Chương 62: 62. Fallout
After Kara and Maggie took off for National City, the rest of the Danvers were discussing what to do for the day when Eliza’s phone rang. “It’s Maureen. She’s been worried sick about you all.” She answered the phone, “Hello?”
“Please tell me you have the kids by now!” Maureen huffed frantically.
“Yes, they’re here with Alex and Lena,” Eliza assured. “They came in yesterday, but they were resting.”
“Oh, thank God!” Maureen sighed. “Will you bring them over? Dan and I have about a million questions for you all.”
“I know you do. We’ll be over shortly.” Eliza hung up with her best friend and rounded everyone up to head over to the Kavanaugh’s.
It was a short ride over, and Alex’s heart was in her throat the whole time. She knew what kind of questions they were going to have, and she didn’t know if she wanted to answer. The Kavanaugh’s were their close family friends, but after all this time in the dark, Alex wasn’t sure what kind of reception they were going to get.
The instant they pulled into the driveway, Maureen came out to greet them.
“Grandma Maureen!” the twins cheered, getting out of the car and hugging her.
The woman cried as she held onto the kids, “Thank God you’re OK. I was so worried about you!” She held onto the kids for a long time before letting go. “Alex,” she sniffled. “Come here.” She wrapped the agent up in her arms and squeezed. “Is Kara OK?”
Alex calmed down considerably when Maureen hugged her. “Yeah, Kara’s OK. She and Maggie are back in National City for the day.”
“Already?” Maureen worried.
“Yeah, well, Maggie’s a cop, so they need her to help keep the peace around town. Kara took her down so she could find out what needed to be done to help fix the city.”
“I see. Come here, Lena,” Maureen urged her, hugging her as soon as she stepped forward. “I'm so glad you're all OK. Let’s go inside, shall we?”
Inside they found Dan with the grandkids, and the twins squealed in delight, running over and hugging them all. Of course, the little ones were just as excited to see their big cousins, leading to lots of squealing and laughter. Dan had a baby in his arms that Alex assumed was little Sophie, though she hadn’t seen her since the twins’ birthday party. She seemed just as happy to meet the twins as they were to see her.
“Jamie, Jessie, why don’t you take the kids in the playroom for a little while?” Maureen suggested. “The grownups need to talk.”
The twins frowned. “Can we go outside?” Jessie begged. “It’s so nice out!”
“That’s fine,” Maureen replied. “I just don’t want the little ones to hear things they don’t need to hear.”
“Oh, OK,” Jamie said with relief. “I thought you were trying to hide something from us.”
“Do you, or do you not have super hearing?” Maureen whispered.
Jamie blinked at her. “Um, yeah?”
“Well, then why would I bring you over here to hide something from you, silly? Go on, take the babies too. They'll get mad if you go out without them.”
Jamie gently took baby Sophie in her arms and cooed at her, making Sophie smile and gurgle happily. “Come on, Lauren, come on, Cobie, let's go play outside,” she urged, holding her free hand out to the smaller Lauren. Jessie grabbed Baby Daniel and led the way outside. Lauren and Cobie followed the twins out to the backyard, and Dan’s lazy old Basset hound followed after them with his tail wagging. Dan had built a huge play set in the backyard for all the kids, so they headed that way.
Meanwhile, Dan and Maureen urged the adults to sit.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Dan offered. “Beer? Wine? Soda?”
Alex and Lena looked at each other before Alex answered, “Um, just water, please. We’re pregnant.”
Dan froze and Maureen’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Both of you?” he asked.
Alex pressed her lips together. “Yeah. Maggie too.”
“How in the hell did that happen?” Maureen gasped.
Alex’s heart was beating double time again. “Well…”
Lena took her hand and nodded her consent.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she answered honestly. “It’s not an easy answer.”
Dan huffed a short laugh, “You mean, more complicated than ‘I had sex’?”
Alex turned her nose up at her sort-of uncle. She didn’t want to hear someone that was basically a substitute father-figure say the word ‘sex.’ “Actually, yes.”
“Was it something in the water?” Dan joked.
The agent chuckled. “Not quite.” She sighed, “Basically, Jessie was jealous of Jamie’s powers and was trying to do some unsafe things to try to trigger them, so Jamie, in an attempt to give her sister a consolation prize, poked holes in every condom we owned, and now the three of us are pregnant.”
“So you’re, like, swingers?” Dan asked.
“No!” Alex hurried to correct him. “Kara and I are together with Maggie and Lena. We’re polyamorous.”
“What’s the difference?” Maureen wanted to know.
“It’s just the four of us,” Alex clarified. “No one else.”
“So who’s the father?” Dan frowned in confusion.
Alex took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before answering, “It’s Kara. Kara is Supergirl.”
Maureen shook her head, “We figured out that Kara was Supergirl, but I don’t understand how she could have gotten you pregnant.”
“Just suffice to say, she’s an alien, and it’s possible.”
Dan and Maureen looked at each other in confusion.
“So Kara is the ‘father’ of the twins, then too?” Maureen asked.
“Yep.”
“That’s a relief,” Dan sighed. “I thought maybe Superman had taken advantage of you when you were young, and I was going to have to find a way to kill him”
“Ew!” Alex exclaimed. “No, he would never do that. He’s a good man.”
“So, Kara is what? Transgender?” Maureen inquired.
Alex shook her head. “More like both genders at once. Things were different on Krypton. They had, like, six variations of genders.”
Dan raised an eyebrow. “I can’t believe you hid this from us all this time.”
“Sorry,” Alex shrugged, at a loss for anything else to say. “We were trying to keep her safe from being discovered.”
“We would have kept your secret,” Maureen swore.
“Well, it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows who the kids are now. We’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Whether it will reveal Kara’s secret or not, who knows?”
“You must be terrified,” Maureen guessed.
“Yeah, that’s kind of an understatement,” Alex grumbled.
“So how long have the kids had powers?” Dan was curious. “They never had powers when they were little.”
“Jamie got her powers in February or March, and Jessie literally just got hers a few days ago,” Alex informed them.
“Wow,” Dan and Maureen both replied.
“Well, whatever happens, you always have a safe place here,” Maureen offered.
Alex closed her eyes in relief. “Thank you. That means a lot to us. We love you guys.”
“We love you all too,” Dan said. “I just wish there was something we could do to protect the girls better.”
“This helps,” Alex told them. “Knowing we still have people who love us goes a long way.”
“Lena, are you OK?” Maureen asked, noticing her frown.
Lena clenched her jaw and shook her head. “Not really.”
Maureen put a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong sweetie?”
“That’s another complicated story,” she whispered, too choked up to answer more confidently.
“She blames herself for the Daxamite invasion,” Alex helped. “The Daxamite queen tricked her into building a portal to revolutionize travel on earth, but ended up using it to bring her fleet here. We keep trying to tell her it wasn’t her fault, but she’s having a hard time believing that.”
Maureen turned compassionate eyes on the CEO. “Lena, honey, you can’t hold that blame. It’ll take over your life.” She pulled the brunette into her arms and rocked her, letting Lena cry into her shoulder. “Oh, sweetie, it’s OK. Listen to me. You can’t blame yourself for something someone else is responsible for. You have to shake that off. You’re a good person, Lena. Hang on to that.”
“Thank you,” Lena sniffled. “It means a lot to me for you to say that.”
“Well, it’s true,” Maureen confirmed. “I know we don’t know you as well as we’d like, but we know enough to believe in you. Our girls wouldn’t have anything to do with you if you weren’t completely trustworthy.”
Dan handed Lena a tissue. “That’s right. You’re A-OK in our book.”
“Thank you,” Lena hiccupped. She leaned over and snuggled into the crook of Alex’s arm, and the agent kissed her on the head.
“See, baby? We’re not the only ones on your side.” Alex let Lena nuzzle into her neck until she calmed down.
Eliza reached over her daughter and stroked Lena’s cheek. “You’re a good person, Lena. We all know it, and we’re going to help you fight this darkness away. You have too much going for you to throw it all away for a little undeserved guilt.”
Lena’s heart ached with love for these people. She knew she couldn’t fight the depression without them. “Thank you so much,” she rasped.
Dan got up to get the girls the water they had requested earlier. When he came back, he dropped a bag of M&M’s on the table in front of them. “Here, have a treat. It’ll make you feel better.”
Alex and Lena chuckled, and Alex tore open the bag and popped a few into her mouth before feeding a couple to her wife. “Thanks, Uncle Dan.”
“Will you all stay for lunch?” Maureen invited.
Alex nodded. “That would be great, thank you. I know the girls need some peace of mind, even if they don’t say so, and playing with the kids helps. They’re obsessed with babies, and they’re elated that we’re all pregnant.”
“I just still can’t believe that Jamie would do something like she did. Doesn’t she understand what a violation that was?” Maureen commented.
“Trust me, she’s been punished,” Alex assured. “She also has diaper duty for the rest of her life, and she has to clean up any messes related to morning sickness or whatever. It doesn’t stop her from being happy, though.”
Maureen shook her head and sighed. “I’m gonna have a talk with that girl.”
Alex chuckled humorlessly. “Good luck with that.” She checked her watch. “Can we turn on the news? I want to see if anyone has ID’d the girls yet.”
Dan picked up the remote and turned the TV on, changing the channel to the news. They watched for a while, hearing only the rhetoric that Lillian Luthor had taken credit for ridding the city of Daxamites. The question still remained - who were Supergirl’s children? No one had answers yet, and Alex was grateful that she hadn’t let her kids have Facebook accounts to give them away. There were a few shots of Supergirl and Superman helping the city recover, but that was it. When they were satisfied that no one had any answers, they turned the TV back off and relaxed a little.
“OK,” Maureen slapped her hands against her knees. “Who wants to help make lunch?”
“I will,” Eliza volunteered. “I want the girls to try to relax,” she said, referring to Alex and Lena.
“You want to go play with the kids?” Dan invited Alex and Lena.
“Yeah actually, that sounds like fun,” Alex replied. “Lena?”
The brunette bit her lip. “Um… Sure.”
“You don’t have to,” Alex assured, sensing her hesitation.
“No, no, I’ll come,” Lena said standing to her feet. She followed Dan and Alex out to the backyard. “Wow, that’s quite the play castle!” she exclaimed.
“Thanks,” Dan smiled. “I built it for my kids when they were little. They’re a few years younger than Alex and Kara are, but now the grandkids love it.”
Lena took Alex’s hand. “We should have something like this built for our kids.”
“Agreed,” Alex replied, kissing Lena’s hand.
When the kids saw them coming out, they cheered and called out to them. Jessie was gently pushing Baby Daniel in the swing from the front, and Jamie was in the slide tower with Cobie, Lauren, and Sophie waving down to them. The youngsters slid down the tube slide and came to meet them.
Lauren walked right up to Lena and raised her hands in the air to be picked up. Lena looked a little awkward at first, but when she picked the girl up, she couldn’t help but mimic her little grin. “Hi, pretty girl,” Lena cooed. “How are you?”
“Hi,” Lauren answered in her little squeaky toddler voice. “What yous name?”
“I’m Lena,” the CEO replied, still smiling.
“Yena,” Lauren repeated. “You wanna pway?”
“Yes,” Lena answered with a chuckle. “We’re going to play with you until lunch is ready.”
“Yay!” Lauren clapped her little hands.
Alex grinned knowingly at her wife. Lena had a way with kids that she didn’t even realize. She was going to be such a good mother to their babies. Alex made a mental note to remind her of that later. They followed the kids back to the play set and played tag with them until lunch was ready. Lauren clung to Lena again when they went inside, and the CEO cuddled her happily.
Lena was feeling much lighter after playing with the kids. The little ones were so cute and sweet, and their laughter was a magical healing sound. By the time lunch was over, she had actually eaten quite a bit because the toddlers kept feeding her things, and she couldn't resist the cuteness.
When lunch was over, they all helped clean up and then crammed into the living room. They turned on Disney Jr. for the babies and talked about the kinds of kids shows they all watched as children. Eventually, the little ones fell asleep, and they put them in their beds and changed the channel to the Food Network.
About a half an hour later, Alex's phone rang. It was Kara. "Hey," she answered. "Is everything OK?"
"Alex, the girls have been ID'd."
The agent's heart stopped. "Fuck! Who was it?"
Kara sighed, "Apparently a lot of people."
"Who broke the story?" Alex pressed.
"Channel 10," Kara huffed.
Alex groaned. "I don't know what channel that is up here."
"Just look online," Kara reminded her.
"Alright, I'll call you back."
"OK."
Alex hung up the phone and pulled up the National City channel 10 website. She was on the verge of hyperventilating. She didn't want this for her children. She didn't want people knowing who they were. She'd spent their entire lives trying to keep this secret, and now it was all for nothing. She searched for the video and pressed play.
"Multiple sources have confirmed that the children who saved Supergirl are named Jamie and Jessie Danvers of our very own Kennedy Middle School. On paper, they’re registered as the daughters of Alex Danvers, but clearly that’s just a farce. Who is Supergirl, and who is the father of her children? Hopefully we’ll find out soon.”
The group was silent as the news sunk in. The twins were officially outed. Their boisterous joy of the day seemed to deflate out of them as they realized the full repercussions of what they'd done. The twins started to cry.
"We're so sorry, Mom!" Jessie sobbed. "We were only trying to help Mama! We couldn't just let her die!"
“I know, babies,” Alex told them softly, “Come here.” She opened her arms to them, and they sank into her. “It’s going to be OK. You guys are gonna stay here in Midvale with Grandma for a while, OK? We’ll get through this together. We’re going to keep you safe.”
The girls continued to sob into her shoulders, making Lena tear up too. Eliza stroked her hair comfortingly.
Alex’s phone rang again. This time it was Maggie. “Hey, babe,” Alex answered.
“I just heard,” Maggie said in lieu of greeting. “What are we gonna do?”
The agent sighed. “Well, for starters, the twins are going to stay in Midvale for a while. Beyond that, I’m not sure.”
“Alright. We’ll be back tonight. I love you. Give the girls hugs and kisses for me.”
“Will do.” Alex hung up the phone and squeezed the girls, kissing them on the head. “That’s from Maggie. She sends her love.”
Lena got a text from Maggie. It said, “How are you holding up?”
The CEO thought about how to answer without worrying her busy wife. “I’m hanging in there,” she texted back.
“I love you so much,” Maggie typed.
“I love you too. See you when you get back,” Lena replied. She was about to put her phone away, but it started ringing. She didn’t know the number, but she answered anyway. “Hello?”
“Hello, Lena,” Lillian purred. “How are you, dear?”
Lena scowled. “What do you care?”
“I care about my pregnant daughter,” Lillian insisted. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I think you’ve done quite enough, don’t you?” Lena countered.
“Lena, come on. I’m worried about you. What if your super-powered babies kick right through your stomach? At least let me have a look at you.”
“I don’t think so,” Lena scoffed. “The babies don’t have powers.”
“How do you know that?” Lillian asked.
“Don’t worry about it. I just know.”
Lillian was quiet for a moment. “I love you, Lena. Please believe me.”
“I’m sorry, I just can’t. Stay away from me, and stay away from my family.”
“Can I at least meet my grandchildren when they’re born?” Lillian begged.
Lena scoffed. “So you can take them from me? I don’t think so.”
“Lena, I would never do that to you. I promise.”
Lena laughed sardonically. “Yeah, right.”
“I wouldn’t,” Lillian insisted. “I’m proud of you, Lena. I think you’ll make a wonderful mother. Much better than I ever was, anyway.”
“Well, that’s a low bar to set.”
Lillian sighed. “Lena, I called to talk to you about Supergirl and her children. They’re going to be in danger.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. Are you planning on doing something to them?”
“No, dear, I’m just saying that people are going to be more anti-alien than ever after this attack. You should keep those kids somewhere safe.”
“They are somewhere safe,” Lena retorted. “Is that all?”
“I want you to know, if something happens, I’ll be there. And you can all come stay with me, if anything goes south.”
Lena snorted derisively.
“Take care, Lena. And don’t keep beating yourself up over that Daxamite bitch. She’s not worthy to breathe the same air as you.” Lillian chuckled at her own joke. “I’ll call you later.”
Lena frowned. “If you must.”
Lillian hung up the phone, leaving Lena feeling out of sorts.
“Who was that?” Maureen inquired worriedly.
Lena sighed. “My mother. She claims to be worried about me.”
“She’d better not come sniffing around us, or she’ll be sorry,” Jessie growled.
“Yeah!” Jamie agreed. “We’ll lock her up and throw away the key.”
Alex smirked at her daughters’ ferocity. It’d be a cold day in hell when she let them go after Cadmus, but she could appreciate the sentiment. She called Kara back like she said she would. “Hey, Kara,” she greeted. “We watched the story. The girls are kind of freaking out.”
“They just have to stay in Midvale for a little while until this all blows over,” Kara replied. “I’m not going to let them be a target.”
“Yeah, well, we’re all in agreement with you there,” Alex confirmed. “Mom says they can stay with her for as long as we need. Also, Aunt Maureen and Uncle Dan know about you now. We’re with them now. They still love you, OK?”
Kara sighed. “That’s a good thing. We hid my secret from them for all these years, I thought they might be mad.”
“Nope.”
“Give them my love, OK? I’ll talk to the DEO and see what we can do to keep the girls under the radar.”
“Sounds good,” Alex affirmed. “On another note, Lillian just called Lena claiming to be worried about her.”
“Oh, Rao,” Kara grumbled. “I can only imagine what she’s planning.”
“Nothing, if she knows what’s good for her,” Alex huffed.
“Alright, well, one thing at a time,” Kara sighed.
“Yeah,” Alex agreed. “Tell J’onn I’ll be in tomorrow for sure.”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Alex hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket.
Eliza looked at her watch. “When do you want to go get groceries?” she asked her daughter.
Alex shrugged. “Whenever. Aunt Maureen, can we leave Lena and the girls here while we go shopping? I don’t feel comfortable leaving them alone right now.”
“Of course, we’d love to keep them,” Maureen smiled. “Do you play cribbage?” she asked Lena.
The CEO shook her head. “No, I’ve never played, but I don’t mind learning.”
“It’s easy,” Jamie assured her.
Maureen chuckled, “I’m sure Lena will think so.”
“I’ll play a couple rounds with you,” Alex offered. “Then Mom and I will head out for a while.”
The twins explained the rules, and they played a few open hands to give Lena a feel for the game, and then Alex and Eliza took the van to go get groceries.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
“There you are, Kara,” Cat hummed. “I want to talk to you. Close the door.”
Kara slipped into the office, closing the door behind her. “Yes, Ms. Grant?”
The Queen of all Media sat casually on the couch, but her face was all business. “Sit.” She waited for Kara to obey before speaking, “Kara, I want to know what you plan to do if your secret comes out.”
The reporter sighed. “Honestly, I don’t have a plan.”
“Well, I’ve tripled security in the building,” Cat informed her. “I don’t want anyone coming in here and starting trouble. You said the kids are with their grandmother?”
“Yes, in Midvale,” Kara confirmed.
“Well, you won’t be able to hide them there for long before people start sniffing around. You, of all people, should know how tenacious reporters can be.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to take them,” Kara fretted. “Lena’s assistant called literally every hotel in the city, and everywhere is booked. Our apartment is destroyed, and the other ones are too small for the six of us to stay there. If Midvale isn’t safe, nowhere will be.”
“Well, if it comes down to it, I want you and your girls to come stay with me.”
Kara blinked at her boss. “You what?”
“Yes, I have plenty of space, and Carter won’t mind, as long as he gets to meet Supergirl. He’ll be elated.”
“I don’t want to put you two in danger,” the reporter worried.
Cat scoffed. “I’ll have three Supers living with me, how dangerous could it be?”
Kara chuckled. “Well, thank you. That’s very generous of you.”
“Well, I consider myself responsible for you, Kara,” Ms. Grant admitted. “You’ve become like a daughter to me.”
The Kryptonian’s lip trembled. “I… Wow. Thank you. You mean so much to me too, Ms. Grant. You’ve been such a great mentor. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
Cat smiled knowingly. “You wouldn’t be nearly as smart, would you?” she winked.
Kara nodded, “It’s the truth.”
“Well, do you want to keep working or do you want to go on leave?” Cat inquired.
Kara pressed her lips together in thought. “Well, I do have a lot to do to help the city recover. I met with the Mayor and the Chief of Police, and they told me what they needed me to do. Plus, if Kara Danvers gets outed as Supergirl, people are going to be clamoring to Catco trying to find me.”
“That’s why I bumped up security.”
The reporter’s heart was in her throat. “I, um… I don’t know where you live.”
Ms. Grant pulled out her phone and texted Kara her address. “It’s a bit outside the city, so there’s no damage from the invasion.”
“Thanks again,” Kara said earnestly. “I came in to see if you had heard anything more about the kids that hadn’t been reported on yet.”
Cat pursed her lips together. “Well, there have been people sniffing around but I put them in their place. No one here has confessed to knowing anything yet, but people are asking if you’re related to the Danvers on the news.”
“No one suspects me?” Kara asked disbelievingly.
Her boss chuckled. “No, oddly enough, no one has put two and two together yet, but I know they will.”
“Yeah,” the reporter said dejectedly. “My whole life, I’ve been fighting to keep my secret safe. It was drilled into me from the minute I landed on Earth. Alex has spent her whole life trying to keep me safe, and I feel like I let everyone down. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Chin up, my dear. I know you’ll find a way to get through this. I’m here for you no matter what.”
“Thanks, Ms. Grant.”
“You’re welcome.” Cat stood up and smoothed the lines out of her dress. “Now, I expect regular check-ins from you. I’m going to eventually need my reporter back. But this city needs Supergirl right now, so go on. Get to work.”
Kara smiled. “I’ll see you later.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Maggie’s heart ached. They had lost 8 men from their precinct alone, including the man that was shot dead right in front of her, not to mention the 30-something others that had died from other districts. Distraught people were pouring in from all over the area trying to get help. It was all she could do to keep it together and help the Chief keep order in the building. She wrote reports for those who needed them, and locked up the looters that the Supers had nabbed off the streets. It was a chaotic day, and by lunch time, she was starving. She called Kara to get her to find a way to bring in food for the whole office because no one knew who was actually open and who was still recovering from the invasion.
Supergirl found a deli in the suburbs and ordered two dozen subs plus chips and cookies. When she showed up as Kara, with her arms loaded with stuff, most of the people ignored her. The officers, however, were elated to see her. She went around passing out food to all the cops, and then that got people’s attention. Quite a lot of them started asking for food too, but she didn’t have anything left to give out. Feeling bad about it, Kara rushed back out to find a pizza place that was open. Again, she went out to the suburbs to find it. It took a while, but eventually she was able to get a dozen pizzas and bring them back to the folks at the police station. It felt good to help, and she soaked in the thanks and praise she got for doing it.
While everyone was distracted by food, Maggie pulled Kara into an interrogation room.
“What’s up?” Kara asked. “Are you OK?”
“Not really,” the detective answered, sinking into her. “My heart hurts.”
The reporter wrapped her arms around her wife and rocked her gently. “I’m sorry, my love. I love you so much, Maggie.” The Latina lifted her head, and Kara kissed her tenderly. “You’re my good girl. I know you’re upset about the men you guys lost, and I’m so sorry.” They kissed again.
“At least I didn’t lose my partner. That’s something.”
“Which one was he, again?”
“Lamar Clemmens,” Maggie reminded her. “Older black guy with glasses?”
“Right. Sorry. He was the one you were talking to when I came in, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve met him. He doesn’t seem to like Supergirl very much,” Kara complained.
“Well, he doesn’t have the privilege to actually talk to Supergirl about things like I do. He feels the same way I feel, that Supergirl needs to calm down a little bit and do things more carefully. Don’t injure criminals. Don’t contaminate evidence. All the stuff we already talked about.”
“Right,” Kara acknowledged. “I’ll do better, I promise.”
“Thank you, love.” Maggie gave her one last kiss. “Come on, we need to get back to work.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara was just about to head back to the Mayor’s office when she got a call from Jessie. “Hi, honey, what’s up?”
“Have you found Amy yet?” her daughter asked a little frantically.
Kara pulled a face that her daughter couldn't see. Whoops! “No, I haven’t even looked, yet.”
“What?!” Jessie shrieked. “You find her, and you find her now!”
“OK, OK, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! Something’s wrong, I know it! She would have called us back by now, if she was OK! If you don’t find her, I swear to God I will go down there and look for her myself! Identity be damned!”
“Don’t you dare!” Kara hissed. “I’ll find her. Just try to relax.”
“I’ll relax when I know my friend is safe! I can’t believe you forgot about her!”
“Well, I’ve had a lot going on,” Kara defended.
“I don’t care, just find her!”
“OK, I’m going. I’ll call you when I find her. Geez!” She hung up the call with her daughter and quickly flew to Noonan’s restaurant. The place was ravaged. All the big plate-glass windows that lined the walls of the building were shattered, and there were clear burn marks from Daxamite weapons everywhere. Kara felt bad for all the renovating her friend would have to go through to reopen. She used her X-ray vision in conjunction with her super hearing to find anyone in the building. There were two dead people in the front, and in the back… Aha!... She rushed toward the heartbeats hiding in the back of the restaurant. In the kitchen were about five Noonan’s employees circled around a person lying on the ground, pinned under an enormous block of concrete. She couldn’t see the person’s face yet.
“Supergirl!” the group clamored. “Please, help!”
Supergirl walked around the concrete slab. “Amy!” she exclaimed. “How did this happen?”
“You know Supergirl?” one of the managers - Tara, if she remembered correctly - asked in fascination. Amy was barely conscious, so Tara answered for her, “She was trying to help people escape out the back, but the invaders took out a support beam with their weapons, and this happened. We’re not strong enough to lift the block. We couldn’t even budge it.”
Supergirl used her X-ray vision to see what kind of damage had been done to her friend. Her whole left side was pinned under the concrete, and her arm and her leg were both broken, though on the positive side they were clean breaks, and not poking out through her skin. “Amy?” She tried to get the entrepreneur's attention. When green eyes focused on her, she continued, “I’m gonna lift the block off of you, OK? As soon as I do that, your friends here are gonna pull you out. It might hurt a bit, but we have to do it.”
“OK,” Amy muttered.
“You ready, guys?” she asked the Noonan’s crew.
“Yeah,” they answered, laser focused on their task.
“One… Two… Three…” Kara lifted the rock, and the group pulled their boss out from under it.
Amy groaned in pain, and Tara knelt down on the ground, tears in her eyes and said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! We’re here. We’re gonna get you taken care of, OK?”
“I should get her to the hospital,” Supergirl told them.
“Can you carry both of us?” Tara asked meekly. “I don’t want to leave her alone.”
Supergirl looked at the state of her friend on the floor. “Not at the same time,” she answered. “But I can come back for you after I get her situated.”
“I’d really appreciate that,” Tara replied earnestly.
“Alright,” Supergirl knelt down on the floor, “Amy? I’m gonna pick you up and take you to the hospital, OK? It might hurt a little, but I have to do it.”
Amy whimpered, but said, “OK.”
Supergirl picked her up as delicately as she could, cringing when Amy cried out in pain. “Sorry! Sorry!” she exclaimed, holding her close to her chest. “I got you. Hang in there.” She looked at Tara’s tear-stained face and idly wondered if something was going on between her and Amy. It would be surprising, considering Amy’s supposed disgust with relationships, but who knew? Love was an unpredictable thing. “I’ll be back,” she promised. “Just let me get her settled in first.”
“OK,” Tara sniffled. “I’ll be here.”
“We’ll stay with you until she comes back,” another girl - Amber - told Tara.
“Thanks.”
Supergirl took off for the nearest hospital. When she got there, it was packed to the gills. She couldn’t believe how many people there were with varying degrees of injury. She gently set Amy in a wheelchair and changed into her Kara clothes to get her friend checked in. Luckily, Amy had her wallet on her. Unluckily, it was in her left back pocket, and Kara had to really jostle her to get it out. She apologized profusely while she did it, feeling bad when Amy cried out in pain.
It took them quite a while to get checked in, but afterward, Kara flew back to Noonan’s to get Tara.
“I thought maybe you forgot about me,” Tara said, full of relief. “I’m ready.”
“OK, hold onto me.” Supergirl lifted the girl into her arms and flew her to the hospital, showing her where Amy was. “Call me when you’re done, and I’ll come get you,” she told Amy.
“How are we supposed to call you?” Tara quizzed.
“Amy has my number,” Supergirl replied.
“My phone is smashed,” Amy rasped.
“Oh. Right. Can I trust your friend with my number?”
“Please,” Amy croaked.
Kara held out her hand for Tara’s phone, and the girl passed it over. She typed her number in and labeled it ‘SG.’ “Don’t abuse the privilege.”
“I won’t, I promise,” Tara took her phone back and put it in her pocket. “Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you,” Amy added.
“Don’t thank me, thank Jessie. She’s the one that insisted I find you.”
“Who’s Jessie?” Tara asked.
Supergirl looked at her funny. “My daughter? It’s all over the news.”
“I’ve been with Amy this whole time,” Tara replied.
“Oh. Well, you’ll see it soon enough. I have to go for now. I’ll see you when you get out.” Supergirl sped out of the ER and headed back to the Mayor’s office.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Before they even left the Kavanaugh’s driveway, Eliza’s phone started ringing. When she saw it was her boss, she answered it. “Hello?”
“Dr. Danvers? It’s Dr. Coleson. I was just calling to check if you were OK. I saw your grandkids on the news, and it scared the life out of me. Are they OK? Are you all safe?”
Eliza’s heart beat double-time. “We’re safe, thank you for asking, Dr. Coleson.”
“Your daughter is Supergirl, isn’t she?”
Eliza was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“OK, OK. I understand, you want to keep her safe, and I’m all for that. I just wanted to know that you were OK. Everyone here is under orders to keep quiet about anything Danvers related. Anyone caught talking to the press will be terminated immediately. We’ll support you no matter what.”
“I appreciate that, Dr. Coleson. My family’s safety is of the utmost importance to me.”
“Good luck,” Dr. Coleson bid her. “Let me know if you need anything from us.”
“Thank you, we appreciate that.”
“Bye, Dr. Danvers.”
“Bye, Dr. Coleson.” Eliza hung up the phone and sighed. “Well, it’s starting.”
Alex groaned. “Don’t answer anymore calls.”
“Roger that,” Eliza agreed. She got seven more phone calls while they were at the grocery store, and she ignored all of them. She’d listen to the voicemails when she got home. They took the groceries back to the house before picking up Lena and the kids. When they arrived back at the Kavanaugh’s the twins informed them that all three of them had been getting phone calls as well.
“I hope you’re not answering them,” Alex worried.
“No, Grandpa Dan told us not to,” Jamie informed her.
“Good. I don’t want people tracing your phones and finding out where you are.”
“That’s what Grandpa Dan said too,” said Jessie.
“Good man,” Alex sighed with relief. “So who’s been calling you?”
Jamie adjusted the baby on her hip. “People from school.”
“Are they threatening you?” Eliza worried.
“No, they all think it’s really cool, and now they want to be friends,” Jessie sneered. “Like they ever cared before. Screw them.”
“Jessie, watch your language,” Eliza chided her. “But I don’t blame you for how you feel. They weren’t very friendly to you before they knew who you were.”
“We’re going to have to get our numbers changed,” Alex mused. “I don’t want just anyone being able to call us.”
“Yes, and the sooner the better,” Lena groused. “I don’t know how my mother got my number, but I’m not happy she could call me so easily.”
“You guys be safe,” Maureen told them all. “If we had room, we’d keep you here instead of letting you go back to Eliza’s, but we just don’t have the space.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine for at least one more day,” Alex waved her off. “If we have to, we can get a couple of hotel rooms somewhere.”
“The name Danvers isn’t going to go unnoticed, you know,” Maureen reminded her. “Unless they let you pay cash, you’re gonna be out of luck.”
Alex sighed. “We’ll get a hotel room in fucking Kansas, if we have to! I’m sure Superman’s family would be happy for a visit.”
“Hopefully it won’t come down to that,” Lena said. “I’m not fond of the countryside.”
Eliza chuckled. “Come on, let’s get home.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
When the six o’clock news came on, Eliza and the gang were glued to the TV, anxiously awaiting the big reveal. The news previews hinted that they had found out much more information than the afternoon episode had. Their hearts were in their throats, and they had to watch three different news stories before they got to the point.
“And now, for the night’s featured story: Investigators have found the identity of Supergirl herself. Upon further investigation, sources have revealed that the supposed ‘mother’ of Supergirl’s children - Alex Danvers - has an adopted sister. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed sister who appeared with the Danvers family at the age of 12. Her name is Kara. Facial recognition confirms the ID. Kara Danvers, a local reporter for Catco is Supergirl herself. If that’s not enough to satisfy you, sources have also revealed that Kara Danvers is married to, of all people, Lena Luthor, sister of notorious alien haters Lex and Lillian Luthor. A Super and a Luthor? Who would have guessed that? Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts to reach her, Supergirl could not be reached for comment.”
No one spoke. The news continued to drone on, but no one heard what was being said. They were all too stunned. Even though they expected it, it still struck them to the core. Every single one of their phones started ringing at once.
“J’onn!” Alex exclaimed. “What do we do?”
“I think you’d all be safest at the DEO. Stay where you are until it gets dark, then you can all fly in under the cover of nightfall. Bring Eliza with you. I don’t think it’s safe for any of you right now.”
“Can you send some agents to watch the house?” Alex asked frantically. “I don’t want people coming in here and ransacking the place while we’re gone.”
“Can do,” J’onn confirmed. “I’ll send them right away.”
“OK, thanks.” Alex’s phone beeped for call-waiting. “I gotta go, that’s Kara,” she hung up and answered her wife’s call. “Kara!” she cried out.
“Alex!” Kara sobbed. “I’m so sorry!” she was bawling her eyes out. “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s OK, Angel! Where are you?”
“I’m at the Mayor’s office,” Kara hiccuped. “They know, Alex. Everyone knows about us now!”
“It’s OK. Come and get us. J’onn wants us all at the DEO.”
“I need to get Maggie first. I don’t want her out there getting mobbed for being a Danvers.”
“OK. See you soon.”
XXX
“Hello, Jess. I assume you just heard?” Lena answered dejectedly.
“Yes, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Danvers. I swear, I didn’t tell anyone anything!”
“I believe you, Jess. If you wanted to out us, you’ve had plenty of opportunity before this. Don’t worry, though. We’re safe.” Her phone beeped. “I’ll keep in contact with you, but I have to go for now.”
“OK, please take care!” Jess whimpered.
“I will. Bye.” She switched calls. It was her mother again. “What now?”
“Lena! Please, let me come get you. I can keep you safe. All of you. I promise I won’t hurt any of you. Give me a chance!”
“No, Mother, we’re safe, and we’re going to stay that way. We can’t trust you. Why do you care so much all of a sudden?”
Lillian’s voice was void of the usual cockiness, “I told you, I truly want to be a better mother to you. Plus, I’m going to be a grandmother. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s created a desperation in me that I’ve never felt before. Stronger than my hatred for Supergirl. I want to be a part of those babies’ lives. I want to protect my daughter. Please, believe me!”
Tears poured down Lena’s face. “I’m sorry, but it’s going to take a lot more for you to earn my trust than helping fight off an alien invasion. I imagine that that was like some sort of wet dream for you, but for me, it was just you being you.”
“Lena! Don’t be so crass,” Lillian chastised.
“I’m just speaking the truth. I don’t want you brainwashing my children, or making them feel like they’re some sort of monsters for being part alien. I want my kids to have a loving family that accepts them for who they are.”
Lillian sighed. “I’m going to earn your trust, Lena. I swear.”
XXX
“Ruby!” Jessie exclaimed. “Are you OK?”
“Am I OK? Are you OK?” Ruby countered.
“We’re OK,” Jessie assured her.
“Where are you?” Sam asked.
“I can’t tell you, but we’re safe,” Jessie answered. “We’ll come see you soon.”
“That would be great,” Sam sighed.
“I’ll talk to you guys soon,” Jessie promised.
“Alright, bye!” Sam and Ruby said in unison.
Before she could put her phone away, she was getting another call. “Hi, Marcus!”
“Jessie! They know who you are! You’ve gotta get somewhere safe!” Marcus practically yelled.
“We’re safe, don’t worry,” she reassured him. “We both have our powers now, so I don’t think anyone’s going to mess with us.”
“That’s just more reason for people to come after you! Trust me, I know how much people hate aliens.”
“We’re going to lay low. Don’t worry,” she repeated. “I’ll keep in touch.”
“OK, thanks,” Marcus sighed. “Talk to you soon.”
XXX
“Hello? Shayla?” Jamie greeted her best friend.
“Jamie! They know who you guys are! I saw it on the news! I swear, I didn’t say anything to anyone! I didn’t!”
“I know you didn’t,” Jamie soothed. “Journalists are tenacious bastards.”
“What are you going to do?” Shayla worried.
“We’re going to lay low for a while,” Jamie answered. “We’re somewhere safe, don’t worry.”
“When can I see you again?” Shayla whined.
“I’ll come see you soon, I promise. You guys stay safe, OK?”
“You’re telling me!”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, OK?” Jamie promised. “I gotta go.”
“OK, bye.”
“Bye.”
XXX
Eliza ignored her phone.
Alex got calls from Maggie, James and Lucy, Eve, and Winn and Lyra, and every conversation went basically the same. By the time she got off the phone she felt completely emotionally drained. She flopped down on the couch and sighed heavily.
“Breathe, sweetie,” Eliza said gently, stroking Alex’s hair. “We’re gonna get through this.”
“El mayara,” Jessie reminded her, snuggling into her mother’s side.
“That’s right,” Lena agreed. “Whatever happens, happens to all of us.”
“Mama should be here soon,” Jamie reminded her. “Just hang in there.”
True to her word, Kara appeared in about five minutes with two hulking DEO agents under her arms. One of them looked like he was having a blast. The other one looked like he would be sick at any moment. Alex ran to her as soon as she set the men down.
“Alex!” Kara sobbed. She sunk into her wife’s arms and bawled her eyes out. No one could resist the pull of a crying Kara, and soon the pair was surrounded by the rest of their family. They tried to soothe her, but it seemed like she might never stop crying. They stayed there like that for what felt like forever, not caring that the DEO agents were there to witness the spectacle.
When the Kryptonian did stop crying, she saw that everyone else was crying with her. “I’m sorry guys. Are you all ready to go?”
“No, our phones have been blowing up,” Alex sighed. “We’ll hurry.”
Everyone scrambled to get their things, including Kara. They made sure to grab Maggie’s things as well, and soon they were off to the DEO. It wasn’t an ideal arrangement, but they would be surrounded by safety and loved ones, so it wouldn’t be so bad. They would get through this together. El mayara.
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực