Hello, my dear wonderful readers and reviewers!

Here comes a nice long chapter covering many many things! Hopefully it hangs together okay; I realized there were a lot of different events I need to address before we can move to some more action! Which will, by the way, be coming. I hope you are prepared for angst... because it's in the near future.

Disclaimer: I can't think of any more interesting ways of saying this. I don't own Supergirl or any of its characters.

A soft buzz caught Kara's attention, making her glance at her human communication device.

[1 New Message from Winn]

Quickly, she opened the text.

[Are you home?]

Kara tapped at the screen very lightly, holding it gingerly. She didn't want to break another phone.

[Yeah, why?]

[Go to your backyard.]

[Okay, be there in one second]

"Alex?" Kara grabbed her sister's attention, the agent looking up from where she was working at the dining table. "I'm going to go to the backyard."

"Okay. Love you." Alex gave her a brief smile before turning back to her work.

"Love you too!" Heading out the door, Kara reflected on the first time she had gone into this backyard.

She had been so scared that Alex would hurt her.

So much had changed since then.

"Kara!"

A whisper caught the Kryptonian's attention and she quickly located its source.

"Winn!" she beamed, bounding over to the fence. "You're back!"

Her friend looked thinner than when she had last seen him, the shadows around his eyes highlighted in contrast to his bright blue eyes. A neon green cast encased his left ankle, its coloring startling.

Kara glanced away long enough to still her rolling stomach.

She hated the color green; it made her want to run away.

But this was Winn and Winn was her friend.

Quickly, she climbed over the fence to give her classmate a hug. "Are you okay?"

Winn shrugged, his smile hollow.

"I just want everything to go back to normal."

But nothing will ever go back to the way it was, the unspoken words filled the silence.

"I missed you." Kara gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, same," Winn smiled back, expression lightening slightly. "I had to call you to the back because there are still news people parked up front."

"I know," Kara bit her lip. "I've seen them parked out there. I wish they would leave."

"Me too." Winn ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, Kara, we need to talk."

Kara swallowed hard. She knew where this conversation was going.

"We both know I didn't throw the bomb away," Winn met her gaze steadily. "It was you. Why did you say I did it? You are the hero."

Kara looked down at her feet. She knew the lie that Alex and J'onn had her memorize but she wished she didn't have to say it.

What if Winn knew? Would it really be that disastrous?

But if she broke DEO rules… What if they took her away from Alex?

Fear scraped the back of her throat as she cleared it.

"I…" she paused, glancing up at Winn. "I didn't want any attention."

Winn raised his eyebrows but waited for her to continue.

"Before I got here, I had a messed up foster placement. It didn't end well. If I were on the news people might find out about my past or the…" Kara bit her lip, staring again at the ground. "Or those people could know where I am."

It was so close to the truth. Except there wasn't a foster placement in her past; there was a science laboratory where she had been kept as an experiment.

A rush of fear hit her, making her want to curl in on herself.

She didn't ever want to think about what had happened in that lab. She was safe now, she had Alex and J'onn and Eliza and her friends.

"Did they hurt you?" Winn's voice was almost a whisper, his face pale.

Wordlessly, Kara nodded.

"I won't tell anyone it was you, I promise," Winn put his hand on her shoulder, his expression serious.
"Thank you," Kara gave him a small smile.

"Can I ask you one more thing about the explosion? Then we can stop talking about it."

"Yeah," Kara agreed, suddenly itching to flee to the comfort of Alex.

"How did you know the bomb was in there?"

"Kara!" Alex's call made Kara jump slightly. "It's time for dinner!"

"I don't know how I knew it was in there; I just did." Kara gave Winn quick hug. "I've got to go help Alex with dinner but I'll see you soon."

Kara could feel Winn's confused gaze on her back as she climbed over the fence and jogged back inside but she knew that she was safe.

Winn was a good friend. Maybe, someday, he would help protect her secret while actually knowing what it was.

"Hey, there's something I want to talk to you about." Alex tightened her grip on the folder of paperwork she was holding in her lap.

Kara glanced up from her empty plate that had been filled with spaghetti only a dozen minutes ago. Alex couldn't hold back her smile as Kara's blue eyes fixed their sight on her.

"Is it good?" Kara sat up straighter. "You're smiling."

"I think you'll think it's good." Alex took a deep breath. She had considered the possibility that Kara wouldn't want to be adopted but she was determined to at least make the offer. "I talked to J'onn and he agreed to help with all the paperwork; the DEO can create the identification and…"

Kara stared at her blankly and Alex realized she was rambling.

"I…" Another deep breathe. "Kara, do you know what adoption is?"

Kara tilted her head slightly. "Isn't it where a person takes guardianship of a child that isn't…" She stopped, her eyes widening, mouth forming a small o.

"If you want, I'd like to adopt you, Kara, to make us a permanent family, forever."

There. She said it. Alex felt a wave of anxiety wash over her as she carefully watched Kara's reaction. The girl was frozen, not saying anything.

"But, only if you want to. And I totally understand if you don't, I can never replace your parents… I just…"

"Yes!" Kara finally unfroze, throwing herself at Alex. "Yes! Yes! I do want to!"

"Ugngh," Alex grunted, the wind completely knocked out of her as they tumbled to the floor.

"Oops!" Kara scrambled off the agent and helped her up. "Sorry, I'm just so excited!" The blonde began jumping up and down, her smile lighting up the entire room.

"Come here." Alex held out her arms and Kara jumped into them, wrapping her arms around Alex's neck and her legs around her waist as the older woman spun her around. After a couple minutes of laughing, their frenzy slowed.

"I love you," Alex kissed Kara's forehead. "So much." She felt her heart might burst with the amount of love she felt. She would protect her little girl with all she had.

"I love you too." Kara laid her face against Alex's shoulder. "Are…" she paused.

"What is it?"

Kara reached out her small hands and carefully cupped Alex's face for a moment.

"Are you sure?" Her wide worried blue eyes searched Alex's expression.

"One hundred percent." There was no hesitation in Alex's voice. "Kara Zor-El, you are already a permanent part of my heart, family, and life. This only makes it official."

"Official," the Kryptonian repeated, a small smile spreading across her face before worry took over once again. "What if…"

Alex shushed her.

"No matter what happens, I will always be there for you, whether it's right by your side or in your heart."

Official.

Step.

Official.

Step.

Official.

Step.

Kara punctuated her walk with the word, eyes fixed on her blue sneakers as she made her way through the newly opened school hallway.

The school was strangely subdued, kids quieter than usual as they made their way to their classes. Only subtle reminders of the explosion remained; walls freshly painted in a fresh coat that shone in contrast to the slightly grubby undamaged areas. New doors guarded the cafeteria that was sporting a complete makeover, where Kara was currently heading to for lunch with her friends.

Kara pushed the thoughts of the explosion out of her mind, focusing back on her feet and her repeated mantra.

Official.

Step…

"Ah!" Kara ran smack into someone. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking…" She scrambled for the papers that she had knocked out of the other student's arms.

"It's okay."

Kara finally stopped chasing papers and looked up at the person she had run into.

It was the dark haired girl who sat alone in the cafeteria. Kara faintly remembered Winn pointing her out as Lena Luthor. The way he had said the name had made it sound like that was a really bad thing. From the way the other students avoided her, Kara had thought maybe it was; she thought she might be really mean or something.

Kara blinked and held out the papers.

"Here. Sorry for running into you," she apologized again, hoping the girl wouldn't yell at her.

"That's okay." The girl took the papers, keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact.

Kara tilted her head slightly, surprised.

Lena Luthor seemed… scared of her?

She bit her lip.

Official.

"I'm Kara." Bolstered by her excitement over Alex's announcement earlier, Kara held out her hand.

The girl glanced up, and Kara could see she had bright green eyes.

"You probably don't want to do that," the girl said, glancing at Kara's offered hand.

"Why?" Kara slowly lowered her hand, brow crinkling with confusion.

A group of girls brushed past them whispering, casting obvious suspicious glances at them before disappearing into the cafeteria.

"That's why." The girl winced slightly.

"Oh." Kara shrugged. When you had seen your entire planet explode, social gossip didn't matter so much. "I don't really care. I'm Kara, it's nice to meet you."

The girl looked surprised, eyes brightening as she slowly took Kara's hand.
"I'm Lena."

"Come on, you can come sit with my friends and I for lunch!" Kara pulled her forward.

"I don't think…" Lena's protests fell on deaf ears as they wove through lunch tables to the one near the corner that Kara and her friends always sat at.

"Guys, I invited Lena to sit with us!" Kara announced.

To her surprise, all of her friends just stared at her.

"I'm sorry." Beneath her dark hair, Lena's face flamed. "This was a bad idea, I'm going to go…"

"No, wait!" Kara stopped her before turning to her friends. "Guys, what's wrong with you all!"

Lena interrupted. "It's fine. Really."

"No it's not!" Kara crossed her arms.

"Kara…" Lena's face was resigned, her green eyes dull. "My brother has done some really bad things. Things nobody wants to be associated with…"

"Is that why…" Kara turned to her friends who looked away guiltily, confirming her suspicion. Anger flared quickly. "Are you guys going to let Winn sit with us when he gets here? How about me? Will you let me sit with you when my aunt has done bad things?!"

For a moment it was silent. Then Barbara stood up.

Suddenly Kara was filled with fear that she had upset her friends; she wasn't trying to be mean, she just couldn't understand why they were acting that way… Her mouth dried and she opened it to say something when Barbara walked toward Lena and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Barbara. You're welcome to sit with us whenever you want. Sorry we were being idiots."

The brunette carefully took the offered hand, speechless.

The rest of their table got up to offer introductions and hellos, Barbara moving beside Kara to make room. She put a hand on the Kryptonian's shoulder.
"Nice work, Kara," the older girl smiled. "You seem to always be saving us."

Kara froze. Barbara knew she was the one who found and threw away the bomb.

"Are you…" she whispered.

"Your business is your business," Barbara said quietly. "If you want everyone to think it was Winn, then I have no problem with that. I don't need to know why. Just tell me if you ever need my help and I'll be there."

Kara swallowed hard.

"Thank you."

Barbara draped her arm over Kara's shoulders. "No, thank you."

Her friends, Kara decided, were one of the best things about earth, right after Alex. And Kara realized, glancing at Lena who was talking shyly to James, she had just made a new one.

Official.
The word whispered in her mind and Kara couldn't help but beam.

"What are you grinning about?" James teasingly bumped her shoulder.

"I'm just thinking that today is a great day."

"Where were you?"

"Do not question your general."

"How about my wife, can I question her?"

A pause.
"It is none of your concern."

"You are still obsessing over your niece, the Zor-El… I thought you renounced that name and all it means!"

"I did! Never question that!" The tone took a dangerous turn.

"Then why did you ask the telepath to locate this Cadmus you have been hunting for? You seek to exact revenge!"

"Since when do my private matters require your rebuke?"

"Since they have pulled away your focus from our goals. You are our general; we cannot afford for you to waver in your commitment."

"Do not dare to question my commitment! Cadmus is a threat to all alien life; already they have captured and killed some of our soldiers."

A moment of silence.
"You didn't care until your niece's name was thrown into the list of their victims. Your supposed motives might convince the troops but I know otherwise."

"My loyalty lies with our cause and your loyalty is to me, so do not question my alignment unless you wish me to question yours. You know what that would mean."

The quiet stretched across a couple second, the unspoken threat hovering thickly in the air.

"Understood, my general.

Question of the day: Marvel or DC?

(I know this is a kind of weird question because this is literally in a DC fandom but just wondering. Personally, I love Black Widow but I'm not very happy with Marvel's neglect of her and other women characters. DC, in my opinion, seems to be doing better with representation of women. But that's just me.)

Catch you at the next chapter! Action will begin happening again very soon!

~silverlining