Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Floating around National City at night was one of the most humbling things Kara was able to do as Supergirl. She loved to notice how the city slowed down after all the commuters had joined their family back. How the students were stuck on their homework. How babies would cry and mothers would soothe. Behind curtains, behind closed doors. Always hidden by everyone and everything except Kara’s super hearing. She tried not to invade people privacy. She tried to be careful on what she was listening to, not risking being traumatized. But she loved listening to the people she had saved on the same day. Following them on their little journey, assuring herself they were okay. Sometimes they would tell how she rescued them because it was the biggest part of their day. Sometimes they would just hug their close ones a little closer or pray a little louder. She loved being a part of their daily lives. It was humbling. It reminded her they were not just numbers. Not just little ants she would see walking on pavements. They were true individuals, with their own lives, their own purposes, their own problems. Each one of them was important.

It was reassuring too. Because Kara had to admit she used her hearing also to soothe herself. She would lie if she had to say she didn’t know how the hearts of every single one member of her family sounded like. Alex’s heartbeat was the first she memorized. If she could focus enough, she would be able to hear it all the way to Alaska. The firm staccato showing that she was safe and sound. Often accelerating when Alex was with Kelly. For the others, it was harder because the further away she would go, the harder it became to decipher them. Their heartbeats would mix with all the other beating hearts, and she would mix them up. Except for Lena.

Lena’s heart used to go hectic randomly during the day. Kara would always rush to L-Corp, ready to fight whoever was causing Lena to panic. But she was always met with the young CEO regulating her breathing to stop the panic attack she was having. Kara would stay, hidden far above the building, listening to Lena’s heartbeat slowing down to a normal rhythm. She had thought about asking, but she didn’t want to corner Lena. And then, it became less and less frequent so she dropped the subject. As Lena became more and more accustomed to people, and friendship, and being in control at work, her heart stopped reminding her how hard her life had been before her move to National City. Now, Lena’s heart was always a constant balance between deep bass steady sounds and raucous accelerations when she was laughing. Or lazy thumps accompanied by slow breaths when she had too much scotch. Kara found herself tuning on it regularly during the day. Just checking if it was still there. Or comforting herself with the beating, meaning Lena was safe and sound because, at the end of the day, it was more important than any problem Kara had at work.

And Kara wasn’t ashamed about that. She had already lost so much. She couldn’t be afraid to take care of the people around her. It was really comforting to listen to the heartbeats of the people she loved the most just before she would go back home and fall asleep. That was her routine. A habit. A simple soothing one.

But not that night. Because as she was checking for Alex and Kelly and Esme in their home. For J’onn is his loft. For Nia and Brainy somewhere on a balcony. One of them was missing. Alex, Kelly, Esme, J’onn, Nia and Brainy.

Disturbed and forcing on her super-hearing, Kara flew as calmly as possible to the Luthor Foundation. The L-Corp building reclaimed as the new Luthor Foundation building had kept the same letter on the side, but Lena was planning to change it. Lena’s office had stayed at the same floor, only redecorated to match the new bright and vivid colors of the Foundation tree logo.

Frowning, Kara watched through the dark windows. She could hear the servers rolling in each floor. She could see through the walls how the rooms were ready to welcome a fresh round of children the next day. In fact, she could see all through the basement where the parking was still occupied by one remaining car. But she couldn’t find Lena.

Worry was clawing at her stomach as Kara made her way to Lena’s penthouse. With all her senses in high alert, she flew just slow enough not to break the sound barrier. When she reached the familiar balcony and stepped down on the concrete, some lights were on in the apartment. Hope sparked a bit in her mind. At least Lena had been there. But she may not be anymore. Kara couldn’t hear Lena’s heart. Not in the living room. Lena could be in her bedroom or the lab she set up for her personal projects, but Kara couldn’t know. She couldn’t see through those rooms’ walls because there were made of lead, old remnants of their fight. She wasn’t the type to enter a house non invited but something felt wrong.

Grabbing the bay window, she tried to open it, since Lena kept it always open now, in case of an emergency. The window was locked. Frowning deeper, her face somber, Kara grabbed at the other end of the window. Same results. Sighing heavily, she forced the bay window open. She could fix it later. Lena wouldn’t mind. There weren’t supposed to be closed anyway. Something was definitely wrong.

Stepping into Lena’s living room, Kara felt a shiver run down her spine. Something was off. The room was chilly, even for summertime, and there was something missing, but Kara couldn’t say what. Everything looked clean and in place. Pristine. Lena kept everything perfectly in order, but even she couldn’t always be that neat and there usually were traces of life at least. A laptop on a counter, a book on the coffee table, photos on the walls. But there was nothing. Calling Lena’s name, Kara was hearing her voice reverberating against the walls. No response. Her eyes were committing everything they could into memory. Every detail mattered.

Throwing privacy through the window, Kara speed-walked to Lena’s bedroom. The room she was met with was empty. Her mouth hung open and she stayed motionless at the door, her nails sinking deeply into the wood framing it. No bed, no blinds, no chest drawers. Everything was gone. Analyzing every single detail of the room, Kara searched how it was even possible. Lena was still in National City this same morning. She texted her right before going to work.

Taking a step in the room, Kara’s attention was caught by something on the floor. Crouching down at the center, she grabbed at a small black hair band. The last piece showing Lena’s presence in the room.

Lena was there and then she wasn’t. Somebody made her disappear. And they took the bed and all the furniture with them. As if to erase proof. Something bad had happened. Anxiety and dread weighed on Kara’s chest. Glancing at the hair band in the palm of her hand, she crushed it in her fist.

She had to find her.

Lena woke up in a gasp. The balancing neon lights above her head made her wince. Covering her eyes with a hand, she sat down slowly and was quickly met with resistance. No, not resistance. A burden. Looking down, she gasped again. Her abdomen looked swollen. Not just slightly swollen, but more like a balloon-ready-to-explode swollen. Her eyes went wild.

Taking in her surroundings rapidly, Lena realized the heat in the make-shift emergency room was scorching. Her skin was covered with a light clothing of sweat. Her long dark hair stuck to her face. The smell of antiseptics invaded her nostrils. She took in the concrete walls and ceiling. She was sitting on a cot, machines regulating her heartbeat and blood pressure around it but they weren’t connected to her anymore. Other than that, there was no other information as to where she was. Sensing something move in her belly, she looked at it alarmingly. Was it what she was thinking it was?

Pulling cautiously at the white-turned-grey tank top she was wearing, she slowly revealed the round belly. It was perfectly formed, her skin stretched to its limits. Lena approached it hesitantly with a tense finger. When her fingertip was close enough to touch the skin, the form of a foot pushed against it. She inhaled sharply. Her breath became more and more laborious. She could feel a panic attack spreading in her rib cage, clawing and squeezing her inside. She didn’t have time for this. With a hand on her chest, Lena crawled down from the cot and looked around for some kind of explanation. Her frantic eyes found a paper bag on a table with her name on it. She rushed to it. Inside, there were her phone, some cash, and an envelope.

Trying to calm her beating heart, Lena extracted the envelope and looked at it, scared to face what was inside. Her name was written on it in delicate letters. It looked bulgy. With shaking hands, she tore the envelope and pulled out a paper. It was a letter. As her eyes were scanning the words scribbled, her hand flew to her mouth. Slowly, her teary eyes glided down to her belly. Lena reflected for a moment. She read the short letter one more time. Then, in a haste, she pulled out the content of the envelope and found a platinum gem. A small symbol of the house of El was engraved in it. Her eyes hardened. She looked up with determination. In a new hurry, she put the letter and the gem back in the envelope and took her phone from the bag. She just wanted to check the date.

Waiting for the phone to light up, Lena looked around. There was nothing indicating where she was but the letter had explained it clearly. An island in Malaysia. That would explain the heat and humidity. Lex didn’t have a property in Malaysia. Not that she knew about. Lillian owned a club in Singapore which was supposed to whitewash money for the Cadmus branch there but Lena inherited it after her death. So no Luthor could be behind this. If it wasn’t her family, who did this? Shaking her head to erase her thoughts, Lena focused back on the phone. She just needed to make sure how much time she had passed on this freaking island. As the screen lighted up, her fingers typed hurriedly her password. Date and time were the first things to appear on her wallpaper representing Esme’s face covered with chocolate. February 24^th, 2022; 11:14 a.m.

A hand on her forehead, Lena tried to recall the last thing she remembered. It had been six months since Alex and Kelly’s wedding. She remembered it. The music, the tears, the hugs. The car rolling away. Winn going back to the future. She remembered the weeks after that. Bringing the Foundation to life, working on the new logo, finding the sponsors, and dealing with the schools and orphanage entering the program. She remembered walking home, taking a shower, pouring some wine in a glass and going to her bedroom with a book under her arm.

The letter said the truth. At least for the time she had passed on the island. It was close to six months. Lena couldn’t remember anything after that night. Could she trust the rest of the letter? She brought her other hand on her stomach, caressing the fabric of her shirt affectionately. She was pregnant. With a baby who could tear the world in half. It was impossible. She couldn’t go home. Not anymore. She had a child to protect first.

Chapter Text

DAY ONE

She was freaking out. But she couldn’t. Lena pushed up the glasses on her nose. Hid a lock of hair under the black cap she was wearing. She had to do this. It had been seven years. She had to believe it wasn’t too late. She could do it. She had to. For Liz.

Looking down, Lena watched as her daughter was fidgeting from one foot to the other. The little hand clasped in hers was shaking with anxiety already. But she stayed silent. Not complaining. They were waiting for the elevator in the Tower to bring them to the highest level, where the old quarter of the Super Friends used to be. It brought out so many images Lena tried to stifle. With the memories came the regrets and remorse. Lena’s heart kept beating faster and faster. She tried to control her breathing, to stifle the panic attack that was threatening to come. She had this. She had been in charge of one of the biggest and most prolific societies of the world. She had faced white rich cocky men every single week for years. She could do this. And it wasn’t like se didn’t know anyone. It had been seven years but they should still be the same. Even if they weren’t, she had to come back. And face the music. She couldn’t avoid it anymore.

It was surprising at first, to be able to walk through the door and activate the elevator in the Tower with her fingerprints. Lena thought J’onn would have improved the security since then. Apparently not. She was still welcomed at least. It meant she wasn’t banished from the Tower. Or they just didn’t see her as a threat. Anyway, they entered and they were going up to see everybody. Lena realized Liz must have been terrified. The girl knew why they were there. She knew it was to find help for her. Lena could feel her energy spiking around her. The little girl was so young, yet she had already so much power. That was the reason of their move back to National City. Liz needed help to control herself. And Lena couldn’t help her anymore. Liz’s powers were beyond her skills. With all the love she had for her daughter, she couldn’t help her more than she already had. They needed Kara’s help.

When the elevator doors opened, Lena was met with a dark room. The space where she had spent so many hours working and making plans was very bright in her memories. Now the windows were closed and covered with grey steel security shutters. It was very hot outside, and sunny since it was the middle of summer and National City was a west coast city. But the atmosphere inside was cold and gloomy. Lena took a step inside the room and felt Liz immediately grabbing at her leg, hiding behind her. The energy surrounding them was electric. Lena looked down and drew a hand across her daughter’s face.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Breathe. Just like we learned.” She said, breathing in and out purposefully herself. Liz’s deep blue eyes stayed on hers and the girl matched her breathing, nodding slowly. Lena nodded in response too, satisfied, and she kept walking in the room, Liz’s body glued to hers.

“Is anybody there?” She asked aloud, searching the room with her eyes. There weren’t the computers and all the tables she used to work on anymore. In place were furniture, a whole lounge area with a TV and bean bags. Lena remarked a small kitchen set up in a corner with a sink overwhelmed by dirty dishes and take out containers. And, just under the stairs leading to the balcony, was a mattress with the sheets undone haphazardly. Like somebody had just stood up in a haste.

“Who are you?” Asked a threatening voice above their heads and both mother and daughter startled in surprise. Lena looked up and right there, before her eyes, was Kara, floating in her shorts and band T-shirt, blond hair flowing freely, fists ready to fight and eyes glowing a dangerous shade of red. The shadows were casting terrifying shapes on her form. Lena felt Liz bury her head in her hip, trembling like a leaf. She didn’t need to look down to know her daughter’s hands were surrounded by a sparkling purplish glow. She glanced anyway and winced. Her heart seemed to weight heavier seeing how terrified the little girl looked with her face scrunched up, her eyes pinched close, her little body convulsing with the affluence of energy. The overflow was nearing. Putting a hand alarmingly in the air in surrender, the other on her daughter’s back, Lena decided it was better to announce herself. “Kara, it’s me! It’s…”

“Lena?” Kara pronounced her name in a gasp. She let herself fall to the ground, her eyes their natural shade of blue now. Her face was the definition of disbelief, with her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. She took a step towards Lena, her arms already wide open to hug her, but stopped when the little girl behind Lena buried herself deeper in her mother’s waist.

“Who’s that?”

Lena took the time to really look at her. Kara didn’t particularly age a lot but time had had its effects on her. Her skin looked tanner, if possible, under the white T-shirt she was wearing. Her eyes were bright and smart, as always, but with that sense of seriousness only life could put there. Her hair was as long as she remembered it and her face, devoid of glasses, was too. Kara looked more grown up. A woman more than a girl, with all the responsibilities she must have had now.

Lena heard Kara clear her throat and realized she was staring. Flushing a bit, she looked down. Her daughter was still glued to her. She passed a hand in the girl’s dark hair. “It’s my daughter.”

Lena decided it was better to say the least possible. She would explain more later. For now, she had to reassure Liz and avoid a disaster. “Your what?”

Kara walked to her and Lena could feel the energy flowing through the little girl, escalating through her veins, demanding to be freed. She cursed herself for not thinking about Liz’s reaction sooner. The girl was frightened and out of control.

“Kara, please, stay where you are.” Lena ordered more than asked, her hand in the air, the other soothing the girl. But Kara didn’t listen, curiosity taking the better of her. She scrunched up her nose, already opening her mouth to contradict.

But Liz’s powers freed themselves. The girl’s trembling hands erupted in a shade of purple, the energy pulsing around them, forming two purplish lanterns. Her eyes took the same color and shot a first laser, which arrived just close to Kara’s bare feet. The blond looked down immediately, surprised. When she looked up again, the frown on her face showed irritation and determination. Her eyes glowed again with confrontation.

“Lena, if she doesn’t stop…”

“No, please, she can’t control it. You’re making it worse.” Lena’s voice was pleading, imploring Kara to believe her.

Kara’s face softened. But it was already too late. Liz was so scared that her powers took control of the entirety of her body. She was lifted in the air against her will, her nails scratching the skin on Lena’s arm.

“Mom, help me! I don’t want to! Please!”

Her daughter’s cries for help made Lena’s eyes water. She didn’t know what to do. She looked at Kara with panic in her eyes, pleading her to help silently. The blond was taking in the scene, motionless, her mouth agape.

Liz’s eyes started to shoot randomly, destroying paintings on the walls and furniture in the room. Lena had to do something. Liz was out of control. Putting her hands up, she pronounced a barrier spell as calmly as she could. A big blue bubble surrounded Liz.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Take a deep breath.” Liz didn’t seem to react to what she was saying but she continued anyway.

“You’re safe. It’s okay. I know you’re scared, and I know it’s not your fault.” The girl’s eyes stopped shooting purple lasers. That was good. It was working.

“Go ahead, Lena. It’s working.” Kara said encouragingly. Lena nodded her way. “Liz, can you come down now? For me? Please, honey. It’s alright, you’re safe. Nothing will hurt you. Kara won’t hurt you.”

In the corner of her eyes, Lena saw Kara’s face turn quickly to her. The purplish glow around Liz’s hands flickered, before shutting off entirely. And then Liz was falling. Kara shot up to retrieve her in the air and ease her down in Lena’s arms. The girl was crying heavily. She clung at Lena as if her life depended on it. Hearing her sob was a nightmare to Lena. She couldn’t bare see her daughter suffer without being able to help her.

“I’m sorry, mom. I didn’t want to. I’m sorry. I swear.”

Lena shushed her, caressing her hair gently, her heart in her throat. She felt Kara hover around them. The blond was pacing, a hand on her forehead. When she stopped, Lena closed her eyes, anticipating her questions.

“Lena, what’s going on? Was that heat vision? And flying?”

There was no trace of judgement in her voice, but a bit of fear and insecurity, and maybe curiosity too. Lena looked up with tear tracks on her cheeks. Liz was still heavily crying on her shoulder. She tried to say everything through her eyes. Not now. Later. I’ll explain later. You already know why. Because she didn’t want Liz to panic again. She didn’t want to have this discussion right there, with her daughter so shattered she could light up the room in an instant.

Kara’s face showed all the emotions possible. Incomprehension, disbelief, anger, disturb, puzzlement and then affection. Lena saw her eyes fall on Liz and her mouth fall open in wonder. Her pupils glistened.

“I… I’ll call Alex.”

Lena nodded and hugged her daughter a little closer. Worry was gnawing at her but now she wasn’t alone anymore. They would find a solution.

The thing about Alex was that she was always ready to help her sister, no matter what. When Kara called her with alarm in her voice, she didn’t even question it. Lena was back. Kara was going to be fine now. Alex hoped so. She had hoped for their friend to come back for seven years now. She couldn’t endure more of Kara’s depressed behavior. It had to stop. And Lena had come back just at the right time, it seemed. And not alone. With a curious little girl, a carbon copy of herself.

“Can you show me your arm, please?” Alex asked the girl who was laying on a bed in the medical bay. They had moved their quarters to the Justice League satellite, a couple of years ago, for practical purpose but Kara kept the medical bay active in the Tower just in case. It seemed she was right to do so. Liz showed the inside of her arms to Alex, who was ready with gloves and a green needle in hand. The former doctor tried to reassure the little girl. “It might hurt a little but I’m sure you’re strong enough to take it.”

Liz didn’t say anything, but all three adults noticed her face crunching up in apprehension and disgust. Lena was hovering next to the bed, Liz’s hand clasped in hers. When Alex arrived, they decided to do some tests on Liz. At least to prove what Lena already knew. Blood tests and DNA tests. To make sure Liz was okay and not endangered by her powers. To make sure she was Lena’s daughter. To know if her powers were Kryptonian or not.

“There, all done. Do you want a lollipop? Kara loves them after she has shots.” Alex smiled, extending lollipops of different colors in her hands to show Liz. The girl looked at her mother to ask permission with her blue eyes and Lena nodded. Liz took the red one and thanked her. She then turned back to Lena, all sorry and shameful. “Mom, I need to go to the bathroom.”

Lena glanced at Kara and Alex, excusing herself, before taking Liz’s hand and leading her out of the room. Alex turned on her stool to face Kara. Her sister was staring into space, her arms crossed, leaning against a wall.  Alex took her gloves off and threw them in a bin. Then, she cleared her throat. “You are incredibly silent.”

Kara hummed in response then looked up, focusing her eyes on her sister. “That’s because it’s a lot to take in.” Her fingers brushed the space in front of her. “I have a lot to say, actually, but not to you.”

“I see.” Alex nodded thoughtfully. She was surprised, of course, to find out that Lena had been hiding a daughter for six years. Voluntarily. At least, that was the bit of explanations they managed to drag out from her before Lena asked them to wait for them to be alone to discuss. All these years, they were all worried sick, thinking she had been murdered in an alley, sequestrated in a basement. Or brought to another dimension, or… The scenarios had been plenty when they discovered Lena had disappeared. Kara had turned crazy, searching every plot on Earth to find her. And now they knew why they couldn’t. Lena didn’t want to be found.

“Just wait for the results. Nothing’s sure.” Alex said, shrugging halfheartedly. She didn’t even believe in that. Kara scoffed. “She has my father’s eyes, Alex. And the El’s nose.”

The blond started pacing, her socked feet beating the floor. “I saw her shoot lasers with her eyes! And fly!” Now, Alex recognized her sister’s reactions more clearly.

“Yeah, but you don’t have the glowing hands.”

Kara snorted. “I guess this part is all Lena’s. Do you remember when she made that Dunmer explode just by extending her fingers?”

Alex nodded. It was a long time ago but they all had been able to notice the extent of Lena’s powers. Once the woman had accepted her mother’s legacy and learned to use the magic given to her, she had developed abilities nobody could have suspected. Coupled with Lena’s natural intelligence, the former CEO became a real asset for the team. It was short-lived though.  “No wonder the girl is this powerful.”

They stayed in silence, both contemplating what had been said, what they had just learned. It was really a lot. Kara was still pacing the room, grumbling uncoherent things, arms crossed. The sight was something. Alex was almost glad to see her sister react like this. It meant she was feeling something. Kara had been so angry when Lena disappeared. And then passive. Empty. Numb. She closed herself off of everyone. She wasn’t coming to game nights anymore. After some time, Alex realized they had lost part of the bond that linked them since they were teens. Kara wouldn’t speak to her anymore. So seeing her name on her phone screen, hearing her call for help, Alex felt relieved, really. Her sister was back. At least a bit. Alex watched her walk from one corner to the other like a tawny, repeating the motion endlessly. And then she stopped in front of Alex.

“I don’t know why she would do this?” Kara burst out frustratingly before continuing walking. Alex furrowed her brows. She wasn’t sure Lena was responsible for Liz’s existence. “I don’t think she planned her pregnancy, you know.”

Kara stopped again. “Of course not! I mean why would she disappear like that? Didn’t she learn anything while she was with us?” She kept pacing endlessly. “She should have told me! She may be right about being in danger but she should have called and I could have helped. After all the fights we had, all her jabs about me betraying her, she…”

That was when Alex thought it was about time she interrupted her and gave her opinion on the matter. “Yeah, may have, should have…” She said with a dismissive brush of the air with her hand. “What’s done is done. She’s here. Liz is here. What are you going to do now?”

Kara sighed and walked to the bed to let herself drop on it dramatically. “I don’t know. I can’t… I don’t want to take a place that’s not mine.”

“It is yours.” Alex exclaimed, making Kara look at her. “She’s your daughter.”

“But Lena, she…” Kara gasped. “I have a daughter.”

Alex chuckled a bit. “Yeah, congratulation! Welcome to parenthood. You’re lucky you skipped all the diaper phase.” Kara crunched up her face in disgust before a goofy smile grew on her lips. “I think I’d liked it anyway.”

Alex snorted. “I’m sure you’d have. Now be nice to your daughter, I’m sure she’s dying to know you.”

Kara was about to tell her she was always nice when Alex looked above Kara’s shoulder and motioned for her to shut it. Lena and Liz were coming back. As mother and daughter entered the room, Lena looked at the duo suspiciously. “Is everything okay?” The former CEO asked in a tense voice. Alex jumped out of her stool. “Yes! I’m going to see if the results are already out.” Lena watched her as she crouched down in front of Liz. 

“What do you think about a snack, kiddo?” Alex extended a hand and waited patiently. Liz looked up to Lena for permission and reassurance. The mother brushed her fingers through black curls and nodded. “You can go, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

Liz seemed to analyze Lena’s response for a bit, her eyes scanning her mother’s face, before she looked to Alex again and took her hand in her gloved one. As they walked out of the room, Liz threw a last glance to her mother. Lena smiled back encouragingly. Her daughter was shy and introverted. Perhaps it was her own fault, keeping her away from every member of their family. But she did it for a reason and she would never regret protecting her child.

Facing back the extent of the room, her green eyes met Kara’s and the blond sighed. They needed to talk. How could they start this discussion? It was absurd, really. They had passed so many times discussing every topic possible, confessing secrets, personal fears. Now that time and space had interfered in their relationship, the discussion seemed impossible.

Lena had prepared herself for this. The whole fly to America. Hell, she’d prepared her speech for six years now. Alternating between explanation and apologies. Reasons and emotions. But now that she could explain to Kara why she disappeared for seven years to give birth to their daughter and raise her on her own, she found that the reasons weren’t enough. She wouldn’t be able to forgive if the roles were reversed so why would Kara?

Clearing her throat, Lena was about to start by apologizing. She didn’t have the time though. Kara took a step to approach her but stayed at arms’ length. “I know I lied to you about my identity years ago. I did a lot of shitty things to make you believe I was two different persons. But this,” Kara pointed in the direction of the door. “Is an entire other level of lying.”

Her voice was tense. Her eyes were watering. The frustration and betrayal Kara was feeling were clear on her face. Lena didn’t like the sight, but it was about time she took responsibility for what she did. “I know, Kara, I’m sor-”

“She’s six years old, Lena! Six! And I didn’t even know she existed! I wasted six years! What does that make me?” Lena winced. The last time Kara had talked to her like that, Lena had just crawled back in her life, apologizing profusely for her behavior and for helping her brother destroy the world again. It was the last and only time Kara had raised her voice on her. She didn’t like it one bit. “She knows we couldn’t be with you because she was in danger.”

“In danger? That’s what you told her? I’m the strongest woman on the planet, I’m indestructible. Isn’t it safe enough?” Kara wasn’t the type to brag about her powers. She had hated them for most of the time she spent on Earth, but she was also a realist. Lena was just making excuses. Kara knew her better than that. It must have been something more important, heavier, that had weighted on the balance. Lena realized Kara knew her more than she thought.

“You know what?” The blond said, putting her hands around her hair. “I can’t talk to you right now. I’m too mad at you. We’ll have this discussion later.”

And she walked off, fuming. Lena heard the door slam behind her and winced. They would need to fix the handle later. Lena let her shoulders sagged in a sigh. She knew coming back meant she would have to face a lot of anger and resentment, but it was still tiring. Kara wasn’t known to lose her temper easily, but this was new territory for everybody, and Lena could understand her reactions. But she couldn’t give up now. She couldn’t just throw in the towel. She had to fight and if Kara needed her to apologize for the rest of their lives, Lena would do it.

Putting herself together, she turned around and exited the room to meet with Alex and Liz. She found them in the old lounge area Lena remembered spending so much time reading in. They seemed to be in a discussion about the results. As Lena came closer, Liz lighted up.

“Mom, Doctor Alex said I’m very strong!” The girl said cheerfully, surprised of her own abilities.

“It’s just Alex, kiddo.” Alex laughed. “And I’m sure you already knew that. We need to make more tests to see if you have all the same powers as Kara. But it can wait.” The girl’s only reaction was to jump up and down excitedly. It was astonishing and refreshing to see Liz so at ease while interacting with other people. And talking about her powers too. It was a real change in character as Liz was always so frightened by her own abilities.

“You did a good job, Luthor.” Alex said referencing Liz. “It’s good to have you back.” Lena smiled back and nodded. “Likewise.”

Alex patted the couch next to them in invitation. Lena circled the coffee table, with all the snacks spread on it, and sat down next to her daughter. The girl was munching happily on some dry fruit stick. “Wanna come to our house this evening? We were having a barbecue anyway. That way Liz could meet everyone.”

Alex’s eyes were pleading. Lena was surprised to find that Alex wasn’t mad at her. Not as much as she thought anyway. Or maybe it was because Liz was around. Or just maturity came with the years and Alex didn’t need to protect Kara as closely as she did before. Lena kept waiting for the other shoe to drop though. Alex wasn’t the type to leave the matter down easily.

“I don’t want to be a burden. Kara looks really mad. We should ask her if it’s okay first.”

“She’s upset, that’s for sure. But I think she missed you more than the anger she’s feeling right now. I’ll ask her but I’m sure she wants you around. Both of you.” Alex smiled down to Liz as the girl was listening to them silently, folding the paper of her dry fruit stick neatly. The woman placed a hand on her knee gently. “I’m really happy to meet you. You don’t have to be afraid here. Everybody wants the best for you. You’re family.”

Liz looked up to meet her mother’s eyes in a wordless discussion. Lena tilted her head and smiled. She pulled up a hand in an introduction gesture.

“Alex is Kara’s sister. She’s your aunt, sweetheart.” Alex watched the interaction. Liz gasped and looked at her again with wonder. “Is it true? Do I have cousins too?”

Both women chuckled. Lena was glad to see Liz at ease enough to be herself. She trusted Alex already and that was heartwarming. The little girl used to be guarded around strangers or new people because she always feared her powers would come out and hurt them. But she didn’t seem afraid of Alex. She trusted her. Alex had always been good with kids anyway.

“You do. I have a daughter named Esme, and we’re having a little boy for November.” Alex explained patiently. She threw a proud glance to Lena who gasped in shock and happiness. “Really? Alex, that’s fantastic.”

“Yeah, Kelly’s four months pregnant. She’s glowing.” Alex shrugged with a proud smile.

“I bet she is.” Lena smiled back. “I’m really happy for you guys. You deserve it.”

Lena knew the battle Alex and Kelly had to have Esme. Kelly was supposedly unable to have children. They were talking about adopting or testing other possibilities when Lena disappeared. She was glad to discover they finally made it possible. 

As she was about to ask how Esme was doing, Kara came back, dressed properly with a short sleeve shirt and linen pants, a look of remorse on her face. “Do you have the results?” The blond asked, shyly. She was fidgeting with her hands. It was a huge contrast from the woman who had slammed the door upstairs just minutes ago. Alex nodded and extended the pieces of paper to her. “Liz is yours and Lena’s daughter.” She said as an explanation for the curves of numbers on the page. “And she has more of a Kryptonian structure than a human one. She’s perfectly healthy.”

Kara’s eyes flew immediately to the little girl next to Lena. Liz’s demeanor had changed instantly when Kara had appeared. The girl was hiding against her mother again, throwing shy glances to the woman in front of her. Kara sighed and approached tentatively. The last thing she wanted was to scare the little girl. She crouched down in front of the couch and extended a hand. “It’s really nice to meet you, Liz. I can’t wait to know you.”

Liz’s deep blue eyes traveled from Kara’s hand to Kara’s face. She didn’t look to Lena for permission though. She hesitantly approached her gloved hand to Kara’s and squeezed lightly before pulling away quickly, keeping her hand to her heart. Kara looked puzzled to Lena who shrugged with one shoulder and circled her daughter with an arm. “Liz has actually something to tell you.”

The girl looked at Lena with betrayal in her eyes. Lena gave her a pointed look. If the situation wasn’t that heavy, Kara would have laughed. She could see the remnants of the CEO and the silent discussion going over between them both. Liz looked back to Kara then avoided her eyes as they met. “It’s okay. I’m sure it can wait.” Kara said, trying to appease the girl. Poor little one. She had had a long day already. They all had, really. But Liz shook her head hastily. “No, I…” She stuttered and Lena put a finger under her chin gently to make her look up. Liz finally met Kara’s eyes and dared speak up.

“I’m sorry I broke your things up there.” She said, pointing to the ceiling. “I’ll fix it, I promise.”

Liz’s little voice made Kara’s heart melt. She patted at her knee. “Don’t worry about that. I broke so many things by myself when I came to Earth. It’s not that important. What counts is that you’re safe.”

Liz analyzed Kara’s face. She seemed to search if Kara was honest. She nodded then, accepting Kara’s forgiveness with a little smile on her face. Kara noticed the thin lips, the pale skin. Liz definitely had Lena’s lips.

“So I was asking Lena if she wanted to come to the barbecue tonight. You’re welcomed too if you want to go out for once. J’onn will not be there but you know…” Alex said, clearing her throat and standing up. She took a look at her watch. Kara shot up too, surprised. “Oh.”

She knew Lena was looking at her. Alex’s expression was just patient. Both women seemed to wait for her reaction. “That would be great.” She shrugged.

“You’re sure? It’s okay if you don’t-” Lena asked.

“Of course! Everybody will be so happy to see you back.” Kara said, a smile spreading on her face as she saw Liz jumping excitedly when Lena turned to her.

“What do you think, baby? Want to meet your aunts and uncle?” Liz nodded cheerfully, excitement glistening in her eyes. “I take that as a yes. You still know where I live?” Alex asked.

“If it didn’t change, yes.” Lena confirmed.

“Good. 6 p.m. sharp. Don’t bring anything, it’s fine. Kelly’s made a stock of wine.” Alex added before putting her glasses on. She ruffled Liz’s hair as she walked to the elevator doors.

“Okay, thank you. We’ll just pass by the loft before we come. To freshen up and change.” Lena said raising her voice to be heard. “Alright.”

Alex took off after that, probably eager to go help Kelly and tell her everything, leaving Lena and Liz with Kara. Now that it was just the three of them, both women looked at each other without knowing what to say. Lena stood up, rearranging the snacks on the table so it was in a neat pile. “I don’t know where you keep all that.” She said, avoiding Kara’s gaze.

“Oh, you can leave it there. I’ll put them in the closet later.” Kara said with a dismissive gesture. Lena nodded and reached for her cap to put it back on her head. “We’re going to go then.”

“Right.” The blond whispered. “See you tonight, I guess.” Lena nodded and led Liz to the elevator. Kara waved them out awkwardly as the doors closed. That was so painful to experiment that Lena winced in the cabin. They would need time to go back to the friendship they had.

“So what you’re saying is that you got abducted around August 2021 in your apartment, woke up in a bunker in February 2022 in Malaysia with a Kryptonian baby on the go and you only had a letter to explain what happened.” Nia summarized for everybody as she deposited the letter back at the center of the table. Said like that, it sounded even crazier. Lena never thought about unpacking the whole thing but now that she was reminded of what she went through, it felt about time she came back to National City. She needed answers.

“Yeah, it’s pretty much everything I know. I got this gem too in the envelope. The letter says Kara is the only one who can open the files on it.” Lena added, showing them the platinum gem she found six years ago which was now in a steel pendant around her neck. Kelly leaned over to take it between her fingers. “There’s the house of El’s symbol on it.” She said thoughtfully.

“That’s how I knew the letter was telling the truth.” Lena shrugged. “There was nothing in the room. The computers there were very old. There was a bunch of analysis papers stating the evolution of the pregnancy. But nothing much.” She kept some of the most horrible details to herself. They didn’t need to know the extent of what seemed to happen in that bunker. Not yet. They would know soon enough.

“There’s been no trace of Lex since he’s in the Phantom Zone and your mother passed away so it’s nothing like a Luthor revenge.” Brainy stated. He took a sip of his beer. Everybody turned their heads to watch the children play. The gravity of the situation was putting them into silence.

After all the hugs and sweet words were exchanged when Lena arrived, they all had settled around the table on the terrace in Alex and Kelly’s garden. Esme had come back from her karate class with wonder in her eyes, excited to see her godmother back and discover she had another cousin. Liz was then pulled away from her mother’s lap by the twelve-year-old who wanted to show her the swings. Nia and Brainy’s son had tried to follow them but he wasn’t quick enough yet on his little chubby legs. Lena wondered how much longer he would listen to the girls as they showed him how to shoot in a ball before babbling away impatiently.

“You know, I could go to the Fortress tomorrow with the gem and ask the Matrix there if there’s data about it.” Kara said suddenly, putting her beer down on the table. She was sitting at the other end of the table, as if she wanted to be as far away from Lena as possible. Lena nodded, surprised but happily so. Kara hadn’t said much since she had arrived. She had helped Kelly put the drinks and snacks on the table. She had played with Esme and Liz a little and hugged Ambrose close to her when the little boy eagerly jumped in front of her. After that, she had stayed seated on her chair, watching the children closely as they were playing around the pool. She didn’t participate in the discussion.

“If there’s something on it, would you wait for me to open it with you?” Lena asked as she stretched her arm across the table to give the necklace to Kara. “I will.” Kara promised. “But I don’t think it can be opened in the Fortress. There’s no gap or base where I think I could put it.”

“We’ll see. At least we’re progressing.” Lena replied, throwing a glance to Kelly then Alex on the side of the table. All heads nodded in synchrony. They all looked very thoughtful. Lena herself felt a headache forming behind her eyes and spreading in her skull.

“What’s the plan then? Any idea who did this?” Nia asked, taking a ham roll with a pick.

Lena shrugged. “I thought Lex had come back at first. But he’s still lost somewhere.” She moved her fingers cryptically. “I talked to an old friend though while I was on the way. He should be in the city tomorrow afternoon.”

“Interesting.” Kelly jumped in. “Who’s that friend?”

“Dick Grayson.” Lena saw a smirk spread on Alex’s lips as she sipped her bear. “He helped Liz and I stay hidden. He did a lot of research for me too. I asked him to bring everything he had. I think it’ll help us since we’re starting from scratch again.”

“Are we talking about Bruce Wayne’s adoptive son?” Nia asked enthusiastically, always ready to gossip. Lena chuckled. “The one and only.”

“Great. He will be able to show me how he managed to pass under all my radars.” Brainy quipped and Lena burrowed herself between her shoulders.

“That was me actually.” She said sheepishly. “I know how you work so I created an algorithm which was supposed to erase every key word your alerts would search. Dick created our fake papers though.”

Brainy gasped and leaned on the table. “That’s impossible. You can’t do this with the tech Earth has now.”

“It is. Because it’s not only about technology. I used magic to modify Liz’s and mine’s face when we were out. I used protection spells too and barriers around the house. We were unattainable for people who wouldn’t use magic to search us.” Lena explained further. They were all watching her with wide eyes and she blushed a bit under the glances.

“Your powers must have extended a lot.” Nia wondered aloud. “That’s why I couldn’t see you either.”

Lena hummed and all retreated in their thoughts. She was aware of the hurt she had caused to every person around the table. So many times she had wondered what Nia was up to or what cake Esme had baked. How many villains they had fought together, how many battles during which they had almost lost one of them. She was a part of this. A part of this incredible and out of this world family. And she had missed them a lot.

She cleared her throat purposefully and placed both hands on the table. “Guys, I know it’s a lot. I’m sorry I disappeared and I’m sorry I used everything I could to stay hidden. But I had too. I don’t know who did this but it certainly took them a lot of means and I had the instinct I needed to protect Liz. Now that her powers are becoming a handful, I realized I needed your help to put all this hell together.”

Lena felt Kelly’s hand squeezed hers. They shared a smile. Kelly had always been on her side. “You’re here now. We’ll find a solution together.”

“You could’ve come here. We would’ve protected you.” Kara grumbled against the bottleneck of her beer. She sounded like an old record by now. Lena rolled her eyes. “I know but I didn’t.”

They shared a heated glare. The tension between them hadn’t stopped increasing, everybody could feel it. Fortunately, the children came back to ask for something to drink and they broke eye contact when Liz jumped on Lena’s lap. The mother threw Kara a last glance, though, and noticed the envy on her face. Under the tensed stoic face, Lena could see Kara’s affection and curiosity toward Liz and she couldn’t deny her that. She had deprived Kara of knowing her daughter, of watching her growing up until now. She could take a bit a resentment and some jabs if it eased Kara’s heart.

“Mum, can I go in the pool? Esme  said she had a swimsuit for me.” Liz asked out of nowhere. Lena felt all the eyes on them, waiting for her to decide. She looked at the sky. It was dawn and the sun was setting for the night. Her eyes met Kelly’s who shrugged and smiled. “They have time before we eat.”

Lena sighed. Liz loved water. That was a problem since Lena would prefer to be pushed in a lion’s den that to be caught in a swimming pool. “Do you guys have water wings? She can’t swim.”

“We do.” Alex replied. “In the shed. But Esme also knows she can’t go in the pool without an adult.” She added pointedly toward her daughter who shrunk back.

“It’s fine, I’ll go with them.” Kara said suddenly. She stood up as everyone watched her and finished her beer in one go. “Can I borrow a bikini?”

Alex nodded, mouth wide open as Kara walked inside. When her sister disappeared behind the double doors, she turned hastily toward Kelly. “It’s been ages since she went in the pool!” She whispered-shout.

Kelly chuckled. “I know. She must miss it.”

“Or she just wants to spend time with the kids.” Nia winked, wiping Ambrose’s face with a napkin. Lena listened to the discussion with her brows furrowed. Kara had always been eager to do literally everything. Hearing her friends’ astonishment, it must have changed though, during her absence. But Liz pulled on her hand, asking her help to undress so she would think about that later.

Later in the evening, Lena found herself with her feet in the water, watching as the girls and Kara were playing volleyball. Kara was really good with them. All tender and calm as she explained the rules to Liz who never played the game ever. But she stayed away from Lena. She threw her glances at times, especially when Liz would ask Lena’s attention because she had made a good shot. Lena would wave or applause when asked but she never addressed Kara either. She was glad Liz was warming up around the blond, though. It was progress.

“You know you’re safe to go in. There’s plenty of people to save you around here.” Alex said, sitting next to her. Lena smiled. They all knew about her fear of water. Seeing her mother drown had been an event in Lena’s early life she hadn’t been able to heal from yet. She had made it clear to her friend that she couldn’t be in water or under water or near water, except for tea and showers. “I know but I’m good here. That’s the best I can do.”

Alex snorted but said nothing. She slammed her bear bottle against Lena’s glass of white wine and drank a sip. They watched the girls play in silence. Liz wasn’t successful in her shots most times. Her arms were too short above the water to be efficient, but she seemed to have fun and it was the most important to Lena.

“She’s good with her.” Alex stated. Lena turned her head to watch her. The former agent had kept her thin and muscular shapes but time had taken its toll on her skin, revealing light wrinkles around her eyes. Her hair was longer too and colored in black.

Lena looked back in the pool and nodded, watching Kara laughed as Esme rubbed at her forehead because she had caught the ball in the head. “She’s a natural. She always has been.”

Alex hummed in reply and took a sip again. “It must have been hard. To be away.”

“It was but it was for Liz’s security. It’ll always be my priority.” Lena inhaled and shoved Alex’s shoulder with her own. “I miss this though. Although, I have to say I’m surprised you’re not mad at me.”

Alex sighed. She had been mad at first. A lot of people had suffered Lena’s disappearance, especially Esme who would ask questions they didn’t have the answers to. But now that Lena had explained what happened, Alex could understand. She couldn’t say she would have done the same thing but she remembered what she had been ready to do when Esme got abducted by Nyxly and Lex so she couldn’t judge.

“I’m not mad. I’m disappointed because you suffered by yourself instead of trusting us just because you thought you weren’t safe enough. I think you coming back now for the reasons you’re giving is an excuse.”

“What do you mean?” Lena’s brows furrowed.

Alex huffed in frustration. “Come on, Lena. You’re smart, you can find a way to control Liz’s powers without us. You invented Esme’s necklace to stifle hers.”

“Well, it’s not just about Liz’s powers-” Lena started but got interrupted.

“No, of course not. I think you’re still as afraid about your feelings as you were when you left.” Alex arched an eyebrow pointedly.

“Feelings? What are you talking about?” Lena pretended she was more interested in the color of the water than in the discussion.

“Oh please! Not to me! I know the both of you.” Alex exclaimed pointed to Kara. Lena hoped at the moment that the Superhero wasn’t listening to their conversation. “You’re both so stubborn about hiding behind false excuses that you don’t even see you like each other.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m aware of that. I had her blue eyes watching me for the last six years. I couldn’t forget about her.” Lena replied in a dry tone.

“Then why don’t you tell her?” Alex exclaimed, her voice going higher than usual.

Lena huffed and crossed her arms, her legs shuffling the water under them. “She doesn’t need this. Her life’s already full. You know there’s no place for a relationship in Supergirl’s life. Just like there wasn’t a place for a child.”

It was Alex’s turn to sigh. She shook her head, annoyed. “Kara was a mess when you disappeared. She became a shadow of herself. So I think it’s not far-fetched to say you are what makes her happy.”

“Maybe I was.” Lena shrugged. “But I lied to her, betrayed her. Hid her daughter to her. She can’t even look at me.”

Alex scoffed. “Then it’s your job to fix it, Luthor. But I still think your reasons are bullshit. And I know you’re just burying it to punish yourself, but you won’t get rid of her.” She gave her friend a sharp look. “Now that she knows about Liz, she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. To protect the both of you. And that would be unfair to make her stay away just because you’re scared of what might happen.”

Alex stood up then, collecting her beer on the way, and left Lena pondering their talk. The truth was, there were so much things Lena had to think about. She was aware of her feelings for Kara. She had vowed to never lie to herself after the whole Supergirl identity debacle, so she knew. When she realized her intentions towards Kara weren’t that platonic, when she wondered why Kara’s lies were affecting her that much, she vowed to never be that oblivious again. Of course, she loved her. And it was a part of the problem. Lena thought a lot about what her life could have been if she had come back in National City directly after waking up in Malaysia. Maybe they would have found who did this earlier. But what would have Kara’s reaction been? Would they have kept the baby? What if they had?

Lena wanted to have the child. That was the first thing she had realized when she had read the letter. But the chance that Kara wouldn’t want Lena to keep the baby had terrified her. So much that she had fled. And now she was crawling back for forgiveness, seven years later. Lillian used to say it was better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. So maybe Lena’s disappearance was due to the Luthor brainwash. Maybe it was because of the last instinctive reflexes Lillian had put in her that Lena flew away and decided to raise a child by herself. Maybe she was just a coward and was too afraid to face the possibility of seeing disappointment and resentment on Kara’s face knowing a Luthor was pregnant with a Super. Afraid to be classified as another Luthor who tried to clone a Super. Maybe she was afraid to accept that Kara loved her too and would want a life with her and raise a kid. Or maybe it was a mix of all the above and Lena was just a deprived mind with too much to think.

Anyway, over-thinking never was a solution for the scientist that she was. So she decided to put all this away for later. It wasn’t lying, or denying, it was omission. Lena could do omission for now.

Rubbing at her neck, Lena stood up, trying to ease the tension present in her shoulders. It had been a long day. She looked around. Brainy and Nia were putting the table as Alex was cooking the meat on the barbecue and Kelly was talking with Ambrose on her lap animatedly. Lena had really missed them. The atmosphere. The ease of just being herself. It was a real delight and relief to discover the life her friends built in her absence. To know Nia and Brainy’s little boy and see them as parents. To see Esme so grown-up, interested in everything. To notice she still had her place in the group.

Turning around, she watched Liz throwing the ball above her head for the hundredth time and falling back in the water in a splash. She saw Esme trying to climb on Kara’s back to catch the ball but failing and falling heavily in the water under Kara and Liz’s laughter. Her daughter already seemed happier and it was just their first day. Thinking about what Alex said, Lena realized she couldn’t turn around now that Liz knew her family here. It wasn’t fair for her nor it was for Kara who looked like she wanted to know her daughter and take her role seriously.

Shaking her head, Lena headed back to the table while Alex called for the girls to come out of the pool. Esme ran out of it and put her mother into a wet hug. Alex moaned and growled but everybody knew it was just for show. They laughed though because Alex looked like a wet racoon now.

Yeah, she had missed them a lot.

It was already late in the night when they decided to go back inside. The night was chilly and the kids were becoming cranky so Kelly had put a Disney movie on TV and the three of them were piled under blankets on the couch. The adults had decided then that coffee and cake could be a good way to end the night. Brainy and Alex were finishing a heated game of monopoly, Kelly playing bank and referee. Kara had disappeared upstairs to take a shower after her defeat. And Lena had gone to refill her cup of tea and was now watching Nia from the kitchen counter as she was putting Ambrose in his pajamas with delicate attention not to wake up the three-year old. The girls weren’t that far from falling asleep either. Lena was thinking she should do the same with Liz before it was too late.

“You seem deep in thought.” Kara said as she slipped on her elbows on the counter next to her, her hands surrounding a cup of coffee. Lena shrugged. “I was just thinking Liz would be a beast to take care of if she falls asleep now without her pj’s on.”

“Oh, right. Do you want me to…” Kara fidgeted with her fingers. “Do you need some help?”

Lena softened. She couldn’t help but think Kara was sweet to ask. They hadn’t talk a lot since Kara got out of the pool with Liz in her arms. The sight had shocked Lena at first. In a good way. It was a lyrical image with glitters and ringing in her ears. Watching droplets of water run down Kara’s body as she was walking with their kid in her arms. But then Liz had put her cold wet hands on Lena’s bare legs and she got out of her reverie. She loved it though. Kara and Liz were meant to be family, even a dysfunctional one. “It’s okay, I’m used to it. She always falls asleep while reading in the couch at home.”

In the corner of her eye, Lena saw Kara winced but she erased the expression from her face quickly and nodded absentmindedly. She cleared her throat then and put a lock of her hair behind her ear. She was nervous, Lena could tell. Even after all those years, she knew Kara’s intentions behind her gestures.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. It’s just… a lot.” Kara said, her face genuinely lost. Lena understood her preoccupations. The same morning, Kara didn’t know she had a child.

“It is. And it’s fine. I deserved it. I hid a child from you.” She shrugged, playing with the spoon in her mug.

A puff of air escaped from Kara’s lips. “Yeah, well it doesn’t mean you deserve it. Nobody deserves to be yelled at. Especially after all you’ve been through.”

“Hum…” Lena only half-agreed. “You can’t stay perfectly polished all the time. You have feelings too and if you are at least half as shocked as I was when I woke up in that bunker, it must be huge.”

Kara tilted her head as if she was measuring something with her eyes. Her expression kept all its seriousness. “I don’t know what to feel. To be honest. I never thought it was possible for me to... I… I wished for this so many times. To have a family. To leave a legacy. But now that she’s here, watching me with her big blue eyes, I just… I don’t know.”

Lena hummed again, this time she knew what Kara meant. A child was a big responsibility. Even if Kara was used to high stakes, raising a child was an entire other level. It reminded Lena of all the times she had a breakdown the first few months after Liz’s birth. As a single mom, away from any support, she had hard nights during which she had cried and cursed herself for her choices. But the thing about those nights was the morning after. Those mornings and days during which Liz would prove that all her efforts weren’t for nothing. “I know the feeling. It’s terrifying, isn’t it? To realize another being depends on you. It keeps me up at night sometimes. But the world can say whatever it wants, she’ll stay the best thing I’ll leave behind.”

They both watched Liz as her head was slowly falling against Esme’s shoulder. The girls got along like a house on fire. Lena had never seen Liz sympathize this quickly with anybody. The six-year-old never asked a lot of questions about their family. Her questions used to be mostly about Kara and her job and what she looked like and what she liked to eat and do. But as curious as the girl always had been, Liz never said anything about wanting to meet them. Only Kara. And now, they had a whole bunch of new family members. Lena prepared herself for the stream of questions when they’d be alone.

“She looks so much like you.” Kara exhaled suddenly, as if she had been holding her breath this whole time. Lena smiled. Liz had her long black hair and her thin features. Her shyness too. The rest was all Kara’s.

“She has your eyes. And your heart.” Lena added. She looked at the blond when she heard her hummed. Kara’s eyes met hers and Lena was captivated for an instant by all the emotions she could see swimming there. She knew she wasn’t forgiven yet, just by the little wrinkle between Kara’s eyebrows. But there was affection there and concern, and a bit of anger, still.

“I am so mad at you. You ran away, you hid from us, you hid me my child. It’s as if you didn’t learn anything. You could have died.” Kara exclaimed. She probably wanted to express how furious that made her but all Lena could see was how sorry and grave she felt.

“But I didn’t.” Lena refuted. Kara scoffed and faced her entirely now, her eyes showing how annoyed she was. “Yes, by chance.”

“No, not chance. I have Sam to thank for that.” Lena explained as surprise grew on Kara’s face. “Sam Arias?”

“Yes, this Sam. Who knew she had the guts to play midwife?” Lena replied wryly. Realization hit Kara and she threw a hand on her forehead. “Rao, I can’t even fathom what it was like.”

“Just like any other childbirth, actually.” Lena shrugged, amused but she chose to skip the details. Kara was frightened enough. The reminder of the day Liz’s was born was hard enough for herself. She had been terrified. A normal human baby would probably cause stress enough, but a Kryptonian one… No, Lena didn’t want to go there.

They fell silent again. Around them, cheers and curses were exchanged in whispers in the living room as Kelly reminded their friends there were children in the house. Lena had almost forgotten about them playing a board game. Kara had always had a knack for surrounding her in a comfortable bubble.

“Why did you choose to name her Liz?” Kara asked all of a sudden, curiosity shining in her eyes. Lena smiled, her eyes falling to her hands shyly.

“Her full name is Elizabeth Alura Walsh Danvers. It’s my mother’s name.” She explained. “But it’s also a tribute to Eliza for what she did for you. And…” She sighed, knowing her answer could raise more questions and anger. She looked up to focus her gaze on Kara’s so that the blond knew Lena was conscious of her choices. “I wanted her to know where she comes from. Who her family is. Her roots. From both sides.”

She watched as Kara’s frown deepen gradually as she spoke. Her mouth opened and closed several times, the gears in her mind clearly working hard. She looked back to Lena, still confused. “Why would you tell her about me if you thought you would never see me again? If you thought she would never meet me?”

Ah, that was the one-million-dollar question. Probably because Lena knew deep down in her heart that she couldn’t stay away from National City forever. That she would come back eventually. Would she confess that though? Of course not. Because it meant confessing much more and she wasn’t ready for that. It didn’t stop her cheeks to take a reddish shade though.

“I didn’t want her to grow up with the feeling of not being sure of who she was like I did.” She finally replied with a half-truth. Kara seemed to accept that as she nodded thoughtfully.

“Where did you hide all this time?” The blond asked, taking a sip of her coffee. It must have been cold but it didn’t seem to bother her.

“In Ireland. I got my mother’s house back when Lillian died. I bought it under an alias just in case, not knowing it would help me almost a year later.” The house had been in a weird state between old and new. Lillian had kept it cleaned up and fixed when storms had damaged the roof. Elizabeth Walsh’s furniture had stayed inside though. Stuck in time, as if nothing had been moved since her death. When Lena walked in the house for the first time in twenty-five years, she recognized the smell immediately.

“So now you’re the one with the glasses and the secrets.” Kara brought her back to the present, pushing her shoulder against hers playfully. Lena chuckled.

“Yeah! It was a disguise at first, but I guess all this time in front of a screen had to come back and bite my ass at one point.” She joked, shrugging. There was a shuffle in the corner of the living room so they both looked in time to see Esme standing carefully from the couch and easing Liz down on a cushion before putting a blanket on her. The credits were rolling on the TV. It was time to go.

Lena turned back to Kara who did the same. “Look, I know there’re still a lot of things we need to talk about but…” She looks at Liz again. The peaceful face reminded her so much of Kara’s when she was sleeping under the sun lamps in her memories. “I’m glad you know the truth and that she can finally meet you.”

Kara nodded and, for the first time since Lena arrived at the Tower this afternoon, she addressed her a genuine smile. “I’m happy to meet her too. She’s wonderful.” She fidgeted with her fingers again. Then the lock of hair behind the ear. Lena smiled softly as Kara inhaled and exhaled in a puff.

“I know you don’t need my help, you did a really good job on your own, but...” She looked up from her shoes. “I’d like to be a part of her life.” Lena nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She smiled back. Lena’s heart melted as Kara’s face showed how delighted and relieved she was to hear the news. Lena couldn’t deny her that anymore. She couldn’t prevent her from knowing her daughter. They had been separated long enough.

“I should warn you, though. She’s obsessed with you.” Lena declared playfully, putting her mug in the dishwasher.

“Really?” Kara chucked. “She mentioned she watched me on TV. I presumed she knows I play dress-up from time to time.”

Lena snorted. She remembered the first time Liz found out about Kara being Supergirl. Lena had shown her photos of Kara, explaining she was a journalist. But then Liz saw Supergirl on TV fighting rogue aliens and she became captivated by what the woman could do. She watched her every time the news would broadcast her fights. She asked for the same suit. She even had socks with the House of El’s symbol on it. Of course, Lena never said anything, never once mentioned Supergirl and Kara Danvers were one and the same, but she indulged in her daughter’s obsession, knowing the truth. And then, Supergirl was talking on TV to the US citizens, really close to the camera and Liz realized the scar on her face and her blue eyes looked familiar.

“She discovered it herself. At four-year-old, she was much more perceptive than I am, apparently.” Lena shook her head, amused. Kara winced but chuckled too. “I guess she’s as smart as you but plus, you know, with the enhancement of being half Kryptonian.” The blond said playfully as she followed Lena in the living room to retrieve Liz.

“Yeah, that’s another way to put it.” Lena replied, pinching her eyes, falsely offended. She grabbed the bag she had brought with her with Liz’s clothes in it. The girl was sleeping peacefully but Lena preferred to put her pajamas on now so she wouldn’t be cold while going home. As she pushed the blanket away from Liz, Lena felt Kara hover next to them.

“Why does she wear gloves?” Kara asked without any trace of judgement in her voice. Lena’s eyes shot directly to the little hands covered in blue leather gloves. It was the first time Liz’s gloves had been mentioned since they arrived. Nobody questioned it more than that. Kara probably wanted to know just because it was another fact she was curious about concerning the little girl.

“She’s very sensitive.” Lena answered as she removed Liz’s denim shorts. “I don’t know how it was for you, but her hands can feel so much it’s overwhelming for her. When she was a baby, she always needed contact. I could only calm her by putting her on my chest, directly on my skin.” Kara hummed next to her in understanding. “Don’t they burn when she does the thing with her hands?” She asked, shuffling her hands in the air like they were burning.

Lena chuckled and shook her head. “No, but honestly, I don’t know how she does it. It’s as if the purple glow isn’t really around her hands. But it burns everything it touches outside of her body. She burnt one of her shirts once because she didn’t want to wear it that day.”

“That’s impressive.” Kara gushed silently, her eyebrows raised in astonishment. Lena agreed even if she was really pissed at the time. “Yeah, she’s out of control most of the time. That’s how her powers started to show. She would get angry and purple halos would surround her hands like all her powers were concentrated in her little fists.”

“Strength is the hardest thing to control here. I still slip up sometimes.” Kara confirmed, her mouth scrunching up in a pout as she probably remembered all the things she had crushed. “But I can’t do that with my hands. Is it something you can do with magic?”

“Sort of.” Lena shrugged, stopping all movements because Liz grumbled in her sleep, before continuing to remove her shirt. “I can form balls of fire or ice or gather earth and air above my hands and throw them. My powers are linked to the elements. It’s nothing with sparkles.”

“Wow, I’d like to see that.” Kara said in a childlike amazed voice. Lena shook her head, amused. “It’s nothing crazy. I cast spells too, and I’m improving with potions but there’s still the scientist in me who thinks about tech and innovation above anything else.”

As Lena had finished to dress Liz up, she put the blanket back on the girl and brushed the black hair away from her face affectionately. She felt Kara’s gaze on her and looked up. The blond looked mesmerized, her eyes focused on Liz’s form. It was nice to be able to talk to Kara without restraint. Without fearing of revealing too much or saying something that could be misinterpreted. She sat down next to Liz and Kara took a sit on the arm of the couch.

“Does she know about your powers?” Kara asked, her tone revealing she suspected the answer. Lena nodded again. “Yeah, I couldn’t cast a barrier around the house without her noticing. She used to imitate me with her hands in the air.” Lena mimicked the movements, chuckling. “She asked me to teach her very early and I thought it was a good thing for her to know about it, since I learned about my mother’s legacy so late already.” She threw a glance at Kara to see if she agreed with that or thought it was a bad idea to teach magic to a child. Kara was just listening to her with a neutral face so Lena continued to explain.

“I taught her magic since she’s old enough to understand it. Easy things, really, just to ease her a bit. She can grow little daisies using the water in the ground and make a feather float above her hand but we haven’t tried that again since her other powers appeared.” She threw a sad glance to Liz, remembering how the little girl had been scared to discover what she could do with her hands.

“When was that?” Kara inquired.

“Two months ago. Just after her birthday.”

“The glowing hands first?”

“Yeah.” Lena exhaled sadly. “Then super-hearing. She complained about the noise at school. I got called to pick her up. After that, she was homeschooled until summer. She got used to it by herself but it was hard at first.”

“And the heat vision?” Kara’s head was tilted on the side as she was listening with rapt attention. Lena could see Kara felt as sorry for the girl as she was. She probably was remembering all the times her powers got in the way of a normal life.

“That’s when I knew we had to come back.” Lena articulated. Her throat was closing on itself. Liz didn’t want to talk about it. There was an incident. Liz didn’t mean to, of course. She got really angry with a kid in the park they used to go. Liz didn’t go to school anymore so when she was in a good day, Lena thought it would be good to bring her in a park so she could play with kids her age and breath fresh air. She hadn’t expected the day to end badly.

“What happened?” Kara asked but her voice had taken a soft tonality as if she could see something was bothering Lena.

“She injured a boy in a park. They got in a fight for nothing, really, he was just… mean with the other kids and Liz tried to defend them. I…” Lena sighed defeatedly. “She was devastated. She doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“It was that bad?”

“She got furious and her eyes started to glow. It was hurting apparently because she started screaming.” The sadness in Lena’s voice was heartbreaking. “She looked at the sky at the same time the beam shot out. It cut the branch of a tree and it fell on the boy’s head. He’s fine now.” Lena rushed to reassure. “He was a bit concussed but fine. But his mother kept yelling at Liz and insulting her. I almost got out of control myself.” As she finished explaining what happened, Lena felt a hand on hers and looked up. Kara was leaning above Liz and her face only showed compassion and understanding.

“You did the right choice by coming back here. We’ll find a way for her to control it.” The blond smiled so gently, and her skin was so soft under Lena’s hand that she thought she felt her heart grow three sizes. She turned her hand around and squeezed Kara’s fingers in hers.

“Yeah, I think it was the best decision. She needs you.” Their glances slid to the girl still sleeping innocently beside them. Kara’s lips spread into a big grin.

“Don’t worry. She’s so loved already.”

Chapter Text

DAY TWO

The next day, they had plans. All of them. Kara was going to the Fortress to find data about the gem. Alex and Brainy were going to work on Liz’s blood samples to see if they could find a way to dampen her powers to make them easier to deal with by creating a device. Kelly and Nia were busy with work. And Lena and Liz needed to be in the Tower in half an hour to meet with Kara.

Lena looked at her watch and groaned. She rushed in the living room to grab Liz’s coloring pencils and the book she started to read on the road the day before, to put them on the little pink backpack with an L sewn on it. “Liz, are you done? We’re going to be late.” She shouted through the apartment.

Liz was taking a bath. The six-year-old was old enough to stay in the water alone for several minutes and since Lena had already washed her hair and body, she used the time Liz wanted to play in water to prepare her bag. It never stopped Lena from worrying though and she had made the rules clear the first few times. Don’t go out of the bathtub by yourself. Don’t touch the light switch. Answer when mom calls after you. But Liz didn’t answer so Lena rushed to the bathroom with a frown on her face.

“Liz, everything okay?” She called as she neared the bathroom. Looking inside the room, there was no trace of her daughter. Lena’s heart went directly to her throat. “Liz!”

The girl irrupted from underneath the water at the same time Lena approached the bathtub. “Mom! I can breathe under water!”

Lena’s mouth stayed agape, her hand on her heart. Not because her daughter’s abilities were shocking but more because she just got the fright of a lifetime. She exhaled heavily and put herself together. She grabbed a towel and extended it. This child would never stop surprising her. “Good. Can you come out now?”

The girl leaned on Lena’s arms to slip out of the tub, babbling about how she discovered her new power. “The voices in my head became too loud again so I went under the water to stop them. And then I stayed and it was like I was a fish, Mom!”

Lena schooled her features to show no reaction but the gear in her mind kept working. It wasn’t one of Kara’s powers. She knew Supergirl had a great stamina. She could run miles without tiring and stay under water for a really long time. But breathe under it? That was unprecedented.

“We’ll have to see what changed since yesterday.” Lena said, preparing Liz subliminally to endure other tests. She didn’t like the idea of her daughter becoming a guinea pig but they needed answers and Liz’s powers were expanding very quickly. Too quickly for them to keep up.

“Do you think Kara will be happy to see me and you?” Liz asked suddenly, shyly. Lena took the time to process the question, pushing Liz’s shirt above her head and helping her with the arms. She grabbed at her daughter smooth wet face and caressed her cheeks with affection. “We say you and I, love. And I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you.” She skipped the part where she wasn’t so sure about Kara being thrilled to see her. She placed a kiss on her nose. Liz’s light smile was everything she needed to see as a reply.

The sky and the ocean were mixing up together in shades of blue as the sun started to rise away in the horizon. Kara quickened her pace, pushing her power to the limit. She liked the freedom of being so up in the air she couldn’t hurt anything and do whatever she wanted. Usually, she would stop in the middle of the sky to watch just above the sea of cotton-like clouds, where there was not a noise to disturb her peace, not an urgency she needed to fix. That was her solace. The peace up there couldn’t be equalized anywhere. Not even in the Fortress.

She didn’t have the time to enjoy it this morning though. Lena and Liz were waiting for her in the Tower and she couldn’t wait to tell Lena what she had found about the gem. When she landed light steps on the Tower’s balcony, in her full freshly updated Supergirl attire, the first thing Kara recognized was music. Not only music. Mozart. This was the most Luthor thing she had ever noticed Lena doing.

Descending the stairs, Kara found Liz scribbling on a paper on the dining table and Lena observing one of the walls on the right. Liz looked up and her mouth fell open. Kara waved awkwardly but decided to let her be and walked to Lena.

“Good morning.” She whispered but Lena startled anyway. “Hi. This is…” She pointed at the wall but didn’t seem to find what to say. Kara took a look at the wall in its entirety. This was her investigation wall. It was where she would pin every clue she had about Lena’s disappearance. There were photos of women with black hair, blond hair, wigs. There were photos of places Lena could have been seen. Post-its with questions written on it. Maxwell Lord in Africa. Morgan Edge during conferences. Lillian’s death certificate. Reports on Lena’s cousins in England and Lionel’s brother in Germany. It was seven years of investigation.

“I never stopped searching for you. It was always doppelgangers. I never found anything.” Kara explained, hands on her hips, never once meeting Lena’s eyes who she knew was observing her expressions. The woman nodded. “I wore wigs at first. Then I gave up the whole disguise thing. I just wear a cap when I go out and the glasses are enough.”

Kara accepted the explanation for what it was. Lena wasn’t apologizing again but it helped to know what was happening on her side. Had Kara thought about Ireland and Lena’s mother, maybe they would have an entire other discussion, but she didn’t. She remembered the frustration, though. And the melancholy. Because she always felt like she was this close to found Lena but it was always a false hope. But all of this was in the past, now. It had to. Lena was next to her. Beautiful and charming and the perfect contradiction of stubbornness and tenderness and they had a daughter together and… “The glasses look good on you.”

The blush on Lena’s cheeks and her beating heart were enough to burst Kara’s bubble. She had said this out loud. Recognizing her mishap, she opened big eyes and cleared her throat. “Hum… So Mozart? Is it a Luthor parenting thing?” She asked playfully. Lena rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Oh don’t mock me. I wish she’d like other things. I’m traumatized by Lillian’s piano lessons. One more thing Lex was better at.” She sighed, the remnants of her childhood clear in her eyes. “But she discovered it at school, they have this music class during which the teacher let them wander through the instruments and the CD’s.”

“CD’s? You’re kidding.” Kara exclaimed and Lena chuckled, shaking her head.

“No! They have a bunch of them and Liz really likes classics. She likes the sound of piano, actually. It’s part of the things that calm her. You know, when there’s too much noise.”

Kara nodded and glanced at Liz who was still happily coloring her drawing, not caring about their discussion. “Oh, I see. And she needs it now?”

“She was overwhelmed this morning so I thought you wouldn’t mind.” Lena pointed to the small speaker on the counter.

“No, no, you’re right.” Kara confirmed then tilted her head. “That’s funny, I would go to the music store in Midvale, when I was younger, to listen to music too when I felt overwhelmed.”

Lena smiled and shrugged. The similarities between Kara and Liz would probably go beyond those facts. Kara remembered all the little things she used to do to trick her mind and make her focus on her homework instead of the neighbor’s dog barking two farms away or the music Alex was listening to in her headphones. She liked walking on the beach, taking long paths in the dunes, listening to the waves crashing together.

“She liked to be under water too, because it stifles the sounds and makes her secure. But for obvious reasons, we can’t do that all the time.” Lena rolled her eyes.  

“Yeah, not practical.” Kara scrunched up her face. There was an awkward beat during which Kara observed Lena’s pupils expanding and retracting, her chest heaving rhythmically. Conscious of her staring, the blond cleared her throat again. “Anyway, did you have breakfast already?” She asked walking to the kitchen to sort out clean pans and plates. Thankfully, she had cleaned her stack of dishes the day before.

“No, we didn’t. But do you want me to cook?” Lena asked pointedly. Kara threw her an annoyed glance. “I can cook.” Lena hummed and didn’t add anything. She approached Liz and praised her drawing instead.

Kara looked above her shoulder to watch them discuss. Lena looked so at ease with Liz, it was endearing to watch her take her role as a mother so naturally. Kara remembered how Lena had welcomed Esme when the little girl arrived with all her traumatic baggage already at such a young age. Surprising everyone, Lena was the one, outside from Alex and Kelly, to go out of her way to play with her when they were all out in a mission. And ask Esme questions about her day and give her hugs when she felt worried for her mothers.

Lena had always been thriving around children. Always ready to please them, to comfort them, to make sure they had everything they needed. Kara went once with her to the Children’s hospital. Lena insisted to go there and read to the kids at least once a month. The side of Lena she discovered there was engraved in Kara’s heart. The CEO wasn’t there anymore. It was just a little girl grown up in a beautiful woman who understood the level of attention a child needed and knew exactly how she could make them feel special. Lena’s disturbed childhood couldn’t shine more on this day and Kara had realized then that Lena wasn’t cold or distant to others because she wanted to. She was cold and distant because once she would let people in, there was not a chance they wouldn’t discover how sweet and loving she was. And she was scared they would take advantage of that.

“Kara! The stove!” Lena shouted. Kara turned around instantly and discovered the burning pancakes in the pan. “Oh, shoot!” The pan was plunged in the sink in a flash and the incident was avoided but Kara couldn’t avoid Lena’s piercing gaze. “I’ll cook.” She said, walking beside her to take from Kara’s hands the new pan she already got from the closet. “Yeah, you’re right. I think it’s best you do it.”

“That way you can tell me what you’ve found in the Fortress.” Lena said, her voice getting more serious as she flipped a new pancake in the pan. Kara had totally forgotten about the gem. It had been a day since Lena came back and she was already distracted.

“Right! So the gem is actually Platinum Kryptonite.” Kara rubbed at her neck, the necklace dangling from her other hand. Lena turned around fast. She tried to retrieve her necklace, but Kara kept it out of reach. “What are the effects?” Lena asked immediately, suspicious, and probably worrying about what the stone could do to Kara.

“Not much on me, don’t worry. It had effects on humankind. Did you notice anything while you were wearing it?” Kara inquired sheepishly. Lena looked thoughtful. She spread batter on the pan and twirl it a bit.

“During my pregnancy, I… got levitating problems?” Lena said, not sure if she could say it like that. “I would levitate while sleeping and woke up a foot above the bed.” Kara hummed but said nothing. It wasn’t surprising. “I was always hungry too, but I thought it was Liz, you know, fast metabolism and all.” Lena shrugged. “Some of the strength I had at the time stayed after Liz was born. And again, I thought it was just my body using some of the strength it had soaked up from her.”

Kara nodded. She was searching for the right words but there wasn’t a lot of different ways to say it. “The Platinum Kryptonite gives Kryptonian powers to humans.”

Lena’s eyes bulged out of her socket. “Excuse me?”

“Since you wore it for years now, you must feel a difference. It’s been more than twelve hours since you gave it to me.” Kara’s head tilted on the side. Now that she focused on the details, she could pinpoint some differences between the Lena in front of her now and the Lena she saw yesterday. The shadows under her eyes, for instance, and the way the weight on her shoulders that seemed to be heavier.

“I feel…” Lena furrowed her brows, watching her hands. “I feel tired since I woke up but I didn’t think much about it.”

“Well, now you know why. It probably helped you give birth too. Do you want to have it back?” Kara held out the necklace again. Now that Lena knew what it was, she could choose what she wanted to do. Kara thought a lot on her way back about what consequences it meant for them if Lena had powers the same types as hers. Of course, there was the typical Super against Luthors’ debate and Kal would no doubt not condone Kara’s decision, but she trusted Lena. The woman had spent years with the Kryptonite around her neck without losing control and destroying half of the planet so Kara was certain Lena could deal with it by herself. The brunette didn’t seem so sure though.

“I shouldn’t.” She shook her head, keeping her hands close to her heart. “It’s not natural and I have already enough power for myself. You should keep it.” She finished in a nod, certain of her decision.

“Alright. I’ll keep it for you. We still need it anyway.” Kara put the necklace around her neck. “It’s also a memory stone and we need a player because Kelex can’t read it.”

“How so?” Lena asked while putting pancakes on plates and shutting off the stove.

“It’s one of the last the Science Guild conceived. That’s why I’m the only one capable of opening it. As Krypton was dying, they needed to secure their research so the Council wouldn’t find it. They created this type of memory stones. You can only open it by putting it in a memory player made for it. The player will only read it if the DNA put in it matches the DNA the stone was programmed with.” Kara explained patiently.

“Okay.” Lena seemed to absorb the information. “Can we create one or find one?” She asked, already planning what materials she would need.

“My mom has one on Argo.” Kara revealed and she saw the moment the realization hit Lena on her face. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about it. I can’t ask her to send it without explaining what’s going on.”

Lena seemed to deliberate silently. Kara waited patiently for her to reply. It was a huge decision, telling Alura what happened and explaining to her she had a granddaughter now. Kara wanted to give Lena the choice to backpedal if she thought it was too much too soon for their daughter. She knew Liz better than Kara.

They walked together to the table and Kara helped Liz arrange her pencils by shades of color before putting a plate in front of her. Liz articulated a thank you before taking a small bite of her pancakes. The little girl kept shooting Kara weird glances and it took several minutes for the blond to finally realize it must have something to do with her attire. Kara pressed down a button on her wrist and the nanobots of her suit worked to reassemble themselves in a bracelet, revealing daily clothes underneath the Supergirl disguise. Kara threw a wink to Liz who was watching her bracelet in wonder then dunk in her plate when she realized she had been caught. “What was that?” Lena asked, as astonished as her daughter.

“Well, Liz seemed a bit impress with the suit so I thought I should tone it down a bit.” Kara shrugged sheepishly. “Brainy linked the nanobots to a wristband instead of the glasses because I didn’t want to wear them anymore.” She explained because she knew science-nerd-Lena needed to know how everything worked. The woman just shook her head and smiled as she saw her daughter’s cheeks reddening. “Liz is your number one fan.”

The girl threw an outraged glare to her mother who chuckled. Kara looked at them, amused, and leaned on the table to be closer to Liz. “Do you want to know a secret?” She whispered just loud enough so Lena could hear too. The girl nodded eagerly. “I’m your number one fan too.” The grin that split Liz’s face at that moment couldn’t be brighter. Kara had just made her day.

They started eating in silence, all three of them enjoying the moment. Kara kept watching Lena as if it was a miracle the woman was in her apartment. She had searched for her for so long and now she was just next to her. Kara couldn’t believe it and needed to make sure from time to time. In case Lena would vanish into thin air again. And take their daughter with her.

“Are you my mom too, now?” Liz asked suddenly with a cute little confused face and Kara was so surprised she didn’t know what to say. She choked on her mouthful of pancakes. It turned out kids had the most versatile little brains out there, Kara noticed, and could feel the elephant in the room from miles away.

“I…” She looked at Lena, asking for permission or for her opinion, or anything really. Lena just smiled and shrugged. Tilting her head, she motioned with her chin for Kara to go ahead. Kara turned back to Liz. The girl was patiently waiting, her eyes all shiny and blue, her teeth digging into her bottom lip, just like Lena would do when she was feeling vulnerable. Kara almost got distracted by the cuteness of it all.  

“I would like to, if it’s okay with you.” She finally answered tentatively.

“Mom says my eyes look like yours.” Liz shrugged, as if it was enough explanation for Kara to be her mother. Kara chuckled and caressed Liz’s cheek without thinking. “It’s true! And you look a lot like her too.”

Liz shrugged again but a smile grew on her face. “Do you want to see my drawing?”

Kara looked at Lena again. Who knew a child could be that easy to talk to. The woman gave her a tight lipped smile. “You don’t want more pancakes?” Lena asked to Liz, almost surprised the girl didn’t want more.

“No, I’m good, thanks.” The girl replied politely. Kara smiled then. “I’d love to see your drawings.”

Liz ran without further questions to the coffee table where they had put her drawings and pencils and came back to show Kara. “It’s me and mom and Snowflake.” She pointed out on the paper. She was leaning on Kara’s arm and Kara didn’t know what to do at first then realized she could just take Liz on her lap. She pushed her plate away – it was empty already – and put her hands under Liz’s arms to lift her up. The girl didn’t seem to mind and she continued to show the details of her drawing.

“And this is Miss Calloway, but I don’t see her anymore. And this is Flo.” She explained with her little fingers brushing the paper. The drawing was clearly representing Lena with her long black curly hair and weirdly large glasses, wearing black tee and pants. Kara recognized Liz too as a little girl just like Lena wearing a yellow skirt and a tee sporting the El symbol. There was a cat next to them, the only color being his blue eyes, and two women, one with a big hat on her head wearing a red dress and the other with frizzled grey hair wearing a green attire. Kara wasn’t really suited to judge children drawing skills, but she was pretty sure it shouldn’t be that good. She could decipher the shapes and the faces. The cat had four legs and was in proportion. It was quite impressive.

“You draw really well! How did you learn to do that?” Kara exclaimed, shooting a glance to Lena for explanations. “I don’t know. I just can.” Liz simply said.

“She got this from you too.” Lena explained and Liz looked at Kara as if she had just landed the Moon. “You can draw too?”

As a reply, Kara brought her hand up from under Liz’s arm, her bracelet dangling on her wrist, and pointed to the wall facing them. “See the painting there, I made it. It’s a memory from my former planet.” Both women watched as Liz was taking in the purplish colors and the strange animals painted on the canvas. They shared a knowing glance above her head. Kara had explained several years ago that sometimes it would ease her mind to paint the last memories she had from Krypton because she was too scared to forget. As one of the last survivors who could remember it, she felt like it was her responsibility to represent her lost planet.

“Is it Krypton?” Liz asked, turning on Kara’s lap to face her. Kara nodded sadly. “Mom always shows me where it was when we drink hot chocolates in the garden.” Liz explained and turned back to look at the painting. It was a fact so simple yet unbelievable. Lena had talked to Liz about Krypton and explained to her where it was in the sky, where Liz was partly from. Kara didn’t even know Lena knew where it was. She threw a glance through wet eyes at Lena and mouthed a thank you. Lena shrugged with a smile. The blond cleared her throat. “I’ll show you other paintings later, if you like.”

“Yes, please.” Liz smiled. “The colors are so beautiful.” She added in a sigh, leaning entirely against Kara as she watched the painting. Kara bit her lip to stop the gasp that wanted to escape and, with hesitation, leaned her head against hers. Her eyes met Lena’s and there were tears in them too. It was so little yet so monumental for the three of them to finally be reunited.

“You should tell your mother.” Lena declared with a raucous voice, the sign of her emotion. “She needs to know.”

Kara nodded. She would ask her mother to send the memory player. Or to come back to Earth for a little while. She wanted her parents to meet Liz.

Alex appeared in the middle of Kara’s living room in the Tower. Lex’s watch was still used at times for them to go from one place to another without wasting time. And since the Justice League satellite wasn’t what you could say near, they used portals to go in and out of it. Alex walked immediately to Lena, who was still analyzing Kara’s wall, and extended a newspaper to her. “Hey! Have you seen that?”   

Lena’s jaw went slack as she was reading the paper. “How did they know?”

“I don’t know but you’re not MIA anymore, which means you’re in danger.”

“What’s going on?” Kara asked as she came next to Lena with her famous Supergirl pose. Liz and Kara had been babbling on the couch about drawing methods for the last hour. Liz was using Kara’s crayons to color another drawing.

“Freaking paparazzi. They know I’m back.” Lena said, giving the newspaper to Kara. It was mostly blurred pictures of Liz and Lena quitting the building in which Lena’s rented apartment was located but we could clearly decipher both of their faces. The article was wondering who the little girl was and attributed an old fake romance between Lena and some prince in Europe to Lena’s disappearance to give birth.

“Crap! We need to move you from your apartment. The pictures were taken just on the front door.”

“Kara’s right.” Alex chipped in. “You can come to our house or even stay here if you want to. There’s still J’onn’s old furniture down there.” She pointed to the floor, meaning the first story of the Tower.

“No, it’s cool.” Kara shook her head. “You can stay here with me.”

As Kara was making plans with Alex already, Lena’s face changed. She had that face of mischief, of calculating threat that Kara hated.

“No.” She said with authority. Alex and Kara looked at her, confused. Lena sighed. “I think it’s for the better. They know and that’s fine. I’m here to know who abducted me seven years ago. Being openly in public should bring them out.”

“You want to play bait.” Kara realized and Lena nodded. “I think it’s the best way to know who did this. They will probably come at me again.”

“No!” Kara exclaimed. “No way! What about Liz? You’ll put both of you in danger!”

"But you’re here to protect us. And I can tell you I’m not as defenseless as I used to be.” She seemed confident in her abilities, Kara would give her that. It hadn’t always been that way.

“I appreciate your trust and I know you have powers of your own but I am not okay with this. Alex, tell her.” Kara looked at her sister, certain the woman would take her side.

“I… actually don’t disagree entirely.” Alex admitted. She had the decency to look guilty.

“What? No!” Kara groaned.

“Listen, Lena is right. It would certainly speed up our search. We need to start somewhere.”

“By throwing them to the wolves? Have you lost your mind?” Kara was shouting now and pacing the room furiously. Seeing Liz perked up from her drawing on the couch, she lowered her voice though. “It could be the person responsible for this. Or it could be some maniac wanting revenge for what the Luthors did to their family. How could we know?”

“I can handle the maniacs.” Lena’s cockiness was as inappropriate as fake. She was scared, Kara could tell. Of course she was. She had spent seven years hidden in the middle of a forest in Ireland. Six of them protecting their child. Kara saw right through the stubborn poker face. She sighed heavily. “Even if I disagree, you’ll follow through anyway, so why bother, uh?”

Lena’s cocked eyebrow confirmed Kara’s thoughts. “Exactly.” Lena said with half of a grin. “Now to the next topic of the day.” She turned to Alex again. “What did you find?”

“Right.” Alex grew back in a business posture. “Liz’s blood is a perfect mix between your type of cells and Kara’s. We were able to isolate the cells that react to the Sun’s radiations. Magic is different. It’s linked to her classic human cells. As if it was part of her body from the very beginning and whoever did that just added Kryptonian cells to the mix.”

“It may give us clues on how they make this work.” Lena exclaimed, brushing the air with her hand between Kara and her. “They created a normal baby and made them Kryptonian.”

“But this baby already had magic.” Kara chipped in, understanding their reasoning.

“That’s it.” Alex confirmed, pointed two index fingers at them. “So Brainy thinks he can do something for her powers but not for magic. He wants to create a suit for Liz that could dampen her capacities. One we could regulate the dampening from. And then she would get a suit like yours.” She pointed to Kara, clearly hyped by the idea. “Once she’s ready.” She shrugged. “No dampener, no restraint. Just protection.”

Kara’s mind went directly to the imagination zone where scenes of Liz and herself flying in the Sun in matching super suits were into focus. Harboring the House of El’s symbol proudly. They were laughing and the air was warm and there were just birds chirping and windy noises around them. It was a pleasant image. Her heart warmed just thinking about it.

“That’s a good idea.” Lena agreed. “I’m curious about how he’ll do that.”

“He talked about the nanobots but you’ll have to ask him.” Alex snorted. “We need a full body scan of Liz, to create the suit, though. So you should bring her to the HQ. Brainy thinks it could be done in two days, maybe less.”

“We have to go to the satellite, anyway. I need to talk to my mom about what I found out on this thing.” Kara said showing the necklace.

“That’s right.” Lena said. “What are we waiting for?”

Kara was sure she saw excitement glint in Lena’s eyes at the idea of putting feet on the Justice League Head Quarters satellite. Or maybe Lena was thinking about the same things and was already imagining Liz in a super suit.

The satellite was impressive, and it had been four years since they moved in so Kara was sort of used to it by now. Or not. And neither was Lena who was mesmerized by all the gadgets she would come across to. Thankfully, it was pretty empty that day so they didn’t come across other superheroes except for Flash’s sidekick, Cisco, who they all knew already thanks to the Crisis situation. It gave them the opportunity to wander a bit around the different stories. Kara suspected Alex had taken the longest path just so Lena could admire the technologies they had available.

“What’s in the Red Room?” Lena pointed at the heavily electronically secured door marked RED ROOM – ONLY AUTHORIZED MEMBERS CAN ENTER. Kara didn’t even need to look at it to know. It was the Red Room they extracted from the S.T.A.R. labs secret basement because it contained the most dangerous alien technologies on Earth. Kara only had the chance to take a quick tiny look before she was shoved out of the door. “Uh, a room where your face would light up like a Christmas tree but, unfortunately, I’m denied access so…”

She had tried to school her features, not to grumble like a petulant child but Lena and Alex laughed anyway. “They think you’re too clumsy to be in there, don’t they?” Lena asked cheekily but she already knew the answer. Alex snorted, which was even more confirmation.

“I’m not clumsy, I’m quicker than a bullet and sometimes it just causes more harm than anything.” Kara corrected with a finger in the air. “All I’m saying is Cyborg shouldn’t have a monopoly on the room just because his father used to rule it. It’s unfair!” She finally grumbled like a petulant child and both women laughed more. “Yeah, he especially told you you weren’t authorized to enter the room again, because you made two alien robots fight the last time. They almost burn the whole satellite. And you were in there for what, two minutes?” Alex chipped in.

“Okay, you see, it’s unfair. I didn’t know they could be activated by voice commands. And I helped put them back in the Room.” Kara contradicted with wild hand gestures under the amused glances of Lena and Alex.

“Yeah, never mind. Here we are.” Alex gestured to an entire room filled with medical and science materials. Liz, who had been pretty much silent the whole way, grabbed at her mother’s leg and squeezed hard, too impacted by the size of the room. The satellite was very minimalist in its designs. All white and grey shades, it was mostly steel panels and aluminum rails. It was also cold large spaces, half decorated rooms and very high ceilings. More practical than comfortable. It wasn’t the most welcoming to a six-year-old.

“Liz, you’re hurting me.” Lena groaned lightly, not moving to push Liz away neither. “Is it where we’ll do the tests?” The little girl asked, her eyes fixed on the scanners where Brainy was waiting for them. Kara leaned down on one knee, her cape enveloping her shoulders and she put a reassuring hand on Liz’s arm. “It is but you’re going to be okay. Alex and Brainy need a full picture of your body to make you a suit just like mine. It will help you to control your powers. Is it okay with you?”

“We can go if you don’t feel okay, baby.” Lena added, brushing a hand through her daughter’s black silky hair. Liz seemed to think about it hard, her face scrunched up, the little crinkle on her forehead the exact same one as Kara’s. After what felt like minutes, she nodded and pushed away from Lena’s leg. She took Kara’s hand and together, they started walking to the scans again.

“Did they have to take a picture of your body too?” Liz asked Kara and the blond smiled down. The six-year-old was so cute and eloquent for her age, connecting the dots easily. “Yes, they had to. I have to do a lot of exams all the time to make sure I’m okay after I fight with a villain.” She explained.

As they neared Brainy, Lena helped Liz on the scanner bed, removing her shoes and gloves. Liz furrowed her brows at that, not confident to be bare hands. Lena reassured her with a smile and kisses on both hands. “You’re going to be okay, sweetheart. We’re all here with you. I’m not going anywhere and Kara neither.”

Lena waited for Liz’s nod before signaling to Alex they were good to go. The woman approached to explain to Liz what they were going to do. “Alright, kiddo. I want you to keep your arms along your body and try to stay as still as possible. This thing here,” She patted the metallic bed Liz was on. “Will slide under the big dome over there, and it will take pictures. Then you’ll slide out and it’ll be over. Do you think you can handle it?”

They all agreed Liz needed to be okay with the process every step of the way. They wanted to help her, not hurt her or upset her. The girl nodded again but her eyes turned to Lena’s with a plea in them. Lena tried to reassure her by schooling her features with a smile. Fortunately, it seemed to work on Liz, even if all the adults, and especially Kara who was just in front of her on the other side of the machine, knew it was just for show.

Alex counted until three and pushed some buttons on a command panel some feet away from the machine. They all watched Liz slide underneath the electronic dome. All was normal at first. But the instant the scanner started to radiate Liz’s body with UV rays – the only ones capable of breaking through Kryptonian skin – Liz started to convulse. Her eyes were now two gleaming purple pools. Her hands were brightened like two torches. Her small frame was levitating above the bed. The air was forming a storm inside the room and they were all trying to keep their balance.

“What’s happening?” Lena cried out as Kara approached Liz and tried to touch her but got pushed away by an invisible force. “Alex, stop it!” Lena shouted.

“I’m trying!” Alex choked out, hung by the hands to the command panel. She finally reached the big red button and punched it without waiting. The scanner stopped and the bed slid out but Liz was still levitating in her trance. She started to babble an incoherent language. As they could all take their balance back, they approached in confusion.

“What is she saying?” Kara asked. They listened some more. It seemed to be an incessant sentence, as if Liz was repeating it endlessly. After several seconds, Lena’s face lighted up. “It’s Gaelic!”

“What?” Alex and Kara said at once. “Do you understand it?” Brainy asked. As a Coluan, he seemed really disturbed by his inability to translate it himself. “I think so.” Lena leaned closer to Liz.

“Duine taghte le cumhachd mòr. Gaisgeach airson an dìon uile. Slaoightear ag èirigh gus am fear a thaghte a phutadh gu oir an dàn, agus ann an luaithre na Talmhainn, ceannsachadh no falbh leis a’ chòrr den chinne-daonna.” Liz repeated in a mechanic voice.

Lena’s nose scrunched up. “Something about a chosen one. Destiny. A lot of power. I’m not that good at it, it’s an old language.” She said in a haste.

“It’s fine. We need to pull her out of it.” Kara said and put a hesitant hand on Liz’s ankle. She wasn’t pushed away this time. It was progress. With her other hand, she cupped Liz’s face and caressed her cheek. “Liz, sweetie, it’s... Kara. You need to come back.”

The little body trembled and Liz stopped levitating but there was no other reaction. Kara watched helplessly at Liz’s limp body in her arms. Lena hissed and started to pace. “What are we going to do?”

Kara could see the panic in her eyes, could hear the harsh beating of her heart. She had to try again. “Liz, please. Come back, it’s okay.” She tried, shaking the girl lightly.

“I think we need to shock her.” Alex said in a wince. Lena snapped her fingers, putting herself together in a millisecond. Kara would later put this under the adrenaline effect. “You’re right. Her cells were shocked by the UV rays. We need something as powerful. Kara, put her down.”

Kara obeyed and put Liz back down on the scanner bed. She took two steps back as Lena and Alex worked quickly together to install the defibrillator on Liz’s tiny chest. Lena counted to three and Alex charged. Liz shot up a bit. Her hands stopped burning. “Higher!” Alex ordered. Lena counted again. Alex charged on three and then Liz was back with them in a gasp.

“Oh thank God!” Lena cried as she stumbled on her knees next to Liz. The girl seemed disoriented for some time. She had blood running down her nose and ears. Her eyes met Kara’s who had tears running down her cheeks too. “Why are you crying?” The girl frowned. Her little voice was raucous and out of character. Kara chuckled wetly and approached. “You scared us big time.”

“I’m sorry.” Liz choked out. “I’m thirsty.” She turned to Lena who was still heavily crying. “Mum, I’m thirsty.” She repeated, her Irish accent slipping in. Lena looked up and smiled through her tears. She helped her sit up and hugged her gently sideways. Kara gave her some tissues. She watched as Lena’s main focus was on Liz’s head leaning on her chest.

“There’s water in there.” Alex pointed to a mini-fridge in a corner. “I’ll go get some blankets.” She took Brainy with her as they walked out of the room.

Kara sighed as she wiped Liz’s little ear and cheek. She went to retrieve a water bottle from the fridge and helped Liz take a sip. The girl’s eyelids were fighting to stay open. “The world is too big.” Liz declared tiredly. Her chubby hands went to her ears and she hissed in pain. “Try not to touch, sweetie. I’ll go get Esme’s old cancelling noise headphones.” Kara said and she was gone and back in a flash. She placed the headphones on Liz’s head as delicately as possible and watched as Lena was wiping mechanically at Liz’s nose, sniffling as graceful as she always was.

When she was cleaned up, Lena sat down in a chair in a corner with Liz on her lap and rocked her from side to side. Kara hovered next to them. She didn’t know what to do with her hands and was turning helplessly in the room. She noticed Lena was shivering so she detached her cape and tentatively enveloped Lena and Liz in it. She could hear Liz was fast asleep now as the beating of her heart had slowed down consistently. What a day, and it wasn’t even 2 p.m.. Kara was wondering how Lena managed to do this all this time alone. The guilt and the worries were already playing with her stomach. How parents would stay cool and not envelop their kids in bubble wraps, Kara didn’t know.

“It never happened before.” Lena finally declared, her voice empty of emotions, her eyes staring at the wall. Kara took in her numb attitude, in her glassy eyes and the tear tracks on her cheeks. Lena never looked this tired. “We’ll figure it out.” Kara promised instinctively. It was more for Lena than for herself. The Paragon of Hope was that into hope at the moment.

“What if we don’t?” Lena’s green piercing eyes finally met hers. Doubts were gnawing at her. Kara had doubts too. She didn’t know how to do this. She had never been in a situation where she had to teach a child how to use their powers. She had never been in a situation where the being she loved the most on the planet was in danger. Or maybe she was, but it was different. She thought she knew about love before but since Liz came into her life, as soon as it felt, Kara discovered her heart could love so much more intensely. And it was terrifying. Kara was terrified the girl would hurt herself, terrified she would reject her, terrified she wouldn’t need her. The whole thing was just terrifying. But she couldn’t say all that. Lena needed reassurance and if Kara had to be the strongest one of them both for the day, she would be. She would do anything for Lena.

“We’ll figure it out.” Kara repeated with more confidence. “I did it and I wasn’t as smart as she is. She’ll be okay.”

“But Kara, she spoke in Gaelic.” Lena whispered incredulously. “She was possessed! A chosen one? Destiny? What is this about?”

“I don’t know. It sounds like a magic thing to me. Kryptonians don’t believe in destiny. The Matrix chose our path for us and we just had to stick with it. Nothing heroic.” Kara reasoned even if she wasn’t sure it was helping. They had all these things falling on their lap and they didn’t have any idea how to handle them.

“I don’t understand.” Lena said, confused. She scratched her forehead and it made Liz move in her sleep. “Can you take her, please? My leg is numb.” Kara rushed to take Liz out of her arms and Lena stood up. She wrapped Liz back up in the cape.

“I should ask Florence if she knows anything. Or at least work on a translation.” Lena said, caressing Liz’s cheek with the back of her fingers. Kara nodded as she watched her movements. “We should go home, anyway. She needs to sleep in a bed.”

Lena looked slightly surprised but Kara didn’t have the time to address it. Alex and Brainy walked in the room with blankets in their arms and Alex softened at the sight of Liz’s tired body wrapped in Kara’s cape. “How is she doing?” She asked as Lena enveloped her daughter in the warmer blankets.

“She complained about the noise and passed out almost immediately after.” Kara replied. Alex’s eyes met hers and she could see all the fears and how sorry her sister was feeling for the little girl. “Poor little one.”

“Yeah, she’s tough though. She’s impressive.” Kara added because it was true. She didn’t know how Liz was able to create a storm on a satellite which was supposed to only contain pressurized air. And she didn’t know how Liz could be that selfless, worrying only about Lena and her crying rather than worrying about what happened and why she was bleeding. Kara was astonished and impressed and mesmerized. This girl was everything. And terrifying too. Again. Because Kara wanted to protect her with every cell in her body but couldn’t and it was slowly driving her mad.

“Let’s go back to the Tower. Dick should be there by now anyway.” Alex said, pushing away.

“Oh, right. Grayson.” Kara said through gritted teeth. She totally forgot about the arrogant acrobat. She saw her sister roll her eyes but nobody said anything. They were all deep in thoughts as they walked out of the scanner room. Kara took a look at Liz’s sleeping form in her arms. The day wasn’t finished yet and she felt like there were other surprises waiting for them.

Dick Grayson wasn’t in the Tower yet when they arrived. His plane had been delayed or something like that and he had texted Lena he would be there in a couple of minutes. Texting? Who knew they were that close? Kara didn’t even have Lena’s new phone number.

“He’s downstairs.” Alex said while looking at the screens playing the camera footage around the building. J’onn had set them up expressly for them to know whoever would come and go from the Tower. This helped chasing teens who liked to play smart and throw eggs just to see if the Manhunter would come out. And he always did.  

Kara threw a last glance at Liz who was sleeping peacefully in her bed, her little hand pressed gently into Lena’s. The woman looked at her and they nodded at each other in acknowledgement. Liz was safe here.

As the elevator doors opened, the whole team was waiting for Grayson to walk in. Kara kept her arms crossed. The man was wearing casual clothes, a backpack on his shoulders. His brown hair and boyish features as charming as ever. Lena hugged him immediately. Kara felt something burn inside her stomach but it was probably all the stress caused by their situation. She leaned sideways to whisper to Alex through gritted teeth. “I still don’t trust him.”

“Shush. We need him.” Her sister took a step to shake the man’s hand. They knew each other. Dick Grayson was also known as Nightwing, the leader of the Titans and was often seen in the Justice League satellite. His adoptive father owned it after all. But they were all acquaintances and the Super Friends didn’t know if Lena knew the extent of Grayson’s night activities.

“Welcome to the Tower.” Alex said. Dick looked around and smiled to Lena. “This is way cooler than the Titans Tower.”

“Oh, please. We just got back from the satellite. The Tower pales in comparison.” Lena replied with a chuckle. Kara had never seen her this at ease with any man other than Jack or James. Oh.

Squeezing her fists tight, the Kryptonian cleared her throat. “Shouldn’t we go straight to business?”

They all looked at her. Kara thought she heard Nia coughing a fake “Awkward” but all she was focusing on was Dick’s hand on Lena’s lower back as they positioned themselves around the tiny kitchen table. Dick started emptying his backpack. A heavy looking binder and a laptop were most of the things he had in the bag. He flipped the binder open and the first page showed a picture of a location in a jungle.

“So this is regrouping all the investigations I’ve done until now.” Dick explained.

“It’s quite the binder.” Brainy commented. “Never heard of a computer?”

“Brainy.” Lena scolded, furrowing her brows. “The safest data is paper data. You should know that.”

“Even with Wayne’s means?” He replied, cocking his brow too and Kara could kiss him right now.

“Hum, I don’t have access to Wayne Enterprises techs. And as Lena said, it’s safer that way.” Dick intervened before Lena could come to his defense again. “Anyway, starting over to the very beginning.” He said while putting his password in his laptop. “The last time Lena was seen in National City was August 20^th 2021. She was leaving the parking lot of the Foundation.”

He turned the laptop around and they all could see a video footage of Lena walking to her car, going in and driving out of the parking lot. Dick turned the laptop back to him. “After that, there’s no trace of what happened. The biometric security on her apartment door clocked her in at 6.48 p.m..”

“I went to the penthouse around 11 p.m..” Kara added. “So we know Lena was abducted during that time.”

“Yes! I hacked the cameras in the street. Not a soul entered the building after her. I interrogated the security guard in service that night, he said he remembered seeing Lena walk in and nobody after.” Dick explained.

“So they must have already been in the penthouse.” Alex said, gesturing to the laptop.

“No, I was alone because the shield would have detected intruders. I remember having dinner and taking a book to read in bed. My last memory is me walking in the bedroom with a glass of wine and a book under my arm.” Lena added, her arms circling herself to form a shelter. “It was around 9 p.m.. I woke up six months later.”

A chill passed upon the group. Kara noticed goosebumps run down Lena’s bare arms. She wanted to reach out. To reassure her. To glide her hands along those arms and tell her they would find who did that. But she couldn’t. They weren’t that close anymore.

As the gravity of the situation was hitting everybody in the room, Dick followed on his explanations, not bothered by the heavy silence that just fell upon the group. He shuffled through his binder and aligned several photos on the table.

“This is where Lena was supposedly sequestrated. It’s in Malaysia. Thankfully, she had a bit of signals so we know exactly where this was. I went back there and found nothing. There was a huge old military facility there but it had been razed before I got there.” He pointed at one of the pictures. “I researched the facility and, I don’t know if you’re aware, Kara, but this is close to where Zod’s ship crashed when he came to Earth.”

Kara opened wide eyes. She hadn’t heard about Zod since her cousin retold his old battle story. Kara wasn’t even on Earth yet when it happened. She’d asked questions though, because she needed to know. Kal had never talked about where Zod had crashed or what had happened there.

“I didn’t know. But I guess there’s a link.” Dick nodded eagerly. “The samples I got from the ground there revealed Kryptonian and lead materials. They didn’t want you to find them.” Grayson knew Kara could see through lead. She kept that in mind for later. It was still astonishing to her how Kal shared information about them so easily. “My theory is that, whoever did this to Lena, they needed Zod’s ship because of the incubation chambers in it.”

Kara’s eyes expanded wider. She stopped herself from asking how Dick knew about the chambers too. If there was a thing nobody should know, it was how they could make Kryptonians. But apparently Kal didn’t think it was that important. Knowing his friendship with Bruce Wayne, it was explanation enough. She didn’t like it, though. Too much people knew facts about her culture and her original planet. And about their weaknesses. It was dangerous and out of control. Kal trusted too much people Kara didn’t trust herself.

“But Zod’s ship was in the army’s hands. That’s why there was a facility there. I saw some files about that when I started at the DEO.” Alex said, confused.

“Really? You never mentioned it.” Kara replied, turning a quizzical face to her. Alex just shrugged. “It was in the past. The government was dealing with it and you didn’t need another reminder about how your people wanted to harm the humankind.”

Kara nodded in understanding. Alex’s priority always had been to protect her, fore and foremost.

“The thing is,” Dick lifted a finger. “The ship disappeared mysteriously in 2020.”

“What?” All of them gasped in stupefaction. Even if no threat had been registered since then, it was still alarming. “How do you know that?” Kara asked.

“I hacked the government’s files. Well, I didn’t, Oracle did.” Dick clarified, rubbing at his neck, a bit guilty to confess the clearly illegal things he’d done to investigate on Lena’s disappearance.

Kara knew about Oracle. Nobody knew the face behind the skillful hacker but she knew they were working closely with the Bat family to eradicate crimes in Gotham. It was a legend in the street. A mysterious figure working in the shadows for the greater good. Kara could live with that.

“What happened to the ship then?” Dreamer asked curiously. Dick looked up to her. “Nobody knows. There’s a report dated from October 2020 stating a portal sucked the ship up and they didn’t know where it went.”

“And now, did you find a trace of the ship since Lena’s abduction?” Alex inquired. The man shook his head. “There’s no trace of it anywhere. But I’m sure it was in Malaysia the whole time Lena was there.”

“How can you be so sure? After all, Lena woke up pregnant. If they had used the incubation chamber, the baby would have stayed in there until the very end.” Kara reasoned. She was probably the only one in the room knowing how the incubation rooms worked. She hoped so.

“Because, when I woke up,” Lena intervened in a small voice. “The papers on the tables in the bunker were referencing multiple tests before insemination.”

“What are you saying?” Kara asked, sensing her instinct telling her it wasn’t good. She feared her intuition was right.

“They had to test the compatibility of our cells together before they inseminated me with them. They tested the mix with several babies in the incubation chambers.” Lena clarified, her hands slightly shaking but Kara knew she was the only one able to see it. If Lena was telling the truth, it was horrifying.

“You mean there’re other children like Liz?” She approached Lena but stayed at arms’ length. All of this was starting to be confusing. If Kara could have a headache, she was sure she would be having one.

“No. I mean they terminated the incubations just after they discover it was viable, around the fourth month. It seemed they wanted it to be a girl too.” Lena finished in a whisper, a somber expression on her face. It took some time for Kara to absorb what she had just said. She threw a look around the room. Alex was looking at her shoes, clearly uncomfortable and touched by what happened to Lena. Kelly had stayed close to her, their shoulders brushing as she was shooting reassuring small smiles to whoever needed them, her arms encircling herself like Lena’s were. Brainy had put his arm around Nia and was caressing her back reassuringly as the young woman was biting her thumbnail. And Dick was looking at them with a pitying look on his face which Kara could have done without.

“You’re sure?” She asked Lena gently.

“I am.” Lena nodded. “I didn’t take the files with me when I got out, I was panicking and really confused. But I remember it well. There were drawings of the experiments and graphics with the results. There were red sun lamps in a corner too. I guess they expose me to it during the whole time I was there.”

“To dampen the strength of the baby.” Alex nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Sense?” Kara exclaimed. “This is horrible!” She turned her back to the group to collect herself. Lena had been abducted by some crazy maniacal freak who decided to play God and used their genes to experiment on fetus who never saw the light of day because the whole scheme was to violate Lena’s body and put a Kryptonian witch baby in her. She pinched her nose to prevent the angry tears to fall. No wonder Lena had fled. It was terrifying and horrible and disgusting and awful. She couldn’t stop thinking that over-sharing was what started Lena’s predicament in the first place. Over-sharing may have led them to their actual situation. Because it seemed somebody used the chambers against them. Somebody who knew about them. Kara’s mind was going hectic, going over all the people knowing, all the possibilities. Her body was warming up from consternation and trepidation. Who had dared betray them?

“I don’t understand. Why would somebody do that?” Dreamer wondered aloud. Lena scoffed. “Who’s the strongest being you can clone?”

“Right.”

“It doesn’t explain why they chose you.” Alex interjected. Lena lifted her arms in frustration. “I don’t know, because I’m a Luthor.” She seemed as outraged as Kara felt now.

“It can’t be that simple.” Brainy said pensively, her tone too calm to be empathetic. “Why did you keep Liz? If you knew it was some kind of experimentation, why keep a baby you knew could have been any sort of-“

“I’ll advise you to be very careful with your next words, Querl.” Lena interrupted him with a threatening finger. The Colluan reclined behind Nia, scared somehow of what Lena could do. Kara turned back around in a haste. She wasn’t really thinking. She was just running on impulsiveness. “No, he’s right! Why keep the baby? It could have turned into a monster for all we know. Like Kal’s clone your brother made.”

Kara saw Lena’s face becoming as hard as stone. She saw her cock an eyebrow. The atmosphere in the room grew tense and cold. Even Kara felt the shiver that fell on the room. A thick sweat started to pool at the base of her neck. What had she just said?

“Should I remind you I was around six months pregnant? Would you have taken the responsibility to kill a baby already formed?” Lena expelled in a clipped tone. She was marching slowly towards Kara. “Because I’m not the monster my brother was but I’m sure this isn’t what you’re implying, right?” She tapped her finger on Kara’s chest. The blond shook her head eagerly.

“Of course not!” She replied. It was the only thing she could say at the moment. Her throat was enclosing on itself. Lena hummed, her piercing eyes never leaving her face. She was so close to Kara, the blond could see a yellow gleam swim around her pupils. Magic. Lena was so furious her powers were resurfacing. It was beautiful and scaring at the same time. She took a step back. “I just don’t understand why you would run away after seeing all this. They kept you in a coma for months. The first thing I would do would probably go back home.”

“I was scared, Kara!” Lena exclaimed in frustration. “I wasn’t ready to be a mom, okay?!” She started to pace, her hands moving wildly around her. Kara wasn’t used to see Lena out of her depths. “When I realized it was a Kryptonian baby, a being with so much power…” She stopped to face Kara again. The blond could see all the despair Lena must have felt at the time on the mother’s face. She finally realized her tone had been accusing even if she didn’t want it to be. “I knew the persons responsible for this would want it back eventually. And I wasn’t willing to lose the baby. Because, yes, I wasn’t ready to be a mom, but, hell if I wanted to be one! I wanted to keep her, Kara. And I’m sorry it wasn’t in your plan because it’s yours too and you didn’t have a choice in this but-“

Kara reached out to take her hand and stop her in her rant. “You didn’t have one either.” She said gently. She watched as a single tear roll down Lena’s cheek. The woman wiped it quickly. She seemed to realize where she was and what she had just said. She sighed heavily and Kara could swear she saw all the fight present before in Lena quit her body.

“I will never apologize for keeping her.” Lena finally whispered. Kara nodded and squeezed her hand. She was the one who needed to apologize for putting her foot in her mouth and reacting without thinking. As she was about to open her mouth, Alex cleared her throat and their eyes met. Alex shot her a pointed glance. Now wasn’t the time. Lena must have received the message too because she turned around and stepped voluntarily away from Kara and the group to collect herself.

“Did you have any suspects?” Alex asked Dick who was still staring at the two women. He shook himself out of his thoughts and cleared his throat too. “Yeah.” He nodded. “I suspected the Luthors first, for obvious reasons.”

“Kara searched there too. It led nowhere.”

“Same results here. They do questionable things, they’re into abducting people and doing weird experiments but not into violating their bodies.” An awkward silence fell upon them. Dick must have realized it wasn’t the right time to use irony so he continued. “I then searched towards Kara’s known enemies. Superman’s too. Nothing. They are whether in prison or dead because of their experimentations or into the Phantom Zone concerning Lex.” He sighed, finally showing how it affected him too. “I assumed the operation would require a lot of means, medical supplies, computers, you name it. But there wasn’t any theft reported that could be huge enough to be linked to Malaysia. So it had to be someone who already has it all. Who works in a lab or who’s a surgeon. I was actually hoping you would have new elements to add.”

Alex nodded with a frown on her face. The team stayed silent. Grayson had researched every single possibility. Every angle. He had thought about everything. If he didn’t find anything, how could they?

“Where are we going from there?” Kelly asked, her eyes scanning the group. “There must be something we’ve forgotten.”

“There’s still the letter and the stone.” Lena replied, taking a step to reinter the circle. She kept her closed off demeanor though. “We didn’t analyze the writing on the letter. Dick didn’t have the technology to do it.”

“And we still have to discover what’s on the memory stone.” Kara nodded, playing with the pendant around her neck. She swore she saw a spark of hope in Lena’s emerald eyes but it could just be the light.

“Why? Did you find anything in the Fortress?” Alex frowned. Kara gasped. “Oh, yeah! I totally forgot to tell you guys.” Her sister rolled her eyes but listened to her explanations anyway. As Kara was filling them on her discoveries in the Fortress, she threw a worried glance to Lena as she was stepping away from the group and isolating herself in the kitchen. Kelly went to help her prepare tea and coffee for everyone and bring each of them a fuming mug. When Kara finished her explanation, she put her half-filled mug on the table and her hands on her hips.

“Is there anything you guys can do?” Kara asked, throwing pleading glances to the members of her team, her family. Nia shook her head. “All I dream about is two purple butterflies glowing in the dark. I searched for interpretations but it could either mean hope and new beginnings, things like that.” She brushed the air with her hand. “Or the butterfly effect.”

“Why the butterfly effect?” Alex frowned. “I don’t know yet.” Nia shrugged. Kara thought about it. Purple made her think of Liz and how her magic was presenting itself. If Liz was representing as one of the butterflies, who was the other one? Lena couldn’t be, her magic was mostly yellow. But the butterfly effect could only mean one thing. They needed to prepare themselves for what was coming their way.

“What about you, Brainy? Anything from the future?” Kelly asked hopefully. The Colluan hadn’t dared saying anything since the last time he had spoken, it resulted in Kara and Lena fighting. As he shook his head hastily, Kara felt doubts and frustration reignite in her system. She approached suspiciously, Alex close to her with her eyes pinched. “What aren’t you saying, Dox?” Alex inquired.

“No-nothing.” He stammered. He was walking backward but stopped when the back of his knees hit the couch. “Hey, leave him alone.” Nia tried to stop their prying. Alex lifted a halting hand towards her.

“I think you know something.” She said dangerously close to his face. “If you’re retaining information, Querl, I promise you Dreamer will not be enough to contain me. This is extremely important. So spill.”

Brainy looked slightly offended by the fact Alex didn’t think he was taking the situation seriously. “I know this is important. I just don’t think it’s relevant.”

“Brainy, anything you know can help up.” Lena stepped in. “What do you know?”

Kara saw his eyes traveling between Lena and her. Finally, he sighed and fell on the couch. “It’s possible it has changed since Crisis. And I shouldn’t say anything, it could break the space-time continuum.”

“Crisis?” Dick asked behind them. Lena turned around rapidly. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Spill, Brainy. What is it?” Kara insisted. Brainy opened his mouth several times, lifted his hand then let it drop back down in his lap. “I…”

“Seriously, Brainy, it can’t be that horrible.” Alex groaned.

“You were married.” He blurted out. His eyes went wide and they traveled back from Kara to Lena with panic. Kara felt her mouth hung open. She heard gasps around the room but mostly all she registered was the buzzing in her ears.

“Married.” Lena repeated numbly. Kara saw Brainy nod eagerly. “Yes, and you were known to have children but I don’t know exactly their names. I could do a quick research if you want to know.”

“No, no, it’s… Children as in plural?” Lena wondered aloud with something close to astonishment in her voice. Alex chuckled. “I guess it’s not that hard to imagine now.”

Kara didn’t have to try too hard to imagine it, indeed. A teenage Liz taking piano lessons and picking her little brother from school. A blond boy with green eyes running in the house in his karate attire babbling about his brand new blue belt. Lena coming home after work and kissing her soundly on the lips, playing with their kids, helping Liz with her maths. Family dinner with Eliza and Alura and Zor-El. Her children running in the gardens on Argo. Tiny little Super suits…

Kara shook her head when she heard a laugh. Alex was having a blast. “Come on! You don’t need to both look that struck. It didn’t happen yet.” Kara scoffed and turned back to Brainy with anger on her face. “You knew all this time and said nothing!”

“I couldn’t!” He exclaimed, lifted his hands in surrender. “It could break the space-time continu-”

“If you say space-time continuum one more time, I swear to Rao-”

“It’s not his fault.” Lena interrupted Kara’s threat. “What’s done is done.” She threw a pointed look to Kara and, to everyone’s surprise, it worked. Kara put her hands on her hips with a huff. “But maybe you have an idea about who did this?” She asked Brainy in a calmer voice.

“I know there was a hero with powers similar to yours.” He gestured towards Kara. “I know she could use magic but I never thought… It was a long time ago.”

Kara started to pace in frustration. They didn’t have any clue about anything. Irritation and hopelessness were mixing up inside her. She was boiling. But with Lena’s stern look on her, she focused on keeping a grip over her emotions. “So you don’t know how she happens to exist in the first place. Who created her.”

“I don’t.” Brainy confirmed. “It was way before the Legion was created. I’m searching the data but all I have is this image.” He pushed a finger to his head then threw his hand to one of the screen and everybody turned towards it. It was a picture of a hero. Not only a hero but the woman looked like an older version of Liz. Close to her twenties, she was looking proudly at the camera with a serious face. Her dark red suit was covering the entirety of her body, up to her fingers. Her eyes were covered with a black mask. There was no symbol on her suit. Nothing that could show she was part of the House of El. “She worked a lot with the Titans. That’s all I have.” Brainy threw his hand at the screen again and a group picture appeared with Liz in the center, her arms around two other young women, one of them was wearing a similar attire as Wonder Woman. The other looked partly animal.

“Oh I can see that now.” Dick stepped next to Lena, smirking knowingly with his arms crossed. His face was showing he was already thinking about enlisting Liz. Lena turned sharp eyes to him, her whole body falling into a protective pose. “Not over my dead body, Grayson.”

“Okay, okay.” He surrendered easily. “I don’t have a death wish, anyway.” His face kept its amused expression. Kara watched the interaction and wondered how they could possibly know each other and form a friendship. They were both so different.

“So, we know Liz existed in the future already. We could ask Winn if he knows anything.” Alex proposed. Kara nodded, a finger on her chin. It was a good idea. Winn could know if they would face an important enemy in the near future or any other thing that could be helpful.

“You’re right. We have to try. I have to go talk to my mom, I’ll go to the satellite with you.” Kara said.

“And I’ll go make research on Gaelic witchcraft.” Lena added, determined. Brainy lifted his hand. “I have Liz’s jabbering on record, that way we could translate the whole sentences.”

“Good, come with me.” Lena said, tilting her head toward the stairs. Dick was following them by instinct, his backpack on his shoulders. Lena stopped just in front of the doors though. “Is anybody staying?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep a look on Liz.” Kelly reassured her with a smile. She put her phone back in her pocket. “Esme’s coming to join us.”

Lena thanked her. Kara watched as they hug. She was glad Lena had Kelly in her corner. The woman had gone through so much. Kelly was the best person to have around for this type of situation.

“I’m going to pick Ambrose from daycare. See ya.” Nia said, kissing Brainy lightly on the lips before slipping by the elevator doors.

Lena stayed behind as the boys were on their way to go downstairs. She looked hesitant and was biting her lips anxiously, addressing Kara sorry glances. Kara was watching her closely, waiting for her to say anything. They had so much to say, really. Sorry. I didn’t want to. We shouldn’t fight like this. But Kara didn’t know where to start. Finally, Alex pulled on the blond’s wrist and she didn’t have any other choice than to turn away. She threw a last glance to Lena and tried to express all her apologies through her eyes. I’m sorry. We’ll talk later.

Lena nodded as she put herself back together. The last thing Kara noticed before passing the portal was her tight smile and the determination in her eyes.

Facing her mother wasn’t something Kara had been anxious to do since a long time ago. But since the situation was particular and Kara was about to tell her she had a child, she felt like nervosity was a normal feeling.

Walking in the hologram room, alone and thoughtful, Kara repeated in her mind the speech she had prepared. Alex had said she wanted to check some stuff before contacting Winn but Kara knew her sister just wanted to give her privacy. The blond was now waiting for the signal to reach the other end and for her mother to accept the call. It was archaic comparing to what Krypton’s communications used to be but it was still better than nothing.

As Alura’s figure appeared in front of her, Kara smiled. It was as impressive as the first time for her to see her mother well and alive.

“Kara, my love, how have you been?” Alura cooed in an almost perfect English accent. She had insisted on learning from Zor-El, both of her parents competing in their new skill.

“Good! I… I missed you.” Kara smiled again. She didn’t speak to her mother as often as she wanted to. Argo was far away in space and the signal wasn’t always reaching. It wasn’t her first thought either, to go to her mother for advice. Usually, she would go to Alex or Eliza but again, it had been a long time ago. Lena’s disappearance had left her so lonely and frustrated and depressed that she pushed away everyone who tried to pull her out of her funk.

“I missed you too, my daughter.” Alura said mechanically, the signal turning her voice into a robotic one for a second. “I feel that there is something bothering you.”

Kara watched as her mother tilted her head on the side. She knew she did the same thing when she was curious or puzzled. It was a family trait. Curiosity and the ease to read people. But where should she start? The speech she prepared on the way suddenly felt weird and inappropriate. Kara sighed and sat down on the floor in a huff. She could feel Alura’s eyes on her.

“I… I don’t know where to start.” She admitted dejectedly. The weight of the past few days’ events was finally hitting her. So many things had changed in the last two days.

“From the beginning, my love.” Alura smiled. Kara observed the comforting face of her mother, warm and compassionate. She watched as her mother seemed to sit down too, waiting patiently for Kara to be ready. Kara imagined her sitting at the table in her house on Argo, with the red Sun gleaming through the windows. She imagined herself facing her, cups of juices between them, enveloped by flowery scents and her mother’s perfume. Kara started right from the start then.

It started with Lena and her beautiful green eyes, her bright intelligence, and her endearing vulnerability. It started as friendship and it became so much more. Kara had been so entangled in her lies and her secrets that she almost had lost who she was, always split between two different identities. Then, there was the fight and Kara felt her heart break all over again recounting how she had hurt the woman she loved and how she had been hurt in return. How long it took them to forgive. The rivalry, the resentment, the trust issues. The weight of both of their inheritance. Kal and Lex’s rivalry tarnishing Kara and Lena’s friendship. Poisoning them like venom.

Kara recalled what it felt to be in the Phantom Zone again. How desperate she had been to get out. To come back to her family. How frightened she was to be stuck there without the chance of saying goodbye. Of saying all the things she had been bottling up to Lena. And how thankful and happy and so so in love she had felt when Lena helped save her from the Phantom Zone, bringing Zor-El back in their world with her. Mesmerized and in wonder in front of such a strong woman. Grateful to be able to squeeze her in her arms and never let go.

But Lena disappeared just as they were getting back where they used to be in their friendship. And Kara had been lost. And sad. So sad. And so angry. Her whole world had turned upside down. Lena disappeared and she had no idea what had happened. She disappeared and Kara couldn’t do anything about it. Frustration. Anger. Depression. Sadness. Despair. And resentment towards all the people who were still there. How could they continue their lives without Lena? Why couldn’t she? So she had pushed them away. They wanted to pursue their lives. She wanted hers back. Those seven years had felt like a blur. One instant she was moving mountains to find Lena, the other she was eating breakfast with Lena and their daughter in her kitchen.

Kara heard a gasp and finally, she looked up to see the emotions on her mother’s face. She was crying silently, her mouth covered by a delicate hand. Now that Kara was coming back to reality, she realized she had been crying too. It had been a hell of a few years. Not only the last seven, but probably the last fifteen.

The anxiety came back as a ball in her stomach. Kara realized she had blurted out the news to her mother without even noticing. And she had told her she loved Lena. Oh Rao.

Kara stood up in a haste, ready to explain herself, to defend Lena, to do whatever it would take for her mother to understand. “Mother, I’m…”

“Did you say daughter?” Alura interrupted. She seemed to have put herself back together too. Alright, if it was the thing they were focusing on.

“Yes, she’s…” Kara sighed, not knowing what facts to say about Liz first. There were so many things she could tell about Liz. “She was unexpected.” She settled on, her face scrunching up.

“I’m sure she was.” Alura replied, amused, and Kara relaxed a bit. “If I understood everything correctly, Lena and you aren’t…”

“No, we’re not… together.” Kara confirmed. It almost hurt to say it. Her mother stayed silent for a beat. Kara didn’t know what to expect. She kept fidgeting with her fingers.

On Krypton, sexuality was only a way to expand families and spread the House. When Kara was little, babies weren’t made naturally anymore. Kal-El was actually the first one since a long time and it had been done behind the High Council’s back. Kara herself was born in an incubation chamber and her marriage was already arranged before she was even born. Homosexual behaviors and sex in general were called depravity. That was why the proud Kryptonians despised the Daxamites that much.

“Will I be able to see her?” Alura asked gently, her lips turning up. Kara analyzed her mother’s face, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Alura wasn’t that authoritative but Kara remembered her as a very traditional woman.

“Hum, yes, of course. I’ll have to ask Lena. Maybe you could visit some time.” She shrugged, trying not to raise her hopes up too soon. But Alura nodded eagerly. “I would love too.” She admitted. “Your father will too. I understand why it is bothering you. It is a lot.”

Her face was back to neutral and Kara winced, hearing her tone lowering. Here it was. “Aren’t you upset?” She asked, hesitantly.

“Upset? Why would I be?” Alura frowned.

“I just told you I… love a woman. And I have a daughter without us being married or even in love.” Kara clarified. She was expecting chastising in a bossy tone, reminders of Kryptonian customs and what she was destined to be. She got a light chuckle instead.

“I am not upset, my love. Is this why you seemed scared?” Kara’s nose scrunched up again. Alura rolled her eyes, amused. “Kara, we lost our whole world. I thought I would never see you again. The High Council can go to Azarath with its old-fashioned customs. You are in love. And with a beautiful smart woman, I would say. I can’t wish you nothing more than happiness.”

Kara exhaled a sigh of relief. A small smile spread on her lips. Her mother’s opinion shouldn’t count that much. As a grown-up woman, she was free to make her own choice. But as a Kryptonian, she was entitled to fall in her parents’ steps and try to continue their customs even away from their original planet.

“I am certain your daughter is as smart and wonderful as Lena and you are.” Alura’s eyes seemed to be watering but Kara could be mistaking. It was hard to say through the hologram. The blond’s face split in half with a bright grin.

“She is.” Kara agreed in wonder. “She has powers like me and magic like Lena and, Mom, she’s so powerful! It’s scary and impressive! We don’t know how to handle her. That’s why Lena came back.”

Alura acknowledged Kara’s explanations with a serious face. They never could escape the situation for long. Kara suddenly remembered the Platinum Kryptonite.

“I’m calling to ask for help. Lena found this piece of Kryptonite with her when she discovered she was pregnant.” Kara eluded. She already had explained the whole thing to her mother, she didn’t need to remind herself how horrible it was every time they would mention it. “I need a memory player, you know, the one that works with DNA. I know there’s one on Argo.”

Alura looked thoughtful for an instant. Then, she nodded. “I see what you are talking about. I can send it to you but it will take at least a week to reach you.”

“Can’t you send it through a portal?” Kara wondered. It was true they used a ship to transport their luggage when Kara and Alex were going to Argo but she knew Kal used to visit through portals. Alura scrunched up her nose and Kara smiled seeing her own favorite expression mirrored in front of her. “I am afraid it would damage the technology. It is the last one we have in our possession. I am sure Lena or your friend Brainiac 5 should be able to replicate it, though.”

Alura was right. They couldn’t risk damaging the player. It was also Alex’s main reason why they used a ship. She didn’t want to damage her phone or laptop. The distance between Argo and the Earth was too big to risk it.

“You’re right. When do you think we should receive it?” Kara asked. Alura thought about it and her face brightened. “The Council is voting for new representatives in two days. Your father and I should be able to travel back to Earth after that. We will stay for a week or two.”

“That way you’ll meet Liz and you’ll have the chance to talk to Lena without a crisis on our hands.” Kara reasoned. Alura’s smile spread wider. Kara had just confessed she would like her parents to know Lena without actually telling it. Their mother-daughter relationship wasn’t all that solid so it was progress. Kara had even more to fix with her father.

“Do you think Father will be okay with this?” She asked hesitantly. Her mother softened. “Of course, my love. He knows how much life and love are both lawless values. You did not expect a daughter, but a daughter you have and it is our responsibility to cherish her and raise her now. In Rao’s light.”

“In Rao’s light.” Kara repeated with a fast-beating heart and glistening eyes. They were silent for a while, just staring at each other peacefully. A knock on the door frame brought Kara out of her daydreaming. Alex’s head passed through the door. “Can I come in?”

Kara chuckled at her sister’s antics. Alex had been nervous too, not knowing what to expect from Alura since she didn’t know her that much. Kara waved Alex in and her sister greeted the hologram awkwardly. Alura greeted back warmly, telling Alex it was nice to see her. Kara listened as they both talked a bit. Their discussion ended with Alura asking Alex to take care of Kara and keeping her out of trouble.

“Don’t worry. This has been my life since she came to Earth.” Alex joked. Kara punched her shoulder playfully and Alura shook her head at the both of them.

“Convince her to talk to Lena. They wasted enough time already.” Alura lastly advised.

“Mom!” Kara exclaimed. Alex just laughed and agreed, waving the older woman goodbye. “Bye Alura! Say hello to Zor-El.”

“Goodbye you two. I love you, Kara. See you in two days.” And with that, her mother’s hologram was gone and Kara was left alone with a laughing Alex. Kara pouted. If her mom and Alex were ganging up on her, she was done.

“Don’t look so offended. She’s looking out for you.” Alex shoved her on their way out. Kara hummed pensively in reply. “She just doesn’t realize Lena doesn’t feel the same way.”

Alex chuckled again. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Alex singsang while walking in the corridor leading to the main room. Alex never sang. Kara rushed after her.

“Alex!”

“Hurry up! We’ll miss Winn’s call.”

Kara groaned. It would have to wait. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to know anyway.

It was close to dinner time when Kara appeared through a portal back in her living room. She was exhausted. Well, as exhausted as her sun radiated body could get. She felt like the day had been extra-long. Super, extra, mega-long. And she missed Liz already. And Lena. Rao, Lena. She had to apologize for what she said. She didn’t think Lena was like Lex or that she should have given Liz up. She had to tell her.

Taking a shower in a flash, she rushed out of the balcony and followed Lena’s now familiar heartbeat to find where she lived. Kara was walking on thin lines, she knew it. If Lena didn’t want to see her, she would go.

Stepping on the balcony, she wondered why Lena didn’t rent her old penthouse back and chose to live in a middle-class suburb instead. Thinking about it, the Lena she used to know wanted her mother’s approbation before anything else. Now, Lena seemed more balanced, humbler. She didn’t seem so much into appearances anymore.

Through the window, Kara could see the kitchen and the living room but it looked empty. As she knocked on the glass double doors, the blond saw a little face perked up from the couch. Liz jumped out of it and ran to open to Kara, who just took a step in the room, no further.

“Mom is in the shower.” She said in a haste, nervous to explain. Kara crunched down in front of her and caressed her cheek. “It’s okay, I can wait. How are you feeling?”

She was concerned. Liz had shadows under her eyes and her smile wasn’t as present as Kara used to see. She looked pale. The girl shrugged, not saying anything. Kara wondered, not for the first time, the extent of the comprehension her daughter could have on the situation. It was already confusing and unnerving for the adults.

She poked Liz’s side, trying to make her smile. The girl giggled and took her hand. “Where were you?” She asked in a small vulnerable voice, a little frown on her face. Kara’s heart melted. “I was on the satellite. You know, where we were this morning. I had… Things to do there.”

“Oh.” Liz seemed sad or disappointed, Kara couldn’t tell. She didn’t know her enough.

“Did I miss anything?” Kara queried. She was curious to know why Liz was asking in the first place. Did she miss her? No, it was too soon. The girl shrugged again.

“Mom wants me to eat all my plate because I need strength.” She explained with her hands brushing thin air between them. Kara loved food. She could talk about food.

“And you don’t want to?”

“No!” Liz exclaimed. “I hate avocado.” She said, throwing her head back in a pure dramatic gesture. Kara chuckled.

“No, you don’t!” Lena said, walking in the room while drying her wet hair with a towel, wearing yoga pants and a baggy shirt. Kara stood up immediately. She had seen Lena do this an immeasurable number of times but it never stopped to amaze her. The water drops sliding on Lena’s skin. Her glowing moisturized face. Was that a tattoo on her arm?

“Yes, I do!” Liz replied back and Kara opened her mouth, shocked to see the little girl show so much personality.

“Elizabeth.” Lena warned calmly. “Go back to the couch to finish your plate. You didn’t even start yet. You could watch TV while eating if you ate the whole plate, it was the deal.”

The little girl groaned and stumped back to the couch to retrieve her bowl still full, Kara could tell, of what looked like yummy avocado and chicken bites. Kara chuckled watching her, astonished to notice such a dramatic behavior. Lena walked up to her and grumbled. “She can have quite a temperament when she wants too.”

“I can see that.” Kara agreed, smiling. When her eyes met Lena’s, her smile fell away though. She rubbed at the back of her neck in a nervous gesture. She knew she just had to rip the bandage off.

“I came to apologize.”

“Oh.” Lena looked honestly surprised. “I thought you came to retell what your mother said.”

“That too.” Kara quickly corrected herself. “But first, apologies. I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t want to imply you were capable of getting rid of a baby or that you should have done it for Liz. I’m…” She sighed, focusing her eyes back into Lena’s emerald ones. The green pupils were so bright and genuine. Now she couldn’t do anything less than confess. “I’m very happy and grateful to have her in my life and to have you back. Even if it’s out of necessity. I shouldn’t have implied I knew better than you, because I don’t. I lost it over there.”

She reached out for Lena’s empty hand and the brunette let her. “I can’t imagine what it was like. You’ve carried this huge burden on your own for so long and I… I just want to help you and be able to know Liz and just… Enjoy your company.” She finished in a pleading voice, so scared Lena would push her away. But Lena just looked down at their intertwined hands and exhaled a tremble sigh.

“I understand what you meant. I just felt very vulnerable and I hated it. I’m not used to feel like that anymore.” She pulled on Kara’s hand and guided her to the kitchen. Kara sat down on a stool and Lena stood next to her, leaning on the counter. She was forming random shapes on Kara’s palm with her fingers.

“Liz wasn’t an experiment to me.” She whispered. “She was a baby. From the very beginning. And I needed to protect her from the psycho who’d violated me. It was that simple. A survival instinct.”

Kara nodded and squeezed the soft hand in hers. She was glad to hear it because she wanted to do the impossible to protect Liz too and she wouldn’t expect anything less from Lena. “I know now you did what you needed to do to get out of there and protect you both. I just want you to know you’re not alone anymore.”

Lena nodded but a light smirk spread on her lips as she looked up. “You’re sure you want to deal with that?” She pointed to the living room where Liz was so engrossed in her cartoons, she didn’t notice they were talking about her. Kara looked above Lena’s shoulder and chuckled. “Now, I may reconsider.” She joked. Lena chuckled too and stepped back to round the counter.

“Have you eaten yet?” Kara shook her head immediately. Lena gasped, falsely worried. “Darling, you must be starving!” Kara giggled because only Lena could joke about the amount of food she needed to absorb without paying the price of it. It was refreshing to be around Lena and to banter like they used to. Their rash words from earlier already forgotten. It was good to have her back. “I may be famished. Just a little tiny bit.” She showed with her fingers.

“Great! I presume avocado isn’t enough for you.” Lena was looking in the fridge and pulled eggs out, some steak and a leftover of mashed carrots and potatoes. “I…” Kara didn’t want to abuse her welcome. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Well, I’m having avocado and chicken so…” Lena threw her a wink. “I’ll go then. I don’t want to be a bother.” Kara was already turning on her stool when Liz’s head rose from behind the couch. “You’re leaving?” The girl asked at the same time Lena said “You should stay.”

Seeing how Liz seemed to be disappointed, Kara smiled and walked back to the kitchen stools. Lena busied herself with cooking. “This is the first time I see you prepare a sophisticated meal.” Kara declared as Lena was chopping an onion to put in the pan. “That’s because you’re used to the CEO me.” Lena smirked back.

Kara’s mind wandered back to the times Lena used to come have dinner and watch a movie at her place. All those times they bought take-outs and cuddled in front of the TV. Well, it wasn’t voluntarily cuddling, per say. Lena just happened to fall asleep on Kara’s shoulder and Kara would just never complain about it. She would lean back and circle her arm securely around Lena so she didn’t have a sore back the next day. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“By the way, what do you do now?” Kara wondered. She knew Sam contacted Andrea after Lena’s disappearance to help her rearranging some things for the Foundation. She was now in charge of it but Kara didn’t know if Lena had something to do with it or if Sam had risen to the challenge by her own accord.

“Mom reads mountains of books!” Liz exclaimed, running through the room on socked feet and throwing herself to Lena animatedly. The woman just laughed at her daughter’s antics and leaned down to kiss her on the head. She shoved her back gently towards the living. “Go eat, munchkin.” She then threw a side glance to Kara, a small shy smile on her face. “I’m a translator. I work from home most of the time.”

Kara’s brows rose. She knew Lena spoke several languages, dealing with international clients and all that, but deciding to pursue a career in it was something else. It suited her though. The intellectual aspect of it. Kara could imagine her working on a desk, devouring books after books, piles of dictionaries next to her, eager to find the right words. Yes, it wasn’t that hard to imagine. Lena could do whatever she put her mind to, anyway.

“Don’t look so shocked.” Lena chuckled. “I know it’s nothing close to what I used to do but I always liked linguistics.”

“That’s… That’s awesome, actually. What language do you work on?”

“I mostly translate from Russian to English. But sometimes I have French works to play with, it’s fun. I like it.” The delighted grin on Lena’s face was a clear proof of that statement. She seemed less tense and in complete adoration of her work.

“I can see that. It must be less stressful than your former job.”

“It is. There’re still deadlines to respect but it’s fine.” She made a pause as if she was pondering her next words. She turned completely around finally. “I still have my hands on what the Foundation is doing too.” She admitted, turning a wooden spoon in the air. “Sam handles the whole relations part but I handle the financial aspects from afar.”

Sam knew all this time, Kara realized. The serious expression on Lena’s face showed that she expected Kara to connect the dots and probably resent her for making Sam lie to all of them. To be honest, Kara was a bit mad at Sam for not telling anything, for choosing to follow Lena in her lies and hidings rather than telling them where she was. She could have prevented them from hurting for so long. But she preferred to believe in Lena and follow her in her wobbly plan.

Kara sighed and rubbed at her face with her hands. She didn’t want to fight with Lena again. “I didn’t leave her the choice, if it’s what you’re wondering.” Lena interjected. Kara looked up and watched her, really watched her. She was biting her bottom lips. Her hands were clasped on the counter so hard her joints were turning white. Kara could hear her heart escalating in its beatings. Lena was afraid of her reaction. That wasn’t what Kara wanted, ever.

“I just… All of this is a huge mess. I try to understand and respect your choices, but really, Sam? She came to Nia and Brainy’s wedding. She knew I was desperate to find you but all this time she lied to us.” Lena nodded, accepting and understanding Kara’s arguments.

“She disagreed all along. But she felt like she owned me one for the time I helped her as Reign and, honestly, I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to refuse at the time.” Her tight lips and frowned face showed how she regretted using Sam. But what was done was done.

“This is…” Kara sighed again. She turned her head as she heard quick footsteps on the linoleum.

“Look, Kara! It’s Snowflake!” Liz interrupted them, shoving the white cat in her arms under Lena’s snort. Kara had to say the cat was beautiful in all his furry fluffiness. She settled him on her lap and scraped behind his ear. The cat started to purr loudly and Kara had to admit it was relaxing. As always, Liz seemed to sense the atmosphere in the room and had decided to act on it. Kara could see the remnants of their serious discussion drifting away already.

“Mom, can I have some eggs too?” Liz asked with a pout. Lena observed her for a moment then sighed. “You didn’t eat the avocado.”

“I told you I didn’t like green things anymore.”

Lena rolled her eyes. She looked pointedly at Kara who was lightly chuckling. The blond fell serious as Lena pointed a knife in her direction. “This is definitely your daughter.” She said with an amused glint in her eyes. Kara gasped and laughed louder. “No way. I eat everything possible. You’re the picky one, Miss Luthor.”

“I wouldn’t call that eating.” Lena grumbled to herself, knowing too well Kara would hear it anyway. “Hey! I heard that.”

“I know.” Lena grinned back. She turned back to Liz who was staring at them with her mouth agape. “You eat your egg and some mashed potatoes. It’s important, okay?”

The little girl agreed easily, climbing on a stool. Kara almost stood to help her but decided it was better to let her try by herself. She could catch her in a flash anyway.

“How was the talk with your mother?” Lena asked from her place in front of the stove. Kara threw a glance at Liz who was listening closely while leaning on her elbows. “Hum, good. She’s… good.”

“What does she look like?” Liz asked, curiosity written on her face.

“She has blond hair.” Kara showed her own hair. “And honey eyes. And she’s very loving and smart.”

“And what’s her name?”

“Her name is Alura.” The little girl gasped and put her hands high cheerfully. “Like my middle name!” Kara chuckled. “I know! Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful! And what’s your dad’s name?”

“His name is Zor-El.” Kara watched as Liz frowned deeply, confused. “But this is your name too.”

Kara laughed and nodded. “I know, it’s difficult. On Krypton, daughters take their dads’ name as their last name.”

“Like Walsh?” Kara could see the gears turning in the girl’s mind, her face looking like Lena’s when she was focusing on something. “Yeah, like yours is Walsh.”

“It’s Walsh Danvers.” Liz corrected a bit petulantly. Kara rolled her eyes playfully. “Count on your mom to put her name first.”

“Oh come on!” Lena chipped in, pointing a wooden spoon towards her now. “Danvers Walsh is harder to say.”

“Alright,” Kara upped her hands in surrender. “I’ll give you that.”

“But I don’t have a dad.” Liz said sadly and Lena looked at her closely. She leaned on the counter with her arms crossed. “No, Liz, but you have two moms. We talked about that, sweetheart.” She replaced a lock of black hair behind Liz’s ear. The girl looked thoughtful, thinking hard about it.

Kara hadn’t taken the time to think about what Liz’s young life had been for the last six years and what Lena had already taught her. The girl was polite and talked with a great vocabulary, forming sentences with correct grammar for most of the time. She was smart too, reasoning easily and putting the dots together like nobody. It seemed that she was intelligent enough to understand the world around her and ask questions about it to Lena. Obviously, Liz would see the difference between her family and the other kids’ families from school. Kara wondered what the consequences had been on Lena and Liz’s life since they weren’t a classic family. Was their life harder? Did they suffer harassment or discrimination?

“Yes, but I can’t take my name from my dad if I don’t have one.” The little girl reasoned and, again, Kara was impressed to see how clever she was. She understood she was partly from Krypton and wanted to respect the customs. It seemed to bother her that she couldn’t though. Kara leaned towards her and placed a gentle hand on her back. “Hey don’t worry. That’s okay.”

“But grandpa will be sad. Because I don’t have his name.”

Kara’s heart fell to her feet. Hearing Liz acknowledge their family links so simply, because it was that simple in her head, made Kara feel warm and excited for Liz to meet her parents. She looked at Lena who had a small smile on her face. The brunette was depositing plates in front of them and leaving Kara deal with Liz the way she wanted to.

“Oh, believe me he won’t be bothered by that.” Kara reassured, clearing her throat. She threw a glance to Lena who was eating silently so she took her fork and started to eat too. “He’ll want to know what you learn at school and what you can draw. He’ll teach you how to grow space fruits too or fix an engine when you’ll be older.”

Kara was reminiscing of her father and what he had taught her. The hours spend in his lab helping him on his works, passing tools and testing his new inventions. It was pleasing memories. It didn’t hurt anymore like it used to.

“Really?” Liz exclaimed. “What about grandma?”

Kara thought for a moment. Her mother was a strong woman. A true leader. A woman of justice. A woman who taught her to never give up. But she had been so caring too. Reading stories every night to Kara. Taking walks with her in the gardens and teaching her the names of flowers, their significations. Kara’s eyes softened. She knew her mother would cherish Liz like her own.

“She’ll teach you all about Krypton. She’ll ask if you have a lot of friends and tell your stories about Rao and ask if you eat all your vegetables.” Liz scrunched up her nose at that and Kara and Lena laughed.

“They won’t ask about my name?” The girl asked with a little tremble in her voice. Kara cupped her cheek and caressed it gently. “You have the name that is yours and you can be proud of it.” She saw Lena nod in the corner of her eyes.

 “This is the name of the strongest woman in the universe.” Lena praised with a wink. Kara felt her cheeks blushing. Liz just gave her a shy smile. Kara shook out of her head. “And the name of the smartest woman on Earth.” She added, gesturing towards Lena with her chin. Lena gave her the same shy smile Liz did a minute ago.

“You’ll be okay, sweetie.” Kara caressed Liz’s cheek one last time. “Now time for eating.” She pointed to Liz’s plate with her fork. Liz accepted her fate and started eating silently.

Later, Kara found herself on Lena’s new couch, a cup of tea in her hand and the Wizard of Oz playing in the background. Lena was just casually sitting sideways next to her. Liz was normally reading in her bed. Kara could hear her heart slowing into a sleepy rhythm. Lena had a hard time putting her to bed, the little girl was too excited to pass time with Kara. The woman of steel had been very surprised to see Liz was able to read at such a young age but knowing Lena’s learning capacities, she accepted it easily.

“Do you think she’ll fall asleep? She slept for two hours this afternoon.” Kara remarked. It was common knowledge that children shouldn’t sleep too much during the day, right?

“I think so. She was really tired when we got back here.” Lena took a sip of her tea and kept staring into space. Liz wasn’t the only one who was tired. Lena had tense features and was harboring a pale face hidden behind her glasses. Kara thought she was flawless in her shirt and yoga pants but worried the stress of the situation was keeping Lena up at night.

“So, I talk to my mom.” She exhaled. Lena looked her in the eyes with a serious face. “How did she take the news?”

“Hum.” Kara recalled all the things she had blurted out to her mother. The nervousness she was feeling before that. The relief just after. “Well, I guess. She wants to meet Liz.”

“That can be arranged.” Lena smiled easily. “Sorry she ambushed you, earlier. She doesn’t have any grandparents, she doesn’t know how it is.”

“No, it’s fine and totally normal. She wants to know me better, I understand. I want to know her too.”

Kara was pleased to see Liz was mostly curious about her and not afraid or impressed like she used to be the day before. She hoped she could form a bond with her and make Liz understand she was more than the superhero the girl saw on TV.

“Did Alura say anything about the memory player?” Lena asked, depositing her empty cup on the coffee table.

“Yeah, she knew about it. They have some elections planned on Argo in two days but she said my father and her would make the trip after that. They should be here by the end of next week.”

Lena nodded. It was their last chance. If the memory in the stone wasn’t revealing who did this to Lena, Kara didn’t know what they were going to do. Wish the person at fault denounce themself? Grayson had searched every corner possible, had pulled on all the strings. If the son of the most renown detective wasn’t able to find the truth, who could?

“I’m curious but…” Kara leaned to put her mug on the table too. She tried to keep a neutral face but it must have betrayed her. “How did you meet Dick Grayson?”

Lena snorted and a disgusted pout grew on her lips. “I know what you’re thinking.” She said making a flourish with her hand toward Kara’s face. “Dick and I have a common past. He lost his parents when he was younger and got adopted by a rich man who wanted to control his movements.” She explained. “We used to see each other in galas when I was still in Metropolis. He hated this life of appearances. I hated to be underestimated. We bonded over that.”

Kara noticed the fondness in her voice. Lena had a true respect for Dick. And Lena wasn’t the type to give her respect and trust to anyone. People had to work for it, to prove they were worth of it. It was surprising and a bit hurting, if Kara was honest, to realize Lena trusted Dick instead of her when her life had depended on it. “You trusted him.” She sighed, looking at her hands.

Lena had all the rights in the world not to trust her, Kara knew that. Even if their rivalry was in the past, even if they had reconnected, Kara understood that Lena would never trust her on the same amount again.

“No, not at first.” Lena disagreed. Kara looked at her. The sadness on her face, the tension in her shoulders. Everything felt heavy and somber, suddenly. “I knew he had… feelings for me so I used him.” Lena confessed without daring to look at Kara.

The burning in Kara’s stomach came back and this time she knew she couldn’t put it on the gravity of the situation. It was jealousy. Because she had been right to be suspicious. Grayson was interested in Lena and wasn’t helping her out of kindness. But who was she to say anything? Lena and her shared a child now, but it didn’t authorize her to have an opinion on the people Lena surrounded herself with.

“I used him because I knew he had the resources to investigate on what happened to me seven years ago.” Lena looked up through her eyelashes. She wasn’t proud of it, that much Kara could tell. “He was so kind and devoted. I knew he had been harboring feelings for me since we were teenagers so I used them against him.” Her chin was trembling as if she was trying to rule in her true emotions. “When he met me in Ireland to show me what he’d found, he also tried to make a move.”

Kara’s fist tightened on the back of the couch. The side glance Lena gave Kara at that moment glued her on the place. Kara kept her focus on Lena’s face, marveled by the complexity and the vulnerability of the woman in front of her. She was listening with rapt attention, because if Lena was sharing that much, it was supposed to mean something.

“I was lost. I just got Liz and he was asking me too much. Attention I couldn’t give him at the moment or ever. I didn’t have feelings for him. So I told him and…” She threw a side smile to Kara. “He stayed anyway.”

Kara considered what it meant about Grayson. He was a man of justice and value. He seemed to be a good friend too and a not-so-bad leader to the Titans. Kara knew she couldn’t see eye to eye with him from time to time but his investigations had been helpful. And he was there for Lena when she couldn’t. “I’m glad he helped you. At least you weren’t alone.”

Lena softened and intertwined her fingers with Kara’s on the back of the couch. “I’m not proud of it but I needed answers. I apologized later. I’m glad he stayed my friend and never resented me for it.”

They both contemplated their discussion in their own heads. Kara focused on the sensation of Lena’s hand in hers, on her fingers mingling between hers. Their skin touching, the softness and warmth Lena was emitting. The beating of her heart accelerating each time Kara’s thumb was passing on hers. Kara understood Dick Grayson better now. Who couldn’t fall in love with Lena Luthor? Kara had failed too. Lena was scarred and vulnerable and so smart and interesting. Kara’s heart never stood a chance.  

Chapter Text

DAY THREE

Lena woke up in a gasp. Disoriented. She looked around and remembered vaguely being back in National City, not in her family house in Ireland. She sat up, trying to grasp at the remnants of her dreams. Bad dreams. Nightmares. Memories. She knew she had dreamt about something important without having the possibility to remember it. It was vanishing the more she was waking up. It happened quite often. The first few times, she had thought she would be able to recover the memories of the six months she had forgotten but now, she just felt disappointed.

Sighing heavily, she rubbed at her face. She felt tired but at least there wasn’t this continuous pain splitting her skull behind her eyes anymore. The sun was already up in the sky and she hadn’t been woken up by Liz for once. Liz. Why didn’t she wake her up like she used to do every morning for the last four years? Putting the sheets away, Lena rushed out of her bedroom. She heard chatters in the kitchen. Liz’s little voice gushing about Snowflake being magical. Kara laughing and singing softly along some NSYNC’s song.

When Lena left the hall leading to the living room, Liz spotted her right away. “Mom!” She exclaimed, running in her arms as Lena bent down to catch her. She kissed her all over the face. “Hey, my little lamb, did you sleep well?”

Liz only hummed her reply while hiding her head in Lena’s neck to cuddle. Lena stood up with her in her arms and smiled to Kara. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. I made coffee and toasts if you’re hungry.” Lena nodded and rounded the counter to grab a cup. “How long have you been up, you two?”

“Oh, two hours more or less.” Kara replied vaguely. “I heard Liz waking up. I thought you could use some more sleep.” She shrugged. Lena smiled wide. This was pleasant not to be the only one on which Liz depended on.

“It’s fine. This is the first time in six years I’m not woken up at the crack of dawn by this munchkin.” Lena faked eating Liz’s neck. The little girl giggled easily and put her hands on Lena’s face to stop her from tickling her. She eventually asked to be put down and ran to her bedroom. Lena turned toward Kara to finally thank her. The blond looked as neat and perfect as usual but she was in yesterday’s clothes and her hair was flowing freely on her shoulders.

“So, you slept here?” Lena asked while passing behind her to take a toast and the strawberry jam in the fridge. Kara turned around and leaned on the counter. “I did. You actually asked me to but I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”

“I did? When?” Lena scrunched up her face, trying to remember. She had no recollection of such a discussion. She remembered fighting sleep on the couch as they were watching TV. Kara’s smile confirmed it. “You fell asleep on the couch so I carried you to bed. You were in a daze and you asked me to stay. So I did. I slept on the couch.”

Lena threw a glance above her shoulder to look in the living room. The couch had been tidied up but she could tell the cushions weren’t disposed like she had put them the day before. She was glad Kara had stayed the night, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She would take all the time she could spend with her. Early morning breakfasts and late-night talks included. Trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach was starting to be tiring and she felt like her resolve was crackling. But she couldn’t. She was doing it for Liz. For Liz, only.

“I have to go to CatCo.” Kara said behind her. Lena was still buttering her toast. She should finish quickly or Kara would start to wonder if something was off. “I know some guys on my team will be too thrilled to write about you coming back and I need to stop them.” She continued. “After that, I’ll take some time off and leave Nia handle the publications. We need to focus on Liz.”

Lena nodded. It was a good idea. Liz needed Kara. “Okay, I think we’ll see you later, then. Liz is going to Kelly’s to hang out with her and Esme since I still need to finish the Gaelic translation.”

The day before, they had worked all the rest of the afternoon to find any clue on what Liz had talked about. Brainy had slowed down the record he had and Lena had worked with different dictionaries online to find the right words and make sense of all of it. They were in the middle of it when Liz had woken up and asked to go home.

“Any chance in that?” Kara asked. They hadn’t found the time to talk about it yet. Lena nodded pensively. “There was progress but I prefer to talk about it with everyone when we’ll have the whole text translated.”

“Alright. Why don’t you go to the satellite? The computers there are more performant.”

Kara was right. Dick had told Lena they should work from there because the Tower was more of an old school headquarters now than a truly effective base. For the amount of research she had to do, the satellite was the best option.

“That’s the plan.” Lena agreed. “Dick will meet me at the Tower to portal to the Justice League HQ. He has some research to do on a bad guy the Titans can’t figure how to beat and he promised me some old program Bruce was keeping in the cave. It could help with the translation.”

She turned around just in time to see Kara’s face transform from irritation to surprise. “Oh, so you know who he is.”

Lena shrugged. Of course, she knew Dick Grayson was Nightwing. The man couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it – which was ultimately the case. “Yes, he’s not the most skilled when he has to hide and lie. He used to leave his suit in the middle of his apartment.” She explained, taking a bite of her toast and chewing slowly. Kara’s face took a strange shade of red. “I…”

Lena watched her rub at the back of her neck, crinkle right in place between her eyes. Kara then lifted her hand to replace a lock of hair behind her ear. Lena rolled her eyes. Now she felt she had to give an explanation. “I helped him when he bought the circus back so I was there a lot. For strictly platonic business, Kara.”

The blond looked caught off guard and lifted her hands in alarm. “I didn’t say anything. I don’t have a say in your love life.” She rushed out, her cheeks becoming redder and redder.

Lena hummed. “Even if you did, it’s inexistant.” She took a sip of her coffee. Why did she just say that?

There was an awkward silence between them. Kara was analyzing the floor so intensely Lena swore she saw it melt. She had to admit she was slightly enjoying Kara’s state of embarrassment. The blond was so obvious it hurt the eyes. But they couldn’t, Lena repeated in her head. Liz had to be the priority.

Kara cleared her throat and finally looked up. “I should go.” She seemed to have the hardest time articulating the words out. She took a step in Lena’s space, ready to embrace her in her arms but stopped just an inch away and squeezed Lena’s forearm with her hand instead. “See you later.”

She was gone in a flash, leaving Lena wondering how on Earth it had become so weird between them in a minute time. The day before, they were holding hands on the couch and now Kara couldn’t even approach her. Even if they couldn’t, Lena was craving Kara’s touch. Wanting it so badly it was painful to stay away. But she couldn’t go there. She could not. So instead, she took another bite of her toast and scrolled through her phone to see three text messages. It was Dick telling her he had the program she needed to translate the Gaelic words automatically. Perfect.

Gossips and rumors were the bread and butter of every decent magazine so CatCo wasn’t different. When Kara walked out of the elevator and towards her office, all she could hear was Lena’s name. Alright, some gruff guy was wondering who had stolen his donut but mostly, everybody was talking about Lena being back in National City with a little girl by her side.

 She tried not to listen to it. She tried to cancel the noise, but as she was walking the long way to her office – she could thank Cat Grant for that - the remarks she heard made her snap her pen in half.

“Shit!” Kara hissed. She rushed to her desk and threw the pen in the bin, wiping at her inky hands with a tissue in irritation. She was already in a sour mood, now she had to pass the day with ink all over her hands.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in vacation?” Nia said, walking in the office with two cups of coffee. Kara took the one extended to her gratefully. She pushed some files away from her desk pad and took the ones Nia gave to her.

“Hi, Nia.” Kara replied gruffly. “I just needed to make some last-minute check on next week’s release before staying home for two weeks.”

She saw Nia sit down on one of the chairs in front of her desk but kept going through the photos for the articles she had to review before leaving.

“Did you tell her?” Nia asked in a sigh. Kara didn’t even bother looking at her. “Tell who what exactly?”

“Lena.” Her friend replied with an obvious tone. “Did you tell her you love her?”

Kara broke her second pencil of the day and it wasn’t even 9 a.m.. “What? No!”

“Then what are you waiting for? You said you would do it if we found her. We didn’t, she found us herself. But she’s here now!” Nia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Kara threw her pen in the bin with more irritation and took another one. She was trying to win some time. But for what? She sighed and sat down in a huff. “She’s been gone for seven years. It’s not that simple.”

“You love her. She loves you. You already have a child together. I don’t see how’s that’s complicated.” Nia said cocking her eyebrow.

And she may have a point. Well, it was complicated but Kara had avoided the question long enough. She had tried to tell Lena though. Several times. Recalling their entire history, Kara had thought it would be easy to tell Lena what she was feeling but there always had been something preventing her from doing it. The moment they were a tiny bit fine after their fight, the moment she felt it was the perfect time, Lex had sent her to the Phantom Zone. In the Zone, Kara had promised herself that if she was able to come back, she would tell Lena. She almost did when she first put feet in the Tower. When they hugged. Kara almost kissed her. But they weren’t alone and kissing her right there didn’t feel like the right thing to do. Then, they had to capture the phantoms back to prevent them from colonizing the world. And deal with Alex’s wedding proposal. And Esme’s arrival. And defeat Leviathan in the middle of that.

Kara had thought then that it was the perfect time to tell Lena the truth. Everyone was happy. Nia and Brainy were back together. J’onn was on Mars with M’gann. Alex and Kelly were living their new life with Esme. All that was left was them. But then Nyxly and Lex decided to work as a team and almost destroyed the core of humanity. Lex killed William and kidnapped Esme. During the fight to retrieve her, Lillian got injured and died some days later. How was Kara supposed to come up with a way to tell Lena her feelings after all that? She preferred to support her and show her their friendship was as strong as before even if her family had tried to destroy the world again, instead of pressuring her with feelings she wasn’t even sure Lena would reciprocate. Or maybe was it the whole problem? Without purposefully doing it, Kara had made the revelation of her feelings as complicated and twisted as her identity reveal. And now she was stuck again.

“We’re not the same as before.” She said in frustration. “We don’t know each other anymore.”

“Then, learn to know her again.” Nia shrugged. “Don’t you love her anymore?” She had an answer for everything, Kara remarked.

Was Kara still in love with Lena? Seeing Lena with Liz, watching her being a mother and endorsing her role with such humility and grace, Kara had realized her feelings were still there. As bright and deep as ever. But she couldn’t say anything now, could she? It was too risky for their relationship. And with Liz in the middle of it, Kara didn’t want risking losing them both.

“I…” She stammered. “I wasn’t so sure at first. She’s so different. So anguished around Liz. But then I saw them together, like truly saw her act as a mother and she’s…” The burning in her stomach returned but for an all-together reason. She sighed again, a small smile growing on her face. “Lena’s perfect with her, Nia. She’s so good at this. And she suffered so much.”

Nia softened a bit, seeing how cheesy Kara’s expression had become. “You should tell her.”

Kara shook her head. “What if she doesn’t feel the same?”

Nia scoffed. “Of course she does. Have you seen yourself?”

Kara felt Nia’s eyes observing her from the other side of the desk. She knew her friend was just trying to help and convince her to act on the feelings she had been harboring for years now but Kara was terrified. Losing Lena had cost her so much. Even before the whole disappearance situation. When Lena had learned about her identity, when they stayed away from each other for a whole year, Kara had felt so empty. She never wanted to feel that way again.

“Listen.” Nia said suddenly, putting both of her hands on the desk to make her point. “You won’t lose her. Forgetting the fact that she can’t stay away from you for too long, Lena won’t resent you for your feelings. Dick told her he liked her and she’s still friend with him.” 

Kara opened wide eyes. She had learned about that just the day before. “How do you know that?”

“Raven told me the other day. I was talking about him coming in National City.” Nia shrugged with a sly smirk on her face. More like Raven laughed about it with her.

Kara furrowed her brows. “Raven from the Titans?”

“Yep! We play online together.” Nia explained. Alright, those superhero meetings in the shadows, outside of the satellite, were starting to be confusing. Nia and Raven being friends was something Kara had never seen coming. They were total opposites. “So no worries, I’m sure Lena won’t resent you for the way you feel.”

Kara rolled her eyes but a spark of hope ignited itself in the depths of her heart. What if Nia was right? Before, Kara could tell for sure what she could expect from Lena. What her reactions would be. But now, she wasn’t so sure. Time had done its job at putting a gap between them so wide Kara couldn’t help but worry she wasn’t doing the right thing. But dishonesty and lies would certainly not help either. It would widen the gap even more so. Maybe the right thing to do was to make her intentions clear towards Lena. To tell her the truth, as she promised she would do after the whole Supergirl gate. And maybe after that, they wouldn’t be fine for a while, maybe it would take time for them to become friends again. But Kara knew it was the best thing she could do. Because lying and avoiding the truth already caused her to lose Lena once. And now it wasn’t just about Lena. She would do anything to prevent herself the hurt of losing Liz too. She may not be human, but there was so much more she could bear before losing her mind totally.

 “I don’t know, I…” Kara sighed and glanced at Nia with sorry eyes. “I was so sure she was feeling the same way before, you know…” She paused. Before she dated James. Before she knew I was Supergirl.  Before she stole Myriad. Before her disappearance. Before she came back with a girl who looked like me. “But now there’s Liz to consider and I… I’m not sure where I fit in this and I don’t even know if they’ll stay here. I don’t want to make her run away. And she lied to me! She vanished and hid for years!” She rambled on, her feelings mixing up in her mind, not knowing what to express first. Kara grabbed at her hair in frustration. Everything was so messed up.

Nia stood up and rounded the desk to lean on it with crossed arms, right next to Kara’s chair. “You know, what I found funny is that the thing disturbing you is how Lena managed to run away and stay hidden, how she lied. It’s not the fact that somebody decided to make a child with both your DNA’s. Not the fact that you both were potentially married in another reality. And now you want to tell me you have doubts it’s not meant to be? She kept the baby, Kara. Your baby.”

Kara looked up with pleading eyes, asking Nia to stop there because it was becoming too much. Too much truth. Too many feelings to handle. Too much to unpack and fix at once. “I’m just scared she’d run away again with Liz.” She articulated through a shaking breath. She felt Nia’s hand on her shoulder, rubbing her thumb against the fabric of her shirt affectionately.

“Well, it’s better she runs away knowing the truth than stays and is lied to. Again.” The brunette said pointedly. And Kara kind of hated her because she knew she was right. Lena deserved the truth. It was hypocritical to vent about Lena’s lack of honesty and keep all that from her. Kara had already made the mistake once. She didn’t want to risk putting Lena in that place ever again.

Before stepping out of the office, Nia turned back around, her hand already on the handle. “By the way, you should apologize to Brainy. He didn’t deserve your anger yesterday.” And with that, she was gone. Like she just didn’t remind Kara how bad a friend she had been the day before. Kara groaned and slammed her head on her desk frustratingly. What a mess.

There was no one in the lab except for them. Lena even started to wonder if all those superheroes weren’t avoiding the satellite because they knew a Luthor was on it. It had been a while since she had her name thrown out at her face but it was still a possibility. Lex’s crimes were still very present in people’s memories.

“So you and Kara, huh?” Dick said from across the room. His tone was supposed to be uninterested. They had stayed pretty much silent until now. He was currently working on a computer, making research on someone called Deathstroke, while Lena was tampering Liz’s electronic gloves. The screen in front of her was showing an algorithm translating the Gaelic text for her. She just had to wait. All her attempts at translating by herself were unproductive. It was taking too long for her liking, having to guess how the words were spelled through the recording, then search for some correspondence in different dictionaries. It was a painstaking work. So Lena found another, more productive, solution. An algorithm she configured herself to do the job for her.

“Is there a question somewhere?” Lena replied sardonically. She didn’t even bother looking up from the gloves. She had almost succeeded in increasing the possible load the gloves could withstand without frying the energy converters. It wasn’t an easy task. She had fried two pairs of converters before understanding she needed to add two more ones.

“You will be married to her.” Dick whispered in a conspirator tone, loud enough for Lena to hear it. She paused on her task then shook her head.

“No, it’s not a certainty. The future is changing every time we make a choice.” Lena rebutted. She didn’t need any spark of hope. What was it with her friends? All trying to convince her to express her feelings to Kara. They couldn’t be together. Couldn’t they just mind their own business?

She heard Dick snort from the other side of the lab and turned on her stool, the gloves temporarily forgotten. “You deciding to come back overnight is surely pulling you in that direction.” Dick teased. He was still scanning his screen with rapt attention. As if it wasn’t a big matter. As if it couldn’t bother Lena that much. She didn’t like him when he was like that. All know-it-all remarks and scornful judgements barely hidden.

“Are you going somewhere with that? Or can we go back to work?” Lena asked with a cocked eyebrow. Fortunately, she had seen worse than him. Dick Grayson never impressed her. In fact, it was usually the other way around.

Dick sighed and finally stopped what he was doing to look at her. “You like her.” He said. It wasn’t a question. Lena rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. The floor became strangely interesting as she felt a blush rose on her cheeks. “It’s still not a question.” She grumbled.

“No, because I don’t need an answer.” Dick replied, standing up and walking towards her. “It’s clear as water. It’s all over your face when you look at her.”

Lena couldn’t stop the small smile that grew on her face. “What do you want me to say?”

They shared a look. It wasn’t heated or serious. Dick was looking at her like she was a precious thing, something he was scared to break. Fragile and sensitive. James used to look at her like that too.

“Nothing, I just…” He looked down first, probably disturbed by the green in her eyes. She vaguely remembered him in a drunken state at one of the galas they had to go, admitting how her eyes were hypnotizing and that he couldn’t focus when she was looking at him. They were twenty-something and drunk. She never thought much about it. He seemed to recover though and Lena strengthened her spine in reaction. “Now I understand why you and I wasn’t possible. I can’t compete with her.”

Lena smirked. Kara had a way of putting big grown-up men in their place and making them wonder about their virility. Supergirl was an icon, a paragon of hope and especially very much stronger than every man on Earth. Except her cousin, even if they still had to prove that point. But Kara Zor-El was smart, and funny, and very loving. Charming in an unconscious way with her light smile and cute dimples. Clumsy too when she was too excited to be cautious enough with her powers. It was all endearing traits. More than that, in fact.

“You don’t have to compete for anything.” She sighed. “You’re one of my best friends. And Kara is…”

“Is not just a friend. I think it’s more accurate to say she may be the love of your life, you know, with the whole being married thing.” Dick winked and Lena wanted to make him swallow back the little complacent smile on his face. She rolled her eyes again, instead. Dick wanted her to know she could confide in him, like she used to do during their teenage years. He wanted to be friendly and help her. “I don’t believe in marriage.”

He chuckled lightly, turning back to rejoin his computer. “I’m sure one day you will. If it’s for her.”

Lena would never admit to Dick how close to the truth he was. Because being a maid of honor to Alex and Kelly’s wedding had meant being with Kara most of the time organizing. And she would jump from a cliff before admitting she had thought about the blond in a white dress walking towards her. Kissing her. Taking her with all her flaws and imperfections. Accepting her for what she was. Of course she had pictured it. But she wasn’t supposed to. Kara was her best friend. So she’d never say anything more to Dick. He knew enough.

There was a beeping sound and, in the corner of her eyes, she saw Dick take his phone out of his pocket. He shut off the alarm and turned sorry eyes to her. “I need to go. There’s an emergency in Bludhaven. A chemical factory blew up. You’ll be okay on your own?”

Lena nodded. “I’ll just work on the gloves. I’ll keep you updated on the translation, don’t worry.”

“Thanks.” Dick approached and circled his arms around her briefly. “Be careful.” She told him. He nodded once and walked out of the door. Lena watched him go. She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she had in her guts. They weren’t lovers or not even that close as friends but it was still terrifying to know the man was risking his life. Knowing he was doing it because he felt it was his duty. Without fear. And without any supernatural abilities. Dick was a hero. And he was her friend. She hoped he would be okay.

The satellite was a gift and a curse. It had all the most updated technologies in the world and because of them, Lena knew instantly what happened in Bludhaven. There was an incident. Or more like a set-up. It was Joker’s fault. She had followed the Titans’ mission all along through the screen set up in the lab – thanks to Cyborg’s needs to have archives for everything. They were supposed to rescue the employees of a chemical factory which happened to blow up a second time while they were in it. Since the site was enormous, Kara had gone to help, with Nia and Brainy on her sides and Batwoman joining the group later. They were all there to see the roof of one of the wings collapsing in a racket, knowing too well it was Nightwing who was in charge of rescuing this area. Lena had felt sick and mortified, not being able to keep her eyes away from the screen. She couldn’t breathe. She kept thinking about them. Praying, praying, they were all okay. Hoping to see him crawl from underneath the piles of wreckages.

Kara found him. After lifting tons of concrete and steel, after agonizing minutes of searching, she found him. He was still breathing. Lena had watched her fly away with Dick in her arms, knowing she was coming straight to the satellite but she couldn’t move.

Kara found her two hours later, still in the lab. Still on the rolling stool. Her shoulders sagging. Her face neutral. Watching the news with glassy eyes, not seeing them really. “Hey.” She said in a soft tone, coming in front of Lena. “He’s in the medical bay. Alex and Victor are working on him. He has a punctured lung and a broken leg. He’ll probably be concussed too but he’s…” She sighed, knowing it wouldn’t fix anything. “He’s going to be fine.”

Lena looked up and Kara was there. Alive and breathing. She registered what the blond had just said. Dick was injured but alive. He was alive. Lena took a deep breath consciously. It felt like the first she was taking since she’d seen the news. She took a second and exhaled slowly, shakily. She brushed her hands in her hair, her eyes watering. A shiver ran through her body. She recalled their discussion. How Dick knew about her feelings for Kara. How he seemed happy to know that, if he couldn’t have her, at least she could be happy with someone else. “What an idiot.” She finally said in a bitter chuckle.

There was a beat of silence. The computer’s hum was the only sound in the room. Lena was waiting for the algorithm to come out with a translation on its own while she was working on Liz’s gloves. She had forgotten about the gloves, though, when the first news about the incident had appeared on the screen in the corner of the room.

She was aware of Kara observing her, aware of her trying to make herself as small as possible in the room not to oppress Lena. She met Kara’s eyes again and a single tear rolled down her cheeks. It was relief. As if guided by instinct, Kara took two steps in a haste but stopped, her hands in the air between them.

“Can I …” Her eyes traveled between Lena’s. She looked torn. “Can I hug you?”

It hit Lena how wide the gap between them had become. How far away they were from the two best friends who used to comfort each other without even asking. But they never really felt like just friends, right?

Lena took a step, hesitating, not really sure how to say yes without saying it, without appearing too eager. Kara’s eyes softened and without thinking more, she took the last few steps and circled her arms around Lena very gently, as if she was scared to break her. The brunette immediately hid in the blonde’s neck, inhaling Kara’s natural perfume she had missed for so long. She felt Kara nosing at her hair, a hand securely at the back of her head, the other at the small of her back.

“It’s been a long time.” The blond whispered. Lena couldn’t agree more. It felt like being alive again. Ignited.

“It shouldn’t have. I’m sorry I’ve disappeared.” She apologized with a gravelly voice. She felt Kara nod against her head.

“It’s okay, I understand now. I missed you though. So much.” Kara murmured back. She plunged her nose in the black hair just above Lena’s ear, relaxing in the familiar embrace. It gave Lena goosebumps. “I missed this.”

Lena had missed it too. Their closeness. The familiarity of the skin against skin. She had tried to stay away from Kara’s touch at first. Because she knew the moment it would happen, she would become addicted. She always felt starved from affection, too long devoid from it. Lilian wasn’t the best cuddler of the Luthor mansion. Far from it. She hadn’t even comforted Lena when she had been crying all night long the first few months after she arrived. Those long months her four-year-old self had been grieving her mother without even knowing what grief was.

Lionel would sometimes be affectionate but it never went further than a hand on a shoulder. Lex would kiss her forehead and hold her hand but it was never the same. Kara’s touch was everything. It was family and home and love and belonging. Warm and cozy and welcoming. And safe. She couldn’t stay away from it, she knew it.

Lena reclined from Kara’s neck to look her in the eyes. Her green eyes were glistening, moved by the whole gesture. Her heart was beating hard. “Me too.” She replied with a small smile. Her eyes glided to the blonde’s lips which were forming an easy smile.

How she dreamt of those lips when she was away. How she had thought about it for weeks even before Alex and Kelly’s wedding, never finding the right time to do it. To just lean and kiss Kara. Because she was almost sure Kara felt the same way. But she couldn’t now, could she? There was a child in the equation. They had to be careful. It wasn’t just their feelings they could hurt. And she had hurt Kara so much. She didn’t deserve it anymore.

Sighing, Lena looked away and detached herself from Kara reluctantly. It was never the right time apparently.

“I should finish this. Liz needs it to practice.” She said, gesturing to the skeletal gloves on the counter. Kara grabbed at her hand, stopping her from going too far away. “Lee…”

The pleading in her voice made Lena pause. Kara hadn’t called her like that for a long time. She was the only one using that nickname and every time, every single time, Lena’s heart would somersault right down to her stomach.

She turned around very slowly to look up in the sorry blue eyes. “Kara, we can’t.”

And Kara didn’t even have to ask why, it was obvious. They were both aware there was too much at stake. They couldn’t be something. Not if Lena decided to go back to Ireland. Not with all Kara’s life here in National City. It didn’t mean Kara had to accept it. Honestly, Lena didn’t know if she would prefer for Kara to drop the matter or to pursue it endlessly. To make her cave. Because she knew her resolve was thinning out.

With a disapproving look on her face, Kara opened her mouth but they were interrupted by the alarm on the computer. The translation was finished.

Lena rushed to the computer and typed furiously on the keyboard. In a corner, a printer came to life. She walked to it in a haste to read the words. Kara came next to her with her hands on her hips.

“It looks like a legend?” Kara wondered aloud, her eyes scanning the words. Lena agreed but she didn’t like it one bit. Why was Liz pronouncing this weird mantra? What was the link? A puzzle piece was missing.

Going back to the computer, she copied the lines and put them in a search bar. Some results came up. None of them were reporting the whole text but some of the lines appeared here and there on websites about witchcraft. Legends about witches and chosen ones. Lena almost rolled her eyes. How predictable. When would their life be normal?

“I should go back to Ireland to talk to Florence.” She declared hastily, folding out the paper and putting it in her back pocket. There had to be answers somewhere. Someone out there had to know something about this sort of prophecy. And Florence was her first guess. The first source she could question.

“I’m coming with you.” Kara said stubbornly. “I can fly you there.” She added as if it was a good enough reason to convince Lena to let her go with her.

“I have a better idea.” Lena cocked an eyebrow. There was no way she would be flying in Kara’s arms across an entire ocean. She grabbed at her phone. “Let me just ask Kelly to keep an eye on Liz a little longer.”

Lena hated flying. It was one of those innovations mankind was so proud of but Lena hated it. She hated it since the day she had crossed an ocean in Lionel’s jet because her mom had died and she had to switch family. The flight had been disturbed by turbulence, reflecting Lena’s mind at the time. Since then, she had avoided business trips and taking a plane to go on vacation as much as possible. Even if flying with Kara was fun sometimes, she preferred to stay with her feet on the ground.

She held her hands out to Kara and waited for her to take them. They weren’t flying to Ireland. Lena was magically transporting them there. They had relocated to Lena’s loft after leaving Liz in the good hands of Kelly and Alex for the afternoon. The blond clasped her strong hands in hers and Lena tried not to think about how much she appreciated the contact. She focused on their destination instead and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose.

Gloomy cave, dark green forests, humid weather, and welcoming people. Musky perfume, daisies, and tulips in a vase. Rosemary and thyme smells, violet and lavender thrown in a boiling cauldron. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, letting herself be enveloped by the atmosphere of what she remembered the cave to be.

A swift noise was heard and when Lena opened her eyes again, they were just in front of Florence’s cave, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees. The fresh summer breeze was shuffling in their hair. The sun radiating down on them.

Kara pulled away immediately. “Uh I’m gonna be sick.” She moaned, clinging her stomach. Lena scrunched up her face. She had wished Kara wouldn’t be affected by the transportation. “Sorry, it happens the first few times.”

“A warning would have been nice.” The blond grumbled between heavy exhales. “Argh, I’m never sick, Lena. Why do I feel that way?”

“Because it’s magic and you’re vulnerable to magic?” The brunette winced. Kara groaned back. She leaned on a tree, her forehead directly on the trunk, possibly to try to cool her head.

Lena remembered seeing Kara getting sick once and it wasn’t pretty. The blond had solar flared, using too much of her energy fighting too many enemies in a short amount of time. She had eaten too many dumplings for a normal being the day before and ended up throwing up all day long. She had been exhausted and miserable. The whole experience had just been too much. Once her stomach had gotten back to normal, she had sworn to never eat that much again. Just to accept Brainy’s pizza challenge two days later. Lena knew Kara would be fine. The nausea should last several minutes, not more.

“Come on in, it’s cooler inside.” Lena showed the cave’s entry. She wasn’t sure what to expect of Florence, seeing they were showing up unannounced but it was important. It was a magic matter, Florence wouldn’t push them away.

“In there?” Kara asked suspiciously. “It looked like it’ll crumble once we’ll have a foot in.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “Nobody would guess you’re scared of an old lady in a cave.”

She walked in, not waiting for Kara. She didn’t hear her complain about small spaces and claustrophobia. What she heard instead were Latin incantations. When they put step in the chamber inside the cave, Florence was casting a spell. A protection spell if Lena recalled the words right. She threw a glance to Kara. The blond was mesmerized, her mouth agape, the light of the white candles reflecting in her eyes. Lena looked down with a slight smirk. She knew Kara would love it here.

They waited for Florence to finish her spell. A barrier spread itself around them in the form of a blue transparent shield. Lena heard Kara gasp. When Florence turned her eyes on them, it wasn’t surprise or disbelief in her eyes. Just anticipation.

“I was waiting for you.” Florence said, walking to Lena to embrace her lightly. Lena almost forgot how obsessed her mentor was with the new crystal ball she had gifted her for Christmas.

“We have questions.” Lena cut directly to business. She pulled out the folded paper with the translation out of her back pocket. “Do you know anything about this?”

The woman looked at the paper with a frown. “A chosen one with great power.” Florence started to read aloud. “A hero to protect them all. The Other rising to push the Unique to the brink of Fate and, in the ashes of the Earth, conquer or perish with the rest of humanity.”

Lena shivered, hearing the words being expelled so religiously. Kara put a hand on her shoulder. Lena looked aside to give her a reassuring smile, even if she knew the beating of her heart was probably betraying her.

“I have no idea what this is about. It sounds like a prophecy.” Florence said after a while. Lena watched her eyes traveling on the paper.

“Liz said it. We put her under a scan to do some tests. The rays made her react. She was in a trance and she said that in Gaelic.” Lena explained, a bit of despair in her voice. She needed Florence to have an explanation, or a lead, anything.

The woman nodded thoughtfully, her finger on her chin. She paced a bit around the stele in the middle of the chamber. “Did you ask your mother if she knew anything?” The knowing tone wasn’t lost in Lena’s ears. She couldn’t contact her mother. All her attempts had led nowhere.

“You know the answer to that.”

“Well, I think it’s time you try it again. I remember she was really into this kind of legends. She had found an old book in her house. It was your great grandmother’s, I think. It was full of it. Stories with mythical creatures. Legends about your ancestors battling evil. I’m sure you’ll find your answers there. Or she can give them to you.” Florence shrugged.

Lena remembered the amount of old furniture in the attic at home. The books and the vials and the weird jars covered with dust. It was too painful to go through it though. Everything was soaked with her mother’s energy. It was even more painful than to try to contact her through a session and never succeed.

“I’ll try the Ouija first.” Lena heard Kara’s head turn towards her in a crack. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll go through her things in the attic. But only if it doesn’t work.” She warned with a pointed finger. Florence hummed and smiled.

“I’m sure it will.” She turned to Kara then. “Now, if you want to, I can read the lines of your hand.”

Kara gasped again. Lena grabbed Florence’s hand before she could touch Kara’s. “No, thanks. We’re in a hurry.” The last thing she needed was Kara freaking out about her future. Lena didn’t even want to know if she was part of it. She intertwined her fingers through the blonde’s.

“We are?” Kara asked, looking puzzled and completely out of her territory. “Yes.” Lena hissed. She pulled on her hand to exit the cave. “Bye, Florence.”

“Goodbye, Lena. Kisses to the little one!” Florence said in a chuckle. Lena rolled her eyes. The old owl knew exactly what she was doing.

Now, to next step. She had to contact her mother.

“Did you say Ouija, back there?” Kara asked immediately after they appeared in the middle of Lena’s living room.

“I did.” Lena replied, not taking the time to explain further. It was the middle of the day already and she wasn’t sure she would be able to establish a contact before the night. Once the night fallen, contacting the dead was dangerous and unpredictable. Lena had to make it quick. She walked quickly in her room to retrieve her Ouija board from the back of her dressing room and came back in the living room with it under her arm. She found Kara spread out on the couch. All in her Supergirl glory, the blond looked pale and completely washed out, slumped with her legs wide open. Thanks whoever inventing the pants.

“Are you okay?”

“I hate magical transport. It looked way cooler in Harry Potter.” Kara grumbled, an arm over her eyes. Lena chuckled. She liked how dramatic Kara could be sometimes. It reminded her of Liz. Speaking of their daughter…

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but I think you should go pick Liz and keep her out of here for the rest of the day. I need to focus and I don’t know how much time I’ll need.” Lena was occupied putting the Ouija board on her kitchen counter and lighting up white and red candles around it, so she missed Kara’s surprised expression. She heard her stand up in a groan though. As if she was truly in pain.

“You’re going to do this here? It’s not dangerous or something?” The blond asked, perching above her shoulder to watch what she was doing.

“I don’t have a secret cabin on the hands. Where do you want me to do this?”

“I don’t know.” Kara shrugged. “There’s still the Tower or the satellite but I’m not sure it’ll work if your magic comes from the elements. You could go back to your house in Ireland in a puff.” She said, mimicking the disappearance of a magician with a flourish of her hands.

It had been an implicit understanding when Lena had started using magic. The elements were what fed her magic. She needed to be close to nature if she wanted to cast a spell. She had to use natural and fresh ingredients to make potions and not simply use the rosemary from the kitchen. It didn’t work like that. She had to be surrounded by nature to make it work. But it was true only for most parts. Casting spells and making potions were about using nature and shaping it to do whatever we wanted from it, keeping in mind that it always had a cost. Speaking to the dead wasn’t natural. It was walking a thin line between life and death, between good and evil. It called for patience and peaceful mind. All of which Lena didn’t really have at the moment.

“I need a calm place. There’s always someone coming in and out of the Tower. And you’re right about the satellite. I don’t think it’ll work. It will be hard enough. I’ll stay here, it’s fine. Just keep Liz away.” She didn’t want to tell Kara she couldn’t really use a Ouija in her house because it would call too much spirits. The blond seemed satisfied with the few explanations and agreed.

“I’ll go get Liz and we’ll go to the aquarium or something. Is she allergic to anything?” She asked with earnest eyes. Lena smirked. Liz didn’t have allergies, or better, she never was sick. At all. “She’s half Kryptonian, Kara.”

“Right. Better be safe.” She shrugged, her hands fidgeting. “You’re sure I can take her wherever I want? You won’t worry your eyes out?”

Lena rolled her eyes. “No, I trust you with her, and you said it yourself. She couldn’t be safer with anyone else.” She may seem over-protective with Liz sometimes but she knew Kara would never hurt her intentionally. Liz was always stuck to her or very close at least but Lena had to let her be. It wasn’t healthy.

“Just be careful, okay?” Kara said while squeezing her shoulder. These were the same last words Lena had said to Dick before the incident. A ball of nerves came back in her stomach. She hoped he was okay. She would visit him later.

“Don’t worry. It’s not my first try.” She replied to Kara with a reassuring smile. The blond nodded and, with a last longing look and a second squeeze to Lena’s shoulder this time, she left by the balcony.

With that, Lena turned back to the board and started to list off the steps in her mind. She went back to her room to retrieve a pen and a sheet of paper. Putting them next to the board, she pushed away the stool and walked in front of it. Nerves were starting to rise underneath her skin. She shuffled her fingers a bit. It wasn’t that horrible. She had done it many times. It had only worked once but it never meant it wouldn’t work now.

She eyed the wooden board with suspicious eyes, the letters glaring back at her as if anything could pull out of it. Lena didn’t like the idea of bothering the spirits. They were dead for a reason and there were multiple examples in movies to explain why it never was a good idea to bother them. There was always a bargain too and usually - Lena took this experience from the two times she had tried to summon her mother - the bargain was energy. The energy felt in the real world was lacking in the spiritual one. That was what you would lose by dying. The energy. Or magic, or life. It was called different whether you were religious or not, believing in magic or not. It was the same entity though. The thing that got you running.

But Lena had to do this sacrifice if she wanted answers. It wasn’t for herself anymore. It wasn’t about her missing the presence of her mother. It wasn’t about her abduction. It was about Liz talking a language she never possibly could have learned and having glowing eyes and an energy so much more powerful than her mothers, who were already pretty powerful themselves. It was about being frightened for her. Frightened enough to do whatever it took.

Fear had a strong impulse. You wouldn’t know really what fear was before having a child. Parenting was always, always, mixed with fear. One wouldn’t go without the other. It wasn’t about love first and fear as second. No, fear was first. Because the first phrase crossing Lena’s mind every morning wasn’t “I love my daughter very much”. It was always “I hope she’s okay.” Because the fear of Liz being sick or unhappy or upset for any reason would cause her more stress and fear than any other thought she could have about herself. It was always about putting Liz first. Fearing she would hurt herself, that anybody in any way possible would cause her harm voluntarily or not. Fear was the only reason she decided to bother the spirit for the third time in her life.

Lena inhaled deeply through her nose, exhaled slowly through her mouth, placed her hands on each side of the board and closed her eyes. Mentally, she projected her energy all around the room, throwing it against the walls, waves after waves. She felt it pulsing through her fingers, escaping the cage of her body, and being freed. It was the easy part. Now she had to imagine a door opening. To think about who she wanted to walk through it.

Lena had some memories of her mother. Really old blurry ones but some still. She remembered the smell of her skin when she would burry herself in her chest. The color of eyes, the same shade as hers she could see every day in the mirror. The sound of her voice when she told her stories before going to bed. The sound of her screams when she was drowning in the lake behind the O’Connelly’s farm.

Lena opened her eyes in a gasp, pulling her hands away from the board, electrified. Her magic came back in her like a thin wire of energy tangling up in the middle of her chest. She tried to reign the energy back in, to tidy it up and spread it in her limbs with balance and calm. She took a deep breath, tried to force her heart in an even beating. Alright, back to square one.

She inhaled again, exhaled, closed her eyes then placed her hands back on the board. Her mother died in horrible circumstances, she knew it. She was fine with it. Her grief had been over a long time ago. She replaced her mother’s voice in happy memories. Ones in which they were laughing together, playing in the gardens, singing songs in the middle of the living room or while baking a chocolate cake.

In Lena’s mind, her mother was the definition of love. She was conscious she couldn’t be impartial and really trust her memories because she was only a child but she could trust her instinct. Her guts. And deep down in her heart, Lena knew her mother was as loving as it was expected from her. As loving as Lena hoped to be with Liz. Her mother had taught her how to walk, how to eat properly, how to read, how to recognize the birds in the trees. She had told her an immeasurable amount of time how much she loved her. She had taught her how to be a good mother. Lena couldn’t say the same from the Luthors. Lillian had only told her she loved her when she was on her deathbed and, even if Lena found it moving at the time, she couldn’t stop thinking it wasn’t entirely a selfless gesture. Lillian wanted redemption for her soul. That was all. Actually, Lillian had only taught her all the things a parent shouldn’t do.

But Lena couldn’t say she hadn’t been loved. It was more the fact that whether she accepted to be loved or not. Her eyes still closed, her mind drifted to her past relationships. James had been fine. He was attentive and honest. Trustworthy and faithful, which wasn’t always the case for men who were in his position. He was never trying to diminish her success or feeling wounded in his pride because she was a woman in a position of power. He accepted her partly as she was, stubborn and loving selfishly sometimes. She just never accepted he could risk his life without asking for her opinion. She didn’t like the fact she couldn’t control him and so he was right to leave. She couldn’t control the ones she loved. It wasn’t a good way to love somebody. Lena knew it now. She also knew she owned her protectiveness and need of control to Jack.

The man had been her first love. The first to crack her walls and make her realize she was so much more than just a last name. And he was ambitious for them both. Hungry for a better life. Purposeful with dreams so huge they were always meant to overwhelm the world. He lost himself though. But she lost him first. He wanted her to love him in a way she never could. With all her heart and trust. How many times he had wished Lena could tell him all her fears. And she never confessed one. Never said how scared she was of the future. How scared she was to let him guide them both towards a fate he was sure they were destined to. She accepted instead. To be put on board with projects after projects. Going to the same university, taking the same classes, living in the same apartment. It was fine, for most of it. Lena liked engineering and she wanted to cure cancer. But her last name, all in itself, was calling her to do other things. To take back a company, to fix her brother’s mess.

Knowing how her life went by after that, Lena knew now she was kind of destined to move to National City, just like Jack’s fate was to be eaten away by his own ambition. She couldn’t help but miss him though. She missed her friend and his good heart and his witty remarks and his British accent. She could have used his advice on how to deal with Kara and Liz. Or just to talk. Simply talk. Tell him what her life had been. What happened since he left. How she missed his smart charming face.

“Lena?”

Lena startled and opened her eyes brusquely, the light in the room piercing her pupils. The sun was setting and shades of orange and red were flowing through the windows. She didn’t know how much time had passed since she started, but it must have been close to an hour at least.

“Lena?” The deep voice said again and she turned around instantly. There. Right there. In the middle of the living room, between the couch and the coffee table. Was Jack. Her brows went high on her forehead and she threw a glance back to the board. Summoning people with a Ouija board wasn’t exactly calling them back to life momentarily. Lena glanced back to Jack who was smiling. She tilted her head suspiciously.

“What are you doing here?”

“You wanted to see me.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I’m pretty sure you did or I wouldn’t be here.”

Lena recalled her last thoughts. The emotions she was feeling deep in her heart. The missing and the longing of an old-time friend. She sighed. Of course, magic wouldn’t go the way she wanted it to. The last time she had succeeded at summoning a dead spirit, Lionel showed up instead of her mother. She was starting to think her mother didn’t want to talk to her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to call you.” She stammered. Bothering the spirits was still unforgivable when it wasn’t the right spirit you bothered. She took a step, squinting her eyes to really look at him. “Is that really you?”

Jack was wearing the same attire she had seen him last in. His form was a bit transparent, showing his soul was there but not his body envelope. He smiled again with all his teeth and Lena remembered suddenly how it felt to be the one receiving that smile. She smiled back. It was him.

“I know you weren’t expecting me. Your mother hears you but you never seem to open the door large enough for her.” Jack explained in a compassionate voice. He was in contact with her mother. Quickly, an entire other perspective of the world opened in Lena’s mind. There was a world outside of this one. She had never had the possibility to talk about it with a spirit but now, her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know more.

“You know my mother?”

“I do. She told me to tell you she follows you everywhere. She’s very proud of you.”

Lena felt a prying hand clutching hard around her heart. It was always the same sensation when the topic of her mother was brought. With glistening eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. Why, out of any possibilities, was it Jack who could talk to her?

“I feel her, sometimes. When I’m not…” She trailed off, impossible for her to express how it felt. When she was not okay, when she had doubts, Lena could feel her mother. A light perfume in the room. A brush of fingers on her cheek. It happened multiple times, especially in the last seven years. Since Lena discovered she was a witch. She knew it was her without being a hundred percent certain. It just felt reassuring and comforting. She just knew.

“Is she here now?” She asked hopefully but her smile instantly disappeared as Jack shook his head.

“No, you only opened the door for me.”

“But I need her help.” Lena frowned.

“You might need my help too without knowing it.” He shrugged. “You should hurry, though. I don’t have a lot of time.”

Lena thought about that, thought about her earlier reflections. She decided to use the Ouija board to summon her mother to have answers about the prophecy Liz had pronounced.

“I don’t know how you can help me. I was trying to call my mother because we have questions about a prophecy my daughter pronounced the other day. I don’t think you know much about witchcraft.”

Jack chuckled a bit, the ghostly sound reverberating against the walls in a chilling way. “No, I don’t. You know I don’t believe in that. But congrats on your daughter. I know you’re doing a great job with her.”

A proud smile grew on Lena’s face. She would never be ashamed of the pride that spread in her body when people talked about Liz. “Thanks, I guess.”

There was a bit of silence. Jack tilted his head on the side with some kind of mischief in his eyes. “You know, I always thought you’d be a good mom.”

Lena nodded thoughtfully. They had talked a lot about their future. Marriage. Children. Legacy. Jack wanted a big family. Being an only child, he wanted his children to know the values of fraternity and family. Lena didn’t know what she wanted at the time. It always felt too soon, too far away in time to think about it. Then, after graduation, after all the crimes Lex had committed, she wasn’t sure she wanted to bring a child in this mess. To put the weight of the Luthors’ name on so small shoulders. She wasn’t sure she was cut for the role. Doubts of not being able to be a good parent because of how she was raised. And how could she know how to be a mother when her own mom passed away so soon? Who was she supposed to take advice from? Who would take the responsibility to bring another Luthor in this world with her? Jack was ready to accept that. But Lena never was. Not with him.

“You had all these expectations but I couldn’t…” She exhaled in a shaky breath and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “It wasn’t right to me, Jack. I’m sorry I made you believe we were on the same page.” The tears in her eyes threatened to fall but she kept them at bay.

“Oh, I knew.” He replied with amusement in his voice but his serious expression betrayed his emotions. “I just didn’t want to see it. But now I know I wasn’t it for you, Lena. That’s fine. You were my last love. I’m glad I could be with you one last time before it was over.”

Lena sniffled loudly and rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand. Jack was making it awfully difficult for her not to break down.

“Liz is wonderful by the way.”

Lena looked up to meet his soft eyes full of affection. “You see her?” She wondered in a whisper.

“We can see everything. Sometimes we’re blocked by magical barriers but most of the time, we can. Be present everywhere all at once. We just can’t act. Touch, feel, it’s not… We can’t. But I see you with her. She’s as clever as you. I see you with Kara too.” He seemed to want to take a step ahead, be closer to her, but without succeeding. His soul was stuck to its place. “I know you’re in love with her.” Jack declared softly.

Lena’s cheeks reddened a bit. She remembered the time Jack and Kara had met. How Kara had only her best interests at heart and wanted to protect her at all costs. A small smile grew back on her face. Yes, she was desperately in love with her. Jack wasn’t the first to notice it. He wasn’t the first to talk to her about it that day.

“I am.” She admitted, swallowing the lump in her throat. “But with Liz, we can’t…”

“She loves you too.” Jack interrupted her before she could utter her lame usual excuses out. She shut her mouth in a clack. Kara loved her. Lena knew that too. They just couldn’t act on it. It was too risky. Too scary. Too demanding.

“I know.” She sighed heavily. Her arms came up to circle herself in a shield of flesh and bones. A shiver irrupted on her skin. The atmosphere had become chilly suddenly.

“You kept the child. You want her. You want them.” He hammered with conviction. “Give her a chance.”

The tears finally fell and glided on Lena’s cheeks. “I can’t. What if…” She hiccuped in a rare moment of vulnerability. “What if it doesn’t work? What if she’s too good for me? I hurt her so much, Jack. I don’t know how to fix it.”

“It will work, Lena. You know it, deep in yourself. You deserve it. You deserve to be loved. Trust her. Let her love you.” It was his last words before vanishing. The last echoes that remained in the room after Jack was gone. Trust her. Let her love you.

Her heart was pounding in her ears. Her breaths were coming shortly, heavily. With Jack gone, it seemed Lena had regained the ability to breathe properly. What was that? She brushed a hand through her hair. As she walked around the kitchen island to retrieve a tissue on the counter, she threw cautious glances to the Ouija board as if anybody could walk out of it now.

Remembering she still had to close the door to the spirit world, she took her place back in front of the board and closed her eyes. She breathed in and out, in and out, focusing on the energy in room, attracting it back towards herself, feeling it through her limbs, and spreading it back in her body.

Once all her energy back in her, Lena looked around the room helplessly. She didn’t have her answers, and better, she had even more questions. Why was Jack the one who appeared? How could he know so much? Why did he feel like he had to tell her all this? Everybody kept talking to her about Kara, about their relationship as if they knew anything about them. It wasn’t that easy. There were hurt and anger and love and resentment, all mixed up between them. Lena never felt like she deserved Kara as a friend. How could she think anything more? They were meant to stay friends. She could settle for that much. The rest was too terrifying. Especially since they didn’t know what happened to her yet or how Liz became their daughter.

With Jack’s soul vanished, Lena realized maybe the spirits knew about what happened to her. Maybe Jack or her mother were with her the whole time she was in that bunker. Shaking her head, she gave up on the idea as suddenly as it came. There was a chance the Platinum Kryptonite would reveal enough. If she didn’t have her answers then, she would definitely ask the spirits again. But for now, if she could get her answers thanks to the memories stuck in the gem, she would settle for that. It was better not to bother the spirits too often.

Putting the Ouija board back in her wardrobe, Lena thought about what she could do next. She didn’t get the answers she was looking for concerning the prophecy. She still didn’t know what was happening with Liz. The last and only thing that could possibly help her was in the attic of her family house in Ireland.

She looked at her watch with a sigh. It was 5 p.m.. Lena still had time before Kara and Liz would come back. Without really thinking clearly, she focused on a place she knew by heart. She needed a pick-me-up before Liz would come home and what better way to cheer spirits up than by visiting a friend?

Lena Luthor didn’t have a lot of friends. Tess Walsh, her alter ego living in Ireland, had some but it was mostly to keep up appearances. Lena Luthor could count on her hands the number of friends she had. Thanks to trust issues, she could reduce her closest friends, the ones she would go to, the ones she would take advice from, to two.

Andrea, her lifelong friend, was one of them. Despite their old rivalry and Andrea’s betrayal, they kept their friendship intact during the years. Andrea, just like Sam, helped keep Lena’s whereabouts a secret and invested in their friendship more than she ever had before. She wanted to make amends, to show Lena she was on her side again and for good.

Sam was the other one. They had been colleagues first but became friends quickly. Sam was loyal and honest, which were two qualities Lena seemed to be lacking in her close circle. After all they have been through, all the Reign debacle, Lena promised Sam could always count on her. And Sam stayed on her side throughout the years too. She was Lena’s best friend, her associate too, and Liz’s godmother because it was obvious. And the one who Lena would go to when she was invaded by doubts and stress.

Sam was calmly analyzing a contract when Lena appeared right in the middle of her office in Metropolis. She raised her eyebrows and looked Lena up and down in disbelief. It made Lena self-conscious and slightly ashamed to appear out of nowhere like that. But she needed to talk to someone about the crazy things goings on and she couldn’t do it with Alex, Kelly, or Nia anymore. They didn’t have the whole perspective. Not like Sam had.

“Hi, I was just thinking you were late for our weekly meeting.” Sam said ironically while standing up from her chair.

Lena shrugged. “Sorry, I thought you’d prefer to skip the whole knocking-on-the-door stuff.”

Sam huffed but embraced Lena in a hug, nonetheless. “You’re lucky I missed you.”

“Likewise. It’s been what? Three months?” Lena scrunched up her nose, ready for the light reproach.

“Yeah! How have you been? How’s Liz?” Sam rushed out, guiding her to the couch in the corner of the room.

“We’ve been… good. A lot happened.”

Sam sat next to her and leaned on her knees with her elbows, curiosity lighting her eyes. She was all ears. So Lena told her everything. From the day Liz started to show Kryptonian abilities, passing by her accident with the little boy in the park and how frightened her daughter had been, to the day Lena decided to go back to National City to tell everything to Kara and find a solution.

“Wow. You weren’t lying. It’s a lot.” Sam replied in a small chuckle. She looked thoughtful for a minute. “How has it been with Kara? How did she take the news?” She asked cautiously, standing up to get them two glasses of water.

“Not as bad as I expected, you know.” Lena shrugged. “Kara is Kara. She was angry at first, but it lasted two seconds. Then she rose to the occasion and is currently…” She paused, glancing at her watch again. “Visiting National City’s aquarium with Liz.” It still felt surreal to her. Liz and Kara were becoming closer and Lena was glad to see Kara liked her new role very much.

“Oh, so she took it well. And with you? As charming as ever?”

Lena tilted her head on the side without quitting Sam’s deep brown eyes. “What do you mean?”

Her friend rolled her eyes so dramatically it made Lena laugh. “Don’t play the fool with me, Lena.” She warned playfully.

“It’s fine.” Lena shrugged. She looked down at her shoes. “Kara is… Kara.” She repeated with more intensity. Sam snorted.

“You got it bad.” She shook her head, a large smile on her face. “You didn’t tell her yet, didn’t you?”

Lena groaned internally. “Not you too.” She grumbled. “This is the third time I have this discussion today. I’m here to have a good talk with my friend because the last days have been really depressing. So please don’t tell me what I should do. I already know.”

Sam rose two hands but laughed a bit. “Okay, I won’t say anything. I’ll let you vent about all the weird stuff happening in your life then.”

Lena rolled her eye. “I don’t want to bother you with everything. They’re all just so… Cautious with me as if I could break down in a second. I just need to have a discussion with someone who’s in my corner.”

“I’m sure Kara wants to be in your corner too.” Sam said, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Lena shoved her away, laughing. “Stop! This isn’t funny.” She missed their friendship so bad.

“I’m not joking. I remember how you used to talk about her when I was with you in Ireland. I’ve never heard you talk about anyone that way so I’m curious. Tell me, is she still the same as seven years ago?”

Just thinking about Kara made the butterflies flutter in her chest again. As pathetic as it sounded, Lena couldn’t help but be resumed as a speechless and blushing mess when she let herself think about Kara. Her mind drifted instantly to all the things Kara had done for her, all the times she had saved her life. All the times she took her in her strong arms and flew away with a hand on her thigh and the other on her waist. And now those memories were joined by more recent ones, with Liz in the center and Kara being freshly thrown into motherhood and succeeding wonderfully.

Lena sighed dreamily. “Well, she’s even better. She’s annoyingly kind and sweet and ready to help all the time. She likes to talk to Liz and always lowers her tone with her. They have the same love for animals and drawings and… ” Lena paused there to glance at Sam who, apparently, had decided to let her rant. She shook her head to clear her mind. She could at least try to preserve the rest of her dignity so she decided to steer the discussion towards their daughter. “Liz loves her already. She’s so patient and understanding and she gives her confidence to be at ease in her own skin which is…” Lena cleared her throat. “Everything. She teaches Liz everything she can, she shares stories and advice. I’ve never seen her interact with children on that level before. It’s so endearing and charming. It’s nice to share the responsibilities too.” She stopped her vomit of compliments towards Kara and took a large gulp of her water, suddenly very thirsty.

Sam was observing her, a mischievous smile spreading very slowly on her lips. She laughed then. Bluntly and freely. Lena smiled and prepared herself for the mocking remarks.

“I wasn’t expecting that much.” Sam finally said, her eyes still smiling for her. “You never talk that much. About anyone.”

Lena just shrugged one shoulder, an easy smile on her face. “You asked for it.”

“Yeah, I know, I mean I didn’t expect you to be this…” Sam formed a flourish of fingers towards her face. “Disgustingly in love.”

Lena scoffed while crossing her legs and arms in a defense mechanism. “You asked.” She repeated. “You already knew anyway.” She added, brushing nonexistent dust on her pants.

“I know.” Sam replied with the same conviction. “I’m happy for you. She seems to be on the same page.”

Lena frowned. She replayed her earlier rant in her mind quickly. How could Sam guess that? “What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on, Lena! You’re not that oblivious, I know you! Kara is so into you, she worships the ground you walk on.”

Lena rolled her eyes again but the image was enough to make her smile. Kara, in Supergirl attire, strong enough to lift a building but weak for a Luthor. “Stop it, she doesn’t.” She argued with a semblance of conviction but her smile betrayed her.

“She so does!” Sam exclaimed. “She always has been! How many times did she save you?”

“She does it for everyone.” Lena dismissed the argument. Sam cocked an eyebrow. “She flew to Dublin to bring you scones.”

“She wanted to be forgiven!” Lena argued, uncrossing her legs quickly. “I don’t care, it’s a sign!” Sam exclaimed back.

Lena huffed. “It’s not necessary to try. It’s doomed to fail.” She grumbled, crossing her arms back and almost, almost, pouting. Her admission made Sam laugh in victory. “Now, we’re speaking! Though I knew you with more confidence in yourself, honey.”

Lena looked up to meet her eyes. It wasn’t a joke to her. Everybody seemed to know what was going on between Kara and her and thought they just had to make the first steps but it wasn’t that simple. “No, Sam, you don’t understand. It can’t work.”

Sam frowned. “Why not? You’re good together. You always were.”

Lena shook her head dismissively. “Because she’s Kara and I’m me.” Sam groaned, out of frustration or because maybe she was losing patience, Lena didn’t know.

“Is it the old Super vs Luthor thing? Because you’re totally not like your brother and she’s so much hotter than her cousin.”

“Hey!” Lena reacted immediately with a threatening finger. “Careful!”

Sam lifted her hands in surrender (again). “Just saying Lois didn’t choose the best of them.”

Lena rolled her eyes but smirked because she totally agreed but couldn’t say so. She learned to be careful, knowing beings with superhearing were walking on Earth. “I’m sure she’s just fine. Besides, they have children now so.” She shrugged. Superman wasn’t that bad, just very conservative.

“Good for them but don’t change the topic.” Sam replied with a knowing smile, pointing her finger at Lena. The brunette groaned. Sam knew her too well.

“I told you there’s nothing to talk about. It can’t happen. She’s a superhero always splitting her time in between countries. I’m just old boring little human me and I have a daughter now. I can’t even tell Liz her mom will be home every night because I’m not sure of it.” Lena rose her arms in annoyance.

Sam let the silence last. She tilted her head and analyzed Lena a bit. It made her self-conscious again as if Sam could crack all her walls and see behind them. “Is it really the problem? She asked.

There were so many excuses Lena used to tell herself but she had settled on these ones for now. She knew it wasn’t that impossible for them to make it work. She could still live in Ireland and see Kara and the others every day. Liz would probably not care about Kara coming in and out of the house because she knew what she was doing. No, the reasons were deeper than that, buried under layers of trust issues and coping mechanisms and a huge amount of denial.

“Of course it is! Why?” Lena replied, her voice going higher.

Sam scoffed. “Because it sure sounds like an excuse.”

“Argh, not you now.” Lena dismissed with a flourish of a hand and an eye roll. Sam tilted her head again, a smirk spreading on her lips. Lena didn’t like that face on Sam. It meant trouble.

“Heard that somewhere before too?” Sam asked.

Lena shrugged. “Alex...” She didn’t have to tell more. Alex had stayed as stubborn and forward as she used to be. Sam just laughed. “She must be right, you know. I saw you two together and I can tell you’re not very subtle with your feelings.”

Lena huffed in frustration. She was tired of this discussion. Why was everybody trying to make her talk? “It’s just… what if it doesn’t work? Liz will be sad and disturbed. I’ll be heartbroken. What’s the worth?”

Sam leaned closer and Lena knew she was about to be truthful and honest. “It’ll never work if you never try in the first place.” She said softly. “I know you’re scared…” Lena scoffed but Sam gave her a pointed look. “You are scared and it’s okay.” She stressed. “But you can only know by trying. And I’m sure you already can think about one or two reasons why Kara’s worth it.” She winked and stood up, putting an end to their conversation. Lena didn’t know what to add anyway. Why was everybody telling her the same things?

“I’ll leave you to work.” Lena stammered while standing. Sam nodded and hugged her close. “Give me a call tomorrow or the day after? Ruby will be home and I’m sure she would be happy to hear from you.”

Lena agreed. “I will. She sent us a post card for Liz’s birthday. She seemed to like it at Columbia.”

“She does! We miss each other, but you know…” Sam shrugged with a sad face. “It’s life. She has to live her own adventures.”

Lena rubbed Sam’s arms in a reassuring gesture. She couldn’t even fathom what it would be like to be separated from Liz like that. She could understand Sam’s anxiety. “It’s for the better. She comes home at least.”

“Yeah, I trust her. She’s a good girl.”

They smiled softly at each other. Sam took Lena one last time in her arms. “Okay, now go, you witch.” She smirked. Lena laughed and nodded. She took three steps back then focused on her destination. A wink and puff later, she was back in her apartment.

The night had fallen. The apartment was dark and Lena rushed to the windows to close them before lighting the lights on. With a sigh, she sat on the couch ungracefully. Her heart felt lighter and seeing Sam had always the effect of cheering her up but she still had so much to think about. They didn’t have any information on the prophecy. They didn’t know who decided to play God seven years ago. And Lena didn’t know if she should tell Kara she loved her or not.

As the front door opened and slammed on the wall, Liz’s rapid footsteps echoing on the linoleum, Lena put herself together and braced herself for the little fire cracker who was about to crash in her.

“Mom!” Liz shouted excitedly. She rushed in her arms. Lena embraced her easily and pulled her against her chest. “It was awesome! We saw jellyfishes and clown fishes and I even touched a ray!”

Lena couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on her face. Liz was so happy. “Really? How was it like?”

Liz scrunched up her face in disgust. “Weird.” She said first but then her face lighted up again. “But Kara said they were sharks. Did you know? Can we have one?”

Lena heard Kara laugh from being her so she stood up with Liz in her arms and walked in the kitchen. The weight in her arms and the warmth Liz was emitting were both reassuring to Lena. Liz had been gone since morning and she had missed her a lot.

“We’ll think about that.” She replied to Liz. She turned to Kara. “How did it go?”

“Wonderfully. She’s very curious about everything.” Kara smiled, tickling Liz in her ribs. The girl giggled. “We ate ice cream and learned a lot of things. She may crash at one point. She was rubbing at her eyes on the road back.”

Lena looked at Liz and took on the lazy smile on her daughter’s face. Liz was exhausted but she had fun. “Good. Bath, dinner, and bed, then. What do you say? Want to stay for dinner?”

“Yes.” Kara agreed easily. “I can’t wait to hear what you discovered.”

As she walked to the bathroom with Liz still in her arms, Lena opened wide eyes. It wasn’t exactly why she invited Kara but… Be it. She could still pass some time with Kara. Innocently.

“I’ll order pizza.” Kara shouted from the kitchen. Lena agreed with a shout back. Pizza almost felt like old times.

With full bellies and the aquarium adventures put away, Lena and Kara were relaxing on the couch, with Liz in her pj’s in between them, heavily leaning on Lena, her head on her mother’s thigh, her eyes fighting the urge to close themselves because she wanted to watch the end of Moana but Lena’s fingers in her hair were so hard to resist to. Snowflake was sleeping in a ball against Liz’s belly. Lena was content to stay just like that, comfortable and warm, listening to Disney songs but she knew they had to talk about what she discovered during the day. Or more so the lack of discoveries. She could feel Kara’s gaze drifting on her from time to time.

It was still weird to her not to see Kara readjusting her glasses every time she was nervous. Instead, Kara would quickly avert her gaze when Lena would stare back and fake staring at some dust on the floor. She hadn’t changed, Lena realized. Kara was till as nervous and sometimes flustered around her. It was astonishing. Because Kara, or more so her alter ego, represented such an image of power and confidence that it was interesting to watch her being reduced to a stutter mess when she was nervous or to see her struggle just like any other person.

The next time it happened, though, Lena decided to clear her throat, causing Kara’s gaze to meet hers. She smiled softly, trying to reassure Kara as much as she could. She knew they had to talk about her try at contacting her mother but she couldn’t stop thinking they should talk about what transpired earlier between them too. Maybe it was her talk with Dick. Maybe it was her talk with Jack and then with Sam. Maybe it was just about time she realized they were all right. But Lena couldn’t. It was too hard to even think about it. About the possibilities for them. Of them.

“Did you have any success with the… thing?” Kara asked. She eyed Liz and shook her head as a sign for Lena to know the girl wasn’t sleeping.

Lena thought back to her discussion with Jack, the emotions rolling around in her stomach. Her whole day had been filled with emotional, strange, honest conversations. She could skip some details and it wouldn’t be lying, right? “No. It didn’t work. I’ll have to go back home and rummage through my mother’s thing to find the book Florence talked about.” She said, brushing her fingers delicately through Liz’s hair.

“I can help if you want.” Kara shrugged in the corner of her eyes. Liz pushed up on an elbow and turned around in a weird angle to look at Lena.

“We’re going home?” She asked with hopeful eyes. Lena deflated a bit. She hadn’t planned to take Liz with her. She had planned to teleport in her house, find the book and come back in an hour time more or less.

“I’ll go home but I don’t think you should come.” She replied and immediately, hope disappeared from Liz’s face.

“But I miss my toys.” Liz pouted. Kara chuckled and Lena knew why. It was typically her pout on Liz’s face and the girl was so cute it was impossible for anybody to say no to that face. Lena rolled her eyes then looked at Kara who shrugged but smiled.

“I’ll be happy to see where you both live.”

The statement was simple but it was asking a lot. It was including Kara in their life, bringing her in the house Liz and herself had shared alone for six years. Bringing her between the walls where so many memories were impregnated. Bringing her in a house so old it was still guarding all the energy of her ancestors.

“You’re sure? It’s a witch house, you may feel weak.” Lena smirked. It was Kara’s turn to roll her eyes. “I can deal with that. I care about my wealth and you care about that book. We need to know what’s happening anyway.”

“So we’re going home?” Liz asked again, shuffling on the couch causing the cat to flee and spread its legs lazily on the carpet.

“Alright, yes. We’ll go tomorrow.” Lena accepted and Liz squealed, clapping her hands. “But!”  Lena warned with one finger. “You have to go to sleep now, it’s getting late.”

Liz huffed and crossed her arms in a dramatic way that made Kara chuckled. The blond leaned across the couch, grabbed Liz on both sides of her chest and pulled her on her lap, tickling her. The girl squealed again and tried to fight Kara off her. Lena was caught up in the image. Liz was smiling and giggling like she only did when Lena was tickling the right spot between her ribs. Kara was smiling too, so big and bright, with all her teeth. It was beautiful. They were beautiful. Lena’s heart warmed and felt so full of love and emotions she couldn’t even grasp at.

“Your mom is right.” Kara said after a while. Lena hadn’t realized they had stopped their little fight. Liz was in Kara’s arms, the blond carrying her like a baby. The girl’s dark hair was splayed everywhere on Kara’s forearms. Lena thought about how it felt to have Liz in her arms like that. She was so used to it she could feel the weight on her biceps, the stretching in the small of her back. With Liz’s eyes so blue looking in hers like she could fix the whole world with one word only. It was exhilarating. “You have to sleep well if you want to come with us tomorrow.” Kara advised, popping Liz’s nose with a finger.

“Okay.” Liz sighed then she looked up in Kara’s eyes. “Will you read me a story?”

The smile that grew on Kara’s face was so tender, so delicate. So loving it could only be shared between a mother and her child. Kara nodded slowly and told Liz she should go pick a book. The girl kissed Lena on the cheek and ran to her bedroom.

“You know she can pick Harry Potter and you’ll have to read at least three chapters before she falls asleep, right?” Lena joked, standing up from the couch to retrieve their cups. Kara chuckled behind her.

“I know. It’s okay. I like spending time with her.” The blond admitted. Lena hummed in reply and busied herself with cleaning up the cups and drying them and putting the coffee in the coffee machine for the next morning. She could feel Kara’s eyes on her back, following all her movements. She could sense Kara wanted to say something. Turning back to look at her fully, Lena recognized the nervous habits Kara had. The brush of the hair, the rubbing on the nape. Finally, the blond opened her mouth and it was to apologize again.

“I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. It wasn’t fair. You didn’t choose.” She said, playing with her fingers against the island. Lena, on the other side of it, was glad for the distance. She was tiring of hearing and telling apologies. Kara had a right to be upset. Lena was upset herself.

“It’s okay. I understand. It must be unsettling.” She replied earnestly. “Two days ago, you were living a life without a child or all those problems. Now we have so much to fix.”

Kara shook her head, disagreeing. “It’s not that weird, you know. Maybe it’s weird that it isn’t. It comes naturally with her. She makes it easy.”

Lena nodded. She had seen it with her own eyes. Liz and Kara were becoming close and so quickly it was almost shocking, knowing how shy her daughter was. “She can be really easy going when she overcomes her shyness.” She agreed.

Kara sighed. It was a long expressing one, revealing all the emotions Kara was feeling at the moment. “She’s everything, Lena.” She said, pushing away from the island. She rounded the stools and approached. “I can’t tell you how much I admire you for what you did with her. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been, alone and with all those questions staying unanswered.”

Lena was only capable of watching her feet, images of the last six years invading her thoughts. The loneliness, the doubts, the struggles, the love, the sharing. “Yeah, there were tough times but as you said, she makes it easy.” She replied without looking up. She could feel Kara approaching though. The blond was just a foot away now.

“I just wanted you to know…” Kara cleared her throat. “I regret how it happened. For you and for her. And for me too. But I don’t regret her. She’s an incredible gift, Lena. Thank you.”

Lena finally looked up to see all the honesty and truth in Kara’s eyes. She was drowning in those shades of blue, so deep and earnest, expressing love so easily and carelessly, as if Kara wasn’t afraid of sharing it with her. Because she trusted her, with all her heart. And now, she was saying she loved their daughter and that Lena had done a good job raising her. Kara was telling her she measured the difficulty of the task, of doing it alone, after waking up with six months of her life vanished and a fear so present in her it was obvious she had to flee. It was overwhelming and waves of love and pride were rocking in Lena so wildly she could swear they were the reason she leaned forward.

Kara didn’t move. She kept breathing heavily, their breaths mingling as Lena’s lips were hovering just close enough for them to feel the semblance of touch. Just a bit more. Lena just needed to push on the balls of her toes a bit more and her lips would be touching Kara’s. She would be kissing Kara.

Silence enveloped them. Time seemed to stop. Kara wasn’t moving. And Lena was looking at her lips but she was so close she could only see a blur of light pink flesh curved into a surprised O, Kara’s teeth barely visible in shades of white behind her lips.

“Kara! I’m ready.” Liz shouted from her room. Clocks seemed to start again. Lena could hear the buzz of the refrigerator. Or was it her heart that she was hearing in her ears? Finally, Kara moved. She took a step back, just one. Lena inhaled sharply, as if she had been holding her breath the whole time.

“I… I should go.” Kara stammered. She didn’t wait for Lena to reply and rushed in the hall leading to the bedrooms on bare feet, her steps echoing on the floor. Lena took a second deep breath. What just happened? What was wrong with her? So good for keeping it together.

Chapter Text

DAY FOUR

Kara was accustomed to her high sensitivity by now. It had been almost twenty years since she landed on Earth. Twenty years during which she learned her skin and her senses in general were so much more on alert than anyone else. Even Kal didn’t feel that much. Or at least he said he wasn’t, and he was almost born a human, so it was saying. Kara couldn’t be sure though. The last time they had talked about this, it was during one of his visits, just after the Danvers had welcomed her. It was a long time ago but Kara remembered that time vividly. She had been overwhelmed by her powers. Too much of everything all at once. And she had wanted Kal to give her solutions, to help her, but he had none. As he had landed on Earth as a baby, his powers developed with time and he had time to adjust before it became too much. Unfortunately, Kara hadn’t that luxury and she had to adapt quickly.

An element as simple as water was so wonderful to her at first. The electricity that shot in every cell under her seven layers of skin always made her think of how much humans took for granted. Water wasn’t so common everywhere and Kara had seen it all. The poverty in Africa. The dry lands in Kenya. The hunger in Ethiopia. Just the act of taking a shower reminded Kara that she was lucky. Even more so since she could feel so much.

Kara had learned to appreciate all her gifts. Taste was, obviously, her favorite. The tastes were more furnished to her than to anybody else. She could taste all spices used in an Indian plate – too many to count but Winn had tried once. She could sense when the water wasn’t that pure – it could have helped with the poisoned coffee Lena had drunk but she had been too late. She could tell you precisely how the rain in Russia tasted like and how uniquely different it was from the rain in the States and the rain in Europe.

Smell was interesting too in a way that it was so precise that, with practice, Kara could now distinguish if somebody was lying or not based on their sweat. It wasn’t always accurate. She could only use it on people she knew for some time, like colleagues or relatives, but it was still awesome, if not a little weird. Alex had tested it, on the early days, and the tests revealed her sense of smell was even more developed than the one of the elephants, with her three thousand one hundred captors against two thousand for the animal – Kara had cockily replied she shouldn’t be compared to Earth standards and Alex had flipped her off.

Hearing was embarrassing and hurtful sometimes. Kara had so many stories to tell about the time she was trying to control it and heard things she shouldn’t have. Like the time she heard two of her teachers making out in the science class – she never looked at them the same way. Or the time she heard the first car crash of her life but wasn’t authorized to help and had nightmares for days because her brain kept replaying the last breaths of the man who had died that night. Or all the times she heard Eliza crying in her room at night, thinking the girls couldn’t hear her, because she was missing her husband and having a hard time dealing with two teenagers alone. Mostly, her highly sensitive hearing was a curse. But it was useful sometimes too. To annoy Alex, for example. Her sister who was trying to look like a badass in her teenage years but listened to heartbreak songs when she wasn’t feeling well. Kara wasn’t proud of it but she would admit she had used this as an argument to force Alex to drive her somewhere quite often. It was useful too, knowing she could hear what was going with her close ones and understand them better, because their heartbeats were very linked to their emotions. Without missing the fact that she could hear if they were in danger from miles away, it was always interesting to link the beating of their heart to the words they were saying and the faces they were doing. It helped her a lot to adapt, at first, socially speaking. She learned a lot of social codes by mixing her hearing with her capacity to read people and memorize the patterns. Hearing was a curse in a lot of ways, but not all the time.

It wasn’t a surprise to Kara that, when she walked under the water to clean the mess in her hair, she could precisely find all the little remnants of concrete in between the locks at the same time she could smell the breakfast the single mom of three down the road was cooking. She could smell the ramen being prepared in her favorite restaurant next to CatCo, several blocks away. She also could hear Liz’s even breath in her room, Lena shuffling under her sheets and the cat pacing behind Liz’s bedroom door, right across the city. Since Lena came back, during the day, Kara happened to realize she had tuned in their heart frequencies from afar. She still had a hard time believing she didn’t need to search anymore. The heartbeat she knew so well, so characteristically of Lena’s peace of mind, was a sound she could find through hundred ones. She didn’t have to search thoroughly, to force her ears to go as far as they could. Lena was just across the city. It was comforting, as if Kara had finally found back her reason to smile. Her anchor, the thing that was so well known, taken for granted for so long, was mesmerizing to her now. Lena was alive and safe and here.

It wasn’t a surprise, either, that she could still feel Lena’s lips hovering mere inches away from hers. Lena had almost kissed her the day before. Twice. And her highly sensitive nerve endings were taking a pleasure to remind Kara how it felt. The softness, the warmth, the tension, the eagerness. It was too much. So much that Kara had woken up in a sweat, her damp t-shirt clinging at her back, because of the dreams she had about Lena’s almost kiss.

Oh, how much she had wanted to lean forward. How much she had wanted to close the gap and take Lena’s mouth in hers and never stop. Just to taste those perfect lips. To feel the taste of Lena’s chap stick on her tongue, the remnants of coffee or mint chewing gum in her breath. But she wasn’t sure Lena wanted it. Or more so, Lena’s heart seemed to want it, but Kara wasn’t sure Lena’s mind agreed. Lena always seemed so torn when it came to her feelings. She always seemed to feel too much too, not knowing how to organize her emotions. Be a ruthless CEO, make partnership for profit, even if it meant selling weapons, or be a wise one and favor humanity before profit? Be as cold as it was expected from a Luthor or be as gentle as Lena was, even if it meant losing the respect of her peers? All Lena’s decisions seemed to be a dilemma and Kara wasn’t different. She knew she had to make her intentions clear towards Lena but the brunette had to do the first step if she wanted it. Kara couldn’t take the decision for her. Too many people had already done that.

Kara had to admit it was painful to resist though. She hadn’t dreamed about Lena like that for a long time. Her mind kept replaying the images vividly. The luscious red lips. The sultry tone. The obscenely delicate curves of pale perfect skin. The emerald green almost hidden by pupils so big from desire. And the tastes, Rao, the tastes.

Alright, these primal thoughts were starting to heat up the room and it was hot enough. Kara didn’t want to take longer in the shower. Saving water was important. Plus, she didn’t want another reason to think about the sensations Lena provoked in her under the water.

Stepping out of the shower, Kara rubbed at her arms, the water already drying on her skin. The temperatures were already high and it was just around 8 a.m.. It was suffocating for all the people in National City, except Kara who thrived as long as the sun was shining. She chose a casual outfit anyway. She had to meet Lena in her apartment so she could transport them to Ireland for the morning. Once there, they would search for the book Florence had talked about. The one in which they should find their answers.

Kara was excited to discover where Lena and Liz had been living this whole time. Maybe it would help her understand more. Understand who Liz was. Understand who Lena had become. There were so many things she wanted to ask. How was Liz as a baby? Did she sleep easily at night? What was her first word? What were the values Lena wanted her to have? Did she teach her how to play chess or was it out of the question because too traumatic? Two days ago, her life had made a full one-eighty and Kara wasn’t sure she had the time to process it all. She had a daughter. A wonderful one, so smart and creative. So scared too, who could pulverize a whole building but was too empathetic to do so. A daughter who looked just like Lena and acted just like herself. It was the perfect mix and Kara was totally objective about it.

Scrolling on her phone to read the news while eating breakfast, Kara realized half of the articles was about Lena and Liz. A bundle of fear and anxiety crept up her chest every time she would come across their pictures. She didn’t like that. At all. She had a feeling that this wouldn’t end well and she didn’t like feeling that she couldn’t do anything about it. Lena was wrong to think it should bring out her attackers from their hiding. There were still people interested in taking their revenge on her for what Lex and Lillian had done to them in their labs. Kara feared that if one of them put their plan in action, Lena could be hurt. Worse, she couldn’t help feeling terrified for Liz who could be caught in the crossfire. For now, she didn’t have much choice though. Lena had made her decision and Kara would be there to deal with the aftermath with her.

Looking at her phone for alerts, Kara shot a text to Alex, telling her the battle she had this morning didn’t leave her with any injuries and adding her plan for the day. Meeting Lena, finding the book, analyzing the book with Lena and maybe, if Lena was okay with it, teaching Liz how to control her hearing. Alex answered with a thumb up, stating the alien they fought this morning had been left in the police care. She said then she would be in the satellite so she could give Liz her suit and train with Kelly and Esme.

It was a new feeling, speaking to Alex that easily. They had lost touch after Lena’s disappearance. Alex had never given up but Kara had preferred to step away, focusing on finding Lena back and leaving Alex live her life without having to take care of Kara for once. It seemed that Lena coming back meant they would all take back where they were too. Lena’s disappearance had left a hole in the group. Now that she was back, Kara was thinking of the past six years as a life with her head under water.  Everybody had been holding their breath but now they could finally breathe freely. Lena was the air and they had been living a life devoid of it. Or was it just Kara?  

Content with her plan, Kara put a jacket on and decided to walk to Lena’s apartment. She knew Lena and Liz were still sleeping. She wanted to leave them time to wake up. She also wanted to think about how she would face Lena after what almost happened the day before. Should she say something? Should she say nothing? Should she leave Lena be and engage the conversation only if she seemed ready? It was always one or the other with Lena. She would either decide to take matters to her hands and be straightforward about the situation, or she would avoid it and you would not receive any news for a month. But this time, Lena couldn’t really avoid it, even if she could also just choose not to talk about it. Which was the best option, Kara thought. And who was she to dismantle Lena’s plans?

The jet lag made them arrive close to the end of afternoon. Thankfully, the summertime was giving them a few more hours to spend in daylight before the sun would go down. The forest surrounding Lena’s family house was widely spread. There were fir trees, oaks, pines, and poplars all around the house, so high it was no wonder that Kara or nobody ever had found them. The natural smell of moss mixed in the afternoon heat was overcoming. Kara took a breath and closed her eyes. The sun was bright above their heads. Warm and comforting like it could be on summer days. The wind was brushing in their hair, giving freedom to the locks of brown and blond that got away. Birds were chirping in trees, making their nests, feeding the baby birds. Kara could feel everything all at once. From the battling of a butterfly’s wings, to the huge hoist lifting containers to put them on a boat on the coast. From Lena’s natural perfume and Liz’s touch in her hand, to the whisky settling in barrels in a distillery in Cork. It was exhilarating.

On Krypton, every natural element had been replaced by an artificial one. Vegetables wouldn’t grow anymore or they would grow loaded of Kryptonite so they weren’t eatable and mostly dangerous to the people. The Science Guild had worked to make them grow in labs, taking into consideration the nutrients people needed to survive, but it never had been the same. The colors weren’t as vivid, the taste not as savory. With time, a huge dome had been put over Argo city, putting its residents under a glass protection against the radiations. Putting them away from every other city and their inhabitants too. After that, the floors had been gradually covered with plaques made of steel to prevent the radiations to come through and poison the air under the dome. Kara remembered seeing the workers from her window. Some of them died from the radiations and they had to stop the coverage. It led to the building of a wall separating the city in two. The Science Guild had calculated the time they had left before the radiations would be at their highest. They didn’t have the time or the workforce to cover the floor of the whole city. It was too dangerous and, sadly, useless. The population had been asked to stay secluded in their house after that. Waiting for the end to come. Without being able to do anything. Kara remembered the long days watching the planet die through the window. The sorrow in her parents’ eyes. Kal’s birth in the middle of it. That was when her parents and her uncle decided to find a solution to at least save their children.

The planet had been so taken advantage of, that animals were rare when Kara was little. Flowers were only kept by the Science Guild in observatory gardens for experiment and preservation. Kara knew her mother was trying to reverse the habits of her people by educating them about nature and showing them how they could preserve the remnants of it on Argo. They had lost a lot of species in the destruction of the planet, though, so Kara knew they would never be able to reform the whole fauna and flora of Krypton on Argo.

The little hand in hers brought Kara out of memories. She opened her eyes and looked down to see Liz smile and squeeze her palm, Lena’s hand in hers on the other side. Yeah, life wasn’t what it used to be but it was even better in some way.

Lena took a step forward, leading them all on a cobblestone path and Kara finally looked up to observe the house. It wasn’t a huge one, per say. It looked typically like you would think a traditional two stories Irish house would look like. It was high, with brown spiky roofs. The walls were made of beige irregular stones and visible thick wooden beams. Heavy ivy was climbing from one corner to the front, just beside the front door. The windows had a cross pattern and were painted in red. The door was in a darker shade of red too and looked like it was a hundred years old, with its diamond pattern and its wrought iron knocker. The entire cottage looked traditional and comfortable. Kara could feel some peace coming from it and couldn’t imagine the amount of people those walls had witnessed the stories of.

Lena opened the door with an old-fashioned iron key. Kara found it comical, knowing how Lena had been adamant to use only key cards for the penthouse, stating it was the most secure way to lock a door. Once they entered, Liz ran in, probably in the direction of her bedroom.

“We’ll be in the attic, love.” Lena shouted in Liz’s direction, only receiving an “okay” as a reply.

Kara took the time to look around while Lena was going through her mail. The place looked cozy and charming. It was neat and clean, as if Lena had been here to clean up before the dust had the time to gather. From the front door, Kara could see the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left, both rooms separated by walls and a black carpeted flight of stairs. In the living room, full bookshelves were taking a whole pan of a wall. The couch looked comfy and Kara almost made a remark about how it was different too from the one that used to be in the penthouse. On the other side of the stairs, there was what looked like a glass door leading to a garden where she could take a glimpse of a swing set.

“Cat got your tongue?” Lena asked absentmindedly, still reading a letter. Kara observed her and could see now why it was her house. Lena seemed at ease here, as if all their troubles had disappeared once she walked through the door. They hadn’t really talked since Kara arrived in Lena’s apartment. Liz’s presence prevented them from addressing the elephant in the room. It was a good excuse, really, and Kara was glad to be able to use it. Now that she was alone with Lena, though, the tension seemed to reappear. A slight blush crept up her cheeks.

“No, I… It’s…” Kara looked around again.

It was hard to explain. It wasn’t pristine white and luxurious like Lena’s penthouse used to be but it felt like home, with the mix of Lena’s natural scent and the washing detergent she always used and the smell of old and new books. It was heartwarming and welcoming. Kara felt good in this house.

“I like it. It suits you.” Kara finally replied with a small smile. Truly, she meant to say it suited Lena better than the penthouse but she didn’t have to. Lena smiled back and guided her through the kitchen with a hand. Her flowery perfume fanned around in Kara’s face. The blond was shocked for a second before she rushed forward to follow Lena. In the kitchen, Kara leaned on the back of chair and watched Lena moved around the room with ease.

“Thanks, I guess. Coffee, tea, water?”

“Water, please.” Kara answered politely. She looked around the kitchen, which was just like the rest of the place, modern but traditional with wooden cabinets and drawers, white tiles backsplash and dark grey counters. A rectangular kitchen table at the center with four chairs. Nothing extraordinary but very practical. Just like everything Lena had.

 “So, your mom lived here?”

Lena stopped just a second while pouring water in a glass. Kara thought she had put her foot in her mouth again but then, Lena turned and nodded, her face neutral.

“Yes, the house has been in the Walsh’s family for four hundred years.” She said while putting Kara’s glass of water on the kitchen table. Kara’s hand stopped in midair. Four hundred years?

“You’re kidding?”

“No. I didn’t believe it either when I first got it so I made research and… It’s true.” Lena simply stated, looking at the ceiling as if she could see the workers building it during the 17^th century.

“Wow! It’s…” Kara didn’t know what to say. Legacy was a big thing on Krypton but it was never about property or material things, more about knowledge.

“A lot. Yeah. Generations after generations, they all lived here at one point. The eldest always kept the house and the youngest moved out to live in the city nearby. I started a family tree but it’s a lot of work and most of the births and deaths weren’t well listed at the time.” Lena explained. She took a sip of her own glass then.

“This is incredible.” Kara looked around in wonder. “All these people living here, struggling, and working and raising children.” She said excitedly. “Just living.” She breathed out. “This is awesome.”

Lena hummed and turned around to put her glass in the sink. “It’s overwhelming sometimes. You may not feel it but I can sense all of them. The walls, the furniture. Everything is overflowing with energy.”

Kara’s brows disappeared under her hairline. She hadn’t thought about it. Were Lena’s ancestors all witches and wizards? Was Lena the descendant of a long-time wizard bloodline, just like in movies and novels? If it was true, Liz was one too.

“I can’t say I feel them but I do feel good here. I feel light and at peace.” Kara admitted, looking around the room again. Maybe a ghost would appear out of nowhere.

Lena chuckled a bit and took Kara’s empty cup to put it in the sink too. “It’s not magic. It’s just the house. It’s calm and peaceful here.”

“Yeah, I understand why you didn’t want to come back.”

Lena gave her a tight-lipped smile. It wasn’t meant to be judgemental or anything. Kara really understood and she was even a bit envious because she never had a place like this where she could be truly herself and relax. Her apartment had been great but there always was the fear of being seen using her powers or heard. Moving in the Tower had been practical and out of necessity. Kara couldn’t live in her old apartment anymore since everybody knew who she was.

“The book is normally in the attic. I’ve all my mother’s stuff there.” Lena said, quitting the kitchen. Kara took it as an invitation to follow. They took the stairs. Along the staircase, pictures had been put in frames and Kara stopped to look at it. They showed Liz at different stages of age. Lena and Liz painting. Liz’s first time writing her full name right with letters going bigger and bigger on the chalk board. Liz’s first day of school. Liz showing her socks with a huge toothless grin on her face, the House of El symbol right in the middle of the fabric. Kara took everything in. So many first times she had missed. So many memories they could have formed.

Two steps above her, Lena cleared her throat. Kara didn’t have to look at her to know she was sporting a remorseful face. “I have more. I could give you some if you want to.”

Kara nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat and turned away from the pictures. Ruminating on the same things over and over would not help them. She motioned for Lena to walk up the stairs. On the first floor, there were four wooden doors, one of which was slightly open and they could hear Liz talk quietly.

“The ladder is there.” Lena said while pulling on a hook with a stick. A narrow staircase eased down from the ceiling and Kara could see all the little particles of dust invading the place. Lena coughed.

“Sorry, I never open it.”

“It’s fine. You can’t fight dust.”

“That’s not the worst thing up there.” Lena whispered as she climbed the stairs like a ladder.

Kara retained a chill and followed her. Quickly, they were surrounded by old furniture, dusty grimoires, and weird filled vials and jars. Lena crossed the room on the creaking parqueted floor, cautiously avoiding the furniture and the numerous boxes, and opened a round window on the other side. The air chased the dust and rotting smell away instantly. It was dark but not enough for them not to see where they were walking. Both looked around, almost dejectedly. The task wouldn’t be easy.

“So what are we looking for?” Kara asked. She got her phone out and lighted the torch on.

“A spell book. Old, brown, with a leather cover. There’s a symbol on it. A pentacle if I remember correctly.” Lena described.

“How do you know it’s this one Florence was talking about?”

“I don’t but we have to start somewhere. My mom used to travel with this one. One of my oldest memories is about her reading this book on the evening while I was watching TV or reading.”

“Okay, so a brown leather book with a pentacle on it.” Kara smiled to herself. This couldn’t be more predictable. She pulled a box to her and brushed the dust away from the cover with her hand. “May I?” She asked to Lena.

“Yes, go ahead. Just be careful. Some of them might be protected by charms. I wouldn’t like for you to be bewitched or cursed.” Lena scrunched up her face, probably thinking of what it would look like.

Kara guffawed, her lips spatting globules of spit in the process. “I won’t be cursed, that’s not…”

“Possible? Like you not being sick until we magically traveled yesterday?” Lena interrupted with a cocked eyebrow.

“Hey!” Kara frowned then tilted her head. “Alright, good point. But how do I know if there’s a charm?”

Lena straightened up and looked at her with alarmed eyes. She didn’t seem like she had any idea how Kara could know either.

“Hum, I guess avoid the books and artifacts that look weird. And do not touch any vials. Of any kind.” Lena lastly warned with a finger. Kara scoffed and raised her arms frustratingly. “Have you look around? Everything looks weird. No offense.”

Lena chuckled and leaned back to rummage through her box. “You’re right. Well, can’t you look through the boxes? At least you wouldn’t touch them.”

Kara opened a wide mouth, flabbergasted that she hadn’t even thought about this herself. She shook her head and closed her mouth, putting herself at work. The first boxes were analyzed meticulously. Kara scanned books after books, icon statue after icon statue, suspicious vials after suspicious vials. Some of the boxes looked like they were filled with kitchenware and dishes. Kara wished she could find a box full of baby pictures of Lena but it was so hard to tell what was in between the books.

It took them close to two hours to rummage through the boxes. Lena stopped from time to time to look closely at a picture frame she would find or to show Kara a strange object, asking if she knew its use. They had found an old wooden chest. It was so heavy, Kara had to go next to Lena and pull it out of its corner herself. Inside were elaborated dresses and costumes. Lena had said it was probably from around the 18^th century. They laughed, putting the dresses in front of them and talking with exaggeratedly posh British accents. After that, the air became a bit less tense. The pressure of finding the book was always weighing on their shoulders but Kara could see how relaxed Lena was here.

“Look, I think it’s this one.” Lena declared from the other side of the room. Kara stopped everything and walked to her. Lena had a thick worn leather book in her hand, the pentacle clearly visible on its cover. A thin string of leather was surrounding it and forming a knot on the side.

“You’ve found it.” Kara smiled softly. She approached her hand to touch it but Lena pulled it away before her fingertips could brush the cover.

“Ah ah, no way. I can feel the protective charm around it. Why do you think I didn’t open it myself?”

“I thought you were waiting for me.” Kara almost accused, as if it was Lena’s fault she couldn’t feed her curiosity and touch the book. “Alright, now you can just… erase the charm.” She stammered, putting her hands in her back pockets to prove she could stay away from the book.

“Erase the…?” Lena scoffed. “You don’t erase a charm, you cancel it. And I can’t just do it like that. I have to find which charm was used first.”

Kara cocked an eyebrow. Magic was complicated. It was simpler in movies. What couldn’t it be like in the movies for once? Superheroes always beat the villain ; people never really died ; witches always won at the end. And quickly.

“How long do you need?” Kara asked, sighing. Lena tilted the book from side to side, as if measuring the risks.

“I don’t know. I may have an idea though. Can you take a step back?”

Kara rose her brows but obliged, ready and not ready to see what Lena would do. The brunette put the book on a box and took a step back too. She closed her eyes and inhaled. When she opened her eyes back, they were glowing yellow. She focused them on the book and directed her hands towards it. She started reciting Latin words. An incantation, Kara thought. The air was screeching with energy around them. A chill ran down Kara’s arms. Her mouth hung low. She had seen Lena practice magic a little when she was still in the Tower but it never felt that way. It felt like all the energy contained in the furniture and the walls and even Kara, was going through Lena and went out by her hands. Lena was a sort of receptacle who could distribute the energy and shape it to do whatever she wanted to. It was extraordinary.

Lena’s voice was growing stronger as she recited the same words over and over again. Suddenly, the book seemed to jump from its place and smoke erupted from the cover. The knot undid itself. Kara looked at the scene, not believing her eyes. She could fly, she could shoot laser daggers, she could freeze the air with her breath but magic was just… magical.

“Wow! That’s it?” She asked, stepping eagerly towards the book. Lena turned the cover and they could see delicate scribbles on the first page. Property of: Mary Walsh. Josephine Walsh. Agatha Walsh. Leonora Walsh. The names went on until the very last name. Lena’s mother’s name.

“You’re the next one.” Kara gave a goofy smile to Lena. She couldn’t believe it. Lena was a witch. She came from a long bloodline of wizards. It was incredible.

“I am. And Liz is next.” Lena agreed with a smile. Belonging. It was belonging and pride all over her face. Kara was proud too. Of her.

“Good, now we just have to look through it and find the prophecy.” Kara said, putting away the few boxes that were on their way to go out.

“If it’s in there.” Lena corrected gently. “I can take a look at it in the labs. We don’t have to stay here. That way you can do whatever you do usually.”

“Oh.” But Kara liked it here. She wasn’t in a hurry. She liked discovering every little thing that had composed Liz and Lena’s life for the past years.

Lena leaned over and squeezed her forearm affectionately. “Don’t worry. You’re welcome here whenever you like.” She winked and brushed past her. “Come here. I’ll show you Liz’s bedroom.”

Kara’s lips abandoned their surprised shape to form an immediate smile at the mention of their daughter. She followed Lena to the door slightly ajar. Lena pushed it softly and there was Liz calmly playing with her dolls in a big dollhouse, Snowflake sleeping in a ball right next to her. Kara stopped in the door frame.

“How did the cat get here?” She rushed out. Lena chuckled, sitting down on the floor next to Liz and caressing the cat’s fur who was already purring.

“The cat is not a normal cat.” Lena admitted sheepishly. Kara tilted her head, asking silently for explanations. How a cat could be anything else than a cat? Liz had mentioned it the other day but Kara had put it on the child’s imagination.

“He’s Liz’s familiar.”

Kara frowned and leaned forward, as if it could help her focus on what Lena was saying. “I’m sorry, a familiar?”

“Yes, you know, a magical being cursed to live in an animal shape, condemned to help others as a punishment for all the bad things they’ve done.”

“Snowflake is a good boy, Mom.” Liz admonished as if what Lena had said was insulting. Lena chuckled and scratched behind the cat’s ear. Snowflake leaned on Lena’s hand even more.

“Of course, he is. He’s here to protect you.” Lena agreed. She turned back to Kara. “He follows Liz everywhere. I had some problems with the school at first. They thought Liz was putting him in her bag purposefully.”

The slight grin on Lena’s face was disarming. So the cat was magical too and it was normal. Natural. A new normal, actually. Lena was so cool about magic now, it was hard to believe she had a hard time dealing with it at first.

“He’s like Salem in Sabrina’s new adventures?” Kara asked, because her only references in terms of magic were TV shows. Give her some slack.

“Yes, if you want to put it that way. Sam found him on the porch the day Liz was born. Florence said he’s linked to her for as long as she’ll need him.”

“Isn’t he supposed to talk?”

Lena snorted. “You watch too much TV, do you know that?” Kara pouted in reply and crossed her arms. Lena rolled her eyes but kept smiling. “He doesn’t talk. In our belief, he’ll become a good asset when Liz will need him to. For now, he’s just a grumpy companion.” She said, scratching his chin. The cat was just a purring mess.

Kara approached cautiously, now scared of what the cat could do to her. “How old do you think he is?”

“He’s six.” Lena replied instantly. “Liz and he are made of the same wood. They were both born June 20^th, during the summer solstice. A familiar is like a twin soul. They always rise on the same day as the person they have to protect.”

“Isn’t he supposed to be a hundred years old or something?” Kara scrunched up her face in disbelief. She found it hard to give up on her belief. Lena rolled her eyes again.

“This is not Salem, Kara!” Lena groaned. “His soul is probably really old but his body is six.”

“Who’s Salem?” Liz asked, turning around to interrupt her mothers’ bickering. The crinkle in the middle of her frown was so typically Kara. Lena sighed heavily and looked dejectedly to Kara. The blond was already grinning from ear to ear. They were watching reruns of Sabrina tonight.

Lena transported them immediately in the entrance of the satellite. She swayed a little on her legs, caught in a dizziness. Kara had to secure her in her arms to prevent her from falling. Lena looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” The blond asked, a frown of worry on her face. Lena looked up sideways, her back against Kara’s front. A slight blush crept on her cheeks.

“Yeah, sorry. Transportation is taxing. Nothing a whole night rest can’t cure.” Her tone was meant to be reassuring but Kara helped her to walk the few steps to a chair anyway to rest a bit before crossing the satellite, Liz following closely behind them.

The satellite was full. Well, not that full because it was massive and people tended to stay within their own groups, but it seemed like every member of the Justice League had research to do or a training session to follow or a dangerous weapon to stabilize. They watched as Flash came in and out of the room. He was in a hurry – when was the man not in a hurry? – and he couldn’t talk a lot but apparently, Captain Cold had resurfaced and was threatening to freeze Central City so Flash needed Batman’s particle heater to imprison Cold once and for all.

On their way, they came across Damian Wayne who made a rare appearance as he was leaving Grayson’s hospital room. He just nodded towards them and took the new boots Lucius Fox had made him before disappearing by the depressurized airlock. Kara knew the guy wasn’t very expressive. He was doing a good job filling in for Nightwing in Bludhaven and that was enough for her.

Black Canary made an appearance too, accompanied by another woman from the Birds of Prey Kara couldn’t remember the name of. She was charging a trunk with materials in a ship when they arrived through the boarding area. Something about Harley Quinn needing saving. Kara chuckled and wished them luck. Quinn had always a knack for putting herself in terrible situations.

When they walked in the labs, Brainy and Alex were waiting for them, while Kelly helped Nia stitching up a part of her mask, Esme typing on her phone next to them. Brainy rushed to show them the different options on Liz’s suit.

“It’s literally like a second skin. It works with your body to adjust the strength and the protection you need.” He explained gently to Liz, pushing buttons on his gauntlet to activate the suit. “If you need to control the energy coming out of your little hands, it will do just that.” A course of energy ran through the sleeves of the suit and it morphed into glove-like endings.

“Why do I keep working on the gloves then?” Lena asked, a little skeptical. “Are we sure it will contain all her energy?”

“The gloves are a good exchange, in case Liz wants to have a full access to her powers. For now, the suit will suffice, with absorbing some of her energy to function and to protect her. Your gloves could completely help her without the suit or it could even help her develop other skills. It could be a wonderful gadget.”

“Hum. Why do I feel like you’re trying to cheer me up?” Lena cocked an eyebrow, a smirk fully in place.

“Because he is.” Nia exclaimed from afar. Brainy shook his head, amused. He pushed another button, the suit morphed again.

“And you have a pocket here, to hide all the candies you want.” He winked to Liz who smiled widely.

“Don’t give her bad ideas.” Lena joked. She took the suit in her hands and felt the fabric. “What is it? It doesn’t feel like Kevlar.”

“It’s not.” Brainy confirmed. “It’s actually the exact same fabric used for Wonder Woman and the Amazons’ armors.”

Kara gasped and took the suit out of Lena’s hands. “You’re kidding? How did you convince her? I’ve been trying for four years!”

“She decided to share some of Themyscira’s technologies in exchange for some non-lethal weapons to protect the island.” Alex, who had stayed silent until now, explained while grabbing the suit from Kara’s hands. “And you would know it if you had kept in touch with your own team.” She said pointedly, looking with narrowed eyes at Kara. The blond felt the others’ eyes on her. It wasn’t the best time for that discussion.

“Alright, sorry.” Kara said, her eyes on her shoes. “I’ll thank her later. Their suits are so much lighter than ours. This is the best way to learn.” She added towards Lena and Liz as she gave the suit back to Lena.

“Mom, can I try it?” Liz asked, pulling on Lena’s shirt. Lena smiled and folded the suit on her arm.

“Yes, we just…”

“Here you all are!” J’onn exclaimed as he walked in.

“J’onn!” Alex ran to him and hugged him tightly. Kara watched with her arms crossed as Kelly and Esme rushed to him too. They talked a bit before J’onn approached her. She looked at him sheepishly.

J’onn was staying on Mars for most of the time, raising his son and helping to give the Martian society a new glory. He was the first Kara had walked away from when Lena disappeared. He had assured her he could feel Lena’s spiritual energy but couldn’t track her. Kara had been furious, accusing him of not caring about Lena’s fate and not doing enough to save her. Always the wise one, J’onn had shut the discussion down at the instant Kara had started to be hostile. They had barely spoken since then. Kara avoided him every time he was visiting, finding absurd excuses after absurd excuses. She was ashamed of the way she had treated him. Guilt and remorse weren’t enough to express what she was feeling.

Nonetheless, J’onn walked to her and, after two seconds of observing her face, he grabbed at Kara’s shoulders and embraced her tightly. A whine escaped Kara’s lips. She was trying to contain her emotion. She was forgiven, she knew it, she could feel it. J’onn had never been mad at her. He had never been the type to hold a grudge.

Pushing away, J’onn kept her at arms’ length and looked at her closely. “You look great.” He said finally and she chuckled wetly. “You do too.” She replied.

They looked at each other for a minute or two before J’onn’s eyes diverted to someone behind her. He brushed past Kara and she followed him as he came in front of Lena. Like he did with her, J’onn stopped for a beat, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes, before he leaned forward and embraced Lena tightly, lifting her up in the air. Lena’s face showed a pallet of expressions, going from surprise, to sadness, to hope, to love.

Kara could hear it all. Lena’s sharp intake of breath. Her beating heart. J’onn’s whispers in her ears. “I know what you’re thinking. Stop punishing yourself. I’m happy you’re back. I’m sorry for what happened to you.” He said, compassionate but humble as always, because he knew that, whether it be Lena or him, the display of affection would be more embarrassing than helping for them both. He knew everything already. Alex must have filled in the blanks for him.

Kara saw him crouch down and introduce himself to Liz. The girl looked impressed and a little scared. J’onn was in his Martian form. But then, J’onn turned on his toes to gaze at Kara with a grin on his face.

“I could recognize those eyes and that crinkle anywhere.” He simply stated, winking towards her and Kara melted. She approached and took place on the other side of Liz, putting her hand on her shoulder with a proud smile on her face while Lena was caressing the girl’s hair to reassure her.

“I could say that I’ve something to do with it but all the credit goes to Lena for raising her as the wonderful kid she is.” Kara said watching Liz the whole time. The girl looked up to her with a smile. When Kara bopped her nose with a finger, her smile grew three sizes. Kara didn’t miss Lena’s blush on her cheeks either.

“That’s right. You did a good job, Lena.” J’onn agreed, standing up. “I came back to help in the research.” He explained.

Alex stepped in at this moment. “I thought J’onn could add a new perspective to the situation. Maybe we didn’t think about all the possibilities.”

J’onn had experience and a different way to see things. “It’s a good idea.” Kara agreed.

“Alex told me the most of it but I believe you’ve both found something new?” J’onn asked, turning to Lena who lighted up.

“That’s right.” She admitted, stepping away from Liz to grab the spells book. “We made some progress concerning the Gaelic prophecy Liz said the other day.”

“A prophecy?” Nia tilted her head. Lena nodded and explained everything, from her tentative to contact her dead mother through a Ouija board the day before – Kara swore she had seen Alex shiver – to her conversation with Florence about her mother’s book and their rummage through Lena’s attic to find said book.

“You did all that in two days?” Kelly wondered aloud. Lena shrugged. “Wow, you guys are quick.” She mumbled, looking to the floor.

“We didn’t want to waste time and you were already busy with the situation in Bludhaven.” Lena replied, half-shrugging. And she was right. They may have acted on impulse, without averting the team but everybody had been busy the last few days and Kara and Lena couldn’t ask for them to give up on their missions. It was their daughter, their priority. And the stakes were high. Kara didn’t know what was pushing Liz to say all those things or how the prophecy was linked to Lena’s disappearance but she felt like something was up and that they didn’t have much time for them.

“Now that J’onn is here, maybe he could try to find memories of that day in your mind?” Nia proposed, motioning towards Lena. All eyes turned to the brunette, waiting for her agreement.

“Sure.” She shrugged. “We can try.” Kara recognized the hopeless tone, as if Lena already knew it was unnecessary but she agreed to do it to please the team.

“Great. I go with Liz in a training room to practice. You go with J’onn in a meeting room not to be bothered.”

Lena looked down to Liz whose gaze was traveling from Kara to Lena expectantly. “What do you say, love? Do you want to try your suit and see what you can do with it?”

Liz looked frightened immediately at the idea of using her powers again. She had been excited about the suit, probably because it really looked like a mini version of Kara’s, but now that she had to use it to test her powers, everything seemed more real. Lena crouched down in front of her and took both of her hands.

“You’ll be okay. Kara will be there the whole time with you. You can’t hurt anyone here.” She reassured. Liz took a step to hide in Lena’s neck. She didn’t like the attention on her.

“You won’t be there?” She mumbled against her mother’s skin. Kara was probably the only one able to hear.

Lena shook her head and hugged her tighter. “If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Liz confessed with a whine in her voice. Kara felt the quaver in her tone all through her skin.

“You won’t. You’ll be alone with Kara if that’s what you want. But I want you to try. We came here so you won’t be afraid to hurt anyone ever, you remember?”

Liz pulled away but stayed in her mom’s embrace and nodded shyly. She turned on her hips to glimpse at Kara. The blond knew it was the moment to show Liz some trust too. She smiled and extended her hand. Liz pulled away from Lena completely and took her hand. They smiled at each other. It was a good start.

“Alright, it’s settled then. You guys go do your things and we go in another training room because this girl needs to move her ass.” Alex pointed to Esme with her thumb.

“Hey!” The teen protested half-heartedly. “Whatever. You know I’ll beat you anyway.”

“We’ll see about that, baby.” Kelly stuck her tongue out, putting her arm around Esme’s head and taking her out of the room.

An alarm sounded in the lab and red flashing lights flashed on the walls. Everybody looked up. Liz closed the distance and buried her head in Kara’s legs. Nia sighed.

“And I go fight the villains again.” She started towards the door, dragging her feet. It was the fourth intervention of the day for Dreamer and Nia was exhausted. She was lacking some precious hours of sleep because Ambrose was sick. To top it all off, she had already broken her new mask. What a day.

“I’ll come with you.” Brainy said, rushing after her. J’onn followed, saluting them with two fingers on the way. “I’ll be quick.” He addressed to Lena who nodded.

“Go get them, guys! You’re the best!” Kara shouted after them, trying to put some confidence in them. Their job wasn’t always easy. She turned around and it was only her, with Lena and Liz. And a new tiny super suit.

“So, where’s the locker room?” Lena asked with a small smile.

They chose an empty training room for Liz. There was a total of five gym halls on the satellite. One of them was dedicated to firing weapons. The others all had the same dispositions and materials. Boxing bags, elliptical bikes, mats, and weighs. The whole thing. Kara had once joked with Kate Kane about how it showed it was Batman’s satellite. The man used to be prepared for every possibility. Kate had shrugged and punched a boxing bag so hard it had crumbled on the ground. “You mean the possibility of kicking your ass?” She had said and Kara had just laughed and laughed.

When she walked out of the locker room, Kara found Lena and Liz waiting for her. The girl was caressing the fabric of her pants with wonder while Lena was lacing her shoes, not realizing Kara had entered. She was so cute in the suit. It was all blue with red seams and a small golden House of El symbol was encrypted on the left side, right on Liz’s heart. Her red ankle boots were like the first ones Kara had worn, with thick notched soles and laces tightened as needed. It didn’t have a cape, but Kara didn’t think Liz was ready to fly anyway so it was for the better.

The suit was supposed to help her control the energy dedicated to her powers. The nanobots in the fabric would serve as little red sun particles that could dampen Liz’s powers but not entirely. It was normally linked to her nerve system and cardiac system, so the nanobots would know when it became too much for Liz and that it was their time to step up. In theory, it could work and Kara trusted Brainy and Alex with all her heart. She just hoped Liz would be ready to try at all.

“Ready?” She asked, clapping her hands. Lena looked up from her position and her mouth hung open. Kara looked down on herself, unsure of what was the problem. She was wearing full black yoga pants, a tank top, sneakers, and her hair was pushed up in a ponytail.

“Wow! No suit?” Lena asked, tilting her head, observing her up and down. It made Kara self-conscious and she scanned her outfit again.

“I thought it would be funnier and less impressive.” She shrugged. “Also, it’s cool to be in normal clothes sometimes. I miss it.”

Kara didn’t miss Lena’s eyes roaming on her body or her heartbeat quickening. She wondered if she had a stain somewhere. Or maybe a hole? Lena was probably stressed by Liz’s first try at using her powers.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I’m meeting J’onn once he comes back.” Lena said, turning to Liz. “Will you be okay, sweetheart?”

Liz nodded hesitantly. Her gaze met Kara’s. The blond winked at her and it had the expected effect of putting Liz more at ease. The girl smiled and hugged her mother one last time before Lena kissed her forehead and pushed away.

“Have fun!” She exclaimed while exiting the room. Kara followed her with her eyes then turned back to Liz. The shy demeanor was back again but Kara had a plan. They would start slowly, with the easiest power to control and the most overwhelming one. Hearing.

She walked to a corner where mats had been piled up and took two of them in each hand. Liz was observing her closely and her eyes grew two sizes when she saw Kara carrying the mats like they weighted nothing. Kara put the mats in the middle of the room, parallel to each other and sat on one of them.

“Come here.” She motioned for Liz to approach. The girl came closer on cautious feet. Kara took her hand and guided her on the other mat, facing her.

“You can sit down or just stand but we’ll probably be here for a while.” Kara smiled as she crossed her legs. Liz nodded timidly and sat down, imitating Kara. She kept her eyes on her lap, as if she wasn’t worthy of meeting Kara’s eyes. She kept playing with her fingers, pulling on her sleeves. It reminded Kara of how Lena could fidget with her hands when she felt vulnerable or unsure.

“Before we start, I want you to know there’s nothing you can do that can hurt me.” Kara started with as much confidence in her voice as she hoped to share with Liz. The girl looked up, her face showing she wasn’t really believing Kara but didn’t say anything.

“Another thing is that I want you to see this room as a place where you can be free. The walls are made of strong materials, believe me, I tested them.” She winked, which made Liz’s face to split with a half-smile. “Nobody can hear you here. It’s just the two of us.”

Liz nodded, staying quiet. It was so endearing to see how the girl could be calm and quiet just like Lena when she was focusing on something. Kara had remarked that the joyful side of Liz’s personality would come out more when she was with Lena but, when she was alone with Kara, the girl was introverted and hesitant. Kara couldn’t help thinking it was because of a mix between not knowing each other enough and Liz being impressed by her Supergirl persona and learning to know her as her other mother too.

“Alright, I thought I could teach you how to control your hearing. This was the most annoying one for me, when I got here, but if you focus enough, it’s really not that hard to control it. What do you say?”

Liz nodded again and looked at her with a blank face, waiting for Kara’s next instruction. Kara expected more enthusiasm but she remembered Liz didn’t like to have abilities so her lack of excitement was normal. Instead of saying so, Kara straightened her back and inhaled deeply.

“Okay, so close your eyes.” Kara instructed, her voice taking a softer tone to help Liz relax. “You breathe in through your nose.” She said, doing it with her eyes open to watch Liz. The girl executed her instruction without question. “Then you breathe out slowly with your mouth. You can do it five times.”

Kara listened on Liz’s heart. As the girl was doing the exercise that was just supposed to help her calm down, Kara could hear her heartbeat slow down. Her shoulders seemed less tense. After repeating the exercise five times, Liz opened her eyes again and they shared a smile.

“Perfect.” Kara praised. “Now, we’ll start with something close to you. I want you to focus on my heart.” She pointed at her chest and Liz followed the motion. “Your ears can hear things that are really far, but for now, just try to hear my heart beating.”

Liz frowned and fixed her gaze on Kara’s chest. Kara worried for a second that a laser would shoot from her eyes, but Liz seemed to be focused enough for that not to happen. Or maybe it was thanks to the suit. Liz started to fidget on her thighs from right to left and Kara could hear her heart quicken. Liz’s frustration was coming through so Kara decided to guide her with another strategy.

“It’s okay. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, just like earlier.” She did it with Liz patiently. “Now, focus on the sounds you can hear.”

There was a lot of different noises. Kara could hear all the things happening in the satellite. The computers and engines were loudly whirring several floors above. Lena and J’onn were discussing in a room in the floor below them. Barry’s team was planning their next move on Captain Cold in a lab. Victor was in the Red Room tapping on a tab. Grayson was snoring lightly to the rhythm of the beeping machines next to him in the medical bay. Alex and Kelly were running on treadmills. Esme was humming a song, probably getting ready to practice with her mothers.

“Can you hear somebody singing?” Kara asked calmly. Liz’s lips spread into a smile as she nodded eagerly.

“Can you tell who it is?” Kara asked curiously, cocking an eyebrow. The crinkle in the middle of Liz’s frown had just made its comeback.

“I think it’s…” The girl trailed off, her voice raspy from not speaking for so long. “It’s Esme.” She smiled.

“Yes, she’s two rooms down the hall. Do you hear other things?” Kara asked.

The good thing about doing this in the satellite was that they couldn’t be bothered by big scary noises happening in a city. Kara remembered the first few times she had tried to help Esme understand it. The girl had been too afraid to continue because the noises were too loud and frightening. Fortunately, space around them prevented Liz to be scared away by a car crash or a jackhammer piercing concrete.

“I hear mom’s voice.” Liz said with wonder in her tone. Kara could tell from Lena’s heartbeat that her discussion with J’onn was taking a toll on her. She didn’t want Liz to focus on what they were talking about.

“Do you hear her heart?”

Liz frowned and tilted her head, her eyes still close. Seconds pass then Liz’s face lighted up and she opened her eyes, bright with excitement. “I do! It’s so fast!” She exclaimed.

“It is. Can you focus enough that you only hear her heartbeat?” Kara asked with a bit of challenge in her voice. Liz closed her eyes again and frowned.

“This is hard.” She whined and Kara had to remember she was only six. She was just a child with powers so big it was overwhelming for her.

“Yes but I think you can do it.” Kara reassured. She watched her focus in silence, observing the mimics on her face. Liz was hard-working and stubborn, Kara could tell. She wanted to do good and succeed.

“I can’t… There’s too much noise.” Liz complained, her lips frowning. Kara leaned over and placed her hand calmly on Liz’s cold one. The girl flinched and opened her eyes in a gasp.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you.” Kara apologized sheepishly. “You already did a good job today.”

“I want to try again.” Liz said in a whine, a determined frown on her face. She let her hand under Kara’s though and the blonde squeezed it.

“Okay. What about my heartbeat? Focus on all the noise you can hear, then find my heartbeat and focus on it to isolate it from the other noises.” Kara instructed. It was their last try, she could tell. Liz seemed tired already. It was hard at first and taxing. Liz was just a young girl, she shouldn’t have to support that much.

Kara couldn’t stop the pride from spreading in her body, though. Liz wanted to learn more and she was doing it successfully. She was only six and was taking the challenge seriously because she didn’t want to hurt anybody again. It was a hard thing to realize at such a young age. Liz was already conscious about the consequences that having powers could have. She wanted to protect her loved ones. Kara felt a pinch in her heart thinking the responsibilities the girl already had on her small shoulders. She promised to herself to always be there for her from now on. Liz shouldn’t be carrying this alone.

Kara was conscious she was part of the lucky ones. She had a family, one she chose and one who chose her. She knew she had formed quite meaningful relationships during her time on Earth. But as understanding as Alex was, as welcoming as Eliza and Jeremiah had been, none of them could understand how it was to be in her shoes. J’onn and Nia and Brainy had helped with that. There were all singular individuals, with their own pasts and their own cultures. And Lena had helped too, being closed off and stubborn with her emotions just like Kara was. They all knew grief and despair and the feeling of the stares on them while walking in the street. The one of not being entirely complete and accepted. But none of them knew what it was to be the last daughter of Krypton. Not even Kal who shared the same powers but never the same responsibilities.

There was a form of bliss knowing Kara had Liz now. Liz would be able to understand. They were sharing the same powers and some of the same genes. Kara could share her culture without being judge old-fashioned or ill-adapted. She could tell Liz she understood her because it was the simple truth. They were part of the same family. They belong together. Not just family. Liz was home. She was a bit of Krypton on Earth, just like her. And Lena had encouraged that by passing knowledge without Kara being around. Kara could only be grateful for that. She would never be alone now. Never again. And she wouldn’t leave Liz deal with her powers alone either. They were a team now.

“I think I…” Liz trailed off again, her face so focused she would have a headache after this. “I can hear it. There’s a lot of people here.”

Kara chuckled. There was indeed a lot of hearts beating around them. She squeezed Liz’s hand again. “Try to focus on what’s happening in this room only. Leave the other noises in their places.”

Liz hummed and tilted her head again. Several minutes passed. Kara scratched at the fabric on her pants absentmindedly. Liz’s heart was beating evenly. She seemed calm and at ease. Until she opened her eyes in a gasp.

“I hear it!” She stated a bit loudly. The wonder and understanding on her face were everything. “I can tell it’s yours, I can see it beating.” She said, pointing at Kara’s chest.

Kara’s beaming smile was so big it could have brightened a whole city. Liz’s senses had mixed up so that she could see what she could hear. It was a huge progress.

“This is your vision adapting so you can see what you hear. It’s awesome! You did it!” She praised, taking Liz in her arms, and tickling her. The girl laughed easily, trying to escape Kara’s ticklish fingers.

“Stop! Please!” She pleaded and Kara finally stopped, both chuckling a little.

“I’m so proud of you. You did a good job. We can stop for today and do it again tomorrow if you want to.” Kara explained while standing.

Liz nodded eagerly and rushed to Kara, hugging her tightly around the waist. “Thank you.” She simply said in a small voice that made Kara’s heart melt. The blond lifted a hand and brushed her fingers through Liz’s dark locks.

“You’re welcome, little one.” Kara uttered out, her voice trembling. They weren’t alone anymore. It was as if Liz knew it too by the way she was squeezing Kara’s waist. Something had clicked between them, Kara could feel it.

“We can go back to the lab and find your mother now.” Kara looked down to see Liz agree. The girl took her hand and they walked out of the room, leaving the mats in the middle. Liz was babbling about how amazing it was to hear all these things and how Kara was lucky to do that. Kara was lucky indeed, and so was Liz. Their powers were gifts, not a curse, and she was happy Liz could see it that way now.

The labs were considered as rally places. Kara recognized that they all had their favorite computer and set-up to work, especially Alex who preferred to work on the last one in the hall, further away from the door, and further away from Barry’s lab, the first one, where there was always music blasting out. Alex loved music but Barry and her didn’t have the same taste. Kara didn’t have to hear on everybody’s moves to know Alex and Lena, and probably Brainy, would be in the lab attributed to her team.

When the electronic door slid open to reveal the lab, Liz ran to Lena to explain what they did and how she could hear her heart now if she focused enough.

“That’s great! You improve quickly! You will be able to fly in no time.” Alex said with a cheeky grin.

“You think so?” Liz asked hopefully. Lena chuckled beside her, shooting Alex a false berating glare. “I think you can do whatever you want to do, sweetheart.” She replied instead of Alex. Liz smiled and squeezed her mother in her arms excitedly before joining Esme on a couch in a corner. The teen was playing a game on her phone.

Kara approached the lab bench on which Alex and Lena were working on Liz’s gloves and the spell book. Lena looked at her, asking silently how Liz’s practice had gone. “She’s a quick learner, for sure. Flying takes some practice though. Let’s not skip the steps.”

“You’re right. Her eavesdropping will be embarrassing enough now, I don’t want her to fly around the house constantly.” Lena joked. “It’s nice to see her confident about her abilities for once. That’s a good change.” She remarked, looking at Liz from across the room. Kara followed her gaze. Liz was all smiles and excited behavior. She looked so happy of her success and was discussing it with Esme who congratulated her profusely. Kara couldn’t help the pride and the affection to swell in her chest.

“Yes, she was hesitant at first but she listened to all the things I’ve said. She’s hard-working and very stubborn.” Kara explained.

“Makes me think of someone.” Alex grumbled with a smirk, turning back to work on the gloves.

“I know, it’s definitely Lena, right?” Kara exclaimed. Lena started to protest but Alex interrupted her with a snort.

“I was actually talking about you. But in terms of stubbornness, it’s true you’re both equal.” She said, pointed to them. 

A knock reverberated on the door frame before Kara or Lena could contest. All three women looked to see who it was.

“Hey!” The tall woman said. “I heard there was a Kryptonian in the place and wanted to say hi.”

“Diana!” Kara exclaimed. She stood up from her stool and rushed to hug the woman in a flash, Lena on her toe. They stood at arms’ length and observed each other. Diana was wearing casual clothes, not her usual Wonder Woman armor, but she was still impressive in her elegant trousers and shirt. She had a charisma that could charm anybody. Kara wasn’t immune to it either. 

“It’s good to see you. You’re not around here anymore. It’s been what? Three years?” Diana said, frowning a little. Kara rubbed at her neck, embarrassed and guilty. Since her visit on the Amazons’ Island, she hadn’t seen Diana and hadn’t answered to her mails either, shamefully.

“I know. I was busy searching for this one.” She apologized, pointing to Lena with her thumb. Lena took a step to come next to Kara. She seemed to understand it was her cue to introduce herself.

“Lena Luthor, it’s nice to meet you.” Lena extended her hand and Diana shook it gently before putting her hands back in her pockets.

“Diana Prince and likewise. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The glint in the brunette’s deep brown eyes made Kara reminisce all the nights they had spent talking about their lost loves around bottles of mead and homemade wine. Seeing how Lena’s nose scrunched up at that, it wasn’t what her friend had in mind though.

“Usually that’s not a good sign for someone in my family.” Lena said, crossing her arms defensively.

“Oh, it is!” Diana was quick to reassure. “This one over here…” She motioned to Kara with her chin. “Couldn’t shut up about you while we were training.”

Kara blushed and, sensing Lena’s eyes on her, thought it was a good idea to elaborate. “I spent some time on Themyscira. Dianna taught me how to fight with a sword.”

“A sword?” Lena repeated, her tone questioning. She was wondering why Kara would ever need a sword.

“Yeah, you never know when you’ll need it.” Kara shrugged. It was one the reasons but Lena didn’t have to know all the details.

“She needed to improve her fighting skills.” Diana winked towards Lena, because she knew it would infuriate Kara.

“I wasn’t that bad!”

“Your sister didn’t think so.” Diana replied cheekily. They all looked above their shoulders to watch Alex wave towards Diana. She chuckled. Lena looked at Kara asking for explanation with her cocked eyebrow.

“I’ll tell you later.” Kara dismissed.

“Anyway…” Diana sighed. “It was nice to see you. I came here for business though. There’s this mythological demon causing terror and I need to find a way to beat them.” She explained.

“Oh, if you need help, you know where to find me.” Kara said, shoving her lightly.

“Thanks.” Wonder Woman nodded. “I appreciate it. I think I’ll be fine. And you have a lot on your plate already.” She said, looking directly at Liz and Esme.

“Yeah, thanks for the fabric, by the way. It’s helpful, you have no idea.” Kara showed Liz with her hand. “I’m almost jealous of her suit.”

“No problem. I’m glad I could help.” Diana then turned towards Lena. “It’s good to know you’re safe and sound. Your little one looks destined to a fantastic fate.”

Kara looked at her, astonished. Diana always had that layer around herself, knowing things on people they didn’t even know themselves. As if being a half-goddess had allowed her an access to knowledge common mortals couldn’t have. Lena looked as surprised as Kara. She accepted Diana’s hand on her shoulder and thanked her for her kind words before the woman had stepped away, throwing a last wink to Lena and pushing the button to close the door on her way out.

“That was…” Kara trailed off. Both of them were planted on floor, disbelieving what just happened.

“Wonder Woman. I know. She’s very recognizable.” Lena finished for her. Kara turned her head slightly.

“Really?”

“Yeah, her hair and eyes sold her out.” Lena shrugged.

Kara put a finger on her chin thoughtfully. “Hum, she should wear glasses.” She said seriously. Lena snorted and shook her head but said nothing. She shoved her playfully on their way to the lab bench. Alex was gone. Kara could hear her in the locker room preparing for a mission as rapidly as possible.

“How come you know her?” Lena asked a bit later. Kara knew she was trying to feign indifference but curiosity - and other emotions Kara couldn’t grasp at - was written on her face. She thought about how she could answer that. There was a lot happening when Kara had met Diana.

“We fought Darkseid together. You know, the weird big blue alien.” She settled on. Lena must have seen the ships and the boom tunnels used by Darkseid to conquer the planet. Again.

“Yes, I mean he was all over the news. It was terrifying.”

Kara nodded. “It was my hardest battle so far. Diana had already fought him with Kal, years before. She’s the last member of the old Justice League. Being immortal has its perks. She found us when Darkseid appeared in the sky and helped us find ways to beat him.”

“Kal wasn’t there?” Lena wondered, surprise on her face.

“No, he was on Argo and Darkseid had made all communications unavailable. I couldn’t reach him.” Kara explained.

“Wow, how smart from him. The best way to form chaos.” Lena reacted instantly.

Kara remembered the hopelessness she had felt. Kal was the only one capable of beating Darkseid but he had almost died while doing so. And he hadn’t been alone at the time, they were a whole team. Kara had been afraid she wouldn’t be enough for this battle. Thankfully, she had help. From Diana, and Barry, and Kate, and the whole Bat family. From solo heroes who had been able to join the battle in time. They had lost some of them in the battle, cried them after, but they had beaten him.

“Yeah, it was hard. Diana got close to me. I reminded her of a young sister she had. She was also the only woman beside Kate in the group.” Kara explained.

“Kate Kane?” Lena asked for confirmation. She was very cautiously welding wires between them in the gloves.

“Yes, she’s Batwoman.” Kara confirmed. Lena already knew about the owners of the satellite, it wasn’t necessary to hide more.

The brunette chuckled and raised her head covered with plastic glasses to look amused at Kara. “We’ll come back later to this ability of yours to reveal others’ secret identities but not yours.”

A full-throat laugh came out of Kara’s mouth. She shrugged good naturally then. “I trust you.” She stated simply.

“Doesn’t mean the others do.” Lena contested, shaking her head lightly. Kara didn’t want to address that. They were beyond the fear of the Luthor name. Lex had disappeared years ago. He was probably dead. Lena was the only Luthor remaining and it was safe to say everybody on the satellite knew her more as a stubborn but oh-so-talented scientist and CEO than as Lex’s little sister. Lena had gained respect on her own.

“Anyway, after we’ve beaten him, Diana had to go back to lead her people so she asked me if I wanted to visit Themyscira. She knew I wasn’t in a right place and Alex insisted I went so I did.” Kara finished to explain.

Lena straightened up and looked at Kara with a frown on her face. “You weren’t in a right place.” She repeated. “Why? What happened?”

Kara sighed heavily. It was long to explain. Lena’s disappearance had taken a toll on her, obviously. Alex would say she had been obsessing on finding Lena. Kara would say she was the only one preoccupied by Lena’s fate at the time. Nobody seemed to care, nobody seemed to want Lena back as much as her. Now, she would admit she had been mad. Sleep deprived and functioning only on high caloric meals just to be able to fly across the planet thrice a day, Kara had searched for Lena everywhere. Her heartbeat had been nowhere to be found but it never had stopped her from doing it. Days after days. Months after months. She had stopped her search only to fight Darkseid. Then went to Themyscira only because she had nowhere to go and nothing to do, other than searching for Lena. CatCo wasn’t her priority, and thank Rao, Nia had taken the lead, managing the paper like she had seen Kara do for so many years. Kara hadn’t worried about CatCo at the time.

After her identity reveal to the world, riots had erupted, not only in National City but all around the world, demanding a trial for Supergirl for all the damages she had caused. People had felt betrayed because she was supposed to be an impartial journalist and a beacon of hope for the world but they had been quick to realize she had worked on both personas to spread her power and her opinion. It hadn’t been fair. It had been biased.

The betrayal that Kara had once seen directed at her on Lena’s face had now been on hundreds, thousands of faces. The whispers overwhelming in her head. She could hear them all, feel them all. Their eyes on her when she would rescue school kids or help extinguishing a fire. The question in all of their side glances: could she be trusted? Who that girl thought she was? So she had spiraled.

First, she had stopped answering alerts for minor incidents. Cats in trees, children bullying others, old woman wanting help to cross the street. Incidents she thought the city services should be able to manage by themselves. Firefighters, teachers, social workers. People had a job to do and she realized that doing it for them wasn’t entirely helping them. It made them dependent on her.

A phrase Lex had said to Superman had made its way in her mind at the time. Gods can’t walk on Earth or we won’t believe in them anymore. She had felt nauseous. Selfishly, Kara had thought he was right. If nobody had known Kara Danvers was Supergirl, her hero persona wouldn’t have this approachable aura. Supergirl would still be untouchable, a guiding light flying in the air. Irreproachable. Uncriticized. Now that a human aura had been added to her persona, Supergirl had become a human pariah, as imperfect and full of flaws as it meant. And Kara Danvers’ image had suffered too. She wasn’t this hard-working woman who had climbed the ladder on her own and made a name for herself anymore. She wasn’t an advocate for alien rights. She wasn’t the best friend of the former CEO of L-Corp or the sister of the skilled FBI agent. She was a weird creature. A traitor. An alien who had used her position of power to obtain what she wanted from Cat Grant. She was Lena Luthor’s bodyguard and her ally. She was an alien linked to government services to survey them all. She was corrupted. She had failed them all.

Then, Supergirl had stopped answering major accidents. Fires, robberies, mafia trafficking, hostages taking, kidnappings. She wasn’t a detective. People were paid to do that. And if they didn’t arrive in time, Alex and the others would do the job, even if the people’s trust in them had been tainted too.

That had been her life for the past years. After Kara had come back from Themyscira, people had stopped wondering where she had gone. She went on Argo for some time too, taking time to reconnect with her parents. It helped. When she came back, Kara took her place back as CatCo editor in chief, under Cat’s order – she had written a note to all the staff, stating that those not respecting Kara as their boss could take their leave – and signed a clause stating CatCo wouldn’t publish photos or any article on Supergirl or any superhero related to her. That had been the end of her struggles. She had won back her colleagues’ hearts with hard work and Monday morning donuts, and the respect of other medias by respecting the clause and writing instead about what the city services were doing for the community. Policemen arresting drug dealers and shutting down ten-year long trafficking on the front page. Firefighters rescuing a hundred of people from a crumbling building in weekly interviews for six months straight. Kara preferred her job like that. It was a bit less stressful, not walking on a thin line like she used to do.

Clearing her throat, Kara realized she still owned Lena an answer. The brunette was throwing weird glances at her from above her glasses. She wasn’t used of seeing Kara speechless.

“What happened is that first of all, you disappeared. It’s not necessary to tell you I became obsessed. I wanted to find you.” Kara started, her voice taking a grave tone. “Work wasn’t going well either.” She rubbed at her neck. “People knowing my identity meant I had to choose between Kara Danvers and Supergirl. They didn’t want me to write about Supergirl and I understand, I mean, it wasn’t fair. They were very angry. Coming at my apartment to threaten me. The anti-alien party rose again after that.”

“That’s why you’re living in the Tower now?” Lena asked, as always putting the dots together. Kara nodded distractedly, her eyes focused on emptiness.

“It was a tough time. I felt like nothing I was doing was right.” She looked at the floor. She hated when her voice would shake like that. It was too far from the Kryptonian model her parents wanted her to become. “Then, Darkseid happened and you know the rest. I stayed on Themyscira for six months. It was great. I learned so many things. Their culture is amazing, even if I don’t entirely condone a life without men.”

It had made her laugh at first. She thought Diana wasn’t serious but she was. The island was prohibited to men. Kara found it strange, but then, questions started to pile up in her head. How were Amazons made? Was it normal pregnancy or mythical one? Like a Lazarus pit? And what if a male was born from these pregnancies? She had kept her questions to herself for several weeks before bursting them out to Diana one night. They had had dinner and were watching the sky, sharing a bottle of strong mead after a long day of practice. Kara had to admit the Amazons knew how to make liquors and Diana could hold her ground, alcohol consumption speaking. The sky had been so clear and unbothered, Kara had loved to lay under it and just watch. But the alcohol had made her mouth unfiltered and her questions had poured out of her before she could prevent them from. Diana had laughed. Hard and for long minutes. It had been strange to see her so relaxed at first but Kara had laughed too. Inebriated as she had been, the task to make her laugh had been easy. Diana had explained, with lots of details, but Kara only remembered some of them. Something about Gods choosing them to have heirs. Babies weren’t common on Themyscira, Kara remembered that much. Later on, Diana had discovered that she actually had a twin brother named Jason. Her mother had hidden him with the Argonauts, a group of Greek heroes, to prevent Hera of finding out, because Diana and Jason were Zeus' children and the goddess was madly jealous. Diana found him back and invited him to live with her. They were now often seen battling evil gods or mythical creatures together. Kara had once joked that she knew it wasn't possible for the Amazons not to have male children. Diana had laughed bitterly, saying she wished it had been different for Jason, the man suffering from loneliness his entire laugh. From now on, men was partly accepted on the island, only if they had a good reason to be there.

“Where did you go?” Lena looked at her, amused. Kara met her eyes and grinned bashfully.

“Memories.” She said as the only explanation. “I had a good time there.”

Lena hummed and started cleaning up the materials and put away tools she had used in the different drawers. She looked pensive. “I’m glad you had them.” She said, avoiding Kara’s gaze. “Diana and the Amazons. To help you through it.”

Kara nodded absentmindedly. She saw Lena’s remorse in her eyes, even if the brunette didn’t want her to see it. She couldn’t say she wasn’t mad at Lena anymore because it wasn’t true. She was still mad but, to some extent, Kara understood the reasons behind Lena’s lies and omissions. It was out of fear and necessity. Lena had lived traumatic events that Kara wasn’t sure she would be able to support herself. It was admirable and humbling to see Lena standing tall and proud today, after all she had been through.

“They’re fantastic women.” Kara agreed easily. “I hope you’ll meet some of them in the future.”

“I hope so too. Meeting their chief was already impressive.” Lena winked. She closed the drawer she had put the gloves in and turned to grab her jacket. Her face became serious and a bit flushed then. Kara watched as her mouth opened and closed. She was avoiding her gaze. Kara waited patiently.

“Speaking of future, what happened to Winn’s call?” Lena asked finally, the blush on her cheeks taking a shade darker.

“Oh, hum.” Kara searched for an excuse. She put a strand of hair back behind her ear. She couldn’t tell Lena their call to Winn had concluded in Alex and him ganging up on her to convince her to talk about her crush on Lena to Lena. Winn didn’t know anything, anyway. He’d said the future had changed a bit. He’d stayed vague purposefully. They couldn’t count on him. He didn’t want to risk the space time continuum. Alex had laughed and retold Brainy’s try to tell the same thing to Kara without much success. Conclusion, Alex and Winn had laughed a lot at her expanse and now she had nothing to say to Lena.

“He huh…” She cleared her throat again. Lena’s eyes weren’t helping, scanning her face as if she could tell when Kara was lying. She totally could anyway. “He didn’t want to tell much. Like Brainy, he said things had changed. He didn’t want to risk the space time continuum.”

Lena observed her, her eyes forming thin suspicious lines. She seemed to accept Kara’s explanation and nodded after seconds of Kara holding her breath.

“Okay. It’s relieving in a way. If he doesn’t know anything or if he does but thinks it’s not relevant to tell us, it means our problems aren’t that serious.” Lena reasoned.

Kara wasn’t sure that it was accurate. Winn had told them it could change in an hour time because space time continuum was ruled by the choices people would make. A choice, even the littlest it seemed, could have massive repercussions on the future. But he couldn’t tell either way because it was compromising the future and the past and the balance that temporality needed to sustain. Kara couldn’t tell that to Lena. The woman seemed to want reassurance, not cold-hearted truth.

“I guess so. I think we just have to wait for my parents to arrive. This is our last chance to have answers, beside your spell book.”

Lena agreed, her eyes focusing on the book on the lad bench. She pulled it to her and browsed the pages.

“I hope you’re right.” She said, meeting Kara’s eyes for once. Kara smiled, always hopeful, always trying to spread that hope to others.

“It’s gonna be fine.” She said, leaning oven the lad bench to squeeze Lena’s hand. “We’re together. Nothing bad can happen.”

Lena smiled back. Kara could still see doubts in her pupils but it vanished easily. She was glad Lena was still trusting her after all this time because she didn’t know how she would support to see Lena’s worries reflecting in her eyes all the time. It was too heartbreaking.

The medical bay was quiet, as it was expected from people visiting to keep calm and let injured ones to rest. Not a lot of patients was in at the moment so Lena knew instantly where to go. Only one of the cubicles was totally close, with the curtains drew and light filtering through it. It was the middle of the afternoon but time and daylight were almost nonexistent in the satellite. With only space and stars visible from the rare windows, time seemed to stop, days seemed longer.

Lena knew she couldn’t postpone her visit any longer. Dick had been in intensive care for a whole day already and, since he was supposedly her friend, she should visit him. It was what was expected from her. Be a good friend. But she was terrified to see him. She didn’t want to enter a room where the only person couldn’t even speak. She didn’t want to realize he was as human as she was. Because that was the illusion, right? Being a hero meant you were flawless, indestructible. He couldn’t be injured. He had to fight. Tirelessly. But she was scared to discover that he couldn’t. What if he had to give up? What if Dick couldn’t be Nightwing anymore? What if his injuries were too much this time?

Coming in front of the room, reassured to know Kara had listened to her and didn’t follow her, Lena took a deep breath. On the other side of the electronic door was her childhood friend. The broken boy she had seen become a man and then a vigilante. Now a broken vigilante. Things never changed. Gathering courage, Lena pushed the button next to the door and the steel part slid open, revealing Dick sleeping on a bed, a redheaded woman next to him. Lena knew the woman well. It was Barbara Gordon. Daughter of Gotham’s former commissioner. Dick’s other childhood friend. Her colleague too. And first love.

Lena cleared her throat, scared to interrupt. Barbara rose her head from where it was leaned on Dick’s forearm and smiled tiredly. She acknowledged Lena with a nod and turned back towards Dick. Lena took it as a permission to enter and walked in, flowers in hands, to put them on the table at the end of Dick’s bed.

She observed him with his loose brown hair, his cheeks covered in scratches, his lips swollen. His leg was in a cast. His head was kept straight on his cushion thanks to a neck brace. Machines were analyzing his pulse, the amount of oxygen in his lungs. Infusions of probably painkillers and a mix of water and saccharine were flowing though drip needles in his arm.  He was in a bad shape but he was alive.

She cleared her throat again. “Could you tell him I came by when he wakes up, please?” She asked. Barbara met her eyes and Lena could see all the understanding in them. The common knowledge of what they were both representing for Dick. Lena was a past unrequited love. Barbara was his first love. The one he never got the chance to love entirely. Lena hoped he would take the chance now. Before it was too late.

“I will. Thank you for the flowers. He doesn’t have a lot of visitors.” The redhead said, leaning back in her wheelchair. Lena didn’t know what to do about that last sentence. How was she supposed to take it?

“I guess we’re always alone in struggle.” She replied bitterly. She was surprised to know Dick didn’t have visitors, with the entire Bat family and the Titans knowing what happened. Was he just a leader to them? An untouchable figure they just had to listen to? Lena felt a weird sensation in her heart. A mix of anger and need for justice. Dick was giving so much to the people around him, to his teams. It was unfair for his family and colleagues not to give that back to him.

“I’ll try to come back with Liz once before he goes home.” Lena informed. She knew Dick loved Liz, he liked to play with her and she thought it could cheer him up a bit. She could at least do that for him.

“Thanks. It’ll make him happy.” Barbara smiled lazily. She turned back to look at Dick and Lena took this as an excuse to leave.

As she walked in the hall, her steps echoing on the steel panels, Lena’s heart quickened a bit. She hoped, truly, with all her heart, to never be in Barbara’s position ever. The love the redhead was feeling for Dick was clearly visible in her eyes. Lena didn’t wish, even to her worst enemy, to be in that position. Seeing your loved one bedridden, injured, and powerless. It was terrifying and infuriating. Lena couldn’t help thinking what she would do if it was Kara. She would lose her mind. Be a total crying mess until Kara would wake up. And then be so mad because Kara didn’t have the right to frighten her like that. And close herself up because that was the only thing she was capable of doing. And denying her feelings. Especially denying her feelings.

Stuck in her thoughts, Lena walked directly into a wall of muscles and spandex. She looked up in a gasp, startled.

“Hey, careful. What’s wrong?” Kara frowned, her hands firmly keeping Lena in place by her shoulders. “Your heart was beating super fast, I thought something was happening.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just… Thinking.”

Kara’s blue eyes bore into Lena’s green ones, questioning whether she could believe what Lena had said or not. Her natural amber perfume surrounded Lena, making her head spin a bit. Kara’s features were tender and caring. She was worried. Lifting a hesitating hand, Lena passed a thin finger on the crinkle in between Kara’s eyebrows.

“It’s fine. I promise.” She whispered with a soft smile. Kara’s eyes widened, from the gesture or the words, Lena couldn’t know. She nodded then and took a step back, releasing Lena.

“Okay. Liz is waiting for us in the lab. We’re supposed to go to Nia and Brainy’s tonight. It’s poker night.”

Lena groaned. She hated poker night. Alex was a tough loser, Brainy counted the cards and Nia didn’t care at all. “Do I have to play?”

“Of course not. If you play, nobody has a chance.” Kara grinned, putting her hand on the small of Lena’s back. The brunette stuttered on her words, Kara’s hand hot on the skin beneath the fabric of her shirt.

“An-and to say I hoped you had all improve since last time.”

Kara snorted. “We didn’t. We’re even worse.”

“Great. I’m not playing.” Lena decided. She wouldn’t admit it, but she walked faster to avoid Kara putting her hand back on her. It was too distracting. Too agreeable. And she couldn’t do agreeable. The blond just laughed back, putting her hands behind her back and jumping up and down joyfully. Lena smiled to herself. Her bad mood was just a front. She was looking forward to their night with their friends. And Kara’s happiness was communicative.

Nia and Brainy’s house was colorful. Kara had already been there but she knew once she took a look on Lena’s face that the brunette hadn’t been ready for the assault of colors. Just like her parents’ house, Nia had decorated the rooms with various species of plants and flowers. The blended perfumes always made Kara’s nose tinkle but it was fine. She loved it. She loved every little story linked to the small statues on the shelves and the various picture frames, testimonies of times where they had a lot of fun during their game nights, and karaoke nights, and weddings and birthday parties. Kara liked the pink walls, and the yellow walls, and the bright green walls. It was all colors nobody dared using in their house but Nia knew how to do it wisely and it was a success. Their house was breathing comfort and freedom.

Lena hadn’t been ready for Ambrose’s assault either. The little boy had run in her arms the moment they had step in the living room. Lena had picked him up, covering his chubby cheeks with kisses, at the delight of the boy who giggled loudly. Kara couldn’t stop her mind from drifting to a possible future where Liz would be a big sister. Where Lena would be hugging and playing with a little blond boy, his eyes emerald green, his smile full of Luthor-like mischief. Where they would be waiting for another child or even several others. Where they would be married and in love and happy. Together.

Alex’s elbow leaning on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts. “Can I talk to you for a second?” Her sister asked in her ear. Kara looked at her with narrowed eyes but followed her in the kitchen, out of prying ears, anyway. Alex looked embarrassed, or guilty. As if she had done something she knew Kara wouldn’t like. Alex kept closing and opening her mouth, fidgeting on her feet. It wasn’t like her. Kara didn’t like this gap between them. The fact they couldn’t talk to each other like they used to.

Sensing her sister’s difficulty, Kara decided to pry a bit. “So, what is it?” She asked with an expectant look.

“Hum, since we didn’t have Liz’s body scan, we had to ask Mom to share some of her biotech work.” Alex started, only looking in Kara’s eyes once before lowering her stare.

Kara’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You told Eliza.” She stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Not really.” Alex rushed out. “But I stay too vague and now she has questions so…” She cleared her throat. “It’s possibly she’s coming here.” She squeaked out. “Tomorrow.”

“What?!” Kara shrieked out. She had talked so loudly that the room next to them had fallen silent.

“I know, I’m sorry! I thought I could lie better than that but she just asked more questions and then I hung up and it was worse. She questioned Kelly and I had to intervene before she asked Esme. I told her it was better if you were the one explaining the whole thing.” Alex quickly explained in panic. “She agreed but said she would come anyway.”

Kara groaned. “Tomorrow, Alex! I don’t even know if Lena is okay with that. What if Liz is too scared?”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Lena asked, coming in the kitchen with her arms cross, Ambrose still in her arms. Kara huffed and threw a heated glance to Alex.

“Eliza is arriving here tomorrow. She has suspicions.”

Lena shrugged, adjusting Ambrose on her hips. The little boy was playing with her necklace. “It’s fine. She has to meet Liz at one point or another, right?”

“Yes, but isn’t it too soon? Liz is already overwhelmed by her powers. It’s only been three days. It may be a lot of people in a short amount of time.” Kara said worrying on her lips.

Lena shrugged again. She looked at Ambrose, deep in thought. The image of a baby in Lena’s arms was striking. The only thing preventing Kara’s mind to drift away again was Lena’s narrowed eyes turning back on her. She stepped forward, her eyes never quitting Kara. “Is it too soon for Liz or is it too soon for you?”

Kara’s face scrunched up. She saw Alex escape the room in the corner of her eye. Lena stopped just in front of her, her eyebrows demanding an answer. Kara cleared her throat, rubbing at the back of her neck.

“Hum, it may be me.”

“I thought so.” Lena smiled, her cold demeanor vanished. Kara looked at her in disbelief. She had been played. She was a little upset to admit Lena still had that power on her.

“Don’t worry. Liz will be fine. She doesn’t understand the situation like we do.” Lena said casually, turning around, putting a hand on Ambrose’s back. “I’m sure Eliza will be happy to meet her. She always loved children.” She threw a last smile above her shoulder before walking out of the kitchen in a swaying gait.

Kara took some time to collect herself. Lena was probably right. It wasn’t that important for Liz and Eliza would be surprised, for sure, but not mad. How could she? Taking a deep breath, Kara gathered her thoughts and pushed up from the counter she was leaning on.

Rubbing at her face with both hands, she tried to calm her erratic heart. Lena’s games were still as good as ever. Evil and dangerous. Kara didn’t know what to do about those mixed signals. Lena was flirting, clearly. But she was also staying away. How could Kara resist to this? She was only human. Well, no, she wasn’t, but it was worse. She felt deeper than humans. Should she play the same games?

Big laughs echoed from the living room where everyone had gathered. Shaking her head, Kara walked out of the kitchen to enter the living room. Esme was fanning her face with her hand, her tongue out of her mouth. Everybody was looking at her with amused faces.

“Here, eat this.” Kelly told her, giving her a slice of bread. Esme took it of her hand and put half of the slice in her mouth instantly. Her shoulders sagged in relief.

“Better?” Alex asked in a chuckle. Esme nodded eagerly. Kara stepped in and took her place next to Lena at the table. She threw a questioning glance to Nia across the table.

“Esme took the wasabi sauce for guacamole.” Nia explained, pointed at the little cup filled with a green mixture on the table. Kara laughed loudly, a hand on her stomach.

“Oh god! You won’t be fooled twice.”

Esme threw her a falsely mad glance that made Kara double in laughter. After that, they all fell into a comfortable chatter, enjoying the snacks Nia and Brainy had disposed on the table. It was relaxing and pleasant to spend time with all of them outside of the satellite for once.

They had finished eating for some time already when Kara looked around the table. Lena and Kelly were discussing together as they used to, debating about science improvements and new technologies, Ambrose happily playing with Lena’s hair. Brainy and Alex were betting on the amount of rounds the other would do before losing at poker tonight. Esme was helping Liz finish a Disney princess jigsaw puzzle, stopping from time to time to discuss with Kelly. Nia was searching for a song on her phone that J’onn was talking about. 

When they had arrived, Liz had run to Kelly, her aunt picking her up. Kara was watching them talk from afar. The girl had stayed on her aunt’s lap all night and seemed so at ease. It wasn’t a surprise, really. Kelly was a wonderful and caring mother, aunt and friend. She was happily chatting with Liz, answering all her questions, just like she had done with Esme. It was heartwarming. Kara couldn’t believe that it was her life now. She had a family. A daughter. Friends she cherished. Eliza was coming tomorrow and her parents in two days. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Eliza was the last person not knowing about Liz and Kara knew it wasn’t fair. For all of the compromises Eliza had done for her, she deserved better. Tomorrow, Kara would apologize and explain everything. After all, Liz had been called after Eliza too. Kara’s adoptive mother was part of the girl’s roots too. They were all a family. A big dysfunctional one, but one nonetheless.

“You’re thinking too loud.” Lena whispered in her ear, shoving her with her elbow. Kara looked aside as Lena leaned away. Ambrose had been fast asleep in her arms for a good hour now and Nia came next to her to take him from Lena’s arms. Brainy was cleaning up the table while Alex was preparing the game. Kelly was putting a movie for the girls who were cuddling up on the couch in their pj’s. J’onn had left already, going back to the satellite to take a shift – somebody had to do it. All Kara could feel, though, was Lena. She felt her eyes boring in hers. The warmth of her skin radiating from her. Her intoxicating perfume surrounding them. She took a pause to watch the flicker of amusement disappear from Lena’s face and be replaced by astonishment. Kara smiled softly. Lena was beautiful and sometimes, rarely, Lena would notice people realizing how beautiful she was. And she would look just like that. Caught off guard and astonished.

“I’m just happy. I have everything I’ve ever wanted.” Kara said softly. Lena closed her mouth, gathering herself quickly. Years of being under Lillian Luthor’s prying eyes wouldn’t disappear like that.

“E-everything, really?” Lena stuttered out. It was the second time that day. Lena never stuttered. Kara looked at her, scanned her features, memorized the shape of her jaw, the freckle on her neck.

“Well, almost everything.” She chuckled lightly, leaning on her elbow. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Lena who was analyzing her hands as if they were the weirdest thing in the world.

“Oh, so what’s missing?” Lena whispered back, almost shyly, almost scared to know the answer. Kara wanted to laugh. She wanted to scream. You. You, entirely. You’re the only one missing. Instead, she leaned closer, her arm encircling Lena’s shoulders on the back of the chair. If Lena wanted to play games, they could be two playing. She approached her mouth from the brunette’s ear slowly.

“I think, Miss Luthor, that you already have the answer to your question.” She softly whispered. And because she felt like she could conquer the world, Kara let her lips drag on Lena’s cheek purposefully. The brunette’s reaction was instantaneous. Lena glanced at Kara with an open mouth and red tainted cheeks. She then avoided her eyes and stood up, claiming she had to help Brainy. Kara chuckled to herself. She didn’t miss Alex’s amused glance from across the table. Yeah, her games weren’t so bad either.

Touching down carefully on Lena’s balcony, Kara released Lena from her grip and adjusted Liz in both of her arms. Lena stepped away and opened the bay window silently. They crossed the apartment, avoiding the furniture, and worked together to put Liz in bed. Kara leaned down to kiss the sleeping girl on her forehead. Snowflake jumped on the bed to lay just next to Liz, as Kara was turning around to walk out of the room. Lena was watching from the door frame. Her lips were trembling as if she was trying to maintain her strong appearance but the emotion was stronger.

“She’s so tiny and young. How can she be linked to a prophecy?” Lena whispered with a shaky voice.

Kara frowned, wondering why Lena’s thoughts were suddenly torturing her with serious matters. They had had a great night. They had laughed a lot. Lena had finally played poker and won, as expected, even if Brainy had been sure his counting method should make him win. The girls had fallen asleep on the couch watching Mulan. Everything had been fine. So Kara didn’t understand Lena’s change of mood.

“You know, she’s our child, she must be exceptional.” She smiled softly, approaching Lena and putting a hand on her arm.

“Yeah, she’s the perfect mix of you and I, isn’t she?” Lena said in wonder, her eyes still on Liz’s sleeping form. Kara turned around, just behind Lena in the door frame, and watched Liz too. The girl’s black hair was spread out on her pillow. Her little mouth was open, blowing breath in and out. Her hands were on both sides of her head. She couldn’t look more relaxed and at peace. Kara’s mind drifted to the joy in her daughter’s eyes this afternoon when she realized she could control her hearing. She felt so much pride for her. Pride and love. So much that words weren’t enough to express it. It was building up inside her every time she would look at Liz.

“You did a great job.” Kara agreed easily, leaning on the other side of the door frame. Lena looked down, her arms crossed, and finally decided to walk out. She passed behind Kara. “I did what I had to.”

Kara followed her pensively. Lena sometimes had this air of seriousness, of heaviness around her. As if she was aware of things other people couldn’t grasp at. It made Kara think about her magical skills and how Lena had shown no hesitation in front of the spell book.

“You were very impressive with magic today. How did you come around? I remember you didn’t like it at all at first.”

Lena scoffed tiredly. She opened the fridge and put two water bottles out, giving one to Kara. “It took me some time but eventually I came around. It’s the last link I have to my mother so I wanted to discover it anyway.” She shrugged. She took a sip of water then put the cap back on the bottle thoughtfully. “Florence helped me a lot. I just had to find a way to make magic and science co-habit.” She tapped on the side of her head with a little knowing smile. “At the beginning, I thought it was two opposites. Science is about logic and method. But then Florence made me think about how magic could be too.” She straightened back against the counter. “You can grow flowers out of nowhere because there’s water in everything. You can travel through spaces in an instant because your self isn’t just a body, your mind and soul are parts of it too.” She explained with a flourish of her hand. Kara listened with rapt attention. Lena never used to share that many details about magic. Kara was hanging on Lena’s every words.

“And magic is also very methodical. Forget a word and you cast a demon instead of a bird. Add too many dragon tears in your potion and you start to grow scales. I just had to be more aware of who I was and what my role was in the world. We all serve nature, we’re all part of a circle. It took me some time, but I’ve finally found my place.” Lena finally shrugged, a soft easy smile on her face. Kara was relieved to learn that Lena had found what she was looking for. Closure and peace. She deserved it.

“So no more tiny boxes?” Kara teased, taking a sip of her own bottle. Lena chuckled. “Not anymore.” She grinned. Kara looked thoughtful.

“I think you just gave me an idea to help Liz develop her powers.” Kara said, a finger on her chin. Lena tilted her head on the side. “How so?”

“She has to understand it’s not something she has to control.” Kara explained excitedly. “It’s part of her, she has to accept it, not fight it.”

Lena nodded. “You’re right! It could work. I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before.”

Kara shrugged dismissively. “You were too focused on her well-being to have a clear mind. We can both agree you had enough on your plate already.”

Lena frowned, looking down seriously. “You’re probably right. I don’t know how you’ll make her understand that though.”

“I’ll find something.” Kara smiled softly. She observed Lena’s form. The brunette was still looking at her fingers, scratching at the skin around her thumb. She looked worried and anxious. Kara could hear her heart beating faster in her rib cage. Leaning forward, she took her hand and rubbed her thumb soothingly on her skin. Lena looked up.

“It’s okay. Liz is going to be okay.”

Lena’s frown only seemed to deepen though. She took her hand back and crossed her arms. “You can’t know that. The more we’re discovering and the more we have questions. I have a bad feeling.”

Her voice had been small. Tense. Terrified. Like a mother scared for the life of her child. Kara was only discovering how it felt to care so much about another being. Sometimes it felt like a piece of her heart had been ripped out of her chest and was walking on two legs and running around, drawing cats and shooting purple lasers with its eyes. Kara could understand. She rounded the counter and put a hand on Lena’s shoulder.

“I’m scared too. This thing sounds crazy. But we’ll find a solution. I promise you I’ll never give up searching.” Kara whispered, full of confidence and determination. Lena threw her a side glance, her eyes filled with worry and doubts. Her shoulders sagged, giving up on the fight of keeping up appearances. Her face scrunched up, torn and then, her resolve cracked up. In a step, she was in Kara’s arms, her nose in Kara’s neck, squeezing hard. It took five seconds for Kara to realize what was happening before she lifted her arms and embraced Lena properly. She dove her nose in the black hair just inside her neck.

“I can’t do this alone anymore.” Lena mumbled against the tanned skin and Kara felt it all over her body down to her toes. She pressed Lena closer to her if possible. She kissed her on the side of her head and plunged back in her neck.

“You’re not alone anymore.” She promised wholeheartedly. “Never again.”

Lena’s head shook against hers. She pushed slightly away, her hands staying on both sides of Kara’s rib cage, her eyes searching hers, as if analyzing if she could trust Kara’s words. Kara remarked her eyes drifting to her lips then coming back up again. Lena’s porcelain skin, even in summer, was perfect. Silky like. Flawless. The green in her eyes was vibrant. The warmth radiating from her hands on Kara’s sides was burning. Her lips were calling.

With her eyes traveling all over Lena’s face, Kara didn’t notice she was leaning forward. Slowly, tentatively, unconsciously. She wanted to taste that skin. To touch those lips. Capture them and never let go. Carefully, she lifted a hand and brushed away a thin lock of hair out of Lena’s face. Their eyes met and, deep in those pupils, Kara could see want. Desire.

Gently cupping her cheek, Kara leaned slowly to close the gap between them. Lena still had time to push away, to say no. To do anything. But she didn’t. Instead, she rocked on her toes and met Kara’s lips voluntarily, her hands grasping Kara’s shirt in tight fists. Kara’s mind went blank at first, not registering that it was actually happening. Then, everything came crashing down all at once.

The flowery perfume on Lena’s skin. The softness of her cheeks under her fingers. The cherry buttery taste of her lipstick. The smell of tea in her breath. The whimper escaping from her mouth when Kara’s tongue brushed against her lips. As Lena gave her access, Kara’s mind finally took stock of the situation and then, she was just craving. She wanted Lena to do those sounds again. She wanted to touch. She wanted to taste. She wanted to feel.

Sliding a cautious hand under Lena’s shirt, Kara stroked the skin there with her thumb, turning them in a swift motion so Lena’s back was meeting the island counter. A gasp escaped from Lena’s lips when Kara’s nails scraped gently at the skin on her lower back. Kara felt drunk. Taking advantage of Lena’s open mouth, she kissed her prominent cheekbone, her furnish cheek, the delicate pit between her cheek and her ear, the sharp line of her jaw, to finally devour her neck. Lena was panting heavily, her hands tangled in Kara’s hair, her hips kept firmly in place by Kara’s hands.

“Kara…” She sighed, a groan pouring out of her throat as Kara’s teeth sunk teasingly in her skin. “Kara, we have to…”

“What?” Kara asked, panting too but never ceasing her kisses. Lena was intoxicating. Her senses were in high alert. A bomb could explode on the floor under them and Kara would still not feel as much as she was feeling now.

“We need to stop.” Lena stammered without pushing Kara away nonetheless. Kara registered what she was saying but she couldn’t stop. She didn’t have that force. It was too much to ask now that she had the taste of Lena’s skin on her tongue.

“Why?” She asked absentmindedly, kissing her way up to Lena’s mouth. She kissed her thoroughly, languorously. Lena’s tongue was meeting hers at every stroke, their breaths mingling to only form one.

“Lena…” Kara whined against her lips. “I can’t-” Lena bit her bottom lip hard and she groaned. “I can’t stop.” She panted. “Do it.”

Lena whined too, the vibrations reverberating in their mouths. Kara didn’t want this to stop. Never. It was meant to be. She could feel it in her bones. It was too much to mean nothing. Lena’s nails dig in her scalp. Kara pressed her harder against the counter. Their hips met and both moaned loudly.

“Please.” Lena whimpered through parted lips. Kara didn’t know if she wanted more or if she was asking her to stop.

“I want you.” Kara admitted through kisses. She could feel Lena wanted her too. She was swallowing moans after moans escaping from the brunette’s mouth.

“We can’t.” Lena kept repeating in a small voice. “We can’t.”

Kara cupped her cheeks again and stroke the skin there. It was damp. Sighing through her nose, Kara slowed the pace and gave a final soft kiss to Lena’s lips, rubbing tenderly at the tears on the other woman’s cheeks. Keeping her eyes close, she stayed near, their foreheads touching, sharing the same breath. They were both panting heavily. Kara never was out of breath but Lena had succeeded in making her breathless.

“Lena.” She whispered painfully. Because it was painful, really, to stop there. To brush something she had wanted for so long with the tips of her fingers but not being able to touch it. To savor it.

“I know.” Lena whispered back with a broken voice. “I’m sorry. You should go.” Her hands were still tightly gripping at Kara’s shirt. They were shaking. Keeping her eyes close because she was unable to look at Lena right now, Kara lifted her head and kissed her forehead.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked cautiously against the skin. Lena hummed, her head leaning into the touch. “I’ll go then.”

Lena nodded slowly. Kara swallowed the lump in her throat and found the courage to push away. First her lips, then her hips, and finally her arms. Lena lowered her gaze immediately and circled her arms around herself. Kara looked at her for some explanation or anything. All she could see were doubts and torn features. She sighed heavily.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lena nodded again, her eyes stuck on the floor. Kara took a step back then another. And then she walked to the balcony without looking behind, disappointed and a bit worried for Lena. She didn’t like leaving her alone after this but she couldn’t think of any other thing to do. Lena didn’t want her there. She wanted to be alone. Kara couldn’t go against her will. So she flew away, hearing too loudly Lena’s sobs as she broke down on the kitchen floor.

Chapter Text

DAY FIVE

Lena woke up in a gasp once again, but not for the same reasons as two days before. There was somebody in the apartment. Uninvited. She could feel it. The energy wasn't one she was accustomed to. Cursing under her breath, she jumped out of bed as quietly as possible, searching for the closest weapon, thinking about all the protective spells she had casted around the building. Who could pass through her spells and still be alive? She threw a quick glance to the clock on the bedside table. The glaring red numbers burned her eyes. It was close to 3 a.m. She remembered crying herself to sleep after Kara's departure. She couldn't call her for help now, could she?

Stepping into the hall joining the bedrooms to the living room, an empty one-candle chandelier in her hand, Lena remarked Liz's bedroom door ajar, her bedside lamp reflecting its pink light against the walls. She closed her eyes as she moved past it, hoping Liz was still sleeping and safe. A small shuffling in the room confirmed her fear. Liz had been awoken by the noise. She couldn't stop though, and she couldn't take her with her either. She wanted her to stay in her bedroom.

Turning around cautiously, Lena closed the bedroom door and made her way silently to the living room, her back brushing against the wall, praying that Liz would stay in her room. As she peeked behind the corner, she could decipher three figures, lighted by the moon light. Closing her eyes, she cursed again. She could take them down by herself, but not without using her powers. It wasn't the most discreet way for someone who was trying to adjust in a new neighborhood.

"Now we wait for her to come out?" One of the figures asked. It was a man's voice, high and young, if Lena could tell. Muffled too. Peeking once again, Lena noticed they were wearing masks. One of them had a baseball stick in his hand and was twirling it in the air. Another had a huge backpack on his shoulders. They weren't common thieves. They were here for her. Lena took a deep breath, willing her heart to slow down a little. In the hallway, Liz's door creaked slightly open. No, Lena screamed in her head. Please no.

"What was that?" Another one asked, his tone gravelly, as if he had a throat disease. "Somebody's in there." The first one said.

"Of course, you idiot. That's why we're here."

Lena heard them walking several steps. It was now or never. Willing the energy to burst out of her left hand, she summoned a fireball in it and jumped out of the corner, brandishing the chandelier high above her head.

"Stop right there!" She shouted. The three intruders stopped in their track. She heard Liz mumble her name behind her but she couldn't turn around.

"Look who we got here. This bitchy witch reproduced." The man in the center said. This one only had one thing in his hands. Glowing blue shackles. They were enchanted. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lena tried to appear strong and confident. Now wasn't the time to let fear win. She heard Liz call out her name once again. The girl was approaching, Lena could feel it at the amount of energy that was filling the room. She was frightened. They were all in danger now.

"Liz, stay behind." Lena ordered in a tense voice, backing up as the three men were advancing threateningly on her.

"Mom!" Liz whined. Seconds later, her slim arms circled her waist. Lena closed her eyes, defeated.

"Looks like we'll kill two birds with one stone." The man with the shackles chuckled. His peers giggled mischievously around him. They were approaching dangerously and Lena couldn't really move further back with Liz around her. The girl's hands were starting to heat up against the fabric of Lena's tank top.

"What do you want?" Lena asked with a dry tone. "I can give you money."

The man with the shackles bent over laughing with exaggeration. The moon reflected dangerously on his mask, revealing bright red flames sculpted in what looked like leather fabric. He rubbed at the corner of his eyes with a finger, putting away an invisible tear. "We don't want your money, Luthor." He spit her name with venom. He took a step, the two men around him shaking their heads in synchrony. "We want to burn you at the stake."

He rushed on her, startling her as she dropped the chandelier and threw her first fireball, just missing his head. Liz screamed a sharp shriek and squeezed her arms harder, hiding in her mother's waist. Lena avoided a punch, tried to put her behind her, and threw a lightning bolt with two fingers right on the chest of the man with the baseball stick. The man flew across the room with the impact and crashed on the kitchen stools. The young man with the backpack was typing on a pad in front of a small portal Lena hadn't seen before in the middle of the room, undisturbed, and didn't even look up as his partners were being beaten up.

The living room window burst into pieces. Peeking through her parted fingers shielding her, Lena saw Kara's figure taking in the scene, as glass was crisping under her shoes. "What's going on?" She shouted, as if Lena had the time to explain.

"Ask them!" She shouted back. Distracted, she couldn't avoid the hard kick in her knee. She fell on the side, crying out, Liz falling with her several feet away, out of reach.

"Mom!" She screamed again. She was crying now. Lena groaned. She couldn't stand up. The man with the shackles approached and imprisoned one of her wrists in an iron bracelet. She felt drained immediately. Liz screamed again and she heard the noise of a crash. Where was Kara?

Looking around, Lena noticed the man still unconscious under the pile of stools, his chest fuming. The man with the shackles had been projected against the living room furniture. Kara rushed to her, taking her hand and trying to get rid of the bracelet.

"I can't break it!" She said through gritted teeth. Around them, the air was crisping with energy. Liz was overwhelmed.

"Take care of Liz." Lena pleaded but Kara didn't listen and pressed the bracelet harder, making Lena wince. "Kara, please! Liz!"

The blond looked up, alarmed, and met Lena's eyes before quickly looking behind them. Her eyes widened considerably. She stood up in a haste and rushed to Liz. A purplish glow was reverberating on the white walls, illuminating the whole room. Lena turned around painfully, her knee was already swelling. The bracelet around her wrist felt so heavy, as if her hand was surrounded by an invisible force.

"Liz, calm down!" Kara panicked, tried to touch Liz but got pushed away. The girl was circled by a purple shield, her eyes elsewhere, her hands burning. She was levitating slowly towards the ceiling. Her eyes shot a single laser, splitting the ceiling in half, causing water pipes to leak heavily on the floor.

"Liz, it's okay!" Lena shouted. The furniture in the room started to fly around, knocking the man with the shackles on the head. The scene was apocalyptic. There were broken glass and wood everywhere. The smell of dust and destruction invaded the room. Wind was coming through the broken window. One of the men was still unconscious under de stool. The younger one was still programming his portal. The man with the shackles stayed the only immediate threat. As if sensing Lena's eyes on him, the man groaned and stood up, approaching tentatively towards her. She crawled away, her heels sliding on the ground.

"You can't escape!" The man warned. Lena tried to summon a barrier to protect herself from a block of concrete falling from the ceiling but the only result was a sharp pain in her wrist. Looking down, she saw a burning mark on her skin. The man chuckled above her. "You can't use magic with this on."

He took her by the hair and forced her in a standing position. He threw her forward, towards the man building the portal. Lena leaned heavily on her good leg, whining in pain.

"Lena!" Kara shouted. Her head was whipping from right to left, not knowing if she should help Liz or free Lena.

"Protect Liz!" Lena shouted. The man slapped her across the face. She felt her lip split. The younger one next to them ruffled in his backpack and got a small gun out. He pointed it towards Kara and pulled the trigger. A green dart shot right into her back and Kara winced in pain. Kryptonite. They had Kryptonite.

"Now, we'll be left alone." The other man shoved Lena down, her knees clacking on the ground with force next to the portal. Looking back to Kara, Lena saw Liz fall in her arms, as the blond struggled to stay up, her veins resurfacing on her skin with a greenish color. Liz's blue tearful eyes looked at Lena.

"Mom! Mom!" She cried, fighting Kara who tried to keep her secure in her arms.

"Stay with Kara!" Lena shouted back. The blond looked at her. Lena saw the determination in her eyes. And then, everything went black.

Kara woke up to beeping sounds, a light weight on her chest and hair in her mouth. She tried to sit up but a hand on her shoulder prevented her of doing so.

"Careful." Alex said, her face coming into view. "You're not alone."

Frowning, Kara looked down. Liz was all over her, her arms securely around her torso, a wool blanket covering her. She was snoring lightly.

"She doesn't want to leave your side." Alex explained. Kara said nothing but looked around. They were in the old med bay in the Tower.

"What happened?" Kara asked but the events started to pile up in her mind. Lena's apartment being wrecked. The three men with their ugly masks manhandling Liz and Lena. Liz's burst of power. Lena being abducted. The Kryptonite dart.

Now that she was thinking about it, Kara felt a pain in the middle of her back. She remembered trying to protect Liz in her weakened state. Watching Lena be hit in the head by a baseball stick and taken away through a portal.

"I hope you can tell us. Where's Lena?" Alex asked, her hands on her hips. She was talking in whispers and Kara knew it wasn't to protect her from the noise. It was to leave Liz rest.

"She got abducted. Liz saw everything." Kara replied, her throat feeling dry as if paper had been shoved down her mouth and swallowed forcefully.

"By whom?"

"I don't know. They were three. With masks on. They used a portal. I heard Liz scream so I went there and it was chaos." Kara explained, her thoughts mixing up.

"Yeah, we found the portal. Brainy is working on it with J'onn. They're trying to find the last destination it was programmed with."

"The computers in the satellite didn't detect the signal?" Kara asked, frowning. Their computers were so performant, usually it was really easy to find what they wanted. And quickly.

"They did but we can't trace it back. It's over protected. Whoever did this knew who they were attacking."

The image of Lena with the shackles on came in the forefront of Kara's mind, the man's words accompanying it. Blood rushed through her veins, pumped in her heart. Lena was defenseless. And injured. Kara shot upright, putting her arms around Liz who startled awake.

"They used enchanted shackles against her. She can't use her powers!" She rushed out. Alex took her carefully by the shoulders.

"Okay, we'll find her." She said softly. "For now, you have to calm down and take care of yourself." She threw a pointed look down, towards Liz. Kara looked down too. The girl was shaking like a leaf, her eyes squeezed shut, her face buried into Kara's chest as if it could shield her from everything. Guilt poured into Kara's stomach like acid. She brushed her fingers through Liz's hair soothingly. The girl was relying on her now.

"Hey, sweetie." She said as gently as possible. Liz's face softened a bit so Kara continued to scrap at her head, remembering how it used to soothe Lena after a long day of work.

"I'll leave you to rest. But Kara, just so you know…" Alex said on her way to leave the room. "Mom arrived at the airport twenty minutes ago."

Kara nodded, letting her head fall on the cushion as Alex shut the door close. It wasn't the best moment for a family reunion. Kara had thought Lena would be there when Liz would meet Eliza. Now it was just the two of them, alone. She felt Liz looked at her so she gazed down. Her big blue eyes were staring at her.

"Do you know who Eliza is?" Kara asked with sweetness in her tone. She wanted Liz to feel reassured and not sense that something was wrong, even if she had seen the whole scene. The girl nodded hesitantly, her locks of hair shuffling around her face. Kara cupped her cheek and caressed it softly. "She's my other mom."

Liz nodded then a frown formed on her face again. Her lips trembled. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked up to Kara with all the pain of the world in her eyes. "I miss Mom." She cried.

Kara gulped and rushed to hug her tight against her chest. "I know. I do too. I promise we'll find her."

A lone tear glided on her cheek. Liz's pain was so intense, so raw. Kara couldn't bear seeing her hurt like that. She couldn't fathom how traumatic it must had been for her. She couldn't help but worry. For Liz, because the girl started to shake again, hiding in her neck and sobbing. For Lena, because she was somewhere alone, in danger and injured, without any possibility to defend herself. Again. It all felt too much like déjà-vu except Kara had to take care of Liz now. She couldn't spiral like the last time Lena disappeared. She couldn't give up.

Pressing a kiss in Liz's hair, Kara sat up slowly. She searched for a clock she knew used to be on the wall but was now in a corner, gathering dust against a chair. If it was correct, it was close to 7 a.m.. Lena had been abducted something close to four hours ago. They didn't have much time to spare.

"How do you feel about breakfast?" She asked Liz. The girl only shook her head, her nose rubbing on Kara's white shirt. Kara sighed. A new ball of anxiety formed in her stomach.

"You know your mom wouldn't let you skip breakfast." She tried, but mentioning Lena was a mistake. Liz whined and hid even more against her, her tears flowing in torrent. Kara wanted to smack her head on a wall. What an idiot. She searched eagerly for an idea, something that could cheer up Liz. Truthfully, it was pretty hard because she was upset herself. Maybe traumatized a bit too, even if she had seen worse. The men had been really violent with Lena, manhandling her thoroughly, taking advantage of her lost of powers. It wasn't fair. It was infuriating. She hadn't been able to do anything except replaying the images in her head.

Looking down, Kara pressed another kiss against Liz's forehead, hugging her as closely as possible. She was sharing her feelings, she just was better at controlling them. At hiding it. But she understood. "It's okay if you don't want to do anything. I understand. I'll stay with you, I promise."

Liz sniffled ungraciously and rubbed at her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused, staring at the room without really seeing anything. "I…" She cleared her throat, her little voice coming out all gravelly. "I want mom."

Kara cupped her cheek, slid her thumb to collect her tears. "I know, baby. We're searching for her."

Liz's face scrunched up in pain, as if knowing Lena had to be searched for was wrecking her inside. "Why is she gone?" She pronounced in a broken voice, the last syllable in a strangled cry. Kara felt tears form in her eyes as well. The innocence in Liz's demeanor was squeezing her heart in a tight grip. She pressed her lips together, swallowing her own pain.

"I don't know. I promise everybody is doing everything that's possible to find her."

"Maybe she's at home." Liz said, a bit of hope in her features, the light passing through the tears and lighting her face, the round chubby angles of her cheeks. Kara wanted to believe it as well. She wanted to wish for it but she knew that it was impossible.

"I don't think so, sweetie." She replied in a soft and slow tone, not wanting to crash Liz's hopes too soon. "If she had gotten home, she would've rushed here to find you."

Liz frowned. She looked confused for a minute then her eyes filled with tears once again and she met Kara's eyes with panic. "What if she don't come back because I breaked our home and she's mad at me?" Her voice broke at the end and a fresh round of tears slid on her cheeks.

Kara's surprise burst out of her mouth in a wet gasp. She hugged Liz close, engulfing her in her warm arms, pressing her head in her neck. "She's not mad at you, baby, I can swear to you she is not." She said pointedly. She hoped Liz believed her. She hoped it wouldn't make Liz doubt her powers even more. They truly didn't need that.

Seven years ago, Lena had been kidnapped quite often but the consequences had only been on adults, taking a toll on their nights, preventing them from good night rests. Preventing Lena from trusting her own employees, her friends, her own family. Sure, Lena had had nightmares for days every single time – even she never talked about it with Kara, the blond had heard her wake up night after night. Sure, Lena was now quite afraid of heights since her quick fall from her balcony, seventy stories from the ground. Sure, she was preparing her coffee herself now, too afraid to be poisoned a second time. But she had managed. Kara had had numerous sleepless nights as well, her ears counting the heartbeats and the breaths across the city. Kara knew Alex and Kelly were keeping their weapons close during the night, too scared of somebody entering their home and hurting Esme. When Esme got kidnapped by Lex, the stakes had risen drastically. They all had understood that their lifestyle wasn't for children. Keeping Esme's identity secret had been a priority after that. And teaching her good fighting reflexes too, when she got of age. Now, Liz hadn't been kidnapped but she had seen Lena being hit several times and taken away. She had seen her house being transformed into a battlefield. She had witnessed Kara being weakened and not able to protect her. It was even more a miracle she was still trusting her to protect her now.

Kara secured Liz in her arms and hummed slowly in her ear, scraping at her scalp soothingly. She knew deep down in her heart that the repercussions this time would be unmeasurable. And she couldn't bear the thought of it.

The first touch of her feet on the ground and she ran. She ran because her life depended on it. After all the times Lex had tried to kill her, she had learned she better be running than face whatever that was. She had woken up in a van, her body rocking from left and right, hitting the body of the trunk she had been shoved in. It had felt like hours. She had faked being unconscious when they had opened the trunk, only to be dropped on the ground carelessly as if she was a piece of meat. Her head was hurting. Her knee was swollen. Her whole body felt weak. But Lex's endless attempts had taught her one important thing. Only a Luthor could survive it all.

So she ran. But they didn't let her go too far.

A gun shot irrupted in the air. Lena felt the bullet brush past her arm and she froze. Hands in the air. Her breaths coming out shortly. Her mind found two options. Staying and being tied up. Running and being shot. The choice wasn't a hard one. Her leg was already making her regret her momentum of bravery. They were in the middle of a forest, in a glade. The sun was slowly rising behind the trees. It could be a good place to have a picnic. It only filled Lena with dread. Nobody around would be hearing what they would do to her. A hand took a fist of her hair and made her turn around. Her whine of pain was swallowed by the clacking sounds of the shackles around her wrists and ankles, preventing her from fighting back. Running was a stupid idea anyway. She couldn't go too far with those on.

"Don't run, princess. We don't wanna miss the party, now, do we?" The man with the gun said in her face. His breath made Lena nauseous. She could really see them now. They were wearing complete leather masks, with only their eyes and mouths visible, that made them look like ridiculous sadomasochist porn stars. Lena almost rolled her eyes at them. She was already fed up of their game. She was facing the young man with the backpack, he was wearing a jacket with a lot of pockets and mittens. The one who used to carry the shackles was in a black tank top and military pants, his tattooed arms looking pumped up. He had the mask with the red flames. The third one was keeping her in place. The other two chuckled and he turned her around, in the direction she was actually fleeing, shoving her forward.

"Come on, Luthor. Death is waiting for you."

Lena looked at the muscled one above her shoulder and gave him a hard look. Death wasn't a threat she was scared to face. He was probably the leader of the group so he thought everybody feared him and his ridiculous arms, but she couldn't care less. She had been sequestrated for months, violated – probably to an extent she didn't want to know – so death wasn't that frightening. She could deal with that if it was the only thing they wanted from her. A small smile curved on her lips and she turned around, walking apparently, inevitably, to her death, hearing Lex's sociopathic laugh in the background.

"Kara, you should be resting, the Kryptonite isn't entirely out of your system yet." Alex said, knowing she was wasting her time. Her eyes were following Kara as her sister was walking hastily around the main room of the Tower, Liz cradled in her arms, as she was trying to find a solution.

They had called everybody to warn them about the situation. Nia and Brainy had confided Ambrose to Nia's sister for the day and had come immediately to the Tower. Brainy was rolling from side to side on a stool, his face serious. Nia was standing on the left side of Kara, away enough not to bother her but close enough to be a reassurance presence. J'onn was leaning on a wall in a corner, his cape swiping the air coming from the balcony. Alex was leaning with both of her hands on the table, looking at Lena's old L-Corp tablet, analyzing the data they had collected about the signal. She was throwing side glances to her wife from time to time. Kelly was typing furiously on the old computer, putting the signal in again and again, hoping it would find Lena. Kara had never seen her so tense.

"I don't want to wait around for something falling on our lap like last time." Kara said in a shaky voice. "Lena is a mother. She's our friend. We can't let her with them for too long." She threw a pointed look to Alex. "I saw them, they were violent and cruel. We don't have much time, I'm sure if we don't hurry, something bad will happen to her." She was moving furiously with her hands. They were all speaking with hushed voices, knowing too well how Liz was sensible at the moment. The little girl winced to every noise, squeezed Kara like her life depended on it every time someone would speak to a normal level. The noises had overwhelmed Liz the instant they had left the med bay. In a way, Kara was glad it was just her hearing that would bother her and not all her powers at the same time. Dealing with an out of control half-Kryptonian wasn't easy.

"I know that. We all do. But we already did everything we could." Alex repeated for the hundredth time. It was true, Kara was conscious of it. The signal couldn't be trace back. Nobody knew who those guys were. No one had claimed the attack on Lena Luthor, the last heiress of the Luthor fortune. The portal couldn't be activated back because it was built with an auto-destructive function. Nia couldn't see Lena in her dreams since she had unblocked her magic and, even if she had tried nonetheless, it had led nowhere. They had nothing. The only thing they were certain of was that Lena was still on this Earth, in this dimension because J'onn could feel her.

"It's not enough!" Kara shouted, her fist hitting the table and breaking it in half. Liz startled at the crash and started to cry again, gripping on Kara's neck desperately. The room fell silent. Even Kelly stopped typing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Kara cooed in whispers, caressing Liz's hair. She felt the tears pooling in her eyes so she stared at the ceiling, praying for the emotions to go away.

She was so angry and desperate. She didn't know how to deal with a traumatized child. And the only thing she knew about, which was how to save the day, wasn't possible now because she didn't know where to search. It was maddening. She felt powerless, just like the last time Lena had disappeared. The emotions were swirling in her body and she didn't know how to organize them. She wanted Lena back. She wanted her safe. She wanted Liz to stop crying so she could stop feeling so guilty for not stopping the horrible men from taking her mom. She wanted her to stop crying so the acid in her stomach could stop burning its way to her throat. She just wanted everything to stop.

"Do you think they are the ones who…" Nia cut herself short, a finger on her chin as she was standing on the side. They were all staying out of Kara's way, avoiding bothering her as she was pacing the room.

Kara sighed and brushed a hand in her hair. Truthfully, she had wondered about it too. Were the men who attacked Lena the same ones who kidnapped her seven years ago, sequestrated her for months and put a alien baby in her?

"I don't know. They didn't seem smart enough. Except for the boss. He looked evil with his mask on."

"What did the mask look like?" J'onn asked from the wall he was leaning on.

"It was black and red. It was covering all of his head and there were flames on it. It looked quite aggressive." Kara showed with motions around her own head.

"Flames you say." Brainy said, jumping from his rolling chair and taking the keyboard from Kelly. "You said they used shackles on her, too."

"Yeah, they were glowing blue. The guy who put them on her said she couldn't use magic with them."

Brainy was typing furiously on the keyboard. The hope it caused in Kara's heart was terrifying. She liked Brainy's enthusiasm but she knew it could only lead to disappointment. She had had a good amount of that disappointment when she was searching Lena those past seven years. It was devastating every time Kara had realized she had nothing, not any clue about where Lena could have been. Nonetheless, a spark resisted. Kara was hoping that it meant something. That Brainy had an idea or knew something that could help them. A last seed of hope resisted in her body, in her heart, ready to be nourish, to be watered and to grow. They just needed a good lead. Please.

"Did it look like that?" Brainy asked, turning the screen toward her. Everybody approached to look at the images. It was showing old looking masks with different colors of flames on them. The flames were surrounding the eyes or bursting from the mouth. The fact that they were disposed on a table didn't help the disgust face to appear on Kara's face. It was ugly, truthfully, but Kara wondered why those men were wearing them and what it meant.

"Yes, it's…" Kara squinted at the screen. "It was dark so I didn't see the others but it's similar."

"These masks were used by a group called the Salem's purifiers. They were a small group of extremists in the 2000's who thought the Salem trials were the best thing ever happening in America." Brainy explained. "They were… How do you say here?" He walked around the broken table pensively. "A groupuscule. They had small means but big ideas. And guns. The last ones of their group were arrested twenty years ago after an assassination attempt."

"Do we know who they were targeting?" Alex asked, her hands on her hips. Brainy smiled knowingly.

"Lionel Luthor."

"No way." Nia exclaimed, coming up to him. "We have our link."

They didn't pause to ask how Brainy knew about all of this. Brainy was a Coluan, it was explanation enough. Now they could move forward. The simple fact that all their problems were always, ultimately, linked to the Luthor family wasn't missed by Kara though.

"Alright, so we could search for the children of those guys. Or look what happened to the ones who got imprisoned. See if they got out recently. Revenge is a strong motivation factor." Kelly said determinedly as she walked to the computer again, Kara, Alex and Nia gathering around her.

"The ones imprisoned are dead." Brainy stated behind them. They all turn toward him. "Lionel had them killed."

"How do you know it was him?" Alex asked with a frown. Brainy started to pace again with his hands in his back.

"He wasn't as intelligent as his children to erase his traces. I followed the money. It led to a bank account in Switzerland with his name on it in big bold letters." He joked, mimicking a sparkly sign with his fingers.

"When did you do that?" Kara frowned too, caressing Liz's back unconsciously. The little girl was still hiccupping from time to time but her heartbeat had slowed down considerably. Kara was keeping her close, trying to give her as much reassurance as she needed. She hoped her warmth and the beating of her heart could soothe Liz at least a little. Even if she was discussing with her family to find a solution, her mind was always on high alert and she kept checking on her daughter from time to time.

"Just now." Brainy smiled proudly. Kara opened wide eyes. Sometimes, she forgot how impressive he could be.

"Fine. Then what about their children?" Kelly asked, rounding on him. "Did you find anything?"

"No." Brainy rose a finger. "That's the mystery. All of them disappeared."

"You had to be kidding." Alex sighed, at the same time Nia said, "How surprising."

"I can't find a thing about them after the year 2008, which was the year Lionel got them incarcerated." Brainy explained.

"Lena was fourteen at the time. She could know them." Nia chipped in.

"I doubt that. Lionel wasn't the kind to share his evil scheme at the table during dinner." Alex shook her head pensively.

"But it may be people she was surrounded with." Kelly said, sharing a glance with Nia.

"Lena was at boarding school from twelve to eighteen years old." Kara shared pensively.

Something felt wrong. Kara had a bad feeling. Lena didn't seem to know her attackers and even less be aware of what they wanted from her. The men had looked terribly prepared, knowing exactly what technology they needed to enter Lena's house. They used Kryptonite on Kara knowing she would be there to protect her. They used enchanted shackles on Lena to prevent her from using magic. And not a lot of people knew the extent of Lena's magical background, only that she had magical powers from this article Andrea had released seven years ago when they had defeated Nyxly. So those guys were really well informed. Remembering their discussion Kara had heard on her way to Lena's apartment, she had doubts about them acting alone. The one with the bright flames looked intelligent but the other two were just minions. They had been there to show muscles. No, the more Kara thought about it, the more she became convinced that they couldn't have acted alone. They must had been more than three of them.

"But when you say all of the children went missing, how many are we speaking of?" Kara tilted her head on the side, addressing Brainy who was just on her right.

"Seven." Brainy didn't hesitate to reply.

"Oh man." Nia exclaimed, rubbing at her forehead.

"You mean there're four other maniacs out there who could be hurting Lena?" Kara shrieked out.

Brainy's head rocked from side to side. "I mean the men who got arrested had seven children. It doesn't mean all of them are the new purifiers. Even if there is 99.7% of certainty that they are, since they all have disappeared after that."

Alex groaned in her hands. Kara turned around, not bearing to look at them. It was devastating. They only learned that Lena was even more in danger than before. Kara knew she shouldn't have let herself hope too much.

Diving her nose in Liz's hair, she walked toward the balcony. Alex called her name, probably afraid she would fly out. She wouldn't, it would frighten Liz even more. She just wanted some fresh air. The flowers were embalming the air. It smelled like Lena's shampoo. Kara swallowed the lump in her throat. The ball in her stomach seemed to only be growing and growing. She missed Lena so much. She didn't want her to be hurt. She didn't want her to give up, only knowing that their last shared words were that deceiving. She didn't want Lena to give up only knowing that they had shared their first kiss only to be denied any proximity the next day. She just wanted to squeeze her in her arms and never let her out of her sight never again.

Three days. It took her three days being back before the first killing attempt. How pathetic was that? Now she was on her own. Kara wouldn't be able to save her if nobody knew where she was. If nobody knew who wanted her dead. She didn't have any answer to that either. After crossing the glade with difficulty, they had thrown her in a cage that looked made of lead and steel with thick bars and a big padlock on the door.

"Now you can pray, you bitch." The man with the baseball stick had said before walking away. She could still see them from afar. One was gathering wood, another was bringing full cans of liquid, probably gasoline. The third one, the one with the red flames mask, was playing with a lighter endlessly, staring at her from his position on a wood trunk. They were preparing for a pyre.

Lena had never been religious. Scientists believed in proof and experiments, not in an icon that could be ruling their lives for them. It was too unpredictable. She believed in what she could see. And she could see the guns in the hands of her abductors. And the fire they were lighting up, one throwing branches on the pile, the other pouring oil or gasoline behind him. They had chosen her fate. Florence had warned her about witch hunters but she had never taken her seriously. She could only feel sorry for herself now. The joke was on her. She could only wish to end in a good place.

Lena could admit that she believed in afterlife. Seeing Jack appear in the middle of her living room had made her realize that she couldn't base her knowledge only upon science. Of course, magic had opened her eyes and made her more pragmatic. But since Jack had appeared in her house when she had summoned him, wouldn't it mean there was no place like heaven?

And if there was no heaven, there was no hell either, right? So, what was waiting for her? An endless empty life watching those who lived suffer a life she would be craving. How long would it last? The eternity? Lena was smart enough to know no real human being could fathom what eternity meant. It was out of reach. Nonetheless, she wished that she could have an eternity with Liz and Kara. Not the eternity but one eternity. One eternity that she could fathom. Until her last breath. Until Kara would fall out of love with her and leave her. Until Liz would be too old and too busy to bother visiting her aging mother. She could imagine an eternity like that. It wasn't out of reach. She just needed to fight a little longer. But what if she fought an eternity and it still wasn't enough for Kara to find her?

Lena wished she was religious. At least, she could have appreciated the disillusion of the possibilities to be rescued. The possibility that there was a god far above who was watching her and believed that it wasn't her time yet. But she didn't believe in that. Instead, she wished for Liz. She wished for Kara to take care of her. She wished for her friends to guide her through her life, to help her to live a life without her mother because Lena knew too well how it was. She wished for Liz to be loved and cared for. And to forgive her for the choices she had made.

She wished for Kara to find a love better than hers. Remembering the sad look on her face just the day before, Lena realized that she wasn't ready to trust the blond with her heart. It was too risky. Too painful. She wished for Kara to find the light again. Lena had noticed how Kara's smiles weren't as bright as before. How her eyes weren't full of hope as they used to. Age or experiment or just life's deceptions caused it. The weight of the responsibility to guide a whole world through its struggles. The weight of the loss of Kara's entire culture. Maybe it was all of this that pushed Kara to be a lessen version of herself. A dull version of her with even colors and Manichean values. So Lena wished for Kara to find her light back, even if it was through Liz. And if Lena could come back from this day safe and sound, she swore to herself she would help Kara finding it back herself.

Sighing, Lena looked up at the sky through the bars of the cage they had put her in. The position of the sun showed her it was around midday. She imagined that they were all searching for her, desperately, like she would do for them. Liz was probably terrified. Lena wished that she could be with her, reassure her, soothe her. Glide her fingers in her hair and tell her that she was coming back. Kara was with her, Lena was sure of that. She trusted her enough to know Kara would never leave their daughter's side. Her only regret would be not being able to say some last words to her daughter. You are loved. You are perfect. Don't let anybody say otherwise. Trust your mommy, she'll take care of you. Forgive me, I was too weak. I love you and I will love you for the eternity.

A tear escaped Lena's eye and she brushed it away furiously. She couldn't show weakness, not to them. Not to this type of men who thought themselves as superior. Lena had dealt with this type of men most of her life. They didn't deserve her tears. No, she had to be strong. For Liz. For Liz, she would die in dignity. For Liz, she would die without shedding any tears. For Liz, and for Kara, and for Esme and all her friends, she would be strong and patient just a little longer. Until those men would decide it was her time. Until then, she would hope. For all of them. Because nothing was done yet.

Time was running out. Kara was going mad. She was pacing and pacing next to her bed like a lion in a cage. She had stayed close to her daughter, keeping an eye on her. Liz was sleeping in her bed where Kara had slowly eased her in. Her eyes were red from crying non-stop. The little girl looked exhausted. Kara had asked J'onn to fly discreetly to Lena's apartment and retrieve one of Lena's clothes so Liz could at least be comforted by her perfume. Kara had read on a blog the other day that babies and children tended to relax when they were surrounded by their mother's perfume. Snowflake had also appeared out of nowhere, surprising everybody. He was now curled up next to Liz. Kara had showed him some cat crackers but he had only looked at her as if she was the stupidest human he had ever encountered. Kara almost thought he was right. She couldn't find a solution. She couldn't think clear enough to find a lead that could help them discover where Lena was. She couldn't reassure Liz enough that she would stop crying. She was just useless.

"Guys, I've found something!" She heard Kelly exclaim from behind her so she rushed to her. Kelly was on the makeshift table in the middle of the room with her laptop. The broken table had been replaced at some point by a wooden board on two trestles. Everybody gathered around her, looking at the screen and waiting for her explanations.

"So I was thinking about what we said earlier. Follow the money." Kelly motioned to Brainy. "But Brainy had searched only on Lionel's side. I thought that if Lionel had paid men to kill the purifiers, Lillian must have known about it." She then opened several pages on her laptop to show them. "And here it is. Lillian's bank account in the Bahamas. I didn't find anything directly linked to the purifiers but Lillian made several weird transactions toward people who might be the ones we're searching."

Alex and Brainy leaned forward, squinting at the screen before sharing a look. They smiled to each other. "Babe, that's genius! You're awesome!" Alex praised, kissing her excitedly on the cheek. Nia clapped in Kelly's hand. Brainy nodded victoriously. It was their first lead in hours so their excitement was understandable but Kara wouldn't be fooled twice.

"Slow down." She said with a frown. They all turned their heads to look at her. She almost felt guilty from crashing their fun. "So what, she paid people to erase their crimes. How is it linked to our situation?" She asked.

"Look at the screen." Alex simply replied with a shrug.

Kara frowned but complied. She crouched down in front of the laptop and scrolled through the pages. There were numbers and names. Several ones. Until only one was mentioned. Baxter. Kara looked up.

"I don't understand."

"Jason Baxter is one of the children we're searching for." Brainy explained.

"But this is money transferred to a Jenny Baxter." Kara couldn't see the link.

"Yes, his mother. Her husband was one of the former purifiers." Kelly added. "I checked. It's the family we're searching."

"Oh." Kara was confused. Why would Lillian give money to one of those families if they had tried to kill her husband? Even if the Luthors weren't known to be fully in love, Lillian wouldn't waste money just to enrage Lionel and pay a woman endlessly. So why? This Jenny Baxter must had had something on the Luthors. Something they had feared.

"Jason was born in 2004. They tried to kill Lionel in 2008. Then all children disappeared but Lillian kept sending money only to this one until two years before her death." Nia thought aloud, as confused as Kara.

The dots weren't connected. There were only a few reasons to why Lillian would have given money to somebody. She wanted to silence the Baxter. But for what? The only person Lillian had ever wanted to protect was Lex. Lena had never counted in the picture because Lillian couldn't forgive Lionel's betrayal.

"You think Jason is Lena's half brother." Nia stated, her shoulders sagging, her face showing disappointment. Kara gasped loudly. That wasn't possible. It was too easy, too far-fetched. Lionel wouldn't have dared. He only had eyes for Lena's mother. It would only mean more hurt for Lena, who would once again discover something her family had kept hidden from her for years.

Alex nodded. "I think Lionel broke another woman's heart, abandoning her when she fell pregnant, and Lillian worked her ass off to cover it, but it didn't stop the child to crave for revenge."

"That's not… Don't you think we're going a bit fast here?" Kara frowned. Truly, it seemed plausible. Lilian would have paid years for this child to be hidden. She was capable of it. But revenge and a hidden brother? That was too easy.

"Do you have any other reasons for Lillian to give money to a family who lost everything because the father tried to kill Lionel? Go ahead. I'm listening." Alex said, her hands on her hips.

That could actually be it. The Luthors wouldn't have taken Jason with them like Lena since he still had a mother. But Lillian had always wanted to keep up appearances, to protect Lex from knowing who his father truly was. She died with one more secret. Kara pitied that woman. What a loveless life she had lived.

"So the only reason for those men attacking Lena would be revenge?" Kara said, unbelief written on her face.

"Yeah, well, that wouldn't be the first time." Alex shrugged. "Them being part of a witch hunter cult could weighed in the balance too."

"But how do we find them now?" Nia asked, already planning their next move.

"I'm searching for all the data we can find on Jason. His credit card, his car, the brand of his favorite shoes. With luck, we'll find an address." Brainy winked to her before his eyes glassed again as he dove in his pool of informations. They were all ecstatic. They had a lead, a real one. That put them closer to Lena. Kara couldn't believe it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned around to go back to Liz. Once closer to the bed, she laid next to her daughter. Liz was breathing heavily. Snowflake's head rose when he felt the bed digging. Kara placed a kiss on Liz's head and smelled her shampoo. Flowery, fresh and sweet. The same as Lena's.

"We'll find her, baby girl. I promise." She whispered in her ear. Liz only hummed, the warmth radiating from her little body. Yes, they would find Lena and bring her back. Kara had hope.

Lena startled awake, the cage rocking from side to side before falling heavily on the ground in a cloud of dust and pollen. She coughed roughly.

"Waky waky, Luthor. Time's almost up for your big moment." It was the man with the red flames mask. He was pushing the cage with his feet, making it rock like a boat. Lena braced herself against the bars and waited for him to stop. When the cage fell once again on the ground, the man crossed his arms.

"So I was thinking, since you're almost dead, maybe it would be good to have our talk. I wouldn't be able to tell you how your father sucked once your skin will be as melted as butter in the sun."

Lena frowned. Her father. What was he doing in all this? She looked at the man. His smirk could be seen through his mask. He was holding his head high, showing off his arms as if she could be intimidated.

"Don't waste your breath. I agree with you. He was a bastard." Lena said and turned around, not wanting to look at this man more than she was obliged to. The man snorted and rounded the cage to face her once again.

"Funny you think that because, you know, being his daughter has some perks. I'm sure you had the perfect life in the big and luxurious Luthor manor." His tone was supposed to be indifferent but Lena could sense something behind it. Was it anger? Jealousy?

It was her turn to snort. She approached the cage door and gripped at the bars tightly. "Perfect life? I think you got the wrong idea."

"Oh really?" He said casually. Then, his smile disappeared and he rushed to grab at her hands through the bars. "I think you still got it better than me." He spit in her face, saliva bursting from his mouth.

Lena tried to take her hands back, degusted by his breath and his behavior, but he held tight. He closed the distance and was now only mere inches from her face. "Do you have any idea…" He whispered dangerously. "what your father did to my family?"

Lena's eyes traveled between his eyes, panic settling in her guts. No, she didn't have any idea. But now that he was closer, the color of his eyes was already giving her some clues. She couldn't believe it, though. It was the same as hers.

"He was my father's friend. He betrayed him. He manipulated my mother into thinking she deserved better than him." The hatred was palpable in his tone. He spelled out every words as if he wanted them to be engraved in Lena's mind. "He tarnished her and knocked her up. Tarnished my father's reputation. And when he had the opportunity to do something good, to pay for his mistakes, he ran away!" He laughed there, mischievously, furiously. "He killed my father and let my mother rot in her farm, with a four year-old, without a penny to feed him! How is that for a hero?"

Lena didn't have any idea if what he was saying was true or not. She flinched when he moved away, her legs backing several steps to find as little safety as she could have in the cage. The cogs in her mind were turning quickly. Lionel wouldn't have done it twice. Lillian wouldn't have tolerated it. She remembered them fighting, so many times, but her memory wasn't that good. She was so young. And then she had been placed in boarding school until university so she didn't know what had been happening back in the manor.

The man slowly rose his hands to the back of his mask and Lena watched him with rapt attention. He pulled at the scratches and tore his mask away from his face. Like discovering the secret to a magic trick, Lena found it bittersweet. There, in front of her, was a man in his twenty's, brown hair, light green eyes, with a smirk plastered on his lips that she knew too well. He had a scratch on his forehead, probably from the fight of the day before. He looked like a mix between Lex and herself. She had always thought Lex had taken all of his appearance from their father, whereas she had taken her mother's genes but now she could see it. The shape of the eyes, the rounded nose. It was Lionel's. She had the same ones. There, in front of her, was a man who could have been a part of her family. Another brother she could have loved and who could have loved her back. But like all the things the Luthors touched, this relationship had been destroyed before it had even the possibility to exist. Curiosity and disappointed were mixing up in her. Like discovering the secret to a magic trick, it was falling flat. She had a new brother but he already hated her and she couldn't do anything about it.

"How about we reverse a bit?" The man – her half-brother? – came closer, extending his hand amusedly. "I am Jason Baxter. Your brother. One of Lionel's bastard son."

Lena looked at the hand then back at his face. One of them? The smirk wasn't diminishing. She felt pity for him. Of course, he had rendered her speechless but sadness was the principal emotion she was feeling towards him. He had thought that the news would have wrecked her, planning his revenge on crashing the image she had of Lionel. But it wasn't the case at all. Lena had had years of learning how her parents would always deceive her. She wasn't surprised one bit that Lionel would be able to abandon a child but raise another. She wasn't that surprised either to discover they might not be the only ones. She was more curious about how Jason had lived with that knowledge.

Living in the Luthor manor, how she had wished for the people outside to realize their lives weren't as joyful and perfect as Lillian was making it look like. As a teen, she had wished for her mother to be alive and for her father to be dead in replacement. Because he was never home and he was her father just because he could use her. Because she was as smart as Lex, if not smarter and he could brag about her merits during business meetings. He was her father just to punish her or send her gift card for her birthday. As the adult that Lena was now, and with the (little) work she had done on herself, she knew now that Lionel was her father because Lillian insisted that he took his responsibilities and rose her since she didn't have a mother to take care of her anymore. After Lillian's death, Lena had realized she had more to own to her adopted mother than she thought.

"What? Surprise? You didn't know, did you?" Jason danced a little on his feet, his smile making Lena uncomfortable. She shook the head absentmindedly. So this man was her half-brother. It was just her luck he happened to be a witch hunter too.

"Why now?" She asked. Because, if her logic was good – and it was always good – now that Lionel and Lillian were dead, now that Lena was the only heir remaining from the Luthor family, it didn't make sense to kill her. Jason would win more by asking her money, bargaining his knowledge against a hundred thousand dollars. It was what every little criminal like him would have done.

Instead, he just laughed harder. Lena had to wait two minutes for him to stop exaggerating his amusement. "Well, you decided to show yourself."

Lena frowned then the articles in the press came up to her mind. She almost groaned. Oh how Kara would be insufferable with this one. She had warned her about the attention it would get but Lena hadn't listened and now… Now she could only blame her hubris.

"You see, I always knew who my real father was. My mother wanted me to make her wish come true. Her last breath was just to tell me to avenge her name. To make things right. So I started training. " Jason showed off his biceps. Lena rolled her eyes. At least Lex wasn't the type to work out. "I learnt you were a witch a long time ago. When you and your super friends rescued National City and banished that imp from Earth."

Lena remembered vaguely what the media had said about it. Supergirl and her friends saving the city. Lena Luthor using magic being a surprising help. She had a fight with Andrea about that one, but her friends had ganged up on her, proving her it was all good feedbacks. People were happy to see her help, even if it was with magic.

"Did you know our father was the leader of the Salem's purifiers back in the day?" Jason tilted his head, his eyes glinting with mischief. He picked up his mask and caress it lovingly. "I'm sure he got close to your mother just because he was supposed to kill her."

The Salem's purifiers – was that the name of their little group? Lena knew Lionel hadn't been the most noble man. He had done some cruel things, killed a lot of people, corrupted numerous politicians and policemen. Had won money on lots of people's misery. But he hadn't been the most religious man either. She found it hard to believe he had been linked to a cult. Witch hunters were known to be really conservative. She couldn't imagine Lionel with a mask on planning his next killing attempt on a coven.

"He was the one who recruited my father. They wanted to erase your kind. To burn them. To purify the planet like our ancestors had purified Salem."

No, Lionel had loved her mother. Their love story hadn't been the most honorable one but Lena was sure of it. They had loved each other. Lena had always believed that, even if she wasn't as loved by her father as she was by her mother, she had been a product of love. Knowing that this knowledge, this core belief could be untrue. That what her mom had put in her journals could be an illusion, the words of a naïve woman who was in love with a manipulative man, made her head spin. Stung at her heart. Wrecked her inside. She couldn't believe that because it would mean that all the things that she thought were true about herself weren't. All the things that had helped shape her identity would be fake. Lena wasn't ready for this to be true.

"You are nuts." Lena groaned under her breath. Jason stopped in his pace and looked at her. The smile on his face showed Lena he had won. He wanted a reaction out of her and he had won.

"Nuts you say. New heroes, I say." He resumed his pacing, his hands behind his back, playing with his mask. "Our father was a real leader, we have to give him that. They had good fun while he was at the head. Then you arrived and he had to give his alpha hunter position." He turned to look at her. His smile had disappeared, leaving only a stern face. "Then I arrived and he turned his back on his brothers. He denounced them before my father could punish him for his treason."

Lena observed him, analyzing every one of his movements. He looked unpredictable. His change of emotions was disturbing. It almost felt like speaking to Lex, except Lex was more voluble and intelligent. Lex had the education and the aristocratic arrogance Jason was lacking.

"Now it's your turn to pay." Jason lowered his voice. He took two steps toward the cage without quitting Lena's eyes. "When the sun will be set, we'll bring you to the pyre and leave you to burn. For all his mistakes. And for your abomination."

His last word gave her goosebumps. Lena had fought hard to accept herself as she was. Jason's cold tone was terrifying, she had to admit as much. Even if she didn't fear the concept of death, she didn't have a death wish either.

Jason turned around without addressing another word to her. He walked peacefully, one step at a time, as if he was taking a walk in the forest, searching for mushrooms or butterflies. Lena shook her head. She couldn't believe it. Another deranged brother. Once she would be back, she would ask Florence if she could read her hand lines. Maybe she had been cursed.

Looking up at the sky, Lena realized the sun was really low. Lower than she had expected it. How much time had she slept? How many hours before sunset? Two or three maybe. Her stomach grumbled loudly. She didn't know if it was out of hunger or anxiety. Her heart beat faster suddenly. Grasping at her tank top with clenched fingers, Lena tried to calm her heart, even if she knew the gesture in itself would do nothing. She tried to regulate her breath. She inhaled and exhaled consciously. The shackles never felt that heavy. She was sick of this situation. What would happen to Liz? She couldn't leave her alone like that. If nobody came, Lena would be dead in less than three hours.

She crushed her eyes shut, her heartbeat echoing in her ears, the blood pumping against her ear-drums. She looked down at the tattoo on her forearm and rubbed at it. It didn't glow like expected. Panic settled even lower in her stomach. Liz was alone. Kara was alone. She couldn't warn Florence. What would happen to her?

She fell to her knees, forgetting the pain in the left one, the shackles clinking their unbearable sound. She had been fooled. She had been arrogant and now she could only blame her hubris for not believing Kara when she had told her she should have hidden more. What was left to do now? Hoping? Wishing? Praying?

Lena shook her head, a small smile spreading on her lips, amused by her own stupidity. Nobody would come. Why would they? She had lied and betrayed them. She had given up on them. Why would they fight for her?

She shook her head again. She couldn't let darkness enveloped her like it used to do. She deserved better. Instead, Lena tried to remember Liz's face. She wished that she could leave a last kiss on her chubby cheeks. She wished that she could smell her natural scent one last time. She wished that she could talk to her one last sentence endlessly.

"I love you, my little lamb. I love you. Liz, I love you so much." She repeated, clenching at her heart, her eyes filling with tears. She repeated it an unmeasurable amount of time because, maybe, just maybe, one of those I love you's would float in the air, travel space and finally reach her daughter.

The night was just falling on National City and everybody was exhausted. They had been up for so many hours now that nobody dared to count. A silence had followed their come back from Baxter's house. The guy was nowhere to be found. His house had been empty, the laptop there had been erased. They had nothing that could lead them to a place Lena could be detained.

Kara was currently staring at the ceiling while Liz was sleeping on her. The girl had woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the afternoon and had been inconsolable. Something about Lena being kept in a cage. Kara had soothed her back to sleep, waiting for her friends to come back. How disappointed she had been when they had come back empty handed.

She had forgone the state of frustration now. She was just hopeless. Lena was gone. She must had to accept it. They couldn't find her. Nobody had a lead. The house had led nowhere. They could be in an entire other country for all she knew. On the other side of the planet, even.

"Mom?" Liz whispered, her head lifting up from Kara's chest. She looked around the room, confused, searching for somebody that, significantly, wasn't there. Kara rubbed at her back soothingly.

"It was just a dream, baby. Go back to sleep." Kara said softly. She didn't know what else to do. She didn't know how to tell Liz that they couldn't find her mom. That Kara had promised things she couldn't realize.

"No." Liz grumbled. She pushed up and sat on Kara's stomach. Her little frown only made her look more tired. "She's in my head. I hear her voice."

Kara looked at her, confused. She sat up as well and took her by the shoulders. "Liz, that's not funny. You can't be hearing her, she's too far. I don't hear her."

Liz's frown didn't sad anymore. It looked upset. Angry. "I hear her!" She repeated, her fist hitting Kara's forearm. A purple glow started to swim in her eyes. Kara realized that she had to deal with this matter carefully or they would have to face the little girl's fury.

"I know you miss her, baby, I swear I do. But that's not possible." Kara said softly. She tried to reach her but Liz pushed her hands away.

"I hear her!" She stammered, standing up. "She cries and she says I love you."

Kara looked at her as the girl was searching the room, her head tilted on a side or the other to adjust her ears and find the sound. Liz might say the truth. Lena had told her that they had a link. Liz wasn't just Kryptonian, she was part witch. They already knew that she was capable of things Kara couldn't do herself. Why couldn't she be hearing Lena?

"Liz!" She called her and the girl turned around in alert. "Are you sure this is…"

"Mommy, we have to help her!" The girl interrupted her. "She's in danger! She's really in a cage!"

Kara opened wide eyes, seeing all the honesty on her daughter's face. Her mind completely forgoed the nickname Liz had used to address her. She could hear Lena. She had dreamt about her, about where she was. This whole time Liz was linked to Lena and they didn't even stop to question her dreams. Kara stood up and took Liz by the shoulders.

"Okay. What do you know? What is she saying? Can you speak back to her?"

Liz's eyes travelled between Kara's in a frantic manner. She nodded eagerly. "She just says she loves me. She's hurt. She cries a lot." Liz's eyes filled with tears again.

"What else?"

"Nothing. She says I love you. She says your name."

Alex came back from the med bay with Kelly and J'onn. "What's going on?"

"Liz can hear Lena." Kara explained vaguely. She took Liz in her arms and pushed the button on her wrist band to activate her suit. "She's going to guide me so I can find her."

As she turned around toward the balcony, J'onn appeared in front of her. "Slow down, Supergirl. It may be a trap."

Kara groaned in frustration. Liz was squeezing her arms hard around her neck, but her heartbeat was slow. She was ready to go. "We don't have time and I don't care. I need to find her."

"Kara, it's crazy!" Alex hissed behind her, walking up the stairs.

Kara huffed and looked at the ceiling. "I don't care!" She repeated. The frustration was having the best of her. She turned around to make her point. "I love her, Alex! I can't just wait around and let her be hurt. I can't!"

Alex rose two surrendering hands. "I won't stop you. But we're not going alone."

"I can't wait for you all to prepare. Time is running out!"

"Alright then I'll go with you and take care of Liz while you free Lena." J'onn said with a trusting smile. Kara met his eyes and she nodded.

"And we'll meet you all as quick as the ship will drive us there." Kelly chipped in.

They all nodded. They had a plan. Brainy and Nia were back home with their son and Kara didn't think it was necessary to bother them. They could deal with those guys by themselves.

Kara walked determinedly to the end of the balcony but was stopped by a hand on her wrist. As she turned around, she noticed Alex was keeping her back. Her sister munched on her lower lip in hesitation.

"Just be careful, okay?"

Kara nodded and gave her a reassurance smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll wear the anti-Kryptonite gear."

"Okay." Alex exhaled. Before Kara could go, she took her in her arms in a tight hug, Liz stuck in the middle. "I love you, sis. Take care of my niece."

Kara's heart did a somersault. Alex hadn't told her that in so long. "I love you too. And I will, of course." She replied in a shaky voice. Alex smiled and kissed Liz's cheek, who blushed profusely.

"I love you both. Go save our favorite tech nerd."

Kara laughed as she flew away, J'onn next to her, thinking how Brainy would be offended about that. Now that they were in the air, Kara levitated just above the levels of the highest buildings. She carried Liz carefully, her arms securely around her back and under her legs.

"Alright, baby, where do you think the voice of your mom comes from?" She asked Liz. The girl tilted her head in different angles, her eyes closed as she focused on Lena's voice. She pointed towards east.

"I think it's that way."

Kara flew in the direction, her speed not so quick so that Liz could guide them properly. J'onn was waiting for them patiently. They kept levitating just above of the buildings because Kara feared higher would make Liz loose Lena's voice.

"And now?"

"Go there!" Liz said excitedly.

"Is she still saying the same thing?"

Liz nodded. "She says I love you Liz and I love you Kara."

Kara blushed a bit. Hopefully, their daughter was young enough not to understand the impact of those words. She flew in the direction Liz indicated and they slowly quitted National City's skies to wander in the countryside.

"Do you hear her far?"

"I hear her more now."

"Okay. She may be near." J'onn said but Liz shook her head.

"No, she's far."

Kara and J'onn shared a curious look. They were both wondering the same thing. How Liz could tell? They resumed their fly, changing directions when Liz said so. Kara didn't mind searching the whole world like that if it meant finding Lena.

Her cries hadn't stopped when they had come to open the cage. They hadn't stopped when they had walked her up to the pyre. They hadn't stopped either when they had tied her up to it. The moon was full and high in the sky. The dark night was surrounding them as little animals traveled in the trees. Once again, it could have been a lovely place to relax and read a book, Liz running in the background with Kara, Ambrose and Esme playing football, Alex and Kelly curled up to each other and Nia and Brainy debating about the best villain in a TV series. But Lena couldn't imagine that anymore. It was asking too much from her already bleeding heart.

"Stop whining. You have what you deserve." The man with the baseball stick said in a bored tone.

Lena didn't even bother reacting. She didn't care. She was about to die, leaving a six-year-old behind. She was about to die, leaving the love of her life behind. She had seen better days. The pain was unbearable.

"All this Luthor pride just to cry like a little girl when you realize your time has come. How ironic." Jason laughed, coming in front of her with his hands on his hips as his minions worked around the pyre.

Lena just looked at him. She felt empty. Numb. She kept whispering her love to Liz, thinking hard about the color of her eyes. Kara's eyes. If she had to chose the last image she would remember before dying, it would be this one. Liz and Kara laughing, their eyes glinting as Kara tickled Liz lovingly. The sound of their laughs as her eternal melody.

"We're ready." The young man with the backpack said and Jason nodded.

"Now's the time, Luthor."

He only had used her last name to address her. That was funny. How Lena had resented this name, how she had despised it. How much she had wanted it to change, only to do it in Ireland to protect herself. She should have kept her Walsh identity. It might have prevented her from being in this position in the first place.

But she understood the appeal. Jason hated her for being a Luthor. He didn't need to know her. He didn't want to know the truth. He didn't need to know she was totally agreeing with him. Not the hunting witch part but the hunting Luthor part. No, he just wanted revenge. For crimes she hadn't done herself. For crimes her father was responsible of. How ironic, indeed. The full circle moment wasn't lost on her. All her life, she had fought to give the Luthor name its glory back. She had fought against prejudices and stereotypes. She had worked nights after nights, days after days, so that her name wouldn't be associated with corruption and felony. And now she was put on a pyre because she was a Luthor witch. Life had a weird sense of fun.

The two other men started pouring gasoline on the branches. Lena tried to breathe through her mouth. The smell was so strong it was giving her a headache. Then, Jason approached and lighted his lighter in front of her eyes.

"You see, fire is a magnificent invention." He opened and closed the lighter, the flame reflecting in his mad eyes. "A thing so beautiful and dangerous at the same time. You can either live thanks to it or die because of it."

He leaned away, closing and opening the lighter one last time. He made the flame dance against a branch one of the men had given to him. "Say fuck you to Lionel for me, would you?"

Lena hadn't had the time to reply. He had dropped the branch on the pile under Lena's feet and the fire was starting slowly at the base. She had been placed on a small hard wooden stool, her wrists tightly tied to a trunk of a tree from which the crown had been cut. She watched as the flames started to lick at the feet of the stool. The smoke was thick and dark grey. It was rising in the air, indicating their location if a walker was passing by. Lena almost wished for a walker to pass by. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing only by her mouth but it was useless. The smoke was too thick. The smell was too intoxicating. She coughed hardly, spit sliding on the side of her mouth. The mix between the gasoline and the different types of the trees used for the pyre was forming an aggressive odor. If Lena didn't die from being burnt, at least she would die from intoxication.

As the flames were reaching the soles of her shoes, a red figure appeared far above the three men. Lena squinted but couldn't decipher if it was true or if the smoke was causing her hallucinations. She saw a green blur going from right to left then going away. It couldn't be them. Lena looked down. She had to stop hoping. It wasn't possible.

She heard a scream and opened her eyes hastily. One of the men had disappeared and Jason and the youngest were now fighting Kara. Or they were trying too. She was wearing the whole anti-Kryptonite suit. She grabbed at the youngest by his collar and rose him from the ground.

"Give me one reason not to throw you through space like I did to your friend." Kara said threateningly and Lena realized she was talking about the third man. The one with the baseball stick. He was probably imploded in the atmosphere right at this moment. Lena didn't know what to feel about that.

"Kara, no!" She cried out. The flames burnt at her feet, licked around her shoes. She screamed in agony. It seemed to make Kara react. She threw the youngest away, pushed away Jason, who fell in a grunt, unconscious as his head hurt a rock on the ground, and rushed to Lena. Her helmet opened and Lena would have seen all the fear in her eyes if the pain at her feet hadn't been that awful. Kara extinguished the fire with her breath and Lena sagged heavily forward, immediately relieved but agonizing nonetheless.

"It's okay, I got you." Kara said. She tore her ties apart and took her in her arms. She eased her down gently, Lena's back hitting her lap, her burnt feet in the air. Lena opened her eyes and looked up. A small smile graced her face.

"Hey." She said tiredly. Her head was hurting so bad from the smoke. Her sight was all blurry but she could see it was Kara. She was surrounded by her perfume. She could feel her soft hand caressing her cheek. A terrible thought occurred to her. Now she could die happy.

"You scared the shit out of me." Kara exhaled. "You can't do that to me again."

Lena laughed but it came out more like a cough. "I'm sorry."

"You scared the shit out of me." Kara repeated. She wasn't the type to curse. Ever. Lena knew now that she had been really frightened. Slowly, she rose a hand and twined it with Kara's one on her cheek. Their fingers intertwined instantly.

"I'm glad you came." Lena whispered. A single tear rolled down Kara's cheek. It was the last thing Lena noticed before blacking out for the second time that day.

After bringing Lena to the med bay in the satellite where Alex had put her on oxygen and treated her burnt feet, and putting Jason and the other man into an interrogation room in the satellite, Kara had nothing more to do. She walked to the lounge area where Liz was curled up to Kelly. When the little girl saw Kara, her face immediately lighted up and she jumped out of the couch to run to her. Kara embraced her affectionately.

"Hey, little one." She said, kissing Liz's head. The girl only hummed and buried her face in her neck. "Did you have a good time with Aunt Kelly?"

Liz nodded against her. "Is Mom back?"

For once, Kara didn't feel guilt or sadness. Lena was safe. Hurt, but safe and just on the floor above them.

"She is. She's sleeping for now. Aunt Alex is checking on her but we'll go see her later. I promise."

Liz nodded again. Kara hugged her closer and shared a knowing look with Kelly above her shoulder. Lena's recovery was just starting. Her feet had been terribly damaged, her shoes stuck to the skin. Alex had to use tweezers to tear the last pieces of fabric for Lena's skin. Thankfully, Lena had been out the whole time, drugged by painkillers and probably too tired to resist it anyway. Kara hadn't dared staying in the room to watch her sister work. It was too awful and painful to watch. Alex had shown optimism though. Lena's tendons and muscles hadn't been touched. Only skin and flesh. Kara had arrived at the good time.

"J'onn found the third one." Kelly said tiredly from her position on the couch, scrolling through her phone. "He was in the forest."

Kara nodded. She knew she hadn't thrown him too far away. Enough to kill him, that was for sure, and she felt a wave of guilt and nausea form in her stomach at the thought she could have killed a man, but he hadn't been thrown through space either. Kara had acted on impulse. When she had seen the man with his baseball stick, remembering how he had been violent with Lena, slapping her across the face just the same morning, she had seen red. Not able to control herself, she had taken him by the arm and thrown him away, diving into the last remnants of her self-control at the last moment not to throw him as far away as she had wanted to.

"How is he?" She asked softly, a pout on her face. She walked to the couch and sat next to her sister-in-law.

"Alive." Kelly replied with a pointed look. "His collarbone is misplaced and he has several ribs broken but he'll survive."

Kara gritted her teeth together. She was ashamed to admit that she thought he deserved more for what he had done to Lena and Liz. He was alive but she had secretly hoped he would be hurt more by the fall.

"Great."

"J'onn is bringing him here so we can question him with the others."

Kara nodded again. Liz's head rose from her mother's chest and she looked directly to Kelly. "Aunt Kelly, where is Esme?"

Kelly chuckled at the question. The two cousins seemed inseparable since they had met. "She's asleep in a bed in the dormitories. She was so tired she was almost sleep-walking."

Liz accepted the explanation. It made Kara think that the girl should be sleeping too. With everything that had happened, it was close to 1 a.m.. Liz should have been in bed a long time ago.

"By the way, you should go to bed too." Kara said to Liz who groaned.

"I don't wanna. I wanna see Mom."

"She's sleeping too."

"Maybe you can go and sleep with her." Kelly said, shrugging. Kara threw her a glance. That wasn't a bad idea. Lena would probably be relieved to see Liz immediately when she would wake up. Kara stood up from the couch. "You're right. We'll see your mom now. Say bye to Kelly."

Liz waved at Kelly excitedly and received a wave in return. "Bye Aunt Kelly. Kisses to Esme."

Kelly chuckled behind them and Kara could only smile widely. Liz's mood was more cheerful since they had found Lena and brought her back. The girl was still startling every time a door would slam shut or somebody would yell but she had a smile on her face now and Kara couldn't help but feel reassured. They could all heal from this from now on.

Lena never was a fan of being taken care of. It made her feel weak. Not that a lot of people was waiting in a line to help her when she was sick or hurt. She just never got used to it. When she was a child, the nanny in charge of following her everywhere was the only one caring when she got hurt. She would put a bandage on the scrap on her knees and kiss it better, just to remind her seconds later that a Luthor never fell on the ground so ungraciously. Lillian and Lionel never cared. Lex pushed her when they were racing, justifying his pettiness with false compassion and hiding behind values he wanted to teach her. Never back down. Never give up. Always get back up again. Actually, Lena should thank him, wherever he was. He did make her stronger. But now she couldn't let anybody close enough to take care of her, to relax, to just lean on someone for once and let go. And sometimes, she would like to do it. Sometimes, Lena just wanted to be able to shut her eyes and lean her head on a strong chest and just let the world turn around her without being a part of it. But she couldn't resolve herself to let go.

When her eyes opened slightly, she winced, feeling like her head was splitting itself in two like a huge watermelon. It wasn't the light per say, it was dark in the room. Her head was spinning and she felt like she had been put between vices. She remarked the oxygen mask on her face and breathed deeply only to be met with resistance. She coughed unceremoniously, toring the mask away from her face.

"Lena." A soft voice said from aside. Lena turned her head slowly to see Kara approach with all the care in the world in her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Grand." Lena replied bitterly. Kara extended a glass of water to her and helped her sit up carefully. That was when Lena realized she wasn't alone in the bed. Liz was curled up to her, sleeping peacefully. Lena brushed a loose hand through the girl's hair. She had thought she would never see her again.

"Here." Kara helped her take a sip only for Lena to cough again. Her lungs were burning. Every breath was stinging her inside.

"She's shaken up. She was really scared for you." Kara explained, motioning towards Liz, her voice only a whisper. "We all were really scared."

Lena frowned. The events were mixing up in her mind. "She heard me."

"Yeah, she saved you." Kara confirmed, sitting down sideway on the medical bed. Lena watched her as she rubbed at Liz's back lovingly. She had abandoned her Supergirl suit to wear casual clothes, her hair flowing freely around her face, her skin devoid of makeup. Her eyes followed Kara's and fell on Liz. The girl had shadows under her eyes but looked peaceful. Lena felt proud of her. She was the one responsible for her rescue.

"I don't know how she did it."

Kara looked at her and shrugged. "It's too hard to explain at her age. I don't know if it's her hearing that is better than mine or her magic link to you but she was hearing you talk to her and the next thing we knew, we were traveling across the country toward Salem."

Lena's face scrunched up. Of course, those idiots would use a place as charged with history as Salem. She shook her head absentmindedly. She had to warn Florence so that she could relay the information to the witches she knew. There were witch hunters raising again to persecute them and Lena wouldn't let that go without digging to know more. She wanted to know if Lionel had really been a part of it. It would explain the reason behind Lena's late learning of her powers. She wanted to clear the story about her mother and father meeting, Jason's birth and what happened with Jason's family.

A biting sensation shot through her feet and she winced, moving her legs to ease the pain. Kara startled and rushed to her side. "Are you okay? Do you want me to call Alex?"

Lena shook her head. A post-it had been stuck on her infusions. Painkillers on the right, oxygen on the left. Lena grabbed at the drip on the right pouch and pressed it up. Alex had known a long time ago that Lena didn't like to be coaxed and that she could deal with her medicine herself.

"I may fall back asleep at some point." She said to Kara because she knew the painkillers would knock her out. Kara nodded knowingly. She sat down again and took Lena's hand this time. The gesture wasn't missed. Memories of the last time they had been alone rushed suddenly to Lena's mind. The softness of Kara's lips. The intoxicating taste of her tongue against hers. The desire that had shot irrevocably between her thighs at the contact of Kara's hips against hers. The strong pain that had squeezed her heard with a gloved hands as Kara had stepped away.

Lena rubbed her thumb on Kara's skin and cleared her throat. She would regret not keeping the oxygen mask later but for now, she wanted to talk to Kara. She had to explain why they couldn't be together. It was too dangerous for Liz.

"That's what I wanted to avoid. She can't live a life like this." She said without any preamble. Kara's head whipped towards her, questions in her eyes. Lena swallowed her saliva painfully and looked down.

"I wanted Liz to have a life away from all the drama around the super hero life. She's literally the biggest weakness you can have for your enemies and for mines. I didn't want her to have a life where she was put in danger or kidnapped twice a week or mind controlled by some freaky maniac of tech stuff. I wanted her to have a normal life. Free of the weight of being the daughter of the strongest woman on earth. Free from the weight of the Luthor name. I didn't want paparazzi to question her identity."

Kara frowned and her eyes flashed with something close to anger. "You were pretty okay with her being in full spotlight when I told you it was a bad idea."

Here, it was. The "I told you so." The deception on Kara's face when she realized Lena wasn't the perfect mother she should have been. Lena sighed heavily. Her ego remaining in her made her hold her head higher. Frustration flared her up and she was too tired to keep control of her words. She retracted her hand.

"You've been her parent for a week. I've been there for six years. I know what's best for her." She bit angrily.

Kara scowled, baffled, then leaned over. "And who's fault is that, uh? I think…" She whispered not to wake Liz up but her tone didn't leave any doubt about her feelings. "That you're delusional if you think it gives you the right to put her in danger. I will not accept that. And between the two of us, I think I have a better judgement when it comes to know what's dangerous and what's not."

Lena scoffed loudly. Liz shuffled in her sleep and Kara extended a hand to scrap at her scalp. The girl's face softened immediately. Lena recognized the gesture. The one Kara had done so many times on her during the time they were friends. It was before her pregnancy. Before the sequestration and even before the whole Supergirl breakdown. It was a gesture made out of love, unselfish and tender. Lena remembered how it felt to be taken care of by Kara. It had felt like being the center of the universe.

"You're right." Lena said, deflating. "I don't appreciate you thinking I would put our daughter in danger voluntarily though."

Kara snorted but grabbed at Lena's hand again. "Well, maybe learn to listen to me for once and I'll stop thinking you have a thing for dangerous situation."

Lena rolled her eyes but the motion hurt her head. She scrunched up her face again, willing the spinning in her head to stop.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked softly. "You should rest."

Lena nodded, swallowing the weird taste in her mouth and pinching her lips close. "I'll put the mask back on if that's okay."

Kara didn't reply, just helped her ease down and put the covers around her carefully. "Go to sleep. I'll stay there the whole time, I promise."

Lena recognized the small glint in her pupils. The care she was feeling for her. The worry too. Lena smiled lightly through her oxygen mask. She didn't like to be taken care of but she would admit that being taken care of by Kara wasn't so bad.

Chapter Text

DAY SIX

After only six hours spent in the medical bay of the satellite and being awoken by the numerous coming in and out of too many heroes to count, Lena had decided that she preferred to be resting in the Tower med bay. She had agreed with Kara. Their daughter was traumatized by what had happened and Lena didn't want her to be overwhelmed again by all the commotions in the satellite. It seemed that the peace of the world was in jeopardy once again and everybody was ready to fight. Except Kara who didn't want to leave Liz in care of a wounded Lena. And Lena had been kind of thankful for the respite because she couldn't really walk on her two feet or run after a six-year-old. Not that she would admit needing help. It was just more convenient.

That was why, when she woke up in a daze, Lena wondered where she was or what had happened to the warm silk sheets she was so accustomed to. The feeling strongly reminded her of the mornings she would wake up in her office at L-Corp after a night of indulging in scotch and ruminations while trying to fix an equation that her engineer in chief couldn't fix himself. Lena hadn't had a night like this in a very long time but her body hadn't forgotten one bit.

With what felt like cotton balls in her mouth and cramps all over her body, she sat up on the bed and brushed a lousy hand in her hair. Her head was hurting but a lot less than the day before. She examined the room. A glass of water and painkillers had been placed on the nightstand. She wasn't linked to any machine anymore. She remembered assuring to Alex that the beeping was more annoying than anything else.

As she leaned aside to grab the glass of water, a sharp pain erupted in her left knee. Lena looked down and remarked the enormous bandage covering her leg. She opened wide eyes. She wasn't wearing any pants, only the underwear she had been kidnapped in, and her night tank top. She touched at the bandage carefully. It was covering her from mid-thigh to mid shin and forming a sort of a ball around her knee. Some traces of orange and red could be seen on the bandage, from remnants of disinfectant only used for surgery.

Lena frowned. She didn't recall undergoing surgery. Kara hadn't mentioned it when they were in the satellite. Had her mind been that foggy the day before? Looking at the foot of the bed, Lena noticed the note holder that should summarize all her stats since she had been brought back. She danced a little towards it, since leaning wasn't an option at the moment and, after some struggling, finally grabbed the holder. It was filled with Alex's remarks. Lena's eyes scanned the information.

She had been intoxicated by the fire smoke but her oxygen level was back to normal, even if they should monitor it for the next few days. Her feet were burnt on second degree, not enough to need a skin graft but enough to damage the skin tissue and prevent Lena from walking properly for some days. Enough to need the bandage to be replaced twice a day. Lena tried to jiggle her toes and winced in response. In retrospect, it wasn't the best idea.

Her wrists had burns too from the shackles. Lena immediately touched her bandaged wrists. She had no idea how they had managed to get rid of the enchanted shackles. And finally, she had had surgery just after she had been brought in because the cruciate ligaments around her knee had been torn. The fact that she had walked on it a whole day, even tried to run, hadn't helped it either. Lena scrunched up her face and she looked down at her knee. She had never really been into sports but she knew this type of injury took time to heal. And hurt as hell. It wouldn't stop her from trying though.

Bracing herself for standing up, Lena inhaled deeply. She just had to take a step and grab for the wheelchair that was next to the nightstand. Nothing crazy. Nothing too hard. She had walked on a broken knee, tried to escape while it gave up on her on the way, had stood up on it the whole day in that bloody cage. She could do it.

The first touch of her right foot on the floor made a whimper escape her mouth. The pain was insufferable, even for her. The next one was worse. The moment her weight shifted from her hips to her knees, Lena realized it was a mistake. The fall happened in slow-motion. Lena saw the ground approached her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact. But it never happened. Instead of her nose hitting the ground, her face met soft fabric and strong muscles.

"Easy there. You don't want to hurt that pretty face of yours."

Lena opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't touching the ground anymore. Two secure arms were around her waist. She looked up, confused, to find Kara smiling down on her. They were levitating. Kara had caught her just before she fell on her face.

"How did you…"

"I heard your heartbeat and thought you were just waking up. You're lucky I'm fast." Kara answered her silent question cheekily. She placed her back gently on the bed. "You wanted something?"

Lena cleared her throat, her tongue felt swollen. "The glass of water, please." Lena motioned towards the nightstand. Kara gave her the glass and the painkiller pills. Lena took them graciously. Kara watched her swallow the whole glass.

"Can you move the wheelchair over too?"

Kara turned around and glanced at the wheelchair as if it had insulted her. "Why? You should rest, not roll around. It could open your wounds."

Lena rolled her eyes. "I won't stay here all day. We still have to find what the prophecy is about. And I need to see Liz."

The crinkle on Kara's face showed her disapproval. "I can take the spell book and Liz to you. You've been seriously injured. I think you can stay in bed a couple of days without people thinking you're slacking."

Lena groaned in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. I won't use the wheelchair. Can you bring me to your living room, at least? That way I won't feel left out."

Kara seized her up and down. She was probably analyzing if that was a good decision. Finally, she sighed loudly and approached tentatively. "Don't you want to put something on first?"

Lena looked down once again. She had totally forgotten she had no pants on. Blushing profusely, she nodded. "Do you have a blanket or something?"

She knew pants were out of the question. A skirt or dress would be weird and she terribly needed a shower first anyway. She watched as Kara enveloped her in the bed sheets.

"There." Kara said, tying the sheets around her waist in a loose knot. "Can I?" She motioned towards Lena. The brunette nodded shyly. Kara glided an arm carefully under her thighs and another around her back, then lifted her from the bed without difficulty.

Having Kara that close had always been something Lena was scared of. Not that she feared Kara hurting her – she was terrified of Kara for a whole lot of other reasons – but she was always scared of her own reactions. What if she couldn't stop herself from smelling the blonde's neck too obviously? What if her hand touched a place it wasn't supposed to touch?

They walked to the elevator in silence – well, Kara walked and Lena tried hard not to think how awkward it felt to be carried around. The proximity of their bodies provoked a burst of memories in Lena's mind. The touch of Kara's thin fingers on her waist shot electricity towards all ends of her body. It was the same fingers that had enveloped her hips two days ago and pined her to her kitchen counter. Lena swallowed loudly and squeezed her eyes shut. Oh, her mind had a cruel sense of clearing itself when it wanted too and for torturous matters only.

Now that she was completely awake, Lena realized that they had a lot to talk about. Even if she preferred not to talk about anything, at all, she knew Kara would not give up on the matter easily. She would probably let her unbothered for a day or two but then the subject would resurface. But Lena didn't know what she could say. What she wanted to say. It was too complicated.

"Mom!" Liz exclaimed once the elevator opened on Kara's loft. Her daughter was coloring quietly on the kitchen table. She jumped down her chair and ran to Lena and Kara.

"Careful, bug. Your mom is injured. Help me arrange the couch for her?" Kara asked and Liz eagerly went to the couch to push away cushions and her plush fish to make room for Lena. Kara eased her down with all the care in the world and replaced the sheets around her legs, adding a blanket on them.

"Come here, love." Lena motioned to Liz, who looked torn, not knowing if she could touch her mother or not. Kara helped Lena carry Liz and sit her on her thighs, the entirety on her weight weighing on Lena's good leg.

"I missed you." Liz said, engulfing herself in her mom's chest, her little gloved hands pressed in a ball securely between them. Lena squeezed her close, her nose diving in her hair. The perfume in there was different from the one she was used to, probably because Liz had to use Kara's shampoo. But it was so reassuring to have her baby back against her. She had thought that she wouldn't see Liz anymore. She had thought she had lost them all. But they were all there and safe.

Lena opened an eye to look at Kara who, she knew, was still hovering next to them. Kara was sitting on the coffee table, her face serious and emotional. Lena extended a hand, asking for Kara to take it silently. Kara took it and squeezed gently, an affectionate look passing across her face. Her slim fingers brushed delicately against the bandage on Lena's wrist. It tickled. The brunette remembered she had some questions. She must have been too knocked out by the painkillers to consciously consider what was happening, what they had done to fix her body.

"How did you get rid of the shackles?" She tilted her head. Kara looked at her wrists and looked up, anger written in her burning blue eyes.

"J'onn first tried a Martian technology but it didn't work. I asked him to scan Liz's mind to find Florence's cave, since he can't enter yours. It took her several attempts but she did it."

"Florence is here?" Lena's eyes grew wide. Her mentor had never left her cave. It was an implicit understanding. Lena was the one to go in and out to retrieve ingredients for their potions. Florence was too scared of being attacked or recognized by old acquaintances.

"She is. I should've thought about this earlier. She's actually working in your old lab. She also wants to question the guys who kidnapped you but Alex doesn't want to let her on the satellite without your approval."

That was surprising to say the least. Florence had left the safety of her cave to help Lena. Of course, they had a strong connection. They were part of the same coven and linked by the protection spell but Lena had never thought she would see the day Florence would go out of her cave voluntarily. Lena didn't think it was only for her though. The threat of a witch hunter cult could be enough to scare Florence.

"What is she working on?" Lena wondered aloud, frowning as she watched Liz cuddle more into her. Kara leaned over to brush a lock of hair out of Liz's face. The girl was rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"She's preparing a potion for you to heal quicker. She said she could take a look at the spell book after that."

Lena accepted the explanation. The painkillers were starting to work. She felt lighter. "And what happened to my half bro-" She cut herself short, looking down to Liz. She realized that she couldn't say the words without her daughter asking question. Kara understood immediately.

"They're all locked up in a cell, separated. Usually, the league doesn't keep prisoners. We drop them off in front of a police department with a note. But this time, I asked for them to be questioned. Maybe they know what happened to you seven years ago. Even if I really doubt that. I thought you'd have questions too."

Lena stared at Kara's face with blank eyes. Kara looked serious and understanding. Lena had questions, obviously, but she had thought Kara wouldn't let her be close to Jason after what he had done.

"I'll stay with you the whole time. If you want to see him." Kara added, once again understanding Lena's thoughts before she could speak them out.

Lena wanted to face them and learn more about her father's role in the group but she wasn't ready for the revelations it would entail yet. The questions brought by Jason's little speech the day before were enough already. She knew she needed time to process what it meant for her and for all of them.

"I think it can wait for now." She said, squeezing Kara's fingers.

A grumbling stomach interrupted their discussion. Liz looked at them sheepishly. Kara chuckled and stood up to take her from Lena's lap.

"This young lady refused to eat until you were awake."

Lena's face softened and she smiled at Liz in Kara's arms. "Well, now there's no excuse."

Kara agreed. "You should eat something too anyway."

Lena nodded, her stomach making itself known as well. "Please, don't burn the kitchen."

Kara scoffed. "It strongly feels like déja-vu."

"Yeah, exactly. But I can't help this time so be careful." Lena admonished from the couch.

She watched them work around the kitchen as Kara was teaching Liz how to make French toasts and pancakes. The blonde put flour on Liz's nose. The girl giggled and chased her hand away.

"No, Mommy! It had to go in there!" The girl said, pointing at the batter.

Lena saw Kara freeze in her movement. The blonde slowly turned towards her, her face a mix between apprehension and astonishment. Lena only grinned wide.

"Mommy?"

Kara grinned back. A small wet laugh escaped her lips. She looked proud, somehow, and emotional. She kissed Liz's head, the girl focused on pouring milk in a cup, not at all aware of the commotion her words had caused.

"That was fast." Kara commented. Lena hummed, the smile never leaving her face.

"Children don't complicate things like we do."

Kara's head shot up. She threw a glance at Lena, her face reddening a bit. Her mouth opened and closed several times before Lena saw her shoulders tense. "Speaking of complicated things, I think we should talk."

The lightness in her tone was all fake, all illusion so that Liz didn't take on the seriousness of their conversation. Lena hummed once again, not knowing what to say. She knew Kara would want to talk sooner or later, she had just wished it would happen later.

After minutes of silence, Kara cleared her throat. "Liz is meeting Eliza today. I don't know if you want to be there."

"Of course, I do! I just need a shower first." Lena blurted out then blushed at the implication.

Kara nodded thoughtfully, already planning on how to make that happen, apparently. The cogs in Lena's mind were working hard. She couldn't find an excuse for Kara not to help her. And she really needed a shower. And she definitely couldn't take it by herself or non-assisted. She sighed heavily. Oh, her life would be a definitive hell for the next few days.

Lena was right about life having a weird sense of humor. She might not believe in any deity, but it certainly felt like someone was dictating the flow of her life. It always strangely happened around Kara. Otherwise, why would she happen to be in a bathroom with her, undressing, only for the superhero to ease her in the water with her superpowered arms? No, Lena didn't believe in God, but she was sure someone was taking pleasure in putting her in embarrassing situations.

She had searched excuses. Plenty of them. While they were eating breakfast, Lena had let Liz and Kara talk together and had taken refuge in her mind, searching endlessly for a reason to prove to Kara that she could take a bath alone – knowing too well that she couldn't really do it alone anyway. But once the blonde had stated the advantages of taking a bath rather than taking a shower not to damage her bandage, the battle had been lost.

The situation was awkward. Embarrassing. Stressful. Painful. Uncomfortable. No, not uncomfortable. If Kara was one thing, it was comfort. Her arms were soft and gentle. Her hands were delicate around Lena's curves. Her warmth was preventing Lena from being too cold on the bathroom tiles. No, Kara was anything but uncomfortable. Lena had thought Kara would blush or be a total flustered mess while seeing her undress herself but she absolutely wasn't. The blonde kept her focus on helping Lena keep her balance as she was discarding herself from the bed sheets she was enveloped in. Then came her tank top and bra. That felt weird. Lena had taken all her time, as if peeling a bandage on a child's knee very carefully not to tear off the hairs and the irritated skin around the wound. Kara kept her gaze on the ceiling the whole time, probably listening closely to what Liz was doing in the room next to them, her forearms on display so that Lena could lean on them and put as much weight as she needed to keep her balance. When Lena tried to tear off her panties, the task began to harden. Standing on her two feet at the same time was painful but bearable for the time being, but balancing from one foot to the other was the worst. Lena couldn't even describe the pain. She gritted on her teeth, sweat gliding on her face from pain and exertion. Kara heard her gasps and winces, obviously, and asked multiple times if Lena was okay.

"I'm done, Kara. Can you do it quickly please? I can't stand anymore." Lena was panting, breathless from the way she had held her breath all this time not to scream from pain.

"Okay, I promise I won't look."

Lena could have laughed, had her heart not felt like it was beating in her knee and that she was about to fall any second. Kara could have looked and it wouldn't have mattered anymore. Lena didn't care. All she wanted was not to be in pain anymore. Oh, how she hoped that Florence's healing potion would work. She could not wait for the end of the day, for the potion to be ready.

Kara's arms eased her down in the hot water. The heat wave was still striking outside but, in the Tower, the temperature was cool, chilly even in some rooms, because of the high concrete walls. Lena felt her body relax immediately once her torso had completely been swallowed by water. Kara's right arm came out of under her and out of the water. She grabbed at a towel and put it on Lena's bare legs that she had leaned on the side of the bathtub. Kara's mission was to keep them from falling into the water while Lena was washing her hair and upper body.

"Is it okay?" Kara asked, motioning to Lena's legs. Lena rose her head slightly and nodded. Her knee was throbbing, her feet felt like they were burning all over again but it was necessary. She needed to wash away all her misadventures of the day before.

Their eyes met and Kara looked away instantly, a shy blush birthing on her cheeks. There, it was. And to say Lena thought her Kara had disappeared.

"Thank you for doing this." She said while putting water on her hair. She saw Kara shrugged from the side of the bathtub. She was sitting on a wooden stool, which Lena had only seen in Kara's old bathroom.

"It's nothing compared to all the things you've done for me."

Lena took the time to wash her hair, scrubbing with her nails thoroughly. She looked at Kara the whole time. She could only see the right angle of her face, the blonde keeping her eyes on Lena's feet or the faucet, Lena couldn't really tell. Kara was gorgeous. With her blue eyes, darker in this light, deeper, and her tanned skin that looked like glitters were coming out of the pores. She had a hand on her chin in a thoughtful pose, her elbow leaned on her leg as the other hand was securely around Lena's ankle. She wasn't just gorgeous. She looked like she had been sculpted in sandstone.

"So how do we feel about playing bait?" Kara said in an amused voice, interrupting Lena's thoughts. Lena shook her head, the image of a statue of Supergirl vanishing from her mind. She squinted her eyes. Seriously?

"You really want to do this now?"

Kara shrugged. "Well, at least I know you won't run away."

Lena snorted. She still found it incredible that Kara knew her this much. She wouldn't have run, per say. Avoid the subject for sure. Make sure she was never alone with Kara, maybe. Disappear from the planet if it was happening ten years ago, perhaps.

"You want me to say it?"

Kara gave her a pointed look only to divert her eyes immediately. Lena was scrubbing her neck and chest.

"Fine." Lena sighed. "You were right, it was a bad idea. Next time, I'll listen to you."

"We're lucky you have a fantastic bond with Liz or you'll be dead by now." Kara grumbled without moving her hand from her chin, her words coming out half chewed.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Lena remarked absentmindedly. To be fair, she was focusing on washing her most intimate body parts without actually thinking too much about the fact that she was washing her most intimate body parts with Kara a foot away from her.

"I'm sure it didn't happen once in the last six years, right?" Kara replied and Lena saw that she wanted to look but controlled her head movement at the last moment. Lena didn't reply. It was true. There was no one who could threaten her in Ireland. She was just another single mother there, doing a pretty typical job, living a typical life. Nothing fancy. Nothing out of the box. Nothing like the life of a Luthor.

"Liz was terrified. We all were but she was…" Kara whispered, her eyes lost in the reminiscing of their daughter's cries. "She's traumatized, Lena!" She finished in an accusatory tone, her face torn between guilt and fright.

Lena rose her hands in the air, splashing water all around them. "What do you want me to say? I didn't plan on it."

Kara's eyes whipped around and she finally looked at her for the first time since she had put Lena in the bathtub. "You were ready to sacrifice yourself to have answers."

Lena scoffed. She grabbed at the toothbrush she had brought with her and put toothpaste on it. "Well, wouldn't you? I need to know how I lost six months of my life in that bunker."

She put the toothbrush in her mouth, Kara never leaving her gaze. "I understand but it wouldn't change anything." The blonde said, almost in disbelief. "Liz would still be here. You can't risk your life only because it could give you what you want, that's unfair on the people who love you!"

Lena scoffed once again. She didn't bother spitting the excess of toothpaste to talk. "I'm not that important." She said, rolling her eyes.

"What was that?"

Lena knew Kara had heard her right. She just wanted her to say it again. To embrace her thought. So she spit the toothpaste and talked as confidently as she could manage. Even in denial, Lena was smart enough to know her words would rise anger in Kara.

"I said that I'm not that important." She repeated.

Kara scowled, her hands swiping invisible mosquitos in the air. "Oh, right because we're nothing for you, uh?"

"I didn't say that!" Lena rushed to her own defense. "I said I wasn't important, not that you all weren't important to me."

"Well, it's not better." Kara pouted. "You matter to us all. You matter to Liz." Her hand came back on Lena's ankle and squeezed lightly. "You matter to me…" The blonde exhaled in a broken voice, her gaze avoiding Lena's.

"Kara." Lena sighed. She crossed her arms to shield herself. "Don't start, please."

It only had the effect of infuriating Kara more. "No, we have to talk about it, Lena!"

They were now looking at each other without a care in the world about Lena's naked body or Kara's close position. Had Lena spared a minute to think about it, she would probably blush and then find it comical. The whole scene was comical. From all the places they had important and serious talks, the bathroom in the Tower wasn't the one neither of them had ever thought to put on the list.

"Why? It's not like I plan to stay here forever. I live in Ireland, Kara! Liz goes to school there. There's nothing to talk about."

"You had a life here, once. Why is it so weird to imagine you could have it back?"

Lena's hands splashed once again in the water. At this point, she didn't care if her arms were covering her chest or not. She just wanted to make her point. "Because I don't want to-" She cut herself short to grab at her wet curly hair. "Argh, I don't know, okay?! I'm just better off in Ireland."

"You're alone in Ireland!" Kara replied, as heated, her voice getting louder. "And you think I'll stay away? Once everything here is over, you think I'll stay away from Liz? From you?"

Lena made a pause at that. She hadn't really thought about the after. Coming back to National City, she had thought a lot about all the conversations they had to have, about all the scenarios possible concerning everyone's reaction to Liz and to Lena disappearing to raise her child. But she hadn't thought about what could happen once Kara knew she had a daughter. Wasn't it the point of coming back? To stay? Because it was too taxing to stay away any longer? Seriously, Lena, seriously?

"No, of course not…" Lena sighed dejectedly, her voice coming out all small and fragile. She hated everything about it. "You're welcome anytime you want."

Kara huffed. "Then, what? Am I not enough? Am I nothing to you? We kissed, Lena. You can't tell me it meant nothing."

Kara's accusations hit hard. Lena was fed up with explaining herself. She was fed up with finding reasons to fight. She just wanted Kara to give up on the matter once and for all. Or she didn't. She was lost. Truthfully, Lena would never admit that she wanted to scream a big Yes to all of Kara's questions. Of course, Kara was enough, she was so much more than enough. She was everything to Lena. She was the sun on her skin and the air in her lungs. She was the smile on their daughter's face, and the crinkle on her forehead, and the glint in her blue eyes. Kara was comfort and warmth and care and love. But for all these reasons, Lena couldn't let herself fall. She couldn't let her hopes go up, knowing too well how much it hurt when reality would take it back. Because it was inevitable. Life would take Kara away from her at one point or another and she wasn't brave enough to bear it. No, she wasn't brave enough. Instead, she was a Luthor. And Luthors bit when they felt threatened.

"Yes, I can. Because that meant nothing. We can't go there. You know we can't. I'm not into this like you are. I don't want you."

Lena watched as every one of her words hit Kara like a tangible slap in the face. It was probably the most painful thing she had to do. Even more painful that the burns on her feet. More painful than giving birth. There wasn't anything that could compare to crashing the hopes of the Paragon of Hope.

For a moment, Kara's only reaction was to watch Lena closely. She analyzed her, all the details in her features. She was probably listening to her heartbeat as well and Lena tried to rule it in, to take easy, even breaths, but it was to no avail. Kara could see right through her, without super hearing.

"I don't believe you. And I don't know why we can't be together. That's what I keep asking. Tell me why it's not possible. Tell me." The blonde ordered with a pointing finger tapping authoritatively on Lena's bare leg.

Lena was speechless. Her plan had seemed perfect on the moment. Flawless. She hadn't planned that Kara would persevere. She knew her, she knew her stubbornness but she just hadn't thought about it. Or she had unconsciously wanted Kara not to give up on her.

Since Lena stayed her mouth agape, her eyes as wide as a reindeer caught in headlights, Kara leaned over. The blonde took advantage of her height to hover over Lena's body, their faces mere inches away. She had abandoned Lena's ankle to balance herself on the side of the tub, her fingers grazing Lena's skin.

"Tell me you'll feel nothing if I kiss you." Kara whispered through a warm breath. "Right here. Tell me you don't feel the same."

A shiver ran down Lena's whole body. A deep red blush appeared on her cheeks and neck. Everything was visible. From the goosebumps on her arms to the redness of her skin, to the tremor in her legs and knees. Kara could see it all. She could see the effect she had on Lena instantly. A devilish grin spread on her lips and Lena cursed in her head. What a good way to appear confident.

"Kara, stop. Please." She tried, her eyes focusing on the bubbles in the water instead of Kara's piercing blue eyes.

"Just tell me, Lena." The blonde whispered back. She wasn't pressing, really, she was just in Lena's space in a way that made Lena uncomfortable just because she wasn't sure she could control herself when Kara was this close. And she had been proved right two times already.

"I can't tell you that. You know it." Lena replied in a whisper too. The intimacy of their talk wasn't allowing more than that. Lena didn't want to burst their bubble anyway. She wouldn't admit it but this confident, forward side of Kara was making her squirm inside.

"Then let me just…" Kara leaned closer, clearly to kiss her. Lena turned her head at the right moment and Kara kissed her cheek instead. It was enough to make them both blush profusely.

"I asked you to stop. Please." Lena said in what she hoped was a stern voice, even if she was as flustered as a schoolgirl. Kara's flirtation was working so well.

The blonde only sighed and pushed away in deception. "Why are you so afraid of letting me in?" She asked sternly.

"I'm not…" Lena couldn't gather her thoughts at the moment. It was just a succession of lips and hair and eyes and hands and biceps in white shirt. "That's not…" She sighed. She didn't have the time to find a good excuse so the truth, it was. "Because I can't let myself fall. It hurts too much."

Kara frowned, the crinkle in the middle of her eyebrows questioning her firmly. "No, it doesn't. It hurts only when it ends."

"You're a superhero. I'm a Luthor. It'll end someday. It's fate."

Lena couldn't look at her, it was too much. Too much sincerity. Too much truth while she had promised herself not to dive into it. She had promised herself not to go back to the way it was before with Kara. But it was unavoidable, wasn't it? They were like magnets trying to stay away.

"You can't deprive yourself from being loved just because you're scared it'll hurt you at the end. It's lonely." Kara said, as if it was obvious, because it probably was.

As obvious as two plus two made four and water equal wet and love equal hurt. It was on the same line. To Lena, all of this was true. She was a scientist and scientists worked with experimentation. And her experimentation of life had taught her that all of this turned to be proven to her, one time or another. And she was too smart to keep running in the same circles. She had suffered enough. It had been so engraved in her, from a young age – too young - that she couldn't fathom a world where Kara could prove her wrong. She wasn't ready to accept it.

"Loneliness doesn't hurt as much as heartbreak. Not anymore." She murmured in a strangled voice.

And then, because she was tired of being questioned while naked in that bloody bathtub, she softly asked Kara to lift her up.

"Yeah, sorry. Come here."

Kara lifted her out of the water and sat her cautiously on the stool. She enveloped her in huge towels as if she was so fragile she could break from cold. And they worked together to dress Lena properly, without a sound escaping from their mouths. Lena thought for an instant that she had won, that Kara had understand, that her silence was proof that she had accepted Lena was right. She was wrong. Kara was only wondering how a being as astounding and marvelous as Lena could think that way. Lena didn't know that Kara was preparing to prove to her that she could be loved without being hurt. Thankfully so, Lena didn't know. Because she wouldn't be able to stay this close to Kara, had she known.

Alex was known for her impatience but she had inherited it from her mother. Eliza was a doctor in biotechnology. She was a scientist and scientists tended to want results. And quickly. Kara had heard her pacing the living room the whole time it had taken them to fly from the Tower to Alex and Kelly's house. Eliza's heart was beating fast and Kara knew it was because she was anxious of all of this secrecy. Alex had told her nothing. She had only insisted that Kara should be the one telling what was going on.

The day before, Eliza had waited patiently for her daughters to tell her why they were not welcoming her properly. Alex had swung by hastily, taken a shower, told her Lena had disappeared (again) and that they were busy finding a way to find her, that Kara was on the Justice League satellite and could not reach her at the moment. It had been enough to make Eliza wait one more day. But now, she knew that Lena was safe, that Kara was back in the Tower, that Kelly and Alex were not that busy. She needed explanations.

As they put feet on the ground, Kara took Liz's hand, sharing a look with Lena who was still leaning on her, Kara's hand firmly on her waist to prevent her from touching down. Alex came out to meet them with a wheelchair and Lena stubbornly walked the few steps necessary to sit in it. When Kara looked up towards the front door, Eliza was there. Her eyes were fixed on Liz. Thankfully, the little girl only had eyes for her mothers. Kara cleared her throat and crouched down to take Liz in her arms.

"Here goes nothing." She whispered as she walked forward, leaving Lena to be rolled around by Alex.

Eliza looked tired, with deep purple bags under her eyes and tense features. She was also keeping a surprised face, her gaze traveling from Kara to the child in her arms. Kara stopped right in front of her and smiled easily.

"Hi, Eliza. How have you been?" She leaned forward to hug Eliza from sideways, the woman encircling her hesitantly.

"I'm good, I… Who's that?" Eliza stammered, cutting right to the matter. Kara glanced at Liz who was hiding shyly in Kara's neck.

"It's Liz. Wanna say hi, baby?" She said, shaking Liz a little from her shoulder. Liz shrugged then waved slowly.

"Hello…" She croaked out.

"Nice to meet you, Liz." Eliza smiled. Kara let her analyze Liz a bit before motioning towards the house.

"We should go in. I have a lot to tell you."

Eliza nodded and turned around to reenter the house. They were quickly followed by Alex and Lena. When they all walked in the living room, Kelly and Esme were already waiting for them with lemonade on the table and huge smiles on their faces.

"Here you are!" Esme exclaimed. She rushed to Kara to ask Liz if she wanted to play in the pool.

"Esme, say hello first." Kelly chastised gently. The girl jumped excitedly on her feet and gave Kara a hug, then rushed to Lena and kissed her on the cheeks.

"I'm so happy you're okay, Aunt Lena."

Lena only smiled, her face all soft and affectionate. "Thank you, sweetheart. Now you can go. Liz has her swimsuit on her."

Liz shuffled in Kara's arms to be settled down. They watched the two girls run towards the garden.

"Be careful!" Kara shouted to them as they disappeared through the bay windows.

"Don't worry, I'll go with them." Kelly winked before following the girls.

There was a pause during which nobody knew what they were supposed to do. Kara looked at Alex helplessly. Her sister rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Well, I think it's better we sit down."

Alex took the responsibility to roll Lena around the table and put a blanket on her lap, as Kara and Eliza took their places on the chairs.

"Lena, I'm sorry, I didn't… How have you been?" Eliza asked immediately.

"I'm okay, thank you for asking. It's just some cuts and scratches."

Kara scowled hearing her minimize her wounds so easily but she didn't want to put her on the spot so she said nothing. Alex poured them all a glass of lemonade and the silence fell flat around them.

"I'm sorry for-"

"So I imagine-"

Kara and Eliza spoke at the same time, cutting themselves short when hearing the other talk. After a small chuckle, Kara motioned for her adoptive mother to go ahead.

"So I imagine what you want to talk about has something to do with this little girl." Eliza said hesitantly, pointing towards the garden. Kara nodded.

"It does. Hum, as you know, Lena had disappeared seven years ago and… Hum…"

Kara didn't know how to say this. She had told it once to her mother but it was different. What was the best way to tell Eliza that Lena had been sequestrated for months and violated – the word rape was flashing in her mind so often these days that she wondered how Lena was this calm explaining it every time they would talk about it – and that now they had a beautiful daughter. Or should she tell her just like that? Telling her mother had been easier. Kryptonians were born in genetic chambers so it hadn't shocked her mother to discover what had happened to Lena. And Alura didn't know Lena as well as Eliza. It was really too embarrassing and disturbing to explain all the situation to Eliza with Lena in the room.

"Kara, do you want me to…" Lena asked, trailing off. Kara met her jade green eyes. She could see all the understanding in them. It wasn't the first time Lena had to explain it. She was more accustomed to it. Kara simply nodded and closed her eyes, ready to hear the whole thing once again, praying Rao that her stomach would bear the tale.

"I was abducted seven years ago in my apartment." Lena started, addressing Eliza factually. "I woke up six months after that."

Eliza gasped. "That's horrible!"

Lena lifted a warning, knowing hand. "That's not all. I was in a bunker in Malaysia. The people who did that to me had done experimentations." She swallowed the lump in her throat and dove her eyes in Eliza's blue maternal ones. "I woke up six-months pregnant."

Another gasp was heard but Kara couldn't tell if it was hers or someone else's. She looked aside and saw Lena watching her lap shamefully. Kara had discovered a long time ago how Lena had the tendency to recoil in her old cold self when a situation would be too emotional or generate too many feelings from her audience. Too many feelings towards Lena herself who couldn't bear the thought of someone taking pity in her. This time wasn't different. Lena was trying to stay rigid and formal, dignified in a strong imitation of Lillian Luthor's demeanor, just like she would do during a business meeting, but cracks could be noticed. It was in the shaking of her hands and the crinkle on the sides of her eyes and on the twitch in her lips.

Kara leaned to take her hand and looked up. Eliza was covering her mouth with a pale shaking hand, as if to prevent the flow of questions and insurrections to come out. Lena's fate was unfair. They were all aware of it. Furious about it too. Kara knew too well the frustration, the desperation, the cruelty of the situation. The guilt too, because it happened to Lena because she was a Luthor who was friend with a Super. They were all furious, maybe Kara even more than the others, that something that cruel had happened to Lena, who already had suffered mistreatment and harassment and brainwashing from her family, who already had suffered enough since the age of four. It was unfair and infuriating but all they could do was accompany Lena in her pursue of answers.

Kara squeezed Lena's hand. The brunette rose two shy pupils on her, the shyest ones, the ones which looked just like Liz's. She was fearing judgement. Even if they hadn't really talked since their discussion in the bathroom, Kara couldn't bear seeing Lena doubt about her worth. Eliza wouldn't judge her. There wasn't anything to change. Lena hadn't chosen to have Liz. She hadn't chosen to be abducted or be part of an experimentation. People had chosen for her once again. And just like any difficulty Lena had faced in her life, she had gotten back up again and faced the music.

"Liz is our daughter." Kara declared with a deep confident voice and she smiled to Lena. "She has Kryptonian powers like me, and magic like Lena." She added to avoid any ambiguity.

Eliza frowned then stood up abruptly. The curiosity was shining in her scientific's eyes. "You're saying she's your daughter? To you both?"

Kara nodded eagerly, sensing excitement in Eliza's voice. Her adoptive mother rounded the table and crouched down in front of Lena, tears in her eyes.

"This is… wonderful!" She exhaled, putting a warm hand on Kara and Lena's joined ones. "I mean, I have a hundred questions but it can wait. I'm sorry to hear all the things that have happened to you. You don't deserve it at all and I'm sure it must have been really hard to struggle through all this alone." She gave a pointed look to Lena, meaning that she shouldn't have done it alone in the first place but accepting that she had done it anyway. "But you obviously managed to come out of it stronger and I'm really excited to meet my granddaughter."

Lena inhaled shakily. Kara was sure that she was the only one to hear it. The distinctive swallow just before Lena would burst into tears. The breakdown she was actually trying to rule in. Kara squeezed her hand again and felt Lena squeeze back. They were a team now, even if Lena didn't want to admit it. Kara would always stay with her to face whatever fate life would throw at them.

"Thank you, Eliza. It means a lot. Liz is really nervous to meet you."

"She seemed shy. It reminded me of when Clark had introduced Kara to us the first time. I'm sure the crinkle in between her eyebrows was formed back there."

Kara chuckled. "I was terrified."

"I know but look at you now! I'm so proud of you, Kara. I know your parents are too."

"Thank you." Kara blushed slightly. "They're arriving tomorrow, by the way, do you want to see them?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it. They already know?"

Kara nodded and explained all the reasons why they had to inform Alura of Liz's existence. It was a painful conversation, filled with questions and answers. Eliza was quick to understand they were all a bit disturbed by all the questions left unanswered.

"I hope you find who did this with this memory player."

"I hope too. It's been a long time. I'd like some closure." Lena admitted softly.

The quietness that fell on them allowed them to hear the squeals and giggles of Esme, Liz and Kelly playing in the pool. Kara smiled towards the window from which she could see Kelly tickling Liz.

"So, do you want to join the girls outside?" Alex asked joyfully to her mother. "The pool is all yours, if you want."

Eliza chuckled. "I'm okay staying dry for now, thanks. I'm sure the girls will appreciate having the whole pool for them."

"Oh, you bet! Esme loves to starfish."

The four of them got out in the summer sun and reclined quickly under the arbor. The middle of the afternoon was the hottest in National City at this period of the year. Kara saw Lena fold the blanket on her lap and put it on the back of the wheelchair.

"Do you want to go on a deck chair?" Kara asked her because she thought it would be more comfortable for her, but Lena dismissed her.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks. I'll stay under the arbor though. I forgot how hot it was here in summer."

"You mentioned Ireland. How is it you moved there?" Eliza asked her and Lena rolled her wheelchair closer to the table so Eliza could sit, leaving the two sisters alone watching Kelly and the girls in the pool. Alex started towards the water and discarded herself from her flip-flops on the way. Kara followed her and they both sat on the side of the pool, their feet shuffling the water. From their position, they could either watch Kelly teaching Liz how to swim or see Lena and Eliza talk.

Obviously, Kara's eyes stayed on Lena the whole time. Liz and Esme would often ask for their attention, demanding to be clapped at or to pass the volleyball back because it had been thrown too far. But Kara's eyes stayed on Lena. The more she was looking at her, the more she could see traces of nervousness in Lena's behavior. And apparently, she wasn't the only one.

"Lena seems tense." Alex remarked.

"Yeah, we had a fight this morning."

"Oh, I thought it was the pain. Or the nerves of meeting Eliza."

Kara frowned. "They'd already met at Thanksgiving years ago."

"Yes, but Lena wasn't Mom's second grandchild's mother."

Kara frowned deeper. What a weird way to put it. "I don't think she's nervous. Her heartbeat is calm. It only quickens when I go closer to her."

"Oh."

Kara let the silence voluntarily fall between them. She knew Alex knew. Alex knew she knew. Kara knew that Nia, Brainy and Kelly knew too. J'onn probably too. But she had never talked about it with any of them until Nia very recently. It had become a taboo. Nobody dared talk about Lena with Kara, not when they didn't know where the brunette was. None of them had dared express something close to knowing what Kara was feeling. They knew better. But now that Lena was back with them, Kara felt guilty about all the time she had lost with her sister. Alex had always been the person she was going to for advice. She was a bit older and way more adapted socially speaking so she had always been Kara's guide. A lighthouse in a sea of unknown territories. Kara could not really remember when their relationship had felt this complicated. When, exactly, their link had broken. She could only think about all the hurting words she had said, and all the painful ones she had kept to her. It felt too much, once again. Too much not to do something about it. She had to fix this. Alex deserved better. She had sacrificed so much for Kara, the least she could do was to try and mend their relationship.

"We kissed."

Alex startled, choking on her own spit. "Wow! About time! How did it go?"

Kara remembered the tone of Lena's voice back in her apartment, the cries in the brunette's throat after she had left. "Awfully." She grimaced.

"Really? I always thought she'd be a terrific kisser."

"Hey! No, I mean, the kiss was… Incredible." Kara blushed. "It's the after that went astray. I tried to talk to her about it this morning but she's all closed off."

Alex looked at her sideways then shrugged. "Well, she'd always been guarded. What did you expect?"

"More communication, at least." Kara grimaced again. "She doesn't even want to talk about it. It's more than being guarded. It's as if she doesn't think she deserves to be loved. She's terrified that it would hurt her more than living without it." She rambled heatedly. She was desperate for a solution.

"Without you." Alex pointed out.

"Yes, whatever. Even if she doesn't want me, she deserves to be happy with someone else. But she doesn't believe in that."

Kara heard Alex swallow in her throat. There was a beat during which Alex shuffled the water thoughtfully and Kara waited impatiently. Alex then swallowed again, her face taking a serious expression. "She didn't grow up in the kind of family that shows happily ever after can happen. Give her some slack. Do you remember she had never decorated her own Christmas tree before we made her? Can you imagine living with this level of psychos? Who doesn't decorate for Christmas?" Kara chuckled bitterly because Alex was funny in her wording but Lena's lack of family normalcy wasn't funny at all. "Anyway, no wonder she's careful. I would think twice about trusting people if I was her."

"Thanks. You're terribly not helping." Kara grumbled.

"Hey, I'm here to annoy the crap out of you and show your children how to do it when I'm not around. I'm not wise enough to give advice."

Kara scoffed and shoved her gently. "You're wrong. You know I trust you."

"Yeah, except when you're so upset you think nobody can understand you."

The words were out before Alex had the time to filter them and it showed on her surprised face. She didn't take them back though. What was said, was said. She meant it and Kara felt even more guilty for it.

"Alex, I'm sorry for the way I pushed you away. I felt like I was the only one concerned by Lena's disappearance and I couldn't bear seeing all of you resuming your lives as if nothing had happened."

Alex shook her head with deception. "We kept searching, you know." She said, eyeing Kara pointedly. "On our own because we knew it was too hard on you. Legitimately so. You lost trust and hope and it's not okay but I'm not mad at you. I just missed you a lot. Esme and Kelly missed you too."

Kara nodded, accepting the accusations. She had lost hope when she wasn't supposed to. She was a Paragon, she had responsibilities. She shouldn't have lost hope in her team. She should have confessed in them, and trusted them, not pushed them away. "I know. I missed you all too. I wish I could reverse time and be less stub-"

Alex put a firm hand on Kara's thigh. "Kara, stop. Don't think that way. You have enough guilt on your shoulders for the whole human race. What's done is done. Just keep showing up now. We need you as much as you need us."

It was easier said than done, as clichéd as it sounded, but Kara was ready to move forward. She had to mend a lot of relationships, to apologize to plenty of people, but she was ready to do it.

"You're right." She smiled lightly and pulled Alex over to hug her.

"I'm always right."

"Nope." Kara chuckled while pulling away. "Not when you said the pepper cover wouldn't sting the hell out of my tongue if I leaked it."

Alex snorted, her fingers scratching her nose. "That was a lie, not an opinion."

"And the time you said all black attires were cool?" Kara tilted her head.

Alex's head swayed from right to left as she thought about it. "Alright, I may have misunderstood the trend there but I'm sure Lena would agree with me. Black is always the new black."

Kara snorted. "Yeah, I think she likes the invisibility that black clothes give her."

"Hum." Alex smiled. They fell in a comfortable silence, surrounded by the splashes in the swimming pool as Kelly was attacked by two little ocean monsters. Kara felt her insides warm at the scene. Liz was smiling and giggling, her worries for Lena far gone. It was a huge difference from the girl who had guided her through the country to find her mother. It was a huge difference, too, from the girl who couldn't leave her sides because she was terrified by what could happen to her.

"You know, you shouldn't give up." Alex said confidently.

Kara looked at her and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Alex motioned to Lena on the other side of the garden, still in deep conversation with Eliza.

Kara shook her head. "She clearly doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

Alex snorted. "Oh, she does. How did it feel when you kissed?" She asked without really waiting for an answer. The blush on Kara's cheeks was answer enough. "I thought so. Keep going after her. I'm sure she secretly wants you to. She just wants to be proven wrong. It'll take time but, seriously, Kara, the woman has been all over you for years. She could have found solutions for Liz by herself. She came back here for you and only you."

"You think so?"

"Yes! Go get your girl." Alex shoved her away.

Kara giggled. "Okay, fine. I hope you're right this time." She said with a wink. Alex just flipped her off.

Kara chuckled on her way to Lena and Eliza. They were talking about Ireland and what Liz was doing there, the activities in her school, what Lena had taught her already.

"She's very perceptive. I don't know if it's her powers or just her personality but since she was born, she always seemed to feel all what was happening in a room." Lena explained passionately. Kara had remarked that, when Lena was talking about their daughter, she had no filter. No mask on, no little box to put her feelings away. She was natural and passionate. She loved Liz deeply and she wasn't scared to show it.

"She got it from you, I'm sure." Kara commented while sitting on a chair beside her. Lena shook her head playfully but a clear blush appeared on her cheeks.

"And how is she doing with those powers?" Eliza asked with pure curiosity. "I remember how hard it was for you to control them." She addressed Kara.

"It was." Kara agreed. "She's still learning but she's doing good."

Behind Eliza, Kara saw Liz turned around in the pool and smile at her. She had clearly heard the conversation.

"She's getting good at eavesdropping, apparently." Lena remarked, having noticed Liz's little knowing smile too. The girl only gave her a bashful smile, guilty as hell but still proud of it. Kara snorted.

"Yeah, she's all you."

"Uh uh, not with that goofy smile, it's you." Lena arched her eyebrow, daring Kara to contradict her. Kara only grinned. She loved that Liz had taken some of their physical and personal traits in her genes. It was just awesome.

"Liz, can you come here please?" Lena asked the girl in an even tone, knowing Liz would hear her.

Kelly helped her out of the water and shoved her towards the table. Kara watched as Alex got undressed quickly beside the pool, her swimming suit already beneath her clothes, before diving into the water with her wife and daughter. They wanted to give them privacy with Eliza and Kara appreciated it.

Liz walked to her mother with her bottom lips in between her teeth. Being this close to Lena, her confidence wasn't shining anymore. She thought that she was in trouble and, honestly, Kara didn't even know if she was or not.

Lena pulled her gently to her and grab a towel that was on one of the chairs. She enveloped her in it and tried to lift her but she couldn't with her inability to lean on her knee.

"Let me." Kara said and lifted Liz quickly to put her on Lena's lap. The girl hid in Lena's neck, causing Lena to wince slightly at the cold skin against her own.

"You remember when we talked about Kara's parents, love?" Lena asked Liz who only nodded against her. "Eliza is your mommy's other mother. Remember we talked about that too?"

Liz nodded once again then lifted her head and smiled shyly. "My name is like you." She said to Eliza who smiled back, a hand on her heart.

Lena agreed and corrected her. "Like yours, yes. Elizabeth." She winked to Eliza who had shiny eyes.

"Lena named Liz after her mother, but also after you, Eliza." Kara added, wanting to know Eliza had the same importance as both of their biological mothers.

Eliza nodded in acknowledgement but her eyes never left Liz who was sipping from a glass of lemonade with a straw. Kara watched as Eliza approached a trembling hand to Liz's hair and pushed a lock behind the girl's ear. Liz smiled at her with that charming smile Kara knew from having seen it so many times during galas on Lena's face.

"You are a carbon copy of your mother." Eliza said.

Liz tilted her head, curious. "Mom or mommy?" She asked as if she was really interested to know.

Eliza chuckled. "Both, actually. I can't tell for the personality, though." She said playfully, eyeing Kara pointedly. The blonde only lifted two surrendering hands.

"I didn't do anything. Only taught to eavesdrop."

"As long as you don't teach her how to roast a turkey, I think we're good." Lena quipped and Eliza laughed out loud, reminiscing all the times Kara had tried to cook the turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas with her heat vision. Liz was already looking at Kara with wonder in her eyes and Lena caught up on it.

"Not in your dreams, young lady." She adverted Liz with a warning finger. "You have many powers to control before this one."

Liz pouted immediately but said nothing. Kara leaned on the table conspiratorially towards her. "Don't worry, I'll teach you to be so quick she wouldn't be able to catch you." She lightly whispered, throwing a wink to Liz who giggled, Lena shooting daggers at her with her eyes.

"Don't you dare."

Kara lifted her hands again. "It's only in her capacities. I don't force anything."

Eliza laughed with their banter and patted a hand on Lena's forearms. "I'm just a call away if you want advice on how to rule two Kryptonians in a house. I'm sure it's close to raise only one."

Lena thanked her, chuckling lightly, her cheeks reddening under the assumption of the three of them living together. Kara stared at her and they shared a look, only for Lena to look away hastily. It wasn't so hard to imagine. It was pleasant, even. Liz running around because she was late to school. Kara kissing Lena quickly before flying to CatCo. Lena drinking a green smoothie before work, pregnant with their second child.

Kara's eyes grew three sizes and she excused herself to stand up and walk back in the house. She walked in the kitchen and put water on her face to clear her mind. She leaned on the counter with her eyes closed. Images of Lena with a rounded belly and a golden ring on her left hand kept swirling in her mind. It was not hard to imagine. At all. Just maybe a bit too presumptuous.

Before the end of the afternoon, they were back in the Tower. Florence had asked Kara not to go see her too late or the healing potion, that she had prepared for Lena while they were at Alex's, would be good for trash. Lena rolled out of the elevator confidently and waved to Kara and Liz who were going a floor above to give Liz a necessary bath after her time in the swimming pool. When Lena entered her former lab, Florence was bent over her mother's grimoire while Nia was reading Lena's spell book and Brainy was actively searching the internet on a computer.

"Lena!" Nia exclaimed when she noticed her. She turned on her stool and walked eagerly to her to take her in a hug, Brainy right behind her.

"I'm happy you're okay. You've scared the crap out of us all." Nia said while squeezing her gently. It seemed to Lena that she was hearing this sentence in repeat.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, babe. Those guys were creeps." Nia dismissed with a flourish of her hand.

"Yeah." Lena sighed.

"Lena!" Brainy hugged her quickly. "Ever thought of putting a tracker under your skin? Would be helpful."

Lena chuckled a bit but her laugh died down when she realized that he was serious. "Where's the fun in that?"

Brainy shook his head with a smile. He already knew Lena would never accept the idea anyway. He motioned to the benchtops behind them. "We were searching for data on the prophecy."

"Good. Anything new?"

"None." Florence grumbled from her place while straightening up. "Come here to drink this so at least you can walk properly."

Lena rolled her eyes at the lack of sympathy in her mentor's tone. She rolled to her and took the vial that was extended to her. Trusting Florence wholeheartedly, she gulped down the thick purplish liquid in its entirety and put the vial back on the benchtop. Immediately, she felt her body relax, her limbs begin to lighten, the cramps going away. The aches in her neck and head were forgotten. Her knee was feeling better and Lena tentatively bent it. Carefully, she watched as her leg could bent an entire angle then be stretched completely. She didn't need the wheelchair anymore. She grinned and tried to stand up only to be stopped by the pain in her feet.

"Oh! Oh!" She winced, falling back ungraciously in the wheelchair. "Everything's healed except my feet."

Nia and Brainy were looking at her in panic. Florence mumbled unintelligible words to herself with a finger on her chin then approached and crouched down. She placed a cautious hand on one of Lena's feet and whispered a Latin incantation. Lena's foot started to glow with blue rays passing through the bandages.

"What are you doing?" Lena asked.

"I casted a charm to know if any type of magic has been used on you. The fire wasn't just a normal fire."

Lena looked at her in disbelief then her gaze dropped back to her feet. It should not shock her. The group her half-brother was a part of was well trained and well informed. They had used magic to try and kill her. Who was the monster now? The one who was naturally magical or the one who used magic because they were scared of magical beings?

"So you can't heal my feet?" Lena asked as she watched Florence swipe the pages of her own spell book hastily. She didn't even raise her head to reply.

"I'm searching, child, but I think it can't be healed by magic. It has to heal naturally."

"Fabulous." Lena grumbled. "Now I'm stuck in this wheelchair for weeks."

"Kara still can carry you around." Brainy said, trying to be helpful. It only guaranteed him a fiery glare. "Okay, no carrying."

"What about enchanted shoes? Can't you just cast a spell on your favorite sneakers so that your feet won't hurt in them?"

Lena and Florence's heads whipped around towards Nia with wide open mouth, aghast. Her friends were nice and all, but they knew nothing about magic. Nia was part of the magical world but it wasn't really the same type as Lena. The brunette knew they wanted to help and, usually, she would welcome their creativity but not this time.

"It's…" Florence started.

"I appreciate your ideas but Florence is right. Burning witches on a stake is the most effective way for a reason. We're historically and magically linked to fire. The only way to heal is to do it the old way." Lena explained with tight resigned lips.

"That sucks." Nia said, disappointed.

Lena agreed thoughtfully. She didn't add the fact that she knew her healing would take more time than a normal burn. Her body was naturally weakened by fire and since Jason's group had been well informed, she knew that the skin on her feet would never gain its previous elasticity back. It was as if the fire was still burning inside her cells. It would forever be sensible and scarred.

"Nia." Brainy called out, two fingers on his ear. "We have an emergency. Black Lightning needs us in Metropolis."

Lena's eyebrows shot up. Since her brother wasn't causing trouble in Metropolis anymore, she was surprised to hear there was still problems there.

"Cyber-attack on the general services. He can't put the electricity back up alone. He needs Nia's dream energy and my ability to enter systems." Brainiac explained to Lena who nodded, understanding a bit more.

"Be careful, you two." Lena advised, hugging Nia as strongly as Nia was embracing her.

"When aren't we?" Nia joked as she pushed away.

Lena watched them leave the building hand in hand. She shook her head pensively. Those two were perfect for each other. She heard Florence clear her throat so she turned around in her wheelchair.

Florence motioned to the grimoire. "Did you find anything? Because I didn't and I read half of it already."

Lena shook her head and rolled around her to place herself in front of the grimoire. The benchtop was too high for her to reach it so Florence helped her. Lena rolled her eyes. It was so annoying to depend on others.

"I didn't have the time to study it but I'm sure it's in there. I feel it."

Florence only nodded with that usual stern look on her face. "Don't forget to protect yourself from charms. We don't know what your mother had placed in these pages."

"Don't worry. I'm not a beginner anymore."

Florence smirked. "No, you aren't. You're a Luthor mixed with a Walsh, that's worse."

Lena chuckled, knowing too well what Florence was hinting at. During her first years of learning magic, Lena had formed a strong bond with Florence. The old woman had laughed a lot when Lena had recounted all the times she had been kidnapped or almost murdered. Florence had a theory that it was linked to Lena's ancestry. Being a Luthor, in itself, was a curse. Being a Walsh, in itself, was not well accepted. But being a mix of both families could only be synonymous of trouble. And since she had discovered that her father might be linked to a witch hunter cult, the Purifiers, Lena started to think that it may be true.

"I'm going back to Ireland. I need to inform everyone and search if anyone knows about these hunters. Will you be okay?" Florence asked while fumbling with her fingers in front of her.

Lena smiled lightly. It was Florence's way to show she cared about her. They weren't into hugging or even patting shoulders but they were into bantering playfully and Lena could feel Florence's affection through their link anyway. She tapped on her wrist, where her tattoo was and winked.

"Yes, thank you, Florence. I appreciate seeing you out of your cave just for little old me." She smirked as Florence scoffed.

"It wasn't for you." The mentor insisted while gathering her things. "I came to see who those bloody hunters were. If there's more, we'll have a problem."

It was true and Lena knew that she wasn't the only reason why Florence had come out of her shelter. The reality hit her once again. If there was more of them, none of the witches in their coven were safe.

"I'll send you a letter if I find anything on them or the prophecy." Lena said. Florence nodded once. She approached to pat Lena on the cheek affectionately then took a step back and closed her eyes. A second later, she had disappeared and Lena was left alone.

Her gaze dropped on her knees where there was the heavy grimoire her mother had traveled with. Now, it was just her and her books and words and words on witchcraft. Lena secured the grimoire closer to her and rolled towards one the chairs. She could at least be comfortable if she had to search a heavy book for hours.

It was endless. It had been two hours and Lena felt like the more she was turning pages, the more pages she had to turn. The grimoire was endless. She almost suspected her mother to have cast a shrinking spell on it so that it would only show its entire content while reading it. Kara's face of wonder when Lena had broken the charm on the grimoire came at the forefront of her mind. Lena groaned loudly. To top it all off, the more she was trying not to think about Kara, the more her mind seemed to want her to think about her. She found herself distracted by the softness of Kara's lips, the feel of her fingers on her wrist. It was making her crazy. She was going nowhere. She couldn't find anything on the prophecy. She couldn't find anything on her abductors. She couldn't find any reasons for her to say no to Kara any longer.

No. Lena couldn't let her mind dictate what she wanted to do. She inhaled deeply and resumed her reading. She came across several interesting charms. One to shape common objects into animals. Another to enter someone's blood system and detect any infection. Another to create a thick protective skin on a body so that it was protected from the sun and any possible threats. Lena made notes about it. It could be useful if she decided to go to the beach with Kara and Liz. The blonde wouldn't certainly need it with her tan skin and perfect Kryptonian genes, with her Greek-like sculpted abs and indestructible structure.

Lena shook her head. She was still on the same page and she didn't know how much time had passed.

"I'm sick of it!" She groaned in frustration, throwing the book away and grabbing at her hair with both hands. An easy chuckle came out in front of her and she peeked through her hands to see who it was. Kelly waved lightly, her hair damp and face make-up free.

"What are you doing here?" Lena asked in surprise because Kelly wasn't usually in the Tower at this hour.

"I was on a mission down the street. A giant snake was terrorizing your neighbors." Kelly tilted her head pointedly. Lena didn't bother corrected her on the mention of the Tower as her home. "I was covered in spit and blood so I thought I could take a shower in the old locker room before going back home. And then I heard you angrily talk to a spell book."

Len snorted and scowled at the said book. Kelly chuckled once more and came to sit next to her.

"Anything that could be salvaged from your apartment?"

Lena shook her head deprecatingly. J'onn had deposited suitcases with Liz's and Lena's clothes in Kara's living room while they were at Alex's. He had also brought Lena's cellphone and laptop, Liz's favorite plush toy and her coloring book. Everything else had been damaged whether by the fire Lena had provoked as she had thrown a thunder to one of the cultists or by the wind coming through the broken window, which had engulfed everything from papers to cushions and curtains. Lena didn't really care about the furniture in the apartment anyway. It was not her home. Her home was in Ireland. It was not like she wanted to go back there either. The Purifiers knew where she was, she could not put Liz in danger again.

"How about your feet?"

"Still painful but it's healing. My toes are covered in blisters."

Kelly grimaced in solidarity. "And the knee?"

"Magically fixed with a healing potion." Lena grinned. Kelly shook her head with a small smile.

"Don't say that to Alex. She was so stressed to operate on you correctly for you not to suffer later."

"I'll make up something so she doesn't think she did all this for nought." Lena winked. "She's already done enough. I don't want her to worry more."

Kelly smiled back and grabbed at the grimoire to open it in the middle and start reading. "So what's up with this? Does it have people stuck in it or something?"

"What? No." And since it was still a possibility in her world, Lena rose two horrified eyebrows. "I hope not!"

"Why were you talking to it then?"

A small playful smirk was playing on Kelly's lips. It reminded Lena of how James would joke around her. She sighed deeply. She scrapped at the skin around her nails for a minute or two. She didn't know if confiding into Kelly was a great idea. The woman was Kara's sister-in-law. Surely, Kelly was supposed to be on Kara's side, right? Lena used to be really close to Kelly. They shared a passion for biotechnology and since Kelly had started to take a major part in Obsidian's projects, Lena liked to debate with her about the advantages and the consequences of their inventions. Now, Lena wasn't so sure where they were standing.

"Hey, where did you go?" Kelly asked while putting a gentle hand on Lena's. Lena's gaze dropped on their hands and she pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I tend to drift away these days."

Lena could feel Kelly's scrutinizing gaze on her. Her friend had been nothing but identical with the one Lena remembered since she had gotten back. Kelly did not treat her differently. She was not questioning her about her motives, about her disappearance or the life that she had been living this whole time. She was just the old Kelly Lena knew. Attentive, passionate, cautious around her, playful too and smart. Lena had thought about why Kelly was not acting different. Because she was mostly the only one who was treating her as if seven years had not gone by and had formed a gap in their friendship. Lena realized, after thinking about it a couple of times, that maybe Kelly already knew the answers to the questions the others were desperate to have answers to. Kelly was a psychologist. She knew how the mind worked in extreme situations. She knew what to expect from someone as damaged as Lena.

"You're doing it again." Kelly said while shoving Lena lightly with her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me, right? Nothing has changed."

And just like that, Lena's strong demeanor cracked. Her lips started to tremble without her consent. She did not know what was happening. One minute, she was fine, and the next, she was crying her eyes out in Kelly's arms.

"It's okay. I got you." Kelly reassured, brushing her hand in Lena's hair.

Lena felt like a lost little girl once again and she hated it with every cell in her being. Kelly was wrong. Everything had changed. From her place in the group to her place in the world. Lena was not the little girl who had once lost her mother and replaced her with a brand-new horrible family anymore. She was not the freshly out-of-college engineer anymore, the one who wanted to revolutionize the world and cure every possible illness so that others would not live the grief that she had been still full of. She was not the young woman who had been tied up to a chair by her own brother to watch the world end anymore. She was not even close to the woman who had moved in National City to take back on the family business against all odds. Nor she was the one who had put that business back on its feet and fought every white rich man who told her she was not good enough. Nor she was the betrayed woman who had tried to hurt her best friend, simply because it had been one betrayal too many to handle. Nor she was the former CEO who had faced her brother and decided he could play his games all by himself because she was sick of it and handed him back the family business she had sweat on for years. Nor she was that woman who had sworn to be a good godmother and guide Esme through life. Nor she was the pregnant woman who had woken up in that bloody bunker to realize that she had been missing six months of her life. Nor she was the young mother who could not handle a simple diaper change because she was exhausted. Nor she was the same as six days ago, when she had decided that it was better for her daughter to know her other mother. Lena was not even sure that she was the same as the woman who had thrown spells at her half brother and prayed in that bloody cage the day before. No, everything had changed and Lena was not sure that it was for good or even if it was meant to be that way. Because if it was her destiny to hurt that much, then she preferred not to have a destiny at all.

As she pulled away, Kelly stayed in her orbit, brushed her hair away from her face, went to retrieve a glass of water, continued to express words of reassurance. After a while, they fell in an uncomfortable silence. Lena had never felt this ashamed. She had poured years and years of memories on Kelly. It was even more shameful than the time she had to sing Happy Birthday to Lex in front of the cream of Metropolis. Even more shameful than the only time she had said I love you to Andrea only to be rejected because she was not seeing her that way.

Lena did not know where to start. She wanted to apologize to Kelly, to express how unusual of her it was to pour herself into self-pity like that or how disrespectful it was to think Kelly deserved to be treated like that, but her mouth stayed close. The words were stuck in her throat, right next to the scream she wanted so desperately to release. So, Lena stayed against Kelly, listening to her heartbeat, waiting for the time she would have to face her friend. For now, she could just pretend that it had never happened. That breakdown was not her. She was already not this Lena anymore either.

"You know what I think happened in that bunker…" Kelly whispered, sliding a comforting hand on her arm. Her voice was soft and caring. Lena closed her eyes. She wanted to listen to Kelly's voice forever and fall asleep that way.

"Is that you woke up and realized you were pregnant, which was truly a violation of your body." Kelly rushed out pointedly. "And your mind went blank because it was overwhelmed and fed up with all the trouble, the hurt, the pain you've already had." She said, and Lena thought that she was done there, because she did not think that she could handle more truths than that, but Kelly continued to talk.

"And then you did the only thing you could do to survive this situation. You ran away. Because it was necessary."

Kelly's understanding was everything Lena needed at the moment without knowing it. A lone tear rolled down her cheek. Lena brushed it away frustratingly.

"I…" She cleared her throat, swallowed heavily. "It doesn't excuse what I've done."

Kelly shook her head quickly. "I don't resent you for that, I understand it. I understand why you're breaking down now. It's been a lot."

A whimper escaped Lena's lips. Kelly was giving her so much grace, so much kindness, that Lena was not sure that she deserved it. She did not deserve friends like Kelly and Alex and Brainy and Nia. She did not deserve to be loved. For if there was love, there was hurt hiding behind it.

"I know how you were raised. We talked about it, remember?" Kelly waited for Lena to nod. They had talked a lot about it, actually. It had been during one of these game nights at Kara's. Lena and Kelly had been sipping on their glasses of scotch and wine on the small balcony while their friends were finishing their round at Mario Kart. Lena had been pretty drunk and had confided into Kelly how lucky she had felt being surrounded by these special persons. It had been a first of many conversations about what Lena had felt and what Lena had wanted and what Lena had deserved. Kelly had been understanding and careful with the words she had used but had always assured Lena that she had her place in their group. That she had found a place to be herself and that she should not feel like a fraud around them.

"I know how you deal with emotions on a daily basis. I can see what happened. But I wish you had healed enough before all that to be able to come back to us instead of running away. It would've been lighter for your heart not to bear all these things on your own."

Lena pulled away slightly, not daring to look Kelly directly in the eyes. "I think I had to do it alone. That way I could only understand I needed you all in my life."

In the corner of her eyes, she saw Kelly's lips spread largely. "Sadly, it took you years to understand it."

Lena shrugged helplessly. It had taken time, but she had come around. "I'm a lost cause."

Kelly scowled immediately and put a finger under Lena's chin to meet her eyes. "No, you're not. Life had been hard on you but it doesn't define you. You have lived all these things but still came out on the bright side. You could have followed Lex's path but you chose your own. You're not a lost cause. You're a good person."

Tears rolled down Lena's cheeks once again and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly but a smile grew on her face.

"See! Better like that." Kelly said enthusiastically and they chuckled together. "You know, my proposition from years ago still stands. I have a few colleagues that could help you out."

Lena groaned and turned around to grab at the box of tissue that was thankfully on the benchtop. "You know my answer to that."

"I know you don't believe in therapy but talking can help. If you don't talk to a doc, at least talk to your friends."

Lena looked at her guiltily. She knew that she had not been the best of friends for the last years and more so since she had come back. She wanted to talk to them, and to some extent, she had done just that, explaining what had happened to her and Liz. It felt intimate enough. It felt also like none of them could understand the amount of stress it was causing her not to know what had happened all these years ago. She always felt in danger, with a Damocles sword above her head, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I do talk to you. I trust you. It's just…" Lena cut herself short, not sure if expressing her thoughts would hurt Kelly or not.

"I know it feels like nobody can understand." Kelly said. Lena looked at her with wide eyes. Had Kelly developed telepathy since the last time they had talked? Her friend chuckled. "What? You think you're the first to think she's all alone in this world? Do you happen to know Kara Danvers?"

Lena rolled her eyes once again. "Kara isn't like that. She's all hope and love and sunshine."

"Ah, funny you think that. The woman lost her whole people, her culture. She lost her family then found it again only to discover too much time had passed to fix the gap. And then she lost you. Twice. Do you really think she's still the same? Come on, Lena. You have eyes."

Lena frowned. She did not like Kelly's tone. It felt like she was hearing Alex. "You sound like your wife."

Kelly snorted. "I know, her irony is rubbing on me." Her laugh died down and her face took back its serious expression. "What I mean is, don't think you're alone in this. Everybody has struggles. Kara maybe more than the others. She's just good at hiding them and pulling a strong face." She shoved Lena lightly. "Just like you."

Lena shoved her back. "I know what you're trying to do here. That's not gonna happen."

"Oh, really? What am I trying to do?" Kelly smirked, the glint in her eyes expressing exactly what Lena was fearing.

"You want me to confide in her, to trust her, so that we can form the perfect little family."

"Well, that won't be such an awful thing, wouldn't it?"

Lena shook her head, already planning how to make her point. "Kara deserves to be happy and that can't happen with me."

Kelly frowned. "Why?" She asked in a whisper. Maybe it was made so that Lena would confess her thoughts more easily. Maybe it was because Lena had surprised Kelly. Lena could not know.

"Because… Because…" She could not say it now. She was scared, of course she was. Kara terrified her in the best of ways but it was not just that.

"Lena, she won't hurt you." Kelly said, sensing the truth laid right there.

"I'm not afraid of her hurting me." Lena admitted in a broken voice.

"Then what is it?"

Lena closed her eyes, inhaled, and exhaled a couple of times. "I'm afraid of hurting her."

There, it was. Laid there. Said there. Expelled in the air between them. Lena could not take it back now. As simple as the words were, they were reflecting her most inner fear. The fear that was consuming her since she was a child. Because she had caused so many issues. Because she had been responsible for so many bad situations in her life already. Her mother had drowned in a lake just so she could save Lena. Lionel and Lillian's marriage exploded because she was born. Lex lost his parents and his home because she came to live with them. Lex lost his mind because she had not been a good enough sister and had not been able to keep him on a good path. Jack had lost his life because she had not been a good enough girlfriend to prevent him from his ambiguous project. Andrea had lost so much money in CatCo, so much faith in her father because of Lena, because of her crazy desire to follow an old legend that had felt like the last link to her mother. Kara had been injured so many times because of her, just to save her, just because Lena had been betrayed before. Alex and Kelly and Esme and Brainy and Nia and J'onn had been hurt because of her, because she existed and people associated her with her last name, wanted revenge for who she was. Dick had been hurt too because she had taken upon herself to use him as her own puppet. Sam had to renounce to her values and lie for her. Even Liz had been hurt because Lena had decided to keep her, but had kept her away from a happy life, only promising a life full of paranoia and fear to the child.

Lena had caused so much hurt in her first thirty years of life. It had been enough. She did not want the responsibility of what could happen with Kara above it all. Her shoulders were weighing enough.

"You know it doesn't work like that. You can't wait for it to crumble, it may never happen." Kelly said in a stern voice, oscillating between sadness and determination.

"It will happen." Lena hammered with unshakeable conviction. "I already hurt her by staying away. I don't need her to be closer. It'll only cause her more pain."

"She loves you. I'm sure she just wants to help."

"But I don't need her help! I don't need a love partner. I just need her to be there!"

There was silence. Lena had never risen her voice on Kelly before. She was not usually that heated in their conversation. She was about to apologize but a clearing of a throat erupted behind her. She turned around, sensing Kelly's head rising to look above her. Kara was in the doorway with Liz hiding in her neck. She had a weird expression on her face, as if she had just eaten something sour.

"I was wondering what you were up to. Dinner is ready." Kara said evenly, her eyes never meeting Lena's. It was clear that she had heard some bits of their conversation.

Kelly cleared her throat and stood up from her stool. "I'll leave you two to talk."

With a pat on Lena's hand, she walked away. She took Liz from Kara's arms, stating she would be upstairs, feeding the munchkin. As the elevator doors closed behind Kelly, Lena felt like the room was closing on her. It felt small suddenly and the more Kara approached, the more she felt like she could not breathe.

"Kara, I'm tired of having these conversations. It's always a full circle." She said in a warning voice. It was true. They were always talking about the same things without going forward. They disagreed and none of them wanted to compromise on their opinion. It was endless. Just like that bloody spell book.

But Kara was anything but determined. She was stubborn and a real hero, which meant that she never gave up. Ever. And pursuing Lena was not an exception to this rule.

"Then give me an explanation." Kara said heatedly. "Why are you here? Why now? Why did you leave? Why can't we be together? You just said to Kelly you wanted me there. I'm here. So, tell me. What do you want?"

Her fierce eyes were hiding nothing but pure honesty and eagerness. Kara seemed ready to do anything Lena would ask.

"Because it's too dangerous for-" Lena started her old mechanism.

"I don't care!" Kara shouted. Lena shrunk back as much as she could on her stool. Kara remarked that and straightened her back. She rounded the benchtop and toned down her voice. She rose two apologetic pupils on her.

"Your life is dangerous with or without me in it. You said so yourself." She whispered. "That's why it was so stupid to keep my identity a secret for so long."

Lena swallowed the lump in her throat, turned her gaze away. "It's not only because of that."

Kara stepped forward, entering Lena's space. She put a hesitating hand on her cheek to force Lena to meet her eyes. "Then what? Tell me. Tell me Liz will not be happier if you stay. Tell me you don't want that for her or for yourself."

Her eyes were so earnest. Her perfume was intoxicating. Her breath was inviting. Lena wanted to give in. But she could not. She turned away once again, letting Kara's hand cupping thin air.

"Of course I do! I just don't… I don't know, okay." She replied frustratingly. She was struggling finding her words, organizing her thoughts. Kara always had this effect on her. Her mind was blurry and unfocused, as if she was under water and in the clouds at the same time, her thoughts invaded by fog, her little boxes drenched by the water.

The truth was, Lena had all the answers to Kara's questions. It was summarized in the words she had confessed to Kelly minutes ago. But she could not resolve herself to do it one more time. Not to the person it was the most important to lie to. Lena could not let Kara hope in a relationship between them. Kara was stubborn enough, if she had one tiny little reason to believe that Lena wanted her, she would be relentless, Lena knew that. So, she could not let her see right through it. She had to maintain the façade. Oh, how exhausting her life had become, suddenly.

Eventually, Lena looked at Kara, wondering what she had just said. Kara was looking at her questioningly.

"You don't know what?"

She probably had asked the question before but Lena was gone somewhere else.

"I don't know why I came back or why I ran away." Lena clarified. "I don't know why now and why we can't… I just know I can't."

Kara sighed heavily. Her frustration was visible on her face, in her fists tightening on the benchtop's tiles.

"There's a real difference between what you can do and what you want to do." The blonde said with emphasis. "And right now, I don't know if you just deny this…" She let her fingers travel between them. "Just because you still scared or because it's something you really don't want for yourself."

Lena ran her hands in her hair in frustration. Kara knew her too well and she was really tired to fight her. "I don't know Kara! I wish I could give you answers but I don't have them. I want for Liz to be happy and healthy and I want for her to know you. But otherwise…" She taped her finger on the blonde's chest at every words. "I. Don't. Know."

Kara nodded, looking at her boots. There was silence for some times. Lena took the time to look at her, to watch her thoughts reverberate on her face. Kara wore her heart on her sleeve. Every feeling, every emotion was visible on her facial expression, in the crinkle on her forehead or the blue in her eyes.

Kara was still nodding thoughtfully. Then she took a step into Lena's space. Lena held back her breath, surprised and unprepared to be so close to Kara. The blonde had been close before, but that was an entire other level. They were close enough that Lena could smell the remnants of coffee on Kara's breath.

"I know…" Kara started, taping a gentle finger on Lena's collarbone, imitating Lena's previous gesture. "That I want you. And I know…" She taped again, her face coming closer and closer. "That I love Liz." She paused to look at Lena pointedly, her gaze never leaving the green eyes. Lena found herself pinned to the benchtop, unable to tear her eyes away either. Their lips were just a sheet of paper away from touching.

"Now you just have to search what's in there." Kara whispered, pointing at Lena's heart voluntarily. A jolt of electricity ran down Lena's body at the feel of Kara's lips brushing hers. "And tell me what you want. Because I can wait but I don't want to be fooled around."

With that, Kara pulled away then put a gentle kiss to Lena's now reddening cheek. "I'll wait for you upstairs." She said while walking away in proud steps.

Lena never replied. She was dumbfounded. Why was she rejecting her again? Oh, right! Because she was so stupid and arrogant that she thought she could resist Kara Danvers. Lena shook her head to clear her mind and cursed under her breath. She was almost thankful to recognize that her fear of hurting Kara had the best of her or else it would be impossible for her to resist the blonde.

Turning angrily towards the grimoire, Lena opened it back in the middle. She did not want to face Kara or have to fake a discussion with her in front of Liz just yet. She could at least use this time to advance on their research. She turned several pages, ones she had already read. The known drawings and titles flashed in front of her eyes. Love filter. Nightmares explanations. Pages on different demon races. Legends about artifacts. Lena almost cursed her mom for being this disorganized. Her grimoire was not structured like hers was. Lena was methodical. She had a part for potion recipes, a part for charms, a part about the creatures she had encountered. It was easier to find what she was searching for when she needed it. But her mom's grimoire was a mess.

And then, just when she was about ready to give up for the day, Lena turned another page and there it was. She almost missed it, flickering through the pages absentmindedly, but the title was clear. Lena passed a curious finger on her mother's cursive.

The Unique Prophecy

A chosen one with great power.

A hero to protect them all.

The Other rising to push the Unique to the brink of Fate and,

In the ashes of the Earth,

Conquer or perish with the rest of humanity.

I came across this legend in my grandmother's book. It is known as the oldest Gaelic legend. The legend states that a Unique witch will rise every six generation to protect the world from her alter ego, the Other. During my research, I could trace back the Unique witches in history. I could not trace the first Unique witch but the oldest I could find was Hildegarde of Bingen (born c.1098 – dead on September 17 th 1179).

Before that period, it seems that there is no archive that lists the Unique witches. Hildegarde was a member of the Church. Her bloodline died out with her. My grandmother suspected Joane of Arc had been one too but she was supposedly a virgin so no daughter to find after that either. Nana had a theory about the Unique witches only rising in Europe or Africa because of their ancestral link to magic. She also marked several dates in her journal that I think could help me (and others after me) to find the Unique witches:

Born on summer's solstice – circa June 20th

Said to rise on their 6th birthday

Meant to fight in the Other's 15th year, on winter's equinox – circa December 22nd

December 22 nd , 1481 – December 22 nd , 1603 – December 22 nd , 1949 – December 22 nd , 1989

Although, it seemed that the Unique was not particularly linked to a bloodline, I found two of them in the Walsh family tree.

Is our bloodline linked to the Unique Prophecy?

My mother's grandmother was the last one, which explains why my grandmother had the legend in her book. She did not mention who the Unique was before that and I could not find any trace of her either. According to my calculations, if the Unique had to rise in our family again, and if my daughter ever was to have a daughter, her child may be the next Unique witch.

Make research on the Fingal's cave

Is Hildegarde one of our ancestors?

As we have some names of Unique witches, it seems difficult to find anything linked to the Other beings. They are said to be evil creatures, only partly humans, born from hatred and darkness, destined to conquer the world and rule it with an iron fist. I searched the dates my grandmother indicated and they all traced back to huge events changing the curse of History forever. Sometimes it was a revolution or the murder of a king. Most times it was good and helped to improve the women's living conditions. I think that it means the Unique had always won her battle against the Other until now. I can only hope that it will be the case for the next generations.

Lena pulled away from the grimoire with a deep exhale through her nose. It was interesting, to say the least. Her instinct had been right all along. Her mother knew the prophecy. She had been writing her experiences and thoughts in her book the whole time but this page looked worn out, with the ink having flowed a bit and the corners having been torn, as if she had spent more time on it than on the others. It was accompanied by colorful drawings, one representing a being in a Vitruvian-man-like posture, the head circled by a halo, the hands glowing with a purple glow, another representing a sort of a map with the inscription Fingal's cave, Scotland under it.

Lena read the page multiple times, taking notes. If her mother was right, Liz was the next Unique witch. And judging by the words her daughter had said in Gaelic, Lena was prompt to believe it, rather than question it endlessly. She grabbed at her cellphone on the benchtop and searched for the Fingal's cave on internet. It did exist. She looked at the pictures of the place. Some of them were taken from the insides, showing paintings on the walls of the cave but the pictures were too blurry to see anything clearly. Lena swiped back to a picture of the exterior of the cave. It looked old and raw, the rocks having seen so much history already.

Inhaling deeply, Lena closed her eyes and decided that she could try and go there. She shut down the little voice in her head who was repeating how crazy an idea it was to go there alone, injured, and without telling Kara. She did not want to think about Kara and even less ask for her permission so the only thing that she could do now was find them information on their daughter's fate before it was too late. She inhaled and exhaled deeply two, three times. She thought about the cave, what it looked like, what it was supposed to feel like under her feet, on her skin.

At the moment she felt her body shift to transport itself to the cave, Lena felt a sharp pain in her feet. She cried out loudly, her voice echoing in the lab. She looked at her feet furiously. It felt like it was going through fire all over again. She gritted on her teeth. At the back of her mind, Lena could hear the elevator doors open but she was too focused on her agony.

"What happened?" Kara said hastily. She was at her side in a flash, Liz following her.

Lena only shook her head. Furious at herself, furious at her half-brother, she thought about how her feet had been magically burnt. Of course, she could not transport herself to another place. Her feet were her link to Earth, her anchor. And without anchor, there was no possibility to draw the energy from Earth and move like she wanted it to.

"Lena, what happened? What can I do?" Kara asked again, her eyes traveling frantically on Lena's body, eager to help.

"Nothing." Lena said though gritted teeth. "I found the prophecy in the book."

Kara opened wide eyes. They both turned their heads towards Liz who was bringing a glass of water from who-knew-where for her mother. Lena caressed her cheek lovingly. Now, she had an idea why her daughter had been put in her. Liz was special. And Lena's guts were telling her that it would not be the last things that would surprise them.

Chapter Text

DAY SEVEN

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." – Unknown

The heat wave had finally decided to break into astounding storms, making the skies shatter every few minutes when a thunder would split them in half. Kara liked the sunny days and she liked the rainy days. Kara liked everything that could prove her that she was alive. She had always loved watching the rain fall from the Tower. It was beautiful. All these parallel lines dropping from grey clouds. There was poetry in it. The rain was seen in numerous cultures as a presage, falling on the cities after a huge battle or a catastrophe, as if washing the buildings and the roads from the fear and the tension of its inhabitants. Kara loved to feel it on her skin. On Krypton, the last rains she had seen had been radioactive Kryptonite. It had been too dangerous for them to stay under it. Now, Kara rejoiced to be under the clouds, watching the rain gather in the cumulus until it was full and it finally released the overflow on the Earth. She loved flying through them, coming out all damp for a minute, feeling like she was wrapped in cotton candy. Kara loved the rain, and Earth, and everything it had to provide. She knew her parents would love to see this.

"That fucking rain!" Alex groaned as she shuffled her jacket and shirt, drops of water falling on the floor. Her hair was wet. The shirt underneath her jacket was sporting a huge damp mark on the shoulders. "It was sunny when I got out of the house! How is that possible?"

Kara turned around from her place on the balcony and watched as her sister enter her loft, Lena waiting patiently for her on the couch and Nia chuckling from her stool in the kitchen.

Lena looked sheepishly at Alex as the woman approached. "I may be responsible for that." All heads whipped towards her.

"You're kidding?" Alex asked, torn between laughter and disbelief.

"Just partly." Lena shrugged. "It tends to rain when I'm nervous."

Kara's heart thumped hard in her chest. Lena was nervous because that day was the day everything would be over. Alura and Zor-El were supposed to arrive in the morning, and with them, the memory player that should help them read the Platinum Kryptonite. Kara rubbed absentmindedly at the stone around her neck. She could not blame Lena, she was nervous too. The stakes were high. It was their last chance to know what had happened to Lena seven years ago. If the stone were to reveal nothing, Kara could not imagine in what state Lena would be.

Alex scoffed, a disbelieving smile spreading on her lips. "Fantastic. Remind me to call you for the next heat wave."

"I don't really control it." Lena replied matter-of-factly.

"Lena's not your personal humidifier, Alex." Kara interjected at the same time. Had her mind not be that preoccupied, she would have blushed at the wording.

"Fine. We won't play with your powers." Alex grumbled towards Lena.

She busied herself with gathering the supplies she needed to change Lena's bandages. The only sounds in the room were coming from the rain dropping on the balcony and the pages turning in between Nia's fingers. The woman was reading the prophecy in the grimoire, with Ambrose chewing a piece of apple happily on her lap. They were taking turns looking at it, as if it was so unbelievable that they had to see it with their own eyes. Brainy was on a mission with Kelly and Esme was at school. It only left Alex and Nia to support Kara and Lena as they welcomed Kara's parents.

As Alex sat down on the coffee table with one of Lena's feet in her lap, Liz came out of the hall in a haste.

"Mum! I can't find my gloves!"

Lena looked at Liz then her eyes searched Kara who was too behind her to be visible. "I'm a bit busy, here. Why don't you ask your mommy?"

Alex's eyebrows shot up but her eyes stayed on the burns and blisters she was covering with an ointment. "Mommy, uh? Was there any development one of you wants to share?"

"Not any that is your business." Kara said, coming into view with crossed arms, her pants covered in dots of water. She grimaced as she noticed the state of Lena's foot. The skin was bright red and wrinkled, with blisters as big as a phalanx ready to explode all over the sole of Lena's foot. Kara looked away, swallowing the lump of guilt in her throat. She could not protect everybody, she tried to tell herself, knowing it was as vain as trying to suppress her love for Lena. She just had to live with it. "I'll help you." She said to Liz as they both walked to Liz's bedroom.

"Someone's in a good mood." Alex grumbled ironically to Lena. The woman just shrugged but followed Kara with her eyes. They were all a bit tense that day. Liz had had several nightmares during the night, waking them twice until Kara decided to take her in the bed with them. Lena did not want to sleep with Kara at first, stating she could take one of the makeshift beds in the locker room. Kara had disagreed. Lena thought at first that it was to keep an eye on her, to be there in case Lena needed to move during the night, but then she had seen it in her eyes. Kara wanted to keep an eye on her because she was terrified that she would disappear once again. They had not talked about it, Lena simply felt it. It was in the movement of Kara's eyes, following her everywhere, to her constant need of being close, ready to help at any moment. They had not talked about it but it was implicit between them. So, she had accepted to appease her, keeping her distance as much as possible in the bed until Liz came in between them. And she had to admit that she had slept a bit better after that.

"Do you think that's why Lionel got closer to your mom?" Nia said from across the room. Lena's head whipped to her, confused before remembering her friend had been reading her mother's spell book.

She shrugged, quite bored of her family scheme already. "He wouldn't be the first Luthor to try and control one of the most powerful beings on Earth…"

Nia nodded thoughtfully, taking back a lock of her hair from her son's eager little hand before standing up. She closed the grimoire and placed Ambrose securely against her hip. "You know, I was thinking the other day. There's still the old Black Room in the satellite. Maybe we could find something to protect Liz in there." She said as she came closer to them. Alex gave her a quick look of acknowledgement before huffing in front of Lena's wounds on her other foot.

"Some blisters are pierced. You have to stop walking on them." She grumbled and Lena agreed, knowing too well she would not stop walking anyway. "Nia may be right." Alex added after a moment.

"What's the Black Room?" Lena asked. Apparently, there were many things that she still ignored from her friends' past adventures.

"It was a room secured by A.R.G.U.S. It was a secret governmental unit." Alex explained, focused on her task. "Their goal was to help the former Justice League providing them top secret information on their enemies and cleaning their mess after them, mostly. They collected mythical artifacts and gathered them in the room to prevent them from falling in bad hands. Wonder Woman helped them a lot until her partner got transformed into Cheetah. Cyborg got his hands on the room after Amanda Waller was killed by Killer Croc. He didn't want it to fall into oblivion and reappear in Joker's hands or worse."

"We can't let Kara in this room." Lena said while shaking her head.

"I heard that." The blonde said, coming back with Liz by her side, the girl's hands covered with gloves.

"You think we could find an artifact that could protect Liz from the Other?" Kara asked, her eyes watching Liz as she plunged into her book.

The day before, the girl had listened to her mothers talk about the prophecy without interrupting once. Lena had questioned her, wanting to know if she recalled anything but Liz was adamant. She did not know this story. Kara and Lena had decided that it would be best to explain to her that there was a person who wanted to hurt her but that they would not let anything happen to her. Liz had only asked if Lena would be safe. Kara had promised to protect them all. That had been all. Liz did not need to know more, apparently. She just wanted them to be safe.

Nia shrugged. "It's worth trying. This whole story is crazy."

"You could ask Wonder Woman if she knew anything beforehand." Lena addressed Kara with a shrug.

"Right. I should've already done that, actually. She's the best in her field." The blonde shook her head dismissively.

"What, fighting with a sword or flirting with Superman?" Nia said innocently.

Kara glared at her. "Archeology."

She saw Lena and Alex share a knowing look. Diana wasn't appreciated by everybody but Kara could not care less. Diana was good at her job and had always been loyal to her. She didn't need more than that.

The satellite was spacious, Lena knew that. But when Kara had told her that her parents would come, she hadn't thought about their ship entering completely in the satellite's boarding area. Their ship looked Kryptonian in a way that it looked like Kara's pod but bigger. So much bigger. It could have transported a hundred people easily. Maybe even the entirety of Argo City. Lena had heard Liz gasp when the ship had been secured by the two enormous electrical brackets. Liz had never seen a spaceship before. It was kind of funny and exhilarating to see her eyes fill up with wonder. They were waiting for Alura and Zor-El to come out of the ship with Alex and Nia. J'onn was securing their boarding on a control panel high above behind them. There was a lot of impressive pressure sounds. The air was quitting the tubes and engine of the ship, then depressurizing the ambient air in the ship to accommodate it for its passengers. And then the pressure around the ship door was expelled in deep white smoke as it eased itself down to reveal aluminum stairs.

Lena felt Liz circle her leg with her arms and tremble slightly. She was already gathering energy in her little hands, if the heat Lena could feel was any clue. Lena brushed a hand through her hair and mumbled, "It'll be okay. They're good people."

Kara heard that and her head snapped towards them. Their eyes met and Lena smiled sadly. The blonde got closer and crouched down next to Liz.

She placed a loose hand on Liz's back. "I promise you they won't do anything to you. They're very happy to meet you." She whispered. "Do you trust me?"

Lena met Nia's gaze above their heads. Liz looked at her sideways then nodded and removed a tight hand from Lena's leg to extend it to Kara. The blonde smiled and took it, straitening up. She kissed the little gloved hand and gave it a light caress before letting go. Her parents' figure could be seen from afar now. They were a good hundred feet away.

"I'll be back in a jiffy." Kara said before taking off towards them.

Alura and Zor-El weren't any different from the last time Lena had seen them, if only a bit older. They walked behind Kara with calm and serenity in their Kryptonian gowns, emblazoned with the House of El symbol. Lena remarked white strands of hair on Alura's head and some too in Zor-El's beard but otherwise, they looked as healthy and impressive as she remembered them. Lena hadn't expected to see Clark's head peeking from behind his uncle though.

Kara rushed to her and leaned towards her ear. "I didn't know he was coming, I swear."

"Don't worry." Lena whispered back quickly, knowing too well that Clark could hear them.

Her story with Clark Kent was born a long time ago, when the man decided to befriend her brother, sealing all their fates without knowing it. Clark was a good person, really friendly to her when they would cross path. He used to come to the manor to hang out with Lex, ask him for advice on his new article or supporting her brother for his freshly marketed innovation. Lex was always calm and kind to her when Clark was around so she got accustomed to his presence, craving it when Lex had his obsessive phases. And then, one day, Superman appeared in their skies and her whole world capsized.

Lex became bitter, obsessive – even more than he already was -, lost his nights in his lab, arranging old machines, trying to find a way to suppress the only alien known to Earth. Clark's visits became less and less frequent. Lena hadn't noticed the change in her brother's behavior at first. Lex had always been really good at hiding his plans. But it became clear he had changed when Lionel died. Lex hadn't bothered coming to his father's funerals. Lena knew then that something was wrong. Lex swore that he had too much work, that he was grieving in his own way but Lena knew otherwise.

She had access to the financial data base of LuthorCorp through her computer at work so she searched for it and did not have difficulty to find it. It being the proof than Lex was planning something. He was using the company's means to finance his own personal project and Lena feared that it had something to do with Superman. In her last attempt to save her brother, she had contacted Clark, thinking he would help resonate her brother. Clark only told her it was too late. Lex was too far gone. Two weeks later, she was tied up on a chair in Lex's office, her brother pointing a gun at her, watching the Sun turn red. The rest was history. She had not talked to Clark Kent since then. Not for personal circumstances. Only when he came in her office with a certain Kara Danvers to accuse her of attempting at hundreds of people's lives. By then, she already knew he was Superman. How she did not connect the dots concerning Kara was a mystery still to this day.

When Alura and Zor-El stopped in front of them, Clark's blue eyes met Lena's and he acknowledged her with a simple salute of his head. She gave him the same sympathy and watched as Kara took Liz's hand to introduce her to her parents.

The blonde crouched down to Liz's size. "This is your grandparents, bug. And this is my cousin, Kal." Kara pointed to the different person, never letting go of their daughter's hand. Liz smiled shyly to the adults.

Alura took a step forward and extended a hand. Lena did not know her as an emotional woman but she could see some tears in her eyes. Her smile was betraying the emotions that must have been whirling inside of her.

"It is really nice to meet you." Alura said to Liz with a little accent. Liz shook her hand and turned a huge smile towards Lena who nodded in approval. It made all their eyes shift to Lena. She felt exposed suddenly.

She flushed brightly, looking down. Facing Kara's family had always been impressive to her. They were all aware of what her brother had done to Clark, what she had done herself to Kara. She could not help the guilt and shame to resurface in these circumstances. Her being injured and in a wheelchair did not help making her feel confident either.

"It is nice to see you too, Lena." Alura said gently. Lena looked up, surprised at first, then smiled back. Alura had not made a move towards her but her expression seemed welcoming.

Kara cleared her throat on the side. She always sensed when Lena was not at ease. "Maybe we should move back inside. There are more comfortable rooms to talk than this one." She motioned around to the immensity of the room, her voice echoing on the steel pannels.

"I believe this is for you." Zor-El said, giving her a small device. It stopped Kara in her steps. She turned to take the device in her hands. It was completely transparent, all the components apparent. Kara gave it to Lena so that she could take a closer look. It was light, the material solid. It was not glass, nor plastic but a mix of both. Something close to Plexiglas but even lighter. Lena recognized some of the components inside, a driver, a processor, two convertors and something that looked like a USB key. It had a single rounded thin gem on the top that had to serve as a projector.

"This is the memory player. You have to link it to the Fortress if you want to use it. I do not think you have the technology here." Zor-El added with a motion of his hand, his accent thicker than Alura's.

Lena nodded, thanking him with a small smile. She felt Liz lean against the arm of her wheelchair so she passed an arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you for making the trip. It means a lot." She said solemnly, meeting both Alura's and Zor-El's gazes.

Alura shrugged and smiled. Her smile looked so much like Kara's that it took Lena aback. Zor-El stepped in to put a hand on Alura's shoulder, his eyes reflecting kindness and affection.

"We are happy to help. You did a lot for Argo. It was the least we could do." His eyes eased down on Liz and a proud expression crossed his face. "We also wanted to meet our granddaughter as soon as possible."

There were all stuck in an intense silence, all contemplating the weight of the situation, of what was transpiring between them. Clark had stayed silent the whole time, so silent in fact, that Lena had almost forgotten about him.

"So…" He cleared his throat, all eyes snapping on him. "Can we go… inside? I think we all have business to take care of."

It seemed to put Kara back in track. She shuffled on her place then took Liz under the arms and put her on Lena's lap.

"You're right. Come on." She said as she took the wheelchair handles to push Lena towards the exit.

Having Kryptonian powers had not really meant anything to Kara. Kryptonians did not have powers. On Krypton, she had not been strong or invincible. She had just been a little girl. Earth gave her these powers and with them, the ability to be part of two people at the same time. She was not really a Kryptonian anymore, but not really a human either. She was in between, stuck in a limbo with a sense of belonging close to the one you felt when people accepted you in their group, only to criticize the ones that looked just like you, right in front of you. Not that Kara's friends and family were like that. But she had felt the glances in the street and the fear that she instilled in the people she had saved. They respected her but they feared her too because she was too different.

Kara knew her parents felt abnormal when they were coming to Earth. They weren't born with powers either and had only the time to adjust to them before going back on Argo. Having powers was just Kara's reality and she had realized that not even her parents could understand what it felt to be in between. Not Liz either, who shared the same powers but was born on Earth and had only known a life with powers. Kara was truly, irrevocably, alone in this but it was fine. It was her burden. She had reconciled with this fact a long time ago.

Kal, on the other hand, always said that he felt out of society. An outcast. An alien. He grew up in America and developed his powers all along his teenage years so he kind of knew what it felt like to be powerless and then to be overwhelmed with powers. He did not know how it felt to be a real Kryptonian without power. He knew what it felt to be raised as a human, only to transform into an alien gradually. It was not entirely the same. Kara desperately wanted to be a Kryptonian again. Without power, without the double identity and the double culture. Kal wanted to be a human, without the burden of an unknown society he could not even recall. Kara could admit their curses were similar. They were both stuck between two worlds, never really fitting anywhere.

"How does it feel?" Kara asked in the air.

Kal was several feet away, floating above the city, observing the world under them. They had decided to answer to a mission together. It was an urgent one. An electrical fire had erupted in a school but the firefighters and the policemen weren't equipped to go inside and rescue the children. Kal had insisted, even if he knew that Kara didn't answer to these calls anymore. They were the only ones capable to walk in there and not be injured by the electrical jolts. Kara recognized that they made a good team. In less than five minutes, the children had been rescued and the fire had been extinguished. The firefighters had not even questioned their presence, too thankful for their help.

"Like I'm rediscovering my body." Kal answered without looking at her.

Kara could understand. He was living in Argo now. Not having powers was his natural setting, his normalcy. Kara envied him sometimes. She wished that she could give up her family and friends here, give up on her responsibilities – what was left of them – and join her parents on Argo. Create a new, normal life there. Bond with old friends. Work with the Science Guild like she wanted to do as a child. But she cherished her life on Earth too much for that. Her parents were almost unknown to her, compared to the Danvers. She liked her job, and she liked Earth's culture, and she liked that she was kind of useful here. She could not be sure of the same on Argo.

"What about you?" Kal asked, floating closer to her. "How does it feel to be a mother?"

She met his eyes. He was sporting a small smirk, a teasing one. She had expected his questions. It was inevitable. She knew about his history with the Luthors, of course, and she knew about his reluctance towards Lena and their friendship but his opinion had never been important to her. She had anticipated his judgement, though. Having a child, outside of marriage or any relationship, with a Luthor, could raise suspicion.

Kara shrugged dismissively. "As fun as it sounds." She chuckled a bit. "She's stubborn and incredible. I love her already."

Kal chuckled too and nodded enthusiastically. "Alura told me that she already had powers."

"Yes! You know Lena can use magic, right?" Kal hummed in acknowledgement. "Well, she's a mix of both. She developed Kryptonian powers only two months ago."

"That's early. At her age, I was strong and fast, but that was all. I couldn't fly until I was twenty."

Kara snorted, shaking her head at how ridiculous it sounded. The Man of Steel, the Big Blue, the Man of Tomorrow, forbidden to fly until he was of age.

"She didn't have this luck. All of them came out on her sixth birthday."

Kal winced loudly. "That's harsh."

Kara nodded with a serious expression. She actually knew how it felt because she had lived the same thing. It made her realize that Kal was the lucky one. He had time to adapt, to grow around his powers, to find his limits. She did not have that luxury and neither had Liz.

"It's overwhelming to her. That's why Lena came back."

Kara started to fly higher, slow enough for Kal to follow her. They had to go back to the satellite. They were all waiting for them and Kara was sure Lena was probably pacing – rolling – the whole satellite waiting for her to come back so they could use the memory player.

"I don't think that's the only reason."

Kara groaned. And here we go again. She turned around quickly, flying backward. "I don't think either. But she doesn't want to listen to me so I don't have anything more to talk about."

Kal laughed easily. "You're saying that as if you can't make her listen to you. You're the strongest woman on the planet. Use it." He then quickened his pace and flew past her.

Kara looked at him horrified and followed him quickly to stop him by the arm. They were now in the middle of the stratosphere, the satellite just a few miles away. "Are you suggesting I should manhandle her? Is it how you did it with Lois?"

Kal laughed louder. "Of course not! Can you see anyone manhandling Lois?" He laughed some more. It was hilarious apparently but Kara couldn't see it. "No. No. I mean you should use your arms the old way. It usually impresses everybody."

"Lena is not like everybody." Kara was fast to counter, not really considering what he had just said. It only served to amuse Kal even more.

"No, of course not. She's a Luthor." His laugh died down and his face became serious. "I'm sure you know she went through a lot. I'm not innocent in that either. I was there and I did nothing. So, I'm not surprised she has a hard time trusting people. Especially the ones in our family." He cleared his throat. "I made a huge mistake with Lex. He was my best friend and he just wanted me to prove him wrong, to show him he could trust me. Instead, I lied to him, I pushed him away. And then I didn't fight enough for him."

Kara was already opening her mouth to answer to that but Kal interrupted her with a risen hand.

"I know they're not the same but Lex was very sensitive too when he was younger. His father wasn't kind to him." He grimaced at the euphemism. Kara knew Lionel had been violent with Lex. Lena had told her so, always reassuring that he had never left a finger on her though.

"He had trust issues too." Kal looked around, putting his hands on his hips. He seemed to search for his next words, observing the stars and the numerous satellites as if they were holding the answers. His face was a mix of shame and anger.

Kara waited patiently, processing what he had just said. His friendship with Lex had never been a thing they could talk about. Kara always thought it was because Kal was too angry and felt guilty for the lives that were lost in the process. Now, she was slowly realizing that Kal's guilt was not only for the people Lex had hurt. He felt guilty and ashamed for not having been able to help his friend. He was mourning this friendship. That was why it was so hard for him to talk about it.

"I think, what I mean to say, is, you should fight for her." Kal said with renew passion. "I know she's not only your friend, like Lex was mine. She's more than that and now there is your daughter in this." He paused, looking Kara in the eyes. Kara felt strangely emotional, like this moment held more importance than it seemed. "You should fight for her." He repeated with conviction. "She'll push you away because that's what they've learned in this wacky family but Lena's worth it. She deserves to be happy, after everything, and I know you can give it to her."

Kara gasped. Not because she was surprised that Kal was giving her his approval but because she was starting to believe it too. Lena had had several relationships, friends and boyfriends altogether. She had always been betrayed or mistreated. She had seemed good with James, comfortable and listened to. But Kara knew now that James had never believed in her enough. He had never seen how strong Lena could love, never understood her motives. Kara understood why Lena was like that. Why she was distant and how she could take drastic actions to protect the people she loved. Her trust was not something she gave to anybody. It was something to cherish. To deserve. And now that Kal had said all the things Kara had secretly thought but never pronounced, she was starting to believe that he was right. They were meant to be. Nobody could love Lena like she wanted to.

"Are you ready to go back?" Kal asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. He seemed to understand her turmoil and did not push her to talk about it. She nodded, her eyes inhabited by all the memories of her discussions with Lena the past few days. She would fight for her. They both deserved it.

"So, how was it? Meeting the in-laws?" Alex said innocently, a smirk so huge on her face that Lena could not resent her for it. If the roles were reversed, she would tease her too.

"Alex." Kelly warned with a single finger. It made Nia chuckle behind her computer.

"What? Okay…" The redhead huffed and sighed like a petulant child. She went back to solder two connectors together on her new weapon, her plastic protective glasses brightening in shades of blue and orange.

They were in the lab in the satellite, waiting for Kara and Clark to come back. Alura and Zor-El had been accompanied to Alex's house to meet Eliza for brunch while Lena and Kara would go to the Fortress to use the memory player. It was without considering Clark's need to rescue a whole school of children in danger. Lena was not upset about it. She was not horrible to this point. Children needed to be saved and it was a mission for Superman and Supergirl. She suspected that it was Clark's way to discuss with Kara alone anyway. She just wished he would have waited for them to return from the Fortress to do that. She was eager to use the memory player and find out what it held.

She was thankful for the reprieve, though. She could finally talk to Kelly without Kara observing her every move. She looked around the room. Liz was playing with Ambrose and Snowflake, who had appeared out of thin air in the satellite. They had not seen the cat since the Purifiers' intrusion into Lena's apartment. Lena did not know the cat could travel through space but, apparently, she did not know everything about familiars. Since the kids were occupied, Lena took the opportunity and approached Kelly tentatively, careful not to hit the chair she was sitting on with her wheel.

"Kelly, about yesterday…"

Lena wished that she had prepared a speech. She didn't know how to apologize for her breakdown the day before. She felt ashamed and as if she had discharged all her problems on Kelly, using her kindness for her own profit. Sensing her discomfort, her friend looked at her curiously before realization crossed her face. Kelly turned on her stool and leaned forward.

"Don't worry, it's fine. You have nothing to explain." She smiled easily, her hands cupping Lena's face gently before leaning away. "How do you feel about testing the memory player?" She said while resuming typing on the computer, the matter already forgotten. Lena stayed speechless for a moment. Kelly was typing a report about her last mission, under Victor's command. The man was so procedural, it reminded Lena of one of her mentors at MIT.

Shaking herself, Lena shrugged. "Nervous. Excited. Both." She cleared her throat. "It's hard to say. I hope it has the answers I've been waiting for."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Nia asked in a soft tone. The brunette was always teasing and humoring her entourage but she could be sweet and understanding when she had to. Lena liked her for that. Her fresh view on the world. The years had not helped tampering her natural enthusiasm. Lena recognized some of it in Ambrose. The boy seemed full of joy and so ready to explore the world.

"I think we need to do it alone. We don't know what we'll find on the gem."

Nia nodded, accepting the explanation as it was. "You're right. Maybe we'll wait for you to come back at Alex's. Prepare a barbecue for tonight. And the scotch if the news isn't good."

"Nice to warn us, Nia. Glad you like our house." Alex quipped from across the room.

"I only like it for Kelly and Esme. Don't feel so full of yourself." Nia shot back.

Kelly and Lena chuckled earnestly. Their banter was always refreshing. Nia was the youngest while Alex was one of the oldest of the group, and was especially her mentor, the person who trained her to become Dreamer. It was always funny to see their relationship unfold.

"Nia's right. We could use a party. Kara's parents are here, and Eliza too. The group is almost reunited." Kelly said enthusiastically.

"Almost?" Lena asked while tilted her head.

Kelly looked at her and bit at her bottom lip, turning to share a look with her wife. Alex nodded lightly then pulled down her soldering iron and her glasses. She stood up from her stool to approach them.

"Since you've been gone, we haven't seen Sam or Andrea. They were always finding excuses. And then Kara pushed us away so the whole group kind of exploded, everyone going their separate ways. All four of us," She motioned between herself, Kelly and Nia, talking implicitly about Brainy. "Kept in touch with J'onn. James often visited. Winn stayed in the future. We don't talk about Mon-El and Imra or Maggie and her new girlfriend. Barry and Iris are living their happily ever after on the cost and we were never really close to Oliver. That's all. We haven't done a huge party in a long time."

Lena didn't know what to say. Sorry? Let's throw a party? I'll let you crucify me for disappearing all this time? No, they couldn't fix it. She could not fill the gap that time had formed between them all. They could only move forward.

"I guess I still can give Sam and Andrea a call. Andrea's still in the city at least." She shrugged. "I know this is my fault. I made them promise not to say anything. I think it was easier for them to do it while they were away."

"I think it's time we all reunite." Kelly agreed, smiling reassuringly. She would never blame Lena nor let her indulge in her self-flagellation. And thanks to her, the whole group had the habit to do the same.

"Yes!" Nia pumped her fists in the air excitedly. "I'll bring the snacks and tell Brainy to go buy some meat."

Alex and Kelly shared a knowing look. Kelly shrugged with a small loving smile on her face and placed a hand on her wife's back, a common gesture of affection between the two. Lena looked at them, all humble in their love and tenderness for each other. They really were a goal to achieve. Lena was not jealous of them, because it would have been hypocritical and ill. She knew that she could not wish for the same thing to happen to her when she was only pushing it away. Pushing Kara away. Without truly knowing why anymore. Arrogance, of thinking she was strong enough to live without that. Rancor, to all the people she had given her heart, only for it to be stamped on. Fright, mostly, of being proven right this time too. Fear of Kara renting the place in her heart, making her trust her again, only to hurt her so much she would be unusable, impossible to trust and to be trusted. Just like she had been when she had learned Kara was Supergirl. A true, unloved, villain.

Kara and Clark walked through the electronic door and with them, a deep scent of soot mixed with the smell of old paint and burnt wood. Seeing Kara walked in made Lena's invasive thoughts to vanish. Clark seemed thrilled, ecstatic to have rescued so many children and people. It had been a long time since Superman had not been seen in the skies. However, Kara looked pensive. She was not smiling and did not even reply to Alex when her sister suggested she should take a shower. The blonde just nodded absently, then said she was about to do just that before they could go to the Fortress, without once looking at Lena. It was disturbing. Lena wasn't used of being ignored by the blonde. Especially the last two days, with her injuries and constant need for help to do daily basis things like take a shower.

Lena was left wondering what was wrong. Clark talked with Kelly, Nia and Alex about the last news from Argo. Lois loved her new job as a teacher in the small school they had just built. Jon was growing well. He had just learned how to read and was bothering his parents reading everything he could around him. Lena realized then that Liz and Jon were approximately the same age. Liz may have been a year younger. Several months younger for sure. Hearing Clark talk about his son made Lena realize that her daughter may have missed more than she had anticipated. She could have grown next to her biological cousin, almost like two siblings. They could have formed a bond. But she had deprived Liz of that opportunity.

Clark cleared his throat in front of her. She startled. She had not seen him walk to her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He said sheepishly. "Hum… I was wondering if I could…" He motioned messily towards the kids. Lena looked at them then back to Clark then back to the kids. Understanding crossed her face.

"Oh, you want to… Yes, go ahead." She motioned towards the kids the same way. "She's shy though."

Clark acknowledged the information with a nod of the head but it did not stop him from crouching down next to Liz and start speaking to her. From afar, Lena could only decipher her daughter's expression. Liz shot her an alarmed look at first, as if to make sure Lena was aware of what was happening. She could only smile reassuringly in response. Liz still had so many people to meet. Maybe with time, she would get accustomed to it and discover the world was not as scary as she thought it was.

Clark and Liz seemed deep in conversation when Kara walked back in, freshly showered, her hair damp and loose on her shoulders, her suit exchanged for a blue shirt and beige slacks. Lena saw immediately her eyes fall on their daughter. Kara had developed this habit of checking for Liz and Lena when she was entering the room, as if to make sure they were still there. The blonde's gaze then searched for hers, questions evident in her bright blue eyes. Lena just shrugged. What could she say? Clark wanted to know their daughter and she trusted him enough to be close to Liz. Kara walked to her.

"She seems to like him." She whispered to Lena, who looked at her confused. Clark Kent was easy to like, there was not any surprise to that.

"Did you think they wouldn't get along?" She asked curiously.

"No! Not like that. It's just…" Kare sighed heavily. "I'm still getting used to it. My worlds colliding. It feels good." She smiled shyly.

Lena softened, seeing the kind affection in Kara's eyes. "It definitely feels good." She agreed.

Kara seemed to remember why they were there. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, just let me change quickly in the locker room."

"Alright. I'll meet you there with Alex so she can open and close the gates for us."

Lena nodded and rolled around towards the locker room. Her heart was beating fast. It was really a good feeling to see everybody reunited. It was a better feeling to know that she was about to have the answers she had waited for for so long now.

Lena readjusted her suit and helmet before motioning with her arms that she was ready. They had agreed that she should wear one of Kara's Kryptosuit to protect her from the pressure in space while they traveled down back to Earth. It was also to fight the cold in the Fortress, since it was the warmest piece of clothes in their possession at the moment. Lena hadn't thought necessary to take a duffel coat in her luggage, for obvious reasons.

Kara shook her head. "You're not walking." That was not a question. More like an obligation. Lena looked at her blue booted feet. She had to admit she felt powerful in this.

"Yes, I am. The Fortress isn't designed for wheelchairs."

Kara rubbed at her neck. "Right." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Can't you use crutches at least?"

"I don't think it'll be better." Lena looked at Alex for her opinion. The redhead shrugged with a devilish smirk on her lips.

"Kara could carry you."

Lena's glare was as heated as a heat vision shot. Kara chuckled but agreed. "I mean, if it's the only solution, I'm not opposed to that."

The charming smile on her face shouldn't have had that effect on Lena's heart but it did and Lena was sure Kare knew what she was doing. She rolled her eyes for effect but stepped slowly towards the blonde anyway.

"Of course, you're not, you sneaky superhero." She said while circling her arms around Kara's neck. The blonde grinned and squeezed her tighter against her before pushing on her heels to float. She winked at Alex before shooting off towards the exit, Alex closing the gate behind them.

Space was everything Lena had dreamed about. Wonderful. Magical. They had crossed the stars quickly at first, but then, Kara had slowed down, realizing it was Lena's first trip through space without any sort of ship to prevent her from admiring the view.

"It's so quiet here." She had whispered, enchanted. Kara had stopped right next to the satellite Calypso, which had been launched into orbit by the Lena Luthor Foundation just the year before.

Lena remembered seeing the launch on the news. How upset she had been not to be able to be there with her team. How frustrated it had been to see the work done from afar. The satellite had a specific goal. It was sending signals in different alien languages to warn other species of the presence of lost children on Earth. It was a long shot, Lena knew it, but she was proud of her foundation. Of the good it could bring to those children who had lost everything. If there was a small hope for them to find their family back, it was worth it.

"I want to show you something." Kara had told her before rounding the satellite and quickening towards the Moon.

It hadn't been their normal route. They were supposed to go on Earth and they were doing the contrary of that. But seeing the Moon this close was worth a thousand detour. The pressure had made Lena's ears pop but she couldn't care less. The craters on the Moon's ground were so apparent that Lena had thought she could touch them just by reaching out. And then, Kara had turned them towards the Earth and Lena had gasped. The blue and the green were so vivid. Their planet was gorgeous. Clouds were obstructing the view but Lena had recognized the shape of Africa.

"This is…" Lena had not been able to finish her sentence.

"I know." Kara had whispered back.

She had let her admire the view for more minutes before she had led them back towards Earth's South Pole. Suddenly, Lena had been thankful for her suit. The temperatures were much lower there. Now that they were approaching the Fortress' entrance, Lena realized she had never entered by the normal entrance yet. She had always used a portal watch. As Kara's feet tapped down on the ice, Lena grabbed at her tighter in an impulse.

"Sorry, I thought I was falling." She apologized sheepishly as she pushed a button on the suit to retract the helmet. The cold immediately hit her skin.

"No problem." The blonde grinned back.

She kept her arm around Lena, keeping her feet just an inch above the ground, as she pushed the crystal key in the lock. Huge blocks of ice started to move in impressive noises and, seconds later, a path was formed. Kara floated through the different corridors. The Fortress was complex, with its different alcoves and paths. Lena knew that there was a cavity somewhere filled by extinct alien species that Clark had collected throughout the years but she couldn't say she knew where exactly. The Fortress was too vast, it was too easy to be lost.

When they reached the center panel, Kara eased her down on her feet cautiously. "Are you good? Do you need a chair?" She asked eagerly.

"No, I'm fine. Those boots are really comfortable, actually." Lena said as she showed her shoe.

Kara snorted and shrugged. "It's your design." She said as if it was explanation enough.

Kelex greeted them and Kara made sure it would not be hostile towards Lena. She pushed several buttons on the center panel, entered codes in Kryptonese. She was still in a blue shirt and slacks, an outfit that would fit for a tourist in any cost city but they were in the South Pole where the temperatures were so low that Kara's breath was forming smoke in front of her mouth. She didn't have goosebumps on her arms nor red marks from the cold on her cheeks. It was a disturbing sight. Kara's biology was an enigma Lena had always wanted to learn more about but was too considering for asking. Now was not the time either.

Kara pushed away from the panel and shot a strange look at Lena. She then pulled the memory player out of her pocket and plugged it in the panel. The screen in front of them morphed into a warning pop-up.

HOUSE OF EL DNA REQUIRED

Kara gave a quick guilty look at Lena then turned around. She went to a corner of the room and opened a small chest kept on a shelf made of ice. The bright green glow that reverberated on Kara's face could not be mistaken. She came back with it in her hands.

"It's the only way to have my blood." She explained. Lena already knew that but she had not anticipated that Kara had to hurt herself to make this happen. She didn't have the time to question the gesture much though. Kara was already gliding the stone against her palm, cutting the skin like butter. She winced and Lena went immediately to her to cup her hand and observe the wound. Kara smiled to reassure her and put her hand above the memory player, letting drops of blood fall on the thin glass panel that Lena had thought was a projector. The screen morphed again in a green and white pop-up.

ACCESS AUTHORIZED

Kara sighed. "This is it."

Lena took a step towards her and cupped the hand that was holding the device. "I didn't thank you for all you've done for me and Liz since I came back. So…"

Kara shook her head vehemently, interrupting her. "You don't have to. Liz is my daughter and you are…" She sighed again and met Lena's eyes. The earnest love there was astonishing. Lena gave her a small smile and rose her other hand to grab at the Platinum Kryptonite gem around Kara's neck. With a shared, knowing look, Kara let her lift it above her head and remove it. She took Lena's hand before she could go too far and intertwine their fingers, the gem in her other hand. She prepared it in front of the slot in the memory player but hesitated.

Lena looked down at their joined hands and frowned. "Are you sweating?" She asked in disbelief. They were surrounded by ice. The room was freezing and uncomfortable. It could not be the heat.

Kara's eyes snapped to her guiltily. "I get nervous too, you know. Nothing weird." She moved her hand to take it back but Lena grabbed at it tightly.

"Okay. I can deal with that. You're nervous. I'm nervous. It gets a bit less terrifying then."

"Why?" Kara frowned.

"Because I'm not alone in this."

Kara softened and the side of her lips curved into a side smile. "No, you're not."

"El mayarah?"

"El mayarah."

Lena nodded determinedly and, together, they pushed the stone in the memory player. On the screen, several pop-ups appeared.

KARA ZOR-EL'S DNA REQUIRED

KARA ZOR-EL'S DNA DETECTED

ACCESS AUTHORIZED

After that, a list of entries appeared, all marked with dates and hours, in descending order. Some were dated in the future. Dated in the year 2039. Kara rose a hesitant, shaking hand. Her fingers hovered just above the first entry, the earliest one dated only a few months before Lena had woken up in the bunker. She searched Lena's gaze for approbation. After some hesitation, Lena swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, squeezing Kara's fingers in her own to find courage.

On the screen, a woman appeared. Her jet-black hair, sharp jaw and white scrub were filling the whole screen before she pulled away, leaning on her desk chair with her hands joined under her chin. Lena heard Kara gasp next to her without really registering what was happening. On the screen, right before their eyes, was herself with a dark expression on her slightly older face, her mind focused on the statistics she was stating while, in the corner of the screen, another Lena was lying unconscious on the same makeshift bed that Lena had woken up on seven years ago.

"No villain is a bigger villain than a good guy whose threshold has been crossed." - Unknown

LUTHOR

"Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It's that power can be innocent." Lex Luthor – Batman vs Superman

DAY -2891 - EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2020 – December 23rd / EARTH 66 - YEAR 2038 – December 22nd

Lena dragged herself under a mound of debris that provided suitable shelter. The Other spewed his hellfire once again from behind her but all Lena could hear were humming noises. The fire was ravaging everything. The surrounding air felt like a mixture of dust, blood and fear. Cars had exploded under repeated attacks from the Other, causing damages all along the street, until the explosion of a diesel tank near the CatCo building made a hole on one of the first stories. Everything had collapsed after that. People had run away. Screaming. For the ones who had managed to escape. It was supposed to be cold in this late night of December but Lena felt hot and clammy. She had been thrown away against a burning car and had lost consciousness. Kara remained nowhere to be found, probably buried under the third building in a row that had collapsed.

The battle had been on for hours already and she had no idea where her friends were at. She raised a haphazard hand to her head. Her hands shook compulsively, terrified as she was to have seen her daughter and her wife being reduced to simple dolls that the Other had sent flying here and there. Lena closed her eyes, tried to push away those memories. She had to find them. Liz had fought bravely. She should not be that far. Lena nursed her leg with difficulty. Her hand came back red and slimy. She was bleeding.

Coughing heavily, her ears turned back on and the surrounding sounds came back to her. It was strangely calm. Dangerously so. She peeked above the concrete block she was using as a shelter and noticed the Other searching the debris on its left. Its back was to Lena. Across the street, she could see Liz's unconscious form on the ground, her suit burnt at several places on her body, revealing dark green veins and burns so deep it was possible to see bones. Lena swallowed the lump of worry and agony formed in her throat. Now was not the time to give up. She had to go to her. It was her only chance. If the Other saw her crossing, she would end up carbonizing before she could save her daughter. Liz was just a few steps away.

Gathering courage, Lena leaned on her good leg and prepared herself to run. She just had one chance. She would be dead the second the Other would see her. Peeking one last time, she saw the Other had not moved. She darted forward without delay and crossed the distance between Liz and her as quickly and silently as she could. She stumbled several times and barely caught herself just before reaching Liz. The little girl was in a bad state. The House El mark had been ripped from her chest. Fragments of green Kryptonite had replaced it. They were embedded so deeply that Lena would never have been able to remove them without doing more damage. She gathered her daughter in her arms, a whimper escaping her lips. Her poor little baby. The girl was only eight. She was not supposed to be engaged in battles. All of this had been so unfair.

The prophecy had fallen upon them without them being prepared for it. The Other had turned up in National City, ravaging everything in its path, announcing its name, calling on the Unique to fight against it to restore balance. At first, they had no idea what it was. Kara had tried to fight it, without success. She had only managed to get a one-way ticket to the satellite's medical wing. Then Liz had woken up the next day to visions and sentences spoken in Gaelic in her dreams. She had admitted that it wasn't the first time. The rest had been obvious. Their daughter had been chosen. But she was so young and untrained. Not ready to face a being who closely resembled a teenager with superhuman abilities. Breathing fire. Who had gathered a small army of beings like him around his values. No, Liz, at eight years old, had been too young to fight and save the world. That was why Lena was sobbing, hugging her tightly, her little body limp in her arms. Lena didn't feel any energy coming from her daughter. Nothing. It wasn't normal. But she couldn't bring herself to take her pulse. It was impossible. Unimaginable. She was terrified of what she would find.

Behind her, someone shouted an insult. It was probably Alex but Lena was too focused on her daughter to look in the direction of the sound. Then a blast of electric energy shot past her and to the middle of the Other's back. The boy – creature – turned around angrily, his teeth gritted to the extreme, his mouth already pulsing with the bright orange that usually announced a catastrophe.

"No!" Lena shouted but it was too late. Alex only had the time to scream, "Run!" before she was engulfed in fire.

Lena hid her face in Liz's chest, disgusted by the image of her sister-in-law dying in front of her eyes. "No, no, no, no." She kept repeating, praying for the whole situation to be a bad dream. She needed to wake up. By miracle, - really anything else, Lena did not care - Liz coughed in her arms, her eyes flickering open.

"Mom." She rasped out and coughed once again. Lena saw the Other advance towards them and knew already that they were done.

"Don't speak. It's okay. I'm here." Lena tried to reassure through a fresh round of tears. Liz looked tired and struggled to keep her eyes open.

"I love you." She said with difficulty. Lena saw the Other approach from aside but did not care. All her focus was on Liz.

"I'm almost gone." Liz said with sorry eyes. Lena exhaled a whimper, tears rolling down her cheeks. She could feel it too. She kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"It's okay. You were so brave, my love. I'm so proud of you."

Liz's lips spread into a small sad smile. Her eyes trailed on the side, towards the Other, then back to Lena. "You have to go." She croaked out.

Lena only shook her head violently. She won't leave Liz alone. Not like this. Not when it was her last moments.

"Mom, please!" Liz gritted out, taken by a new coughing fit. Lena was still shaking her head frantically.

"No way! I'm not leaving you!"

Liz sighed as much as she could then turned back towards the Other and rose a hand tentatively. The Other was just a few steps away, now. His fire could almost reach them.

"You leave me no choice." Liz said and Lena only had the time to scream before a huge blast of purple energy shot out of Liz's hand towards the Other. Lena had never seen this before. It was as if Liz had gathered all her lasting strength to protect her. The Other was thrown high away against a building by the blast and fell heavily on the ground, unconscious. Lena was sure he was not dead.

She looked down to Liz. The girl had her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. Lena shook her without delicacy.

"Liz! Liz!"

But Liz was gone and, deep down, Lena already knew it. She kept shaking her, wanting so badly for Liz to open her eyes and scream, Got you! like she used to do so often. But she never did.

"No!" Lena screamed to the sky, her scream scratchy and heartbreaking. She touched her daughter's cheek, rubbed at it to wash it from dust and blood. Dark green blood vessels were now light green. The life was quitting her. Lena looked around her. It couldn't be. No. It was just a bad dream.

"Kara!" She screamed, calling her for help. "Kara, please!"

But Kara never came. She had probably succumbed to the same fate. Lena swallowed thickly. She threw a dark glare to the Other still lying on the ground. It was not over. She promised it to herself. She promised it over the bodies of her daughter and her entire family, even if revenge had to be her only motive.

"You see, in life, the road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch." Lex Luthor – Smallville

DAY -2742 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2021 - February 14th, 2021 / EARTH 66 – YEAR 2029 – February 16th

Two months ago, she had lost everything. But it was not irreversible. For her, it was, but not for every Lena Luthor across the Universe. Because now that she knew everything about the Other, she could warn all the Lena and Kara from other dimensions and make them realize they needed Liz sooner. But for that, she had to find the right universe. The right dimension in which all the conditions were reunited.

She found it on a winter night, two days after Valentine's Day. Actually, there were three dimensions where a Lena Luthor and a Kara Danvers were on Earth and in love and surrounded by Alex Danvers and all their friends. More importantly, those dimensions had known the colonization attempt by General Zod and so still had the ship he had come in to. In one of them, on Earth 64, Kara and Lena already had Liz, and two other children. It only left two dimensions. Two Earth on which Lena still could have an impact and prevent her other selves to experience mourning and annihilation.

So, she decided to build a portal. It was one thing to find the energy signature of herself and Kara over the Universes, it was another thing to travel to them. It took her two weeks – and it was still too long in her mind – to make the portal work. She had thrown an apple through ait nd found its signature back. Then sent a small white mouse but its body did not support the pressure while going through the portal so she had to make adjustment. Now, she was sure. Two mouses had gone through without a problem. It was her turn to travel through it and see if the dimension she landed in was the targeted one.

Inhaling deeply, Lena secured her backpack on her shoulders and did not even look behind before taking the few steps and walking through the portal. The trip was instantaneous. In a matter of seconds, she was on the other side. She looked at her watch. It was the date and hour she had anticipated. She ruffled through her backpack and pulled out her tablet. The algorithm showed the same signature as hers two oceans away. The signature of Zod's ship was three miles away, lost in a furnished jungle. She had done it. She was on Earth Prime. Now, it was time to work.

"Beauty may be dangerous but intelligence is deadly." Lena Luthor – Supergirl

DAY -2618 - EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2021 - June 20th

The first newborns had been a failure. There were physically abnormal or their brain cells did not form like they should have had. Then some came out perfectly healthy but it only lasted until the third months of pregnancy. When Lena would enter the genre genes, the Matrix would not agree with her algorithm and would cancel the pregnancy, emptying the chamber, making the fetus drowning into thin air. It was horrible to watch them die in agony. Lena tried to see them as experiments and not as human beings but she was a mother. No, she had been a mother. It did not matter. They were too young to know what was happening to them anyway. She needed results and the only way to do it was to go through these steps. Just like the first time she had tested the Harun El. The losses were necessary. Collateral damages.

And then she found it. It took her several attempts, but the moment she discovered it would work better if all the genes were in the fetus from the very beginning, she got results. The baby was in perfect shape and health. It grew perfectly into the curves, checked all the conditions. She could see the resemblance with the old ultrasound she kept on her desk. The baby looked like Liz. She was starting to take it too personally. It was personal, of course. She would not be doing this if she had not lost her family in the first place. But to succeed, she needed to keep her distances.

She made several other attempts. To make sure. Each time, she stopped the pregnancies just in the middle of the third trimester, when the fetus only had their lungs to form. It was heartbreaking, but she kept repeating to herself that it was necessary. It was worth it. She would save so many lives in compensation. She swore to do it. But to succeed, she had no choice. So, she asked the Matrix to empty the chamber on the seventh month. In the process, she had managed to convince herself that if they didn't breathe natural air, they couldn't be aware of what they were missing. It was a small consolation. The last condition to verify was to make sure it would work in a human.

According to her calculations, the baby had to be born around the summer solstice to fulfill the prophecy or else, the Unique would be another being in this universe and not Kara and Lena's daughter. She did not want that either. It could change the space-time continuum too much and have consequences even on her own dimension. So, it had to be a girl who was born on the end of June. And the pregnancy had to start in September, this year, to be on time with the prophecy. Lena did not want to make the same mistake twice. This time, when the Other would come in this world, Liz would be old enough to fight it.

"Unlike my brother, I'm going to do it for the good of the world." - Lena Luthor - Supergirl

DAY -2526 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2021 - August 18th

Her plan was perfect. It was the day. She had to enter Lena's house unnoticed, knock her out before she had time to protest, erase all the traces and go out. Simple. Straight forward. In and out.

But nothing went to plan.

The other Lena heard her enter. Or she felt her because they had the same magical energy. They fought. Hard. She thanked her anticipation for having cast a soundproofing spell around the apartment or the other Kara would have come too and she was not ready to face her wife's other self yet. A straight elbow in the nose sent the other Lena on the bed, her hands covering her bloody face. She cursed a lot and threw venomous glares to her but said nothing.

"I need you to follow me." She said evenly.

The other Lena nodded, only to protest when she tried to put a cloth soaked in ethanol on her face. They fought some more, devastating the bedroom, ripping the sheets. There was blood all over the white mattress, the cushions and the parqueted floor. After minutes of pointless punching and kicking, she won. This Lena was not as trained as her. She blocked Lena against her chest, her nails scrapping at her arms as she accompanied her to the floor, the cloth on her mouth and nose. In seconds, Lena was unconscious.

Now, she had to erase the whole room to avoid suspicion. No trace, no body, no crime. Rule number one. If there was nothing to find, there was nothing to search for. She sat Lena on the floor in a corner, her head rolling sideways. She had to make it quick. A charm would be enough. She rubbed her hands together then pronounced the Latin incantation. The bed disappeared, then the carpet under it, then the chest at the end of the bed, and finally the drawers. Everything directly sent to the Fifth dimension.

She cast a cleaning charm to erase the blood. The floor was pristine. She turned back to Lena and crouched down in front of her. She would have to erase her memory later but for now, it was enough. She took her back on her shoulder, balancing her cautiously, groaning under the weight. It was worth it, she repeated in herself. She looked back around the room to see if she had missed anything. All clear. Empty. Perfect.

Now, heading to the bunker. Phase 3, complete.

"Finally, I realized that some people are just bad. But you can learn to protect yourself." – Lena Luthor - Supergirl

DAY -2473 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2021 - November 20th

"Subject is accommodating well to the pregnancy. Her constants are stable. The induced coma doesn't seem to have an incidence on her brain for now. I'm confident. The fetus is growing as it should. Statistics show the gender will shown in thirty-six days. For now, its limbs are formed and the heart is beating healthily. Stop."

"End of recording." H.O.P.E.'s robotic voice resonated in the bunker.

Lena rubbed at her face. She had not slept in… She did not know how long. The procedure was going fine. The other Lena was adapting well to the life in a coma. She just hoped the shock would not be so bad when she would wake up and cause a miscarriage. But that was a problem for her older self. For now, eating, showering, sleeping a bit, then repeat.

She looked up to observe the only photo on her desk. Her drive, the force that she needed to do all this. She owned it to them. Her family, her lost ones. Alex and Kelly and Brainy and Nia. Kara and Liz. Her family who died under the attacks of the Other. And most of the people of National City, leaving the city deserted, only inhabited by this abomination. She now knew how Kara had felt when she had had her depressed moments. When grief had taken the best part of her and squeezed it in its grip, forcing her to remember the hurt, the agony of seeing everyone die around her. She knew how it felt. To be the last one. To wonder why she had survived when everyone else had died. She would not let that repeat itself. The other Lena might think she was crazy to do all this but she would understand at the end. She would thank her. She preferred to be seen as a lunatic than to let this happen to other people. And they could put it on her last name, she didn't care. Only a Luthor would have the guts to do this, anyway.

"I hope you know I do it for you." She whispered in the air, her eyes close, her mind trying to reminisce the last details of Kara's face that she could remember. It was fading with time and she hated it. She exhaled shakily. It was worth it, she repeated to herself as a lone tear slid on her pale hollow cheek. It was worth it. Lena won't suffer like I do.

"So, I'm a Luthor, after all." Lena Luthor – Supergirl

DAY SEVEN

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." – Albert Einstein

"There was never a genius without a tincture of madness." – Aristotle

It was like an out of body experiment. Lena was watching herself as she was watching her future-other-dimensional self talk about her own past self. And okay, she was intelligent but this shit was giving her a headache. Her stomach was flipping violently. A blank noise kept buzzing in her ears. She was going to be sick. Shooting out of the room, ignoring the pain in her feet, she went to the nearest cavity she could find and vomited the content of her breakfast. Spitting angrily, Lena wiped her lips with a tissue she had in her pocket and looked at her reflection in the crystal-like wall.

It was impossible. She couldn't be responsible for this. Why would she make herself suffer like that? Just thinking about it made her head spin. They had watched only three of the entry. They still had about to read. She would need time before accepting to go through it again. She would need time to understand everything. To make it have sense. She was crazy. Not her but her future self. Her other older self. She was totally batshit crazy. It was the only explanation Lena could find at the moment.

Steps echoed behind her. Lena already knew who it was but she did not want to look. She could not look at Kara, knowing she had done this to all of them.

"You missed her explanations."

Lena snorted and turned around. Kara was leaning on a stalagmite, her arms crossed. Her expression was serious, too serious.

"I'll pass. I'm sure it was really interesting and worth our time." Lena replied bitterly.

"It was. You were right. All along you've been right. Liz is in danger." Kara said, her voice stained with disbelief. She extended a bottle of water, which Lena took graciously, rinsing her mouth profusely.

"You all are. Because I exist."

"What? No! Lena, it's not you."

"It is me!" Lena hammered, furious.

"No! She's another you. Another Lena who's been drowning in grief and sadness. She's just hurt and so alone. She lost everything."

Why Kara had to always see the good in people? It was infuriating. Couldn't she be furious like she was? Was it so hard to see people just as they were, evil and ill?

"And the only solution she found was to kidnap me and put a baby in me. Her daughter."

Kara looked hurt. "Liz is our Liz, not hers. You know that."

Lena huffed and brushed a shaky hand in her hair. "I don't think I know anything anymore."

"Yes, you do." Kara determinedly walked to her and took her hand. "Come on. You know me and you know Liz. And you know you're a wonderful mom and a very good friend. And a very smart slash badass scientist who's done incredible things for society."

A small impulsive smile grew on Lena's face. Kara made it look so easy.

"What did you mean? About what she said?" Lena asked timidly.

Kara sighed and threw a hand around. "It's long to explain, you should watch the-"

Lena shook her head vehemently. "I don't want to watch that crazy woman explain things about our daughter."

Kara looked torn but resumed explaining what she had learned anyway. She must have sensed that it was better if she was the one delivering the news.

"Well, apparently, Liz is the Unique but we already knew that."

"No shit." Lena commented. Her cynicism tended to come out in this kind of situations. Kara grimaced but didn't comment on it.

"She talked about the prophecy saying Liz is going to fight the darkest force of all time and has to beat it."

"Uhuh." Lena crossed her arms, exasperated. "And did she tell when? Because at the moment Liz can't even walk through a shop during sales without freaking out and cutting the whole thing in two with her laser eyes!"

Kara opened wide eyes, seemingly impressed of Liz's out of control behavior. Lena had not told her everything. Liz was much more dangerous that it appeared. Kara seemed to shake out her surprise and advanced towards Lena with appeasing hands.

"Lena, I know this is huge to take in but I'm not-" She started in a soft voice. It fueled Lena's fire even more.

"Oh, don't tell me how to feel! I faced worse than that."

"I know. Or not." She rubbed at her neck. "I mean, I don't know what could beat that situation." Kara admitted in a wince.

"You're right. You betraying me comes only second to that hell."

Lena hid her face in her hands. Her emotions were starting to take over. Her hands were shaking. She tried to calm them by brushing them in her hair but the waves of mixed emotions were too strong to control now.

"What the hell!" She shouted as she started to pace furiously. Her voice echoed loudly against the white transparent walls of the Fortress. She moaned through a sob, her mouth clacking in a last attempt of controlling herself. She looked up to Kara with pleading eyes. "What did I do? What's wrong with me?"

Kara looked like she didn't know what to do at first. She had lost the habit of seeing Lena this vulnerable. Worse than vulnerable. Lena was losing it. Kara took a step tentatively and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You did nothing wrong."

"How can you say that?!" Lena shouted through her sobs. Her water filled eyes were imploring Kara to give her an explanation. One that she could live with. Because right now, she was sure she was incapable of looking at herself in a mirror.

"I know you. I know you always have the best intentions in heart."

Lena seemed to break down even more and Kara couldn't contain herself anymore. She wrapped Lena in her arms and squeezed as gently as she could.

"I mean you don't always have the best ways to do what you want but you always want to help."

Lena snorted angrily. "I violated my own body, how fucked up is that?"

Kara pushed her away to keep her at arm's length. "You know, the future You said Liz would have existed anyway. She just happened to be born too late in her time. That's why she came here to make it happen earlier. So, Liz could save the world and you wouldn't have to mourn all this loss."

Kara could almost hear the wheels in Lena's mind working the information. Analyzing them. Dissecting them. It was just a question of time before Lena realized what it meant for them.

"You mean, we decided to…"

Disbelief, consternation, admission. Kara watched her eyes, the way they travel on her face. Lena didn't mean to finish her sentence.

Kara smiled at her with a light blush on her cheeks. "We would've decided to have her in the future. Two years from now, to be specific."

Lena opened up wide eyes and cleared her throat. She pulled away from Kara and wiped at her cheeks.

"Wow. She was just eight." Was the only thing that escaped her mouth. She paced in front of Kara with her hands on her hips. She seemed overwhelmed and overthinking.

Kara's eyes kept tracking her steps. "Yeah. I don't know what's the most disturbing in all of this, honestly."

"Yes, that's…" Lena snorted again. The situation was just too much. "That's… new, I guess."

"It's not like we don't know about that anyway." Kara mumbled innocently.

Lena stopped her pacing. Her eyes snapped up to her as she arched an eyebrow, her face showing no expression. "About what?"

Kara threw her hands in the air. It was her turn to pace now. "Oh come on, Lena! Aren't you sick of beating around the bush?"

Lena scoffed and crossed her arms in a protective manner. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about." She said with all the fake closed-off demeanor she could gather.

Kara sighed through her nose in frustration. She paced once, twice hastily then stopped in front of Lena and pinched her nose.

"Listen, I don't want to be one more person on the list of the ones who forced you into something. You've been forced enough to do things you didn't want to. So, I won't be like that. But at the same time, I don't see another way to make you realize this could be good for you. I'm almost sure I don't imagine the way you look at me. The same way you've looked at me all these years. I'm…" She huffed, fidgeted on her feet. When she finally looked up, her eyes locked with Lena's and she was hooked, drowning in those deep blue pools. "I felt it when we kissed, Lena. I'm sure you feel it too." She took Lena's hands in hers. "You want that too. And I want to prove you that I won't hurt you, that I love you, but I can't do it if you keep pushing me away. This is so… I'm lost."

She chuckled bitterly. Lena had just the time to realize she just wanted Kara to shut it before the blonde resumed her rambling.

"I don't know what to do anymore!" Kara groaned, rising her arms in the air once again. "So, I'll wait for you to decide." She pointed at Lena. "You want me to kiss you? Fine, I'll do it. You want me to hug you? I'll hug you. But, please, please, think about it. Consider how we could be together. How happy we could be. We'd be a family, even if it's weird at first. I promise to do my best to make it work. I promise to cherish you the way you deserve to be." She stopped to look deeply in Lena's eyes, her honesty so clear in her blue ocean ones. Lena was sure she was about to be sick again if Kara didn't stop talking. The truth in her words was opening too many wounds for her to stop the haemorrhage. "I want you to consider it. Because you deserve it and it makes me sick every time I see you avoid something you think you're not worth of. So, please, Lena, I'm begging you." She pleaded, squeezing the cold hands in hers at every word. "Give us a chance. I love you. Let me love you."

The voice in her mind echoed those last words endlessly in a ghostly manner. It was a memory of Jack's voice saying the same four words to her some days ago. Trust her. Let her love you. A chill ran down her spine. It felt like Jack was next to her. She wanted to indulge in the nostalgic feeling of his presence next to her. To feel his warmth one last time. But she couldn't. He was gone. And he was right. She knew he was right. She just wanted Kara to stop talking. To stop making that irresistible pout. To stop telling the truth, because it hurt too much. Her eyes traveled all over Kara's face, her mouth gasping like a fish searching for air.

And then, something incredible happened. Kara was just about to talk again, probably confused by Lena's silence. But Lena's impulse was faster. She closed the gap between them for the second time and kissed her fervently. Kara was all for it, at first. Her tongue licking Lena's invasive one. Their teeth clacking against each other. It was all fireworks and waves crashing against cliffs and butterflies flying in her stomach. She had goosebumps on her arms but she didn't know if it was from the cold in the Fortress or from the desire that was growing inside of her for the woman against her.

Another incredible thing happened. Kara took her firmly by the shoulders and pushed her slightly away. She kept her close. Their eyes met, all wild and intoxicated, as if they didn't believe it themselves. Lena felt her heart beat fast in her ribcage. Her ears were buzzing. Her breaths were short. A deep, tangled knot had formed right in the middle of her chest. She had done it again. Use Kara to drown her sorrow. Shame. Anger. Failure. She tried to step back, to escape Kara's embrace, to escape those too understanding prying eyes. But the blonde knew better. She had to have seen Lena's fright in her eyes, to have sensed the turmoil growing in her body like a devastating storm forming around a tornado. Because Kara gripped at her shoulders tighter. She entered her space. And then, she enveloped her in her arms. So close it was impossible for Lena to escape. So tight that Lena could swear the pieces of her heart had glued back together.

"It's okay. I've got you." Kara whispered against her cheek. Her voice was caring and so, so, loving. She left a kiss there and squeezed even tighter. Lena was wrapped in her warmth, safe in her strong arms. Her shoulders sagged. Jack was gone but Kara was there. He was right. Sam and Andrea and Alex were right too. Kara, even, was right. It was all she had needed this whole time. Not someone to criticize every one of her choices. Not someone to promise to believe in her. Not someone to give her false demonstrations of love just to use her. Only someone to be there. And to stay.

After that, a final incredible thing happened. Lena broke down for the second time that day, expelling years of loneliness and tension in her former best friend's arms. Usually, when Lena cried, it was silent tears on a stoic face. Always dignified and humble. But not this time. This time, she broke down. And what a beautiful expression it was. We only broke down either into laughter or into sobs. Because there were emotions that justified us to break into pieces. This time, her sobs reverberated throughout her body with each memory that resurfaced. All the times she had wondered if she had made the right choice to hide from her friends only to protect her daughter. All the times she had looked at the stars in her garden in Newfoundland, wondering if Kara was looking at them too. All the times she had pushed through one of Liz's tantrums, repeating to herself how worth it it was to do it alone. All the memories, the game nights, the girls' nights, the weddings, the birthday parties, the pregnancy and birth she had missed. All of Liz's first times she had lived alone. All the times Dick and Sam had pleaded her to tell everybody where she was. All of these times she had thought about Kara, thought about how great the blonde would be as a mother if only she knew. All the missed touches and missed opportunities. All the times she had wished she had leaned a bit more into Kara, stayed a bit longer against her chest. All the craving for love and affection. From Lionel and Lillian and Lex. From Jack and James and Andrea. And Kara. All the craving for Kara's love that she had denied herself because she was too terrified to accept it.

When all of this was out, Lena's shoulders felt lighter. Gone were the guilt and the shame. She had been right. All along, they had been in danger. She had not done all this for nought. She had truly protected Liz. She had fulfilled her duty. Her reason to sacrifice seven years of her life was valid.

Gone were the inhibitions too. Why would she stay away from Kara when she was the only good thing that had happened to her? When she was the rope tying the broken pieces of her heart together. No, she had been stubborn enough. Kara had a right to be happy too and Lena was just realizing that they could find the key to happiness and peace in each other. She didn't want to face the aftermath of their discoveries alone, anyway. She was ready to accept that she couldn't do everything alone. She wasn't brave enough to do so anymore.

She pulled away from Kara's shoulder, where she had left a disgusting stain of spit and tears on the fabric, to cup her face with both hands. The blonde had tears rolling down her cheeks, rattled by Lena's outburst of emotions.

"I trust you." Lena told her through a broken smile. Kara giggled wetly and kissed her quickly and messily several times. They were laughing and crying like hysterics. They had just learned that their daughter was doomed, that they mostly were all doomed, and that a Lena from another dimension had played with their lives, but they were in love and that was more important than anything else at the moment. For their love could fight anything and they were just about to realize it.

They walked in the satellite hand in hand. Every cell of Kara's body was screaming at how confident Lena was feeling. Something had happened. Several things mostly, but one in particular that could be seen in Lena's allure. A shift. She wasn't afraid anymore. Confused and maybe still a bit horrified at what they had just discovered, but mostly relieved. Her heartbeat sounded calm, an even rhythm against her ribcage. The closure Lena needed had finally come. And Kara could feel all that through the nerve endings of her fingers as they intertwined with Lena's soft ones.

When the electronic door slid open, all heads snapped to them. Kara pretended not to see Alex's and Nia's smirk. Liz ran immediately to them, followed by Ambrose who probably thought it was a game. Kara dropped Lena's hand to catch them both in her arms and lift them up.

"Hey, little ones!" She greeted them enthusiastically. Liz hid immediately in her neck. "Did you have a good time together?"

Liz nodded shyly. "Where were you?"

Kara shrunk her head between her shoulders and smiled conspiratorially. "In space." She whispered.

"Really?" Liz exclaimed. She looked behind Kara and opened wide eyes. "Mom! Your suit is beautiful!"

The girl's exclamation made all the adults laugh. Lena walked to the two of them in confident strides. "I know, right? I'll make you one, one day."

"Really?" Liz repeated, bouncing on Kara's forearm. Lena nodded.

"When you'll be able to fly." She winked. Liz frowned. She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and pouted in a perfect mix of Lena and Kara.

"That's in a long time."

Lena chuckled and kissed her cheek. "It'll be soon enough." She walked past them but stopped in her tracks.

"Andrea?" She said, just in front of Kara.

Kara's gaze traveled the room and fell on her former boss. Andrea was there, arms crossed, standing between Kelly and Brainy. She waved awkwardly to Lena as the brunette walked to her, still pressed in the Kryptosuit. They hugged a long time, the room silent around them as they let them have their reunion.

"I didn't know you were coming." Lena exhaled. "It's a pleasant surprise."

"I didn't know you were coming back." Andrea replied bitterly. Lena grimaced.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Oh, that's your excuse?" Lena looked down guiltily. "Thankfully, Kelly still has my number. Something tells me I can be useful here."

Lena tilted her head, a smirk on her face. "I hope that's not the only reason why you came."

"No…" Andrea sighed, a small mischievous glint in her eyes. "I missed my friend."

Lena smiled and hugged her again. "I missed you too."

"Since we talked about it earlier, I thought Andrea could help us." Kelly explained.

"The more the merrier." Alex added, supporting her wife in her decision.

Lena accepted their explanation. Her face took a more serious expression as she turned around to meet Kara's eyes. "We'll need all the help possible." She agreed.

All shared strange worried looks. Kara saw the nervousness come back in Lena's body in full force. Her heartbeat had quickened. Her hands were shaking. She was avoiding eye contact. Kara felt a pang in her heart at the idea of Lena still feeling unsure of their friends' kindness. As if their soft words and support were just a mask. Now that they had discovered what had happened seven years ago, they had to tell them another Lena was a part of it. Kara recognized that it made too many terrible memories resurfacing but she knew already that Lena was not going to be pointed at for what the other Lena had done. Their friends and family knew better than that. She just wished Lena could see it too.

Kara stepped next to Lena and gave Ambrose back to Brainy. She rose a hand and gently put it on Lena's shoulder.

"They'll understand." She simply said with all the reassurance she could gather. Lena met her gaze with tormented eyes. She gave a small motion of her head and placed her hand on Kara's. The blonde knew Lena believed her just partly. It didn't stop her starting to explain what was on the Platinum Kryptonite though. And all the time, her hand stayed with Kara's as if she was drawing courage from the touch.

"So what do we do now?" Nia asked as she paced behind the group with Ambrose in her arms, trying to soothe him to nap, all in her Dreamer attire.

They were all gathered around the big white board in the lab. Some were sitting on stools, like Lena. Some were leaning against the bench-top or some pillars. Kal had kept his distance from Lena, Kara had remarked. On the contrary, Andrea had only showed support, making sure Lena was comfortable on her chair after she had changed back in casual clothes. They were all sporting grave faces. The situation was serious. The stakes were high.

"Well, Liz is in danger. The world is in danger. We have to find when and where." Alex summarized as she uncapped and recapped her marker pen compulsively. She wrote exactly what she had just said on the board and circled the words multiple times. When and Where. They had been gathering information on the board to have a clear vision of the situation, but the more words were written, the more questions they had.

"From what the other Lena said, it's in ten years. On a December 22nd." Kara said, gliding her hand up and down Lena's back to comfort her.

"Can we trust the data?" Brainy asked. "What if she had derailed the space time continuum? What if it happens sooner or later? I think we need to find who the Other is first to be sure."

"Brainy has a point." Lena agreed. "The prophecy says the battle is supposed to happen on the Other's fifteenth year. If we find the Other, we find the date."

"Okay, how do we do that? Do you have any information about this creature?" Kelly asked.

Lena shook her head. "Not yet. But we didn't watch all the entries on the gem. There must be more on it."

They all agreed and contemplated their solutions in silence. Nia was shushing Ambrose quietly. The boy didn't want to calm down and take a nap. He just wanted to play with Liz, who had passed out in her mother's lap. He had the endless energy of a toddler and Nia and Brainy struggled sometimes to make him slow down.

"Can't you just sleep, buddy?" Nia huffed. "Sometimes I wish I could enter your brain and shut the switch off."

Andrea gasped. "Nia!"

Nia's head whipped to her. All eyes were on the two of them. The young mother just chuckled. "I don't mean it seriously. Don't worry."

"No!" Andrea exclaimed. She walked in the middle of the circle and asked Alex for her pen. "The prophecy says Liz and the Other are linked, right?" She asked to her audience. Only Lena answered verbally as they all watched Andrea draw two human-like figures on the board. "And we know that prophecies tell exactly what it is. Right, Lena? Just like we thought Acrata's powers were a metaphor but it wasn't." She showed her pendant as a proof.

Lena frowned. "I don't think I'm following."

"Their link isn't just because they're born on the same day. They must share a spiritual link." Andrea explained as she linked the heads of the two figures on the board.

Lena stood up, excited. "You think we can tether the link."

"Better. I think that it's possible Liz can enter the Other's mind and find him." Andrea looked around with a big smile on her face.

J'onn walked next to Lena with his usual finger on his chin. "In theory, it can work. If we find him before the battle, we can prevent him from being a weapon."

"You think we could turn him into a good person?" Kara asked, full of hope. Since the beginning, she had a hard time thinking of any creature linked to her daughter that would be capable of the worst atrocities. It didn't work for her. There had to be a solution to avoid the confrontation between the two.

"In theory." J'onn insisted. "We still must find him first. Liz is only one who can do it. It could take years before she'll be able to use the link."

"It's worth trying." Kara said, looking down at Liz fondly as the girl was sleeping in her arms. "If anybody can do it, it's her. She's so strong already. She'll overtake us all in no time."

Lena walked to them and brushed Liz's hair tenderly. "We have other solutions to try first, anyway. We'll see what we find on the rest of the footage. And maybe we can use Liz's energy signature to find the Other. It must be similar."

As the silence enveloped them once again, the electronic door slid open. They all turned towards the new arrival. Wonder Woman stopped in her tracks, waved awkwardly.

"Sorry, I thought you needed me. I didn't want to interrupt."

She was about to turn around but Kara's voice interrupted her. "No! It's fine. We were waiting for you."

Diana approached, a bit unsure, and planted herself next to Kara, her arms crossed. Kara smiled up at her.

"Forgive me, I can't stand to hug you. Thank you for coming."

Diana smiled back and placed a strong hand on her shoulder. "No problem. I was hooked when you mentioned a prophecy. Can anybody help me to catch up?" She asked as her gaze traveled around the room. Kara saw the moment her eyes locked on Kal. Her smile broke into a surprised face. She should have told her.

"Clark." Diana saluted politely.

"Wonder Woman." Clark acknowledged her from across the room by a simple motion of his head, as if he didn't know her that well. As if he didn't almost give up on his life on Earth to go live with her on Themyscira.

The tension was palpable between the two. Kara ignored Nia's smirk and cleared her throat.

"Lena wanted to know if you knew anything about the Fingal's caves."

Dian looked at Lena, who just smiled sheepishly. She looked starstruck, Kara realized with her own little smirk spreading on her lips. She had to address this later.

"I do." Diana admitted, then chuckled. "It was a very long time ago. At the time, they weren't called like that. I battled a demon escaped from the Tartarus there."

"The Tartarus?" Andrea repeated thoughtfully. Her curiosity was piked. "Isn't it supposed to be kept on your island?"

"It is." Diana complied. "We are the guardians of one of the gates leading to the Tartarus. One of them was in the Fingal's caves. I sealed it after that. It was too much work to supervise and since I was alone to do it…"

The trouble on her face reminded Kara that this woman had lived multiple lives. She had lived through centuries, battled many creatures, worked a hundred jobs. Met too many people. Known too many heartbreaks. Not everybody knew Diana had lost part of her kingdom at one point. The Amazons had once been transformed into snakes by the goddess Hera after one of her jealous fits. Diana's mother, Queen Hippolyta, had herself been turned into a statue of sand. It was only after years of battles and after having won Hera's respect back that Diana had found her sisters and mother back. In between, she had kept Themyscira safe on her own.

"I'm sorry but what is the Tartarus? I only heard about it in the Sinbad animated movie." Nia asked sheepishly as she gave her son to his father.

"I've never heard about it either." Kelly added.

Diana smiled knowingly. "Of course, you don't. It was before what you know as the Antiquity period." She stepped in the middle of the circle to talk to everyone. "Tartarus was the first God of Hell. Before Zeus, Hades and Poseidon created Olympus, there were other gods. Tartarus was one of them. I won't go into details. Hades fought him to take his throne and kept him in a prison at the center of his kingdom called then the Pit of Tartarus. He, by the way, escaped from there when we entered the Gates with the League to find Jim Corrugan's soul." She said, motioning towards Kal who approved. "It took me two years to put him back down there, and I had Hera's armor."

"So, your mission is to keep the Gates close?" Nia asked.

Diana nodded. "Mostly, yes. The Amazons were created for many purposes, and keeping the Gates of Tartarus is one of them."

"The Fingal's caves aren't dangerous anymore if you sealed it." Kara said, almost asking for confirmation. Diana grimaced.

"There's always a risk. Tartarus had been kept in the prison for millenniums before he escaped. The creatures down there aren't close to anything you've already seen. If you go there, I'll go with you to make sure the Gates are still sealed."

Kara shrugged. "I didn't want to bother you into being involved but if you want to, you're welcome to join us."

"Thanks." Diana smiled easily. She then snapped her head to the right when Lena cleared her throat.

"We know you're an archeologist at heart. Did you know anything about the prophecy before Kara told you about it?"

Diana shook her head. "Strangely, I didn't. But I'm not that surprised. Witches tend to keep their secrets close to their hearts. I know about many legends around Chosen Ones. Some of them are real, some of them have been transformed along History, and some of them have been fabricated by the Human race. I searched about the Unique prophecy in my personal archives but it led nowhere." She smiled to Lena. "I guess your ancestors wanted to protect their knowledge. The witch hunters are a cruel reality."

Her eyes fell to Lena's feet. The brunette pinched her lips tightly. "Yes, I learned that the hard way." She crossed her arms. "Is there a chance you know about a weapon on an artifact that could defeat the Other?"

Diana grinned and rose her hand to grab at her sword. She pulled it out of its sheath slowly to balance it on her hands and present it to Lena. "If there's a weapon that can defeat the unbeatable, this is the one. The Sword of Athena forged by my brother, Hephaistos."

"It's said to break an atom in half, is it true?" Nia asked from behind them in a true fangirling way. Diana looked at her above her shoulder and just winked.

"It's true." Kal said while standing up. "It cut an atom and provoked a nuclear explosion, back when Zod was trying to invade Earth. It was necessary. We almost died that day."

"No way." Nia whispered in misplaced wonder.

Kara watched her cousin have a silent discussion with her Amazon friend. It was disturbing to see them in the same room again after all this time. She shot a desperate look to Alex who just shrugged and mouthed, "They're grown-ups."

"We can't use your sword." Lena's voice cut right through the tension between Superman and Wonder Woman. Diana snapped back to her.

"No, you won't. I'll be there. And if it's only Liz's fate to defeat the Other, then it'll be hers."

Kara gaped. She had asked multiple times to use Diana's sword, just to know how it felt, and never her friend had let her borrow it.

"Are you kidding?" She exclaimed. Diana shot her a falsely guilty look.

"If it's necessary. You playing with it was not necessary. You were just able to use a wooden sword."

Kara gasped and scowled. "Alright, you're lucky I respect you or it'll be a motive for war."

"War? You're saying that to an Amazon?"

They measured each other up. Kara was the first to break down in laughter. She extended her hand.

"Thank you for your help. It's good to have you around."

"It's fine. You know I like everything close to archeology."

A beeping sound coming from one of the 3D printers interrupted them. Brainy gave Ambrose quickly back to Nia, who huffed under the weight, and rushed to the printer.

"Lenaaa…" He sang. "It's done!"

Kara's head snapped back to Lena who grinned excitedly.

"Great! Thanks, Brainy."

"What's done?" Kara asked confused.

A minute later, Brainy was coming back on a floating chair. Lena rushed to him.

"I'm proud to present my new flying chair." She said as she sat down on the floating chair. It was grey and white. Sober in design, just like everything Lena engineered. The scientist was smiling from ear to ear, too excited to test her invention. Kara's stomach fluttered at the sight. Giving the circumstances, she would take Lena's smiles as much as she could.

Alex came next to Kara with her hands on her hips. "Oh, right. Because the wheels were too old school for you, uh. I feel insulted." She said crossing her arms, falsely upset.

Nia put her elbow on Alex's shoulder. "It took you two days. I'm impressed. I thought you'd find something sooner." She quipped, amused.

"I've been busy." Lena dismissed with a wink. "We were waiting for the new processor to be printed. Now I can go everywhere with you."

"Great! It doesn't give you the right to skip sleeping and eating normally." Alex pointed with warning at her. "I know you, Luthor."

Lena smiled charmingly. "Of course, Doctor Danvers. I wouldn't dream of it."

Alex rolled her eyes and cursed in a whisper. "Freaking scientists and their need to rebellion." She muttered under her breath. Kara was sure she was the only one to hear it. Or not, if Kal's smirk was anything to say about that.

"Since we're finished here, maybe we can finally move to our place and relax for the evening?" Kelly asked hopefully as Nia cheered and Alex groaned from relief.

Kara's grin spread wide on her lips as she watched her friends get excited over the evening they were going to spend together. She felt a loose hand on her shoulder.

"I'll let you all to it. See you tomorrow." Diana told her.

Kara jumped on her feet, keeping Liz close to her in the process. "Oh! You can come if you want to. My parents are here."

Diana shot a quick glance towards Kal. "No, thanks. I'll see you around. Tell me when you want to go to the caves."

"I'll do. Thank you, Diana."

Wonder Woman winked and walked out, unnoticed by her friends. Only Kal turned towards Kara to give her a scrunched up face. He had heard everything. He felt guilty but it was fine. They couldn't fix everything in one go. Kara watched Diana leave with fondness in her heart. This woman was always ready to help, always ready to give, knowing nobody could return the favor. And she had done it for almost a hundred years now. Diana was a force of humility.

Alex and Kelly's house was buzzing with music and laughter. It was a far cry from the atmosphere in the lab a couple hours ago. Kara was watching her friends enjoy the evening from her chair on the terrace, a beer in hand. Kal and her father were chatting about cellphones, apparently, as Kal was showing Zor-El how to take pictures. Brainy and J'onn were playing with the girls. Esme had decided to show Liz that she could shapeshift like J'onn when she was close to him. Brainy had immediately gotten involved in putting on a show, Ambrose on his shoulders as he ran and jumped in laps on the grass. The toddler's giggles could have warmed the coldest hearts. Kara's own heart swelled at the sight of all her friends and family reunited. She had been disappointed that Diana hadn't wanted to join them but she understood. Still, it was good to see everyone reunited like old time. It helped pushing the worry away. It helped her to hope for better days in the future.

Her gaze glided to Lena, who was discussing with Kelly and Andrea, a glass of wine in hand, next to the barbecue where Alex was cooking meat and vegetables with Eliza's help. She was on her feet, against Alex's advice but it didn't seem to bother her. Lena's smile was radiant. It was partly a real one, and partly an illusion, Kara noticed. Lena was truly enjoying the company, but when their friends were looking away, her eyes would slide to Liz and the concern would split her face. Their situation seemed to pollute her mind constantly, preventing her from enjoying the moment completely.

"She looks great, all things considered." Alura said as she sat next to her, her own glass of wine in hand. Kara smiled shyly at her. She had just been caught staring at Lena and she was entirely used to her mother knowing about her feelings for the brunette.

"She does. It's even more surprising when we know what happened two days ago."

Alura took a sip of her wine and put her glass back on the table. "Never underestimate the strength of a mother. She came a long way."

A long way, indeed. Kara couldn't measure the amount of struggles Lena had to face in her entire life. The loss of her mother, the adoption by the Luthors, Lex's bribes all along her childhood, the harassment at the boarding school, the loss of Andrea, then Lex and his craziness, then Jack. Kara understood grief to a level not a lot of people could but her struggles hadn't been similar to Lena's. She would never suppose that she knew what Lena was feeling, because she couldn't. Lena had to bear this alone. And until now, she had done it pretty well.

"I thought she would crumble after what we've learned today but she's there, still standing. She's amazing."

"Did you tell her?"

Kara side-eyed her mother with a small knowing smile. "That she's amazing?"

Alura snorted and gave her a slap with the back of her hand gently. "Don't play with me, young lady."

Kara laughed and kissed her mother's cheek in a rare gesture of affection. She took a sip of her beer and crossed her legs.

"I did. Multiple times."

"And?"

Kara tilted her head from right to left. "She didn't want to talk about it at first. She came around eventually. We just kissed earlier." She tried to hide her blush by rubbing her cheeks with her hands but it was to no avail. Across the garden, Lena met her gaze as if she knew they were talking about her. She blushed too and looked down. It was happening more often, the fact that they would look at each other at the same time. As if they were finally back on the same line.

Alura put her hand on Kara's to grab her attention. "You both look so in love. I'm truly happy for you, Kara. After everything, you deserve it." The affection in her eyes mixed with the gentleness of her voice were almost enough to make Kara tear up. "Do you plan on asking her to be your mate?"

Kara frowned and swallowed thickly. "Mate? What do you mean?"

On Krypton, they each had a match, who was the person the Matrix decided to be the one for you. Of course, it sounded a bit totalitarian on Earth, but it had worked on her former planet. It was just a different custom. Babies were made in chambers and marriages were arranged. But they had nothing such as a mate. It sounded animal. Kara sensed that it was more a problem of translation than anything.

"You know, I think Lena could be the…" Alura frowned too, searching the right expression. "The… The mate for your soul?" She asked, not sure of the wording.

Kara's face brightened. "My soulmate?"

"Yes!" Alura smiled too. "I think you fit together. You complete each other. She is ice and you are fire. You are strong and she is really…" She searched the right word once again, but Kara knew that, this time, it was to not upset her or insult Lena. "Strong too but also sensitive."

Kara nodded, her leg balancing on the other as she threw a glance to Lena and shot her a smile. "She learned to hide it but you're right."

Alura hummed. She was watching Lena too. "It still shows. Her family, these Luthors, they did horrible things to her."

"Yeah." Kara sighed. The time didn't help making this easier. She was still getting angry sometimes when she was thinking of what Lex and Lillian had done to Lena. How it had changed her, corrupted her in a way that she wouldn't even trust herself.

"I hope to change that. We've all been trying for many years now."

"And you are doing it. She trusts you." Alura squeezed her hand again.

"I wish she trusted me enough to tell me I have a daughter. She didn't have to do this alone. We missed so much time."

"The stars planned it that way." Alura replied cryptically. It didn't occur to Kara that they were both in the same situation.

Alura cleared her throat which made Kara looked at her. Her mother's face was suddenly solemn and serious. "If I may, from a mother, who missed a lot of things in her daughter's life, to another, I think I can tell you nothing is lost." Kara smiled affectionately at her. "You can learn the little things and be present now. She is six years old. She has so much to teach you still."

Her mother was right, Kara realized. What she was feeling towards Liz was exactly what her mother must have felt when they met on Argo the first time. The circumstances of their separation were different, of course, but Kara didn't resent her mother for that. Not like she thought Liz would resent her for not being present the first years of her life. Without meaning it, Alura had just helped her embrace her role more, leaving her worries behind. She hadn't been the mother she had wished for Liz for the past six years, but she could be now. With Lena on her side, she could move forward.

Lena kept tossing and turning in bed. With a huff, she looked at her right. Kara was sleeping peacefully with her arm around Liz, who had come to sleep with them after another nightmare. It was a miracle she hadn't woken them up already. She looked back at the ceiling, the cogs in her head turning wildly. She couldn't sleep. There was too much to consider.

Now that the euphoria of the moment had evaporated, her mind was full of doubt. How could Kara want her? She was damaged and traumatized and probably becoming a bit insane. Slowly but surely. And what about all the things they had discovered? Her father being linked to a cult. Their daughter being a chosen one. Her other dimensional self being crazy. Kara wouldn't possibly agree to this. Lena feared of not being enough. The three words Kara had told her were a conundrum to her. Scientists didn't believe in love. They believed in process, and chemical reactions, in biological settings. Love was just another strange enigma she couldn't solve. She had thought about it, reflected on the meaning of it. She knew that she had loved her mother dearly. And she had loved Jack, she was sure of it. Andrea, even. But she had never loved them like she loved Liz. She had tried to understand why. Why the difference? Why was Liz the unknown factor? The bio engineer in her had tried to materialize her thoughts into equations. Had tried to use formulas to explain it. To no avail. Was it an animal instinct, as though it was a primitive will to persevere in her body through a descendant? Did loving her child mean loving herself? Or was it the idea of continuing to exist through Liz after she had passed? To continue to live thanks to her? Lena was sure that it wasn't just that.

She was born, she had grown, she had worn masks. She was disillusioned by others, for works or for friends. She cheated a little, negotiating small deals with her consciousness. She didn't want to say No, so she said Yes. She lost herself on the way. Sometimes. Often. It came gradually, and, like the boiling frog, she didn't realize it. For sure, she even judged herself. Hated herself. She resented her own self. She finished by becoming all tiny in her head, all tiny behind her masks. And then, one day, a child had looked at her and her eyes had told her, You are important. I'm counting on you. I can only count on you. And she had felt something that she had forgotten a long time ago. Someone trusted her. Someone counted on her. It was even a question of life and death. Someone all bare, with no fur, no fangs, no claws. So, she loved her because it reminded her that, behind those masks, there had been someone real, a long time ago. Who didn't cheat. And that child saw her. She saw her without a mask on. Without the little deals, the little arrangements. She saw her, and, despite all that, she loved her.

Lena didn't dance with people. Because she didn't like her body enough or the way it moved. She hated herself so much sometimes. And yet, she could dance in front of Liz as her daughter jiggled too and that was it. There was no judgement. That was maybe the reason why she loved her so much. That was maybe why she loved, simply. Because children were telling us with their words and their ways that we didn't need a mask with them. That they didn't need someone with a mask. They just needed someone to count onto and that they needed to be sure this person could be trusted. So, what? Lena had told herself she was worthy of that? Of that trust placed in herself? Lena had two doctorates, had revolutionized bio-engineering multiple times, was speaking seven languages, had spoken in front of hundreds of people. However, she had never felt important. But when Liz had looked at her, she had felt important for the first time in her life.

She had for a long time felt guilty about not giving all the love her mother had given her back to her. This unconditional love. She had been tough on her sometimes, she was sure. And she knew there was an asymmetry between the love her mother had given her and the love Lena was feeling for her. Now, she was starting to understand. Her daughter would never love her like Lena loved her. The quest of finding why had found an answer. Because a parent's insane love for their child could only be given back to a child. Could only be transmitted. Without waiting anything in return. Just as her mother had never waited for Lena to give it back. She could only give it to Liz. Loving her like she had had the chance to be loved. This love wasn't hers, because love was something we couldn't own. We were just depositories for a time. It had to be given. Love. Always be given. To a being smaller than ourselves with big eyes which were screaming You're my big person. So, that was why Lena loved her. Before Liz, she had never felt big for anybody.

And now, there was Kara Danvers who was sending her seemingly the same message. Or something similar. Kara was not saying that Lena was her big person. Kara was telling her that they could be big persons together. And that was everything. Everything and nothing at once. Because Lena had never been a big person with anybody before. What if she wasn't cut for it? She had been a truly normal even person with Jack. A more or less good friend to Andrea. But Kara wanted more. She wanted trust and faith and loyalty. Lena only knew how to be a big person for Liz. She didn't know if she could be a big person with Kara. She only knew how to be trusted by her daughter. She would remain loyal and faithful to her, even after she would pass. But to Kara, she didn't know. She had done so many mistakes that she didn't trust herself with that power. Sure, she was loyal to Kara, now. After all they had been through. And she knew that Kara was too. She had promised her so. And more. Kara wanted them to form a family but it was another enigma Lena had never been able to solve.

Lena had almost no recollection of what her life with her mother had been like. It was just a general feeling of affection and warmth and love. And the Luthors had never been a real family. There was no love to share. Only money and houses to transmit. And that bloody company. Lena had learned what that family meant with Jack. Meeting his family. Being fed by his grandmother. Before that, family had always been a negative word to Lena. It was synonymous of betrayal, and plotting, and interest. Then came the Danvers and their friends. Lena had learned then that family didn't mean blood connection. It was just about what we were willing to promise to others and what they were willing to promise in exchange. A business deal. A love affair, sometimes. The line had always been blurry with Kara. Their friendship had always been an intertwine of incoherent signals and trust issues. But they had come out of it. And now, Kara had been clear as water. Her intentions had never been this forward. Lena didn't know what to do with all this trust. She only had to deal with Liz's trust. What if she wasn't worthy of it? What if she hurt her?

Huffing loudly, Lena pushed the sheets away and put her feet on the ground, preparing herself to stand. She didn't know what to do about Kara, not really. She could admit that she loved her, as intensely that she loved Liz, but differently still. But she didn't know if she was ready for the pressure to be with Kara. To give as much as she would receive. What she knew, though, was that there was still a lot of work waiting for her in the lab and that was more welcoming than any rumination she could have here.

Andrea had lost the habit of sleeping more than five hours per night a long time ago. It was probably around the time she had bought CatCo and had to manage two companies at the same time. Or was it just after she had betrayed Lena and stolen the medallion of Acrata? She couldn't recall. What was important was that she couldn't sleep.

She was pacing the Tower endlessly, remembering the last times she had been welcomed here. She avoided the main area, Kara's now apartment, where William's body had been discovered. The blood on her hands was still fresh to this day. Instead, she walked to the labs and med bay, only to discover that the lights were on. She crossed the hall discreetly. In the lab the furthest in the hall, Lena was watching a screen intensely. Behind her, the cork board was disappearing under post-its of questions and dates and names. It had been divided in two columns, one for Liz, the second for the Other.

Andrea pushed the glass door, which creaked awkwardly. "What are you doing? It's 2 a.m." She hissed.

Lena didn't even bother looking at her. She didn't seem surprised to see her there. "Replaying the whole footage and taking notes. I don't want to miss anything. And you?"

"Couldn't sleep." Andrea simply replied as she approached. She looked closely at the board. Lena's thick scribbles attracted her attention.

June 20th 2022 – Birth of Liz

June 20th ? – Birth of the Other

June 20th 2028 – Liz is 6 ; her powers appear

December 22nd 2038 – Battle with the Other?

"After all this time, you still can't write something readable." Andrea remarked playfully. Lena didn't acknowledge her joke, her eyes stayed focused on the screen as the other her was speaking about quantum entanglement and Schrödinger's theory. She didn't know how Lena had managed to bring out the footage from the Platinum Kryptonite and put it on a USB key but she recognized there the pragmatism of her friend.

Andrea had to admit it was weird to see another Lena on the screen, just like her best friend, babbling about science stuff like she had no heart in her ribcage, no feeling in her body. The Lena on the screen looked deranged and lost. She had huge shadows under her eyes and pale skin. She was speaking like a robot. She looked numb. Andrea remembered seeing Lena in that state when she was trying to bring Kara back from the Phantom Zone. A chill ran down her spine. She wished that she never had to come across that Lena again.

"Lena." Andrea called gently. The brunette only hummed, a hand rising dismissively. "You're doing it again." Andrea said louder.

"Doing what exactly?" Lena asked absentmindedly.

"Obsessing. Over this. Sam told me it would happen. This is not healthy, Lena. You have your answers. It's time to take a break."

Lena's head snapped around like she had just been insulted. "I can't, Andy! Everybody's in danger!"

Andrea softened. "I know but it won't happen tomorrow."

"What if it does?" Lena whispered, all her fears present in that exhale.

Andrea knew that Lena's investment in this was going further than just a want of finding the truth. Their lives were at stakes. Her daughter's life, most importantly. Andrea couldn't know how it felt to be in her shoes but she knew Lena long enough to see right through her obsessive behavior.

"Okay, what did she do?"

Lena opened wide eyes. "What?"

"What did Kara do that was so terrible that you can't sleep and instead, I find you here, working in the middle of the night?"

Lena seemed caught off guard. "I… She…" Lena stammered. Lena never stammered. Andrea's smile spread slowly on her face. "She told me she loves me." She finally sighed, throwing her pen on the keyboard in front of her.

Andrea tilted her head to meet her gaze. "And you're still here?"

Lena huffed and threw her hands in the air. "What do you want me to do?" If she wasn't injured, Andrea was sure Lena would be pacing right now. Her knees were jerking up and down though. Another uncommon thing for Lena, Andrea remarked. Kara was making the most confident woman she knew, nervous. It was a rare sight.

"Say the damn same thing! Kiss her! Jump her bones! I don't know! You've been in love with her for what, fifteen years? You didn't wait that long to tell me you were crushing on me."

Lena rolled her eyes and, okay, maybe Andrea didn't want her to live that down. "And who do you think I own it to? It took me a long time to trust people again after what you did."

Alright, Andrea would never live that one down herself either.

"It took me even more time to realize I was in love with her." Lena admitted in a barely-there whisper.

"But now you both know it's there. Give yourself some grace. You can't go back to Ireland anyway. Liz needs to stay here and be trained."

Lena gave her a pointed look. "She's six."

"She's a witch and a Super." Andrea counted on her fingers. "I think she can handle Alex Danvers kicking her ass."

"Ah, funny you're saying that. I don't think you'd say the same thing if it was your child." Lena quipped back as she shut off the computer. "By the way, you talk with Sam?"

A light blush crept on Andrea's cheeks. "We're the only two people you let in, what do you think?"

Lena was actually thinking that her two best friends were sleeping together but she wasn't in her right to say anything. She would be happy for them if it was the case.

"Stop looking at me like that." Lena coked an eyebrow. She suddenly looked like the cat that caught the canary. "You know I'm not like you." Andrea pleaded.

"Like me?" Lena inquired, advancing on Andrea like she was a prey.

Andrea looked everywhere, feeling exposed. "I'm not into women like you are."

"Uhuh. But I'm sure Sam made you reconsider."

Andrea huffed and crossed her arms. "She did." She admitted. "But that's not the point. Stop distracting me. You love Kara since you met her. It's in your eyes when you look at her or even when you talk about her. Sack up. I know you're braver than that. What's stopping you to get your girl? Is it fear? Because I can tell you you're capable of it. It's terrifying because it's unfamiliar, not because you don't know how to do it."

Lena looked at her, puzzled. Andrea only went into a rant when she was passionate about a subject. It meant the matter was important to her. That Lena's happiness was important to her. Now that her mind was free of her ruminations, Lena could think clearer. She pondered Andrea's reasoning. Gathered the factors of the equation, went through the whole demonstration. For the first time since she had come back, for all the times people had asked her that exact same question, this time, she couldn't find any answer. There was no reason for her not to enjoy her relationship with Kara like she had denied herself so. Nothing was stopping her, except the irrational fear that she would never be enough. But Andrea was right. Fear had always been just that. Fear. Lena had done so many things she had never believed she could do. Why could she do this one more thing? This tiny little… No, this huge important step for herself? The confidence she had felt while kissing Kara was coming back. Lena straightened up. She held her head high. Her shoulders were posed like she owned the place. Gone was the midnight philosopher. Entered the fearless businesswoman.

"Nothing." She complied with a truly scaring smile.

"Great." Andrea clapped her hands excitedly, not at all disturbed by Lena's lack of resistance. "So, what are we going to do about it?"

Lena tilted her head. She was looking at the photos of the Fingal's caves. When she looked up, the mischief in her eyes reminded Andrea of so many times they had gotten into troubles in boarding school.

"Go to Scotland."

Andrea gaped at her. "What?" Lena was already leaving the room. It was the middle of the night, where did she think she was going?

"Come on. You're coming. Wonder Woman will be there too." Lena shouted from the door, amused. Her voice reverberated against the concrete bare walls.

"What?" Andrea shrieked again. She followed her in a rush. She guessed she was going on in an adventure with Lena, like old times.

Chapter Text

Kara threw another punch in the punching bag. Even with the dampening red lights in the gym, her punch was too hard on the bag and it finished propelled against a wall in a deaf sound. She sighed in defeat. It was the third one this week. Alex would kill her.

She was just putting a new punch bag on the hook when the glass door opened. She turned around and took in the small figure of her daughter. "Hey, bug. Did you have a nightmare?"

Liz nodded shyly, her plush toy under her arm, her little fist scrubbing sleep out of her eye. Kara crouched down and opened her arms wide.

"Come here, inah."

Liz stumbled on her feet and snuggled close to her. Kara kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. Liz had been having nightmares since Lena had been abducted, which was completely understandable but it didn't help any of her mothers to feel better. Kara knew Lena felt responsible for Liz's trouble to sleep at night. They had vaguely discussed the matter. Kara had tried to reassure her but Liz was always with them so they couldn't really talk without little prying ears. Instead, they tried to comfort their daughter every time she would wake up during the night and join them in bed.

"Do you want to tell me what you dreamt about?"

Liz shook her head. "What does it mean?" She mumbled against her neck instead.

Kara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What you said." Liz insisted in a small voice.

Kara pondered her last words. The word in Kryptonese had slipped away. "Inah means daughter in my first language."

Liz pulled away to look at her, amused. "You speak weird like Mom do when she works."

Kara chuckled. "I do. It's Kryptonese."

"Can you teach me? Mom speaks to me in French sometimes."

"Really" Kara was impressed. French was one of the hardest languages to learn. She had tried so she knew. She could only order in restaurants in French. "Yes, I… I mean, if you want to."

Liz nodded excitedly. "So that I can talk with grandpa and grandma."

Kara softened. A glint in her eyes appeared but it was just an eyelash in it, nothing more, she swore. "Is your Mom still asleep?"

Liz nodded. Kara had left them sleep in the bed. Lena had been working most of the night in the lab. Kara knew she hadn't had much sleep.

"Let's go eat breakfast, then."

When the elevator doors opened to Kara's loft, Lena was drinking coffee at the table. She was still wearing her clothes from the day before. Her head immediately snapped up as she swallowed her sip. Kara remarked the bags under her eyes. She hadn't slept a lot last night and the worries of the day before were still very present in their minds.

"Hey!" Lena waved to them. "I was wondering where you both were."

"Liz found me in the gym." Kara explained as she put Liz down. The girl ran to her mother and hugged her tight. Kara smiled at them. Liz went then to sit next to Lena as she poured her a glass of orange juice. Kara approached slowly. She didn't know what was considered appropriate for her to do. Should she kiss Lena on the cheek? Was it good to kiss her on the lips? Shouldn't they talk to Liz before that? Or just a small hug? A hand on the shoulder? Kara sighed. They should have talked about it.

Lena seemed to sense her turmoil because she looked at her curiously. Realization crossed her face and she smiled tenderly. She stood up and rounded the table. She opened her arms in invitation. Kara smiled back and stepped in Lena's space. She wrapped her up in her arms, putting her as close as possible, smelling the natural scent of her skin. Lena kissed the side of her neck before leaning away.

"Hi." She said with an easy smile. Her eyes diverted immediately to Kara's lips as the blonde squeezed her hips.

"Hi." Kara replied. Her eyes slid down too, towards the pearly white teeth and the pinky lips. She licked her own. She really wanted to kiss her.

Lena's head motioned behind her. "She's watching, isn't she?" She whispered.

Kara looked above the brunette's shoulder and noticed Liz watching them with confusion on her face. She looked back to Lena and squeezed her hips once more. "She's definitely watching. Should we tell her?" She whispered back.

Lena tilted her head from right to left, as if pondering the pros and cons. There was no good way to do this. Liz already liked them both separately. There shouldn't be a reason why it would disturb her. Parents were supposed to be together, right?

"Can we talk a bit more about it before telling her?" Lena said with a scrunched-up face.

"Of course. We have things to discuss. Let's not rush it." Kara grinned.

"Thanks." Lena said, her relief visible. She kissed her cheek then went back to the table.

Kara stayed there a couple of seconds. She couldn't believe it was her reality now. She had loved Lena for a long time but had never thought possible that they would finally discuss it and be together. She shook out of her trance. She was hungry. Before sitting at the table, Kara went to wash her hands and grabbed the loaf of bread, jam, milk and butter in the fridge, peanut butter on the shelf, a knife, two bowls and spoons.

"Who wants some toast?" She asked, turning around. Mother and daughter looked at her with the same high eyebrows. Liz rose her hand.

"Me! I'm famish!" She said in a strange use of Lena's range of vocabulary. Both women laughed.

"I'm sure you are, love." Lena chuckled.

Kara came back with a plate full of toasts and grabbed one to put peanut butter on it. She gave it to Liz. She then took another one and spread jam on this one for Lena. The brunette thanked her, happily surprised.

"So…" Lena cleared her throat through her bites. "I'm sure I didn't fall asleep in bed." She said. Kara looked out of the corner of her eyes at her, still busy buttering her own toast.

"No, you didn't. Andrea woke me to carry you to bed. You were sleeping on the table." She wanted to show her disapproval but she knew Lena had her reasons not to sleep at night. The tension had not entirely vanished, with all the things they had to plan, all the battles they had to prepare for.

"Oh. Where is she?"

"Gone to Obsidian. She said she'll come back later to see what we've got."

"Aunt Andy is here?" Liz asked excitedly. Lena smiled at her.

"She is. We'll see her later." She leaned towards her. "And Aunt Sam is coming too." She whispered. Liz's eyes lighted up.

"Really?!" She almost yelled. Lena nodded with a huge smile on her face. "I'm so happy!" Liz exclaimed, biting in her toast enthusiastically.

Lena and Kara shared a joyful look. Liz's good mood was contagious.

"Hey, I was about to- What are you doing?" Kara said as she peeked through the door of the bathroom. Lena was in her pants and bra, bare feet. Her bandages had been abandoned on a messy pile in the sink. She was kneading what looked like herbs in a mortar with vigor. The screeching sound was disturbing. There was a salt circle on the flour, candles lightened around it at similar distances. Vials had been scattered everywhere.

"A purifying ritual." Lena replied without looking up.

"O-kay… Weren't you supposed to meet Andrea and Sam for lunch?"

"They're coming here to see Liz."

Kara took on the scene before her. She tried not to stare at Lena's cleavage and perfect breasts cupped in dark red lace. The things around her were more confusing anyway. She had seen Lena practice magic before but not like that. Thankfully, the bathroom seemed big enough. She didn't bother questioning Lena about her choice of doing this in the bathroom in the first place. She must have her reason, and like everything with Lena, sometimes, it was better not to ask, especially when it concerned magic.

"It's a lot of salt."

Lena nodded. "I want to see if I can cancel the charm on my feet and heal quicker or at least be able to teleport us."

Kara's eyebrows rose in synchronicity. "To teleport us to where?"

"To the Fingal's caves."

Kara walked entirely in the bathroom with her brows furrowed. "Why do you still want to go there? We know about the prophecy."

Lena turned to face her, the mortar in her hands. "Yes, but there're drawings on the walls there. I want to see if it explains a way to defeat Other."

Kara sighed. Lena was right. They still had no idea how to do that. And even if they didn't find anything there, it wouldn't hurt to heal her feet quicker. Kara was sick of seeing her wince and grumble under her breath every time she took a step. "Alright. Can I help?"

Lena measured her up and down. A smirk spread on her face. A too-knowing smirk. Kara felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "You want to scrub salt on my body while I speak in Latin?" Her eyebrow was cocked in challenge.

"I…" Kara's cheeks took a crimson color but straightened her face quickly and shrugged. "I mean if I have to."

Lena wasn't ready for this reply. She gaped at her and snorted. They chuckled together. "No, I'm fine. I need to do it alone."

"Okay." Kara complied. She stepped closer anyway. "But you're forgetting something."

Seeing the playful glint in Kara's eyes made the smirk spread back on Lena's face. "Oh, what would that be?"

Kara grabbed at her sides gently and pulled her against her, their faces only mere inches away. Lena's skin was so soft under her hands. Her lack of shoes meant Kara was taller. She nuzzled Lena's nose with her own and smiled lovingly. "You need a kiss to achieve the ritual." She murmured against Lena's lips.

The brunette smiled wide, charmed. "Is that so?"

"Hum, it's in the instructions. I've checked."

Lena snorted. "If it's in the instructions." She smiled and closed the gap. They finally gave in in their need to be close. Like two magnets impossible to separate. Kara's hand glided up under Lena's bra. Her nails scrapped cautiously on the skin of her back in their descent. Lena arched into her touch. Her moan was swallowed in their kiss. Kara smiled against her lips and kissed her one last time. She leaned away but kept their foreheads linked.

"I should go see what Liz is up to." She whispered. Lena hummed her response, her eyes still closed. "Maybe she'll want to practice her powers." Kara said but didn't move away.

Lena looked up slowly. Her eyes were glowing yellow. Kara was taken aback by their color for a moment. It was one of the many proofs of her effect on Lena. She secretly loved it.

"Yeah, she needs to practice. Andrea and Sam will arrive around 11."

"Okay." Kara exhaled. She was breathless. The woman in front of her was more than gorgeous. She could stare at her all day. A work of art.

"Kara."

"Uh."

"The ritual. Liz."

Kara's eyes traveled between Lena's without understanding a word she was saying. Lena shook her head but it didn't register either. Then, a cold wet hand crossed her face and now, she was awake.

"Hey! Why did you do that?"

"Why do you think? Get out of here before it escalates." Lena smirked.

Kara huffed and crossed her arms. She turned around, reluctantly quitting the bathroom and the green-eyed mermaid in it. "It's not my fault you're this beautiful." She grumbled on her way. As she closed the door, she totally missed the dream-like stare on Lena's face and her pinky cheeks.

The ritual was a powerful one. She had practiced it many times. It was actually the first thing Florence had taught her. To purify herself and to purify her house. Lena had faith that it would work. And if it didn't, she would have to pay a visit to her half-brother.

Lena walked in the center of the salt circle, completely naked. She placed quartz and crystal stones on the line of salt to form a pentacle. She could feel the energy vibrating around her. She sat down and crossed her legs, her fists squeezing two selenite stones. She closed her eyes and focused on the magic swirling in her. She felt disconnected to it. As if she couldn't reach it like she used to.

"Please, Hecate, I implore your help." She whispered.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly through her mouth. The magic in her felt out of her control, undecided, as though it couldn't trust her. She tried to reign it in, to control it with an iron magical fist. She exhaled and inhaled slowly for long minutes. Patiently waiting for her magic to respond. It was useless to rush it. It could hurt her very badly if she did.

Magic was like a wild animal. Lena didn't own it. It wasn't hers. It was something she could use only if it was willing to be used. Like a partnership. It could sense her intentions, sense if she was in a good mood, if she felt confused or furious. A peaceful mind was necessary to approach magic. It wasn't like anything Lena worked with. Magic wasn't like science in this way. It wanted her to be in perfect control of her emotions. And it helped her, truthfully, to manage her emotions as they were. No more little boxes. If she wanted it to work, she had to address her feelings, not deny them.

When she felt like she could finally pass to the second part of the ritual, Lena opened her eyes. Around her, the crystals had formed a blue shield. She was in a blue sort of cage of magical energy. She exhaled in relief. It was working. She cleared her throat.

"Ab omnibus maledictis," She started to articulate. A misplaced word and it was lost. She rubbed salt on her arms while doing so. "Ab omnibus cogitationis malis, ab omni gestu malo me eripio."

The shield around her seemed to intensify. She felt the energy in her veins rocking in strong waves. It was pulsing to reach every one of her limbs until it reached her feet. She winced in pain. She took a deep breath. It would hurt like hell but she had to go through it if she wanted to heal.

"Imploro in me puellam, ut innocentia fluat. Imploro matrem in me, ut mala consilia dimittas. Veteres exoro intra me, ut me ad lucem ducat."

A burst of energy exploded around her. The magic in her feet pulsed harder, stronger. It was hot and painful, as if it was trying to expel the burns out of her skin. She cried out in agony. For long minutes, the magic swirled around her. She kept repeating the same sentences over and over through greeting teeth. It wasn't the time to give up. The salt in her hands was turning into water but she kept rubbing it against her skin, on her legs and her feet.

Finally, the magic calmed down. After a last slow agonizing swirl under her skin, Lena was free to move her feet. She looked at her hands in wonder. Her fingertips were glowing yellow. She could feel it curse through her veins. Like before, if not a bit less powerful. She stood up and tried to summon a fireball. It worked. The ball was not as bright and furnished as she was accustomed to but it worked.

Lena felt reinvigorated. She couldn't draw from the endless pool of magic she was sharing with Florence yet, but there was some improvement. She should've done this quicker. She quickly put her clothes back on and smiled down as she looked at her feet. The burns had almost disappeared. Her skin was still bright red. There were scars in rounded shapes, reminiscent of the blisters she had all over her soles, but it was all.

Once dressed back up, Lena crossed her look in the mirror. Her eyes were glowing yellow too. She smiled, relieved and proud. Now, she just had to check one last thing. Closing her eyes, she thought about Kara's living room, her couch precisely. It was just in the next room. She felt the magic course through her feet, link her to the Earth. She felt the shift. When she opened her eyes, she was in front of Kara's couch.

"Lena!" Kara exclaimed.

Lena turned around. Liz and Kara were sitting on the flour in a meditative pose. She waved at them and winked.

"It worked!" Kara laughed in disbelief.

"It did!" Lena replied, as excited. "I still need to take a shower and fix your bathroom, but... I'm so relieved."

Kara softened and smiled at her in a way that could only say so many things. I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it.

Lena winked again at her then closed her eyes and focused to find her way back to the bathroom. She only had an hour before Andrea and Sam were supposed to show up.

The way their lunch went wasn't what Lena had expected. She had expected a joyful reunion. Laughs, jokes. A bit of questioning concerning Kara. She had even expected Sam and Andrea to gang up on her and joke about the time it took her to let Kara in. It was nothing like that. Instead, it was serious and somber.

Both of her friends had showed support throughout the rest of her pregnancy. Sam and Andrea had been the two pillars in her life for several years now. They lied for her, made sacrifices for her. They were almost as invested in Liz's life as she was. Sam, as Liz's godmother, took her role seriously. She had visited at least twice a year since Liz was born and video called every few weeks to make sure Liz knew who she was. Giving birth to a child who wasn't her own, as she often said, had been a life-changing experience. She was sure to have a special bond with Liz and Lena couldn't deny that. That was the reason why Sam was doubly furious now. The three of them were waiting around Kara's kitchen table for Kara and Liz to come up from the gym to eat lunch. Lena was actually waiting to be chewed alive by her best friend.

"Why didn't you call me? This is our deal, Lena."

"I came to see you, remember?"

"Oh, so you had a visit but I didn't and I am the one living here." Andrea huffed on the side.

Sam didn't acknowledge her. "Yes, but you didn't tell me my goddaughter was supposed to save the world. You didn't even call to say you got abducted. Liz could have been injured too!"

"By her half-brother, nonetheless." Andrea quipped. Lena shot her a glare, which only served to amuse her best friend more.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I didn't have the time to-"

"Stop, seriously, don't bother. You don't even believe it yourself. I know it happened two days ago but a text doesn't take that much time." Sam interrupted her with a raised hand. She took her glass of water and gulped down half of it, as if to cool herself off.

Now, Lena could clearly see the CEO of the Foundation. There wasn't a lot of people she was scared of, mostly because living in the Luthor mansion had taught her that the most terrifying persons were the ones we knew the most. But Sam and Andrea had the potential to put her in her place. They knew her more than anybody else, had seen her face the biggest struggles of her life and they knew she measured their opinions. Lena didn't want to admit it, but she often counted on them to stop her to do crazy things like fleeing to another country and disappear for seven years. Sometimes, they did and sometimes, they missed the memo.

Looking at Sam's eyes now, Lena knew that she better come clean if she wanted for the rest of their lunch to go smoothly. She leaned forward and took her hand.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I promised to call and I didn't. And then, all hell got loose here and I completely forgot to tell anyone."

Sam put her hand under her chin, sizing her up and down, judging if she would accept the apology instantly or make Lena work more for it. She squeezed the hand in hers and winced.

"I'm just glad you're okay. You must be terrified."

Lena inhaled a sharp breath and took her hand back, as though she had been burnt. Sam could read her so easily that it was scary. But she was right. The only reason Lena had admittedly forgotten to tell Sam and Andrea was because she was terrified of all the things going on around them. Liz's powers. Her abduction. The Purifiers' cult. The discoveries about her first abduction. Kara's marks of love and affection. The fate of them all.

"I'm beyond that point, I think. I don't know." She admitted with a disbelief laugh.

Sam's deep brown eyes were reflecting her empathy so significantly that Lena couldn't keep looking at them for too long if she wanted not to cry. Andrea was abhorring the same gaze, only with the knowledge that Lena didn't like to be pitied. She put a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly.

"You know you can count on us. We'll be there to fight whatever this thing is and Liz will succeed. I'm sure of it."

Sam agreed. "Exactly. You can't get rid of us. We'll stay 'till the end."

Lena shook her head, full of love and thankfulness for her friends. They were the only ones Lena was willing to believe on the spot. Well, now, she could add Kara to this list even if she was still working on it.

"Speaking of the end," Andrea's tone was already taking a playful turn. "I'm glad you ended your celibacy phase and opened your eyes. It was about time."

Lena gasped. Sam laughed and Lena glared at her. A mischievous grin grew on her face. She crossed her arms and leaned them on the table.

"Speaking of celibacy phase," She eyed them knowingly. "What are you two up to? Already engaged or keeping it strictly hidden so that I don't realize my two best friends are sleeping together?"

Both were slack jawed for a minute then Sam started to laugh again. A full belly laugh, almost hysterical. Andrea slapped her gently on the arm.

"Stop it. Don't encourage her."

"Okay, okay." Sam panted, out of breath. "That was just… Your face." Her own face exploded with laughter again but she tried to rule it in. Her eyes were glistening. "I told you she would see right through it."

Lena tilted her head towards Andrea, interested, her arms still crossed, inquiring for explanations. Andrea huffed and crossed her arms defensively.

"There's nothing to say. We're adults. We don't need your permission. It's nothing anyway."

Lena frowned, sensing a tension there. She looked at Sam and didn't miss the hurt in her gaze but they didn't have the time to address it.

"Hey girls!" Kara said while walking in. Liz ran immediately to Sam who caught her in her arms.

"Oh, I missed you so much, my little nugget."

Liz buried herself as close as possible against Sam. She mumbled something only Kara heard, apparently, given she was smiling from ear to ear. Sam hugged her tighter. Lena felt a hand on her shoulder and smiled up at Kara.

"She was really eager to finish our session. They share something special, don't they?"

Lena smiled fondly at her daughter and best friend reunited. "They do. They're the best of friends."

Without any preamble, Liz pulled away from Sam and took her hand to show her Snowflake, then to show her her drawings, and her room. Sam waved to her friends as they chuckled.

"I'll call you for lunch." Lena shouted to them.

"Thanks!" Sam replied.

Lena chuckled one last time then looked at Andrea. "Are you up to show Kara how to make your wonderful quesadilla? I talked about it once and since then, she wants to try it."

Andrea smiled at them both and nodded. "I hope you're not as clumsy as it looks in the kitchen, Danvers." She said while pulling up her sleeves as she walked to the stove.

Kara grimaced to Lena who snorted. "You'll be okay, darling." She tried to reassure her with a pat on the cheek.

"If I'm not back in thirty minutes, call the police." Kara whispered before putting a quick kiss on Lena's cheek and walking away with a dumb grin on her face.

Lena chuckled once more before following them. She loved these new dynamics. Now, she could understand what Kara meant. It was really heartwarming to notice her worlds colliding.

Scotland was windy, even in summer. Especially in the middle of the sea. Lena made them appear right at the entry of the Fingal's caves. Thankfully, Andrea had thought to bring a jacket with her. They all paused to look at the monument. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean were crashing against the huge bloc of basalt bitten by time and erosion. It was impressive. The caves were known to be monumental. A sight to memorize. A place where water echoed on the walls, making music.

"We should hurry, there're tourist boats coming our way." Kara said while putting her cape around Lena's shoulders.

Wonder Woman, who accompanied them to secure the area, agreed. "The Gates are in the back, where the water is the deepest." She said, taking the lead.

They followed her in a cautious procession. The stone ground was slippery due to the amount of water crashing against it. The caves were normally impracticable by foot. The visits were always done by boat. Now, they knew why. Andrea smirked. Since she was bringing up the rear, she noticed Kara and Lena's little attentions towards each other. Kara's hands hovered around Lena all the time, prepared to catch her if she slipped. Lena, always true to herself, made it look like she didn't know Kara was breathing on her neck, but she knew it. Andrea suspected she slipped once or twice just so that Kara could catch her.

"You know," She said loudly to be heard above the noise of water, her voice reverberating against the cave. "This is quite convenient. A Luthor and a Zor-El make a baby and it turns out to be a chosen one. This was totally planned. Lex would go insane just with that fact."

Lena shot her a heated look. "Don't tell his name. It might summon him up."

Andrea snorted. She loved Lena's sarcasm. "Why, because he's the devil?"

"I'm starting to think he might have been possessed by a demon by the age of 22." Lena shrugged.

She liked Lena's sarcasm but sometimes, she didn't know if she was supposed to laugh or take her seriously.

"Are you serious?"

Lena winked at Kara but didn't reply. Andrea huffed and crossed her arms, slipping dangerously on the slippery ground but catching herself at the last moment.

"You shouldn't joke about that."

"I know, Andy. I'm the witch here."

Andrea's only reply was a curse in Spanish. They resumed walking in silence. Wonder Woman never commented on their banter throughout the walk. She just stayed focused, only addressing an amused glance to Kara once or twice. Then, she stopped and turned in a narrow tunnel.

"It's this way."

"I didn't know the caves were this spread." Lena remarked.

"The tunnel is only visible if we know where to search." Wonder Woman replied in a cryptic tone.

Lena looked skeptically to Kara who just shrugged then followed the Amazon. Andrea snorted but followed too. The woman was a veritable goddess. It weighted in the trust balance. The tunnel continued for a hundred of meters until they entered a dark crypt. They paused next to each other. Lena extended her hands in front of her and rubbed them together. The friction caused bright yellow sparks to form in the space between them. She pulled them away in a quick motion. An instant ball of light emerged in front of them. Andrea and Kara gasped in unison. Magic was wonderful. Lena threw the ball high. It bumped on the ceiling of the crypt, revealing a lake in front of them, big enough to be called a lake, but small enough not to be able to sail on it.

"Thank you, Lena." Wonder Woman smiled to her. "The Gates are down there. I'll go check if it's still sealed. You can wait for me or just go see the paintings in the nave."

"We'll wait for you." Kara assured. "You could need some help." She shrugged. Wonder Woman nodded then turned around and jumped into the water in a perfect Olympic dive. They all gasped in surprise.

"This woman is something." Andrea said, drying salt water from her face.

"She's more than that." Kara said, her eyes still glued to the lake in wonder.

Lena scoffed next to her. "You're drooling." She crossed her arms petulantly on her chest. Kara looked at her. It took a good minute before she realized what Lena meant.

"Oh, Lee, you're jealous. That's cute." She cooed. "I don't think about her like that, you know."

"I'm not jealous." Lena contradicted with little confidence.

Andrea rolled her eyes. "You totally are."

Lena gave her a pointed glare. "Shut up, Andy."

Andrea chuckled but said nothing. They all looked around them, contemplating their luck of having a personal tour of the caves. It was massive. What was once a volcanic stone became a beauty for the eyes and the ears. Lena's ball of light formed rainbow halos on the walls. It was gorgeous. It also brought insects to them.

Kara hit her arm hastily. "I hate mosquitos."

Lena looked at her, surprised and chuckled lightly. "Kara Zor-El, mosquito killer."

Kara snorted. "This is the only being I kill."

"You don't squash spiders?" Andrea asked, curious.

"Nope, they can't bite me." Kara shrugged. Lena and Andrea shared a look and frowned.

"Mosquitos can't bite you either then." Lena said.

"No, I just hate the sound they make." Kara shrugged again, too engrossed in dusting off her suit to care about their weird looks.

Lena laughed, shaking her head. Poor mosquitos, they didn't know who they were facing with. They didn't have a chance.

Andrea clapped her hands on her thighs. "So, we're just going to wait here."

"We still could talk about why you didn't tell me you had feelings for Sam." Lena said bitterly.

Kara gasped and whipped around to look at her. "You and Sam, you're…"

"No!" Andrea pointed at her with warning. "We're not. There's nothing to talk about."

"It doesn't look like nothing. You wouldn't be this defensive if it were." Lena said with a cocked eyebrow.

Andrea had this theory that Lena's angular eyebrow had a personality of its own. It could see right through you. It had a third Mexican eye, and a gay radar, and probably a sense of humor, all of its own. It was dangerous. Disconcerting.

"Okay." She sighed. "It's not nothing. But it's not a thing either." She admitted.

Lena and Kara faced her. The blonde had her hands on her hips in her perfect Supergirl stance. Lena had her arms crossed, her foot taping the ground impatiently. They didn't need to reply. Their attitudes were enough. Andrea sighed again.

"Alright, fine! I'll tell you." She started to pace, carefully stepping on the stones. "Sam told me she has feelings for me but I don't know if I can do it."

Kara tilted her head in confusion. "Why?" She just asked, as if it was impossible for her to find a reason.

"Because she's a mother and I don't know if I can raise a kid or not!" Andrea threw her hands in the air in frustration.

Lena chuckled. "Andy, Ruby is 20. I think you're good."

Andrea shook her head. "Sam wants more."

Lena's eyes widen then she choked on thin air and coughed ungracefully. Andrea pointed her reaction with batting hands.

"See! See! This was my reaction too. We're close to 40. Ruby is already 20. Why does she want a niño now? She's finally free! Why does she want one with me? I'm not mother material. I lost my mom too young to know how I'm supposed to do it!"

Her rant was getting louder and louder. She was finally expelling all the fears and reasons she had not to accept a more serious relationship with Sam.

"We don't even know if we fit together. It's too soon. I can't! I just can't!"

Her voice echoed on the walls but it never found another to reply. Lena and Kara were looking at her with sympathy and knowledge, because they had shared this type of dilemmas before. They knew how it felt. How crazy it sounded, to give up on the only person you loved just because of fear and doubt.

As the silence stretched on, shame started to invade Andrea's thoughts. She hadn't meant to share this much. She didn't like the way her friends were looking at her. And she was sure she had betrayed Sam in a way by talking about their relationship behind her back. She had said too much. She didn't even know Kara that much, they were colleagues, mostly, and Andrea wasn't even in charge at CatCo anymore. And Lena was really guarded since she had discovered her lie about the medallion. Their bond had been broken since then, even if Lena had told her she trusted her multiple times. It wasn't like Andrea was used to share her thoughts with anybody, let alone people she wanted to keep in her life, not flee it. She was sure Lena and Kara were thinking she was crazy now.

As if remarking her inner turmoil, Lena stepped slowly to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'm sorry I pushed you to talk."

They shared a look. Lena smiled softly at her then pulled her in, enveloping her in a rare hug. They never shared this much contact. Not since they rekindled all these years ago. It was not the type of friendship they shared. They hugged in rare occasions, like birthdays or weddings or inventions launch that changed the face of the planet. But it wasn't like this. It was never with an emotional purpose. More like a friendly business-rooted affection because they shared the importance of their works. This time, though, Lena wanted to comfort her and Andrea felt like the air had quit her lungs at the moment she had realized it. It was the first real hug they shared since she had betrayed Lena. It felt like the missing puzzle piece had finally been put back in the right slot.

Wonder Woman got out of the water the moment they were pulling away. The Amazon looked at them with confusion but didn't seem she wanted to know.

"Everything's sealed down there." She just said, pressing her hands over her armor and hair to dry herself a bit.

"Good." Kara replied. "We can go look at the nave's walls now." She said while taking the lead back to the tunnel.

Lena shot a small smile to Andrea and followed Kara. None of them addressed the hug but Andrea was sure of one thing. She wasn't the only one who needed it.

"So this is our daughter." Kara pointed the drawing of the rock where a being was glowing with bright purple energy.

"I guess." Lena said. They could hear tourists' voices far away on the water. "But if it represents Liz, this is supposed to be her alter ego." She replied pointing to the figure vomiting fire from its mouth.

Kara shrugged, a pout of disgust on her face. "She's supposed to beat that guy."

"Yeah. This is The Other. The person who defeated us all in another dimension."

Andrea huffed next to them. "Great. I guess we better start training."

Lena wanted to chuckle but really the situation was too serious. They all died because of this monster. Alex, Kelly, Kara, Liz. How could Liz beat it and succeed this time?

"You said it wasn't supposed to happen before several years." Wonder Woman asked Lena.

"It happened in 2038 on Earth 66." Lena replied.

The Amazon looked thoughtful for a minute. They were all contemplating the drawings. Lena and Andrea had found, during the night research, that Scottish legends said the drawings had been made by giants' children while they were walking from one side of the ocean to the other. The whole area was furnished with giants legends. The caves were supposed to be blocks of basalt which had been crashed under their feet as they were traveling. It was interesting in a historical level but Andrea and Lena had concluded that it had nothing to do with the Unique prophecy.

"It seems to show that they do share a link." Wonder Woman said as her hand followed the line drawn on the wall between the two beings.

"I'm sure they do, but it doesn't mean it's the way to beat him." Lena said.

"What about these symbols there?" Kara said, pointing to a corner.

They all looked up to the corner of the drawing and frowned. There was nothing.

"I think you're the only one seeing them." Lena said.

Kara's mouth formed an O. She looked at the corner again then pulled her cellphone out of a secret pocket. "I should take it in picture, then. So that I can draw it again back home."

"That's a good idea."

"Can you describe how it looks?" Wonder Woman asked.

Kara was already in the air, pointing her phone to the right angle. "It's symbols, like hieroglyphs or even Kryptonese, you know. I've just never seen it, but there're so many different languages on Earth, it doesn't surprise me."

"It must be important." Lena said.

"Maybe the transcription of the prophecy." Andrea added.

"Or a solution to beat the darkness." Wonder Woman said with gravity.

They all nodded and watched Kara eased back down on the ground. They looked at the walls a bit longer. Lena took closer pictures of the drawings, missing her step once or twice but Kara always managed to catch her at the last moment.

"I think we're good." Kara said after the last time she had caught Lena in her arms.

"Right."

Lena straightened up and they all took each other's hands to form a circle. As Lena closed her eyes to teleport them, they all felt the jolt of electricity at the same time. They pulled away in a panic. Lena stumbled on her feet, exhausted. "I can't do it. I've used too much of my powers."

Kara caught her on the side. "Woah, easy there. Want me to fly us back to the Tower?"

Lena looked around and frowned. She was pale, her eyes glassy, as if magic had quit her body. "No, just to my house in Ireland. It'll be too long to go back to the States. I need to recharge."

"But what about Liz?" Kara asked, a bit of surprise in her voice.

"She's with Sam. There's no safer place. Don't you trust her?"

Kara bit her bottom lip in embarrassment. "I do. She has a daughter after all. I just don't want Liz to think we left her."

Lena just sighed and seemed to melt more into Kara. "She'll be fine. From what we'd just seen, she'll need to start training soon. Let her enjoy her childhood a bit longer and spend time with her godmother."

Kara scrunched up her face and looked up to the other two women. "Yeah, right. So, to Ireland?"

"I'm needed in Washington. I'm going back." Wonder Woman said. She turned towards Andrea. "Do you want to join me?"

"You fly too?"

"I do." Diana smirked. "Are you scared of flying?"

"No." Andrea frowned. She turned towards Lena and Kara. "Is it okay if I go back too? I have an early meeting in the morning."

"Of course. Go, Andy. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Sam is staying in town anyway. We should grab lunch or dinner even." Lena said with a tired smile.

"She didn't tell me she was-"

She didn't have the time to finish her sentence. Wonder Woman had jumped in the air and flew quickly above the clouds. Kara and Lena watched their tiny dot in the sky, trying not to laugh.

"She'll be mad." Kara said.

"She'll be so mad." Lena agreed. They burst out laughing anyway. Kara kissed her on the cheek, still chuckling.

"Let's go."

The house was exactly like they had left it in their previous visit. Lena looked through her mail rapidly but decided it could wait. She just wanted a glass of wine and some dinner before going to bed. Kara followed her in the kitchen as she poured them their drinks. It wasn't heavy between them, per se, but there was something hanging. It was the first time they were totally alone since they had shared a kiss in the Fortress. Lena missed Liz already but she knew they needed this time to talk. Really talk. Just the two of them. Without interruption.

The house was silent. There was no car or urgency or people talking around them. The garden was secluded but inviting. They decided to watch the sunset while drinking their glasses on the terrace. Lena had a table and four chairs in the lawn but Kara decided to sit in one of the two deck chairs. She gave her hand to Lena, asking wordlessly to sit with her. Lena already knew she couldn't fight the invisible force that was always pulling her to Kara. She took her hand and let herself be guided to the deck chair. She sat in between Kara's legs, the blonde enveloping her in her arms.

It was like they were made to fit together. Lena leaned her head back on Kara's shoulder and sighed. She had never felt this type of belonging before. She had hugged Kara a hundred times, in different circumstances. Kara had often shed her tears and showed her support through affection. But now, it didn't feel the same. Their hugs hadn't the same meanings. The same intensity. It was as if the love they felt for each other had been converted in sparks of electricity, cursing through their skins and between them, pulling them together, irrevocably.

Lena could feel so much, just by being close to Kara. The blonde's warmth was surrounding her like a true winter blanket. Kara had her chin on her shoulder, their cheeks brushing from time to time, making Lena stiffen for a second, only to melt immediately after at the comfort it brought her. Kara was breathing calmly against her. Lena swore their breaths were synchronizing involuntarily. She could almost fall asleep in this daze between quietness and desire. Kara's natural greedy smell of vanilla and cinnamon didn't help.

"I really like to hug you. You fit perfectly." Kara whispered in her ear. She was met with deafening silence and tensed. Lena realized she hadn't replied soon enough. "Sorry, that sounded weird and clingy." Kara added.

"No, it's…" Lena sighed through her nose and grabbed at Kara's hands on her belly. She was tired but, in her house, surrounding by her ancestors' energy, it felt less taxing and she could really enjoy Kara's affection like she should. "I like it too. Very much." She admitted. Her eyes closed, she inhaled to admit the biggest part. "I just never dare ask for it so, please, do it as much as you want."

Kara didn't reply at first. She squeezed her tighter. Lena's lack of affection during her childhood was a topic neither of them liked to broach. Lena didn't like to talk about it because it sounded childish and needy and was painful. Kara didn't like to talk about it because it made her so angry she could go to the Phantom Zone just to put two laser holes in Lex's brain. So, they never addressed it. Instead, they usually brushed the topic away with humor.

Kara chuckled against her and Lena felt it all in her body. "Oh, you'll regret that, you know."

"I don't think so." She whispered with a soft smile.

They stayed silent for some time, enjoying the world around them. The birds and little squirrels were living in the trees around them. The sky was slowly turning from light blue to deep purple. The Moon was even visible in a strange moment between day and night. She couldn't wait to see the stars and show the constellations to Kara. It didn't take long for the sky to turn entirely purple then navy blue with little sparkling white dots forming shapes only the biggest imaginations could see.

"So beautiful." Kara said in wonder.

Lena finished her glass of wine quietly then leaned back against her. "What's your favorite? The Moon or the stars?"

It took Kara a moment to reply. At first, Lena had thought it was maybe a painful subject because it reminded her of everything she had lost. Or maybe Kara needed a little bit more time to choose, because she always took this type of questions seriously. It was none of that.

"Nothing compares to your eyes."

A deep blush spread on Lena's cheeks and neck. She should have known better. She should have expected it. Kara was a romantic at heart.

"Yours remind me of the Atlantic Ocean seen from the French coast." She said without thinking. She felt Kara's smile against her cheek.

"Yours are the color of the lake we used to go fishing with Jeremiah."

Lena pulled away to look at her with a playful glint in her eyes. "Oh, so they look like dirty water."

"No!" Kara exclaimed immediately. She circled her in her arms to pull her back against her. "It's just that sometimes they're green and sometimes they're blue, depending on the light and the season, and it reminds me of when we were in the middle of the lake on our boat and the sky would meet the water. The blue and the green were mixing into each other. Your eyes look like that. When the sky meets the water." She rambled.

Lena's stomach was dancing at the admission. She didn't know Kara had analyzed her eyes that much. She could only reply with good old humor as her defense mechanism. "You know, I'm already hooked. You don't need to be this charming."

Kara looked down, blushing. "I just speak the truth. It's my job to remind you how beautiful you are."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Uhuh." Kara leaned to whisper in her ear. "In case you'd forget it."

Lena sucked in a sharp breath, her skin erupting in goosebumps. "I forget many things when you're this close, Miss Danvers."

Kara snorted lightly and closed the distance to put a tender kiss on her cheek. "I can't believe I can do this now." She said when she pulled back with a lovesick grin on her face. Kara looked so in love at this moment that Lena wondered how she could have been this oblivious this whole time.

"You'll get sick of it."

"Ha, not a chance." Kara countered.

"We'll see. I'm sure you'll get sick of my tantrums." Lena countered, sitting sideway on Kara's lap.

"Uhuh."

"And my panic attacks." She started to count on her fingers.

Kara frowned, concerned. "Didn't know you still had those."

"And my control freak attitude." Lena continued, unbothered.

"I'll loosen you up." The blonde smiled suggestively.

"And my trust issues."

"Well, I think I already passed that test."

Lena snorted, agreeing. "Yes, you did, darling." She enveloped her arms around Kara's neck. The blonde seemed delighted by the rare gesture of affection. Lena was slowly losing her inhibitions. She could feel her walls crashing down the more she spent time with Kara. Just like it had happened thirteen years ago when she got first to National City, swearing she would not befriend anybody again.

Kara put a finger under her chin, mistaking her glassy eyes for doubt or distrust. Their eyes met and Lena smiled instantly. "There's not a thing," Kara said emphasizing every word. "I don't love about you, Lena Kieran Luthor. Even your stubbornness is charming."

Lena scrunched up her nose, her fingers caressing the little locks of hair at the base of Kara's nape. "I think it'll be less charming on a daily basis."

Kara tilted her head with a fond smile. "Does that mean you're ready for us to be together?"

"I am." Lena nodded. "I think I stayed away because I didn't know how to explain why I wanted a baby that was made with my best friend's DNA. I don't think I was ready to tell…" She sighed. "I wasn't ready to accept my feelings."

"And what about now?" Kara questioned gently. Not pushing, not judging. Just listening.

Lena looked at her. Truly looked at her. Kara was kindness personified. The Paragon of Hope. Supergirl. But she was also all the little details that made Lena fall in love with her. Her endless appetite. Her quick and witty humor. Her protectiveness towards her friends. Her dorky sides which liked to come out to make people feel better. The wonder in her eyes when she discovered something new. The affection she was demonstrating so easily to anyone who she judged deserved it. The love she only reserved for Esme and the one special love she reserved for Liz. Her way to always see the good in people, even when their name was Luthor and that they had proved multiple times they couldn't be trusted. Kara had been her unconditional support and she would have stayed so if Lena hadn't run away to Ireland because she was too scared of her feelings. No, now, she was ready. She loved her and she was ready to show it.

She pulled a bit on her arms to close the gap between their foreheads. "Now, I really like where I am." She smiled lovingly. "Even if there's still a part of me that thinks I'm going to crash this up because that's what I do."

Kara shook her head against her own. Lena could only see her pinched disapproving lips. "Alright, I correct my statement from earlier. I don't like your cynical persona."

Lena snorted and pulled away in excitement. "Ha, you see. It's just the beginning."

Kara shook her head, amused but forced Lena to stay serious. "Honestly, though, I don't see myself with anybody else other than you, Lena. I know it can be scary but I'll be there with you. We'll do it together."

Lena smiled, ignoring the effect those words had on her heart. "I know, love. I'm ready. I apologize for the time we lost because I had cold feet. I was so scared of the damage I could do. Of the damage you could find in me. Now, I'm all in this with you. I'm ready to move forward."

Kara seemed to ponder her last words. She nuzzled Lena's nose affectionately. "I like the sound of that." Kara said. She held Lena closer to her and leaned to slide soft kisses in her neck. Lena's breath got unsteady without her consent.

"I like the feeling of that." Lena sighed appreciatively.

"You do?" Kara whispered against her skin. Lena felt the vibrations spread all over her pulse point.

"Hum."

Kara's feather touch traveled on her skin. Along her arm. Past the peak of her elbow. Around her wrist. In the palm of her hand. Until the last bit of her finger. Lena arched under her touch, shivered under her fingers. Kara's mouth continued to nip at her pulse point. Lena was warm everywhere. She felt like she was suddenly conscious for the first time of every atom that was forming her body. She felt alive. Important.

Lena turned completely in Kara's arms to sat on her lap, bracketing her with her legs. Kara's face was the epitome of affection. Lena looked down at her lips through half-lidded eyes and licked her own on impulse. Kara grinned too widely to be innocent. Nothing was stopping them, now. Not even the little wings of butterflies in Lena's stomach. She leaned forward and captured Kara's lips with intention. The connection was instantaneous. The blonde moaned and replied with the same intensity. It felt like breathing for the first time. Her hands stayed on Lena's hips, locking her against her. And then, they slid under Lena's shirt and the brunette felt like she was graced by the Sun itself.

Kara was warm and so soft. She was grazing the skin on Lena's back so tenderly, like she wanted to take care of every inch of skin on Lena's body. It was relieving. Soothing. Like the summer breeze on tan sweating skin. Lena was melting in her arms. Their tongues were dancing against one another in a delicate waltz. The silence around them was only broken by long sighs and high moans. As Kara's full lips slid from her mouth to her jaw then from her neck to her collarbone, a sharp inhale moved Lena's entire body before it was replaced by a deep moan. Those lips were intoxicating. Lena was barely aware of her hands tangled in Kara's blond locks or of her hips rocking sensually against hers. She had never needed someone so badly in her life. It didn't feel close enough. As if sharing her mind, Kara's hand caressed up her back, passed under the strap of her bra, stayed there, caressed the tender flesh but didn't undo it. It slid back down her back, her nails scrapping the skin gently on the way. Patiently waiting for the right moment. Dragging the instant. So that they could stay in their cocoon a little longer. But Lena had waited enough.

"Inside." She mumbled against Kara's lips before standing up clumsily from her lap. The blonde opened confused eyes. She didn't seem to have heard. She was adorable. Lena gave her a hand and smiled flirtatiously. Her eyes were saying all it had to be said.

Kara had seen Lena in an immeasurable amount of revealing dresses. She could exactly remember the ones she had preferred and the ones in which Lena had looked the most powerful. She could pinpoint the thin lines of her favorite. It was the black dress Lena had worn at Morgan Edge's launch. The short sleeves had barely covered her biceps, letting anyone admire the angular and sensual structure of Lena's creamy collar bones and neck. Letting anyone admire her generous cleavage, reminding everyone they could see it but not touch it. To Kara, this was the dress in which Lena had looked so beautiful and confident and inviting. But none of those dresses had done her justice. They had hidden enough to spark the imagination of what it could feel like to run a hand on these curves, to trace a wet tongue down this navel, to feel these toned legs loosely circle around a waist. They had done a good job because the reality was not close to anything Kara had ever imagined. There was not any word that could summarize how Lena's beauty was striking. Kara would probably need her whole life to find the right words – and she knew plenty, thank you very much. But she would do it, only to see Lena smile like she was at the moment.

So natural and noticeable and bare. Lena's usual aristocratic stance had been replaced by loose muscles and clumsy gestures. She was all soft and strong, wanting everything all at once but not knowing where to start. She was grabbing Kara's shirt in tight fists, then scrapping her nails on Kara's back, then pulling at her neck with one hand and tangling the other in her hair. She was smiling and laughing and kissing and moaning and loving. Rao, Kara could swear that she had fallen all over again just seeing her this free. Only deeper, stronger. Intensely.

Her senses were on a high. Kara felt drunk. Drunk on Lena's natural perfume. On the obscene sounds that were escaping her mouth. On the touch of the smooth cream skin of her breast. On the love reflecting in her vibrant green eyes. Drunk in love. She wanted to cherish every inch of skin, wanted to soothe every wound in Lena's heart, wanted to glue back every broken piece and tell her that it would never break again. Not under her care.

They shared a long look, both naked under the sheets in Lena's bedroom. Kara's eyes fell on the Platinum Kryptonite hanging from her neck. She grabbed it and pulled it up her head. It wasn't a hard decision, really. Lena needed to be safe if they wanted to do this. She pulled Lena up against the pillows to glide the necklace around her neck. Lena sucked in a sharp breath at the contact of the cold stone on her skin right between her breasts. She leaned back against the pillows and slid a lone nail along Kara's shoulder blade. The blonde winced in pleasure, her hips jerking up on impulse, eliciting moans from them both in the process. A glint appeared in Lena's eyes. Now, they were even.

For a moment, it was just the two of them. The sheets were silky soft on the small of Kara's back. The air was cool on her bare chest. Birds were chirping in the trees around the mansion. But Kara was only seeing Lena. She had her thighs wrapped around her hips. Her eyes were telling Kara how much she wanted them. She looked so vulnerable. It was striking.

"I love you." Kara exhaled in her dreamy contemplation. She kissed Lena's open mouth only to realize she wasn't kissed back. She stopped and looked at her. Lena was staring at her with a fixed gaze. She had tears in her questioning eyes, her face the pure expression of fear and doubt. And then, realization and acceptance. Kara knew this face. Lena never dared asking to be loved, as if considering herself not worthy of it, but oh, how she needed it. Lena craved that love, that affection, and Kara could see it right in her green eyes. She would be a fool to refuse her that. She deserved so much more. It had happened too fast, the day before. So fast, that neither of them had the time to ponder what were the consequences of their kiss. Now, Kara had the time to prove her what she meant. To prove to her that she had been honest. That she hadn't made promises she wouldn't keep.

Kara cupped her face with both hands and plunged her eyes in hers, planting the seed of trust, watering it. "I love you, Lena. I love you." She emphasized each word determinedly, confidently, her voice never wavering. "I will love you as long as you allow me to."

Lena blinked briefly, her tears escaping on her cheeks. Kara kissed both of her cheekbones then slightly pulled away. "Let me love you."

Lena closed the gap in a wet whimper, her head nodding. "I love you too." She whispered against Kara's lips. The weight those words were carrying wasn't lost on them. Lena finally trusted her. Kara smiled through their kiss and enveloped her closer, snaking her arms all over her back and waist. Lena wrapped her legs around her waist, pushing Kara's hips to her with her heels. They both moaned at the contact.

"I want you." Lena croaked out, her cheeks damp but her smile radiant.

"You're sure you want to do this now?" Kara asked innocently and Lena cursed under her breath at the reminder of innocent-little-journalist Kara Danvers who wore glasses and was clumsy just for show.

"Don't you want to wait?" Kara inquired again but her lips were on Lena's pulse point and her tongue was flipping the skin there so expertly that Lena felt like her whole body was on fire. She pushed Kara gently on the shoulders to look at her.

"I love you." She said as an explanation, more confident than the first time she had said it. "We've waited long enough." And with that, she pulled Kara down and kissed her sensually.

Lena had multiple tattoos. Kara had seen them all now. The one on her back was her favorite. She had kissed and caressed the word Virtuous with intention and honesty. The big bold letters on the small of her back were so rebellious and out of character. It defined Lena now, but Kara was sure it must have been really entertaining to be in the Luthor mansion when Lena had come back with this one.

Kara also liked the little Roman date on her collar bone. Liz's birth date. Right above her heart, where Liz belonged. She liked it so much that she even thought what it would look like on her. She had never really felt the need to be tattooed before – the only things she wanted to remember that way were her parents' names and faces but she couldn't put them on her skin permanently and stay discreet about her identity at the same time – but now, she understood the need. She wanted to show Liz was hers and that her love was only Liz's. She wanted everybody to know and she wanted the reminder everyday in the mirror. She would talk to Alex about it, to see if it was possible with a very good needle.

Lena's third tattoo was an enigma. Well, not really because Kara could clearly see what it was. She just couldn't guess what it represented for Lena. It was an owl, with its black and white feathers forming a heart around its head and deep black eyes watching. It seemed like it was following you around. Lena had it on her ribs on her left side. Kara had never seen it before, but it looked quite old, like the one on Lena's back. She promised herself to look the symbolism behind owls later.

Kara was caressing the tattoo on Lena's wrist. The last one. It looked old but was new to her. All black with gross curves and lines. From afar, it looked like a child had drawn on Lena's skin but now that Kara was closer, she could see it formed something. It looked like a goat captured in a shield shape frame. The creature had corns and wings and a female torso and was sporting a defiant smirk. It was sitting like a yogi in the middle of what looked like little demons with their spiked ears and teeth. No doubt it looked weird from afar. There were too many details in it to be beautiful on a wrist. Too many not to look ominous.

"It's new."

Lena looked down calmly and hummed. "Yeah, it's a coven mark."

The dim light of the lamp on the bedside table was forming yellow halos on their naked bodies. It reminded Kara of the sunset in Midvale. She rose her head from Lena's chest, her eyes demanding more explanations. She let her chin lean just above Lena's right breast. It was curiosity more than judgment, really. Lena never spoke about magic so Kara was desperate to know more. She had seen a lot of weird supernatural things in her life but magic was an unknown territory.

"It had more use during the trials but it's still useful. It's a link. If something happens to me, Florence will know immediately." Lena's voice was sore and raucous. Her heart was beating tiredly. Kara knew she was comfortable to talk about it so she took the opportunity to keep the discussion going. She had been desperate to learn more about magic for years now.

"Trials? Like in Salem when they…?"

"Yes." Lena winced and brushed her fingers through Kara's hair with a loving smile. "The witch hunt happened all over the world in different times and places. In UK, it started in the 16th century, mostly. The covens were more spread than now and a lot of witches felt the need to protect themselves. They cast the mark upon themselves as a warning. It helped them flee in case of an attack on one of them."

"Each coven has its own mark?"

Lena chuckled lightly. Kara thought it was beautiful. "No. We all have this ugly Beelzebub representation. I didn't want to have it at first but, with time, it became a rite of passage, meaning you were entirely welcomed in the coven. So, Florence convinced me, saying it'll reinforce our link and our magic. Meaning I could protect Liz better. So, I accepted."

"Do you feel the link?"

"I do." Lena nodded. She pulled the sheets higher on them. Kara tangled her legs with hers. "When I use my powers, it's like I can take it from this enormous pool of magic. It feels infinite."

Kara contemplated what she just learned. She kissed Lena's tattoo on her collar bone. "Liz will have the mark too someday."

Lena shrugged one shoulder. "I'll give her the choice but I'd feel better if she had it."

"You don't need it to have a bond with her." Kara remarked. She couldn't help the disappointment showing on her face. It still felt like Liz was closer to Lena, which was logical, knowing she only knew Kara for a week.

Lena cupped her cheek gently, her thumb caressing her cheekbone. "I know. We have a connection." Kara smiled sadly. "But don't look so dejected, she has a bond with you too. I can't understand everything about her."

"And I can't either. Magic terrifies me a bit, I admit." Kara winced. "Since Nyxly, I always wondered how it was possible that beings this powerful weren't already running the world with iron magical fists."

Lena scowled. "Ah, so what? Do you think we're no use?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the role of a coven is to link witches together so they can fight against evil threats."

Kara frowned. "Yeah, but demons and all that stuff don't exist right? We're not in Charmed or something."

Lena cocked an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. "You can fly. How is it weird for demons to exist? I exist too and I'm a witch."

"I know but it feels so impossible and far-fetched."

"I can tell you it's not. The threats are real." Lena insisted with raised eyebrows.

"Did you fight some?"

Lena's sheepish expression said it all. Kara jumped on her in excitement, shuffling the mattress under them. "Oh my god! You're like Buffy, or, or, I don't know, Hermione Granger. A mix of them!"

Lena chuckled and grabbed at Kara's face to kiss her quickly. "I'm sure, even if those two are beautiful women, you still prefer me being Lena Luthor."

"I… yeah, I wouldn't change you for anyone." Kara concealed with a shy smile. They kissed for a while, enjoying the quietness around them. Lena used her new acquired powers to balance them, intertwining their fingers to pin Kara to the mattress. Kara frowned.

"I have a question though." She said through kisses. Lena looked back at her, questioning. "Isn't Beelzebub a representation of the devil?"

Lena hummed and eased her head down on Kara's chest to hug her. The blonde immediately smoothed her fingers through the strands of her dark hair without thinking twice.

"He is now." Lena admitted. "At the time, it was mostly a magical creature. Witches used his scary representation to push curious eyes away."

"I thought he represented black magic. Like some sort of a divine icon for people using black magic."

Lena shook her head, her face serious. "No there's not really such a thing as white or black magic. There's just good or… not so good intentions." She shrugged.

Kara scrunched up her face. "This is a bit terrifying."

Lena laughed. "This is what terrifies you?" She chuckled some more as Kara nodded. "You can be terrifying too. Not because you have powers and can lift two buildings at once or do a round of the Earth in 5 minutes."

"That was 4 minutes and 47 seconds but I'm closer to 3 minutes and a half now." Kara chipped in cockily. Lena slapped her lightly on the shoulder, making Kara giggle and glide her hand on her ribs, enveloping her in a protective embrace.

"I'm serious. You terrify me." Lena said with a more intense tone. "Because you're the only one who's ever seen through me. Behind the lipstick and the neutral demeanor. You saw through the damaged woman, the fragile little girl. And I thought a lot about that, you know. How you were so perceptive, so aware of what I wanted to hear, what I needed. It was really, just, terrifying." She finished in an exhale.

Kara looked at her with softness in her eyes. "You're wrong." She kissed her nose. "I never saw you as fragile. I don't see you as damaged. You are scarred for sure but it makes you who you are." She shrugged. "I don't see you as a problem to fix. I see a brave woman. And after seeing you with our daughter, knowing you gave birth to a half Kryptonian being, and raised her to become this wonderful kid, I have so much respect for you. You have no idea how you're actually glowing in my eyes. I never thought I'll be able to have a family and you gave me one. I'll be forever grateful to you for that."

Lena gulped, trying to keep the tears at bay. Since they had arrived in Ireland, they kept talking about their feelings and revealing what they wanted, what it all meant for them. It was reassuring. The control freak in her liked to know what she was up for. But it was no less taxing. They were the roller coaster specialists of emotions. One minute, they were laughing, the next, they were tearing up. The other, they were kissing passionately. And then, they were circling back to serious talks. It was disturbing but Lena loved it. They had so many things to tell each other, so many things they had kept hidden for too long. They could share everything now.

"I could feel it, you know." Lena whispered. Kara frowned. "The way you were looking at me. The way we would be attracted to each other like two magnets. I felt it. I knew you were about to say something, do something about it. I wasn't just brave enough to accept it."

Kara softened. "But you are now." There wasn't a question in her tone. She believed in what Lena had told her earlier. She was in this for good.

Lena nodded. "I don't usually talk about my feelings. You know that." Kara complied silently, a no-kidding glint in her eyes, but she stayed silent, patiently waiting for Lena to elaborate.

Lena cleared her throat. "People always wanted something from me. They came close just to be in the spotlight for a bit, or because they wanted a business agreement or sometimes, just… sex." She rubbed at her nose shamefully. "But they always leave at a certain point. You didn't." She looked directly into Kara's eyes. "I never understood… I never found what you could possibly want from me. I always thought you would leave at some point, just like the others but you never did."

Kara's fingers formed endless circles around her belly button. She leaned a bit to kiss her shoulder, as if to comfort her. It was as easy for her. To show her love. Touches and kisses. That was how she showed her presence. How she showed that she was here to stay.

"James was fine. He was gentle and he listened, which is awfully rare nowadays." Lena snorted. "But he always looked at me like I needed to be fixed. Like I was a fragile damsel, and you and I know how it's infuriating."

They shared a knowing look. They both had met resistance when it had occurred to men around them that they were more powerful without them. Both knew how hard it was to be a woman in a man's world.

"I guess, what I mean to say is that I know my heart is safe with you. I'm just scared of not being enough. You're Kara Danvers. The loving sister, the caring friend. You always give so much and…" She sighed shakily, her eyes filling up with tears as she exposed her deepest fear. "I just want to give you as much as you give me."

Kara huffed and pulled her by her hips. She wrapped her in the most reassuring hug Lena had ever had. And she had known Kara for a long time. In her arms, it was finally possible to breathe normally. Like earlier, her heart was synchronizing its beating with Kara's, and she could push away the panic that was just hiding beneath her dismissing exterior.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" Kara whispered in her ear. The question hit deep. Lena felt a blush cover her entire body and could only hide it by diving her nose in Kara's neck.

"It's… I can't even fathom sometimes." Kara chuckled lightly. "I've seen a lot of things, I've been through space. Rao, I even went through different dimensions, but what you do to me, Lena, I've never felt like this before." She confessed tenderly in her ear. "I could tell you how much you deserve this. How much you're worthy of it, but you won't believe me."

She pulled away but stayed close enough for their noses to touch. Their eyes locked. Time seemed to stop.

"I can only promise you that I am happy with you and that you are enough." She smiled lovingly. Lena's stomach did a somersault in her abdomen. "I'll show you so as long as you let me."

A lonely tear slid down Lena's cheek. Kara kissed it then kissed her lips tenderly. Lena whimpered against them. Their legs tangled in a mess of sheets and flesh. Her hips were already moving to their own accords. The seriousness of their discussion was vanishing into thin air. Desire and love were replacing it. Too eager to share love and affection, to show it. Once again, their very own roller coaster.

"You better stay because I won't bear losing you again." Lena mumbled through kisses with a slight threat. Kara giggled and kissed her deeper. She bit a lower lip lightly and pulled on it. Lena gritted her teeth to avoid moaning too loudly.

"As if I could stay away from you." Kara simply replied as she glided her hand on smooth abs and through soft folds. "You're addictive."

Lena whimpered under her touch as her fingers entered her carefully. Very slowly. Then stopped. She gasped for air a couple of seconds and met Kara's eyes. A smirk grew on her lips.

"I love you too, darling."

Chapter Text

Lena woke up with pleasant kisses all over her back and shoulders. She thought she was still dreaming but the smooth touches and the soft hum were very real. If the day before it had felt like a burning touch, this morning it felt like a cool breeze on chilly skin.

"Hum, I could stay like this all day."

Kara giggled lovingly behind her. Her arms snaked around her stomach. One of her legs tangled in between Lena's. "Didn't know you had this type of patience, Miss Luthor."

Lena giggled too and squeezed the forearms on her stomach before turning around. She put her own arms around Kara's neck. Their bodies met in a grateful embrace, eager to find each other back. "There's much more things you have to learn about me, darling."

"I can't wait to do just that, then." Kara grinned.

They kissed slowly and lovingly, enjoying the presence of the other. The sun was already up and crawling through the curtains, enveloping the bedroom in a rich orange glow. Lena had never felt this calm before. Never. Not with anyone, not even Kara. Because she never had the chance to see and feel Kara like this. Her hair was everywhere – Lena thought momentarily that she shouldn't look better –, blond locks were tangled and knotted, sprawled out on the cushions like a lion's mane. Her blue eyes were so soft and gentle under this light, so warm. Her skin looked almost magical with the sun kissing it. Sparkling, even, like sand under a sunset. And her touch, God, her touch was everything.

Kara had been cautious all along the previous night, even if Lena was protected by the Platinum Kryptonite around her neck. She had made sure not to hurt her or to force her into anything she wasn't comfortable with. She had whispered sweet nothings in Lena's ears. Praises. Compliments. Love. And she had touched her everywhere she could, gracing every cell in her body with the most tender touch Lena had ever felt. It had made her feel treasured. Worshiped.

"I'm going to make breakfast." Kara said, punctuating her words with a kiss on Lena's jaw. "You stay here and enjoy some more sleep."

Lena watched her shuffle out of bed, bare from head to toe, and didn't feel the need to sleep more than she had. "Hum, no, I'll just take a shower and meet you downstairs."

Kara nodded, putting Lena's robe on like it was the most natural thing for them to just share their space and their breakfast and their bed. It had become normal, eventually during the week, but it was still pretty new. And not like this. Lena fell against the cushions with her arms widespread as she listened to Kara going downstairs. Her mind hadn't caught up on the last events in her life just yet. It all felt surreal, as if she had been under the influence of a black mercy. Lena tried not to overthink it too much. Not to dwell about all the changes that were supposed to happen but it was part of her personality. She needed to plan and, for now, she couldn't plan, which was slowly raising panic within her. They had to plan what they were going to tell Liz, and they had to make so many decisions concerning each of their lives. Were they going to move to National City permanently? Would Liz accept that? Wasn't it too many changes too soon? And what about her job? Even if she had put her projects on stand-by, she couldn't give up on her life in Ireland entirely. Thinking about it, it wasn't like they had a real life there though. Lena was known by another name and Liz hated going to school there. They had no friends, no family in Ireland. Except her mom's old house and all the souls living in it. Lena sighed heavily. She hated overthinking.

With a huff, she stood up from the bed and didn't bother covering herself to cross the hall to the bathroom. Under the cool water, memories of the night kept swirling in her mind. She had never been loved like this before. A strange mix of feelings was cursing through her body. Tranquility. Belonging. Pride. Affection. Excitement. Desire. Every word was flashing in her mind with a striking image of Kara. Kara's gentle hands on her. Kara's deep caring eyes. Kara's love words caressing her ears. It all felt familiar and unknown at the same time. Lena didn't know what it was but she sure didn't want to let it go. A huge smile spread across her face. She was happy. For the first time in a very long time.

Two hands grabbed at her waist. Lena startled in a sharp gasp. Her heart stopped for a millisecond.

"It's me. Sorry." Kara chuckled a bit but didn't move.

Lena inhaled and relaxed. You would think that spending her life planning for threats would have helped Lena anticipate everything, but she never got accustomed to being abducted or hit by surprise. She shoved Kara momentarily away by the shoulder, the blonde's laugh erupting in the shower. What a lovely little daft cow.

"I hate you sometimes." Lena hissed but pressed her soppy body further against Kara anyway.

Kara chuckled once more and caressed Lena's sides with her thumbs. Her hands glided against the wet skin of Lena's stomach before she made a choice. Her right one grabbed at Lena's left hip while the left one slid upward to envelop Lena's breast lovingly and massage it. Their bodies pressed together. The brunette melted in her arms, her worries already vanishing.

"I heard the water run and couldn't resist." Kara whispered against her cheek.

"Hum, we'll never leave this house." Lena mumbled but couldn't resist Kara's sweet assault on her neck. Her eyes didn't want to stay open. She tilted her head on the side to give Kara space.

"I think I can live with that." Kara whispered back. She nipped at the skin just between Lena's neck and her shoulder, a place she had marked multiple times during the night. Lena inhaled sharply and grabbed at the hand on her breast in a smack sound. Her fingers intertwined with Kara's and she eased her grip to accompany her touch.

"We-We have matters to-to take care of."

Lena could sense Kara's lips spread into a smile on her skin at her vain attempt. Kara's breasts were pressed tightly against her back. Their hips were grinding against each other in a sensual rhythm. It was captivating. So captivating that Lena felt lightheaded.

"You're not very convincing, right now."

Kara's hand left her hip to grab at the breast still untouched and it almost felt like too much already. Kara's natural forwardness in intimacy was making her weak in the knees and wet everywhere else. Lena had never given up that much control to any partner before. But this was Kara, and Kara was special. Much more than that, in fact.

"Fu- I love this side of you." Lena exhaled in between moans. Her other hand met Kara's in her ministrations. They were working together in a fiery dance. Moans and deep inhales and exhales formed fog around them on the shower's glass walls. Time seemed to stand still, hanging on a rope, balancing in the middle of Lena's underbelly, tickling her insides, waiting to be delivered to plunge into the boiling magma of her desire.

Kara's kisses stopped as she took a step on the side, her hips still attached to Lena's, as she rose a hand to Lena's chin to guide her into a languorous kiss. Desire climbed quickly between them as their tongues licked into open mouths and teeth bit into plumped red lips. In one swift motion, Lena's back hit the cold glass wall of the shower as Kara carried her effortlessly. Their hips met in an unexpected collision and they both groaned loudly.

"We need a strap-on." Kara grumbled in her neck absentmindedly.

Lena's mind made a literal pause and she leaned her head away to look at Kara with astonishment but blazing desire in her now-glowing-yellow eyes. Kara stopped too to look at her. Her face morphed from fear to cheekiness.

"What?" She smirked. "You have things to learn about me too." She pushed on her hips to make her point, moaning loudly herself at the contact.

Lena snorted and pulled on her neck to kiss her deeply. A lovely and sexy daft cow, indeed. Her lovely and sexy daft cow.

As they were making love in the shower, Kara's burning eyes staring up at her from between her legs, Lena couldn't agree more. She wanted to test everything with Kara. She wanted to risk it all, no matter where their choices would bring them. As long as they stayed together.

A real shower and two cups of tea later, they were both sitting at the kitchen table, eating an apple for Lena, and pouring syrup on scones for Kara. Lena watched her with delight. Kara was wearing a borrowed shirt and the same pants as the day before but her face was glowing with something so natural. She was smiling brightly, speaking quickly but softly and there was this glint in her eyes. Happiness. Love. And she was overflowing her plate with syrup without a care in the world, humming to some Top50 song. Lena wondered how she had gotten so smitten over these small facts but she totally was. Even Kara's love for sugar looked adorable to her.

"So, what do we tell Liz?"

Lena took a sip of her tea and shrugged. "That her mothers have finally decided to put their shit together?"

"Lee!"

Lena's head sank between her shoulders under Kara's chastising stare. "What? It's true."

"Yeah, well we can't tell her that."

Lena snorted but sobered up quickly as Kara didn't seem to be in the mood to joke about this apparently. "No, I think it's best to test the waters, see what she thinks. I've never been in a relationship since she was born so I don't know how she'll react. But it's you. I don't see why it would bother her."

Liz and Kara had already formed a bond. It wasn't as if Lena was trying to introduce a perfect stranger in their lives.

"Because she wouldn't have you for herself. Children tend to feel jealous when a parent enters a new relationship."

Lena frowned. "How do you know that?"

"I've read it." Kara simply replied.

Lena squinted her eyes skeptically. "You've read it? Where? When?"

"Oh, hum." Kara rubbed at her neck without meeting Lena's eyes. "I bought a book or two to, you know, make sure I was doing everything right."

"And you had the time to read them in only a week?"

"I'm a fast reader." Kara grinned.

Lena huffed but smiled too. Kara wanted to do her best as a freshly discovered parent and that warmed her more than she would admit. She took a bite of the red apple in her hand and put her chin on her hand. "You know," She swallowed her mouth. "She adores you. I don't think she'll be jealous or protective. She knows you and she's older now, she doesn't need me that much anymore."

Kara's shoulders sagged as her cutlery clacked on her plate. "I just don't want her to reject me all of a sudden because she doesn't accept us. She's known you her entire life. I'd understand if she had her preferences."

Lena softened at that and she leaned over to grab Kara's hand affectionately. "I'm sure she'll understand. She loves you. She loves both of us individually. You're not a stranger to her, you're her mommy." She squeezed her hand tighter. "And, between you and me, I'm sure she prefers you, you're Supergirl!" She whispered, falsely wonderstruck.

Kara chuckled, shaking her head but squeezed Lena's hand back. Her smile was getting bigger in the minute. They were going to make it work. Lena was sure of it.

They used Lex's old watch to travel back to the Tower. They could have used it the day before, Kara had remarked but Lena had pulverized Kara's comment with a devastating charming smile and a gentle kiss full of promises. A night alone was good too. Lena had the right to use any excuse possible to accomplish just that, right?

When Brainy spotted them from his place on the benchtop in the lab, his smile was radiant. Nia squealed on the side, just seeing them walk hand in hand.

"Hey, lovebirds! How was your night in Ireland?"

Lena and Kara shared a knowing smile. "Uneventful." The brunette replied.

Brainy rounded the benchtop, his hands behind his back, his smile large and confident. He leaned slightly towards them and whispered, "Statistics say otherwise. But it's fine."

Lena shoved him lightly but couldn't help her cheeks from reddening. "Did you find anything while we were gone?"

Brainy shook his head and turned around to grab at a remote on the benchtop. "Nothing." He pushed a button and the screen on the wall lighted up to show graphisms and the world's map. "We searched for the Other's energetic signature using Liz's signature or even yours, since he's supposed to be magical, but it led nowhere."

Lena stepped in next to him and looked at the screen, a finger on her chin. "If you can't find him, it can only mean two things." She turned around, looking at Kara. "He may not have the same energetic signature as Liz."

"Or he's not born yet." Nia said.

"Or he's not been activated yet. He may not have powers yet. Which would explain the lack of energy." Lena added.

All four of them frowned. If it was the case, it meant that they couldn't be sure when the battle was supposed to happen. And they couldn't trace him, which meant they couldn't look him up and find his weaknesses. This was all just a full circle.

"What about the other Lena? Did you find her universe?" Kara asked, leaning on the benchtop with her arms crossed.

Brainy shook his head dismissively. "Finding dimensions is not that easy. I don't need to explain it to you. The computers here aren't efficient enough. We need the techs in the satellite."

"Victor won't agree to it." Kara rejected the idea immediately. "It's too dangerous for the space-time continuum."

"He could accept if he didn't know why we need them. We just want to find her universe, not to join her." Nia shrugged.

Kara chuckled bitterly. "I won't lie to him and to the league just so we can trace back the crazy woman who abducted Lena seven years ago. They have reasons not to agree. It's not just a matter of doing justice."

"But if we tell Victor it's a matter of life and death and that we'll explain later, I'm sure he'll let us…"

"I said no, Nia." Kara interrupted her firmly. Nia threw her arms in the air in frustration.

"So what? We let her do this to others too?" She replied heatedly, her eyes brightening with unshed tears.

Lena scrunched up her face and shared a look with Kara. Until now, Nia had never expressed her feelings towards what had happened to Lena. Although she was usually taking injustices more personally than them all, she had only stayed neutral all along their research. Now that she knew who was behind Lena's abduction, now that she knew what had really happened, she wanted to fight. And it was all over her face and demeanor.

"Nia," Lena said, approaching her to take her hands. "I know you're furious, and believe me, I am too. But we can't risk the space-time continuum more than she did. Kara is right. It's too dangerous. It could alter our reality."

Nia shook her head, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. "It's not fair." She mumbled.

Lena swallowed down the lump in her throat and took her in her arms tightly. "I know, I know."

On the other side of the room, Brainy and Kara were watching them, powerless. They had enemies they couldn't find. A monster to fight who was supposedly not born yet. A crazy futuristic clone who wanted to dictate the lives of others just because she was suffering. And they could not find them. It was maddening. The only thing they could do was wait.

"Hey, I printed the pictures we took in the caves and put them on the wooden board like you asked." Nia said as she jump-walked in Kara's living room in her Dreamer attire. She had found some of her joy back but Lena could hear in her tone that she was still agitated. Nia was a woman of action after all. She didn't like to stand still and wait.

"Thanks, Nia." Lena replied without rising her head from the paper world map spread in front of her.

"Any chance here?"

"Not yet."

They stayed in silence for a moment, Nia hovering around Lena. Finally, Lena gave up on using magic to find the Other and released her pendulum in the middle of the map. With a heavy sigh, she looked up at Nia who was fidgeting with her fingers, seemingly very shy. Nia was not shy. She was extravagant, and confident, and forward. She never beat around the bush. Lena observed her. She was dancing from foot to foot. She had something to say, apparently, but didn't know how to do so.

"Nia, are you alright?"

The superhero looked up, surprised. Lena could see the guilt through her mask and she sighed again. She opened her arms wide.

"Come here."

Lena wasn't the type to hug or to give reassurances. It was the contrary, actually. But Nia was like a little sister to her. They had face so many struggles together and they continued to do so. And even if after seven years, Nia had grown up and become a confident woman, Lena still could see how her innocence and idealism were intact. She wanted to work for a better world. That was who she was. And Lena admired her for it.

"I'm sorry for earlier, I overreacted." Nia said against her shoulder.

Lena pulled away but grabbed at her shoulders, then, cupped her cheeks affectionately. "You have nothing to be sorry for, love. I appreciate how you want to defend my honor and protect other women from suffering too."

Nia looked down, not really convinced. "It's horrible, what she did to you. I can't bear imagining the same thing happening to other women. But Kara is right, it's too risky."

Lena smiled softly. She knew that, deep down, Nia was mature enough to see the consequences.

"This whole situation is shitty but I can promise you I'll find her. I want to find her back and make her take responsibility for what she did. We just can't do it now."

Nia nodded, resigned. Lena pulled her in another hug, then leaned away and smirked.

"If you talk about this to Alex, I'll have to murder you though."

Nia snorted then pushed her away. "Thanks, it's always a pleasure, Luthor."

Kara walked in at that moment, with Liz's hand in hers on one side and a bag of takeouts on the other. Nia crouched down and opened her arms wide, encouraging Liz to run to her. The girl squealed as Nia kissed her cheeks repeatedly with exaggerated smacking sounds.

"Hey, little one, did you make your mom buy all the restaurant?"

"Almost. We got potstickers!" Liz exclaimed, making the adults laugh.

"No way!" Nia replied. "Let's hope you can at least try one."

Kara laughed as she pulled out containers after containers from the bag. She gave the poke bowl to Lena who smiled up at her and the noodles to Brainy who didn't wait for them to start. Nia accepted her share of potstickers with a quiet thank you, still tensed around Kara.

"So, any news since I left?" Kara said, leaning in her chair with her chopsticks and box of potstickers in hand.

"Nope." Brainy said through his mouth.

"Do we know when Alex and Kelly will arrive?" She asked then.

"They're supposed to finish visiting Esme's new school by 2 p.m." Lena replied.

"Why is Esme changing school?" Liz asked, making all eyes turn on her.

Kara looked at Lena, alarmed. She didn't know what to say. They all knew why Esme was changing school. First, because she didn't feel safe anymore in her old school. And second, because Kelly and Alex felt better to drive her to school instead of Esme taking the bus, so they were searching for a school closer to their house.

Esme had endured a lot of bullying during the previous school year, but it all started when Kara's identity got revealed. Since everybody knew her aunt had used her status to speak about aliens, Esme, by extension, wasn't welcomed in her group of friends anymore. Kara wanted to intervene at first, to appease tensions, but Alex and Kelly asked her not to. It would only add fuel to the fire and Esme would be harassed more in retaliation. They discussed with the school though, asked the teachers to take care of it but they couldn't be everywhere and when some of Esme's bullies got detention, the others would take revenge on her and it was only escalading. So, Esme was changing school, for the better. It was about time. It didn't stop Kara to think it was her fault, or that it still could happen in her new school either. Esme shouldn't be the one to adapt in the situation. She wasn't the problem. The others were. But Kara couldn't really reform the whole society.

Nia cleared her throat, since nobody seemed ready to explain the situation to Liz. "Some children aren't really kind to her at school and Aunt Alex and Aunt Kelly think it'd be better for her to be closer to their house so she's changing school."

Liz played with the noodles in her plate, her face scrunched up in concentration, thinking about what Nia had said. Kara smiled softly because it was definitely Lena's face.

"You don't like your noodles, sweetheart?" Lena asked her, sensing something was wrong.

Liz just shrugged and looked at her. "Can I change school too when we go back home?"

If the room was quiet before, silence felt even heavier now. Lena looked at Kara helplessly, then to Nia and Brainy. All three were just stunned, mouth agape. Nia suddenly stood up and took Brainy's elbow.

"We're going to see if the scan found something." She said before rushing out of the room with a stammering Brainy behind her. The elevator doors shut close and it seemed to startle Kara out of her trance.

"I'll let you both-"

"No!" Lena said too quickly, startling Liz and Kara in the process. "Sorry." She smiled. "I mean you can stay. Your place is with us." She grabbed at Liz's hand on the table.

Kara softened and smiled affectionately before sitting back down. She turned her eyes on Liz who was scowling at her plate in a funny manner.

"Why do you want to change school, kir ehl?" She asked her. Liz's frown only deepened and, for a second, Kara berated herself for using Kryptonese. "Sorry, little star." She corrected.

Liz shrugged then looked at Lena, as if her mother knew the answer already, which actually was the case, before looking away.

"You're thinking about the boy in the park?" Lena asked gently, reaching under Liz's chin to make her look at her.

The little girl nodded timidly. Lena sighed and leaned over to pull Liz in her lap. She shared a knowing look with Kara. The blond remembered the story behind the boy in the park. Liz had a fight with him, then she got overwhelmed and provoked a mishap. It was just that, a mishap. She didn't want to hurt him or anybody for the matter. She was just a child learning to use her powers.

"I don't want to see him at school." Liz mumbled against her mother's chest.

Kara frowned and looked at Lena. Her eyes were showing how deep in thought she was, searching endlessly for a way to reassure their daughter.

"He's at your school?" Kara asked to be sure. Liz nodded. "Is it the only reason you don't want to go back?"

The silence stretched on, both women waited for Liz to give an answer. Kara watched her hesitate, her eyes traveling from Kara to space, to ceiling then back at her. Kara sighed and stood up to round the table and crouched down next to Lena's chair. The brunette's frown was deepening by the minute, Liz's silence only indicating an answer they both didn't like.

"You can tell us if something is going on at school. We won't be mad." Kara said softly. She put a warm hand on Lena's which was already holding Liz's little fingers.

The little girl's face scrunched up, her lips pinching in a last attempt at keeping her sobs at bay, before she broke down loudly. Lena looked at Kara with wide eyes and enveloped Liz tighter against her chest. The little girl gripped at Lena's shirt in a tight fist. Lena was struggling to keep her own tears at bay. Her water-filled eyes were saying so many things. My poor baby. I had no idea. I'm gonna fucking burn that school. The blonde gave her a sad look and rubbed at their daughter's back with sorrow. It was heartbreaking to see her like that. Her little fists started to flicker before a deep, purple glow enveloped them. Lena gestured for Kara to stand up. The blonde moved behind her as Lena enveloped them all in a protection charm, forming a blue bubble around them. Liz's demonstration of powers only stopped there, though. Only her sadness kept pouring out of her purple eyes. Nothing more. Kara could have been proud of her for it if she wasn't too worried about her.

After some time, Liz calmed down and explained everything. Other girls didn't want to play with her because she was too weird. Kara and Lena understood that her intelligence was making her look strange to other children so they kept her away. And then, when she started to develop her powers, they said she was a freak and hit her or treat her miserably every time she was approaching. Lena explained that even if Ireland - and the world in general - had gotten accustomed to aliens, in the countryside, especially in small villages such as Newfoundland, it was still uncommon to find aliens because it was full of bigotry. The mayor had a no tolerance on witchcraft and didn't particularly like having aliens in his village. The teachers at Liz's school weren't a huge help either. Since Liz was mostly the only child with powers, she was supposed to adapt, not the other way around. Kara wanted to burn that foolish school too now.

"Why didn't you tell me they were mean to you?" Lena asked gently, forming soothing circle on her daughter's thighs. Liz was now sitting on the table, her feet dangling from each side of Lena's lap, her hands fidgeting in front of her. The girl just shrugged and mumbled something only Kara could hear. The blonde hissed and sighed before leaning towards Liz to put a finger under her chin and raising her head. She had quickly understood that Lena was doing it so that Liz didn't close up on herself, since she was a shy child already.

"I think you can do better than that. Your mom needs to hear this too." She softly chastised. Liz sighed, her little shoulders sagging in defeat.

"I said, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you more."

Her small voice shattered at the end and she looked back down at the moment she had pronounced her words, too scared to face Lena's gaze. More. Which meant Liz already knew Lena was constantly worried about her and didn't want to add on that.

Kara watched surprise cross Lena's face before impatience took control of her features.

"Liz, look at me."

The girl shook her head stubbornly. On the side, Snowflake meowed aggressively towards them. Lena stared him down before sighing in frustration.

"Liz, please. You're not in trouble, I just want you to look at me when we talk."

Slowly, the little girl's eyes rose to meet her mother's. Lena smiled softly. Kara leaned forward to caress the girl's cheek proudly. "Here you go." She whispered.

"You know you can tell me anything. It's my job to worry about you and to protect you." Lena grabbed at Kara's hand on her shoulder. "We'll always be there for you."

Liz's face started to crumple again. "But you're always worried about me since my powers arrived. I don't want you to."

"Oh, love." Lena's voice broke with emotion as she took her daughter back on her lap. A lone tear escaped her eye. Kara leaned forward to put her chin on Lena's shoulder, watching Liz cuddle in her mother as her arms enveloped them both.

"Already a superhero." She whispered brokenly.

Lena's head fell against hers in a sort of agreement. When Liz looked up, sadness disappeared from her face. She sniffled ungracefully, watching them as if she was seeing them for the first time.

"Your mom is right. You don't have to protect us. We're good. You have to tell us when something's wrong. We can't help you otherwise." Kara explained, her throat bobbing against Lena's shoulder.

Liz nodded, lost in her thoughts. Kara smiled softly and brushed a lock of dark hair away from her face. "You have time to be a superhero." She bopped at her nose affectionately, making Liz smile lightly.

"I want to be like you when I'll be a grown up." Liz said suddenly, with renew energy.

Lena chuckled and kissed her cheek. "You have time for that."

"Yes, and it's not as fun as it looks. I promise you you're better at school." Kara added, circling back to their discussion.

Liz frowned again and, for a second, Kara feared she was going to cry again but the girl only looked up with excitement.

"Can I go to school here? With Esme?" She said jumping on Lena's lap excitedly. Lena groaned and tried to calm her down.

"Okay, okay. You can't be with Esme, she's older than you, love. She's not in the same grade."

Liz was momentarily saddened before her face brightened again. "You didn't say no. It means I can go to school here and train more with Mommy and become Superlittlegirl!" She said, pausing like Kara with her hands on her hips.

Kara laughed loudly, caught between amusement and astonishment. It was too good to be true. They had feared Liz's reaction but they shouldn't have. Lena glared at her, though, because her reaction got Liz more agitated so Kara sobered up and took Liz in her arms.

"You can't be Supergirl. You're already Liz Walsh Danvers and that's even cooler." She said. Liz pouted, playing with her necklace.

"I don't want to go back. I want to stay with you." She whined, leaning her head on her mommy's shoulder.

Kara's heart skipped a beat. She looked on the side to see Lena, mouth agape, watching them. The brunette, then, stood up and crossed her arms. She approached tentatively. Kara recognized the businesswoman in her, ready to negotiate.

"You don't want your toys or your room? Or the swings in the garden?" Lena asked skeptically to her daughter.

"You can bring them here." Liz shrugged. She kept playing with Kara's necklace without caring about the silent discussion that was going on between her parents.

Kara's eyes looked earnestly to Lena. If it was what Liz wanted, why couldn't they give it to her? It was all her wishes coming true. Lena seemed torn though, and Kara understood why. She had a whole life in Ireland. A house, a job, friends probably too. She couldn't give up on everything just because Liz had decided it was a fun thing to do today. Tomorrow might be different.

She turned her head back on Liz and shuffled her lightly. "We'll think about that, okay?" She put her back on her chair. "First, you have to finish your lunch."

Liz's face lighted up as she saw the noodles remaining in her plate and she eagerly ate in silence. Both women looked at her, astonished. Children were a lesson in emotional management. From tears to angry words to affection seeking to pure expression of joy. They were always living everything wholly and with spontaneity. It was unsettling.

Without thinking, Kara circled her arms around Lena lovingly. The brunette melted in the embrace, both captured in their daughter's excitement for food. Liz was eating, babbling to herself, too caught in her imaginary world to realize she was observed. Kara felt Lena smiled against her cheek.

"Sometimes I forget she's this young." The brunette whispered with wonder in her voice.

"She's very mature and so eloquent." Kara agreed quietly.

Lena squeezed the hands on her belly then turned around to meet Kara's eyes, the blonde's arms falling on her hips. "I think we have her benediction." She smiled.

Kara tilted her head. "You think so?" Her eyes immediately fell on Lena's lips. Lena nodded shyly, her fingers playing with Kara's hair on her nape. Kara squeezed tighter. She shot a glance at Liz who was watching them but her face wasn't showing anything special. Her heart was calm in her ribcage. Kara looked back at Lena and shrugged, throwing every reservation through the window, before closing the gap between them. It was just a small purposeful kiss. When they pulled away, Liz applauded them joyfully. They laughed and kissed once again for show.

"Ew, gross!"

They turned around to see Esme, Alex and Kelly exiting the elevator, the teenager sporting a disgusted face while the two adults looked amused.

"Did you have to do this in front of children?" Esme asked, affronted.

"They're free to do whatever they want, Es." Alex chastised.

"That's still gross." Esme replied, crossing the room to fall on the couch, her phone already in hands.

"And not exactly everything they want." Kelly added, wincing.

Lena snorted and pulled away immediately, circling the table to take her bowl to the trash. "Did you guys have a good visit?"

"Great!" Alex said with irony. "Esme hates the school, we need to find another one."

"What? Why?" Kara frowned, looking at Esme for an answer but only got a nonchalant shrug.

"We don't really know." Kelly whispered to her. "She's been like this all day."

"I see." Kara said but she didn't really see any reason for Esme's mood, in fact. "Did you try to talk to her?"

It was a loose question to ask Kelly, because of course, the woman would try and talk to her daughter to appease any tension or reassure her if needed. It was Kelly, after all.

"We did. She's close herself off every time." Alex said with a sigh.

They all looked at the teenager, worried. Esme was a ball of sunshine, always ready to help, to play, to practice or to talk. She enjoyed every little bit of life. It wasn't like her to be closed off and moody.

"Is it a teenager thing? Like hormones and all that stuff?"

Lena chuckled on the side. "I think it's easier than that."

Alex and Kelly looked at her hopefully. The brunette stopped next to them and leaned forward conspiratorially.

"I think it's a love matter." She whispered.

Both women pulled away in synchronized ooh and aah. Then Alex's face turned red.

"I swear, if somebody's hurt her feelings, I'm going to-"

Kelly stopped her there. "You're not doing anything, mama bear. We don't know yet. But Lena may be right."

"I'll talk to her later if you want me to. Maybe she'll open up to me." Lena proposed with a side shrug.

Kelly grabbed her by the shoulders and squeezed. "You're an angel. Can you convince her to go to that school? We don't have any other option."

Lena chuckled. "I'll try."

"Before you go talk to her, can you brief us on what you discovered?" Alex chipped in, always professional.

"Yes!" Lena turned around towards Kara's wall of clues and investigation. "So, to be short, we don't have anything on the Other or about the other Lena. The computers here aren't efficient enough. And," She stepped to grab at a picture on the wall. "We took these pictures in the caves. I still have to study the drawings and the symbols."

She showed the picture of some of the drawings in the Fingal's caves to Alex and Kelly. Alex looked up, nodding.

"You said you didn't find the Other, did you try the pendulum?" She asked.

Lena seemed surprised at first by the question, since Alex wasn't known to like witchcraft. Kara knew her sister had warmed up to it though. The pendulum was one of the most popular tools in witchcraft. It was often used in TV shows and movies. They had seen Lena use it before to find Esme or Nia's neighbor's cat.

"I tried." Lena replied bitterly. "It points either to Liz or to Kara."

"To me?" The blonde said surprised.

"Kryptonian energy." Lena shrugged. "Or maybe it's biased by my thoughts."

"Why would it be?" Kelly frowned.

"Because I'm always thinking about you two." Lena said, gesturing towards Kara. The blonde cooed and hugged a disgruntled Lena sideways.

"Isn't she cute?" Kara said in a fawning voice.

"God, Esme's right. You're disgusting when you're in love." Alex said with a scrunched-up face but they all knew it was for show.

"Oh, don't play the grumpy one! You love that too." Kelly said while holding her close, peppering kisses all over Alex's cheek.

Alex laughed, giving up on her pretense. "Fine, fine! I love all of you. Can we go back to work now?"

"Oooh, group hug!" Nia shouted from the elevator and, seconds later, they were all squeezed together in a close circle.

"I hate all of you." Lena's muffled voice said.

"No, you don't." Nia sung back.

"Especially you." Lena replied.

"No, it's a lie." Brainy said matter-of-factly.

"Argh!"

"You're all just gross!" Esme exclaimed from the other side of the room.

Liz made her way in the middle of the circle to talk to her mother. "Mom, you always say we're not supposed to lie. Lies are for bad people."

They all laughed at Lena's expanse, knowing the brunette was exaggerating her frustration. When they pulled away, they all shared happy affectionate smiles. Life was difficult, especially at the moment with all the struggles waiting for them, but they were all glad to be together in this. Sometimes a hug was all it needed.

Lena found Esme in the gym, hitting a bag as if it had personally insulted her. She watched her from the door for a couple of minutes. She had to admit Esme's fighting skills were impressive. The girl was only twelve but could fight an adult easily. The proud daughter of Alex and Kelly. Lena remembered the topic had come up when Esme had been abducted by Lex and Nyxly, all these years ago. They had decided Esme needed to know how to defend herself, if it was not for fighting crime, at least to be able to struggle against potential enemies. Her mothers' enemies, to be clear. Because Alex and Kelly knew their life wasn't easy. They were fighting criminals and Esme was an easy target to get to them. A way to attack them and even destroy them. They wanted their daughter to be confident enough in her powers and fighting skills to defend herself when they weren't around. And from what Lena was seeing, Esme was really into it.

"Did it offend you?" Lena called out from the door.

Esme didn't startle, nor she looked at her. She knew Lena was here, Lena remarked. A smirk grew on her face. The proud daughter of Sentinel and Guardian, indeed. The girl kept throwing punches and kicks to the punching bag. The message was clear. Lena wasn't welcome and Esme didn't want to talk. But Lena knew better.

"What's their name?" She asked, advancing in the room with her arms crossed.

Her forwardness had the effect of stopping Esme right in her movements. The girl looked at her godmother in the corner of her eyes then huffed and started hitting the bag again.

"So, what? You disappear for seven years and now you want to take your role back? I don't need you."

It hurt. Lena could admit that much. But she knew Esme enough to know it was a defensive mechanism. Lena had pushed the right button and it got a reaction out of her goddaughter.

"You're right. It's fair. I've been absent." Lena turned around the bag and grabbed at it to help Esme hit it. "But I'm very observant and I know now that this," She motioned to Esme's face in a flourish. "Isn't you."

Esme scowled and hit the bag harder, as if to contradict Lena. "How can you be so sure? I'm not the lost little girl you used to know anymore."

Lena pushed the bag away at the same time Esme threw a punch and grabbed at her fist just in time to avoid it hitting her face.

"I know." She insisted, pulling Esme to her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there." She forced her into a hug. "And I missed you too."

Esme struggled at first, then her arms fell on the side, defeated. "I hate you."

Lena chuckled. "Yeah, whatever you want to believe, love."

Esme buried her face in Lena's collar and finally put her arms around her godmother. It was a long-awaited hug. Lena smiled down at her, glad she had succeeded in piercing Esme's little armor. She knew she had a lot to make up for.

At first, she had thought Esme had not been really resentful towards her and her absence so she had let her be, not wanting to make a fuss around the twelve-year-old, but she had been wrong. Esme was well surrounded, it was a certainty, but she had missed her. Lena had a special bond with her, formed during the lone nights when Alex, Kelly and all the team were on the front while Esme and her had stayed in the Tower playing card games and watching musicals. Esme used to rely a lot on Lena and the brunette realized it must have been a huge change for her when she had disappeared. If Lena wanted to absolve some of her past mistakes, it was starting here.

"So, do you want to tell me what's wrong with that school?" Lena tried in a singing voice.

Esme groaned against her but pushed away. She had sweat pearling on her forehead. She went toward the bench in a corner to take a towel and press it against her face. She sat down then in a sigh and untied her fingerless gloves to throw them on her sports bag. Lena took it as her clue to approach. She sat down next to her at a reasonable distance. She waited patiently for Esme to talk, not wanting to overwhelm her more than necessary.

"I don't really want to change school." Esme said after a while in a very small voice. Again, not usual.

Lena frowned. "I thought it wasn't going well in your actual school."

"It's not but…" The girl threw a shy glance to Lena before looking down, picking at her nails. "Not everyone there is mean."

A huge affectionate smile grew on Lena's lips. She had been right. And it was the most charming thing to observe. Esme having her first crush. She had missed a lot but she was glad to be there for that.

"You don't want to leave your friends." Lena said, understanding.

Esme shook her head. "I don't have many friends. Only two. Julia a-and Arthur. They're aliens too."

Lena thought for a second that Esme's stammer was revealing more than the girl intended to. She didn't push on the matter though.

"Are they bullied too?" She asked softly. She hoped it wasn't too straightforward.

Esme nodded slowly. "Julia is Thanagarian. She has huge, beautiful wings but she can't control them really well and she loses feathers everywhere. She had big muscles too, like a Roman warrior so the others keep calling her Julian."

Lena winced, convinced the girl was going to keep hang-ups just from this nickname. "What about Arthur?"

"He's an Aellan, he's got scales and actually looks like a lizard so you know what they're calling him."

Esme sighed then and Lena passed an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. She had her own turn at bullying when she was in boarding school but thankfully, Andrea had been there to defend her and show her how to scare the other kids enough not to be bothered anymore. It was astonishing though to discover that such hatred could still plague the youngest hearts.

"I'm sure they will be fine without you. You still can see them from time to time. And call them."

Esme huffed and groaned. "It's not just that. I take the bus with Julia every morning so that the others don't pull her feathers off. She's going to be alone. Art's father drives him to school so he can't take the bus with her. I know nothing will change for them at school, I just don't want her to get hurt in the bus." She finished with a pout, a light blush on her cheeks.

Lena smiled again. It was so obvious Esme felt a bit more than friendship for her best friend but she didn't know if the girl was even aware of that. And it was a new territory for Lena. Liz was still too young for that sort of problems, and thank God or whoever, because Lena wasn't sure she could deal with that above everything else.

"Why didn't you tell all this to your moms? I'm sure they can find a solution."

"They won't understand." Esme grumbled.

Lena frowned again. "Why?"

"Because they're not like us."

Esme's little voice was heartbreaking. Lena brought her to her, as she suddenly felt furious against the parents of the children who succeeded in making Esme doubt her own parents. Alex and Kelly had only been supportive, showing that Esme was free to express herself in any way she judged it appropriate. Those children had no right to make her doubt that.

"I'm not an alien and I understand." Lena remarked. Esme pulled away to look at her. She then squinted her eyes.

"You're a witch. It's not the same."

"Well, I didn't know who I was until I was like 27 so…"

Esme snorted. "It must have been harsh."

"You've no idea." Lena cleared her throat then. "So, can you promise me you'll talk to them? They're worried about you. It's not like you to shut off and be grumpy all day."

Esme looked at the floor, guilty. "I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean the things I told you earlier. I don't know why but sometimes, it's just easier to say mean things than to tell the truth."

And how Lena knew that. She cupped her goddaughter's face and caressed her cheek with her thumb. She smiled at her as Esme avoided her gaze.

"You should talk to your moms about that too. Next time, it's better to say you're not ready to talk instead of being mean. You know they'll understand."

Esme shrugged but closed the gap between them and hugged Lena tight. "I really missed you, Aunt Lena."

Lena squeezed her tight too. "Me too, Es."

"I promise I'll talk to Mom and Mama. Maybe they'll help me find a solution for Julia." Esme said with a small freshly spreading smile.

"Here you go. Look at that! How beautiful you are with a smile!" Lena cooed, pinching her cheek teasingly. Esme giggled, chasing her hand away.

Lena observed her put her things in her bags and change her shirt. She was glad they discussed. She felt better knowing Esme didn't just morphed into a teenage monster. She had just been worried but didn't know how to express it. Now, she knew she could count on her mothers and family to help her. That was when Lena got an illumination. What a fool she had been. She stood up abruptly. Esme looked at her, puzzled.

"You know what? I think you just gave me an idea." Lena said.

Lena's travel to Ireland was supposed to be quick. No one was aware she was there. She just wanted to check something. While speaking with Esme, she had realized that she still could count on her mother to help her. They didn't know anything about the Other, but Lena had the intuition that her mother's research wasn't only gathered in her spell book. She wanted to check her old journals. The ones she had read years ago, when she had needed to be closer to her. The ones in which Elizabeth was explaining at length her relationship with Lionel. Lena thought she could find some answers. If not about the prophecy, maybe she could find something about Jason. About Lionel's role with the purifiers. She had the gut feeling that everything was linked.

She found her mother's journals in a chest in her bedroom. Quickly, she turned the pages to find the date she knew her father had left and broke her mother's heart. The trace of tear drops on the pages were agonizing. Lena tried to stay pragmatic and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her mother had suffered so much. She kept explaining how Lionel was unfair, how she couldn't understand his decision. She didn't know why he wanted the child but not her.

Lena had never really focused on that specific part but it all made sense now. Lionel was only interested in her mother because she was a Walsh. Because she was the heiress of a long bloodline of witches. Lena sighed and shut the journal close angrily. Jason was right. She was not a product of love. Everything was about manipulation and interest with the Luthors. Lionel wanted powers. Lena wondered if he also wanted a child with her mother because of the prophecy. It couldn't be otherwise. It was obvious. Why bother with a child – which was born out of marriage – if it were not out of greed?

She needed more details. She had the intuition that it went deeper than that. But her mother's journals were no use. She was only complaining about her broken heart and it was depressing. Lena hated Lionel for what he did to her. She would never contact him willingly. However, there was still one person who could know what he had been up to. Only Lillian could tell her.

Lena went in her office and dusted her mother's old Ouija board to prepare for the summon of her adoptive mother's ghost. Closing her eyes, she thought about the irony of not being able to summon her birth mother, the one person she wanted the most to see, but being able to summon everyone else. As she heard the shift in the air, the energy cracking around her, she opened her eyes, sighing. From relief or disappointment, she wasn't sure.

"What a surprise!" Lillian exclaimed when she spotted Lena.

Lena smiled against her will. "I know. We don't summon the dead ones like we give a phone call, you know."

"I do. I know I'm not the one you wish to see the most." Lillian smiled softly. "How have you been? You look good."

"Thanks, I…" Lena didn't expect the compliment leaving her mother's mouth. But she would be caught dead before she would admit it to her. "I'm good." She looked at herself, thinking Lillian would never have accepted her outfit in another life – jeans and a tank top – but it had to do for now. Lillian couldn't do anything about it anymore.

"I see that. You're glowing. It's a rare sight. Far from when you were working sixty hours a week."

Lena felt her cheeks blush a bit, as an admission for her happy state of mind thanks to Kara and their friends.

"I gave up the Foundation. I live in Ireland now. And…" She crossed her arms, forcing herself to keep her eyes on her mother. "I have a daughter."

Lillian didn't seem too surprised about what Lena was telling her. "Good. You're married then."

"I… Not exactly." Lena winced. She expected to be chastised.

Lillian chuckled. "You never did anything by the book." She shook her head, sobering up. "But I'm sure you're a good mother." She nodded to herself. "I know so. I can see you. You're better than me." She whispered.

Lena tilted her head, fixing her piercing gaze to the ghostly one of her mother's. This admission was new too. Lillian never admitted being wrong or less than perfect. Death seemed to be a peaceful place for her mother.

"Well, it's not really hard." Lena cleared her throat, taking a few steps, arms crossed. Her whole body was tensed. After all these years, Lillian could still have that effect on her. "But I can admit you were more protective than I thought." She looked at her shoes sheepishly. "You know about the prophecy, don't you?"

For the first time since she appeared, Lillian looked stunned. She closed her mouth quickly though, straightening up her long spine to take back her aristocratic stature.

"Your father knew about it first." She admitted. "He was obsessed with it. He wanted to use the Unique as propaganda for new types of hero. He was convinced he could isolate the cells with the markers of her powers and recreate them to inject them into humans and make them super." She sighed, then looked at Lena with something close to regret in her eyes. Lena couldn't believe that, though. Lillian never regretted anything. Ever. "He was also sure you were the Unique. I even suspected that he slept with your mother only to have you."

The dots connected with each other in Lena's brain. "That's why you didn't want me to know I was a witch."

Lillian nodded. "As long as he thought you didn't have powers, you were safe."

"My daughter is the Unique." Lena revealed.

For the second time, Lillian was surprised. Lena heard a low How?, as if Lillian couldn't fathom that the whole prophecy was true in the first place.

"She's 6 but already very powerful." Lena kept the details about Liz's Kryptonian origin out of her explanation voluntarily. Lillian didn't need to know that to help her. "Do you know anything about the other half of the prophecy? About the Other?"

"The being she's supposed to fight?" Lena nodded. Her mother rubbed at her chin thoughtfully, pacing - floating, really – the parqueted floor like she used to do in her office in the Luthor manor after long days of analyzing and researching. Lena thought for a moment to ask how she could move when Jack had been unable to do a single step but she gave up on it quickly. Time was not for resolving witchcraft enigmas.

"I'm wondering if…" Lillian turned around hastily towards Lena. "When I died, what happened to Cadmus?"

Lena rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" She replied wryly.

"No! I'm asking because there was an experiment your father did that I couldn't get rid of. A little boy."

Lena's eyes opened wide. All her senses spiked on high alerts. Lillian had all her attention.

"You're talking about Conor, Lex's attempts at cloning Superman, right?"

"No. I'm speaking of a boy your father made from scratch with his cells and an alien's cells to form a unique being." Lillian explained. "After you mother died and you revealed to be human, Lionel targeted his research on finding the Other. He met this group-"

"The Salem's Purifiers?" Lena asked.

"Yes." Lillian scrunched up her face. "Through them, he met witches. Very powerful ones. They convinced him that the Other could be created, just like the Unique could exist through natural birth. With them, he realized his dream. Bringing a superpowered human to life. He just died before the process was over."

"And you kept this… Specimen in a chamber until you died?" Lena asked skeptically. The scowl on her face could deter the bravest man.

"I didn't have the choice. I discovered everything after Lionel died. He couldn't hide it anymore. I had to clean all his mess. It was one of them."

"I'm sure he left tons of unfinished business." Lena replied sarcastically. "But you kept it anyway. You could've cancelled the research, or whatever they were doing with that creature, and throw it all away."

Lillian shook her head, lips pinched. Her mother had never seemed so torn, Lena thought. "He deserved better. He could be helpful. I thought I could raise him to be a good man and use his powers for the good. To change the world."

Lena snorted loudly. Her frustration was wearing thin. "Like you raised Lex to be good?"

Lillian seemed offended. "I wanted to give him a chance!"

"And where is he now?"

Lillian made a pause. "What year is it?"

Lena frowned. "2028."

"He was supposed to be born in 2024."

The calculation was easy. "It means he's 4 at the moment." Lena said out loud. "But we can't find him. He's untraceable."

Lillian nodded, her finger back on her chin. "He must be on Apokolips."

"What?!"

"Your father had everything planned. The witches wanted the Other to be trained next to Darkseid's sons. To be ready for the big battle." Lillian explained. She had the guts to look guilty.

"Fucking great! How do I find him now?" Lena cried out to the ceiling.

"You can't."

Lena pinched her nose, frustrated. This whole mess had no end. She could travel the world, hide as much as she liked, but the Luthors' mistakes would always catch up on her.

"Jason Baxter tried to kill me, by the way." Lillian seemed to choke with the name but Lena didn't stop to let her swallow it. "Thank you for telling me I had a half-brother. Do you have anything else hidden in a closet or that's it and I can hope to live a peaceful life now?"

Lillian shook her head slowly, dumbfounded. "Not that I know of. But I wouldn't be surprised if your father had other bastards all over the globe."

Lena stopped pacing to look at her with boredom. "Seriously? Do I count as a bastard too?"

"Sorry." Lillian said and Lena almost choked too, because it was the very first time she had heard Lillian say that very word. "I don't mean it like that. You're a Luthor. You know that. I raised you like my daughter." She looked at Lena with a glimpse of affection in her eyes. "You are my daughter."

Lena looked at her shoes again, suddenly very shy while receiving her mother's affection. A smirk spread her lips to hide it though. "Wow! It took you seven years and a trip to Hell to tell me you're sorry and that I'm your daughter in the same sentence." She said playfully, even though the resentment was there. Lillian had left so many scars on her brain, but Lena was proud to be out of it now. She could recognize that Lillian hadn't done everything right, but she hadn't done everything wrong either.

"And I'll regret that for eternity but that's my burden." Lillian smiled softly, sadly.

Lena watched her while she could, trying to remember every line of her face, to memorize the sound of her voice. She missed her sometimes, but she would never admit it aloud. Her relationship with Lillian was something she knew she could never fix. It was too late.

Her mother's ghostly figure started to flicker. Lillian's smile spread wider. "It's time." She said.

Lena nodded and approached. She smiled up at her too. Her mother made a move to caress her cheek but they both knew she couldn't. Lena was sure that if tears were a possibility after death, Lillian would be crying. Her eyes seemed to be glistening though. Just like her own.

"I love you, Lena. Good luck with the Other. Take care of you and your daughter. Say sorry for me to Kara."

And with that, her mother's ghost was gone, replaced by silence and coldness. Lena looked at the ceiling, trying to keep the tears at bay. She sniffled loudly. Well, now they had some answers, even if it wasn't the one she had expected. What a mess. Kara and the team would be horrified. Once again, they were facing a Luthor as an enemy.

She rushed out of her bedroom, stopping by the living room to take Liz's photo album before walking out of the house, locking the door. She closed her eyes and focused to travel back to the Tower. She still had someone to visit but she needed Lex's watch to do that.

When Lena planted herself in front of Jason's cell, her arms crossed, her face serious, her half-brother just laughed. Loud. Like a maniac. He would look like Lex if he hadn't that much hair and that many muscles. He looked in shape, not at all phased by his situation. The cells in the satellite weren't anything close to prison cells. It looked mostly like a glass box, with a bed, a table, two chairs – as if the prisoners ever got visitors – and bathrooms hidden in a corner. Their meals were passed through a hatch and they could ask for books or magazines once a week – if they stayed that long. Jason was actually playing chess at the table when she arrived. Was it a genetic trait? She wondered. She quickly remarked he was doing it wrong though. The pieces were not at their right places. The bishops had been exchanged for the rooks and the white queen was on a black square.

Once Jason stopped laughing at her, Lena pointed at the table. "Mind if I join you?"

Her half-brother looked surprise for a second before he accepted, his eyes focused on every one of her movements as she entered the cell, unlocking the door with the general pass she had stolen from the observatory. Jason didn't have any shackles on, since nobody was supposed to enter his cell in the first place. Lena knew her friends were going to be mad at her for it. She might even be forced away from the satellite for some time, but she wanted to see him at least once.

"You've placed the pieces wrong." She said as she replaced them correctly on the board. Jason watched her do with rapt attention, his eyes analyzing. He stayed silent though, probably wondering what she wanted from him.

"Once it's settled, the whites always go first. Go ahead." She motioned towards his side of the board. Jason looked at her, puzzled, then slowly took the pawn in front of his left bishop and pushed it two squares up. Lena smiled at him, then pushed her own pawn one square up.

There was a pause. Jason didn't seem to know what he wanted to do. He crossed his bare arms across his chest. His biceps were so prominent that he couldn't really cross them entirely. He shot a look, carefully raising another pawn with two fingers. He was scared to shuffle the pieces, Lena noticed and she smirked. An elephant in a museum.

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked eventually.

Lena tilted her head, her smirk spreading wider. She made one of her bishops to cross the board and take a first pawn just in front of his queen. She leaned back against her chair then looked at him with an unfaltering gaze.

"I'm teaching you how to play chess." She replied smartly.

Jason smiled, that evil Luthor smile, and shook his head before taking a knight and capturing Lena's bishop. She had done it on purpose.

"I know how to play."

"Of course, you're a Luthor. It's in your genes." She said without hesitation.

He inhaled sharply at the name and shot her a glare. Lena played her next move innocently. She looked at him, smug and proud. He couldn't do anything here. She had powers. She could take him down in seconds and he knew it. She had the better hand.

"So, you came to test me?"

Lena balanced her head from right to left. "Not exactly. I want a truce."

Jason snorted then took one of her pawns. "What? Are you telling me you're not a witch anymore?"

"I am a witch." Lena said. "But I am also your sister."

Jason sized her up and down. Lena never faltered under his stare. Then he smiled mischievously again.

"Poor little princess! You feel so lonely that you come tail between your legs begging the brother who tried to kill you for affection. That's pathetic!" He spit.

It was Lena's turn to laugh hard now. She brushed away an imagined tear. "I'm not begging, you fool." She said, chuckling lightly. "I don't need you. I already have a family. A daughter. Friends. And by the way, you're not the first brother who tried to kill me. It's old fashioned by now, darling." She laughed some more to make her point, her voice so posh Lillian would be proud.

"I don't want your sympathy. I'm not a charity case you can fix just so you can sleep at night!" Jason replied angrily, his eyes burning with pride.

"No, you're right." Lena concealed. She played with the queen in her hand then put it gently back on the board. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of these old circles, though."

Jason's eyes flashed with curiosity. He looked at the board and realized she had won. He huffed in defeat, crossing his arms awkwardly and leaning away from the board.

"So, what? You're going to come here everyday and play chess with me in the hopes that I'll become friendly at one point?"

He was full of sarcasm but Lena could see right through it. It was her own personality playing in front of her. Closed-off. Scarred. Hurt. Lacking love since a very young age. Eaten up by revenge and rage. She had more things in common with Jason than she thought. But he was lacking the education she had. The habit of hiding her feelings, of wearing a mask. He wasn't as skilled at this as she was.

"I will. Maybe not everyday but at least once a week." She said, standing up. She walked to the door elegantly but turned around just before opening the door. "Think about it, would you? It's not like you have anything better to do here, anyway."

Jason huffed but didn't budge from his chair. She unlocked the door with her pass then crossed it and locked it back up. Walking away, she realized it had gone better than she had expected. Jason hadn't tried to fight her or to steal her pass to escape. Even if he seemed reluctant, she couldn't shake the feeling he needed her just a little bit, though. Otherwise, he would have been more hostile.

When she turned the corner of the cell block, Kara was waiting for her, arms crossed, betrayal all over her face. Lena looked down, guilty. It had to happen.

"Had a good time?" Kara asked sarcastically.

"I can explain!"

"Explain what, Lee? He's dangerous. You could've told me at least!"

Kara was right. She should have warned somebody, just to be safe but she acted on impulse, as always. As an individual electron, not caring about the others.

"I know, I'm sorry, I…"

"Never mind." Kara interrupted her. She seemed preoccupied. "We'll talk later. Sam is waiting for you in the Tower with Liz. I have an emergency. I'll see you later." She kissed her on the cheek and rushed the way back in a flash.

Lena looked at the empty space, dumbfounded. Had Kara even been there?

Sam's visit wasn't planned. Lena wouldn't say she was afraid of the reason behind Sam's visit but she wasn't totally relaxed about it either, for multiple reasons. One, Sam always warned when she wanted to visit because she knew Lena was busy, even more so since she came back to National City. Two, it was the end of afternoon, which meant it wasn't just to have lunch and catch up or discuss the Foundation's matters, which meant Sam was there to tell her something important. And three, well, seeing Sam pace the Tower's living room was close to alarming.

"Hey, it's good to see you." Lena said walking out of the portal she had activated with the watch.

Sam turned towards her hastily and smiled but it looked contrite. They hugged quickly before Lena walked to the fridge to retrieve two water bottles. She gave one to Sam as they sat at the kitchen table. Sam looked absentmindedly at the newspaper still on the table, with the big caption stating Lena Luthor's come back – What we know.

"You're quite the celebrity here." Sam remarked with an easy smile.

Lena shrugged. "It has its perks."

"Like being abducted because everybody knows your address?"

Lena's lips frowned and she sighed. "Is your visit about scolding me for being stupid and not listening to Kara?"

"No." Sam chuckled. "Even if you were stupid and I'd have preferred your stubborn ass not being abducted by witch's hunters."

Lena watched her take a sip of water, their eyes never parting. Sam kept a knowing smile on her face, sensing the secrecy was slowly making Lena crazy. Lena looked at her suspiciously, her eyes squinted as if she could read her friend better like that.

"What is it, Sam?"

"The investors want you back in."

Lena huffed then chuckled humorlessly. "What do you mean? I'm already managing from afar."

"They want you to take your place as CEO back."

"Why? It's been seven years. You're good at it, you should stay!"

Sam shook her head, her eyes serious. "My job was never supposed to be CEO. I'm good with numbers, not with employees and all this shit, you know that. I do an okay job but your name's on the building. Your place is at the top, Lena. Nobody can do it like you do."

Lena scowled and crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Those old rats, they were all so arrogant when I first took the lead and now, they want me back."

"They saw you in the news. Your celebrity could help us win investments."

"The Foundation is doing great. It doesn't need money. I know it since I still look at it. They only want me for the image. To keep up appearances."

Sam winced, and Lena knew she had been right. "It sure doesn't help to see you on the news, with Liz and Kara, but knowing you have nothing to do with the Foundation anymore, at least on the paper. It looks like you've given up on the cause. Maxwell Lord gave the board a proposition to buy the Foundation over because he thought you didn't want anything to do with it."

"What?" Lena shrieked out, leaning on the table hastily. "Why am I learning this only now?"

Sam snorted. "Why do you think?" She said, rising her voice too. "You're there but not really. We deal with problems everyday without you knowing it."

Lena crossed her arms back in a defensive manner. She looked away stubbornly. She knew Sam was right. Keeping her distances was only for her to stay safe until she knew who wanted to hurt her. Now that her face was all over the news, paparazzi were following her every time she was spotted in the city. Kara didn't even want her to go to groceries anymore. The Foundation had been created to help children in the first place. Of course, there were different branches still linked to the old activities of L-Corp but the main purpose was to help children. Alien and human, alike. To find their family back, to have whatever they needed to go to school, to have a roof above their heads and people to take of them if they were orphans. It was a cause Lena wore close to heart. Having been adopted this young by the Luthors had made her realize not every child had that chance. She wanted to make a difference. But she didn't know if she was ready to take her place back either. It meant moving back to National City permanently. It meant working six days a week, endless hours, no social life. It meant giving up on Liz and spending less time with her. It meant slowing down her research on the prophecy and the Other, and the other Lena. She didn't know if she wanted that.

"I'll think about it." Lena finally sighed, looking into Sam's hopeful eyes. Her friend cheered with her fists up excitedly. Deep down, they both knew if Lena wanted to say no, she would have said it. Any other answer was close to a yes.

"When do you come back?"

Lena chuckled. "Soon enough. We'll see. I have to talk about it with Kara and see what we want to do, Liz included. I can't just up and leave Ireland. I'm not the only one to decide."

Sam nodded, a huge smile on her face. "So, it's going well with Kara?" She asked cheekily.

Lena laughed. "Better than you and Andrea, I heard."

"Argh." Sam chuckled a bit. "Did she say anything?"

"Oh, you know," Lena smiled widely, motioning around the room with her hand. "Only that you wanted a child and that she was freaking out."

Sam snorted loudly, taking a sip of her water, shaking her head disbelievingly. She closed her water bottle and looked at Lena with fondness in her eyes. Lena recognized in there the love she had only seen destined to Ruby. She was glad for the honesty in their friendship. Sam was never too ashamed or shy to share her life with her or to talk about what she wanted for herself.

"I know it sounds ridiculous. We're almost forty. But I love her and I think she would be a great mom. She just needs to put it in her head."

"She's lacking confidence in that department, though. She lost her mom very young."

"I know!" Sam agreed rapidly, having heard the argument already. "You lost your mom too and you're doing an amazing job with Liz. I didn't have my mom when I got Ruby and it didn't stop me from doing whatever I could for her."

"Andy is…" Lena sighed. "I don't like to talk behind her back. You're both my friends and I don't think it's ridiculous for you to have a child now, as long as you want them. Because I'm sure you'll love them with all your heart." She smiled to Sam, leaning on the table with her arms crossed. "I think Andy has given up on that dream a long time ago. When we were in boarding school, she once told me she was sure to be cursed because nobody seemed to love her enough since her mom had died."

Sam scrunched up her face. "I know what you mean. She has almost as much trust issues as you have."

Lena shoved her away playfully. "I'm getting better!" She exclaimed.

"I know! And so does she. I just…" Sam sighed. "We don't have much time, you know. If she doesn't want a baby now, I'll understand. But she can't give me an answer. And I keep waiting. But we can't wait endlessly."

Lena chuckled, taking Sam's hand. "You know, not giving an answer is sometimes an answer enough."

Sam tilted her head, intrigued.

"She wants you. She loves you, I can tell that much. Just talk to her. Break her walls. Andy's a softy at heart. She'll come around."

Sam smiled softly. "Thank you." She squeezed Lena's hand. "You're both softies actually."

"Hey!" Lena said, taking her hand back, falsely offended. They laughed together, until Liz came rushing out of her room.

"Mom!" The girl ran in her mother's arms.

"Oh, my sweet baby! I missed you so much!" Lena cooed, kissing her cheeks and neck repeatedly, making Liz squirm in her arms. "Did you have fun with Aunt Sam?"

"So much!" The girl said, looking at her godmother who winked at her.

"We did a sandcastle with kinetic sand." Sam explained. Liz nodded eagerly. "And Liz showed me all of Kara's paintings."

"Mommy said I could talk to Aunt Sam about Krypton." Liz said immediately to reassure Lena, who smiled affectionately at her.

"And we had a wonderful sleepover with Aunt Andy. We watched the Incredibles and ate tons of candies."

"Aunt Andy did my nails!" Liz said while shoving her hands in Lena's face who laughed before taking the little hands in hers to see better.

Liz's nails were colored like a rainbow with glitters every two fingers. Lena smiled at her and kissed her little fingers covered with markers colors. She looked at Sam who was smiling too, her eyes sparkling with affection and so much love for her goddaughter.

"Liz also told us she could hear our hearts beating now." Sam said proudly.

Lena looked down at Liz who was fidgeting with her fingers. "She does. I didn't know you liked to brag about your powers, young lady." She said teasingly but felt relieved to know Liz was at ease enough with her powers to talk about them now. Kara did miracles.

"She got it from her mommy." Sam said cheekily with her tongue out.

"What did I do?" Kara asked as she flew in through the balcony.

"Taught our daughter how to brag about her powers." Lena said with a huge smile.

Kara laughed and took Liz in her arms. She flexed her bicep, her suit glued to her skin, and Liz imitated her. "I don't know what you're talking about." Kara grinned while looking to Lena.

Sam laughed and stood up to take Liz back. "Don't corrupt her. This is my job."

"Alright!" Kara stepped back, hands raised. "You're right. You're better suited. At least we'll have someone to blame when she'll put her room on fire."

Sam laughed. "No, not me. That would be Lena and her weird experiments."

"Hey!"

They all laughed as Liz scrunched up her face, not understanding the conversation. She turned around in Sam's arms and grabbed at her collar.

"Aunt Sam, can you stay for dinner?" She asked, all pouted lips and glistening eyes.

Sam looked around, Kara and Lena nodding happily. "We're going to Alex's but you can come and bring Andy." Lena answered.

"Okay, only if we make chocolate cake with sprinkles on it for dessert."

Liz gasped then turned to look at her mothers, asking for permission with the same pout. Kara laughed and Lena snorted, crossing her arms.

"I think that's settled." The brunette said. "The kitchen's yours."

Sam nodded and started talking in Liz's ear, making her giggle as they walked to the kitchen. Lena felt Kara's hand glide in hers and looked at her.

"Can we talk?"

Lena swallowed the new lump in her throat. They were good, she kept repeating in her head. They just had some things to discuss. It was natural for couples to discuss things. They were good.

"Yes, I just have to change, if it's okay?"

Kara nodded and let go of her hand to walk towards the balcony. Lena watched her do, her suit taking the light, giving Kara a majestic aura. They were okay. Kara wasn't mad at her. They were okay. They had to discuss a lot of things, especially Lena going behind Kara's back to Ireland or Lena going behind Kara's back to see Jason. But they were okay. Kara wasn't mad at her.

When Lena walked on the Tower's balcony, Kara was peering down at the city, sitting on the railing with such ease that Lena was sure she was actually floating.

"There's a thing with us and balconies, uh?"

Lena had to admit it helped putting her at ease, knowing Kara was ready to talk to her with that calm knowing tone. She wasn't mad and that was a good thing. Lena could do with that.

"Well, wherever you go, there's a balcony." She remarked cheekily. Kara chuckled, agreeing. "And wherever you go, I go." Lena added, closing the distance between them, chuckling at her own poor pick-up line. She circled her arms around Kara's waist and hugged her sideways. Kara giggled and leaned against her, pulling out an arm to embrace Lena.

"Careful, Miss Luthor. Another line like this and I'll think you're in love."

Lena snorted. "I admit I might have a crush on Supergirl."

Kara giggled and turned aside, kissing her cheek. "I hope it's more than a crush."

"Definitely, darling. Definitely."

They let the last remnants of sun crawl on their skins, waiting for the star to set. The orange glow was making Kara's skin sparkle, her hair freely flowing with the wind. A Renaissance painting. Freshly out of Andrei Kovalev's gallery. Lena thought that beautiful was not even close to describe Kara's look. Mesmerizing, maybe. Captivating. God-like. Marvelous. Mythical.

They could hear the ruffle of the city below them. From here, the coast and its lazy waves looked relaxing. The balcony was offering a great view of the city and it struck Lena suddenly, as her sight blur in her observation of the Lena Luthor Foundation building, how all the struggles she had to pass in her life lead to that particular point. Where she was on the Tower balcony. With the love of her life. Where everything could change.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kara asked as she flew above the railing to put foot on the balcony.

Lena met Kara's eyes then licked her lips in consideration. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it. She just didn't want Kara to judge her decision. She had visited Jason because she thought it could still be salvaged. Their relationship. Jason's soul. She didn't want to give up on him just because their father made him what he was like today. She still had hope. And it was all thanks to Kara. But she wasn't sure that the superhero would agree with that. Kara tended to protect her more than she deserved to be.

"I… It went well, considering… you know, his hatred towards me and all I represent."

Kara winced then pulled her closer, listening. Caring. Lena suddenly realized it was Kara she was speaking too. She didn't need to be afraid of being judged. Kara was the one who taught her that it wasn't vain to invest in people. She should understand.

"I want to see him more often." She said tentatively. "I know it can be dangerous," She added quickly to wipe out any potential contradiction from Kara. "But I think he deserves better. He's just like me, except he got the wrong side of the Luthor upbringing. There's still hope. I'm sure I can convince him I'm not that bad."

Kara's eyes were observing her closely. Lena felt momentarily shy under them, like a little child who was daring to ask permission for the first time. Kara then pulled her all the way against her and embraced her fully. They stayed like that for a while, not moving, not speaking, just breathing against each other. Sam and Liz's giggled could be heard from the kitchen. Kara's hand was forming circles on her lower back and Lena felt all the way relaxed thanks to it.

Then, Kara cleared her throat and the stress of a probable first confrontation between them resurfaced in Lena. She didn't want to fight with Kara. They were so happy until now.

"I'll support you." Kara said simply in a single breath. "Just… He's not meeting Liz. It's out of question."

Lena leaned away and met her eyes. Kara's face was serious and unyielding. Lena nodded slowly then licked her lips again.

"Of course. I agree. He's too dangerous."

"Good. And I want every interaction to be monitored through cameras."

Lena frowned, her question visible in her eyes.

"He tried to kill you, Lee." Kara emphasized her words by cupping Lena's cheeks. "I understand why you want to try and save him but I still need to know you're protected. I know you have powers but I'll feel better knowing someone will be there with you, even if it's just through a camera."

Lena nodded again. "Okay. That's fair." She took a breath. "Thank you."

Kara shook her head in disbelief then pulled her in a soft kiss. "You don't have to thank me for supporting you."

"I kind of have to."

"Nope. From now on, you'll have to get used to being listened to and cared for."

Lena chuckled lovingly. Kara's words had effect on her heart she wasn't sure she wanted to admit just yet. "Oh, that's what this whole relationship thing is going to be? I thought it was about who have the biggest secret and how long you succeed at keeping it."

Kara took an exaggerating surprised face. "You've been misled this whole time! We need to fix that!"

Lena giggled then buried her face in Kara's shoulder. She tried to find the courage to discuss the others topics they had to address with Kara before the moment was over and they had to go back inside.

"Sam wants me to take the lead back on the foundation."

"Hum, and what do you want?"

Lena shrugged. She had thought about it. More than that, actually. She had thought about what she wanted so much that she was sure the words were engraved in her brain.

"I want game nights every week. I want to help Brainy on his new projects. And go shopping and learn how to fight with Nia and Alex. I want to see Sam and Andrea regularly. I want to see Esme and Ambrose grow up. Be a part of their lives. And Kelly give birth to this little boy. I want to know your parents more and maybe reconcile with Clark. Make amends for Lex's mistakes. But what I want the most is…" She sighed, not sure how Kara would take it. "I want to stay with you. But I want…" She saw Kara's face fall. It was time for the big leap. "You, Liz and I in Ireland."

Lena wanted her friends back in her life. She wanted to be part of game nights and help with the little decisions, such as the colors of Brainy's office or Alex's new bike or Esme's new haircut. She wanted all that and she wanted even more for Liz. But, even if all their friends and family were here – Kara's family, technically -, Lena's only safe place was Ireland. Her family had helped her reconnect with her roots. She couldn't give up on the house or on her mother's legacy. And she wanted Liz to grow up in this house too. She wanted her to know stories about the ancestors who lived there. And Kara seemed more at peace there too, away from all the scuffle of the city. It could be good for the three of them, Lena was sure of it. She just hoped Kara saw it too.

Kara leaned away to look at her, as if to make sure Lena was serious. She frowned then looked at the sky above them.

"All my life is here." She said, not looking down.

"I know." Lena mumbled, disappointed.

"But I also fly really, really fast." Kara added. Lena looked up and saw her smiling from ear to ear.

"Is that a yes?"

Kara shrugged with one shoulder. "Let me think about it a bit more but…" She shrugged again. "I mean I can fly here to the office every day. And we can teleport for game nights or every other events. You can manage the Foundation from afar and visit once or twice a week so that you still can keep your actual job."

In the seconds it took her to think, Kara had already planned everything. Lena knew she should rejoice but a detail was missing. Her smile fell. "I don't know what we'll do about Liz's school."

Kara's infamous crinkle made its comeback. "We'll think about something. I could fly her to school here before going to work."

"Or she could be homeschooled."

Kara's lips formed a straight line. "I don't think it's a good idea, she's already so shy. She needs to see other children."

"Yeah, you're right. I just want her to feel safe."

Kara took her back in her arms and rubbed at her back reassuringly. Lena buried her head in her neck.

"We'll find a solution. Don't worry. At least she'll keep her room and her space. It won't be big changes."

"I hope she'll be okay with it."

"She will. I'm sure of it. National City is too dangerous for her anyway, with all the people knowing who you are and where you live. Ireland is a better choice."

Lena smiled up at her then buried herself back in Kara's arms contentedly. She was already seeing all the birthdays celebrated in the garden, and the game nights in her small kitchen, and the move-in of Kara's boxes of books. She was already seeing Liz growing up under the light of this amazing woman, of the most caring and kind mother her daughter deserved. Lena could see it all written for them. And her decision was made then. She would take her place back as CEO of the Foundation. She would raise Liz next to Kara, training her to be the toughest warrior she could be. And they would fight. Together. Until the end. Whatever it had planned for them.

"I have something else I need to tell you." She said reluctantly. She leaned back to watch Kara in the eyes. "I talked to my mother."

"Eliza-"

"Lillian." Lena interrupted.

Kara's face scrunched up. "Why? What did she have to say?"

"She knew about the prophecy. About the Other. About everything."

"Okay." Kara squeezed her tight. "What is it? Why do you look so freaked out suddenly?"

Lena pinched her lips, swallowed with difficulty. She couldn't ignore it any longer than she already had.

"The Other is another of my half-brother." She said quickly, her voice wavering. "He's my father's experiment." She looked up to meet Kara's eyes. "He's just 4 and being trained on Apokolips while we're speaking."

Kara's eyes traveled on her face, as if to make sure Lena was serious. Then, her eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"We're screwed." She whispered, terrified.

Lena winced. Now, they just had to tell the others and hoped for the better. The countdown had just started.

Eliza and Alura were shoulder to shoulder on Alex's couch, turning pages after pages slowly in the big pink album, cooing from time to time on baby pictures of Liz as Lena was giving explanations or anecdotes about the photos, laughing at her daughter's chocolate face. Zor-El and J'onn were looking too above the heads of the two grandmas with huge loving smiles on their faces. Zor-El was often sharing knowing glances with his daughter, saying with a cheeky grin how Liz was absolutely her daughter.

Kara couldn't erase the smile from her face. She liked this evening too much. It was all about toothy smiles and glistening eyes. She loved it. Everybody had reunited at Alex and Kelly's house, enjoying a time of peace after the week they got. Nia was running after Ambrose, who was himself running after the girls who were playing soccer in the garden with Kal, trying with some difficulties to catch the ball. Brainy and Kelly were cutting vegetables in the kitchen as Sam and Andrea were talking to them, enjoying their wine. Even Dick and Barbara had made it, at first really shy and closed-off but Lena had introduced them to their friends and they were part of the group now, encouraging the girls to catch Kal.

Yes, it was a lovely evening. And Lena… Lena was just extraordinary. Not in a witch way. Not even in the way her outfit was hugging her figure with elegance or how her hair was glowing in the natural light of the house's living room. She just belonged in Kara's family. She fitted so well in Eliza and Alura's discussion. She was charming them all, with batted eyelashes and raw anecdotes of Liz's first years of childhood. Kara was watching her tell stories after stories with passion and so much love for their daughter that she didn't even realize everybody was laughing except her. Lena stopped, frowning at her then arching an eyebrow. She leaned to whisper in her ear seductively.

"You're not very subtle."

Kara smiled down with a blush. She took a sip of her beer and shrugged. She mouthed an I love you and watched as Lena blushed in turn. The brunette then turned back to Eliza and Alura to answer their question about a specific photo.

"Oh! She was three on this one. It was the phase when she wanted to be dressed only in green, to match the grass in the garden and hide so that she could catch sight of the squirrels in the trees. She spent afternoons crawling in the grass slowly and waiting. I didn't know a three-year-old could be that patient."

Eliza laughed with her hand on her mouth, shaking her head and looking at Kara as if she could imagine her do the same thing.

"Kara did this too!" Alura exclaimed. The glint in her eyes made Kara's heart swell with love. "Do you remember, Zor?"

Kara saw her father smiled down at his wife and nodded. "She wore pink for weeks, to match the flowers close to the temple because she wanted to see the firvaldurs."

Her parents looked at her with fondness. Kara just shrugged. "I still try to catch sight of butterflies here too, you know. I just don't need to wear pink anymore. I'm faster than them." She grinned.

"Smartass." Alex coughed next to her and Kara shoved her playfully.

"It's sad we don't have any pictures of you anymore." Alura said, seemingly disappointed and nostalgic about their past life.

Zor-El put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she took it. "We have plenty of memories. And we are alive to tell them. Under Rao's light."

"Under Rao's light." Alura repeated, smiling at Kara.

"I have some pictures at home of Kara when she arrived to live with us. I can bring them next time." Eliza said, shrugging lightly.

Alura and Zor-El looked thankful for her. "That would be amazing." Alura said, squeezing Eliza's hand between hers.

Kara looked at the two mother figures of her life were finally in the same place. Her heart was so full at the moment, she couldn't even fathom how lucky she was. She felt Lena's cold fingers in hers and smiled at her.

"How much time would you need to go take this photo album and come back?" Lena asked in her ear with a playful arched eyebrow.

Kara raised her eyebrows and thought for a second, scrunching her nose up. "Without counting birds' traffic?" Lena chuckled, nodding. "Just long enough for you to tell another story about Liz." Kara grinned.

"Then go, Supergirl." Lena kissed her cheek. Kara blushed darkly under her parents' gaze and stood up.

"I'm going to Midvale to take that album." She said to Eliza. "Can I have your keys?"

Eliza smiled up at her and gave her the keys willingly. Kara rushed out, not even turning as Alex shouted that she was started the timer on her watch. She threw a thumb up and took off. In seconds, she had crossed the state and was in front of Eliza's house.

The house was as she remembered it and she felt a bit nostalgic of her years with the Danvers, helping Eliza bake or going fishing with Jeremiah. Bantering with Alex. She found the album in the shelves next to the TV and took the one next to it too. As she walked through the house and watched the picture frames, she realized that it was memories she wanted to create with Liz and Lena. She wanted to go camping with them and show them how the world was beautiful. She wanted to teach Liz how to swim and how to row a boat and build a tent. She wanted all this and more. She wanted to see Lena pregnant when she would be ready and watch another little them running around behind Liz, imitating her every move. She wanted so much more.

But Kara couldn't help thinking that it could all be shortened by the threats they were facing. It was infuriating. Not being able to do anything. As she locked the door up, she thought about her discussion with her friends and family earlier. She took off in the sky, breaking the sound barrier, her face tense. They had arrived a bit earlier than the other guests to explain to Kelly and Alex and Nia and Brainy what Lena had discovered through Lillian. They had all assured they would help them and Liz face whatever they had to but they had all agreed there was nothing else they could do beside wait for the Other to show up. Alex had showed interests in training Liz alongside Esme, as she was already giving the twelve-year-old weekly practice but Lena was still reluctant. Liz was only six. Kara could only agree. It wasn't a life for a child. Being trained, knowing how to fight, always being ready for conflict. It wasn't supposed to go that way. She didn't want that life for Liz and she understood now why Lena had hidden that many years. Liz was better away from the Superhero life. But now, they couldn't do otherwise. Liz had been chosen. It was her fate. And it was terrible.

Kara eased down in the garden, in the middle of the soccer game. Liz groaned and chastised her.

"Mommy, you're blocking us!" She exclaimed, shoving her away.

Kara raised her hands defensively. "Sorry, I didn't know I was interrupting something." She said.

Kal chuckled and winked at her before taking off again with the ball. Kara watched them for a moment, the two albums under her arm.

"Seven minutes and forty-three seconds. It's five minutes too late. What happened? It was the geese again?"

Kara snorted and turned to meet her sister's playful expression. "No, I stopped to take your baby pictures too."

Alex gaped at her and tried to grab at the album but, of course, Kara was quicker and she started to run across the garden.

"Give me that album! Kara!" Alex kept shouting, Kara giggling hysterically. She stopped then, as she noticed Nia recording them.

"What? It's for prosperity. The world needs to know Supergirl and Sentinal are just silly goofballs."

Alex gaped again and rushed to Nia who laughed and shot her with a small blast of dream energy, hitting her squarely in the shoulder. Alex stopped, looked at her shoulder, then looked slowly back to Nia. The woman wasn't grinning proudly anymore.

"You're so screwed, Aunt Nia." Esme exclaimed next to Kara. The blonde snorted and took this opportunity to walk inside as Alex was distracted and gave Kelly the Alex's album.

"You'll show Esme later." She winked at her before taking her place back next to Lena and circling her shoulder with an arm. She gave the other album to Eliza who placed it next to them on the couch.

"What took you so long?" Lena asked with an arched brow. Kara bit her lip shyly. She didn't want to express her worry and ruin their evening so she just shrugged.

"I was just thinking. About us. And Liz."

Lena's eyes flashed with worry and understanding. Without saying a word, she grabbed at Kara's hand and intertwined their fingers.

"We're going to be okay." She whispered earnestly. "We're in this together."

"Together." Kara agreed.

They looked away as Alura cooed over Kara's teenage years. Lena leaned her head on Kara's shoulder.

"El mayarah." Kara heard her whisper.

Alura and Zor-El's heads whipped towards her with fondness in their eyes and so much pride. Kara's eyes were glistening just like her mother's were. She fixed her gaze in hers and repeated their house's motto.

"El mayarah." She said, squeezing Lena close. She kissed the crown of her head and grabbed at Kelly's hand who had taken Alex's place on the arm of the chair.

They were all in this together. For better or for worse. Liz was already so loved, it could only go well. And if it didn't, they would do everything in their power to fight until the end. She knew it. Kara knew it. She could feel it to her core. They were together. Moving forward. Growing. It was the only thing that mattered to her.

Chapter Text

THE UNIQUE

Octavia Firrano was the unluckiest woman who had ever existed. She was convinced that she was. She was the sixth daughter of the seven children her parents had. Her father was a grower. He produced green olives and wanted sons to help him work in the fields. He was only graced by God with one by the seventh try, which made Octavia the unluckiest child of the family. Since she was the penultimate of the siblings, she was too old not to eat too much but too young to be useful. Since she was a girl, she could not work in the fields. Worse than that, since she was a girl, she would only be useful when she would be married. But Octavia didn't want to be married to some other peasant who would treat her like she meant nothing. Like she was just another burden on his shoulders. She wanted to be married to someone who valued her. But she already knew that she would have no luck in that field either.

At an early age, Octavia had discovered that she had a secret trait. One that she wasn't sharing with her sisters, like her green eyes and deep dark hair. No, this trait was only hers. She could cure people. More than that, she could sense when someone was ill and knew immediately how to heal them. It was useful. She could be useful. But she couldn't talk about it. She had tried, at first. Her mother had an infection, she could sense it, and without her mother, the whole family would crumble. So, Octavia tried to cure her, implicitly. She gave her thyme and ivy infusions, helped her with the tasks in the house so that she wouldn't tire too much. Until her mother had had too much of her weird behavior and asked for an explanation.

"You are ill, mother." Octavia had said with alarm.

Her mother had only looked at her with authority, her Toscan origins proudly showing on her face. "You only say that so you can lazy around collecting flowers. Go feed the swine." She had replied with severity in her tone.

"No! I feel it! It is in there!" Octavia had insisted, pointing at her mother's chest. She could hear it in her mother's breathing. It was shallow and irregular. Fragile.

"Nonsense!" Her mother had brushed away her worries and pushed her out of the house towards the pigsty with the order to not come back until dinner.

Her mother had died a fortnight later, from pneumonia the doctor had said, coughing her last breath in the suffocating heat of the summer. Octavia had been furious. How was she supposed to help people with her special trait if nobody was listening to her? She had not asked for that gift. Had not asked to be special. Her infusions had not worked and now her mother had died, living her little brother without a mother to feed him.

Her oldest sisters, who had already been married, had come back to bury their mother. That was when the marriage proposals had started. Octavia's father was not a rich man. The olives he produced could only pay for the bare minimum of the food they needed for the following winter. With his wife gone, nobody could go to the market and sell his collect. He had to make a choice, Octavia had tried to reason multiple times. She just wished that he had chosen better.

On her thirteenth birthday, Octavia bleed for the first time. She had felt it coming and had tried to hide it but her sister had spilled the beans. Their father was unusually happy. The next day, Octavia met her first husband. Enzo Capone. He was a merchant. Very rich. Traveling a lot around the country to sell his goods. Octavia's father was impressed. The man looked honest and gentle. He had a deep black beard and black hair. But the glint in his eyes was saying otherwise. It looked calculating. His eyes were like two pools of darkness. Octavia did not like it. She didn't trust him but her father had sold her to him so she did not have a choice.

Their wedding happened in a small church in her village of Tabbiano and they were immediately off on the road in direction of Enzo's next stop in Naples. In the carriage, Octavia was nervous. She knew what was supposed to happen after a wedding. She did not feel ready for that. But Enzo only showed gentleness during the trip. He was all comfortable conversation, trying to know his new wife better, and kind gestures, giving her his jacket when she showed shivers during the night. The trip lasted two whole days. When they arrived in Parma, Enzo introduced her to his band. And then, Octavia realized that he had lied. He was not a merchant. He was the leader of a circus. A British circus.

The first weeks, Octavia felt like it was not that bad. Enzo had lied to her father, but he was still rich, and he was still taking care of her as it was expected from a husband. He had not even tried to consummate their wedding yet, which Octavia was really grateful for. The life with the circus was entertaining. They traveled a lot. In Naples, they took a boat and stayed on it for three whole weeks. Enzo had explained how they were passing Spain then France, to berth in Dover and go back to the British Empire.

Octavia often thought about her sisters' lives. How they seemed bored to only be used as a belly with two legs, giving birth to baby after baby. Octavia's new life was none of that. In the morning, she had breakfast with Enzo, during which he would usually explain his plans for the day and often invite her to watch a performance or two. Sometimes, he would kiss her on the cheek and go without a word. Sometimes it was on the forehead. But never on the lips. They would enjoy the day together or separately until meeting again for dinner in their tent, candles lighting up the roof made of fabrics, eating whatever the chef had found to cook for them. It was peaceful and entertaining. Octavia liked her life very much.

One day, as she was observing a juggler juggle three wooden sticks in fire between his hands, one of the trapeze artists fell from his trapeze. Thankfully, there was a net to catch him but it was enough to surprise the juggle. One of the sticks got out of his hands and took the direction of Octavia's face. To avoid her being hurt, Enzo pushed her away and took the stick right in the face. The sight was horrifying. His skin was black and pink and red, with blisters all over his eyes. They carried Enzo to his tent and called for a doctor immediately. The doctor's words were not optimistic. A burn like this one was impossible to cure. Enzo would lose his eye, if not his life if the infection was strong enough. The doctor could only give him a balm to put on the burn, hoping it would slow down the infection but he wasn't really hopeful. Octavia disagreed. After her mother's death, she had sworn to never use her gift again but Enzo had only been kind to her and he had saved her from being hurt just as he was. She had to pay back his sacrifice. She did not want him to die. Without him, she did not know what she would be nor do. It was a necessity for her to cure him.

When the night fell and everybody rejoined their tents, Octavia worked on Enzo's face while he was sleeping. The heat of the burn was radiating off him. She did not know if it was the fever or her special gift. She focused on his face, on the sensations coursing through her hands as she had them spread just above his burnt skin. She pictured the burn, as if it was an entity in itself, spread on Enzo's skin, devouring his face. She pictured it quitting his face and pass through the tips of her fingers, along her palms, right to her heart and grown inside her. She felt it flow in her blood, like a hot water traversing her blood vessels and alimenting her heart in an unknown energy.

When Octavia opened her eyes, Enzo was looking at her. With both of his eyes. His skin was not entirely healed but it did not look gnawed anymore. Enzo took her wrists strongly and looked at her with alarm.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I… I cured you." Octavia stammered.

Enzo got up hurriedly and rushed to the corner of their tent where a basin of water was waiting for them. He looked at his reflection in the water. Octavia watched him touch his face in wonder. Then, he whipped around to look at her.

"How did you- Your eyes! Come here!"

He came to her and took her hands to guide to the basin. In the water, Octavia could see their reflections. Enzo's face was still red and pink, as if it had been scrubbed energetically. Her reflection, though, was terrifying. Her eyes were glowing. Bright yellow, with no white or green pupils. Just bright sparkling yellow. Octavia leaned on the basin to look closer. She looked possessed. But also something else. In control. Powerful. Magical.

"You are a witch." Enzo said next to her.

She looked at him, the fear all over her face. "I wanted to help." She stammered again.

Enzo smiled. This devious, manipulating smile Octavia only saw on him when he was about to make a new deal. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her on the lips soundly.

"You are incredible, my dear!" He exclaimed. "We are going to be rich!"

A chill ran down Octavia's spine. She tried to smile and reflect Enzo's joy on her face but she could not. She knew now that she had made a mistake. She should have kept her gift hidden. She pushed away from him tentatively.

"I do not desire to be one of your attractions."

Enzo's face scrunched up immediately. He closed the gap between them once again. "No, of course not, dear. You are my wife. My beautiful, absolutely magical wife. You are going to help people, Octavia. Do you wish to help them?"

Octavia, with her young mind, did not know what to think. "I… I… Of course, I… But-"

"No buts! It is settled. Tomorrow, we will announce our new performance. Octavia, the witch who can cure any disease!" Enzo exclaimed with wild gestures. Then, he cupped her cheeks again and kissed her deeper on the lips. He leaned heavily on her, his hands traveling on her dress, on her corset. Octavia knew what he wanted. She could not say no to that. She was his wife. She let him take what he wanted. It was the first night that they had consummated their marriage. It was also the beginning of her nightmare.

After she killed their third unborn baby, Enzo realized that Octavia could not carry children like the other women. Octavia thought that it was the price to pay for all the lives she had saved. She could only carry death, since she had stolen so many souls from Death herself. Nature needed balance and saving lives that should have been lost was causing unbalance. It was only nature taking back what she had to.

But Enzo did not see it that way. He let Octavia recover from her loss for two days before throwing her in a cage like an animal. She was 23 at the time.

"I do not understand!" Octavia had cried, gripping at the bars.

"You are a monster! A witch! Your place is in a cage!" Enzo had shouted back angrily. He had walked away and never turned back ever again.

In her sleepless nights in her cage, Octavia often thought about how Enzo had only been caring until she had showed potential. Money potential. He was only interested in money, she had realized, and now, she felt so naive to have thought that he could be anything more than a businessman. After years of playing God with people's diseases, Octavia had earned him enough money to buy a permanent place for the circus. All around the world, people were coming to see them perform in Roma. They wanted the witch to cure them or to tell them their fate. Octavia knew that her gift was accepted only because she was in a circus. Women with a gift just like hers were persecuted, outside of her little world. She was lucky. Octavia laughed internally at that thought. For once in her life, she thought she was lucky. In a cage, imprisoned but alive.

In that cage, days and months and years went by without Octavia noticing. She was fed through the bars, escorted to the circus to perform and back to her cage. She was given a bath a week and it became her new life. She never saw Enzo again but she knew that he was around, controlling the circus with an iron fist.

The circus was giving exhibitions during the day, since the performance was only at night and she watched curious eyes observe her through the bars of her cage as if she was a beast. She watched them without really seeing them, their faces all blurry and mixing with each other. Only a voice made her react more than the others. It was a noble man. He looked Swiss or German but Octavia did not know a lot about the other countries except what she had learned in the books in Enzo's tent so she could not really tell. The man was looking at her through the bars and he had only said, Incredible, under his breath. His deep strong voice had gotten to Octavia's ears and it was certain in his tone that he did not mean it like the others. He looked at her with curiosity and pity in his blue eyes. He looked genuine. Caring. Octavia had crawled on her hands and knees to him. He was close enough to the cage for her to smell his rich musky perfume. With his hands in his pockets, he looked at her with sadness.

"Is Octavia your real name?" He asked.

Octavia looked around, feeling weird to be addressed like a normal person for once. Around them, visitors were paying attention to the wild animals in the cages. This man was the only one in front of hers. Shyly, she turned back to him and nodded.

The man nodded in his turn, then took a step forward. He leaned a bit and extended a hand through the bars.

"My name is Paul Valsh. I am from Germany." He said with an accent that Octavia now could hear more clearly.

She looked at his hand – all clean and white, with nails perfectly cut – and looked back at his face. What did he want from her?

"I know Enzo." The man – Paul – said. It was enough to make Octavia distrust him. She crawled away from him with a whine.

"No! No! I did not want to offend you!" He sighed, pinching his nose. "I mean that I know his ways. He is not a good man. I want to help you."

Octavia judged him up and down. This man, out of nowhere, wanted to help her. Do what exactly? Flee? Ha, it was impossible. She shook her head violently and looked away from him. She did not want anything to do with him. It was too risky. Her life was good now. She was lucky. She was grateful.

Octavia heard the man sigh heavily and his boots squeaked in the mud as he went away. She dared throwing him a look. From afar, his shoulders were slumped, his blond hair disheveled from the rain that had just started to fall. He was a beautiful man. But she could not trust him.

Paul came back. Every single day, he would plant himself in front of Octavia's cage and watch her. Sometimes, he tried to talk to her. To convince her to listen to him. But she only pushed his attempts away.

One day, Octavia woke up because of the storm. The sky was all grey and dangerous. It was freezing and she could not count on her dress which looked more like rags than an actual dress now. There was no one around. It was probably still early in the morning, Octavia supposed. She curled up on herself in a corner of her cage to wait for the storm to pass. She was drifting off back to sleep when, suddenly, outside of her cage, she heard steps in the mud. Hurry steps sinking in the puddles. She saw Paul run to her cage, all wet in his heavy looking coat and tailored pants and shirt. He had something in his hands.

"Here! It is for you. When I saw the storm, I could not stop thinking about how it must be for you. Under this!" He said, motioning to the sky.

He pushed a bundle of fabrics through the bars and waited for her to take it. Octavia looked at him, out of breath under the rain, and approached. It was a blanket. It must have been made of wool because it was warm and soft. Without thinking twice, Octavia put it around her and her body sagged in relief. She was shivering so hard her teeth were clacking. She threw a thankful glance to Paul. The man was smiling at her slightly, relieved too to see her protected partly from the cold.

"I wish I could do more." He said with pity.

"Thank you." She told him without avoiding his eyes for once. He looked surprised to hear her voice. It was the first time. He nodded then and plunged his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a small packet. He pushed it through the bars but kept it in his hands as he was pulling the envelop off. Inside, were bread and ham, Octavia recognized. She looked at him with hopeful eyes. She was starving. Since the storm had started, nobody had come to feed her.

"The bread in from yesterday's baking but…"

Octavia noticed how he was shivering too under the rain. She approached and cupped his hands to steady them. They shared a look, then Octavia took a slice of bread and bit into it hungrily. She sighed with satisfaction with the first swallow.

"Thank you." She repeated through a mouthful and Paul only smiled at her, satisfied.

He waited for her to eat all the bread and ham. He then cupped his hands together to gather some water and helped her drink. They shared another look. Octavia felt comfortable around him. He seemed to truly care about her, but she had been fooled once. Enzo had seemed to care too. Paul felt different though. Octavia didn't know anything about him, except his name, but she felt like she could trust him. She just did not want to. She had trusted enough people already.

Paul stayed until the sun was back and the visitors came through the gates. He looked at her with his hands in his pockets. With a final step, he leaned forward.

"The next time, I will come to get you out of here." He whispered clearly. Octavia watched him leave with determination in his step. She did not want to believe him but she felt in her heart that a small part of her was believing him anyway.

Paul had not lie. At first, Octavia had thought that he would never come back. He disappeared for seven nights, not visiting her once. But he came back on a Saturday night, with Enzo next to him.

"Here is the witch!" Enzo said without looking at her. "Do whatever you want, but quickly! She needs to perform in a bit." He threw the keys to Paul and walked away.

Octavia watched who was once her husband leave. It was the first time she had seen him in years. Usually, when he would leave her in the hands of private clients, Enzo did not bother showing up. One of his minions would accompany the man and take him back to the exit once he had finished his dirty work.

"Thank you, Enzo. I will try not to steal too much of her time." Paul shouted back without quitting Octavia with his eyes.

He stepped in front of the cage and unlocked the door with clicking noises. He looked from right to left then extended a hand.

"Come on! We are in a rush." He whispered towards her.

Octavia watched him with bulged eyes. He wanted her to run away.

"I cannot!" She said, curling up on herself.

"Yes, you can! Come on, we have to hurry!"

Octavia shook her head violently. She did not want to go. She could not go. She was convinced that she had to stay here. Because she was lucky to be here, and grateful for Enzo's generosity.

Paul watched her for a second then entered the cage. He put off his coat and put it around Octavia's shoulders gently.

"I know it is frightening but I promise you it will be better than here." He whispered calmly. "I am a doctor. I can take care of you."

Octavia observed his face. It was all kindness and truth. He wanted to help. Nothing was telling her that he was dishonest. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took his hand and nodded.

"Alright."

Paul smiled excitedly and pulled her behind him. They left the cage open and ran towards the exit. Paul made them hide behind a carriage. Visitors were piling in the paths to take a look at the lions and elephants in the bigger cages.

"We need to be discreet. One of my friends is waiting for us with a horse on the other side of the gates." Paul explained through gritted teeth.

He turned on her and grabbed at the collar of his coat. He helped her put the sleeves on and button up the coat for her. He then looked at her bare feet and winced.

"Will you be able to run like that?" He asked. Octavia nodded. Everything just to get out of here, she thought.

Paul turned back to peek out of the corner of the carriage. He seemed to be satisfied of the lack of people because he turned around and grabbed her hand. He waited a bit then launched himself forward, pulling Octavia behind him. Octavia struggled to run at first, but she found a renew excitement in herself. She was leaving this nightmare. Gone were the cold nights and the barely enough meals. She had every faith in Paul. She had hope. It would get better.

They ran through the paths, Octavia's feet covered in mud and scratches. They only had one obstacle to pass and it would be over. The gates. They had to go through the gates to leave. It was the only exit. But it was guarded by two heavy weights lifters. They were the Twins, Alfredo and Giorgio. Their performance was only about lifting heavy objects to impress the crowd. They had big muscles but not a lot of brain so Octavia had some hope they could trick them.

"They will leave when the last visitors had entered." Octavia said.

"Yes, but they will lock the gates and I said to Duncan to wait for me until then or run away because it will mean I had been caught." Paul grimaced.

Octavia looked around as she tried to find a way to distract the Twins. Even if they succeeded in distracting one of them, the other would still find it weird. She looked at Paul who was doing the same as her. He then grabbed her wrist with excitement. He showed her straw bales piled up on the side of the gates, just behind one of the Twins.

"Can you put fire to it?"

Octavia's eyes traveled on his face. Was he mad? She could not control fire. What did he think she was?

"I cannot… I am not…"

"I watched your performances, Octavia." Paul said while taking her hands in his. "You have a gift. I saw it in other women like you. You are not the only one like that. They can do incredible things. I am sure you can do it too."

Octavia observed the sincerity in his eyes, the belief in her all over his face. She sighed and looked back at the bales. She did not have any other solution anyway. It was that or going back to that cage. She passed in front of him to have a better look and focused her gaze on the bales. Like any other aspects of her gift, Octavia tried to imagine what she wanted to happen. She wanted a spark of fire to ignite in the middle of the bales. She wanted the spark to become quick-spreading licking flames. She wanted the fire to be hard to extinguish.

When it happened, Octavia felt it first in her eyes. She knew that they were glowing. Then in her hands. She knew the energy had gone from her body to the straw bales. She recognized the same feeling she had every night while healing people in exchange of money.

"You did it!" Paul exclaimed brightly. She smiled softly. He seemed proud of her. She only hoped that he did not want to take profit of her gift too.

They watched the Twins hurry to extinguish the fire. The panic quickly climbed in the crowd around them. Octavia pulled on Paul's hand when she thought they had a chance to pass through without being noticing. With the panic around and the amount of people running and shouting, the Twins were distracted enough not to take into account who was going in or out of the gates.

They managed to pass the gates calmly, with Paul's arm thrown over Octavia's shoulders protectively. They rushed out of the circus camp and then followed the other people who were leaving with quick steps. Nobody seemed to wonder why Octavia did not have shoes, or why the couple seemed to be very calm when everybody around was screaming. No, the conversations only concerned the fire and how strange it was for a fire to start with temperatures this slow.

They walked through the plain quietly, their eyes observing everything around them. Paul guided them to a side of the road where several horses were waiting. They stopped next to a huge white horse already saddled up. Paul looked around and called his friend through whispers.

"Duncan! Duncan!"

A little man got out of the lines of horses with a cap on his head and a straw in his mouth. His face brightened up as he saw them.

"You made it!" He exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Paul chastised. "Shut it! You, idiot. You are going to get us caught."

Duncan shrugged and put his hands in his pockets nonchalantly. "You are ready to go?" He asked to Octavia.

The young woman did not really know what to say. She gazed at Paul who smiled at her gently.

"As ready as possible."

They helped her climb on the horse and Paul climbed behind her. He then put his arms around Octavia to grab at the reins. She felt a blush creep on her cheeks but said nothing.

"See you, mate!" Duncan said in a weird accent as he slapped the back of the horse.

They went off quickly, galloping through plains. They traveled through the night, Octavia drifting off to sleep from time to time. They stopped in a forest. Paul built them a fire to stay warm and gave her some bread and cheese. They ate in silence. It was cold but not raining. Octavia got closer to the fire and enveloped herself in the blanket Paul had giving her. Duncan had given them a bag full of food and blankets for them to last two days.

"Where are we going?" She asked tentatively. She did not bother meeting Paul's eyes.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked instead.

Octavia had no clue. She knew nothing outside of her small Italian village and the circus camp. She shrugged and looked at him.

"Do you have a home? A wife to go back to?"

Paul smirked slightly. "I have a house in Scotland." He said cryptically. He showed her his left hand. "And I am only married to my profession."

A doctor, Octavia remembered. He looked just like it, with his perfectly polished shoes and noble clothes. What would he do of her?

"You said you were German."

Paul chuckled and nodded. "I am. I went to school in Germany. But I was born in Scotland."

Octavia frowned and looked at her hands. Her nails were dirty and bitten. Her skin was scarred from the cold and the numerous times she had to defend herself against Enzo's friends.

"Are you going back to Scotland?" She asked in a small voice.

Paul took some time to reply. "Yes. I will open an office there."

Octavia nodded and listened to the beating of her heart in her ears for a moment. It was deafening.

"Can I come with you?" She asked without meeting his gaze. She heard Paul sigh and shuffle from his place so she prepared for his rejection. Instead, she felt a warm arm on her shoulders.

"That is the plan." Paul said next to her. "Unless you want to go your own way. I will not force you to stay. But I can promise you that I will take care of you."

Octavia threw him a glance. He smiled at her sincerely.

"Once in Scotland, if you don't want to stay, I will not force you either. You can start over there. Enzo will never find you."

Octavia nodded. She was not sure of what she wanted for now but she trusted Paul. She would go with him for now. He had saved her. He had risked a lot. She could count on him.

Octavia did not know what was wrong with her. She had counted the moon cycles between her bleeding periods like Paul taught her to. They had made love a numerous number of times to be sure. And it still did not work. Octavia was not pregnant and she did not understand why. Paul, with all his medicine knowledge, kept saying that her former pregnancies had damaged her organs. That it was natural for woman's body not to be able to carry a child sometimes. That she should not obsess over it. But Octavia wanted a child.

After five years away from the circus, she had discovered what it meant to be loved with Paul. It had been difficult at first. Not knowing where her boundaries lied. She had kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the time Paul would reveal his true nature. But he had only been kind and gentle. Caring when Enzo had only been interested. Loving when Enzo had only been desiring. Paul showed her that she deserved to be cared for, that she deserved to be loved. That sharing days and nights were not supposed to need these many efforts. He had asked her to marry him two years ago. Had waited for her response for months, patiently waiting for her to be ready because he knew how much she had suffered in the hands of her former husband. When she had accepted, he had only showed joy. Tears of joy. And he had promised that he would take care of her for the rest of his life. That he would cherish her through life and death. And that he did not really care if she could not give him an heir. The most important for him was to be able to love her.

Octavia was not convinced. She wanted a child and she was sure that it would become a problem for Paul too, sooner or later. They needed to leave something behind, if not for perpetuating Paul's family name, at least she could do it to prove to the world that she could bring other things that the monstrosities that she was capable of. But Octavia was also convinced that these same monstrosities – her abilities, her gift – were the source of her inability to get pregnant or carry a child. She had used them too much. Now she had to pay for it.

Paul found his wife in her bath, shaking in the basin of already cold water, all gloomy eyes and dry tear tracks on her face. He sighed and approached, untying the tie around his neck.

"Come on, darling. You will catch a cold if you stay in there."

Octavia barely nodded but did not move. Paul sighed again because he expected this reaction. He pulled on the sleeves of his shirt. Without caring about his clothes getting wet, he plunged his arms in the water and, snaked them under Octavia's legs and waist and lifted her up. The water dropped around them in enormous puddles on the parqueted flour, on Paul's shiny shoes. It almost made Octavia react. Almost. Paul then dried her skin with a fresh cloth and dressed her up for the night. He knew that it was not necessary to talk anymore on a night as this one. He brought her some soup in bed and helped her drink it in total silence. Octavia kept her eyes fixed on the wall, deep in her thoughts, thanking her husband through lazy lips. Paul brushed her hair and covered her with blankets.

"I have the accounting to do but I will come back as soon as it is finished."

Octavia nodded vaguely and finally lowered her gaze on her hands. "Take your time."

Paul smiled slowly and leaned on her to kiss her forehead, then left their bedroom. Outside the door, he sighed heavily, his back hitting the wall. It seemed that it was the only thing he could do lately. Sigh. His wife worried him a lot. But what was he supposed to do? He supported her. He did not pressure her or encourage her obsession to have a child. He could only devote his faith to her, hoping that she would find peace at some point. That was it. His only solution was to hope Octavia would see reason eventually.

This time, it would work. Octavia was sure of it. She had discussed it plenty with Susan and Mary at their reunion the other day. Susan, as the older of the three of them, had tried to convince Octavia to give up on her attempts but Mary had showed support. Octavia's success could only mean more power for the small coven they were forming.

Since she had arrived in Scotland, Octavia had discovered a whole other world. One filled with women with the same abilities as hers. Searching for spices and certain types of dried flowers during the annual market, she had met Susan Putnam. Susan was ten years older than her and much more experienced in witchcraft than Octavia. Witchcraft, as she called it because they were not gifted by God. They were witches. Magical creatures who did not answer to the Lord's law. Susan had introduced Octavia to Mary Godwin, who was younger and married to a rich lawyer. The three of them were forming a small group of witches, a coven, and tried to learn from each other as much as possible. Octavia discovered love and affection like she had not before, not with her own sisters. A sense of community. A connection. Susan, Mary and herself shared a true sisterhood.

Mary was always shy with her talents, just like Octavia was at first. Susan had taught them how to be confident in their abilities. She was not scared of the persecutions even if they were increasing dangerously. Susan did not have a husband anymore. She lived alone with two daughters and did not want to take a second spouse. She had had one love and one love only. She could live by herself with the money her late husband had left. That was why she did not care about what the people was saying about her strangeness. They were talking about her already. Mary and Octavia were trying to stay discreet though. Especially since both of their husbands had a very noble place in the society. They did not want to tarnish their reputations. Or finish hung in a tree or burnt alive because they were witches.

It did not stop them to try new spells. They tried to stay hidden behind closed doors and not attract attention more than necessary but they still tried to improve their connection and their powers. And that was exactly what Octavia was trying tonight in the cellar of their two-story house in the center of Glasgow. Because she wanted a child and she was sure that after casting the spell she had created with Mary and Susan and drinking the potion, it would finally work.

From the beginning, they had a theory. They thought Octavia's blood was corrupted, just like it was the case with a disease. Octavia had read a lot about this in Paul's medicine books. Blood was a major part of genes, and therefore of pregnancy. Susan and Mary agreed to help, even though Susan was clearly against the idea at first.

"Birth and death are under natural laws. We shouldn't play with them." She had said with her thick accent.

It did not stop her from helping to gather the ingredients for the potion. It took them three months and a trip to London to gather everything they needed. Newborn tears were hard to find these days. The spell was supposed to connect Octavia's blood with the new blood present in the potion and clean it from its pollution. The potion then would liquefy her blood and make it more fluid so that it could mix well with Paul's blood as they would try to have a child.

After spreading the crystals correctly around her, Octavia started spelling the Latin incantation above the caldron while turning rapidly a wooden ladle in it.

"Abstrahe peccata mea. Dissolve malum. Dirige bonum." She repeated seven times.

At the end of the seventh sentence, she drank a ladle of the red fuming potion. It had a bad taste, as she expected it. Acid and sour. Burning her throat. Crashing in her empty stomach. But it was worth it. At first. The effects were instantaneous. The ladle fell in the caldron in a splash as Octavia doubled down in spasms. She should have waited for her sisters to be there. She should not have done it alone.

"Help!" She croaked out through panting breaths.

Her stomach was hurting. It felt like a knife had been plunge in it and was raking her insides with scrutiny, its blade perfectly sharp. Octavia felt a sticky fluid flow down her legs. She looked down and opened wide eyes in horror. With shaking fingers, she passed her hand underneath her dress and touched her intimacy. It was all red. Blood. Everywhere. Forming a giant pool at her feet.

"Paul!" She called out. "Paul!"

She knew that he was reading a book in the boudoir with the door open, just so he could hear whatever happened in the cellar. It was a habit since she had started this whole experiment. It was his way of looking out for her.

In a flash, Paul ran down the cellar's stairs and could not keep his whine in. The look of terror on his face only alarmed Octavia more.

"What happened?" He asked as he snaked his arm under Octavia's waist as gently as possible.

"The spell went wrong." Octavia grumbled through winces of pain. "My stomach hurts."

"You are bleeding too much!"

They were now walking slowly towards the stairs.

"Go and find Susan. She will know…" Octavia took a raged breath. "What to do."

"I will not leave you alone!" Paul objected, horrified by the idea.

"You cannot do anything!" She shouted through gritted teeth, spit falling from her lips. "Go find Susan!"

Paul paused to gauge her. She was right. It was out of his capacities. With a nod, he kissed her eyebrow.

"I love you." He said, before running up the stairs.

It seemed hours before Paul came back with Susan and a bag full of vials. Octavia's vision was blurry but not blurry enough for her not to see Susan's scowl.

"I told you that it was too dangerous to try, child." The woman admonished lightly while perusing in her bag.

She pulled out a vial with a pink liquid in it. She uncorked it and put it to Octavia's mouth.

"Take that. It will cancel most of the effects."

Most of them? Octavia drank the vial in one gulp and leaned back against the stairs.

"How long will it take?" She heard Paul ask.

"It is already working." Susan answered. "But her hair will not recover."

Octavia opened her eyes again. What about her hair? She took into their positions above her. Worried faces and blood all over Paul's clothes. Guilt rose in her throat at their sight. It was all her fault.

"You should give her a bath and put her to bed. Tomorrow will be a hard day."

"I know." Paul simply replied. "Thank you for your help, Susan."

Octavia did not see Susan acknowledge Paul nor quit the house. She only woke up two days later, disappointed with herself but thankful to be alive. It had not scare her enough to stop trying though.

"They executed more than six hundred women in Germany for the practice of witchcraft." Paul said while reading what it seemed to be a letter.

They were quietly taking breakfast in their spacious dining room as he spoke with worry in his voice. He had tried to hide it but Octavia knew him too well. She put her fork as calmly as possible on her plate to assess his remark.

"How do you know that?"

"I still send letters to my cousin." He said nonchalantly, showing the paper in his hands.

Octavia rubbed at the fresh coven mark on her wrist. It was Susan's idea. To connect them to each other. To protect them. If one of them was killed or injured, the others would be aware and could flee while they still could.

"Mary did not mention it."

Mary knew this sort of things. She attended numerous dinners with her husband and his high-profile relations who traveled around the world. She liked to stay quiet and listen to rumors and news. But she had not mentioned any new trial lately.

"It is far from Scotland, still."

Paul huffed and folded the letter angrily. "It is happening here too! The King has proposed the reinstatement of the Witchcraft Acts and ordered a curfew in North Berwick. This is dangerous, Octavia! You almost died! You must stop your experiments! People are getting suspicious enough with your new hair color."

Octavia curled a lock of blond and white hair around her finger. Her last spell had left traces. Her hair looked like it had been drained from all its energy. Susan was certain that she would never find her natural black hair back. It was not important. It had shocked in town, of course, but Octavia could not care less. She would change her skin color if it could give her a child.

"The witches in North Berwick are not discreet enough." She grumbled to her plate.

"What was that?"

Octavia rolled her eyes and plunged them in her husband's stare. "I said that we should leave them be suspicious. I am almost to the point of succeeding. I cannot stop now."

Paul pinched his nose and stood up, leaning on the table with both of his hands. His eyes were piercing and pleading.

"Is it worth it?" He sighed as Octavia nodded. "We do not need a child to be happy. My heart belongs wholly to you. Nothing can change that."

It was always the same discussion. Octavia made a ball with her napkin and threw it on the table. She stood up too because, since Enzo's treatment, she had promised herself to never be looked down again by a man.

"I will not feel whole until I can give birth to our child. I need it, Paul." She insisted. She hoped that he could see the sadness in her eyes because she was too proud to speak it aloud.

Paul sighed again and fell heavily in his chair. Octavia sat down too and observed him. He looked exhausted and worried to the point of making her regret her decisions. But it was too late. The new potion was almost ready. They had a chance to make it really work this time and change witchcraft forever. She would not pass this chance. Even more so for a king and his obsession with black magic.

Their theory had changed. They did not want to focus on blood. Octavia was certain that the problem came from her magic. The one that she used to heal people. Too many times to count. Using it this much had caused unbalance. Now, she was paying the price. For all the lives that Octavia had rescued, Mother of Heaven had decided that she could not have more. She already had taken too much. It was her duty to give now.

But Octavia had not said her last word. She was certain that there was still something to do. If her magic was the cause of the impossibility for Paul and her to have a child, then she would eliminate it. She could take her magic out of herself and live without it, if it meant for her to be able to be pregnant again.

Of course, Susan and Mary were against it. Octavia's powers were unnatural enough, getting rid of her magic was pure nonsense to them.

"I don't think you measure the consequences." Susan had told her.

Mary had agreed silently and they had left her for the day. The next, Mary was back, with a new recipe for the potion and ready to start on the new spell. They did not count on Susan.

The potion was ready now, and tonight would be her last attempt. If it worked, she would not need to try again. If it did not, she would be powerless, literally. Or perhaps worse. They could not really prepare themselves for the effects. For that, Susan was right. It was risky, but Octavia was determined to try.

They met in Octavia's cellar. The dim light of the candles reflected on the brick walls as Mary was spreading salt in a circle around the caldron. Octavia was focusing on her breathing, her hands on her stomach. Tonight was the night. The potion was ready. She knew the spell by heart. They had planned their ritual multiple times. Both of them knew what they had to do.

Mary stopped on the other side of the caldron and took several breaths to calm her nerves and collect her energy. It was simple, in theory. A typical exchange of magic. They were part of the same coven. They were already connected to each other. It should not be that dangerous or complicated.

"Are you ready?" Mary asked, her hands around the ladle.

Octavia opened her eyes. Mary looked collected. Octavia could feel how calm she was. Their energies were already communicating. It was perfect.

She nodded and placed her hands above the caldron. Mary turned once, twice in the potion then gathered the liquid in the ladle and gave it to Octavia who took a gulp. Mary took one too then let go of the ladle to take the same position. They shared a serious look. They had to hold their gaze from now. Linking their hands above the caldron, they nodded to each other and inhaled profoundly.

"I shed my powers. I give you my eternal voice. I give you the energy of Hecate, the strength of Gaia, the wisdom of Brigid. Accept this gift and cherish it as your own." Octavia pronounced solemnly.

"Sororis nexum invoco. Praesens concedo. Sororis nexum invoco. Praesens concedo. Sororis nexum invoco. Praesens concede." Mary repeated.

Their eyes started to glow. The air was rising around them. They could feel the energy crackling in the room. They kept repeating the same spell. Their bodies were heating up, consumed by the magic cursing in their limbs, in their blood. Everywhere around them. It was astonishing. They could not break their gaze but they could perceive pure yellow magic travel in the room and surround them in sparkling flows.

Octavia was the first to feel the effect. The spasms started. It felt like her body was being split in two. As if her soul was being drawn out of her, forcefully, without its consent. Octavia gritted her teeth in pain. She could not pronounce her part of the spell anymore. Nor kept her gaze focus on Mary. It was too painful. She could hear Mary's litany in a vague chant. Then she heard somebody scream. Or more like cry. As a newborn freshly out of his mother's womb.

Octavia opened her eyes and was mesmerized. It was working. A ghostly figure of herself was floating between Mary and her. The figure was crying. Screaming. It seemed upset to be pulled out. Octavia met Mary's eyes. She gave her a small smile. Mary responded with a proud nod. She kept repeating her part of the spell. With each sentence, the figure was pulled closer to Mary. It was shaking its head violently and kept whining.

"Sororis nexum invoco. Praesens concedo. Sororis nexum invoco. Praesens concedo."

"I shed my powers. I give you my eternal voice. I give you the energy of Hecate, the strength of Gaia, the wisdom of Brigid. Accept this gift and cherish it as your own."

"Nooo!" The figure screamed.

It resisted, determined to break the link. Octavia had to squeeze Mary's hands tighter. The figure was crashing on their arms, burning their skin. It kept resisting. Until it succeeded.

Octavia and Mary's hold was broken as they were both pushed away in a spark of energy. Magic was pulsing angrily, forming electricity. A storm was forming in the cellar as if they were in the middle of a plain in October. The figure turned around to stare at Octavia in rage. It rushed to her. Octavia crawled away in fear.

"No!" It shouted in her face. "With you or no one!"

Octavia was shaking. Never in her life, she had thought that her own magic could communicate. But it was hers. She had the right to decide whatever she wanted to do with it. Scrunching her brows, she stood up to step in the figure's space.

"I free you! You belong to nobody anymore. Go away!" She shouted in her turn.

The figure looked confused. It looked behind itself to Mary, who crawled away, scared speechless. The figure looked back to Octavia and seemed to gauge her. A decision was made. It eased itself on the ground calmly. The storm stopped in the room. Octavia approached the figure, sensing it had more to say.

The figure pointed to her lazily. "Octavia." It simply said. It put a transparent hand on its chest. "Other Octavia."

Octavia nodded. Behind the figure, she saw Mary standing up. Her friend looked shaken and kept her distance, observing the discussion. Octavia's eyes were brought back to the figure as it leaned towards her and took her hand. The sensation was intense, as their energies felt similar but different. Octavia felt the missing part inside herself. It had worked. She was surprised to find that her magic had its own personality, its own voice. It had worked better than they had been prepared for.

"Together." The figure said.

Octavia smiled softly. It felt like meeting with an old friend. No, with a long-lost family member. She intertwined her fingers in the figure's translucent ones. The touch was like a second skin.

"You are the other me. Together, but separated. Similar, but different. You are free to be."

"With you." The figure insisted.

Octavia nodded. It was for the best anyway. She did not know the effects of having her magic traveling the world alone, stuck in between two worlds. It was better to keep it close to her. She realized now that she was not entirely ready to give up on that part of herself. She realized too that they still had a lot to discover about their powers. This night, they had accomplished the impossible. Now, they had to face the consequences.

Mary approached tentatively and stepped next to Octavia. She extended a hand towards the other Octavia.

"Welcome to this world." Mary said with a hesitant smile.

Octavia could have laughed. It was typical from Mary. The figure frowned but took the hand. A spark of electricity ignited from the contact.

"Golly!" Mary cried out, shaking her hand quickly. "It is new."

"I think that you should keep your distance for now." Octavia smiled at her.

"Yes." Mary nodded, looking at the figure. "This is extraordinary. Susan won't believe it."

Paul ran down the stairs in a hurry, his wet coat and hair proving that the storm was not just contained inside the cellar. He took a look around the room and opened wide eyes as he saw the figure. Octavia observed the incredibility and fear cross his face. Yes, Susan would not be happy either.

"Octavia Firrano, fifth daughter of Hildegarde of Bingen. You have aroused the wrath of the Gods."

Octavia woke up in a gasp. A deep female voice was addressing her in her mind. At her side, Paul was sleeping peacefully. The figure was looking at her from the corner of the room. It could hear the voice too.

"You have played with forces beyond your control. You caused unbalance which will have consequences for long after your death."

A chill ran down Octavia's spine. Goosebumps irrupted on her arms. Thunder cracked the skies, demonstrating the rage of the gods.

"I cannot accept your behavior. The gods had reunited to decide of your fate."

Octavia pushed the covers away and walked carefully across the room. She opened the door and closed it behind her with the same care, worried to wake Paul up. She rushed down the hall and closed herself up in the bathroom.

"Who are you?" She asked to the ceiling.

"I am everything. I am birth and death. I am nature. I am time and space. I am the Mother of all."

Octavia could not believe her ears. It was the Saint Mother. The goddess of all. Mother Nature.

"By Hecate." She mumbled, astonished. Her entire body started to shake.

"My daughter cannot help you here. Your sentence has been pronounced. You have compromised your bloodline for generations."

Impossible. Susan had warned her though. She should have expected it. But she did not. And now she was in trouble. They could kill her. Or worse.

"No! Please!" Octavia cried out. She fell down on her knees. "I beg for your forgiveness. Please. I wanted a child. I did not think of the consequences."

Thunder exploded outside the window. Octavia startled.

"Silence!" The voice shouted in her head with authority. Octavia crawled on herself on the floor. "You are a descendant of the unique bloodline, and for that, we cannot condemn you to death."

Octavia felt a rush of relief. At least, she would stay alive.

"But the ritual that you used to split yourself from your magic is unnatural. It cannot stay as it is. It is disturbing the natural flow of the universe. Your magic must be contained. It is too powerful to be free."

Octavia looked up to observe the figure, always accompanying her everywhere she went. It had felt natural to be followed around. The figure would stay inside as she would travel the town, but it was always next to her in the house. Like a shadow. Comforting. Ready to help if necessary.

"Your other self will receive a physical envelop. Your magic will be split between the both of you."

"Thank you!" Octavia rushed to say, tumbling on her feet. It did not feel like a punishment.

"I am not finished!" The voice boomed in her head. "Since you were careless enough to risk your whole bloodline, to tarnish all the work your ancestors have done, you will have to prove yourself."

"What? How?"

The voice stayed silent for a moment. Octavia thought hard about what it had just said. It was not clear. She did not understand.

"You are the chosen one. With great power. A hero to protect them all. As your alter ego, the Other Witch will rise to push the Unique Witch to the brink of Fate and, in the ashes of the Earth, you will conquer or perish with the rest of humanity."

Outside, the storm doubled with force. The trees' branches clacked against the window. The rain was pouring in big torrents. The figure started to flicker, as if the light was taken from it.

"Octavia!" It cried out. But Octavia could not do anything. She tried to grab at its hands but they were vanishing. Until the figure was not there anymore. Octavia's heart skipped a beat. Blood rushed up her head. Panic. What had she done? Where was her other self?

"I do not understand!" Octavia cried to the ceiling, tears of fright running down her cheeks. "What do you want?"

A gust of wind erupted from outside, opening the windows of the bathroom with violence. Octavia felt her body absorb a fresh flow of magic. Her magic. The one that she had drawn out of herself. It became clear now. Part of her magic was back. The other half was in the other her.

"Where is my other self?" She asked to the ceiling.

"The Other will rise. You must fight it and win or perish with the rest of humanity." The voice finally answered.

Octavia frowned. She did not want to fight her other self. It was a part of herself. It was not right.

"I disagree to it. This is unfair."

Thunder answered her. She startled and curled up on herself, sobbing. It was not up for discussion. What had she done? What would happen now? The door to the bathroom was thrown open. Paul ran to her and collected her in his arms. He did not ask anything, only reassured her as much as he could. Octavia cried. Rivers of tears which could not erase her mistakes. Never. It was impossible to fix. It was all her fault. Her pride. Her obsession. It was all on her. She had put them all in danger. And if she had understood correctly, it was only just starting. They would have to face so much more. There was nothing that they could do to reverse it. She could only face the consequences and wish for mercy when she would face her other self.

Running. It was their only chance. To escape the King's army. Running. Because their lives depended on it. Susan had been caught. Mary was going to be judged. They did not have any other choice. Running. Because they were the next ones.

Octavia grabbed at Aisling's little hand and pulled at it stronger. The four-year-old winced in pain but they had to hurry. Paul had planned a carriage for them. It was waiting for them on the other side of the forest, just outside Balmore. They were going West. To take a boat. To Ireland. Far away from Glasgow. Far away from the trials. Somewhere nobody knew who the Valshes were. Paul was already there. His flee had been disguised as a trip for work. It worked. Nobody questioned the dear young doctor and his charming smile. They only suspected his wife.

The full moon was bright above them. It was maybe their only solace. It gave Octavia the strength she had yore. Before all of this. Before the split. Before she decided to draw her magic out of herself. They ran across the forest, low temperatures biting their cheeks and fingertips.

"We are almost there." Octavia whispered loudly in the dark.

"My feet hurt." Aisling whined.

"Don't be a baby." Her sister chastised behind her. Octavia stopped to pull the eight-year-old by the shoulder.

"Hurry up. It will not take long before they search for us." She said in a grievous voice. The girl nodded and doubled her effort to follow Octavia's steps.

Aisling and Isobel were Susan's daughters. They had seen their mother clapped in irons, dragged across town to the gallows in nothing but her night gown, humiliated. Persecuted. Murdered. Susan was dead. By Octavia's fault. And she had sworn on her life that she would protect her daughters as if they were her own from now on. Especially since she heard the citizens talked about how the witch's daughters could only be witches too. The girls did not deserve that treatment. It was too dangerous to stay. Her choice had been made and she had talked to Paul. They were going to take care of them. But first, they had to run away.

"Look, the carriage is over there." Isobel pointed in front of them.

They neared the end of the forest and could see Duncan waiting for them. Loyal and trustful Duncan, her husband's longtime friend, always ready to follow Paul everywhere, in every situation.

"Come on, ladies. We're waited." The man said, helping them jump in the carriage. He checked that all three of them were well settled inside and put the small bolster that they carried with them next to Octavia's feet. The adults shared a knowing look. They only had a tiny chance to cross the country and reach Ireland without getting caught but Octavia was hopeful. She trusted Duncan to protect them and carry them safe and sound to the port.

The man nodded one last time and closed the door. The carriage shook under his weight as he jumped in front of the reins and slapped the horses to move forward. Octavia expelled a sigh of relief. Her hand glided to her slowly growing belly, caressing gently the fabric there. Their trip was only starting but she already felt lighter, knowing she was only getting further away from danger and putting the girls away from it with her too. She looked at the two little girls who she had promised to protect. Isobel was squeezing her sister hard against her in a comfort gesture. They both had their eyes closed, exhausted. A frown grew on Octavia's face. The guilt was oppressing but it was bearable. These girls had lost everything they knew but they were still finding comfort in each other. Octavia could do that for them. And more. They would start a new life. Away. With Paul. All four of them. Or maybe five, she looked down affectionately. Together. To face whatever they would have to face. Even if she had to die while fighting against her other self. At least the girls would be safe with Paul. And it was not all for naught.

Chapter Text

The Other

June was born on a cold dark night of June 20th, 2024.

That was the reason why the witches had called him June. It was the summer solstice. It had to mean something.

It was a weird name for a child, even more so for a little boy. The boys in the orphanage kept bugging him with it. But the witches had told him that he was meant to do grand things.

"A name is just a name. When you'll conquer the world, nobody will care about your name."

That had been their words, so he had believed them.

He didn't know better, anyway. He didn't know his mother or his father. He didn't know why he was an orphan. He had asked the witches but he only had received a slap in the face as a reply.

"Your parents didn't want you, boy. They gave you to us. You're better without them. Don't talk about them again." Sister Helen had said severely, while caressing gently the cheek she had just hurt.

Again, he had believed her. He had nobody else to believe anyway.

On a hot night during summer, the witches had put him through a portal. He had only been 4 but he remembered it well. Sister Helen had grabbed his pajama collar and drug him out of his bed without a word.

"The Unique has risen. It's time for you to train." Sister Adriana had said before pushing him through the blue glowing light.

He hadn't known who was the Unique or what that could mean for him. He had been scared of not seeing the orphanage ever again. A bit relieved too to never see the boys there. To never have to endure hours of punishment, standing alone in the dark, naked, his behind still hurting. But he had mostly been scared. He had peed in his pants, he remembered.

When he had walked out on the other side of the portal, it had been all dark and red. There had been no sun. It had been even hotter there. A tall muscular man had welcomed him. Or more so, had been waiting for him. He hadn't felt welcomed. The man had frowned and looked down on him, his arms crossed. Unimpressed, June would later describe him as.

The man then had turned around and stepped forward, not addressing him once. June had followed, not wanting to stay close to that blue glowing light more than necessary. The man had stopped in front of a hut. As June had looked at him, confused, the man had groaned and shoved him inside, locking the door behind him. June had been met with darkness again and had started to cry.

Since then, he had felt like nothing more than a burden.

The man, Kratos, was not really a man, June had learned. He was a warrior. A God. But also a creature of Apokolips.

That was where he had landed. A new planet. In his child's mind, he had never imagined that other planets could be this awful. Apokolips had no sun and no light. No order either. No nature. Everything was rotten on Apokolips and that was why he had to train. Because he was their only chance to conquer Earth and find a new home there. Once again, he had believed them.

So, he had trained. Hard. Every single day. He didn't have a choice anyway. It was either practice or a hundred lashes.

At 8, he had been able to defeat Kratos.

At 10, they had put him against Kalibak, Lord Darkseid's first son. He had failed and nursed his wounds for a week before going back to practice with a broken leg.

He killed Kalibak on his 11th birthday. His majesty was there. He saw everything. June looked at him coldly, as he had been taught, and brandished Kalibak's head to his father, blood running down his young arm as the remnant tendons of Kalibak's spine flew in the air. The crowd applauded, calling out June's name. Darkseid didn't move. Didn't say a thing. Just looked at him through dark piercing eyes.

June got a price for beheading Kalibak. He received a wish to ask to Darkseid's sorceress. And he wished to know who he was.

The answer was unequivocal. He was the Other. He was to defeat the Unique. He was the son of Guilotina, one of the strongest warriors of the Female Furies, and Lionel Luthor, the smartest man on Earth. Both dead. He could live with that. He only had to pursue his mission, now.

Two days later, he was sent to practice with Granny Goodness. To train more.

The old lady was one of the strongest warrior June had ever seen. She trained him like no other, sending him on missions in other dimensions, expecting him to fail. But he never did. He always came back with what she wanted. He always killed who she wanted. She never praised him for his accomplishments. She hit him harder. She yelled at him louder. Because he deserved it. Praises were for weak minds and he wasn't weak.

By the age of 14, he was ready. Granny Goodness had told him that if he was able to fight her, he could go back to Earth. He didn't know if he wanted to, but it was his purpose. His fate. He was supposed to fight the Unique and win. It was the mission the stars had written for him. So that they could spread Darkseid's ideology on Earth and never lived like rotten dogs ever again.

He beat her. Badly. Granny bled on the arena's ground. In front of the entire army. It was a first. The arena had fallen silent as everybody was watching her grab at her arm on the ground. Nobody knew how to react.

Granny Goodness was respected. Feared. She was Darkseid's first counselor. She had an important role in the daily decisions made for Apokolips. She had trained most of them, participated in numerous wars. Brainwashed numerous prisoners into joining their mission. And she had been beaten. Thrown across the arena like a rag doll. Lost an arm in the process. Been burnt by June's firing breath. And had been collecting her teeth and cut limb from the ground.

June had only been able to focus on his heartbeat, slowing his organ so he could take his usual shape back. As his physical appearance shifted from the monster he could be to the young boy they all knew him as, Darkseid stood up from his throne slowly. And he applauded.

Suddenly, June felt welcomed. As every torture he had gone through had only been for him to live this exact moment. When he was finally recognized for his talent. Accepted for the monster he was.

He didn't dare smile. Any form of joy was for the weakest minds. He wasn't even proud of it. He couldn't be. Proud and ego were for weak minds too and he wasn't weak. It was just normalcy. He had a goal and he worked to reach it.

Instead, he met Granny in the middle of the arena and stood in front of her, an eyebrow raised in challenge. The old warrior looked at him and smirked. She pushed herself up and put a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"The boy is ready." She exclaimed loudly so the whole arena and Darkseid could hear.

June turned his look to His Majesty, questions in his eyes. The dark lord only nodded.

He was going back to Earth to kill the Unique and spread Darkseid's words.

They sent him on a ship to Earth. He had to stay on orbit for a year. Observe. Gather information. Plan a strategy.

The first months went by quickly. Humans were weird. He wasn't human, he knew it now. Sometimes, he would laugh at the young boy he had been. Yes, he had red hair and black eyes. Four limbs. Two ears. A snub nose. Yes, he looked like a human. But he wasn't one. He was the Other. He was better than them. Stronger. He was the son of the darkness. He was the only one capable of conquering Earth. He was going to do just that.

Around the sixth month, though, curiosity took over. It could be loneliness or boredom, but June felt freer than he had ever been and decided he could bypass some stupid rules Granny had given him. And it was his enemy's fault anyway. They deserved it.

He had found the Unique. She was a teenage girl. His niece. Well-trained. Athletic. Intelligent. But he already knew it wasn't enough. She would fail. She had too many flaws. Her biggest weakness was her heart.

She had a family. That was the most curious thing to June. He didn't know what it was. There were a bunch of people, gathering around a table, eating dinner, playing games. She had parents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Too many words June didn't know the importance of. So, he observed.

He watched them train and play and talk together. On his screen in his ship, he could see them looking for him. One of the Unique's parents was determined to find him before the time would come. Her other parent was adamant to train the Unique every day but was too kind and praising when she would succeed just a bit. It made him laugh. The Unique was weak and soft. She couldn't win like that. He had already won.

He kept watching them anyway. Because he was supposed to. He saw them fight other enemies. One of them was a doctor who tried to conquer the planet by mind-controlling everyone. That was when it happened. June had watched them work together to succeed. He had thought they were going to lose. Because they were too weak. Too soft. He had thought the doctor would win because he showed no mercy, had no weakness, like the Unique and her family. But they had won. Together. And it was the most disturbing thing he had ever seen.

It seemed that they had found the strength within each other. As if being together was helping them be better. June couldn't accept that. That was against everything he had learned.

You can't count on anybody but yourself. Your brothers can betray you. This is survival of the fittest. Heart is for the weaker ones.

Granny Goodness' lessons had been proven wrong. He couldn't accept it.

So, he kept watching them but with another purpose. He wanted to see them fail. To have proof that what he had noticed was just a one-time thing. That they had gotten lucky. But he was proven wrong multiple times.

He noticed them fight several enemies without failing once. The Unique's parents were powerful. One seemed to have magical powers. The other seemed to not be human, just like him. And they always worked together to succeed. They always supported each other, helped each other, even if the Unique would have been able to defeat the enemy by herself. It was striking. June started to doubt Granny's lessons.

If the Unique's family were using their hearts to fight and it succeeded, how could he be so sure he was ready? He had watched them fight enemy after enemy without flinching, he couldn't be sure the battle was already won. What if he was the weaker one, now, because he was alone? His brothers had stayed on Apokolips. Granny had told him he was ready to conquer the Earth alone. But what if he wasn't? June was convinced that he had to train harder. He had to know what he was supposed to face. He had to go on Earth and learn from the source. Be one of them to beat them from within.

He landed on Earth the first time during summer. It felt strange. His heart was beating hard but it wasn't the same beating as when he was training. His lips wanted to stretch but he didn't let them. The air was brushing on his face. The sun was bright in the blue sky. He focused on slowing his heartbeat to keep his human appearance. It wasn't necessary to attract attention yet.

He had chosen the city where the Unique was going to school to understand her environment. As he walked on the streets, humans crossing his path without acknowledging him, he understood where their determination came from. Earth was everything Apokolips wasn't. There were smells and sounds everywhere. There were trees and animals. Humans were talking. Children were playing. Babies were babbling. Everything was living. Alive. Breathing. He had forgotten how it felt to be a part of something bigger.

As he stopped in the middle of a plaza, June realized two things. One, he understood why it was easy for the Unique's family to succeed here. They had a life worth fighting for. That was where their determination was coming from. Their heart wasn't only based on the sympathy they had for each other. It was also for their world and their lives there. He could understand why they wanted to protect it. It was lacking on Apokolips. Determination was only linked to power. More dominance over your neighbor. More power meant more comfort and since Apokolips had already been drained from any sort of comfort, anything was always better than what they had.

The other thing June realized was how unfair his life had been. He had been deprived of a life here because he was born in the wrong place at the wrong time. He could have had the family the Unique had. He could have known what it meant to have friends and not enemies. His human father was dead but he could have known his sister. The Unique's mother. But he didn't. He had been forced out of this potential life. And that realization made him furious. So furious that he was ready to kill the Unique, to conquer the world and then, to kill Darkseid and every single one creature on Apokolips. Conquer worlds and kill everybody who thought they could control his life. Starting with these fucking witches.

He took a deep breath in. He felt his fangs and claws retract. This wasn't the time to let impulsiveness win. For now, he was 15. It was summer. And he could do whatever he wanted on Earth without Darkseid or anybody knowing.

So, once his body had shifted back to its human form, he went to buy a coffee and tasted his first Earth drink since he was 4. He walked in a park and watched weird birds swim on a lake. He walked around the city and listened to the strange language humans were using. It sounded melodious. He remembered some words. He understood some of them. He promised himself to learn it again, once everything would be done.

As he was walking on the seawall, he came across a huge statue. It was Supergirl. The Unique's other mother. She had a statue because she was seen as a hero by the humans. They were seeing her as a Goddess. June surprised himself by thinking he wouldn't be bothered to be seen as such himself. Conquering the world didn't mean he would do bad things. He could end poverty. He could prevent the humans to destroy their planet and transform it into another Apokolips with their cars and their industries. A deep frown crossed his face. It could be the follow-up to his plan. Conquer them all and eradicate the pollution and other sins the humans were guilty of. Killing every human who would dare contest his decision. Yes, he wanted to do that. But he had to know more. He had to learn more about Earth and its inhabitants and its customs. The ship could help him.

That was when it happened the first time. It was surprising. Unpredicted.

He heard a laugh in his head. As if it was his own. But it wasn't. He knew that, because the voice of a girl spoke then. And he knew that voice. It was the Unique's. In his head. She was talking to someone, laughing with them.

June was confused. He didn't understand how it was possible. Was it a magic trick? Did the Unique have succeeded in entering his head to manipulate him? If it was the case, she would have tried to reach him. To communicate. But she was only speaking to someone else. Unaware of what was happening.

June sat on the floor on the seawall. Humans were grumbling as they passed him but he wasn't focused on them. Only on the Unique's voice.

"Parker's not that handsome. Leo is."

"I don't know. I like Parker's dark side."

Was it a capacity he had developed thanks to Earth's ecosystem? He shook his head. This was just nonsense. The Unique was talking about somebody else. A boy apparently. June frowned. Her interests were only showing more weakness. He stayed there for a long time, sat in the middle of the seawall, listening to the Unique's discussion.

Eventually, it stopped. And June was left wondering if he had imagined it at all.

The second time, he woke up in a gasp. The Unique had been in his dream. Not just in his dream. She had watched his dream with him. Lived it with him. As if she had been in his skin.

June pushed the covers away and rushed to the small bottle of water he had stolen on Earth. He loved this liquid so much. It was so refreshing. They didn't have it on Apokolips. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had to find a way to stop these communications. It wasn't normal.

He walked to the main console of the ship and entered key words. Mind reading. Because it was at least what it looked like. The results were only more confusing. It wasn't his situation. It was as if he was sharing a mental link with the Unique. As if they were connected to each other.

Deep in thought, he went to dress himself in normal clothes for humans. If the ship didn't have answers, maybe Earth had some. At least he could search himself on their outdated computers and see what he found. The Unique and him were linked by a prophecy, as it had been taught to him since he had arrived on Apokolips. There had to be information about it somewhere.

As he landed on Earth, he was shocked to feel water on his skin. He had forgotten how rain felt like. The smell of wet tar in the air. The sky lightening up under the summer storm. He stopped there, in front of a huge building and left the rain fall on him. There were humans passing him by with umbrellas but he wasn't interesting in them. What caught his eyes was the name on the building in front of him. Luthor. He knew that name. It was his father's name. Lionel Luthor. But that wasn't that name on the building. It was the name of his sister. The Unique's mother.

Intrigued, June forgot about his actual reasons for his landing on Earth and instead went into the building. The receptionist saw him immediately.

"May I help you?"

June could only observe the new environment he was discovering. His eyes traveled around the big entrance hall and its minimalist decoration. Humans everywhere, walking fast, talking through small devices, laughing while drinking what he smelled was coffee in small paper cups.

"Sir?" The receptionist insisted. "Are you a new intern?"

June finally looked at her. He shook his head and cleared his throat.

"No. I want to see Lena Luthor." He articulated as normally as he could.

The receptionist frowned and looked to the right. June followed her gaze towards two men wearing blue uniforms. Human or not, he knew how to recognize a military uniform. He turned back towards the woman behind the white polished desk and stretched his lips as wide as he could.

"I am from family."

It only made the receptionist frowned more. It wasn't the right thing to say. June knew when it was time to back down.

A good warrior knows when the time to give up has come.

He took two steps back and stretched his lips again. "Tell Lena Luthor her little brother says hello." He said before turning on his heels and quitting the building.

He walked fast and purposefully. Outside, he went left and waited to cross a little hidden alley to hide. He looked at his transmitter disguised as a watch around his wrist. It was time to go back to the ship. His curiosity had cost him enough for the day. So much for doing it his own way.

The next time the Unique's voice resonated in his head, he was ready.

He sat crossed legged in the middle of his ship and focused on her voice. He wanted to reach her. To communicate. If he could reach her, he could manipulate her. Enter her mind and install doubt. Fear. It was Granny Goodness' favorite method. The mind was a solid weapon. It was only a matter of who was tricking who. Who was the most persuasive.

He waited to feel calm to expand his energy. He felt it flow freely in his nerve endings. In his blood. In his muscles. Until it reached his brain. He focused on the voices he was hearing and projected a simple word in repeat.

Hello

He waited patiently for a reply. Beathing in through his nose, out through his mouth. Focusing on his heartbeat not to shift into the monster yet. Or else, he would not control his urges anymore.

He kept sending the same message. Indefinitely. But it didn't work. Because it wasn't a discussion he was hearing, June realized too late. It had rhythm. Music. He remembered it vaguely from his time on Earth. Before all of this. He stopped sending the mental message. He just listened, wondering what was the weird feeling developing in his chest. Why did he feel calmer than he had ever felt?

Cries. It was new. It was inconvenient. June didn't know what to do with these. He knew sadness only from his time on Earth, when he was still a child, afraid and weak. There was no sadness on Apokolips. Only fear of the one above you in the ladder. Only authority towards the one below you.

But the Unique was crying and he was feeling what she was feeling all throughout his body. In his chest, where a ball had been growing. In his throat, where sounds seemed to be blocked. When he felt his eyes water, he decided that he had enough. He couldn't let this girl dictate his feelings. It wasn't normal. Their link had to be severed.

He sat down in the middle of the ship, crossed legged and tried to reach her once again.

"Stop whining!" He screamed aloud, his fingers grabbing at his hair. She was making him crazy. The pain was too intense. He didn't know what to do about it.

He went to the console and search for her location on Earth. Maybe if he could see her physical form, he could reach her. The link could be easier to form that way. He found her in Ireland but he couldn't zoom in on her. It was blocked. As if an invisible barrier was blocking him from reaching her.

Huffing, June pushed away from the console and put his shoes back on. He would have to go himself. He needed her to stop crying. It was infuriating.

Landing just outside of her bedroom window, he watched as the Unique was shedding big crocodile tears. Looking as pathetic as he thought she would look. The rain was pouring outside, as if she had an effect on the weather in her emotional state. He sighed and screamed internally. She couldn't see him. He couldn't make his presence known or they would have to fight and it was too early for that, he knew it. But it was really making him regret of coming in the first place.

Now that he was there, he could at least try to severe the link and stop this nonsense. Focusing on her form in her bed, he tried to express comfort through his mind. The brunette frowned but never opened her eyes nor seemed to detect his presence. He tried harder, forcing his brain to see the virtual link that was linking them. And then, she opened her eyes and saw him.

He couldn't be more surprised. She couldn't either. In a rush, she stood up from her bed and ran to the window but June had already left. Vanished, thanks to his transmitter watch. In his ship, he sighed and fell heavily in the chair in front of the console.

He had broken at least three rules.

But the cries had stopped.

As he was eating dinner, June felt a presence in his back. He didn't turn around immediately. His training had taught him it was better to let his enemy think they had an advantage. He could sense the anxiety though. The attraction. The person behind his back wanted him to turn around and realize who was there. June continued eating quietly.

He heard two steps behind his back, rounding him to his right. It was just a question of time now. Who was there? He already knew. He could perceive her energy as if it was his own. When the Unique appeared a couple of feet away to his right, he turned his face nonchalantly and watch her. She didn't seem afraid. Just nervous. Excited too. He didn't know why.

"You're…"

He sighed and closed his eyes. They shouldn't be friend. Going to her house three days ago was a mistake but her making the trip here, finding him, it was stupid. He could kill her. They were meant to be enemy. They shouldn't even talk.

"How did you find me?"

"I found your ship on orbit on our computers."

Her voice was meant to sound sure but he could detect some tremors in it. He took a last bite of his dinner and pushed the plate away. He stood up from the bench quickly, taking a step or two to face her.

She was beautiful, he could admit that. Attractive. Older than him too. He knew that because he had seen her celebrate her birthday. Celebrate. As if there was anything to be thankful for in their birth.

They gauged each other for a moment. He watched her analyze him. His body. His aura. He did the same. She was standing there, in the middle of his ship, with confidence he knew wasn't fake. She wasn't afraid of him. Because she knew, deep down, that he wouldn't hurt her. How could he? They were linked. June was now sure that if she was in pain, he would be too. He didn't want that. He didn't want to hurt her either. There was something preventing him from doing so.

"You look like my mom."

"I'm her brother."

"Half-brother."

June snorted at that. They were family. They were enemies. They were sharing far more than it was expected from them.

"I am the Other." He said solemnly with a bit of arrogance. Because he was more than Lena Luthor's half-brother.

"And I am the Unique." The girl replied on the same tone, mocking him. A smirk grew on her face. She extended a gloved hand. "I'm Liz."

June looked down at the hand then back at her face. He could recognize some of his human features on her. The corners of her lips. The glint of intelligence in her eyes. The electricity was sparkling between them. The air felt thick. As if everything around them wanted them to be reunited. Because they were sharing the same fate.

It was his turn to smirk.

"I should kill you."

The girl frowned. "You can't."

"I will."

The girl sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked around them, analyzing every little detail she could find. June let her. He knew a lot about her, he could leave her have some information about him too. After a moment, she cleared her throat and looked back at him, her blue eyes sparkling with the neon lights.

"I can feel it too, you know." June squinted in question. "The link." She motioned between them. "The energy around us. There's something that links us. That's why I can hear your thoughts."

June was surprised for a second by that. He knew she could have access to his dreams but he never thoughts she had access to his brain. To his every thought just like he was able to hear her think sometimes. The surprise disappeared quickly from his face though. Coldness took its place instead.

"Why are you even here?"

The girl smirked again. Her confidence was back. She shrugged, her dark hair falling from her shoulders in cascades. "To measure the competition."

June cocked an eyebrow, amused. "Competition? There's no competition. I'll win, you'll die. That's the end of it."

The girl nodded with a smile. "We'll see about that." She put her hand in her pocket.

"Until then, stay out of my head." She winked then scrolled at a wristband around her wrist. "See you soon!" She saluted before pushing a button and disappearing in a purple halo as quickly as she came.

June stood there a bit longer, astonished by the meeting. Was it real? Did she just wink at him? What a weak and insignificant little brat!

He shook his head and went back to the table where the remnants of his dinner were cold now. He sat down and softly smiled. She wanted a challenge. He was ready to give it to her.

Chapter Text

DAY 3777 – EARTH PRIME - YEAR 2038 December 22nd

Appearances

"What about Declan?" Kara asked before taking a sip of her champagne, her hand sliding dangerously low around Lena's hip. Lena looked at her pointedly bored. She was playing nonchalantly with the Platinum Kryptonite around her neck, pondering her reply. "What? It's Irish."

Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I know, thank you. But not Declan."

"Oh, I see! You want an L again."

There was a bit of silence between them. Lena looked around the ball room full of people murmuring and dancing. Jazz music had replaced the classical one usually played at Luthors' events and Lena had to admit it was a welcomed change. Their guests seemed to enjoy it more.

"What do you think of Leopold? Or Leonard? Leo, for short."

Lena turned on Kara with a one-sided smile. "Do you think this is the time to argue about that?"

Kara shrugged one shoulder then put her flute on a high table and slid her other hand on Lena's belly, caressing it affectionately. "Well, this peanut is coming out in three months. He needs a name."

The fingers at the small of Lena's back were descending lower and lower with every second. Inching for a touch they shouldn't want with such an assembly around them. Lena melted under Kara's affection, even if she shouldn't encourage her. They were in the middle of one of the Foundation's charity galas. Her feet were crying. Her eyes were burning. And she didn't even dare to think about the sensation of her breasts imprisoned in this torturous dress. Kara's sensual touch was not improving any of that.

"Alright." Lena smirked and leaned closer to Kara to put a kiss on her jaw, just under her ear. "What about: Leave my butt alone, we're in public." She whispered against Kara's skin. She heard a quiet gasp. Because Lena only swore on rare occasion. And Kara secretly loved when it happened. Kara's grip tightened around her. When she pulled away, the blonde was sporting the same smirk.

"It's your fault. With this dress, I can barely control myself." She said cheekily.

Lena rolled her eyes again. "And I'm the one with the hormones." She felt Kara lean against her, her nose grazing her temple.

"You're also the one with a cleavage defying gravity." The blonde whispered in a voice so heavy with desire that Lena had to swallow the words, literally. Her brain started putting up scenarios of a red dress being burnt down by laser eyes and her own hands tearing out Kara's perfect blue suit with hunger. She shook her head and smiled at the waiter passing by. Keeping up the appearances was one of the things she knew how to do.

"We should go home." She replied, her fingers already slotting themselves with Kara's.

"Lead the way, Miss Luthor."

Another strike right down Lena's stomach, directly towards her center. Yes, they had to go home. Kara wasn't playing around tonight. She was unusually forward even and Lena liked every second of it. They could go home anyway. They had done their rounds. They didn't have to be present any longer so they rushed out of the ball room, the discussion around their unborn son's name already forgotten.

Liz woke up in a sweat. Another nightmare. Not hers. The Other's nightmare. Liz had trained for years to be able to enter his mind but she couldn't. Not anymore. He had severed the link after their last encounter. She could only open the link while dreaming. The Other had a will so strong she couldn't reach him until he was asleep. But it was always nightmarish visions. Apocalyptic images. Darkness and furor everywhere.

Sometimes, she knew he was dreaming of a memory. He was fighting or training and she could feel how proud he was to be good. Sometimes, he was being beaten up by a disgusting creature. Those ones were the worst. Liz could feel how terrified and angry he was. How young he was. She could feel the bones cracking in her own body, the skin ripping apart as if it was her own. She almost pitied him. But then the next day, she would dream of him burning another woman by spitting fire through his mouth and she remembered he couldn't be pitied. He was a monster. A machine born to kill. He was the enemy and he knew what he was doing. She couldn't sympathize with him.

Liz looked at the ceiling where she could read the time reflected against wood paneling. It was 2 a.m.. Finally, it was the day. 10 years 4 months and 3 days. The day they had all been murdered in another dimension. Would it happen today too? She wasn't so sure. If their calculations were right, the Other was entering his fifteenth birthday on June 20th, 2039. In six months. She still had six months to find a way to defeat him and save the whole world. No big deal.

Standing up from her bed, she listened to the house. Her mothers hadn't come home yet. Lucy was soundly sleeping in her bed with the light still on and her plush elephant next to her. Snowflake was stretching on the bed, ready to follow her. Liz thought about how she would regret her decision only a few hours later, fighting the urge to sleep once in class, but walked out of her room anyway. She passed the kitchen and went directly towards the basement door. She walked down the stairs, Snowflake right on her steps, leaving the door open behind her in case her little sister decided it was a good idea to peruse the house during the night. Lucy wasn't usually that courageous – the dark shadows should be enough to dissuade her from quitting her room – but everything was possible since she had discovered she could hear from miles away. Maybe she would hear Liz downstairs and decide to explore.

As she walked in the room, the lights went on on her way, revealing the big white cube in the middle of it. Liz smirked. Normal families had bottles of fine wine or old bikes or maybe boxes full of pictures in their basement. The Luthor-Danvers had a training cube, sympathy of Lena Luthor herself who was tired of traveling from the Justice League satellite to her home in Ireland. Kara had commented it was mostly so that Lena didn't have to answer questions on why she was in the satellite at a normal hour for people to sleep, but her comment was only met with a raised eyebrow.

Liz removed her gloves and rubbed her hands against each other. The cube was the only place she could remove them, even to this day. Her sensitivity was just increasing with age. She removed her socks too, discarding them in a messy pile next to the cube door. She needed to feel the ground underneath her. As she presented herself in front of the door, it slid open, revealing a square empty space. She walked to the center calmly and looked at the ceiling.

"Load the simulation."

"Yes, Elizabeth." The robotic voice replied.

Immediately, the white room turned red and Liz felt her body getting heavier, less unbreakable. More human. A street appeared with its cars, its buildings, its lamp posts. There were even birds in the trees. Children were running or chatting with their parents. It was supposed to represent the main boulevard in National City. But Liz heard it. The threat. High in the sky.

She looked and smirked, seeing a spaceship enter the atmosphere and crash heavily on the ground, breaking buildings and cracking the pavements and the road. People started panicking. Screaming. Fleeing. And then Liz heard them throughout the crowd of panicked citizen. The monsters. Alike dogs with teeth so sharp and numerous that they couldn't close their mouths. With dark brown scales instead of hairs. Menacing orange eyes. And drool running down their chops at the thought of all the citizens they were going to devour. They were the ones she had seen so many times in the Other's nightmares. They were straight out of Apokolips. Straight out of Hell.

Her smirk grew wider. She closed her eyes and balanced her head from right to left. Cracked her joints. When she opened her eyes back, they were glowing purple. Her hands burnt with magical flames.

"Come on, buddies." She whispered to herself. "I'm waiting for you." She said as the first creature reached her. She punched it right in the face, staying strictly on the ground, using only magic and no Kryptonian ability. The creature whined as it hurt a concrete wall. And was quickly replaced by another. And another. And another. Until the Other was the one facing her. Until she was dying next to her defeated enemy. A perfect draw.

Kara breathed in through her nose and slowly out through her mouth. She heard Lucy do the same next to her. When they had started to pray together a year ago, Lucy had been reluctant to wake up that early to pray some god she didn't know anything about. Kara was proud of how her second daughter was taking up to her customs now and understanding the meanings behind their practice better.

On the terrace, she could hear Lena and Liz discuss but Lucy kept her focus on her breathing. They were almost done anyway. Kara inclined her head towards the sunny sky, eyes still close. Cherishing every moment under Rao's light. The grass was still wet under them from the snow she had to melt with her eyes so they could sit in the middle of the forest. She inhaled once again, focusing back on their surroundings.

Breathing was the main characteristic of the humankind. Even after all these years on Earth, Kara still found it magical. It was a proof of life. It was so simple yet complex, for without it, the humanity couldn't exist. For Kryptonian, it was a bit different. Kara didn't need air as much. She needed air to function, but not to live entirely. She could live without it. That was why she could travel in space and swim for hours under the sea. But it wasn't a proof of invincibility. Humans were far more courageous than she was. Because they were that fragile but still continued to brave the elements.

"Jeju, your heart is beating really loud." Lucy grumbled through a whisper next to her.

Kara opened her eyes to look at her and chuckled. The six-year-old was just a blonde version of Lena's frowned eyebrows and her own pout. She cupped her up from the ground and hugged her tight against her.

"I'm sorry, Lucyboo. I was just thinking."

Her daughter's frown deepened. The green in her eyes so vivid, reflecting the white around them. She put a cold hand on Kara's cheek. "What were you thinking about?"

Kara shrugged. "Just humans and Earth in general." Lucy nodded then buried her face in her mother's neck. "Come on, baby. Let's get you back inside. You're freezing."

Liz stepped out of the shower feeling more drained than she had thought she would be after her little training session during the night. She would have to accept to be tired for the day. Her parents weren't the kind to let her skip school because she was tired. Especially since they came home while she was still in the basement.

Stepping down the stairs, Liz bit in an apple and poured two cups of tea before walking on the terrace. As usual, her mother was there wrapped in a blanket, reading another Irish tales' book in the hope to find clues about the Unique's prophecy. With the snow around them, the garden looked larger, only delimited by the bare trunks of tree, remnants of an abundant forest in spring. For a second, Liz worried about Lucy and their mother praying in the snow in the middle of the little wood but then she remembered her sister was as thick skinned as she was.

"How do you feel?" Lena asked as Liz sat in the chair next to her. She accepted the warm cup of tea gracefully.

Liz looked straight ahead, admiring the sun rising shyly behind the tree. Her emotions were all over the place, that wasn't new. Where should she start?

"Uh…"

Lena frowned in her periphery. She took a sip of her tea before speaking. "Come on, use your words. We've taught you better."

Liz huffed. Her mother tended to always try to make her talk because she used to be so introverted that it would reflect in her mood and then into her powers and before she knew it, she was burning everything around her in fury.

"I feel exhausted, for one." She said while counting on her fingers. "A bit eager, excited maybe, to put my training into practice." She shrugged then frowned. "Afraid too because I know he could kill me and everyone involved."

At that, Lena put her hand out of the blanket to grab at hers and squeeze in reassurance.

"I feel hopeful though. I trust you and Mommy, and aunt Alex and Esme and Aunt Diana to help. I know everybody's going to be there and it's scary because they're all gambling their lives but it's relieving at the same time because I don't have to do it alone."

"We'll always be there for you." Lena said with earnest eyes. Liz squeezed her hand back.

"I know but thank you. I know you didn't have the same chance so I don't take that for granted."

Lena smirked then put her hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "See? We raised you just right."

"Is that so? Am I still grounded then?" Liz replied through a shit eating grin.

Lena squinted her eyes. "Definitely."

"But Mom it was just-"

"You took too many risks, Liz." Lena interrupted another explanation of her daughter about what happened that day. "People could have been injured. Your little revenge on that boy wasn't worth it."

"But he's an ass-" Lena's cocked eyebrow made her rethink her sentence. "A dumb cockroach! He threatened Eva to tell the school she slept with the whole football team if she didn't show him her breasts."

"I know." Her mother scrunched up her face. "It's not better the second time you say it. There was another way to deal with it though."

"He got what he deserved."

"You almost burnt down the school. I had to pay for new equipment in the lab. Do you have any idea how many glass vials cost?"

Liz scoffed. "You're rich!"

"It doesn't matter Liz!" Lena hissed. "My money could go somewhere more useful than to replace public equipment you've destroyed."

"It's for education, it's worth it." Liz shrugged while biting down on her apple.

"Okay, don't play with me." Her mother warned with one finger. "You know it was wrong. First, we don't do justice ourselves, especially with our powers. Second, it was dangerous for lots of reasons. And three, we can't have you have that sort of reckless behavior. You're too powerful to play with your powers like that and you know it really well." She finished with a pointed look. "So yes, you're still grounded and I'm proud of you for expressing your feelings to me. Now I think you still got that test on biology you need to pass."

"Uh, sometimes you're the worst. I could die really soon. It should count." Liz complained dramatically.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, drama queen, say hi to your biology teacher for me."

Lena didn't show it for Liz's good but the mere idea of her dying was terrifying her to the core. Liz liked to joke about it, probably because it was easier that way, but it never stopped torturing Lena since the day they had learned Liz would be risking her life this young to save humanity.

She watched as their eldest daughter hugged their youngest and gave a kiss to Kara before flying up in direction of National City. Kara and Lucy approached hand in hand. When they were close enough, Lucy ran to her. Lena only had time to put her cup of tea on the table before she dropped on her heavily.

"Hey, love! Did you have a good time with Jeju?"

"Yes!" Lucy answered with a grin before it fell. "Jeju was thinking too loud though."

Kara chuckled and approached to tickle her. "That's not true. I was just thinking about how proud of you I am for staying still for this long without complaining."

Lena observed how Kara's smile seemed to drop at one point as their eyes met before she grinned down at Lucy again and squeezed her tight against her. She knew what that smile was hiding. They both knew it. Worries. Guilt. Shame. Fear. All of this because they had a chosen one as a daughter.

"You should go wash yourself anyway. There's school in an hour."

Lucy grumbled but went in the house anyway, clacking the bay window shut behind her. Kara watched her leave for a moment before shifting her gaze back to Lena.

"You must be freezing out here." She said as she sat lightly on the armrest of Lena's chair.

"I'm okay." Lena replied evenly.

Kara took a breath, her exhale forming a gust of smog in front of her mouth. "Liz didn't sleep a lot last night."

"I know. She seems tired but not more than usual."

Lena leaned against her to catch some of her warmth. Kara sighed and brushed a lazy hand in her long dark hair. They were both worried about Liz. Immensely so. But there was nothing more they could do except talk about it and think of ways to prepare Liz for the big battle coming up in six months. In the meantime, they have to live just like the other families and deal with their children's antics.

"That boy shouldn't have messed with her. He got what he deserved." Kara chuckled lightly.

Lena snorted. "Those last five years, we cured cancer and sent people to live on Mars but boys will stay boys." She said irritated.

Kara leaned to kiss her softly, then smiled as she caressed Lena's belly. "Hopefully, our boy will be different."

Lena nodded against her with a grin. "One more gentleman on Earth."

"He sure will be."

Kara clicked on another link. Several definitions appeared, with images illustrating parts of the brain in colors. Was Liz's brain working the same way? She couldn't be certain. With her daughter's intelligence and her half-Kryptonian anatomy, her brain was certainly working way faster than that.

"Are you doing research for an article?" Nia said next to her. Kara startled then threw her a wide-eyed look. She was so engrossed in her research that she hadn't heard Nia entered her office.

"What? No, it's…" Kara sighed while pushing away from her desk. "It's about Liz." She admitted in a flourish of her hands.

"I see." Nia squinted her eyes, a finger on her chin. "And you didn't think of talking to the one person with dream powers." It wasn't a question.

Kara looked down, shrugging shyly. "I didn't want to bother you with this."

"Kara, seriously." Nia rolled her eyes. "We're all concerned about Liz, not just because she's the chosen one or something. We're family." She insisted.

"I know!" Kara huffed and rounded her office with hands on her hips. "It's just that, maybe, if I don't talk about it, it becomes less real, you know?"

Nia nodded, sympathy in her eyes. She perused the website before meeting Kara's gaze. "Do you know what she's dreaming about?"

Kara shook her head. "No, she never talks about it but she's always so tired. Lena doesn't look worried but I know she is. She deals with it in her own way."

Her friend scoffed. "She's obsessed with the prophecy, I think that's her way to cope. She probably has a few algorithms running just in search for the Other alone."

Kara snorted. Yeah, it would totally be Lena's type.

"I just wish we could take this weight from Liz's shoulders. She's too young to have to deal with this."

"You weren't that much older when you took the cape." Nia remarked, sitting one leg up the desk.

"Yes, but it was my choice. Liz didn't choose."

"Fate is usually crueler than we think." Her friend's scrunched up face showed Kara that Nia had seen more about life than she had ever wanted. "It gives a line of conduct, a direction to live our life a certain way, but it can be so oppressive too."

Nia was right. Fate was a fatalistic force. It was relieving to know we had a purpose but the weight it brought on young shoulders could be suffocating. And Kara was worried. How could she not? The curse of being a parent was already to worry all the time. Do I love them enough? Do they have everything they need? Am I a good parent? Am I present enough? Do I protect too much or should I do more? It was always the same litany. It never stopped. And it never would, Kara was sure of it. She was already worrying for their unborn son. But adding the drama of a hero life, of being an alien – or half-alien and half-witch -, of having the fate of the entire planet in your hands, that wasn't something Kara had wished for Liz.

"I don't know what to do to help her." Kara admitted silently. She looked at the ceiling, trying to contain her tears. Sending a prayer to Rao. Wishing He could resolve their problems.

"You're helping her already!" Nia assured with a cool hand on her forearm. "You're a good mother, Kara. And if none of us survive," She swallowed with difficulty. "At least you'd have supported Liz until the end."

Kara exhaled in a shaky breath, a tear escaping her eyes. "I'm so scared, Nia." She said through trembled lips.

"Oh, honey." Nia's tears fell too as she rushed to wrap her tight in her arms. "I'm terrified too, you have no idea." Her throat seemed constricted by emotions. "But you know what?" She pulled away with a wet smile. "I know you'll be by my side and if I'm not brave enough alone then at least I know we'll face it all together."

Kara laughed wetly, agreeing. They were nothing if it wasn't a team first. She took Nia back in her arms.

"I love you so much Nia. You're like a sister."

Nia snorted at the last addition. "You too, babe but don't say that in front of Alex."

Kara snorted then pulled away, grabbing at a tissue from the box on her desk to empty her nose.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Nia said while brushing a shaky finger under her eyes. "The new intern is waiting for me to show him how to use the editing software."

"Of course." Kara smiled. Before Nia was out of earshot, she turned around. "Thank you, Nia." She said earnestly.

Nia winked before walking out of the office, leaving Kara alone with her invasive thoughts and nagging feelings.

Jason was finishing his breakfast when Lena entered his cell. He looked up and rubbed at his face with a paper napkin, before balling it up and throwing it on the plastic tray in front of him.

"Good morning, brother. How life in prison is treating you?" Lena saluted him, putting away the tray for him. A guard took it through the door and closed the frame behind her.

Jason didn't reply at first. He observed her instead. Her lips were stretched in a fake smile, her eyes glinting with something in between terror and confusion. Her features were relaxed though, because she didn't want him to question her. Her tone had been enthusiastic enough for him to believe her for a second.

"Look at you. All glitters and rainbows. What's gotten into you? Pregnancy's hitting your brain?" He smirked, playing along.

Lena scoffed. "Huh, I wish."

Her face took a somber appearance as she was busy placing the chess pieces on the board. Jason didn't comment. He was used to let her take control of their exchange now. He watched her start the game with a pawn on the left and smiled. He recognized the first strategy she had taught him. So, he moved one of his pawns on the left too to neutralize hers immediately. Lena's eyebrow pointed upwards but it was her only visible reaction. They continued to play for quite some time. When Jason took the white queen, he decided it was enough. Lena had never lost a queen in the ten years they had played together.

"Seriously, is everything alright?" He asked, looking as apathetic as he could. Lena's green eyes traveled from the board to his face a couple of times before she sighed.

"I…" She balanced her head from right to left. "I'm worried about Liz." She admitted finally.

Jason frowned. Lena was never this forward. Usually, he had to dig a bit more. To use sarcasm and witty remarks to make her talk. And even then, she wasn't sharing details about her life willingly. He didn't know how to respond to that. Was he supposed to be kind or instead to laugh it off?

"She's having more and more nightmares." Lena continued without looking at him. "Premonitions. And there's nothing we can do. We know the Other is in orbit but we can't confront him before the due date."

Silence. Jason shuffled on his seat, uncomfortable. He knew about Liz and her powers and about the dangers they would be facing in less than a year. He also felt like it wasn't really his problem. It wasn't his fight.

"That sucks." He said, taking another white pawn.

"To put it lightly." Lena chuckled. "Wanna help?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. A challenge. She was measuring the trust she could put in him, he realized. He smiled devilishly.

"Ha! No, thanks.".

"She's still your niece." Lena remarked with that posh tone.

"And she has to kill our half-brother or we're all dead." He replied smartly. "That's too messed up for me."

"Oh, are you scared?" Lena mocked him with a fabricated sorry face. "He's said to be the strongest threat witches can encounter. You should be happy. He's doing the job for you."

Jason shook his head. Ironically, he wasn't glad that the last members of his family were about to die because of some prophecy.

"It would be humiliating if a fifteen-year-old boy succeeded where we failed, but I can't compete against that. We were just boys with sticks and stones."

Lena grinned. Jason had learned she loved seeing him powerless. "I'll give you points for determination though. You were pretty convincing with your mask on."

Jason scoffed and took the jab willingly. After the ten years, he had passed in this cell, he had to admit their little club of witch's hunters had been outdated. They had been overwhelmed. Ridiculous. And completely unnecessary. He never really believed in the cause like the others anyway. The Purifiers had only been a way for him to have his revenge. On somebody who didn't deserve it. On somebody who had already suffered enough by the same hands which had hurt him. On somebody who had only shown kindness to his brutal reactions.

"What about the crazy bitch who kidnapped you?" He wondered aloud, trying not to sound too angered at the mention of still another person who had hurt his sister.

"We're still searching for her." Lena answered with pinched lips.

Jason grunted. He placed his last bishop on the board a bit forcefully. "I would actually pay to see you put that bitch down."

The moment he said it, he noticed Lena's shoulders tensing. He had revealed too much. They weren't supposed to show affection to each other. That wasn't their deal. The implicit one that linked them into being emotionless Luthor bastards. Because if they showed affection, it would mean they liked each other at least a little bit and it couldn't work. Jason wasn't allowed to.

Lena cleared her throat. "Well, you and me both."

They didn't talk more after that. Silence enveloped them as Lena won the game once again, despite her having been absent the entire time they had played, and put away the chess board. She only addressed him a gaze full of meaning before passing the door. Thank you, it said. I wish it was different. She couldn't know how he felt just the same. But they were already scarred. It was too late for them. What they had at the moment was the maximum they could afford.

On her way out, Lena passed several guards.

Stuck in her head, she didn't see the intruder following her in the shadows.

She only felt a needle in her neck.

If she had noticed it, she would have cursed Jason and his big mouth, summoning enemies she wished she had never encountered.

Liz had been running in the park close to the high school she was attending. It was a pleasure more than a workout. She liked passing by the animals' enclosure and watch them sleep or cuddle their little ones. She liked listening to the kids playing together, sometimes fighting childishly just like she used to fight with Lucy, and mothers trying to appease them and erase the tears as quickly as possible. She liked the normalcy of it. In her basement, she was the Unique training to beat an enemy nobody knew about except her family. In National City's park, she was just a girl running around in sports gear, listening to music.

After twenty minutes of circling the park then coming back on her steps, Liz stopped on a bench. The snow hadn't appeared yet in the city like it had already in Ireland. That was a cool part of being her. She could enjoy sun and snow at the same time of the year. National City was known for its sunny weather. She wasn't even sure it would snow this year. Looking in between her feet, she frowned at the remnants of grass there. It used to be filled with daisies. She was missing the little white and yellow flowers already.

She removed the glove from her hand and, with a simple flourish of fingers, three daisies grew in between her feet. She smiled down at them, circling them with her sneakers. It was better.

"Funny, those don't usually grow at this period."

Liz turned around quickly, with a made-up explanation already on the bit of her tongue, only to see Esme strode towards her in a parka, her bag balanced on her shoulder.

"Hey!" Liz's face lightened as they hugged each other. "What are you doing here?"

"I know you always come running here." Esme shrugged as she took the place next to Liz. She looked down at the flowers and smiled. With the same flourish of hand, she made them grow a bit taller.

Liz faked a cough. "Show-off."

Esme snorted then shoved her away playfully. "So, anything knew at school? How's Syd? I thought she would be with you."

A blush appeared on Liz's cheeks at the mention of her best friend (who she was not secretly harboring feelings for). She downed her head in an attempt to hide her burning face.

"Sydney's fine. She's training for Saturday's game. They're meeting the Thunders."

"Ow, they're gonna beat Star City's team, hands down!" Esme winked. Liz only shrugged.

"She's stressing about it. It's the first time she'll be captain."

"That's cool! She deserves it."

Liz smiled in agreement then pushed her with her shoulder. "What about you? Still pining on Damian Wayne or you finally decided that guy from your biology class deserves a coffee date?"

Esme gasped then shoved Liz away. "I am not pining on Damian! He's my mission partner, that's all! And he's like ten years older than me."

"Uhuh," Liz smirked. "Funny you only focused on that part of my sentence, don't you think?" She pointed out. "Want to tell me what happened during that last mission during which you both disappeared for two whole hours?"

Esme's mouth opened in surprise. Her cheeks took an incredibly red color. "Alright," She warned with a single raised finger. "I am not talking about this with you." She answered categorically. Liz sighed dramatically in defeat.

"You're no fun."

"I'm your favorite cousin."

"That's because all the others are boys."

"That's not true." Liz looked at her, unconvinced. "You've forgotten Rubs."

Liz gasped. "Right, Ruby does count but I don't see her as much as you."

Esme nudged her affectionately. "I know. I love you too, you know."

Liz snorted but said nothing more. Together, they watched people passing by and forth. Mothers with strollers. Guys jogging around. Children giving bread to the ducks. There was a peaceful atmosphere in this park that Liz had never managed to find elsewhere. She liked the quiet waves of the Irish shores next to their house, and the birds chirping in the trees in the wood, but here, she felt more human. Sometimes, she wondered if all those people, those mothers and fathers and aunts and teachers and firefighters, knew that their fate was in her hands. Did they even know their lives could vanish if she wasn't strong enough? Did they cherish their loved ones everyday thinking about a potential threat ripping them all from Earth or were they living with the audacity of taking everything for granted?

"You seem tired."

Esme's voice had been gentle, with no judgement or purpose. Only stating the obvious. Liz knew she had deep bags under her eyes, that any concealer seemed able to hide. She was showing anxiety traits too, with her jerking knees and restlessness. Everybody saw it but Esme was the only one brave enough to broach the subject.

"I don't sleep well." She answered simply.

"You still have nightmares?"

Esme kept her eyes on the flowers between their feet, not wanting to scare Liz into bringing up walls she usually didn't have with her.

"It's not nightmares, it's like…" Liz sighed and let her head fall back. If only the sky could bring the answers. "I know what he's thinking. What he's feeling. As if it was my own thoughts. And then I wake up and I have to practice and I…" She cut herself off, not daring sharing her complete thought, even with Esme.

Her cousin seemed to ponder what she had just said before laying gentle, compassionate eyes on her.

"You're stuck in a circle. It's like you don't know why you're doing it anymore, right?" She asked, a corner of her mouth stretched in understanding.

Liz's surprise vanished quickly to let her confusion explode. She threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "It's been ten years of practicing restlessly. I just don't understand how this guy could be so dangerous and kill all our family. It doesn't feel that way to me. I know him too much to think that. He's just another kid who grew up in the wrong family."

"Hum, we know some who suffered the same treatment." Esme remarked, agreeing.

"Exactly! We're Luthors. I don't see how it makes us better than him." She sighed heavily. The Other was her enemy, she should only want to defeat him. Then why, deep down, was she feeling like it was a wrong idea? Why was her body aching to help him? She was no better than him. She only had the luck to grow in a loving and quite normal family. He just hadn't had the same luck, judging by the nightmares he still had of his childhood.

"Your moms are aware of all that?" Esme asked innocently.

"No, I…" Liz brushed a hand in her hair. "I only tell them I have nightmares but Mom is suspicious. They talk a lot about it behind my back."

Esme nodded. She seemed to understand both sides. "They're worried. We all are."

"I know. I am too. It's just more complicated than it seems. I just want to do the right thing." Liz's shoulders fell under the weight of all the responsibilities she already had.

"You'll do it." Esme wrapped a confident arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close. "You're doing it just now, talking about it." She assured through a smile. "Come on," She said, motioning towards the exit. "Let's get ice cream. I want you to show me what the new flavors they got at Chuck's."

"Okay, but don't tell my parents. I'm supposed to be grounded."

"Alright, I'm here!" Lena said as all heads turn towards her while she entered the lab dedicated to Supergirl's team in the satellite. "What's the emergency?"

Kara frowned as she watched her put her shirt back in her pants and readjust the cardigan on her shoulders. Lena never looked so disheveled. It didn't seem to shock anybody else though.

"We've found the other Lena." Brainy declared without preamble.

Lena's shock was evident. She approached and stopped next to him to look at the transparent screen showing the Earth map and statistics around it. The numbers kept changing endlessly.

"We know she's on this Earth, we just don't know where." Brainy added.

"Oh, so you're saying we didn't find her. She found us." Nia commented behind them. Lena looked at her with a frown then looked back at the screen with a finger on her chin.

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Lena asked.

"I don't understand." Brainy said while scouring through the data on the screen. "It looks like she's constantly moving." He explained as he showed the tracer on the screen. The red dot was moving around the world, only stopping for seconds before disappearing somewhere else.

"This isn't normal. She must have changed her DNA or she may be using a portal watch." Lena reasoned.

"It's not a watch. There's no breach in the space-time continuum." Brainy said.

Lena sighed. "How does she do this?" She looked pensive. Kara approached to put a hand on her shoulder. Lena tensed and threw her a shocked glance before softening and smiling at her.

"It may be a tech we don't know about or a spell." Alex said next to them, her hands on her hips. Kelly and Nia nodded next to her.

"No idea. But it'll be hard to plan a meet-up." Brainy remarked.

"You're not seriously planning to meet her, do you?" Kara's eyes traveled from Lena to Brainy to see who was the craziest of the two to answer her. Because she knew Lena's plan was to meet Lena 2.0 and make her pay for what she did but she always thought it was a lost fight. She always thought Lena would see reason at some point and give up on the idea.

After sharing a look with Brainy, Lena finally tapped on her hand with her cold manicured fingers. "Don't worry, darling." She whispered to her. "I'm not close to meeting her." She said with reassurance.

She then turned her head to the wall at their left. It was their investigation wall. It contained all the pictures taken in the Fingal's caves. Little notes with Lena's handwriting had been stuck all over the pictures. Some excerpts of books had been printed and highlighted. All testimonies of the theory Lena had on what should happen between Liz and the Other on the big day.

"So, since there's nothing we can do, what about a little training session at your house to end the day?" Alex proposed to Kara.

"Sure!" Kara grinned. "Wanna have some fun with your niece?"

"Ha, more like I'm going to beat her ass." Alex smirked, nudging her sister playfully with her shoulder. "Esme's joining us."

"Cool!" Kara smiled as the mission alert irrupted in the halls. Nia sighed but took Brainy's extended hand and intertwined their fingers with resolution.

"Have fun, kids!" She said, turning back towards the lockers to suit back up.

"No powers, only fists and kicks. No targeting the lethal area." Alex reminded the rules to everyone. They were in the cube in Lena and Kara's basement. The two mothers and Lucy were actually enjoying tea from the side, watching them prepare to fight.

"But Eliott has a weapon." Esme frowned, shooting a side glance to her little brother who was arming a bow with a purple arrow.

"That's only because we need to increase the difficulty."

Esme crossed her arms and huffed good-naturedly. Alex rolled her eyes and took a fighting stance.

"Ready?" She asked Liz in challenge.

Liz smiled devilishly. "Born ready." She imitated Alex, waving at them to come.

Esme snorted as she threw the first punch to her cousin, avoiding one of her brother's arrows on the way. The arrow exploded in a purple cloud, making the room blurry. Alex tried to unbalance Liz by sweeping her leg under hers but Liz jumped in anticipation and used her aunt's shoulders to spin above her head. Quickly, she glided behind her and put her in head lock, taking Alex by surprise. She couldn't see Esme in the smog.

"Going too fast for you, grandma?" Liz smirked down at her aunt.

"You wish!"

Alex hit Liz's toes with her booted heel and pushed her away. An arrow flew past her and Liz only had the time to avoid it before it hit her square between the eyes. It was a blue one. Electric shocks. Esme took this opportunity to attack by throwing another punch, avoided by Liz who blocked her arm. Esme used the other to hit her in the abs. An arrow flew past them as they punched and kicked each other, narrowly missing them. Black. Fisher net.

"Quicker, Eliott!" Alex hissed as she avoided a fist turned into stone from Liz.

"I'm trying, Mom!" The twelve-year-old shouted from across the room.

"We said no powers!" Esme complained in a hiss, taking a hit to her jaw.

"The Other has powers!" Liz shot back.

Esme stopped in the middle of the cube, panting, a hand massaging her sore jaw. She shared a look with her mother. Alex nodded and took some steps back to let them at the center of the training room. A smirk grew on Esme's face. "Sure. Let's see who's stronger at playing the Unique then."

Her eyes took the same purple glow as Liz's when she used her magical powers. She threw gusts of ice picks in Liz's direction. Her cousin ran around the cube to avoid them, shielding herself behind a glass-like frozen shield. Frost was now covering the flour and walls, making the surfaces slippery.

"You're avoiding the fight!" Esme shouted to her, quickening her gusts.

"I'm defending myself!" Liz replied.

She stopped and crouched to avoid the last ice picks before shooting a laser with her eyes to Esme's hand.

"Ow!" Esme whined, shuffling her hand in pain. If she wasn't determined before, now she was. Focusing on her body cells, she started to disappear within the ground.

Liz stopped too and searched for her in every corner. Esme was using J'onn's ability to travel through materials to surprise her. She had to focus or she would miss her.

And she did. Esme fell on her back, scratching her neck with her nails involuntarily. Liz hissed but grabbed at her shirt with two strong hands, willing her Kryptonian strength to throw Esme across the cube.

On the side, their parents and siblings were watching them with rapt attention. Their heads followed them as if they were watching a tennis match, reacting to every point taken by both sides.

"She's really impressive!" Alex whistled. "She improved a lot those past few months."

"She's constantly training." Kara said.

"Well, the genes help too." Lena smirked.

"Don't brag about it, Luthor. I'm pretty sure Esme's going to win this one."

Lena's smirk turned challenging. "She can throw a punch, that sure is right. But Liz is faster."

Alex eyed her with mischief. Kara, between them, analyzed the situation quickly.

"Hey, no competition between our kids." She saw Alex open her mouth. "I said no!"

Lena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "As if we would go through with it."

"Oh, I know what you are capable of." Kara said with raised eyebrows. "I know how you both can be very competitive with each other." She motioned towards the cube door. "Go ahead, bite each other's face off. But let my daughter and my niece out of this."

Alex crossed her arms, resigned. "Not that funny anymore."

"Agreed." Lena nodded.

"I have to go home anyway with this little man."

Eliott grumbled on the side, something about not being little, as Liz and Esme's fight seemed to take an end. Liz extended a hand to Esme who had been forced to fall on her butt ungracefully by some martial arts trick Liz had used on her.

"Come on, no hard feelings?" Liz asked with a smile.

"Of course, not!" Esme smiled back as she threw her arm over Liz's shoulders.

"We're going home." Alex said to her as they approached.

Esme nodded. "And I have to go back to my dorm. Say hi to mama." She said a bit sad.

"Ow, we miss you too, Es." Lucy pinched her cousin's cheek playfully.

"Stop it!" Esme hunted her hand away with a smile. "I'm not that pathetic." She said shoving Liz gently on her way out.

The mothers watched the two cousins play with fondness. Kara squeezed Lena's hand in hers to attract her attention.

"Hey, wanna watch a movie tonight after the kids are out?"

Lena's eyes squinted in mischief. "I have other things in mind."

"Ow, calm down, tiger. We've time." Kara gasped against hot lips as Lena pushed her hardly against their bedroom door. Lucy was soundly asleep – or she faked it when they checked on her and was currently reading in her room – and Liz was supposedly working on her homework in Lena's home office. Fortunately, their bedroom had been soundproofed very early in their relationship so that little Kryptonian ears couldn't eavesdrop on them.

"I want you now." Lena only growled back as she kissed down Kara's neck, then her navel, then put Kara's sweater up a bit to lick at her abs.

Kara moaned loudly. "Lena, baby," She gasped. "This is the hormones talking."

Lena pulled away only slightly and took Kara's hands to guide her to their bed. She pushed Kara on it and climbed on her to bracket her with two strong thighs.

"I don't care." She simply expressed in a low tone.

Kara's only response was a whimper. Lena ran her hands down her torso then grabbed at her pants and opened them angrily. Kara loved this unusual eagerness. Lena always desired her – their sexuality was nothing short of normal after ten years and two kids, thank you very much - but she was more modest about her way of showing it. It was more sensual touches, and implicit words pronounced in her ear, and knowing smiles that could mean a hundred things. It wasn't this brutal. This predatory.

But Kara liked it nonetheless. It reminded her of the times she would watch Lena put white old men back in their place with only a stare and a short sentence. It was the same rush. The same intensity in her blood. She liked to see Lena take commands.

"You're so ready for me." Lena commented as she removed Kara's underwear gently but quickly.

"I am." Kara exhaled. She didn't have the time to proceed what was happening before two lips met her skin and her head fell back in a heavy thud on the mattress.

Hours later, Lena was watching Kara sleep from the door frame. She smirked. How she had missed these types of moments with her wife. Her smile fell as quickly as it came though. Because it wasn't really her wife.

She turned around reluctantly and walked down the stairs of the Irish house she had never seen before. In her dimension, the house had been sold by Lionel before she was even an adult. She had never had the chance to see what it looked like. It wasn't that she had missed it, really. Could you miss something you had never known? It was more the fact that this dimension seemed to have everything she was lacking in her own. A family home. People to cherish. A normal life.

Lena sighed and caressed her belly. They would fix that. And much more. She knew she deserved better than a dead family and traumatic memories. She deserved a new beginning and thanks to Zodd's ship, it had been possible.

As she paced around the house, she looked at the different pictures and smiled. They would have the same life. Once her daughter would be born. Once the Other would be defeated. Once everything would be behind them.

Lena's watch beeped loudly, startling her. She shut it off hastily. She didn't want to wake up the Kryptonians in the house. It was time anyway.

She walked out the house in the snow, her feet making the white powder melt on her way. She crossed the trees surrounding the house and found her hidden ship disguised as a car in the middle of the wood. With a flourish of her hand, the ship took its normal appearance of gray and green metal. The door opened after a retinal control. As she stepped inside, Lena was immediately met with shouts.

"Let me go, you crazy bitch!"

She smirked. How convenient. She was sure to be more verbose than that. She walked up the ladder with some difficulties due to her six-months pregnant stomach, and came face to face with herself. In a case. Completely disheveled.

The Lena of this dimension looked furious. Her eyes were blazing orange, ready to combust her the moment she would be free. Thankfully, her cell was keeping her from using her powers so there was that.

"Sleep tight, honey. We're in for a long ride." Lena said nonchalantly before waving at herself in the cell, passing by to go to the commands.

"You're crazy!"

Lena chuckled. Oh, she knew that. She also knew only crazy people were called genius once.

Chapter Text

DAY 3837 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2039, February 14th

The Alter Egos

Every time she woke up, she felt ill. Cotton mouth. Nausea. Heartbeat drumming in her ears. A migraine pounding in her head. She was drugging her. With what, she didn't know. Lena just hoped it wouldn't affect her son's growth.

Why was she always the one being captured? She was 43 and she was still being kidnapped as if she was a distressed damsel who couldn't defend herself. It was humiliating. She was so ready to be out of this cell and bite that bitch's head off.

For that though, she had to get out, and not to be pregnant anymore, which apparently would not be a problem for so long. Lena winced as another contraction hit her stomach. Tears beaded at the corners of her eyes. Of course, in all the drama that was her life, she was about to have a baby in a prison cell under the care of a psychopath. Why was she always the one in these situations? She didn't even know for how long she had been there.

The wave of contractions decreased, letting her breath for a moment in relief. She didn't know how long she had been in there, didn't know if it was time for her to give birth, but her son seemed to be ready to come out, happy or not. Prison cell or hospital bed, he wouldn't wait.

She had tried at first to remember the days, to count them. She had laid down locks of her hair but her alter ego noticed it after three days and, since she was a vicious woman, changed Lena's cell so she didn't have access to daylight. Since then, her life had been a perpetual cycle of electric neon lights and barely warm take-out dinners. A shower twice a week, a change of clothes usually waiting for her after that. A blood test every fortnight. And daily adventures to the bathroom in the corner of her cell. Which should have been six and a half feet in width by almost ten feet in length if her calculations were correct. She was going crazy.

At least this time, she wasn't in a coma. At least this time, she was fully awake and in capacity of understanding what was happening. Or maybe it was a curse, seeing the days pass one after the other without being able to escape.

To top it all off, her alter ego was pregnant too, which was terrifying. Lena didn't know what to think about the baby in that belly but she sure knew that she was worried about seeing her give birth in the middle of the ship. Worse, she feared that one day, the other Lena would go out and never come back, because she would have given birth on the way, leaving her alone and lost, without no one to call or a way to free herself.

It was depressing. Kara needed to open her eyes and come to her rescue. It was frustrating to realize the other Lena had succeeded in taking her place – because it was the only explanation to why she was still here after all this time (two months for sure, maybe three)– and that no one in her family had noticed she had disappeared or that she wasn't her usual self. Frustrating was a euphemism. Pitying too. It was hopeless.

Lena sighed heavily, rubbing her cheeks with anger. She had been kidnapped just before Christmas. She didn't spend Yule sabbath with Florence or share the ritual with Lucy for the first time. She didn't taste Kelly's hot chocolate nor see them all still drunk in the morning while the kids were opening their presents. She had missed so much already, she was sure of it and their time was running out. Maybe the battle with the Other was in months. Maybe it was in days. But it was approaching and Lena couldn't swallow the fact that she was probably spending these last moments in a cell instead of with her family.

A kick erupted in her belly. Lena put a loving hand on it. At least, she had her son.

"I know, my boy. It's you and me for now."

Kara and Lena never really celebrated Valentine's Day. Krypton wasn't known for its sentimental customs. They didn't have a day to celebrate women, or mothers and fathers, or a National Puppy Day. No, it wasn't necessary for them. As arrogant as it sounded, Kryptonians were above all these beliefs. But they had a day to celebrate love, sort of. It was more a day to announce who was going to marry in the next year, usually young adults around eighteen, promised to each other since an early age.

But Kara remembered those days well and she still loved to mark the day with a special something. Lena wasn't huge on the belief either, always saying Valentine's Day was made so that people could forget the real matters for a day. Kara didn't like it particularly either until she met Lena. It always had the knack to remind her she couldn't find someone who would appreciate her for who she was.

Now, it had changed though. She had that special someone and she wanted Lena to know that. That was how she found herself traveling bouquets after bouquets of plumerias from South America to Ireland, wishing with all her heart that the flowers would last the trip. In their house, she had made sure that Lucy and Lena wouldn't be there to see her spread flowers everywhere. She still had two trips to make for it to be perfect. Fortunately, Liz had helped fly them all from America. It would have taken a entire day otherwise. It would totally have been worth it though.

Plumerias were their symbol. Of when it all started. They were flowers of great symbolism. Very rare, for starters, just like their love. They were associated with grief and death in some cultures. With protection against spiritual beings in others. And they symbolized a proposal in another.

Kara counted on the last one. Lena knew perfectly what the flowers meant. She had mentioned it once or twice. Plumerias were her favorites because they could mean so many things. Friendship. Renewal. Vows. Protection. Eternal love. Kara had always wanted to make a gesture as grand as Lena had done that first time she had saved her, filling her office with flowers. Except she had always kept the plumerias for that special day. They were about to risk it all in several months. If it wasn't the right time, it would never be.

Looking around the living room filled with fresh flower perfume, Kara grinned to herself. She was proud and so, so ready. She had a speech ready. Her outfit ready. Even Liz was in the confidence, ready to pop out of somewhere to film them while Kara proposed.

That was it. That day was theirs. It was going to be perfect. Nothing could ruin it.

Of course, a Danvers' plan was never supposed to come out without a hitch. Especially when said Danvers were superheroes. Big powers meant big responsibilities, yes, they knew about it, thank you. But Kara had wished to spend her day at Catco working like a normal person instead of running after a giant crocodile (with two legs) in National City. The creature had been spitting out venom to deter her and she was sick of the goo she was covered with.

"Kara, on the left!" Nia said in her ear.

Kara flew immediately to the left of the building and found their guy running with a pouch in his arms, looking right, left and behind himself, scared to be caught. And he would be caught. With frowned eyes, Kara calculated his route and dove right in front of him. The crocodile guy stopped dead in his tracks, fear all over his features. Then, as suddenly, his glance changed. He opened his mouth to start spitting venom but Dreamer was quicker than him. She fell from the building she was observing him and surrounded his mouth with her lasso with precision. She pulled hard. The guy fell on his chin in a huff. Defeated.

"Thanks, Dreamer. I think I need a shower now."

Nia came next to her, hands on her hips, and looked down at their thief. She threw a side disgusted look towards Kara, covered with a yellowish substance.

"Yeah, you totally do."

Kara chuckled, tapped her on the back affectionately. "Good job. See you in the satellite."

Nia watched her fly away, shaking her head. She was once again the one taking care of their target.

Liz eased down next to her. She wasn't supposed to be on missions already. Kara and Lena were totally against it. But they had found an agreement. At the minute her grades dropped, she would be banned from missions. For now, she succeeded at keeping up. Luthor brains had its perks.

She wasn't supposed to approach their targets though, only supposed to give a hand at finding them. But this time, as Liz put electrical handcuffs on the crocodile's legs and arms, Nia was thankful to have her niece there.

When Kara entered the lab, freshly showered and ready to make her report on the mission, she was met with Brainy and Lena talking over blueprints.

"Hey, what's it for?"

Brainy and Lena shared a look. It wasn't meant to be scary but, usually, when the tech twins – as Alex so fondly called them – shared a secret, it wasn't good news. Lena pulled away from the table first, scratching at the back of her ear.

"We… hum… Are making armors." She said tentatively.

Kara frowned. "Why do I feel it's a bad thing?"

Brainy, his hands joined in a triangle, took the opportunity to explain. "It's not a bad thing, per se. You have to know, though, that some of the armors will be charged with Kryptonite."

"What?" Alex said as she entered too, at the same time Kara whispered, "Kryptonite?"

"Yes, but not green Kryptonite!" Lena was quick to assure.

"Okay, back up." Kara frowned. "Armor for whom? For what?"

Brainy took the blueprints and turned them over so they could all take a look at it. Nia came by with Kelly, Esme and Liz suited up in her brand-new purple and silver suit. Surrounding the table, they waited for Brainy or Lena to explain.

"What are we talking about?" Esme asked.

"We're talking about intelligent armors. We'll be able to control them from afar." Lena explained, pointing at the drawings for a specific processor on the side of the blueprint.

"Why?" Alex frowned. "Our suits are already good enough."

"Lena gave me this idea, a month ago, that we should find a way to extract one of us in situations of danger." Brainy turned around and the screen in front of him lit up on the images they had of a previous mission.

The mission in question was one of the riskiest they had. An old technology Batman had created a long time ago to survey the Justice League had been recreated and perverted into a weapon. It was called O.M.A.C. and it killed a lot of them before Wonder Woman used an old electromagnet made by Ted Kord – Blue Beetle number two - to neutralize it. Before that, Esme had been found hiding in a basement, running away from a O.M.A.C. creature, while being unable to contact anybody since the technology in her enemy was blurring all communications. They had lost lots of Amazons that day, and found Batgirl heavily beaten up.

Seeing the images pass after another of that terrible day put them all back in that state when security was at risk and they weren't so sure they could trust the people around them. The fact that it could certainly happen in a not so far future was even more frightening.

"You want to make AI armors so we can avoid this type of situations?" Alex summarized for everybody.

Brainy and Lena nodded. "That's the idea." Lena confirmed. "The Golden Kryptonite will only be in Liz's and your armor." She said to Kara. "It's one of our plans to fight against the Other."

"Golden Kryptonite?" Kara asked in disbelief. "How did you find some? It's very rare!"

"There was a fragment in Lex's vault. I kept it in my personal safe because I knew how it could affect you." Lena explained with sorry eyes.

"You hid Kryptonite again?"

Lena's head tried to disappear in the middle of her shoulders. Kara was confused. Lena had sworn she had given all the Kryptonite in her possession years ago. Why would she lie about something as important? Sure, she trusted her. There were few subjects they were disagreeing on, but Lena had always promised to stop using Kryptonite. She had to be completely desperate to one, hide it from Kara, and two, use it in an armor she knew Kara and Liz would wear.

"I trust you but I wish you'd told me." Kara said.

"Wait!" Alex intervened. "We're talking about using a Kryptonite that neutralizes Kryptonian powers from miles around when it's used. If we use it against the Other, Kara and probably Liz will be affected by it too."

"It's not the purest one. It's synthesized Golden Kryptonite. So, we think it'll only affect them temporarily." Lena assured quickly.

"You think?" Alex scoffed at her. "Are you both gone insane? We can't use it! I'm not using this!" She said with a confident finger pointed directly towards the blueprints.

"Good because it will only be in the two Kryptonians hands. You know, the two same Kryptonians that can be affected by it." Lena shot back, crossing her arms.

"Hey! Stop it, you two!" Kelly said, putting a hand on Alex's shoulder as Kara put herself between them.

"Alex is right. It's dangerous. It can even have effects on us. We don't even know if it'll affect the Other. You didn't test it, right?" Nia asked to Brainy with a raised eyebrow.

"No, w-we…" He frowned at his own stutter. "We couldn't without risking Kara or Liz's life."

"Then it's settled." Alex concluded. "We don't use it."

"Alex, we don't know. It might be our only chance." Kara said softly.

Alex's eyes widened. "Are you serious? You can't, for the love of God, be okay with this!"

"I'm not! I-"

"Alright!" Kelly interrupted, walking in the middle of the circle they had formed unconsciously. "Everybody, take a step back."

They all looked at each other, heated glances shared between Lena and Alex as Nia shook her head towards Brainy. Liz and Esme looked at each other with wide eyes, backing off in a corner of the room. It was unusual for their parents to disagree to that level.

"We're all stressed about what's coming our way." Kelly started. "Brainy and Lena's idea was to protect us for and foremost. To protect our kids." She said, pointing to said daughters, who knew better than to attract attention. "We shouldn't forget our goal. The Other is the enemy."

Reluctantly, they all took a breath in. Suddenly, shoulders sagged. Alex let her arms fall back, her hands taking their usual place on her hips. Lena's glare disappeared, stoic poker face back in place. Nia took Brainy's hand and kissed it, smiling up at him. They all agreed silently. Kelly was always their voice of reason. Her daughter was nothing short.

"Speaking of the Other, he's still in orbit?" Esme asked nonchalantly, picking at her nails. It was made to distract everyone, they all recognized it but it worked.

"Yes!" Brainy turned around. A globe appeared in his hand and showed the little dot around the Earth. "He's there. Nothing new from there."

"We're waiting for him to attack us, then." Lena said dejectedly.

"Did you find anything new concerning the prophecy?" Nia asked Lena.

The scientist frowned then realization seemed to dawn on her. "Oh, hum, not really. All we have to do is kill him. That's the only way to get rid of him."

"No!" Kara exclaimed. "Lena, we agreed not to do that!"

"Why? He's dangerous anyway!"

"Because he's your half-brother!" Kara scoffed. "Last time we discussed it, you agreed to capture him and try to reason him first. What happened to following the prophecy so we don't disturb the gods?"

"I changed my mind. I think we should attack him first, while we still can surprise him. He's a Luthor who has been trained on Apokolips. We have to use all opportunities given to us."

Silence met her declaration. Kara frowned. She wasn't the only one confused by Lena's U-turn.

"Mom, we can't kill him." Liz said, in a small voice, barely daring expressing her thought for once. She liked to keep to herself when they all met because she thought she wasn't experienced enough to talk about plan and fighting, but this time, she needed to stand her ground. "I'm sure it's not the right thing to do."

"How can you be?" Lena asked, her lips forming a thin line.

Liz shrugged, sad eyes and pout in place. "I just know."

Lena scoffed but didn't add anything. Kara frowned, once again finding her behavior quite odd. Silence enveloped them as they all pondered over their fate. It wasn't necessary to talk more about it. They had a plan. They should stick to it. End of discussion.

"Anyway, we should all go back to our day. We've discussed this enough. We know what we have to do." Kara said. "Come on!" She threw towards Lena and Liz. "We have places to be."

"We do?" Lena asked, confused.

Kara's surprise couldn't be contained this time. "Yes! We're meeting Sam and Andrea for lunch, did you forget?"

Lena's turned from confusion to delight. "No, of course not!"

Kara took her by the hand. She heard Liz vaguely telling Esme she would send her the video tonight and smiled. Yes, today was their big day. Maybe Lena had planned something too and was just distracted. That would explain her anxiety or the head in the cloud attitude she had since morning. Yes, it had to be it.

Liz was late to her literature class. Everybody knew she was Lena Luthor and Supergirl's daughter but it didn't prevent her from being reprimanded. As she crossed the door frame to enter the classroom a minute after the bell, her teacher turned on her instantly.

"Miss Walsh, happy to see you here."

"Sorry, Mrs McCarthy. I rushed to get here."

The teacher rolled her eyes and shooed her away, turning back to highlighting parts of the text she was presenting on the board. They were studying Shakespeare this semester. Her best friend, Sydney, loved it already. Her excitement was all over her face when she waved at Liz from the back of the classroom. Liz rushed to take the seat next to her.

"You're late." Sydney whispered, already taking notes.

"No kidding." Liz shot back.

Sydney rolled her eyes. "You promised to be there this morning. What happened?"

Liz turned a guilty face to her friend. Liz didn't like the feeling of being privileged. Her absences were already excused most of the times because her mothers had great influences. She didn't want to use her family name too much. Even if sometimes, it was for legitimate reasons. But disappointing people she loved was always hard on her.

Sydney had been her friend since she had started back school in National City. She knew about Liz's identity, knew about the prophecy, knew about her parents, aunts, uncles, family. Knew about June. Sydney knew everything there was to know about Liz. (Exception for Liz's feelings towards her but that wasn't the subject.) She especially knew that Liz would keep her promises.

"I'm sorry, something came up. My mom needed me."

Sydney nodded distractedly, understanding as always, as her beautiful red hair cascaded over her shoulders. She drew a loose hand in it to put it back behind her ear, her white-collar shirt hugging her bicep perfectly. Liz was mesmerized. Sydney ignored how gorgeous she was.

At the front of the class, their teacher cleared her throat, distracting Liz for good. "Your project for this semester will be to play an extract of one of Shakespeare's masterpieces in front of the class. You can do it in pair or in group of four at most. You're free to choose whatever play you want. Your presentation will have to last five minutes top."

Liz threw a smile to her friend. Sydney loved literature and classic theater was her favorite genre. She lived for this type of projects. It was obvious they would work together for this one too.

"Now, pair up with your neighbor to work on this excerpt. Find me three figures of speech Shakespeare used and write an introduction for the essay you'll have to finish for next week." Mrs McCarthy smiled knowingly as the class groaned.

Sydney approached her table from Liz's. "So, what happened this morning?"

"Nothing extraordinary. My mom is going to propose to my other mom so she asked me to help. And then, a crocodile decided to steal an old lady and run in the entire city." Liz grinned in synchrony as Sydney's smile spread on her face, her hazel eyes glinting in joy. Liz knew she didn't care about the crocodile.

"No way! Liz, that's so cool! Which one is going to propose? And how?"

Liz smiled fondly as she started to explain Kara's plan, their work for the day completely forgotten. Sydney was a real romantic. Growing up on the Amazons Island, she learned how to read with Diana – aka Wonder Woman aka the Queen of the Amazons – and immediately fell in love with Earth's culture. When Diana discovered her attraction towards humanity, she decided to give her a chance at a life out of the Amazons' culture, just like she did herself so many years ago.

Under her wings, Sydney started school purposefully in National City the same year Liz started. This way, Supergirl and her team could keep an eye on her when Wonder Woman was needed elsewhere. Sydney knew how to fight, how to defend herself since very young. She was a fierce challenger even, with her athletic body and archery skills. But her passions were divided between basketball and writing romance on her laptop. She hadn't one single violent cell in her system.

"This is a perfect plan! On Valentine's Day, even! Your mom's totally going to say yes."

Liz watched her friend as Sydney looked dreamy for a second, completely melting at the idea of a marriage proposal. The innocence in her eyes was astonishing. They didn't have weddings on Themyscira. Sydney was always intrigued to learn more about new cultures. Liz loved her even more for that.

"You could totally come, you know. It'll be cheesy but…" Liz shrugged, pushing her playfully with her shoulder. Sydney's face fell though.

"I wish I could but I have practice with the team then I'm meeting Di to practice my hand-to-hand fighting skills." Her pout was so cute Liz had to look away or she would be stuck in a mesmerized stare once again.

She chuckled instead, knowing her friend hated fighting. "Do you want me to find you an excuse? We'll say we're practicing together but just go eat ice cream and watch a movie in the cube." She grinned.

Sydney seemed hesitant, the idea not completely stupid. Liz crossed the table to put her hand on her friend's cool one. A blush spread low on her cheeks at the contact.

"Come on, Syd! It's Valentine's Day. We have better things to do at seventeen than to practice."

Sydney's eyes squinted suspiciously. "Don't you have a date with that guy in history or something?"

She was referencing to Kyle, the one and only boy daring to ask Supergirl's daughter out on a date. Liz had refused, obviously. Boys were so lame. Her heart was elsewhere anyway.

"No!" She replied, almost offended by the idea. "I'd rather be with you!" She shout-whispered spontaneously. Her heart skipped a bit at the admission. Her cheeks weren't the only ones burning but Sydney hid it well behind her hair.

"Okay, then." She whispered after a moment. "I'll meet you at your house after practice."

Liz's smile could only be described as charmed. She had told the truth. There was nobody she would rather spend Valentine's Day with than Sydney.

"Great!" She said a bit too loudly, attracting glares from the others. "We should work now though." She pointed to their notepads.

They looked at the excerpt of the text between them for a minute or two.

"By the way, how was your audition this morning?" Liz whispered innocently. Sydney was auditioning for a role in the school play. There were doing Wicked that year. Liz has promised to be there to support her but obviously, fighting a crocodile with legs and planning a marriage proposal had taken up almost all her morning. Sydney's bright face was all she needed to see to understand she wasn't mad at her though.

"I got Elphaba!" Sydney squealed as lowly as she could.

Liz congratulated her and squeezed her shoulder fondly. "I can't wait to see you in that costume."

And their assignment was once again forgotten, their discussion about the potential costumes of the play was more entertaining.

"So, Andy and I want to adopt a second kid." Sam declared after her second sip of wine. "A teen, to be precise."

Kara opened wide eyes in surprise before her head whipped immediately to Lena who wore a grave expression. Her smile had been replaced by a scowl.

"Well…" She said, extending the vowel purposefully, putting both hands on the table. "This is irresponsible of you both."

All motions seemed to stop around them. They were in the middle of a chic restaurant Andrea and Lena liked to eat at, sharing appetizers at one in the afternoon. Well, Lena was drinking water but it didn't stop them from indulging in the middle of the day.

"Excuse me?" Andrea asked without really asking, her tone offended as she leaned above her plate towards Lena because she had to have misheard.

"Lee…" Kara tried to put a hand on Lena's but was shooed away.

"We're all going to die in less than a year. It's irresponsible of you both to take a child under your care while knowing what will happen." Lena explained in a clipped voice.

"Oh, so you're already throwing the towel, I see." Andrea smiled bitterly. "Liz will be thrilled to know how much faith you put in her."

Kara and Sam shared raised eyebrows above their drinks. They were in for a ride.

"How hypocritical of you." Andrea continued, motioning towards Lena's belly. "You're the one pregnant here. Are you saying you're giving up on your unborn son's future too?"

"Andrea, that's not what she meant." Kara said quickly, turning towards Lena as her sentence finished itself in a question. Lena didn't mean that, right?

"Don't bother, Kara. I'll see you at practice." Andrea said, throwing her napkin on the table and standing up. "I'll wait for you in the car." She said to Sam. In her way out, she stopped at the bar to pay for their meals in a proud gesture before walking out of the restaurant.

Sam and Kara shared a look. Lena stood up with more difficulty and threw a scowl to Kara before walking out too.

"What's gotten into her?" Sam whispered immediately, as if scared Lena could hear her and come back any second.

"Hormones?" Kara winced at her own words. "She's terrified." She added, more seriously.

"We all are!"

"I know, I'm sorry." Kara scrunched up her face. What were the right words in this situation?

Sam frowned. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing." She said before finishing her wine in one gulp.

Kara huffed. "For what it's worth, you both have my entire support. You're already amazing moms."

Sam grinned, putting back her coat. "Thanks."

They separated in front of the restaurant, each searching for their own car. Kara found Lena sulking into theirs.

"Lena, you can't just run away like that! They're our friends!" She said as an introduction as she took the place behind the wheel.

Lena scoffed. "That's just a loss of time."

"I'm sorry?" Kara leaned sideways, observing Lena with new eyes. The woman on the passenger seat wasn't the loving, caring one she was used to. She was bitter and full of loathing. It was the Lena that used to terrify investors, not her family or friends.

"I said we're losing time, having dinner, making small talks. I should meet with the other Lena so we can try to work with her to defeat the Other."

Kara was astonished by what she was hearing. So that was the problem this whole time?

"No! She's unpredictable and completely unhinged! It's too dangerous!"

"She could help us with the Other!" Lena shot back. Her eyes were blazing with rage and terror.

Kara threw her arms in the air in frustration. "Are you kidding? Is it even worth it? Risking your life for something we aren't even sure?"

"Of course it is! Our daughter is supposed to die in this fight!"

"I know!"

"Then do something about it!"

Kara startled at that. She paused. Lena seemed to understand that she had gone too far. She huffed and crossed her arms, facing the road again. Kara reclined on her own seat, guilt boiling in her stomach.

"I see." She said through a shaky voice. "This is my fault, uh?"

Lena scoffed. It took her several seconds to reply. "Of course not. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Kara sighed. "Listen, I don't recognize you lately. First, you went behind my back to synthesize Kryptonite, then you change of plan about the Other, and now you're accusing me of not doing enough." She turned fully towards Lena, her hands falling on the armrest in the middle of their seats. "You're back with all those walls and I don't know how to go through them anymore."

Lena's eyes met hers. Inside were just sadness and grief. Kara could only link it to her fear of being alone. If only she knew Lena had lost much more than she thought.

"You're frustrated. I am too. And you need someone to blame." Kara exhaled heavily. "Go for it. I won't get mad."

Lena turned an offended face to her. "No! You're… No! You don't deserve that. It's not your fault."

"Then stop blaming me or the entire world. It's not your fault either." Kara said softly, brushing the back of her hand against Lena's cheek. The alabaster skin had taken a rosy color from the cold. It looked lovely.

"Huh." Lena tilted her head sideways. Her shoulders sagged with defeat and realization. A small smile played on her lips. "It's always been this way." Kara frowned. "Me being selfish, you rescuing me from myself." Lena cleared up, motioning between them.

Kara disagreed. "You're not selfish. You're guarded and I know that." She said, taking Lena's hand in hers. "We've known each other for years. We complete each other. That's how I know you need me, even when you're like this."

Lena blushed lightly. "Of course I need you." She admitted from the tips of her lips.

"Even when you want me to think otherwise." Kara added.

Lena chuckled and shrugged. "Can't trick you."

"Nope. I'm here to stay. Always."

Lena leaned her head on the seat, watching Kara through burning green eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kara." It meant much more than Kara could understand at the moment but it wasn't important. The most important was that Kara acknowledged it.

"I love you." Kara replied instead.

Lena grinned. "I love you too, darling."

They kissed over the console. Lena groaned as her belly rubbed uncomfortably against the armrest. Kara chuckled and switched the engine on.

"Let's go home. I have a surprise for you." She whispered as she intertwined their fingers on the armrest. She kissed the back of Lena's hand and pulled out on the road.

"Okay, but your eyes on the road."

Kara's only response was an eye-roll.

Lena was going to die there. She was sure of it. She hadn't seen Lena 2.0. since the past evening. Or was it morning? That bitch was wicked enough to give her dinner in the morning just to confuse her more.

Lena's breath caught in her lungs. Another contraction. She was going to die. Her vision blurred. She groaned through the pain, her teeth biting hard on the bed sheet she had turned into a ball. Sweat pearled at her forehead. The contractions were coming quicker and quicker. It wouldn't be that long until it would be time for her son to come out.

Another contraction hit immediately after the other.

"Karaaa!" Lena shouted to the ceiling. "For fuck's saaake!" She let the contraction run through.

Her eyes traveled wildly around the room. She had analyzed the possibilities already. There was no window, no sharp object, no key to the door cell. Nothing. Nothing that could be used to escape.

Lena screamed her despair to the ceiling. Shouting and cursing everybody who was believing in her alter ego charade. She was going to give birth in a cell. Stuck. Alone. And probably die from it. Just because they couldn't recognize she wasn't her.

"Wow, Kara! All these flowers for me?" Lena exclaimed as they entered their house. Kara watched her take into the flowers displaced around the house.

"Well, you know it's Valentine's Day so…" Kara replied, rubbing at her neck. "Plus, I wanted to shower you with flowers like you did to me years ago."

Lena turned around, frowning. "I did that?"

It was Kara's turn to frown. Lena filling her office with flowers was one of the highlights in their love story.

"Yes, you did, honey. The first time I saved you. Did you forget?"

Lena tilted her head in concentration then beamed. "No, of course not." She drew one of the vases closer and smelled the flowers in it. "They smell really good."

"I went south to find them."

"You shouldn't have troubled yourself that much. You know I don't like Valentine's Day."

"Yes, but it was worth it. Liz helped me." Kara said, motioning to their daughter entering the room with an old camera in her hands. "It is a special occasion, after all." She said as she approached, her hand clasped around the box in her coat pocket. The box she had asked her mother to send to Earth only a month after Lena and Liz's came back to National City.

Lena turned in her arms, suspicious, a light smile playing on her lips. "Alright, what's the occasion then?"

Kara exhaled shakily to hunt away her nerves. It was Lena. Only Lena. Especially Lena. She drew closer and squeezed Lena against her. Their eyes met, Lena's protuberant belly caressing Kara's sweater.

"I need to ask you something."

"Of course." Lena's raised eyebrows were the only proof she had doubts. "You're worrying me."

Kara only shook her head with a reassuring smile. "Lena, you know I love you." She started solemnly, her speech still vivid in her memory. "As much as I could try to put it into words, nothing seemed to be enough to tell you how much I love you. We've known each other for a good half of our lives now. I know when you feel sad just by the crinkle in between your eyebrows." Lena smiled wetly at her. "I know when you're frustrated just by the glint in your eyes and the way you play with your pen when you're working." Liz snorted at that. "I know when you're emotional, your heart quickens a bit just like it's doing now." Kara put a soft hand on Lena's chest. "I know you." She emphasized then took a deep shaky breath. "I also know you're the bravest of us both. The first time I lost you, I thought you would never give me a second chance. It was hard to live without you but I was ready to accept it. It was my burden. My fault. But you gave me a second chance." She swallowed hard, emotions taking the best of her voice. "When I lost you a second time, I realized I couldn't live without you. I was dysfunctional. Barely living. Perusing the entire universe to bring you back." She chuckled bitterly. "Thankfully, you came back seven years later with our little girl, giving me your love and the most precious gift at the same time."

Tears rolled down Lena's cheeks as she threw a look at Liz. Their daughter wasn't better at hiding her feelings, sniffling behind her camera. Lena squeezed her eyes shut. If only Kara knew all the things she had done for them.

"You were brave enough to trust me again and again. I'm asking you to do it one last time." Kara's own tears rolled down her face as she pulled a squared box from her coat pocket. "Lena, will you give me the honor of-"

"Kara, we need you in the satellite." Alex's clipped rushed voice resonated in her ear. "With Liz. End of com."

Kara frowned. "Not now." She whined to the ceiling. She pressed the ear com and called after her sister. "Alex, I'm in middle of something here."

"Kara." It was Brainy. "It's important. Come without Lena."

Kara's raised eyebrows couldn't be more suspicious. Brainy was never worried. Never. She pulled away from Lena and threw a glance at Liz, who had to have heard the whole conversation.

"What is it?" Lena asked, startled. She rubbed at her cheeks urgently.

"Alex needs us." Kara said, turning towards Liz.

"What? But we can't just leave like that." Liz complained, as confused as her mother.

"I know, but she seemed stressed. It looks important." Kara insisted. She turned around, kissing Lena on the forehead. "Stay here. We'll be back in a jiffy. And we'll finish this. I'm sorry."

Lena huffed. "We've waited ten years. A day or two shouldn't deter us." She smiled affectionately. "I love you both. Be careful."

Kara winked at her, kissed her soundly on the lips, whispering an I love you back against her lips before pulling away. With Liz, they walked out of the house, sharing odd glances. What was so serious that Lena couldn't know? They were relieved she didn't insist to follow them.

In the satellite, Kara and Liz were met with grave faces. All heads turned on them when they entered. Brainy and Alex were posted in front of a screen as Nia, Kelly, and Diana were behind them, crossed arms and eyes low.

"What's up?" Kara asked as they drew closer.

"Aunt Di!" Liz rushed to hug Diana in her Wonder Woman attire.

"Nice to see you, kiddo." Diana looked behind Liz to salute her mother. "Kara."

Kara nodded as a reply. "What's the matter, Alex?" She didn't want to beat around the bush.

"It's about Lena." Alex replied, motioning towards the screen. "You need to see this."

"Which Lena?" Kara said.

"Both, actually." Brainy replied.

Kara scrunched up her face. She didn't like that. On the screen, a camera footage started. It was one of the satellite's halls. The ones just around the cells. Where they had been keeping Jason for ten years. On the footage, Lena was seen walking out of Jason's cell. The camera followed her to the corner. Another camera took the turn from the corner to the end of the hall. As she passed an alcove, someone came out of the shadow. Kara gasped. She leaned closer to watch Lena be abducted by the other Lena, a needle in the neck. The other Lena pulled her hardly to the alcove and hid her there. They disappeared from the screen for two minutes then the other Lena came out with Lena's clothes, putting them in place quickly. She seemed to cast a spell on the alcove to cover it. Kara looked down at the timer on the corner of the footage.

"That was two months ago!" She said in horror.

"What?" Liz hissed as she came next to her mother. "You're kidding. We would've seen it if Mom wasn't the same." Kara looked at her with worried eyes. "Or not…"

"You need to go and get her." Alex said. "We need to be careful and play it thin. She's dangerous."

"Don't rush into it." Nia added. "We need her to think she's not been caught yet otherwise she might flee."

Kara frowned, glassy eyes looking at the floor without seeing it. She was lost, caught between worry for Lena and anger for the other Lena. She had just proposed to a complete stranger while her actual partner was somewhere, probably sulking about how they were all fools, not recognizing the wrong Lena from the right one. What was this Lena's plan? What did she want? Her goal couldn't only be to take Lena's place and live like that eternally.

"I've seen nothing." She whispered to herself.

Two hands on her shoulders caught her attention. "Hey," Alex smiled at her. "I'm sure she's okay. We'll find her."

Kara was thankful for Alex's hope. None of them seemed to think that Lena could be dead by now. It wasn't even a thought wanted to have. And, Rao, their son!

"She's pregnant, Alex!" Kara hissed, a tear running down her cheek.

"The other Lena seems pregnant too."

They both frowned deeper. This situation was so messed up. Kelly approached them and put both hands on each of their shoulders.

"She's fine. It's Lena. She's a warrior. She's seen worse." Kelly tried to reassure.

"Jeju, what are we going to do?" Liz asked, voice shaking with fright.

Kara looked at her and sighed. Liz might be strong on the surface, with all her powers and confidence, but she was this young girl scared to lose her parents. Lena's first kidnapping when Liz was only six had left so many scars in her.

Kara pulled away from Alex to take her daughter in her arms. She squeezed her tight against her, her hand cupping the back of Liz's head as her daughter hid in her neck. Just like when she was a child. Kara squeezed her closer.

"Don't worry. We'll go back home and try to get this Lena to come here unaware of what will come." She turned around, speaking to the whole team. "I need a cell ready to welcome her." She said determinedly. Alex nodded in agreement.

"On it!" Brainy exclaimed.

Kara pulled away from Liz slightly and cupped her cheeks. "We'll find your mother back. I promise." Liz nodded, swallowing a whine. She straightened up and, seconds later, the determined fighter was back.

"This has lasted long enough." She said with fiery eyes.

Kara recognized Lena's determination on her daughter's face. A gust of pride erupted in her chance. She was so proud of the young woman her daughter was.

They had their plan. Now they had to be sneaky. Lena couldn't know they were coming for her.

As a gust of air flowed in the ship, Lena turned the head quickly to her door cell. There were movements. Her fists tightened their grips on the bedsheet in anticipation. Rushed steps on the ladder. Then her alter ego's face appeared. Simultaneously, two incredible things happened. As Lena stood up awkwardly from the bed, she met Lena 2.0.'s eyes and realized she had been crying. At the same time – was it shock or just fucking Mother Nature getting revenge, she didn't know – her waters broke.

"Great!" Lena exclaimed through gritted teeth. She threw her arms in the air in frustration. "I'm having a baby. You better get me out of here quickly or you'll have to deliver him right here and I don't want to die bleeding on that fucking floor."

The other Lena chuckled bitterly but approached nonetheless with some difficulty. Her belly was as big as Lena's. As incompatible with their activities.

"I don't like it more than you do. It's hard to lie every single day." Lena 2.0. said pathetically.

Lena scoffed, outraged. "You've put yourself in that situation!" Her last words were expelled through her teeth as another contraction hit her. She crumbled on her knees from the pain.

"When have the contractions started?" Lena 2.0. asked as she rushed to her side, helping her to sit on the bed.

"What do you think? I had them the whole fucking day!" Lena shouted at her face. "Get me out of here!"

"I can't!"

Lena groaned again in annoyance. She felt the contraction decrease but faked it a bit longer. Her brain was working at a lightning speed. She waited for Lena 2.0. to turn her back on her. She was pouring some water on a towel when Lena hit her on the back with a chair, aiming for the open-door cell immediately after.

She ran clumsily through the door without thinking once about closing it behind her. She ran – fast-walked as fast as a eight-months-pregnant woman could walk – through the ship, her steps resonating heavily on the metal frames. She climbed down the ladder, wishing all the gods above her head that her next contraction was still far away. The level below was dedicated to weapons and tech stuff. Lena didn't wait to analyze it. She hadn't seen it when she came in and she would certainly not wait for her alter ego to catch her watching as she came out.

Once outside, Lena took a breath of fresh air. It had been so long. She felt her stomach contracting, preparing itself for a new contraction.

"Shit!"

She rushed towards the forest surrounding her house. It was midday, apparently. Maybe end of the afternoon, if she had seen the sun's position right. She counted in her head, panting from exertion. Two hundred and forty seconds. That was the time between the contractions. She had a bit less now. Maybe a hundred.

Passing tree after tree, hands supported her stomach, she spotted the girls wooden cabin Kara had built a few years ago in the tallest tree. Hiding there would be too obvious. And it would cost her too many efforts. Of course, that bitch had to take her Platinum Kryptonite necklace too.

Lena continued throughout the forest. The house wasn't far away. She could see the door through the bare branches. She just needed a bit more time to reach it. Inside, she could find a solution. The watch. She needed the portal watch.

Forcing on her sticky wobbly legs, her teeth clacking from cold – a tank top and yoga pants wasn't the best outfit in winter –, Lena gathered all her energy and focused it on her goal. The house. Now that she wasn't in that cell anymore, she could use magic. That bitch would better stay in that ship.

Reaching the house door, she opened it forcefully with a shoulder. She was welcomed with a mesmerizing vision. She had never seen that many plumerias at once. A pang of betrayal rose in the middle of her chest. Those flowers hadn't been placed here for her.

With a determined look, she focused on her energy. This could wait. As she was about to pronounce the attraction spell for the watch, the contraction hit.

"Fuck!" Lena groaned, leaning against the staircase to prevent herself from falling.

A contraction normally lasted a minute or two. This one lasted a hundred and thirty seconds. That was enough for her alter ego to reach her.

Lena 2.0. grabbed her in a head lock, her forearm pressing dangerously against Lena's trachea. She was already panting from exertion. Now air wasn't reaching her at all.

"You shouldn't have played with me." The other Lena whispered threateningly against her ear. "I could very well kill you, nobody would see the difference."

It wasn't true. She was wrong. Kara loved her. It wasn't true. She was irreplaceable.

In a last spur of fury, Lena stomped on her alter ego's toes then hit her squarely in the ribs with her elbow. Alex's training sessions had paid at least. She then ran to the kitchen. The watch had to be there. She threw a vase full of water on her way. It broke on the floor, slowing down the other Lena only slightly as she slipped on the water and broken glass. Before she reached the kitchen, Lena pointed her two palms towards the floor, whispering in Latin. Quickly, thorns irrupted through the wooden boards and grew until they reached the middle of the door frame. They didn't last long though, as the other Lena was already chasing them away with fire balls.

"You can't escape, Lena!"

As Lena reached the portal watch on the kitchen counter, a hand pulled at her hair. Followed a combination of fists and head-butts, of struggle all over the kitchen, vases breaking under their weights. Fire, ice, electric shocks. Everything was used. Lena threw a glowing yellow punch but it didn't land as expected as it was met with a metal-covered skin. She panted heavily. Using magic was exhausting. Her pelvis was killing her. The other Lena didn't look better.

Lena felt another contraction growing in her stomach. Not now. No, she needed all her energy to fight her. But as always, God or whoever wasn't on her side. The contraction hit her hard. She whined, stopping all combat, her fists switching off their magical glow as she gripped at the kitchen counter and the table furiously. The other Lena paused, two hands on her forearms, her metal face and skull sticky with blood. She shifted her skin back to its normal form. Lena felt something glide on the side of her leg. Looking down, she grunted. She was losing blood. The baby was coming down.

"You need to lay down." Lena 2.0. said urgently, her hands pulling her gently towards one of the kitchen chairs still miraculously in place.

"Don't touch me!"

"I'm trying to help!"

"You're only doing worse!"

"What's happening here?"

Both Lena and Lena 2.0. looked at the kitchen archway. Kara and Liz were taking in the scene with horror on their face. Broken ceramics everywhere. Tortured plumerias laying on the floor. Water spreading through the parqueted boards. Kitchen cabinets unhinged, ready to fall. Lena with blood all over the back of her head, another Lena in her arms, groaning and whining in pain.

"She needs help. She's giving birth."

Lena realized how the scene had to be confusing for Kara and Liz when Kara put handcuffs on both of them. Magic neutralizing handcuffs. Kara stayed by her side, supporting her with an arm around her waist.

"Alex and Kelly are on the way." She said reassuringly.

"No! She needs to go to a hospital!" Lena 2.0. said, struggling against Liz's vicelike grip.

"I don't even know who's the real you!" Kara exclaimed, completely confused. She didn't even know who to address her complain. Her eyes kept traveling from one face to the other, then to one belly to the other. She was hearing two little hearts but didn't know which one was her son's.

"It's me!" Lena said through another contraction, her hands squeezed together to minimize the pain. "I'm having your son, you moron!" She felt Kara's hand unlocked the handcuffs and put her against her in support.

"Alright, I think that's Mom." Liz pointed out. Kara huffed.

"Take the other to the satellite, please. Be careful. I'll deal with her later."

The anger in Kara's voice provoked goosebumps to irrupt on Lena's spine. Once betrayed, Kara could show even less mercy than her, post identity reveal.

"What about Mom?" Liz asked, worried, already planning her destination on her wristwatch.

"She can't travel." Kara said as she took Lena in bridal style as gently as possible. Lena looked up at her, her face leaning against the sigil on her chest. The pain disappeared for a second. She was home. Finally.

"I guess we're having this baby in the living room." Kara said with a small smile. Lena found the strength to smile back before a groan escaped her lips.

Another contraction hit and now she hated everyone. She hated them all. Individually and all together.

For the first time, after three pregnancies, Lena had given birth in their family house. To a half-Kryptonian baby. The Platinum Kryptonite had barely helped. Their son's head had already been visible when Alex had arrived. Everybody had gathered in the living room while Alex helped Lena give birth on the carpeted floor, in between the coffee table and the bookshelves, rushing Kelly to give her instruments while Kara held Lena against her in between her legs. It had been quick. The labor had lasted the whole day. The little guy had been completely ready to come out.

Lena looked tiredly down to said little guy, quietly sucking on her breast. Between the exertion of escaping and using her powers while being in labor, she was exhausted. Kara had stayed close to her side after the birth, not quitting them to even change. She was now caressing their son's soft hair as he was drinking colostrum as if his life depended on it. Liz was just next to her, her head on Lena's lap as she was watching her little brother in wonder, Snowflake curled up next to her, purring.

"He's so precious." She whispered softly.

"He is." Kara agreed.

"Lucy will be ecstatic."

"Where is she?" Lena asked tiredly, her head rocking from right to left to look at Kara.

"In the kitchen with Alex and Kelly. Nia picked her up from school."

"I want to see her."

Kara nodded but Liz was the one standing up. "I'll go get her." She said simply. Snowflake whined as she shuffled him a bit. He then jumped on the couch and laid in a ball at Lena's feet.

Calm surrounded them. The calm after the storm, except their life was just a succession of storm after storm and Kara was getting sick of it. She exhaled shakily. She couldn't wait any longer.

"I think I owned you an apology." She said with a broken voice, her eyes already getting wet. "I'm such an idiot. You've been imprisoned for months and I've seen nothing."

Lena met her eyes with fondness. Long gone was the animosity. She was just glad to be back home. She rose a heavy hand to Kara's cheek.

"Don't beat yourself on it. You weren't the only one who got deluded. She lied to everyone."

Kara took Lena's hand to squeeze but wasn't agreeing. "I'm your partner! We live together. She helped Lucy with her homework and she taught Liz some spells and she…" Her voice got stuck in her throat as realization dawned on her already crestfallen face. "Rao, I made love to her."

Kara hid her face in her hands in disgust. It was already hard to keep the anger at bay. Now, she would have to deal with the guilt of having cheating on Lena with her alter ego.

"Darling, hey!" Lena grabbed at her hand to stop her from spiraling. "It's okay." She swallowed hard, because it wasn't totally okay but it had to be. "She played her cards right. You couldn't know. Otherwise, you would have locked her up from the beginning."

Kara turned sorry, wet eyes on her. "I'm so sorry, Lena." She took both of Lena's hands in hers, imploring on her knees to be forgiven. "Rao, she almost killed you. Again. And I…" A sob escaped her lips. Lena whined in response, as sorry as she was. "I can't even look at myself in a mirror right now."

Lena pulled a hand out of Kara's grip and brush it through the blond locks she had missed so much. "You can't control all the things happening to us, baby." She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes fell on their son in her arms. "It's nasty and we'll probably need therapy after that but," She sighed, cupping Kara's chin in her hand. "At the end of the day, I'm okay and our son is doing just fine."

Kara smiled wetly at her then at the newborn in her arms, dozing off on Lena's chest. "I promise I'll do anything to fix that."

"There's nothing to fix, darling. I love you. I forgive you."

Kara smiled sadly through a sigh then leaned down to put her forehead against Lena. "I love you too, so much. You have no idea."

"Where is he?" Lucy's enthusiastic voice erupted in the living room as she ran through the door. The adults separated. Kara only had the thought to intercept her youngest daughter before she climbed on Lena and her little brother.

"Shh, he's sleeping." She said as she showed the baby to Lucy. "He just ate."

Lucy squealed silently, two little fists on her mouth. "He's so cuuute!"

Lena chuckled down at her, caressing her cheek before pulling on the blanket to cover herself and the baby a bit more.

"What's his name?" Lucy asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

Kara and Lena shared a knowing smile. Liz came back in the room with a tray filled with tea and hot chocolate mugs.

"Yes, you've kept the secret long enough!" She complained playfully.

Kara chuckled. "Tell that to your mother. She didn't want anybody to know."

"I just wanted to keep this between us a little longer. To relish in the whole pregnancy thing." Lena smiled as she kissed their son's head.

"So?" Liz insisted, an eyebrow raised, as she sat on the carpeted floor next to the couch with crossed legs. She took a sip of her tea patiently.

"I want to know!" Lucy whined, jumping up and down on Kara's knees.

Kara chuckled once again. "Okay, okay!" She looked at Lena. "Go ahead." She shrugged.

Lena smiled. She threw a wink to Alex and Kelly who were hugging, leaned against the living room archway. Nia stepped forward too, just behind them, her arms crossed, her easy smile on her face.

"His name is Atlas Lysandro Walsh Danvers." Lena said calmly.

Lucy gasped exaggeratedly. "I love it! Atlas is strooong!" She said in a deep voice, showing off her little arms.

Lena laughed lightly. "He sure is!" She agreed. She observed the reactions around. Liz nodded with a small smile, taking another sip. Alex and Kelly entered the room, Nia behind them. Alex crouched down next to the couch as Kelly put her hands on her shoulders. Nia sat on the armchair next to the couch, uncharacteristically quiet.

"It's beautiful. It suits him." Alex said, caressing the baby's soft cheek. "I forgot how their skin could be this soft."

Kelly chuckled above her. "It's been a while since we had a baby in the family." She said throwing a glance to Nia who was the last giving birth to Ambrose.

Kara nodded. "He's already so cherished." She said without quitting her son's innocent face.

"Born on Valentine's Day. Already breaking hearts." Liz commented cheekily. The adults laughed.

"Well, it sure runs in the family, I heard." Nia winked at her, making Liz blush lightly as she tried to hide it in her mug.

Lena frowned playfully. "He'll be a gentleman. I'll make sure of that." She looked up at Liz with a pointed glance. "His sisters too."

Lucy tapped Kara's forearm. "Jeju, what's a gentleman?"

The doorbell rang before Kara could answer. They all frowned. Liz's face brightened up.

"It's Syd!"

They all watched her as she exited the room quickly to open the door.

"Young love, uh?" Alex smirked up to Lena.

Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Don't start." She warned, but a smile grew on her tired face. Alex only rose two guilty hands.

"It's time for us to go, anyway. Eliott is waiting and Esme is coming home for diner so." Kelly explained. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes!" Kara and Lena answered at the same time. "Thank you." Lena added earnestly.

Alex kissed Atlas' head as Kelly hugged Kara and Lucy tight. Nia hugged them goodbye too but stayed behind.

"Don't mention it, Luthor." Alex winked.

On their way out, they met Liz and Sydney. The girl had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a blue paper bag in the other. She waved awkwardly to Lena and Kara.

"Dianna told me the little guy showed up a bit early." She shrugged.

Kara stood up with Lucy in her arms. She hugged Sydney sideways. "Thanks for showing up, Sydney. It's kind of you."

"Actually," Liz said, rubbing at her neck in a true Kara fashion. "I invited Syd to spend the night. Is it okay?"

Kara smirked, knowing fully why her daughter's cheeks were blushing suddenly. She turned towards Lena anyway to see if they agreed. Lena nodded, the same smirk on her face.

"I'll order pizzas. Don't stay up too late. There's still school tomorrow." Kara warned as Liz was already squealing.

"Thanks! You're the best!" The teen said as she kissed Kara soundly on the cheek.

Kara watched her daughter take the gifts from her friend's hands and put them on the console nearby before taking her hand and pulling her to the kitchen to retrieve bottles of water and candies before going to the basement. She shook her head, turning back on Lena, who was sitting up carefully on the couch. She was smirking like the Cheshire cat. Nia was wearing the same kind of grin.

Kara pointed a finger at Lena. "Don't tell me she's just like me, I know it already." Kara said in anticipation.

Lena chuckled tiredly. "I was just going to ask if it pained you as much as me to see our little baby fall in love that early."

Kara huffed as she let herself fall heavily on the couch next to her. "I don't know if we can talk about love already, but she definitely has a crush and it definitely hurts."

Lena leaned her head on her shoulder, carrying their son gently. She scrunched up her face. They didn't plan for this to happen this early.

"Syd is a good girl though. And I think it's not one-sided." Nia smiled at them.

Lena huffed. "I think you're right. But I feel old suddenly."

"Me too." Kara agreed.

"Jeju, what's a crush?" Lucy asked, her little hands coming to cup Kara's face. Kara sighed as Lena and Nia laughed good-heartedly.

"That's my cue to go." Nia said enthusiastically. She stood up, Kara and Lena doing the same.

She hugged Kara first and kissed Lucy on the cheek, tickling her gently. Lena came next and, suddenly, Nia's face fell, her worries resurfacing.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you. We didn't realize that she had taken your place. I wish I had seen it in my dreams but…" She seemed lost in thoughts.

Lena took this opportunity to reassure her. "Don't worry, honey. I know you'd have come rescue me if you knew. Nothing that happened was your fault." She cupped her cheek affectionately. "Or anyone, for the matter." She said, glancing pointedly towards Kara.

"I hope you'll recover from that quickly." Nia said earnestly. "I'm glad you're safe now."

Lena pulled her in a hug. "I'm glad too. I've missed you all."

Nia kissed the side of her head. "Brainy was right all these years ago. We should put a bell on you or something." Kara snorted next to them as Lena pulled away, offended. Nia smiled guiltily. "Okay, no bell."

Kara chuckled and hugged her once more. "Go home safe. Say hi to Ambrose for us."

"I will. Bye guys. Take care." Nia said while disappearing through her portal.

Lena saw a sigh escaped from Kara. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Pepperoni?" Kara asked.

"With pineapples on it." Lena asked cheekily. Kara's scrunched up face said everything. She kissed Lena on the cheek before going to the kitchen.

"Mom, can I have a bell too like Snowflake?" Lena heard Lucy ask on their way. She chuckled as she groaned as she heard Kara laugh naturally.

A small smile grew on her face then. She looked down at Atlas, happily sleeping in her arms, light brown hair in his little head. She sighed contentedly. She had missed her family so much.

Liz and Sydney were casually sitting in the middle of the cube, loaded to represent Sydney's room on Themyscira for the occasion. It was all yellow stone walls, rosewood sofas, and velvet cushions. The sunset was peering through the archway serving as a window. Waves from the sea below the cliffs would be heard rocking calmly. Everything was so peaceful here. That was their safe heaven.

"I thought we were watching a movie." Sydney said as she popped a Jelly Belly in her mouth. She threw a perfectly angled one right in Liz's mouth.

"Well, we can after I've finished this drawing for art class." Liz said while chewing. "I have to give it back on Monday."

Sydney took back her pose, reading a fictional book. "Why am I always your guinea pig?" She asked, her eyes never leaving her page.

"Because I like drawing you?" Liz said, her tongue sticking out as she focused on drawing Sydney's expression.

"Is that a question or…?"

Liz paused her pencil on her notepad and blushed as she saw the smirk on Sydney's face. Sometimes, her best friend had a spur of confidence and would fire back things like that, making Liz wander if the flirtatious tone in Sydney's voice was just in her head.

"No, that's actually true." Liz squinted. "Your face and your body in general are perfect for drawing. You're sculpted like a Greek statue."

Sydney's confidence fell immediately, shy under the compliments. "I'm not that perfect." She mumbled through her teeth but Liz heard it, Kryptonian ears and all.

She looked up from her drawing once again, softening as she watched Sydney pick at her nails, the book on her knees forgotten. Sydney wasn't perfectly normal to Amazons' standards. She didn't like to fight, she didn't like to take runs around the wilderness or kill impressive monsters. She had strength and she was fast, but she didn't like to use any of those skills. It had come naturally, with genes, but it wasn't who she was. Sydney was tender. Soft. She liked to spend her time in bookstores or playing ball games, only because it wasn't tainted by the Amazons' competitiveness they expected from her. She liked being alone, in quiet places, not surrounded by bunches of warriors. Liz knew that it bothered her sometimes, not to be a real Amazon. Diana's insane practice sessions weren't helping, even if they all knew it was coming from a fear of losing Sydney. Of losing her to unpreparedness, just as Diana had lost all her people once. Liz also knew that Sydney could be fierce if provoked. They all knew it. But it was in her shyness and her softness that Liz found her the most attractive.

Liz put her notepad away. She would finish her assignment later. She approached Sydney and interrupted her ministrations with a warm hand.

"You know you're perfect just the way you are, right?" She said as she sat next to her. Sydney's cheeks took a red color but her face stayed dejected.

"When it comes from you, it doesn't sound so impartial."

Liz snorted. "I'm definitely not." She shoved her playfully with her shoulders, intertwining their fingers. "But I'm also your oldest friend. I know you enough to know you're wonderful."

Sydney's hazel eyes as they met hers were full of emotions. Hope. Affection. Yearning. They shifted to Liz's lips as they opened in a quiet gasp. It was there. Right there. Liz could lean just a bit and act on her feelings. Taking the risk of deepening their friendship into something they both seemed to aspire. But she wasn't selfish to that point. In less than four months, she would risk her life and probably die. Sydney deserved better than that.

Instead, she squeezed the soft hand in hers, and looked away, not missing the disappointment on Sydney's face.

"You know, about that guy in History class. Kyle." Liz said, because of course, that was the only subject she could pick. "I told him to get lost."

The guy in question was typically harassing her into dating. He had showed up multiple times at her locker and followed her during her jogging in the park. She had to threaten him to freeze his ass off for him to let her be.

"Why?" Sydney asked with a strangled voice. She cleared her throat, straightening up. "I mean, I know, he's weird but he seems to want to know you."

Liz shook her head. "He just wants a chance at approaching Supergirl's daughter."

Sydney scoffed. "You're more than just your family name."

Liz smiled with a sigh. Sydney was always the first to rise to protect her. Well, after her whole family, obviously.

"It's not like he could keep up with our life anyway."

It was supposed to be thrown like that. It was just a simple declaration. But it bore some weight. Sydney knew better than to trust Liz's nonchalant tone. The whole prophecy thing was taking a toll on her. Sometimes, being Supergirl and Lena Luthor's daughter meant she had to look strong. Sometimes, being in her position meant she couldn't be vulnerable or silly like a teenager would. Sometimes, Liz wished her best friend would leave her stupid statement at that. Just a statement. But Sydney wasn't the type to beat around the bush.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

It was softly asked. A hand on her shoulder. The warmth of their bodies so close Liz could smell her best friend's flowery perfume. She sighed. Why did she even open her mouth?

"About my mother being abducted by a sociopath or about my baby brother being born in my living room?"

Sydney only frowned at her attempted joke. "About the guy's thoughts you're hearing in your head."

Liz hadn't talked to a lot of people about it. She had opened up to Esme because she had feared at first that it was a new power. That Esme would discover it by accident. She didn't, but Liz was kind of thankful to be able to talk to her about it. She was too, for Sydney. Esme had the maturity to deal with it like an adult and advise her. Sydney understood how it could be disturbing for Liz to have all these responsibilities at their age.

"I don't really hear him anymore." Liz sighed, her shoulders sagging. "He cut the link after the last time I went to meet him." She explained, her fingers picking at the fabric of her sweater. "I share his dreams, though. Nightmares." She swallowed with difficulty. "It's not the most joyous thing."

Sydney leaned her head on her shoulder in comfort. "He's still dreaming about ending the world?"

"No, it's more like…" Liz brushed a hand in her hair, leaning her head on Sydney's. "It's memories. He was beaten up as a child. They were expecting a lot from him. He was trained to be this merciless warrior. It's terrifying."

"Because he looks unbeatable?" Sydney asked softly, her fingers coming back in between Liz's. She started to form hazardous shapes on the back of her hand, her touch feather-like.

Liz shook her head against hers. "I can feel his pain." She shivered from the memories. "I feel his bones cracking under the hits as if it was mines. He was so young and…" She sighed, willing the shared hurt to go away. "So lonely." She finished in a whisper.

"You can't fight him." Sydney stated. It wasn't a question. She knew Liz enough to understand that her friend was feeling too much towards her nemesis to go through with it.

Liz shook her head, agreeing. "I can't. I don't want to."

"Then, don't."

Liz huffed. "You know that's not that simple. He'll hurt a lot of people. I watched my mom's memory key. He burnt everything down in the other dimensions."

"Hey," Sydney cupped her cheek, calming her. "He didn't have you in the other dimensions. Your link must mean something. It's not a coincidence."

Liz frowned, her eyes diving hopefully into Sydney's optimistic ones. "You think so?"

"I'm sure of it. It must be linked to the prophecy. Your bond is too strong to mean nothing." Sydney smiled, her thumb rubbing at Liz's cheekbone. "If you don't feel like fighting him, then don't. You know better than any of us."

Liz smiled at her gratefully. She pulled her in a hug, hiding her nose in her best friend gorgeous mane.

"What would I do without you?" She said rhetorically, her voice muffled.

Sydney chuckled. "Nothing productive, for sure." She teased, her hands traveling on her back affectionately. "I'll always be there. You know that." She said more seriously.

Liz squeezed her closer. If she came out of it alive, she promised herself to act on her feelings. Because Sydney deserved better than that. For now, their friendship was everything she needed.

"How could she just disappear?!" Jason heard a woman shout in the hall. He stood up from his bed and approached the cell door.

Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Cyborg passed in front of his cell and continued in the hall. They stopped several feet away, probably in front of the cell which was supposed to contain his sister's alter ego.

"I don't understand." Cyborg's deep robotic voice said. "I took her out to take a sample of her blood for analysis. She didn't struggle or attempt to escape. I put her back in and two minutes later, the sensors went off, signaling there was nobody in the cell."

"It's impossible. The cells are made of Thanagarian technology. It's tamper-proof." Wonder Woman said.

"Well, it means she didn't use magic." Cyborg said.

Jason took a step back as they seemed to approach. They stopped just next to his cell. He could see the two women surrounding the robot.

"Do you have some footage of her cell?" Supergirl asked, hands on hips, crinkle on a tired face.

The three of them leaned over Cyborg's made-up screen between his hands as he swiped the day's footage of the prison cells.

If Jason had heard right, they had finally found his sister back and rescued her. Just in time for her to give birth to her son. It was about time. He had insisted there was a problem with Lena weeks ago but it took the guards two whole months to realize he might be on something. She hadn't visited in months. It wasn't right.

On the video, the woman in the cell disappeared into a flourish of nanobots that slipped out by the small air vent above their bathroom. Thanagarian technologies were made to neutralize all powers. Their cells weren't made to neutralize technology. That was the reason why Lena couldn't visit with a simple watch or her smartphone.

Jason rolled his eyes. Amateurs. He listened as the three heroes' surprised faces morphed into disbelief.

"It looks just like Jack Sphere's nanotechnology!" Supergirl exclaimed. "I destroyed it here but it must come from her dimension."

"Now we know why she was untraceable by the sat." Cyborg said, shutting off the screen between his hands.

"We have to find her." Supergirl said, her fists tightening on themselves.

Jason had to admit he wouldn't like to know how it felt. He actually didn't like the feeling too well when Supergirl's blue eyes met his through the glass door. She approached tentatively, hands on hips, eyes fierce.

"You." She said with squinted eyes. "You're the one who warned us about Lena's abduction."

Jason shrugged. "I didn't know she had been abducted. I just thought it weird she hadn't visited in weeks."

Supergirl rose a finger to her chin pensively. Her eyes then met Wonder Woman's. They seemed to share a silent discussion. Then the Amazon drew closer and removed her lasso from her belt. Supergirl unlocked the cell door and opened it.

"You helped Lena." She said, walking forward, oppressing him into backing off. "Do you want to help us?"

Jason rose an inquisitive eyebrow. Supergirl tilted her head in curiosity. She waited patiently for a reply. He measured her up. His eyes traveled from her to Wonder Woman and her lasso. He nodded slowly, hesitantly.

"She's the last member of my family." He said as an explanation.

Supergirl shot a glance to Wonder Woman. In a quick motion, Jason found his chest pressed by the glowing Lasso of Truth.

"Explain your intentions." Wonder Woman simply demanded.

"I want Lena safe." Jason said through his teeth. He tried to struggle but it hurt too much. It felt like his bones were burning from within. "I want to protect her."

"Will you betray our trust?" Wonder Woman continued.

"No." Jason said quickly. "I want to know my family and protect them all. I won't hurt them anymore. I love my sister."

"Enough." Supergirl said.

Wonder Woman freed Jason immediately. He gasped, falling on his knees. He looked up to Supergirl with wide eyes. The despise in her eyes was still there, but he could find some trust there too. She came to him and grabbed him by the collar.

"If you so much as touch one of Lena's hair or our kids'," She said, her face mere inches away from his ear. "I'll end you."

She loosened her grip enough for him to fall clumsily on his feet. She brushed some invisible dust off his prison suit then extended a hand.

"Do we have an agreement?" The grin on her face was barely too kind to be honest.

Jason looked at the hand then looked at the two heroes behind her. He didn't have really the choice. Helping them was better than to rot in here, hands tied, knowing his family is in danger. He took her hand without hesitation.

"We do." He shook it, containing a wince back as she squeezed a bit stronger. "Thank you." He said as an olive branch.

"We'll see if you're that thankful when you'll meet my sister." Supergirl said, exiting the cell.

Jason scrambled on his feet to follow her, Wonder Woman and Cyborg behind them. His thoughts went immediately to his own sister. He knew their relationship couldn't be fixed but he could at least try.

Chapter Text

DAY 3962 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2039 June 20th

Birthdays

The sun was barely up when Lena heard Atlas babbling through the baby monitor. Kara started to shuffle but Lena spun in her arms and put an easy hand on her forearm to tell her to sleep some more.

"Lucy will come in early enough." Lena said while kissing Kara on the cheek softly. "Let me handle him."

Kara didn't object more and went back to sleep easily. It wasn't as if they didn't have their fair share of sleepless nights. Atlas slept conveniently, more than he used to but he was still waking up during the night several times. And Kara with her responsibilities and double jobs as editor in chief and Supergirl needed her sleep. She was usually the one waking up for Atlas at night anyway, since Lena, in all her human beauty, needed sleep even more than her.

Since Lena had taken her role back as CEO of the Foundation, she had promised not to spend awfully long hours at the office and since then, she had kept her promise. It didn't mean she had the impression to be there for her children, though. The contrary even. Kara was the one taking care of Lucy and Atlas after work, helping with homework and bath time, unless she was called for a Supergirl emergency. If she wasn't there, Liz was usually the one babysitting her siblings until Lena came home. And since they had a prophecy to resolve and an enemy to fight, Lena's time home was severely reduced, replaced instead by time in the labs at the Foundation or time in the labs in the satellite or time traveling with Andrea and Diana to find clues about the prophecy. So, she didn't spend her entire time at work, but she wasn't really home either.

That meant she really enjoyed spending time with her son, even if it was at the crack of dawn, on a Saturday. Even if it was on an already promising exhausting day, welcoming their whole family and friends to celebrate Liz's birthday, assuring that everything was at its right place, that everybody had what they needed. Lena would have preferred some more hours of sleep, because she knew the day would be long, but spending a quiet morning with her son was great too.

Liz was seventeen today. If Lena squinted a bit, she could still see the shy little girl with her pink backpack and Supergirl socks running in the Tower. It felt like yesterday and at the same time, so long ago. They had all learned to grow around each other again. Lena couldn't be more grateful for the welcome they had once they went back to National City. It felt a bit bitter too. They had all spent so many years enjoying the time spent together, celebrating birthdays, births, graduations, little and big steps in careers. But it could all come to an end in some months. Celebrating Liz's 17th birthday was one step closer to this potential end. Time was nothing but grains of sand in their hands, slipping through even if they tried to keep it locked. Lena knew she had to enjoy time with Atlas while she still could.

"Hey, sweet boy!" She cooed lowly, picking Atlas up from his crib. The little boy was already grabbing her hair, diving his nose in her neck. "Did you sleep well?" She asked, rubbing at her son's back affectionately.

Atlas only shuffled against her neck, cuddling more. "Ma!" He said enthusiastically.

"That's right, love. Let's go eat. You must be starving."

Lena switched off his night light and asked the domestic AI to open the shutters. Sweet daylight strove through the room. Atlas hid even more, avoiding the light like the plague. On their way down, Lena asked softly to the AI to put the kettle on. That way, she only had to mix some fruits for Atlas and toast some bread for herself. She put Atlas in the highchair attached to the kitchen island. He started to whine immediately.

"I know, love. I'm not going that far."

She rushed through the fridge and cabinets to make him a bottle then sat down immediately next to him once it was hot. Atlas took her fingers with his chubby hand and guided it to his cheek, leaning on her hand desperately. Lena smiled, absolutely melting under her son's adorable gestures.

"My sweet boy." She said, caressing his cheek with her thumb.

Atlas grew up so fast these past four months. He was growing faster than any human being, just like his sisters did. With his four teeth, light brown curls and already smart green eyes, he looked more like a seven-month baby than the four months old he actually was. He was curious about everything, analyzing the world around him. Kara bet it would become hectic when he'd start walking because he'd run around all the time. Lena wasn't so sure. Atlas was very close to them. He didn't like being left alone. She couldn't see him go on an adventure without them.

As she reclined gently to take her cup of coffee, Atlas whined once again, making grabbing gestures at her. Lena chuckled and came back to him, caressing his hair as he cuddled against her. No, Atlas was very much his mothers' son. It was probably a repercussion of the events preceding his birth.

Looking around, Lena sighed as she sat back on the kitchen stool. The room had been rebuilt from scratch. After her fight with her alter ego, the cabinets and most of the dishes were destroyed. They needed to change it anyway. It was becoming too small for a family of five – three half-Kryptonian and a whole Kryptonian among them.

It took them a month to agree on the type of kitchen they wanted and then another two for it to be changed. The island Atlas and her were actually sitting on was just three weeks old. They were still getting used to the place of things around the kitchen. Kara could usually be heard grumbling because she couldn't find her snacks. Lena secretly loved it.

As she watched Atlas eat his mashed banana with a spoon, his hand securely around two of her fingers, she realized his birth had brought new beginnings. Redecorating the kitchen was just the start. Atlas mostly meant strength in Ancient Greek. As she was caressing her son's little fingers, Lena hoped he would help them have some in the foreseeable future.

Kara found them an hour later, Lena swiping through emails and news on her tablet, drinking coffee from a Disney mug. Atlas playing with his nth metal cubes on the highchair as he was finishing what looked like mashed bananas.

"Good morning!" She said as she entered the kitchen with Lucy in her arms, stopping next to Atlas to give him a kiss on the head. "How did you both sleep?"

"Well enough." Lena replied, leaning away on her stool to welcome Kara's hug and long kiss. Lucy grumbled in her mother's arms. She extended her arms to Lena, who took her without complaint, too eager to have her dose of cuddles.

"My little squirrel." She sighed lovingly into her daughter's hair. "Did you wake Jeju up?"

Lucy only shrugged. Kara chuckled, putting orange juice and milk out of the fridge.

"She came in the room searching for you but you were already downstairs."

"Ha." Lena looked down on Lucy who was hiding in her chest. A small smirk grew on her face. "Is this right, Lucyboo? Did you miss me?" She said, tickling her daughter's ribs lightly. Lucy let out a squeal, keeping her mouth shut purposefully. "I can't hear anything." Lena said, laughing as she tickled her more.

"Yes! Yes! Stop!" Lucy finished by shouting, laughing so hard she was articulating herself in odd angles on Lena's lap.

"Now, it's better." Lena squeezed her tighter against her chest. "I missed you too. Always." She said more seriously, kissing her on the head.

Since Atlas was born, Lucy had gotten closer from both of her mothers. They thought it was probably because she wanted the same attention given to her little brother. When Kara had mentioned it, Lena had spiraled immediately, feeling guilty of not being there enough for Lucy. But it wasn't that, Kara had reassured her. They were doing everything it was needed for their children. Lucy just needed attention, it was normal. So, they tried to give her what she demanded.

Cuddles were given when she wanted cuddles. Games were played when she wanted to play. Alone time was spent with both of them when they could. When they couldn't, they made sure to catch up on it later. Lucy didn't seem to suffer from it for now. Kara and Lena had promised to each other to keep a look on her behavior though. Kelly had assured them that it was entirely normal for her to ask more from them and that it was normal for them not to be able to give her everything all the time too. They just had to find a balance, and for now, they could be proud to have found it.

"What's the matter?" Liz asked as she entered the kitchen still mostly asleep, her Celtics pajama shirt slipping off one shoulder, her feet bare.

"Hey, here's the birthday girl!" Kara exclaimed, taking her in her arms and squeezing her so tight her feet weren't touching the floor anymore. "Happy birthday my big baby!" Kara said, kissing her cheek soundly.

An easy smile grew on Liz's face. "Thanks!" She shut her eyes off as Kara kissed her everywhere on her face. "You can stop it now."

"No, one or two more." Kara whined. She did as she said then put Liz down. She was instantly assaulted by her little sister who was jumping up and down to hug her, chanting the Happy Birthday song. Liz took her in her arms and hugged her close. The two mothers watched happily as their two daughters hugged in a mess of blonde and dark brown hair.

"Thank you, Luce." Liz whispered as she kissed her sister's cheek then rounded the island to kiss Atlas on the head and finally approach Lena with Lucy still in her arms.

"Seventeen, uh?" Lena smirked. Liz only shrugged then grinned as Lena opened her arms wide. "Happy birthday, my love."

"Thanks, mom."

"One more year around the sun."

"Yeah." Liz whispered, knowing full well what it meant for all of them this year. This birthday wasn't just as normal as the others. It hit differently.

They pulled away and Liz let Lucy scrambled out of her arms to go back to her seat. She looked at her mothers expectantly.

"Since I'm seventeen now, can I have-"

"Nope." Kara interrupted at the same time Lena laughed. Liz's face fell on the same second she sat down heavily on a stool. It was the same ritual every year.

"Still no coffee for your Kryptonian body but well tried." Kara said, putting a glass of orange juice in front of her.

"You know I drink tea, it's basically the same." Liz shot back, drinking a sip of orange juice anyway.

"I know what my body does under coffee. Tea is enough for you."

"But-"

"But you can have a glass of champagne while we serve your birthday cake this evening." Lena interrupted this time with a raised eyebrow.

Liz's face split with a grin. "Really?"

"Only one!" Lena insisted. She shared a look with Kara. They weren't sure of the effects it would have on her but it was safe enough to try.

"Yes!" Liz pumped her fist in the air in victory.

"Can I have champagne too?" Lucy asked.

Kara laughed and put a bowl of cereals in front of her. "No, but don't worry, it's not even that good. You're not missing a lot." Lucy looked at her, puzzled. "I'm telling you," Kara said confidently. "Apple juice is better." She winked.

Lucy looked at her a bit longer then shrugged and plunged her spoon in her bowl. They ate breakfast quietly, discussing the plans for the day and what they still had to prepare. Their guests were arriving around noon for a barbecue in the backyard, it needed some preparation.

"So, who's going first in the shower?" Kara said innocently while taking a sip of orange juice, her eyes glued on the TV muted screen.

"Me!" Lucy said while rushing towards the stairs.

"Atlas was up first!" Liz said as she took her little brother in her arms and half ran behind her.

"Don't run in the stairs!" Lena shouted to them as Kara chuckled, enveloping her with her arms. She put her chin on Lena's shoulder.

"Do we let Liz prepare Atlas?" Lena wondered aloud.

"I mean, I'm not opposed to her sense of fashion."

Lena snorted. "Last time, she dressed him as Batman."

"He was so cute!" Kara cooed, diving into Lena's neck. She peppered kisses all over her jaw and pulse point. Lena melted against her. "Since we don't have a lot of time, we could," Kara whispered slowly, placing a kiss on Lena's ear shell. "Take a shower together."

Lena hummed against her, closed her eyes. Intoxicating images already forming in her mind. "It will certainly not save us time, you know?"

Kara chuckled lowly against her. She nipped at her neck with awfully slow teeth, kissing and licking the pain away lovingly. "It only depends on you." She whispered suggestively. Her hand slipped carefully under Lena's MIT shirt, ascending dangerously closer to a bare breast. "Do you think you'll be quick?"

Kara enveloped her breast with a warm hand, a finger circling her nipple with a feather-like touch. Lena shivered against her. She expelled a trembling sigh. It had been so long. "Alright, but just one round and then we really shower."

Kara barked a victorious laugh against her. "You'll never stop at one." She said cheekily while stepping away from Lena's anticipated slap.

"How dare you?" Lena exclaimed, falsely offended. Kara pulled her back in, snaking her arms around her. She approached her lips from hers slowly but never sealed them.

"Prove me wrong," The words brushed Lena's lips in a vibration. "Miss Luthor."

Another shiver. A smirk. A raised eyebrow. Then two hands linking as Lena pulled Kara towards their bedroom and the bathroom en-suite.

National City was calm in the morning. It had always been. Lena looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows with her arms crossed, observing the landscape. The Lena Luthor Foundation building was the tallest. Next to it was Catco Worldwide Media, and its strong but oh so loving Editor in Chief. Lena already missed the strong arms and the sunny disposition. She missed the familiar vibes and comfort in the Irish house. But it wasn't hers to begin with.

A cry erupted in the room. She turned around to watch her daughter scramble on her feet in her travel cot, hands motioning towards her, wanting to be held.

"It's okay, my love. Mom is here."

She took the baby in her arms and cuddled her closer. It was time for breakfast anyway. Scouring through her makeshift kitchen, Lena prepared a bottle, soothing her daughter in her arms, dancing a little on her feet as the milk was heating up.

Once the bottle was hot, she made sure it was okay for Lizzie then gave it to her. As the little girl drank her bottle, Lena walked slowly back to the desk supporting her trans-dimensional computer and its many screens. With the nanotechnology she had implemented on herself, she already could go anywhere she wanted. With the computer, she could have eyes everywhere, especially on the other Lena and her little family.

Smirking, she watched the screens as they displayed the other Lena celebrating her daughter's birthday. A pang of jealousy erupted in her chest. Her Liz could have had this too. Looking down on her baby, Lena realized it wasn't important anymore. It was only a matter of time.

"Don't worry, baby girl. In six months, all will be fixed." She whispered as her daughter listened to her with wide blue eyes. "I'll fix it myself."

She looked up and typed a code on the computer. The screens shifted to another family in another dimension. Celebrating the summer solstice with what seemed to be a coven, with Lena's parents around her.

Lena smiled bitterly. "And then I'll do it for others."

The backyard had never welcomed that many people. The whole Danvers-Olsen family was already here, with Nia, Brainy and Ambrose, and J'onn, M'gann and Michael, discussing animatedly. Kara's parents had made the trip to arrive right on time. Liz was currently talking with Zor-El as Alura was gushing over Lucy in her arms.

Lena watched Kara welcome Clark, Lois and their sons as she put drinks in the coolers. She hoped they had planned enough for everyone.

"There, she is!"

Lena turned around to see Andrea and Sam cross the bay windows with Olivio, their first son, carrying a huge package, and Jaime, the fourteen-year-old they had just adopted. Andrea took her in her arms affectionately. Sam waited her turn to squeeze her tight too.

"I'm so happy to be here. Ireland is so much cooler than National City at this period of year!" Sam commented.

Lena snorted, seeing the affronted look Andrea was sporting. "That'll be worse during your holidays in Argentina, you know?"

"Don't remind me!" Sam rolled her eyes playfully.

"Hey!" Andrea shoved her lightly. Sam just kissed her cheek.

"Drinks ladies?" Lena asked, already extending a beer to Sam. "Guys, help yourself. Eliott and Ambrose are playing soccer next to the pool." She winked at Olivio and Jaime.

"Do you have some wine?" Andrea asked as they watched her sons walking away with cans of coke in their hands.

"Yes! Inside. I'll be right back."

Lena walked quickly back into the house to get wine from the fridge. On her way back, with two bottles of white wine in hands, she came across Jason who was looking at pictures in the hallway.

"Oh."

Jason didn't budge. Lena approached him slowly. She wasn't used to seeing him outside of his prison cell, or outside of the satellite for the matter. His hands behind his back, he was looking at a family portrait she still had of her time in the Luthor mansion. None of them were smiling on it. It was only purely Luthor-like stoic and arrogant stature. Lionel had a slight smirk on. Lex was just his father's copy.

Lena had kept the portrait because, for once, this photo showed Lillian's strange love for her. Her mother wasn't looking at the camera but at an eight-year-old Lena biting her lip to avoid crying. Lena remembered that day well. She didn't want to take pictures so Lionel had slapped her right in the face – alcohol rage or not, she didn't remember – and asked her to stay on her best behavior for the rest of the day. Lillian, awfully affectionate that day, hadn't said a thing. But her hand on a little shaking shoulder had felt reassuring at the time.

Lena cleared her throat. This photo also showed all the things Jason had been deprived of. "You're here." She said evenly. Kara had told her it was a possibility but she hadn't thought he'd come.

"Your wife invited me." Jason shrugged, finally putting his green gaze on her. There was no animosity in there. "I supposed I could at least show up even if Liz isn't really fond of me."

Lena winced. They had met again in the satellite for practice. Liz didn't trust him yet. "She's still mad at you for what you did."

He agreed. "Rightfully so. I don't deserve her respect." His eyes went back to the pictures on the wall. Around the family portrait were photos of Lena younger, then Kara and Alex. Liz too when it was just the two of them. "You have a beautiful family."

His voice was deep, emotional even if he was trying to hide it. Lena softened and placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for coming."

Jason only shrugged, a barely cocky smile on his face. "Your wife insisted." He said again.

Lena rose a single finger with an amused smile. "I didn't correct you earlier but Kara and I aren't married."

His face fell. "Oh."

"Yeah," Lena smiled sadly. "It's better that way."

He put two hands up. "I won't tell you otherwise. You're free to do whatever you want."

"Thanks, I guess." They smiled at each other. It was still complicated for them to be comfortable outside of the satellite. "Please, make yourself at home."

Jason finally smiled back. "Thanks. I will."

For once in his life, June wasn't prepared. He woke up early, scanned the Earth to see if other threats than him were present, took his breakfast while watching the Unique's family have breakfast, dressed himself for practice then started practicing. It wasn't supposed to be different than any other day.

Yes, it was his birthday. Yes, he was fifteen today. Yes, it meant the prophecy was finally coming to an end in six months but he didn't want to make it important. Because it wasn't. His goal hadn't changed. Kill the Unique and her team. Invade Earth. Kill Darkseid and everyone on Apokolips. Reign on Earth. End of deal.

But plans never went as smoothly as they were planned.

While he was training in the organic tank, his mind linked to the neural interrupters, the tank emptied itself. It had been programed to train him for two hours straight. It was too early. Something was wrong. June discovered how wrong it was when he opened his eyes and met the most hideous face he had seen. Katrach's face.

Katrach the engraver. Called the engraver because he marked his enemies. He lost his left hand in the arena and got it replaced by an automatic branding iron shaped into Darkseid's sigil, thanks to Granny Goodness and her experiments. He was also Granny's commander in chief. Seeing him was never good news.

With an evil smile, Katrach tapped on the tank with his iron hand. The pans of the tank glided open. June straightened himself to his entire height, not wanting to show any apprehension. His eyes were barely reaching Katrach's chin.

"Monster." The commander saluted through greenish teeth, his scarred face contorting into a pleased smile.

"Commander." June replied with the same tone, his voice never wavering. He stepped forward, asking implicitly for Katrach to back down. He didn't. He grabbed him by the neck instead. In an awfully strong grip. And pushed him against the tank glass.

"Don't play with me." Katrach whispered threateningly against June's face. His breath smelled like rotten human skin. "You and me will have a little conversation." He showed his iron fist turned red thanks to the technology implemented in his arms and almost shoved it in June's face, who reclined in fear. "You will tell me all you've been doing up here, all by yourself, and we'll see if you respected your orders."

Again, the evil smile, the green teeth. Katrach's grey face morphed into something lose to pleasure while June felt a pang of dread rise in his guts.

"First question, what do you know about the Unique?"

June kept his mouth closed. His eyes were looking straight into Katrach's black ones in defiance.

"I repeat, don't play with me, Monster."

"I don't take orders from you." June spit finally. His breath was quickening in anticipation but he kept his head high. This worm was nothing against him. He only had the chance June couldn't kill them all before killing the Unique.

Katrach squinted then smirked. "Alright. You asked for it."

Without any more questioning, the engraver burnt the first mark on June's ribs, the skin melting under the iron. June whined but didn't scream. Later, he would feel ashamed about it. For now, he was mostly proud. He had endured worse than that.

"What do you know about the Unique?" Katrach repeated. June smiled at him, cocky and bright. He wouldn't say anything. He wasn't stupid. Once they'd know what he knew, they would get rid of him.

"The next mark will be on your forehead."

"Go ahead." June smirked. "It'll heal anyway."

Katrach grunted but put his burning iron fist on June's forehead.

This time, June couldn't help but cry out. The next times either. And when Katrach injected the truth serum in his veins, a single tear rolled down his cheek. It felt as if Katrach was flaying the skin off his bones.

It was starting to be overwhelming. All the birthday wishes, the guests to welcome, the small talk to make. Liz wasn't used to being the center of attention. She didn't quite like it, to be honest. At school, she was discreet. In the satellite, she was discreet. But now, half of the Justice League was in her garden, mixing up with her family and friends, all here for her. It was overwhelming.

"Hey, that's where you're hiding."

Sydney. Because if one person could find her, it was her best friend.

"I'm not hiding!" Liz objected immediately, but grinned when Sydney snorted, not believing her in the slightest.

She wasn't hiding. She was still in the garden with everybody else. Just not very visible from a normal point of view.

"Does your mom know you're invaded the roof when you feel overwhelmed?" Sydney wondered as she pushed an empty can of soda and some packages of biscuits with her foot.

"Which one, the one who can fly or the one with social anxiety?"

Sydney snorted once again and sat down next to her, their legs dangling from the roof. She leaned her head on her shoulder. "I've never seen that many superheroes reunited on the same grounds."

"Yeah, Supergirl's quite popular."

"Supergirl is but they're all here for you." Sydney said, pointing to the piles of presents. Liz blushed lightly, looking away. "Your mom does seem to love gatherings though." Sydney added with a shove of elbow. She pointed to Kara playing table tennis with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne, as Clark and Lois were watching. Liz barked out a laugh, as her mother was simply wearing a white T-shirt and cream trousers. Typical Kara Danvers attire. Only the glasses were missing. But the competitiveness on her face could clearly be attributed to Supergirl.

Around the garden, Liz recognized Victor Stone discussing bio-engineering with Eliza and Zor-El. There was also Barbara Gordon on the side of the tennis table, laughing with Esme about the lack of their boyfriends' competence in tennis. Nobody was wearing their superhero suits. Even Diana had given up on the Amazon armor. She was classy in her red cocktail dress and ponytail, drinking wine as she listened to Kelly and Lena's discussion with an easy smile.

It was ridiculous to see some of them without the whole attire that made them extraordinary usually. Liz loved it. Suddenly, the big dangerous guys were just wearing glasses and squared shirts. It was reassuring to know that all of them had a life and a personality outside of their superhero persona. Humbling too. Superman was there, the most powerful hero after Supergirl, but he was just a man enjoying a family party here. They were all smiling and discussing life and teasing each other. It was far from the dark faces they usually sported while on mission.

"I saw your mom talk with her brother earlier."

Only one of her mothers had a brother. Liz scrunched up her face as her eyes stopped on Jason below them, enjoying a beer with Brainy next to the barbecue. "Jeju invited him. She asked me if it was okay, I couldn't really say no. I don't trust him but he can't do much here with all the heroes in attendance."

Sydney chuckled. "Sure. That'd be a terrific battle." She cleared her throat. "But don't worry, he's fine. I think he'll be of huge help at the end of it all. I can sense it."

Liz cocked her head in her direction. The sun was cursing through her red curls, making them look like a sea of copper and gold. Her simple white dress was hugging her curves perfectly. She was sporting this knowing look on her face, as if she was seeing further than most of them. Liz had learned to trust Sydney's instinct. Just like Diana's, it was never wrong.

Lacing their fingers together, it was her turn to lean her head against her friend's shoulder. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right." Sydney said, shoving her a bit.

"Hum, not when you say you're the best at basketball."

Sydney gasped, falsely offended. Then her face morphed into a challenge. "Wanna prove that?"

Liz chuckled. "Yes, come on!" She pulled her up, circling her arms gently around her. Their noses were suddenly very close, due to Liz wearing boots and Sydney wearing flat shoes, but Liz didn't stop to think about Sydney's calling lips nor about her intoxicating perfume or else she would only do that for the rest of the day. "Ready?"

Sydney blushed a bit, avoiding her gaze. With a simple nod, Liz pushed on her feet and flew them up to ease them on the side of the house. They had done this dozens of times. Sydney knew not to squeeze too tight. Liz knew how to ease down gently. But this time, it wasn't as gentle as predicted though. They fell heavily to the ground. It took several seconds for Sydney to realize Liz was crying out in pain. She pushed away from her and saw her body spasm, clawing at her hair and her skin forcefully.

"Get it out!" Liz cried. Tears ran down her face as her eyes flickered purple.

Sydney first scrambled away on her knees in fear. She heard people arriving behind her. Then Snowflake ran past her to Liz and took a fighting stance in front of her.

"What's happening?" Kara asked, running next to Sydney to help her stand up.

"I don't know! She was fine and-and then she wasn't!" Sydney answered, panicked.

Liz kept bending and turning on the ground, her nails scratching her skin in alarm. Lena stepped forward and pronounced uncoherent words, her hands bursting yellow energy. A sort of a shield spread around Liz. As she continued to approach Liz, the cat showed two ranges of sharpened teeth. She didn't seem to see him as she kept going forward but the cat took this as a threat. As a last warning, he growled loudly before spitting a gust of fire out of his mouth. Lena fell on her back, startled but unscathed. Her shield broke at the same time.

"What's wrong with you?!" She chastised the cat. He only growled back.

Liz continued to spasm in pain on the ground, her eyes shooting two specks of laser before flicking back to their natural blue color.

"We need to stop this." Kara said, jaw tight.

"Well, go ahead!" Lena grumbled, motioning Liz angrily. "The cat won't let us approach."

From afar, Kara tried her freeze breath to ease Liz's pain. It didn't even seem like Liz felt the difference. Kara looked at Lena with sorry eyes. A heavy quiet fell upon the assembly. With all the powers at their disposal, none of them knew what to do. They couldn't use their powers and risk hurting Liz. Sydney looked at all the frightened faces around them and huffed.

"I'll try." She said determinedly. "Can someone divert the cat?"

"I will." Esme said, stepping forward. With her ability to use the powers of others, and the time she spent with the Young Justice League, she shifted into a mouse in no time, using Beast Boy's capacity. She ran in front of the cat's nose, daring him to follow her. The cat hunted her some steps away until she shifted into an eagle and imprisoned him in her talons. They flew together in the sky. It was enough for Sydney to approach Liz.

On her knees to avoid being shot by laser vision, Sydney gathered all her courage to dare touch her friend. A hand on Liz's forearm first. Then another on her cheek. Liz whined, she fought back, scratching her skin as if it was burning.

"He's hurting! He's hurting!" She kept repeating.

"Liz! It's me! It's Sydney!"

It wasn't working. It wasn't Liz's pain. It couldn't work. Because it wasn't something Liz was in control of. They didn't have any other solution but to wait for it to stop. Liz kept tensing and turning, floating just above the ground. Sydney looked around desperately but only received tense glances. Then J'onn stepped in between Lena and Kara, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. Kara seemed to share a silent discussion with him then nodded.

J'onn walked to Sydney and Liz and crouched down in front of them. He placed his hands on his temples and focused his eyes on Liz. His gaze turned red but never faltered but his jaw tightened.

After minutes that seemed to last hours, Liz fell back in Sydney's arms limply, sobbing, clenching at her dress. Sydney looked around at the crowd of guests gathered next to the house. It was all confusion and fear. Lena frowned sadly at her, curling herself around Kara who rubbed her back reassuringly. Sydney looked back at J'onn who smiled lightly, guessing her question.

"I severed the link." He simply said.

Sydney gave him a nod and focused back on Liz who was heavily crying in her arms. She pushed dark locks away from her face and caressed her cheek.

"Hey, you're okay. It's finished."

Liz shook her head against her chest. "He's in so much pain, Syd. So much pain." She whined painfully.

Sydney's heart twisted in her chest. She tightened her arms around Liz, not knowing if she was giving comfort or taking it from her. She remembered their multiple discussions about Liz's dreams. About how she could feel her nemesis. How they were sharing everything. By the look of it, the Other had been hurting so much that he couldn't control their link anymore. Sydney didn't know what it meant. Sharing a look with Lena and Kara, she understood she wasn't the only one lost.

"I don't understand how we missed this!"

Lena winced as Kara hit another Nth metal block, sending it in a corner of the basement. After Liz's fall from the roof and the events that followed, some of their guests had chosen to leave them deal with the matter in family, promising to come back and help if it was needed. For now, it was only the closest friends and family in the basement with them. Lena was glad. She didn't need pitying eyes or judgemental looks.

"We knew they were linked." Nia said from aside, her arms crossed as she watched Kara prepare another block to hit.

"Yes, but we didn't know she was sharing his pains!" Kara shot back, hitting the block square in the middle.

"Kara, please." Lena hissed, squeezing the bridge of her nose frustratingly. "It's hard enough to stay cool headed. Can you at least try?"

"This is me trying!" Kara groaned back.

Alex put a hand on Lena's shoulder. "I got this."

Kara was never one to lose her temper but seeing Liz in this pain, watching her sobbing endlessly in Sydney's arms, had been enough. The frustration was enough. It had been contained for long exhausting years. Now Kara needed to express it a bit. Liz sharing the Other's feelings meant that she could be hurt without them knowing anything about the person hurting her. It was unbearable for a parent.

As Alex tried to calm Kara in hushed voices in a corner, Lena focused back on her notes and frowned. Nowhere in the prophecy it said the two beings were linked. But it wasn't that surprising. Prophecies were meant to be blurry. The link between the two beings was clear on the drawings in the cave though. Lena had never thought it could go as far as sharing thoughts and pains.

"Does it give you a way to beat him?"

Lena looked aside to see Alura and Eliza next to her. Their worried eyes were only matching hers, she was sure of it.

"No, not really. We know they're linked. The lines here show it." Lena traced the yellow lines on the drawings between the two beings, both purple. There was a line linking their heads, a line linking their hearts and a line linking their bellybuttons. "I guess this big circle around them means they're more linked than we think." She said, pointing to the circle surrounding the two beings in the pictures.

Eliza leaned on the drawings she had seen so many times before. They had all in turns looked at Lena's theory and given their points of view. Eliza and Alura were the most pragmatic ones. They believed in magic – Lena was proof enough – but they were scientists at heart. Just like Lena, they thought that it had to be a logic in all of this.

"What's interesting is that they look the same on the drawings. They have the same energy around them." Alura said while tracing the various vibrations of magic around the two drawn bodies.

"Can you tell me again why you think they're called the Unique and the Other?" Eliza asked with a finger on her chin.

Lena was about to answer when a deep smog appeared in front of her, followed by Florence's cough through it.

"Uh, sorry! This transportation spell needs more work." The old witch complained. She looked around once the fog had cleared. "Hello everyone." She saluted before walking directly to Lena. They all knew her already, but it was still surprising to see a witch appear in the middle of the room out of nowhere.

"I thought you didn't want to come." Lena smirked, knowing her mentor didn't like to go out of her cave.

"You called me so I'm here." Florence shrugged. "What's the matter? I felt an important gust of magic close to you but I thought you were just playing around."

"I wasn't." Lena stated with pinched lips before explaining the whole situation to Florence.

By the time she was finished, Kara was calm and back by her side as Alex rejoined Kelly. All their friends and family had formed a circle around Lena's desk. Nia and Brainy. Andrea and Sam. M'gann and J'onn. Dick and Barbara. Diana, Clark and Loïs. Eliza, Alura and Zor-El. And Florence. All of them, worried and confused, wondered what was happening to Liz and what it meant for the future battle against the Other.

"It's not coherent." Alex said after a while.

"What?" Kara frowned next to her.

"Their link." Alex pointed to the pictures. "If Liz can feel his pains, then if he hurts her, he hurts himself, and vice versa."

Frowns appeared in the circle. That was a good point. How were they supposed to beat him then?

"Magic doesn't work that way." Florence quickly said, her eyes glued to the drawings on the pictures with Lena's notes on them.

"They probably can hurt each other without feeling all of it. Or the prophecy would make no sense." Nia reasoned. Since she was used to this type of nonsense in the dream world, it made sense to her.

"No, it's not that. The prophecy says conquer or perish with the rest of humanity." Lena said, frantic as she searched through the pages of her notebook for the whole prophecy. She read it quickly. "What if they're supposed to both conquer or perish?"

Heavy silence. Lena was used to telling truths nobody wanted to hear but this time, she didn't like it either. Her heart was beating fast. Her mouth felt dry, her throat constricted. If she was right, it meant the only way to beat the Other was to kill Liz too. Again, unbearable.

"Impossible." Kara finally said through clenched teeth. "We must have another solution."

"Well, we still can follow the first plan." Dick remarked. "Confront him, guide him to a place where nobody can be hurt and try to imprison him."

"We don't even know if he has the same weaknesses as Liz." Kara frowned.

"If they're linked that way, I bet you two dragon tears that he's as responsive to Kryptonite as Liz is." Florence said confidently, taking an unopened letter from the bunch of documents on the table. "But it could hurt her too so it's not a very good solution. Plus, imprisoning him will be a real difficulty. Nothing can keep a Kryptonian locked up for a very long time." She said, while putting the letter out of its envelope and reading.

"What do you suggest then?" Lena asked, her arms crossed.

Florence looked back to Lena with a finger on her chin, the letter in hand and sighed. Her eyes rose back to Lena's piercing ones. "I need to question our ancestors. I have a lead but I don't want to tell you all and worry you if it's not accurate."

Lena nodded, frowning in question. Florence only winked at her and motioned for Lena to read the letter. Lena's eyes traveled the paper quickly before a smirk grew on her face. Florence might have found the solution or at least an explanation but wanted more details before sharing her thoughts. They were on the same line.

"I'll come back in no time." The old witch said before disappearing into a deep smog again.

They all coughed, Kara chasing the smog away with a bat of her hand. They all looked at each other, tired and a bit dazed.

"What now?" Nia asked.

"Coffee?" Kara proposed.

Alex looked at her watch and leaned on her toes to look at Lena above Kara's shoulder. They shared a look.

"More like bourbon." Lena said in a sigh, agreeing with Alex.

They all walked up the stairs as she stayed behind to gather her notes in a neat pile. She heard the door to the basement close and with the accompanying clap, her shoulders fell in relief. She loved her family and friends. She loved them with all her heart and was thankful for their support. But her daughter was facing a grave danger, her worry was at its peak and sometimes, she needed some alone time to swallow it all. Living life as if nothing was supposed to happen couldn't work forever.

Of course, there was only one person knowing she wouldn't follow them immediately. The door to the basement opened again. In a gust of wind, Kara was against her back, wrapping her tight in her loving arms. No words were exchanged. It wasn't needed. Kara was saying all she had to say through her gestures. Apologies. Comfort words. Love declarations.

Lena twined her hands with hers and leaned against her toned body, feeling her arms wrap her in a familiar warm blanket. Their heads met in the middle. And they stayed there, cheek against cheek, breathing in synchrony, thinking about what was happening. About what they were about to face. Again. Together.

Kara's warm body comforted her. Sometimes, Lena needed to be alone. Sometimes, she also forgot she didn't need to.

Katrach was gone. June could only breathe in relief. The interrogation lasted hours. He could still feel the truth serum burning his blood vessels. It would disappear. Like always. It would only take two days if he was lucky. It wasn't the first time June had to endure it. But this time, it wasn't deserved. He was the Other. He was Kalibak's killer. He was the Chosen One. He deserved respect. And Katrach being sent here wasn't a proof of respect.

Infuriated, June walked through the numerous halls of his ship to the bathroom-like area. He had planned this intervention though. Rule number one: never trust anyone but yourself. He retrieved the small emergency case he had hidden under the sink and opened it. It wasn't a lot. A just-in-case emergency box. It contained organic bandages, money from Thanagar, two folding knives made from Nth metal, an automatic tent contained in a micro pack for easy transport, and remedy shots against the truth serum.

Taking one of the shots in hands, June sat down against a steel wall. He pulled his tank top away from his shoulder with two trembling fingers and squeezed his eyes shut. There weren't a lot of things he feared. Needles were one. It became a fear after the second time they used truth serum to train him. He had only been five at the time.

With confidence, he exhaled heavily before pushing the button at the top of the shot and planting the needle right into his heart. He hissed in pain but let the needle inside long enough for it to spread its remedy. It was almost as painful as the serum but he knew relief would come right after the pain, once his blood system would have spread the remedy throughout his body.

After a minute, he took the needle out and let his hand fall on the floor. He looked at the ceiling, the white neon lights blearing in his eyes, forming blue dots in his vision. There, sat against his bathroom wall, panting and exhausted, he wondered if the Unique had to endure all these trials too. Probably not. He chuckled to himself. Trials were only Apokolips' way to show it still had control on him. The Unique's family didn't want to have control on her. They were just celebrating her birthday on her birthday, not torturing her to have answers about her nemesis.

June closed his eyes, slowing his breathing voluntarily. Katrach was lucky the truth serum was made so that his other form was neutralized or he wouldn't have had any chance. He didn't even get what he wanted. With all the pain cursing through his veins, June had kept his lips sealed. After the second mark, his mind had drifted towards Liz and what she was feeling. The pain. The cries. The panting breaths. Katrach had hurt her just like he hurt him. Without truly knowing why, June only felt angrier at the thought. It was his fault. Liz shouldn't have been hurt like that. For free. Without being aware of it. Without a chance to defend herself. Her cries were the only thing he could hear now.

Just like the last time he had seen her cry, the memory of her teary blue eyes tugged at his heartstrings. He wasn't there but he knew. How she felt. How she looked. How wrong it was. For her to hurt like that. For him to feel guilty about it.

Shamefully, grumbling to himself about how weak he was, June stood up from the bathroom floor, put the box back in its place and exited the room. Haunted by Liz's crying face, he walked through the halls and came closer to the main console, determined. It was time to plan his strategy for the battle. They wanted war. They'd get war.

Opening the secret files, he kept on the console about the Unique's family, he started to analyze their weaknesses. Too much heart. Disturbed by noises. Unpredictable under Red Kryptonite. Fear of fire. Humans with tech armor. Ready to fight whatever the cost.

On another screen, he opened the map of National City and zoomed onto the main boulevard. He was supposed to open a Boom Tunnel just at the entrance of the boulevard and activate the gravity pit so that the Dog Cavalery could ease down and charge North. Steppenwolf would make his entrance then and charge on the Amazons. He had an old revenge to take against Wonder Woman.

With his ship, June would block the other side of the road and summon the Warhounds to attack under his commandment. There were a thousand of them in the ship, ready to be deployed. He just had to check their parameters and make sure they were ready. After that, all hell would get loose on Earth through the Boom Tunnel, with Granny Goodness commanding Darkseid's troupes. It would leave June time to shift into his other form and attack the Unique before she attacked him.

It was a good plan. Thanks to the information he gathered, he knew how that chaos had the advantage of disturbing the less experienced of the Unique's team. Starting with her. He knew not to be too confident though. The Unique's team was planning their defense too. In every good plan, there were probabilities, dark areas where he couldn't be sure the plan would be executed as expected. These were what he had to prepare for. Anticipate the unplanned.

Scouring through the map, June got distracted by a laugh in his head. His breath got caught in his lungs. It had been a long time since he heard her voice. A whole year since he had severed the link. Her laugh sounded innocent and full. A small smile graced his lips. Thankful. She had been hurt by Katrach's methods but she was okay now. Better, even. She was happy. And weirdly, it reassured him. He wouldn't admit it but his chest swelled with a bit of the happiness they shared through their link. For the first time since he had seen Katrach through the tank's glass window, his shoulders sagged in relief. He wouldn't admit either how he welcomed the feeling for once. Alone in his ship, leaning over the map exposing his strategy, June felt appeased.

Liz woke up in her bedroom but it didn't stop her from being disoriented. Her skin was still burning from the pain. Her head was pounding from her crying. And there were like a hundred too many people in her room. She tried to sit up against her pillows but a soft hand stopped her.

"Easy, there."

Liz looked aside. Sydney's smile was easy, reassuring. The arm passed around Liz's shoulders felt like a warm blanket. Feeling tired, she leaned against her best friend, comforted by her familiar flowery perfume and the warmth she was emitting. Rising her eyes slowly to take in the people in her room, she fell eye to eye with Esme who didn't seem very happy. It looked like all the children – who weren't really children anymore – had met in her room. Of all her cousins, only Ambrose and Ruby were missing.

"You didn't talk to them, uh?"

"Esme…"

"No, Syd!" Esme hissed while stepping forward toward the bed. "You're not alone in this, Liz! You could at least warn your parents!"

"It's not like they could have changed anything anyway." Sydney said before Liz could defend herself.

"You don't know that! Lena made a bracelet to neutralize my powers when I was little. She could create something similar for the link you share with that… That…"

She seemed troubled with the end of her sentence. Liz met her eyes with tired ones and gave her a small smile.

"It's okay, Es, he didn't hurt me on purpose. He was being tortured."

Liz wanted this to be reassuring but the silence that enveloped them after that proved it wasn't that reassuring after all. Esme was looking at the floor, her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face. Jaime and Olivio were avoiding looking at Liz and chose to look at the ceiling or her bookshelves instead. Eliott was turning endlessly on the desk chair. Lucy was trying her shoes in a corner.

Observing them, Liz sighed. She wished she could reassure them like she really meant to but it wasn't one of her skills. Thankfully, she had Sydney against her. Her soft fingers were drawing circles on the skin of her shoulder. At least this was comforting.

"Where's our parents?"

"They're freaking out downstairs. All the others went home." Eliott answered in a bored tone.

Liz squeezed Sydney's hand and shared a thankful smile with her before pulling away, straightening up on the bed.

"I should go talk to them." She said. She looked at Esme. "You're right. They deserve to know. I've worried them enough."

Esme sighed and walked the last two steps between them before putting her in a hug. "They will worry nonetheless."

Liz chuckled lightly but hugged her back, understanding Esme was as worried as everyone else. On the other side of the room, Jaime cleared his throat, finally meeting Liz's eyes.

"You know, I actually don't understand a thing you're talking about but your lives sound really cool." He said with a glint in his eyes.

Liz smiled back at him but Esme didn't seem to be amused.

"Welcome to the family." Liz told him with a wink.

"Can I have a suit?" He replied eagerly. Liz chuckled and shook her head.

"Do you have superpowers?" Esme asked, unimpressed.

"No but neither does your mom and she's got that badass-"

"She was a secret agent for half of her life. What do you know about fighting?" Esme's squinted eyes could deter anybody. She had mastered it while being close to Lena all these years.

"I can fight hard to grab the remote from Oliv's hands." Jaime smirked.

Liz laughed loudly. "Guys, this is getting ridiculous. You don't want to be a hero, trust me. It's lame. Everybody wants to kill you. It's not even fun."

They all looked at her with weird eyes. Liz rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Sometimes, she forgot how their lives were constantly in danger. She shouldn't joke about that.

"Relax. I'm just kidding."

She felt Sydney's hand come on her shoulder. "Sometimes, it's fun. You get to meet incredible people." Sydney said, smiling at Liz.

"Like Wonder Woman?" Jaime asked eagerly.

Liz looked at Sydney's shocked face and snorted. "Yeah, she's downstairs, by the way. If you all want to follow me. I have to face the music."

With a sigh, she crossed the room and opened the door. Since her bedroom was soundproof to guarantee her Kryptonian ears complete silence, she couldn't hear what was happening downstairs. Now, she wished she couldn't. A grimace on her face, she looked back at her cousins and Sydney.

"Go ahead, we're right behind you." Esme motioned for her to continue to walk, already knowing she didn't want to.

With a groan and a pout, Liz walked down the stairs. Now, it was time to take her responsibilities.

Liz entered the living room but stopped on her tracks as all heads turned on her. Her entire family. Her aunts, uncles and parents. They were all there, sporting grave faces. Even Florence was there, looking at her as if she was one of the unsolved mysteries on Earth.

"What's wrong?"

Lena stepped forward, taking responsibility for replying. "We need to ask you some questions and I need you to be completely honest with us."

Liz frowned. "Sure." She said, straining the syllable. She sat heavily on one of the armchair's chairs. Her cousins spread in the room, laying or sitting like she did. Sydney tried to stay close to her but Diana motioned for her to approach with a single finger, so Sydney crossed the room dejectedly and planted her feet next to her mentor.

"Did you meet the Other?" Lena started immediately. Liz's wide eyes answered for her even before a sound escaped her mouth. She hadn't talked about her unplanned visit to June last year or the fact that she knew he had a ship before all of them. She realized now how irresponsible it was.

"I…I…"

Her mother's mouth formed a thin, disappointed line. "Do you feel linked to him?"

"I do but…" Liz answered alarmed. She had no idea where those questions were going. What could have they found that made them think all of that?

"Linked to the point of thinking you're one and the same?"

Liz's eyes tripled in size if possible.

"What?! No! Eww! What are you even saying?" Her disgust was obvious on her face, although shame was truly what she felt inside. Because there was no way she was going to tell them how she felt towards her enemy.

"Liz…" Lena approached and put two comforting hands on her young shoulders. In her eyes, Liz could see she was screwed. Because her mother knew her better than she would admit and she seemed to sense that she wasn't telling the truth.

"You-"Lena cut herself short to throw a pointed glance behind her. Everybody rushed out of the room, without even bothering to find an excuse. Aunt Nia took Lucy under her arm and guided her towards the garden. Only Kara stayed. How Liz wished she hadn't. Her face was worse to support than her other mother's.

"Liz, please. Tell us the truth. What do you truly feel?"

Her mother's green eyes were serious but caring. Her reassuring hands were cupping her cheeks as if she was the most precious thing in the world. It was exactly what the walls over Liz's heart needed to break.

Her face falling in shame and disgust for herself, Liz sniffled loudly.

"I don't exactly know what it is." She began in a small voice.

"Do you have… like butterflies in your stomach?" Kara asked, her arms crossed.

Liz squinted in a perfect imitation of Lena. "I'm not in love with June, Jeju. I know it's not that because…" No, she didn't want to reveal that much.

"Because…?" Lena inquired anyway. Her fingers kept caressing her cheeks. Liz couldn't fight that.

Liz huffed, a bright blush spreading on her cheeks. "Because I'm in love with someone else." She admitted quickly, crossing her arms too since it was a so-called trait in their family. "I know how it feels. It's not that."

It didn't seem to surprise any of her mothers.

"Then what does it feel like?" Lena asked again, her head cocking on the side as if she could see through her daughter. It was disturbing really. Liz cleared her throat.

"Hum, I don't know, like… belonging? Like he's my other half. I can feel it when he's in pain and I know he can too. I feel reassured when I know he's okay."

Lena nodded, stoic features and brain functioning a mile a minute. "I see."

Liz watched as her mothers shared a knowing look. Lena started to pace the room as Kara pinched her nose in despair.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Seeing their silent discussion had always the effect of making her panic. "I know he's our enemy. We'll fight when it'll be time, I promise."

It was Kara this time who stopped in front of Liz. She cupped her cheek in a hand so gently that it was hard to think it could break rocks barehand.

"I don't know if…" She threw a look at Lena who was now watching with arms crossed and frowned eyebrows. She showed her agreement to the silent question with a motion of her head. Kara's deep blue eyes met her daughter's similar ones in earnest. That was when Liz understood it was important.

"Your mother found something today…" A clearing of her throat. "While crossing the drawings in the caves with…" She rubbed her neck. "The tales Florence brought from Scotland." Kara explained slowly. Then silence. Liz's ears were ringing in anticipation.

Lena took a step then another. She uncrossed her arms to put two soft hands on each of their shoulders.

"I think I know what links you to the Other."

Liz didn't react. Waited for the sentence to be given. It felt like a ton of problems was weighing on her shoulders, waiting to be left free.

"It seems that you're sharing the same soul." Lena declared softly.

Liz's mind didn't process the information at first. It was just blank. And then, it started running, thinking quickly about what it meant for them. What it meant for her and for June.

"This is crazy." She said, pulling away from her mothers. "Do you even hear yourself?"

"Oh, because flying or growing daisies in December with just your hands isn't crazy?" Lena shot back. "Liz, please. Listen to us." She pleaded.

Liz huffed, crossed her arms, looked at her shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. But she didn't pull further away. She watched as her mother went back to the couch and sat down, retrieving her notebook and an old tale book. As Liz approached reluctantly, she remarked the Fingal's caves pictures spread on the coffee table. Pictures she knew too well now. When she sat next to her mother, Lena put an arm around her and gave her the notebook.

Liz knew that book. Lena used to bring it with her everywhere. As she opened it, Liz realized it wasn't what she thought. A gasp escaped her lips as she swiped the pages.

"It's not yours." She said after a while. Lena nodded next to her. Kara came to sit on her other side and put a reassuring hand on her knee.

"It was my mother's. And my grandmother's before that. The list goes on." Lena leaned closer to Liz to swipe some pages away. "This is where it talks about you."

They stopped on the page of the prophecy. Liz read as quickly as possible, amazed by the discovery. All her life, they had told her they discovered who she was when she was a kid but she had never known how.

"It says it's in our bloodline." Liz said aloud, confused. "But why me?"

"I don't have the answer to that." Lena replied honestly. "What I can tell you is that I made research about our ancestors. I wanted to find who was the first one."

"Did you?"

Lena nodded once again, her lips frowned. She pulled away to take a single white letter on the coffee table. One Liz had never seen.

"Our bloodline in Ireland and Scotland is pretty easy to trace back." Lena took the book back in her hands and showed the list of names at the beginning. "But none of the women I found could have been the first Unique witch. My grandmother was wrong about everything. On all the women of that list, only two could have been Unique witches." She traced the names on the page. "Siobhan Walsh, my great grandmother, born on June 20th, 1922, killed in Rochester during World War 2 at only 19 as she was escaping a bombing. Leaving her one-year-old daughter behind." She stopped on the second name, swallowing hard. "And Elizabeth Walsh, born on June 20th, 1972."

"Grandma!" Liz gasped. Lena nodded, sharing a glance with Kara, full of questions. They would have a discussion later.

"If I'm correct, a Unique witch is born every fifty years or so. But I wanted to know when it started and why. So, I asked Florence to ask my ancestors directly, since I still can't do it myself."

"You did?" Kara said next to them, surprised to hear about that too.

Lena nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't want to talk about it in case it didn't go anywhere." Kara only shrugged.

"But what did you find?" Liz asked, still taking into the names on the first page.

"Nothing, really. They weren't aware of the prophecy. Florence said some of them were speaking in what sounded like Italian so I searched for an Italian branch. It took me years. Because what I was searching for was nowhere. The traces had been erased."

Seeing two confused faces, Lena continued, as she perused through the notebook to the prophecy page before showing the paper she had in hand.

"I found out that one of our branches came from Italy but instead of stating that Vittoria and Enrique Firrano had three daughters, the civil status certificate said they had only two. It took me months to realize one daughter was missing but…" Lena showed the letter finally tracing the names on the lines. "I found her. The letter came in the mail during the week but I didn't have the time to read it before now. Actually, Florence read it before me, this afternoon and immediately knew who she needed to talk to."

"Octavia Firrano, born on June 20th, 1872." Kara read aloud. "Widowed of Enzo Cappone. Married to Paul Walsh in 1901."

"You think she's the first one?" Liz asked.

Lena nodded, taking Florence's tale book in hands and swiping the pages quickly.

"Why? It could be someone older than that." Kara said.

"It could but I don't think so." Lena said as she stopped on the tale she wanted to show them. "This is the story Florence was thinking about earlier. She went back to her house and search for it then asked to talk to Octavia."

Two pairs of wide blue eyes looked at her. Lena smirked. Two incredible beings with incredible powers were still impressed by witchcraft. She loved it.

"She spoke with her?" Liz whispered, astonished.

"Yes, I hope you'll be able to do it too one day." Lena smiled softly, caressing her daughter's face. Liz smiled back before taking the tale book in her hand, looking at the page Lena had selected.

"Did she say anything about the prophecy?"

"She did." Lena replied hesitantly. "All of this is because of her. She started it. Florence was right." She traced the first line of the tale Florence had found that was linked to their prophecy. "And it's all explained in here."

"The myth of Dôn." Liz read and frowned.

"I read it quickly but it matches what Octavia explained. She cast spells on herself because she couldn't have children and thought it was because of her magic." Lena shook her head in disagreement. "She wanted a child so badly that she decided to pull the magic out of her. This is how the first Other is born."

"Wow, this is…" Kara chuckled in disbelief.

"Insane?" Lena asked, amused. "She said that she succeeded. Her magic was split in two, apparently, but it worked. She had a child after that. A boy. But Mother Nature came back to her, one night, to punish her for what she did. Mother Nature or Dôn."

"Because she caused unbalanced." Liz said, understanding better how it all started.

Lena nodded. "The gods cursed our whole bloodline. The Unique witch is cursed to always be split in two."

"You mean Liz doesn't have all her magic right now? Only half of it?" Kara asked with wide eyes. Lena agreed with a small smile. Their daughter was so much more powerful than they thought.

Liz leaned away on the couch, frowning. She wasn't sure of what it meant for them then. For June and herself.

"I don't understand." She said, making her mothers look at her. "Aren't we supposed to kill each other?"

Kara looked at Lena for answers, because she didn't have them either. Lena sighed, her lips strained in a thin line.

"I don't know, love." She said, caressing her daughter's cheek. "But we'll find out. I promise."

Liz smiled back but doubts were already gnawing at her. Her stomach felt heavy. She didn't know what all of it meant but she was sure that it would end badly.

Hours later, after everybody had eaten pizzas and returned home, Liz was at her desk, drawing thoughtlessly in her sketchbook. Thoughtlessly, not really, because it strangely looked like Sydney's eyes but she preferred not to look into it too much. It was the middle of the night. She was tired. It had been a long day.

As she was about to put sparks of brown into the irises, a shy knock erupted on the door. Only one person was knocking like that. Smiling softly, Liz turned fully toward the door.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly to reveal Lucy's little face coming through it. She was in pajamas, her elephant in one hand as the other was still holding the door.

"Hey, lil' sis', what's up?" Liz asked, knowing too well that Lucy liked to come cuddle with her on days like this one.

"I can't sleep." Her sister's little voice replied. Liz's smile grew bigger. She stood up and crouched down.

"Come here." She said, expanding her arms. Lucy didn't wait a second before rushing into her.

Liz stood up with her sister in her arms and walked them to her bed to tuck her in next to her. Ten years separated them but Liz loved it. She had friends who hated their siblings. It wasn't her case. She loved Lucy and Atlas dearly. Lucy was looking up to her and always knew when she needed a hug. Just like tonight.

"Mom and Jeju are already sleeping." Lucy said.

Liz frowned. It wasn't a question but Lucy couldn't be sure either. "I don't know. How do you know?"

"Their minds are all dreamy." She simply said as she buried her face in her sister's neck.

Liz squeezed her closer, chasing some locks of blonde hair away. Lucy was developing new powers and every day was an adventure. She might be developing telepathy without them realizing. She would talk about it with their parents the next day.

Closing her eyes, Liz clapped her thumb and forefinger against each other to put light off. Silence fell upon them as they drifted slowly to sleep. As she was welcoming sleep for the first time in so long, Lucy gasped, sitting on the bed. The lights switched on magically.

"You didn't even blow your candles!" She said in panic.

"Wait! I'll go put a candle on the cake!"

Liz frowned, her eyes squinted because of the light. "What are you even-"

"I'll go grab a piece of cake and light a candle. You need to blow your candles!"

And then, Lucy scrambled out of bed and out of Liz's bedroom. Liz stayed a minute or two lying in bed, watching the ceiling, confused. Then, she heard dishes clacking against each other downstairs. The sound echoed over the walls all through the stairs. Liz opened wide and scrambled out of bed too. If Lucy broke something, they would be screwed.

Finally sitting down after his long day, June looked down at his plate with a muffin on it. A single blue candle had been lit up. He sighed then looked up at the screen in front of him.

Liz was in pajamas in the middle of the kitchen, her entire family around her. It was night. Really late there. But the parents and the three children were there to watch Liz blow the candles on the cake they were supposed to eat during the day with their guests. As Liz was about to blow, one of her mothers, Supergirl, told her to make a wish.

June found it ridiculous but he closed his eyes as Liz closed hers. He listened to the giggles coming out of the screen.

"It has to be something cool." Liz's little sister said. "Like a pony or Grandma coming here for Mabon."

June frowned. What was Mabon?

"Or like a new pair of snickers." The little girl added before being hush down by her mothers.

"Let Liz choose." Supergirl chuckled while taking her in her arms.

June sighed and closed his eyes again. He didn't know what he could wish for. To win the battle? To kill them all? It didn't fit.

I wish everyone happiness. Especially June.

June's eyes flashed open immediately. He watched as Liz blew her candles on the screen. She had done it again. She had shared her thoughts.

Disgusted, June blew the candle without wishing anything and put it out of the muffin. He shut off the screen and ate the muffin in silence. He didn't know why he had wanted to celebrate his birthday like humans would. It wasn't for him. He wasn't human anyway. It wasn't like he was used to celebrate it. He should've known better.

Shutting all the lights off on his way, he went to bed, his mind clouded by Liz's voice. Happiness wasn't something he was lacking off. You couldn't lack something you didn't know, right? No, he didn't need happiness.

He put the cover on him, grumbling under his breath about how it was weak of her to wish him happiness when he was supposed to be her enemy. He closed his eyes thinking she was unconscious to wish good upon someone who would unavoidably kill her whole family. This girl was crazy.

He would never know that on the other side of the screen, as he was slowly drifting into sleep, Liz heard him too. Quite clearly.

I don't deserve it.

Chapter Text

DAY 4142 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2039 December 21st

The Unique Soul

Part One

"The greatest gift we can give each other is our authentic selves and sharing that — sharing our truth is what makes us strong." — Nia Nal

Winter had always been beautiful in Ireland. It was windy and wet. Snowy during December and January. Sometimes until March even, especially since they were living so close to the cliffs. Liz loved this period during which nature seemed to stop. Small animals were sleeping in trees. Birds were mostly absent. Everything was quiet, except for the sound of the wind whistling beautifully around the family house. The force of nature making itself known. There were forces bigger than her. Liz could really do with the reminder.

Today was the big day.

Scrunching up her face, she pulled the blanket closer around herself. It was freezing outside this early in the morning. Even for her Kryptonian genes. But she secretly loved it. Sydney used to grumble under her breath every single time Liz would drag her out at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise. Themyscira's weather was so hot that Ireland seemed to be Antarctic to her. But she came every time anyway. Not this morning though.

Liz had scrambled out of the couch she had fallen asleep on, between Esme and Sydney, and slipped out of the room carefully not to wake anyone up. They had celebrated Christmas early this year. Just in case. Presents and turkey had been exchanged throughout the night with big smiles and lots of laughter. It had a weird atmosphere though. They all knew why they were celebrating early. In case nobody made it.

Today was big battle day. The day she was supposed to save the whole world or perish and leave it in the hands of the other half of her soul. The darkest half.

They knew it was going to happen in the afternoon. And they knew it was going to happen in National City, on the main boulevard. The day before, they had all worked together to empty the neighborhood to prevent collateral damage. It had already instilled a sense of dread in anticipation for the battle. Breaking news was already talking about the big incoming battle. The celebrations of the night before had only been a way for the whole team to forget a little bit longer, but it was already there. The fear of losing. It had been boiling inside Liz's stomach since she had been old enough to understand her role in all of it.

"What are you listening to?"

Liz startled and shuffled with the old headphones in her hands, deciding to let them rest around her neck. She showed the antic screen in her hands to her mother and grinned.

"Chopin."

"Oh, it's been a long time." Lena commented as she sat down on the bench next to her. The front porch lights had been turned off as the sun was rising behind the trees.

"I'm rediscovering the classics. It reminds me of the time we arrived in National City. Remember when I almost destroyed Jeju's apartment?"

Lena chuckled lightly. "Yeah, that wasn't funny at all at the time." She took in the dark grey portable cassette player in her daughter's hands. "But where did you get that? It's an oldie."

Liz looked down at the old Walkman in her hands. "It was Jeju's when she was a teen. Aunt Kelly found it in a box when they renovated the garage this summer. She gave it to me yesterday."

Lena hummed then leaned to take it in her hands. "Wow! This thing is like thirty years old!"

Liz shrugged. "It's the only one that can read your classical music tapes." She replied with a slight grin.

Lena gasped. "You're listening to my tapes? Where did you find them?" She opened the Walkman to look at the tape. Still as clear as day one, her handwriting could be read on the front. Chopin, Nocturna op.9, n2.

Liz rubbed her neck sheepishly. "I may have gone through the boxes in the basement."

"The ones I've forbidden you to touch!" Lena huffed, clasping her hands around her cardigan. "It can be dangerous Liz! Some of them are your grandmother's! It can be cursed or-"

Liz shuffled closer to her mother to lean on her. "Well, I'm fine don't worry. I only went through the box with Lena's boarding school stuff written on it."

Lena snorted. "That must have been an interesting journey."

"It was quite revelatory." Liz grinned. "I didn't go through the journals in there though. I was scared of the things I could find."

Lena sighed, nodding. "Nothing too weird, you know." She shrugged, throwing her a sorry glance. "It was just the thoughts of a depressed teen so desperate to be loved that she was ready to do anything to satisfy her parents."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I didn't want to read."

Lena placed an arm around her daughter's shoulders in the hope of making her pout disappear. Sometimes, she thought Liz was too mature for her age. "It's okay. It was a long time ago."

"Doesn't make it okay. I can't bear seeing you suffering." Liz sniffled awkwardly. "Any of you." She added motioning towards the house with her chin."

Lena squeezed her closer and rubbed her arm affectionately. "I know, baby. You're our knight in a shining suit. But we're okay now. All of us. Your job is to focus on yourself."

Liz frowned. "You're all part of me."

"We are and you're a part of us all too. But you have to live for yourself, Liz. Our happiness isn't your burden."

Liz leaned her head on her mom's shoulder. "Sometimes I feel like I'm responsible for the happiness of the whole world."

"In a way you are but I promise you we won't let you face this alone." Lena cupped her chin to make her meet her eyes. "We can't. You can't face this by yourself, it's too many responsibilities."

Liz avoided her mother's stare, her chin still cupped in her hands. Doubts had always been a part of her. She was young and unexperimented. Reckless sometimes. And she didn't even know the entire possibilities of her powers yet. How was she supposed to do it? How could she let them risk it all alongside her just because she was too young to do it alone?

"Mom…" She said in a small trembling voice. "What if-" She stopped to take a shaky breath. "What if I don't succeed?" She asked, planting her eyes in Lena's.

Lena looked at her through wet eyes. She could tell her that she believed she would succeed but Liz knew better. They both did.

"Your mom and I will be by your side all the way through." She said as confidently as her voice let her. "If you don't succeed, I know that it means you'll have tried your hardest and that's okay. We'll stay with you until the end and we'll be there even after. Whatever the after is." She pulled Liz against her, kissing the crown of her head.

Liz rubbed her face against her mother's chest, cherishing the so-familiar perfume she felt comforted by. She never said she was afraid. It wasn't necessary. Fear was normal. They were all afraid. Frightened. Terrified. All the synonyms. She preferred to focus on hope instead. Hope wasn't something they were lacking either. It wasn't more powerful than fear. It is just easier to deal with. With hope on her side in the form of her family and friends, Liz knew she could make it. And even if she didn't make it, there was still hope for their souls. They still could make it. She just had to make her death count.

"What is Jeju and Lucy doing? They're up early."

Lena and she were the two early birds in their family. She already knew Atlas was still sleeping, judging by the baby monitor Lena had brought with her. And she was hearing whispers in the backyard.

"Planting a tree." Lena said, motioning with a thumb towards the house. "This is a Kryptonian custom before a battle. It has to be done at sunrise."

Liz frowned. Kara knew she wasn't really into the Kryptonian's religion. How could she be when she was supposed to be the Chosen One of the century? But this time, she thought, only this time, she could use all the hope possible around them. She could use customs and some sense of belonging elsewhere than into the sole property of a prophecy.

"I'm going to do it with them." She said before standing up.

She wrapped Lena with the blanket and kissed her forehead. She pulled the headphones up her head and gave them to her.

"Have fun." She smiled down to her mother. Lena grinned.

"You too. Love you."

"Love you too." Liz shouted back as she was entering the house.

They were sitting in the wet grass, watching the sun rise behind the trees circling their house, right before the five small mounds of dirt they had dug and filled with five little seeds. Five future trees for the five members of their family. It wasn't the best period of the year to plant a tree but it was always the best time to pray Rao and ask Him to protect them under His light.

"I hope we'll have the chance to see them grow." Liz's voice was charged. Deep. As if she was struggling to contain her emotions.

Kara looked aside. Both Lucy and Liz were in the same position as her, leaning on their hands, their legs crossed at the ankles. One blonde and the other with dark brown hair. The smallest in a duffle coat and rain boots, the other wrapped in the old plaid blanket Lena's mother used to use herself. Kara was stricken for a moment about how Liz was becoming the perfect copy of her mother. Angular jaws were replacing the round cheeks. Her blue eyes were becoming more piercing, less innocent, expressing the same intelligence Lena's eyes contained. Her smiles were fewer, replaced by a frown on her lips as she slid slowly towards adulthood and all its responsibilities. It shouldn't be surprising to Kara since Liz had to face responsibilities quicker than most girls of her age. It was a sad realization though.

"You can make them grow now." Lucy said, an excited tilt in her voice. She was watching her older sister with hope in her eyes then, because Liz didn't seem to understand, did a little flourish of her hands towards the mounds.

Liz chuckled next to her. "I can't. That's not part of the tradition. That's why we dug in the old fashion way."

"Your sister's right." Kara added. "No powers, no magic. Only heart and hope."

Lucy crossed her arms and grumbled. "That's not fair. It takes too long. They will never grow."

Kara pulled her to her by the shoulders, laughing softly. "They will, I promise. You'll see them grow in a few months."

"Months!" Lucy looked at her, horrified. "That's an eternity."

Kara rolled her eyes. Their children were too eloquent for their own goods. She should ask Lena to stop making them read classic literature and poetry.

"Lucy, come eat breakfast, love." Lena called out from the double doors leading to the garden.

All three heads turned towards her before Lucy stood up, sighing. "I'm coming."

The seven-year-old started running towards the house but stopped to run back to the planted seeds. She grabbed the half-full green watering can with some difficulties and poured water a bit more on her seed before dropping the can on the grass, making it shuffle on the ground before running by Kara and kissing her cheek.

"Love you, Jeju. Keep a look on them for me."

Kara chuckled and embraced gently her little frame stuck in her pink duffle coat before kissing the crown of her head. "I love you too, bug. And I promise we'll take good care of your tree. Go eat breakfast, we have a long day ahead."

Lucy sighed once more before running, this time without stopping, to Lena. Without Lucy between them, Liz and Kara shuffled to be closer. Kara expelled a sigh of contempt watching their work done, knowing, hoping, that Rao would hear them.

"Did you have magic on Krypton?"

Kara looked aside, smiling softly. Liz had asked a lot of questions over the years about Krypton but she had never asked that one specifically, probably because magic was linked to Lena in their family. It never occurred to their children that Krypton could be a place of magic and Kara had never said a thing either. Because it wasn't, not really. It was magical only to her. In her memories.

"When I was a child, magic was everywhere but it wasn't like you think." Kara looked up at the sky and its furnished white clouds. "There were witches but they were only evil. I learned that later though. To me it was magical because everything was so beautiful." She expelled a sigh of nostalgia, the smile spreading wider on her face. "It was walking through the gardens of Thanagar with my mother, hand in hand and listening to her explaining what all these types of flowers were as we were crossing them. It was falling asleep on the couch with the last Science Guild report I stole from my father and waking up in my bed because he had carried me in it. It was in the little things. The things my aunt Astra would bring me from her travels. Our two moons, Mithen and Wegthor, shining bright through my window as I listened to my father's voice reading a story. The sun reflecting on the deep waters of the Red Ocean when we were on vacation."

Kara let the memories invade her thoughts, the feeling warm and comforting in her chest. A long time ago, she would have felt sad about it. Depressed even. Guilty too because she was the last one remembering all those things. But now, it was just pleasant childhood memories.

"Under Rao's light." Liz whispered next to her.

Kara looked at her daughter, her face directed towards the sky, her eyes closed as she basked in the winter cold. Liz looked so peaceful. It was a sight so rare that Kara felt it strike right through her chest. She had known grief and guilt from a very young age. She couldn't help but feel it in every one of her cells. The dread of pushing her daughter to experience the same things. To be left alone in a world without her parents, without her family, her culture.

Kara looked down, suddenly grave. She cleared her throat. "Under Rao's light." She whispered too, not as convinced as Liz.

Liz didn't notice the change of mood in Kara. She didn't even open her eyes and Kara was grateful for it. She didn't know if she was capable of explaining herself. It was too hard. It needed too many words to put on her feelings. It would draw too much guilt and empathy out of her daughter in a time when she needed to focus on her approaching battle. In a time when they all needed to focus on their task.

Sighing, Kara stood up, dusting off her pants and hands. She turned to Liz and extended her hand.

"Come on, you've been out here for hours, you need to eat before we meet the others in the satellite."

Liz gave her a knowing look, pinched lips sewed to themselves, as she took her hand and kept it in hers as they went back into the house. Words weren't necessary. They all knew what was waiting for them.

Goodbyes were probably the hardest part of their day, even if they didn't know it yet.

"That's not fair." Sam grumbled, her eyes glued to the metallic panels of the satellite floor as Andrea hugged Olivio.

Andrea sighed, pulled away from their son and took her by the shoulders, her thumbs caressing the fabric of her sweat. "You're the only one we trust enough to take care of them."

Sam rolled her eyes but looked around. In the satellite's wide boarding area, the whole team and their close ones were reunited to say goodbye. In a corner, Superman was holding his wife close to his chest as their sons were hugging them too. A couple of feet away from them, Kara, Lena and Liz were saying goodbye to Lucy and Atlas, just as Alex, Kelly and Esme were hugging Eliott tightly. Nia and Brainy were there too with Ambrose shading tears in his parents' arms, knowing he won't see his friends for some days or maybe for ever. Dick, Barbara and some of the Titans had decided to come as a support, just like Diana and Sydney or J'onn and M'gann, but stayed voluntarily back, watching the separations with serious and saddened faces.

All the adults were staying. Except for Sam and Lois who had been selected to accompany their children to Argo where Kara's parents were waiting for them. Because if they failed today, at least their children wouldn't have to suffer a life on a planet reigned by Darkseid and his minions.

Sam met Andrea's wet green eyes and swallowed down her fear. "That's still not fair." She repeated, a silent tear running down her cheek. "Promise me you'll fight so hard you'll come back to me."

Andrea smiled wetly as she cupped her cheeks and chased the tears away. "The hardest, mi sol, I promise."

They kissed hastily, their hearts in their throats. Andrea pulled away first but kept their foreheads linked.

"I know you'll take good care of them but don't forget to take care of yourself, okay?"

Sam nodded against her. Two hands came on their shoulders as one rubbed at Sam's back. Around them, Olivio, Jaime and Ruby were joining them in a group hug.

"We'll take care of her, Andy, it's promised." Ruby said as she kissed her mother's wet cheek.

On the other side of the room, Lena was having a hard time entrusting her son to her nephew. Atlas was already crying and screaming, lashing on Eliott as the boy tried to keep his cousin in his arms, his eyes red and puffy from crying too.

"It's okay, baby boy. You'll be fine with Eliott." Lena cooed, her thumb caressing Atlas' cheek, her voice wavering with the emotion of leaving their son after only a few months with him.

"We won't see you anymore?" Lucy asked in a small voice, fidgeting with her fingers.

Kara looked down at her and crouched down, taking her in her arms. "Of course, you will, inah. It's just for a couple of days. Until your sister kicks the ass of the big villain and then you'll come back home with Atlas."

Lucy's lips started to tremble, her face racking a bit. "I don't want to. I want to fight with you. I can do it too."

Kara chuckled wetly. "No, you can't. If you stay, who will watch on Atlas for us, uh?"

Liz rose serious eyes on her mother and nodded solemnly. "Okay. I'll protect him, Jeju, I swear." She pumped her fist in front of them.

Kara chuckled and pulled her to her, wrapping her up in the tightest hug she could endure, willing her tears to stay at bay. They already had a panicked child, they didn't need to worry their six-year-old.

On their side, Alex and Kelly kissed Eliott one last time soundly on the cheek before kissing Atlas and Lucy.

"Come on, group hug!" Liz asked, sniffling loudly as she motioned for everyone to approach.

Together, cousins, friends, adults, teens and children, met in a big circle right next to the boarding ship. Sniffles and sobs could be heard. Atlas was still crying in Sam's arms now but silently, chewing on the Nth metal teeth ring Lena had given him.

"Thank you all for being here. All those years, but also today." Liz said, stuttering on every word. "I don't take that lightly and I hope we'll see you all in a few days."

"You bet you will!" Sam shoved her playfully before kissing her on the temple. "Take care of yourselves, all of you. But especially of this one." She rubbed Liz's shoulder.

Wet smiles were exchanged around the circle as everyone took stock of the soaked tears and the serious faces. With a simple nod, Kara put her hand in the middle and smiled at everyone around.

"El mayarah?"

Lena smiled back at her and put her hand on hers. Next were Nia, Kelly, Brainy and Alex. In seconds, dozens of hands were linked in the center.

"On three?" Liz chuckled, her eyes traveling, receiving nods. "One, two… El mayarah!"

Their shout echoed in the boarding area. It left them all with a smile on their faces. They were going to face hell, but they were facing it together.

With the last hugs, the last words of reassurance to the youngest, the children boarded the ship. Sam threw a worried look at Lena as Atlas tried to reach her. Thankfully, he wasn't strong enough yet to scramble out of her grasp.

They all waved to their children, trying to show confident faces not to worry them. Kara squeezed her arm around Lena as she waved to Lucy and Atlas. Next to them, Liz was leaning against Sydney, her tears falling freely. Kara put her other hand on her back, trying to soothe the remorse and the doubts she knew her daughter was already beating herself with. She knew it wouldn't do a lot, considering what was waiting for them.

The ship took off without any problem and minutes later, their children were traveling through space towards Argo. If they all failed, their children would be the last remnants of the Earth culture. The last children of Earth.

Kara sighed as she felt Liz breathe in shakily against her hand. The stakes were high. Now, it was their job to make it worth it.

After shedding some tears in intimate embraces, the team of superheroes found itself in the lab usually used by Kara's team in between missions. Brainy had immediately swept Lena along towards the big lead safe keeping Kryptonite composites securely. Liz and Kara hung next to them, unsure and waiting, as everybody was getting ready around them. Weapons were passed around, gears and suits were slipped on without so much as a word shared.

Motioning for Kara to take the shot of synthesized bright yellow Kryptonite Lena and Brainy had worked on, Lena pushed away her sleeve and shared a pointed look with Kara. Without an ounce of hesitation, Kara nodded.

The composite had been tasted multiple times, enduring test after test, Kara available to suffer for greater good. Lena knew the Kryptonite well enough, after all her work on the Harun-El and Lex's research, not to fail. It took her four attempts to charge it just enough with sun radiation to empower Kara but Liz couldn't sustain it in her body. Her cells weren't integrating the sun radiation like Kara's did. After that, Lena had started testing it on herself to analyze the results on her own blood before making Liz test it. It took her a bit longer but, eventually, she succeeded.

If you could empower a Kryptonian with sun radiation, how were you supposed to empower a Kryptonian hybrid who shared his blood with one of a witch? For that, you needed to know where magic came from. It was easy. From nature. Magic was everywhere around them. From trees to every dead leave. From emotions to sweet memories. From grief to love. Magic as natural as breathing. Lena just needed to isolate it.

After dozens of attempts, Brainy had finally helped Lena compose another type of Kryptonite. One that was charged with just enough sun radiation for Liz to take it but added to a filter of a few ingredients cast with an empowering spell. The tears of joy of an infant – thanks to Atlas. Leaves from the oldest tree on Earth that Kara went in search and found not far away in California. A chunk of hair of a human ancestor for wisdom, namely Lena's because she didn't want to raid her mother's coffin for a strand of hair. And a dear-loved artifact for strength that they got from Diana, who gave them one of her mother's bracelets, Hippolyta the last queen of Themyscira, for them to melt it and add it to the filter. The mix of gold and steel with the lightened red Kryptonite and the hair and leaves that had melted in Lena's cauldron had formed a weird flashy yellow color. But it had worked, strangely enough, and now it was ready to be used.

"How long will it last?" Liz asked as she felt her body accommodate the new serum.

Lena kept the cotton ball on the already healing skin as she dropped the syringe in the stainless steel plate. "With the final shift we made on the composite, probably half a day. Maybe two for your mother. It depends on the way you'll use your powers."

"That's quite cool!" Liz exclaimed, feeling so enhanced and aware of the world around her that she couldn't help feeling excited.

"Well, we won't use it all the time but for today," Lena smiled sadly at her. "It's necessary."

Eyes furrowing, Liz looked aside to Kara who was already in her brand-new silver, red and blue armor, hands on the hips, eyes determined to pulverize the first enemy to cross her path. Her mother looked impressive. They shared a nod. Kara was in fact ready to beat the first enemy to cross Liz's path.

As Liz stood up from her stool, Kara motioned for everyone to gather around the large meeting table where all their strategies had been spread on. Maps, tactical plans, blueprints for armors and weapons. It was a ten-year-long work spread on the table. Lena's research, Andrea and Diana's takes on archeological findings linked to the prophecy. Brainy and Nia's research on Kryptonite and where to find it. Alex, Kelly, Esme and J'onn on what should happen on battle day, with Diana and Sydney's takes on strength and weaknesses. All of it. There. And it was finally reaching the ending point.

"Okay, so you all know the plan, know your role." Alex started, gesturing over the National City map spread in the middle. "Stick together as much as possible. Don't get separated. If you do, stick in pairs. You know the drill."

"Batwoman and the Flash will join us in the middle. They're currently on an emergency." J'onn added.

"Can you tell me again why the Green Lanterns don't want to come?" Esme asked.

There was a grunt in the assembly, because the question had already been asked multiple times. It was one of the things they had discussed over and over, angered about too.

"They can't take part in that sort of battles. It's not their job." Lena reminded her with quite irony in her tone.

"Cowards." Sydney said through gritted teeth.

"They're right.' Diana clipped in, reprimanding Sydney with a shove of the elbow and a hard stare. "The Lanterns fought on Thanagar once when they were at war with Rann and it brought unbalance. They shall not pick a side." Diana explained wisely.

The heroes nodded in agreement, Clark sharing a knowing stare with Diana. They were both there too. A long time ago.

"Since that's settled, let's go over the strategy one last time." Alex said, gesturing to the plans. "Remember, we want to imprison the Other once we've got him away from the citizens, not kill him."

Next to her, Liz observed the faces around the table. Friends, family. Lovers. All in suits or shining armors. Superman and his new black Kryptonian armor, with a silver cape stuck to his back. Cyborg and his right arm already morphed into a blasting gun. Diana and Sydney proudly dressed in accustomed Amazon armors, Sydney carrying a quiver full of technological arrows on her back. Her aunt Kelly as Guardian, the helmet hiding slightly greying hair. Esme in her usual silver and gold flexible suit, ready to shift her powers as much as needed. The young Ambrose in his freshly won Legion suit after serving for the last two years next to Mon-El, giving him a slight advantage on Eliott who had the same age but not the same experience in battle. Jason with a Kevlar jacket above his muscular chest – because he didn't want to look like Lex in an armor - a helmet on the table in front of him, his black combat boots shining as they had been freshly polished, and a pair of nano gantlets ready for him to use in a chest, thanks to Brainy's last improvements on Lex's last pair.

And next to Jason, there was her mother in the revisited green and silver nanotech armor Lex had first worn, her hair tight in a ponytail, her face unreadable. But Liz knew it was just a mask. Her mother was scared, just like they all were. The tension was thick in the room.

After some more explanations from Alex and J'onn, they parted ways, pairs or trios already forming in sight of their next destination.

National City. Main boulevard. Two hours left before battle.

Liz was the only one without a partner. Her mission was to do it alone. The best she could have had was their enemy, after all. But she knew that they would all keep a look on her from afar. Their job was to keep every other enemy away from her so that she could beat June. Easy enough for a whole army of superheroes.

Liz watched them all leave. With a light squeeze on her shoulder and a shared smile, Alex left her too, joining Esme towards the exit. On the side, Liz saw her mothers discussing together. She threw a wave at them.

"I'm going to change, then we can go."

Kara and Lena nodded towards her with serious faces. She didn't add anything and started towards the locker room, her new suit in hands. Once in the locker room, she sat silently on the bench and breathed in and out calmly.

It was it. The time was running out. Bending a bit, she got out of her snickers first, then the jeans she had been wearing and the cardigan her mother had put on her shoulders before leaving the house. She put everything in a nit pile in the locker with her name on it and turned on the new armor on the bench. With a sigh, she resolved herself to push the button on her wristwatch.

As predicted, the armor got into action. Just like Lena's nanotech armor, Liz's was sensible to her touch and made only for the use of her powers. She watched as purple gloves covered her hands with electric endings. Her feet were covered in the same boots Kara wore, only hers were purple. The rest of her attire was entirely black, with the crest of the house of El on her heart in silver green to go with the short cape on her back.

With some excitement to finally be able to use the suit, Liz turned around to peruse a lead and steel box in the back of her locker. Her hands started to shake as she opened it. Inside, the last missing piece of her armor. The Kandorian army headband. Sent by her grandparents straight from Argo to protect her.

Liz took the purple diamond shaped stone in the box and pressed it on her forehead. It instantly materialized around her temples, making her hair fall around the tiara in dark brown cascades. Turning on her heels to look at herself in the mirror, she smiled at her reflection. She looked like a mix between Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Lena Luthor. She shook the head at her own ridiculous assumptions. She actually looked like Elizabeth Walsh-Danvers ready to sacrifice herself into a battle. She could only hope of being up to these three wonderful women today. She could do with some of their courage, wisdom and pragmatism.

As the whole team parted ways in the satellite, Kara pulled Lena out of earshot after they waved to Liz and watched her leave the room too. In the middle of a training room, on a gym mat, Lena looked at Kara as if she was crazy, delaying their departure, wanting to discuss whatever at the most inconvenient time.

"Kara, what is it?" She asked, huffing impatiently. "We don't have time for this."

Eyes sinking into hers with confidence and so much love, Kara took Lena's hands in hers and caressed her knuckles softly with her thumbs.

"I have a request." She cleared her throat to try again. "Before we go through all this without knowing if we'll survive or not."

Lena's brows furrowed. "What is it?"

"Marry me."

Lena scoffed, pulling away immediately, almost affronted. "Kara, you know what I think about that."

It wasn't indeed a new topic. Lena knew about Kara's proposal to her alter ego. This one was probably the fifth one if her counts were right. It wasn't the reason why she didn't want to marry her though.

"You're almost immortal. My life will end way before yours." Lena explained with grand gestures. "Marriage would only force you to stay rooted to me when you could be with someone else."

"But I don't want to be with someone else." Kara insisted, the same argument always coming out of her mouth first. "I choose you. For the rest of my life." She approached Lena and searched for her gaze, hands still on her hips for now. "I don't want to live hundreds of years. I'm sure you'll find a way to take my powers away at some point so I can grow old with you."

Lena scoffed once again and crossed her arms, shaking her head dejectedly. They shouldn't be thinking about this. It wasn't right. Marriage wasn't in their foreseeable future. War was. And they should be happy having been able to enjoy their family and friends for as long as they did. With stakes this high, and statistics so low for their success, they should be thankful for anything these days.

"You know we did this the wrong way." Kara smiled at her as she closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around Lena's closed-up form and pulling her against her. She presented a small velvet bow and Lena did everything in her power not to roll her eyes.

"Kara." She grumbled. "Put that box back in your pocket"

"No."

The smirk could be heard in Kara's voice. Lena sighed.

"Please, you've been nagging me for years now."

"I know but this time is the right time. I want to marry you."

"No, it's actually not. We're about to risk it all. And you know I don't believe in marriage."

"Yeah, you sound like an old record." Kara said, weary. She sighed then rushed out. "But let me explain!"

She cupped Lena's hands and placed the ring box in the middle.

"I love you since I met you. We have three beautiful children, a family we can count on and all our life ahead of us. It's been ten years, Lena. Don't you think it's about time? We're about to risk our lives. If it's not now, I don't know when it should be."

"I don't see why it should change. As you said, it's been ten years. We live together, we have children. We're already committed. How would marriage change anything?"

"Because it would protect you. Or me. And our kids. Don't you ever think about what will happen to them if something happens?"

Lena cocked an eyebrow. "Is this your argument?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "You know it's more than that to me. I can't even measure how much I love you. I would travel worlds and dimensions and fight through hell and back for you. I've already told you all of this. We belong together. And you're right, marriage won't change that. But I want to be able to call you, my wife. I want you to trust me enough to forget about your fears and jump in this with me for the rest of our lives."

Softening under the blue eyes wearing Kara's heart in their deepest, Lena leaned against her and wrapped her arms around the strong body of the one person she couldn't trust more than she already was.

"I trust you, you know that. I wouldn't have given birth to three Kryptonian babies if I didn't."

Kara played with the platinum gem around her neck. "I know but I also know this is the last thing remaining from your past with the Luthors. You changed your name, you expelled their brainwashing but you're still scared to trust someone completely with your heart." She cupped Lena's chin in her fingers and guided her to meet her gaze gently. "I know where it comes from. I know your mother was heartbroken and Lillian probably was too. But you know I would never hurt you intentionally. You know I would never cheat or betray you. Let me show you how much you can trust me. Marry me, Lena."

Lena let Kara's words sink in for a very long time. Her eyes never left Kara's face as tears pooled under her pupils and finally escaped on her cheeks, Kara rubbing them away with caution. She had asked this question so many times. With flowers one evening. Singing while cooking the next. In their bedroom after they had made love. In the bathroom while brushing their teeth. At Liz's black belt ceremony, when they learned Lena was pregnant with their second child. Kara was determined and adamant and Lena should see this as proof of trust and faith.

But Kara was right. She was still plagued with distrust. Her mother did not even need to be married to be heartbroken. And Lillian, God, Lillian suffered so much. Lena couldn't even be sure she had been loved once in her life. Lionel was not the perfect husband, far from it. He had been unfaithful and manipulative and mean most of the time. And Lena was sure her grandparents weren't better. They couldn't or else, her parents would have turned out better. More affectionate.

Still, none of these things described Kara.

Kara was the perfect partner. The loving mother Lena had dreamt for her children. The caring and attentive partner she needed when she was stuck in her head, overthinking their life. She was there to vanish all the doubts Lena had about parenthood and welcomed all her flaws without wanting to change her. Lena couldn't find any other person as good and kind as Kara.

Marriage was another thing entirely though. Kara's words made sense. If Lena had trusted her with the lives of their children, why couldn't she do it with her own heart? It was about time. And it wasn't like she didn't already know about the Golden Kryptonite and its power to annihilate Kryptonian abilities permanently. Or the Platinum Kryptonite which could typically make Lena immortal. They had solutions.

For a moment, Lena pondered what she should do as her eyes traveled from Kara's face to her hand still holding the velvet box. Measuring the pros and cons. The possibilities. And then, the last words Lillian had told her before dying resurfaced in her head.

Live your life the way you want to live it.

As an echo to all the obstacles they had to pass, their relationship being tormented by secrets and past feud between their families, Lena remembered all the good moments too. When she had met Kara, she had already spent a great amount of her life trying to satisfy and fill a mold that couldn't possibly fit her, faking who she was to the point where her Irish accent had disappeared. To the point where she had forgotten who she was until Kara pulverized all her walls with goofy mannerism and friendly gestures and made her remember who she was in the first place. Living her life completely free from the Luthors' grasp now, Lena realized Kara was right. The last thing she needed to give up was the restraint she kept on her love.

Smiling softly, eyes shining with renewed hope for a life she thought impossible to have some ten years ago, Lena grabbed Kara's hand and pulled her to her, kissing her palm before guiding Kara's arm around her. Kara wrapped her in a reassuring embrace without question.

"If we come back-"

"When we come back…" Kara stressed.

Lena rolled her eyes but continued anyway, her voice shaking with emotion but not lacking confidence. "When we come back of this alive, you'll have the right to ask again," She put a finger on Kara's lips before she could object. "And this time, I might say yes."

Kara's smirk grew so wild against her finger that Lena could only mimic it. "This time, uh? Why not now?"

Lena shrugged, smiling as she kissed her quickly before pulling away. "Gotta keep you motivated, you know." She winked. "For the moment you'll lose hope during the battle."

Kara's eyebrows shot up before she chuckled. "You're so full of yourself, Luthor."

"Ha, soon-to-be Luthor-Danvers now." Lena said while walking away, her hips swaying menacingly out of the training room.

"Luthor-Dan- wait!" Kara scrambled behind her. "Is it a yes?! Lena!"

Lena's laughter echoed in the satellite halls. For the people in the back, yes, it was a big yes.

Chapter Text

DAY 4142 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2039 December 21st

The Unique Soul

Part Two

"Sung in cathedrals, whispered in the shadows, always unchanged, rarely frozen, bright incandescence, black as the abyss, such is the substance of LEGENDS."

– Justice League's Legends, DC Comics

They were all lined up on the road. It was quiet. Silence, everywhere. They had emptied the neighborhood to avoid collateral damage. The snow had started to fall again a few minutes ago. Their breathings were coming out as smog in front of their lips in synchrony as they waited for the enemy to arrive.

"How do we know he's going to attack here again?" Damian Wayne asked next to his brother without turning his head once.

Dick, Damian and Barbara had joined them in time but they were still missing Batwoman and the Flash in their row.

"I saw it in his mind." Liz grumbled without quitting the end of the road.

"But why?" He insisted.

"If you control Supergirl's city, you control the world." Alex explained from the other side of the line.

Next to her, Esme huffed. "There's far worse on this planet than Supergirl's wrath."

"When you attack her family…?" Andrea quipped, tilting her head to her. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Kara never acknowledged their remarks but shushed them. A dark blurry figure appeared at the end of the boulevard. A ship landed behind him on autopilot. Liz's fists tightened. With calm, she pushed one button on her wristband to activate her gloves. One by one, each of her fingers started to glow electric purple.

"This is my moment. I've trained my whole life for this." She breathed in. Breathed out. Her thoughts too invasive to stay in her brain. "I can't fail."

"You won't." Kara said to her left.

"We love you." Lena said from her other side. Liz threw her a terrified glance from the corner of her eyes. Lena nodded determinedly. "We're proud of you, love."

Liz looked down, blushing. She got this. She had thousands of hours of training in the Cube. She got this.

Looking up, Liz saw the Boom Tube open in the sky. With it, the flapping of wings and the landing of Darkseid's lieutenants echoed in the air. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out again. When she opened them back, she was floating, her hands glowing like two purple threats.

"Let's do this." And she flew forward. Only a blur of black and purple could be seen as her voice echoed around her team.

"Beyond the flimsy barriers of reason, there is the planet Apokolips. Here, where even the kilometers-long colonies of flames spat out ceaselessly by formidable pits of energy fail to penetrate the eternal darkness, joy is unknown, hope a capital crime. Here, there is no pride, no passion. No pity. There is only order. Complete. Absolute. Immutable."

– Justice League's Legends, DC Comics

It started with June on the other side of the boulevard opening a Boom Tube thanks to subspace relays to welcome Darkseid's minions on Earth as Liz watched them from the middle of the road. The gigantic tunnel poured its monstrosities through a dark and deep fog in the middle of the white winter charged sky. The cold air was slowly being dispersed by the heat the tunnel was bringing. It had stopped snowing as rapidly as it had started and snow was now melting on the sidewalks in large puddles of water. The frozen cars and lampposts were now completely wet. The tension felt electric in the air. As if all Hell had been left loose on National City.

The first to descend from the Tube was Katrach. Always the eager one for blood. He landed in the middle of the boulevard, a couple of feet away from June. Liz recognized him from June's nightmares. His usual branding iron fist had been replaced by a crossbow with sickly green glowing arrows. His face and entire body were as hideous in reality as they were in June's nightmares. He was tall. Monstrous even, with his sharp teeth and grey skin. But Liz knew he had a weakness. He was slow.

Next to him, Granny Goodness landed on Earth in a crouch, demons and lost souls rushing around her. Her battalion followed as a group of deformed creatures. They had every shape and form. Somme had three legs but no arms. Some were crawling, others were jumping on a lone limb. Some could talk, others didn't have a mouth. One of them had corns instead of eyes. They were organized though, and proudly carrying Green Kryptonite charged weapons. The old lady looked easy to beat, like a grandma with her pearly white hair and round face, but Liz knew better. She remembered all the atrocious tasks she had asked June to accomplish. All the punitions. The mistreatments from his very young age. Liz knew Granny Goodness, one of Darkseid's oldest commanders, was pure evil.

Katrach and Granny Goodness didn't have the time to approach her as Liz saw Supergirl grab them both by the collar with each of her fists and throw them miles away, on the shore, before flying after them. The battalion followed eagerly. They wanted a battle. They would have a run for their money.

After them, Steppenwolf, with his corned helmet, his enormous lighting axe and his para-demons, appeared. He eased himself down on one of the buildings, as gracious as the New God he was, already searching for his worst enemy. Wonder Woman. She found him first. She landed in front of him, ready to kick his ass one more time. But this time, not alone. Sydney was with her. And three dozen Amazons in armor ready to take revenge.

Liz was about to go help them when the sound of a horn reached her ears. She turned her head towards the sound. At the end of the boulevard, June had whistled it, waking up the Warhounds in his ship. Dozens of hounds, those twelve-feet high land-based devices shaped like wolves with their sharp claws and their spiked bodies, wandered out of the ship in groups, sniffling the air before darting forward, preys established. They squashed para-demons as they ran towards their different preys.

Liz shook her head and focused on her own task. June. She took her flight and stopped in midair a couple of feet away from him. He looked up at her, a smirk on his face. Now, they were finally reunited.

Welcome, dear nemesis. Are you ready to die today?

His voice in her head was playful. Challenging. Her only response was a flick in her eyes as she readied them to shoot purple lasers. June nodded and took a step back. A grunt escaped from his lips as his body started to shift. Liz knew his other form was monstrous but she didn't know how much.

As his transformation started, June's eyes were only two brightened pools of darkness. Elongated claws replaced his strong fingers. His body became opaque, like the one of a specter. His hair, normally red and disheveled, was now a bright dark flame, pulsing with half of the magic he had from Liz. His features were gone, only the ones of a dark, transparent soul were discernable.

Once his transformation was completed, June rolled his head from right to left as he stood two feet taller than a normal human being in the middle of the boulevard. Liz waited for him to acknowledge her, observed the years of mistreatment on Apokolips finally come to their main goal. June wasn't a teenager anymore. He was a machine trained to kill. He was a being born from a magical experiment that went wrong centuries ago. He was her other half. The Other part to her Unique soul.

As he finally looked up at her, his eyes so disturbingly black that Liz felt goosebumps irrupt on her skin, he clapped his fingers together. In his right hand, a ghostly black halberd appeared. He smirked.

Good. Now, I am too.

And with that, he threw his halberd at her like a spear. She avoided it but couldn't avoid him as he jumped and tackled her with strength.

"There's nothing wrong with a good fight. A man of tomorrow is forged by his battles today."

– Lex Luthor

Jason could almost laugh. It was his first big battle and he loved every second of it. Around them, hounds and fly-like demons were trying to tear them apart but Lena was pulverizing them with blasts of magic as he was fighting them with his own two fists. It was remarkable. His hands were enhanced by the gauntlets but it was remarkable, nonetheless.

They were working back-to-back, protecting each other against the demons' assaults. The plan was to keep the demons and hounds away from the rest of the city and avoid them spreading everywhere, threatening the citizens or disturbing Liz in her fight against the Other.

Eventually, they got slightly separated though. Jason drifted away from Lena a bit, hunting down a demon who was flying too quickly towards Alex, Esme, and Kelly who was on the floor, nursing a wound. It left Lena alone for a minute or two. It was enough for five Warhounds to surround her.

Jason watched her from across the street. There were many demons in between them, too many for him to arrive on time. Too many for him to arrive before she got eaten up by these mutts. He ran anyway.

With his hands tightly held in his brand-new gauntlets, he hit two hounds in the maw and pulverized some demons by squashing their throats in his fist. As he was reaching Lena, only a demon between them, the hounds around her attacked, only to crash down before reaching her.

On the other side of the circle formed by the whining hounds around Lena, the perfect copy of his sister was standing with a confident smirk on her face in a typical Luthor-like armor glowing a familiar green, her two hands outstretched. She winked at Jason before squeezing her fists tight. The hounds fell heavily on the concrete, a last whine escaping them before they died around Lena who looked as astounding as he was.

"Woaaah"

Lena's head whipped on the side to Esme and her wide-open mouth. "Esme! Focus!" She hissed.

"Sorry!" Esme turned around and immediately hit a demon in the face before passing through another to hit it in the back.

Lena dusted herself off as she stood up, shaking her head. She eyed her alter ego hesitantly and walked over. "What are you doing here?"

The other Lena smiled and pumped her armored fist, the nanotechnology shifting to reveal a blasting gun.

"I'm here to do what you won't do yourself. Save our daughter."

"She's not your daughter." Lena barked back.

"She was once. But I watched her die." The other Lena tilted her head on the side with a sad smile. "I'm not letting this happen a second time."

Lena pointed at her menacingly. "Don't you dare! If you kill the Other, Liz will die too."

The other Lena scoffed. "Nonsense. He's evil. He needs to die."

"We won't let you do it." Jason said, coming next to his sister.

The other Lena smiled devilishly and chuckled a bit. With a tilt of her head, her helmet fell back on her face, the robotic voice coming out of it too similar from Lex's one when he was still alive and completely mad.

"We'll see about that."

The three of them collided in a mess of fists and blasting energy. Alex would be proud of them. They had stuck to the plan for as long as they could. But the plan was never supposed to go as planned.

"Far-off gods are fine for prayer, and I judge no person who seeks comfort in the infinity of heavens. But here below, when the demons come in close, you're better off just relying on the staunch will of a good woman."

– Ruthye Knoll, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Granny Goodness and her battalion were well prepared. They came on Earth armed with Green Kryptonite weapons. Arrows. Guns. Even the spikes on their armors were made out of Kryptonite. But they didn't know Kara had Lena Luthor and her smart brain on her side.

Kara was avoiding arrows shot by Katrach at the same time Granny Goodness was hitting her pointedly on the helmet to try and break her armor into pieces. They needed to get rid of the armor to reach her with their Kryptonite-charged weapons. So that was why they kept charging her, hitting relentlessly.

Kara didn't know Apokolips was this inhabited. Didn't know the people of Apokolips could be this well trained and organized either. As she was pushing away enemy after enemy, anchoring her feet in the sand mixed with snow to avoid being overwhelmed, it made her rethink the idea of attacking Granny Goodness and Katrach on her own.

Just like Liz, Kara didn't have any partner planned. Her role in all this was to protect Liz. Keep an eye on her and help her if it was becoming difficult. Pulling Katrach and Granny Goodness away was a good idea at first. It prevented them from attacking Liz while she was busy. A good point, right?

Not so much. Especially when cracks started to appear on her helmet. Kara scrunched up her face, measuring her options quickly. To neutralize them, she needed to put her helmet down but if she did, she would be vulnerable to their Kryptonite weapons. And if she didn't, her helmet would break anyway.

Grunting, Kara shot up in the air, circled the area quickly to analyze every one of her enemies' positions. Granny Goodness was at the back of her battalion, leaving her soldiers attack Kara, shouting orders after orders with a small smile on her face. Katrach was recharging his crossbow. Kara snorted. A crossbow was already hard to recharge with two hands but when one of those hands was actually the crossbow, it was even more difficult. The commander looked ridiculous. And he was the perfect prey.

Putting her helmet down, Kara stopped right above him. Katrach didn't realize she was there. He was too preoccupied with his blocked system. She shot a laser to his valid hand, burning him. He screamed, obviously before throwing her a deathly glare.

"You'll die for that, Zor-El!" He shouted.

Kara didn't blink, all raw power and steel eyes. Then shot another laser right next to his feet. He started to run towards Granny Goodness and her battalion who were now advancing on her, ready to take advantage of the possibility of attacking her face.

An arrow surprised her but she avoided it, letting it graze her face, the point slicing her cheek. It was enough. A rain of arrows followed. Kara avoided them as quickly as possible, with her body compensating for the Kryptonite poisoning her blood with Lena's Kryptonite charged serum. She felt a rush of strength, as if the serum were reacting to the poisoning by doubling its powers. And then she was falling. Freely. Without understanding what was happening. She wasn't sure if she screamed or not.

Crashing on the sand, Kara scrambled on her palms and knees, looking at the sky to have a semblance of explanation. There was nothing except painted red clouds and this dark, scary Boom Tube. No sun. Quickly, she was ambushed, Granny Goodness' shoes being the only elements of her surrounding she could recognize through her blurry vision.

"What do you think of this, Supergirl?"

Granny's voice was rocky. Old. And mean. She threw something at Kara's feet – or more like knees – and Kara took it in her hands. It wasn't Kryptonite. It was a device.

"Thanks to Lex Luthor, we discovered years ago that you were sensible to a Red Sun." Granny kicked her in the chin unceremoniously. "Thankfully for us, Apokolips is close to Attrax, the red planet." Another kick in the ribs. "With the intelligence of our engineers, we created this little radiation bombs. Had the capacity of a little Red Sun. What do you think? Wonderful, isn't it?"

Katrach half-coughed half-laughed next to her, his crossbow pointing towards Kara in case she attempted anything. Kara tried to use her laser vision, to no avail. She sighed. She looked at them both, understanding she was in a bad position. The strength was already quitting her body. They had planned for Green Kryptonite but didn't think of a serum which wouldn't need yellow sun radiation to work.

Alex would give her an earful. Liz would have to fight alone. Lena would resuscitate her only to kill her herself.

She was totally screwed.

"It's about what you believe, and I believe in love. Only love will truly save the world."

– Wonder Woman

The story the people of Themyscira shared with Steppenwolf was an old one. The real feud appeared between the Justice League and Steppenwolf when the New God had tried to get back his Mother Boxes from the humans, Amazons and Atlantean people, threatening to destroy Earth. He almost succeeded. Thankfully for them, he didn't and was now battling without the Mother Boxes. Otherwise, there would be no need for battle. The Mother boxes were too powerful. Cyborg knew something about it.

"Vic! On your left!" Sydney shouted as she shot another arrow in between the eyes of a para-demon.

She hated those creatures. They didn't have a brain. They were just alimented by fear. And fear was something they were full of at the moment. It didn't stop them from fighting. It didn't stop them from being present and supporting Liz in the biggest battle of her life. But it was there. And the demons loved it. Lived for it.

Cyborg shot a demon with his arm in the form of a blasting gun and flew a bit above the roof to shoot twice at Steppenwolf's face. It didn't hurt him a lot, only distracted him from his fight with Wonder Woman.

Victor Stone couldn't feel fear anymore. He wasn't a human since his father had used a Mother Box to fix his body and turned him into a device. A very smart, very fast device. Cyborg. He couldn't feel anything. His brain was only concerned by order and chaos. The ever-lasting battle on Earth. And for now, he knew that Steppenwolf meant chaos. The New God had killed his father, after all. It could only mean he needed to die. Only so that order could be reestablished.

Sydney could admit that she was scared. The demons rushing to her relentlessly could attest of that. She was scared for Diana who was being beaten up by a god. She was scared for herself because she wasn't sure she was enough considering her mentor and queen seemed in difficulty herself. She was scared for her sisters who some were already dead, others were still fighting teeth and nails to protect their queen. She was scared for all of them, battling, risking their life in hopes that it would help Liz succeed. And, dear Athena, she was terrified for Liz.

Diana had taught her once that fear was a natural feeling. One of the most important ones. For without fear, there would be no courage. No bravery. Fear reminded you of what you had to lose. Of whom was important to you. Of what you had forgotten to tell those people before losing them.

Seeing Diana take hit after hit, jumping from rooftop to rooftop after Steppenwolf, her face swollen, her armor pierced by holes caused by the New God's lighting axe, Sydney didn't know if she had said everything to Diana. She wasn't ready to lose her. She didn't think that she had thanked her enough for all the values she had taught her. For all the time she had spent raising her, after she had lost her mother, and caring for her, giving her love and attention when she was supposed to reign on a kingdom.

Thinking about it, Sydney knew now that there were a lot of things she needed to say to some people. Starting with Diana. Then Kara and Lena. She needed to thank them for welcoming her to their family, in their home, while Diana was away. She needed to thank Alex and Kelly for their training sessions. She needed to thank Liz for her sacrifice. She had so many things to say to Liz.

"Sydney! Focus!"

Shaking her head, Sydney looked at Victor being attacked by ten para-demons. Their common force pulled him off the ground and flew him to Steppenwolf who was waiting for him. He grabbed Cyborg by the skull and shuffled him slightly.

"You weird creature. You deserve to die." His grave tone seemed unimpressed.

His other giant hand circled Victor's legs and he pulled on the parts as if Victor was a mannequin. It happened in slow motion. Steppenwolf tearing on his limbs and head. Hard. And then he threw the different pieces away. Sydney gasped then screamed. Victor had just been ripped apart.

It was her fault. Victor was dismantled. Because of her. It couldn't kill him but it hurt him. Victor couldn't feel fear but he was still partly human in the flesh. His grunts of pain were noises that would haunt her to her grave if he didn't make it in the end.

Straightening herself up, breathing hard, Sydney realized she couldn't let herself be overwhelmed by emotions. Victor was too far for her to reach him but she promised to find him first thing first once the battle was over. And to gather his body until it was a working machine again. And she promised herself to tell Liz everything if they both made it out okay.

Exhaling shakily, she prepared another arrow, one with a net tech in it and observed the battle around her. Diana endured another lighting shot, this one bringing her on her knees. Steppenwolf grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up.

"You miserable Amazon." He breathed in her face.

Sydney's eyes bulged. She had to do something. With a quick glance at the demons around her, she threw her arrow to a group of them, imprisoning them under the net. She let her sisters kill them. Then she ran to Diana, jumping on one of her sisters' shields, twirling on herself in the air, and landing behind Steppenwolf.

Before she could even blink, the New God had summoned a new strike of lightning. It was like watching Billy Batson transform into Captain Marvel. The same color of light. The same booming sound. Except this one wasn't accompanied with Shazam! This one was directed at Diana.

It passed through her like a knife through flesh. She screamed. It was shrilling. Horrible. Sydney felt the pain through her own body. The battle stopped around them for a second. Her sisters, just like her, watched their queen fall to the ground, defeated.

Steppenwolf walked away, jumped to the next roof to sweep away the Amazons battling demons there. Sydney didn't wait for him to come back. She rushed to Diana and gathered her in her arms. Her vision became blurry but she swallowed her tears.

Fear. Courage. Lost.

Diana coughed in her arms, exhausted. Her body was fuming disgustingly. Her hair was sticking to her forehead. She opened half-lidded eyes, her lips twitching a bit as if she wanted to talk but couldn't. She moved though. She grabbed her left wrist and tried to pull at the bracelet there. Atlas' gauntlets. Inherited from her mother.

After several attempts, Diana pulled it away and did the same thing to the other before pushing both into Sydney's hands. Sydney looked at her, confused.

"No, I… It's yours! I can't-"

She was cut off by Diana's rising hand. She was pointing a finger behind her. Sydney looked in the direction and found Steppenwolf killing another Amazon by slicing her head with his axe. There was so many lost lives. It was unbearable.

A tear rolled down Sydney's face. She couldn't imagine a world without Diana. And she was so scared because they were losing. She still had too many things to do. Too many things to say. Too many things to learn. It couldn't end now.

Diana's hand cupped her cheek. She caressed it with her thumb. Then pointed back to Steppenwolf and gave her a determined nod. She coughed hard but her eyes never closed. She was looking at Sydney as if she wanted to pass her a message. Sydney shook her head, dejected. Disappointed. She had wished better for them all.

Diana shoved her shoulder as strongly as she could and gave her a hard stare. She inhaled a whistling breath. Her throat bobbed in her attempt to swallow. She opened her mouth slightly.

"Go." She exhaled. "Fight."

She coughed loudly then shoved Sydney again, stronger than before. Brows furrowing, Sydney pulled away, easing Diana down on the ground. The queen nodded. Sydney's confusion disappeared slowly. She was starting to understand. She looked down at the gauntlets in her hands.

Diana wanted her to fight. Not to give up that easily. Not because of her. Sydney nodded to herself. She passed one gauntlet after the other and showed her forearms to her mentor.

A small smile appeared on Diana's bloody lips. She nodded once more. Then her eyes took a determined form. Slowly, wincing, she rose a hand and gathered her fist on her chest.

"Fight." She said one more time, this time with more assurance.

Sydney scrambled on her feet and paused in front of her. She saluted her queen back, her fist on her chest before crouching down and kissing her forehead.

"I'll come back for you, I promise. Just, keep fighting too."

They shared a heavy look. And with a final nod, Sydney turned around, her eyes preying on the New God and his lethal weapon.

Diana wanted her to fight. Her queen had given her the mythical gauntlets of Atlas. She only had one choice now.

Sydney ran from the roof, shouting to her sisters to gather around her. They hadn't said their last words.

"The future is worth it. All the pain. All the tears. The future is worth the fight."

– Martian Manhunter

J'onn and M'gann's roles were simple. They had to install an antenna on the highest building in the neighborhood so that Brainy could activate it from the ground and close the Boom Tube. Easy? Not so much.

The antenna was enormous. Very long. And very fragile. They had to manipulate it with precautions. That wouldn't be so hard if there wasn't a horde of demons attacking them. Because that had to be very close to the tunnel too. And so, to the arriving of the demons that kept flying through the tunnel endlessly.

"We need to speed up! They're coming at us!" J'onn exclaimed as he kicked a demon away.

"No kidding!"

He shot a glance at his wife, who was also fighting against her own demons. Literally. It couldn't work. They needed help. There had to be two of them to install the antenna and at least one to chase the demons away. Or they would let the antenna fall and hurt all the people under them.

"Wait! I'll ask Brainy to come. We can't do this alone."

M'gann nodded in his line of vision and chased another demon away as if it was a mosquito in her periphery.

"Brainy, we need your help. There're too many demons out here. We don't have an enough big window of time to ease the antenna carefully."

Brainy's voice came through their communications instantly. "On it, boss."

J'onn nodded, knowing Brainy couldn't see him. Fine. They were all going to be fine. They had to stay calm and focused. On the other side of the antenna, M'gann's form shifted dangerously to her Martian form. A sign of her discomfort. The demons kept attacking her. J'onn pinched his lips. He wished he could help her relax.

M'gann, calm down. Everything's going to be okay.

Easy for you, they're not attacking you.

They attack me less because you express more fear than me.

M'gann's look was intense. She hadn't wanted to admit she was afraid earlier in the satellite but he knew her better than she thought apparently. Also, the demons were a good sign of her state of mind. He watched her take a deep breath.

Talk to me.

J'onn smiled softly. He understood what she wanted. Reassurance. A story of hope and love. As they were waiting for Brainy to catch them, J'onn zoomed down to the people in the street. His people. His family. The battle raging on the grounds reminded him of the war on Mars. It hadn't been this even between the two parties on Mars. Clearly, there had been the winners and the losers. The killers and the ones getting killed. And he had been on the wrong side. As a commander in the Green Martians' army, he had planned a great enough strategy to avoid his people to get imprisoned or killed but he hadn't planned his own brother's betrayal. It had been his mistake.

To avoid repeating that mistake, he had promised himself to take care of Earth's people like it was his own. Because it kind of was, after all these years spent on Earth. And also, because he could do something about it. With his powers and his years of wisdom, J'onn knew he could make a difference. And that difference started by mentoring Alex. That was where he started telling his story to M'gann. She already knew about all that but she understood the place Kara and Alex had in his heart. The place they had in his story.

So, it all started with Alex and her young adult rebellion. Instead of pitying her for her fate, he spent a lot of time talking to her. Showing her life was more than just partying and drinking until your inner demons were forgotten. It was about hope and love and reminiscing. Alex understood quickly and the shift was almost instant. She wanted to learn and J'onn was happy to indulge. He taught her everything he knew about battle strategy, weapons, defenses, analyzing strengths and weaknesses.

Alex had been a good student. Disciplined. Interested. Ready to be useful. And she had taught her knowledge later. To Kara first, teaching her how arrogance could hurt more than a good hit. And next, to Kelly and Lena in the small training room of the Tower, weeks after weeks. To Nia too, sometimes, even though Dreamer's style was more about dream powers and less about fistfights. And finally, to her own children and niece. And with that, the loop was closed.

J'onn was happy to watch his two adoptive daughters grow into beautiful women who had learned from his own mistakes and taught them to his adoptive grandchildren. It was enough to make the guilt of Mars' defeat go away. It was his repentance.

Watching his family battle for their lives on the grounds, J'onn wished with all his heart that they would all remember their lessons. That Alex's training would kick at the right moment. That Kara's confidence would not overshadow her reason. That Kelly and Lena would stay confident in their own capacities. That Esme's powers would not let her too enthusiastic to rush without thinking. That Liz would push the doubts out of her head and act on instinct because he knew she could trust it. Liz was ready, he was sure of it. She was able to save them all, June included. She just had to believe it herself.

"J'onn!"

J'onn felt the antenna weighing down. His head passed above the antenna just in time to catch M'gann falling. Her scream was muffled by the inflamed bloc of concrete crashing into her, making her unconscious. It was a result of a building exploding under the strength of Liz and June's fight. He watched her fall quickly in the air before Brainy caught her in his arms.

He shot J'onn an alarmed look before easing M'gann down on the nearest rooftop and rushed to help him catch the antenna. J'onn sighed in relief. It was almost over for all of them.

"What's in there already?"

Brainy looked guilty. "Hum, Lena said something about radioactive nucleons mixed to Radion…"

J'onn's ears whistled. He must have heard wrong. "She didn't." He whispered in disbelief.

"She totally did. And I agreed with her. Nuclear energy was the only force strong enough to close the tunnel."

J'onn huffed. It was too late to disagree now. He'd have to wait a couple of hours to discuss this with Lena. That explained why they had to be extra careful though. One little mishap and National City was wiped off the world's map, along with those New Gods who were only vulnerable to Radion, the divine material.

"Okay. Can you help me put it in place so that we can go check on M'gann?"

Brainy agreed and together they put the antenna on its base on the Lena Luthor Foundation building without being disturbed by the demons. Was putting it on a Luthor building purposefully planned? J'onn wouldn't be surprised if it was. Together, they flew back to M'gann. She was still unconscious and badly burnt on her face and torso.

"We can't leave her here." J'onn said.

Brainy seemed to think the same thing because he tried to lift her up but M'gann's arm turned in a weird angle.

"Careful! I think it's broken."

Brainy's scrunched up face said everything. "We have to move her together."

J'onn nodded. "But the tunnel?"

Brainy sighed. "It'll wait. If we let her here, there's an eighty-two-percent chance the demons will take care of her."

They worked in synchrony to carry M'gann away. Far away. On the next neighborhood where all medias and citizens had reunited to watch the battle from afar – or what they could catch of it. The crowd oohed as they saw them approach.

"Can we leave her here?"

"I think she'll be good."

They put her on the top of a building and J'onn pulled on his cape to tear it from his suit. His flight would be a bit weird but he would manage. He spread it on M'gann and leaned away, looking at her with despair in his eyes. Hope wasn't his thing, not really. It was Kara's usually. And right now, he could have appreciated a pep talk from his favorite blonde superhero.

"Come on, J'onn. We need to activate the antenna."

Dejectedly, J'onn left his wife on the rooftop, his cape on her unconscious body and let Brainy guide him back to the battle. The sooner this antenna was activated, the sooner they would get rid of these demons.

"I can't promise you a life without pain and loss because pain is a part of life. It's what makes us who we are. It is what makes you a hero!"

— Alex Danvers

They were twelve of them. They were supposed to be enough. Enough to contain the hounds and the demons on the boulevard. Enough not to be overwhelmed. But, of course, nothing had gone as planned.

Kara was the first to go astray. As usual, she followed her own rules, tackled the two commanders in charge in June's little army and tore them away from the battle. Alright, maybe it made it easier for them but it wasn't the plan. She was supposed to keep a look on Liz.

Then Lena and Jason were distracted by Lena 2.0. who wanted to cross the boulevard and kill June, which wasn't their plan at all. This one wasn't on them but it was annoying, nonetheless.

After that, Kelly was hurt on the leg, making her an easy target. Alex and Esme had to stick around her to avoid her wounds getting worse than that by the relentless attacks of the demons while Nia was trying to bandage her leg with the small emergency equipment she had in her belt.

And then M'gann was hit by a flying bloc of concrete, a result of Liz and June's fight through the buildings around them all – which sent their task to the next level of difficulty because they had to avoid rubble too while avoiding being killed - and Brainy had to help J'onn put the antenna down carefully not to hurt anyone more and pull the unconscious M'gann away from the battle and into safety. By the point they came back, an enormous quantity of para-demons had flown out of the tunnel. The flow was endless.

It left only eight of them.

Since then, it had been a lost battle. Nothing was going as planned. When they killed a dozen of demons, a hundred came out of the tunnel. Alex was nearing the aneurysm and it was not because her wife and daughter were on the same battlefield. Nor was it because her sister was battling on her own too far away for them to help her.

As Kelly was put back on her two feet by Nia, a boom erupted in the air. And it wasn't the type of boom Steppenwolf's axe did when it summoned lighting. No. They knew this one. It was the boom of a bomb. Then a scream. Far away in the air.

They all paused and whipped their heads in the direction of the sounds. Far above them, in the turning red skies, a figure was falling with the speed of a comet. They all heard the crash.

"Oh no," Alex whispered under her breath. "Not again."

"Kara." Kelly said next to her. "Somebody needs to go help her." She hit a demon with her shield.

Alex agreed without really hearing her. Her mind was just a succession of process. What to do if Kara got poisoned by Green Kryptonite. What to do if Kara got under the influence of the Red Kryptonite. What to do if Kara accidently killed somebody and decided to disappear on them. Nowhere in her prepared scenarios, Alex had planned on a Red Sun bomb this efficient being used during this battle. Nobody knew about the Red Sun and its effect on Kryptonians except Lex Luthor.

Realization hit Alex like a ton of bricks. Lex had helped Darkseid during his first attempt at colonizing the Earth. He had given Kara and Clark away, she was sure of it now. And Liz couldn't have seen it in June's planning if he didn't know about it himself.

Alex grunted and rubbed her forehead. Before her, Esme was giving everything to keep Kelly and her safe, forming a one-person guard around her mothers.

"I'll go."

Kelly's neck cracked as she turned to look at her, horrified. "What?! You're human! You won't be able to do anything against those two!"

Alex smiled sadly. Kelly was right, Katrach and Granny Goodness were out of her league. She had already taken that into account in her calculations.

"Then I won't go alone." She stopped Esme in her tracks by the shoulder. "I'll go with our fabulous daughter while you stay here with Nia who's the only one with an emergency kit right now."

Kelly's shoulders sagged as she admitted defeat. She couldn't go against Alex's will, even more so when it concerned Kara. She closed the distance between them and kissed her right there, in the middle of the battle.

"Hum, there's like a thousand enemies around us…" Esme observed awkwardly.

Kelly chuckled as she pulled away from Alex and pulled her in a quick hug. "I love you, you two. Be careful, okay?"

Alex nodded, preparing her gun. "We will. I love you." She said while running away.

"Love you, Mom!" Esme shouted as she followed Alex backward before catching up with her in long strides.

Kelly shook her head at them. They would do a terrific duo.

"Getting the upper hand isn't about size. It is about decisiveness and speed."

– Lex Luthor, Smallville

Three Luthor on a battlefield. It was almost the start of a Belgian joke. Except lives were at stakes and it wasn't funny at all. Jason was finding it slightly less funny anyway. The Lena from the other dimension was a good challenge. She was efficient and powerful. Crueler than his sister. While Lena was using purely natural elements for her magic, the other Lena was drawing her magic from forces that shouldn't be used.

To reverse the balance since Lena and Jason had the advantage of number, she had resuscitated the hounds she had killed and thrown them on Lena while she was attacking Jason. She didn't spare any time thinking about the consequences. And Jason knew she should. He had spent enough time studying magic – in his former life of a hunter and while training next to his sister – to know she shouldn't play with life and death as if they were a strategy to win a game of chess.

The hounds were preying on Lena, playing with her as if she was just a piece of meat, attacking one after the other because they were conscious of their strength as a group. It gave her the advantage of dealing with them one by one instead of the whole group at once.

Jason kept an eye on her from afar. She used a lot of telekinesis to move blocs of concrete and pieces of glass to smash the hounds or slice through them. It was working so far. He couldn't tell the same thing for himself. He had tried brutal force and different strategies to reach the other Lena to no avail. She kept her distance and used magic shield to keep him afar while blasting shots to him like a machine gun. He avoided the shots as much as he could, rushing from right to left, crouching down, pirouetting on the snowy ground. It was exhausting though. And he could admit that his enemy looked slightly in better shape than himself.

He didn't avoid the next shot though. Lena 2.0. – as the kids called her - shot him right on the chest with her powered green hands but his armor stopped it. Relief spread in his chest as he looked up at her and smirked.

"Whatever, sis. You don't have enough for it."

"I'm not your sister." Lena 2.0 spit through gritted teeth. She extended her hands. "Let's see how you take this."

A jolt of electricity shot right at Jason's feet which were deep into a snow puddle. He realized his mistake too late. She wasn't aiming at him this whole time. She had made him roll around in snow so that he was wet to the core. Even under his armor. The voltage was too much. He blacked out instantly.

"Nooo!" Lena screamed as she neutralized another hound with snow turned into stalagmites before rushing to him. He wasn't conscious anymore but his heart was still beating. She shot a deadly glare at her alter ego.

Lena 2.0. pouted in mockery. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Since Lena wasn't reacting, she rolled her eyes. "Come on, he's fine. You know he's not-"

She avoided a magical knife before it hit her square in between the eyes. She looked astonished for a moment. Then she smirked devilishly.

"Alright, that's more of a challenge now."

"I hate you." Lena hissed before tackling her down with force.

"There are always second chances, if you are brave enough to take the leap."

– Kelly Olsen, Supergirl TV series (2016)

When they arrived on the shore, Alex and Esme realized they had to separate. Katrach and Granny Goodness looked like they were waiting for them. Esme huffed as she saw her mother put her Martian gun-turned-diving mask on her face. Martian technologies were absolutely wonderful.

"Think you can take them?"

Esme rose a lone eyebrow in perfect imitation of the cockiness she had inherited from her godmother. "Do you think they can take me?"

Alex snorted. "Okay, super soldier. Be careful. If it's too much, run away. Sometimes, courage is to accept defeat."

With that, she put a heavy hand on her daughter's shoulder as they shared a nod and ran in the water. Katrach and Granny Goodness were already approaching.

"Well, well, well…" Granny gloated. "What do we have here?"

Esme rolled her eyes and took a defensive pause. "Save your spit, Grandma. I'm not here to talk."

She disappeared through the ground only to reappear right behind her and grab her in a chokehold. Katrach looked at them, confused.

"What-" He was interrupted by a shot of laser vision to his shoulder.

"Not here to talk, dummy." Esme repeated in a weary tone. "Are you deaf or simply stupid?"

It was enough to enrage the commander who darted to her with his crossbow raised in the air. Esme smirked and pushed Granny to him. They both fell on the ground, completely astonished and bruised in their egos. It was perfect. Everything Esme hoped for. If they were angry, they weren't focused. And if they weren't focused, she had a better chance at neutralizing them.

"Come on! It's no time for a nap! You're in the middle of invading a planet! Your boss sure won't be happy." She shouted at them.

She watched them both scramble to their feet. She put her hands on her hips and showed them three fingers.

"You have three chances to catch me. After that, I kick you ass and send you back on your horrible planet. Got it?"

The lieutenants both charged her. Esme squealed in amusement before disappearing through the sand again. The chase was always her favorite part.

"But a hero is not measured by what her power may be… But by the courage she shows in living, and the warmth she holds in her heart."

– Barbara Gordon / Batgirl

"Clark says Doomsday landed in Africa!"

"What?!" Barbara hissed through the coms at her boyfriend. They were completely overwhelmed. Demons and corpses everywhere. It was becoming hard to make the difference between the living and the dead.

"Kate joined the Flash and his team in Japan. Darkseid attacked there too!" Damian shouted through the battle.

"The heck!" Barbara cried out while beheading a demon. "What are we gonna do? We need their help!"

"Well, they're helping! Just not here!" Dick replied.

The three of them drifted closer and closer while fighting whatever came at them. A few feet away, Kelly jumped on Nia's shield and landed on a demon that was about to reach Barbara's back. She turned around to thank her. Funny how the teams had shifted after Brainy, Alex and Esme had to go help elsewhere. Kelly was now fighting neck and neck with Nia. Dick and Damian originally paired up in a trio with Barbara were now working together so that she could paired up with Andrea to kill the demons. It would have been a good strategy, had they been more trained to work together.

Andrea was used to working solo, only relying on her shadow powers to hide and seek her enemies. It wasn't like the Bat family wasn't used to the shadows. They lived in it. But Andrea's powers and tactics were definitely different. She wasn't afraid of killing, for one. And she wasn't really paying attention to the consequences of her attacks sometimes.

"Andy! Careful! We need to see something here!" Kelly shouted at her as Andrea's shadows were consuming demons but enveloping their team in a deep smog. They were already surrounding by red light shining through the sky thanks to the red sun radiations the commanders must have spread, they needed the few light they still had to see the hounds and demons approach.

As they drifted apart again, defending their own little quarter of ground, the different styles of fighting and defending each other created a breach in their defenses. It did the hounds good because they were attacking only when they had the possibility, which meant while they were all distracted by the demons. It looked impossible. Winning looked impossible. They needed a Kryptonian and one or two more meta-humans at least. Or just a good old Amazon warrior but they had all watched how Wonder Woman had been defeated so no hope from there either.

"What's the news?" Kelly asked without missing a hit on the demons surrounding them.

"We're totally screwed. Darkseid attacked all over the planet."

Kelly huffed and grunted, though Barbara didn't know if it was in response to her or simply because they were fighting at the same time.

"It can't be the end of it! We're not over! Come on! Gather up! We got them!" Kelly shouted to them, motioning for Nia, Andrea, Dick and Damian to drift closer. "If we stuck together, we have a better chance."

Nobody had planned for Kelly to be the new leader of their smaller group but they all indulged anyway. Because they recognized she was right. They were better together. Stronger. More efficient. And it was easier to see their enemies come that way. Forming a circle of back-to-back superheroes.

"But what about the others in Japan and Africa?" Barbara asked in despair.

"Don't worry. They can stand their own." Nia replied as she spread a shield of dream power around their small circle. "And we can stand our own too."

"No hero can save everyone, not even Superman. But a real hero never stops trying."

– Supergirl

Chaos. Everywhere. Dust. Ashes. Hot and furnished air. Carbonized cars. Crumbling buildings. Cries of pain. Orders shouted through grunts. Everything was falling apart.

National City wasn't National City anymore. Multiple shots erupted around them. People were battling. Liz acknowledged her family and friends under them maintaining demons and Warhounds on ground to avoid them attacking her while she was battling with June in the air. She knew Sydney and Diana were in a worse posture than herself. Steppenwolf had beaten Diana up. Liz could hear it through the slow beating of her heart. Barely alive. Sydney was a good challenge to Steppenwolf but until when?

J'onn was fighting the para-demons still coming out of the Boom Tube, while Brainy was activating the antenna on the rooftop to control and close the tunnel. M'gann had been hurt though, fire never going well on Martian skins. The tunnel was now fully willing to let para-demons on Earth as the two men were struggling to keep them at bay.

On each side of the city, Liz's mothers were fighting their own personal enemies. Two Lenas were now in National City, one who wanted to kill the Other and one that wanted him to live. For now, it was an even battle. That wasn't reassuring.

What was even less reassuring was Kara's slow heartbeat. After she had thrown herself at Katrach and Granny Goodness, the three of them had disappeared on the shore. Liz had seen her fall heavily from the red sky but didn't know how it was possible considering the serum they had in their blood. She had felt the slight shift in her own body though. She couldn't rely on the sun radiation anymore. Her mother neither. Liz could hear a faint beating, far under the sea but it was slowing with every passing second. Her mother was slowly drifting away.

Shaking her head, Liz tried not to think too much about it. She had other things to do. Like avoiding June's attacks. His halberd was giving him an advantage, he could attack from afar. She had trained for it. Worked hours in the Cube, avoiding Esme's fire shots while Alex was attacking her with a bokken but it hadn't been enough. She wasn't enough.

June's next hits came succinctly from right to left, scorching quickly her shoulders through the fabric of her suit. Liz didn't take time to look at the wounds, just felt horror curse through her at the idea of a weapon capable of ripping through Amazon's fabric. He was fast. Too fast.

You will die. Surrender.

Never.

Pity .

He hit her with the ending of his halberd right in the jaw, making her fall a couple of feet down. She spat blood and threw him a glare. He smiled.

Surrender .

You, surrender. It's a loose battle. If I die, you die.

I don't believe you .

With a grunt, Liz flew to him and tackled him by the middle. A magically charged punch there. A head-butt here. She lost her tiara on the way. His hands were busy with snatching at her, nails gritting in the skin of her face. His halberd fell on the ground under them. For a moment, they were unbalanced by their movements. They lost height quickly before crashing on the ground heavily, the concrete cracking under their strength.

You're delusional if you think you'll survive this battle.

Less than you thinking you can win.

None of us will win! Don't you understand?

June pushed her away from him and glared at her.

I was born to win.

His mouth didn't move but Liz had heard the disturbed tone, the flicker of emotions in his voice. He was doubting. That was good for her.

They don't want you to win. They want Earth and you're just a means to an end. Even if you survive after this, they won't let you in charge.

It was too much. She had gone too far. June screamed at the sky with anger. His body seemed to take two more sizes. His hair pulsed from black to purple in a similar way Liz's magic would appear. And then, he rushed to her in a blur and tackled her by the middle, their two bodies forming one, crashing through the remnants of the buildings around them.

"Some days, you wake up and want to change the world. Others, you just want to break that same world in two. But most of the time you just have to get on with the business of living."

– Kara Zor-El

It was peaceful down there. Silent. All blue and blurry. Refreshing.

Kara loved water. Always had. The water on Krypton wasn't similar. It wasn't water, actually. The right translation would be closer to liquid. They didn't need it as humans needed it on Earth. To breathe. To hydrate. On Krypton, they washed their teeth with pressurized toothbrushes and drank cocktails of liquids made with flower syrups. The lakes weren't used to transport boats since they traveled in the air through magnetic forcefields. They only used it to swim. Sometimes. Times of leisure were few on Krypton. It only happened when they were out of work and they usually never out of work.

Kara remembered her first swim. It was in Kryptonopolis, right after they had visited her aunt and uncle just after Kal-El's birth. Just before they both had to leave. The day was bright and sunny. They were all so happy to spend time together because the whole family wasn't reunited quite often. Her parents had enjoyed the sun for once, quitting their never-ending days at work. Her uncle Jor-El had put Kal-El first in the water and Kara swore she could still hear his squeals of delight. And her aunt Lara had taught her how to swim and it was incredible. The sensation of the water against her skin. The bubble forming outside and inside of her swimsuit. Kara had loved every second of it.

That memory had stayed with her for a very long time. Every time she would think back to Krypton, her mind would drift to that specific memory. Of a time when they were all smiling. Happy. Comfortable in their little bubble. At peace with what was happening around them, not knowing how it would drastically change.

Her brain had tried to gather the same sensations every time she would take a shower or go to her swimming lessons in high school or teach Liz to swim in Alex and Kelly's pool, or when Atlas first discovered it this summer. It couldn't. Simply because it was a memory of a time out of this life. Kara was old enough now to understand that she could never recover this past life. The life of the girl she was on Krypton. Nor could she recover those types of memories. She could only forge new ones.

And she had great memories on Earth too. The times she had spent teaching Liz and Lena how to swim were in her top 10 – because her children's births were coming first and then a lot of the others concerned first times with Lena. Lucy's squeals every time Esme would splash her with water were her favorite sounds. Atlas' easiness to swim already mesmerized her. And all the times she had gone fishing with Alex and Jeremiah on this lake close to Midvale, watching the sun reflecting on the blue-green water for hours.

Drifting away underwater in the ocean lining National City, those memories were all she could think about. Memories of when she had felt this peaceful. Memories of the times her life was this quiet.

Kara let herself float through images of her parents passing in front of her eyes. Memories of hours of dancing in the middle of their room with Alex until Eliza would come up and ask for them to kill the radio and start their homework. Of Thanksgiving and Christmas and birthday dinners in family, with friends, with their children. Of the first cat she had touched after landing on Earth. Of the first kiss she had shared with Kenny. Of the first job she got after relentlessly searching through National City because she wanted so badly to live close to Alex but didn't want to depend on her. Of the first time she had saved someone – a whole plane actually – and the shrill of it. The pride she felt.

Memories of the first time she had met Lena. How her smile and brilliant mind had brightened the whole room. How her face would crumble and her eyes would shine when she was on the verge of tears after another assassination attempt planned by her family but would soldier on and keep the tears at bay.

Memories of what it had felt to live without her in her life for an entire year and to feel like dying slowly, suffocating under the weight of Lena's absence. Memories of Lena accepting who she was, detaching herself from her family, discovering her new powers, her real roots. Memories of the feeling she had to see Lena use magic, watch her take pride in the people she had saved thanks to her powers.

Memories of Lena and Liz when they arrived in National City. Of their life just the three of them in Ireland. Of Liz and Lena teaching her how to bake scones only to finish the day in a flour fight. Images of Liz's first time flying alone, around the garden, only a few feet away from the grass so green it was the same color of Lena's eyes.

Memories of Lena's silky skin against her own as she had confessed she wanted a second child. The delight Kara had felt. The love that had spread in her heart at the same time Lena's belly had grown. Images of Lucy's birth. Of the tears of joy and grief for a first born she had missed the birth of. Of the pride she had felt for Lena. For enduring yet another pregnancy, for giving birth to yet another Kryptonian baby. And a third after that.

Images of Atlas' first steps a few days ago. Of Lucy's little hands helping him walk around the living room, their little socked feet rubbing on the carpet.

Images of Lena's beaming smile, watching them with so much love in her eyes that it was probably enveloping them in a magical blanket of protection.

Images of Lena's laughing figure as she was walking away on the satellite, only hours ago.

Soon-to-be Luthor-Danvers.

Kara's eyes opened in a gasp as she swallowed salt water. Her senses came back to life in full force. Her vision focused back on a person. Alex's face looked as stricken as hers. She pulled away, an empty needle in her hand, brows furrowed.

"Finally!" She heard, muffled by the water and the mask covering Alex's nose and mouth. "Come on, you're missing on the fun parts."

Kara could have snorted if they weren't hundred feet under the sea. She shook her head to vanish the remnants of the memories her brain had been invaded with until now. They had more important things to do.

Snaking her arm around Alex's waist, she shuffled her legs and pushed them both above water in seconds. They got out of water in a splash, floating above the ocean, to Esme fighting and laughing at the two commanders' faces. Kara frowned and shared a look with Alex, the hot air coming out of the Boom Tube shuffling their hair.

"How come she can beat them that easily and I can't?"

Alex shrugged in her arms. "I mean, she has a combination of your powers, and J'onn's, and Nia's so…"

Kara huffed. Esme was an army all by herself. She was fast and intelligent. Kara recognized Alex's training in action. The ability with which Esme was dancing around the two commanders was astonishing.

"Also, she's only vulnerable to Kryptonite when she uses your powers." Alex added with a wink.

Kara admitted it was an advantage these days. Esme's natural capacity was to replicate others' powers but to do that, she had to replicate the intricacies of their bodies too. She was affected by Kryptonite only if you were quick enough to expose her to it while her body was gathering sun radiations like Kara's would. She was affected by fire and magnetic sounds only when her body structure was similar to J'onn's. Nia's powers were more abstract. Nia didn't have real weaknesses besides her heart.

"Do we help her or do we just stay here watching?"

"Well, I would really like for you to put me down at least."

Kara snorted and eased them down on the beach. The red sun was still blaring down on them but she wasn't feeling weak anymore.

"What was in your syringe?"

"Pure yellow sun radiation." Alex replied without hesitating, drying off her hair in one fluid motion. "Lena created it after you, reckless idiot, almost died on us when you fought Red Daughter."

"Hey! You hadn't used it until now, that means I'm not that reckless!"

Alex huffed. "You'll see that with your wife."

"She's not my-"

Kara had to avoid a Kryptonite arrow before she could finish her sentence. Katrach was running towards her, trying to charge his crossbow at the same time.

"Okay, back to business."

Kara flew up and put her helmet back. The armor announced it was protecting only seventy percent of her body. It was enough. She forced her vision through the several buildings to check on Liz and Lena. They were still fighting. Good news. With that, she charged Granny Goodness, leaving Katrach to Alex who was more equipped to fight him than herself.

She should've started right there earlier. It would have been easier to defeat Granny and her lack of weapon than Katrach and his Kryptonite arrow. Esme had done a great job reducing Granny's personal guard to three soldiers left and it wasn't the most skillful ones.

Kara attacked them first, slicing through one with heat vision as she passed her fist through another. The last one was tumbling on its legs, already well wounded. Kara sighed. She never liked killing. Even when it was weird creatures who seemed not to be alive or conscious at all. It was always a matter of necessity. She knew these ones were souls Darkseid had stolen and used to create his army. Killing them was freeing them. It didn't make the task easier though.

After the last creature fell dead on the sand, Kara searched for Esme and Granny. She looked aside to Alex who was now pinning Katrach on the ground with her boot on his neck. Great. Now the last lieutenant. And a good one at that. One of the New Gods.

Granny had only one arm left, thanks to June, Kara had learned through Liz. The other was a robotic one, such as Katrach's, only hers wasn't a weapon. Granny Goodness was a cunning devil who couldn't use direct attack. No, she preferred implicit weaponry. That was probably why her robotic arm had the capacity to drain her enemy from their vitality. Her arm was a gigantic vacuum, absorbing the energy of her enemies through a giant hole and reusing it as a blasting ray. But to drain their energy, Granny had to be close to them. And Esme understood it quickly.

Kara watched her avoid another drain while disappearing through the ground. She smiled at her niece's habits. Esme loved J'onn's powers, especially this one. She loved telepathy less, thinking it was a violation of privacy but used it quite often to plan surprise gifts for her mothers or communicate during a mission.

Watching her move from above, with the dispersed corpses in a semi-circle around Granny, Kara realized how Esme had neutralized the rest of the battalion. She had used Granny's vacuum arm against her own army, posting herself in front of them before disappearing in the ground so that Granny would absorb their energy. It was brilliant. Worthy of Alex Danvers' daughter.

Now, Esme only needed her to give Granny Goodness the final blow. Killing her. Because Granny Goodness was the type of warrior who never gave up. Her face falling, Kara wondered why peace could only be recovered through violence. Of course, she wouldn't let Esme kill somebody. It wasn't her burden. She was still too young anyway. But it wasn't something Kara was eager to do either. And she wasn't sure she could do it.

She landed behind Granny who was shooting rays of energy to Esme, her weapon still charged with the souls of her own army. Granny didn't hear her coming. Kara hit her strongly with her two hands on her two shoulders, anchoring in her to the sand. Esme got the hint, acting fast. She came in front of them and used Kara's heat vision to consolidate the sand between Granny's feet. As the New God hit Esme right in the face with her Kryptonite charged weapon, making her fall backward, Kara blew her icy. Sand had the property of turning into glass under high temperatures. Very solid glass if it cooled rapidly.

Granny was stuck. She couldn't get out. She could still shoot with her vacuum-gun arm though. And she did. Esme had planned a lot of her moves but not this one. Since she was on her knees, still affected by the Kryptonite blow she just got hit with, she got ejected in an instant to a mile away on the beach, her body leaving trenches on the sand.

"Esme!" Alex shouted while running to Kara who grabbed Granny's arm immediately. "What did you do?!" She hissed, spit coming out of her mouth as she took Granny by the collar and pulled her closer to her face.

The old lady laughed. Hard and rocky. "I killed her."

Kara frowned. Esme's heart was still beating. "Don't listen to her, Alex. Esme's fine."

Alex's glare was intense. "Perfect. It's time to end this shit."

She motioned for her bracelet to turn into a weird looking gun. Kara's eyes followed her movement. Alex took a step back and collected a strangely looking bullet in one of the pockets attached to her belt. She charged her gun and pointed it at Granny. The old lady laughed harder.

"You can't kill me with those things!" She doubled down on her knees, her feet unmoving. Kara's grip was tight around her vacuum arm. "I'm a New God. We're immortal!"

Alex's smirk looked dangerous. The feeling Kara got at seeing it could only be described as uneasiness.

"You'll thank Lex Luthor in Hell for that." Alex shuffled with her gun in her hand, observing it. Far behind her, Esme was standing on her feet and already walking over them. "This gun is special. It was made to shoot Radion bullets. And I think Radion is lethal to New Gods like you who think they can invade our planet without fearing the consequences."

Alex's actions were never reckless or hasty. Alex always reflected on the consequences before acting. Like J'onn had taught her. But this time, Kara wasn't so sure her sister's actions weren't influenced by years of anger and frustration towards their entire situation.

Without more overdue, Alex shot Granny Goodness in the knee. The bullet went through the flesh. Through articulation and muscle. And finished its course in the sand. Granny Goodness grunted but didn't cry out. She put a hand on the wound, greasy grey blood flowing in between her wrinkled fingers. She shot a defying glare at Alex.

"That's it? You're going to shoot me in the leg and wait for me to die, you coward? Can't even do it yourself?"

Alex's nostrils flared. She rushed to her and grabbed her collar in one hand, her gun stuck to her chin with the other.

"Alex."

Kara wasn't sure if she wanted her to stop or not. If the name escaping her lips was a warning or a cry for help. It was too late anyway. The gun shot echoed around them. Granny Goodness' head lolled back. The holes on the two sides of her skull were precise, almost absent. But she was really dead.

Kara raised terrified eyes to her sister in pure shock. Alex had killed somebody. It wasn't like killing the para-demons or the hounds or the damned souls. They were creatures and devices. This old lady was one of their worst enemies. Kara knew Granny had to die but she never thought Alex was capable of it.

"Don't look at me like that. She almost killed Esme. She would have killed all of us, had she had the opportunity."

Alex's face was tense. She summoned her weapon to turn back into a wristband. Kara could see through the mask. Her sister wasn't proud of her action but it was a necessity. Alex had done it out of necessity to protect them. All of them. Like she had always done.

"No, no, I-I- You did what you had to do. I just…" Kara sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I wouldn't have been capable of doing it."

"I know." Alex put a hand on her cheek. "That's why Lena gave the bullets to me and not you."

Kara scoffed then shook her head, unimpressed. Of course, they had to go behind her back and plot together. She rolled her eyes. At least, it was one less enemy to take care of.

"I'll have a chat with Lena about that."

Alex shrugged. Kara recognized the soldier in her. The task being done, she could pass to the next. And Esme helped with that.

"Hey! Good job! Now we can go back to helping Mom."

Alex smiled at her but it was empty of real joy. "Yeah."

"Where's Katrach?"

Alex huffed. "That lizard ran away through a portal. I think he's going to double-cross June now that he's the only one in charge."

Another enemy, another battle. That could explain why the battle around the boulevard seemed to have faded.

"I think you're right. Let's go help them!"

"Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream no one can see but you."

– Nia Nal

"Nia! We can't stay here!"

"I know but I'm stuck! They're immune to dream portals!"

Their situation could now be described as a tactically precarious one. To put it simply, they didn't have any solution. The hounds didn't diminish. They didn't know how to kill them. The demons were coming out of the Boom Tube and since they were all scared shitless to lose their life, they were all attracting them like moths to a flame.

Nia paused to observe their group. The circle they were forming to fight against the hounds couldn't work. The hounds were stronger together too. They had the time to attack them whenever they wanted. It couldn't work. They shouldn't stay together.

"I think we need to separate!" Nia shouted to Kelly.

"No! That'll be worse!" Kelly shouted back.

The wind had worsened during the battle. Some remnant pieces of broken cars were flying freely around them.

"We already tried sticking together! Let's try separating to lead the hounds in the streets and kill them one by one!"

"That won't work!" Dick said behind her. "They're too intelligent! They'll know what you're doing and adapt!"

Nia huffed. She never liked him and never would. She looked at Kelly pointedly. Kelly who knew her since she started to work with Kara. Kelly who was family before teammate.

"Do you trust me?"

Kelly paused, looking at her before nodding determinedly. "Of course. Come on! Let's take the Fourth and see if they follow."

Side by side, they ran towards the street next to the boulevard and took the corner, without caring if the others agreed or not. Two hounds started to follow them immediately. Nia smiled in victory. Now, they had to neutralize them one by one.

"Take the left, then right. Let's make a square." Kelly said, already planning their attack.

They continued running, breathing hard, the adrenaline kicking in their limbs. As they took the next turn, they discovered an unscathed empty street. Thankfully, June and Liz's fight was occurring on the other side of the boulevard.

"On the next turn, take my lasso and stop. We'll strangle them."

Kelly nodded. They ran and ran and ran. Shared the lasso. Took the turn and spread it to the width of the road. And waited.

One of the hounds was leading the other. It got into the lasso first. Nia and Kelly pulled on each of their parts at the right time. The hound got knocked off and fell on its back. Kelly jumped on it, her shield hitting its neck, beheading it. One down. Another left.

The second hound stopped and growled at them, before darting towards them again. They fled, scrambling on their legs in panic. This one was way more ferocious than the other. It ran on the buildings, destroying the windows, almost reaching them with its sharp teeth.

"Faster!" Kelly shouted.

They ran in a square once again but the hound had too much lead on them to try the same strategy. After the second round, Nia got an idea.

"Kelly, when I tell you to stop, stop."

Kelly didn't reply. She continued running but Nia was sure she had heard her. She ran quicker, putting a good mile between Kelly and herself. With her lasso, she hauled herself on a streetlight and waited for Kelly to take the last corner. Once Kelly arrived, she seemed confused not to see Nia for a second before she heard her.

"Stop! Shield!" Nia shouted and jumped from the streetlight to Kelly's shield straightened over her arms.

She relied on the shield to pirouette above the hound and threw her lasso at it, choking it by the neck. It fell backwards and was unbalanced. Nia gathered her lasso until its face was closer and, with her other hand, circled its maw with the rest of the lasso.

"Go ahead before it escapes!"

Kelly didn't wait any second. She leaned on her shield to give the final blow to the hounds with her electric escrima stick. The device fell on the ground, neutralized. Nia dropped it completely and gathered up her lasso, sighing with relief.

"Two down." She smiled at Kelly. "We make a good team."

"Have you ever doubted it?" Kelly smiled back."

Nia put a finger on her chin, wondering the question playfully. "Hummm, no."

Kelly chuckled, shoving her towards the boulevard. "Come on, let's go help the others."

"We have a saying, my people: Don't kill if you can wound; Don't wound if you can subdue; Don't subdue if you can pacify; And don't raise your hand at all until you've first extended it."

– Wonder Woman

Steppenwolf killed three of her sisters before Sydney reached him. She counted. She memorized their faces as they expelled their final breath. She memorized the glassy look in their eyes as their red capes and shiny golden armors were reduced to tarnished pieces of fabric and pierced or broken fragments of metal. She memorized everything. She didn't want to forget any of them.

On the roofs, the snow had turned pink a long time ago. Sydney couldn't tell how long they'd been fighting like that. How many had been killed already on the other side. She just knew her sisters were dying and her queen was hurt.

With a grunt, she pulled her sword out, leaving her bow for distanced attacks, and sliced through the New God's front. Steppenwolf didn't even blink. He grabbed her by the wrist and threw her away like a ragdoll. How Wonder Woman had lasted this long was a miracle.

Scrambling up, Sydney rubbed at her mouth, drops of blood coloring the snow at her feet. She had to go harder on him. Direct attacks couldn't work. And she couldn't do it alone.

On the side, Diana had sat down, her body recovering from her previous wound. She threw a determined nod. Sydney huffed and stood up, her sword clanking on the ground.

She ran to Steppenwolf, busy torturing another warrior, and climbed on his back. He tried to catch her, gesturing to his back as if he got a little mouse under his shirt. The mouse was smart though and stayed in the middle, where he couldn't reach. She took one of her arrows and broke the tip.

"I am the end of worlds. You won't succeed, Amazon. This world is my right!" Steppenwolf groaned underneath her.

Keeping balance was a hard task but she was well trained. Sydney broke a second arrow, then a third. With the arrows in cautious hands, she waited for Steppenwolf to stop moving a bit. When the time hit, she planted the tips of her technological arrows in his neck with a strong push. He was a New God. He was probably immortal. But he could still bleed.

She pushed herself off his back and stepped away a couple of feet. The tick of the nano bombs in the tips echoed. Steppenwolf clawed at his neck to try and put them out but it was too late. The bombs exploded with unprecedented force. One side of his helmet had vanished. He pulled it off his head quickly, crying out in pain. His right corn had been pulverized. Sydney smirked.

"This one was for Vic." She whispered to herself.

A motion behind Steppenwolf attracted her attention. Diana had crawled to Victor and was now helping him reconnect his body together. They needed the distraction. If Steppenwolf saw them, he would slice through them with his axe and everything would be over.

"Who are you," Steppenwolf walked over her. "To defy me?"

He tried to catch her but she avoided him by sliding in between his legs and climbing on his back once again. He shuffled, turned around frantically. She had already used her bomb arrows but she hadn't said her last words. She wouldn't back down. It wasn't in her blood.

For a moment, she had forgotten about the para-demons. They made her remember them. They surrounded her and Steppenwolf in a swarm, ready to protect their master. Sydney tried to hold up, tried to stay balanced on Steppenwolf's back, but eventually, the demons won.

Sydney crashed on the ground and rolled several feet away before a gentle hand stopped her. She frowned at the person pulling her up and dusting her off.

"Supergirl?"

"Aren't you too old to roll around in puddles?" Kara said instead, a grin on her face.

Sydney's lips spread in a tentative smile. Her chest flooded with relief. She followed Kara's impressive figure walking to Vic and Diana, helping them stand up, and she couldn't keep her joy any longer. Now, with Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Cyborg working side by side, they truly had a chance.

Steppenwolf seemed to realize the same thing because he attacked them immediately, Kara avoiding his axe with her superspeed but watching it pass through the next building before coming back to his owner with a magnetic force. She flew up in the air and charged him with heat vision. It only seemed to tickle him.

"Kryptonian!" Steppenwolf threw his axe at her, once again missing. "Darkseid wants your head but he is busy killing your cousin at the moment."

"Guess I'll have to wait!" Kara shot back, hitting him square in the face.

Just like with Diana, Kara's hits seemed to truly hurt him. It seemed to have a real impact, not like Sydney or her sisters' blows. Kara and Diana were part of the only heroes on Earth capable of fighting against Apokolips' New Gods and being up to the challenge.

As Kara was distracting Steppenwolf in the air, Vic and Diana worked together to circle his legs with the Lasso of Truth. He noticed it when he tried to avoid Kara's freezing breath but found himself stuck. He protected his face with his axe collected in his two hands. The lightning axe got totally frozen.

It was Sydney's turn to hit. She took a step back as a leap before starting running. As she ran and helped herself on Diana's shield to jump higher above his head, Steppenwolf fell backward, punched by Kara's strong fist.

In the air, time seemed to stop. In slow motion, in an out-of-body kind of sight, Sydney saw herself hit her wrists together with a scrunched-up face. The ultrasound force exploded in a wave around her. Blood and saliva spit out of her mouth as she landed on one knee and noticed the strength of the Atlas' Gauntlets.

The blasting wave had pulverized the para-demons into ashes flowing around them, mixing with the snow that had started to fall. Kara was up above them in the air, still watching with traces of blood coming out of her ears. Steppenwolf had been knocked out and Vic was pining him to the ground with his robotic fingers-turned-claws. Diana was approaching with her sword caressing the concrete, ready to give him the final blow.

Since it was no bravery to kill an unconscious enemy, Diana slapped Steppenwolf across the face with the back of her hand. The New God opened confused, half-lidded eyes before realizing his position of submission. He smirked.

"Even if you kill me, you cannot win, Amazon." He coughed, thick grey fluids coming out of the corners of his mouth. "The kid will kill you all."

Diana cocked an eyebrow and eyed Vic. "You recognize that smell?"

Vic nodded. "Fear."

"What's your biggest fear?" Diana asked. Steppenwolf gave her a broken laugh.

"I have no fears anymore. It cannot work twice."

Sydney walked over to them, wondering why they were gloating like that. It was out of character for Diana. And then, her queen extended her own sword to her.

"You've worked hard. You deserve to finish this." Sydney took the sword, confused. Diana's face turned grave. Merciless. "For our sisters."

Sydney nodded. Diana had seen right through her strong façade, as always. She had seen the rage hiding under wounded skin and tense shoulders. And she wanted her to expel that rage. Act on it one last time before giving it up.

Now, Sydney understood. Not just their situation, but all of Diana's lessons. About bravery and honor. About what to do in battles, how to suppress your emotions to be able to kill an enemy. How it was necessary to do it sometimes and how other times, you could show mercy.

This time wasn't one of those. Steppenwolf had killed lots of people during his long life. Amazons. Humans. Atlanteans. Ancestors that Sydney had never met. But she had heard about those stories. Heard about the first time the Justice League had reunited to beat him. Heard about Victor's father sacrificing himself so that their planet could survive. Heard about Darkseid's promise to come back and conquer Earth as a revenge.

Steppenwolf wasn't an enemy to whom she could show mercy. Because mercy was only reserved for honorable enemies. And he wasn't one of them.

With a grunt, Sydney raised the only sword capable of killing a New God above Steppenwolf's head and let it fall in a scream of anger. For all her sisters. For Queen Hippolyta. And General Antiope. For Athena. For all these ancestors and people killed for the ambitions of a god.

As Steppenwolf's body sagged down, Sydney dropped the sword as if it had burnt her. Her eyes blurry, she looked around. Faces came to her in a blur but none of them was recognizable. It was all creatures and demons and damned souls. She searched for her own heartbeat in all the sounds she was hearing. It was there. Pulsing into thick veins. Beating under rough skin. She was good. She was fine. She did it. They had done it. Steppenwolf was dead and with him, all the para-demons were vanishing.

Two hands grabbed her by the shoulders before two strong arms wrapped her in a hug.

"It's okay." Diana said in her ear. "It's over."

With that finality, Sydney felt her shoulders sag in relief. A sob escaped her mouth before she clawed at Diana's armor and anchored her face in her neck.

"I-I can-can't…"

Sydney couldn't formulate a sentence. Diana shushed her, caressing her hair and humming in her ear.

"It's over."

A crackling sound made them pull away and whip their heads on the left. What they saw was incredible. Supergirl in her anti-Kryptonite suit was fighting one of the commanders, the one with the crossbow for an arm now with an arrow planted in his own ribs as the hero pushed him through building after building. It reminded Sydney of the story Diana had told her about Superman fighting against General Zodd.

Sydney watched Diana roll her eyes and huff, looking down at the side of the building they were on.

"Kryptonians are reckless."

Sydney rubbed at her cheeks and sniffed. Straightening up. Cleaning off her tears. It was over, but just for them. The battles were still raging on below.

"Come on, they need help down there." Diana motioned for Sydney to follow her. "You go down and help Liz if you can. I'll try to help Lena with that other version of herself."

Sydney frowned. Blood was still flowing freely from Diana's shoulder where Steppenwolf had cut her with his axe. "But Di', you're still wounded."

Diana shrugged and jumped from the roof. It wasn't time for questions anymore. They needed to move quickly. The fight wasn't over.

Her bow over her chest, Sydney jumped up off the roof in an angel pose and crashed down on a hound's maw, squashing it under her weight.

"When the world is uncertain, there's one thing that's rock solid. It's the people who love you."

— J'onn J'onzz

Once they came back from putting M'gann in safety, J'onn and Brainy noticed a shift in the battles around them. The Boom Tube was pulsing with weird energy. The para-demons seemed more ferocious and down below, everybody seemed to struggle to keep going. Liz and June were crashing into buildings, destroying everything on their way. June's ghostly figure was terrifying, looking even more imposing than before, his halberd slicing through Liz's suit like a knife through butter.

They had to activate the antenna quickly before it was too late.

"How much time do you need?" J'onn shouted through the noises caused by June and Liz's fight mixed with the flapping of the demons' wings and the hot wind coming out of the Tube.

"Ten minutes maybe five if I'm quick." Brainy shouted back.

"That much?"

"Lena made it so it had multiple firewalls. She didn't want it to end in the wrong hands and be launched on Earth easily."

J'onn tilted his head in understand. Multiple times, Lena experienced devices getting used by the wrong people and turned against them. She planned for every possibility now.

"Alright." J'onn flew up and around Brainy to protect him from the demons coming at him. "I'll keep them occupy then."

The swarm of para-demons was horrible. Their little teeth had poisoned endings, putting venom in the flesh they were biting. J'onn tried to avoid them as much as he could. He took his Martian form and flew away to lead them away from Brainy but it worked only partly.

Some followed him. Others stayed on Brainy who was perched next to the antenna, typing on the invisible screen he could only see. His intellect seemed to work on both fields though and J'onn watched him with surprise as he activated something in the antenna, lighting propulsors at the end of it, at the same time he was kicking away two demons.

The propulsors were another surprise though. The antenna wasn't supposed to fly. Because an antenna didn't fly. Which meant… J'onn felt panic irrupt in his chest. He darted towards Brainy.

"I thought it was an antenna!" He shouted, hardly making his voice heard to the sound of the propulsors. He barely kept it up next to the flames under the antenna.

"It's not! It's a missile!"

J'onn pulled Brainy's shoulder so that he could look at him in the face. Brainy looked surprised by the force of the gesture.

"This is going to kill everyone and annihilate Earth!"

"No, not if it goes right through the Boom Tube before exploding!"

J'onn huffed and rubbed at his forehead. He could swear it was Lena's idea not to tell anyone. Those two audacious scientists were making a good pair in terms of keeping secrets. But now wasn't the time to ponder anymore. He was up against it. He couldn't back down now.

"What can I do to help?"

"Stop the demons from reaching me once the missile takes off so that I can control its course." Brainy instructed calmly. "Once it's on the other side of the Boom Tube, I'll make it explode."

J'onn exhaled and nodded. He was getting too old for these dramatics. Once this battle was over, he promised himself to retire on Mars with M'gann and their kids and only come back to Earth for family visits.

As planned, J'onn contained the demons enough for Brainy to launch the missile. It burnt the whole upper part of the Foundation building and its vibrations could be felt through the grounds, he was sure of it. Some demons got burnt in the launch. Some of them tried to bite it, followed it to the Boom Tube, but none of them could stop it.

The course the missile had to take wasn't a long one. Maybe ten miles to the sky. One more inside the Boom Tube to be sure. Brainy got it right into it and grinned at J'onn who griped his shoulders in congratulations as it exploded inside the Tube.

The reaction was immediate. Everybody had watched the missile enter the Boom Tube. Everybody had watched it explode in green and blue smoke. The atomic mushroom spreading in slow motion as pieces of the missile flew through the Tube and fell on Earth. J'onn and Brainy worked together to avoid the pieces hurting anyone. They paused in the middle of the sky, a bit of metal in their hands to watch below. Their team was cheering as the Boom Tube disappear from their sky. No more para-demons would come out of it to attack them.

Simultaneously, Wonder Woman, Sydney and Cyborg finished their battle with Steppenwolf, making the para-demons vanish into thin air. J'onn laughed in delight as they looked at the sky and saw Wonder them jump from the roof. The New God was out. The demons were out. It left the hounds torturing the rest of the team. And June and Liz's battle destroying the whole boulevard. Or was it Supergirl's battling against Katrach?

"There's still the Warhounds targeting the ground team. We need to help them."

"Lead the way." J'onn nodded.

"Faith is belief based on an absence of data. It invites disaster."

– Damian Wayne / Robin

Damian, Dick and Barbara were circled by para-demons. Their teeth were coming closer to them, their wings flapping against one another. Three hounds were pacing behind them, waiting. Lurking. Planning on attacking at the first mishap. The circle was becoming smaller and smaller. The demons were voluntarily oppressing them. They were cornered.

Damian tried a batarang but he didn't have enough leap to throw it. Dick hit a demon with one of his escrima sticks, thinking it would electrify it but the stick was taken and chewed out. The three of them leaned away in surprise.

"Shit! It's out of battery!" Dick hissed.

"Never heard of solar battery?" Damian quipped beside him.

"I'll think about it."

As a demon was about to hit Damian, it exploded in hundreds of particles of dust. They upped their eyes to Esme crushing them in the air one by one with her fists and heat vision. She crushed the closest ones before landing in front of her boyfriend.

"Need help?" She grinned. For once, Damian's common poker face was replaced by a huge smile.

"You're coming on the right time."

"It's my middle name." She winked before crushing another demon.

They had the time to punch one and a second before the para-demons started to disappear into dust around them. One by one, the creatures vanished. Esme looked up to the tallest building in the city and pumped her fist in the air as Diana and Sydney were jumping down of it.

"Steppenwolf is dead!"

Usually, she wasn't the one to express joy when faced with the death of their enemies but this one got what he deserved. It had been a long time coming.

"Let's finish the hounds and help the others." Dick said while helping Barbara stand up. Together, they ran towards the center of the boulevard. They still had work to do.

"If you look at history, the great men and women of the world have always been defined by their enemies."

– Lex Luthor

Lena rubbed at her mouth and laughed, seeing her hand coming out all red. She threw an amused glance to her alter ego.

"You know how to land a punch."

"Are you impressed?"

"I was just wondering if you learned about it like I did." Lena cleaned her mouth with her sleeve. "Through my father's fists."

The other Lena scoffed and crossed her arms. "My parents weren't gentle but Lionel never hit me. Alex did."

Lena paused and frowned. "Wait, who?"

She knew who Alex or Lex was, of course. It was just strange for her to hear it said like this in her own mouth - that wasn't actually her own.

"Alexander. My brother." The other Lena cocked an eyebrow. "You had the same brother. This dimension is the most similar to mine."

"I did, it's just… He never showed any trace of violence until later. Once we were both adults."

The other Lena shrugged. "Well, maybe he was the one being beaten up by our father, I don't know and I don't care." She made a flourish with her hand. "Are you ready to fight again or…?"

Lena snorted then, without any preparation, threw herself at her alter ego, their bodies crashing in the remnants of a car. Lena wished she wasn't alone in this fight. Deflecting her own powers seemed to be more difficult than envisioned. She needed somebody else to unbalance their fight. To make it less even between them too. Because for now, it was just them escalating a ladder side by side, until one of them would dare reach the magic forbidden for them to reach. And she wasn't sure Lena 2.0. had any pool of magic or even a coven to dive into to win this battle. And Lena wasn't sure either she wanted that upper hand and kill her other self.

Contrary to what she envisioned, Lena wasn't afraid of dying. If it could help win the battle at the end, she was ready to make the sacrifice. But was she ready to kill another being? A second time, after killing her brother had worked so well for herself? Not really.

The environment made it difficult for them to stay one against the other. The snow had started to fall again and the temperatures were lower in that end of afternoon, freezing the snow already gathered into piles or melted into puddles. The slippery wet floor gave advantages to the both of them. Jason had been a victim of it already. He was still unconscious in his puddle of melted snow. Lena 2.0.'s favorite magic trick was using electricity.

To block her attacks, Lena had either made the choice of attacking first – because electricity needed some time to charge into their hands – or shifted her body into a non-conductive material. Such as plastic, glass or wood. It cost her a lot though. And sometimes, her defenses weren't enough. Because, plastic and wood could melt and burn.

"I'm not sure where this is going!" Lena shouted as she protected herself behind her arm carrying a magical glass shield.

"It would be easier if you'd let me kill the Other!" The other Lena shouted back.

"I won't let you destroy my family just because you feel lonely!"

With that, she used the snow to throw a bunch of ice spikes to her opponent. This time, though, Lena 2.0. didn't deflect them with a fire ball. She had paused, her mouth agape in the middle of the boulevard and so, got it by the spikes right in the chest. She fell with the impact, a spike of ice planted in her stomach.

Lena frowned, approaching tentatively. Her alter ego was still on the floor after several minutes. Around them, the demons had started to vanish, not bothering attacking them anymore and the hounds were focused on the others, strangely. She was met with a cough and a chuckle. The other Lena was looking at the sky, her eyes tearing up with the pain.

"This is where you win and I loose, uh?" Another cough. "You'll loose in the end if you let him live."

Lena crouched down next to her. A bit of remorse stung in her heart. It could have been different. They shouldn't be fighting.

"You're wrong. We discovered more about the prophecy than you did." She brushed a loose finger on her alter ego cheek in a rare gesture of compassion. "Liz and June have the same soul. It got separated by one of our ancestors."

The other Lena frowned. Her gaze focused on her, her blurry eyes already half-closed. "I did this the wrong way, uh?" She coughed, her Irish accent stronger than Lena's. "Your life is so much better than mine."

Lena pinched her lips and shook her head, brushing away another tear. Her heart constricted in pain for the other woman – herself.

"This is the difference when you choose family over solitude. We could have helped you if you had come to us directly instead of doing this behind our back."

The other Lena smiled softly. "I'm not alone. I have a daughter." Lena frowned, her mouth already opening to ask an explanation. "I used Zodd's ship again. She's fabulous. Only five months old. The very portrait of her older sister."

Lena couldn't contain her face from scrunching up in disgust. Another clone. Another Luthor heir in this world. In a world where she wasn't supposed to be born.

"Where is she now?" She asked with a shaky voice.

The other Lena's smile fell. "In your penthouse. Waiting for me to take her home after I'm finished here."

Lena scoffed. "You came here leaving a five-month-old alone in an apartment without knowing if you would survive?"

If Lena didn't have enough proof that her alter ego was insane, this one would probably be one too many.

"Don't patronize me! I'll survive and I'll go back to her!"

"No!" Lena pulled her by her collar. "You'll die here alone because it's everything you deserve!"

She dropped her down, leaving her in a coughing fit to stand up and walk away. She was done with that side of her past.

"No! Please! She's just a baby!"

The other Lena's cries echoed against the concrete walls of the buildings still standing. Lena had never been one to show mercy in business. She had learned the hard way how her trust could be turned against her. And she would certainly not show mercy to her own self, knowing this woman was more extreme than she was in her manipulations and plotting.

She raised a final hand while walking away, saluting her opponent to signal she had enough. She had more important people to care about. Like Jason who clearly needed treatment and a week or two in a bed.

Lena reached Jason and took him under the arms to pull him out of the puddle and make him lean against a wall on dry ground. His lips had turned blue. She summoned wind to warm him up. She removed his gauntlets and loosened the collar of his bulletproof Kevlar jacket so he could breathe more easily.

After using her own hands to warm him up around the neck and torso, Jason started to come back to consciousness. He opened heavy eyes and smiled softly at her. His hair was all dusty and disheveled. His face was sporting battle scars already and dried blood from the numerous cuts he had.

"You saved me." He expelled through a whistling breath.

Lena smirked. "You just wanted some attention, didn't you?"

Jason chuckled and coughed. His eyes wandered behind them. He frowned and pointed behind Lena.

"Lena…"

"Yes, I'm here."

"No!" He coughed. "Not you. Lena!" He insisted.

Lena looked back. It took her only seconds to understand. Where she had left her alter ego, there was just dried blood now. No corpse. No one. Lena huffed and shared a look with Jason.

"You saw her vanish?"

Jason nodded with difficulty. "Nanotech." He added through a deep breath.

Lena pondered her options quickly. She knew where this sociopath was going but to follow her and deflect her attack on the Other, she had to leave Jason behind.

"Will you be okay if I let you here?"

Jason tried to shrug but he winced and raised a hand to his shoulder. "Don't worry about me, sis." He articulated through gritted teeth.

Lena nodded and, with determined eyes and the last drops of her magic, she threw a protective spell on her brother before running towards the middle of the boulevard. There was only one way to stop her alter ego.

"Love him. Serve great Darkseid. Wear your pointed helmets proudly where he leads. Die for him – And reward Granny."

– Granny Goodness

At the very end of the boulevard, the battle was still on between the Unique and its Other. After passing through concrete walls, destroying glass windows and entire buildings, only one of them had come out of it unscathed. June. He was currently above Liz, a hand grabbing her collar as another was above her face, glowering dangerously, ready to punch. His teeth were gritted tight as he was looking at her with emotions swimming in his eyes. Maybe it was because Liz could feel everything he was feeling. Or maybe it was because June wasn't hiding his feelings as much as he wished he was. But she could clearly see the pain in his dark ghostly pupils. No anger. No hate. Pain. And a flicker of hope.

You can stop now.

He shook his head, closing his eyes momentarily. A shallow breath escaped his mouth. It smelled like hot coal and soot.

You know I don't.

Then, do it.

June tightened his fists, ready to hit her again. Liz wrapped her hand around his fist and pushed against his strength. A battle of determination. His jaw tightened even more if possible. For long seconds, he didn't move or talk. They stared at each other, wondering what would happen. Liz was well aware that her fate was now in his hands. Whatever he decided to do in the next minutes would seal it.

With a final grunt, he seemed to take a decision. As he was about to finally punch her, Liz closed her eyes in preparation for him to burn her face off. Instead, June screamed in pain. A sharp pain erupted in her own shoulder. Liz opened her eyes to see June being bitten by a giant cat-like creature. The creature shuffled with him in its jaw before letting him fall on the ground. It showed its four lines of teeth at him and growled before walking backward and taking a protective stance in front of Liz. It had white fur and brown bat wings. It was probably the same size as a Warhound or bigger. Liz's brain took a moment to add the details into a full picture before a look of realization crossed her face.

"Snowflake?!"

The familiar threw her a look, a sigh escaping through his nostrils. He was frightening. His eyes weren't blue anymore. They were orange pupils surrounded by darkness. He looked like a demon. A familiar was a demon cursed to help its master the rest of its life as repentance. Now it made sense.

Shaking her shoulder to spread the pain away – with no success – she stood up with some difficulty. Snowflake had attacked June in a gesture of protection for her but everything hurting June hurt her too. It wasn't that deep though. Or her ego was less bruised, perhaps. Liz walked slowly next to the familiar. June didn't dare moving under Snowflake's guard and it brought a smile to her face. A victory one.

June's halberd lay there, at Liz's feet as if waiting for her to take it. She tapped the ending of the halberd with her foot and caught it in her hand, pushing the sharp ending on June's throat. One of his hands was palming his wounded shoulder.

I don't want to kill you.

He laughed in her head, dejectedly.

You don't have a choice.

June wasn't ready to surrender. He was supposed to win or die. That was the deal. His destiny. Liz could feel the arrogance burning his heart.

I do! If I kill you, I kill myself!

He tilted his head. The wound on his shoulder hurt more than he would like to admit but it wasn't important. The witch in front of him and her guard cat were. And that wasn't the first time Liz had said that. But it couldn't be true. Or why were they capable of hurting each other?

You're lying!

You know I'm not! Our souls were born together!

June scrambled away, refusing to hear more of this. He pushed himself up on one arm and shook the head violently.

We were born to kill each other!

Liz looked confidently at him, walking over with the halberd pointing at the grey skies.

You were born because my ancestor played with forces which surpassed her! You're a part of my soul! How else would you explain our connection?

June faltered. Their connection. They were talking through their minds. Sharing thoughts. Sharing dreams and nightmares. Memories. Since they were little. Without wanting it in the first place. And that feeling of never being complete… It hadn't been new. It wasn't part of his own powers either. He didn't have connections like that with others. It was only with Liz.

In a fit of rage, he gripped at her collar. Shook her with despair.

No, that's…

His words got stuck in his throat. What if she was right? What if it explained everything?

Think about it. When Katrach put serum in you, I felt it too. When I'm happy, I know you can feel it. I feel you as if you were a bird on my shoulder analyzing everything I do.

Her eyes were so earnest, how could he doubt her honesty?

We're linked because we're one and the same, June. We were just punished by Nature but we can fix it.

His hands coming up to his head as if to organize his thoughts, June pulled away. His eyes were frantic. His form started to flicker back into the boy he was when he wanted to look human. Suddenly, he became aware of all the chaos around them. The iron smells of blood. The soldiers dying at their feet. The city ravaged by his anger. The seagulls eating the flesh directly from the cut limbs. The Warhounds' sharp teeth piercing through fabric and flesh. That wasn't what he had wanted. He wanted to change the world. Make it better. They made him like that. They took a four-year-old boy and shaped him into a killing machine. But none of that what his fault. None of that was Liz's fault either. She was right. They were two sides of the same coin.

As he was about to ask her what they were supposed to do now, an arrow pierced his body. A cackling erupted behind him. June looked down. The arrow had come right through his stomach. The burning was almost too much. It was serum. But a different one. This one was making him weak. Powerless. Like his energy was sucked out of his body. Facing him, Liz fell on her knees, then on her side, her arms wrapped around her middle in pain. She didn't have the arrow through her but the pain was similar.

Boots stomped next to him. Katrach's putrid face appeared, a proud smile on his destroyed face. Supergirl didn't go easy on him.

"Look at you now, chosen one." Katrach laughed. "On your knees. Begging me to kill you."

June scoffed then smiled bloody teeth. "I'm not begging for anything."

Katrach closed the distance and cupped his chin violently into three tight fingers, almost breaking June's jaws.

"Oh, but you will, Worm. You will."

His breath smelled like a mix of blood and the rest of rotted food he still had in his teeth. He pushed June away, making him fall backward. As he prepared his crossbow to shoot one last arrow, June scrambled away. He knew this one would surely kill him. Katrach wasn't known to miss his targets.

Katrach finally pointed his crossbow at him, his feet tethering him to the ground as he stood right between Liz and June. He looked so proud to see June surrender.

"I wanted to do this since you arrived on Apokolips."

June spit blood on the ground. The serum was burning through his organs like acid. He raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Then why didn't you do it sooner?"

Katrach chuckled and let his guard down only for a moment. "We needed you to guide us to Earth. Your task is done now. Darkseid don't need you anymore."

"Granny won't let you."

Katrach was about to reply when Supergirl landed behind him. Her armor had been severely damaged by the last destruction of the building Katrach had left her in but her determination looked unscathed. She took Katrach by the throat and pulled him from the ground, his legs shuffling.

"Granny is dead." Supergirl tightened her grip around his neck. His crossbow fell heavily on the ground. "And you've done enough damaged for a lifetime."

Her fingers seemed to tighten even more around Katrach's neck. June couldn't let her do this.

"No!" Supergirl threw him a questioning glance. June stood up, coughing loudly. "Don't do it." He pushed the arrow out of his stomach, Liz screaming in pain. His energy was slightly coming back but his body was still fighting the poison. He scrambled to his feet and walked over to Supergirl. To them. He looked at Katrach with hate in his eyes. "This is my burden."

With resolution, Kara eased the commander on the ground and pulled several feet away, leaving June deal with him. Spitting blood on the floor, June grabbed Katrach by the hair and pulled backward. The commander looked directly at him.

"You remember all the times you burnt your mark in my skin?" Katrach seemed frightened for a second. June presented his other hand, glowering dangerously close to his face. "Now you'll know how it feels."

With his burning grip, he choked Katrach so hard that he felt his bones break before his fingers could pierce the skin. A crack was heard. Then Katrach fell on the ground, his neck in a weird angle. The last commander of Darkseid was dead and June wasn't willing to feel guilty about it. Instead, he fell on his knees, tired.

Behind them, Lena was already trying to heal Liz, only for her to explain that she needed to heal June first since he was the one hurt. June saw her head whip towards him and the pity immediately cross her face. It was unbearable.

He had been betrayed. He had been hurt. He had been defeated. They took his life. His childhood. Poisoned him with skewed valued. With wrong idea of justice. With views of a tolerant government. Only to use him. They never respected him. He was only an object they could use. He couldn't fathom not dying now. It was the only thing he could still have control over. And if he was dying, so were they.

In a last fit of rage, June stood up. But it wasn't June anymore. It was the monster created on Apokolips. It was the killing machine. The fifteen-year-old had vanished. Only the Other was left. Spitting fire through his mouth. Through his nose. Firing fireballs at all the heroes around him. At all these people with their sorry eyes and hope all over their faces. He grabbed at a carbonized car on the side and threw it at Lena who only avoided it thanks to Supergirl and her quick reflexes.

June, calm down. It's okay.

He could hear her but he didn't want to listen. What was the point? He had lost. They had won. His people had betrayed him. He had nothing left.

"I want you to imagine that you're full of tiny, itty-bitty boxes. And then I want you to take your feelings, and I want you to shove them into those itty-bitty boxes. And then I want you to take those and shove them way deep down 'til you forget you even had feelings in the first place."

– Lena Luthor

The main boulevard was now a thick lava route. Everything was burning. Melting. Even the Warhounds hadn’t escaped it. The devices had whined as their legs had been eaten by the lava until their core had been burnt. The remnants of Granny Goodness’ battalion had been killed or burnt too just after Steppenwolf had been killed.

June was their last enemy – without counting the other Lena. He was unpredictable. Impossible to reason. He didn't seem to listen to Liz who was desperately asking her family not to intervene.

"I got this. Stay back." She kept saying but Lena was worrying to her core.

Everything could happen. They had succeeded. They had defeated – killed – their enemies and June's tormentors like Liz wanted to. But they were now hiding behind remnants of buildings and broken cars and crumbled add panels to avoid June's attacks. It felt like a déjà vu.

And there was no trace of her alter ego. The other Lena had disappeared once again. Lena hoped it would be for good, that she had rejoined her daughter and traveled back to their dimension. She hoped her alter ego wasn't waiting in a corner for a window to hurt June.

Alone behind a flaming car, Lena watched the chaos go on. She knew Kara was pacing the sky, ready to intervene but the dark deep smoke hid her flying figure. Andrea was hiding on the other side of the sidewalk, behind a still standing pillar, her thigh bleeding from a nasty bite through the makeshift tourniquet Nia had made for her. Alex and Kelly were ahead of them, closer to Liz, leaning against each other, on a perched bloc of concrete, safely out of the lava's way. Esme and the Bat-family had taken Jason to the satellite, just like J'onn had taken M'gann back too. Nia and Brainy were watching from a roof, reuniting the dead bodies of the Amazons with Wonder Woman's help for their future funerals while Sydney was sitting on the roof moulding, tears rolling down her face from the shock of seeing her fellow Amazons dead and killing Steppenwolf. Lena couldn't even tell if she was noticing what was happening below her.

There was nothing interesting to see anyway. Corpses of creatures and Amazons that had fallen from the roof were covering the boulevard. Lone limbs were stolen from seagulls eager to have fresh food. Lena felt acid crawling along her pipes as she noticed one of them pulling out an eye from its socket and swallowing it without chewing. She got sick on her shoes, cleaning her mouth with her already stained sleeve.

Kara landed next to her, put a hand on her back to try and ease the pain. Lena gazed at her through blurry eyes. Kara smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. What a fucking mess. And it wasn't over. Lena was partly glad none of the citizens or journalists had broken the barriers they had installed at the borders of the neighborhood. Or maybe some did and their bodies were now covering the concrete like the others. Lena didn't want to know.

As the lava was almost reaching them, Kara circled her arms around Lena and pushed on her feet to keep them just above the burning soil but down enough to still be protected from June's fury. Lena noticed Andrea being hissed up by Wonder Woman and her lasso. At least the others were safe.

The nausea in her stomach only increased as she watched Liz approach June tentatively. She couldn't tell what was going on between them. June was now panting smoke in the middle of the road. Liz was walking to him with her hands extended in a surrender gesture. They weren't talking out loud. And even if they did, Lena wasn't sure she could have heard them.

Her heart was beating too loud in her ears. The blood was coursing through her veins like liquid fire. Her muscles felt so tense she couldn't move. She was terrified. More than she had been while entering this battle. Under the dark blue sky, Lena wondered why their life had to be this complicated. Why one of their plans couldn't just go without a hitch. Why they had to suffer through everything.

And then, she saw June fall on his knees in the lava. Surrendering. Shifting back to his human form. She saw Liz freeze the lave to stone with one motion of her hands. And she remembered there were pains going deeper around them than the one she was actually feeling.

"Tell me, little worm - do they regard you as someone strong, someone nasty, in your own world? This is not your world. This is where darkness, where cruelty and power, are all born.You aren't "nasty," little worm - you're only human. We are gods. We don't aspire to cruelty, we are cruelty!"

– Granny Goodness

He was used to fighting. He was born for it. But even the most trained warrior of Darkseid couldn't compete against his own emotions. The truth was, he was exhausted. Ashamed. Disappointed with himself. Lena could see all that on his face. On the way his shoulders sagged as they circled him.

Kara, with her big heart and her sense of hope for every person she met, was already convinced to help him. It was in her eyes and in the yearning to take a step closer to that boy and hug him. It was in her fingers stretching slightly towards action.

Lena sighed. It was her little brother but also her daughter's archenemy. This boy could be their best and their worst. But she couldn't deny the link between Liz and June. A long time ago, their souls had been separated. They were reunited. They needed to be reassembled.

Lena looked at Kara, transmitting her decision through her eyes. She never asked for permission, Kara knew that. Instead, she was informing her that she was about to put herself in danger and the hero had to deal with it. Kara only nodded slightly, a serious frown on her face. She was ready to intervene if necessary.

Lena walked past Liz. Her daughter was as wrecked as their enemy. She put a light hand on her shoulder in a small act of comfort, before stepping in front of June, who was still crying silently on his knees, in the middle of the wreckage he was the cause of. She fell on her knees too and took the boy's chin in her hand. She truly looked at him for the first time. He had red hair that she couldn't link to anybody in their family. His eyes were dark like obsidians, almost black. So different from the light green the Luthors owned. But his face, this anger, this shame, it was all sculpted on Luthor's features. She recognized their father's angular jaws and his high cheekbones. She recognized the intelligence and the despair in his glare. The challenge there. I dare you to love me, you fool. She had seen it so many times in the mirror.

This boy was definitely a product of the worst their father could have done with the means in his hands. Looking at him, at how ashamed and frustrated he looked, at how broken he seemed, Lena could only find a bit of Lex in him. It was heartbreaking. June could have had a normal life, could have gone to school and grown up surrounded by love and support but he had nothing of that. He had been deprived of it just because Lionel Luthor decided for him.

Throwing a last glance to Kara above her shoulders, Lena had the confirmation she needed. The fight had lasted long enough. This family had been broken long enough. In a last exhale, she leaned slowly on her knees and approached her hands to June's shaking shoulders. His whole body tensed but he didn't move away. He didn't have any fight left in him. He was ready to face death or any other punishment they thought he deserved.

But he only received a hug. Uncomfortable at first. Weird. Awkward. Then Lena pulled at his back and he fell in her embrace. Her perfume was comforting. Her voice soft in his ear was repeating the same words over and over.

"It's okay. Now, we got you."

June felt his heart go wild. His lungs started to tremble. And he broke down into uncontrollable sobs in her arms, confused but relieved. His hands clenched around Lena's tactical jacket so tightly that the woman felt it through her chest. The desperation for her not to go away. The boy's pain was constricting her own heart.

"It's over. We got you." She whispered again, wishing with all her reason that it would truly be over. That they truly could help him.

As she pulled away from him and helped him stand up, Liz approached and extended her hand. He took it and without a second thought, pulled her in a hug too. It was impossible to avoid. So hard to resist. Like gravity. Like meeting an old friend and trying not to be too eager. Unthinkable.

They hugged in the middle of concrete remains, surrounded by all of Liz's close ones. Long minutes passed before June decided to pull away to finally look at her. He wasn't seeing the weak girl anymore. It was like looking in a mirror, seeing a different version of himself than the one he had in his head. But he knew it was him nonetheless. He recognized himself in her. Recognized the joy he was lacking. The love he didn't know about. For all the things he had, she had the contrary. She had dark brown hair when he had red hair. She had bright clear eyes when his were dark as black holes. She was smiling and crying. He was crying and destroyed.

Welcome home.

A small smile appeared on his face. Very small and cautious, like the first step a baby would take after so many times spent scrambling around on his knees. And then, it morphed into pain, just as Liz cried out with a hand on her chest.

June followed her hand and watched a circle of red expand on her suit. His mouth opened wide before he realized he was hurting too. Eyeing his stomach, he realized the wound was his, not hers. Just like the arrow. He had been shot. He turned around on shaking feet and saw Lena ran to another Lena and grabbed her by the neck.

Another shot erupted. One of the Lenas fell on the ground, a hole in her head. A spark of lightning erupted in the black sky and a weird man appeared next to them. June's vision went blurry after that. His blood was still burning from the new serum Katrach had put through his veins. His eyes rolled inside his skull. As he fell on his side, his last vision was Supergirl cradling Liz in her arms, crying and screaming for help.

"What constitutes a legend? Is it powers and abilities beyond those of mortals? Or a warrior's heart that refuses to be defeated? For centuries without number, from ancient campfires to towering buildings, Man has relied on legends to keep the night at bay. Men call me the Phantom Stranger, and some say I am a legend, too. If that is true, I am proud to be among them! * For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly realms.*"

– Justice League's Legends, DC Comics.

*Ephesians 6:12

Chapter Text

DAY 4142 – EARTH PRIME – YEAR 2039 December 21st

The Unique Soul

Part Three

Lost. That was the first feeling she recognized. Not that she didn't know where she was. She was in the satellite, sitting between Liz's and June's beds, far enough so that Snowflake – back in his cat form – wouldn't growl at her. But she was lost.

Sydney didn't know what had happened a few hours ago. Couldn't explain it. She had killed a New God, avenging the deaths of her sisters. Avenging the torture her people had endured. But she had no recollection of it. It was all a blur. And then, Liz had been shot – or rather June – and she had felt so hurt for her that her breath had been stuck in her throat since then. She had watched the panic unfold on the ground. The little crowd forming around Liz and June. The weird man appearing next to another Lena, the Lena who had actually pulled the trigger. She had watched this man discuss with Kara and the others before he had taken the other Lena away in a flash of blue light. And since then, she had just been guided from one room to another. Sobbing. Aghast.

Shocked was a close second to lost. Sydney couldn't pinpoint the last time she had felt this tense in her chest. This heavy in her limbs. She was terrified for Liz. She was terrified that she wouldn't be able to see the light and the love reflect in those blue orbs again. She was terrified of herself. For herself. She feared that she wouldn't be able to find the Sydney she had known all her life.

She had killed someone. Because her queen had asked her to. She wasn't mad at Diana. It was necessary. But maybe she'd preferred not to be a part of it. Maybe she would have preferred for Diana to kill Steppenwolf herself. Maybe she wouldn't be this lost right now.

The beeping machines were the only sounds interrupting her thoughts. And boots marching towards the medical bay. Boots she knew all too well. She scrunched up her face in anticipation. An Amazon shouldn't be seen crying. Amazons were strong and confident. Not weak and traumatized by the battle.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Sydney didn't turn around. She didn't cross her gaze. She didn't want to see disappointment there. Or worse. She felt her presence though. Heard the footsteps. Around the first bed, across the metal panels. Right behind her. And she felt the hand on her shoulder, weighing. Asking her to look up.

When she met Diana's eyes, Sydney was pleading her not to say anything more. She didn't want to discuss it. Diana read it on her face, Sydney knew it. It was noticeable in the way her eyebrows shifted briefly. Her lips thinned. Her big brown eyes softened. Then she slid a single finger under Sydney's chin when she tried to look away.

"Talk to me, please."

It was their thing. Since Sydney was born, she had been under Diana's care, learning everything from her. From walking, to talking, to Greek mythology and her love for humans' culture. Diana had been a mother figure. Someone she had to trust because she only had her anyway. For that, they had to learn how to talk to each other. Knowing how her mother had raised her, it was no surprise to learn Diana wasn't overly sharing her feelings and emotions. But she had learned to do so while living on Earth, while living close to humans. Living with one of them for years.

So, when Sydney arrived, born from a woman's soul who had perished under the fists of a man, she had taught her it was better to talk about her feelings than to keep it in herself. Sydney had always been an introverted child. Always shy. Always skittish. Diana had first thought it was remnants of her past life's personality. The consequences of a violent death. But it never diminished with age. Sydney preferred books while her sisters were learning how to throw a spear on a moving target. She preferred to stay alone while her sisters were sharing secrets and confidences in their dormitory. Diana had seen it as Sydney's particularity. Sydney wasn't like the others and she wouldn't ask her to be. Instead, she took her under her wing, knowing too well how it could be perceived to be different on Themyscira.

"I can feel your anger. I'm sure you have something to tell me."

Sydney sighed. Anger was a general feeling at the moment. She was angry at Liz and June for being in a coma. She was angry at Lena 2.0. for daring wasting their chance at victory. She was angry at Kara and Lena and all the others for not finding a solution and let Liz die slowly. She was angry at herself for being so weak.

She grabbed her hair and sighed dejectedly. "I just want everything to stop."

Diana didn't talk for a while. She then walked away to retrieve another chair and sat next to her, her hand coming on a jerking knee.

"What's everything?"

Sydney raised two wet eyes. "Everything. These feelings. I don't know who I am anymore."

The hand on her knee squeezed lightly. It tickled a bit but Sydney didn't have the strength to smile.

"You are Sydney Prince, daughter of Themyscira." Sydney met Diana's eyes. "My daughter." Diana smiled softly, raising her hand to push away a lock of wavy red hair. "You are this intelligent, soulful young woman. A terrific fighter when you put your heart into it. And a very loyal friend." She looked away. Sydney followed her gaze to Liz's form on the bed.

"I don't know if I can be all that anymore."

Her tone was weak, uneven. She hated it. Her sisters wouldn't be proud of her. Diana should be disgusted.

"Why not?"

Sydney sighed once again and turned on her sit. She played with her fingers, not knowing what to say, how to say it, until Diana stopped her with a cool hand.

"Is it about what happened today? On the battlefield?"

Sydney shrugged but her face scrunched up at the mention of the people they lost, the ones they killed. Diana sighed in front of her and leaned closer to meet her eyes.

"Is this about Steppenwolf?"

This time, Sydney nodded in admission, her eyes squeezed shut, ready to be reprimanded for her wrong behavior. Just like it would happen on Themyscira every time she would disagree to fight one of her sisters and the general in charge would put her in lockdown for two days. Only for Diana to intervene the very same day and free her.

"It's okay to feel guilty, you know." Diana's voice was soft, remorseful. "I shouldn't have put that responsibility into your hands. It was too much. I see it now."

"No, it's… It was…" Diana's hand on her shoulder cut her off.

"You don't have to reassure me. I know you, Sydney. You're not a warrior. You don't like violence. It's not new, you've been that way all your life."

"Yes, but they all died and he deserved to pay for it."

"He did. And I'm sure we wouldn't be here if he was still alive but, don't get me wrong, I don't like killing people either."

Diana's earnest eyes and words helped Sydney feel relieved for the first time since they had come back from National City.

"It was your first battle. The shock is normal. It was brutal and nothing could've prepared you for that reality. It was my mistake to make you do it. It wasn't your responsibility." Diana finished in a sad exhale, her shoulders sagging in failure.

"It's okay." Sydney tried a smile but it looked more like a grimace.

"It's not but thank you for trying." Diana replied firmly. "Just know I'm here if you want to talk about it."

Sydney nodded absentmindedly, her eyes straying towards Liz's form. Talk was something she had to do and with more than one person.

"During the battle," She paused, turning her gaze back to Diana slowly. "I realized I've never told you how grateful I am for the things you've done to me." She swallowed hard, images of Diana bleeding, unconscious on the ground hitting her like instant flashes of memories. "I was so scared of losing you. We lost so many of us already." She finished in a whisper, her eyes drifting to Liz again.

Diana grabbed at her hand and caressed a loose thumb over her skin in a rare gesture of comfort. "I'm glad you're okay too. Don't worry, Lena will find a solution to bring her back."

Sydney's head whipped back at her, a blush forming on her cheeks. "I…"

Diana smiled softly. "Didn't I mention I know you since you were born?" She winked playfully at her. "You both know each other since you're little. Feelings are natural and I'm happy for you if you are."

Sydney's exhale came out in a flourish of her lips. "For now, there is nothing to be happy about. I hope they'll both wake up quickly."

"Everybody's working on it." Diana nodded. "Which brings out the other reason why I was searching for you." Sydney looked at her quizzically. "I have to go help in Asia. Kal-El is loosing territory."

"What? But you are injured!"

Diana stood up as if to prove she was okay. "I'm not anymore. I'll be okay, don't worry. I'll come back for the ship's return."

Sydney stood up too, facing her with her lips shaking already. "Whatever I'll say, you'll go anyway."

Diana's head tilted from right to left. "It's part of my duties." She approached and cupped Sydney's face in her hands. "I know you'll be in good hands, though. Just don't stay here brooding all day. Go find Esme and help her. It'll help to make you useful."

Sydney pinched her lips in resignation. Diana was right. There was nothing she could do here. There were cameras on Liz and June, the retransmission was probably visible from every lab in the satellite. You could count on Lena to have an eye on her daughter wherever she would be.

"Okay." She sighed. "Promise you'll be cautious?"

Diana kissed her forehead and nodded. "You have my promise. Stay safe." She started to walk away before turning back by the door. "I love you, Sydney."

Sydney's wet smile brightened her face with a bittersweet emotion. Before leaving the med bay, her eyes lingered on Liz's form as she prayed Athena and Artemis to help them. All of them.

There was this thing about Winter's Solstice. It was the darkest day of the year. In every possible way.

Lena knew about the frustration of not finding a solution. Frustration had been a good friend those past seventeen years. What she wasn't accustomed to was the uselessness. Her uselessness. She wasn't the type to throw herself a pity party, but this time, she didn't know how to rebound. She didn't know how to find hope again. And she didn't know how to feel useful again. Because she was supposed to save her own daughter, it was her role, her duty and until now, she had failed to that duty. She had let Liz be beaten up, get hurt, be ingrained into a battle she was too young for and now, now, her baby was unconscious in a bed, on the verge of dying and she couldn't do anything about it. She was useless.

Lena rubbed her eyes with irritation. They were burning as if salt water had replaced her aqueous humor. She recognized the symptoms from a time she had worn her contacts for too long at work. All red around the green. All puffy from exhaustion. All shadowed from the anxiety of getting her daughter back to them in one piece.

"Here."

Kara's voice was deep but gentle. Rocky from the long time she had spent not talking. Lena looked at her hands, seeing Kara extend her glasses to her. The ones that always stayed on her nightstand for her to read with at night. The ones nobody had seen other than Alex during their long nights sharing a lab while Kara was in the Phantom Zone. Back in the day. A lifetime ago.

"Thanks."

She tried to smile but nothing reached her eyes. It was too painful. They came out of the battle victorious but it didn't feel that way. Liz and June were in a coma, battling for their life, their hearts slowing in synchronicity minute after minute and they couldn't do anything about it. They had no solution. No spell that could heal them, no magic potion that could put them back on their feet.

The other Lena had used a special sort of bullet to shoot June in the abdomen. Brainy was analyzing it, disassembling it piece by piece but there was no news for now. He was sure he had never seen that substance before though. The powder in the bullet was a technology developed in another dimension by another evil Luthor who had been taken away by the Monitor and sent back to her dimension without them having the possibility to even reach her. Was Lena having an anxiety attack? She was close to.

If they didn't find a solution, Liz and June would die. And the other Lena would come out of it unscathed, with a fresh beginning ahead of her and no recollection of what she had done. Speak of justice.

"You should take it easy."

Lena dropped the glasses on the desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. Kara's worry was justified, she knew it, but it was not reasonable. She couldn't just go back home to sleep or heal her wounds while they all worked together here to help Liz.

"You know I can't."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just very worried for everybody."

Lena turned on her heels and found Kara with her arms crossed, her lower lip imprisoned between her teeth, her inhabited eyes downcast. She walked over to her and put two hands on her biceps.

"I'm worried too. I heard the situation isn't going well in Asia."

Kara shook her head. "They're losing. Diana wants to go help them. I was coming to ask you if you needed my help."

Lena sighed. In one, egotistical, hand, she didn't want Kara to go. They had already lost a lot of their people, Amazons particularly, and almost lost Victor. Kara had been extremely poisoned by Kryptonite and, even if she was fine now, Lena didn't want her to risk her life again so soon.

In the other hand, she already knew Kara had made her decision, that with or without her consent, she would go help her cousin and their friends fight Darkseid on the other side of the planet. Sometimes, living with a superhero was particularly hard.

"There's nothing much you can do here, if it's your question." Lena motioned to the computers and screens transmitting the video surveillance of Liz and June in the med bay. "I can't find anything. I'm useless too, so you know, better be useful elsewhere."

She crossed her arms, frustrated to the core, worried for their daughter. Worried for this whole world still in jeopardy. What if they couldn't contain Darkseid in Asia? It would be the end for them all. Liz would have fought for nought.

"Hey," Kara circled her arms around her. "Don't say that! You're useful. There's literally nobody that can find a solution better than you. It's magic and it's about your bloodline. I'm sure you'll find something."

Lena shook her head. There was one thing she could see as a solution but had refused to express it aloud, too scared of it being the ultimate truth. She raised terrified eyes to meet Kara's. The usually upbeat and confident superhero seemed to take a pause back.

"What?"

"Kara… What if the only solution is to…"

She never finished her sentence, her voice wavering at every syllable. Kara's face of horror was enough to indicate she had understood. She shook her head violently, grabbing Lena's arms fiercely.

"There is a solution, do you hear me?! It's not the end. It can't end like this!" Her eyes kept swaying between despair and terror. "You can't lose hope now. Liz needs you! We all need you!"

Lena frowned. What an unfortunate moment to be the only Luthor capable of fixing something and be the only Luthor not confident enough to believe she could do it.

"Did you ask Florence for her help?"

Lena's head whipped up to meet Kara's eyes. Her own went wide. She hadn't thought about it. How idiot of her.

"I… No?"

"Then I'll go fetch her in Ireland and bring her here before going to Asia with Diana, J'onn, Nia and Vic to help Kal."

Lena nodded, already accustomed to the idea of Kara going back to the battle. "Be careful? The kids should come back around four."

"I know." Kara pulled Lena in a tight hug, her nose diving into dark long hair. "I'll come back before they land."

Lena hummed against her, relief flooding in her chest as she felt Kara's presence all around her, reassuring her. After all these years, it was only Kara and their children who could push away her fears and reinsuring hope into her heart.

"I'm glad you came back okay."

"I was fine. You, on the contrary."

Kara huffed against her. "It was only a little Kryptonite."

"Uh uh. A little."

"Nothing can beat your solar serum."

Lena snorted. "Is this the patented name?"

Kara pulled away with a grin. "Why not?" She shrugged. "Only for Kryptonian purpose." She said, mimicking a speaker voice.

Lena smiled softly at her, shaking her head. "I love you. Be careful." She repeated.

"I love you too." Kara leaned to kiss her softly. "Don't forget to drink water and eat something. You'll save our daughter better that way."

Lena shoved her away, rolling her eyes. "Go save the world."

"On it, my lady!" Kara saluted before walking away.

Lena smiled before remembering their situation. For an instant, she had forgotten her worries. Kara was so sure she could do it that she had succeeded in making her forget their daughter was in a coma. She was so optimistic about their success and worried about Lena that she had put her own worries away for a moment, just to be there for Lena and reassure her. If it wasn't love…

Lena turned back to the computers with her heart beating fast and pulled her mother's spell book from under a pile of files. She opened it at the prophecy page and gathered her hair in a ponytail, using the hair band on her wrist. She read the pages again, the sense of familiarity coming back as the words slid in front of her eyes, so well-known, yet so strange. Lena had the instinct the solution was right there. In the prophecy. In their history.

Kara was right. The solution had to be magic. She needed Florence. And maybe the help of their coven.

And just like that hope and confidence were back in the most cautious Luthor of them all.

Having a mother working in the medical field helped a bit, Esme had to admit it. But she truly loved helping people. Although it didn't make the task easier when it was on family members, being useful and capable of healing someone was a good feeling. A great one, even.

As Brainy was busy analyzing the powder of the bullet shot at June, Esme was bandaging Kelly's thigh with gauze and protecting it with sterile bandages to avoid infection. It was refreshing to be able to realize such a common task for the medical student who had to divide her life with her superhero duties. Esme loved being a superhero and fight right next to her mothers but she also loved to be useful in a more earth-y way.

"Here, all good." She said while releasing her mother's leg.

"Thanks, baby. You should go see if Damian and Dick are okay in the locker room, they've been gone for a while."

Esme huffed and packed the supplies back in her mother's bag. "You're right. They're probably stitching each other up without any anesthesia."

Kelly winced at the mention. "Yeah, better hurry."

Esme nodded and grabbed at the emergency bag before quitting the lab. "Don't walk on your leg if you can avoid it." She shouted while crossing the door.

On her way to the locker room, she came across Sydney who was walking towards the lab she had just departed.

"Hey."

"How're you feeling?"

"Terrible. How's Kelly's leg doing?"

"All bandaged up." Esme smiled but it fell as she watched Sydney's lost eyes travel down. "I was about to go see what the guys are up to in the locker room, wanna come along?"

Sydney shrugged. "I don't know if I'll be any help."

"Don't worry, you can be my little assistant." Esme smiled at her as she passed an arm around the taller girl. "Come on. They're probably doing a mess."

On the way towards the locker room, Sydney stayed silent. Esme observed her by the corner of her eye and remarked the dry tear tracks and a crestfallen face. Sydney's breakdown after the battle wasn't a secret. They had all been worried about her state. Only it had fallen at the back side after June's shooting and the problems in Asia piling up.

"Do you know what you'll do next year?" She asked, knowing too well Sydney loved school, loved to learn and was destined for a great career in whatever field she would decide to study and work in.

"I applied in different universities but I'd like Oxford."

Sydney's voice stayed even, uninterested. As if her mind was several miles away.

"England, uh? Is it because Liz had applied there too?" Esme shoved her playfully with her elbow, a smirk coming on her face.

It was no secret either that the two young women were attracted to each other. It was like seeing the moon meet the stars. It was natural. Meant to be.

"It surely isn't because of the weather." Sydney grumbled, putting her hands in her pockets moodily.

Esme's barked laugh was unintentional. Sydney couldn't look more like a teenager right now.

"I mean, going to Uni together could really help the both of you becoming closer."

Sydney frowned immediately and, for the first time since they had left the lab hallway, her eyes met Esme's.

"We're already close."

"I know. I meant closer than this close…"

The blush covering Sydney's cheeks made Esme proud.

"For that, she needs to wake up."

Esme stopped in her tracks, just a few meters away from the locker door, realizing her mistake evoking Liz at a time like this. The grip on her heart she had so desperately worked hard to forget was back. Squeezing tight. Liz was more than a cousin. She was like a little sister. They all felt very concerned about her fate but this time they were so close to losing her that it was almost impossible to think about it. Esme couldn't think about it. Or else she wouldn't be able to follow up on her day and it couldn't happen. There were people counting on her.

Feeling a bit guilty for reminding Sydney of Liz's coma, Esme approached slowly to her, as if she would approach a wild animal, and carefully, very carefully, she took her into her arms. It was common knowledge that Sydney only accepted proximity from Liz and Diana sometimes but mostly Liz. Sydney startled first and circled her arms around her then, her cheek brushing Esme's ear with the height difference.

"I know it's scary. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked about her."

Sydney nodded against her in acknowledgement but said nothing. They stayed there, in the middle of the hallway for a couple of minutes before Sydney pulled away.

"Thanks." She said, clearing her throat. "I just miss her a lot already. I try not to think about it or else I fall into a rabbit hole and it serves nobody."

Esme agreed silently. Observing Sydney's stance, her way to stand and to hide her hands in her sleeves, she realized how young she was. Liz and Sydney were just seventeen. Since the both of them were this talented in fighting and this mature for their age, they all had the tendency to forget it. But these girls were so young and they already had seen too much. They didn't have time to enjoy youth like they should have. Going to parties, making mistakes. They had been thrown into the adult worlds very early. Fortunately, Esme said to herself, they had each other. They had found each other and it was all that could be wished for them. Not to be alone in their fate.

"I miss her too. It's terrifying but we can't lose hope now. Aunt Lena will find a solution to bring her back." Esme grabbed at Sydney's hand. "I promise you. This family is invincible, they can't get rid of us."

Sydney smiled softly and Esme took it as a victory. She pulled on the tan hand in hers.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to do stitches. Are you interested in medical studies?"

Sydney shrugged. "I'm more into psychology but that'll do for today." She smiled bigger.

Esme snorted and pulled her towards the locker room. If there was one thing she loved more than being helpful on the battlefield, it was being helpful to her family. There was no better reward.

Florence had been in the satellite for close to ten minutes and Lena was already on the verge of yelling at her for disorganizing her desk and scouring through blueprints she couldn't even read. Taking deep breaths, she tried to keep her cool, realizing it was the stress speaking, the tension tied to her muscles, tightening her jaws, squeezing her stomach. She didn't need to lash out on the only person able to help her. First, it wouldn't be fair – see how ten years living with Kara Danvers had changed her? – and second, it would serve no one.

"My dear, I thought you had more intelligence in you than this." Florence said while pushing away blueprints of a Kryptonian-like cocoon Lena had worked on. A last solution to keep Liz and June in limbo while they found another way to bring them back. It had just been an idea thrown on paper, then Brainy had turned it into plans. She hadn't worked on it for a year though.

"What are you thinking then?"

Florence smiled, walking slowly around the desk, taking another paper, reading the notes quickly before throwing it back on the pile of papers.

"Witch's knots." She shrugged.

Lena scoffed. "Knots? It's just a trend for teenagers who want to try their hands at Wicca. Does it even work?"

"Your coven mark was a trend too and I can tell you I was aware when you were being tortured by your brother." Florence answered wittily.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do you suggest? Tattooing one on them and see if it works?"

"No!" Florence scoffed, meeting her eyes with offense. "There're old rituals. With wool knots. Each ritual has its purpose. Do you read other things than your damn mother's book?" She threw the said spell book on the desk towards Lena.

Lena took the book and wrapped her arms around it protectively. "Hey! She was your friend!"

"My sister." Florence corrected solemnly. "But even she knew she had to go further than her coven to learn more."

Lena rolled her eyes for the second time. Sometimes, when she was spending a lot of time with Florence, she would get migraines.

"Alright, then please wise witch of us all, light the way." She mocked while bowing in front of Florence. The old woman shoved her away playfully and grabbed at a book.

"Look at this, chapter three."

"What? Is it witchcraft for nobody's?"

"More or less. It explains Wiccan rituals and customs."

"I know about Wiccan customs."

"Then I don't have to remind you the power of the knots. If we summon the right God, it can work."

Lena took a minute or two to read the page about the witch's knots. She raised quizzical eyes on Florence. "You think we can reunite their souls with a witch's knot? Wouldn't it be too simple?"

"Sometimes, the simplest magic works the best." Florence pulled away her sleeve and showed her coven mark to Lena. At her wrist, there was a red wool bracelet. "The coven mark works like a rune. It's simple, ugly, but it works. And the wool works like a potion. You drink a filter and expect to be healed. Well, wear a wool bracelet and expect to be protected." She shrugged as it was all the logic Lena needed.

Lena frowned though. A long time ago, this sort of logic would have thrown her out of her comfort zone, would have made her wonder if she wasn't going crazy, but after all the rune tattoos she had on her body, all the creatures she had fought, all the weird things she had experienced, this little wool bracelet working wouldn't be so crazy.

"Alright, but which type of knot?"

"Uh, that's the question. And I think we should combine it with Slavic runes or Celtic ones, just to be sure."

Lena's finger slid on her chin in reflection. "My mother used to talk about my grandmother's tattoo. She had a photo of her in the living room and quite often, she would show me the mark on her chest, barely visible through her top, and tell me it was the mark of our bloodline. A protection mark."

"Maybe she wrote it in her journal."

Lena agreed and started flipping the page of her mother's journal. She found it quickly with, curiously, the said photo of her grandmother. She had flipped through this journal so many times but had never found the picture before. Sometimes, she wondered if the journal wasn't under a charm as well. Only presenting the pages she needed to see at the given time. Only if she asked nicely.

"Here." Lena showed the picture to Florence. "The mark could mean something for Liz and June."

"It's like a coven mark but entirely linked to your bloodline. Do you have it?"

"No, I had completely forgotten it existed until now."

Florence huffed good-naturedly. "See, you pretend to know everything but forget about your own bloodline mark."

Lena rolled her eyes but smiled softly. She internally admitted Florence was right. She didn't know everything about magic and, thankfully, she had the old witch to guide her.

"That's what you're here for, you know."

Florence snorted. "Yeah, what a present your mother gave me. An amateur."

"Hey! I'm not that horrible at witchcraft."

"There's only place for improvement, that's for sure."

Lena shook her head, cursing the old witch in her head. Secretly, she loved their banter but she would never admit it.

"Come on, mark it on me, for starters. We'll see what effect it has."

Florence rolled her eyes and looked at her pointedly. "You want to mark yourself with a mark you don't know the effect of?"

Lena shrugged. "My grand mother had it, it shouldn't be that awful!" Truly, she was mostly ready to do anything if it could help them save Liz and June.

"Alright. You've been warned."

Florence read the instructions on the spell book and grabbed at Lena's wrist to mark it symmetrically to her other coven mark. The burn was instant. Then came the flow of magic in a form of a spasm. Goosebumps on her skin. And finally, Lena smiled, her eyes tearing a bit.

"It's like feeling all of them linked to me through an invisible string."

Florence smiled softly at her in compassion. "Now, we know it can't kill you."

Lena flipped a shaky finger at her. "That's a good start."

Florence agreed then flipped the pages back to the witch's knots. "Alright, so I think we should combine this mark with Celtic runes because your bloodline comes from the Celtics and use the trinity knot."

"Okay, let's start with the knot."

Lena perused a ball of wool in a drawer – Kara's new hobby when she was on-call in the satellite - and extended it to Florence. "Show me?"

Florence rolled her eyes but took the ball. And as simple as that, the old witch showed her apprentice how to knit a witch's knot and summon the divinities linked to it.

Self control was starting to slip away. Darkseid wasn't battling with half measures. It was with a big army and incredible weapons. No wonder Superman himself had some difficulties fighting back. Kal was actually dusting himself off of the blocs of concrete he had crashed into after Darkseid himself had punched him in the face, sending him to collide with a building.

The difference from National City's battle with this one was obvious. The population didn't know what hit them. They weren't expecting it here. They didn't have the time to empty the streets, protect the citizens, like they did in America. And it was devastating to notice the collateral damage from afar.

As Kara drifted closer to Kal, in mid-air, she noticed two children stuck in a car that had been thrown away in the battle and was now dangerously sliding from the roof it had landed on. She rushed to take the car in her arms and pushed it back onto the roof. The building shook under them, crumbling under the assault of Superman and Darkseid's fighting. She sighed and thought for a moment how dangerous it was for everyone out there to just be here. They should have asked for Flash to help them. They should have called the whole league, actually. Not go in there alone.

When they had arrived, Kal was fighting Darkseid, tooth and nail, so they hurried towards the citizens to put them into safety but Kal was slowly losing battle. Batwoman had already been out and Kara had carried her away on a rooftop before asking Nia and Victor to bring her back to the satellite. It was not a battle for the league anyway. It was a Kryptonian matter. Darkseid was there for them. He was there for Kal-El.

"You cannot fight the power of Apokolips, Kryptonian." Darkseid's voice boomed against the broken walls, the street unrecognizable from the moment they had arrived.

Up in the air, Kara watched her cousin be manhandled easily, thrown away like a rag-doll into another still standing building. She frowned, not knowing what the best strategy was. Diana was somewhere out there, probably observing too. Squinting her eyes, she found her hiding behind a corner, closer to the battle than she thought.

Darkseid's army was similar to the one who had attacked National City. There were monsters with all shapes and forms, sometimes not able to walk properly, but strangely still able to shoot Kryptonite blasts from their blasting guns. The army had been severely reduced though. J'onn had helped Kal shooting the soldiers with laser eyes before being shot away, leaving J'onn bleeding from the bullet hole in his shoulder while flying away and Kal crashing on the ground, vulnerable to Darkseid.

Kara knew J'onn was now circling the area for the remaining citizens stuck in this situation, nursing his wound. It only left Diana and herself to distract Darkseid or finish the job while Kal escaped. She didn't know what the Amazon's plan was but she couldn't wait for instructions. Her cousin was being beaten up, his mouth spitting blood each time Darkseid hit him. She had to do something.

In an impulsive decision, Kara flew quickly in between the two men fighting and crashed into Darkseid. It was time for action. Darkseid wanted a Kryptonian, he'd get two of them.

Kara dragged him through the heap of rubble he had helped form and punched him as strongly as she could, gathering all her anger into her fists. She then burned his face off with heat vision. He cried out in pain but she couldn't care less. On the side, she noticed Diana running after them, jumping from right to left, ready to take her turn.

With a last punch, Kara sent Darkseid into the air, knowing Diana would be there. She watched Wonder Woman hit Darkseid in mid-air with her shield, sending him on the left with a grunt. Together, they met in front of him, sitting on a throne formed by broken glass and pieces of walls. Diana pulled out her sword and pointed it to his chest. His only reaction was to laugh.

"You can kill me. My lieutenants will find you sooner or later and avenge my death."

Kal landed heavily next to them, supporting himself on wobbly legs. Kara passed an arm around him and met Diana's eyes before frowning at Darkseid in front of them.

"Your lieutenants? You mean the ones in National City?"

The New God nodded, coughing grey blood. He put his finger on the end of Diana's sword, a small smile spreading on his face.

"Granny Goodness will never let me die without consequences."

Kara's frown deepened. How couldn't he be aware already? Weren't they communicating or something? She shook her head to disperse the thoughts. She didn't care, actually. It was even better to announce the news live.

"Granny Goodness is dead."

Darkseid's face fell a bit. He tried to stand up but Diana stopped him with her sword.

"Don't move!" She circled her lasso on him for safety.

"You're lying! She can't be dead, she's too strong!"

Kara pulled away from Kal to grab Darkseid's collar and look him in the eyes. "We killed her. And Katrach. And all your monsters. June is on our side." She dropped him back onto the pile. "It's over. You lost."

Darkseid looked crestfallen. As if he couldn't conceive the possibility of such news. He tried to stand up once again in protest. This time, Kara's heat vision almost hit him in between the legs.

"Move and your death will be painful." She threatened.

He chuckled bitterly. "I won't let this happen. It's not the end."

Quickly, he gathered his hands together and pushed a button on his wristband. A Boom Tube opened above him. Kara extended a hand but remembered on the last minute that she couldn't follow him to Apokolips. They let the Tube swallow him.

"That piece of…!" Diana didn't finish her sentence, kicking a broken lamppost instead. "Two Kryptonians faster than a bullet and an Amazon with the quickness of Hermes and we couldn't stop him!"

Kara winced but was distracted by Kal who fell on his knees, his green veins covering his skin. She hurried to carry him back on her shoulders.

"Come on. He needs a sun lamp. There's nothing more we can do here."

Diana grumbled again, her temper surprising Kara for an instant before she realized Darkseid was at the root of all the problems the Amazons encountered with Steppenwolf. If Darkseid hadn't banished Steppenwolf and forced him to retrieve the Mother boxes, he wouldn't have attacked the Amazons in the first place. Killing Darkseid was a long quest, one that Diana had carried on her back all her life. It was only natural for her to be furious when faced with their failure.

"We'll search for him and avenge your people. I promise." Kara said while balancing Kal on her shoulders.

Diana only shook her head tiredly. "No, you're right. It's over. He's gone."

With disappointment crossing her face, Diana took off in the air, Kara on her toes. She heard her call after J'onn in the coms, telling him they would send an operational team once they get back to the satellite to help him with the remaining citizens in danger. That was all they could do now. Go back to the satellite to bandage their wounds and try to fix the mess Darkseid and his lieutenants had left behind. And hope that Darkseid would never come back.

He woke up in a purple room. Or more like surrounded by a purple haze. It wasn't a room. There was no wall or ceiling. It was purple pulsing infinitely. He was not alone though. A white ball was buzzing in front of him. Foggy and floating, with a kind of glowing essence around it.

"Great! You have awakened!"

As the white ball approached, he knew with certainty that he was the black ball to this white ball. He was its contrary. Its antagonist. As much as he knew he was the black ball, he also knew the white one was Liz. Just like he knew where his nose was without having to check. It was natural knowledge. A continuation of himself.

"Where are we?"

His voice was an echo. Like a soulless creature reaching reality to be heard. He approached too and remarked he didn't need to concentrate to float as he would usually need.

"I think it's out magic pool."

"Our what?"

"Our magic. The one we share."

"But it's supposed to be in us, not outside."

"Magic is all around us. It's not a part of us. We're a part of it."

If June had a face, he would have frowned.

"But what are we doing here?"

"For someone usually discreet, you're talking a lot much." Liz's echo seemed amused. "I think we're waiting."

"For what? Can't you talk in full sentences?"

He was losing patience. He felt panicked. Stricken. Tense. And hurt. But he didn't know why he felt all that.

"Waiting for Mother Nature to decide if we deserve to live or not. To be reunited or not."

June floated several meters back. It would mean they were dying. There was no other option. Which meant Liz was right. It one of them was hurt, the other was hurting too.

"So, we're in limbo."

"Very much."

"Why do you talk like an old woman suddenly?"

Liz's echo giggled. "I'm not just the seventeen-year-old you know."

June couldn't find a way to expel all the questions he had at the moment. It was Liz's voice and he was pretty sure it was her soul too. He knew it in all of his essence.

"I am the addition of my bloodline. All my ancestors, the Unique witches are reunited in this essence."

June didn't know how to react to that. If she was a combination of multiple souls, why was he only feeling Liz's soul? More importantly, why was he feeling a unique soul in his own essence?

"What does it make me?"

"You're my Other, Liz's Other." The echo replied instantly, without an ounce of doubt.

"Where are the other Others?"

"Perished with time. None of them succeeded like you did."

"I didn't succeed." June couldn't help but contradict. "I lost our battle. I was defeated."

"No." The undeniable in the tone was back. "You found your way back."

Backing off, June felt his essence buzzing. Felt the core of his ball of soul expanding, bursting.

"What's happening?"

"It's okay. You found your way back. You deserve peace now. You'll be reunited with your soul."

An alarm erupted in the lab. The machines linked to Liz and June started to beep in panic. Liz and June were convulsing. Lena and Florence arrived in a rush, almost falling on each other as they met the room and the anarchy running in it.

"What's happening?!" Lena shouted as she entered the med bay.

"They're convulsing!" Kelly replied, hardly standing on her bandaged leg.

The med bay was in chaos. Liz and June were floating above their beds, convulsing, their eyes glowing purple. Liz's hands were thankfully controlled by her neutralizing gloves. There was this orange aura around June's throat, the lava in his esophagus ready to be left free. And wind. So much wind flowing through the room. They were in space. How was that even a logical thing?

Magic, Lena remembered thinking. They were not just convulsing. The magic in the room, in their bodies, was demanding attention. It had become a tension so powerful that it was breaking, sparkling everywhere. They needed to free them or they were risking a climax of energy. It could break the satellite into pieces. Reduce them all into dust. They had to do something. Right now.

"Lena, hurry! The knots!" Florence shouted at her.

Lena looked at the red wool ball in her hand. It was not something they were sure of. They didn't know if it would work.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"What if it does?!" Florence shot back. "We don't have anything else. Tie the knots, I'll trace the runes on them."

Lena nodded. Her eyes met Kelly's form, struggling against the magical wind in the room. It cruelly reminded her of the first attacks Liz had in the Tower when she was just six years old and not in control of her powers. When they didn't know that she was a Unique witch, born to save the world. A witch so powerful she could swallow her darkest part and make one with it.

Determined eyes replaced Lena's desperate ones. This was now or never. She quickly cast a spell around Kelly, a protection charm, forming a shield in front of her. Instantly, her sister-in-law stood without difficulty.

"Kelly, go out! It's unpredictable!"

Kelly didn't contradict her. She quit the room as quickly as possible but stayed close to the door. "Be careful, Lena! We can't lose you both!"

They didn't have time for that. They didn't have time to discuss their decisions or the risks they were taking. Their lives were put in danger every day. Kara was actually on the other side of the world fighting the cruelest villain they had to face after Lex Luthor, with their friends and family. Some of them had already landed back on Earth to stop some robbery or arrest the Penguin. They were all doing their part without wondering if they would live or die. It was their life. They dealt with it.

Without questioning herself any further, Lena got to work. She unrolled the red wool and hooked it up around one of June's fingers. She passed it around his right arm, right leg, right ankle, through his toes, under his left ankle and back up to his chest. She circled his chest three times, one for each of his past, present and future incarnations. She tightened it around his head, forming a red crown on his red hair and sealed it with a common knot. Pausing, she noticed the sheer pain on his face, the look of all the atrocities he had to live passing through his features. Now, he would be at peace. Finally.

Lena cut the wool with magic hands and turned in between the bed to do the same to Liz. As she worked on Liz's body, Florence traced the runes for protection and soul reincarnation on June's body, her hand covered in her own blood from the self-inflicted gash in her skin. They worked fast, Florence reciting a purification mantra again and again.

"Together purified, forever reunited."

When the last rune had been traced on June's skin and the knot had been sealed and cut on Liz's head, they came face to face in between the bed, the two kids floating around them. They shared the rest of the wool ball and met each other's eyes.

"Go ahead. Start with Liz." Florence indicated.

Lena tied one strand of wool to the strand closer to Liz's heart and started reciting.

"Dear Mother Nature, we are here to erase the past and reunite the Unique with its Other for good. Dear Mother Nature, hear our wish, hear our prayer, grant us the power to amend the past mistakes and reunite the soul of the Unique inside one lone body."

Florence pronounced the same litany and, together, they knitted the wool together between the two bodies floating, their hands serving as knitting needles. Slowly, the bundle of wool started to take the form of a trinity knot. They joined their hands in the center of the knot, their fingers intertwined in the wool and looked into each other's eyes. Together, they drew into their pool of magic, the pool of magic they were sharing, to summon the favors of the one and only Goddess that could help them.

"Dear Mother Nature, hear our prayer, we link our powers to these two souls so that they can be reunited. Dear Mother Nature, hear our prayer, we link our powers to these two souls so that they can be reunited."

Lena felt the shift around them. Florence's eyes reflected her own yellow ones. Magic was pulsing everywhere, running on their skins, flowing in their veins, hitting them from every corner all at once.

"Dear Mother Nature, hear our prayer." They repeated together. "Free this soul, make it one and only."

Liz and June's bodies convulsed harder. Lena heard her name being shouted from afar but she couldn't respond. Suddenly, she was surrounded by yellow and purple magic. She wasn't drawing from the pool anymore. She was in it. As if the magic around them was finally visible through her eyes. She felt it course through her limbs, free itself and flow through the wool and Florence's hands. It kept escalating, flowing faster and stronger.

Lena gritted her teeth, tried to look at Florence but she could only see her blue aura with its two yellow eyes. The magic was difficult to control, to maintain into each other. They grasped at it until the last moment, when it exploded in the room around them.

Gasping, Lena opened her eyes. She came face to face with Florence on her knees, just like her, her eyes still glowing. Until it wasn't and she fell forward in exhaustion.

"Florence!"

Lena gathered her in her arms. She felt exhausted herself, as if her body had been drained from all energy. As if she had been the conductor for a thousand lightning. Her ears were whistling. She saw two drops of blood fall on Florence's dress and realized it was her own, dropping from her bloody nose.

"Lena!"

Kara was by her side in a blur. She was talking but Lena was hearing her through muffled sounds, as if her ears had been stuffed with cotton.

"I can't hear you!" She shouted.

In her arms, Florence coughed and opened her eyes. Lena felt relieved. Her hearing came back slowly. And then she heard her. Not Kara. Liz.

"Mom."

It was a light whisper. Just a grumble. But it was undeniably her daughter waking up. Lena let Kara take Florence from her arms and place her in another bed as she stood up and rushed to Liz. She looked fine. Tired. Beaten up. Drained. But fine. As if they were sharing their thoughts, they both turned their glance towards the bed next to Liz's. It was empty. Only the red wool was left. June's body had vanished.

Lena cupped Liz's cheeks and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much. You did it, my love. You won."

"You did it too, Mom. He's in me. I feel him." Liz coughed a bit, her eyes getting wet. "I feel whole again." She smiled sadly through a wince.

Lena watched as her daughter's eyes drooped with exhaustion. She smiled softly at her, tears running down her cheeks. They had done it. They had won. Liz was back and alive. The Other didn't exist anymore, Lena 2.0. wasn't a threat anymore and the team had defeated Darkseid. They could finally be at peace.

A sob escaped Lena as she fell face forward on her daughter's chess. As Liz was drifting back into sleep, she slid a reassuring hand into her mother's hair.

"It's okay, Mom." She whispered sleepily. Lena cried harder.

She was rapidly joined by Kara who hugged them all together. Then Kelly and Alex. And Esme and Sydney who arrived in a rush, having ran across the satellite when they had heard the news. No words were pronounced. Only Lena's deep, fat sobs could be heard. It was the emotion of years of battling, hours of work on their suits, sessions after sessions of training to be able to succeed. Years of worrying for her daughter, for her family. Everything was finally coming down to this moment.

They were safe. They were alive and in one piece. They were together. They had the rest of their lives to enjoy each other now.

With the kids back in the satellite, the Justice League's general quarter couldn't feel fuller. Full of joy, full of giggles and cries. Good cries. Full of love and hugs and a welcome sense of family. After all they had been through, finally being able to wrap her arms around her youngest children filled Kara's heart with so much love she was sure she would explode. In a firework of red heart-shaped confetti.

"Where's Liz?" Lucy asked a bit too loudly for Kara's liking. She shushed her gently, balancing her and Atlas on each side of her hips without difficulty as they walked through the med bay hallways.

"We're going to see her just now but I need you to be quiet. She's not the only one recovering here."

Lucy nodded against her shoulder, her little hands grabbing Kara's freshly cleaned wool sweater, her eyes traveling from one door to the other, waiting for the one Kara would finally open to reveal her sister. Finally, Kara opened the said door on the general med bay where the sun lamps had been installed. Liz was awake and already smiling at them as her hand rubbed at Lena's hair.

"Mom!" Atlas squealed his first word since he arrived, making Lena startled awake.

Kara watched her blink up at them as she approached with a huge smile on her face. Lena had the lines of the sheets engraved in her cheeks. It was adorable.

"Hey, my babies!" Lena cooed, standing up mechanically from her chair, cursing under her breath as her muscles reminded her that twelve hours ago, she was battling monsters.

She took Atlas in her arms first and let Lucy circle her arms around her legs. She met Kara's eyes with confusion.

"Why didn't you wake me up to welcome them?"

Kara shrugged, throwing Liz a glance. "You looked exhausted and somebody had to look after Liz."

The teenager scoffed on the bed, crossing her arms. "I'm perfectly fine."

Kara smirked at her as she rounded the bed, eyeing Snowflake carefully. "That you are, my super witch daughter!" Liz scrunched up her face but accepted her hug. "You were amazing out there!"

Liz shrugged against her, a charming smile spreading on her lips. "I had good examples."

Kara pulled away, squinting a bit. "Don't try to coax me."

"Into what?"

"Don't know but I'm sure you want to ask something."

Liz tried to hide her head in her shoulders, a guilty smile on her face. "Maybe…"

Kara chuckled and sat on the other side of the bed, her hand grabbing at her daughter's hand, waiting for Liz to continue.

Liz first looked over Lena who had her brother and sister on her lap, hugging them tight against her, watching the whole interaction in silence.

"I missed you guys." She said to her siblings.

Atlas only smiled at her but never left her mother's side. Lucy, though, pulled away from Lena and climbed on the bed, scrambling on all four until she was against Liz's chest, her face hiding in her neck.

"I missed you too."

Liz eased down on her pillow and wrapped her arms around her little sister. They had done it. She had done it. Her family was safe. The world was safe, even if they had lost some important lives in the process. She tried not to think too much about the Amazon warriors dying on the field. The citizens hurt or dead in Asia. June's soul disappearing, being swallowed completely by hers.

Instead, she thought about Christmas presents she still had hidden under her beds for a case like this, for a future she only hoped for. She thought about the future birthdays and family dinners and graduations and basketball competitions she would be able to experience. She thought about red hair and hazel eyes and a promise she had made to herself before the big battle.

"Jeju, can Sydney sleep at our place tonight?"

Kara's smile was bright and knowing. Liz tried to ignore it. Tried not to blush but her cheeks had a mind of their own.

"Of course, only if Diana is okay with it. But we have to meet the other in the main room first."

Liz groaned, her head falling back on the pillow. "Why?" She whined dramatically.

Lucy's little hands playing with her cheeks made her remember why. It wasn't just another meeting. They were meeting over victory.

It was a weird meeting. Not because they were all bandaged up in different shapes and forms. Not because Sam and Lois were trying not to strangle Clark and Andrea for being reckless. Not for Brainy's tears after seeing Nia come back from another mission with half of her suit burnt up by a fire she had helped extinguishing. It was weird because there was a certain tension. They had won, they were talking about their victory but none of them had come out of it unscathed.

There were physical wounds, the bandages, the rolling chairs and the crutches. And there were mental wounds. The lost eyes. The tear tracks on the cheeks. The constant touches to assure a loved one was still there. The one missing because they were still unconscious in the med bay.

Liz's eyes traveled around the room, Lucy in her arms because she didn't want to be let down, Sydney next to her, not leaving her side either. Her moms looked fine, mostly. Aunt Alex and Aunt Kelly were just physically hurt. Aunt Nia was trying hard not to push Uncle Brainy away because she knew he needed reassurance after a day like this. Lois and Aunt Sam were for once agreeing about something. They would have been better off without their unpredictable partners. And Diana was alone on the side, looking serious and stoic, not showing an ounce of emotion, but Liz knew better.

The Bat family was still healing their wounds, away from the satellite after they had reported to Victor. Esme was left bouncing her knees up and down on her chair, ready to go and meet Damian the moment the meeting was over.

"So, Liz, can you explain what happened with June?" J'onn asked softly, his body leaning on his two hands on the center table as his eyes slid towards her.

Liz looked around the room before clearing her throat. "Well, hum, we fought. He was about to win but Snowflake appeared in this weird monster-like form and protected me. Then June gave up on battling. I convinced him we were on the same side. You all know what happened next."

Heads nodded around the table. A throat cleared up next to her.

"And now, he's in you?" Sydney asked from her side.

Liz smiled at her, confirming her thoughts. "I feel him, weirdly enough." She rubbed her ear in an unconscious gesture. "He's at peace now. He only needed his other half, just like me."

"But you didn't seem… haunted." Esme frowned from the other side of the room.

Liz only shrugged. "I took the best part of our soul, I guess."

"Liz is right." Lena added. "The Unique and the Other's battle was initially supposed to be a battle between light and darkness."

"This poor boy." J'onn said, shaking his head dejectedly.

"He's okay, now." Liz reassured the crowd. "It's like all the worst part of him got lightened by my goodness, if it's not too presumptuous to say." She winced.

"No, I think you're right." Kara intervened. "He didn't look well in his body. So haunted, like Esme said. So corrupted by his childhood."

"It's good to know he got closure, at least." Jason said from the far side of the room.

Everyone turned to look at him. He threw them a challenging glare, knowing too well they didn't like him fully, only accepting him for Lena's sake. Liz realized his words meant something for him too. Jason never got the chance to have closure like June got. And he probably never would but she could still give him something to lessen his burden.

Standing up from her chair, Lucy still in her arms, Liz walked to the center table and smiled at him. "Thank you, Uncle Jason," She stressed the name. "For fighting with us. Without you, Mom would have been in more difficulties."

Lena crossed her arms in her periphery but said nothing, only nodding in agreement. "Liz's right. You were a big part of today's success."

Jason rolled his eyes and huffed. "I wouldn't say a big part. I saved your ass a bit there." He smirked to Lena playfully. "But I'm glad I could help." He winked at Liz. "And you saved mine a bit too so." He shrugged nonchalantly towards Lena.

Around the table, they all fell into their own thoughts, getting lost in memories of the battle, words said and unsaid, lives lost and others saved.

"What's the plan now?" Esme asked aloud, not comfortable in the silence that had fallen upon them.

They all looked up towards her. Liz facing her, shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Doomsday has been killed, Darkseid flew away when he discovered Granny had been defeated." Kara explained.

"Clark is under the sunlamps." Lois added dryly. "The U.S. government wants to meet him to know if he's coming back on Earth to protect it or not."

Alex snorted next to her but cut it off when Lois threw her a glare. "What? He's good at his job."

"He almost got killed! Again!" Lois exploded. "Without Kara, he would be dead by now."

"He'll be fine, don't worry." Kara rounded the table to put a hand on her shoulder. "He won't leave Argo and your family to come back here." Lois gave her a hopeful look. "He's too old to fight anyway."

Lois gasped and slapped her lightly, pointing threateningly at her. "You'll say that to his face."

"I will!" Kara grinned. "And I'll remind him I'm stronger than him now. He can't compete."

Lois rolled her eyes and turned towards Lena. "They're all the same, uh?"

Lena smirked at her. "Mine is prettier." Kara grinned bigger as Lois snorted. "They have the same sense of causing chaos though." Lena threw a pointed glare at Kara who had the decency to look guilty. "That's why I'll pay for the rehabilitation of National City's buildings in the center of the city and helped as best as I can in Asia to fix the damages there too."

"Does it mean what I think it means?" Sam asked, joy finally crossing her face. Lena nodded with a grin.

"What does it mean?" Andrea asked next to her.

"That I'll be staying here for longer than I thought." Sam smiled at her wife, passing an arm around her waist. "The trips back and forth are over for now."

"For ever. If you want to." Lena added. Sam looked at her confused. "I promoted Jess."

Sam's eyes went wide. "Finally! Is she going full on CEO in Metropolis?"

"She had the gusts to ask me for the job when I sent her the new contract for the Irish branch. Since we have a quarter in Metropolis, one in National City and another in Ireland, we'll need three managers, so…"

Sam gasped. "She must be thrilled."

Lena shrugged. "She's been trained for the job for like twenty years. She deserves it and I trust her."

"Speaking of trustworthy people," Alex chipped in, stepping forward. "What about the other Lena? Do we know for sure that she went back to her dimension?"

"We don't." Brainy said. "We only know she's not in our radars."

"The Monitor said he would give her a second chance." Kara added.

Alex frowned. "I just hope history doesn't repeat itself."

"It won't." Victor affirmed. They all looked at him, surprised since he never talked during these meetings usually. "I tracked Zodd's ship and put it in the Red Room and, with Jason, we destroyed everything surrounding Kryptonian reproductive technology."

A heavy silence fell on the room. Then Kara and Lena rounded on them in sync.

"You destroyed it?"

"You did it without telling us?"

They talked at the same time, their anger visible on their faces.

"It was for the greater good." Victor defended himself. "We still have the tech in the ship but here, under safety. It was too dangerous to leave it in Malaysia where anybody could've used it."

Lena and Kara paused at the same time, looking at each other, talking with their eyes, before stepping away.

"You're right." Kara admitted. She leaned against Lena and circled her with a loose arm. "It's not like we'll need it anyway."

Lena's head whipped up, her eyes squinted. "What about our children? You don't know if they'll need it or not."

Kara's eyes traveled from her face to Atlas in Lena's arms and then Liz and Lucy on the other side of the room. Liz's cheeks started to take a dangerous shade of pink. Kara met Lena's eyes again.

"We'll think about it when time will come, don't you think?" Her own voice was shaky and disturbed.

Lena nodded quickly, too quickly to be confident.

"Okay!" Esme said, standing up enthusiastically. "Can we go now or do we still have things to discuss?"

"No, we're d-"

"Great! See you tomorrow for dinner!"

She almost ran to the door, waving at them on her way, her suit already morphing back into her casual cloths. Lena smirked towards Alex and Kelly.

"Someone's eager." Lena said, leaning against Kara as everyone slowly drifted away from the table.

"Someone better not hurt my daughter or the bat caves won't be huge enough to hide." Alex answered, passing them. She stopped to kiss Atlas' head and whisper sweet words in his ears before pulling away. "Our house, tomorrow, 6 p.m. Bring scotch!"

"Always!" Lena shouted back.

The cliffs in December were prettier than any other seasons. There was this type of wildness up there, noticing the wind gathering the snow and carrying it over the sea, meeting the ocean in soft violence. It was beautiful. Even more beautiful with great company.

"So," Liz tightened the blanket around Sydney's form and tried to expel her words just as she had rehearsed them in her head. "The Lena Luthor Foundation welcomes all National City for a charity gala next week in honor of our victory." She rubbed her nose, counting on the cold to make it run and hide her shyness. "I was wondering if you wanted to… uh… to go with me… uh… as my-my date?"

Sydney cocked an eyebrow at her from aside. "Yes, why not? We usually go together."

"Yes, but no, not like that, Syd." Liz rubbed her neck, her cheeks aflame. "Would you like to be my-my date date to the gala?" Realization crossed Sydney's face.

"Oh."

Whether it was the winter cold or the heat they were sharing under the blanket, Liz didn't know but Sydney's cheeks were pink and it was slowly spreading to her neck.

"Yeah." Liz sighed in the cold, mist forming in front of her mouth. "It's okay if you don't. I'll understand. I just thought you felt the same way as I did and-"

She was interrupted by a soft kiss on her cheek. She looked at her best friend with surprise.

"Close your mouth." Sydney's smile was as bright as a Christmas tree. "You're cute when you're blushing."

"I'm not… Anyway." Liz shoved her away playfully. "You're no better usually so shut up."

Sydney giggled. "Yes, but it's only you."

"It's only me." Liz agreed.

Sydney shoved her back. "And me."

"Yeah."

"Going to a gala together. Not as best friends."

"Yes." Liz smiled back at her. "Do you want to?"

"Yes," Sydney grinned but raised a warning finger. "Only if we arrive by car. I don't want to fly in and make everyone know you're just here to brag."

Liz's smile turned into a smirk. "Well, with you at my arm, I can certainly brag a bit."

Sydney rolled her eyes, the blush on her cheeks only spreading wider. She slapped Liz lightly on the shoulder, soothing it with a kiss just after.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"You sure about that, Prince?"

Liz's grin was playful. Defiant. Her eyebrow rose in challenge, making Sydney's fingers hitch to ease it in its normal round line. And she realized she could do it. Play Liz's game and make her blush too like the two teenagers they were.

She caressed Liz's eyebrow with a single finger, feather-touch across soft skin and dark lines. Liz's face fell serious, her grin replaced by an open mouth. Her cheeks were red. Cute and lovely. Sydney let her finger slide on a round cheek, trace a thick jaw and cup a shaky chin.

"I'm sure," She leaned closer, her lips mere inches away from Liz's. "That we can be two at playing this game. And you know I'm very competitive."

Sydney's eyes followed Liz's smile return seconds later. Liz cleared her throat in an attempt at keeping her composure. "And what the price would be? You know, for the winner."

Sydney finally met her eyes, noticed the playful glint in it, the curiosity too of what was coming up next. She leaned away in a sigh.

"You'll have to wait to find out."

There was a pause then Liz leaned away too. "Oh, because you know I'll win."

"Ha, no." Sydney laughed dryly, cocking her head, smiling mischievously, her hair flowing over her shoulder. "Because I know that whoever wins this game, I'll win too anyway."

Liz's mouth fell shut. Then a lovely grin appeared on her face. She passed a hand in Sydney's back and pulled her against her by the waist, letting her face meet the crook of her neck as she kissed the crown of her head. Sydney slid her hand in hers in instinct and intertwined their fingers in a contented sigh. Her thumb started an uneven rhythm on the skin.

"You're right." Liz stated after a while. "You being here is already a victory anyway."

"Why? Where do you think I'd be?"

"Nowhere, just… I feel very lucky to have you."

Sydney paused her ministrations, realizing how important a moment it was for them both. This moment. This trust in each other. This open space of sharing and loving freely.

"Me too, Liz." She squeezed the hand in hers, their fingers intertwining tighter if possible. "We're lucky to have each other."

Liz hummed against her head and kissed the top of it once again. Her arm tightened around her waist. They watched the sunset on the cliff, probably thinking the same thing. There were so many things they felt lucky for, but being with each other was probably the first to come up front.

After a whole night of rest and a day to heal their wounds, they all gathered in Alex and Kelly's living room to celebrate. It was the smaller crew, not the whole league. Clark and Lois had stayed for one more day to enjoy the time with family before going back to Argo and their life there. Diana and Sydney had come too, entirely part of the family now. M'gann was back on her feet, discussing with Kelly and Sam about appetizers and home-made cakes while Andrea helped Alex fill the glasses for everybody.

Lena watched the discussions unfold from afar. Watched Liz and Eliott teach Lucy and Sydney how to fold their napkins into flowers or a swan. Watched Atlas in Esme's arms counting the lights in the Christmas tree in the living room. Watched Alex and Nia joked about the amount of food Kara was able to put in her mouth while Eliza was trying to stop her and Diana laughed softly next to them. It was all lovely.

Family was never something Lena expected to find but she was glad she had found it. She was glad she had come back to National City all these years ago to find help. To introduce her daughter to this group of weird but undeniably lovable misfits.

"I have the box." Jason said in her ear while coming next to her.

Lena extended his glass of scotch back to him. He exchanged the glass against a squared velvet box. Lena didn't need to open it, she knew what was inside. It had been planned, fabricated a long time ago. Three years ago, to be specific, when she first visited Argo and asked Alura to help her find the perfect wristband form for Kara. Jason had been in charge of it since they had come back from Argo. Having a Kryptonian in the house meant you couldn't keep secret or you could try to by hiding said secret in a lead box but why? To have more questions asked? Lena had preferred to trust her brother.

"How do you feel about it?"

"Good." Lena affirmed, then met his eyes, so similar to hers, and smiled easily. "I'm not stressed. Is that weird?"

Jason shrugged one shoulder, took a sip of his scotch. "I never proposed but you've known each other for a long time now. I think it's normal."

Lena nodded absentmindedly, repeating her speech in her mind. "I think you're right. Is it cheesy if I say it's meant to be?" She scrunched up her face, making her brother chuckle.

"No." Then he paused, tilting his head. "I mean a bit for you, a lot for a Luthor, but you know, screw that family. You deserve better."

Lena squeezed his forearm in empathy. "We deserve better."

Jason's eyes glinted with recognition and honesty. Then it turned into mischief. He cleaned off his nose in a nervous manner.

"Speaking of people we deserve in our life…" He leaned forward, whispering, his cologne enveloping Lena in a sense of familiarity. "Do you think it's risky to ask Diana out?"

Lena leaned away immediately, wincing. She didn't know her brother was close to the warrior. She chuckled, shaking her head, bemused. "I think," She dusted off an invisible plush on his grey suit. "That you can go for it. But wear an armor or a helmet."

She grinned as he snorted, shaking his head too. "Okay, noted."

Lena smiled at him affectionately. She dared a glance at Diana who was laughing with Kara about a story she was telling. Diana deserved to be happy too. Lena could truly see Jason be her person, be the challenge she would need and the support she would seek. If only the Amazon would accept to try first.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

She threw a confused glance at her brother before pointing a finger at him, the velvet box caught in her palm.

"Right. I'll be right back."

"Good luck!" He half-shouted, making Alex and Nia look at her.

Lena winked at them, approaching the table where most of them were reunited. She put her glass on the table and took a breath. Around her, the room fell silent, except for Kara and Diana laughing together. Kara's back was to her so she never noticed Lena crouching down behind her on one knee with the velvet box open on her palm.

Lena cleared her throat. "Kara?"

Kara stopped talking and turned slowly, measuring the silent room first then glancing at Lena on the floor. She frowned, then her eyes widen two sizes. She leaned forward and grabbed at Lena's hands before she had the time to even open her mouth.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, you know, I'm trying to be romantic and propose to you but," Lena looked around, slightly embarrassed. "You don't seem up to it."

Kara grinned. "Oh, I'm up to it!" Her thumb rubbed Lena's hand softly. "I've been up to it for years but you never said yes."

The tone was playful but her eyes were slowly filling with tears of joy. She pulled Lena closer, raising her hand to push away a lock of dark hair.

"You know, you deserve to wait around a bit, suffer like I did." Kara pulled her tongue out at her, biting it playfully.

Lena scoffed. "Suffer?" She said indignantly. "Please, darling, we all know you won't be able to wait another minute to say yes."

She crossed her arms, the box stuck in her hands and rolled her wet eyes in revenge, as chuckles were heard in their family around them. Her smile betrayed her though. There was no animosity between them. Nothing but love could be seen in Kara's eyes. And Lena was right. She couldn't wait any longer.

"Come on!" Alex shouted from the side.

Kara threw her a glare, not really meaningful before turning back to Lena. She pulled her in by the collar of her tuxedo, leaving Lena falling into her arms in a squeak, their lips barely touching.

"Only if you say yes first." She whispered the challenge against Lena's smirk.

The reply came immediately, without any doubt. "Yes, Kara, I want to marry you." Lena said distinctly out loud.

Kara closed the distance to kiss her. Someone whistled around them as another yelled Finally. Claps and laughs surrounded them. Then two little humans and a bigger one jumped on them.

"So pink or purple for the dress?" Liz asked with a huge grin on her face, splitting the tear tracks on her cheeks into rivers of joy.

Lena barked out a wet laugh, circling her with an arm. She met Kara's eyes, asking her the question with sheer curiosity.

"I'm better in blue." Kara answered, earning a snort from Lena.

"Green is great on you too."

Kara shrugged. "It's your color. Brightens your eyes."

Lena's eyes glistened more with that simple statement. They shared another kiss because Lena couldn't help herself. Next to them, a throat was cleared then Alex's arms wrapped them up, her eyes dangerously shiny too.

"So, I think we have more things to celebrate now. It deserves a speech."

They both smiled at her, taking the glasses of champagne extended to them by Kelly. Together, they turned towards the other members of their family. The couples had drifted closer, enjoying the comfort of hugging each other. Sydney had her head on Diana's shoulder, her arms enveloping her in a rare gesture of affection. Even Eliott was smiling and not acting grossed out by the demonstrations of love.

"Okay, how do we do that?" Kara asked, turning confused but bright eyes towards her fiancée - FIANCEE! – and grinned, oblivious to the laughs around them.

Lena raised her glass and cocked an eyebrow, her throat thick with emotion. "It's been a long road. These past years have been challenging but…"

"We made it out. Together." Kara continued, smiling at her. "Thanks to all of you for supporting us during these tentative times." She squeezed Liz's shoulder. "We wouldn't have been able to do it without you all." Nia and Kelly cooed in unison. Kara tilted her glass higher. "To us. To the future."

The glasses clinked. Silence fell upon them as they all took a sip before exchanging a shy glance. Then Esme raised her hand.

"I'm okay with pink if I'm maid of honor."

"No way!" Liz chipped in, immediately pulling away from her mothers. "I am the maid of honor. You'll be a flower girl."

"I'm too old to be a flower girl!" Esme shot back, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

Lena watched them drift away in another room, arguing about the wedding details, the colors, the flowers, the cake. She looked down at Atlas who was pulling at her jacket.

"Ma!" He said, motioning to his mouth.

Kara chuckled and took him in her arms. "Are you hungry, little man?"

"Ma!" Atlas repeated joyfully, happy to be understood.

"Like mother like son." Lena muttered, taking a sip.

"I heard you, Luthor."

"Ha, Luthor-Danvers." She smirked back.

Kara's head whipped on the left, her smile illuminating the room. It was that charming, loving, caring smile, so smitten, so sweet it could give nightmares to the tooth fairy. But not to Lena. Lena blushed like a schoolgirl under that smile and the promise it held.

"I can't wait to call you that." Kara said to her softly.

Lena grabbed at her hand, caressing her tan knuckles, wondering shortly if she would ever lose her tan in winter, before raising their joint hands and kissing Kara's.

"I can't wait either, Miss Luthor-Danvers."

Kara's blush was all the reward Lena needed.

There were no nightmares. For the first time in years, Liz slept peacefully, unbothered by shared memories of the other half of her tortured soul. No, tonight, she slept entirely. It didn't mean it was not eventful.

She was enjoying a dreamy walk through the forest next to their house, listening to the sound of the birds, watching squirrels collect nuts and climb back up into their tree house, when a dazzling figure appeared in between the flourished trees. It seemed to be waiting for her, patiently. Liz's first thought was an angel. Sent from the sky or something. But it didn't have wings. And it seemed imposing, with a pure aura around it, bringing calm and peace to the forest only with its presence.

Liz tried to protect her eyes from the bright light with a hand but it didn't help her see the figure better. It wasn't an angel nor a fairy. It looked like a deity. A goddess. With long wavy red hair and pristine white skin. Her face remained hidden by the bright rays of sunshine enveloping her. She was wearing a white dress and a silver ring on her right hand, with an emerald sitting on top. Her voice entered Liz's mind like it was made to be heard by anyone in the forest, as Liz stood in front of her, speechless, staring.

"You finally come to me, my child."

The voice was even, echoing in her hand, summoning her to come closer. Squinting her eyes, Liz approached tentatively, one step at a time, her hand still protecting her fragile blue eyes.

"I am here to congratulate you. You have successfully filled your task."

Liz frowned, not understanding what was happening or who she was talking to. This dream was getting weirder. Thinking about it, she always remembered her nightmares and dreams but only realized she had been dreaming when she was out of it. How was she conscious of this specific dream while still in it then?

"I need to warn you though, my child." The goddess crossed her hands on her stomach solemnly. "I have seen beings with great powers like yours turn into darkness so easily. It is not a fate I want for you."

"Who are you?" Liz asked instead, her mind having difficulty measuring the importance of the moment or the words speaking to her.

"It is not important." With a lone extended hand, the goddess pushed Liz away from her, into whiteness and dreamy bubbles, summoning her brain to fall back into deeper sleep. "Remain careful with your powers."

The last echoes of the voice followed Liz back to awakening. She sat back in her bed, strangely at peace with herself, the dream already vanishing. She tried to remember the voice and the figure and the words but it was slipping right through the fingers of her mind as she tried to grasp the memories.

Next to her, Sydney's sleeping yawn made her turn. Tired hazel eyes opened to find her and she watched her friend – girlfriend? – sat up too in alarm, already passing an arm around her in reassurance.

"A nightmare again?"

Liz shook her head, a lazy smile growing on her face. "No, I think it was…"

Seeing Sydney's frown deepened by the shadows under her eyes, Liz decided it could wait.

"Never mind. It was just a dream. Come here." She pulled her in a side hug, easing herself back into the mattress, enjoying Sydney's warmth in this snowy weather.

It could have been another witch playing with her, as far as Liz was concerned. Another enemy entering her mind and corrupting her. Or it could have been the goddess of them all. It could have been the greatest witch in history. The Mother Nature protecting them from corruption and darkness, just like in Lena's old stories. Liz would never be certain.

With time, she would forget that dream, forget the words spoken to her. Forget the goddess enveloped in light so bright she couldn't even decipher her face. She would talk about it to her mothers. They would laugh about it, and then she would forget it even happened, caught in life and growth and mistakes and love.

But the feeling of being watched, the feeling of having protective eyes on her and protective hands ready to act for her sake, that feeling of peace and guidance, would follow her for the rest of her life.

Chapter Text

Noonan’s coffee shop wasn’t the classiest she could find in the city but Lena loved the sense of familiarity that enveloped her every time she would stop to have a coffee there. The bartenders were cool enough to let her heat up Beth’s bottle because, of course, her six-month-old was always angry after they’d visited the park and the ducks on the lake.

This time, though, Beth was difficult. She hadn’t wanted to leave the park so she had fussed in her stroller all the way to Noonan’s. Now, she was crying heavily, asking for Lena to take her in her arms, which she did, only to ask to be put in her stroller once in her arms. Lena had tried a bottle of water, had tried to let her taste her scone, had tried to sing softly to her, balancing her around the table. Nothing had worked.

Her only solution was to leave then, because Beth was obviously too tired and had had enough for the day.

Grabbing her coffee, Lena put a lid on it to take it with her – with only one hand, it made the task so much harder – then put Beth’s coat back on and sat her back in the stroller. Her daughter struggled against the belts, pushed Lena’s hands away, kicked her in the shin, removed one tiny shoe. Lena tightened her jaw, took a breath in. Her lack of sleep and ability to find a solution shouldn’t be taken out on her baby.

With her daughter still crying and struggling against the restraints, Lena pushed out of the coffee shop, her coffee in hand. The spring wind was soft on their skin, agreeable for this end of afternoon. People were walking past her as she walked several blocs before a shout stopped her.

“Madam! Stop!”

Pausing, Lena looked behind her to see a blonde woman running on the sidewalk, disheveled and clearly out of breath.

“Yes! You with the stroller! Stop!”

Lena looked back at Beth who had mysteriously (finally!) stopped crying. The baby was looking back at her with curious eyes.

“Okay, okay.” The blonde said, coming next to them, panting with her hands on her knees. “God, I’ve been running after you since Noonan’s.”

Lena’s wide eyes showed her interest but she said nothing.

“You’ve lost this.” The woman extended a little red boot, which looked strangely like Beth’s.

Lena frowned then pushed on her toes to glance above the stroller and notice the missed shoe on her daughter’s foot. She sighed, the sound a mix between a snort and groan. She accepted the shoe back.

“Thank you so much! She’s been fussing around when I put her back in the stroller, she must have removed it without me seeing.”

“It’s okay. I saw you leave the coffee shop.” The blonde smiled. Charming, Lena noticed. She didn’t notice the spark igniting in the depths of her stomach though. “Those little monsters can be so quick sometimes.”

Lena watched the woman crouched down in front of Beth, who squealed and clapped her hands, and tickled her softly before looking back at Lena.

“Can I?”

Lena’s eyes travelled from the hand extended to her to the shoe in her hand before rushing out an apology and giving the shoe back. The blonde woman put the shoe back on Beth’s foot without the baby struggling much. Lena watched them, astonished. Beth had been impossible for close to an hour now but was smiling and giggling when faced with this stranger.

“How did you… I mean, thank you.” Lena stammered, completely disturbed by the lack of resistance from her daughter who seemed as charmed by this woman.

“Your welcome.” The woman straightened up and extended a hand. “I’m Kara Danvers.”

Lena smiled, taking the hand. “Lena Luthor. Thank you again for the shoe. Lucky you saw it fall.”

Kara squeezed the hand in hers, Lena noticing how soft and tan her skin was while brushing against hers. She tilted her head, her cute smile brightening her face.

“Don’t worry.” She shrugged, her blue eyes glinting in the sunlight. “Sometimes we’re just at the right place at the right time. I’m glad I could help you.”

Lena felt her cheeks reddening in a blush under Kara’s gaze. It strangely felt like a beginning, with flourishing flowers and flying butterflies and burgeoning trees.

“Do you… hum…” Lena paused, not used to be this stuttering mess in front of a woman. She cleared her throat, taking her hand back. Swallowing her saliva again. “Do you want to grab coffee some time?”

Kara’s smile spread wider if possible. She put her hand in her jacket pockets and nodded. “I’d love nothing more.” She pulled her phone out. “Can you give me your number so we can plan?”

“Yes.”

And they exchanged their numbers before parting their ways in two different directions of the street. Lena glanced at Beth who had stayed calm the whole time, who was just babbling in her stroller, considerably different from her mood in the coffee shop. It was like she could sense something shifting, as if Kara was supposed to be in their life to appease her.

Lena smiled to herself, her heart swelling with the possibilities of seeing Kara again. Maybe Kara was right. Maybe, sometimes, it was just a question of meeting the right person at the right time.