Henry wiggled around on the couch to get comfortable, but he wasn't quite there yet. It felt awkward being alone with his siblings. They were borrowing Belle's apartment while the others hung out at the house. He was nervous and secretly afraid of how to act around them. He was eleven, and they were all adults. Sort of. Henry fiddled with his blanket and sighed under his breath.

"Ready for the movie?" Kieran asked, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I am."

Bella sat beside him on the other side while Emmett relaxed on the floor and handed Bella the remote.

"What are we watching again?" Henry asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's Watchmen," Bella said distractedly, trying to find the menu screen.

"But Mom said I couldn't watch that yet."

"Your mother is a tyrant," Bella scoffed.

Before Henry could panic at the idea of doing something his mother told him not to (a true testament to how much he'd grown), Kieran added quickly, "She said it was okay."

"She did?"

"Yes, she did. We wouldn't put you in that position," she said.

"I think she's just happy we're all hanging out without any drama," Emmett added.

"Honestly, she probably would've let us watch Sex and the City-

"Bella," Kieran interrupted.

"What? He knows what sex is. Right?"

"Um. Kind of?" he said.

"Oh! Well, I didn't think I'd be the one doing this, but it all depends on if it's a man and a woman or-

Kieran reached over Henry and smacked Bella in the face with the pillow just as Emmett snatched the remote out of her hand. He started the movie without hesitation, and Henry couldn't help but laugh. He finally settled in and brought his knees to his chest as the film started, completely missing the high five Kieran gave Bella behind his head.

"Hey, Regina?" Kara asked, knocking on the door.

"You can come in, Kara," Regina said.

Kara poked her head into the study and asked, "Hi, sorry to bother you, but can I go see Em?"

"Yes? You don't have to ask me for permission," she said.

"It's - you're a little tense after the Snow White thing, so I didn't want to leave without saying anything."

Regina sighed and took off her glasses, massaging her temples.

"I admit I have been a little more hands-on with everyone than before, but I never meant to imply that you couldn't leave. I apologize if it felt that way," she said.

"Well, I couldn't leave the house by myself for almost three years," Kara said dryly. "This was less about being in the house and more about I kind of need to talk to Em about something."

"Oh, is everything okay?"

Kara shifted and said, "That's what I wanted to talk to Em about. I need some," she paused, "advice."

"And this is advice that only Em can give you?"

Kara nodded and looked down, and she heard Regina push back from her desk. Her heels were muted against the carpet as she approached Kara, and she lifted her chin with her finger. Kara's eyes watered a little, and Regina brushed the sole tear that slipped free away with her thumb.

"Of course, you can go. But tell me this. Are you okay, Kara?" she asked.

"No? Yes? I don't know. This is new territory for me in so many ways."

Regina gave her a soft smile and said, "Yes, I imagine that it is. But as I mentioned before, you do not have to ask me for permission. Em should be at the station. They gave Charlie and Killian the night off, and since Henry is being exposed to his siblings' special brand of chaos, I bet Em would love the company."

"Thanks, Regina."

"It's no problem at all. But if you could please text or call when you get there, that would be great."

Kara gave a thumbs up and backed out of the study. She vanished in an increasingly rare show of her powers, and Regina wondered if Kara was getting used to not being the hero of the story. Then she rolled her eyes and went back to her desk, wondering when her life became a self-help book for supposed fictional characters.

It was late.

Em started to regret sending Charlie and Killian home due to the amount of paperwork left behind, but it was a slow night. They signed off on the reports needed for their meeting with Sam the next morning. Still, they were bored, but they looked up in surprise when there was a knock on the door. Kara stood there, shuffling side to side, and she seemed nervous.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me put this away, and I'm all yours."

Kara slipped into the office, closing the door behind her, and Em placed the paperwork to the side. For a moment, Em remembered the literal Supergirl was in the office, and they had to catch themselves when they noticed that Kara was speaking.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Earlier, when you were talking to Snow and David, you said something I can't shake off."

"I said a lot," Em sighed.

"You said that you grew up questioning yourself every turn of the way, and now you look in the mirror and don't recognize who you are. That's what I can't get past." Em stared at Kara, curious, and the Kryptonian tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, adding, "Before all of this happened, I was going through what some might say was an identity crisis. One that was pushed to the side until you kind of," she shrugged, "brought it back."

Em sat back in the chair and knocked their knuckles against the table.

"Not too long ago, when I was living with Snow White, David, and Henry, Henry and I were trying to make it work with his biological father, Neal. I thought I was happy, and I believed what everyone said about Regina. I never stopped to think that maybe I was missing part of the story. I fought so hard to keep my family together that I gave myself tunnel vision to everything else. It all came to a head, and I discovered the truth. After that, memories I wanted to forget came back, and I spiraled. It took almost dying for me to accept that I was never meant to be a Princess or have the happy ending that Snow White wants for me."

"It's hard living up to someone else's expectations," Kara said.

"And it's harder when their expectations are all you know," Em added. "I didn't have a good experience with families the first time around. When I realized that Snow and David wanted me, I jumped into it without question. I didn't have that when I was a kid. When they started policing my clothes, my hair, my food, my decisions, and every small thing that I came across, I said it was fine because at least they care enough to care about me. But Red put things in perspective for me."

Kara seemed to pick up on the bitterness in her tone and leaned forward on the desk.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I had a bad day. It felt like all of my energy was being drained from me to keep this town running, and all I wanted was to go home. I wanted to shower, drink a little, and relax the day away. But Snow," Em paused and chuckled, "Snow had bought us these god-awful, matching lavender teddies." Kara cocked her head in confusion, and Em added, "Lingerie. She bought us matching lingerie."

"Is that normal for mothers and daughters here?"

"Not in the least," Em deadpanned. "My goal for getting through the conversation was a nice beer or two. Or four, honestly. But Snow dumped it all out. She told me that it was inappropriate for Princesses to drink. Since I had been in town long enough to figure out how things worked, she could start correcting my behavior. I was mad but I mean, I could always find a drink. It wasn't that big of a deal. I was more upset at the money I wasted. But I discovered that my beer wasn't the only thing that she threw out. She got rid of everything that I owned, things that I collected and cared about and replaced them with a bunch of shit so that I could look more like the Princess she wanted me to be. She told me how I needed to be the epitome of femininity and a bunch of fucked up shit. Looking back on it, I'm happy it happened because it opened my eyes. But back then, I was pissed."

Em ran a hand through their hair, briefly entertaining the idea of a haircut, but they clicked their teeth and focused on the present.

"Snow and David weren't anything like they made me believe. They were like everyone else. And it triggered a lot of repressed shit I'm still trying to get a hold of."

Em reached into their drawer and pulled out a book. They placed it on the table and let Kara look it over.

"The New Queer Conscience?" she asked.

"Yeah, it seems a bit silly having to buy a book on it. But sometimes I have to read things, to hear someone else's perspective, and it helps. I'm not entirely sure if this book is the worst choice or the best choice, but it's helped a little." Em smiled and added, "You can take it if you want. I kind of monopolized the conversation a little, but if you're going through what I think you're going through, then maybe this can help."

Kara slumped forward as if the weight of the world had been taken from her, and Em figured that the former hero had been holding onto the pressure of being perfect.

"My cousin made me feel like what I felt was invalid," Kara murmured. "That my thoughts and beliefs were wrong. I don't think he ever tried to see things from my point of view. I grew up on Krypton, he didn't. Most of my rules, beliefs, and thoughts come from an entirely different culture. But that was something I could make peace with. But dealing with humans?"

"A whole different story?"

"Humans can be so distracted by how other humans view them. I thought that I would never have to go through that. And then I woke up one morning, realizing that I hated who I'd become. I was Supergirl, the Girl of Steel, and I couldn't make mistakes. I had to be perfect in every way because people looked up to me. Everything I did and said became fantasized. My hair, my clothes, my words, and it felt like the real me, the version that crashed to Earth after losing everything, was gone. Nothing about me felt real anymore." Kara put the book down and rubbed the back of her neck. "Where I came from, sexuality and gender weren't things that mattered. Why would it? We couldn't afford to be bound by things like that when we were trying to keep our people alive and prosperous. But we were too proud to acknowledge our mistakes or our shortcomings. Which is why it took so long for me to accept that I've been living the life of someone else."

"In what way?"

"Don't get me wrong. I love my sister and my Mom. The Danvers saved me, but they didn't know how to handle someone like me until much, much later. For those brief years where they pushed me to be human, they forgot that I wasn't. And I've spent a long time undoing what they did." Kara sat up straight and fiddled with the ends of her hair. "I came here to confess that I don't know who I am to someone who could probably relate to how that feels," she said.

"So do it."

"What?"

"You haven't exactly said it yet."

"I don't know who I am," Kara murmured.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that."

Kara rolled her eyes but said in a louder voice, "I don't know who I am. But I think moving here was my opportunity to start over and figure it out."

"And you absolutely can," Em said. "No one knows you here. Find out who Kara is, and the rest will fall into place."

"Does this mean you're taking your own advice?"

"I have been," Em pointed out. "But it takes time to undo what I was taught."

"Fair enough."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I think that's it."

"Good. Now get out, I have work to do."

Kara laughed and stood up, grabbing the book.

"I'm going to go read this until you're ready to go," she said.

"You're staying?"

"Better than being at the house without Kieran, so yeah."

"Movie night with Henry, right. I keep forgetting. Alright then. Maybe if you're still bored you can patrol with me later."

"Sounds good."

"Oh, and Kara?" Em made a face. "You do know it's pretty insane to find out you're real?" they asked.

"Imagine how I feel about you guys."

Kara winked and left the office.

The next morning, it was like déjà vu all over again. Regina sat in the far corner booth, dressed in a cream turtleneck and gray pants, hunched over her notebook. But Granny couldn't figure out why Regina was there in the first place. It wasn't anyone's birthday, the children were safe at the mansion, and there wasn't any drama happening in town. Granny glanced at the woman from the kitchen, watching as she read the same page over and over again lost in thought. She was about to check on her when the door opened. Granny poked her head out of the window, and when she saw who it was, she figured it out. Shaking her head, Granny went about her business. In all the chaos of the last several weeks, she'd forgotten that Killian and Regina had long-standing breakfast dates. Regina barely looked up when Killian slid into the booth across from her in his uniform.

"Good morning, your Majesty," he said.

"Morning," she greeted distractedly.

"What are you working on?"

"A surprise party for my children," she murmured.

"For what?"

"As an apology."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Killian propped his chin on the table and asked, "What are you going to do about Snow?"

That time, Regina looked up from her notebook and closed it. She flexed her fingers on the table and spread them, unaware of the purple sparks jumping between each finger. Killian sat back warily as Regina's magic started flowing into the air, but once she noticed it, Regina pulled it back and put her hands in her lap.

"I have nothing planned at the moment. But one thing I do know is that she will not get her hands on my family a second time. And I doubt my children, despite my wishes, will allow her to do anything to me."

"I wager that Sheriff of yours isn't going to let their mother do anything stupid either."

"Em is not my Sheriff," Regina grumbled, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

"Say that to your face," he joked.

Regina kicked him under the table and said, "Shut up."

"Okay, okay. But we both know that Snow won't wait too long before she acts."

"Yes, Snow White is many things. Patient is not one."

"What are you thinking? Sooner or later?"

"I think that she will try to take out the perceived weakest link to get my attention," she said.

"Weak link? In our family? Highly unlikely."

Regina smiled when she heard him say 'our' family, but then her eyes widened.

"What?"

Regina scrambled out of the booth while pulling her phone from her pocket.

"Shit, Gina, what? What is it?" Killian asked, quickly following her. He stopped to grab her notebook but caught up with her easily as she sprinted to the street. Regina, even in her heels, was fast, and Killian was almost out of breath trying to keep up with her. But he managed to hear her conversation with whoever was on the phone.

"Sam!" she exclaimed. "Is Ruby with you today or at school?"

Killian's eyes widened, and whatever Sam said made Regina pick up speed. And that's when it hit him. Of course, Snow would go after the perceived weakest link. Which technically was Ruby, who would be left unprotected and assumed to be safe at school. Killian pulled out his radio.

"Sheriff, come in," he panted, nearly out of breath. "Em? Come in, it's an emergency."

Em didn't respond, but someone else did. He nearly screamed when Kara dropped down and flew beside him. He scowled at her, then remembered the situation and pointed ahead toward the school.

"Can you find Ruby inside?"

Kara nodded before shooting into the sky, and Killian yelped when he noticed that Regina had stopped running. He side-stepped her to avoid crashing into her back, and she grabbed his arm to keep him from falling over.

"I forgot we have someone with superpowers living here now," she said, barely out of breath.

"How in - the hell - do you run - in those things?" he wheezed out.

"I'm a Queen, dear. I've had to run in heels much higher," she said dryly.

Killian hunched over and willed all the oxygen back into his lungs.

"How on Earth did you pass the physical?" she laughed.

"I'm mostly – on desk – duty," he whined. "Not – actively – in public."

"Em felt bad you couldn't pass and gave you grunt work."

Killian flipped her off, and they both twisted around when Kara landed behind them.

"Rube's in her math class."

"So she's okay?"

"Yes. She's as fine as a kid can be learning fractions. Is there a reason you were looking for her?"

"We were afraid that Snow would go after her," Regina said, putting a hand over her stomach. "She's the only one that isn't capable of protecting herself daily, and with Snow employed at the school, no one would bat an eye about her taking Ruby out of class or off the campus." Regina blushed and added, "I panicked. I like Ruby, and I know how Snow can be."

"There's no such thing as being overly cautious. I can keep an eye and ear out for her."

"God, this entire situation is far beyond my control," Regina admitted. "It was much easier to pretend everything was fine when I didn't have my family here to worry about. But it was harder to be happy when they weren't. I'm trying to find that balance."

"I was the same way before people knew who I was. It was easier to be Kara Danvers knowing that my family was safer if Supergirl didn't exist. But it was very hard to ignore how much I wanted them to know Kara Zor-El. So, yeah, I get it. It can be frustrating trying to figure out how to navigate that duality."

Killian mouthed the word to himself, confused, and Regina smiled at him.

"It's like you being Captain Hook and Killian. You're two sides of the same coin, but ultimately, you're different people," she explained.

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that?"

Kara let out a soft laugh and pointed over her shoulder.

"I'll hang in the park near the school. Maybe read a book or something," she said.

"Have someone with you," Regina requested. Then she added quickly, "Someone other than Kieran. I need you to pay attention, not be distracted."

Kara laughed a little and nodded before she shot into the sky.

"I'm surprised you haven't locked Kieran in her tower with a girlfriend like that," Killian said.

"All she would do is bring it down with a flick of her wrist," she said. "And then where would I be?"

"Short one tower?"

Regina scowled at him and walked away. Killian laughed and caught up with her, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

Bella sat down on the bench beside Kara and asked, "Are we doing flying lessons today?"

"Your girlfriend made it clear I can't take you flying."

"When did you even talk to her?"

"I can hear at levels that most humans can't," Kara said, barely looking up from her book. "We were having a separate conversation while I was on the phone with you."

"That's so cool," Bella muttered. "But also a total invasion of privacy. What can you hear right now?"

Kara cocked her head and said, "I can hear Killian teasing your mother about her crush on Em at the diner, there's a car crash two blocks away that Charlie is taking care of, and I'm pretty sure Emmett just asked Tinkerbell on a date. Sam is having a meeting with the dwarves about the mines, and Jess is working out at the house. Kieran is on her way to the diner with Rosalie." Kara scrunched her face in amusement and added, "And I can hear a dog taking a shit in the woods."

Bella blinked at her, and Kara started laughing when she finally looked up. She closed her book and stretched out her legs.

"Why do you seem so surprised? I'm a literal alien."

"No, it's not that. I think it actually just hit me that I'm having a conversation with Supergirl."

"Charlie told me you were a fan."

"It was - that's not all of it," Bella said, blushing. "When I lived in London, there was this guy I used to hangout with all of the time. His name was Winn -

"You have a Winn in this world too?" Kara exclaimed.

"I do. I told the other Winn that, and he was completely creeped out. But yeah." Bella brought her knee up to her chest and played with a piece of string attached to her wrist. "Both Winn's are cool, but mine was fucking amazing. He's the one who introduced me to Supergirl and comic books. And I connected with your character, I guess, because you were an alien in a foreign world trying to decide if you wanted to fit in or stand out. I had to do the same when I came to this realm, but you chose to save the world. You chose to become a hero, and I always wondered if you had people in your life, in your comic book life, who helped you stay grounded and made sure you didn't lose faith in us. Humans can be shitty, but I kept hoping in whatever universe you were in that you had some non-shitty ones who had your back."

"I did, and I didn't. Winn was one of those people for me. And Alex, Kelly, Nia…" she trailed off. "But there were times when it didn't seem like it was enough. I wasn't the only alien in National City, but I was the one in the magazines. I was the one people called out to when they needed help, and some humans didn't like depending on an alien to save them. They hated me, and I spent some nights crying because of the mean things they would say about me. There were times I wanted to hang up the cape and let them fight their battles without me. And then I'd hear a little girl whispering in her room to me. She would tell me how cool I was and how much she wanted to be like me when she grew up, and she would fall asleep thanking me. Those were the moments I held onto because if I didn't, I'd probably hate you guys a lot more than I do."

"So you do hate us?" Bella asked.

"I hate what you can become," Kara corrected. "Greed, jealousy, pride, and envy have ruined so many relationships. I've watched them fall apart, and it makes me pity you because those are such infantile emotions to fall victim to." Kara looked down and added, "Of course, I also hate that I felt those things when I got here. The longer I stayed on Earth, the more I sympathized with you. And it's a hard battle. I fight it every day."

"No, I think I get it? I can't relate to you on that level, but I can understand."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-

"No, never apologize for that. You're allowed to have your moments." Bella looked up at the sky and sighed. "I have mine more often than you think. I struggle with people sometimes. I can't always figure them out, and I can't reveal that I need to touch them to understand what they feel. Words aren't always easy. That frustration over my inability to have normal communication with the people that I love can build up sometimes, and it can dip into this never-ending pit of rage that boils inside of me. I usually end up having to disappear for a little to calm down."

"Oh, that's right. You're an empath."

"Tactile," Bella added.

"So you just need to touch someone?"

"That's usually how it works, yes."

Kara held out her hand, expectant, and Bella grabbed Kara's hand. She was hit with an overwhelming combination of anguish, fear, hope, frustration, and anger. But Bella didn't pull away. She recognized the mixture as something she felt every day, and she nodded, mostly to herself.

"You're a complex individual," she said. "I would have never guessed you felt all of this."

"Most people don't," Kara said, squeezing Bella's hand gently before letting go. "And to answer your initial question about us being here, Regina's worried that Snow White is going to go after Ruby. This is the closest place near the school I can hang out without attracting attention. Plus, I was forbidden from asking Kieran to come with me, and you were my next choice."

"Me? Why?"

"Why not?"

Bella chuckled and was about to respond when a fox darted out of the woods. It paused briefly and looked around before running straight to Bella. She frowned and slid down to the ground, holding out her hand when it ran up to the bench. It nudged her nose, and Bella ran a hand over its head.

"Hi, there," she greeted.

The fox made some sort of chittering noise, and Bella's hand paused. And the more noise that it made, the deeper Bella's frown got, and she clenched her jaw.

"I see. Thank you for telling me," she said.

The fox nudged her again with its nose before it went back into the trees. Kara watched it all with a sense of amusement and confusion.

"It's so strange to see you do that in person."

Bella didn't answer, and Kara tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong? What did he say?"

Bella sucked in a sharp breath and took off her shoes. She stood in one fluid motion and walked into the grass. She waved her hand, and the trees in the park went still.

"I make it a point to connect with the animals of every place that I inhabit, if only for them to know they have an ally. Today, that connection proves beneficial as we would have never known that there was a fire spreading through the woods behind the school."

"Fire?" Kara repeated, getting to her feet.

"Can you not smell it?"

Kara took a deep inhale, and then she frowned.

"Yeah, now I can. It's faint though, and if I hadn't been looking for it, I would've missed it."

"Because it is in its beginning stages," Bella explained without emotion. "It is a warning, nothing more than that."

"How do you know?"

"Because I did the same thing when I was seven to scare Snow White away from the stables."

"You think it's a message to you?"

"If it is," Bella's face cleared of all emotion, and she fell to her knees, "then I will give her a response she will never forget," she growled.

Bella practically melted into the ground, and Kara spun around when the alarm from the school sounded. It echoed through the entire town, and Kara saw the smoke rising over the trees. She cursed and tracked Kieran through her heartbeat, already in the air and speeding toward the diner.

"What the hell is that?" Killian exclaimed, getting to his feet and looking out of the window. Behind him, Regina and Kieran did the same. Rosalie stayed at the table with Red, Emmett and Tinkerbell, who had found their way to the diner as well. It was incredible how most people didn't bat an eye at the new people. Then again, Granny had threatened to permanently ban anyone who asked too many questions.

"Shit! There's smoke coming from behind the school!" Killian announced, running out of the diner.

Regina was the first one after him. Granny and Red said they would close up and meet them there, even as everyone ran out of the diner and toward the school. The diner wasn't relatively busy, but the people there were upstanding members of the town, many of whom had kids. While they were leaving, Emmett took a separate turn and sprinted off, telling Rosalie at the last minute that he was going to get Sam.

"I guess I better go and get Jess," Rosalie said before running in the opposite direction.

Regina nodded, but her attention and focus was getting to the school as soon as possible. Her prayers were answered when Kara arrived, and Regina grabbed her arm.

"Take me there," she said quickly.

Kara knew she didn't have a choice and flew off with Regina. Tinkerbell, Killian, and Kieran tried to figure out what to do next.

"You all can't seriously think that Snow White set the school on fire, right?" Tinkerbell asked.

"Snow's capable of anything," Killian said darkly. "Trust me. Come on, let's get in the cruiser-

Kieran's response was lost as she stopped and noticed that the trees were still. A little too still, and her stomach turned in knots.

"Go to the school," Kieran said.. "And if my Mother asks where I am, tell her I'm in the woods."

Kieran ran off before her words registered, and Killian frowned.

"What the hell does that mean?"