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Chapter Text

Anger.

Disappointed.

Betrayed.

Heartbroken.

These words only barely scratched the surface of the heart of Kara Zor-El as she stood in the Fortress of Solitude, with expressionless Lena Luthor, trapped within a crystal with enough kryptonite to not hurt her, but enough to leave her weak.

It took everything Kara had to keep her voice firm as she said, "I never used you." She was sincerely confused, almost stunned that Lena could say such a thing. "What in the world are you talking about?" she asked.

"Do you remember when you finally told me you were Supergirl? You were weeping. Big crocodile tears. Well, I wept real tears, bitter tears over you weeks before," Lena revealed. Her voice didn't betray anything, but despite the crystal weakening her, Kara could still hear Lena's heartbeat.

It was beating so fast. To the point that Kara was afraid that the woman in front of her would suffer a heart attack.

"I don't understand," Kara murmured. She had heard what Lena had said, but it still confused her. "You knew, this entire time? For how long?"

"I found out when I killed Lex," Lena told her.

Kara's eyes narrowed. "You couldn't have killed Lex," Kara told her. "I was the one that killed him. I watched him fall."

"You saw him fall, but did you see him land? Did you see him die? I did, and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty," Lena told her. "Lex used his transmatter portal watch. I knew he would go to the cabin we loved when we were children, so I was there waiting for him. Gun in hand…."

Kara could see the hurt in Lena's eyes at this reveal, For a moment, Kara forgot the betrayal and felt sorrow that Lena had to suffer in silence, with her completely unaware.

"Lena, I'm so sorry," Kara murmured.

"You don't get to apologize," Lena hissed out as the hurt in her eyes roared into a blazing fire of rage. "You don't know what I had to deal with. You don't know how it feels to feel the weight of the gun in your hands."

"You don't know how it feels when every fiber in your being is rebelling from making this choice. You don't know how it feels to know that you have to pull the trigger to save the world and your friends from the person who was always there," Lena told her. "You, of all people, don't know what it's like to take the life of your own flesh and blood."

"I know exactly what that's like," Kara softly told her.

Lena scoffed and asked, "Then you know what's it like to be told that your best friend, that every friend you had was lying to you?"

Kara stilled.

Kara now understood.

"Lena…." Kara breathed out.

"When I came to this city," Lena softly began. "I promised myself that I would never trust anyone again, and then I met you."

Kara shut her eyes and held back the outburst that wanted to escape.

"You chipped away at my armor with your warmth and your earnestness, and you convinced me to trust in people and friendship again, and against my better judgment, I did," Lena continued. "All the while telling you about my Achilles heel betrayal. I confided in you that everyone in my past had betrayed me."

Lena let out a watery laugh.

"I confided in you About how much it hurt to have someone you love lie and betray you. I spelled it out to you over and over again, essentially begging you not to violate my trust, begging you not to prove that, once again, I was a fool," Lena said. "You reassured me ad nauseam that you would never lie to me, that you'd never hurt me. And all the while, there wasn't a single honest moment in our friendship!"

Kara remained silent. Not just to allow Lena to rant, but to quell her fury at those words. Did Lena truly think there wasn't an honest moment in her friendship? Was she that far gone in that deep, dark sea of emotions?

"Nothing to say?" Lena taunted. "You've been silent, Kara Zor-El. Upset that my eyes have finally been opened to your ru—"

"Is that what you think?" Kara softly asked, the gentleness of her voice hiding an undercurrent of fury within it. "That there wasn't a pure and honest moment in our friendship, ever?"

Kara scoffed, shook her head, and leaned against the crystal, her eyes staring at Lena's with a deep and familiar hurt in her chest. "Do you truly think that low of me?" Kara asked. "That I could fake our whole friendship?"

"Don't you dare sound so wounded to me," Lena hissed. "And don't you dare turn this around on me! You were the one lying to me, Kara Zor-El. You actively, repeatedly pursued relationships with me as both Kara and Supergirl, then treated me differently according to whatever identity you were at the moment. You were kind, supportive, and trusting as Kara, but as Supergirl, you were distrustful and sometimes downright mean. Don't you understand how messed up and manipulative that is?"

"You're talking about manipulative? Right now? In the middle of this?" Kara gasped out. "You pretended to be my friend for Rao knows how long. You convinced me to steal for you, you're stealing from me now, and you turned my sanctuary, one the last pieces of my home, against me!"

Lena flinched as more tears filled Kara's eyes, briefly obscuring her vision. She wiped her tears away and said, "I am not afraid to admit that you're right. I was selfish, and I was cruel. And I told you that….I told you how afraid I was to lose you."

"I understand your pain and your fury and I know that I made a big mistake, maybe the biggest mistake of my life. But If I hurt you this much, then why didn't you reveal my truth to everyone at the ceremony Pulitzer party? Why didn't you get up on that stage, right after I revealed myself to you, and expose me as Supergirl? Why?!"

"Because I wanted you to experience what you did to me!" Lena snapped. "Feel what I felt! To feel like you have someone that you can trust and care about, only to reveal that the person you cared about was a mask!"

The two stood in silence for a moment, with Lena struggling to catch her breath. "I gave everything to Kara Danvers. My trust, my heart, and my soul…." Lena whispered as she moved away from Kara and held herself. "I fought for her, I protected her….I even killed my brother for her. She was my best friend and I cared for her with everything that I had… And I thought that maybe she would care about me too… But instead, It was all a lie…"

"None of it was a lie, Lena," Kara told her. "If it was a lie, then why did I tell you?"

Lena faltered.

"Why did I tell you that I was Supergirl? I didn't know that you killed Lex until just now….I didn't have any inkling anything was wrong between us….I knew nothing of your plans to hurt me.…" Kara said. "You said that our friendship is a lie and that that you meant nothing to me, then why did I tell you? Can you at least answer me that before you walk away with Myriad? Can you answer that question?"

Lena remained silent.

"Or are you afraid to answer it?" Kara asked.

"I don't need to answer to you, Kara," Lena said. "At the end of that, you lied to me and betrayed my trust. And now, I have what I need from you."

Kara stared at her long and hard and then let out an exhausted laugh.

"Oh, it's funny to you?" Lena asked, her voice wavering.

Kara slid down the crystal so she could sit down, her soft, weary laughter filling the entire sanctuary. "Lex and I don't agree on a lot, but we can agree on one thing," Kara started, her voice cracking and tears falling down her eyes. "You are a fool, Lena Luthor. And I am as much as a fool for trusting you."

She didn't have to look at Lena to know that the woman felt crushed at her words, but Kara was far too hurt to acknowledge it. Despite those words hurting her as much as it did Lena.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Kara asked. "Finish was Lex tried to do and kill me?"

"No," Lena answered as she pressed a button, activating her portal. "No, I'm not going to kill you, Supergirl….I'm not a villain. You shouldn't have treated me like one."

"If you walk away with myriad," Kara spoke up. "If you go through with your plan, I will stop you, Lena. Because you're right, You aren't a villain. You're someone that is hurting. But if you walk out with myriad and do what you set out to do, then I will stop you…."

"Do whatever you desire, Kara Zor-El," Lena whispered. "But I will say this…..You're right, I was a fool," Lena admitted, her bottom lip trembling as tears fell from her eyes. "But I am your fool, no longer."

Lena walked through her portal, leaving Kara alone, trapped in her own fortress, too exhausted to even bother to move.

Kara: Tonight ~Restart from Tonight~

Kara woke up with a gasp. She looked around, momentarily confused at her location. She wasn't back at the Fortress of Sanctuary. She was at her home in Coast City.

Kara could only shake her head in amusement. It had been five years since that dark day, and yet she still dreamt about it as if it happened yesterday.

She wondered if those dreams will ever go away.

"Jeju?" A soft voice called out. Kara turned her head to see a four-year-old girl with long honey-brown hair, and tired blue eyes, wearing in a cyan flowery nightgown.

Kara shook away her nightmare and smiled at her daughter. "Come here, Lianna," Kara whispered. Lianna walked over to the bed and floated to the top into Kara's arms, who smiled and gave her a warm hug. 

"Nightmares again?" Kara asked.

Lianna tiredly nodded.

"Well, you can stay here with me tonight," Kara told the small child.

Lianna nodded and snuggled into her mother's arms. "Jeju?" Lianna asked. "Do we have to move?"

Kara let out a gentle sigh. She didn't want to move from Coasty City but Alex told her that National City was in slight dire straits when it came to crime and Supergirl was once again needed.

Kara knew that it was a hard choice, all things considered. She had left National City after dealing with the crisis and Leviathan. The city wasn't left undefended however. After she stopped crisis and Leviathan, she discovered Connor Kent, a clone of her cousin Clark and Lex Luthor, and seeing that he was a wandering hero, she passed on her cape to him and to Dreamer.

But with Connor temporarily powerless, Nia couldn't handle the crime of National City on her own. "I'm sorry, Inah," Kara whispered. "But don't be sad. You'll be closer to your cousins, Esme and Ruby. And you'll get to get Auntie Kelly's sweet cookies."

Lianna nodded and let out a tiny yawn. "Okay…." Lianna mumbled as she drifted off to sleep. But Kara remained wide awake, staring out her window at the city she had grown quite fond of. While Kara did not want to return to National City, she knew that eventually, it had to happen.

But so much had changed since she left National City.

She was now one of the most influential investigative journalist in the United States, freelancing for various reputable newspapers such as the Daily Planet, The Gotham Globe, the Daily Bugle, amongst many others. She was now a mentor to her young partner, Atlanta Lee, in both her normal career other....areas.

While she retired Supergirl, she did often pop into other cities to assist in big threats as Power Girl, although that was very rare. But it made people feel safe that a mysterious heroine would come when things got hairy for other heroes.

But the biggest thing was that she was now a mother.

After a disastrous attempt at a relationship with Mon-El, that resulted in her realizing that he could no longer fill the hole in her heart, Kara found out that she was pregnant. It was terrifying to deal with, especially alone since Mon-El returned to the future shortly before she realized why she was so sick. 

But thankfully, with Alex, Eliza, Alura, and J'onn by her side, she was able to give birth to her precious little Sapphire. Motherhood had tempered the stubbornness and anger that had plagued her since she was that lonely little girl. That had been four years ago. 

When she left National City, she left a broken-hearted mess. 

Now, she returns with her head on straight and her sapphire in her hands.

She just hoped her return would be well received.

Chapter Text

Atlanta "Atlee" Lee took pride in her work as Kara Danvers' assistant and as Supergirl/Power Girl's apprentice.

Every morning, The Champion of Strata would wake up, brush her long black hair, put make-up on her unnaturally pale face, put in her contact lenses to change her violet eyes to black, dress in a simple business dress-suit, and prepare Kara's affairs for the day.

Today, was no different.

"Kara, Cat Grant's private plane is waiting at the airport for our flight to National City. Alex Danvers should be waiting there for us, and your meeting with Cat Grant will happen two days from now," Atlee explained to her teacher/boss as the two walked through Kara's home for one last little tour before they left.

Everything was already packed and stored in the five storage cubes that Kara had taken from the Fortress of Sanctuary, which were stored in the purse that Atlee carried around her shoulder.

Kryptonians sure knew how to make life easier for everyone else.

The Stratan people would have loved something like this back in Strata.

The house was fairly large, with three stories and a large pool in the backyard. Kara didn't get it for her benefit, however. She had gotten the home for Atlee since the young adult had never seen a pool in Strata.

In fact, there were a lot of things Atlee hadn't seen in the subterranean world one thousand miles beneath the Earth's surface that Kara had decided after their meeting two years ago that she would get to experience.

"And….Ah! your hotel room at L-Plaza has been purchased and check-in will be at….Um…." Kara, who was dressed in a white button-down shirt with the top buttons unbuttoned, a pair of blue jeans, and white and blue sneakers, glanced over at Atlee. "At Eight-Thirty Pim," Atlee finished.

Kara laughed, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "That's P.M, Atlee," Kara gently corrected.

"Oh," Atlee replied, her cheeks reddening.

"Don't feel so down about it," Kara said. "You said everything else correctly. You've really come around since I met you outside of Manhattan. Outside of your emphasis being in the wrong places, I wouldn't be able to tell that this was your second language."

"I am giving than—I mean, thank you, Kara," Atlee corrected herself. "English is a tough language to get down."

"It sure is," Kara smiled. "If you'd like, we can converse in Strataness?"

Atlee shook her head. "No thank you. Knowing that I'm closer to solving the mystery of English, I will be continuing with this."

Kara nodded, her short blond hair swaying in the breeze.

"Kara, may I be aski—Can I ask you a question?" Atlee asked.

"Of course," Kara answered with a friendly smile.

"You once told me that National City was the first city to host both aliens and humans, is that correct?" Atlee asked as the two entered the kitchen of their home.

Kara nodded.

"What is it like?" Atlee asked.

Kara leaned against the counter and tilted her head in thought. "Truthfully, it's no different than here. It's bigger and there are more delicious restaurants for us to try. And there is actually a Noonan's out there," Kara started. "But I guess it's a little more friendlier there versus here?"

"Friendlier?" Atlee questioned.

Kara nodded. "Yes. After taking care of Lockwood and Cadmus, things were certainly better. It also helped that the leader of Cadmus officially renounced them which led to the capture of all their members. How Eliza did that, I will never know….." Atlee could hear the wry tone in her boss' voice. "But yes, friendlier," Kara concluded. "In fact, Olivia Marsdin was just voted in as National City's mayor."

"That used to be the president, correct?" Atlee asked.

Kara nodded with a proud smile. "You remembered. Perfect," Kara said. "Yes, while there are still some issues with National City, it has become a bastion for humans and aliens alike. If everything continues to go swimmingly, I wouldn't be surprised if it's looked at like Parthas is in the future. Why do you ask?"

"I did the asking because I suppose I am having the nervousness," Atlee admitted. "I've only been in Coast City."

Kara smiled and said, "Don't worry. You'll like it there. I promise."

"Jeju!" A cheerful voice chirped. Atlee and Kara turned to see Lianna, who wore a pretty teal sundress, floating into the kitchen with a bright smile. "All Done!"

Kara smiled and asked, "Did you press the button on the small pink square?"

Lianna nodded and held up a small pink square with blue star stickers on it. "See, I did it all by myself," Lianna said.

"You sure did," Kara proudly said as she ruffled her daughter's hair. Kara gave Atlee a look and then motioned upstairs.

Atlee smiled, nodded, and quickly strolled out of the room to confirm what Lianna said.

"Alex, honey, you need to calm down," Kelly Olsen-Danvers gently told her wife as Alex Danvers paced in the airport.

Alex wore a dark blue short-sleeve shirt with a black leather jacket above it, a pair of dark jeans, and black sneakers. She also wore a pair of black sunglasses over her eyes and a bandage on her right cheek.

Kelly wore a green turtleneck with a pair of blue jeans and white sneakers. Her hair was down, allowing it to flow as she shook her head and chuckled at her wife's impatience.

"I can't help it," Alex said. "It's been quite a long time since I've seen Kara and Lianna. I just want us to be the first faces they see when they get here."

Kelly shot Alex an amused smile. "We just saw them for Lianna's birthday three months ago," Kelly noted.

Alex paused.

"That's still a long time," Alex defended. "Plus, that was before Esme was officially adopted."

Alex turned to stare at their new daughter, Esme Danvers.

Esme wore a bright blue shirt with the House of El crest on her chest and light blue jeans. Alex smiled at the pink bandage on Esme's left cheek. Esme decided after Alex scratched her cheek chasing down a criminal that she would wear one on her cheek in solidarity.

She even called them boo-boo buddies, which caused Kelly to melt at the sight.

The seven-year-old girl, who sat beside Kelly drawing in her coloring book, looked up and smiled at hearing her name. "Are they here yet?" Esme asked.

"Not yet, Mimi," Kelly replied with a fond smile. "They should be here any minute, though."

"I hope so," Esme said. "I can't wait to meet Lianna. She'll be my cousin, right?"

Alex smiled and nodded. "That's right. She might be a little shy at first, but I do not doubt that she'll warm up to you."

Esme gave a bright smile and nodded, satisfied.

"What I can't believe is Cat Grant of all people flying Kara out here," Kelly said to Alex. "I know you said they were close, but it's still unbelievable."

Alex chuckled and said, "As much as Miss Grant claims, she does see Kara as her apprentice and if what Mom says is true, Cat is looking to have Kara as her editor-in-chief."

Kelly seemed surprised by this. "She wants her back at CatCo that badly?" Kelly asked. "Wait, Your mom is friends with Cat Grant?"

"I was shocked too, believe me," Alex said. "Apparently, they became friends during some incident when they were younger. But to answer your first question, Kara did make a name for herself as a famous investigative journalist. If anyone is going to want that under their wing, it's Cat Grant."

"But won't that interfere with other things?" Kelly asked.

Alex frowned.

Truthfully, she was unsure. While Kara did some heroics, her little sister had remained semi-retired due to Lianna up until Conner temporarily lost his powers. "Truthfully, I don't think it will be a big problem for Kara. She was able to do both Catco and that other thing for years, and that was when she was an assistant and then a reporter. I bet she will ace this like she does everything else."

Kelly opened her mouth, only for a small voice to shout, "Auntie Lexie!"

Alex's eyes sparkled in excitement as she turned around to see Lianna running up toward her. Alex immediately knelt, scooped Lianna up into a tight hug, and then stood up with a twist. "There's my little squirt," Alex cooed as Lianna laughed and hugged her back. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" Lianna said as she nuzzled the side of Alex's head, which Alex reciprocated with a smile.

Alex looked at Kelly and said, "Look who just showed up."

"Auntie Kelly!" Lianna squealed as she held out her arms to Kelly.

Kelly laughed, stood from the bench and took Lianna out of her arms, and embraced her. "Hello, Lia," Kelly greeted with a smile that Alex found breathtaking. "You've gotten so big in three months."

"I've been eating all of my greens," Lianna said. "Just like I promised."

"Did you find your favorite one?" Kelly asked.

Lianna nodded and said, "Kale!"

Alex almost choked.

Of all the greens to choose, she chose that one.

Kara must be pleased.

"That's certainly a good choice," Kelly said. "Kale is very good for your eyes and bones. And a growing girl certainly needs a lot of it."

"Kelly, stop trying to sway my daughter into eating that green poison," Kara's good-natured voice said from behind Alex.

Alex turned around and found herself in her sister's arms. "Hey Alex," Kara greeted as Alex returned her sister's hug with a tight one.

"Hey Kara," Alex softly greeted with wet eyes. She hated that she still got so emotional when seeing Kara after so long but she couldn't help it. Kara was a major part of her life and with her living in a different city, it felt like there was a gaping hole in it.

Kelly and Esme have been doing wonders in shrinking that hole, but Alex knew that it would always be there when Kara was so far away. Alex moved back and observed her sister.

Alex immediately caught that Kara had cut her hair so it fell just above her shoulders and while the majority of it was brunette, the tips where the loose curls sat were blonde. She also noticed that she wasn't wearing her glasses, allowing her otherworldly blue eyes to show themselves.

"You cut your hair," Alex noted. "And you aren't wearing your glasses."

"Figured it was time for a change," Kara bashfully replied. "For the hair at least. For the glasses….I kind of had an accident."

"An accident?" Alex skeptically repeated.

"I accidentally sat on them and broke them," Kara sheepishly revealed. "I was so tired last week from looking at houses that I didn't watch where I sat."

"Kara," Alex teasingly sighed. "Don't worry. We'll get you a new pair."

"I may have failed to get you two to eat greens but I won't let this little Danvers escape that fate," Kelly joked as Kara moved away from her and embraced Kelly. "Hello Sis," Kara greeted with a wide smile.

"Hello to you too, Kara," Kelly chuckled with a fond smile as the two separated. "How was the flight?"

"Boring and boring," Kara whined as Kelly handed Lianna to her. "But I had pleasant company at least." Kara placed Lianna on her right hip as the girl cuddled against her mother.

Kelly nodded and said, "Where is your assistant? I was sure she that she would follow you."

"I am here, Mrs. Olsen-Danvers," Atlee said as Alex jumped in surprise and whipped her head to the left.

Atlee gave Alex a kind, almost teasing smile as she said, "Hello, Mrs. Danvers."

"We need to put a bell on you," Alex groused.

Atlee smiled.

Kelly looked at Alex with a knowing glance, and Alex immediately realized what Kelly was signaling to. "Also, we have someone we want you guys to meet," Alex started as she walked over to where a nervous Esme sat. "Kara, Lianna, and Atlee. I want you three to meet Esme Danvers."

Esme moved off the bench and gave a hesitant smile. "Hello," Esme greeted.

Kara beamed while Lianna tucked herself closer to Kara's body. "So this is my famed little niece?" Kara stated as she knelt at Esme's height. "I gotta say, Alex told me that you were cute, but I didn't think you were so hecking adorable in person."

"Thank you," Esme replied with a bashful smile.

"Lia," Kara said as she turned to her daughter. "This is Esme. Your new cousin."

Lianna turned her head and looked at Esme with a shy expression. "Hello," Lianna mumbled.

"Hello," Esme greeted with a tiny smile. "I hope we can get along."

Lianna hid her face against Kara, who chuckled. "Don't mind her, Esme. She's really shy with new people."

"Yes, you should have been seeing her with me," Atlee said to Esme. "She didn't say a word to me for two weeks."

Esme nodded and smiled a bit more.

Kara stood up and looked around for a moment. "Where is Eliza? I was sure she would have been here to see us," Kara wondered. "Actually, where are Maggie, Megan, Brainy, Connor, and Nia?"

"She's in Metropolis," Alex said. "Apparently, she's visiting friends there or something. I dunno. Nia got caught up with something at CatCo but she'll be meeting us at the Chinese restaurant that you love along with Connor. Maggie and Megan are actually in Gotham helping Kate set up Ryan and Sophie's wedding with the rest of the family, and Brainy….He had to return to where he came from."

Kara frowned.

"Darn, I was hoping he would have stuck around," Kara admitted. "Nia must be devastated…."

"She is, but Connor has been helping with that," Kelly said. "We try not to mention him, though. Since she tends to get upset when that happens. So be careful, okay?"

"Noted," Kara said. "Well, best not keep them waiting. "Let's go!" Kara looked at Esme and Lianna and said, "I can't wait for you two to taste potstickers."

Alex rolled her eyes but smiled.

The group began their trek through the National City airport, but as they walked past a large television that was playing some random sport, Kara suddenly stopped and tilted her head. "What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Something isn't right," Kara murmured.

Suddenly, the image flashed and a news reporter appeared on the screen. "This just in! A plane heading toward National City was seen plummeting from the sky with a blown-out engine," The reporter announced.

The group turned to the television to see a black plane with a symbol that consisted of a gold "L" in the middle of a gold wreath on the tail of the plane. "With how fast the plan is going, it could hit downtown National City in moments, potentially causing irrevocable damage."

Alex turned to Kara, who immediately grinned in understanding and said, "Keep an eye on Lianna."

"Mama, where are you going?" Lianna asked as Alex took hold of her.

"Mama forgot something on the plane that she needs to get," Kara answered. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Lianna frowned and said, "Hurry back."

Kara smiled and said, "I promise. Ten minutes."

Lianna nodded while Atlee turned to her and asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I got this. Besides, I have something to show off," Kara said with a wink before she sped off.

'Good luck, Sis….' Alex thought.

Kara ran out the side doors to the airport and glanced around for cameras. Seeing none, she pulled up her left sleeve to reveal a small watch. She pressed a button on it and then darted into the air.

From the watch, black nanobots swarmed up her left arm and then around her body, save her neck and head.

When the machines solidified, Kara now wore a dark, sleeveless bodysuit with a high collar and the gilded white House of El Sigil on the chest, white elbow-length gloves, and white knee-high boots.

Around her waist was a belt with an angular golden buckle that bore the House of El Sigil on it along with a small gold cape attached around the back which hung down to her knees, and over her shoulders was a long white cape that was buttoned to the shoulders of her bodysuit.

Kara flew into the air and narrowed her eyes. The airport was on the farthest side of the city but even she could see the smokey and fiery trail left in the sky.

Kara knew who was on this plane. She couldn't quite believe that after all this time, and after forcing herself to try to forget it, she still remembered the beat of her heart.

And hope she didn't have to see her face again.

Kara kicked into overdrive, causing a sonic boom, as her body pierced through the clouds in the sky until she reached the plane one minute later. She flew along the side of the plane, briefly seeing the familiar face of Ruby Arias, and quickly flew to the burning engine

Kara used her ice breath to stop the fire and once it was put out, Kara twirled her body as she flew ahead of the plane, turned around to face it, and then took a deep breath.

Moments later, Kara let out a powerful gust to slow the divebombing plane until its speed began to slow. Once the plane slowed down enough, she flew beneath it and held it above her, spreading her telekinetic field over the plane to keep it afloat and sturdy.

Kara flew it toward downtown National City, in the direction of the National City Park. She scanned the middle of the park and thankfully, it was empty so with a relieved smile, she drifted toward the park and landed with a small skid on the grassy ground.

Thankfully, the plane was rather small and Kara was able to move from beneath the plane while still holding it up until she reached the left wing. She held the wind and finished lowering the plane to the ground.

Kara let out a sigh of relief as she could Ruby and Sam celebrating in the plane, but as she flew from under the wing, she happened to turn her head to the windows, and to her absolute shock, she heard a voice whisper, "Kara?"

As if she was in slow motion, Kara turned around and found kryptonite green eyes staring back at her with surprise radiating from them.

It had been so long since she's seen her face, that it freezes Kara to the spot.

She was just as beautiful as the last time she saw her.

Even if the last time was trapped within a crystal….

Kara slowly lifted her hand and gave a tiny salute to Lena, and while her face looked nonchalant, her heart was beating wildly in her chest.

Kara finally willed herself to turn away from Lena's soul-piercing eyes and took off into the sky.

Chapter Text

"About time you made it here Lena," Kara said with a playful grin as she stood up from beneath the cherry blossom tree with her hands behind her back.

Lena snorted and replied, "Sorry. Had a meeting to attend before I got here, as you can tell." Lena then motioned down to the three-piece black suit with a small smile.

"That I can," Kara said with a smile.

Lena then stared at the cherry blossom tree and said, "I wasn't aware that they had this in National City."

"It was a gift," Kara answered with a fond smile. "The Japanese Superheroine, Katana, gifted it to Supergirl after their team-up one year ago. Supergirl planted it here at the national city park after an event Cat Grant organized."

"I heard of that," Lena said. "I also recall a few rumors that the two shared a kiss after defeating Simon Tycho. Is that true?"

Kara fumbled with her glasses, her cheeks turning a rosy red. "N-No, I don't think so," Kara replied. "At least, that's not what she told me."

Lena chuckled and said, "Well, thanks for the history of this tree. But I'm curious. Why did you want to meet me here?"

Kara's red cheeks faded and a nervous expression formed on her face. "You've been pretty stressed due to Morgan Edge and his nefarious ways….so, I wanted to give you something. To hopefully take the edge off of it….Pun maybe intended," Kara said before she held out a medium-sized black box to her to Lena.

"Kara..." Lena said gently. "You know I hate random gifts like this..." Lena reached out and took the box from her hand and opened it and her eyes lit up when she saw a beautiful wooden music box with her name etched on the lid of the box.

"Alex and I have been working on it for a long time. It's why I've been a no-show for the past few days. I know you hate random gifts out of nowhere but I couldn't resist, " Kara explained.

"I-It's beautiful..." Lena said softly. "Does it play?"

Kara grinned and said, "Yeah! Try it out."

Kara watched as Lena turn the small silver handle on the side of the box and out came a gentle, beautiful tune that made her eyes water.

She was touched.

No one, not even Jack, had ever handmade her something so simple and yet so beautiful.

When the song finished, Lena noticed that Kara's eyes were locked on the music box. "The song is called "Usebeni." It's Japanese for "Light Pink." I heard it once during a trip and the melody has stuck in my head," Kara softly explained. "I figured if anyone would appreciate that melody, it would be you."

Lena couldn't speak for a moment. There was so much going on in her mind that it made it difficult for her. But what she did know was that Kara Danvers was truly a pure soul trapped within a wicked world, and she did not deserve her.

"I don't know what to say," Lena admitted. "I feel like a simple "Thank you, Kara" wouldn't do a gift like this justice," Lena softly told her, trying as hard as she could to keep her voice steady. "But until I find the right words to express my gratitude, all I can tell you is that I'll treasure this forever…."

Lena watched as Kara's blue eyes twinkled in amusement, the cherry blossom petals fluttering around her as they fell around them. "I think those words are more than enough, Lena," Kara told her with a bright smile.

And it was then Lena felt her heart flutter.

Lena Kieren Luthor startled awake on her her private jet. Drowsily, she looked around to see both Sam and Ruby sleeping in the chairs on the other side of the aisles.

Lena frowned at herself.

Every day for the last five years, it was that same dream, replaying the memory of Kara Danvers giving her one of her most precious gifts.

Replaying the memory of the day Lena had fallen in love with her.

It was so aggravating!

Why couldn't her heart just get with the program that Kara Danvers wasn't real?

Then why hasn't her heart stopped breaking?

Lena shook her head and stared out of the window of her plane, observing the clear blue skies and clouds beneath the aircraft. Right now, her thoughts shouldn't be on Kara Danvers. No, it should be on her the letter that her ex-sister-in-law, Lana Lang, her written to her, which caused this trip.

"Dear Lena,

I apologize for the long bout of silence. I wish I could say it was due to moonlighting as the "Angel of the Plateau," but it's so much more than that. I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll say it.

I'm dying, Lena.

Do you remember the incident that forced me to leave Metropolis?"

Lena remembered that day well.

During the ongoing war between Clark and Lex, the woman they both loved, Lana Lang, had returned to Metropolis to attend the wedding between Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, and Chloe Sullivan, Clark's long-time best friend.

During Lana's time in Metropolis, she discovered a plot from her and Lex's older sister, Lutessa "Tess" Luthor, regarding "Project Prometheus," a project that Lex was working on to become stronger than Clark. Somehow, Lana convinced the doctor to give her Project Prometheus's power instead of her foolish brother.

In the end, she succeeded and became a hero until Lex did what she did best and ruined it all with a Kryptonite bomb that irradiated Lana's body with Kryptonite and forced her to leave Metropolis, Clark, and Lena herself, for good.

"The Kryptonite that powers the nanites of the suit has given me acute kryptonite poisoning. I don't have much longer to live. Lena, there is someone I need you to meet. Would you please come to Cameroon as quickly as you can? I don't know how much longer I have left.

I hope to see you soon, Sis.

Love,
Lana L."

Lena frowned to herself.

When Lena first met Lana Lang, she disliked the woman Lex seemed to fawn and obsess over. But over time, Lana had become a positive influence in Lena's life, despite being surrounded by the darkness of her family name.

She was more of a sister to her than Lutessa, who she only knew about from stories. And it was thanks to this loyalty to Lana that her ex-sister-in-law trusted her with the biggest secret in the world.

The Identity of Superman.

No one in her entire life had trusted her, and for someone to reveal that was something extraordinary and woefully foreign to her life.

So when Lana sent that letter explaining what was going on, Lena had left everything to her best friend Sam and flew off without hesitation.

There was no way she was going to let Lana down.

'Hang on, Lana. I'm on my way,' Lena thought.

It was five in the morning when Lena, Sam, and Ruby finally arrived at the modest stone-made home of Lana Lang.

Lena noted the large field of flowers around Lana's house, along with fruits and teddy bears, no doubt from the many people she saved during her tenure as the "Angel of the Plateau," but she also noticed something else.

A girl was sitting on a stool at the gate of the house, staring out into nothing. She had long chocolate-brown hair, bluish-green eyes, and tan skin. She looked remarkably like Lana, but she could see someone else in this girl. Someone she didn't expect.

She saw Lex in her as well.

The girl finally noticed Lena and said, "You must be Lena," the girl murmured. Despite her youthful face, her voice sounded weary.

"Yes, my name is Lena Luthor. May I have your name?" Lena questioned.

"Lucinda," the girl introduced.

Lena's eyes narrowed.

That name belonged to her grandmother on the Luthor side of the family….

"Momma is expecting you, and only you," Lucinda told Lena while sparing a look to Sam and Ruby, with the former raising her hands in surrender.

"We got the hint. We'll stay here," Sam said.

"Good. Lena, please follow me," The girl told her as she hopped off the stool and started to walk down the stone walkway that led to the house.

Lena followed after the girl until they reached the front door. Lena took note of a metallic cabinet and asked, "What is this?"

"Sterilized lead-lined hazmat suits," Lucinda answered as she pulled out a white suit. "To protect from the Kryptonite aura that mom radiates."

Lena narrowed her eyes then put on the hazmat suit while she asked, "Has it progressed that far?"

"Yes," Lucinda answered, her voice detached, most likely due to the trauma and knowledge that her mother's days are numbered. "Anyone that enters without it finds themselves hit with symptoms of Kryptonite poisoning. Not strong enough to kill them, but it's more than enough to floor them for a month."

Fully covered, Lucinda said, "Come," before she opened the door and led Lena inside the home. Lena looked around and saw that the walls were bare and there was no furniture.

The only thing that was in the room was a large hospital bed, where Lana Lang lay. Lena's eyes softened as she took note of Lana's frail body, her snow-white hair, glowing green eyes, and glowing green veins that pulsated against her skin.

"Lana…." Lena breathed out as Lana gave her a gentle smile.

"Fashionably late as always, LK," Lana wheezed out.

"It's not my fault your letter came three months late," Lena tried to joke, but her voice came out weak.

Lana let out a gentle laugh before she turned to Lucinda and murmured, "Honey, it's almost time. why don't you get ready to go…."

Lucinda nodded before she walked out of the house, but before she could leave, Lana called out, "Lucinda?"

Lucinda turned and looked at her mother.

"Honey, my heart will always be there with you. Despite this being the end, I am grateful that I got to spend the remainder of my life being your mother. It is the greatest gift I could ever ask for," Lana told her. "I love you."

Lena could hear Lucinda sniff before she whispered, "I-I love you too. I'll miss you…." Lucinda quickly ran out of the house, leaving Lena and Lana alone. "How old is she?" Lena asked.

"Eight," Lana answered as she shut her eyes, but Lena could still see the green glow of her irises despite her eyelids being closed.

"I thought Lex lied about your pregnancy," Lena murmured.

"I thought that too until after I left Metropolis, I realized that I hadn't had my period," Lana whispered. "I found out when I was in Shanghai. Unfortunately, Lex found out too and chased me there…."

Lena frowned.

"He convinced me that he would take care of the baby and me if I were to help him destroy Clark by breaking his heart and naming our daughter after his grandmother. Despite being pregnant, my mind was consumed with vengeance for all the pain Lex had put me through. So I agreed if only to stop his plot…."

"And that plot was Project Prometheus," Lena muttered.

Lana nodded.

"So Lucinda is my niece, and you were pregnant with her during all of that?" Lena asked. "Does she have any of those nanites within her?"

Lana shook her head and answered, "When she was born, she did, but I was able to absorb the majority of it from her body, but enough remained that it did make her something akin to a super-soldier."

Lena nodded. "To think, Lex was so close to becoming the god he thought Clark would be. It's a good thing you stopped his plan. Sure, it led to his red sun plan and the plan you're going through right now, but you single-handily saved the world from something so much worst…."

"I'm glad you think so," Lana replied. "I don't regret stopping that Kryptonite bomb. But I regret not being able to be here to raise Lucinda. A-And that's why I asked you here."

Lana coughed heavily, causing a splatter of glowing green blood to leave her mouth and coat her right palm, causing Lena to step forward. Lana held out her hand to stop her from approaching.

"Lena, my body is too weak to carry on. I have a feeling that once we're done talking, I'll be seeing my parents again," Lana softly admitted. "But I can't leave without knowing Lucinda is safe from Lutessa. And you're the only one that can protect her from them."

Lena grimaced at the mention of her older siblings.

Lex used to be the person she admired and looked up to, but slowly over the years, she watched him change from a good man into the villain she knew before his death.

The death that she caused.

Lutessa was a different story, however.

Like Lena, Lutessa was born from an affair that her father had with a woman named Pamela Jenkins. However, when Lutessa was born, Pamela and her father put her up for adoption.

But when Pamela died from cancer a year later, Lionel did not take Lutessa in, leaving her in the hands of Granny Goodness due to Lex being born.

Lena would be the first to admit that her older sister had a rough life, but Lana, Clark, and Lex had told her stories about Lutessa, and those tales made Lena never want to meet the woman.

"Lena, I give you full custody of Lucinda Nasthalthia Luthor. Please, be the light that she'll need and protect her from Lex and Lutessa," Lana begged as faint green tears fell from her eyes. "Don't let her drown in the darkness that is the Luthor name. If anyone can, it's you."

Lena's eyes widened in shock at this request. Lana must have sensed her surprise because she said, "I know this is a huge responsibility. And I know that it's horrible to force this upon you-"

"Nonsense," Lena interrupted. "I will do it. I know how it feels to lose a mother at a young age. Besides, she's my niece, and your my sister and every way except blood. I would have to be a pure Luthor to refuse this."

Lana cracked out a small smile as she closed her eyes. "Thank you, Lena. I-I don't know if I could ever repay you."

"The kindness you showed me throughout my life is more than enough," Lena replied.

Lana's smile grew before she murmured, "Lucinda already understands what is about to happen….I trained her on this. If she's a little cold to you, give her time, and she'll shine as bright as the stars themselves…."

"Okay…." Lena whispered as she noticed the glow of Lana's irises beginning to fade.

"Lena, we may have been united by a hateful man in Lex, but you are my sister in every sense of the word. While all the other Luthor's dance into the darkness, you will always bask in the light. I love you…."

Lena watched as the glow of Lana's irises faded away before she went limp, followed by the heart monitor flatlining.

Lena shut her eyes, allowing her tears to fall as she whispered, "I love you too, Lana. Sleep well. I'll watch over Lucinda from here…."

When Lena walked out of the house and removed the hazmat suit, she found Lucinda sitting on the stool as the sun rose over the horizon, with Sam and Ruby watching on. Lena looked at Sam with a watery smile and bowed her head.

Sam's eyes softened and she whispered something to Ruby, who nodded, before the two walked toward the van, leaving Lena and Lucinda alone. Lena silently walked up beside her and placed a warm hand on the eight-year-old's shoulder.

"She's gone, isn't she?" Lucinda asked, her voice watery as tears fell.

"She's at peace," Lena whispered.

"I'm glad…." Lucinda whispered before she began to cry.

Lena kneeled and took the girl into her arms, allowing herself to sob alongside the girl she would look after.

"I don't know how I'm going to do this, Sam," Lena admitted as she turned to her best friend. The two of them sat across from one another in Lena's private plane while Lucinda and Ruby both slept in the seats across the aisle.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to help her," Lena continued. "I don't know the first thing about being a guardian to a child, especially one that has just lost her mother in such a heartbreaking way…."

"I know, Lena," Sam said. "But we'll find a way. We always do."

Lena sighed and attempted to open her mouth when the plane shuttered briefly. Lena was instantly on guard, but Sam placed a hand on hers and said, "Relax. It's probably just turbulence."

A loud explosion was heard from outside and Lena felt her heart drop.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the flames from the destroyed engine and despite Sam, Ruby, and Lucinda panicking, Lena remained calm. Not because she had been through this several times before, but because she was emotionally exhausted after losing someone close to her.

But she needed to be present and calm everyone down. Lena turned to Lucinda, who clung to Ruby, and then looked at Sam, who was going her best to console the two terrified children.

Lena was about to assist Sam in this endeavor, only for her to see a black blur flash out of the corner of her eyes.

She looked outside and noticed that the engine that had blown was frozen and the fire was gone.

Moments later, she felt the plane's nose dive begin to slow until there was a jerk, which caused the plane to level out. Lena placed a hand on her chest as the plane lowered, giving Lena the ability to see the familiar buildings of National City slowly come into view as the plane gently descended.

Soon, the plane stopped descending and Lena could make out that they landed at the National City Park, judging by the statue of Supergirl that prominently stood right in front of the plane's left wing.

Lena then noticed someone flying from beneath the left wing, and for a moment, her heart stopped.

Her suit was a different color and her hair was cut shorter and prominently blonde, but Lena knew her savior very well. "Kara?" Lena whispered.

She watched as the woman froze, her hair swaying from the wind outside. Slowly, the heroine turned and Lena saw the face she had both longed for and hated for five long years.

She was as beautiful as the day she lost her….

Lena watched as the heroine gave her a small salute before she darted off into the sky.

And just like that, Lena felt more emotionally drained than she did before.

Because now, Kara Danvers had returned to National City, and Lena would one day be faced with talking to her again.

Chapter Text

"It's still here," Kara murmured with a soft expression as those pink petals from the tree she had planted in National City Park fluttered around her. Kara still wore her heroine outfit, allowing her capes to flow against the gentle breeze.

Kara had, more than once, thought that the tree she had planted after her mission with Katana back in Japan would have been chopped down since Lena had purchased National City Park after Edge had tried to buy it from the city.

As for as Kara knew, Lena had kept the park unlike CatCo, so she was glad to see that it was still here.

A familiar heartbeat filled Kara's ears as it approached from behind her. "I knew I would find you here," Alex's voice filled the air as Kara continued to stare at the beautiful tree. Alex joined her side, let out a small laugh, and said, "You haven't even been here a day and already you're at this tree."

"Where is Lianna?" Kara questioned.

"At home with Kelly," Alex said. "I suspect Sam and Ruby will be home shortly too."

"I wouldn't count on that," Kara told her. "She was on that plane with Le—Ms. Luthor."

"Oh, can't say I didn't see that coming," Alex grinned. "She did rush out of the house last night to help Lena out with something out of the country. I'm just glad she's safe."

Kara turned to Alex and smiled at her sister. There was a time when Alex was completely crushed at losing Maggie Sawyer but now, after a few years and a lot of twists in the road, Alex was now a mother to two wonderful girls in Esme and Ruby, and the proud wife and life partner of Kelly and Sam respectively.

Kara would always say that Alex deserved all the love in the world after suffering so much strife for being her sister, and now she was getting everything she deserved in life. "So am I," Kara sincerely agreed as she looked back at the tree.

"So, you saw her then? Lena?" Alex questioned. "Is that why you're here?"

Kara bowed her head.

"Y'know, I can't blame you for being here. I know after you showed Lena this tree, the two of you would often have picnics under it," Alex said. "It was here where I found you after everything went down."

Kara nodded as she closed her eyes, a memory forcing itself to the forefront of her mind.

"Farewell, beautiful lover. I love you so, but still, I let you go. Under this pink sky is where we went our separate ways," Kara drunkenly sang with a bottle of expensive Aldebaran rum. "'I want you to know, I love you, so I won't let you go.' I wish I had said these words to you, but I have left all these words unspoken…."

"Light pink petals start to fall. From that blossom tree so tall. And they dance to a bittersweet melody…." Kara paused her drunken song to lift the bottle to her mouth to drink a swig of the rum, not even aware of Alex's heartbeat rapidly approaching.

Kara's lifted arm slumped between her legs, causing the bottle to leave her lips, causing the liquid to dribble down her lips. With the bottle between her legs, her head hung low, and her face flush, she sang, "….As the petals block the way, they keep leading me astray. I just want you back with me….here with me….."

Kara then noticed the footsteps stopping in front of her and slowly raised her head and offered a smile. "Hey, Lexie," Kara greeted with a sing-song voice. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, Kara…." Alex whispered with such a soft and sad tone. Her older sister knelt in front of her and said, "….Let's get you home, Kiddo."

"Home? Why? It's lonely and sad there…." Kara whined.

Kara noticed the heartbroken expression on her sister's face. "Then let's go to my place and have a sister's night," Alex suggested. "I'll even get that ice cream you like."

"The butterscotch caramel ice cream?" Kara asked with a giddy smile.

"That very one," Alex confirmed.

"Okay," Kara mumbled. Alex helped her to her feet, only for Kara to stumble forward, nearly colliding with Alex. "I'll zip us there."

"Oh no you don't," Alex chided. "No flying while under the influence. My car is five minutes away. We can walk."

"Okay," Kara dutifully said as she took an unsteady step forward, only for Alex to catch her as she nearly fell. "Whoops!"

"Just…cling on to me, okay?" Alex asked while putting Kara's arm around her shoulder. Kara allowed her weight to lean on Alex, who stumbled to the left and then reoriented herself. Together, the two of them began to walk.

"Lexie?" Kara asked. "I ruined everything….."

"No you didn't, Kiddo," Alex softly denied. "It's not your fault you fell in love with the sister of your family's mortal enemy."

"I should have trusted her more," Kara glumly slurred as tears leaked from her eyes. "Now she's gone…."

"Let's not bring her up right now, Kiddo," Alex told her. "Let's just focus on getting you to my place."

"Lexie?" Kara murmured. "Khuhtiv zhor owahsh (My heart weeps)."

"I know, Kara, I know…." Alex whispered. "We will heal it. I promise…."

"I never thanked you for that, did I?" Kara asked.

"You didn't have to," Alex responded. "You were there for me when Maggie left. It was only right to be there for you when Lena broke your heart."

Alex patted her shoulder and said, "Now, let's get home. You have a rather impatient daughter and two apprentices that are waiting for you. And I doubt they'll understand why you're moping a Sakura tree."

Kara nodded and went to turn away, only for something to catch her eye.

In front of the tree was a small lump. That hadn't been there the last time she was here. She used her X-ray vision and her heart shattered.

It was the music box Kara and Alex had made for Lena.

"Kara, are you alright?" Alex asked.

Kara stared at the music box and then shut her eyes. She would not let something that happened in the past affect her now, even if it hurt like hell. "I'm fine," Kara softly answered. "But you're right, there's no point moping under a Sakura tree for something in the past."

That part of her life was dead.

And it was time for her to move on. She had a daughter now and she couldn't afford to let her past love affect her like this.

So why did it feel like her heart was breaking all over again?

"And this is your room," Lena told Lucinda, who stood behind her quietly as the duo stood in Lena's penthouse. "I didn't know I would be your guardian before my trip so I wish I could have decorated it more in preparation for your arrival. But, if you'd like, we can do that this upcoming Saturday."

"Okay," Lucinda mumbled.

Lena felt her heart break at her niece. Only eight years old and already an orphan. Their world was a cruel and sad place for people like Lucinda but Lena wouldn't allow her to feel the despair that she had felt when her mother left this world.

"Why don't you get some rest and I'll call you once dinner has arrived," Lena softly suggested.

Lucinda nodded and walked into the room, holding a teddy bear that was in Superman's outfit. "Lucinda?" Lena called out to the girl when she neared the bed.

Lucinda turned around to face her.

"I know what you're going through is something horrible," Lena told her with compassion. "But I want you to know that you aren't alone. Not while I'm here. If you need anything. Anything at all, come to me and I will get it to you. I promise."

"Okay…." Lucinda mumbled.

"Okay," Lena repeated. "Sleep well…."

Lena gently closed the door to give the girl some privacy but as she walked away from Lucinda's room, she heard the sound of her muffled crying.

Lena felt her heart crack at the cries but didn't turn around to intrude. Lucinda needed this. Lucinda needed to release all of the sorrow in her young heart in the safety of the dark., Something Lena was unable not to do when she was taken in by the Luthors.

But even with that thought, Lena's feet felt like lead as she walked away toward her room. Once she made it inside, she cracked her door and then flopped face-first into her comfortable bed.

Today had been a wreck on her nerves and truthfully, she needed some sleep. Lena lifted her left arm and muttered, "Hope, activate code pink."

"Yes, Ms. Luthor," Hope's voice said from her watch.

The blinds in her room closed shut and a familiar music box melody filled the empty space. Lena let out a small breath and closed her eyes, her somber feeling entering her chest.

Lena knew that it was stupid to listen to this melody. Especially after seeing the one who gave it to her after five long years, but as she often did on a long and trying day, she played it.

She played it to not only lull herself to sleep but to remember better days. Days where eyes as blue as the skies would look upon her with the warmth of the sun itself.

Days where musical laughter would echo across the plain white walls of her penthouse, along with the scent of burnt pancakes or Potstickers.

Days when she would wake up and see the face of an angel sleeping beside her or when she would feel her warm arms around her body.

Days where she was in love with Kara Danvers.

It was stupid and Lena knew that each time she fell asleep and awakened to this gentle melody, it always filled her with melancholy for the things she could never experience again.

She knew that she couldn't keep doing this. It was why she buried the music box at the base of the Sakura Tree.

She couldn't keep looking into the past for that familiar warmth that will never come again.

But what else could she do when everything around her was so cold and sterile since that fateful night?

But she had to try. She had someone to look over now and Lucinda didn't need a woman unable to let go of a past love.

So why did the thought of losing such a beautiful melody from the ghost of the woman she loved make her heart break again?

Chapter Text

"Jeju! Jeju! You were so cool!" Lianna exclaimed as she flew to Kara the moment Kara stepped into Alex's apartment.

Kara laughed, snatched her daughter into her arms, and spun her around, making the little girl laugh. "Thank you, Kir Ehkhin (Little Sapphire)," Kara told her little one as she nuzzled the smaller girl's cheeks, who happily returned the affection.

"Eh, she was alright," A teasing voice announced. Kara turned around to see a black-haired young man sitting on the couch.

The man wore a black t-shirt with the House of El crest emblazoned on the chest with a red leather jacket above it, black jeans with a tear on the right knee, black sneakers, and yellow-tinted tea-shade glasses that hid his otherworldly teal eyes.

Kara's eyes lit up as the young man stood off the couch and approached her until he stopped in front of her."It's been a while, big sis," The man said with a boyish smile.

Kara couldn't believe there was a time she ever disliked the clone in front of him.

"Kon-El!" Kara happily exclaimed, bringing him into a hug alongside Lianna. "You've grown so much since I've been away."

Kon-El, aka Connor Kent, smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as he replied, "You saw that every time you see me."

"But it's true. When I left, you were shorter than me. Now you tower over me," Kara happily told him.

"Jeju, Kon-El was so nice. He gave me his ice cream sandwich. It had cookie dough in it!" Lianna excitedly told her once Kara stopped hugging her baby brother. "And then we had two slices of chocolate cheesecake with peanut butter crust!"

"Explains why she's so hyper," Kara said as she smiled at Connor. "I hope you're willing to keep an eye on her after we return from CatCo."

"That I can do," Connor grinned as Alex walked into her apartment and got on her tippy-toes to ruffle Connor's hair.

"Well, you can do that from your own place, Con," Alex told him.

"But Alex," Connor groaned. "My place is still getting fumigated after those alien bugs invaded it."

"Then why not stay with Nia?" Kelly asked as she entered the living room with Esme. Kara watched as Alex moved from her side and approached Kelly to share a brief kiss.

Kara tried to ignore the tiny ache in her heart from the sight.

"Bleh, Nia," Connor remarked.

"You two still aren't getting along?" Kara asked.

"Not for lack of trying. She's just so…..Ugh!" Connor huffed. "I'm like, stronger than her, and yet she's my field commander."

"Well, she was my apprentice before I retired," Kara informed. "So, out of the two of you, she would have the experience needed to lead."

"And she is older than you," Alex followed up.

"By a year," Connor defensively added. "Also, speaking of apprentices, where is your new cute one?"

Kara tilted her head and expanded her hearing. She could hear Atlee's gentle snoring at their hotel and smiled. "She's at our hotel. Poor girl has been running herself ragged lately," Kara answered. "I'll have to make sure to get her on the way back from CatCo so we can all go out to dinner."

"You better hurry up," Alex told her as Esme dug into the treat Lianna had described earlier. "Dinner reservations are in two hours and you probably want to wash up before we go."

"Very much so. We'll be back in two hours. Say "bye-bye" Lia," Kara said to her daughter.

"Bye-bye, everyone!" Lianna waved.

"Oh my gosh! Kara! Lia!" Nia squealed as she hugged Kara first and then scooped Lianna out of her arms to hug the now giggling child. "I missed you so much!"

"Auntie Nia!" Lianna giggled as Nia nuzzled her cheek.

"I didn't expect you until tomorrow," Nia told Kara before the two exchanged a kiss on the cheek.

"I did say the 25th right?" Kara asked.

"Wait, what's today?" Nia asked.

"The 25th," Kara replied.

"Oh wow, time is slipping away from me. I thought today was the 24th," Nia told her. "Which means I better hurry up and get over to Alex's."

"Oh, you're done with work?" Kara questioned.

"Just clocked out before you came to my desk," Nia replied as she held Lianna to Kara, who held her daughter in her arms once more. "But what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Cat. I know we had a meeting in two days, but I'd rather get it over with now so I can relax later," Kara answered.

"Good luck. William pissed her off and she's been on the warpath," Nia warned. She then kissed both mother and daughter on the cheek and said, "See you both later!"

"Bye-Bye!" Lianna waved. Nia smiled and walked down the aisle of desks while Kara turned around and walked toward Cat's office. Memories of a young blonde girl looking for her first break filled Kara's mind as she retraced the steps she made dozens of times.

It had been so long since she was in this large room and yet, it felt like she never left. She stopped at Cat's door and gave it three quick knocks before she stepped inside. "Cat?" Kara called out.

Sitting at her desk, wearing a white turtleneck and black slacks with black heels, was her once-mentor turned friend, Cat Grant.

"Grandma Kitty!" Lianna happily greeted.

"Ah, Keira. Today isn't the 26th," Cat greeted with a small, but genuine smile. "And little Lia. Come over and hug me."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I wanted to know if you were free to have it now?" Kara asked as she allowed Lianna to fly from Kara's arms to Cat's, who instantly hugged the small girl and placed her on her lap.

"Impatient as always," Cat stated. "However, thanks to Dey's error, my schedule is clear."

"What did he do?" Kara asked.

"Make his last mistake," Cat sourly answered. "But enough of that. You wish to have that meeting, yes? Well, I'll be making this short. As you know, I'm getting married to Olivia next month."

Kara nodded.

It was amazing to read in the newspaper that Cat Grant, one of the biggest names in media, was getting married to the vindicated ex-president of the United States. "I'm aware," Kara answered. "You're not thinking of leaving CatCo again, are you? So soon after buying it back?"

"Of course not," Cat denied as she eyed Lianna, who was looking at her laptop screen. "You like the flowers, Lia?"

Lianna nodded with a smile. "Can I choose one?" The small girl asked.

"You sure can," Cat answered before she glanced back up at Kara. "As I was saying, I'm not going to retire. I'm a reporter. And there's no tool more powerful for change than the press. With that said, I've been watching you and reading your articles. And quite frankly, you've blossomed into a skilled investigating reporter."

"You've been keeping track of me?" Kara asked.

"Of course I have, Keira," Cat chuckled. "You're my daughter in all but name and blood. And I helped nurture the flower you've bloomed into. Of course, I'm going to keep tabs on you. I'll make this short and simple. I am hiring you as my new editor-in-chief."

Kara was startled.

"A-Are you serious?" Kara asked.

"Have I been known to joke?" Cat asked.

"No. It's just…I never expected this to be the reason you reached out," Kara said. Becoming the Editor-in-Chief had been her biggest dream a few years ago. She had all but dropped it after she left National City.

So now that she was faced with her dream job, she couldn't help but be shocked. "Keira, you should close your mouth. Shocked or not, you don't want to set Lianna up for failure at being unable to mask her feelings."

Kara shut her mouth and flushed. "I mean, of course, I accept that offer. But are you sure you should offer it to me?"

"I know you are currently returning to your previous duties until your replacement recovers, but you're the best person for this position. Supergirl will not be around forever. The last five years have proven that. Now, I have the contract right here," Cat pulled out a stack of papers and handed it to Kara. "What do you say?"

"How could I say no?" Kara asked.

She quickly scanned through the dozens of papers and once she was done, she signed the contract. "Marvelous," Cat grinned. "Now, my Editor-in-Chief, there is one thing I ask of you before you take your rightful place."

"Sure. Anything," Kara said.

"L-Corp has finally found a way to cure cancer using nanobots and they are getting ready to reveal it to the world," Cat said. "I ask you for one last favor. Will you put your ace reporting skills into action once more and interview Lena Luthor? I am aware that you and Lena Luthor have your past but I can't trust anyone else with this request other than you."

Despite everything in Kara's body telling her to deny this favor, she couldn't. She was a professional first and foremost and Cat had just given her her dream. How could she refuse?

"As a favor to you, I would be honored to do this," Kara answered.

"Thanks for your help, Sam," Lena said as she leaned on the counter beside her best friend, her clothes caked in powder and dough. "I know I'm keeping you away from Kelly and Alex, so thanks for sticking around. There was no way that I could do this on my own."

Sam, who was also covered in powder and small portions of dough, smiled at Lena and told her, "Alex and Kelly will understand and probably will be glad that I stayed a bit longer than I originally said, considering everything that's happened. Besides, with the type of food you're making, you're going to need all the help you can get tonight."

After waking up from her nap, Lena decided to take a peek at the notes Lana had given her via Lucinda. Thanks to those notes, Lena knew a great deal about Lucinda, from her favorite foods to her favorite books. But Lena didn't allow herself to look at the notes for anything other than food.

She wanted to get to know Lucinda naturally, not by pretending she knew everything.

So after wiping away the sleep in her eyes, Lena decided that she would cook Lucinda's favorite comfort foods. She wanted to put forth the effort to cheer her niece up as best as she could and show Lucinda that she could depend on her.

Unfortunately, Lena needed some help, and by the grace of God, Sam hadn't left her place and offered to help her, despite needing to be with her significant others.

Lena let out a small sigh, stretched out her limbs, then replied, "Well, when your evil step-mother keeps trying to make you into a trophy wife by sending you to the best chefs in the world to feed chauvinistic multi-millionaires, you tend to pick up a few things."

"Lillian never gave up, did she?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lena sighed. "Ever since I was little, all Lillian did was ignore me or manipulate me. And she always kept trying to pawn me off to some asshole. Even now, she loathes that I'm in charge of L-Corp. And to the one person that I found and was willing to be a simple wife for, she…." Lena paused, squashing the feeling of betrayal in her chest.

Sam shot her a sympathetic look, but Lena shook her head. "That's why I'm doing this. I want Lucinda to know that even though the circumstances are dire, I want her to see that I will put forth all the effort I can into her and care for her," Lena told Sam with a determined expression. "I want to show her that she isn't a hindrance like Lillian saw me. I want to give her the support that I never got."

Sam stared at her for a moment, making Lena feel a little out of sorts before the woman grinned and said, "You know, they talk shit about how all Luthors are horrible, but you? You're the brightest of them all, Lena."

"No," Lena admitted with heated cheeks. "I can be as vindictive as Lex and Lillian, and my fight with her proved that to me. Lucinda will be what we failed to be. I know that she can."

Sam frowned and opened her mouth, only for her phone to ring a ringtone that Lena was familiar with. "That's Ruby. Looks like she made it to her friend's place just fine. But it looks like she forgot her sleeping bag here from when we camped out in the living room last week," Sam announced as she pulled out her phone.

"Go and take it to her and then relax for the rest of the night. I'll be okay here," Lena gently urged Sam, who looked at her with an unsure expression. "I promise," Lena assured her with a smile. "Go."

"If you're sure," Sam said, and with a brief hug, Sam walked out of the kitchen and took a right, where Lena heard the front door close, leaving Lena alone in the mess of her kitchen. "Well, I better get this all cleaned up," Lena murmured as she began to clean up. "Don't want Lucinda to come out here and see this mess."

As Lena began to wipe on the marble countertop, she heard the sound of sniffling come from behind her. Lena turned around and saw Lucinda standing at the kitchen entranceway, tears falling from her eyes.

Lena's heart cracked at the sight of the young girl, wearing a black hoodie with a faded pouting Tinkberll on the front of it.

The hoodie was almost two sizes too large on her body for her but seeing it made a faint smile appear on Lena's face as she instantly recognized the hoodie as Lana's.

When Lena was younger, Lana would often wear that hoodie when she would visit. Lena never asked the significance of why Lana adored Tinkbell but decided that there were some things her curiosity couldn't be fed.

"Lucinda," Lena began.

"You can call me 'Luce,'" Lucinda murmured. "Mom….She used to call me that when I was little. So y-you can too."

"Of course, Luce," Lena told her.

"D-Did you mean what you said?" Lucinda asked. "A-About not seeing me as a burden?"

"Oh, honey," Lena whispered as she stepped forward in an attempt to close the distance between them. "You are not a burden to me at all. I know that the situation of our meeting and union is not ideal. I realize that ideal is such an understatement of a word considering the situation, but your mother asked me to do this. I knew that this would be a massive undertaking and that it wouldn't be easy for either of us….But I still accepted."

Lena took another step towards the young girl and said, "Because Lana was the sister I always wanted, and I know how it feels to lose a parent at such a young age."

"You do?" Lucinda asked.

Lena nodded as she took another step toward Lucinda before she said, "My mother drowned when I was a child.

"She did?" Lucinda asked.

"She did," Lena told the girl as she stood in front of her. Lena knelt before Lucinda and said, "I watched her drown in the sea. I felt powerless. I still do. I always wonder if I was strong, would I be able to save her? It will always haunt me."

"T-That's how I feel, too," Lucinda murmured.

"I took you in, not only because I saw Lana as my sister and not only because you are my niece, but because I don't want you to be alone like I was after my mother died. I don't want to feel that pain or isolation, Luce. I want you to feel loved and protected…." Lena told her.

"You want me to have the support that you never got," Lucinda murmured.

"Exactly," Lena said. "And if you allow me, I will do everything I can to give it to you."

Lucinda stared at Lena long and hard before the girl practically fell against her in a tight embrace as she began to cry heavily. Lena's eyes fluttered as tears fell down her cheeks, and without hesitation, she embraced the girl tightly.

And it was there that Lena doubled down on her conviction.

Lucinda would never be alone again.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Jessica "Jess" Park sat at her desk, typing away when she felt someone standing in front of her desk. She looked up to give her standard greeting but stopped when she found herself staring at a face she hadn't seen for five years.

"Oh, hello Ms. Park," Kara Danvers greeted.

"Hello!" A small head peeked over the desk with curious eyes.

"Ms. Danvers…" Jess slowly started. "It has certainly been a long time." Jess' eyes gazed over Lena's planner for the day to see if Kara Danvers was supposed to meet with her boss/friend, but she wasn't on the list of appointments. "I don't see that you have an appointment with Ms. Luthor, Ms. Danvers, so what brings you by L-Corp this morning?"

"Yes, I'm very aware that I don't have an appointment," Kara admitted with a polite smile. "However, Cat Grant had one with Ms. Luthor but she was no longer able to make it and requested for me to meet in her stead. I'm sure she must have called or emailed, right?"

"Mama, when can we go for ice cream?" the small girl asked Kara, which nearly made Jess break her composure.

Mama?

Kara was now a mother?

"After this appointment, Lianna," Kara replied with a gentle voice as she brushed back the girl's hair.

"Give me one moment to look over our messages, Ms. Danvers," Jess instructed.

"Sure, take your time," Kara said with her smile in place before she took Lianna's hand and motioned for the girl to come with her. Jess watched the two of them leave for a moment and quickly looked through her email.

And to her surprise, an email from Cat Grant sat in her email. Jess opened it and scanned the contents of it before she sat back in her chair.

Kara was correct.

Cat sent a message yesterday morning in regard to her interview with Lena and her absence from said meeting. She also informed them that Kara Danvers would be taking her place.

This was not how she expected her morning to start.

"So, this is where you work?" Luce asked as she looked around the vast space that was Lena's office.

"Yes, this is where the proverbial magic happens," Lena answered. While Lena would be frightfully busy today, she wanted to immediately start on her promise of giving Luce the support she would need.

Normally, some sort of after-school program or club would be the better place but those places tended to not be bulletproof or bombproof.

"It must be cool being in a place like this," Luce commented as she moved away from the large windows behind Lena's chair to the chair beside her.

"It gets the bills paid," Lena replied with a small chuckle. "Well, anyways, I hope you don't mind here with me today."

"I don't mind it," Luce responded with a small smile. "It's not like I have anywhere else to be. Besides, it beats walking around the village alone or being in my old room alone…"

Lena's expression grew pensive.

She was going to take Luce for ice cream after work ended.

Lena heard her phone ring, which prompted her to pick it up. "Lena Luthor speaking," Lena greeted.

"Lena, this is Jess. There is a…Ms. Danvers here to see you," Jess explained. "Regarding the interview on the announcement…?"

Lena's heart dropped into her stomach.

What?

Why would she of all people be here?

"Are you certain? I was supposed to meet with Cat Grant regarding the interview for that," Lena explained as she tried to keep her voice calm in front of Luce and her friend on the other line. There was no need for either of them to hear her panic.

"Yes, but she sent an email yesterday morning regarding her absence and having CatCo's new editor-in-chief take the interview in her place," Jess explained.

Lena placed a hand over her heart, fully aware that there was a chance that Kara could be hearing this. "Should I tell her to leave?" Jess asked.

"No, not at all," Lena answered.

In the past, Lena knew Kara to be very dedicated to the integrity of her interviews and articles. And, admittedly, Lena saw that despite their fallen friendship, Kara continued to keep that integrity in the various articles that Lena secretly read.

"I'll send her and her little guest up to see you then, Ms. Luthor," Jess informed her before the call ended.

"Lena? Are you alright? You look pale," Luce asked with concern on her face.

Lena offered the girl a smile and said, "I think the breakfast we ate this morning isn't sitting right with me at the moment."

It was the best she could come up with, considering that in the next few minutes, she was about to see the woman who once held her heart in her hands waltz back into her office for the first time in five years.

Oh, Lena wished she had been alone to face this monumental challenge.

"It's really loud in here, Jeju," Lianna commented with an uncomfortable pout on her face as the mother-and-daughter duo stood in the elevator.

Kara really felt guilty seeing her daughter suffer from the myriad of sounds that surrounded them. While Lianna knew how to focus on her heartbeat to drown everything out, it was still hard for her daughter to truly tune it all out.

Thankfully, Alex and Eliza, who had stopped into town to see Lianna, were working on a necklace that would help dull the world's orchestra. It was part of the reason Lianna was with her today versus being anywhere else.

Atlee had come down with a cold, both Connor and Nia had to work, and Kelly was at a doctor's appointment with Esme, leaving her to take her daughter on an interview she honestly would have liked to take alone.

"I know, honey," Kara sympathetically replied. "Grandma Eliza and Auntie Alex are working on making all the noise stop for you, okay? We just have a little bit longer, okay? Until then, just continue to focus on my heart, okay?"

Lianna's pout deepened but she nodded, only to tilt her head after a moment. "Jeju…Your heart is beating super fast," Lianna noticed.

Despite being a bundle of nerves, Kara let out a soft laugh at her daughter's comment. Of course, her traitorous heart was beating fast. She was on the way to meet someone she hadn't seen in five years.

Someone who Kara once thought would be wearing her bonding bracelet.

It was going to be strange having to see her again. "Jeju is meeting someone she hasn't seen in a long time," Kara explained.

"Oh! Like a friend?" Lianna asked.

Kara faltered and then nodded. "Yes. An old friend," Kara answered as the elevator door opened, leading to that familiar yet unfamiliar hallway that would bring her to an office she hadn't seen in five long years.

"Come, Kir Ehkhin (Little Sapphire)," Kara tenderly instructed as she held out her hand. Lianna beamed and took her mother's hand, allowing Kara to finally walk ahead to the frosted glass door that would lead her to her assignment.

From the moment Kara walked into the room, Lena's eyes found Kara's.

They were still the same.

That soft, gentle, otherworldly dark sapphire blue that had drawn her in the day they met. Her hair was shorter and she seemed a little more casual with her black ruffle-neck sweater, blue jeans, and stylish black leather boots, but this woman was certainly Kara Danvers.

Years of history between them exploded in her mind in an instant and Lena could see them all, from their polite and curious hellos to their tearful goodbye.

Lena watched as Kara faltered for a moment and Lena felt in her heart that Kara had been taken through that same journey Lena had just embarked on a moment. Lena noted that there was a softness in Kara's eyes, only for it to be smothered by something indecipherable.

There was a time when Lena could see everything within those eyes.

"Mama, why are you so quiet?" a tiny voice asked.

Lena was jarred from her thoughts when she looked to Kara's left.

Beside Kara, there was a little girl with those same otherworldly blue eyes and honey-blonde hair. She wore an adorable teal shirt with overalls and red shoes.

Who was this little one?

"O-Oh," Kara stammered. "Good Morning, Ms. Luthor. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

A polite smile formed on Lena's face as she replied, "Likewise."

Chapter Text

Lucinda sat in the hallway beside Lena's office with a long book in her hands. Lena and that woman decided that they needed to speak in private so Lucinda offered to leave the room with the five-year-old girl that came with the woman.

The same five-year-old girl was peeking over her shoulder with her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What are you reading?" the girl asked.

Lucinda looked at the girl and murmured, "Calvin and Hobbes."

"Calvin and Hobbes?" the girl repeated with a tilt of her head. "What's that?"

"It's a book series," Lucinda answered. "My mom used to read it to me at bedtime before she taught me how to read. It's my favorite…"

"Oh," the girl murmured. Lucinda watched as the girl's eyes brightened as she asked, "What is it about?"

"It's…um…It's about a kid who has a pet tiger," Lucinda answered.

"A pet tiger? Rao…" the girl breathed with awe. "Tigers are my favorite animal! But Jeju says I can't have one 'cause I could hurt them."

Lucinda blinked.

She could hurt the tiger?

"Tigers are okay but Lions are my favorite animal," Lucinda said with a tiny smile. "Mom and I would often see them when she would travel from village to village before she got sick."

"That sounds really neat!" the younger girl chirped. "What are they like?"

"Really big," Lucinda answered. "And very fuzzy."

"Do they talk like Simba?" the girl asked.

Lucinda frowned and answered, "Simba?"

"From the Lion King," the girl explained with excitement. "It's one of my favorite movies ever! Even if I got really sad when Simba's Ukr died…"

"I've never seen it," Lucinda softly admitted.

The girl looked as if Lucinda had said a curse word.

"What! Then that means you don't know Timon and Pumba! Or Rha..." the girl paused with a frustrated expression. "Rha—fi—ki. Or Nala or even Scar!" The girl then smiled and said, "I know! Maybe we can watch The Lion King together!"

"I would have to ask Aunt Lena," Lucinda murmured but her smile grew just a little bit more. "But after she's done talking to you…Jeju? Is that her name?"

The girl nodded.

"Okay," Lucinda siad. "We'll ask Jeju when they are done."

"Yay!" the girl exclaimed. "My name is Lianna!"

"My name is Lucinda. You can call me Luce," Lucinda introduced. Lucinda then looked at her book and asked, "Um…since Lena and Jeju are talking, do you want me to read this to you?"

"Yes please," Lianna answered with a bright smile. "I wanna know more about the Tiger."

Lucinda nodded and began to read the page in front of her while Lianna dutifully listened without any interruptions.

"It must be bittersweet knowing that the person who helped with the discovery will not be around to see it," Kara said as Lena watched her write in her notebook. Much like their very first meeting in this same office, the meeting between her and Kara had been professional so far.

Neither of them veered into personal topics nor did they speak upon the ruins that was once their friendship. Right now, it was the CEO of L-Corp conversing with the New Editor-in-chief of CatCo. As long as she and Kara kept on the mask of professionalism, perhaps they could co-exist in National City again.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit," Lena quoted instantly. "Jack was a brilliant man who deserves to get the credit he rightfully deserves. It was his work with nanotechnology that paved the way for this cancer-eradicating discovery. And I look forward to putting his name in the history books."

Kara nodded and turned off her voice recorder. "And that's all that's needed," Kara revealed as she stood up from her chair. "Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice, Ms. Luthor. I should have the article posted in two days' time."

"You do not have to thank me for that, Ms. Danvers," Lena waved off as she stood up as well. "Short notice or not, your articles are some of the best I've ever read. I would be a fool to not take such a meeting."

"Well, you are welcome," Kara politely said. "And again, I apologize for bringing my daughter to this meeting. I truly had no one else to watch over her."

Lena felt her heart lurch in her chest.

Daughter.

Lena had seen the resemblance between Kara and the young girl when they first entered the office and while her head knew the truth, her traitorous heart didn't want to know their relation, lest it brought up feelings she couldn't risk acknowledging.

"It wasn't the most professional thing to do, bringing your daughter to an interview with someone you haven't seen in five years," Kara continued as she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And you should have been afforded that professionalism."

Lena stilled.

There.

The first acknowledgment of their past.

"That's quite alright," Lena said through the lump in her throat. "As you saw, I wasn't exactly alone in here either."

"Are you sure?" Kara asked.

"I'm positive, Ms. Danvers," Lena softly replied.

Kara nodded.

Awkwardness filled the room as Lena simultaneously wanted to end this meeting and allow Kara to leave but also wanted to keep conversing with her but how would she do the latter? "Your daughter," Lena blurted out. "I-I mean…" Lena cleared her throat. "She was very well-mannered and also very adorable. She looks like you."

A fond smile appeared on Kara's face, her eyes sparkling with that familiar warmth that made Lena's heart ache. It had been five years since she had seen something as lovely and for a moment, Lena wanted to bask in that warmth.

"That's because you haven't seen her with sweets," Kara replied. "Then all of her well-mannered-ness goes flying out of the window and she becomes the gremlin I adore."

"So, she inherited your sweet tooth?" Lena asked with a light tone.

Kara laughed and replied, "Honestly? She puts my sweet tooth to shame. Have you ever seen a five-year-old scarf down a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes in five minutes? I have. It's as chaotic as you can imagine."

Lena let out a small chuckle and without thinking, she replied, "Well, having seen her mother do the same once upon a time, I think I can."

Lena watched as Kara's gaze briefly softened and cursed to herself.

Her heart seemed to always make its presence known when she didn't need it to. "I think you can," Kara softly agreed. "The girl that was here with you. Is she your…"

"Oh, no. She's my niece," Lena hastily answered, picking up where Kara drifted off. "Her mother asked for me to adopt her shortly before she passed and I didn't have the heart to deny my sister that request."

"Oh, Rao…My condolences to you both," Kara told her. "Losing a mother that young is not something I would wish on anyone. How is she holding up? Well, I hope."

"Some days are better than others," Lena admitted. "I'm aware that It'll be a long road for her. Grief often is…" Lena drifted off as the phantom pain of her last conversation with Kara, followed by the deep mourning she went through that came after their confrontation floated through her mind. "But I promised to be there for her no matter what happens in the future," Lena quickly followed up. "That way, she knows that she'll never be alone again."

A somber smile appeared on Kara's face as she said, "Having been in your sister's shoes once before, It must have not been easy for her to leave her daughter behind, but knowing you're there must have eased her mind in her final moments. I'm sure she's eternally grateful to you for honoring her last wishes, Ms. Luthor."

Lena was taken aback by the sincerity that was in Kara's voice.

Did she truly believe that?

Lena stared deep into those beautiful blue eyes and despite the time that had passed, she knew that the woman was telling the truth. "Thank you, Ms. Danvers," Lena managed to get out. "it truly means a lot to me to hear you say that…"

"You don't have to thank me for that, Ms. Luthor," Kara replied. "I'm only telling you the truth. Nothing more, nothing less."

The two stared at one another and for a moment, Lena was reminded of all of the soft moments she and Kara shared once upon a time and it made her heart flutter. Lena then cleared her throat and stammered, "I-I should collect Lucinda and resume work. We have a long day and—"

"Oh, no worries. I'm sorry. I must have wrecked your schedule even more. I should get going," Kara hastily interjected as she gave a shaky smile. "It was good to see you again, Ms. Luthor. Thanks again for the interview. I hope you and Lucinda have a great day."

"Likewise, for your daughter and yourself, Ms. Dan—"

"Lianna," Kara softly interrupted. "That's her name. Lianna Danvers…"

Lena took a sharp intake of breath as a memory floated through her mind.

"Kara! I found it!" Lena exclaimed as she walked into Kara's apartment with a folder in her right hand.

"Really? You finally found it?" Kara asked as she shut the door behind her and followed after Lena as she plopped down on Kara's couch.

"It took two weeks but I finally found the documents revealing my mother's true identity," Lena revealed with a wide smile on her face. When Lillian revealed the truth about Lena's parentage, Lena had gone on a search to discover the identity of her birth mother.

It was an excruciating search that led her back to the family mansion in Smallville but in the end, in a safe beneath her father's bed in the master bedroom, Lena had found the secret her father had taken to the grave.

"Oh, Lena! I'm so happy for you," Kara chirped as she practically glided to her side and sat down. "You've talked about your birth mother so much but never knew her name. How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, I don't know. There are a lot of things I'm feeling right now that I can't voice," Lena admitted with shaky hands. "But what I do know is that I'll finally have a name to the face I see my dreams and my memories…"

Lena took a deep breath and slowly opened the folder to see her very pregnant mother standing in front of her father with a wide smile on her face. "Wow…She looks so much like you, Lena," Kara breathed with awe.

"She does," Lena agreed as her fingertips slowly grazed her birth mother's face. She carefully removed the picture and saw the death certificate beneath it. "Elizabeth Lianna Walsh…" Lena read with reverence, her eyes glistening with tears.

She finally had a name for the face that haunted her.

"It's a beautiful name," Kara whispered. "Elizabeth Lianna Walsh…"

Lianna…

Kara's daughter's name was Lianna.

Her birth mother's middle name…

She named her daughter after her mother's middle name…

"T-Then…" Lena stuttered, trying as hard as she could to keep her voice firm but it came out so weak. "I h-Hope you and Lianna have a wonderful day too, Ms. Danvers..."

Kara nodded and slowly left the room as Lena placed a hand on her chest.

Why would Kara name her daughter after her mother? And why did that bring that familiar sweet yet torturous feeling to her chest?

Chapter Text

"You know, I'm a bit disappointed that it went down that way," Alex said as she, Kelly, Nia, and Kara sat at their dinner table. It had been two weeks since Kara's meeting with Lena and things had been going well. Kara had finally gotten moved to her new home with Lianna, she had gotten back into the groove of being Power Girl, with Atlee taking on the mantle of Supergirl, and also got into her job as CatCo's Editor-in-Chief.

Due to how busy she had been in the last two weeks, she hadn't even gotten a chance to tell Alex, Nia, and Kelly about her meeting with Lena until this very night. "I expected a more explosive meeting between two ex-lovers," Atlee continued.

"I know," Nia agreed. "Instead it was all soft and gooey."

"We're not exes," Kara corrected as she sipped her coffee. "Besides. It's been five years since what happened. Things change. People change. We are thirty and thirty-two respectively and we're guardians of actual children. I doubt we have time to be so dramatic."

"What a very mature take," Kelly smiled.

"I'm known to have them," Kara replied with a wink toward Kelly. "But one thing did happen. Lia spoke with Lucinda or "Luce" as Lia calls her."

"Oh! That's Lena's niece, right?" Alex asked.

Kara blinked. "Yeah, that's right. How did you know that?" Kara asked.

"Kelly and I are friends with Sam, you know?" Alex informed with shifty eyes while Kelly looked around. "She keeps us in the loop with things."

Nia rolled her eyes at the f-word and replied, "Friends? Ryan, Thea, and Nora are my friends. You three are not friends."

"Are you seeing things that aren't there again, Nia?" Atlee asked with a teasing smile to her field captain and friend.

"I think she is," Kara teased as well.

"I'm serious!" Nia exclaimed before she adjusted herself in her seat, stared at Kara, and continued, "Since I'm being slandered, you both tell me if this is them being friends. Alex and Sam have had lunch every day this week together."

"Okay," Kara said.

"And they are all handsy and giggly, all while forgetting that I was at lunch with them twice!" Nia exclaimed. "I even have pictures." Nia tossed her phone at Kara, who caught it and stared at the pictures Nia had taken.

While some of them looked friendly, there were little looks of longing that Alex and Sam were sharing. "Okay…a little suspect," Atlee said as Kara looked at Alex with a raised eyebrow.

"if you keep looking, you'll see the pictures I took of Kelly and Sam while they were shopping for Esme and Ruby," Nia pointed out. Kara looked and saw that Kelly was pressed up close to Sam while Sam had her arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Okay, a lot suspect," Atlee murmured with an agreeing nod while Kara glanced at Kelly.

"And that's just one of them. They look like a legit couple in the other few pictures I took when I bumped into them. And finally, here is the picture I took of all three of them a day before she left for her trip," Nia concluded.

The last picture was an image of Sam holding hands with both Alex and Kelly while they watched Ruby playing with Esme. "How domestic," Kara said while she looked at Kelly and Alex, with Kelly blushing and rubbing her neck and Alex glaring at a smug Nia. "So, is this a thing? Because it's looking like a thing."

Alex and Kelly exchanged a look. "It…Might be a thing," Kelly finally spoke.

Atlee squealed as she clapped in surprise. "I didn't even know something like this could happen! Congratulations!"

"Hey, hey, we said "Might" not "Confirmed," Atlee," Alex laughed.

"But still, why 'might?'" Kara asked.

"We've been talking about it," Alex answered as if she wanted to talk about anything else. "All three of us, I mean. Sam has been a great friend to us since you left and Lena stopped hanging out with us."

"And she's been a big help with helping us acclimate with Esme," Kelly added. "At first, things were just platonic. But after we got Esme, things have been shifting. There has been more touching and more flirting between all three of us."

"And it felt so natural. Like it was supposed to happen," Alex said. "It just progressed. Like, despite Kelly and I being married, we both realized that we felt weird without Sam being there. And not just Sam. You know how much I adore Ruby and if you saw Ruby with Kelly, you would think Kelly was her other mother. And Ruby adores Esme, and vice versa."

"So, why haven't you guys solidified it?" Kara asked. "Like, the chemistry is there, Ruby adores you both and she also adores Esme. What's stopping it? Other than the government not agreeing with polygamy."

"Honestly? You and Lena," Alex replied.

Kara frowned and repeated, "Me and Lena? Why would we stop it?"

"One of the things that the three of us worried about was how you and Lena would take it," Kelly explained. "Hell, our friendship with Sam was rocky for a few weeks after she moved back to National City because Sam didn't want to look like she was betraying Lena by being friends with us."

Alex nodded in agreement and added, "You mean the world to us and Lena is practically Sam's little sister, so us dating her would bring you two closer to orbit."

"And with the way you two divorced, I can get why they're holding off on turning this twosome into a threesome," Nia joked.

"We aren't exes," Kara repeated.

"Kara. Admittedly…You two acted like you both were together," Kelly sheepishly commented. "And the way you fell apart after everything happened…You'd be hard-pressed to convince me otherwise."

"How did we get on this subject?" Kara grouchily asked.

"Us knowing Lucinda was Lena's niece," Alex answered, giving Kara a way out of this conversation.

"Oh! Right!" Kara exclaimed, brightening up. "So, Lia apparently spoke to Lucinda and has been asking for her to spend a night over our place. I've been holding off giving her an answer since we had a lot do to at the time but she's getting mighty insistent."

"And you both know how Teacher Zor-El can get when it comes to Lianna," Atlee teased with a smile.

"Oh, you mean folding to her every whim?" Alex grinned, only for Kara to push her.

"Hush," Kara told Alex and then Atlee. "I just don't know what to do."

"It's not like Lianna to instantly attach herself to someone," Kelly said. "It took her a week to finally get comfortable with Esme."

"Maybe she sees something in Lena's niece that we don't?" Alex shrugged.

"I say why not let her?" Nia suggested.

"But that would mean talking to Lady Luthor," Atlee said. "And Teacher Zor-El has been too busy to reach out to her."

"Busy? Kara, we haven't had any crime or emergency in days," Nia said while Atlee nodded in agreement. "If you count Connor eating all of the Sno Balls…again."

Kara snorted.

It was no secret that Connor and Nia had some strange sort of rivalry. Ever since he took her place as National City's resident Super, the two were at odds. But it wasn't in a harmful way. Just little pranks or harmless arguments.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Kelly asked with amusement in her eyes.

Nia pouted and crossed her arms. "Nope! But Connor aside, National City has been peaceful and we haven't had any big news pop out since you took over Cat's spot as the Editor-in-Chief. Besides, you've been saying that Lianna has been lonely since moving here. So why not Lena's niece?" Nia asked.

Kara rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the table. "I guess…Despite our meeting, I haven't forgotten. I just don't want to re-open the door that I closed five years ago…There's a lot behind that door that I—I don't know…"

"That's a fair reason," Kelly said. "But, as you said earlier, It's been five years and you two have grown. And you both have kids now. Life is too short to rehash what happened in the past. Plus, people get divorced all the time, many of them with a child between them, and remain cordial with one another. You don't have to let it get further than that."

Kara nodded in agreement. She could be cordial, even nice while also keeping her distance emotionally from the woman that her heart once sang its love for. "Alright. I suppose I can do that. Plus, it would make Lia really happy…" Kara agreed.

"There, now that that's settled, Connor is coming over with the food. Let's get everything set up for Game Night," Alex said, concluding the Lena talks.

Kara frowned a little and said, "You guys get set up. I just gotta do something real quick. Be back in a flash." Before anyone could ask where she was going, Kara stood up and walked out of the room.

"Thank you for bringing this to me, Jess," Lena thanked after Jess handed her a few documents. Lena glanced at the clock that sat at the corner of her desk and sighed. It was almost eight. "It's getting pretty late. You should head home for the night."

Jess gave a small smile and replied, "Are you sure? I can stay a little bit longer. I'm sure there are plenty of things to do here."

Lena could see the hint of desperation in Jess' eyes and gave her receptionist/close friend a sympathetic smile. It had been a month since Jess and Andrea ended their four-year relationship and despite there being no hard feelings between the two, it was obvious to her that Jess missed Andrea.

So much so that she knew that Jess was avoiding going back to the home they once shared. "I'm sure," Lena confirmed. "But, I've been thinking. It's been some time since we've had a girl's night with Sam. And I know she's home alone since Ruby is out with her boyfriend and is probably killing herself with boredom."

"Either that or pining for those two women she has yet told us the identities of," Jess chuckled. "But are you sure? You normally like to schedule these things out."

"I can be spontaneous sometimes," Lena said with a smile. "Let me just finish up here and we can go. I'll even let you pick what we watch this time. A privilege after the last time."

"Hey, you enjoyed Wednesday as much as I did," Jess defended. "Don't act like I didn't see you tear up at Wednesday initiating the hug with Enid in the final episode."

"I plead the fifth," Lena replied. "So, what do you say?"

Jess chuckled and said, "Alright, you twisted my arm, Ms. Luthor. I'll text Sam about it and then I'll go get ready." Lena nodded and watched as Jess walked away to the door, only to stop and look back at her. "Oh, and Lena? Thanks…" Jess said with a soft smile.

"For what?" Lena asked, feigning obliviousness.

Jess chuckled and walked out of the office, leaving Lena alone in her office. Once Lena finished her announcement speech about her and Jack's lovechild that would cure cancer, she reached into her pocket to text Luce that she was done with work and that she was going to order food for their impromptu girl's night with Jess and Sam.

Luce responded with a simple "K" and a smiley face.

Lena chuckled and leaned back in her chair.

Despite the chaotic two weeks at L-Corp, Lena was pretty happy that things between her and Luce had been great. Of course, things weren't all rainbows. Lena could tell that Luce was lonely. While Lena gave her all the things in the world that Lillian and Lionel didn't give her, friends were not something Lena could give.

It was heartbreakingly sad to her that Luce still spoke about Kara's…daughter and the fun she had when she read Calvin and Hobbes to the small girl.

And that had been two weeks ago.

She needed people around her age to play with. But how? School wouldn't start for another two months due to the summer holiday, and their attempts at going to the park hadn't ended well.

Damn paparazzi.

She had to do something but what?

Lena was taken out of her thoughts when she heard two small knocks on the balcony door.

Lena's heart jumped into her throat.

Despite having a Super in National City for the last five years, Connor never came to her balcony or ever visited her here at her office for any reason except for a rescue, and he was her nephew. No, there was only one person who would come to her office balcony, especially at night...

Lena turned around and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw her.

Standing on the other side of her balcony door, wearing the uniform she had when she saved her life, was Power Girl. For a moment, Power Girl's form flickered, and Lena found herself staring at a young Supergirl, who was only a year into her hero career, before switching back to the more refined and even more beautiful heroine she had become.

Lena slowly stood up, walked to the door, and opened it as she said, "Why, isn't this a surprise? Hello, Power Girl."

"Ms. Luthor," Power Girl greeted with a small smile and a nod. "Forgive me for coming by unannounced but I didn't know how to reach you since your number was changed. I hedged my bets and figured you would be here. I'm glad I was correct."

"You were trying to reach me?" Lena asked. "For another interview or is there someone trying to kill me?"

"Nothing like that," Power Girl answered. "No…This is more of a personal visit."

Personal?

"I see," Lena said. "Well, come inside. My office is soundproof so nothing gets in and nothing gets out, so you don't have to worry." Lena stepped to the side to allow the heroine inside. Power Girl nodded and walked into the room and for a moment, a familiar scent reached Lena's nose.

Plumerias…

"Thank you," the heroine softly said. "It's starting to rain a little bit."

"I thought you liked the rain?" Lena asked, remembering how she and Kara would walk in the rain due to Kara's sheer love of it.

"I do," Power Girl confirmed with a hint of surprise in those beautiful blue eyes. "But flying in it can be a hassle at times."

"Ah, I can understand that," Lena said. "So, you were looking to reach out to me and here I am."

"Here you are," Power Girl agreed. "Lia, she's taken quite a shine to Lucinda since their meeting two weeks ago and has been asking for her to come over. I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if your niece would be open to the idea of coming over to my house for a playdate with my daughter."

Lena blinked, surprised.

Out of all the things that could have been the reason, that was not one of them. For a moment, Lena searched the heroine's eyes, as if trying to find any sort of deception but there was none. This was genuine.

"How fortuitous is this?" Lena commented with a small chuckle. "Luce had recently brought up her meeting with your daughter—" Lena had to learn to calm her heart whenever she thought or spoke about Kara's daughter. "—very recently and I have been thinking of her needing a friend her age."

"What a coincidence," Power Girl agreed with a small chuckle.

"It would be a good idea, however, as this would be the first time she's been over someone else's home, it would be rather negligent of me to let her go there alone," Lena started. "

"I agree," Power Girl told her. "I may be powerful but anything can happen. If you'd like, that invitation can be extended to you as well, Ms. Luthor."

Lena was startled.

She was going to ask if Ruby could accompany Luce to this playdate, as Ruby owed her a favor for saving her life after Sam found out about her boyfriend, but this was another thing she didn't expect.

"Would that be alright?" Lena asked. "Considering…." Lena drifted off, knowing that the taller woman would understand what she was inferring.

"I think it would be fine," Power Girl softly replied. "I know that there is a lot between us. But, that doesn't have to interfere with your niece and Lia."

Lena was unsure but she found herself nodding all the same. "Then Luce and I accept your invitation," Lena told her.

"Great," Power Girl replied. "I'll have my assistant reach out to Jess with my number so we can talk about when we could do this playdate."

"Perfect," Lena agreed.

The two stood there in silence. Lena wasn't sure if she was supposed to say something or if her guest was. Before anything could happen, however, the door to her office opened as Jess said, "Hey Lena, have you fini—oh!"

Lena turned her head at the same time as Power Girl to see Jess standing at the door. "Um…Hello, Power Girl?" Jess said with a questioning tone, her eyes looking at Lena.

"Ah, hello," Power Girl greeted. "I was just leaving." Power Girl turned to Lena and softly said, "We'll talk soon."

"Yes," Lena replied, her voice equally soft.

The two stared at each other for just a moment longer before Power Girl walked out of the door and took off into the rainy skies.

"So…" Jess began.

"Not here," Lena said, softly stopping what was about to become an interview. "Let's head to my place."

Chapter Text

"Jeju? I'm nervous…."

A sympathetic smile formed on Kara's face as she looked down at her daughter, who was currently fidgeting with the bottom of her floral dress, her face scrunched up in a small frown. It had been a few days since her meeting with Lena and up until today, Lianna had been excited to see Lena's niece again.

On the other foot, Kara had been nervous from the jump.

Five years she had been separated from the woman she had once hoped to be more than just her "best friend" and now, after only meeting once, she had invited the woman who had broken what she stole into her home with her niece.

But now, as Kara finished putting the little cream cardigan over her daughter's shoulders, she could see that her daughter was just as nervous as she was. "Why are you nervous?" Kara asked.

"I want Luce to like me," Lianna mumbled with her head down.

Kara frowned and gingerly raised her daughter's head so their eyes met. "What makes you think that she won't like you?" Kara asked. "Is it because she's older than you?"

Lianna shook her head.

Kara tilted her head with a thoughtful look. "Is…it because you're adorable?" Kara asked with a hopeful finish.

A tiny smile flickered on Lianna's face but she still shook her head.

Kara crossed her arms, her thoughtful expression deepening. "Hm…Did she show that she didn't like you when you two were alone?" Kara asked.

Lianna shook her head. "No. She was happy! She even read Calvin and Hobbes to me and wanted to go to the zoo with me to see the tigers!" Lianna exclaimed.

"Okay," Kara thoughtfully said. "So if she wanted to spend more time with you, why do you think she won't like you?"

Lianna's excitement died down and she became nervous again. "I dunno…." Lianna quietly answered.

A tender smile stretched across Kara's face and she replied, "I think she'll adore you, Lia. You want to know why?"

Lianna gave a tiny nod.

Kara leaned close to her daughter and whispered, "Because Ms. Luthor, her auntie, told me that she couldn't wait to see you again…."

"Really?" Lianna asked with a hopeful expression.

"Really-really," Kara confirmed. "So you have nothing to worry about, Lia. All you have to do is be yourself, okay?"

Lianna bobbed her head with a smile.

"That's my girl," Kara proudly said as she ruffled her daughter's hair, causing the small half-Kryptonian to giggle.

"Jeju! My hair!" she playfully whined while trying to smooth it down again, something Kara knew Lianna adopted due to seeing Alex ruffle her hair dozens of times in her presence. Kara grabbed a brush and re-brushed her daughter's hair to neaten it up again.

"There's that smile," Kara murmured with a sparkle in her eyes. "And even if something happens where she doesn't like you. Don't forget that I'll always be here with you, okay?" Kara lifted her right pinkie. "Pinkie promise."

"Pinkie promise," Lianna repeated with a smile as she wrapped her smaller pinkie around Kara's.

Kara smiled, kissed her daughter's forehead, and murmured, "El Mayarah," before the doorbell rang. "And that's them. Wanna go get the door?"

Excited, Lianna floated into the air and quickly sped from her mother.

"Lia! Human speed!" Kara called out, only to blink when she realized Lianna had flown toward the door. "And feet on the—"

Kara then heard the door open, which was swiftly followed up by Lianna's happy voice shouting, "Luce!"

"—floor," Kara softly finished with a faint grin on her face.

That girl…

Kara let out a tiny smile and began her slow trek to the door.

When Lena's limo stopped in front of the large two-story brick residential home, Lena was immediately struck by how…perfect it looked. Perfect lawn, flowers bushes beneath the smaller windows on the right of the house and the large bay window on the left.

If not for the various toys that littered the front lawn and the distance between neighbors, Lena could easily see this house being the quintessential stock photo for this type of home. But, considering where Kara lived before everything crashed around them, Lena was proud that Kara was able to afford something like this.

The back passenger seat doors opened and both she and Lucinda stepped out and made their way onto the sidewalk. Lena took a small breath and noticed as Lucinda fidgeted with the sleeve of her large plush rainbow Heart Sweater.

"Are you ready?" Lena asked.

Lucinda nodded with a slight smile on her face.

Lena was glad to see that the younger girl was confident in meeting the younger Danvers, unlike her, who couldn't quell the butterflies in her stomach at seeing Kara without the excuse of work or the children.

She swiped her hands down her silk black blouse and jeans in an attempt to busy her hands before she said, "Let's not keep them waiting."

Lena and Lucinda walked side by side down the pathway that led to the front door of Kara's home and once they arrived, Lena barely knocked on it before it swung open. "Luce!" Lianna exclaimed with an excited smile as she floated toward Lucinda. "You came, you came!"

Lena immediately noticed that the young girl was floating off of the ground.

"Whoa," Lucinda breathed with amazement. "Lianna, you're floating!"

Lena watched as Lianna tilted her head with an endearingly confused expression on her face and felt her heart flutter.

She had seen that expression before...

"Lena, What are these?"

Lena stared in disbelief as fireflies floated around the awestruck Kara. When Lena had to take an emergency business trip out to Dallas, Texas to finalize a deal regarding the southern division of L-Corp during the media circus revolving around her mother's court case, Kara had come along with her to ease her burden and keep her company.

Something Lena deeply appreciated.

Since the meeting was the next day, the two had spent the majority of the day touring the large city. However, Lena was treated to Kara's confusion and then awe as fireflies floated around them. "Kara, surely you know what these are," Lena said.

"No…I truly don't," Kara answered with an endearingly confused expression on her face as the fireflies around them intermittently glowed gradient gold, like a twinkling star.

"How could you not know what fireflies are?" Lena asked, ignoring how precious Kara looked as the other woman hesitantly reached out to touch one, only for it to glow and flutter away from her finger. "They aren't dangerous, are they?"

Lena cracked a small smile and replied, "Not at all but surely you jest. You've had to have seen a firefly before. Didn't you say you grew up on a farm in Midvale?"

"I did," Kara murmured with a soft expression of wonder on her face. "But I never saw these there. It was always so quiet and so dark at night…."

Lena noticed a flicker of…something on Kara's face, briefly dimming the wonder on her face before it returned full force as a firefly landed on her outstretched finger.

Lena watched as Kara's smile grew as the firefly's light brightened and then faded repeatedly as Kara softly added, "These little guys are like glittering stars…." Kara turned to Lena with a smile on her face. "I sure do wish these things were around when I was younger…."

The bug fluttered off of Kara's finger and into the sky.

"….They certainly would have made things a little bit easier for me."

"How are you doing that?" Lucinda asked, her voice cutting through Lena's memory, bringing her back to the present.

"I could always float," Lianna answered as if what she was doing wasn't out of the ordinary, and in a sense, it wasn't.

Lianna was a Kryptonian, like Kara. It would only make sense that the younger girl could float and fly. But to Lena, it was another bitter reminder of what Kara truly was.

And of what Kara hid from her for so long.

"Oh! That must be so cool!" Lucinda exclaimed. "Can you fly fast?"

"Uh-huh! You wanna go see?!" Lianna asked with mounting excitement.

Lucinda nodded with a growing smile and before Lena could say a single word, Lianna grabbed Lucinda's hand and floated her into the house.

Lena stood in front of the open door, stunned at the quick turn of events. She shouldn't have been. Children were very good at brushing aside something weird and also quick at making friends. But Lucinda had taken Lianna floating in the air so shockingly well and seemed genuinely excited.

A few seconds passed and Kara came to the door with a polite smile. "Good afternoon, Ms. Luthor," Kara greeted. "I apologize for Lianna leaving you here. She's been excited to see your niece for days. Judging by the stunned joy on Lucinda's face as Lianna carried her to the backyard, I can see she wasted no time."

Lena let out a small chuckle and then answered, "No need for apologies, Ms. Danvers. Lucinda was excited as well, considering she didn't wait for me to ask if we could come in."

The two faced one another with small, unsure smiles on their faces. "Well…Let me be the one to formally invite you inside," Kara said as she stepped aside. "Would you like to come in, Ms. Luthor?"

"I'd be honored," Lena answered.