Is this the ending I wanted? No. But seeing as this was never supposed to get this far, I'm okay with it. Will there be a sequel or something close to it? Maybe. Not anytime soon though, but there's no telling.

Warning for character death.

Thank you all for the crazy ride.

Three Months Later

Alex stepped off the elevator and poked her head around until she found Lena in the kitchen nursing a scotch and soaking wet. She frowned and put Kara's gym bag on the floor.

"Hey, I promised I would drop this off, but, uh, why do you look…the way you do?"

"Thank you, Alex. I needed to hear that," Lena snarked.

"Sorry, I just meant what happened? I thought you were in Japan for the week."

"I was. I finished early and decided to come home where I can be surrounded by the people that I love. Unfortunately," Lena paused and finished her scotch, "Clark Kent decided my plane looked too suspicious entering California airspace and took advantage of Kara being out of commission to knock it out of the sky. He even had the decency to wave as he let me fall into the Pacific Ocean."

"What the fuck! Shit, are you okay?" Alex exclaimed, rushing over.

Lena smacked her hands away when she tried to touch her, and she said, "The benefits of being a genius and deathly afraid of heights convinced me that maybe I should have a pod built into the cabin that protects the pilot – meaning me – from the worst of a crash. Upside, the invention worked and I survived. The downside? I lost a plane and my ribs are most definitely cracked."

"And your first choice when you came home was to drink? Not shower or get checked out. But drink?"

"Don't get all holier-than-thou on me just because you went sober."

Alex rolled her eyes and gave up, knowing that Lena wouldn't give in unless Kara asked her to.

"I guess this was a bad time for Sam, Diana, and the kids to take a trip to Themyscira."

Lena grunted in agreement and poured another glass.

"On top of that, my father is in some board meeting for another hour, so I cannot call him. Lucifer and Jack are in Bora Bora for their anniversary, and J'onn has the DEO to worry about. I humored calling you but was afraid you would run off and try to kill Superman on my behalf."

"I'm tempted, but what's his deal? I thought he was out of the picture after Kara denounced him."

"So did I! We haven't even been bothered with him these last three months. We got married, went on a honeymoon, came back and things were fine. Sam retired Reign and came out as Aria, the newest member of the House of El with Kara and Cat's blessing. The Junior Supers –

"That is such a ridiculous name," Alex muttered.

"I agree, but they've found their niche. It's cute. Not to mention a relief so that Kara and Sam aren't flying all over the city every night. But we've gotten to a good place, and Kara has moved on from her cousin. But I'm scared to tell her because I think this might be the final straw."

"Do you think she'll try and kill him when she finds out?"

"Of course! After the first time, Kara cried for hours wondering how he could do something like that. She was miserable the entire night. I think Clark means more to her than she lets on."

Alex inclined her head and ran a hand through her hair.

"Sometimes we hold onto the people we love that hurt us the most because we feel like they'll change. All we have to do is wait and things will be okay again. But there are times when we have to let go and cut ties with them because while we're waiting, all they're doing is hurting us time and time again. There'll be nothing left of her if she keeps holding onto that tiny bit of hope that Clark will come around."

"Guess dating Kelly is working in your favor. Is she still at that conference in New York?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "She should be back by tomorrow night. And don't change the subject."

"I'm not. I just didn't know what else to say."

"Maybe Kara needs to end her connection to Clark."

"Didn't she do that already?"

"I meant emotionally."

"How do you expect her to do that?"

Alex shrugged and said, "That's up to her. Only she knows what she's holding onto and why she's holding onto it."

Lena chewed on her bottom lip as Kara entered the penthouse. She gasped when she saw her and threw her bag to the side.

"Hey, you're back!"

Kara ran across the room and swept Lena off the floor. Even without her powers, Kara's strength was a little too much for Lena's ribs. She hissed in pain, and Kara immediately put her down.

"Whoa, what did – did I do that? Was I too –

"No," Lena interrupted, holding her waist. "I need to tell you something."

"Anything, baby, you know that."

Lena gave a soft smile before saying, "You have to promise not to run out of here."

"Easy. I'll be here the entire night," she said. "You're hurt, and I know you haven't been checked out by an actual doctor yet."

"You sound like your sister."

"She has her moments. Now, what's going on? How did you get hurt? And why are you back?"

"In order of importance, my investors didn't need me the entire time. They said yes to the project during the first meeting, so I wanted to come home and celebrate. I could handle the paperwork remotely. Well, as I was in the air, I made it about three/fourths of the way home before my plane was, um, forcibly removed from the air."

Kara's head cocked in confusion, and Lena cleared her throat.

"The engine," she paused, "was ripped away."

For a moment, Lena was afraid she would have to say it straight out, but then it dawned on Kara. And it was like watching a slow-motion fade out, how the blue in her eyes became outlined by a faint red. Kara didn't have her powers, an untimely solar flare after fighting a dragon and a rogue alien bounty hunter on the same day, but they were still there. If she got angry enough, she could jumpstart them, and that's what Lena was afraid of.

"Baby, I'm okay," she said quickly. "I had a safety measure in place."

"Then how did you get hurt?" Kara asked emotionlessly.

"Okay, the impact may have knocked me around a little, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Lena didn't mention the fact her pod ran out of air and how she had to be scooped out of the water by a crab boat. Kara twitched and took a step back. She squinted at Lena's body, eyes roaming over her frame and pausing at her ribs and thigh, and she flexed her fingers.

"You need to lie down," she said.

"Kara –

"Go."

Lena had only heard Kara be short with her twice in their lifetime, and she knew each time was because Kara was using what little control she had left. So instead of pushing, Lena slowly made her way to the bedroom and climbed on the mattress. She bit through her lip to keep from crying out and sat up against the headboard. Kara came down the hall with a bag of ice wrapped in a towel. She exhaled when she saw her and bent down, placing the ice pack right over where Lena was hurt the most. A whimper escaped before she could catch it, and Kara growled low in her throat. It was the only warning before she was gone. A boom rattled the building, and Lena knew it was fruitless to call her back and instead picked up her phone, glad she had the foresight to leave it on her nightstand. She dialed Alex and rested her head on the wall.

"Let me guess, the sonic boom I just heard was Kara heading to Metropolis."

"Yes."

"All right. I'm on my way over with Winn and pain pills."

Kara dragged Clark off the street before anyone noticed and flew higher and higher until they were over Metropolis – one in a suit that symbolized hope and family, and the other in a hoodie and jeans. She let him go and threw her hands into the air.

"Have you lost your mind!"

Clark folded his arms and said, "Evening, Kara. Nice to see you back on your feet. I saw your fight on television, very nice."

"What the hell is your problem!"

"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "But if this is about the plane thing, I genuinely thought the aircraft was carrying a bomb and did my civic duty to protect the cities it could have affected."

"Bullshit! You knew Lena was on that plane."

"I made an executive decision. That is what I was hired for, right? Glorified airspace duty."

"That is your fault, not mine."

Clark scoffed and said, "Everything that's gone wrong in my life has been because of you. Lois left me, my parents won't talk to me, and I can't walk down the street without people being afraid of me. I used to be a hero to them, and now I'm public enemy number one."

"So instead of confronting me like a man, you go after my wife? Again?"

"As I said, I saw a threat. It is my job to eliminate it. Same as it's been for the last two months."

"I need you to understand that I am trying to navigate this with as much respect as I can, and I have very little. So this is your final warning. Leave Lena alone. Leave me alone. Leave my friends alone. Leave my family alone. And do not ever come into my city again. You are lucky I convinced J'onn not to arrest you after that stunt you pulled last week."

"Stunt? Reign nearly killed that man!"

"Aria," Kara corrected, "was protecting a group of aliens from a sex trafficker."

"It doesn't matter what her name is. Reign will always be a murderer."

"At least the Justice League answers her phone calls." Clark clenched his fists, and Kara sighed. "Heed my warning, Clark."

"Or what?" he taunted. "Going to kill me?"

"Make no mistake. You live because I allow it."

"Then what's stopping you from getting it over with? Hmm? What do I have to do to get you to treat me like an equal and not a nuisance? Do I need to speak perfect Kryptonian? Do I need to recite Rao's prayer on my knees? Do I need to cry over a Mom and Dad I never knew?" A crazed look came over Clark as he came closer. "I know. Maybe I need to wait until you are too busy on the other side of the world and visit your precious wife at work. Maybe the third time's the charm, right? Would I get your respect then, cousin, when I dangle her lifeless body over the –

Kara's breath left her in a single exhale as she watched the craziness in his eyes fade into disbelief and shock. Clark choked up blood, and he glanced down at the knife sticking out of his stomach.

"I would have let you live," she said, her voice cracking. "I would have let you –

Kara stopped and snapped the knife in half, leaving the Kryptonite blade lodged in his stomach. She had no intentions of grabbing it on her way out of the penthouse, but some part of her knew that her grace would run out and be replaced with a vengeance that had been festering for a long, long time. Her bracelet automatically activated from the exposure creeping up her arm, and her Kryptonite suit spread over her limbs. But she couldn't feel the pain. She was numb to it, numb to the dizziness causing her vision to blur. Or were those tears? Kara grabbed the back of Clark's neck and held him upright as green lines pulsed underneath both of their skins. She rested her forehead against his and sighed.

"Forgive me, Jor-El," she whispered.

Clark gasped for air, and Kara squeezed until the bones beneath her grip shattered into pieces. Clark's body went limp in the air.

"At least you followed the family tradition. Now your son will never know you," she muttered bitterly.

Kara carried Clark in the opposite direction of National City, away from Metropolis, and into the clouds.

It was far too early for her to be awake, but Lena hadn't gotten much sleep. Alex and Winn left late the night before, both having to work, and Lena promised to call when Kara was back. She turned when she heard a soft thud on the balcony, and Kara stood outside with her head down. Her suit de-materialized, leaving her in the clothes she left in, and Kara pushed open the door. She shuffled silently into the kitchen and stopped in front of Lena.

"Are you okay?"

Kara nodded and kissed Lena's forehead.

"Yes. I told you a long time ago that I will always choose you. That has not and will never change."

"I love you."

"And I love you," Kara murmured. "How about I run you a bath, and we see about taking a day off?"

"I knew there was a reason I married you."

Kara grinned and led Lena out of the kitchen to the bathroom.

And yeah if you haven't figured it out yet, keeping secrets is so overrated.