“We’re going to your other mother, yes,” Kara promised as they flew up into the air. When she finally landed on the balcony, Kara placed Charlie down just long enough for her to zoom through the letter. By the time the tears had settled in Kara’s eyes, she already had Charlie back in her arms and clutching her tightly. “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know about the needles, Mommy’s letter told me all about it, but—” She sobbed softly, shaking her head. She didn’t know how to cope with the idea that in another universe, in the future, Lena was going to die. It was gut-wrenching.
“—Mommy told me a lot of things, but you know what I really need to know that she didn’t tell me?” Kara bent on one knee, placing Charlie not away from her but on the ground nonetheless. She grinned slightly, touching and pulling at Charlie’s hands. “she didn’t tell me a single thing about your favourite colour, inah!” Kara exclaimed in a silly, high voice that was much more enthusiastic than she was feeling right then. Yes, she was diving face first into loving Charlie. It seemed that the girl had enough doubt for the both of them. “So whilst you tell me about that,” she said softly. “I need to tell you something too.”
She waited until she heard the colour whispered before she spoke. “That’s an amazing colour! I love it too. It’s not my favourite though, mine’s a toss up between red and blue. Don’t ask me to choose!” She laughed happily, trying to ease the worries of this girl she’d just met. Kara stroked the small fingertips of her future daughter. Well, now she supposed it was just her daughter. Kara wasn’t giving her up without a fight.
“I have to tell you something kinda scary, i: inah.” Kara told Charlie with a frown, squeezing the girl’s knuckles. “When you see mommy in a few minutes, it’s gonna be a different mommy. Did your Mommy ever tell you ‘bout time travel?” Kara asked hopefully. She wasn’t sure, but she explained anyway: “It’s what you did, inah. You were so brave when you went through that uh, portal? yeah, portal.” She nodded.
Kara took a deep breath. “But you traveled through to the past. You’re gonna meet a mommy that doesn’t know ‘bout’cha yet.” Kara knew it would hurt, that Lena had been all the girl had known in the future, but now Lena wouldn’t know anything about Charlie. That was going to hurt her daughter, but she’d soften the blow as much as she could.
“Mommy and I don’t really know you yet.” Kara whispered, rubbing the girl’s back. Charlie must be so confused. Kara whined at the idea of it, of a little girl losing all she ever knew. She wept internally — it was a bit close to home. Kara took another deep breath. “I need you to focus on Jeju’s heartbeat when I tell you this part, okay inah?” She prompted, waiting for Charlie to obey before….
“You’re not gonna be able to go back to the other Mommy.” It was hard, the hardest thing Kara had had to do to date. But it was best to kill the illusion as soon as possible, right? She could only do what she could do. “But here’s the good part:” she paused, tickling Charlie lightly. “You’re gonna grow up with this Mommy, and me! I hear that I’ve been pretty absent lately. That sucks, right baby? Well I’m here now.” Kara promised. “And I won’t let you go ever.” She vowed. “Now,” she smiled tearfully.
“Give me a biiiiiig hug. Mommy number two is gonna come in in a few minutes, can you hear her heartbeat? The footsteps coming closer?” Kara encouraged. “I need you to wait out here for a minute, but when I say Charlie, you get to come inside and shout surprise. Sound good?” She asked as calmly as possible. Yeah, that was gonna work out just fine…..
Kara could still hear Alex screaming for Kara to return.
There was a relief in Charlie as she looked around the familiar balcony at L-Corp, a tiny smile on her face as she looks out over the city - while Kara was reading the ‘important letter’ that Charlie had promised her Mommy she’d not open. She had no idea what was in that letter, but she had a few thoughts about it - she knew how much her Mommy missed her Mama, how she tried to always smile when talking through a story about her Mama - but the sad look in her eyes, Charlie saw it. She knew her Mommy missed her Mama so so much.
When Kara suddenly hugged her again, the smaller blonde was a little confused but instantly hugged her Mama back, giving a little extra squeeze without a second thought. She wasn’t sure why she was getting the hug but wouldn’t complain, she loved hugs - it was ‘a Danvers thing’ according to her Mommy.
Hearing her talk about her Mommy, it brightened Charlie’s face again, realizing that clearly her Mommy must have spoken about her in the letter, “Greens my favourite - but I like pink too, and purple and blue like you,” she paused and gently patted Kara’s arm - the blue on her suit, “I like lots of colours.” she shrugs and smiles as she answers that first, her own fingers tracing along Kara’s fingers - content at the light touch, it was warm and comforting particularly when Kara spoke again.
Charlie’s head tilts in a familiar way to the other blonde, her lips pressing together, “Different?” she questioned before nodding a little, a serious expression crossing her face when she speaks again, “Time travel is tricky but possible - Mommy said so, Uncle Barry did it once and broke things and had to fix them - and Aunt Sara and the other Legends they have to fix time sometimes but sometimes they can’t fix things - Mommy said I had to go through the portal, on a trip - and I might time travel but it’s okay cause I’ll find you and - you’ll keep me safe.” There was a seriousness to her voice, but also a touch of innocence - she didn’t fully understand but she knew what time travel was and clearly had spoken to Lena about it in several ways and examples had been discussed.
The thought clearly hadn’t fully hit her though, until now at least, “You mean.. Mommy won’t know me... like Aunty Alex? She didn’t know who I was... she was, kinda mean...” Her fingers move, playing with Kara’s hands as she speaks, the idea of her Aunt not knowing her and what had been said - it had hurt and that shows clearly in this moment. Try as she might, Charlie couldn’t hide how she felt very well - like Kara, her feelings showed a little too much in her expressions.
A flash of worry darts over her face, but she nods and focuses on Kara’s heart beat - her shoulders relaxing as she listens to the steady ‘Thump-Ba-dump’ sound. But the words that came next, made Charlie pull away from the comfort, “No - No, Mommy said - Mommy said...” there’s a flash of a worry, and then the words settle as she seems to think about something, “Mommy... Mommy broke it didn’t she?” The words are barely a whisper, tear filled green eyes look back up at Kara, “The Portal - Mommy broke it.”
Like Lena had written, Charlie was a smart little girl. But she was still just that - a little girl. And without a doubt she was a little overwhelmed, quickly returning to Kara’s arms at the mention of a hug, squeezing as tightly as she could while she tried not to cry again, as sad and scary as it was - the idea of not seeing the Mommy she knew. It was kind of fun, seeing her family again - even if Alex had been a little mean, “Jeju...” she mumbles and closes her eyes, listening for a sound she had memorized before she could even write her own name.
The ‘click-click’ of heels and ‘Thump-Thump’ of the steady heart beat, even now the sound calmed her faster than anything else had since she landed in this time and it shows on her face when she looks back at Kara.
“This Mommy... she’ll still love me.. right? And you Jeju?” It was still a little weird, a little confusing that these people, her family - didn’t know her, didn’t remember things that she did, that she knew about them. But with time, maybe it’d be okay - she could feel that this Mama, she cared about her even if she didn’t remember things - like Charlie’s six birthday when she was upset she couldn’t do ‘Elsa powers’ with her hands like in the movie - so her Mama helped her be sneaky and use freeze breath to act like Elsa’s powers.
With a little nod, Charlie offers a smile, wrapping the red fabric she had still not released - around her shoulders like a blanket, she’d do as she was told and wait. But - she would listen in, after all - Mama hadn’t said she couldn’t... right?
Lena had no idea what awaited her in her office, but she had received a concerning phone call from Alex - not saying too much other than that Kara was headed her way and telling Lena to both be careful and try and convince Kara to come back to the DEO as soon as possible.
So she told her secretary to cancel everything for the rest of the day, claiming she had important matters to attend to and she’d reschedule later. All while truly not knowing what to expect when she entered her office. Other than that there was an almost certain chance that Kara would be inside waiting for her. She waited for her secretary to leave before entering the office and closing the door behind her, brow raising when she spotted the familiar hero indeed here.
“You know your sister called me right? She seems worried about you Darling,” Lena speaks as she moves closer, with ease wrapping her arms around and placing a soft kiss to Kara’s cheek.