(Again I want to thank my Co-Author JanaGirl123 for helping me with this, and I want to thank The_Lady_Isis for the use of her characters. I would suggest that you go and read what these talented authors have put out on this site. That Said… On with the show)

Reflections: Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 15

(Earth 12 – Batcave – ten hours after communication)

Shortly after seeing her mother disappear when the communication was shut down, Renee had decided to cry her eyes out. Rachel tried her best to console the toddler, but the little girl wanted none of it. She had seen her mother and therefore she wanted no one but her mother. After a few minutes Bella walked over, scooped the youngest of the Bertinelli children into her arms, and walked a few feet while rocking the child in her arms.

Rachel could hear Bella issuing shushing noises and talking lowly to the two year old. After a few moments Renee was quiet and asleep. Bella brought the peaceful looking two year old back to Rachel and handed her to her god-mother.

"Take the children upstairs." Bella instructed, "I'm sure that Bruce won't mind having Franco spend the night with him and the two girls can either share a room or sleep separately."

"How did you do that?" Rachel asked in wonder. "Did you sing her a lullaby?"

"Sort of. There's a nerve in your neck that if pressed lightly causes you to fall asleep." Batwoman explained tonelessly. "How else would you quiet a child?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and carried Renee upstairs and walked toward the nursery which had originally been Bruce's. She held Renee in her arms until they reached Bruce's old crib and gently laid her down. She moved a red curl while marveling at how small she was and couldn't help but wonder what her own baby would look like. She could picture a little boy who had her eyes and Ben's fiery red hair walking on a tightrope with a laptop in his hands.

The idea made her giggle, and even though she was thinking of Ben she wasn't upset. Ben had been trying to apologize for what he said was trying to be completely supportive. She respected him for that and it only made it harder for her to stay mad at him. Not to mention his adorable puppy-dog eyes.

Rachel turned around and walked out of the room to find Bruce sitting down with Franco and Isabella. Somehow the little girl had convinced her brother and Bruce to have a tea party with her. Rachel looked at them both and felt a fit of giggles begin to stir in the pit of her stomach.

"Aunt Rachel, it's not funny!" Franco cried out.

"Yeah, she said she'd kick us in the nuts if we didn't play with her!" Added Bruce indignantly.

"Isabella!"

"I did what was necessary." The little girl said calmly as she poured an imaginary cup of tea for herself. "I wanted to play tea party but no one would play with me."

"Aunt Rachel!" Franco whined.

" Isabella, it is getting close to bedtime," Rachel reminded the four year-old gently. "How about we play tea party tomorrow instead?"

"Will you play with me?"

"Maybe."

"Nope." Bella sang, pretending to take a sip of her imaginary tea. "Daddy says never make a deal until you're sure it's gonna happen."

"Fine, I promise I'll make Bruce and Franco play with you." Rachel sighed in defeat. "Now get your butt upstairs."

"Aunt Rachel!" Groaned Bruce.

She shrugged at them helplessly and took Isabella by the hand and walked her up the stairs and –for the moment, at least- saved them from the evil that was a tea party.

(Earth 1 – Batcave – Gateway preparation)

Bruce hadn't turned away the help offered by Victoria or Vic. The two Questions seemed to work tirelessly with the instructions they had been given. Bruce stepped back and felt two hands on his shoulders gently but firmly, working the knotted muscles out.

He didn't even have to guess who it was. "Princess, what is it?"

"You're shoulders feel like steel cables again." Diana frowned, "Bruce, how long have you been working?"

"Seventy–three hours."

"And how much rest have you gotten in that time?"

"None."

"You've not finished the gateway?" She asked.

"No, the gateway and preparations are finished. We're just going back over it to make sure everything is perfect so there's no reason to worry."

"Then rest. You need a little sleep and I am sure that both Vic and Victoria need some sleep."

"Thirty more minutes." He bargained.

"Bruce, it's not a negotiation. Sleep now, get up early, and then marvel at the perfect job you've done." She ordered firmly.

Bruce turned toward her. The both of them were too stubborn to simply give in and the two sets of eyes watching them knew this as well. For a moment nothing was said until Bruce pulled Diana into a deep kiss.

"Sexual tension is strange." Victoria murmured.

"Not to mention awkward." Vic agreed.

The Princess of the Amazons moaned for a moment and then wrapped her arms around him in response before deepening the kiss. As the two kissed passionately Victoria thought that minus the costumes and titles they weren't that different from any other couple in love. She waited for a moment and then looked at Vic. Her male counterpart nodded and the two of them stepped back before Vic cleared his throat.

"Perhaps it would be prudent for us to leave tonight." Vic stated.

Both the Princess and the Knight broke the kiss much to the Q's relief as Bruce informed them that he would send after in the morning. Victoria stood near Vic on the teleporter pad and moments later they found themselves near Vic and Helena's apartment. The two of them walked in to see Halen standing near the stove with Helena working on something that smelled wonderful on the counter. Victoria walked toward Halen and smelled the heavenly scent of what he was cooking. He had cooked it before when she became pregnant with Franco, then Isabella, and finally with Renee. It was a celebratory dinner. Victoria knew the taste well and for Halen to be making it now meant that believed as she did that they were going home tomorrow.

"A celebratory dinner?" She smiled, "What's the occasion?"

"We're almost home." He replied before he kissed her deeply then turning back around to work on the dinner.

"Smells good." Vic said as he neared the kitchen. "What are you making?"

"Something I haven't made since my mother showed me when I was a little girl." Helena replied as she finished the fresh spinach salad mixed with fresh carrots, raisins, almonds, and fresh mushrooms. "I really should use more of her recipes."

Halen finished what he was mixing and stopped to take a pan out of the oven. It smelled wonderful and it looked delicious. He placed the pan of lasagna on the counter and quickly added the final layer of fresh Parmesan cheese to the pan and smiled as the smell lifted up. It had been a long time since he had made a victory dinner.

They all sat down and, at the urging of Helena and Halen, said grace before the four of them began to eat. Vic wolfed down his plate and went back for seconds greedily completely unaware of the smirk on his girlfriend's face. It was after he finished the second plate that he decided to ask what was in the lasagna.

"Why ingredients, of course." Helena smiled.

"No, seriously, what's in it?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Eggplant, baby doll. It's eggplant."

"…What?" Vic whispered as his skin paled. He could already feel his mind and body falling prey to the damned vegetable as he began to sweat.

He looked toward Helena helplessly as she smiled at him and instead of saying something she simply held his hand. He looked back toward the pan and waited for a moment to see if the way he thought, acted, or felt was affected. After a few moments he felt a sensation that had nothing to do with lasagna.

"Baby, are you oka-Oomph!" Helena gasped as Vic bent down and kissed her. A surprised squeak escaped Helena, but before long she kissed him back.

"Excuse us, that eggplant had an unexpected side effect." Q said as he grabbed Helena by the hand and dragged her into their bedroom before shutting the door.

Their counter parts watched the two and rolled their eyes when they heard the head board slamming into the wall. "We're not that bad, are we?" Victoria asked as she finished her eggplant lasagna.

"No." Halen smirked, pulling her towards him and kissing her. "We're even worse."

(The next morning – Batcave – Earth 1)

The two couples walked from the teleporter down toward the gateway as it began to open. A moment later Rachel Grayson walked through and let out a breath of relief.

"She said that it would feel like a boom tube, but it didn't quite feel that bad. Hey, guys." Rachel smiled as she looked at Victoria and Halen.

"Your kids are waiting for you-What the hell?" Rachel exclaimed as she spotted her counterpart standing with bandages around his ribs and holding hands with Galatea.

"So you're what I would look like if I was a girl." Dick noted as he looked at her. "I have nice boobs."

"What a minute, what about Oracle? Why aren't you with her?" Rachel asked in concern. "I'm pregnant with his child!"

"What?" Dick yelped.

"There are obviously differences in the two universes and we don't have time to be discussing those differences." Batman said tonelessly and cutting them off.

"Yeah…You're the same, though." Rachel snorted as she rolled her eyes.

"Who the hell is Oracle?" Galatea asked.

"Old girlfriend and part of my past." Dick explained uncomfortably, "We were together for a really long time and, well, it was pretty serious."

Accepting that, Galatea nodded and continued to watch her boyfriend's counterpart and judged how much she was like Dick. She could see similar movements, mannerisms, and other actions that displayed how much she was like the man who was holding her hand, but at the same time there were subtle differences. Most notability was the fact that she was a woman, but at the same time there was something else about her. Galatea couldn't quite put her finger on it, but decided that if she was essentially Dick from another world then she was a good person all the same.

Victoria and Halen followed Rachel through the gateway and shortly after it closed. Vic felt inside of his pocket and felt a new slip of paper. He pulled it out and there was a copy of the photograph of the three children Victoria had shown him along with three simple words on the back.

'Think about it'

He looked toward Helena and could see the mixture of happiness and sadness on her face. He wanted to take the sadness away and make her the happiest woman on the face of the Earth just like she deserved to be. He wasn't sure how to do it, but he'd find a way.

(Earth 1 – Two months Later – Las Vegas – MGM Grand)

Vic groaned as he sat up on bed. He wasn't quite sure how Helena had convinced him to come to Vegas in the first place, but he had finally agreed. There had been drinking, challenges to him in the form of the fact that she could hold her liquor better, and finally ending up in an expensive room which looked mostly destroyed either through fighting or sex.

Q looked down at Helena and took a moment to study her exposed breasts before reluctantly forcing himself to stare at the rest of her as well. Her right arm was draped across his torso as her raven hair spilled across his chest.

After inspecting Helena he became aware of something foreign, odd, and slightly metallic on his finger. He lifted his hand and looked at the golden object there. A feeling of dread swelled in through him as he noticed Helena boasted an identical ring on her own finger.

"**."

"Hmmm?" Helena moaned as she began to awaken. Her chocolate eyes fluttered open as she stared at him, "Hey sexy."

Helena became aware of the dumbfounded look on his face. "What?" She asked impatiently, "What's wrong?"

"I-You, gold…" Vic stuttered helplessly as he gestured to her finger.

Puzzled, she looked down at her fingers only to become aware of a golden band around her finger. "You know what?" She said at last, "I'm glad we did it."

"So am I…Just didn't really expect it." He muttered.

"True, but when do things ever go as expected for us?"

"You sound happy."

"I am happy, Vic." Helena smiled, "Happier than I've been in a while. Ever since we saw Halen and Victoria I've been thinking about what it would be like for us to marry."

"You have?"

"Yes, and I have to say I'm pretty surprised the great Q didn't figure it out." She teased, "Some detective you are."

"So you're happy like this?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Well, sort of. There's just one other thing."

"What is it?"

"I want a real wedding, Vic. I'm going to contact Dinah and we're going to plan it."

"And if I don't go along with your plans?"

"Then you'll have a very unhappy wife." She smirked, "I love you, Vic."

"I love you too, Helen."

No matter what universe it was said in, it was always true.