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Dick was right about one thing. She had a lot of visions.
This one though, if it even classified as a vision, is by far the craziest.
They were currently stuck in a strange town called Caul’s Folly.
And they were married.
To each other.
Well, not them. But two people who looked exactly like them. Ted and Carol.
The morning had started with Dick and Kory waking up not only in bed together but in a house that did not belong to either of them. The two of them wearing shiny wedding bands on their fingers added even more confusion to the situation. Everyone else, their teammates and the bad guys, were nowhere to be found.
After the initial shock of all of that subsided, they spent a couple of hours exploring the house, trying to find any clues that would help them figure out why they ended up there and how, followed by what they should do about it.
Though, the only information they’d managed to collect were tidbits about their apparent doppelgangers. Ted and Carol were golf tournament champions, lovers of the most high-end coffee blends, and frequent vacationers to foreign lands. From the photo album Kory had found, the couple also seemed to be social butterflies; most of it was filled with pictures from parties, picnics and dinners with close friends. The other album found was dedicated solely to wedding photos. She and Dick don’t spend much time looking through that one, but the love and joy on Ted and Carol’s faces in every image doesn’t go unnoticed by either of them.
When the two of them were done with the house, they decided to take their search outside to the rest of the town. But not before changing out of their matching silk pajamas. Carol’s wardrobe was very different from Kory’s; her closet filled with bright-colored cardigans, sundresses, heeled pumps, and a few sun hats. A complete opposite to the array of purple, black, and leather clothing Kory owned.
On the other hand, Ted and Dick shared some similarities in style. Really, it was only their taste in polo shirts. Everything else wasn’t much to Dick’s liking. Especially the slacks and boat shoes that were in abundance in Ted’s tiny section of the closet. Kory could barely hide her smirk when Dick came down the stairs, clearly uncomfortable, in his pink polo and baggy grey dress pants.
Once dressed, they were out the door, ready to face whatever other craziness was waiting for them.
~♥️~
Dick and Kory had thought it’d be best to split up once they got to the town square. It allowed them to cover more ground and gather more information in a shorter amount of time. Their main focus was to find the kids and make sure they were fine. They’d figure out the rest together after that.
It was now three in the afternoon, about two hours since they initially went their separate ways. Dick emerges from a toy shop at the end of the street, just in time to spot Kory also leaving a small shop a few buildings down the block.
“Kory,” he calls before jogging towards her.
She turns and looks back to acknowledge him but doesn’t stop walking. Rather, she slows her pace until he’s able to fall into step beside her.
“Anything?” Dick inquires.
“No. I showed people pictures of the kids, but nobody recognizes them. Some did know me, though. So, I guess it really is just the two of us in another dimension or something. There’s no sign of anything suspicious going on.”
“Yea, I think so too. Whatever Sebastian did must’ve sent us here. And you’re right, everything seems normal. Everyone’s just really nice. Almost too nice, honestly.”
“So, what now?” she asks as they continue down the block.
Just then, Kory’s stomach rumbles. And it suddenly dawns on her that it’s been over 24 hours since she’s last eaten. Between trying to stop the blood ritual, attempting to rescue Conner, and finding out that not only does she have a doppelganger, but she’s happily married to Dick’s, food never crossed her mind.
Dick stops walking and gently holds Kory’s elbow to keep her in place as well. “I think we’ve scoured this town long enough. Let’s take a break in that diner,” he says pointing just behind her. “We’ll eat and maybe get some answers from the workers and customers then go from there.”
“Sounds good.”
They walk into the diner cautiously. Dick can feel Kory pressed into his side, trying to stay close, as they quickly scan the place for any possible danger. But there’s none to be found. It’s a normal diner with a common retro aesthetic.
“Carol! And Ted!” a woman with tan skin and long, dark wavy hair exclaims from across the room. Kory recognizes her from one of the photo albums she and Dick had been looking through earlier. In fact, she was in several of the photos, along with a man Kory assumes to be her significant other. The woman storms towards Kory, arms wide open for a hug.
“Oh, hey...” Kory starts, quickly scanning the woman’s torso for a name tag. “Antoinette!” she finishes once she spots it.
“Antoinette? What did I do this time?” the mystery woman wonders aloud as they embrace.
“Why do you say that?” Kory asks warily.
“Well, the only people that call me Antoinette are my mother, the occasional new customer, and you when you’re mad at me. So, what did I do?”
“Oh, uh, nothing!” Kory laughs. “I...I was just telling Ted that it’d be funny to play a little prank on you, that’s all. Just a joke!”
The woman seems to accept that answer, offering Kory an endearing grin. “Car, we discussed this. Leave the pranks to Ted. You just don’t have the knack for them.”
Kory turns to see Dick trying, but failing, to hold back a smirk. She discreetly nudges him in his side before turning back to Antoinette. “Right.” she says with a tight-lipped smile.
“Anyway, what brings you two in here today? Ted, don’t you usually work in the city on Tuesdays?”
“Oh, yea I do. I do,” Dick answers, caught off guard by the focus shifting to him. “But I took the day off today...for Carol. She...she wasn’t feeling well so I wanted to stay and keep her company.”
“He’s the sweetest.” Kory adds, flashing one of her signature smiles.
“Oh.” Antoinette says, giving the couple a knowing look. “Everything alright?”
“Yea. I’m feeling a lot better now.”
“Earth to Anette! These orders need to be served!” a man from the kitchen says, a sing-song tone to his voice.
“Coming!” Anette yells back. “Okay, well, have a seat and I’ll be right with you guys.”
Dick and Kory quickly find a booth in the back corner of the diner. They plop down in their seats, already exhausted from the short interaction with their supposed close friend Anette.
“Okay it totally slipped my mind that we’d likely see and have to interact with those people from the photos,” Kory groans.
“Yea, me too. But we’ve got this. We just have to act natural. Play it cool,” Dick assures her.
“Do you even know how to act natural or play in cool?”
“What?” he asks, pretending to be offended. “Of course I do.”
“Really? I think you’re pretty awkward, Grayson.”
“Am not.”
“Hmm, Donna told me about that time she took you to her art show and you stood around eating hors d'oeuvres all night instead of talking to people. Oh, then there was the time Tim said he caught you standing in a sewer and you tried, but failed, to come up with a good reason as to why you were there...” she trails off, flashing him a playful grin.
“We’ll just agree to disagree, okay?” Dick says, reciprocating her playfulness.
Kory simply responds with her melodic laugh.
He’s glad they can still act this way with each other. These last few days have been tense to say the least. And the last time they were able to talk alone like this, it ended with Kory being upset and walking away from him. He knows that things aren’t magically good between them suddenly but with the situation they’re in, they need each other more than ever. It’s probably the only reason she’s giving him the time of day right now. But until he gets a chance to apologize, he’ll gladly engage in moments like this.
“Look, all we have to do is give vague answers to any questions she asks and trick her into filling in any missing information for us,” he explains.
Kory nods in understanding before focusing her attention just behind him. “She’s coming,” she whispers.
“Alrighty, so, what’ll it be you two,” Anette asks as she places two waters and some complementary bread on the table.
“Just the usual,” Dick tries.
“Which one?”
“Huh?”
“Well, there’s your Monday usual, your Wednesday usual, and then your Saturday usual.”
So, Ted comes here a lot, he thinks to himself. “Let’s do Saturday.”
“Really? You want breakfast at three in the afternoon?”
“I...didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast this morning. You, know, with looking after Carol and all...”
“Hm, okay. And Car? What can I get you?”
“I’ll have what Ted’s having. And add in a mimosa too,” Kory replies.
Anette suddenly lets out a loud chuckle. “Sure. So, just orange juice?”
“Uh, no...Like I said I’ll have a mimosa.”
“You’re joking right?” she asks, a look of concern on her face.
Kory knows this place sells alcohol because she can see it on display behind the counter, so clearly that’s not an issue. Then she wonders if Carol doesn’t drink, in which case she’s probably set off a red flag there. But she and Ted have a whole bar in their home, so that was unlikely. Either way, with the day Kory’s had, she could really use a drink. So, she presses on, testing her luck. “No. No, I’m quite serious, Anette. I'll probably need a refill afterwards too.”
“Carol, I can’t serve you that.”
Kory isn’t sure where to go from here. She spares a glance at Dick across the table, and he looks just as confused as she feels. There’s no way for her to get around this without outright asking, so she decides to be frank about her confusion. “...And that’s because?”
“Well, because...I mean...because you...you’re...” Anette sputters.
Kory tilts her head to the side and gives Anette a pointed look, silently prompting her to just spit out whatever she has to say already.
Anette abruptly sits down next to her friend, and Kory can feel that she’s shaking with either excitement or worry. What could possibly have her so worked up?
“You’re pregnant!” she loudly whispers before quickly covering her mouth with her hands, as if trying to keep any more words from spilling out.
Kory’s mouth immediately drops open, and she merely gawks at the woman next to her. She can also hear Dick choking on the water he’d been sipping on during the exchange.
“I’m so sorry, Ted! I know you told Bill not to tell me,” Anette apologizes, grabbing hold of his hand across the table. “And he wasn’t going to, I swear! But you know how pillow talk goes. It’s so easy for things to just slip out! Can you forgive me?”
Under normal circumstances, Kory would be completely annoyed by Anette’s babbling. But right now, she’s grateful. She needs time to process what she’s just heard. She’s...pregnant? Well, again, not her. Carol is. But they’re essentially the same person just from different universes to her understanding. She instinctively brings one of her hands to her stomach, gently caressing her thumb across it.
Carol is pregnant.
“In my defense, you could’ve told me sooner! I’m your best friend, Carol!” Anette continues, breaking Kory out of her thoughts.
“I...I’m sorry. It’s just...it was a lot to take in,” Kory answers automatically, keeping up the façade.
“You guys are having a baby! I can’t believe this! You both are going to be the best parents. You’ve wanted this for so long now!”
Dick and Kory both remain silent, watching Anette as she continues to ramble on with excitement for her friends. If only she was aware of the bombshell she’d just dropped on them.
“Okay, I know it’s early, but what are we thinking? Boy or girl? Oh, I hope it’s a girl!”
And that’s when all of this becomes too much for Kory. She suddenly stands up, causing Anette to finally quiet down.
“I...I uh...Would you excuse me? I’m not feeling so great again.” Kory says. She needs to get out of this booth and fast.
“Ko—Carol,” Dick starts.
“It’s fine, Ted. I’ll just be a minute.”
“Oh. Need me to go with you, hun?” Anette asks worriedly, getting up from her seat.
“No. No. You should get back to work.” And then she’s off.
Kory reaches the bathroom in five brisk strides and locks the door once she’s inside. She leans against it, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm herself. She wonders if she’s the one being pranked right now, most likely by that witch. If the universe hates her, or if she unknowingly did something to piss off X’hal. Or maybe this is Zadira’s doing again, her way of rubbing it in that she failed to kill Sebastian when the opportunity presented itself. Because it seems like everywhere she turns lately she’s being shown a life she can’t have. A life not meant for her, despite it being one she desires.
Kory’s never felt an ounce of jealousy towards anyone or anything. She was a princess after all. She had everything she did and didn’t want from the moment she was born. And even after that she’s always been content with her life and who she was.
But what she feels right now seems a lot like jealousy. Or at least something close to it. Was that even possible? To be jealous of yourself? She knew it wasn’t right, wasn’t rational, but she couldn’t help it.
Carol has a good life. A husband who loves and adores her to the point of wearing matching outfits. A lively social life and a best friend to get into trouble with. A beautiful home and community. Normal days filled with fun and mundane activities. And now her family was growing.
All Kory had now was a fate she couldn’t avoid and an uncertain relationship with a man she’d come to love.
When she gets back to her seat ten minutes later, Anette is gone and the food has arrived. But Dick’s plate remains untouched, his focus solely on Kory.
“Kory—”
“I’m happy for them, aren’t you?” she interjects, a watery smile on her face.
“Yea...Yea it’s great news. Are you—”
“They seem like good people. I’m sure they’ll be good parents too.”
“Yea,” Dick replies, understanding that she’s avoiding the elephant in the room.
That’s as far as their conversation goes. The only words they say to each other from then on are to request to pass the salt and pepper and to confirm if they’re ready for the cheque.
~♥️~
The walk back to the house is also nothing short of awkward and tense. Along the way Kory can’t help but gently caress her stomach from time to time, imagining the life that’s growing inside of her doppelganger.
Once they’re home, Kory kicks off her heels and heads into the kitchen area.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Dick finally asks, slowly trailing behind her.
“No.” she says simply, making a beeline for the bar to look at the selection.
“Why not?”
“It’s not for us to talk about,” she says picking up a bottle of Merlot.
“Should you be drinking that?”
Kory lets out a humorless laugh. “Dick, seriously, don’t you get it? This isn’t our life! We don’t live here. We’re not married. And we’re not having a baby!”
Silence fills the room as the reality of Kory’s words weigh heavily on the both of them.
“I know that,” he replies, letting out an exasperated sigh. “This is just a lot. These people look exactly like us. Seeing the differences between our lives, it’s...”
“Weird? Confusing? That's exactly why we shouldn’t talk about it. All of this is probably just Sebastian and that evil witch messing with me, anyway.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I saw my vision, Rachel could also see it. And since Sebastian was there, I’m sure he saw what I saw too. So, he’s using it to mess with my mind and your emotions. Let’s not give him that satisfaction.”
"And what if I don’t want to ignore it?”
“You’re unbelievable, you know that?” she says, turning around swiftly. “I’ve tried countless times to talk to you about what’s been going on these past few days. About my song, the prophecy, our visions. And all you’ve done is dismiss me. But now that I don’t want to talk, you don’t like it?”
Dick deflates then, knowing that her words are true. He hasn’t handled anything they’ve talked about recently as well as he would've liked to. “You’re right. I haven’t treated you fairly and I’m sorry.”
Kory doesn’t respond. Instead, Dick watches her as she angrily puts back the alcohol and heads for the freezer across the room, opting for some ice cream instead.
“Look, I understand if you don’t want to talk. But will you at least listen to what I have to say?” he pleads softly.
He prays that she says yes. Despite not always seeing eye to eye on things, Kory’s always taken the time to listen to him. To understand him. If she refuses to do that now, then he knows he’s lost her. That the relationship they once had is changed all because of him. The thought of that possibility alone makes his heart ache.
Kory silently grabs a spoon from a nearby drawer then turns towards him, beginning to eat her snack. Dick interprets the gesture as a “yes”, so he continues.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my vision in the pit. Honestly, I still haven’t fully processed all the things I saw in there. And coming to you with that didn’t seem like a good idea, anyway. Especially with all the things we had to deal with in Gotham, not to mention what you had to deal with personally. Hearing that you have a child with someone you’re not even with isn’t exactly news to easily digest. But again, I’m sorry that I hurt your feelings by not telling you. That was never my intention.”
“Thanks,” she replies. “Anyway, it’s fine, Dick. You were right. To hell with visions. Let’s just agree to move on.”
“No. Pushing this stuff away is why you’re upset in the first place. And about what I said back at Star Labs...when I said it, I was talking about the storybook specifically. We found it and suddenly everyone believed it. That the end of the world was coming. That you were going to die. It pissed me off and I was in denial.
“But you meant it.” It’s a statement rather than a question. She looks up at him through her lashes. “And what about now?”
“Now?”
“The prophecy. The first part came true. The red moon rose, and Sebastian completed the ritual. So, what are your thoughts on the prophecy now?”
“I still don’t believe in it,” he states firmly.
Kory rolls her eyes and returns her food to its proper place in the freezer. She heads for the doorway that leads into the hallway. “It’s been a long day, Dick, and I really don’t feel like arguing with you so let’s just leave it at that. I’m going to bed.”
“I don’t believe in it because I’m not losing another person I care about. I refuse to. And I don’t care if any drawing, prophecy or person tells me otherwise.”
“But you only care to a certain extent, right?” she states, stopping in her tracks.
Kory instantly regrets her words as soon as they come out of her mouth. She really doesn’t want to argue, and she knows that Dick cares for her. His refusal to have anything bad happen to her is quite endearing. But she needs more. So much of her life has been filled with people withholding information from her. Her own parents lied to her about who she truly was her entire life. And Zadira knew that Rachel was never the actual target of her mission but led her to believe so. Now, she needs the person she loves the most to just be straightforward with her. She'll never be able to move on with her life if he doesn’t tell her how he truly feels.
“What?” he asks, his voice filled with genuine confusion. “Kory, I don’t—”
“You care about me as a friend and as teammate, but not to the extent of where that little girl is involved, right? I know I’m being blunt, Dick, but I just want us to be clear with each other.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m wrong?” she asks, turning to face him again.
Dick takes a deep breath, knowing that this is quite possibly his only chance to make things right with Kory again. “Yes, you’re wrong, Kory. I care about you more than I think I could ever possibly express. But even after all this time, it’s still hard for me to believe that I deserve good things and to be surrounded by good people. And that’s what I feel when I think about the feelings I have for you. I don’t deserve you, Kory.”
“That’s not your call to make.”
“Maybe not but based on my track record, my relationships don’t last. So, clearly, I haven’t been doing something right. And I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you and things ended badly between us. So, I pushed every single romantic feeling I have for you away. Because if having you as just a friend and a partner is how I got to keep you close then that was enough for me. And it has been enough for me. Until...”
He trails off, thinking about his time in the Lazarus pit. How Crane tried to convince him that he’d end up like Bruce, filled with constant fear and rage. Destined to fail the people he loved. But the forgiveness of his biological father and the acceptance of his daughter gave him the hope and strength to keep fighting. To not give up.
“Until?” she asks, looking at him earnestly.
“I died. And a little girl with a red balloon showed up. I didn’t know if she was real or not, but I knew she meant everything to me. That’s when my mind finally caught up to my heart, and I knew exactly what I wanted.”
“What?” she whispers, as if apprehensive to know the answer.
Dick slowly walks up to Kory, softly gazing at her striking green eyes. When he's close enough, he reaches up to gently cradle her face in his hands.
“To have a future with you,” he confesses, a shy smile growing on his face. “I love you, Kory Anders. And I’m sorry I ever made you think otherwise.”
Kory surges forward, closing the gap between them. The kiss is as desperate as it is gentle and sweet. After a moment, they pull apart, resting their foreheads against each other's.
“I love you too.”
Dick leans forward to place another kiss on her lips but gets distracted by a bright light shining in the living room. He and Kory both turn to see what looks like a portal opening up.
“Dick! Kory!” a familiar voice calls.
“Rachel,” Dick says breathlessly, before taking Kory’s hand and pulling her towards the light.
“Rachel! Can you hear us?” Kory asks into the void.
“Yes!” she answers. “You need to hurry! I won’t be able to hold this open much longer!”
“You ready?” Dick whispers, his attention on Kory. He gives her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
She spares a moment to take one last look around the house. Carol does have a good life. The house with the white picket fence and run-of-the-mill lifestyle she has is appealing. But it could never be for Kory. Too much structure. It’s one of the reasons she was so against being both a princess and an heir.
Life with the Titans is the complete opposite. Their current predicament proves just that. How many people could say they were trying to save the world from a child of Trigon, and while doing so were randomly sent to another dimension and swapped places with their doppelgangers?
But she wouldn’t trade her time with her family of misfits for anything. Especially not the one with soft, umber eyes and dimples that reveal themselves when he smiles. No matter how foolish he can be at times. She loves him, and now feels so much joy knowing that those feelings are requited.
“Let’s go,” Kory answers with a confident nod.