"The right coffee and hot." Cat commented without looking up. "I assume a squadron of pigs will be flying through here any mo-" As she finally looked up and saw Kara she stopped speaking. After a moment she regained composure and said. "Kiera?"
"Ms Grant." Kara smiled at her.
"Where have you been?"
"It's a long, complicated and kind of boring story." Kara said.
"Hmmm." Cat said before asking. "Are you waiting for an engraved invitation?"
"Sorry?" Kara asked.
"Sit down." Cat said.
"Oh, right. Thanks."
"So when is my girl coming back?"
"Your girl?" Kara asked confused.
"Supergirl."
"Why would Supergirl be back?" Kara asked.
"Do you want to keep playing this charade?" Cat asked.
"Charade?" Kara asked.
"I know who you really are."
"I thought you said we were never to discuss your mistaken assumption again?" Kara said.
"Don't play games. I'll admit your Martian body double did fool me for a bit. But not for long. What confuses me is why you are keeping this up, especially after your sister confirmed everything."
"Alex knows you know?" Kara asked confused.
"She didn't mention it?" Cat guessed.
"No. I am pretty sure I would have remembered that." Kara said before looking at Cat and asking. "When? You never said."
"You clearly didn't want me to know. And after Myriad I owed you a great debt. If perceived ignorance was your price that was fine. So I repeat, when is Supergirl making an appearance?"
"Well it's complicated. Being Supergirl placed people I cared about in danger and I don't know if I can do that again. I'm scared of what I will loose. And I know I shouldn't be guided by fear. But right now I need to concentrate on the few, not the many."
"You have a family." Cat guessed.
"I've always had a family. But I do have a daughter now."
"Congratulations." Cat said. "And I see why you would be hesitant to return. But hiding in the shadows may not be the best way to protect her."
"I heard there were lots of heroes now." Kara said.
"Since you left, the country has become full of hapless heroes. The only real winners are insurance companies who make a fortune selling hero insurance and then never paying out on all the carnage the heroes cause."
"Hero insurance?" Kara asked.
"Fortunately for you, you stayed in front of the wave and no one held you accountable for all the Supergirl shaped holes in buildings. The new crop are less lucky." Cat explained before asking. "So why are you here?"
"I-" Kara started before seeing the time. "Shoot, I have to go. Thank you." She said rushing out of the office.
-00-
"Hero insurance?" Kara asked when she saw Alex.
"What?" Alex asked lost.
"Heroes have to take out insurance?"
"It's an expensive business." Alex said.
"Didn't this happen in a movie?" Kara asked.
"Probably." Alex shrugged unsympathetically. "I thought you weren't coming back as Supergirl, so why does it matter?"
"I don't know. It just feels wrong."
"Wrong that someone pays for the damage caused by untrained vigilantes?" Alex asked.
"They're heroes."
"They have the option of working for the police or fire service or the DEO. If they do they are covered." Alex pointed out.
"Still seems wrong." Kara complained before asking. "Why didn't you tell me Cat knew?"
"Knew?" Alex asked lost.
"That I am Supergirl."
"How do you know that?"
"She told me."
"You saw her?" Alex asked lost.
"Yes, that is how I know about hero insurance. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think you'd actually see her. I mean I was joking about being her assistant." Alex said.
"That wasn't why I went to see her. Anything else I should know?"
"No." Alex said, although the answer sounded like a question.
"Then where are the kids?"
"Gone out for a study session."
"They can't do that here?"
"The hot chocolate is better in NooNan's." Alex shrugged.
"So I am surplus to requirements." Kara said.
"Welcome to my world." Alex said. "If it weren't for my wallet I doubt they would spend anytime with me."
"You okay? You look tired."
"Work is just...it doesn't matter. It's fine."
"It doesn't sound fine." Kara pressed.
"There's just lots happening. It is nothing for you to worry about." Alex assured her as the doorbell rang.
"Is it true?" Lena asked when Alex opened the door.
"Yes." Alex said stepping to one side and letting Lena into the house.
"Hi." Kara greeted from a few feet away.
"You're alive." Lena said to Kara before hugging her.
"I am." Kara smiled into the hug.
"I am so sorry for what Lex did." Lena said.
"That's not your fault." Kara replied.
"Where have you been? When did you get back? Are you staying?" Lena pressed.
"It's complicated." Kara said just as Alex's phone buzzed.
"I've got to go." Alex said.
"Where?" Kara asked.
"Work. I'll be back soon." Alex explained as she left.
"I can't believe you are actually here. After Lex confessed what he did we worked so hard to find out where you were sent, but there was no way to reverse engineer it. I am so sorry."
"It wasn't your fault." Kara assured her. "But thank you for trying. Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Do you still work with the DEO?" Kara asked Lena.
"Occasionally. Why?" Lena replied, surprised by the question.
"How bad is it?"
"Is what?"
"Whatever Alex is stressing about."
"She hasn't told you?" Lena asked surprised.
"No. So how bad is it?"
"Bad." Lena sighed.
"Is it something I can help with?"
"Honestly, I don't know." Lena said as the door opened and the teenagers walked in.
"Aunt Lena!" The younger Kara said before hugging her.
"Hello Kara." She smiled before noticing an extra teenager.
"This is my daughter Alex." Kara explained.
"Alex, this is Lena." Kara explained to her daughter.
"Nice meeting you." Lena said before asking. "So now there are two Karas and two Alexes?"
"Yes. I suggested they got renamed, or numbered them, but I was outvoted." MJ replied. He then looked around and asked. "Where's mom?"
"You really have to ask?" His sister shot back.
"Guess not." He replied dejectedly.
"She'll be back soon." Kara said.
"Well seeing we are unsupervised why don't we do something fun?" Lena asked.
"Like what?" MJ asked.
"You ask too many questions." Lena pointed out.
"So there is no plan?" MJ guessed.
"I have missed these exchanges." Lena said before noticing the books they were carrying. "Why are you studying? School hasn't started yet."
"We are helping Alex get up to speed." The younger Kara explained.
"Is it hard?" Lena asked Kara's daughter.
"No. Boring. I already know four languages, why do I have to learn another?" Alex asked.
"Firstly, your english needs a lot of work." Kara said patiently. "Secondly the other three languages you speak aren't going to help on Earth."
"So you taught me the wrong things?" Alex asked.
"You're right. I was clearly too easy on you before, so from now on I will make sure you work much harder." Kara shot back earning an eyeroll form her daughter. She then softened her tone and asked. "You want to help people right?"
"Yes."
"To do that you need to be able to communicate with them."
"Fine, I will keep working." She said before leaving the room with her cousins.
"Your negotiation skills have got better." Lena commented.
"Something tells me they won't be enough, at least for long." Kara countered.
"How old is she?"
"Fourteen." Kara said.
"Then yes, you will probably need to up your game." Lena smiled.
"How about you? Do you have a family?" Kara asked.
"No." Lena said. "I, or my name, or my insane family, deters most people. Those it doesn't is normally because they have an ulterior motive."
"I'm sorry." Kara said.
"It's fine. Besides Alex, Kara and MJ have made me feel like family and the best part is when Kara and MJ get difficult I can just hand them back."
"Alex told me how you were there for her after Kelly. Thank you."
"Well, nothing I did felt enough, but I am glad I could help." Lena said. "But what about you? Where have you been? Why are you back now? Are you staying? Actually why not meet for lunch tomorrow and tell me everything?"
"Do you have time? I mean I thought you were meant to be on a trip in Europe."
"That didn't seem important after Alex told me you were back." Lena said. "So I flew back and for the next few weeks at least I will be in the city."
"Is that okay?" Kara asked.
"I'm still the boss, so it is not like I can be fired." Lena shrugged.
"Then yes I would love to meet for lunch tomorrow." Kara said as the front door opened again.
Sniffing Kara asked. "Are they potstickers?"
"Is Super sniffing a new power?" Lena asked as Alex walked into the room carrying bags of takeout.
"You're back." Kara said.
"I just needed to sign something." Alex shrugged. "I stopped off to get dinner on the way back."
"I have missed these so much." Kara said taking a bag off Alex.
"Kids, food." Alex yelled upstairs.
Moments later three hungry teenagers crashed into the room.
"You're back." MJ said.
"I said I would be home this evening." Alex replied as her namesake asked, while pointing to the food.
"What is that?"
"Okay, this the best food in the galaxy." Kara said as her daughter looked suspiciously at the food.
"It doesn't look it." She said.
"Ignore the looks." Kara instructed. "Just eat this."
"What is it?"
"A potsticker." Kara explained. Staring suspiciously at her mother she took the potsticker and ate it.
"That does not taste healthy." Alex said.
"I know. It's great right?" Kara said.
"No." Her daughter replied.
"Are you sure she's yours?" The older Alex asked.
"Her palette just isn't trained for Earth food yet." Kara said.
"It is." Her daughter replied. "These are not good."
For a second Kara said nothing, too shocked to speak. Finally she said. "Well, I guess that just means there is more for me." With that she grabbed another potsticker and wolfed it down.