Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Another beginning of the week, another Monday waiting for all the women in the house to wake up. Well, not all of them. Lena, as usual, woke up a few minutes before her alarm clock, feeling the warm, sleeping body of her wife by her side, her arms possessively grabbing her waist. Years ago, Lena would have never pictured a situation where Kara Danvers, the first reporter who first believed her character and essence before making any judgments, the same person that, although was hiding a heroic part of herself, still chose to be on her side. And then, a year later after they had first met, they found out they were mothers of the same baby, and all the rollercoaster of emotions, feelings, fighting, and arguing began. It was weird, almost bizarre - to not say funny and insane - to remember that one day they were just best friends with a complicated history, but similar paths overall. To wake up and see the blonde hair spread around the pillow, the freckles covering a part of her cheeks and her pink lips slightly open, showing Kara was in deep sleep, still sounded like a dream.

Sometimes Lena didn’t believe it to be real. That they were married, that the ring remained intact on her finger even after almost sixteen years, and that the feeling continued to grow. Lena couldn’t say she loved her the same, because that affection, warmth, care, and pleasure in sharing your life next to the same person only increased gradually each day, month, and year. Lena felt proud to say that she was a Danvers now.

And was even prouder to be a Zor-El.

Trying not to wake her and dodge the strong, stubborn embrace, Lena smiled, kissed her face, and then left the room. It was still early and she preferred it like that, at least now she had time to prepare breakfast, hang out with Margot for a while, the new dog - since Agnes had been gone for almost three years now, dying from old age - and then going to the girl’s room to call them for school. They still lived in the same house, it was silly to move out when all the memories were so well written and on display in those walls and rooms. Sure, Lizzie also had a part of her childhood marked on her old apartment, and in Kara’s old one, but Lena liked to believe the best part began there. Ellie took her first steps in that living room, said her first words, broke her first piece of furniture with her uncontrollable strength, and also laughed with her sister. Lena was so proud of her girls, to the point when she couldn’t even remember a life without them, without their hugs, laughs, neediness, and also fights for attention. Of course, raising two kids of such similar ages and strong personalities was never going to be an easy task, and it never was, but it was never impossible either.

Kara was the basis, strength, and support Lena always needed and never lacked. Kara would divide herself between CatCo and the superhero life, and her role as a mother, wife, and friend. It was somewhat easier to deal with once her seedies turned eight and became more independent, but once they entered adolescence, Lena really thought she did not have the psychological and emotional structure to deal with two sixteen-year-olds that every month went through a god awful PMS, face acne, boy trouble, fear of embarrassing themselves at school,  clothes that were never good enough and innumerous extracurricular activities they liked to dive in and then would feel overcharged. Well, ignoring all those scary and frankly despairing details, Lizzie and Ellie became gorgeous girls, polite, tender, good, and with a sense of justice worthy of the House El and with wit and intelligence worthy of a proper Luthor.

Lizzie turned sixteen first, her eyes remained as blue as her yeyu’s, her black hair fell like waves on her shoulders and the infamous glass garnished her face to help her with her powers. She was shyer and quieter, like Lena, and was also not a girl of many words, but she always knew what to say. Her favorite subjects at school were physics and biology and she wanted to follow her mother’s steps at college. She liked to read novels and thrillers - a taste she got from her aunt Alex - she hated being the center of attention, didn’t have a lot of friends, and preferred to stay home instead of going to parties and concerts like the other girls in her class. Julie and Ramona’s children were still her best friends, always meeting up for movie Sundays, and the summer camping Kara insisted on doing, saying it was a family tradition when in reality Lena hated to spend any time being inside of a tent, in the middle of the woods, without a decent shower and air conditioner. So, that ‘tradition’ became a responsibility for the Danvers sister, while Lena and Sam would enjoy the time off at some spa.

Ellie, on the other hand, had her yeyu’s spirit, always smiling, chatting, and making jokes not even she understood most times and being the other sunshine at home. The girl had long blonde hair, eyes as green as Lena’s, and a smile that could make anyone’s day the best day. She loved to spend afternoons in the park, reading or just listening to music and writing some stories on the notebook Kara had given her. Her favorite hobby was, undoubtedly, writing, and her dream was to one day be a successful screenwriter. Unlike her sister, who always avoided being the center of attention and lost herself for hours inside mathematical equations and chemistry for school. Ellie loved to be a drama queen, that’s why she joined the theater club as soon as she could. She never thought of being an actress, it wasn’t exactly what she wanted as a carrier, however, she couldn’t deny that body language was something that interested and intrigued her to the core. Grace, who was in the same class as her, became her best friend. There wasn’t one moment when they weren’t together, talking about movies and tv shows’ scripts, planning their next binge watch, and commenting on the film industry’s latest news.

Sure, though she was more drawn to the arts and languages. Ellie was as good as her sister at calculus and science. But she left the area completely free for Lizzie and Ezra.

By the way, Ezra was officially Lizzie’s best friend and go-to partner and both rarely spent any time apart. Julie said she still believed in a possible relationship or romance of any sort. And yes, anyone who looked at them together would say the same. The way Lizzie looked at him and smiled, fixing her glasses over her nose and blushing looked a lot like Kara finding out she was in love with L-Corp’s CEO. However, Ezra had never said a thing about having or not having feelings for her best friend, maybe his fear was the same Lena had felt in the past: losing her for making such a simple, yet grand and scary mistake. The boy was kind, comprehensive, patient, and dreamed of being a great engineer one day, just like Lizzie rooted for it too. During test weeks, he would practically spend twenty-four hours every day next to her, reviewing the subjects, reminding her that she was smart enough to get good grades, and also being her balancing point. The opposite was valid too, Lizzie helped him focus more, to be more organized, she would say yes to visiting new bookshops, parks, and museums with him, at the weekend and then they would call it a day while lying at the couch, eating pizza and watching some weird documentary Ezra insisted on putting on.

Life went on after ups and downs that happen when you’re a Luthor married to a Super. James continued to be CatCo’s CEO, Kara remained the chief reporter and was still of help to Nia Nal, who was now a junior reporter. Winn and Eve had finally taken the next step after four years of dating, getting married at the end of July in a small, but a charming ceremony. He was still working at the DEO, helping Alex and J’onn on the missions and now also counting on his wife’s presence, since the CatCo’s former secretary had proved her dedication as a scientist to some pretty complex situations the department had to face. Children were never in their plans so, besides Leah, they adopted three more dogs and were living in a suburban house near National City. Alex was now general director, J’onn’s old job since the martian decided to retire and work on the outside. Of course, he didn’t fully leave the department, but he chose to have more hours to himself and get to enjoy life as a ‘normal human being’.

Eliza was of crucial support for him at that moment, becoming a friend and confidant, and she had also found in him a loyal friend and overall fun company. Their days were divided by: working at L-Corp and the DEO, paying attention to their daughters, and spoiling the grandkids. Suzie was the most spoiled one, after all, many privileges came with the title of youngest in the family.

“Good morning, baby” Lena kissed Lizzie’s dark hair, hearing her grumble and hide her face under the pillow “good morning, El” she repeated the motion, Ellie smiled and stretched under the sheets. Lena then turned off the two red light lamps.

“Ugh, mom…” Lizzie sighed, annoyed by the noises that had just become too loud “just five more minutes.”

“Your yeyu is still sleeping, you have the time to go be there with her while I finish making breakfast” she barely had time to finish and her daughter ran inhumanly fast to the other room “Thank god someone is as energized as I am in the morning” she turned to Ellie. The girl lazily scratched her face and yawned, still sleepy.

“Good morning, mom,” Ellie said hoarsely, feeling her mother sit next to her and pull her closer “I already have too much from yeyu, I had to get something from you besides the eyes, right?” She turned to her.

“You can be however similar to your yeyu, but your good taste in dark coffee and boring articles are entirely mines” they laughed, Lena lied next to her girl and held her right. The smell of chamomile in her hair reminded her of Kara, just like the warm feel of her toned skin.

“Is yeyu really going with you to the gym today, or are you making up some excuse?” Ellie questioned curiously.

“How is the bet so far?” Lena arched a brow and Ellie laughed loudly.

“Aunt Alex raised it to two hundred last week, she really doesn’t think yeyu is going” she confessed. Of course, Alex was going to bet on that too.

And of course, she wasn’t alone in it, Lois was on the bet too. Even though she was living in Metropolis.

“Well, we’ll see” Lena sighed, finding it funnier than it actually was “what do you say you wake your sister up and then get down to help me with the pancakes? Kara is the one taking you to school today.”

“Ugh… why can’t it be you, mom?” Ellie whimpered, hiding her face on her shirt. Lena rolled her eyes at the familiar drama.

“Your yeyu loves being with you in the morning at least and you know it’s hard for her to pick you up since the DEO usually needs Supergirl” Lena explained patiently “she just… gets too excited, it’s like a charm.”

“A charm? Mom, she calls me seedy like I’m still two years old! And in front of my friends!” she complained like the teenager she was.

“If you work with me here and get your sister to come before you’re late, I’ll bake your favorite cookies for today’s afternoon snacks” and the magic words had been uttered. In a matter of seconds, Ellie got up, kissed her mother’s face, and marched to the room next door.

Suddenly, Lena heard Lizzie scream enraged, and then run after her sister, screaming in panic.

Yeah, the week had begun.

***

“Mom, I really can’t skip school today?” Lizzie questioned for the hundredth time while finishing one of her pancakes/ Kara looked at her wife, confused about why her daughter was so insecure that morning.”

“Remember that project on the Middle East cultures she was panicking about last month?” Lena explained and she nodded “Well, the presentation for it is today and apparently her group wants to perform a sort of dance…”

“Oh” was what Kara managed to say before turning to her oldest daughter who looked like a pile of anxiety and embarrassment. Lizzie never liked performing anything as a teenager, actually, there was a reason for it. One that she wished she could forget “look at me is’kah.”

Kara sat next to her and saw her clear blue eyes tear up. It was in times like there Kara realized how human, like Lena, her daughters were. Ellie looked at her mom and they got quiet, letting Kara try to figure out that problem.

“N-no” her voice stuttered “I already know what you’re going to say, yeyu. That I have to face it, to be strong and that I’m smart, but I…”

“Let me speak, okay?” Kara interrupted, reaching the girl's hands and holding them tight “I know that after that day you can’t perform and stand in front of a crowd, I get that you don’t want to do that. I’ll give you two options: you come with me to CatCo and then go back to school after that class, or I’ll stay with you during the presentation if it will make you feel more safe and comfortable” Kara looked for Lena’s look fast, trying to see if she agreed because they didn’t decide anything alone. And Lena nodded and smiled, thinking it was a great idea.

“But how would I do that? I can’t not get the grade” she sighed, feeling calmer.

“Liz, we’re at the end of the semester, you already passed all your classes” Ellie replied, moving to her sister’s side "it’s a shame we’re not twins, I could present your part for you.

“People already think we are,” Liz retorted, making Lena laugh.

“Impossible, I’m way prettier” El provoked “and they would know it’s me, my dancing skills are far better” she winked, making her yeyu roll her eyes.

“Yeah, just like your skills at not bumping and falling every five minutes” Liz shot back in the same tone. The two were always like this, arguing, joking, and laughing.

“You two spend too much time with your aunt Alex” Kara accused with a smile and got up, hugging your wife from behind as she put the dishes on the sink “it’s all your fault,” she said in a sweet voice holding Lena’s waist and leaning her head on her should, inhaling her sweet perfume.

“Mine?” Lena turned around and looked at her “okay, Mrs. Luthor-Danvers, I’ll remember that next time you come asking for an alone day with me” she smiled, making Kara blush hard.

“You wouldn’t” she put on the damned pout. Lena rolled her eyes and gave her a quick peck on the lips, hearing the girls groan in the background.

“We’re right here” Ellie grumbled “and we don’t mind sleeping at aunt Alex’s s you can break the bed with your ‘pillow fight’” she quoted with her fingers and Lizzie spit out her milk.

This time Kara groaned and hid her red face on her wife’s shoulder, who was still laughing and holding her waist. Rao, why did her little girls have to grow up? It was easier to hide those things when a simple lie did it, or a story came up in the same second, but not anymore. Now they probably imagined other things, and the worst part was that Kara still thought they were too young to understand a subject they could only know of when they were like… thirty. Or over. It wasn’t fair, both were only sixteen, well… Ellie’s birthday hadn’t even happened yet and that only made it all a lot more embarrassing and despairing. Of course, Lena dealt with it in a much better, more mature way with the girls, simply because she knew things like dating, sex, drugs, and alcohol were inescapable in high school. So it was better if they talked about it at home, where Lizzie and Ellie would get serious and valid advice and a proper explanation, than not having the trust and freedom for them to go ask someone who couldn’t tell them the right things.

And just the sudden and scary idea of sitting on the couch with them to explain what was sex and everything that it implied made Kara want to go back to her coma again.

Rao, why did they have to grow up?

“Well, what have you decided, Liz?” Lena finally said “we have to hurry, I have a meeting right now and your yeyu has to tell James if she’s going with you for school

“Ellie, can you be with me right on the front?” she turned to her sister, who had just shoved an entire pancake on her mouth. She looked at her confused and then remembered what the prior subject was.

“Hm,” she answered and nodded, unable to say much more.

“Chewing, dear” Lena handed her a glass of water knowing it was going to take a while for her to swallow.

“I’ll go to school, but El is going to be there with me and if anything happens… she can help me” Lizzie proposed, proud of her idea and Kara agreed.

“Okay, I’m going to get changed and we’ll be off” Kara kissed her wife again and went upstairs.

“Girls, go up, brush your teeth, take your bags, and please don’t forget the glasses, though you don’t have a secret identity, I’d rather avoid accidents,” Lena said taking the food from the table “and say the same thing to your yeyu.”

“If we had secret identities, you’d never find out” Ellie teased, like usual.

“Ask Kara how that went last time and we’ll talk then” Lena retorted in the same tone, leaving her daughter’s eyes wide open.

“Mom!” Lizzie laughed “you’re evil!”

“Sometimes my Luthor genes get the best of me, now up!” She ordered. As soon as she heard the rushed steps upstairs and also the laughs, she allowed herself to smile and think of how lucky she was.

When they were all finally ready, after many coming and going to the room because someone had forgotten someone or Kara didn’t take an important paper, Lena locked the house and said goodbye to her girls, wishing them a good day at school and telling her wife she would be waiting for her to lunch, like always. The two cars left the garage at the same time, Lena turning right and Kara taking the left, as the girls got older, her mothers soon realized they were going to need another car. Even though Kara was a terrible driver. Lizzie and Ellie, besides school, had plenty of extracurricular activities, which were a lot when they were twelve, and now came down to theater classes, chemistry club, and french and german lessons. So far the ‘who is going to take over L-Corp in the future’ subject hadn’t come up and Lena didn’t want to impose that on her daughters. She knew what the weight of being forced to do something you don’t enjoy felt like. But both girls already had their minds on that subject.

***

“Good morning, Mrs. Danvers” Jess greeted Lena as soon as she stepped out for the elevator, with the usual charisma and politeness “the investors are already expecting you in meeting room 3, and Mrs. Arias-Danvers had already arrived too.”

“Thank you, Jess” Lena smiled and walked into her room, now with a lot more frames than before. On top of her table, there was a picture of Lizzie and Ellie, one only of Kara and one where the fours of them were wearing matching pajamas lying on the couch “I hope I didn’t interrupt any sexual activity in my office again” Lena said as she found Alex on Sam’s lap, but both were properly dressed and laughing at something on Alex’s phone.

“Unlike you and my sister, we know a thing called a key and it’s used to lock doors” Alex shot back “and good morning, Lutessa.

“Should I remind you that that also happened when this office was mine” Sam smirked, making her friend roll her eyes “you finally made it on time, no fights or complaints about not having any clothes to school?”

“The good thing about paying a private school is that they have mandatory uniforms and miraculously we didn’t have any issues” Lena answered. Who would have thought that the always-on-time CEO who worked until the late hours would now rarely be there on time in the morning and also had to leave precisely at six pm to pick her daughter up in school? Sure, Lena never forgot her professionalism and so told Jess to avoid scheduling meetings and conferences too early, so she wouldn’t have to excuse herself every time Lizzie refused to get out of bed or Ellie went on about some drama regarding the theater kids “try having two teenagers os similar ages in your house” Lena continued and sat in front of them “how are things? How is Suzie? Any news from Ruby?”

“Suzie… well, you know her” Sam looked at her wife and shook her head, laughing “fourteen and think she ruled the world, she still thinks she can make a living with the band she has had with her friends since last year and refuses to listen to anything that claims the opposite” she explained.

“Little Reign knows exactly how to be stubborn” Lena smiled at her memories of her.

“You have no idea.” Alex sighed “Ruby called us yesterday to say she was going on a trip and we don’t even know where to. Theoretically speaking, she should be getting ready to take her doctor’s degree in England, ever since she got in she has been a little distant… remember Colin?” she asked with a wondering face, Sam held her hand and slowly stroked her thumb on her palm.

“The first boyfriend?” Lena arched a brow

“That one” she continued “she found him almost four years ago and said it wasn’t a big deal and well… you know the rest, they dated, broke up, and then decided they should give it one more try since they were taking their master’s degree at the same university.

“So… they’re together” Sam and Alex nodded “and does he, perhaps, know that Ruby is leaving again?”

They looked at each other and the answer was there, so clear and distinct 

“We don’t know” Sam confirmed the obvious, “I think this trip is something she wanted to do to tell him. Ruby would never give up her doctor’s degrees, she already studied and tried it for almost two years, it would be like throwing a huge opportunity away.”

“This is going to be a hurricane of feelings, after all, they found each other again after so many years and now are being practically forced to break up again” Lena pointed out, upset to know that Ruby was going to have to deal with something as painful as a break-up.

“We’re still waiting for her to call and tell us what she’s up to and how she’s going to do it, for now, we’re only going to deal with a prepubescent girl, stressed out from school” Alex rolled her aways at her own words. She didn’t remember being so hard as a child as her daughter and she couldn’t imagine that Sam had been like that one day. Reign might truly have something to do with it “well, I’m off to the DEO before Winn calls complaining that Eve is trying to change the lab dynamics again” Alex got up from her wife’s lap and kissed her goodbye “good luck on the meeting you two, you’re the women of my life” she kissed Lena’s face and then walked away.

“Ready for a full hour or men in suits telling us what to do?” Sam asked with a smug look on her face, of course. Neither of them would be surprised to hear the same old complaints and suggestions from their investors and new partners every day, it was hard for them to accept that the company was run by two women, especially because both of them, besides being mothers and women, were married to women just as powerful and strong like them.

Lena rolled her eyes and smirked, leaving her purse on the desk and then taking the folders next to it. They walked out of the door together, where Jess was waiting with the schedule and planner for that day. However, before they got out of the elevator and stepped into the shark tank, Lena touched her friend’s shoulder lightly, she could feel the tension emanating from her body.

“She’s going to be okay, I promise” Lena whispered and received an honest smile in return.

“I hope so.”

***

Two advanced math classes after the geography period and finally lunchtime came, for Ellie’s happiness as relief, who could basically hear her stomach roar at this point. Lizzie had managed to present the project without big incidents, like crying, shaking, or forgetting what she was supposed to say. Ellie stayed by her side through the whole thing, mentally thanking the teacher who didn't mind it, after all the two sisters were the best, most polite students of their class. As they left the room, Grace bumped into them in the hallway and began to ramble about her language and communications class - a class she had voluntarily signed up to and was loving every part of it. It was funny to see that, despite being so joyful and excited, Julie’s youngest daughter had an envying patient. There wasn’t a single moment Lizzie or Ellie could think of Grace getting mad or simply stressed, like any other normal teen. No, the girl with hazel eyes and freckled cheeks had the best advice, the best jokes, and the best self-control in the world.

Her brown hair now with pink and blue locks were usually braided, her shirts were customized in her house’s garage, where there was a collection of paints and brushes, and no one could deny her style was by far the coolest and most modern in the school. Though she was a visual and performing art student, Grace knew how to dress and impress. Ellie loved how she was always there to help her friend when in a clothes emergency.

“Hey, Grace!” Lizzie greeted when she finally took a break to breathe between phrases.

“How was your presentation, Liz? No heart attacks today?” she asked with a smile, aware that the Luthor sisters would never suffer from any human diseases, after all, they were fully human “by the way, Ezra said he is meeting us for lunch after basketball, Theo and Thomas are tagging along.”

“It was okay, but only because El was there with me” she looked at her sister and smiled, getting the same in return “there’s an empty table there” she pointed at the cafeteria. It was beginning to get crowded at the muffled but loud voices echoed through the tall walls, making it all louder than usual.

“Grace, did you hear about the party before summer break?” Ellie sat next to her friend while Lizzie sat in front of them, making space for Ezra by her side, of course, “I think it’s going to be at Bertinelli’s place.”

Lizzie choked on her soda as she heard that name.

“You’re not thinking about going to her house, are you?” she asked in disbelief and almost yelled. And she knew she didn’t need to, her sister was super hearing “Ellie…” the blondie laughed and fixed the glasses over her nose.

“What’s the big deal? Just because our mom had an affair with hers and couldn’t handle being dumped?” she shrugged “it’s not like I’m going there to rub it in her face” she smiled and took a sip of her soda, getting a suspicious look from her sister and best friend “what?”

“You think we’re really buying that?” Grace crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose, something that always made Ellie a bit nervous “please, if you’re going, I’m going too.”

“This is why I love you, you know that?” Ellie smirked and showed her the tongue “but we can’t forget our end of semester presentation, Ms. Winner was pretty clear about our responsibilities. And you didn’t tell me what your part is going to be this time.”

Grace, this time, swallowed dry and it was unusual. Extremely usual, she was never awkward or speechless.

“Is everything okay?” Lizzie checked on her friend and she just nodded “okay, then, back to the part subject… I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go.”

“I was counting on your illustrious presence, Liz” her green eyes shone in a way that Lizzie was already too familiar with. Ellie was having ideas and that wasn’t good. It never was “you never go out unless it’s to museums and concerts to guys with names I can’t even pronounce.”

“You and yeyu can hardly pronounce or spell any word” Lizzie shot back. Grace laughed loudly and had to agree, though she thought it was hilarious the way her aunt Kara and her best friend would get into spelling competitions every Sunday lunch.

“Ugh, you’re just like mom” she grumbled mouthful and immediately took another bite of the sandwich she had bought “can’t you be less Luthor and more Danvers sometimes?”

“I can see the ham rolling in your mouth, El” Grace commented making a funny face “and it’s disgusting.”

“Uh, sorry” her cheeks blushed slightly. Some habits never change, was what Lena used to say.

“Hey blondie, scoot!” the loud, familiar voice echoed “hey, Liz, Grace!” Theo greeted both after kissing Ellie’s cheek like he always did “what’s up?”

“Bro, move over and stop being so obtruding,” Thomas pushed his brother, squeezing the girls on the other side, making them all life.

“Little Luthor there is all alone and you want to sit on top of me, I know that we shared the same placenta but this is too much!” The girls laughed loudly and then Thomas sat next to Lizzie, putting an arm around her and kissing her cheek.

“How’s our little genius, did you puke on your presentation today?” He joked and got a smack on the head. He looked up to see Ezra with his arms crossed “what’s up, dude? Heavy hand by the way.”

“You messed with Ezra’s girl, bro” Theo shrugged “you don’t mess with other people’s girls.

“You’re his girl?” Thomas placed a hand over his chest and pretended to be shocked “I’m feeling so betrayed!”

“You thought she was  your  girl?” Grace teased and Ezra laughed, sitting next to his best friend.

“No, I thought I was the love of his life, come on man, you’re hurting my feelings” he continued to joke and got a kick under the table.

“How was the presentation today?” Ezra could finally focus on Lizzie, reaching her free hand and squeezing it between his “was it alright?”

“Yes, the teacher allowed Ellie to be there with me and well, I didn’t throw up or forgot what I was supposed to say” she bit her under lip, a habit she had gotten from observing Kara when she was a little shy or anxious “how was practice today?”

“A bit harsh, the coach fully prepared us for the last game before summer break” he confessed and she could see the exhaustion in his dark brown eyes.

“But we were invited to Bertinelli’s party,” Thomas said quickly, stealing a few fries from Grace’s plate and getting a smack in return.

“You mean we were kindly invited while the prince charming here got an invitation with flowers, chocolate, and a wedding ring” Theo teased, provoking his friend “that girl does not know how to play.”

“What girl?” Ellie put her food aside and arched a brow. It was in times like these the Luthor in her blood showed, intimidating and blazing “you mean… Madison Bertinelli?”

“On the flesh, bone, and repugnance” he answered.

“She personally invited you to the party? Lizzie questioned Ezra and he felt his face burn “are you going?”

“I… uh, I don’t know? Well, I t-thought it would be fun, since… er, it’s the end of the semester and we’re all… tired?” he lost himself in the words, nervously stroking his hair and swallowing dry.

“Uh, what a mess huh” Grace commented and kicked her brother underneath the table and he didn’t seem to understand what the point of that was, Much less of her desperate gestures to fix that situation.

God, boys are so dumb.

“I think… I’m heading to the library, I have to study for the literature test at the last period” Lizzie gathered her lunch and belongings and excused herself “I’ll meet you after class, El.”

“I thought you had finished studying that” Ezra questioned.

“Yeah, you don’t always know everything” she answered a bit rude, not noticing the mess going on in her heart and the turmoil of feeling in her chest was so common and trivial “see you later.”

“Yeah dude, you screwed up” Theo sighed as he watched the girl walk out of the cafeteria, losing her in the midst of students, and then took a big bite out of his burger.

“You’re an idiot, is this your way of showing you like her?” Grace called out, annoyed, and kicked him again “why didn’t you invite her? Why didn't you say you wanted her to go together and not the acephalous blonde that invited you?”

“I… got nervous…” he was honest and Thomas hugged him from the side as if trying to comfort him.

“Really Ezra, if you intend to be my brother-in-law one day, you need to work better and faster than that” Ellie pointed out “or you ask my yeyu how she managed to get married to my mom since she’s as slow and lost as you.”

“We’re going to help you,” Grace said and looked at Ellie, hoping for a partner. Ellie, of course, agreed.

“Ha! I love those girls” Thomas said excitedly “and how is that going to work.”

“First, you have to give her space” Ellie explained “this reaction of hers had a name and it’s jealousy. Lizzie only uses that voice when she’s really angry and jealousy does that to her.

“I… I really didn’t think she felt that way for me” Ezra sighed a little confused “I really didn’t mean any harm.”

“We know, trust me” Grace continued “but now you need to let her breathe, and you’re going to find an amazing and creative way to ask her to be your date to the party. Or at least fix what you’ve done.”

“Actually, let me and Grace think about it, you’re not a very creative person for that sort of stuff” Ellie interrupted and turned to Theo “will you be my date to the party?”

“Of course, milady” He took Ellie’s hand and kissed it, always pretending to be the perfect gentleman.

“Thomas, you’re coming with me” Grace pointed to the other twin, who arched a brow and pretended to be surprised.

“Is this how you ask me to be your date?” He continued to dramatized “I’m upset.”

“This isn’t a wedding proposal, calm down” she shot back and laughed “Ezra, mom asked us to wait for her outside the football court today, don’t be late, okay?” They got up, break time was almost ending and the students were beginning to head to their classes again.

Little by little, the movements and obstructions of passage became common again, with students trying to reach their lockers and get stuff out of it while others just tried to pass by. Thao and Thomas said goodbye alongside Ezra and then Ellie and Grace went to the auditorium, where the scenic and drama teacher was expecting her student’s arrival. Lizzie was probably leaving the library by now, and about to meet her best friend at quantum physics class that they decided to take together. Sure, Lizzie was younger and therefore hadn't learned as much as Ezra, but the teacher would always compliment her persistence and intelligence, though she still hadn’t any senior physics, she did great at the tests and would always surprise people with her cognitive capacity.

Though Lizzie loved being next to Ezra for two whole periods, right now she just wanted to avoid him and go home. She wasn’t jealous, she couldn’t be, she repeated it to herself like a mantra while crossing through the ocean of people in the halls. Ezra was her best friend and he had the right, and the freedom, to be invited by any other girl to any stupid party. Shit, Lizzie knew she didn’t want it to happen. And it wasn’t jealousy… not completely, she thought. If she were, to be honest with herself, she was scared of losing him to anyone else. Ever since she was little, her yeyu would tell her how kind and loving little Ezra was to her, even when she was still a baby. Lizzie loved to hear those stories, to know no one else had that connection with him like she did because they grew up together, their mothers went to pregnancy classes together and it all started there. However, the fear of seeing her best friend fall in love and have to share his time with another girl scared her to death, more than usual and normal, because she would be on the sidelines.

What Lizzie didn’t realize yet was that, deep down in her confused, jealous heart, she was in love with the sweet and shy basketball player, the same boy who helped her with chemistry homework and took her to get ice cream on Sunday afternoons. The simple panic in knowing he could be like any other girl came from the fact that Lizzie didn’t want anyone to have the same as her. And what if he decided to take another girl to the ice cream shop and forget that her, his best friend, was the one who used to be there? What if Ezra wanted to invite his future girlfriend to museums or watch weird documentaries with her? What would Lizzie do and how would she feel if she saw another girl was slowly taking her place in the life of someone who was one of the most important people to her?

Miserable, that was the word to describe her spirit if Ezra ever fell in love.

While Lizzie dealt and fought with her little hurricane of feelings inside her heart, Ellie watched Grace change in the auditorium locker. She had already changed and gathered her belongings, but her friend seemed slower than usual, she was quieter and spacier too. The normal way for the long-haired girl to never shut or be slow, and much less unfocused. Ellie always tried to avoid making any person talk about their feelings, moreover. She was known for being patient and sweet, and she understood that not all people were able to keep up with her never-ending good mood. Kara was the one who explained that to her, on a weird rainy day, when she and Alex got into a fight. It was scary and a bit despairing to see them raise their voices against each other, breathing hard not to lose composure and end up saying things they didn’t mean to. Ellie didn’t understand why, to her, her aunt and her yeyu were always best friends and were big confidants of one another. On that very same day, when they got home, Ellie heard her mom ask her yeyu to explain what had happened and reassured her everything was going to be okay.

Kara then sat down with both daughters, feeling guilty and upset with herself as she noticed she had made a mistake. With kind and few words, she explained that she and Alex weren’t on the same page every time and that it was normal for sisters to fight. She used the example of when Lizzie would ask Ellie to stop playing because she didn’t want anymore and didn’t feel like it anymore but Ellie would insist up to the point one of them was crying. Kara always quoted times when she and Lena got into arguments because they were tired or were wanting and thinking different things. And all of that was normal, it was okay. They would never stop loving each other, taking care, and trying to understand one another. It was one of the things Kara loved about being a journalist: to see all sides of a situation and problem. Still, on the same topic, Kara said it was hard for other people to keep up with her good mood and optimism, most times what people want to hear isn’t a motivational speech and a ‘think positive, everything is going to work out.’ No, sometimes people just want to be heard and want to be allowed to feel miserable about it, to feel the pain, the despair, and also the sadness.

Something she wanted to teach her daughters was that it was okay to feel sad, angry, scared and all the other feelings people used to say were negative and that they were not supposed to feel.

It was okay.

From that precious lesson, Ellie understood that her best friend, no matter how kind, fun, and happy she was, would also have her low points. So she didn’t force her to say anything she didn’t want to, just offering help and support. But right there, watching her put on the theater club uniform and sigh heavily, Ellie couldn’t wait for the appropriate time, that was going to consume her from the inside out. And by ‘that’ she meant: curiosity.

“Grace, are you okay?” Ellie’s voice echoed calm and sweet, grabbing her attention instantly “you… you’re so quiet…”

“I’m sorry” the metallic sound of her locker closing broke the silence “I just… it’s nothing serious, never mind.”

“No, don’t do that” she got up quickly and reached her friend’s hand “tell me what’s going on, you’re never quite like that and when you do it’s because something’s wrong. I know you like I know myself” she smiled and sat her down.

Grace sighed nervously, stroking her hair and averting her eyes for a few seconds.

“Okay, it’s about this new play,” she looked away. “I got the detective part…”

“But that’s great! That's the lead!” Ellie exclaimed, proud.

“Yeah… I know, but… did you read the whole script? Not just your part?” Ellie shook her head “my character falls in love and… has to kiss her love interest.

“Who is?”

“Jordan Spiked” she sighed, a bit disgusted.

“Oh… Grace, I…” Ellie interrupted herself before continuing because her brain had gotten really confused for a second “wait, is it because it’s him… is that the problem? Or… I’m a little lost here and…”

“Ellie, breathe” Grace held her hands and laughed “the problem isn’t that it’s him, it’s that… I’ve never kissed anyone before and what if… what if he notices it and tells everyone, I can’t just let that happen, I have to survive for a whole other year and a half in this school and…”

“Wow! Let’s slow down, you’re sounding like my yeyu when you look at her for too long” Ellie smiled and got closer “and that’s not true, you kissed…”

“No!” Grace raised her hand and breathed in, trying not to remember that. God, that was embarrassing “don’t dare make me think about… that day…”

“Well… I thought she was a good kisser, but apparently, she had the shape of…”

“Ellie Luthor Zor-El… I swear to Rao…” they laughed and then Ellie pulled her in for a tight hug. It felt nice not to have secrets, not to hide and be able to simply hear her full name slip out of someone’s mouth, someone she loved. When her mother talked to her about keeping her real origin a secret, she also said it was important to have someone to tell and trust. Lena explained they could choose someone they trusted and then tell the truth.

Lizzie picked Ezra and Ellie chose Grace, but Theo and Thomas ended up knowing too because they couldn’t just ignore the funniest, most amazing twins in the world.

“What am I going to do?” Grace asked, the anxiety coming back slowly, bringing despair as her guest.

“I have an idea” her green eyes glowed but Grace was hesitant.

“Why do I feel I’m not going to like it?” she crossed her arms.

“You’re offending me now!” she faked and rolled her eyes “you need to practice, you need to kiss someone and since I know you’re not into boys, you just have to kiss a girl.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but in order for me to kiss a girl… I have to find one first?” she stated the obvious.

However, something about the way Ellie didn’t even hesitate in smiling made her choke on air.

“And what am I? An alien?” she teased.

“Do you want me to be nice or honest?”

“Ugh! Grace!” she laughed but then sighed, the reality of that moment hitting her hard “I just want to help you, I know I don’t have a lot of experience either, but then we’ll help each other.”

“Help? We’re going to kiss and then what? I can’t…. I can’t kiss you, El!” heavens, that was an insane idea “you’re my best friend.”

“And you’re mine and I don’t mind kissing you, it will help your performance on the play and we’re not going to be doing it as girlfriends, just as… as a test” she tried to argue and Grace seemed to consider it for a second.

“Nope, I can't.” Grace got up and began to walk left and right, then stopping to tie her hair up in a ponytail. Something inside her was screaming, fighting, and wanted to give in. Because that wasn’t just any person. It was Ellie.

Her best friend.

The person who knew her better than anyone.

And the one she was terrible and desperately in love with.

Fuck.

Why did life have to make her fall for that ridiculous, overused cliche? Or course she was going to fall in love with her best friend, the cherry on top of to make her life a living hell and complete mess. As if being a girl and a teen wasn’t already hard enough. Okay, but now was the time to focus and say with all the words, firmly and definitively that she couldn’t do it, she wouldn’t take in the offer because it was too much. She could find another girl, maybe one from the club even could understand and say yes, it wouldn’t be that complicated. Grace could lie too or come up with any lousy excuse to make Ellie drop wanting to practice something that would mean a lot more to her. 

But when Grace opened her mouth to say no, her own heart betrayed her.

“Okay, I’m in.”

“Wahoo! That’s the spirit” Ellie cheered and checked the time “we have about ten minutes before the teacher notices we’re not there. Come one, sit down and we’ll start lesson number one.

Grace felt her limbs weaken and she was pretty sure her stomach had just turned upside down, or that it was just melting inside her.

Damn it, why did she have to be so gay?

“Grace?”

“O-okay…” she scoffed “b-but… does it have to be now?” of all the way she had pictured her death, she never thought it was going to be like that.

“Come on!” Ellie insisted. Okay, she could do it. She sure could.

Grace sat on the bench again, one leg on each side, just like the girl in front of her. Her hands were sweating and she couldn’t lie, maybe she was about to have a heart attack. Ellie, opposite to her friend, seemed more excited than nervous and certainly could see nothing wrong with the absurd idea she had come up with. And then, sliding her body on her bench, the two of them got so close they were breathing each other's air, her breaths were mixing and both noticed how intense and hot the atmosphere became. Ellie slid her hands up her bare arms, feeling the cold skin underneath her fingers, and continued to trace it up to her shoulders, her lower neck, and then her jawline. Grace lost her ability to think completely and closed her eyes as she felt the warm hands hold her face with such gentleness and care. She knew her friend had superhuman strength, like Supergirl and she was still surprised by Ellie’s self-control.

One that was beyond her.

“Is this okay?” Ellie whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling.

“Hm...”

And then, shortening the minimum distance, even more, Ellie brought her lips up to her friend’s, unsure of what she was supposed to do or how far she should go. They stayed still, eyes closed, Ellie could hear Grace’s heart beating fast and desperate, which worried her a little, maybe she was regretting it. But then, Grace relaxed and slid her hands to her neck, tracing the exposed skin and stroking her jaw gently. The kiss didn’t get any deeper until Ellie explained what she was going to do next.

“I… I need you to open your lips and let… uh, let me show you” Ellie asked with a shaky voice, almost impossible to be heard. Grace nodded, unable to say or pronounce any intelligible word.

They breathed in and Ellie closed the gap again while Grace pulled her closer, grabbing the blonde hair lightly. As she slightly opened her mouth, she felt the firm and warm tongue trace a line on her lower lip, as if quietly asking for permission. And she deliberately conceded it, unable to deny anything there. Her tastes meet, sweet with citric, hot and warm and Grace thought of all the times she wanted to do that with Ellie. It was wrong, she knew that she might lose her friendship, but she couldn’t stop the feeling from growing gradually every time Ellie smiled, laughed, or told any of her stupid jokes. She knew every corner of her heart, she had it memorized, all her habits and preferences.

And she loved every aspect of it, even though her best friend was never going to love her the same way.

Grace still remembered all the times Ellie told her she was in love with some boy or attracted to some girl. To her, bisexuality was always normal, she never had to discuss it or come out, however, the youngest Luthor heir never allowed herself to date or take the next step with a girl. It was a crucial point that Ellie never explained. Grace knew her friend had tried to date one of the boys on the swimming team, and she had kissed one or two throughout high school, she wasn’t exactly a player and only got involved when she felt it was right. However, there had been a girl and Ellie never explained why, even though she liked her, she had never given her a chance. It was like something was stopping her, a strong, unbreakable barrier.

The bell rang again, loud and clear, pulling the girls away from the bubble they had been in for a couple of minutes. They were both breathless, her lips were red and hearts were racing. They got up, took their things, and ran back to the auditorium, never bringing up the kiss or the chaos of feelings they were going through.

***

“You’re late.”

Kara felt her cheeks turn red when the woman simply ignored her, got down from one of the gym apparatus, and kept walking as if she wasn’t even there. Rao, she was in so much trouble.

“I… uh, I had a thing at the DEO” Kara whispered that last part, checking to see if no one heard it.

“After fifteen years with me, you’re going to use that excuse?” Lena arched a brow and took a long sip of freezing water “You were with Nia.”

“I… How do you know that?” Kara followed her wife to another apparatus, where she sat on it and put her things on her side.

“Kara, I own the company you work for, I know everything that goes in there, and, please, if you’re not going to help me then go back to whatever you were doing before this” she sighed without an ounce of patience. She didn’t understand why she had to insist so much to Kara to be there with her at the daily exercising at least once a week. It wasn’t for the exercising itself, because Kara didn’t need that, but just for the company.

“Lena, I’m sorry” Kara sighed, averting her eyes to a man about to approach them, also carrying a bottle of water and a face towel “I’m going to…”

“Hey, Lena, how are we feeling this morning?” the man asked with a movie star smile, making Kara intrigued and bothered by the intimacy. Why was he calling her by her first name?

“A bit tired from having a meeting first thing, but fine” Lena answered politely “what about you? Have you lifted that 330-pound weight to your shoulders yet?”

Kara crossed her arms, suddenly very interested in that interaction. So, that unknown man probably knew her wife was L-Corp’s CEO and would lift weights in front of her to call her attention and would wear that smile as if Lena was single? Rao, it couldn’t be possible. Well, she thought to herself Lena must have mentioned she is married and her two teenage daughters at least once and that, by the way, it was almost a fifteen-year marriage. However, Kara could only picture Lena watching him flexing his muscles and perhaps feeling tempted to touch them. Rao, she couldn’t think that, Lena loved her muscles, not the ones from random people that smiled like a Brad Pitt gym.

Damn it.

“Oh, the usual” he scratched his neck, a bit embarrassed by her sentence, “I think we’re being a bit impolite, introduce me to your friend.”

Friend.

You had to be kidding. Friend?

“Oh, yes, this is Kara, and Kara, this is my friend Ryan” Lena introduced and maybe Kara shook his hand a little too hard on purpose “we’re always here at the same time, at least we have each other’s company

“Oh, always,” Kara scoffed. Fuck, this is all your fault, she complained to herself silently “good for your, uh… that you’re not alone…”

“Ryan broke a weightlifting record so he keeps practicing to beat it again” Lena explained with a smile and the man smiled in return “I can’t wait for it to happen.”

“Lena, don’t have too many expectations” Ryan brushed off and looked over to Kara “but that wasn’t the reason I came here today, I wanted to invite you to that Caffe today, in the afternoon and we can finish the conversation we began last week if you’re not too busy being National City’s best CEO today.”

And this time Lena blushed.

“Is 4:30 good for you?” she asked, completely ignoring her wife, who was about to explode right there.

“Totally, I’ll see you later and Kara, it was nice to meet you” he smiled politely and walked out.

“Are you going to just stand there or are you going to do something?” Lena turned to Kara again, going back to choosing the right weight for that apparatus “the spinning class is in ten minutes I need to finish off here.

“I’m coming with you” Kara suddenly answered, her voice far from the usual sweet and innocent tone.

“To the spinning class?” Lena questioned, confused, though she knew very well her wife was jealous of Ryan “well, you can sit there and wait” she pointed at the benches.

“To that Caffe,” she said firmly. Lena could be as stubborn as possible, pretending she didn’t care, but Kara could see the reason behind all the scenes. “Did you just let him think I’m your friend?”

“Aren’t you?” she shot back looking at her. The crystal green staring at the intense blue “I thought that besides being married, we were friends. Though the married part would be better if you remember important dates.”

“So this is about last year?” Kara asked in disbelief. Of course, Lena wouldn’t let her forget when she mistook the anniversary with her birthday the year before. It wasn’t her fault, she was so tired and lost and there were so many attacks happening all around she didn’t ratiocinate “I’ve already apologized for it.”

“I know, I’m just preparing myself for this year” she clenched her jaw “that if you do remember” she grumbled quietly, well aware Kara could hear her “you don’t have to come to this cafe, you’re not going to like the talk and maybe the DEO is going to need you.”

“I told you I’m going and that’s the end of it” they stared at each other, the tension in the air. Suddenly, a loud siren went by the building and of course, Kara turned to the sound before turning at her wife again “I have to go, I’ll meet you at 4:30 at Noonan’s.”

Lena didn’t have the chance to answer or even contest that decision, after all, she and Ryan weren’t meeting at Noonan's, but at a Caffe nearer L-Corp. But she couldn’t say no to that woman whom she loved and was annoyed by so much. Lena followed through the schedule that day up until the same she had to go back for another meeting with Sam, spending most of her time silent and wonderous. She didn’t want to be so harsh to Kara when it came to important dates, but she feared that after so long together, that love, care, and excitement from being married, would decrease little by little as if the fire would go out suddenly. Lena didn’t want that for them, she didn’t want that after everything they had been through, their marriage was just that: routine. She could see how Kara was already a little distant, they didn’t have as much alone time anymore and kept postponing a trip to Midvale. Alex already knew Lizzie and Ellie would be under her watch during the weekend, but Kara had to go help Barry on another Earth again.

“Nia, change of plans,” Supergirl said as she landed on top of a building a bit far from the city “I’m going to need it by Wednesday.”

“I’ll do my best, don’t worry!”

***

“Suzie!” a high-pitched voice called out from afar, getting the two Danvers-Arias, leaving the school, attention. They stopped before getting in the car and looked at the girl who called “Hey, I… I just wanted to thank you for today” the girl said shyly, and didn’t dare to look at Alex “and I wanted to invite you to my party this weekend, it isn’t going to be anything special, but I wanted… uh, I wanted you to go.”

“You live in a mansion, your ‘not special’ definitely involved rich people’s bad food” Suzie grumbled and got a smack from her mother.

“Suzie!” Alex said in between teeth, trying not to laugh at the dry honesty “be nice.”

“Thank you, but I don’t know if it’s my kind of party” Suzie was even more honest but as the girl’s eyes looked disappointed, she couldn’t help but groan at herself “I… I’ll try to be there and I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Okay, you can bring your friends too” she commented “see you tomorrow!” she said her quick goodbye and smiled at Alex, running back to her mother waiting for her in the car.

As soon as they were alone, they turned back to the car and then made their way home. During the twenty-minute way, Alex wondered silently about her daughter’s reactions, trying to contain her smile. Suzie was always a smart girl, of few words and a bit too sincere, sometimes coming off as rude, but she wasn’t rude. Throughout those fourteen years, Alex had learned how to be more patient, to listen, to understand, and try to see them from the side of someone who was going through one of the most complex phases in life. However, Suzie did not let things go easily, though she never got into too much trouble with anyone. On the contrary, Suzie was that type of rebel teen that had a sense of what was extreme and had limits to her actions. When she came home one day and told her mothers she wanted to be in a band, Sam and Alex thought it was a fun idea, but the girl put effort into the rehearsals with the boys in the garage. The band was made of two boys and her, who played the bass and the electric guitar sometimes.

Another thing that set her apart from the other kids her age was her maturity and the way she dressed, talked, and had her way around everything. Suzie was literally a version of her mother Alex when she was sixteen and both her aunt Kara and yeyu Sam said she could as well be her aunt Lutessas’s daughter. Which led to the infinite commentary of how a baby from two unbearable people like Alex and Lena would be like.

“Who was that girl?” Alex asked as they walked into the house “I thought you hated the kids at your school.”

“I do, especially the girls that are in the heat but can’t even explain what a period is” Suzie answered in the same usual tone. Sam, who was finishing making some sandwiches in the kitchen, turned around to listen to that conversation “but some boys were picking on her at lunch break last week. I didn’t know who she was, but I didn’t think it was nice. So I went there and I almost hit them.” Sam and Alex turned to her fast and there was panic in their eyes “I said almost, see?”

“What exactly were they doing?” Sam asked a bit more attentively to the matter.

“I don’t know, I got there and everyone was laughing as she looked… frightened, apparently the boys were making jokes at her clothes, assholes” Suzie felt her blood boil and instantly closed her hand on a fist “I know that she’s all cocky and popular, and bla, bla bla, she wants to look older by wearing shorter clothes but that doesn’t give anyone the right to say mean and disgusting things.”

“Well, you’re right about that and you did well, but please…”

“Don’t hit anyone, I know!” stubbornly and tired of getting the same orders, Suzie threw herself onto the couch and sighed. The invite for the party was still in her hand and the question of attending or not, in her head “Her name is Charlotte and everyone calls her Cher.”

Alex laughed and almost choked on the water she had just poured.

“Cher, like… like Cher from that movie Clueless?” she questioned, still coughing from laughter, while her wife looked at her, missing the joke and Suzie laughed loudly too.

God, they really were mother and daughter.

“Yes! It’s such a cliche, mom!” Suzie agreed, almost screaming, muffling her voice on a pillow “who, in their right mind, would name their daughter after a character as shallow as the one from that movie? For Rao’s sake!”

“Hey, you’re talking about this Charlotte girl” Sam intervened “well if she isn’t anyone important, why the sudden subject?”

“Well, she invited our Little Reign to her end-of-semester party, but apparently Suzie isn’t going” Alex shrugged “right, kid?”

“Right!” she answered from the living room.

“I’m going to take a shower, okay?” she kissed Sam on the lips and smiled “I’ll be right back.”

As she walked away, Sam couldn’t help but notice her daughter was still looking at the invite and making funny faces. Yes, of course, Suzie was never the type of girl that went to parties of any sort, she was more of a house gal, enjoying a pizza night with her bandmates and walks in the park with her cousins, even if she was there just to annoy them. Even the beach didn’t please her a lot and she’s spent her days in Midvale under an umbrella, listening to music and laughing about how Kara and her mom behaved like children when together. However, Sam knew her well, better than herself and she was basically capable of reading her mind. Though she was a lot like Reign when it came to how she showed herself, Suzie had Alex’s sweet and calm heart, always scared of showing she wasn’t as tough on the inside as she was on the outside.

So, leaving the sandwiches well protected and taking the apron off, Sam circled the kitchen table and went straight to the living room where the girl was lying on the floor, feet up and backpack on the floor. Sam had complained on and on about how she didn't like those torn pants on the knees, but it was no use. Suzie had Alex’s brown eyes and wavy hair, her shy smile, and pinkish cheeks. She was a replica and a perfect mix of them

“You want to go to this party, don’t you?” Sam’s sweet voice hit her like a warm breeze, making her look up and stare at her.

“I… I don’t know, yeyu” she sighed “I mean she’s all girlie and a bit superficial, I mean… she’s supposed to be, you know? I mean… superficial” she explained confused “but after I helped her, we started talking more and more and she would look for me during break time and I… I never thought she was going to want me to be her friend. Look at me and look at her!” she carried on fast, leaving Sam a little stunned by her monologue “turns out she’s really cool, you know? She knows a lot about books and songs and even knows some I’m into. I didn’t… I don’t want to say no to the invite, but I also don’t want people to think I’ve changed because of her...”

“You don’t need to care about what other people think, baby” Sam pulled her closer, holding her in a warm embrace. “Life isn’t like a movie, where the popular girls don’t mix, and they’re futile and only care about their looks. Human beings are far more complex and who knows, maybe you’ll continue to be surprised by her if you allow yourself to be her friend.”

“You really think so?” She questioned hesitantly still, getting comfier in her arms “I liked her…”

“Hm, like her?” Sam used her best smirk to tease her daughter and watched as she brushed like a red tomato.

“Ew, no! Yeyu!” they laughed “I don’t like her like that, okay? I’ve only known her for a week, who falls in love in only one week?”

“Your aunt Lutessa” Alex answered coming back from the hallway, wearing a white towel over her white hair and comfortable clothes “never doubt a woman’s power of falling in love in less than a week.”

Alex sat down next to her wife and looked at the happy to finally have the family reunited at the end of the day - something that became rare since she took over the DEO and some problems began to hit National City, demanding the director and both Reign and Supergirl - and just get to have dinner like normal people.

Only Ruby isn’t here, she thought to herself. And then they heard a knock on the door. They weren’t expecting anyone, neither Lena nor Kara had said anything about a visit. And Winn was at a party with Eve, James probably still at work. So who could it be?

“I’ll get it” Alex heard Reign’s hoarse, almost metallic voice, noticing Sam’s eyes were now red and her face looked harsh.

“No, stay here with Suzie,” Alex asked, touching her shoulder “it’s probably some neighbor.”

Reign nodded and let Suzie sit next to her and hold her hand. Alex took off the towel quickly, fixing her hair with her hand, and walked firmly to the door, unlocking it and then…

“Ruby?”

The girl smiled shyly, the same dimples on her face, the same brown eyes. A woman, but still her girl.

“Hey, mom…”

***

A little earlier that day, Lena enjoyed the fact that Jess had left her schedule for the week completely organized and ready and finally smiled proudly for having dealt with one of the deal contracts before the time she had settled with Ryan. Ever since Lizzie’s birth and Ellie’s arrival, Lena had to learn to balance various appointments at once, knowing the time to leave, to stop, and also to ask for help. Luckily for her, Kara was literally her safe harbor, her fortress, and was always ready to cooperate and do what she did best: to save the world. And in that sense, her world was three amazing girls. Sure, Sam also was the person who made her think straight and kept her from breaking down. They still remembered when the girls were only nine, both finals week, all desperate and tired, not wanting to study anymore, or finish their homework and refusing to eat anything that wasn’t pizza or ice cream. It was on those days Lena would go to bed thinking she was failing everything, her corporation, her daughters, and also her wife.

However, Kara never let her think like that for long. She would let her wife breathe, cry and put all the angst and exhaustion consuming her out. They would make their way to the bed, put on comfortable pajamas, and Kara would remind her, detail by detail, of the reasons why she was the strongest, bravest, and more fearless woman in that universe. Bad days are always going to exist, days when you don’t want to get out of bed, nor see the world outside and you just feel like everything is wrong. But the truth is that bad days can’t dictate the good ones, neither can take away their value, on the contrary. Bad days exist because everyone can feel weak, vulnerable, tired, and sad. It’s just your nature telling you: ‘hey, you don’t need to be strong and happy all the time, allow yourself to fall and stay on the ground’. Bad days exist to remind you you’re human and that there’s nothing wrong in allowing yourself to feel.

Lena left her desk clean before leaving and told Jess she could go home earlier, even though it was Monday, walking into the elevator and heading to the private parking lot.

“Ryan, always on time” Lena greeted briefly, shaking his hand and thanked the waiter handing her the menu “and you are?” she turned to the lady next to him, somewhat physically similar to him. Her eyes were intense brown, hair blonde like gold, and lips painted in dark Bordeaux.

“Oh, sorry, this is my sister Gillian.” Ryan introduced her with a smile and she did the same and Lena reached out to shake her hand, but the woman held it gently and kissed her knuckles delicately. Lena felt her face heat up quickly and pulled her hand back, a bit embarrassed by the action “Gilian, this is Lena Luthor.”

“Nice to meet you,” Gillian said politely, never looking away from her.

“I didn’t know you had a sister” Lena tried to come up with some subject fast. God, where was Kara in times like these? “Do you work together?”

“Actually, I manage our branch in Madrid,” Gilian smiled and looked at her brother. “I’m just passing by to get to know the wonders of this unusual city, which apparently has a woman who calls herself a hero and goes around in a costume.”

With that brief comment, Lena clenched her jaw and controlled herself not to snap at her.

“Supergirl is an honorable hero, Gil” Ryan defended, making Lena a bit more calmer without even realizing it, after all, he didn’t even know Lena was married, much less to Supergirl herself “give her more credit.”

“If she gives me some time with her, I can definitely change my mind” she teased, smirking. It was only going to be harder to be there, Lena thought to herself “but let’s focus on what we have here, Lena, right?” she nodded, moving away from her thoughts “you could show me around town, I’m sure there are other beautiful things, besides you.”

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Great, that was all she needed.

“Easy there, tiger, easy” Ryan placed his hand on his sister’s shoulders “I know you’ve just broken up with the french girl, but me and Jordan are taking you to a new restaurant tonight, don’t forget it.”

Well, that was interesting. Lena knew very well that Ryan was gay, that’s why she didn’t take her wife’s jealousy seriously. She just wanted to see the look on Kara’s face when she figured it out. However, Gillian was also gay, or lesbian, and that fact was a huge problem. Because in Ryan’s mind, who always ran to her at the gym, when Lena was never wearing her ring because she was scared of losing or damaging it, Lena was single. Sure, they had gone out for coffee once or twice but it wasn’t enough for him to realize that she was in fact married for over fourteen years and had two daughters. Ryan was new in National City and had just come from Europe, being really out of touch with ‘big influencers’ news, losing some of CatCo Magazine pictures where Lena and Kara were at dinners together, posing as a couple and being bestowed by the people who admired them.

Or to shorten it, that had just become a mess.

“Well, Lena you could be my pair” she turned to her and winked "and then we can enjoy the rest of the evening. I heard National City has great pubs.”

But she didn’t answer, her eyes were focused in a spot behind the siblings.

“Lena? Is everything okay?” Ryan touched her hand and turned around, realizing that she was actually watching the news on the small tv on the wall. Supergirl was fighting three men, one of which was clearly alien.

And Lena had studied that species before and she knew he could hurt Kara.

“Oh, there’s our hero,” Gillian said as she turned around “it looks like she’s in trouble.”

“I have to go, I’m sorry, Ryan” in a hurry, Lena took her purse and coat on the table again “we can schedule coffee for another time, I just remembered I have to pick Lizzie and Ellie up at school” she used the first excuse that came to mind “and Gillian, I’m sorry, I’m married and have two daughters. I think you’re going to have to find somebody else. Someone available.”

While she was running out of the cafe, she could hear Gilian complain to Ryan about not telling her that she was married and the brother defending himself saying he didn’t know either. Lena didn’t really mind when that happened, it was fun to see people try to conquer her, precisely because there wasn’t and there was never going to be another person in the world - or any other Earth - that would make her quit on her family, on her wife Kara Danvers. There were times when they both had fun, pretending not to know each other at parties, or when Alex invited them to an alien bar, it was a private joke, a laidback moment. It was like coming back to the start when everything was overcomplicated, painful to the point of making them both cowards, scared of losing each other over simple mistakes. And now, almost seventeen years after receiving that blonde, shy reporter in a pink skirt and cute sweater in her office, Lena knew for sure she had found the only person her heart was always going to belong to.

***

When the last bell rang through the halls, the crowd of students got together and the sound of voices and laughter filled all corners of those walls. Classes were over for that day, they could finally go home and continue their countdown to the last day of school. Summer vacation equaled true happiness for everyone there. Well, maybe happiness isn't the right word to describe the kryptonian sisters' mood, who were pretty frustrated and worried about the future of their friendships. Lizzie hadn’t talked to Ezra yet, because she couldn’t make sense of that turmoil of feelings inside her young heart and the idea of having to deal with something so grand and intense without any previous experience could be quite damaging to the soul. While she dreaded guilt for acting in such a childish and explosive way, Ellie was quiet. And that fact alone was enough to show that she was dealing with some problem.

And that problem had a name: Grace.

After rehearsals for the play, Grace excused herself to go study alone and the truth was she had never said an excuse so weirdly ridiculous to get away. Ellie knew her very well, she could look into her eyes and read the fear, the sadness, and all the other feelings that screamed at her how upset her friend was. Her first thought was about the kiss if she had crossed some line inside the friendship if Grace hated her now or anything of the sort. However, while she blamed and martyred herself, her stomach was filled with butterflies as she remembered the kiss, the way her hands went up to her arms slowly and her hands grabbed her hair. Rao, why did she follow through with that idea? Ellie had never felt this way before, she never felt as if she was missing something as if she had finally found a part of herself, or her heart, and then had lost it again. Ellie didn’t know what that was and barely understood the complexity of her own heart.

The Luthor-Danvers sisters left the school, saying goodbye to a couple of friends, and quickly spotted Frank, the driver, waiting for them. Which was a little weird, since their mother had said she was going to pick them up.

“Frank?” Lizzie called out the man, distracted by the music playing.

“Ms. Luthor-Danvers” he smiled politely and the old age was even more visible with the motion “please, get in. Mrs. Danvers ordered me to pick you two up and said you could choose to go home or your aunt Alex’s home.”

Ellie turned to her sister, her eyes screaming more than a thousand words.

Something had happened.

“We’re going home, Frank.”

On the way there, they held hands. A habit of when they were scared, confused, or simply aerial. It was almost like an involuntary motion, not even the girls understood it, but they didn’t mind it. Kara and Lena found it extremely interesting and recomforting that her girls shared a connection that went beyond blood because they could watch them grow together, they witness every aspect of that friendship blossom and, only by that, they had enough sureness to say that Lizzie and Ellie shared more than just genes, more than two mothers and a family. They shared a soul and loved it with two hearts. Of course, they were moments of arguments and fights, when you’re half Luthor and half Super, anything can happen and that child was doomed to be stubborn and strong-minded, in a way even more exhausting to deal with and comprehend. But at the end of the day, everything always worked out.

As soon as the car park, they ran outside and got into the living room, to find Lena with a little difficulty while carrying Supergirl through the hallway. Her long blonde hair, not stained with dirt, fell on her bruised face, her chest going up and down slowly and one of her arms firmly placed around her wife’s neck, resting on her shoulders. Ellie wanted to help, just like her sister, but as soon as they saw the huge cut on her year's right thigh, with a crust of dry blood on the top of it, the froze in place. It wasn’t the first time they witnessed that situation, having a mother with a dangerous and risky job like hers would certainly come with moments like that. But it was still scary every time.

“Lizzie, Ellie” Lena called, worried and attentive to their reaction “babies, everything is fine, okay? Your yeyu is fine, she just needs to recover like last time.”

“S-she… her legs” Lizzie stuttered and pointed at the swollen and purplish limb.

“It’s okay, is’kah” Kara answered, sighing and groaning in pain as she tried to stand up “it’s… ugh, it’s already healing, I… ugh, Lena I need…”

“I know, darling” Lena was doing her best to carry her body “can you help me? Or would you rather wait in the kitchen?” she asked, snapping the girls out of their heads “I have to take her to the bathroom.”

“I…I’ll help” Ellie promptly said, dropping her bag on the floor and going to get Supergirl on the other side, fully relieving the weight for Lena. Lizzie did the same.

“You think you can do this alone?” She allowed the girls to hold the hero since both had super strength. They agreed with a nod “okay, go up carefully, it’s better to levitate over the stairs, okay? I’ll go in the front” she announced and ran upstairs.

“Hm, right” Lizzie murmured “is it okay if I hold here, yeyu? Does it hurt?”

“Ugh, a little, but it will pass” Kara grumbled, squeezing her eyes and clenching her jaw to not let out a groan again “your mom is going to know what to do.”

And so, the three kryptonians headed to the bathroom, Lizzie let her mother cling on to her uniform shirt, while her other arm was firmly attached to Ellie’s waist. As they got there, Lena was already waiting for them, barefoot with her sleeves up to her elbow, her hair tied up and hot water streaming down the shower, fogging the glass. Supergirl was handed away, now following her wife to the shower. Lena asked her daughter to put on the yellow lights and call Alex, to tell her Kara was hurt, but she was home and being taken care of. Not that Alex didn’t trust her sister in law, on the contrary, Lena knew her well and knew she would worry herself to the bone until she got any news on her younger sister.

“Can you stand up for a second?” Lena asked tenderly with a smile. Kara nodded, leaning her hands on her shoulders and focusing on her clear green eyes. She always thought they were marvelous and of incomparable beauty “what?” Lena noticed Kara’s look on her while taking her off of the blue and red suit.

“Uh, your eyes” Kara answered with a shy smile “I love the way they change colors.”

Lena blushed hard at the unforeseen compliment 

“Are we affectionate, today?” she teased “raised your foot, like that. I’m going to need you to let me clean this, okay?” she nodded, still clinging on to her body and then getting under the water.

“I… I don’t like to put them through this, to scare them like this” Kara complained, groaning in pain. The bad part of facing enemies that could hurt her somehow or require too much energy is that her powers would run out and then she would have to ‘recharge’ under the lamps “I… I don’t…”

“Shh, don’t say that Kara” Lena placed a finger on her trembling lips “Lizzie and Ellie understand how dangerous your job is, there’s a bad side, but you’re not traumatizing them.”

“H-how can you be so sure?” there was doubt and grief in her voice “how… How can you know I’m not hurting them? Hurting you?”

And there it was, her insecurity resurfacing like the monster it was. The anxiety climbing up her throat. Lena understood it, more than that: she felt the same. Years had passed since the coma, since the day they almost lost each other for good. Over time, they continued to count on J’onn’s help to assist Kara with her dreams and past. While Lena faithfully went to see a therapist, working on her traumas, fears, and anguishes. However, there were moments when one of them would doubt everything, question existence itself, and end up saying untrue things.

“My love, you’re exhausted and you need to rest.” Lena held her face, reddened by the effort and tiredness, the face of the woman she loved the most “Lizzie and Ellie love you unconditionally and they have the best mother in the world. They see themselves in you, just like I do.”

“I love you so much, Lena,” she sighed, letting the tears fall. “I really do love you.”

“I love you too and I’m here forever, okay?” blue met green and their lips smiled, Kara let her head fall on her hands.

After cleaning the cut and making sure everything was well-taken care of and Kara didn’t have any other deep bruises, Lena helped her get dressed and then laid her on the bed, where the yellow lights were already on. Kara quickly relaxed, letting every heat particle coming from the light fill her alien cells fully. It would take a while for her to recover, but there was nothing like having two girls lying beside her and hugging her possessively. Lizzie and Ellie had rushed into their room, changed clothes, and went right back to their yeyu’s side, using that situation to lay with her and spoil her as she deserved. Lena rolled her eyes at that ridiculously cute sight, going back to the closet to change clothes, and then joined them in the part where the lamplight couldn’t reach. She didn’t want any burns or blisters.

“Hmm, I like this,” Lena mumbled with a smile, looking for her wife’s hand and feeling Ellie hug her “how was school today?”

“Good.”

“Okay.”

Lena and Kara exchange curious and highly suspicious looks, of course.

“Why do I feel like you two are lying?” Kara questioned.

“Because they’re just as bad as lying as you, darling” Lena witty pointed out with a smile and a teasing wink “do you want to talk about it?” She went back to the subject.
    
“You first!” Lizzie quickly said, pointing at Ellie, who gasped and grimaced at her.

“I don’t know… uh, how to tell it and don’t… don’t even know if I want to” Ellie stuttered nervously, hiding her face in her yeyu’s shoulder “I think I fucked up.”

“Baby, look at me” Lena touched her arm slightly and her eyes, as green as hers, raised from the hero’s skin “if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay. But know we’re here to help you with whatever you need, okay?”

“Come here so I can see you better, this is great but I’d rather see your face, is’kah,” Kara asked, groaning a little when Ellie moved up and jumped to the middle of the bed, pushing her sister closer to their other mom “like that, now, do you want to talk?”

“Uh… I, er… it’s a stupid thing, but I think… I think it means something” she explained confused, leaving everyone there completely lost “Grace and I, we… uh, kissed today” she finally revealed. Lena turned to her wife, who frowned, and then Lizzie reacted.

“You what?” she almost screamed, sitting up fast and hitting her head on one of the lamps “ouch!”

“I was going to tell you, but you were upset too and I didn’t want to worry you, even more, don’t be mad at me!” Ellie defended herself fast and sighed, feeling her mothers’ eyes on her “it was supposed to be just a test for the theater club, Grace in the lead and she… she’s going to have to kiss a boy, but she was scared because she had never kissed anyone” she quote marked that part with her fingers “I just wanted to help her…”

“Okay, it’s understandable up to this point of course, but there’s more, isn’t there?” Lena pulled her pillow and sat up, letting Lizzie lie her head on her legs.

“But she said yes?” Kara asked before her daughter could keep going. Ellie nodded “uh, okay. Not so bad… if she was okay with it, then there’s no problem, right?” She turned to Lena. Rao, relationships were so complicated.

“It depends” Lena exhales, biting down on her lips, like she used to. Showing that her brain was working at full speed on a simpler answer “picture the both of us the year we met” She suggested. Kara nodded, and smiled at the memory of those times “we both know I fell for you first, not imagine that I needed a date for a ball and you offered to go, and we ended up kissing” Kara blushed at that idea “how do you think it would be like for me, being in love, knowing that that was just fake and that you were just helping me?

Some seconds passed, Kara’s eyes were glowing with confusion and then something clicked on her brain.

Oh.

“Rao, Grace likes Ellie?” she questioned with a high-pitched voice. Rao, how come she had never noticed it? It made so much sense if she were to be honest “Oh, Rao…”

“What?” Ellie and Lizzie asked at the same time.

“I’m sorry you got this from your yeyu” Lena joked, provoking as always “but Ellie, honey, pay attention to everything you just said. In your naive mind, there was no problem in it, of course, there wasn’t, but Grace likes you, it wasn’t just a kiss to her, just a way for her to hurt even more, because she doesn’t know you feel the same way.” a soft, quiet sob echoed on the room, painful was the right word to describe it.

“Hey, is’kah” Kara moved closer to the girl and kissed her cheeks now wet with tears “what’s wrong?”

“M-mom…” Ellie sobbed breathlessly and Lena reached for her hand, squeezing it gently to assure her it was okay “mom, I… I don’t know what I’m feeling, I… I think I like her but at the same time I don’t want to” now her crying has turned into a suffocating vent, regaining control of her breathing “I’m already different, I have this powers I can’t use, I wasn’t born the right way, what if… what if she finds out I was found on a basement alone? What if she doesn’t believe I’m your biological daughter? I don’t want to be even more different, I don’t want to be the type of girl that loves another girl, you know what people say, right? Being that kind of different isn’t cool.” by that point, the whole Luthor-Danvers family was drowning in an ocean of tension and silence.

What were they going to say now? How were they going to explain that it was okay to be different, to fall in love with the whoever person? It wasn’t a big deal to any of them, Alex was married to Sam, they had two mothers, so witness and dealing with same-sex couples was normal and routine for the girls. But feeling and figuring yourself out to be the same could also hurt, especially in a world that wasn’t kind to all types of love. Ever since her daughters were little, Lena made a proper effort not to push any kind of sexual orientation onto them, it wasn’t fair, and in her heart, Lena just wanted both of them to find someone who loved them truly, just like she had found Kara. Lucky for her and also for her motherly concern, neither Lizzie nor Ellie was that interested in that kind of relationship, choosing friendships over it.

“Okay, I’m going to tell you something and I need you to pay attention to me” Kara also tried to sit up, still a little awkward but just grateful her leg wasn’t bothering her as much “being different is something that hurts on this planet. People aren’t usually accepting of what they don’t understand, and it has been this way from the beginning. Wars were battled because of prejudice, people have died due to intolerance, all it took was to be a little different. When I arrived here, I was alone” Kara had told that story before, her daughters had memorized it by this point “I remember that at school there was this really pretty girl, she was even a bit popular and had all eyes on her. I felt something for her, it might have been physical attraction or anything else, but the point is that I felt something.” Her eyes met Lena’s, so green, calm and intense “One night I asked Alex, who didn’t like me a lot back then, if she had ever felt something for girls, and she freaked out. She told me I was already weird enough, that I already drew too much attention…” she sighed “and that if that was the case, I would just be the freak at school.”

“But aunt Alex…” Lizzie frowned.

“I know, Liz. We all know now, but even when she came out to me it was like she was ripping a dagger out of her chest. Alex knew it was going to affect me too because on that night she pushed me to bury a part of myself.” Kara explained tenderly, moving the blond hair from her girl’s face “for many years I was caught up on the idea that I had to fall in love with a guy, to have kids and a family, earthly and traditional things. Even though I knew that back in Krypton it would be okay for me to marry a woman.” She held Ellie’s face softly, gently stroking her finger on her pale skin “my point here Ellie, is that you can be different. Different is beautiful, it’s extraordinary and you’re free to love whoever you want. Look at me and your mother, our families had huge problems, practically speaking, it would be completely wrong for me to fall in love with anyone with the name Luthor. But look at where we came.” She looked at her wife again, now with teary eyes and a silly smile.

“What your yeyu means, my love, is that you don’t have to hide or repress what you feel for your friend, okay?” Lena got even closer, letting Lizzie cuddle on her arms as she did ever since she was a baby and then reached Ellie “and about your birth, this is only ours. You don’t have to tell anyone you don’t feel comfortable sharing it. If Grace is not ready to know yet, then wait, and if she never is, that’s fine too. Just now that it doesn’t matter if I gave birth to you or not, you’re still mine and your yeyu’s, and nothing in the world can change that.”

“What I felt was good, like… like it had fit so well in my heart, you know?” Her green eyes lit up and met Lizzie’s “I think I like her in the same way too…”

“You think, Romeo?” Lizzie teased, grabbing her waist and making her laugh “I’m so happy for you!” She pulled her in for a hug and they stayed there, safe with each other.

“Hey, I’m the one who’s sick here!” Kara mumbled, pouting and they laughed.

“And you, Liz” Ellie turned to her sister “when are you going to admit you’re jealous of Ezra and it isn’t just as a friend?”

“Ellie!” she complained exasperated.

“Am I wrong?” her voice became serious. Kara and Lena simply waited and watched their interaction “you almost broke the table at the cafeteria today because of jealousy, just because you found out another girl asked Ezra for a party. Liz, why don’t you just tell him?”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“Oh, Rao…” Kara sighed as Lena laughed loudly. Lizzie and Ellie truly were her daughters, there was no denying it “I thought it was a joke, but apparently we were like that?” She looked at her wife, who nodded.

“For Rao’s sake, Liz! He spent the whole day trying to talk to you!” Ellie exposed wisely “if I can figure out my feelings for Grace, then you can do the same!”

“For Grace? I don’t like her like that!” Lizzie replied fast, increasing her mothers' laughter even more.

“She is just like you,” Kara turned to Lena.

“Ugh, you’re a Luthor, you’re not allowed to be that dumb” Ellie shot back.

“Aunt Alex said you were” and now Lena intervened. That was crossing a line.

“Hey, okay, that’s enough” she put an end to it and got up “I think we all came to some important conclusions here, right?” They nodded “Ellie and Lizzie, no matter what you feel, friendship is what always stays. I’m sure both of you are going to manage it better than your mother and I did” She winked at her wife “now shower and clean your room while I make dinner.”

“Let’s order pizza, pretty please!” Ellie used her best suffering astray puppy face, Lizzie and Kara did the same.

“I’m sick,” Kara pouted. The damned pout.

How, what had she gotten into over a decade ago?

“When my brother told me aliens were going to end me, I wasn’t expecting this” she murmured to herself, not caring that all of them could hear it.

“Mom!” they yelled and laughed.

“You two have ten minutes to clean up that mess, no super-speed allowed” Lena commanded “I’ll order pizza.”

“Rao, I married the right person!”

***

It was the tenth time Lena tried to focus enough to finish making the lasagna she had promised to bring for family dinner at Alex’s house. It was the girl's favorite dish, and also her wife’s, but it was annoyingly difficult to grate the cheese on top of it and put it on the oven as there was a needy and sly hero holding onto her waist, kissing her neck and quietly moaning for attention. God, there were times she could commit homicide, but there were others that there was no resisting it. At that same time, Supergirl had shown up at L-Corp twice. One when was she heard her wife’s heartbeat speed up too much and then dropped by to make sure everything was okay - which wasn’t 100% true, since one of her partners was an asshole and Lena had gotten nervous - and the other simply because she was missing her, which was never any help for Lena to finish her work in time, obviously.

“Kara, if you keep going I won’t finish dinner and you’re not going to have time to get ready,” Lena said breathlessly, trying to convince her using reason but losing her own train of thought “Kara…”

“Hm?” Kara continued to trail down her neck, slightly sucking on her pulsing point and then going back to her jawline, as her hand performed circling moves on her stomach under her shirt. “What?”

“We’re going to be late,” she exhaled. All of her body was reacting to each touch, each move she made on the right spots “and the girls are going to be here from school in a few minutes.”

“I promise I won’t take long” she kept going. Lena closed her eyes and tried to summon all of her interior strength to put the pot on the oven.

Hardly and stumbling on her body, Lena managed to turn around to face her, putting a finger over her lips and interrupting it.

“You have the exact amount of time until the girls are here and this oven to whistle, and there’s no point in a whimpering, Mrs. Luthor-Danvers.”

In a couple of minutes, the clothes were on the floor all the way from the kitchen to the living room’s couch, as it was usual. Kara checked if the door was locked, she had lost count on how many times her girls had walked in at the wrong time. Fine, both were already old enough to understand, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing and traumatizing. Alex fully agreed. And they couldn’t complain, either the girls were too young and didn’t have time for sex or they were older and they had more time for it. You can’t have everything, right?

As Kara slightly bit one of her nipples a loud, long whimper escaped her lips. It was becoming a torturing caress. Lena uselessly tried to relieve herself on her wife’s thighs, trying to use the little contact to create desperately insane friction, but Kara knew her and she knew she was going to rush things to get the desired pleasure. So, still taking her time on her breasts and marking every inch of pale skin with small hickeys, Kara trailed her lips down her stomach, kissing every mark and stretch that had remained from the nine months of pregnancy. Those marks told a story, one about two people who had fallen in love three times in a span of nine months. One for the child growing inside that belly, another for the woman carrying it, and the last one for herself.

“K-kara… please.” Lena bagged in a whimper, spreading her legs to show what she wanted.

Kara smirked with a sug look and slowly traced a finger over her cunt, feeling the oozy and white-ish wetness now slid down. It didn’t take long for her to taste it, for her to make her lose herself in moans and spasms. Kara made Lena’s sight go dark for a moment as she slid in two fingers into her cunt, coming and going non-stop until she heard her scream her name. After finishing what she had started, Kara let her catch a breath, her cheeks flushed from the action and chest going up and down slowly. That was Kara’s favorite sight, without a doubt. Lena, naked, sweaty, completely bare, body and soul That was her wife, her best friend, and her partner for life. Mother of her daughters. The smartest woman in the world, and also the kindest, the warmest, and most patient.

“What?” Lena asked, covering her boobs with her hands, feeling exposed. However, Kara quickly removed her hands from there and smiled, in love.

“You’re the prettiest woman I have ever seen” she murmured, leaning in to kiss her again. Lena could feel her own taste in the tip of her tongue and she moaned at the feeling. “The prettiest woman in the world.”

“And you’re the silliest.” Lena teased with a smile, kissing her lightly and slowly “my silly girl.”

“I love you” she whispered as she laid on top of her, their bodies sticking with sweat and Lena kissing the messy blonde hair, her hands caressing the back of her neck “I love you so much I’m not sure fits inside my chest. I don’t even know if that makes sense.” They laughed.

“I feel the same” Lena confessed, not scared or hurting from admitting such an intense and pretty feeling. The memory of the first time she had said it out loud still haunted her every now and then, not always in a bad way, but still a little frightening “I love you so much, Kara.”

***

“I’ll get it!” Winn yelled to Sam, who was chopping some vegetables for the salad. As he opened the door for the last guests of the night, his smile widened.

“Uncle Winn!” Lizzie and Ellie greeted, with a scream. It had been some weeks since they had last seen him because he was traveling and then routine got in their way “I missed you so much!” Lizzie squeezed him in a hug.

“And I missed you, but I brought something for my favorite goddaughter,” He exposed while greeting Ellie, Lena, and Kara.

“You only have one.” Lena reminded, as always, winking with a smirk.

Everyone was there, J’onn, James, Eve, Eliza, and the Danvers-Arias family. However, there were two more people there and Kara was sure no one had told her about that.

“Ruby?” Kara gasped in a mix of confusion and shock as she saw the girl, who wasn’t quite a girl anymore.

“Hey, aunt Kara” Ruby answered awkwardly, leaving Colin on the couch and getting up to hug her. She had missed all of her family, each one of them. It was funny to think that years ago she had been just a kid, Lena was pregnant and Alex wasn’t even in love with her mom “I missed you.”

“Rao, Ruby! How… How dare you show up like that without a warning?” They laughed, and Alex joined them.

“I said the same, I’m still recovering from the surprise” she sighed and greeted her sister with a hug “you two are late” she pointed the spoon at Lena and Kara.

“Kara wanted to dine before coming” Lena whispered to Alex, who immediately grunted and regretted all the times she supported her sister’s relationship with a Luthor.

Winn, who was close to them, choked on his wine while laughing out loud. J’onn and Elize chose to keep talking about anything else, while Sam screamed from the kitchen she wanted to know what was happening. James got up from the couch to greet the Luthor-Danvers family, laughing at his friend’s reaction and congratulating Lena for her snarkiness. Eve, as she got back from the kitchen, carrying a pan, smiled and headed to the table, finishing setting it. Ruby introduced Colin to everyone, narrating the years they spent apart and how they managed to meet and fall in love again. However, though the story was great, they all just wanted to know why she was back when she was supposed to be moving to England. That dinner had been rushedly scheduled because apparently, Ruby had something to tell them.

“Aunt Lutessa!” A familiar voice came from the stairs and soon a thin and tall body was holding on to Lena’s waist.

“My little Reign” Lena smiled and hugged her back “you’re going to be taller than me soon.”

“Anyone is taller than you” Suzie retorted, making them all laugh, and Winn and James scream ‘burn!’.

“Keep up that tone and that trip you’re so excited for isn’t going to happen” Lena shot back, and her goddaughter immediately nodded and ran to the kitchen.

“Grandma, when are we going to Midvale?” Ellie questioned Eliza, both she and her sister sitting around the older woman “we could go this summer.”

“I agree, I want to visit the pier again” Lizzie grumbled.

“That’s up to your mothers, my darlings,” Eliza answered tenderly.

“You’re right, Ellie” J’onn answered the girl, making her smile shyly.

“But she… oh, you read her mind” Lizzie remembered her sister’s power and sighed. She wanted to know what they were talking about.

“I’ll tell you later.” Ellie poked her sister’s shoulder and winked. Then, when Sam finally managed to escape the kitchen and went to greet her guests and sat next to her wife, Ruby and Colin got up. Eve was sitting next to Winn, Lena and Kara took their usual places on the chair, Kara sitting on the arm. James was next to J’onn and Eliza still had her arms around her granddaughters as if her life depended on it.  No one could deny that, indeed, she was a doting grandma. Suzie sat on the floor, leaning back on Eve’s legs, and then waited to hear what her sister had to say. When she saw Ruby at the door two days ago, she couldn’t contain her happiness. Ruby was undoubtedly the best person in the world and also her favorite. Despite the big age gap, Suzie always considered her a best friend and hated that she had to live so far away.

The nervousness and tension coming from the young couple were visible and worrying, Ruby looked at her boyfriend and smiled timidly, letting him intertwine their hands and give her the strength she needed. Ruby had trained and repeated that speech so many times back at home, writing down all the possible outcomes and reactions, even though she knew her mothers were extremely rational and reasonable regarding any subject. But that wasn’t just any subject, she thought to herself. Her doctor degree glasses were going to begin in a month, she had actively avoided any conversation about it, even when it was just simple questions like: ‘have you packed yet?’ or ‘Are you excited?’. Because the truth was that she had no idea what she was feeling. Finding Colin again was her greatest luck in life, he understood and loved her like no one ever did. Ruby still blamed herself for applying for a scholarship outside the country. Colin told her he couldn’t go with her, his mother was ill, he couldn’t abandon her and his father’s health was beginning to deteriorate too. Ruby understood it, but that didn’t make it any easier, it didn’t decrease the pain in her chest any less.

“You’re making me nervous” Sam murmured, reaching for her wife’s hand, a simple gesture but that made a giant difference.

“Well, as you all know, I was going to move because of my doctor's degree and that was going to affect my life in every sense” Ruby began, letting her eyes fall to her mothers and young sister “I was going to be away from all of you like I have been since the first year of college, but I still could catch a plane to visit. It wouldn’t be so easy if I went to Europe and that’s why I postponed my decision until I finally said yes,” she looked at her boyfriend, who still wore a calm smile “but leaving behind someone that I love would also hurt a lot and I… I wasn’t sure if I could do it, after all, you’re my family.” Lena and Kara smiled at the girl, Winn (who wasn’t really close to her, but still remembered all the afternoons at the DEO) smiled emotionally and hugged Eve by the side so as not to cry. James and J’onn felt flattered while Eliza couldn’t contain the pride she was feeling. Lizzie and Elie exchanged curious looks and her smart brains began working together, Ellie slightly touched her sister’s arm and made her see what was on her mind, creating a parallel reality to her.

But the Danvers-Arias family was still hesitant and anxious as to what the news was.

“A month ago Colin and I were thinking about how we were going to deal with the distance, weighing all the pros and cons but turns out we had a con that ended up being bigger than any other pros and possible reasons for me to go.” Colin let go of his girlfriend’s hand, walking to where he had been seated and grabbed a wood box wrapped on a turquoise blue paper. He went back to her side and waited for her to go on “this is for the three of you.” Ruby nodded at Suzie, who was still lost in that situation.

The girl got up and sat on Alex’s lap, Sam took the box in her hands. There were a few seconds, which felt infinite to them before they opened the gift. The uncertainty of the reaction was what scared Ruby the most, anything could happen and the young couple expected the best, after all, it wasn’t a bad thing, nothing that would upset them. Or at least they thought. Sam undid the lace, putting it aside, and then let Suzie take the paper off, putting it on Alex’s legs, and still wearing a confused look on her face.

As she slightly opened the little box, studded with small stars, Sam muffled the shock that escaped her lips as she realized what was in there. Her eyes immediately teared up, making her see everything doubled. Alex fully opened it and her mouth fell open in a perfect O from surprise, as Suzie took out a black and white photo with a blurred image and a pregnancy test with two lines on it. Everyone in the room reacted differently but waited for the two mothers to say something first as if to see how to proceed. Lena noticed the way her best friend still hadn’t processed it, her hands were shaking and tears running down her cheeks. So Alex quietly asked Suzie to stand up, sure she was still going to take a while to comprehend, for the ball to drop, she ran to embrace the girl who had first called her ‘mom’ in the past.

“Oh, Ruby” Alex’s long and firm arms tightened around Ruby’s fragile and thin body, pulling it closer to her heart as if to show that, though the greatness of that news hadn’t hit her yet, Alex was happy for her “you’re not that little girl anymore” she whispered in her ear, feeling Ruby squeeze her waist and hide her crying face on her neck. Ruby let out a quiet sob, the anxiety, the fear, and insecurity streaming down with the tears “you’ve grown…”

“I… I was so  scared of how you would react…” Ruby murmured, still not letting go “I-I’m sorry for…”

“No, Ruby” this time Sam’s voice comforted her. Sam closed the space between them, pulling her daughter to her arms now and stroking her hair like she used to do when Ruby was still small and scared by the storm outside “you don’t have to apologize, I just… I know you think you have to do what I didn’t because I got pregnant so young, but baby, this is your life, yours only and I’m going to support whatever decision you make.” Sam reached out for Colin, who remained there, just a bit far to give them some space, and called him to go there and join in “I just want you two to be happy, no matter what I think or what I want, okay?”

“Thank you, Mrs. Arias,” Colin said shyly, his eyes glowing with the stubborn tears coming up “It means a lot to me, to us that… that you took it well.”

“Wait…” Alex raised a hand and all eyes were on her “does that mean I’m going to be a grandma?”

“Best grandma ever!” Kara screamed excitedly and everyone left, dissipating the tension and any other bad feeling hanging over the air. One by one, they hugged and congratulated Ruby and Colin for the wonderful news. Winn soon joined Lena in teasing Alex about being a grandmother and Eliza of course didn’t stay out of it. Kara began a conversation with James, J’onn, and Eve about her two workplaces and soon the family was back to the casual talks. However, there was a certain someone that hadn’t even moved yet and both Ellie and Lizzie noticed their cousin's apprehensiveness, who continued to look at the ultrasound image with a blank face. Her hazel eyes came and went between the test and the photo.

“Suzie, are you okay?” Lizzie approached and slightly touched her shoulder. The girl was startled by the sudden contact and then ran upstairs, getting the rest of the family’s attention.

Sam motioned to get up and check on her but Ruby stopped her and said she knew exactly how her sister was feeling.

As Ruby climbed every step, she stopped to see the frames on the way and felt her heart warm up inside her chest. There were pictures of her from when she was just a flabby baby, pictures of her mothers in school and of Alex graduating High School, one of Kara and Lena taking her for ice cream, other with Lizzie and Ellie sitting on their baby chairs, clothes full of chocolate stains, then of Suzie at her first birthday, her first trip and them a collage of various pictures of her hugging Ruby. Before she reached the second floor, a lonely tear fell as she looked at a frame with two pictures on it, the top one was of Alex and Sam dancing on their wedding day and the bottom one was of all of them sitting on the couch, Suzie laughing of something terribly funny, Alex kissing her wife’s cheek and Ruby throwing popcorn at her sister. She remembered that day well, especially because the idea was to take a picture of her family for her graduation. This did not work in the end but she still took it anyway.

That was her home, her history and if she ever were to tell anyone about it, not one would believe it. No one would take her seriously if she said her mother was also Reign, that her aunt was Supergirl and therefore, Superman’s son was somewhat her cousin, that J’onn was martian, that her aunt Lena had gotten pregnant at an alien invasion, and that her mother created a baby in a lab. Those were real facts but would be immediately taken as craziness. As of pieces of insanity she had imagined and created in her mind.

“Suzie?” Ruby knocked on the door lightly, hearing a ‘go away’ back “I’m coming in.” She warned, slightly pushing the door.

“I don’t want to talk” Suzie grumbled stubbornly, her voice muffled on the pillow to hide her face.

Ruby rolled her eyes and walked towards the girl, sitting next to her on the bed and massaging her short brown hair.

“Are you going to ignore me, even though I have good news for you?” Suzie didn’t answer “C’mon, please. Just give me a chance.”

Sighing impatiently, something that Ruby was sure Suzie had gotten from Reign, she sat up and placed the pillow on her lap.

“Say it then.” She refused to look at her.

“Are you really not happy to know you’re going to be an aunt now?” She asked hesitantly, but understanding “even if it means that Colin and I are moving back to National City again?”

The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief and surprise. It couldn’t be true, could it?”

“Really? But like, for real? Are you really coming back?” Her excitement dried out from her voice soon and the reason behind it hit her hard, bumming her again “oh, but there’s still the baby.”

“And what’s wrong with the baby?”

“You’re going to forget about me because I’m not a little kid anymore and I’m going to just be the younger sister. The baby is going to have you now and not me…” She confessed, upset “it’s going to get your hugs, your kisses, and all your time, and even when you’re here, it won’t be the same… I know it’s stupid, but… but I miss you and now…”

“I know how you feel because I was in your place when our mothers decided to have another baby.” Ruby admitted, and there was no grudge or remorse in her voice, just immense gratitude because she loved Suzie with all her heart “it’s hard to deal with someone else’s arrival, as it’s going to end up getting everyone’s attention, but Suzie, this baby is going to need you.” Ruby reached her hand and made her look at her.

“How?”

“They’re going to need someone to teach them about the best rock bands in the world, someone to make them laugh, to hug when they get spooked, to take them to get the best ice cream in National City, and to explain our family’s complexity. They’re going to need to know what are the best cartoons, someone to explain them math when they get into school and to be their favorite aunt, someone that they’re going to count the days to meet again,” Ruby explained gently “and I could only think of you for it because you’re my young sister, the person I’d trust this mission to and I hope you help me because I’m scared too.”

“You are?” Ruby nodded “I… hadn’t thought about it like that” Suzie bit her lips “you don’t need to be scared, Ruby” she squeezed her hands kindly “I’m going to help you, okay? I’m going to be the best aunt in the world.”

“That’s everything I need, plus, you get to join aunt Lena at making fun of mom” she winked, making Suzie laugh “let’s see how she does at the grandmother job.”

“I can’t wait.”

***

The last day of school had finally come, gracing the students with hot sun and summer weather worthy of celebration. After the bell rang, they all ran outside, carrying the joy of now being allowed to sleep in late, go to the beach, camp or just play video games the whole afternoon. They greeted each other, said goodbye, and already made plans for the evening because there was still the last party of the semester to attend. And that, in fact, was what had reunited the Luthor-Danvers and Arias-Danvers families that afternoon, after all, Ellie and Lizzie weren’t the only ones nervous about the party, a very stressed and impatient Suzie was also there, fighting against the dresses, make-up, and hair-do. At the end of the afternoon, Lena and Sam were helping their daughters, Ruby was responsible for snacks alongside Eve, so they went to the market together for ingredients. Alex and Kara had to run to the DEO, J’onn and Winn needed help with a sudden attack at the main dock.

“Mom, I don’t have any clothes to go and I had promised Grace I would show her everything before picking it but she’s not answering me!” Ellie grumbled nervously while Lena tried to braid her long blonde hair. Sam was almost dragging Suzie by the hair if she continued to move around.

“El, she’s probably getting dressed and you talked today at school” Lizzie tried to calm her down, waiting for her turn to have her hair braided “everything was okay, wasn’t it?”

“Uh, not so much” she confessed, “actually, uh… maybe I didn’t say anything about how I feel because I was nervous and I might have forgotten half of what I had rehearsed to say and then I didn’t know how…”

“Ellie” Lena interrupted as she noticed the rambling had begun “breathing, dear.”

“Sorry…” she took a deep breath “I kind of chickened out…”

“You two are so similar to your mothers I’m actually scared of it” Sam joined in, laughing.

“And how would I tell her?” Ellie sighed. Lena finally finished doing her hair and she got up so Lizzie could take her place. Ellie threw herself onto the bed, carefully to not mess the braid, and then sighed again.

“With your mouth” Suzie answered grumpily “c’mon, what’s so hard about going there and saying it. If it’s shit, then it’s shit. At least you did your part.”

“Suzie Arias Danvers!” Sam glared at her through the mirror and she fixed her hair “you want to go to this party, right?” she threatened, but the girl was far more stubborn.

“No, you know what? I don’t want to!” She shot back stubbornly, taking her mother’s hands out of her head, and then got up from the chair “maybe I didn’t want to, maybe I don’t care about these stupid girlie things or this stupid party!” Suzie raised her voice and walked out, going downstairs and straight to the living room.

Sam rolled her eyes and sighed tiredly, her daughter didn’t act like that constantly, on the contrary. Suzie might have acid humor and short patience, a quick-witted tongue, but she was always polite, loving, and understanding. Something was wrong and it was bothering her since the day before. After the talk with Ruby, about the pregnancy situation and the fact that a new baby was in the way, Suzie had apparently taken it well and even began to like the idea of being an aunt to someone who would look up to her. However, when the subject came to Charlotte and the party, Suzie didn’t have it in her to process that kind of change. It was like she was unable to admit to herself that she liked these sorts of things.

“I swear this girl is only Alex’s daughter” Sam grumbled and joined Ellie on the bed. Lena laughed and rolled her eyes, finishing brushing Lizzie’s long dark hair.

“She has your stubbornness and your temper, Sam” Lena accused jokingly “and there’s something clearly bothering her. Is all this anger still because of the baby?”

“I don’t think so” Sam turned to them “after Ruby explained that she’s not going to be replaced, it was easier for her to understand, apparently. Anyway, it’s going to take all of us a while to fully process this new situation.”

“Are you still having trouble accepting that you're going to be a grandma?’ Lena teased.

“Ugh, I’m going to have to deal with this for the rest of her life” Sam groaned as he thought that yes, she was literally going to be a grandmother “not that it’s a bad thing, I’m happy for Ruby and Colin, happy that they’re so sure and that Ruby… she isn’t alone like I was, you know? This child is going to have a father, my daughter is going to have a family to support her.”

“But…?”

“But I must admit the pin hasn’t dropped yet and to see my little girl expecting isn’t as easy as it seems,” Sam confessed, but there was an everlasting smile on her lips. One that would not go away “now Alex is radiating happiness, I don’t know what to do with her in these nine months” they laughed as they heard footsteps echo in the living room. Suzie was walking right and left and left and right, the way she always did when she was trying not to cry.

“It’s about the party, isn’t it?” Lizzi inferred “aunt Alex says she feels guilty for Suzie hating those things, that maybe Suzie the rebel phase is a bit too serious.”

“Do you want me to check on her?” Ellie volunteered, but then Lena put the hairbrush aside and smiled.

“Sam, finish Lizzie’s hair for me, please” and Sam stood up quickly, stepping into Lena’s place “I’m going downstairs to rescue a kryptonian. Ellie, try not to ruin your hair and you two can pick any dress or clothes you want in my closet.”

Both Lizzie and Ellie stared at her in shock, green and blue eyes shining as if they had just won the lottery. Sam laughed at Ellie’s overexcitement, that as she stood up to fats, she tripped on the bedsheets and ended up on the floor. Lizzie kept squirming on the chair while her aunt tried to finish her hairdo for the party.

Lena went to the living room and saw Suzie walk in circles, breathing heavily and eyes closed. Lena went straight to the kitchen, got the ice cream in the freezer, and served two small cups, putting some chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows as toppings. As she went back to the room, the girl was still there, now circling the coffee table in front of the tv, where usually the board games from game nights were. That tradition went on, now with a lot more people, like Eve and also Lucy Lane - who had gotten back together with James - when she was in National City. Lena placed the cups on the table by the couch and touched Suzie’s shoulders, seeing her stop and jump up at the sudden touch.

“I have ice cream and free time” Lena offered “and I’m also your smarter godmother.”

“You’re my only godmother, aunt Lutessa” Suzie shot back in her usual humor and it was enough for Lena to know her mood had a chance of going back to normal that evening.

“Exactly, come on, sit and tell me what’s going on” they leaned back to the couch, putting their feet up and then tasting that mint and chocolate ice cream.

“I thought I heard aunt Kara say you prohibited ice cream in the house for two months” Suzie commented curiously and Lena loved that girl’s nosiness, always poking where she shouldn’t “and it was like… last week?”

“You heard it right,” Lena shrugged. “I prohibited her, it doesn’t apply to me, only to her and her daughters.

“Oh, I thought you couldn’t make a child on your own” she provoked again.

“You can’t, but I didn’t even have to make one to be a mother” Lena retorted back and the girl rolled her eyes, but with a smile “now that you’ve cleared your doubts on my ice cream discrete, what made you overreact back there? I know this isn’t like you, little Reign.”

Suzie sighed and licked her ice-cream lips, taking a moment to think of how she was going to put it.

“I’m not like them, Aunt Lutessa.” She finally spoke. Her voice was low and clearly upset “I’m not pretty like them, always dressed properly or someone who cares about that stuff. It’s not that I don’t like it, I want to know what it’s like to go to a party, what… what it’s like to have a friend that isn’t a boy, but… what if no one likes me because I’m different. Cher is a really nice girl, very different from what I thought and I don’t want to lose her friendship because I’m weird” Suzie looked at Lena, with tears in her eyes and cheeks blushing from the sudden confession “I don’t even know what all that hair stuff is for.”

“Suzie, my love, you’re not weird” Lena pulled her in for a tight hug and kissed her forehead “it’s okay to be different and not know anything about make-up and that sort of thing. I know everything about make-up, but Kara doesn’t know a thing, but she knows about the stars and I learn every day from her. Charlotte might know a lot about hair and clothes, but you can sing and play the guitar like no other, and you also make the best Mexican food in the world.” They smiled.

“My guacamole kicks, right?” Lena agreed and kissed her again.

“What do you say I help you out with the clothes and all and you apologize to your mom for your behavior?” Suzie promptly agreed.

They got up and took the cups to the sink, going back upstairs, where Lizzie and Ellie felt ecstatic about being allowed to pick any dress from the best-dressed CEO in National City.

***

Kara had repeated at least twenty times to her daughter to not drink too much, because people would notice that, despite the alcohol, they didn’t get drunk. She also gave them a protocol in case of danger, if a boy wouldn’t leave them alone, how to dance, how to talk, and what to talk about, and Lena couldn't stop laughing. After all, her wife was the worst person for that sort of advice, but still, Lena let her have the spotlight and do her duty as a supermom. Before letting them go meet the twins on the other side of the street, Lena reminded them that, under no circumstances, they were to get into any sort of trouble with Helena Bertinelli’s daughter, no matter how much they wanted because of childish revenge. The girls, though not fully agreeing, nodded and then said goodbye to their mothers.

Lizzie and Ellie crossed the street, the music playing loud from the outside while neon lights lit up the garden through the huge glass windows. Theo and Thomas hugged them tightly, complimenting their outfits and saying how pretty they were. Grace looked at them, kissed Lizzie’s cheek, and then smiled awkwardly at Ellie. She didn’t know what to say, how to react, or even how to find the right words to form a coherent sentence and just compliment her best friend. Her green eyes were matching the button-up shirt of a military greenish shadow, perfectly put underneath the black skirt and she thought it was so funny that she was wearing Converse instead of sandals. The others, noticing the tension, cleared their throat and said they were going to get drinks. Lizzie just turned around and then remembered something important.

“Where’s Ezra?” She asked, biting down on her lips. Ellie knew that look and she knew her big sister was anxious and panicking. But they talked to their mother and aunt Sam and they had agreed that the girls ought to give it a shot. Ellie was more than willing to do so, her only difficulty was the same as her yeyu’s: speak coherently. While, for Lizzie, her problem was fear. Fear of losing her best friend, the only person who truly understood her.

“I think he’s by the bar, he was… down, I guess, almost didn’t come” Grace was honest “Honestly he’s only here because you asked him to.”

“Thanks” Lizzie turned to Ellie “meet me inside?”

“Sure, just give me some minutes” Ellie smirked. Lizzie nodded and then disappeared into the crowd of students on the front porch “will you dance with me?”

“Sure.”

With no fear or hesitation, Ellie held Grace’s hand and intertwined their fingers, guiding her through the front door. The music became louder, almost deafening for a kryptonian, but thank Rao, Ellie and Lizzie had a Luthor as a mother, who had developed protective earphones with a sensor capable of changing the yellow lamp frequency in their ears, so nothing there was going to hurt her. They dodged a few drunk girls, boys screaming to see who finished the cup faster, and other groups of people laughing, talking, and moving excitedly on the dance floor.

The lights got low, cutting the main room of the party into two parts - one for the dancefloor and the other for the bar - and then a white smoke came on, the music changing style and everyone slowly following its rhythm. Ellie felt her as if the heart was about to jump out of her chest as if she would never be able to say a coherent sentence in her life again and she would be stuck at that moment forever. The sight of Grace dancing in front of her, obviously a bit looser and a little less sober, was fragmenting with the light, as the singer sped up the song, it seemed as if Grace was moving in slow motion. Rao, how was it possible to feel so nervous? How was it possible to be unable to say what she had rehearsed for two whole days?

Then, breathing in and getting a little closer, Ellie held her waist and they began to fit together in the dance, their bodies moving as if they were made to follow each other. Grace closed her eyes at the feel of Ellie’s hot hands going up to her arms, reaching her neck, and them going down again, restarting the motion. It was like being tested, tortured, and being unable to stop it, not because she couldn’t, but because she didn’t want to. The terrifying idea of being rejected consumed her from inside out, and that was why Grace didn’t dare to get any closer, she wouldn’t be able to resist the need to kiss her again. Suddenly, the lights changed from green to neon blue, the atmosphere becoming more neutral and dark, smoke coming up again and as she opened her eyes, she found Ellie so close to her that her breathing touched her face. Muffled and desperate.

Everything happens in a flash. The fragments of bodies around them began to move in slow motion, the music was loud enough to break the glasses, but it was like there was no sound. Only her heart beating as if it was the last thing keeping her alive. The warm lips touched hers, that citric taste joining her sweet one, the soft velvet tongue contouring her mouth, asking for passage. And who was Grace to deny it? The same feeling of being taken off the ground hit her like a train. The warm body and Ellie’s small chest pressed against hers, the hands walking over her shoulder to her neck and then grabbing the long dark hair.

Grace lost her air, and she didn’t mind it. On the contrary, her thirst and hunger only grew bigger inside her, making her push Ellie onto the nearest wall and hold her waist possessively. Ellie whimpered on her lips and then they stopped, looked at each other and doubt hung between them again.

Until Ellie kissed her slowly, grabbing her lower lips between her teeth and feeling an indescribable warmth all over her body. Rao, she was going to melt right there.

“I like you” the music sounded again and her voice almost didn’t come out. So, Ellie got closer to her best friend’s ear and said with everything she had “I’m in love with you, Grace.”

Grace didn’t answer, she just held her slightly reddened cheeks and kissed again, this time, with her feelings in it. The feeling of requited love was the best of them all.

“Grace…” Ellie tried to finish “Grace!”

“I’m sorry…” She smiled and then they laughed as they saw each other faces stained with lipstick “let me help” she raised her thumb to fix the purple mark on Ellie’s face.

“I have to find Liz, she went looking for Ezra and I need to know if everything is okay,” Ellie explained, a little worried

“There’s a pool outside, I’m sure he’s there and she’s probably with him. Come on.

Crossing the ocean of drunk and slightly out-of-control people was actually fun if it wasn’t so hard. Ellie saw Theo from afar, playing ping pong with one of the basketball boys and Thomas was somewhere inside the house. However, by the left of the back porch, in front of the primped pool with balloons and colorful lights - where some people had jumped in fully clothed - they saw Ezra talking to a girl that wasn’t Lizzie, but Madison. Ellie dragged Grace to the other side, desperately trying to find Lizzie, and then she spotted her over another corner, with Thomas by her side.

“Liz!” Ellie called and right away noticed the burning rage in her blue eyes “Liz, what are you doing here?”

“She kind of broke two glasses in her hand and I thought she might’ve ended up breaking the table too,” Thomas answered and looked at his friend, who rolled her eyes.

“He told me to calm down and not commit homicide with my strength” Lizzie replied vexed and enraged “I tried to call Ezra, but that…uh, she won’t get out of there! What the fuck is wrong with her?”

“Wow, Lizzie said a bad word.” Grace pointed out. That could only mean trouble.

“Lizzie Luthor Zor-El, you listen to me” Ellie grabbed her sister closer and made her stand up “you aren’t going to be here wallowing in self-pity while that girl is talking to your best friend, the boy you’re in love with, got it?” Both Grace and Thomas were startled by the girl’s posture and commanding tone “you don’t carry two strong names to weaken out now.”

“What should I do?” Lizzie asked, firm.

“You go there and show who was there first” Ellie fixed her sister’s hair “and remember: you’re the heir of a two-billion-dollar company. The CEO position is yours and you can do so much more than you think.”

Lizzie smiled smugly. She hardly used her intimidating posture, because she didn’t think it was necessary yet, but she had learned a lot about having an unbreaking image as she accompanied her mother to millions of conferences at L-Corp, after deciding she was going to follow her steps. Lizzie feared only a few things, like speaking in public, but she never gave up. Lena taught her to be focused, to stand out when people were least expecting and that feeling insecure was the common part of any human being. And although she was kryptonian, her mother’s human and fragile part was in her DNA too. Running in her blood. The music inside changed up to a faster song and everyone cheered.

And Lizzie only had one focus.

“She… she isn’t going to break the girl in half, right?” Thomas asked a little afraid, watching the girl walk across to the other side

“No, Lizzie is never physically violent” Ellie calmed him down, though also feeling anxious about her sister’s next move “but Madison might end up crying.”

“Ellie!” Grace turned to her “you’re not serious, are you?”

“Uh, no?” Ellie laughed and kissed her again, surprising their friend. Thomas cheered and jumped up off the chair to hug them.

“My two favorite girls!” He kissed their cheeks and squeezed them in.

On the other side, Lizzie ordered a red and blue drink, having her plan well made and thought through.

Poor Madison, who decided to wear a white dress.

“Ezra!” Lizzie approached them and then, in a blink of an eye, she tripped and… “Oops! I’m sorry!” The red and blue liquid drenched the white cloth and Madison got up quickly with a scream.

“Are you insane?” She continued to yell “My dress! Ugh! You ruined my dress!”

“Opsie, I really didn’t mean it” Lizzie smiled cynically “look, now you have Supergirl’s colors! Weren’t you a fan?”

“Ugh! I hate Supergirl and everybody knows that!” Madison yelled enraged and tried to hit the Luthor, but missed it because Ezra got up quickly and placed himself between them.

“Hey! No fights” he said, a little startled “she already apologized, she didn’t mean to.”

“Are you really taking this freak’s side?” Madison looked at him in shock, feeling deliberately betrayed “I can’t believe it. Amazing.”

“Oh, and there’s one more thing” Lizzie replied smartly, putting her cup on the table and then holding Ezra’s red shirt by the collar.

Which coincidentally matched her red dress.

Such a cliche, she thought to herself before pulling him for a kiss.

Madison looked at them, rage streaming down her eyes and she barely noticed she had smashed her plastic cup with one hand. Ezra, on the other hand, was completely frozen and didn’t know how to react. His best friend's lips were on his, it wasn’t a dream or a mirage - the ones that can make you rave. Then, as something inside him had just clicked, he held her by the waist with his left hand while the other grabbed the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. Ellie, Grace, Thao, and Thomas began to cheer loudly, finally celebrating another couple in the group. The two love birds smiled and pulled away, facing each other as if they were about to float from there. Lizzie’s face was reddened by embarrassment and Ezra’s lips were marked the same color as her lipstick.

He hugged her and let out a relieved sigh. He wasn’t going to lose his best friend.

“Can I ask you something?” He broke the moment and Lizzie raised her blue eyes again, arching a brow “did you kiss me as a friend, or…”

“Shut up, Ezra” she laughed and gave him a quick peck on the lips “you’re so stupid.”

“But you like me,” he smiled.

“Yeah… and it’s all your fault” she smiled back. Soon their friends came back and they joined together to celebrate, finally, another ending of a school year.

And now closer than ever.

***

Not very far from there, a party was about to be left behind due to boredom.

“Rao, I can’t stand this music,” Suzie said to her drummer, who also happened to be her best friend from school.

“Hm, at least the hot dog is delicious, want to try?” he offered her and she promptly accepted “See?”

“True” she agreed and then observed the other guests laughing while playing UNO or having fun on the tv with the Xbox “Where is Chris?”

“I think he ate too much and got a stomach ache” Giles, the drummer, answered mouthful “I swear, I’m breaking that speaker with my bare hands. What band is this?”

“It’s the freshmen guys, you know how it is. Cooler than us” he shrugged, taking another sip of soda and looking at his friend “what?”

“I’m going to find Charlotte, she has to be at her own party” Suzie got up from the stairs step and looked at the second floor “Want to bet she has the biggest room of the house?”

“I’m not crazy to bet against you, Suzie” they laughed and she ran upstairs, jumping two steps at a time.

As she got on the hallway, a sudden doubt hit her and she was, of course, obliged to use the x-ray vision to figure out what the right room was. Her yeyu and mother made her promise she would never use it since the laser vision hadn’t shown yet and they both thought it wasn’t going now, so there was no need for her to wear glasses. To which Suzie was very thankful for, by the way. After finding a body on the other side of the second door, Suzie stopped in front of it and took a deep breath. Finding courage somewhere deep inside her, she knocked on the door, praying to Rao for her new friend to not be there making out with someone, because that would be traumatizing.

“Cher?” Nothing. Not one simple answer.

Suzie focused and took advantage of her super hearing. Charlotte was crying.

Rao.

“Cher?” This time Suzie came in without knocking and the girl on the other side raised her face stained by tears “hey, what’s wrong?” She made her way next to the bed and noticed that the girl was dressed for the party, she just didn’t seem excited about it, at all “you… are you okay?”

“I…” A quiet sob escaped her lips and then, unexpectedly, Suzie pulled her close for a clumsy hug. It was hard to know what to do, she wasn’t exactly used to dealing with other people’s feelings or comforting them, especially someone with whom a friendship had just blossomed. 

But Suzie cared. Weirdly enough, she cared.

“What happened?” She asked again, slowly and tenderly caressing her dark hair “do you want to tell me?”

“My… my parents, t-they’re…” She sighed, trying to catch her breathing again “they’re getting a divorce and that… I was already feeling down this week, because of something I heard someone say about me, and then… that only made it worse…”

“Who said it?” Rao, Suzie hated those stupid, imbecile boys.

“The same one as always” Cher looked away and felt embarrassed to be crying “I’m sorry about your shirt… and for inviting you to a party that you don’t even like.”

“Oh,” Suzie noticed her shirt was wet where the girl had leaned her face on “that’s okay and about the party, I… yeah, you’re right. I’m not… a party girl, but I came because of you” She confessed bravely, impressing even herself “and when I noticed you weren’t there, I came to look for you. Where are your friends?”

“They ended up leaving when I said I wasn’t in the mood for the party” She admitted “I hope the food was good, at least.”

“Oh, yeah! Gils and Chris might have finished all the hot dogs, I hope you aren’t hungry now” they laughed and soon Charlotte cleaned her tears with her hands, feeling a bit better “I’m sorry about your parents, truly.”

“Yeah… but I think my mom is going to be better off without my dad, they aren’t friends anymore” she shrugged, remembering every argument she had witnessed. Maybe it was the best solution. “I think it’s going to be better for all of us.”

“I hope so” Suzie smiled genuinely “Are you feeling better? Do you need, uh… anything?”

“I don’t know, I just don’t really feel like going down and being in a party where I don’t even like the songs playing” she laughed “God, what was I thinking when I agreed to let these guys play?”

“I was asking myself the same thing, you look far too reasonable to call guys like them” She was too honest, as usual, “Uh… I mean, not that you were… er, unreasonable, or whatever.”

“I got it, Suzie” they laughed again and the tension vanished slowly, leaving on the hot summer breeze coming from the bedroom’s window.

“I have an idea, can I get that guitar there?” Suzie pointed to the forgotten acoustic instrument “if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, I never learned how to play it so it just stays there, useless” the girl watched her stand up, get the instrument and then sit back on the bed, taking her shoes off and crossing her legs over the mattress.

“If you tell anyone about this, they’re never going to find your body” Suzie threatened and Charlotte raised her hands up to her chest

“My lips are sealed!” she promised.

“Great” Suzie replied, quickly tuning each string and finding the right chords. When she finally managed to find the right notes, a familiar and nostalgic melody began to play. Suzie smiled awkwardly, her cheeks were blushing, and then her grave and a soft voice echoed with the song “ Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take I'll be watching you. ”

“Hey! I know that one!” Cher got excited and began to move her head to the rhythm and snap her fingers.

“It’s a really romantic song but the dude was kind of insane” Suzie commented, laughing “ Every single day, every word you say… ”

“ Every game you play, every night you stay ” Cher sang, her sweet and pretty voice following the notes perfectly.

“Your voice!” Suzie complimented and smiled “ I’ll be watching you”  they laughed “now the chorus!”

Oh can't you see

You belong to me

My poor heart aches

With every step you take

They sang together loudly, not caring how crazy they sounded. Suzie found out that night that Charlotte also had a great taste in music, that her voice was one of the prettiest she had ever heard, and that her style said nothing about her personality.

In that same evening, Suzie had gotten a lot more than stomach ache from having too much hot dog and soda. She had also gotten a friend.

***

Two weeks later…

“Alex, I’m so, so nervous” Kara mumbled for the thousandth time, twisting on the small wooden platform and fixing her hair with both hands again “what if she finds out?”

“She won’t!” Alex answered again “Lena is kind of dumb for this kind of thing, also, the girls distracted her for the entire day.”

“Lena is going to kill, especially because she thinks I forgot our anniversary” Kara sighed. She was so scared and nervous at the same time that she could barely think.

“It’s going to turn out okay, honey” Eliza approached them. All of their family and friends were there. Eliza and J’onn, Eve and Winn, Sam with Suzie, Ruby and Colin, James and Lucy, Nia, and even her new dog Margot, who kept sniffing everything. Ellie and Lizzie were with Lena and the idea was to surprise her.

About a month ago, Kara began to worry about their anniversary, because their marriage would be turning fifteen and that meant a lot to both of them. Lena could pretend she didn’t care much, but Kara knew her better than herself. So, Nia, CatCo’s new junior reporter, started to help her brainstorm a hundred ideas to celebrate the date. The ideas came from a trip to Paris to skydiving over a beach in Portugal. However, Kara didn’t want a cliche or an exaggeration, she didn’t want to just take her wife to a place filled with other couples that meant nothing to them and their family. Also, although they always spent that date together, enjoying their alone together day, it felt right for everyone to be there. Even Lois, Clark, and their son Jonathan had come.

“Liz texted me, they’re arriving” Sam showed up to warn “apparently your dear wife is mad at you for not knowing where you’re going and why you’re not answering any of her calls.”

“Rao, I’m going to die!” Kara was one step from total panic “I knew I had to come up with a better excuse.”

“For heaven’s sake, Kara!” Alex held her shoulders “we both told her we’d be at Midvale by seven, It's not even six yet. Calm down!”

“Uh, okay” she pouted “I’m sorry.”

“Relax, dear” Eliza kissed her face “it will all be perfect.”

“They’re here!” Suzie yelled and they all turned around. Each guest was sitting in the lined wooden chairs, garnished with lilies and violets. There was a white carpet that went into the beach up until the small altar made by Winn, James, and J’onn.

Kara, who was wearing a baby blue dress that went down to her bare feet, turned around to see Lena, who was wearing exactly what their daughters had chosen: a salmon-colored dress, naked at the shoulders and that covered her feet, also bare. The long wavy hair flew with the wind coming from the ocean, the sunset lighting up her face and making her green eyes look more crystalline than diamonds. She looked confused, surprised, and maybe wasn’t believing what was in front of her. Ellie then handed her a small bouquet and intertwined their arms, Lizzie did the same on the other side.

They all stood up, excitedly waiting to witness that scene happen after fifteen years. Kara had come up with the idea to renew the vows and Nia helped her with the rest of it, placing it as close to perfection as possible.

And that specific beach in Midvale held so many special memories. The first dating proposal, the first I love you, and now, the confirmation of it all again.

“What is going on?” Lena asked he daughters as the band began to play a soft and low march, fitting perfectly well with the sounds of waves crashing on the shore.

“A small surprise for you” Lizzie replied.

“Happy anniversary, mom” Ellie added and then the three of them reached Kara.

Kara kissed her daughters, whispering how much she loved them in kryptonian, and then held Lena’s hand, with a dazzling smile and her eyes bluer than the sky painting that afternoon. As soon as everything was quiet, they stood face to face. Lena took a few more seconds to look at the ocean, the sun kissing the waters and painting them orange, the sand being covered by the waves, and every special guest waiting for the big moment. Seventeen years ago - more or less - Lena would never think that moving from Metropolis to National City would bring so many surprises. It was a sudden decision, she wanted to reraise her family name once again, to build her own legacy, have her own history. Until the day a single and simple person turned her world upside down.

Kara Danvers. Kara Zor-El.

Or, now, Kara Zor-El Luthor Danvers.

So many nights she had spent thinking no one would ever love her, understand her, or accept her broken heart. Nights that Kara’s smile would invade her mind, her honest and kind words would warm every inch of her soul. And then, out of the blue, life gave her something a lot bigger and unimaginable, something that, if it was up to Lena back then, she would have never chosen. her life had once again turned full circle, hurting her, knocking her down then teaching her it was normal to fall, to want to stay on the ground, feel that pain and sadness, but she would manage to stand up. And Kara was there, every time. Kara, the person who carried the world on her back, a responsibility she never had a say on and that kept a huge secret for everyone's well-being. Kara, the same woman who held her when everything seemed confusing, that made her laugh loudly on rainy days, that made everything simpler, sunnier, and happier. Kara and her habit of rambling on, getting nervous at funny situations, and simply made her levitate with her loving and soft words.

Kara, the lost girl, the most loyal and talented reporter from CaCo, the city’s hero, Lena’s best friend, the wife, the mother, the sister, the friend and so many other things.

The woman who was right there, in front of her, willing to eternalize one of the best moments of her life again. And Lena didn’t have enough words to say how much she loved her, how grateful she was for every choice she took in the past, though painful and though scary. The weight behind her name still existed, but now it was a light burden. As she looked at her daughters, both so grown, smart, and not searching for their own paths, Lena was sure of one thing - no matter how much a cliche it was. She was sure she started, ending and restarting in one person.

And that person was Kara.

“Lena,” Kara pulled her out of her thoughts, eyes a bit teared up and cheeks blushing. “I’m sorry for making you think I had forgotten about this day and for all the times I made you think our relationship had fallen into a routine. I’m sorry for all the moments I let you down, when I wasn’t there to hold you or when I just upset you.” She sighed “I’m here to say that it’s going to happen again because I’m still going to get it wrong. But I want you to know that I’m always willing to apologize and to grow next to you with every mistake that I make because I love you too much and there isn’t one person that can make me as happy as you do. I love every little part of you, of your heart, of your unique and scary humor” she laughed and bit her lips “I love you ever since the first time I walked into your office and you believed in me.”

Slowly, she took her wife’s hands up to her mouth and kissed them warmly.

“I’m here to ask you if you want to marry me again today and continue to marry me every year until the last thing we have is one another” Lena let out a quiet sob and smiled, feeling silly from the mix of feelings “Do you?”

“I do, until the end of my life, Kara” Lena let go of her hands and held her face “I love you, forever.”

“I love you too, Lena. Forever.”

In that afternoon, once again, Kara and Lena proved that despite their names, past and future fears, that love was going to last forever.