Rory was cooped up in the hospital for two weeks, she wasn't allowed to leave until the stitches were almost fully healed and there was no risk of her possibly ripping them just by walking. She hated the fact that she was stuck in the hospital, but Tim almost never left her side and it made it bearable. He did everything he could to make her more comfortable and even brought her favorite movie. 

Once she left, Tim still didn't leave her side. Ever since Rory told them the story of what happened that night, her nightmares began to resurface nightly. Tim had made it a personal mission to stay with her every night and be there when she woke up screaming and covered in sweat. This was another one of those nights.

Tim was working on the case when he felt Rory stir beside him, he immediately stopped what he was doing and gave her his full attention. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gently shook her awake. Rory was a light sleeper these days, so she shot up in bed with a whimper and gripped her stomach where her wound was. 

Quickly Tim pulled her into his lap and held her close. "I've got you, baby, I'm not letting go," he said into her hair, holding her as she calmed down from her nightmare.

It was the same thing every night, she would fight Slade and every night she would lose and still kill that family. Rory's eyes were filled with tears as she curled up in Tim's arms trying to calm herself down. Her throat was dry and her hands were shaking. The lack of sleep was taking its toll on her, Rory's eyes were dull and there were bags under them. It didn't matter what anyone did, she couldn't sleep. Not even the warm milk from Jason worked anymore.

Slowly her breathing began to even out and she could hear Tim's heartbeat as she laid her head on his chest. "You don't have to stay with me you know?" she whispered softly, her voice hoarse from her dry throat.

Tim shook his head. "I want to stay with you Briar Rose, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't comfort my girl when she had bad dreams?" he asked, looking down at her.

Rory looked up and her brown eyes met his blue one, they seemed to shine in the darkness like the stars in the clear night sky. She gave him a grateful smile and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you, Tim, I know I don't say it all that often but I really do love you."

Tim brushed her hair back and cupped her cheek. "There is no law saying that you have to tell me a certain amount, I know you love me. You don't have to tell me for me to see it, I see it in the way you look at me. I see it in your smile every time I kiss you, I even see it in your laughter when you laugh at my corny jokes. Don't you ever feel like you have to tell me you love me, I would never put that pressure on you." 

Rory stared at him as he spoke, Tim always seemed to know exactly what it was that she needed to hear. No matter what it was, he always said the right thing like it was a secret superpower of his. 

Tim looked confused, Rory was just sitting there and staring at him not saying anything. "What? Did I say the wrong thing?" he rubbed the back of his neck. "I have a habit of doing that sometimes." he blushed.

Rory covered her mouth to hide her giggle. "No, instead you did the exact opposite. You are absolutely perfect Timothy Drake, don't let anyone tell you differently. I might have to kick their ass for it." 

Tim chuckled at her words and kissed her softly. "My hero."

"Well, someone has to keep your ass out of trouble." she grinned softly and curled into his chest and took his hand. Tim ran his fingers through her hair as she played with his fingers, feeling the rough callouses of them under her touch. Tim's hands were bigger than hers and there was evidence to show that he used them a lot when he was out fighting crime. But he still had a gentleness to his touch, especially when he was touching her.

He always kept it light, not wanting to hurt her like she was made of porcelain. Even between the sheets, his hands were soft and gentle like he was worried that if he wasn't careful he would hurt her. There was always a hidden roughness to Tim, but that never showed unless he was angry or jealous but even then his actions were calculated.

Dick had told her that Tim was probably the smartest of the bunch, and could possibly surpass Bruce one day if he kept working at it. Rory could see Tim becoming the greatest detective in the world one day, and she wanted to be with him every step of the way.

Carefully, she pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it softly. Tim blushed and tried to hide it. "I can hear the blush on you Dragon Boy, you don't need to hide it." she giggled. Tim had succeeded in lifting her mood, he just needed to be with her and be himself.

"Shouldn't I be the one making you blush?' he asked, dropping his hands to her waist and sliding them under the fabric of her top wanting to feel the smoothness of her skin.

Rory leaned into his hands. "It's a two-way street here handsome, you better get used to it." she chuckled.

Tim rolled his eyes and kissed her lips once more, tracing circles on her sides. Rory's amount of movement was limited still. The outside skin may be healed, but the inside still needed to heal before she did anything extreme. Every day, they would take turns in slowly helping her warm up so she could get back into action. 

Dick would help her stretch out, trying to keep her as limber as she could be and get her body used to it again. Between Jason and Cass, they kept her sparring skills up to par. Damian kept her weapon skills intact, and Steph made sure that she didn't overdo herself. Tim was normally around for emotional support, it was hard to watch Rory get frustrated when she couldn't pull back her bow because her wound would hurt or when she flubbed a hit because she got winded.

Every once in awhile Tim would work with her on everything, but that normally ended with them on the mat not training at all.

Pulling back from the kiss, he could see the sleep trying to take over her body once more. "You should try and get some more sleep, Briar Rose," he whispered, kissing her nose.

Rory blushed and batted him away. "Only if you try to sleep as well." 

Tim raised a brow at her. "What kind of bargain is that?" he chuckled.

"A smart one, you want me to sleep? Well, you need to get some sleep as well." 

Tim rolled his eyes, there was no way he was going to win this fight. Not when Rory looked this cute and adorable while she was half asleep. With a sigh, he set his laptop aside and pulled back the covers and climbed in with her, pulling Rory against his chest.

She curled into him with a smile, trying to hide the triumphant grin on her face. Tim kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, "I love you Rory." he muttered.

"I love you too, Tim," she whispered and both of them fell asleep curled into each other's arms.

The next day, Tim decided that he and Rory needed to get out of the manor and take a walk through the city. There were a few places he still wanted to show her but didn't get the chance before everything started to pick up and then she was stabbed. That put a little bit of a damper on things, but none the less today was the day and nothing was going to ruin it.

He had asked Steph to help her dress sensibly, knowing Rory she would try to leave the house in sweats and jacket. Not that he didn't think she was cute, but the girls would have his head for letting Rory out of the house looking like that.

Tim was waiting down in the kitchen with Jason and Dick who were munching down on cookies Alfred had just baked. "So, where are you two love birds going?" Jason asked, shoving another cookie in his already full mouth.

"Around." was all Tim said.

Both Dick and Jason gave him a look. "Really babybird? You aren't telling us anything?" Dick asked.

Tim shook his head. "No, because I know at least one of you would try to follow us. This is a day for me and her. Not me, her and my brothers." he crossed his arms.

Jason scoffed. "I feel insulted that you would think that we would follow you." 

"Jay, you have followed him before. Multiple times, we even have proof of it." Dick said, pulling out his phone. 

"Hold on, you are no better there Dickiebird! You are the definition of overbearing, protective big brother! God forbid one of us goes out without your consent!" Jason snapped, poking him in the chest.

"Hey! It's my job as the oldest! I gotta watch out for the younglings and you are no exception to that Jaybird!" Dick cried poking Jason on the chest.

"Younglings? What are we, Jedi learners?" Tim asked.

"Yes!" The two of them answered at the same time, looking at Tim who only shook his head. It was then Rory arrived with the others behind her. 

"What did I just walk in on?" she asked, keeping a hold on her purse.

Tim walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Apparently we are all Jedi learners according to Dick." 

"Hey, I am not a learner Grayson!" Cass said, pointing a finger at him. "And Babs is no padawan either! If anything we are the Jedi Masters and you are all the padawans." 

Tim and Rory looked at each other, there was never going to be a normal conversation with this family is there? Quietly, while everyone was distracted Tim took her hand and led her out the door where his car was waiting. 

The last time Rory rode with Tim in his car was on her birthday, normally they would take one of the bikes or the limo with Alfred. But with Rory's current condition, bikes were out of the question and they weren't going to ask Alfred this time. He needed a break after dealing with the Wayne household so much.

Rory looked around as Tim drove towards the city, he wasn't going to the deeper parts of town. He stayed to the outskirts, looking for a place to park as he held her hand the whole time. Neither of them really had to speak, the quiet was nice and comforting. 

It didn't take long for them to find a place to park, Rory was about to get out when Tim stopped her. "Don't you dare get out of this car Aurora Queen." Before she could even ask, Tim got out and ran to the other side of the car to her door and opened it for her. 

"My lady." he grinned as he bowed and offered her a hand. 

Rory gave him a look, with half a mind to hit him on the head. No one gave Tim permission to be this cute towards her, and it was making Rory melt on the inside. She took his hand as he helped her out of the car, shutting the door and locking it behind them. 

It was now July and summer was in full swing. It was humid outside and no one wanted to go anywhere without some form of portable air conditioning. They were both dressed in summer attire, complimented with hats and a pair of shades. Neither of them wanted to get recognized today, so they walked slowly hand in hand.

Their first stop was an ice cream parlor, Tim ordered himself a scoop of vanilla while Rory got herself a scoop of chocolate. She let out a giggle as she watched Tim lick his, only to get ice cream on his nose. Reaching out a finger, she wiped it off and licked her finger clean earning a groan from Tim.

"Don't do that Rory, not in public at least." 

Rory grinned. "Why not Timmy?" she teased.

Tim gave her a playful glare. "You know full well why." 

She let out a chuckle and continued to eat her ice cream, looking around the city. A lot of people were dressed for the beach, but her doctor had specifically told her no beaches at least for another week. She was going in on Monday to see how she was healing, and seeing if she was allowed to do more intense things.

"So where else are we going?" she asked, as they walked and finished their ice cream. Rory was on the last few bites and Tim had just finished his and threw away the napkin. 

"Maybe a few stores and one more stop after that." he shrugged.

Rory eyed him suspiciously. Tim was hiding something from her, it was written all over his face. "What's that final stop?" she asked.

"Nothing for you to worry about at the moment." he grinned, knowing full well that it would irritate her until she found out. 

Rory huffed and was about to say something but her words were cut off with his mouth pressed against hers. Tim had an arm wrapped around the back of her waist and the other cupped her cheek. She could taste the vanilla on his mouth, as he kissed her deeper. The kiss was passionate, as Tim held her close to himself and Rory wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him in deeper. 

Rory's knees went weak from the sheer force of the kiss as Tim pulled away and licked his lips. "You taste like chocolate." he grinned.

She blinked at him, barely registering what the hell had just happened. Tim was not a fan of PDA, but he just kissed the hell out of her and dared to flirt with her right after in the middle of the sidewalk. Rory was at a loss for words, where did this come from? 

"You taste like vanilla," she muttered, still dazed by the kiss. 

Tim chuckled and kept his arm around her waist as he led her down the street. He kept her close to his side and pressed a kiss into her hair as they came upon another store. It seemed to be a jeweler of some sort, but what was sold in the store were more vintage looking items. 

The bell rang as they stepped in, an older man turning to look as see who entered his shop. His hair had greyed out and had a twinkle in his eyes. "What can I do for you young couple today?" 

"I placed an order last week and got a call that it was ready?" Tim asked, smiling at the old man.

"What's the name?" the elderly man asked. 

"It was under Drake, Timothy Drake." Both Rory and Tim watched as the man walked back to the room behind him to find this order Tim had placed. Once he was gone, Rory looked up at him.

"Tim, what the hell did you do?" she asked, only to get a shrug. He was being very secretive today and it was starting to get on her nerves. She was about to say something else to him when the old man came back into the room holding what seemed to be a jewelry box. 

"I just finished restoring yesterday morning, is this the lady it's for?" he asked.

Tim gave him a nod and looked at Rory. "Yeah, she is."

The man gave Rory the box with a large smile. "You are lucky, this young man drives a very hard bargain but he requested nothing but the best. Said you were special, and seeing the way he looks at you I have to agree." 

Rory took the box from him and examined it. The box itself was old and wooden with a daisy carved into the lid of the box. She ran her fingers over the design slowly, it was beautiful. 

"Go on, open it." 

Rory looked back at the old man, "You mean there is more?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Oh yes." Rory looked at Tim who was blushing now.

She gave him a look before slowly opening the box. Inside was a necklace, it was the vintage style with daisies on the end of it. She let out a gasp as she slowly pulled it out of the box and looked at Tim with tears in her eyes. "Tim, it's beautiful."

"I knew you would like it.' he smiled. Rory carefully placed it back in the box before she grabbed Tim by the neck and pulled him down into a kiss. 

"I love it, and I love you," she said softly.

The old man watched with kind eyes. "I'm glad to see she loves it." 

Tim chuckled softly and pulled out his wallet to pay for the necklace and the box, the old man thanking them as they left the store. Once they were out, Rory pulled the necklace out of the box and looked at her boyfriend.

"Can you put this on me?" she asked. Tim nodded and took the necklace and put it on her as she held her hair up. Once it was clasped, he placed a kiss to the back of her neck and her collar, sending a shiver down her spine.

"It looks beautiful on you." he smiled.

Rory blushed at his words and kissed him again, cupping his cheek. "Thank you, Tim."

He smiled down at her and took her hand. "Alright last stop for the day, let's go. We're burning daylight." he chuckled and led her down the street.

They both walked, Rory, playing with the necklace as she looked around. This whole day had been amazing, and she had no idea what Tim had planned for their last stop. Rory noticed that they walked into the more residential area of the city and they stopped in front of a building. Tim had told her to stay outside, and wait for him while he went in. Rory only gave him a more confused look as she watched him walk away.

She leaned against the wall while she waited, losing herself to her thoughts. 

What was Tim up to, and why was he being so secretive? This had been one of the best days of her life, along with her birthday and the day she told him that she loved him. All three days had been days she spent with Tim.

Tim walked out and held his hand out to her, and she took it following him into the building and up the stairs. He was silent the whole way up, not answering any of Rory's questions. She was confused more than ever about what he was up to, especially when he stopped in front of a door and told her to close her eyes.

Rory gave him a huff and crossed her arms. "I am not closing my eyes, Timothy Drake."

"Yes you are, Aurora Queen, or I will blindfold you myself," he said, crossing his arms in a mocking manner. 

"Didn't know that you were into that kind of stuff Dragon Boy." she grinned as she closed her eyes. There was a click of a door unlocking as he took her hand leading her forward. She stumbled after him carefully, not wanting to fall. He pulled her to a stop and let go of her hands.

"Tim, what the hell are you doing?" she asked.

"Will you just be patient Songbird and trust me?" he asked. Rory could tell that he was no longer next to her. After a few minutes, she felt his hands on hers. "Alright, open your eyes."

Rory did as he said and looked around to see that they were in an apartment. She even more confused, why the hell would Tim lead her to an empty apartment? Looking at him, Tim looked nervous. 

"Tim, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing is wrong, promise. But what do you think?" he asked.

Rory took another look around. "It's nice, perfect even but I don't understand why we are here?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I had a thought that maybe it would be nice to have a place of our own. So I did some looking and found this place. Its on the top floor, with a fire escape so that part is covered. Water and plumbing are good along with the heating and air conditioning." he explained.

As he spoke, things slowly became more clear to her. 

"I didn't buy anything yet because I wanted to know your thoughts, but would you be willing to move in here with me?" he asked, playing with his fingers. The nervous look on his face didn't change, Tim really wanted her to say yes. But he also knew that there was a possibility that she wasn't ready for it yet, and would be willing to wait  until she was.

Rory was frozen in her spot, this would explain all of his odd behavior throughout the day. He was nervous about asking her to move in with him, getting a place of their own. Taking another look around, Rory had to admit that it was a nice apartment and very convenient for their night life. She would be lying to herself if she said that she hadn't thought about moving in with Tim at all, he spent most nights in her room anyway and never left her side to begin with. How much different could it be? So she gave him the only answer she could.

"I would love to live here with you Tim."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So Tory is getting their own place! They are taking the next step in their relationship, and honestly, I am excited about this.

I promised the fluff and I brought the fluff. What did you all think? Also, the daisy necklace at the top of the picture is the one he got her. 

Hope you all have a good day!

Until Next Time,