DAY 3777 – EARTH PRIME - YEAR 2038 December 22nd
Appearances
"What about Declan?" Kara asked before taking a sip of her champagne, her hand sliding dangerously low around Lena's hip. Lena looked at her pointedly bored. She was playing nonchalantly with the Platinum Kryptonite around her neck, pondering her reply. "What? It's Irish."
Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I know, thank you. But not Declan."
"Oh, I see! You want an L again."
There was a bit of silence between them. Lena looked around the ball room full of people murmuring and dancing. Jazz music had replaced the classical one usually played at Luthors' events and Lena had to admit it was a welcomed change. Their guests seemed to enjoy it more.
"What do you think of Leopold? Or Leonard? Leo, for short."
Lena turned on Kara with a one-sided smile. "Do you think this is the time to argue about that?"
Kara shrugged one shoulder then put her flute on a high table and slid her other hand on Lena's belly, caressing it affectionately. "Well, this peanut is coming out in three months. He needs a name."
The fingers at the small of Lena's back were descending lower and lower with every second. Inching for a touch they shouldn't want with such an assembly around them. Lena melted under Kara's affection, even if she shouldn't encourage her. They were in the middle of one of the Foundation's charity galas. Her feet were crying. Her eyes were burning. And she didn't even dare to think about the sensation of her breasts imprisoned in this torturous dress. Kara's sensual touch was not improving any of that.
"Alright." Lena smirked and leaned closer to Kara to put a kiss on her jaw, just under her ear. "What about: Leave my butt alone, we're in public." She whispered against Kara's skin. She heard a quiet gasp. Because Lena only swore on rare occasion. And Kara secretly loved when it happened. Kara's grip tightened around her. When she pulled away, the blonde was sporting the same smirk.
"It's your fault. With this dress, I can barely control myself." She said cheekily.
Lena rolled her eyes again. "And I'm the one with the hormones." She felt Kara lean against her, her nose grazing her temple.
"You're also the one with a cleavage defying gravity." The blonde whispered in a voice so heavy with desire that Lena had to swallow the words, literally. Her brain started putting up scenarios of a red dress being burnt down by laser eyes and her own hands tearing out Kara's perfect blue suit with hunger. She shook her head and smiled at the waiter passing by. Keeping up the appearances was one of the things she knew how to do.
"We should go home." She replied, her fingers already slotting themselves with Kara's.
"Lead the way, Miss Luthor."
Another strike right down Lena's stomach, directly towards her center. Yes, they had to go home. Kara wasn't playing around tonight. She was unusually forward even and Lena liked every second of it. They could go home anyway. They had done their rounds. They didn't have to be present any longer so they rushed out of the ball room, the discussion around their unborn son's name already forgotten.
Liz woke up in a sweat. Another nightmare. Not hers. The Other's nightmare. Liz had trained for years to be able to enter his mind but she couldn't. Not anymore. He had severed the link after their last encounter. She could only open the link while dreaming. The Other had a will so strong she couldn't reach him until he was asleep. But it was always nightmarish visions. Apocalyptic images. Darkness and furor everywhere.
Sometimes, she knew he was dreaming of a memory. He was fighting or training and she could feel how proud he was to be good. Sometimes, he was being beaten up by a disgusting creature. Those ones were the worst. Liz could feel how terrified and angry he was. How young he was. She could feel the bones cracking in her own body, the skin ripping apart as if it was her own. She almost pitied him. But then the next day, she would dream of him burning another woman by spitting fire through his mouth and she remembered he couldn't be pitied. He was a monster. A machine born to kill. He was the enemy and he knew what he was doing. She couldn't sympathize with him.
Liz looked at the ceiling where she could read the time reflected against wood paneling. It was 2 a.m.. Finally, it was the day. 10 years 4 months and 3 days. The day they had all been murdered in another dimension. Would it happen today too? She wasn't so sure. If their calculations were right, the Other was entering his fifteenth birthday on June 20th, 2039. In six months. She still had six months to find a way to defeat him and save the whole world. No big deal.
Standing up from her bed, she listened to the house. Her mothers hadn't come home yet. Lucy was soundly sleeping in her bed with the light still on and her plush elephant next to her. Snowflake was stretching on the bed, ready to follow her. Liz thought about how she would regret her decision only a few hours later, fighting the urge to sleep once in class, but walked out of her room anyway. She passed the kitchen and went directly towards the basement door. She walked down the stairs, Snowflake right on her steps, leaving the door open behind her in case her little sister decided it was a good idea to peruse the house during the night. Lucy wasn't usually that courageous – the dark shadows should be enough to dissuade her from quitting her room – but everything was possible since she had discovered she could hear from miles away. Maybe she would hear Liz downstairs and decide to explore.
As she walked in the room, the lights went on on her way, revealing the big white cube in the middle of it. Liz smirked. Normal families had bottles of fine wine or old bikes or maybe boxes full of pictures in their basement. The Luthor-Danvers had a training cube, sympathy of Lena Luthor herself who was tired of traveling from the Justice League satellite to her home in Ireland. Kara had commented it was mostly so that Lena didn't have to answer questions on why she was in the satellite at a normal hour for people to sleep, but her comment was only met with a raised eyebrow.
Liz removed her gloves and rubbed her hands against each other. The cube was the only place she could remove them, even to this day. Her sensitivity was just increasing with age. She removed her socks too, discarding them in a messy pile next to the cube door. She needed to feel the ground underneath her. As she presented herself in front of the door, it slid open, revealing a square empty space. She walked to the center calmly and looked at the ceiling.
"Load the simulation."
"Yes, Elizabeth." The robotic voice replied.
Immediately, the white room turned red and Liz felt her body getting heavier, less unbreakable. More human. A street appeared with its cars, its buildings, its lamp posts. There were even birds in the trees. Children were running or chatting with their parents. It was supposed to represent the main boulevard in National City. But Liz heard it. The threat. High in the sky.
She looked and smirked, seeing a spaceship enter the atmosphere and crash heavily on the ground, breaking buildings and cracking the pavements and the road. People started panicking. Screaming. Fleeing. And then Liz heard them throughout the crowd of panicked citizen. The monsters. Alike dogs with teeth so sharp and numerous that they couldn't close their mouths. With dark brown scales instead of hairs. Menacing orange eyes. And drool running down their chops at the thought of all the citizens they were going to devour. They were the ones she had seen so many times in the Other's nightmares. They were straight out of Apokolips. Straight out of Hell.
Her smirk grew wider. She closed her eyes and balanced her head from right to left. Cracked her joints. When she opened her eyes back, they were glowing purple. Her hands burnt with magical flames.
"Come on, buddies." She whispered to herself. "I'm waiting for you." She said as the first creature reached her. She punched it right in the face, staying strictly on the ground, using only magic and no Kryptonian ability. The creature whined as it hurt a concrete wall. And was quickly replaced by another. And another. And another. Until the Other was the one facing her. Until she was dying next to her defeated enemy. A perfect draw.
Kara breathed in through her nose and slowly out through her mouth. She heard Lucy do the same next to her. When they had started to pray together a year ago, Lucy had been reluctant to wake up that early to pray some god she didn't know anything about. Kara was proud of how her second daughter was taking up to her customs now and understanding the meanings behind their practice better.
On the terrace, she could hear Lena and Liz discuss but Lucy kept her focus on her breathing. They were almost done anyway. Kara inclined her head towards the sunny sky, eyes still close. Cherishing every moment under Rao's light. The grass was still wet under them from the snow she had to melt with her eyes so they could sit in the middle of the forest. She inhaled once again, focusing back on their surroundings.
Breathing was the main characteristic of the humankind. Even after all these years on Earth, Kara still found it magical. It was a proof of life. It was so simple yet complex, for without it, the humanity couldn't exist. For Kryptonian, it was a bit different. Kara didn't need air as much. She needed air to function, but not to live entirely. She could live without it. That was why she could travel in space and swim for hours under the sea. But it wasn't a proof of invincibility. Humans were far more courageous than she was. Because they were that fragile but still continued to brave the elements.
"Jeju, your heart is beating really loud." Lucy grumbled through a whisper next to her.
Kara opened her eyes to look at her and chuckled. The six-year-old was just a blonde version of Lena's frowned eyebrows and her own pout. She cupped her up from the ground and hugged her tight against her.
"I'm sorry, Lucyboo. I was just thinking."
Her daughter's frown deepened. The green in her eyes so vivid, reflecting the white around them. She put a cold hand on Kara's cheek. "What were you thinking about?"
Kara shrugged. "Just humans and Earth in general." Lucy nodded then buried her face in her mother's neck. "Come on, baby. Let's get you back inside. You're freezing."
Liz stepped out of the shower feeling more drained than she had thought she would be after her little training session during the night. She would have to accept to be tired for the day. Her parents weren't the kind to let her skip school because she was tired. Especially since they came home while she was still in the basement.
Stepping down the stairs, Liz bit in an apple and poured two cups of tea before walking on the terrace. As usual, her mother was there wrapped in a blanket, reading another Irish tales' book in the hope to find clues about the Unique's prophecy. With the snow around them, the garden looked larger, only delimited by the bare trunks of tree, remnants of an abundant forest in spring. For a second, Liz worried about Lucy and their mother praying in the snow in the middle of the little wood but then she remembered her sister was as thick skinned as she was.
"How do you feel?" Lena asked as Liz sat in the chair next to her. She accepted the warm cup of tea gracefully.
Liz looked straight ahead, admiring the sun rising shyly behind the tree. Her emotions were all over the place, that wasn't new. Where should she start?
"Uh…"
Lena frowned in her periphery. She took a sip of her tea before speaking. "Come on, use your words. We've taught you better."
Liz huffed. Her mother tended to always try to make her talk because she used to be so introverted that it would reflect in her mood and then into her powers and before she knew it, she was burning everything around her in fury.
"I feel exhausted, for one." She said while counting on her fingers. "A bit eager, excited maybe, to put my training into practice." She shrugged then frowned. "Afraid too because I know he could kill me and everyone involved."
At that, Lena put her hand out of the blanket to grab at hers and squeeze in reassurance.
"I feel hopeful though. I trust you and Mommy, and aunt Alex and Esme and Aunt Diana to help. I know everybody's going to be there and it's scary because they're all gambling their lives but it's relieving at the same time because I don't have to do it alone."
"We'll always be there for you." Lena said with earnest eyes. Liz squeezed her hand back.
"I know but thank you. I know you didn't have the same chance so I don't take that for granted."
Lena smirked then put her hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "See? We raised you just right."
"Is that so? Am I still grounded then?" Liz replied through a shit eating grin.
Lena squinted her eyes. "Definitely."
"But Mom it was just-"
"You took too many risks, Liz." Lena interrupted another explanation of her daughter about what happened that day. "People could have been injured. Your little revenge on that boy wasn't worth it."
"But he's an ass-" Lena's cocked eyebrow made her rethink her sentence. "A dumb cockroach! He threatened Eva to tell the school she slept with the whole football team if she didn't show him her breasts."
"I know." Her mother scrunched up her face. "It's not better the second time you say it. There was another way to deal with it though."
"He got what he deserved."
"You almost burnt down the school. I had to pay for new equipment in the lab. Do you have any idea how many glass vials cost?"
Liz scoffed. "You're rich!"
"It doesn't matter Liz!" Lena hissed. "My money could go somewhere more useful than to replace public equipment you've destroyed."
"It's for education, it's worth it." Liz shrugged while biting down on her apple.
"Okay, don't play with me." Her mother warned with one finger. "You know it was wrong. First, we don't do justice ourselves, especially with our powers. Second, it was dangerous for lots of reasons. And three, we can't have you have that sort of reckless behavior. You're too powerful to play with your powers like that and you know it really well." She finished with a pointed look. "So yes, you're still grounded and I'm proud of you for expressing your feelings to me. Now I think you still got that test on biology you need to pass."
"Uh, sometimes you're the worst. I could die really soon. It should count." Liz complained dramatically.
Lena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, drama queen, say hi to your biology teacher for me."
Lena didn't show it for Liz's good but the mere idea of her dying was terrifying her to the core. Liz liked to joke about it, probably because it was easier that way, but it never stopped torturing Lena since the day they had learned Liz would be risking her life this young to save humanity.
She watched as their eldest daughter hugged their youngest and gave a kiss to Kara before flying up in direction of National City. Kara and Lucy approached hand in hand. When they were close enough, Lucy ran to her. Lena only had time to put her cup of tea on the table before she dropped on her heavily.
"Hey, love! Did you have a good time with Jeju?"
"Yes!" Lucy answered with a grin before it fell. "Jeju was thinking too loud though."
Kara chuckled and approached to tickle her. "That's not true. I was just thinking about how proud of you I am for staying still for this long without complaining."
Lena observed how Kara's smile seemed to drop at one point as their eyes met before she grinned down at Lucy again and squeezed her tight against her. She knew what that smile was hiding. They both knew it. Worries. Guilt. Shame. Fear. All of this because they had a chosen one as a daughter.
"You should go wash yourself anyway. There's school in an hour."
Lucy grumbled but went in the house anyway, clacking the bay window shut behind her. Kara watched her leave for a moment before shifting her gaze back to Lena.
"You must be freezing out here." She said as she sat lightly on the armrest of Lena's chair.
"I'm okay." Lena replied evenly.
Kara took a breath, her exhale forming a gust of smog in front of her mouth. "Liz didn't sleep a lot last night."
"I know. She seems tired but not more than usual."
Lena leaned against her to catch some of her warmth. Kara sighed and brushed a lazy hand in her long dark hair. They were both worried about Liz. Immensely so. But there was nothing more they could do except talk about it and think of ways to prepare Liz for the big battle coming up in six months. In the meantime, they have to live just like the other families and deal with their children's antics.
"That boy shouldn't have messed with her. He got what he deserved." Kara chuckled lightly.
Lena snorted. "Those last five years, we cured cancer and sent people to live on Mars but boys will stay boys." She said irritated.
Kara leaned to kiss her softly, then smiled as she caressed Lena's belly. "Hopefully, our boy will be different."
Lena nodded against her with a grin. "One more gentleman on Earth."
"He sure will be."
Kara clicked on another link. Several definitions appeared, with images illustrating parts of the brain in colors. Was Liz's brain working the same way? She couldn't be certain. With her daughter's intelligence and her half-Kryptonian anatomy, her brain was certainly working way faster than that.
"Are you doing research for an article?" Nia said next to her. Kara startled then threw her a wide-eyed look. She was so engrossed in her research that she hadn't heard Nia entered her office.
"What? No, it's…" Kara sighed while pushing away from her desk. "It's about Liz." She admitted in a flourish of her hands.
"I see." Nia squinted her eyes, a finger on her chin. "And you didn't think of talking to the one person with dream powers." It wasn't a question.
Kara looked down, shrugging shyly. "I didn't want to bother you with this."
"Kara, seriously." Nia rolled her eyes. "We're all concerned about Liz, not just because she's the chosen one or something. We're family." She insisted.
"I know!" Kara huffed and rounded her office with hands on her hips. "It's just that, maybe, if I don't talk about it, it becomes less real, you know?"
Nia nodded, sympathy in her eyes. She perused the website before meeting Kara's gaze. "Do you know what she's dreaming about?"
Kara shook her head. "No, she never talks about it but she's always so tired. Lena doesn't look worried but I know she is. She deals with it in her own way."
Her friend scoffed. "She's obsessed with the prophecy, I think that's her way to cope. She probably has a few algorithms running just in search for the Other alone."
Kara snorted. Yeah, it would totally be Lena's type.
"I just wish we could take this weight from Liz's shoulders. She's too young to have to deal with this."
"You weren't that much older when you took the cape." Nia remarked, sitting one leg up the desk.
"Yes, but it was my choice. Liz didn't choose."
"Fate is usually crueler than we think." Her friend's scrunched up face showed Kara that Nia had seen more about life than she had ever wanted. "It gives a line of conduct, a direction to live our life a certain way, but it can be so oppressive too."
Nia was right. Fate was a fatalistic force. It was relieving to know we had a purpose but the weight it brought on young shoulders could be suffocating. And Kara was worried. How could she not? The curse of being a parent was already to worry all the time. Do I love them enough? Do they have everything they need? Am I a good parent? Am I present enough? Do I protect too much or should I do more? It was always the same litany. It never stopped. And it never would, Kara was sure of it. She was already worrying for their unborn son. But adding the drama of a hero life, of being an alien – or half-alien and half-witch -, of having the fate of the entire planet in your hands, that wasn't something Kara had wished for Liz.
"I don't know what to do to help her." Kara admitted silently. She looked at the ceiling, trying to contain her tears. Sending a prayer to Rao. Wishing He could resolve their problems.
"You're helping her already!" Nia assured with a cool hand on her forearm. "You're a good mother, Kara. And if none of us survive," She swallowed with difficulty. "At least you'd have supported Liz until the end."
Kara exhaled in a shaky breath, a tear escaping her eyes. "I'm so scared, Nia." She said through trembled lips.
"Oh, honey." Nia's tears fell too as she rushed to wrap her tight in her arms. "I'm terrified too, you have no idea." Her throat seemed constricted by emotions. "But you know what?" She pulled away with a wet smile. "I know you'll be by my side and if I'm not brave enough alone then at least I know we'll face it all together."
Kara laughed wetly, agreeing. They were nothing if it wasn't a team first. She took Nia back in her arms.
"I love you so much Nia. You're like a sister."
Nia snorted at the last addition. "You too, babe but don't say that in front of Alex."
Kara snorted then pulled away, grabbing at a tissue from the box on her desk to empty her nose.
"Now if you'll excuse me," Nia said while brushing a shaky finger under her eyes. "The new intern is waiting for me to show him how to use the editing software."
"Of course." Kara smiled. Before Nia was out of earshot, she turned around. "Thank you, Nia." She said earnestly.
Nia winked before walking out of the office, leaving Kara alone with her invasive thoughts and nagging feelings.
Jason was finishing his breakfast when Lena entered his cell. He looked up and rubbed at his face with a paper napkin, before balling it up and throwing it on the plastic tray in front of him.
"Good morning, brother. How life in prison is treating you?" Lena saluted him, putting away the tray for him. A guard took it through the door and closed the frame behind her.
Jason didn't reply at first. He observed her instead. Her lips were stretched in a fake smile, her eyes glinting with something in between terror and confusion. Her features were relaxed though, because she didn't want him to question her. Her tone had been enthusiastic enough for him to believe her for a second.
"Look at you. All glitters and rainbows. What's gotten into you? Pregnancy's hitting your brain?" He smirked, playing along.
Lena scoffed. "Huh, I wish."
Her face took a somber appearance as she was busy placing the chess pieces on the board. Jason didn't comment. He was used to let her take control of their exchange now. He watched her start the game with a pawn on the left and smiled. He recognized the first strategy she had taught him. So, he moved one of his pawns on the left too to neutralize hers immediately. Lena's eyebrow pointed upwards but it was her only visible reaction. They continued to play for quite some time. When Jason took the white queen, he decided it was enough. Lena had never lost a queen in the ten years they had played together.
"Seriously, is everything alright?" He asked, looking as apathetic as he could. Lena's green eyes traveled from the board to his face a couple of times before she sighed.
"I…" She balanced her head from right to left. "I'm worried about Liz." She admitted finally.
Jason frowned. Lena was never this forward. Usually, he had to dig a bit more. To use sarcasm and witty remarks to make her talk. And even then, she wasn't sharing details about her life willingly. He didn't know how to respond to that. Was he supposed to be kind or instead to laugh it off?
"She's having more and more nightmares." Lena continued without looking at him. "Premonitions. And there's nothing we can do. We know the Other is in orbit but we can't confront him before the due date."
Silence. Jason shuffled on his seat, uncomfortable. He knew about Liz and her powers and about the dangers they would be facing in less than a year. He also felt like it wasn't really his problem. It wasn't his fight.
"That sucks." He said, taking another white pawn.
"To put it lightly." Lena chuckled. "Wanna help?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. A challenge. She was measuring the trust she could put in him, he realized. He smiled devilishly.
"Ha! No, thanks.".
"She's still your niece." Lena remarked with that posh tone.
"And she has to kill our half-brother or we're all dead." He replied smartly. "That's too messed up for me."
"Oh, are you scared?" Lena mocked him with a fabricated sorry face. "He's said to be the strongest threat witches can encounter. You should be happy. He's doing the job for you."
Jason shook his head. Ironically, he wasn't glad that the last members of his family were about to die because of some prophecy.
"It would be humiliating if a fifteen-year-old boy succeeded where we failed, but I can't compete against that. We were just boys with sticks and stones."
Lena grinned. Jason had learned she loved seeing him powerless. "I'll give you points for determination though. You were pretty convincing with your mask on."
Jason scoffed and took the jab willingly. After the ten years, he had passed in this cell, he had to admit their little club of witch's hunters had been outdated. They had been overwhelmed. Ridiculous. And completely unnecessary. He never really believed in the cause like the others anyway. The Purifiers had only been a way for him to have his revenge. On somebody who didn't deserve it. On somebody who had already suffered enough by the same hands which had hurt him. On somebody who had only shown kindness to his brutal reactions.
"What about the crazy bitch who kidnapped you?" He wondered aloud, trying not to sound too angered at the mention of still another person who had hurt his sister.
"We're still searching for her." Lena answered with pinched lips.
Jason grunted. He placed his last bishop on the board a bit forcefully. "I would actually pay to see you put that bitch down."
The moment he said it, he noticed Lena's shoulders tensing. He had revealed too much. They weren't supposed to show affection to each other. That wasn't their deal. The implicit one that linked them into being emotionless Luthor bastards. Because if they showed affection, it would mean they liked each other at least a little bit and it couldn't work. Jason wasn't allowed to.
Lena cleared her throat. "Well, you and me both."
They didn't talk more after that. Silence enveloped them as Lena won the game once again, despite her having been absent the entire time they had played, and put away the chess board. She only addressed him a gaze full of meaning before passing the door. Thank you, it said. I wish it was different. She couldn't know how he felt just the same. But they were already scarred. It was too late for them. What they had at the moment was the maximum they could afford.
On her way out, Lena passed several guards.
Stuck in her head, she didn't see the intruder following her in the shadows.
She only felt a needle in her neck.
If she had noticed it, she would have cursed Jason and his big mouth, summoning enemies she wished she had never encountered.
Liz had been running in the park close to the high school she was attending. It was a pleasure more than a workout. She liked passing by the animals' enclosure and watch them sleep or cuddle their little ones. She liked listening to the kids playing together, sometimes fighting childishly just like she used to fight with Lucy, and mothers trying to appease them and erase the tears as quickly as possible. She liked the normalcy of it. In her basement, she was the Unique training to beat an enemy nobody knew about except her family. In National City's park, she was just a girl running around in sports gear, listening to music.
After twenty minutes of circling the park then coming back on her steps, Liz stopped on a bench. The snow hadn't appeared yet in the city like it had already in Ireland. That was a cool part of being her. She could enjoy sun and snow at the same time of the year. National City was known for its sunny weather. She wasn't even sure it would snow this year. Looking in between her feet, she frowned at the remnants of grass there. It used to be filled with daisies. She was missing the little white and yellow flowers already.
She removed the glove from her hand and, with a simple flourish of fingers, three daisies grew in between her feet. She smiled down at them, circling them with her sneakers. It was better.
"Funny, those don't usually grow at this period."
Liz turned around quickly, with a made-up explanation already on the bit of her tongue, only to see Esme strode towards her in a parka, her bag balanced on her shoulder.
"Hey!" Liz's face lightened as they hugged each other. "What are you doing here?"
"I know you always come running here." Esme shrugged as she took the place next to Liz. She looked down at the flowers and smiled. With the same flourish of hand, she made them grow a bit taller.
Liz faked a cough. "Show-off."
Esme snorted then shoved her away playfully. "So, anything knew at school? How's Syd? I thought she would be with you."
A blush appeared on Liz's cheeks at the mention of her best friend (who she was not secretly harboring feelings for). She downed her head in an attempt to hide her burning face.
"Sydney's fine. She's training for Saturday's game. They're meeting the Thunders."
"Ow, they're gonna beat Star City's team, hands down!" Esme winked. Liz only shrugged.
"She's stressing about it. It's the first time she'll be captain."
"That's cool! She deserves it."
Liz smiled in agreement then pushed her with her shoulder. "What about you? Still pining on Damian Wayne or you finally decided that guy from your biology class deserves a coffee date?"
Esme gasped then shoved Liz away. "I am not pining on Damian! He's my mission partner, that's all! And he's like ten years older than me."
"Uhuh," Liz smirked. "Funny you only focused on that part of my sentence, don't you think?" She pointed out. "Want to tell me what happened during that last mission during which you both disappeared for two whole hours?"
Esme's mouth opened in surprise. Her cheeks took an incredibly red color. "Alright," She warned with a single raised finger. "I am not talking about this with you." She answered categorically. Liz sighed dramatically in defeat.
"You're no fun."
"I'm your favorite cousin."
"That's because all the others are boys."
"That's not true." Liz looked at her, unconvinced. "You've forgotten Rubs."
Liz gasped. "Right, Ruby does count but I don't see her as much as you."
Esme nudged her affectionately. "I know. I love you too, you know."
Liz snorted but said nothing more. Together, they watched people passing by and forth. Mothers with strollers. Guys jogging around. Children giving bread to the ducks. There was a peaceful atmosphere in this park that Liz had never managed to find elsewhere. She liked the quiet waves of the Irish shores next to their house, and the birds chirping in the trees in the wood, but here, she felt more human. Sometimes, she wondered if all those people, those mothers and fathers and aunts and teachers and firefighters, knew that their fate was in her hands. Did they even know their lives could vanish if she wasn't strong enough? Did they cherish their loved ones everyday thinking about a potential threat ripping them all from Earth or were they living with the audacity of taking everything for granted?
"You seem tired."
Esme's voice had been gentle, with no judgement or purpose. Only stating the obvious. Liz knew she had deep bags under her eyes, that any concealer seemed able to hide. She was showing anxiety traits too, with her jerking knees and restlessness. Everybody saw it but Esme was the only one brave enough to broach the subject.
"I don't sleep well." She answered simply.
"You still have nightmares?"
Esme kept her eyes on the flowers between their feet, not wanting to scare Liz into bringing up walls she usually didn't have with her.
"It's not nightmares, it's like…" Liz sighed and let her head fall back. If only the sky could bring the answers. "I know what he's thinking. What he's feeling. As if it was my own thoughts. And then I wake up and I have to practice and I…" She cut herself off, not daring sharing her complete thought, even with Esme.
Her cousin seemed to ponder what she had just said before laying gentle, compassionate eyes on her.
"You're stuck in a circle. It's like you don't know why you're doing it anymore, right?" She asked, a corner of her mouth stretched in understanding.
Liz's surprise vanished quickly to let her confusion explode. She threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "It's been ten years of practicing restlessly. I just don't understand how this guy could be so dangerous and kill all our family. It doesn't feel that way to me. I know him too much to think that. He's just another kid who grew up in the wrong family."
"Hum, we know some who suffered the same treatment." Esme remarked, agreeing.
"Exactly! We're Luthors. I don't see how it makes us better than him." She sighed heavily. The Other was her enemy, she should only want to defeat him. Then why, deep down, was she feeling like it was a wrong idea? Why was her body aching to help him? She was no better than him. She only had the luck to grow in a loving and quite normal family. He just hadn't had the same luck, judging by the nightmares he still had of his childhood.
"Your moms are aware of all that?" Esme asked innocently.
"No, I…" Liz brushed a hand in her hair. "I only tell them I have nightmares but Mom is suspicious. They talk a lot about it behind my back."
Esme nodded. She seemed to understand both sides. "They're worried. We all are."
"I know. I am too. It's just more complicated than it seems. I just want to do the right thing." Liz's shoulders fell under the weight of all the responsibilities she already had.
"You'll do it." Esme wrapped a confident arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close. "You're doing it just now, talking about it." She assured through a smile. "Come on," She said, motioning towards the exit. "Let's get ice cream. I want you to show me what the new flavors they got at Chuck's."
"Okay, but don't tell my parents. I'm supposed to be grounded."
"Alright, I'm here!" Lena said as all heads turn towards her while she entered the lab dedicated to Supergirl's team in the satellite. "What's the emergency?"
Kara frowned as she watched her put her shirt back in her pants and readjust the cardigan on her shoulders. Lena never looked so disheveled. It didn't seem to shock anybody else though.
"We've found the other Lena." Brainy declared without preamble.
Lena's shock was evident. She approached and stopped next to him to look at the transparent screen showing the Earth map and statistics around it. The numbers kept changing endlessly.
"We know she's on this Earth, we just don't know where." Brainy added.
"Oh, so you're saying we didn't find her. She found us." Nia commented behind them. Lena looked at her with a frown then looked back at the screen with a finger on her chin.
"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Lena asked.
"I don't understand." Brainy said while scouring through the data on the screen. "It looks like she's constantly moving." He explained as he showed the tracer on the screen. The red dot was moving around the world, only stopping for seconds before disappearing somewhere else.
"This isn't normal. She must have changed her DNA or she may be using a portal watch." Lena reasoned.
"It's not a watch. There's no breach in the space-time continuum." Brainy said.
Lena sighed. "How does she do this?" She looked pensive. Kara approached to put a hand on her shoulder. Lena tensed and threw her a shocked glance before softening and smiling at her.
"It may be a tech we don't know about or a spell." Alex said next to them, her hands on her hips. Kelly and Nia nodded next to her.
"No idea. But it'll be hard to plan a meet-up." Brainy remarked.
"You're not seriously planning to meet her, do you?" Kara's eyes traveled from Lena to Brainy to see who was the craziest of the two to answer her. Because she knew Lena's plan was to meet Lena 2.0 and make her pay for what she did but she always thought it was a lost fight. She always thought Lena would see reason at some point and give up on the idea.
After sharing a look with Brainy, Lena finally tapped on her hand with her cold manicured fingers. "Don't worry, darling." She whispered to her. "I'm not close to meeting her." She said with reassurance.
She then turned her head to the wall at their left. It was their investigation wall. It contained all the pictures taken in the Fingal's caves. Little notes with Lena's handwriting had been stuck all over the pictures. Some excerpts of books had been printed and highlighted. All testimonies of the theory Lena had on what should happen between Liz and the Other on the big day.
"So, since there's nothing we can do, what about a little training session at your house to end the day?" Alex proposed to Kara.
"Sure!" Kara grinned. "Wanna have some fun with your niece?"
"Ha, more like I'm going to beat her ass." Alex smirked, nudging her sister playfully with her shoulder. "Esme's joining us."
"Cool!" Kara smiled as the mission alert irrupted in the halls. Nia sighed but took Brainy's extended hand and intertwined their fingers with resolution.
"Have fun, kids!" She said, turning back towards the lockers to suit back up.
"No powers, only fists and kicks. No targeting the lethal area." Alex reminded the rules to everyone. They were in the cube in Lena and Kara's basement. The two mothers and Lucy were actually enjoying tea from the side, watching them prepare to fight.
"But Eliott has a weapon." Esme frowned, shooting a side glance to her little brother who was arming a bow with a purple arrow.
"That's only because we need to increase the difficulty."
Esme crossed her arms and huffed good-naturedly. Alex rolled her eyes and took a fighting stance.
"Ready?" She asked Liz in challenge.
Liz smiled devilishly. "Born ready." She imitated Alex, waving at them to come.
Esme snorted as she threw the first punch to her cousin, avoiding one of her brother's arrows on the way. The arrow exploded in a purple cloud, making the room blurry. Alex tried to unbalance Liz by sweeping her leg under hers but Liz jumped in anticipation and used her aunt's shoulders to spin above her head. Quickly, she glided behind her and put her in head lock, taking Alex by surprise. She couldn't see Esme in the smog.
"Going too fast for you, grandma?" Liz smirked down at her aunt.
"You wish!"
Alex hit Liz's toes with her booted heel and pushed her away. An arrow flew past her and Liz only had the time to avoid it before it hit her square between the eyes. It was a blue one. Electric shocks. Esme took this opportunity to attack by throwing another punch, avoided by Liz who blocked her arm. Esme used the other to hit her in the abs. An arrow flew past them as they punched and kicked each other, narrowly missing them. Black. Fisher net.
"Quicker, Eliott!" Alex hissed as she avoided a fist turned into stone from Liz.
"I'm trying, Mom!" The twelve-year-old shouted from across the room.
"We said no powers!" Esme complained in a hiss, taking a hit to her jaw.
"The Other has powers!" Liz shot back.
Esme stopped in the middle of the cube, panting, a hand massaging her sore jaw. She shared a look with her mother. Alex nodded and took some steps back to let them at the center of the training room. A smirk grew on Esme's face. "Sure. Let's see who's stronger at playing the Unique then."
Her eyes took the same purple glow as Liz's when she used her magical powers. She threw gusts of ice picks in Liz's direction. Her cousin ran around the cube to avoid them, shielding herself behind a glass-like frozen shield. Frost was now covering the flour and walls, making the surfaces slippery.
"You're avoiding the fight!" Esme shouted to her, quickening her gusts.
"I'm defending myself!" Liz replied.
She stopped and crouched to avoid the last ice picks before shooting a laser with her eyes to Esme's hand.
"Ow!" Esme whined, shuffling her hand in pain. If she wasn't determined before, now she was. Focusing on her body cells, she started to disappear within the ground.
Liz stopped too and searched for her in every corner. Esme was using J'onn's ability to travel through materials to surprise her. She had to focus or she would miss her.
And she did. Esme fell on her back, scratching her neck with her nails involuntarily. Liz hissed but grabbed at her shirt with two strong hands, willing her Kryptonian strength to throw Esme across the cube.
On the side, their parents and siblings were watching them with rapt attention. Their heads followed them as if they were watching a tennis match, reacting to every point taken by both sides.
"She's really impressive!" Alex whistled. "She improved a lot those past few months."
"She's constantly training." Kara said.
"Well, the genes help too." Lena smirked.
"Don't brag about it, Luthor. I'm pretty sure Esme's going to win this one."
Lena's smirk turned challenging. "She can throw a punch, that sure is right. But Liz is faster."
Alex eyed her with mischief. Kara, between them, analyzed the situation quickly.
"Hey, no competition between our kids." She saw Alex open her mouth. "I said no!"
Lena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "As if we would go through with it."
"Oh, I know what you are capable of." Kara said with raised eyebrows. "I know how you both can be very competitive with each other." She motioned towards the cube door. "Go ahead, bite each other's face off. But let my daughter and my niece out of this."
Alex crossed her arms, resigned. "Not that funny anymore."
"Agreed." Lena nodded.
"I have to go home anyway with this little man."
Eliott grumbled on the side, something about not being little, as Liz and Esme's fight seemed to take an end. Liz extended a hand to Esme who had been forced to fall on her butt ungracefully by some martial arts trick Liz had used on her.
"Come on, no hard feelings?" Liz asked with a smile.
"Of course, not!" Esme smiled back as she threw her arm over Liz's shoulders.
"We're going home." Alex said to her as they approached.
Esme nodded. "And I have to go back to my dorm. Say hi to mama." She said a bit sad.
"Ow, we miss you too, Es." Lucy pinched her cousin's cheek playfully.
"Stop it!" Esme hunted her hand away with a smile. "I'm not that pathetic." She said shoving Liz gently on her way out.
The mothers watched the two cousins play with fondness. Kara squeezed Lena's hand in hers to attract her attention.
"Hey, wanna watch a movie tonight after the kids are out?"
Lena's eyes squinted in mischief. "I have other things in mind."
"Ow, calm down, tiger. We've time." Kara gasped against hot lips as Lena pushed her hardly against their bedroom door. Lucy was soundly asleep – or she faked it when they checked on her and was currently reading in her room – and Liz was supposedly working on her homework in Lena's home office. Fortunately, their bedroom had been soundproofed very early in their relationship so that little Kryptonian ears couldn't eavesdrop on them.
"I want you now." Lena only growled back as she kissed down Kara's neck, then her navel, then put Kara's sweater up a bit to lick at her abs.
Kara moaned loudly. "Lena, baby," She gasped. "This is the hormones talking."
Lena pulled away only slightly and took Kara's hands to guide her to their bed. She pushed Kara on it and climbed on her to bracket her with two strong thighs.
"I don't care." She simply expressed in a low tone.
Kara's only response was a whimper. Lena ran her hands down her torso then grabbed at her pants and opened them angrily. Kara loved this unusual eagerness. Lena always desired her – their sexuality was nothing short of normal after ten years and two kids, thank you very much - but she was more modest about her way of showing it. It was more sensual touches, and implicit words pronounced in her ear, and knowing smiles that could mean a hundred things. It wasn't this brutal. This predatory.
But Kara liked it nonetheless. It reminded her of the times she would watch Lena put white old men back in their place with only a stare and a short sentence. It was the same rush. The same intensity in her blood. She liked to see Lena take commands.
"You're so ready for me." Lena commented as she removed Kara's underwear gently but quickly.
"I am." Kara exhaled. She didn't have the time to proceed what was happening before two lips met her skin and her head fell back in a heavy thud on the mattress.
Hours later, Lena was watching Kara sleep from the door frame. She smirked. How she had missed these types of moments with her wife. Her smile fell as quickly as it came though. Because it wasn't really her wife.
She turned around reluctantly and walked down the stairs of the Irish house she had never seen before. In her dimension, the house had been sold by Lionel before she was even an adult. She had never had the chance to see what it looked like. It wasn't that she had missed it, really. Could you miss something you had never known? It was more the fact that this dimension seemed to have everything she was lacking in her own. A family home. People to cherish. A normal life.
Lena sighed and caressed her belly. They would fix that. And much more. She knew she deserved better than a dead family and traumatic memories. She deserved a new beginning and thanks to Zodd's ship, it had been possible.
As she paced around the house, she looked at the different pictures and smiled. They would have the same life. Once her daughter would be born. Once the Other would be defeated. Once everything would be behind them.
Lena's watch beeped loudly, startling her. She shut it off hastily. She didn't want to wake up the Kryptonians in the house. It was time anyway.
She walked out the house in the snow, her feet making the white powder melt on her way. She crossed the trees surrounding the house and found her hidden ship disguised as a car in the middle of the wood. With a flourish of her hand, the ship took its normal appearance of gray and green metal. The door opened after a retinal control. As she stepped inside, Lena was immediately met with shouts.
"Let me go, you crazy bitch!"
She smirked. How convenient. She was sure to be more verbose than that. She walked up the ladder with some difficulties due to her six-months pregnant stomach, and came face to face with herself. In a case. Completely disheveled.
The Lena of this dimension looked furious. Her eyes were blazing orange, ready to combust her the moment she would be free. Thankfully, her cell was keeping her from using her powers so there was that.
"Sleep tight, honey. We're in for a long ride." Lena said nonchalantly before waving at herself in the cell, passing by to go to the commands.
"You're crazy!"
Lena chuckled. Oh, she knew that. She also knew only crazy people were called genius once.
A/N: DOOM DOOM DOOM !
So what did you think? Lena 2.0. is back.
Any recommendation for Lena and Kara's third child's name?
Also if you've followed the timeline throughout the story, we're 10 years later than chapter 10 (DAY NINE). Lena and Kara are around 40 here. I thought it would totally be normal for Lena to have a kid this late, knowing how unconventional she can be and all.
Anyway, my favorite scene was Jason and Lena's game. I love writing them. Which one was yours?
Thank you for reading. Hope to see you all in two weeks, more or less. Only 2 chapters left!
Take care!