The night was still and unmoving, polluted with the unnatural glow of the city below. Above the night a cascading symphony of motion and barely blinking lights in the low orbit of the planet. Above that the fewer and slower moving blinking lights of those in high orbit. Beyond that the planet's moon, every second of forever being further pushed away by the tidal forces of it's host. Beyond that, the ever unfolding infinity of the cosmos. Even the light of a planet extinguished, even if it's light yet survived as some bygone spirit. 

For now, it was below that remained her focus. The planet that served as her shelter after the storm. For now. Clark Kent doubtlessly called it Earth. But Kara Zor-El was no native. Kryptonian born, and raised. In truth her temporary shelter was a planet of countless names. Roughly 20% of the planet's population named it Dìqiú in Mandarin-Chinese, yet another 17% of the population knew it as prithvī in Hindi. The remaining 63% of the world's population spoke one of 200 different languages; each with a different word for the planet. 

Her favorite name for the planet so far was something she'd caught while scrolling through late night cable: Third rock from the sun.

At the moment, Earth would do. It wasn't only the chosen name of it for 'Clark', but one Kyle Kayce. Talking herself into the evening's plan should have taken days. Weeks. In reality, it took a thought and a feeling. Both came within a matter of moments; mere heartbeats. Considering the chance she was taking, and the dangers that came naturally with it. But there was no telling herself that tonight would be too dangerous. It was time for the first. Gemma would probably cry, and that was the only other human that had been considered. Was Kyle too dangerous because of prior allegiance?

Her target was an apartment building. Taller than her's, and newer besides. Late as it was, most the apartments that faced the east were already darkened. There was only one apartment north of the tenth floor that was fully illuminated from within; his. There were no practiced speeches, no thought out plan of how it would all go down. Her heart still beat so wildly she felt as if maybe it had beat it's way all the way up into her throat; but that was just a sign she was nervous. Apprehensive. An internalized sign, at that, as there was no companion to her exterior. Even in the reflection of a sliding glass door, she could see the calm on her face. 

Kyle passed by the suddenly opened door, and barely gave it a thought. It nearly made her smile. "Kyle."

The man froze in his living room, a mess of paper and books and notebooks spread before him on his coffee table. When he looked up and his eyes saw her, she nearly had herself a shortness of breath. It wasn't until he finally spoke that she was able to breath out, rising from his seat, every sliver of energy and focus the man had suddenly on the girl that appeared in his apartment.

Wearing a cape. 

"Oh...my God. You're...?"

She picked up where he left off, nodding slowly. "Yes, I am."

"This why we broke up?"

Her blue eyes gave him the answer he feared; yes. "I'm...not human, Kyle. I wasn't even supposed to be dating; it's potentially very dangerous for the human I come into physical contact with. I could have broken your leg, your hand, your spine."

For reasons Kara felt she would never understand, the southern man just smiled at her as she continued to speak. "Yeah. You want anything? I've still got a few of those glass cherry cokes, huh?" He waited until she nodded at him before he zipped past her and into the apartment's small kitchen. It was a kitchen she knew well enough, just like she knew the living room, and the couch, and the funny way his television remote acted: changing the channel might turn up the volume, or selecting a DVR recording might just put up Telemundo. 

Memories of nights spent in this apartment, with that human man. Of all the things Kara Zor-El had prepared for...for her heart to feel so heavy all of sudden had not been one of them. "Thanks," and a smile was how she took the drink from him, sipping at it as she stood. For a moment she forgot about him, enjoying the heavy flavor of the cherry coke until her blue eyes danced this way and this--finding him near, his eyes on her. "...what?"

He laughed at her, gently. He always liked to laugh at her. "You're beautiful in that...power suit."

"In this?" It made her chuckle. "It's not a super or power suit."

"What does Superman call it?"

That made her pause. "I...don't know, actually."

He only seemed to chuckle at her more. "You two aren't a team, or anything? Got the same look...even the same symbol."

"Yeah," she said it softly, her fingertips of her available hand tracing the 'symbol' on her chest absently, like she used to when she was a child forced to wear it. "He's my cousin."

That left Kyle blinking. "But you don't know what he calls it? How's that?"

"We come from a planet called Krypton. There was..." How did she explain it? [i]You see, Kyle, the end of days came, and Kal and I got stuck in stasis and shot off towards a yellow sun.[/i] What human wouldn't be able to relate to that?...besides all of them. "Krypton was destroyed. Natural causes compounded by our own failure to believe that we, the enlightened scions of ancient Kryptonian knowledge, simply missed the end coming. I was 17 when it happened. The future generation, robbed of our future. The being you call Superman was a baby, an infant. I was supposed to protect him and ensure he was still raised like a Kryptonian, or as close as we could manage."

"You sound like you failed."

It was enough to make her down the remains of her cherry coke. Small comforts, and all. The bottle was set down on his table, before she took a seat at the corner edge of his couch. "Yes. Well, I didn't fail. The plan failed. The astrocartography failed. Along the way my craft hit something, and I was delayed."

"Delayed by how long?"

"Twenty-seven years."

Maybe it was the way she said it. Maybe she had spent enough time with the man, that he just knew her well enough. Whatever the reason for it, suddenly the American born Earthling was next to her on the couch, and taking her hand. It almost made her smile, if it weren't for the reason she was here in the first place. [i]To leave him behind.[/i] 

"Were you going to try and go back?"

Her head shook, her body numbed. "Nothing left to go back to."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

His words were spoken so sweetly, it forced her eyes to jerk up and at him. "And what could a mere hew-man do for a scion of Krypton?"

"No clue. But I always had a few ways to make Kara feel better."

Despite herself, she smiled, her sight drifting down to his large hand with wisps of hair along his knuckles holding her own smaller, infinitely stronger, hand. "I'm sorry, Kyle. I like you, a lot, you know."

"Yeah?" His eyes perked, even if it was more of a gentle tease than anything else. "I think I was starting to fall in love with you."

"What happens when I accidentally break your arm?...when you wake me up by surprise and I sear you with heat vision? Or crush your ribs by blowing you across the room?" He had no answer. Just like her. "That's why..."

He shrugged. "It was never about sex with you, Ace. I was just happy to get all your free time."

Of all the reasons she allowed Kyle Kayce to be her first attempt at normal male-female human relations, his patience with her and wisdom beyond his years had been just as important as his cute face, or the way he always seemed capable of making her laugh, or smile. Now it just made her heart feel heavier. "You deserve a normal life, Kyle."

"I'm an intelligence officer in the United States Navy. I passed on a 'normal life' long ago, and many life decisions ago."

She brought his hand up to her lips, and kissed the back of it. "Yeah. I don't suppose I have to ask you--"

His head shook, firmly. "--torture couldn't get me to reveal what I know about you."

"Good. If people knew, you'd be a target. You can't even trust your own goverment when it comes to me."

It wasn't fair. No tear would be allowed to fall, until she felt his lips on the top of her head. Felt his warmth, heard the beat of his heart, the smell of him. "I promise, Supergirl."

Silent tears lined her cheeks as she rose. A tug on her cape had her turning back to him, into the kiss he kept pulling her into, and she kept leaning into. In a heartbeat it was over, and his sad eyes met her sad eyes. "Stay safe."

"Don't be a stranger."

A gust of wind, and she was halfway to the moon.