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Lena opened her eyes as the sun peeked into the bedroom, groaning as she buried her face into her pillow. Not yet. She had a meeting today with industrialist Morgan Edge, and she was not looking forward to it. She reached out, but her hand was greeted by cold, empty sheets. Lena huffed as she closed her fist around them, the ring on her finger glowing sadly. Kara didn’t come home last night. This was starting to get on Lena’s nerves. Kara had been like this for the past six months, fighting criminals all hours of the day, coming home super late or not at all. Lena didn’t mind the first few weeks; Kara had just been cleared to go back out into the field, so obviously she was excited to get back in action. They had even taken down a few arms dealers side by side, just like they had done before Kara got pregnant, and Lena was happy to have her wife back. But now…it was beginning to be too much. Kara had practically thrown herself into her duties as Supergirl, barely spending any time out of the DEO, barely spending time at her job at CatCo, barely spending any time with her and Mae.The sun’s rays had gotten brighter and more intense, their fingertips trying to pry Lena’s eyes open, making it quite impossible to ignore them. Lena pushed herself up with a grunt and stretched, her body still sore from yesterday’s training session. Even though she had mastered the ring as well as several other fighting techniques thanks to Alex, J’onn made it clear that training everyday was of utmost importance. Lena chuckled to herself. She had grown very fond of J’onn; now she knew why Kara and Alex thought of him as a father figure because she did as well. Lena threw on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt and headed down the hall to the nursery, smiling when she heard the sweet coos of her baby girl.“Good morning, sweetie,” she whispered as she entered. “Happy birthday.”Mae giggled when she saw Lena, floating a few inches up in the air so Lena could catch her. Luckily, Mae didn’t sleep-fly as often as Kara did, but there was a reason Mae was sleeping in the only room without a fan. Lena planted several kisses on her daughter’s head as the latter nuzzled her shoulder, making Lena’s heart melt. She had never loved anything or anyone more than she did Mae, except maybe Kara, but even then it was a different kind of love. She carried Mae into the kitchen to feed her, a knock on the front door causing her to jump out of her skin. Lena sighed. Kara would’ve come through from the balcony attached to their room, strode across the room and kissed Lena sweetly before playing with Mae, at least before she became Supergirl full time, so Lena wondered who was calling at this early hour. She walked to the front door with Mae in her arms, looking through the peephole to see Alex standing outside with a bag of donuts in her hand.“Agent Danvers,” Lena greeted. “Good morning.”“You do know you can call me Alex right? It’s been, what, three years since you’ve married my sister?”Lena shrugged. “Technically, it’s only been two. And one since this little one blessed us with her presence.”“Still,” Alex said as she put the bag down on the table. “We are family now. You don’t hear me calling you Miss Luthor anymore.”“That’s because I’m now Mrs. Danvers-Luthor to my peers.”“And Lena Zor-El to the rest of us.”Lena smiled. Zor-El. It was the kind of name that rolled off the tongue, one that exuded a power that was only heard about in stories and myths. She looked down at Mae, who was reaching out to be held by Alex, and smiled bigger. Mae would also now be a part of that story, the story that Kara had been writing by herself for so long. Alex saw the expression on Lena’s face change as she took Mae.“She’s at the DEO resting,” the agent said. “Kara.”“I know.”Alex shook her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. My guess is that she wants to make up for lost time.”“That’s what I was thinking too,” Lena said, folding her arms across her chest. “But I can’t help but feel that there’s more to the story. I mean, she’s everywhere now as Supergirl. I know she has a duty to protect this city, but she also has one to her job. To me, and now to Mae.” Lena sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry. You probably didn’t come all this way to hear my talk about my personal problems.”“No, it’s alright.” Alex said as she bounced Mae on her hip. “Kara and I haven’t had a sister’s night in months. There’s always a robbery or an arms deal or a cat stuck in a tree that needs her help. I tried to talk to her about it, hell, Winn and James have tried to talk to her about it, but she doesn’t listen. She doesn’t want to listen, at least that’s what it seems like. Have you tried talking to her?”Lena scoffed. “She’s never home, and whenever I do see her, it’s always on a mission and that’s all we talk about. The mission.” She huffed. “I just want Kara back.”“So do I. That’s why I came over here, to ask you to talk to her about her…recent behavior.”Lena furrowed her brow. “What makes you think she’ll listen to me?”“You’re someone who’s in the same exact position she’s in,” Alex explained. “You both have jobs that you excel at, are both superheroes, and are now both mothers, and you have managed to juggle all three pretty well so far, so that makes you the best person to talk to her.”Lena remained silent, watching Mae as she tried to take a piece of Alex’s donut. Mae had definitely inherited Kara’s appetite, along with her eyes; those beautiful, beautiful eyes that Lena would never get tired of seeing, and Kara’s personality in general. Once Mae had learned how to laugh, she never stopped, and it was the same exact sound and tone as Kara’s, light and warm and all around sweet. If sunshine had a sound, it would be Mae’s laugh. How long has it been since Kara heard it?“I’ll talk to her,” Lena said. “We haven’t had a lunch date in a while, so I’ll talk to her then.”Alex beamed. “Alright then.” She turned back to Mae and mussed her hair. “We still celebrating tomorrow?”Lena nodded as Alex handed her daughter back to her. “Can’t believe it’s already been a year.”“Yeah, pretty soon she’s going to be going to school and heading off to college…”“Ah, I don’t even want to think about that!” Lena held Mae close to her, squeezing her tight. “I just want her to stay small forever.”Alex rolled her eyes. “I can’t wait to give little Mae here her present.”“If it’s a gun, you will lose your gift-giving privileges.”“It’s not a gun!” Alex exclaimed, causing Lena to laugh. “Maggie was the one who suggested that, not me.”“Either way,” Lena smirked, Alex going red in the face. “How are things going with you two?”“Great, actually.” Alex smiled, thankful they changed the subject. “I’m, uh, I'm going to ask her to marry me.”“Alex, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you.”The agent blushed, unable to contain her giddy smile. “I already got the ring. I just need to find the right time to ask her.”“Do you need any help with the proposal?”Alex gave her a look. “I can handle it, unlike a certain Kryptonian we both know.”Lena burst out laughing at the memory of Kara proposing. Mae joined in, her giggles like a song to Lena’s ears. “She was so nervous,” Lena said. “I don’t think I heard her ramble like that in all the time I’ve known her.”Alex laughed as well, her face darkening. “Is she coming to the party?”“She better,” Lena said. “I’ll talk to her.”“Thank you,” Alex said, swallowing her last bit of donut. “See you later?”“Yeah.”Alex gave Lena a hug and mussed Mae’s hair again before taking her leave. Lena fixed the baby’s hair before planting a kiss on it and walking back to her room, where her phone was still charging. She sent a quick text to her wife, almost surprised when she got the quick reply, but she smiled nonetheless. It’s time.---------------------------------------------------------Lena stood on the balcony of her office and looked over the city, her shoulders tense with frustration. She had just gotten out of the meeting with Edge and her blood was boiling. He knew just how to get under her skin, and she may have punched him in his smug face if it weren’t for James. He had become a good friend to her during these three years and Lena had come to cherish their friendship greatly. However, that didn’t stop Lena from making a rude remark about Edge, and now he had just announced to the world that he was buying CatCo, which was just the icing on the cake to Lena’s day. She walked back inside and sat behind her desk, rubbing her temples and trying to come up with a solution to this new problem. She wasn’t going to let Edge take CatCo and ruin Kara’s job as well, even if the blonde didn’t spend much time there anymore.“Your wife is here to see you.”Speak of the devil.Lena nodded to Jess as Kara stepped into her office, her mood improving significantly when Kara’s eyes met hers.“Hey,” Kara said, her voice soft and breathless as she wrapped Lena up in a hug. It took everything in Lena not to burst into tears. “How are you? How’s Mae?”“Hey. Mae is fine, she’s with the babysitter. How are you?”“I’m good. Just put out an apartment fire.”“I saw,” Lena mused. “Supergirl to the rescue as always.”Kara beamed. “I was kind of hoping you would join me. I could’ve used your help.”“I would’ve come in a heartbeat, but I had a meeting that I could not miss.”“Edge?”Lena nodded. “You saw, huh?”“I did.” Kara’s jaw clenched. “Who does he think he is?”“A powerful businessman with the resources to put both you and I out of a job.”Kara’s eyes went wide. “He’s not going to…?”Lena sighed. “I don’t know. This is all my fault.”“Lee.” Kara leaned forward, her eyes never leaving Lena’s. “None of this is your fault. If worse comes to worse, I can find another job.”“Like being Supergirl full time?”There it was. Lying out there for all to see. Kara tensed up once the words hit her ears. “Lee—”“Kara, listen to me. I know how much you love being Supergirl. I see it in your eyes when you put on the suit, when you’re flying high in the sky above the city. It’s a part of you, and a very big part at that, and I know you were over the moon when J’onn said you could go out into the field again. But Kara, Supergirl is not all of who you are. You are still Kara, both Danvers and Zor-El. You are one of CatCo’s top reporters. You are the sweetest and kindest and most hopeful person that I know. You’re my wife, and the mother of our child.” Lena took a deep breath as her eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears. “So it makes me confused as to why you would choose to forget all of that in pursuit of a cape.”Kara stared at Lena, her eyes wide with bewilderment. Lena’s heart was pounding within her chest, but she didn’t look away; she had to hear Kara’s answer.“Lena,” Kara finally said, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m sorry, I—I didn’t realize you felt this way.”“I just want to know why.”Kara fiddled with her glasses before speaking again. “You’re right in saying that I was excited to be Supergirl again after we had Mae. I missed flying around the city and with you. But it’s not what you think.” The blonde paused for a brief moment. “The reason I’ve been putting so much time and energy into being Supergirl is to make this world a better and safer place for Mae.”Lena could feel the weight in her shoulders being lifted once the words left Kara’s lips.“And I’m so sorry for not being at home as much as I should and I’m sorry for distancing myself, but I made a promise to you and to Mae that I would do everything in my power to keep her safe.” Kara’s eyes began to fill up with tears. “I know she has powers and I also know that she’s going to want to be a superhero like her mommies one day, but I just want to make that path easier for her.”Lena got up and enveloped Kara in a big hug, tears beginning to fall down her own cheeks. “I should be the one who’s apologizing,” she whispered into Kara’s neck. “I should’ve asked what was going on sooner rather than assume you didn’t want this.”“Lena,” Kara pulled back slightly and rested her forehead against her wife’s. “I will always want this. I have always wanted you, and I will always want the life we have made together. I promise I’ll dial back on the hero stuff and be there more for Mae.”Lena smiled. “I love you.”“I love you, too. So much.”Lena leant up and kissed Kara tenderly, her lips wet with a mixture of her and her wife’s tears. God, she missed this. She lingered on Kara’s mouth for a bit before pulling back, wiping Kara’s cheeks with her thumb. “So that means you’re coming to the party?”Kara laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Our baby girl’s turning one! That’s insane!”“I know. She’s growing up a little too fast for my taste.”“Me too. I can’t wait ‘till she sees my gift.”“Kara, if you got her a puppy…”“I didn’t get her a puppy!”----------------------------------------------------------The following night, Lena’s apartment was filled with celebration. Every single one of their friends showed up, including Eliza all the way from Midvale, with presents in tow. Mae was having the time of her life, even though she probably had no clue what was going on, as everyone showered her with attention and affection.Once everyone arrived, it was time to open presents. Winn got her a Rubik’s cube, trying to teach her how to do it but failing when all Mae wanted to do was put it in her mouth; Eliza got her some new clothes, including a shirt that says, “I have a Super-grandma”; James got her a little toy camera, smiling proudly when Mae pushed the photo button; Maggie and Alex got her a leather jacket and a pair of baby boots respectively, Lena silently thanking that the presents weren’t gun related; J’onn gave her a bracelet he made himself, saying that he made each of his daughters one on their first birthdays; Lena herself got Mae some new toys; and Kara gave her a cute dog plush, which Mae absolutely loved.“Now all we need to do is get a real dog,” Kara said to Lena as they went to the kitchen to get the cake.“Maybe when she’s older,” Lena replied, smiling when Kara fist-pumped in celebration. “I need to tell you something.”“What is it?”“You know how Morgan Edge said he was going to be buying CatCo?”Kara’s face fell. “He went through with it didn’t he? So…what, CatCo’s gone?”“No,” Lena said, her smile growing wider. “I bought it.”Kara’s eyes widened in awe and disbelief. “Lena…you didn’t…”“I did. I couldn’t stand it if he got his hands on your place of work and I know how much you love CatCo and reporting, so I thought—”Lena was cut off when Kara pulled her in for a hard kiss. “I love you,” Kara said in between kisses, the love for her wife growing with each one.“I love you, too,” Lena replied. “Now let’s get this cake out before Maggie thinks we’re doing something else.”Kara did as her wife told her, but not before planting another sweet kiss on her lips. They brought the cake out, Kara singing “Happy Birthday” as Mae giggled and cooed in her seat. The whole scene made Lena’s heart melt. As Kara blew the candles out, Lena realized a couple of things. First, her love for her wife and daughter could never be extinguished, no matter what happens; and second, looking around at the family she had made for herself, it was only going to get better from here.
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Kara lay in her bed as Mae napped on top of her chest, the sound of her two year-old daughter’s heartbeat soothing to her ears. Lena was still at work, flying straight to the office after she stopped an arms deal only a few minutes prior. Lena had quickly become a superhero in her own right, taking the mantel of Green Lantern pretty seriously from the moment the ring came into her possession, and Kara had never felt so proud of her wife. Lena had always wanted to help people, and now she gets to do that as a superhero and a CEO of a major company, as well as the new head of CatCo. It had already been a year since Lena had bought the company right under Morgan Edge’s nose—which the industrialist was not happy with—and, not surprisingly, Lena excelled at being the new CEO of CatCo. That was one of the many, many things that Kara loved about Lena: her ambition, as well as her drive to do good.“Your mom is one of the greatest people I know,” Kara whispered to Mae as she slept. “She works hard and loves harder, and I’m so lucky to have her in my life. In our lives.” Kara placed a gentle kiss on her daughter’s head. “You look just like her, you know. You have her hair, her smile…you got all the good genes, ha. You’re going to be just like her, I know it, and I’m going to be so proud of you. Well, I already am, but still.”The sound of the front door opening got Kara’s attention, and she smiled when she heard the familiar sound of Lena’s heartbeat get louder as she walked through.“Kara, are you here?” Lena found them in their bedroom, the expression on her face softening when she saw Kara and Mae.“Shh, she’s sleeping.”“Mind if I join you?” Lena asked as she got onto the bed and cuddled next to Kara, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Hi.”“Hi.” Kara turned and met Lena’s lips. “How was your day?”“Tough, but I survived. I could go for a nap, though.”Kara chuckled. “You really are your daughter’s mother.”“Shut up, Kara.”“Get some rest, you deserve it.” Kara murmured as she wrapped an arm around her wife, pulling her in closer.“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Lena yawned. “You had a late night last night.”“Maybe I will,” Kara mused, running her fingers through Lena’s hair. “Goodnight.”“Goodnight, love.”“Do you want to go to the park tomorrow?”Lena smiled. “I would love to. Is Mae coming?”“Of course she is. I got to have a swing buddy.”Lena rolled her eyes. “You’re a dork.”“I’m your dork. Forever.”“Goodnight, Kara.”Kara smiled, kissing the top of both of her girls’ heads. “Goodnight.”-------------------------------------------------------Kara had decided early on in her daughter’s life that there was nothing better than seeing her smile or hearing the laugh that followed as they went down the slide together. Lena told her that Mae had her laugh, but Kara thought she had Lena’s smile, and that it was the most beautiful smile that Kara had ever seen. She picked Mae up and carried her over to a table where Lena was waiting with ice cream. Kara smiled. This is what they all needed: a day of fun and relaxation.“Was that fun, Mae?”“Yeah! Again! Again!”“How about we eat ice cream first and then we can go again?”“Yay!” Mae squealed as she climbed up onto the bench next to Lena, Kara sitting right beside her so Mae was sandwiched in between her mothers.“You two looked like you had fun,” Lena observed.“Only the best!” Kara exclaimed as she ate her ice cream, inadvertently dripping it down the front of her shirt. Mae, giggling at the mess her mother made, also did the same, causing Lena to shake her head.“You’re lucky I thought to get extra napkins,” she said as she began to wipe the dribble off of Mae’s chin, moving over to Kara once she was done, unable to contain her smile at the face the blonde was making at her. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”“I’m just having fun, Lee,” Kara grinned. “You know how much I love ice cream.”“I would think you didn’t love it that much considering how often you spill it on yourself.”Before Kara could retort, her phone rang in her coat pocket, her heart sinking a little as she answered it. So much for relaxing.“Hello?”“Little Danvers, you got to get down here.”“Maggie, what’s going on? Where are you?”“On the way to National City Bank. There’s a robbery going on.”Kara furrowed her brow. “Then why do you need me? You remember how you reacted the last time I intervened on a robbery?”“There’s something weird going on. Winn said the robber just walked in, no resistance whatsoever.”Okay, that was weird. “I’ll be right there.” She hung up and turned to Lena, an apologetic look in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”Lena nodded understandingly. “Do you need any help?”“No, take Mae home. I can handle this,” Kara said as she stood up. “I’ll see you later?”Lena furrowed her brow, but nodded. “Yeah. Be safe, please.”“I will.” Kara leaned down and kissed Lena before placing one on Mae’s head. “See you later, sweetie.” With that, she removed her glasses and took off towards the bank.-------------------------------------------------------------Kara flew inside the bank’s doors and right towards the vaults, where she found a tall blonde woman slowly putting stacks of money into a black duffel bag. “That’s enough,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “I’m taking you in.”The other woman raised her head, and Kara could sense the smirk forming on her lips. “I was wondering if I was going to see you,” she replied, turning around to face Supergirl. “I must say, I thought you would be taller.”“Enough games,” Kara said, her patience wearing thin at the arrogance of this woman as she stepped forward.“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the woman said, her eyes narrowing maliciously. All of the sudden, Kara was overcome with a wave of fear, her chest constricting tighter and tighter as she fought to keep her balance.“It was a pleasure meeting you, Supergirl,” the woman said as she walked past her. “But I’ve got places to be.”Kara lunged towards her, but was knocked back against the wall as the vault morphed into the cosmos, leaving her floating aimlessly among the stars. Kara closed her eyes, but she could still see it, still feel her body floating as she let out an anguished cry.“Supergirl!”Kara heard a muffled voice, but couldn’t see where it was coming from, making her more panicked than before. She felt a hand on her and she reached out for it, tears brimming in her eyes. “Help me,” she whispered. “Help me.”----------------------------------------------------Lena strode into the DEO with Mae on her hip and headed straight to the medical ward, the call from Alex still replaying in her head.“Alex,” she said when she saw the agent, her voice cracking slightly. “What happened? Is she alright?”“She’s fine,” Alex responded, but the worry in her brown eyes told Lena otherwise. “She’s physically fine, but…”“But what?”Alex looked up at her. “Maggie found her in a vault, backed into a corner and on the verge of tears. It took a while to calm her back down, but Kara is still very on edge. Whatever this person did to her, it really did a number.”“Can I see her?”“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“Alex, please!”The agent sighed, knowing Lena was going to see Kara one way or another. “Okay. She’s inside.”Lena stepped inside the medical ward, her grip on Mae getting tighter when she saw Kara sitting on the edge of the bed, the Super’s knuckles white and her eyes vacant.“Kara?” Lena prompted. Her wife’s head whipped around, her body and face visibly relaxing when she saw her family standing there. Kara strode across the room, wrapping Lena and Mae up in a strong hug, burying her face in Lena’s shoulder.“Kara, what’s wrong?” Lena asked. “What happened?”The Kryptonian’s body tensed up again, her arms wrapping tighter around Lena’s body. Mae reached over and gave Kara a hug, causing the blonde to erupt into tears.“Kara, sweetie, what happened?”Kara lifted her head, her blue eyes red and raw from crying. “Can you just hold me? Please?”Lena nodded, wondering what the hell happened to her wife to make her so afraid. “Of course, love.”They sat back down on the bed, Lena slowly rocking Kara back and forth as Mae fell asleep to the rhythm. Lena kissed her wife on the top of her head as she whispered affirmations of love to her, telling Kara everything was going to be okay. In some ways, Lena was also telling herself that, but she didn’t know if she believed that.-----------------------------------------------------Kara remained in a funk for the next few days. She woke up every night screaming from nightmares, screaming in a language Lena could only assume was Kryptonese, and Lena would stay up with her and reassure her that there was nothing to be afraid of, that she was home with her family, safe and sound. Kara also lost a bit of her pep, going through the motions at both CatCo and the DEO with a fake smile on her face, and it broke Lena’s heart to witness. What made things worse was that Mae was beginning to notice the change in her mother’s behavior and got upset as well, which added to Lena’s concerns. She asked Kara if she wanted to talk, but Kara brushed her off every time, claiming that she was fine when she very clearly wasn’t.“It’s like talking to a wall,” Lena vented to Alex when the latter came over one day. Kara was still at CatCo finishing an article and the babysitter had canceled, so Lena had stayed home and hung out with Mae, who was currently napping. “I just…I want to help her, but I can’t if she won’t let me.”Alex nodded, giving Lena a sympathetic look. “I know how you feel.”“That’s why I called you over here,” Lena said. “Is there something I’m missing? Is there a way that I can help her?”Alex shook her head after a moment. “It’s like you said. You can’t help her if she doesn’t want to be helped.”Lena sighed dejectedly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.“Hey,” Alex said. “She’ll come to you when she’s ready.”“What if she never is?”“She will be.”“Has she talked to you?”Alex was silent for a second too long, and Lena put two and two together. “She has, hasn’t she?”“No, she hasn’t!” Alex countered. “I know Kara like I know my own mind. I know what she likes, what she doesn’t like, and what makes her tick.”“So you know what’s bothering her then?”Alex nodded. “I think so.”“Then tell me, I want to help.”“Again, like you said, Kara will come to you when she’s ready,” Alex replied. “And she will be ready. You just got to give her some space to process this.”Lena let out an annoyed huff, but nodded nonetheless. This just reminded her too much of last year, where Kara had thrown all of her focus into being Supergirl. Her reason then was to make the world a safer place for their daughter, but now Lena was worried that Kara would do it again, but as a distraction. That thought scared her more than anything. The sound of her phone going off brought Lena back to reality.“I got to go,” she said, her tone hard as she grabbed her leather jacket and headed towards the door.“What’s going on?”Lena stopped just as her hand wrapped around the doorknob, turning around with a worrying look in her eyes. “It’s Kara.”----------------------------------------------------------Kara opened her eyes slowly, the ceiling of the medical ward coming into focus as she pushed herself up. Her chest was hurting a bit, which she found strange; she didn’t remember getting hit recently. All she remembered was getting a call that Psi had hit up another bank, getting in the elevator, and then…darkness. She was still in her work clothes, so what the hell happened?“Kara?”Kara turned to see Lena sitting next to her, a worried expression etched onto her face. “Lee? What happened? Are—are you alright?”“Am I alright?” Lena scoffed. “Are you? You’re lucky James found you when he did.”Kara furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”“He found you passed out in the elevator at CatCo with your shirt undone revealing the Supergirl logo of your costume.” Lena reached out and squeezed Kara’s hand. “Kara, what happened?”The blonde shook her head vehemently. “I—I don’t know. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I remember getting in the elevator, and then nothing.”“Do you think this has something to do with what Psi did to you?”Kara froze, the memory of her first encounter with the metahuman coming back in full force. “I don’t know.”Lena was silent for a long while before she spoke again. “What did she do to you?”That was the question Kara had been avoiding for the past few days; she just didn’t know how to talk about this with Lena. Hell, it took her a long while before she could talk about it with Alex, and even then it still felt strange.“Kara, sweetie, you know you can talk to me.” Lena’s voice was soft and sincere, and it made Kara’s heart melt.“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”“Okay,” Lena said. “I respect that. But are you ever going to want to talk about it?”Kara shook her head. “I don’t know, Lee. I will, but…just not like this.”“Not like what?”Kara swallowed, her throat threatening to close itself up from within. “I…I don’t want you to see me like this. To see me so…weak.”Lena furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”“Psi, she…she got in my head somehow,” Kara explained, the words coming out of her at an alarming rate, but there was no point in stopping now. “And she put me back in the pod, back in the Phantom Zone. I saw Krypton explode before my very eyes again.” Kara closed her eyes, gripping the edge of the bed as tight as she could without breaking it. “I thought I had moved past all that, that…all of that was in my past, but now I can’t stop thinking about Krypton. About…them.”Kara didn’t even bother to try and stop her tears. Lena immediately got up and wrapped her wife in a hug, rocking her back and forth and rubbing her back, telling her that everything was going to be all right.“What if it isn’t, Lee?” Kara choked. “What if I can’t move past it this time?”“You will, Kar.” Lena said, her voice soft but resolute. “You are the strongest person I know, and you will overcome this and I will be right by your side every step of the way. And when you do face Psi again, I will be there as well.” She placed a sweet kiss on Kara’s temple. “You don’t have to carry this burden alone anymore. I'm right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”Kara smiled, cupping Lena’s cheeks with her hands and pressing their foreheads together. “What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?”Lena kissed Kara on her nose. “By being you. I love you so much.”“I love you, too.”She pulled Lena close and kissed her slowly, running her hand through Lena’s dark hair and deepening the kiss. She thanked the gods for bringing Lena into her life: sweet, kind, understanding Lena with her strong heart and pure soul. Kara thought she was un-deserving of this kind of love, especially after everything that happened with Mon-El, but Lena was constantly proving her wrong time and time again. The love she felt for Lena was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her wedding ring shone in the light as she continued to run her fingers through Lena’s soft hair, and she smiled. Lena was hers, and she was Lena’s. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.---------------------------------------------------------The next face-off with Psi comes much too soon for Kara’s taste, but Lena gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, and Kara knows that everything will be just fine. At least, she hopes so anyway.They find Psi strolling out of another bank with two large duffel bags full of money in each hand, a malicious smirk on her face, and cut her off just as she’s about to join the corner.“Ah, Supergirl, lovely to see you again,” Psi purred. “And you brought a friend this time. Too scared to face me alone?”Kara balled her fists and clenched her jaw. “Quite the opposite.”“Oh no,” Psi tsked. “You say these words, but your body betrays you. Fear is a powerful tool, Supergirl. I wonder what you see when I bring you to your knees.”“That’s not going to happen.” Lena took a step forward, her ring hand outstretched. Psi let out a cackle.“Nice get-up,” she mocked. “Well, if you’re willing to be so self-sacrificial, so be it.”Psi pushed forward a blast of transparent energy, but Lena was able to block it in time with a wall construct from her ring, giving Supergirl time to fly around and subdue Psi, but the metahuman just laughed.“You think that I’ll just go quietly into that good night?” she asked. “No, I prefer to go hearing the screams of my victims.”She sent another blast of energy right onto Kara, causing the caped hero to stumble backwards. Her breaths got tighter and her heart was hammering within her chest as she fell onto the concrete, her entire body shaking as the world closed in on her.“Kara!”Just like that, Lena was right beside her, but still felt so far away from her, Lena’s voice muffled as if she was underwater.“Kara! Kara, stay with me. I’m right here. Focus on my voice.”Kara looked around, her hand tightening around a familiar hand as she tried to control her breathing.“That’s it, Kara. Breathe. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m right here.”Lena.The world stopped spinning and her chest stopped aching, at least for now, as she leaned into the love of her life. “Lena.”“I’m right here, love.”“Thank you,” Kara breathed. “Where’s Psi?”“I got her,” Lena said. “It’s over.”Kara sighed in relief. “I’m sorry.”“It’s alright,” Lena said as she kissed the top of Kara’s head. “It’s not your fault.”Kara took several deep breaths as she repeated that mantra in her head. It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault.“Everything’s going to be alright, sweetie.” Lena said. “Let’s go home.”------------------------------------------------------------Lena woke up later that night to a strange sound coming from down the hall. She got out of bed and walked towards it, the sound becoming more melodic and familiar as she got closer, and she smiled; she recognized that voice anywhere. Lena slowly opened the door to Mae’s room and saw Kara sitting in the rocking chair, rocking a sleeping Mae back in forth as Kara softly sang to her in Kryptonese. Lena leaned against the doorframe as her wife continued to sing in this strange yet beautiful language, each syllable rolling off her tongue with ease. Lena made a mental note to have Kara teach it to her someday.“Hey, you.”Lena hadn’t noticed that Kara had stopped singing and was looking right at her, her blue eyes shining like rare crystals in the dim lighting. “That was beautiful.”Kara blushed. “My mother used to sing that to me every night before I went to sleep. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it, I thought I would forget the words, but I don’t think I did.”Lena stepped closer and knelt down in front of Kara. “And what prompted you to want to sing to our daughter in your native tongue?”Kara smiled sadly. “This whole thing with Psi…it made me think. I do miss my old life on Krypton. I miss my parents, especially, and our little traditions that we would do, and for the longest time, I had no one to share them with. Not even Kal who was already grown up and living on the other side of the country. But now I do, with Mae. And with you.”Lena smiled, kissing the top of Mae’s head before kissing Kara on the cheek. “Always.”They stayed like that for a while longer, until Kara put Mae back in her bed and crawled back into hers beside Lena. They kissed each other goodnight, Kara wrapping her arms around Lena as she fell into a deep sleep. Lena ran her fingers through Kara’s long blonde locks, her heart swelling with love for the Kryptonian in her arms. She was also so proud of Kara for turning a horrible situation into something good, something that Kara always had a knack of doing, even in the most dire of circumstances, and that was one of the many reasons that Lena fell in love with her. And was still falling in love with her. The way Kara had been singing to Mae was so beautiful and heartfelt, it nearly brought Lena to tears. Kara now had someone to share her story with, someone to pass these traditions down to.And Lena was happy that she would be there to witness it and be a part of it as well.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Is there anything else I can get for you, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor?”Lena looked up from her laptop. “No, Miss Teschmacher, that’ll be all. Oh, did you set up the appointment with Ms. Arias?”“Yes ma’am!” Eve nodded a little too enthusiastically. “She’ll be here at nine o’clock sharp on Friday morning.”Lena smiled graciously. As much as she loved working at CatCo now, the workload had tripled tremendously and having someone to help her out with it would be much welcome. “Thank you, Miss Teschmacher. You can go home now if you like.”“What about you, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor?”“I still have some paperwork to look over, but I’ll be leaving shortly, don’t worry.”“Have a good night, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor.”“You too, Miss Teschmacher.”Just as Eve left, Lena’s phone rang, her lips forming a smile when she saw Kara’s name pop up.“You still at the office?”Lena chuckled. “What do you think?”“I think you work too hard,” Kara said. “When are you coming home?”“Soon.”“Soon as in two minutes or soon as in two hours?”Lena sighed amusingly. Kara knew her so well. “Soon, love. I promise.”There was silence on the other end, followed by some shuffling which made Lena confused. “Kara, is everything alright?”“Yeah, everything’s fine. Just put Mae to bed. I don’t know how she has so much energy!”Lena laughed. “She gets it from you. How is she?”“Haha, very funny,” Kara said. “She’s great! She’s loving school so far. When I picked her up today, she was talking and playing with the other kids, so I think it’s safe to say that she’s made friends.”“Again, she gets it from you,” Lena said. Kara had always been the more outgoing one, both as Kara Danvers and Supergirl; a walking ray of sunshine wherever she went, attracting everyone and everything to her light, and it appeared that Mae was going to be the same way. Lena had her reservations about sending Mae to a public school since she had been showing signs of powers since she was a little less than a year old, and Kara was as well for obvious reasons. Both had had a chat with little Mae and told her that she couldn’t use her powers, hoping that the three year old would understand at least half of what they were saying, and so far, she seemed to. There had been no strange incidents at school as of yet, which Kara and Lena were both grateful for. It would look awfully suspicious if the child of National City’s most infamous businesswoman and “normal” reporter starting flying around the classroom whenever she got excited.“She inherited that Danvers’ spunk from you, Kara,” Lena said, smiling. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned out to be a spitting image of you when she gets older.”Kara scoffed on the other line. “Lena, Mae looks exactly like you. Beautiful, elegant, poised…other adjectives that are synonymous with those.”“Aren’t you supposed to be a reporter? You know, someone who writes professionally for a living?”“Hey, it’s been a long day and I’m exhausted. You’re lucky I was able to come up with synonymous.”Lena chuckled wholeheartedly. “How was your day?”She heard Kara yawn. “It was good. Stopped a few more alien arms deals today. I swear, those are happening more and more lately, so I gave one to Winn so he could have a look at what we’re dealing with. And I really am missing a certain Green Lantern fighting by my side.”Lena smirked. “I miss that, too, but I am interviewing someone in a few days who could potentially take over for me at L-Corp while I oversee things over here, so I might be back out in the field sooner than you think.”“Lena, that’s great! That’ll be good for you! Rao knows you work too much, and Mae will be happy that you’re home.” Kara paused. “She misses you. I miss you.”“I miss you both, too,” Lena sighed, wanting to ask Kara how the other part of her day went, but resigned herself to wait until she got home. “Well, I guess I can finish all of this paperwork in the morning. I’ll be home in a few minutes.”Kara squealed with delight on the other end, nearly causing Lena to go deaf in her left ear. “Kara, isn’t Mae asleep?”“Oh, right! Shh! Sorry!”Lena rolled her eyes amusingly. “Dork.”“Hey, I’m your dork. Forever.”“I know, sweetie. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”“Neither would I. I love you.”“Love you, too. I’ll see you soon.”Lena hung up and packed up her things, changing into her suit as she stepped out onto the balcony where the cool, crisp October air greeted her. She took off towards the skies and towards her apartment, where Kara was still awake, flipping through channels on the television in the living room.“Hey,” the blonde greeted, walking over and wrapping Lena up in her arms, spinning her around before planting several kisses on her lips.“Hey back,” Lena said as they walked back over to the couch and sat down, Lena resting her head on Kara’s shoulder as the latter played with her hair. “So your day was good?”Kara nodded. “Yeah, it was.”“Do you want to talk about it?”“What do you mean?”“Did you go?”Kara nodded again. “Yeah, I went. It was good.”Lena placed a soft, reassuring kiss on Kara’s neck. Kara had been going to therapy ever since the whole incident with Psi, and from what Lena has seen and what Kara has told her, it had been going well. She still had nightmares every now and then, but they too were becoming easier to get through. “I’m proud of you.”“Thanks,” Kara said, pulling Lena in closer. “Thank you for sticking with me.”“Of course, darling. I’m always here for you.”Kara smiled, placing a kiss on Lena’s temple. “There is one other thing?”“Hmm?”Kara was silent for a while before sitting up a bit. Lena furrowed her brow. “Darling, what’s wrong?”“Nothing’s wrong,” Kara said. “It’s just…you remember M’Gann? The Martian girl I told you about?”Lena nodded.“Well, J’onn received a message from her,” Kara explained. “A…mind message, I’m not sure how that works. But M’Gann said she needed J’onn to come to Mars as soon as possible, and he wants me to go with him.”Lena stared at Kara, her eyes wide. “What? Go to Mars? What for?”“Long story, but J’onn wants me to go as a form of backup.”Lena looked down at her nails, trying to process the information given to her. Kara was going on a mission to Mars with J’onn for…God knows how long as backup for…something that Lena just knew was dangerous. Everything in her was telling her to tell Kara to stay, that she had no business going to Mars, but a small yet powerful voice told her that this was Kara’s choice, and she knew that Kara would help her family no matter what.“When will you leave?”“Tomorrow morning.”Lena felt a lump in her throat, but ignored it as she nodded. “Just be safe, okay?”Kara smiled and pulled Lena in for a long kiss, wrapping her up in her arms. “I will. I promise.”They stayed like that for another hour or so before heading to bed, each kissing the other good night and falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.-----------------------------------------------------------------“Put your weight on your back foot, Lena. Just like we practiced.”Lena lunged, her fist connecting with Alex’s shoulder as the brunette attempted to dodge. She grunted as Lena smiled smugly.“You’re getting slow, Danvers,” she teased.“Oh, it’s on now, Luthor.”The two continued sparring, throwing jabs and kicks at the other, until Alex got the upper hand and pinned Lena to the ground. “Got ya, little Luthor.”Lena groaned. “Let me up.”Alex laughed, letting up as she went to go grab their towels and water bottles. “I gotta say, Lena, you have gotten infinitely better since the first time I trained you. Still a little wound-up, though.”Lena scoffed as Alex handed her a water bottle. “Thanks. Felt good to get a workout in.”“I bet! You traded one desk job for another. Why would you do that to yourself?”Lena laughed as she took a swig from her water. “To beat Edge at his own game. To show him that he won’t always win.”“Oh, please,” Alex scoffed. “We all know you did it for Kara.”“That was a big part of it, yes,” Lena said. “But speaking of doing things for love, why haven’t you proposed to Maggie yet?”Alex ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know.”“Alex, it’s been two years since you got the ring. What are you waiting for?”“I don’t know!” Alex exclaimed. “I guess I’m waiting for the right moment.”“And when’s that going to be?”The brunette huffed. “I’m starting to get real tired of saying I don’t know. Probably after her dad visits this weekend.”“Her dad’s coming to town?”“Yeah,” Alex said. “The whole ‘meet-the-parents’ deal. Maggie isn’t really looking forward to it.”Lena furrowed her brow. “I take it they aren’t all that close.”Alex shook her head. “Quite the opposite actually.”“I know all about that,” Lena said darkly, the thought of her mother popping up in her brain leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. It had been years since Lillian was arrested for her actions as Cadmus’ leader and a little less than when she escaped and went on the run. Lena hadn’t heard from Lillian since Kara, as Supergirl, had saved her from a Kryptonite explosion in one of Lex’s old hideouts, and was waiting with bated breath for the day she would. She was surprised that Lillian hadn’t shown up earlier considering her marriage to Kara and the fact the two now have a child together, and a super-powered child at that.“I got to go,” Alex said as she checked her phone. “Maggie said her dad will be arriving soon.”“Good luck.”“Thanks. I might need it. And don’t do anything stupid ‘cause Kara will kill us both when she gets back.”With that, Alex gathered her stuff and left the training room, leaving Lena alone with her thoughts. She let out a breath as she headed to the showers to get cleaned up, flying to CatCo after soaring a few laps around the city for a quick patrol. Eve greeted her with a cup of coffee as Lena headed into her office, ready to tackle the paperwork she didn’t finish last night, burying herself into her work until it was time to go home.Lena got home a little after eight, something she would’ve never done a few years ago, but that all changed when Mae came into her life. Lena thanked the babysitter and paid her before going to check on her daughter, who was fast asleep in her little bed. Lena smiled. Mae’s resemblance to Kara was uncanny; she didn’t know how Kara couldn’t see it. She placed a kiss on Mae’s forehead before heading on to her own room.The room was awfully quiet when she stepped inside, the emptiness Kara had left permeating the entire place. The Kryptonian had left for Mars earlier that morning, promising to come home to her and Mae as soon as possible, cementing the promise with several kisses. Lena sighed as she lay down, her fist closing on cold, empty sheets; she missed Kara. It hadn’t even been a full day since Kara left, but it felt like a lifetime to Lena. As she closed her eyes, Lena hoped that Kara was safe and prayed to the powers-that-be that the Kryptonian would return to her arms unharmed.--------------------------------------------------------------------Kara didn’t know what to expect when she agreed to go with J’onn to his home planet, but she certainly wasn’t expecting the White Martian rebels to have J’onn’s estranged father in their camp. J’onn was every bit as surprised as Kara was, probably even more when M’Gann showed him; it was hard enough for him to return to the planet where his family and people were slaughtered like animals, so to now find out that his father was not only alive but had survived hundreds of years of torture…Kara was worried that it might all be too much for J’onn.“Are you alright?” she said as she walked up to him.J’onn shrugged, his eyes never leaving his father. “I haven’t seen my father in three hundred years, so I thought…I thought he was dead. But he’s here, right in front of me. I’m not the last Green Martian after all.”Kara placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. “You should talk to him.”“And say what exactly? He probably thinks I’m dead as well.”“But you’re not, and he’ll see that.” Kara turned to look at J’onn. “I would give anything to talk to my parents again, to hug them, to tell them how much I love them, but they’re gone. All I have left are holograms. But you, J’onn, your father is sitting right there, alive and well. You get another chance to talk to him, to hug him, to tell him how much you love him and how much you missed him, and I am not letting you lose that chance.”J’onn turned to Kara and smiled slightly. “Lena and Mae are both really lucky to have you in their lives, as am I. You must miss them terribly.”Kara nodded solemnly, folding her arms across her chest. “More every minute I’m gone.”“You’ll be back soon,” J’onn reassured as he took a deep breath and entered the room his father was being held in. Kara watched the reunion unfold from the outside, trying not to cry as she thought about the family she lost on Krypton and the family that was waiting for her back on Earth.--------------------------------------------------------------“Can you hand me that screwdriver there? I think I almost got it.”Winn handed Lena the tool as they operated on a device that Lena hoped would somewhat resemble the design she had Alura—or her hologram, at least—give her. It was supposed to be a sort of Kryptonian puzzle box, a popular toy according to Kara, especially with children who were destined to become a part of the Science Guild like she was. It was kind of like a Rubik’s cube, in a sense. Lena had wanted to gift this to Mae for her third birthday, so she enlisted Winn to help her build it, but it took longer than expected to fully understand the mechanics of what is essentially an alien toy, so it wasn’t ready in time. But now, Lena thought, the box would be ready by the day’s end.“Mae’s going to love this,” Winn said as he looked over at the girl coloring in her book on the floor. “I know I do.”“If you wanted me to make one for you as well, you could’ve just asked,” Lena jested.“Really? Can I get one for my birthday?”Lena socked Winn in the arm. “Ow,” Winn winced. “You got a mean right hook.”“I didn’t even hit you that hard.”Winn scoffed, but before he could form a retort, Mae ran over with her finished picture. “Mama, Mama, look!”Lena put down her tools and knelt down. “What is it, dear?”“I dwew you and Mommy.”Mae handed Lena the picture, the latter’s heart melting at the swirls of red and blue and yellow and the splashes of green and black that were supposed to resemble her and Kara flying over National City. “It’s beautiful, dear. Thank you.”Mae beamed as she went back to her area and began to color some more. Lena smiled as well as she stood back up and placed the picture on top of the table.“Looks like Mae should be in the Artist Guild instead of the Science Guild,” Winn joked, earning a small laugh from Lena. Kara had told them all about Krypton and the many guilds the planet had housed, and had been telling Mae stories about her life before Earth each night before the girl went to bed. Lena sometimes joined the two for story-time and listened along with Mae, enraptured by Kara’s tales and saddened by the way Kara talked about her home world. In a way, this box they were working on was as much a gift to Kara as it was to Mae, to give Kara a part of her culture back. The Kryptonian had done so much for Lena ever since they met, it was the least she could do to repay her. The quiet moment didn’t last long before Winn’s tablet lit up, signifying danger in the city.“Someone’s breaking into a research facility downtown,” Winn said as he typed away. “Looks like a job for a certain Green Lantern.”Lena touched her ring and her suit formed over her body. “Look after Mae for me?”Winn nodded as Lena left the room and ran to the balcony, taking off towards the facility. She flew in with ease, entering a large workspace where every station was abandoned and the room completely empty. There was no one here.
That’s odd.
Lena flew around, her eyes scanning the place for any clues while secretly wishing that she had x-ray vision like Kara. “Winn, I’m not finding anything here.”“That’s strange, ‘cause there are multiple bogies coming at you from all sides.”Lena turned around to see a masked man pointing a gun up at her, barely reacting in time as he pulled the trigger. She flew out of the way as an odd-looking bullet whizzed past her, quickly making a shield construct with her ring as she sped towards the man, knocking him out. Just then, several more men appeared out of the shadows, firing round after round at her. The shield morphed into a green sphere around Lena as she flew around, disarming and knocking out the men one by one with blasts of green energy. She landed next to one of them and picked up the gun to examine it. It was definitely an alien gun judging by the markings on the side—she knew those bullets looked strange—and everyone appeared to have one. Lena knelt down and removed the mask of one of her assailants, his dirty blond hair all mussed and sweaty and his nose broken and bloody, but Lena didn’t recognize him.“Lena.” Winn’s voice in her ear made her jump. “Lena, are you alright?”“Yes, Winn, I’m fine.” Lena stood up. “I think I found who’s been buying the alien weapons.”“Hello, Lena.”Lena whipped around, her heart stopping when she saw the cold, smug face of Lillian Luthor smiling at her. “What have I told you about staring, dear?” Lillian said. “Now come give your mother a hug. It’s been too long.”-----------------------------------------------------------------Kara walked in silence behind J’onn and his father, M’yrnn, as J’onn led them across the red terrain of the planet. The two Martians were silent as well, and Kara could feel the tension between them since their reunion didn’t go too well; M’yrnn had been and was still convinced that J’onn was a White Martian in disguise, and J’onn was now trying to prove that he wasn’t by taking him…Kara didn’t exactly know where yet, but she hoped that it would be enough to change M’yrnn’s mind. J’onn had lost so much, and Kara just wanted him to be happy.It was what he deserved.They continued to walk in silence until they came across an abandoned village filled with run-down huts. Each hut was made out of a mixture of red clay and stone, and had different colored cloths connecting each one that were torn and tattered. The trio entered the house in the middle of the village, the interior matching the outside almost identically save for a couple sets of stairs, a table, and a few chairs and couches. Kara took it all in, her heart sinking the longer she looked; this place looked like it hadn’t been lived in in a long, long time.“Why have you taken me here?” M’yrnn demanded as he rounded on J’onn.“This is our home, Father,” J’onn said. “This was our home.”M’yrnn shook his head. “No. No, this was my home. How dare you take me here? Does your kind have no compassion?” He stormed off to a corner and knelt down to pray, at least it looked that way to Kara. J’onn looked absolutely heartbroken, and Kara knew that whatever she said wouldn’t help. Before she could do anything, however, J’onn walked over to M’yrnn and knelt down in front of him.“I know you don’t believe that it’s really me, Father,” J’onn said. “I thought showing you our home would help you remember. But I think I need to show you something else.” J’onn placed a hand on M’yrnn’s shoulder, and the expression on the older Martian’s face softened as he and J’onn looked at the center of the house, smiling and laughing. Kara assumed J’onn was sharing a memory with M’yrnn, a memory that included their family from the way they were talking and smiling, and it appeared to be working. M’yrnn turned back to J’onn, tears brimming in his eyes.“My son,” he breathed as he wrapped his arms around J’onn. “It is you.”J’onn was crying too. “Father.”Kara smiled, trying to hold back her own tears but failing miserably. She was happy for J’onn, that he was given another chance to be with his family, but it just made her miss her own. She missed Lena terribly, missed the feeling of being held in her arms, the softness of her hair and the scent of lavender shampoo that accompanied it; she missed the warmth of Mae’s laugh and the gleam of her smile. Kara let out a breath. She would be seeing them soon, but there was still something they had to do. She only hoped that everything was all right at home.---------------------------------------------------------------Lena was frozen where she stood, her eyes locked on the figure of her mother standing before her. Of course Cadmus was behind all of this. “What are you doing here?”“Lena, what’s happening down there?”The older woman laughed icily, sending a shiver down Lena’s spine. “Cut the crap, Lena. I know it’s you under that horrific excuse of a mask.”Lena swallowed, the mask on her face vanishing as she turned off her earpiece and turned to face Lillian fully. “Do I even need to ask how you knew it was me?”“I’ve been keeping tabs on you since my trial. I know all about your super heroic antics as well as…other things that you have been doing.”Lena clenched her jaw as her hands balled into fists. “Say her name, Mother. Kara.”Lillian scoffed. “What happened to you, Lena? You had so much potential…”“Potential for what, Lillian?” Lena took an angry step towards the older woman. “To go crazy like Lex? To be driven to the brink of insanity in a quest for revenge and kill millions of innocents in the process? I’m not a murderer.”“No. You’re not,” Lillian agreed.“So why are you here?” Lena demanded, her patience beginning to wear thin. “Something important must’ve brought you back here, otherwise you wouldn’t have come out of hiding.”“You’re right about it being important,” Lillian said, her expression softening a little. “I came back for you, and for my granddaughter. I want to be a part of her life.”A wave of dread washed over Lena, her eyes going wide. “That’s bullshit.”“It’s the truth, Lena.”“Well, I don’t buy it.” Lena shook her head vehemently. “You vilify and crucify the alien citizens of this city for years, including Supergirl, and now you wish to be a part of my daughter’s life, who is half-alien by the way? No. Not as long as I’m still breathing. You will never go near my daughter if you value your life.”Lillian threw her head back and cackled. “And here you said you were nothing like your brother.”The words knocked the air clean out of Lena’s lungs, her throat closing up from within as her body trembled with anger. “I’m not. I’m not like Lex, and I never will be.”“Keep telling yourself that,” Lillian smirked. “You want to reject my offer, fine. But you can’t reject who you are, Lena. You are a Luthor. It’s only a matter of time before you realize that.”Just then, several DEO agents swarmed the place, shouting at Lillian to put her hands up. Lena put her mask back on as Lillian was subdued and led away in handcuffs, the older woman’s smirk never leaving her face. Lena remained still, her body tense with anger and fear as Lillian’s words drilled themselves into her brain, repeating themselves over and over like a vicious mantra.
You are a Luthor. It’s only a matter of time before you realize that.
You are a Luthor. It’s only a matter of time before you realize that.
You are a Luthor. It’s only a matter of time before you realize that.
“Green Lantern.” Agent Vasquez’s voice brought Lena out of her stupor. “Are you all right?”Lena slowly nodded as Vasquez and her team moved to gather the unconscious bodies of Lillian’s cohorts and load them in the vans. Lena’s heart was hammering against her sternum so hard that she thought it might break. Her mind was a whirlwind, with every thought blurring together except for one.
I need to get out of here.
With that, Lena rushed out of the facility and took off towards the skies, flying a few laps around the city in an attempt to clear her head; in the end, all it managed to do was make her cry. Seeing Lillian again after all these years…it brought all of these emotions back to the surface; the years of neglect, pain, and abuse all coming back and bowling over her like a tidal wave. After flying a few more laps, Lena managed to steady herself and fly back to the DEO, where an excited Mae was waiting. Lena took her up in her arms and hugged her as tight as she could, tighter than she had ever hugged Mae before. Lillian wasn’t going to get to her, not while Lena was around.----------------------------------------------------------Kara didn’t waste any time flying home once she and J’onn returned to Earth. The White Martian rebels had managed to defeat their counterparts with Kara and J’onn’s help, and J’onn had offered to take M’yrnn with him back to Earth so they could reconnect and live a life together, and Kara was happy for them both. She smiled as she flew through the sky—it felt so good to fly again—as she headed straight for the apartment where Lena and Mae were waiting. She landed on the balcony and entered the apartment with a big smile on her face, which faded quickly when she saw Lena sitting on the couch with a somber expression on her face and her green eyes red and raw.“Lena?” Kara rushed over and wrapped Lena up in her embrace, which the latter immediately melted into. “Sweetie, are you all right? What’s going on? Is it Mae?”Lena shook her head. “Mae’s fine. I just put her to bed.”“Then what is it?”Lena was silent, but Kara could hear the Lantern’s heart increasing its pace tenfold. “Hey, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. Just know that I’m here for you, all right?”“I know.” Lena sat up slightly and turned to face Kara. “Lillian’s back, and so is Cadmus. They’re the ones behind the arms deals.”Kara’s eyes widened. “What? Are you serious?”Lena nodded.“What did she want?”“She wants to be a part of my life, and of Mae’s life.”Kara stared at Lena and shook her head violently. “Like hell she will. That monster is not coming within ten feet of our baby girl, I promise you that.”“That’s what I said,” Lena said, resting her head on Kara’s shoulder. “I’m scared, Kara. I know we locked Lillian up, but I can’t shake this feeling that this isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of her.”“Hey,” Kara said as she placed a soft kiss on Lena’s hair. “Everything’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.”They sat like that in silence for a while, Kara kissing Lena and whispering loving affirmations to her every so often. She hated seeing Lena like this, so dejected and lifeless. She hated Lillian even more for making Lena feel like this, and she silently swore that Lillian wasn’t going to come near her family ever again. It was an hour later before Lena spoke.“How was your trip?”Kara laughed as she ran her fingers through Lena’s hair. “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Looks like both of us need some sleep.”Lena nodded slowly, yawning as Kara carried her back to their room. Kara wrapped her arms around her wife and both fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.------------------------------------------------------------Alex lay awake in her bed, Maggie dozing silently beside her. Her meeting with Maggie’s father did not go well, to put it lightly. For starters, he was a giant homophobe, barely giving Alex a second glance while looking away in disgust when Alex and Maggie did anything slightly romantic with each other. Maggie and her father got into a screaming match towards the end of the visit, and the officer had been in a funk ever since. Alex tried her best to comfort her, but Maggie said she just wanted to be left alone, so Alex left her alone though it broke her heart to do so. She sighed, deciding now wasn’t the best time to pop the question she had been wanting to do since her and Maggie started dating.Just for a little longer, Alex thinks as she turns over and attempts to fall asleep.Just for a little longer.
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Lena sat on the side of the soccer field as Mae sat on her lap, cheering along with Sam and Kara as they watched Sam’s daughter, Ruby, maneuver up and down the field with a soccer ball at her feet. They had been going to Ruby’s games for the past month ever since the season started and Mae was having the time of her life. Ever since Lena hired Sam to take over for her at L-Corp, both of their families had gotten really close. Lena had known Sam since college, sharing one too many late nights together studying for exams and even more when they first worked together at Sam’s family’s company. They stayed in touch after graduation, but that steadily declined as Lena’s workload increased when she became CEO and when Sam's motherly duties increased.Thankfully, Sam had gladly accepted her offer when she moved to National City a little over a year ago, and it was like Lena never left; they reconnected quickly, getting coffee and lunch dates once a week and sometimes meeting up with Kara if the blonde wasn’t busy with reporting or being Supergirl. Kara and Sam hit it off right away, much to Lena’s relief and surprise, and so did Mae and Ruby when they finally met.“Mama, can I play soccer like Ruby?”Lena looked down at her daughter, bright blue orbs filled with hope staring back up at her. God, could she love those eyes any more? “Maybe, sweetie. We’ll have to ask your mom.”Mae cheered as Kara looked over and nodded, causing Lena to laugh and roll her eyes as she hugged her daughter closer to her. Mae had been idolizing Ruby ever since the day they met, and had been wanting to do everything the older girl was doing ever since. Lena found that endearing, reminding her of her and Lex when they were children. Her heart ached at the thought of her brother, but the feeling quickly went away when Kara leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Lena turned fully to give Kara a kiss on the lips, a red blush creeping up the Kryptonian’s neck as her lips broke into a smile. A frustrated groan to her right got Lena’s attention.“Is everything all right, Sam?”Sam put down her phone and rubbed her temple with her fingers. “I can deal with crappy businessmen, no problem, but Morgan Edge is on a whole other level. How did you ever deal with him?”Lena ground her teeth, Kara still cheering as Ruby scored her second goal of the game. Edge had continued to be a pain in her ass ever since she bought CatCo, demeaning her and attacking her and her company at every opportunity. And now he was pestering Sam, which made Lena feel guilty, but that guilt was slightly overshadowed by anger. “One day at a time.”Sam huffed. “Whatever you did to piss him off, I almost wish you didn’t do that.”“I won is what I did,” Lena smirked. “Edge is just a sore loser who—”“Hello.”Sam and Lena turned around to see a wide-eyed woman staring at them. “Hello,” Sam tentatively greeted. “Can I help you?”“It is actually I who can help you,” the woman responded. “Is that your daughter?” Her eyes were locked on Mae. Sam shook her head as Lena tightened her grip on her four-year old daughter, whose attention was solely on the game. Kara soon noticed what was going on and moved closer to Lena, her arm wrapping protectively around her wife’s shoulder.“She has her eyes,” the woman murmured. Lena furrowed her brow. What the hell does that mean?“It’s by her grace that we have been saved.” The woman pulled a pamphlet out of her bag and handed it to Sam. “Come to our meeting, so we can show you your paths.”With that, she walked away, leaving Sam, Lena, and Kara standing after her with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.“Well, that was weird,” Sam said as she examined the pamphlet. “What even is this?”“Can I see that?”Sam handed the pamphlet over to Lena as the game ended and Ruby ran over to them. Mae wriggled out of Lena’s grip and Ruby wrapped her up in a hug as Sam congratulated her on a game well played. Lena narrowed her eyes as she overlooked the pamphlet. There was a strange symbol printed on the front of the paper; inside, there was only a date, time, and location. Everything about this set off all the alarms, and she didn’t like it one bit. She felt Kara stiffen beside her. “Kara, what is it?”It was a while before Kara responded, the chatter of the parents and the kid-athletes nearly drowning her out. “I know that symbol.”“What?” Lena leaned in closer to her wife. “What is it?”“It’s the symbol of Rao,” Kara answered. “He was the sun god in our religion. A lot of our teachings and ways of life are from him.”Lena furrowed her brow. “Then what is a human woman doing with this symbol?”Kara shook her head. “I don’t know. But it can’t be anything good.”---------------------------------------------------------Kara entered the run-down building with James and Winn flanking her, her hand squeezed tight around the pamphlet. She had been trying to find out more about the group the woman was a part of—she had to be part of a group, there was no way she was acting on her own accord—but had found nothing. There wasn’t even a name on the pamphlet, so Kara’s best bet was to go to the source herself.“Are you sure this is a good idea, Kara?” Winn asked as they entered a large, dark room where several people were standing around and talking to each other. “I’m getting a weird, cultish vibe from this.”“I need to find out what’s going on,” Kara said, looking at the symbols of Rao decorating the room as the meeting with the strange woman replayed in her head. The way she had looked at Mae left an uneasy feeling in Kara’s stomach, and she was determined to get to the bottom of this. They found seats in the back just as everyone was sitting down. A man emerged from the back, an aloof yet content look on his face as he took his place behind the pulpit.“Welcome, children of Rao,” he started, the smile never leaving his face. “We are here, every single one of us, because of her grace. We are standing in the light together for one reason. We are here because Supergirl saved us.”Kara’s eyes widened as James and Winn’s jaws dropped, everything slowing down around her as the preacher spoke the words her mother used to say when they worshipped, but they sounded different when he said them; not quite right.“He said you saved all of them,” James whispered to her. “Do you remember any of them?”Kara looked around at the faces surrounding her, and listened to the story one of the girls was sharing, about how Supergirl had saved her from jumping off a building. “I remember all of them.”Later that night, Kara told Lena what happened after they put Mae to sleep. “They’re twisting the teachings of Rao to fit their own agenda,” Kara said as she lay next to her wife. “The worst part is that they see me as some Christ figure, which I’m not.”“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Lena mused as she ran her fingers through Kara’s soft hair.“But I’m not a god, Lena,” Kara countered. “Not even close.”“You have superpowers, babe,” Lena said. “And you use them to save people everyday. It’s not all that surprising to me that some people see you as a divine being.”Kara sighed, resting her head on Lena’s shoulder and placing a gentle kiss on Lena’s pulse point. “Now I know why that lady was so fascinated with Mae. I have a cult following.”Lena laughed softly as Kara continued. “This just doesn’t feel right. That preacher guy gave me a bad vibe.”“Is Winn looking into him?”“Yeah. I’m going to go by the DEO in the morning and see what he gathered on the guy, then I’m going back to the cult building.”“Why?”“To hopefully put a stop to this.”“Do you want me to come with you?”Kara shook her head. “No, I need to do this as Kara Danvers.”“Don’t you think he might listen better if you were Supergirl?”Kara bit the inside of her cheek. Maybe it would be better to face the preacher man as the being he worshipped, but she shook her head. “I don’t want to intimidate him, so reporter Kara Danvers it is. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get a story out of this.”Lena chuckled. “Then I would have no choice but to put it on the front page.”Kara smiled up at her wife, whose green eyes were twinkling like jade stars. “Are you saying that because I’m a good writer or because I’m your wife?”“You’re an excellent writer, love,” Lena said. “But why do you think I bought CatCo?”Kara leaned up and kissed Lena full on the mouth, kissing her slowly and tenderly. “Have I ever told you that I love you?”“Only every day.”“Well, I love you. So much and more and more everyday.”“I love you, too. Goodnight, love.”“Goodnight.”Lena turned off the bedside light and curved into Kara’s side, the Kryptonian wrapping her up in her arms and placing a soft kiss on Lena’s dark hair. The sound of Lena’s heartbeat was soothing, beating like a bass drum as it lulled Kara further into sleep. Before she drifted off, Kara prayed to Rao to give her the strength and patience to fix this whole fiasco. Kara could sense trouble in the air, and she hoped she would be quick enough to stop it.--------------------------------------------------------Kara returned to the decrepit building the next day, fiddling with her glasses one more time before entering the “chapel.” Winn had told her that the preacher’s name was Thomas Coville and that he was on the same flight Alex was on the night Kara became Supergirl, so his “faith” in Kara’s alter ego made more sense now, but that didn’t make it any less creepy. She found Coville by the pulpit rearranging books and papers; it was as if he hadn’t moved since the previous night.“Excuse me,” she said, pulling out her pen and pad. “Mr. Coville?”“Hello there,” Coville greeted. “I recognize you from last night. I take it you enjoyed the sermon?”Kara nodded stiffly. “My name is Kara Danvers and I’m a reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media. I was hoping to get an exclusive from you about your…group and what you do here, if that’s all right.”Coville’s mouth stretched into a smile that made Kara’s skin crawl. “Is this a test?”Kara furrowed her brow. “I beg your pardon?”“The glasses are a nice touch,” Coville stated as he stepped out from behind the pulpit to face Kara fully. “But when you look into the eyes of God, you never forget, and I haven’t forgotten your eyes, Supergirl.”Kara felt her heart drop down to her stomach, her brain folding in on itself as it scrambled to find the right words. How the hell did he know? “I…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”“This is a test,” Coville explained. “You’ve come here to see if my faith is up to task. I assure you, Supergirl, that me and my fellowship have done everything in following the teachings of the almighty Rao in hopes to serve you better.”To hell with this. Kara angrily whipped off her glasses and glared at Coville. “You are twisting the teachings of Rao to fit your own personal agenda, and I want you to stop before someone gets hurt.”Coville furrowed his brow. “It is not my intention to hurt anyone, Supergirl. Quite the opposite, actually. My mission given to me by Rao is to show people their paths. And now that you’re here and I have seen your face once more, I see now that I am the one to show you yours.”“I know what my path is.”“Your eyes betray you once again, Supergirl. Your vision is clouded, you’re unfocused.”“My vision is clear.” What is this guy playing at?“The person I saw on the plane that night, she knew who she was. But when I look at you, I see confusion, as if you’re trapped between two worlds. You’ve lost your path, Supergirl. Let me help you return to it.”Kara stared at Coville, putting her glasses back on despite the overwhelming urge to punch him in his smug face. “You can help me by shutting…whatever this is down and leaving the teachings of Rao alone.”Coville didn’t respond, only nodding his head slightly and smiling contentedly. With nothing left to say, Kara turned on her heel and exited the building, trying to block out the words Coville said to her but failing miserably.---------------------------------------------------Lena let out a long sigh as the elevator carried her up to her old office. It had been a long day, particularly for Kara. The Kryptonian had went straight to the DEO after her meeting with Coville, and judging from the several many-ton cinder blocks that were demolished when Lena arrived at the training room later that day, it did not go well. Kara had gotten even more frazzled after saving one of the cult members from an apartment fire that he apparently started himself in the hope that he would be saved by Supergirl. According to Kara, this was supposed to be a test of his faith or something along those lines, which made Lena’s brain reel. Kara was livid that Maggie wouldn’t arrest Coville, but Lena had to agree with the officer. Unless there was actual evidence that Coville was putting his followers in danger, he was untouchable. At least for the time being.The door opened on the top floor and Lena walked out, heading straight to her office. Jess wasn’t at her desk. Good, Lena thought. Jess was a hard worker and a loyal companion, often staying with Lena while the latter worked late nights and never going home until Lena herself did. The CEO was incredibly grateful for Jess, and was glad to see that her former assistant was going home earlier, which is what she deserved. Lena entered her office, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw Ruby passed out on her couch.“Hey,” Sam greeted as she pulled her jacket over her sleeping daughter. “I don’t think we had an appointment.”Lena let out a laugh and placed a hand over her chest. “I heard you took walk-ins at this hour.”Sam threw her hands up. “You got me. Really though, what are you doing here? Don’t you have a family to be with, a wife to snuggle with?”“Mae and Kara are both probably asleep right now.” Lena smiled to herself, imagining Kara sleeping in their bed with Mae curled up next to her. “I didn’t think you would still be here.”“Neither did I,” Sam sighed, running a hand through her long brown hair. “I was supposed to help Ruby with her song for the school talent show, but this business deal kept me away all afternoon. I feel like such a terrible mom.”Lena’s heart dropped. She had never seen her friend like this, so down and dejected, not even in their college days. “You are the complete opposite of a bad mother, and believe me, I have some experience with one. In fact, you are one of the most badass women I know, and Ruby sees and knows that too.”“I don’t know,” Sam said softly. “I can’t help but feel like I’m letting her down, spending more time at my job than with her.”Lena immediately walked over and sat down in front of Sam. She was not going to let her friend talk herself down like this. “Sam, listen to me. You are not letting Ruby down, and you never will. You are busting your ass every single day to provide for her, working hard at a job that leaves you exhausted yet you still make time for Ruby because you love her. That is how you raise a girl to be a badass.”Sam smiled softly. “She already is one.”“I have no doubt about that.”Sam leaned back in her chair and smiled. “You haven’t changed, Lena. Not one bit.”Lena lightheartedly scoffed. “I think I’ve changed quite a bit. I am married with a kid, after all.”“That you are. To be honest, I never saw you as the ‘get hitched and settle down’ type.”“Neither did I. But then I met Kara and everything just made sense.”Sam nodded. “I felt that way when I had Ruby. She’s my whole world. I would do anything for her.”Lena smiled, her heart swelling at the genuine, real love that Sam had for Ruby. She knew that feeling well; whenever she saw Kara or Mae, or when she held them in her arms and kissed them, the feeling would make its presence known, and Lena absolutely loved it. “Now does that sound like something a bad mother would say?”Sam laughed wholeheartedly and genuinely, Lena along with her. God, was she glad that they reconnected. It felt like they were back in college, staying up all night working on a business project while drinking and laughing the hours away. Maybe Mae and Ruby will have a friendship like that in the future, despite their age gap; they already kind of do.“Okay,” Lena said as she stood up while stifling a yawn. “I think both of us need some well-deserved sleep.”“I am with you on that one.” Sam stood up and gathered her things, Lena helping to carry them while Sam carried Ruby down to her car. Both women hugged and said their goodnights and goodbyes as Sam drove away. Lena flew back to her home after flying a few quick loops around the city. It was awfully quiet these days since Cadmus’ leader was once again apprehended, but Lena couldn’t be too careful. In this city, anything could happen.The apartment was dark and quiet when she arrived; Kara and Mae must be asleep. Lena quickly showered and changed into her pyjamas before climbing into bed and wrapping her arms around Kara, who leaned back into her embrace subconsciously. Lena kissed Kara’s hair gently, melting into the mattress as she drifted off to sleep.-----------------------------------------------------Kara found herself in the training room a few days later, throwing jabs and kicks at a specially-made punching bag, Lena doing the same beside her. Kara always enjoyed training with Lena, despite in the beginning getting way too distracted because the Green Lantern looked absolutely stunning in a DEO training uniform. Nevertheless, they made a good team, and Kara found it nice to be able to train with someone else who had superpowers. Alex was great and all, but there was only so much the agent could take each session. Plus, Alex was helping with watching Mae while Kara and Lena were working late shifts or saving the city. The agent was at the park with her niece right now, actually, while Kara and Lena got in a quick workout before patrol. Kara punched the bag and harder and harder with each jab; she had been on edge ever since her chat with Coville, and not only did it go horribly wrong, but he knew her secret identity. He saw right through Kara Danvers, something that no one had ever done before, not even Lena. These past few days, Kara had been waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop, for Coville to reveal her secret to the world, but so far, nothing. But Kara couldn’t shake the feeling that Coville had something else in store for her, something bad.“Kara?”The sound of Lena’s voice snapped Kara out of her train of thought, her last punch sending the bag against the wall, causing it to burst at the seams.“Are you okay?”Kara stiffly nodded as she moved to clean up her mess, but that was a lie. She knew it was a lie and Lena knew it was a lie; she couldn’t hide anything from Lena—at least, not anymore—and she soon heard the soft beat of her wife’s heart get slightly faster before she spoke again.“Is it Coville?”Kara tensed up, the name alone making her skin crawl. She nodded again, and Lena was immediately by her side. “Lee, he knew who I was. Right when I walked in, he knew I was Supergirl, and I…I can’t help but feel that this isn’t over.”“You’re worried he’s going to reveal your secret.”Rao, Lena knows her so well. “I keep waiting for it to happen, that he’ll reveal myself to be a god among men or something like that to get more people to join his cause.” Kara paused, avoiding Lena’s eyes. “I’m also worried that he’ll use my secret to threaten you or Mae in some way so I can do what he wants.”Lena furrowed her brow. “Why would he do that? Does he know about us?”“I don’t know!” Kara fell to her knees, her head in her hands as the anxiety from the past few days spilled out from her eyes in the form of tears. “I don’t know why this is bothering me so much, but I don’t know what to do, Lee. I feel…trapped. I can’t stop Coville the way I stopped Parasite or Rhea, he’s a human man. But I can’t shake the way he looked at me, or the way that woman looked at Mae the other day. I don’t know what he has planned or if he has anything planned, but I know it’ll have something to do with me.”Lena knelt down and placed a gentle hand on Kara’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about Coville. We’re going to get him one way or another, I promise you that.”“What if he does find out about us?” Kara turned and looked at Lena, her vision blurry with tears. “What if he finds out about you? About Mae? I can’t…I won’t let him come near either of you if I can help it.”“Shh.” Lena kissed Kara’s forehead comfortingly, and Kara had to refrain from falling apart completely. She hated appearing weak in front of people, but especially Lena, despite the latter saying that it was okay for Kara to feel this way from time to time. Kara knew she was right, but that still didn’t make it any easier. “I know, baby, I know. That’s one of the many things I love about you. You’re so strong and you have such a big heart, and I know you will find a way to stop Coville, and I’m going to help you, no matter how long it takes. We will think of something.”Kara let out a shaky breath as Lena wiped away the rest of her tears with her thumbs. She leaned further into her wife’s touch, letting the comfort of Lena’s embrace wash over her like a wave in the ocean. What did she ever do to deserve someone like Lena? Kara had been asking herself that question ever since the day they met, and she didn’t know if she was ever going to ever know the answer. All she knew was that she loved Lena with every fiber of her being and that she was falling deeper into this love every single day. “Thank you,” Kara whispered, and Lena hugged her tighter. The moment was interrupted with the sound of tiny footsteps entering the training room.“Mama!”Kara and Lena turned to see Mae sprinting towards them, nearly knocking Lena over as she barreled into her.“Hey, sweetie!” Lena exclaimed as she wrapped Mae up in her arms and spun her around. “What are you doing here? Is Aunt Alex with you?”“Yeah, I’m right here.” Alex was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, her cheeks slightly flushed and a twinkle in her eye that Lena wasn’t used to seeing with the agent.“Hey you,” Kara greeted, wiping her eyes as she stood up. “How was y’all’s day?”“Oh, it was so much fun! Wasn’t it, Mae?”Mae nodded so fast that Kara was worried that her head would fall off. “We got ice cream!”“Ice cream, huh?” Lena raised her eyebrows at Alex, her green eyes piercing into the agent’s brown ones. “And before dinner, no less.”Alex put her hands up. “The kid made a compelling argument, I couldn’t say no.”“She used the pout, didn’t she?”“Yeah, she used the pout.” Alex pointed an accusatory finger at Kara. “It was hard enough to deal with one alien pout, how dare you make me deal with another.”“Ah, you love us both.” Kara chuckled as she took Mae in her arms, squeezing her tightly and kissing her repeatedly on the cheek, the thought of Coville tucked away in the back of her mind for the time being. “That’s my girl.”Lena shook her head, but couldn’t hide the smile that was growing on her face. “Unbelievable.”“Mommy, did you fight any bad guys today?”“Not today, pumpkin,” Kara replied. “Your mother and I have been training.”“Can I train too?”Kara and Lena shared an amused glance before turning back to Mae. “Maybe one day when you’re older,” Kara said as she tickled Mae, the sound of the girl’s laughter filling Kara up with warmth that rivaled the earth’s yellow sun. She loved Mae so much that it hurt. The girl was looking more like Lena everyday with her fair skin and raven hair; Kara always said Mae got the good genes, which Lena was quick to deny. Nevertheless, Mae was growing up too fast for Kara’s taste, and she wanted nothing more than to freeze these moments just so she could hold onto her baby girl a little longer. The moment was interrupted, however, by Winn’s voice over the intercom.“Guys, you gotta get down here. It’s Coville.”Kara’s heart stopped as Lena and Alex shared a knowing look. It was time to face him again, and whatever was happening couldn’t be good.-------------------------------------------------------Lena, Kara, Alex, and Mae were running late, sneaking into the school auditorium and sitting next to Sam as a group of young girls dressed as Supergirl performed a dance number for the talent show. Lena let out a breath as she sat down and thought about the events of the past twenty-four hours Supergirl and Green Lantern arrived at the stadium in the nick of time, succeeding in apprehending Coville before he could blow up the arena with a Kryptonite-laced bomb that had come into his possession. Kara had managed to create a hole with her heat vision deep enough to contain the explosion while Lena had pushed in it with the help of her ring, saving countless lives in the process. Now Coville was in prison and Kara was sitting next to her with Mae in her lap applauding as the performance ended. Oh, what a life they were living.“Ruby is up next,” Sam said as she pulled out her cellphone. Lena turned and saw her friend’s daughter take the stage, a slightly nervous look in her eyes as she stepped up to the mic. Lena watched as that nervousness melted away once Ruby started singing. Sam was looking on with pride, Kara and Mae were swaying to the rhythm, and Alex was tearing up beside her. When the song ended, the room erupted with applause, but Alex got up and left the auditorium. Kara noticed and pawned Mae off to Lena and followed her out of the door. Lena wondered what was up with Alex. She hoped everything was all right.“Mama, can I be a singer like cousin Ruby?” Mae asked once the show was over.“You can be anything you want to be, dear,” Lena said as she booped Mae on the nose, causing the young girl to giggle uncontrollably. Lena loved that laugh and would never get sick of hearing it.“I’m gonna be the greatest singer ever!” Mae exclaimed.Lena smiled, her heart swelling at the thought of coming to Mae’s own talent shows when she got older. The future was rife with possibilities when it came to Mae, and while Lena wanted to slow down time so she could have more time with her baby girl, she was excited about the future, and she knew that whatever Mae did with her life, she would inspire others the same way Kara did. “Well, if you inherited your mother’s vocal chords, I’m sure you will be.”
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“Your usual, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor.”Lena looked up from her pile of paperwork, giving Eve a grateful smile as the assistant placed a cup of black coffee on her desk. “Thank you, Eve. And we’ve been working together for three years now, so if I’m calling you Eve, you can call me Lena.”Eve’s eyes widened. “Are you sure, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor?”“Yes, Eve,” Lena chuckled.Eve nodded, the grin on her lips growing with each movement. “Okay, Mrs. Dan—Lena. Is there anything else I can get for you?”“No, thank you. Just let me know when Kara gets here.”“No need for that, I’m right here.”Kara entered the office, nodding to Eve as she left, a radiant smile on her face despite her clothes and hair looking slightly windswept. Nevertheless, Kara looked exquisite as she always does. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “Mae didn’t want to get dressed this morning. She kept flying around the apartment thinking we were playing some sort of game, now I am worn out!”Lena laughed as she got up and wrapped her wife up in a hug. “She gets her energy from you, darling.”Kara let out a huff, burying her face in Lena’s shoulder. “I love her, but she can be a little much sometimes.”“Oh, don’t I know it. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times she’s used The Pout on me to get what she wanted.”Kara grimaced. “Sorry about that.”“It’s all right, love. She doesn’t do it nearly as much as you.”“Hey!” Kara protested as she leaned back. “I do not!”“Yes you do! You totally…Kara, what is it?”The blonde was fixated on one of the TVs behind Lena, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and anger. “Lena, I think you might want to see this.”Lena turned around, her body tensing when she saw Morgan Edge’s smug face on her screen. It had been years since Lena had last seen or heard from Edge. He had been giving Sam some trouble over at L-Corp for a while there, but other than that, Edge had been radio silent. Not anymore, it looked like. Against her better judgment, Lena turned up the volume, and was quickly wishing she didn’t.“All of these kids are victims of lead poisoning,” Edge was explaining. “I know it’s been eight years since the Daxamite attack, but the damage is still affecting us. Affecting our children.” He knelt down beside one of the afflicted children, the sight making Lena’s blood boil. “Lena Danvers-Luthor created the bomb that got rid of the Daxamites, but in doing so has poisoned these boys and girls.”Lena didn’t remember a thing after that. She didn’t remember what else Edge said; she didn’t remember Kara taking the remote out of her hand and telling her that it was going to be all right. She didn’t even remember leaving CatCo, yet here she was at her hospital storming right towards Edge, who was signing some documents a nurse was showing him.“You have got some balls to be here, Edge,” Lena snarled. “Where the hell do you get off?”“Oh, Lena,” Edge greeted, and Lena had to fight back the urge to punch the smirk off his slimy face. “I could say the same about you, given what’s been going around about what you did.”“So this is what your revenge looks like?”“I get it, Lena. You wanted to help the people, wanted to save the world. Unfortunately, there were unintended consequences. You wanted to be a hero so bad that people got hurt.”“Speaking of heroes, why aren’t you slamming Supergirl for this?” Just like that, Kara was right beside Lena, looking much calmer than Lena did, but Lena could hear the raw frustration in her wife’s voice. “She would be just as much to blame for this.”Edge threw back his head and laughed. “Supergirl may have pushed the button, but that tech was all Luthor.”“You’re a toxic predator, Edge,” Lena spat through gritted teeth. “A bottom-feeder.”“At least I didn’t poison children. That was all you.”With that, Edge walked past them and left the building, Kara glaring daggers at him the whole way. “Don’t listen to him,” she said as she placed a reassuring hand on Lena’s back. “We’re going to find out what really happened.”Lena turned and looked into one of the rooms. A young girl lay in a hospital bed, her skin pale as a nurse examined her and her mother watched from the bedside, her cheeks stained with dried tears. The girl looked so much like Mae that Lena looked away, the pit in her stomach growing exponentially with each passing second. “What if it was?”“It wasn’t,” Kara vehemently denied. “I’ll go to the DEO and have Winn run some tests. You go back to CatCo and fill James in. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.”Lena nodded absentmindedly. She knew Kara meant well—her undying faith in Lena never failed to astound her—but she couldn’t help but feel that that faith was misplaced now. She took one last look at the child before leaving with Kara. Maybe this all was her fault.---------------------------------------------------Kara arrived at Sam’s house later that night, her mind reeling from the events of the past twelve hours. It had been a long day for everyone involved: Kara had Winn run some tests to see if Lena’s bomb was the cause of the epidemic, but it didn’t go as well as Kara had hoped. According to Winn, there was a 21% chance that the bomb was the cause, and that isn’t a good thing. If that wasn’t bad enough, Lena decided to hold a press conference outside of L-Corp in an attempt to defend herself, but one of the attendees had a gun and shot at her. James had pushed her out of the way, luckily, but ended up taking a bullet to the shoulder, so he was at the DEO recovering. Lena had been testy since then, so Kara had been out digging as much as she could, but ultimately came up empty. Sam offered to have Lena, Mae, and Kara stay at her place until this whole thing blew over, and while Lena initially protested, Kara was more than happy to oblige. She doubted that the public knew where she and her family lived, but keeping them safe was her number one priority, followed closely by figuring out who really poisoned these children.“Lena?” Kara called as she entered the house. She had texted Sam that she was on the way, so Sam must have unlocked it for her. “Honey, are you here?”“We’re in here,” Sam’s voice responded.Kara walked through the house and entered the kitchen, where she found Sam at the island parked in front of a laptop. Lena was passed out on the couch in a pair of sweatpants and Kara’s National City University sweatshirt, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. “How is she?”“Do you want the truth or the lie?”Kara sighed sadly when she saw the empty wine glasses on the coffee table. “I hate seeing her like this. In all the time I’ve known Lena, I’ve never seen her like this.”Sam chuckled. “She wants everyone to think she’s so tough, but she’s all mush on the inside.”Kara laughed as she took a seat beside Sam. “Are Mae and Ruby asleep?” Mae and Ruby were luckily unaffected, but Kara wouldn’t know what to do if her daughter was sick.“Yeah, I put them to bed not too long ago,” Sam said. “But that kid of yours is insane. Ruby was never that energetic when she was that age.”“Sorry.”“It’s fine. Ruby loves her,” Sam said before turning back to her computer. “So I’ve been trying to find a connection between all of these kids.”“Have you found anything?”“Nothing. Usually in cases like these, those who were affected are from a specific area. But these kids are from all over the city.”Kara furrowed her brow. “They have to be connected somehow.”Sam nodded her agreement and began to type furiously, a determined look in her eyes.“What are you doing?” Kara asked.“Pulling up their parents’ bank statements,” Sam replied. “Everything else has been a dead end.”“Can—can you do that?”Sam gave Kara a knowing smirk. “I just did.”Kara blinked in surprise. “I’m impressed,” she said as Sam scrolled through the bank statements. “Find anything?”“I think so.” Sam clicked on one of the purchases. “Delaney’s Dumpling Truck on October 21st. Quite a few of the families bought something from here.” Sam’s eyes widened as she pulled up some of the other statements. “They were all there. Oktoberfest at Frances Park. This could be our missing link.”Kara felt her heart flutter in her chest with hope. Here was a chance to prove Lena didn’t do it, and Kara prayed to Rao that they were right.-------------------------------------------------------Lena zoomed through the clear night sky, the wind sobering her up the longer she flew. Kara had called her not even five minutes ago to tell Lena that she didn’t poison the children after all. There was a synthetic chemical in the chlorine at the park pool that was the cause, and that it was manufactured by Acre Lee Chemical. Lena had recognized the name immediately. She landed in a dark alley near the base of Edge Global so she could depower, before walking inside and riding the elevator up to Edge’s office.“Lena,” Edge greeted, that slimy smile of his plastered onto his face. “You look terrible. Those kids really got you down, huh?”“Acre Lee Chemical.”“Acre…Lee…is that supposed to mean something to me?”“It should, considering your company acquired it seven years ago.”“I’d have to check my records.”“Cut the bullshit, Edge,” Lena snapped. “You used those chemicals to poison the kids at the swimming pool to get your revenge and drag my name through the mud.”Edge chuckled, the grin on his face making Lena’s stomach broil. “Come on, Lena. It that it? I say you did it, you say I did it? That’s all you got? Honestly, I expected better from you.”Lena glared at Edge, resisting the urge to use her ring on him. “You know, when that mother shot at me, she thought she was doing the right thing. And I am inclined to agree with her. Whoever did this, well, they deserve to die.” She took a few pointed steps towards Edge, pulling a gun out of her coat pocket and pointed it right between his eyes. “No judge. No jury. No mercy.”The color drained from Edge’s face as he held his hands up in surrender. “Just—just wait a minute, Lena. Clearly, you’re not, you’re not thinking clearly.”Lena cocked the gun. “I’m thinking like a Luthor.” She had had it with Edge, with his games, with his smug face. It was time for all of this to end. Before she could pull the trigger, however, a blunt force hit her on the back of the head, plunging her into a pool of darkness.A violent shake jolted Lena awake a few hours later, her person strapped in a seat on what appeared to be the inside of a cargo plane. Next to her, there were large yellow barrels with the Acre Lee Chemical label on them, strapped in as she was
Oh no no no no no.
She quickly unbuckled herself and stumbled towards the cockpit, her heart plummeting when she saw no one in the pilot’s seat.
No no no no no no!
Lena had no idea how to fly a plane, but from what she could tell, she was flying towards the city’s reservoir. Panicking, she reached for the radio, yelling into it in the hopes of someone hearing it, but she got no response. The plane hit some more turbulence, sending Lena flying back into the barrels. She lay on the floor groaning in pain, wondering how in God’s name she was going to get out of this mess. She could easily pull on her costume and fly out of here, but she didn’t have the strength nor skill to maneuver this plane to a safe location, so for the moment she was stuck. Lena only hoped that someone had heard her distress call.All of the sudden, the back to the plane opened and the conveyor belt holding the barrels began to move. Power surged through Lena as her ring activated, and she used a lasso construct to pull the lever back. Lena grit her teeth as every muscle in her arms screamed in protest, the lever slowly but surely moving back to its original position. Just before the door closed, a streak of red and blue flew in, grabbed the bottom half of the lower and pulled with all her might, and they were able to close the door.“Lena!”Lena let out a breath of relief as Kara wrapped her up in her arms. They had managed to stop another catastrophe. Now they had to figure out how to land this plane.“What are you doing up here?” Kara asked her. “Sam and I want back to the house only to find you weren’t there. Where did you go? I was so worried about you—”“Kara, Kara, calm down. I promise I’ll explain everything later. Right now, we have bigger problems, such as stopping this plane.”Kara nodded, the worried look never leaving her eyes as she wrapped Lena up in another hug. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”“Me too. Is Mae safe?”Kara nodded again before more turbulence broke them apart, sending them to opposite sides of the plane.“I got an idea!” Kara exclaimed. “I’m going to get them to blow the engines. Can you create a force field big enough to cover the plane?”Lena felt her heart leap up into her throat. “I’ve…I’ve never made one that big before.”“You gotta try, Lee, ‘cause once the engines blow, this plane’s going to go down fast.”Lena took one last look at the chemicals before turning back to Kara, the thought of Mae, Ruby, and all of the children back in the hospital hardening her resolve. No more families were going to suffer because of her inability to act. She had to try. “Okay, I’ll do it.”Kara launched up and pushed against the roof of the plane while Lena readied herself to play her part. This was going to be interesting. Kara strained against the aircraft until two explosions from the outside rocked them, and the plane tilted down, its speed increasing as they plummeted towards the reservoir.“Lena, now!” Kara shouted.Lena took a deep breath, focusing solely on her willpower and the energy it gave her, drawing it all in to her center until her body was vibrating with power and her vision went green. With a loud scream, she pushed it all out, holding it in place as it formed a sphere around the plane. With one final grunt and pull, Lena was able to slow the plane’s speed down enough to direct it towards dry ground. After safely landing, Lena lowered her arms and fell to her knees as Kara moved to catch her.“You did it, Lena!” Kara exclaimed, placing a triumphant kiss on Lena’s shiny forehead. “You did it!”
I did it.
Lena managed a small smile before passing out, the darkness overtaking her once more.---------------------------------------------------------Kara entered the alien bar at a quarter after one, the combined scent of cigar smoke and Mercurian beer assaulting her nostrils the moment she stepped inside the dim-lit room. She had quickly flown over from Sam’s, where she, Sam, and Lena were celebrating Lena’s proven innocence and L-Corp creating an antidote for the sick kids, when she got a call from Alex. Kara spotted her sister sitting alone at the bar nursing an empty glass next to a half-empty bottle of tequila. Kara sighed as she walked over. This could only mean one thing.“Hey,” she said as she sat down next to Alex. The agent took another swallow of booze, avoiding Kara’s pitying glance.“Remember when you said,” Alex started, her voice hollow and raw. “That if I lost Maggie, I would be at a bar drinking? Completely broken?” She raised her glass to Kara. “Score one for the girl from Krypton.”Kara watched as Alex slammed her glass on the bar, trying to find the right words to say. Alex had told her about Maggie not wanting to have kids last year, and Kara had seen Alex struggle with that fact for a while now, trying to be content with it, but that obviously failed. And now Maggie was gone.“Do you need anything?” Kara asked.Alex was silent for a long time. Kara was about to ask again when the agent answered.“Just stay. Please.”Kara nodded as Alex got another glass and poured them both a drink. Kara knew that Alex knew she couldn’t get drunk off tequila, but she clinked her glass with her sister’s anyway. She was going to be there for Alex through this ordeal. That was a promise.And Kara wasn’t intent on breaking this one.“Always.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Alex sat out on the front porch of her childhood home, the crisp morning breeze nipping at her cheeks as she wrapped her blanket tighter around her. The sun was just beginning to peak its head over the horizon, its rays reflecting off the ocean like shimmering gold dust. Mornings in Midvale had always been calm and serene, mornings that Alex desperately needed now more than ever. It had been nearly a year since her break-up with Maggie, and at first, it was unbearable. The overwhelming loneliness that Alex felt whenever she entered her apartment was suffocating. Going to bed alone was hard and waking up alone was even harder, so much so that she started spending a lot of her nights at different bars around town. The alien bar reminded her too much of Maggie; too many memories were attached to that place, so Alex had started staying at Kara and Lena’s place at Kara’s insistence.Staying with her baby sister who was the walking embodiment of sunshine did help for a little bit as Kara was constantly showering Alex with love and attention, much to the disgruntlement of the agent. Lena helped as well, staying up with Alex on her sleepless nights, sitting in silence with Alex being thankful for the company. She loved hanging out with Mae more than anything, with the young child’s enthusiasm enough to keep Alex’s dark thoughts at bay. Nevertheless, the pain always returned whenever she saw Mae playing with her parents, her brain screaming at her that that could’ve been her and Maggie if she wasn’t an idiot and ended things. Alex shook her head. No, she broke up with Maggie because Maggie didn’t want kids. She had to keep telling herself that on the bad nights, and there were many, many bad nights.It got so bad that Kara dropped everything one day and took Alex back home to Midvale, where Eliza and her homemade coffee were waiting. Alex had rejected the visit outright, telling Kara so with a little help from liquid courage on their first night there, but after a few nights sleeping in her childhood bed, reminiscing old memories with Kara, and having long conversations with Eliza, Alex began to feel somewhat better. Everything began to go back to being normal, at least somewhat, when they both returned to National City. But there were always the bad days where the loneliness would creep its way back into Alex’s heart, taking root like a large, repulsive weed until its grip became too suffocating. It was days like this when she wanted to call Maggie and tell her she made a mistake and wanted her back, but her thumb always hovered over the call button, never pressing it. Instead, she would pack a bag and head to Midvale, telling J’onn that she would be going out of town for a few days. Kara wanted to accompany Alex every time she went out, but Lena had convinced her wife that this was something Alex needed to do on her own, and Alex was incredibly thankful for that.She stared out at the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore lulling her into a deep state of tranquility. She wished she could pause this moment and live in it forever and not have to worry about Maggie or the rest of the world ever again.“Seems that this is your spot now, huh?” Eliza asked as she sat down next to Alex with two cups of fresh coffee in her hands, bringing her out of her thoughts. Alex let out a strained laugh as Eliza handed her one of the cups and took a sip of the bitter liquid.“It helps me relax. I don’t have to think about anything while I’m out here.”Eliza hummed and wrapped Alex up in a hug. “I know, sweetie.”“I still have the ring.” Alex felt her voice crack as the words left her mouth, and it took all of her willpower not to meet her mother’s eyes. “I was going to ask her years ago, but…I decided to wait. I wanted the moment to be perfect, to be just right. But I waited too long and now Maggie’s gone, and I’ll never know what her answer would’ve been.”Eliza tightened her hold on Alex as the agent broke down into tears. In all of her recent visits here, Alex had never cried once, but now that streak appeared to be broken. “You can’t go on dwelling on ‘what if’s’, Alex,” Eliza said. “I know this hurts right now, and I don’t know if it’ll ever stop hurting. But you have so many people who love you and are willing to help you that you will come out on the other side okay. And you will find someone who will share the same interests as you. You will be happy again, I promise.”Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Alex turned to face Eliza. “How do you do it? Without Dad?”Eliza gave Alex a small, pained smile. “One day at a time.”Alex managed to laugh as her mother placed a kiss on the top of her head and rocked her back and forth. She leaned into the comfort of Eliza’s embrace, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes. It was true she felt like absolute shit right now, but Eliza’s words struck a hopeful chord within her.“When are you heading back?”“Tomorrow morning. I can’t stay forever, no matter how much I want to.”Eliza chuckled. “As much as I would like that, you have a life of your own to get back to. I’ll drive you back.”Alex gave Eliza a confused look. “What do you mean you’ll drive me back?”“I’m going to be spending the week in National City for Mae’s birthday,” Eliza explained. “Or have you forgotten about that?”Alex looked down at her hands. She had forgotten about Mae’s birthday. Everything with Maggie was throwing her for a loop now.“It’s okay, Alex,” Eliza said as if she could sense Alex’s thoughts. “We’ll go present shopping tomorrow. It’s not everyday my favorite granddaughter turns six.”“She’s your only granddaughter.”A glint of something passed through Eliza’s eyes. “Hopefully not for long.”Alex felt a rush of affection for her mother in that moment as she gave her a hug.She was going to be okay.
One day at a time.
--------------------------------------------------------------Lena’s lungs were burning with each intake of oxygen and her body was covered in a layer of sweat as she steeled herself for the next round. Kara stood before her, out of breath as well but significantly less sweaty in her new DEO training suit that all but hugged the Kryptonian in all the right places, and Lena was tempted to place the blame of her subpar performance this session solely on that, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. “Again,” she panted.“Are you sure, Lee?” Kara asked. “We’ve been practicing the same move for hours, not to mention that we both have to get up early tomorrow for work.”“I know,” Lena huffed. “I just want to go again.”Kara furrowed her brow, her signature crinkle forming in between her eyes. “Lee, what’s going on? Something is pulling your focus.”“Nothing is pulling my focus.”“Really? ‘Cause if nothing was, you would’ve gotten this move down the first time. Is it Edge?”“Can we talk about this later, Kara?” Lena barked, her tone startling both Kara and herself. But Kara was right. It was Edge. It had been a year and the incident was still fresh on her mind. Lena had told Kara everything that happened that night, how she went to confront Edge and almost ended up killing him in cold blood. Kara was shocked of course, but she had listened to her and had been a steady beam of support like she always had, and Lena loved Kara even more for that. Nevertheless, she was still haunted by her almost-fatal mistake as she suffered from occasional nightmares and “what ifs”, like what would happen to Mae and Kara if she actually went through with it? Lena knew they would be physically fine, but the emotional trauma they would’ve gone through, especially Mae…it made Lena sick to her stomach that she didn’t think about these types of consequences going in.“Lena.” The sound of Kara’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. “Are you okay?”Lena stiffly nodded, doing her best to avoid Kara’s searching eyes. She wanted nothing more than for Kara to wrap her up in her arms, to take her home so she can hug Mae as tight as she can and keep them in her arms forever, but she just resumed her position on the mat. Nothing a little sparring couldn’t help. “One more time.”Kara gave her a look, but copied Lena’s movements. Just before they could start again, Alex entered the room. “There’s a situation downtown. A rogue alien we’ve been trying to track down for months is robbing a bank and it looks like a job for a certain superhero couple that I know and love.”Lena looked down as Kara smiled and enveloped her sister in a big hug. “How was Midvale?”“Much needed,” Alex sighed, smiling slightly. “You know, I’m surprised more people haven’t caught on that Supergirl and Green Lantern are romantically involved.”“Well, we are,” Kara retorted. Alex rolled her eyes as Lena cleared her throat. “You said there was a situation downtown, Alex? Which bank?”Seconds later, Supergirl and Green Lantern were facing down the rogue alien, a K’hund, in National City Bank. A majority of the employees had luckily managed to escape, but there were a few still in the building, and Lena knew they had to get them out of here before the K’hund caused too much damage. “Didn’t anyone tell you? The bank’s closed,” Lena said as she took a step towards the K’hund.He growled and began to raise his gun at her—alien caliber, from the looks of it—and Kara immediately stepped forward. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, pal.”While Lena would normally appreciate the gesture, she found it rather annoying. She was a superhero now, a powerful one too, not a scared little human anymore.“Daughter of El,” the K’hund snarled. “I will enjoy killing you.” He fired his weapon, the blast hitting Kara square in the chest and sending her flying back against the entrance wall. Lena sprung into action, using her ring to shield herself against stray bullets, chairs, and desks that the K’hund was hurling her way.“No Supergirl to help you now,” he snarled. On both sides of her, bank employees were screaming and covering their heads with their hands. She needed to do something.“Supergirl!” Lena yelled. “Get everybody out of here!”As soon as the order left her lips, Kara zoomed around the building like a jet, gathering up the remaining employees and rushing them outside, which gave Lena time to move in on the K’hund. She managed to land a few solid punches to his face before he retaliated with a kick to her chest, barely giving her enough time to shield herself from another onslaught of alien munition. They traded blow for blow, hit for hit, until Lena finally let out a loud cry and fired a large blast of green energy at the K’hund and sending him flailing towards the back of the building. Lena kicked the fallen gun away and stalked towards the alien, her ring thrumming with power as the frustrations she’s been having all year came bubbling to the surface. She threw a lasso construct around the K’hund, lifting him up into the air as he struggled against it.“I can take care of myself,” Lena spat through gritted teeth as her hold on the K’hund tightened. The alien snarled at her as his breathing became shallower and shallower with each intake of oxygen. It wasn’t until Lena saw the fear in the K’hund’s eyes and heard the sound of Kara’s voice shouting at her that she realized what she was doing. She gasped and dropped the K’hund, her body remaining in a frozen state as Kara rushed over and apprehended the rogue.“Lantern,” Kara said with a softness that struck a chord within Lena’s chest. “Lena.”Lena looked up and met Kara’s eyes, the blue orbs filled with a combination of worry and confusion that it took all of Lena’s willpower not to burst into tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her throat thick with emotion. “I’m sorry.”--------------------------------------------------------“You want to tell me what just happened back there?” Kara asked with her hands set firmly on her hips. Lena let out an annoyed huff as she changed into a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. They had just returned home after several hours of questioning from both J’onn and Alex—as well as a bit of berating of what she did—as Kara took the K’hund down to the holding cells, and this was their first time alone together since the rogue alien’s apprehension. Mae was asleep in the other room, thankfully, so Lena had to control herself considerably to not raise her voice. “Can we talk about this in the morning?”“No, I want to talk about it right now.” Kara crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You lost control, Lena. You could’ve killed him.”“You’re absolutely right, Kara! I could have!” Lena fumed, her fists shaking in anger. “And the worst part is that I wanted to.”Kara blinked in surprise, but didn’t respond. “You were right,” Lena continued. “The whole situation with Edge is still bothering me. I don’t know why, it’s been a year since…” Lena sat on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. “I’ve been struggling with these thoughts for months now, and I thought I was getting over it, but every time I close my eyes, I see Edge’s face. I see my hand wrapped around the gun, my finger itching to pull the trigger. Sometimes I don’t. I wake up before I can.” Lena paused, taking a shaky breath as the back of her eyes burned. “But other times, I do shoot him. I do kill Edge, and…” Lena allowed herself to break down, the tears falling faster with each sob. Kara was instantly by her side, pulling Lena into a hug and rocking her back and forth comfortingly.“Hey, it’s okay,” Kara soothed as she wrapped Lena up in her arms. “It’s okay, Lee. It’s all right.”“No, it’s not okay, Kara,” Lena groaned. “I almost killed someone tonight because I allowed the darkness within me to seep out just a little bit when I can’t afford to do so.”Kara furrowed her brow. “But there’s no darkness in you, Lee. You’re—you’re a good person who—”Lena cut Kara off with a hollow laugh. “Oh, there’s plenty of darkness in me. My family made sure of that.” She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. This was all starting to become too much. “I need some air.”“Lena!”Without a second glance, Lena went out onto the balcony outside their bedroom where a blast of cold air greeted her. She leant against the railing in an attempt to steady herself, her knuckles turning white as her breathing slowly but surely slowed down. She half-expected Kara to follow her, to wrap her up in her strong arms and kiss her on the neck telling her that everything was going to be all right before leading them back into the bedroom, but she didn’t. Lena knew Kara was just giving her some space, and Lena was thankful for that, despite feeling guilty for just storming out on her like that. Her wife was just trying to help. Kara deserved much better than that.Lena looked down at her Lantern ring and immediately felt sick looking at it. Lena didn’t even remember how she acquired it, she only knew that one day she didn’t have it and the next day there it was, adorning her finger. When she discovered that the ring had gifted her with powers, Lena had been elated, thinking that she was chosen for something greater, to be more than her last name. But ever since that night she went to Edge’s office, Lena wasn’t so sure anymore. The ring now weighed heavy on her hand where it used to give her a sense of freedom and belonging. Lena shook her head; she didn’t deserve this ring, these powers, any of it more than she deserved Kara’s love and understanding. Lena attempted to take the ring off, to throw it off the edge of the building so someone worth its time would find it, but it wouldn’t budge. Lena scoffed. Of course. Just as she was about to head inside, the ring started to glow and pulse with vibrant energy, just like it does when Lena’s about to suit up for battle. She furrowed her brow. Was her ring reacting to the way she was feeling? There was still much about the ring she didn't know, but that seemed to be the only plausible explanation. Just then, the ring lit up and encapsulated Lena in a bright green sphere. She grabbed her ring, telling it to shut off, but the sphere remained intact.Something was wrong. She wasn’t in control of the ring anymore.Suddenly, Lena was launched into the sky, rocketing towards the edge of the atmosphere. She screamed for Kara as she tried to regain control of the ring, but to no avail. She kept struggling as she zoomed into outer space, soaring past meteorites and bodies of stars as she tried to get a sense of what was happening. It was as if the ring was pulling her somewhere, but where?That question was soon answered as Lena hurtled towards a viridescent planet at top speed, showing no signs of slowing down. She braced herself for impact, closing her eyes as the surface of the planet rose up closer and closer, but she stopped right before she hit the ground, the sphere around her disappearing as she landed with a soft thud. Lena took this moment to take in her surroundings. Everywhere she looked, there were cool sands and soundless deserts, no life forms as far as the eye could see. There had to be some semblance of life here. Her eyes soon landed on a large beam of green light in the distance shooting up to the sky, and her heart leapt into her throat. There could be life there, hopefully someone who would be willing to help her find her way back to Earth. Back to Kara and Mae. Lena started to walk towards the beam as another green light flew towards her. She stopped in her tracks as it landed a few feet in front of her, revealing a man dressed in a green and black suit almost akin to her own. Lena stared at the man as his lips spread into a kind smile. “Lena Danvers-Luthor,” he greeted. “This has been a long time coming.”Lena furrowed her brow. “How do you know my name?”“It’s my job to know the name of every Green Lantern in the Corps. Or at least, it’s a goal. Makes it easier to connect to them,” the man answered. “My name is Hal Jordan, and I’m here to officially welcome you to the Green Lantern Corps.”--------------------------------------------------------Lena stared at the man calling himself Hal Jordan as his mask faded from his face. He was quite handsome, sporting both chocolate brown hair and eyes, and a clean-shaven face. His eyes were very kind and inviting, and Lena found herself relaxing slightly in his presence. “Are you from Earth?” she asked.Hal nodded. “I’m from Coast City, actually. Born and raised.”“Where are we now?”“The planet Oa,” Hal gestured grandly around him. “It doesn’t look like much right now, but I promise the city more than makes up for it. Come on, I’ll take you there.”The mask returned to Hal’s face as he levitated in the air, prompting Lena to do the same. They flew over the vast desert until they reached the city Hal was talking about, and Lena looked down below her in wonder at the strange architecture springing up from the ground as others in Green Lantern suits both flew and walked around, and the bright lights coming from windows and rings alike. Lena did her best not to crash into anything or anyone as Hal led her towards a large building where the large beam of green light was coming from, landing on a balcony with a large set of doors.“What is this place?” Lena asked.“The Oan Citadel,” Hal explained as they entered. “Headquarters of the Guardians of the Universe and training facility for the Green Lantern Corps.”Lena’s jaw dropped once they stepped into the interior of the building. Everything from the walls to the floor to the ceiling shone a vibrant green, mixing well with the outfits of the other Green Lanterns present. Some gave her strange looks, but Lena was too busy absorbing everything around her. It was as if she had stepped into the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. Lena smiled at the memory of when she watched it at Kara’s apartment for the first time. They had just started dating and Lena had taken Kara out to a nice restaurant and had accidentally let slip that she had never seen The Wizard of Oz when Kara told her that was her favorite movie musical. Kara had abruptly abandoned the potstickers she was scarfing down and flew them home immediately so they could watch it. Granted, Lena enjoyed watching Kara watching the film a lot more than the actual movie, but it held a place in Lena’s heart nonetheless. Her heart dropped at the thought of Kara. The Kryptonian must be out of her mind looking for her; Lena secretly hoped that she wasn’t tearing up the city. Immediately, she turned to Hal and asked, “When do I return to Earth?”“All in due time,” the Lantern answered. “But first you need to complete your training.”“I’ve been training,” Lena retorted. “Back on Earth with my wife, who is also a super-powered being.”“I know. I’ve been keeping close tabs on you ever since the ring came into your possession.”Lena stopped walking and furrowed her brow. “Then why bring me here now and not when I got the ring some odd nine years ago?”Hal remained silent for a minute, his lips pressed in a thin line before he answered. “We’ll talk about that later, I promise. But now, you get to train, and with one of the Corps’ most elite, I might add. He’s a bit tough, but from what I’ve seen so far, you should be fine.”Lena followed him down the main hall in silence. She suspected Hal was keeping something from her, but she decided not to press it now.They came upon a large door that led to another large balcony that overlooked the city, and Lena began to feel truly like an alien on this planet. Was this how Kara felt when she first arrived on Earth? The thought just made Lena miss Kara and Mae all the more. She took a deep breath; the sooner she finished training, the sooner she would return home to them. She followed Hal towards the center of the balcony where a magenta-skinned man in a Lantern suit appeared to be waiting for them.“You’re late, Earthling,” the man sneered as he turned to face them. “As usual.”Hal just shook his head and laughed. “And you, as usual, are no fun. Lena, this is Thaal Sinestro. He will be overseeing your training.”Sinestro inclined his head towards Lena, but did not smile, causing the pit in Lena’s stomach to grow significantly. “Mrs. Danvers-Luthor,” he greeted. “Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Let’s get started, shall we?”
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Kara paced the floors of the DEO in a worried manner as she fiddled with her wedding ring, which hung on a gold chain around her neck, but that did nothing to calm her ever-growing nerves. Mae was upstairs with Alex, sleeping peacefully while everyone downstairs was frantically searching for her mother. Kara had spent the last twelve hours looking for Lena, scouring every part of the city for her, but so far had come up empty-handed. Kara had no idea where she could be or what exactly happened; all she remembered was a flash of green light outside and Lena being gone. Kara barely remembered what happened next for all she was listening for was Lena’s heartbeat, but she couldn’t hear it. Besides Alex’s and Mae’s, Lena’s heartbeat was the one thing that helped Kara feel grounded, her anchor to this world. Without it, Kara felt like she was lost at sea.“Kara. Kara!”Kara snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Winn’s voice. “What, Winn? Have you found her?”“You know, I probably would’ve, but you pacing a hole in the floor is kind of distracting.”Kara shot a fiery glare at her friend, her nails digging into her palms as her hands curled into fists. “Find her. Now.”“Okay, okay, I’m on it.” Winn muttered as he shrunk back in his seat and typed away on his keyboard. Kara sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She shouldn’t take her frustrations out on Winn—he was doing everything he could to help—but there wasn’t much any of them could do at this point than wait. Lena wasn’t anywhere in the city, and J’onn wouldn’t allow her to go outside the city until they knew where Lena was for sure. The wait was eating Kara up on the inside, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could resist the urge to leave the agency and go find Lena right now. She would move heaven and Earth until Lena was safe in her arms again. Kara brought the ring up to her lips, whispering a soft prayer that her wife was all right; she had come close to losing Lena too many times over the years, and she prayed that this time wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. A loud “whoop” from Winn brought her back to reality.“I found something!” he shouted as he presented his findings on the screen before them. J’onn had had him trace the energy signature from Lena’s ring, which should’ve been an easy enough task considering it gave off a very specific signature, but it turned out that it lingered everywhere Lena went as Green Lantern, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where she went. Or at least, that’s what Kara thought. “I found a possible path leading straight up towards the Earth’s troposphere.”Kara’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”“A direct line up to outer space,” Winn explained as he zoomed in on the image, his face falling slightly. “It, uh, it looks like it not only went up towards it, but broke through the atmosphere as well.”Kara felt her lungs close up within her as Winn’s words hit her like a tidal wave. “So…what you’re saying is…is that Lena…is in outer space?”Winn nodded feebly as he looked down at his hands. Kara’s breaths became more rapid as she tried to wrap her head around this. “She—she can’t breathe in space. I know she—she has the ring, but…I don’t—I don’t know how it—how it works. What if she’s dead?” The next thing she knew, she was wrapped up in a hug from Winn, trying her best not to break down completely as he tried to comfort her.“I don’t think she’s dead, Kara,” J’onn’s voice said from behind. “I think she’s on another planet.”Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Kara turned around to face J’onn. “Another planet? Which one?”“Oa would be my guess,” J’onn answered. “It’s the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Lena’s ring must’ve been summoned to it, taking her with it.”Kara’s heart leapt within her chest, her body shaking with renewed energy. Lena was okay; she was alive. That fact alone flooded her body with relief. All Kara had to do now was bring her back home. “J’onn, I need to borrow your ship.” ------------------- Lena let out a cry as she was thrown against the wall for the fifth time this session. Sinestro lowered his ring hand and walked over to his trainee slowly, a sneer on his face. “You’re distracted, human. Again.”Lena bit back a groan. It was true, she had been distracted, had been so ever since she landed on Oa, but she couldn’t help it. It had been enlightening being here, learning more about the Green Lantern Corps and her ring, and learning how to use it properly according to Sinestro, but her mind kept wandering back to Kara and Mae. She missed her girls terribly, and she didn’t know when she was going to see them again; she had been on Oa for what felt like days.“Get up, human.” Sinestro’s voice brought her back to reality. “Your enemy will not be so forgiving as I.”Lena inclined her head to look up at her instructor, a fire burning in her eyes as she stood back up. She wasn’t going to be knocked on her ass again. Not this time. Her ring shone like an emerald as her willpower flowed through her veins like a powerful river, and she resumed her stance. She wasn’t going to be knocked on her ass again this time.“Let’s try this again, shall we?” Sinestro barely gave Lena time to think as he sent a blast of green light hurtling towards her face and knocking her back against the wall. “Never let your guard down, human.”“You didn't give me a fucking chance!” Lena grit her teeth and retaliated with several blasts of her own, but Sinestro was able to dodge all of them easily. “Focus,” he said. “Your constructs are weak due to rage and fear. Block both of them out. Focus on your willpower and only that.”“I’m trying!”“Well, try harder. Prove to me that you are worthy of this ring. That you are worthy of being my comrade in the Corps. Focus. Let your will guide you.”Lena nodded and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she centered herself. Her ring thrummed with power, spreading it throughout her entire body until she was overcome with energy. Her eyes opened, glowing the same color as her ring as she took off from the ground, her gaze centering on Sinestro.“Now that’s more like it,” he growled, launching into the air himself. He hurled a blast her way, but Lena blocked it with a shield construct, quickly retaliating with her own blast. This one hit Sinestro square in the chest, sending him flying backwards but he quickly regained control. He grinned slyly. “Not bad, but not good either. Again.”They continued to spar for another hour, both testing out different constructs on each other while the other blocked them successfully or was knocked away by it. In the end, Lena managed to subdue Sinestro with one final blast to the abdomen, sending him down to the ground with a thud. She touched back down to the ground, breathing heavily as the sound of clapping filled her ears.“Well done, Lena,” Hal said as he walked over to them. “You’re getting good. Really good.”Sinestro groaned as he forced himself to stand up. “The human still has a long way to go. At this rate, she won’t be ready for her assignment.”Lena furrowed her brow. “Assignment?”Sinestro raised a brow at Hal. “You haven’t told her yet?”Lena’s heart began to race. There was something more to this, she could feel it. Was there another reason why she was here? “Tell me what? Hal, what is going on?”Hal turned to look at her, a sad look in his eyes, but just as he opened his mouth, an alarm through the citadel went off.“What the hell is that?” Lena asked, wincing as the alarm blared in her ears.“Outsiders,” Sinestro growled. “Invading the planet.”“I’ll go check it out. You coming, Lena?”Lena looked at Hal, her eyes wide with surprise. “Really? You want me to come?”“We have patrolmen for this sort of thing,” Sinestro said. “She’s still a rookie.”“Well, what better way to gain experience than learning on the job?” Hal retorted. “Besides, it’s my shift, so I can bring along whoever I want. We’re wasting time, let’s go.”With that, the two of them flew out of the citadel and out towards the outlands, landing a few hundred feet away from a strange looking ship.“Eyes up,” Hal ordered. “Rings ready.”Lena held her ring up as the door to the ship opened and two figures walked out. Lena immediately recognized them.“J’onn? Kara?” ------------------- “Any updates yet?”“None yet,” Winn replied through the phone. “I mean, they literally left a few hours ago, Alex. They probably haven’t gotten to the planet yet.”Alex rolled her eyes as Mae continued to color on the floor of her apartment in front of the television, which was playing a cute little cartoon. They had been home for a little over an hour after getting the little half-alien something to eat; Alex continued to be impressed with the fact that someone as small as her niece could eat as much as Kara. Mae had woken up just as Kara and J’onn left for Oa and immediately asked Alex where her mommies were, so Alex told her that they were both out of town on a mission, which only made Mae the more excited.“When I’m older, I’m gonna be a superhero just like my mommies,” Mae had said. “I’m gonna use my powers to punch bad guys in the face.”“Mae,” Alex had said with a warning tone. “Being a superhero is more than just punching bad guys in the face.”“But punching them is fun!”Alex had laughed. “It is, it is.”She smiled at Mae now as she colored, the girl’s spunk and attitude reminding her so much of Kara. That made Alex miss her sister all the more. “Just let me know when you find something out, Winn.”“You got it, boss. Say hi to Mae for me.”“Sure thing.” Alex hung up and turned back to Mae. “Okay, Mae, what do you want to do now? Do you want to go to the park? We can get ice cream.”Mae shook her head. “Where are my mommies?”“I told you, sweetie, they’re out of town on a mission.”Mae ceased her coloring and raised a tiny eyebrow at her aunt. “You’re a really bad liar, Aunt Alex.”Alex blinked, not knowing exactly how to respond. “What…what do you mean?”“I know my mommies are not on a mission,” Mae explained. “You know how I know? ‘Cause they would be back by now. They are usually back by now.”Alex stared at Mae incredulously. Looks like she had inherited Lena’s brains and perception skills as well. “You’re a smart kid, I’ll give you that.”“Where are my mommies, Aunt Alex?”Alex sighed and motioned to Mae to join her on the couch, wondering how she was going to explain all of this to a six-year old. Then again, Mae is smart and will just keep pestering Alex until she got the truth, so telling the truth was Alex’s best bet. “Your mama is on another planet and your mommy went to go find her.”“When will they be back?”The look in Mae’s blue eyes held a mix of hopefulness and sadness that caused Alex’s heart to constrict. She sighed as she hugged the small child close to her. “Soon, sweetie. Very soon.”Mae curled into Alex as her eyes focused on the cartoon on the TV. “I miss them.”Alex nodded. “Me too, kid. Me too.”She glanced down at her phone and sighed, hoping that Kara and J’onn were safe, and that Lena was okay. -------------------- “J’onn? Kara?”Kara let out a breath of relief when she saw Lena standing before her. “Lena!” She sprinted away from J’onn’s ship and over to her wife, wrapping her up and squeezing her tight as if to make sure she was actually there. “I thought I lost you.”Lena laughed as she kissed Kara’s forehead before pressing a sweet kiss to her wife’s lips. “You’ll never lose me, baby. You’ll find me, you always do. How’s Mae? Is she alright?”“Yes, she’s fine. Alex has her,” Kara said. “You know, I wouldn’t have to if you keep running away.”“Hey!” Lena exclaimed. “I had no choice in the matter this time. Speaking of, there is someone I want you to meet.” Lena turned and gestured to the man behind her. “Kara, J’onn, this is Hal Jordan of the Green Lantern Corps. He’s been helping me get accustomed here.”Kara looked at the other Lantern and inclined his head. “Thank you for keeping Lena safe.”“She’s strong, Supergirl,” the man she assumed was Hal said, a proud smile on his face. “She doesn’t need our protection, or any protection for that matter.”Kara furrowed her brow. “How do you know my name?”“I’ve been keeping tabs on Lena ever since the ring came into her possession,” Hal explained. “I know all about you, Kara Zor-El, and you as well, J’onn J’onnz. Welcome to Oa.”Hal and Lena led Kara and J’onn back to where they came from: a large emerald city with buildings that rivaled the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. Kara walked through the citadel with wide-eyed amazement, not noticing the way Lena was smiling at her.“This place is astounding,” Kara murmured as they stepped out onto the balcony of the Citadel. The buildings shimmered like jewels in the light as Lanterns flew by like comets in the sky. It reminded her of Krypton in a way, how everything was structured and how each member of the Corps seemed to have a certain job there. They all seemed to belong there, and that’s what had Kara worried as she joined Lena on the edge.“Do you like it here?” Kara asked her wife quietly after Lena told her all about her training with a man named Thaal Sinestro, someone who Kara quickly disliked after hearing about the way he was treating Lena. Hal and J’onn had hung back to talk to each other, so it was just Kara and Lena out near the railing.“This place is incredible,” Lena responded. “But it’s not home.”Kara’s heart swelled as she took Lena’s hand in her own. “Well, that’s why J’onn and I are here. To take you home. I miss you, and Rao knows Mae does, too.”Lena smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she let out a soft chuckle. “I miss you both so much. But I don’t know when I can go back.”“What do you mean?”“Hal says I can leave once I finish my training,” Lena explained. “And considering I only started a few hours ago, I might be staying here longer than I think.”Kara spluttered as she tried to wrap her head around this. “But—but you’ve been training back on Earth with me, with—with Alex, for nine years! And you’re one hell of a hero, too! You don’t need all of this; you need to come home. I need you to come home.”“I know, baby,” Lena said. “I want to as well, believe me. But I can’t. Not right now, at least.”“I’m sorry to agree with that, but it’s true.”Kara and Lena turned to see Hal and J’onn standing behind them. “Are you serious?”“I’m afraid so.” Hal bowed his head slightly. “Lena, I need to speak with you privately.”Lena shook her head. “What you have to say to me can be said in front of my wife and father-in-law.”Hal curiously glanced between the Martian and Kryptonian before he continued. “I was actually going to talk with you about it after your training session this morning. Once you finish your training, you will be ‘deployed’, in a sense, to a certain sector of the galaxy to watch over it and protect it. And I have a feeling that it won’t be Earth’s sector.”Kara felt as if all the air had been knocked out of her. Her heart was lodged in her throat and she felt faint, something she had never felt possible until she encountered Psi. Hal wanted Lena to go away to a whole new area in the galaxy? He couldn’t do that.Apparently, Lena felt the same way. “I’m guessing this was the ‘assignment’ Sinestro was talking about?”Hal nodded. “I’m sorry, Lena, but there’s nothing I can do.”“Like hell there isn’t,” Lena spat. “I have a life back on Earth. I have a family, a job, and a young daughter that I love very much. Do not take me away from her.”“Why can’t she go back to Earth?” J’onn inquired. “She’s been its protector alongside Supergirl for the past nine years, and I say she’s done a spectacular job at it.”Kara felt an overwhelming gratitude for J’onn in that moment. She had always been grateful for him, but to see him sticking up for her wife meant an awful lot to her. “It’s true, she has,” Kara said once she finally found her voice. “She’s fought valiantly by my side since the day we met. The people know her and respect her. If she disappears, they will talk.”“I’m sorry,” Hal repeated. “Lena’s a Lantern and has responsibilities of one now.”Kara groaned. Why was this happening now? “There must be something we can do.” An idea dawned on her just then, causing her lips to morph into a grin. “Why doesn’t Lena talk with the Guardians?”Hal furrowed his brow. “What?”“Talk with the Guardians. Lena can convince them that she belongs on Earth, because she does.”Lena’s eyes widened. “Kara, I don’t know if I can do that.”Kara rolled her eyes. “Babe, I’ve seen you take down a room full of misogynistic pigs with one raise of your eyebrows. You can handle a handful of aliens.”“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Hal said. “The Guardians are old and have been around since the beginning of time. Convincing them of anything is a feat in and of itself.”“Lena can do it,” Kara said. “I know it.”Lena gave Kara a grateful smile and squeezed her hand lovingly. “When can I talk to them?”Hal ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll see if I can arrange a meeting for you. But know this. Many before you have presented their arguments to the Guardians of why they should stay in their home sector, and all of them lost. But I hope it goes differently for you.”With that, Hal turned and left the three of them alone on the balcony. Lena let out a shaky breath as Kara wrapped her up in her arms. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered in the Lantern’s ear, and Kara certainly hoped so, for her sake as well as Lena’s. ---------------- Alex watched along as Mae raced along with Ruby in the latter’s backyard, smiling in amusement as the young half-alien kept the older girl on her toes.“I swear she just gets more energetic the older she gets,” Sam observed as she sat down next to Alex, carrying two drinks in her hands and handing one to the other woman. “What exactly is in your sister’s DNA?”“The literal sun.”That earned a loud laugh from Sam. “That sounds about right. And I know it doesn’t seem like it, but Lena could be energetic when she wanted to be.”“You’re kidding.”Sam shook her head. “Well, it wasn’t so much ‘energetic’ as it was ‘sheer willpower to stay up and finish the damn engineering project for class tomorrow’. That and like twenty cups of coffee.”It was Alex’s turn to laugh this time. “Yeah, that sounds like Lena. Too stubborn for her own good.”“Yeah, tell me about it. But that stubbornness got her this far, so who are we to judge?”Alex laughed and nodded her agreement as Ruby showed Mae how to dribble a soccer ball. She had told Sam that Lena and Kara were both out of town for a business trip and an assignment respectively so as not to raise suspicion. They sat there in silence for a while, Alex’s thoughts starting to overflow with thoughts of Maggie and how much she missed her. Her heart ached at the thought of her ex-fiance, and wondered what Maggie was doing now. She was probably working, probably taking down a perp for drugs, looking at him with that hard look in her eyes that Alex had always found incredibly sexy as she interrogated him. She had always admired Maggie for her work ethic, how seriously the cop took her job, but she also loved the softer side of Maggie, the way her dimples looked whenever she smiled, how soft and tender she was with the people she cared about. Alex sighed, a little too loudly as Sam turned her head towards her.“Hey. You okay?”Alex quickly nodded, trying to recover from her blunder, but Sam wasn’t having it. “I know this past year has been rough for you. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but know I’m here for you if you ever want to.”Alex looks down, the back of her eyes beginning to burn as her throat became thick with emotion. “Some days are better than others,” she starts, “but on the whole, I’m feeling a lot better.”“That’s good.” Sam turned her attention back towards the children before them. “You know, you’re really good with Mae. She’s got one cool-ass aunt.”“Thanks.”“And you are going to be great mom one day.”“How do you do it?” Alex asked, genuinely curious. “How do you…do all of this by yourself?”Sam’s eyebrows raised slightly, not expecting that question from the agent, but she answered as best as she could. “It’s a lot of hard work, but I love Ruby more than anything else in this life and I will do anything and everything to protect her and give her the best life she deserves.”Alex nodded. Ruby was definitely lucky to have Sam as her mother. “You’re very brave for doing this.”Sam laughed amiably. “Most of it has been dumb luck, but I wouldn’t change a thing. And one day, you’re going to find someone who wants the same things as you do, and the both of you are going to be the best mothers National City has ever seen.”Alex looked down as tears threatened to escape her eyes. Her admiration and affection for Sam grew significantly in just a few short moments. She didn’t know the woman all that well, only meeting her on the handful of occasions where she didn’t have to work nights at L-Corp or got a babysitter for Ruby, but nevertheless, Alex was glad that Sam was now in her life. “Thank you, Sam. I…I really needed to hear that.”Sam smiled at her, an action that melted Alex’s heart further. “Anytime.” ------------------ Kara stood out on the balcony of the Citadel with nothing but the lights of the city keeping her company, with the occasional group of Lanterns flying by, as she paced back and forth. It’s been an hour since Lena was called in to speak with the Guardians, and Kara was getting antsier with each second that passed. She wanted to be in there with Lena, but Hal said she had to do this on her own, and while Kara had complete faith in Lena that she could do this, could sway the Guardians to her side, she was still quite nervous. She had almost punched Sinestro in the face for saying that Lena shouldn’t be complaining about her situation and that she should just accept it. Thankfully, J’onn was there to keep her from doing anything stupid.“You seem to do a lot of thinking out on balconies, don’t you?”As if on cue, Kara turned around to see the Martian walking towards her, a kind smile on his face that helped put Kara more at ease. “Is this going to be a thing at every planet we visit?” he asked.Kara chuckled softly as she leant against the railing. “Hopefully not. I just want to take Lena back home.”“And you will.”“But what if I don’t?” Kara’s voice cracked as she turned to look at J’onn. “J’onn, what if she loses her case? Mae might never see her mother again, and I don’t know how I’m going to explain that to her. I just…I don’t want to lose her. I can’t lose her.”The tears came then and Kara was powerless to stop them. Losing Lena would be like losing her powers; just the mere thought of Lena not being a constant in her life anymore felt like a blow to the chest, and was worse than Kryptonite poisoning. It was impossible to breathe knowing that this could be the very last time she sees Lena, the last time she’ll ever hug her and kiss her and tell her how much she loves her. And Mae…Kara cried harder thinking about their young daughter back home on Earth. What would she tell Mae if Lena didn’t come home? Kara felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, looking up to see J’onn standing by her side. “Can…can you read their minds?” she asked. “To see what’s going on?”“As much as I want to, I can’t,” J’onn answered. “The room there in is heavily protected by a psionic barrier that my mind can’t cross.”“Oh.” Kara looked back down, her throat becoming thick with emotion. “There has to be something I can do. I can’t just stand here and do nothing.”“Lena can handle herself in there. You said so yourself, Supergirl.”Kara sighed. “I know. That’s one of the many, many things I love about her.”“You have to have hope that things will turn out in her favor, Kara,” J’onn said, gently squeezing Kara’s shoulder comfortingly. “Have hope that she will come home.”Kara nodded after a few silent minutes, leaning into J’onn’s embrace as she took a few deep, calming breaths. J’onn was right. She had to have hope that Lena would win.And she would. She did.She had to. --------------------- Lena took a deep breath as Hal led her towards the Guardians’ chambers, her heart pounding away against her sternum. They walked down a long, darkened hallway until they came across a set of grandiose, emerald doors that were engraved with the Green Lantern Corps symbol and fragments of the oath. Lena pored over the words before her; she felt like she had seen them before, had said them at some point, but she couldn’t place when or where or even how. “Do you remember how you got your ring?” she asked Hal, the words coming out of her mouth before she could ever really think about them.“I do,” he said after a while. “Why do you ask?”“It’s just…it’s nothing. Just curious.”“You don’t remember how you got yours?”Lena could feel Hal’s eyes on her, but hers remained glue to the door. She didn’t, that much was true, but she didn’t want to tell Hal that. Instead, she fiddled with her ring as she told him something else. “Before I came here, I was struggling with a lot of things, mostly with being a hero and a Lantern. All my life I’ve been seen as nothing more than my last name. It got worse when my brother was arrested and people started comparing me to him, wondering when I was going to snap, so I became determined to prove them wrong. I did everything in my power to reshape my family’s legacy: I renamed the company, started creating things for the betterment of humanity, I even publicly sided with the city’s heroine on more than one occasion. But people still refused to see past my last name, my upbringing, and I began to wonder if what I was doing was even remotely enough. It was Kara who taught me not to take people’s opinions to heart. She told me that I was good and was worthy of love. Her love.” Lena paused, smiling slightly at the memories of Kara picking her up when she was down. “I wouldn’t be here today without her. I wouldn’t be who I am today without her.”She turned to look at Hal, who was smiling as well, tears shining in his eyes. “If I were in charge of your assignment, I would send you back to Earth immediately. You belong there, with your family.”Lena gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Hal.”Hal nodded. “It’s time.”He walked towards the door and opened them, gesturing for Lena to go first. She tentatively stepped into the large room, her breath catching in her throat as she walked towards the center. Nothing could have prepared her for this. The room was as green as the rest of the Citadel, if not greener, and there were eight columns positioned on each edge of the room, surrounding Lena entirely. She looked behind her, hoping that Hal would join her, but he was gone. She was all alone now. A booming voice from above her nearly caused her to have a heart attack.“Lantern Luthor!”Lena looked up to see a pale blue-faced alien sitting atop one of the columns staring down at her with an un-amused expression on his face. He had white hair and was wearing red robes with the Green Lantern emblem on them. There were several others that looked just like the first one resting on the other columns, looking down at her with similar bored expressions. These must be the Guardians. Lena swallowed nervously as she turned back to the first one, straightened her back and exhaled.
You got this.
“That’s me.”“It has come to our attention that you wish to return back to your home planet, Earth, in the hopes of completing your assignment there in sector 2814 instead of sector 422 which is where we have assigned you.”Lena nodded. “Yes. That is correct.”“And what is your argument for this?” The first alien leaned down and narrowed his eyes at her. “Many before you have presented their respective cases to us, and all are now currently in their assigned sectors carrying out their Lantern duties, as they should.”“I am aware,” Lena responded. “And I have been told that the same might happen to me, but I hope you all will hear me out.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I have been a Green Lantern on Earth for the past nine years of my life, and they have been the best years of my life. I have been training and still train with one of Earth’s mightiest heroes, Supergirl, and during those years, she was the one who taught me what it meant to be a hero. She is also my wife and the mother of our child, whom we both love very much. In fact, my wife is here now with the intent to bring me home.”“We are aware of the Kryptonian’s presence on our planet,” the first Guardian said. “As well as the Martian’s. We are also aware that both are heroes not only on Earth but in the same city, so why does the city need three heroes protecting it?”The way the Guardian said it left a sour taste in Lena’s mouth, and it took everything within her not to go off on him. “My life is on Earth. It is one that I’ve made for myself despite many trials and tribulations. I have a family there that I found all on my own, and I have dedicated my life to serving the people of National City as both Lena Luthor and Green Lantern, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my days, whether or not you agree. I realize now that that is what being a Lantern is to me: helping others and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. And I choose to protect the citizens of National City, of Earth. My home. Always.”The room was silent once Lena finished her speech as the Guardians continued to stare at her from their perches. “You have spirit, young Lantern,” the first Guardian mused. “And a strong will. It seems the ring has chosen wisely. You may go and give us some time to discuss your case.”Lena nodded and left the way she came, a smile growing on her face all the while. Hal was waiting for her in the same place she left him and he gives her an encouraging smile. “How did it go?”Lena couldn’t help but grin. “I think it went really well.”“That’s great!” Hal exclaimed. “Kara and J’onn are out on the balcony if you want to go join them.”“You aren’t coming?”“No, I, uh…it’s my turn to talk with the Guardians.”Lena furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”“Well, I have to go and testify on your behalf. I’m the one who brought you here, so it’s only fitting. Sinestro will also be testifying since he’s the one who’s been overseeing your training.”Sinestro? Lena had thought she would have a chance of returning to Earth based on the supposed strength of her own testimony, which would be added by Hal’s, but Sinestro’s? Now Lena was worried. Ever since she arrived on Oa, he had belittled her left and right, thinking her unworthy of being a member of the Corps. He has also been in the Corps longer than Hal has, so there was a higher chance of the Guardians siding with Sinestro on this matter, which made Lena’s stomach drop. “Oh.”Hal noticed how upset Lena looked and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about. Sinestro may be an ass, but even he is impressed with your abilities. I know I am.”“Thanks, Hal.”He nodded and proceeded to head into the Guardians’ chambers, leaving Lena to walk back to the balcony by herself. All of the nerves she had from before the meeting were returning tenfold and by the time she returned to the balcony, she was practically shaking, steadying only when Kara sprinted forward and wrapped her up in her arms.“How did it go?” Kara asked as she ran her fingers through her wife’s hair. J’onn was standing by the railing with a concerned look in his eyes. “Can you come home?”It took a while for Lena to find her voice. “I…I don’t know yet.”“What do you mean?”“Hal and Sinestro still have to ‘testify’,” Lena replied. “I don’t know how long that will take.”“What?” Kara’s eyes went wide. “What—what does this mean? Will you still get to come home?”“I don’t know,” Lena answered, leaning back slightly. Kara had a confused, worried look in her eyes as she cupped Lena’s face, tracing her thumbs softly across her cheeks, and it broke Lena’s heart to see. “I wish I could give you a better answer, darling.”Kara quietly shushed her as she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “It’s alright. Everything is going to be okay.”“How do you know?”“I don’t. You have my heart, Lena. In fact, you are my heart. Losing you…would be losing an essential part of me, and it would be worse than losing my powers. But no matter what happens, no matter where in the universe you end up, I will always love you. That much I do know.”Kara kissed her forehead again as Lena’s eye began to fill with tears. “I love you, too,” she choked out. “And Mae, so much. I don’t want to leave her.”“I know, baby.” Kara pulled Lena into her embrace again, whispering soothing affirmations into her ear as Lena cried her eyes out. She held on to Kara for as long as she could, just in case this was the last time the Kryptonian would be in her arms. She felt her wife’s shoulders shake slightly and knew that Kara was trying her best not to cry, but failing miserably. A large hand touched her shoulder, and Lena realized that it was J’onn, which made her cry even harder. It wasn’t just Kara she would be leaving behind; it was Mae, it was J’onn, it was Alex, it was Winn, it was James, it was Jess, it was everyone she loved. And she wouldn’t get to say goodbye to any of them, her daughter especially. That was the worst part of this whole ordeal.Lena calmed down after a while, opting to remain in Kara’s arms as they waited for the final verdict. J’onn stood silent next to them as Kara gently rubbed Lena’s arm and kissed her, telling her that everything was going to be okay. Her optimism and ability to see the silver lining in everything was one of the many things Lena loved about Kara, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t envious of it at times, particularly in times like today. So Lena just held on to Kara as tightly as she could, nestling her face in the crook of her neck and placing a kiss on her pulse point. “I love you,” she whispered. Kara responded by kissing her on the top of her head and squeezing her tighter. Neither of them wanted to let the other go, and Lena prayed that they wouldn’t have to.It was another three hours before Lena was summoned back to the Guardians’ chambers. Kara and J’onn followed her to the room this time and would wait outside for her when she was finished. Lena walked through the large doors once again to find Hal and Sinestro waiting for her at the center, a stern yet hopeful look on Hal’s face while Sinestro’s was in a permanent sneer.“Lantern Luthor!”Lena looked up to see the Guardians looking down at her, their expressions appearing softer than before, but that could be her eyes playing tricks on her.“You have presented your case on why you should be stationed at Earth, and we have listened to it,” the center Guardian continued. “We have also taken into account the testimonies of Lantern Jordan and Lantern Sinestro on your abilities and will as a Lantern, and after much thought and discussion amongst ourselves, we have decided to let you return to Earth as one of its protectors.”Lena couldn’t believe her ears. She was going home. She was going home!“What?” Beside her, Sinestro’s sneer had turned into a snarl as he glared at the Guardians. “She has barely had any proper training, and even so has a lack of focus and restraint over her emotions.”“That may be so, but from what Lantern Luthor and Lantern Jordan have told us, as well as from what we have seen, Lantern Luthor is more than capable of fulfilling her Lantern duties as she has been for the past nine years without any of our help.”“You can’t possibly be serious!”“Enough, Lantern!” the main Guardian shouted. “Our decision is final. Lantern Lena will be returning home with her family today and resume her duties at once.”Sinestro looked at the Guardians incredulously as Hal clapped Lena on the back. “You did it,” he whispered in her ear, causing her to smile ear to ear.“Thank you,” she whispered back.“Lantern Luthor.”Lena turned her attention back to the Guardian above her.“You may return home now. Fulfill your duties with honor, courage, and wisdom, and be sure to report back here with an update every month.”Lena nodded, tears beginning to spill out of her eyes. “Thank you, thank you all so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”“We are well aware,” the center Guardian mused. He gestured towards the door and Lena and Hal made their exit, leaving Sinestro to argue with the Guardians. J’onn and Kara were exactly where Lena left them, and Kara must’ve seen the look on Lena’s face because she was immediately wrapped up in blue, strong arms.“I know you could do it,” Kara said. “I knew it.”“Thank you for believing in me.”Kara leant in and kissed Lena passionately, lifting her off the ground in a light twirl. “Always.” ------------------------- The party was in full swing by the time Kara and Lena arrived that night. They, along with J’onn, had gotten back earlier that day, much to the excitement and relief of everyone at the DEO, but nothing compared, in Lena’s opinion, to the feeling of seeing Mae again and holding her in her arms. She was so excited to see her mothers again, telling them all about her adventures with Alex and showing them the soccer tricks that Ruby taught her. Lena was so proud of her, and was just so glad to be back with the rest of her family. She and Kara thanked Alex for taking care of Mae while they were away, and Alex said it wasn’t a problem at all, that everything went super smoothly and helped her see things in a different light.Lena spent the whole day hanging out with Kara and Mae, going to the park and getting ice cream before seeing a movie. By the time they got home, their apartment was filled with decorations, refreshments, and all of their friends. Turns out Winn had wanted to throw them a homecoming party of sorts and got with Alex and James to decorate their apartment; Alex even invited Sam and Ruby, which surprised Lena but as always she was thankful to see her friend. She and Kara allowed Mae to stay up a little longer than usual so she could play with Ruby while they mingled with the adults, telling everyone that their “trips” went incredibly well. After much socializing and eating one too many appetizers, everyone said their goodbyes and went home, leaving Kara and Lena to clean up (with Alex’s help of course) and put Mae to bed.“It feels so good to be in my own bed again,” Lena said as she flopped down on the mattress.Kara laughed as she crawled in next to her, pulling her into her side. “I missed you.”“I was gone for like a day, darling, and you were there for some of it.”“I know, but still. I’m glad you’re back.”“Me too.” Lena laid her head in the crook of Kara’s neck and kissed her pulse point. “But it wasn’t all bad.”“Yeah?”Lena nodded. “I was struggling with what it meant to be a hero here. I was dealing with my darkness in the wrong way, and I thought I didn’t deserve to be a hero, let alone this ring. Going to Oa helped me see that I do and it taught me that being a Lantern is more than just wielding a fancy viridescent ring. It’s about protecting the citizens of Earth and my family against threats, and being there for them when they need me. I’m also going to seek help to help me deal with the whole Edge situation, and I’m sorry for biting your head off about it before.”Before Lena could say anything more, she’s being smothered in kisses from Kara, who’s smiling at her like she just surprised her with a puppy. “I am so proud of you, Lee. You are an amazing hero, and an amazing person and mother in general. And if you want, I will help you deal with Edge. I will always be here for you. I love you so much.”Lena reciprocated Kara’s infectious smile, closing the distance between them with a long, soft kiss. “I love you, too. Thank you for coming for me.”“Always.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Lena awoke to soft rays of sunlight shining into her and Kara’s bedroom, and her wife pressing delicate kisses to her neck and shoulder blades.“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kara hummed sleepily, kissing the spot behind Lena’s ear and nuzzling the back of her neck.Lena smiled and turned around, capturing Kara’s wandering lips with hers. “Morning, darling. How did you know I was awake?”“Your heartbeat changed. How did you sleep?”“Like a baby,” Lena hummed. “Can we just stay in bed today?”“I wish we could, baby, but we both have work and I have to take Mae to school.”Lena groaned. “You’re such a buzz kill.”Kara gasped exaggeratedly. “Well, I’m sorry I want our daughter to get a good education.”Lena couldn’t help but laugh as she rolled over and kissed her wife deeply. She would never get tired of kissing Kara; it was easily one of the best feelings in the world. This past year was easily one of the best years of their lives, despite all its troubles. Just a few weeks ago, the waterfront was attacked by a submarine that was headed by a criminal called Bloodsport, but luckily Kara and Lena had stopped him and his crew before any more damage could be done. They were both thriving at their jobs, both at their day-jobs at CatCo and during their outings as superheroes. They also went on more date nights this year while Alex babysat Mae, both of them showering the other with love and affection at every chance they got.“You know, we could just take the day off,” Lena said, her eyebrow raised. “Stay inside, watch movies all day, eat tons of junk food, all the good stuff.”Kara hummed. “That sounds tempting.”“Good. It’s supposed to.”“What about work?”“Well, I am your boss, so would you feel better if I told you to take the day off?”“Technically, Snapper is my boss.”Lena raised an eyebrow. “And I’m his boss, not to mention your wife, so I have superiority.”Kara laughed. “Ah, who doesn’t love nepotism?”“Kara!”“What?” Kara asked, a devilish grin adorning her face. Lena shook her head, but smiled.“You’re lucky that you’re cute.”“You think I’m cute?”“Sweetie, we’ve been married for eight years. Of course, I think you’re cute.”Kara fist bumped the air and gave a hushed “Yes!” as Mae was most likely still asleep. That reminded Lena…“We could go shopping for Mae today. Her birthday’s coming up soon.”Kara sighed. “Seven years old. I can’t believe it.”“Neither can I,” Lena said. Their daughter was growing up so fast, sprouting like a weed right before their eyes. She was looking more like Lena every day, but her personality was exactly like Kara’s: bubbly, positive, and energetic. Her powers were also really starting to come to a head; she had had them since she practically came out of the womb, but as she was getting older, her powers were developing more and they were getting stronger. And just like Kara, Mae loved her powers, always flying around the house whenever she got the chance and giggling all the while. Thankfully, Mae didn’t use them at school, but it had gotten to the point where Mae had tried to sneak away from her classes in order to join her mothers on their missions, which scared both Lena and Kara so much that they had to sit Mae down and have a chat with her about not doing that. Mae argued that she was old enough to start training, so Kara and Lena talked it over that night. Kara said that maybe they should start helping Mae, and after much convincing, Lena conceded, coming up with a compromise that Mae could train only when she got all of her homework done.Mae was ecstatic, of course, practically jumping out of her skin her first day. They decided to start off with flying, which was preferable for Lena. She knew that Mae would follow in their footsteps one day, but she also wanted her baby girl to be her baby girl for a little while longer. Much longer, actually.“Okay,” Kara said as she disentangled herself from her wife and got out of bed, bringing Lena out of her thoughts. “I’m going on patrol.”Lena groaned as she sat up and stretched. “I’ll wake Mae up and fix some breakfast.”“Knowing her, she’s probably already up,” Kara said as she leant down and kissed Lena on the lips. “I love you. I’ll be back soon.”Lena smiled. “I love you, too. Remember we’re still taking the day off.”“As you wish, my love.”With that, Kara sped away towards the sky, leaving Lena smiling wider as she got ready for the day, taking a shower and putting on a nice shirt and pants. She headed to Mae’s room to see if she was up and, sure enough, Mae was floating around the room in her pyjamas. “Morning, sweetie.”“Hi Mama!” Mae floated down and gave Lena a hug. “Is Mom on patrol?”“She is,” Lena said as they went to the kitchen. “She’ll be back to take you to school, though.”“When will I get to go on patrol with you and Mom?” Mae asked.“When you’re older.”“How much older?”Lena raised an eyebrow. “Much older.”“Aw, come on, Mom,” Mae whined. “If I’m old enough to be training, I’m old enough to go on patrol. Uncle Winn said he’s gonna make me my own costume!”Lena furrowed her brow. “I'm sure he did.” She was definitely going to have a talk with Winn when she got to the DEO later today. Putting that thought on the backburner for now, Lena got out ingredients to make pancakes, much to the delight of Mae, who took it upon herself to lick the spoon. Other than everything else under the sun, pancakes were Mae’s favorite food, as well as Kara’s. They reminded her of the day she made them for Kara all those years ago when she spent the night after watching way too many Disney movies. Lena smiled at the memory. Times were simpler back then, at least for the most part, but she loved her life now and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Lena placed three plates of pancakes on the table just as Kara flew back in, her cape fluttering behind her.“Ooh! Pancakes!” she exclaimed as she sat down, Lena giving her an eye, leading her to go change into civilian clothes. They had a rule about not eating family meals in their costumes to establish a sense of normalcy, even though their lives were far from normal.“How was patrol?” Lena asked.“Not bad,” Kara said, stuffing a huge bite of pancakes into her mouth. “Stopped a couple robberies though. You would think people would stop doing that since I always stop them.”“You can’t change human nature,” Lena said as she sat down. “Unfortunately.”“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not human then,” Kara smirked.Lena gave Kara an exasperated look, but was unable to hide her smile. “Keep telling yourself that, babe.”“Mom,” Mae said, her eyes wide and on Kara. “Can I go on patrol with you tomorrow?”“What did your mother say?” Kara asked as Lena rubbed her temples with her fingers.Mae looked down sheepishly before she responded. “That I’ll have to wait until I’m older.”“That’s right,” Kara said. “Until you’re much, much older.”“How much older, Mom?”“Hmm. I think fifty is a good age.”“Fifty?” Mae’s jaw dropped. “I can’t wait that long!”Kara laughed wholeheartedly, Lena joining in as their daughter pouted. “You’ll go one day, little one, I promise,” Kara said, placing a kiss on the top of Mae’s head. “Just not any day soon.”“You guys are so unfair.”“Hey,” Lena said. “We’re your mothers and we are being fair. We’re letting you train, aren’t we?”Mae nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”“You’re very welcome. Hey,” Lena reached over and lifted Mae’s chin up softly. “You’re our beautiful baby girl and we love you very much. Nothing will ever change that. Not a training session or a patrol or a costume.”Kara looked up from her breakfast with a confused look on her face. “Costume?”“Apparently, ‘Uncle Winn’ is going to be making one for Mae here.”“Oh, you’re going to look so cute!”Mae beamed as Lena rolled her eyes. “Don’t encourage her.”“What? She will!”Before Lena could retort, Kara’s phone buzzed. “Hello? Hey, Winn, what’s up? There’s what? Okay, I’ll be right there.” She scarfed down the rest of her pancakes, taking her dishes to the sink before zooming away to change back into her Supergirl outfit.“Trouble in the city?” Lena asked.“No,” Kara said, her hands on her hips. “At least, I don’t think so. Winn found something and wants to check it out.”“Do you need me to come with you?”Kara shook her head. “He says J’onn’s gonna come with us. Is it alright if you take Mae to school?”Lena smiled. “It’s no problem at all.”She told Mae to go finish getting ready once they finish their breakfast, wrapping Kara up in her arms before she took off. “Birthday shopping. When you get back. Then it’s just you and me for the rest of the day.”Kara grinned. “I can’t wait. I love you.”“I love you, too.”They shared a sweet, see-you-later kiss before Kara flew off towards the sky, Lena smiling as she watched her wife fly towards the DEO.“I’m ready, Mama!”Lena turned to see Mae standing in the hallway, her clothes and hair askew, and a large smile on her face. Lena couldn’t help but chuckle a little; Mae must’ve used her own super-speed to get ready. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s fix you up before we go.” ---------------------- “Okay, the signal is strongest around…here.”Kara and J’onn followed Winn down the sidewalk, earning strange glances as they walked by. Kara smiled and said hello to every passerby in an attempt to make this seem less strange, but seeing Supergirl just walking by on the street like a normal human was a rare occurrence indeed. Earlier this morning, Winn found a signal emitting from underneath the ground, around the area near the waterfront that was attacked a few weeks ago. While it didn’t seem all that weird—the DEO dealt with stuff like this all the time—Winn found that whatever was down there was made of elements that weren’t on the periodic table and had been down there for over 12,000 years. That certainly piqued Kara’s interest.“Alright, everyone stand back.” Kara said with her arms outstretched, earning a few more alarmed glances as pedestrians quickly moved to the side. “I saw Clark do this once.”J’onn quickly stopped her before she could spin a giant hole into the ground. “There’s a way to do this without destroying public property. Over here.” He led them down a nearby alleyway, catching them both off guard as he grabbed them and pulled them to his sides. “Hold on tight. This might feel a little weird,” J’onn said, and before Winn could say anything, they were sinking through the Earth at an incredible pace. They landed on a hard metal surface, and it took Kara a while to regain her bearings.“We just phased!” Winn exclaimed as he leaned up against the wall for balance. “That was horrible! That was amazing! Can we do it again? Like all the time, please?”“No,” J’onn said. “Now where are we?”Kara looked around. They appeared to be in some sort of spaceship, if the futuristic look was anything to go off of. Her suspicions were confirmed when they entered a large room filled with cryo-sleep pods.“Is that a person?” Winn asked.J’onn nodded. There were people in the pods, and they all appeared to be asleep. There were six pods in total, but one of them had been opened.“Someone’s out,” Kara said as she eyed the empty pod. “Be on your guard.”“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” J’onn said as they continued to examine the pods. “Have you?”Kara shook her head as a crash echoed from a nearby area. Winn cowered behind J’onn, who gave him a side-eye as Kara moved to investigate. A dark figure appeared in the doorway and shot at Kara with a strange-looking gun, and she moved out of the way just in time. “Don’t shoot!”“Keselispo!”“Stand down!”The figure readied his gun to shoot again, but Kara moved faster, disarming him and knocking him unconscious.“Why do these guys never listen?” Winn asked. “Kara? Are you okay?”Kara didn’t answer, her eyes locked on the man she just knocked out. She knew him, or at least she did, once upon a time.“It’s Mon-El.” ---------------------- Lena’s suit faded from her body as she hurried up the stairs of the DEO towards the medical bay. She had called Kara after dropping Mae off at school to tell her she was on the way home, only to have Kara tell her she was at the DEO. Lena had asked her if everything was okay and Kara said she was fine, but Lena noticed the hurried and hushed tone Kara used, and that had her worried. She told her driver to take the day off and she went behind the school to change into her Green Lantern outfit and took off towards the DEO; flying was faster, anyway. Lena didn’t know what to expect, but she wasn’t expecting to see Kara, Alex, Winn, and J’onn standing around one of the beds in the medical bay.“We need to secure the ship and see what else and who else is on it,” J’onn was saying as Lena approached. “Agent Schott, organize a team and send them down there as quickly as possible.”“You got it, Papa Bear.”“And don’t call me that at our place of employment, Agent Schott.”“Yes sir,” Win answered timidly.“What’s going on?”Everyone turned around to see Lena standing in the doorway, and Lena immediately noticed the dazed and confused look on Kara’s face. “Kara, are you okay? What’s going on?”Kara looked down at the ground before turning back around. Lena’s eyes followed her gaze to the figure lying in the bed, and her eyes widened as a gasp escaped her mouth. Mon-El was unconscious on the bed, dressed in DEO sweats and looking vastly different from the last time with his shorter hair and new beard. Kara remained as still as a statue, her brow furrowed as she stared at the sleeping Daxamite. “Can you give us a moment please?” Lena asked the others.J’onn nodded and he and Winn left the room in silence. Alex gave Kara a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. “If you need us, we’ll be right outside,” she said before following suit, leaving Kara and Lena alone in the room with Mon-El. Lena could feel the tension rolling off of Kara as she inched closer and threaded their fingers together, giving her wife’s hand a tight squeeze.“How is this even possible?” she muttered.“I don’t know,” Kara said. “I don’t know.”“Are you okay?”Kara looked down and disentangled her fingers from Lena’s, folding her arms across her chest. Her eyes were locked on Mon-El, and Lena could see the mixture of anger and sorrow growing within them.“Kara?”“Sorry,” Kara shook her head. “Can…can we just go home? Please?”Lena nodded, and the two of them flew back to their apartment in silence. Kara went back to the bedroom to change while Lena ordered takeout from the kitchen. Potstickers and pizza wouldn’t fix everything, but it was a start. Lena headed back to the bedroom to find Kara sitting on the edge of her bed, still in full Supergirl garb and staring out the window.“Do you want to talk about it?” Lena asked as she sat down next to Kara.“Is there anything to talk about?” Kara retorted, earning her a look from Lena. “I’m sorry, it’s just…I thought I was over Mon-El.”The words hit Lena like a brick wall, and her heart sank down below her stomach as her throat went dry. “Are…are you not?”Kara realized what she just said and she hurried to correct herself. “No! I mean yes! I mean…” Kara looked down and sighed. “I am over him. But seeing him again…it brought up all those old feelings and I don’t know what to do or even what to say to him.”“Hey.” Lena took hold of Kara’s hand. “Hey, look at me.” Kara turned towards her wife, but her eyes remained glued to the ground. Lena took a big breath before she continued. “It’s okay to be feeling like this. You loved him and he was a big part of your life, so it’s okay to be confused about all of this.”Kara finally looked up at Lena, her brow knitted together. “I’m not confused. I did have feelings for him, yes. But I love you. I always have, I always will, and nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. My heart, Lena, belongs to you.”A smile grew on Lena’s face as her worries melted away. “I love you, too,” she said as she kissed the back of Kara’s hand. “And you don’t have to deal with alone. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”That elicited a genuine laugh from Kara. “I love you so much.” She leant in and captured Lena’s lips with hers, making the kiss slow and soft and deep. The kisses quickly became more heated and passionate as Lena slings a leg over Kara’s waist and straddles her, running her fingers through soft, blonde hair as Kara’s hands maneuvered their way under Lena’s shirt up to her shoulders.“Shouldn’t we be shopping for Mae’s presents?” Kara asked as Lena made her way down her neck, gasping a little as she bit her pulse point and pushed Kara down onto the mattress.“We can go later.”A few hours and a few boxes of takeout later, Lena found herself wrapped up in her wife’s limbs and their bed sheets as content as can be. Kara was asleep beside her, her hair messy and cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall as her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Lena smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to Kara’s cheek before sitting up, running a hand through her hair as she got off the bed to get dressed. Mae would be getting out of school soon and she wanted to get there on time to pick her up. A shift on the mattress followed by a groan signaled that Kara was awake.“Where are you going?”“To pick Mae up from school,” Lena said as she brushed her hair. “Do you want to come with?”“Sure.” Kara got up and changed quickly, coming out wearing a nice button-up and a pair of dark slacks. “Is Mae going to train today?”“That was the plan. Do you not want her to?”“No, I do.” Kara said, biting her lip nervously. “It’s just…”Lena nodded understandingly as the rest of Kara’s sentence went unsaid. “How about we all just come back home, watch movies and eat an absurd amount of ice cream tonight?”Kara smiled wide, wrapping her arms around her wife’s waist and pulling her in close. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”“Only every day, darling.” Lena said, a smile growing on her lips as well. “You also told me several times when we were together just now.”“Well, it’s true!” Kara said, planting several kisses on Lena’s cheek and neck. “I love you, Lena.”“I love you, too, Kara.”They shared a sweet kiss before Lena said they had to leave now or Mae would be waiting for a while. They went down to where Lena’s driver was waiting and they rode down to Mae’s school, where an excited Mae was waiting. That excitement faded when Lena told her she wasn’t going to be training today, but it quickly returned when Lena said she could pick out the movies to watch tonight. Of course, Mae picked all Disney films. Her mother’s child indeed, Lena thought.As they all sat on the couch in their pyjamas, Lena looked over at Kara, who hadn’t even touched her ice cream as Lilo and Stitch played on the television; she was no doubt thinking about Mon-El. Seeing him again wasn’t something either of them were expecting, considering how heartbroken Kara was after Mon-El broke up with her. Lena remembered the nights she spent comforting her wife—long before they were even together—and telling her that everything was going to be okay and that she will find someone who will treat her right. Lena sighed. She hated seeing Kara so downtrodden, and wanted to help. Mae was sitting in between the two of them, her eyes glued to the screen as she shoveled cookie dough ice cream into her mouth. Lena leaned over and kissed Kara’s cheek. “Hey,” she whispered, cupping Kara’s face with her hand. “You’re okay.”Kara smiled as she kissed the palm of Lena’s hand. “I love you.”“I love you, too.” Lena said, kissing Kara full on the lips. They were going to deal with this as they always did: together. --------------------- Alex entered the restaurant in a hurry, her eyes scanning for her date as she adjusted the length of her dress for the twenty-seventh time that hour. She spotted her sitting at a table near the back of the restaurant, her lips spreading into a giddy smile at the sight of the stunning woman sporting a dark emerald green dress.“I’m so sorry for being late,” Alex said as she sat down. “I got caught up at work and had to deal with some…stuff.”“Hey, it’s okay.” Sam said, her smile being enough to melt Alex’s insides. “I actually got here five minutes ago. Ruby’s babysitter came late. How was work?”“It was…eventful,” Alex said after they ordered their drinks.“Oh,” Sam suggestively raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”Alex took a sip of her wine. “Well, most of it is classified, but we did run into my sister’s ex-boyfriend while on a mission, and it was just as awkward as it sounds.”Sam groaned and winced. “Does Kara know?”Alex nodded.“When did he get here? I thought he left years ago.”“He did,” Alex replied. “I don’t know when he got here or how long he’ll be staying.” Or how long he’ll be torturing Kara with his presence, Alex thought. She had never really liked Mon-El and wasn’t too thrilled when he and Kara started dating, but she had stayed silent because her sister appeared happy, and all she wanted was for Kara to be happy. Alex remembered the day when she found Kara crying in her apartment, and she rushed to comfort her when she found out Mon-El had unceremoniously dumped her just hours before the Daxamite invasion. It took a lot of willpower not to track down the Daxamite and give him hell for breaking her sister’s heart, but Alex had been there for Kara and helped her get over the prick. But neither of them expected him to come back, so the discovery had rattled Kara to her core. Luckily, Lena had also been there to help with that, but Alex wished that she could do more for her baby sister.“So how are you doing?” Alex asked Sam, hoping to steer the conversation away from someone she absolutely despised.“I’m alright,” Sam said, nodding in a way that made Alex both suspicious and worried.“Sam. What’s wrong?”Sam looked down at the table, taking a deep breath before she continued. “I had another nightmare last night.”Alex tensed up, reaching over and squeezing Sam’s hand tight. “Are you…are you okay? Do you need anything? Can I help?”Sam shook her head. “It’s nothing.”“Sam, sweetie, these nightmares aren’t ‘nothing’. Have you told anyone about them?”“I told you,” Sam muttered.Alex had learned about the nightmares on the fourth night she stayed over at Sam’s, about a couple of months after they started dating, waking up to the sound of her girlfriend screaming bloody murder. She had helped out as much as she could, but Sam had insisted she was fine and that they were come-and-go. Alex had stayed at Sam’s for the rest of the week to help her with her nightmares, to show her that she was not alone anymore. Alex had suggested medication to help her sleep, but Sam wouldn’t hear it seeing as Lena was counting on her helping her run L-Corp.“Have you had any others?”“Yes,” Sam admitted sheepishly.“When did they start?”“About a week ago.”“Sam,” Alex sighed, her heart aching for her girlfriend. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think taking medication might help with this—”“No, Alex.” The firm tone Sam used silenced Alex on the subject. “I’m visiting my mother this weekend, actually.”That caught Alex’s attention. “Why?”“She might have answers about all this.”“Why would she know anything about this?”“I’ve been having these nightmares since I was a kid. If there’s anyone who might know anything about that, it would be Patricia.” Sam exhaled deeply. “I had them until I became pregnant with Ruby, then all of the sudden they stopped. Now that they’re back, I…I don’t know what to do. It’s a long shot, but maybe Patricia will have some answers.”Alex nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?”She knew Sam and Patricia had an estranged relationship due to the latter kicking Sam out when she was found to be pregnant, and wanted to help her girlfriend in whatever way she could.“That’s okay, Alex.” Sam said, rubbing the back of Alex’s hand with her thumb. “This is something I need to do on my own. Would you mind watching over Ruby while I’m gone?”Alex nodded. “I would love to. And if you need anything or you need me to come get you, you give me a call, okay?”Sam chuckled. “You would drop everything to come get me?”“Yes.”“Patricia lives about 90 miles outside the city limits.”Alex shrugged. “I’ve traveled farther.”“You would do that for me?”“Of course.” Alex lifted Sam’s fingers to her lips and gently kissed them. “I really care about you, Sam, and I want you to be happy.”Sam smiled, looking down as the color in her cheeks grew. “You’re going to make me cry in public. This mascara is not waterproof.”“That was not my intention, but lucky for you, my shoulder is open and waiting.”Sam’s jaw dropped. “You are unbelievable.”Alex laughed as the waiter placed their food before them, raising her glass to Sam. “Well, I believe in you.”Sam raised her glass in return, a watery smile on her lips. “Thank you, Alex.” ----------------------- Despite Lena’s words of assurance the night before, Kara was still nervous about her inevitable confrontation with Mon-El. She knew he would be waking up soon, and Lena and Alex both said she didn’t have to see her ex if she didn’t want to—and she really, really didn’t want to—but Kara had to go to the DEO anyway for Supergirl stuff, so she would be seeing Mon-El no matter what. The thought left a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach the entire day at CatCo, consuming her mind so much so that she didn’t listen to anything James said in the pitch meeting that morning. Her thoughts became jumbled and overwhelmed with questions: how did Mon-El get here? Where did he go? Why was he on an alien ship? Where did that alien ship come from? Why was he back now?“Kara.”Kara snapped out of her train of thought at the sound of James’s voice. “James, hey. How—how can I help you?”The look of concern in James’s eyes did nothing to quell Kara’s growing anxiety. “Are you okay? You seem a little off today.”Kara nodded vehemently, but that wasn’t enough to convince James.“Kara, I know about Mon-El.”Kara froze, her throat closing up as she turned back to her computer to hide the redness creeping up her neck. Of course James knew about Mon-El. Who didn’t know about Mon-El?“I know this is hard for you,” James said. “But I’m here for you if you need anything or want to talk.”“Thank you, James.” Kara said, incredibly thankful for her friend in that moment. “I just…I wasn’t expecting this at all.”“I don’t think any of us were.” James sighed. “You know, you don’t have to talk to him or even see him if you don’t want to.”“I know. But I can’t ignore him forever, as much as I want to. I don’t even know how long he’ll be here. Winn is trying to find out as much as he can about the ship we found Mon-El on, but until then, he’ll be sticking around. I’m just…scared he’ll want to get back together or something.”James pursed his lips. “Well, if you need anything, I’m here for you.”“I appreciate that, James. Thank you.”James nodded and went over to another reporter’s desk to check on his progress, but not before giving Kara a comforting pat on the shoulder. Kara managed a small smile. She was incredibly thankful to have James as a friend. They don’t see eye-to-eye all the time, but they always had each other’s backs no matter what. Feeling a little better about this whole thing, Kara managed to get a little bit of work done before calling it a day, calling Lena—who was at L-Corp dealing with a situation—and telling her that she was going to pick Mae up from school. Kara had only picked Mae up from school a few times; Alex usually did it since both Kara and Lena had jobs with weird hours, but whenever either of them had the chance to do it, they leapt on it. So Kara waited outside the school in excited anticipation until the bell rang, her eyes scanning the oncoming crowd of children until they landed on her equally-excited daughter.“Mom!”Kara thanked Rao that she was as strong as she was as Mae barreled straight into her, hugging her as tight as she possible could. “Hey, little one! How was your day?”“It was good!” Mae exclaimed as she held Kara’s hand while they walked down the street. “Ms. Sanders read another story today. It was about a vampire who used his powers to turn kids into fish! And there were three cats there, too. Can we get a cat, Mom? I remember you telling me you had a cat when you were my age.”Kara couldn’t help but laugh. “Technically, he wasn’t my cat. He was just a stray that I fed.”“Do you think he’s still alive?”“I don’t think so, bean.”“Aw.” Mae’s shoulders fell before perking up almost immediately. “We can get a cat and name him Streaky in honor of the first Streaky!”Kara smiled, the back of her eyes beginning to burn with happy tears. “Maybe one day we’ll get a cat. Maybe a dog, too.”Mae squealed in excitement as she jumped off the ground, hovering in the air a little longer than she should so Kara gently pulled her back down as inconspicuously as she could. Luckily, no one seemed to notice, but Kara still had a stern talking with Mae about using her powers in public.“You use your powers all the time, Mom.” Mae complained as she finished solving an equation. They were both feeling hungry so they decided to go to Noonan’s to get some sticky buns before heading to the DEO.“I have a suit, Mae.” Kara said, shoveling a bite of sticky bun into her mouth. “That’s the difference.”Mae groaned. “But why can’t you use them when you’re not in the suit?”“Because my identity as Kara Danvers is important to me,” Kara explained. Her young daughter’s intellect never failed to surprise her, even though she and Lena were both respective geniuses in the fields of math and science. Lena was quite annoyed at Kara when she found out that the Kryptonian did in fact know what quantum entanglement and polyatomic anions were. Mae liked math and science as well, but she much preferred English and history. Her academic prowess aside, one of Mae’s biggest strengths was her perceptiveness. “If I was Supergirl all the time, I would lose touch with my humanity, and that’s what helps me connect to the people of National City. It’s what helped me and your mother connect when we first met.”Mae nodded, taking in her mother’s words. “You’re a great hero, Mom. Everyone at school thinks so.”“Yeah? And what do you think?”“That you’re the bestest hero. Duh.”Kara smiled, reaching over and mussing up Mae’s hair affectionately. “I love you, bean.”“I love you, too, Mom.” Mae beamed.They stayed at Noonan’s until Mae finished all her homework—and after they downed several more sticky buns—before heading to the DEO, the thought of Mon-El far from Kara’s mind. Alex greeted them as they walked in, giving hugs to both her sister and her excited niece. Winn and J’onn said hello as well as Kara and Mae headed down to the locker room. Mae was practically bouncing off the walls when she emerged in her training outfit; Kara could tell she was trying not to fly down the hallway towards the training room, and she had to stifle a laugh. She really was her mother’s daughter. Just before they got to the training room, however, something caught Kara’s eye: a strange figure was sneaking into one of the storage rooms. Kara tensed up. This usually meant nothing good.“Mae, wait here. I’ll be right back.” Kara went to investigate, finding the figure taking an item that Kara recognized as incredibly powerful power source. She readied herself for a confrontation, but froze once the figure turned around.“Kara.”Mon-El looked as dumbfounded as she probably did. “It’s…it’s really you.”They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Kara remembered herself and punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious for the second time in just as many days. Her fist was shaking as he fell to the floor, her heart beating ten times faster than usual. Kara had a feeling that won’t be the last time that happened. ------------------------ Lena found Kara and Alex in the room adjacent to the cell area. She had just gotten out of a meeting with the department heads at CatCo after a strenuous meeting with her board members at L-Corp; Sam was out of town on a visit to her mother’s, so Lena had to return to look at some of the dealings her company was overseeing, and while most of the meeting went rather smoothly, there were still a few members of the board who got under her skin by questioning her every move. Thankful to be away from all that, Lena was eager to join Mae’s training session with her wife and sister-in-law, but was surprised to find her daughter with Winn in the main control room, who told her that Kara and Alex were in the cell area. Confused, Lena went to go find them, and was shocked to see that one of the cells held Mon-El, who was still clad in DEO sweats but was wide awake now as he stared at the wall ahead of him. This was not what Lena was expecting, so what the hell happened?“Lena.”Kara had noticed her come in, her eyes watery and her body stiff with tension that Lena wanted to take away immediately as she wrapped her wife up in her arms. “Kara, what happened?”“Mon-El,” Alex explained, as if it wasn’t obvious. “He tried to steal a power source from one of the storage rooms and Kara knocked him out.”“My God,” Lena breathed as she rubbed Kara’s back comfortingly. “What does he need it for?”Alex shrugged. “I’m about to find out, though.”“No, Alex.”Before Alex could move, Kara straightened up. “I’ll talk to him.”“What? No, I’ll do it.”“Alex.” Kara’s tone was final, despite her voice cracking slightly. “Let me do this.”“Do you want me to go with you?” While Lena greatly admired Kara’s courage for this, she knew all too well how seeing a person from your past who hurt you could affect you. Seeing Lillian a few years ago was a prime example.Kara shook her head. “I have to do this on my own. I need my closure.”Lena nodded understandingly. “Well, Alex and I will be right here if you need us.”Kara murmured her thanks before entering the cell area, Lena’s eyes never leaving her wife the entire time.“Hey.” Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. “She’s tough. She’ll be okay.”“I know,” Lena said. “I just really hate him for what he put her through.”“That makes two of us.” ------------------------ The door closed heavily behind Kara, causing her to wince at the following echo. She took a deep, shuddering breath before turning around to face the one person she didn’t want to see. Mon-El stood up immediately once she came into view, a hopeful look in his dark blue eyes that made Kara’s stomach lurch.“Kara,” he breathed reverently. “I…I never thought I would see you again.”“Why are you here?” Kara demanded, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. “Why did you try to steal from us?”A flicker of hurt flashed across Mon-El’s face. “I…my ship is damaged, and I need the power source to fix it.”“I’m aware,” Kara growled. “But why are you here? Why did you come back?”She crossed her arms in front of her chest to keep her body from shaking, but her mind was racing, and she could feel her heart hammering against her sternum. Kara wanted nothing more than to retreat into Lena’s loving arms, but she had to stay; she had to know why Mon-El had the goddamn nerve to come back. From the looks of it, he was nervous too, looking down at the ground and nodding before speaking.“After we…broke up, I ran. I went through a wormhole and ended up in the 31st century. It was there I met a team of superheroes that I thought could help me. I ended up joining them, and while we were on a mission, our ship went through a wormhole and we ended up 12,000 years in the past. The journey had severely damaged the ship, so we had no choice but to go into hyper-sleep and wake up when we returned to the 31st century. Unfortunately, my pod malfunctioned and I woke up a few weeks ago.”Kara furrowed her brow. “You never wanted to be a hero. Why did you join them then?”“The team based their code off of Supergirl’s,” Mon-El explained. “Off of yours. It made me realize how much of a jerk I was to you and I wanted to do better, even if you weren’t around to see it.” He stepped forward and placed a hand on the glass separating them, the hope returning to his eyes. “And I know you may not believe me, I’ve never stopped loving you, Kara. Rhea…she forced me to end things with you, or else she would kill you herself. I did it to protect you, I swear.”Taking in a sharp breath, Kara turned away as the back of her eyes began to burn. Her palms curled into fists as Mon-El’s words fully hit her; this is what she was afraid of happening. In the other room, Kara could hear Alex swear under her breath and Lena grinding her teeth in anger and jealousy. Her wife’s heart rate was through the roof and Kara hated that Lena was feeling this way, and was angry at Mon-El for being so flippant with his feelings. It made her blood boil. “You know, there was a time when I believed that I could have it all, with you. You seemed to be the perfect choice because you were like me: one of the sole survivors of a dead planet, gifted with extraordinary powers and the like. I gave you all of my love. I gave you my heart, but you turned around and broke it into several pieces. And—and now you walk back into my life, claiming that you’ve loved me all these years apart, and now want to get back together?” Kara shook her head vehemently. “No. I never needed your protection, and I sure as hell don’t need it now.”“But I thought…” Mon-El started. “I’ve changed, I—I didn’t think I would see you again, and now that you’re here, we can try again and do it right this time.”Kara scoffed. “Not a chance. And even if I wanted to, absolutely not.”She held up her ring hand, and Mon-El’s face fell at the sight. “Oh. Who—who’s the lucky guy?”“Girl,” Kara said, smiling slightly as she heard Lena’s heart rate pick up. “Woman, actually, which you would know if you came from the future. And I’m luckier to have her. We will help you fix your ship, but once that is done, you will be on it heading back to the future. Enjoy your stay while it lasts.”With that, Kara turned and walked towards the exit, leaving Mon-El to sulk alone in his cell. Her body was vibrating with tension, so she breezed past everyone and went to the training room, where thankfully a large tower of cinder blocks were waiting. They were originally going to be used for Mae’s training session, but that was far from Kara’s mind as she went to town on the blocks, demolishing them with her fists as she screamed her frustrations loudly. She was so angry; angry at Mon-El for, well, everything, but angrier at herself for letting all of it get to her. It had been years since she had even thought about the Daxamite, and now he was here right before her very eyes and wanted to get back together. Maybe once upon a time, she would’ve immediately taken him up on his offer, but now she had Lena. She had Mae. And she loved both of them more than life itself. It wasn’t until she received a light touch on her arm that she stopped her attack on the blocks, knowing the soft hand belonged to her wife. Overcome with emotion, Kara finally broke down in Lena’s arms, who did her best to console her and tell her that everything was going to be alright.“I’m sorry,” Kara sobbed, burying her head into Lena’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”“You have nothing to apologize for, darling.” Lena said as she rubbed Kara’s back comfortingly. “You were so brave in there and I’m so proud of you. I'm right here, baby, I’m right here.”Kara cried harder, holding onto Lena as if she were her lifeline. Lena kissed the top of her head softly and continued to whisper comforting words into her ear, rocking her wife back and forth until she was able to completely calm down. ------------------- The next few days passed by as normally as much they possibly could. Mon-El had remained in his cell since Kara found him, and the Kryptonian hadn’t visited him since. She had been in a funk since their conversation the other day, so Lena had been keeping an eye on her wherever they went; at home, at CatCo, at the DEO, everywhere. She had half a mind to go back to the cell area and give Mon-El a piece of her mind, but Alex said that wouldn’t help anything, despite the agent wanting to do the same. Alex had been checking in on the Daxamite, who was beginning to get antsy in his enclosed space. He had been begging Alex to let him out so he could help Winn and his team help fix the ship, but she kept refusing, telling him that he’s done enough already. Kara appreciated that, saying that she wants him far away from everyone as possible, especially her daughter. Mae had been curious as to who the strange man was, constantly prodding her mothers to tell her. Eventually, Lena conceded and told Mae about Mon-El (with Kara’s permission, of course), telling her daughter who he was and why he was back.“I don’t like him,” Mae stated once Lena finished her explanation. “He doesn’t sound like a nice guy.”“Yeah,” Lena said. “I just want your mother to be okay.”Later that night, after going on a quick patrol and putting Mae to bed, Lena fixed a couple of glasses of water for her and Kara before they would turn in. The Kryptonian was standing firmly by the window, still in her Supergirl suit with her arms crossed in front of the emblem on her chest as she stared out into the city below. Lena sighed. She hated seeing her wife like this, hated how she shut herself away in her own mind in situations like this. Kara had been getting better about opening up to her about her feelings, but Lena knew all too well that old habits die hard. She wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist and kissed her shoulder gently, the blonde relaxing only slightly. “Hey,” Lena whispered. “You okay?”Kara shook her head and sighted frustratingly. “I should be, but…I don’t know why this is getting under my skin so much.”“Do you want to talk about it?”Kara was silent for a few moments, her body still hard as stone, before she spoke again. “I don’t trust him. Mon-El. I think he has another agenda.”“Why would he lie?”“I don’t know. I just…why come back now?”“I don’t know, baby.” Lena kissed a soft spot on Kara’s neck and hugged her tighter. “What exactly happened between you two? I mean I know the break-up was bad, but that’s the extent of it.”Kara sighed as she led Lena over to the bed, mulling her words over in her head before speaking. “Before the Daxamite invasion, things between Mon-El and I were pretty great. I was happy, he was happy, at least that’s how it looked to me. Things were good. But then the Daxamites came and everything changed. Mon-El went up to one of the ships, telling me that he was going to try and convince their leaders, who I later found out were his parents, to not open war on Earth.” Kara paused and looked down at her hands. “When he got back, something changed. There was a look on his face that I couldn’t place, and to be honest, it kind of scared me. When I asked him what happened, he snapped and told me we couldn’t be together anymore. I tried to convince him that that wasn’t necessary, that we could get through this together, but Mon-El wasn’t having it. He screamed at me, saying that he finally saw me for all I really was, and then he threw my mother’s necklace back at me before storming out. I found out later that he had stolen my pod and left the planet moments before the invasion took place.”Lena’s eyes were wide with horror, her body practically shaking with anger. “I am going to kill him. You didn’t deserve that. You didn’t deserve any of that, Kara. I’m sorry.”“It’s not your fault, Lee.” Kara said. “I just can’t go through all that again with him. I don’t want to be betrayed like that again.”Lena’s heart sank as tears started to form in Kara’s eyes, so she reached over and brushed them off with her thumb and placed a reassuring kiss on her wife’s cheek. “I understand. But know that I’m here for you, darling. I always will be.”That was enough to earn a small smile from Kara. “I love you so much.”“And I love you.”They both lean in for a kiss, but Kara’s phone buzzes before their lips could make contact. “Hello?”“Kara, I’ve got bad news.”Lena felt Kara tense up under her touch. “Alex, what is it?”“It’s Mon-El. He’s not in his cell.”Kara clenched her jaw as she thanked Alex before carefully hanging up. “I have to go.”“Is it Mon-El?”Kara nodded tensely. “He escaped, and I know exactly where he went.”A few moments later, Supergirl and Green Lantern were aboard the futuristic ship, where they found Mon-El and Winn in the chamber area working on a strange looking control pad.“Care to tell me what’s going on here?” Kara demanded.The raw intensity in her voice caused Winn to jump out of his skin. “K—Kara. I…I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”“What are you doing here, Winn? Did you help him get out?”Before Winn could stammer his way through an explanation, Mon-El interrupted. “I needed him to help me fix it, and in order to do that, I need the help of one of my teammates.” He pointed to one of the pods, which held another person that appeared to have blue skin and incredibly light hair. “He’s the smartest person I know, and he’ll have the ship up and running in no time.”“That’s still no excuse to leave your cell when you had no permission to do so,” Lena countered. Her ring was thrumming with power and she was waiting for the opportunity to use it on Mon-El. If he even so much as looked at Kara the wrong way, she would send him flying. Lena didn’t care; he hurt Kara. The Kryptonian didn’t deserve that. Her outburst made Mon-El finally notice her, and his eyes widened slightly.“Ms. Luthor. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”“Wish I could say the same.”Before Mon-El could say anything more, one of the chambers began to malfunction, causing Mon-El to push Winn out of the way. He began to push several buttons in different orders, but nothing was working. “No, no, no!”Kara and Lena shared a frightened look before going over to the chamber to try and help. “What’s happening?” Lena asked.“Her chamber lost power,” Mon-El frantically explained, having Winn take over so he could walk over to the chamber and scan it for damage. “If she doesn’t get it back soon, she’ll die.”Mon-El began to punch the glass of the chamber, attempting to break it but he barely made a dent in it. Kara then pushed Mon-El out of the way so she could try, breaking the glass with one powerful punch and freeing the woman trapped inside.“We need to get her back to the DEO,” Lena said, everyone nodding in agreement.They all booked it back to the DEO, where the woman was taken to the medical ward. Alex and her team quickly saw to her as Mon-El, Kara, and Lena observed in the hall outside. It wasn’t long until Alex gave them a nod telling them that the woman was going to be outside. Lena saw that the woman was very beautiful, with tan skin and wavy black hair. She looked rather peaceful, much like Kara whenever she slept, and was glad that she was going to be okay. “Who is she?” she asked.“Her name is Imra Ardeen,” Mon-El explained, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “She’s from Saturn and is the founder of the Legion. She is…very important to me.”Lena furrowed her brow, anger beginning to bubble within her chest. “Are you and her a thing?” Answer wisely, asshat.Mon-El shook his head. “I tried to court her, but she’s married to another member.”“That seems to be your type,” Kara commented snidely before turning around to leave.“Kara, wait—”“Oh, no you don’t.” Lena stepped in front of Mon-El before he could chase after Kara. “Don’t even try to.”“I just need to explain—”“You’ve already explained yourself to her, remember? She doesn’t want to listen to what you have to say because she doesn’t trust you. And for the record, neither do I. So you stay away from her, or you will have me to deal with, and trust me you do not want to see me when I’m angry.”Mon-El furrowed his brow. “Wouldn’t I have to answer to her hus—ah, her wife? I know you two are close, but…”Lena’s hands curled into fists as the ring shone brightly on her hand, desperately wanting to be used, but she fought the urge as she took a step towards him. “I am her wife.”With that, Lena turned around to go find Kara, leaving a stunned Mon-El in her wake, and she found out from Vasquez had already left. She flew home immediately to find her wife already curled up on the bed crying her eyes out onto the pillow. Lena crawled in beside her and wrapped her up in her arms, gently rubbing Kara’s back and placing kisses on the top of her head as Kara’s chest heaved with each sob.“I’m sorry,” Kara kept whispering. “I’m sorry.”“Shh,” Lena hushed as she stroked her wife’s hair. “It’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay.”Kara squeezed Lena tighter, holding onto her like a lifeline as Lena reciprocated. Lena hated Mon-El. She never liked him very much to begin with, but now after hearing what he did to Kara and seeing it in the flesh made her seethe with anger. She regretted not using the ring on him, but she knew that that was not why she was gifted the ring. She looked down at Kara, who was calming down a bit due to her breathing pattern changing, and was overcome with emotion. Lena kissed the top of her wife’s head, letting it linger for several seconds as Kara nuzzled further into her shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered.“I love you, too,” Kara whispered back, kissing her throat softly. “Now and forever.”Lena let out a breath as she held Kara close to her, comforted by the fact that Kara loved her and her alone and knowing that she loved her in return and would do anything to protect her from getting hurt. And God help anyone who dared to hurt Kara Zor-El. ------------------------- The sun shone high in the sky, its rays beating down on the desert below. Sam walked across the dusty ground with the beacon in her hand, following the light it emitted further and further until she reached the center of the desert. She had left Patricia’s house late last night after the latter had revealed that Sam wasn’t actually human; at least, that’s what the small alien ship in the barn led Sam to believe. The ship had responded to her touch, revealing a cylindrical beacon to her, and she had followed its light all the way to this desert. But there was nothing here as far as the eye could see, so Sam was beginning to wonder what the hell she was even doing here. Almost on cue, the ground began to shake and Sam fell down, watching in awe as rocky spires shot up from the earth and formed a huge structure. Speechless, Sam stepped towards the structure, managing to easily find a path inside, where she discovered a large area that was home to double staircases set in stone, and everything was covered in shadows and fog. This was certainly not what she was expecting, but she couldn’t wait to tell Alex all about it when she got home.Sam noticed a control panel at the base of the staircases, so she walked over to that. Several buttons lay before her, almost all of them glowing a blood red, but what caught Sam’s eye was an empty slot in the center of the panel. The beacon was still in her hand, and everything clicked. She put the beacon into the slot, which caused the panel to light up, sending her stumbling back a little in shock. When she looked back up, a dark cloaked figure was standing in the center of the room, looking at her with almost reverent eyes.“Welcome, my child,” the figure said. “I have waited so long for your return.”Sam froze. She recognized that voice. She recognized that figure. This figure—this woman—had been terrorizing her in her dreams as of late, but now she was here? She was real? “Who are you?” Sam asked.“I am science,” the woman said. “I am magic, information, and a friend.”“Where am I?”The woman smiled. “You are in a place reminiscent of your home: the dead planet Krypton. This is your Fortress of Sanctuary.”Sam’s eyes widened. “Krypton? You mean…that means…I’m like Supergirl?”“Yes, my child. You share similar qualities with the daughter of the House of El.”Sam couldn’t believe it. She was an alien. She had powers. She was like Supergirl! “I’m a hero?”The woman laughed. “You are so much more than that. You were genetically-engineered to execute justice and bring balance to this planet, but they will not call you a hero for it. They will call you Worldkiller, one who will dispense justice without mercy, and the Earth shall burn.”Sam felt her body turned to stone, shaking her head vehemently in horror. “No…no, I’m a good person. I’m not a—a Worldkiller. I have a daughter!”“An unfortunate error that delayed the emergence of your true self.”“Do not call my daughter an error!” Sam was shaking in fury as she lunged towards the woman, but she went through her as the woman turned out to be nothing more than a hologram.“You cannot fight who you truly are,” the woman explained, a cold sneer on her face. “You will forget this daughter of yours along with your human life, for it is time for you to fulfill your true purpose as Reign.”All of the sudden, a burning sensation took hold in Sam’s chest, and it became nigh impossible to breathe. She clutched her chest as she fought for air, screaming as the burning spread throughout her entire body like a river of lava. Sam cried out for someone to help her as the pain completely engulfed her before everything went black.She opened her eyes moments later, lifting her head up slowly and taking in her surroundings. She recognized this place, recognized its purpose as she stood up, her power thrumming within her as it should’ve all along. She knew what she was brought here to do. She knew what had to be done.“Khahp nahn ehswit,” she murmured in her native tongue.
I have awoken.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Concentrate, Mae! You almost got it!”A cardboard cutout of a Dominator exploded under the intense pressure of Mae’s heat vision, wooden pieces flying towards all corners of the room causing Lena to duck.“Oh Rao! I’m so sorry, Mama!” Mae exclaimed, her hand flying up to her mouth. “I didn’t mean to do that, I swear!”“I know, sweetie.” Lena said, giving her daughter a reassuring nod. “You just to need to focus more.”“I’m trying!”“I know, and you are doing amazing, Mae.”Mae was doing amazingly in Lena’s eyes; she has vastly improved in the few months she’s been training, having now mastering her flying abilities as well as her freeze breath, and both Lena and Kara were incredibly proud of her.“Okay, Mae. Let’s try one more time and then we’ll go home.”Mae nodded solemnly, getting into position as Lena set up more cutouts. Speaking of Kara, she was currently putting out yet another apartment fire, so she wasn’t able to make it in time for Mae’s training session. By the looks of it, she would miss the entire thing. Knowing Kara, though, Lena was certain that everything would be okay.At least, that’s what she hoped.It had been nearly a month since Mon-El showed up, and his presence was starting to take its toll on everyone at the DEO. Winn and his team of technicians had been spending every waking hour of every day trying to fix the Legion’s ship with the help of the Daxamite, as well as the recently awakened Imra Ardeen, and have been successful for the most part; there were still a few tweaks to be made before the ship will be fully operable, and then Mon-El, Imra, and the rest of their sleeping team will head back to their own time, and Lena couldn’t be happier.Now she didn’t have any ill will towards Imra; in fact, she quite liked the woman, who she learned was not only the leader of the Legion, but was a powerful telekinetic and had the heart the size of Kara’s. When she and Imra officially met, Lena was surprised at how sweet the Saturnian was and how in awe she was of Lena and Kara when the two of them met. Imra had the makings of a hero and it radiated off of her. The same could not be said for Mon-El, who Lena was eager to see gone. Kara felt the same way, her mood continuing to sour whenever she saw him in the halls of the DEO or whenever he was brought up in conversation. Nevertheless, it was still nice to know that L-Corp would ultimately become a force for good, something that she learned from Imra, creating products that benefited the good of humanity. Kara was incredibly proud of her wife when she learned that for herself, telling Lena that she deserved all of that.Mae finished off the final cutout with a lot more control this time around, smiling widely when Lena gave her a proud nod. “That was excellent, Mae. Your mother will be very proud.”“I already am.”Lena looked up and saw Kara stroll in, her hair windswept and her costume smelling of smoke. Nevertheless, Lena didn’t hesitate in giving her wife the biggest hug she could. “Hey, honey. How was your day?”“Exhausting,” Kara said, planting a kiss on Lena’s lips and one on Mae’s head when the kid barreled into Kara for a hug. “The fire was started by an old stove, believe it or not. Turns out the man who lived there had left some food on it, and his dog tried to get to it, but accidentally turned on the stove which started the fire.”“Oh my God, is everyone okay?”“Is the dog alright?” Mae asked, her eyes wide with worry.Kara chuckled, her shoulders slacking a bit. “Everyone is fine, including the dog.”Mae smiled at this news, as did Lena. “So, what do you feel like doing for dinner tonight since we will all be home?”“Pizza and potstickers,” Kara and Mae said unanimously, prompting Lena to laugh.“I was actually thinking about cooking,” Lena said, and Mae wrinkled her nose in disgust.“You always make that gross green stuff, Mama, and I don’t like it.”Kara guffawed as Lena’s jaw dropped in horror. “She is definitely your child,” she said to Kara, which made the Kryptonian laugh even harder.“Our daughter just has my taste,” Kara said, winking. “Which is better of course.”Lena shook her head, but couldn’t hide the smile that was growing on her face. “You’re lucky you’re so irresistible, Kara Zor-El.”Kara smiled and leaned in for a kiss, which Lena was about to reciprocate, but Mae interrupted them.“What’s Mon-El doing up there?”Lena felt Kara stiffen under her touch, and she looked up to see the Daxamite observing them from the upper level with a sad look in his eyes. Lena’s grip on Kara tightened as she shot Mon-El a deadly glare. He had no business snooping in on their family moments, and the thought of it made Lena sick to her stomach. Luckily, Mon-El seemed to get the message and he quickly left.“Can I use my heat vision on him?” Mae asked, and the spontaneity of it caught Lena so off guard that she had to bite back a laugh. Kara was not so successful.“No, sweetie, you cannot use your heat vision on him.” Kara said once she was able to breathe again.“You guys still in there?”“Yes, Alex, we’re still here.”“Cool, ‘cause y’all might be needed at the docks.”Lena furrowed her brow. “What’s going on?”“I don’t know yet,” Alex said. “Winn said there was odd activity going on down there and that’s all I know so far.”“Can’t you hack into the cameras?”“Winn tried, but the feed is down.”Kara hummed. “Alright. I’m on my way.”“Copy that.”“Kara, wait.” Lena gave Kara’s arm a squeeze, keeping her in place. “I’ll go.”“Lena—”“Can I go?” Mae asked excitedly, but Lena shook her head, and Mae immediately deflated.“You’re exhausted, baby. Go home and get some rest, I can handle this.”Kara opened her mouth to protest, but sighed instead. “Okay. Just be safe, okay?”Lena smiled, touching her ring so her suit formed over her body. “I always am.”Kara grinned, her blue eyes shining with affection. “I love you.”“I love you, too.”The two share a sweet kiss before Lena exited the room to head to the balcony.“Ms. Luthor.”Lena turned around to see who called her, and saw Imra standing in the hall with a bright smile on her face that was reminiscent of Kara’s. “Imra. Can I help you with anything?”Imra shook her head. “Are you going on patrol?”“Going to the docks, actually. Agent Danvers said there was a situation there.”The Saturnian’s eyes widened. “Would it…would it be alright if I joined you?”Lena blinked in surprise. “You want to come with me?”“If that’s alright with you, Ms. Luthor.” Imra said, her cheeks reddening. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”“Dear, you aren’t intruding at all.” Lena said reassuringly. “I was going to go on my own, but I wouldn’t mind the extra company.”“Are you sure? Isn’t Supergirl going with you?”“Supergirl is going home to rest if she knows what’s good for her,” Lena said. “Come on, let’s go.”The two arrived at the docks a few moments later, landing a few hundred meters away; so far, they didn’t see anything too suspicious, but Lena kept her guard up as they walked towards one of the docks. “So Imra, tell me. Why did you want to come on this little excursion? I believe you’re almost done fixing the ship.”“We are, yes.” Imra said. “But I wanted to come because, in my time, you are one of Earth’s greatest heroes.”Lena furrowed her brow. “I am?”Imra nodded, smiling. “I had learned all about the honorable hero called Green Lantern that fought by Supergirl’s side, and I know it was silly at the time, but I dreamt of one day fighting by your side.”“I thought you would want to fight by Supergirl’s side since she’s the one you and your team were inspired by.”Imra laughed. “Maybe one day I will fight by her side, but I’m happy to be doing so with you. You inspired us as well, you know.”Lena didn’t know what to say, but she was sure the rising heat in her cheeks was doing all the talking. Her heart swelled with pride knowing that she had inspired someone in the future to join the fight for good. She opened her mouth to say something when Imra gasps. Lena turned to where Imra was looking and her eyes widened. Several bodies lined the dock, unmoving and their dark clothes were covered in blood. They didn’t look like they worked on the docks, though…they looked more like regular civilians. Lena resisted the urge to be sick; all of these people were dead.“Oh no,” Imra breathed. As soon as the words left her lips, she was blasted in the shoulder, sending her flying back several meters. Lena’s head snapped up to see a dark, caped, masked figure with glowing red eyes floating above her menacingly.“Who the hell are you?” Lena demanded of the figure, her ring thrumming on her finger.The figure sneered. “I have come to purge this world of sinners and pave the way for a new world order of justice.”Lena shook her head in disgust. “By killing innocent people?”“These people were far from innocent,” the figure growled. “They hurt innocent people and I have dealt with them accordingly. And now, I’ll deal with you.”The figure’s eyes glowed white hot, which Lena instantly recognized as heat vision, so she created a sphere to shield herself from the blast. “These sinners will pay!” the figure exclaimed. “And their blood will soil the earth before I am done, and I will reign!”“Keep telling yourself that!”A large crate hit the figure square in the chest, knocking her out of the air. Lena disengaged her shield to see Imra with her fingers on her temple in deep concentration, breaking it when she saw Lena was okay. A loud scream sounded from where the figure landed, and they shot up from the ground, flying away into the night. Lena watched as the figure disappeared, Imra along with her, her heart racing inside her chest. “Go get Agent Danvers,” she told Imra. “Tell her what happened here.”Imra nodded and flew back towards the DEO, leaving Lena alone at the crime scene. This attack was unprecedented, and the attacker was definitely not human, and that fact made Lena’s heart drop down to her stomach. There was only one alien race she knew about that had heat vision…She had to tell Kara. ------------------------------- The next few days passed by in a stressful blur for Kara and the rest of the DEO. All hands were on deck as J’onn and Alex had every available agent, including Winn and his own team, looking for the murderous figure from the docks, who has been calling herself Reign, but they have all unfortunately come up short, always being one step behind. There have been several more attacks since the one at the docks, a majority of them within the city, but luckily Supergirl managed to save the day. However, Reign always eluded capture, leaving her symbol wherever she went almost as a mockery, much to the frustration of Kara. A gentle poke to the forehead brought her out of her thoughts, and she blinked in surprise.“What’s on your mind?” Lena asked, the shopping bags swinging slightly in her hands as they walked in the mall. Kara sighed, giving Lena’s hand a reassuring squeeze. They had decided to go shopping for Mae’s presents today as her birthday was coming up very soon, in two days actually, and that was the only good thing in the cesspool of madness that was this month. “I’m fine.”Lena raised a questioning eyebrow. “The crinkle on your forehead says otherwise.”“Ah, crinkle!” Kara groaned. “Can we get something to eat first? I’m starving.”Lena nodded, and they made their way over to the food court. They got pizza—Kara got pepperoni while Lena got veggie—before finding an empty table in the middle of the food court, depositing their shopping bags next to their chairs as they sat down. “So what’s on your mind?” Lena asked again. “Is it Reign?”Kara nodded as she took a large bite of her pizza. “I haven’t encountered anything like her. I mean, I’ve faced plenty of villains in my time, but…Reign scares me.”“She scares me, too,” Lena said. “Have you found out anything more about her?”“No,” Kara shook her head. After learning that Reign might be of Kryptonian origins, Kara immediately went to the hologram of her mother to find out more about Reign, but she hasn’t learned anything that could help defeat her. “All Alura has told me is that the symbol Reign has dates before the days of Rao, and that most of the texts regarding it have either been lost or destroyed.”Lena frowned, taking Kara’s hand in her own and squeezing it. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”Kara smiled. Back when she and Lena had first met, the CEO always took a more realist approach to situations, even being borderline pessimistic at times. Kara couldn’t really blame her, considering all the shit Lena had to deal with her entire life, but somewhere along the way, Lena began to be more hopeful and optimistic, and Kara couldn’t help but think that she had something to do with that. “Yeah, we will,” she said, kissing the back of Lena’s hand lovingly.They finished eating their pizza before deciding to head back home, avoiding all talk of Reign and the DEO as they wrapped Mae’s presents. Kara still couldn’t believe Mae was turning seven in a couple of days; it still felt like yesterday that her and Lena were taking Mae home for the first time. Kara had held her all night long, unable to look away from her daughter’s precious face as she slept peacefully. She had sworn to protect Mae from everything and anything that threatened to harm her, and she had succeeded with Lena by her side. But now with Reign loose in the city, Kara was fearful for her daughter’s life. Reign wasn’t going to get anywhere near Mae, not while Kara was around, and she knew Lena felt the same way.They finished their wrapping later that afternoon, just in time to greet Alex as she dropped off Mae. She had taken her over to Sam and Ruby’s to hang out while Kara and Lena did their shopping, and from the looks of it, Mae had a lot of fun.“Hey, you two!” Kara said as Mae gave her an excited hug. “How was your day?”“So much fun!” Mae squealed. Alex laughed. “What she said.”Kara gave her sister a bubbly smile as Mae went over to hug Lena. “So I take it things between you and Sam are going well?”“Yeah, things are pretty good,” Alex said. “Things are good.”“That’s good.”“You should stay for dinner,” Lena offered. “I was just about to whip something up for the girls.”“Ah, that’s okay, Lena,” Alex said, shaking her head. “I gotta get back to the DEO anyway if we have any chance of finding Reign.”Kara nodded solemnly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Right. Well, if you need anything, give us a call.”“You too.”Alex left not long after, and Lena began to make dinner as Mae told them all about her day.“Cousin Ruby showed me her comic book collection today,” Mae explained. “She gave one to me to read.” She pulled out the comic from her backpack and held in front of her face so Kara could see. The front cover showed a man in red and blue tights calling himself Spiderman zipping through the streets of New York City with the strings of web coming out of his wrists.“This looks interesting,” Kara said. “Would you like to read it tonight?”Mae nodded enthusiastically, and Kara could hear Lena chuckle under her breath as she sliced up some carrots. “Cousin Ruby and I read one together today and it showed the hero revealing himself to his best friend. I wanted to do that.”Kara furrowed her brow. “Do what?”“Reveal myself. To Cousin Ruby.”Kara’s body tensed up. Lena had ceased her chopping and had turned to look at Mae as well. “Why do you want to do that?”“I hate lying,” Mae said with a hint of disgust. “I hate keeping this from her and the rest of my friends. Why do I have to keep this from them?”“Because it’s necessary, bean,” Kara explained, trying her best to remain calm. “Did you…actually show Ruby your powers?”Mae shook her head. “I really wanted to, though.”“Well, you can’t, Mae.” Lena put down her knife and put her hands on her hips. “There’s a reason people like us have secret identities.”“But all of your friends know!” Mae argued, looking between her mothers. “Why can’t mine?”“Because you’re the daughter of Lena and Kara Danvers-Luthor, not Green Lantern and Supergirl,” Kara explained.“But I am! And I’m proud of it, so why shouldn’t I tell my friends who I really am? Why can’t I show them what I can do? You guys are so unfair!” Mae turned on her heel and marched to her room, slamming her door once she was inside.“Mae!” Lena moved to follow her, but Kara gently grabbed her by the arm. “I’ll go talk to her,” Kara said. Lena nodded, and Kara gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking down the hall to their daughter’s room. She knocked on the door lightly.“Mae,” Kara whispered, opening the door slightly and peeking her head inside. Mae was sitting on her bed, her head hanging low with the comic Ruby gave her in her hands. Kara’s heart ached at the sight. She hated seeing her daughter downtrodden, and she hated that she was the cause of it. “Hey, bean.” Kara moved to sit next to Mae, but the girl didn’t look up at her. “Can I tell you something?” She didn’t respond, so Kara took that as an excuse to continue. “You know, when your mom and I first met, she had no idea who I was, meaning she had no idea I was Supergirl. She was the only person in my life that I cared about that didn’t know, and a part of me didn’t want her to know, or rather I didn’t know how to tell her. But, of course, since your mother is a certified genius, she found out all on her own.”Mae finally looked up and met Kara’s eyes. “What did she say?”Kara sighed. The look on Lena’s face when she confronted Kara was something she will never forget. “She said that she was sure I had my reasons, but that didn’t mean that keeping it from her hurt any less.”“Mama was mad, huh?”“Oh, she was very mad,” Kara said. “I was so scared that I was going to lose her that night, but I thank Rao every day that I didn’t.”“Why are you telling me this, Mom?”“Because, bean, I want you to know that I understand more than anyone what it’s like to keep a part of yourself hidden, especially from the people we care about. I’m very lucky to have had friends and family who knew who I was almost right off the bat, but everything changed when your mother came into my life. I was torn between wanting to tell her and wanting to keep her safe. Knowing a superhero’s true identity is very risky, and I didn’t want to put her in that situation.” Kara turned to look at Mae. “I also want you to know that ultimately this is your choice of whether or not you want to tell Ruby who you are, and your mother and I can’t stop you from doing so.”Mae nodded slowly and looked back down at her comic book, her brow furrowing in concentration. Kara swallowed nervously. That was a lot to dump on a child, but Mae deserved the right to know what she was getting into and the dangers that came with it. Kara had been told her whole life to hide who she really was, and she didn’t want that life for her daughter. After several long minutes, Mae looked back up at Kara, her blue eyes shining bright. “I won’t tell Cousin Ruby.”Kara blinked in surprise. “Oh. Okay. I thought you wanted to.”“I did,” Mae said. “I still do. But if I do, I’ll be outing you too, and I don’t want that.”Kara felt the back of her eyes begin to sting as she wrapped her baby girl up in a hug and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you, bean.”“I love you, Mom.”“I love you, too, baby girl.” Kara let go and smiled at Mae, brushing a strand of black hair behind her daughter’s ear. “I’ll call you when dinner’s ready, okay?”Mae nodded.“And we’ll read that tonight, okay?”Mae smiled devilishly. “Not if I read it right now.”Kara gasped, clasping a hand over her chest. “Mae Zor-El Danvers-Luthor, you wouldn’t dare.”The young half-Kryptonian burst into a giggle fit, and Kara seized this opportunity to launch in and tickle her small daughter. This caused Mae to laugh harder, and Kara joined in, both of them dissolving into hard laughter as Mae tried to fly away. Kara was much stronger though, so she kept tickling Mae until the latter finally managed to break away. “That’s not fair!” she squealed, her face flushed and a wide Danvers-esque smile on her face.“Well, that’s what you get for threatening to read without me,” Kara quipped, smiling as well.“You two having fun in here?”The Kryptonian turned to see Lena standing in the doorway, her signature smirk on her face. “So much fun.”“Good,” Lena said, walking over and planting a sweet kiss on Kara’s cheek. “Dinner’s almost ready.”“Yay!” Mae shouted as she sprinted out of the room, leaving Kara and Lena alone.“I take it that went well?”Kara nodded. “Mae is really mature for her age. I don’t know where our baby girl went.”Lena chuckled, looping her arms around Kara’s waist. “She’s growing up too fast for my taste.”“Mine too, but on the plus side, she’s shaping up to be a lot like you.”Lena lowered her head as she smiled, trying to hide her blush. “Well, now I’m worried.”“Aw, there’s no need for that, baby,” Kara said, kissing Lena’s temple sweetly. “If Mae ends up like you, then I’ll be happy. I’ll have two Lena’s!”“You are a dork, Kara Zor-El, and I love you.”“I love you, too, Lena Zor-El. Now and forever.”Kara leaned in and kissed Lena softly and slowly, the latter pulling her in closer by the belt loop of her jeans to deepen the kiss. Kara’s heart was soaring; kissing her wife always made her feel elated and it was one of her favorite feelings in the world. She always got lost in the feeling of Lena’s lips against hers, in how Lena’s fingers grazed her bare skin. She thanked the gods everyday for bringing this incredible woman into her life, for showing her what love should be like and for having a family with her. She wouldn’t trade this for the world. Lena broke away first, Kara whimpering at the loss of contact, but the look Lena was giving her told her that they would continue this later.“Come on,” she said, taking Kara’s hands and leading her out of the room. “Let’s make sure Mae didn’t eat all of dinner by herself.” ----------------------------- She hovered high above the earth, gazing down upon the city as a hawk would a mouse. This city was teeming with sinners, with evil; it was like a festering cancer that was spreading, and she was the surgeon that would cut it out. It was her job. Her destiny.However, this task wasn’t as easy as it should be. Someone had managed to thwart her at every turn. Someone who had the same power set as her, and someone she knew quite a great deal about. She had learned all about this Supergirl who called herself the protector of this world, and had known that they both had the same origins. Nevertheless, Supergirl was still protecting sinners, and that wasn’t going to fly for much longer. She had to eliminate the threat. She had to take out Supergirl.And she knew exactly how she was going to do it. ------------------------------- The Danvers-Luthor apartment was filled with decorations, food, and all of their friends and family two days later to celebrate Mae’s seventh birthday. Alex, J’onn, and Winn came, along with James and Eliza and My’rnn, who had been living with J’onn ever since they came back from Mars. Sam and Ruby also came, albeit a little late, but nevertheless Kara, Lena, and Mae were happy to see them, Kara maybe more so since Sam brought her favorite kind of cookies.The party was shaping up to be a success; Mae loved all of her presents and was currently talking comics with Ruby and Eliza, James was bonding with J’onn and My’rnn over hot chocolate—which the latter lovingly dubbed ‘brown water’—and the decorations and traditions that came with an Earth Christmas, and Kara, Lena, Alex, and Sam were hanging out in the kitchen, talking about work stuff and stuff over the years, the thought of Reign far from Kara’s mind. Kara was instead focusing on how good Lena looked in her black and gold dress and was trying not to give into the urge to smother her open back with kisses. There would be time for that later. Alex and Sam looked happy, with Alex unable to look away from her girlfriend when she talked and vice versa. Kara smiled. It was nice to see her sister happy with someone again after so long; Alex deserved a happy ending. Kara was brought out of her thoughts by a soft squeeze of her hand. Lena was looking at her and smiling that sweet smile that was only reserved for her, the smile that melted Kara from the inside out, and Kara couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss her beautiful wife on her cherry red lips.“I love you,” she whispered when she pulled back, causing Lena to smile wider.“I love you, too.”“Ugh, get a room, you two,” Alex groaned, Sam elbowing her in the side.Lena smirked. “Well, this is our apartment, Alex. We have several rooms here, so take your pick.”Alex fake-gagged, Sam snorted champagne out of her nose because she was laughing so hard, and Kara’s cheeks turned as red as Lena’s lipstick. “Sweetie, this is a kid’s party. Our kid’s party.”“I know, babe. I’m just having a little fun.”Kara rolled her eyes, but smiled and placed a kiss on Lena’s temple. “You’re something else, Lena Luthor.”“And don’t we know it,” Sam said, finally recovered, raising her glass. “And…I just want to take this time to say that these past few years have been some of the best of my life. I didn’t really know a whole lot of other people who lived here in National City other than Lena, so I was a little nervous in coming here, but I am glad I did. I found new friendship.” She toasted to Kara. “I found love.” She winked at Alex, causing the latter to blush. “I found a life here with Ruby and with all of you, and I want to thank all of you for letting me in.”“Aww.” Kara grinned widely as she raised her own glass. “You mean a lot to us, Sam, and anyone who can make Alex smile like that is okay in my book.”Sam and Lena laughed while Alex shot daggers at Kara. “I concur,” Lena said. “Here’s to us. All of us. Here’s to life, to friendship, to love.”All four women raised their glasses and cheered, smiling and laughing as Kara and Lena kissed and Sam and Alex did the same. There was nothing better than this, in Kara’s opinion, and there was nothing that could ruin this night. Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and Kara furrowed her brow. “Were we expecting anyone else?”“Oh! I forgot to tell you that I invited Imra,” Lena said. “I hope that’s okay.”“That’s totally fine, babe. The more the merrier!” Kara went to go open the door and was greeted by Imra’s smiling face. She looked very cute in the festive red dress and black boots she was wearing, and she had a small package in her hands. “Imra, hey!” Kara greeted, giving her a big hug. “So good of you to come.”“Well, thank you for having me, Supergirl.”“Please, Imra, call me Kara.”Imra’s eyes widened, quickly nodding. “O-Okay. Kara.”Kara smiled and let Imra in. Lena was the second to greet and hug her, proceeding to introduce the woman to everyone, despite Imra probably knowing who everyone was (other than Alex, J’onn, and Winn, of course). Imra lit up, though, when she met Mae, the half-Kryptonian giving her an equally big smile when Imra gave her the gift.“Kara.”Kara froze in her place, a shiver running down her spine.So much for thinking that nothing could ruin this night.“Mon-El,” Kara said, turning around to face her ex in the doorway. “What are you doing here? I highly doubt that Lena invited you.”“Uh, no, I came on my own accord,” Mon-El said, his voice low as he put his hands in his pockets nervously. “I need to talk to you.”“Can this wait? We’re kind of in the middle of something important here.”“It’s about Reign.”Kara’s heart leapt into her throat. Did Mon-El have a lead on Reign? If he did, this would be the most they had in days. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to tell everyone until she knew for sure. Kara looked back at her family and friends, who were all engaged in jovial conversation and laughs. Mae was giving Lena a big hug, the latter laughing and giving her daughter several kisses on the top of the head, and the sight made Kara’s heart swell. She wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to them, not if she had any say in it. She motioned for Mon-El to leave, and followed him out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. “What about Reign?”Mon-El shifted nervously. “I know you’ve been looking for her—”“Have you found her?”Mon-El shook his head.“Then why bring her up, Mon-El?” Kara demanded. “You know how dangerous she is. I need to find her and stop her before she hurts any more people.”“I know,” Mon-El said. “But she’s dangerous, Kara.”“You think I don’t know that?”“I don’t want you to get hurt! Or worse.”Rage pulsed through Kara’s veins like a river of lava; she had to cross her arms in front of her chest to keep from punching Mon-El in his bearded face. “You came all this way just to warn me to stay away from Reign?” She scoffed. “I don’t know what I expected.”She turned to walk back inside. Mon-El moved to stop her, but Kara pushed him out of the way. “I need you to leave.”“Kara, I’m being serious here.”“So am I. Leave. Now.”“I’m just looking out for you.”“No,” Kara said, shaking her head. “No. You lost that right the day you shoved my mother’s necklace back into my hands. I can handle myself just fine.”Just then, the door opened and J’onn walked out, a look of concern on his face. “Is everything alright out here?”Kara quickly nodded, Mon-El doing the same as he looked down at his feet. “Everything alright in there?”“Yes,” J’onn said. “But we have to go?”“What’s going on?”“I just got a call from Agent Vasquez. There’s something we need to see. Lena and Alex are already on their way there.”Kara gravely nodded. “Let’s go then.”Mon-El moved to follow them. “I’ll come with you.”Kara turned around to tell him off, but J’onn beat her to the punch. “Actually, Mon-El, why don’t you head back to the DEO? I believe we’ve got this covered.”Mon-El’s face fell slightly, but he bowed his head as Kara and J’onn turned to leave.“Thank you for that, J’onn,” Kara said once they touched down at the location, a large cornfield outside of the city. Several DEO agents were already there, setting up lights around the area and beginning to canvas it. There was a burning smell in the air, as if someone had had a large fire going earlier, and that set Kara on edge. She didn’t hear of any fire today; she would’ve known if there was a fire. So what happened here?Kara and J’onn walked up to Alex and Lena, who were in the middle of discussing something. “What’s going on here?”Her sister and her wife shared a glance, and Kara knew immediately that something was up. “Guys. What is it?”“You better take a look for yourself,” Alex said, pointing towards the sky.Kara leapt off the ground and hovered over the field, her heart nearly stopping when she saw what Alex was talking about.Reign’s symbol was burned into the field, the large black skull smoldering and imposing. Kara felt her chest tighten significantly. This wasn’t so much a reminder that Reign was still out there wreaking terror on the citizens of National City as it was a sign of mocking; Reign was telling Supergirl that she hadn’t been able to catch her and now she was rubbing it in her face. Kara clenched her fists, her breaths becoming more rapid as she floated back down. She was running out of time. She had to catch Reign before it was too late.“I’ve been slacking,” Kara told Lena after reporting to J’onn what she saw. “I’ve been slacking in my mission to find Reign.”“You haven’t been slacking at all,” Lena replied. “None of us have.”Kara sighed. “But she’s still been one step ahead of us this whole time. I can’t just sit here and watch as she terrorizes our home. What if I arrive too late one day?”“You won’t.”“But what if I do? I have to make finding and catching Reign my number one priority, Lee.”Lena shot Kara a look of disbelief. “Your number one priority should be your family, Kara. Mae should be your number one priority.”“She is! You are! Alex, J’onn, James, Winn, all of them are my first priority,” Kara said. “By taking down Reign, I will be protecting and saving them.”“We can all take care of ourselves, Kara. You know that better than anyone.”“I know,” Kara groaned. “I know.”“Hey, look at me.” Kara met Lena’s eyes as the latter cupped her face and rubbed her cheek with her thumb. “We’re going to catch Reign, but we’re going to do it together.”Kara shook her head at this. “I have to face her on my own.”“What? Why?”“These symbols that Reign leaves, they’re like a warning and a way to mark where she’s been,” Kara explained. “It’s as if she’s marking her territory. But this symbol here…it feels different. It’s almost as if Reign is issuing me a challenge.”“Absolutely not. You are not facing Reign on your own.”“If I don’t, Lee, more people are going to get hurt.”“What about you? What if you get hurt?”“I can take care of myself.”“Reign is powerful, Kara. She has the exact same power set as you do, but she deals blows without mercy. If she is issuing a challenge to you, she will do whatever it takes to kill you.”“She’s not going to kill me.”“What if she does?”“Do you not have faith in me that I could beat her?”“I have so much faith in you, Kara. More than you could ever imagine, but this is the first time in a long time that I have genuinely been afraid for you.”The confession gave Kara pause. Lena’s eyes were swimming in tears and her heart rate was through the roof. Oh, Rao. “Hey.” Kara pulled Lena close to her until their foreheads were touching. “You don’t have to be afraid. I won’t challenge Reign, not until it is absolutely necessary.”Lena nodded. “Thank you. We’ll find another way. I promise.”She wrapped her arms around Kara tightly, and Kara reciprocated as she kissed the side of Lena’s head. There wasn’t going to be any fighting today. Tomorrow, Kara was going to search for answers. ----------------------------------- Kara entered the prison early the next morning, feeling more jittery than usual. She hadn’t been able to sleep last night after the Reign cornfield situation, her mind racing as it tried to think of a way to deal with Reign without facing her head on, at least for the time being. She had gone back to her mother’s hologram once more to search for answers, but had come up empty, which only added to her growing frustrations. If her mother didn’t know, then who would? A lightbulb went off in her head then; there was someone might know.At least, she hoped he did.Kara entered the visiting area, coming face to face with the man she put here many years ago.“They will receive a blasphemous sigil,” Coville recited as soon as she walked in. “And in its wake, many cowards, killers and vile men will burn. And every eye will look up on the heretic, and they will call it Worldkiller.”Kara furrowed her brow. That wasn’t from the Book of Rao.“Kara Danvers, there is still so much you don’t know.” Coville was looking at her with a dream-like reverence that made Kara sick to her stomach. “I see you still haven’t changed in the three years you’ve been here.”“You’ve seen her work, haven’t you? The mark of the Worldkiller.”The name sent a shiver down Kara’s spine. “Is that what you’re calling her?”“It’s what she’s been called before the dawn of time,” Coville explained airily. “The prophecy predates the Book of Rao, but I suppose you already know this. Why else would you be here?”“I need to figure out how to stop her.”“You can’t.”Kara’s jaw clenched. “What do you mean I can’t?”Coville licked his lips and threaded his fingers together. “You know that I’ve spent two years searching the world for artifacts and texts, learning all I could about Rao and Krypton and your people. But objects weren’t the only things I found. I met people. Those who were forgotten and left behind in Fort Rozz.”“Fort Rozz?” Kara inquired. “How do you know about Fort Rozz?”“I met a Kryptonian priestess, disgraced by her people,” Coville continued, ignoring Kara’s question. “She told me all about the god before Rao. A Lilith, if you will, born of darkness that will bring about the end to everything we know.”Kara shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. I’m going to stop her.”Coville chuckled menacingly, sending a chill through Kara’s body. “I hope so, Supergirl, for her conquest has already begun. You’ve seen the Mark of the Beast all over National City now, and you’re witnessing the Work of the Beast in the form of many deaths. And finally, there will be the Reign of the Beast.”“It won’t get to that. How do I stop her?”“I don’t know,” Coville answered, shrugging slightly. “But you must do something, Supergirl. This is your purpose, to fight the Devil.”“There’s no such thing as the Devil.”“Oh, but there is. The lost gods must fall for a new god to rise. And Her rise will come at the fall of the righteous. And she will reign unless you stand up and smite her down before our world descends into chaos. I have never lost my faith you in you, and I believe that you are the god that will save us all.”Kara left the prison in low spirits, her body and heart feeling numb as she flew back to the DEO. Alex was there going over the assignments with J’onn when she arrived, so Kara went up to the hologram room to think about what to do. Coville was no help at all. Their conversation left Kara feeling more helpless than before, his ominous warnings repeating on a loop in her mind as she paced up and down the room. Kara was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Alex enter.“Hey.”“Hey.” Kara turned to face her sister. “What’s up? Have you found anything?”Alex shook her head. “Nothing.”Kara groaned. “Great. This is great.”“Are you okay?”Kara hesitated before answering. “I visited Coville this morning?”“You did what?”“I asked him if he knew of a way to defeat Reign, but he didn’t,” Kara said. “Well, he did. He said the only way to possibly defeat Reign is if I go up against her.”“Then go up against her.”Kara blinked in surprise. “Wait, what?”“Kara, that monster is not going to stop hurting people, killing them, unless you step in and stop her,” Alex said with conviction in her voice. “I know you’ve been clamoring to since she first arrived, so go with your instincts.”Kara shook her head. “I promised Lena I would find another way.”“It’s been several days, Kara. Reign will have burnt the city to the ground by the time you find this other way.” Alex stepped forward and put her hand on Kara’s shoulder. “You can take her. I know you can. You are the strongest person I know, and I know for a fact that you can beat her. Take her down, once and for all.”Kara nodded, and Alex clapped her reassuringly on the shoulder before exiting. She knew what she needed to do.Later that night, Kara flew over the city, her heart beating a million miles an hour as she looked over the city. Everyone looked so small down there, going about living their lives and trying to make ends meet. Kara loved them all. She loved this city. She loved this planet, and she will do everything in her power to protect it. Lena didn’t know that she was doing this, and Kara hated going against her trust, but she had to do this. She had to defeat Reign.Kara hovered over the CatCo building, the familiarity of it calming her nerves a little bit. Her heat vision got to work, carving the symbol of her house on top of the building. “I accept your challenge, Reign,” Kara said. “Come and find me.” -------------------------------- “Mama, I’m done.”Looking up from her pile of paperwork, Lena saw Mae holding up her completed sheet of homework with a big smile on her face, and her heart melted at the sight. “That’s great, sweetie. I’m proud of you.”“Can we get ice cream now?”“Once I finish my work, we can.”“Yes!”Lena smiled and chuckled to herself as she returned to her work. Mae pulled out her notebooks and began to draw, her brow furrowing in concentration as she came up with new designs and patterns to go with the ones that already adorned the wrinkled pages. Kara had often commented on how Mae would make a great member of the Artist Guild back on Krypton, and Lena was more than inclined to agree. Mae was constantly drawing, coming up with new and fantastic patterns that Lena has proudly put up on the fridge and walls of her apartment. The young half-alien was also beginning to draw portraits, and had gifted both of her mothers with portraits of them on their birthdays in past years. Lena had cried when Mae gave her the first one, wrapping her baby up in her arms as she told her how proud she was of her. The CEO was considering sending Mae to a prestigious art school when she was older so she could hone her craft, and Kara thought that was a good idea. Speaking of Kara, the Kryptonian said she would be home late tonight, saying she was going on a late patrol and trying to help the DEO locate Reign. Lena told her she could help, but Kara said she should go home and rest and be with Mae, that she deserved a break.“I thought you would be heading home right now.”Lena looked up once more and saw James standing in the doorway, his hands in his pockets and a kind smile on his face. “Well, for me, Mr. Olsen, the work day never really stops.”James chuckled. “Hey, Mae!”“Hi, Uncle James!”“What are you doing here?”“The babysitter canceled last minute,” Lena replied for her. “So I decided to make today a ‘Bring Your Daughter to Work Day’.”“Well, it’s no longer day, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor, and I’m pretty sure it’s past someone’s bedtime.”“I’m not tired!” Mae exclaimed. “Also, we still need to get ice cream.”“Ice cream, huh?” James chuckled. “Well, you got a lot of paperwork there and the shops will be closing pretty soon.”Mae groaned and gave Lena a pouty look.“I’m almost done, Mae, I promise.”“You don’t look almost done, Mama.”James laughed heartily, prompting Lena to cast an icy glare his way. “I’m sorry, Lena, but your kid is right. Tell you what, why don’t we all take the rest of the night off and get something to eat? Did Kara bring you lunch today?”Lena rolled her eyes. “You know my wife doesn’t need to feed me all the time, right?”“I’m just saying we all know how you get when you get in ‘work mode’, Lena,” James said.Mae nodded excitedly and looked at Lena with big, pleading blue eyes that Lena knew she could never say no to, and that’s exactly what happened; Lena made a mental note to be here early tomorrow to finish the rest of her work. They made their way down to one of the local shops and got some ice cream, much to Mae’s delight.“Thank you for this, James,” Lena said as they walked down the street, ice cream in one hand and Mae’s hand in the other. “I really needed this.”James nodded. “I’m just looking out for you, Lena. We’re friends, after all, and you more than anyone deserves a good break.”That’s exactly what Kara said to her. “Don’t I know it,” Lena sighed longingly.“You and Kara should go somewhere. Just the two of you.”“If only it were that simple.”“Yeah,” James murmured. “Sometimes I wish the world would stop spinning just so I could get a moment to breathe, to refocus, but it just keeps moving and throwing new stuff at us to face.”“Since when did you get all philosophical?”“I minored in the subject at college. Not a lot of people know that.”That elicited a genuine laugh from Lena. “You’re a man of many surprises, James Olsen, I’ll give you that.”Before James could respond, the ground around them quaked violently. Lena immediately took Mae into her arms, readying her ring to fight but the sensation lasted for only a few seconds, and Lena didn’t see any immediate threat. The sounds of distant screams and shouts said otherwise, and Lena, Mae, and James hurried over to investigate. There was a gathering crowd around a large crater in the ground, and Lena’s heart leapt into her throat. “Mae, stay with Uncle James.” She pushed through the crowd until she came across the source of the commotion. Supergirl lay in the center of the crater, bloodied and bruised and unconscious, her uniform torn in several places and crimson blood was pouring out of her impenetrable skin. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of Lena; she couldn’t move and all she could focus on was the image of her beaten wife. How could this have happened? She heard voices all around her calling her name and someone touching her, but she couldn’t look away. The world seemed to move in slow motion as uniformed DEO agents made their way through the crowd, led by a visibly distraught Alex, getting to work as they lifted Kara onto a stretcher to take her into an unmarked van.“Mama!”Mae broke through the crowd, James on her tail, her eyes following Lena’s until they landed on Kara. “Mom?” It took all of Lena’s strength to hold her now sobbing daughter back, trying to keep herself from crying as well. The doors of the car closed, and the van drove away towards the DEO, taking Kara with it. Mae was crying uncontrollably as Lena wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in close. She felt a large hand on her shoulder and turned to see James looking at her. “She’ll be okay, Lena. I know she will.”Emotion made Lena’s throat thick as more tears streamed down her cheeks. She saw Alex at the edge of the crowd running a nervous hand through her hair, and Lena’s heart dropped. The agent quickly turned and hopped on her motorcycle, racing away down the streets of the city at break-neck speed, and Lena itched to follow her. She had to be by Kara’s side. Kara needed her, now more than ever. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out her phone to call her driver; there was no way she could use the ring now.
Rao, or whoever’s up there, if you’re listening, please keep my wife safe. Don’t let her die.
Don’t let her die.
Don’t let her die.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The world seemed to slow to a snail’s pace as the DEO scrambled to find Reign, who had been in the wind ever since she punched Supergirl into a coma. Kara had remained unconscious and unmoving for the past three days, but it had felt like three years to Lena; Kara was being kept in one of the pods on the Legion ship where she was kept in underwater stasis while Alex and the others tried to find a way to bring her back. Imra had suggested that they wake up another one of the Legion’s members, their “smartest member” according to her, a Coluan by the name of Querl Dox who was doing everything he could to help Kara “inside her mind”…whatever the hell that meant.Lena watched as Kara floated before her. Her bruises have lessened in color, but they still decorated her eyes and cheeks like ill-formed birthmarks. There was a small device attached to her forehead, which would help Querl with his methods. Lena’s heart felt heavy within her chest, her throat thick with emotion and her eyes red with day-old tears. She hadn’t left Kara’s side since she was brought down here; she and Mae had stayed and hoped for Kara to get better on her own, for her Kryptonian genes to kick in, but it hadn’t happened yet, and Lena was beginning to lose faith that it will. Mae had to go back to school the next day, but Lena made sure that she visited Kara, even though it broke her heart to see. Meanwhile, Lena and Alex were trying to find a way to bring Kara out of her coma externally in case Querl’s approach failed, but so far nothing had proven useful, much to Lena’s growing frustration.“You’re going to be fine,” Lena whispered to Kara, a few stray tears running down her cheeks. “I promise you, I am doing everything in my power to bring you back. Alex is too. We all are.” She swallowed thickly, placing a hand on the cold glass. The warmth of Kara’s skin was so close, yet so far, and it gutted Lena every time she was reminded of it. “I miss you. I miss you so much, baby. I want nothing more than for you to be in my arms right now.”“Thought I’d find you here.”Lena jumped at the sudden appearance of Alex, quickly wiping her eyes before turning around to face the agent. “I don’t where else I would be right now.”Alex chuckled, but there was an emptiness to it. Her eyes were red-rimmed as well, and Lena was reminded that she and Mae weren’t the only ones suffering from Kara’s absence. “You should be home with Mae. She’s still here, in the main control room with Winn.”“I know. She already saw…her…today.”“Go home, Lena,” Alex said. “Get some rest.”“I won’t be able to rest properly until Kara wakes up.” Lena took in a sharp breath and ran a hand through her hair. “We’ve seen her go up against some pretty powerful foes in the past, Alex, but this…this is the first I’ve ever been scared that she might not win this time. What if she never wakes up?”“No.” Alex violently shook her head. “She’s going wake up, I know it. She has to. And Lena, I know you and I, and everyone in this building, are going to do whatever it takes to bring her back.”The conviction in Alex’s voice was just enough to give Lena hope, even if only for a little while. “Thank you, Alex. I needed to hear that. I just hate feeling so useless. Everything we’ve come up with has been for naught.”“Hey. I told you we’ll find something. If not us, then Querl will. I promise.”Lena nodded, giving Alex a tight hug in thanks before leaving to take Mae back home. No matter what, they were going to get their girl back. That was a fact. ----------------------------------- Lena was beginning to regret the decision to return to work as all the employees were talking about the fight between Reign and Supergirl. With the back of her eyes burning, she quickly made her way to her office, but she couldn’t escape talk of what happened to her wife as every single television set were showing recaps of the fight and images of Kara bloodied and bruised lying on the concrete. It made her sick to her stomach and her hands curl into fists as she sat down behind her desk. Kara should be here with her at CatCo, not in a coma suspended in a futuristic pod. Alex told her that Querl was close to making contact with Kara so that made Lena feel a bit better. Nevertheless, she wanted to do more. She needed to do more for Kara.“Lena.”James walked in then, a look of concern in his eyes. “How are you doing? How’s Kara? I’ve been telling everyone here that she has the flu.”“The same,” Lena stated dryly, the image of Kara in the pod still potent in her mind. “I’ll be better when she’s awake.”James nodded solemnly. “I’ve been hitting the streets, or rather, Guardian has been hitting the streets to try and find a lead on Reign.”“James, that’s incredibly dangerous and reckless!”“I know, I know.” James held his hands up. “But it turns out every criminal has been scared shitless after what happened to the gang down at the docks, and now they’re running with their tails in between their legs.”Lena shook her head, massaging her temple with fingers. “You shouldn’t have gone out there at all.”“I’m just trying to help, Lena. I know the past few days haven’t been easy for you or Mae, so I want to help in any way I can.”Lena sighed and looked down, the anger dissipating quickly. “I’m sorry, James. I shouldn’t be taking out my frustrations on you, I just…I want her back.”“I know. You will get her back. Kara is the strongest person I know and she will pull through this.”“I hope so.”“Do you want me to take over for the day?” James asked, but Lena shook her head.“I’ve been away long enough, and I need a distraction because everything I’ve tried has failed and I need be in control of something.”James nodded. “I understand. I’m here if you need anything.”Lena smiled slightly. “I appreciate that, James. Thank you.”Just then, a loud crash sounded from across the floor, followed by several screams and gasps. Lena and James exchange a glance before walking over to see what was going on. An unconscious man was splayed on the floor, surrounded by shattered glass that came from one of the windows by the bullpen. Lena’s eyes widened at the sight, and her body froze when a dark figure floated down into the room.Reign.She looked even more imposing now than that night at the docks, her black cape sweeping behind her as she stepped over the unconscious man. Her blood red eyes were filled with purpose; she was here for a reason, and Lena didn’t want to know what that reason was.“You there,” the villainess barked at one of the camera people. “Turn it on.”The man shakily turned on his camera and pointed it towards Reign, who began to give a speech on how she’s coming for all of the sinners hiding in National City like the man behind her. “Once I’m done with your city, I will move my conquest outward until this entire planet has been purged of evil. Your protector is dead. There is no hiding from my justice. And when I am finished, I will reign.”Rage coursed through Lena’s body like lava. Not only had this vile creature dared to come into her place of work and threaten her workers, as well as the rest of the city, with death and destruction, she had brought up Kara and proclaimed that she was dead. Those words alone made Lena reach for her ring, but James put a hand on her shoulder and mouthed “Not now”. Lena grit her teeth as Reign finished her speech and made her leave, but not before her red eyes met Lena’s. They lingered on her for one second too long, and Reign smirked, sending a shiver down Lena’s spine. The villainess flew away, leaving the bullpen in a state of chaos as the reporters scrambled to clean up the mess left by Reign and call the authorities. Lena retreated back to her office, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest as she ran a hand through her hair. She was so angry she could murder someone. “Why did you stop me?” she demanded James. “Why did you stop me from taking her out?”“You would’ve been outing yourself as Green Lantern if you did,” James explained calmly. “If Supergirl couldn’t handle Reign, what makes you think you could’ve?”Lena shot him a glare that would make the most powerful executive fall to his knees. “Do not underestimate me, James Olsen. I am more capable than you think.” With that, she picked up her bag and stormed out of her office.“Where are you going?”Lena stopped for a brief second, her jaw clenching as she turned around to face James. “To save my wife.” ---------------------------------
Kara’s eyes fly open, the familiar soft voice of her wife resounding in her ears telling her to wake up. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes until her surroundings came into focus. Kara quickly realized she wasn’t in her bed; well, she was in her bed, just not her current one. She was back in her old loft, and it was exactly how she remembered it: pictures of her and her family and friends adorned the walls and table-tops, blankets were thrown over the couch with care after sister nights, game nights, and date nights, and the sun was shining through the windows as always, giving everything a soft orange glow. Kara furrowed her brow. She didn’t live here anymore, so why was she here? She hadn’t been back here in years; she sold the place after she and Lena got married.
Lena.
Kara threw back the covers and darted into the living room, but there was no one there. She could’ve sworn she heard her wife’s voice just now, clear as day. Mae wasn’t here either, so Kara began to grow worried, her heart beating hard against her sternum.
What was going on?
A quick, precise knock sounded on the door. Kara’s head snapped in its direction, tentatively stepping forward until she reached the pale door, opening it to reveal a light blue-skinned man with stark white hair and three large orbs on his forehead. He wore a dark blue leather outfit with a symbol of the orbs on his forehead on his chest; Kara felt an air of familiarity with this person, but she couldn’t place from when or why.
“Um, may I help you?”
The man blinked in surprise. “It’s you. It’s you and you’re…standing right before me.”
Kara furrowed her brow. “Yeah…this is my home. Well, at least it was a long time ago. I don’t know why I’m here, actually…”
“Ah! Fear not, Supergirl, for that is why I am here.”
Kara’s eyes widened in fear, her hand shooting up to her bare face. She wasn’t wearing her glasses. Looking around to make sure no one else once around, Kara pulled the man inside and shut the door behind them. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“Oh. Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Querl Dox, but the Legion calls me Brainiac 5 or Brainy for short. I’m a twelfth level intellect and a techno-organic being from the planet Colu—”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Kara interrupted. “You’re a member of the Legion?”
“Yes,” Brainy replied. “I am a member of the Legion, one of its founding members, I might add, but that is not of importance right now. I am here under the direction of one Alex Danvers and Lena Danvers-Luthor to save you and bring you back to reality.”
Lena! “What…what do I need saving from?”
“Oh, you’re in a coma,” Brainy states matter-of-factly. “You have been for the past three, almost four, days. I must say, this is a nice mind palace you’ve made for yourself.”
Kara’s heart dropped to her stomach and her chest constricted. “In…in a coma?” She shook her head in disbelief. She couldn’t be in a coma. “That’s impossible, I…I was fighting Reign. I was…Oh Rao, she’s still out there! I have to get out of here! I have to stop her. I have to get back to my family!”
“I agree,” Brainy said, but before he could say anything else, Kara marched back over to the door and pulled on the doorknob. The door remained shut. Kara huffed and pulled again, but the door wouldn’t budge. She yelled in frustration as her eyes began to glow, shooting out hot lasers against the wood, but it was no use. The door wouldn’t open.
“You’re very angry,” Brainy commented. Kara clenched her jaw and her hands curled into fists.
“Damn right, I’m angry. I’m stuck in here while my family is out there, while a violent killer is out there. I’m helpless.”
“Not necessarily, Supergirl. You have me, and I will do everything I can to help you get out of here.”
Kara sighed in resignation, knowing that she was going to need the Coluan’s help if she was ever going to get out of here. She just hoped and prayed that she would be able to hold Lena and Mae in her arms again sooner rather than later.
-------------------------------- Alex watched as the pod drained of water before her, her heart sinking as well when Kara remained as still and unconscious as before. “What’s wrong? Why isn’t she waking up?”“She is trapped inside of her mind,” Querl explained as he turned to face her. “But don’t worry, she is very much alive. She is just unable to leave at this moment in time.”“Why is that?”“The answer is still unclear. I will do everything I can to help, Agent Danvers.”Alex stiffly nodded. “I appreciate that, Querl. Thank you.”Querl inclined his head as he turned back around and closed his eyes, reconnecting himself to Kara. Alex sighed, knowing that it was useless to stay here and watch, so she left and called Lena to update her.“At least she’s alive,” Lena said, but Alex could hear the frustration within her voice.“She’ll be okay, Lena. Kara won’t go down without a fight.”“Speaking of fight, Reign paid CatCo a visit this morning.”“She what?”“Everyone is fine, but Alex, I can’t sit and wait around anymore.”“Where are you?”“At L-Corp looking for a solution to our Reign problem.”Alex furrowed her brow. “And what would that be?”“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”“Okay,” Alex said. “Just be safe, okay? I want you to be here when Kara wakes up.”“I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”They say their goodbyes and Alex hangs up, heading towards the exit. She told Lena she would pick up Mae from school and take her to see Kara if she wanted, and Lena was very grateful for that, the CEO promising to take Alex out for drinks once this was all over. Just as she was about to leave, a familiar and unwelcome voice stops her.“Alex.”The agent inwardly groaned as she turned around to face Mon-El. “While you are here, Mon-El, you will address me as Agent Danvers.”“I just wanted to know how Kara was doing.”“If you care so much, why don’t you go check on her yourself?”Mon-El’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you didn’t want me anywhere near her. You’ve been quite adamant about that ever since I came back.”Alex clenched her jaw; she was one step away from shooting him in the face. “What’s your point?”“I thought you were doing everything in your power to save Kara, but you’re leaving, just like Lena earlier today.”Okay, that’s it. “I’m leaving because I need to pick Mae up from school. I will be back to continue my work and so Mae can see her mother. As for Lena, she is currently working on something to deal with Reign and she helping me find something that will wake Kara up if Querl’s methods don’t work. We have all been working our asses off trying to save her, Mon-El. What have you done?”“I tried to warn her,” Mon-El said, his eyes hard as stone. “I tried to stop her from facing Reign, but she didn’t listen.”Alex scoffed. “You think she was going to listen to the man who broke her heart? You’re even dumber than I remember.”“Alex—”“Agent Danvers,” Alex hotly corrected. “And I still don’t want you anywhere within a fifty foot perimeter of my sister, but if you want to go see her, be my guest.”She turned around to leave, but Mon-El’s voice stopped her in her tracks once more. “I wonder who was the one who encouraged Kara to face Reign. It certainly wasn’t me.”Alex grit her teeth, willing herself not to cry as she exited the DEO. Along with the anger, she felt immense guilt; she was the one after all who pushed Kara to go up against Reign, and because of that, her sister was now in a coma and showing now signs of waking up anytime soon. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she got on her motorcycle, hoping and praying that Kara would forgive her when she woke up.If she woke up. ----------------------------------
Kara paced the length of her loft as Brainy sat in a chair with his eyes closed, his hands in a weird triangular position making it look as if he was meditating, and his silence was starting to get on her nerves. “I thought you said you were here to help me.”
Brainy opened his eyes and turned to face her. “I am. I have run some tests and have come to the conclusion that your mind is cluttered. If we clean it, we might find the root of the problem, thus speeding up your recovery process.”
Kara furrowed her brow. “Okay,” she sighed. “How do you suggest we do that?”
All of the sudden, several boxes appeared, covering the entirety of her loft.
“Simple,” Brainy started. “These boxes house all of your memories. The answer to your predicament lies in one of these boxes.”
Kara gave Brainy an exasperated look. “I don’t have time to sift through my entire life. I’m needed out there. My family needs me!”
“I know, but this is the only way.”
Kara groaned, but she knelt down in front of the box nearest to her and began to rifle through the contents with Brainy observing her. “Aren’t you going to help me?”
“Oh.” Brainy blinked. “I thought it would be rude to look through your memories since they are so personal.”
“I’m not going to be able to do all of this by myself.”
“Well…if you insist, I will gladly assist.”
“Thank you.”
They spend a good while rifling through the boxes, Kara’s heart swelling at each memory, until she came across a picture of her from several years ago: it’s a picture of her when she first came to Earth holding a black cat.
“Is that you?” Brainy inquired.
Kara nodded. “When I first came to Earth, I was still getting used to everything. The new culture, my new life, and all of the powers that I acquired thanks to the yellow sun. The one that I struggled with the most was my super strength. I was breaking things left and right no matter how gentle I was, but one night, I was looking up at the stars, praying that everything I had gone through was just a dream, hoping for a sign that my parents were still alive when I saw movement in the trees. A black cat appeared before me and meowed at me. I couldn’t look away, this was the first time that I had seen a cat in real life. It occurred to me that the little fellow might’ve been hungry, so I went back inside and made him a sandwich. He sprinted away once he gobbled it down, he was so fast, so I named him Streaky. I didn’t think too much about it, but he came back the next night, so I did the same thing. I fed him and then he ran away.” Kara smiled at the memory. “This continued for about a week before Streaky walked up to me and rubbed up against my leg.”
“What happened next?”
“I froze,” Kara said. “I didn’t want to hurt him, I was way too strong. But he was giving me a chance, so I took it. I petted him and he purred, and it was like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders.”
Brainy nodded. “You had found a kinship with this Streaky on a planet that was strange to you.”
“It wasn’t just that,” Kara said. “Streaky had helped me feel more human. You know, Mae has been asking me for a cat. She wants to name it Streaky in honor of this little guy.” Tears began to form in Kara’s eyes at the thought of her baby girl. “If I ever get out of here, the first thing I’m going to do is adopt a cat for her.”
Brainy gave her a sad smile. “That’s very heartwarming, Kara. You will get out of here, but it’s only a matter of when, not if. I have a theory on what the problem might be, but we have to keep looking for it to be proven true.”
Kara nodded as she put the picture back in the box, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she joined Brainy in sifting through the boxes and boxes of her memories, feeling a little lighter than before as she knew that she was one step closer to seeing her family again.
--------------------------------- The room that Mae was led to was large and spacious, with steel gray walls and a few lights illuminating the place. One of them was shining down on Kara, who was lying on a metal table in the middle of the room. Mae stepped closer, following Alex over to her mother’s side. The first thing she noticed was that Kara looked cleaner; her bruises had healed somewhat and her suit and hair were still damp from being inside the pod. She was starting to look like her mother again, even though her skin was as gaunt as a ghost’s. Mae also noticed the strange blue man standing next to her mother with his eyes closed. “Who’s he, Aunt Alex?”“That’s Querl Dox,” Alex explained. “He’s a member of the Legion and he is trying to wake your mother up.”“Is that what the device on her head is for.”Alex nodded. “Yeah, sweetie.”I hope she wakes up soon. “Aunt Alex, can I be alone for a little bit?”“Of course. I’ll be outside if you need me, okay?”Mae nodded and Alex took her leave, leaving the half-Kryptonian with her unconscious mother and a “sleeping” Coluan. She took her mother’s hand and squeezed it tightly, waiting for Kara to squeeze back. But she didn’t.“Mom?” Mae spoke, her throat thick and her eyes blurry. “You need to wake up. Come on, you gotta wake up. You gotta come home. Mom?”Kara remained as still as a statue, and Mae cried harder. “Please, Mom. Wake up.” She squeezed Kara’s hand with all her might, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder. “I miss you. Please wake up. Please wake up.” -------------------------------------
Kara was in the middle of rifling through one of the bigger boxes when she felt an odd sensation in her hand; it was as if it was being constricted by something. “Brainy, is my hand supposed to feel like it’s being crushed?”
Brainy looked up from the box he was searching through. “Your daughter, Mae, is in the room you’re being kept in, visiting. From what I can tell, she is rather distraught.”
Kara’s heart leapt into her throat, and she abandoned the box and began to shout towards the ceiling. “Mae! Baby girl, I’m here, I’m right here! Mae!” Realizing that Mae couldn’t hear her, Kara began to break down, her body shaking with violent sobs. “This is useless, Brainy! I should be awake by now! I should be holding my daughter in my arms, not…this!”
She sinks down on her couch and covers her face with her hands, trying to calm herself down but with no success. Her chances of waking up were starting to look bleaker, and Kara was genuinely afraid that she would never see her family again. She made a fist with her hand in the hopes that Mae would feel it, but she didn’t feel anything in response. Her heart sank along with her hope. She was trapped. She was so distressed she didn’t notice Brainy sitting next to her.
“I found this.”
Kara wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but almost broke down again when she saw the contents of the picture: it was the day she and Lena had brought Mae home. “This was one of the best days of my life,” she started. “I had always wanted kids, for as long as I could remember. I always wanted a family of my own, something I wanted even more when I came to Earth. There were a few times where I didn’t think it would ever happen, considering I’m one of the last survivors of a dead planet, but then I met Lena. She was a little hesitant at first given her everything she’s gone through, but when Mae came into our lives, that all changed. I’ll never forget the feeling of holding my girl for the first time. She was so warm and soft and fragile. I have never loved anything the way I love Mae, and Lena will tell you the same thing. She is our world.” She chuckled sadly at the memory. “When I was given the all clear to go home, Lena had brought a red blanket to wrap Mae up in. She looked so cute sleeping in it, it was like her own little cape. I held her all night long, listening to her little heartbeat, promising her that I would always protect her.”
All of the sudden, the picture morphed into Mae’s baby blanket, and Kara lost it. “All I ever wanted to do was protect Mae. I can’t—I can’t leave her, she’s—she’s still so young!”
Kara held the blanket close to her as she cried, wishing that she could go back to that night in the nursery, wanting nothing more than to hold her daughter in her arms for one last time.
“Mae means a lot to you.”
Kara sniffed. “I would gladly hang up my cape if it meant I got to see her again.”
Brainy nodded as Kara continued to cry, awkwardly putting his arm around her in an effort to console her. “This is good.”
“What?”
“This is good,” Brainy repeated. “You’re close to recognizing the problem, which means you’ll be able to leave soon. But there is still much work to be done.”
Kara clenched her jaw. She wanted to leave now, she wanted to see her family now. But she knew Brainy was right. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and rejoined him on the floor, keeping Mae’s blanket close to her the entire time.
--------------------------------- Lena was elbow-deep in papers and files that were atop her desk back at L-Corp. She had been working non-stop for the past several hours—she had lost track about an hour or two ago—trying to come up with a way to stop Reign, but images of Kara floating in that pod kept popping up in her head and she couldn’t focus. It got to the point where Kara was all she could think about, so she decided to take a break, rubbing her temple in frustration. She was getting sick of hitting dead end after dead end while Kara lay in the DEO trapped in her own mind. At least she’s alive, she thought to herself, but she wanted Kara to be awake, to be here in her arms. Lena would never let go of Kara ever again if Kara woke up.When. When she wakes up. Not if.Lena took a deep breath. She was doing this for Kara. Everything she did was for Kara. There wasn’t a line she wasn’t willing to cross for Kara. Taking another deep breath, Lena resumed her work, flipping through page after page in the hopes that something in her company would be able to help her in the fight against Reign. She was running out of time.Kara was running out of time.About an hour later, something caught Lena’s eye, and her breath caught in her throat. As it turned out, L-Corp still housed several closet-fulls of Lex’s skeletons…and this was no exception. This was it.This was the way to defeat Reign.“Jess?”Her assistant peeked her head into the office. “Yes, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor?”“Cancel the rest of my day. I have some family business to attend to.”“Yes, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor.”Lena took the file and headed down deep into the bowels of L-Corp, her heart hammering against her sternum as she located the vault that was described in the file. The door could only be opened by a hand scan, Lena saw, so she gave it a go; thankfully, the scanner turned green and the door opened for her. Must’ve been a biometric scan, she thought, and she was thankful for it. Lena stepped inside the large room, but her hopes were crushed when she saw that it was completely empty. She fought the urge to scream; why was an empty room protected by a biometric scan? Lena was about to leave when she noticed a strange pattern on the back wall of the room. She narrowed her eyes: it almost looked like an indent of sorts. Lena walked towards it, her nerves returning as she pressed her hand against the wall. Another door opened for her, and her jaw dropped upon seeing the shining green substance lining the floors and walls. How Lex was able to keep this much Kryptonite hidden from her for so long, Lena would never know, but that didn’t matter right now. She knew what she had to do.And she prayed that Kara would forgive her for it. -------------------------------------
“Why don’t you tell me about Agent Danvers?”
Kara furrowed her brow, stopping her search through what she assumed was the fiftieth box. “Why?”
“I understand that you are close with her.”
“We are close,” Kara said, folding her arms across her chest. “We’re sisters. Adopted, of course, but sisters nonetheless.”
Brainy hummed. “I would like to hear more about her from you.”
“Okay,” Kara said, moving from her position on the floor to the couch, Brainy following her. She took a deep breath. Where to begin with her relationship with Alex? Maybe the best place to start was the beginning? “We weren’t all that close when I first came to this planet. In fact, we hated each other. Couldn’t stand each other. It got worse when Jeremiah was recruited to Cadmus. That all changed the day my friend, Kenny, was murdered. We decided to work together to solve it, and we grew closer after we did. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”
“That’s incredibly touching, Kara.”
Kara smiled sadly. “I found a home here with Alex. The only other person who has made me feel like that is Lena.”
Brainy nodded. “The famous Lena Luthor. One of the most intelligent and sagacious people on this Earth. CEO of L-Corp, prominent businesswoman and philanthropist, owner of CatCo Worldwide Media, and human of incredible intellect. Member of the Green Lantern Corps. I could go on.”
“I know,” Kara said, but she wouldn’t have mind if he had. She could hear someone talk about her wife all day; hell, she could talk about Lena all day and not get sick of it. Her heart swelled as the back of her eyes stung. “She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known.”
“She makes you happy, yes?”
Kara nodded. “More than anything.”
“What would you say is your happiest memory with her?” Brainy said, his eyes scanning over the boxes. “Flying in the skies together? Fighting crime together as Supergirl and Green Lantern?”
Laughing, Kara shook her head. “I do have a lot of happy memories with Lena, those being among them, but the two happiest are the day Mae was born and our wedding day.”
“Ah.” Brainy knelt down and plucked a polaroid from one of the bigger boxes. “Would this be what you are referring to?”
Furrowing her brow, Kara took the picture from him, choking up slightly when she saw its contents: it was Lena in her wedding dress, her eyes looking down out of shyness but still looking like an ethereal angel. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw her wearing this. I broke down because she was so beautiful and I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that someone like that wanted to be with someone like me. I mean, she’s amazing. She’s smart, she’s caring, she’s funny, she’s heroic. More heroic than I’ll ever be. She was a hero long before she put on that power ring. Lena is one of the strongest people I know, using her powers and her abilities for good despite the crap people have given her her whole life. She’s the best part of me, and I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“Did Lena know who you were when you first met?”
Kara shook her head. “She knew me as Kara Danvers long before she knew me as Kara Zor-El.”
Kara paused, her eyes widening in realization; it was as if a switch went off in her head. “Brainy, I think I know how to get out of here.”
Brainy raised his eyebrows. “You do?”
“Kara Danvers is a part of me, a part that I was at first loathe to accept, but without it, I wouldn’t have met some of my friends. I wouldn’t have met Lena. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with her. I wouldn’t have had our beautiful daughter. I wouldn’t have the life I have today without Kara Danvers, and I think I’ve been taking that for granted.”
Brainy clapped his hands together as a grin spread across his face. “That is exactly what I wanted to hear, Kara Zor-El?”
“Wait, what? You knew?” Kara asked. Brainy nodded in response. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“You needed to find out on your own and accept it for yourself,” the Coluan explained. “It looks like you’ll be waking up very shortly. I shall go inform your loved ones of this news. See you on the other side, Supergirl.”
With that, Brainy vanished, along with all of the boxes covering Kara’s floor. Now alone, Kara felt a weight being lifted off of her shoulders as she breathed a sigh of relief. She was going home! A glint out of her left eye caught her attention, and she saw her glasses sitting on the table. She frowned; they weren’t there before. They must be her ticket out. Walking over, she picked them up and put them on, taking a deep breath as she stepped back over towards the door. It opened on the first try, a bright light engulfing her as she passed through, and for the first time in a while, Kara felt like she was able to breathe again.
---------------------------------- The bright light vanished as Kara opened her eyes, her body aching all over and feeling slightly damp. Once her vision focused, she saw that she was alone, but she heard the familiar heartbeat of her sister’s coming down the hall. Kara sat up, wincing as she did so just as Alex entered. The agent’s eyes went wide. “Kara!” She raced over and wrapped Kara up in a tight embrace. “Thank God you’re awake!”“Did you ever doubt I would?” Kara croaked, holding her sister like a lifeline.“Kara.” Alex leant back, looking at Kara with tear-filled eyes. But before Kara could say anything to comfort her, Alex spoke. “I’m so sorry.”“Alex, no.”“I’m sorry for pushing you to do this,” Alex continued. “For pushing you to fight Reign. This is all my fault.”Kara shook her head violently. “No, Alex, it’s not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for. We both thought going up against Reign was the best idea.”Alex nodded, crying harder as Kara gently rocked her back and forth. Kara tried to keep herself from crying, but failed miserably. No words could describe how relieved she was to be back, to be here in her sister’s arms. “I thought of you in there.”“You did?”Kara nodded. “I thought of you and Lena and Mae.” Her eyes widened. “Where are they? Are they okay?”“They’re fine,” Alex said. “Mae is at school and Lena is at L-Corp. I’ll call her right now.”“Thank you, Alex.”Alex smiled sadly, her eyes shining. “I’m glad you’re okay.”With that, Alex pulled out her phone to make the call, and Kara laid back down on the table, exhaustion overtaking her as she dissolved into nothingness. ------------------------------- Lena tried to keep pace with her daughter, who was practically dragging her down the halls of the DEO towards the room Kara had been moved to. She had gotten the call from Alex not even ten minutes ago, immediately abandoning her work and taking Mae out of school early before flying to the DEO, the same thought playing over and over again in her head:
Kara is awake!
Kara is awake!
Kara is awake!
Lena felt her nerves rising with each step she took; by the time she reached Alex, who was waiting for them outside the room, her entire body was shaking. “Is she inside?”“Yes,” Alex said, nodding. “She’s expecting you.”Lena bit back the coming tears. “Thank you, Alex.”Alex nodded once more as she opened the door and let them in, the tears coming full force now when Lena saw her wife sitting up on one of the tables. She was still in her Supergirl outfit, looking completely exhausted, but she was awake and she was alive and that was all that mattered to Lena.“Mom!”Mae broke away from Lena and flew over Kara, flinging herself into the waiting arms of her mother. Kara lifted Mae up onto her lap and hugged her tightly, placing several kisses on the top of her head and rubbing her back comfortingly. She looked up and met Lena’s eyes, and Lena saw that Kara was crying as well, and the sight made Lena cry harder as she walked over and wrapped both of her girls up in her arms. She felt Kara wrap a strong arm around her waist and pull her in closer, her hand fisting in her blouse. Lena kissed the side of her wife’s head, moving across her cheek until she reached her lips, kissing her deeply for several moments.“I’m so sorry,” Kara said the moment they broke apart, tears streaming down her cheeks at an alarming rate. “I went behind your back. I shouldn’t have. I just wanted to protect you.”Lena quickly shushed her, cupping her face with her hands and wiping away the stray tears with her thumbs. “All that matters right now is that you are alive. But Kara Zor-El Danvers-Luthor, if you ever do something like this again…”“I won’t! I promise.”“I thought you were going to die, Mom,” Mae said, her eyes and cheeks stained red, and Lena’s heart melted.“Oh no, baby girl, no.” Kara tightened her hug and kissed the top of Mae’s head. “I won’t be dying anytime soon, I promise.”“You better not,” Lena warned, but her heart was still overwhelmed with relief and joy at the fact that her wife was awake. Nothing else mattered now. “Come on. Let’s go home.”Kara still felt weak from her coma, so Lena called her driver and they returned to their apartment. Lena and Kara changed into sleepwear while Mae retreated to her room to complete her homework, but not before giving Kara another long, tight hug. Lena crawled into bed next to Kara, who immediately curled up into her side. “Is there anymore news on Reign?” the Kryptonian asked sleepily.“I’m afraid not, baby,” Lena replied. “But…I may have found a way to stop her.”“Really? What is it?”Lena shushed her wife and kissed her forehead gently. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just rest.”Kara hummed, resting her head in the crook of Lena’s neck and kissed her pulse point. “Thank you, Lena, for not giving up on me.”“I will never ever give up on you, Kara,” Lena said, her voice thick with emotion. “Not now or ever. I love you too much to lose you and I will always protect you.” Lena placed one final kiss on the top of Kara’s head as she stroked her hair, and the Kryptonian fell right asleep. “I promise.” --------------------------------------- Reign touched down at the Fortress’s base late that night, a great sense of triumph spreading from her chest through her entire body. She entered the Fortress and headed towards the center of the room, where the hologram of her master was waiting.“I was beginning to worry about you,” the hologram said. “I was expecting you to report back sooner.”“I got held up,” Reign growled. “It won’t happen again.”“I should hop not. What do you have to report?”“Supergirl is dead.”The hologram smiled proudly. “Well done, my child. With her out of the way, we are free to reform this world in our image. It is time for you to find the others?”Reign furrowed her brow. “Others?”“Your sisters,” the hologram explained. “The other Worldkillers.”“There are others like me?”“Yes. With the others, Purity and Pestilence, by your side, you will be unstoppable. And I will help you find them.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It takes Kara about four days to fully recover and get back to her normal self, and every minute she spent at home were minutes spent with her family. Alex came by everyday to visit, check in on her sister, and give some updates on the Reign situation; Mae always greeted her with a ten-minute long hug, telling her all about her day and what her and her friends did at school; and Lena spent nearly all of her time by her wife’s side. She had taken a few days away from the office, telling Jess that she had a family emergency, so she could help Kara recover. Also, she couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her wife any longer than necessary. Lena had already done that and she hated every minute of it. She held onto Kara tighter than usual when they cuddled or when they slept out of fear that Kara wouldn’t be there when she woke up. Kara noticed this early on and did her best to quell her fears, but Lena couldn’t shake this feeling that this wasn’t over. Reign was still out there after all, even if she had been MIA since her fight with Supergirl, but Lena knew that Kara would want to make sure Reign was taken care of so she wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore, but Lena wanted her nowhere near the villainess. Luckily, she had a plan in dealing with Reign for good.She only hopes Kara would be on board with it as well.“What’s on your mind?”Lena turns to see Kara looking up at her from her spot on the bed with concern in her blue eyes. She sighs. “Nothing, darling. Go back to sleep.”“I’ve been confined to this bed for the past three days, Lee. I’m starting to get antsy.” Kara sits up fully and places a sweet kiss on Lena’s cheek. “Talk to me, baby. I know something’s bothering you and I want to help.”Lena’s heart melts at Kara’s sincerity and she sighs again, pulling Kara close to her and stroking her hair. There are several things on her mind, mostly things about Reign, but there was one thing that she had wondered about ever since Brainy came into the picture. “What happened while you were in your coma? Do you remember everything at all?”Kara stiffens a little at the mention of her coma, but she relaxes into Lena’s embrace as the latter kisses her on the forehead.“You don’t have to talk about it—”“No, it’s okay,” Kara says. “I want to. At first, I was very confused. I woke up in my loft.”“Your loft?”“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I did. That’s when Brainy showed up and told me I was in a coma and all these boxes appeared. Boxes that contained all of my memories.” Kara smiles. “There were three in particular that stood out to me. The first one was Streaky, the stray cat I fed when I first came to Earth. The next was the day we brought Mae home. And the last was you on our wedding day.”Lena’s eyes began to fill with tears. “Kara.”“I thought about you while I was in there,” Kara continued, looking up and meeting Lena’s eyes, knowing hers looked the exact same way. “You were all I thought about, you and Mae and Alex and everyone. All I could think about was coming home to you.”“And you did. I’m so happy you woke up.”“Me too.”Lena leans in and Kara is more than happy to meet her halfway with a kiss. She was so thankful that she woke up so she could kiss Lena again and be in her arms again. She would never take any of this for granted ever again.“By the way,” Lena says when they part, reluctantly on Kara’s part. “How did you manage to wake up? I know Brainy must’ve done something to help.”“He helped out a lot,” Kara says, reminding herself to thank Brainy if and when she saw him again, this time in real life. “He helped me realize that my human side, my Kara Danvers side, is just as important as my alien side. Without it, I wouldn’t have the life I have now. I would’ve never met you and we wouldn’t have Mae. I wouldn’t have this amazing life with an equally if not more so amazing wife and daughter to share it with.”A few tears escape Lena’s eyes, and Kara wiped her cheeks with her thumbs. “I will always be thankful for the day that you walked into my office, Kara Danvers. It changed my life forever, and for the better I would say.”Kara smiles as they kiss again, this time deeper than the last. “I love you so much.”“I love you, too. More than anything.”“Oh! I almost forgot. You said that you had found a way to stop Reign. Care to share?”Lena tenses up this time, and Kara immediately gets worried. “Lena, what is it?”“While you were in your coma, Reign attacked CatCo.”“What?” Kara’s eyes went wide. “What happened? Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me?”“I’m fine, Kara. Everyone there that day was fine. She just wanted to spread her propaganda about her righteous mission to punish all sinners.” Lena huffed. “Seeing her after what she did to you, it made me so furious. I couldn’t just sit around anymore, so I went to L-Corp to see if I could find anything to help you and to stop Reign.” A pause. “And I did. Turns out Lex is still able to hide stuff in my own company from that dark cell of his. I found a room full of Kryptonite hidden beneath the base of L-Corp.”Kara freezes and her jaw clenches. “Kryptonite?”Lena nods.“And you’re planning on using it against Reign?”Lena nods again. “I know how much you hate it, but Reign is Kryptonian, which means she’ll be susceptible.”“Yeah, and so will I when I go up against her.”Lena shakes her head violently. “You won’t be going up against her, not after what happened last time. This is the only way to stop Reign and the only way to keep you safe.”“I’m not safe if there’s Kryptonite involved, Lena,” Kara argued.“I know, I know.” Lena sighs and rubs her temple with her fingers. “I just can’t lose you again.”Kara’s expression softens at the confession. She takes Lena’s hand in her own and squeezes it. “You aren’t going to lose me, baby.”“I just want to protect you,” Lena says. She was full on crying now and it broke Kara’s heart to see. “I know you’re practically invulnerable, but you’re still my wife. You’re still the most important person to me and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure you’re safe.”Tears begin to well in Kara’s own eyes. She hates that Lena feels this way and she hates that she’s continuing to make her feel this way, so Kara took her wife’s hand in her own and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I know, Lee. I feel the same way about you. And if you think this is the best thing to do, I support you one hundred percent.”Lena’s eyes widen. “Really? You do?”Kara nods. “I’m not completely fond of the idea, but you’re one of the smartest people I know, and I should’ve had more trust in you when you initially told me.”“No, your reaction was reasonable. More than, in fact,” Lena says. “But I appreciate your support. I love you.”“I love you, too. And I’ll always support you. If this is the way to stop Reign once and for all, then I’m on board.”Lena smiles and kisses Kara on the lips. “Thank you.”Kara nods as they kiss again. “But once we’re done with that, we’re getting rid of the Kryptonite in your company.”“Of course, darling.” ------------------------------------------------- “Julia, wait up!”Julia turns around to see her friend—her best friend, actually—trot down the street with her guitar case in her hand. “What took you so long, V?”Vanita, having finally caught up with her friend, raises her eyebrow. “I was booking us for another three gigs while you were eager to leave before the owner handed us our payment!”“You know I don’t want to perform at the same club for the rest of my life, right?” Julia asked. “We’ve been talking about moving out of the city for the past few months, V, so when are we gonna do it?”“We need money to move, in case you’ve forgotten. But I promise when we have the money we need, the first thing we’re doing is leaving this dump of a city.”Julia laughed. “That day cannot come soon enough.”“I’ll drink to that.”They were both laughing so hard that they didn’t notice the car speeding down the street until it was too late. Luckily, Julia notices it in time to push Vanita out of the way just as the car slams her into another parked one. An intense pain shot through Julia’s entire body like a bolt of lightning right before everything went black.“Julia!”She jolted awake, sucking in a sharp breath of air as her powers flowed through her like a river of lava. Her fingers dug into the hood of the car that was digging into her abdomen and pushed it off of her like it weighed nothing. A loud gasp to her right grabbed her attention. A young woman and man stood together on the side, looking shocked at the feat she just performed. She smiled. There is so much more that they haven’t seen yet. Before she could do anything else, however, a commanding voice in her head beckoned her elsewhere.“My child. It is time for you to come home.”Leaving the humans behind, she takes to the skies and flies away, eager to learn more about how she will conquer this world. -------------------------------------------------- A knock sounded on Alex’s door just as she was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. The sound causes her heart to leap in nervous excitement. Sam was a bit early, but Alex finds that she doesn’t care; the sooner she saw her girlfriend, the better, especially after everything that had happened. Alex finishes up her lipstick and goes to answer the door, where Sam is waiting and looking absolutely stunning in her royal blue shirt and black pants. “Hey!” Alex greets as she hugs Sam tightly. “I missed you. How was your trip?”Sam had been away on a business trip for L-Corp for the past week, and Alex had been somewhat grateful that she was away. Between Kara almost dying and Reign now nowhere to be found, Alex was glad Sam was away from the chaos and safe. That didn’t mean she didn’t miss her, though, and now that Sam was back, Alex plans to make the most of this night.“I missed you too, babe,” Sam said, giving Alex a peck on the lips. “And I actually need to talk to you about that.”“That bad, huh? Let me get out the good stuff.” Alex shows Sam in, leading her into the kitchen and pouring them both glasses of red wine. “So what happened? Was it terrible? I hear that some of these business people can be hard-headed, at least that’s what Lena says.”“Actually…I don’t think it was terrible. I—I don’t remember anything at all.”Alex furrows her brow and sets down her glass. “What do you mean you don’t remember? What happened?”“I don’t know.” Sam shakes her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I just—I remember getting a text from Lena saying that there was a car waiting for me to take me to the airport.” Her eyes went wide. Sam pulls her phone out of her pocket and starts scrolling.“Sam, baby, what’s wrong?”“I never made it to the car,” Sam breathes. A single tear runs down her cheek as she looks back up at Alex, who was looking at her with concern. “I didn’t even leave!”“Sam, Sam, breathe! We’re going to find out what happened, okay? Is Ruby okay?”Sam nods. “She was staying at a friend’s house all this week. She’s back at our house with the babysitter. Oh God, Alex, what’s wrong with me? What happened?”Alex gently shushes her and wraps her up in her arms, stroking Sam’s hair as she breaks down. “It’s going to be okay, baby, I promise. We’re going to figure this out. I promise.” -------------------------------------------------- It was another night at National City General for Dr. Grace Parker as she made her rounds through the hospital. Everything seemed to be in order, nothing out of the ordinary, at least for National City where several of the citizens were aliens. Everything was normal…until Grace notices that one of the doors was open. Confused, she enters the dark room, sensing that something was off somehow, but couldn’t see anything“Hello, sister.”Grace turns around to see a dark-skinned woman with short hair and white eyes step out from a dark corner with a mischievous smile on her face. “Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?”“I am the scalding light. I am the flood that sweeps away sins. I am the word and cry of justice. I am Purity, and I am here to bring you home?”“Home?”“It is time for your true self to awaken and it is time for you to join me and our other sister so we can reform this world, cleanse it of its sins, and reform it in our image.” Julia smiles and takes a few steps closer to Grace. “You must feel something deep within you, something that makes you different, something that makes you better. Something powerful that is itching to get out.”Grace stares at Julia in bewilderment, wondering how she was able to find her. She smiles menacingly. It didn’t matter how; all that mattered was that she was here now. “What took you so long?”Her fingernails grew long and began to drip a golden liquid, and her eyes morphed into a golden-green. Purity smiles. “Let’s go home…Pestilence.” ------------------------------------------- Alex’s heart was pounding against her sternum as the elevator took her and Sam down to the bowels of L-Corp. Sam didn’t want to go to the hospital; she flat out refused when Alex offered to drive her, so Alex had called Lena on Sam’s behest. She told Lena what Sam had told her, and Lena told them to come down to L-Corp immediately, telling them that she’ll be in her personal lab in the lower levels of the building so they won’t be disturbed by anyone. Alex looks over at Sam, who is staring down at the ground with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her heart aches. She hopes that Lena knew what she was doing.The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open, revealing a large dark room with a square chamber containing a hospital bed and medical equipment. Lena was sitting at a large desk where several computers and lab equipment were, typing on a keyboard when she noticed Alex and Sam. “Thank you both for coming.”“Jesus, Lena, how long did it take you to put all of this together?” Alex asks.“A couple of hours,” Lena replies. “It helps to know the right people in cases of an emergency, and from what you’ve told me, Alex, this classifies as such. Sam, come follow me and we’ll get you situated.”She leads Sam over to the bed and began to hook her up to some of the machines, putting wires in her arms and on her forehead as she asked questions. “How long have the blackouts been occurring?”Sam swallows nervously and avoids Alex’s gaze before she answers. “Since I visited Patricia’s house a month ago.”Alex’s eyes widen, but Lena remains calm. “A month?”Sam nods. “I don’t—I don’t even remember going to her house. I only realized that I did when Ruby brought it up the other day, but I thought it was just the stress from work.”“Oh my God, Sam, why didn’t you tell me?” Alex asks, worry swimming in her eyes.“I was scared,” Sam says. “I didn’t want to scare you or bother you with this.”“You wouldn’t have been bothering me, babe. You’re my girlfriend, I love you, and I would do anything to help you.”“As would I,” Lena interjects, giving Sam a comforting smile. “We are going to do everything in our power to help you figure this out.”Sam smiles sadly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it.”Alex leans down and kisses her girlfriend on the forehead as Lena tells her to relax before administering a sedative. Once Sam fell asleep, Lena and Alex retreat back to the computers so Lena could pull up Sam’s brain activity, something she would be monitoring continuously for any strange activity. “What exactly happened during Sam’s trip?” Lena asks Alex a few moments later. “Did she tell you anything?”Alex shakes her head. “She didn’t really talk about it when she got back. I assumed it didn’t go well, so I didn’t press.”“Why did she go?”“She was having some graphic nightmares and she thought Patricia had some answers about those.”“Did she tell you what those nightmares were about?”Alex shakes her head again, and Lena hums. “All I know is that she’s been having these nightmares since she was a kid and that they stopped for a while when she got pregnant with Ruby.”Lena furrows her brow, nodding. “Maybe Patricia did something to her.”“What?”“These blackouts started after the visit. Maybe that isn’t a coincidence.”“I don’t know, Lena,” Alex says. “I know Patricia and Sam don’t have the best relationship, but I don’t think she would do something to hurt her own daughter. Not like this, anyway.”Lena shrugs. “We’ll find out soon enough, but I can’t shake the feeling. Maybe Kara can go check it out.”“Lena—”“Not as Supergirl,” Lena quickly clarifies. “As Kara Danvers. If Patricia didn’t do something to Sam, maybe she still knows something, and I need to know everything in order to help her.”Alex sighs. “Okay,” she eventually says. “I’ll give her a call.” ----------------------------------------------- “Where is she?” Pestilence demands as she paces the floor of the Fortress of Sanctuary. “I thought you said she was waiting for us here.”“She should’ve been,” Purity bites back, quickly typing into the Fortress’s mainframe.“Have you even met her yet?”“No.”Pestilence groans as the hologram pops up in the center of the area. “Where is Reign?” she demands.“We don’t know,” Purity answers. “That’s why we need your help.”The hologram sneers, but closes her eyes nevertheless. “Reign must’ve been captured. I cannot see her anywhere.” She turns to the other two Worldkillers. “Find her. Burn this city to the ground if you have to, but find Reign and bring her back to me.” ------------------------------------------------------ Kara and J’onn touch down a few yards away from Patricia’s house, quickly changing back into their civilian attire before walking up.“What does Lena expect we’ll find here?” J’onn asks as they step onto the front porch.“I don’t know,” Kara replies, ringing the doorbell. “Answers.”An old woman opens the door a few moments later, her brow knitted together and her mouth in a thin line. “Who are you?”“Hi, Mrs. Arias,” Kara greets with a warm smile. “We’re friends of Sam’s and we want to know if you can help us with something regarding her.”“Does it have anything to do with what I’ve been seeing on the news?”Kara furrows her brow and her and J’onn share a confused look. “I’m sorry?”Patricia sighs. “Come on in.”The house was quaint yet homey, not unlike the Kent farm back in Smallville. There were a few pictures here and there of a small brown-haired child that Kara knew was Sam, but other than that, the place was mostly bare save for some pieces of old furniture. Kara couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to be old and to live alone, and her heart ached for Patricia.“I’ve been seeing things all over the news,” Patricia was explaining as she led them into the kitchen. “The attacks, the symbols, everything. I knew something was wrong when I first saw them.”She’s talking about Reign, Kara realizes. “Oh, we’re—we’re here because Sam needs help. She’s been experiencing blackouts and we want to know if you know anything about those or how to help.”Patricia is silent for several minutes, looking down at the ground and wringing her hands together all the while. Just as Kara was about to speak again, Patricia motions for them to follow her and they head upstairs. Patricia opens one of the doors up there to reveal an untouched childhood bedroom. “Sam was a quiet child growing up,” she explains as Kara and J’onn look around the room. “She always kept to herself and stayed in her room a lot, especially during middle school and her first year of high school. She was always doodling in her notebooks. Some of the pieces she made were actually quite good, and I have a few of them hanging on my refrigerator. However, she would also draw on the walls as well when paper wouldn’t suffice, and I would get frustrated as I was the one who always had to cover them up. Still, it was mostly harmless.” She pauses to take a deep breath. “That was until one day when I came home to discover a large, menacing symbol on Sam’s wall. It was the same symbol she had begun to draw in her notebooks during that time.”“What happened?” Kara asks.“Well, I was completely unnerved,” Patricia explains. “I yelled at Sam to stop drawing this symbol and immediately covered it up. There was something…off about it that I couldn’t put my finger on at the time. I kept asking myself how a sweet young girl could come up with something so dark and creepy, but now, years later, the news began to show these same symbols and I knew that she was her.”Kara was about to ask what she meant by that when Patricia went over to one of the walls and began to pull down the wallpaper, and her question got stuck in her throat. The Worldkiller symbol that Reign left everywhere she went was painted on the wall; it sent a shiver down Kara’s spine.“I blame myself,” Patricia says, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I should’ve been a better parent to her. Maybe none of this would’ve happened if I had been.”“I’m sure you did your best,” J’onn says. “You can’t blame yourself for any of this.”“She’s my child. The blood is on my hands, too.”Kara remains frozen as she stares at the symbol, still processing everything she just learned as J’onn promises Patricia they will do everything in their power to help Sam, leading her out of the room to ask her more about Sam. Once Kara is able to move properly again, she pulls out her phone and takes a picture of the symbol before calling Lena, dreading the conversation that was about to take place. ------------------------------------------------- Lena hangs up the phone, taking a deep breath as she tries to process everything her wife just told her. She was expecting Kara and J’onn to find something, but nothing this big. Nothing this serious. Nevertheless, she was going to have to tell Sam and Alex, but she had no idea how she was going to go about this. Lena turns around to see Alex sitting by a sleeping Sam’s side, holding her hand and brushing her thumb across the knuckles. Lena sighs, bracing herself as she walks over to them; Alex lifts her head up and looks at her expectantly. “Did they find anything?Lena nodded, grimacing on the inside. She hates being the bearer of bad news, and this instance was no different.“Well? Anything that can help?”“Um,” Lena starts. “Nothing that can really help, per say.”Alex’s eyes widen. “What is it?”“They found something in Sam’s old room.” Lena pulls up the picture of the Worldkiller symbolThe agent tenses up, all warmth leaving her eyes. “What are you saying?”“Alex, there’s a chance that Sam might be Reign.”“No,” Alex shakes her head. “That can’t…that’s impossible.”“I don’t want to believe it either,” Lena says. “But why else would Reign’s symbol be on Sam’s childhood bedroom wall?”“I don’t know!” Alex shouts, running a hand through her hair. “Look, you’re supposed to be helping her, not making accusations that she’s a murdering psychopath.”“I’m not. I’m just looking at the evidence, and this evidence points to Sam being Reign.”Alex scoffs, and Lena can see tears forming in the agent’s eyes. “I don’t want to listen to this. Sam is not a killer!”With that, Alex storms out of the lab, leaving Lena alone to groan in frustration. She didn’t want to make Alex feel upset, but what did she expect when she insinuated that Sam was the one that punched the agent’s sister into a coma, the one that almost killed Lena’s wife and left Mae with only one mother? Looking at Sam right now, Lena didn’t want to believe it either; she looked so peaceful, and the woman that Lena knew in college wouldn’t have been capable of doing the atrocious things that Reign had done. But why would there be a Worldkiller symbol etched on the wall of Sam’s childhood room? Lena takes a deep breath. “I’m not giving up on you,” she says to Sam. “I’m going to figure out if this is what is really going on.”She shoots Kara a quick text, telling her that she was going to be staying late again tonight, before turning back towards her desk and getting back to work. ----------------------------------------------------- The elevator doors open and Kara steps into Lena’s personal lab, her eyes widening at the sheer magnitude of it. She had never been down here before, so to say she was intimidated was an understatement. She noticed the small chamber that was housing Sam, who was sleeping soundly on a hospital bed—Kara secretly wondered how in Rao’s name Lena got a hospital bed in her company—before noticing the love of her life sitting at her desk, poring over what Kara assumes are her notes with her brow knitted together. “Knock knock.”Lena lifts her head up, smiling when she sees Kara walking towards her with a bag of Big Belly Burger in her hand. “Oh, you are a life-saver,” she says as she stands up and greets Kara with a hug and a kiss. “Remind me to reward you later.”Kara blushes when Lena winks at her and they sit down to eat. “How’s Sam doing?”“She’s been sleeping all day,” Lena says. “Alex stormed out earlier when I showed her the picture you sent me.”Kara grimaces. “Sorry about that. I’ll talk to her tomorrow, try to calm her down. But what about you, how are you doing?”“I wish I was doing better.”“What do you mean? Are you okay? Did anything happen?”Lena shakes her head and sighs. “Based on what you and J’onn found, it’s…it’s hard not to think that Sam might actually be Reign. I was able to make a timeline of Sam’s blackouts, at least the one that she was willing to talk about, and Reign’s appearances, and they seem to match up.” Lena lowers her head and runs a hand through her hair. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell Sam when she wakes up.”“Hey.” Kara takes Lena’s hand in her own and gives it a comforting squeeze. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll be right by your side when you do.”“You don’t have to,” Lena replies shakily, but Kara nods and kisses Lena’s temple.“I’ll always have your back, Lee. Always.”Lena manages a small smile, and Kara’s heart leaps within her chest. “I love you.”“I love you, too. Now and forever.”Lena leans in for a kiss, and Kara is more than happy to give it to her. This time had been hard on all of them, but it had been especially hard to Lena, and Kara promised herself that she would do everything in her power to comfort Lena and to show her that everything was going to be okay in the end. And that’s what she told Lena when they broke apart, leaning her forehead against her wife’s.Just then, though, Kara’s phone goes off. She sighs when she reads the text. “I have to go. DEO emergency. I’m sorry.”“It’s okay, darling,” Lena says, smiling softly. “Be safe, okay?”“Always.”They share one last kiss before Kara takes off, her lips still buzzing and her heart soaring as she flies through the air towards the DEO. ---------------------------------------------- Kara touches down at the DEO and walks towards the main control area, where Alex, Winn, J’onn, and the Legion were all standing around the round table. “What’s going on?”“Trouble at National City Mall,” Winn explains, using his pad to project footage on the screens before them. “We got word of an attack going on there and…you got to see this.”Live video footage of the mall showed people screaming and running away from something, or rather two something’s that sent a shiver down Kara’s spine. Two people, two women, were wreaking havoc, shooting lasers out of their eyes and moving faster than a speeding bullet. One of them even had a sonic scream. “What are they? They can’t be…”“Worldkillers? They are.”Kara and Alex turn to face Mon-El, who was the one who spoke, with shocked expressions on their faces. “There are more Worldillers?” Alex asks. “How many are there?”“Only three,” Mon-El explained. “Reign, Purity, and Pestilence. They were some of the greatest threats you ever went up against.”Kara turns to face Mon-El with her hands on her hips, her brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”“Because if we interfered with providing information from the future, the timeline could suffer some severe changes at the fundamental level,” Brainy interjects, and the other Legion members nod.“We are not supposed to be here in this century, so just us being here is messing with things,” Imra says.Kara sighs. She could be mad later. Right now, she had two other Worldkillers to deal with.“Do we know if Reign is with them?” Mon-El asks.“It doesn’t look like it, no,” Alex says, her lips in a thin line. Kara feels the tension roll off her sister in waves.“Okay,” J’onn says. “What we need to do now is stop them before they hurt any more people.”“Kara, you can’t,” Mon-El warns, but before Kara could say anything, Imra cuts in. “I think she can. In fact, I know she can. There’s a reason our generation calls her the greatest hero of our time, but if she needs help, the Legion is ready to lend her a hand.” She turns to Kara and nods. Brainy nods as well, and Kara smiles as she nods back. “I appreciate that, Imra. After my fight with Reign, I know I can’t go up against a Worldkiller, let alone two Worldkillers, by myself. I’m going to need all the help I can get. Suit up,” she tells Imra and Brainy. “We’re going to stop some Worldkillers.”Kara, Alex, J’onn, and the Legion fly over to the mall once they all suited up, touching down in the middle of chaos. People were sprinting every which way, tripping over themselves and others to escape. Kara turns to Brainy and Mon-El, the latter wearing a suit so similar to hers Kara had to fight the urge to roll her eyes, and tells them to get everyone out of here as safely as possible, leaving her, Imra, Alex, and J’onn to deal with the threat. They didn’t have to wait long as Purity and Pestilence walk up to them, malice in their eyes and smirks on their faces. “That’s strange,” Purity muses. “When sinners see us, they run away.”“Or they die,” Pestilence purrs, her fingernails morphing into claws and dripping a mysterious substance. “So what will you do?”“Stop you,” Kara says, readying herself for the inevitable fight, “before you hurt any more people.”The Worldkillers share a laugh right before Purity lets out an ear-splitting scream, sending the heroes flying back several feet. Kara lands on her back with a thud and a grunt, but quickly picks herself up and launches herself at Purity. The two fly up and exchange several blows before Purity screams again, sending Kara hurdling back and covering her ears from the intensity of the scream. Kara looks down and sees Imra and Alex facing off against Pestilence, Imra hurling various objects at the Worldkiller with her telekinesis while Alex shoots and dodges Pestilence’s jabs to the best of her ability. J’onn was now taking on Purity and was phasing each time she screamed so he could get in more hits. Kara flies over to help him, and after several more screams and punches and kicks and dodges, they were able to subdue Purity.“Why are you here?” Kara demands. Purity was now underneath her, Kara’s left hand pinning her down and her other hand raised in a fist. “Who sent you?”Purity grins and laughs. “We were sent with a higher purpose, one that you can’t even fathom.”“You’re looking for Reign, aren’t you? She’s gone. She’s somewhere where you will never be able to find her.”“Oh,” Purity smiles menacingly. “I highly doubt that, Supergirl. Once we are all reunited, we will bring this world to its knees, purging it of its sinners and reform it as we see fit.” She screams to get out of Kara’s hold, flying away with Pestilence until they are out of sight, leaving the heroes out of breath and on edge.“Where are they going?” Kara asks Alex once they regroup. Alex gets in touch with Winn, and quickly finds out that the Worldkillers are heading downtown, closing in on a certain building there. Kara’s heart drops and takes off after them, knowing exactly where they are heading. ------------------------------------------------------- Lena watches Sam sleep from her position at her desk, several thoughts and emotions running through her body at full speed, each different one vying to take control. One thing she knew for sure though was that she was going to have to tell Sam, and while everything within her was telling her to wait just a little big longer, Lena decides to rip the band-aid off and tell Sam now. She walks over to Sam’s bedside and administers a stimulant to wake her up, her heart pounding within her chest as she does so.
Here goes nothing.
Sam stirs a few moments later, her eyes blinking heavily as she returns to the world. “Lena?”“Morning, sleepy-head.”Sam groans and covers her eyes with her hand. “So…bright. Did you…did you find anything? Where’s Alex?”Lena swallows the lump in her throat, but doesn’t immediately answer. “Sam, do you remember where you were the night Reign first showed up?”Sam furrows her brow and sits up. “Uh…I don’t remember. I think I was sleeping at my house. Why?”“What about the night Reign went up against Supergirl and nearly killed her?”“I…why are you asking me these questions? What’s going on? And where’s Alex?”Lena is silent under the weight of Sam’s gaze, but she steeled herself for the inevitable. “I have a theory of what might be going on with you.”“And that is?”Lena pulls out her phone and shows her the picture of the Worldkiller symbol, and Sam has a similar reaction to Alex’s. “Where did you get this?”“This was found in your room at Patricia’s house,” Lena explains. “I think there’s a chance that you might be Reign.”“What?” Sam’s eyes widen in shock before morphing into confused anger. “You think I’m that monster? Seriously Lena? I’m not a killer!”“I know you aren’t, Sam, but I can’t ignore the fact that this symbol was found in your childhood room.”“I’m not Reign!” Sam shouts, and Lena steps back in shock as Sam’s eyes flashed a bright red before reverting back to their natural color.“Sam. Sam, are you okay?”The woman blinks in confusion. “What just happened?”“You mean you don’t remember yelling at me just now?”Sam shakes her head and looks up at Lena in panic. “What’s happening to me?”Before Lena could give an answer, two figures touched down behind them.“Lena!” Supergirl rushes towards them, closely followed by Saturn Girl. “We have to get you both out of here.”“Why?”“There are other Worldkillers and they’re on their way here,” Supergirl explains. “They’re looking for Reign.”“Is this her?” Saturn Girl asks, looking at Sam who is shaking her head.“I’m not her.”“There’s no time for arguing right now, we have to go—”A loud crash sounded above them, almost knocking all of them off their feet. What did knock them off their feet, though, was a loud sonic scream from behind. Lena groans in pain, turning around to look at the two other Worldkillers walking towards Sam. “Sam!” Lena activates her ring, her supersuit forming on her body, but before she could get in a hit, the Worldkillers fly off with Sam in tow. “No!”Sam was gone.And they didn’t know where they had taken her.
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“Sam!”Lena looks up at the fresh hole in her roof in disbelief and horror. Sam was gone. There were two other Worldkillers and they had taken her away to God knows where. Her ring hand clenches into a fist; she should’ve reacted quicker. She could’ve stopped this whole thing if she did, but she didn’t. Lena groans and runs a hand through her hair. How the hell were they going to find Sam? What would Alex think? Beside her, Kara was speaking to Winn via her comms, trying to get a location on the Worldkillers, but judging from the frustrated look on her face, she wasn’t getting the answer she wanted. “Imra, you can head back to the DEO,” she tells the Saturnian. “Tell Alex what went down. We’ll meet you there.”Imra nods and flies off, leaving Lena and Kara alone in the former’s lab. “Hey,” Kara says, walking towards her wife slowly. “Are you okay?”Lena shakes her head. “The last thing I told Sam was that there was a chance that she might be Reign. She got angry with me and began to freak out just before you arrived. What if…what if that was the last time I’ll ever get to see her or—or talk to her?” She begins to cry, and Kara immediately sweeps her up in her strong arms and rocks her back and forth. “This won’t be the last time you and Sam talk, I can promise you that. We’re going to get her back.”“How are we going to do that?” Lena sniffs.“We’re going to save her, along with the other Worldkillers.”“Okay,” Lena says skeptically as she wipes her cheeks. “How are we going to do that?”“I don’t know,” Kara admits. “But there has to be another way than just killing them. What if…what exactly went down between you and Sam before Imra and I got here?”“Um, I told her that she might be Reign, she got mad, and then her eyes turned red.”“Her eyes turned red?”Lena nods, her eyes widening in realization. “I asked her what happened and she said she didn’t remember. What if the reason she’s having these blackouts is because Reign has taken over?”Kara’s eyes widen as well. “That means that Sam is still in there and can be saved! This also means that the other Worldkillers must have human sides as well. Lena, you’re a genius!”Kara pulls her wife in for a kiss, causing Lena to smile and laugh. “Well, I am a smart woman.”“The smartest I know and love.”Lena smiles into the next kiss Kara gives her, her love for her wife growing exponentially by the second. “So how exactly are we going to save Sam and the other Worldkillers?”“Easy! By reaching their human sides.”Lena chuckles. “That’s such a Kara solution. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I’ll help you in any way I can.”Kara beams. “I love you.”“I love you, too.”“Let’s go home.”They both fly home only to discover their daughter still awake.“Mom!”Mae sprints towards them and barrels into Kara, her arms wrapping tightly around her mother’s torso. Kara and Lena are both confused as the latter pays the babysitter, so after the babysitter leaves, Kara asks Mae what was wrong.“I saw you on the TV today,” Mae explains. “You were fighting a strange lady that had your powers and I got really scared.”“Aw, sweetie.” Kara enveloped Mae in a tight hug. “I’m okay.”“Who was she, Mom?”“Someone who your mothers are going to stop,” Lena says. “Nothing you need to worry about.”“But I am worried! Why won’t you tell me what’s really going on?”Kara and Lena exchange a glance before telling Mae everything that was going on. Mae was shocked to hear about Sam, but both Lena and Kara reassured her that they were going to save Sam no matter what. After doing that a few more times, they put her to bed before going to turn in themselves.“Did we do the right thing?” Lena asks Kara as they climb into bed. “Telling Mae the truth?”Kara nods. “I think so. I want all of us to be honest with each other. I don’t want Mae to feel isolated from this part of our lives because, if I’m being honest, she’s probably going to follow in our footsteps when she’s older and I want her to know about the superhero life and what comes with it so she’s prepared for it.”“I know, but I just want her to live a normal life for as long as possible.”Kara leans in and places a kiss on Lena’s temple. “I know, baby. I do, too, but Mae’s our daughter. Wanting to help people is engrained into her DNA.”Lena sighs as Kara wraps her arms around her waist. “You’re right.”“Everything’s going to be alright. We’ll figure out how we’re going to save the Worldkillers, but for now, we need to sleep.”Lena nods. “I love you.”“I love you, too. Goodnight.”“Goodnight, darling.” ------------------------------------------------------------ After dropping Mae off at school the next morning—and after several minute-long hugs for both parents—Kara and Lena flew over to the DEO for the day’s briefing, meeting Alex, Winn, and J’onn in the main control room. “Any progress in locating the Worldkillers?” Kara asks.“Still off the grid,” Winn replies, furiously typing on his keyboard. “I’ve tried everything, but nothing. No heat signatures or anything. It’s like they’ve completely disappeared.”“They couldn’t have,” Alex says, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Have you checked to see if they’ve gone off-world?”Winn nods. “Nothing has entered or left the atmosphere since Imra reported back here last night. Team Worldkiller is still here on Earth…somewhere.”“Well, find them, Agent Schott. Report to me when you do.”“Will do, Alex.”Alex turns and walks away, telling J’onn she’s going to the training room. Kara deflates, and she can feel Lena do the same. “How’s she holding up?” she asks J’onn.“I don’t need to read her mind to know she’s going through a great deal, Supergirl,” the Martian responds. “Alex is strong. She’ll come through the other side a better and stronger person like the warrior she is.”“We have to find Sam first,” Kara says. “I’ll go talk to her.”“I’ll come with you,” Lena says, and the two head towards the training room, entering to see Alex throwing several fast-paced punches at a violently swinging punching bag.“If you’re here to talk, I’m not in the mood,” Alex huffs as she throws a final punch.“And I thought I was the one with super hearing.” Kara walks over to her sister and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We’re going to get Sam back, Alex. I promise.”The agent exhaled deeply, and Kara could see that she was visibly fighting back tears. “How can you be so sure? We don’t even know where she was taken or if she’s even still…”“She is,” Lena interjects. “She has to be. And Kara’s right, we will find Sam and bring her back.”Alex’s gaze hardens. “You were supposed to be helping her. Where were you when they took her?”“I was there. They were in and out before I could get in a hit.”Alex scoffs. “Some hero you are.”“Alex!”The agent storms out of the room, and Kara fights the urge to hit the punching bag as well. “I’ll go talk to her,” she says, giving her wife an apologetic look before taking her leave. Kara finds Alex in an empty conference room, her shoulders shuddering and her breaths hitched. “What the hell was that about, Alex?” Kara demands. “What are we twelve years old again? Did I miss that memo?”“Don’t try to turn this into a joke. You reacted the same way when you thought Lena was taken a few years ago,” Alex growls. “I should’ve been there.”“The lab? Alex, Imra and I got there mere seconds before the Worldkillers did, and even then, Supergirl, Saturn Girl, and Green Lantern couldn’t stop them. They were way too fast, so if you want to yell at someone, yell at me. Do not take this out on Lena. She has been nothing but helpful since the start.”“I know,” Alex groans, her head hanging low. “I just want Sam back.”“We all do.”“I just…I didn’t want to believe anything that you and Lena said about her was true. I couldn’t. How could Sam be a monster?”“Sam isn’t a monster. We’re going to save her.”“And how do you propose we do that, Supergirl?”Kara is silent for a few moments. “I’m still trying to figure that part out.”“Well, let me know when you do. I need to be alone right now.”“Of course.” Kara kisses the top of Alex’s head and gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze before leaving to go find Lena. Her wife isn’t in the training room, nor is she in the main control room or anywhere in the DEO for that matter. Kara closes her eyes and focuses on her hearing, locating Lena’s heartbeat in a matter of seconds. She flies over to the top of the largest skyscraper in National City, where she found Lena looking down on the city in melancholy. Kara doesn’t say anything as she walks up to stand beside her wife, only taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.“There’s something I haven’t told you yet,” Lena says after a while. “It has to do with the Kryptonite I found.”Kara furrows her brow. “What is it?”“I’ve…um…I’ve been tinkering with it.”“You’ve been what?”“This was back when you were still in a coma. I didn’t tell you this before, but I’ve been tinkering with it to find a way that will only affect Reign. This was also before I knew that Sam was Reign.”“Lena, why didn’t you say anything?”“I was going to, but I was scared! You saw Alex back there, she would’ve killed me if I even mentioned it.”“She wouldn’t have. Alex loves you, she’s just upset right now. She’ll come around.”Lena scoffs. “Maybe she’s right. I couldn’t even save Sam from being taken and the best course of action I can come up with is to use Kryptonite against her. Some hero I am, indeed.”Kara doesn’t say anything, instead wrapping Lena up in her arms as the latter breaks down into tears. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Kara cups Lena’s face in her hands and kisses away her tears. “Everything’s going to be okay. Do you want to fly around for a bit to clear your head?”Lena shakes her head.“Okay, how about we head home to clear your head another way?” Kara smirks as she sees the color rise in Lena’s cheeks. “Why, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor? I didn’t know you were capable of blushing.”“Yes you did, you sneak. You’re the only one who is able to make me.”Kara’s smirk turns into a devilish grin as she nuzzles her wife’s neck. “And I am extremely proud of that fact. You are so red right now, babe. It’s kind of hot.”Lena stiffens then, causing Kara to cease her assault on Lena’s neck. “Lena. What’s wrong? Did I do something…?”Lena shakes her head, her green eyes wide and beautiful like emeralds. “Just moments before you and Imra showed up, Sam and I were having an argument about her being Reign, and for a brief second, her eyes flashed red.”“They flashed red?”“Yes! But the weirdest part about that is Sam didn’t remember the outburst at all. What if Sam didn’t remember because she wasn’t in control at the time?”Kara furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”“What if Sam and Reign are two different people?”The Kryptonian’s eyes widen significantly. “How…how would that even be possible?”“It’s like schizophrenia in a way,” Lena explains. “Reign is a completely different personality than that of Sam, and neither have no idea that the other exists.”“Whoa. So like Jekyll and Hyde?”Lena nods excitedly. “Yes! Exactly!”“Okay. So what do we do about that?”“Hmm…maybe…maybe I could continue to tinker with the Kryptonite to make it so that it could separate Reign and Sam on a cellular level.”“Do you think you could do that?”“Only one way to find out. I have to try. I have to try and save my friend because I don’t know what else to do.”Kara nods. “I’ll let Alex know.”Lena activates her ring and flies over to L-Corp while Kara heads back over to the DEO. This was something, at least, and Kara prayed that it would work. It had to.For Sam’s sake. ----------------------------------------------------------- The first thing Sam noticed when she opened her eyes was the harsh throbbing in her head. She groans as she sits up, slowly rubbing her temple with her fingers as her eyes focus on her surroundings, and once they do her heart plummets into her stomach.“Welcome back, my child,” a chillingly familiar voice echoes. “It’s so good to have you back.”Sam turns to see a hologram of a hooded woman staring and smiling at her, and a chill runs down her spine. “You. I remember you. I remember this place now. All of this…this is all your fault!”The hologram just laughs. “I was worried when you didn’t return, but I am glad that your sisters were able to retrieve you and return you safely to the Fortress.”“Sisters?” Sam turns around and sees two figures standing behind her: two women with different colored eyes and wearing similar Earth-tone outfits smiling at her menacingly. “Who—who the hell are you?”“I am Purity,” the woman with white irises says. “And this is Pestilence. We are your sisters and will help you in bringing justice to this forsaken world.”Sam violently shakes her head and backs up slowly. “I’m not who you think I am! I’m not her!”“Maybe not right now,” the hologram muses. “There is still one thing to be done before you can fully embrace your destiny.”The hologram narrows its eyes, and a burning feeling takes hold in Sam’s chest. She cries out in agony and falls to her knees, clutching at her chest and gritting her teeth as the pain worsens and worsens. “What…what are you doing to me?”“In order for you to fully become who you were designed to become,” the hologram says, “you must reject your human side completely. Get rid of everything that tethers you to the human world. While you have many, there is one that trumps all of them. The child, Ruby Arias, must die.” -------------------------------------------------------- Even though she had only been down in her lab for the past six hours, Lena felt as if she had been here for days. She had been studying and learning about the various properties of Kryptonite via experimentation—she would use her brother’s notes, but she had them all destroyed when she took over the company. Who would’ve known she would’ve actually needed them, but here we are—but so far hasn’t found anything to suggest that it was possible to use it to separate a person, or rather a Kryptonian into two people. Lena had taken apart each unit of Kryptonite in her vaults piece by piece, but none of her tests yielded any promising results, so she was quickly becoming frustrated. She was running out of time. Sam was running out of time.The sound of doors opening behind her pulls Lena’s attention away from her latest trial, and she sees Alex and Ruby walking towards her. Lena furrows her brow. Kara had told Alex about Lena’s plan, and the agent said she would come over to help Lena with it, and while Lena was incredibly thankful for an extra set of eyes and hands, she was incredibly nervous especially after Alex’s outburst this morning. However, Lena could understand where Alex was coming from; after all, she was like that earlier this month when Kara was in her coma. Nevertheless, it still stung considering how far both the agent and the CEO have come in their relationship. Even after her and Kara started seeing each other, Lena’s and Alex’s relationship was nothing but professional and formal. It was only at the behest of Kara that the two spend more time together, and after an initial awkward night at the alien bar, Lena and Alex began to find common ground both in their backgrounds in science and their love for a certain Kryptonian. Ever since then, the two have had an amicable relationship, but now Lena wasn’t so sure. Hopefully, they’ll be able to put their differences aside to save someone they loved.What Lena wasn’t expecting was to see Ruby here. “What is she doing here?” she asks Alex as they approach.“Uh, after our…conversation at work earlier, J’onn told me to take the day off to clear my head and come back when I had done so. I decided to go on a drive and I came across Ruby’s school when an idea hit me. I drove up and picked her up and told her everything that was going on.”Lena’s eyes widen. She certainly wasn’t expecting this. “Okay…are you okay, Ruby?”The young girl nodded despite her melancholy expression. “I just can’t believe this is all happening.”“Neither can we,” Lena says. “But I promise you that Alex and I are doing everything in our power to help your mother.”“I know and I want to help.”Lena gives Alex a questioning look and the agent shrugs. “Mae’s not the only kid with a persuasive pout.”“I’m not a kid anymore, Alex. I’m sixteen. Not to mention that I got one of the highest scores of the SAT this year in the science section.”Both Lena and Alex laugh. “Okay, little genius, you can stay. But don’t touch anything unless I say it’s okay, got it?”Ruby nods excitedly.“Good.”“So, I take it you haven’t come up with anything yet?” Alex observes.Lena shakes her head. “Everything I’ve tried has failed.”“What are you trying to do?” Ruby asks.“I’m trying to find a way to use Kryptonite to split Sam and Reign into two different entities and do so without killing Sam.”Ruby nods gravely and Alex furrows her brow. “You’re still not sure whether or not this process will kill her?”“I would test it out if I could get a working sample, but the only other Kryptonians I know are heroes that this world needs and would terribly miss if they suddenly went missing.”Alex hums as Lena continues. “The process will hurt tremendously, but I don’t think Sam will die from it.”“Well, you better turn that ‘think’ into a ‘know’ pretty soon because we’re running out of time.”“I know.”“Have you tried heating it up?” Ruby interjects.“Yes, but heat doesn’t affect Kryptonite as it does other metals or elements…” A lightbulb went off in Lena’s head. “Maybe it’s not hot enough.”“What?”“I’ve tried everything, Alex, but nothing has worked because I’ve been treating Kryptonite like any other element. But it’s not, it’s much more powerful and should be treated as such.”Alex’s eyes widen as she nods. “What if we subject Kryptonite to extreme temperatures?”“Then we might get some results. Thank you, Ruby!”Ruby grins as Lena excitedly gathers up the Kryptonite. Finally, some progress.“Quick question,” Alex says. “How hot are we talking here?”“Extremely hot,” Lena replies. “We have to go somewhere else that will have the means to accomplish this task.”“You mean you don’t have something here that can do that?”“Not to get to the temperature that I need. I told you, I’ve tried everything.”Alex holds her hands up in defense. “Okay, okay.”“So where are we going?” Ruby asks.Lena sighs. “A place where I vowed I would never step foot in again.” ----------------------------------------------------- She is flying high above the city, her eyes scanning each and every building and each and every street for the one called Ruby Arias, the one that would be the key to getting rid of her weaker side. Her human side, the side that she could now feel fighting within her, her screams and pleas reverberating against her head like a large stone. It was starting to get quite annoying, so the sooner she found this girl, the better.Two figures floated down next to her and she smiles. “Have you found her yet?”“Not yet, my sister.” Purity replies. “But we will.”“She won’t be alone,” Pestilence says, but Reign waves her off.“We can take care of her protectors easily. Remember how easily I defeated the so-called Girl of Steel.”“But she came back, dear sister. We fought against her just recently.”“And you refrained from telling me this?”“Our mission right now is to find the girl and destroy her,” Pestilence interjects. “There is very little chance that Supergirl will be protecting this one child when she has the entire city to look out for.”“That’s true,” Purity says. “What should we do, Reign?”Reign looks away and closes her eyes, focusing her hearing throughout the city until she came across a sound that was familiar to her human side, for she cried out in both relief and terror. Reign opens her eyes and smirks. “It’s time to hunt, sisters.” -------------------------------------------------------- Kara knocks on J’onn’s door softly but firmly with Mae’s hand in hers. She had just picked her daughter up from school when an idea hit her, an idea about how to deal with the Worldkillers that she needed to talk about with J’onn. It was also a bonus that Mae was excited to see her Grandpa J’onn, who she nearly knocks over when he comes to open the door. “Grandpa J’onn!”“Hello, little one!” J’onn exclaims. “It’s good to see you! What brings you by?”“Me,” Kara answers with a smile.“Haha, of course. It’s good to see you both. Where’s Lena?”“Working on a solution to our Worldkiller problem, which is what I wanted to talk to you about.”“Of course. Come on in, we can talk in the kitchen.”They head into the kitchen while Mae goes to sit in front of M’rynn on the couch, who is playing a mind-game that Kara has seen J’onn play from time to time that Mae found absolutely fascinating. “What are you playing?” she asks M’rynn.M’rynn opens his eyes and smiles. “A game that has been sacred to Martian culture for several generations. Would you like to learn how to play, child?”Mae beams as Myr’nn begins to explain what the game is and what it means to Martian culture. Kara smiles. “Mae and M’rynn seem to be getting along very well. How’s he doing?”“Wonderful. He absolutely loves it here. I’m sorry we don’t visit more often.”“It’s okay, J’onn.”“So you came over to discuss the Worldkillers? You sure you didn’t come for my famous homemade hot chocolate?”Kara laughs. “As much as I love your take on hot chocolate, I do have an idea about stopping the Worldkillers and I wanted to run it by you to see if it was possible.”“Okay.” J’onn folds his arms across his chest. “Tell me.”“Lena is currently trying to find a way to use Kryptonite to separate Sam and Reign, and possibly the other Worldkillers as well, because she believes that Reign is a completely different person from Sam. However, I don’t know if that’s possible. I mean, I know Kryptonite can be used in many different ways, but splitting a person into two seems a little far-fetched.”“Do you believe that Lena can pull this off?”“Of course I do, she’s the most intelligent person I know. If anyone can pull this off, it would be her.”“So what’s bothering you?”Kara sighs. “I just think we need a back-up plan in case Plan A goes south.”J’onn nods. “What do you have in mind?”“Since the Worldkillers have two sides to them, their human and their Kryptonian sides, at least according to Lena, I’m thinking I could reach their human side and convince them to be stronger than their Kryptonian side, at least until Lena comes through.”J’onn furrows his brow. “I’m not so sure that will work, Kara. Their Kryptonian sides might be too strong at this point.”“I refuse to believe that. I know Sam and I know that she is stronger than Reign.”“I believe you, but I think you need to consider a new tactic.”Kara huffs and puts her hands on her hips. “Okay. What do you suggest?”“It’s not me who you need to talk to then,” J’onn says, inclining his head towards the other room. “My father was the only Green Martian besides myself to survive the White Martian attacks and was their prisoner for well over three hundred years. Maybe he knows how to help you better.”Kara nods and the two head back into the living room, where Mae is still intently watching M’rynn play his game. “Mom! This game is so cool! Mr. M’rynn says it’s all about strategy!”M’rynn chuckles and opens one eye. “And concentration, dear one. You share your mother’s enthusiasm, if what my son tells me is true.”Kara laughs and sits down next to her daughter, wrapping her up in her arms and planting a kiss on her head. “She gets most of that from her other mother. I actually want to ask you something, M’rynn, if that’s okay with you.”“Of course, child.”“How did you survive all those years in the White Martian prison camp?”The pieces of the game stopped moving and M’yrnn opened both of his eyes slowly. “It wasn’t easy, I assure you. Those…things were savage monsters, wanting nothing but power and dominance over the entire planet, killing everyone and everything that stood in their way. Yet they did not strike me down.”“Why was that, Father?” J’onn inquires.“I was once a high priest of our religion,” M’yrnn explains. “Apparently, it was against the White Martian’s code to kill anyone of my ranking and status. Not even the most heretical of them would kill a Martian of faith.”“So you appealed to their code,” J’onn says and M’yrnn nods.“That was how I was able to survive, my son. Despite the years of brutal torture, I am thankful for it because I was able to see you again.”J’onn smiles. “I’m glad I was able to see you again as well, Father.”The two men share a hug as Kara’s eyes widen in realization. “I know what to do! I have to appeal to Reign’s code, to the Worldkiller’s code. Maybe that’ll pave the way to reaching Sam.”Her phone buzzes with a text from Lena telling her that she found something, where she was, and that she needs Kara right away. “I have to go. Can you watch Mae for me?”“Of course,” J’onn says.“But I want to go! I want to see Mama!”“You will in a bit, sweetie, but your mother and I need to deal with the bad guys first. You stay here with Grandpa J’onn where you’re safe.”Mae pouts, tears beginning to well in her small blue eyes. “Don’t die, okay?”The words hit Kara like a freight train, and it takes everything within her not to break down on the spot. “I won’t. I promise.” She wraps Mae up in her arms and gives her the biggest and tightest hug she could muster. “Your mother and I will be back soon for you, I promise.”After placing a kiss on the top of Mae’s head, Kara takes off towards Lena’s destination, but not before getting a call from Winn.“The Worldkillers are moving.”“Wait, slow down, Winn. What do you mean they’re moving?”“I just picked up three heat signatures from the satellites. It has to be the Worldkillers, and they’re moving fast.”Kara’s heart dropped. Sam was now Reign. “Where are they headed?”“Luthor Manor.”Kara’s grip tightened around her phone. That’s where Lena was. “I’m on my way there now.” -------------------------------------------------- Kara touches down right outside Luthor Manor, which was located a few miles outside of the city limits, and quickly makes her way inside. She had never been here, so she was completely unprepared for the massive interior that greeted her, as well as how easy it was for her to get in. “Lena?” her voice echoes through the hallways, sending a shiver down her spine. “Lena?”“We’re in here!” a shout answers back. Kara’s ears perk up and she follows the sound back to the kitchen, where she finds her wife, her sister, and Ruby sitting around the table. The latter’s eyes bug out when she sees the Girl of Steel walk in. “S—Supergirl? What are you doing here?”“I’m here to help,” Kara answers, equally as confused. “What are you doing here?”Alex is the one who answers. “Ruby knows everything.”“Oh?”Alex nods. “I figured it would be best to fill her in.”“Are you okay, sweetie?” Kara asks Ruby. “I know this must be a lot to deal with.”Ruby nods slowly, but Kara could see the mixture of fear and sadness in her eyes.“She also helped us with our Kryptonite problem,” Alex says and Ruby smiles a bit.“Really? That’s amazing! What exactly did you guys do?”“Lex has equipment here that helped us,” Lena answers.“More than at L-Corp?”“As crazy as my brother was, he was smart enough to keep some of this stuff under wraps and as far away from civilization and detection as possible,” Lena explains. “He has a device here that can heat materials such as metal to an extreme degree, so thanks to a suggestion Ruby made, we came here and used it on the Kryptonite.” She gets up and pulls out a large black case and opens it, revealing three syringes of jet-black liquid within. “I call it Black Kryptonite.”Kara doesn’t move, standing firmly in her place. Lena notices this. “Do you feel anything? Is it affecting you in any way right now?”Kara shakes her head. “I don’t feel sick or anything like I usually do with regular Kryptonite and I don’t feel angry like how I did when I was exposed to Red Kryptonite. Is that all you did was heat it up?”Lena nods. “The only problem is I don’t know if it works or not.”“Well, we’re about to find out soon.”“What do you mean?” Alex asks.“The Worldkillers are on their way here,” Kara says. “All three of them.”Alex tenses up and Ruby’s eyes widen as her arms fold across her chest protectively, and Kara’s heart twinges. “Where would the safest place for Ruby be?” she asks Lena.“The basement. Lex had it fortified to withstand any attack, even that from a Kryptonian.”“Okay, good. Alex, take Ruby down there and one of these. Also, can I talk to you for a second?”The sisters walk over to the other side of the kitchen. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you right now.”Alex huffs. “You think? My girlfriend is a mass-murdering alien and the only thing that can help her has a high chance of not working and possibly killing her in the process, so yeah I’m not exactly all sunshine and rainbows right now.”“I’m so sorry.”“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”“I was at J’onn’s earlier to discuss an idea I had about dealing with the Worldkillers, and while there I learned how M’yrrn was able to survive all those years in the White Martian prison camp. Because he was a religious leader, the White Martians couldn’t kill him. It was against their code to.”Alex furrows her brow. “What are you getting at?”“If you can, try to appeal to Reign’s code,” Kara says, but before she could continue, Alex cuts her off.“Kara, I know that being hopeful and optimistic is your thing, but this isn’t going to work.”“We don’t know if the Black Kryptonite is going to work either, but we’re still trying it. Alex, if this doesn’t work, we need a plan B.”“And this is it? Asking Reign not to kill me because I’m not a sinner?” Alex shakes her head violently, tears welling in her eyes. “I want to believe that your way will work, but I can’t find it within me to. I’m sorry. Ruby, come on.”“Is Aunt Lena coming with us?”Before either Kara or Alex could say anything, Lena interjects. “I’ll be up here with Supergirl manning the fort.”“But…no offense, but what can you do against a Worldkiller?”Lena just smiles as she touches her ring, Ruby’s jaw dropping as her suit formed over her body. “You’re the Green Lantern?”Lena nods.“That’s so cool!”“It is, I’m not going to lie,” Lena says. “You don’t have to worry about me. Supergirl and I can handle things up here. Go with Alex, you’ll be safe with her.”With that, Alex takes a syringe and Ruby, along with a black duffle bag, down the hall, their footsteps echoing all the way. Kara sighs and clenches her jaw.“You okay?”Kara turns to look at her wife. “Alex can be really stubborn at times, but I really thought she would at least give this idea a chance.”“What idea?”Kara tells Lena what she told Alex, also telling her that Mae was safe with J’onn. “You really think appealing to the Worldkillers’ code will work?”“Everyone has a code they live by,” Kara says. “Even the Worldkillers.”Lena nods. “But just in case, take one of these.” She hands a syringe to Kara, who hesitantly takes it. “Still feel fine?”“Yeah. Lena, what you’ve been able to do with this in a short period of time is absolutely amazing.”“I had to do what I can to help.” Lena swallows nervously and sighs. “I’m scared that it’s not going to work.”“I know, but we have to have faith that it will. I have faith in you.”Lena smiles and kisses Kara full on the lips, an action that Kara completely melts into. “I love you.”“I love you, too.”A loud crash sounds behind them, and Kara and Lena whip around to see Purity and Pestilence standing there, their lips contorted into growls and their eyes burning with hatred. They launch themselves at the heroes, carrying them both out of the house and in separate directions.“Lena!”“Kara!”Kara yells and grits her teeth, doing her best to break free from Purity’s grip, but the Worldkiller hurls her towards the ground where the Super lands with a hard thud, sending large chunks of concrete flying around her. Kara groans as she picks herself back up, her hand tightening around the syringe as she comes face to face with Purity for round two. -------------------------------------------------------- Alex locks the door behind her as she tells Ruby to head to the back of the room, enacting the security protocols Lena had given her and setting the traps in motion. After doing that, she joins Ruby in the back, opening her duffle bag and pulling out various weapons that included the upgraded gun Winn had gifted her and a couple of red sun grenades. She pulls out the syringe Kara gave her out of her pocket and looks at it.“Do you think it’ll work?” Ruby asks, voicing the question Alex and everyone had been asking since the start of this endeavor.The agent swallows and clenches her jaw, her fist closing around the syringe. “It has to.”She straightens up just as glass breaking sounds above them, and her hand immediately flies to her gun.The Worldkillers were here.The sounds of the battle above lasted only a few seconds before Alex’s ears were met with complete silence.“What happened?” Ruby asks.“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s good.”Just then, another loud crash sounded, this time just outside the door. Alex ushers Ruby behind her as she attaches a red sun grenade to her belt and points her gun towards the door. Several other sounds outside allude to the traps being activated, but a loud bang right on the door tells Alex that none of them work. So much for Lex’s fortified base. After several more bangs, the door flew off its hinges, and Alex yells at Ruby to go hide behind one of the bookcases. Once the smoke clears, Alex’s heart skips a beat and her body freezes at the sight of Reign entering, her eyes red and filled with anger and her voice a low, threatening growl.“Where is the child?” ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kara barely had any time to react as another piercing scream hit her and sent her flying backwards across the street and into a building, scaring a lot of the people inside. She told them all to get out and get somewhere safe, helping the ones who were injured by debris outside of the building before flying back to engage Purity again. The two women trade blow for blow with their fists and heat vision, Kara getting better at dodging Purity’s screams and holding her own against Purity’s own strength. She has no idea where Lena and Pestilence are, and Kara prays that Lena is okay.“Worried about your green friend?” Purity taunts, and Kara freezes.“Don’t tell me you can read minds too?”“I don’t need to, Supergirl, to know that your mind is elsewhere.” Purity grins menacingly. “Don’t let it trouble your mind anymore. Your friend will be dead soon if she isn’t already. My sister can kill even the strongest warrior with a single scratch, so your friend doesn’t stand much of a chance.”Clenching her fists, Kara yells and blasts Purity with heat vision, but Purity blocks Kara’s attack with her own heat vision, and the two circle each other for several minutes.“If you couldn’t defeat Reign, the strongest of us, what makes you think you can defeat me?” Purity cries, breaking away and flying right towards Kara, punching her square in the jaw and pinning her to the concrete. “I am the scalding light!” she shouts between punches, Kara’s skin breaking and bleeding under the force of her fists. “The flood that sweeps away sins and the word and cry of justice! I am Purity and my sisters and I will reign, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us!”Purity’s eyes glow red, and Kara feels the world slow around her. Purity’s hold on her was strong, her grip tightening as her eyes burned brighter, and for a split second Kara thought she was going to die.But she wasn’t. Not today.She made her daughter a promise and she intended to keep that promise, so with one last show of strength, Kara pushes Purity off of her and throws one last punch that hits the Worldkiller right between the eyes, knocking her unconscious. “I just did,” Kara breathes heavily. She brings out the syringe, thankful that it didn’t break during the battle, and injects it into Purity’s neck. It takes a few breathless moments for anything to happen, but eventually Purity slowly splits into two separate entities, and Kara breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that both of them are still breathing.
The Black Kryptonite works!
Despite feeling fatigued from the battle, Kara flies Purity and her human half to the DEO, locking up the Worldkiller in a special cell and putting the human half in the medical ward. Once she made sure both halves were taken care of, Kara flew through the city, listening intently for the familiar and comforting heartbeat of her wife. ------------------------------------------------------- Lena collided hard with a concrete wall, Pestilence standing a few feet away with her claws outstretched. “Is that really all you got?” the Worldkiller drawls as she steps forward. “So pathetic.”Lena grits her teeth and sends a blast of green energy hurtling towards Pestilence, coming out unscathed even though she was knocked back several feet. “Stay the hell away from me.”“But why? Don’t you want a hug?” Pestilence opens up her arms, her fingernails growing longer and dripping a vile substance. She launches herself towards the Lantern, her hand wrapping around Lena’s throat tightly. “Mine are so sweet, you won’t even feel a thing.”“Go to hell,” Lena chokes out, and Pestilence cackles loudly.“You first. Where is the caped one, by the way? It’s been a while since we’ve seen her. I wonder if my sister has dealt with her properly. Purity’s screams are quite powerful, bringing even the most weathered of soldiers to their knees and begging for mercy.”“No! She’s not dead!”
She can’t be. She can’t be. She can’t be.
Right?
Pestilence grins, her grip tightening. “And yet the tremor in your voice betrays you. If you are this world’s protectors, I pity the people who put their trust in you. Why would anyone believe that you are a hero? You’re weak and spineless.” She shrugs. “Nevertheless, it is a shame that neither you nor this so-called Supergirl will see the new world that my sisters and I create. We will be the new heroes that this world needs and deserves, doing the things that you were too weak to accomplish.”“NO!”Lena pushes Pestilence back with one last surge of power, flying after her and pinning her against the back wall. “You will never take this world from us.” Lena plunges her syringe into Pestilence’s neck, backing away as she separates into to different people. The Worldkiller side moves to attack, but Lena throws it back against the wall with her ring, knocking it unconscious. As she steps forward to collect Pestilence and her human half, the world begins to spin. Her hand shoots up to her neck, her fingers feeling warm and wet as she falls to the ground, her lungs fighting for another intake of oxygen. A blur of blue and red moves a few feet away from her, but Lena isn’t paying attention; her last thought is of Kara as the darkness engulfs her. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Alex stares down the barrel of her gun into the crimson eyes of her girlfriend, her entire body frozen where she stood. “Sam?”Reign laughs. “There is only Reign.”The agent’s heart sinks as she blinks back the coming tears. “I don’t—I don’t want to hurt you.”“It’s strange. I don’t want to hurt you either,” Reign muses. “But I will if you stand in my way.”“What do you mean?”“The child, Ruby Arias, must die if I am to fulfill my true destiny.”Alex’s eyes widen in horror. “You—you can’t kill her! She’s your daughter!”Reign doesn’t respond, instead using her heat vision to blast Alex’s gun out of her hand. The agent lets out a pained cry and cradles her wounded hand to her chest. “You will hand over the child or you will perish just like her.”Alex grunts as she straightens up, her unhurt hand shooting towards her belt and unlatching a red sun grenade from it. She throws it towards Reign and it explodes, the particles rendering the Worldkiller powerless as she lets out a cry. She roars in fury and launches herself towards Alex. The two trade several fast and hard blows to the face and torso until Reign grabs Alex’s arms and kicks her knee in backwards, breaking her leg. Alex cries out in anguish as she falls to the ground, and Reign steps over her and makes her way towards Ruby, who is crying and pleading with her mother to stop.“Mom? Mom! Please, no!”Just as Reign raises her hand above her head, Alex yells at her at the top of her lungs. “Stop!” She pushes herself up on her feet and begins to hobble over, despite the immense pain she was feeling. “Reign, stop! You can’t kill Ruby!”“And why is that?”
Try to appeal to Reign’s code.
“Ruby is an innocent, and if I’m remembering correctly, you don’t kill innocents.”The snarl on Reign’s face disappears, morphing into a look of shock as Alex takes this chance to leap and plunge the syringe into the Worldkiller’s skin. Reign screams in pain and terror as she separates with Sam, the latter falling limply to the ground as the Worldkiller snarls like a wild animal. She lunges towards Alex, but the agent plunges another syringe into her neck, this one filled with Green Kryptonite. “You won’t be hurting anyone ever again,” Alex growls as the Kryptonite spreads through Reign’s veins. Reign yells and screams as she thrashes about, calling for Purity and Pestilence for help, but she falls over and goes still. Alex lets out a sigh of relief.It was over.She herself falls to the ground, but Ruby catches her. “Get my phone,” she whispers painfully to the young girl. “And help me towards your mom. We’re going home.” ------------------------------------------------------------ The pounding in her head and the stiffness in her body were the first things Lena noticed when she woke up, despite her mind still feeling groggy. She also felt a weight in her hand, so she looked over to see Kara sitting in a chair by her side, still in her Supergirl suit and fast asleep. Lena smiles weakly as she squeezes her wife’s hand as hard as she could. “Kara,” she says, her voice gravelly. “Kara.”It’s not enough to stir her wife, but another voice is, this one letting out a cry of joy at Lena now being awake.“MAMA!”Before Lena knew it, Mae flung herself onto her, practically crushing her rib cage. “Hey, sweetie.”“Mae, your mother needs to breathe,” Alex says as she walks in.“Oh, sorry!” Mae moves off of Lena, but cuddles into her side. Lena places a loving kiss on her daughter’s head and holds her close. “I’m just really happy you’re okay,” Mae says.“Me too, darling. How long has your mother been here?”“About two days,” Alex answers. “I’m surprised she isn’t awake right now.”As if she had uttered a spell, Kara began to stir, her eyes widening when she saw that Lena was awake. “Oh thank Rao you’re okay!” She also flings herself onto Lena—like daughter, like mother—but Lena didn’t care. Her family was here, they were okay, they saved the day…they did, right?“What happened?”Kara backs off and her face grows more serious. “We were able to successfully separate all of the Worldkillers from their human sides. Purity and Pestilence are currently locked up in cells here while Reign…was destroyed.”“What about their humans sides?” Lena asks.“Julia and Grace, the human sides to Purity and Pestilence, are at National City General recovering.”“Is Sam okay?”Kara nods and inclines her head, and Lena turns to see her friend asleep on the other bed, looking a little pale but otherwise okay. Ruby is also here, sleeping by Sam’s side much like Kara was earlier. “They’re going to be okay, right?”“Yeah, baby. They’re all going to be just fine.”Lena lets out a breath of relief. “So…what happened to me?”“Pestilence…” Kara starts, her blue eyes shiny. “Pestilence infected you with her—her poison. I found you moments after it happened and rushed you back here. Thankfully, Brainy was able to come up with an antidote and save you.”Lena squeezes Kara’s hand affectionately as the latter begins to cry softly. “Remind me to thank Brainy later. But Kara Zor-El, you also saved me. I love you.”“I love you, too. Now and forever.”Lena smiles. “Now and forever.”“Can I ask you guys something?”Lena and Kara both turned to look at Mae and nodded. “Of course, sweetie. What is it?”“Promise that we won’t have any more near-death experiences.”The adults shared a laugh and Lena holds Mae closer and kisses her cheek before kissing her wife on the lips, feeling safe with all them knowing the worst was behind them. ------------------------------------------------------------- After two days of resting and recovering, Lena and Sam are both back on their feet. The latter was relieved to learn that they were all successful in getting rid of Reign, and graciously thanked Lena and Supergirl, who both reveal who they really are. Upon learning the truth, Sam profusely apologizes to both of her friends, but Kara waves her apology away and tells her that she’s forgiven.“It wasn’t you,” Kara had said, giving Sam a comforting hug. “That’s behind us now.”Lena had also wanted to run some tests on Sam to make sure everything was okay, and all were happy to discover that Sam was now completely and totally human. No more Kryptonian DNA flowing through her; she was now normal.“This must be a lot to process,” Alex says to Sam when they finally get a moment alone.“Yeah, it is,” Sam chuckles. “But I’m glad that I have people like you and your family to help me and my daughter out.”Alex smiles and squeezes Sam’s hand. “You will always have us. I promise.”Sam reciprocates the smile and the two lean in and share a sweet, passionate kiss.In the other room, the Legion are preparing to leave to head back to their century seeing as their ship was now fully fixed, so everybody was saying their goodbyes: Winn and Brainy share a friendly albeit kind of awkward hug and Lena and Imra thank each other for all of their help. Kara also thanks the both of them for everything they did, Brainy especially for helping her return to her family. Soon it was time for Kara to say goodbye to Mon-El, who was looking down at his feet shyly when she came over. He had wanted to stay here considering this was his time, but everyone agreed that he was a part of the Legion now so he would be returning with them.“I, uh…” Kara starts, initially not knowing what to say. “I hope that when you go back, you’ll learn more about what it means to be a hero.”Mon-El nods. “I’ll do my best.”With that, the Legionnaires board their ship, and it takes off, flying back to the future as the Super-Friends watch on. Kara holds Lena and Mae close to her, placing kisses on both of their heads, incredibly thankful that they’re all still here and even more thankful that this rollercoaster of a year was finally over.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been nearly a full year since Supergirl and Green Lantern went toe to toe with the Worldkillers, and the year had been relatively peaceful. Other than the occasional robber, drug dealer, and common street thug, both Supergirl’s and Green Lantern’s duties were pretty slack, so they had focused more on their careers and roles as mothers. Kara was excelling as a reporter, writing hit article after hit article and even earning a couple of prizes for a few of them which she was extremely proud of; Lena even more so.She, in the meantime, had moved back to L-Corp full time to oversee several products, which she hoped would prove to be beneficial to National City’s alien population. She and Kara had stopped a few hate crimes against some of the aliens living here, so Lena was inspired to make something to help them live an easier life by using some of the technology Brainy had shown her while the Legion was here. She had put them, what the Coluan had called image inducers, out on the market months ago, but she was still making tweaks to it in order to perfect it even more.Only the best for the citizens of National City, no matter if they were human or alien.Because Lena was now back at L-Corp, she had Sam replace her as the head of CatCo, and Kara and James, who had outed himself as Guardian after the Worldkiller situation, did all they could to make Sam’s transition easier, and both agreed that Sam, despite not working for a multi-media company before, was an amazing boss. After the whole situation with Reign, Sam wanted some time away from the city she had nearly destroyed, so she went back to Metropolis for a bit to recuperate mentally despite Alex wanting her to stay. Of course, Sam returned after two months, which made Alex and Ruby incredibly happy. Ruby had been applying to colleges all over the nation and Alex and Sam couldn’t be prouder.Lena smiles to herself at the thought, happy for Alex, Sam, and Ruby, who she had thought of as her own child on more than one occasion. Speaking of her own child, Mae had just started her third grade year and was enjoying every second of it, making some new friends and loving her classes and teachers. She was especially excited today as it was her eighth birthday, and Lena couldn’t wait to celebrate it tonight. Kara had decided a few weeks prior that it would be just the three of them this year, going out for dinner and having cake and presents at home, and Lena couldn’t wait. She had already made the reservations and had gotten Mae a gift that she knew her daughter would love; she just had to get through two more meetings…The meetings couldn’t have been more sluggish in pace or more pointless as Lena walked out of her last one, mentally drained from arguing over every single excruciating detail with a few of the members of her board. They had been challenging her ever since she took over the company and Lena was starting to get real sick of it. A moment of reprieve came in the form of seeing her wife’s name on the screen of her smartphone, and Lena happily answered. “You have no idea how impeccable your timing is.”“Rough day?”“That would be an understatement.”“Oh. Well, I can call back.”“No, no! Please don’t. I just…” Lena sighed. “I just really need to hear your voice right now.”“Okay. I could do something better, though.”“And what’s that?”All of the sudden, Lena was swept up in a cloud of red and blue, strong arms holding her tight and swaying her gently back and forth as soft lips kissed her temple.“Better?” Kara whispered into her hair.Lena nodded, her body relaxing into Kara’s embrace as tears prickled the back of her eyes. “Much better, darling. Thank you.”“Anything for you, baby.”They stayed like that for several minutes, Lena’s hold around her wife’s torso tightening with each one and her love growing with each second. “Thank you so much, Kara. I really needed that.”“Like I said, anything for you.” The Super leaned back and brushed a lock of hair behind Lena’s ear. “You look really beautiful today, as you always do.”Lena blushed. “As do you, darling.”Kara smiled brightly—the sight always causing Lena’s heart to skip a beat—as she pressed another lithe kiss on her wife’s forehead. “Do you need anything else?”“No,” Lena shook her head. “Other than the reason why you called.”“Oh! I was calling to remind you about dinner tonight.”Lena laughed. “As if I would forget our baby girl’s birthday dinner. I made the reservations, remember?”Kara grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m just really excited about spending tonight with my girls.”“I am too, baby.”“I just really want this night to be a night that we’ll remember. Especially Mae.”Lena couldn’t help but smile at her wife’s earnestness as she brushed her thumb along her cheek. “It will be no matter what. So, how was your day? I hope it went better than mine.”Kara beamed. “I found out I’m going to be mentoring someone!”Lena’s eyes widened. “You are? Kara, baby, that’s amazing! Who are they? When will you meet them?”“Her name is Nia Nal,” Kara explained. “I’m going to be meeting her tomorrow, and get this? She was actually recommended by Cat Grant!”“Cat? She must be really something, then.”Kara nodded enthusiastically. “Maybe she’ll be the one training me if that’s the case.”“Nonsense, darling, you’re a fantastic reporter. Maybe the both of you can learn some pointers from each other. Either way, you’re going to be an amazing mentor. This is what you deserve, baby.”“Thank you, baby,” Kara said, tears swimming in her eyes. “Do you want me to fly you home?”Lena nodded.“I’ll meet you on the roof then.”With that, Kara left, leaving Lena to organize her desk and buzz Jess to take the rest of the night off. As she stepped onto the balcony, her green suit formed across her body, and Lena could feel herself breathe easier as she flew up to the roof. Kara had told her about this feeling, that whenever life was going south for Kara Danvers, she would become Supergirl and fly around the city to ease her mind.“Ready to go?” Kara asked as Lena touched down next to her.“In just a minute.” Lena took a deep breath as she looked out over the city. “I’ll never get sick of this view.”“Neither will I.”Lena felt Kara’s hand wrap around her own and squeeze it, so Lena squeezed back as hard as she could. “I love you.”“I love you, too. Now and forever.”“Let’s go home.”With that, they flew back to their apartment where Alex and Mae were waiting. Both of them told Alex about their days after they told Mae to go get ready for dinner, and Alex congratulated Kara on getting an apprentice. After Alex left, Kara and Lena rushed to shower and get dressed, although the shower took a little longer than expected. Once they were all ready, Lena called her driver and the three of them rode over to Four Walls, Mae’s favorite fancy restaurant as well as Lena’s. They made it on time for their reservations and everyone ordered their favorite meals as Mae told her mothers more about her day, how she made friends with a boy named Toby and another boy named Zack and the games they would play at recess. Lena smiled proudly as Kara and Mae got into a thumb war fight just as Mae’s dessert was brought out by the staff and everyone sung “Happy Birthday” to her. The Danvers-Luthor family left the restaurant happily, Mae buzzing with excitement as they headed to the park for an evening walk to cap off the night. Mae walked in between Kara and Lena, her hands in theirs as they all took in the sights of the nightlife in National City, despite the park not being all that crowded. They made a lap around the park just as Kara’s eyes widened in shock. “I forgot my phone at the restaurant!”Lena couldn’t help but roll her eyes and laugh. “Shall we go back then?”“I can go get it. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”With that, Kara snuck away to fly away back to the restaurant, leaving Lena and Mae to continue to walk on their own. “Did you have a good day, sweetie?”Mae nodded. “I did, Mama. Thank you for the food.”“What’s a Danvers-Luthor birthday celebration without food? Besides, you get your appetite from your mom and only the best for my girls.”“Can we get ice cream, Mama?”“Your mother actually bought some earlier today along with a cake, so we’ll have it when we get home.”“Yay!”They continued to walk past the few people that were at the park, including two people wearing grey sweatshirts walking a large German shepherd. As Lena and Mae walked past them, the dog began to bark loudly and viciously, causing Mae to cling to Lena’s side. Instead of pulling their dog away, the two men turned towards them and began to follow them. “Hey you!” one of them shouted.Lena turned around to respond, but her heart stopped when she saw the golden masks that they wore. “Can I help you?”“You can help by getting off our planet!”“Get em, boy!”They sicced the dog on them, and Lena moved to shield her daughter with her ring. The dog bounced off the shield and Lena stood up, now clad in her Green Lantern outfit. “Bad dog.”The dog cowered and ran away. The two men pulled out lead pipes from their sweatshirts and sprinted towards Lena, who sent them hurling back with a blast from her ring. Before they could land on the hard ground, Supergirl flew in and caught them both, quickly moving to restrain them with their own weapons before walking over to Lena and Mae. “Are you both okay?” the worry in her voice obvious.Lena nodded. “We’re fine.”They both turned and knelt down in front of Mae. “Sweetie, are you okay?”Lena watched as Mae looked around them; she could hear a small crowd begin to gather behind them and she quickly changed back into her regular outfit.“I’m fine, Mama,” Mae said, turning to face Kara. “Thank you…Supergirl.”Kara smiled and gently squeezed Mae’s hand, quickly telling Lena that she’ll be right back before taking the would-be muggers in her arms and flying them off towards the police station. Lena wrapped Mae up in her arms, placing several kisses on the top of her head and trying to fight the coming onslaught of tears. She had been attacked several times before and had never broke a sweat, but these men had tried to do that with her daughter present, and the mere realization shook her to her core. She heard fast footsteps approaching her, and she turned to see Kara running towards her, back in civilian clothes, and the Kryptonian wrapped Lena and Mae up in her arms. “Are you both really okay?”Lena nodded. “We’re okay.”Kara leaned back slightly to get her family away before the crowd could reach them as well as to pull her phone out and call Alex, but her arm remained glued around Lena’s body. Lena leant into Kara’s touch as her own grip tightened around Mae’s, wondering what just happened and more importantly, why it happened. ------------------------------------------------------ Kara was still very shaken up as she walked into the lobby of CatCo the next day. She didn’t get any sleep last night; her super-hearing was on overdrive in case anyone else tried to come in and attack her family. Lena had noticed this the following morning and suggested that Kara take the day off, like she and Mae were, but Kara was meeting Nia today so she couldn’t call out. She promised Lena to be home as soon as the workday was over, giving her wife a long, hard kiss and both Lena and Mae longer hugs than usual.On the way to work, Kara got a call from Alex, but her heart sank when Alex told her that the police couldn’t get anything out of the men who attacked Lena and Mae, and that they haven’t found the dog yet. However, they were able to book the men on connections to other hate crimes against aliens throughout the city. While Kara was relieved that the men would be locked up, she was still on edge that something like this was even possible. Of course, she was no stranger to prejudice against aliens; when she had first became Supergirl, she, along with J’onn when he outed himself as Martian Manhunter, faced a lot of hate from inside the government in the form of General Sam Lane and Colonel James Harper. But this…Kara didn’t want to believe that so much hate could exist in a city that accepted her—well, one side of her—with open arms. She lifted up her glasses and rubbed her eyes frustratingly as she sighed; she had to have hope that everything would be alright. That was her calling card, after all. Kara entered the elevator, pushing the doors open at the last minute after hearing someone behind her calling to wait; now she was sharing the box with a younger, dark-haired girl with amazing fashion sense and a cup of coffee in her hand.“Thank you so much,” the girl said. “It’s my first day and I’m running super late. First, my alarm doesn’t go off, then I find out that my roommate needs my car for something so I had to take the bus and now this coffee is probably super cold and all I wanted to do is make a good first impression for Mrs.—” The girl turned to face Kara, and her eyes went wide and her jaw went slack. “Danvers-Luthor. It’s you.”Kara furrowed her brow. “Hi. Do I…do I know you?”“Oh, of course.” The girl held out her hand. “I’m Nia. Nia Nal.”Now it was Kara’s turn to be slack-jawed. “Nia! Hello! How are you? Welcome to CatCo! I was expecting to meet you upstairs.”“Well, you get to meet me now, because you know…running late.”“Right. Sorry about that.”“It’s okay. Oh! This coffee was for you. Or at least, it was supposed to be but it’s probably really cold now and I spilled a little bit of it while on the bus and Ms. Grant said you really liked lattes and I really wanted to impress you on the first day and…I’m rambling, aren’t I? I’m sorry.”Kara couldn’t help but blink in astonishment at this young woman standing next to her, trying to wrap her head around how much Nia was like herself when she first started out at CatCo several years ago. “Hey, it’s okay.” The elevator doors opened before them. “Come on. We can talk some more at my desk before the pitch meeting.”Nia followed Kara out into the bullpen, but before they could reach the latter’s desk, they are intercepted by James. “Hey, Kara. Can I talk to you for a minute?”“Um, sure.” She told Nia to wait at her desk while she followed James into his former office, now Sam’s office, where Sam was also waiting and watching the several televisions adorning the wall behind her desk. “What’s up?”Sam turned around to face the two journalists, a look of worry on her face. “I heard about what happened last night. Are you okay?”Kara stiffened, but nodded. “Yeah, we’re—we’re okay. Did Lena tell you?”Sam nodded. “I can’t believe something like that would happen, especially to you guys.”“Are you sure you’re okay?” James asked. “You seem pretty shaken up.”“Of course I’m shaken up, James, my family was attacked by two lunatics and I wasn’t there to protect them!” Kara practically shouted. She was vibrating with raw anger and the back of her eyes burned with tears. “I know that they both have powers, but…I just want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”James nodded. “It won’t. I’ll help out as much as I can.”“As will I,” Sam said.“I really appreciate that, guys,” Kara said, incredibly thankful for her friends in that moment. “Thank you.”They all hug before leaving to head for that morning’s pitch meeting, Kara motioning for Nia to follow them and trying to push all the worries about her family to the back of her brain. She had stopped the men trying to attack her wife and child, they were in jail now, and they couldn’t do anything more to hurt them. She would be home soon anyway; she just needed to focus on the workday now and being a mentor to Nia. Speaking of which, Kara stopped the young woman just outside the meeting room and turned to face her. “So, do you have any ideas?”Nia’s brow rose. “Ideas?”“For the pitch meeting. Ideas for articles.”“Oh! Well, I, uh, I do have one…”“That’s awesome! Care to share? I mean, if you want to share, that is.”“Oh, um, sure,” Nia stammered. “I want to write about the rebuilding of the fashion district and the importance of art and self-expression there are to the people who are now living there, as well as how designers could bring color and life to a previously abandoned area.”Kara smiled proudly. “Nia, that’s an amazing idea. You have to pitch it!”“You think so?”“Of course! You got this!”Nia smiled shyly. “Thank you, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor.”“Oh sweetie, please call me Kara,” Kara said, returning Nia’s smile. “Come on, the meeting’s about to start.” ------------------------------------------------------- He sat in the middle of the abandoned steel factory, the steel factory that was his father’s and his father’s before that. It was a pitiful sight, how something so grand and so important to the progress of humanity could be overlooked and completely forgotten by the public in favor of some new metal…some alien metal that was supposedly better than American-forged steel.He sat in the middle of the abandoned steel factory, his face hidden by a golden mask he had found in the piles of rubbish and spare parts. It was quite fitting, really. Out of the ashes of his broken former life, he had made himself anew, into a man of action, a man of promise, a man of the future. One who would lead his children, blood or not, to a land of milk and honey, where humans could triumph and be recognized for their abilities.He sat in the middle of the abandoned steel factory, pondering over what to do about the two main threats to his operation, the ones who had stopped two of his children from carrying out their mission. He rubbed his fingers together thoughtfully as he sneered underneath his mask.Supergirl and Green Lantern must be dealt with and dealt with to the highest degree. ------------------------------------------------------- The meeting didn’t go that well. The article ideas in and of themselves weren’t bad, they were actually quite good, but that wasn’t what left a sour taste in Kara’s mouth. When Sam had asked for articles regarding the fashion section, Nia was about to speak, but before she could, another young CatCo reporter named MacKenzie interrupted and pitched almost the exact same idea Nia had, leaving out only the cultural importance and impact Nia wanted to focus on. Sam gave MacKenzie the article after no one else seemed to want it, Nia included, then the meeting ended. Kara confronted Nia afterwards and asked what happened, and Nia said she froze. Kara couldn’t believe this and argued that Nia’s idea was much better than MacKenzie’s, but before she could say anything more, Nia said she was going to get coffee and the subject got dropped. Now Kara was sitting at her desk, working through her lunch break so she could get home to her family sooner, attempting to start the assignment Sam had left on her desk with a heavy feeling in her chest. She felt bad for Nia; she knew all too well the pressures of pitch meetings and had froze herself on more than one occasion. Just then, her phone vibrates, and some of the tension leaves her body upon seeing her wife’s face. “Hey, baby.”“Hey, yourself. What’s wrong? You don’t sound like yourself.”“Like myself?”“You know, like happy, cheerful, optimistic? Classic Kara Danvers?”Kara managed a soft laugh.“What’s wrong, baby?”“Nothing’s wrong, just a…just another day at work. How are you? How’s Mae?”“We’re both good, missing you.”“I miss you guys, too. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice.”“Kara Danvers-Luthor, I know that something’s up. What’s wrong?”Kara sighed, knowing she couldn’t avoid this for much longer. She told Lena everything that happened in the pitch meeting this morning, about Nia and her article idea and how another reporter practically stole it, Lena humming in response all the while.“I’m no stranger to freezing in big meetings, either,” Lena said. “When I first started as acting CEO, I would freeze all the time.”“I just feel bad for pushing her,” Kara replied. “And on her first day, no less.”“Kara, honey, don’t blame yourself for this. While the job might not be new for Nia, the environment and people are. Give her time, she’ll come out of her shell when she’s ready.”“Rao, why are you always right?”“Because I am.” Kara could practically hear the smirk through the phone and smiled. “What time will you be home?”“Once I finish researching for this article,” Kara said. “I can write it at home.” She looked up and saw Nia return to the bullpen with a cup of coffee in her hand. “I gotta go, baby, but I promise I’ll be home soon.”“There’s no rush, baby. I love you.”“I love you, too. Now and forever.”“Now and forever.”Kara hung up and beckoned a now nervous-looking Nia over to her desk.“Am I in trouble?”“No, you’re not in trouble,” Kara said, her fingers tapping on her desk as she mulled over her next words. “You know, Nia, you remind me a lot of myself when I first started here. Young, excited, but mostly nervous, and that’s okay. I can’t tell you how many times I stumbled over my words when Ms. Grant asked me about her appointments one day or how many times I froze when I first started as a reporter, so I get how nerve-wracking these things can be. But Nia, you clearly have a passion for reporting and telling the stories that need to be told, and that’s what separates a great reporter from a fantastic one, and I believe that you can be a fantastic one.”Nia smiled, the ghosts of tears beginning to show in her eyes. “Thank you, Kara. That—that really means a lot to me. I was just so worried about impressing you that when I froze, I didn’t know what to do.”“Hey.” Kara reached out, grabbed Nia’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Don’t worry about impressing me, you’ve already done that. Just focus on doing your job. It’s scary, but you got this. Acknowledge the fear then kick its ass.”Nia smiled wider. “I’ll do my best.”“I know you will.” ----------------------------------------------------------------- “I hear you are the best at what you do. Well, you and your brother, of course.”The woman smirked, sizing up the masked, armored man sitting in front of her. “Otis and I come as a matching set. He’s the brawn, I’m the brains.”“Brains are what I need for this particular…assignment.”“How much are we talking? I don’t come cheap.”The man chuckled. “Do your job right and you will be greatly rewarded. I know you’re on our side. Your history with the one and only Lex Luthor proves it.”The woman smiled proudly as she set her shoulders back. “He was a good man who wanted to save the world.”“As do I.”“Are we going to take out Supergirl?”“Not yet. I don’t want to make her a martyr just yet. We’ll start small. L-Corp has been selling image inducers to help the alien scum blend in. I need you to fix that. However, regarding Supergirl, there is a certain item at L-Corp that I need you to acquire.”The woman’s smirk returned to her face, her eyes narrowing menacingly. “God bless America.” ------------------------------------------------------------ The next few days passed by relatively calmly, which Lena was thankful for; the men that attacked her and Mae were now in prison, which calmed the heart of one stressed-out and angry Kryptonian. Nevertheless, there was still something hanging in the air over the city, and Lena could feel a change coming and that it wasn’t the good kind. Shaking that thought out of her head, she returned to the task at hand, only to be interrupted by a knock on her door and the voice that always managed to calm her down.“Knock-knock.”Lena looked up to see the smiling face of her wife standing in her doorway, looking pretty in pink and holding a large bag of Big Belly Burger. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”“Only everyday, but I never get tired of hearing.”“Good, because I’ll never tire of saying it.”Kara smiled wider and leant in for a kiss, which Lena was more than happy to return. Kara’s kisses were always sweet yet passionate, as if this was the last time she would ever be kissing Lena, which in their line of work was quite possible, so Lena always held on as tight as she could, only letting go when Kara did.Neither of them ever wanted to let go.“So,” Lena said after they broke apart, “what brings you over here?”“I wanted to see my beautiful wife and bring her lunch because she tends to work through lunch which isn’t okay.”Lena rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but laugh. “I only do that so I can get home to you and Mae sooner, darling.”“You still need to eat! Eating is important!”“Not all of us have your appetite, dear. Or your stomach for that matter.”Kara smiled proudly as they headed over to the couch and sat down. “No matter. I am here now and we shall feast!”“What if I was working on something important?”“Well, what could be more important than eating lunch with your amazing, indestructible wife?”Lena nearly choked on her burger. “I see you haven’t lost your humility.”Kara beamed. “Never.”“You’re a dork.”“I’m your dork. Forever.”“You always say that.”“Well, it’s true!”Lena threw a handful of fries at Kara’s face, which the latter failed to block, causing Lena to laugh hysterically. “Oh, it’s on.”A fry fight ensued, causing the two to run to opposite sides of the room with their containers of fries—Lena hiding behind the couch and Kara hiding behind the desk—trying to get a hit on the other with their sticks of fried potatoes, but both were failing miserably.“You need to work on your aim, darling!”Kara scoffed. “My aim is fine! You just need to get in line with it!”“That defeats the purpose of me dodging!”“No, you dodging defeats the purpose of me hitting you!”Lena laughed, hurling another fry but missing Kara’s face by a good ten feet.“Maybe you need to work on your aim!” Kara shot back, leaping over the desk and onto the couch to throw more fries at her wife. “It’s over, Lena! I have the high ground!”“That’s not fair! You can’t do that!”“I can!” Kara pointed a fry at Lena before taking a bite of it. “I just did.”Lena’s jaw dropped and she threw her last fry at her wife’s face before pulling her down to the ground. “You are unbelievable.”Kara grinned devilishly. “Seeing is believing, my love, and I believe that I just won.”“You cheated.”“I’m pretty sure we didn’t set up any ground rules, so I win by default.”Lena shook her head, but couldn’t hide her growing smile. “How did I get so lucky?”Kara’s face softened and she smiled as well, brushing a stray strand of hair behind Lena’s ear. “I’m luckier to have you.”“Baby.”“Yes?”Lena bit her lip, her thumb caressing her beautiful wife’s cheek. “Just kiss me.”Kara leant in, but before their lips could meet again, an alarm began to sound off, piercing both of their eardrums as Kara’s grip on Lena tightened. “What’s going on?”Just then, Jess burst through the doors, a frantic look in her dark eyes. “There’s been a break-in and we’re under attack.”Lena’s brow furrowed. “Under attack? By whom?”“I don’t know,” Jess said, pulling up her tablet and handing it to Lena. “But there’s something going on with our mainframe.”Lena took the tablet and examined it, her eyes widening when she saw the problem. “No—no—no—no.”“What’s wrong?” Kara asked.“Whoever’s hacking us is trying to disable all of the image inducers in the city,” Lena replied, hurrying over to her desk and typing frantically in an effort to counteract the hack.“That doesn’t sound good.”“No, it’s not.”“Is there anything I can do to help?”“Unfortunately, not this time, baby.” Lena typed as fast as she could, the ring on her finger vibrating slightly as her stress levels increased. “Almost…got it…there!” With one final tap, Lena was able to stop the hack, and she let out a breath of relief. She turned to Kara, who looked just as relieved, before turning to her assistant. “Jess, go get somewhere safe and stay there until I come get you.”“But Mrs. Danvers-Luthor, I need to make sure that you and your wife get somewhere safe, not the other way around.”“Just do as I say, Jess, please.”Jess opened her mouth to retort, but closed it promptly. “What are you going to do?”Lena made a fist, her ring shining a bright green. “I’m going to save my company.”With that, Jess left with a confused look, leaving Lena and Kara alone in the office.“You ready?”Kara smiled and ripped the front of her shirt open, revealing the logo of her super-suit underneath. “So ready.”Lena’s suit formed over her own body and the two heroes go out to face the present threat. Almost immediately, they came across a bunch of masked gunmen, but they were easily able to dodge the bullets and disarm all of them. While Kara was finishing knocking the last gunmen unconscious, Lena flew around the building, helping all of her employees, including Jess, escape safely before meeting back with her wife in the center of the building.“I think that’s all of them,” Kara said. “Did you get everyone out?”Lena nodded. “I still don’t understand why something like this would happen, and why now of all the times to do it.”Kara shrugged, but her face stiffened almost instantly.“Supergirl, what is it?”“I hear something. I think there’s someone in your basement.”Lena’s face drained of color. There should be no one down there; there were only three people that had unlimited access down there, herself included, and she had gotten the other two out earlier. Not wanting to hesitate any longer, she and Kara flew down there quickly, only discovering the Lexosuit she had lying out on the table.“I was hoping you would show up,” a disembodied voice said, sending a shiver down Lena’s spine. “Although, I wasn’t necessarily expecting a double showing. Then again…” A figure stepped out from the shadows carrying a metallic suitcase, and Lena’s heart plunged into her stomach. “I’m not surprised.”“Who the hell are you?” Kara demanded, stepping forward with her hands on her hips.“Mercy Graves,” the woman greeted, a devilish smile on her red lips. “I would say the pleasure is all mine, but it’s not.”Lena couldn’t help but stare at Mercy, the woman who used to be her brother’s friend and confidant, the woman who used to be like an older sister to her before she dropped off the face of the Earth after Lex was arrested. She looked exactly the same as she did all those years ago…why was she here?“What do you want?”“I was in the area and decided to do some shopping. The little Luthor certainly has quite the collection down here. Shame that none of them are being used to their full potential.”“They are!” Lena exclaimed before remembering herself. “Lena Danvers-Luthor has created many things for the betterment of human and alien-kind alike.”Mercy laughed menacingly. “She also had great potential, but instead she squandered it the moment she got a hold of this company.” She looked Lena in the eye. “Lena may think she’s a hero, but in reality, she’s just a scared little kid wanting desperately to win the approval of the public. When that’s taken away from her, what do you think will become of her then?”“She’s stronger than you give her credit for,” Lena spat through gritted teeth, her ring thrumming with viridescent energy.Mercy shrugged. “Perhaps. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” Before either Supergirl or Green Lantern could react, Mercy reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of grey dust, tossing it forcefully into Kara’s eyes. The Kryptonian let out a pained cry as she fell to her knees.“Supergirl!”“Thanks for the chat, ladies, but I must be going.”Lena gritted her teeth and directed a blast of energy towards Mercy, but the older woman dodged it easily, leaping forward and pressing a button on the Lexosuit. It formed over her body and with one last mocking wave at the heroes, she took off, suitcase and all, blasting a hole through the ceiling as she flew away. Lena cried out in frustration, wanting to follow her but she had Kara to take care of. The Kryptonian’s eyes were red with irritation; whatever Mercy had done to her, it was pretty damaging. “Kara, are you okay?”“I’m…I’m okay, just…can’t see.”Shit. “Okay, I’m going to fly you to the DEO so Alex can fix you up. You’re going to be fine, baby.” ------------------------------------------------------------- She touched down back at the abandoned steel factory, feeling immensely proud of herself for accomplishing this task. It wasn’t that she didn’t have faith in herself; it was the complete opposite, in fact. She walked in to where he was waiting, removing the helmet from her suit and placing the suitcase down on the table in front of him.“Is this it?”“What else would it be?”The man sat up straighter and opened up the suitcase, exhaling contentedly when his eyes landed upon the object within. “Perfect. And tell me, where you able to accomplish the other task I gave you?”“The little Luthor stopped me before I could do any real damage, but yes.”“Excellent. Now our real work begins.” ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lena, Kara, and Mae entered their apartment early that afternoon, the tension they were all feeling rolling off of them in waves. Lena had gotten a call from Mae’s principal earlier that Mae had gotten into a fight with another student and had severely bruised his shoulder, which was the icing on the cake of a disastrous week. As it turned out, Mercy’s hack on the image inducers was more successful than she thought; there were incidents of inducers all over the city malfunctioning for only a few seconds, but that was all that was needed to send the city into a full-blown anti-alien panic, with protests and hate-filled attacks shooting up all over the place. It was certainly taking a toll on everyone, especially Kara, who was doing her best as both a reporter and as Supergirl to show that aliens aren’t all bad and that they are important members of society, but it wasn’t working as well as she had hoped.Lena was also getting a lot of flack for her image inducers, with anti-alien groups protesting outside her office for “conspiring to hide the enemy from the American people”, but what surprised her was the amount of pro-alien and alien groups that were giving her criticisms for her “faulty devices”. She had made a public statement promising that her and her team were working to make sure nothing like this would ever happen again with mixed responses, more negative than positive unfortunately. It reminded Lena of when she first moved to National City, how the public didn’t trust her solely because she was a Luthor, and now it seemed those feelings had never gone away.Not only that, but the device that Mercy had stolen was Lena’s lead-dispersal device, the one she had reconfigured to stop the Daxamite invasion. And now it was in Mercy’s hands for God knows what.And now this…“What in God’s name were you thinking, Mae?” Lena demanded once they were all in the safety of their apartment.“I was thinking I was defending a classmate of mine,” Mae shot back.“You bruised his shoulder! You could’ve been discovered! Do you not realize the severity of this situation?”“I do, Mama! But I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing while Zack was shouting slurs at Toby.”Lena blinked in surprise. “Your friends Zack and Toby?”Mae nodded. “Turns out Toby is a Dheronian. His whole family is from there and they came here before Toby was born. He must’ve had one of your image inducers, Mama, ‘cause something happened where we could all saw his alien form. It happened for like a split second before Toby returned to his human form. After that…” Mae shook her head. “Zack became a totally different person, leaving notes on Toby’s desk telling him to go back to where he came from and shouting horrible words at him. I told him to back off, but he didn’t listen to me. Today, Zack threw a punch and I had to do something.”“Oh Rao,” Kara whispered. “That’s awful.”“I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I had to do something.”“By hurting Zack?”“All I did was yank him back,” Mae explained. “I just wanted to get him off of Toby, that’s it. I didn’t even use my full strength.”Lena sighed. “But what if you had used your full strength, Mae? He would have a broken shoulder instead of a bruised one and then you would’ve revealed yourself to be an alien as well.”“I was careful!”“Not careful enough.”Mae groaned. “How come whenever the two of you save someone you’re praised for it, but when I do the same thing, you yell at me?” With that, she stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her with such force it was a wonder it didn’t fall off its hinges.“Mae Zor-El Danvers-Luthor, you come back here at once!” Lena yelled, but Kara placed a hand on her shoulder.“Leave her be.”“We aren’t done discussing this, Kara.”“For now we are. Why are you so upset anyway?”Lena scoffed. “I’m upset? Of course I’m upset! How are you not upset?”“I am upset that our daughter got into a fight at school.”“And that's it? You aren’t in the least bit anxious that she could’ve revealed who she was, inadvertently revealing who you are in the process.”“Of course I am, Lena! But I’m not going to take that out on my eight-year old daughter who is going through the same shit I did when I first came to Earth!”Lena opened her mouth to retort, but no retort came. The fire left her eyes and her shoulders deflated. “I’m so sorry, I…I didn’t think of that.”“It’s fine, Lee, but it’s not me who you have to apologize too.”Just then, Kara’s phone rang. It was Winn. “I have to go.”“Don’t you mean ‘we’ have to go?”“No, I mean I have to go. You stay here and talk things out with Mae.” Kara quickly zoomed off to change into her super-suit, returning to the kitchen to take Lena’s hands in her own. “Mae was just doing what we do, just on a smaller scale. Don’t hold that against her.”“I’m not. I never would.”Kara nodded. “Good.” She placed a quick kiss on Lena’s forehead. “I’ll be back.”“Be safe.”“Always am.”With that, Kara took off towards the DEO, leaving Lena alone to pick up the pieces, hoping that she didn’t ruin her relationship with her daughter. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Kara raced through the sky through the city, zooming towards one of its more prominent research facilities. Winn had informed her of a break-in happening there with the culprits being a man and a woman, the latter matching the description of Mercy Graves. Using her X-ray vision, Kara located Mercy and the man accompanying her, bursting through a window to block their path.“Supergirl,” Mercy drawled, her grip tightening on the case she was holding. “Guess it isn’t a party until the Girl of Steel shows up.”“Enough of your games, Mercy. I’m taking you in. Both of you.”The man cackled as he pointed a gun at her. “I’d like to see you try.”“Regular bullets won’t work on her, Otis you idiot. We need something…more.”Before Kara could react, Mercy pulled something out of her belt, another gun, and shot it at her, but instead of bullets, a large projectile launched at her and took her out another window. Kara tried to pry it off of her, but it was no use; it was shackled onto her tight. She soared through the city until she began to plummet straight down, falling several stories until she crashed into the pavement of a thankfully not busy street; however, there were a few people who witnessed her crash and gathered around her to see what had happened. Kara tried once again to pry the device off of her, but it was made of something that was impervious to her super-strength. As the crowds began to get bigger, her cheeks began to get redder. “Hey, Winn,” she spoke into her earpiece. “I’ve got a little bit of a situation here…” ---------------------------------------------------------------- “Mae?” Lena gently knocked and pushed open the door to her daughter’s room. “Sweetie, may I come in?”Mae was sitting at her desk, working on a new piece. Lena had gifted her with art supplies this past Christmas and Mae was making the most of them, crafting and drawing every chance she got, and especially when she was stressed or needed to take her mind off of things. Today was one of those days. Mae ceased her drawing when she heard Lena enter her room, but she didn’t turn around. “Did you come in here to yell at me some more?”“No, baby, no. I came to apologize.”Mae turned around. “For what?”“Well, for yelling at you for starters,” Lena began. “And for assuming you weren’t careful enough.”“I tried to be. I always try to be.”“I know, sweetie.”Mae sighed. “I couldn’t just watch Zack beat the crap out of Toby just for being from another planet. For being different. I was just trying to be like you and Mom.”Lena’s heart melted as she knelt beside her daughter. “I understand, baby girl, and I am so proud of you for it.”Mae furrowed her brow. “You are?”“I am. You intervened when no one else would. You stood up for what is right. That is what makes a hero.”Mae beamed and hugged Lena, who was more than happy to reciprocate it. “I love you, Mama.”“I love you, too, Mae.” Lena placed a loving kiss on the top of Mae’s head just as her phone rang. “Winn, what’s up?”“We got a situation. Get down here as soon as you can.”Lena’s body tensed up. Kara. “I’m on my way.”“Can I come, Mama?”Lena nodded and the two of them flew over to the DEO, where Winn, J’onn, Alex, and a thankfully unhurt Kara were waiting. Lena sent Mae upstairs as she went over to join them. “What’s going on? Does this have to do with what happened earlier?”Winn nodded and Kara crossed her arms over her chest, looking poutier than usual. “There was a break-in at a high-tech research facility orchestrated by none other than Mercy Graves.”Lena ground her teeth together. “Was she alone?”“No, she had a man with her,” Kara said. “She called him Otis.”“That would be her brother,” Lena explained. “They both worked security detail at LuthorCorp and were Lex’s personal body guards when he was still in charge. What did they take?”“Looks to be some very powerful tech,” Winn explained as he typed. “The area was overseen by an alien scientist, who was attacked and de-tusked so Mercy and Otis could get in.”“Do we know where they went?” Kara asked, her voice rougher and deeper, meaning that she was very frustrated.“Unfortunately, no. Whatever they took is untraceable, but I’ll let you know when I find something.”With that, the group adjourned, with Kara, Lena, and Alex heading upstairs. “This week couldn’t get any worse,” Lena groaned.“We’ll find the Graves siblings,” Alex said. “I promise. But for now, we have to play this by ear.”“We better find them soon,” Kara said, her jaw clenching. “Too many people have gotten hurt already.”“I agree, but for now, go home and get some sleep. I’ll hold down the fort here.”“Thanks, Alex.”They all hugged before Alex headed back downstairs to check on Winn’s progress. “How are you holding up?” Kara asked. “Did you talk with Mae?”“I did. We’re on good terms again.”Kara chuckled. “That’s good to hear.”“She’s a lot like you, you know,” Lena said. “Always willing to help, consequences be damned.”“She’s going to be a great hero one day.”“That she will be.”They walk down the hall in silence for a bit before Kara suddenly stops. “Kara, are you okay?”Kara shook her head. “I just want to know why this is all happening.”“I don’t know, baby. I wish I did, but some people are just so filled with hate that that’s all they see.”“We should be out there looking for Mercy and Otis right now. I have X-ray vision for crying out loud, I’d be able to spot them in no time.”“Kara, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Mercy and Otis are dangerous, almost on the level of Lex. They picked up all of their tricks from him, so there’s a good chance they’ll be expecting a visit from National City’s resident Kryptonian.”Kara sighed. “They already were. When I got to the facility, Mercy shot something at me, something that shackled me and I couldn’t get it off. It was embarrassing.”“Oh God, are you okay?”“Yeah, I’m fine, my pride’s just a little bruised. But I’m not afraid of them.”“I know you aren’t, Kara, but I am. I still have nightmares of you not waking up from your coma last year.”Kara froze, her mouth hanging open as she tried to form a response. “Lena, I…I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?”“I didn’t want to worry you, especially now since you’ve got a lot on your plate.”“Lena, I’m your wife, I’m always going to worry about you.”“Come here,” Lena said, and Kara wraps her up in her arms and hugs her tightly. “I always worry about you, Kara.”“I know, love. I promise I won’t rush into this, though I hate waiting around and doing nothing.”Lena laughed as she kissed Kara full on the lips. “Like I said, like mother like daughter.” --------------------------------------------------------------- The next few days pass by agonizingly slowly as the heroes remain on edge waiting for news on the location of the Graves siblings, but unfortunately, no news came. On top of that, there were more attacks on aliens throughout the city, a majority of them perpetrated by golden-masked men similar to the ones that attacked Lena and Mae on the latter’s birthday. They called themselves the Children of Liberty, and their mission was to protect the Earth from alien invaders; of course, they were an extremist group who attacked any alien, hostile or not, and ever since the image inducer incident, it seemed a lot of support was being thrown their way, and it made Kara sick to her stomach. She had to find a way to stop them and soon…but how? How do you stop a movement? How do you stop an idea? This really was Thomas Coville all over again, but much, much worse.Kara made her way to her desk, throwing her bag onto it a little harder than usual—luckily, she only made a small dent—and sat down, her jaw clenched as thoughts of the Children of Liberty consumed her mind. It wasn’t until she pulled out her laptop that she noticed something amiss: a cub reporter sleeping at her desk.The same cub reporter that Kara was supposed to be training sleeping at her desk. Again.Kara furrowed her brow and got up, walking over to Nia’s desk and tapping the young woman on the shoulder gently. “Nia?”Nia shot up almost instantly, her eyes wide and manic. “Chocolate covered coffee beans!”“Nia…are you okay?”The younger woman blinked, getting a bearing on her surroundings before her face turned beet red as her eyes landed on Kara. “Oh God, I fell asleep again, didn’t I?”“You were asleep when I got here, yes,” Kara said. “Are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything?”Nia vehemently shook her head. “No, no thank you. I’m good. I, uh, I must’ve not gotten enough sleep last night.”Kara raised an eyebrow. “Can I talk to you? In private?”Nia’s eyes went wide with fear; she could only manage a small nod. Kara led her out of the bullpen and down a hall into an empty office; her old office, in fact, given to her by Cat when she was still in charge, long before Kara became a reporter and it hadn’t been touched since. Kara was honestly surprised that no one else was using it or being used as a storage room at the very least. But that didn’t matter now; what mattered was helping Nia. “Nia, I’m worried about you. This is the third time this week I’ve found you sleeping at your desk, and I’ve lost count over how many times this month.”“You don’t have to worry about me, Mrs. Dan—Kara,” Nia replied, but Kara remained unconvinced.“My mother, Eliza, is a doctor. If you want, I can have her refer you to a doctor who specializes in this kind of stuff.”“No! No!” Nia practically shouted. “That…that won’t be necessary.”“Nia, I’m just trying to help you—”“I don’t need your help!”Kara took a step back at Nia’s sudden outburst, holding her hands up slightly but keeping her eyes locked on the younger woman. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I know I can be pushy with stuff like this.”“No, no, I’m sorry,” Nia said. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, that was rude and so unprofessional. It’s just…” she sighed. “Not a lot of people know about this, but I’m an alien.”Kara’s eyes widened.“Well, a half-alien on my mother’s side,” Nia clarified. “She’s from a planet called Naltor, and some of the women there have the power to see the future in dreams.”“Nia, are you saying…that you’re dreaming the future?”Nia nodded meekly. “I didn’t know I had it at first. I would dream small things that I would see occur the next day, but I just passed them off as coincidences. But lately, they’ve been getting…bigger and harder to interpret.”“What have you been dreaming about?”“I’m, uh, not all that sure, to be honest. All I remember is being in a dark room with slow-flashing red lights.”Kara furrowed her brow and hummed. “That’s okay. We’ll figure this out together.”“We will?” Nia inquired, confused. “I mean, I didn’t think many humans would be willing to help, especially considering today’s political climate.”“Well, that’s the thing.” Kara swallowed nervously and took a deep breath as she took off her glasses. “I’m not human. I’m—”“Supergirl,” Nia said breathlessly, her eyes bugged out and her jaw slack. “But—but…how could I not see that?”Kara laughed. “Believe me, you’re not the first person to have been fooled by my amazing disguise. But I understand what it’s like to hide a part of yourself from the rest of the world, and I want you to know that I am in your corner and you can always come to me if you need anything at all.”Nia smiled, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Thank you, Kara. You don’t know how much that means to me.”“Of course, sweetie. Now why don’t we head back to work and we can talk about the power stuff later?”“That sounds good. Thank you again.”Kara wrapped Nia up in her arms and gave her a big, tight hug. “Of course.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Unrest continued to brew in National City, making Supergirl, Green Lantern, and their cohorts work overtime in an attempt to quell everyone’s fears, but that was easier said than done. There was an attack caused by two aliens at the annual fall carnival at the pier, where they attacked several people in attendance. Supergirl, Green Lantern, Guardian, and Agent Danvers luckily swooped in to save the day, and thankfully no one was hurt too bad. They recaptured the aliens and took them back to the DEO, where Alex interrogated them and found out that they were apparently not in control of their actions; all they remembered before the fair was being chained up in an old factory with three people watching them: a man, a woman, and another man wearing body armor and a golden mask. Alex relays this information to the rest of the group, telling them that it appears Mercy and Otis are working with a third party and are using aliens to attack civilians in order to turn humans against aliens.“Maybe this is the Children of Liberty’s leader,” Lena said. “They said he was wearing a golden mask, just like the rest of the group.”“That’s a good guess,” J’onn replied, his brow creased. “We have to find them before anything else like this happens. Kara, I’ll have Agent Schott send you and Lena a list of all the abandoned factories here in the city so you can check them out.”Unfortunately, this turned into another failed mission as all of the facilities that Supergirl and Green Lantern checked out showed no evidence of being used. To make matters worse, James was being denounced by several outlets after his appearance at the carnival; turns out there was an article floating around, written by someone named Ben Lockwood, declaring Guardian as a champion for “human excellence” and several anti-alien groups, including the Children of Liberty, were throwing their support behind him. James was quick to publicly deny his involvement with the Children of Liberty while Alex and Winn looked into this Ben Lockwood character, learning that he was a former history professor at National City University, but was fired after infusing hate speech against aliens in his lectures. This was all after he lost his home during the Daxamite invasion, and ever since he had been advocating for alien expulsion from Earth.“The Daxamite invasion was over twelve years ago, though,” Alex commented. “Why are we just hearing about this character now?”Winn typed into his computer, biting his lip in concentration. “He’s been writing articles like this for several years, calling for humans to protect themselves from ‘the alien menace’, but they’ve only now started to get a lot of traction…wait…oh…it says here his father died during the fight against the Worldkillers. It’s after this that the articles start calling for action against aliens. I can only imagine what that means,” he said sarcastically.“Can we do anything about him?” Kara asked, closing the door behind her. She and Lena had just finished their shopping for Thanksgiving, so her hands were filled with numerous bags; not that it was a problem for her, though She sets them down and Lena begins to unpack them as Mae goes to her room to get her homework done. “He’s probably a member of the Children of Liberty and he’s advocating for violence against aliens, we must do something.”“We can’t do anything about that right now, even though I wish we could given what I’ve just read from him,” Alex said through the phone. “I’ll keep looking into him, along with Winn and J’onn, and will let you know if we find anything.”“But—”“I’m just as agitated as you are, Kara, I really am, but I can’t do anything right now. I’m sorry.”Kara sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Let me know, okay?”“I will.”With that, Kara hung up and rubbed her temple with her fingers. Lena noticed this, ceasing her unpacking and going over to Kara. She took her wife’s hands in her own. “I take it that didn’t go well.”Kara shook her head. “I’m just so tired of all of this hate and violence and fear-mongering. I’m so angry and confused and frustrated that all of my attempts to do anything aren’t working. Supergirl is supposed to inspire hope and be a symbol of hope, of—of compassion and unity, but the city is more fractured than ever.”Lena’s face softened as she tucked a strand of stray blonde hair behind Kara’s ear. “I feel the exact same way, darling. I’ve had to fire a few of my employees and dismiss several board members for sharing the same views as the Children of Liberty.” She wrapped her arms around Kara and pulled her in closer. “Things may look bleak now, my love, but I have hope that things will get better.”“Where did you hear that from?”Lena smirked. “A certain cute, blonde, amazing, talented, strong reporter whom I love very much.”A smile formed on Kara’s lips and she rested her forehead on Lena’s. “I love you.”“I love you, too, darling. Now and forever. And things will get better. If you’ve taught me anything at all, it’s that good always prevail.”Kara leant in and kissed Lena fervently, her love for her wife growing substantially. “I have hope that it will too.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nia awoke with a start, her forehead shining with a sheen of sweat and her eyes wide with terror as she tried to regain control over her breathing. It had been two weeks since the last nightmare like this, but this one was different. She was in the same building as before, tall and spacious, with blinking red lights lining the walls, but there was something else there. Someone else. The figure was chained up by their wrists, their arms high above their head, and their skin was glowing a bright green as a crimson cape billowed behind them. Nia took a deep breath, trying to relax herself. She knew the dreams meant something, but she didn’t know what. She didn’t know who she needed to help or what she needed to do or where she needed to go. This was so frustrating; how was she supposed to use her powers if she didn’t know how to use them properly?Resigned, Nia got up from the couch and went to fix herself a calming cup of tea; that had always helped her mother when her premonitions got dicey, so she decided to try it. Just as she was about to take a sip, Nia gasped, dropping the cup onto the floor where it broke into several pieces, spilling hot tea everywhere. “Oh God.” She grabbed her coat off the stand and sprinted out the door.She knew who the figure in her dreams was and she had to save her. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Kara awoke with a groan as her phone buzzed on the side table. Slowly, she reached to turn it off—how dare it interrupt her blissful sleep—until she saw Winn’s name on the screen. “Hello?” she said groggily.“Hey, you up?”“I am now. What is it?”“The device that the Graves siblings took has been activated. I got a location on them now.”Kara shot up, wide awake now. “Send it to me. I’m on my way.”“What about Lena?”Kara looked over at her still sleeping wife, her face looking peaceful in the glow of the moonlight. “She needs to rest. I can handle this on my own.”With that, she swiftly but quietly changed into her Supergirl outfit and flew towards the location Winn had sent her, shocked to discover that the place was Lockwood Steel, a location that Lena had checked out earlier in the week. Gritting her teeth in anger, Kara crashed through the ceiling and landed roughly, right in front of the Graves siblings who were standing in front of a table; on it was Lena’s lead dispersal device, but there was an odd green glow to it.“Supergirl, how lovely of you to turn up,” Mercy drawled. “I was hoping you would considering we have a gift for you.”“Enough of your games, Mercy! I’m taking you in! For real this time!”Mercy just laughed and pressed a button on the device, causing green powder to shoot out into the air. Kara realized what it was a second too late, and before she could react, her skin began to turn green and she fell to the floor in excruciating pain. She screamed as the Kryptonite cut into her flesh, into her lungs, into her eyes, praying for the pain to stop, but it didn’t. The last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her was a golden mask with hollow eyes looking down on her as she fell. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A loud banging woke Lena up from her deep slumber. She sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes and forehead, trying to wake herself up when she noticed that Kara wasn’t beside her. She tensed up; something was wrong.“Mama?”Lena turned to see Mae standing in the doorway of her bedroom. “Mae, what are you doing up?”“I heard the knocking. What’s going on? Where’s Mom?”“I don’t know…but I have a feeling we’re about to find out. Stay here.”Lena got up and readied her ring, slowly heading down the hallway towards the front door, preparing herself for the worst, but instead she discovered a frantic looking young woman standing before her. “Can I help you?”“Is Kara here?”Lena furrowed her brow. “No, she’s not. May I ask who’s asking?”“Oh, uh, my name’s Nia. Nia Nal. I think Kara may be in trouble.”Lena’s heart stopped. “Come inside. What makes you think that?”“I just…have a feeling.”“A feeling? I’m going to need a lot more than just a feeling. This is my wife you’re telling me is in trouble and I need to know everything that you do.”“M…Mama?”Lena and Nia turned around to see Mae standing behind them, the veins on her pale skin glowing a faint green. Lena’s eyes widened and all the color left her skin. “Mae?”The child cried out in pain, Lena rushing to catch her before she could fall to the ground. “Mae! Mae! Oh God, what is happening?” Her eyes filled with tears as the Kryptonite crept through Mae’s skin, several questions racing through her mind. Where did the Kryptonite come from? How was it affecting Mae when there was none in the house or anywhere near here? Where was Kara?Kara…Lena looked back up at Nia as she picked Mae up in her arms, her suit forming over her body. “You’re coming with me and telling me everything you know.” ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lena and Nia arrive at the DEO in record time, with the former racing upstairs to a private room and placing Mae on one of the tables there. She frantically searched the shelves, tossing several items every which way until she found a small red box, crying out in relief upon doing so. She placed it upon Mae’s torso, and almost instantaneously it morphed into a full body suit, red and blue in color with the symbol of the House of El on the chest. Lena then pulled out a pad and entered several codes into it, relaxing slightly when she saw the Kryptonite leaving Mae’s system; it was leaving slowly, but it was leaving nonetheless. However, it did confirm Lena’s theory.“How did you know how to do that?” Nia asked, her eyes wide in amazement.“It’s something I’ve been working on in case something like this happens,” Lena explained. “I hoped I would never have to use them, but…”“Something like what happens?”“The atmosphere is filled with Kryptonite. I designed these suits to purge the element and protect them until the atmosphere could be cleaned, if it could be at all. But Supergirl is out there somewhere, dying, and I don’t know where she is. Where is she?”“I…I don’t really know.”“What do you mean you don’t know?”“What’s going on in here?”Alex and J’onn entered the room, their eyes landing on Mae. “Lena, what’s happening?”“The atmosphere has been filled with Kryptonite and Mae has been affected,” Lena growled. “It must’ve been Mercy. She somehow got her hands on Kryptonite and used it with my dispersal device. She planned this all along!”“What about Kara?” Alex inquired. “Where is she?”“I don’t know. When I woke up, she was gone. I need to find her and I need to find her now!” Lena turned back to Nia. “You said you knew something. Talk.”“I saw it in a dream. I saw someone in a large building with a bunch of flashing red lights, and they were chained up and their skin was glowing green. That’s all I know.”“Wait a minute,” Alex said. “Who are you?”“Nia Nal. You must be Alex.”“How do you…?”“I work with Kara and I know that she’s Supergirl.”“How do you…?”“She told me, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is locating her.”“You said you saw this all in a dream?” J’onn asked her.Nia nodded.“Maybe I can help you with that. Seeing all the details you might’ve missed.”Nia looked confused, but didn’t question it as J’onn lifted his hand to her head and closed his eyes, Nia doing the same. Lena and Alex watched on in anxious impatience. A few moments later, Nia and J’onn opened up their eyes, the former now having a look of clarity in hers. “We know where Kara is, but we have to move fast.”Alex loaded her gun and J’onn’s eyes burned a fiery red, while Lena’s suit formed over her body again as she grabbed the other box, her green eyes hard with anger and resolve. “Where is she?” --------------------------------------------------------------- James paced about in a dark room, his nerves beginning to rise the longer he waited. He had been going undercover for the DEO to infiltrate the Children of Liberty for the past week and a half to find out more about them and, more specifically, how to stop them. He had also been promised by one of the members that he would be meeting with Agent Liberty, but so far he had been unsuccessful on that front. J’onn had asked him to do this not long after James had publicly denounced the hate-group for making his vigilante persona their poster boy, and after an initial hesitation, James agreed, and to his surprise was welcomed with open arms by the group. However, there were some Children of Liberty that weren’t buying it, and were untrusting of him, so James remained on the outside for a lot of things. Also, they were monitoring him 24/7, which made it nigh impossible to update the DEO on his findings; not that he really had anything to report anyway.Suddenly, the door to his room opened and a masked Child of Liberty entered with a large suitcase in his hand. “When will I get to meet Agent Liberty?” James asked.“Patience,” the man said. “You’ve got to look the part first.”He set the suitcase down on a table and opened it, turning it around so James could see its contents. James immediately felt sick to his stomach: within the case was a replica of his Guardian armor with traces of gold adorning it. Even his mask was now gold.“Get dressed,” the man ordered. “It’s time for you to prove yourself.”James tensed up, his eyes locked on the man. “Prove myself? What exactly will I be doing?”“You’re about to find out, pretty boy. Now put on the get-up. The big man doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”He left James alone to get dressed, which he does albeit very nervously. This is what he wanted, but he was expecting his meeting with Agent Liberty to be a one—on—one rather than…whatever was awaiting him outside. He finishes getting dressed, leaving his helmet off while fighting the urge to rip off the uniform and burn it as the Child of Liberty led him outside. A group of Children of Liberty were waiting outside, masks and all, a little ways away from a statue resembling the Statue of Liberty. In a sick sense of irony, their main hideout was on Shelley Island, an Ellis Island for aliens seeking refuge in National City, and James found it disgusting. Among the group, there was one member clad in full body armor much like James himself, and James knew immediately that he was the leader.That he was Agent Liberty.“Guardian,” Agent Liberty greeted. “Champion of the human race and of human excellency. Welcome to the Children of Liberty.”“Agent Liberty, I assume.”Agent Liberty laughed. “We are all Agent Liberty.”“Your man here said I have to prove myself. What do I need to do?”“A simple act, really. This place is a symbol to many, but it is a symbol for all the wrong reasons. But what good is a symbol if it cannot stand?” Agent Liberty gestured towards the statue. “I’m asking you to get rid of the symbol permanently.”James’s eyebrows rose. “You’re asking me…to blow up the statue?”“I’m not asking you. I’m ordering you. We need to send a message that this country, that this planet is for humans only. Everything you’ll need is right here.” He gestured towards the control panel in front of him. “And remember: you’re also on camera.”James turned to see an old video camera pointed at him, along with a Child of Liberty pointing a shotgun at him. “What is this?”“If you publicly denounce us, you will publicly accept us,” Agent Liberty said. “Now, the statue. And don’t forget to smile.”He backed up behind James, folding his arms behind his back. The red light on the camera turned on.It was show time.“My name is James Olsen,” James announced. “And I throw my full support behind the Children of Liberty. Earth is for humans and humans only.”Slowly, he turned his attention to the control panel, flipping several switches before a large button on it lit up a bright red. Before he could press it, however, something caught his eye: a flash of green light flying through the sky. His eyes widened.Lena.Something was wrong.James pulled away from the control panel and pulled out his shield, launching himself at Agent Liberty just as Martian Manhunter landed next to him and began to attack the rest of the Children of Liberty, gunshots sounding all around as DEO agents clashed with the hate-group.“No!” Agent Liberty shouted. “What have you done?”“What is right,” James replied.The masked man shouted again, gauntlet blades shooting out from his wrists. Blade rang against shield as Agent Liberty and Guardian fought, each one throwing punch after punch and kick after kick, and James was thankful for those extra training sessions with Kara. Speaking of whom, where was Kara…?“You can’t win!” Agent Liberty screamed. “I fight for America!”James gritted his teeth, thrusting his shield up into Agent Liberty’s jaw, knocking him out cold. “So am I, and I will never stop fighting for my country and all the people living here.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lena blasted through the doors of the building and the few members of Children of Liberty standing guard there. She quickly finds Kara as Nia said she saw her: chained up and skin glowing green. “Kara!” She quickly flew over to her dying wife, using her ring to free the Kryptonian from her bondage. Lena suddenly heard the beeping surrounding them and her eyes widened in realization.
Bombs.
Using all of her strength, Lena flew Kara out of there just as the statue exploded, the blast sending her hurtling to the ground. Crawling over to her wife, Lena pulls out the box and places it on her chest, the suit forming over Kara’s body the same as it did Mae’s and Lena began to breathe easier once she saw Kara stabilizing.She was okay. She was going to be okay. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Kara and Mae spent the next few days in the DEO in their new suits while Lena and Winn worked to rid the atmosphere of Kryptonite, which they were able to do thanks to Lena’s knowledge of Spheer tech, and all of them couldn’t be happier. Lena hated going for long periods of time without being able to kiss Kara, and this was no exception.Meanwhile, Agent Liberty, who was revealed to be none other than Ben Lockwood, and many of his cohorts were arrested and were now sitting in their own cells at the National City Prison; while that was going on, James was deputized as Guardian and recognized for his heroics as a vigilante, which everyone thought James more than deserved.A week after everything went down, everyone was gathered at the Danvers-Luthor household for Thanksgiving, enjoying the food and the company and the amazing feeling of not having to deal with any more Children of Liberty. Kara invited Nia over to celebrate and to thank her for all of her help.“Really, it was nothing,” Nia said. “I mean, all I did was see it in a dream.”“But you told my wife about it, and if you hadn’t done that, I would be dead,” Kara countered. “So thank you. You’re a true hero in your own right.”Nia beamed. “You think so?”“I know so. And with a bit of training, I can see you being a permanent member of the Super-Friends.”“Really?”Kara nodded. “It would be my honor to mentor you, Nia.”“Wow, I mean…thank you, Kara. I promise I won’t let you down.”Kara smiled as Eliza called them all for dinner, placing a hand on Nia’s shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. “I highly doubt you will.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
SIX MONTHS AGO
Lucy’s finger lifted off of the red button, her hand falling limply to her side as her breaths became more ragged.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
The headquarters were in shambles: computers, monitors, and equipment had been ripped to pieces and completely destroyed; lights were flashing and hanging from the ceiling, swinging in precarious fashions; and several of her agents, several of her brothers and sisters in arms, were lying around her, the color draining from their skin in the form of blood out of the holes in their chests. Salty tears ran down Lucy’s cheeks, mixing with the blood on her own skin.
This shouldn’t have been able to happen.
It didn’t matter.She pressed the emergency button…Supergirl would be on her way soon…She had to be…The sound of glass breaking in front of her got her attention, and her hand tightened around the gun lying by her side. Two figures stalked towards her, a man and a woman.“I have to give it to you, Director Lane,” the man mused. “You certainly know how to put on a show.”“Can we just kill her already?” the woman growled.“Kill her? Fright, my dear, she’s the only one to survive our…your experiment. Thus, that makes her the new key to our success.”Lucy grit her teeth, spitting blood at the feet of her captors. “Go to hell.”The man just laughed, pulling out a long cigar out of his suit and lighting it. “Director Lane, I’ve been to Hell. I was born in it.” He knelt down in front of her, blowing smoke into her face. “And when I am through with you, my dear, you will be begging for Hell.”Lucy lifted her face up to him, her eyes widening when she came face-to-face with an eyeless skull. “What…what the hell are you?”“Your new friend,” the skull said, blowing another puff of smoke in her face. “And you’re my new friend who will help me in my quest to end Supergirl once and for all.” ---------------------------------------------------------------
PRESENT DAY
“Lean into your punches, Mae. And be sure to keep your weight on your back foot.”Mae nodded, her brow furrowing in focus as she readied her stance once more. “Like this?”“Exactly like that. Now, like I showed you.” Kara hit the palm of her hand lightly. “Show me what you got.”After hesitating for a slight second, Mae threw a punch as hard as she could—which was pretty hard—and struck Kara square in the palm.“That was good, Mae!” Kara exclaimed, waving and flexing her hand because, damn, her daughter could pack quite the punch. “You’re very strong and a fast learner, more so than I ever was. Your Aunt Alex always said that learning how to fight like this was important, but I never listened to her.”Mae beamed, flexing her arms proudly, and Kara had to stop herself from laughing at how adorable and how much like herself her daughter was; it was almost uncanny at this point at how much Mae was like Kara when Kara was her age, and Kara wanted these moments to last longer than they were. Next year, Mae would be ten, and Kara struggled to wrap her mind around that. How had it been a decade already? It seemed only like yesterday that she held Mae in her arms for the first time, saw her for the first time, and knew then and there that she was going to love her for the rest of her life. And what a life it had been.“I’m very proud of you,” Kara said to Mae as they sat down on the bench at the side of the room for a break. “You’ve come very far in mastering your abilities in such a short period of time. I am so very proud of you.”Mae’s smile grew even wider. “Did you do the same when you were my age, Mom?”Kara huffed as she took a swig of her water. “When I was nine, I was still living on Krypton. I didn’t really start ‘training’ until after I became Supergirl, and I was…wow, I was twenty-four when I did. Time really flies, huh?”Mae took a sip of her own water. “Yeah. I’ll be ten next year!”“That you will, little one. You never fail to remind your mother or I.”“Hey, Mom.”“Yes, sweetie?”“What would I be doing on Krypton right now?”Kara opened her mouth to reply, but no words came. She had told Mae about her time on Krypton in the past, and Mae had asked similar questions like this whenever she did, yet each time, it made Kara’s heart ache, making her wonder about what life would’ve been like if Mae had had the chance to be raised on Krypton, to see the planet that Kara grew up on and the place where she made so many memories…all she had were memories now. “Well, we would probably be living in Argo City, and you would be in school and, depending on how you were doing, preparing to join a guild.”“What guild do you think I would’ve joined?”“I think you would’ve gone into the Artisan Guild given your talents. You would’ve gone to Kandor when you were thirteen to hone your abilities, but after you completed your studies, you could live anywhere you wanted. Of course, I would want you to come back to Argo, ha.”Mae smiled. “The Artisan Guild sounds pretty cool. You wanted to join the Science Guild right, Mom?”Kara nodded and smiled slightly. “I did. I wanted to be a scientist like my dad. I thought he was one of the coolest people ever when I was growing up.” She chuckled. “You know, I used to sneak into his lab late at night whenever he worked and beg him to let me help with his latest experiment.”“Would he?”“Sometimes.” The back of Kara’s eyes stung and she hung her head low, attempting to hide the coming tears. She nearly jumped when she felt small arms wrap around her.“I’m sorry, Mom,” Mae said. “You would’ve been a great scientist, just like Mama.”Kara laughed as a single tear ran down her cheek. “Thank you, bean.” She placed a kiss on the top of Mae’s head. “I’ve often wondered what life would’ve been like if Krypton didn’t explode, but if it didn’t, I wouldn’t have had you. I wouldn’t have met your mother and I wouldn’t be Supergirl or be a reporter or live the life I have here. And I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.”Mae smiled just as the door to the training room opened. Kara looked up to see Green Lantern walk through, the mask on her face vanishing as she ran her hand through her mussed up hair. Behind her, Nia Nal entered, clad in her own costume with equally messy hair and a large grin on her face.“Hi Aunt Nia!” Mae greeted.“Hey Mae!” Nia replied before turning to Kara. “Oh my God, Kara, you should’ve been there! We went up against a Morai and while it initially got the jump on us because it can turn invisible and stuff like that, but I saw where it was gonna attack us next in a dream and Lena trapped it in a bubble made by her ring and oh my God it was awesome!”Kara’s eyes widened as Lena smiled and shook her head. “Sounds like you two had quite the day, huh?”“Like Nia said, it was quite awesome,” Lena said with a wink. “How was your day, darling?”“Spent it teaching this one how to throw a punch.”“That sounds like fun. Did you have fun, sweetie?”“Yeah!” Mae exclaimed. “But when can I go on missions with you?”“When you’re much, much older, dear,” Lena said. “How about we all get cleaned up and then we can go home and eat pizza?”“Yay!”With that, everyone headed out of the training room, Kara smiling as she took Lena’s hand in hers. Afterwards, they all went to the alien bar with Alex, Winn, James, and J’onn to celebrate Green Lantern and Dreamer’s victory, with Mae getting water, of course. As Kara sat there with her family and friends, laughing and drinking merrily, her heart swelled with love and content.She really wouldn’t trade this life with anything else. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The next few days passed by with the heroes all working, training, going to school—in Mae’s case—and patrolling, occasionally stopping the occasional robber or domestic terrorist; turns out there were still some people out there who supported the Children of Liberty. Nevertheless, Kara still loved the city and would defend everyone in it from harm, human and alien alike. Other than that, there wasn’t a big baddie that needed to be dealt with, which Kara was kind of grateful for; however, she was still cautious. This was about the time of year that someone like that showed up, so Kara was holding her breath.“Kara? You okay?”Kara was brought back to reality by the sound of Nia’s voice. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. What’s up?”“You just zoned out halfway through your noodles,” Nia said. “That’s usually my thing, except my eyes are closed.”Kara laughed. “Sorry about that. I’m just…distracted.”“Distracted?”“I don’t know. I mean, life has been great this past year. More than great, even. But…I don’t know. Usually by now, we face some sort of all-powerful foe, one that takes us a while to defeat, like Non, or Rhea, or even Reign. But no one like that has shown up yet, which worries me.”Nia furrowed her brow as she took another bite of her sandwich. “Worries you? Why does it worry you?”Kara shrugged. “Guess I’m just used to it, having dealt with it for so many years.”“Is that what I have to look forward to as a superhero?”“I hope not, but you mustn’t dwell on that. Neither should I, for that matter. How’s your article coming along?”Before Nia could answer, Kara’s phone vibrated on the table with Alex’s name on the call screen. “Hello?”“Kara, we caught wind of something happening downtown.”“What is it?”“We don’t know yet. Winn has only been able to catch blurs on the street cameras, so whatever it is it’s very fast. I’ll call Lena and let her know.”“Nia’s actually here with me,” Kara said. “We’ll go check it out.”“Alright. Just be careful.”“Always am.”“What’s going on?” Nia asked as Kara hung up.“Something’s going on and we’re going to check it out.”“Awesome!”Within a few seconds, Supergirl was flying through the skies while Dreamer remained atop the CatCo building, their eyes scanning the area around them for the phenomenon Alex had told the former about, but they didn’t see anything. “Do you see anything, Dreamer?”“Not so far.”“I meant with…you know. Your powers.”“Oh. Yeah, hold on.” The line went silent for several minutes before Kara heard Nia gasp. “Kara, watch out!”“Wha—”Something hard connected with Kara’s face, sending her flying backwards through the sky until regained her balance. She shook her head, but her vision was still wonky. “What the hell was that?”Her question was answered in the form of something hitting her again even harder than before, only this time its fists bunched in Kara’s costume and pushed her down through the air until they crashed into the concrete, creating a crater in the street and sending a few cars flying, causing people to run away in a panic. Kara groaned in pain, seeing stars as she tried to regain her bearings, but whatever had attacked her was on top of her, dealing powerful blow after powerful blow directly onto her face. Kara tried to block herself from them, but the figure was much too powerful, pinning her to the ground and pounding her fists against her head like a steel hammer over and over and over and over.“You aren’t a real hero,” the figure growled. “You aren’t a god. You bleed. And now they’ll all see you for who you truly are. Your time is up.”The figure delivered one final punch to Kara’s cranium, the last thing Kara seeing before she succumbed to the darkness was her family’s crest on the figure’s chest. --------------------------------------------------------------- When Lena had got the call about Kara, she demanded to know why she wasn’t given a heads-up earlier. Now her wife was in the medical ward, bruised and bloody as she rested underneath several yellow sun-lamps. It was all too reminiscent of Reign, and Lena couldn’t help but feel incredibly anxious; nevertheless, she couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. Not like last time. After taking Mae home after checking up on Kara, Lena had her driver take her over to the scene of the crime so she could meet Alex.“Hey,” Alex greeted as Lena walked up, telling the other agents there that she was with her. “Glad you could make it.”“You thought I wouldn’t?” Lena inquired.“No, I just thought you would be with Kara.”“I was, but I’m here now. I need to find who did this to her.”“You and me both. That’s why I brought these.” Alex pulled two devices out of her pocket and handed one to Lena. “Thought they might come in handy.”Lena nodded, examining the device she and Winn had been working on for a few months now, developed from Kryptonian tech that Lex had gotten his hands on years ago that would be able to detect things quicker than human-made devices, and now they were putting them to the test. “So what do we know about the thing that attacked Kara?”“According to Nia, it was a person. Not a thing,” Alex replied. “She said they were wearing an outfit similar to Kara’s, symbol and all. The only difference is they were wearing a blue hooded cape and a mask.”“Mask? This really is like Reign all over again.”“Well, I’m thankful that Kara isn’t in a coma this time.”“Let’s just find this monster already.”Alex tuned up her device, Lena doing the same, and they walked around scanning the area. “What are we looking for exactly?”“Anything that will help identify whoever did this.”“You know that the DEO has machines that do that and people that specialize in that stuff, right?”Lena gave Alex a look. “This is quicker.”“Okay, okay. I’m not doubting you, Lena, I’m just saying…”“I know.”Lena’s device emitted a loud beep. “Found something.” She examined the device, her brow furrowing. “I picked up some DNA traces here.”“How is that possible?” Alex asked. “It must be Kara’s. Nia said she wasn’t able to get in a hit.”“It’s not Kara’s,” Lena said, her eyes widening in shock. “It’s…someone else’s.”“Whose is it?”Lena showed her device to Alex, the agent’s eyes widening as well. “How…how is that possible?”“I don’t know. But it is.”The DNA belonged to Lucy Lane. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex and J’onn entered the old DEO facility, their old facility; the one in the desert, the one where Alex got her start and the one where Kara got her own start as Supergirl. There were so many memories in these walls that Alex was overcome with a wave of nostalgia the minute she walked through the doors. Even the main control room looked the same, save for a few new faces manning the computers, but other than that, everything looked as it did all those years ago.“It’s as if we never left,” J’onn said to her as they walked down the hall.Alex chuckled. “After all these years I’ve known you, I still forget that you can read minds.”“I didn’t mean to pry. I feel the same way,” J’onn said. “So much has happened over the years that I haven’t found the chance to visit.”“Do you miss this place?”J’onn remained silent for a moment before responding. “Some days. I was impersonating someone when I joined the DEO, someone who didn’t care about the protection of alien life. I much prefer the freedom of being myself now.”Alex smiled. “As do I. I just hope we can find answers here.”“Director J’onnz. Agent Danvers.” J’onn and Alex turned to see Lucy Lane walking towards them, clad in a uniform similar to theirs and a bright smile on her face. “I wasn’t expecting to see your faces today. What brings you by?”Alex and J’onn share an uncertain look. “Is there someplace private we can talk?” Alex asked.“Of course. We can chat in my office. This way.”They walked down some more hallways until they come to the director’s office, the three entering and Lucy closing the door behind them. “So what brings you all this way? It can’t be that time for inspection again. I assure you, all of my agents are making sure this place is in tip-top shape.”“I have no doubt about that, Director Lane,” J’onn said. “But this visit regards a case we’re working on. Surely you’ve heard about what happened?”“About what happened to Supergirl?” Lucy nodded. “Looked horrible. Have you found who did this to her?”Alex furrowed her brow. “That’s why we’re here,” she said, pulling out the device from her pocket. “I was at the scene earlier and found something…strange.”“Strange?”Alex handed Lucy the device, telling her to take a look. Lucy stared at it, her brows knitting together. “What is this?”“Your DNA that we found right where Supergirl was beaten to a pulp.”“What are suggesting, Agent?”“I’m not suggesting anything,” Alex countered. “I just want to know why your DNA was found at an active crime scene.”“Maybe I was there,” Lucy said, her voice laced with ice. “I am the director—well, acting director of this branch of the DEO, so I was notified about what happened and decided to pay a visit to see what I could find, which unfortunately was just a lot of rubble and debris.”“None of the agents I spoke to there mentioned you being there, Lucy,” Alex said. There was something here not adding up.“Perhaps I wasn’t entirely careful,” Lucy offered. “After all, your sister and my friend was nearly killed today by a being far too powerful for my liking. Now if you have nothing more to discuss, I have some business I have to attend to.”“Of course,” J’onn said before Alex could say anything more. “Thank you for your time.”With that, J’onn and Alex made their leave, with the latter very much on edge. “Something’s off. Someone would’ve told you, or at the very least me, that Lucy had paid a visit to the scene. I don’t like anything about this.”“Neither do I,” J’onn said.“Were you able to read her mind?”J’onn shook his head. “I couldn’t see anything. But I don’t want to abandon this avenue just yet. We’ll find out who did this to Kara soon enough.”Alex let out a breath. “I hope so. I have a feeling that we’re going to be back here soon enough.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lucy stalked down the hallways of the DEO, her eyes hard and her mouth in a thin line as she entered his office. “Some former friends and coworkers of mine just paid a visit,” she said. “They know more than they should.”He blew out a puff of smoke as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ve encountered the Martian and the agent before. It would serve you well not to underestimate them. What do they know?”Lucy pursed her lips together. “They found my DNA where Supergirl fell.”“I told you to be careful.”“I was careful.”“Not careful enough,” he said in a warning tone, taking another puff from his cigar. “Never mind. What’s done is done. I’ll have Fright here take care of our nosy little friends. What I need you to do is not lose focus on the mission. Supergirl will be back and you need to be ready. She needs to be completely out of the picture before we can move forward with our plan.” He paused. “There is another obstacle to our plan: Green Lantern. She is very close to Supergirl. I want you to take care of her. Can you handle this?”Lucy nodded, her eyes glowing a bright orange as a smirk adorned her face. “I can.” -------------------------------------------------------------------- Luckily—and thankfully—Kara completely recovered in a few days, and was already itching to get back out there. Of course, everyone was hesitant to, mainly Alex and Lena for obvious reasons, but Kara was stubborn.“We have to find her before she hurts any more people.”“So far the only person she’s hurt, Kara, has been you,” Alex argued. “Maybe she has some sort of vendetta against you.”“Why would that be the case? I’ve never met this person.”Alex and Lena share a look that Kara missed, instead running a hand through her hair. “Look, I have to get back out there. I’ve been gone far too long already.”“Kara.” The finality in Lena’s voice made Kara stop in her tracks. “This mystery woman can wait. Let’s go home.”“But—”Lena gave Kara the look that this wasn’t up for debate, and the latter’s shoulders deflated in defeat. Lena stepped closer to her and cupped her cheek with her hand. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “We’re working on finding her right now, but we,” she gestured back and forth between her and Kara, “need to relax and clear our minds in order to help do that.”Kara nodded. “You’re right.”“Of course I am, darling. I’m always right.”“That you are,” Kara laughed, kissing the palm of her wife’s hand. “That you are.”“Okay, this is too much PDA for my taste,” Alex grimaced, causing both Kara and Lena to blush slightly. “Go home, lovebirds. Winn, J’onn, and I can take it from here.”Kara and Lena nodded, the latter pulling out her phone and calling her driver, saying that they could use the rest from flying around all the time.“Lee, I haven’t flown in three days.”“And one more day isn’t going to kill you.”They went by Mae’s school to pick her up before going back home to relax. Mae went into her room to finish her homework while Kara and Lena migrated to the couch to cuddle.“I’m really glad you’re okay,” Lena said after a few moments of silence, momentarily ceasing running her fingers through Kara’s soft blonde hair. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if history were to repeat itself.”Kara nodded, placing a kiss on Lena’s temple. “It won’t. I promise. And I also promise that we’re going to figure this out together.”“El Mayarah.”Kara smiled, her lips connecting with Lena’s gently. “El Mayarah.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although Kara was now completely recovered physically from her fight against the mystery woman, her pride was still wounded, and seeing pictures and videos of her loss on TV and hearing her coworkers at CatCo talk about it didn’t help. That was all anyone could talk about, and it reminded Kara of when she first started out as Supergirl, back when she was still getting the hang of using her powers again and was slipping up more than she would’ve liked to. But that was many years ago. She was, for lack of a better term, a professional superhero; she shouldn’t be making any more mistakes, or at the very least, should be able to put up more of a fight than she did. It was quite embarrassing, frankly, and Kara was itching to get back out there and put an end to this once and for all.But she couldn’t, at least not until the woman was either found or decided to show her face again. So Kara decided to wait; something she hated doing.That was all she could do, though.Lunch break came, and Kara decided she would get something and bring it over to L-Corp. She gathered all of her things and headed towards the elevators, but she stopped when she passed by Sam’s office, noticing how her friend was all tense as she watched the televisions behind her, watching the last moments of the battle between the mystery woman and Supergirl. Kara winced, but she could hear Sam’s heartbeat rising slightly and knew that something was wrong, so she entered the office. “Sam?” Kara knocked on the glass door softly, announcing her presence. “Is everything alright?”Sam turned around, her body slightly relaxing upon seeing Kara. “Hey. Yeah, I’m alright. I’m just…” She paused. “Are you okay? I heard about what happened.”Kara nodded. “I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”“Yeah, about that…”“Sam, what’s wrong?”Sam was silent for several minutes, crossing her arms in front of her chest as her brow knitted above her eyes. Kara was about to repeat her question again when Sam finally spoke. “How long were you in your coma when you went up against me?”Kara blinked in surprise. “I…uh…a few days, I think.”“How long exactly?”“I think…I think about three or four days in the actual coma, four days to fully recover. Why do you ask?”“When I heard about what happened to you a few days ago, my heart stopped,” Sam explained. “I thought that somehow she was back, but I remembered that I was here during the attack. I remembered what I was doing that day and who I talked to, so it couldn’t have been her. Couldn’t have been…me.”“It wasn’t you,” Kara said reassuringly as she stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Sam’s shoulder. “We got rid of Reign years ago. This…this is someone new.”“I just can’t help but think that history is repeating itself here.”“I know. Lena and Alex feel the same way as well, but it won’t. I’m not in a coma this time and I don’t plan on doing that. We’re going to stop whoever this is before they can hurt anyone, I promise.”“I have no doubt about that, Kara,” Sam said. “I just wish there was something I could do to help.”Kara smiled, placing a comforting hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You help just by standing with us. Knowing that you’re here is more than enough.”Sam gave Kara a small smile. “Thank you, Kara. That means a lot.”“It’s true, Sam. I was about to go get lunch, do you want something?”Sam nodded. “Sure.” She grabbed her things and followed Kara out of the office and towards the elevators, the latter’s heart already feeling a little lighter as they headed down to the lobby. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A month passed with no other sighting of the mystery woman, so chatter around the subject dropped significantly, which Kara was incredibly thankful for. Lena was as well, but she was even more thankful that her wife was alive and here with her and Mae, eating pancakes for dinner and playing several rounds of UNO in their living room. They ate, laughed, and played well into the night until it was time for Mae to go to bed and for Lena to go on patrol. Kara wanted to go, but Lena was still hesitant to let Kara go out there; if anything over the years had taught Lena anything, it was not to trust anything, no matter how good it seemed, so she went alone. Lena would do anything to protect Kara, even if she was practically invulnerable. Lena promised she would be back in a few minutes, and with that, her suit formed over her body and she took off towards the skies. She quickly scanned the city below her, everything looking good, everything looking normal. Being on edge, of course, Lena didn’t trust it, but nevertheless she turned around to fly back home to wrap Kara up in her arms and never let go.That’s when something did happen. An explosion in the distance.At L-Corp, no less.
Oh no.
Immediately, Lena flew over there, hoping that no one was hurt or worse. Once she touched down inside the building, she quickly scanned the area for her employees, anyone who may have been hurt or trapped by the explosion, but she didn’t see anyone; at least, she didn’t see anyone long enough before a hard object hit her square between the eyes, sending her flying back into a wall. Lena groaned as she pushed herself off, her head ringing and her vision blurry as she tried to regain her bearings.
What the hell was that? A piece of debris?
Through the smoke and the haze, her question was answered in the form of a figure standing before her.A figure wearing a blue hood, a mask, and the House of El symbol on her chest.Lena’s eyes widened. “Lucy?”The figure furrowed her brow. “Why do you call me by that name?”“Because that’s your name,” Lena explained as she slowly stepped forward. “We found your DNA at the place where you attacked Supergirl.”Lucy growled menacingly. “I’ll admit I was a bit…sloppy, but it won’t happen again.”“You’re right,” Lena said. “It won’t because I’m taking you in.”Lucy let out a maniacal laugh. “You think an under-powered being such as yourself will be able to defeat the likes of me? How quaint.”Lena’s ring thrummed with power as she took another step forward. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, Lucy, but I will if I must.”“You won’t hurt me. You can’t hurt me. I am more powerful than I’ve ever been. And now I have the one and only Lena Luthor in my grasp.”Lena’s heart stopped. “What are you…?”“I know who you are, you idiot. Who else would come so quick to an explosion at L-Corp?”“Just because I came so quickly doesn’t mean I am who you think I am.”Lucy laughed. “Oh, but it does. You’ve walked right into my trap and now you and all of your friends are going to die.”Before Lena could react, Lucy blasted her with heat vision, sending her flying back through the wall before she landed in someone’s office. Groaning, Lena pushed herself back up and formed a bubble over her just in time for another blast.“You can’t hide behind a wall forever, Lena,” Lucy spat. “Sooner or later, you will die!”“What happened to you, Lucy?” Lena cried. “Who did this to you?”“A friend,” Lucy said, smiling. “He gave me power. He gave me a purpose. Once you and all your Super-Friends are dead, I will rise like the phoenix and become this world’s sole protector!”“The only thing you’re going to be is unconscious!” Lena shot back, using her ring to blast Lucy right in the chest repeatedly, pushing the woman back through the hole in the wall; however, Lucy was seemingly unfazed by the assault of green light, causing Lena to falter slightly.“You think you’re a hero?” Lucy sneered. “You’re just like your caped friend, thinking you have power when in reality, you’re nothing more than a scared little girl hiding behind a piece of jewelry.”“Snap out of this, Lucy!” Lena yelled. “This isn’t you!”“I am more me than I’ve ever been! He has shown me who I can be, who I am meant to be now that I’m no longer holding myself back.”“He?” Lena inquired. “Who is ‘he’?”Lucy didn’t answer; instead, she smirked and she launched up, bursting through the ceiling and leaving Lena amidst a large burning pile of rubble and ash feeling all sorts of confused and terrified. Her suit faded from her body and her ring ceased to glow as the fear took over; Lena quickly took out her phone and pressed the button to call Alex before calling her wife.There was something else at play here, and they all needed to be on the same page in order to stop Lucy…and whoever was behind the scenes pulling her strings. -------------------------------------------------------------------- “What? There’s no way.”Alex sighed. “I wish there wasn’t, Kara, but it’s true.”Kara shook her head in disbelief as she stood in the medical ward next to her sister, still in her Supergirl garb. Lena was lying on the bed recovering from the injuries that Lucy had given her, her hand in her wife’s being the only source of comfort that Lena needed. The crushed look in Kara’s blue eyes made Lena want nothing more than to wrap her wife up in her arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. “Why didn’t either of you tell me?”“We wanted to be sure,” Alex said. “J’onn and I went to other location to investigate, but we didn’t find anything.”“Well, the person that attacked me was definitely Lucy,” Lena countered. “Something happened to her. I don’t know what, but her mind has been warped. She talked about someone, a man, who may have turned her into this.”“Why would someone do this?” Kara asked. “This doesn’t make any sense.”“Our best bet would be to bring Lucy in,” Alex said. “See if there’s some way we can help her.”Lena shook her head. “I tried to do that just now, Alex, but she’s too powerful. Not to mention bat shit crazy.”“That doesn’t change the fact that she’s dangerous and needs to be brought in so she doesn’t hurt anyone else. I’ll go back with J’onn and get her.”“No, I’ll come with you,” Kara said, but Alex shut her down.“Kara, no. You need to stay here. As far as we know, Lucy thinks you’re dead, and we should use that to our advantage. Don’t worry,” Alex said, placing a comforting hand on Kara’s shoulder. “We’ll be careful, I promise.”“Please?”“Always am.” Alex turned to Lena. “Rest up, okay? You did good today.”Lena nodded. “I will. Thank you, Alex. Is Mae okay?”“James is with her right now.”“Okay, good.”“I’ll let him know the both of you will be home soon. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”Kara and Lena both nodded as the sisters shared a hug before Alex turned to leave. “Hey,” Lena said, giving Kara’s hand a squeeze. “Are you okay?”Kara shook her head. “One of my good friends is now a super-powered lunatic that tried to kill me and just tried to kill my wife and now may try to kill my sister and my father-figure, so yeah I’m pretty peachy.”“I’m sorry, baby. Everything will be okay, though. Come here.”Lena scooted over to make room for Kara, who crawled in beside her and wrapped her arms around her. Lena rested her head on Kara’s chest as the latter kissed her on top of the head. “I love you.”“I love you, too, my love,” Kara whispered. “Now and forever.”“Now and forever,” Lena repeated. “Everything will be alright, baby, I promise.”Kara remained silent for a while before responding. “I should be helping.”“You’ll get your chance, baby. You can’t blame Alex for being worried about you.”“I don’t. She’s been like that for years, but something within me is saying that something’s wrong.”“I do too, baby,” Lena said, tightening her grip on Kara as a dark feeling settled in her heart. “I do too.” ----------------------------------------------------------------- Alex and J’onn stormed into the DEO, pushing past the guards, ignoring their warnings, and heading straight towards Lucy’s office, the former especially on the warpath. In that moment, it didn’t matter that one of her friends nearly killed her sister and sister-in-law; Lucy still tried to kill her sister and sister-in-law.And Alex wasn’t going to sit by anymore when something needed to be done.She practically forced Lucy’s office door open as her and J’onn entered, but instead of Lucy, someone else was sitting at her desk; a woman. She had pale skin, stark blonde hair pulled up into a stiff ponytail, with thick black glasses framing bright red eyes and her boots up on the desk without a care. The sight gave Alex pause, but she quickly recovered, placing her hands on her hips in an intimidating manner.It was time to get some answers.“Hello, Director J’onnz,” the woman purred. “Agent Danvers.”“Where’s Lucy?” Alex demanded, her eyes narrowing at the strange woman sitting before her. “And who the hell are you?”The woman smirked, a dark shadow passing over her eyes as she stood up and leant over the desk, coming face to face with the redhead. “Your guide, Agent Danvers, into a world of terror.” She then blew directly into Alex’s face, the cold air stinging the agent’s eyes as she staggered back a few steps.“Argh! What the hell?”Alex blinked several times before reaching for her gun. When she pulled back up, the office was empty; there was no sign of the woman or J’onn anywhere. It sent a shiver down Alex’s spine as the room filled with an icy chill.“J’onn?” Alex called out, her gun still at the ready. “Where are you? J’onn, are you there?”“K’hym! T’ania! Run!”The sound of the Martian screaming in terror froze Alex to her spot. He was yelling the names of his daughters…but why?“M’yri’ah! No!”J’onn then began to yell in the Martian language, his voice fading away as if he was running further away.“J’onn!” Remembering herself, Alex sprinted towards the door and kicked it open, but instead of coming out into the hall, Alex found herself outside the building, but everything was different. Buildings were destroyed, the air was filled with ash, the sky was a bright orange, and everything was on fire, but there was no one in the streets. There were no cops, no fire-fighers, no law enforcement; there weren’t even any civilians running for cover.Where the hell is everybody? Alex thought. What is even going on?A loud crash sounded some ways away, immediately sending the agent on high alert. She hurried over to the source of the sound, racing past pieces of concrete strewn about the street and demolished trashcans and poles until she came across a crater in the middle of the road. Gun still drawn, Alex moved towards it to get a better look at what was inside.What she saw caused the color to drain from her face.“Kara!”The Kryptonian lay in the center of the crater, covered in crimson blood and purple bruises, her Supergirl outfit torn in several areas, and the color in her face was drained, giving her a ghostly look that made Alex’s blood run cold.This can’t be real, she thought. This can’t be…“Kara.” Alex moved forward, stepping down into the crater to be closer to her sister. “Kara…”Alex put her fingers to Kara’s neck to check for a pulse…but there was none. “Kara!” Alex cradled her sister in her arms, tears rolling down her cheeks and falling upon Kara’s blanched skin, but she doesn’t wake up. Alex cried even harder as she pulled Kara’s body closer to her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered between hitched sobs. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’m so—so sorry.”Alex remained like that for a while, hunched over while she rocked Kara’s body back and forth ever so gently as if that would provide some sort of comfort to the Kryptonian. Her brain was racing to figure out how this could’ve happened. Kara was fine when she left; she was at the other location with Lena helping her heal, and now she was gone. She was dead.And Alex wasn’t there to help her.She wasn’t there to protect her, and that realization crushed her.Alex let out an anguished cry, her grip tightening on her baby sister as she pulled her even closer. Kara died alone, but she wasn’t going to be alone anymore. Not if Alex could help it. Before Alex could move to sit, she felt a sharp pinch in her neck, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. She looked around her, but didn’t see anyone; it didn’t help that her vision was also beginning to grow hazy. Before Alex could stand up, she fell over onto her side, the last thing she saw before closing her eyes being the bloodied face of Kara Zor-El. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kara stayed the rest of the day by Lena’s side, talking with her and bringing her wife her favorite take-out dish before the latter fell asleep. Kara then went to go to her apartment to check if Mae was still sleeping—spoiler, she was—before heading back to the DEO to check in on Lena and see if Alex and J’onn have made it back. Lena was still asleep when she got back, as Kara expected, but there was no sign of J’onn or her sister. Kara furrowed her brow. She thought they would be back by now, maybe with Lucy in tow, but they weren’t here. She asked around, but no agent had seen either of them since they left. Kara pulled out her phone, but there are no texts from Alex, and worry began to set in her heart.
Are they still at the first location?
Did something happen?
Just as Kara was about to take off again to find answer, Nia came bursting through the hall, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. “Kara!”“Whoa—whoa—whoa, Nia! Slow down there, what’s up?”Nia stopped before the Kryptonian, taking a second to catch her breath before speaking. “I…I saw…your sister and J’onn…they’re…not good…”Kara’s eyes widened. “Nia, what are you saying? What do you mean ‘not good’?”“Something happened at the other location,” Nia explained, her voice finally back but the fear never leaving her eyes. “I think they’re both in trouble.”Kara’s heart dropped down to the pit of her stomach, but her eyes narrow. “Suit up.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The facility seemed a hell of a lot creepier than Kara remembered as she walked through the dark hallways with Nia by her side. Where was everyone? “Did you see where they were?”“They were in some hallway,” Nia replied. “They were both screaming.”Kara stopped and turned to face Nia, her heart skipping a slight beat. “Screaming?”Nia swallowed nervously and nodded. “That’s what it looked like.”“Were they being attacked?”“No, they were alone.”Kara furrowed her brow. There was something strange going on here. No matter what it was, she was going to save her family. “Stay with me.”Nia nodded and they both continued down the hall, Kara walking with purpose as her hands morphed into fists. Whoever was behind this was going to pay dearly. A part of her thought Lucy was the culprit, but Kara shook her head. Even before she became crazy, Lucy was always the “punch first, ask questions later” type, and from what Nia had told Kara, neither Alex or J’onn were being attacked by anybody, which had the Kryptonian even more baffled.They turned a corner and came across another long hallway when the lights turned a menacing red. Kara was now on high alert, Nia producing balls of energy with her hands beside her, both ready to fight. A soft thwip sounded, followed by Nia crying out in pain; a small dart was protruding from the hero’s neck and before Kara could react, Nia fell to the ground, landing with a loud thud. Kara quickly knelt down by Nia, but immediately felt woozy; something was wrong. She felt powerless, she felt…normal.The lights…they were red sun lamps.Shit.Another thwip sounded and another dart found its way into Kara’s neck. She pulled it out with a grunt, looking to see who shot it, but her vision began to blur. “Alex…” Kara fell over, the darkness overtaking her as echoing footsteps made their way towards her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mae’s eyes opened slowly as lights of ray poured into her room. She sat up and stretched off the last remnants of sleep as she rubbed her eyes, smiling widely. Today was a Saturday, meaning no school and training at the DEO. Training had quickly become her new favorite thing; sure, it was tedious at some times, but she loved learning more about her powers and spending time with her mothers. Suddenly, her stomach began to growl loudly. Throwing off the covers, Mae made her way towards the kitchen to see if her mothers had made breakfast. They were both usually up this early, going on patrol together first thing before coming back home and making breakfast for themselves and Mae; however, when Mae entered the kitchen, there was no sign of either of her mothers; just James nursing a cup of coffee in his hands. She furrowed her brow. “Are my moms home?” Mae asked him, but James shook his head.“I don’t think so, Mae.”A knock on the door nearly made Mae jump out of her skin. James set his cup down on the table and walked towards the door while Mae used her X-ray vision to see who was there.“Uncle Winn?”James opened the door to reveal a frantic and sweaty Winn. “Hey, Winn. What’s up?”“Oh, thank God!” Winn exclaimed, tension leaving his shoulders. “You guys are okay. Thank God.”“Yeah,” Mae said, her brow knitting together in confusion. “What’s going on, Uncle Winn? Where are my moms?”“Yeah, what’s going on, bud?” James asked, his hands on his hips and his brow furrowed.Winn’s hands began to shake and his eyes darted around nervously. “Something’s happened…you should…you should come with me.”Mae’s throat went dry, but she and James followed Winn downstairs to where his car was waiting. The drive over to the DEO was silent and uncomfortable while James followed on his motorcycle; Mae fidgeted nervously in her seat as her heart increased its pace. What was going on? Winn was incredibly vague as to that. When she glanced over at him, she could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his knuckles white because he was gripping the steering wheel so tight. Whatever was going on had him on edge, which shouldn’t be too alarming. Almost anything that happened made Winn a nervous wreck, but this was different. This was…unsettling. “Uncle Winn, are my moms okay?”“Huh?” Winn’s head snapped towards Mae for a split second before returning his focus to the road. “Oh, uh, yeah…I mean Lena is okay. She’s at the DEO.”“What about my other mom?”Winn swallowed nervously, his grip so tight around the steering wheel that Mae thought he was going to break it. “I’ll explain everything when we get back to the DEO. I promise.”“Why can’t you explain it now?” Mae inquired.Winn remained silent for several minutes before speaking again. “Because your mother needs to hear this too.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Seeing her mother in a hospital bed was becoming all too familiar for young Mae; this time, it was her other mother, but still…she hated seeing her parents like this. So powerless, so helpless…she loathed it. ‘Twas the life of a superhero, Mae knew this all too well. Was this what she had to look forward to when she was older?“What’s going on, Winn?” Lena demanded once she had Mae in her arms, her green eyes sharp and cold. “Where are Alex and J’onn? Where’s my wife?”Winn ran a nervous hand through his hair as he mulled over his words. “We’re…we’re still trying to figure that out.”“What do you mean you don’t know?” Lena spat through gritted teeth. Mae tightened her grip on her mother, her eyes widening tremendously and James’s eyes did the same. This wasn’t the first time Mae had seen her mother angry, and this definitely wasn’t the first time Mae had seen her mother angry regarding her other mother. The memory of Kara being in a coma all those years ago was still fresh in her mind. It had been the longest three days of her young life, and Mae knew deep down that it was probably even longer for Lena; she will never forget the look on her mother’s face when they saw Kara lying on the ground unconscious and bloody. Mae shivered. She hoped that Kara wasn’t in a similar situation now.Before Winn could respond, a shout sounded from below followed by several others along with a number of gunshots, the echoing boom piercing Mae’s eardrums.“What the hell’s going on?” James yelled. A flick of his wrist brought the shield out of his bracelet as he charged forward into the fray, Winn shouting behind him to wait. Lena tightened her grip on Mae as the shouts got louder and closer. “Mae, you need to hide.”Mae turned to look at her mother, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why?”“You just do,” Lena said, the tone in her voice telling Mae this wasn’t up for debate. Lena got up off the bed, her suit forming over her body as her ring glowed brightly. However, the wince didn’t go unnoticed by Mae.“But why can’t I help?”“Because I said so. Now go!”With that, Lena exited the room to go join the fight, leaving Mae alone in the medical ward. The sounds of gunfire and screaming and clashing grew louder and louder, nearly overwhelming the young half-Kryptonian to the point of paralysis. She ran over to one of the closets in the room and hid, covering her ears all the while. The noise was just too much for her little ears; it pierced through them like sharp needles, over and over again until they bled. Mae closed her eyes and curled into herself, praying to Rao for the noises to stop.Eventually, they did.And it was even worse than the cacophony of noise before.Quietly, Mae stepped out of the closet and made her way to the balcony overlooking the rest of the DEO. She stopped in her tracks at what she saw: several agents were lying unmoving and sprawled out in weird positions on the floor. Mae’s eyes widened. She leapt down to further inspect the scene, her heart fluttering faster and faster with each new discovery. While some of the agents were knocked out cold, others were sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth and shaking their heads as they softly begged for this to stop. The image was enough to send a shiver down Mae’s spine. It wasn’t until she walked into the main control area that she realized something else was off.“Mama!” Mae cried. “Uncle James! Uncle Winn! Where are you?”She zipped through the facility, trying to locate her family with her x-ray vision and her super hearing, but she was unsuccessful. “Mama! Mama, where are you?”Mae cried out and cried out, but she got no answer.Her mother was gone, along with everyone else. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kara opened her eyes to a red room and a sore body. Each one of her limbs felt as if they had been injected with concrete; it hurt to even move.
Ugh…what happened?
Kara craned her neck slightly to get a better look at the room as her eyes adjusted: she was in a circular room, a table of medical equipment on her left and menacing red lights adorning the ceiling and red lamps surrounding her. She tried to move, but her wrists and ankles were secured tightly to the table she was on. She couldn’t move. She was completely depowered.
What’s going on!?
The door to the room opened before her, and a man entered. Kara lifted her head to get a better look at him and narrowed her eyes. He was wearing a strange mask, one that looked like a skull…it was unsettling to say the least. Was she captured by another crazy cult? Kara prayed to Rao that wasn’t the case. “Who are you? Where’s Alex?” she asked, her voice cracking her sister’s name. So much for sounding intimidating.“You know me, Supergirl,” the man said. “More than you realize.”“That’s…not very helpful.”The man chuckled, a low growl emulating from his chest. His voice sounded familiar, but Kara couldn’t place it. “You know what it’s like, don’t you, to have everything you’ve ever loved, everything you’ve ever worked for taken from you in a single moment. Everything you’ve ever achieved is now meaningless. Your life is nothing more than ash at your feet. And you want nothing more than for the people who caused your endless suffering to suffer just as much as you have so they can get a taste of what you’ve had to go through. I thought you more than anyone would understand.”Kara swallowed but didn’t say anything. Her mind thought of Krypton and her parents, her aunt Astra, everyone. All of them were gone because they weren’t willing to see or accept the fact that their planet was on the brink of destruction. The man must’ve noticed the sad look on Kara’s face because he placed a hand on her leg. She stiffened under the touch, but he didn’t move. “I’m glad to see we’re on the same page. It’ll be a shame killing you.”Kara’s heart nearly stopped. “I don’t even know you. Why do you want to kill me?”The man removed his hand from Kara’s leg and pulled something out of his pocket: a large cigar from the looks of it, before lighting it and taking a few puffs as he stepped closer to Kara. “As I said, Supergirl, I want the people, no…the person responsible for this…” He looked down upon Kara’s face and Kara’s eyes widened. The man wasn’t wearing a mask…that was his face, “to suffer. Significantly. Watching you live through your worst fear seems like a good start.”Despite the fear pumping through Kara’s veins, she remained as stoic as she could. “Where is everyone? What have you done to them?”The skull blew smoke through its teeth. “You don’t need to worry about that right now.”“If you’ve done anything to them—!”The skull threw back his head and laughed. “You’ll do what, Supergirl? Hurt me? You’ve already hurt me enough.”“I don’t even know who you are!”“Oh, but you do. I admit, it’s been several years since we’ve last had an encounter, but I thought I would leave more of an impression.”Kara furrowed her brow, but suddenly the pieces began to piece together. She recognized the voice now. “Maxwell Lord. Rao, what happened to you?”“You did, Supergirl,” Lord said, ice lacing his every word. “And now you’ll finally get to pay for it.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It took a while for Mae to access the security footage—she wasn’t a computer wiz like her Uncle Winn, but after years of watching him work, she had managed to pick up on a few things—but eventually she managed to acquire it.And what she saw nearly made her heart stop.A strange-looking woman had entered the facility and she was taking out all of the agents singlehandedly, either by fighting them or just sending a look their way, which made them crumple to the floor like paper dolls. Mae’s eyes widened in terror as James faced off against her, only to be knocked unconscious a few seconds later. Mae continued to watch as her mother, donned in her Green Lantern suit, attempted to stop the woman with her ring, but like James, she was easily defeated. The young half-Kryptonian gazed on in horror as her mother was brought to her knees, her suit fading away as her body shook with fear. Lena landed on her knees, unable to look away from the frightening woman’s face before she passed out. Then the woman looked up at the camera, right into Mae’s eyes, and smirked before everything turned to static. Mae swallowed nervously. Whoever this woman was, she was responsible for destroying the DEO and kidnapping her family. But how was she going to find them? ------------------------------------------------------------------- “What happened to you, Lord?” Kara was stunned, absolutely stunned that the talking skull before her was a man she once knew; a deplorable man, but a man nonetheless. “How…how did this happen to you?”Lord laughed menacingly, the permanent smile on his face sending a chill down Kara’s spine. He took another long puff of his cigar. The smoke billowed out of his mouth in an eerie fashion, making Lord look like the main villain of an old horror movie, and Kara hated that she was smack dab in the middle of one. “The name’s Bones now,” he growled. “Thought it’d fit with my new look. What do you think?”Kara just stared at him incredulously. Of course the one thing he hadn’t lost was his sardonic sense of humor.“Do you remember the Daxamite invasion, Supergirl?” Lord continued. “How it nearly devastated this city? No, not just this city, but the entire world?”How could I forget? “That was years ago.”Lord huffed, amused. “That it was. Crazy how time flies, isn’t it? See, for me, Supergirl…when you have a face like mine, time seems to crawl to a snail’s pace. The memories you have all start to mix together in your brain like soup until the more prominent ones stick out the most. For me, those memories involve said invasion and the destruction of my life.”“What happened?” Kara inquired once more. If she could distract him long enough, maybe she could find a way to escape even if she didn’t have her super strength. She had to get out. She had to get back to her family. To Lena and Mae. Where was Alex? “Maybe I can help you.”A roaring laugh escaped Lord’s throat, or rather what was left of it. “Always playing the hero, aren’t you?”“I am a hero.”“Oh, please. I more than anyone know that the cape is just for show. I was there when you threw Cat Grant off a building.”Kara winced. That was a time in her life she’d rather not think about. “If it wasn’t for you, though, I wouldn’t have.”“You’re also always so quick to shift the blame. You’re Supergirl, you don’t make any mistakes. Not like us lesser humans do, anyway.”“That’s not—”“You are just as capable of fault as I am,” Lord said, gesturing to his face. “Case in point.”Kara furrowed her brow. “I thought you said the Daxamite invasion had something to do with that.”“True. That they did. I was in my lab when the ships came from the sky, and I was there when their bombs caused it to go up in flames.”
Oh…Rao…
“I lost everything. My research, my company, my body. I had it all stripped from me all in the matter of a second. Surprisingly, I didn’t die, so I made my way to Gotham, hoping to find a way to find out what happened to me. In the end, I found Fright.”“Well, your appearance is quite terrifying.”Lord whirled on her, the empty sockets of his eyes burning with cigar smoke. “I meant my new partner. She took me in and helped me realize my new potential. Helped me realize who deserved the blame.”“No one deserves the blame, Lord,” Kara said as calmly as she could. “What happened to you was horrible, yes, but it was an accident.”“The Daxamites invaded us!” Lord shouted, his cool demeanor melting away. “With the intent to conquer us! That doesn’t sound like an accident to me, Supergirl!”“The Daxamites are no longer here!” Kara countered. “What do I have to do with this?”Lord sneered and hissed. “I saw you flying around with one of them.”Mon-El. “He’s not here either. He’s gone just like the rest of them.”“But you two were an item, were you not?”Kara’s throat ran dry and her eyes widened. How did he know all of this?“Everywhere you went, he followed like a lovesick puppy. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.” Lord grit his teeth. “You inadvertently brought the Daxamites here via your hunk of man candy which nearly brought on the destruction of our planet.”Kara shook her head in disbelief. “That’s not my fault. I tried to stop it. I did stop it.”Lord hovered over her, a low growl emanating from him as he shook his own head, a needle in his hand pointed directly at her. “You were too late, and now I’m going to take everything from you, just as you took everything from me.” ---------------------------------------------------------------- Mae didn’t realize how boring patrol was until she found herself sitting atop the roof of the DEO. Maybe “boring” was the wrong word because of the circumstances, but she was practically shaking in her skin at doing nothing. Her parents were somewhere within the city—hopefully—but she had no idea where to start; the security footage wasn’t too helpful in that department. So Mae did what her mom would do: go outside and listen intently for clues. Since she didn’t have a costume or a secret identity, Mae decided to stick to the rooftop, but after an hour or so, she started to get antsy. There was nothing here! Even her X-ray vision was only getting her so far, and the lack of results was about to drive her insane. “What am I thinking?” she thought aloud, beginning to pace the roof. “I’m just a child! What can I do to save them?” She ran a hand through her hair with frustration. “I don’t even know where they are! Some hero I’m turning out to be.” All she’s wanted to do for her entire life was being a hero like her mothers. And now that she was given the chance to do so…Mae quit her pacing and dropped to the ground, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her head down. “What am I supposed to do?”All of the sudden, a cry reached her tiny ears, and her head shot straight up. Someone needs help! Pulling the hood over her head, Mae took off towards the location of the cry, making sure to keep herself concealed by the clouds like her mothers taught her to. A familiar figure caught her attention and her eyes widened.
That’s Superwoman!
Mae quickly ducked onto the roof of a nearby building and crouched down, watching as Superwoman helped stop a car from hitting a group of pedestrians on the sidewalk. Mae narrowed her eyes. Aunt Alex had told her what happened between Superwoman and her mom, so why was Superwoman saving someone now? Something wasn’t adding up. Mae closed her eyes and listened closely to the commotion going on down below.“Thank you so much!” a woman was saying. “I don’t know how to thank you…whoever you are.”“You may call me Superwoman.”“Superwoman? What happened to Supergirl? Are you related to her?”“You could say that.”The way she said that put Mae on edge. What did she mean by that?“Where is Supergirl?”“Out of commission. I’ll be taking over for her while she recovers.”Out of commission? Recovers? What was going on?It seemed the people of National City were thinking the same things that Mae was, but Superwoman had answers for those as well. At least, partial ones. “She got into some trouble, but don’t worry, you’re still in safe hands.” With that, she took off, leaving a large group of awestruck people in her wake. Mae only hesitated for a second as she realized that Superwoman might be the answer to what happened to everyone. Very carefully, she took off after her, staying a fair distance behind her so she could remain undetected. Mae was going to get answers one way or another. How she was going to get it from someone as powerful as Superwoman, she had no idea. Hopefully, it didn’t come down to a fistfight.After about a few minutes of flying, Superwoman touched down at a large facility in what appeared to be the desert. Mae stopped in her tracks and floated in the sky, looking down at the place. This was the first DEO location; she had heard several stories growing up about it from her mom and Aunt Alex. Her favorite one was the one where Uncle Barry helped her mom defeat Livewire and Silver Banshee. Mae’s brow furrowed now as she watched the facility down below her, feeling that this story was going to be a lot less fun than that one. Was this where everyone was? ----------------------------------------------------------------- The headache that plagued Lena when she opened her eyes was worse than every hangover she’s ever had. Everything was blurry and it felt like someone was pounding her skull with a sledgehammer from the inside.
What the hell happened?
Ever so slowly, Lena pushed herself up off the floor, her surroundings pulsing into focus. Glass surrounded her on all sides and the light in the room shone down on her as if she was being examined under a magnifying glass. Lena furrowed her brow. “Where the hell am I?” Pressing her hand to the glass, Lena stood up as gently as she could manage, her head still throbbing. “Kara? Mae? Where is everybody?” She appeared to be in some sort of holding room, but that still didn’t answer her question of where exactly she was. “What’s going on?”Lena didn’t have to wait long for an answer, when the door to her room opened and none other than Superwoman waltzed in, clapping her hands slowly as she sauntered closer. “Well, well, well. The mighty Green Lantern has fallen.”Lena grit her teeth. “What the hell did you do to me? Where’s Supergirl?”Lucy’s mouth stretched into a catlike grin. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head, princess. She’s fine…for now.”“What do you mean?”“Why should I tell you?” Lucy sneered. “She’s going to die anyway.”Lena’s eyes widened. “I swear to God, if you so much as touch a hair on her head, I will—”“You’ll what? If you couldn’t tell, Lena, you’re a bit, ah, what’s the word…trapped.”“I’ll get out of here,” Lena promised. “And when I do, you’ll be sorry.”Lucy hummed, her lips turning up into a sly smirk. “I have to wonder if that’s the Green Lantern talking or the Luthor side rearing its ugly head.”That touched a nerve, as Lena froze on the spot, her fists visibly shaking with fear and anger.“Aw, did I hurt your poor, little feelings?” Lucy mocked.“What happened to you, Lucy?” Lena asked, her voice on the verge of breaking. “Why are you doing this?”“I already told you. Repeating myself would just be a sad waste of time.”“I know someone is pulling your strings. Who are they?”A dark look passed over Lucy’s face, but it was gone as soon as it came, quickly replaced by a sinister smile. “No one is pulling my strings. Try and get comfortable. You’re going to be here for a while.”With one last bone-chilling smile, Lucy turned on her heel and walked out of the room, with Lena punching the cylinder she was in as hard as she could as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. -------------------------------------------------------------- Sneaking into the facility was surprisingly easier than Mae had expected it to be, but she would take anything that would make this whole situation go smoother. Once she found her mothers, everything would be better. They’d be able to get out of here and return to their lives. Mae just prayed that they were okay.The facility was dark and menacing, with red lights being the only source of light in the hallways. There were a few people milling about in the main area, manning computers and looking over monitors and such, but other than that, the area was pretty much empty. Mae squinted, trying to see if she could gleam any information off of the monitors when an image of Lena popped up. Her eyes widened and she moved closer. Her mother seemed to be trapped in a long glass tube, and she was pacing the circumference, her eyes darting around, seemingly trying to find a way out. Other monitors had images of the rest of Mae’s family held in similar tubes: Alex, J’onn, Winn, James.They’re all here, Mae thought. But where’s Mom?“Hey, kid!”A loud shout from behind Mae startled her. She turned around to see a DEO agent glaring at her and walking quickly towards her. “What do you think you’re doing here?”His cry got the attention of the other agents in the area, some of them pulling out their guns and pointing them at her. Mae raised her hands above her head, her heart thumping hard against her sternum. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!The man grabbed her by the arm forcefully. “You’re coming with me, kid!” He tried to pull her away, but Mae stayed rooted to the spot. “What the—what are you—?”Mae shrugged, a cheeky grin spreading across her face. “Like you said, mister, I’m just a kid.” Suddenly, she shoved the man off of her, sending him flying into the opposite wall. The other agents began to rush her as well, but Mae was too quick for them, using her heat vision to knock the guns out of their hands before giving them the same treatment she gave to the first agent. By the end, she was breathing heavily, but was feeling ecstatic. She just had her first superhero battle…and won! She pumped her fists in the air and let out a cry of victory, covering her mouth quickly when she realized how loud she was being. Reinforcements could already be on their way and Mae didn’t want to stick around to meet them. Thankfully, the monitors were still locked on the video feed of her family and friends, so Mae looked over to see where they were being held. With a new pep in her step, Mae made her way down the hallway, taking one of the agent’s keycards before she went.
Don’t worry, guys. I’m coming!
------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing that Kara noticed was that her limbs seemed to be even heavier than the last time she woke. The red light was still shining down on her, making her feel weaker than ever. The second thing she noticed were the odd sensations pricking up and down her arms; it was as if someone was pinching her flesh in several places. Groaning, Kara tries her best to sit up, but she was so weak she could barely move an inch. Her vision was foggy and her head was swimming, and could only make out silhouettes around the room.“Is everything ready?”“Yes sir.”“Good. Begin the transfer process now.”The sensations in Kara’s arms took on a different one, pulling now instead of pricking. She could feel everything within her being drained, and she couldn’t do anything about it. A few pained whines escaped her lips and tears began to roll down the side of her face; she was too weak, she really couldn’t do anything about it. The darkness slowly overcame Kara, but before she fully went under, a single word was uttered.“Lena…” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mae continued to creep through the hallways of the DEO, her ears on alert for more agents. Her heart was hammering against her sternum as she approached the cell area, but she couldn’t back down now. Not when she was so close. Mae rounded another corner, coming upon a large door.This has to be it, she thought. Using the keycard she lifted off one of the agents, she was able to gain access to the room, her heart swelling with relief at the sight that greeted her. “Aunt Alex!”The agent looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. “Mae? What are you doing here?”“Rescuing you!” Mae rushed up to the tube, placing her hands on the glass. She narrowed her eyes, heat beginning to build in the back of them.“Mae, wait!”The young hero blinked, her growing heat vision quickly fading away. “What?”“Your heat vision won’t work on this,” Alex carefully explained. “These containers were designed to hold extremely powerful aliens and to keep them from escaping.”“So…how do I get you out of here, then?” If her powers weren’t going to work, what was?“Well, how did you get in here?”Mae pulled out the keycard and held it up to Alex proudly.“Where did you get that?” Alex asked, but she quickly shakes her head. “Never mind, there’s no time. You see that little device over there?”Mae turns around, noticing the small black device protruding from the wall. “Yeah!”“You’re going to have to go over there and swipe the card in front of it. You got that?”“Yeah, I got it.” Mae quickly walked over to the device and followed Alex’s instructions. The device beeped once, and the tube opened up. Mae breathed a sigh of relief when Alex stepped out, running over to give her aunt a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”“Me too, kid,” Alex said, ruffling Mae’s hair a bit. “I’m glad you’re okay, too, though I don’t think your mothers would be too thrilled to learn about what you’ve been up to.”“They’re here, too, Aunt Alex.”“What?”“They’re here! Along with Uncle Winn, Uncle James, and Grandpa J’onn. I saw all of you on this big computer screen when I came here ‘cause I was following Superwoman and I didn’t know where any of you went and I thought she had something to do with it so I followed her here and now I found you!”Alex stared at Mae for several seconds as the information sunk in. “Okay, this is…this is bad. Do you remember the way you came in?”“Uh-huh.”“You’re going to go back there and fly home, you understand me?”“What? No way! I came here to save everybody because that’s what heroes do!”“Mae, you’re still a kid. You shouldn’t even be here.”“But if I didn’t come here, you would still be locked up!” Mae argued. “Plus I know where everyone else is, so you’re gonna need me in order to find them.”They stared at each other for several long moments; so long in fact that Mae was worried that her aunt would once more refuse. All of a sudden, Alex sighed. “Your mothers are going to kill me for this.”Mae grinned as they headed off to find the others. “Does this mean you’re my sidekick now?”That got an earnest laugh out of Alex. “I’m nobody’s sidekick, kid.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lena had no idea on how much time had passed: an hour, two hours, ten, a day, a week? It felt like an eternity nonetheless. Her ring was only barely glowing now; it had been fading steadily ever since she woke up here. She was afraid. She was so fucking afraid. She wasn’t afraid for herself, however; she was afraid for her family. For her wife and for her daughter, the whereabouts of both she had no idea about. Will Lena ever see them again? Right now, she wasn’t so sure. “I'm so sorry, Kara,” she whispered, a single tear making it’s way down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Mae, for not being strong enough.” Tucking her head down between her arms, Lena curled into herself, the tears now steamrolling down her face. The door to her room opened, the sound of footsteps shuffling towards her. Lena grit her teeth; were they here to torture her physically now?“Mama!”Lena’s head shot up at the sound of her daughter’s voice, her eyes widening and her heart swelling when she saw her before her. “Mae!” The tube around her vanished, and Lena sprinted over to her daughter, wrapping her up in her arms as new tears began to spill. “God, I was so worried!”Mae squeezed her back as hard as she could. “Are you okay, Mama?”“I’m okay now that I know you’re okay, sweetie.” Lena looks up and sees the rest of her friends surrounding them…but she noticed that one person was missing. “Where’s Kara?”Mae tenses, but Alex is the one who responds. “We’re still trying to figure that out.”“Would she be in another one of these rooms?” Nia asks, but Mae shakes her head.“I didn’t see her on the screen.”“What screen?”“The one in the main area.”Winn claps his hands together. “I know these computers like the back of my hand, so I should be able to find Kara in no time.”“Then what are we waiting for?” J’onn says. “Let’s go.”They all head back to the main area in a quick and hushed manner, Alex and Winn leading the pack. Lena kept looking behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed. This caught the attention of James. “You okay over there?”Lena lowers her voice. “Have you encountered anyone else here?”“What do you mean?”“Lucy came to see me.”James’s eyes widen in surprise. “She did? What did she say?”“She said…oh god, she said that Kara was going to die.”James is silent as he processes what Lena just told him. “That would’ve been nice to know beforehand.”“Instead of arguing, how about we just find my wife so we can save her? Does that sound good?”James just nods, and they headed to the main room with renewed vigor. --------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing everyone notices were the dispatched agents splayed out all over the floor.“Whoa, what happened in here?” Winn asks. “I thought it would be more of a fight to get in here.”Out of the corner of her eye, Lena notices Mae fighting to hide a smile, but failing. She raises a brow, but smiles a little herself; she’ll have to ask about that story later. After they find Kara.“Okay, let’s see what we got here.” Winn immediately gets to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard faster than should be humanly possible. “Shouldn’t take too long.”“It better not,” Lena mutters to herself, crossing her arms over her chest to keep herself from shaking too much. A feeling of dread was pooling in her stomach, a feeling that was becoming all too familiar at this point. The ring on her finger vibrated with nervous energy as she prayed to whoever was listening that Kara was still alive and breathing. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost her wife…she didn’t even want to think about it.“Found her!” Winn shouts, the sound of his voice startling Lena back to reality.“Where is she, Agent Schott?” J’onn inquires.“She…she’s not here.”“What do you mean she’s not here?” Lena spoke through grit teeth. “Where is she?”“Somewhere you won’t be able to see.”Lena’s head snaps around to see a horribly familiar sight: the woman that attacked them at the DEO. She clenches her fist and her ring pulses instinctively.The woman’s eyes pan over the unconscious agents splayed across the floor before smirking wickedly. “Did I miss all the fun?” She makes eye contact with Lena. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. Name’s Fright.”Almost instantaneously, the entire group readies themselves for a fight: J’onn shifts into his Martian Manhunter form and Nia forms dream energy from her fists, while Alex and James grabbed makeshift weapons off the nearby desks. Lena raised her ring and pulled Mae behind her; this monster was not going to lay a finger on her daughter. “Where is Supergirl?”Fright laughed, the sound sending a chill down Lena’s spine. “Somewhere you won’t be able to reach her. And by the time you do, it will be too late.”Eyes hardening, Lena grits her teeth and sends a fiery blast of green energy right into Fright, sending the woman flying back into the wall. Before she could storm over and give her some more, though, Lena felt a hand on her shoulder.“Get Mae out of here,” Alex ordered sternly, her brows furrowed with worry and tension. “And go find my sister.”Lena opened her mouth to protest, but Alex quickly cut her off. “We got Fright. Go!”With that, Lena rushed back over to Mae and Winn, gathering the former in her arms before forming a large green bubble around them. In a few seconds, they were flying out of the building, just as Alex and the others began their clash with Fright. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everything that followed the escape from the desert DEO was a blur. Lena was zooming from one place to another, first dropping Winn and Mae off at the DEO before racing towards the location Winn gave her: Lord Technologies. Lena didn’t have time to think about why Kara was being held there; all she cared about was getting there in time to save her wife. Crashing through the ceiling, Lena zips through several hallways in an emerald haze, her ring thrumming with so much power that her entire body was shaking. Nevertheless, she pressed on, determined to find Kara and take her as far from this place as possible. Eventually, she finds the area where her wife is being kept…along with Lucy Lane.“Well, well, well,” Lucy purrs. “I was wondering if you were ever going to show up. Honestly, I thought you simply didn’t care.”“Where. Is. She?” Lena growls, the ring on her finger thrumming with emerald power. “I swear to God, Lucy, if she isn’t here—”“Oh, she’s here, alright. But she…isn’t doing too good.” Lucy smiles a wicked smile. “You see, I need her alive for a little while longer, but once her blood has been drained from her body, well…” She begins to laugh maniacally, but Lena doesn’t let her finish as she sends a burst of green energy right at Lucy’s chest. Instead of it sending her flying backwards, however, Lucy only slides a few inches. “Huh…so it does work.”This, of course, shocks Lena to her core. “You…how…?!”“Turns out the blood of a Super is quite effective,” Lucy smirks, cracking her neck before making her way back over to Lena.Lena barely has any time to think before Lucy is on her, throwing blow after blow that Lena narrowly avoids.
She’s using Kara’s blood?
Lena draws up a large green shield as Lucy continues to furiously assault her.
She’s…draining Kara…
More punches. Heat vision. Even more punches.
Draining…Kara…
Kara…
Kara!
The shield disappears.And Lena throws all her will into her ring.The battle is in full swing with each woman trading punches and kicks, heat vision and ring blasts, each one more powerful than the last. Lena fought like a hurricane, whipping up new creations from her ring with newfound fury and determination. Lucy matched her with her own powers, her heat vision cutting through Lena’s suit and leaving a nasty burn on her skin; it was clear that neither of them was going to walk away from this fight unscathed. Finally, after what felt like hours, Lena punches Lucy square in the nose, the sheer force of it managing to send the latter back several feet. However, this only results in her laughing once more. “Give up already, Lena. You are no match for me, and once I have all of Supergirl’s blood, I will be the most powerful being on Earth!”The ring shone brightly on Lena’s finger, the sight suddenly giving her an idea. “Even the most powerful beings have weaknesses.” She lifts her palm up, producing a handful of sharp, glowing Kryptonite. Lucy gasps audibly and backs up, earning a relieved smile from Lena. “You want to be Kryptonian? You got it.” She extends her hand towards Lucy, forcing the woman to back herself against the wall in terror. “And everything that goes with it.”Lucy screams in terror at the fake-Kryptonite in Lena’s hands. Using this opportunity to gain the upper hand, Lena creates a large bar of the fake-Kryptonite and hits Lucy across the head, knocking her out cold. She produces green binds for the unconscious Superwoman before heading off to find Kara. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Lena to find the room Kara was in, and the sight that greeted her nearly made her heart stop.There were several wires protruding out of Kara’s body that were connected to several machines, and Kara’s body itself was ghostly pale; if it wasn’t for her chest going up and down slightly, Lena would think her wife was dead. Not wanting to hesitate another minute, Lena rushes over to Kara’s side and carefully extracts each needle from the Kryptonian’s skin. Taking Kara in her arms, Lena forms a large bubble around them and kisses her on her forehead. “Don’t worry, my love. I got you. We’re going home.” ---------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing Kara sees when she opens her eyes is a blinding yellow light. It took her a few blinks for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she saw that she was back in the DEO. Heaving a pained sigh of relief, Kara tries to sit up, but her arms were far too weak for that, so she leant back against her pillow. Turning her head slightly, she saw Lena and Mae sitting in a chair together, curled up in each other’s arms as they soundly slept. Kara couldn’t help but smile at the sight.“Hey you.”Kara turns to see Alex standing over her next to the sun lamps. “Hey,” she greets hoarsely. “What happened?”“A lot of stuff,” Alex replies. “I’ll tell you everything when you’re better. You’ve…had quite the ordeal.”“Lucy?”“She’s being held in a heavily guarded cell here,” Alex explains. “We’re going to try and figure out how to cure her. Now rest.”Kara opens her mouth to protest, but a yawn escaped her mouth instead. “Is…is everyone okay?”Alex nods. “Yeah, we’re all okay. Thanks to Mae, in fact.”“What?”Her sister laughs quietly. “Like I said, I’ll tell you everything once you get better.”“You can’t…you can’t just tell me something like that and not tell me the whole story!”“Rest. Now.”Kara sighs, but relents as she leant back against her pillow again. It wasn’t long until exhaustion crept its way back in, and within seconds she was out like a light, satisfied with the knowledge that her family was finally safe.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The city was always the quietest before the dawn, Kara found, and she really needed the quiet right now. After the tumultuous rollercoaster that was last year, the quiet was a welcome change. It gave her time to breathe, to calm the anxious cloud of thoughts that have continued to plague her since…since…Kara shook her head. She couldn’t finish the thought without shivering, prickles of hot tears burning the backs of her eyes. She still couldn’t believe that Lucy, someone she had thought of as a dear friend, had been corrupted and horrifically turned into a deranged villain. Thankfully, Lena was able to subdue and capture Lucy before bringing her back to the DEO to get her help. It took a while, but the detox of Kara’s blood was successful; however, her mind was still scrambled, so J’onn was doing his best to fully heal her. Kara was incredibly relieved that her friend was almost back to normal, but it didn’t change what happened in the past year. She didn’t blame Lucy for her actions, of course; she knew Lucy was just a victim; another victim of an equally if not more corrupted Maxwell Lord. Kara shuddered at the thought of his bony face peering down at her, smoke billowing from his eye sockets as he drained her blood with a constant smile. Lord was still on the run, along with his sidekick, Fright, and had been for the better part of the year. Kara, Alex, and the rest of the DEO had been searching for them during that time, but have so far been unsuccessful, and the string of constant failures was starting to wear on Kara’s conscience. Maybe the fact that the person who kidnapped her and tried to kill her is still at large was one of the reasons she wasn’t sleeping at night now; nevertheless, she knew that she had to find Lord and Fright, and soon.“Kara. Kara, are you there?”The sound of her sister’s voice in her ear shook Kara out of her trance, and she hastily made to reply. “Alex, hey, hi. Uh, what’s up?”“Just wondering why my sister is up at the crack of dawn for the fifth time this week, not to mention the thirteenth time this month alone.”Kara closed her eyes and sighed. “Couldn’t sleep.”“Do you want to talk about it?”“Noonan’s?”“Be there in fifteen.” ———————————————————————————————— “Have you even taken a breath yet?” Alex asked as Kara inhaled her fourth sticky bun in just as many minutes.“Sorry,” Kara spoke through a mouthful of food, blushing faintly. “Stress eating.”“So I’ve noticed. Is this about Lord?”Kara swallowed. “Who else could it be about? I thought he was just a self-centered dick before but…he tried to kill me, Alex. For something that wasn’t even my fault.”“We’re going to find him,” Alex said, a hard determination in her tone. She reached across the table and took Kara’s trembling hand in her own, squeezing it as tightly as she could. “We’re going to find him and we’re going to bring him to the highest form of justice, him and Fright both, I swear.”Kara’s eyes began to fill with tears. “Thank you, Alex.”“I got your back, Kara. Always have, always will.”“I appreciate that. I want to be there when you get him, though.”Alex furrowed her brows. “I’m sorry?”“I’m going to help you catch him. It’s literally my job to capture bad guys and put them away so they don’t hurt anyone ever again.”“I know, Kara. That’s my job, too, but…”“But?” Kara asked. “Why is there a ‘but’?”“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t help, Kara. That’s not it at all. What I’m saying is that you’ve been searching for him for almost a whole year, Kara. Non-stop. Personally, I think you should take a break.”Kara stared at Alex as if she had grown a second head. “‘Take a break’? Alex, I’m not going to be able to take a break until Lord is behind bars. Not only did he come after me, he came after you. He came after Lena. He came after all of our friends! I’m not going to stand by and do nothing.”“I know, I know,” Alex said. “But right now, we don’t have any leads.”“I can find one for you. I’ll fly around the whole world.”“Kara, you’ve already done that. Twice.”“I’ll do it again. I won’t stop until I find him.”“That’s exactly what I’m worried about!” Alex exclaimed. Her outburst caused a few of the other patrons of the cafe to look over to their table, so the agent continued in a quieter tone. “I’m worried that you’re going to work yourself to death, Kara. You’ve been at this for a year. When was the last time you slept in? When was the last time you went on a date with Lena or watched a movie with her and Mae?”Kara was silent, her jaw tight because she knew Alex was right. She had been putting all of her energy into finding Lord and Fright that she had put her family and her work on the back burner, and she felt so horrible about it.“Mae’s tenth birthday is coming up soon, right? Why don’t you and Lena take a few days off and do something for your daughter? She’ll only turn ten once.”“You’re right.” Kara sighed in defeat. “Why are you always right?”“Because I’m smart and I’m the oldest?” Alex said with a shit-eating grin, earning a an eye roll from Kara.“I’ll take a short break, but I want to do something first.”“What’s that?”“I want to talk to Lucy.”Alex inhaled sharply. “Kara, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“Why not?”“She’s still recovering. J’onn is doing everything he can right now to help her, but she’s still very frazzled. Whatever Lord did to her was…rough, to put it mildly.”“He put my blood in her veins,” Kara said, her voice empty. “That’s what drove her to insanity.”Alex remained quiet, a look of sadness and concern forming in her brown eyes.“I will take a break,” Kara continued. “But the moment you find Lord, call me. Please. I think…I know I need that closure.”Alex nodded and smiled. “Of course I’ll let you know. You go have fun with your family. I’ll take care of things on this end.”Kara smiled for the first time all morning. “I will. Thanks you again. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”“You’d get in a lot more trouble, that’s for sure.”The sisters shared a laugh as they wrapped up their breakfast with a long hug before Kara took off towards L-Corp, now eager to talk to her wife. ———————————————————————————————— The elevator ride up to Lena’s office was always slow, but not necessarily in a bad way. It gave Lena the time to mentally prepare for the day, give her a few seconds to breathe before diving right into the tasks of the day, which had tripled since Lucy was brought into the DEO’s care. She had been pouring all of her energy into finding a remedy for Lucy’s current mental state in the event that J’onn’s powers failed, but she was yet to have a breakthrough. Everything she tried has not worked, but she wasn’t going to give up yet. Today is a new day, Lena thought as the elevator doors opened onto her floor. She walked out, her heels clacking sharply against the laminated floor as she made her way over to Jess’s desk. “Good morning, Jess.”“Good morning, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor.”“Is my three o’clock still on for today?”“Yes, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor. I’ll let you know when Mr. Wayne arrives.”“Perfect. I’ll be spending tonight in the lab again, so feel free to go home when you finish your work.”“Are you sure, Mrs.--”“Yes, I’m sure. You work hard, Jess, and I appreciate everything you do for me. So go home and get some rest when you’re done.”“T—Thank you, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor.”Lena gave Jess a nod and smile before turning to head into her office. She nearly dropped everything she was carrying upon seeing Kara on her couch with a large bag of goodies from Noonan’s in her hand. “Jesus Christ, Kara! What are you doing here?!”Kara had the grace to smile sheepishly as she stood up. “I wanted to see you.” She lifted the bag out in front of her like a peace offering. “I brought Noonan’s.”“I see that,” Lena said, unable to hide her growing smile. “Come here.”In the blink of an eye, Kara was in Lena’s arms, holding onto her wife like a lifeline.“Are you okay, my love?” Lena asked. “What’s wrong?”“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for being distant,” Kara responded, her voice barely higher than a whisper.“Baby, you have nothing to apologize for.” Lena leant back and cupped Kara’s face in her hands. “You went through a traumatic experience, so of course, you’re going to need some time to process that.”“I should’ve been better, though. I should’ve leant on you more or something and I’m sorry I didn’t.”“Baby.” Lena placed a tender, loving kiss on Kara’s forehead. “I’ll always be here for you in whatever way you need. And if we’re being completely honest right now, I haven’t been doing a good job of that.”“No, Lena, no, you don’t have to—”“I’ve been distant just as much as you have,” Lena continued, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind Kara’s ear. “This past year has taken a lot out of us and has kept all of us busy with the fallout. It’s okay. None of this is your fault.”Kara nodded, leaning forward and resting her head in the crook of Lena’s shoulder. “What did I ever do to deserve someone as amazing and understanding as you?”The CEO laughed as she wrapped her arms around her wife once more. “All you did was walk into my office. That and you were the only person who believed in me.”“I will always believe in you, Lena. Always.”“And I you, Kara.”The two stayed like that for a long while, just basking in each other’s comfort and warmth, until Kara pulled back. “I love you.”“I love you, too. How are you feeling?”“Better thanks to you.”Lena smirked. “What are friends for?”Much to Lena’s delight, Kara blushed furiously. “Imp.”“Your imp, need I remind you.”“You do everyday, my love.”A joyous laugh escaped Lena’s lips as she made her way towards the couch, patting the spot next to her. “You mentioned something about Noonan’s?”Kara beamed. “I got your favorite!”“You mean you?”The blush returned in full force. “You…we…this is a place of work!” Kara whispered harshly.Lena quirked an eyebrow, a catlike smile adorning her face. “It is my place of work, so that means I can say and do whatever I want in it.”Kara spluttered and her blush deepened, causing Lena to grin in triumph. “Whatever am I going to do with you?”“You can kiss me, for starters.”It was barely a millisecond before Kara’s lips were on hers, her kisses slow and methodical, causing a growing heat to pool in Lena’s stomach. She moaned as Kara’s kisses deepened, grabbing fistfuls of Kara’s blouse and pulling her on top of her lap.“Why, Mrs. Danvers-Luthor,” Kara purred against her lips, “you’re feeling quite adventurous today.”“Everyday is an adventure with you, Supergirl,” Lena replied, biting her wife’s lip, earning a satisfying moan from her wife as Kara’s kisses became more fervent and insistent. “Oh fuck, baby,” Lena whined as Kara slowly made her way down her neck before sucking on her pulse point.“If you want me to,” Kara whispered, kissing the newly made mark on Lena’s skin. “You did say you can do whatever you want in this office of yours.”Ffffffuuuuuuuccccckkkkk. “I—I did say that, didn’t I?”“Do you have any meetings today?”“I have—fuck!” Kara grinding into her hips made it incredibly hard to think, let alone form words with her mouth. “Have one at three.”Kara grinned. “Then we have plenty of time, don’t we?”Fuck! Lena had to bite her lip to keep from squealing. “Jess might walk in.”Kara ceased her grinding then, looking at Lena with a look of concern. “We don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable with it. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”Before Kara could ramble any further, Lena grabbed her wife’s shirt collar and pulled her down into a passionate kiss. “I’m okay, baby, I promise.”“Are you sure?”Lena nodded. “I can lock the door.” A kiss. “Because.” Another kiss. “I want.” Another kiss. “You.” One last kiss, this one longer than the previous ones. “To fuck me until I can’t walk anymore.”Kara bit her lip so hard that Lena was surprised she didn’t draw blood. “Are—are you sure?”“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, my love,” Lena replied, her voice taking on a husky tone. “Just let me lock the door and I’m all yours, Supergirl.”Before Lena could move, however, Kara zipped away, locking the front door with the speed of a cheetah before reclaiming her spot atop Lena’s lap. “Shall we begin?” she growled, a lustful grin adorning her features.Lena nodded eagerly. “Yes, we shall.”Kara captured Lena’s lips in a hungry kiss, her hands framing her wife’s head. Lena moaned into her wife’s mouth as her hands fumbled with the buttons on Kara’s shirt. “Kara.”“Yes?”“Your suit, darling.”Kara leant up slightly, locking eyes with Lena. “Is there something wrong with it?”“Yes. It’s still on you.”Kara looked down. “Ah. Well, that is a predicament.”Lena chuckled. “You act as if this is the first time I’ve helped you out of your suit, my love.”The Super’s cheeks flushed bright crimson. “I, uh…wasn’t sure if you wanted it off quick or not.”“One step at a time, Kara,” Lena said, tilting Kara’s neck up so she could kiss her throat tenderly. “I want to savor every second with you.”“And…” Kara’s breath hitched as Lena bit Kara’s pulse point. “And I you.”“Less talking, more making love.”One of the many things Lena loved about Kara was that she took things seriously, and she especially took them seriously during love making sessions, which made Lena want her wife all the more. Their clothes were lost somewhere between all the kisses and touches, soon leaving nothing in between them as they climbed higher and higher in passion together until finally coming down in a sweet ecstasy-fueled release. Lena held onto Kara as tight as she could while the latter held her just as tightly, peppering her with chaste kisses as they lay on the couch. “How are you feeling?” Kara asked.“Amazing,” Lena replied, her voice nothing more than a breath. “You were amazing, my love.”“So were you. Was…was all of that okay?”“Yes.” Lena tightened her grip as she looked into Kara’s eyes. “Everything was okay. It was more than okay. Was it okay for you?”Kara nodded. “Yeah, it was. I just wanted to make sure it was okay for you.”“It was, my love, I promise.”“Okay, baby.” Kara lovingly kissed the top of Lena’s head. “I love you.”“I love you, too. We should probably get dressed soon, though.”“Yeah, we should.”Neither of them moved, however.“Oh!” Kara exclaimed. “I totally forgot why I came over here!”Lena raised an eyebrow. “You mean you didn’t come over here to have sex with me in my office?”Kara’s chest rumbled with laughter. “I came over here to ask you if you wanted to take a vacation to celebrate Mae’s birthday.”“I’d love to,” Lena said, a smile growing on her face. “Where were you thinking about going?”“How about Europe? I know you’ve been there several times, but I thought Mae would really like it.”“Yes, she would. When do you want to go?”“As soon as possible, if that’s okay. I think the longer I stay here, the crazier I’ll get.”Lena nodded. “Of course, darling. I’ll make arrangements to leave in the morning.”“Thank you.”“You’re welcome, my love.”Lena smiled excitedly. “I’m sure Mae will be ecstatic once we tell her.”“Oh, she definitely will be,” Kara said. “She’s going to be bouncing off the walls.”“Ha, yeah. In all seriousness, we do need to get dressed, darling.”Kara sighed, giving Lena another kiss on the top of her head before extracting herself from her wife’s limbs. “Yeah, we do. Do you want me to pick you up tonight?”“I’ll be staying here late again tonight,” Lena said as she pulled her shirt back on. “I’m still working on a cure for Lucy.”“I thought J’onn was helping her.”“He is. I’m just making something in case that’s not enough.”“You are truly amazing, you know that, right?”“I believe it when you say it, my love,” Lena said, her cheeks shining a light pink.“You should always believe it because it’s true.” Kara winked at her, causing her blush to deepen. “I’ll see you later, then?”“Definitely.”It was unclear who was the first to move, but they closed the distance between them, hands cupping each other’s face while lips crashed into each other with a delicate touch. “I love you,” Kara said.“I love you, too.”With that, Kara turned and flew out the balcony window, leaving Lena smiling in her wake as she made to clean up the mess they made. ——————————————————————————————— Kara thanked the gods that she had the day off today or else she would’ve had to explain to James where she was for the past couple of hours, and she was pretty sure he didn’t want any of those particular details. She still had some time to kill before she had to pick Mae up from school, and since they were leaving tomorrow for their European vacation/daughter’s birthday bonanza, Kara decided to bite the bullet and go talk to Lucy. She hadn’t seen or talked to her since they captured her all those months ago—Kara was still trying to come to terms with everything that happened—but now she needed answers, no matter how minor they were.Kara touched down on the balcony before making her way towards the main control room. Alex was there, her attention solely on the monitors before her as Winn and other agents around her typed furiously on their keyboards. “Have you found anything yet?” Kara asked.“Not yet,” Alex answered, turning to greet her sister with a smile and a hug. “Winn upgraded this system so we should have a better chance at finding him.”“Need I mention this is literally the one-hundredth and forty-second time I’ve updated it, so it better work,” Winn grumbled. “I want this to be over.”“You and me both,” Kara said before turning towards Alex. “Can I see Lucy?”Alex hesitated for a moment before nodding, and they made their way towards the holding cells, going through several doors until they came to a room with one large circular tube in the center of it housing a single person, and Kara’s heart sank at the sight of her friend. “Rao…”While Lucy didn’t look terrible, she had definitely seen better days: her skin was deathly pale and there were dark circles under her shifting, unblinking eyes. She looked like a frightened child, and Kara’s maternal instincts were starting to kick in. “How is she?”“Though it doesn’t look like it, she is better,” Alex replied, a sad note to her voice. “J’onn especially has been doing his best to make sure she’s being taken care of, but she’s still unaware of most things for the most part.”Kara’s hands clenched into fists as she fought back against the burning tears in the backs of her eyes. “This is my fault.”“None of this is your fault. You didn’t do this to her. Lord did.”“He used my blood. Even if I’m not directly at fault, I’m still part of the reason.”“Blood…”The sisters turned at the sound of Lucy’s frail voice. “Blood…” she repeated. “Need…her…blood…”Kara’s stomach churned.“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Alex said, but Kara shook her head.“I’ve put this off long enough.”With that, she walked towards Lucy, the clack of her boots echoing off the walls. “Lucy,” Kara spoke tentatively. “It’s me. It’s Kara.”“Kara…” Lucy didn’t look up, her brow furrowing. “Kara…”“That’s right, it’s Kara. Do you remember me? We were…are friends.”“Friends…” Slowly, Lucy lifted her head, eyes locking with Kara’s. Suddenly, Lucy launched herself at Kara, her eyes turning hard as stone and her lips parting in a vicious snarl. “You were supposed to save us!”Kara took a few steps back, thankful that the glass separated her and Lucy at the moment. “What—what do you mean?”“Called you…I called you,” Lucy spoke, her voice gravelly as tears sprung forth from her eyes. “You…never came.”The Super’s heart shattered. “The emergency call button.” She furrowed her brow. “But I would’ve heard it. This was six months before her first attack, right, Alex?”The agent nodded. “It was.”Kara folded her arms across her chest, her mind deep in thought. “That was around the time Agent Liberty was terrorizing the city.”“And when he captured you.”Kara grimaced. “Yeah.” She turned her attention back to Lucy. “Lucy, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. But I’m here now and I want to help you.”Lucy wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them close to her chest. Her eyes were shimmering. “Help…?”“Yes, I want to help you.” She gestured to Alex. “We all do. We’re trying to find the man that did this to you. Maxwell Lord, but you might’ve known him as Bones. Do you know where he is?”Lucy shuddered. “Bones…Bones…”“Yes. Do you know where he is?”“Hop…hop…Bones…hop…”Kara furrowed her brow, turning back to look at Alex, but her sister also had a look of confusion on her face. “What do you mean by ‘hop’, Lucy?”But Lucy wasn’t listening anymore, continuing to mutter the same two words under her breath as she leaned back against the glass. “Bones…hop….Bones…hop…”“Do you have any idea what she means by that?” Kara asked Alex once she was by her side again.The agent shook her head. “No idea, but I’ll look into it.”“Thanks, Alex.”“Have you talked to Lena?”Memories from this morning came flooding back and it took everything in Kara not to blush. “I—I did, yeah. She’s down for a vacation.”“That’s good. When are y’all leaving?”“Tomorrow.”Alex’s eyes widened. “So soon?”Kara nodded.“Well, I hope you guys have fun. And I promise to let you know if we find Lord.”“Thank you.” Kara looked back at Lucy. “I hope she gets better soon.”“Me too. We’re doing everything we can.”“Lena said she was working on something to help, too. Maybe I can have her send you what she has so you can work on it while we’re away.”“That would be perfect, thank you.”Kara nodded before giving her sister a parting hug. “I guess I’ll see you when I get back.”“Go have fun,” Alex said with a smile.Kara returned it before walking out, ready to fly home to her beautiful wife and kid. ——————————————————————————————— Paris in autumn was absolutely stunning. The sunrises were picturesque, and the sunsets looked as if a celestial being was painting the sky in beautiful oranges, yellows, and purples, and tonight was no different. The colors reminded Kara of Krypton, of the Jewel Mountains and it shimmering landscape, how it seemed to change colors in each blink of the eye. Her heart ached for her home planet in that moment, wishing that she could take Lena and Mae back to see it in its glory days before everything went to hell. Despite these thoughts, they were all having a lot of fun in Paris, especially Mae, who was absorbing every sight like an excited little sponge. They ate croissants, toured the Louvre and Notre Dame, and even went on a river cruise, and that was all in the first day. Now they were back at their hotel, Mae wiped out from the day’s excursions while her mothers were out on the balcony watching the sunset. Kara sighed.“What’s wrong, my love?”“Hmm?” Kara was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t even hear her wife speak.“You have that look in your eyes.”“What look?”“The look that something’s bothering you,” Lena said, a hint of worry in her voice. “Are you okay, baby?”Kara shrugged. “I’m alright, I guess.”“You guess? Are you…are you not having fun?”“No! I mean yes! Yes, I am having fun. I’m having so much fun with you and with Mae, it’s just…” Kara sighed again. “I miss home.”“Oh, baby.” Lena wrapped her arms around Kara and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry.”“It’s okay,” Kara said, her voice wavering ever so slightly. “You would’ve loved it. You would’ve felt right at home.”“I’m sure I would’ve, my love.” Lena kissed the top of Kara’s head lovingly. “What do you need?”“Just you.”“You have me, all of me. I’m not going anywhere.”“I thank Rao everyday for that.”Lena rubbed comforting circles into Kara’s back. “Do you need a distraction?”“Just you.”“I’m right here, my love, I got you.”They stayed like that for several silent moments, Kara soaking up Lena’s warmth with each passing second. “I love you.”“I love you, too. Do you want to take a flight around the city?”Kara shook her head. “I’ll be okay. I also don’t want to leave Mae alone.”“Alright, my love,” Lena said, her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Wait here.”Before Kara could say anything, Lena had extracted herself from their embrace, her suit forming over her body as she took off into the skies. Kara rushed towards the balcony’s edge, her wife’s name dying in her throat as Lena’s figure disappeared into the horizon. Her brow furrowed in confusion, but her heart pounded with worry; it wasn’t really like Lena to up and leave like that. Kara didn’t have too much time to think about that as Lena returned a few seconds later, landing on the balcony with the grace of an emerald swan. That didn’t last long either as Kara nearly bowled her wife over as she wrapped her arms around her.“Please don’t scare me like that ever again,” Kara said.“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Lena replied, placing kisses on her wife’s hair. “I’m okay, I promise. I just wanted to cheer you up.”“By nearly giving me a heart attack?”Lena chuckled. “No, silly.” She pulled out a wrapped package from behind her back. “With this.”Confused, Kara took the package and opened it, a smile growing on her face upon seeing the contents: a lone Parisian chocolate eclair. “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”“Everyday, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it more.”Kara pulled in Lena for a searing kiss. “Then I shall say it every waking moment of every day because I love you more than the sun itself, my love.”A dark blush colored Lena’s cheeks as she buried her face in Kara’s shoulder. “Kara, you are such a fucking sap.”“Hey, hey, hey! Watch your language! Mae could hear you!”“She’s asleep!”“As far as you know.”Lena shook her head, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “You are a sap and a dork and I love you so much too.”Kara returned her smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”“I wouldn’t either.”They stayed on the balcony, reveling in each other’s embrace until the sun had completely vanished. ———————————————————————————— The Danvers-Luthor European vacation continued swimmingly, with Mae enjoying each new location as much as the last. The family hit up Barcelona, Sicily, and Rome before heading to Venice, which was now Mae’s favorite city in the entire world.“She said that about the last one,” Lena whispered to Kara, smiling. They sat outside an old, local pizzeria, relaxing in the warm Italian sun. Kara and Mae were nursing six whole pies each, with Lena trying not to be sick at the sight.“She’s still a kid, Lee. Let her have her fun,” Kara replied, leaning over to place a kiss on her wife’s cheek.“This pizza is so good!!” Mae exclaimed with a mouthful of food. “Can we live here?”Both of her mothers laughed. “She is definitely your daughter,” Lena said, causing Kara to beam.After they finish eating, they decide to walk alongside the canals so their food could settle. The sunlight glimmered along the blue water as boats carried tourists and lovers alike through the historic streets of an ancient city. Mae walked ahead of Kara and Lena, who were holding hands and taking in all the sights around them. Kara breathed in the crisp air, a content smile taking up residence on her face. She was feeling much better than she was at the beginning of their trip; she was thinking about taking Alex out for a drink when they got back to thank her for suggesting this because this is exactly what she needed.“What’s on your mind?” Lena asked, her voice bringing Kara out of her thoughts.The super squeezed her wife’s hand before bringing it up to her lips for a tender kiss. “For the first time in a while, nothing much.”“That’s good, baby. You deserve to take your mind off things for a while.”“So do you, Mrs. Workaholic.”Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly, grabbing Kara by her collar and kissing her full on the lips. Kara melted into it, threading her fingers through Lena’s long black hair.“Mom?”Reluctantly, Kara broke away first, turning towards Mae. “Yes, sweetie?”Her daughter was standing ramrod still in the middle of the path, her head cocked to one side and her face scrunched up in concentration. “I hear something.”“What do you hear?”“Something far away. It sounds…it sounds like a scream.”Kara’s eyes widened, and she focused with her own super-hearing. Sure enough, there was the sound a woman screaming for help. With a word of parting to both Lena and Mae, Kara hurried over to where the scream was coming from. She touched down a few moments later, landing right next to a woman trapped underneath a car. The woman continued to scream in Italian, but Kara didn’t need to understand the language to know that she was in need of help. Some bystanders were forming a crowd next to the scene, some were even trying to lift the car and save her, and Kara could hear the sound of an ambulance coming. There was no time to waste. She told everyone to stay back as she moved next to the woman. “Everything’s going to be okay,” Kara told her, using her super strength to push the car up. Once the car was up, the people who were helping before moved to get the woman out. Kara gently placed the car back just as the ambulance pulled up. She saw to it that the woman was safely strapped in the ambulance before it drove off, and when she turned back around, she was greeted with raucous applause. Kara’s face broke into a grin. She waved at the crowd before taking back off, eager to get back to her family to let them know she was okay. Using her super-hearing again, Kara learned that Lena and Mae were back at the hotel, so she flew there as fast as she could. She touched down on the balcony, thankful that they had gotten the penthouse suite, closing the door behind her faster than humanly possible. Without warning, Mae barreled into Kara’s arms, almost knocking the latter over. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, I’m okay! It’s okay, I’m okay.”“Mama was getting worried, but I told her that it didn’t sound too bad.” A look of worry suddenly overtook her face. “It…it wasn’t too bad, was it?”Kara shook her head. “Everyone’s okay, baby, I promise.” She brought Mae into her arms and held her tight, looking up and making eye contact with Lena, who was standing in the corner of the room. “I’m sorry I left you both in a hurry.”“You don’t need to apologize,” Lena said, her expression softening. She walked over and placed her hand on Kara’s arm. “We are a family of heroes. Saving people is what we’d do. I’d be a hypocrite if I kept you from doing that.”Kara smiled. “Thank you. I just know we’re supposed to be on vacation right now and I don’t want to put a damper on that.”“You didn’t, love. I promise.”“Yeah!” Mae exclaimed. “I wanted to come with you, though.”Kara chuckled. “Maybe next time, sweetie.”“How about you go take shower and we can go out for dinner?” Lena suggested.Kara nodded, giving Mae a kiss on the head before heading to the bathroom.Ten minutes later, they were back out on the town, eating large bowls of pasta in a fancy restaurant. Kara recounted what happened earlier and tells Lena that she’s planning on visiting the woman in the hospital tomorrow to see how she’s doing. The latter agreed, saying that she’ll also cover the woman’s medical bills. After dinner, the family went to the Trevi Fountain. The statues looked beautiful even at night, every detail enhanced in the show lighting.“Can I make a wish, Mom?” Mae asked.“Of course, darling.” Kara gave her daughter a quarter, the young girl rushing towards the fountain and joining the rest of the patrons.“What do you think she’ll wish for?” Kara asked Lena.“I don’t know. What would you wish for?”“Nothing.”Lena looked quizzically at Kara. “Nothing? Really?”Kara shook her head. “There was a time I used to have an answer, but I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here with me.”“Baby…”“It’s the truth, my love.”The next thing Kara knew, her lips were being smothered in a kiss by her wife. “I love you.”“I love you, too. What would you wish for?”Lena smiled. “For my family to always be happy.”“That’s a good one. I would wish for that too.”“How are you feeling, Kara?” Lena asked, her voice taking on a concerned tone. “Truly?”“Happy.” Kara exhaled. “Though all my worries about Lucy and Lord are not completely gone, this vacation really helped to clear my head somewhat. I’ve had so much fun with you and Mae and…I’m just so happy right now.”Lena smiled. “I’m so glad, my love. That’s what you deserve.”“It’s what we deserve.” Kara wrapped her arm around Lena’s shoulder, squeezing it affectionately.“I can’t argue with that.”The two shared another kiss under the starlight, both thankful for everything they had in life and looking forward to the rest of their adventures together.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Another year passed, just like they always do, and just like every year, the year started out rather peaceful. No big bads had to be dealt with, the world wasn’t on the verge of collapsing, and humanity as we know it wasn’t in danger of ending any time soon. In fact, life had been rather pleasant. Kara and Lena were thriving at their jobs, both in their civilian ones and their ones as heroes of the city, and they were adored by the public more and more each day. Mae had begun her first year of middle school earlier this year and had quickly become an ace student, which made everyone in her family extremely proud, especially her mothers. And to top it all off, Lucy was finally, finally, getting better. Kara had visited her every day when she got back from her family vacation, and each time Lucy was able to hold conversations for extended periods of time; she even apologized to Kara for everything she did, but Kara immediately forgave her. She never blamed Lucy for anything, so holding a grudge against her was pointless. Unfortunately, Lucy still didn’t have access to all of her memories, but J’onn was confident that she will make a full recovery within the year, which relieved Kara to no end. But of course, where there was good news, there was almost always bad news: The DEO still had no idea where Lord and Fright were, despite having deciphering the meaning behind Lucy’s “hop”. Turns out Lord and Fright had “hopped” to another Earth to hide, and Kara leapt at the opportunity to go catch them. She had waited too long for closure. After traveling to several Earths, including Earth-1, her searches proved to be fruitless. Despite her frustrations, Kara told her friends on Earth-1, Team Arrow and Team Flash, to be on the lookout for the villains and let her know if anything comes up.After that, the peace continued…but not for long.One day, after dropping Mae off at school, Kara and Lena went to the DEO to get in a morning training session.They trained for a couple hours, both of them practicing new moves until they were perfect, working together like a well-oiled machine. Neither one of them knew who’s idea it was, but they soon found themselves in the air, dodging each other’s strikes and countering with maneuvers of their own. That is they were…until Lena finally managed to pin Kara to the opposite wall with a strong beam of green light. Kara moved to get out, but she couldn’t, causing Lena to smirk like the cat who caught the canary. “Looks like you’re stuck, Supergirl.”“I’m not stuck, I’m just…” Kara couldn’t find a suitable answer for that. Whether it was due to exertion or the fact that she was low-key turned on by this, she couldn’t tell.“Well?” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to do something about this?”Kara bit her lip, the challenge heating her up from within. Using every ounce of strength she had, Kara slowly but surely made her way towards Lena, the beam of light growing shorter and shorter by the second. If Lena was upset by this, she didn’t show it, and soon enough Kara had her pinned against the wall instead. “Is this satisfactory?”Lena nodded, her eyes darkening with desire. “Yes it is. More so, in fact.”“Good. I’d hate to disappoint you.”“You,” Lena leant in, pressing teasing kisses to Kara’s jawline and making her way down her neck, “never disappoint me.”Kara bit the inside of her cheek to keep from moaning aloud, heat pooling at the bottom of her stomach. “Good to know.”Unable to resist any further, Kara dove in for a kiss, her arms pinning her wife’s above her head in on each side. Lena returned the kiss eagerly, and Kara’s mind melted as Lena’s tongue forced its way into her mouth. Despite their hunger for each other, they didn’t take it further than making out as unlike their bedroom or Lena’s office, the doors to the training room were always unlocked and they didn’t want history to repeat. Nevertheless, Kara’s heart was bursting with love for her wife, wishing that this moment would last forever.“Kara, Lena. You guys still there?”Kara groaned as Lena rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Winn. what’s up?”“We got a situation. J’onn wants the both of you up here ASAP.”“Okay, we’ll be right there.”Kara turned to look at Lena, and they both broke out in laughter. “At least no one walked in on us this time,” Lena said.“Oh Rao, I don’t think Vasquez has made eye contact with me since then.”“Shall we get going?”Kara sighed dramatically. “If we have to.”“I think we do have to, baby.”“Okay. Do you think we can continue this later?”Lena gave Kara a wink and a kiss on the edge of her mouth. “Of course, darling.”Floating down to the ground, Kara and Lena made their way to the main control room. J’onn was standing in the center with his hands on his hips, Alex was by his side with her arms crossed, and Winn was typing away at his computer. A normal sight at the DEO. “What’s going on guys?” Kara asked.“There’s a hostage situation at the National City Museum,” J’onn explained. Winn pulled up security footage, showing several people, including children, tied up and kneeling on the ground. Two masked people had guns and were watching them, making sure no one moved a muscle, and two others were walking through the museum, their heads on a swivel as if they were looking for something.“Police are already on the scene and have the building surrounded,” J’onn continued, “but we would like Supergirl and Green Lantern on the scene to make sure no one gets hurt.”“We’re on it,” Lena said, Kara nodding in agreement.With that, the two heroes head towards the balcony, changing into their suits before taking off into the skies. ———————————————————————————————— Supergirl and Green Lantern landed on the roof of National City Museum after flying at record speeds. Police cars surrounded the entire front of the building, red and blue lights flashing and officers pointing their guns at the entrance, ready to pull the trigger at any sign of hostiles.“Can you see anything inside?” Lena asked.Using her X-ray vision, Kara peered down into the building, gaining a birds-eye-view on the hostages and the perpetrators. The two that were looking for something come back with a large necklace and placed it inside a black box. Kara’s eyes widened at the sight of it. “They’re stealing the Amulet of Rao.”“The what?”“It was usually worn by the Voice of Rao during services. He was the high priest of Rao and highly respected in Kryptonian culture.”“Okay,” Lena said. “That’s cool, but why is it in a museum?”“Remember when Clark and I donated some stuff from the Fortress of Solitude a couple years back?”“Yeah.”“The Amulet of Rao was one of them.”“Okay, but what do a bunch of thieves want with an old Kryptonian artifact?”“I don’t know,” Kara said. “But we’re about to find out.”With that, Kara created a hole in the ceiling with her heat vision, and she and Lena flew in. They worked together to disarm the thieves and free the hostages, with Lena taking the hostages out to the police and Kara tying up the thieves before doing the same thing. “Alex, you there?”“I’m here, Supergirl. How goes your mission?”“All the hostages have been freed and the thieves have been contained. Going back in to return the stolen artifact.”“Good to hear, Supergirl, Excellent job, both of you.”Kara smiled, turning off her comms before going back inside. She took the Amulet out of the case and returned it to its exhibit with the other Kryptonian artifacts. When she turned around to head back, she came face to face with another thief, but this one wasn’t wearing a mask. “You came,” the woman said reverently. “You really came.”Kara’s eyes widened in recognition. “Olivia?”“You remembered my name.” The woman smiled a toothy smile and began to laugh hysterically. “The great Supergirl remembered my name! What a joyous day this is!” Olivia fell to her knees and bowed. “I am your humble servant and shall do whatever you ask of me.”“Uh…” An unpleasant feeling formed in the pit of Kara’s stomach. She thought she had dealt with the Cult of Rao years ago. How in His name are they still around? “Um, well, you can…serve me by turning yourself into the police for trying to steal a Kryptonian artifact.”Olivia lifted her head, her brows furrowed. “But why would I do that, my lady?”“Because stealing is wrong?”Olivia only shook her head. “My fellow followers and I were trying to liberate these artifacts from this place, where they would be seen by nonbelievers and not used by those who would continue the legacy of your people. You would—you should want us to do this.”“I don’t,” Kara said. “Look, if you truly wanted to please me, as it were, you wouldn’t have put innocent people in danger.”Olivia’s expression darkened. “Those people are far from innocent if they would allow this…this…sacrilege to occur right under their noses!” She stood up slowly until she was looking Kara right in the eye. “I won’t let anyone stop me from fulfilling my purpose. Not even you.” With one quick movement of her hand, Olivia pulled out a gun from her jacket and aimed it directly at Kara’s heart.“Supergirl!”Kara looked behind Olivia to see Lena pointing her ring at Olivia, ready to strike. “It’s okay, Lantern! The bullets aren’t Kryptonite, I can feel them.”Olivia laughed, the sound putting Kara on edge. “These bullets may not hurt you, my lady, but they can hurt her.”Before Kara could react, Olivia turned around and pulled the trigger, and Lena’s cry of pain was all that Kara could hear. “LANTERN!!!” Rushing forward, Kara caught Lena before she hit the ground. She pressed her hand to Lena’s shoulder, red blood gushing between her fingers. NononononononononoNONONONO!!! “It’s gonna be okay,” Kara whispered to her wife, tears streaming down her cheeks. “It’s gonna be okay, I got you.”Kara was so focused on Lena that she didn’t notice Olivia pulling out a switch until it was too late.“The time has come, my lady,” Olivia said, her voice shaky as tears filled her own eyes, “for you to make a choice. I know you’ll make the right one.”She pressed the button on the switch and Kara reacted; she was able to get Lena and Olivia out before the section blew up. She dropped the latter off with the police before charting a straight path to the DEO. “Alex! Lena’s been shot! I’m flying back now!”“I’ll have a room prepared for her. It’s going to be okay, Kara.”Kara looked down at the pale face of her wife, praying to Rao that such was true. ——————————————————————————————— Kara sat in wait across the room Lena was in, anxiously waiting to hear the news. It had been a few hours since she had brought her back from the museum, but Kara hadn’t moved; she still had her wife’s blood on her hand and on her suit, but that didn’t matter when her wife was on the operating table in the room before her. While not a surgeon herself, Alex offered to oversee the surgery, which Kara was grateful for. Logically, Kara knew that a shoulder wound wasn’t necessarily fatal, but that didn’t stop her from worrying.The door opened and Kara stood up a little too quickly, her feet leaving imprints in the hard floor. “How is she?”“She’s fine,” Alex said. “She’s recovering now, but she’ll be fine.”Kara let out a breath she had been holding since she got back. “Thank you, Alex, thank you so much.”“Make sure you thank the surgeon. He was the one who did the work.”“I will, thank you. Can I see her?”“She’s asleep right now.”“That’s okay. I just need to see her.”Alex nodded and stepped aside, leaving Kara alone to see her wife. Her heart broke at the sight of Lena’s extremely pale face and her bandaged shoulder, and the tears began once again in full. Kara took a seat beside her wife, taking Lena’s uninjured hand in her own and squeezing tight. “I’m sorry,” Kara whispered as she cried. “I’m so sorry.” It had been quite some time since either of them were in any mortal danger like this, so the reminder that Lena was indeed vulnerable to such attacks, even with her ring, shook Kara to her very core. It was like a stab to the heart, but Kara couldn’t find herself to remove the knife; she couldn’t, for this was the life they had both chosen, and she had to accept that.“Mmm…”Kara’s head snapped in the direction of her now stirring wife, her vision blurred by new tears. “L—Lena?”“Kara…” Lena’s voice was weak and scratchy, but her grip on Kara’s hand was strong. “What happened?”“You were shot,” Kara choked. “But you’re okay now. I’m so sorry I didn’t act quicker.”“It’s…it’s not your fault. Don’t…don’t…”“Shh.” Kara placed a tender kiss on the top of Lena’s head. “Rest now. You’re safe.”“I’m always safe with you,” Lena said drowsily. “Can you hold me?”“Of course, baby.”Kara crawled in bed beside Lena, holding her as tight as she could without doing further damage. “I love you.”“I love you, too.”They stayed like that for a long while, Kara comforted by the fact that Lena was still alive, and she didn’t plan on letting go for a while. —————————————————————————————— Two uneventful weeks pass by like a slug crawling through peanut butter. Lena had been cleared to go back to work at L-Corp despite Kara’s protests that she should still be resting. Lena argued that she was fine enough to do paperwork and promised Kara not to overexert herself, but Kara’s worries didn’t fade. It’s not that she didn’t trust her wife, but all she could see when she closed her eyes now was Lena bleeding out in her arms. Talking to her therapist helped some—she didn’t tell them all the details, of course—but only so much.Work helped take her mind off things. Kara threw herself into her journalism, writing article after article, though she avoided covering the museum robbery like the plague. Not that it mattered since some of her coworkers were still talking about it, treating the topic like the gossip columns they wrote. Kara wanted nothing more than to give them a piece of her mind, but she kept her mouth shut. There were articles to be written.A few days later, after Kara had turned in her assignments for the day, she and James went to a nearby restaurant to get a bite to eat.“How are you holding up?” he asked after they ordered. “I know that Lena’s okay and all, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”“I’m, uh, hanging in there, I guess,” Kara said. She took a deep breath before she continued. “Seeing Lena like that slowed my world down. I didn’t know what to do at first. All I knew was that I had to protect her, but…what kind of hero am I if I can’t protect my own family? I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve reacted quicker. I don’t know why I didn’t…”James reached across the table, covering her hand with his in a comforting gesture. “You did all you could in the moment, no one’s blaming you for anything. Lena’s okay and she’s going to come back from this stronger than ever before. She always does.”Kara nodded, sniffing and trying to blink away her coming tears. “She’s the strongest person I know. I just don’t…I just don’t want her to hate me.”“She doesn’t hate you. I don’t think it’s possible for Lena to hate you.”“Yeah, you’re probably right.”“Have you talked to her at all?”“A little,” Kara said. “She spent most of the time recovering and I was making sure that everything was okay so we haven’t really talked about…what happened.”“Forgive me if I’m overstepping here, but maybe you and Lena should talk about what happened. It might help you put this all behind you.”Kara bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, but before she could say anything, a tall, lanky man came up to their table. “How’d I know I would find you at a place like this?” he said with a large smile on his face. “Lucky guess too, as this was my first guess.”Kara turned to look up at him, her jaw dropping when she recognized who it was. “Barry!” She leapt out of her seat and pulled him into a bone-crunching hug, all of her fears and worries pushed to the back of her brain. “What are you doing here? And did you grow a beard?!”“Haha, yeah, I did,” Barry said, stroking his small beard with his fingers. “Iris likes it, not to mention it has surprisingly little wind resistance, actually.”“Huh.”“As for what I’m doing here, it has to do with what happened during your last visit. Remember when you said to be on the lookout for a certain duo of villains?”Kara’s heart leapt up into her throat. “Have you found them?”Barry nodded. “They’re on Earth-1. In Star City.” ——————————————————————————————— As much as Kara wanted to head to Earth-1 at that very moment to retrieve Lord and Fright, she didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to everyone, especially Mae and Lena. She told Barry that she’ll meet him at the DEO later in the day before flying home. Lena and Mae were both there, watching one of Mae’s favorite shows on the TV. It was about a woman with a magic gun killing demons—“revenants” as they called them—with said gun. It could be a little intense at time, but Mae was old enough to watch such things. Besides, it was a very good show and both Kara and Lena enjoyed it as well. Kara sat down beside her wife, kissing her sweetly on the cheek right before Mae bowled into her with a mighty hug.“Oof! Hey, bean! How was your day?”Mae shrugged. “The same as yesterday. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to class, come home, watch TV, go to bed, repeat.”Kara raised an amused eyebrow. Mae definitely got her sass from Lena, and Kara thought that was absolutely adorable. “I think you forgot doing your homework somewhere in there.”“I did it when I got home!”“She did,” Lena said. “I can attest to it.”“Okay, good.” Kara smiled, ruffling her daughter’s hair. “I actually have to tell you guys something.”“Is it good?” Mae asked, a bit of apprehension in her voice.“I think so,” Kara said, directing the next sentence to Lena. “Barry came by today. He said they found Lord and Fright on their Earth.”Lena’s eyes bugged out of her head. “Are they sure?”Kara nodded.“Holy crap,” Lena muttered, running her good hand through her hair. “Have—have they captured them yet?”“Not yet. Barry said he wanted me to come and help with that.”“Can I come, Mom?” Mae excitedly asked. “I can help!”Kara smiled, touched that her daughter wanted to help, but shook her head. “Not this time, sweetie.”“But I helped out last time.”“Yes, you did, but this is something I need to do on my own, Mae. These people are dangerous, and if anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself. Besides, I need someone to look after National City in my stead.” She booped Mae on the nose, causing the young hero to giggle. “Can I count on you?”Mae nodded enthusiastically, giving Kara a mock salute. “I’m on the job!”“I’m glad to hear it. Is it okay if I talk to your mother alone?”Mae nodded again and went back to her room. Once Kara and Lena were alone, the latter took Kara’s hand within her own. “Are you sure you’re okay going alone, Kara?”“I have to be. This is our only chance to finally catch these guys and bring them to justice.”“I know, baby. I’m just worried because I know what they did to you and I don’t want you to be alone facing that.”“I won’t be alone. I’ll have Barry.” Kara brought Lena’s hand to her lips. “And you’ll be with me in my heart, like you always are. My only worry is if you’re going to be okay while I’m gone.”“I will be just fine, my love,” Lena said.“Lee, you were shot. It’s okay if you’re not fine.”It was small, but Kara felt it: a tremor in Lena’s hand. That was all it took for Kara to wrap Lena up in her arms, holding her as tight as she can and rocking her back and forth as Lena began to cry. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. I got you, I’m right here.”“I should’ve seen it coming,” Lena sobbed. “My ring was pointed right at her, why didn’t I act?”“Shh, shh, shh. It’s okay, baby, don’t blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. I should’ve done something. I’m the one with super-speed after all.”“Kara, you saved me. I don’t blame you for anything that happened.”“But I could’ve easily prevented it!”“As could’ve I. I think we were both expecting her not to shoot.” Lena lifted her head to look at Kara, her green eyes shining like emeralds. “We hoped that she wouldn’t shoot.”Kara nodded, too choked up to speak. “I’m so sorry this happened.”“I said I don’t blame you, my love, but if you need me to say ‘I forgive you’, I forgive you.” Lena said, following it with a sweet kiss to Kara’s lips. “I forgive you.”The tears came full force then as Kara completely broke down in Lena’s arms. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”“Being you, my love. That’s all you did.”“I love you so much.”“I love you so much, too.”Kara wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and kissed her wife’s brow. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”“I know you will, my love. Promise me you’ll be safe.”“I promise.”“That’s all I want, baby. One of us should come home unscathed.”“I promise you I will.”“When do you leave?”“I told Barry to wait for me at the DEO, but I can spare an hour.”“Are you sure?”“For you? Always.”Lena smiled and snuggled further into Kara, and the two stayed like that, quiet and content, for the next hour. ——————————————————————————————— After saying her goodbyes to her friends and family, Kara went with Barry to Earth-1. They ran and flew to Star City, where they were going to meet with Oliver and Felicity; Barry told her that the latter was the one who found out that Lord and Fright were on their Earth, and that Oliver had been keeping tabs on them for the past week.“Why didn’t he call me when he initially found them?” Kara asked.“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”The elevator doors opened to the Arrow Cave, and the two made their way inside. Oliver and Felicity were in the center looking at the monitors when they noticed their friends walk in.“It’s good to see you, Kara,” Oliver greeted. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”“What, I don’t get a ‘Hey, Barry. Good to see you, too,’?” Barry said.“I see you all the time.”Barry pouted. “A ‘Hello’ would still be nice, though.”“I see you grew a beard, too, Oliver,” Kara commented.Oliver runs a hand through his beard, which was much longer and blonder than Barry’s was. “Thought I’d give the look a try.”Barry snickered. “Please, you grew it out because Felicity likes it.”Oliver blushed a deep crimson as Felicity nodded and gave a thumbs up behind him. “I say we get down to business.”Kara laughed along with Barry; she missed hanging out with them. She promised herself that one day soon she’ll bring Lena and Mae back with her to visit properly. “So Barry told me that you’ve been watching Lord and Fright for a week?”“I have,” Oliver answered. “Felicity?”With just a few clicks, Felicity pulled up blueprints of an old warehouse. “This is where we tracked those goons down to. I got wind of them when my trusty cameras picked up your creepy lady friend on surveillance, and from then, it wasn’t hard to track down where they were.”“They have big guards and even bigger guns,” Oliver added. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”“You could’ve called me,” Barry said with a smirk.Oliver just gave him a look. “This is Kara’s mission. I wanted her involved as soon as I knew they weren’t going anywhere.”Kara smiled, feeling touched at Oliver’s words. “Thank you, Oliver. I appreciate that.”Oliver nodded. “We still need to come up with a plan.”“Between the three of us, we should be able to take them easily,” Barry said, Kara voicing her agreement.“We’ll strike tonight,” Oliver said, turning to Kara. “I assume you’re tired of waiting.”“That I am. Sounds like a plan.”They all spent the next half hour formulating a plan, hashing out details until they were all satisfied. The moment they were done, Felicity’s tablet started to go off.“Oh! William’s calling!” she exclaimed. “Is it okay if you guys give us a moment?”“Of course,” Barry said, and he and Kara hurry off to another part of the cave as Felicity and Oliver answered the call. Once they were far enough away, Kara let out a long sigh, feeling a significant weight being lifted off her shoulders.“You okay?” Barry asked.“I don’t know. I mean I’m happy that we’re finally taking down Lord and Fright, but this also doesn’t feel real, you know? We’ve been tracking these two for the better part of two years and now they show up? Something just feels off.”“I understand that, but Oliver and I will be there behind you every step of the way. No matter what happens, we’re going to take these guys down.”Kara nodded, her determination growing tenfold. “Yeah, we are. I’m ready to close this chapter in my life.”Barry clapped his friend on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit. Maybe once all of this is over, you can come back and hang out without any baddies breathing down our necks.”Kara laughed. “You know, I was just thinking about that earlier. I’d like that. I’ll bring Lena and Mae, too.”“Well, I for one, would absolutely love that. I don’t think I’ve met Mae, now that I’m thinking about it.”“Are you serious?”“Yeah, I think so.”Kara’s jaw dropped. “I…I am such a bad friend!”“No, you’re not,” Barry said, an adorable smile on his face. “It’s the hero’s lifestyle, I completely get it. When was the last time I visited you for pleasure and not business?”“…it’s been a while.”“See? It’s okay. Besides, I already know that Nora and Don will get along well with Mae.”Kara smiled. “I think they will, too.” ——————————————————————————————— Later that night, Supergirl, Green Arrow, and the Flash were atop a building looking down on Lord and Fright’s warehouse. Two guards were patrolling the area, each carrying a loaded assault rifle. They were no match for the Flash, however; he took them out faster than the blink of an eye. Kara and Oliver met up with him at the front entrance, with Oliver shooting an explosive arrow at the doors. The explosion rocked the whole place, and the heroes entered the building, they were greeted by massive gunfire.“Go find Lord and Fright!” Oliver shouted, nocking another arrow into his bow. “We’ll take care of the rest.”Kara gave him a nod and took off to find the people she was here for. It didn’t take long to search; she found them trying to get into a vehicle outside the warehouse. Using her heat vision, Kara blew up the car before either Lord or Fright could reach it, landing directly in front of them. “Going somewhere?” Her eyes were still burning with heat, her hands clenched in tight fists by her sides as the car burned behind her, casting her in a fiery glow.“NO!” Lord cried. “How?!”“How do you think? I’m Supergirl.”Fright scoffed, daring to take a step towards her. “We’ll see how super you are when—”She didn’t get any time to finish her sentence, her jaw broken by Kara’s iron fist. Fright crumpled like a paper doll on the ground, causing Lord to scream in anguish and rage.“What did you do?! YOU FUCKING BITCH, I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!”Kara paid his words no mind, and in no time at all, had Lord by his collar. “You tried that already. Didn’t stick.”Lord struggled to get out of Kara’s grasp, but it was no use. She had him by the throat—literally—and there was no escape. “What are you going to do to me, huh?” he growled. “Kill me?”Kara had thought about this. She had thought about it night and day since she was rescued from Lord’s clutches last year and, if she was being honest, she was tempted to. “No,” she ultimately said. “I’m gonna put you in a hole and throw away the key. You’re never seeing daylight again.” A part of her was scared at how intense she sounded, but the rest of her just wanted this…this…scum to rot behind bars. Not wanting to look at Lord’s skull anymore, Kara knocked him out, his body going limp in her arms. She looked down at him and every emotion she had been feeling came bubbling to the surface. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as her body racked with sobs. A guttural cry escaped her throat, and the ground vibrated around her. Kara took a deep inhale of breath, now feeling physically weak from everything, and yet she felt relieved. She felt happy. This chapter in her life was finally over. She stood up, her eyes red and her throat raw, and she picked up the unconscious bodies of Lord and Fright. It was time to go home. ————————————————————————————————
4 Months Later
The sun shone down from its high place in the sky, casting everything is an almost golden light. Kara watched as Mae ran around the open field that was the Queens’ backyard with Nora, Don, and Mia, Oliver and Felicity’s teenage daughter. Kara watched along with the other parents in between swapping stories about their kids. They laughed, they drank, they had a merry time. Kara sighed contentedly. It had been a few months since Lord and Fright were brought back to Earth-38 and locked up in the deepest, darkest parts of the DEO; no other prison could hold them. Since then, Kara barely had any nightmares and was sleeping better at nights. She would still live with the trauma that being in Lord's hands at brought, but she knew she could handle it. Kara looked around at her group of friends, her wife, her children and her friends’ children, and smiled, hoping that they would get to do this kind of thing more often in the future and thankful that she had all of them in her life.
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“Can you pass me another balloon, Lee?”“You’ve already blown up twenty balloons, dear,” Lena said as she handed her wife a blue balloon. “Our guests won’t be able to move without bumping into one.”“It’s a party! There’s supposed to be a lot of balloons!”Lena laughed, the sound warming Kara’s heart. “Well, I think we’ve exceeded the quota on balloons, love.”“Nonsense! Mae’s going to love this. She’s only going to turn twelve once.”“That’s true. Only one more year until she’s a teenager.”Kara groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’m not ready for the teenage years.”“Why? Because she’s more inclined to rebel? If she’s anything like me, that’ll definitely happen.”Kara chuckled as she shook her head. “I just want her to stay a baby forever.” Kara remembered Mae’s birth as if it was yesterday; she’ll never forget the feeling of holding her newborn daughter in her arms for the first time, the sight of her little tuft of black hair atop her head, her smooth skin, her bright blue eyes and gummy smile. Kara loved being a mother and Mae was one of the best things in her life, but she was going to miss holding her baby. One day, Mae was going to go to college, become a hero in her own right, and maybe even get married and have kids of her own. Kara couldn’t wait to see what Mae’s future had in store for her, but she wasn’t ready to let go of her baby girl just yet.“Kara?” The sound of her wife’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. “Are you okay? You’re tearing up.”Kara’s hand shot up to her face, coming back wet and salty. “Oh, I’m sorry, I…I was just thinking about Mae.”“I had a feeling, my love. Come here.”Lena wrapped Kara up in her arms, placing a loving kiss on the side of her head. “Mae is lucky to have you as a mother.”“I’d say she’s even luckier to have you.”“No,” Lena said. “We’re luckier to have her in our lives.”“I couldn’t agree more. When did our baby grow up?”“I don’t know,” Lena said, her own voice starting to sound watery. “But she’s grown into such an amazing woman.”Kara smiled into Lena’s shoulder. “Yeah, she has. I’m so proud of her.”“I am, too.” Lena placed one last kiss on Kara’s forehead. “We should probably finish decorating for her party tonight.”Kara laughed, wiping the remaining tears off her face. “We probably should.” —————————————————————————————— A few hours later, the Danvers-Luthor penthouse was filled with family and friends, all there to celebrate Mae’s twelfth birthday. The girl of the hour was having a grand old time, gorging on all her favorite foods and loving all the gifts everyone was giving her. She was especially happy to see Ruby, who had come home from college to visit. The two of them were on the couch, Mae listening to Ruby’s tales from university, while the adults were gathered around the bar, trading stories of their own. This continued for a few more hours before everyone left one by one, leaving Kara and Lena to clean up the aftermath after sending a tired Mae to bed.“Another party in the books,” Kara said as she boxed up the leftover cake and put it in the fridge. “I’d say it was a successful one.”“You always say that.”“Because they always are.”Lena laughed. “You are a dork, you know that?”Kara gasped. “No! I am…” Using her super-speed, Kara took Lena in her arms, pinning her against the island. “Your dork.”“Mine.”“All yours.”Kara leaned in to kiss her beautiful wife, but a blinding white light filled the entire penthouse. The women broke apart in surprise, but immediately recovered and got into defensive stances. The light faded as instantly as it appeared, and a small man was now perched on the edge of their couch.“Finally! I’m free!” the man exclaimed. “Love really was the key.”Kara and Lena shared a confused look. “Who are you?” the former asked. “And what are you doing in our house?”“Ah, of course,” the man said, leaping off the couch and bowing low. “Where have my manners gone? Here I am to confess my eternal love and I forget myself!”Kara raised a brow. She didn’t like where this was going. “Your…eternal love?”The man’s smile spread across his entire face. “Yes. My heart has been singing a song for several years now and it shall not go unheard any longer!” Kara’s eyes widened as he got down on one knee, one hand extended towards Kara and the other on his heart. “Kara Danvers, I love you.”Kara’s eyes practically bugged out of her head at the declaration. She turned to Lena, who had the same expression adorning her features. “I’m sorry, there must be some misunderstanding.”“No misunderstanding,” the man claimed. “You are Kara Danvers, or rather, Kara Zor-El, are you not?”“Technically, I’m—”“Wonderful! And I’m Mr. Mxyzptlk, at your service.” He bowed again. “But you can call me Mxy for short. I have spent so long watching you from afar, but I can stay apart no longer.” He stood up and and took Kara’s hands in his own, and Kara immediately felt repulsed. “Watching you has been the highlight of my miserable life and I am so happy that I can now say that to you. But enough stalling! There is to be a wedding!”Kara had no response, her brain was short-circuiting that fast.“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible.”For the first time during this whole exchange, Mxy spared Lena a glance. Kara could swear his expression soured. “Love is not impossible, my dear. It is the essence which binds two people of equal stature together which leads to a holy union that will last several eternities.”“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Lena said, her voice a low, threatening growl. “I’m saying it’s impossible for you to marry Kara.”“Oh? And why is that?”Lena lifted up her hand, her wedding band glinting in the light. “Because I already am.”For a quiet moment, Mxy didn’t react, his face impassive. Then his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I see. Well,” he shrugged. “I can easily fix that.”With a snap of his fingers, Lena vanished, the apartment was filled with candles and flowers, and Kara’s shirt and pants were replaced by a wedding dress. “What?” she spluttered, trying to make sense of her current situation. “What did you do? Where’s Lena?”“Somewhere where she won’t interfere.” Mxy was now wearing a tuxedo, complete with an orange flower attached to the lapel of his jacket and a green bow tie. “Shall we begin, my love?”The way he said “My love” made Kara want to hurl. “No. I—I object! Bring Lena back right now!”“Why would I do that?” Mxy asked, genuinely confused. “She wasn’t invited.”“She’s my wife, Rao-dammit, so bring her back!”Mxy’s eyes harden and his voice took on a sharp tone. “Come now, darling, you’re being unreasonable. Let us say our vows and we’ll start living the life you deserve.”“Unreasonable? I’ll show you unreasonable, you—!”“Mom? What’s going on?”Both Kara and Mxy turn to see Mae standing in the hallway, her brow creased in confusion. “Why are you wearing a wedding dress? And who’s that?”Before Kara could reply, the window to their apartment shattered, and Lena flew in, her ring shining with power and pointed directly at Mxy’s head. “No one kicks me out of my own house,” she said between gritted teeth. “Especially strangers.”Mxy promptly took a step back, a look of fear in his black eyes, the first Kara had seen all night. “Well…it seems to me that I have overstayed my welcome. But make no mistake, Kara, you will be mine when this is all over.”And with a snap of his fingers, Mxy vanished.Kara didn’t have time to process a single thought before she was wrapped up in the arms of her wife. “Are you okay? Who was that?”“I don’t know,” Kara finally said. “To both things.”“Why was he here?” Mae asked.“He wants to…marry me, for some reason, but that’s not going to happen. I’ll go to the DEO tomorrow and let the others know about this.”“I’ll come with you,” Lena said. “Whatever this guy is, he’s incredibly powerful.”“Can I help?”“Maybe,” Kara said. “But for now, I think we all could use some sleep.”Mae headed back to bed as Kara and Lena cleaned up the mess of candles and flowers left behind by Mxy. They soon retired to their room and, after helping Kara out of her ridiculous wedding gown, crawled into bed. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Lena asked, running her fingers comfortingly through Kara’s hair. “I know this must be a lot to take in.”“I should be asking you that! You’re the one he teleported away on a whim. Where did you go, by the way?”“In the air above L-Corp. I’m grateful I was wearing my ring.”“Holy shit, baby, are you okay?”“Yes, baby, I am. It looks like we both are for the time being.”“If Mxy ever comes near you again, I’m kicking his ass.”Lena laughed. “You and me both.” ——————————————————————————————— The next morning, Kara and Lena go straight to the DEO to inform their friends of the incident last night. They met in the conference room so they could have some privacy.“That sounds serious,” J’onn said after they finished explaining. “From what you’ve described, it seems that Mxyzptlk is an imp from the fifth dimension.”“Okay wait,” Lena said, holding up a hand. “You’re telling me that not only are there multiple Earths, there are multiple dimensions too?”“Of course. I thought this was common knowledge.”“Do you know how we can deal with him?” Kara interjected before Lena could go on a nerd rant. “Is there any way we can, you know, send him back to his dimension?”J’onn shook his head. “As far as I know, no. Martians have never had direct contact with them, so we never had to worry about them.”Kara internally cursed as she took a breath, centering herself. “Okay. Is there any way we can track him, you think?”“I don’t think a regular tracker’s going to work on this guy, Kara,” Alex said.“I could track weird energy signals that pop up,” Winn suggested, already typing a code into his tablet. “Do you have anything that he touched so I can have a base point?”“Uh…” Kara quickly flew back to her apartment and came back with a candle that Mxy conjured. “Will this work?”Winn scanned the candle and uploaded the data to his tablet. “Alright, we’re good to go. I’ll let you know if I catch wind of him.”“Thanks, Winn. You’re the best!”“Oh, I know.” Winn mimicked flipping his hair, getting a laugh out of the others. “This doesn’t change the fact that if we do manage to find him, we have no way of getting rid of him. You said he could teleport, right?”Kara and Lena both nodded.“Maybe a power dampening collar could work,” Alex suggested. “Either that or I put a bullet in his brain for making the moves on my sister.”“Alex!”“What, like I’m going to let him get away with that?”“Ha,” Lena huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “Get in line.”“We’re not killing him,” Kara said, her tone leaving no room for arguments. “I don’t care if he is a sleazy creep, even he doesn’t deserve that.”“How you are the way you are, I’ll never know,” Alex said with a shake of her head.“Anyway, there must be something we can do.”“There will be, but let us worry about that for right now,” J’onn said. “You two go on to work, we’ll let you know if we come up with anything.”Kara sighed, but nodded. “Okay. Thanks, guys.”“You can count on us,” Winn said, saluting the two as they both flew away. ——————————————————————————————— It was almost surreal to walk into a normal workday after the chaotic weirdness of last night, but Kara was determined to have as normal a day as possible. She even got coffee from the machine, something she rarely ever did, before heading to her office, wanting to get a jumpstart on the workday. All sense of normalcy flew out the window, however, when Kara entered her office: it was filled ceiling to floor with flowers. At first, Kara smiled. These were the same flowers that Lena had sent her all those years ago before they started dating, before Lena knew she was Supergirl. It was one of the many reasons Kara fell for her; her wife’s generosity and thoughtfulness knew no bounds, and Kara greatly admired Lena for those qualities. Cutting a careful path through the flowers, she made her way to her desk, discovering a note on top of it. Her heart sank and her stomach roiled when she read it. The note was written in a script that was obviously not her wife’s, and the words that were written gave her deja vu of last night. Lena didn’t send these flowers, Mxy did. Furious, Kara tore up the note and threw it in the trash. She used her heat vision to reduce the flowers to ash. After cleaning up the mess, Kara immediately dialed Winn.“Hello?”“Mxy was here.”“Wait, what? Where?”“In my office, Winn. He was here in my fucking office!”“Whoa okay, calm down. Was he physically there? Did you see him?”“No, he sent a bunch of flowers and left a note.”“Ugh. Talk about not taking the hint.”“Why didn’t your program pick him up?”“I don’t know. He must’ve gotten there before I installed it.”Kara groaned. “I’m sorry, Winn. I shouldn’t be taking my frustrations out on you.”“Don’t worry about it. It’s okay to be upset about this. I know I would be. Oh wait! I got something!”“Is it Mxy?!”“No, but there’s a situation downtown. I’m letting Lena know, as well.”Kara nodded. Anything to get her mind off Mxy. “I’m on my way.” ——————————————————————————————— Supergirl and Green Lantern arrived on the scene just as the robbers were about to run for it.“You know, people have worked hard for that money,” Supergirl said, stepping forward with her hands on her hips. “Maybe you could learn a lesson from them.”“Some of us don’t have that luxury, Supergirl,” the main robber replied. “You aren’t going to stop us from providing for our families.”“No. But we will stop you from hurting others.”The robber and his cohorts just laughed. “Well, unlucky for you, we came prepared.” They all pulled guns out of their coats, but Kara quickly saw that they weren’t normal guns; they were alien in design and were all loaded with Kryptonite bullets. Steeling her expression, Kara got in a certain fighting stance, which was more of a signal than a stance, one that Lena recognized immediately. She turned her ring on the robbers, wrapping them all up in a lasso construct. The robbers struggle to break free, but they remained trapped, their guns clattering onto the floor. Kara breathed easier. “Let’s take them in.”Lena nodded, but as she made to move them, the construct began to flicker.“Lantern, what’s going on?”“I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”But the light continued to flicker, in and out, until the construct faded away completely. Not wanting to waste their newfound freedom, the robbers booked it out of there, leaving a shocked Lena and Kara in their wake.“What the hell was that?”“I don’t know! I don’t know what happened!”Kara groaned in frustration before taking off after the robbers. They couldn’t have gotten very far, after all. She followed them into an alley, but when she turned the corner, she was shocked to see them all on their knees, their hands behind their back and their mouths gagged.“What the hell…?”“I’d thought you’d like the gift.” Mxy jumped down from a railing he was standing on, landing nimbly in front of the robbers. “After all, trouble-makers such as these should be punished, wouldn’t you agree?”“What are you doing here, Mxy?”“Ah,” Mxy sighed, placing a hand over his heart. “How my heart flutters to hear you say my name.”
Ewewewewewewewewewewewewew!
“I’m here to put my plan into action,” Mxy boasted. “My plan to win your heart.”“Not interested.”“Oh, come now, Supergirl. There is no doubt in my mind or my heart that your strength is incomparable and undeniable, but even the strongest need someone to lean on. Someone they can…rely on in times of danger.”Kara’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”Mxy shrugged, a sly smirk on his face. “If I were there with you, these rapscallions wouldn’t have had a chance to get away, let alone react.”“How do you—?”“I’m an all-powerful being as you are, Supergirl. You deserve me as I deserve you.”Kara grits her teeth. “Shut up. I’m taking you in.”Just as Kara lunged, Mxy vanished, but his voice was still present in her ear. “I’ll have you yet, my dear. Just you wait.” ——————————————————————————————— Once Kara finished handing the robbers over to the police, she flew back to the DEO to report what happened, including the Mxy incident. Alex and J’onn informed their agents to be on the lookout for him while Winn tweaked his program. After that was all taken care of, Kara went to go find Lena, who she heard was in the training room.Lena was practicing one of their many routines with a concentrated look on her face; every time she tried the finishing move, her ring fizzled out, and she groaned in frustration. As Kara watched her, her heart ached, and she wanted nothing more than to go over there and comfort her wife. Lena turned around then, their eyes locking for the briefest second before Lena turned away, lowering her head in shame. “I didn’t think you’d want to see me right now,” Lena said.“And why’s that?”“Because I fucked up today,” Lena said as she sat down on a bench, running a hand through her sweaty ponytail. “I endangered everyone and let the robbers get away.”“Hey.” Kara sat down beside her wife and took her hands in her own. “I don’t blame you for that, though I would like to know what happened back there.”“I don’t know. One minute, my ring was working perfectly, and the next, it…wasn’t.” Lena lifted her hand up and examined her ring. “It’s frustrating, to say the least.”“They did have guns.” Kara remembered the incident from the year prior as clear as day. “Were you afraid?”Lena shook her head. “I didn’t feel afraid at all. Even if I did, I would be able to get it to work now, but it’s not. I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”Kara furrowed her brow. “I think I may know.”“What?”“When I tracked down the robbers, I found them tied up and gagged by Mxy. He, uh, he alluded to your ring not working, so I think he might have done something to it.”“He what?” Lena was fuming. “I swear when I see him again, I’m going to knock his smug grin right off his face.”“Hey, hey, hey, Lena. We’ll figure this out. Everything’s going to be okay.”“How can you be so sure?”“I’m not, but I have to be for your sake.” Kara squeezed Lena’s hand as tight as she can. “Let’s go home.”Since Lena couldn’t fly, Kara had to carry her all the way home, just like she did in the old days, but neither of them seemed to enjoy it very much. Mae was sleeping over at a friend’s house, so they had the penthouse all to themselves. Though they would’ve normally leapt at the opportunity to be alone together, both women were too mentally exhausted to do anything, so they just crawled into bed. As Kara took Lena into her arms, she promised that she would do everything in her power to make this right. ——————————————————————————————— A few days passed by without incident, but Kara didn’t lower her guard just yet. Lena’s ring still wasn’t working, which meant she couldn’t activate her suit, leaving her incredibly agitated. This made Kara all the more motivated to find Mxy and make him pay, but there hadn’t been any increase in fifth dimensional energy in a while. This made Kara nervous; she knew Mxy was planning something, and she wasn’t looking forward to what it was.During her lunch break one day, Kara got Big Belly Burger and headed over to L-Corp. Jess told her that Lena was down in her lab and had been there all morning, so Kara took the elevator down. She found her wife at one of the tables examining something under a microscope. Kara knocked on the side of the entrance. “Hey.”Lena looked up, her entire body relaxing visibly upon seeing her wife. “Hey yourself. What are you doing here?”“Thought you might want some refreshments.”“Have I told you that you’re the best wife ever?”“Nope. This is the first time I’m hearing it.”Lena rolled her eyes but smiled. “You’re a dork.”Kara kissed Lena’s cheek lovingly. “I am your dork, thank you very much.”“As you continue to remind me. We can eat over here.”“What are you working on?” Kara asked as they sat down and began to ate.“I’m trying to figure out a way to reactivate my ring. It is tech, but it’s mixed with another kind, one of alien origin that I don’t know of, so I haven’t had any luck getting it to work. I’m going to get in touch with Hal and see what he says.”“That’s a good idea, baby. I hope he can help.”“Me too.” A pause.“Lena, is something wrong?”“I don’t know,” she said. “I know I can still help people without the ring. I’ve been doing it long before I got it, but that doesn’t quiet the voice in my head that says I’m not good enough. I know it’s silly to think that, but I never realized how much I relied on my ring until now.”Kara listened intently. Once Lena finished speaking, Kara took her wife’s hand in her own and kisses her knuckles. “You are the strongest person I know, with or without your ring. You’ve been helping people long before we met and you still do, both as Green Lantern and as Lena Luthor. I promise we are going to find a solution to this, but don’t doubt your abilities. You will always be more than just a ring, my love.”Lena’s green eyes sparkled with tears, a few of them escaping and spilling down her cheeks, which Kara dutifully wiped away with her thumb. “Thank you, baby. I love you.”“I love you, too.”Just then, Kara’s phone went off, and both women burst into laughter.“Talk about timing,” Kara said.“That always seems to happen to us.”“The life of a hero, babe.” Kara went to answer. “What’s up, Winn?”“There’s a fire downtown that needs a certain Super’s freeze breath to put it out.”“I’m on my way.”“One more thing! I got a ping of fifth dimensional energy around that area so our friend Mxy might be itching for another one-on-one.”“Thanks for the heads-up. Does Alex still have those collars?”“You bet she does.”“Good. I’ll swing by there real quick before heading out.”“Go get ‘em, Supergirl.”Kara thanked Winn again and hung up before turning to Lena. “I have to go, I’m sorry.”“No, it’s fine, baby. Go kick some ass.”“Oh, don’t worry.” Kara gave her wife a full kiss on the lips. “I intend to.” ——————————————————————————————— With the collar firmly in her hand, Kara flew as fast as she could towards the fire. She didn’t need her special sight to see that it was bad; the smoke had already reached the clouds. Once she got close enough, she dove, using her freeze breath to put out the large fire; it was so big that from where Kara was, it seemed to have no end. Nevertheless, she pressed forward, determined to save as many as she could. She was so focused on putting out the fire that she nearly ran into another flying being.“Whoa!”The figure zoomed by, seeming to use its own freeze breath to put out the fire as well. Kara furrowed her brow. “Clark?”The figure paid her no mind, going about the building and putting out more of the fire. Kara took this opportunity to do the same, as well as get survivors safely out of the building. Ten minutes later, the fire was put out and all the people inside were safe, albeit some had a few minor burns and smoke in their lungs but that was nothing the EMTs couldn’t handle. After making sure everyone was okay, Kara turned her head to the sky, trying to find her cousin. She saw him land a ways away and made her way over, wanting to thank him for the assist. Kara hadn’t seen him in a while so she was excited to see him again. That excitement faded when she saw who it really was.“You?!”Mxy stood there with his hands on his hips wearing a replica of Clark’s suit. A good replica, but a replica nonetheless. “Ah, my love. That was excellent work back there. We make a pretty good team, do we not?”“Why are you wearing Superman’s suit?”“This old thing?” Mxy gestured to his outfit. “I’ve observed that couples sometimes wear matching outfits so everyone knows they’re together so I thought we should do the same.”Kara pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering how in all the galaxy this man was real. “For the last time, Mxy, we are not a couple.”“How quickly you dismiss our love, Supergirl. I am clearly the heroic companion meant for you, not that poor excuse of a Green Lantern.”“Don’t you dare talk about her like that! You’re the one who messed with her ring, weren’t you?”“She’s only human, whilst I am the equivalent of a god, as are you. I am more worthy of you than she is.”“It’s not about worth, it’s about love,” Kara said, nearing her wit’s end.“That’s what I’m saying, my love. I love you!”“You love the idea of me, Mxy, not me. And I certainly don’t love you. I love my wife and I love my daughter, and I always will.”With that, Kara flew away, completely forgetting about the collar. Mxy clenched his jaws and narrowed his eyes. “You will love me yet, Kara. Soon, I will be the only one you can love.” ——————————————————————————————— The school bell rang at 2:30 sharp, and almost instantly, hundreds of students poured out of the entrance doors. Mae was walking alongside her best friend, Emily, a girl in her English, math, and science classes, the two of them happily chatting away as they made their way towards the carpool area. Mae saw her ride in the middle of the line, so she said goodbye to her friend and entered her mother’s limo. Once she got in, she saw that neither of her mothers were there, which made her confused. Usually at least one of them was there to ask her about her school day and maybe get some ice cream if she did well on a test—which was pretty much all the time—but to have neither of them here was odd, to say the least.“Hey, George,” Mae called the driver through the partition. “Where are my moms?”“Your mothers are busy at the moment.”The hairs on the back of Mae’s neck stood up. Whoever spoke just now was not her driver. He could’ve been a normal human, but Mae didn’t want to take that chance. Her heart began to beat wildly inside her chest, but she knew she had to keep calm. Panicking wasn’t going to save her. Remembering her training, Mae kept cool, her brain thinking of ways to escape. As they approached a stoplight, she rolled down her window under the guise of wanting fresh air. Mae pulled her hoodie up ever so slowly, not wanting to attract the mystery driver’s attention. Once the car came to a complete stop, Mae launched herself out of the window, but before she had a chance to fly, she found herself back in the limo. “Huh?” She tried again and again and again, but each time she flew out of the window, she landed back in the limo.“Are you alright back there?”The not-driver’s voice made her jump out of her skin. “Who are you? You’re obviously not George, so who are you? What do you want?”“I just want you to make yourself comfortable,” the man said as he adjusted the rearview mirror. Mae saw the wicked glint in his beady eyes and her insides ran cold. He was the man who broke into their apartment the other night. “You’re going somewhere…very special.”A small dot of bright light began to form in the middle of the mirror, growing brighter and brighter until it completely consumed the inside of the limo, overtaking a screaming Mae until there was nothing left of her surroundings. ——————————————————————————————— “Long time, no see, Lena.”“You saw me last month when I gave my report, Hal.”The former pilot laughed as they hugged. “I know. I’m just messing with you. You said you needed help with something?”“Yes,” Lena said. “It’s my ring. It stopped working during a mission and it hasn’t worked since. My wife and I think it might have to do with an imp named Mr. Mxyzptlk.”“Hold up. Did you say Mr. Mxyzptlk?”“Yes,” Lena said. “Do you know the name?”Hal nodded. “The Corps and I dealt with him years ago. He was a pain in our ass, messing with our minds seven ways from Sunday, but we were able to stop him.”Lena’s heart leapt. “Really? How?”“We tricked the trickster,” Hal explained. “We made him say his name backwards.”Lena furrowed her brow. That seemed like an impossible task. Nevertheless, she pulled out her phone and began to text Kara that. “How did you get him to do that?”“Well, it wasn’t easy, but—”Hal vanished right before Lena’s eyes, but before Lena could react, a bright light blinded her.When she opened her eyes next, she was standing in a white, empty void. Well, it wasn’t completely empty, for she was standing face-to-face with Mxy. Filled with rage, Lena lunged at him, but he disappeared, reappearing a few feet behind her. “I’m afraid that won’t work here, Ms. Luthor. I should’ve transported you here before.”“That’s Mrs. Danvers-Luthor to you, you son of a bitch. Where have you taken me?”“Why, my home world!” Mxy exclaimed. “Or rather, the prison in which they kept me in for so many years. Although, I must admit it wasn’t all bad, for my comrades gave me the ability to view other dimensions, albeit without the ability to interact with them. It was here that I became smitten with Kara Zor-El, her looks, her powers, her god-like status amongst the humans of her planet. I vowed then and there to escape and make her mine.”Lena wanted to hurl. “She’s not yours to have. She’s not anyone’s to have.”Mxy just tsked and waggled his finger in her face. Lena fought the urge to smack it. “Kara has great potential. You have tampered with that, made her complacent. I will help her reach that potential and together, we shall be unstoppable.”“You’re insane if you think Kara will go along with that.”“I’m insanely in love, my dear, and soon Kara will be too. Enjoy your stay here, Ms. Luthor. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll find your daughter, so at least you won’t be as lonely as I was.”Lena’s eyes widened in horror as Mxy vanished, and she screamed after him. She screamed Kara’s name, Mae’s name, over and over and over again until she was hoarse. She fell onto her knees, tears streaming down her face as she began to lose hope. “Dammit,” she whimpered, looking down at her bare hand. Curling it into a fist, Lena cried. And she cried until the tears ran dry. —————————————————————————————— Kara stood in the Fortress of Solitude, staring at the structures before her. She was flying to L-Corp when she ran into Hal Jordan, who told her what happened. Right after, she got a call from Alex, who said that Mae was missing. Furious, Kara flew to the Fortress, but not before leaving a message for Mxy where she knew he’d see it. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the imp showed.“I got your message, my love,” he said. “You wanted to see me?”“I did,” Kara replied, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. “I’ve thought long and hard about what you’ve been saying and…yes.”“Yes…what?”“Yes, I’ll marry you.”Mxy’s eyes widened. “Really? Do my ears deceive me?”Unfortunately not. “Is that really so surprising to you?”“Well, you were quite adamant about not taking me for a mate before, so yes, it is. Why the change of heart?”“Isn’t it obvious?” Kara started to saunter towards Mxy. “It’s you. You were right along. I need someone as powerful as I am by my side.”“What about your…human pet?”“I haven’t been able to find her, so I assume she left, knowing she couldn’t compete with you. And who could? You’re…clearly the better match.”Mxy beamed at the praise. “I’m glad you came to see reason, my love. Seeing as we’re both on the same page now, I see no reason to keep the inevitable at bay.” He held out a hand to her. “Shall we say our ‘I do’s’?”Kara forced a smile. “Of course. But first, there’s something we should do.”“Oh? And what’s that?”“Since we’ll be married…soon, I think it’s time to get your name on the property.”“The property, my lady?”“The Fortress, I mean. Technically, Superman got here first, but we do have joint custody of it and since we’re to be married, this place will be yours, too.”Mxy’s brows shot up. “Really now?” A catlike grin adorned his features. “Interesting.”Kara walked over to the monitor, smiling inwardly. “Yep. All you need to do is sign here.”Mxy joined her, his happy demeanor souring when he saw the symbols on the keyboard. “Uh, Kara, my dear…this is all in Kryptonese.”“Yes.”“I don’t speak Kryptonese, let alone read it.”“Oh.” Kara lifted a hand to her mouth as if she were distraught. “I didn’t know. That’s okay, I can translate since we just need your name. Press here.”Mxy did.“Here.”
Press.
“Here.”
Press.
“Right here.”Mxy pressed different keys five more times before Kara said that was good. He leaned back and smiled, placing his hands on his hips. “If only my comrades could see me now.”“Oh, I’ll think they’ll be seeing you again real soon,” Kara said, grinning.“What do you mean?”As he spoke, a large portal opened up behind him and began to suck him in.“Wait…wait! What’s going on?!” Mxy exclaimed, his eyes wild and pleading. “Kara, what’s happening?”“I had a little run-in with Hal,” Kara said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and smirking. “He told me what you did to Lena. To Mae.”“Kara, please, you must understand—”“He also told me all about you, Mxy. Particularly how to send you back to your world.”Mxy’s eyes widened in horror, but he quickly recovered and began to laugh hysterically. “But I typed in my name as is! You translated, you…” The smile quickly faded as realization dawned on him. “You tricked me. You tricked me, you bitch!”“Aw, what happened to ‘my love’?” Kara smiled as she attached the power-dampening collar onto his neck. “Goodbye, Mxy. See you never.”With one final yell, Mxy was pulled into the portal, never to be seen again. Kara held her breath, waiting. A few long moments after Mxy disappeared, another portal opened and Lena and Mae came out. Kara heaved a sigh of relief. “Lena! Mae!” She wrapped them both in an embrace so tight it would’ve broken bones, but Lena and Mae returned the embrace with equal fervor. “I’m so glad you both are okay.”“We are now thanks to you,” Lena said, cupping Kara’s face with her hand. “Are you okay?”“Now that you are. Oh, I have something for you.” Kara pulled out Lena’s ring and handed it to her. “Should work now that Mxy’s gone.”Lena put the ring back on, and the ring instantly thrummed with power. She cried out in relief. “Oh, thank God, I’ve missed this.”“We should go out for ice cream to celebrate!” Mae exclaimed, causing Kara and Lena to both laugh.“We’ll do that, bean, we’ll do that,” Kara said. “I promise no one is ever going to take either of you away from me again.”“Likewise, baby.”“Yeah, I’ll kick their butt if they do!”Kara and Lena laughed again as they kissed, the action a promise to each other that they were never going to lose each other no matter what happened.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Alright, kids, if you just follow me, we’ll be entering the Kryptonian exhibit next.”The children oohed and ahhed as they followed the museum tour guide, a chipper young brunette who looked fresh out of college, into a large room. Mae glanced around at all the strange yet familiar artifacts lining all four walls. She recognized many of them from her mom’s stories, a few of them even used to be in her mom’s possession, such as the gold bracelets, silver rings, and intricate puzzle boxes. The rest of her classmates were fascinated by the entire exhibit, pointing at random artifacts and wondering what the purpose of each one was. Mae knew. She knew what all of these objects could do, what they were for, and the cultural significance of them, but she couldn’t tell her friends. They were a curious bunch; they would ask how Mae knew these things, maybe she learned them from, and Mae didn’t want to draw that kind of attention to herself. She learned at a young age the importance of having a secret identity when one had powers, the importance of having a normal life outside of the crazy one that all superheroes had. Mae wasn’t yet a hero, but she wanted to be one someday, so she thought it best to put in the work early. Nevertheless, she did see what both her mothers meant about having two lives taking a toll one oneself. Mae wanted to tell someone, anyone, about her Kryptonian heritage, particularly her best friend Emily, but she couldn’t. Not without revealing her mom’s identity as well. So Mae kept her mouth shut as she walked around the exhibit with her classmates, feigning excitement at each and every little thing as they saw.Her little group soon came across a cylindrical object covered in Kryptonian runes in a glass case that Mae recognized as a beacon. Her heart ached as she saw it; she now knew what it was like to be part of a dead civilization. Mae placed a hand on the glass, uttering a silent prayer to the cosmos that no one will forget Krypton. She doubted they will, but she wanted to be sure.“Alright, class, it’s time for lunch!”All the pre-teens rushed towards the entrance of the room at the mention of food, and Mae followed suit, knowing that a good meal would help get her mind off of this.No one noticed the way the beacon began to glow as they left. ————————————————————————————— The next day started off normal: Kara woke up at the crack of dawn, went on patrol, ate breakfast with her family, and dropped Mae off at school before heading into work. The normalcy ended when Kara sat down at her desk; her phone, the one she reserved for Supergirl emergencies, started to ring.“Hello?”“Kara, hey,” Winn answered. “We got a situation at the museum.”Kara’s stomach dropped at the mention of the museum. “Please tell me crazy cultists aren’t robbing the place again.”“Oh no, no! Nothing like that! There’s just…well, we got a call from the director because one of their Kryptonian artifacts started glowing.”“Wait, what? ‘Glowing’? Did they say what it was?”“Nope, but they wanted to see if you could help. Alex is already there.”Kara nodded. “I’m on my way.”After telling James she’ll be out for a bit, Kara changed into her suit and flew towards the museum. She met Alex out in the foyer. “What’s the situation?”“Did Winn tell you?”“He said the director said one of the Kryptonian artifacts was glowing.”“Yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it,” Alex said as they walked towards the exhibit.“Do you know what it is?”“It looks like it’s—”“Supergirl!” A balding man made his way over to Kara and Alex, a relieved expression adorning his features. “Thank goodness you’re here. I’m Josiah Brantley, the director of this museum.”“Where’s this glowing object?”“It’s right over here. Let me show you.”Kara and Alex followed Director Brantley further into the Kryptonian exhibit until they came across a small item in a glass case that was pulsating lightly. “One of my staff noticed it this morning and it’s been glowing ever since. We were hoping since you’re from Krypton you could tell us how and why this is happening.”Kara furrowed her brow. “That’s a beacon used for communication. It only works between Kryptonians, though…” Kara remembered Mae had a field trip here yesterday. “Do you mind if I take this and examine it further?” she asked Director Brantley.“Of course not! We’re always willing to help, Supergirl.”Kara smiled as the director had one of his employees retrieve the beacon and give it to Alex. With that in hand, the sisters made their way back to the DEO, the latter informing J’onn and Winn of their discovery. Kara also called Lena to tell her the same thing, and Lena told her she was going to take an early lunch. They all meet up in one of the labs so Kara could take a proper look at it.“Do you know what it’s doing?” Lena asked.“It’s…if I’m reading this right, it isn’t sending a signal,” Kara explained. “It’s receiving one.”Everyone remained shocked in silence.“But you said only Kryptonians could use them,” Alex pointed out. “How is that possible?”“Mae must’ve touched it yesterday during her field trip, but I don’t know who’s on the other end of this. Winn, can you help trace where this signal is coming from?”“Sure thing, buddy.”Thankfully, due to Winn’s advanced tech, they were able to trace the signal in no time, and he was able to get the coordinates. J’onn was the first so speak. “What do you want to do about this, Kara?”Kara’s response was instant. “I’m going to find out who or what is sending the signal. I…I have to know.”Everyone nodded, knowing how important this was to her.“I want to leave as soon as possible,” Kara said. “J’onn, would it be alright if I borrowed your ship?”“Of course. Are you leaving now?”“First thing tomorrow.”The Martian nodded. “It’ll be waiting for you then.”“I’m coming, too,” Lena said.“Lena—”“I know how important this is to you, Kara, but you won’t have your powers in space. Besides, it’s been a while since we’ve been on a deep space mission together.”That caused Kara to chuckle. “We really don’t go on enough of those.”“And for good reason,” Alex said with a warning look in her eyes. “If the both of you are going, do you need someone to watch Mae?”Kara and Lena shared a look. “She’d hate us if she didn’t come along on a deep space adventure,” Kara said.“Are you sure you want to bring her along?”“Yeah! Even…even if we don’t find anything, this could be a fun family bonding time.”Lena raised an eyebrow, but relented. “Fine. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow.” —————————————————————————————— The Danvers-Luthor family met J’onn at his garage at the crack of dawn the next morning. Mae was so excited when she learned about their trip that she barely got any sleep last night, so right when the ship took off, she conked out. Lena’s heart melted at the sight. She still couldn’t believe that her baby girl was a teenager already, so she cherished moments like these. “How long will it be until we get there?”“A couple of hours, at most,” Kara said after she punched in the coordinates. “I hope J’onn still has those CDs in here.”Lena chuckled. “If it’s Britney Spears, this is definitely a family vacation.”“Oh, you bet, babe.”They took off as the sun began to rise over the city; once they were in space, Kara flipped the switch for “autopilot” and she leaned back in her chair, sighing. “And now we wait. Hopefully, we don’t come across any asteroid fields.”“You know the odds of that aren’t as high as sci-fi movies would lead you to believe, right?”Kara turned towards Lena and looked her directly in the eye. “Never tell me the odds.”Lena’s chest shook with laughter. “You are an absolute dork.”“Why thank you. It’s the reason I came to Earth, after all.”“Where would we be without our friendly neighborhood Super-Dork?”“In a cruel, dark place, that’s for sure.”Lena chuckled, her expression softening. “Are you okay, love?”“I…I’m feeling a lot of things right now,” Kara said. “Excitement, wariness, anxiety, hope. I just hope that whatever we find isn’t a bad guy determined to destroy the universe, you know? I want to find something good, even if it isn’t…even if it has nothing to do with Krypton.”Lena’s heart ached for her wife. She couldn’t imagine losing her whole world, only to find out that some of it might still be around. “I hope that we find something good, too, my love.” Lena reached out and squeezed Kara’s hand comfortingly. “Whatever we find, we’ll be ready for it.”Kara half-smiled. “I know we will. We’re stronger together.”“El Mayarah.”“El Mayarah.”The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, Kara and Lena holding hands and Mae sleeping the entire way, before the system informed them that they were approaching their destination: a large, flat, floating rock with what appeared to be a domed city atop it. Kara’s breath hitched in her throat.They were here. —————————————————————————————— Kara landed the ship on the outskirts of the city, and the family got out and began to trek into the surrounding forest.“Mom, I’m tired,” Mae whined.“You slept the entire way here.”“I’m not sleepy. My body just feels heavy.”Ah. Kara had completely forgotten that Mae had never been off-world, or rather a world with no yellow sun, so she quickly explained that to her. Mae groaned. “This sucks.”“It does, but give it a few minutes. You’ll be fine.”Mae groaned again, but remained quiet for the remainder of the trek. They soon came across a clearing, where several large stones sat erect in the center with strange looking runes covering them. Seeing the familiar symbols, Kara rushed towards them, her hands running reverently over the script.“What is it?” Lena asked behind her.“It’s Kryptonese,” Kara replied, her voice on the verge of breaking. “It’s, uh, it appears to be a memorial of some kind.”Mae came up beside Kara, her eyes squinting as she translated the text. “In remem...in remembrance of those…who died un…unnecessarily in the destruction of Krypton.”Kara’s heart lurched. This place was a part of Krypton! But how?“Halt! Who goes there?”Kara turned around to see a group of soldiers breaking through the clearing, sharp spears pointing at her and her family. Lena’s ring began to glow and Mae got into a fighting stance, but Kara stepped in between them, holding her hands up in surrender. “We come in peace,” she spoke in Kryptonese. “My name is Kara Zor-El, daughter of Zor-El and Alura In-Ze, last daughter of House El.”“Lower your weapons! Stand down!”The soldiers do as they’re told and make a path for the owner of the voice. A beautiful woman with long brown hair and fancy blue robes comes forward, her eyes widening at the sight of Kara. “Kara?”Kara’s own eyes widened as they filled with tears at the sight of the woman before her. It had been years since she last saw her and Kara thought her long dead, yet here she was, standing before her alive and well. “Mom?”At once, the two Kryptonians were in each other’s arms, embracing and crying as the soldiers, Lena, and Mae looked on. Alura spoke tearfully in Kryptonese, relieved to see her daughter alive as Kara was to see her, before leaning back and cupping Kara’s face in her hands. “My darling daughter. My beautiful baby girl.”Kara sobbed, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hi, Mom.”“Look at you,” Alura softly spoke. “You’re all grown now.”“Uh, yeah. There’s—there’s a few people I’d actually like you to meet.” Kara turned and beckoned Lena and Mae over. “This is my wife, Lena, and our daughter, Mae.”Alura’s eyes widened, and Kara had the slightest fear that her mother would disapprove, but that fear quickly vanished when Alura smiled again. “They’re both beautiful, dear. I’m so glad you found a family of your own. You must tell me everything, but I imagine you all are tired from your journey, so allow me to accompany you back to Argo.”“Argo?” Kara asked, her heart hopeful.Alura nodded. “Thanks to your father’s shields, the city was able to survive the explosion for the most part. It took us a while, but we were able to rebuild both buildings and society.”They all trekked back through the forest until they came across a large city. Buildings lined the backdrop while there were stalls and shops on both sides of the road, and people were everywhere, talking with each other, bargaining with each other, and hurrying to get to their destinations. A majority of them noticed Alura and her entourage, their jaws going slack when they say Kara, Lena, and Mae among them. Some of them pointed at the symbol on Kara’s chest, whispering to each other in Kryptonese, causing Kara to blush.“What are they saying?” Lena asked her. “I can’t make it out.”“They’re saying that the lost daughter of the House of El has returned.”Lena squeezed Kara’s hand. “This was where you grew up, wasn’t it?”Kara nodded, too emotional to speak. She recognized a few buildings and people, but they soon arrived at Alura’s house, and Kara got choked up again as Alura dismissed her guards and opened the doors.The interior looked just as Kara remembered it, and several memories came flooding back: sliding down the railing of the stairs as a child, doing her homework in the plant-filled living room while her mother looked over cases, sneaking her favorite desserts before dinner, listening to stories from her Aunt Astra, playing with a baby Kal-El just days before her world burned…They all came in rapid succession, each memory bringing a fresh wave of tears. Thankfully, her wife was the most observant person she knew, and immediately wrapped her up in a hug as sobs shook her to her core.“These…these are h—happy tears, don’t worry,” Kara managed to get out.“I know, my love. Doesn’t mean you don’t need a hug.”
Rao, I love her.
Lena kissed her wife’s brow, doing her best to wipe away all the stray tears on her cheeks. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to; Lena knew how much this meant to Kara, so she just held her and comforted her to the best of her ability.Mae looked around with awe, her jaw on the floor as she took in every little detail. “Was this your old house, Mom?”“It was,” Alura answered, walking back into the room. “I’ve had some of my servants prepare rooms and baths for all of you. We can talk more about your trip over dinner, as well as…well, everything!” Alura beamed at Kara, and Lena saw where Kara got that radiant smile of hers. “I’ve missed out on so much of your life that I was hoping you could tell me over dinner, as well as how you met this lovely woman.”Lena blushed as Kara laughed, kissing her love fondly on the cheek. “I’d love too, Mom.”“Go on and wash up, then. Dinner will be ready in a few hours. And Kara? Welcome home.” —————————————————————————————— After a few moments of looking around their new room, Kara and Lena washed up and changed into the Kryptonian attire that someone had laid out on their bed. Lena admired how she looked in the soft, navy blue robes in the mirror, the golden patterns on the chest and hips accenting her curves just right. Raising a suggestive eyebrow—something she always did when she got a sexy idea in mind—she turned to say something about it to Kara, but noticed her wife standing next to the window, looking out over the whole city with a solemn expression on her face. Lena sighed internally. She couldn’t imagine what Kara must be thinking, let alone feeling, right now, but she was going to make sure that her wife knew she wasn’t alone in all this. Walking over, Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist and nuzzled her shoulder, gently kissing her pulse point. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but know that I’m here for you, my love.”She felt Kara’s thumbs brush over her forearms. “The last thing I saw of Krypton was it going the way of a supernova. As far as I knew, Kal and I were the only survivors, but then I was knocked into the Phantom Zone and I began to doubt even that. I missed my home all my life, but I knew that I was never going to see it again, and…I grew to be okay with that.” Kara took a shaky breath. “But now I find that some part of it survived. Not just any part, but my childhood home. And my mom—my mom is alive. She’s alive. I thought she was—”Kara’s body was shaking with sobs now, and Lena tightened her hold. She rocked Kara back and forth gently, pressing soft kisses to her cheek and neck. “It’s okay, my love, it’s okay. You’re okay. What do you need?”“To know that this isn’t a dream. I’m terrified that I’m going to wake up any moment now and none of this would’ve been real.”“It’s very real, my love. I promise.” Lena pulled Kara around so she could be face to face with her wife, cupping her wet face with her hands. “And even if this is a dream, it’s quite a beautiful one.”“Yeah, it is.” Kara’s eyes widened, the action causing more tears to run down her face. “I’ll finally be able to show you and Mae my culture.”Lena smiled. “I’d love that, baby. And I’m sure Mae would, too.”The tears returned in full force as Kara fell into Lena’s arms, and Lena caught her, easy now due to Kara’s lack of density on Argo. She quickly moved to the bed where she sat and comforted Kara as the latter emptied her tear ducts and held onto her wife like a lifeline. Lena rubbed circles into Kara’s back while whispering soft reassurances to her. Kara continued to sob for several long minutes until her breathing became less shaky. “Thank you, Lena.”“For what, love?”“For being here. For putting up with my…emotions.”“Kara. I will always be here for you, regardless of what you’re feeling,” Lena said. “And never apologize for your feelings. They’re always valid, especially in this case.”“Rao, what did I ever do to deserve you?”“You were you,” Lena said, tears beginning to fill her own eyes. “You were also the first person to believe in me in the longest time. Not to mention you were kind and compassionate and loving…how could I not fall for you?”Kara’s head shot up to give Lena a bruising, wet kiss. “I love you.”“I love you, too.”Before they could kiss again, a knock sounded from their bedroom door. “Dinner is ready. Mistress Alura is awaiting your presence downstairs in the dining hall.”“Thank you. We’ll be right down,” Kara called. She turned back to her wife, smiling lovingly as she tucked a strand of black hair behind Lena’s ear. “Are you ready?”Lena returned Kara’s smile, nodding. “Let’s go see your mother.” ————————————————————————————— Kara, Lena, and Mae entered the dining room, where they found a large, ornate table before them covered with all kinds of exotic foods. Alura stood at the head of the table, her hands clasped in front of her as she smiled at them, particularly Kara. “I had all your favorites prepared, dear. I hope you still like roast babootch.”Kara’s mouth watered at the sight. “Thank you, Mom.”Alura inclined her head. “Come. Sit. I believe we have much to discuss.”Kara and her family moved to their seats, with Kara and Mae sitting by Alura and Lena sitting next to Kara. Each of them piled their plates high with food and began to dig in. The first bite brought more memories back, and Kara had to fight against another onslaught of tears.“Thank you for the food, Grandma Alura!” Mae exclaimed. “Uh, I can call you Grandma, right?”Alura furrowed her brow in confusion. “What does that mean, Kara?”“It’s the Earth word for Uzheiu.”“Ah. Of course you can call me that, little one.”Mae beamed and continued to wolf down her food, causing Alura to chuckle in amusement. “She certainly has your appetite, Kara. Along with your eyes.”Kara blushed furiously.“Has Kara always had a voracious appetite?” Lena asked, an impish grin on her face.“Oh, yes,” Alura replied. “There was no satisfying it, even when she was a child. Food was her greatest love.”“That sounds about right.”Kara blushed even harder as Alura and Lena shared a laugh. She tried to hide it with a large bite of food, realizing too late that she was proving their point and causing them to laugh even harder. “You guys are so mean.”“Aww, is someone getting flustered?”“If you want to make her blush, all you have to do is mention Raya.”Kara groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Mom, please stop.”“Who’s Raya?”“She was Kara’s uncle Jor-El’s assistant and Kara was completely enamored with her when she was younger.”“Mom, please—”“Oh, this I have to hear.”For the better part of the night, Alura told stories of Kara when she was a child, and Kara and Lena told her stories about how they met, their heroic exploits on Earth, and Mae, as well as telling her that Kal had survived as well. By the end, everyone was laughing and Kara was happier than she’d been in a while. However, there was something she had to know. “Mom, you said that Dad helped save Argo. Is he still here?”Alura’s face fell. “Your father’s last creation was a dome that could cover all of Argo City. He built it as a precaution in case the planet was invaded or…destroyed. When Krypton was crumbling and after we sent you and Kal, his last act was activating the dome. We didn’t know if it would work, but it did. During the blast, Zor-El suffered many injuries, but despite our treatments, he succumbed to his wounds. We buried him and the others who lost their lives in the center of the city, and I vowed to restore Argo to its greatness in honor of them. In honor of him.”Kara’s heart shattered, her hands curling into fists. Alura reaches over and takes her hand. “If your father were here now, he would tell you that he is so proud of you and the woman you’ve become, just as I am.”Kara nodded, smiling a watery smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.“Do you know if you’re the only city that made it?” Lena asked, attempting to change the subject, something Kara was grateful for. “Have you tried to reach them?”“Our communications have been down for the most part, so I think it’s safe to assume that we’re the only ones to make it. However, they lit up significantly a few days ago.”Kara and Lena shared a look. “We may know why that is,” Lena said. She brought up the beacon and explained everything that happened, astonishing Alura.“Incredible. Well, I, for one, am glad that it worked.”Kara nodded, and Alura changed subjects again, suggesting that the family go out to see the city in full tomorrow. Mae and Lena were excited at the prospect, and Kara agreed that it was a good idea. At that, the meal is finished and everyone moves to get ready for bed.“Kara, may I speak to you for a moment?” Alura asked.“Uh, sure,” Kara said, telling Lena that she’ll see her in a few minutes and kissing Mae goodnight.Alura led Kara into a large living area before sitting down in one of the chairs. “Kara, I can’t begin to say how incredibly overjoyed I am to see you alive and well. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see you again, so I thank Rao and all the gods for giving me this chance.”“I can say the same thing about you,” Kara said. “I…I thought everyone was dead.”“I know, dear, and I’m sorry for not working harder to find you. Once Argo was functional again, I should’ve pored all my efforts into finding you, but I had no idea where to look. I’m so sorry.”Teary-eyed, Kara wrapped her mother up in a hug. “It’s okay. I understand.”“The thing that scared me the most was that you were going to grow up on a world all by yourself. But from what I’ve seen, that’s not the case.”Kara smiled slightly, telling her mother all about Alex and the Danvers family, meeting J’onn and working at the DEO, reuniting with Kal and meeting Lena, falling in love with the latter and having Mae. Alura listened with rapt attention, hanging on to every detail coming out of her daughter’s mouth. Once Kara finished, she spoke. “I am so proud of you, my darling one. You’ve become the hero and woman I knew you would become. I’m also grateful that you found a family of your own on Earth, as well as making one of your own. Lena seems like a good person and Mae is much like you.”“They’re my world,” Kara said. “I’d do anything for them.”“And that’s what makes you strong. You have something to fight for. I also can’t believe that I’m a grandmother.”Kara laughed. “I hope that wasn’t too much of a shock.”“It was at first, but I’m just so happy for you. That’s all I’ve wanted for you, dear, was to be happy.”“Thank you, Mom. I’m…I’m very happy right now.”Alura smiled, her eyes shining. “I’m so glad. Now, I should probably let you go get some rest. You have quite the day tomorrow.”“Yeah.”They stood up and embraced again. “I love you, Kara.”“I love you, too, Mom.”With that, they both headed to their respective rooms, Kara feeling as if a large weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. ————————————————————————————— The Danvers-Luthor family woke up early the next morning, all excited to see what Argo City had to offer, Kara especially.“Are you nervous?” Lena asked as they headed down the stairs. Mae was already near the entrance, bouncing from foot to foot as she eagerly talked with Alura. Kara’s chest filled with warmth at the sight.“A little. I haven’t been here since I was thirteen. I wonder how much has really changed.”“Well, we’re about to find out.” Lena kissed Kara’s cheek. “I can’t wait to see where you grew up.”“Technically, I grew up here in this house.”“You know what I mean, you imp.”“Haha, I do. I hope you like it.”Lena smiled. “I know I will, my love.”Kara returned the smile, giving Lena’s hand a firm squeeze as they joined Alura and Mae in the foyer. “Are we ready?”“Your daughter certainly is,” Alura said. “But I’m afraid I won’t be joining you today?”“What?” Mae asked, crestfallen. “Why not?”“The council requires my presence to oversee some matters,” Alura explained. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing to worry about and I’ll be home in time for dinner.”Kara nodded in understanding. “Some things never change, huh?”“That would appear to be the case. Now, don’t let my absence be a damper on your fun today. Go! Your city awaits!”Kara and her family bid Alura goodbye before heading down into the city.Lena and Mae took everything in with wide-eyed excitement, all the buildings and stores and people, both asking Kara what a certain trinket does or what a certain animal was. She was happy to answer all their questions, as well as add her own anecdotes and stories about the city, mainly memories of running through the streets with her friends as a child and causing all sorts of mischief.“So you weren’t always a paragon of goodness?” Lena asked jokingly, causing Kara to blush.“I was a child! What did you expect?”Lena shrugged. “Given how you are now, a perfect angel.”“Were you not listening to my mother’s stories last night?”“Oh, I was, which makes this all the more fun.”“Ugh, I’m never going to live some of this down, am I?”“Nope!” Lena grinned impishly. “More tools for my arsenal.”Kara groaned. “What did I do to deserve this?”“You married me.”Kara’s heart fluttered in her chest. “That was the happiest day of my life.”“As was mine.”As they continued to make their way down the street, an idea formed in Kara’s head. “Hey, Lena, can I ask you something?”“Of course, love.”“I was wondering if—”“Kara?”A brown-haired woman came up to Kara, her dark eyes wide in surprise. “Is that really you?”Kara’s eyes narrowed before widening in recognition. “Thara?”The woman nodded excitedly. “I heard whispers that the lost daughter of El had returned, but I wasn’t sure until I saw it myself. Rao, you look good.”Kara chuckled. “You do, too.”“Who are these people?”“Oh! Thara, this is my wife, Lena, and my daughter, Mae. Lena, Mae, this is Thara Ak-Var. She was my best friend growing up.”“It’s lovely to meet you,” Lena said as she and Thara shook hands.“Likewise. My husband and I were in the neighborhood running errands and we were just about to take a break for lunch. Would you care to join us?”“You’re married?!”“Married with a kid, just like you. Well, two kids, actually.”Kara spluttered. “I’m going to need to meet this guy.”“So you’ll be joining us then?”“Of course!”The group headed to a nearby restaurant, where they met up with Lir-Al, Thara’s husband, a charming fellow with a firm handshake and a dazzling smile. Kara could see why Thara would be attracted to him; she was his type. Once they sit down, Kara and Thara immediately begin to catch up, trading story after story with the occasional anecdote from Lena and Lir-Al.“Wait, you’re a cop now?”Thara nodded. “I’m more of a peacekeeper than a cop, but yes. I’ve always wanted to help people, but after Krypton’s destruction, I thought my time would be used better to help people in the streets rather than in a lab.”“You were part of the Science Guild?” Lena asked.“Yup. Top of my class.”“She always liked to brag about that,” Kara teased. “Are the rest of your family here in Argo?”Thara’s face fell. “The explosion killed what remained of my family.”“Gods, I’m so sorry.”“It’s okay. You didn’t know. Thankfully, I was able to find a new family here.” She smiled at Lir-Al, who squeezed her hand affectionately. “I’m glad you were able to find one, too.”“Me too,” Kara said. She looked at Lena with love in her eyes, the expression returned in her wife’s. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.The conversation swiftly returned to being light-hearted, and they all continued to talk long after their food arrived, only finishing when Thara saw that the sky was getting dark. “My goodness, we’ve been out longer than I thought. We should be heading back. Our sons will be wondering where we are.”“Of course,” Kara said. “I’m sorry for keeping you out so long.”“Nonsense! I’m glad we got to catch up. I hope we can do it again soon.”“I hope so, too.”With that, the two families said their goodbyes, the Danvers-Luthor clan heading back to Alura’s house feeling fulfilled after a long, fun day.“Today was one of the best days of my life,” Kara said as she crawled into bed next to her wife. “Thank you for coming with me.”“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, my love. I’m glad I got to see where you grew up, even if some things have changed.”“Oh, we haven’t even scratched the surface of what Argo has to offer! We still need to go to the science and art buildings for you and Mae, and the theater! That is if it’s still here, I’ll need to check that.”Lena laughed. “I love your enthusiasm, my love.”Kara beamed. “And I love you.”“Sap.”“Your sap.”“Mine.”The two snuggled closer together, basking in each other’s warmth as they peppered each other’s faces with soft kisses. “Are you going to miss it when we go back?” Lena eventually asked.“A little bit,” Kara said. “But now that we know where it is, we can visit any time we like.”“You don’t want to stay…permanently?”Kara blinked in confusion. “Do you?”“I believe I asked you that question first.”“It would be nice if we stayed forever, but I know that my home isn’t here anymore, if that makes sense. It’s on Earth with Alex and J’onn and James and Winn and Eliza. With you and Mae. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the universe.”Tears began to fill Lena’s eyes. Kara noticed this and immediately began to comfort her, saying everything was going to be alright.“Things already are, my love. I just didn’t want to take you away from your world again.”“You are my world, Lena Danvers-Luthor. You and Mae are my world, and you always will be.”The tears couldn’t be stopped then, and soon both parties were crying and holding each other and comforting each other. It was a sweet scene, one filled with immense love and understanding. Eventually, they both calmed down, feeling weary all the way down to their bones, but Lena asked one more question before they fell asleep.“Kara?”“Yes?”“What were you going to ask me earlier today?”All sense of drowsiness was sapped out of Kara as she remembered. “Do you really want to know?”Lena nodded.“What do you say about getting married again?” ————————————————————————————— Kara spent the next couple of days making preparations; she wanted everything to be perfect. Long ago, she had dreamed of her own wedding day, fantasizing about who would become her partner. In Kryptonian culture, marriage was the most sacred of bonds, only broken when one of the parties involved passed on to the next life. When Kara got married to Lena, she saw that Earth marriage customs were similar to those on Krypton; however, there were a few key differences.Once Kara had told Alura of her plans, she was overjoyed and overcome with tears, and Kara had to spend the better part of an hour comforting her mother. But once the tears stopped flowing, Alura immediately took on the role of wedding planner, promising Kara that her wedding would be the best that Krypton had ever seen.And as Kara walked into the rebuilt Palace of Marriage, she saw that her mother made good on her promise.The sanctuary walls were painted silver, while the pillars were red, blue, and gold: the colors of House El. The building was packed with people; if Kara didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn Alura invited all of Argo to her wedding. Her heart began to beat faster and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. This was really happening. It seemed kind of silly to be nervous; she did get married to Lena once before and she was even more of a nervous wreck then. Maybe it wasn’t nerves, Kara thought, maybe it was excitement. Her mother was here, her old friends were here, her daughter was here…yeah, it was definitely excitement.The excitement only grew as Kara was fitted into her wedding dress. It was a dark blue, like her suit, lined with gold stitching. Her hair was fashioned in an up-do, her lips crimson and her cheeks pink with blush. Kara smiled; she looked truly stunning, and she knew that Lena would too. She couldn’t wait to see what her wife would look like in her Kryptonian wedding dress.Soon, it was time for the ceremony to begin, and two of Alura’s servants ushered her to a side door. Once the music started, Kara began to walk. Her heart beat rampantly in her chest as all eyes turned to her, but her eyes were focused on the woman before her dressed in green and silver. It took everything within Kara not to burst into tears right then as they came to the center. They joined hands and the priestess overseeing the ceremony began to speak.“People of Argo. We are gathered here today to witness the second union of Kara Zor-El, daughter of Zor-El and Alura In-Ze, and Lena Luthor, daughter of Lionel Luthor and Lillian Luthor, as well as celebrate that one of our own has returned to us after so many years. Rao has blessed us with his light this day. Amen.”“Amen.”“May the Bearer of the Bracelets come forth at this time.”Kara and Lena turned to see Mae, adorned in red robes, walking down the aisle with two colored bracelets, one green and one blue, on a soft purple pillow with a big smile on her face. She really looked like Lena in that moment, and Kara couldn’t stop the few tears that escaped to run down her cheeks. Mae soon reached them and handed the pillow to the priestess, and Kara and Lena both kissed Mae on the top of her head before she went to Alura’s side in the front row. The ceremony continued.“These bracelets will unite you under Rao’s ever-watching and ever-loving eye, and will connect your souls for the rest of eternity. Kara Zor-El, is there anything you wish to say?”Kara nodded, never looking away from Lena’s beautiful eyes as she slid her bracelet on. “Lena, I already know we went through this once before, but I want to say it’s an honor to be able to marry you again. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Truly, you are. I have never been happier in my life, and that is because you are in my life now. You’re so amazing and kind and wise and patient and understanding that sometimes I can’t believe you’re real. Out of all the people in the world, I can’t believe that someone as incredible as you would choose someone like me, and it boggles my mind that you have. I never thought I would feel this strongly about someone. I always want to spend my time with you and whenever we are apart, my heart hurts. You accept all of me, all of my qualities and traits and flaws and that is incredible, my love. I never thought I would be good enough to be loved by someone, but here you are proving me wrong every single day and I’m so glad it’s you. I don’t want anyone else, I want you. Only you. You’re my forever. You’re my happiness. You’re my joy. You’re my everything, my soul, my heart. I love you with everything that I am and more and I want to spend the rest of my life proving to you that I love you. You have all of me and my love and always will. I promise.”By the end of her vows, Kara’s vision was blurry, and she had to blink away her tears, only to see that Lena’s eyes were shining as well. Kara wanted to hold her wife and comfort her, to apologize for making her cry, but Lena wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.“My love. Kara, my love…I don’t know how I’m going to follow that up, but I’m going to try.” She took a deep breath as she slid Kara’s bracelet on her wrist. “All my life, I’ve been told I was never enough. From friends, from colleagues, even from my own family, and for the longest time I believed that. But then you walked into my office that day and it was like I was seeing the light for the first time. You were the first person who didn’t see my last name, you saw me as me, and you accepted me warts and all. How could I not fall for you? I was so scared that you were just a dream and that I would wake up one day and you wouldn’t be there anymore, and I was terrified that my feelings would fade to the background and never be reciprocated, but I was wrong on both counts. Here you are, and here we are, getting married for the second time. I love you so much and I always will, and I am honored to be your wife and partner in all things, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of our future has in store for us.”There was not a dry eye in the place as Lena finished her vows; even the priestess shed a tear as she continued with the rest of the ceremony. “With the bracelets on and the vows said, you may now kiss your bride. May Rao’s light forever shine down on you.”They didn’t need to be told twice. Kara pulled Lena to her and kissed her like she was kissing her for the first time, never wanting to stop. The crowd’s applause was muted as Kara and Lena kissed, each of them focused on the other the entire time. Once they pulled apart, the crowd’s roar came full force. Kara held Lena close to her, whispering into her ear.“I love you.”“I love you, too.”Alura was smiling and crying as she clapped, and Mae was shouting at the top of her lungs, warming Kara’s heart. In that moment, everything was perfect, and she didn't want to let go of it any time soon. —————————————————————————————
ONE YEAR LATER
Lena walked into her office early in the morning; it was so early that Jess wasn’t even there yet. She turned on her lights and sat down at her desk, her bracelet glinting as the light hit it. She smiled, her memories of Argo still fresh in her mind. Her second wedding to Kara was now one of her favorite memories, and she knew it always will be. She only wished that they had pictures of it.Just as she logged into her computer, Lena’s phone began to ring. Her brow furrowed; it was still way too early for any of her colleagues or contacts to be calling her. Nevertheless, she answered. “Hello?”“Good morning, Ms. Luthor. It’s Bruce Wayne.”“Mr. Wayne?” What is he doing up this early? “How—how can I help you?”“I’d like to speak to you about a project I’m working on. In fact, I think you and your wife would be very interested in it.”“My wife? What is this project?”“I’d like you to come to Gotham as soon as possible. Bring your wife too. Both of you will want to hear this.”