Two plus six plus five equals family

Chapter 18

Falling slowly, eyes that know me

And I can't go back

Moods that take me and erase me

And I'm painted black

The glass in Kara's hand was shaking as she listened to Lena play on the piano, playing a song she was familiar with. Three months she'd been living in this beach house with her best friend, but the revelation roughly a month ago that Lena is in love with someone had hit her like a truck made out of kryptonite. So far she had no knowledge of her friend dating anyone and Lena hadn't confided into her yet.

"Beautiful piece, isn't it?" Lucy asked, causing Kara to jump slightly. "Got something on your mind?"

"Err, I guess," Kara answered, grabbing a napkin to clean up the water she spilled from her glass. "I think Lucius and Larissa are getting good at playing piano," she noted, smiling as her youngest son and oldest daughter joined Lena to play.

"They sure are," Lucy agreed. "Look at you, a family mom."

"I wouldn't give this up for anything," Kara whispered earnestly. "Lena and our children are everything to me," she whispered, swallowing thickly, but thankfully Lena couldn't hear her. "I like this place a lot more than my apartment."

"Mhmm, it's not bad," Lucy hummed, one corner of her mouth curling up. "In the summer this place is going to be amazing. Man, I've always kind of wanted to live near a beach. It feels like I'm on a long vacation with my wife, this doesn't feel like work at all, just a long family holiday."

Kara appreciated that J'onn allowed Lucy to stay at the beach house, though she knew her friend was tasked with having to send weekly reports about the children to the DEO. If the decision had solely been for J'onn to make, her children would likely still be at the DEO for tests and supervision, but because he didn't have parental rights or any other legal rights to hold children, he had to allow Lena and her to take them.

J'onn was a reasonable man, but he was also worried the children might wreak havoc or even turn out to be evil and attack the city. Lillian may have seen the children as her property and as her minions, but they weren't. The children were innocent and harmless. It was a relief Lillian was stuck in the phantom zone, even though J'onn threw a bit of a tantrum about it.

"Well done, sweethearts," Lena appraised Lucius and Larissa when they finished the song.

"Again, mama," Lucius replied, smiling. "But this time something else," he said, wiggling his fingers rather than cracking them, like Lena always did.

Lena smiled back at her youngest son and scooted a bit closer, grasping one of his hands.

Lucius' eyes sparkled as he let Lena move his hand to play a new song.

"Can you teach me,... mama?" Larissa asked hesitantly. She got tongue-tied sometimes when she addressed Lena as mama and unlike her brother, wouldn't let Lena grasp her hand to play.

Lena felt like a proud mother with all the progress her children had been making. Logan and Lorraine were the only ones who never called her mama. Larissa would only call her mama every now and then, and use her name during other moments. Lizzie and Lyra had no issues hugging her and calling her mama, while Lucius was slowly getting there.

"I'd be happy to, sweetie," Lena answered, pointing at keys for Larissa to press. She'd never force contact. She wanted her children to feel comfortable to come closer at their own pace, to stipulate for themselves what their comfort zone was.

"Mommy," Lyra said, drawing Kara's attention with a whiny tone. "Lorraine and I want to walk Krypto and Gertrude with Alex."

"Okay, baby," Kara replied, nodding. "But stay close to Alex."