Kara woke up slowly, she could hear voices, and they sounded far away, she tried to focus her hearing, frowning, before she remembered that her hearing was as normal as a human's right now. She rolled over and saw Astra across the room with Lena. She felt her mouth go dry and her heart rate started to pick up. Astra picked up Kara's heart and another sound, coming from her stomach. She rushed to Kara's side, taking her good hand. "Kara, Little One, breathe, take a breath."

Lena was staring at the readouts, the heart rate was fear, but her stomach, those readings were alarming, Kara never got sick like that, it had to be a side-effect of the vaccine. "Astra, get her in the shower quickly!" Lena yelled.

Not bothering to be told twice, Astra lifted her niece up and rushed her into the bathroom, getting her into the shower. She rested Kara on her feet and watched as she dropped to her knees, heaving, then throwing up into the drain. The residue in the bottom of the shower had a greenish tint, but with each heave, a little less came up.

Lena followed, slowly, letting Astra know she was coming in. Kara was in the shower with Astra holding her hair up and away from her mouth. Lena noticed the greenish tint, but she hadn't expected this. "Kara, oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't know this would happen."

Kara looked up at Lena, there were tears in her eyes and her face was splotchy, from trying not to throw up. She tried to shake her head, but the motion seemed to hurt, and she turned her head back to the drain and promptly threw up a second time. Lena left to run upstairs and get some Ginger Ale and crackers from her bar. By the time she returned Astra was wearing a pair of Kara's pajamas and was sitting with her back to the bathroom door. The sight was a little too much for the sleep-deprived CEO and she covered her mouth, trying, unsuccessfully, not to laugh. A snort escaped her nose and Astra looked up, clearly not amused, which was even funnier, and Lena gasped and started laughing. After a moment Astra chuckled a sound that was amazingly similar to Kara's laugh.

"I'm sorry, Astra, I didn't mean to laugh, I'm used to seeing Kara dressed like that, she did it whenever we had girl's nights," Lena said, her smile faltering at the thought. Another reminder of how far she and Kara had fallen.

Astra stood and walked over to Lena. "Lena, you and my niece were close. She does not forget her friends. Right now, she is damaged, and she needs to heal. She still cares for you, but her fear is real. Her shame and guilt are overwhelming her as well."

"What?" Lena was shocked, "She has no reason to be ashamed."

"Lena, as much as you wish to take sole blame, Kara also blames herself for what led to our current situation, her shame and guilt are because of how she treated you. Kara made you a promise to always protect you, and because of her identity, she failed in that promise," Astra said, holding her hand up to stop Lena from interrupting. "You are important to her, Lena, she craves your friendship, but she is not ready yet, that is why she asked me to uphold her promise to you."

"She-she asked you?" Lena stuttered, not surprised because of course Kara would make sure her family and friends were taken care of in her absence.

"She did, she doesn't want you to be alone Lena, she wants to make sure you are taken care of," Astra spoke solemnly, "and as much as its pains me to admit this, I will be a member of the DEO while she is gone, to uphold her legacy, but I may need your help."

"My help?" Lena said, fighting back tears. "Why would you need my help?"

"Lena, you are important to my niece, and she believes in you as she believed in me, we have both hurt Kara in our own ways. When I was alive, the first time and I had many contacts, people I could gather information from, but those contacts are gone now and I think we can do good together Lena Luthor, but we have to do so in Kara's name, to continue the legacy of Supergirl."

"For Kara." Lena smiled through the tears. She may have broken her friendship with Kara, but she was determined to somehow become friends again.

Astra moved back to the bathroom door as Kara stepped out. "Sorry, Auntie, I didn't mean to." Her face was still a little splotchy, but Astra's hearing could no longer make out the roiling of her stomach.

Lena approached slowly with a glass of ice and some ginger ale. "Here, Kara, I'm going to set this on your table, please try to drink some. It will help your stomach settle."

"Thank you, Lena, sorry about that." Kara breathed slowly; her stomach was still hurting from throwing up.

"Nonsense, Kara, I didn't even think of this effect, your body has been fighting the kryptonite all week," Lena explained, "This means your body may be done processing the blood poisoning. May I take a small blood sample?"

Kara plopped down in the nearest recliner and held her arm out. Lena approached and watched Kara cringe, then watched as Kara focused herself, took a deep breath and stopped shaking. Lena took a single vial of blood and stepped over to the lab equipment, loading the sample in. A moment later the sample was visible on the screen. Kara turned in her chair to look at the sample with Lena and Astra. There was no sign of green anywhere in the sample. She sighed in relief and so did Lena.

Lena checked several other readings and tests. "This hopefully means no more throwing up," Lena said as she turned to look at Kara, who had fallen asleep. She smiled as she approached and put the chair into its reclined position and covered Kara with a light blanket. Kara snored slightly but didn't stir. Lena stood up and caught Astra's eye. Astra nodded, smiling, Lena smiled back, sadly. Perhaps she and Kara did have a chance to be friends again. Except for Alex, and maybe Lucy, everyone seemed genuine with her and they were determined that she deserved help and a chance to heal. She also realized that she needed to talk to Andrea, and let her know what was going on, but she had no idea how to approach that conversation.

While Lena was going over the rest of Kara's test results, Astra grabbed Kara's tablet and sat down beside her niece to read and learn a little more about the city she was about to become a protector of. Out in the hallway though, a friend of Kara's was about to re-enter her life for the first time in months.

"Jimmy, you will behave around Lena," Kelly said firmly. "Kara is still fragile, and part of her healing is knowing that Lena is being treated fairly by her family."

"My god, Kells, I'm not going to bite her," James responded a bit more forcefully than he intended.

The door slid open and Kelly smiled as she noticed Kara in the recliner asleep and Astra sitting in Kara's bed. Astra looked up at their entry, smiling at the dark-haired young woman and the man she assumed was her brother James. "Astra, is she okay?" Kelly whispered.

Astra nodded pointed her chin towards Lena. Kelly understood and moved to talk to Lena to find out what was going on. "She's clean, no sign of kryptonite in her system at all, Kelly." Lena smiled softly.

Kelly took Lena's hands in her own and smiled, "Thank you, Lena. I'm going to step out in the hall and call Alex. Will you be okay with James here?"

"I'll be fine, I am under the protection of the House of El after all," Lena said, taking a deep breath and lifting her chin.

Kelly nodded and looked to her brother who rolled his eyes. She was already dialing Alex before she stepped into the hallway, "She's clear, Al, no more kryptonite in her system." She heard her girlfriend breath hitch over the phone. "She's going to be fine, love." Tears were streaming down her face as she said the words, 'so much for being professional' she thought as she wiped the tears away.

"James," Lena greeted.

"Hello, Lena, I'm assuming this means she will be okay?" James asked.

Lena nodded. "It's up to her body now." She refused to give him any more information, that had to be Kara's decision. "Astra, I'm headed home now, if she has any more issues, please—please tell her to call, or you call for her." Astra nodded, checking to make sure that Kara's phone was in its usual spot on the table. "And make sure she gets at least some water into her system," Lena added as she entered the hallway. Kelly was still talking to Alex, but she stopped Lena. She handed Lena the phone, which Lena placed to her ear.

"Lena," she heard Alex on the other end, taking a deep breath, "thank you, thank you for saving her again."

"You welcome, she threw up this morning, Alex, she's going to be in pain for a bit, sorry, I didn't see that one coming," Lena explained softly.

"Are her stitches okay? Does mom need to come in?" Alex got out quickly.

"No, her stitches are okay, I left some ginger ale and some crackers, Astra will make sure she eats. I'm sorry again Alex," Lena whispered the last words.

"You couldn't have known Lena. It's okay." Alex tried to reassure her, it still made her skin crawl a bit, being nice to Lena seemed wrong somehow, but she reminded herself again, this is for Kara.

Lena handed the phone back to Kelly, who smiled and mouthed thank you to her. Lena smiled and headed to the elevator, she heard Kelly say I love you too Alex before Kelly returned to Kara's room. As the elevator closed, it dawned on her, she still didn't know how to talk to Andrea.

Back in the room, Kelly noticed James sitting across the room. She ignored him for a moment and headed over to speak to Astra. "Hello, Astra, I heard she had a rough time this morning?"

"She was violently ill in the shower for a few moments, but Lena assured me that she will be fine, and Kara confirmed her readings when they looked over her blood sample," Astra answered. She wouldn't show it in front of Kara, but the events in the shower had frightened her, she hadn't understood what was happening at first, and the green in Kara's vomit was very unsettling. Even though she knew Kryptonite had almost no effect on her anymore, the sight of it still upset her.

Kelly placed her hand lightly on Astra's. "She'll be fine, Astra, Lena reassured me and Alex."

"Thank you, I don't like seeing her," Astra looked over at Kara, "like this."

"I understand," Kelly responded, none of them liked seeing Kara in her current state, but she was not blind to Astra's feelings. Astra still had regrets from before she had died, and Kelly was smart enough to allow the woman her little moment of guilt.

"Your brother?" Astra changed the subject.

"Yes, he is a dear friend of Kara's, but a bit overprotective," Kelly answered, trying to apologize.

"I understand. He knew me from before?" Astra asked.

"Yes ma'am, but he needed to learn the same thing everyone else has, you love Kara, you made mistakes," Kelly stated.

"Grave mistakes," Astra interjected.

"Hmm, yes, but Kara believed in you then, and she still does. I think all of their feelings for you stem, not only for what you did but also guilt that they didn't listen to Kara about you," Kelly explained.

Astra cocked her head to the side, "I'm not sure I understand?"

Kelly thought for a moment, "People, me included, have a tendency to misjudge Kara's ability to judge people. She's not jaded, she sees people for who they are. We are all programmed to see faults and Kara doesn't. People see her as oblivious or naïve, but it isn't that, she sees good in everyone, and does her best to help people see it in themselves."

"Does Alexandra know how lucky she is to have you in her life, Kelly?" Astra smiled; this young woman understood her niece much better than Astra herself.

"Yes ma'am, and I remind her every day." Kelly blushed.

James picked that moment to walk up. "So, what did she say?" He asked while he pointed his chin at the door, and disregarding Astra.

Kelly looked at James, disappointed in his attitude. "James this is Astra, Kara's au…"

"I know who she is, I came to see Kara." James snapped.

"Excuse me, young man," Astra spoke as she stood, "this woman is a member of my niece's family, you owe her more respect than that."

James, not one to back down, "She's my sister as well and I am Kara's friend."

"That does not excuse your attitude. I understand if you have issues with me, I have made mistakes in my past, things I am not proud of, things I would change if I was able to." Astra spoke, her chin up and back straight. "Kara has forgiven my past, she believes in me, as I'm sure she believes in you. I am sure you have made mistakes in your past."

"My mistakes didn't cause injuries to my friends or family." James snapped back.

Astra's eyes flared orange at this comment, but instead of losing her temper, she responded, "You are correct young man, and I have to carry that guilt. I will not deflect it, nor will I be drawn into an argument with someone that Kara considers family."

Kelly, looked at her brother, what he had said was a low blow, and she couldn't let it pass. "Like you never put anyone in danger with your antics. How many times did you put the team in danger, Kara, Alex, Winn? Because you wanted to play hero."

Astra watched the interaction between siblings, liking Kelly, even more, the girl had a backbone, and she would stand up for her friends and family. Kara's sister had chosen well.

"Well James, how many civilians did you endanger, what about you, did you ever consider what might happen to you, your family. All this," Kelly waved her arms around the room, "this is because of what Kara chose, and it hurts her every time she puts someone in harm's way, even the woman responsible for this."

Astra laid a gentle hand on Kelly's shoulder and the young woman turned to face her, tears of anger in her eyes.

"Family is important to your sister James, perhaps you should reconsider your words before you use them as weapons," Astra said calmly.

James turned on his heel and moved to the other side of the room. He stood staring out the window at the city, his mistakes coming back at him. His relationship with Kara had seen many ups and downs, and at the mention of his friends, his mind was flooded with his own mistakes. He swallowed hard, through everything, every up and down, every disappointment she must have felt in him, she never stopped supporting him or caring about him. Astra had done wrong, she owned it, she lived up to Kara's faith, and she was protecting his sister from his rude behavior.

After what seemed like an eternity, he returned to face his sister and Astra, "I apologize, Astra, you're right, if Kara supports you, then I should not judge you. She had faith in me through many bad situations, and I wouldn't be the man I am now if it wasn't for her." He held out his hand, which Astra grasped and shook. "Kelly, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." He finished, turning towards his sister.

Kelly smiled and hugged her brother. She mouthed thank you to Astra who smirked. The young man would be a good soldier, perhaps, based upon the condition of his knuckles, he had been one once.

"She is better, not completely well, but she is on a path of healing, thank Rao," Astra spoke, the pride in her niece obvious in her voice.

"So, what is the press conference about?" James asked both women.

Astra thought for a moment, and was about to speak when Kara squeaked out, "James you came."

A genuine smile overtook his features as he stepped to Kara's side and started to talk. "Hey Kar, how are you feeling?"

"Sore, throwing up is horrible." She smiled. "My whole stomach hurts, but the Kryptonite is gone. Now the real work starts, my powers won't be back in full for 3-4 months according to Lena."

"Oh wow, Kara, I'm sorry," James spoke softly.

"It's okay, I'm going to take a break from being Supergirl for a little while. With my powers gone, I won't be able to do what I normally do." Kara smiled, a little sadly. "I need to get away, James, my body needs a break, my mind needs a break."

James looked at his friend, seeing her stress, her lack of belief in herself at this point. "Kara, it's okay, everyone needs a break, you included. Is there anything I can do, anything you need?"

"For you to come and visit more often." She smiled, "And a little help, I think I may be writing a book. Supergirl's book."

"You're going to write your story?" James asked incredulously.

"Lois thinks it might be a good idea, and it will give me something to do," Kara spoke, sounding somewhat proud of herself for considering this project.

Kara and James continued to talk, about everything they had in common, and then they turned to the technical aspects of Kara writing a book, and Astra and Kelly decided to move over to the windows.

"Astra, you don't have to answer, but how are you doing?" Kelly asked.

Astra smiled, "I am doing well, it is very odd to be back, having Kara here has helped, but right now, she needs to focus on herself, on healing."

"That's true Astra, but if she thinks you are holding something back, she won't stop until you admit it." Kelly laughed a bit.

"You know my niece that well?" Astra asked.

"I know what Alex has told me and what I have seen in her interactions with everyone," Kelly answered honestly. "I'm a psychiatrist, my job is to try and understand people and help them with issues that might be bothering them or holding them back. Kara is a bit of an open book; she doesn't try to hide her emotions. It's actually quite refreshing."

"She has always been open about her emotions. It is surprising to me, her mother, Alura, was an Adjudicator, she did not allow emotion to overshadow her duty. Zor-El, her father, was a scientist, he sometimes acted as if emotion could cause an experiment to fail, so he hid his as well. And me, I am the same as them, as a member of the Kryptonian military, I was expected to execute my orders or have them executed without questioning them." Astra took a breath, to think through her next words. "Kara was a brilliant child, she was chosen to the Science Guild at a very young age, but she was also an artist, which on Krypton was an unusual combination. She flourished, and she was as she is now, full of hope, vision, and understanding. For such a young woman, she has wisdom beyond her years. Her parents and I, we weren't really living until she blessed our lives."

Lena arrived back at her condo, still puzzling over how she could talk to Andrea. She didn't, no she couldn't give away Kara's secret, but Andrea had been here for her and deserved an explanation. She pressed the up button for the elevator and was absentmindedly playing with her phone. She looked at the screen, at the text messages, then scrolled through the numbers. Just a few months ago, she knew who she would have called, now she was ashamed to even stop on Kara's number. She needed advice, and whatever their current situation, Kara always heard her out. She finally gave up as the elevator door opened. Instead of entering the elevator, she tapped the phone to dial Kara's number.

"Lena? Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Kelly asked as she answered Kara's phone.

"No, maybe, I don't know." Lena answered, confused by her own decision, "I need advice and I could always ask Kara's advice, and I need it now. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hold on Lena." Kelly moved the phone from her mouth, "Kara, honey, Lena needs you to answer a question."

Lena cringed, she could picture the look of horror on Kara's face, then she was shocked, when Kara whispered, "Lena, is everything okay? Can I help with something?"

Biting her lip to keep from crying, Lena smiled a little. "I need some advice, and I need your permission." She explained the situation with Andrea, how she was helping Lena cope with everything. "I need to tell her something Kara, please tell me what to do?"

On the other end of the phone, Kara smiled just a bit, a memory of a promise flitting through her mind. "You can tell her Lena, tell her the truth, that you are treating Supergirl, that I asked you not to share it with anyone. You cannot tell her I'm Kara, please."

"Thank you, Kara, I know how hard this has been on you, and I'm s…" Lena was speaking as Kara interrupted.

"Stop saying you're sorry Lena, you are helping me, I am keeping my promise to help you. I failed you Lena, but you, you need to stop saying it. You need to start thinking about your healing, okay?" Kara was practically begging.

"Okay Kara, thank you," Lena spoke softly, unable to hold back the tears.

Kara handed the phone back to Kelly, trying very hard not to wipe her hand on her pants. "Goodbye, Lena." She took a deep breath trying to get her fear back under control.

Lena took a deep breath and slid her phone back into a pocket. She pushed the button on the elevator and the door popped open immediately. Lena entered the elevator and pushed the button for her floor.

As she walked down the hallway, she kept taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She opened the door and Andi was sitting on the couch, wearing jeans and a light-colored blouse, her bare feet tucked underneath her. A hot cup of coffee on the table in front of her and her tablet in her hand. Her hair was not in its usual neat style, instead, it was pulled into a loose messy bun, tied up with a scrunchy with a pen in the middle. Her reading glasses were on the tip of her nose. She looked up from whatever she was reading and noticed Lena's red eyes.

"Lena K, are you okay, you've been crying?" She asked as she removed her glasses and stood up to walk over.

Lena walked toward Andrea at the same time, and she let the taller woman pull her into a hug. "Andi, we need to talk please."

Andrea led Lena back to the couch, and they sat down. Lena gathered her courage, wishing for a small glass of whiskey to bolster her courage. She sat and stared, wishing Andrea could just read her thoughts. "Lena, what's wrong honey, you can talk to me, you know that right?"

Lena nodded. "I need to tell you something, Andi. I've been working so much, and you have been so good to me, I can't lie to you. I had to get her permission to tell you, and I didn't know how to ask, I've been keeping things from you, from her, from myself."

"Lena, Lena K, slow down." Andrea was trying to wrap her head around Lena's nonsense.

"Andrea, I need to get this out before I lose my courage." Lena sat up straighter, "I've spent the last week and a half treating…"

"Supergirl, I know Lena K," Andrea smiled.

"What, how?" Lena was so confused now.

"Lena, I own CatCo, we aren't a trash mag, we received the same notice as everyone else. Supergirl is giving a press conference at L Corp tomorrow. My friend, Lena Luthor is a known associate of Supergirl, and you have been working crazy hours. Not to mention you and Samantha mentioned Project K. K as in Krypton." Andrea actually smirked. "If you wanted to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn't have invited me in the first place."

Lena was speechless, she had misjudged another friend. "Oh god, Andrea, you haven't told anyone have you?"

"Lena, you are my friend, and you were trying so hard to work through everything, of course, I haven't told anyone." Her smiled softened,

Lena took a deep breath, "You aren't mad?"

"Of course not Lena K."

Kelly and Astra were watching Kara and James play chess while they all ate. She was happy to see that Kara was eating, maybe the treatment and the Kryptonite were affecting her appetite as well as her self-inflicted hunger strike. She texted Alex, Sam, Eliza, and Lena that Kara was eating. Immediately her phone lit up with emojis of smiling faces, even Lena's response. Then Alex texted her one more time, reminding her that Alex, Sam, and Lois would be there for Kara's interview in about an hour.

"Kara honey, Lois will be here for the interview in about an hour," she said as Kara defeated James again.

"Okay," Kara answered, resignation in her voice. "Guess I should wear something other than pajamas."

"Alex sent you some comfy clothes honey, where do you want to do the interview, Sam said if you like we can stay upstairs in her onsite office while Lois interviews you," Kelly said as she pulled some of Kara's clothes out of her bag.

Kara stood up from her chair and stretched a bit, her stomach still hurt, and she was stiff from sitting so much. James came up to say goodbye. "I'm meeting someone for dinner tonight."

"A date, you didn't waste any time when you got back to town." Kara laughed.

"Actually, an old friend." James smiled. He hugged Kara once more and headed out.

A little less than an hour later, Lois arrived with Sam and Alex in tow. Everyone greeted Kara and hugs were exchanged, then Kelly, Astra, Alex and finally Sam departed to give the two reporters some space. As she hugged Kara, Sam whispered in her ear, "You've got this sweetheart."

Kara led Lois slowly over to a pair of recliners by the window. Kara made sure that there was water and ice, and extra pens. She was nervous and Lois could see it.

"Kara, you're going to be okay." Lois smiled, "You've done this before."

"From your side," Kara said, wide-eyed.

"True, but you will do fine honey, I promise," Lois spoke softly. "Alex said the kryptonite is out of your system."

"Yes ma'am, I threw up the last bit of it this morning. It was horrible." Kara grimaced.

"That bad?" Lois asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Being Kryptonian, I don't get sick like people on Earth." Kara answered relaxing.

"So, are you going to be okay?" Lois was slowly leading her into the interview.

"In about three or four months my powers should be restored. The blood poisoning caused a little damage to my cells and even with my ability to process sunlight, they have to repair themselves before they can start storing solar energy again." Kara answered the question like a scientist.

"Could this happen to Clark?" Lois asked, finding that she was frightened for her husband.

"It could, but he would have to be subjected to Kryptonite for a long period, and thankfully we have a way to fix even that now, thanks to Lena and Sam." Kara smiled.

"That's funny, your sister said that you were involved as well. So, did mine." Lois laughed.

"We found an error in the initial batch of Sam's blood. Lena's new formula should help Kal and any other Kryptonians on Earth." Kara was showing a little more pride and relaxing. She pulled her feet up under her and settled into her chair.

"So now, Lena has a cure for Kryptonite, thanks to assistance from two Kryptonians," Lois confirmed.

"Yes, ma'am." Kara actually smiled, she knew what Lois was doing, and it was working.

"So, you feel better now?" Lois laughed.

"Yes. Thank you, Lois." Kara laughed as well.

Lois pulled out her tape recorder and set it on the table between them. She pressed Record and the interview began.

"This is Lois Lane, interviewing Supergirl the night before her historic press conference, where, due to illness, she is stepping away from her duties. For the first time in six years, the familiar red and blue of her uniform will not be seen in the skies above National City." Lois began.

"Supergirl, first off thank you for the honor of allowing me to conduct this interview. I know this must be a difficult decision for you." Lois greeted.

"You're very welcome Ms. Lane, thank you for agreeing to this at the last minute," Kara responded, feeling a touch silly.

"Call me Lois, Supergirl." Lois smiled, "We have been hearing about Superman for almost 20 years and his story is quite well known, at least most of it. However, we don't really know a lot about you, did you arrive on Earth with Superman?" Lois asked, she knew Clark's story but had never really followed Kara's.

"No – no I didn't," Kara answered, as she stared up through the windows at the sky, hugging her mother for what she thought would be the last time, the launch of her pod, following Kal's pod up and out of the atmosphere. "We were launched away from Krypton in separate pods, and due to unforeseen circumstances, I arrived here on Earth about 24 years after him. During the destruction of our planet, my pod was struck by debris and knocked off course. There was no way for me to correct it."

"You had to watch your planet's destruction?" Lois asked, fearing the answer. These were questions Clark could never answer, things he never told her about Kara's journey from Krypton.

"I saw it all, as my ship spun from the shockwave, I watched as my home exploded, I guess that's the term. There was no sound, no flash, they were all just gone." Kara choked on the last word. She closed her eyes trying to block the images that were appearing before her eyes. Pieces of Krypton flew past her pod, smaller pieces bouncing off, she imagined many times before that people were screaming for help, but she knew in her mind it was her imagination and her guilt, but it didn't make it any less vivid. Her hands twisted into knots as she attempted to get her emotions under control. "I'm sorry, Lois."

Trying to maintain a professional demeanor, Lois took a deep breath, imagining her young son in this same situation. A single tear threatened to roll down her cheek, but she swept it away before Kara noticed. "Nonsense, Supergirl, you don't need to apologize. You were a child, and then you were adrift? Alone? For 24 years? Were you awake?"

Kara wiped her eyes on the cuffs of her shirt, so thankful that Alex had sent her a long sleeve sweatshirt. "I'm not really sure how to explain this part, Lois. I was awake, but my pod was pushed into a dimensional rift. Time didn't pass there; I didn't realize how long I was lost until I landed on Earth." Kara started to draw in on herself, "It was dark, so dark, like a night sky before a storm. There were no stars, no sources of light. It was almost – but not quite terrifying, because you couldn't tell what was coming." Kara paused for a moment, running her hands through her hair, trying to control her emotions. "The worst part was the quiet, it was so quiet."

Lois reached across the table and watched as Kara latched onto her hand. "That's – that's horrible Supergirl. You had to endure that as a child, all alone. You arrived on Earth, with no sense of how much time had passed, what was that like for you?"

"When my pod finally freed itself, all I could see was Earth in front of me. The crash wasn't nearly as terrifying as what they show in the movies." She smiled shyly. "Then the cockpit of my pod was lifted up and there was Kal, sorry Superman holding out his hand. My baby cousin was all grown up. If he – if he hadn't been wearing our family crest, I wouldn't have known it was him. It didn't strike me then, how much time I had lost, that didn't come until much later." Kara paused, she wasn't sure how much Lois knew, and she didn't want to paint Kal as a bad person. "I think he wanted to help, to raise me, but he wasn't prepared to raise a teenager, especially one that didn't speak English. I only spoke Kryptonese, and he barely recognized the language of our home world."

"Go ahead, Supergirl." Lois encouraged.

"He found me a family, that could take care of me here on Earth, and then he was just gone."

"So, Superman left you with a family here on Earth?" Lois growled. "Were they aliens?"

"My adoptive family was wonderful, they taught me English, they sent me to school, they helped me learn to control my – my gifts. Most of all they gave me safety, but I don't want to give too much away, because if someone was to find out who they are, they could use them to manipulate me.

"I can understand that. You've spent about half your life on Earth, learning to adapt, went to school, found a job, a normal daily existence. But during that entire time, you never joined Superman? Not until 6 years ago? Why then?" Lois asked.

"School, school was so much fun, except English, there are so many rules." Kara smiled. "I went to college, I got a job, several jobs actually. I honestly didn't think the world wanted anymore, what are they calling us now," she paused. "Metas, I didn't think they wanted more. I mean, he was always in the news, stopping that crime or saving that person, I didn't think I could do that."

Kara paused, not for effect but because all she could picture was a flaming plane passing over the bar she was at, Alex's calm but terrified face as she faced death. "The night I came out, the night that plane was falling from the sky." Kara's breathing picked up, "I couldn't stand there and not save them, Lois, after Krypton, after hiding for so long, I couldn't stand the thought of those people dying and me not doing anything to save them. I couldn't let anyone die if I was able to stop it." She stopped speaking as she felt the terror from over a hundred heartbeats on that plane, as her person, her Alex was trying so hard to be calm. "I couldn't let Alex die." She whispered, too low for the recorder to pick up. But Lois heard her, and a shocked look came to her face as Kara's fear came forward again. Kara wasn't scared of failing, she was scared of losing her family. Lois paused the recorder, and she crawled over to her husband's cousin and wrapped her arms tightly around this strong woman, pulling her close as Kara cried into her shoulder.

Kara cried for just a few minutes, and once she was ready, Lois continued the recording. "Once I was in the public eye, I found that maybe they really did want me to help. Since then I have tried to live up to the El family creed of Hope, Help, and Compassion for all. To honor my family crest, which on Krypton, is a symbol of Hope."

"I know you plan to step away from your public life, is this permanent, is Supergirl retiring? Or will she be back?" Lois questioned.

"I'll be back if they will have me. My caregivers have told me that my body needs time to heal, to completely recover. I can't promise a timeline, because we really don't know." Kara answered, a small frown on her face, her crinkle showing. "National City still has her protectors, and all her heroes are out there," Kara looked out the window at her home, her city, "The Police, Firefighters, Doctors and EMTs. Everyone out there is a hero to someone, they are all a light of hope, one that makes National City shine like no other."

"That makes me, and I'm sure the readers, very happy Supergirl. We have Superman, and we have many other heroes, but this world needs your optimism, it needs Supergirl."

"Thank you, Lois, for that wonderful sentiment. I hope everyone can forgive me for this, anyone who feels I may have let them down or failed them in some way. I have always lived by my family's creed, Hope, Help, and Compassion for all, and by a saying from Krypton, El Mayarah, stronger together." Kara smiled.

Lois stopped the recorder, "That was wonderful, Kara."

Kara shuddered, the interview put her one step closer to tomorrow, the day she stopped being Supergirl.

Fifteen minutes later, her sister, her aunt, and Sam entered the room. Lois smiled as they entered, pointing her chin to Kara, sitting in a recliner watching the sun set over National City. Alex grasped Kara's undamaged hand in her own, Astra's fingers fell lightly on the hand she had broken, and Sam's strong hands were on Kara's shoulders. All three of her protectors, lost in their own thoughts stood there with the fragile girl of steel as night fell across her city.