AN: So, I can't stand Mon-El, and I don't really like babies, so obviously my brain decided I needed to write a Mon-El/Lena baby fic. Because of course it did. This is canon compliant, except no mysterious portal, and no third pod departing from Krypton.

Spoiler: For those that also can't stand Mon-El, he only appears in this chapter (it was a necessary evil - trust me, it was just as painful to write as it likely is to read), and then he is gone for good.

As I disclaim on all of my works in progress; I do not have the best track record with finishing what I start, so proceed at your own risk.

Chapter 1: The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope

Kara flew through her apartment window with a bone weary sense of relief. She was ready for this day, this week, this month, to finally be over. The months following the Daxamite invasion had left an indelible mark on National City.

The cleanup and rebuilding effort was extensive, and ongoing. The relationship between the city's human and alien residents, already strained, had grown even more tenuous. All of this translated into a seemingly endless well of tasks to be completed. If she wasn't assisting in removing debris from the city's many half destroyed skyscrapers, she was trying to negotiate a truce between the human inhabitants of the city, and the interlopers from space they now viewed with increased suspicion.

While Kara was happy to help her city in any way they needed her, the constant demands on her time were draining. She needed a break. Just one night where she could unwind, kick back, eat too much greasy takeout, and lose herself in some mindless TV show.

Kara reached up to remove her cape, but froze when she noticed something that her exhaustion had prevented her from picking up on immediately. There was someone, no wait, two someones, in her apartment. She scanned the apartment and quickly located the source of the heartbeats.

Striding quickly across the floor, she flipped on the light as she passed, hoping to startle whoever had thought to invade her space.

"I don't know who you are, but you picked the wrong apartment to break into buddy!" Kara proclaimed loudly.

The man who had been sitting on her bed, sprung upright and turned towards her, making a shushing motion with his hands. "Shhhh, I just got her to go to sleep. You're going to wake her."

Though his features were slightly obscured by the helmet he was wearing, Kara easily recognized the voice. "Mon-El?" she questioned. "What are you...How are you...Why…"

"Let's talk in the other room," Mon-El urged quietly as he strode across the small distance separating them. He clasped Kara by the elbow and gently ushered her out of the room, throwing a few fleeting glances back toward her bed, where Kara now realized a small bundle, the source of the second heartbeat, lay sleeping.

Flipping the switch as they walked past, Mon-El once again cast the bedroom into darkness, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Kara shook her head, still confused about Mon-El's presence in her apartment. She hadn't had any contact with the Daxamite since he had been forced to depart Earth over six months prior, and seeing him standing in front of her now, left her reeling.

"Mon-El, I don't understand. Why are you here? How are you here?"

Mon-El grinned at her through the face shield on his helmet. "After the...incident on Earth, our scientists decided it would be a good idea to develop some anti-lead filtration."

Kara resisted the urge to correct his categorization of the Daxamite invasion, and attempted subjugation of Earth as a mere "incident". She had more pressing questions that she needed answers to.

Kara waved broadly toward her bedroom. "And the um..the baby? What's going on Mon-El?" Kara asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Right." Mon-El reached up to rub the back of his neck, forgetting that he was wearing an atmospheric suit. "After I left Earth I realized I was going to have to catch up to the Daxamite fleet. My people...need a ruler. With the death of my father and mother, there would have been a void that they wouldn't have been able to fill. They needed a member of the royal family." Mon-El caught Kara's eyes. "I know you don't approve of how Daxam was ruled, but…"

Kara held up her hand, palm out, to halt Mon-El's explanation. "Mon-El, it's fine. I understand. You don't have to justify your decision to me. Your people needed you."

Mon-El nodded, relieved. "When I finally caught up with the fleet, they were in chaos. General Mal-nor had tried to impose some kind of order by declaring martial law, but others were reluctant to acknowledge his authority, and the fleet was starting to splinter apart."

"Were you able to stabilize things?" Kara asked, brow furrowed in concern. While she knew that Earth was safe from a repeat attack, the idea of a leaderless Daxamite military roaming the galaxy wasn't a comforting thought. With no central control, the small cells that had splintered off could cause irreparable damage to any number of planets.

Mon-El nodded. "Thankfully, though it hasn't been easy. Most of my time has been spent tracking down the groups that fragmented off. We've managed to track most of them down, and they have been happy to rejoin the fleet."

"Most?" Kara asked worriedly. "Is that why you're here? Are some planning to return to Earth?" Kara couldn't fathom why any Daxamite would want to return to a planet whose atmosphere was toxic, but Mon-El was here, and she could only assume it was for a good reason.

"No," Mon-El reassured her quickly, shaking his head. "Even with these suits, a long term stay on Earth would be a bad idea. Purifying the air of an entire planet is still out of the reach of our scientists."

Kara looked at Mon-El sharply. "You've been researching a way to return?" Kara felt badly when she saw the hurt flash across Mon-El's features.

"You don't sound happy about that possibility," Mon-El replied, not answering the question.

Kara rubbed her brow wearily. She hadn't meant to cause him pain. "Mon-El, you know I wish there had been a way for you to stay on Earth. Nothing would have made me happier, but...things have changed since you left. The relationship between humans and aliens has grown extremely tense, and the last thing we need is anything to tip that balance. As much as I wish it were possible, I just don't think it's a good idea for your people to search for a way to return."

Mon-El smiled tightly, and shrugged. "Well, you have nothing to worry about. Our scientists hadn't made much headway, and once I assumed the throne, I put a stop to all research in that area." Mon-El sighed. "My people need to move forward, find a home for themselves, start rebuilding. If the invasion attempt showed me anything, it's that such an effort is probably best undertaken on an uninhabited planet." Mon-El laughed, some of his old, playful self resurfacing. "Apparently a civilization based on the enslavement of millions doesn't make the best neighbor."

"I hope you are able to find what you are looking for." Kara rested her hand on Mon-El's arm and squeezed reassuringly. "Now, more than ever, your people need a leader capable of seeing a hopeful future. Not one consumed by thoughts of revenge."

Mon-El looked at Kara earnestly. "I meant what I said when I left, Kara. I want to make you proud, to be the man, the leader, that you saw in me. I don't want to repeat my parents' mistakes."

"You won't," Kara reassured him confidently. "You aren't like your parents, Mon-El. I have faith that you will set a new course for your people. A better course."

"Thanks, Kara. That means more to me than I can express." Mon-El flicked his gaze back to the bedroom, before returning his gaze to Kara's. "That's actually sort of what brings me here."

Kara looked at him, brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm not following," Kara said, shaking her head softly.

"You're one of the best people I have ever known. I couldn't think of anyone I would rather have help shape her life."

"Whose life?"

"My daughter's," Mon-El responded, somewhat sheepishly.

"Your what!" Kara cried. Her gaze immediately shoot past Mon-El to examine the small form still sleeping on her bad. As if looking at the baby with her own eyes would somehow confirm the veracity of his claim. "How?"

"It was a surprise to me too," Mon-El joked.

"But...How...I mean I don't….How?!" Kara exclaimed, completely flustered by the news.

"You remember when Mother kidnapped Lena and I, and got it in her head that our marriage would solve all of Daxam's problems?"

"I'm not likely to forget that any time soon," Kara grumbled. The actions of the Daxamite queen were still enough to make Kara see red, even after all these months.

Mon-El rubbed the back of his helmet nervously. "Well, it turns out that she didn't waste any time getting started on that heir," Mon-El supplied.

"What heir?" Kara asked, still puzzled.

"Did I not mention that part?" Mon-El asked.

Kara crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm pretty sure I would have remembered if you had."

"Oh, well, mother wanted an heir. A prince, or princess, that was of both worlds. Someone that both people could look up to, and claim as theirs."

"She made you and Lena," Kara waved her hands vaguely in front of her, her expression outraged.

"What? No!" Mon-El was quick to reassure her. "On Daxam, they developed a way to reproduce asexually. It was almost unheard of to reproduce sexually. It was deemed...inconvenient. Genetic material from both parents would be harvested, and then a surrogate would carry the baby to term."

"And you're saying that your mother…"

Mon-El nodded.

"With your and Lena's…"

Another nod.

Kara sank onto her couch; stunned by the news. "Wow. That is...I can't…" Kara shook her head slightly to clear it. "It's a lot to process."

Mon-El lowered himself stiffly to the couch to sit beside Kara; the suit making the motion difficult. "Trust me, I was just as stunned." Kara looked at him in question. "When I first joined the fleet, there was so much to do just to restore a basic sense of order. Then most of my attention was focused on tracking down, and rounding up, the rouge squads."

"And no one thought to tell you?" Kara asked in disbelief.

Mon-El shrugged. "It wouldn't have been deemed important."

Kara scoffed. She couldn't think of many things that would be more important than an impending child.

"Does Lena know?" Kara asked.

"Um, no. Not exactly," Mon-El answered.

"Not exactly?"

"She knew of Mother's desire for an heir, and that she had taken the necessary genetic sample, but not that Mother had already commissioned one."

"Commissioned?" Kara spat out in disgust. When she saw Mon-El open his mouth to explain she held up her hand to stop him. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter." Kara frowned, still confused about one thing. "But why are you here? Shouldn't you be telling all this to Lena?"

Mon-El gazed at Kara hopefully. "I was actually hoping you could do that?" He gave her a pleading smile. At one time, the look would have been enough to have her caving in to whatever request Mon-El was making, but at the moment it was just causing a faint sense of annoyance.

"You want me to what?!" Kara yelped in outrage.

Mon-El looked at pleadingly. "You guys are such good friends. I thought she would take it better coming from you," Mon-El explained.

Kara scoffed. "Oh I can just imagine how that conversation would go. 'Hi, Lena. So, how have things been going lately? Say, do you remember my ex-boyfriend Mon-El? And his crazy mom, Rhea? With the kidnapping, and the forced marriage and the heir making? Yeah, well, turns you have a daughter. Surprise!'"

"Kara, I think if you would just.."

"Oh! And very soon she will likely be on the other side of the galaxy, so don't get too attached," Kara continued.

"Actually, that's what I really wanted to talk to you about." Mon-El cleared his throat. "I, um, I can't take her with me."

"Can't take her with you? She's your daughter!" Kara said incredulously.

"I know," Mon-El said, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. "But Kara, I need to find a home for my people. That needs to be my focus, not a...not a baby! And who even knows how long that will take? A spaceship is no place to raise a child," Mon-El said, pleading for understanding.

Kara crossed her arms and shifted away. Rationally, she knew that Mon-El had a valid point, but emotionally she couldn't get past the fact that it seemed like Mon-El was abandoning his daugher.

"You're her father," Kara replied.

"And Lena is her mother," Mon-El countered. "Doesn't she deserve a chance to get to know her daughter? Is it really fair to Lena to take her half a galaxy away without her ever knowing she exists?"

"Somehow I doubt that concern for Lena is what is driving this decision. What's really going on, Mon-El?"

Mon-El rubbed his hands along his thighs, before pushing himself to his feet to pace in front of the couch.

"My people will never accept her as a rightful heir to the throne of Daxam. If we had stayed on Earth it would have been different but," Mon-El shrugged, "as it stands…"

"Surely you could sway that opinion over time," Kara argued.

"I will eventually be expected to marry, and produce a child to cement the union. Once I do, those children would be viewed as the legitimate heirs to the throne." Mon-El cleared his throat uncomfortably. "It is also not unheard of for children of previous marriages to meet untimely ends."

Kara shot off the couch, outraged. "They would kill an innocent child?"

Mon-El held out his hands placatingly, but looked regretful. "It has been known to happen." Mon-El shook his head. "Don't you see, Kara? I want her to be able to live her life to its fullest potential. Free from the pressures and threats of the royal court. The best chance she has of that is here, on Earth." Mon-El smiled. "Plus, I know that with you in her life she is bound to be the best version of herself."

Kara wanted to argue further, but she was starting to see Mon-El's point. The work required to find a new planet to call home would be immense. Which didn't even touch on the work that would be required to actually rebuild. It could take a lifetime, or several, and it was bound to be a harsh existence.

However, even understanding that, Kara knew what it was like to be an alien on Earth. Essentially the last of her kind. Was it really better to remain on a planet where she would never quite fit in? A shrill beep cut into Kara's thoughts, and drew her attention back to Mon-El.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Sorry," Mon-El apologized, quickly tapping a command into the screen interface on his wrist. "My suit is just warning me that the lead filters are getting saturated and are approaching failure."

Kara shot her gaze to the bedroom, alarmed. "Oh my god! Is it even safe here for her?" Kara started to dart towards the bedroom, but Mon-El caught her arm.

"She's fine," Mon-El assured Kara. "One of the benefits of her human mother; she doesn't have our fatal sensitivity to lead."

"Are you sure?" Kara asked, still concerned.

"Kara, I never would have brought her here if I thought there was even the remotest chance it could harm her. I made sure the doctors did extensive testing before I even considered returning." Kara let Mon-El lead her back to the couch where the pair once again sat beside each other. "It wasn't exactly a popular decision to waste months of progress to backtrack to Earth."

"What's her name?" Kara fnally asked.

"Alina,"

"Alina Mon-El Luthor. It has kind of a nice ring to it," Kara said with a soft smile.

"So you'll do it? You'll keep her, and take her to Lena?"

Kara sighed, and rubbed her fingers across her brow. "Do I really have much choice?" Kara shook her head before Mon-El could answer; the question had been a rhetorical one. "You really think this is the best option for her?"

Mon-El nodded. "I do. She deserves to grow up on a beautiful planet, surrounded by people who love her. Not wandering the stars searching for a planet that can hopefully be made into some kind of home."

Kara sighed. "Fine. I'll do what you're asking."

Mon-El smiled, and reached out to hug Kara in thanks. Kara returned the gesture; the embrace made awkward by the somewhat bulky suit.

"Thank you, Kara. This really means a lot to me." Mon-El pulled back. "I wish things could have been different, truly."

Kara smiled at him sadly, and patted him on the arm. "I know Mon-El, me too." The shrill beep of the alarm once again rang out, reminding them that Mon-El's time was running short.

Mon-El quickly silenced the alert, and sent Kara an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"How much time do you have left?" Kara asked.

"Not more than a few minutes," Mon-El replied regretfully.

Kara took a deep breath to steady herself. She placed her hands on her thighs and pushed herself up off the couch. "You should probably fill me in on what I need to know, and then take the remaining time to say your goodbye," Kara offered softly, forcing a small smile.

"Oh, right, yeah," Mon-El responded. Mon-El stood from the couch and unzipped a small pocket on the front of his suit. He slid out a small data drive and handed it over to Kara. "This has all of the data that our doctors have on her." Mon-El gestured toward the kitchen. "There is some formula for her in the fridge."

Mon-El stood awkwardly in front of Kara, not sure what to do next. His suit alarm beeped another warning, more insistent than the last. Kara smiled at him sadly. "Go say goodbye to your daughter Mon-El." Kara pushed him gently towards her bedroom.

Mon-El nodded, and walked slowly into the darkened room. Kara trailed slowly behind, but stopped at the threshold. She didn't feel it was her place to intrude. She watched, arms crossed across her chest in a loose hug, as Mon-El reached out toward the small bundle on the bed. His hand stopped just short of making contact. He stood motionless, simply gazing at his daughter for a few moments, before he turned toward Kara once more.

He raised his hand farewell. "Keep her safe," Mon-El requested quietly.

Kara nodded. "I will, Mon-El. I promise."

"Goodbye, Kara." Mon-El punched in a command on his wrist control, and in a shimmer of green light he was gone.

Kara let out a shuddering breath, and crept softly across the floor. Coming to a stop beside the bed, she reached down and gently drew back the swaddle that was wrapped around the baby. The low light made it difficult to make out details, but she could see a shock of dark hair.

Noticing a glint of metal, she pulled the blanket back even further, taking care not to wake the sleeping infant. With delicate motions, she carefully removed what she now realized was a necklace from around the baby's neck.

Even in the dark, she easily recognized the pendant her mother had sent with her when she departed Krypton. Clenching the stone tightly in her fist, Kara turned and walked back towards the living room. She had a call to make.