Note: Yeah, this never had an established time for publishing, but my silence is justified; I had been working on my thesis.

Girl of Steel
Embracing Destiny

Winslow "Winn" Schott, Junior, was one of the best Information Technology geek working at CatCo WorldWide Media; he also happened to work as a Programmer for the company. Among his different titles, there was one that had no merits whatsoever within said company, but was one of an even great importance: he was the 'first friend' that she, Kara Danvers, made in the company and later, her best friend. Interestingly enough, he had been the first person she had met when she arrived for her interview.

He was also, for lack of a better word, a paranormal enthusiast chaser; from big foot to Hell(boy) and back, his interest would often lead him to search for extraterrestrial proof of existence. She often joked that there was no such branch of the FBI or they would have hired him maybe. Just in case it turned out one existed, and he had been deprived of the knowledge and opportunity.

Then again, he acted as if the fact that Superman had lived wasn't enough.

"Did you see this?" Winn tried showing her something on his tablet, with great urgency even. She was too busy going about like the working bee she was. "There was an armored car robbery last night. There were no witnesses except for this homeless guy — who swears the perp had horns!"

Kara was only half listening, making pit stops to make sure she had everything for Miss Grant. "Thanks," she told the man who passed her a tube-like parcel.

"Like, on his head!" As if the elaboration was needed; horns, by its very own definition, grew from the head — she would know, she had read the dictionary several times to truly grasp the English language, as an experiment (or so she has kept telling herself). She chuckled at his word choice, though it was unclear if he was being purposefully redundant. "I'm telling you, they're out there." He paused for dramatic effect and whispered the last word, as though the strangers from another planet could hear them and looking everywhere as if anyone of them were one. He was talking to one, not that he knew, but she was always privately amused by his ramblings and theatrics. "Aliens."

"Winn, there's no such thing as aliens," she chastised him, shaking her head, "at least, not any more," she added, feeling her heart constricting.

He chuckled grimly. "Well, you might feel differently if you read this website; there might be others out there."

"You write that website." Kara countered, happy to finally be by her desk, feeling a degree of safety at being in her own personal zone. It wasn't a bubble, but everyone knew better than to touch her things without permission, not that they couldn't ask and get what they needed, anyway.

"I — I . . . contribute, uh," he stuttered, denying it. "Wait — no! Kara!" He whined. "I'll drop it just, just don't hack it."

Arching a brow, she fidget with her glasses for a brief moment before dropping her phone. He knew she could overload the server and make his site go down momentarily, had suffered through it once in the middle of a forum in which he kept detailing her what was going on, making her concentration slip. Afterwards, she only had to threaten him to get him to quiet down. She really enjoyed the way he would go about it, but that didn't mean it wouldn't get tedious after a while, and he seemed to be going on a rampage.

"Thanks," he said, clearing his throat, finally gathering the courage to utter his following statement. "I swear, you should be part of IT."

"I am," she countered, and he just stared with wide eyes, "but I'm 'Cat Grant'-exclusive."

"Right." It wouldn't be surprising, though he had no way of knowing for sure just how serious she was. Making an executive decision, he chose to broach a different topic. Watching as she placed things on the surface, he went to stand closer and decided to simply ask. "Hey, um . . . . I was wondering if maybe you wanna . . . I don't know, go see — go see a movie, tonight."

He was fumbling and not quite looking the dashing part, even if his sweet smile was a bonus. Kara gave him a surprised look, because she really hadn't been expecting the question. Part of her noticed how he was trying to seem cool, when he was cool when he didn't try.

"I —" she had no idea he had been interested in her, but she wasn't interested in him; how did that work? She was going to have to call her sister. "I can't. I'm sorry, I —" she took a deep breath, realizing that she had to look happy about the prospect. "I have a date."

"Date, really?" She frowned a bit at that. Dating was normal, specially for someone her age, and she wanted the whole normal experience; whatever that meant or entailed.

"Mmm." Kara's non-committal reply made him realize he sounded like a jerk, but she was mostly forcing herself to be psyched about it.

"That's . . . great." He made it sound like torture; from past experiences, she wouldn't be surprised but she got the grimace under control. "Fun. Dating is fun. Who's that with?" He inquired, sitting down; he knew there were plenty of candidates at the office so, he had to know.

"It's an online date." She replied. Another part of her realized that she placed too much faith in the ancient technology that was often mislabeled as modern for Earth. She figured he would understand and got a little happier thinking about numbers. "Says we are 82% compatible, so . . . should be good."

"You know that you can't quantify emotions based on an algorithm?" Funny, her father had, back in another planet; although that one used real genetic aspects and not juggled emotions and taste. With that thought, she sat as well.

"Winn, you're IT," there was meaning behind the single, two-lettered word, "isn't your whole life based on algorithms?"

"Yes, so if there was an algorithm for love I think that I would know about it." What she liked the most about him, was the way he always felt genuine when he spoke of love. "It's just like, you're gonna know when it hits you, Kara. It'll be all . . . wa-pow!"

He made a fist motion with the sound for effect, and she smiled to herself.

It would be nice, but sadly Kryptonians were people of a single mate. The marriage computer made things easier, but had at several points appeared to be broken, made horrible matches that made the Law Council happy when it was destroyed. A close friendship with people was normal, like how Winn was confusing their relation and seeing something further when, to her, the line was quite clear. It made her uncertain if she would find someone out there, her one and only who would want to go to whatever lengths she wanted, for them and their children. The problem was, the one person she thought it was, had to be impossible.

Because having a crush on her boss, was normal. Wait, is it? Then again, that was Earthling logic, and she made a conscious effort of shifting through her memories. In Krypton, without the marriage computer, some opted to not even use her father's gene-match program, but age didn't really seemed like a factor. In fact, younger people often sought those older than them in order to learn from, so maybe that was what was going on between her and the Queen of All Media. At least I am acting somewhat normal, within the parameters of Earth. But was that a good thing after all? Besides, there was definitely something between them, she didn't fully know what as of yet.

She had made peace with the fact that she was a living contradiction, another year and she would be a child of Earth in equal proportions to being a child of Krypton. Looking up and taking her glasses off, she gazed through the ceiling. At the stars in the sky that she could still clearly see, and took a deep breath. While she didn't search for his body any more, she searched the skies. Right then, while she searched through the white noise of air being pulled and pushed from lungs, constant chattering, phone ringings, heart beats — for some reason she still believed her boss, that he would return at a later date, that she would hear his heart; all she found, was her boss'.

'Ugh, this elevator is a human Petri dish. It's like standing up in coach.' The words Cat Grant spoke to herself as she rode the elevator weren't needed confirmation, she simply focused on the woman too much for her own good. It almost bordered the unhealthy.

"She's here." The blonde said with a sharp inhale and scrunching her nose; the woman was right, whoever had taken her private lift left it filled with their scent and she couldn't find traces of the Queen's usual perfume.

"How do you do that?" Winn asked, having been forever intrigued by this aspect; was his best friend part hound or something? He had seen her acting like a puppy in regards to their boss and the blonde's sister, so the possibility was still there.

He didn't have time to dwell on it when the elevator dinged and the doors parted open, revealing their boss in all her amazing glory.

"Good morning, Miss Grant." Kara greeted, soft smile in place in an effort to placate the older woman, her heart aching.

"The only reason I bought this building was because it had a private elevator," the woman began, walking through the bullpen and towards her office, "that way, I don't have to get soaked in cheap cologne every morning, getting to my office." Kara was by her side and taking her jacket. "Find out who used it, have them reprimanded — or bathed, I don't care which."

She had yet to fire the poor man, which gave the young blonde reason to believe she was actually in a rather good mood.

"Here's your latte." The girl said as she followed her boss to the office, while trying to figure out if the temperature was right but couldn't quite work it out; the woman always messed with her senses. "Hot."

"Oh. That'll be new and different." The Queen sighed a bit, as though not expecting it to be so and the girl bit her lip, worried.

Had she really been slacking? Cat had been giving her a hard time since she found out about Lois and Clark but, it wasn't as if that was relevant information. Besides, Lois was one of the reasons why she had wanted to work specifically for Cat; her brother's fiancée had spoken about the dedication and hard work that came into having CatCo built from scratch. Not that her boss would believe her, so she didn't try to explain herself.

Kara shook her head, trying to get it back in the game. She did feel disappointed that her performance was slipping, but she wasn't over Kal's death — she feared she might never be. So taking careful note of her boss' words, actions, and overall demeanor to gauge how much damage control she would have to do to keep the woman happy, she proceeded to trying her best.

"The board called, demanding a meeting soon with you . . . I scheduled them for today at lunch," she made a check note on her notepad, "so, I cancelled sushi with your mother and cancelled your therapist appointment."

The woman arrived at her desk and had been taking her glasses off, and at her last sentence, she rolled her hazel eyes. Smiling a bit, she rose the cup of coffee to hide it but Kara got a glimpse and smiled, biting her lower lip to prevent herself from grinning like Cheshire Cat in return. But, the grimace when taking the sip plummeted her heart much like gravity did with the latte, as the older woman let go of it over the waste basket right before sitting. The younger blonde would just have to do another quick errand to Noonan's and get another, burning hot enough to scald an Earthling's skin through the cup if necessary; Cythonna must be playing with her, having her senses fussing over her boss and now over her brother rather than working properly.

"I saw the list you emailed . . ." but, that had been about it, no other information was provided.

"Prepare termination letters for the Tribune employees, as noted." Kara gawked at her boss' words; the CEO, for her part, simply sat like the queen she was, going through files. "But it would be so nice if you hand wrote them — use the lesser card stock." She took out her reading pair.

"You're downsizing the Tribune?" It couldn't be happening. "But — that was your first acquisition."

"Go see if the new art director has the layout ready." Cat dismissed, before the girl sighed softly through the nose and finally turned to her, expression bored. "It's not that I don't see your frown, it's just that I don't care enough to ask why it's there."

"All those people, they're going to lose their jobs." Her brother didn't sacrifice himself so Earthlings would capitalize on Earthlings, so even if they still had their lives they would suffer in such fashion — Kara inhaled moderately in an effort to keep calm. "What's going to happen to them, to their families? They don't have to downsize at the Daily Planet."

That got her boss' attention, and once again under the microscope. She bit her lower lip and turned her eyes to the side. Not even her alien constitution was going to save her from getting her head chewed, and all she could do in response was fidget with her glasses.

"Metropolis had a person who wore a cape and flew around performing heroic acts, after having nearly destroyed the city two years prior but, everyone conveniently forgot that rather big detail." Cat, after her hand gestures, allowed her pen to fall on the desk and discarded the paper at hand, choosing to take her shoes off right then. "The Planet puts this superlative man on their cover, 54% of the time; even now, after he saved the world at cost of his own life.

"You are close to the main writer of these articles, you should know this," it felt like a stab and not a jab, and the assistant wince. "So if you wanna save the Trib?" She turned her hazel eyes back on what really mattered, her job. "Go find me a hero, Keira." She said with an over-dramatic arm gesture at the word hero.

That was the other thing; ever since find that out about her cousin, Cat begun using that name on purpose. "Kara," she whispered softly to herself; be it to remind herself of her own name or to show some sign of resistance, she wasn't sure.

Even if she wanted to go for a new latte, it would bring about other complications due to the nature of her powers. Falling from the building into the empty alley, thing she had done far too often before giving her jump a boost with fly (and suddenly, she felt as if life became her own video game) and going back up. It certainly made things easier but it could also bring about questions she didn't want to trouble herself with like: how she got a new latte so quickly. No, she had to do things right, so she would go to the new art director and see about the layouts her boss wanted. As she went, she tracked down the man and very softly let him know she knew, and that if he tried to use the private elevator, then Miss Grant would learn as well as he could kiss his job goodbye; she was giving him a warning, and also asking him to try and lower his cologne usage.

"Hello?" The previous director had no problem whenever she dropped by, so she pushed the door open without qualms, forgetting basic Earth etiquette. With her calls being unanswered, she moved further inside, amazed by the camera collection but refraining from touching. Those things were expensive, and with the way her powers seemed to require more control, she didn't want to risk it. Instead, she called again. "Hello?"

"I'll be just a minute." A male voice was heard from the other end, on the office portion of the office. The perks of a cornered, long office; it had two doors.

"Ah," the blonde cleared her throat, her nose catching a familiar scent within the office and she had to gather her wits. "Miss Grant sent me for layouts and she doesn't like to wait." Kara also had a pipping latte to fetch, and she didn't want to postpone it, lest she forgets about it.

"Well, she can wait a minute." She couldn't believe the nerve of the man and his words! He was kneeling, searching through boxes and she thought he was looking forward to living there.

"Have you met Miss Grant?" Her question made sense; if he did, he would know better. Bald, dark skinned, his clothes looked lose and a bit shabby; that last part reminded her of Clark and she shook her head. Great, now I'm seeing him everywhere!

"Yeah, what is she gonna do? Fire me right after hiring me?" Kara looked back out, itching to get out of the office and back at her desk, doing her job, and fetching that latte. "Her loss." He certainly had confidence in his abilities, and he turned to look at her just as she was looking away. She did feel his eyes on her, so she quickly turned back to face him, and was surprised by how much better the clothes seemed to fit and he posed in the classic, hands on hips way that was so Superman, his shinny white teeth seemed to sparkle, too. "Hey. I'm the new guy."

"Is that why I hadn't seen you around?" She inquired seriously, making an effort to not roll her eyes. It was as if by Earth's standard, she had no sense of humor, but she didn't see what was funny with stating the obvious. Noticing her answer was one he didn't expect, she cleared her throat then her eyes went wide at what she saw. "Oh, it's him." She was so eager, she went right ahead and took the image and savored it, saving it in her mind. "I've seen this picture, uh, like a million times! It won the Pulitzer — wow!"

"Yeah, only 'cause it was the first real shot of him." Her brain realized who he was, but she was too busy admiring it, not having had the pleasure of seeing him in suit but in the Battle of Smallville. "Little secret, he actually posed for that. I guess he likes me."

"Oh, my God, you're Jimmy Olsen." She gave herself a high-five for not using Rao. "The photographer from the Daily Planet."

"James Olsen." He corrected, then amended when she became flustered; Clark had only ever called him Jimmy. "Well, Jimmy is reserved for my mom and the big guy. He was kinda stuck in his ways."

"Wait, I thought you had been with Lois in Nairomi and got shot," she was confused, though it would explain why her brother wouldn't have saved the man and he gave her a surprised look.

"Actually, that was Ron, Ron Troupe; long story short, I owed him one and he needed my assistance to infiltrate the interview," he seemed hesitant but continued, "he needed the information for the CIA."

"Hmm," she bit both her lips before sighing. "I am sorry for your loss, both of them," she replied, looking at the picture still in her hands, and she needed to keep him from asking about her knowledge and source in all this. She then remembered that men really liked to have their ego stroked, and the man before her clearly loved his cameras, so he probably enjoyed and was proud of the images he took, specially a Pulitzer Winner. "Um, I know what I've read, but . . . what was he like in real life?"

The man, James, seemed hesitant about saying, but maybe he saw something in her eyes and so he finally decided to answer. "He was everything you want him to be and more — I mean: I was scared to move out here, but, uh, he told me the biggest risk is never taking any, so . . ." he cleared his throat, "he actually told me that when Ron approached me, not really telling me to help him but, he made me realize a friend is there to show support. I had to help my childhood friend."

"Hmm." Crisis, averted. She looked back at the picture, feeling a bit pleased.

"Take it." He said.

"Hmm?" She couldn't have heard him right.

"Take it." Nope, he had said it, and she almost broke the frame in panic.

"Th — this? No — oh, God, no, I can't." She began stuttering, forcing her hands to loosen their hold; at least she hadn't confused God and Rao. "I can't."

"It's just a print. Please, take it," he said, as though that explained it, "but first you have to tell me who you are." That derailed her train of thought. "I never got your name."

"Oh." She snorted a laugh nervously, realizing what he meant. "Gosh. Hi," she began, laughing a bit more earnestly, finally feeling a bit more relaxed. After stammering a bit, she finally got her name right. "I, uh — yeah — Kara." She rose her hand to shake. "Uh, Kara Danvers."

"Kara." He repeated, taking her hand and shaking before taking a breath and taking a step further. "Anyone ever tell you that you look a little like him right here?"

The vague gesture and words made her nervous, not to mention the way he was now, deliberately, in her personal space. Looking into his eyes, her own fleeting from one to the other, she finally managed to gather her wits about her.

"No. Uh, no. Nope, you're the first." She stammered, before realizing something and frowning a bit. "Considering no one else has seen him face to face, I'm not surprised but, why would you say that?"

He bit his lips as though trying to contain his laughter and she couldn't help but shake her head to clear it and simply forget about it. "Uh, thank you." She motioned to the print, still baffled.

"Yeah," he managed to reply.

"Very much." She added, moving to go back the way she came, seeking for some distance, forgetting something.

"Of course. Um!" He began, making her turn and pointed to the special table that illuminated pictures. "Layouts."

She turned into a dork right then and blew air out of her lungs. "Right." She began laughing as she took them on her way back. "Almost forgot them. Bye."

Part of her was scared; she doubted she had ever had such an awkward first meeting with someone, unless she counted her interview. She began wondering if that was what Winn meant when he described love as wa-pow, but she didn't feel that their immediate connection was any real. The one she had with Cat certainly felt it, and it had also been filled with tension. Not that she had any right to compare hers with her brother's, his still felt like destiny or fate, the only model she had to fall back to.

But James? No, whatever she was feeling, it felt more rooted to the fact that she missed Kal-El and not something entirely there. She would take the meeting with a grain of salt, and nothing else. She refused to be the typical, fawning girl and fall for the obvious charmer that was James Olsen.

"Miss Grant, the layouts," she placed them on her boss' desk, "Your schedule is updated and now I'm going for another latte."

Cat watched her go, light smirk on her face. Well, at least the girl proved herself to be immune to Olsen's charm; if the beverage she brought was hot enough, she wouldn't fire her for the day and she would have survived another. Now that would be surprising. Then again, maybe the immunity would be enough, but it also depended on the girl's ability to keep her, the boss, happy. Still, not having lunch with her mother was definitely a mood booster. Luck, could be argued, was also an ability and quality; she wouldn't deny her assistant had plenty of that.

"Hmmm, maybe I'll keep her despite Lois Lane, or maybe just to spite her," she wondered out loud, but not enough for anyone to hear.

Shrugging, Cat resumed her work. The next latte in her hands definitely helped brighten her mood.

Kara had managed to handle the day and not get herself fired. She still had her date to go to though, but she would handle it; at least she got home at a decent hour. A frown formed on her face when she realized that this wasn't necessarily a good thing. She was still in shaky waters with her boss, that was never a good thing. If anything, she had grown fond of the nights she spent helping Cat figure out how to make it to the deadline, as well as help her arrive home to her son at a decent hour. The one plus: her boss always left before her.

But, she couldn't deny the blind date had her nervous, and at last the knock on her door helped ease her nerves; she quickly opened it to face her adoptive sister.

"I have a conference in Geneva and I need to be on a plane in 2 hours." She pouted sadly and the brunette sighed. "Hi Kara, how are you Kara, can I leave now, Kara?"

"Hey, I wouldn't mind," she frowned, still waiting for Alex to cross the threshold, "but you set me up on a blind date in half an hour and I need you to help me pick out what to wear. Unless — I can get away with not going?"

"Why do you do this to me?" The older girl demanded with a sigh, entering the apartment.

"I asked you the same thing, so I'm going to use your own words: because I'm your sister and you love me." Kara supplied with a tender smile. "Now you know; next time, don't make me an online profile on some dating site."

"I remember those words differently," Alex teased.

"You said, and I quote because you're my sister an I love you." She inclined her head in that adorable puppy way of hers, and her sister was the one smiling tenderly at her. "I am using your own words."

"Yes you are, you dork," the brunette laughed, earning one of Kara's patented goofy grins.

They kept their bickering, and the blue-eyed girl showed her sister the clothes she already had lined out. It had never been her forte; painting meant she could express her view of the world, deepen the colors and shape them, but for some reason this never translated well on clothes. Colors that looked great on a canvas weren't so fabulous when she was the canvas and it just heightened her feeling of inadequacy. To distract herself further from those thoughts, she began grousing about her lack of heroic activities, despite the fact that she tended to do so to seek reassurance. She didn't want to fail her brother, but she needed the idea reinforced by her sister, else she would begin to question everything, and that was by far the last thing she needed right then.

"I don't know, I feel like I'm not living up to my potential." Kara began with a sigh, going to the couch while her sister eyed the clothes critically. "I went to work for Cat Grant because I thought working in a media company run by a powerful woman who actually shapes the way people think would be the way that I could make a difference. I mean, I don't mind having to fetch layouts and coffee but I could do more, so much more."

"You rejected the promotion she gave you after what, six months?"

"I still have a lot to learn from her, I just want to observe and learn, not the other stuff," she huffed. "How did you manage to convince me otherwise?" She asked herself, turning at the sigh and smiling fondly at rolled, soft brown eyes.

"You always wanted to be normal, right?" Alex questioned, having made her choice among the many options, but still needed to teach her baby sister an important lesson in order for the whole fiasco not to be repeated. "So, having a crappy boss and absolutely nothing to wear — this is what normal looks like."

"Cat isn't a crappy boss," Kara replied with a light scowl.

"Then look at you, not being normal!"

The alien made an exasperated noise; she had never wanted that. Sure, she had wanted to fit in, but she had given up. No, she suspected it had more to do with the fact that she didn't have a Lois to save. She frowned a bit, realizing she was going to have to call Perry to ask about the woman in question. Not that Lois was accident prone, it was more the fact that she would go above and beyond for the sake of a story.

"I am not normal! I have the same powers he does — did," and as expected, she began listing them, as she paced around the room, anything to take her mind from her brother. "I can lift a bus, stop a bullet.

"Alex, I can fly. At least, I think I can," she realized something sad, slumping in defeat on the couch; jumping wasn't the same, "I haven't done it in years."

"Kara, you've got a good job, you're cute, and thanks to your alien DNA, you can't get pimples." They both chuckled. "Life is not so bad but, if you really wanna help somebody, you'll pick between one of these two, so I can get on my plane."

Blue eyes stared between a deep blue and a pink shirt. "Uh, yep." And of course, she went with pink.

"Good choice." She became puzzled when the one being given, was the blue one and the pink choice was placed in the rack with the rest of clothes. "When in doubt, go with blue, it is your color.

"All right. Text me every detail from your date and I will call you when I'm back from Geneva." Alex said, going to the door and once there, told her baby sister, "I love you."

To which Kara could only reply, "love you."

First things first, calling Perry. Apparently, Lois was going insane without anything to do and mourning her brother. She requested for the man to take it easy on the other woman and not to let her leave the country; without Superman, Lois could get in so much trouble, and it certainly wasn't worth the risk of losing his top reporter. Since Kara had been there to help Clark from time to time during her final semester at college, specifically Spring Break, Perry knew she was smarter than both, but had taken Lois' advice of staying in National City. Everyone at the Planet had teased her constantly of having a hero-worship complex on Clark, and when she said they were siblings and not cousin, most thought her feelings were of the romantic sort; a bashful young girl blushing at every comment? She had just been amazed by what he did and very proud.

But Perry didn't agree to have his ace reporter on desk duty, although he did agree to update Kara on things; Lois had been at it for longer than there had been a Superman, she was a grown woman and could handle herself. The younger woman sighed, and sadly the call didn't take long, so she still had time to get ready for her date, and all she wanted to do was groan and watch some tv and forget everything else.

Okay so, the bar had an underground vibe to it, but the music was decent. Part of her was fighting it, rebelling against it, because she knew whoever she wanted to spend a single night with, she wanted to spend the rest of her life. That person, wouldn't go to that kind of establishment.

"So, where you from originally?" The man asked; she had a hard time remembering his name, not that she would care enough to try and remember.

"Like where was I born?" She hated that question, although just as she answered, the man's phone began ringing. "Um, uh, north."

He chuckled at the screen and began standing. "I gotta hit this back real quick." He was either a talented liar, or lied without remorse, so of course she followed him with her hearing. She could see him by the exit and requesting for the check. "Make sure your number's on it."

That, was why she didn't like the idea of blind dates. Cythonna must be mocking her, and Alex was no better; if she didn't love her sister dearly, she would have sighed in annoyance and cursed the brunette. As it was, she had just wasted so much time, and it would have been the same thing had she stayed home. A shout from the back got her head out of her thoughts and focused on something else, mainly, the tv.

💬 The guy began by asking me from where I was, and just left while asking for the attending girl her number. Why are men like that?

"Hey, turn that up!"

📺 "If you're just joining us, the anchor began with a sigh, shortly after take-off, National City Airlines, Flight 237 bound for Geneva, began experiencing some loss of altitude. The pilot seems to be circling the city after apparent engine failure."

"Did he say Geneva?" Kara asked no one, but she knew without doubt that her sister was in trouble. "Alex."

Kara, for the first time ever, made a call she never expected to make as she ran out of the establishment; her heart sank when it connected and she heard the commotion on the other end.

📱🐼 Kara, – the man breathed, – why do I get the feeling this isn't a social call?

"Bruce, sorry! Not to go all OST on you but, I need a hero," she began as she took her glasses off and focused on the plane that had a turbine on fire and looking through everything and using her telescopic sight to zoom in on her sister.

📱🐼 You'll have to hold on for one till the morning light.

📱🏃 The Bat has humor!

"I still don't get why people find it funny," they could hear her frown, "it is normal for the human brain to respond accordingly."

📱🐼 You know that, I know that, idiots don't know that.

📱🏃 Hey!

📱➼ Barry, focus!

📱🐼 Mr. Queen, must you join us whenever we're out?

📱➼ Someone has to keep an eye on the kids.

📱🏃 I thought that was mom's job.

📱⭗ Flash, when she realizes you keep calling her that, she's going to be pissed; I don't recommend pissing off Wonder Woman.

📱🏃 Me?! You call her hot mamma!

📱⭗ And I obviously don't say it with that intention.

📱🌊 Cyborg, Flash!

"There's really no one who can help?"

📱🐼 Lanterns are having one of their intergalactic meetings, and I'm not sending Suicide Squad and letting them lose on National City.

"Alright," she replied with a sigh, "thanks Bruce. Didn't mean to rain on your parade."

📱🌟 Kara, honey, – the nickname came from her hair color, and she only answered when Diana Prince said it, – maybe it's time to finally embrace your destiny. It doesn't matter what anyone wants, it's what you make with your life that counts.

📱🐼 Next time she's in trouble and you can't help, what then? – It was so obvious that Batman was scowling.

But Kara didn't have time to wonder, she had too much too worry about, mainly, her sister. So covering her phone and glasses with her jacket as she ran across a deserted alley and tossing them aside, she began to change her magnetic field to take to the skies. The sirens wailing and the people screaming weren't helping, the fact that her powers seemed to go haywire since her brother's death and her job's strain . . . well, everything was bound to have repercussions. That first jump might have been a bust but her sister needed her, and she would be damned if she didn't solve it. The Justice League was out saving the world, saving their respective cities; who was going to save National City?

It's what you make with your life that counts.

Go find me a hero, Keira.

Well, she doubted that was what Miss Grant had in mind, but those words were what jumped her into the sky before she got her powers under control. At least if she crash landed, a knee-jerk reaction from her magnetic field would prevent her from getting harmed, not that her invulnerable skin wouldn't do that on it's own.

Once in the sky, she assessed the situation. Since she didn't have a need for her powers, and she doubted heating lattes was what her brother had in mind and would likely tease her for it, she didn't know which powers were fully developed and which were being developed. Even if her body was older and absorbed the sunlight in a much more efficient manner, she had still been a child, so even if her powers manifested themselves they still took time to come. She wasn't going to try to freeze the turbines, and the math told her it was easier to simply stabilize the aircraft.

"We just lost another engine." The pilot began when the right engine caught on fire. "Mayday. Mayday. Mayday."

Kara was really interested on how those three words were meant to help — if at all, in their current situation. The left one, the first, fell from the wing and crashed into her.

"Flight attendants, brace for impact." The alien inhaled sharply at the words; that plane, wasn't crashing, she wouldn't let it crash.

Making a decision, she went to the right wing to start leveling the plane; that her sister could look out the window and see her, was intentional, and knowing she had her sister's attention, she signaled her that she would keep her safe. She may have lost her brother, but she wasn't going to lose her sister.

"We're leveling off." The pilot declared, surprise evident, and at the confirmation, Kara went to the belly of the plane.

Only, things could never be easy. Wasn't Murphy's Law all about that? Because, up ahead, was a bridge.

"Oh, come on!" She demanded from no one, and with grunts and screams, and the creaking of metal, the sighs and yells, she moved the plane to fit through the small, upper opening Otto Binder Bridge had. "Aaaaaahhh!"

Her calculations were impeccable, but she hadn't been accounting for the railings that kept cars from falling from the bridge. Those, were snagged by the tip of the wings. At least the rest of the bridge was okay and wouldn't require mayor fixing, and no cars were hit; that was a feat. Once they were through, she managed to give the plane a rough landing on water. Water was easier to deal with, made for an excellent cushion, and planes were prepared for such emergencies. Surfacing, she went to the right wing to climb out — magnetic fields were tricky when dealing beneath water. Shock was coursing through her system, but her sister wasn't dead, she didn't lose another family member.

Kara may have lost her planet and family, her adoptive father Jeremiah, her baby cousin who turned into an older brother, but she didn't lose her adoptive, older sister. She wasn't feeling happy, she felt relief, and when she turned and looked at Alex, her sister, she felt it was enough. She was ready to head to the plane and open the side like a can and take hold of her sister, flying her off to safety but, she knew it wasn't the right move. For the moment, the knowledge was enough: she made it, she saved her sister, and that was all that mattered. She jumped and adjusted her electric currents to manage to fly off. At least the dark colors helped her blend and she went for her jacket, phone and glasses; it began ringing.

📲🌟 Honey, we finished off early and I got here just in time to see your rescue! You were magnificent.

"My sister was on that flight."

📲🌟 I knew you wouldn't call unless you felt personally compromised. Kara, sweety, you saved her.

"I . . . ."

"I'm here," and so she was; Diana Prince was always a sight. "The others wanted to come and cheer you, but Bruce didn't let them."

"You are the only one who can defy him," the alien chuckled dryly.

"I would like for you to train with the Amazons, but you're already a hero," Diana placed a lock of blonde hair behind an ear, "training is important, don't forget or neglect that.

"Also, Bruce isn't extending an invite," she teased, earning a chuckle, "go home and be psyched. Unlike the others, these are our real identities, not the secret ones."

"Thanks Diana. My regards to the kids," Kara said with a sad smile.

The woman grunted with a genuine smile. "Don't follow Barry's steps."

"Yes ma'am." But Wonder Woman only laughed, kissed her forehead, and flew the girl home. "Thanks again."

"First a shower, then replenish your energy with lots of food. And no more 'mom' teasing." With those words, the Amazon left and the girl did as told.

"I must agree with Flash," she spoke to no one, amused, "she's like a mom, at least with me."

Maybe it was because Diana felt responsible for not being able to prevent Kal from dying, but it just made Kara feel as though her safety net was getting bigger. Right then, she had to think the logistics thorough, but she was too shaken and she needed her sister to ground her. An alien who needed grounding; she felt pathetic.

Super speed was incredibly useful, and after one quick shower, there was a knock on the door. Pizzas, already paid for, and as she closed the door, she got a text.

💬🌟 Hope you enjoy them.

💬 You really are a wonder, woman.

💬🌟 And you're a flatterer. Eat.

She decided not to answer and just enjoy herself, as much as she could. Everything was still overwhelming, she was still shaken by it all. She couldn't get excited about the news when it had been her sister's life the one at play.

📺 "The passengers of Flight 237 appear to have a guardian angel when, what many report to be a female flying form rescued them from certain death. Leyna Nguyen is live at the scene."

📺 "Thank you, Rick. Guardian angel or human wrecking ball? There is destruction all over Otto Binder Bridge and one —"

"The math was solid, I just didn't account for different variables," she swallowed a slice whole, "sorry but this was my first time, I bet anyone else would have made a bigger mess."

She was so busy complaining and frowning and trying to eat, to realize that her sister had arrived; the brunette gave herself away when she paused the news though. "Oh, my God," she began, but food was forgotten and the blonde was by her side.

Kara was soon embracing her sister, who only exclaimed "ow!" at the bones going crack.

"Sorry, I just," she allowed more breathing space but kept her hold, "I — I couldn't get over the idea of losing you, of losing my sister after —"

"Kara!" She was finally hugging back. "What happened to Kal, it wasn't your fault okay?"

"I should have helped him! I have the power to do it, like I had the power to save you," the Kryptonian began, inhaling deeply and trying to keep her composure. "I couldn't help him and I lost him! What would I do if I lost you!? Alex!"

"I'm here, you haven't lost me okay?" She whispered. "I'm here baby sister, I'll always be here."

"I still can't believe I did it." The blonde whispered.

"Yeah. Neither can I." The Earthling said in an equal whisper. "Are you better?"

"Me? Alex, the question here is: are you okay?" The alien countered, pulling away with a soft frown to look at her sister over and over, using all her different sights to ensure her very delicate Earthling sibling was okay.

"Yes, thank you."

"Were you scared? I mean, I was scared too, but you," she began wringing her hands. "You had to be terrified, because you had no idea I was coming to save you."

"I need a drink."

"Um, celebration or . . . ?"

"No!"

"One forget-me-blue drink, coming right up," the blonde said with a dry chuckle.

"Kara, I'm just worried."

"It has been so long . . ." she said with a sigh, "I almost forgot how to fly.

"Well, not so much how since that's like a memory reflex, how you never forgot how to ride a bike or skate, but more, more how it feels, like scared, but good scared." She began mixing the strongest drink she could with what she had, which included whiskey. "Like, like that moment right before you kiss someone for the first time.

"And now . . . now it's like I'm not sure what comes next." She confessed, giving the brunette her drink. "Or maybe I am sure and I'm just afraid of what it means, and if it means what I think it means."

"What were you thinking?" The Kryptonian frowned a bit, worried as the Earthling moved to the tv to show the picture taken of Kara on the wing of the airplane. "You exposed yourself to the world."

"Alex . . . ."

"You're out there now, Kara," Alex began, after downing the glass and shuddering. "Everyone will know about you and you can't take that back."

"Do you think I care?!" She demanded, going to stand right in front of her, tears in her eyes. "Alex, you could have died! I am not going to lose you, not if I can help it!"

"You could have called one of your Justice friends!"

"You think I didn't!" She snapped back, already crying. "I called Batman, of course I did! But they were saving the world!

"They couldn't spare anyone," she sobbed, "Wonder Woman came by the time I had saved the plane. I'm not going to apologize for saving your life."

"Promise not to do it again?"

"Do you really think I care?" Because she honestly didn't; she felt she was still missing her own reasons for going into the hero business. Yet, she pointed at the screen. "Alex, do you really think this is going to be it? If I start rescuing only you, then people will link us both, and logic dictates it's easier, if I briefly make an appearance and help around and do good deeds.

"If I traveled two thousand light years just to be an assistant and watch as others play hero, then so be it," she sighed in resignation, "but I am not standing by the sidelines if I can prevent others that I love from being hurt or worse, dying. I had to be helpless as my planet died, I don't have to be helpless here."

"I know you Kara, and all this is going to lead to one inevitable conclusion." Alex sighed and went to stand besides her sister, "if you can save those you love, who is going to save those whom you don't love but still have loved ones?"

"How can I not help then?" Kara whispered, and a single tear fell; right then, she felt like a woman of fifty years of age, and with the weight of the world. Well no, in that sense, she was extremely grateful for the Justice League. They could save the world, she could just focus on National City. "How can I suddenly ignore everyone else?"

"What if people figure out who you are? What you are? It's just," Alex went on through the tears, looking at the image again. "It's not safe for you to do anything like that ever again."

"Why does this feel a different kind of protective?" The blonde dried her tears. "There are meta-humans running amok, so why me?"

"You're alien."

"There's an intergalactic police and they have an Earthling among them — several, actually!"

"Kara please," the oldest Danvers begged, "it is not the same."

"I'm . . . kinda tired; I just carried a plane, on my back," the blonde moved a bit away, drying her tears, grateful that her sister stepped away, albeit reluctantly. "I'm . . . gonna go, to bed."

"If only — if things were different — ugh!" Alex was clearly struggling with something, but Kara felt exhausted. She would finish the pizzas in the morning. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Worst way of being sent to bed, ever. Trying anything, would be worse.

But Alex was safe, living another day to tell Kara how to live her life, and she was okay with that, it meant her sister was safe.

Note: I also had some trouble getting that last conversation up to snuff, but I'm pretty happy with the final result of it, x3
Also, I worked hard getting those symbols up and working for you guys; you like them? x3

Don't forget: this story will be updated as I can write and as your reviews, follows and favorites come!