Chapter Text
Kara
Kara was unsure, she hadn't heard Mxy's snap and didn't dare open her eyes yet. But the ground she was lying on had changed, softer now. It smelled familiar and they heard street noise. Supergirl took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and opened her eyes. She was in her apartment, lying on her bed. Judging by the sunlight, it was early morning. She sat up and searched for her phone. It was on the nightstand as usual. She quickly picked it up and checked the date. It had worked: today was the day of the interview.
Only when she got up and stood in the middle of her loft did she realize she'd also lost everything around her. But now all her belongings were intact again. Kara's eyes glazed over and she looked around her home, turning in a circle. Now that she was back here, she realized how much she had loved this old, familiar apartment. After the destruction, Kara had tried to look forward and found a truly beautiful new home with Lena, which helped her repress the loss. But now it came back with full force, and her eyes were watering. But there was no time to get sentimental.
It was just before 8 a.m. What should she do first? It would be best if she took care of the exclusive interview first. She called Cat Grant: "Hello Kiera, are you ready for your big performance today?"
"Hello Miss Grant. I'm calling for exactly this reason. I'm sorry to bother you so early, but I don't want to do this interview anymore."
"But Kiera, you worked so hard for this and thought it was right to introduce yourself to the world. Have you gotten cold feet? That's out of the question! You'll be here in two hours," Cat said in a commanding tone that Kara knew all too well.
"You're right, Miss Grant, I've gotten cold feet. But I won't let anyone change my mind. There are too many negative points against it, and I have to think first and foremost about the people I can protect with this."
"And when do you ever think about yourself?"
Kara took a deep breath. "I've made my decision. Please respect that, Miss Grant."
"Well, I respect you, and if you change your mind, please let me know. You know that I have exclusive rights to run this story, should you be ready for it, Kiera."
"I promise, and thank you, Miss Grant."
"Good, good, I'm busy. See you later, Kiera." With those words, Cat hung up.
Okay, the first step was taken, Kara was relieved. What to do next? Something was pulling her toward the DEO, or rather, someone. The Kryptonian wanted to see her. J'onn, Alex, and Lena.
Since her stomach was growling, she decided to walk and grab breakfast at the cafe around the corner. She stepped out the door and was relieved to see no one there. There were no more fans or press colleagues waiting for her outside the building. She started walking, savoring the feeling of freedom. Even though she hadn't been in prison for very long and could have basically escaped at any time, she still felt trapped. If not physically, then in her own prison of guilt. Now that burden was just a memory.
After breakfast, she continued toward the DEO. She watched the people, walked deliberately slowly, and even enjoyed the everyday stress these people exuded. No one recognized her as Supergirl anymore. She was simply Kara again.
When she finally reached her destination, she hesitated. On the one hand, she desperately wanted to see her family. But there was still that echo of the other reality in her mind. Those lifeless bodies of her loved ones, she just couldn't get that image out of her head. Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she entered the DEO building and took the elevator up to headquarters.
As she walked toward the command center, she heard two familiar voices and quickened her pace. Then she stopped. J'onn and Alex were standing at the monitors, talking. The two hadn't noticed Kara yet. The blonde ran off, and when Alex turned to greet her, Kara had already wrapped her in a tight hug. "Hey, good morning, sis, why such a boisterous greeting today?" Alex asked, laughing. Kara didn't respond, but only hugged Sentinel tighter. "A little more and I'll be mud. What's wrong with you?" Kara pulled away and realized she had tears in her eyes.
Alex noticed it too and her smile disappeared. Now she looked at her sister with concern. Kara went to J'onn and hugged him too. He didn't speak, but simply held her tight. When they separated, Alex spoke again, this time with a serious expression: "Kara, what happened?"
The heroine shook her head: "I can't talk about it." While Alex was urging her to talk, Kara used her super hearing. She heard Lena's heartbeat and followed it. The Luthor was sitting on the sofa in the common room, attentively reading her witchcraft book, which lay on the table in front of her.
Kara didn't hesitate for long and went straight to her, sat down on the sofa, and pulled Lena into a tight hug as well. All the emotions resurfaced. The touch of the woman she loved more than anything brought back all the happy moments, but also the painful memories of her loss. Tears filled her eyes again. Lena didn't complain about this greeting, but returned the hug with a smile on her lips. Alex and J'onn, who had followed Kara, now also entered the room.
"Kara, finally tell us what's going on. You're acting like you haven't seen any of us in ages," Alex insisted.
Kara broke away from Lena and her gaze fell on the witch's book. She read the spell depicted there at super speed and froze. It was "Vita ad vitam", a life for a life. Lena must have used that spell to save Kara. According to the book, it would only work if the caster truly loved the victim: "Coniuncta fato", bound by fate. "Amor mortem vincit", love conquers death. Never again would she allow Lena to use that spell. Kara ripped out the page and burned it with her heat vision.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lena's voice was horrified.
Kara whirled around to her: "You'll never use that spell again!"
"I haven't even…" Lena defended herself. "…but burning the page won't do any good. I already know it by heart." Lena crossed her arms in front of her chest and put on a defiant expression. One of her eyebrows lifted.
Kara grabbed her firmly by the upper arms and looked at her, her eyes still watering and pleading. "You have to promise me, please, Lena, forget that spell."
Alex intervened again: "Come on, Kara, tell us what's going on. Did something happen to you?" Kara stood up and walked to the window, her friends behind her. She closed her eyes, pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose, and took a deep breath. What was wrong with telling part of the story? Alex wouldn't let up anyway. "Okay, I'll tell you." She turned around again and looked at the three of them. J'onn had sat down on the sofa next to Lena, but Alex remained standing, her hands now clasped in front of her. All three looked at her expectantly.
Kara began, choosing her words carefully: "I'm from the future. Actually, Mxy visited me last night and sent me back six months, to this morning... today... to fix a major mistake that would set off a chain reaction of terrible events. So I've already experienced the next few months and now I have to try to prevent all the bad things before they can happen again."
"Have you lost all three of us?" Alex asked sympathetically. Kara nodded.
"That explains your behavior and the look as if you'd seen a ghost," Alex said, approaching her sister and hugging her.
"What was the event that set everything in motion?" J'onn asked.
"The interview I wanted to give today. By revealing myself to the world, you became the focus of my enemies and were in danger. And I couldn't protect you. But I've already canceled it. There won't be the interview."
J'onn also approached Kara and hugged her tightly: "A good decision. You don't have to prove anything to the world anymore!"
Lena stopped staring at Kara and instead stared at her witchcraft book: "Did I die because I used the spell you just burned?" Lena looked back at her.
"Yes," Kara answered.
"And who did I use it for?"
Kara swallowed. "You know the answer: the person you love. Otherwise, the spell wouldn't have worked." Kara could see the realization forming in Lena's mind, and she now also realized that Kara knew or suspected that Lena loved her. They looked at each other. Green to Blue. But neither said another word.
Nia entered the room, closely followed by the Mxy. "Hi everyone, I found our favorite goblin downstairs at the door. He really wanted to talk to you, Kara," Dreamer said lightly, pointing to the man behind her.
"Hi Mxy, if you were standing at the door, I assume you've already lost your powers?" Kara asked sympathetically.
"Yes, indeed, I was banished here to Earth and now have to live a life as an ordinary human. But I knew what the consequences of helping you could be. So, it's all good. I just wanted to see if it worked for you. Because, unfortunately, I was still in the prison cell and suddenly had an extremely confused, muscular brunette lying in front of me. Luckily, the other goblins captured me a few moments later and teleported me out of the cell. I'm not sure what that woman would have done to me otherwise," said Mxy, visibly frightened.
Kara had to laugh. Alex, on the other hand, looked back and forth in horror between her sister and the goblin: "Kara, you were in prison?" Supergirl's laughter disappeared instantly, and she looked at the agent helplessly. How could she explain it? She couldn't reveal the reasons for her imprisonment. Partly because she was ashamed of it, of course, but also because she didn't want her family to see her any differently. As a murderer. So she remained silent.
Which was no use, though, because there was someone else in the room who knew the truth, and Mxy seemed eager to share his knowledge: "Supergirl hunted down and brought down the person responsible for your deaths. Literally let him burn..." Mxy saw Kara's look and fell silent.
No one said another word until Lena stood up: "I have to go to L-Corp, there's still a lot to do." She didn't look at Kara again and left the room. She filled the heroine with fear. A different kind of despair that clung to her heart. Lena couldn't even look at Kara anymore. Was it because her image of Supergirl was shattered, because Kara was capable of murder, or was she confused by the feelings she had for her friend and the obvious fact that Kara knew it?
⸻ ☼ ⸻
Over the next few days, Lena avoided her. Although Kara was very sad about it, it was also an opportunity to focus on the search for Greg Arkin. As long as this looming threat hung over her family, she would devote all her energy to finding the kidnapper and murderer. It was therefore very convenient for her that Lena was only on the sidelines. She would avoid becoming a target again. Therefore, it was wise to keep her distance.
Finding Greg, however, proved extremely difficult. After losing his job, he apparently could no longer pay his rent. He no longer had a current address. Brainy had a permanent search for his face via the surveillance cameras. Fortunately, his face was in the database due to previous offenses. Greg Arkin grew up in Smallville and was sent to a youth facility for kidnapping.
After days of searching, they began to find leads. Kara and Brainy searched the neighborhoods where the cameras had captured him. Vacant shops, hidden basements, and unrented apartments were particularly searched.
It was the last apartment for today's search when they finally succeeded. Greg wasn't there, but they found a bed for the night and a kitchen littered with ready-meal wrappers. The clearest indication that they were in the right place were the many photos, newspaper clippings, and documents on the walls.
Sorted and tied with colored string, the main subject of these evidence walls was Supergirl. Brainy carefully took pictures with his cell phone while Kara continued searching the apartment. Every wall in every room of this small apartment had been covered. In the last room, Kara found technical components that looked suspiciously like bomb parts. However, she couldn't see or feel kryptonite.
After they finished the search and documentation, they left the apartment and set up hidden motion-detected camera by the door. So, as soon as Greg returned, the DEO would be immediately notified.
⸻ ☼ ⸻
A few days later, it was game night. Alex, Lena, and Kara were still at the DEO to finish the last case. They wanted to go together to Nia and Brainy's, where the friends had arranged to meet today. Lena and Kara were standing by the elevator, waiting for Alex.
Supergirl tried unsuccessfully not to look at Lena, who was standing a few meters away, lost in thought. Since there was no new lead on Greg and he hadn't returned to the apartment, which was being monitored by the DEO, Kara continued to keep her distance.
But it was becoming increasingly difficult for her. She missed hanging out with her best friend. They only saw each other when they were working together.
Kara watched Lena, who was staring at the floor, lost in thought. Kara wanted to approach and hold Lena's hand, but she held back. The memories kept coming back. Of the time in the stand house, the many touches and kisses, their deep conversations, and the intimate togetherness. Kara felt herself blush and sighed softly.
Lena seemed to have heard that and looked directly at Kara. The moment their eyes met, another memory came over Kara. Lena's body, lying cold and motionless before her. Kara shuddered and a tear ran down her cheek, but she held her gaze.
Lena seemed to sense or guess what was going on inside Kara, because she came closer, took Kara's hand in her own, and gently and carefully stroked her friend's cheek with the other: "I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to lose so many loved ones in one fell swoop, to grieve, maybe even despair about it, and suddenly everything is undone. Those thought lost are alive again. But the memories remain," Lena said quietly, looking at the woman of steel sympathetically.
Kara leaned her forehead against Lena's, their lips only a few centimeters apart. After a brief silence, Kara found her voice again: "Lee, you have no idea how much you..." she took a deep breath: "how much it means to me that you're there for me." Lena smiled gently, her heart rate quickening as she looked at Kara's lips and moved a little closer.
Then they heard Alex enter the room. She stopped abruptly and looked at the two of them. The friends took a step apart and looked down at the floor, embarrassed, as if Sentinel had just caught them doing something. But nothing had happened, although Kara had the feeling Lena was about to take a step further.
⸻ ☼ ⸻
They drove to Nia's apartment in Lena's car, and Kara had some time to reflect on her situation with Lena. The quiet hum of the engine was almost like a soothing melody, but inside her, a storm of emotions raged. While Lena kept her eyes on the road, Kara felt her thoughts circling back to one thing: Kara missed being close to Lena.
She longed to be in Lena's presence again, to feel her warmth, to hear her voice. She longed so much to reveal the whole truth to her, all the feelings that had been building up inside her. She wanted to ask Lena out, overcome her insecurities, find the courage she so desperately needed.
But at the same time, she knew it would be too risky if she let Lena get too close to her and thereby put herself in danger again. Every fiber of her being warned her.
She closed her eyes for a moment. The feeling of being so vulnerable, so torn between the desire to be honest and the fear of losing everything, was almost unbearable. She wanted to tell Lena how much she needed her, how much she longed to be close to her, but the fear of the consequences was too great.
As the streets continued to pass, she felt the heavy burden of love on her heart. She had to hold on.
The game night, which usually brought Kara so much joy, was torture today. The only bright spot that distracted Kara from her grief was the new addition to the group. Mxy, who was currently living in J'onn's guest room, was surprisingly clumsy without his magical powers. He repeatedly tried to cheat and then talked his way out of it with impressive babble.
Kara then lost the first game of Jenga when the tall tower, which had been wobbling with every piece for several rounds, spectacularly toppled over as she pulled out her wood.
Dejected, Kara skipped the next round and went to the kitchen to get a drink. Kara poured herself some lemonade and then drank it in small sips as she leaned against the bar and watched the action at the gaming table.
Her gaze repeatedly wandered to Lena. Kara was fascinated by the intensity of color in Lena's green eyes. Kara's gaze followed Lena's features, the contours of her jaw, and the way her lips parted slightly as she concentrated on pulling a piece from the tower. She loved her easy laugh when Brainy unintentionally made a joke.
As great as Kara's longing was, she wanted to protect Lena even more. The risk of Greg finding out how much Lena meant to her was far too high. So she swallowed her sorrow and contented herself with staring from afar and remembering the other timeline.
⸻ ☼ ⸻
For the next few weeks, the blonde observed the events in the city. As Supergirl and editor-in-chief, she had a good overview of everything that had changed with the reboot. Many new events occurred, and in return, many of the incidents didn't happen at all. Particularly positive was the absence of anti-alien demonstrations and the absence of the Children of Liberty. However, she concluded that her revelation as Supergirl was the trigger for the hate movements. This somewhat alleviated her guilt about having interfered with fate.
The lack of events also gave Kara more time to reflect on her longing for Lena. For this reason, the Kryptonian sought a project to distract herself. Kara had finally decided to buy the house on the cliff. The renovation would take a lot of time and effort, but even then, she was fascinated by this old building and desperately wanted to create a new home for herself there. As a fresh start, after all the deleted events.
To begin with, Kara fixed the roof. Many of the tiles had shifted or were missing completely. The wood of the roof structure was partially rotten and the nails rusted. So she first completely covered it and replaced the wood. Her superpowers were, of course, helpful, and Kara gained her expertise from the internet. There were videos with tutorials for every trade.
Kara found replacement parts, such as additional tiles of the same color, during demolitions of other buildings across the country. The construction workers were somewhat surprised that Supergirl had come to them with these requests.
During a break, Kara sat on a fallen tree in the garden, looking at the skyline of her city and eating the three pizzas she had just bought. In the corner of her eye, she saw a small tomcat slinking through the branches and tall grass at the other end of the lawn. Kara had to smile. The gray-striped little predator was almost silent, even with her super hearing, and took no notice of her. Kara watched the tomcat for a while until he disappeared behind the wall of the house.
After a few weeks, the roof was finished, and Kara could begin clearing out the interior. There wasn't much furniture left, but she wanted to keep and restore a few, including a large dining table, a dresser, and a beautiful mirrored wardrobe.
Then she took care of the walls and floors. There was quite a bit to do. Fortunately, the stairs were still sturdy enough and only needed a little sprucing up. Kara wanted to remove as many partition walls as possible to create larger rooms. With her x-ray vision, she could easily determine whether they were load-bearing walls needed for the building's structural integrity. Sometimes she left the supporting pillars standing, which could be put to good use later.
Now, during the interior work, one of the Super Friends would stop by every now and then and lend a helping hand. The Martian was happy for the change and that his DIY skills were being put to good use for once. Dreamer was also very motivated and had already chosen a guest room for himself. There were more than enough rooms, and Kara hadn't yet been able to fill all of them sensibly.
It wasn't until Lena came along with some good ideas that almost every room was filled with life or planned. She also used her witch powers to repair the windows. Kara watched in fascination as every crack and hole disappeared and completely shattered panes were reassembled.
The interior work also took a few weeks, as Kara still had two jobs to manage. But for Kara, the work wasn't just a distraction, it was a new chapter that allowed her to forget the terrible memories of the other timeline. The construction of a new, safe fortress where she could be completely herself, now that she had to hide from the world again.
Her future new home was far away from other houses to ensure peace and quiet, but it wasn't quiet. The nature around her, the flora and fauna, were present and calming with her super hearing. Besides, she wouldn't be living alone in this large house. The little cat seemed to already be living there. Every time Kara was there, the little tiger would come and keep her company. He kept his distance, still watching her from afar, but the distance was getting smaller and smaller.
Kara wanted to give him a name, and after seeing him perched on a lower branch, waiting for his prey, then leaping down onto the little mouse with a well-aimed dive, she had an idea. He was also a good climber and had somehow made it to the roof while Kara was sitting there watching the sunset. Add to that his impressive stealth skills. All of this reminded Kara of assassins. So she named the tomcat Ezio.
Her roommate was becoming increasingly trusting and not only allowed himself to be petted, but also demanded more and more attention and cuddles. Kara had started putting out food for Ezio, which the young cat ate enthusiastically. At other times, Ezio sat nearby, attentively observing the work in the house like a sentry. Kara had just finished painting a wall and was now sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the already refinished pillars. Ezio lay on her lap, purring contentedly as Kara stroked him. She thought of Streaky, the black cat she'd had as a teenager on Earth, who helped her control her powers and be gentle.
Kara had never intended to get a pet. Not that she didn't want to, but with her dual duties as Supergirl and reporter, she barely had any time and was sometimes away from home for days. But now, with the sweet little fluffy paw on her lap, she decided to take the time. Because Kara was already infatuated with the little one.