When Star and Crista arrived in the dining room that night, they were both more than a little thrown by Brie sitting at the counter island, coffee mug firmly in hand. They both also couldn’t help a slight blush rising to pale cheeks as they literally had nothing underneath those t-shirts other than the memory of Kole being inside each of them sometime in the last few hours or so.

“You’re awake?” Star greeted her mother warily.

“Had a little trouble sleeping” Brie responded with a bit of an accusatory tone as her eyes moved over the long t-shirts that seemed to be the only thing the two teenage girls had decided to wander about the house in, despite the two teenage boys who were upstairs with them only moments earlier.

“Dad didn’t have trouble sleeping though?” Star stated with more than a bit of nervousness as she awkwardly moved past Brie to claim leftovers from the fridge.

“Your father’s good at pretending to be asleep” Brie returned as she moved her eyes over them with a shake of her head, also looking like she was fighting the urge to implode right then.

“Just came down here for a snack” Star stated quietly as she and Crista quickly moved to seats at the table where they sat more than awkwardly, trying to keep those t-shirts from riding up and confirming the suspicions that Brie obviously was already entertaining about their state of dress and their evening’s activities.

“I’m sure” Brie stated through clenched teeth as she took another long swig of coffee. She then took another deep breath, “so, am I right to assume that the soul-mate thing is contagious too?”

Star swallowed a bit as she turned her dark eyes back to Brie, “meaning?”

Brie just shook her head again then, “so was it Star and Kole in one room, Sky and Crista in the other? Is that the new arrangement now?”

“Mom” Star complained, though her voice lacked volume.

“How old are you again, Crista?” Brie asked, every word out of her mouth making her sound like she was in pain.

“Fourteen” Crista stammered, which just caused Brie to let out another gasp of dismay.

“Under the age of consent and having unprotected sex with Sky, who will be eighteen in less than nine months? Wonderful” Brie finished, nearly choking on the words.

“No, we didn’t have unprotected sex” Crista quickly denied through her bright blush.

“Really? Cause your blood test says otherwise” Brie retorted, shaking her head and now grasping that glass mug nearly tightly enough to break it.

Then Star piped up, “Mom, they didn’t. Sky would never risk impregnating... anyone” Star defended, though weakly.

Brie then shook her head once more before replying to Star, “well if you know so much about what Sky did or didn’t do with this girl” she began with further disbelief, “maybe you can explain her blood test then.”

“Please mom, you’re a scientist. That’s like a foot away from doctor. You know there are... other ways we can pass this on” Star returned, nearly choking on the one bite of food she had managed.

Then Brie covered her face in her hands, “oh, so Sky’s only having unprotected oral sex with fourteen year olds? Great” she added hopelessly.

“Unprotected oral sex?” Star repeated as she furrowed a brow, “have you ever tasted a condom, mom? The girl would’ve been puking in the first second.”

“And the fact that my seventeen year old daughter is an expert on the taste of condoms... I just can’t” Brie breathed the words into her hands.

“Mom, you know it’s diff---”

“Yes, yes, different. I’ve heard” she returned sarcastically. Then Star couldn’t help a small smile just as Brie turned her eyes to look back at her with another shake of her head. Brie allowed another gasp, “you find any of this discussion amusing?” she asked Star with further disbelief.

“In a way, yeah” Star had to admit as her mom just stared back at her, wide-eyed. Then Star decided she had better try to clarify, “what’s amusing is that you’re still acting like my mom” she allowed a small smile.

“Well, that’s what I am, isn’t it?” Brie asked with further confusion.

“Well, I was hoping so, but I had my doubts. What, with testing our hair and all” Star told her pointedly.

“Didn’t I already apologize for that?” Brie returned, her own voice dropping slightly, “but it’s obviously a good thing we did, right?” she had to remind Star of the very reason Crista and Kole had even taken up residence in their house that weekend.

“I suppose” Star conceded. She then added, “as long as you can keep that balance though.”

“Balance?” Brie repeated, almost as glad of the subject change as the two girls were.

“Sky and I do want you to help us understand ourselves better; but even more, we want you to be our parents. We’re just hoping it’s possible for the two of you to do both” she told her with a sad yet hopeful tone.

After a few slightly tense moments as the girls tried to get through their midnight snack while Brie poured herself another cup of coffee, Crista finally was the one to speak, “so, Kole said something about... powers?” she dared as she looked between Star and Brie both as the older reclaimed her earlier seat at the counter.

“Yeah, that thing with Curt after he burnt Sky?” Star began, “that was a bit of that.”

“Wait. Curt burnt Sky?” Brie interjected with worry.

Star sighed sadly, “yeah, with a lit cigarette.”

“What? When did that happen?” Brie asked with a new layer of worry.

“About a week after the...” Star began, then looked at Crista, “locker room” she finished as she swallowed. She assumed that Sky would be ok with Crista knowing, especially now, but she wasn’t going to be the one to decide that without him there to confirm it.

“Is this that thing that Alana reported that has you all so pissed at her?” Crista asked warily.

“Yeah” Star said softly as she got up to retrieve her own drink from the fridge and offered another to Crista.

“Alana reported it?” Brie returned with further worry.

Star sighed again, “yes, but it’s not official unless Sky or that annoying counselor actually report it. They have to treat it as hearsay if it’s just Alana.”

“What are we talking about again?” Crista had to ask then.

“But anyway” Star returned a little awkwardly as she returned to her seat at the table, once again, trying not to expose herself as she sat this time either, “remember how Curt freaked out after he burnt Sky?”

“Yeah, that was a little weird” Crista agreed, Star’s distraction from the previous subject thankfully working.

“Well, that was me. I did that. Made Curt hear things so he’d fucking leave Sky alone” Star explained.

“Language” Brie mumbled over her coffee as Star just rolled her eyes.

“You made Curt hear shit?” Crista grinned with amusement as well as a bit of awe.

“Shoulda seen what we did to him in the last life, or the one before” Star mumbled, causing Crista to give her another questioning look.

“You’ve had more than one life?” Crista asked, puzzled.

“Involving time travel and such. It’s a bit confusing” Star shook her head.

“So you guys legit have actual supernatural powers?” Crista grinned again.

“That we do. But they only work when me and Sky are together. So that’s a bit of a problem at times” Star sighed again.

“But is that still true?” Brie interjected thoughtfully.

“Is what still true?” Star asked warily.

“That you and Sky have to be together to make them work?” Brie replied.

“Well, why wouldn’t it be true?” Star asked warily.

“I mean you each apparently have three soul-mates now” Brie shook her head, “so does that mean it works when any of the two of you four are together now, or does it have to be all four of you together now?”

Star just allowed a nervous laugh, “odd; me and Sky were trying to figure that out earlier too.”

“Any luck?” Brie asked, her curious mind still there behind all that parental worry.

“TBD” Star sighed sadly. Star then had another thought, “but, if the soul-mate thing is true...”

“Then... what?” Brie asked as she moved to take a seat at the foot of the table while Star sat in her regular seat and Crista sat in Sky’s.

“Think about it” Star smiled, “if Kole and Crista now love me and Sky as much as we love each other, then maybe us spreading this thing isn’t nearly that terrible after all. I mean, a world where everyone loves each other? That could be pretty nice, right?” she asked wistfully, needing to find some way to alleviate her own fears about she and Sky’s very nature.

Brie sighed then, “and a world where everyone might have psychic abilities or might be able to reset the world or time travel through it?” Brie warned pointedly.

“Ok, a few drawbacks” Star sighed sadly once more.

Brie then shook her head at the obvious deflation of Star’s moment of hope, “no matter whether you spreading this is going to turn out very badly or not” she sighed, “you and Sky shouldn’t let yourselves take all the blame. After all, you didn’t even know you could spread it. And it’s not your fault you two are the way you are” Brie admitted with her own bit of guilt apparent as she looked down into her coffee once more.

Crista then interjected, “well hey, if it’s just the four of us; I’m sure we can find ways to keep it from ever escaping our little social circle” she assured with a slight blush as Star just shook her head and Brie narrowed her eyes.

“Down girl” Star teased, “you could still find yourself inadvertently spreading it if a condom ever breaks. Remember, baby aliens could be a thing too” she warned.

Brie shook her head at the thought. She then sighed deeply as she looked over at where Crista wrinkled her nose with a bit of her own deflation then. With another sigh, Brie spoke again, “well, Crista, if you insist on having sex with my son; we’re getting you on the pill too” she told her firmly before finally leaving the two girls behind, both looking at each other with a smile of disbelief at what just nearly sounded like it could have been acceptance of the strange desires all four of them now couldn’t fight, even if they wanted to.