77. Roots

October 3-7, 2017 (pregnancy week 30/31)

True to her word, Lena took Tuesday off to be with Maggie and to decompress a little after Morgan Edge’s attack.  The detective urged her to talk about some of the things that made her so down on herself, and Lena felt surprisingly lighter afterwards.  It made her really appreciate Maggie’s emotional intelligence.  The Latina may not be able to engineer, but she was quite astute when it came to people, much more so than Lena could ever hope to be.  It made Lena even more proud to be with this woman.

When the twins’ lunchtime rolled around, Lena and Maggie joined them, and quickly found out that the kids had been eavesdropping on them all morning.  She couldn’t be mad, though, because the twins made it very clear to her that they thought she was one of the best people in the whole of creation, and that Lillian Luthor was a very bad mom.  The kids insisted that they would do everything in their power to make sure she knew they loved her, and by the time they were done emphatically doting on her, she couldn’t help the few tears that tracked down her face.  She also couldn’t stop the promise that left her lips that she would take them out for ice cream after lunch.  Jamie and Jessie were very snuggly with both Lena and Maggie after that.

When they got back home, the twins went back to their tutor, and Maggie let Lena watch a baby animal documentary, so they could just cuddle and kiss on the couch.  After that, they went upstairs to take a nap.  By the time they woke up, Alex and Kara were home and making dinner with the twins.  Alex and Kara noticed Lena’s mood had improved right away and praised her for taking the day off.  She told them about what she and Maggie had talked about and how helpful it was.  By the time dinner was over, Lena was fully laughing at Maggie’s jokes, finally putting the others at ease.

The only hitch of the evening was that Jessie and Jamie suddenly realized that they wouldn’t be able to spend any time with their significant others that weekend because they would be busy from Thursday through Sunday helping their grandma move.  Jamie shed a few tears, but Jessie outright bawled her eyes out, running off to call Ruby right away.  When Jessie returned, the twins begged their parents to invite the Grants and the Arias’ to dinner on Wednesday night.  The foursome agreed and recommended that Douglas come too for Sam’s sake.  Of course the kids agreed.  Douglas was pretty much a part of their extended family by now, and he was always welcome.  Lena and Kara made the arrangements, and they had a date.

So the next night, they had a big dinner with Eliza, Ms. Grant and Carter, and Sam, Ruby, and Douglas, nearly filling the 16-seater dining room table to capacity.  Funny stories were swapped all around, and the laughter flowed throughout the night.  When dinner was over, the adults retired to Alex and Maggie’s pool room, letting the kids play games in the living room.  Lena had made sure the billiards room/bar was big enough to host the Superfriends with room for people to sit around in comfy little armchairs against the walls without getting bashed in the face with a pool cue.  Since it was a school night, the group called it a night around 9pm.  Jessie and Ruby, and Jamie and Carter hugged like they weren’t going to see each other ever again.  Their parents assured them that they would be fine, and they’d see each other again before they knew it.  That didn’t stop the tearful kisses shared between the young couples.  When everyone was gone, Alex shooed the twins off to bed, so they weren’t grumpy in the morning.

Thursday morning, the Danvers woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  They had four days to pack up everything that Eliza wanted from her house in Midvale and bring it back to the penthouse where Eliza was now staying.  The Danvers matriarch was desperate for her kitchen stuff.  She was sick of takeout, and Lena had packed up all the kitchen stuff from the apartment and put it in storage before knowing Eliza was staying in National City.  The CEO had offered to buy her new stuff, but Eliza was stubborn.  She wanted her own things, and she didn’t want Lena spending a bunch of money on her.  The rest of the stuff they were grabbing would just be personal belongings and small ticket items.  Lena had insisted on keeping the house in Midvale.  She wanted it to stay in the family and also wanted to keep it as a vacation home.  She was even talking about putting in a few additions to the house to keep up with their growing family.  Therefore, they wouldn’t need to transport all the furniture and things like that.  

When Eliza showed up at the new mansion with the little U-haul truck, the twins argued about who was going to get to ride with her.  Alex put a stop to it, claiming that she intended to ride with her mother and that was that.  She planned to have a talk with her mom about what they could do for Lena to help her self-esteem, but she kept that to herself until they were alone.  Alex needed her wife to stay safe and believe she was worth keeping around, but apparently, what they’ve been doing so far hadn’t helped - at least, not enough.  While they drove, they discussed a plethora of options, including leaving her little love notes, spending more one-on-one time with her, and convincing her to do actual counselling.  Those were Alex’s favorite suggestions.

Despite the fact that it was only a 2 hour drive to Midvale, the moms-to-be had to stop in the middle to use the restroom.  Other than that, it was an uneventful drive.  On top of that, it was a gorgeous day, and the sun glittered beautifully across the water as they drove along the highway.  Kara and the others in the van sang along to the radio most of the way there.  Even Maggie sang a little, just to be included, but mostly she just enjoyed listening to the others who could actually sing.  The detective was in a pretty good mood overall.  Spending the day with Lena on Tuesday had been a real treat, and on top of that, she only had to work 2 days that week.  Normally, she’d be chomping at the bit to get back to work, but her desk job was so boring, she’d do almost anything to get away from it.  Packing she could do, as long as she didn’t have to lift anything heavy.  That was Kara’s job.

When they got to the house, the kids brought the boxes and things in, and Alex ordered pizzas to be delivered for lunchtime.  Their old home was safe and sound, and the only sign that any DEO agents had been there was a used water glass in the sink, and the TV remote was on the couch instead of the coffee table where Eliza usually kept it.  The beds were clean and made perfectly, and everything was still in its place.  Even the garden had been kept up while they were gone.  They figured the DEO agents must have been pretty bored to do that.

Alex sent the twins upstairs to start packing up their room until the pizzas arrived.  Meanwhile, Kara and Maggie started on the other upstairs bedroom, Eliza and Lena started on the master bedroom, and Alex started on the dining room.  About an hour later, the pizzas arrived, and they took a break to eat lunch.  Six pizzas were barely enough to feed the hungry bunch, but the extra cheese bread helped it stretch.  When the food had been devoured, they got back to work.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam stood in front of the stove, stretching her neck out while she waited for a pot of water to boil.  She was still trying to get her head around the fact that she had taken a bullet and didn’t even feel it, let alone have a mark.  Between work and tending to Lena, she hadn’t really had time to process yet.

“Mom, are you okay?” Ruby checked. 

“Yeah,” Sam replied, trying to shake herself out of her daze. “Yeah, babe, I'm fine.  You wanna set the table?  This won't take long to cook.”  She grabbed a jar of pasta off the counter and just as she was about to dump the pasta into the boiling water, she had a crazy idea.  While Ruby’s back was turned, she stuck her hand in the boiling water to see if it would hurt her.  It didn’t.  She stared at her hand in shock.  

“Mom?  Can I watch a movie tonight if I finish my homework?” Ruby asked. 

“Um... You know what, I just... realized I have to go back to work for something,” Sam said instead of answering.  “Can you go over to Tess' for dinner tonight?” 

“Mom, do I have to?” 

“Ruby, this is not a discussion.  You're going to Tess',” Sam told her a little harshly. 

Ruby pouted.  “Okay.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Hey.  Hi, Mr. J,” Winn greeted M’yrnn, seeing the elderly man wandering through the halls of the DEO, looking lost.  “You, uh, looking for something?” 

“I would like to find the b'rahh alcom,” M’yrnn replied.  

“Oh!  Oh,” Winn scrunched his brow.  “You know, I've been brushing up on my Martian… b'rahh…  Library!  No.  Bathroom!”

“To relieve myself,” M’yrnn nodded.  

“You don't know where it is?  Haven't you been here for, like, two weeks?” Winn exclaimed. 

“Precisely,” the Martian gulped. 

Winn pointed, “Yeah, it's down the hall, around the corner, third door to your left.  We really should put up signs…” 

“May I go?” M’yrnn requested.  

Winn blinked, startled at the question.  “Yeah.”

“Thank you!” M’yrnn exclaimed, running off down the hall.

Winn headed to the briefing room where J’onn was giving orders to the techs at the computers.

“Okay.  Shut down those systems so there's no possibility of infiltration.” 

“Um, boss?” Winn interjected.  “Hey, can I chat with you for, like, a hot sec?” 

“A hot sec?” J’onn scoffed. 

“Oh, my God.  Never mind,” Winn shook his head.  “Listen, your dad just asked me for permission to use the bathroom.” 

“Yeah, well, he's still getting used to things around here,” J’onn nodded.

“Sure,” Winn shrugged.  “But it was kinda like the way he said it.  Like he was a prisoner or something.”

J’onn put his hands on his hips.  “Well, he was a prisoner for over 300 years.”

“Exactly why I think that you might wanna take him out.  Like into the non-DEO world,” Winn suggested.

J’onn balked.  “I run a complex and highly sensitive government operation here.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” Winn waved him off, going back to his lab.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam drove the hour and a half it took to get to Pasadena where she grew up.  The closer she got, the more nervous she became.  When she stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door to her adopted mother’s house, her heart was practically in her throat.

“Coming!” the voice from inside called.  When the older woman saw who was at the door, she paused and smiled softly. 

It was almost a shock to see the woman who raised her look so old and frail after all these years.  Sam swallowed her fear, tenacious curiosity overwhelming the urge to run.  “Hi, Patricia.” 

Patricia opened the door and urged her to sit in the living room while she got some tea.  When she came back out, she asked, “So, it's just you? You didn't bring, uh…” 

“Ruby?” Sam reminded her a little gruffly. 

“I've never met the girl.  So, I don't think you should expect me to keep her name straight,” Patricia said defensively. 

“Well, you kicked me out for having her, I didn't think you'd wanna meet her,” Sam huffed. 

“No, you made your choice,” Patricia pointed out.  “You had to know that there would be consequences.”

Sam was outraged.  “I was a kid!” 

“You know as well as anyone that the moment you become pregnant, you're not a kid anymore,” Patricia chided. 

“So I didn't deserve a support system?” Sam parried.  “Married adults have children all the time, they need their parents.” 

“I would have just been a crutch for you,” Patricia shook her head. 

“You were my mother.” 

“And I always wanted what was best for you.”

“So you just let me leave?”

“That's not what I wanted to have happen at all.”

Sam huffed out a long breath.  “Do you know how hard it was for me to come here?”

“Well, then why did you?” Patricia sighed.

“You're unbelievable,” Sam shook her head and gathered herself.  “Some things have been happening.”

“What things?” Patricia pressed.

“I guess I was just wondering if, growing up, if I ever did anything strange,” Sam asked.

“What do you mean by strange?”

“I don't know.  Did I fall?  Like, fall and not get hurt?  Did I ever lift anything really heavy?”

“No.  No, nothing like that,” Patricia assured her.

“Nothing?” Sam asked a little hopelessly.

“No.”

“Okay. Uh... Well, maybe you could help me find something out about my birth mother?” Sam suggested.

Patricia turned away.  “Well, why do you wanna know about her?”

“You know what, just forget it.  Sorry I bothered you.”  Sam stomped toward the door and realized she still didn’t have any answers, so she determinedly turned back to her adopted mother.  “I was at a press event.  Someone had a gun.  They fired it into the crowd.  A lot of people got hurt.  I got home, and I found a hole in my coat.  Found a little piece of metal, a bullet.  It was completely flattened.”  By now, tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.  “I got shot and it didn't puncture my skin.  I got shot and I didn't feel it.  How could I not feel it?  Patricia, what is happening?!” 

Patricia was strangely calm in the face of Sam’s freak out.  “Follow me.”  She led her daughter to a rickety old shed in the back - one that had always been locked when she was growing up.  Patricia unlocked the door and they went in.  The only real thing of note in the barn was a big hulking something or other under a tarp.  Patricia nodded at Sam to remove the cover.  Underneath was something that looked like it was from a sci-fi movie.  “You asked about your birth mom,” Patricia began, “I lied. I didn't adopt you. I found you. In this.”

“I... I just... I... don't understand,” Sam stammered.

“No, I didn't either,” Patricia explained.  “I didn't know where you were from, or who left you in this thing or why.  And you just... You looked so damned helpless... that I took you home.”

“Were you ever gonna tell me?” Sam complained.

“I swore that I would tell you when you turned 18, but you were gone by then.  And I thought, well, maybe that's better.  That you would be better off out there on your own, without knowing.”

“That I'm an alien?” Sam exclaimed.

“Sam... I just wanted you to have a normal life,” Patricia pleaded.

Sam examined the symbols on the side of the ship, and when she touched them, the ship powered on.  From the front of the pod, a large crystal popped up, and she pulled it out of its setting and stared at it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Danvers called it a night around dinner time.  They ordered Chinese food for delivery and sat down to watch the news.  Apparently, there was a storm rolling in for the night.

“I call dibs on sleeping with Alex tonight!” Kara exclaimed, tucking her nose into Alex’s neck.

Alex chuckled.

“Is Supergirl afraid of a little rain?” Maggie teased.

“It’s not the rain, it’s the thunder,” Alex explained.  “You should have seen her when she first got to Earth.  She used to whimper and cry until I got in the bed with her.  I taught her to try to drown out the noise by listening to my heartbeat.  I guess it’s still a habit.”

“OK, well, can Maggie and I sleep in the actual bed, and you guys take the air mattress?” Lena requested.

“Sure,” Alex and Kara agreed.

The seven of them cuddled on the couch until the food arrived.  They had mostly finished packing up the bedrooms, so they were good on time.  The moms-to-be were very tired, though.  They had been on their feet quite a bit that day, and even though they had taken breaks, it still wore them out.  Lena especially.  They ate their dinner when it arrived and then retired to watch a movie in the living room.  Of course, Lena, Maggie, and Alex all fell asleep during the movie, and Kara ended up having to carry them to bed when it was over.  This was becoming a habit for them, but Kara liked it.  It made her feel special to have their trust like that.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“All right, Rubes, Mrs. Queller is coming to stay,” Sam informed her daughter.

“For how long?” Ruby pouted.

“I'm not sure yet, but I do know that you hate her cooking, so I'm leaving money for takeout right here.”  Sam handed Ruby a check for Mrs. Queller. 

“Where are you going?” Ruby demanded.

“I'm not exactly sure yet.” 

Ruby frowned.

“Hey.  You don't have to worry.  Okay?  Nothing is wrong.”  Sam led Ruby to sit down on the couch with her.  “I'm sorry I yelled at you last night.  I found something out.  About myself.  And it's a really good thing.  It's gonna answer a lot of questions, but I gotta take this trip to get those questions answered.” 

“Can't I come with you?  I can come with you!” Ruby insisted.

“I know you want to, and I wish that you could, but I gotta do this on my own, okay?  Hold my hand.”  She waited for Ruby to take her hand.  “You feel that?”

“Your pulse?” asked Ruby in confusion. 

“That's you.  You are my heart,” Sam told her emphatically.  “Are you gonna trust me?  Something wonderful is happening.” 

“Just promise to tell me about it when you come back,” Ruby requested.

“I promise. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Winn walked through the DEO next to J’onn and Lucy.  “Hey, so now that we know it's just a friendly ol' day in the neighborhood, maybe you could finally go have that outing with your dad.”

“I will alert you if anything happens,” Lucy agreed. 

“Yes, leave us in charge.  And by ‘us,’ I mean Lucy, because I should not be in charge of anything,” Winn quipped.

“Just go be with your dad,” Lucy urged, patting him on the arm. 

XXX

J’onn took his father to the park a couple of blocks down from the DEO.

“This brown water is a popular beverage on Earth?” M’yrnn asked, smelling the cup.

“In the mornings mostly,” J’onn replied.

M’yrnn took a sip,  “Mmm.  Yes.  I understand the appeal of c'of-fee!”

“It's pronounced ‘coffee.’  It's only a short walk from the DEO.  You can come down here any time.”  J’onn checked his phone.

“What is that?” M’yrnn inquired of a couple of older men playing a game at a table.  “A duel of intellect?”

“That is chess,” J’onn replied.  “An ancient game of strategy with infinite outcomes.”

“Ah! Much like o'kk rotokk,” M’yrnn mused.  

J’onn nodded.

“We should play o'kk rotokk sometime,” M’yrnn suggested.

“I don't really have a lot of time for games, but you should come down here, learn chess.”  J’onn checked his watch.

M’yrnn slowed his pace.  “If you wish to return to the DEO, let us go.”

“Oh, no, Father, it's okay, it's okay.  We can stay out.  You've been a prisoner for years, you shouldn't feel like a prisoner here.”

“I know I am not a prisoner of the DEO, my son.  You are.  You have glanced at your smart devices 43 times since we arrived.  Your body is here, but your mind is trapped in your work.  You live there, your only friends are there, you have nothing outside of it.”

“You've been here two weeks, I've been here 300 years.  I think I know a little more about how to engage with this world than you do,” J’onn insisted. 

“Thank you for showing me the way here.  I will return if I require more brown water.”  

“Father, come on…”

“You have completed your mission, and now I would like to return to my room.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Why don’t you girls take your telescope back to the new house with you?” Eliza suggested to Alex.  “I know it’s special to you.”

“What’s special about it?” Maggie wanted to know. “Was it your dad’s?”

“No,” Alex shook her head.  “It was our old friend Kenny’s.  He died.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, babe.  What happened?” Maggie pressed.

“He was murdered,” Kara said softly.

Maggie frowned.  “A murder in Midvale?  That must have been shocking to the whole town.”

“It was a scandal,” Kara recalled.  “His death sent Alex and I on an investigation, and along the way, we found out the high school quarterback was smoking weed, our history teacher was sleeping with one of Alex’s best friends, and the town sheriff was embezzling money and selling hard drugs.  He’s the one that killed Kenny, and if I hadn’t used my powers, he would have killed Alex too.  Twice.”

Maggie and Lena just blinked at them.  “Wow,” Maggie breathed.

“I thought you didn’t use your powers when you were younger?” Jamie asked in confusion.

“Well…  I kind of knocked him out when I busted through the wall at him.  He didn’t see anything,” Kara explained.  “And it was the last time I used my powers until I became Supergirl.  In a way, the whole investigation was kind of good for Alex.  She had shut down quite a bit after Jeremiah disappeared, presumed dead.  The whole thing seemed to turn her back on, at least a little bit.”

“That’s a weird way of putting it, but yeah,” Alex agreed.  “It woke me up when Kara had to use her powers.  My protective instincts kicked in, and I was back to being vigilant over her.  It was a good thing because it wasn’t too long after that that we got pregnant.  I wouldn’t have wanted to be shut down for that.  I was able to be happy about the babies instead of being depressed still.”

“You were happy to get pregnant as a teenager?” Jessie scrunched her nose up.

“Well, not that I was a teenager, but that I could give Mama something back after everything she had lost,” Alex explained.

The twins nodded seriously.  They didn’t really think about that very often, but when they were reminded of their Kryptonian parent’s pain, it struck them deeply.  They both gave Kara and Alex big hugs and told them they loved them.  The pair grinned and kissed their daughters all over their faces, causing them to erupt into giggles.

“My mom and dad would have been so proud of you girls,” Kara told them.

“You really think so?” Jamie asked.

“I know so,” Kara confirmed.  “Not only are you girls brilliant and beautiful, you’ve saved my life twice now.  That’s definitely something to be proud of.”

“Do you think they’d be mad at me for what I did?” Jamie worried.  “With the… the condoms,” she whispered the last word.

“My parents weren’t really angry people, but yes, I’m sure they’d be disappointed about it,” Kara shrugged.  “You weren’t really thinking wisely, were you?”

“No,” Jamie admitted.  “But you think they would still love me?”

“Of course they would.  We still love you, don’t we?  We didn’t even ground you for the rest of your life like we wanted to,” Kara pointed out.

“Yeah, but I have diaper duty for life,” Jamie pouted.

“That’s really only a few years,” Alex reminded her.  “So it’s not really for life.  Unless one of us ends up in diapers,” she joked.

“Oh, God, don’t say that,” Eliza rolled her eyes.  “Heaven forbid!” she shuddered.

Alex chuckled.  “I’m just saying, she got off easy.”

“Yeah, just wait for the first diaper blow out,” Maggie grinned wickedly.  “She’s not going to think she got off easy then.”

“What do you mean ‘blow out?’” Jamie grimaced in fear.

Maggie laughed at the look.  “Meaning the baby shits so much it overflows their diaper and gets everywhere.”

“That happens?” Jamie whimpered.

“Oh yeah,” Eliza confirmed.

“Oh, God!”  Jamie looked pleadingly at her sister.

Jessie shook her head.  “Don’t look at me.  That’s all on you.”

Jamie whined.

“Sorry, but that’s a small price to pay after making such a life-altering decision for so many other people,” Alex shrugged.

Jamie bowed her head and nodded.  “I know,” she said meekly.

“So, back to the telescope,” Eliza prodded, “Are you going to take it?”

Alex nodded.  “Yeah.  I’d like that.  We can keep it in the solarium.”

Kara smiled and stroked Alex’s hair.  “Sounds great.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam drove out into the desert towards the GPS location Patricia had given her.  The closer she got, the more the crystal glowed.  She was almost there when her truck overheated.  She got out and popped the hood, and a mountain of steam poured out from the engine.  “What are you doing, Sam?” she asked herself.  She leaned against the car and tried to decide what to do.  It wasn’t as if she could just call a cab.  Finally, she figured that if she had come this far, she was going to keep going.  She walked for another two miles before the crystal in her hands started flashing rapidly.  Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet shook so hard that it knocked her on her ass.  As she watched, the ground broke open and dozens, if not hundreds, of rocks poked angrily out of the ground.  She watched as the rocks formed a dome of sorts, towering over her like a dangerous skyscraper.  She walked towards it, drawn by an unseen force that drew her in like a magnet.

Sam wandered into the strange rock structure.  Inside, there was an actual hallway that led to a huge room that looked kind of like a castle in the future.  She wandered around the room, finding a large computer terminal.  She popped the crystal into the slot, and the image of a woman appeared in front of her.

The woman spoke.  “You have come.  I imagine you have questions.  I have answers.”

“I've seen you.  In my dreams.  What are you?” Sam marveled.

“Science.  Magic.  Information.  Your friend,” the woman replied.

“What is this place?” Sam quizzed.

“This is your Fortress of Sanctuary,” the woman informed her.  “A piece of your world, the dead planet Krypton.”

“Oh, my God.  Ruby was right,” Sam exclaimed.  “She thought I had powers, and I do.  I always knew that I was different, but I always thought it was because I was adopted.  But... it wasn't.  I'm like Supergirl!”

“You are so much more than that,” the woman spoke proudly.

“Who am I?” Sam wondered in amazement.

“You are a culmination of centuries of work, a being designed for one purpose, to execute justice.”

“I'm a hero?”

“They will not call you a hero.  They will call you Worldkiller.  They will try to contain your power, but they will fail.  You will show no mercy to those who oppose you.  Your justice will burn the world of man.”

“No. I'm not a Worldkiller,” Sam stammered.  “I'm not a Worldkiller.  I have a life.  I'm…  I'm a good person.  I have a daughter.”

“Your offspring was an unfortunate error,” the strange woman declared.  “Your powers were supposed to manifest when you came of age.  She delayed the realization of your destiny.”  

“She is not an error!” Sam said ferociously.

“You will soon forget her.  You will soon forget all mortal trappings,” the woman continued.

“No.  This can't be right,” Sam argued. 

“It is time for you to emerge.  It is time for you to become Reign,” the woman commanded.

“No,” Sam denied as a strange feeling started creeping over her.. “No!” She yelled, feeling the strangeness turn into a burning sensation all the way through her body.  “No!  No!”  Same screamed at the top of her lungs for a few moments as her mind went somewhere else and all that was left was the Kryptonian in her.

She stood up again, now with a fierce look in her bright red eyes.  “I have awoken,” she spoke in Kryptonese. 

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Kara, stop shaking your leg!” Alex complained.  “You’re bouncing the whole bed!”

“Sorry!” Kara whined, nuzzling further into Alex’s chest.

“Is the storm really bothering you that much?” Alex worried.

Kara’s leg started shaking again, but Alex put her hand on the blonde’s thigh to still her again.  “Yeah.  There’s just something about it that feels…  I don’t know… Ominous?”

“Did you check on the babies?”

Kara shook her head, “No.”

“Why don’t you do that?” Alex suggested.  “Check on everyone.  Maybe something’s not right with one of them.”

Kara sat up and used her super senses to check everyone’s breathing and heart rates.  Everyone was fast asleep, looking as peaceful as ever.  “Everyone seems to be fine,” she assured her wife.

Alex nodded.  “OK, well, that’s one thing off the list of things that could be upsetting you.  What else?”  She paused to think a moment.  “Did you check the windows on all the cars?  Make sure they’re all up.”

“OK.”  Kara used her X-ray vision to look at the cars outside.  “The windows are all up.”

“Alright,” Alex nodded.  “What else can we check?”

Kara pulled out her phone.  “I’m going to check the security back at home.”

Alex waited patiently for a few minutes before growing impatient.  “Well?”

“Everything seems to check out,” Kara assured her.  “No one but the mailman has come anywhere close to the front door.”

“OK.  Now what?” Alex asked.

Kara blew out a hard breath.  “Should we call J’onn?”

“Kara, no.  If J’onn needed us, he would have called us already.  It’s late.  Let the man sleep.”

The Kryptonian pouted.  “I don’t know what to do to calm down,” she whimpered.

“We could have sex,” Alex suggested.

Kara perked up.  “We could?”

Alex nodded.

“I’d like that.”  Kara leaned over and started kissing her wife, stroking her everywhere she could reach.  Each kiss was a prayer, answered by Alex, soothing Kara’s anxiety like nothing else ever could.  When their tongues made contact, it reminded her that she was home, and she was safe with her bondmate, the most badass human on the planet.  Pregnant or not, Alex could take out a threat in a heartbeat.  And beside them, were the two other most badass women in the world.  Not to mention the two literal Supers in the next room, and downstairs, the best adopted mom anyone could ever ask for.  Home was good.  Home was safe.  Home was with Alex.  They were good.  Alex especially tasted extra good, and the more aroused Alex became, the more delicious she tasted.  Kara couldn’t get enough.  She kissed her wife until the agent pushed her away for a gasp of air.

“Jesus, Kara,” Alex panted.  “You’re making me dizzy!”

Kara giggled, “Sorry, not sorry?”

Now Alex giggled, slapping her in the face with the blanket.

“Would you guys please shut the fuck up!” Maggie hissed.  “Jesus fucking Christ, some people are trying to sleep around here!”

Alex and Kara pouted contritely.  “Sorry!” they said quickly.

Lena wiggled out of Maggie’s grasp and put her feet on the floor.  

“Lena, no!” Maggie whined.

“I have to use the bathroom,” Lena huffed, heaving herself off the bed and trudging out of the room.

“Damn it!  Now I have to pee too,” Maggie grumbled.  She tried to get up, but she was tangled in blankets and pillows.  “God damn it!  Help me!”

Kara scrambled over to help Maggie out of the bed.  “Shit!  I got you!  I got you!  Hold still, honey, I’m trying to help.”  She managed to get the detective untangled, even with her squirming all over the place in her tantrum.

Maggie sat on the bed looking grumpy as she waited her turn for the bathroom.  Kara tried to stroke her hair, but Maggie swatted her away.

“Maybe we should take the air mattress down to the living room, so we’re not bothering them,” Alex suggested.

“If you’re going to keep making noise, then please do,” Maggie grumbled.

“OK,” Kara nodded, gathering up the bed clothes and taking them downstairs.  If she and Alex were still going to have sex, she didn’t want to bother Maggie and Lena anymore.  She returned to the room, kissing a sleepy Lena in the hallway, and Maggie headed for the bathroom as fast as she could manage.  Kara grabbed the air mattress and took it downstairs, remaking it, so they could sleep in it.  Alex joined her shortly, and they climbed back into bed.  The storm sounds were quieter in the living room, but Kara was still anxious.  She pulled Alex back into her arms, and they started kissing again.  Kara had just started working on Alex’s neck when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Why did you guys move downstairs?” Jessie wondered.

“Why are you girls out of bed?” Alex replied in irritation.

“Our legs hurt,” Jamie whined.

“Both of you?”  Take your red sun bands off,” Alex suggested.

“We didn’t even put them on today,” Jessie replied.  “They still hurt.”

Alex frowned.  “Where does it hurt?”

“All over,” Jamie said.

“It’s probably growing pains,” Kara assured them.  “I used to get that a lot when I was your age.”

“Put your sun bands back on and try taking some pain medicine,” Alex told them.  “I don’t know what else to try.”

“OK,” the girls chimed.  “Can we get something to eat first?” Jessie begged.

Alex sighed.  “Hurry up.”

Kara flopped down on the bed with a heavy sigh.  “So much for that idea.”

Kara and Alex ended up spending the next two hours trying to soothe the twins.  They rubbed the kids’ feet and calves to try to ease the ache, but the girls still whimpered in pain.  Eventually, the four of them fell asleep in a pile on the couch.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Girls, are you going to get up today?” Eliza chuckled at her daughters and granddaughters sprawled out on the couch.

Alex frowned, resisting being woken up.  

Kara peeked one eye open and then closed it again.  “The girls were having leg pains last night,” she mumbled sleepily.  “I think it’s growing pains,” she yawned.

“Oh, dear.  You’re probably right,” Eliza nodded.  “They’ve got a ways to go to catch up to you and Alex.”

“We’ll probably end up having to buy them new clothes before long,” Kara mused, opening her eyes.  She tried to stretch as best she could with Alex and Jamie laying on her.  Jamie whined when Kara jostled her, and Kara stroked her shin.  “What time is it?” she asked Eliza.

“A little after nine,” Eliza replied.

“Wow,” Kara huffed.  They didn’t usually sleep that late.  She tried to sit up, but Alex grumbled at her.  “Come, on, baby, wake up.”

“I don’t wanna,” Alex mumbled.

Kara patted Jamie’s leg.  “Wake up, sleepy head.”

Jamie whined.

Eliza shook Jessie’s shoulder but the young blonde shook her off with an indistinguishable grunt.  “We have to go home at some point, kids,” the Danvers matriarch sighed.  “I’ll bring out some coffee.”

“That would be great.  Thanks,” Kara smiled at her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam awoke with a start from dreaming about oppressive darkness.

“Mom?” Ruby called from the doorway.

“Yeah?” Sam replied groggily.

“I heard you scream,” Ruby worried.

Sam rubbed her face.  “I'm sorry.  Sorry, I had a bad dream.”

“I thought you'd wake me up when you got back from your trip?”

“What trip?” Sam frowned.

“Where you went yesterday,” Ruby clarified.

“I didn't go on a trip, Ruby, I'm here,” Sam said in confusion.

“You said you were going somewhere. To get answers. That something wonderful was gonna happen,” Ruby reminded her.

“I said that? I don't know what... I'm tired. I've just been so tired. Come here.”  She waited until Ruby was in her arms before hugging her tightly.  “Hi. Hi. Hi. What time is it?”

“11:00,” Ruby answered.

Sam gawked at the clock.

“Yeah, you slept in.”

“It can't be 11:00,” Sam spoke seriously.  “Because it's pancake-o'clock!” she announced loudly with a grin. “What do you want, chocolate chip or banana?” she asked as she climbed out of bed.

“Both!” Ruby chuckled.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Danvers crew was still moving sluggishly, and by lunchtime, they hadn’t even left Midvale yet.  They finished packing up the vehicles and stopped at a local diner to eat before their drive.  The kids’ leg cramps had subsided, but they were both whiny from not sleeping properly, and they were really getting on everyone’s nerves.  Alex was tired and grumpy too, and her neck and back were killing her from sleeping on the couch.  Kara tried to keep the peace, but it was delicate work, especially with three extra-emotional people.  

Of course, people in the diner recognized them and wanted hugs, autographs, and photos.  That just seemed to further irritate the moms-to-be, although it lifted the kids’ spirits a bit to be gushed over.  Eventually, the attention died down, and they were able to eat in peace, but Alex’s glare stayed fixed on her face.  They were getting ready to pay the bill and leave when they saw the last person they wanted to see - fucking Vicky Donahue.  

The woman’s eyes got big as saucers when she laid eyes on the Danvers, paying special attention to the moms-to-be.  “Holy shit!” she gasped.  The Danvers glared at her, but that didn’t stop the next thing out of her mouth.  “Oh, my God, you did this!” she pointed at Kara.  “You’re getting them pregnant somehow.”

Kara gaped like a fish.

“Fuck off,” Alex snarled at her.

“Oh, the media’s gonna love this!” Vicky crowed.  “I know you guys hacked my phone after the last time we saw each other.  You’re going to regret it.”

Alex stepped threateningly into her personal space.  “You think we hacked your phone, and yet you’re still threatening us?”  She whispered the next part, “You really think that’s bad?  Cause some more problems for us.  I dare you.”

Vicky raised an eyebrow.  “Bring it on, bitch.”

Kara snatched Alex by the back of her collar and dragged her out of the diner before she could say or do anything that would require intervention.

“I swear to God, Kara, if she blabs her mouth, I’m going to kick her ass!” Alex growled.

“Just try to calm down, baby, please,” Kara urged.  “Your heart rate is way too high right now.”  She led Alex back to the U-Haul and tried to get her to breathe calming breaths.  “I’ve got you, Alex.  It’s OK.  I’m not going to let her hurt us or our family.  You don’t have to worry about what she says.  It’s not going to change how much we love each other.  It’s not going to change anything, really.  We have our family, and our home, and we’re legally married.  No one does drugs, and we have plenty of money, and our kids are going to be spoiled rotten with love.  No one can take them away from us for any legal reasons.  It’s fine.  People have found out everything else about me, why not this too?  I mean, it’ll be a little bit embarrassing, but it won’t be the end of the world.”

Alex let Kara soothe her, melting into her wife’s embrace as she tried to calm down.

Eliza came up and stroked her shoulders.  “Come on, sweetie.  Let’s get out of here.”

Alex nodded, letting her mother hug her before they climbed into the cab of the U-Haul truck.

X

They had barely started driving when Jessie was getting a call from her girlfriend.

“Ruby!” Jessie exclaimed as she answered the phone.  “Is your mom OK?”

Ruby had texted her earlier that she was worried about her mom sleeping so late.  “I don't know,” the brunette replied, “She’s still being a little weird.  I asked her about her trip that she took yesterday, and she acted like she didn’t even know what I was talking about.  I’m not sure if she’s hiding something from me, or if she genuinely doesn’t remember, but either way, I’m still pretty worried about her.”

Jessie frowned.  “Can I tell Lena?  Maybe she can talk to your mom and figure out what’s going on.”

“Yeah, do it,” Ruby encouraged.  “Lena’s my mom’s best friend, if she can’t get to the bottom of this, I don’t know if anyone can.

“What’s going on?” Lena asked from the front passenger seat.

“Here, let me put you on speaker,” Jessie offered.  “That way you can talk to each other.”

“Hello, Ruby, dear,” Lena greeted the girl.

“Hey, Lena,” Ruby replied, worry evident in her voice.  “So, my mom’s been acting really funny lately.  She’s distracted all the time, even at home, and she’s been having nightmares, and she told me she was going on a trip, but this morning she acted like she didn’t even remember going.  Has she talked to you about anything strange lately?”

“No, nothing out of the ordinary,” Lena confirmed.  “So you want me to talk to her?”

“Yes, please,” Ruby said plaintively.

“And what about Douglas?  Have you talked to him about it?” Lena inquired.

“No, I haven’t,” Ruby admitted.  “Do you think I should?”

“Let me talk to your mom first,” Lena offered.  “Just in case it’s about him, and she can’t talk to you about it.”

“OK,” Ruby agreed.  “When can you come over?”

“Not until tomorrow, sweetie,” Lena told her.

“Oh,” Ruby’s pout was clear in her voice.

“I’m sorry, dear, but we’ve only just left Midvale, and we still have a lot to do today.  Plus, we’re all pretty exhausted.  Growing babies takes a lot of energy, you know.”

“We can come help!” Ruby offered.

“OK, well, you can talk to your mom, and let us know if she’s OK with that,” Lena permitted.  “We’ll let you know when we’re back in town.”

“OK, thank you,” Ruby sighed gratefully.  

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Lena replied.

Jessie took her girlfriend off of speakerphone and ended their conversation for the time being.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“What are these empty rooms for?” M’yrnn asked as J’onn led him into a strange building.

“It's not much.  But, um, it's an apartment,” J’onn explained.  “To live in.  I never thought I'd see you again, Father.  Not after the invasion.  I'd gotten so used to living here on Earth, on my own.  Work has always made me feel productive.  Useful.  But you are so right.  I have isolated myself in my work.  When I was a child, you taught me to always see the beauty in life.  I've lost sight of that over the years.” 

“Nothing is ever lost for good.  It may not be Mars, but there is much beauty to find on this planet,” M’yrnn smiled.

“There is,” J’onn agreed.

“I am here for you now, son.”

“I know.  That's why we're here”

“At this apartment?”

“I thought it might be a better fit than the DEO…  For both of us.”

“You shall move here too?” M’yrnn asked hopefully.

“We could make this our... home.  If you'd like,” J’onn smiled softly. 

“I would like that very much,” M’yrnn beamed.