Chapter Text
~There was a time when I was alone.
It’s dark and the wind howls in her ears as she listens to the city beneath her. Lost in the sound of the moving traffic, the rapid heartbeat of people moving from A to B, she can hear the white noise of the televisions in the small apartments around the city, the sound of nonsensical chatter and the faint static of car horns, the peal of sirens from ambulances or police.
Hearing the steady beat of her sister's heart across town brings her peace. A burst of soft laughter and a giggle from Ruby tells her Alex is with Sam. The thought of her sister's happiness and the fact that she finally has the life she has always wanted, tugs a small smile to her lips. She's distracted by a faint thump elsewhere, J'onn and M'gann, both hearts steady and as one while they pray. But it's the steady and strong heartbeat that sits in solitude at her desk in the stark office, late at night that lures her. Kara unconsciously drifts, moving closer to the thing that has drawn her in since their first meeting three years ago.
The heartbeat is a lullaby Kara has often fallen asleep to. It's soft and calming, and feels like home. The soft click of the keys beneath the pads of Lena's fingertips and the faint sound of her tugging on her lower lip let Kara know she's concentrating. It's all so familiar. Familiar in a way that makes everything on Earth feel even more like her home, where she should be. It had all become familiar, familiar to her in a way that brought comfort or it should be. But it wasn’t perfect.
She was alone and destined to be forever, Kara had concluded. Mon-El hadn’t stayed, even if he wanted to. She knew deep down he had responsibilities to the future, a future he had made for himself. The future they had once planned on a napkin in Al’s bar. He had gone and done what they had strived to do. And Kara was here. Alone. Barely managing to hold on to the warmth that humanity brought her. Reign had brought terror to them. She had reminded Kara of the horrors of her home, horrors her mother had shielded her from. The horrors her own family brought to her people. It made Kara question what horrors she had brought to Earth. What had she inflicted on this world?
"Supergirl?"
Winn's voice rips through her thoughts like a gunshot and her eyes snap open as she scans around the skyline. "Supergirl, we have an unidentified aircraft incoming."
Kara doesn't hesitate, flying as Winn issues directions. Then she sees it. A ball of fire falling from the atmosphere. Kara flies to it and as she approaches, she can feel the heat radiating from the burning metal. Gripping the metal of the pod, Kara tries to control the crashing shuttle. Her hands balled into fists against the metal as she tries to fly against it, but gravity works against her. She has to try and control the descent, but it’s too fast, there’s too much momentum behind it. All she can do is guide it. Guide it away from the city, away from her family.
She battles with the ship, the metal groaning against her strength and even Kara knows she can’t control it properly without it hurting someone. She spots a field off to her right, and she careens her body in its direction.
As soon as she sets it down in a bare field, her heart stops. Her veins fill with ice as she takes in the familiar details. The coloured decoration beneath the charred hull. It's a Daxamite ship, one she had seen a countless number of times before. Ones that had been ingrained in her mind from a year ago. Walking around the ship, her posture is tall and her jaw set as she prepares to battle whatever comes from within. The door opens with a belated hiss as a familiar armoured soldier stumbles from within.
"Kara Zor El," He wheezes. Over his face is a mask that she's unfamiliar with. She takes a menacing step forward.
"Daxamites are banished from this planet. Leave before the atmosphere kills you," Kara orders, her hands on hips as she scowls at the soldier. She gestures pointedly back at the ship.
"I am aware, but I come with a grave request," He says, pointing to the pod. "The cargo within, it's precious. Please, Lady Zor-El, it must be given to the best of the human kind. The queen she had intended-" He wheezes into a heavy coughing fit that has Kara rushing to his side. He crumbles against her, his heavy breathing drawing her brows deeply together.
"I don't understand," Kara begins to protest, but a silencing hand is placed on her shoulder. “The queen is dead.”
He gives a failed shake of his head. “Queen Rhea escaped.”
Kara’s brow furrows into a deep crevice as she takes in his words. She had seen Rhea die… No , she had seen Rhea fall to the ground, watched as her skin turned grey. Kara had turned away and helped Mon-El. Helped him with the atmosphere. To save him.
"You must swear to me on Rao, Kara Zor El, swear to me on all the gods you will protect it." His voice is strained, his mask no longer protecting him from the lead as he doubles over, and Kara can only hold him as he tries to regulate his breathing.
"I don't-"
"Swear it," He begs, and Kara’s head moves quickly as she tries to hold him as he struggles to stay on his feet. She can hear his heart slowing down as his lungs strain.
"I swear, I swear," Kara whispers. "Please let me help you."
But the Daxamite shakes his head solemnly, "I am to be with the gods, Zor El. Take care of it, do not let them find it."
With a final gasp, he slumps to the floor and Kara watches as he turns to the greying ash.
"Vashan Morgul," Kara whispers, as she looks to the stars. She closes her eyes for a moment. Recalling all the death, the destruction on her hands. Kelly, Non, Joe, thousands of Daxamite soldiers. She had caused the death of so many. Their faces flash in her mind late at night.
"Kara? Kara, come in?” Alex’s voice fills her ears, and it pulls her from the memories that plague her. She blinks back the tears as she turns to the ship. “What's going on?"
"It's a Daxamite ship," Kara mutters, as she looks around the shuttle. It's small like an escape pod. Similar to the ones on Krypton, but the design is clearly Daxamite.
“Kara,” Alex’s voice is warning, and Kara can hear the trepidation in the tone as she steps slowly around the shuttle. The Daxamites had left, never to return, even Rhea had gone with no option to return. Why now? What was this? A ploy? Some kind of plot to get her to lower her guard? Kara steps slowly into the small shuttle and looks around, it’s bare and not fit for long distance. The shuttle only has two scraps of travel cloaks and she frowns as she lifts one. The request of the Daxamite soldier filled her. As she does, Alex’s voice fills her comms. “Be careful.”
Kara nods distractedly, as a small cooing noise makes her turn and her eyebrows hit her hairline. “Hey, Alex, you better get down here.”
“What? Why? What happened?” Alex’s questions rattle off with familiar worry and Kara isn’t sure how she can explain this as she steps close to the noise.
"It's a baby, Alex."
Kara sits curled on the floor as she sits across from the baby. He wasn’t like a newborn, Kara thinks, it’s older. A small thicket of chestnut hair on its head. It was chubby, Kara thought, as she cocked her head slightly to the side. She didn't have much experience with babies or children really… Looking after an 8 year old for the Quintons didn’t really count. It gurgled at her, reaching out from its strange contraption the soldier had strapped it into.
"I can't let you out yet," Kara tells it as it strains towards her. Kara glances at her watch with a sigh. Alex needs to hurry up . It lets out a babbled jumble of noises that has Kara sitting back slightly. It tugs on the straps and Kara glances around the shuttle. There was nothing that looked suitable for a baby. Let alone a Daxamite baby.
A screech of tyres makes Kara sigh with relief as she stands up, walking out the shuttle to greet her sister. "Are you serious?" Alex asks for the fifth time and Kara nods. "A baby? That was the precious cargo the soldier spoke about?"
"100%."
Alex shakes her head, following Kara into the ship. "I didn't touch it in case I hurt it."
"It's a baby, Kara," Alex says with an amused smile.
"I could break it so easily," Kara whispers sickly to herself. It's not meant to be heard, one of those thoughts she should contain within her mind. But Alex hears and Kara doesn't miss Alex's roll of her eyes. Alex crouches, dropping her medical bag as she examines the baby.
"Hi there," Alex says with a smile that the baby matches. It makes Kara curl her nose because it didn't react like that to her. Alex examines the baby, checking its eyes, ears before pricking its finger. The needle strains slightly, but a drop of red blood appears and Alex sighs before she swabs its mouth with a great deal of protest from the baby. As soon as Alex examines the swab in whatever latest testing machine Winn had made for her, she begins unclipping the baby.
"What're you doing? The air," Kara protests quickly, moving to block her sister's way, and Alex sighs heavily.
"I checked their DNA for reactivity to lead, it's fine," Alex says, but Kara doesn't move from the door. "Fine, I'll put an oxygen mask on him, will that make you feel better?"
Kara pauses for a moment before nodding in agreement. The soldier’s begging from his dying breath still filled her mind. Alex retrieves a portable O2 mask from her bag and places it over the baby's face. Kara isn't prepared for the screaming or the crying that emits from the baby.
"This is why I didn't want to do this," Alex calls over the noise. Kara tries to give an apologetic smile but her sister only leads them from the shuttle. It’s loud, so loud Kara has to plug her fingers in her ears.
After a brief exchange on a plan, one that involved Alex taking the baby back to the DEO and Kara flying the shuttle there, they parted ways, reconvening at the DEO. As soon as Kara lands she searches for Alex, finding her sister in the med bay with Winn. The two are standing, observing the baby curiously.
"What is it?" Kara asks, as soon as she's through the door.
"Well, Winn and I ran some tests while you were dealing with the ship and... Well," Alex glances at Winn who is shifting from foot to foot.
It had been a long road: Winn had almost left for the future and gone back with Mon-El, but he had stayed, for the love of his friends. He had shrugged it off, something about Brainy's IQ would mess it all up anyway. They had come out a stronger team, Alex as Director while J’onn learned the Martian ways. Winn and Kara helped as best as they could. The Superfriends did what they did best.
"What did the Daxamite say exactly?" Winn asks, looking between the Danvers sisters. Kara's brow furrows as she glances at the baby who was in the pen beside them, crawling around to its heart's content. Kara recites the conversation, her unease growing at their nerves.
"It had to be given to the best of humankind," Winn repeats as he paces. He’s doing that thing where Kara can see the nerves escalating. He runs his hands through his short hair, glancing erratically around.
"You guys are worrying me. What is going on?" Kara snaps, as Alex looks away.
"Ok," Alex sighs, gesturing for Kara to sit. Kara complies and Alex matches her.
"I just want to prefix all of this by saying that we don't know how or why this has happened but," Alex glances at Winn, he gives a small nod as he chews his nail. "We ran DNA tests and the baby is, uh, it's a boy." Kara can hear how nervous Alex is from the faint tremble in her voice. "So that's some information."
"But?" Kara prompts, and Alex swallows loudly glancing back at Winn who is now finding the pipettes very interesting.
"Well, it seems like he's half-Daxamite, half-human," Alex says slowly, as if waiting for Kara to explode.
But, Kara scoffs, "So, why are you worried about telling me that? Alex, so some Daxamite soldier got a human pregnant. Big deal. These things happen all the time?"
"It's not just any Daxamite, Kara," Winn whispers, looking up at her solemnly as Alex stands.
"He's Mon-El’s son," Alex says, looking down at the baby.
Kara's world spins as she blinks back the black spots filling her vision. He had cheated on her. Of course he had . It isn't surprising, really.
Kara tries to rationalise the pain blooming in her chest. Eve, Kara thinks. It was likely Eve's baby, hidden away, but it had come from Daxam. It didn't make sense. None of it made logical sense and the world was logical. Kryptonians followed logic. Logic was reliable. Rao entrusted them with logic.
"I-I don't understand how this is possible," Kara whispers, her head in her hands as she tries to think through the possibilities.
"It's not all," Winn says, stepping forward. "As a precaution, the DEO keeps files of people likely to harm you. Most of the time its aliens in custody but-"
"But, there's one family we keep as a precaution," Alex adds, and Kara can hear the shake in her voice again.
"What?" Kara asks, squinting up at them. "What do they have to-" Kara stops. Her mind is catching up as reality sinks in. "No. No, no, no."
"I'm so sorry, Kara," Winn says, looking up at her, her blue eyes fixated on the small chestnut haired baby in the crib in front of them. Familiar green eyes staring back at her.
"He's the child of Mon-El and Lena Luthor."
Well here we are again, thank you for joining me on this wild ride we're about to take.
A huge, massive, thank you to my emotional support and writing friends, from concept to betaing. A massive thank you to SLKassidy, Red-Cape-Morgana and ValkyrieNine.
As ever I appreciate your feedback so feel free to drop a comment or come shout at me on Tumblr.