"You don't need to jump back into Supergirl. You know, when you do, there is no going back to normal."

"I know, but this is me. I've never been normal and I can't hide out anymore. I've been gone for too long."

"What are you going to do? How will you address this?"

"I'll give them the truth. They deserve it." I stated. I watched as the Mayor of National City took to the podium in front of City Hall. He began to address the city. I smiled as a plan came to formation in my head. "Winn, do you have an extra suit?" I asked. "Um, yeah. But it's not like your other one. Cisco and I made some major changes."

"Where is it?"

He hesitated. "It's just one of our prototypes. Cisco and I were messing around with ideas." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I just need something, please." He led me off to a room that was hardly ever used by anyone except Winn and Cisco. He placed his hand on a scanner. A door opened on the wall and a new suit emerged.

This was almost completely different from my old one. It was a full suit; no more skirt. The majority was blue, with darker tones toward the center of the suit and on the topside of the arms. By the forearms, shoulders, neck, and feet were red. The red from the shoulders bled into the center of the chest, where the crest sat. There was a gold belt in the middle. I circled around the suit and saw that the back had some openings.

There were 2 triangles of skin showing by the back of the neck, and above the belt, showing the lower back. The edges of the suit were lined with dark red. There was dark blue following the center of the back as well, keeping the same look as the front. I could also see the red from the forearms connected to my shoulders.

The cape was off to the side. The edges were lined with gold. I could tell that the cape connected to my shoulders, and would look almost seamless. The cape was a tad shorter, but still flowed past the mannequin's knees. I looked over to Winn. He wrung his hands nervously. "Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? It looks amazing, Winn." He smiled brightly at me. "Thank you, Kara. It's made of a reinforced tri- polymer, so it can withstand a few thousand degrees, along with knives, grazing bullets, and other things that can cause damage. Like the last one, there is bio tech to monitor your vitals, and Non's anti- kryptonite tech. There is a new com link so you can talk with us and Barry easily. Unfortunately, we couldn't put your old cape with this suit, it was too tattered and damaged to use without major modifications."

"It's great Winn. But where is my cape?"

"We thought that you were- dead. So, we framed it. It's hanging over the bridge between the American flags. You can take it-"

I shook my head. "No that's poetic. I think it needed to be retired anyway." I smirked. He looked over to the suit. "I'll leave you to get changed." He walked out of the room. I quickly changed into the suit. I walked over to the cape and pulled it on. I took and breath and closed my eyes as I ran my hand over the crest. It felt great to have it back on me.

I walked out to the main control room. As I walked by, the agents began to stand up. They followed me there and once I stopped, they began to applaud me. I smiled before flying out into the skies. How's it feeling? "Amazing, Winn, I feel like myself again." That's great.

Kara? Can you hear me? "Yeah, I can, Barry." Our line is secure. I just wanted to say how happy it makes me to see you like yourself again. But you don't need to do this if you truly don't want to. "Trust me Barry, I'm sure. I miss being a hero. I miss fighting by your side."

Me too. Do you want me with you? "No. I think I'll be okay." Okay, I love you. "I love you too."

I finally made it to City Hall. I hovered over the podium before landing softly. The crowd stood in silence. I looked over to the Mayor. "May I?" He nodded. "Of course."

I walked over to the podium and took a breath. "People of National City. I am here to stop all rumors and to tell you the truth of my death." There were murmurs around the crowd.

"This is me. I am the real Supergirl, and I am not dead. A few years ago, before my disappearances, a hero contacted me. You all know him as the Flash. There was a villain who sought to destroy the world. He reached out to hopefully receive some help. I gladly agreed and we were working together. My first disappearance was caused by a man who was hired by this villain. I was severely injured from a weapon that was not of this world. Luckily, I survived and we continued to fight this evil. And 3 years ago, this villain, known as Shade, attacked our city." I took a breath.

"He tried everything in his power to take over. To win over me and the Flash. He created a portal as we were fighting and threatened the lives of some civilians. This portal, is where he was throwing innocent people. These people were thrown into another world. As he threatened these people, I couldn't stand it anymore, as they were my family. So, instead of these others being sent to this place, which we thought at the time that meant death, I sacrificed myself. There, we spent 5 years fighting, as that world had a different time pace compared to here."

I tightened my grip on the podium before speaking again. "My friends and family believed me to be dead. And therefore, they thought it was right to inform all of you of my untimely death. In my years fighting Shade in the other world, I fought desperately to get your loved ones back, as well as trying to defeat him. I was fortunate enough to find a way back here to National City. I am Supergirl. I will stand here now to protect you all again from this evil." I finished.

The crowd was silent. I took a step back and looked back to the Mayor. "Thank you." I jumped into the sky. As I did so, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"WE LOVE YOU SUPERGIRL!"

"WE MISSED YOU!"

"LONG LIVE THE GIRL OF STEEL!"

"THE MAIDEN OF MIGHT!"

I flew back to the DEO. I landed and J'onn stood at my side. "Nice speech." I nodded briefly to him. "Thanks."

I sat down and let myself calm down after the speech. I hadn't noticed it, but adrenaline was pumping through my body. I looked over to the computers and watched as the media looped my message over and over with the headlines Supergirl Lives! I watched my image flash over the multiplying media sources. My heart stopped as I watched myself flash over a broadcast with CatCo's logo. "I- uh- have to go. I'll be back soon." I stated and took off.

I landed on the patio outside of Miss Grant's office. Her office was dark, but I could hear her heartbeat. I noticed that her entire floor was empty. "Miss Grant?" I called out, but received no answer. I scanned over the office carefully. "Miss Grant?" I called again, and yet, no answer. I sighed and turned back out to her patio. I heard her heartbeat start to pick up. I waited by the door. Her footsteps were cautious and slow.

I dared not to turn around, as I knew that she was looking at me. I waited for her to say something, but we stayed in silence. I sighed and let my head drop. I took a few steps toward the exit. "Kara." I heard her whisper. I paused, but didn't turn around.

"You're alive."

"Yeah. I am." I stated delicately.

Her hand rested on my shoulder. She pulled me to face her. Even in the darkness, I could see the redness of her eyes. She's been crying. "I thought you were gone. My office was completely destroyed." I swallowed. "I'm really sorry about that, Miss Grant." She exhaled and shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry. You saved so many lives."

I looked down. "Yeah, I know. But Shade is still at large. He's still terrorizing millions."

She pulled my chin up. "And you will capture him. This will be finished soon. I know you, Supergirl. I know what you can do."

I smiled shyly before it was replaced with a frown. "Miss Grant, I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. I wanted to, but I was held in the DEO for issues."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't lying when I said that there was a time difference when I left. For me, I was gone for 5 years. In those 5 years, I was hunted, tortured, and on the run from Shade and others. And apparently, I was violent when I first arrived back on this Earth. I attacked the agents. I put two people in the med bay with serious injuries. Someone declared me a danger and I was locked up." I took a shaky breath.

"What! Who was it? Why in the hell would they think it was the most logical idea?! You sacrificed yourself for God's sake!"

I stopped her. "It's okay Miss Grant. I appreciate the support, but it wasn't the DEO's fault. Cadmus tried to surface again." Her eyes widened. "How?"

"Shade. He tried to make a deal with Lillian Luthor to kill me. It would've been a win-win situation for the both of them." She took a breath to calm herself.

After a few seconds, Miss Grant took a step towards me. "Kara, I am so sorry. There is nothing I can say to you to make this better. To make the pain go away; so, I won't try. But there is something I can do for you."

"What's that?"

"Just be there for you. I know that the rest of your family and friends are there for you, but I want you to know that my office is always open to you. No matter what time of day or night. You don't need to be embarrassed for ashamed. I will never judge you." Tears stung my eyes. She grabbed me in a hug. "Miss Grant, there was something that you said a while ago that made me think." I stated.

"Oh?" She pulled away.

"It was when I woke up from my coma and visited you."

She stayed silent, waiting for me to continue. "You said that I was like the daughter you never had. Everything you ever wanted in a daughter." She nodded. "There was something else I didn't get to say that day. I remember my mother vividly. I remember my last seconds with her on my planet. Then I lost her. I came to this planet, scared and alone. Eliza took me in and treated me as her own. She was gentle and understanding. She never demanded much from me. I know why she never pushed me, but I craved to be challenged. It was a side of my mother that was never filled."

I took another shaky breath. "Until, I started working for you. You pushed me to my limits. Only expected greatness. Anything else was unacceptable. You helped me find out who I was. You inspired me to become Supergirl, but also kept my head out of the clouds. And when I finally told you I was Supergirl, you kept pushing me, you never scolded me, or were angry." I bit my lip. "What I want to say, Miss Grant, is that you were a mother that I always wanted. I appreciate everything that you have ever done for me. I don't think that I'll ever forget what you have taught me."

She smiled, kissed my forehead, and held me in a soft hug. "I expect nothing less from you, Kara. I love you." I held her tighter. "I love you too." We pulled away and I could see tears rushing down her face. She cleared her throat. "So, will I ever get back my reporter?" She asked.

"You know I can't; Kara Danvers is legally dead."

"Actually, you may have helped both Supergirl and Kara Danvers come back to life from your little speech today."

"What?"

"You stated that Shade took innocent people. Why can't Kara Danvers be one of them?" Miss Grant stated. I smiled. "You're right. Rao, I didn't even think about that."

"It was meant to be."

"Are you sure that you would want to take me back? I may be a bit rusty from a reporter's standpoint."

"Of course, I will Kara. Besides, I know that Iris has really been trying to fill in your footsteps, but she misses you greatly. They all do."

"I know."

"Good, now go back to your Romeo. I know for a fact that he is severely deprived of your presence."

"Thank you, Miss Grant."

"Of course, Kara. I expect you back soon. Go home. Chop chop." I nodded and flew off to the DEO. "Where did you go?" Alex asked.

"CatCo."

"Why?"

"Miss Grant just saw me alive and on tv. I thought I owed it to her. I was going to go to the others too. They deserve to see me." Alex nodded. "Okay, but take it easy as Supergirl."

"I will."

The next few hours, I made my way around the city, visiting my family and friends. I found out that Iris was dating James, which was getting very serious. Joe was promoted to the Captain of NCPD. Caitlin and Winn were still dating as well. Cisco found a girl as geeky as him and were starting to date.

After seeing all my loved ones, I flew back to my apartment. I landed down roughly, and Barry rushed over to me. "You okay Kara?" I nodded. "Yeah, it's just flying around this much burned me out."

"Why were you flying around?"

"I had to see all the others who didn't know I was alive. They were going to see me sooner rather than later because of my speech, and I wanted to avoid any anger." He nodded. "Makes sense."

I walked off to my bedroom and tried to pull off my suit. My arms had no strength left. I groaned and tried again. I was still stuck in my suit. "Barry." I called. He appeared around the corner in a second. "Yes?"

"Can you help me? It's stuck." I stated plainly. He smirked. "Of course, turn around." He pulled off the cape and draped it over a chair. He unzipped the suit and helped me pull it off my shoulders. Even though I was still covered by my sports bra, I could feel my cheeks turn a bit red. "Oh my god." Barry breathed. "What?" I asked, nervous and ashamed. I felt Barry step back. I turned around and saw that his eyes were wide and his hand was covering his mouth.

"What?" I repeated. He lowered his hand and took a step closer. His eyes wandered around my torso. I could see tears forming in his eyes. He reached out and gently placed a hand on my side, where the scar from Tycho's knife sat. He brushed it tenderly with his thumb.

"Kara." He whimpered. Slowly, he inventoried all my scars on my torso, back, and up to my face. His thumb ghosted over the long thin scar on my temple. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. "Kara."

I opened my eyes and I could see tears rushing down his face. "I'm okay, Barry." I whispered. His hand held the back of my head as he stepped closer.

I see him, his eyes revealing more than his words could express. Our breaths mingled. My heart fluttered as he drew me to his lips. It was soft and gentle. There were no fireworks or sparks, but it was better than that. It was a wave of warmth that filled me up, spilling out from his heart and rushing to every corner of my body.

We pulled away, but only ever so slightly. Our foreheads rested on each other's. I took long slow breaths and Barry did the same. Barry was the first one to break the silence. "This shouldn't have happened to you. I am so sorry to have brought this pain and suffering. You-"

His voice broke and he leaned away. "You don't deserve me. You deserve someone better. Someone who will protect you. Someone who-" I cut him off. "No, Barry, you don't get to say anything like that. I wanted to be with you. I want to be with you. Your problems are my problems. I don't need protecting, and neither do you. We are heroes. And we have each other. There is nothing better than that."

He bit his lip. "But your scars-" I pulled his chin back to face me. "Are only scars and memories now. Nothing else. I love you, Barry Allen, for who you are; for what you do. And I realize that I should've told you this such a long time ago. I should've acted sooner, and told you how I felt." He gave me a watery smile. "I love you too, Kara Zor-El. You are the best thing in my life." Barry held my head in his hands and as he pulled me into a fiery and passionate kiss.

Hey guys! So, I have some news, which is good, but still makes me sad. I was doing the math and I found out that this story is almost over. I loved writing this story and I wish that I could forever keep writing this, but there is always an end. I'm thinking like two or three more chapters before I finish it. Soooo, yeah. Thank you all again for the support and I guess I'll see you all in the next chapter! ~Raya Kor-El