Sort of a snap shot chapter. Sorry its on the short side but things are going to get really wild soon! More notes at the bottom.
Double Take
Chapter 43
The New Normal, Part 2
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One's fifteen minutes of fame is a funny thing. For one thing, it generally isn't 15 minutes.
This was one of the many pearls of wisdom that Alfred could offer Kori. She knew there would be more public relations experts in her future, but Alfred was unflappable and at the same time so supportive and felt like family, probably because he really was. She already had the proper manners one needed for public life and was already fairly well known in her field so she had spoken in public. As much as she had blocked out the memories of those last months in Tamaran, she obviously knew the country and its politics well. She had not returned to her homeland since those terrible events when she was only 13, but, being connected to the embassy and so close with Galfore, she had a very good grasp of the current political, cultural and economic concerns of the country.
With some guidance from Alfred and Bruce, and to a lesser extent Richard, she started a punch list of the things she needed to do to adapt to public life again. Her planning session spilled over in to the evening, and under the guise of needing some additional guidance, Kori actually got Alfred to sit down for Sunday dinner with Bruce, Richard and her.
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Dick laid in his bed at Wayne Manor thinking about Kori. Even with all the ups and downs when they were away, sleeping beside her was incredible and he missed it. And he missed her. He couldn't believe she wasn't there with him. He had brought so many women to his bed before, and now there was the one woman he should be with, who happened to at that very moment be in another wing of the mansion but still under the same roof as he was, and he wasn't with her. Not that Bruce or Alfred would have minded. More than likely they were shocked they weren't together. Even Galfore hadn't broached the subject of sleeping arranngements so he wouldn't be directly defying him. But earlier in the evening, Dick didn't know how to ask her to be with him. So here he was not getting badly needed sleep – it had been a very early morning – feeling alone and missing her so, so much.
A smirk came to his face when his phone beeped. He looked at the screen:
'I am missing you, Richard'.
The smirk became a smile. Kori just couldn't get the hang of texting shorthand. Perhaps it goes hand-in-hand with using not using contractions that often.
He quickly replied: 'Luv u'
'I know it would not be proper, but I would love to see you.'
There was no reply. She sent another message:
'Can you come to my room?'
Kori waited for a response and stared at the display screen on her phone. She then heard a knock at her door.
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"Wow, Dick, a princess! Kori's so down to earth, I never would have expected anything like that," Vic Stone said into the phone, "I didn't even realize she was Tamaranian until Rachel told me."
"Kori had wanted to keep her royal status private. I didn't even know until last week," Dick replied.
"So you guys had a good week? I mean aside from the paparazzi and all that nonsense?"
"Yeah, we really did."
"There aren't going to be any baby Graysons running anytime soon, will there be?"
Dick choked at that, "No Vic. Not possible."
"So Karen wasn't just waxing romantic when she was talking about Kori. Seriously, she's saving herself?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes we're waiting."
"Of course it's my business! I've been your best friend since you moved in with Bruce. Wait, you said 'we're waiting'. As in we are waiting until we get married? You mean you guys going to get married? Well alright!"
"Vic, let's not get ahead of ourselves..." Dick stalled. Yes, they were best friends but Dick wasn't ready to discuss asking Kori to marry him yet. Not that Dick had changed his mind – he wanted to marry her, he just never even really considered that he'd get married... ever. He then avoided the topic, "Anyway, the real reason I called was that Kori's 30th birthday is June 4th and we are having a little get together here for her on Saturday at 8 PM. I was hoping you and Karen could come."
"A little get together? Is that in Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne terms or normal, real world terms?"
"Ha ha, Vic. I don't know, maybe 40 or 50 people? Mostly just the gang from the ER, maybe some of Kori's friends from Philly."
"Will there be a red carpet?"
"Don't even start with that. There might be photogs at the gate – the paparazzi are still trying to film Kori and get some comments. We are asking everyone to just wait and get buzzed in and not make any comments or statements. Hopefully things will die down soon."
"Yeah, right. You're coming back to work Wednesday, aren't you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Karen said Kori's off the schedule indefinitely."
"Yeah, she isn't happy about it but until the public starts looking for the next best thing, we figure it will be less stress on everyone."
"But what about you? I believe the 'playboy' has been photographed quite a bit as well," said with a laugh. Busting on Dick Grayson was just too much fun.
"I can handle it."
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"Dude!" Gar Logan answered the phone and Dick stifled a sigh and rolled his eyes. Why didn't he call Rachel to invite the couple to Kori's party?
"Hi, Gar."
"Dude! Kori's a Princess?! We were all in the ER and someone saw something on TMZ . com and well it said that..."
Dick zoned out as he wondered if it was sugar, caffeine, lack of Ritalin, or some combination thereof that fueled Gar at the moment. Gar was excited even for Gar.
"Gar?"
"Uh, yes?"
"Can you come over to Bruce's on Saturday at 8 PM? It's Kori's 30th Birthday and..."
Gar responded with his own version of the inevitable red carpet jokes (although 'who should I where?' was funny), and Dick resigned himself to a long afternoon on the phone getting people invited to Kori's party. Not that he would have changed his mind about throwing the party no matter what. He also figured he would have been on the phone with all his friends anyway now that he was back in town, so he settled in for duration.
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As a child in Tamaran, there were designers for her wardrobe and seamstresses for fittings, but Kori always had figured that was behind her. She assumed that she was like most women in the US, only being fitted for their clothes a few times in their lives. Well, maybe Kori used a tailor more often than most do due to her generous curves, but that was a dart or tuck here and there. Now she found herself on a platform in Wayne Manor being measured and was soon going to be moving on to sketches and swatches.
What kept springing to her mind was that she only pictured this kind of attention when she was looking for her wedding gown. What a pleasant thought that was. But for now she was getting a new wardrobe. Not that she didn't have some nice clothes. They just weren't with her and she had to admit that she relied heavily on the staples of academia: flats, broadcloth and tweed. With Alfred's and Selina's help, along with a personal shopper and a boutique-owner, Kori was getting 'some' new things to wear.
She was surprisingly relaxed, taking things into stride. There would be people in for hair and make-up later. She resigned herself to at least some moments in the spotlight and she might as well look her best. She had begun the process Irving Goffman called "Presentation of Self in Everyday Life." She was still going to be Koriand'r, Kori Anders, Starfire, the nurse, the academic, even the girlfriend: she was just going to present herself in public in a precise and controlled way.
Life's a show, and we all play a part.
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Over the course of the afternoon while calling around to friends about Kori's birthday and to check in, Dick started to get text messages from Babs. The first three were on the lines of 'where r u?', but the frequency increased and Dick knew something was up.
Her voice was desperate on the phone. The time had finally come and Dick knew it. Whether she had stopped on her own or had run out of her Percocet and was unable to get more, Babs was starting to have withdrawal symptoms from her opiate dependency.
Opiate dependency, abuse, misuse, whether therapeutic or recreational... however it referred to, described, how it started or why it's stopping, it really doesn't matter. The body has grown accustomed to the substance and after a certain amount of time, the mu receptors are 'awaiting' the arrival of more and when they don't get it, your body just screams for it, and it's no fun.
The good news is that opiate withdrawal doesn't tend to kill you or even hurt you. The bad news is that if its you going through it, you don't believe that. Detoxing from alcohol can kill you without you necessarily ever realizing you're in trouble. Detoxing from opiates, narcotics, pain pills, legal or not: you think you are dying, you're damn near certain of it, and generally you want to die anyway.
Barbara Gordon felt like she was dying. She was drowning and her lifeline was Dick Grayson. And like a drowning person, could she inadvertently pull him under with her?
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So here you have it. No I'm not going to bash Babs. Babs starts detox just as Dick and Kori get back to their lives (well, sort of) and they will be there for her one way or another.
Not a lot left in this story and the end is written, although a lot happens. But as I have mentioned, there will be a sequel.
Thank you for reading and please review!
LJ