章節 92: 92. Training
Saturday-Sunday, October 28-29, 2017 (pregnancy week 34)
When all was said and done, it took Kara and Liin about 8 hours to return from what they thought would be a half an hour trip. (Cue the Gilligan’s Island theme in her head.) Kara couldn’t regret it, though. It was worth the wait to spend time with her mom. She was excited to go home and save Sam and Julia and to tell them all the good news about Argo and her mother. She practically vibrated with energy all the way back. They parked J’onn’s ship safely back in its storage space and flew back to the DEO.
When the pair touched down on the DEO balcony, Kara victoriously held up the bag of Harnun-El and took a bow. “We got it!”
“Thank God you’re back,” Winn sighed in relief. “I’m exhausted.”
Kara hugged him warmly. “Thanks for all your help, Winn. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“All in a day’s work,” he shrugged. “No, actually, someone owes me dinner for this one.”
Kara giggled. “You got it, buddy. Come upstairs with us, I have some amazing news!” she insisted. “Where’s J’onn?”
“I think he’s downstairs with Lena and Alex,” he replied.
“Oh!” Kara pouted. “Can you please call them up?”
Winn pulled out his radio, “Yo, Alex, Lena, J’onn, Kara and Liin are back with the black rock.”
“She’s too late,” Alex radioed back. “We already gave Sam and Julia our cure.”
Kara’s heart skipped a beat. “Really?” she said, bouncing hopefully. “Well, tell them I still have news.”
“She still wants you all to come upstairs,” Winn told them. “I guess she has something to tell us.”
“We’ll be up in a minute,” Alex called back.
“I’ll go get Eliza!” Kara announced chipperly, zipping off upstairs. She found Eliza in Alex’s lab. “Eliza!” she exclaimed.
The Danvers matriarch jumped in startelement and turned around to see her daughter-in-law. “Kara, you’re back,” she smiled.
Kara beamed back. “Yes, and I have amazing news! Come downstairs with me!”
“Oh! Alright.” Eliza followed her down to the briefing room where Alex, Lena and J’onn were just arriving.
Kara bounced over to her wives and gave them each an enthusiastic kiss. “Oh my gosh, you guys, you’re never going to believe this. The place we went to is Argo! As in the city I grew up in! And my mom is alive!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in amazement.
Alex was the first to speak. “Wow, Kara, that’s incredible!”
“I know, right?” Kara clapped her hands excitedly. “I want to go back and see if she’ll come home with me. I want her to meet you all, and I want her to be here when the babies arrive.”
“That would be amazing, Kara,” Lena agreed.
“I’m so happy for you, Kara,” Winn told her with a hug.
“Thanks!” she beamed.
“I hope she does come,” Eliza offered her opinion. “I would love to meet her.”
“Me too,” J’onn added. “Your mother is more than welcome here.”
Kara couldn’t stop smiling. “Thanks, J’onn. So, how are Sam and Julia?”
“So far, so good,” J’onn replied with a nod. “We literally just gave them the cure about 20 minutes ago, so we have to wait and see how things go for a bit, but neither of them have that mental block in their minds that was keeping me out. They’re minds are clear right now.”
Kara sighed in relief. “Thank Rao. Can I see them yet?”
Alex shook her head. “Not yet. We haven’t had time to clear the Kryptonite out yet.”
Kara grimaced. “What are you going to do with it all?”
“I planned on taking it back to my secret vault at L-Corp,” Lena replied. “I don’t want anyone getting their hands on it and hurting you.”
Kara bit her lip and nodded. “OK, sweetheart. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my love.” Lena kissed her on the cheek.
Winn yawned loudly. “Can I go home now? I’m wiped.”
“Yes, Agent Schott, you did good work,” J’onn clapped him on the back encouragingly. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome,” Winn replied. “I’ll see you guys later.”
Kara gave him one last hug before he left. “See you soon.”
“I’m pretty wiped out myself,” Alex admitted. “Rokk and Imra are going to watch over Sam and Julia tonight, so we can get some sleep.”
“I can help with that too,” Liin offered.
Alex nodded. “I’m sure they would appreciate it.”
“It’s such a relief to have you guys here,” Kara told him. “I don’t know how we would’ve gotten through all this if it weren’t for you Legionnaires helping out.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Liin grinned at her. “Now we should be able to relax and enjoy our stay. I’m really looking forward to meeting the babies, especially little Jack.”
Lena rubbed her tummy. “Hopefully they don’t come too soon, though. I want them to stay in as long as possible. I don’t know how I would handle either of them going to the NICU.”
Liin leaned down near her belly and talked to the babies, “You be good boys, OK? Don’t come too early and stress your mommy out.”
Lena chuckled softly. “I think they’re getting excited that someone is talking to them.” Sure enough, they could see little feet trying to poke through her stomach.
“Can I feel them?” Liin asked.
“Of course.” Lena took his hand and pressed it against the spot that the babies were kicking, making Liin grin like a maniac.
“They’re so cute!” he exclaimed.
They all grinned at him.
Kara’s stomach rumbling interrupted the sweet moment. “Oops! Sorry!”
Everyone laughed.
“Alright, let’s finish up for the night so we can get these girls fed,” Eliza insisted.
Lena turned to Kara, “Go home, love. We’ll be there soon.”
“What about the Harun-El?” Kara waved the bag around.
J’onn reached out and took the bag from her. “I’ll put it in the vault in my office for now.”
“Thanks.” Kara hugged them all and kissed her wives. “I’ll make us all some dinner, so you can eat when you get home too.”
“Thank you, Angel.” Alex gave her another kiss. “See you soon.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“Is everything OK?” Sam asked Lena when the mother-to-be returned to her little corner of the DEO.
Lena smiled at her. “Yes, apparently the place that Kara went to was a little bit of Krypton that had mysteriously survived. Her mother is alive.”
Sam’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? That’s amazing!”
“Yes it is,” Lena agreed. “Are you still feeling OK?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, actually, I feel great. Better than I have in quite a while.”
“Really?” Lena was surprised. “That’s wonderful news.”
“Yes, I’m so thankful for you, Lena. I don’t know how to thank you enough.” Sam started to push herself up to stand and give Lena a hug, but the frame of her bed crumpled under her hands with a loud groan, startling both of them. “Uhhh…”
“Oh, dear,” Lena exclaimed.
“What the hell?” Sam looked at the crumpled metal of the frame and touched it again. Again, it bent under her touch. “Um, Lena?”
“Interesting,” Lena mused. “It seems that you’ve somehow retained Reign’s powers.”
Sam looked at her incredulously. “How?”
Lena shook her head. “I’m not sure. Perhaps with Reign eradicated, your body and your mind are more in sync. Your powers aren’t hidden by her presence anymore. You’re naturally a Kryptonian. It only makes sense that you should have powers. She must have somehow stolen them from you.”
“I don’t want them!” Sam huffed. “I don’t want to be a superhero. I like my job. I just want to do that.”
Lena held her hands out to indicate Sam to slow down. “Hey, it’s OK, Sam. It’s OK. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“But how do I live like this?” Sam half-whined.
“It’ll be an adjustment, I’ll admit,” Lena acknowledged. “But you’ll have plenty of help from Kara and the girls to help you learn how to get used to it. And if you like, we can teach you some Kryptonian history and help you learn the language. It’s incredibly beautiful to listen to Kara speak it.”
Sam was quiet for a moment, her face unreadable. “I just… I don’t know how to deal with this.”
Lena frowned in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Sam. But you’re strong. You’re going to do great, no matter what you choose to do with your life.”
“I’m so overwhelmed right now,” Sam huffed. “I hate feeling so out of control!”
“It’ll get better,” Lena promised. “You’re not alone in this.”
Sam nodded sullenly.
“Do you need me to stay with you?” Lena offered.
“No,” Sam shook her head. “No, I would like to be alone with my thoughts for a while. I need to process all this craziness. Plus, it’s after midnight. You need to go home and rest.”
“I’m OK,” Lena assured her. “Don’t send me away under false pretenses because you’re worried about me.”
“I’m not. I really want to be alone. I’m not going to hurt myself, I just want some time to think.” Sam started to reach out to Lena, then thought better of it, lest she hurt her friend with her untrained powers. She had no idea what Lena said next because it thundered in her ears so loud, all she could focus on was the pain. She groaned and covered her ears. “Shit! I think my super hearing is kicking in.”
Lena’s next words were whispered softly. “Shh, listen to the babies’ heartbeats.”
Sam blinked before kneeling down in front of Lena and closing her eyes, trying to focus. When she heard the tiny fast heartbeats of the twins, she surprised herself by letting out a joyful laugh. “That’s amazing!”
Lena grinned at her. “This is how Alex taught Kara,” she still whispered. “Listen to your loved ones’ heartbeats when the sounds get to be too much. Let it ground you.”
Sam nodded. Her eyes were still closed as she listened to the babies. “I love this.”
“Are you sure you want me to go?” Lena chuckled.
Sam sat back on her haunches. “Yeah. Go ahead. I’m not going to try to hug you, though. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Lena pouted in sympathy. “OK, I’m still hugging you.” She wrapped her arms around her friend and squeezed her tightly. “Have a good night, OK?”
“You too,” Sam waved. “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
When Alex went back downstairs, she headed for Julia’s room to check and see how the woman was. When she arrived in the room, Julia was looking at her hands, a confused look on her face. Upon further inspection, Julia’s guitar was laying on the floor in shatters. “Julia? Are you OK? What happened?”
Julia held her hands over her ears. “Why is everything so loud?”
“Loud?” Alex repeated.
“Please talk softer,” Julia whimpered.
“OK,” Alex lowered her voice. “What happened to your guitar?”
Julia shook her head. “I’m not sure. I just went to pick it up and it shattered in my hands.”
“Oh boy,” Alex sighed. “You must have kept Purity’s powers.”
“Does that mean I’m not cured?” Julia worried.
“I don’t think so,” Alex frowned in thought. “J’onn searched your mind, and she seems to be gone.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “He read my mind?”
“Not like that,” Alex hastened to reassure her. “He was just looking to see if you still had that mental block that came from the Worldkiller. Your mind is clear now.”
“OK,” Julia sighed. “What do I do now?”
Alex shrugged. “You’re just going to have to train yourself how to control them. Kara will help you. She’s good at that. She helped our kids out when they got their powers, and they did way better handling them than Kara herself ever did.”
“But I’m the one in control, right?” Julia checked.
“Yes, I’m pretty sure,” Alex nodded firmly.
“Weird,” Julia breathed. “I don’t know how I’m going to afford a new guitar… Am I even going to be able to play again?”
Alex pursed her lips in thought. “You should be able to once you get control of your strength. And don’t worry, we can buy you a new guitar.”
“I…” Julia shook her head. “I mean, why would you do that after all the trouble I’ve caused?”
“What? No, Julia, that’s not your fault,” Alex quickly replied. “You’re a good person, and we happen to have quite a bit of money, so it wouldn’t be any trouble. You just might want to train with Kara for a while first.”
“Yeah,” Julia replied contemplatively. “Do you think it’ll take a long time for me to control these powers?”
“It’s hard to tell,” Alex admitted. “Everyone seems to be a bit different.”
Julia started blinking rapidly. “Um, I think the X-ray vision is kicking in. I’m starting to see your skeleton instead of your face. It’s kinda freaky… Oh, wow, I can see your baby! She’s so precious!”
Alex bit her lip and looked down at her belly. A twinge of jealousy bit at her that she couldn’t see her own baby yet, but it was overtaken by the awe in Julia’s voice, and Alex couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you. Are you going to be OK by yourself tonight? I could get someone to sit with you, if not.”
“I think I’ll be OK,” Julia assured her. “Besides, you need to rest.”
Alex nodded. “Yes, I do, but I wanted to make sure you were OK.”
“Go home, Alex. I’ll see you in the morning,” Julia told her. “Maybe you could even sleep in a little.”
“Not with my kids,” Alex chuckled. “They’re early risers.”
Julia huffed a laugh. “OK, well, I’ll see you tomorrow one way or another. Thank you, Alex. For everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help.”
“Of course,” Alex replied earnestly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Good night, Julia.”
“Good night, Alex.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Eliza drove Alex and Lena home around 1:00am. They were exhausted and ready to eat and then crash. They invited Eliza to stay the night since it was so late, and the Danvers matriarch agreed. They all went inside and found their family in the living room.
“Why haven’t you all gone to bed yet?” Eliza asked them.
“We were in bed, but then we heard Mama come home, so we got up,” Jessie explained.
“I see. Well, everything is fine now. Sam and Julia have been cured, so there’s no need to stay up late worrying anymore,” Eliza replied.
“Can I see my mom tomorrow, then?” Ruby begged.
“Yes, sweetie,” Eliza stroked the girl’s head. “You can see her tomorrow, definitely.”
“I won’t be able to hug her, though,” Ruby said sadly.
“Why not?” Alex wondered.
“Because of my powers,” Ruby explained.
“Wait, what?” Alex and Lena exclaimed at the same time.
“Kara didn’t tell you?” Maggie frowned.
“No, things got a little crazy there for a minute, and I was more worried about getting the Harun-El, and then I found my mom, and I just spaced it.” Kara pouted.
“So Ruby has powers?” Alex repeated.
“Yeah, and they’re all over the place,” Ruby complained.
“Well, I have good news for you. Your mom has powers now too,” Lena revealed.
“She does?” everyone asked in surprise.
“Yeah, so does Julia,” Alex added. “She accidentally smashed her guitar into pieces. I told her we’d buy her a new one when she got control of her powers.”
“That’s an interesting result,” Eliza mused. “The Worldkillers must have hoarded the powers until they were eradicated. I can’t think of any other reason that makes sense.”
“What about me?” Ruby asked softly. “Do you think I’m going to be a Worldkiller someday?”
“I don’t think so, but we can test you, if you like,” Eliza offered.
Ruby nodded. “I’d like that.”
“OK, so we can do that when we go back to the DEO tomorrow,” Alex told her. “In the meantime, Kara, did you make food?”
“Yes, I did.” Kara stood up and led them to the kitchen where their dinner was waiting. “It should still be warm.” She pulled a couple of casserole dishes of shepherd’s pie out of the oven and put them on the counter. She grabbed a couple of plates and handed them over. “Bon appetit!”
Alex growled in appreciation, and she and Lena dug in. “Thank you, Kara,” Alex mumbled around a mouthful of food. This is just what I needed.”
“Me too,” Lena agreed much more politely. “Thank you, Kara.”
“You’re welcome, my loves,” Kara smiled and kissed them each on the head.
Alex reached over and grabbed Maggie’s hand. “I miss you guys so much. I know it’s only been a few days, but I feel like it’s been eons since I’ve gotten to spend time with any of you.”
“I know,” Maggie agreed. “We’ve missed you too.”
“Yeah,” the kids added.
“I’ve missed you all too,” Lena was not to be left out.
“I’m so relieved all this Worldkiller nonsense is over,” Eliza sighed in relief.
Everyone agreed with her whole-heartedly.
When Lena and Alex were done eating, the twins unwrapped themselves from around Kara and cuddled up to them. Kara then opened her arms to Ruby and the girl fell into them, grateful that she could hug another person without hurting them. Eliza wrapped her arm around Maggie and urged them all to go back to the living room. Using her super speed, Kara washed the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge, then went immediately back to Ruby.
“Whoa! That was weird!” Ruby exclaimed. “I was watching you, and it was like everyone in the room was frozen for a second. Is that how it is for you when you use super speed?”
“Yup,” Kara chuckled. “It takes some getting used to, but you’ll be fine. If your mom’s new powers are the same as Reign’s, you’ll probably be at least as fast as me by the time you master it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you even surpassed me. That’s how strong she is.”
“Wow, really?” Ruby lit up.
“Mm-hm,” Kara confirmed.
“Don’t go getting any ideas,” Alex warned. “You’re not allowed to go out supering yet, anymore than the twins are. You need to train for quite a while before you’ll be ready for that.”
Ruby pouted.
They meandered into the living room and sat down to snuggle for a few minutes before they all went to bed.
“Oh my gosh!” Kara suddenly exclaimed. “I almost forgot to tell the kids and Maggie! You guys! When I went on my last mission, I found a piece of Krypton that survived, and my mom was there! She’s alive!”
The shock on their faces was clear.
Maggie was the first to speak, “No way!”
“Holy cow!” Jessie gaped.
“That’s awesome! Jamie added.
“I’m so happy for you,” Ruby grinned. “I was so worried I was gonna lose my mom to that monster. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. I can kind of imagine how good that must feel for you. Like a big relief.”
“You said it, kiddo,” Kara squeezed her in appreciation. “The biggest relief I’ve ever felt. I’d like to go back there in a few days and invite her to stay for a while. At least until the babies are born.”
“Yeah!” the kids cheered.
Maggie nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. I would love to meet her.”
A chorus of, “Me too,” bounced around the room.
Kara beamed. “Thanks, guys.”
The family snuggled for a few more minutes, and then Alex insisted that they go to bed and that everyone should sleep as late as possible.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The next morning, the Danvers and Ruby were anxious to get to the DEO and check on Sam and Julia, so they didn’t dawdle getting ready. They ate a quick breakfast, called Douglas to meet them there, and headed out.
Now that all the Kryptonite was safely back in Lena’s vault, it was safe for Kara and the kids to go down and visit. They went to see Sam first. The CFO was just sitting there, looking frustrated.
“Hey, guys,” she greeted them.
“Mom!” Ruby quickly ran to her and embraced her. “Are you OK?”
Sam didn’t hug her back. “Hi, baby.”
“You can hug me, Mom,” Ruby assured her. “I got my powers yesterday too.”
“You what?!” Sam exclaimed.
“Yeah, Reign came and was going to try to kill me, but the twins fought her until Kara showed up, and she hit Jessie with her heat vision, and I thought she was really hurt from how hard she hit the ground, and I accidentally hit Reign with some heat vision of my own. It knocked her mask off, and I saw that it was you. I was really scared. I’m so glad you’re OK.”
Sam just stared at her taking in the information. “I… I’m sorry for lying to you, Ruby. I just wanted to protect you.” She tentatively reached around her daughter and hugged her back. When Ruby didn’t cry out in pain, she hugged her a little tighter. “I love you so much.”
“I’m gonna be 13 next month, Mom, you don’t have to lie to me about this kind of stuff,” Ruby told her firmly. “I can handle it.”
“You’re right,” Sam acknowledged. “I promise I won’t lie to you again.” She sighed and added, “I can’t believe you’re going to be a teenager in a couple weeks!”
Ruby grinned. “I’m excited.”
“I know you are,” Sam smiled back, stroking her daughter’s cheeks. “We’re going to throw you a great birthday party. Right, guys?”
A chorus of affirmative answers came from the Danvers.
“I’m here,” Douglas called from the doorway.
Everyone greeted him warmly, and he made his way over to Sam and Ruby. “How are my girls?”
“Your girls have powers now, so be careful,” Sam warned him.
“Wait. Both of you?” Douglas frowned in confusion.
“Yeah,” Sam and Ruby explained what happened to each of them.
“Wow. That’s incredible. Hold still, I’m going to kiss you.” Douglas leaned down and kissed Sam warmly. “I’m so glad you’re OK.” He kissed Ruby on the head too. “I love you girls. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“We love you too,” Sam grinned at him. “I’m sorry for putting you through all this craziness.”
Douglas shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. None of this was your fault.”
“I broke my phone and my laptop,” Sam grumbled.
“Whoops,” Douglas chuckled. “We can get you new ones, it’s OK.”
“I’m just wondering how long it’s going to take to get used to these powers,” Sam sighed.
“We’ll help you,” Kara told her. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time. I can’t wait to fight alongside you. It’s going to be amazing.”
Sam frowned. “Kara, honey, I don’t want to be a superhero. My job is hard enough without having to go out and fight crime on top of it. I just can’t do it. I’m not that person.”
Kara’s heart sank. “Oh.”
“Why?” Ruby exclaimed. “Being super is the coolest thing ever! How could you not want to run around saving people all the time?”
“It’s just… It sounds so stressful. I’m not a fighter, and blood makes me sick to my stomach,” Sam explained. “I’m a numbers girl. Call me a nerd, but that’s what makes me happy. That’s what makes me feel useful. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“And that’s perfectly OK,” Maggie made herself clear that she wasn’t just speaking to Sam on this. “You are who you are, and we have to accept that.”
Kara clenched her jaw to keep her disappointment at bay. “Of course,” she conceded.
Seeing the sadness in Kara’s eyes, Sam apologized.
“No,” Kara reached out and took her hand. “Sam, Maggie’s right. We have to let you be who you want to be. I can’t be mad at that. Sure, I’m a little disappointed, but that doesn’t make me love you any less.”
“Thank you,” Sam squeezed her hand in appreciation. “I’m glad.”
“So we should probably spend the day working on getting control of your powers,” Kara suggested. “Shall we go get Julia?”
She received a round of affirmatives, so they made their way to the other side of the building.
“Hey, guys!” Julia greeted them chipperly.
Everyone greeted her warmly, and the supers gave her hugs. They explained to her what happened yesterday that resulted in Ruby’s new powers.
“I’m sorry for my part in that,” Julia frowned.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Ruby insisted. “You weren’t yourself. Besides, if it hadn’t happened, who knows when I would’ve gotten my powers. Yes, it’s a little crazy right now, being able to see through everything and hearing everything for miles, but I’m excited for what I’ll be able to do in the future.”
Julia smiled gratefully. “Oh, OK then.”
“I think we need to spend some time working on your powers today,” Kara suggested. “Are you up for it?”
“Well, considering that I’ve broken my guitar and my phone, yes, I would like that,” Julia nodded.
“OK, let’s head for the training rooms.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara bought them a bunch of eggs and came back to looks of confusion on the new supers’ faces.
“What are those for?” Ruby asked.
Kara grinned. “We’re going to practice gentleness.” She placed an egg in Ruby’s hand, and it broke as soon as Ruby wrapped her fingers around it.
Ruby let out a squawk as the egg shattered in her hand. “I thought we were going to use our powers!”
“That comes later,” Kara informed her. “First you need to learn to control them.” When Ruby pouted, Kara added, “You want to be able to hold the babies when they come, don’t you?”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Yes!”
“OK, well, this is how we train you.” Kara put another egg in her hand. “Now go slow.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
A few dozen eggs later, the new supers were coming along nicely. They had progressed from simple egg holding up to egg catching. That was a hard enough one to do without super powers, so of course, the three girls were getting a little frustrated after doing it for hours. Kara saw this and called a timeout for lunch, claiming that carrying their own lunch trays in the mess hall and trying to use silverware would be good practice. To their credit, they only broke 4 trays and seven forks between them. Kara praised them for it, as she had been doing all day.
“This is all different than I expected,” Ruby commented.
“What did you expect?” Kara wondered.
“I don’t know,” Ruby shrugged. “Shooting targets with heat vision, putting out fires with freeze breath, flying…” she waved her hand around. “You know. The stuff you do.”
Kara chuckled. “That stuff comes later. Control is way more important. But we can do some of that other stuff. You guys have done really good today.”
Julia pursed her lips in thought. “What exactly are my powers? I know I’m really strong. And I know I have some sort of sonic voice thing? I’m not really sure what that means, or how it works, but that’s what Winn said. And I have X-ray vision, but do I have heat vision? Or freeze breath? Can I fly?”
“Hmm,” Kara’s brow furrowed. “I know you can fly, but I’m not sure about the other stuff.”
“Do I have the sonic voice thing too?” Sam asked.
Kara shook her head. “Nope. You’re like me. Only, stronger.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Sam held up her hand. “I’m stronger than you? Really?”
“Well…,” Kara hesitated, not wanting to trigger Sam’s anxiety by speaking her alter’s name, “She was. It only stands to reason that you are too.”
Sam’s face was full of wonder. “Whoa.”
“Am I?” Julia asked.
“Or me?” Ruby was curious.
Kara shrugged. “We can find out.”
“So many questions to answer, so little time left in the day,” Eliza lamented. “I hope you don’t mind me sticking around to see what happens.”
“Of course we don’t mind,” Julia smiled earnestly at her. “We owe you our lives, the least we can do is show you what we can do now.”
“When can we check if I have a Worldkiller personality or not?” Ruby asked.
“Well, the easiest way would be to let J’onn check your mind to see if there’s anything hiding in there,” Alex suggested.
Ruby turned up her nose. “I don’t know if I like the idea of someone reading my mind.”
“He won’t look at your thoughts,” Alex explained. “Just the general state of your mind. And even if he does learn any of your secrets, he won’t judge you or expose you.”
Ruby thought about it for a moment before saying, “OK. I guess that’s fine.”
The group waited patiently as the supers ate their fill. It was only natural that their metabolisms had adapted as well, so the new supers were surprised at how hungry they were. Kara reassured them that it was normal, and they would get used to it. She advised them to eat more often to help keep up their strength.
When everyone was finished, they returned to the training level to let the girls try out their new powers. J’onn and Winn joined them shortly. Winn had his tablet ready to record the girls’ efforts “for science,” and Alex explained to J’onn that Ruby was worried about having a Worldkiller alternate personality and that they wanted him to check her mind.
J’onn nodded and waved Ruby over to him. “Don’t worry,” he said at her trepidation, “This won’t hurt.” His eyes glowed red for a few seconds, then returned to the more natural-looking brown. “I don’t see anything that we need to be worried about.”
Ruby sighed in relief. “Thank God! And thank you, J’onn.” She reached out and hugged him gently.
“You’re welcome, Miss Ruby,” he replied with a smile and an encouraging ruffle of her hair. “I’m glad you’re OK.”
“Me too,” the whole group replied.
“OK! Who wants to do a strength test?” Winn asked excitedly.
“Ooh, yeah!” Ruby cheered. “I wanna see how much stronger my mom is than Supergirl!”
Winn laughed. “Alright! Let’s do it!”
As it turns out, Sam was almost twice as strong as Kara. While Supergirl could lift a little over 2.3 billion tons, the CFO was able to lift almost 3.85 billion tons. Everyone was blown away by Sam’s ability. Julia took a turn next. She tapped out at 3.17 billion tons. Still by far stronger than anyone they’d ever known before. When it was Ruby’s turn, the girl was nervous. She wiped her hands on her pants and took hold of the machine Winn had built for this very purpose.
“Here goes nothing,” she breathed. She pushed up on the bar and Winn started increasing the weights higher and higher until it seemed like she was struggling a bit, then he slowed down the pace. Slowly, he increased to 1.5 billion tons, keeping his eyes on her. “More,” she grunted.
Winn counted out loud as he raised it by 100 million tons at a time. “1.6… 1.7… 1.8... 1.9… 2 billion tons.”
“More,” Ruby insisted.
“2.1… 2.2… 2.3… 2.4… 2.5… 2.6… 2.7… 2.8…”
“OK, stop!” Ruby panted. “I’m done.”
Winn lifted the weights by pressing a button on his tablet, and she was free again.
“Wow, Rubes!” Sam exclaimed. “Way to go!”
Ruby beamed. “That was awesome! I beat Kara!”
“Yeah, you did!” Sam high-fived her.
Kara clearly didn’t know how to feel about this, if the crinkle in her brow was any indication.
“I think since there’s three of us now, and since Ruby is so strong, we should be allowed to go out and help people now,” Jessie insisted.
“Not yet,” Alex replied. “You guys need a lot more training before we’ll feel comfortable with you going out into the field. Ruby especially. She just got her powers. She could really hurt someone.”
Jessie pouted, but she knew her mom was right. Ruby would be heartbroken if she ever hurt an innocent person. “Fine,” she sighed.
“So how much can you two lift?” Ruby asked the twins.
“Let’s see. It’s been a while since we tested you two,” Winn suggested.
“OK,” the twins agreed. The pair turned out to be pretty even, both of them tapping out at about 1.97 billion tons. They weren’t happy that they were the “weakest,” but they weren’t too broken up about it either. They were just happy to have their powers. Besides, they were still way stronger than Lyra, Amy and Mon-El, so they were more in the middle grounds anyway.
Next, Ruby wanted to try to get her heat vision to work, so they went to the target room.
“I’m warning you now, this is the hardest one to get control of,” Jessie let her know. “I couldn’t even activate mine for a few weeks when I first got my powers. Then it was really hard keeping it in for a while.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Jamie brushed her sister off. “It’s easier when you’ve already felt it.”
Ruby looked back and forth between the twins. “I guess we’ll see how it goes.” She took what Jamie had told her and tried to remember what it felt like the first time. She was afraid and angry, and the heat had built up from behind her eyes and let loose all on it’s own. She tried to recreate that feeling in her imagination, and she was sure her eyes got hot for a few seconds, but nothing like a beam came from them.
“Oh, you almost had it!” Jessie encouraged. “Try it again.”
Ruby closed her eyes and focused. When she felt her eyes heat up again, she opened them and a tiny little blast went flying across the room. Everyone cheered, and she grinned. Unfortunately, the swell of joy overtook her ability to pretend to be scared or angry, so try as she might, she couldn’t get it to work again.
When Ruby pouted, Jessie put her arm around her. “Don’t worry sweetheart, it takes some work, like I said. You should try flying. That’s way more fun anyway.”
“Sam? Julia? You want to try?” Winn asked.
The pair shook their heads.
“Flying, please!” Ruby begged.
“Yeah!” Jessie cheered.
“Flying it is!” Winn chuckled. He led the gang to the big four-level hall where the twins practiced flying. “OK, here we are!”
“Ooh!” Ruby’s eyes widened at the vast space. “OK, how does this work?”
“This one’s pretty much a matter of will,” Kara explained. “For Jamie, it was the easiest thing to learn. For Jessie and me, it was a little harder.” She floated a few feet into the air. You just kind of have to want to do it. No fairy dust required.”
“I jumped on my bed until I could fly,” Jamie told them. “And Jessie learned real quick out of panic to save Mama from Rhea.”
“OK,” Ruby took in the information and nodded. “So I should try jumping around?”
“Yeah,” Jamie nodded enthusiastically.
Ruby hopped around a few times, getting higher and higher each time. She was surprised at how high she could jump, but that wasn’t the goal, so she kept trying. Finally, she jumped up and floated a foot off the ground. “I’m doing it!” she exclaimed, laughing hysterically.
“Good job!” Kara encouraged her. “Now, come over to me.”
Ruby focused and managed to float over in front of Supergirl.
“Great!” Kara cheered. “Now try to come up a little higher.” She lifted herself up another couple of feet in the air to give Ruby a goal.
Slowly, Ruby was able to lift herself up to be eye-to-eye with Kara. She laughed joyfully again. “This is so cool!”
“I’m so proud of you, honey!” Jessie cheered.
“Yeah, you’re doing great, baby!” Sam beamed.
“Come on, Mom!” Ruby insisted, still floating next to Kara. “You try it now!”
“OK, OK,” Sam took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, they were full of determination. “I can do this.” She bent her knees and leapt into the air, floated for a brief second and fell to the ground again. “Whoa.”
“Julia, you too!” Jessie urged.
“Alright, here goes nothing,” Julia responded. She and Sam held hands and jumped up into the air together. Again, they floated for a second and fell back to the ground. “Again,” Julia said, jumping into the air a second time. This time, both women stayed floating.
“We did it! Ha!” Sam cheered.
“Way to go, guys!” Kara grinned her megawatt grin. “Now try to come to me.”
Slowly but surely, Sam and Julia floated up and over to Kara and Ruby.
“You guys are doing great!” Kara complimented them. “Now, try to go higher.” She lifted herself up a few more inches, and the three new supers followed her. “Good job! Now, try to lower yourselves slowly.” She showed them what she wanted them to do, and they did it.
They continued training this way for over an hour, trying to go higher and higher and move around the room. Of course, the twins had to join them, making a game of tag out of it, which left them all giggling and having a blast by the second hour. Of course, the use of their powers had them all hungry again sooner than they expected, so they took another break to get more food.
There were more than a few times throughout the day when the new supers got overwhelmed by noises or X-ray vision, but the Danvers helped them through it each time. The mess hall was probably the hardest to deal with because it was always busy, and the hall echoed with all the voices, whereas the majority of the rest of the DEO was lined in lead and therefore quieter.
Next up, the twins suggested a freeze breath test, so the gang headed to the room with all the pools of water. They tried for a good half hour, but none of the new supers could make this one work yet. After that, they called it a day. Kara insisted that they all go back to the mansion and relax for the evening. They’d all earned it. Plus, if the girls were going to break anything, Kara would prefer they do it there instead of wrecking their own homes.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Back at the mansion, the Danvers and company nestled into the couches and snuggled while they watched a movie. No one talked much. They were all tired. Alex and Lena ordered pizzas for later, trying to account for all the new appetites they would have to deal with, but that was it as far as conversations went.
Later in the evening, Kara talked to her wives about inviting the three new supers to stay at their house until they got control of their powers. The mothers-to-be agreed, and they presented the offer to Sam and Julia. Of course, Ruby was all for it, but Sam and Julia took a bit more convincing. After a bit of begging and a little nagging, they agreed. Sam and Douglas could stay in Kara’s sun room, and Julia could stay in the guest room. The twins and Ruby could share a bed like they always did when Ruby was over, and Eliza wanted to go home and sleep.
After everyone was showered and changed for bed, Ruby had a thought. “How am I supposed to get through school tomorrow? The noise is going to kill me. Not to mention seeing things I don’t want to see! And what about my strength? What if I break something and people realize I have powers?”
“Hmm,” Sam pursed her lips in thought. “That is going to be a problem for me as well. I already broke all my electronics.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Lena spoke up. “If you all agree to work on controlling your powers in the morning, I will take you shopping for new devices in the afternoon.”
“More eggs?” Ruby turned up her nose.
“Well, it should be something that helps you practice using delicate items,” Lena shrugged. “I’m sure that’s not Kara’s only idea.”
“Nope, I’ve got a million of them!” Kara informed them chipperly. “I’m sure Winn has a few broken tablets laying around that you guys can practice on, so it’s no big deal if they get more broken. And you can practice writing and holding glasses and silverware and stuff. And there’s always water balloons…”
“OK, OK, we get the picture,” Sam chuckled. “Yes, to all of that.”
Julia and Ruby nodded along with her.
“Can we come?” Jessie begged.
“Shopping? Yes, but you have to wait until after your tutors are done for the day,” Lena required.
“Aww, I want to go to the DEO too!” Jessie whined.
“That’s not necessary,” Lena told her. “Your schooling is.”
Jessie pouted, but she didn’t argue.
“Alright. I think it’s time for bed,” Alex suggested. “We all need a good night’s rest after this last week or two.”
They all agreed and headed to their rooms.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
After crawling into bed, Douglas pulled Sam into his arms. “How are you feeling, pumpkin?”
Sam sighed, delicately resting her hand on his chest. “Honestly? I feel pretty good. I’m a little nervous about controlling my powers, but the kind of tiredness I feel right now is so different from the utter bone-deep exhaustion I’ve been living with the last few months. It’s a nice tired. Like I worked hard today, and I’m ready to rest, instead of feeling like I haven’t slept in ages and I want to sleep for a week.”
“Good,” he muttered against her forehead before giving her a kiss. “We’ll sort out the rest later. For now, I’m just glad you’re OK.”
“Me too,” she sighed happily. “Thanks for being here for me. You don’t know how much I appreciate you.”
“It was easy to stick by you. I love you, you know?” he jostled her a little, making her giggle.
“I love you too, babe. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, love.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara, Alex, Maggie and Lena spent some much needed time kissing one another before bed - a luxury they hadn’t really had for far too many days now, especially with Maggie. The poor woman had been working at the precinct while the rest of them had been working on the Worldkiller problem at the DEO. They missed her, and she missed them.
“Shoot,” Kara muttered as she pulled away from Alex’s lips. “If I had known I was going to get so worked up, I might not have suggested that people with super hearing stay over.”
Alex chuckled. “I’m sorry, Angel. I wasn’t thinking about that either.”
“It’s fine,” Lena told her. “I think we all need to get some sleep anyway. Maybe tomorrow?”
Kara nodded. “I hope so.”
“Yeah, this baby is giving me heartburn,” Maggie complained. “Sex is not on the menu tonight, as much as I miss you all.”
Kara grabbed Maggie some Tums from the bathroom cabinet. “Here, honey.”
“Thanks,” Maggie replied, taking the meds and putting them in her mouth. “Can I sleep in the middle tonight? I need more snuggles.”
“Of course,” Alex and Lena agreed.
“Can you sleep next to Alex?” Lena requested. “I need my Kryptonian space heater tonight.”
Alex giggled. “You can have her. I don’t see how you can be cold with two mini space heaters inside you.”
“I’m not cold, I just like to be warm,” Lena explained. “It helps me sleep.”
“What did you do in the winters in Metropolis?” Alex teased.
“I came here,” Lena chuckled. “That was a major factor in my choice to move here, aside from the obvious need to get out from under my brother’s shadow.”
“Good thing too,” Kara kissed her, humming happily. “I’m so proud of you guys. You saved the world again. Can I tell them? Please? Can I tell them?”
“Lena should get all the press credit for this,” Alex suggested. “I don’t want to be in the news anymore, and neither does my mom.”
“Dude, you saved everyone,” Maggie argued. “People should know this.”
“Nope,” Alex denied it. “I don't want people looking into me and finding out about the DEO. Lena, it’s all you, baby.”
Lena bit her lip while Kara clapped her hands excitedly. “You’re sure about this?” Lena checked. “It was Eliza’s idea to use the Medusa Virus as a base for the cure.”
“Call her and ask her then,” Alex suggested. “I’m telling you she won’t want to take the credit.”
“I’ll call her tomorrow,” Kara shrugged. “Maybe she could be an anonymous source at least.”
“OK. Let’s get some sleep,” Alex insisted. “I’m wiped out.”
“OK,” the other three agreed. They gave each other love and kisses and laid down, falling fast asleep.
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