In Kanas City, three bank-robbing terrorists blasted Supergirl with automatic rifle fire. The three terrorists fired everything they had blasting holes in the brick wall behind her. Once they were out of ammunition, Supergirl slumped to the ground seemingly hurt. "Holy shit, you seeing this, Johnny?" terrorist #1 said via radio.

"Yeah, I see it. Now, get the hell out of there. The cops will be there in ninety-seven seconds," Johnny Rebel told them.

"Oddly specific but alright," terrorist #2 agreed.

"We killed Supergirl. We're going to be so famous," terrorist #3 said giddily.

"Hey, there's no blood. What the fuck?" terrorist #1 noted.

"Think there's a reason for that?" terrorist #3 wondered.

"Oh, there is...but you're not going to like it," Mara said and then got back to her feet. A gold aura flared around her sending the three terrorists several feet back.

Terrorist #1 fired on her with another magazine. Mara calmly snatched the weapon away from him and tore it to pieces. She then flung the terrorist into the air and slammed him down to the pavement. "For the love of God, help us, Johnny!" he cried out.

Mara tore off his goggles and used her X-ray vision to analyze the camera inside. "Johnny, huh? I'm going to find you and when I do, I'll have someone else kill you," she said to the camera and then crushed it.

Mara waited for the police to arrive and take the terrorists away. "Alright, young lady, here in Kansas, we don't take kindly to fake Supergirls," the police lieutenant said to her. "We take impersonating superheroes seriously in these parts. I think we need a little talk."

"I'll be sure to bring my superhero ID next time," Mara said sarcastically.

"Well...see that you do," the lieutenant ordered.

"Whatever," Mara rolled her eyes and flew off. As she headed home, a missile hit her in the back sending her into a forest. Mara hit the ground hard as the missile exploded. Mara got back up and eyed a hovering aircraft aiming at her.

"Don't know who the fuck you're supposed to be but you nailed some of my boys. Nobody nails Johnny Reb's boys except Johnny," he said to her from the ship's intercom.

Mara wasn't sure how to take that and simply stared at him. Johnny fired a laser cannon at her at close range. The beam hit Mara's chest and deflected into the forest blasting trees away. Johnny then fired an electrical pulse gun at her. Mara felt the electricity buzz around her aura before he gave up. "Okay, enough of this," Mara said as she went for a punch on his ship.

Johnny piloted his ship away from her creating a windstorm in his wake. Mara fired heat vision at the ship slicing through its hull, inside the cockpit, and through the rear window barely missing Johnny Reb, himself. "Son of a bitch," Johnny realized he had almost been killed.

"That will teach you," Mara said condescendingly.

"Get away from me, you freak," Johnny said as Mara aimed for a second strike. His ship took off at maximum speed away from her. Mara was about to chase after him when she felt a familiar presence.

A white-hot streak went straight for her home in Smallville. "Mother's returned," Mara smiled.

Kara dropped by the barn and exited in civilian clothes. Mon gave her an unimpressed look as she walked up to the house. "So...I'm back," she said awkwardly.

"Well...no shit," Mon said looking her over. "Where's the brat?"

"Barney will be bringing her over soon," Kara said. "She's walking and talking now."

"Would have been nice to have seen it for the first time," Mon said bitterly.

"Like you give a shit...Mon...I'm sorry," Kara said sincerely. "I'm not just a flawed person. I'm sick and I've been sick for a long time."

"Don't I know it," Mon rolled his eyes.

"Do what you have to do. Bring me to the cave until I get cancer, force me to poison myself with a Kryptonite pill, or whatever you have in mind," Kara allowed.

"I figure these last few months have been hell enough for you, already," Mon allowed. "Just so you know, Alex was the best mother these kids have ever had," Mon burned her.

Kara winced at that. "Are they...?"

"Alive? Yeah, they're both fine as of a few hours ago," Mon said.

"Let's go back to the future. Being separated from Alex forever is the punishment I deserve," Kara offered.

Mon softened at that. "Maybe after the kids have finished high school," he said lamely.

Kara scoffed at that. "Okay," she relented.

"Now, get back in the kitchen and make me cookies," Mon ordered.

Kara nodded and went back into the house. As Kara came in, Kon was still playing video games. "Ten-hut!" Mon shouted as Kara entered the house. Kon instinctively went to attention and stared at his mother's appearance.

Kara smiled tearfully at Mon for respecting her superior rank. "Carry on," she said softly to Kon. Mara then entered the house and eyed Kara. She was now in civilian clothes and powered down to her brunette hair and brown eyes.

"Mother," she addressed.

"I'm really sorry, Mara. I wanted you to be proud of me. I wanted to be different than my own mother, but I abandoned you and neglected you. I hurt you where it counted," Kara admitted.

Mara gave her a mother a curious gaze wondering if she was truly sincere. "I think you're an idiot if you think I'll fall for this. This is just another scheme of yours, isn't it? A scheme to make you feel good at the expense of others? I am Supergirl now. You're no longer required. The truth is that you're inadequate."

"Stop!" Kara silenced her with a glare. "I know I hurt you but when someone says they're sorry, you instantly forgive, alright. You don't know what I've been through. I lost my homeworld, my city, my parents, and my friends. And that hurt is never going to go away!"

"Good," Mara said pleased.

"You were just fucking with me?" Kara asked scornfully.

"Yeah," Mara smirked. "Do you feel better now?"

"Actually, I do," Kara said pissed off.

"We need to do a better job of being a protective blanket for you. We should have anticipated the possibility of the election loss," Mara said.

"You can't treat me like a child," Kara said to her.

"The mother becomes the daughter, the daughter becomes the mother," Mara said to her.

"Okay...you're right. You guys need to do a better job to keep me mentally sound," Kara agreed. "Remind me to send Alex a thank you card for managing the house while I was gone."

Kara then entered the living room and switched Kon's video games to the news. "And so it begins," Kon sighed.

"I bet you didn't miss me for a second," Kara figured.

"Whenever I was in the business of killing bad guys, I thought of you," Kon said sincerely. "And boy, business was good," he grinned.

"I don't even want to know," Kara shook her head dismayed. Kara turned to the news on Texas getting its power back on. "The state of Texas invites Supergirl to the state capital, so we can award her properly."

"Well, I'll be damned," Kara smiled.

Austin, Texas

Supergirl and Mon impersonating Superman flew to the steps of the state capitol. Together, they shook hands with the governor and members of the state legislature present. A large crowd of reporters gathered in front of the steps. "For saving our ass, I hereby award Kara Zor-El the Yellow Rose of Texas," the governor said handing Kara a bouquet of yellow roses and a framed certificate.

"You give me exactly the credit I deserve," Kara said appreciatively as she received the award.

The skeptical press clapped politely for her. Scientists were still studying how Supergirl had wrecked climate change models to give Texas a reprieve. The Mexicans were particularly pissed that they received an unexpected heatwave during winter. Kara handed her flowers over to Mon and went to the podium. "I have a few things to set straight, pun intended. The most recent election was shit. Everything from the mail-in ballots, the in-person voting, the machines, the counting, and the time it took to determine the winner was fucked up. We should demand better. Compared to other alien planets and elections in the far future, this was ass. That said...," Kara said and then struggled to say it.

"Keep going, I believe in you," Mon encouraged her.

"President Biden is our president," she gritted her teeth. "He won fair-and-square and with his wins in Congress and the Senate...should be given...a mandate to govern."

Kara took time to recover and addressed the press once more. "As for me, I was under the influence of pink Kryptonite. It's a rare mineral on my home planet that turns Kryptonians gay. No joke. Look it up," Kara said and then placed a sample of it in a glass case for the press to see. The pink Kryptonite glowed in the glass case. "One particular day, I was rummaging through my closet and I was unwittingly exposed to it. When I came out of the closet, I was gay. So, now that I am no longer under its influence, I can assure you that I am not just straight, I am super-straight," Kara lied.

"That rock turns you gay?" one reporter asked incredulously.

"That's right," Kara confirmed. "Google it. Do research if you doubt me. I want to apologize to Mera and all those who feel they were let down by my erratic behavior," Kara said wide-eyed.

"Once exposed to pink Kryptonite, how long does it take to wear off?" one reporter asked hoping to trap her.

"It has a half-life of 700 million years. That's a long time to be gay," Kara nodded. "Only the use of X-Kryptonite can neutralize it. Edge Industries was really helpful in synthesizing it," Kara lied. "But let me be perfectly straight with you, pun intended, just because I was cured doesn't mean this will cure humans. Not that I see this as being a cure in the first place. No, this was my choice. I mean, I felt compelled by deterministic forces from the time I was born to...you know what...fuck it."

"And now that Supergirl no longer has a case of the gays, we feel this is the time to announce something very exciting," Mon interjected still impersonating Superman.

"Yes," Kara smiled. "Superman and I have finally decided to get married and have children together in the Kryptonian tradition. When I first came to this world, I was meant to be Superman's protector. But as soon as I arrived, he was already a grown man while I was still a teenage girl. Well, we now feel it is time for me to be Superman's protector as his wife and mother to his children."

"Where will the wedding take place?" a reporter asked.

"In the great state of Alabama," Mon answered.

Mon and Kara then passionately kissed on live television, a kiss seen by billions of people across the world.

Smallville

That night, Gen. Sam Lane came over to the house in uniform. Mara let him in as Kara and Mon were playing an intense game of Scrabble. They had changed the rules so they could only spell out curse words. "Congrats on the engagement," Gen. Lane said bitterly.

"Just because Superman is getting married to Supergirl doesn't mean Clark Kent isn't still married to Lois," Mon assured him.

"Right...," Gen. Lane said skeptically. "Anyway, we've been tracking this son-of-bitch for some time. His name is Johnny Reb. He's part of a criminal gang that deals in high-tech weaponry. Your daughter helped capture three of his associates but they're not talking." Gen. Lane showed a profile picture of him on his laptop and his long record.

"I'll finish what I started," Mara told him.

"Well, okay then," Gen. Lane said pleased. "Make sure you invite me to the wedding."

"Absolutely," Mon assured him.

Gen. Lane then exited the house and took off. "The bastard knows," Kara figured.

"You think so?" Mon wondered as he peeled away his face mask.

That night, Mara's curiosity got the better of her. She went into the barn, entered the basement, and eyed the pink Kryptonite in its glass case. For several weeks, she had debated and argued with Alex over her homosexuality. Now, she could prove that the mind could overcome heart to herself and anyone else. She opened the case and placed the glowing pink rock in her hand. Feeling nothing from it, she placed it back in its case and went back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Johnny Reb was up to no good in his warehouse. "Okay, I think this is the last of my nano-tech shit. Now, if I could just find my...," he said looking around in various containers.

"Balls," a baritone voice said from the shadows.

"The fuck?" Johnny wondered.

Fatalist then emerged from the shadows appearing as a seven-foot-tall tan-skinned man wearing black armor and a trenchcoat. He had two eyes where you would expect them to be, a third eye in the middle of his forehead, and a fourth eye on the top of his bald head. He appeared muscular and intimidating. "Why are you fleeing, bitch?" he asked.

"That's none of your business, asshole. Who the fuck are you?" Johnny asked nervously.

Fatalist got right up to him so that Johnny's face was up against his abs. "Mother of God, what are you?" Johnny wondered.

"Your new best friend, bitch. You leaving Kansas because of some Supergirl? Where's your criminal pride? Stop staring at my weird-ass eyes and answer the damn question," he ordered.

"Okay, yeah, Supergirl kicked the shit out of me. I'm not trying to prove myself to anyone. Going toe-to-toe with a superhero is just damn stupid," Johnny said defensively.

"Look, I'm going to hook you up with weapons, armor, and upgrades to your bitch-ass bitch body, so you can choke a super-bitch properly," Fatalist said as he zapped Johnny with his eyes.

The next day, Kon was in his sculpting class working to make an anatomically correct nude statue of Sara he could give to her as a present one day. He expertly worked his hands on the curves and used heat vision at the lowest setting to solidify the clay. "Most impressive, Mr. Kent," his teacher said pleased.

At the same time, Mara swatted a volleyball hard over the net. The ball went across the gymnasium, through the doors, and into the art room where it demolished Kon's sculpture. "What...the...fuck?" Kon gritted his teeth in annoyance.

After gym class, Mara entered the girl's locker room and prepared to shower as usual. This time, things were different. She found her staring at the girls in her class a little too hard. Entering the shower, Mara felt a little anxious for the first time. To keep the other girls unaware, Mara closed her eyes and used her other senses. With her super-hearing, she heard the girls chatting about random subjects. Mara then focused hard as she heard the water impact their har, their eyelashes, their curves, and finally their feet. She could smell their obnoxious perfume. Mara focused intensely and then opened her eyes.

"You okay?" one girl asked her completely nude.

"Absolutely," Mara lied.

By herself, Mara dried off and put her school clothes back on. Sara came over to meet her as she put her shoes on. "Hell of a serve. I thought you would take a girl's head off."

"I just wanted to impress the girls," Mara said without thinking.

"You mean, impress us?" Sara asked confused.

Mara looked away from her and stared ahead. "What are you looking at?" Sara asked.

"Just lost in thought," Mara said avoiding her gaze.

"You and me both. It's career day. My dad is going to make a total ass of himself today," Sara frowned.

"Maybe not," Mara said as she scanned through the locker room and into the auditorium. There, a student was threatening the drama teacher with a gun.

In the auditorium, a student had a gun to the drama teacher's head. "Now, just put the gun down and we can talk about this," the teacher said with his hands up.

"I told you I would cap your ass if you flunked me on that term paper. Now, I'm going to be dropped from the varsity. Baseball is my life, mother-fucker, not this acting shit. You just don't get that so you're going to get this instead," the student said seriously.

The doors of the auditorium opened as Kon and Mara entered at the same time. Kon walked up to the student without fear and then crushed the pistol to pieces in his hand. "Hey, man. I was just acting, you know. I wasn't really going to hurt him. It wasn't even loaded," the student said to Kon.

"You sure had me fooled," Kon smirked.

"Thanks," the student smiled appreciatively.

Kon took the student's arm behind his back, broke it, dislocated his shoulder, and slammed the student to the floor with enough force to give him a concussion. "Thank you, young man," the drama teacher said appreciatively. "You're like a super...boy."

"Damn...it," Kon realized his mistake. "Alright, kiss him."

"I don't...want to," Mara said anxiously.

"Why? Is it because he's old, bald, and has a mustache?" Kon wondered.

"I just can't," Mara said completely repulsed by the idea.

"Come on, we have rules. I kiss females, and you kiss males. It keeps everything straight," Kon brought up. "It's not always easy for me either. There are some whales in this school that are ugly as fuck."

"I think something's wrong," the drama teacher said clutching his chest.

"No shit something's wrong. Mara, here, isn't playing by the rules," Kon pointed out.

The drama teacher collapsed on the floor from a heart attack. "Shit," Kon realized what was happening.

"Call an ambulance," Mara ordered him as she went to his side and scanned his chest.

Meanwhile, Sara was walking down the halls as career fair volunteers at some of the booths tried to entice students to pick up a flier "Interested in helping people live better lives?" one volunteer asked Sara.

"That's what my dad does and he drinks until he passes the fuck out every night," Sara declined.

"Well, what does interest you?" the volunteer asked.

"I don't know. Maybe be an astronaut," Sara said not taking her seriously.

A nurse suddenly seized up from a heart attack. "Get an ambulance," one person said not aware that one was already on its way. Mara eyed the drama teacher and then the nurse through the walls with her X-ray vision. The thing they both had in common was a pacemaker.

"It's the pacemakers. Maybe an electromagnetic field," Mara said to Kon.

"What if our X-ray vision is the cause?" Kon asked wide-eyed.

"Don't be stupid. A pacemaker can withstand a CT scan and that's 100-to-200 times more powerful than a typical X-ray," Mara scolded.

"So, do we fire X-rays at objects when we want to see them, or do we just detect X-rays the same way humans detect visible light?" Kon asked confused.

"There are not enough X-rays floating around in the air naturally for us to see it," Mara said obviously.

"So, we do fire off X-rays all over the place with our eyes and then when those rays bounce off something, we then see inside someone?" Kon wondered.

"Kon, shut the hell up," Mara said annoyed with him as she tried to figure out the right timing and frequency to zap the pacemaker back to working order. The school was suddenly hit by a blast. The cafeteria was full of smoke and dust as an intruder walked in. "Supergirl, where the fuck are you? The Rebels calling you out," Johnny said obnoxiously.

Johnny was now quite different. His right and left arms were now in robotically enhanced armor, the full left side of his body was covered in metallic armor, and the right side of his face was also covered in armor. His right eye was now mechanical. Only the left side of his face still looked human. Johnny proceeded to zap random students with non-lethal electrical shocks to get Supergirl's attention.

"I'll take care of him," Mara said sacrificially having failed to save either her drama teacher or the nurse from dying.

In a flash, Mara was in her Supergirl uniform. She flew straight at Johnny for a punch only to get zapped. Johnny slammed Mara to the floor and gave her a brutal beatdown. "This is no fun. Why don't you fight back?" Johnny antagonized.

"Because I deserve this. I'm taking responsibility for what I've done," Mara said softly referring to touching the pink Kryptonite.

"Well, I got no problem in making you dead," Johnny said as he continued to punch at her with his metal arms. Johnny eventually backed off disappointed. Mara slowly got back to her feet.

"Come on, girl. What are you laying down for? I just kicked your ass and you didn't move a muscle. What's with you?" Johnny asked her.

"I hurt myself trying to challenge my willpower when I shouldn't have. Now, I'm taking responsibility for that," Mara said simply.

"By letting me smash you to bits?" Johnny asked incredulously.

"Yes," Mara said flatly.

"Well, okay then," Johnny allowed and then beat her some more to the face and body. "Oh, for fuck's sake. This is ridiculous. What do you have to feel guilty about?" Johnny asked her.

"I touched pink Kryptonite to turn myself gay to test my moral resolve," Mara explained.

"The fuck?" Johnny wondered. "Look, I'm not here to salve your guilty conscience. I'm here to kick ass and make myself feel better doing it. You're not supposed to feel better by getting beaten up. That's just sick."

Mara faced him with no enthusiasm. "I'm sorry. I'll fight you if it makes you feel better," she said.

"Oh, please. I don't want your pity. You know what might piss you off. I emitted an EMP about fifteen minutes ago. Everyone in the area with a pacemaker just died. How about that? Does that get you pissed off?" Johnny asked.

"It...kind of does," Mara allowed.

"Good," Johnny said as he punched her to the head.

Mara didn't even flinch and then punched him back. Johnny went through the air and dragged across the football field away from the school buildings. Johnny fired on Mara with his two gloves zapping her with electricity. "Is that all you got?" he taunted.

Mara landed on the field unaffected by his attack. "Gotta admit, this makes my day. What do you say we finish this with a dance?" Johnny asked as he charged up his suit.

"For you, fighting one of the most powerful beings on the planet is the most thrilling experience of your life. But don't you get it, Johnny. For me...it's just a Tuesday," Mara told him.

"Damn, that's cold," Johnny remarked.

"I will hurt you. I will hurt you more than you've ever felt in your whole life. I can carve you up, break you, boil you, freeze you. I can do things you can't even imagine. I have eyes that can see through anything, ears that can hear your slightest word, your heartbeat, your breathing. The Kryptonian in me hopes you'll understand reason and give up. The Insane in me hopes you won't," Mara told him.

"You don't scare me, bitch," Johnny said confidently.

Mara took off from the ground and punched him several times a second creating holes in his armor. In short order, his metallic gloves were destroyed, his armor was in shambles, and his body was broken. Mara kept it up giving Johnny the thrashing of his life. He attempted to fire back with his suit only for it to have no effect. Mara finally beat him to the ground.

Johnny struggled to get back to his feet. "He said I could win," he muttered.

"Who said?" Mara asked going into interrogator mode.

A beam went straight through Johnny's red robotic eye and out his head. Johnny fell back to the ground dead. Mara turned around and eyed Kon with his finger in the air. He casually went over to Johnny's body, aimed his hand at him, and blasted a hole in the field that incinerated the body completely. "Not bad, huh? I saved some students and teachers from getting crushed and killed the bad guy."

"He was about to tell me who gave him his enhancements," Mara said annoyed.

"Let him come. We'll kick his ass, too," Kon said dismissively. "By the way, something wrong with you?"

"No, I'm fine," Mara lied.

"Good thing the old man died anyway," Kon said callously and walked off.

In the evening, Mara and Elisa walked around the farmer's market. Everyone was so obsessed with the terrorist attack on the school and Supergirl arriving to the point that the student that had threatened the drama teacher got off. "You could tell the police," Elisa suggested.

"I'd rather not involve myself with the authorities. Kon gave him a sufficient punishment," Mara said.

"You sure know a lot about punishment," Elisa smirked.

"I was the regional governor of the countries you call Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain," Mara said nonchalantly.

"So, how was it being the ruler of the PIGS?" Elisa joked.

Mara simply stared at her and then realized the connection. "It was more like an internship and every decision I made could be overruled by my mother, father, or Barney. I also couldn't rule over any lands owned by the church, and I had to cooperate with the greater European Union. But if no one interfered, I was an absolute ruler," Mara said.

"Send anyone to their deaths?" Elisa asked.

"Some," Mara said vaguely.

"But you won't kill directly. Kon killed that terrorist, didn't he?" Elisa assumed.

"It's not just the consequence but the intent behind it. I don't want to feel the Insane rage to kill. I fear what I would become if I went down that route," Mara said. "When an Insane reaches Super, they feel intense emotion. For my father, it is rage. For my brother, it's greed. For me, it's will, and that will is threatened when I give into rage, greed, and fear," Mara said.

"I know exactly what you mean," Elisa said as she glanced at her pink ring.

"As a test of my will, I made myself like you with pink Kryptonite," Mara brought up.

"Say what?" Elisa asked confused.

"Pink Kryptonite switches the sexual orientation of Kryptonians for a temporary period of time," Mara explained.

"That's crazy. Sexuality is on a spectrum. What happens if you're bi?" Elisa asked.

"I assume that if you're ninety percent heterosexual, you would become ninety-percent homosexual and vice versa," Mara said simply.

"So, how are you feeling right now?" Elisa smiled.

"Nothing," Mara said as she looked at random people walking past them.

"What's this really about? You trying to prove to me that your will is stronger than your orientation? That's not how this works. I was born feeling this way. I've had these feelings for several years now since puberty. I will always have these feelings until I die. You can't just expose yourself to my orientation for a couple of days and think you know my struggle. Try being me for several years and see how easy it is to date, marry, and have children with a man," Elisa objected.

"That's a strawman. I make no such claim. In the same way that police officers experience pepper spray in their eyes one time before they can unleash it countless times on civilians, it's only fitting I do the same before I deliver judgment," Mara said.

"I appreciate your attempt to emphasize with us," Elisa rolled her eyes.

"This is much a test of will for me as it is for you," Mara said.

"How do you figure? I'm golden," Elisa said dismissively.

"You came here to be challenged. Let's have a sleepover," Mara suggested.

"Like, the two of us, in the same bed?" Elisa asked apprehensively.

"That's right," Mara confirmed.

"Mara, what if something actually does happen?" Elisa asked concernedly.

"Then, only I will remember it," Mara replied.

At the dinner table, Kon went into detail about the attack on the school. "I shot him right through his robotic eye and into his brain. Then, I blew him up on the football field," Kon said.

"Nice," Mon smiled giving Kon a high-five.

Mara frowned that Kon was taking all the credit for the fight. "Your father and I will be spending the night in each of the fifty states...in a row. So, you're in charge of the house and Kameron while we're gone...at night," Kara ordered.

Kon and Mara gave each other looks. Mon had made it fairly obvious that Kara owed him at least fifty sessions for the time she was gone on top of the regular schedule of at least once every two days. Mon was for all intents and purposes infertile unless he reached a power level sufficient for his sperm to penetrate Kara's egg. For such a miracle to happen, Mon would have to be at his maximum while Kara be in a completely relaxed state. Mon went into great detail on how he was able to get Kara pregnant with Kameron to Kon and Mara.

"I'm spending the night with Elisa. She's been asking for a sleepover for some time now and I wish to oblige her," Mara brought up.

Kon cocked an eyebrow at Mara but both Mon and Kara were aloof to the situation. "Kon, you have baby duty then," Kara ordered.

"This is bullshit. You don't see me sleeping with my baseball teammates," Kon said rudely.

"Boys and girls are different, alright. Girls can hold hands, hug, sleep together, cuddle, and kiss and it's not gay. Believe me, I'm an authority on it," Kara rebuked him.

"Sounds like a double standard," Kon argued.

"It is. Deal with it," Kara shut him down.

"Elisa is a lesbian," Kon snitched.

There was an awkward silence at the table. "The moment I handed Mara power in Rome, she imposed a Christian theocracy. Unlike you, she can be trusted," Kara told Kon off.

"It's the most homophobic ones you have to watch out for," Kon pointed out.

"I don't fear anything or anyone," Mara stared him down.

That night, Mara went to Elisa's apartment. "Nice place," Mara said politely.

"Thanks, my parents pay the rent. Told me to go find myself," Elisa said as they went to the bedroom.

Mara placed her backpack that contained her Supergirl uniform and change of clothes on the floor. "Your parents are considerate."

"I know, right? What are your folks like? I mean, really like?" Elisa asked taking her coat off to reveal a Green Lantern t-shirt.

"My father was a mass-genocidal savage and would have enslaved the Earth if not for my mother. Sometimes, I feel the need to surpass him should something ever happen to my mother," Mara mused.

"Damn," Elisa said stunned.

"Though there's little to be found. When all you've got is nothing, there's a lot to go around. No life can escape being blown about by the winds of change and chance. And though you never know all the steps, you must learn to join the dance," Mara recited, referring to both her father and Elisa.

"Beautiful. And your mom?" Elisa asked.

"My mom made me feel like I was the most important thing in the universe just by looking at me," Mara said. "I think it was because of the way she was treated as a child. I've been a bit spoiled, a princess since birth."

"So, is it okay to sleep in a t-shirt and shorts?" Elisa asked.

"Yeah, that's okay," Mara said anxiously.

"And one of us can be above the sheets and the other below," Elisa suggested.

"I don't feel cold so that works," Mara agreed.

"Back-to-back," Elisa continued.

"I think that would be best," Mara nodded.

"Alright, if you want to test yourself further, just let me know," Elisa said as they got into bed.

"What do you mean?" Mara asked confused.

"Well, you could test your willpower even more if we slept nude and showered together in the morning," Elisa smirked.

"When does a test become the actual act itself?" Mara wondered out loud.

Elisa merely shrugged. "I think this will work right now," Mara said feeling uncomfortable and unsettled. Elisa casually placed her pink ring in a lantern to recharge and went to sleep. Mara centered herself and went to sleep herself.

Earth-19

On Earth-19, the universe aged slower than other universes. On this Earth, the world was still in the industrial age of the late 1800s. "Fatalist! Faaataaalist!" Xenon shouted across the halls inside a city hall.

"Coming, God damn," Fatalist said as he exited a portal.

"The only god around here is me," Xenon said arrogantly. "I have found another one. You must witness her demise."

"As you wish, Lord Xenon," Fatalist rolled all four of his eyes.

Xenon was a tall muscular humanoid covered in gold armor, metallic shoulder guards, and red gloves. On his head was a helmet with demonic horns on top. The only part of his actual body that could be seen was his demonic red eyes. He was one to have a fetish towards Supergirl and desired to kill each and every one of them in the multiverse. At his feet was a bruised and beaten Supergirl in chains.

"Look at her. She bears so much resemblance to the last one, does it not?" Xenon asked Fatalist.

"Seeing as how they're all genetically the same, I would think so," Fatalist said condescendingly.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Xenon asked.

"She would seem so," Fatalist allowed.

"Seems so? What bullshit answer is that? Do you have no opinion of your own, Fatalist?" Xenon asked incredulously.

"It doesn't really matter if I do or not, does it?" Fatalist said rhetorically.

"Your goth nihilist attitude is getting real old, Fatalist," Xenon scolded.

"You...you can go straight to hell," Supergirl spat at them.

"Like I haven't heard that before. So defiant," Xenon said amused.

"She has no choice to be defiant. It's fate," Fatalist said.

Xenon fired lightning energy against Supergirl turning her into a charred corpse. The thunder from the lightning was deafening. "That was loud," Fatalist said annoyed. Xenon ignored him and picked up Supergirl's skull. "Fatalist, have you found another for me?" Xenon asked.

"You will find her or not whether or not I tell you. That is fate," Fatalist evaded.

"True, on the other hand, why should you not tell me? Do not cross me, Fatalist. It could be...fatal," Xenon warned as he crushed Supergirl's skull to dust.

Earth-38

Mara awoke to disturbing dreams. Over the course of the night, the sheets were a total mess and the two were closer together and facing each other. Mara carefully got out of bed and went to take a shower. Soon thereafter, Elisa knocked on the door. "You good in there?" she asked teasingly.

Mara abruptly ended her shower and then used her inner energy to dry off. She dressed herself in new clothes and opened the door. "All yours," she said to Elisa.

"How was your sleep?" Elisa asked behind the door.

"It was uneventful," Mara replied.

"I just want to say you're doing really well. I'm really attractive and flirty and you're still standing your ground," Elisa complimented.

"Perhaps you overestimate yourself and I need a new subject," Mara said annoyed.

"Do I detect defensiveness?" Elisa mocked.

Elisa then finished her shower. "Hey, can you give me my ring to dry off with?"

Mara reached for Elisa's ring in the lantern and felt an intense sexual warmth go through her body as if hundreds of feminine hands made of energy were touching her all at once. Mara hesitated for a second and then took the ring out. She then opened the door and found Elisa completely nude. "Thanks. I always use my ring to dry my hair with," she said as she put it on. Her nude body was suddenly covered in her Violent Lantern uniform.

"Do you sometimes go out in the field nude?" Mara wondered.

"Not going to lie, I've thought about it but never had the courage to do so," Elisa said sheepishly.

The two eventually had breakfast in the dining room. The two worked together to make eggs, pancakes, and bacon. "So, how long are you going to test yourself?" Elisa asked conversationally.

"I don't know for sure," Mara admitted.

"Well, if it's like the movies, we only have a few days to kiss and have sex, or else we're not into each other," Elisa teased.

"If I had made a move, would you have stopped me?" Mara asked.

"If I thought you were just a normal human, probably not. But you're an Insane Kryptonian hybrid. I don't know what would happen. You scare me sometimes," Elisa admitted.

"My parents arranged for me to marry an Insane man that is stronger than me for that very reason," Mara mused.

"An arranged marriage, huh? You're just going to go along with that?" Elisa asked surprised.

"I can always reject it but I see no reason to. I must continue the Insane bloodline or the Insane will go extinct," Mara said.

"Well, we can't have that," Elisa said amused. "Don't you want to choose who you love?"

"I am to love everyone but only mate with one," Mara replied.

"If that's the case, why is Kon hanging around with that Sara girl?" Elisa asked confused.

"He's merely toying with her," Mara explained. "Or, he wishes to adopt the tradition of his forefathers by having more than one wife."

"Kind of fucked up," Elisa remarked.

"There's not much about Kon that isn't," Mara agreed.

Earth-19

Xenon activated a portal and looked for a Supergirl target Fatalist had supposedly found. "What is this? Two of them? Two together? How could I have not detected that? Show yourselves," Xenon said as he eyed Kara and Mara in their Supergirl uniforms flying around.

"With the demise of each Supergirl, it gets easier-and-easier for me to perceive the remaining ones. So, how did two elude me?" he wondered out loud. "No matter. I'll have them both."

Xenon then entered the portal to Earth-38 to continue his demented quest.

Earth-38

Upon Xenon's arrival, the sky became red and streams of energy appeared around Mara inside Elisa's apartment. The sky then became stormy with lightning flashes. "I think I should follow it," Mara said of the energy stream.

"It could be a trap," Elisa said suspiciously.

"I doubt it will be much trouble," Mara said confidently as she switched into her Supergirl uniform.

"Want me to come along?" Elisa asked.

"Just stand by," Mara said and then flew out the window. In truth, Mara's feelings for Elisa were interfering with her concentration. She followed the energy streams to a church outside of town. She landed near the church and went inside. There, Xenon was waiting for her.

"Supergirl! Another one has come to visit me but you know me not. I am Xenon. I am more powerful than beyond imagination. I'm here to annihilate your ass," Xenon said to her.

"I prefer a word with fewer syllables," Mara said not intimidated by him.

"You mean kill?" Xenon figured.

"No, I'm going to hurt you," Mara said flatly.

"You fucking serious?" Xenon wondered.

Mara went for a punch only for Xenon to bitch-slap her away. "There's fight in you. I like that," Xenon said pleased. "I'll take my time killing you." Mara blasted Xenon with heat vision to the chest but it merely deflected off his armor. "You see, I've learned there are two Supergirls on this world. So, by torturing your ass, I might be able to lure out the other one."

"Careful what you wish for," Mara spat.

Xenon blasted Mara to the floor with his hand tearing up her uniform. "I've never slain two Supergirls at once. It might even be...," Xenon mused and then realized Mara was unconscious on the floor. Her blond hair went back to black. "Wow, you're not even a real blond. All the others were blond. What the fuck?" he wondered.

As Xenon continued to look for the other Supergirl via streams of energy, he had Mara chained up. "You should have seen her. She was quite magnificent. The only one of your ilk that kicked my ass. There are many universes in which men, boys, and even females bear that symbol upon their breasts. And one female, in particular, nearly killed me and confined me to this armor. When I went to see her a second time to settle the score, she had already died of old age. Do you have any idea how pissed I was?" Xenon said referring to Overgirl of Earth-X.

Mara fired heat vision into her chains to break them off. "Stop that. You can't break them like that. You're just embarrassing yourself. Where is the other Supergirl? Why can't I locate her?" Xenon asked.

"Maybe I'll turn my heat vision on you," Mara threatened.

"Bitch, please. Nothing can destroy me," Xenon boasted.

"You kill me, you'll never find the other Supergirl," Mara bluffed.

"True, but I can always torture your ass," Xenon said as he sent lightning through her body. Suddenly, Kara burst through the church wall and punched Xenon away. "How dare you?" Xenon said pissed off as he hit the floor.

Kara waited for Xenon to get back up. "It's you," he realized upon seeing her uniform and blond hair.

"It usually is," Kara said dryly.

Xenon blasted Kara with an energy beam from his hand that had no effect. Kara punched Xeno through the roof of the church and into the air. She then turned to Mara. "Don't tell me these weak-ass chains are too strong for you."

Mara sighed, powered up to Super Insane, and easily snapped them off. "I was hoping you would take a little longer."

"What's your deal?" Kara demanded.

"Mother, I made a mistake. I tested my will when I shouldn't have. I played around with pink Kryptonite to see what would happen," Mara admitted.

"Really?" Kara asked incredulously. "Look, I'll deal with your nonsense after I kill this asshole," she said and then flew up into the air.

Xenon fired a powerful lighting flash on Kara in the air as she flew to meet him. "You won't defeat me. You can't. You can't even hurt me. You're nothing. You're no one. I am a god," Xenon told her.

Kara went Prime and fired heat vision beams at him. The beam melted his armor and roasted Xenon inside. He fell to the ground in a crater. Kara walked over to his near-dead body. Karina as Red Daughter landed near Kara and gave Xenon a glance. "So, you're back," Karina said surprised.

"Yeah, I'm back. What have I told you about starting world wars? You need to be more responsible," Kara scolded.

"You exaggerate the situation," Karina said dismissively.

"Three? Do my eyes deceive?" Xenon wondered as Mara joined the other two.

"He hunts and kills Supergirls across the multiverse," Mara informed them.

"How many have you killed, asshole?" Kara questioned.

"I've lost count," Xenon said truthfully. "The only one that stopped me put me in this armor."

"The Overgirl," Mara explained.

"Well, we're going to be the one to put you out of your misery," Karina said. Kara and Karina fired heat vision on Xenon slowly burning him inside his armor. He screamed painfully until he could no longer speak. Kara and Karina eventually incinerated him and his armor completely.

At the house, Kara and Mara went into the barn and found the pink Kryptonite in the basement in its case. "Look, Kryptonite of any color is not something you're supposed to fuck with. You know that whole thing with Mera was just a ruse, right? Like, I never exposed myself to this. I was completely faithful to your father," Kara said.

"I know," Mara acknowledged.

Kara called up Brainiac 5. "Hey, why did you think it necessary to give me real actual pink Kryptonite? These dumbass humans can't tell the difference. Now, my kid is gay. Yeah, I know it's a simple fix. That's not the point. We need to work on our communication."

Mara blushed completely embarrassed. "We get you some X-Kryptonite and no big deal," Kara told her.

"I'm not sure I want that. I want to understand their plight so I can judge them appropriately," Mara said.

"Mara, you don't have to experience temptation and sin to know right from wrong. Our Lord and Savior already experienced temptation for us. Just follow his example," Kara told her.

"You're right," Mara relented.

"Until you're cured, you won't be alone," Kara said and then took the pink Kryptonite out of its case with her bare hand. She then put it back in its case.

"I missed you, mother," Mara said embracing Kara.

"I won't ever leave you again," Kara promised. "Now, I have 49 more states to get to with your father."

"But...you just...," Mara said confused.

"It's called free will. Sometimes, it is a bitch," Kara admitted.

Mara met up with Elisa in town a few days later. "So, I took X-Kryptonite and I'm straight again," she told her.

"Oh, okay," Elisa said slightly surprised.

"So, if you want, we can do more sleepovers, camping, going to the movie theater, eating out, whatever you want," Mara said.

"But you just said...," Elisa said confused.

"I don't have to be sexually attracted to you to be a good friend," Mara told her.

"You don't mind that I'll probably be giving you the female gaze every so often?" Elisa asked.

"Better me than someone else," Mara replied.

"Well, okay then," Elisa shook her head dismayed.

"Well, I'll see you later," Mara said and then gave Elisa a cheek-kiss on both sides before going on her merry way.

Elisa touched her cheek, shook her head in amusement, and smiled as she went the other way.

Author's Notes: This chapter is loosely based on Supergirl #75-80 from 1996.