Conversations on a Balcony

104

Cat watched Abby as she ran, squealing with delight, through little squirting water fountains with a group of other children. She was glad for the park so near to the penthouse. It was within a comfortable walking distance and a fun place for her kid to work off her copious amounts of energy.

Liv was restless and Cat rolled the stroller slowly back and forth as she watched the baby's face scrunch unhappily. "What is it, Cutie?" she asked gently, stroking her fingertip down the baby's face. "Hungry?"

Liv's face relaxed and she waved her hands, aiming for Cat's finger and missing completely. Her mother chuckled and put her finger into the baby's tiny hand, smile broadening as her grip latched on.

"Mommy?" Abby said as she ran over, soaked from head to toe. "Can I have ice-cream?"

Cat's eyebrow lifted. "What's missing from that sentence, Abigail?"

Contrite blue eyes peered back. "Please?"

"Tell you what," Cat replied. "We're meeting /ueiu/ for lunch. Why don't we have ice-cream for dessert?"

"Ok," the little girl agreed amiably, and Cat grinned as she watched her daughter run back to join the other children.

Abby was a month away from starting school. Cat and Kara had already discussed the talk they'd have to have with her about not using her powers around other children and they'd already begun socializing her at the park, in addition to her interactions at daycare. It was a strategic, careful plan and Kelly had been very helpful in formulating it. It helped to have a psychologist in the family. Kara had been concerned about making their daughter feel like having powers was a bad thing and Kelly's guidance on communication had been key. The talk was planned for lunch that day.

Cat was stilling thinking about it when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen, grinning broadly at the picture of her son displayed. "Hi, Honey, how are you?"

"Hey, Mom, I'm good. How are you?"

"Doing great," Cat replied. "I'm at the park with the kids. Wish you were here."

"Me too," Carter said. "But the good news is that I was able to get leave from the lab. Up for having Jordan and I come to visit so I can meet my new baby sister?"

"Of course!" Cat exclaimed. "That would be amazing! And I can finally meet this handsome boyfriend of yours."

"Don't make it a thing, Mom," Carter chuckled. "I'm still kind of freaked out about the whole thing."

"I know, Honey," his Mom said softly. "Awakenings and realizations can be... overwhelming."

"Was it like that for you when you fell in love with Kara?" the man asked tentatively.

"Honestly, not with Kara. I'd had relationships with other women before her... but, with the first woman... yes. It was slightly shocking but... also not... at the same time, you know?"

"Yeah," Carter replied. "So, looks like we can get a flight day after tomorrow. That ok?"

"Of course! I can't wait to see you, My Darling."

"Me neither. Kiss /ieiu/ and the kids for me," the man said, and Cat could hear his smile. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Carter. Text the time so Kara and I can pick you up from the airport."

After exchanging goodbyes, Cat sighed and opened a new text message.

Hi Adam. I know you said you don't want to be a part of my family, but we just had another baby and I wanted to reach out to you again in this time of new beginnings. I want you to know that I think about you all the time, and I wish things could be different. I can't change the past, but I want you in my future. Kara and I both do. I love you.

Then she tucked her phone away and called out to her daughter. "Abby! Time to go home. Come on, Baby Girl!" She smiled as her child exchanged a hug with another little girl and then ran to her to join her on the walk home. "Did you have fun?"

"Great fun, Mommy. I made a new friend. Her name is Caroline."

"Awesome," Cat replied, stroking her blonde waves. "Next time we see her, I'll ask her Mom if she can come over for a play date."

"Coooool!" Abby's feet lifted an inch or so off the ground and Cat placed a hand on her shoulder to push her down again. "Careful, Baby."

The little girl pouted epically. "Why can't I fly, Mommy?" she demanded. "It's not fair!"

Cat stopped walking and crouched in front of her daughter, one hand still on the stroller. "I know," she replied. "But remember we talked about this with /ieiu/? She has a VERY important job as Supergirl and it's VERY important that no one knows who she is so everyone we love can stay safe. If people saw you flying, they'd know you were related to her and that would put people we love in danger. So, we have to keep it all a secret."

Abby nodded slowly. "It's not fair," she whispered. "I'm not bad."

Cat blinked and her face fell. "Of course you're not bad, Abby. Having special powers is not a bad thing. It's a very GOOD thing. But until you're a grown up, until you make the choice for yourself to do what you want to do with your powers, /ieiu/ and I just want you to trust us to keep everyone safe. Is that ok?"

The little girl nodded again. "Ok, Mommy. I trust you and /ieiu/."

Xx

"Go change your clothes, Honey," Cat said to her firstborn as she took Liv out of the stroller and moved out to the couch on the living room balcony to feed her a bottle. "I'll be in to help you as soon as Liv has eaten."

Abby nodded and took off running toward her new bedroom. Cat pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Kara. It was picked up immediately. "Hey, Beautiful."

"Hi, Sweetheart. I'm getting the kids ready to come meet you but... I just... I wanted to give you a heads up about something."

"Oh? Is everything ok?" Kara asked worriedly.

"Well... I just had a conversation with Abby. She's feeling a little hard done by. She said that not being allowed to fly isn't fair and that she's not bad because she can do it."

There was a long moment of silence and then Kara sighed. "She's not wrong. Shit, Cat."

"No, she's not," Cat agreed. "So I was thinking about something."

"Go on," the hero encouraged.

"What if we compromised a little? What if Supergirl was to take her flying somewhere secluded... to begin her training?"

"Could... could I?" Kara asked uncertainly. "I would absolutely fucking love that but... would it be safe?"

Cat nodded slowly. "If you took her somewhere in the desert maybe... stayed below radar? I mean, you wouldn't want her soaring above the clouds anyway, right?"

"No, not until she's older and has better control of her powers," the Kryptonian agreed. "I actually think that's a great idea. We can talk about it with her over lunch."

"Ok, Sweetheart. I love you. We'll see you in an hour."

"Love you too, Cat-El. Can't wait!"