Eliza stared.
“Eliza?” Kara approached tentatively, touching her shoulder. “Are you-”
“I’m going to be a grandma. Twice over. I- I don’t believe it. This is-” she shook her head, hands going to her mouth as her eyes watered. “Oh, Alex, Kara…” Eliza started crying, hugging Kara tightly, then moving to Cat, who awkwardly stood there as Eliza hugged her, and then Carter, who eagerly welcomed the embrace of his soon-to-be grandmother – from Kara’s stories, Alex knew her mom would be a major upgrade from Katherine Grant.
Then of course, Eliza came to Alex, putting her hands on Alex’s cheeks.
“My Alexandra, oh I’m so happy for you and-” then she stopped, and there was silence for a few seconds, before her hands slipped off, stationary in the air, “Oh, who…who is the father, dear?”
Alex swallowed. “Uh…you remember J’onn, yeah?”
Eliza’s eyes widened, “The alien?”
“Hey, I’m an alien,” Kara piped up, “Nothing wrong with that.”
Eliza ignored her, looking worried now, hands taking her own, “Alex, are you okay? Have there been any side-effects? How long will it last? Will it be nine months, or shorter, or-”
“Mom, slow down,” Alex tightened her grip lightly, “We’re dealing with it all as it comes.” Since they’d fixed the telepathic bond the few days prior, J’onn had been coming around each day after work, eating and sleeping with her, keeping her company and going along with all her crazy food-choices, going out to 24-hour convenience stores to get whatever she was craving at the time. It was shaping up to be a kind of domestic something, and Alex couldn’t say it was bad, but she was missing work.
“Is it high-risk?”
Alex grimaced, not liking the term. “Sort of. First human-Martian hybrid, so, sort of.”
“Your headache went away once you fixed the mind-thing,” Kara added.
“Mind-thing?” Eliza questioned.
“Martians are telepathic. The baby was trying to, uh, connect with me, but it wasn’t working, so J’onn, uh…helped it along. I was getting pretty bad headaches. I’m fine now though,” she quickly added, upon seeing Eliza about to become frantic. “Now I’m just dealing with all the normal sh- uh, stuff. Sorry Carter.”
“It’s fine,” he gave a small smile, bouncing slightly, “Will they be my cousin?”
“Yes,” Cat answered for him, stroking his hair, giving Alex a look that dared her to contradict what she’d just said. Carter looked really excited actually. Alex smiled slightly.
“You’ll be my go-to babysitter if you take up that title,” she warned playfully, but Carter seemed even more excited by that. She looked back to Eliza, who seemed to have calmed. Thank god I didn’t mention the pins and needles. She didn’t need an interrogation.
“Who’s your doctor?”
“Well, I am, sort of – alien baby, remember? Can’t exactly have any old doctor looking at her.”
“Her?” Kara’s eyes went wide. Alex internally sighed.
“Yeah – don’t go buying anything yet. Wait until like, a week until she’s born, in case something goes wrong.” And there it was again – Eliza was worried again.
“Isn’t there anyone else at the DEO who can help?”
“Can we just stop talking about it?” Alex cringed, “Why don’t you ask Kara, Cat and Carter how Morocco was? I’m sure Dad will want to know, when you get back.” Eliza looked uncomfortable at the reminder. When Alex had destroyed Project CADMUS, her rescue of Jeremiah had uncovered things. He’d been changed, from his time there. He didn’t talk a lot, but he loved to listen to Eliza speak, telling him about Alex and Kara and what they’d both done since he’d been taken. The alien DNA, the experiments, had warped his physiology, and it was only because Lucy’s father was still investigating, trying to find him, that Alex didn’t ask the DEO to help him – and for that same reason, he had to stay hidden. Alex and Kara couldn’t go to see him, in fear of being followed. Eliza had already had to buy a new house for him to stay in, in case of peeping toms.
“Yes, Morocco…do you want me to tell him about the baby, when I get back?” Alex shrugged, feeling embarrassed and slightly guilty.
“Maybe. It’s not like J’onn and I can go visit and tell him in person. It’s awkward enough knowing that Dad asked J’onn to protect us – I really don’t think Dad meant for him to protect me like this.” Eliza’s lip twitched.
“He’s good for you. I think that’ll be enough. So, are you getting married?”
“Uh, what? Oh, no, we’re not, not yet.”
“Yet?” Cat and Carter questioned at the same time. Alex glanced at them.
“We’re going to wait until we’re sure this won’t all fall apart.”
“You’re being such a downer, Alex,” Kara complained.
“Just realistic,” Alex stated, before moving closer to the trio, turning Eliza a little so her back wasn’t to them. “So really, how was Morocco?