Back To Krypton

Chapter 38

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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