With an alien sister, Alex was rarely surprised, but that morning, when she came into work, she asked Winn why he was there so early. He looked her in the eyes and said he was trying to be more productive. That was a red flag, but it wasn't a big enough deal for her to be concerned about it. So when the afternoon rolled around, Alex was walking through the DEO when she stopped short. Kara landed and jogged down the stairs, waving and smiling.

"Hey, Alex. I was wondering where you were."

"I was on babysitting with the agents out near the docks. What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I leave you alone for a few hours, and you come back with a haircut and a new suit."

"Oh, this?"

"Yes, Kara. That."

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Okay, but why? What's with the change?"

"The haircut was spontaneous, but the suit was thought out for longer than an hour –

"Wow, that's a long time for you."

"- And I had Winn come in and make it this morning," Kara finished, ignoring Alex's comment. "Do you hate it?"

"I think you look great. It's just odd to see my sister look so…." she trailed off awkwardly.

"Nia said I was giving 'Daddy' vibes, but I don't know what that means."

Brainy, who had been passing them when he heard the statement, said, "Being called Daddy means-

"Do not finish that sentence," Alex interrupted.

Brainy shrugged and continued his walk. Kara folded her arms, which caused her biceps to flex dangerously, and Alex shook her head. She knew her sister had another side. The "golden retriever" attitude wasn't fake, per se, but sometimes it was exaggerated. Alex remembered when Kara hung a boy upside down by his ankles for touching Alex inappropriately. She would've dropped him had it not been for Eliza calling them for their curfew. Kara had a different type of confidence that came with being a Kryptonian.

And it wasn't like the suit was awful. It was different in the ways that mattered. It was a white long-sleeved shirt with red pants and gold boots. Her cape was shortened and was a beautiful blend of gold, red, and blue. The biggest thing that caught Alex's attention was the lack of 'S' on her chest. Kara seemed to pick up on it and tapped the center of her chest, causing a ripple effect and displaying the symbol.

"That is so cool," Alex breathed out, tapping the same spot to see it happen again. "How are people supposed to know you're Supergirl now?"

It was a teasing tone, and Kara rolled her eyes, snorting.

"Through my actions," she deadpanned.

Alex grinned. She could tell it was a better fit for Kara in more ways than one. Her sister wore an easier smile, and Alex wasn't going to take that from her.

"I love it," she said. "I promise. But I still don't think you had to cut your hair."

"Come on," Kara whined. "It's not like I'm bald!"

"You look like a 90s heartthrob. Mom's going to freak out. Has she seen you yet?"

"I've been busy."

"Yeah, busy procrastinating."

Kara huffed and pulled out her phone. Alex looked over her shoulder when something heavy fell on the floor, and the agent responsible groaned at the broken remnants of whatever he was carrying. Some of the other agents helped him pick up the pieces when it was clear Kara wasn't going to do it. Alex watched Kara blush and squint at the screen, and she snorted.

"Did you just google what Daddy meant?" she asked.

"I don't think Nia knows what that word means. I'm nothing like that!"

"Look in the mirror once or twice, okay?" Alex cringed and held up her hand. "I heard what I said, and I'm as disgusted as you are. And I'm one hundred percent positive Nia is the only one qualified to know what that word means."

"I guess. But I-

Kara stopped and tilted her head to the side.

"L-Corp," she said before shooting into the sky.

Alex heard the alarm a second later, and she turned on her heel, heading toward the control room.

"Winn! Get your ass over here!" she shouted.

Kara barely remembered to slow her descent but managed to avoid leaving a crater on the balcony. Lena wasn't too pleased the first time it happened, and Kara had to dip into her savings account to pay off some of it. She glanced at the broken glass around her and put her hands on her hips, wondering if she was going to get blamed for it.

"Shit, it's Supergirl!"

Kara spun around as if she were looking for herself, and she heard someone snicker under their breath. When she turned back, Sam and Jess were held hostage at gunpoint. Kara stepped over the glass and entered the office. The three would-be assassins seemed shocked at Kara's arrival.

"I usually don't do this, but if you guys want to do it my way, we can avoid -

Kara caught the bullet before it hit her forehead, and she scowled.

"Rude."

Kara flicked the bullet at the guy that shot her, hitting him in the leg. He shouted and went down, dropping his gun and watching it slide across the floor. The other two looked at one another and started shooting at Kara. The bullets were more of a nuisance than anything, and she blew a strand of hair from her face after the clips emptied.

"Are you guys done?"

The two men shared another look before taking off for the exit, and Kara clicked her teeth.

"Why do you guys always run?"

Kara caught up with the two men before they even made it to the elevator. She dragged them back into the office and knocked their heads together as softly as possible. They were unconscious when she propped them against the wall, and after a brief hesitation, put her fingers against their necks. They were still breathing and, Kara moved away from them just as she heard the DEO burst into the lobby downstairs.

Kara clicked her teeth and looked over her shoulder when she heard the injured gunman crawling his way toward the balcony. She shook her head and walked behind him. She didn't even know where he would go. They were almost thirty floors off the ground. Kara picked him up by his shirt and dangled him off the ground.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt your poor excuse of an escape attempt, but I'm trying to save you from further embarrassment." Kara flicked some glass off his jacket and smiled. "If you answer my question, I will put in a good word for you and get you a cell that has air conditioning. And seeing as this is the second time this week someone has attempted to kill Miss Luthor, all I want to know is who sent you?" she asked.

The guy spat in Kara's face, and she used his jacket to wipe it off. The DEO was storming up the stairs, and Kara smirked.

"At least I tried the diplomatic option first. Maybe some fresh air will help change your mind," she said.

The door opened just as Kara tossed the gunman out of the open window and off the balcony. His screams echoed in the room, and Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, at the forefront of the group.

"Will you please go get him?" she sighed heavily.

Kara smiled and floated out to the balcony, and she threw herself lazily off the edge. She fell through the sky and grabbed the gunman when they passed the fifth floor. She changed directions so suddenly and so hard that she accidentally choked him with his jacket. He coughed and wheezed as Kara dropped him on the office floor, and he curled in the fetal position. When she looked up, she realized that Alex, Sam, and Jess were the only ones left. The other DEO agents and gunmen were gone, and Kara relaxed just a little. She grinned cheekily at Alex, who rolled her eyes.

"Thank you," Alex said flatly.

"Of course, Agent Danvers."

Sam and Jess were 'secretly' recording. Kara didn't care, seeing as they weren't the type to post it online, but she looked down when the gunman unfurled from his position and glared at Kara.

"You can't do that!" he shouted.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Supers aren't supposed to kill humans," he exclaimed.

"Yeah, which is why you are still alive," Kara said slowly.

"Superman would never –

Kara picked him up and slammed him against the wall. She looked him in the eyes. "That is because I am not Superman. You are a criminal, and you were here to kill someone. Why should I show you the respect you think you deserve?" she dragged him close and whispered in his ear, "So either answer my question, or I throw you off and see if your precious Superman catches you. Who sent you?"

The gunman shook in her arms and stammered out, "L-Lex. P-please, don't kill me."

"Kill you? Gross. But you can forget about the air-conditioned prison cell."

Alex came up behind her and dangled the handcuffs in the man's face. Kara grinned and passed him off, and Alex took great pleasure in forcing him to limp out of the office. Sam gave Jess the phone to keep recording, and she walked over to Kara. She looked at her for a moment before poking Kara in the center of her forehead repeatedly.

"What are you doing?" Kara asked.

"Trying to find the off button."

Kara snorted and smacked her hands down.

"I'm not acting any differently."

"Tell that to your haircut, River Phoenix. I can't believe the glasses and ponytail work."

"People see what they want to see."

"Fair enough. Lena is downstairs in the lab, by the way."

"Is she building a death ray to kill everyone?"

"No, that's her Wednesday project."

"I see. Well, tell her I said hello. She has once again avoided becoming a martyr for Lex's insanity."

"Am I saying it's from you or the other you?" Sam asked dryly.

"I'm the same person, Miss Arias." Kara turned to Jess and waved sarcastically at the camera. "I still expect you to chase me when I attempt to enter her office without an appointment," she said.

"I'll be wearing my Kryptonite shoes to give me an advantage," Jess deadpanned.

Kara laughed and walked toward the balcony. She heard a familiar heartbeat coming up the stairs and didn't want to make things more awkward. She hovered in the sky for a minute, listening to the city, and she sighed when she heard the sound she'd been dreading.

Kieran entered her office, and Sam and Jess turned around. She groaned in annoyance and rested her head on the door.

"I swear I spend more money on fixing my office than I do fixing the world."

"Your future baby Daddy was here. She looks pretty damn good in person."

Jess nodded in agreement, and Kieran huffed as she made her way to her desk.

"Why do I put up with you? Either of you?"

"Because you love us."

Kieran picked up her tablet and said to Jess, "I will give you a raise if you break up with her."

"Ruby would miss me."

"Hey!"

"What? She would."

Sam pouted until Jess kissed her on the cheek. Kieran cleared her throat and pointed outside.

"I pay you to work, not flirt with my best friend."

"You pay me to do both, but if you want the video of Supergirl, it will be in your private folder."

"I'm not going to want it. Go. I'm sure there's a file to sort or something," she grumbled.

Jess rolled her eyes, and Sam snickered and blew Jess a kiss as the woman left the room. When she was gone, Sam folded her arms and waited. Kieran huffed and looked up.

"How did she look?"

"She might shake up your emotionless demeanor if you see her."

"I have emotions," Kieran argued.

"You're an android with a poor sleep schedule and a dependence on red wine."

"Am not!"

"I've seen your wine cellar, and I have an entire folder dedicated to your three a.m. emails."

"Fuck off."

"Love you too."

Kara landed in the DEO and did an about-turn toward the meeting room when she heard J'onn and Winn in that direction. DEO agents moved out of her way with Clark fuming silently behind her. Kara walked into the room to find not only J'onn and Winn in the room, but James, Brainy, and Nia too. Alex must've still been riding back with the gunmen.

"I demand that you put it back."

Kara spun to face Clark and said, "Excuse me?"

"We wear the symbol of our House for a reason. We are a symbol of hope-

"Spare me the speech as I have heard it before. Hell, I even gave it a few times, remember?"

Clark rose to his full height, but Kara wasn't fazed.

"You are dishonoring our family by removing that symbol," he accused.

"The symbol is still here. And you're one to talk seeing as you embarrass our family by wearing it."

"I am just as much of the House of El as you are!"

"You cannot even speak our native tongue."

"I was an infant when I left Krypton!" he shouted. "It is not fair to put an entire culture on my back!"

"No, how rude of me," she said flatly. "But thank you for proving my point. Tell me, Kal-El. Who is Superman, if not a survivor of Krypton? Who is the Man of Steel, if not an alien from a planet that no longer exists? Who is Superman when he does not wear the suit? Is he still that alien? Or is he an alien pretending to be human, so the populace won't notice that without the suit, Superman is nothing more than a little boy playing dress-up!"

Clark stepped back in shock and hurt. Kara tapped her suit, and the symbol flared to life.

"The meaning of our House rests in our hearts, not on a piece of fabric," she said. "I do not need to wear it as a symbol. I am the symbol. I represent our House every second of every day, and I honor it more than you ever did. I landed on a strange planet after our home was destroyed, but I expected the last of my family to take me in and take care of me. He gave me away instead. On top of that, what was the statement you whispered under your breath because you assumed I was too overwhelmed to hear you?"

Clark's face fell, and Kara clenched her fists.

"You are not my keeper, yet you have pushed me to be human so that I fit in. You made me want to be you because you never gave me a chance to be anything but you. I was never meant to be human! The only good thing you ever did for me was to put me with the Danvers. They let me make mistakes and taught me what it meant to be loved unconditionally. They have proven to be more worthy of that crest than you ever have. So, you don't get to make demands of me when you couldn't protect me when I needed you the most. I watched our planet die. And I was lost in darkness for decades while you were down here playing Farmer John. How dare you stand here and accuse me of being anything less than what I am? I am Kara Zor-El, a survivor of Krypton and the daughter of Zor-El and Alura Zor-El. Do not dare question me over the very thing that I am because I changed my suit.

"You might be blood, but you have never treated me like family. All you did was try to change me and tell me what I needed to do to fit in like you, and I will always remember that. The lessons you taught me were valuable, yes, but they were as empty as your promise to be there for me when I needed you the most. Now, get the fuck out of my city."

Clark was gone before she ever finished. Kara's vision blurred, and she shot out of the room in the opposite direction. She flew blindly, letting her emotions take her to Midvale, and she nearly crashed into her childhood home. She managed to land in the backyard without causing too much damage, and Kara heard a loud roaring in her ears that grew in volume until everything went silent. She dropped to her knees, and she didn't know she was screaming until Eliza appeared in front of her. Eliza placed Kara's hand over her heart and connected their foreheads.

"Breathe, little one."

Kara took in a deep breath, and the sound returned to her as if she'd been underwater. She heard everything from the wheels of the grocery carts at the market downtown to the waves at the ocean. She listened to the planes fly overhead, the cars on the highway, and the squirrels that sprinted across the trees. But it was still too loud. Kara whined under her breath, and someone covered her ears.

"Find me," Eliza said softly.

Kara strained to hear her mother's heartbeat. Eventually, she found it, and she started relaxing. The familiar rhythm drowned out everything else. Her shoulders slumped forward, and she closed her eyes.

"Momma," she murmured.

"I know, baby. I got you now. I'll take care of you."

The last thing she felt was Eliza kissing her forehead, and the rest of the world faded away.

Kieran shuffled to the balcony after the third knock and opened the door. She reclined against the frame and smiled. Kara was half-hidden in the shadows, but it was her. The suit dematerialized as she stepped forward, revealing sweatpants and what looked to be a Pokémon hoodie. Kieran was a bit caught off guard by the hair even though she'd seen the video Jess took.

"Are you here to arrest me?"

Kara pushed off the railing and said, "Not tonight, no."

"Then, by all means, come in."

Kieran moved to the side, and Kara walked past, heading into Kieran's home. She glanced around, taking in the decorations, and she headed to the couch. Kieran locked her door and shut the blinds while Kara sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"So. What brings you to my side of town?" Kieran asked, sitting next to her.

"Many reasons, but I guess I'd like to know how long you've known?"

Kieran picked up her glass of wine that rested on the coffee table and said, "Since the day that we met. I have always known that Clark was Superman, and you mean to tell me I'm supposed to believe that he has a random cousin who shows up in town at the same time as Supergirl? I have three degrees and graduated from MIT at eighteen, Kara. Give me some credit."

"I always do, even when it seems like I'm not."

"You had me investigated because I had a small amount of Kryptonite."

"Wouldn't you have done the same thing if you were me?"

"I would have trusted you to tell me the truth if I asked why you had it. You never asked. And you gave me this big spiel about how I wasn't like my brother, how I could make a new name for myself in National City. Then you turn around and accuse me of being like Lex."

"You're right, and I owe you an apology." Kara nodded and leaned down over on her knees. Her hair fell in front of her eyes, and Kieran's fingers flexed as she stopped herself from fixing it. "You have been nothing but incredible, and I should have extended to you the same courtesy that you gave to me when you first saw me as Supergirl," she said.

"Why didn't you?"

"I was wary of you. After all, Clark trusted Lex. But I'm not Clark, and you're not Lex. We're two different people with different beliefs, goals, and expectations. It was wrong of me to put your brother's legacy on your shoulders just as it would be wrong of you to put my cousin's on mine."

"Is that why you changed your look?" Kieran asked.

"You could say I'm taking your advice."

"I've said a lot of wise things to you. You have to be more specific."

"Do try to be less humble while you're with me."

"Well, I can certainly try. But seriously, what did I say that caused this?"

"I'm an alien."

"How disappointing."

"I'm being serious, Lena."

"Kieran."

"What?"

"If we're going to have a moment, I would rather you call me Kieran."

"Noted. But I - I've spent so long attempting to be human that I was starting to lose sight of who I am. My beliefs are of another planet. My culture is not found in any history book, and that is something to be celebrated. I was hiding behind that suit, behind my cousin, and I decided to branch out on my own."

"Okay, but why the hair?"

"Not you too. I didn't just spend the last two days with my mother giving me the same speech to get it from you also."

"You've been gone two days? Who's been saving all those cats stuck in the trees?" she asked.

"Ha. Ha. I've been home with my mother. I had a system overload."

"What is that?"

"My senses get overwhelmed. It only happens when I'm past that point of anger."

"So, you're like the emotional version of the Hulk?"

Kara reclined on the couch, throwing her arm across the back, and turned to Kieran.

"You're an actual dork. Why have I never noticed that?"

"Sam says it's normal for me to be socially inept because I'm," she paused, "not from here."

"Ireland isn't that different."

Kieran's brain short-circuited for a moment before she remembered that she was supposed to be from Ireland. She smiled and said, "It depends. Has anyone told you that you look like Brad Pitt in the early-90s?"

"No, but Sam called me River Phoenix."

Kara winked, and another stray curl fell over her face. Kieran gave in and tucked it back where it belonged.

"Well, she's not wrong. The hairstyle works for you," she said.

"Nia said I looked like a Daddy."

Kieran choked a little before she responded, "I'm sure some poor teenage girl is drooling over a screenshot of you in your new suit."

"Ew, no. I don't want teenagers drooling over me."

"Then come out and say you're pro-life or a Yankees fan. That'll change your target demographic in a heartbeat. Lex lost fifty million dollars in one day when he was spotted wearing an anti-planned parenthood shirt. In his defense, he thought it was an anti-alien group."

Kara laughed and ran a hand through her hair. It was so effortless. Kara had no idea how attractive she was, or maybe she did, and she was there to torture Kieran. She tried to keep her heart from giving her away, but she could tell it wasn't working when Kara's eyes drifted down to her chest. Kieran took a sip of her wine and placed the glass back on the table.

"Well, it's clear you did a lot of cutting since we last saw one another. It suits you."

"I didn't know Luthors made puns."

"And I didn't know Supers were so sensitive."

"The dried wine on your wall that you half-heartedly cleaned is from one of your stable moments?"

"Did you come here to torment me?"

"I came to ask if we could give friendship a try."

"You want to be friends with me?"

"For now."

"There's that Jupiter ego of yours."

"I'm trying to make a habit of not lying to the people I care about."

"Wow. Is this the version of you that was hidden behind cardigans and skirts?"

"Do you miss it?"

"Ask me again tomorrow."

Kara grinned and stood up, bending down to look Kieran in the eye.

"Holding you to it."

"Goodnight, Supergirl," Kieran said softly.

"Sweet dreams," Kara paused, "Kieran."

Kara brushed her lips against Kieran's cheek and left the same way she came. And if her heart was doing a drumline before, it flatlined feeling Kara's lips on her skin. She was so screwed.