Standing at a window staring out over a bright, beautiful fall morning in National City, Cat Grant turns as the door to her office opens behind her. She walks over to her bar, grabs a glass, pours some water, takes a sip, and makes her way over to sit at her desk. As she pulls out her chair to take a seat she looks up to see the two familiar faces that have come to see her… Kara and Nia.

"Soooo," Cat begins as she motions for the ladies to take a seat, "to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit this morning from CatCo's dynamic duo?"

The ladies smile, say their morning greetings to Cat, and sit down in the leather chairs in front of her desk. As Kara locks eyes with Cat she proceeds to explain the nature of their current otherworldly situation, her need for an immediate, indeterminate leave, and her desire for Nia to serve as acting Editor in her absence.

Internalizing a somewhat overwhelming sense of awe and astonishment at the cosmically unprecedented circumstances into which Kara describes herself to be heading, Cat instantaneously regains her composure and replies in her typical grandiose manner, "You know, Kiera, I sometimes wonder to myself if it wasn't easier back in the day when I could simply chalk up your unusual comings and goings to simple human personal distractions and not these fantastic, heroic endeavors."

"Believe me, Ms. Grant," Kara replies, "it's still weird for me after all the years of pretending to have forgotten appointments or fake family member illnesses to just walk in, sit down, and tell you straightaway…".

Cat interjects, "That you're going 'off world' to a piece of your home planet that didn't actually die to try and resurrect another piece of it that had been stolen before Krypton exploded?"

Kara gives her that nervous, shy, uncertain glance that Cat has seen so many times over the years… and it makes her grin from ear-to-ear. She gets up from her chair, walks around to the front of her desk, and sits on its edge. "You've been my Editor-In-Chief for over a year and half now, the world has known your true identity for just as long, and despite all of that… and all that you've accomplished the last seven and half years… I still have the ability to find that lasting sliver of the unsure, untested Kara Danvers that first walked into my office all those years ago. So much has changed since that day, but for some reason it brings me comfort to know that a part of her will always be here with us."

Kara smiles confidently at her mentor. "That unsure, untested young woman… Kara… whether she's Kara Danvers or Kara Zor-El… she's the woman I was born to begin my journey as. It was only fate's hand that tore me away from my world and brought me here… gave me these powers. Kara… that Kara… has been and always will be who I am and she will never go away." She pauses for a moment, looks at Nia, and then back to Cat. "No matter what I've accomplished… what we've all accomplished… she will always be the best part of me because she has been and continues to be shaped by the love and guidance of the people most important to her… Lena, Alex, Kelly, Esme, Eliza, J'onn, M'gann, Brainy, Nia, and you, Cat."

Cat gives her an appreciative nod and turns to look at Nia. "So, Nia, you feel like you're up to the task?"

Nia smiles anxiously, but with a gleam of confidence and enthusiasm in her eyes. She nods affirmatively and says, "I do. This week's issue is put to bed. Nathalie and I have reviewed Kara's schedule for the next couple of weeks, postponed all her non-critical appointments indefinitely, rescheduled the appointments I can pick up, and sent your assistant a list of those that would need your attention."

"What about your daily AE tasks?", Cat inquires.

Nia replies, "Nathalie will back me up. She shadowed me for a few months leading up to my wedding and honeymoon. She picked up the slack while I was out last month and is excited to get the chance to do so again."

Kara adds, "And Lena's personal assistant, Jess, is taking a leave of absence from The Foundation to slide over to CatCo temporarily to provide support to Nia and Nathalie. We processed her through HR first thing this morning and she's down in the bullpen right now with Nathalie getting up to speed."

Cat rises and motions for Kara and Nia to do so, as well. As she begins to walk them back to her door she say, "Sounds to me like you've got the situation well in hand. We'll schedule a meeting with all department heads for this afternoon to get them up to speed. My calendar is clear today, so have Jess or Nathalie coordinate with Amber and I'll see you two later this afternoon."

"Thank you, Cat," Kara says as she turns in time to be surprised by an unexpected hug from her mentor.

"I believe in you, Supergirl," Cat whispers in her ear. "I always have. Please be safe."

As Cat releases the hug Kara says to her in an affectionate tone, "I will." Kara turns to follow Nia out the office door and back to the private elevator.

The doors to the elevator open, the ladies step inside, and Nia presses the button to take them back down to the bullpen. As the doors slides shut and the elevator cab begins its descent Nia turns to Kara, breathes a sigh of relief, and says, "That went well."

A bright smile fills Kara's face as she replies, "Never expected anything less."

"After all the pain and struggle we've experienced, the dangers, the life and death decisions we've stared square in the face… it never ceases to amaze me how much more intimidating than all of that Cat Grant still seems," Nia mutters in exasperation.

Kara nods and laughs with ever fiber of her being. "I know what you mean. She has an inexplicable aurora… an indomitable presence… honestly… there was so much of that woman in the persona I projected when I first came out to the world as Supergirl. Watching her and emmulating her demeanor, even more than my powers, gave me the confidence early on to stand before the world as a hero. Before Lena came into my life my Supergirl persona was a measured balance of Kara, Alex, and Cat."

"And now?" Nia asks with a broad, inquisitive grin.

Kara's eyes light up. "Not a day goes by when I don't hear Lena in my thoughts, my words, my heart, and my soul. Alex and Cat are still a part of what Supergirl is, but Lena is Supergirl's heart, soul, and guiding light as much as she is Kara's. That, as much as anything else, is the reason that the wall dividing Kara and Supergirl had to come down. Even if we hadn't ended up in the relationship we have today I couldn't live another day in this world having to make her pretend that Kara and Supergirl were different people. I wanted my life with her, whatever that life was meant to be, to be completely honest for us both. After all I put her through… she deserves it."

Nia chokes back a building lump in her throat and wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "I knew you had made the choice to tell the world your identity because of how tired you were of hiding your true self, but I don't think I ever realized how much your experiences with Lena played a part in that decision, too. Does she know that?"

Kara takes Nia's hand and squeezes it. "I've never said it to her in so many words, but I suspect she knows. If she's uncertain about it now she'll know for sure when we exchange vows."

As the elevator cab arrives at its destination, the doors slide open, and the ladies step out to see Jess and Nathalie hard at work preparing for their temporary assignments. Kara starts to make her way back toward her office, but her comment about "coming out" sticks in Nia's mind as she plucks up the resolve to follow Kara into her office to discuss one last topic. Noticing the sound of the additional, familar heartbeat thumping somewhat wildly behind her Kara walks to one of the sofas, turns, sits, smiles, and motions for Nia to join her. She looks warmly at Nia as she takes a seat and says, "Something else on your mind? Your heart is racing. Is everything okay?"

Nia takes a deep breath. "Yes, Kara. I'm sorry. There is something else… nothing bad… but non-work related I wanted to discuss. I had meant to mention it at Game Night last night, but we all got caught up in your news about Kandor and it didn't feel like the right moment."

Kara puts her hand on Nia's arm. "I'm sorry we dominated the conversation last night." She pulls her hand away, straightens herself attentively, and remarks, "I'm all ears. What's up?"

"Well," Nia begins, "Brainy, Maeve, and I met with the Dreamer Center board yesterday evening before Game Night to discuss ongoing planning for our inaugural Halloween Charity Gala. It's shaping up to be a wonderful event and we're all very proud of how it's coming along. We're hoping to make this an annual charity event for the LGBTQ community here so that we can drive end-of-year fundraising for not only ourselves, but also other worthy LGBTQ organizations like The Trevor Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality, SAGE, Lambda Legal, and many, many others."

"I remember us talking about this several months back when you and Marve first pitched the idea to the board," Kara replies encouragingly. "I'm glad to hear it's coming together so well. Lena and I have been looking foward to attending and providing our support in any way possible."

A radiant grin fills Nia's face. "I'm so glad to hear you say that because yesterday the board decided that in order to increase not only community, but also national and international, interest in the gala they want to hand out an annual award in recognition of the service and achievements of LGBTQ members of the community… and they want to give the inaugural award to the Super Friends."

Shocked, Kara responds, "Really?!?"

"Are you really that surprised?", Nia utters playfully. "What could possibly drive more eyes to this gala then the promise that the world's most famous team of super heroes… made up predominantly of LGBTQ members, including the world's most famous same sex couple… will be in attendance and receiving an award in honor of the countless acts of selflessness and heroism they have performed in defense of this planet and its population. Believe me… Brainy and I felt… given the team's close connection to the center… that it could appear to be incredibly self-serving, but from the board's perspective it's a no brainer. They likened it to Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb being inducted in the first class of the baseball hall of fame… you don't ignore the obvious when you're trying to launch something new like this."

Kara nods in understanding. "I see their point." She pauses and gets a wide, toothy grin on her face. "And they aren't wrong… having Alex and Kelly there will definitely draw a lot of eyes to this event."

"Chief…," Nia sighs and shakes her head as Kara errupts with infectious laughter. "In all seriousness, I know you and Lena have been together for quite sometime now, but we've never broached this topic before. I wasn't entirely sure either of you would be comfortable with it."

With an understanding nod Kara mutters, "That's why you were so nervous when we sat down." Nia nods and Kars continues, "To be honest, we have never discussed it ourselves."

"You haven't?!?", Nia asks in a surprised tone.

"Nope," Kara replies. "I was born on world where each person's right to express their gender identity and/or sexual orientation was considered universally sacred and embraced as a societal norm. The inability of humanity as a whole to accept and understand that basic right has mostly befuddled me. I have to admit, though, the one time in my life on Earth that I was confronted with a question about my sexuality I responded in a more human way than Kryptonian… which I'm not entirely proud of. Having said that, when I was finally encouraged to look deep inside and examine the true depths of my feelings for Lena it was clear to me that my love for her transcended any conventional notions of sexuality or gender. I love Lena… not because of an attraction to one sex or another… not because she or I view ourselves to be one way or another… I love Lena because she's Lena. Gender and sexual orientation aren't even a determining factor. She is my soulmate, I love her, and that is all that matters to me."

Nia smiles brightly. "You sound very pansexual to me."

Kara takes a deep breath and nods her head slowly as she considers Nia's pronouncement. A wide smile fills her face and she replies, "Yes, I suppose I do and if declaring that out loud has the added benefit of providing anyone out there who's struggling with taking pride in and/or owning the truth of themselves with someone to relate to and look to for support… then I am proudly pansexual!"

Nia slides over and hugs Kara tightly. "You are aleady a hero and role model to so many people… but this will give an entirely new group of people who are faced with unimaginable personal trauma and/or struggle with positive self image someone absolutely amazing to look up to. I cannot begin to express to you how monumental this is. Does this mean you're onboard with us accepting the award?"

"Yes, I am," Kara responds, "but we'll need to run it by the rest of the team before we confirm with the Dreamer Center board."

"Understood," Nia acknowledges as she lets go of Kara.

Later that afternoon at the DEO, Brainy and Lena are on board the Legion ship making final preparations for the voyage to Argo City. Lena sits at her control console busily working on transferring critical data she collected on Coluan shrinking technology courtesy of Brainiac's skull ship from The Foundation mainframe to the ship's computer. As she nears completion of her task she hears Brainy address a couple of DEO techs as they make their way down the ramp and off the ship. Lena swivels in her chair as Brainy emerges onto the bridge.

"So," Lena inquires curiously, "all ship systems check out normally?"

Brainy walks over and sits down in the central command chair. The holographic system controls materialize and he gently taps a few floating keys to pull up the pertinent data. "Yes, all system diagnostics ran successfully, the ship is 100% operational, and ready for our voyage tomorrow."

Lena rises from her chair, walks over next Brainy, examines the read outs, and smiles. "Excellent." She taps a few more of the floating keys on the circular control panel and the ship diagnostic data is replaced by schematics of a device that she senses from Brainy's reaction he's familiar with. "The download from The Foundation's server is nearly complete. As I was sifting through the terra-quads of data in Brainiac's records about Coluan shrinking tech I came across this device and I get the sense from the look in your eyes you know what it is."

Brainy nods. "Yes, I do. As always you are incredibly perceptive. This device is exactly what we'll need in order to successfully re-enlarge Kandor… assuming we can clear the cosmic debris, place the bottle safely on the asteroid, and find a way to get inside to set up Zor-El's protective shield generator and configure a sustainable Kryptonian-esque atomosphere with the assistance of your synthetic Harun-El."

Lena raises an eyebrow, gives him a quirky smile, and replies sarcastically, "When you put it that way, little brother, you make it sound like such a cake walk."

"Little brother?" Brainy inquires curiously.

"I am technically about 1,000 years older than you," Lena retorts with a playful grin on her face as she puts a hand on his shoulder.

Brainy looks up at her, reflects her playful smirk, and nods. "Okay, you got me there." He looks back up at the data display which now indicates that the upload from Lena's network to the ship is complete. As she removes her hand from his shoulder and makes her way back to her control console he clears his throat and asks, "Seeing as we appear to be done here with preparations for our trip I was wondering if I might pivot topics and ask you a personal question?"

Lena sits down, looks back up Brainy, smiles, and says, "Of course you can. What's on your mind?"

Brainy steps closer to her, and with his customary air of unease when broaching new personal topics, begins, "As you may be aware, Maeve, Nia, and I are working with the Dreamer Center board to plan their first ever major fundraising event… a Halloween 'gala'… as I've been told it's called."

Lena nods. "Yes, I am aware."

"Good!" Brainy remarks. "Well, at our meeting with the board yesterday it was decided that to raise more awareness for the event and hopefully encourage increased fundraising the they would like to honor high profile LGBTQ members of the community for their service to and achievements in the community."

"Let me guess," Lena interjects, "the board wants to present this award to our family, right?"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you worked that out on your own," he responds.

"Makes perfect sense to me," Lena comments. "I've been a member of a number of high profile boards of directors over the years and there isn't a one I could think of that under these circumstances wouldn't see the obvious choice of our team staring them straight in the face and not suggest it. I think it's a wonderful idea. If it helps Dreamer Center continue to grow and thrive to provide the important support services the LGBTQ community of National City desperately need and deserve… count me in."

"You're sure?" Brainy inquires. "Nia and I were not entirely certain how you or Kara would feel about this."

Lena stands up, walks over, smiles affectionately, and puts her hands on his upper arms. "I'll be honest… we've have not discussed this since we started dating. I cannot speak for Kara, but my understanding from talking to Alura is Kryptonian society evolved beyond the social discord we struggle with regarding gender and sexuality generations ago, so I suspect Kara will be incredibly supportive of the idea. As for me, I've not yet figured out where truly I fall on the spectrum of all of it yet, but understand and fully embrace that I am a highly visible, well known member of this community now and take pride in standing up to give a louder voice to those who struggle to find their own. It may take me more time to discover my true self in all of this, but that will not stop me from standing up for what is right and just in this world."

As Brainy raises a hand up to squeeze one of Lena's they both hear a communication ping from their wrist devices. Lena lets go of his arms, looks at the small wrist screen, and says. "Nia's called a family meeting at the Tower in 15 minutes. You think it's about this same topic?"

Brainy fixes her with a sly gaze and nods. "I calculate a 100% probability that it is."

Lena taps a few buttons on her wrist device to notify the DEO command team that she and Brainy are departing the facility and then turns a dial to open a portal. She lifts a hand towards the portal, looks at Brainy, and says, "Shall we?"

Brainy nods at her with a warm smile on his face. They turn, walk through the portal, and the brilliant purple energy field closes behind them.