So we find out who the mystery guest is.

Hello to everyone and thank you for your comments! I've been really, really sick for a while, so haven't been able to do anything besides short writing things between going to work and trying to survive and rest. But I'm a bit better now and I'm working on the bigger projects I have.

Also, I post almost all my work on to AO3 before I post on here. I'm thinking of maybe leaving ffnet altogether, actually...

But hey, thanks for sticking around!

"What-"

"Be at peace, Kara Zor-El of Krypton." A woman, draped in a long red cloak, stepped out of the shadows of the trees. Her hands were raised, but peeking out from beneath her cloak, Kara recognized armour gleaming in the moonlight.

"You say peace, but this," Kara cautiously poked at the body laying in front of her with her foot, noting that the downed man was in tactical gear, similar to what she saw on police procedural TV shows. "This doesn't look very peaceful."

The crunch of grass behind her alerted Kara to the arrival of more people and Kara glanced backwards, carefully noting the arrival of several other armour-clad women. Each of the new arrivals dropped an unconscious man to the ground, all of the men dressed like the man at her feet.

"We're here to invite you to come with us to my home." The woman pushed back the hood of her cloak, revealing black hair, like the waves of the ocean at night, and eyes like stars. The mystery woman held out a hand, and Kara's eyes were drawn to the intricate silver bracers encasing the woman's forearm. The movement parted the cloak, revealing a golden coil of rope that had been hidden, shining mutely at the woman's hip. "I am Princess Diana of Themyscira, the Daughter of Queen Hippolyta."

Kara took Diana's hand nervously and shook it, finally recognizing this formidable woman. It was one of Kal's friends. Wonder Woman, the TV called her. So the women with her must be the Amazons.

"I'm Kara Zor-El. Danvers, on Earth. Um… well…" Kara glanced down at the man on the ground, then back up at Diana. "I appreciate… the invitation. But, um… this is kinda weird."

"It is quite sudden." Diana nodded, seeming quite apologetic. "And I understand your hesitation, but I would have to insist."

Kara took a step back, a little bit afraid, now. But angry. Also very angry.

"No." Kara tilted her head up, stuck her chin out a little bit. "No, I don't want to. Thank you. I'm… I'm staying with Alex."

"Alex?" Diana tilted her head to the side.

"My sister."

One of the armoured women took a couple steps towards Kara, body tensed. Her words were foreign to Kara, but they were harsh and clipped. The emotions behind it was easy to catch and before anybody could make a move at the blonde, there was an unexpected whoosh of air, a person touching down in the space between Diana and Kara, the coat of arms on his chest telling the world who he was.

Superman's arrival was sudden, only the wind and the sound of his cape as he landed in front of Kara, blocking Diana's view of his cousin.

"Step back, Diana." Kara could hear the tremor of emotion underneath her cousin's voice. He was angry, too. Kara felt a sudden thrill of delight, her cousin standing in her corner. Finally, the two of them, together.

"Kal-El. We don't have time for this. I was warned that people would be coming for your cousin, as you can see-" Diana nodded down at the body at her feet. "-this was the first group. There will be more coming and we need to take her somewhere safe."

"She's safe here." Superman insisted, his voice rising. "She can have a normal life-"

"No." Diana shook her head. "Things have changed. We let you do things your way, since she is your cousin. But with the death of Jeremiah Danvers, Kara is no longer safe."

"Who's we?" Superman's jaw was clenched, shoulders tensed. "And who warned you?"

"Batman."

"I told him-"

"Yes. And he told you." Diana shook her head. "I understand you want what's best for her. We do, too. Kara will be with me, as a guest on Themyscira, until it is safe for her to come back."

"It's fine here." Superman gritted out.

"It's not." Diana insisted. "It is not safe for her, and it's not safe for the people who she lives with."

"Why not?" That got Kara's attention. "Why aren't they safe?"

"From what we had gathered, your foster father had traded his cooperation for your continued freedom and the safety of his family." Diana explained patiently. "With his death, that agreement is null."

"I can protect them." Superman insisted, body still in a combative posture.

"You can't be everywhere at once, Kal, there are forces-"

"I can talk to some people, they can help! You and Batman are sticking your nose-"

"You don't think me and Batman have been talking to everyone-"

"I have a question." Kara interrupts the conversation. She needed to know. Diana turns to Kara, giving her full attention to the young woman. "If I go, will Eliza and Alex be safe?"

Kara looked down at the unconscious man on the ground. Looked at all of them. She could see their guns, and their weapons of war. Could hear the vans parked several blocks over, as if that could hide their presence from Kara. They would send more people in, in a couple of minutes.

"If I leave, if these people know I've left… will they leave them alone?" Kara asked.

"They should. The Danvers' will not have any information about where you could have gone." Diana nodded. "And we have people in place who will make sure that this family will be safe. But they can only do that if you aren't here."

Kara nodded, her eyes drifting to the window she had escaped out of. "Can I say goodbye?"

"We don't have time."

"Will I be able to contact them?"

"Not right away." Diana said truthfully.

Kara took a second to process this, then nodded reluctantly. She turned to her cousin, the look of frustrated anger on his face told her exactly how he felt about this situation.

"Tell them not to worry. Keep them safe, Kal-El." Kara said with all the authority of being the older cousin, one of the last two from the Great House of El. "Promise me."

Kal made to grab at his cousin's arm, pulling back just before, and squaring his shoulders, gave her a firm nod. With that, Kara was ushered away. She could hear more men coming, but turned her attention back to Diana as she started speaking to her. She trusted Kal-El to keep Eliza and Alex safe.

"You'll stay as our guest for a while, Kara. You'll like Themyscira." Diana offered with a smile. The women with Diana stayed close, in a loose circle around them, Diana leading them into the forests around the house. They dove through it, almost silent in their flight from the Danvers' house. Kara kept up by floating along with them, finding that way better than crashing through the forest like a wounded elephant. The women around her seemed to approve quietly of the use of her powers like this. In no time, the trees started thinning and they hit a beach and in front of Kara, what looked like… a door, in the middle of nowhere, appeared a few metres above the ground.

"What…" Kara gaped a bit, but Diana took her hand, showing her that there were… invisible steps up to this door. Once they were inside, Kara realized that she was in some sort of aircraft. The door closed quickly and quietly, and within seconds they had lifted off into the air.

"This isn't Earth technology, it's far too advanced." Kara blurted out, and blushed as the women around her laughed.

"Kara Zor-El of Krypton," One of the women gave her a teasing smile, her English tinged with an unfamiliar accent, teeth white against her dark skin. "Are you looking down on us lowly Earthlings?"

"I'm right, though!" Kara protested.

"You are correct. This is Lelantos. They are usually silent, but they can hear you." Diana looked around her at the insides of the spaceship, which, Kara could hear, hummed lowly at the inspection.

"Hello, Lelantos." Kara called out. The interior changed colour, just a slightly different shade, before reverting back to the bluish hue it originally was.

"They like you." Diana said approvingly. "You'll fit in well, Lelantos is a great judge of character."

"What'll happen to me?" Kara stood before Diana, a little bit lost. All she had were the clothes on her back.

"You'll be welcomed into our society. You'll go to school." Diana paused, putting a hand on Kara's shoulder. "I have spoken to people and they will ensure that your schooling here in Man's world will not suffer. You will still be majoring in your chosen subjects, and your school will know that you had applied for a scholarship that allowed for you to travel the world and do your research with renowned professionals in your field."

"History and Philosophy, very noble fields of study." One of the Amazons grinned at Kara. "The teachers of Themyscira will have a field-day with you. History from Man's world is laughable, but we teach that here, too. It is beneficial to learn the lies that men tell."

"We will, of course, train you in the art of battle, too." One of the smaller Amazons stated, quite seriously.

"Oh, um, no thanks."

"What?" There were similar gasps of outrage. Kara had a feeling that she was the awkward teenager in high school again, surrounded by a bunch of jocks. Except these jocks seemed to want her to join them.

"She can join us in our training if she chooses to. Not every Amazon trains for war." Diana chided her Amazons gently. "Kara, let me introduce you: This is Jamila, Lia, Iokaste, and Urvashi."

Jamila, the first person who had spoken to her, sucked her teeth at Kara, eyeing her critically.

"Why do you not fight? Are you a healer with a vow of non-violence?"

Urvashi said something, in that language that she didn't understand, and the Amazons conferred amongst each other.

"I don't because I might hurt you." Kara explained apologetically. Jamila scoffed and again said something in their language, and they all laughed.

"We are Amazons, with the strength that entails. You might not be from Earth, but we are not men. I, Jamila of the Amazons, challenge you to a fight in seven days' time."

Diana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, while the rest of the Amazons stomped their feet and hooted in excitement. Lelantos' insides changed to a dark red colour to voice their displeasure at the rowdiness, and the Amazons settled down, apologizing to the craft.

"Honestly, they're trying to include you and make you feel welcome." Diana sighed. "But their efforts come off a bit heavy-handed, sometimes. Please accept my apologies for them."

"No apologies, Diana." Jamila called out. "She will be our new sister, and we will welcome her to Themyscira just like how we would welcome any new sisters from Man's World."

Kara tried her best to be appreciative of how she was being warmly welcomed, but looking out, back to where she knew Alex would be, the curve of the Earth prevented Kara from seeing Alex. When she tried, though, Kara could hear Alex's heartbeat from far away, faint, but slow and steady. Still sleeping. Fading in the cacophony of sound in between them.

"It'll be a while, Kara." Diana soothed, seeming to know what Kara was thinking. "But we'll get a message out to your sister when we are able to."

"She's just lost her father." Kara's voice hitched. "I did this to her. It's because of me that she lost her father, and now I can't even be there for her."

"She will understand."

Kara finally let the tears come, and they streamed down her face silently. Diana pulled her close and Kara pressed her head against the woman's shoulder. The rest of the warriors let Kara cry, speaking quietly amongst themselves, respecting Kara's need to let out her emotions. She didn't know how to articulate how she felt, that feeling she had when she was sent away from Krypton, sent away from home. And how now, that same gaping place, packed full of all things Alex had helped her find, was hollowed out again. Kara was leaving her second home, away from Alex's side.

It would take a bit to get to where they were going, and the women brought out food they had packed away in waxed cloth-breads, dried fruits, cheeses, and slices of cold meat. They offered it to Kara, who ate sparingly for once, too distracted by her new homelessness. Kara didn't even notice when they landed, a bit shocked when their arrival was announced and Lelantos opened the door for them.

"We are home." Jamila looked almost ecstatic, while other people on the sentient aircraft had expressions ranging from relief to excitement. They exited Lelantos, to a contingent of women, one who was crowned and looked at Kara with so much compassion.

"My mother, Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira." Diana said, by way of introduction, then motioned to the woman beside her mother. "This is General Philippus, commander of the Themysciran army."

Kara nodded to the women and kept a firm grip on Diana's hand, not sure how to feel. She was an adult, but she felt like she was a child again, holding on to her cousin's hand as he introduced her to her new family. Except here, there was no Alex peering at her from a window behind curtains.

"Kara Zor-El, cousin of my daughter's brother-in-arms." Hippolyta held out her hand in greeting. "You are welcome here on Themyscira, for as long as you need to be here."

Kara, even though she had been on Earth for a good few years, still remembered her manners on diplomatic missions with her parents.

"Thank you for your hospitality and your shelter. The House of El always remembers and we-I am in your debt." As one of the only remaining members of the House of El, Kara would rather take that debt on herself. Kal-El might not know what that meant.

Hippolyta nodded graciously, then her face relaxed into a teasing smile as she caught sight of Jamila, shifting anxiously in the background.

"Jamila, Amahle has been waiting for you. I believe she is still working at the forum. She's been snapping at all of our scribes, so go before she paces a hole into the tiles or kills someone." Hippolyta's gentle proddings made the tall woman huff a bit in embarrassment, before snapping a quick salute and running off with a grin on her face.

"New love." Philippus leaned forward to whisper into Hippolyta's ear. Kara, of course, could hear.

"Hush, Phillipus. We were like that once." Hippolyta whispered back.

Phillipus leaned back, lips curled in amusement. "Were? You definitely are when I go on day-long patrols..."

Hippolyta replied with a subtle raise of her brow before turning her attention back to Kara and Diana.

"Mother," Diana pushed Kara forward gently. "Kara comes to us with nothing, and we woke her from her sleep. I would like to show her to her room so she can rest before we overwhelm her."

"That would be wise. Let her rest today, and she can begin tomorrow. I do have to deal with some matters that have… CROPPED up." Hippolyta turned to look back at Phillipus expectantly, who let out a groan.

"We're having some issues with the crops and irrigation." Phillipus explained to Diana. "Your mother fancies herself a comedian in English."

"I'm funny in any language." Hippolyta protested, to which Phillipus scoffed.

"Mother." Diana sighed, all-suffering and embarrassed.

"I'm even funnier in Themysciran." Hippolyta grinned at Kara.

"Themysciran?" Kara finally asked, puzzled.

"Ah, yes. We will have to send you for Themysciran lessons first, as all our studies are taught in the official language of Themyscira." Phillipus explained. "We are using English because Diana has advised us that that is the language you are most comfortable with."

"I'm fluent in a lot of languages, but I don't recognize yours. Like, certain words…" Kara remembered the Amazons with her on the plane who had spoken in that strange language that had a few words that sounded like modern Greek, but they were unfamiliar to her.

"Well, you will definitely have fun with your language tutor. Aspasia has already decreed that we should not speak to you in any other language except Themysciran when you arrive, but I think we can move that to the next day." Hippolyta winked at Kara, then motioned Diana forward, who stepped forward grudgingly. Hippolyta bussed a kiss Diana on the cheek, fussing over her for a bit. "Show her to her room, daughter. I will see the both of you for evening meal."

Kara followed Diana quietly, a bit alarmed at the fact that people kept appearing to greet them, some coming right up to her to greet her curiously. She had always been told to keep her head down, to be ordinary, and the attention made her nervous. And they all seemed to know she was the cousin of Superman, which was even more worrying.

"They just want to see you." Diana soothed, seeing Kara's anxiety. "They haven't seen anyone new since our last batch during the Great War in Man's world, and that's been a long time."

Kara quietly listened to what Diana had to say, feeling closed in at all the attention and wishing hard that Alex was there with her. She could imagine Alex's fascination with the place, with the people, the language, the technology… she missed Alex.

Kara's room here on Themyscira, was big. Bigger than the room she shared with Alex. Much bigger. It was beautiful and clean, unlike her tiny room with Alex in Midvale that usually had Alex or Kara's clothes strewn on the floor, or books and papers… just a hurricane of productivity. Even their apartment in National City, their actual space designated for sleeping was smaller than Kara's room here.

"I hope this room is to your liking." Diana placed a hand on Kara's shoulder. "I know this is a lot… and if you need, I can stay with you for a bit and answer some questions. Or just keep you company."

"Thank you, but I think I might just rest a bit." Kara tried to smile, but she could feel how stiff it was. Diana surely noticed, but she just nodded and didn't ask anymore questions.

"Alright. I'll be back to bring you to dinner. Rest now, we have clothes for you to sleep in, if you need, in that chest. Also, you can wash up over there." Diana motioned to a chest at the foot of her bed, and to what looked like… a decorative fountain/basin hybrid, with a towel hanging nearby. With another quick squeeze to Kara's shoulder, Diana left, and Kara was left alone.

Kara fidgeted with her glasses. She didn't even have shoes on, she hadn't thought about any of that when she had climbed out onto the roof and out of her and Alex's room. All she was wearing was Alex's sweater and sweatpants. Kara walked over to the basin. Paused. Then floated up and and stepped into the basin, turning on the tap to wash her feet quickly and dry them off with the towel. She had been walking around without shoes…

Kara jumped back down to the floor, taking unsteady steps to her bed and laying down on it gingerly. The bed felt different. The ceiling was different… the canopy over the bed wasn't something she was used to.

Kara turned to lay on her side and closed her eyes, but the scents of this new world made her nose tickle. Finally, she pulled up the hood of her sweater over her head and drew the drawstrings of the hood until there was only a little hole for her to look out of. Taking a deep breath, she could smell Alex's scent, entrenched in the shirt. And if Kara closed her eyes, she could imagine that Alex was lying just right behind her, back to back. If she concentrated hard enough, Kara could bring up the memory of Alex's heartbeat and pretend that all was well. Kara could go to sleep, and when she woke up, Alex would be there to greet her, to roll her up in a snuggle.

Kara couldn't help the tears coming, and the shaking of her shoulders as she closed her eyes as tightly as she could and pretended as hard as she was able.