After her conversation with Kieran, Kara hadn't heard from her or seen her for the next week. Kara flew to L-Corp and found Sam in the CEO's office, and Kara realized that Jess wasn't the only one who kept Kieran's secrets close to heart. Sam was an impenetrable force, and that was not something the Girl of Steel was accustomed to. She went to Kieran's apartment after, and it'd been cleared out. Kara panicked. Did Kieran leave? Sam gave Kara nothing to work with initially, but she reassured her that Kieran was still in National City. The relief Kara felt was short-lived as Lois once again called her. Her outburst with Kal-El had gotten the Kent's and Lois' attention, and they'd been blowing up Kara's phone, threatening to come to National City in person, but there was no point.

Kara would do the superhero thing her way, not his, and it made no sense for anyone to mediate anything. Alex, J'onn, and Eliza were on her side, and that was all that mattered. Plus, Kara had bigger things to worry about. It did seem like more people struggled to accept the new her. Everything was chaotic and frustrating, and Kara was stuck at CatCo in a wig because Kara Danvers and Supergirl couldn't show up at the same time with a new hairstyle. Alex gave Kara a knowing look when J'onn handed her the wig, a smug 'You deserve this' on the tip of her sister's tongue. And Kara wore the wig with a type of pettiness only a younger sibling could pull off.

Regardless, Kara made a mental countdown. If she hadn't heard from or seen Kieran before the weekend, then she would break Jess and Sam down until she got answers. Until then, Kara had to suck it up and focus on the life-changing decision before her. Cheetos? Or Ruffles? Kara grabbed the wrong wallet that morning, and her choice was limited to whatever a dollar could buy her after she begged Nia to spot her four quarters. She scratched the back of her neck where the wig pressed into her skin and squinted at the two chips. Both were her favorite, but she could only get one.

There was an underlying theme of choice in Kara's life that she wasn't interested in delving into.

"We need to talk."

Kara glanced at James through the reflection of the vending machine, and she said, "Once upon a time, seeing you made my day. What do you want?"

"What's going on with you? First, you go off on Clark, and now, you're best friends with a Luthor?"

"I would recommend you stay out of family business, Jimmy. Being Clark's best friend does not give you the right to know every last detail about the House of El," Kara said.

"You know what? Fine. That's not why I'm here." James pulled a thick folder from his work bag and held it out. "Here. Clark gave this to me to give to you. He found it in Lex's things a few years ago and thought it was time for you to know."

"If this is about Lena –

"Kara, I'm serious. I haven't seen what was inside, but we both know Clark isn't smart enough to fabricate Lex's handiwork. And from what little Clark told me, this doesn't seem like something Lex make up. If you're going to be friends with her, then you need to the full story about the adopted Lena Luthor."

Kara stormed into Kieran's office and said to Sam, "Where is she?"

"Look, I already told you-

"Sam, this is serious. I need to know where Kieran is because her secret is about to reach the highest level of the DEO, and I will not be able to protect her once it does."

Sam leaned back in Kieran's chair and crossed her legs.

"What secret?" she asked.

"Do not bullshit me, Arias."

Sam studied her, eyes curious, and she pointed to the blank spot on the wall Kara saw several days ago. It was still lined with lead, so she couldn't see anything. Sam chuckled and reached over, picking up a paperweight. The wall slid to the side. Kara had no expectations but seeing Kieran levitating off the floor with a barrier of ice around her didn't even come close. Sam stood and left the room after one last look at Kara. The office door slammed shut, and Kara nearly jumped out of her skin when Kieran opened her eyes. Red pupils dilated then focused on Kara. The temperature in the room got so cold that Kara felt like someone injected pure ice into her veins. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as the barrier of ice was pulled into Kieran's chest.

In a literal sense.

Kara hadn't seen something like that before, and she blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Kieran lowered herself to the ground, which let Kara get a better look at her outfit. The white floor-length dress, bare feet, and the strange symbols glowing on her neck were different from what Kara was used to seeing Kieran wear. She looked like some kind of medieval witch. The gold ring on Kieran's left middle finger was the same color as the symbols, and Kieran fiddled with it as she glided across the floor toward Kara. As she got closer, Kara struggled to focus on the world around her. Her senses dulled, her body felt weak, and all she wanted to do was drop down to her knees. Kieran stopped in front of Kara and stared at her with an unsettling familiarity.

Kara felt exposed.

Like Kieran saw straight through her down to her soul and then some. Kieran lifted her palm and placed it over Kara's chest. The pressure made her stumble, and Kara nearly fell into the side of the desk. Kara was too shocked to do anything but stand there as Kieran walked back into the room, and the door closed again. The temperature returned to normal. Kara's heartbeat roared in her ears, and she was minutely aware of Sam coming up behind her.

"Satisfied?"

"Hmm?"

"I said, are you satisfied?"

"That's not the word I would use."

"I would tell you what's going on, but I doubt she wants you to know yet. As for her secret reaching the DEO, there's already a plan in place. But I'll bring it up with her when she's ready to face the world."

"Is she- like is she okay?"

"Depends on why you're asking."

"I do care about her."

After a long pause, Sam sat down and said, "You are an enigma, Kara Zor-El. A puzzle that she wants to figure out for the rest of her life for some reason."

Kara jerked in surprise.

"You know my birth name?"

"Of course. I know your address, all three of your phone numbers, your biggest fear, and your greatest weakness." Sam cocked her head and smiled. "Well, your greatest weaknesses if we include the one you hold close to your chest. I know what happened to your planet, I know who your cousin is, and I know that you will not tell anyone what you saw that day in the pod. You are a lost soul stuck on a planet that tolerates you because you have something to offer them. But whatever secret you think you know is only half the story. I'm sure Lex created some fantastical explanation that makes Kieran the bad guy or something worse. But Lex will always be the monster of that family."

Sam twirled a pen around and leaned back in the chair.

"I don't know why you're so eager to know. It goes against everything that you believe in outing Kieran as some foreign entity when you've been hiding pieces of yourself ever since you put on that suit. It would be like hiding the symbol of your House in rebellion even though you know it goes beyond Superman and all that he stands for."

Kara clenched her fists and said, "You don't know anything about me."

"No? Then tell me the reason you became a superhero."

"To save people," Kara answered.

Sam's smile was as sympathetic as much as it was pitying, and Kara hated it. She hated being exposed, and nothing hurt more than realizing an almost stranger knew her better than half the people in her life.

"Kieran is the second most important person in my life, nearly tied for first. I will die for her, and I will kill for her. Keep that in mind, Supergirl. But you should," she paused, "trust that she will come to you when she is ready," Sam said. "And one day, I hope you look in the mirror and love who you are, not the person you have been pretending to be."

Two days later, Jess adjusted the temperature of the room while Kieran flopped face down on the bed. She groaned into the pillow, more out of exhaustion than in annoyance. Moving into a different apartment that was closer to Jess was never part of the plan. But Kieran didn't anticipate portal sickness kicking up a notch when she least expected it either. After being torn apart and put back together again in the time it took for her to travel across an entire realm, Kieran was left with bouts of sickness that left her disoriented, nauseous, and fatigued. The best way to combat it was to retreat into a mental state that required nothing but silence. Hence her sudden absence from L-Corp. Her office was soundproofed with the door closed, and her private room was the same. Kieran needed that uninterrupted peace so she wasn't puking up coffee and day-old banana muffins. With all of that said, Sam hired movers while Kieran was preoccupied and purchased a less expensive but infinitely better apartment in her name. The other was in the process of being rented out to a lovely couple looking for a new start on the West Coast. Kieran wanted to be upset about it but that required energy she didn't have.

"Oh, by the way. Sam said the investors from Japan agreed to your terms."

"Thank God," Kieran whined. "I didn't have any more three a.m. meetings in me."

"I'm sure you would have found a way. Also, Morgan Edge requested-"

"No."

"You haven't even heard what I was going to say."

"Anything with him is a no," Kieran grumbled. "Always and forever."

"Noted."

Kieran and Jess both turned at the sound of someone knocking on the glass, and Kieran clicked her teeth. Of course, one thing that Kieran refused to acknowledge was the fact that Sam bought an apartment with a bedroom that just so happened to have a balcony. Seeing Supergirl floating outside of her window was no surprise, but it was a nuisance. Kara had a look on her face that promised a long and uncomfortable conversation.

"And now you know why she purchased an apartment on the top floor of the second-highest building in National City," Jess said. "At least this apartment doesn't scream single and alone."

"One, remind me to tell Sam how much I hate her. Two, I think I liked you better when you were afraid of me."

"I assure you," Jess chuckled. "I am still very much afraid of you."

"Good."

"Should I…"

"Yes, you might as well. She won't go away if I close my eyes."

Kara gave her an unimpressed look through the window, and Jess smiled as she left. Kieran lazily waved her hand at the lock, opening the window without getting up from her position. Kara didn't seem fazed by the action, which told Kieran that the dream she had of seeing Kara the other day was no dream at all. It was a test that could have and would have backfired, but Kieran wasn't afraid of the Kryptonian. Kara landed in the room and walked forward until she was standing next to the bed.

"Lena Luthor died in a plane crash on her way to New York City from Dublin," Kara said.

Kieran hummed and rolled over before pulling herself upright and leaning against the headboard.

"Someone's been digging into things she shouldn't be," she said.

"You lied to me."

"No, I didn't."

"You aren't Lena Luthor!"

"Technically, my name is Lena," she said. "The Luthor part is real too but I don't associate with my birth father's side of the family. Mostly because they all died when I was three, but still."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm answering your question."

"But I haven't asked anything yet."

"You're asking me who I am."

"And?"

"The Luthor trio – Lionel, Lillian, and Lex – are not my family by any stretch of the imagination. For me, they were a means to an end. For them, I was an excuse. They needed to be more human and show a bit of humanity that went beyond anti-alien rhetoric, and I was that person for them. We used one another until misery and loathing were the only things left. I took the position at L-Corp to undo what Lex and Lillian did and what Lionel let slide to avoid besmirching the family name any more than he had." Kieran tucked hair behind her ear and added, "Though, I am curious about how you found out."

"Clark stole one of Lex's folders, and he gave it to James, who gave it to me."

"What did the folder say?"

"That you're not Lena Luthor," Kara said, shrugging.

"Is that all?"

"All that I read, yeah."

Kieran blinked, and she asked, "You didn't read the whole thing?"

"I wanted to hear it from you. The folder caught fire somehow, and the ashes got away from me."

"You burned the folder? The entire thing?"

"No, I blinked, and it went up in flames. But yes, the folder is gone."

Kieran ran a hand over her face and started laughing.

"You are so…" she trailed off and shook her head. "Thank you," she said.

"For?"

"Whatever you did to make sure that my identity didn't get to the DEO."

"I never said that it didn't," Kara scoffed. "James didn't trust me, so he gave it to Alex too."

"Oh, how lovely," Kieran deadpanned.

"Yeah, exactly. My boss wants to talk to you."

"I am currently out of commission, but I will schedule an appointment for this weekend."

"How do we know you won't run?"

"If I could leave, Kara, I would," Kieran admitted sadly. "But I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I have no way home in a literal sense. I've been trying, but I'm stuck here."

"Here? As in National City?"

"No. Here as in this realm."

"This realm?"

Kieran gestured to the bed, and Kara sat in front of her.

"Do you recall the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves?" she asked tiredly.

"Uh, duh? I watched it all the time in high school."

"So you're a fan of Snow White?"

"No. I kind of liked the Evil Queen," Kara admitted. "I know I shouldn't, but she was hot. Well, before she became a hag and everything. I've seen every variation of the story just to see what they do with her character."

Kieran burst out laughing and said, "I'll be sure to tell her that when I see her again."

"The Evil Queen isn't…" Kara trailed off with wide eyes at the look on Kieran's face. "She's real?" she exclaimed.

"Indeed. So are Snow White, the dwarves, the Huntsman, and the entire Disney collection. The Enchanted Forest, Agrabah, and everything under the sun from the world of Walt Disney were real where I came from. I have no idea how Walt got his hand on that knowledge, but I guess that's one of the benefits of the multiverse. But, yes, the Evil Queen is real. Or as I knew her, my mother. So, to be technical, I am Princess Lena Kieran Mills of the Enchanted Forest, daughter of the Evil Queen."

"Holy shit," Kara whispered. "You're telling the truth."

"Not even I could come up with something that convoluted."

"You're an actual Princess?!"

"I am. I doubt I would have ever gotten the throne, but I'm not the Queen type anyway."

Kara made some sort of noise in the back of her throat, and Kieran arched an eyebrow.

"Would you like some tea while we talk this over?"

"I think I need something a little stronger than that to take this all in," Kara muttered.

"Well, I have alien liquor from a friend. But honestly, I never expected you to believe me."

"I wouldn't have, even with the folder, but you pushed me."

"What?"

"Today, in your office." Kara scratched the back of her head. "You pushed me," she said.

Kieran hummed and threw her legs over the bed. She stood and glanced at Kara. "I should probably tell you that while you might be the Girl of Steel, you are not the most powerful person in the city. Keep that in mind the next time you drop by my office unannounced even though Sam and Jess both told you I was unavailable to speak."

"In my defense, I wasn't expecting you to be floating in the air with weird symbols on your neck," Kara huffed.

"Even more reason for you to mind your business next time, Supergirl."

"Can I have that drink now? Because if you're going to be snarky, I need liquid courage."

Kieran snorted as she laughed, and she covered her nose. Kara gave her a cheeky grin, and she rolled her eyes.

"Come on. And please, change your clothes. I feel weird with you walking around my new apartment in the suit."

"Do you have any preferences?" Kara asked sarcastically.

Kieran followed the hallway down to the kitchen and gave Kara a sly grin.

"Not any I can say at the moment. But ask me again in a few weeks when I'm in a better mood."

"Are you flirting?"

"Not at all." Kieran looked back and added, "You will know when I'm flirting."

"Why does that scare me?"

"It should."

Sam carried an unhealthy amount of food into the apartment and dropped it off in the kitchen. She paused when she found Kara at the island in a pair of Kieran's sweatpants and a way too small t-shirt that rode up whenever Kara moved.

"Hey, thanks for picking that up for me," Kara said. "I needed to eat, and Kieran has a bunch of healthy crap in her fridge."

"You paid for it, so it's fine. And I take it Kieran picked out your clothes?" Sam said.

"No, I did."

Sam stared at her and said, "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Kara grinned and flexed for the hell of it. Sam was caught off guard by the sheer amount of muscle and inwardly admitted she saw the appeal. God, Kara could crush someone with her bare hands. Why was that so attractive? Jess smacked Sam on the back of her head as she entered the kitchen.

"Stop staring."

"Um, excuse me, she's sitting there looking like a Greek statue come to life, and I'm in the wrong?"

"Yes, because we both know she's not here for our visual enjoyment."

Kieran scoffed and came into the kitchen wearing shorts that showed off a lot of skin and a crop top. Sam narrowed her eyes and gestured between Kara and Kieran.

"I did not come here to be a part of some weird foreplay between the two of you," she said.

"Shut up. I just got out of the shower," Kieran said.

"And you couldn't put on a pair of pants? A parka?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Disgusting. Utterly disgusting."

Sam gave three-fourths of the food to Kara and passed out the other containers for her, Jess, and Kieran. The four of them sat around the island with their respective dinner, and it was an eye-opening experience to watch Kara eat. Sam propped her chin and asked a question that was bothering her.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No," Kara said. "Should I be?"

"Our conversation earlier got a little tense."

"Your words had merit."

"So you'll take my advice?"

"You didn't give me any advice!"

"I gave you plenty. You just weren't listening."

Kara flicked a green bean at Sam and went back to her food.

"Oh, by the way, Kara knows I'm a princess," Kieran said off-handedly.

"I could've told her that after college," Sam muttered.

"Sam!"

"What? You were!"

Kieran flushed red, and Jess smothered her laugh with a napkin.

"I am not a pillow princess," Kieran whined.

"That's fine if you are. I found out I'm a service top," Kara said.

Kieran visibly short-circuited, and Sam choked on her food. She sipped her water before leaning forward onto her elbows.

"How do you know what that means?" she asked.

"I don't know why people think I don't have sex," Kara chuckled awkwardly. "I have hormones just like everyone else. I've had plenty of experiences with pillow princesses, power bottoms, brats, and a little bit of – what? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"I think you broke Kieran," Jess said, reaching over and rubbing Kieran's back.

"Poor thing," Sam teased.

Kieran huffed and flicked her wrist at Sam. A pillow flew from the couch and crashed into Sam's head, and Sam barely managed to stay upright on her stool.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But look, before I forget, can Ruby stay with you on Sunday until like two? Kasey's Mom had a guy over when they got home from school, and Ruby said he gave her and Lisa the creeps. He kept staring at them, so I called Jannie and Marianne. They went and picked up the girls. Ruby is staying with Jannie and Lisa tonight. I'm taking her home tomorrow, but I have that meeting from 9-1."

"Of course, she can come over," Kieran said, her face still flushed. "We could have a movie night."

Kara suddenly tensed and tilted her head, eyes unfocused. She blinked and put down her utensils, pushing away from the island.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. There's a fire across town, and it sounds like a doozy."

"Be safe," Sam said.

"Um, you can come back, if you want?" Kieran said. "I'll be up for a little, and we can talk more."

"I'll take you up on that." Kara sped out of the room and returned in her suit. She picked up the pillow Kieran threw at Sam and placed it in Kieran's lap. "Later, princess," she said, winking.

"Fuck – shut up!"

Kieran threw the pillow at Kara's head as she laughed and left the apartment.