Alex and Maggie find out exactly what Cadmus was doing with that pod and it has some very serious consequences for them. They also get some insight into what Lillian wanted with Little Kara. Before the day is done, the gang will finally meet their Baby World Killer! Is she everything they feared or the answer to Sanvers prayers?
Alex and Maggie stared at the pod in awe as Hamilton explained her findings to them. The detective was doing her best to keep up with all the technical jargon, the growing crinkle on her mate's brow adding to her distress and confusion. When the doctor stopped talking, Alex walked over to the pod with a reverential look.
"I can't believe she's ours." The agent whispered to her fiancée. Maggie moved to hug Alex from behind, unsure of what to do or say. Cadmus had really outdone themselves this time.
It was Hamilton's theory that the pod in question had been launched before all the coding could be completed, no doubt in an attempt to save it from Krypton's destruction. When it crashed on earth and remained undiscovered, the child could develop no further without an influx of new DNA. Once Cadmus unearthed it and figured out that very crucial piece, they had extracted DNA from two unlikely but familiar sources. The male DNA had come from none other than Alex's once-beloved father, Jeremiah and the female... Alex pulled Maggie's arms tighter around her. As many times as the pair had suffered run-ins with Cadmus, it would have been quite easy for them to acquire enough genetic material. Even through the frosted glass of the pod, Alex could make out hints of Maggie's features in the child.
"Biologically speaking..." Hamilton agreed quietly. "In all the ways that matter, she is your child. How do you want to proceed?"
"Proceed?" Maggie extracted herself from Alex's grasp. "I don't know what you mean."
"Well, um, technically speaking...as the 'child's' biological parents..." Hamilton twisted the clipboard in her hands. "It's up to you if you want to wake her up or...not."
"Of course, we want to wake her up." Alex asserted, taking Maggie's hand in her own. "That's not even a question."
"Alex." J'onn interrupted as he strode through the door. "I know this is a lot to digest but precautions must be taken."
"Precautions? Like what?" Alex challenged. "You want me to leave our child trapped in some kind of suspended limbo until you say it's safe? Do you have any idea what that did to Kara? She is still having nightmares a decade later!"
Before the Martian could respond, the monitors surrounding the pod began to go wild! Alex dropped Maggie's hand racing to the pod.
"No! This can't be happening!" She cried as she moved around the pod frantically.
"What's happening? Alex, what are you looking for?" Maggie asked, worried by her mate's erratic behavior.
"The pod's life support is failing! Her vitals are falling!" Alex told her, still running her hands over the pod in search of something, anything, that could release the child. "Dammit! We don't have time for this. Everybody get back!"
When the others quickly moved aside, Alex pulled out her alien gun and fired at the four bolts that seemed to be holding the pods lid in place! As soon as the smoke cleared, she rushed forward and with the help of the others, the lid toppled to the floor revealing the child inside. Alex had no time to marvel as she could tell right away that the child was still in distress. She scooped her small body up and quickly laid the child down on a med-bed. Hamilton followed, laying a sheet over the child for modesty and warmth, dragging the monitors over.
"Dammit!" Alex cursed again as she checked the child's vitals. "She's not breathing!" She quickly tilted the child's head back and began CPR, murmuring to the child in between compressions. "Breathe baby, please breathe."
Maggie stood off to the side, fear clutching her heart. Just a few hours ago she hadn't even known she had a child but now the thought of losing her was terrifying. J'onn wrapped a supportive arm around her as they watched Alex and Hamilton work. The doctor had taken over compressions while Alex continued to breathe for the child. Just when the minutes began to run long, the agent felt the tiny chest beneath her expand on it's own!
"Yes!" She crowed, tears streaming down her face as the little girl began to breathe on her own. "That's it baby, that's it." She placed a gentle kiss against the child's forehead before resting her own against it.
Maggie snatched away from J'onn to lay herself across Alex's back, both women weeping in earnest. Hamilton attached a few monitors to the child's body before ducking out to grab more equipment just in case, the director following close behind. Alex's eyes kept flicking between the child and the monitors nervously, her shoulders relaxing slightly when it seemed as if the little girl had settled into a normal sinus rhythm.
"You did it babe, you saved her." Maggie whispered in awe as Alex finally straightened up and wrapped her in a tender embrace, still weeping quietly. The agent was too overcome to respond but kept a watchful eye on their child as she soothed Maggie.
As the pair began to settle down, Alex looked up from their child to find Mon-El, Imra, and Brainiac 5 entering the medbay. They each wore looks of varying concern and the agent knew right away she would not like what they had to say. Beside her Maggie tensed as well, no doubt preparing for the coming confrontation.
"Is that it?" Mon-El demanded in his usual tactless manner. "That's what was in the pod?"
"IT?" Alex grated out, trying desperately to control her anger. "She's a child, and yes, she came from the pod."
"Why did you take it out?" He demanded, voice rising. "You have no idea what it's capable of!"
"Mon-El is correct." Brainiac parroted. "The threat should be contained until we know more." Alex bristled at the male ego the two were currently displaying, noting that Imra remained quiet on the subject.
"She's not a threat." Maggie piped in. "Look at her! She's a little kid for Christ's sake."
"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment." Mon-El advanced on Maggie who stood between him and the med-bed with the unconscious child on it. "We're putting it back in stasis."
Before he could take another step, the unmistakable sound of Alex's alien gun powering up filled the room. He turned slightly to find Alex aiming for his head with an expression of pure fury.
"You touch our daughter and I will blow that pubic hair right off your face!" She growled and in that moment Maggie was unsure whether the sight was attractive or terrifying. Either way she was in awe of the devotion Alex was already showing for their daughter.
Mon-El raised his hands in surrender and backed away, ever the coward. "Maybe we should all calm down?" He suggested when Alex's aim didn't waiver.
"Maybe you should stop butting into our lives?" Alex sneered back at him. "We didn't ask for your help and we certainly don't need it."
"Our pods saved Kara!" He protested with a pout.
"Yeah, they did, but only AFTER you refused to get involved and Reign almost killed my sister!" Alex had dropped the gun to her side but she moved dangerously into Mon-El's personal space. "You're a bunch of cowards from the future. You keep secrets, you withhold information and for what?"
"Babe..." Maggie slipped a hand around Alex's bicep, pulling her back slightly. "He's not worth it and none of them are gonna touch her, we'll make sure of it."
Alex continued to sneer at The Legion when a movement on the monitor caught her eye. "What's that?" Maggie asked anxiously as Alex raced over.
"I think she's waking up..." Alex responded with a bewildered smile, all tension with Mon-El forgotten. They were about to meet their child. Despite how the girl came into existence, she belonged to them, was part of each of them and they were thrilled to meet her.
Alex quickly tucked the gun into her waist and leaned over the little girl, smoothing the hair gently from her face and encouraging the little one to open her eyes with a soothing voice. Maggie moved closer as well, taking the child's hand into her own. Neither woman noticed J'onn return and escort the legionnaires out with a gruff "Family only."
Alex's breath caught in her throat when big brown eyes stared up into her own. She knew those eyes; saw them everyday in the mirror. They were inquisitive and expressive; the eyes she got from her father. One look at them and there was no doubt in Alex's mind about the biological connection. She was crushed when those beautiful orbs quickly filled with tears and the little girl became wracked with sobs!
"Hey..." She called to her, cupping the little girl's face, aware of the all too familiar dimples beneath her palms. "It's okay baby, you're okay..."
The sentiment did little to soothe the child and Alex quickly shrugged her loose t-shirt off, leaving her in just her sports bra, and hugged the child to her chest as she settled on the bed. The minute the child's skin came into contact with her own she began to quiet. A content smile settled on Alex's face as she cuddled and rocked the child, whispering soothing phrases in Kryptonian. Maggie tucked the blanket over Alex's shoulder for modesty and leaned her head against her fiancée's as she gazed down at their child. They'd guessed she couldn't be more than three, around the same age Kara had been when struck with the pink kryptonite.
"She's beautiful..." Alex whispered in awe. "Just like in my dream..." Maggie was going to ask what the other woman meant when the little girl, tiny chin still trembling, finally spoke.
"Ieiu?" She asked, tiny hand moving up to touch Alex's cheek. The agent couldn't hold back the sob that welled up in her throat.
"Yes!" She replied in English. "Yes baby, I'm your mommy and this is your mama. We love you so much!" Alex repeated her words in Kryptonian and felt her heart leap when the little girl's tears began to dry and she curled even further into Alex.
"Ieiu...cold..." The toddler shivered slightly against Alex, the thin medical blanket of little help when she was nude beneath it.
"You're cold baby?" Alex asked before turning to Maggie. "Babe, can you grab a blanket from that warmer over there? She's freezing!"
Maggie was back with the blanket in no time and she chuckled at the content sigh the little one gave as it was tucked around her. The sleepy smile she gave them both took their breath away as her dimples shown through.
"We should probably get her some clothes and diapers..." Maggie suggested with a soft smile, running her hand through the girl's light brown locks as she spoke. "All of Little Danvers things are still in the closet, most of it should fit."
When they'd headed over earlier, neither woman had expected to meet the child so soon nor could they have guessed she would turn out to be theirs. Alex nodded but didn't respond, afraid to break the spell as the little girl continued to snuggle contently with her, nearly asleep. She squinted at the child's face, categorizing which features she saw in herself and which ones were distinctly Maggie. The dimples were obviously from the Latina, as was the child's smooth olive complexion. Her eyes clearly came from Alex's side of the family and she had a light dusting of freckles across her nose that the agent knew mirrored her own. Her face was heart-shaped like Maggie's and judging from her small size, she would take after her in stature as well. Alex couldn't help the grin that spread over her face at the thought of having two tiny Latinas in her home.
"I can go." Both women startled as they finally noticed J'onn still in the room with them. "You two should stay here with her, take this time to bond. When you're ready, Hamilton would like to run more tests."
"Thanks, J'onn." Maggie replied genuinely as Alex still seemed too overwhelmed to speak.
"Of course." He gave them each a soft smile as he headed for the door. Before he left he turned. "I almost forgot to ask. What's her name?"
"Rowan." Alex finally looked up with tears in her eyes. "Her name is Rowan."
Maggie nodded her agreement, pleased with the choice. Rowan had been at the top of both of their name lists for either gender and had been the only name the pair had been able to agree on. J'onn gave them a fatherly smile as he headed to the apartment. Alex knew he would also take the opportunity to fill Kara in about Rowan and she was endlessly grateful for his foresight. She was still wrapping her mind around the situation herself and she had yet to talk to Maggie about how she was feeling.
No matter how badly she wanted to protect the little girl sleeping in her arms, Alex knew that where Cadmus was involved there was always danger. Not to mention Rowan was an unknown mix of DNA's, including apparently several strands that connected her to Reign. There would need to be tests, that much was a given. Somewhere in that adorable little body was the key to defeating Reign, or so Lillian thought. As much as Alex despised the elder Luthor, the woman was a true genius and she had put far too much energy into Rowan for there to be no merit to the work. It seemed had Alex not thwarted Cadmus in taking Little Kara, that Lillian would have fully succeeded in creating a World Killer that could infiltrate the DEO with ease.
Looking at Rowan now, Alex could easily see the girl growing up to be Maggie's mirror image. It wouldn't have taken much genetic tinkering to make the resemblance even more uncanny. Alex shuddered at the thought of a World Killer masquerading as her fiancée, destroying everything in her wake. She had to hand it to Lillian; the woman had a flair for the dramatic. Nothing would be more devastating to the agent, than thinking her beloved had somehow turned against her. Maggie wrapped her arms tighter around the pair, sensing Alex's unease and the agent sighed in contentment.
"Mags?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"We should probably talk...about all of this..." Alex gestured as best she could with her arms full of sleeping toddler.
"We will." Maggie assured her with a kiss to her forehead. "But for now, I just want to enjoy this moment."
Lena opened the door to Alex's apartment, surprised to find J'onn, still in his DEO uniform, on the other side. She stepped aside to let him enter as Kara stood from the couch with a questioning look.
"J'onn, what's going on? Are Alex and Maggie okay?" She asked hurriedly. The Martian could tell she had been crying and his heart went out to his younger Earth daughter.
"Alex and Maggie are both fine." He assured her with a warm smile. "A little caught off guard, but fine."
"I don't know what that means." Kara responded with the signature 'Danvers crinkle' settling in. "They got a call from Hamilton and left hours ago and I haven't heard back from either of them. Is this about the pod?"
"It is. You should probably sit down." He suggested, trying to find a way to ease into what he was about to say. The blonde moved to protest but Lena stilled her with a gentle hand on her arm.
"Let's just hear him out, okay?" She asked as she pulled Kara back to the couch and settled her in. Kara allowed herself to be lead but fixed J'onn with a sharp look once she was seated.
"Well?"
"I had Hamilton call Alex in because we found some very interesting things when we ran our preliminary analysis on the occupant of the pod." J'onn began, watching Kara's expression closely. "As suspected, the pod is Krytponian, as is the child inside. We believe her to be no more than two and a half, three at the most."
"The same age my mother reduced Kara to." Lena supplied and the Martian nodded in agreement.
"It seems your mother de-aged Kara in order to figure out how to raise her World Killer. That's why she wanted Alex's research and that's why the pod was abandoned once they couldn't get to Kara."
"Where is the child now?" Lena asked with worry, Kara remained silent.
"With Alex and Maggie at the DEO. The life systems on the pod began to fail and we had to take her our of stasis."
"What aren't you telling me?" Kara asked with suspicion. "Why are you here?"
"The child isn't just related to you." He replied slowly, coming to sit on the table before them. He reached out and took her hands in his before he continued. "From what we can tell, the pod launched before it's DNA sequencing was complete and Cadmus used human DNA to fill in the gaps..."
Lena gasped in understanding. "Which humans, J'onn?"
"Jeremiah and Maggie." The Martian sighed as Kara stared at him in shock.
"You mean the kid...she's..."
"Biologically related to Alex and Maggie...And you." He finished quietly.
"What does that mean? What are they gonna do?" Kara asked, clearly on the verge of a panic attack.
"For now, they're simply bonding with their daughter. They asked me to come pick up a few things for her. Diapers and clothes, maybe some toys. I'm not ready to release her from the DEO without further testing but I...I know how much this child means to you, to all of us and soon as I can allow it, I want her to come home."
"This is...this is...amazing..." Kara finally breathed out, clutching J'onn's hands tighter at the prospect of having family again, having a legacy that stretched beyond her, beyond Kal-El.
J'onn simply smiled and nodded, letting Kara take it all in. He knew from experience what it felt like to finally have a family again, to gain something back that you thought had been lost forever. It was exhilarating and confusing and terrifying in the best possible ways. Only someone who had experienced it could sympathize with the emotions coursing through Kara at that moment.
"When can I meet her?" Kara finally asked, eyes red with unshed tears.
"As soon as you want." J'onn told her quietly. "I'm sure Alex can't wait for the two of you to meet. Take a little time to adjust to the idea, I'll take some things back to the DEO and we'll be waiting when you get there."
"Thank you...Papa Bear..." She whispered as you threw her arms around him. The pair hugged for a moment before Kara leaned back with a mischievous smile. "Does this make you Granpapa Bear or Space Grandad?"
Lena laughed out loud at that as J'onn tried his best not to smile. "I suppose we'll have to let Rowan decide what she wants to call me...though I wouldn't mind being a Granpapa..." He pressed a loving kiss against Kara's forehead before he grabbed what he came for and left with a warm smile.
"I'm...I'm an aunt..." Kara turned to Lena with a teary smile.
"Yes you are. How do you feel?" Lena asked, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders gently.
"Excited, terrified. What if I'm not good at it?" Kara questioned with a slight frown. "My aunt Astra, she was my everything. I want to be that for her."
"You will be, Kara. You will be that little girl's everything because you love so hard. And you will share all your knowledge with her and the legacy of the House of El will carry on." Lena told her, voice strong with conviction, eyes steely.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Kara leaned further into her friends embrace, taking comfort in her presence and her words.
"Nor I you." Lena responded sincerely. "Who would've thought, a Super and a Luthor..."
Kara gently landed on the DEO balcony, one arm around Lena and one clutching a very familiar stuffed dog. The pair were met with curious stares but no one stopped the Super as she grabbed Lena's head and began dragging her determinedly towards the medbay. As Kara rounded the corner to the medbay with Ice Cream tucked under one arm she stopped cold, Lena nearly slamming into her back at the abrupt stop!
"Kara! What are you-?" Lena stopped talking when the blonde pointed to the glass windows.
Just inside sat Alex and Maggie with the prettiest little girl either woman had ever seen perched on the agent's lap, clad in pink pajamas boasting Kara's family crest. Alex was running a handheld scanner over the little girl, laughing whenever the toddler tried to hold the scanner herself. Maggie was trying to distract the little girl with a sippy cup and a cookie but she was far more interested in what Alex was doing.
"Ieiu?" The toddler asked, turning towards Alex. Kara felt her heart clench at the word. Rowan, her niece, was speaking Kryptonian.
"Ieiu!" Rowan exclaimed again, standing abruptly on the bed, annoyed that her mother was paying more attention to the device than her. Alex grabbed her daughter's arm to steady her, setting down the scanner as she focused on the child.
"Yes, baby?" The redhead smiled down at her daughter.
"What's that?" The child asked, poking the scanner with one chubby finger.
"This," Alex picked up the device and held it out so Rowan could see. "This is a scanner, it helps me see inside you." The agent repeated the words in English so the child could make the connections. Rowan had already picked up a good amount of English but was still more at ease with Kryptonian. It was remarkable how much she had learned in just a few hours.
"Why?" The toddler asked, staring up at Alex with big trusting eyes.
"It helps me make sure you're not sick." Alex explained further in both languages, taking the scanner back and pulling the little one into her lap.
"I not sick!" Rowan proclaimed proudly in her broken English, little arms spread wide. "I, Rowan!"
Maggie snorted at her daughter's cheekiness and the toddler scrambled from Alex's lap to hers. "Dimples, mama." She grinned as she poked her tiny fingers into Maggie's cheeks.
"That's right, Mija! What a smart girl you are." Maggie praised the child as she held her tight.
Before the little girl could respond, two unfamiliar figures entering the room had her scrambling back into Alex's arms in alarm! The agent immediately wrapped her arms around the child, whispering words of reassurance.
"It's okay, baby. They're family." Alex gestured for the pair to come closer, smiling as she noticed the stuffed dog Kara was hugging tightly.
"That's right, Mija." Maggie assured the child running a soothing hand over the child's back. "This is your Auntie Kara and your Auntie Lena." Lena gasped at being included but otherwise stayed quiet.
"Hello, little one." Kara whispered, pleased when Rowan's eyes immediately met hers, the child's attention drawn to the familiarity of the words. "I'm your Auntie Kara. I brought you something..."
Kara held out the toy to the little girl, moving slowly and cautiously like Alex always would when she was feeling overwhelmed and afraid. To everyone's delight, Rowan took the offered plush with a shy smile before burying her little face in its fur. She watched Kara with those big brown eyes, so much like Alex's before she reached a tiny hand out to her. Kara took it in her own and pressed a gentle kiss to it causing the toddler to giggle wildly before flinging herself into Kara's arms!
As the pair snuggled, Alex spoke up. "Kara, Lena this is our daughter, Rowan."
"Rowan Alexandra Danvers, to be exact." Maggie added taking in Alex's bewildered expression at the addition of her own name.
"Babe..." She whispered, drawing the detective in for a hug. "You don't have to do that..."
"I want to." Maggie assured her with a gentle kiss. "Besides, once we're married we'll all be Danvers so it just makes sense. And I'll never tire of having Alexandra's in my life."
The pair watched as Kara made silly faces at Rowan, even Lena getting in on the action, amazed at how quickly their family had grown and how natural it all felt. J'onn entered then and Kara wasted no time introducing him to the toddler as her "Papa". The Martian spoke softly to the child in Kryptonian and was rewarded with a dimple-laden grin and a shy "Hi Papa".
"Looks like our baby girl has her Papa wrapped around her little finger." Maggie smiled as Rowan forced J'onn to kiss her stuffed puppy. "Wait till she meets Grandma..."
"Yeah," Alex agreed quietly before jumping away from Maggie in panic. "Oh shit! We gotta call my mom!"
Nobody was paying any attention to Alex as she scrambled around looking for her phone. All their attention was trained on the adorable toddler who chose that exact moment to mimic her frantic parent.
"Oh shit, Ieiu!"
