Glasses (Pt. 1)
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Part one of a possibly three part story. Kara finally decides to take the plunge and plans to tell Lori and El about her secret identity. Lena is fully supportive but worries about how the girls will handle the news. As Kara continues to delay the news, Lori comes to some troubling, yet wrong, assumptions about her parents.
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Kara and Lena had avoided having this discussion with their girls for as long as possible. Originally, they had planned to sit Lori down when she was in middle school and have the talk, but that was pushed back once they realized Lori didn’t know how to keep a secret from El. Then, they decided to have the talk with Lori and El all at once, the old two birds with one stone rationale. But, then life got in the way. Lena was launching a new branch of L-Corp directed at humanitarian efforts, while Kara was busy with Supergirl duties in both National City and Metropolis ever since Clark and Lois moved off planet. Not to mention both Lori and El were busy being high schoolers. Lori was popular and well-liked by her school mates; so much so that her social calendar rivaled Lena’s work calendar at times. And, El, well, to everyone but Lena’s surprise, El was thriving in high school. Sure, she wasn’t like Lori with a million friends, but she found extracurriculars she enjoyed like chess club and mathletes.
“We have to tell them.” Kara blurted out as she and Lena laid in bed. Lena knew something had been bothering her wife the past few days and clearly Kara was ready to spill. Lena carefully marked her page, set her book down, took her glasses off and shifted to give Kara her full attention.
“What's going on Kar? You’ve been tense the past few days. Talk to me, babe.” Lena placed her hand on Kara’s thigh, rubbing gentle soothing circles as she patiently waited for Kara to respond.
“They’re both in high school now! And I mean, gosh, Lori’s already 16--she can drive Lee. And soon she’ll go off to college, and El, I mean she’s already becoming so independent, and--” Kara was rambling, a clear sign of worry.
“Kara, love.” Lena cut off. “Just breathe.” Lena took a deep breath encouraging her wife to do the same. Kara took a few seconds before continuing.
“We need to tell the girls who I am.” Kara finally said. “That… that I’m Supergirl.” Lena had been waiting for Kara to bring this up again. Even though she was extremely hurt when Kara finally told her about being Supergirl, Lena also respected that Supergirl was Kara’s secret to share. She never wanted to pressure Kara, even though she was concerned about how the girls might take the news.
“I can’t have them live their entire lives without knowing me. They need to know who their parents are, Lee.” Kara looked at her wife with determination and apprehension. Lena could tell Kara had been holding onto some guilt about this.
“Kara, I love you and our girls love you. And you’re right, they deserve to know you and about where they come from.” Lena places a chaste kiss on her wife’s cheek, eliciting a small smile from the hero. “This is your choice, however you want to do this, I will stand by you.”
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“Lori! Come on, get a move on!” Kara yelled up the stairs. El cringed at the sound as she stood in the driveway. Despite having her noise cancelling headphones on, the sound still got through and rang in El’s head.
Lena was just finishing packing up the car for their weekend trip to the beach house, when she saw El adjusting her headphones.
“Ok, there Ellie?” Lena wanted everything to go smoothly today. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much she or Roa could do about Lori not being a morning person, especially on a Saturday. El gave a timid nod before clamping her hands on her headphones once more to the sound of a slamming door.
Out walked Kara carrying Lori fireman style over her shoulder. To Lori’s credit, she didn’t kick or scream or pout, she knew this was a losing battle and at least she could sleep in the car.
El let go of her head phones and gave Lori a little wave good morning. Lori didn’t understand how El could manage to be so nice so early in the morning, especially with the noise.
“Hey, weirdo.” Lori greeted El as Kara put her back on the ground.
“Lori…” Kara warned.
“Sorry…” Lori mumbled as she got settled in the back seat.
The ride to the beach house was mostly uneventful. Lena drove well over the speed limit to Kara chagrin, but somehow never got pulled over. Lori slept most of the way, only waking when they stopped for breakfast. And, El kept her headphones on and sunglasses down as she looked out the window at the passing scenery.
By the time they arrived at the beach house, Lori was finally awake and caffeinated enough to help Ellie unload and Kara and Lena opened the house up. Kara and Lena took the quiet moment away from the girls to relax on the back deck facing the ocean. They purchased the house back when Lena was pregnant with Lori and it always brought the couple back to the early years of their family, when life was far less complicated and their babies were still babies.
The family enjoyed the rest of their day at the beach. Lori and Kara were able to go surfing while El and Lena stayed in the shallow water. Lena was still apprehensive about the ocean ever since her mother died. Even though El liked that her mom stayed with her in the shallow water where El could keep her headphones on she also looked longingly out at her sister as she rode a wave. It was amazing to El, how something as loud and vicious as the ocean could make a person seem like they were flying on air.
“You know you can go out there with them if you want. I’m sure Jeje would love to teach you how to surf.” Lena pointed to Lori who just caught a wave.
El shook her head and nervously pushed her sunglasses up her nose. The nervous fidgeting reminded Lena so much of Kara. As El had gotten older, Lena started noticing more and more of Kara in her. Sure, El had Lena’s black hair, emerald eyes, and intelligence but personality wise, she was all Kara. Lena marveled at how El, despite her challenges, could be so kind and empathetic to a world that often wasn’t kind to her.
Lena put her arm around El, who only tensed for a moment before allowing her mom to pull her to her side. The pair watched as Kara and Lori laughed and splashed one another. It was a nice break from their usual yelling.
That night Kara decided to build a fire in the firepit on the deck. It had been a good day, beyond what she could have dreamed, and now she just hoped the news wouldn’t ruin it all. Lena could tell Kara’s tension was building and decided to take the time while Lori and Ellie were finishing the dishes to check on her wife.
“Hey, love.” Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist from behind and rested her head on her wife’s shoulder.
“It's been a good day.” Kara took a deep breath. “I love you babe.” The couple would’ve stayed like that longer, but their kids were promised s’mores and the fire was picking up.
After everyone had had their fill of gooey chocolaty goodness, they all settled in. After a long lapse, Lori finally broke the silence.
“So, this has been fun and all, but why are we here?” Lori asked genuinely looking between Lena and Kara.
“Well…” Kara started, she had played over and over again in her head exactly what she wanted to say but now it all felt wrong.
“Oh my god, are you and mom getting divorced?” Lori asked with panic in her voice.
“Well…” Kara’s brain was still trying to figure out how to address the entire reason for the trip. Luckily Lena quickly jumped in.
“No darling, we’re not getting divorced.” Lena gives Kara a very annoyed side eye, signaling for her to pull herself together. “Your Jeje just has something she’d like to tell you.” Lena looked to Kara who took a deep breath.
“And, I think it’ll have to wait for tomorrow.” Kara nodded toward where El was sound asleep on the chair wrapped up like a little burrito with her headphones and sunglasses still on.
