Chapter Text
The birds sang in harmony outside the window, the sun rays enlightened the room even through the curtains. The air smelled of freshly cooked food and the love and happiness present couldn't go unnoticed by anyone who stood there. To the sleeping Kara, however, the pleasant ambiance remained unseen.
With eyelids opening as slowly as a speeding bullet, and as subtly as a crashing bomb, Kara was startled awake. Her golden hair was a mess. Her heart was beating almost at light speed. She brought a hand to her mouth, recalling the previous events.
How the hell had she gotten to her apartment? She wondered. The last thing she remembered was the crisis. Oliver dying to save them, them rewriting reality, the shadow demons, Anti-Monitor...
Rewriting reality... What could've changed? Kara quickly looked over to her bedside table and saw two portraits she had never seen before. The first was an image of her and... was that Mon-El? Her wide eyes enlarged even more. There was a child in the second photograph. A baby. Had Alex gotten a kid? Kara smiled to herself slightly, despite her shock.
She had been so focused on figuring out what had happened that she failed to notice the noises and smell from the kitchen. She turned frontward, trying as best as she could to manage a defense stance on the bed as she heard footsteps approaching.
A smiling Mon-El came joyfully towards her. Letting her instincts take over, Kara yelled loudly, shooting her heat vision mistakenly towards the living room. The previously carefree man had a horrified look on his face. His brown hair was mildly longer than what she remembered, his smile and dimples adorably giving him that boyish energy she had deeply missed. His intense eyes were exactly the same, except they looked frightened, yet in a more startled way. He had kept his beard. Kara shook the thoughts away.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized, extending her hands exasperatedly in his direction. Her face still held the same look as when she had woken up, if not even more pronounced. She sharply brushed the hair off her face, eyes squeezing with bewildered embarrassment.
"Uh... it's okay," Mon-El assured, eyebrows highly raised. "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"
"I don't know," she responded, not used to his worrying for her that way anymore. "I need some air," she stated, suddenly feeling nauseous.
The blonde super sped into her suit, and left the room as fast as she could, leaving a perplexed brunette behind.
.
The strong wind made its way into the building, announcing the superhero's arrival. Her cerulean eyes moved frantically, searching for the familiar redhead. Her stance softened when she spotted her sister, but her forehead remained wrinkled with worry.
"Hey! How are you?" Alex questioned, greeting Kara with a hug.
"Definitely confused," answered Kara. Her sister raised her brows, before narrowing her sight.
"Why? Is something wrong with Mon-El? The baby?" Kara stopped in her tracks. Her entire body was stiff, she feared what would come next.
"Baby, you say..." Kara replied, stoically.
"Yes, Kara, the baby," seeing her sister's clueless face, Alex continued, "Your daughter? 7-month-old baby? The happiest sunshine on the planet?" Kara gasped loudly.
"My... my daughter. I'm- I'm a mom?" she enquired, disbelief written all over her.
"Yes, Kara. You and Mon-El became parents a while after getting married," Alex regarded. "But you sure know that, you were there after all."
"Mon-El..." she breathed, wide eyed. "H-how?" Alex chuckled, but her eyes glistened with concern.
"I don't really feel like getting into that conversation with you now, Kara. You sure you're okay? What- what's happening?" she asked, no longer too amused. Kara was about to respond when J'onn approached them.
"Alex, may I speak with Supergirl for a while?" he questioned, voice deep and serious.
"Sure," she replied. Kara and J'onn moved to the side, Alex walked away.
"J'onn! What the hell is happening?" Kara asked, exasperated.
"Reality has been rewritten, Kara. A lot of things changed. I'm not sure what exactly, but it's happening," he explained.
"Then why do we remember, and they don't?" Kara questioned, still shocked.
"What are we that they aren't?"
"Paragons," she sighed. "What are we gonna do? J'onn I'm married! I have a baby now!" she exclaimed.
The alarms went off, followed by Alex warning them that a meta-human attack was happening.
"Alex can send a team. We can take care of that, if you want," J'onn offered.
"No, let me. I need to blow some steam," said Kara, taking off.
.
Kara arrived at the location and saw a brown-haired woman, wearing a dramatically designed outfit that only showed black, attacking two cars with a wand, shooting electrical blows.
"Hey!" said Kara, loud enough to call the meta-human's attention, who turned back and gave a wicked smile.
"Look who came to join the fun!" she voiced, smugly.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" asked Kara, letting her hands fall to her sides. The brunette's smirk faded, turning into confusion.
"Weather witch?" the meta stated, questioningly. "And you are no match to my power," she threatened, launching thunderbolts into the sky. Kara rubbed her forehead, showing disdain and lack of energy to join the fight.
"I'm having... a not so great day, which is actually your bad luck," Kara pointed out, uninterested.
Suddenly, another lightning could be seen circling the witch, but this one was yellow and red, resembling sun rays. The supposed lightning took the threat down, throwing her harshly upward and making her crash onto the ground. The red blur revealed itself as a red suited, hyper fast, wind knocking superhero. The flash, otherwise known as Barry Allen.
"Sorry," he said. "She's one of mine."
"What's she doing on my earth?" asked Kara, receiving a lost look from her friend.
"What?"
"W- wait. What are you doing on my earth?" she rephrased.
"Your earth- this is my earth," Barry affirmed. They both turned to the other side, inspecting the views.
"I thought-"
"I thought-"
"Supergirl? Flash?" a voice came from behind them. Turning around, they saw an elder man holding a book. "I just love it when you guys team up. Would you mind signing this?"
"Sure," Barry replied.
"Wait. You know both of us?" questioned Kara.
"And it's normal to, uh, see us together?" Barry completed.
"Well, I mean, it's not frequent, but it's pretty much normal, yeah," the man answered, smiling warmly.
"Here you go," Barry said, handing him the book back. "So, uh, since when have you been seeing Supergirl and I, and all the rest of us working together on... on this earth?" the scarlet superhero asked, pointing downward.
"Since forever..." was the reply from the aged man, with furrowed eyebrows. Kara and Barry exchanged concerned gazes.
.
Kara sat quietly on the cold steps. The wind was strong, but it didn't affect her. Even if it had, she was sure she wouldn't have cared. She was lost, clueless. She didn't know what to do, how to move on, how to take the next step...
How could she be a mother? She had missed... everything. Her daughter's birth, her first cry, her first babbling, her first movements... she had missed seeing Mon-El being a father. She could imagine him, being the caring and passionate man he was, completely hypnotized by the baby. She knew he'd do anything and everything for her. Nevertheless, she had missed it all. Had he cried? When their child was born, had he forgotten everything and everyone and looked at the preciousness with wet cheeks and eyes full of promises? It was likely that he had.
She didn't even know the name of her daughter. Her baby girl, the one who was supposed to have taken her whole heart with her. What could've been the name they chose? Had they chosen it together? Had she suggested it and he agreed? Or had it been the other way? Did the name bear any special meaning to it? There were so many questions, she felt like her mind could explode.
How was he even there? Had he never gone back to the future? Had he returned but managed to make his way back to her? How had he proposed? Kara stared at the rings on her hand. They were... beautiful. If she had ever been able to pick her engagement and wedding rings, she was sure she would've chosen nothing different. They were so... her. She didn't have the courage, nor did she want to take them off. Had the wedding been as beautiful as those rings? Had everything gone as planned? When had they decided to begin a family?
Kara was lost in reflection, when the wind became more intense. She could hear it moving around, and didn't have a doubt regarding who could've been responsible.
"Hey,"
"How did you find me?" she asked, not turning back but staring blankly forward.
"Did you feel that gust of wind a few seconds ago?" she nodded slightly. "That was me doing a quick search around the entire city for you."
"Ah," was her simple response.
"Are you okay?" her friend questioned, sitting beside her.
"I don't think so, Barry," she answered, not having the energy to lie.
"Tell me what's on your mind," Barry proposed, his voice tone kind, almost in a whisper.
"So much has changed," she breathed. She let her head drop to her hands, running them through her hair. She wanted to cry, but the tears hadn't come out just yet.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, supportively.
"I'm married," Kara blurted out, breathlessly, looking at him. He raised his eyebrows, surprised. "And I have a daughter," she continued, pressing her lips together. Barry mouthed a soundless "wow", and she took that as a sign for her to go on. "In a way, that's all I really wanted. A life where I could be normal, have a family, be loved by someone. Especially if that someone was who it is," Barry gestured for her to clarify, so she did, "Mon-El."
"Kara, I mean, that's great! I'm happy for you!" Barry said quietly, genuinely joyful.
"I feel like I should be too. But I've missed so much, Barry. I don't know anything! I don't know anything about her, or about my own husband..." said Kara, finally allowing a tear to roll down her face. She felt a shiver in her arms, and embraced herself tightly.
"Kara, do you think this version of you was happy?" asked Barry.
"I- I'm sure of it," she responded, taking a deep breath. "I saw a few pictures and they said enough. Plus, Mon-El's smile when he entered our room... it screamed happy old married couple," she chuckled, followed by Barry.
"Then you can make it work, Kara. Of course, if that's what you want," he stated, staring into her eyes. Kara looked away, biting her lip. "You can learn everything you missed, and it's gonna be hard, but I bet you'll love it. You'll love hearing every story, every experience, particularly coming from someone who clearly loved, and, dare I say, still loves you so much. You can make up for all that lost time," he smiled. Kara wiped the tears that had made their way out of her eyes away, and nodded, smiling back.
What if he was right? Was it that bad to have to start all over? She knew she would fall deep in love again, and this time it would be twice as intense. Nevertheless, she was far past caring at that point. She'd fall again. So? Let it take her. Let that wave that filled her heart until it felt like bursting knock her out and drown her. She wouldn't mind. She couldn't. Not when she thought about everything that awaited her if she chose to take that final step. It was a blessing to have everything she's ever wanted handed to her. She had a daughter... something she'd always wished for. A baby that was half her, half the only man she had ever loved, who just happened to be her husband. She would find a way to make it work, and she'd do everything in her power to cherish those two. She could already feel her heart burning with overwhelming love, filling it thoroughly.
The wind suddenly changed, and loud screeches were heard. They both stood up, anticipating what would happen. A gray smoke surrounded them, wanting to attack.
"Shadow demon," murmured Kara. Barry circled the demon urgently, taking it down and making it disappear. He stood panting next to Kara.
"I think we're being hunted."
.
Flying had always been her favorite pastime. Not only that, it had always been her comfort when she felt distressed.
She loved the feeling of the wind kissing her skin, the lack of any sensation of gravity pulling her towards the ground, her body free of the constant need of self-control she was always so used to.
She could wipe her mind of any thoughts for a while, and concentrate on everything else. Every sound, every smell, every landscape.
She circled her building, searching for the familiar loft. She slowed down when she found it, looking at the insides through the windows.
Mon-El was all disheveled, his face full of food while he tried to make his daughter laugh. Though she couldn't hear anything, she knew he was being charmingly dumb, trying to extract a giggle out of the baby.
Did she really not know him anymore? He looked like the man she'd known years before. Perhaps more burdened, but that was understandable, given he was a superhero, a father, a husband and much more. Besides that, he looked exactly the same.
Despite everything that had happened, her heart still ached for him. She wanted desperately to hug him, full force, feel his arms enveloping her, run her hands through his hair... especially since it looked longer and softer than she remembered... She shook her head, shrugging it all off.
She smiled to herself, taking a last glance at Mon-El, remembering all the longing stares, the sloppy kisses, the times they simply stood in the same environment enjoying each other's presence. She couldn't wait to finally go home and have all that back, but she had a fight to win first.
Just one more fight.
.
Everything was happening too fast. There were too many things to focus on at once. Kara only registered the bullets, the electricity blows, the fire, the countless shadow demons, and almost every weapon they could use against Anti-Monitor.
The stentorian noise was unbearable. Big fights like this always required her to work harder to keep her anxiety at bay. Her sharp, heightened senses were overwhelmed. Too much light. Too many sounds. She needed something to focus harder on, to help her concentrate.
She stopped still, and closed her eyes so that she could try to force her ears into capturing something to hold on to. Suddenly she heard it. That familiar, fluttering, steady heartbeat. It had always calmed her down.
At some point, Mon-El had managed to get there to help them out. A panicked thought crossed her mind: the baby. Where was she? But Kara quickly let it go, trusting Mon-El. He would never leave his child if she wasn't safe.
Kara searched for his face, and when he noticed, they locked eyes. He immediately understood what was going on inside her mind, and tried to bring her strength with a single look. She could see all the reassurance she needed in his eyes.
Keeping his heartbeat as her anchor, she rose. She fought fiercely alongside everybody, giving her all.
They were winning. They just had to buy some time so that Ray would be able to finish the shrink bomb and they'd triumph.
Mon-El got distracted shortly, fighting multiple shadow demons at once. He didn't notice Anti-Monitor's fist coming in his direction. He was knocked down, clutching his oddly tight chest, losing stability. Kara looked toward him, terrified. She couldn't lose what she had just recovered. He had to hang on.
"Hope I'm not too late!" she heard from the other side. Looking at the voice's direction, she saw Ray. He had made it. "Throw like a girl," he winked, tossing her the shrink bomb.
"Always," she whispered, and threw the device as strongly as she could. Everyone depended on this, on her. She just hoped it would work.
Anti-Monitor's body instantly started to shrink, until it disappeared, vanishing with all the demons.
"We made it!" someone yelled, and everyone cheered. Kara turned to Mon-El, and saw him still on the ground, trying to catch his breath. She urgently rushed toward him, feeling her heart racing with unease. She took his face in her hands, using her refined vision to check for any internal injuries. Mon-El caught on her worries, and brought a hand over hers on his cheek, his expression utterly carefree. He chuckled slightly at her concern.
"I'm fine," he grinned. "I was just caught off guard. No need to worry." Kara frowned angrily upon hearing those words. Knowing he was clear of pain, she slapped his chest, exasperated.
"I'm always going to worry about you, you dumb, silly, piece of-" her words faded when she stared at his face. It looked like there could be smoke coming out of her ears once she saw him attempting to hold his laughter in, "don't you dare laugh at me!" she exclaimed, and suddenly he couldn't hold it in anymore. She took a deep breath and resumed, "I already worry about your well-shaped ass naturally. You of all people should know that."
"You suck at insulting, you know that, right?" he said, smirking smugly. She glared at him once again, but couldn't stay mad for long. After getting back at him, she crashed on his chest, her arms around his neck and shoulders, her eyes slammed shut. She felt his chuckles reverberating from his chest to hers, and smiled to herself.
She was so happy. He was there, and he was okay. She squeezed him tightly, feeling him slowly reciprocate her embrace, arms circling her waist, deeply breathing her in, feeling her wonderful scent intoxicate his senses. Her entire body felt on fire, her senses hyper aware of every part where they were joined, all of the sudden. It was even better than how Kara recalled.
"I missed you so much," she mumbled in a low whisper, more to herself than anything. He didn't have her amazing hearing, but he had heard it. He knew something was up, and that they needed to talk. He attempted to break the embrace, but was met with her holding him even more vehemently, "I don't want to let go just yet," he laughed. If that was what she wanted, he wouldn't protest. Rao knew what she had gone through.
After long minutes in each other's arms, they finally pulled away. She searched for his eyes, trying to communicate in silence. She wanted to go home. To meet her daughter. To clarify everything, and make things right at last. He looked back at her, giving her that warm, dimple showing, knowing smile.
"We just need to pick the munchkin up at Winn's," Kara beamed radiantly, not even associating everything he had said, feeling excitedly nervous. She still had many questions, but they all could wait.