The night before had been long, but enjoyable. Kara had been relaxed when she'd fallen asleep and was the first one up. Most of her family was still here, Kelly and Alex were lying asleep on the spare bed, while Eliza and the girls were all asleep in recliners on the other side of the room. Lucy was asleep with her phone in her lap, probably talking to her fiancée when she passed out. Sam was in the recliner beside the bed, making Kara smile, they had made a good team last night. And finally, her Aunt Astra was still beside her on the bed, she snuggled for a moment and then slowly lowered herself onto the floor and headed across the room stopping to rest once before she reached one of the recliners by the windows, she set down to enjoy the sun shining through the window. From this view, she could pretend that she was still Supergirl, protecting her city. She knew in her head that she needed a break, her body, beaten as it was now had taken a lot of abuse over the last 6 years, and so it seemed had her psyche, but unfortunately, her heart didn't see it that way.

She felt a soft hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kelly smiling down on her. "Hey Kara," Kelly whispered, "You okay?"

"Not really, I'm going to miss this Kells," Kara answered honestly.

Kelly knelt down beside her, placing her hand over Kara's, "I know hon, but you need to heal, and you can't—you won't let yourself do that here."

Kara pondered that bit of advice for a moment, then smiled warmly up at Kelly, "Thanks Kelly, want to join me, I'm just going to sit for a bit."

Kelly slid around to the recliner beside Kara and sat down, placing her hand where the young woman could reach her if necessary. She felt Kara's hand rest on hers and they just sat and enjoyed each other's silent company, until the rest of the group started to wake up.

Sam was the first one up, and she immediately noticed that Kara wasn't beside Astra. She looked around and saw Kara's blonde hair blocking Kelly's face as they sat in the recliners whispering back and forth. She relaxed when she heard Kara giggle slightly at Kelly's opinion on something her brother was up to. She'd come to adore that sound, she tried to remember when it had happened when she had fallen in love with Kara. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes and let that laughter take her back in time…

Kara was in town doing something, she hadn't really explained, but she was staying the whole weekend and wanted to know if Ruby and Sam wanted to hang out with her. She always included Ruby, hell, she'd even taken Ruby out on the town a few times just to let Sam go on a date while she was in town. They had spent the day at the Natural History Museum. Ruby had a blast and Kara was her happy self. When they got home, and Sam started dinner. "Can I help?" Kara had asked, "Actually, can I watch, I don't do very well in the kitchen."

Sam had taken pity on her that day and started teaching her some basics in the kitchen. Before long, Kara was cooking, nothing huge, just little things. Weekends with Kara became special surprises, even after she told them she was Supergirl.

Sam smiled her eyes still closed.

Supergirl. That had been a shock.

Supergirl landed on the balcony scaring Ruby and Sam, her history with Supergirl was not a good memory for Sam, and for just a moment, the image of the Girl of Steele, beaten and bloody came to eyes. She shuddered and forced the memory down, as she moved to open the door. "Supergirl?" She panicked, there was blood on her cheek and cut on her leg.

"Sorry Sam, I need a place to rest, recover. Kara Danvers said I could trust you." Supergirl lied, her eyes falling to the floor.

That was the moment, something bloomed, Kara trusted her, enough to share that with Supergirl, enough that Supergirl would take Kara's word over her own history with Reign.

"Of course, what do you need?" Sam asked.

"Just a nap, some rest in the sunlight." Supergirl smiled.

"I can open the drapes in the back bedroom, it gets plenty of natural light." Sam smiled back.

Supergirl smiled bloomed larger, reminding Sam of someone, she pushed back the thought as she led her to the bedroom. Supergirl stepped into the bathroom to clean the blood and came back in. Sam had already opened the curtains and watched as the Girl of Steel unclipped her cape and pulled off her boots and settled onto the bed. She was asleep in a few minutes.

Four hours later Sam heard shuffling in the bedroom and out stepped, Kara. Well, it was Kara, her hair up in a ponytail, with her glasses on, but dressed as Supergirl.

"Kara?" A very shocked Samantha Arias asked.

"Aunt Kara?" Ruby's grin was huge.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't want to tell you like this, but I couldn't lie anymore, you both live so far away, no one knows I come here, and you will be safe, people can't use you against me," Kara gushed, the words tumbling from her mouth. "I won't come back if you don't want me to."

"So, all this time, you've known I was Reign and you still came, knowing what I did to you?" Sam questioned.

Kara nodded, clearly worried she was about to lose two important people in her life.

"That's why you called momma Sam when you came in," Ruby cut in.

Kara nodded again.

Both mother and daughter stepped forward and wrapped their friend in a hug.

"You're staying for the weekend Kara," not a question, but a request from Sam.

Sam smiled one more time, shook her head and got up to check on Ruby. She moved across the room and shook her daughter awake. "Hey sleepyhead, you ready to get up?"

"Give me a few more minutes, momma." Ruby smiled sleepily from her spot, then rolled over and pulled her blanket up to her chin.

Shaking her head, she heard Nia, "I'll get her back up in a few minutes, Sam."

Smiling, Sam responded, "Thanks, Nia." Then she headed directly in Kara's direction.

Kara perked up at Sam's approach, "How are you doing, partner?"

Sam's smile widened at the comment, "Doing really well, how'd you sleep sweetheart."

"Good, I think the late-night and all my family here helped," her smile seemed even brighter.

Kelly stood to leave, "I'm going to go check on Alex. Then we are going to head back to the condo and get everything cleaned up and packed."

"We are going too, once everyone is up," Sam responded, "I think Astra wanted to spend the day with Kara."

If possible, Kara perked up even more at that statement.

While everyone was getting ready to go, Eliza came over and sat with her daughter while everyone else scurried around getting things together and cleaning up. "Hey sweetie, how are you feeling today?"

"I feel really good mom," she smiled as she answered. She'd always taken for granted that Eliza knew how much she loved her, but now, after this scare, she was determined to show her as well. "I'm nervous about Monday."

"The press conference?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah, Lois helped me write some stuff down, but it just seems so strange to be walking away after all this time," Kara answered while twisting her hands.

"Kara, baby, you have been Supergirl for six years, you have saved the planet, the city, maybe the whole universe. You need this. I know you miss your powers, but you are still Kara, and more than Supergirl, you need to remember that." Eliza said through burning eyes, as she fought the tears that wanted to fall.

Kara looked up at the woman who had taken care of her while she was here on Earth, and her heart swelled at the love she saw in those eyes. She reached out and took Eliza's hand in her own, "Thank you mom, I love you."

"I love you too, Kara." Eliza smiled.

Kara looked over Eliza's shoulder and saw Alex, Lucy, and Astra talking. She was really wishing for her enhanced hearing at that moment.

"Alex, are you sure? Are you positive you want to step down?" Lucy asked, honestly shocked by the request.

"Lucy, you are better at the administrative side of the job already. And if I am going, to be honest, I need to be able to spend more time with Kara and Kelly. Maybe I can work a more stable schedule, become a training officer, or medical. I need a break, Luc." Alex answered honestly, she was exhausted, and almost losing her sister had pushed her even harder. Having Kelly in her life was making a difference as well, Alex smiled as Kelly walked around checking on everyone.

Astra spoke up then, "I would like to offer whatever services I can to your DEO as well Director Lane. My niece has become a positive influence on this world, and if I can, I would like to carry it on in her absence."

Alex and Lucy were both speechless.

Finally, Alex broke the silence, "That would be an excellent idea Lucy, but she is going to need training."

Lucy smiled as she held out her hand, "Welcome to the DEO Astra."

Kara watched as her Aunt and Lucy shook hands, she had a pretty good idea of what had just happened, and she was happy with that decision, especially if her Aunt was happy.

Astra came over to keep Kara company while everyone was finishing up their last-minute preparations. Sam, Ruby, and Nia came by first since they were having the car dropped off this morning. Everyone got hugs and Ruby held on for a little longer than normal. "Love you, Kara."

"Love you too Rubes, I'll see you tomorrow or Monday." Kara smiled as she hugged her tighter.

Sam was headed towards the door and accidentally overheard the exchange. The smile that spread on her face would last the rest of the day.

Finally, just Alex and Kelly were left. "We have to go and pick something up, then we are headed back to the condo, Kelly went over all your readings this morning and Lena was right. The kryptonite is almost completely cleared from your system." Alex smiled, "And we ordered breakfast to be delivered, it should be up in about 15 minutes or so."

"Thank you, sis, thanks for everything, the last few weeks you have been even more amazing than usual." Kara smiled, really smiled at her sister, standing up to hug her. Alex's eyes closed as she leaned into the hug, relishing the fact that her sister was coming back.

"Honey, I hate to do this, but our appointment is in less than 30 minutes and I want to get the best pick." Kelly interrupted with a grimace on her face. These girls needed this, but there was a surprise for Kara that she needed to pick out today, or she would miss her chance.

The sister's separated, and Kelly stepped in and kissed Kara on the cheek, "Don't forget your bike today, and please eat a little okay?" She added softly, "Love you, Kara."

"Love you too Kells, thank you for this morning. Are you coming with James tomorrow?" Kara asked.

"Haven't decided yet, you think he might need a babysitter?" Kelly laughed.

"Only if he plays me at chess." Kara laughed back.

Finally, it was just Kara and Astra. "So, the DEO Aunt Astra?"

"I plan to continue your legacy Little One." Astra smiled as she answered, then stood to walk over to the dumb waiter, moments before the bell sounded letting them know that breakfast was delivered. Kara sat and watched, pouting as she thought to herself, 'so that's how that feels.'

As they sat down to eat breakfast, a brunette CEO was waking up on the other side of town. Lena rolled over picked up her phone, blinking as she read the time. She closed her eyes and laid her head back down on her silk covered pillow. It took thirty seconds for her eyes to pop open and panic. "Kara," she whispered to herself and jumped up rushing to get everything ready to head to L Corp. Then her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up. There was a text from Kelly, and suddenly Lena remembered she had the day off.

Kelly: 'She's fine, all readings were dead on. Alex checked behind me. Enjoy your day off.'

Lena laid her phone down and took a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face, that's when she noticed the smells coming from the kitchen. She slid out of her pajamas and into a pair of sweats and padded, barefoot, into the kitchen. "Hey, Lena K. you ready for some breakfast?" Andrea asked smiling.

"Andi?" Lena looked confused, "How did you know I wouldn't be at the office?"

"Sam texted me last night, said you were taking the day off." Andrea smiled, "So I figured you could use some company, maybe we can go over the information about your mom, or just relax and have a girl's day?"

Lena smiled through the tears that were forming in her eyes, no one had done this for her except Kara in so long, "Or we can do both, we can eat breakfast, do some research, watch TV, maybe just catch up."

"Whatever you want to do Lena K, today, I am all yours," Andrea smiled as she turned back to the pancakes she was cooking.

After breakfast, both women entered Lena's study and set out the data that Kara and her friends had found out about her mother. "Your investigators found a lot of information Lee. Mind telling me who?"

"Andi, I can't, it's just something I can't share, not right now." Lena frowned, she was beginning to understand how Kara felt, walking around hiding a secret all the time. "I promise, when they tell me it's okay, you will be the first to know, okay?"

Andrea considered pushing the issue farther, but quickly decided against it, she had finally gotten back into Lena's life, she was going to ruin it with her stubbornness.

"So, where do we start?" Andrea queried.

"The beginning. I did a little research at work, seems my mother was a research biologist for L Corp, well Luthor Corp at the time. She was working in Metropolis when she met Lionel, I think." Lena started off sharing what she had discovered from employment records.

"So, is there a video or anything from the lab?" Andrea asked, leaning over Lena's shoulder.

"No, the project wasn't classified, it was backed by father's medical division, it was a cancer drug of some sort, the records aren't on the server at work. They are in the archives at L Corp, I've got a request in for the records on Monday." Lena smiled.

"Cancer? Isn't that what you were working on in Metropolis?" Andrea smiled, what a coincidence.

"It was, kind of nice that I was honoring her memory without even knowing it," Lena smiled, her genuine smile, the one that made Andrea's smile brighten.

"Maybe you could combine the two?" Andrea shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe," Lena stared off into space a moment.

With a full stomach, Kara and Astra returned to their seats by the window. "Would you like to teach me a little more about chess, Little One?"

"Really Aunt Astra? You really want to learn?" Kara was surprised.

"Kara, watching you last night was fascinating, even the match with Lena, you two were evenly matched, although I noticed that you and she made several mistakes or missteps in your strategies," Astra spoke thoughtfully. "You two know each other quite well, and you were moving your pieces according to emotional attachment, instead of strategy."

"How do you do that?" Kara quizzed, "You picked up on that when I was little."

"With no children of my own Kara, you were like my own, your moods became easier to read the more I was with you, and you have always made decisions based upon emotion, it is what makes you the person you have grown to be," Astra said with pride. "Last night, it was both of you, instead of watching the board, you two were watching each other, I believe the match would have ended under similar circumstances but would not have been as long."

"And you learned all of that after watching me play for just a little while last night?" Kara smiled.

"No Little One, I've learned this because I have loved you your entire life," Astra responded.

Kara smiled and pulled out her tablet, bringing up a few websites that taught chess, and a few that had easy to learn strategies. She explained the set-up of the board and the movements of the pieces. "The first game with be for you to learn movements, then we can move to strategy," Kara explained.

Forty-five minutes later their first game ended in Astra's defeat after thirty-two moves. "You are holding out on me Auntie." Kara laughed.

"I watched you play last night, Little One." Astra smiled brightly as she continued, "and I have studied strategy for most of my life. Plus, you seem distracted, are you tired or is there something troubling your thoughts?"

"I need to ask you to fulfill a promise for me while you are helping the DEO, Auntie," Kara said, not looking up as she arranged the pieces on the board.

Astra reached down and stopped Kara's hands. "Kara, I know how important promises are to you, so whatever it is, I will do my best to help you."

"I—I need you to take care, Lena, while I am away, I made a promise to always protect her and I can't now. Can you please keep my promise, Aunt Astra?" Kara pleaded.

Astra was silent for a long moment, weighing her words carefully. "This is important to you Kara?" Kara only nodded, as Astra continued, "Then I shall do my very best Little One."

"Thank you, Auntie," Kara smiled.

They set the board for another match and started to play.

"So, we have an address in Metropolis and then just before you were born, an address in Ireland," Andrea verified.

"Apparently, my mother was born in Ireland, graduated early from Oxford with a master's in biology and moved to Metropolis where she found employment at Luthor Corp," Lena stated, impressed. "It seems her thesis was on cancer research."

"From there it looks like her research gained attention from both the medical department at Luthor Corp and then from Lionel himself," Andrea was reading. "He visited quite often after her research got rolling forward."

"I wish I had gotten my hands on the research yesterday," Lena grumbled.

"You'll have it Monday sweetie, then you can go over it at work." Andrea was rubbing circles on her back, helping Lena relax.

"Thanks, Andi, how about we order some take out and watch a movie or something for a little while?" Lena smiled.

"Sounds good Lena K." Andrea lifted her phone to dial for takeout.

Kara and Astra had been playing the same game for almost 3 hours at this point. Lena had been a worthy opponent and it seemed that Astra had learned a great deal watching them play last night. She was considering her next move when Astra asked her, "So Little One, why is Lena so important to you."

"She became a friend, someone who accepted me for who I was as Kara Danvers. She became a lot more to me Auntie. Someone I could trust, someone I had faith in, someone I could…", Kara stopped.

"Someone you could love, Little One?" Astra asked quietly, the game forgotten for a moment.

"Yes, Aunt Astra," Kara responded, holding her head in shame at the admission.

Astra stood and walked around the small table, kneeling in front of her niece, who had survived so much, who had given so freely of herself for the good of her adopted world and had been brought down by a secret and a single emotion. "Kara, my dear Little One, you loved Lena, and I think she loved you as well, but things have changed now. You still care, but you no longer are willing to give up the world for Lena Luthor."

Kara couldn't speak, when Lena came near now, love was not the emotion she felt. Now she felt shame, guilt and most of all fear. Shame because her lies have caused this, guilt for hurting her friend and fear because if this had happened once, it could happen to her again, at Lena's hands or the hands of someone else. She was not the same person she had been the day she walked into the Fortress with Lena; she wasn't sure she would ever be that person again. On Monday, Supergirl would face her adopted planet and step away, in her place Kara Zor-El Danvers would go home to Midvale and heal.

Kara allowed herself to be wrapped in the arms of her Aunt, to just enjoy the moment she was in right now. As she did, she looked back at the board and smiled. "Checkmate Auntie," as she moved her Queen.

At National City Airport James Olsen disembarked from his flight and headed towards the baggage claim, as he waited, his thoughts drifted back to his first flight into National City. A chance to advance his career and do a favor for Clark. Little did he realize how many meetings Kara Danvers would change his life. She had helped him become a hero in his own right and had given both him and his sister a family. Now it was their turn to help Kara.

On the other side of the terminal where the private flights landed, Catherine Jane Grant disembarked from her plane. She may no longer be the Queen of All Media, but her friend was hurting, and it has taken a great deal of pull to get herself back to National City before Monday. The young woman had changed Cat's life, and she felt as if she needed to be here for whatever was coming.

At National City Police Headquarters, volunteers were being briefed on Monday's press conference. Supergirl was making an announcement, and L Corp had requested extra police presence. While the team was headed up by the SWAT commander, the highest-ranking officer on site was Captain Margarita Sawyer. She was here as a volunteer because no way in hell was Kara Danvers taking that stage without her around. Regardless of what had transpired between her and Alex, they were still family, and that mattered to Maggie.