Chapter Text
Kara looked up at the stars as she admired the beautiful night sky of planet Earth, where she had lived for many years. The night had always seemed beautiful to her — not as beautiful as it was on her home planet, but she had learned to appreciate the earthly “beauties” the way humans did. The stars shone imposingly in the sky under the gorgeous glow of the full moon that illuminated all of National City. It was late at night, and evidently everyone in the city was asleep. She decided a stretch would do her good and stood up from the couch on the terrace of her new apartment. She had had to move since she had revealed herself to the world as Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl. She didn’t regret her decision; she knew new challenges would come from revealing her secret identity to the world, but she was ready for them. Were there enemies? Yes, but since the day she became the city’s heroine, she had had enemies from day one — that wasn’t going to change. Besides, she wasn’t alone now; she had her friends, her sister, and Lena, all willing to protect her just as she had always protected them. She wasn’t alone.
Kara took off slowly, rising upward. She no longer had to rush at full speed to keep people from discovering her identity — not if they already knew her as Kara. Her flight was slow and gentle, like humans driving their cars on weekends, just for a ride. Kara flew over the city checking everything, but everyone was asleep — it was three in the morning. She took advantage of the city’s silence and stillness to perform several acrobatics in the air worthy of the best pilot in the world — though, ironically, she was one. On Krypton, she had been part of the Explorer Guild, the youngest member, in fact; her tenacity, willpower, bravery, and other traits had led her to become a squad leader or Captain quickly and later a professional pilot at a very young age.
A memory surfaced in her mind: a young Kara Zor-El, proudly holding her title — or rather, the crystal that served as one — floating a few centimeters above her palm. Beside her stood her parents, Alura Zor-El and Zor-El, proud smiles on their faces as they looked at their little girl. Kara came back to reality when she almost crashed into a building for not paying attention to where she was flying. She hit a railing and ended up splattered against the cold floor, which looked like the finest marble.
“I see there’s a lot of air traffic tonight, Supergirl,” Lena joked, sitting on the couch in her L-Corp office, surrounded by piles of papers — and the ones that didn’t fit on the desk floated around her thanks to her magic.
Kara stood up and brushed the nonexistent dust off her outfit — a blue shirt, black pants, and black sneakers. She had accidentally landed on the terrace of L-Corp’s CEO, Lena Luthor — better known as her best friend, though deep down she knew she didn’t really see her just as a friend. She shook her head and stepped into Lena’s spotless office.
“Sleep hasn’t knocked on your door tonight, Miss Luthor?” Kara teased, sitting beside her on the couch. “It’s after three a.m.”
Lena raised her coffee cup and smiled.
“Coffee seems to be sleep’s natural enemy,” Lena replied, making room for Kara on the couch. “Besides, I have a lot of work to do.”
Kara smiled and glanced at the floating papers around Lena.
“At three in the morning?” she mocked, looking at her. “Maybe you really are a witch — and who knows, maybe witches are nocturnal. Not that it’s bad… I just —” Kara laughed nervously and looked away. “I’m just saying you should rest.”
Lena looked at Kara with a faint smile as she watched her blush furiously.
“Work doesn’t sleep, Kara,” she said with a grin, setting her tablet on the table. “But you’re right, I should rest.”
Lena stood up and stretched, snapping her fingers to make the papers vanish. Kara watched her closely — her slender figure framed by a beautiful black Versace dress and stiletto heels. The dress highlighted her elegant curves, and Kara had to look away from her friend, not noticing the amused look Lena threw her way. Silence filled the executive suite for several minutes until Kara couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke again.
“You’ve gotten good with magic,” the blonde praised the dark-haired woman.
Lena smiled, looking at Kara with a happy expression.
“I’m finally free. And I’m happy. It’s all I ever wanted — for people to stop seeing me as a Luthor and see me as my own person, not for the atrocities my family committed for centuries,” Lena explained warmly, sitting back beside Kara. “With Lillian gone and Lex in the Phantom Zone, I’m free to be who I am.”
“Who you’ve always been — the person Lillian and Lex tried to hide,” Kara added with a smile, taking Lena’s hand.
Lena smiled, her eyes filling with tears of joy. She loved the woman in front of her — the one who had looked past her surname from the very first day, unlike Clark Kent, who had judged her. They had been through so much together, which had only strengthened their bond. Though Lena had never seen Kara as just a friend. She had dropped hints for years, but Kara hadn’t caught on — not at first. Over time, after their ugly fight and reconciliation, Lena had realized Kara felt something for her too. But she also knew she shouldn’t push her, nor tell Kara she liked women; she wanted Kara to figure it out herself. It had to happen that way.
“Thank you,” she smiled.
Kara returned the smile and looked up at the beautiful night sky. She stood and, as if drawn by some unknown force, walked to Lena’s balcony and leaned on the railing, gazing at the stars. Her blue eyes wandered from one to another, recalling their names and how they looked up close. She knew every name — maybe they sounded different in Spanish, but she knew them all in Kryptonian. Kara was lost in the sight, not hearing Lena approach and stand beside her, watching her with curiosity and a hint of sorrow in her green eyes.
Her mind brought back a long-forgotten memory: her father and the nights he literally took her among the stars. They would board the House El ship, and Zor-El would take her to see each star up close, teaching her its name, its shape (each one had a different one), its role in the galaxy, and why its work was so important. Every star had a story — and her favorite was definitely Betelgeuse (α Orionis), as it was known on Earth. She remembered the first time her father took her there — she had been so excited, thinking it was Rao himself, or a manifestation of their god, because the star shone as red and bright as Rao. She remembered her father laughing heartily at her innocence as he explained it was simply a giant red star. A smile curved Kara’s lips as she cherished that memory of her father, Zor-El.
“Kara?” Lena called, waving a hand in front of her.
“Oh, sorry, I got distracted for a moment — what were you saying?”
Lena looked at her and was about to answer when, out of nowhere, several huge Kelex robots surrounded them. They were massive, larger than a human, with arms but no legs, circling Kara and Lena.
“Identify yourselves or be annihilated,” all four Kelex ordered at once.
Kara immediately stepped in front of Lena, shielding her from the giant robots.
“I am Kara Zor-El,” Kara declared, and the robots lowered their guard.
One Kelex approached and made a kind of bow — strange to Lena’s eyes. The robot’s voice turned serious, solemn, and full of reverence.
“Shae-Nol-Rao, Kara Zor-El,” it said, and the other robots imitated its bow.
“Shae… what?” Lena asked, looking confused between them.
Kara smiled nervously at Lena’s question — relieved she didn’t understand Kryptonian.
“No… it’s nothing,” Kara stammered, laughing awkwardly as her cheeks reddened and she looked down.
Lena studied the Kelex units — something was different about them since the last time she’d seen them. They looked bigger, smarter, and… was that the House El crest? Lena glanced from Kara to the Kelex, who had stopped bowing. The central robot spoke again, projecting a hologram of Alura Zor-El from Argo City.
“Shae Kara Zor-El, your presence is requested in Argo City immediately,” Alura’s solemn voice declared. “You may bring one companion, no more. I await your reply, Your Highness.”
She did it on purpose, Kara thought, blushing and mortified.
Lena raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, straightened up, and stared at Kara before speaking.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Your Highness?”