Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl, Superman, or Valor

Story Title: The Traveler

Chapter 7

It was a week since Kara helped Winn and Mon-El move into the apartment above her. She enjoyed making Alex feel guilty for not telling her sooner, especially in front J'onn. The disapproving look that he gave Alex made her older sister nearly cry with guilt. Kara knew she shouldn't enjoy that, but part of her did. The part of her that was the younger sister that enjoyed when her older sister got in trouble for doing something bad to her. Growing up, Eliza was the best at making Alex feel guilty for mistreating her little sister. Now, it seemed J'onn filled that role.

Kara cleared her mind and focused back on work. The article that she needed to finish for Snapper. She needed to get it done because the man's name was appropriate. He loved to snap at her and belittle her ability as a reporter. She wished that Cat Grant was back; she could handle her barbs, especially since she knew that they were only meant to toughen her up, make her a better employee, a stronger person. She finished her last sentence, proofing the article quickly before hitting the button that sent the article to Snapper.

Kara sighed as she looked away from her computer screen. She had super eyes, but even they could get tired of looking at the glare from a computer monitor. She looked out the window in her office; the sky was gray with a hint of blue, which reminded her of Mon-El's eyes. She smiled thinking of the hybrid, her friend. She couldn't get over how things had changed. She went from her paranoid and rather prejudiced view of the half-Daxamite to now thinking of him as a friend. He was an incredible student, both in school and in the use of his powers. She had talked to Winn at the DEO a day ago, asking him about living with Mon-El. Winn had smiled, told her a few funny stories about Mon-El misinterpreting a few Earth phrases, especially when it came to university. It seemed that the alien was very popular with the opposite sex, but he was also very shy and completely awkward around them. Winn tried to get Mon-El to go out with him, in hopes that having the handsome alien wingman would get Winn some attention. However, Mon-El was too nervous to go and totally oblivious to the nonstop flirting girls would send his way. Kara smiled, thinking about the cute face that he would make when he found out he was being stalked by female students.

"Kara," a familiar voice said from her office door.

She did a double take when she spotted Mon-El, wearing a Star Wars t-shirt that Winn gave him with jeans and his lead framed glasses; they did a good job of shielding his x-ray vision and the lead had no effect on him unless it was used as a cutting or stabbing weapon. Kara had been concerned that bullets could penetrate his skin, but the good news was that although the bullets contained lead, they had much more metal; the lead was in a mixed alloy form, meaning that it couldn't puncture his skin. That had been a very scary test when Alex asked to test his powers. She had worried immensely even though Winn and Eliza said he'd be okay. She smiled, pushing her glasses back up on her nose. "Mon… Mike," she said, almost saying his alien name and not the Earth name that Winn gave him; Mike Matthews was from Coast City and a straight "A" student at National City University. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Mon-El smiled. "No, my teacher called in sick, there wasn't a substitute and the other students said we could leave after fifteen minutes, some cardinal rule of "studenting". Kara smiled at what he just said, it was clear that some students took a little too much fun at his expense.

"I don't think "studenting" is a word," she replied, amusement filling her voice.

Mon-El or Mike put his hands on his hips. "Well, Brandi told me that was what the cool students say," he said with an almost perfect valley girl impersonation.

Kara laughed so hard she snorted, making her cover her mouth with her hand.

Mon-El's eyes lit up in amusement at the way Kara laughed. It warmed his heart and made a strange feeling in his stomach. "What was that?"

Kara uncovered her mouth, her cheeks were pink. "A laugh."

Mon-El nodded. "Sounded like the noise Winn makes when he loses at Call of Duty."

Kara's blue eye narrowed. "I do not sound like Winn."

"Of course not, it wouldn't be ladylike to sound like him."

Kara nodded. "It would not." She cleared her throat. "So, why did you stop by?"

"Can't I stop by to see my friend?"

Kara's eyes widened slightly. "Of… of course… you can," she stuttered through her response. Not sure what to say. Her eyes were locked on his blue-gray eyes that sparkled with amusement. "I'm getting ready to go to lunch."

Mon-El smiled. "Can I go with you?"

Kara nodded. "Sure, let me get my jacket." She retrieved her light coat putting it on and walking out of CatCo. The two entered the elevator; their shoulders brushing as they entered, making them both tense up. They quickly turned around to face the doors before they closed.

A few minutes later they exited the elevator and made their way to the small diner that was just a block or two from the building. The building was stainless steel on the outside like diners from the 1950s. They entered, grabbing the first booth that was open. The waitress came over; she looked frantic and completely overworked. The two ordered quickly feeling sorry for her.

"So, how is school?" Kara asked.

Mon-El smiled. "It's so much fun. My teachers are great and they let me ask questions after class as long as I'm not late to my next one. I even have this really cool advisor. She is so helpful, asking me to lunch to talk more about what I want to do in class."

Kara was a little taken aback by that. His advisor went to lunch with him. "How many times have you gone to lunch with her?"

"About twice a week," he replied.

Kara did the calculation; he had been in school now for two weeks, so he went to lunch with her four times. "Is that normal for counselors to go out to lunch with students?"

Mon-El shrugged. "I don't know. I never asked anyone."

"Mike," she said. Make sure that she doesn't expect something from you."

Mon-El wore a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

Kara had no idea what to say. She took a deep breath, fighting down the urge to turn completely red in embarrassment. "Since you agreed to go to lunch with her she might think that you want more than just a student-counselor relationship," Kara said emphasizing the word relationship.

Mon-El's eyes widened for a moment before his face turned completely red. "You think?" he began, his mind racing with the memories of the way she spoke to him. The way she laughed at his jokes. The way she touched his hand when he told a story. "Oh… that's not…" he tried to say.

Kara smiled, reaching forward to grab his hand. "Mike, you did nothing wrong. I think you should make it clear that you want that relationship to remain official. You don't want it to become personal."

Kara's hand was warm; the way she squeezed his hand made him feel better. He just nodded in understanding. Kara nodded before she pulled her hand away. Mon-El missed her touch, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He didn't think she'd ever want to be more than friends with him. He was just Mon-El, it wasn't even his real name. He was just an amnesiac alien. He didn't know his parents. He didn't know anything about his past. He was a clean slate and Kara deserved much more than that. "Thank you for letting me know," he began. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I guess I need to be more careful."

Kara nodded. "Hey, I know it can be tough to understand the customs; the way that people interpret interactions here. It can be confusing, almost as much as the language."

Mon-El let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, making sure that it was controlled. He didn't want to blow the building down or freeze someone in place. "Thank you, Kara, I really appreciate you helping me. Winn helps, but it's so much easier for you because you lived what I'm going through. I know you're busy, so I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your help."

Kara smiled. She felt good that she could help him. "Hey, that's why I'm here. When you need to talk, I'll be there. This is as much a part of the training as learning to control and use your powers."

Mon-El nodded, just as the food arrived. The two ate in silence, enjoying each other's company. Mike loved the food in the diner. "This food is good. I can see why you like coming here."

"Yes, Winn showed me this place when I first started to work at CatCo. I come here at least once a week."

The two finished their food, talking about their day and what they were doing later that evening. Kara was happy; she felt normal, just sitting here talking to a boy, eating lunch together, like any other couple. She stopped chewing, considering what she just thought. A couple, Mon-El and her were not together, so she wondered where that thought came from. He was so comfortable to be around and to talk to about her day and other mundane things.

"Kara," Mon-El said.

"Yes," Kara replied, forcing herself out of her internal musing.

"Are you okay, you kind of spaced out there for a moment?"

Kara smiled, blushing a little. "Oh, just thinking about work," she lied almost convincingly.

Mon-El gave her a skeptical look. "You know, you get this little crinkle," he began has he touched his own forehead. "Right here, when you don't tell the truth."

Kara touched her forehead before she snorted. She covered her hand over her mouth, her cheeks burning. She looked around, but no one was paying her any attention. "No, I don't."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"Mike Matthews, I'm not lying," she huffed.

Mon-El smiled, his white teeth shining and his blue-gray eyes lighting up. Kara's frown disappeared because he looked so handsome, so happy at that moment. "So, what were you thinking about really?" At that moment, the waitress arrived with the check, which Kara snatched up, walking to the cashier before Mon-El could say or do anything.

A few minutes later the two were walking down the sidewalk back to CatCo. "You so got lucky," Mon-El said.

"About what?" Kara replied, acting as if she didn't know.

"You're doing it again. Your brow is all crinkly."

"Crinkly is not a word," Kara said, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Whatever, I…" Mon-El began before he was cut off by screams from across the street.

Kara and Mon-El stopped walking, looking across the street at the crowd of people standing at the base of a thirty story building, looking up. They followed the gaze of the crowd to find a teenage girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen, standing on the roof of the building, near the edge. She was looking down and it appeared that she was getting ready to jump. The crowd at the based on the building ran away from the potential landing point. Mon-El froze in place, looking up in shock. He didn't notice Kara run away in blur down an alley before she flew up in the air dressed as Supergirl.

Mon-El didn't know what to do. Could he fly up and get her with all these people around? Before he could make up his mind Supergirl appeared catching the girl just after she jumped. Supergirl landed, her red cape blowing in the wind before she placed the girl on the ground. The girl was terrified; she was shivering and all the color had left her face. The girl's mother ran up to her, screaming at her daughter before the police arrived, taking the girl into custody and allowing the mother to come with them back to the police station.

Mon-El felt ashamed. He froze. Some hero he was. He ran away from the scene at full speed as everyone was too engrossed in the proceedings before them to notice. He ran to the DEO headquarters before entering the training room, it was empty, so he sat on the ground, his back pressed against the wall. He had his knees up with both arms on top of his knees with his chin resting on his arm. He just stared straight ahead, replaying his inaction, over and over in his mind.

"Mon-El, you okay?" Alex Danvers asked. She was dressed in a black strapless dress and black high-heeled shoes. Her makeup with done perfectly and her hair was neatly curled just above her shoulders.

Mon-El looked up and forced a smile. "You look good, going out on a hot date?"

Alex smiled, thinking of Maggie. "Yes, Maggie and I are going out."

"The cop?"

Alex smiled. "Yes, is there a problem with that?"

Mike shook his head. "It's all cool to me, if she makes you happy. Why should it matter?"

"It matters to some people." Alex was thinking about what Maggie told her about the way her parents reacted.

"Well, I don't care what some people think," Mon-El said as he stood up. "Maggie makes you happy Alex, so go for it."

Alex smiled. "I thought I was the one that was supposed to make you happy?"

Mon-El frowned. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, sitting on the floor over there sulking. What happened?"

Mon-El lowered his head before he told Alex what happened with the girl. He looked up, his blue-gray eyes watery. "I failed, some hero in training I am."

Alex put her hand on his shoulder. "You said it, you're training. You don't have a superhero uniform or even a superhero persona. What do you think would have happened if you flew up there dressed like a normal guy?"

"I don't know."

Alex squeezed his shoulder. "I'll tell you what would have happened. You would have been all over the news. Mike Matthews wouldn't be able to go back to school. You'd have to be locked up here at the DEO away from the public, away from reporters, or anyone else that wanted to exploit you. Is that what you want?"

Mon-El shook his head. "Of course not, but what would have happened if Kara hadn't shown up? That girl would have been dead. Should I have just stayed standing like a coward while she fell to her death? No, I should have been ready to do something. I'm a failure, Alex." He raised his voice through his whole rant. Alex's eyebrows were raised in surprise. "I'm sorry Alex, it's just not working," he said before he ran out of the room at full speed.

Alex sighed. She turned to leave just as Kara appeared in the doorway, dressed as Supergirl.

Kara smiled. "You look beautiful."

Alex forced a smile. "Thanks."

"What's wrong?"

"Mon-El…"

"You've seen him. He ditched me out on the street. Where is he?"

Alex took a deep breath; she felt so bad for him. She told Kara the conversation that she had with Mon-El and how he ran out just before Kara had arrived. "I think he's going to quit the DEO. I think he's going to quit trying to be a hero."

Kara shook her head, a scowl on her face. She was angry at Mon-El. "He's not going to quit. I won't allow it."

"Kara, don't be angry. He's not in a good place."

"No, he's so… nothing was his fault. He gets so down on himself. He's going to make a great hero. He just needs someone to knock some sense into him."

"Kara, I don't…" Alex never got to finish her sentence as Kara flew out of the room. Alex sighed. "He acts like you used to."

Kara raced around the DEO until she spotted the secured door to the artifact vault open. She ran inside, ready to fight off some type of attack, but stopped when she saw him. Mon-El sat in his pod; the hatch was open. He was lying back in the pod, his eyes were open, but she could see the sad expression on his face. She rushed inside stopping beside the pod. "Why did you ditch me?'

Mon-El turned his head, his blue-gray eyes darker than normal. "I was tired."

Kara placed her hands on her hips. "Now, who's lying?"

"Just go away, Kara. I already had a talk with Alex. I don't need another."

She stepped closer to him. He sat up in the pod to look at her. Kara stared down at him. "You are not a failure."

Mon-El shook his head. "How can I be a hero like you and Clark, when I don't even know who I am?"

"You are Mon-El, that's who you are."

"Mon-El is a made up name, just as much as Mike Matthews. Don't you see it Kara? You and Clark know who you are. You know who your parents are, not just your adopted ones. I have no family. I have no inkling of who I am and where I'm from. All I know is that I'm half-Kryptonian and half-Daxamite. Some kind of freak, a product of a forbidden union between two peoples that hated each other. I should never have been born."

Kara's hand moved of its own volition, slapping Mon-El across the face. The last daughter of Krypton was just as surprised as Mon-El. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

Mon-El sat frozen in place, touching his cheek. He quickly jumped out of the pod on the other side, opposite Kara. Kara walked toward him, but Mon-El stepped away from her as she approached. "Don't c-come near m-me," he said, his voice filled with something that Kara had never heard before, fear. He was afraid of her. Her heart nearly broke at the look on his face. Mon-El turned and ran out of the room. Kara just stood there, looking at the door. She didn't' know where that slap came from, why she did it? She hated herself for what she did, but his words made her so angry that she couldn't help it. She lashed out. However, it was the look on his face, the look in his eyes, and quiver in his voice that truly broke the heart of the girl of steel. He was scared of her. She was a monster. She lowered her head as the tears fell onto the floor. One thought was on her mind, how could she fix this?

AN: My longest chapter yet, but I think it needed to be. Stay locked on target more to come.