"How exactly are you planning on letting me go without letting me go?" Kara asks, already exasperated with her parents' antics.

Her parents shuffle their feet as they take a tentative step closer to her. Her mother speaks first but her words don't have their usual confident edge to them Kara's always heard. "Maybe you could stay and help as long as possible. You stay and help us build the device to regulate the atmosphere and then you leave. You know when all hell breaks loose, Kara. You know when to leave and we won't stop you from doing that, but we need you here to help." She hesitates before continuing. "We just want you with us for as long as we can have you, Inah."

Kara sighs heavily through her nose. Those words strike a chord deep within her. Those words are exactly what she envisioned her parents saying to her on the lonely nights on Earth when she first landed. Even beyond that, she sometimes imagines them saying those things to her, even as recently as a few days ago.

Kara doesn't want to hear it now though. Now it only serves to push her into an odd state of limbo. She wants to return to her family and get off the planet with the blueprints. She's not going to be able to process anything she's been through until she's in her loft, preferably with Lena, her comfortable mattress and peace.

"That could be really dangerous." She says instead of outwardly telling her parents that she doesn't want to spend more time with them – that their very presence is bringing her pain.

"How so? You know we will protect you from the council or anyone else who may wish to use or harm you." Kara fights the urge to step back as her father moves closer to her still, held back by Alura by their joined hands.

Kara shakes her head. "That's not it. There are two versions of me in this time, and I can't meet myself. You can't work with me on anything and also spend time with the other me. Besides, all the knowledge I have, the answers you want from me, I learned that stuff when I was a little girl. Your daughter, the one from this time, she has your answers too."

"But you're our daughter." Alura's voice cracks as she says it, her barely concealed emotions making themselves known as she wrestles with herself. "I don't...we don't want you to go."

Kara presses her lips together tightly, sucking them between her teeth and taking a sharp breath before releasing both. "I know and a large part of me wants to stay. To be with you. I can't do that though. I have to go and protect Earth. That's my home and I can't risk losing it to clutch onto one I already lost for the sake of a few extra days or weeks."

Zor-El's eyes drop down to his feet, his hair flopping down into his face. "We will not prevent you from leaving. However, we are requesting that you stay at least a few days. Please, give us that, at least."

Kara doesn't know how to overcome the overwhelming desire to give in. She can't overcome it, but she can ensure she plays this right.

"I can do a few days if you bring my friends here or let me go to them. I won't leave them behind."

"Kara, your friends are aliens. They won't be well received here," Alura argues, her voice gentle.

Kara shakes her head. "They pass for Kryptonians at a glance. As long as they keep their mouths shut, bringing them into the city shouldn't be an issue. I have spent years trying to capture the beauty of Krypton in my words as I describe it to those who mean the most to me. I would appreciate the opportunity to allow them to see it for themselves."

That's all it takes for Alura's resolve to break, although Zor-El holds out a little longer. "Kara, it's much too dangerous."

"We would stay inside and only go out when the streets are congested to mask our movements. We'll be careful, I promise. Besides, this way, it gives me a chance to see the city again with fresh eyes and you the chance to spend more time with young me when we're not in the lab." Kara has her full persuasive face on, her lips puffed up into a cute pout, her eyes shining brightly and her eyebrows pulled together just so, creating the tiniest of crinkles between them.

Once again, Alura and Zor share a silent look in which they engage in an entire conversation without a single word being spoken. It's impressive really and it makes Kara's annoyance at not knowing what they're thinking shrink by a fraction.

Their eyes shift from each other back to Kara and then, Zor's head tilts in a half-nod, one Kara has missed over the years. It always used to be reserved for when he let her have an extra dessert or when she asked to play with her friends for longer. Now it means so much more but still elicits a feeling of elation within her like no other.

"I believe we can accept that. We would like you to stay for ten more days."

"I can do three."

"Seven."

"Four."

"Five."

"Deal." Kara holds her arm out and waits for her father to outstretch his in return and grasp her forearm but it never comes.

"Six." He states instead.

Kara lets her hand drop as her eyes roll. "You just said five."

"You sabotaged a generator in one of the most important buildings on Krypton, maybe the most important one given the state of the planet." He reminds her. "Six."

Kara huffs. "Fine, six."

This time, when she stretches her arm out, it's clasped by her father's strong hand, his broad palm stretching around her forearm easily, the warmth something her body remembers even if her mind does not.

"I'm glad we're in agreement." He states, his face split into a boyish grin that shows off his youth. Back when Kara was a little girl, she always felt both of her parents were old, as every child does, but seeing them now, she can see how young they really are. Neither has reached their forties and yet their lives will soon be over, the lives they have yet to live wiped from possibility in a moment of upcoming catastrophe.

"So, what now?" Kara asks.

Alura steps forward, batting Zor-El out of the way and pulls Kara into her arms. "I'm so glad you've agreed."

Kara can't help but sink into the embrace, even after being blindsided and chased across the city by the pair of them.

Zor-El watches the pair closely, a soft warmth filling his chest, but he doesn't intrude on the moment. Instead, he waits for them to pull back before speaking again. "As much as we trust you, Kara. You have shown that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get the blueprints you desire and I think it's best we keep hold of those until the six days are over. We will return them to you at the end of the sixth day."

"No." Kara shakes her head. "I'm not agreeing to that."

Both of her parents sigh simultaneously, their patience running dry. "Kara, you're in a building surrounded by a lot of guards. We can take them by force if we have to. We would rather you hand them over and allow us to spend these next few days together in peace. We want to enjoy our time with you, not spend it at odds. We trust you, but once your friends are involved, people we don't know, we cannot be sure of anything. This is our failsafe." Her mother explains. "Please."

Kara's fingers twitch against the soft edge of her jacket. Handing over the crystals is the last thing she wants to do, and while they claim to trust her, she trusts them about as far as she can throw them, which under the red sun, Rao, isn't very far.

She doesn't exactly have a choice. That much is obvious. "How about you put them in the safe where you keep the family heirlooms? I don't know the code, but I'll still know where they are."

Zor-El's eyes narrow, trying to decipher if she's telling the truth about not knowing the code. "I will change the code after they are inside, but I agree to your terms."

"I really don't know it. However, if you want to change it, that's fine by me." Kara shrugs. She's telling the truth too; she really doesn't know the code to the safe. She does know, however, that the safe is transportable. The entire casing of the safe can be pulled out of the wall it's situated in back at the apartment. All she needs is a key, one she knows her mother keeps locked inside a tiny safe box in her bedside cabinet. If push comes to shove, she can crack the safe box open, get the key and steal the entire safe. It won't be optimal or graceful, but she can do it.

"Excellent. Now, I think we all need to have a relaxed conversation. Today has been…hectic, for the lack of a better word." Zor-El says. "I best help the team working on resetting the generator. Perhaps it's best if your mother takes you back to the accommodation and we come over there tonight, perhaps for dinner."

Kara shakes her head. "No, come later. Have dinner with your child. She'll like that."

Two sets of shoulders droop, a sign that both her parents have realized they have already prioritized something else over their young daughter. "You're right, Kara. We will have dinner with her and once we've put her to bed with a story, we shall head over to you."

"Good." Kara hums. "That sounds good."

Zor-El holds his hand out. "The crystals please."

With reluctant hands, Kara takes one of the two crystals out of her jacket. They don't know she's got two and if everything goes to crap, as it so often does, the idea of having at least something to take home and work with is better than nothing at all.

"Here."

Her mother reaches out and takes it from her before she can change her mind. She shifts the weight of it in her hands for a few long seconds as she figures out where to put it because she's got no pockets.

After an awkward moment of silence, Zor-El opens up a pocket in his robe in offering and Alura drops it inside.

"Kara, are you ready to head back to the accommodation?"

"Yes. I believe so." Pink lips curl up into an excited smile. "I can't wait to see my family's faces when I tell them they get to take a look around the city. They're going to be so happy, especially my niece."

"Your niece?" Zor-El questions, his eyes widened in shock.

"My sister's daughter, yes. Her name is Esme. She's four, nearly five years old, and the cutest little thing you've ever seen." Kara can't help but beam with pride at the thought of the little girl that is not only the most adorable person on every planet she's ever visited but also the brightest. Her excitement to learn everything she can about Krypton has been a source of great joy for Kara throughout this mission and she's not sure she could have gotten through it without that light in her life.

"I look forward to meeting this…Esme, as well as your sister. I assume this is one of your human friends, yes?"

"Her family adopted me when I first got to Earth. Her parents raised me as their own and Alex is my sister, maybe not by blood, but she is undoubtedly my sister." Kara leaves no room for arguing. "You'll get to meet Alex tonight. Esme will be in bed by then, but I'm sure you'll meet her at some point over the next few days anyway."

Zor-El nods, no smile to give in the face of the fact that he knows next to nothing about his own daughter's life, even if it is his daughter from the future. "I look forward to it, and I wish to know more about your life on Earth."

"I cannot share much, Father. I must protect the future. I will tell you what I can in any case. You can be sure of that." Despite a large part of her telling her it's a bad idea, her intuition screaming at her not to, she hugs him, wrapping her arms around his middle and setting her head against his shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Until then, inah."

Alura leads Kara out of the room after that and Kara takes one last look over her shoulder at her father. She gets a good glance at his stormy blue eyes and knows one thing. She can't trust her parents. It breaks her heart, but she can't. Her mother hides it better than her father, but now she sees it, she can't unsee it.

Kara waves at the pod as her mother flies off. She keeps her face as neutral as she can as she does so, careful not to show off any of her true feelings until she's gone.

Only once the pod is little more than the smallest of specks in the distance against the magnificent Kryptonian scenery does she drop the act and let the tension out of her shoulders. Her arms cross over her chest, a layer of protection she feels she needs after the day she's had.

Her head ducks towards the floor as she takes this moment to recentre herself. A few minutes alone in the cool breeze that's twisting its way through the open fields is exactly what she needs. Rao's blessed rays fall upon her, and with the sun's added weight on her shoulders, some of her worries leave her, lightening her load.

The experience of going to the Temple of Rao and engaging in prayer is something she's not going to forget in a hurry. She just wishes she had the opportunity to be more present during it. That visit has restored her faith in a way she never thought it could. She never truly stopped believing, but she stopped trusting. Perhaps now she can work to find her trust in Rao again. She's gotten this far, after all.

"Hey." A familiar accented lilt calls out.

"Hey," Kara responds, not turning around. She knows Lena will come to her.

"You changed your clothes." Lena acknowledges as she slides her palm into Kara's, their fingers tangling together like it's second nature. Her head falls to drop onto Kara's shoulder and her eyes look out onto the view Kara's still not torn her gaze away from.

Kara leans her head against Lena's. "It's a long story."

"You haven't had a good day then?"

"Yes and no. Mostly no but there's progress in the mission, so I suppose it's not all that bad." Kara's voice comes out quiet, barely more than a whisper to get lost in the passing wind.

Lena strains to hear her but doesn't dare ask her to repeat herself. There's an air of fragility around her, one she senses the blonde would prefer not to address. "You can tell me about it later. For now, do you want to go for a walk?"

"I would love that." Kara leans into Lena's further, fair hair mixing in with dark strands from another universe in a waterfall of entwinement.

"Want to go and get the H'Rakas? I think they'd like to stretch their legs too."

Kara smiles at that. "That sounds amazing, although I imagine they'd prefer a chance to stretch their wings rather than their legs."

"Can we do that?"

Kara sighs. "Not really but a walk still sounds incredible."

"Let's go get them then."

Lena leads the way, her hand an anchor for Kara to cling to. She doesn't press her for information or even ask a single question. Instead, she opts to allow Kara space to process whatever has happened today and leaves room for her to talk about it when she's ready.

"It's a wonder we still want to walk after all the walking we've done on this mission." Kara jokes as they approach Bolt and Swoopy, the two H'Rakas seemingly perking up and flapping their wings at them in what Kara refused to believe is anything but excitement. "Hey, guys."

"We probably want to because of all of the walking we've done. After weeks of doing it, it's a steady constant in our lives and it brings us the feeling of safety."

"Hmm, I guess so," Kara answers, her focus no longer on the conversation. It's now shifted to the excitable dragon-like creatures she definitely counts as her pets at this point. "Hold on. I just want to check something."

Lena's eyebrows scrunch in confusion, and she tracks Kara's movements as she lingers beside a large storage chest in the corner of the stables. Kara wrenches it open with a little difficulty, and Lena has to wonder whether that's because the hinges are stiff or because Kara is so drained.

"Yes!" Kara cheers to herself when she sees what's inside. "This is going to be really fun."

"That scares me, Kara. If you think something is going to be fun, I get the feeling it will be dangerous."

Kara shrugs. "Only mildly, don't worry."

Lena shakes her head, sending her hair flying wildly into the air. "What you say is mildly dangerous is very obviously going to be very dangerous."

"That's not true," Kara says as she pulls out what looks to be some kind of snowboard.

Lena's hands fall to her hips as she raises a sleek eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Well, kind of. So, we're going to attach a couple of these babies to the back of the H'Rakas and let them pull us along."

"No."

"Yes," Kara argues.

Lena takes the board out of Kara's hands. "You can do that. I'll ride the H'Raka. That way, we can still talk, deal? Wait, how did you know those would be in there?"

"Deal," Kara says for the second time that day but this time, she doesn't have to be worried about the consequences. "And I know because, unlike boring humans, Kryptonians like to have fun."

"I know that to be decidedly untrue but sure, think what you like."

With careful precision, Kara hooks up a harness to Swoopy with thick leather straps and connects one foot into the board with another strap, leaving the other free to jam into the other foot strap when she's moving.

In the meantime, Lena checks on Bolt's injuries from the leopard attack. It's truly phenomenal how quickly he's managed to heal from the ordeal. The vast majority of the cuts on his legs and wings have healed and Lena believes he's recovered to the point where he can be ridden again. However, she decides to bring him along but ride Swoopy instead so he can fully heal with no added strain, even if she weighs nothing compared to the mighty beast.

They connect the H'Rakas together so Bolt doesn't…bolt.

They set off, Kara directing them towards a field across the way from the accommodation. "So, what are the others up to?" She asks casually, happy to cling to one of the straps so she's pulled along against the dirt. It's not fun quite yet, but once they get to the sand of the next field over, it will be.

"I believe they are all just taking the break for what it is – a break. They're resting and chilling about doing next to nothing. We figured that we might have a lot to do once you got back if you managed to get the blueprints so we wanted to be ready. All of our stuff is packed up. I take it we need to unpack?" She finally asks the question.

"Yes and no," Kara says, sounding remarkably like her parents.

Lena waits for her to continue upon seeing the rest of the words balancing on the tip of Kara's tongue.

It takes her a moment to order them, but Kara spills the beans once she does. "No technology can do exactly what we need it to. There is, however, a couple that if we have both sets of blueprints, we can create something that will do the trick."

"Ok…"

"I have one set." Kara reaches into her jacket, barely keeping her balance in the process, especially since they switch over onto the sand field right as her hand jams itself into the inner pocket. "Oh, Rao. That was close." She holds up the crystal for Lena to see.

Lena holds her hand out and waits for Kara to reach up and hand it over. "I'll keep hold of this one since you're likely to fall at any moment and break it."

"I would n—" Kara slips, falling directly onto her face in the sand. "Ow."

"And there it is." Lena openly laughs as Kara peels her face out of the sand, spitting a little out of her mouth.

She slows the H'Rakas down until they come to a complete stop so Kara can catch up again. "I meant to do that."

That only makes Lena laugh harder. "You meant to eat shit in the sand?"

"Yeah, we grow crops in the sand. I was looking for a snack." Kara tries to keep her lips held in a tight line but the corners quirk up just enough to give her away.

"Come on, get up here. You can attempt to do whatever it is you were trying to do again after we've had the chance to catch up." Lena offers her a hand and thankfully, Kara doesn't kick up a fuss.

Once Kara is clinging to Lena's back, she presses her hand over the crystal that is now in Lena's pocket. "We have to keep that hidden. My parents don't know I have it."

"Your parents? Don't you mean your mom?" Lena turns to look over her shoulder but gives up when she feels the warm press of Kara's stress-lined forehead press against the back of her neck.

Kara's arms tighten around Lena's waist. "Unfortunately not. My mother decided not to take me to my father's lab to get the blueprints as she had promised. Instead, she took me back to my family's apartment in Kandor. My father was waiting there. Between them, they decided they want me to stay on Krypton."

"What?" Lena asks, a raging inferno in her eyes as she forcibly twists her body around into a position that can't be good for her body.

Kara nods wearily. "Yeah, I know. I basically had a massive fight with them in the apartment before slipping out when they weren't looking before running through the streets of Kandor to try and beat them to my father's lab. They sent guards after me so I slipped into a clothing store and traded my dress for these clothes. I also traded my mother's necklace away, but the guy was nice and gave it back to me."

"You really traded it away?"

"I didn't care so much after she was a raging bitch. I am glad I have it back now though. I probably would have regretted it."

Lena leans back into Kara's embrace, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being held as the H'Rakas march on around the perimeter of the sandy field. "I think you would have too. I'm glad you still have it."

"Me too. Anyway, my run through Kandor was helped by the fact that everyone was already heading to the Temple of Rao to pray. I ended up having to go there too but that was the best part of my day. I rejoiced in getting to reconnect with that part of myself."

"I'm glad you got to then. Will you tell me more about it tonight?"

"Of course." Kara presses a tender kiss to the side of Lena's neck, lingering there for a long second to drink in the smell that is unequivocally Lena. "I'll tell you everything in much more detail later. We've just got to keep this short because my parents are coming by later and I'm sure everyone inside wants to know what happened today too."

Lena presses herself into the exploration of Kara's lips against her neck. "Good point. Would you rather wait to tell me with everyone else?"

"I'll finish the short version."

Lena's hand comes up to tangle in soft blonde waves and her nails scrape gently against her scalp. "Ok, please continue."

"I left the temple and got to the labs. I managed to get inside. There's a bunch of space in the building's ceiling because that's where the wires and generators are stashed away so they can't be tampered with. I got up there and tampered with them."

A chuckle rumbles in Lena's chest. "Of course you did."

"I used the distraction to get into the lab without my parents seeing me because they had already gotten there before me. I managed to get two crystals while they thought I only had one. I did try to run but the guards got me. I almost got away though; it was a close one."

"Better luck next time."

Kara huffs in Lena's ear. "If there's a next time, I'm just going to let them catch me and then ask nicely for the crystals. It was a lot of effort." She readjusts her grip on Lena, her thumbs resting just beneath her breasts and caressing the skin there, edging higher and higher up. Lena just rolls her eyes at her because it's a very Kara thing for her to obsess over her boobs even after a massively emotionally and physically challenging day.

"So, what happened when they caught you?"

"My parents want me to help them build a bigger version of my artificial atmosphere project, the one I showed you and Alex back at the other accommodation. They think it could be the answer to saving Krypton."

"Kara—"

"I know. If it works, it'll change the timeline and a crap ton of things will be screwed up."

Lena brings the H'Rakas to a stop as they reach the entrance to the field. "So they're going to try and keep you here?"

Kara's head shakes from side to side unsteadily, her conflicting emotions on full display, her guard non-existent with Lena. "No, I agreed to help as long as I get the other crystal and I get to leave in six days."

"Why six days?"

"That was the shortest time period I could get them to agree to."

Lena's face scrunches up before she lets out a long, drawn-out, "ok."

Kara shrugs. "They want to spend time with me too, apparently. They're coming by after they put young me to bed. None of this matters though. I know how to get the crystal. It won't be easy but if we work together we can get it. I told them I'm going to use some of my time to show you guys around. I'm actually going to set up for a little heist."

"Why not wait for the six days to be over?"

"Because I looked into my parents' eyes and didn't recognize them. Neither of them has any intention of following through on the deal. They will never let me go without a fight."

Lena nods thoughtfully. "You know them best, Kara. We're all going to be with you no matter what you decide. If you want to call the mission here, take this one crystal home and hope it's enough, we can do that. This is all up to you."

"I'm not going home with a maybe. I'm going home with both information crystals and a guarantee that we can save everyone from Lex. I've got a plan, and as far as plans go, I'd say this is a damn good one." A devilish grin spreads across her face. "Now, I want another go of the sandboard before we head inside. I'm not going to fall this time."

"I very much doubt that."