The sun was high and hot, but the breeze off the ocean kept it cool. It was the perfect day for a beach adventure. The waves crashed against the sand on the beach near where Charlie Benanti was trying to build a rather elaborate sand town with Lara and Alex right there as Eliza and Alice spoke under an umbrella only a few feet away.

Midvale and beautiful and perfect. It was the exact kind of relaxing that Alex needed and J'onn just wished that there had been the right situation where he could have been apart of it. There, Alex not only had familiarity and her mother...but she had extended family to keep her company...and to keep her safe.

"She looks for you, you know."

He looked over and wasn't surprised to see her there. J'onn swore that ever since the first time she'd spotted him there, watching, that she'd make a point to come and visit him...after all, he didn't get to visit any of them anymore. People would be watching and he wouldn't risk them put into any more danger than they already were in.

"Of course, it's at night."

"You two sit up on the roof," he said with a smile. "Just like when you were little girls."

Kara beamed at that. "Yes, those have always been some of my favorite memories at this house."

"How long are they in Midvale for?"

"Two weeks at least… Lucy was pushing for longer, trying to stall and figure this whole thing out, so that the threat is off of everyone," Kara explained. "But Adler and Benanti have never used vacation time…"

"Just like your sister."

"She's going to be a good mom," Kara said after a moment, both of them staring at Alex playing in the sand with Charlie.

"She is."

"You're going to be a great dad-"

"I'm not sure that's in the cards-"

"Yeah, well...I'm persistent…" Kara said with a smile. "Also, have you met Alex? She is a force of nature when she wants something...and she wants you pardoned. It's going to happen. You have to believe that."

"I just want her to be happy."

"She will be...eventually…when the world is right."

"I don't like how we left things."

Kara tilted her head as she looked at him and he knew that Kara didn't know. She'd not been far when they'd said their goodbyes, but she'd obviously not eavesdropped with her super hearing.

"There has to be another way," she whispered and her voice was breaking with each word. It wasn't just desperation but this heavy heartbreaking emotion behind her voice and in every shaky breath she took in.

He only took what little he would need to survive the first few days out there, not knowing where he was going, into a backpack. Water, some protein bars, and an emergency still in box burner phone (Adler had insisted). When J'onn turned to her, his heart broke even more. All of her feelings were hitting him in waves. The upset, fear, worry, guilt, and sadness all were affecting him just as much. "Alex-"

Before he could say anything more, she had her arms wrapped around him and her head was pressed against his chest. "I could go with you," she whispered.

"You need to be here," J'onn said as evenly and calmly as he could hold it together. It wasn't easy. He'd thought about everything that Alex might say in order to justify her going or some other way that she could see for them to do things differently. The only problem was that with every 'what if', this was always going to be the better and smarter and safer option for her...and for the child.

Would he rather stay and be there to protect them?

With every fiber of his being.

Was that possible?

No.

The thing was, they'd built up a family over the years, one that had taken on a life of its own. They were all strong and they were all trained...and they would be there in his place to protect Alex and keep her safe. They would ensure that both Alex and the child received the medical care that they needed and they would safeguard the secret.

"Others will need to know," he whispered as he held her. "Adler and Benanti...at the very least."

Even though there were so many agents at the DEO who they were close to, Adler and Benanti had been there longer than Alex and they were both close with her and Kara. They'd already expressed interest in helping without even knowing the full situation. They both had a child and would understand in different ways than those who didn't have a child exactly what this meant...what it would take.

"I don't want to do this without you," she cried.

He knew that.

Even though he knew that they both knew that she could handle this on her own, he knew what she meant. He knew what he would be missing. J'onn hated the idea of missing all of that with Alex...with this child. This was an unexpected second chance that he didn't feel worthy of, but he'd wanted to be apart of it. To be there to support Alex in every way along the way.

"You're not going to be alone," he tried to assure and comfort.

It wasn't the same.

They both knew and thought that.

It didn't make it any easier.

"Lucy-"

"Shh…" he hushed as he pressed a kiss into her hair. "I promise I won't be far… I'll be out of sight, but close enough…"

"You could just change...look like someone else-"

"They'll expect that."

They both knew that was true.

Nothing made it easier.

Alex pulled back just enough so that she could take his face between her hands, her face tear stained as she stared up at him. "I know that you don't think that you're worthy of any of this… Of me… Of this child… Of this life that has been built… If we have to be apart...for however long, then you have to promise me something-"

"Alex-"

"You have to promise me that no matter what happens, no matter where you go, no matter where we are...that you will always remember how much I love you...that I do love you...that's not something that you ever have to question," Alex told him fiercely. She raised herself up on her toes and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips. He could feel the full force behind the kiss and her words in that moment, like the world had slowed down and they were sharing the same feelings.

"I promise," he breathed out in a huff once they parted. Their eyes still locked. His fingers caressed her cheek and he tried to find the right words. There was so much that he wanted to say, that he knew that should have already said. "I love you, Alex," he managed. In that moment, it felt like the purest and most honest he could get out in the time that they had. J'onn kissed her quickly, held her tightly for a moment, and then pulled himself away and headed out the door with his bag. He couldn't remain or keep talking...or else he would never leave.

His heart broke even more with every step, with every feeling of Alex's that he felt.

"Adler and Benanti are good people," he commented.

"They've been asking about you-" He stared at Kara in silent response, who just shook her head and crossed her arms in turn. "I haven't said anything. Which sucks. I hate keeping secrets from Alex...from Adler and Benanti...and anyone…"

He knew that.

He hated keeping them too.

"It's for their protection and yours…"

"I'd like to see those Cadmus people try to come after Alex here-"

"Better we don't show them all our cards," he said gently. "The last thing we need is for them to come for you...to know who you are." That was something that he'd worried about, that Cadmus knew that Kara Danvers was Supergirl. It was one of the reasons why he couldn't bring himself to hide halfway around the world, he needed to be close.

"You're sure there's no message you want me to pass on to Alex?"

He couldn't think of anything.

He wished in that moment that they had some kind of special gesture. Something that he could ask Kara to do, something that would be a sign to Alex that he wasn't far and that he was thinking about her. "No…"

"J'onn-"

"Kara, what do you expect me-"

"Something...this is killing her…"

"It's killing me too."

Like so many nights, the Danvers sisters crawled up onto the roof of their childhood home. They sat together and stared up at the stars. Tonight, though, things went about differently. Kara had gone inside to grab a blanket for her sister and that was when Alex had seen the small black box. He hadn't realized until after he'd left it on the roof that at night, it would be much harder to see. She'd found it, though.

From where he hid, he watched her as she opened it and then a realization hit her. She realized what it was. They didn't have anything established between each other, unless you counted knowing what snacks they liked to eat at three in the morning after a difficult mission. That wasn't the same, though, he wanted something special. Not knowing how long it would be until they could see each other again, he thought of something for her to be able to keep with her that would remind her that he wasn't far.

Earth was his home now.

But more so.

Alex was his home.

So, he'd gotten her a necklace with Mars on it. His once home...where he was from...for the person who held his heart...and so much more. It was the only thing that he could think of that was fitting enough and unique. J'onn was also certain that enough people wouldn't think twice about her wearing it, thinking it was just some odd reddish stone. To them, it would mean so much more.

"J'onn?" she whispered into the darkness.

As much as he wanted to whisper her name back, he stayed silent and out of sight. For now, this was how it had to be.

The End.