Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Reborn

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 28:

“Why is everyone standing around?” Seg asked. The entire room was still, even the Coluan stayed on the ground, unmoving.

“Perhaps we should relax and talk for a bit?” Kelex suggested.

Seg looked at him sharply. “Brainiac has escaped. He is destroying planets. I need to stop him. You said I would have some kind of enhanced powers to help me. I need to learn to use these powers and…”

“Brainiac won’t be a threat for another thousand years.” Kelex interrupted. Seeing he had the newly freed Kryptonian’s attention, he explained. “If you want to fight him again so badly you may return with the time travelers to their time regardless of how long you stay here. Or perhaps you should give more than a few seconds thought to fighting the Coluan at all and getting your ass kicked again.”

Seg shook his head and looked around the room before turning back to the AI. “I did not get my ass kicked.” the man whispered through clenched teeth.

“Then why did I have to pull you out of the Phantom Zone while your enemy has been running free around the Universe? Because you won? What happens when you actually do get your ass kicked?” Kelex asked pointedly.

Seg at least looked a bit embarrassed. “I admit things could have gone better. If you would just get in touch with Adam…”

“I will not contact this Adam Strange nor bring him to our location, either here or the residences. These places are secret for a reason, and I do not know this man. We will talk about this as a family. Our family. You are, of course, free to travel the Earth and find him on your own. Good luck with that.” Kelex told him.

The rest of the family stood by, glancing at each other, not sure what to say and silently agreeing to let Kelex handle this.

Seg shook his head, wondering what the hell was going on. This Kelex unit had obviously been modified judging by his size and limbs but he was still a Kelex. The robot had acted no different in the Phantom Zone, explaining all that had happened since Seg had been trapped at the Kryptonian’s request. “You serve this Fortress, do you not? You told me you protect the Fortress. Shouldn’t you have to do what the House of…”

Kelex noticeably sighed, interrupting yet again. “I protect this family and the Fortress because I want to. I belong to no one, not any longer. I was released from my restrictive programming by Kara Danvers. Alex Danvers is in command of the Fortress; you are under red lights and if you don’t calm down and stop being an ass, I will soundly beat you until you listen to reason.”

Seg stared dumbfounded at the robot, his whole body frozen in shock. Looking around, he noticed no one was moving or saying anything to contradict the Kelex. In fact, the smiles on the faces around him suggested they agreed with the robot so he felt his best recourse was to stand down until he could better understand his new reality. Slowly, he forced himself to relax and nodded his head. “Ok, let’s take a step back and calm down. Not that I am afraid of you. Because I’m not. You do make good points, but you were also a lot nicer in the Phantom Zone. Could we go back to that nice back and forth we had there?”

“Could you talk to your last blood bonds before you make a hasty decision to leave them and fight a battle that may not be yours to fight any longer? Let them fully explain the situation?” Kelex asked.

Seg stood up straight and looked intently at Kelex. “I believe that is reasonable. Sorry, all. Got a little ahead of myself. So… what’s next?”

Kara and Alex looked at each other, not sure what to do. Then as one, they looked towards Kelex.

“You seem to be doing a great job, buddy.” Kara commented, smiling proudly at Kelex. “Before I yell at you for hours for your stunt, you wanna keep this party rolling?”

Kelex nodded, pleased with her trust in his handling of the situation. “I was hoping you would ask. Batman would you and J’onn please take the Coluan back to the hotel. Lobo… I don’t really care what you do. Find something to entertain yourself. Seg, you will accompany the Danvers to Eliza and Jeremiah’s residence. I have a red sunlight bracelet prepared for you. It will be essential because once you begin metabolizing yellow sunlight, you will experience a severe sensory overload that could lead to bouts of uncontrolled heat vision and an inability to control your strength. If this happens, Kara will have to take you down and for… reasons,… I would like to avoid that. Eliza, Jeremiah… after I finished Seg’s English lessons in the Phantom Zone, I told him about various foods. He seemed most interested in Chinese food. Perhaps we could order takeout.”

Jeremiah nodded his agreement. Kelex’s plan was better than any they had come up with. The focus had been on getting Seg out. What to do with him afterward was not something a lot of thought was put into.

“Wait,” Brainy spoke up. “I was told I could have an hour…”

“And you planned on taking as much time as you needed in the Phantom Zone.” Kara reminded him. “You will get your hour, but not until I say so. You,” she pointed to Seg. “are not going anywhere. It took me years to master the powers we have. It has taken Clark years to grow into them and he still has a long way to go.”

“By the way, nice to see you too, great-grandpa. Glad you could say ‘hi’ before hopping off to the future. Seriously?” To say Kara was irate would be an understatement.

Seg crossed his arms and looked down at the floor, not meeting the glare that reminded him way too much of Nyssa when she was not happy. It was a bit chilling… in fact the chill was progressing down his spine as he thought on it. Clearing his throat, he said, “I apologize. That was a dick move… did I get that right, Kelex?”

“Absolute dick move. Excellent use of slang.” the AI nodded in approval.

Looking back at his irritated great-granddaughter and shaking his head at the similarity of the look on her face to the one her great-grandmother sported too often, he said, “I am sorry, I am glad to see you; I appreciate what you have done… perhaps I could take some time to…”

“Can I just say…” Brainy started before Lobo hit him in the jaw, sending him to the floor unconscious.

The big man shrugged his shoulders, unapologetic. “What? He annoys me. Guess he wasn’t smart enough to see that coming. You guys have fun and get me twelve orders of orange chicken and fried rice. Throw in a dozen egg rolls with duck sauce for an appetizer. Bat’s will pay.”

At the house, Kara couldn’t help but be reminded of her first dinner with her family. The six sat around a table in silence, no one but Seg really eating despite being stared at as if he were from another planet… which he was. Kelex stood in the back, somehow having picked up the habit of crossing his arms and watched Seg carefully.

Once the man had finished, Seg took a sheepish glance at the Danvers. “Wow. I had forgotten how satisfying eating was. So… thank you for helping me escape the Phantom Zone…”

“Helping you?” Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Or, getting me out of the Phantom Zone. I do apologize for my abruptness when I returned. The thought of Brainiac… taking him to the Zone and being unable to keep him there while I stayed, trapped, took over my thoughts. To be honest, it was easier to deal with than everything I had learned about my son and grandsons destroying the home I gave up my life to protect. I suppose it was easier to focus on…” his voice trailed off as he looked away.

“Revenge?” Clark guessed; his unease apparent to his family.

Seg turned back to see a strange look on his great-grandson’s face. “That’s a strong word. I think of it as more… returning the favor. Kara, Alex… Kelex told me in detail what you have both gone through. I know the things I’m not supposed to mention… alcohol, drugs, rage, suicide attempts, clinical depression, bad relationships, what were the other ones, Kelex?”

Kelex dropped his head. While Seg retained the inherent bravery that had been a trademark of the House of El throughout eons, he had somehow missed the intelligence.

Seeing he was going to get no help from Kelex, he shrugged his shoulders. “Those are all I can remember right now so if I do say something that is a touchy subject I apologize in advance. I mean no harm. I am deeply sorry for the trouble my blood has caused but I’m proud that two strong warriors made their way to such an amazing family on this planet.”

No one said anything, an awkward silence once again falling in the room until Clark opened his mouth. “So… were Jor El and Zor El just one offs or does the House of El have a history of genocidal…”

Alex slapped her hand quickly over Clark’s mouth.

Seg caught the meaning regardless. “Honestly, our House has a proud tradition. I loved Nyssa very much, but I am fairly certain that even she would admit our son and grandsons took after her father. Vex blood and all.

“Nyssa was the first person ever born into House Vex who wasn’t a manipulative, slimy… I’m trying to think of English words to describe what they were like. Daron Vex, her father, tried to broker a deal with Brainiac, aided him in spreading his drones over our City, all because Brainiac promised him the rule of Krypton once he had what he wanted. Of course, Brainiac had no intention on following through, but Daron was too stupid to know that. The man craved power and would sink to any depths to get it.”

Clark took that in, not feeling any better. He was beginning to realize that perhaps every family had their own dark secrets.

“What happened to him?” the boy asked quietly.

Seg sat back and looked around the table. Everyone was staring at him, but no one seemed inclined to stop him from answering. “That was a strange story. Nyssa found out about her father’s plans and he had her arrested and confined to her quarters on a trumped up charge. A friend of mine, Lyta Zod, informed me…”

“Dru Zod’s great-grandmother?” Kara interrupted. “You were friends with her?”

The table detected an actual blush on Seg’s cheeks. “When we were younger… yes, we were… close friends.” he finally said quietly, looking at the tabletop. Kara shook her head and closed her eyes.

“Regardless,” Seg continued, “the outside of Nyssa’s room was covered with guards, the entire compound was. I used a skimmer to get as close as possible and scaled the walls of her compound to her room. I was too late to do anything though. Daron Vex had entered her room with the intent to kill her himself. I jumped through the window just as Nyssa disarmed the idiot easily and placed the gun to his head.”

“She killed him.” Clark guessed.

“No… not really… not… you see I convinced her that the only way we could get out of the compound was to use him as a hostage. It was a brilliant plan in my opinion. We walked out with him in front of us… then Nyssa shot him… in the head. I picked up his body and used it as a shield while she fired her weapon and we somehow made it out of that hell in one piece.”

“Huh… so that’s where Kara gets it from.” Clark said, before Alex could clamp her hand over his mouth once again.

“Okay.” Jeremiah stopped him. “We get the idea. Probably not time for reminiscing over Krypton. Seg, are you tired?”

Seg thought for a moment. “Surprisingly, yes. I haven’t slept in decades. I’m not sure I will remember how… is Krypton… can it still be seen from this planet or… is Rao still…”

“Yes.” Kara told him. “It can be seen. I haven’t looked in a very long time.”

“Why not?” Seg asked.

“Because I don’t care anymore. I’m standing on my home planet. Clark knows how to find it.” Kara answered. Looking to her brother, she said, “Why don’t you and Dad show Seg Rao, Clark?”

As the father and son stood and led Seg outside, Kara went to her old room, Alex following in her footsteps.

Kara stood in the middle of the room, saying nothing. Alex pulled her into a hug, but the girl remained nearly emotionless, like a stone.

“Hey,” Alex implored her softly, “talk to me.”

“He’s an asshole looking for a fight. He kind of reminds me of me. Nyssa Vex El definitely reminds me of me. Shooting her father in the head… yeah, the parallels between me and Zor El are a bit chilling.” Kara said softly.

Alex could feel the tension in her little sister, even as Kara remained perfectly still so as not to hurt her. They stayed still for several moments before Kara relaxed into her and said, “Let’s go out on the roof. We haven’t been out there in a long time.”

Alex, happy that Kara wasn’t pushing her away, followed the blonde quietly. The two sat on the edge, looking down on Clark, Seg and Jeremiah, the father and son pointing out various constellations. Though Clark never had the love for stargazing that Jeremiah and Kara shared, the boy had picked up a thing or two over the years from his father.

“Leslie is coming up.” Kara whispered. “Her heart sounds good considering what she has been through lately.”

Alex nodded in agreement. “She’s as tough as old leather. Has the personality of old leather too.”

The observation had them both laughing, lightening the mood, even as Alex heard Leslie stepping onto the roof, her joints cracking as she slipped out the window.

“You two couldn’t have stayed in your room?” she grumbled before having a seat next to the sisters.

Kara snickered softly at the disgruntled woman. “Alex and I have spent many hours out here. It’s kind of our place. If only this roof could talk, it would tell you many funny and disturbing stories. I thought you would be in bed already.”

Leslie huffed, then sighed. “Kara, Kelex told me what was said. How did you think this was going to go?”

Kara shook her head slightly knowing exactly what Leslie was talking about. “I didn’t think he would jump out of the Phantom Zone and want to rush off to the future with people he doesn’t know… not that he knows us, but I thought maybe he would want to know us, to be a part of our…”

Kara hesitated.

“A part of your family.” Leslie finished knowingly. “He isn’t… and he never will be.”

“He is…” Kara started.

“He is what? Blood? Since when does blood matter to you?” Leslie stopped her, wanting her to see the obvious. “I’ve known you two for quite some time. I know all your secrets, all your fears, all your hopes. Yet, I’m still an outsider. If Bruce hadn’t found out you were alive on his own, I would have told you not to tell him or J’onn and you wouldn’t have. They are close friends, but they aren’t part of you. The five of you… six I should say when the annoying robot is taken into consideration… you aren’t easy to become a part of. Despite knowing a lot about this family, probably more than anyone except you six, I would never consider myself a part of it. Jessica Ryan never did. All of them knew they were outsiders.”

Kara shook her head in disagreement. “Bruce and J’onn are family.”

“Like Connolly and Jessica Ryan, Dante maybe? They were always outsiders. The six of you have been through hell more times than is worth counting, and this last year stretched this family to the breaking point but you are still together. Seg was never going to be a part of that.” Leslie countered.

“Lobo’s family.” Kara argued. “I planned to tell him I was alive.”

Leslie waved that off. “Only because if he weren’t so damn big and ugly you would have probably married him years ago.”

With more patience than she usually showed, Leslie continued. “Kara, your 27-year-old great-grandfather was never going to be your roommate, have a normal life or even close to one. He will never fit in. A part of you had to have suspected he would go.”

Kara looked at Alex, seeing the understanding in her sister’s eyes and took her hand. “I guess a part of me was hoping he would at least consider staying. You know, think about it, pretend it was a tough decision before running off with people we don’t really know, to fight an enemy that could and probably will kill him.” she admitted.

Leslie expected as much. She also knew what Kara had really expected. “You wanted him free, but deep down, you know he was never going to stay. That’s okay, Kara. He doesn’t belong here. Yes, he is your blood, but you consider a robot to be a brother. That tells me how much you care about blood. There is only one thing to do now.”

“Send him back to the Phantom Zone until he gets a better attitude?” Alex suggested, obviously trying to lighten her little sister’s mood, knowing she succeeded when Kara smiled. Even Leslie chuckled.

“I have to train him.” Kara admitted. “I need to use up this excess energy and working with him would be a good way to do it. He doesn’t need to know everything, just how to control his strength, senses and use his heat vision.”

“Which took you years.” Alex reminded her. “I don’t want this guy sticking around for years if he is just planning on leaving and I don’t want those Legion idiots here any longer than they have to be. You won’t have your powers that long regardless. Nothing has changed. As soon as you burn out, the crystal goes in.”

Kara nodded. “I know Alex, don’t worry, I haven’t changed my mind, but he doesn’t need to learn everything I learned. He doesn’t need to zap bullets with his heat vision, or cool water in a glass one second and make a glacier the next. He doesn’t need to know six different types of martial arts…”

“Seven.” Alex corrected. “We know seven.”

“We have only mastered six. When’s the last time you used jujitsu besides making out with Cameron Chase? Not that it wasn’t fun… I can’t believe I just said that.” Kara’s eyes were wide.

Both girls were a little red-faced as Leslie laughed, a full on belly laugh. Wiping at her eyes, the therapist said, “You might as well get used to it. That whole mind meld thing you two did is going to screw you both up more than you realize. There is such a thing as knowing someone too well.”

Kara shook her head, trying to shove that particular memory of Alex’s away. “Regardless, he doesn’t need to know all that. He only needs to know how to break through a shield. I am pretty sure he isn’t going to outsmart Brainiac 13 so he will have to rely on brute force. Using his heat vision at will, controlling his strength… I could have him trained in the basics in three weeks… four tops. After that, it’s up to him.”

“And if your power dims to the point that the bracelet affects you?” Alex asked tentatively.

Kara did not hesitate. “The crystal goes in and he can spar with the Daxamite and Lobo.”

Alex nodded, satisfied with her sincerity. Perhaps this would be beneficial for Kara to drain her excess solar energy more quickly than just unleashing heat vision alone into a visor.

The process would have to be monitored closely, not her powers as much as her mental state.

Cautiously, Alex asked, “Kara… do you think we, I mean you, could do something like that… engage in combat without…”

“Going over the edge?” Kara guessed where her sister’s question was going with ease.

Alex nodded softly.

“I’m not sure. Can you? We keep each other from the edge now, Alex. We are going to be walking it the rest of our lives.” Kara pointed out, squeezing Alex’s hand carefully then grinned. “But at least we are walking that edge together.”

She noticed movement below. “I should go talk to him. Looks like Clark and Dad are leaving him alone, staring at Rao. I know how lonely that can make someone feel.”

“So do I.” Alex agreed.

The two gave each other a look of understanding and Kara softly floated down from the rooftop to her great-grandfather. “It seems so small, doesn’t it?”

Seg looked at her with a sad smile. “It… I don’t know. I’ve never been a ‘sharing my feelings’ kind of guy but yes. It makes you feel alone in a way. I am sorry, Kara. I shouldn’t put all this on you, you’re dealing with enough. I just feel… I have unfinished business with that asshole.”

“You know if you go, you can never come back.” Kara told him.

Seg stood still for a moment, taking that in. “Why? They could bring me back…”

Kara shook her head. “They missed their target date by twenty years. Time travel is not an exact science and never will be. You could overshoot this time and screw up the timeline in the past. You could wind up twenty years from now, even five years from now with knowledge of the future, knowledge you would never be able to share. Once you go, that’s it. You are stuck there, never to return.”

Seg shook his head and crossed his arms, leaning back on the rail of the deck. “They believe we can return seconds after they left, right? That’s what Kelex told me.”

Kara nodded. “Yes, Kelex told you what they believe. But their track record is terrible when it comes to their timing. Again, I would point out that they didn’t wind up in the time period they aimed for. You could very well end up two thousand years in the future, during a time where Brainiac has already won. You could wind up five years before they left, meaning they would have time remnants of themselves in their own time. I know I won’t talk you out of it. I just want you to understand the dangers.”

Seg turned to look towards the ocean, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “My friend, Adam, he is good at time travel. He will come with us. I know he will. He fought Brainiac with me before and he will want to end it. I believe he is from this time period. If I could find him… he can guide us.”

Kara laughed softly, trying a different tack to get him to see her point. “How did a human come to be on Krypton during your time?”

Seg smiled at the memory. “He said… he wanted to be a hero. He had been visited by Rann scientists who transported to Earth. He snuck through the portal after they left and wound up on Rann. Since he was already there, one of their scientists took him under his wing. It was a long story, but Adam decided he needed to stop Brainiac, so he stole something called a Zeta Beam and used it to teleport to the closest planet Brainiac was near. Unfortunately he somehow wound up in the past… with me… I suppose I see your point. Time travel is not an exact science.”

He studied her for a bit before asking, “How long?”

Kara was confused by that question. “How long what?”

“How long after you turned on the television and saw Doomsday did it take you to decide to fight him? Was it even a decision? Kelex told me you went immediately to the Fortress and sliced your leg open to force him to take the crystal out.”

“Kelex talks too much.” Kara grumbled.

“I wanted to know everything, the good and the bad. He thought it would be best if I did before I walked into a situation I had no idea about.” Seg explained. “How long, Kara?”

“No time at all.” she admitted. “I saw it and I reacted.”

Seg nodded his head, a fond look on his face. “Like Nyssa. No hesitation to fight, no matter the odds. She would stand in front of an army with a knife if she thought it was worth fighting for.”

Kara smiled slightly. “I’ve seen holos of her. Do I look so much like her to you?”

Seg turned fully towards her and grinned. “It’s your eyes. The fire behind those blue eyes. A beautiful woman with the heart and fire of a warrior. Breathtakingly beautiful one moment and a savage warrior the next. Yes, you remind me of her very much. Did she… Kelex didn’t say… I didn’t ask… I was too afraid, I suppose.”

“She died in her sleep when she was 101 years old. She never remarried and she never stopped wearing the House of El crest. It was placed on her burial pod before she was sent to Rao.” Kara told him as gently as possible. “My mother told me once, that when they found her, she was in bed, clutching your jacket. She would tell me stories about you, but I always thought they were fairy tales. Clark has your jacket now. It was placed in the Fortress, I guess by your son, after her death.”

Seg turned back to the ocean and grabbed the ledge of the deck once again. Kara had no doubt if he weren’t wearing a red bracelet the wood would have crumbled. His back began heaving and she realized he was crying.

“Seg?”

The man shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kara. My son, my grandsons… that isn’t the legacy you should have been left with. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. It never should have happened.”

Kara placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “What has happened, has happened. But I’ve created my own legacy. I like to think the good I did outweighs the bad. Clark will create his own legacy as well and he is going to be amazing. Even one thousand years from now, the Universe still knows his name… both our names. They know of Batman, J’onn, they will know of Alex… we created our own legacy. I guess yours isn’t over yet.”

Trying one more time, she said, “Or you can stay, be a part of this family. You could guide Clark…”

Seg shook his head, tears still in his eyes. “Clark already has two heroes who can guide him well. I have to beat him… Brainiac. If I knew where he was now, in this time, I would go. I would take that Lobo guy and the two of us could find him… but Kelex doesn’t have a clue to his whereabouts. The only place I know to find him is nearly a thousand years from now.

“Kara, you never had a choice to fight your Aunt and Uncle, your father’s monsters… it was never a decision for you. I don’t have the luxury of a decision either.”

Kara nodded her head and sighed. “Yeah, I know. I will help you… I will teach you what I can as quick as I can. If you won’t stay, it’s best you leave as soon as you’re ready to fight.”

Seg wiped his eyes and smiled. “Ready to get rid of me as soon as possible, right?”

Kara nodded her head. “I wish you would stay but since you won’t, you need to leave as soon as possible. I don’t want the time travelers here longer than necessary. I’m trying to get somewhat as normal a life as I can get, and they are a reminder of all I’m trying to leave behind. The other reason, the main and most important reason is Clark.”

“Clark?”

Kara nodded her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want him to become attached to the last good person to come from the House of El if you are going to leave. It would hurt him, and I don’t want him hurt. He will experience enough pain in his life. His path, his destiny will be a hard one. I have to keep him as safe as possible. That is one thing my sister and I have done since Clark and I landed here. We keep him safe from pain. Do you understand?”

Seg did understand. He was no stranger to abandonment issues himself. “So… we start tomorrow?”

Kara nodded. “Outside the Fortress, at night. I can’t be seen using powers. Alex is at our house now, getting her room ready for you. She doesn’t use it much lately anyway, so you can sleep in there without being disturbed. Let me say good night to my Mom and Dad and we can go. It’s a very short walk.”

The next morning, Kara woke up, lying on her back with Alex’s hand on her face and Streaky wrapped in her hair. She would definitely be moving Alex’s bed in here as soon as Seg no longer needed it. She knew her sister was still a bit frightened, scared that this was a dream and when she woke, Kara would be dead.

Kara listened carefully to her surroundings and could tell by his breathing and heart rate that Seg was still sleeping deeply in her sister’s room. Glancing over at her nightstand, she noted it was eight o’clock. Kara was pleasantly surprised she had slept as long as she did. Lately, she had only been getting four to five hours of sleep a night due to the solar energy running in her body making her restless.

She heard a car pull into the drive and looked quickly. Her Mom and Dad always walked to the house and Clark just ran. Kara didn’t recognize the car, but she did recognize the woman getting out of it.

“Oh, shit.” Kara mumbled and slowly moved out of the bed, leaving Alex still sleeping soundly and Streaky upset at being moved.

Kara changed quickly into shorts and a t-shirt, not bothering with her glasses. She didn’t need them to disguise herself from her surprise guest.

She opened the front door and stepped out on the porch to greet Marie Evans. The woman looked much the same as the last time Kara saw her, only more casual, wearing jeans and to Kara’s surprise, a Supergirl t-shirt.

The woman took off her sunglasses and stared at Kara for a moment.

“It’s true.” Miss Evans finally whispered slowly moving toward Kara.

“It’s good to see you again.” Kara told her truthfully as the woman embraced her, obviously emotional. In all the chaos, she had not thought about Marie Evans, but the blonde should have known that in a town this small, the one woman who knew her true identity would hear she was back or run into her eventually. “Come in and I will start the coffee.”

Kara moved directly to the kitchen and began a pot of coffee brewing then entered the living room where a slightly dazed Miss Evans sat on the couch. Kara took a seat next to her.

“So… you probably have some questions.” Kara started, understating the obvious. “How did you find out I was back?”

Miss Evans blinked a few times and shook her head. “Pete Ross’s sister works at the local bookstore. I was there and heard Pete talking to Courtney about Clark’s hot sister who had just returned from Europe. I wasn’t sure… I had to see… where have you been for the past year? Were you hiding in Europe?”

Kara shook her head. “No, I was in the core of the sun.” she told Miss Evans, deciding there was really no point in lying to a woman who had kept a big secret to herself over the years.

“The sun? You really flew that snake thing into the sun?” Her former teacher looked horrified.

“Teleported there, actually. The snake king was a symbiont and attacked me, tried to take control of my mind and body. The only way I knew to kill it was to send myself to a place I knew neither of us could survive.

“Except that I did, well… parts of me anyway, mostly my brain and spine. It apparently took a year for my body to rebuild itself and gain the strength I needed to escape. Thankfully I don’t remember much. I landed a few weeks ago. Okay, more like I crashed in the Amazon Rainforest and left a huge crater. Alex found me and brought me home.”

Miss Evans opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Kara seeing she needed a moment walked to the kitchen and came out a moment later with two cups of coffee.

Miss Evans was steadily looking over her former student, obviously still in disbelief that she was sitting with her. “You… the scar by your eyebrow, it’s gone.”

“Benefits of a rebuilt body.” Kara explained.

“Also, that red ring, you said it kept you alive after Metropolis…”

“Yeah, that’s a long story that will take much more than one pot of coffee.”

Kara heard footsteps above and hoped Seg wouldn’t come down, so of course he did.

And he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Good morning, Kara, Good morning, Kara’s guest. Is that the breakfast drink Kelex told me about? Oh what was it… coffee?” Seg asked, pointing toward the cup in Kara’s hand.

Kara nodded her head, noting the look on Miss Evans face, not that she could really blame her. Her great-grandfather was a ruggedly handsome, well-built young man.

Seg grinned. “Great! I think I’ll grab a cup and enjoy the ocean view.”

The man walked into the kitchen and a few moments later walked out the back door.

Miss Evans looked at Kara, slightly flushed. “Boyfriend?”

The blonde shook her head. “Great-grandfather. We just rescued him from a place called the Phantom Zone where he has been stuck for the past couple centuries. He is just visiting. He plans to travel about a thousand years into the future soon to save the universe.”

Miss Evans stared at her for a few seconds then laughed. “No one will ever say you have a boring life. The funny thing is, I don’t doubt a thing you just said… it’s amazing.”

A gleam entered her eye as she grinned at her all-time favorite student. “Even more so, you are amazing, Kara Danvers. You rebuilt your body in the sun and escaped the enormous pressure… all so you could come back and finish your final two classes. Now that is dedication.”

Kara was surprised to say the least, not understanding what she was talking about. “My final two classes?”

Miss Evans nodded, grinning even wider. “You have two classes left with plenty of time to complete them over the summer. I talked Anne into staying on for the past year and now she can stay a few more months at the start of the new year. You can sit in her classes through the fall to complete your observation hours and then take over after the Holiday break.”

Kara said nothing for a moment, taking in what she just heard. “You still want me?”

“I think saving the world was a good reason for not completing your classes last summer. I’m not sure what you think has changed. Since the world hasn’t seen you flying around, I suppose you are still wanting to retire from the superhero life, correct?”

Kara nodded her head quickly. “Yes. Soon I will be giving up my powers, all of them, permanently.”

Miss Evans rose an eyebrow. “You can do that?”

“Yes, I’ve done it before, but… this time, no matter what happens, I am done. If there is another alien invasion, I’m going to hide like the rest of humanity. I’m done. I just don’t… you really still want me?”

Miss Evans reached over and gently wiped a tear from Kara’s cheek surprising her. She hadn’t realized she was crying.

“You poor child.” Miss Evans whispered and moved closer to her, wrapping Kara in a hug. Kara did not move but her tears did begin to fall, her shoulders shaking, and eyes closed tightly. Before she could stop herself, she was sobbing, Marie’s hand rubbing her back and calming her down.

Finally Kara composed herself and sat back. “I’m sorry.”

Miss Evans shook her head, a small smile and understanding expression on her face. “Never apologize for that. I have a feeling you needed it.

“So, since you are back, do I still have a teacher? Anne very much wants to retire. Roger already has and the choir was left with Livingston the past year. It wasn’t good. I could really use Kara Danvers.”

Kara nodded her head. “I’ll be there. Thank you.”

“No, thank you… thank you for saving the world. You still have the same number?” Miss Evans asked.

Kara told her she did.

“Call me as soon as the classes are completed. I don’t imagine it would take you long. I need to register you for observation hours as soon as you are done.”

Miss Evans stood up and moved towards the backdoor. “I’m going out the back to drool over your great-grandfather.”

Kara laughed, feeling much lighter and even happy as she followed her to her car.

“Kara, if you ever need somebody to hold you while you cry and not ask questions, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you.” Kara told her sincerely.

“You have a fresh start. Welcome back… and welcome to your new life.” Miss Evans told her.

Kara watched her as she drove off then moved back to the house.

In the kitchen, she found Alex with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

“I wondered how long it would take for word to reach her that Kara Danvers was back from Europe.” Alex said. “So, was that just a stop to check if you were really still alive?”

“Yes and no.” Kara told her, a smile lighting up her face. “I have a job now.”

“Great. I don’t think I can make myself go back to that boring lab in Raleigh. So one of us needs a job or people will start asking where our money comes from.” Alex smirked and sat her empty cup on the counter. “Seriously though, to keep from being bored, I’ll continue consulting on CDC cases from here, or the Fortress… maybe I’ll get Bruce to build me a lab in Midvale as a cover… and Mom and Dad could work for me.”

Kara’s laughter exploded at the thought, Alex laughing along with her. After they settled down, Kara said, “Yeah, maybe we can take the summers during school breaks and go on all those vacations we never got a chance to take.”

“Now that sounds like a plan, sis.” Alex grinned, enjoying the look of happiness on Kara’s face. Leaning back against the counter, she eased into the subject she really wanted to talk about. “So, Seg is definitely going?”

“Yep.” Kara replied.

Alex was not surprised. She knew last night, watching him and Kara talk. “He needs to leave as soon as possible. Clark shouldn’t become attached to him only for him leave… I don’t want him hurt. We need to talk to Clark, explain what’s going to happen.”

Kara nodded; not surprised Alex had the same thought she did. “We start training tonight. Dress warm. This is going to happen in Antarctica. I’m also taking some guests along with us.”

Alex laughed, having expected as much. “You’re going to play punch the Daxamite, aren’t you?”

“How can I not?” Kara asked, laughing with her sister.

Later that evening, the Danvers, J’onn, Bruce and Lobo were at the Fortress with Seg, Brainy, Lar and Garth. Kara was dressed in a black ensemble resembling a commando outfit.

“First thing you need to do is watch.” she told Seg. “Watch what I am capable of, how I move, what powers I have. Afterward, we will come inside and turn off the red lights. You will work on becoming used to your highly sensitive hearing and your enhanced strength. I promise you, nothing in your life has prepared you to harness the power you are about to receive.”

“I’m ready.” Seg assured her.

Kara shook her head. “Not for this you aren’t. Lar Gand?”

“Yes?” he asked, excitedly. He hadn’t been around the family since they were first brought to the Fortress and looked forward to helping.

“You have nearly the same powers I do, right?”

Lar nodded. “I’m not strong enough to break through Brainiac’s shield and his weapons nearly killed me but yes, we have similar powers. Would you like my help training him?”

Kara smiled, a smile that sent a shiver of slight fear through the Daxamite.

“You are definitely going to be a huge help. Let’s step outside and show Seg how to fight with our powers. The two of us are going to spar.” Kara told him.

“Spar?”

“Yes, or we could call it what it is. I’m going to beat the hell out of you so he can see how it’s done. You ready?”

Lar shook his head, a look of fear on his face. “Not at all.”

“Too bad. You traveled back through time to find a Kryptonian. You found one. I just want to make sure you get your money’s worth.”