SATURDAY, AUGUST 20TH 2016

51 DAYS TO SUPERGIRL

"Kara, Alex, J'onn", part 10 of 10


TODAY

Ten years had gone by since Alex and Kara Danvers had come into his life. As far as they would know, it had been much less of course. So much had changed across those years. They had been young girls then, were young women now, and they did extraordinary things, the both of them.

Despite all his apprehension, Kara's turn as Supergirl had unlocked the parts of herself that should never have been locked. She made him see how much he sometimes wished for more, for himself, even though he understood all too well that her circumstances were not the same as his own.

And Alex... his hopes and expectations had each been met and surpassed. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder if there was still more missing that should not be so. Maybe that would never change.

All was slowly returning to the way it had been before. Kara was no longer quarantined, she was back working at CatCo, and that morning had marked the first sighting of Supergirl soaring through the skies of National City since before the incident that had put her out of commission, and it had been a welcome sight, if only second after the sight of Kara of Krypton, looking on to the wide space before her and leaping into flight, now unrestrained. He knew that feeling she would have felt, and Alex standing at his side had smiled, watching her go, though he was very familiar with her concerns for her little sister.

"Would you rather have kept her down here?" he asked, and she turned.

"No, of course not." That she stopped speaking now told him plenty. "You know, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," she said after a few beats. He waited for her to continue. The pause stretched on. "How long have we known each other, you and I?" He didn't immediately reply, sensing the question wasn't nearly as straightforward as it might have seemed. "I just got to thinking, about you, and my father, what you said about... that day."

"We met three years ago... officially," he stated, and she nodded, not so much surprised as she was taking in this confirmation and processing it.

"And unofficially?" she finally asked.

"The funeral." He could see the thoughts connect in her eyes, as though she'd tried to remember seeing his face that day, then reminded herself he wouldn't have necessarily looked this way, and actually would have been better off looking like anyone but Henshaw. And with this self correction, her memories led her right back.

"The man with the flowers," she said, and he looked back at her. "How much did you... how often?"

"Not so often as to get in the way," he promised her. "Never too close," he added. It could have made her think he had been impersonating people in her life and Kara's for ten years, but she didn't look overly concerned, which he hoped meant she trusted him enough. He didn't need to explain; she understood. "Does Kara know you suspected..."

"No," Alex shook her head. "Maybe it would be better if it stayed that way for now, even though the last time we kept one of your secrets from her..."

"Fair point. Whatever you decide."

"Thank you," she said, and at first he thought this was to do with the choice being left to her, but then he looked at her and knew it was more to do with the ten years.

"Don't mention it."

In no time, there would be a new situation arising, the DEO moving into action, with Supergirl joining in and it would truly be back as it had been. J'onn would look at the two of them, Kara and Alex, thinking about how, in many ways, that promise had been the best thing he could have done.


See you tomorrow!