Soliloquy
♥Hopeless Chromatic♥
The sweet scent of strawberries in and on pancakes was nothing compared to just how sweet Cory was waking her up. Rosy's smile spread from cheek to cheek, sitting up and looking at the tray in delight before up to him and then beyond him at all the pictures and notes. "Oh, Cory," she sighed, fighting tears that she didn't want. It wouldn't stand to have two emotional pregnant women under one roof, no matter how large it was. "You did all of this for me?"
Keeping the tears at bay was proving harder than she thought as she spotted each image. Her eyes fell on one she really hadn't expected to see, giggling as she pointed at it. "Is that me demonstrating the Lithe last year? You didn't tell me you took that picture," she teased him, nibbling on a strawberry to quiet her stomach for the time being.
“Yep,” Cory chuckled, coming around to Rosalie’s side where he put a stool. Easier to get up and get something for her if he needed to, which he insisted on, “And that one is when I was sneaking bits of paper in your messy bun. We have there a picture I took of you falling asleep when you were studying late. That was probably because of the baby, now that we know you were pregnant at the time,” Cory turned one of the little notes around so she could see that he hand wrote them, “I say here: My lovely Rosy, I love the way you fix your ponytail when you’re working. It’s cute.” There were many more tiny thoughts written on the various hearts and colored paper floating around.
It tugged hard at her heartstrings to see just how much he paid attention to the things she did. "Aww, baby," she sniffed, still not ready to lose to full on tears. "It's so beautiful and perfect. I can't believe you went through all this work. Oh, I love it - and I love you." Rosy pulled him close enough that she could give him a deep kiss. "It means so much to me that you'd do this, Cory."
“It’s our first Valentines Day together. I wanted it to be special,” Cory smiled, giving her a kiss to her crown, “I have a couple gifts for you later. But for now, breakfast. You eat while I serenade you,” Cory smiled, going to the their door. When it opened Rosalie saw servants wheeling in a compact baby grand piano. They positioned it so that Cory could see Rosy where he played his music. He thanked the servants who shut the door on their way out. Then Cory sat down and his fingers lightly fluttered over the keys, “I have learned some of our favorites so you can have live music while you eat.”
Her stomach wouldn't object to eating, though she was distracted by talk of being serenaded. Looking up as the piano was wheeled in, her mouth fell opened, completely not expecting him to have taken so much time for a surprise. "Oh you didn't!" she shifted carefully beneath the breakfast tray, watching him with delighted eyes of adoration. She took a sip of her orange juice before working on breakfast slowly, though it was hard for her to take her eyes off of him; her future husband and father of her children.
“I did,” Cory smiled, before beginning to sing to one of her favorite songs from Lana Del Rey. A lovely tune for the morning. Cory’s voice had a gentle vibrato that came out more when he sustained a note. Though he wasn’t as great of a singer as Theo or Willow, his training didn’t fail him. Cory truly shined, though, when it came to the piano. His fingers were feathers and the keys were the wind. Although she had finished eating by then, Cory had yet to leave his place. His fingers played gently and quietly as he spoke, “Any song requests?” He smiled.
It felt like one of those wonderful moments where Rosalie found herself falling in love with him all over again. He captivated her with his voice and once breakfast had finished she set her tray away, able to shift more freely. At his question she slid her legs over the bed and shuffled toward him once she'd found her warmed slippers. Taking up a seat on the bench beside him, her head fell on his shoulders and a small smile pulled at her lips. "I won't ask for Taylor Swift so we can preserve your integrity," she teased, tilting her head to kiss his jawline. "What about Rewrite the Stars? Is that in your repertoire Lord Cromwell?"
"Hmm, I don't think I know that one," Cory smiled, still playing a new bouncy tune, "What about you Amelie?" He leaned and put his ear to his lady love's belly. Cory put on a serious face and nodded, "I think you're right. Rosy needs her own song. Something that just hasn't been sun yet. Something from Daddy's heart," Cory straightened up and looked at Rosalie as he began, "Something like..."
MY ROSY POSY
by Cornelius Cromwell (#rumxcoke)
I could walk the earth and find no other
No one else to be my children’s mother
There’s no woman quite like my Rosy,
My Rosy Posy, my sweet, sweet puddin’ and pie
I’m at my strongest when I care for you,
I could take on the world, oh I swear it’s true
Not the man I am without my Rosy,
My Rosy Posy, my sweet, sweet, puddin’ and pie
My heart sings, ‘cause I have my Rosy,
Couldn’t smile, not without my Rosy,
The sun shines, ‘cause I got my Rosy,
The love of my life? Well she’s my Rosy.
My Rosy Posy, my sweet,
My sweet, puddin’ and pie!
Any and all attempts to hold back the waterworks were thwarted by the second verse. Happy tears slid down her cheeks while she listened to her song, unable to take her eyes off the man who loved her so unconditionally. At the end she clapped fervently, before placing one hand on her stomach who had placed this request, "We love it, Daddy," she said through a smile she couldn't stop before pulling him in for a long kiss. Pulling away, she didn't stray far, chocolate eyes locked on him, "And we love you. So, so much, you don't even know."
Delighted they enjoyed his song he couldn’t kep from beaming. Cory happily returned the kiss. When Rosalie parted from him to speak those words that always warmed his heart, he cupped her cheek and murmured, “If it’s as much as I love you two, then I think I do.” Then he got up from his seat and held her in his arms for a time, swaying and humming her song, happily taking in this dear moment. Then Cory, after another kiss to Rosalie’s head, he said, “My next big thing is for after dinner. In the meantime we can do all kinds of romantic stuff. Even the gushy mushy movies. I have to admit, I do like Bride Wars. Kinda fun watching the two friends frantically trying to one-up the other.”
"Oh all kinds of romantic things, huh?" Rosy smirked up at him, still tucked away in his arms. "You act as though writing a song for me isn't romantic enough. But you're sure you still want to have that invitation for sappy movies knowing that I'm clearly a pregnant hormonal mess. Quite a brave soul you are, love." She decided she'd keep word of her Valentine's day gift to him quiet for the time being, unless of course he pried for it.
Cory chuckled, "I mean, it is a holiday of love. I can manage it. I let Wesley know I watched all five Twilight movies. He pat me on the shoulder and admitted, 'Well Cor, you proved me wrong. Why did I not see this coming'? So you see, clearly, I can handle a chick flick for Valentine's Day," he insisted, with pride in his eyes.
"That's my man; tough as nails even when he's openly disputing an openly girly series with another fully grown man and not even batting an eye," she said, straightening his collar that was slightly askew. "Well, if you didn't have anything planned for a few hours, there was one thing I thought we might do..."
"Yeah, that's a good point. I will keep that in mind the next time I see Oliver. He's a grown ass man who watched too, so, I just feel that this doesn't take away any of my masculinity. And if it does....then Oliver is going down with me," Cory chuckled, always secretly amused and happy when Rosy fixes his collar. It may or may not become askew for this reason, "What do you have in mind?"
Taking one of his hands, she placed it on her ever-growing belly, offering a sheepish smile. "Well, it's probably not the most romantic, but I thought we could go down and have an ultrasound done. They'd said we'd know the gender for sure by mid-march, but could see as early as this week. We already know, but I thought you might like a chance to see her yourself other than just a little grey and white picture. Instead it's the same grey and and white image but larger and on a monitor." Rosy had to chuckle at her own joke.
"See our baby again? Absolutely. I don't think I could ever get enough," Cory's hand gingerly ran over her her belly and smiled, "I think it's a great idea."
"Perfect. And besides, I don't want you to actually put a picture of a watermelon on your desk," she grinned, taking another kiss from him before moving to get dressed. A quick text was sent to the OB-GYN who was happy to have them pop in for an unexpected check-up. One of the lovely benefits of life in Avostoska, though Rosy suspected marrying into the Cromwell's she'd have similar service nearly anywhere.
Dressed in a soft pink maternity dress, one of the many she had assimilated into her wardrobe, her hand comfortably found his, fingers laced together. "Alright, Daddy, time to go meet your little girl. I must warn you though..she is still a work in progress." Exhausting and on a rare occasion sometimes still nauseating progress, but she was a perfect baby; it was bound to take some time.
"Hey, I'm not ruling out a picture of a watermelon," Cory chuckled. He may have had a quicker pace than Rosy, and needed to remind himself to slow down as they approached the medical wing. Once inside he excitedly took a seat where he could watch the monitor and hold Rosalie's hand while still being out of the way of the nurse who came to help them set up, "Oh she's gonna be cute!" He just knew it. Work in progress or not, Cory couldn't imagine it any other way.
The familiar gel spread over her bump, Rosy had to admit she was just as excited as he was to see budding Amelie again. While the first ultrasound had been solidifying proof, she knew she would like that visual proof that while she was growing so was their little one. A few seconds later they were greeted with their grey-scale baby girl with her quick heart rate.
In silent awe Cory gently squeezed Rosy's hand, "She's amazing, Rosalie. Oh, Amelie. Oh you're doing so good. Look at those little feet! Wow, this is-- this is great!" Smiling like a goof, Cory asked the nurse, "Can we get some pictures?"
"Of course," She smiled, doing just that.
Satisfied, Cory went back to taking in the living image of his daughter. A little bundle of joy reaching her next stage of development, "I'm so proud of you Rosy. I'm so proud of our little girl."
Rosy felt her heart melt seeing the little form, not even fighting off tears at that point as she squeezed his hand. Even if they hadn't been planning on a family so soon, she wouldn't have had it any other way. The little blob was going to become their life and she knew that there were wonderful things ahead for her and Cory. It meant the world to have him at her side, so encouraging through even the toughest of days. "I'll give you some credit, but at this point I do claim to be doing most the work," she chuckled.
"Would you like to see the 3-D image?" the nurse asked, already moving to the second machine as Rosy nodded. A second monitor turned on while the grey and white image froze in time, offering a more human-like image of Amelie.
“Whoa, that’s so cool,” Cory marveled, “She’s already got those cheeks from the picture Molly made.” He chuckled. The tiny human snuffled around in her comfortable hovel. Tiny fingers flexed. A small fist pressed against her mouth until a thumb poked out, immediately pulled in for a self-soothing suckle, “Oh I hope we like the same snacks.”
Rosy chuckled as a few more pictures were taken as well as a video, complete with that little heart pumping away. "I'm sure you'll find plenty to bond over even if she doesn't like cheesy Doritos," she promised him. "Lauri and I already have predicted she's going to end up a gamer like you."
“There can be no negotiation about that,” Cory nodded resolutely, “I will teach her all I know. We’ll wage epic battles, side by side, with dice in hand.” He could already envision them staying up late with maps strewn across the floor. They would have coke bottles out, snacks scattered in hands-reach, and figurines of their characters on a board between them.
The nurse even chuckled at that remark, offering wet wipes to Rosy to get the gel off so her shirt wouldn't stick to her. "Fine, just as long as you both are coming to bed on time," Rosy compromised, carefully getting off the bed with his help once she was nice and clean again.
"Here you are," the nurse passed the printed images to Cory to hold, several sheets thick. "And all copies as well as videos have been sent to both of you. Keep up the good work Rosalie, she's coming along great!" The constant reminders for vitamins and staying hydrating were paying off, which was a relief.
“Of course she is,” Cory agreed with the nurse, tucking the folder of his daughter’s pictures between arm and torso. He wrapped his other arm around Rosalie, “Thank you nurse,” he offered with sincerity. The couple began their walk out of the medical office, “About coming to bed on time— I will do my best, but sometimes you just need to play until the early ours of the next day.”
They'd likely bicker back and forth all the way from the medical wing back to their room, moving at the speed of pregnancy. "You are going to have to make sure 'your best' means our daughter is getting just as much sleep as she's supposed to have. I don't want her running on caffeine and getting sick or something just so you two can finish your campaign," Rosy said with a pointed finger. "No buts about it!"
“But,” Cory said the offending word with confidence, “Sometimes a late night is a must when you’re on a roll. Now, I wouldn’t do it often, cause I do know a growing girl has to get her sleep— but a growing girl has also got to slay giants in the dead of night by candlelight. It’s all I’m saying.” Indeed Cory would argue the point all the way to the theatre where they would decide on a few Valentine’s Day movies to watch, “Besides, caffeine once in a while is fine.”
She could only shake her head at him, walking into the theater and taking up the same bed they'd laid on for the Twilight marathon. "Once in a while, yes. But I've seen how much Mountain Dew you can drink, Lord Cromwell, and that is far too much." Taking a look at the console, she queued up Bride Wars since he had said it was a personal delight, figuring they could have a compromise. "Is it bad I'm really just overly excited for popcorn?"
Cory muttered that he was just fine in a low enough volume not to incur an argument he knew he would lose. Instead he shuffled to sit beside his lady love while they waited for said popcorn to be delivered. The concession stand for this theatre had been completely refurbished and stocked with any treat they needed or wanted, “I don’t think it’s bad at all. I want my popcorn so smothered in butter that I could drink it!” Not that he actually would, but he hoped the hunger for buttery popcorn got across.
Rosy let out a grunt of approval, already able to taste it, though not quite unfortunately! But soon enough they'd have a delicious, steamy bag with so much butter she'd have to use a stack of napkins or lick her fingers clean. "Okay, so we're going to completely kill our appetite for lunch with popcorn and snacks - hopefully pretzels - and then we'll have dinner. No doubt with candles, from my romantic man. Are we eating alone or joining anyone else?"
“Oh I didn’t think about that...” Cory said thoughtfully, his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the end of Rosalie’s hair, “Well, Anna and Yonten are gone. So are Wes, Inara, Ellie, and Everest. I mean, we could invite Joao or Andriy, but I don’t know if they’d be up for it. And I don’t know what Oliver and Lauri are doing today. Did you think we’d be interfering with them if we asked what they’re up to for dinner?”
Admittedly, pregnancy brain had gotten the better of her in that moment, forgetting just how many had left the castle to celebrate. "I mean, we won't know unless we ask them, and if they already have plans they would just tell us. Wouldn't they?" She couldn't imagine anyone getting upset at such a simple question.
Pulling out his phone Cory sent Oliver a text, “Alright, I’ll check,” it didn’t take long. just a short inquiry if he and Lauri wanted to meet up with them for dinner. Then he set his phone on his lap when a servant came with two buckets of glistening popcorn, “Yeees, thank you! So much butter. And the napkins? Ah, good, perfect.” They were given a ream of paper towels. A fresh, new roll. Cory also put their drinks in the cup holders before settling in with Rosy. He fed her a crispy, buttery nugget, “Delicious.” He smiled.
Just as they were getting settled in and taking those first few wonderfully fresh bites of popped corn Cory's phone sounded with a response. BING! After deliberation, they'd decided they would be happy to join them for dinner. Oliver, without saying anything a nosy Lamb might peek and see, told him that his own plans could certainly accommodate a joint meal.
Rosy jumped, an idea hitting her that made her gasp with delight, "Oh, we should do it in the holohouse!" They'd given the two a tour, but with little changes here and there, there was always something slightly new. Plus, in her mind this felt sophisticated, as if they invited friends over to their real home. Just with less stress of having to cook!
“Oh, nice touch,” Cory nodded, typing into his phone the suggestion to meet on the holodeck in their house. He meant to have dinner there anyway. Their holopup was going to be happy! Lauri too, who had melted at there being a puppy in the castle. Once or twice she had come to the holodeck to sift through the thousands of animals available to load. She couldn’t find one that she hated. The only potential being a skunk, because they smelled bad. Cat’s and dogs were classics, though, of the smaller animals, she did favor raccoons, snakes, and genets. Cory made the offer and set his phone down again, “There we go. I think it will work out. I set up a table by the pool.”
Rosy hummed happily at the thought of spending the holiday with their friends. "By the pool? Oh that's going to be pretty at night! Maybe some fairy lights or tea candles would look absolutely beautiful." She quietly loved going in and doing decorating in the house, picking up ideas between Pinterest and quietly watching HDTV when no one was around. She never would have thought she'd get excited about a granite counter top, but here she was. And that countertop was down right sexy. BING! Another message from Oliver said they were all for dinner on the deck.
Cory enjoyed coming into the house and seeing those little updates. It made it feel like their home was being perfected and lived in before they even had it built. That warmed his heart. He did his own tweaks. An elaborate entertainment system tailored to his D&D needs in a section of the basement was an example. An ‘office’ that split in half. One side for work, the other for serious gaming, “Fairy lights sounds great. We can also float candles in the water too.” He had seen a few TLC shows.
She loved that idea! It was quaint as so exciting, everything she wanted to have in their future home. She also might have just been on a fairy light kick as of late. The most recent updates to the nursery had them spread about and entwined in the pink canopy above the crib. Rosy had to fight the urge to bring them into the master bedroom, going for as mature of a theme as she could. While Cory might have designed his work space, she was more focused on things for Amelie and the family together. She also had a second nursery tucked away off the main stretch of the house, but she told herself it was only to test out different shades of blues and not any confirmation that they'd be having more children. "Okay, we have to start the movie or I'll get sucked into lighting ideas," she admitted, spending more time in the holodeck as her ability to be working waned away.
“Haha, okay,” Cory gave his lady love a gentle squeeze in his arms.
The couple enjoyed their first movie pick. Cory got invested in all the ways the women had pranked each other. He appreciated the slow escalation until just about all hell broke loose. Although, he wasn’t a fan of Chris Pratt’s character. Another actor named Christopher. Cory had the funny thought that maybe his nephew Baby Kit would become an actor one day. Chris Von Helsing, starring in another reboot of some overdone movie. Or hopefully not. Cory rather his nephew choose his scripts carefully and because of their originality.
Once the movie ended, Cory stretched, “Mm! That was fun. Another round with food brought here for lunch? Or do you want to stretch our legs and go eat at a table?”
"I need at least a little walk," she said as she eased herself back to her feet, following his need for a much needed stretch. "If nothing else, we need to use the little girl's room. Your adorable little girl seems to love sitting directly on my bladder. I love it." A feeling she knew from Ellie's complaints was only going to worsen. "We can just do a couple of laps to get the blood flowing and then have a small lunch here so we can keep snacking? I've already picked out at least two more movies I'd like to see - one if we don't have the time."
“Sounds like a plan,” Cory chuckled, getting up to do just that. He had to admit, it was nice not to feel like you had to pee every other minute. Your bladder feeling like it was going to burst only for a trickle of a few drops to come out. You’d at least think a satisfying pee was due for the way it felt! Cory slipped his arm around Rosy and walked with her to the bathroom at the back. He waited for her to come out before taking those couple laps around the theatre with her, “So what do you have planned?” Cory felt strong about enduring the possible choices.
Refreshed and with Amelie shifted off her bladder, she fell into step beside Cory as they got their blood flowing once again. "Well, I felt that watching Valentine's Day is something we simply must do today, though if you outright object to it I'd also be as excited to finally watch What To Expect When You're Expecting," she grinned. "I have a few others up my sleeves, but if it's too mushy my fallback is Warm Bodies so you can't complain it's too girly." There were zombies after all!
“Ooo, Warm Bodies. I don’t know what ‘Valentine’s Day’ is, but I am guessing it’s a really girly one. So we can balance it out. Whichever you pick for the first one, I choose Warm Bodie’s for the second,” zombies sounded like a great end to wash away any bland feelings he might have toward the more feminine films, “That alright with you?” Cory asked, finally coming back to the bed to snuggle with her along side him.
"You drive a hard bargain, Lord Cromwell," Rosy said as she even made a show of taking his hand to shake on it. "Alright, first up then is 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'. Admittedly because I love both Anna Kendrick and Jennifer Lopez," she admitted as she used the console to load the movie up on the screen, letting it pause quickly. "Eat now or after?"
“Let’s order now and play the movie, then when it comes we can pause,” Cory suggested, wanting to make sure they had plenty of time for that zombie love movie. “The usual? Or are you craving anything new today?” he asked, as he pulled up the options. Cory chose a simple ham and cheese with a side salad.
She offered a timid smile, knowing that the cravings were either painfully constant or all over the place. "We're really craving some French Onion soup. And if we can, have some chocolate covered pineapple sent as well, that would be divine."
Cory chuckled, guessing where she might have seen French Onion soup around, “It shall be done!” He said, putting the order in for her request, plus adding a bowl of mudslide ice cream too. While they waited they began the movie Rosy picked. he admittedly spent more time cuddling and enjoying Rosalie in his arms than the movie itself. When the food came he was all too eager to get that ham sandwich between his fingers. Layered with the choicest ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, and ‘secret’ sauces, it had become one of Cory’s favorites since he had to lay off the mayo hotdogs with relish for the sake of his love, “Yaaash,” he sighed in satisfaction, “How are you enjoying your soup?” He smiled.
She'd been so engulfed in chasing down the delicious onion chunks and letting the cheese drip on her lips that it took a moment for Rosy to answer. "Mmm it's perfect," she praised once she'd wiped her mouth clean. "I don't know what it is, but I just cannot get enough of this savory stuff right now. It's probably way more sodium than I'm supposed to have so I'll have to down a few extra electrolyte pods, but completely worth it. And your sandwich?"
“Ish awshum!” Cory beamed through a mouthful. After swallowing he said, “I’m going to have to get a reference for chefs from Wesley and Inara. We’re going to have to have a cook as good as these guys.” He didn’t expect to have a castle full of staff, but he did expect to have quality.
Rosalie completely agreed with him on that one. "Oh, you are going to make me the happiest woman, aren't you? A master chef so I never need to learn to cook and can still have you happy as can be with a full belly," she chuckled at him. Her soup was finished and bowl set aside, her plate of pineapples on a tray to pick at, suckling the chocolate off. She offered one over to him. "Don't knock it until you try it."
“Allergic,” Cory offered a sigh, “But they look good. I know they smell good too. It’s just that my throat gets itchy and my lips swell when I eat them. Found that out when I was younger. Freaked me out. Thankfully it’s not lethal.” He finished the last bite of his ham sandwich and brought over his ice cream, “Want a bite of this?” He scooped up a spoonful and hovered it at mouth level.
She winced at the realization that it was a poor offer, slipping the piece in her mouth to savor. "Well, I suppose that means more for me. And I won't be coming after your nasty radish sauce. Balance," she grinned at him before turning to resume the movie, her pineapple kept at a safe distance.
Cory chuckled, eating his scoop of ice cream that she spurned. It did feel like a shame. He had, on occasion, eaten pineapple despite his reaction. Those moments were filled with both satisfaction and pain. He imagined it was a small piece of what Annabelle and Yonten did with each other. They were probably well on their way to the concert, if not in their own private box. He did hear that Yonten failed to get the one he wanted. Reserved, it seemed, by some other hunter who happened to have the cash to nab it. Cory wondered how the Tibetan was taking that news. Those thoughts aside Cory contentedly eating his frozen treat. At least he could still eat chocolate! That had to count for something. Once he finished with his bowl he set it aside and fitted himself comfortably against Rosalie. The movie she chose played out to its end. Cory perked up when Warm Bodie’s began. Yeah, that hit the spot. Just enough action and romance. The kind of movie he could get behind. Just about anything with zombies worked for him. He heard about ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’. One day he would watch that. Maybe another double date with Oliver and Lauri. Something for guys! As the movie came to its end Cory gave a little cheer, “Yeaaaah, look that half bald guy found love again. See? I can do chick flicks.”
When they were about midway through the movie she'd gone back to grazing on popcorn, her and Amelie together making a bottomless pit. She kept close to Cory as they went through the movies, pleased with the choice. "Yeah, you do pretty well on it love," she praised as she slowly eased herself up to her feet. Popcorn tumbled from her shirt to the floor, a few pieces ending up in her bosoms. It was getting close to dinner time, though they'd have a little bit of time to themselves.
It felt good to be acknowledged. Cory got up with Rosalie, chuckling to see the mess she was making of her clothes. The mischievous part of him wondered how long she would go on and not notice. The courteous side urged him to at least point it out to her. The sensual side of him thought of the ways he could solve her problem. These three sides battled to see which one of them won as Cory slipped an arm around Rosalie, “What would you like to do in the meantime?” He had accomplished phase one of his Valentine’s Day surprises. The gifts he had were waiting in the holodeck by the table next to the pool for phase two.
Spotting the mess on the floor, she made a face at it. In no condition to bend over time and time again to clean it up, she would have to just make sure to give the staff an extra thank you and maybe suggest a bonus for the poor folks who had to clean up after them. Oblivious to the cleavage collection forming, she tugged him closer, kissing each of his lips in turn. "Hmm, well we could go have some time together back at the room. Alone," she let the implication hang in the air, starting toward the door of the theater. "I'm always down to beat you in Mario Kart, after all."
“Oh?” Cory smirked. His fingers plucked off a popcorn from between her breasts and popped it into his mouth, “Well get ready, because I will take you down—“ Cory turned on his heel “—in Mario Kart!” He strode ahead with Rosalie at his side, determination burning in his eyes, “We’ll see who beats who!” This time he was going to use the grey controller. No one believed him, but he was sure the blue one had a slight delay that really put him back a tick. All the ticks mattered. Every second it delayed it would put him at a disadvantage. This, Cory said, was why he had lost more than he would like to admit to his lady love .
He was too much sometimes, and yet, just right. They bickered the whole way back to their room, Cory not hesitating as he went straight for his precious grey controller. Rosy completely disagreed with his theory against the blue one, even happily taking the controller because she had a point to prove. Characters locked in and a track picked while Cory sat cross-legged on the ground and Rosy had a comfy chair pulled up close. True love had to be tucked away for the next few minutes; this was war! Banana peels and shells flew about indiscriminately and the grey controller just couldn't hold up. Peach zoomed across the finish line just a hair before Luigi.
"Ha! I won," Rosy wiggled in her seat excitedly, toes tapping the ground over and over. "I guess it wasn't the controller after all, dear. But I'm ready to go best of three if you prefer. For science and everything."
Mouth agape, Cory couldn’t believe the grey controller had failed him! Had Lauri done something to them? Had Rosy? These women were often in cahoots! There is no telling what diabolical plans they thought up during their ‘tea time’ in the afternoons. Far too much tea, Cory felt. Sometimes he drank coffee to feel more American in this European land. Before Rosy could say another word Cory set up the next track, “Have at me, woman!” Cory hunched his shoulders and stared right ahead. This time around, though he did slip on an unfortunate banana or two, his little green man swerved in front of Princess Peach. Luigi claimed victory, “Hah!” Cory grinned, “Well look at that, Popcorn Boobs! Ham-Sandwich Man has come out ahead!” There was always room for some snappy name calling in the gamer world. Lauri and Cory had a fun thinking of the best zingers to throw, but most of the time they defaulted to ‘Beaver Face’ and ‘Frogger’.
Rosy's mouth dropped in disbelief as she lost. "Wait, what?! Popcorn boobs?" A quick peak down her shirt and she found that there wasn't just the one kernel he had fished out earlier. "Why didn't you tell me there was more in here?" she scolded, pulling out a good handful of pieces and tossing them right in his face. "Alright, it's on Ham-Sandwich," she glared as the next track was loaded and she focused intently on the screen. A few times he might have even caught her leaning in her chair to help make take corners better. Gamer logic.
They were nearly neck and neck as they hit the final lap, but a malicious shell flew out and bonked Cory's kart just enough that she had a healthy lead. Just as the line was in switch, her kart seemed to lose some of it's thrust, which she'd have to blame on buttery-fingers if asked. It certainly wasn't her taking the L for the sake of letting him win on Valentine's day. No not at all. She came in second by less than two seconds, scowling in defeat. "Well fuck, fine. You win," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders and tossing the defective controller at him. "Dinner then? Or should I push that back so you can gloat properly?"
Plucking popcorn from his curls, Cory smirked, “Oh I we have plenty of time on our way over for me to gloat,” he chuckled, getting up from under the controller she tossed, that he caught just in time, plus his own— newly trusted— controller. Cory leaned down and chased Rosalie’s lips until he managed a peck, “Come my lovely Rosy Posy Puddin’ and Pie, it’s time for phase two of my Valentine’s Day plan!” Cory chuckled, helping her up and slipping his arm around around her waist, “Now about my gloating— wow did you see that? You lost! I won! I think I can understand Wesley’s game with Inara now. ‘I Win’ sounds like a great title for any time we play together.” Cory teased, giving her waist a gentle squeeze.
Rosy knew all too well that their 'I Win' was much more different than the games the two of them tended to enjoy together. But she'd let him have his moment, even if it was painful. "Yeah, yeah you won. Better soak it up while you can, Ham Sandwich," she muttered, though she couldn't help but grin as they walked down the hallways together toward the holodeck. "You want to make sure the other two are on their way, yeah?"
Beaming, but not turning into a gloat-goat, Cory have his lady love a kiss to her cheek for letting him have his moment in the spotlight, “Love you!” and he meant it sincerely. Then he pulled out his phone, “Yeah, I think I will give them a quick text,” Cory typed to Oliver that they were heading to the holodeck now. They’d load the program and set up a place for them at the table, so no rush. Just to keep that in mind for them, “There we go,” Cory stowed his phone and that hand went to log into the holodeck once they arrived at the door, “Aw, home sweet holodeck.” he chuckled.
To be Continued...
His biggest plans would have to wait until the day unfolded, but Oliver did believe h is love deserved a morning as gentle and warm as she was. It wasn't until she began to stir and sound her familiar noises that she was prepared to face the world that he walked over to her side, unable to shake a smile. "Bonjour, mon cher amour. Bonne Saint Valentin à la femme qui a mon cœur," he coaxed her further awake with a kiss on her crown.
Keeping the tears at bay was proving harder than she thought as she spotted each image. Her eyes fell on one she really hadn't expected to see, giggling as she pointed at it. "Is that me demonstrating the Lithe last year? You didn't tell me you took that picture," she teased him, nibbling on a strawberry to quiet her stomach for the time being.
“Yep,” Cory chuckled, coming around to Rosalie’s side where he put a stool. Easier to get up and get something for her if he needed to, which he insisted on, “And that one is when I was sneaking bits of paper in your messy bun. We have there a picture I took of you falling asleep when you were studying late. That was probably because of the baby, now that we know you were pregnant at the time,” Cory turned one of the little notes around so she could see that he hand wrote them, “I say here: My lovely Rosy, I love the way you fix your ponytail when you’re working. It’s cute.” There were many more tiny thoughts written on the various hearts and colored paper floating around.
It tugged hard at her heartstrings to see just how much he paid attention to the things she did. "Aww, baby," she sniffed, still not ready to lose to full on tears. "It's so beautiful and perfect. I can't believe you went through all this work. Oh, I love it - and I love you." Rosy pulled him close enough that she could give him a deep kiss. "It means so much to me that you'd do this, Cory."
“It’s our first Valentines Day together. I wanted it to be special,” Cory smiled, giving her a kiss to her crown, “I have a couple gifts for you later. But for now, breakfast. You eat while I serenade you,” Cory smiled, going to the their door. When it opened Rosalie saw servants wheeling in a compact baby grand piano. They positioned it so that Cory could see Rosy where he played his music. He thanked the servants who shut the door on their way out. Then Cory sat down and his fingers lightly fluttered over the keys, “I have learned some of our favorites so you can have live music while you eat.”
Her stomach wouldn't object to eating, though she was distracted by talk of being serenaded. Looking up as the piano was wheeled in, her mouth fell opened, completely not expecting him to have taken so much time for a surprise. "Oh you didn't!" she shifted carefully beneath the breakfast tray, watching him with delighted eyes of adoration. She took a sip of her orange juice before working on breakfast slowly, though it was hard for her to take her eyes off of him; her future husband and father of her children.
“I did,” Cory smiled, before beginning to sing to one of her favorite songs from Lana Del Rey. A lovely tune for the morning. Cory’s voice had a gentle vibrato that came out more when he sustained a note. Though he wasn’t as great of a singer as Theo or Willow, his training didn’t fail him. Cory truly shined, though, when it came to the piano. His fingers were feathers and the keys were the wind. Although she had finished eating by then, Cory had yet to leave his place. His fingers played gently and quietly as he spoke, “Any song requests?” He smiled.
It felt like one of those wonderful moments where Rosalie found herself falling in love with him all over again. He captivated her with his voice and once breakfast had finished she set her tray away, able to shift more freely. At his question she slid her legs over the bed and shuffled toward him once she'd found her warmed slippers. Taking up a seat on the bench beside him, her head fell on his shoulders and a small smile pulled at her lips. "I won't ask for Taylor Swift so we can preserve your integrity," she teased, tilting her head to kiss his jawline. "What about Rewrite the Stars? Is that in your repertoire Lord Cromwell?"
"Hmm, I don't think I know that one," Cory smiled, still playing a new bouncy tune, "What about you Amelie?" He leaned and put his ear to his lady love's belly. Cory put on a serious face and nodded, "I think you're right. Rosy needs her own song. Something that just hasn't been sun yet. Something from Daddy's heart," Cory straightened up and looked at Rosalie as he began, "Something like..."
MY ROSY POSY
by Cornelius Cromwell (#rumxcoke)
I could walk the earth and find no other
No one else to be my children’s mother
There’s no woman quite like my Rosy,
My Rosy Posy, my sweet, sweet puddin’ and pie
I’m at my strongest when I care for you,
I could take on the world, oh I swear it’s true
Not the man I am without my Rosy,
My Rosy Posy, my sweet, sweet, puddin’ and pie
My heart sings, ‘cause I have my Rosy,
Couldn’t smile, not without my Rosy,
The sun shines, ‘cause I got my Rosy,
The love of my life? Well she’s my Rosy.
My Rosy Posy, my sweet,
My sweet, puddin’ and pie!
Any and all attempts to hold back the waterworks were thwarted by the second verse. Happy tears slid down her cheeks while she listened to her song, unable to take her eyes off the man who loved her so unconditionally. At the end she clapped fervently, before placing one hand on her stomach who had placed this request, "We love it, Daddy," she said through a smile she couldn't stop before pulling him in for a long kiss. Pulling away, she didn't stray far, chocolate eyes locked on him, "And we love you. So, so much, you don't even know."
Delighted they enjoyed his song he couldn’t kep from beaming. Cory happily returned the kiss. When Rosalie parted from him to speak those words that always warmed his heart, he cupped her cheek and murmured, “If it’s as much as I love you two, then I think I do.” Then he got up from his seat and held her in his arms for a time, swaying and humming her song, happily taking in this dear moment. Then Cory, after another kiss to Rosalie’s head, he said, “My next big thing is for after dinner. In the meantime we can do all kinds of romantic stuff. Even the gushy mushy movies. I have to admit, I do like Bride Wars. Kinda fun watching the two friends frantically trying to one-up the other.”
"Oh all kinds of romantic things, huh?" Rosy smirked up at him, still tucked away in his arms. "You act as though writing a song for me isn't romantic enough. But you're sure you still want to have that invitation for sappy movies knowing that I'm clearly a pregnant hormonal mess. Quite a brave soul you are, love." She decided she'd keep word of her Valentine's day gift to him quiet for the time being, unless of course he pried for it.
Cory chuckled, "I mean, it is a holiday of love. I can manage it. I let Wesley know I watched all five Twilight movies. He pat me on the shoulder and admitted, 'Well Cor, you proved me wrong. Why did I not see this coming'? So you see, clearly, I can handle a chick flick for Valentine's Day," he insisted, with pride in his eyes.
"That's my man; tough as nails even when he's openly disputing an openly girly series with another fully grown man and not even batting an eye," she said, straightening his collar that was slightly askew. "Well, if you didn't have anything planned for a few hours, there was one thing I thought we might do..."
"Yeah, that's a good point. I will keep that in mind the next time I see Oliver. He's a grown ass man who watched too, so, I just feel that this doesn't take away any of my masculinity. And if it does....then Oliver is going down with me," Cory chuckled, always secretly amused and happy when Rosy fixes his collar. It may or may not become askew for this reason, "What do you have in mind?"
Taking one of his hands, she placed it on her ever-growing belly, offering a sheepish smile. "Well, it's probably not the most romantic, but I thought we could go down and have an ultrasound done. They'd said we'd know the gender for sure by mid-march, but could see as early as this week. We already know, but I thought you might like a chance to see her yourself other than just a little grey and white picture. Instead it's the same grey and and white image but larger and on a monitor." Rosy had to chuckle at her own joke.
"See our baby again? Absolutely. I don't think I could ever get enough," Cory's hand gingerly ran over her her belly and smiled, "I think it's a great idea."
"Perfect. And besides, I don't want you to actually put a picture of a watermelon on your desk," she grinned, taking another kiss from him before moving to get dressed. A quick text was sent to the OB-GYN who was happy to have them pop in for an unexpected check-up. One of the lovely benefits of life in Avostoska, though Rosy suspected marrying into the Cromwell's she'd have similar service nearly anywhere.
Dressed in a soft pink maternity dress, one of the many she had assimilated into her wardrobe, her hand comfortably found his, fingers laced together. "Alright, Daddy, time to go meet your little girl. I must warn you though..she is still a work in progress." Exhausting and on a rare occasion sometimes still nauseating progress, but she was a perfect baby; it was bound to take some time.
"Hey, I'm not ruling out a picture of a watermelon," Cory chuckled. He may have had a quicker pace than Rosy, and needed to remind himself to slow down as they approached the medical wing. Once inside he excitedly took a seat where he could watch the monitor and hold Rosalie's hand while still being out of the way of the nurse who came to help them set up, "Oh she's gonna be cute!" He just knew it. Work in progress or not, Cory couldn't imagine it any other way.
The familiar gel spread over her bump, Rosy had to admit she was just as excited as he was to see budding Amelie again. While the first ultrasound had been solidifying proof, she knew she would like that visual proof that while she was growing so was their little one. A few seconds later they were greeted with their grey-scale baby girl with her quick heart rate.
In silent awe Cory gently squeezed Rosy's hand, "She's amazing, Rosalie. Oh, Amelie. Oh you're doing so good. Look at those little feet! Wow, this is-- this is great!" Smiling like a goof, Cory asked the nurse, "Can we get some pictures?"
"Of course," She smiled, doing just that.
Satisfied, Cory went back to taking in the living image of his daughter. A little bundle of joy reaching her next stage of development, "I'm so proud of you Rosy. I'm so proud of our little girl."
Rosy felt her heart melt seeing the little form, not even fighting off tears at that point as she squeezed his hand. Even if they hadn't been planning on a family so soon, she wouldn't have had it any other way. The little blob was going to become their life and she knew that there were wonderful things ahead for her and Cory. It meant the world to have him at her side, so encouraging through even the toughest of days. "I'll give you some credit, but at this point I do claim to be doing most the work," she chuckled.
"Would you like to see the 3-D image?" the nurse asked, already moving to the second machine as Rosy nodded. A second monitor turned on while the grey and white image froze in time, offering a more human-like image of Amelie.
“Whoa, that’s so cool,” Cory marveled, “She’s already got those cheeks from the picture Molly made.” He chuckled. The tiny human snuffled around in her comfortable hovel. Tiny fingers flexed. A small fist pressed against her mouth until a thumb poked out, immediately pulled in for a self-soothing suckle, “Oh I hope we like the same snacks.”
Rosy chuckled as a few more pictures were taken as well as a video, complete with that little heart pumping away. "I'm sure you'll find plenty to bond over even if she doesn't like cheesy Doritos," she promised him. "Lauri and I already have predicted she's going to end up a gamer like you."
“There can be no negotiation about that,” Cory nodded resolutely, “I will teach her all I know. We’ll wage epic battles, side by side, with dice in hand.” He could already envision them staying up late with maps strewn across the floor. They would have coke bottles out, snacks scattered in hands-reach, and figurines of their characters on a board between them.
The nurse even chuckled at that remark, offering wet wipes to Rosy to get the gel off so her shirt wouldn't stick to her. "Fine, just as long as you both are coming to bed on time," Rosy compromised, carefully getting off the bed with his help once she was nice and clean again.
"Here you are," the nurse passed the printed images to Cory to hold, several sheets thick. "And all copies as well as videos have been sent to both of you. Keep up the good work Rosalie, she's coming along great!" The constant reminders for vitamins and staying hydrating were paying off, which was a relief.
“Of course she is,” Cory agreed with the nurse, tucking the folder of his daughter’s pictures between arm and torso. He wrapped his other arm around Rosalie, “Thank you nurse,” he offered with sincerity. The couple began their walk out of the medical office, “About coming to bed on time— I will do my best, but sometimes you just need to play until the early ours of the next day.”
They'd likely bicker back and forth all the way from the medical wing back to their room, moving at the speed of pregnancy. "You are going to have to make sure 'your best' means our daughter is getting just as much sleep as she's supposed to have. I don't want her running on caffeine and getting sick or something just so you two can finish your campaign," Rosy said with a pointed finger. "No buts about it!"
“But,” Cory said the offending word with confidence, “Sometimes a late night is a must when you’re on a roll. Now, I wouldn’t do it often, cause I do know a growing girl has to get her sleep— but a growing girl has also got to slay giants in the dead of night by candlelight. It’s all I’m saying.” Indeed Cory would argue the point all the way to the theatre where they would decide on a few Valentine’s Day movies to watch, “Besides, caffeine once in a while is fine.”
She could only shake her head at him, walking into the theater and taking up the same bed they'd laid on for the Twilight marathon. "Once in a while, yes. But I've seen how much Mountain Dew you can drink, Lord Cromwell, and that is far too much." Taking a look at the console, she queued up Bride Wars since he had said it was a personal delight, figuring they could have a compromise. "Is it bad I'm really just overly excited for popcorn?"
Cory muttered that he was just fine in a low enough volume not to incur an argument he knew he would lose. Instead he shuffled to sit beside his lady love while they waited for said popcorn to be delivered. The concession stand for this theatre had been completely refurbished and stocked with any treat they needed or wanted, “I don’t think it’s bad at all. I want my popcorn so smothered in butter that I could drink it!” Not that he actually would, but he hoped the hunger for buttery popcorn got across.
Rosy let out a grunt of approval, already able to taste it, though not quite unfortunately! But soon enough they'd have a delicious, steamy bag with so much butter she'd have to use a stack of napkins or lick her fingers clean. "Okay, so we're going to completely kill our appetite for lunch with popcorn and snacks - hopefully pretzels - and then we'll have dinner. No doubt with candles, from my romantic man. Are we eating alone or joining anyone else?"
“Oh I didn’t think about that...” Cory said thoughtfully, his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the end of Rosalie’s hair, “Well, Anna and Yonten are gone. So are Wes, Inara, Ellie, and Everest. I mean, we could invite Joao or Andriy, but I don’t know if they’d be up for it. And I don’t know what Oliver and Lauri are doing today. Did you think we’d be interfering with them if we asked what they’re up to for dinner?”
Admittedly, pregnancy brain had gotten the better of her in that moment, forgetting just how many had left the castle to celebrate. "I mean, we won't know unless we ask them, and if they already have plans they would just tell us. Wouldn't they?" She couldn't imagine anyone getting upset at such a simple question.
Pulling out his phone Cory sent Oliver a text, “Alright, I’ll check,” it didn’t take long. just a short inquiry if he and Lauri wanted to meet up with them for dinner. Then he set his phone on his lap when a servant came with two buckets of glistening popcorn, “Yeees, thank you! So much butter. And the napkins? Ah, good, perfect.” They were given a ream of paper towels. A fresh, new roll. Cory also put their drinks in the cup holders before settling in with Rosy. He fed her a crispy, buttery nugget, “Delicious.” He smiled.
Just as they were getting settled in and taking those first few wonderfully fresh bites of popped corn Cory's phone sounded with a response. BING! After deliberation, they'd decided they would be happy to join them for dinner. Oliver, without saying anything a nosy Lamb might peek and see, told him that his own plans could certainly accommodate a joint meal.
Rosy jumped, an idea hitting her that made her gasp with delight, "Oh, we should do it in the holohouse!" They'd given the two a tour, but with little changes here and there, there was always something slightly new. Plus, in her mind this felt sophisticated, as if they invited friends over to their real home. Just with less stress of having to cook!
“Oh, nice touch,” Cory nodded, typing into his phone the suggestion to meet on the holodeck in their house. He meant to have dinner there anyway. Their holopup was going to be happy! Lauri too, who had melted at there being a puppy in the castle. Once or twice she had come to the holodeck to sift through the thousands of animals available to load. She couldn’t find one that she hated. The only potential being a skunk, because they smelled bad. Cat’s and dogs were classics, though, of the smaller animals, she did favor raccoons, snakes, and genets. Cory made the offer and set his phone down again, “There we go. I think it will work out. I set up a table by the pool.”
Rosy hummed happily at the thought of spending the holiday with their friends. "By the pool? Oh that's going to be pretty at night! Maybe some fairy lights or tea candles would look absolutely beautiful." She quietly loved going in and doing decorating in the house, picking up ideas between Pinterest and quietly watching HDTV when no one was around. She never would have thought she'd get excited about a granite counter top, but here she was. And that countertop was down right sexy. BING! Another message from Oliver said they were all for dinner on the deck.
Cory enjoyed coming into the house and seeing those little updates. It made it feel like their home was being perfected and lived in before they even had it built. That warmed his heart. He did his own tweaks. An elaborate entertainment system tailored to his D&D needs in a section of the basement was an example. An ‘office’ that split in half. One side for work, the other for serious gaming, “Fairy lights sounds great. We can also float candles in the water too.” He had seen a few TLC shows.
She loved that idea! It was quaint as so exciting, everything she wanted to have in their future home. She also might have just been on a fairy light kick as of late. The most recent updates to the nursery had them spread about and entwined in the pink canopy above the crib. Rosy had to fight the urge to bring them into the master bedroom, going for as mature of a theme as she could. While Cory might have designed his work space, she was more focused on things for Amelie and the family together. She also had a second nursery tucked away off the main stretch of the house, but she told herself it was only to test out different shades of blues and not any confirmation that they'd be having more children. "Okay, we have to start the movie or I'll get sucked into lighting ideas," she admitted, spending more time in the holodeck as her ability to be working waned away.
“Haha, okay,” Cory gave his lady love a gentle squeeze in his arms.
The couple enjoyed their first movie pick. Cory got invested in all the ways the women had pranked each other. He appreciated the slow escalation until just about all hell broke loose. Although, he wasn’t a fan of Chris Pratt’s character. Another actor named Christopher. Cory had the funny thought that maybe his nephew Baby Kit would become an actor one day. Chris Von Helsing, starring in another reboot of some overdone movie. Or hopefully not. Cory rather his nephew choose his scripts carefully and because of their originality.
Once the movie ended, Cory stretched, “Mm! That was fun. Another round with food brought here for lunch? Or do you want to stretch our legs and go eat at a table?”
"I need at least a little walk," she said as she eased herself back to her feet, following his need for a much needed stretch. "If nothing else, we need to use the little girl's room. Your adorable little girl seems to love sitting directly on my bladder. I love it." A feeling she knew from Ellie's complaints was only going to worsen. "We can just do a couple of laps to get the blood flowing and then have a small lunch here so we can keep snacking? I've already picked out at least two more movies I'd like to see - one if we don't have the time."
“Sounds like a plan,” Cory chuckled, getting up to do just that. He had to admit, it was nice not to feel like you had to pee every other minute. Your bladder feeling like it was going to burst only for a trickle of a few drops to come out. You’d at least think a satisfying pee was due for the way it felt! Cory slipped his arm around Rosy and walked with her to the bathroom at the back. He waited for her to come out before taking those couple laps around the theatre with her, “So what do you have planned?” Cory felt strong about enduring the possible choices.
Refreshed and with Amelie shifted off her bladder, she fell into step beside Cory as they got their blood flowing once again. "Well, I felt that watching Valentine's Day is something we simply must do today, though if you outright object to it I'd also be as excited to finally watch What To Expect When You're Expecting," she grinned. "I have a few others up my sleeves, but if it's too mushy my fallback is Warm Bodies so you can't complain it's too girly." There were zombies after all!
“Ooo, Warm Bodies. I don’t know what ‘Valentine’s Day’ is, but I am guessing it’s a really girly one. So we can balance it out. Whichever you pick for the first one, I choose Warm Bodie’s for the second,” zombies sounded like a great end to wash away any bland feelings he might have toward the more feminine films, “That alright with you?” Cory asked, finally coming back to the bed to snuggle with her along side him.
"You drive a hard bargain, Lord Cromwell," Rosy said as she even made a show of taking his hand to shake on it. "Alright, first up then is 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'. Admittedly because I love both Anna Kendrick and Jennifer Lopez," she admitted as she used the console to load the movie up on the screen, letting it pause quickly. "Eat now or after?"
“Let’s order now and play the movie, then when it comes we can pause,” Cory suggested, wanting to make sure they had plenty of time for that zombie love movie. “The usual? Or are you craving anything new today?” he asked, as he pulled up the options. Cory chose a simple ham and cheese with a side salad.
She offered a timid smile, knowing that the cravings were either painfully constant or all over the place. "We're really craving some French Onion soup. And if we can, have some chocolate covered pineapple sent as well, that would be divine."
Cory chuckled, guessing where she might have seen French Onion soup around, “It shall be done!” He said, putting the order in for her request, plus adding a bowl of mudslide ice cream too. While they waited they began the movie Rosy picked. he admittedly spent more time cuddling and enjoying Rosalie in his arms than the movie itself. When the food came he was all too eager to get that ham sandwich between his fingers. Layered with the choicest ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, and ‘secret’ sauces, it had become one of Cory’s favorites since he had to lay off the mayo hotdogs with relish for the sake of his love, “Yaaash,” he sighed in satisfaction, “How are you enjoying your soup?” He smiled.
She'd been so engulfed in chasing down the delicious onion chunks and letting the cheese drip on her lips that it took a moment for Rosy to answer. "Mmm it's perfect," she praised once she'd wiped her mouth clean. "I don't know what it is, but I just cannot get enough of this savory stuff right now. It's probably way more sodium than I'm supposed to have so I'll have to down a few extra electrolyte pods, but completely worth it. And your sandwich?"
“Ish awshum!” Cory beamed through a mouthful. After swallowing he said, “I’m going to have to get a reference for chefs from Wesley and Inara. We’re going to have to have a cook as good as these guys.” He didn’t expect to have a castle full of staff, but he did expect to have quality.
Rosalie completely agreed with him on that one. "Oh, you are going to make me the happiest woman, aren't you? A master chef so I never need to learn to cook and can still have you happy as can be with a full belly," she chuckled at him. Her soup was finished and bowl set aside, her plate of pineapples on a tray to pick at, suckling the chocolate off. She offered one over to him. "Don't knock it until you try it."
“Allergic,” Cory offered a sigh, “But they look good. I know they smell good too. It’s just that my throat gets itchy and my lips swell when I eat them. Found that out when I was younger. Freaked me out. Thankfully it’s not lethal.” He finished the last bite of his ham sandwich and brought over his ice cream, “Want a bite of this?” He scooped up a spoonful and hovered it at mouth level.
She winced at the realization that it was a poor offer, slipping the piece in her mouth to savor. "Well, I suppose that means more for me. And I won't be coming after your nasty radish sauce. Balance," she grinned at him before turning to resume the movie, her pineapple kept at a safe distance.
Cory chuckled, eating his scoop of ice cream that she spurned. It did feel like a shame. He had, on occasion, eaten pineapple despite his reaction. Those moments were filled with both satisfaction and pain. He imagined it was a small piece of what Annabelle and Yonten did with each other. They were probably well on their way to the concert, if not in their own private box. He did hear that Yonten failed to get the one he wanted. Reserved, it seemed, by some other hunter who happened to have the cash to nab it. Cory wondered how the Tibetan was taking that news. Those thoughts aside Cory contentedly eating his frozen treat. At least he could still eat chocolate! That had to count for something. Once he finished with his bowl he set it aside and fitted himself comfortably against Rosalie. The movie she chose played out to its end. Cory perked up when Warm Bodie’s began. Yeah, that hit the spot. Just enough action and romance. The kind of movie he could get behind. Just about anything with zombies worked for him. He heard about ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’. One day he would watch that. Maybe another double date with Oliver and Lauri. Something for guys! As the movie came to its end Cory gave a little cheer, “Yeaaaah, look that half bald guy found love again. See? I can do chick flicks.”
When they were about midway through the movie she'd gone back to grazing on popcorn, her and Amelie together making a bottomless pit. She kept close to Cory as they went through the movies, pleased with the choice. "Yeah, you do pretty well on it love," she praised as she slowly eased herself up to her feet. Popcorn tumbled from her shirt to the floor, a few pieces ending up in her bosoms. It was getting close to dinner time, though they'd have a little bit of time to themselves.
It felt good to be acknowledged. Cory got up with Rosalie, chuckling to see the mess she was making of her clothes. The mischievous part of him wondered how long she would go on and not notice. The courteous side urged him to at least point it out to her. The sensual side of him thought of the ways he could solve her problem. These three sides battled to see which one of them won as Cory slipped an arm around Rosalie, “What would you like to do in the meantime?” He had accomplished phase one of his Valentine’s Day surprises. The gifts he had were waiting in the holodeck by the table next to the pool for phase two.
Spotting the mess on the floor, she made a face at it. In no condition to bend over time and time again to clean it up, she would have to just make sure to give the staff an extra thank you and maybe suggest a bonus for the poor folks who had to clean up after them. Oblivious to the cleavage collection forming, she tugged him closer, kissing each of his lips in turn. "Hmm, well we could go have some time together back at the room. Alone," she let the implication hang in the air, starting toward the door of the theater. "I'm always down to beat you in Mario Kart, after all."
“Oh?” Cory smirked. His fingers plucked off a popcorn from between her breasts and popped it into his mouth, “Well get ready, because I will take you down—“ Cory turned on his heel “—in Mario Kart!” He strode ahead with Rosalie at his side, determination burning in his eyes, “We’ll see who beats who!” This time he was going to use the grey controller. No one believed him, but he was sure the blue one had a slight delay that really put him back a tick. All the ticks mattered. Every second it delayed it would put him at a disadvantage. This, Cory said, was why he had lost more than he would like to admit to his lady love .
He was too much sometimes, and yet, just right. They bickered the whole way back to their room, Cory not hesitating as he went straight for his precious grey controller. Rosy completely disagreed with his theory against the blue one, even happily taking the controller because she had a point to prove. Characters locked in and a track picked while Cory sat cross-legged on the ground and Rosy had a comfy chair pulled up close. True love had to be tucked away for the next few minutes; this was war! Banana peels and shells flew about indiscriminately and the grey controller just couldn't hold up. Peach zoomed across the finish line just a hair before Luigi.
"Ha! I won," Rosy wiggled in her seat excitedly, toes tapping the ground over and over. "I guess it wasn't the controller after all, dear. But I'm ready to go best of three if you prefer. For science and everything."
Mouth agape, Cory couldn’t believe the grey controller had failed him! Had Lauri done something to them? Had Rosy? These women were often in cahoots! There is no telling what diabolical plans they thought up during their ‘tea time’ in the afternoons. Far too much tea, Cory felt. Sometimes he drank coffee to feel more American in this European land. Before Rosy could say another word Cory set up the next track, “Have at me, woman!” Cory hunched his shoulders and stared right ahead. This time around, though he did slip on an unfortunate banana or two, his little green man swerved in front of Princess Peach. Luigi claimed victory, “Hah!” Cory grinned, “Well look at that, Popcorn Boobs! Ham-Sandwich Man has come out ahead!” There was always room for some snappy name calling in the gamer world. Lauri and Cory had a fun thinking of the best zingers to throw, but most of the time they defaulted to ‘Beaver Face’ and ‘Frogger’.
Rosy's mouth dropped in disbelief as she lost. "Wait, what?! Popcorn boobs?" A quick peak down her shirt and she found that there wasn't just the one kernel he had fished out earlier. "Why didn't you tell me there was more in here?" she scolded, pulling out a good handful of pieces and tossing them right in his face. "Alright, it's on Ham-Sandwich," she glared as the next track was loaded and she focused intently on the screen. A few times he might have even caught her leaning in her chair to help make take corners better. Gamer logic.
They were nearly neck and neck as they hit the final lap, but a malicious shell flew out and bonked Cory's kart just enough that she had a healthy lead. Just as the line was in switch, her kart seemed to lose some of it's thrust, which she'd have to blame on buttery-fingers if asked. It certainly wasn't her taking the L for the sake of letting him win on Valentine's day. No not at all. She came in second by less than two seconds, scowling in defeat. "Well fuck, fine. You win," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders and tossing the defective controller at him. "Dinner then? Or should I push that back so you can gloat properly?"
Plucking popcorn from his curls, Cory smirked, “Oh I we have plenty of time on our way over for me to gloat,” he chuckled, getting up from under the controller she tossed, that he caught just in time, plus his own— newly trusted— controller. Cory leaned down and chased Rosalie’s lips until he managed a peck, “Come my lovely Rosy Posy Puddin’ and Pie, it’s time for phase two of my Valentine’s Day plan!” Cory chuckled, helping her up and slipping his arm around around her waist, “Now about my gloating— wow did you see that? You lost! I won! I think I can understand Wesley’s game with Inara now. ‘I Win’ sounds like a great title for any time we play together.” Cory teased, giving her waist a gentle squeeze.
Rosy knew all too well that their 'I Win' was much more different than the games the two of them tended to enjoy together. But she'd let him have his moment, even if it was painful. "Yeah, yeah you won. Better soak it up while you can, Ham Sandwich," she muttered, though she couldn't help but grin as they walked down the hallways together toward the holodeck. "You want to make sure the other two are on their way, yeah?"
Beaming, but not turning into a gloat-goat, Cory have his lady love a kiss to her cheek for letting him have his moment in the spotlight, “Love you!” and he meant it sincerely. Then he pulled out his phone, “Yeah, I think I will give them a quick text,” Cory typed to Oliver that they were heading to the holodeck now. They’d load the program and set up a place for them at the table, so no rush. Just to keep that in mind for them, “There we go,” Cory stowed his phone and that hand went to log into the holodeck once they arrived at the door, “Aw, home sweet holodeck.” he chuckled.
To be Continued...
Oliver and Lauri
Early morning found Oliver hurrying about their chambers to get things ready before Lauri awoke. Thankfully, a certain Lamb slept harder than most, which meant that he didn't need to be overly quiet in his work. As all good romantic Valentine Days should begin, breakfast was ordered up for his dear maiden, her favorites were kept warm under silver lids. The tray was kept a short distance away, less a good sniff woke up his sleeping love. Vases of fresh cut roses were placed on her night stand, dresser, and the table that housed the tray and a silver-wrapped gift, the size of a book. One rose was sacrificed to sprinkle petals on the bed, a few landing on her sleeping form.
His biggest plans would have to wait until the day unfolded, but Oliver did believe h is love deserved a morning as gentle and warm as she was. It wasn't until she began to stir and sound her familiar noises that she was prepared to face the world that he walked over to her side, unable to shake a smile. "Bonjour, mon cher amour. Bonne Saint Valentin à la femme qui a mon cœur," he coaxed her further awake with a kiss on her crown.
Thou knowest’. People who didn’t understand it as a question of ‘being’ and not ‘location’, were likely to send a false whereabouts which told Wes he was dealing with a thief or his wife was in danger. ‘Wherefore’ is mistaken as ‘where are you?’, when in reality it is an old English word for ‘Why?’. 
