Kara had to change clothes because Liam decided their first shared experience with their new Russian nanny deserved to be celebrated by peeing all over his Kryptonian mother.

It had happened a few times at the DEO, and Kara just lamented Lena wasn't present to see it because it always made her laugh like a maniac, and she loved it when Lena did all sorts of unladylike sounds. Also, if her C-Section stitches stung a bit from the laughter, it would be an adequate vengeance for leaving Kara unsupervised with Natasha Terranova. Sadly, Lena was going over L-Corp stuff with Jess and Jon, and Kara didn't get her well-deserved revenge.

Kara and Natasha had agreed on bottle-feeding the babies tonight so Lena could rest a bit. Luckily, there was plenty of breast-milk Lena had prepared at the DEO, so they only needed to warm it up. With a new shirt on and baby Luna happily snoozing against her chest, Kara joined Lena, Jess, and Jon in the kitchen island, quickly followed by Natasha with baby Liam in her arms. Kara carefully handed Luna to Lena so she could prepare the bottles, and with her baby girl firmly protected by her arms, Lena announced she would be going over the tasks she was going to assign everyone, but first, she dived into a carefully constructed recap filled with white lies. Jon kept an impenetrable facade of professionalism, but Jess couldn't help but stare in awe as she watched her boss being her usual competent, analytical self with a baby in her arms as if nothing.

Lena and Kara had agreed on their official version of events before leaving the DEO. It was meant to protect them from the press, their enemies, and anything else lurking out there, but mostly, to protect Kara's identity as Supergirl and the babies' true ancestry. They were always going to become targets, being Lena Luthor's children, but if word got out they were also half-Kryptonian, their enemies would triplicate, at the very least.

"So, this is the situation," Lena began while Kara handled a warm bottle of milk to Natasha, "just before my mother kidnapped me, I found out I can't have children. Although Kara and I have known each other for just a few months, she was my only friend in the city so I confided all this to her. The only medical solution was to have an egg donor, and Kara offered," as Lena paused, Kara took the opportunity to take Luna from her arms and sat on a stool, with the baby ready to enjoy her dinner. Kara loved the cute sounds they made when they were fed and she couldn't get enough of doing the task. She sensed that Lena relaxed a bit beside her, as everybody took a moment to look at the twins, despite the seriousness of the conversation.

Lena knew lying to her friends was always going to be difficult, but she couldn't take any chances. Both Kara and Lena knew what was at stake, this version of events was the lesser of two evils…

Lena sighed and proceeded.

"I had been inseminated with Kara's egg and an anonymous donor when Lillian took me as revenge for stopping her plans to create chaos in the city with alien weapons. Only Kara and I knew this. We are both their mothers, legally, and we've decided to raise them together. For now, Kara will be living with us here, at least until the authorities put my mother behind bars… And that's it." Lena regarded every one with intention. Kara was in awe, once again, wondering how many times she had rehearsed the speech in her head to be able to deliver it with such truthfulness. "Not a word to the press, not a word to staff. They can speculate all they want. This penthouse has to become a fortress, and we'll need you three to accomplish that. Any questions?"

Jess, the Colonel and Jon all shook their heads.

It was quite obvious no one was buying it. And it was also unmistakably clear that they'd stick to the story and remain unquestionably loyal to Lena. Kara knew then, without the shadow of a doubt, that their secrets would be safe with this group of remarkable people.

She then looked back at Lena and cleared her throat, remembering something.

"Uh… Lena?"

It took the young CEO about a second to understand what Kara was implying.

"Oh, yes. Sorry," Lena looked back at her team, with Natasha frowning between Kara and her. Lena ignored her. Or tried to. "You'll also be seeing a lot of Supergirl around. She's… an ally, to Kara and me. Agent Alex Danvers, from the FBI –"

"You mean the DEO," Jon chimed in, his eyebrows raised with a mixture of suspicion and amusement.

"Nothing escapes you, Jon, but let's keep that between ourselves," Lena replied.

"Always," Jon nodded.

"As I was saying, Alex Danvers, Kara's sister and assistant director of the DEO, yes, will be around some days too. Kara's mother, Dr. Eliza Danvers, will also check on me and the twins regularly, she's our doctor now, so she needs to have full clearance. We will also be cooperating with Hank Henshaw, the director of the DEO, in the investigation about my mother. It's possible some other agents from the DEO will need security passes, let's stick with their FBI covert, for their sakes and ours. And of course, everyone needs to be cleared before they come up, everyone… Kara's friends, and even your trustworthy pizza delivery guy, Kara. No one goes in or out this building without the proper authorization…" Lena paused for a moment, her tone becoming a little less formal, "I don't want them treated like criminals, of course, but – there can be no mistakes. Any security breach could have terrible consequences. For all of us… but most importantly, for the babies. You're in charge of that, Jon, just like everything else regarding security."

They all understood her meaning. No mistakes. Ever.

Jon nodded again.

"It's already been taken care of, Lena," he reassured her, "we've installed new security arches on the ground floor and panic gates, and I've planned out a new schedule for everyone. Also, when you have a moment, I'd like you to have a look at the new team. They're the best and I trust them with my life, but I know you'll want to meet them before I green-light them."

Lena dedicated him a content smile at the efficiency display.

"Will do. Thanks for that, Jon. And also, please, no guns in the house. I don't care how you guys handle things downstairs, but there are two newborns under my roof now, if a weapon, any weapon, reaches our private elevator, it means you've failed. Make sure it doesn't happen. Understood?"

"Absolutely," Jon complied.

The Colonel, on the other hand, sighed with resignation.

"So I guess that means I can no longer sleep with my beautiful Baikal-441 under my pillow…"

Lena dedicated her a sympathetic smile but stood her ground.

"I'm sorry, Tasha. It's not negotiable."

"I know, child. Fine by me. Not like I will have time to cherish her while I'm wiping your babies' yagoditsy, no?"

Everyone blinked at the Colonel.

"It's true," she shrugged.

Both Luna and Liam had finished their bottles and Kara and Natasha began the strange dance of burping the babies.

"Ok," Lena clasped her hands together for emphasis, "now that everyone knows what to do, I'd love to go to bed and rest now that the babies are fed and before they demand my attention again… I'm sorry, guys, but I'm exhausted."

Jess' eyes went wide with surprise.

"That's the first time I hear you admitting something like that, Miss Luthor."

Lena smiled, and for a moment, she appeared to be much older than she really was. She was tired, yes, and there was no point in hiding it from the people she trusted the most.

"There's a first time for everything, Jess, and, apparently, now that I'm a mom this is my new normal. Make sure you schedule that meeting with Sam, ok? I promise I'm not going back before I'm ready but I really need to know everything's fine, it will give me peace of mind."

"Of course, Miss Luthor."

Both Jess and Jon took that cue to leave the penthouse. As they were approaching the elevator, Lena softly called out behind them.

"And Jess? Jon?"

They turned around as they entered the elevator. Lena smiled again, tired, yes, but so very grateful.

"Thank you. For everything."

They both smiled back at her, and before the elevator doors closed, Jess had time to say one more thing.

"Welcome home, boss."

Before tears of gratitude could hit her eyes, Lena felt a calloused hand on her shoulder, squeezing just slightly.

"Go and rest, child, I will take care of the deti for you, we'll be right here."

"Thanks, Tasha."

The Colonel got up gently with little Liam in her arms.

"Miss Kara, I'm going to take this handsome boy to his crib. You bring Luna when you feel like it."

Kara nodded at the Colonel, who was already singing a Russian lullaby while she left the room.

As Lena got up to head straight to bed, Kara quietly strode behind her, her voice low – Luna had just drifted off to sleep in her arms.

"Uh… um… Lena? I gotta go to pick up the rest of my stuff from my apartment, remember? Will you be alright?"

Exhaustion was clouding Lena's mind a bit so she shook her head and then remembered that Kara still had her things at her apartment, that they'd agreed she'd go back as soon as they'd settled the babies at the penthouse and that… she was being a terrible friend trying to excuse herself just like that.

"Oh, God, I forgot, Kara… of course!" Lena rubbed her forehead, blushing a little, "Do you want me to go with you? Or Jon can have someone do it for you, if you want to."

"No, no, that's not necessary, I – Mon-El is waiting for me there. I– I have to go."

Lena's mind was once again playing games with her. They had talked about this. Kara. Mon-El… they weren't on good terms, Kara had told her. And she needed to talk to him. And Lena had forgotten and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being a bad, bad friend, but a migraine was beginning to settle in the back of her skull and just the mention of Kara's boyfriend added another sort of pain she didn't have time to indulge at the moment.

"Oh."

And so that "oh" was all Lena said before she shook her numbness away and forced herself to ignore everything, except Kara.

"How… how are things between you two?"

Kara shook her head gently and lowered her gaze in what Lena knew by heart as the standard sorrowful Danvers gesture.

"Well, you know I haven't talked to him since the babies were born. But, he's been very insisting, I'll give him that… and I've– I've been the one avoiding it all and now I've got ninety-two unanswered messages and forty-five lost phone calls."

It was seeing her like that, seeing Kara conflicted, and worried and in pain, what really cleared the fog in Lena's tired mind. She searched her friends' eyes and maintained her gaze once she had those beautiful blue orbs looking back at her.

"You can't keep going like that, Kara."

She knew she was using a somewhat scolding tone, but she didn't care. Kara really needed to start putting herself before everyone else.

"I know, I know… that's why I'm meeting him there… there's… there's a lot of things I'm trying to figure out and I need to be honest with him."

Lena smiled knowingly at her friend.

"I'm sure you'll work things out, Kara."

"Thank you."

They both locked eyes while smiling at one another for what seemed to be a moment suspended in time. Only little Luna's sleepy cooing sounds could break the spell.

"Ok, so… I'll put this one on her crib and Natasha will look after them while you nap, I shouldn't be gone for long. Is that ok with you, will you be alright?"

"We're just going to have some rest, Kara, I believe this family can survive an hour or two without Supergirl around."

"Jeez, ok, I was just making sure everything's under control, ma'am."

Lena's laughed gently and spontaneously placed a soft kiss to Kara's cheek.

"If I'm still knocked out when you come back, you wake me up, ok?"

"Ok."

"Bye, Kara."

"Bye."

It's not like she was counting, but Kara stood there, unable to move, perhaps an entire minute. Maybe two. The place where Lena's lips had touched her skin burned like fire, and she couldn't quite fathom why.

She blamed the stress, the weirdness and the unbelievable events of the past week. She blamed the feeling of gloom and constant alert she was experiencing after learning about the Anti-Monitor. She blamed herself, ultimately, for not being good enough. Fast enough. Smart enough. Strong enough. For Lena. For her children. No matter that the Kara that had perished in another Universe trying to save everyone wasn't even her… She had seen with her own eyes that the stuff of nightmares could come true, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to be better. In every possible way… just, better.

Kara buried all those dark feelings deep inside her mind along with the electricity of Lena's touch and the unsettling and brand new warmth she felt whenever they locked eyes.

Finally, the only thing that took her back to reality was her daughter stirring in her arms, making the most lovely, indescribably beautiful, little sound.

"Me too, baby girl," Kara whispered, "me too."

He was already inside when she arrived.
That was… unsettling, to say the least.

"I hope you don't mind that I let myself in," Mon-El said as he took his hands out of his pockets and walked towards her.

Kara just shook her head and let it slide, leaving her purse on the floor and instantly feeling like everything was out of place, even in her own apartment. All of this, it felt wrong, and she couldn't fathom why.

"I… I know I've been difficult. I know I've been a jerk. But I had an interesting conversation with James last week and I… I just wanna be honest here."

Kara's body was telling her to tense up, to enter Supergirl mode, to shield herself from whatever Mon-El was about to say. She sadly thought that the lies and the toxicity had been such a fundamental part of their relationship from the very beginning, that her instincts were screaming at her not to relax in the presence of the one person she was supposed to trust the most. And she was tired of fighting her instincts. She was tired of walking on ice. And did Mon-El deserved a fourth, a fifth chance?

He certainly deserved at least the benefit of the doubt, but Kara was quickly realizing that's not something you're supposed to constantly hand over to a partner.

"I thought… I thought we were being honest with each other. Especially after your parents interplanetary visit."

"I know, Kara, I know. Please hear me out."

"I'm listening."

He stepped awfully close to her, taking her hands in his. Kara could see there was real emotion in his eyes, real fear of losing her, and adoration and wonder but… she could only feel the tension in her muscles and the way her mind analyzed his behavior as a dance of deception he had tried before.

One last chance… she heard herself whisper in the back on her mind. And she had to fight with all her Kryptonian willpower to relax under his touch. One last chance.

"James told me I should be honest with you. I'm not hero material, we know that now. I loved being a hero because…" he sighed deeply, lowering his gaze to the floor. Kara could see he was fighting back the tears and through his fingers she could feel his hands trembling. "It meant I got to spend every single day by your side. And now I know it's all far more complicated than that."

He shook his head and when he blinked, the tears fell silently down his cheeks. Kara couldn't stand seeing anyone in pain, and right now she couldn't even remember why she was mad at him in the first place. Sure, there was a long list of reasons but… could this be the one time he got it right? Could this really be the last apology she'd hear from him? She had never seen him so opened up, so transparent. Perhaps she had been quick to judge. Perhaps she had been a cynic, a hypocrite.

He squeezed her hands gently, as if to gain strength. He sighed deeply and then looked at her with a sad smile.

"But when I was honest with myself and when I really thought about what I want, that's just it, Kara." He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, and Kara could feel his heartbeat going up, the throbbing veins in his neck, the raw pain he was going through… she felt awful, she felt terrible knowing she had caused that, somehow. She reached out to touch his cheek, out of compassion, and he choked back a sob. He opened his eyes to look at her. He let it all out.

"I want you. I know that you need balance, a purpose to everything you do. But me… I'm… I'm a simple man, just like that. Because I was meant to be a Prince and I never wanted that, I craved a normal life, a simple existence… And when I got here I– I– I'm content if I serve drinks and then I can come home to you. And I'm content if I have to beat up bad guys and save people and then come home to you. I know you want me to be… better. I know that… because I have these powers and you want me to do something with them. But this is me, Kara. A man that just wants to love you. And I'm sorry that I can't be someone… greater. Someone like you. I was a regular guy trying to see myself in the mirror of a goddess. There's only one you, Kara, and I know I'm not your equal. You're better than me. You will always be better than me. But this is the truth, and I hope you can love me the way I am, and… the way I love you."

They broke her, the words, they cut her in two. She had been so self-centered, so up on her high horse that she hadn't seen the way she had undermined his confidence and his self-esteem. Here he was, saying that they weren't equals, because Kara had pushed him to be someone he hadn't chosen. She had been thinking she had used her, abused her, patronized her… but hadn't she done the same with him?

She had stepped in her apartment with her mind set on breaking up with him, on calling him out on his behavior, on telling him he had disrespected her at every turn, that he was, basically, a lying jackass. But, now, now she could see herself somehow reflected on him, she could see the pain she had caused him and she wondered if it all could be called a tie. No, not a tie, she knew that, she knew what she had endured couldn't be wiped just like that… but knowing she had caused at least a fraction of that same pain was enough to make her doubt herself.

"I'm– I'm sorry, Mon-El. I never wanted you to feel like that."

He smiled weakly at her, shaking his head.

"It's my fault. First, I lied because I knew you'd hate me for being the stupid Prince of Daxam, then I tried to be with you everywhere, everyday… and I was mean and I was… I'm… it's all my fault."

Kara couldn't take the way he let his shoulders fall, his chest shaking now, his sobs almost uncontrollable. She took his face in her hands and made him look at her.

"No. Listen, listen, I'm sorry that I tried to choose your path for you," Kara whispered slowly. He tried to shook his head, she didn't let him, she needed him to understand she had heard him, she understood now, "I was selfish. And I stood on my moral high ground and I ignored your real wishes and I tried to force the way I live my life upon you, and I'm so, so sorry."

He wouldn't stop shaking, so Kara reached out and hugged him gently. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers.

"Oh, Kara. I know I'm not worthy of you, but I just – I just…"

"Shhh, it's ok. I know. I know."

They stood there, holding each other, caressing each others' backs for a long time. Kara wouldn't let go until she was positive he was calm. She just wanted him to stop crying, to stop suffering. No one deserved to be misunderstood or misguided. No one.

"I just want to be with you," Mon-El whispered, his voice shaking still a bit, but much calmer, "be a good boyfriend to you. Someday a good husband, if you'll have me, Kara."

Kara's eyes shot open. She didn't jerk away from him, but that was her one instinct after hearing what he'd just said.

Perhaps they could work things out, maybe they could start all over again, but even if that were the case, she'd want to take small steps, build mutual confidence from the ground up, little by little, day by day… panic sat indistinctly in the pit of her stomach as she realized they were definitely not on the same page. She took a deep breath against his chest; she could, she should wait, now all that mattered was making sure Mon-El was fine and then, then they could talk, slow things down…

"And someday, Kara, someday I want to be a good father for our children."

Oh, shit. So much for slowing things down.

The inner panic, the fight-or-flight response within Kara, even the part of her brain that was slightly amused by Mon-El's suggestion, couldn't, wouldn't ever be prepared for the words the former Prince of Daxam pronounced next.

"Even… even the twins. We could make it work, if you could convince Lena to give them up."

Kara's blood ran cold. For a second, she forgot how to breathe. This time, she stepped back. This time, she looked him in the eye and prayed to Rao that she had heard him wrong.

"Wait… what?"

Mon-El tried to follow Kara with his arms, but she kept a defensive pose, just willing him to try and explain. He sighed and tried to smile, rubbing his hands together, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Listen, before you freak out – I thought it through… in fact, it's the only thing I've been able to think about. It's – it's actually perfect… I know that women on Earth don't usually do it, but in Daxam they did things like this all the time."

Kara wasn't aware at the moment, but her body had finally surrendered to her first instincts: her fists on her hips, her jaw clenching hard, her frown tensed and almost ready to call upon her heat-vision… Mon-El always thought she had seen Kara mad at him. He had no idea.

"What things, Mon-El, exactly?"

It was Supergirls' voice now. Calm, collected, but a millimeter away from channeling Rao's wrath.

"Think about it. We would take the burden off her shoulders… In Daxam, they even had these uh– you know, like women breeders? They gave their children to aristocratic families so they could have a better future and besides, some women didn't like going through labor and all that so they paid for–"

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there."

Kara closed her eyes out of pure embarrassment for what Mon-El was suggesting. She took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes again, she just couldn't believe he was still standing in front of her with a pout as if he was talking about the most innocent thing in the world. It was just pure madness.

"I – I have no words, really. And I don't think you know what you're implying, because if you knew, then – God!"

Kara removed her glasses and let them over the kitchen island, she rubbed her forehead with both hands. She wanted to scream. Punch something. One last chance? No, one last mistake on her part.

Mon-El nervously stroked the nape of his neck. He had to find a way. He knew Kara was always meant to react like this, but he had to make her see.

"Listen, I'm not crazy. I know, I know it's a lot, but… Kara, come on, Lena's human, she doesn't understand what's like to have these powers. You and I, we get it, and together we could raise them as a real family."

If Kara had had anything in her hands at that exact second, she would have smashed it to pieces.

"You just told me a minute ago you don't wanna be a hero, you wanna have a normal life, be a simple man!"

As Kara's voice grew louder, Mon-El's approached her with a soft whisper, trying to reach to her, trying to make her understand.

"Yes, but I'd help you with everything… We – Kara, we could be together and be a family."

She knew she ought to be mad. But what she felt was beyond that. Rage. Shame. An indescribable pain just thinking of Lena ever being separated from the twins…

"They already have a family! And it's Lena!"

"But that's not–"

"And me!"

She was yelling now. She could tell because she felt the walls around her almost vibrating by the force emanating from her vocal cords. Finally, Mon-El was silent, regarding her with wide-eyes and nostrils flaring.

"I'm their family…" Kara began, her voice softer this time, but fully charged with the determination of a Kryptonian hero. "Me and Lena, we are their family. We are their parents. You can't change that. No one can. For better and for worse. And if you can't understand that, if you can't wrap your head around it even for the briefest second to try to understand and show compassion, and empathy and – then… then… what am I even trying to do here, Mon-El? Why am I even explaining myself to you?"

Kara let her arms fall to her sides and shook her head."Because we love each other, Kara, we have to figure things out."

Mon-El's voice sounded so small in her ears. So pitiful.

"No, you love yourself Mon-El, more than anyone. And I don't blame you, but I can't keep going like this. I have… I have to put me first, for once."

She turned around, making her way towards the door with precise steps. She opened the door for him.

"Kara, what…"

"Get out of my home."

There was not even a hint of regret, or sadness, or anger.

Mon-El panicked immediately, he even took a few steps backward, as if trying to stay away from the door as much as possible.

"What? Kara, please, don't be unreasonable. I'm serious about this. I really think it's the best option for everybody!" He paced around the room and Kara just stood there, holding the door for him. "Just think about the babies. With you and me they could have a mother and a father with the same powers they have, we could teach them and more importantly, we could protect them…" Mon-El stepped carefully towards her. He prevented himself from reaching out to Kara, but still, he pleaded with his eyes. New tears had arisen. Kara didn't feel anything anymore. Where there was pity, now she felt coldness. Where there used to be affection, now she only reached out to the emptiness. "Lena never wanted them! And what her mother did was a terrible thing, it was horrendous, unnatural… if we do this for her, she will be able to live her life and you and I, Kara, you and I can give the babies the life they deserve."

Mon-El was almost ready to fall on his knees and beg. And Kara, she was so tired.

She took a deep breath, and then looked at him. Really looked at him.

"I really hope you can find your place in this world, Mon-El, but wherever that is, it's not by my side. Go out there. Explore this amazing planet. Live. And don't cling to anybody, just… just try to know yourself. And then, choose. Choose what kind of a man you want to be. Perhaps when you accomplish that, you will know love. Genuine love.

"Kara, don't do this, please…"

Mon-El choked on his words, his face contorting.

"It's over. It's been over for a very long time. I just… I was blind. And I'm sorry."

Kara would always feel compassion and empathy when in the face of pain, but she knew he was going to be all right. Mon-El was a survivor above all things, even above the lives of others.

"Now, as I said, get out."

Patrolling the skies always cleared her mind, so after dropping her things back at Lena's penthouse (Lena was still asleep, she didn't have the heart to wake her though, she checked on the twins and Natasha told her to go and do whatever she needed to), she took off discreetly, embracing the feeling of the super suit fitting her like a second skin.

The night proved to be long and busy, just what she needed, and after rescuing a kitten from a tree, putting out a fire in the woods and preventing a robbery at a liquor store, she was more than ready to hang the cape and rest a while.

She flew by the penthouse a couple of times, scanning everything with her x-ray vision, making sure no one was around to spot Supergirl entering Lena Luthor's home in the middle of the night. The Colonel seemed to be asleep in the babies' room, also surprisingly asleep themselves, but she could tell that Lena was awake, sitting on the couch, rapidly typing in her laptop. Kara made sure she was alone and then proceeded to land on the balcony.

The door was slightly open. She smiled to herself, Lena knew she was out there and was kind enough to make it easy for her.

The brunette didn't even look at her when Kara entered the living room in her super suit.

"I'm mad at you. You didn't wake me up when you came back from your apartment," Lena said casually as she regarded something in her display.

"Is that… silk?" Kara deflected as she approached her friend, who was indeed wearing a long set of Stella McCartney's Betty Twinkling pajamas.

"Yes, it is. We had an agreement, Miss Danvers, and you didn't do your part."

Lena finally looked at her. The only light illuminating the room, apart from the moonlight entering the balcony, was that of the laptop's display, showering her cheeks and forehead in a rather beautiful blueish tone.

Kara sat on the arm of the couch nearest to Lena, carefully moving her cape out of the way. "You're attacking me to distract me from the fact that it's 2 in the morning and you're up… doing what… working? Playing The Sims?" Kara comically tried to stretch her neck to take a look at what Lena was doing… She got a glimpse of a series of unintelligible lines of code with numbers and commands and formulas. "What is that, nerd porn?"

Lena almost choked on her own saliva.

"Uh… excuse me? Was that an almost dirty joke? Who are you and what have you done with my Kara Danvers?"

Kara winked at her as she stood up and turned around in the direction of the kitchen.

"It's just humor. You should try it sometime, Miss Luthor."

"Noted," Lena smiled, going back to her typing, "the Colonel made some pirozhki for dinner, we left you some on the counter."

"Pirozhki?"

"They're kind of like baked pastries? Russian potstickers, if you prefer. You'll love them."

"Yeff I lof demf, oh my Goff, they're deliffious!"

Lena didn't need to look up from her laptop to know that Kara was literally devouring the food.

"Easy, tiger, there's more in the fridge if you want."

"Oh, fe Folofel if the beft, I lof fe Folofel…"

"Grab a plate and come keep me company, pirozhki monster."

Kara complied, sitting next to Lena on the couch.

"It's ok, Kara, you can kick your boots off."

"I'm afraid I might get your carpet dirty, milady."

"Very funny, stable girl."

Kara grinned widely and gently took her boots off. Seeing that Lena was seating with her legs comfortably bent over the couch, she mirrored her friend's pose as she enjoyed her last pirozkhi.

"You still haven't told me how things went with Mon-El," Lena said carefully, once Kara left her empty plate over the coffee table.

"And you still haven't told me why the babies are asleep right now, at the DEO we usually fed them around this hour…"

"Kara."

"Mm?"

"Don't change the subject, please. Unless… unless you don't want to tell me."

Kara finally gave up and breathed in deeply, nodding at Lena in a gesture of understanding. She dedicated her a tight-lipped smile and sighed.

"It's ok, Lena. I mean… it's over. Between us. Mon-El and me. But it's ok."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Kara," Lena darted her eyes from her, and her voice became a low whisper.

Kara really didn't want Lena to think this was heavier than it looked, because it wasn't.

"No, really. It's for the best. We never… I was just postponing it, you know? But I knew, deep down. I've known for a long time."

When Lena finally looked back up at Kara, her eyes were red and they shined with the flares of tears.

"But – uh… all of this. The babies and all, I mean… please tell me this didn't ruin your relationship because I could never forgive myself if –"

Kara quickly rose to her feet only to kneel in front of Lena. She gently took the laptop from her hands and placed it on the other side of the couch. She replaced it with her own hands, wrapping around Lena's to prevent her from shaking.

"Hey, no, no. You don't have to blame yourself for anything, you hear me? None of this is your fault. And I made my own choice. I'm right where I want to be."

Lena awkwardly tried to smile but she let out a little sob while she tried to hug her own face. Kara couldn't take it, so she sat beside Lena to bring her into her arms.

"It's ok, Lena. We're ok. I promise. Everything's gonna be ok."

Lena found the crook of her neck and she sobbed there, gently. Kara instinctively used her cape to wrap it around Lena's body, as if she wanted her to understand she was safe, protected, home. Kara whispered soothing sounds and rocked Lena's body until she felt her relax a little.

"I'm sorry," Lena whispered against the skin on her neck, "all I seem to do these days is cry all over your suit."

"Don't worry, I'll send you the laundry receipt."

Lena's soft laugh sent sweet, warm vibrations along Kara's entire body, and for a moment, just for a moment, everything was right and good. And Kara took the liberty of breathing deeply in Lena's shampoo scent, and she closed her eyes and let herself imagine there was no threats out there, no Lillian, no Monitor, no parallel universes, no Kryptonite, no pain, no loss. Kara tried to imagine that the only thing that existed in the world was this room, just the two of them, a Super and a Luthor in each other's arms, almost drifting away.

A mean little voice inside her head rebelled against this unanticipated moment of peace, overflowing her with sudden shame and confusion… what the hell are you doing, Zor-El?

And as a response to the voice, Kara almost jerked from Lena, almost let go of her heat and her comfort, but to push through it all, she pulled her a little closer. Later, she could try to answer that question, later, she could bathe herself in the guilt of feeling so at peace, so relaxed while Lena suffered and cried in her arms. Later.

"Are the babies ok? Do you need anything?" Kara whispered slowly, fearing that Lena had fallen asleep in her arms, gently tracing circles with her fingers on Lena's back.

"They're fine, I fed them an hour ago or so," Lena whispered back, her voice muffled against Kara's neck and hair. "Natasha's sleeping in the room with them, but tomorrow I'd like to move the cribs to my room if you don't mind."

"Yeah, that's ok, we can do that."

"Do you like your room, Kara, do you have everything you need?"

"Yeah, it's great, thank you."

Kara never stopped caressing Lena's back and she didn't seem to mind. Another few minutes passed in silent comfort.

"What are you doing up, then?" Kara asked, again in the lowest of voices. "You know when they sleep, you should too."

"I can't."

Lena's response made her sound like a five-year-old. Kara chuckled gently.

"Well, we've got twins. Sleeping is no longer a can, is a must."

Kara felt Lena uncomfortably stirring in her arms.

"I can't stop thinking about… it."

Kara understood immediately.

"I know."

"It's just…"

Lena finally turned around and gently moved away from Kara's arms. The Kryptonian felt her absence immediately. Lena's hair was down and messy because of the hug, and her eyes were intense and bright even in the darkness of the night, and Kara could only lose herself in them.

"What my mother did to me felt like the most horrifying nightmare…" Lena spoke trying to keep her voice down, but the tension in her tone gave away her agitation. "But now, it pales in comparison to what she showed us–"

Kara shook her head and tried to reach out to her, again.

"Hey. Hey, Lena. It was– terrible, yes. But it was not our reality. It hasn't happened here."

Lena got up from the couch to grab her laptop, she furiously typed something and then turned it around to show it to Kara. She pointed at the screen, that was displaying what looked like a Danvers-Luthor family portrait.

"It happened for them," Lena said, defeated.

Kara regarded the picture silently. Slightly older versions of Lena and herself smiled at the camera in what appeared to be a picnic day. They were in a park, dressed in summer clothes. Kara had her arm around Lena's shoulder, and with the other, she was holding her son's hand. Liam smiled with the goofiest of grins at the camera, and that beautiful little face was enough to melt present Kara's heart. Lena had a beautiful baby girl in her arms, around the age of two. She was black and beyond cute and absolutely perfect. Little Luna sat at Lena's feet, sticking her tongue out for the camera. The twins couldn't be older than twelve in the picture. And Kara found it hard to breathe when she realized those were not her actual kids, but they could be.

"Where did you get that?" Kara asked, as collected as she could.

Lena sighed and sat down again beside Kara, navigating her coding program as she spoke.

"There's… zettabytes of data in here. The other Lena sent out… everything. I wonder if it was unintentional because there are so many personal things here… Look…"

Lena showed Kara dozens of pictures, much in the style of the picnic one. The Danvers-Luthor family in social gatherings, family adventures and domestic snapshots.

Kara stared in awe, and she pointed and some of the pictures as Lena scrolled through them. One of young Liam was particularly disturbing: he had a blue t-shirt and a red cloth over his back, standing with his hands on his hips in the most Super pose of poses.

"God… he looks so much like Clark, only younger. But… he has your eyes. And Luna…"

Lena found another picture of Luna opening a Christmas present with the most beautiful smile.

"She's a carbon copy of you," Lena whispered.

Kara just stared in awe.

"Yep, but with your jawline and your eyebrows."

Lena shook her head in disbelief.

"Weird, huh?"

Kara could only nod.

"I wonder about the baby… do you think we – I mean, they had another kid?"

Lena sighed, a little frustrated with herself.

"Don't know, but there's so much data that I had to write a specific algorithm just to try and decode it, that's what the program is doing right… now. Uh."

A red alert appeared on the screen, and Lena proceeded to type code again.

"What?" Kara asked, not following a thing of what Lena was doing.

"There's… a firewall," Lena explained as her eyes analyzed the insane amount of data appearing on the screen. "Interesting. Wait a minute. This code… It's mine."

Kara frowned and Lena had a breakthrough, finally understanding what was going on. She was trying to decrypt her own doing.

"Of course it's mine. It's a security system I tried to develop when I was at MIT but I never finished the project. Guess future me did the rest."

Lena got up from the couch, excitement and purpose taking over her body. She sat on the floor, placing the laptop on the coffee table, never taking her eyes from the screen.

"So… can you access everything, somehow?" Kara asked, hoping her moral support was enough to encourage Lena.

"Gimme a sec."

The Luthor genius proceeded to type a series of rapid commands and variables. When a new alert appeared, she worked her way around it, reverse-engineering every line of code she encountered. Kara just watched her silently, admiring the way Lena's eyes focused on the task, appreciating the way Lena's pulse point beat with purpose in her neck, watching as she bit her upper lip, so undoubtedly focused, so full with determination. Kara was so fascinated by it that she entered a sort of trance, regarding Lena's jawline with intent, wondering, just for the briefest of moments, how it would feel to place her lips over Lena's –

"Hello, Mrs. Danvers. Long time no hear."

The lights came alive in the room. The TV was on. Even the Nespresso machine turned itself on and Lena stepped away from her laptop, suppressing a scream.

"Wait a minute…" Kara whispered, "I know that voice."

"Excuse me for a second while I fetch data from this reality thanks to your Internet connection."

The voice spoke again, but this time it wasn't coming only from Lena's laptop. It was going out the TV, the sound system in the room, even Lena's and Kara's phones.

"Nice firewalls you got there, but not strong enough. I've taken the liberty of updating your security systems, Mrs… oh, I see – you're not… you're not Mrs. Danvers."

Kara and Lena looked around each other, following the voice.

"The year is 2017 in this reality. And you're not… involved with Miss Danvers. Who is… here, too. Interesting. Anyway… Ms. Luthor it is, then. Nice to meet you both."

The electronic devices began to turn off one by one, until there was only Lena's laptop and the TV, which stopped showing static to finally display just a "T", and the voice ended up broadcasting only from it.

Kara and Lena exchanged confused looks, though they both could easily guess what had happened.

"Sorry about that, I was adjusting to being resuscitated in a different reality. My name is Telle. How can I help you today?"