Kara tightened her ponytail as Pam led her through the hallway in search of their seats.
Kara didn't much care for stadiums. They were always very loud—aggressive and overwhelming, not exactly something people with super hearing look forward to. She much preferred watching outdoor sports, just because she liked feeling the sun on her face and getting to sit on the grass.
But the Quinzels are a gymnastics family, Kara nodded resolutely. Gymnastics and…basketball? Hadn't Duke played basketball? Kara thought she remembered Pam saying something about Duke playing basketball. She'd ask her later. Or maybe she'd ask Duke! Would she see Duke?
Pamela seemed just as nervous about the venue, but also happy to see her family all in one place. So Kara decided she would be happy about that too. That's what she kept reminding herself as they entered the arena at nearly ground level (because of course that's where Jo would sit, she wanted to be close to the action). Pam said Anthony had even flown in from San Francisco! Though, as Kara scanned the section Jo had blocked out for them, it seemed Karen had stayed behind.
Jolene paused her seemingly heated conversation with…wait, why was she here, again? Oh! With Terry's wife to wave Pam and Kara over, and when Pam looked back at Kara to make sure she was following, the blonde couldn't help but smile excitedly. She liked Jolene. Liked her a whole lot. She was smart, and funny, and obviously very important, and yeah she cussed a lot, but adults were allowed to cuss. Kara just…chose not to. And it sounded cooler when Jolene did it, anyway.
"So happy you could make it, Kara," Jo smiled up at her after they'd scaled the short flight of stairs and arrived at their seats.
Kara grinned at Jo and gave a nervous little wave to Damian who sat beside her, a little boy with hair just as black as Terry's on his lap. "Who's the little one?" Kara wondered. She suddenly yearned for her reporter pad. She didn't want to forget anything. Any name or relation.
The boy looked up from the cup he was holding, absently swirling his hand over the top, his blue eyes nearly glowing as he regarded her. "I'm Garth. And I'm not little, I'm 6."
"Oh, of course," Kara apologized profusely, nodding ardently at the boy. "I can see now that you're very big."
Garth seemed to appreciate the correction, though he didn't respond again, his attention instead falling back to the water in his cup.
"Terry's son," Pam explained in a whisper, before nodding down at the little redheaded girl playing patty-cake with an older woman—about Anthony's age, if Kara had to guess—two rows down. "And that's his daughter, Tula."
Oh! Of course. It only took one look for it to make sense. Kara's smile broadened as she watched the girl. "They're so cute…"
"Shhh," Terry scolded, reaching around Damian's shoulders from behind to quickly cover Garth's ears. "Quinzel-Isley parenting rule number one, Kara! The narcissism comes naturally."
Delilah's snicker assured Kara it was a joke (which she was relieved at), but Pam raised an eyebrow. "Was that aimed at me or your Mother?"
"Blanket statement," Terry assured her. "I'm not exempt."
Pam narrowed her eyes at him, deciding whether or not he should get away with it. "Fine," she eventually decided. "But you're on thin ice."
Terry grinned, ruffling Garth's hair before retracting his hands, Damian shrugging his shoulders to speed up the process, as he clearly hadn't been a fan of the position.
Kara liked that Pam got to work with two of her grandkids on a daily basis. She remembered how sad she and Harleen had looked when Jo turned down the Justice League position. Pam was probably still a little sad about that (Pam seemed to be sad about a lot of things), but working with Jo's kids had to be some consolation. Kara certainly enjoyed it.
Pam let Kara sit beside Jo, while she took the seat next to her, the one directly in front of Delilah.
"I just don't see why we can't be friends, Jo," Mareena picked up the conversation they'd evidently put on hold to say their hellos.
Jo whipped around in her seat to face her once more, and Kara flinched at the sudden change in tone. "We were friends, Mareena. We were good friends." She lowered her volume to a harsh whisper. "But now you're sleeping with my son, and that's a little weird for me."
Mareena rolled her eyes. "I'm not sleeping with your son, Jolene, I'm married to him. We have two children together. What do you want me to do?" she sounded legitimately distressed. "Atlanteens age at a much slower rate, I'm just doing what feels natural."
Jo looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What feels natural is you f…" she waited until Damian had covered Garth's ears. "Fucking the child of a colleague you met 6 years before he was even born? Christ, Mareena, you came to the fucking baby shower!"
Terry exhaled aggressively. "Why do you have to make everything gross, Mom?"
"M—me make everything gross?" Jo was appalled. "You're—that is—are you—no. You know what? No." she turned back around to face the floor.
Mareena was chewing her lip. "Is that a no on the coffee date, then?"
Jo pointedly ignored her, and Terry rolled his eyes. "You're being really immature, Mom."
"Oh, go fuck a dolphin, Terrance," Jo dismissed him, and only then did Damian lift his hands away from Garth's ears.
Pam appeared apologetic when she looked at Kara, but the blonde wasn't much paying attention to her in that moment. Her mind was reeling. Before Pam could speak, Kara whispered: "I totally forgot why that was weird. How did I forget how weird that was?"
The redhead held in a laugh, which genuinely surprised Kara.
"You don't think it's weird?"
"No, I definitely do," Pam assured her in a whisper. "But Jo's so thoroughly disgusted by it, I can't help but get a little enjoyment out of the situation."
Jo leaned over in front of Kara, joining their conversation. "I like to whisper too. I'm not deaf. And you two couldn't look more like superheroes trying to disguise themselves if you tried."
Kara sheepishly adjusted her glasses while Pam did the same (though with less embarrassment), looking down at the blouse she'd tucked into a pair of jeans, and then over at Kara whose Oxford shirt was worn in much the same fashion.
"I should have worn a skirt," Pam realized.
"The pants aren't the problem, Mom."
"It's the glasses, isn't it."
"It's the glasses," Jo confirmed, pulling back to accept the soda a blonde woman, about Jo's same age, was offering her. "What do you think, Court? Johnson, Williams, James and…Park?"
'Court' shook her head (Court was probably short for Courtney), sitting down in front of her. "I like Stepanov, she'll go before Park."
Jo laughed. "They're not taking two bar specialists, Hon."
The blonde postured a bit. "Well, speaking as a bar specialist—,"
"Ah, biased," Anthony interjected as he arrived, leaning down to give Pam a hug. "Hey, Mom," he turned his face to kiss her on the cheek.
Pam didn't let him separate for another few moments, her grip tight around his back. "8 months was too long," she murmured, and Kara smiled down into her lap at the utterance. She's a good mom.
"You're telling me," Anthony smiled against her cheek. "But you know what," he finally pulled back. "You can visit me too, you know. You do possess the ability to leave Gotham City for reasons besides Justice League business."
Pam ran an affectionate hand through his gray hair. "I know…"
"And Kara," Anthony looked surprised—but pleasantly so. "I didn't know you were a gymnastics fan. You came all the way out here for this?"
"Well, I—um, I had an interview," Kara explained herself, catching maybe a bit of insinuation in his tone? Though Kara didn't totally know what he was getting at.
"She was interviewing me," Jo saved her, though, again, Kara wasn't totally sure why she needed saving. "Believe it or not, some people actually care what I have to say."
"Mmm…" Anthony squinted thoughtfully. "Sounds fake."
"Is Duke coming?" Pam asked, before Jo could respond.
Anthony turned to look at the stairway, smiling as Duke and his family ascended it. "Kara, you remember my son, Duke, and his wife, Tiffany," he re-introduced them. "And this is their daughter, Max."
Max was about 10, by the looks of it, and very cute. Just like every other person in this family. It was actually a bit strange, Kara realized, the sheer level of attractiveness that surrounded her. She supposed that's what you get when you start a family with Poison Ivy. And Harleen had been really pretty too, if memory served.
"Are you a superhero?" Max asked her right off the bat.
Kara choked on air as the question pulled her out of her thoughts. She liked kids—loved them, actually, but didn't think she'd ever told one her secret. Does Pam want me to answer?
"It's the glasses, Kara," Jo reiterated, breaking the tension.
"Is it really?" When did eyeglasses become a tell?!
Max nodded at her. "It's OK, though, both my parents are superheroes. I can keep a secret."
"But…" Kara looked between Duke and Tiffany. "Neither of them wear glasses. And…your Grandpa wears glasses, but he's not a superhero."
Max blinked in response, then frowned like she was trying to put it all together, and Tiffany laughed, patting her daughter on the back. "You can try again later, Baby."
The girl forfeited, putting her headphones in and plopping down into an empty seat.
Pam smiled over at Kara like she approved of her lighthearted handling of the situation, and Kara was powerless against the blush that spread beneath her skin. Pamela's smiles—her genuine smiles—were so warm…Kara supposed not many people would guess that. But she knew it to be true. Just like everyone else she was now sitting with knew. An exclusive, secret club, and Kara was now a member. Or…was she? She hoped she was. She hoped she and Pamela could be closer friends now. Kara missed her friends. She didn't have many these days. They'd all left her too. Just like Selina and Barbara had left Pam.
Daisy was the last of the party to arrive, but when she did, she was wearing dark sunglasses and a ball cap pulled down over her eyes, a cup of coffee clutched in her hand.
They all watched curiously as she crossed quickly in front of them, not acknowledging anyone until she'd stopped in front of Jo, where she dug into her pocket and rather unceremoniously thrust forward a jewelry box big enough for earrings. "Here."
Jo looked at her strangely, reaching out a hand to take it before Daisy stopped her.
"Don't look at me," she snapped—red cheeks visible even while sporting her incognito look—her tone startling Garth, who immediately jumped off of Damian's lap and went to join his sister. "Or talk to me, or touch me," Daisy continued. "When you take this, I need it to be with your palms, not your fingers."
"Umm…OK, psycho," Jo said, cautiously holding out her hand for Daisy to deposit the box. Which she did quickly before moving to take a seat next to her sister.
Kara was fiercely biting her lip at this point—both to hide her smile and to withhold the information she'd been party to. But Pamela didn't seem to see the need to hide anything. Her smile was wry, like she was enjoying this very much, waiting to see how it would play out.
Jo frowned as she opened the box, smiling slightly at the diamond earrings, but clearly aware she was missing something. "Did you buy these?"
"Of course not," Daisy scoffed, receiving a nudge from her sister.
Did she…find them? Kara wondered. That's lucky.
Lilah snickered. "Rough night?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Daisy mumbled into her coffee, saying "No!" when Jo turned around, looking to ask a follow up question.
"She was probably with the Vreeland girl again," Lilah teased. "You know, the one you specifically told her to stay away from, Mom."
"Daisy, goddamn it," Jo ignored her daughter's request, turning in her chair to face her. "I have to sit with her idiot mother at every gala we attend. Would it really be so hard to make my life just a little easier? Just…don't fuck the Vreeland girl? That's all I asked of you. One thing."
Kara leaned into Pam's ear, confused. "Does the Vreeland girl not have a first name?"
"She does, but they're all named Veronica, as far as we're concerned," Pam explained.
Kara wasn't…totally sure what that meant, but it seemed like maybe it was a joke that they were all in on? Kara wanted to be in on the joke.
Daisy sighed. "No, I was not fucking the Vreeland Girl. The Vreeland Girl got clingy."
"And you're just not built for monogamy, right?" Damian mocked, though he didn't turn around.
"Oh, yeah, hey, by the way," Terry cut in. "I like how you guys are all judgmental about me and Mareena's age difference, but completely turn a blind eye to the fact that Daisy still sleeps with college students, even though she's 36 just like the rest of us."
"God, is that why you're doing this hungover cryptid thing? Because some teenager kept you up all night?" Jo asked, in a tone that communicated she was about 500% done with this behavior.
Kara gripped Pam's hand tightly. She's onto her! Almost too tight, actually. Though she realized that a little late.
"Kara."
The blonde looked down at their joined hands, and then retracted hers immediately. Her face once again going red. "Sorry!"
She was nervous for Daisy…but all this blushing was tiring her out.
"I'm not a pervert, Mom," Daisy exhaled. "She was 22. Now please get your hand off my knee."
"She runs track at GSU," Pam piped up as Jo retracted her hand.
Kara flinched at the sharp look Daisy shot their way, but Pam was unfazed.
"Really?" Jo was intrigued. "Do you think you'll see her again?"
"No, never," Daisy answered immediately…before her curiosity seemed to get the better of her. "Why?"
"Well, there's this woman…Babe, what was her name?" she posed the question to Damian. "The 400m runner who looks just like me? Seriously, Mom, you'd laugh. We were watching a meet the other day, and I swear, put this woman in a leotard and I'd say it was me."
Kara choked again, still on air, as she had yet to ingest a beverage, and Daisy's eyes immediately fell to her lap.
Pam chose to humor her daughter. "Is that so?"
Jo nodded. "Seriously, Babe, what was it? J…"
"Jocelyn?" Damian guessed. "Can't remember the last name."
"Jocelyn," Daisy quietly confirmed.
Kara had to look away. Just in the complete opposite direction. And not at anything in particular, either.
"Jocelyn," she could hear Pam smiling. "Well that's almost too good to be true. Does she go by Jo, Daisy?"
Jo was puzzled as she studied her Mother's satisfied expression, and how her daughter was slowly inching her ball cap down further and further, until her chin was all that was visible.
Kara slowly dragged her attention back to the train wreck playing out in front of her, watching Jo's jaw subtly loosen, her eyes widening as she put two and two together.
"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me. Daisy Mae, didn't you ever see Back to the Future?!"
"Damn it, Daisy!" Terry seemed almost equally distressed. "You're gonna get us all erased!"
/
When she'd had Harley, Pamela used to look forward to her days off from The Watchtower. But now that she was gone and their house was empty, Pamela dreaded them. She used to spend time with her kids instead, but now that Anthony had moved back to San Francisco, and Jo…well she was busy. Busier now than ever, it seemed. She'd grown distant once more in the last few months, and Pamela honestly wasn't sure how to combat that. Harley was always better at pulling her back in.
The Watchtower was now Pam's respite from the tumultuous outside world. She worked in her specimen garden every day, cataloging alien plants, collecting rare Earth species, breeding and replanting…work truly was a vital distraction. Besides that, she was guaranteed to see two of her grandchildren every day, and that was truly just as special as the work she was allowed to do.
They all had their own lives now, too. And Pam wasn't nearly as interesting to them as she had been when they were children. Now they had children of their own—well, Terry and Duke did, anyway—and the position of Great Grandmother seemed far less important than her previous post.
She'd cried the day Maxine was born, and Garth and Tula too. Cried knowing how much Harley had adored her grandchildren. Remembering how she'd held Duke in her arms that first day, looking at their son's child with such pride, love, and disbelief mixed all into one.
"He's so perfect," Harley whispered. "Have you ever seen a baby so perfect?"
Harley would never know his daughter. Would never know the joy on Anthony's face when he became a grandfather. Or on Jo's when Garth and Tula were born, despite her obvious reservations about their mother.
Harley would never be splashed in the face by Garth as he practiced his hydrokinesis in the sink, or see Max don her Robin suit, or Tula communicate telepathically. Yes, she could really do that, and Pam knew Harley would find all of her great grandchildren's abilities absolutely delightful.
"Regret is a pointless emotion." Ivy began. "It's reflective in nature, and that's all it will ever be. It comes with guilt, and a mind crippled by guilt will only ever allow for horizontal growth, which, really isn't growth at all, now is it?"
Pam knew she should take her own advice. That continuing to be weighed down by this irrepressible self-loathing didn't serve her. Didn't serve anyone. But it still hurt, more than words could describe, it hurt every time her great grandchildren smiled. Every significant event or everyday occurrence her family experienced…the simple act of living felt like a betrayal to Harley.
Kara was helpful, though.
She liked to work with Ivy in the garden, and Ivy had to admit she appreciated the company. It was nice, to have someone that felt constant again. Yes, Pam's children were only a phone call away, but Kara was right here, every day…her hands digging in the dirt, a smile on her face or tears in her eyes depending on her mood.
She wasn't as quick with her emotions as Harley, but she felt things very deeply. Was perhaps more empathetic than Harley, and still grieving, just like Pam.
But Kara made Pam happy.
She loved how her blue eyes sparkled…how intently she listened…the giggles she tried to muffle behind her hand…the crinkle between her eyes and the furrow in her brow when she was trying especially hard to concentrate…
"Do you think you could ever fall in love again?"
The question yanked Pam from her musings, and it was only then she realized she'd been staring. Hoping Kara hadn't noticed, set down her watering can, leaning back on her heels where she knelt in the dirt. "Theoretically, yes."
"But…you don't want to?" Kara ventured.
Returning to her work, Pam murmured, "Sometimes I like the idea of it, but then I realize it would be inherently unfair to whoever it is I'm trying to love."
"Why?" Kara asked, setting down her trowel, watching Pamela carefully.
"Because I'm still in love with Harleen," Pam told her, staring down at the delicate pink petals of the flower below her fingertips.
She heard Kara move closer, walking over to her on her knees, until she was kneeling right beside her.
Kara spread the fingers of her left hand so that Pam could plainly see the wedding ring she still wore, before reaching forward to take Pam's hand in her own. "You have such a big heart, Pamela," she told her. "Every day, you witness a million births and two million deaths. And you're all alone with a head full of memories and a heart full of grief."
Pam looked down at their joined hands, the green of the emeralds on Pam's ring reflecting in the silver of Kara's wedding band. "Are you still in love with Lena?" she asked, her voice somehow muted in the silence of the room.
"I think I always will be," Kara admitted. "But I have a lot of years left to live, and a lot of love to give, I think."
With Kara's super hearing, Pam was sure she knew how fast Pam's heart was now beating. She had to close her eyes at the warmth she felt spreading below her skin. Just thanks to a simple human touch. A bit of contact. This wasn't how it felt holding her children's hands, or even Selina's. This reminded her of Harley at the beginning. That night in the movie theater back at Arkham. Harley's fingers trailing off the armrest…drawing lazy circles on her thigh…
She missed that.
"Kara," Pam whispered. "May I kiss you?"
She didn't need super hearing to know Kara's heart was beating just as fast. "I wish you would."
Author's note: No, Garth, Tula and Max are not OCs.