55. A Visit with Amy

After the Danvers gang finished eating their breakfast (those who deigned to eat, anyway), Amy lead them outside and around the building to a very unnoticeable door.  She pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and unlocked it. Inside was a narrow hallway that lead to either a door or a set of stairs to another door. Amy headed up the stairs.  “This way.”

“What’s down there?” Jessie asked, pointing at the other door.

“That’s just my laundry room,” Amy shrugged.

Kara subtly used her x-ray vision to confirm that it was what she said it was, then followed obediently behind the rest of the group.  She may have known Amy for years, but she’d never been to the entrepreneur's place before. She didn’t know what to expect. When she finally got inside, she was surprised to see a huge open floor, two-story loft that was arguably bigger than Lena’s penthouse.  To the right, just inside the door, was a full band set up, complete with drums, guitars and keyboards. In the center, on the far side of the room, was another stairway that lead to three more doors. Kara used her x-ray vision to confirm two bedrooms and a huge bathroom up there.  The living room took up most of the space in front of them, with a huge TV, several game systems, two couches and a few chairs. To the far left was a very modern-looking kitchen and a huge dining room, all open view, and another bathroom tucked in the back corner. The decorations were closest to Kara’s style with lots of color and interesting art pieces scattered randomly throughout the apartment.  Over all, the Kryptonian approved so far.

“Wow, cool!” the kids gushed over the musical instruments.  “Can you play all these?” Jamie quizzed.

Amy grinned.  “A little. Mostly I play the drums.”

“I wanna see!” Jessie begged.

The chef chuckled.  “OK,” she sat down at the drum set, twirled the drumsticks in her hand and pounded out a nice beat.

“Woohoo!” the kids started dancing to the rhythm.

“Alright, yeah!” Amy called over the noise.

Kara enjoyed the sight of her children playing for the moment.  They were being really cute right now, and even though the drumming was loud, she still savored the moment, reaching out and holding Alex’s hand, seeing her wife smiling too.  Her heart ached with love, and she pulled Alex’s hand up and kissed the back of it. Looking behind her, she saw Lena and Maggie cuddling and smiling too. Clearly no one was really mad about Amy knowing their secret.  Plus, the trip to the OB today was a good one, and everyone seemed to be happy about that too.

Amy only played the drums for a couple short minutes.  She crashed her final cymbal with a grin. “Hey, you guys can dance, huh?”

“Yep!” Jessie replied happily.  “We took lessons since we were four.”

“Wow!  I can’t even remember when I was four,” Amy chuckled.

“I can, that’s when I was first ‘adopted’ by the Luthors,” Lena commented.

Amy furrowed her brow.  “What’s with the air quotes?”

Lena sighed.  “Turns out Lionel Luthor was my biological father in the first place.”

“Oh.”

“When I was four, I fell on a coffee table and got this scar,” Kara said, pointing to her brow.

Alex traced the scar, then gave it a quick kiss.

“I was probably learning the tightrope,” Amy said after she thought about it.

“That’s so cool!” Jessie exclaimed.  “Can you still do that?”

“I’m not sure.  It’s been a long time since I tried.  Plus, I’m a lot older and less in shape.”

“I want to learn how to do it!”

“Maybe I can teach you someday, but not today.”

“What are you planning on doing?” Alex was curious.

Amy shrugged.  “Maybe watch a movie or play some games.  Nothing big. Or maybe I’ll put on some music, and we can have a dance off.”

“Yeah!” the twins cheered.

The adults all smiled at the kids.

“That sounds like a good plan,” Kara nodded.

Alex agreed.  “There’s just something we need to talk to you about before we leave.”

“OK,” Amy said, wrapping her arms around the kids.  “What is it?”

“Well, we were trying to keep it a secret that we’re pregnant,” Alex explained.  “The girls weren’t supposed to talk to you about it. Could you just keep it on the down low for a little while?  At least until we tell Winn and James and the gang?”

“Sure.  I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were keeping it a secret.”

“It’s OK.  Just don’t let anyone know that you found out before them.  I don’t want anyone’s feelings getting hurt,” said Kara.

“You have my word,” Amy swore.  “Your secrets are safe with me.”

Jessie whispered in the chef’s ear, “You should tell them about your powers!”

Amy took a nervous breath, “You’re right.”  She turned to the adults, “Full disclosure, I’m a metahuman.  I have a few supernatural powers. Not like the Supers, but decent enough.  I asked Maggie not to tell anyone, but she found out when I went to jail for a few days.  I kind of had a meltdown when my ex left. Your kids are safe with me, though, I promise.”

“What are your powers?” Lena inquired.

“Strength, speed, intellect.  That’s about it. Nothing cool like flying or mind reading.  And Jamie seems to be stronger than me, so there’s that.”

Alex glared at her daughter.  “Seriously?”

Jamie cowered behind Amy.  

The agent pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath.  “This better not come back to bite us in the ass, child, or I swear to god you will never leave your room again.”

“Like I said, your secrets are safe with me,” Amy assured them.  “I know how to keep my mouth shut. And I want your kids to feel safe talking to me.  Whatever comes out while they’re here will stay here.”

Alex gave a nod of acceptance.  “Alright. Just don’t give them a bunch of junk food, please.  Otherwise, you’re keeping them overnight and taking them to school in the morning.”

Amy chuckled.  “Healthy food. Got it.”

“And Jamie isn’t supposed to take off that black band around her wrist.  It dampens her powers. Otherwise she breaks things and hears things she doesn’t want to hear.”

“Power dampener.  Check. Anything else?”

“Yeah,” said Alex.  “Don’t turn my kids over to Cadmus.”

“The alien terrorist group?” Amy frowned.  “Why would they even want your kids?”

“Just promise you won’t,” Alex demanded.

Amy raised her right hand.  “I promise, I won’t turn your kids over to anyone but a Danvers.”

“Except Jeremiah Danvers,” Jessie announced.  “He’s Cadmus.”

“One of your family members is with Cadmus?” Amy exclaimed.

“My dad,” Alex’s face darkened.

“And my mother,” Lena added.

“Oh, yeah.  Jesus Christ! I swear to God I will protect your kids with my life!” Amy promised.  “That explains the defense training.”

“Yeah, you should come train with us!” Jessie suggested excitedly.

Amy grimace.  “I’m more of a lover than a fighter.”

“But you could help people!” Jessie insisted.

“We already have Supergirl for that,” Amy parried.

“Supergirl can’t do everything,” Jamie explained.  “I’m sure she would love the help.”

“I’m not bulletproof, and I cant fly.  I don’t know what I would even do. I like helping people by feeding them and caring about them.  I don’t like fighting.” Amy wouldn’t budge.

“You should at least come in and show us what you can do, compared to us!” Jamie insisted.

“Come in where?”

Kara covered her daughter’s mouth with her hand.  “And we’re done talking.”

“Oookay,” Amy muttered.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” Alex warned.   “I can’t leave you kids here, if you’re going to tell all our secrets.”  She had meant it only to get her children to behave, but the disappointed look on Amy’s face broke her heart a little.

“We’ll be good, Mom!  Promise!” Jessie whined.

“Yeah, we promise!” Jamie added.  “We won’t make you regret it!”

One last glance at three pairs of sad but hopeful eyes made Alex’s resolve crumble.  “Oh, alright. But if I get anything but a glowing report, there will be consequences.”  She raised her eyebrow at Amy to silently communicate that that included her.

The chef saluted Alex, and the twins copied her.  “You got it, boss. Hey, what time do you guys get out of work?  Maybe you could come back for dinner?”

“It depends on Lena.  She gets out the latest,” Kara informed her.

Lena bit her lip, “I might be able to get out a little early now that Sam is helping me.  How about six-thirty?”

Amy beamed.  “Sounds great.  See you guys then.”

The Danvers women demanded hugs and kisses from the twins before they left, and then they headed out to work.

“OK!” Amy clapped her hands together.  “Dance party, anyone?”

“Yeah!” the twins cheered.

The chef walked over to a relatively large entertainment system.  “Do you like Lady Gaga?”

“Yeah,” the twins answered easily.

 “OK, I’ll put a Lady Gaga mix on Pandora, how about that?”

“OK,” they agreed.

Jessie was bouncing on her toes before the music even started.  The minute the music flared up, the girls were off, twirling and moving like professionals.  Amy joined them, dancing much less professionally, but not terribly. The twins took it upon themselves to teach her some moves, and they had a blast singing and dancing around.  

About an hour later, Amy flung her sweaty self down on the couch and panted.  “OK. I’m too old for this shit. Oops!” she covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to swear in front of you guys.”

“It’s OK,” Jessie assured her.  “Mom and Maggie swear in front of us all the time.”

“How old are you?” Jamie wanted to know.

“Thirty five,” Amy answered.

“You’re not that old,” Jessie waved her off.  “Our mom is thirty, so you’re not that much older than her.”

“Good to know.  Do you guys want to keep dancing without me, or do you want to do something else?”

“Something else,” Jamie decided for the both of them.

“OK, one of you go turn the music down a little.”

Jessie ran to the entertainment center and turned the knob.  “There we go!” She hurried back over to the couch and flopped down next to her new friend.  It was only then that Amy could tell that the preteen was breathing slightly harder than normal.  She’d thought these kids would never tire!

“Do you guys want to look through the video games?” Amy asked.

“Do you have a chess board?” Jamie suggested an alternative.

Amy blinked.  “Uh...maybe? I haven’t played that since I was in college the first time.  Let me go look upstairs for a minute. Wait here.” She groaned as she stood up, stretched a little, then jogged up the stairs and into one of the rooms.  When she returned, instead of her usual long-sleeved button up, she had changed into a red v-neck t-shirt that showed off quite a few of her tattoos.

“Cool!” Jessie exclaimed.

“Yep, I found one,” Amy answered, waving the board in the air.

Jessie shook her head.  “No, I mean your tattoos are cool!  Can we look at them?”

Amy held her arms out for the twins to inspect.  On her left upper arm, she had a depiction of a couple acrobats flying through the air, and on her lower arm, was a tightrope walker.  The backgrounds were full of people and clowns and other typical circus flare, including the stripes of the tent. On the inside of her arm was her last name spelled in a graffiti art style.  The colors were beautifully blended, and the twins were in awe of the art.

“Who did this?  They did so good!” Jamie exclaimed.

“Lots of different artists around the country.  We traveled a lot in the circus. Then I went to college in Oregon the first time.  I think the artists in Oregon were the best. I love me some hippies.”

The twins giggled and switched places to look at the other arms.  On her right upper arm was a smug cat sitting with a mouse in its mouth and its tail happily wrapped around itself.  The background was just a meadow with some trees. On the inside of her upper arm was a big black panther asleep in a tree branch.  On her lower arm was a great white shark with its mouth open, ready to bite something. The tail wrapped around her arm, and in the background were more strange little fish in the ocean.

“These are so awesome!” the kids gushed.  Jessie reached up to try and pull Amy’s collar down more.  They could see the word “PEACE” written in rainbow colors beneath her collarbone, but she wanted to see more.

“Hey, whoa there,” Amy grabbed Jessie’s hands and pushed them away.  “Keep your hands outta there.”

“Sorry!” Jessie blushed hotly.  “I didn’t mean to.”

Jamie giggled at how red her sister was turning.  “Way to molest your new friend, dufus.”

“Hey!  Don’t talk like that to your sister.  That’s not cool,” Amy chided Jamie. “You guys are a team.  Don’t talk down to each other.”

“Sorry,” Jamie muttered.

“I’ll show you this, but that’s all,” she pulled her shirt down just the tiniest bit to reveal a rainbow colored peace sign.  “Satisfied?”

The twins nodded. 

“OK, good.  Now, let’s play.  How are we gonna play chess with three people?”

“Odd man out plays the winner,” Jamie instructed.  “That’s how we play with Lena. Or sometimes her against us, but Jamie and I don’t always agree on moves, so we don’t do that too often.”

“OK,” Amy mused.  “You don’t get bored doing that?”

The twins shook their heads no.

“OK, let's do it then.”

They set up the chess board that Amy had retrieved, and she insisted the twins take the first round while she watched to get a feel for how they played.  “I used to be fairly good at this game,” she told them, “But that was over ten years ago, so who knows how it will go.”

While they played, Amy asked them questions.  She found out what school they went to, that they were a grade ahead of their age, but could be and wanted to be further, and that they absolutely hated school because kids were mean to them, especially since Lena entered their lives.  The restaurant owner’s heart broke for them. They were so adorable, how could anyone be mean to them? It was no wonder she was so drawn to them. They needed some extra love. Not that their parents were doing a bad job, but damn it, she wanted to be there for them too.

After that, she learned that the girls had one real friend between them named Shayla, but the rest of their friends were also their parents’ friends - fake aunts and uncles that have been in their lives since forever.  She realized she also happened to know some of these people, and she’d met more of them at the wedding. They also had fake cousins in their adopted family, and they loved to play with them because they were all little babies.  That caused the conversation to transition to the babies their moms were pregnant with and how excited they were.

“So, you said only three of your moms were pregnant?  Which three?” she wanted to know. “If I were to guess, I would say Lena for sure, and probably Alex and Maggie.  They’ve pretty much stopped eating since the wedding, but Kara still eats like a starving 15-year-old boy.”

The twins giggled.  “Yep. You’re right,” Jamie answered.  “But like Mom said, don’t tell anyone you knew before them, or we’ll get in trouble.”

“Ten-four, little buddy,” Amy quipped.  “Are you sure you wanna make that move?” she asked, referring to the chess game.

“Yep,” Jamie replied, popping the ‘P’ and setting down her queen.

Jessie looked positively gleeful as she swooped in and took out Jamie’s queen.  “Ha!”

Jamie was not only unsurprised, but she looked smug as she moved her rook and called out, “Checkmate.”

“What?!” Jessie whined.  “Dang it!”

“You fall for that every time,” Jamie shook her head.

“Arg!” Jessie growled.  “Why do I do that? OK, Amy, it’s your turn.  Watch out, she’ll get you.”

“Wanna put some money on it?” Jamie smirked.

Amy huffed a laugh, but shook her head.  “No way, you already got fifty bucks outta me.  I’m not encouraging preteen gambling. Where did you even learn that?”

Jamie mimed zipping her lips.

“Alright, be that way.  Let’s get this show on the road.”  She started putting the chess pieces back where they belonged to start a new game.

“You did it wrong,” Jamie giggled, moving a few pieces around.

“Oh, geez, I’m off to a great start, huh?” Amy winked at Jessie.

Jamie huffed.  “You did that on purpose!”

“You got me,” Amy laughed.  “I just wanted to see if you’d notice.”

“Sneak!” Jamie accused.  “You’d better not cheat!”

“I’m no cheater,” Amy retorted.  “I was just playing around.”

“OK, let’s go,” Jamie demanded.

Amy moved her pawn and went back to asking the twins questions about their hobbies and other things they liked.  She tried to stay to neutral questions, so none of them got into trouble for blabbing secrets. Plus, the main question she wanted to ask wasn’t really an appropriate question for the kids.  She really wanted to know how Kara had avoided getting pregnant when the other three women were all expecting. It was a nosy question, sure, but she still wanted to know. Somehow, she’d get someone to tell her, but not just now.

She found out that the kids were major Star Wars fans, and when she told them she wasn’t really into the franchise, they looked a little broken hearted.  She didn’t dare tell them she’d only made it through one and a half movies. As quickly as she could, she changed the subject to other interests. Apparently, not only could they dance and play chess, they could also draw, sing, bake and speak French.  Amy was a little overwhelmed by the kids’ talents, and she idly wondered how their intellects compared to hers at their age.  

“I was homeschooled, since we were in the circus.  My parents taught me stuff, but they didn’t really put a lot of focus on intellectual things.  They wanted us to be in the circus with them for the rest of our lives. Unfortunately for them, neither my sister or I wanted that.  We both went to college when we turned eighteen, and we never looked back.

“What did your sister go to college for?  Where is she now? Is she older or younger than you?” Jessie asked in rapid fire.

“My older sister lives in Central City.  She went to college for her M.R.S. degree.”

“What’s that?” Jamie wanted to know.

Amy chuckled.  “It means she only went to school to meet someone and get married.  She did too. She’s married with a bunch of kids and pets.”

“Do you have any pets?” Jessie asked.

“Yep.  I have two cats around here somewhere.”

The twins eyes lit up like Christmas Day.  “I wanna see them!” they said in unison.

“OK, well, here’s how to get them out of hiding.  Come with me.” She lead them into the kitchen, pulled out a can of cat food and ran it under the can opener.  Sure enough, two orange and white kitties came running down the stairs, meowing their heads off.

The kids gushed over them as the cats rubbed against their legs, begging for food.  “They’re so cute! I love them!” Jamie cooed.

“Me too!” Jessie added.

“Here you go, give them this,” Amy handed over two bowls of cat food, one to each twin, and the kids bent down and gave each cat the snack.

“There you go.  Now they’ll be your friends forever, just after their done eating.”

The kids were vibrating with excitement.  “What are their names?” Jessie wanted to know.

Amy pointed, “The one with more orange is Sherbert, and the one with more white is Popcorn.”

“Are they boys or girls?” asked Jamie.

“Sherbert is a girl, and Popcorn is a boy.  They’re brother and sister.”

“Aww!  I wish we could have a cat!” Jessie whined.

Amy chuckled.  “You’re about to have three new siblings, I think a cat would be a bit much.”

“Four new siblings,” Jamie corrected.  “Lena is having twins.”

Amy’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.  “Oh, my!”

“It’s gonna be so awesome!” Jessie exclaimed.  “I’m so excited!”

“Me too!” Jamie added.

“That’s going to be so crazy,” Amy shook her head.

“We’re going to help,” Jessie informed her.  “We promised we would. Plus Jamie is on diaper duty for life as part of her punishment, so she doesn’t really have a choice.”

Amy nodded.  “Sounds fair to me.”

The cats finished their food and started rubbing on everyone’s legs again.  The twins each picked one up and cuddled them. The kitties seemed to love the attention, rubbing against their hands and faces.

“Oh my god, I love you!” Jessie cooed.

“You’re so cute!” Jamie squealed.

Amy just stood there grinning at them.  “Let me take a picture of you guys,” she said, pulling out her phone.  The twins stood closer together, and she snapped a few photos. “So adorable.”  She was about to text the pics to Kara when she realized, “Oh, shoot! I didn’t get any of your parents’ phone numbers.”

“It’s OK, we have phones,” Jamie assured her.

“OK, give me your numbers, and I’ll text you the pictures.”  She typed in her phone as the kids rattled off their digits. “There you go.”

The twins didn’t bother checking their phones right away.  They were too busy snuggling the cats.

“Shall we go back to our game?” Amy suggested.

“Um,” Jessie muttered bashfully, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I'm hungry.  I know we’re supposed to have dinner later, but do you have any snacks or anything for now?”

“Sure, I’ve got plenty.  Shall we make a little crudite’?”

“Sure!” Jessie agreed.  “We can help.”

“Do you guys know how to use knives properly?”

“Yeah,” the twins answered.  “Our grandma taught us how to cook,” Jessie informed her.

“Show me what you’ve got.”  Amy pulled out three knives and cutting boards, then fished some veggies out of the fridge.

With a little sadness, the kids put the cats down and washed their hands.  Then Jamie grabbed a pepper, and Jessie grabbed the celery, and they both seemed proficient enough that Amy felt she could trust them, so she grabbed a cucumber and joined in the slicing.  She knew how much these kids could eat, so she made sure to encourage them to make plenty, then she whipped together a little vinaigrette, and they sat at the dining room table when they were ready to dig in.

“Thank you so much,” Jessie said in between bites.

“Yes, thank you,” Jamie agreed.

Amy smiled at them.  “You’re very welcome.”

They ate in a comfortable silence, giggling when the cats meowed at them for more food.  Jessie lowered a piece of celery down to Popcorn, and he sniffed it and put his ears back, making them all giggle more.  When they were finished, the girls picked up the cats again as they made their way back to the chess board. The felines seemed perfectly content to sit in their laps while they finished the second round.

“Checkmate!” Jamie announced with a flourish.

“Geez, kid!” Amy lamented.  “I’m glad I didn’t bet against you.  Who knows how much money I’d lose to you today.”

“All of it!” Jamie cackled, scaring Sherbert  “Oops, sorry baby kitty.” She petted the cat’s head, and it settled back down.

“I wanna watch a movie,” Jessie requested.

“What would you like to watch?” Amy asked.

Jessie pursed her lips together, “Um, I want to watch something I’ve never seen before.”

“OK,” Amy thought for a minute.  “Have you ever seen ‘Mirror Mask’?”

The twins shook their heads.  “Nope. Never heard of it,” Jessie said.  “What’s it about?”

“It’s a little hard to describe.  I highly recommend it, though.”

“OK, let’s do it,” Jessie agreed.

“Jamie, is that cool with you?”

The other twin nodded.  “Sure.”

Amy opened the door of her entertainment center to reveal a ton of movies.  She searched around for the one she wanted, humming as she did so. “Aha!” She pulled out a DVD and popped it into the player.  “I’m telling you now, this movie is a little weird, but it’s also really cool, especially if you’re into art. And I’ll admit, it’s a little dear to me because it involves people in the circus.”

“We’re ready!” the twins announced, plopping down on either side of the couch, still clutching the cats.  Amy sat between them, and they both cuddled up beside her.

“Man, my cats really love you guys,” Amy commented.  “They’re just purring away.”

The kids grinned.  “They have good taste,” Jamie said.

“Yes, they do.  They hated my ex-girlfriend.  Go figure.”

They sat quietly and watched the movie, and when it was over, the girls asked her a bunch of questions about it.  She answered them as best as she could until they were satisfied. After that, Jessie wanted to play video games, so she let the twins rummage through her games until they found one they wanted to play.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to play this!” Jessie announced, holding up ‘Minecraft.’  “Can we play it?”

“Sure, but you’ll have to learn how to play on your own.  I’ve never played it,” Amy answered.

Jessie shrugged, “No problemo.”

The chef logged into the guest account on her PS4, and let them have at it.  Before they knew it, it was after five, and Amy deemed it time to start prepping for dinner.  She left the kids to the game and headed to the kitchen. She tried to remember all the restrictions she had heard from Kara the previous night and decided to make something light for the pregnant women, and something heartier for Kara and the kids.  Some salads and pasta with chicken should do it. She made a quick marinade for the chicken, then started chopping vegetables.  

In the other room, she could hear the twins giggling, and she smiled to herself.  They were so cute! She didn’t usually take days off of work, but there was just something about these kids that drew her in and made her want to spend time with them.  They were easy to love, and she was hooked.

When all the prep was done, she returned to the couch where the twins were still sitting and plopped back in between them.  “Having fun?” she asked.

“Yes!” the girls answered.  They didn’t have the cats anymore, so Amy assumed that the felines got tired of the girls squirming around and went to hide back in their sleeping spots.

“Have you girls ever made homemade pasta before?”

“No,” they answered.

“You want to?”

“Yeah!”

“OK, come on, we’ve got quite a bit to make with the way you guys eat.  It’s getting close to time for dinner, and the pasta dough has to sit in the fridge for half an hour.”  They followed her into the kitchen, and she walked them through the simple steps for pasta, letting them do it for themselves.  

Jessie seemed to be having a blast, but Jamie appeared to have a problem with getting her clothes dirty, and therefore worked the dough a bit more dantily than her sister.

“It’s just a little flour, you don’t have to be afraid of it,” Amy teased.

Jamie stuck her tongue out.

It wasn’t long before the dough was ready to go in the fridge to rest, so the girls all did the same, flopping on the couch and watching Wheel of Fortune to rest.  The girls called out all kinds of crazy answers in the beginning rounds, but after they got a few letters, the answers became more reasonable, and they figured out most of the clues.  At six o’clock, the doorbell rang. Amy opened the door to reveal Kara on the other side. “Hey, Mama bear,” Amy greeted her.

Jamie and Jessie came up beside her to give Kara hugs and kisses.  “More like Papa Bear,” Jessie commented.

Kara turned scarlet.

Amy pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, but it didn’t help.

“What’s so funny?” the twins wanted to know.

“Nothing!” she snickered.

“What?” they demanded.

Amy shook her head.  “I can’t tell you. It’s not child friendly.”

Kara blushed all the way to her ears.  “It’s not what you think,” she defended against Amy’s laughter.

“So you’re not a power top?” Amy whispered in Kara’s ear, so the kids couldn’t hear.

“Shut up!” Kara whined.

The chef cackled.  “That’s not a no.”

Kara put her hands on her hips, “And here I thought it would be fun to come over a little early to hang out with you guys!” 

“Aww,” Amy mock pouted.  “I’m sorry, my mind is in the gutter.  I’ll behave, I promise.”

“You’d better!” Jamie pointed at her and raised her eyebrow, giving off the airs of her mother Alex.

Amy put her hands in the air to surrender.  “Take it easy, I was only having fun.”

Kara smirked.  “You’d better watch it.  My kids don’t like even a hint of ‘S-E-X!’” she whispered the letters, but the kids could still hear.

“Blech!” Jessie gagged.

“Oh, my!” Amy chuckled.  “Obviously, the subject didn’t come up until now.”  She assured the kids, “I’ll be good, I promise.”

“Good,” Jamie huffed.  “Sex is gross. We don’t want to see it, hear it, smell it, or talk about it.  OK?”

“OK,” Amy nodded exaggeratedly.  “I’ll try not to laugh inappropriately anymore.”

“Good,” said Jamie.

“Well,” Amy spoke to Kara again, “We’re waiting another ten minutes to pull the pasta dough out of the fridge, so we’re just watching TV.”  She waved the reporter over to the couch. “How was your day?”

“Good,” Kara answered distractedly.  “Hey, can we turn that news story up?”

They listened to the announcer saying that shooters had several hostages pinned down at First National Bank, and that police were handling things.  On the screen, they clearly saw newly-named Detective Danvers, speaking to a few fellow officers.

“Uh, Mama?” Jamie muttered.  “Aren’t you forgetting a meeting?”

“Oh, yes,” Kara answered strangely.  “My meeting! I have to go, but I’ll be back as soon as possible!”  She ran out the door before Amy had a chance to speak.

“What kind of meeting is this?” Amy quizzed the kids, but they shushed her in favor of watching TV.  “OK…” She didn’t see what was so fascinating about the story on girl scout cookies, but maybe the twins were more into food than she realized.  

Suddenly, the news interrupted itself to announce that Supergirl was on the scene of the hostage situation.  They watched live, as the hero blasted through the roof of the bank, and in a matter of seconds, was coming out the front door holding two disabled gunmen.  She passed them over to the police, had a brief verbal exchange with Maggie, and then she took off as quickly as she appeared.

Literally, two seconds later, Amy’s doorbell rang again, and Kara was back on her doorstep a little winded.  “Sorry, I just had to run downstairs to get something from Winn, that’s all.”

Amy looked back at the TV, then back at Kara.  “Um…” Surely she didn’t just see what she thought she saw.  But Kara had two kids, one of which had strength beyond anything Amy had experienced before.  She must be a Super. But Kara couldn’t be Supergirl. It didn’t make any sense. Kara was so…  Kara! She was meek and mild and a little awkward, and as sweet as pie, but a Superhero? No way.  No way!

All three Danvers looked at her trepidatiously.

“Mama? ” Jamie whimpered.

“Yes, my love?” Kara didn’t look away from Amy.

“I think you just got busted.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that, thank you.”

“We didn’t tell her!” Jessie was quick to defend.  “She saw you on TV.”

“Yes, I realize that, too.”

Kara closed her eyes.  “Shoot.  My wives are going to kill me.”