Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Life Equation

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 19:

General Non had once taken the Flamebird on a four week rotation circling Rao alongside Krypton while the remaining fleet went through retrofitting. In times of peace, meaning Daxam wasn’t trying to attack, ships went out for one week in pairs then returned for two weeks for maintenance. Astra had always run the Nightwing on the same schedule so the two of them had much of their time together. That trip he had been on his own and it had been the longest flight of his life.

Until this trip.

The Green Lanterns had done an admirable job clearing out the Asteroid belt in front of the ‘Wormhole of Death’ and his large scout ship was making excellent time. It chilled him to think that Kara made a hyper lightspeed run through this area and into the wormhole in less than 24 hours, but he shouldn’t be surprised. Thanks to the scout ship’s more powerful engines and the Green Lanterns aid, the trip should have been short and peaceful… should be the operative word.

“Non, come to the dining area!” a voice shouted over the intercom, It was a voice he had become accustomed to over the years, nearly the same as his wife, only much more annoying and insistent.

Alura El. The reason why this trip was turning into the longest flight of Non’s life.

He ignored the snickers of the troops as he marched towards the dining hall, finding Alura in the area she had claimed as ‘bonding ceremony central’. Along with her sat six of his Red Shard special operatives, four women and two men who were staring intently at a life size hologram of his niece over a table they had surrounded.

“Non! What took you so long? It isn’t that large of a ship. We want your opinion. Kara wants to wear my dress for the ceremony, but we need to decide on her hair. I was thinking a tiara of some sort, her hair up but with braids falling down with tendrils. Thaol however brought up floral arrangement hair styles and I think that is a wonderful idea but can’t decide if she should have her hair partially pulled back, perhaps wrapped around her head but allowing the back to fall. Ogol thinks she would look wonderful with small gemstones placed in her hair, allowing it to flow naturally.”

Non rose an eyebrow and looked at his 6′ 5″, 240-pound sergeant.

“Is that right, Ogol?” Non asked, secretly amused. He couldn’t really blame them. These men and women had literally watched Kara grow up, spent their lives making sure she did, and had been very anxious during her time away.

Ogol cleared his throat. “I just thought it would look… pretty, sir.”

“What do you think, Non? We are nearly split down the middle. Take a look at these options.” Alura ordered.

Non rolled his eyes and moved to stand beside a seated Alura. He had already given his opinion on shoes, jewelry, place settings, tablecloths and bridesmaids’ dresses.

His opinions had been dismissed as soon as he gave them, Alura pointing out that he didn’t get it, and to leave the planning to her.

“What about that one?” he asked, looking at a perfectly lovely hologram of his niece with flowers in her hair.

“Seriously? It doesn’t bring out her eyes! How can you not want her beautiful eyes to be showcased? Vul, do you think that style brings out her eyes?”

Vul swallowed hard and looked at his General. “It… doesn’t really, General. It’s a good choice but perhaps something off her forehead… but it is a good choice.”

Alura brushed him off. “We aren’t in battle, Vul. If he offers a bad opinion, tell him it’s a bad opinion. You do want honest opinions, don’t you, Non?”

Non closed his eyes and dropped his head.

“We enter the Mouth in four hours ladies and gentlemen.” Non told them. “I have received an update from Kell. Brainiac 13 has the ability to somehow enter and leave galaxies without leaving a trace. Pulse signals will do us no good. I want the new weapons we added inspected again, prepare your battle stations. Once we reach Sector 2814, we will be escorted by a Green Lantern but be prepared for battle at all times. We could very well be attacked at any second from any direction.

“Once we reach landfall, Kell will be on the ground, along with a Green Lantern named Hal Jordan. Place your armor on but do not exit with weapons drawn. Only side arms holstered, no rifles. This is a friendly area and we must remember we are guests.

“I will exit first, followed by the unit and then High Councilor Alura. Form a protective column for her as she exits, then familiarize yourself with the surrounding areas, making sure it is secure, while we greet our hosts. Four teams, five members pick a direction and go. Let’s get to work, soldiers.”

The room cleared out quickly, leaving Alura and Non alone. Non tried to slip out until Alura grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going?”

“To the bridge.” Non told her as if it should be obvious.

“No. You just ran off my friends. I don’t understand what they are doing so I can’t help and need opinions regardless. Astra is avoiding my calls for some reason. I need company. Sit.”

Non cringed internally but did as she asked. He knew full well why Astra was avoiding Alura’s calls. Unfortunately being on a scout ship didn’t give him enough space to avoid her as easily.

It wasn’t that Non did not love his sister-in-law. It was just that sometimes she could be a bit… much. Especially when she was bored or anxious and right now, she was both.

“So, what would you like to talk about? Perhaps I could find some novels in the ships digital library and have them sent to your holo pad?”

“I’m too anxious to read.” Alura told him. “Space travel is really boring. How do you and Astra do this all the time?”

“It is better to be bored than to be in battle. Battle means ending others’ lives. Boring means the enemy is too frightened of you and everyone is safe. That is why we do what we do. One must always…”

“Be on guard, yes, yes, I’ve heard that hundreds of times from Astra. Have you ever considered using the nasal implants? They go inside your nostrils, but you cannot feel them. You can remove them every morning and reapply painlessly at night.”

Non shook his head, taken off guard by the turn in conversation though he shouldn’t have been.

“Why would I need those?” he asked.

“Your snoring, of course. It is horrible.” Alura told him, as if he should know.

“And you know this how? Our rooms are soundproof.” Non asked, a little alarmed, wondering if perhaps they weren’t.

“Astra told me. She has to wear earplugs after you fall asleep every night. Nasal implants are much less invasive than earplugs. If you were a good husband, you would consider that. You are a good husband, aren’t you, Non?”

The man clenched his teeth but rather than telling her to mind her own business, he simply nodded. “I do my best.”

Alura smiled and sat back. “We need to ensure Kara’s room is soundproof. I want grandchildren but I don’t want to hear the process of making them. I might need you to add another closet if she doesn’t have space for his things. Not that I imagine he has many, living in that small bunk on the Flamebird. We will need to procure pictures of his parents for the family common area. Do you know what his favorite foods are?”

“He isn’t picky. We are soldiers. Food is food.”

Alura snorted, nearly an identical sound to her daughter’s snort. “That’s going to change. He is going to need a new wardrobe to match Kara’s or she will walk around in that military garb you never should have given her. Has Astra talked to you about your boots?”

“My boots? Which ones?” Her rapid shift in topics was beginning to give him a headache.

“All of them. She told me your feet have been sweating more often perhaps because the smell is horrible after a day. She is having our Kelex deep clean them every night. She sneaks them outside the moment you take them off after duty. I heard Myl Jor developed a foot powder, a simple treatment for the inside of the boots that can absorb and redistribute moisture through the thickest material. Kara approved it for use a month ago. You should try it.”

“I should prepare for entry into the Wormhole.” Non tried, wanting to escape the room.

“You just said it would be four hours. We never get to spend quality time alone. Isn’t this fun?” Alura smiled at him.

Non said nothing but nodded his head once and crossed his arms, wondering if he could really push a scout ship to light speed plus 6. Perhaps if he got out and pushed, he thought. It didn’t seem like a bad idea at this moment.

“Can you believe Klenn Mos has already asked for hearings on establishing outposts, even though we don’t have a new planet yet. With terraforming, developing the ecosystem, it will be years, perhaps decades before Kryptonians are ready to spread out over a new planet. The man is determined to be the leader of something. I’m tempted to send him packing on arrival, let him find an outpost for himself. No one would be idiotic enough to follow him.” She said, as she continued to ramble from topic to topic. “We have so much to do. First, we need more battle cruisers. Thankfully, the Green Lanterns will protect the planet while we rebuild. They will be a great help with construction. Have you ever seen one of them make a giant green fist with one of those rings? Tomar Re did it at Kara’s fourth birthday party. He picked her up in the palm of his green energy hand. I nearly had a heart attack but Zor told me it was okay. Kara loved it of course. Those large fists will be great for aiding construction. I think Zor said they are called Constructs. What do you think, Non?”

“I…”

“Exactly. Everything will work out. Do you think Kara will have a boy or girl first?”

“I…”

“I think a boy as well. I wonder how the two of them will combine their names. The House of El must stay. Normally Kell would join our house and take our crest but being the last of his family some concession will have to be made. You should talk to him about that while we’re on Earth.”

“I think…”

“Kelex mentioned to me that the chak’r sauce stains are becoming more difficult to remove from your uniforms. Perhaps you could be more careful when you eat. I’ve also been meaning to speak to you about coasters. We have them for a reason.”

Non shook his head, wondering how angry Rao would be with him if he committed suicide at this moment.

Alura took a deep breath and smiled. “I like having a smaller compound. I feel closer to all of you. I don’t believe we should have a large compound like we did on Krypton. Being so close together has been wonderful. The rest of our lives, seeing each other every morning and night, it’s a wonderful future. Won’t it be wonderful for you, seeing Kara’s babies every morning? I can’t wait until you have to bathe one of them or change a diaper. I will need you to add a room to our residence for the nursery. If you could organize that with the construction guild, it would be wonderful.”

“She isn’t pregnant.” Non told her, knowing it would do no good.

“I would hope not yet.” Alura told him. “It will be a matter of time, not much though. She has to learn to delegate. She has brilliant scientists working under her, but she forces herself to keep doing it all… now she wants to save the universe from a mad Coluan.”

Non relaxed, glad that she was speaking of a looming threat instead of looming babies for her unmarried daughter who currently had no desire to have any. “I have every confidence…”

“Teal? If she has fraternal twins, I mean. Twins do run in our family. I meant teal for the nursery. I want it gender nonspecific but would like to keep the colors of the House of El in some way, just not such a brash red and blue for the babies. I love that teal dress Kara wears, the one with the white crest on the back, just below her neckline. I had that custom made for her.”

“You have all her outfits custom made for her.” Non mentioned, resigned to his fate.

Alura scowled a bit. “Yes and she has always looked lovely. Now she is flying around Earth in a suit resembling something designed by Lara. At least she isn’t wearing some short skirt, or some other strange design Lara would no doubt have had a hand in making. So, teal?”

Non sighed. “Whatever you wish, Alura. Since I am stuck, in a confined area of space, with no way out, perhaps I could offer you some suggestions?”

Alura seemed to think about this for a moment. “I’m not sure. You haven’t had a good track record when it comes to suggestions since Kara left Argo City. But I suppose we have time so go ahead.”

Non considered the gentlest way to put this and decided there wasn’t one. “Perhaps you could become involved in life more, find joy for yourself outside of Kara instead of living the life you want through her. You talk about Kara delegating to have more time to be happy, but you are constantly worried about Kara’s love life, Kara’s future babies, Kara’s dresses, Kara’s hair, Kara’s moods, Kara’s stress levels, if she is eating enough, if she is sleeping enough. I’m sure you even choose the color of her fingernail polish every morning. You are the one who programs our Kelex unit to do her hair and makeup, correct? You do a wonderful job leading our people but outside of that, your entire life is about Kara. Perhaps it is time you focused more on you.”

Non waited for the blowback, expecting Alura to yell at him then call his wife immediately. When he heard nothing, he chanced a look at her. She was nearly in tears.

“What am I supposed to do, Non? She is everything to me. Kara swore when we came out of that bunker that she would save our people. Me? I couldn’t help her. I still can’t. I didn’t understand the things Zor did, couldn’t hope to and Kara is just like him. The things she does, no one else can do. She has all this stress and doesn’t take time to let herself enjoy life, so I have to ensure she does.

“I can’t help her develop ecosystems, make indestructible shields that can protect a planet, create something called White Holes to escape Phantom Zones, engineer weapons that make our ships unstoppable. Maybe I go overboard, but it’s the only way I know how to love her.

“When Zor told me what would happen, what he would have to do, I swore to him that I would ensure she was always happy, that she wasn’t consumed by science and saving our people. I can’t fail at that. I just can’t. If I fail her, I have failed both of them.

“I’m sorry, Non. Perhaps one day I will be able to relax. But no matter how much she has grown, how strong she has become, she is still my baby. I’m doing the best I can with what I have.”

Non was taken aback by the sadness in her tone. Alura was very good at hiding her emotions, doing her best to always show a positive and confident face to her people. If she was uncertain, they were uncertain. While there was a council, Alura was the unquestioned leader of Argo City. While Kara was the hand guiding their future, Alura was the hand that guided them now.

“I understand.” he told her softly. “But you don’t have to do it alone. We all want her happy. It’s why we are traveling to Earth, ready to fight an immortal Coluan for her. But eventually, you are going to have to let her live her own life. How can you expect her to delegate if you won’t do so as well?”

Alura shook her head sadly. “You mean let her pick her own nursery colors? I’m afraid that’s the best I can do right now.”

“That would be a start.” Non told her with a smile. “Maybe even ask her how she would like her hair done for the ceremony.”

Non reached over and hugged his sister-in-law. “Get some rest, Alura. The bend won’t nauseate you like it would in a smaller ship, but it can be disorienting. Rest your mind. I’ll wake you when we get there, and you can be reunited with your heart.”

Smallville

“Lois, you don’t have to cook all this.” Kara told her, taking in the enormous amounts of baked goods Lois had already prepared and was continuing to make. She also had enough groceries to feed an army. Kara was a bit surprised that Lois knew how to cook. She didn’t strike Kara as someone who would have that skill.

“I don’t mind. I learned to bake from Clark’s Mom. She was kind of the only Mom I have ever really had. I wanted to impress her when Clark and I began living together and had paid attention… besides we do have a Kryptonian army arriving here.”

Kara brushed it off. “Just a small Red Shard unit and my uncle. They’re all soldiers so we could pick up pizzas and they would be happy.”

Lois glanced at Kara then focused on the task at hand. “Just your uncle, huh? Not your aunt?”

Kara shook her head. “Even if she were, it wouldn’t matter. My aunt is totally cool. Just because you and Mother had a misunderstanding…”

Lois looked up, eyes flashing. “She called me a primitive slut!”

Kara cringed, realizing there really was no way that could be misunderstood.

“Perhaps the three of us can talk over the comlink and she could apologize?” Kara suggested, doubting that would happen. Her mother tended to not apologize for things she said that she meant. It was something Kara had picked up from her, an annoying habit. “Can I help you cook?”

Lois was surprised by that. “You can cook?”

“Of course. It’s easy.” Kara said. “Kelex, come here!”

The frustrated robot floated up to her. “What? Need your makeup? Want to change dresses again? I unloaded all your luggage from the ship. It’s in the bedroom. Get it yourself.”

Kara held back a growl. “I need you to cook. Lois, what dish would you like prepared and for how many?”

Lois bit back a laugh. “I thought you said you could cook?”

“I can. It’s easy. Mother does it all the time. You decide what you want, enter the code manually into a Kelex unit and he prepares it.” Kara explained. It was too bad humans had to work so much to prepare food in her opinion.

“I don’t cook.” Kelex told her.

“Yes, you do.” Kara disagreed. “The Kelex in our home cooks every night.”

“Do I look like the Kelex that resides in your residence?”

Kara looked at him for a moment and nodded her head. “You actually look exactly like the Kelex that lives in our residence. Now be like that Kelex and cook.”

“No! I am not a normal Kelex unit. My purpose is to assist you in any experiments or studies as you direct, offer cautionary advice that you ignore and monitor your security, disintegrating any threats to you and alerting your personal bodyguards if a threat is suspected. That’s it! That’s all I do.”

Kara stepped closer to the robot and glared at him. “You told me you didn’t want to be unique, remember Spock? Little Drang? ‘Please call me by my designation’ you said. ‘Don’t you want to be unique?’ I asked. ‘No, I don’t!’ you told me. I don’t even need memory chips to recall that conversation. Since you told me you didn’t want to be unique, then cook dinner like every other Kelex unit in the Universe.”

“That was when I was pretending to be your personal assistant!” Kelex exclaimed. “Now that you know I am your personal bodyguard, my secret identity is no longer needed!”

Kara huffed. “Fine. You want to be unique? You are hereby named Krypto, permanently.”

Kelex shook his head, obviously frustrated. “No! I heard you calling that dog outside Krypto. I will not answer to the designation assigned to a pet!”

“You’re right! You don’t deserve to be called Krypto! Do you know why? Krypto is a good boy! You are just a bitter tin can traitor!”

“I’m a traitor? I’ve saved you from yourself dozens of times in your life!”

“And you lied to me about the trackers in my body, reported my every movement to my family, the military, spied on me…” Kara was ticking her points off on her fingers.

“Enough! I will cook dinner if it means that much to you!”

“I don’t want you to cook dinner! Go outside and watch Krypto. You can see how a good boy acts!”

Kelex flew away quickly, grumbling and shaking his head.

Kara turned back to Lois, calming down immediately. “Sorry, Lois. I can’t help you cook.”

“I kind of wished you hadn’t offered in the first place.” Lois admitted. “I didn’t mean to make you angry at your… friend?”

Kara laughed. “You didn’t. It’s all part of an experiment I have been working on for years. I’m convinced I can make him sentient. The groundwork is there, it will just take time.”

Lois was a bit confused. “You want him to be sentient so you… called him names?”

“No.” Kara explained. “I made him angry. He shouldn’t be able to get angry. He is built and programmed to assist me, to follow my commands. Feelings should never come into play with Kelex units. Right now, he is in the ship wondering why he is feeling such extreme anger and won’t know what to do with it. It may take him hours or days to quantify it. I’ve been doing it for years.”

Lois still looked perplexed, so Kara explained further. “I have a theory that the robotic impulses and programming of machines is really no different than the chemical and electrical impulses in organic life forms. Our brains are basically biological machines. Eventually I thought I would be able to create a truly biological computer, able to interface directly with sentient beings. Honestly, I’m not sure it’s a good idea considering I may be facing off against a partially biological computer soon. Another one of those projects I can do but will not. I have a lot of those.

“Either way, I like screwing with him. I’ll apologize to him later and he will have to deal with how he feels about that as well.”

Lois smiled widely. “You are purposely pissing off a robot to make him understand emotions. I like it. Can I join in? I’ve come up with a dozen names for Clark’s.”

Kara smiled widely at the thought. “Of course! It will be so fun. But only pick on him once a day. I don’t want his sensors to overload.”

Kell walked in quickly, an excited expression on his face. “Kara, I just received word from General Non. He has reached atmosphere and will be landing in fifteen minutes. Kal and I have cleaned out the stable area and taken down the fences. The area is secure, and Hal says there is no traffic for miles. Are you ready?”

Kara took a deep breath. She and Kell had spent quite a bit of time alone together this morning. Now it was late afternoon and the fun was over. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of his joy though. She missed her uncle and it would be good to have him here, even if it would seriously cut into her plans. Uncle Non always let her get away with more. It wasn’t like her mother would be here.

“Let’s greet our friends. How do I… never mind. I’m fishing for compliments again, right?”

Kell gave her a last kiss and pulled her outside, Lois rushing behind them.

“I thought it would be a few more hours.” Lois said nervously.

Kell shrugged his shoulders. “General Non told me he was motivated to get here as fast as possible though he didn’t tell me why. I am sure it is because he is so worried about Kara.”

The three found Clark, Alex and Hal staring at the sky. Hal used his ring and lit up a large area, nearly half a football field in length and width.

“I don’t see it… I don’t even hear it.” Lois mentioned.

“It’s cloaked and, like my fighter, it’s nearly completely quiet. We don’t rely on traditional fuel to run our ships so they can be as quiet as a ray of light.” Kara explained.

Suddenly, less than a hundred feet above, it was if a black hole had opened in the sky.

“Damn… that’s big.” Alex whispered. “That’s a scout ship?”

Kara nodded her head and smiled. “Each Battlecruiser has ten on board along with two hundred fighter craft like mine.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open. “How big are the cruisers?”

“Very, very big.” Kell told her in a reverent tone. Pointing to the descending work of art, he said, “I spent most of my childhood on a ship just like that one.”

“It looks like it is alive.” Alex whispered.

Kara nodded. “It takes a lot of work and tech to make it look like that. I think most of the planets we are scouting will have the right elements to allow me to recreate the metal compound for more scout ships like this one and even future battlecruisers. Considering this ship alone has the firepower to take out Earth’s defenses in less than a day, new Krypton will be safe until we can expand our fleet.”

Alex shook her head. It was probably best J’onn had stayed away. If he saw the power of this ship and knew that one hundreds of times larger existed, he may have had the Martian equivalent of a heart attack.

The group watched as black poured from the bottom of the ship, creating landing gear. Once it had touched down, there was a slight disturbance in the air from the shield adjusting to the ground and allowing an opening for the ramp which was now descending seamlessly to the ground.

General Non stepped out first. He reached the bottom of the ramp, took a breath of fresh air and held out his arms. Kara ran to him jumping and landing awkwardly into him, nearly knocking him to the ground.

The man held her tightly, a large smile on his face. “I have missed that. You look wonderful.”

“I missed you so much.” Kara whispered in his ear.

The two stepped back and Kara took him in, dressed in his red and black formal military uniform and not Kryptonian armor for which she was grateful.

She also saw a device on his wrist, one that glowed slightly red. “What is that?”

Non raised his arm. “I had Knoq Vull make small devices to dampen the effects of the sun until my team can get used to the increased power and sensitivity of our enhanced senses. Half will guard during the day and night while the other half work on perfecting their powers… discreetly, of course. No worries, Niece, I promise we will fly soon.”

Kara was briefly irritated. “I didn’t give Knoq Vull permission to make any such devices. It doesn’t matter that I am on Earth… he still needs my permission before starting any military projects.”

“Kara… he is a scientist. One of your best scientists. He simply took your procedure for lighting Argo City with red sunlight and miniaturized it to help our people adjust. I promise he did no research or changed anything. He is too afraid of you to do that. He was even nervous about completing this small task.” Non added when he noted the disgruntled expression on her face. “Little One, you have got to learn to delegate. Now introduce me to the son of Jor El and your friends.”

Kal walked up alongside Kell who saluted his General with an arm across his chest. Non smirked and to Kell’s shock hugged him. “Congratulations, son. I am very happy for you.”

Non then gave his attention to Kal El. “Kal El. It is truly a pleasure to meet you. You look so much like your Mother. I suggest you thank Rao every day for that.”

Kal laughed, not having known what to expect when meeting a Kryptonian General but this was not it. “It is an honor to meet you, General Non.”

“Uncle Non, this is Alex Danvers.” Kara cut in. “She has been helping me and guiding me on Earth. And this is Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of sector 2814 who has also been a great help. And this, is Kal El’s mate, Lois Lane!”

Kara swore for a moment her Uncle’s face paled.

“Lois… I wasn’t aware… I thought perhaps only Kal El and the Green Lantern… I am so sorry, you poor child.” Non told her sadly.

“Uncle Non?” Kara asked, confused at the look of pity on his face.

Before she could ask why he looked upset, the Red Shard unit descended from the ramp. Kara saw they were in armor, even helmets on, but they were not holding rifles. To her surprise, rather than forming up behind Non, they split into rows on either side of the ramp as if waiting for someone.

Non rolled his eyes at Alura’s dramatics but played along. It was tradition after all.

“May I present to you, Lady Alura El, Chief Justice and High Councilor of Argo City.” he announced her formally.

Kara heard Lois say ‘oh shit’ but paid no mind. Her eyes were locked on her mother’s.

Alura smiled widely, tears in her eyes and Kara rushed to her, moving at superspeed, surprising Alura who quickly got over it and grabbed her daughter in a tight hug. Kara had to remember her own strength noting the same wrist device on her mother as Non and the soldiers had.

“Mother! You came to Earth for me! Wait… you came to Earth. You can’t be here! The threat…”

“I missed you, Kara, my love.” Alura interrupted. “If there is a threat, I will make sure we are both safe. We face it together or leave together. If you are here, I will be here.”

Alura walked in front of Kara towards the others and Kara made eye contact with her Uncle throwing her hands out.

The man shrugged his shoulders sadly as if to say there was nothing he could do.

“Son.” Alura greeted Kell and pulled him into her arms. Judging by the look on Kell’s face, he was more stunned than when his commanding officer had embraced him.

Turning to Kal El, she said, “It is a joy to see you, Kal El. I never imagined I would. I know Lara is watching you from Rao’s light, delighted that you have been surrounded by such beauty and love, having grown into the fine young man you have become. She was mine and Astra’s best friend growing up. She moved to Kandor to become your Father’s mate, but she still remained a sister to us. I miss her greatly but am happy to see her and your Father live on through you.”

Kal was stung by the emotion and sincerity on her voice. Kara had told them of the closeness of the family but hearing it from another, one who had known his mother from her childhood shook him. “A true joy to meet you, Lady Alura. I am glad you are here.”

Alura approached Alex who wasn’t sure what to say. She had expected to meet a Kryptonian military unit, not this dignified, beautiful, almost regal woman. She knew Kara had a royal feel to her when she spoke as a representative of Krypton to the Green Lanterns and could easily tell where she got it from.

“You must be Alex. The one who works for the shapeshifter that stores large amounts of our former home, our sacred ground, for the intent of harming us?”

Alex cleared her throat. “Yes… I work for the DEO. We monitor… J’onn isn’t a… he’s a good guy…”

Alura smiled at the rattled agent. “Relax, Alex. Kara speaks so highly of you and you have shown her so much kindness. Thank you.”

Alex returned the smile, but she was still a bit uncomfortable. “You are welcome Lady, High Justice… Chief Justice High Councilor…”

“Just call me Alura. Let’s dispense with the titles. We are all one family now, facing the same threat… Oh… Kal El would you be so kind to introduce me to your… girlfriend?” she asked, catching the eyes of Lois Lane.

Lois scoffed. “I think we already know each other well enough. Hi, Alura. How have you been since the last time we spoke?”

Everyone cringed at the tone of her voice. It was obvious Lois wasn’t going to back down.

“I haven’t been well.” The regal woman replied stiffly. “I have missed my daughter greatly. It is a relief to be so close to her once more so I can protect her from any negative influences she might be in danger of finding on Earth.”

Lois nodded, not relenting in the slightest. “Yeah, I got that vibe from you. I guess you can’t cut some umbilical cords even through wormholes. Welcome to my house. Please come in.”

Kara looked at Kell and Non sternly and made her feelings clearly and silently known. Neither man was to allow these two to be alone.

The party moved into the house, Non and Kell staying close to Alura while Clark and Hal stayed close to Lois leaving Kara and Alex alone with her personal guard who now formed a line facing her.

“Are they going to move?” Alex asked.

“Eventually.” Kara assured her.

“Are we good here?” Alex continued her questions. “Do they talk? They don’t seem as friendly as your uncle. I thought they were on our side, dedicated bodyguards and all.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “I recognize some of them. They’ve tried to discreetly watch me in the past, but they don’t know how to do subtle, so I figured them out early on. They are here on a mission so most likely won’t talk to me… not that they’ve ever talked to me. Uncle Non and Aunt Astra never liked me spending much time fraternizing with the military… probably because they didn’t want me to find out about the trackers embedded in my bones.”

Deciding to leave the unit to their silence and duties, Kara turned and made her way inside, Alex on her heels. The blonde was relieved to see everyone at the large table, seemingly relaxed and happy. Non winked at her when he saw her and smiled. Maybe it would be okay.

“Lois, this food is delicious.” Alura told her, sending chills up Kara’s arms, suspecting her mother would try to bait Lois once again into an argument.

Lois smiled cautiously. “Glad you like it.”

“How long have you and Kal El lived together?” Alura asked.

Lois clenched her jaw. “Oh, I don’t know. It seems like forever. What has it been, Smallville? Five years?”

Clark took a bite of a muffin and shrugged his shoulders, not looking her way. “About six years.” he mumbled around the food in his mouth.

“That’s a long time. It is as if you two are practically married… but you aren’t.” Alura finished.

“Mother let me show you the barn. It has this loft with a beautiful view. The sun is about to set, and you have to see that.” Kara said quickly.

Alura looked at Kara, slightly annoyed but gave in. “Of course, dear. Non, I suppose the troops are making sure the perimeter is secure?”

“They know how to do their jobs. Kell has made sure she is safe, the Green Lanterns and Kal El have been watching out for her and Kelex has the ship primed if an evacuation is needed. Everything is fine.” Non reported. “Go enjoy the sunset with your daughter. I want to get to know Alex. Kal El tells me she is a fine warrior.”

Seeing his sister-in-law hesitate, he reiterated, “Go… enjoy yourself.”

Minutes later, the two women walked hand in hand into the barn, passed where Kara’s ship sat and up the stairs to the loft.

“Mother, thank you for coming.” Kara told her and kissed her cheek.

“I’ve missed you, Sunbeam. I wish your father were here now, enjoying this beautiful sight. I admit, I am not sure about humans, but the planet is beautiful. I can see why you are so taken with it… what is that?”

Kara looked towards where her mother was pointing and saw her buddy standing behind her, wagging his tail.

She bent down to pet the dog before Alura stopped her. “Does it bite? Watch your hand!”

Kara laughed a little and petted the dog on his head. “Mom, relax. This is a dog. A Golden Retriever actually. I think he belongs to a neighbor, but he always shows up when I am here. I call him Krypto. He’s a good boy.”

“A good boy?”

“Yes, like a pet. These animals are sometimes partners with humans…”

Alura looked alarmed. “Partners? You mean partners ? I knew Earth was primitive but really…”

Kara held up her hands. “Mother! Not partners like that! I mean companions. They take care of each other, humans and pets, love each other, play together. They are wonderous creatures. Come, pet him, run your hand back and forth over his fur gently.”

Alura bent to one knee and hesitantly reached her hand towards the dog. When she touched his head she smiled.

Until the dog jumped on her, licking her face and causing her to fall back. “What the… get this creature off of me, Kara!”

Kara laughed as her mother tried to fight off the dog’s tongue wearing a formal dress covered in hay. Deciding to have mercy, she lifted the happy dog off her mother.

To her happiness, Alura was smiling and laughing. “Okay, that was an… experience. Do they ever bite?”

“Some do.” Kara admitted. “But it is usually the ones who are mistreated or ill that lash out. Some are trained as guard dogs, able to fend off any attack to their human partner. Krypto doesn’t bite, though. He is a good boy.”

Alura stood up and brushed her dress off as much as possible. “I got you your very own Red Shard unit. I doubt a dog could take their place.”

Kara nodded, admitting that as far as guards went, a Red Shard unit was better than a dog for defense, but they didn’t come close to Krypto in the lovable companion department.

“Mother, there are some things I wanted to speak to you about, in private.”

Alura was not surprised. “Sex, right? I won’t lie to you Kara; it hurts the first time…”

“No!” Kara exclaimed, horrified. “Not what I was talking about… wait, how bad does… never mind, not the point. I wanted to talk to you about Lois. It is important you do not start any arguments. She is in a delicate state right now.”

Alura raised her eyebrows. “By delicate you mean I can push this little button on my wrist and have the strength to poke a finger through her forehead?”

Kara shook her head irritated. “More delicate. Kal El has not spoken to her about this so we must keep this to ourselves. When I first met her, I heard nothing. But yesterday… it was quiet but… if humans are similar to Kryptonians in the Genesis Chamber, she became pregnant approximately 22 days ago.

“It is too early for her to experience any symptoms but eventually she will have to come to Argo City to deliver the child. It is important that the two of you get along as she will be one with our people soon, irrevocably tied to our family and Krypton.”

Alura said nothing for a moment, staring at her daughter and hoping this was some kind of joke Kara was playing. After thirty or so seconds she realized it wasn’t.

“They are not married.” Alura pointed out quietly.

Kara took a deep breath. “They are in love, they share a life, as strong as a mating bond. Marriage isn’t necessary on this planet for a strong and healthy relationship.”

Alura shook her head in disgust. “What they do is their own business. Now though, the honor of the House of El is at stake. I will not allow the next heir be born out of a primitive, uncommitted union…”

“Enough!” Kara snapped, catching Alura by surprise. “Do you know what is primitive? Visiting another planet and insisting they follow our traditions! They love each other, whether married or not. I will talk to Kal El, in confidence and determine why there hasn’t been a legal union if he wishes to discuss it with me. If not, it is his business. Their love for each other is obvious to anyone who spends five minutes with them! No matter what happens, Lois will have to be on Argo City during the pregnancy or she won’t survive it and that is not an option. You are going to have to make her feel comfortable. You are going to have to apologize for the last conversation…”

“Excuse me?” Alura stopped her. “I need to apologize?”

“Mother, you baited her into an argument because you were upset that I was gone, and I don’t understand why.

“When Zod killed several soldiers, several High Council members, tried to kill everyone in our House and then during his trial, when he threatened your life, my life, everyone’s life, you never once showed an ounce of emotion. You remained in complete control.

“Yet one conversation with Lois Lane and you completely lost it! You are the leader of our people. She is one of us now. Apologize and make her feel comfortable. She is going to be the mother of the next child of the House of El and the baby will be part human. If Krypton wasn’t tied to Earth before, it certainly is now. So make peace, please!”

Alura took a deep breath. She had been so proud of Kara, in the manner she had addressed the Council, taking what was rightfully hers and refusing to be cowed. She had spoken in an official council meeting, swung the opinions of those she thought never would have changed. She had grown up.

She had grown up enough that she felt able to stand up to her Mother, and while Alura hated it, a part of her was proud.

“As you wish. I will do it for you, Daughter.” Alura relented, though not pleased.

Kara stubbornly shook her head. “No! Do it because it is the right thing. I’ll ask Lois to join you up here so you can be alone and not a word about her pregnancy. Kal El will tell her when the time is right.”

Alura nodded her head and watched Kara leave down the dusty steps, her ‘good boy’ Krypto following her. She leaned against the window frame and crossed her arms, taking in a sight she had not seen in a very long time… a sunset.

It brought back many memories, Zor taking her to the spot of their first date many times, her flowers always in constant bloom, to watch the sunset. When Kara was born, they would take her as well, just to watch the sunset. There were many mornings her husband would badger her out of bed insufferably early, so the three of them could sit on the balcony of their compound and watch Rao rise.

The sight never failed to awe her, no matter how many sunsets and sunrises she had seen. With him, and then with both of them, every time felt as if were the first time.

As the sun began to dip nearly out of sight, Alura heard the steps creak and knew instinctively that Lois was behind her.

“Clark is watching with X Ray vision so if you get any ideas about flying me to the moon and leaving me there, get them out of your head.” Lois told her in greeting.

Alura turned around and faced the defiant but obviously nervous woman. “I want to apologize.”

Lois was stunned to hear that, not knowing what to say.

Alura continued, “I was wrong. I should have never called you what I did. Our customs are very different, and I expected you to follow our own. That was wrong of me.”

Lois slowly nodded her head. “I probably shouldn’t have said you were primitive for forcing your daughter to marry a guy she barely knew and implied she was having sex with him. I guess I wasn’t completely innocent in the whole thing. So… are we good?”

Alura nodded her head and smiled. “We are as you would say, good. I understand. I’ve watched the sunset and my mind has kind of wandered. Sunsets are wonderful times for reflection. I miss sunsets.”

Alura was quiet for a moment, studying the woman before her knowingly. “I know why you haven’t gotten married. It isn’t easy is it?”

“Marriage?” Lois asked, confused.

Alura shook her head. “It isn’t easy to be a strong, intelligent, independent woman, who is in love with someone you know has a great destiny, a hero to the people and wondering if you will ever measure up no matter how much you accomplish. To wonder if you are needed or if you are holding him back. I went through it myself. I still do with my daughter. Would you care to take a walk with me? I would love to tell you about my own Superman. His name was Zor El.”

Lois stood silently for a moment then nodded. “Yeah, I would like that. Follow me.”