Supergirl ~ In Search of Lost Time ~ Part One
***
Lena walked away from her computer towards the unit Sam was unconscious in, then took a deep breath. "Start recording," she ordered, and a faint beep sounded. "This is day nine with the subject. My preliminary findings show a karyokinetic anomaly, confirming my initial hypothesis that she has been transforming . . . mutating into the other. Subject remains in a medically-induced coma. However, further testing will require consciousness, so I will now end sedation on the subject." She reached over to the IV line and tapped a button. "Stop recording." The computer beeped again, and Lena took a deep breath, looking over at a picture frame of Sam and Ruby on the bedside table. "When you wake up, please be Sam," she begged.
***
"Go!" Lucy called, flipping over the hourglass on the table.
Felicity, Kara, James, and Winn immediately started shouting out guesses from the floor while Laurel laughed hysterically across from them, leaning back against Malcolm's legs as he laughed, too. Slade and Alex just exchanged looks and snorted in amusement, Oliver and Dig covering their mouths as they tried not to laugh too much, either. From where she was also watching on the floor, Evelyn stared around Kara's loft with wide eyes before turning to the boy next to her. "Is game night usually this . . . enthusiastic?"
"They're just getting warmed up," William grinned.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" J'onn protested as he and Quentin walked over. "That - that doesn't count!"
"Why?" M'yrnn asked in confusion.
"Mr. J'onzz?" William grinned as Evelyn giggled next to him. "You shapeshifted."
M'yrnn blinked, then looked down at the astronaut suit he was wearing. "Oh." Winn and Felicity both burst out laughing, Oliver grinning widely. "Human games have so many rules," the older Martian complained.
"I don't know," Dig reached over to exaggerate looking at the rules of charades. "I don't see shapeshifting anywhere in the rules."
"I agree," Lucy pointed at him.
"You know what," Alex waved it off. "It's fine. Just let him have it. We're slaughtering 'em anyway."
"Amen," Kara agreed, lifting up her wine glass, scooting back to lean against the couch. Oliver leaned down and tapped the bottom of his beer bottle against the rim of her glass, both drinking at the same time.
"The Martian Man-Father strikes again!" Winn announced dramatically as M'yrnn sat down.
Kara spat out her drink as Oliver choked on his. Quentin repeated with an amused grin as Oliver coughed violently, Dig clapping him on the back.
"Fine," Winn rolled his head as he stood up. "The Martian Dad-Hunter."
Alex snorted loudly as William and Evelyn rolled on the ground laughing. "OK, the adults need more wine," Kara declared, climbing to her feet.
"Not these two!" Alex and Laurel called at the same time.
"Shut up!" Slade and Malcolm responded as if on automatic.
That just brought about a new round of laughter. "Keep playing," Kara giggled, taking her glass.
"I'll help," Oliver volunteered, standing up as well.
As Winn drew a card, the pair headed over to the island, J'onn coming over as well. "Oh, this is nice to have," Kara sighed happily.
"It is," Oliver agreed. "And it's good to have all of us here."
"I'm glad it worked out," Kara nodded, looking at J'onn. "For you and your father, too."
"Me, too," J'onn nodded, watching the game as Kara got a new bottle of wine and the bottle opener.
"I'm sorry he's going through this," Oliver told him.
"Thank you, Oliver," J'onn smiled appreciatively.
"He's strong, though," Kara said, working on opening the wine bottle.
"Yeah," J'onn nodded. "He seems to be taking this better than I am. He's doing everything he can to keep his mind sharp. He's - "
"The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover!" M'yrnn shouted.
It was Malcolm's turn to choke on his drink as protests erupted around the room. Evelyn's jaw dropped as William collapsed against her.
"Cheating again!" J'onn huffed as Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to stop a wide grin from forming on his face. "Come on, Dad, no mind-reading!"
"You keep accusing me of not following the rules?" M'yrnn sniffed. "You are one to talk."
"Oh, story time," Laurel grinned.
"Yes, please, tell us a story," Felicity pulled her feet underneath her anxiously.
"Ah," M'yrnn smiled. "My son used to wait for me to leave, and the moment I had gone, he would switch around the pieces on the Ok-Rock-Tock board." The Earth-38ers looked at J'onn incredulously as Laurel snickered into her wine. "When I caught him, he blamed his imaginary friend . . . " He faltered, thinking. "What was his name?"
"Wait, wait, wait," James shook his head. "I'm sorry . . . had an imaginary friend?" he asked J'onn.
"No, I - " J'onn started to shake his head.
"Oh, yes, he did!" M'yrnn interrupted. "You said he was a fifth-dimensional imp who came just to move the pieces."
Kara mocked a gag, and Oliver snorted. "Wasn't that one alien you were telling me tried to marry you a fifth dimensional imp?"
"Yup," Kara confirmed, popping the "p."
M'yrnn scratched the back of his head. "What was his name?" he wondered.
J'onn fidgeted, then sighed. "Zook."
Dig grinned widely as Felicity and Winn howled in laughter.
"Zook!" Evelyn and William repeated as they laughed, too.
"'Zook! It was Zook!'" M'yrnn nodded furiously, just barely heard over all the laughter. "That was you!"
Oliver smiled as he watched their friends and family interact, his gaze drawn to where his son was laughing with Evelyn on the floor. "This was a good idea," he told Kara quietly as J'onn tried to explain himself. "I think we all needed this."
"I agree," Kara nodded. "Especially Evelyn. She's enjoying herself."
"She should," Oliver said. "I don't think game night was a criminal cabal activity."
Kara shook her head in agreement. "It's just good to see everyone relax, too."
"Mmm," Oliver nodded thoughtfully.
Kara saw where his gaze was veering, and she leaned against the counter by him. "And maybe, since you, John, and Felicity have decided to stay for a while longer, you can tell John about your decision to keep the hood," she suggested.