The three of us (karamel baby AU)

Allie's songs

Kara zigzagged from the kitchen to the living room, hopped over a miniature car and a box full of building blocks, then a piece of Allie's puzzle mat. She bent down to grab the lid of her baby's water bottle off the floor, eyeing the multiple toys scattered around; they'd been thrown haphazardly, as if they hadn't cost a small fortune, as if the baby had no interest in them at all.

Normally, the blonde kept most of the toys hidden. She only took a few out each time, so Allie wouldn't get bored too fast. Every couple of weeks she'd switch them, offering something new to her curious little girl, before taking away whatever had outgrown its playing time. She had a system-a good one, if she said so herself. And yet, all it'd taken was one morning of Mon-El and Alura alone to make a mess.

Allie had worked around said mess with the ease of an almost-a-year old, whose attention span was as short as the tutu skirt her father had put her in. Her diapered butt was sticking out, the skirt already a size too small. It wasn't Mon-El's fault though, Kara acknowledged that much. Allie was growing too fast and they hadn't found the time to go shopping lately.

Tiny hands rested on the coffee table, supporting the baby who hadn't figured out how to stand or walk without assistance yet. She was crawling however, much to her parents' delight. But this time, it'd only concerned the mother when she'd realized she'd been alone in the kitchen for too long to be considered normal. Now that Allie could move around, it seemed like she never wanted to be on her own. She was constantly exploring the house and following her mom around like a little tail.

Kara stood behind her and glanced at the TV screen. "Oh, that's what's got you so interested. Dada left your favorite songs playing, huh?"

Excited arms flapped repeatedly as a new video started and the first notes of 'Twinkle, twinkle little star' echoed within the room. The blonde smiled down at her daughter and picked her up, humming the melody while she pecked her cheek. Allie squealed when they swirled but didn't take her eyes off the cartoons on the screen. When Kara stood on the spot again and began swaying along to the music, the little girl lay her head on her mother's shoulder and let herself be lulled, content and happy.

The song ended and the soft tune eased into another, but the two stayed like that, as if there was nothing in the world that could disrupt their moment. A load of laundry needed to be washed, another to be folded, a dozen articles were pending for approval and an entire city relied upon the heroine to keep it safe. Duties overlapped, destinies intertwined and the world tugged Kara in hundreds of different directions. But the center was right there. The start, middle and end. The reason behind and ahead of everything. Ten fingers, ten toes, a pair of the brightest blue eyes in a messy house which had definitely seen tidier days.

Allie pulled back and looked at her mother curiously. A finger poked Kara's eye, then tried to grasp her nose. Not for the first time, the blonde was glad she'd forgone her glasses that afternoon, because it saved her from more sedulous attacks. The fact was a small victory, indeed, but a welcomed one.

"Hey, that's not nice," she said, pulling back from those prying hands. A playful frown curved her mouth, a mischievous glint within her gaze complemented the look. Alura whined in return, determined to grab her mom's face nonetheless. She squirmed and furrowed her brows, a palm tapping Kara's cheek like she was trying to keep her mom's face in place.

Kara raised her daughter above her head, pulling her down just enough to touch her nose with hers. They swayed and pivoted, a certain rhythm guiding the motions until the blonde started humming along to 'Old McDonald had a farm' this time.

Allie giggled and laughed, squealed and kicked her legs, eyes sparkling as she mimicked the sounds of the song. Soon, she would be talking, Kara was sure of it. Her little girl was so eager to communicate, so excited to sing her favorite songs back to her mom, which only made the latter's heart swell with pride and enthusiasm.

Another song started and the pair began counting down little ducks. Then they sat down to tap their legs for a baby shark and clap their hands because 'they're happy and they know it and they really want to show it'.

"If you're happy and you know it, you should sneeze," Kara sang. An exaggerated, feigned sneeze had Alura shaking with laughter. "If you're happy and you know it, scare someone." She paused, eyes widening, body leaning closer to her daughter's until their faces were only a few inches apart. "Booooooo!" She grabbed her baby again and reveled in the childish guffaw. "If you're happy and you know it scare someone, booooooo! If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it, if you're happy and you know it, scare someone. Booooooo!"

They shushed and giggled and waved hi. Laughed and danced and hugged. The music wrapped around them, took them by the hand and dressed in their innocence, but the happiness was all theirs. It filled the room, flooded the whole house and flowed out the door till it reached the third, missing figure of the trio.

"Who's there? Is Dada home?" Kara asked. "Come, come!" Alura crawled over, head turning left and right in search of her father. "Dada? Where's Dada?" She waited, allowing her baby's enhanced senses to tune into Mon-El's presence walking up the stairs. His steps were thudding, his keys rustling. Little arms lifted, requesting to be picked up, then Allie's hand reached out to the entrance, babbling nonsense but with obvious intent.

They stood in silence as the lock turned. The door opened. Finally, Mon-El stepped in.

"Dada!" Echoed an unexpected voice.

Mon-El stilled, shocked at his daughter's first purposeful call of his name.

"Booooooo!"