an angel," Lydia said solemnly. She popped a thumb in her mouth and shyly approached Karen who happily took the little girl onto her lap.
Kory, who had packed away the veil, turned around and said with a playful pout, "Aw, no love for Mommy?" Immediately, Lydia and Mari leaped off of their "seats" and ran over to her mother and her open arms.
"Greetings my little bumgorfs!" Kory said with a laugh before placing a kiss on each of her daughters' foreheads.
"Ugh, must you use the old language Kory?" Koma asked with a grimace.
"Yes I must," Kory retorted, sticking out her tongue. She then looked at her daughters and asked, "Now will you girls behave for Daddy while Mommy is out?" They nodded. "No sneaking up on Daddy when he is asleep, right?"
"Right, Mommy." Kory hugged Mari and Lydia before standing up, Koma and Karen standing up as well.
"Ready for a day at the spa?" The sister of the bride asked. She nodded.
"Well then let's go meet Rachel and Donna at the spa then!" Karen cheered.
After waving good-bye to his wife and her friends, Richard looked at his four year old twins and asked, "Who's hungry?"
"Meee!!!" Mari and Lydia piped.
Grinning, Richard said, "You two go get washed up and I'll start lunch."
As their father headed into the kitchen, Lydia and Mari bounced upstairs. However, instead of going into the bathroom like they were told to, the twins, wanting to take another peek at their mother's pretty dress slipped into the master bedroom, a corner of long white lace catching their eye.
"Girls! Lunch is ready!" Instead of the sound of footfalls answering Richard like he expected, silence rang. Frowning slightly, he called out, "Lydia! Mari! Time to come downstairs!" Panic brushed against his heart. "Oh please don't tell me they started another bubble bath war," he muttered as he raced up the stairs.
Reaching the second floor, Richard heard giggling coming from the master bedroom. "Lydia? Mari?" He asked uncertainly, pushing the door open.
"Look Daddy! We made pretty!" Lydia exclaimed.
"We're as pretty as Mommy!" Mari added.
Richard was aghast. Indeed the girls had made pretty. Lydia had gotten to Kory's great-grandmother's veil and ripped it, creating a makeshift dress and veil for herself. Mari on the other hand had gotten to Kory's beloved dress and pretty much did the same thing as her twin. To make matters worse, the twins discovered their mother's lipstick, some smeared on their faces, inadvertently staining the dress and veil as well.
Richard's mouth moved, but no sound came out. A minute passed before he managed to speak. "Oh girls…what did you do?"
Noting the upset in their father's voice, Mari and Lydia's faces crumpled. "Are we in trouble, Daddy?" Mari asked tearfully.
"Uh…no, no. I know it was an accident and you girls just thought you were playing dress up." Richard said. "Daddy's probably going to be in much bigger trouble."
"We're sorry Daddy," Lydia said softly. She walked over to Richard and wrapped her tiny arms around his leg, Mari following suit.
Richard sighed and picked his daughters up. "I forgive you, Mommy will too. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
It was seven-thirty when Kory and Koma arrived home, the latter staying in her sister's house to help with ceremony preparations. The women jumped, startled to see Richard two feet from the door, on his knees staring beseechingly at his wife.
"Richard," Kory began. "What--?"
"I love you Kory," he said. "Please know that. And I am so, so sorry."
"Richard, what are you talking about?" She asked, concern furrowing her brow.
He swallowed. "Lydia and Mari wanted to play dress up and there was an accident…"
Eyes wide, Kory bolted up the stairs, her sister and husband on her heels. She pushed the bedroom door open. Her face drained of color. "Oh," she said faintly. "I thought they had gotten to their own dresses." She stared at her bed. There, was her dress and veil in tattered ruins.
Kory picked up a piece of the ripped dress and held it tenderly, feeling moisture on the material, faint traces of lipstick clinging to the satin. Well, at least Richard tried to fix things, she thought. "Mommy?"
Kory turned toward the uncertain voice that rang in the air, her eyes falling on Lydia and Mari, pajama clad and clutching hands. "We're sorry," Mari said sadly. "We only wanted to be as pretty as you."
A soft smile crept onto Kory's face. She knelt and held her arms out saying, "Come here my little bumgorfs."
Slowly, the twins toddled over and accepted their mother's hug. "I'm not mad at you," she said. "I know you were only playing dress up." She shrugged. "Besides it is only material. You two girls are the most beautiful girls in the world, you do not need to try to make yourselves prettier."
"You're right." Kory looked up to see Koma leaning against the doorframe. "It's just material." She walked over to the veil, gingerly lifting it and commented, "Luckily, it's still pretty workable material." She looked at her sister. "Have you got a sewing machine around here?"
Kory quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah…in the closet. Uh…Koma…what…?"
"You get my darling nieces to bed and let me do my thing here." Koma said as she lifted the sewing machine from the closet shelf and plunked it down on Richard's desk. She then waved her hands toward the door. "Go on you three," She ordered. "Scat."
Bewildered, Kory scooped up her daughters and exited the room. Tucking the twins in and hugging them goodnight, Kory made to leave when Lydia called to her, "Mommy?" She turned back to her daughter.
"We're really sorry," Lydia said.
Kory smiled, "I know." She blew the girls a kiss. "Get some sleep bumgorfs. Good night."
As Koma worked, Kory paced, wincing every time she heard a rip. And there were a lot of rips. Finally Richard put his arms around her waist, preventing her from pacing. "Kory," he said in a gentle, but firm voice. "You need to relax and put your trust in your sister."
Kory sighed, "You're right Richard." She let her husband lead her to the second spare bedroom.
"Lay down please," he instructed gently.
Another sigh escaped Kory. "Sorry Honey," she said. "But I just--"
Richard laughed and rolled his eyes. "On your stomach Kory! There are other ways to relieve stress!"
"A massage?" She asked faintly, complying to Richard's request.
"Yes," he replied. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tenderly applied pressure to her sore muscles, moving with circular motions. He felt her gradually relax under her touch, smirking slightly as he listened to her try to contain her moans of satisfaction and relief.
Time slipped away, the couple hardly noticing until there was a knock on the door. "Is it safe to come in or am I going to be scarred for life?" Koma quipped.
Kory laughed and sat up. She kissed Richard briefly before hopping off of the bed and over to the door, opening it. "It's safe," she announced.
"Your dress is ready," Koma said with deathly seriousness.
Kory felt her panic rushing back in waves, about to be sucked under its current. "A-and?"
Her sister grinned. "I think you'll be very, very pleased. Go check it out."
As Kory dashed off and Richard made to follow, Koma held out a hand and stopped him. "Hold it Romeo, you know the rules, no one with a trouser snake allowed."
Rolling his eyes, Richard gave his sister-in-law a gentle shove as she laughed and ran after her sister.
She saw Kory standing hesitantly at the master bedroom door, eyes shut tight. She placed a hand on the bride's trembling shoulder. "Kory," Koma said softly. "It's going to be okay, go check on your dress." Without waiting for an answer, she pushed the red head forward.
Hanging on the closet door was the wedding dress--newly transformed. The bodice remained the same, white strapless satin with tiny, intricate designs of woven thread. The skirt however, was now fuller, still ankle length and comprised of spiraling, cascading ruffles that Kory saw when leaning in for a closer look were made from both the original over layer of the dress as well as ripped pieces of Great-Grandma Theresa's dress. To Kory, it looked like some sort of ball gown worn by the Swan Princess.
As if hearing Kory's thoughts, Koma said, "Now instead of looking like an angel like Lydia said, you're going to look like a fairy princess. Close to what Mari said. I think you've got two little fashion designers in the making."
Kory nodded, smiling through the tears that were beginning to fall. "Indeed. Two little fashionistas."
Agh, I am so so sorry for Koma's bluntness toward Richard. I had no idea where that came from and I'm embarrassed to have written it. Never again.