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She was powerless again and it really was her fault this time, but she had no choice. It was either keep on shooting her heat vision at the portal to keep the invaders out or let them in and then lives would be lost and she couldn’t have that, even if it meant sacrificing herself.
Winn was able to seal the portal just as she solar flared and collapsed on the hard floor, unconscious. A few invaders escaped, but Alex and her team were able to deal with them and rescue her before they could inflict any real damage. In the end, she solar flared and was trampled by the escaping aliens, but she was the only one injured. She could live with that.
Still, Lena found it necessary to yell at her, because, once again, she had completely disregarded her own safety and risked her life. Her wife is right, she knew, but what was she supposed to do? She was Supergirl. Was she supposed to just let them go through the portal and wait until Winn found a way to seal it?
Kara sighed, feeling dejected. For the first time in two years of marriage, they went to bed angry. Well, she went to bed and cried herself to sleep. Lena just crashed in her office, closing the heavy door with a bang.
Today she was feeling the soreness and stiffness on her body more so than the previous day, all the little aches most people usually complained about, and that always transcended her because she was Kryptonian, making themselves known with a vengeance. Scowling, she looked at the time. It was early still, but Lena had left already, without saying good morning, without even talking to her.
“It’s not like it’s the first time this happens, dammit…” Kara grumbled. She had solar flared many times before and was always in danger, why was it different now?
Glancing at her watch again, she decided she wasn’t going to wait for the driver to get back at their apartment. She could use the walk anyway. It would help her think.
Grabbing her three-quarter dark coat, scarf, and bag, she left. Usually, she wouldn’t bother with the scarf, but she was pretty much human right now and it was 59 degrees outside, and with her tendency to get sick when she solar flared, it was best not to take any chances.
##
She’d been walking for about ten minutes, completely lost in her own morosely thoughts, when a small voice reached her ears. Looking around, she saw a little girl, maybe six or seven years old, staring up at a tree, hands on her hips and not looking very happy. Seeing that the girl was alone, Kara decided it was best to check if everything was all right with her.
“Hi!” She smiled down at her. “Are you here all by yourself? Where’s your mommy?”
The little girl looked up at her, her double braided red hair and freckled face giving her a very mischievous look. She pointed to the wooden door next to the garage. “She’s in the backyard.”
Kara nodded, still smiling. “Ok, and why are you here all by yourself?”
The girl sighed dramatically, and Kara had to suppress a chuckle. She looked exactly like Lena when she did that. “My cat is up there!” The girl pointed up to the tree, where a white cat looked down on them, unfazed. “And I’ve called Supergirl, but she’s not listening, and he doesn’t know how to come down!”
Kara’s heart clenched. It was almost a daily routine for her to rescue pets from all sorts of predicaments, but she loved the look of happiness on the children’s eyes when she gave them back their pets. They didn’t even care that it was Supergirl who rescued them, they were just happy to have them back.
“She can’t come right now, but you know, I’m her friend and she said I could help with these things when she can’t be around.”
The girl gave her a doubtful look and crossed her arms. “You’re friends with Supergirl?”
Kara nodded, putting her bag down. “I am. I’m Kara Danvers, from CatCo. I do all her interviews.”
The girl kept staring at her. “Are you going to call her?”
Kara shook her head, looking around the tree, trying to find a good place to climb. “Nope, she’s out of town. What’s your cat’s name?”
“Snow. She won’t scratch you. She’s very gentle.”
“That’s good to know.” Finding some foothold, Kara adjusted her glasses and climbed up the tree, grunting with the effort. “This is horrible…” She grumbled under her breath. “And people do this for fun? Humans are freaking weird…”
Getting herself up on the tree, Kara sat on the trunk and reached for the cat, cooing at the animal. Snow meowed at her and sniffed her fingers. Deciding that she smelled nice, the cat stretched lazily and sauntered to her, nestling on her lap before deciding and it was time for a bath. Kara chuckled.
“It likes you! You really are Supergirl’s friend!” The girl jumped up and down excitedly.
Kara grinned and let herself down, with Snow secure in her arms. At least someone was happy with her today. “There you go.” Kara gave her back Snow. “What’s your name?”
“Alex!” The girl finally smiled up at her.
“Hey, that’s my sister’s name!” Kara grinned at her. “I’ll make sure to have Supergirl stop by when she’s back in town, to make sure Snow is behaving, ok?”
Alex’s eyes shone with excitement. “Really? You can do that?”
Kara nodded. “Yes, I can. We’re friends.” Winking at the little redhead, Kara stroke Snow’s head. “Behave, Snow. No more climbing trees. Bye, Alex.”
“Bye, Kara!” Alex waved at her and ran inside.
Kara smiled and went on her way, wondering if she should text her wife, to at least wish her good morning. Staring at the phone in her hand, the Kryptonian gave up and put it back in her pocket. She was probably in a meeting at LCorp since she had left so early.
Her good humor gone, she kept on walking.
##
Kara stopped by the traffic lights and adjusted her scarf and coat. Was it just her or was it getting colder? She hoped it was getting colder. If she got sick, she would have Lena and Alex on her case, and she couldn’t fly to Midvale to hide from them at Eliza’s. At least all Eliza did when she was sick was to give her the third degree while making chicken soup and potstickers. Then she would order her on the couch with a cup of hot lemon tea with honey and a warm blanket and would keep her company until she fell asleep with her head on her lap.
Hearing a soft groan from her side, Kara looked down to see an elderly lady picking up her grocery bags from the ground, clearly making an effort to carry them.
“Hi, there!” Kara smiled brightly at the elderly.
The woman looked up and smiled in reflex. “Can I help you?”
Kara grinned. “Actually, that’s what I was going to ask you. Can I help you carry your bags?”
The woman blinked at her. “Oh… Well, no, no, but thank you. I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Oh, it’s no bother at all!” Kara answered quickly, noticing that the sign just turned green. “Please, allow me.”
The woman hesitated but finally relented and Kara happily took two of the bags from her. Gosh, that’s heavy. How does she carry that all by herself? “Here.” Kara presented her arm and smiled again. “I’m Kara, by the way.”
The woman relented and took her arm. “Evelyn.” The elderly looked up at her since Kara was much taller. “Where did you come from? Surely, you’re an alien. No one in this city ever offers to help.”
Kara stammered and blushed. “Well, I—” She sighed in relief. “My mom always taught me the importance of helping one another, Evelyn. It saddens me that people find that so hard to do.”
The woman looked up at her and grinned. “Definitely an alien.”
Kara laughed and helped her cross the street. Eventually, she found out Evelyn lived close by and helped her home, even earning a large piece of chocolate cake and a hug for her troubles.
“You’re my favorite kind of alien, Kara,” Evelyn patted her cheek in a very grandmotherly way. “I may even like you better than Supergirl.”
Kara laughed and left, her large piece of cake safely hidden from prying eyes in her bag.
##
She was about halfway to CatCo when she heard a screech of tires followed by a piercing scream. Seeing a little boy in the middle of the street, rooted to the ground and gaping at the approaching car, Kara dropped her back and sprinted to the boy, tackling him out of the way, just inches from getting hit by the car.
They rolled on the asphalt a few times, but Kara kept him close until she finally managed to stop. “Hey, you’re safe, you’re safe!” Kara kissed the blond head so close to her, feeling the boy’s tears soaking her dark shirt, his hands clenching on her jacket. “You’re safe…”
There were voices and hands as people rushed to help them up. She could hear running from nearby and frantic voice, and suddenly the boy was yanked from her arms and enveloped in a bear hug by a woman she could only assume was his mother.
She tried to get up but felt a bit dizzy and a hand on her shoulder forced her down. “You’re bleeding, ma’am.”
Kara blinked, glancing up at the man forcing her down. “I am?”
The worried looking man nodded. “Your cheek and chin are scraped really badly.”
Kara’s heart sank. There was no way Lena was not going to notice that. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a siren. “It’s fine.” She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I should go—”
“No, you can’t. Someone already called an ambulance and the Police. You need to give a statement and they need to make sure you’re all right.”
Her heart sank. Great, now she would be late too. Could this day get any worse? She managed to sit on the asphalt and reached for her phone, only to find the screen cracked. “Bugger…” Alex was going to kill her because she managed to ruin another DEO issued phone and Lena was going to kill her for being careless, if she didn’t file for divorce first. Great, just great. “I need my bag…”
She tried to get up again, but then her arms were full of a sobbing woman whispering ‘thank you’ nonstop. Kara’s eyes softened and she hugged the woman, whispering quiet words of reassurance, her own troubles forgotten for the moment. She spotted a crying man by a car parked sideways in the middle of the street and guessed it was the driver. Maybe she should talk to him, to make sure he was all right and—
“Damn, lady, I’ve never seen anyone run that fast ever!” Someone said.
“Yeah, like Supergirl!” Someone else exclaimed.
“You’re a real-life hero, lady!”
The people around her started clapping and Kara felt the sting of tears. Even powerless, she was still their hero. Kara gave them all a watery smile, still holding onto the distraught woman.
And she was still going to get her assed kicked when she got home, hero or not.
##
Almost two hours later, and Kara was finally on her way to work. The Police had taken her statement and the paramedics had taken care of the scrap on her face and chin. The mother of the little boy, Joanne, had kindly borrowed her phone so she could call Winn and let him know why she was late.
CatCo was just around the corner and she sighed in relief. She was still sore from the day before and now with her little adventure, she was starting to get stiff. She was going to lock herself in her tiny office and she wouldn’t leave until she had to clock out. Nope.
Kara pulled her coat closer again. It was cold, wasn’t it? Her poor coat was ruined from the asphalt. The woman had offered to pay for it and the phone, but Kara had declined with a smile and that was the end of that.
Straightening her glasses, that had miraculously survived the whole thing in one piece, Kara noticed a couple arguing in the middle of the park she was crossing. She watched in dismay as the man slapped the woman hard across the face. The woman fell to her knees, holding one hand to her face, where she’d been hit, and raising her arm to protect herself.
Several passersby slowed down to see what was happening, but no one intervened.
“What the—” Kara stormed to the arguing couple. “Hey! Stop that!” Kara looked around, furious. “Are you all just going to stand there and do nothing?” No one moved, too stunned at her outburst. Her lips thinned in anger. What was wrong with these people? “Someone call the cops! Now!”
Kara stomped to the couple, grabbing the man’s arm as he was about to hit her again. The stench of alcohol was nauseating, and she almost stepped back just to get away from it.
“Let go of me, bitch!” He growled, trying to free himself from the vice-like grip Kara had on his arm.
She may be powerless, but she was still stronger than most. “Who are you calling a bitch, mister? Rude.” She shoved him away from her, making him trip and fall. “I really don’t like rude people.”
Kara knelt by the shaking woman, noticing she already had a bruise on her cheek. “Hey, are you all right? We’re calling the Police, ok? He won’t bother you again.”
The woman looked up, her eyes widening in fear. Kara looked over her shoulder, only to see a fist about to connect with her face. Kara raised her arm and parried the fist. In one fluid motion, Kara rose, and her closed fist connected with his jaw. The man dropped like a rock, unconscious.
Kara grimaced in pain, holding her hand against her chest to try and stop the pain. Why didn’t Alex cringe in pain when she did that? Rao, that really hurt.
“Has anyone called the cops yet?” She growled at the small crowd watching them. Several people hurried to use their phones. Kara frowned. “What’s wrong with you people?”
No one answered, just staring at her as if she was an alien.
##
It was past noon when she made it to CatCo, finally. Right now, she was ready to go home, take a hot shower and just spend the rest of the day on her couch.
The office was usually empty around this time. Even Winn was gone for lunch, and that was a good thing. She needed a moment to herself. Dropping heavily on the couch in her wife’s office, Kara closed her eyes. She felt tired and sore and stiff, and there was an ache in her bones that she was no longer a stranger to; she was getting sick, just her luck.
Cradling her bruised hand on her chest, she finally allowed herself to let go for a bit. She couldn’t fall asleep, no. It wouldn’t look good if she was found lounging in the boss’ office, even if the said boss was her wife, but she just needed a moment of silence.
“Oh my God, what happened?”
Her wife’s worried voice forced her eyes open and she sat up straight on the couch, only to grimace in pain, a groan escaping against her will.
“Lena…”
“I’ve been trying to call you all morning! Where were you?” Lena Luthor was standing in front of her, a worried scowl on her beautiful face.
“My phone is broken,” she whispered, dejectedly.
“Broken? But—”
Kara held up her good hand, halting her speech. “Please, Lena, not now. I’m really tired and my head hurts… Please…”
Lena sighed and walked to the couch, so she could sit close to her. Touching her face carefully, the dark-haired woman inspected every single visible injury. “Am I at least allowed to ask what happened to my wife?” Her voice was soft, not sharp and edgy like the day before, but Kara could hear the hurt. She always did.
“Of course you can, Lena. I—I just need to rest for a bit,” Kara said, her eyes pleading. Daring to take her hand and entwine their fingers, Kara exhaled in relief when Lena didn’t pull away this time. She had the night before. “Are you still mad at me?”
“Yes!” Lena responded immediately, but her shoulders sagged in defeat, and she squeezed her wife’s fingers. “No, but I should!”
“What was I supposed to do, Lena?” She whined, hanging her head. “I had to stop them from getting out of that portal.”
“Kara…” Lena touched her chin, gently forcing her to make eye contact. “I know you are a hero, that you want to save and help everyone, but sometimes, being a hero means that you have to step back and make sure you live to fight another day.” Lena inched closer. “You’re my hero, Kara, and I want you to be a hero to our child too. I want her to grow up loving you and looking up to you, just like I do.”
Kara swallowed, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be careless, I just—"
“Can’t help but being a hero?” Lena gave her a sad smile. “I know, but… Kara, this child needs both their mothers. I don’t want to have to raise this child on my own, without you.”
Kara closed her eyes, tears running down her warm cheeks. “I know, I’m sorry I—" Her blue eyes flew open, her heart pounding hard in her chest. “Wait… What?”
Lena’s eyes softened. Pulling Kara’s good hand, she placed it on her abdomen, a slow, shy smile touching her lips. “I was going to tell you last night, but… I overreacted, I know, and I’m sorry, but Kara… it scared me like never before. I can’t lose you.” Her green eyes turned pleading. “We can’t lose you.”
Kara’s mouth opened several times, trying to wrap her mind around what Lena was trying to tell her. Blinking, more tears fell, and she was finally able to stammer out the words, “Y—you’re pregnant…”
Lena nodded, biting her lip. “It worked. We’re going to have a baby.”
Kara’s tear-filled eyes dropped to her wife’s abdomen, where her hand rested. Her breath quickened and she tried to talk, but she couldn't, her throat was too constricted with the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Shaky fingers reverently traced the surface they were resting on.
Gasping at the notion that she was going to be a mother, that she would be a parent with the person she loved more than life itself, Kara smiled, tears still flowing down. “We’re pregnant…” She finally managed to say, her eyes so full of wonder.
Lena choked out a chuckle, tears falling. “You’re such a dork, Kara Danvers-Luthor, but I love you just the way you are.”
Pulling her closer, Kara kissed her wife, her injured hand touching the back of her head. She needed to feel her close. It didn’t matter that the sharp pain coming from her bruised knuckles was contributing to her steady flow of tears; it didn’t matter that her chin hurt, and her bones ached, and her body begged her to go to bed and rest. Nothing mattered except the woman she was now holding in her arms and the child that was now growing inside her. Their child.
Kara finally pulled away, peppering her wife’s face with little kisses. Lena giggled.
“I love you…” Kara whispered, her voice hoarse with barely contained emotion. “Rao, I love you…”
Lena smiled. “I love you too.” Taking Kara’s hand once more, Lena got up from the couch, pulling her up with her. “Come one, hero, let’s get you home. You have some explaining to do.”
Home. It had a different meaning now, didn’t it? Kara smiled, despite all her pain, gladly following her wife.
###
The End.