Chapter 74: 74. Alex's Birthday - Part 2
September 24, 2017 (pregnancy week 29)
The cake was ready. The twins had made Alex’s favorite German chocolate cake, and they had to guard it from everyone to keep their hands off it. Instead, they sacrificed a few of the vanilla-lemon cupcakes they had made since Amy's girlfriend Tara was allergic to chocolate. They still had a good dozen left after everyone pilfered some, so it was fine.
Everyone was dressed and ready to go shortly afterward. They loaded up the cars and headed to the Baldwin. When they arrived, the Williams were already there unloading the food. They all greeted one another cheerfully, and the men wished Alex a happy birthday as they walked to the conference room together, arms loaded down with things for the party. When their hands were finally free, they gave hugs all around.
“Where are we putting the gifts, sweetie?” Robert asked.
“You got me a present? Alex asked, surprised.
“Of course we did, girl! We told you we’re gifts people!”
James and Lucy showed up not long after, arms laden with all sorts of goodies. “Hey!” they greeted everyone in unison. “How’s the birthday girl?” James asked, hugging her.
“I’m doing OK,” Alex smiled tiredly at him.
“That doesn’t sound very convincing,” Lucy frowned as she hugged her best friend.
Alex sighed. “I’m just not all that enthused about turning 31,” she grumbled.
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Lucy insisted. “You don’t look a day over 25.”
“Honey, wait until you turn 50, and then talk to me,” Robert sassed.
“I don’t know if I’m even gonna live that long,” Alex replied, trying for a joke but coming off a little dark.
“You’d better!” Kara hollered from the other side of the room.
Alex turned around and looked at her wife before rolling her eyes. The Kryptonian was floating a few feet off the ground and hanging streamers. “Kara’s got this thing where she’s afraid that she’ll outlive us by a few decades because of the whole slow aging thing. She insists that we’re not allowed to die until she does, no matter how wrinkly we get.”
The others chuckled.
“I think she’s onto something there,” Robert grinned. “Just tell your partner they’re not allowed to die. Good thinking.”
Alex huffed a laugh. “She’s bound and determined to try.”
“I don’t blame her, honey. You’re a very lovable person,” Robert told her.
“Seconded,” Lucy agreed.
“Thirded,” James grinned.
“Forthed!” Kara called from across the room.
“Stop eavesdropping, you brat!” Alex barked back at her, though her smile tempered any perceivable threat.
Kara simply stuck her tongue out.
“Amy!” the twins squealed when they saw their friend walk through the door. They ran to her and enveloped her in a bear hug, one right after the other. “Where’s Tara?” Jessie asked worriedly. “We made her special cupcakes, so she could have a treat this time.”
“Aww! You guys! That was so nice of you!” Amy grinned. “She’s outside talking to Eve, she’ll be in in a sec. Where are we putting presents?” She held up the big box she was holding.
The twins pointed to the gift table.
“Cool.” Amy dropped the gift off and headed for Alex. “Happy Birthday!”
“Thanks, Amy” Alex smiled genuinely, accepting her hugs.
Amy got distracted by giving everyone else hugs, when Tara came in with Eve and Mon-El, all three laden down with bags of 2 liters. And was that tequila? The chef looked surprised. “Damn, you guys! I didn’t know you had all that to bring in, or I would have helped.”
“It’s fine, we got it all,” Mon-El shrugged.
“Mon-El!” Alex greeted him. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever, dude!”
The Daxamite blinked at her for a moment. “Wow, I didn’t realize how much I’d gotten used to being called Mike at school. It was a little weird to hear my own name there for a second.”
Alex chuckled. “How’s school going?”
His face lit up. “Oh, my god, Alex, it’s so awesome! I never knew I could be smart before.”
She grinned at him. “Well, you did read the entirety of The Joy of Cooking in under a week, so that doesn’t surprise me. I’m proud of you.”
He beamed at her. “Thanks! That means a lot coming from you. Oh! I didn’t hug you yet!” He wrapped his arms around her and only squeezed her a tiny bit.
“I’m proud of him too,” Eve chimed in. “He’s been working really hard. Sometimes I have to force him to take breaks.”
“Don’t burn yourself out, man,” James told him. “Pace yourself.”
“I can’t help it, everything is interesting to me right now,” Mon-El shrugged.
Kara made a point to come over and give hugs. “I’m proud of you too, Mon-El. We all are.”
“Don’t make me cry, now, come on,” Mon-El shoved her a little. He looked at James and Lucy, “So, how’s the married life treating you?”
The pair put their arms around each other and Lucy patted James’ chest, answering, “Great! The only real hard part is remembering to sign my married name.”
The group laughed.
“So everything is perfect?” Mon-El checked.
“Of course it’s not perfect,” James replied. “We have arguments and bad days, but we know how to communicate with each other pretty well, so we can always navigate back to where we need to be. That’s what makes us such a good team.”
Lucy stood up on her tiptoes and gave James a kiss. “Yep.”
“Ruby!” Jessie suddenly shouted, running to her girlfriend and giving her a great big kiss in front of everyone. It wasn’t much, just a couple of seconds of their lips pressed together.
Ruby had a huge grin on her face when Jessie hugged her. “Hi, Jess,” she answered happily.
Everyone got really quiet to see how Alex and Sam were going to react to the preteen PDA. Not much happened besides some raised eyebrows. Douglas pressed his lips together to keep from laughing about the whole scene. The girls didn’t even notice everyone staring at them. Just as abruptly as they had stopped, the conversations in the room started up again.
“Alex!” Sam called out, opening her arms to her friend. “Happy birthday!”
“Thank you!” Alex replied, falling into Sam’s embrace.
“Presents?” Douglas asked, wiggling the box in his hands.
“Over there, thank you,” Alex pointed.
“Sam!” Lena joined them. “How are you?” She hugged her best friend enthusiastically. “I miss you!”
“Hi, Lena!” Sam beamed, giving the mom-to-be a good squeeze. “Oh, I miss you too! It’s been too long since we got to see each other for fun.”
“Agreed. Let’s go sit down, my feet and back are killing me,” Lena complained.
“Yeah, I’m kinda there myself,” Alex admitted. “Let’s go sit,” she repeated.
People who hadn’t gotten hugs yet got them in before they sat down at the tables. Maggie extracted herself from her conversation with her boss to come and join them.
“Hi, baby,” Alex said, giving her a kiss.
“Hi there,” Maggie smiled and hummed into the kiss.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” Alex spoke softly.
“Mmm,” Maggie tapped her chin, “I don’t think so.”
Alex kissed her again. “Maggie, you look so beautiful.”
The detective grinned, dimples on full display, “Thanks. You look quite stunning yourself.”
“Thank you.” Alex turned to give Lena the same attention, but she was talking animatedly to Sam about a recent podcast she’d listened to. Alex would get her attention later. Instead, she put her arms around both Maggie and Lena and listened to Lena’s story.
Finally, Winn and Lyra showed up a few minutes later. “Sorry we’re late!” Winn called out to them. “I lost track of time, I’m sorry.” He hurried over and set up the stereo system, turning on some music before heading over and giving Alex a big hug. “Happy birthday!”
“Yes, happy birthday!” Lyra added, also giving her a hug.
“Thanks, guys!”
“Uh, where do the presents go?” He asked, waving a badly wrapped package around.
Alex pointed.
Lastly, J’onn showed up, a shiny gift with a big bow on top under one arm, and M’rynn beside him. When he spotted Alex, he smiled warmly and headed toward her.
“Alex!” he called, walking around the table and giving her a big hug.
“Hey, J’onn!” she answered, hugging him back. “Hey, M’yrnn. Nice to see you again. Thanks for coming. Presents go over there,” she pointed.
As J’onn took his gift to the table, Kara jumped up and hugged M’yrnn. “Hey, I’m so glad you made it!”
“Thank you,” M’yrnn grinned. “I’m happy to be here with J’onn’s Earth family.”
“Hey, we’re your family now too,” she insisted.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly.
“Would you like to come sit with me?” she offered.
“That would be lovely,” he replied. “You can introduce me to the people I haven’t met yet.”
“Gladly!” Not knowing, or really caring, whether or not he’d remember people’s names, she pointed out who everyone was and then led him over to sit down with her, Eliza and Mon-El and Eve. Though he had met Eliza, somehow he hadn’t met the other two yet.
“Who’s ready to eat?” Robert called out to them.
“Yes, please!” Alex replied holding her finger in the air.
“Me, for sure,” Maggie agreed.
“I’m famished!” Lena added.
“OK, Alex first, then Maggie and Lena, and then everyone else,” Robert directed.
Everyone got up and headed toward the food table. When their plates were all loaded up, they went back to their tables and dug in. M’rynn was fascinated by all the food. It was so different from what he was used to eating, and he enjoyed trying all the different things. Even if he didn’t like something, he just shook his head and laughed. The kids especially were entertained by his enthusiasm and kept giving him more and more things to try. Eventually, he waved them off, claiming he couldn’t eat anymore. He marveled at how much the Kryptonians could eat, asking them where they put it all.
When the moms-to-be were finished eating, they just sat back and cuddled each other, listening to the random conversations going on. Now that the worst of the year’s hot weather was over, they weren’t quite so grouchy all the time. That didn’t mean that they didn’t still have their moments of being emotional and crabby from hormones and general discomfort, but it was better than July and August. They could snuggle now, without getting overheated, and that went a long way towards keeping them a lot calmer. As they had learned, physical touch was an intrinsic part of their relationships. Not sex, necessarily - although that counted - just any random touching was needed. After a little while, though, they all had to use the bathroom, of course, so they excused themselves.
When they returned, the four kids were up dancing. When Alex caught Carter’s eye, she gave him a thumbs up. She knew how hard it was for him to get up and dance with other people around. It really showed how comfortable he was getting with the Superfriends. She was proud of him, especially since she knew it made Jamie so happy when he danced with her. Her daughter didn’t care that he wasn’t a good dancer. She just wanted to spend time with him, and clearly Carter understood that. If only some of the grown men in the world could be as understanding as him. As much as she was wary of her daughter dating a boy, Alex appreciated that she at least picked a good one. Which reminded her, she needed to have a little talk with Jamie about sex and contraceptives. She prayed to God and Rao that it was still too early for such things, but she wanted to be early rather than late. Especially with Jamie’s track record.
The three pregnant women went back to their table and sat down. Comfortable shoes or not, their bodies were aching, and they didn’t feel much like dancing. Sam was the only one left sitting near them at the moment, and Maggie took the opportunity to ask a question she’d been dying to know the answer to. She whispered so only the four of them could hear, “Have you and Douglas had sex yet?”
Sam blushed, pressing her lips together bashfully. “Yes,” she admitted.
“How was it?” Maggie pressed.
Sam blushed even more. “It was amazing. I didn’t know sex could be like that.”
The moms-to-be laughed heartily. “That’s awesome,” Maggie patted her hand. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” Sam muttered. “His idea of a quickie is, like, 45 minutes.”
The moms-to-be all gave her surprised looks. “Nice!” Maggie chuckled.
“And Ruby’s still doing OK with you guys dating?” Lena checked.
Sam shrugged. “She seems to be. I mean, he hasn’t spent the night while she’s there, yet, and she still acts happy to see him when he comes over and everything, so…” she trailed off with a wave of her hand.
“I’m glad,” Lena smiled at her. “You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”
“Thank you,” Sam sighed. “You know, I haven’t been with anyone since Ruby’s father, and he was a sixteen-year-old boy. It’s a little overwhelming sometimes.”
“But in a good way, though, right?” Alex winked.
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “In a very good way. He’s so… chivalrous. And smart. And he’s really good with Ruby, and that is so, so important. She’s my whole world, you know?”
“I know,” Alex nodded. “That was one of the best things about Maggie and Lena, even in the beginning. They were always great with the twins. It went a long way towards making me trust them and then fall in love.”
Sam nodded in understanding.
When the current song ended, Jessie ran over to their table. “Can we sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and have cake yet?”
Alex smiled. “Sure, sweetie.”
Jessie beamed. “Grandma! We can do the cake now!” she hollered across the room.
Eliza looked up from her conversation with Cat, J’onn and M’rynn. “OK, dear.” She got up from her seat and grabbed the lighter out of her purse that she’d bought for the occasion. “OK, everyone,” she called. “Winn, can you turn the music down for a minute? We’re going to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and cut the cake.”
Winn used his remote to pause the music, and everyone got up and gathered around the cake table. Eliza lit the candle numbers, and started singing. When the song was over, Alex closed her eyes and made a wish, then blew out the candles. Everyone clapped and cheered, and Eliza cut the cake. Jessie made it very clear that the cupcakes were for Tara, and she’d better get as many as she wanted, or else. Tara blushed furiously at the attention, but she thanked the girls profusely for thinking of her. Everyone got their pieces of cake and returned to the tables, and Winn turned the music back on. M’yrnn loved the cake, and when he found out the girls had made it, he gave them high praise. Alex loved how amazing he was with the kids, and she was immensely grateful that J’onn had found his father and that he was instantly a part of the family.
When everyone was finished, James got his camera out and started making his rounds. Everyone posed prettily for him, but all four kids hammed it up, giggling and making silly faces. He had to talk them into taking a couple of nice photos. When he was done with them, he orchestrated a few more staged photos before just taking some candid shots around the room.
Winn and Lyra, Mon-El and Eve, and Amy and Tara joined the kids on the dance floor. They all danced with each other, irrespective of couples. When James was finished taking pictures, he and Lucy joined them as well.
Alex smiled as she watched them. She loved having parties and watching her friends let loose. If she weren’t so exhausted, she’d be right up there with them, but for now, she was content to just watch. She cuddled with whichever wife she could get her hands on. Right now it was Lena, who was still chatting with Sam, while Alex and Douglas just listened. They were going on about some of the privileged old men they had to deal with at L-Corp, and Lena was giving Sam some advice on how she dealt with each of them. Of course, Lena expressed complete confidence in Sam, but since Lena had experience with them, she figured she’d offer her two cents anyway.
The laughter at the table next to them got their attention. Apparently, M’yrnn was telling an embarrassing story about J’onn because the director covered his face and shook his head. She’d have to find out what it was because now she was curious. She’d love to have dirt on her boss. “Let’s go see what all the hubbub is about,” she suggested.
The other three nodded in agreement and joined the table with J’onn, M’yrnn, Kara, Eliza, Cat, Maggie, and the Chief and Robert. Kara opened her arms for Alex to come sit next to her, and when she did, the blonde kissed her and held her close. The agent simply reveled in it.
“So how long have you two been together?” M’rynn inquired.
“Alex and I have been together for fifteen years,” Kara replied. “Maggie and Lena just came to us last year.”
M’rynn frowned curiously. “You’re all four together?”
The pair nodded.
“Is that a common occurrence on Earth?” he asked.
“No,” Kara shook her head. “We try to fly under the radar with our relationship, so people don’t freak out over it.”
“What about on Krypton?”
“Kryptonians were known to have other lovers, but not like we do it. We kind of broke all the rules, but I don’t care. I need them all.” She rubbed Alex’s belly affectionately, getting a few happy kicks in return. She kissed the baby’s foot with a grin and added, “I wasn’t supposed to get them pregnant, but that was kind of an accident.”
M’rynn chuckled. “I know all about those kinds of accidents. We didn’t mean to get pregnant so soon with J’onn, but H’ronmeer had other plans. He was always a good boy, though, and we loved him very much. Early or not.”
“Yeah, Kara and I didn’t think we could have kids together, since she’s from another planet. Nature showed us otherwise. That’s how we ended up with those two.” Alex pointed her thumb at the twins. We couldn’t have been happier, though. Kara has lost so much, it was nice to be able to give something back to her. And they’re pretty great kids, if I do say so myself.”
“Yes, I can see that,” M’rynn nodded. “How old are they?”
“They’re twelve-years-old,” Alex replied. “Still very young, even by Earth standards.”
“I wish you all the best with them, and with your new little ones, as well. When are you girls due?”
“A little over ten weeks now. We’re getting close.”
M’yrnn grinned. “I am so looking forward to meeting them.”
J’onn nodded. “We all are, father. Everyone here is incredibly emotionally invested in these children. They’re going to be a gift to all of us.”
The kids decided to take a break from dancing, and they came over to the table where everyone was sitting. Jessie wrapped her arms around Alex from behind and hugged her. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, baby,” Alex kissed her cheek.
Jamie nudged her sister out of the way, so she could hug her mom too. “I love you too, Mom.”
“I love you too, baby,” Alex repeated, kissing her on the cheek as well.
“When are you going to open your presents?” Jessie asked, sitting on Kara’s lap.
“You want to bring them over?” Alex suggested.
“Yeah!” Jessie leapt up and she and Jamie ran over to collect the gifts. “Mom’s gonna open presents!” she alerted the others still dancing.
Winn stopped the music and helped collect the gifts to bring to Alex. They loaded up the table in front of her and all gathered around to watch her open them. Jessie told them what they had given Alex at home before she opened anything.
The first present handed to her was from Mon-El and Eve. She read the card and opened the bag, digging through the tissue paper and finding a couple of bottles of non-alcoholic margaritas and a nice pair of brown cat eye sunglasses. She chuckled and thanked them, putting on the glasses and showing them off.
“Those look gorgeous, Mom,” Jamie beamed at her.
“Thanks,” she said, putting them on the table in front of her.
Next, she opened Winn and Lyra’s gift. It looked like it was wrapped by a 5-year-old, but inside was a brand new phone. “Ooh!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t had a new phone for a long time.”
“Yeah, I know, it was kinda driving me nuts,” Winn admitted. “I hope you don’t mind, but I added a few security measures and things to keep you updated. No one but me can trace the phone.”
“Cool,” she said. “How do I put my number on it?”
He reached for the phone and started setting it up for her. “It’s gonna take me a minute, so go ahead and keep opening presents.
“OK.” The girls handed her another gift. This one was from Amy and Tara, and it was kind of big. She tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a motorcycle helmet that had a 70’s-style rainbow painted front-to-back on a black background, and on the sides were clouds in the shape of skulls. “Cool!” she exclaimed. “Wow, thank you guys!”
Amy and Tara beamed at her. “You’re welcome. I know you can’t ride for a couple months, but I couldn’t resist this when I saw it,” Amy told her.
“It’s awesome,” Alex grinned.
“Next!” Jessie announced, handing her another gift. This one was from James and Lucy. She tore open the bright purple paper to reveal some sort of cube thing. When she read the box, she realized it was a digital photo box that changed photos on all sides. “Oh, cool!” They had so many photos, it wasn’t even funny. This would be a nice display for their collection. “Thank you guys!”
“You’re welcome,” they answered chipperly.
Alex accepted the next box. It was from Sam, Douglas, and Ruby. She read the card to everyone before opening it. When she tore the wrapping off, she found a big piece of wood. At first, she was confused, but she turned it over and revealed an etched sign that said, ‘Danvers.’ There were flowers and other little doodles etched into the corners, and it was overall very elegantly done. “Wow, cool!” she said.
“We made it!” Ruby announced. “It’s for your new house!”
“You guys made this?” she repeated in disbelief.
“Yep!” Ruby confirmed.
“Wow, that makes this even more cool,” Alex told her, hugging the sign. Now she knew why there was a wire cable bolted to the back. “Thank you guys so much!”
Lastly, there were two more boxes to open, and Jamie handed one over. “Oof, it’s heavy,” she admitted. She was wearing her red sun band, after all. “This is from J’onn and M’rynn. She held the box, so Alex could tear into it.
When she figured out how to open the box, she found a killer pair of biker boots. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed, pulling the boots out. The tops were pretty tall for her - going up about halfway to her calf - but they were completely gorgeous. They were gunmetal grey to start, and even though the laces went all the way up the front and had a dozen or so straps that went over them, there was a zipper on the inside seam that would let her take them off and put them on easily. “Wow! These are so sweet!” she marveled, handing the boots to Jamie. “Here, help me try them on.”
Jamie took the boots and put them on her mother’s feet, zipping them up for her.
“They fit perfectly!” she told her boss. “Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome, Alex,” J’onn gave her a grin.
“How did you know my shoe size?” Alex inquired.
J’onn chuckled. “I just asked Kara. I didn’t read your mind, or anything.”
“That’s a relief,” Alex grinned. “I don’t think it’s safe in my head right now.”
Everyone laughed.
“When is it ever?” Lucy teased.
Alex flipped her off.
“What does that mean?” M’rynn asked curiously.
J’onn whispered in his father’s ear.
“Oh!” M’yrnn blushed slightly. “Oh my.”
“Sorry,” Alex apologized to him. “It’s just a joke. Lucy’s my best friend. We joke like that all the time.”
“Typical soldier behavior,” M’rynn chuckled.
“Yeah, cops are like that too,” Maggie grinned.
“What’s a cop?” M’yrnn asked.
“Local law enforcement,” J’onn explained.
“Ah. So you are a ‘cop’?”
“Yes, I am,” Maggie nodded. “A detective, actually.”
“They let you do that while pregnant?” he said, surprised.
Maggie huffed a sardonic laugh. “Not really, no. I’m stuck at my desk most days now. It’s really boring.”
“That’s unfortunate,” he replied. “But I’d take all the rest I can get. When the babies come, they’ll never let you sleep again.”
Maggie glared at Jamie. “Oh, we have plenty of help. Both the twins are going to help, plus we have Douglas and Lyra, and of course, Kara. And at least for a little while, we have Eliza, until she decides to go back to Midvale.”
“Actually, I was thinking about staying,” Eliza surprised them all.
“Really?” Alex said hopefully. “What about your job?”
Eliza waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, I’ve had job offers coming in from National City for years. I’m sure someone will have me.”
“You could always stay on full-time at the DEO,” J’onn offered. “Your knowledge and expertise would be more than welcome on our team. You’ve already been so helpful with so many things.”
“It’s an option I’ll keep in mind,” Eliza nodded. “It kind of depends on whether or not Alex wants to work with her mother for the rest of her life.”
“I love having you around,” Alex told her. “And you really have been so helpful these past few months. Plus, I know the kids would love to have you here permanently.”
“Yeah!” All four kids cheered.
“You can have our old penthouse, if you like,” Lena offered. “I still own it, and it’s all fixed now. All I have to do is update the security a little. Unless you want to live with us, which is fine, but I thought you might like your own space. It’s not that far away from the new house, and it’s pretty central to a lot of places you might like to go.”
“We can talk about it later,” Eliza told her. She loved Lena, and she didn’t want to take advantage of her.
Alex smiled. “That’s a good birthday surprise.”
Eliza grinned back. “I’m glad, dear. We’ll talk more about it later, I promise.”
“Mommy, you have one more present!” Jessie reminded her.
“Ooh, gimme!” Alex demanded playfully.
Jessie handed her the last gift. It was from the Williams.
“Aww, you guys didn’t have to do this,” Alex told them. “You made all the food.”
“You know we can’t resist,” the Chief grinned.
She shook her head with a smirk, “You guys.” She dug in the gift bag, pulling out a handful of tissue paper to reveal an envelope and something that looked like a little plastic pig. Upon further inspection, the little pig turned out to be a back massager. “Oh, nice,” she commented, handing it to Kara.
Kara turned the thing on and ran it up Jessie’s spine.
The preteen jumped up with a squeal. “That tickles!”
Everyone laughed. Jessie snatched the massager and put it on Lena’s back. The CEO’s eyes nearly rolled into the back of her skull.
“Lower,” Lena urged.
Jessie traced the massager down to Lena’s lower back, and the woman nearly drooled.
“I think you broke her,” Kara giggled.
“What else did you get, Mom?” Jamie wanted to know.
“Alright, what have we here?” Alex opened the envelope to find three gift certificates to a local spa. “Oooh! Sweet!” she exclaimed, showing Maggie and Lena. “That is so amazing. I can’t believe you guys did this. You’re too much.”
“You girls are worth it,” the Chief replied casually.
Maggie and Lena thanked them as well.
“You’re welcome, girls,” Robert answered. “We wanted to do something for all three of you, since you wouldn’t let us buy you anything for your birthdays.”
Maggie scoffed. “You gave us fifty dollars, I think that counts as a gift.”
“Not to us, honey,” Robert replied.
Alex smiled gratefully. “Thank you all so much. These were fantastic gifts. I love them all.”
Everyone took turns hugging her and repeating Happy Birthdays. Winn handed over her new phone, proclaiming it ready for use. He’d even switched her SD card, so she could still have her contacts and photos.
“No one’s going to break into this phone. I guarantee you,” he promised.
“Thanks, Winn.” She checked the time. “We still have half an hour before we have to clear out.”
“Can we dance a little more?” Jessie begged.
“Knock yourselves out,” she permitted.
Winn turned the music back on and about half the group got up to dance a little longer. Kara pulled Alex back into her arms, and Alex melted into her. “Will you dance one dance with me?” Kara whispered.
“Make it a slow one,” Alex requested, “Then yes.”
The blonde grinned and floated them to their feet. “Winn!” Kara called. “Can you put on something slow for us?”
“Can do!” he replied eagerly. He flipped around on his playlist until he found something he thought was suitable and pressed play.
“Come Away With Me” by Nora Jones filled the air with its romance, and everyone watched them for a moment before falling into their own little couple-worlds. Jamie and Carter blushed at each other the whole time, barely even able to make eye-contact. In contrast, Jessie and Ruby were looking more like idiots in love, with Jessie even sneaking in another kiss. Lena and Maggie joined them as well, giggling about how far apart their bellies made them from one another. Every couple was there with them, each set of partners gazing longingly at each other. The scent of arousal had Kara a little on edge, and she let out a low growl.
“What’s wrong?” Alex whispered.
“Not wrong so much as this song is making everyone horny,” she whispered back.
Alex giggled. “Does that include you?”
“It was until I started smelling everyone else, and now I feel like I know things I didn’t want to know.”
Alex giggled again. “I’m sorry, Angel.” She gave her wife a kiss. “It’s almost time to go, anyway. Just hang in there.”
Kara nodded and kissed her again. “I love you so much, Alex. I hope you had a good birthday, in spite of being upset about how old you are.”
“I did, thank you,” Alex smiled sweetly. “I’m so glad we have our little found family. Everyone is so loving and supportive. I don’t know what I’d do without you all.”
When the song was over, Kara got everyone’s attention. “It’s time to get cleaned up and get out of here,” she told them. We don’t have the room for much longer.”
Everyone pitched in to help clean up, and within 10 minutes, the room was clean, and all they had to do was load up the car with Alex’s gifts.
Afterward, Sam caught hold of the redhead. “Hey, would you mind if Ruby and I came over for a little while? The girls want to spend some more time together before Ruby has to go back to school for the week.”
Alex nodded. They didn’t let the girls see each other much during the week, and even though they alternated sleeping over at each other's houses on Fridays, she knew, if it were her, she would be dying to spend time with her partner after all that time apart. “Yeah, that’s fine. Is Douglas going to come too?”
Sam shrugged. “If that’s OK with you, I’d like it if he could.”
“Fine with me,” Alex agreed easily. “We don’t have anything planned for the rest of the evening. We can watch a movie or something.”
“Sounds perfect,” Sam grinned.
“I think we might stop at the store and pick up some ice cream,” Alex mused. “I’ve got a major craving for some chocolate chip cookie dough.”
Sam chuckled. “That sounds awesome. That’s one of my favorites, too.”
“Noted,” Alex replied. “I’ll get two. One for us and one for the kids. They love it too.”
“Ruby likes anything with peanut butter,” Sam informed her.
“Got it. We could always make a group trip of it,” Alex suggested. “Let everyone pick out what they want.”
“Ooh, that sounds fun!” Sam agreed.
“Just don’t tell anyone you’re coming over, or everyone will want to come.”
Sam laughed. “I hear you loud and clear.”
The gang cleared out of the ballroom and headed out to the parking lot. After everyone got the hugs they wanted, most of them lingered in the parking lot, still engrossed in conversation. Alex informed the Grants of her plan, and they agreed to go to the store together. When the kids found out they were going to get ice cream, they cheered. When Jessie found out that Sam and Ruby and Douglas were coming over, she squealed so loud, she almost made Kara drive off the road. Kara led the caravan in their minivan with the Danvers gang, and Douglas and Cat followed in their respective vehicles. When they got to the store, they all piled out of their cars and headed in. The two pairs of kid couples were holding hands as if their lives depended on it. Alex figured they had the right idea, so she laced her fingers with Maggie’s, and was rewarded with that beautiful dimpled grin that made her all warm and fuzzy inside.
“You doing OK?” Maggie checked.
Alex nodded. “Yeah. You?”
“I’m good.” Maggie gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, then turned to Lena on her other side. “You doing OK, baby?”
Lena smiled, albeit a bit tiredly. “I’m good. I’ll be glad when we get back, and I can put my feet up.”
“I hear that,” Maggie agreed.
“All I can think about is getting that ice cream in my face,” Alex chuckled.
The others laughed as well.
“I want Cookies and Cream!” Jessie pronounced. “With chocolate syrup!”
“I want Moose Trax!” Ruby deferred.
“Told ya,” Sam chuckled.
“I want Neapolitan!” Jamie nearly shouted.
“I want Mint Chocolate Chip,” Carter suggested.
“Everyone can get whatever they want,” Alex informed them.
The kids cheered victoriously.
The group made their way to the ice cream aisle, and by the time everyone had picked out what they wanted, they had pretty much one of everything you could think of. Kara chose Death by Chocolate, Eliza wanted Butter Pecan, Cat went with Strawberry, Maggie picked out a dairy-free raspberry sorbet, Lena got a strawberry sorbet, and Douglas grabbed some Rocky Road. Alex knew they must look a bit funny with a big group and a cart full of ice cream, but she didn’t care. She was having fun on her birthday, and she needed that. The only small hitch was that Kara, Maggie, and Douglas were punning back and forth so much through the store, her head hurt from rolling her eyes so hard. Still, it was making the kids laugh, and she couldn’t be mad at that. When they got to the self-checkout aisle, she made Kara scan the ice cream as fast as the computer would let her. If this baby didn’t get her ice cream soon, Alex was sure to feel her wrath. Probably in the form of some killer heartburn. She couldn’t have that. Luckily, Ms. Grant’s place wasn’t far.
When they arrived, they all piled out of the cars, and everyone helped bring stuff inside. They brought the ice cream into the kitchen and piled it onto the table. Jessie and Jamie got out a bunch of bowls and spoons and set them on the table as well, and Kara dug out the ice cream scoop. She made sure Alex got hers first.
The agent pounced on her bowl, “Ah, thank you!” She shoved a spoonful in her mouth with a sinful groan.
Kara and the kids giggled. Next, the Kryptonian divvied out the rest of the ice cream for everyone, and they all sat at the kitchen table to eat it. Ruby and Jessie took turns eating their own ice cream and then feeding each other, giggling the whole time. Then Carter and Jamie thought it was funny, so they started doing it too. After that, the whole room erupted into soft laughter and giggling.
When they were all nearly finished, Eliza asked, “So, what movie are we going to watch?”
They debated amongst themselves for a little while before ultimately deciding on ‘Doctor Strange.’ When everyone was done with their ice cream, Kara put all the extra in the deep freezer and offered to clean up while the others got the movie ready. She used her super speed to rinse the dishes and then put them in the dishwasher, turning it on when she was done. She also popped some popcorn with her heat vision, putting it into the popcorn bowls that they had and passing it around the room. The twins and the moms-to-be took it gratefully, but everyone else waved her off. She sat down in front of Alex, pulling off her wife’s shoes and rubbing her feet.
“I call next,” Maggie told her.
She chuckled. “You got it, babe.” She spent about half an hour on Alex’s feet, then switched to Maggie. After another half an hour, she asked Lena if she wanted a foot rub.
The CEO stuck her foot out and replied, “Do you even have to ask?”
Kara switched places and started on Lena’s feet. When she was finished, she simply sat between Alex’s legs and watched the rest of the movie. She was glad too, because it was getting to the good part - the action. She wished her cape was sentient like Doctor Strange’s. It could help her in so many ways. She was always tripping over the one she had. It was embarrassing, and not very Super-like at all.
Jessie voiced her thoughts, “Mama, you need a cape like that!”
“I was just thinking that very same thing,” Kara chuckled.
By the time the movie was over, Alex, Maggie, and Lena had dozed off, leaning on one another. Kara’s heart clenched at how cute they were and snuck a picture of them. They would kill her if they saw the pic, but she couldn’t help herself.
Everyone stretched their limbs out, a little stiff from sitting still so long.
Jessie clung to Ruby like her life depended on it. “Can Ruby and I go upstairs for a minute?” she asked.
“No,” Eliza answered, since Alex was conked out. “You can talk in the kitchen.”
Jessie pouted. She wanted to kiss her girlfriend without the fear of being walked in on. All the same, she tugged Ruby into the kitchen with her and pulled her into a desperate kiss. “I love you so much, Ruby,” she said, pulling her into a fierce hug. They rested their foreheads together for a few moments, just enjoying the closeness.
“I love you too, Jess,” Ruby grinned. They kissed a few more times before letting go of one another. “Don’t forget, I have a soccer game on Thursday.”
“I’ll be there,” Jessie promised.
“OK.” Ruby stole one last kiss before they returned to the living room.
“Are you ready to go?” Sam asked.
“I guess,” Ruby replied sadly.
“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Sam said, standing up and stretching.
Douglas stood as well. “OK, ladies and gentleman. We’re out. Tell the sleepyheads we said goodbye.”
The group said their goodbyes, and their guests headed out the door.
“Jamie, why don’t you and Carter take care of the popcorn bowls?” Eliza suggested, giving the pair a chance to be alone for a few minutes.
“OK!” Jamie agreed quickly, dragging her boyfriend by the hand into the kitchen with the dishes. They washed the bowls as quick as they could, flicking water at each other and giggling hysterically. When the dishes were clean, Jamie peeked her head around the corner to make sure no one was coming. When she was sure it was clear, she pulled Carter into a kiss. “Thank you for dancing with me tonight. I had so much fun.”
“You’re welcome,” he grinned. “It helps when I know no one is going to make fun of me.”
Jamie hugged him. “I’m proud of how brave you’re getting.”
“Thanks,” Carter blushed. “I hope I can always make you proud of me.”
Jamie kissed him in response. “I think you will.”
In the living room, Kara sat down next to Maggie and gently stroked her cheek. “Maggie, honey, you want me to carry you to bed?”
The detective didn’t even open her eyes. She just leaned into Kara and let the Kryptonian pick her up. Kara tucked her securely into her arms and carried her upstairs, depositing her in the bed and stripping her of her clothes. When she got her all tucked into the covers, she returned downstairs and repeated the process with Alex and Lena. When all three of her wives were safe in bed, she joined Cat and Eliza in the living room.
Cat sighed. “I can’t believe you guys are leaving in a week. I’m really going to miss having you here.”
Kara took her hand. “We’ll still see each other all the time, I promise.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Ms. Grant smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. “I’m really looking forward to meeting the babies. Honestly, I feel like they’re my own grandbabies. Is that weird?”
“Not at all,” Kara and Eliza said at once.
“I’ll gladly share grandparent duties with you,” Eliza chuckled.
“It wouldn’t make you feel like I was stepping on your toes?” Cat asked, surprisingly meekly.
“Not at all,” Eliza assured her. “These kids are going to need all the love they can get. The moms too.”
“And I’d be lost without you,” Kara acknowledged.
“Well, we all know that,” Cat scoffed playfully.
Kara giggled. “You’ll always be family, Ms. Grant. Especially after everything you’ve done for us.”
“Good,” Cat smiled affectionately at her and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face. “I hope you know how much that means to me.”
Kara hugged Ms. Grant so hard the woman squeaked. “Oops! Sorry!”
“It’s alright, dear. I’m not made of glass. Lord knows how many phones and keyboards you went through while you were my assistant. I consider myself lucky that that was all you broke.”
Kara blushed, and Eliza laughed.
“You should have seen her when she first got to our house,” Eliza reminisced. “She broke the shower, the sink, the toilet, the bedroom door, the couch, tons of dishes, and a few times, she put holes through the walls, either from tripping over her own feet or accidentally shooting off her heat vision.”
“Oh, Lord,” Cat rolled her eyes. “No wonder you’re so intent on training the kids.”
“Yeah, they’ve done pretty well so far,” Eliza nodded. “They don’t have the trauma that Kara had to add to all the overstimulation.”
“Thank Rao,” Kara said adamantly.
“Indeed,” Ms. Grant agreed.
Kara’s head twitched suddenly, as she heard her name being called upstairs. “Maggie needs me. I’ll just make this goodnight. Will you guys make sure the kids go straight to bed when they’re done showering?”
“Of course, sweetie,” Eliza replied. “Goodnight, Kara.”
“Goodnight, Eliza. Goodnight Ms. Grant.” She kissed them each on the cheek and zipped upstairs to see what Maggie needed. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I gotta pee,” the detective grumbled. She was in the middle of the bed, and Alex and Lena were out cold on either side of her.
Kara floated up and scooped her wife out of the bed and set her gently on her feet, making sure she had her balance before letting go. She changed into her pajamas while Maggie used the bathroom, and when she came back out, Kara floated them both back into the middle of the bed. “Goodnight, my love.”
“Goodnight,” Maggie mumbled sleepily, cuddling into her.
Kara didn’t fall asleep right away. Her wives had all started snoring in their pregnancies, so it was a little distracting. On the plus side, it was comforting to just lay there in the stillness and listen to the babies’ heartbeats. In the background, she could hear Eliza and Cat telling the kids to go to bed. The three of them stomped back up the stairs and went to their rooms. When she finally heard the twins breathing settle down into sleep, she finally dozed off herself.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone