AN: I've released Reborn in Castle. Check it out. Oh, and don't forget those powerstones for this one. 🫡👍
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Dinner settled the atmosphere in a way none of them expected.
At first, the table carried a little awkwardness beneath the conversations. Years of distance did not disappear in one evening, and everyone felt it quietly sitting underneath the surface. Still, the warmth of the penthouse slowly worked against that tension. The noise, the teasing, the smell of food, Trixie arguing with Nacho about "table manners" while the cat tried stealing chicken from her plate. It became impossible to stay stiff for long.
Gina sat near Halle for most of dinner, occasionally glancing toward Asher's bassinet between conversations. Every time the baby made a small sound, her attention shifted immediately like instinct had taken over before thought could catch up. Halle noticed it pretty quickly and smiled softly to herself.
"You can hold him again, you know," Halle said warmly while taking a sip of water.
Gina looked almost embarrassed at getting caught staring. "I'm trying not to look obsessive."
"You're a grandmother," Halle replied with a quiet laugh. "I think obsession comes with the title."
That earned a genuine smile from Gina before she carefully picked Asher up again once he stirred awake. The second he opened his sleepy little eyes and stared at her, something visibly softened inside her all over again.
Meanwhile, Michael somehow ended up trapped in a long conversation with Caroline and Scarlett near the other side of the table. Caroline had fully activated her "perfect hostess" mode by that point, which meant she spoke with the energy of someone trying to make up for every awkward moment in human history.
"And then Max buried the alcohol stash like it was a military funeral," Caroline explained dramatically while gesturing with her fork. "She literally saluted the wine cabinet before closing it."
Max looked horrified from across the table. "I did not salute."
"You absolutely did," Scarlett replied calmly before taking another sip of wine. "There may have been a speech about sacrifice and fallen soldiers."
Michael actually laughed at that, the sound quieter than Alex remembered but real enough to make him glance over for a second.
"You all seem close," Michael said while looking around the table again.
"We are," Evangeline and Chloe replied at the same time.
Then Evangeline said, "It's chaotic sometimes, but everyone genuinely cares about each other here."
Michael nodded slowly like he was still processing the sheer scale of what his son had somehow built around himself. The giant penthouse, the careers, the noise, the family dynamic that made absolutely no sense on paper and yet somehow worked the moment you sat inside it.
Rachel noticed him watching Alex more than once during dinner. Every time he did, there was the same look in his eyes. Pride mixed with guilt, like he still had not figured out how to separate the two properly.
Later, after dinner ended and everyone drifted naturally into smaller conversations around the living room, the atmosphere became even easier. Music played softly in the background while the city lights stretched endlessly outside the massive windows.
Angelina sat with Gina near the couch while Chloe and Halle talked nearby about Asher's sleep schedule. Trixie had somehow convinced Michael to help build a pillow fort "for emergency cat security reasons," and the High Table leader was currently crouched beside the couch holding blankets while Nacho supervised the construction like an orange dictator.
"You're so bad at this," Trixie informed him seriously. "Here, look... You need to do it like this." She gave a live demo.
Michael chuckled. "I built an international business empire before you were born."
Trixie blinked at him. "Okay… but this is a pillow fort."
Alex nearly choked on his drink after hearing that.
"You know," Max muttered between laughs, "I think that's the most humbling sentence anyone's ever said to him."
Michael stared at the blanket in his hands for a second before quietly fixing the corner exactly the way Trixie wanted. "Better?"
Trixie studied it carefully, then nodded once. "Yes. See, you can do it if you try."
By the time the clock pushed later into the night, the earlier tension had faded almost completely. Gina sat in the armchair holding Asher against her shoulder while softly humming something under her breath. The baby looked completely content there, tiny fingers wrapped loosely around the fabric of her sleeve.
Alex leaned against the kitchen counter watching the scene quietly while Rachel stood beside him with a glass of water in her hand.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
Alex kept his eyes on his mother and son for another second before answering. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "I think I am."
Rachel glanced toward the living room, where Michael was currently losing an argument to Max about which wine goes better with chicken, red or white. "Your father looks confused."
"He is confused," Alex replied with a small grin. "Nobody prepared him for Max."
"No one can prepare for Max."
"That's fair."
Eventually, though, the night had to end.
Michael finally stood and glanced toward Gina. The unspoken question passed between them instantly.
"We should probably head out," he said reluctantly.
"Yeah, it's getting late," Gina said.
The room reacted with a chorus of disappointed sounds almost immediately.
"Aww, already?" Caroline asked while pouting slightly.Â
"I promise to visit again. Maybe I'll swing by your cupcake shop," Gina replied warmly while carefully handing Asher back to Halle. "Besides, if we stay longer, I think Trixie might recruit us into permanent pillow fort duty."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Trixie replied while hugging Nacho protectively.
Michael chuckled quietly before looking back toward Alex again. The room slowly shifted as everyone moved toward the entrance with them.
For a second, Alex just stood there near the door while years of complicated emotions tangled quietly inside his chest again. The distance between them felt smaller now than it had earlier that evening, though some scars still remained under the surface.
Then Michael stepped forward first.
Alex hugged him tightly this time without hesitation. Michael's hand pressed firmly against his back for a second longer than expected, and when he pulled away, his eyes looked slightly shinier than before.
"You built something good here, son," he said quietly while glancing back toward the living room. "Don't mess this up."
Alex let out a small breath and nodded slowly. "I won't."
Gina hugged him next, holding onto him tightly enough that it almost felt like she was trying to make up for years all at once.
"You don't mind if we visit again, do you?" she asked softly while brushing a hand through his hair like he was still a teenager.
"Of course not," Alex replied.
Before stepping out, Michael looked toward everyone gathered behind Alex. His expression softened slightly as he took them all in one last time.
"Take care of him," he said honestly.
"Oh, we bully him daily," Max replied immediately. "That counts as emotional maintenance."
"We do not," Caroline laughed. "Max's joking."
"No, I'm not," Max said with a smile. "I steal his ice cream and chips, and he forgets everything after one of my bear hugs."
Angelina tried to hide her laugh, hearing Max.
Michael smirked faintly. "Whatever you're doing seems to be working."
Then finally, after one last round of goodbyes, they stepped out into the hallway.
Alex stood there for a few seconds after the elevator doors closed, staring quietly at the empty space they left behind.
Behind him, the penthouse still buzzed softly with life. Trixie laughing, Chloe and Evangeline talking, Nacho meowing angrily from inside the pillow fort.
'Home.'
Alex smiled faintly to himself before finally turning around and walking back inside.
...
[2 weeks later]
Two weeks passed quickly as the shooting of Supergirl continued across New York.
The production moved smoothly after the first few days. Alexis kept improving with every shoot, and by now, even the older crew members had stopped treating her like a nervous newcomer. She adapted fast, listened carefully during direction, and stayed focused even during long emotional scenes or difficult wire work.
The Midvale scenes became a major part of the schedule during those two weeks. The small-town atmosphere slowly came together exactly the way Alex wanted. School hallways, rooftops, quiet neighborhood streets, and the Danvers house all started feeling lived in on camera. Kara's emotional struggle remained the emotional core of the movie while the superhero elements slowly expanded around her.
Henry Cavill's scenes as Clark Kent also helped stabilize the production early. His chemistry with Alexis looked natural on camera, especially during the quieter scenes where Clark guided Kara through her adjustment to Earth. The contrast between Clark's calm warmth and Kara's emotional instability gave the movie a grounded feeling that Alex liked a lot during playback reviews.
The action scenes slowly became more ambitious too.
Wire rigs, flight choreography, practical destruction setups, and stunt rehearsals took up huge chunks of the schedule. Alexis bruised herself a couple of times during the shoot but kept going without complaining much. Alex talked to her about using stunt doubles, but she wanted to do it herself. The crew started respecting her pretty quickly because of that.
At Titan HQ, post-production teams were already assembling rough cuts and early teaser material in secret while security tightened even further around the sets. Despite that, blurry leaks still found their way online almost daily. Fans began analyzing every leaked photo from the Midvale sets like detectives trying to uncover hidden clues about the DCU.
Then the official Titan account posted only two words.
"Look up."
That single post sent the internet into complete chaos.
The Titan fan forums exploded instantly. Thousands of fans flooded discussion threads demanding a teaser, screenshots, casting reveals, or literally anything related to Supergirl. Rumors about Batman, Superman, and Justice League appearances spread across social media within hours.
A few days later, Titan officially announced a major DC event at Titan HQ in New York.
The response was immediate.
Tickets vanished almost instantly. Entertainment sites started covering the event nonstop while fans camped online waiting for updates. Everyone expected a teaser. Nobody expected the rest.
By the night of the event, Titan HQ looked more like a movie premiere mixed with Comic-Con than a normal press gathering.
Massive LED screens covered the front entrance while giant DC logos rotated across the building exterior. Fans crowded outside the barricades carrying Supergirl posters, homemade signs, comic collections, and theories about future DC films.
Inside the main hall, the atmosphere buzzed with nonstop excitement. Reporters filled the media area while cameras flashed constantly near the carpet entrance.
Alexis became the center of attention almost immediately.
This was her first major public event as the lead of a live-action DC movie, and the reaction shocked even her. Fans screamed the moment she arrived. Cameras followed her everywhere while reporters threw questions nonstop about Supergirl, Krypton, and the future of the DCU.Â
She handled it surprisingly well despite the obvious nerves underneath.Â
And a new fan club formed that evening in her name.Â
Richard Castle and Martha stayed in the VIP section, both looking proud enough to burst.
A little later, Margot Robbie arrived for the Harley Quinn promotion and instantly pulled attention toward her side of the carpet. She was in a custom-made Harley Quinn costume. Fans already connected strongly with her chaotic Harley energy after the casting announcement, and Titan clearly leaned into that during promotion.
Soon after, Kate Winslet arrived as Poison Ivy. The combination of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy appearing together immediately triggered another wave of fan reactions online.
After the first round of promotion and Q&A was done, giant screens displayed rotating DC artwork while dramatic orchestral music played through the speakers. Fans filled every seat while media cameras focused on the stage, waiting for Alex to appear.
When the lights finally dimmed, the entire room erupted instantly.
Alex walked onto the stage calmly in a black suit while the massive Titan logo glowed behind him. The spotlight was on him. He took a moment to look around the packed hall.
"Wow! Everyone looks excited," He said with a smile. "Thank you all for making this event successful. Now, without any more delays..." He pointed at the giant screen. "...The first teaser of Supergirl."
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