I4.6

Chapter 16: Our

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Adult themes. DO NOT read if you are underage or dislike controversial things.

Author's Note: The number of readers who are uncomfortable with Richard in the kitchen makes me lol.

Richard takes a deep breath of fresh air as he walks away from the stone cold building behind him. The morning's summer heat warms his body and brings a smile to his face. The building's central air had been set to an uncomfortably cold temperature. It felt very clinical, but Richard didn't mind. It reminded him of why he was there. He knows that he has been a little too reckless the last couple of days and that he needs to be more careful before his freshly laid plans go up in flames. The potential arsonist? One Doctor Victoria Kettlebum.

Dr. Kettlebum has always been his least favorite psychiatrist to work with. She is a no nonsense, middle aged woman who keeps her long gray hair neatly braided down her back. The usual Grayson charm doesn't seem to phase her. Most people are taken in by his disarming smile and matching dimples. His pleasant demeanor and general swagger has lulled many older women into a sense of comfort when around him. He can usually get them to perceive him as the son they wish they had or the young plaything that can add that spark of danger that they desire during their dreary years. She, however, looks at him with a critical eye. As though he is too good to be true and must be hiding skeletons in his closet. That he must be highly unstable, but she doesn't know how to prove it. She doesn't know about his super hero occupation, either. If she did, then Richard bets that a majority of her questions about him would be answered and even more would be asked.

She is just one of the numerous mental health specialists that Wayne Enterprises has invested in. To Bruce's credit, he does understand the importance of unpacking traumas and finding ways to either heal from them or cope with them. Unfortunately, Richard wasn't sure how effective someone of Dr. Kettlebum's stature can be if she doesn't know the extent of her patient's history. She is working with limited knowledge of Richard's civilian background. She knows that he is the adoptive son of Bruce Wayne. That he witnessed the death of his parents and, that like most young children, blamed their demise on himself. He has shared his feelings of abandonment and resentment towards the circus that just handed him over to the rich man. Had briefly told her about his complex feelings towards the man who saw himself in a young orphan. Through working with her, he had came to realize that much of his need to plan and strategize comes from that one particular moment in his life. By hyper organizing, over analyzing and double checking just about every aspect of his life, he is attempting to avoid another major loss of someone who is near and dear to him. She's not completely wrong. These character traits that he has developed, originates from his negatives experiences in childhood. These character traits are also the reason why he and his team have survived so long as vigilantes in a world full of criminals with no boundaries.

Now, why was he in Dr. Kettlebum's office on such a glorious summer morning? Well, because he did something reckless on Saturday night. When Richard decided to sample I4.6, he clearly wasn't thinking straight. He can admit that now. In that moment, he just wanted to forget the painful feelings of betrayal and bury the myriad of conflicting emotions about his beloved. He didn't want to think too long or too hard about what his real feelings are or his true intentions towards the young woman who has invaded his subconscious. Those thoughts were dangerous. They would upset the dynamics of the team and potentially ruin a perfectly good friendship. But, that night was also very eye opening to him. Being immobile for so long and having Rachel be the only thing that his mind could concentrate on made Richard realize the depth of his feelings for her. He hesitates to call this romantic love. Maybe that's because he has little to no experience with that type of bond with someone. His teenage years haven't been "normal" by anyone's standard. Instead of attending a regular high school and enduring the normal trials and tribulations of adolescence, he has been hunting down criminals and bringing them to justice. His teenage years and the plethora of life or death decisions he has had to make have forced him to mature much more quickly than his peers, but it has also stunted him in many other ways.

Both Bruce and Alfred realizes this. It's the reason why he has semi-regular meetings with Dr. Kettlebum. To make sure that he is "okay." Whatever that really means. Richard knows that his adventure with I4.6 really scared Alfred and made the poor man think that he is suicidal. His consistent mumbling of Rachel's name throughout the whole episode did nothing to ease the old butler's fears. Luckily, not many people know or even realize that Raven's real name is Rachel. Everyone calls her by her superhero alter ego, like she is the mysterious Raven that is cloaked in shadows and darkness; not the young woman with insecurity issues whose powers could end humanity if she doesn't keep tight control over them. Alfred and Jason think that she's just some girl that he might have developed a painful crush on, but Richard is fairly sure that Bruce has connected the dots and knows who Rachel is. He hasn't said anything to the Boy Wonder, and is probably waiting for this psyche evaluation to determine how he should approach Richard and have another "talk."

Richard is confident that the evaluation was a success and that no other red flags will be raised. He can't afford to have more discerning eyes prying into his executive decisions as team leader. While the majority of his choices have been timely and relevant to the circumstances, his drugging of Beastboy would be considered unethical. As much as Wayne Enterprises would condemn him for how he acquired the data points, they didn't reject them either. Richard had spent much of last night, hyped up on caffeine and documenting his subordinate's reactions to I4.6 in the database. The work was painstaking because he made sure to pay close attention to details and observable facts about the test subject's initial response and subsequent journey to recovery. Bruce was already calling him to ask follow up questions by the time the morning's sunlight started peeking through his window. He specifically wanted to know how the changeling came into contact with the drug. Richard was expecting this line of questioning and had already prepared a cover story. The story hinges on how absentminded and goofy the green beast is notorious for being. According to Richard's story, the bat boy was testing how soluble I4.6 is in various types of liquids: water, juice, soda and protein shake. The changeling didn't know this and just assumed that Richard was stealing his prized shakes. Everyone knows how he loves his vegan, plant based protein infused drinks. According to Richard, in a childish show of belligerence, Beastboy snatched up the bottle he was experimenting with and gulped it all down in one go. It was close enough to the truth if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side.

Richard suspects that his father figure doesn't completely buy his story. Who experiments with such volatile drugs in the kitchen of a full house? There were plenty of things about his tale that doesn't add up, but he is confident that Bruce doesn't know enough of his team's dynamics to sniff out where the lies are without inquiring. To have Batman asking his teammates' questions would raise many red flags for his subordinates since the caped crusader is such a hands off type of person. Either way, he probably won't dig too deeply because he is as hunger as Richard is for information about what this drug can do. While secretly drugging your teammates for data points and to add another weapon in your arsenal may seem like an unethical thing to do, it is the most practical thing for mortals to do. As humans who battle along side meta-humans against other super-humans, Bruce is hyper aware of how much of a disadvantage he and the other bat boys are. The darker side of Wayne Enterprises' has an interesting don't ask, don't tell policy when it comes to information. Richard is not all that surprised to see him turning the other cheek for the sake of the greater good.

As long as this evaluation doesn't show signs of clear mental disturbances, then Richard can carry on as he pleases. He plans to. There is a theory that he is in the process of testing. He wrote about it at length in last night's report. The theory of birthed vs. bestowed. The core of this hypothesis is actually quite simple. I4.6 works best on super humans who were born with their abilities. Those who have been bestowed with their powers, like Beastboy and Cyborg, will have a violent reaction to the drug. Why this is the case, Richard cannot be sure of yet, but it definitely has something to do with development in the womb. As it stands, his teams have two members who fall in both categories: birthed and bestowed. Two females and two males. Richard's curiosity is flying high and his mind if racing with the what ifs of it all. However, there is a nagging little voice at the back of his head that keeps whispering caution in his ear. That keeps telling him to slow down. To think about the causalities that will happen if he moves too rashly.

Richard sighs to himself as he makes his way to his car. It is a nondescript silver vehicle that blends in with every other car in the lot. It is parked in direct sunlight and he has to mentally steel himself for the oven that he is about to crawl in to. His body still feels a bit heavy and lethargic from taking I4.6 but he is definitely better than where he was. When he went to check on the green beast this morning, he found Cyborg and Starfire whispering furiously to one another. The second they sensed his presence, Cyborg deftly changed the topic but Starfire wouldn't meet his eyes. He hadn't spoken to Rachel since she left for her patrol, but he knows that she made it back to the Tower at roughly 7:30ish so that she can start her shift with Beastboy. He had been diligently working on recording all of the new information that he has gathered while he listened to the pinging of her tracking device. Even though they might be in a precarious place in their relationship, knowing where she is brings comfort to Richard in a way that he can't quite explain.

I should check the batteries on her tracker, Richard thinks to himself as he starts the car and turns on the air conditioner. He wouldn't want the anklet to die at the most importune time. That would be terribly inconvenient and would raise his blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Richard reaches for his communicator and checks the location of Rachel's communicator. It indicates that she is at the Titian Tower. She is probably in the medic bay and speaking to Beastboy, who regained consciousness and some control over his body during the night. Richard attempts to smother the twinge of jealousy he feels as he thinks about how she might be cooing over and nursing the changeling back to health. She thinks that Beastboy is upset with her for reasons only they know. Richard really hopes that she isn't attempting to compensate for that right now.

Richard schools his face into a neutral expression as he calls Rachel using the team's communicator. She picks up on the fourth beep. Her pretty face filling the screen. He couldn't quite make out where in the Tower she is, but she seems to be glaring at someone off screen. A voice in the background begins to whine about something and her eyebrows become even more furrowed before saying between clenched teeth, "Eat. It. All."

So much for cooing. Richard patiently waits for her to settle whatever commotion she seems to be dealing with before she can give him her full attention. He assumes that the person she is scolding is Beastboy. He probably doesn't want to eat because it takes a while for the appetite to come back after being exposed to I4.6. Finally, Rachel sets her eyes on the screen before her and looks at him. He smiles a little as he admires her violet eyes through the screen. The depth of that violet fluctuates as her emotions shift and change. Like a priceless gem set in the catlike shape of her eyes. The lashes that frame these masterpieces are long, thick and dark which adds even more allure. Enchanting.

Her voice pulls him back to this moment with a simple question, "Did you finish your appointment, Dick?"

"Huh? Ah, yea. I'm done. I'm going to make my way to the Food Emporium now. Do you have the things?" he asks. She holds up a thick binder with instructions on the front and shakes it a little.

"I'm ready when you are," she says while Richard nods his head as he checks the traffic.

"I should be there in 15. There doesn't seem to be much traffic right now," he says. "I'll meet you out front."

"You got it," is her response as he begins reversing his vehicle out of the parking spot. Today is Wednesday. Under normal circumstances, it would be food shopping day. This is traditionally part of Cyborg's routine. He would make a list, check it twice, take any special requests from the team and clip his coupons. He is the Tower's unofficial chef. He hadn't always started out that way, but he was the one with the most cooking experience when the team was founded. Richard was the rich boy with a butler and didn't have to make his own meals. Starfire was an alien princess who, like Richard, had other people to take care of the domestic work. Rachel was raised by monks on another planet and while she did help here and there with the chores, most of those had to do with cleaning. Beastboy, also, didn't have much experience in the kitchen when he was part of the Doom Patrol. That really just left Cyborg to pick up the slack. Eventually, he found enjoyment in cooking and the rest of the team learned to pitch in and help themselves along the years. They were generally responsible for their own breakfast and lunch while Cyborg would cook them a team dinner. Inevitably, he became the one responsible for restocking the Tower's kitchen.

However, right now Cyborg has his hands tied with Beastboy's recovery and trying to figure out what made him so sick in the first place. Richard glances down to the spot where Cyborg took a blood sample from yesterday. He is fairly confident that that sample will not reveal much about the make up of I4.6. The majority of it should have already passed through his system. It wasn't designed to last very long. Just long enough to gain the upper hand on one's opponents in battle. Even if there is a large trace of the drug in his system, no one would think that he would do it to himself, much less a teammate. They would look to the team's usual suspects instead of internally.

These thoughts are swimming around in his mind as he pulls into the Food Emporium's parking lot. He can see Rachel standing by the entrance of the large food shopping center. The nod at each other through the window of the car as he circles around one looking for parking in the first aisle. Thankfully, there is a parking space close enough to the door so carrying the groceries back to the car shouldn't be that hard. He parks and shuts off the engine. Making sure to double check his appearance in the mirror while he runs his fingers through his hair to make sure that everything lays the way he wants it to. He eyes his crisp white tee shirt to make sure that there are no hidden stains on it from his breakfast burrito. Everything that he can see looks good. Richard was never this hyper aware of his appearance around Rachel before, but now that he has a mission, he has to work all of his attributes.

He eyes Rachel closely as he makes his way to her. Her feet are clad in black studded summer sandals. They crisscross around her slender feet in an inviting way while his anklet glitters in the sunlight. Her legs are tantalizingly bare. The toned muscles shifting beneath the soft pale skin as she impatiently shifts her weight from one foot to another makes Richard's mouth water. Eventually, his eyes connect with the tight, black denim shorts that hug the curves of her hips. She is wearing a short sleeved, vintage Godzilla tee shirt with the sleeves rolled even further up her arm. She's not wearing any makeup for this outing, but her face looks freshly washed and her straight violet hair is blowing in the light breeze. Even with the anxious expression on her face, she looks adorable.

Richard is all smiles when he finally gets to the entrance of the Food Emporium. "What's wrong, Rachel? You look worried."

She shifts the weight of the binder from one hand to the other and looks at him and his smile. "Now is not the time to be smiling, Dick. We have a sick patient at home and Cyborg spent 10 minutes lecturing me about how to properly shop for groceries."

She rolls her eyes in annoyance and turns away from him. He watches her back and the gentle sway of her hips as she marches into the supermarket. There is determination set in her shoulders. She clearly doesn't want to be here, but Richard can't tell if it's because of him or if she is annoyed at having to pick up someone else's slack. He can't imagine that it could be either one of those options since she is not the type to grumble when things need to be done. Their last encounter was also pleasant. She thanked him for lunch and he made sure to give her space last night by not visiting her during her shift with Beastboy. He had to fight the urge to just lay eyes on her and see for himself that she was well when she came home last night. Starfire might have been on to something with yesterday's advise. The more he clings to her, the more uncomfortable she will be. So, his next course of action will be to lure her in like a spider lures a fly.

He had thought that something as low stakes and domestic as grocery shopping could be used to remind her that he isn't a weirdo or a threat to her. He's still the sweet, dependable, caring leader that she has always known. He knows that she has been picking up on his more erratic emotions lately and his particular feelings of lust has put her on edge. No, today's attitude doesn't have to do with him. She was already frustrated when he called her on the communicator. All Richard can do is shake his head before jogging a little to catch up with her. He gently grasps her elbow before pulling her aside and out of the flow of people shopping.

"I know you don't seem too happy right now and you don't have to talk about, if you don't want to. But, at least explain to me what Cyborg told you," Richard calmly and quietly demands. Rachel sighs before taking a deep breath through her nose, counts to five and releases through her moth. Richard patiently waits for her, again. He enjoys the slightly puckered O of her lips as she is releasing her breath. The thought of pressing his thumb against those full lips and gently caressing them invades his mind but he just as quickly subdues it. He will be on his best behavior for today. His goal is to lull her back into the sense of safety that she used to have around him before his reckless behaviors set off her alarm bells.

"The instructions are on top of the binder," she says. "I didn't realize how much of an extreme couponer Cyborg is. Don't we have money in the budget, Dick?"

Richard looks at the page that Rachel hands to him. His hand is still on her elbow and the pad of his left thumb absentmindedly caresses the soft skin beneath it. It was a detailed list of all of things that they needed, the quantity of said items and the number of coupons that can be applied to the purchase. Apparently, they would need to cash out three separate times for all of the discounts to apply. Richard chuckles softly to himself at the realization that Rachel is annoyed at having to shop. His quiet laughter earns him a sharp glare from his pretty companion.

"We have money. I know I allocate more than enough to feed us all, ten times over, but I guess Cyborg can't let go of a good deal," he says as he hands back the sheet of instructions and eyes the binder. "Let me see that."

She hands over the 2 inch, 3 ringed binder without complaint and Richard flips it open. Cyborg has all of his coupons neatly clipped and inserted into plastic pockets. The binder is divided into shopping trip dates that clearly articulates when the coupon expires and indicates when he plans on using them. Today's coupons have been placed at the front of the binder and the aisles to find theses items are clearly written on the instruction sheet that Rachel is practically crumbling in her little hand. Richard has to take a moment to appreciate the level of thought, planning and organization that went into putting this beauty together. Cyborg is clearly committed to his craft of couponing and he respects that. He places his hand on it with reverence as he looks over to Rachel with comical tears in his eyes.

She responds with a look of disgust as he says, "I'm so proud...of this. Look at it, Rachel."

He's now cradling the binder in his arms like a new born babe because this is clearly a labor of love. She's holding her head and looking at the floor when she replies with "Just...just...just get the cart so we can get this over with."

She's walking away from him and grumbling under her breathe about how she lives with crazy people. Richard follows her to the first aisle, which happens to be refrigerated. He follows along, pushing the cart, like a good little boyfriend would. He sees her shiver a bit at the coldness of this section. There are goosebumps forming on her delicate flesh and Richard's eyes soak it all in. He wants to stand behind her and share his heat with her. Rub his hands up and down her arms while she tries to decided which cheese to buy or what produce they can eat for dinner. As he muses about what domestic life would be like with his beloved, she turns around with a dumbfounded look on her face and holds up the paper.

"He wants us to buy 32 bags of shredded cheese, Dick. 32 bags…," her look of disbelief and confusion is as adorable as ever. He looks at the binder that he has propped open at the top of the shopping cart and nods his head.

"According to his calculations, with the coupons, 32 bags of shredded cheese would cost about $5.50," he replies while holding his chin.

"H...how?" she asks.

"Well, if each bag of cheese is worth…" he begins.

"STOP," she says while holding her hand up, "I know how the math works, but do we actually need this much cheese?"

"We do eat a lot of cheese. I put it on just about every…" Richard tries saying again before Rachel interrupts him.

"Don't. If it's what Cyborg wants, then it's what Cyborg will get," she says with a defeated look as she begins counting the correct number of cheese bags and placing them in the cart. When she is done, she straightens up and looks at the list again. She waves at him to follow her down another aisle with the rice and pastas. It is Richard who breaks the silence when they locate the brand that they are looking for.

"Thanks for coming with me, Rachel. I know this isn't something you enjoy doing," he says as they start piling boxes of macaroni into the cart.

"It most definitely is not something I enjoy, but I understand why you would want some help with all of this," she says as she eye balls the other things on the list. The truth is, Richard didn't know that food shopping would be this labor intensive because he didn't expect for Cyborg's couponing to be this extreme.

"Truthfully, I didn't know that we consumed this much food. I guess it makes sense. We're young, work out often, have high metabolisms and eat quite a bit on our own," he says as he continues pushing the very heavy cart.

Rachel shakes her violet head, causing her hair to whip around her face, "I still can't believe we're going to walk away with all of this food and only pay $50 for everything."

The rest of the shopping experience was refreshingly mundane. They were too busy concentrating on the list that was provided to them to really think about how topsy-turvy and tense their relationship has become in the past week. Hunting for products and calling for the manager to restock the shelves took up the majority of their time and energy. It also reminded them both of how well they work together as a team and how much fun they have in the process. They are more compatible than they give themselves credit for. Much to Rachel's chagrin and Richard's amusement, they have been mistaken as a young couple on more than one occasion. Maybe because they bicker like one sometimes. By the time the dynamic duo made it to the register, their were pushing 3 carts full of groceries. They were tired, hungry and just wanted this trip to be over with. Thankfully, all three of the check outs went smoothly because they followed Cyborg's instructions to the letter. They walked away with enough food to feed a circus.

Rachel subtly manipulates the wheels of their carts with her powers. Seamlessly guiding them to Richard's parked car. He opens the trunk and Rachel perches herself on the edge with a deep huff. She looks up at him with a pout on her lips as she says, "I never wanna do that again. Cyborg is going to have to do his own shopping from now on."

"He does find enjoyment in this, so yea, I don't think he'd fight you on it," he replies.

"I'm hungry," she says as she eyes the bags of food. Even though they now have so much of it, neither one of them has the will power to go home and cook. Besides, they need something in this moment.

"Give me a sec. I'll grab something light from the food court and you can pack the bags in the car," Richard offers and begins walking away. On his way out of the Food Emporium, he noticed a small pastry section selling freshly baked goods. Rachel nods in agreement and Richard takes off in a light jog. He knows that his beloved likes warm gooey things and wouldn't turn down a helping of cinnamon sticks. When Richard gets there, he buys two orders of the baked goods and some water.

As he makes his way back to Rachel, he notices that she has already moved all of their grocery bags into the car and is already buckled into the passenger seat. As soon as he opens the door on the driver's side, Rachel is reaching for the bag. She is licking her lips as she peels the top open and deeply inhales the smell of fresh baked cinnamon sticks. She whips out a bottle of hand sanitizer and proceeds to prep her hands for the snack that they are about to help her enjoy. Richard smiles to himself as he buckles himself in the driver's seat. Rachel had already started the car and turned on the AC.

He pulls out of the parking lot and smoothly merges with the high way traffic that will lead them back to the Tower. He glances to his side and sees his beloved enjoying her food. Remembering how hungry he is, he says "Pass me the other order of cinnamon sticks."

Rachel slowly turns her head to him, her cheeks stuffed with sticks and says with all the innocence she can muster "Both of them weren't for me?"

"Really? You already ate both orders?" he asks with shock and mild annoyance. His empty stomach is starting to rebel.

"I'm just kidding. Yours is in the bag, but how are you going to eat it? You're driving," she says, "and your hands are dirty."

Without missing a beat Richard responds with "Feed me, then."

Tension slowly starts to fill the air as Rachel tries to decide on whether that was framed as a request, a demand or the plea of a hungry man. She decides that that snappy response was option three and says "Alright. But pay attention to the road. I don't want to get into unnecessary accidents."

Richard almost couldn't believe his ears when he heard rustling in the bag next to him and a warm cinnamon stick making it's way to his mouth. Sure enough, Rachel is attempting to feed him while he drives them home. With one eye on the road and one eye on the prize, he opens his mouth and she shoves a stick in there. He's only able to bite half of it because trying to eat the whole thing in one go will make him choke. He's smiling like an idiot as he chews his food and swallows. He opens his mouth again with an "Ahhh…"

He feels her body shift as she leans over again to feed him. This time it is the second half of the stick that she holds up to his lips. He can feel her finger tips gently grazing against his mouth. Before he can stop himself, his tongue darts out to lick the traces of cinnamon on her fingers. She jumps a little at the contact and quickly retracts her hand. When he glances over at her, he can see a pretty blush on her face as she stares at where he's licked her. He can't suppress his wicked grin before saying "Tastes good. Again."

"Wha? Huh? Oh!" she says and then reaches in the bag again for another stick. "I guess these are pretty good if you like them."

"Again, but break it in two this time," he demands, careful to keep his attention on the moving traffic. He instinctively knows that if he places too much attention on her now, then she will just pull away and think better of feeding him. She takes the second cinnamon stick and breaks it evenly down the middle and lifts one side to his mouth as she pops the other half in her own. He takes what she offers and says "You eatin my sticks?"

"Our sticks. Consider it payment for coming out here to help you with that crazy list," she retorts as she reaches in the bag again. Our. She said our. That sounds like music to his ears. Richard's smile just gets wider the more he thinks about it. Today they share cinnamon sticks, tomorrow they could be sharing a whole life together. That's a fantasy he is determined to make a reality.

The rest of their drive is shared in relative silence. Both parties are too tired from their shopping trip to do or say much. Richard tries not to be too distracted by the pretty woman feeding him as he takes them both home. Eventually, they run out of sticks to share and the Titian Tower comes into view. Richard skillfully pulls into the garage and cuts the engine off. Rachel is trying to unfasten her seat belt with her sticky hands, so he reaches over to help her out. She looks at him and says "I got the rest."

The air becomes heavy as she calls on her powers to open the car doors for her. She also uses her power to levitate all of their grocery bags out of the car and up the steps while keeping her sticky hands to herself. Richard just looks on in amazement at how useful having this type of ability can be. He follows her up the stairs and into the kitchen, where she gently lowers the items to the floor. She makes her way to the sink and begins washing the residue of their snack off of her hands.

She said our. Remembering that one word coming from her sugar coated lips is enough to give Richard hope. That hope gave him joy. So much so, that he strides up to Rachel and wraps his arms around her with firm confidence. She jumps in his arms, but he throws more of his weight into his hold.

"Dick…?"

"Thanks for coming with me," he sincerely says.

"It wasn't that big of a deal," she softly replies as she taps the arms around her, "You can let go now."

"Don't wanna," he says as he squeezes her tighter and buries his face in her neck. His breath is tickling her skin and she shivers in his embrace. This could be their future. This could be their happiness. Leading semi-normal lives in the day light hours and fighting crime at night. Passionate love making at all hours.

"Dick, please…" that plea is a mixture of uncertainty, confusion and desperation. She is picking up on all of the emotions that are bubbling away inside of him. If she really wants him off she could just throw him off using her powers. His name is said one more time with a sterner voice. "Dick. Let go. Someone is coming!"

He heard her plea, understood her fear and recognized her concerns. It was too soon for the rest of the team to know of the changes in their relationship. Rachel is still too hesitant and he has other theories that he needs to test before he can turn his full attention on his beloved and only his beloved. He squeezes one last time before releasing her. Glad to see that she didn't release herself using violence. She whips around and looks at him with dismay before scurrying out of the kitchen. Richard is left in a room full of bags and memories when Cyborg enters. He looks around with his hands on his hips and asks, "Well, how did it go?"

"Splendid."

She said our.

I apologize for any discrepancies or typos in this chapter. I've been dealing with a cold and migraines all week. Ugh.