#mayaverse

“How’s my big one-year-old?” Kara asks Maya as she picks her up out of her crib on the morning of her first birthday. She gives her a big kiss and smiles as Maya giggles.

“Mama!” she cries, grabbing for Kara’s hair. “Mama, birthday!”

“It is your birthday!” Kara agrees. “What a smart little girl.”

“Of course she’s smart,” Brainy agrees, stepping up behind Kara. “She’s our daughter.”

“The smartest little one-year-old I’ve ever met,” Kara says, rubbing her nose against Maya’s. “What do you want to do for your birthday, Maya?”

“Cake!” Maya cries eagerly. “Pizza!”

“What about presents?” Brainy asks. “Or should we return them?”

Maya’s face lights up. “Presents!”

“I think she wants them,” Kara says with a smile. “But first, breakfast.”

“Pancakes?” Maya asks, looking up at Kara with big, pleading eyes.

Kara looks over at Brainy, then smiles down at Maya. “Yeah, I think we can do pancakes for breakfast.”

“Yay!” Maya throws her little arms around Kara’s neck. “Love birthdays. Love Mama and Papa.”

Kara laughs. “Happy birthday, baby girl.”

“Kara!” Alura welcomes her daughter to Argo with open arms, beaming at her. It’s a little difficult to hug Kara as tightly as she’d like, given how hugely pregnant she is, but Alura is her mother, so she finds a way.

“Hi, Mom,” Kara says, smiling. “It’s nice to see you too.”

Alura lets go of her daughter and holds her at an arms length. “You’re glowing, Kara. It’s so lovely to see.”

“Well, I’m pretty close to my due date,” Kara replies. She reaches behind her, and automatically, her husband takes her hand, stepping forward. “Brainy and I are both so excited for our baby to be born.”

“So am I,” Alura replies, smiling at Brainy. “Now, why don’t you two come along with me? We can get someone to carry your bags, I’m sure.”

“We can carry our own bags, Mom,” Kara replies.

“I can carry the bags,” Brainy corrects. “You won’t be carrying anything.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “Brainy, come on, I can carry a suitcase!”

“I will carry the bags,” Brainy reiterates, turning and heading back to the ship to get them.

Kara sighs. “He’s been like this for nine months,” she tells Alura. “I’ve hardly been able to feed myself.”

“It’s good to see,” Alura replies. “I’m glad he’s taking care of you.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “Of course you’d take his side.”

“Well, you do need to take it easy,” Alura replies. “Especially now, with the due date so close. That’s the whole reason why you came to Argo, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Kara admits. She smiles and adds, “And I also wanted my mom to be there when I gave birth.”

Alura kisses Kara’s forehead. “I will always be there for you, darling. You and your little one.”

In Kara’s dream, she’s holding a baby.

She doesn’t quite know what the baby looks like - it seems to change every time she glances down, going from a human-looking boy to a Coluan-looking girl to every other option in between - but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s holding her baby in her arms, and Brainy is leaning over her, and the three of them are happy. The moment is absolutely perfect.

“This is our child,” Brainy whispers to her. “Ours.”

“Ours,” Kara repeats, looking up at him and smiling. “Our baby.”

“I love you.”

Kara stretches just enough to kiss Brainy’s lips. “I love you too.”

Her alarm clock breaks through the dream, and Kara groans as she flops her hand towards the clock to turn it off. “Why do we have to leave so early?”

“If we wish to get to Argo in time for lunch with your mother, we have to leave early,” Brainy says from somewhere to Kara’s right. “Our bags are all packed, and breakfast is ready in the kitchen.”

Kara rolls out of bed, which is made harder than it used to be with her growing stomach, and heads over to Brainy. She drops a quick kiss on his lips. “You’re the best. I love you.”

“And I you,” Brainy replies. “Did you have a pleasant dream? You were smiling in your sleep.”

“I dreamed about our baby,” Kara replies. She can’t help but smile again at the thought. “I can’t wait for them to be born.”

“It won’t be long now,” Brainy replies. “After this trip, our next trip to Argo will probably be to stay until after childbirth.”

“I know,” Kara says, resting her hands on her stomach. “I can’t wait to meet our baby.”

This is the sequel to this.

“Hey, Kara?” Kate asks, knocking on the door of Kara’s temporary room in the Waverider. “You in there?”

“Yeah, I’m here!” Kara calls back. “You can come in if you want.”

Kate shrugs and opens the door, heading into Kara’s room. When she sees the video screen showing a man and child, though, she almost backs right out.

“I, uh, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” Kara replies. “I need to go anyway.” She turns to the screen. “This is Kate, guys, and Kate” - she turns back to her - “this is my husband Brainy and our daughter Maya.”

“Oh!” Kate looks at the screen, wide-eyed. “I didn’t know you were married. Or had a kid.”

Kara shrugs. “I don’t talk about it much as Supergirl. It’s safer that way. But I can trust you.”

“Is Kate one of your superhero friends, Mommy?” Maya asks.

“Yeah,” Kate replies, figuring Maya must know not to reveal secret identities. “I’m a superhero too, but I’m from a different Earth.”

“Are you from the Earth we’re on now?” Maya asks eagerly.

Kara winces a little, but her smile stays on as she says, “Yes, Kate is from that Earth. What do you think of it?”

“It’s nice!” Maya says. “Daddy and I found a good pizza place.”

“Good,” Kara says, laughing a little. “Maya, sweetie, I’ve got to go, but I’ll talk to you later. Be good for your daddy, okay?”

“I will!” Maya promises.

Kara and her husband share a long look that Kate is pretty sure basically comprises a whole conversation, then Kara turns off the video call. She takes a moment to turn around, but when she does, she’s smiling an almost effortless-looking smile.

“You should meet Maya in person, after all of this,” she says. “I think you two would get along.”

“I’ll give a try, but I’m not the best with kids,” Kate replies. “She’s cute, though.”

Kara’s smile wavers a little. “She is.”

“You’ll go back to her,” Kate promises. “Everything will be okay.”

“It will be,” Kara agrees, nodding. “I know.”

“Now, I was actually supposed to get you for a meeting,” Kate admits, “so...”

“Brainy,” Kara asks when the skies turn red, “where’s Maya?”

“At daycare,” Brainy says, his voice tight. “I’ll send someone to pick her up right now.”

Kara nods. It aches at her that she can’t pick Maya up herself, and she’s sure Brainy feels the same, but they both have too much to do. Maya will always be a priority, but they both know that, as much as they both want to, they can’t put one person above the whole world, even if that one person is their daughter.

(That’s a lot easier in theory than in practice.)

Kara keeps a line open to Brainy and to the DEO while she goes off with the other heroes to try to stop the anti-matter wave. Agent Vasquez was the one who got Maya from daycare, and she passes her off to J’onn once J’onn takes off with the Legion ship. Maya loves the Legion ship, Kara knows, and she also knows that J’onn will make sure that Maya is safe and part of the evacuation. She knows that Maya will end up being okay.

That doesn’t make it any easier to be apart from her as their world literally comes to an end.

After Oliver dies, Kara ducks out of the room and pulls out her phone. Her comms aren’t working, probably because they’re on a new Earth, but hopefully her phone will. She dials a number she knows by heart, and she hopes against hope that she’ll get an answer.

“Kara?” Brainy’s voice asks, and Kara’s knees almost go weak at the sound. “Is that you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Kara says, feeling close to tears. “I’m fine. Is Maya-”

“She’s here with me,” Brainy replies. “Maya, say hello to your mother.”

“Hi, Mommy,” Maya says obediently. Kara presses her hand against her mouth to keep in a sob.

“Hey, baby girl,” she says when she thinks she can speak again. “You stick with Daddy for right now, okay? He’ll keep you safe. I’ll visit you as soon as I can, okay? I’ve got some stuff to do right now, but know that I’m thinking about you, okay?”

“Okay,” Maya agrees placidly.

“We’ll wait for you,” Brainy adds. “Save the world, Supergirl. We’ll be here.”

Kara smiles, although it’s a little wobbly. “As long as I know that, I can do anything.”