"You fixed all my favorites!" Kara nearly squealed.
Alex dropped her head, hiding her rolling eyes behind her hair. It had been a non-stop round of rolling for the past week. Her eyes hurt from the constant exercise they'd gotten since she and Kara had accidentally landed in Argo City.
She couldn't begrudge the mother-daughter bonding. Seeing Kara and Alura together made her happy, but…
First it had been all of Kara's favorite clothes from childhood. All meticulously stored, as if Alura had known Kara would suddenly return to a home she'd believed destroyed.
The eye rolling sprang into being around the time Alura had begun unpacking each of Kara's childhood awards. Or the weird snow globe thing Kara had created in an art class for Zor-El's birthday when Kara was four. The technology behind it made Alex's head hurt and reminded her of the moving images in the Daily Prophet in the Harry Potter movies. Tiny Kara and Zor-El in a replica of Zor-El's lab.
"Did you see Tel-Em in the market yesterday?" Alura tilted her head, a gesture so like Kara that Alex was drawn back into the conversation.
"Uh…" Kara hesitated.
Probably searching for a way to respond. Alex took a bite of food to hide a scowl. The clearly in-bred little bastard had been all over Kara. In her personal space. Handsy. Not to mention he'd treated Alex like a not-too-bright servant.
Alura didn't appear to notice Kara's reluctance to answer. "He's rising quickly in the ranks of the Military Guild."
No. Nope. Alex recognized this conversation. She'd had dozens of similar "talks" with Eliza over the years. Reaching out under the table, she gripped Kara's thigh in warning and commiseration.
"Not as high as a Zod, of course," Alura continued.
"Zod? Like General Zod who tried to kill Kal?" Kara's voice held an edge.
Poor Alura. She must not have been expecting that reaction. Alex enjoyed the way Kara's mother straightened, her judicial mask slipping into place. Mama Zor-El wasn't a fan of push back. "Yes, I…I suppose…The House of Zod has been one of the most prestigious on Krypton for centuries. Who knows, there might even be a way to repair the rift caused by your uncle and General Zod."
Kara had never been on the receiving end of Motherly Matchmaking. Alex considered sitting back and watching, but where was the fun in that? "Did Kara tell you she was dating the Prince of Daxam?" Alex asked into the stilted silence, deliberately neglecting to mention that Mon-El was living in the far-distant future most of the time now and that the relationship was long over.
"The Prince of Daxam? Kara!" Kara's head whipped around. Alex was very glad Kara's powers didn't work on Krypton. Even so, Alex thought Kara's eyes might have glowed red for an instant before Alura's furious diatribe continued. "You know the kind of people they are! Arrogant and self-serving! Especially the ruling family."
One of Kara's hands slipped under the table. Alex bit her lip to stifle a whimper as Kara grabbed the hand Alex had placed on her thigh and squeezed. "You'll be happy to hear that Mon-El's mother was just as overjoyed when she heard we were engaged."
Nothing on Earth – or Argo City – could help Alex hide her smirk. Too bad Kara ruined the moment
"Lucky for all of us, Rhea replaced me as the possible Queen of Daxam with my best friend. A human who could give the Head of the Science Guild a run for his money." Alex was so proud of Kara. She'd finally developed a talent for sarcasm. "Oh, and there was this tiny threat to eradicate all life from Earth we had to stop. It's hard to marry a Daxamite when breathing the air on your adoptive planet will kill him."
One of Alura's hands reached out, hesitated, and returned to the table. "I…see."
Was this how innocent bystanders had felt when Alex and Eliza had been at odds? If only Argo City had popcorn for its dinner shows.
Alura's voice was tentatively enthusiastic when she picked up the thread of conversation. "I thought we'd have a party to celebrate your return. The Council would love to hear about your time on Earth and how you and Kal-El are doing."
"I thought the Council was having a special session next week to discuss Earth and our reason for being here?" Alex stepped in. To hell with enjoying the Alura and Kara Show. Kara needed to know the real reason for this party.
She should have realized Kara's journalistic instincts would pick up on Alura's subterfuge. "The Council doesn't care about Earth at all, Mother." Had Kara learned that particularly cutting tone from Cat Grant or from Lena? It doubled down on the rising tension at the table. "We lost an entire world, and yet the Council only sees in terms of Argo City. Of Krypton."
"Then tell them, Kara!" Alura leaned across the table. "Come home for good. Take your rightful place in the Science Guild. Be a force of change!"
"Hey, let's all calm down," Alex said. "I'm sure the Council will see reason once you talk to them, Kar. Your mom's on the Council. She'll back you up." Although, Alex wasn't so sure anymore. Alura would do anything to get Kara to leave Earth behind, and Alex was equally determined that Kara would be leaving Argo City on the return trip.
Far from her usual Sunny Danvers reaction, Kara's lips twisted bitterly rather than into a beaming smile. "Will she?"
Alura paled. "Kara! Of course, I will." The words lacked sincerity. Funny, given Alura's reputation as a fierce Adjudicator and Councilwoman.
Kara must have noticed the lie as well. She laughed. "I wanted this to be so different. When we landed…when I realized you were alive…"
Alex grabbed Kara's hand openly this time. She slid from her chair, dropping to a knee at Kara's side. "Hey. It's OK, Kar. It's OK." Kara was so tense that she nearly vibrated. "Relax. We'll figure it out." Alex stroked the back of Kara's hand before pressing a reassuring kiss to the skin. "Let's go for a walk. You can show me that place outside the market we didn't have time for yesterday." And everyone would have time to cool off. She remembered all the hurt and guilt and self-hatred from years of fighting with Eliza. Kara didn't deserve that.
Looking completely dejected, Kara stood. "Sure."
"We'll be back later." Alex pinned Alura with the same glare that sent experienced DEO agents diving for cover. "I'm sure things will be better then." Or Alura was going to meet Agent Danvers rather than Kara's mild-mannered adoptive sister.
Alex regretted her trademark black outfit. The market was stifling under the sun's red rays, worsened by the press of bodies at the various stalls. She had to admit defeat. They weren't going to make whatever special place Kara had wanted to show her. A National City summer couldn't touch the sweltering heat. She was melting.
"I can feel you thinking," Kara commented. She'd regained her smile a few minutes after leaving Alura's home. Alex refused to think of it as Kara's home. That was Earth, of course. "What's going on in that head of yours?" She slung an arm around Alex, leaning into her side despite the sweat slicking both of them.
"Just thinking it's too bad you don't have freeze breath here." Matching strides, Alex bussed the side of Kara's head.
Kara tilted her head into the kiss. "Sorry. Wish I could help."
"Liar. At least pretend to care about my incipient heat stroke," Alex muttered. They marched in step for several minutes until they cleared the main marketplace. It wasn't any cooler in the new location; however, it was far less crowded. "You OK?"
Rather than respond, Kara burrowed her had into Alex's shoulder.
"She's your mom, Kara. She's just looking out for you." Alura's methods and her motivation were questionable, yet Alex knew at least part of Alura's action were driven by maternal instinct. Alura wanted Kara at home, in the sphere of her influence and protection.
Kara remained stubbornly silent.
It was time to call out the big guns. "Do you remember that first Thanksgiving after I went to college?"
"The one where you and Eliza got into a shouting match and you threw one of my chocolate pecan pies across the kitchen?" Trust Kara to remember the tragedy of a lost pie.
Alex chuckled. She could do that now. At the time, though, she'd been ready to storm out of Midvale and never go back. "It was one hell of a fight." One of the worst. Until Alex had started to "throw away her life and career" with the drinking and partying. Then they really got nasty. "Know why that pie decorated the wall?"
Tilting her head, Kara regarded Alex thoughtfully. "I did something stupid and you couldn't figure out a way to save me from myself while living all the way in National City?"
"Good guess, but no. Not that time." Alex enjoyed Kara's dramatic sigh. "That was the next Christmas," she said with a laugh. "The Pie Incident wasn't about you at all for once. Mom decided I needed help in the love department."
"What?" Kara stopped dead in the middle of the street. "That's why all of your exes and every single friend of a friend came by the house?"
Alex nodded. She idly wondered if Eliza would have dug up all the eligible women in the area if she'd know Alex was gay. "Yep." She popped the "p" loudly for effect. "The Eliza Danver's version of the Dating Game."
"That's terrible! No wonder you threw my pie!" It always came back to that pie.
Alex stood in the middle of the street and waited for Kara to see beyond Thanksgiving dessert.
It didn't take long. "Oh, Rao! You think…No! Alex, come on! My mother wouldn't…" Kara waved her hands around (which, given their close proximity, put Alex's eyes at risk) as she stuttered through a series of broken denials.
"Put the lethal weapons away, Slugger." Alex captured Kara's hands and raised an eyebrow. "There's going to be a party with a bunch of eligible bachelors of good families."
"Because the Council…" Kara slumped. "The Council has nothing to do with this."
There was no need for Alex to rub Kara's nose in the reality. "Oh, I'm not so sure there isn't a little piece of truth in that. You're probably right. They aren't going to help us."
"All our vaunted intelligence and technology, and Krypton is still blinded by our arrogance. Mon-El was right about my planet." There was an ocean of disbelief and sorrow in Kara's comment.
"Hey! I'm not giving up. Neither should you." Alex brushed a strand of hair behind Kara's ear. "They haven't seen the two of us in action. The Council won't know what hit them when we double-team them." She nudged Kara's shoulder to get them moving again. "But let's get back to the matter at hand: your potential husband."
If they'd been on Earth, Kara's backhand would have broken a rib. "I have you to take care of me, remember?"
Alex started to answer when her internal warning system sounded. She shoved Kara behind her and took a defensive stance as Tel-Em and two other uniformed Kryptonians stepped onto the street.
"Kara Zor-El." No greeting. No smile. Just Tel-Em staring at Kara in a way that made Alex's skin crawl.
She widened her stance, hiding more of Kara from his gaze. "I'm sorry. You're interrupting a private conversation."
He ignored Alex completely, stepping closer. Alex refused to give ground even as she maneuvered so that Kara was a few feet behind her in case Alex had to teach this puppy a lesson. "Councilwoman Alura Zor-El has invited me to a party in your honor. I would like to announce our betrothal at that time as the Matricomp has declared we are a suitable match."
"Betrothal?" Kara tried to get around Alex until Alex moved to block her.
The thought of Tel-Em marrying Kara enraged Alex. This boy who pretended to be an adult, a soldier, was laughable. Her temper flared. "Back the fuck up, kid. Kara's off the marriage market."
Tel-Em barely glanced at Alex. "You hide behind a human? Zor-El would die from the shame."
Human? In the tone that Alura had said "Daxamite?" As if Alex and Mon-El were gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe. "You'll marry Kara over my dead body," Alex snapped. Kara was hers to love and protect. Had been from the day she'd come to Midvale. "You take another step and I'll show you just what this human is capable of." She'd managed to kill one of their decorated generals, after all. Tel-Em wasn't in the same league as Astra.
"Alex, you don't have to do this," Kara whispered urgently into Alex's ear.
Yes, she did. Alex took two steps so that she was pressed against Tel-Em. He was an inch or two taller but lacked the musculature of a fighter. His friends moved to grab her, and Alex left diplomacy behind.
A side kick doubled the man on Tel-Em's left over. Alex broke the nose of the woman to his right with a sharp thrust of her palm. Tel-Em didn't even have time to react before Alex dropped him to the ground with a leg hook and a sharp twist.
Two moves. This kid thought he was good enough for Kara? Kara might have needed another move or three, but the result would have been the same.
"You will never approach Kara again." Alex pressed her hand to Tel-Em's throat. "I don't care if you only want to ask about the weather. You'll cross the fucking street to avoid even a single shared glance. Got it?"
"Alex!" Kara grabbed Alex from behind. Yanked at her. "Come on. I'm fine. You're fine. Tel-Em's fine. Aren't you, Tel-Em?"
The boy beneath Alex nodded as emphatically as he could with Alex's hand still wrapped around his throat.
"See? We can all walk away like this never happened." Kara pulled, and Alex finally relented.
Not before she pressed her face closer to Tel-Em, though. "This happened. This definitely happened. You come anywhere near her, and I'll beat you within an inch of your life." With a last flex of her fingers on his neck, Alex climbed to her feet. They'd drawn an audience. Alex noted several more uniforms amid a flock of colorful robes. Tel-Em was going to have a lot of explaining to do. She smirked. Too fucking bad if his superiors wondered how a puny human had kicked his ass.
Kara took Alex's hand and hauled her back toward Alura's home. "What was that all about?"
Really? Kara could be so oblivious. "I didn't like the way he looked at you." Alex flushed when Kara laughed. "What? He thought you were some kind of prize he'd won at the fair."
"So you rushed to my rescue. My hero." Good-natured mockery laced Kara's voice. Alex stiffened, and Kara relented. Her smile wrapped around Alex. "You're a complete bad ass, you know? No wonder all the new DEO agents whisper your name in fear."
"Don't you forget it." Straightening her shoulders, Alex let out a breath. "How much trouble did I just cause back there?"
Kara shrugged. "The last time someone from the House of Em lost a fight, they put the entire family in a subordinate position to the winner. The Ems have been subservient to the House of Zod for centuries."
"Oh, great." Alex groaned and closed her eyes.
"Yep. You've now established the House of Danvers as a powerhouse in the Military Guild. I'm sure Mother and the Council will be thrilled." Kara threw back her head and laughed, the sound tugging a grin from Alex. "It might make them take you seriously now."
Alura was waiting for them the moment they entered the spacious living area. "Kara!" Alura's stance, hands on her hips, was eerily like Supergirl's power pose. "Why didn't you simply tell me?"
Kara glanced at Alex, who shook her head in denial. She had no idea what Alura was asking. "Well…I…"
"I went to the Matricomp! If I'd know you were already married, I wouldn't have sent a betrothal contract to the House of Em!" Alura snapped. Then she turned her gaze to Alex. "I should have seen it. No sister is as physically close to a sibling."
Alex realized she was still holding Kara's hand and immediately let go. "It's not what you think," she mumbled.
"You didn't attack Tel-Em in the street because…what was the phrase? Kara was 'off the marriage cart?'"
"Market, Mom. It's marriage market." Kara didn't seem phased by the situation. In fact, she flung her arms around Alex in a hug that would have squished all of Alex's internal organs on Earth. "I'm so glad we can stop hiding, Alex."
Hiding? What was Kara talking about? "What…" Alex stared up into Kara's eyes.
"I'm glad Mom knows we're married. We can make it official at the party." Kara turned away as Alex grappled with Kara's words. "You still want to have the party, right? I mean, Alex is from a very important House on Earth. Alex and Eliza would make great additions to the Science Guild, even if Alex did sort of jump ship and join the Military. Tel-Em's lucky he's alive."
"Why didn't you tell me, Kara? Alex?" Alura's hands dropped, the image of Angry Mother draining away. No, she exuded hurt.
Mind slowly catching up to Kara's plan, Alex answered, "I thought you wouldn't approve." The Council had been completely dismissive of Alex since her arrival. "And I wanted Kara's homecoming to be about coming home. Not about marrying beneath her."
She grunted when Kara smacked her shoulder. "I'm not ashamed of being Kara Danvers." There was a new inflection on her name. One that sounded suspiciously similar to the stiff, formal intonation used by Kryptonians. Alex could hear the hyphen in Kara Dan-Vers.
"I've had the servants move both of your things into a larger guest room." Alura smiled at Alex. Really smiled. Not the pretend one she'd used so often since their arrival. "My daughter has a skilled warrior to protect her. You defeated not only the House of Em today but members of the Houses of Dar and An."
Alex didn't recognize the House names. They weren't important. "I shouldn't have attacked him." It galled her to say that. The slimy prick had deserved that and more. "Kara can protect herself." That earned her another crushing hug and a kiss to her jaw from Kara.
"It was really hot when protect my honor." Kara's whisper was thankfully for Alex's ears only.
Stepping back, Alex stared at Kara. "Have you lost your mind?" What was wrong with Kara?
Kara winked and blew a kiss. "What? I can't let you know how I feel?" She turned to Alura. "How much time do we have before the party? Alex and I need to shop for marriage bracelets, and there has to be something in Argo City she'll agree to wear that isn't black."