On the 16th day of the hero's 16th year

For one single precious held most dear

By the shade of evil with time in his hands

Choices will be made to determine who stands

The hidden hero will be proclaimed

After a fall leaves him heavily maimed

The day's weather will be fought

By winter, summer, and storms a lot

The land of choice is the original spot

Where she died and now lives reborn

In the world of the original's form

The Road to Happiness, The Long One

A/N: I really had fun with this chapter, especially making my own personal version of Krypton and its society. I tried to kinda stick to the main points as true as I could, but I REALLY had fun with the skycraft to be honest. I tried to make the Callum in Krypton's life as close as I could to the real Callum's because it's the events and reactions that shape the person most often than not. Please review!

Characters: Cal (Your "average" mysterious male), Mason (Cal's best and most trustworthy buddy), Kara Danvers (Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl), Jason (Kara's Ex), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Clark Kent (Superman), Lois Lane (Superman's wife), Batman, Bartholomew, Karen (Power-Girl) and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC), but I try my absolute best to make it as close as I can with the story.)

Chapter 22: Day 8/16, Monday

Barbara knelt over Kara, checking her pulse. She felt a normal, consistent pulse and sighed in relief. She pulled out her cell phone and called Batman. It rang out and she sighed. She ended the call and called Superman. Finally, he picked up and she rapidly spoke into the phone.

"IfoundKaraonthefloorinherroomandthere'ssomethingonherforehead!" Barbara said rapidly.

"Whoa! Slow down Barbara! What happened? What's going on?" Clark asked.

"I found Kara on the floor unconscious in her room and there's some techy looking dot on her forehead!" Barbara explained slowly. Clark sighed angrily.

"Get her to the Watchtower! We'll see what we can do!" Clark said. Barbara breathed a quick 'okay' and hung up. She pressed a button on her cell and a few seconds later her and Kara were in the Watchtower, with Zatanna waiting in the hallway.

-Break-

J'onn stood over Kara's limp form. He tried to read her mind one last time, but he shook his head slightly.

"I can't get inside her head," J'onn said.

"And according to Zatanna it's not a medical problem…" Superman said. Barbara sighed. Batman studied the dot on Kara's forehead.

"I can at least tell you that whatever that dot is, it's using technology to wrap itself around her brain and combining magic and science to prevent her mind from being read and putting her in a comatose state…" J'onn explained.

"And this technology doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before… Technology and magic combined to create a non-removable little dot that leaves the victim comatose… I can tell that the dot was fired from a 9 millimeter with a silencer, but that's about it…" Batman said. Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow.

"The slight indent around the dot suggests that it was fired by a gun… but the other details only Bruce would be able to identify…" Barbara briefly explained. Wonder Woman shrugged and nodded.

"Anyway, I might, might be able to send someone INTO her mind, but I'm not sure what they'll be going into… Although I do know that whatever this is, I'm pretty sure SHE is the one that has to reject the device…" J'onn explained. Everyone glanced around.

"I'll go," Barbara offered. Clark shook his head.

"No, I'll do it," Clark said. Barbara shook her head.

"She's my best friend! I'm going!" Barbara said. Clark glared and her and Barbara glared back, unwavering.

"Fine, Barbara can go," Clark said. He sighed. "Find a way to bring her back…" Barbara swallowed and nodded. She climbed onto a bed next to Kara and J'onn knelt over her.

"When you're there, her mind will be in control. Whatever her mind decides happens. And with this device in play, however it influences her… It could get pretty nasty…" J'onn explained. Barbara nodded and J'onn focused on her mind. He focused and sent her mind into Kara's.

"Good luck," they all whispered.

-Break-

Kara slowly awoke. She yawned and stretched, feeling the comfortable sheets between her. She frowned, confused at the multiple pillows underneath her.

'I only use one pillow,' Kara thought. She fully opened her eyes and choked back a sob. She was in her 'old home', Krypton. She was in her room, a rich blue color on the walls, carpet, and door. She scoffed happily and sighed shakily. She slowly climbed out of bed, her bare feet touching the softest carpet in the galaxy. She found her slippers and slid them on. 'This must be a dream…' she thought. She stood and walked over to the full body mirror. She was wearing her normal white nightgown and she looked amazing. Her blonde hair was down and flowing around her shoulders. Her blue eyes were brought out by the blue room. She smiled to herself and sat at her desk, brushing her hair. 'I can't believe this… It feels so REAL!' she thought. She started going through the events on Earth. Her life on Earth was so real, so life like… She sighed sadly as a soft knock came from her door. She frowned, confused at who it was and got up to open it. She opened the door to see a smiling Cal standing before her, wearing Krypton's normal garb, a silver robe. She gasped and took a slight step back. Cal frowned in worry.

"Are you okay?" Cal asked, concerned. He didn't come in, but he extended his arms. Kara covered her mouth to try to hold back her choked sobs.

"Cal! I thought you were… dead!" Kara exclaimed. She rushed forward and hugged Cal, stepping out into the hallway. Cal's frowned deepened.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere yet Kara," Cal said. He hugged her tightly. "You're not dressed. Did you forget our date this morning?" Kara looked at Cal confused.

"I don't remember anything… I remember I was 13 and Krypton blew up… I was sent to Earth… I got sucked into a timeless hole… Then I arrived at Earth… I remember you Cal… but we started dating and… you died…" Kara explained briefly, continuing to hug Cal. Cal kissed her forehead reassuringly.

"I'm not sure what kind of dream that was, but I'm certainly alive and kicking and will be for a long time. Maybe your dream had something to do with Earth sending a ship of their own and you guys picked us up?" Cal said. Kara frowned, confused.

"Yeah, probably that…" she said. Something inside her clicked. "Tell me the story again… please…" Cal smiled.

"There once was this planet called 'Earth'… The countries of Earth were on the brink of nuclear war… With the threat of nuclear disaster, each country of Earth donated 4 children of each gender to send into space, with the hopes that the human race would live on… With only 15 countries in the world, 120 children were sent into space… Along the way, they ran out of enough food and they began to die off… After 80 of them died off, one of which was very dear to the kid's leader, they were caught by another planet's atmosphere and dragged down to the surface… The people there were very understanding and receptive… They took the surviving children in as their own, teaching them their culture, clothing them, and giving them a new home… The leader of the kids was taken in by one of the top houses of the planet. They tried to teach him that power was a gift… That power was okay to misuse… The leader knew better, but the brainwashing of the top house was stronger than what the leader could handle… After a few months, the leader was still struggling to fight the brainwashing and the house had led to… other uses of the human… After a while, a middle house, known as 'El', stepped in and helped him escape the top house… The house of El managed to convince him to leave his adoptive house and join theirs… He refused at first, the brainwashing taking effect, but there was this girl… This girl was blonde… blue-eyed… perfect in every way, every shape, every form… She was the main key to making the human accept the house's help… With the girl's help, the human rejected the brainwashing and turned himself in for the crimes he had committed… The High Council wasn't very happy with the human's leader in their courtroom, fearing a rebellion from the other humans… But in the end, the house of El helped clear the human's name and the human was free and reimbursed for his unfair punishment served… The human wasn't entirely sure of the new planet's dating system, but he was very eager to try with this girl… After a small, illegal misunderstanding of the new society's dating system, he managed to successfully go on a date with the girl… After 3 years of this dating system and extensive research into proposals and marriage of his new planet's customs, he asked this very special girl to marry him… When she said yes, he knew he was the happiest person in the universe…" Cal recounted, telling the story the way he knew Kara loved. Kara's were full of tears of joy and she felt her neck, feeling the traditional engagement necklace around her neck. She felt Cal's traditional engagement ring lightly pressing into her back. She sighed and kissed Cal. Something inside her clicked again and she looked at Cal confused.

"But that dream… it was so life like…" Kara said. "You were… dead…" She teared up. Cal kissed her forehead and again and hugged her tighter.

"Some dreams may seem real, but the best thing to realize is that you have to take the good moments when you can…" Cal said comfortingly. She sighed and let go of him, wiping her face quickly.

"You're right, but I don't really remember much of the last few years…" Kara said. "Where are we going?"

"I was going to take you skydiving again…" Cal said. Something inside Kara clicked again and she gasped.

"Cal! You know I love skydiving!" Kara said, jumping into Cal's arms and kissing him.

"I tell you what, you go change real quick and we'll see if I can still get us to the skycraft on time," Cal reasoned. Kara squealed and jumped up and down happily and ran back into her room to changed. After the fastest change in history, Kara emerged from her room wearing her family's traditional silver robes. She took Cal's hand and they headed down to the living room. They walked in, being comforted by the warm silver glow of the room and Kara's family. Kal-El, still a teenager, walked over and high fived Cal.

"Hi Cal! Good morning Kara!" Kal-El said, hugging Kara.

"Good morning Kal-El!" Kara said. She frowned. "Mother? Father?" Her parents looked at her worried.

"Yes Kara?" Alura, Kara's mother, asked.

"It's just… May I please go with Cal skydiving?" Kara asked, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her this was the first time she'd seen her parents in many, MANY years.

"Of course Kara! You 2 are engaged! You don't have to ask for permission anymore," Alura said. Kara shrieked in delight.

"Kara! Please withhold your high pitched noises for the skies!" Zor-El, Kara's father, said. "We didn't allow Cal to ask for your mind in marriage so you could continue asking us for permission in his various, yet oddly enjoyable, events."

"Apologies Father," Kara said. She waved goodbye and Cal took her to the house's platform. He glanced at his watch. A bot came up behind them.

"Good morning Kara Zor-El and Callum Orson," the bot said robotically. "Your ride will be here shortly and the skycraft is 'running late'." Cal sighed in relief.

"Thank you Andrea," Cal said. "What exactly do you mean by 'running late'?"

"The skycraft crew may have noticed that Kara Zor-El had not arrived yet and figured that they would politely wait for their most eager and reoccurring customer," the bot Andrea said. Cal chuckled.

"Thank you Andrea," Cal said. The bot nodded.

"It is my pleasure," Andrea said. She flew off as the ride appeared. A large platinum based rotary craft landed on the platform. Cal and Kara climbed into the back seats.

"The skycraft load up platform please, and please hurry!" Cal said. The driver nodded and they sped toward the skycraft.

Finally, they arrived and they quickly jumped out.

"Thank you Walter!" Cal called back to the driver. Walter nodded out the side window and flew off. They quickly made their way to the reception hall, where an attendant was waiting.

"You would be Kara Zor-El and Callum… Orson?!" the attendant said. She looked at Callum. "THE Callum? The leader of the remaining human race?!" The supervisor quickly walked over to the loud attendant.

"The one and only!" Kara said proudly. The attendant glanced at the traditional engagement necklace around Kara's neck.

"You're one lucky woman!" she said. Kara blushed as the supervisor made it to the attendant.

"Apologies for her!" She said quickly. "She is new and doesn't know you 2 are regulars that prefer the down low side of things!" Cal raised his hand.

"It's quite okay," Cal said. "I appreciate the occasional attention, as it is occasionally healthy for one's self-esteem." He shook the new attendant's hand. "Let's just make sure the other passengers don't notice my name on the list…" Both the supervisor and attendant nodded.

"I'll make sure I teach her the preferred way of covering your name," the supervisor said. "Apologies, I should have warned her before now."

"It's alright, things happen," Cal said. "What happened to James, Kathryn?" Kathryn shrugged.

"James is going to The College," Kathryn said. "With his schedule he couldn't juggle a job apparently…"

"Well, be sure to wish him good will for me if you see him again. Oh! And thank you so much for waiting for us," Cal said. Kathryn nodded.

"I will be sure to do so, and the skycraft crew had… FORGOTTEN to fuel up after the last dive last night," Kathryn said. "Which system would you like to replace you today? 1, 2, or 3?" Cal took a breath.

"I think I'll let Kara pick today," he said. He glanced at Kara, who looked at him excitedly.

"I pick… 3!" Kara decided. Cal smiled and looked at Kathryn.

"The lady has spoken," Kathryn said. She turned to the attendant. "So now you go to 'Passenger List' and click Callum's name. His profile will appear and you should follow these instructions." Kathryn pulled a small notepad and handed it to the attendant. "3 is Carson Wells." The attendant nodded and set to work following the instructions. Kathryn nodded to Cal and Kara and they made their way up the ramp to the skycraft. They split up to go into their respective changing rooms. They quickly stripped out of their robes and slid into their skysuit, putting their clothes in a container with their names electronically labeled onto them. They exited the changing rooms and looked each other over, inspecting each other's zippers as usual. Cal admired Kara's form as she turned around, putting her hair into a pony tail so Cal could inspect her zipper. Cal gently ran his fingers down the zipper's trail, sending pleasurable shivers down her back. She gasped lightly at the sudden loss of Cal's touch. She turned around to look at Cal, whose skysuit hugged his muscular form. He noticed her staring and leaned in and kissed her. Kara mentally sighed, very happy. Suddenly, something clicked yet again, 'Cal is dead… I missed his lips… What am I doing here?' she thought. She broke the kiss, frowning, and Cal turned around. She quickly checked his zipper and hugged him from behind. Cal felt Kara hug him and he took her hands in his. 'I don't care whatever that nagging feeling in my mind is. It was just a dream!' Kara convinced herself, her mind clicking once more. They held their embrace for another quick moment, but broke and silently made their way up the second ramp. They entered through the door and noticed a relatively small group and the crew nowhere in sight.

(A/N: The skycraft of Krypton is Krypton's version of skydiving. A special suit, called the skysuit, is worn which specially works with the warbler technology. The warbler technology is a specially designed glue with micro-technology. The glue mixed with micro-technology provides a special ability to change form. The skysuit is specially designed to allow the warbler technology to slide and shift around it in order for the technology to create its programmed form. The warbler technology scans the altitude and changes its form to the necessary stage. The warbler technology mixed with the specially designed skysuit allows the technology to change from the freefall stage, which is where the technology provides a light shield around the wearer to protect them from any sort of object, usually small, and still allows the feeling of the wind through the wearer's hair, and then to the gliding stage, which is the Earth version of a squirrel suit or, if desired, a hang glider, to the landing stage, which is basically a small parachute. If desired, the warbler technology can be specially modified to provide a 'crash suit', which is a full body suit that protects the wearer fully from a crash from terminal velocity. This form of the warbler technology is rarely called upon due to the fear of crashing even though the warbler technology is completely safe in this form. The warbler technology could be used for military purposes if desired, although Krypton is RARELY mixed in any sort of war.)

"Lucky you 2," an elderly man said, suspicious. "Last night's crew didn't refuel and we're running late… Otherwise you 2 would have missed it…" Cal flashed the man his charming grin. Kara frowned, the elderly man before them looked oddly familiar…

'Probably remember him from my dream or something…' Kara thought. She shrugged it off and hugged Cal's arm tighter.

"Lucky runs in my house thankfully," Callum said. He glanced at the screen on the wall, which revealed their names: Kara Zor-El and Carson Wells.

"Well, Carson, congratulations on the engagement," the elderly man said. He nodded towards Kara's necklace and Cal's ring. They sat down next to the man, and the skycraft's doors closed and they took off, rising and gliding into the air.

"Thank you," Cal said. Kara gripped Cal's hand tightly in excitement.

"We can do the tier 7 this time right Cal?" Kara asked hopefully. Cal smiled at her.

"We can do 10 if you'd like," Cal said. Kara leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Nah, 10 is borderline scary rather than fun," Kara said. Cal and the elderly man chuckled.

"She's right you know, there's an interesting line between fun and scary when it comes to flying," the man said. Cal grinned.

"I can't argue with that," Cal said. "7 it is Kara." Kara beamed.

"Tier 1 reached," a computer voice said. A green sign that said 'Tier 1' lit up and the back ramp opened. A closet opened and cubes of warbler technology appeared, shelved. A couple stood up and grabbed a single cube each, and upon contact with the skysuit, the warbler technology spread into the suit and immediately put itself into the freefall stage. They quickly and nervously jumped out the back ramp.

"Newbies," the elderly man muttered. Kara giggled. He looked over. "If it were up to me, newbies would have to try at least tier 5 first!" He patted Cal's shoulder. "You with me Carson?" Cal smiled and nodded.

"That's what we did," Cal said. "Remember Kara?" She sighed happily.

"How could I forget? I was terrified and excited at the same time!" Kara said. She kissed Cal.

"Do you remember anything else?" Cal asked quietly. Kara giggled softly and whispered back.

"That was the first time you told me you loved me…" Kara whispered back. Cal grinned his charming smile, and he kissed Kara.

"Tier 2 reached," said the computer. No one got off.

"You two lovebirds really know how to make everyone jealous," the old man said, smiling. Kara blushed and looked down. Cal put his arm around Kara.

"Don't get too many ideas," Cal said. The man chuckled and raised his hands in defeat.

"But not none?" the man asked, jokingly leaning over towards Kara. Kara blushed again.

"I'm just saying keep your hands where I can see them," Cal said. The man laughed.

"Just saying, young love is key to the future," the man winked at Kara. They all smiled and continued waiting in silence.

"Tier 3 reached," the computer said. The rest of the passengers, minus Cal, Kara, and the man, grabbed their cubes and jumped out.

"Well, how have your lives been so far?" the old man asked. Cal looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Like today?" Cal asked. The man shrugged.

"Either or," the man answered. Cal shrugged.

"Not half bad so far today," Cal said. "And I guess live has been… long and hard…"

"And how does that make you feel?" the man asked.

"I never really thought about it," Cal answered. "I just assumed most lives are supposed to be like that…" The man nodded thoughtfully.

"And the lady?" the man asked, glancing at Kara.

"Today's been… weird, but in an oddly good way…" Kara said. The man shrugged and nodded. "and life…" Kara frowned, her mind struggling to recall specific memories. She recalled her 'dream' where Krypton blew up, where she went through life being an outcast, where Cal died… She made a quick decision to say what her dream was like. "It's been long, but finding Cal made it all worth it…"

"Tier 4 reached," the computer said. The man smiled.

"I think that's the most honest thing I've heard this entire month," the man said. He glanced at the wall, which showed 'Tier 4' in green lights. He looked at Kara. "You definitely know what you're talking about…" Cal smiled. Kara laughed.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Cal said. "At least not nearly as bad as it could be…" Kara smiled lightly and kissed him. After, she put her head in his chest.

"Honestly, I suppose it wasn't that bad in all…" Kara said. Cal smiled and kissed her forehead.

'Tier 5 reached," the computer said. The man got up and grabbed a cube.

"I guess this is goodbye," the man said. Cal and Kara each waved and the man walked over to the ramp. Before jumping he looked back at Kara. "You know, sometimes reality can be confusing, but in the end… Reality is the most realistic offer… and probably most convincing… Right, Callum?" And with that and a wink, Kara and Cal both gasped and he jumped off. Kara realized she knew why the man looked familiar.

'That was Cal's… What did he call himself? Cal's 'great-uncle'! Bartholomew!' Kara thought to herself. 'And what he said… Does that mean this is a dream?' She kept her head rested on Cal as she thought about her options. Cal frowned in slight confusion.

"Tier 6 reached," said the computer. Kara sighed happily.

'If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up…' she thought. 'But it's so real…' She sat up and kissed Cal, holding the sides of his face with her hands. 'This is definitely real…' she told herself during the kiss. She smiled and laid in Cal's lap. Cal gently tucked Kara's stray hairs behind her ears. She sighed happily.

"Tier 7 reached," said the computer. Kara shot up and ran to the closet. She grabbed a cube quickly and eagerly. Cal grabbed his own and hugged Kara from behind.

"You ready?" Cal asked. Kara nodded eagerly. He took her hand and they quickly walked to the ramp. They jumped off together…