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Little birds chirp their spring song while a soft breeze rustles the leaves of the trees in the park. The sound of laughter filling the air and occasionally sending the birds sprawling but they always return. Even when a large German Shepard starts chasing them across the grass, barking enthusiastically and jumping up in attempts to catch birds mid-flight, the birds still keep returning to their familiar spots on the grass and in the trees. The large dog’s attention is diverted from the twittering birds to a group of people joining her on the grass, tossing a ball between them. Alex watches on as her beloved canine tries to intercept the ball from her friends. It feels like yesterday when the dog was still a pup and tripping over her oversized paws. She’s long since grown into them and her once floppingly large ears, now seemingly reduced to small ones compared to the size of her body. A lot has changed since she’s entered Alex’s life. Some things have stayed the same, like Alex’s job, her being single and most of the friends she has. Some things have also changed drastically, like how she approaches life, how she feels, her look at the future.The woman alone in her room, walls of her castle crumbling, is but a distant memory. She’s come such a long way since then. Finally, she feels she can say she’s happy. Once she managed to open up again to her friends and her sister she’d made leaps. She’d had her fair share or relapses but slowly, steadily, she’d improved. Her dog helped. Gertrude was an angel and always seems to know when Alex needs a little more love, giving it to her fully without any hesitance. It feels strange, thinking back to how she was a few years back and where she is now.She watches as Lyra throws the ball to Kara, who passes it to Ruby, who skilfully catches it and tosses it to James who in turn throws it over to Winn a little too enthusiastically, knocking Winn down with ball and all. The five break down in laughter when Gertrude trots over and begins licking Winn’s face.Alex and Sam can’t help but join in their laughter, it’s a movie-worthy sight with them on a picnic plaid, having chosen not to play and instead catch up and their friends and family having fun under a perfect blue sky. “Are you sure I can do it alone?” Alex lets her hands fall in her lap, her fingers playing with some non-existent lint.“You’re not alone, remember. You’ve got me and Kara and all your other friends and if anyone can do it, it’s you. Look at me-” Sam gestures at herself- “I like to think I managed okay and I was half your age, didn’t have a job, just got kicked out and didn’t have friends like these.” She looks at Ruby fighting Gertrude over a stick short distance away. Kara comes running up to help Ruby tug at the piece of wood to throw it again for the large dog to fetch.“I know, you did amazing. Ruby is a great kid. But what if my kid will miss something? What if they miss a male role-model? Or never learn what a healthy relationship looks like?” Alex voices her anxiety. She’s so, so glad Sam appeared in their lives. They hit it off immediately and became fast friends. Alex feels like she doesn’t have to hold back and can tell Sam anything and it helps, a friend to bounce ideas off of and to voice her worries to because Sam always asks the right questions and knows what to say to reassure her and ease her mind.“They have all these great people in their lives to look up to. I don’t think they’ll miss anything, Al. They’ve got Winn, James and J’onn if they need a male role-model. They’ve got Lena and James, Kara and Nia, Winn and Lyra. I don’t think they’ll lack good examples.” Behind them, Lena suddenly appears with a “hey guys!” and a small wave to everyone, trying to avoid having to join the ongoing game by sitting down with Alex and Sam.“Lena!” they both greet her but the CEO doesn’t have the time to sit down before she’s picked up by James and thrown over his shoulder.“James! Put me down,” she demands, gently hitting his back in an attempt to get free but he won’t have it and laughingly runs away with her still over his shoulder. He doesn’t stop running until they’ve reached the middle of the grass, where he carefully lowers her and greets her with a kiss. That is, until Gertrude’s enthusiastic greeting nearly knocks Lena off her feet and they shift their attention to the dog. Alex moves her attention back from them to Sam, contemplating over what they talked about before they were interrupted.“What if they get lonely?” she then asks, wanting to talk out all her insecurities before she reaches the point of no return.“I told you, there’s all these people who will love them to death. They won’t get lonely with so much love.”“But we’re all adults, they need other kids in their life,” Alex rebuttals.“That’s what school is for, honey. And there’s Ruby and little Alura and I doubt it will take too long before there’s a James or Lena junior,” Sam says with a laugh.“You’re right,” Alex says with a sigh but then thinks of another stumbling block, “what if Alura thinks I don’t love her anymore?”“Oh, hun, you’re just working yourself up now. She’ll always love you. You’re her favourite aunt and that won’t change because she’s going to have a cousin. If any, I think she’ll love you even more for it. You have seen her with her dolls and heard her asking Kara and Nia for a brother or sister since the day she could talk, didn’t you?” Sam nudges her with her elbow, urging Alex to look up at her reassuring smile.“I hate it when you’re the voice of reason.”“You love it, you need it and you know it. Now, want some more wine while you can still get irresponsibly drunk?” Sam’s already topping off her glass without waiting for a reply.“Did you talk to Kara about this or are you just bottling everything up again?” Sam asks as she fills her own glass.“I actually did talk to Kara,” Alex says smugly. This is such a major and lifechanging decision she doesn’t want to keep her sister out of the loop and she can use any and every little bit of support she can get and Kara will surely supply more than that.“And?”“She said the same,” Alex says, her smug grin fading from her face but soon being replaced by a small yet content smile.Kara had already reassured her of everything Sam has just told her but Alex had needed a second opinion to be really sure. And maybe a third, though she’s already pretty convinced she’s not doing a wrong thing here. A kid is everything she’s ever wanted and she can provide for one and give them a loving family, so why shouldn’t she? Alex couldn’t have asked for a better life. A more fulfilled one. There’s only one little spot in her heart empty and she’s getting it filled in soon enough with a tiny laugh, a lot of poopy diapers and late nights and even more hugs and stories and happiness. If she’d have told herself years ago this is where she would end up, happy and surrounded by friends and a dog with a kid in her future, she probably wouldn’t have believed her. Would have doubted those things were even possible but they are and she’s finally found what she needs.With a content sigh she brings her glass to her lips and enjoys Sam’s stories about Ruby when she was a baby until Gertrude appears by her side, hitting her gently with a stick. Laughing, Alex takes the piece of wood and throws it as far as she can manage, sending Gertrude racing after it. She can’t imagine any other life for herself.