"Your family was lovely, Kara."
"You only met my Mother."
A sigh. "At least you knew your parents. I never knew mine."
Kara clicked the 'autopilot' button and swung around in her chair. "As I said before, we are here. We can be your new family."
The monitor suddenly beeped, and Kara looked at it. "Looks like there's something wrong in one of the rooms."
"I'll check on it!"
Both men sprung to their feet, but Kara looked at them. "I need to speak with Mon-El. Privately. Go on ahead, Halk Kar."
She knew them all too well now. She didn't want either of them starting a fight for no reason and destroying the ship.
"What do you wanna talk about?"
"Mon-El . . . Halk Kar is my friend, too. I would really appreciate if you would not start fights with him."
After about ten minutes, there was a soft and barely noticable thud as Kara looked over the monitors. "He's been gone for quite a while now. We should go and check to make sure everything's alright."
They walked over to the door, Kara pressing a button to open it.
Mon-El looked at the creature. It was on top of Halk Kar, and Mon-El leaned in closer to touch it. "No, Mon-El, don't-"
Another one sprung out and attached itself to the Daxamite. Kara knew them all too well. Black Mercies. But how did they get on board?
Luckily for her, there were only two, and Kara closed the door.
She rushed to the panels. "A-Alex?"
"Kara? Kara, what's wrong?"
"Somehow, two Black Mercies made it on board. You'll have to pilot the ship remotely back to the D.E.O.. By the way, is there anywhere I can lay them so I can somehow enter their dreamstate?"
Following her sister's instructions, Kara brought them to a room and lay them on the chair. Then, she herself lay in the middle and placed the headset on.
"I'm going to save you."
She was going to have to enter two minds - switch between Mon-El and Halk Kar.
It was going to be a challenge, no doubt.
~~~~~~~~
Mon-El awoke in a room. His room. This was Daxam.
But Daxam was destroyed, wasn't it?
"Hey, sweetie." He propped himself up. "How was your sleep?"
The person that stood there was the love of his life. The undeniable beauty.
Kara.
"I had a strange dream," Mon-El scratched his head. "Krypton was destroyed. Daxam was a wasteland. We live on Earth."
"Earth? That primitive planet? Why in the world would we go there?"
"You were a superhero. We are superheroes."
"Did you bump your head, dear?"
"Tell me where we are."
"We are on your homeworld, honey. Daxam. Nothing was destroyed. The prediction was utterly incorrect."
Mon-El reached up to wipe his sweat away. Maybe the whole thing was a dream. He could remember everything. His first kiss with Kara, his marriage with Kara . . .
Maybe it was all a dream.
He climbed out of the bed and walked over to his wife. Then, he pulled her into a hug.
"What's wrong with you today?"
"Nothing . . . I just love you."
She hugged him back. "I love you too, silly."
She pressed her lips to his and Mon-El stopped, taken aback. As she pulled away, she grinned at him. "Now get ready, we're going to Krypton to visit my parents."
~~~~~~~~
Halk Kar shook his head as he jerked awake.
"Took you long enough, we have guests."
Guests? Where was he?
Scanning the room, he realised one thing - he was on Thoron. That woman seemed so familiar, it was likely his Mother.
"What are you doing, son?"
He jumped at the male voice. That had to be his Father.
"O-oh! I'm coming!"
His life here was perfect. He had a loving family, an amazing world . . .
It was too good to be true.
But it was.
He gave his mother a hug as he walked out of the room.
Kara Zor-El stood there and smiled. He blushed at her presence. "Hello."
"We are here for the business agreement, Halk Kar. Just because we're friends does not mean we can make this unprofessional."
" . . . oh. Understood."
Then, another woman walked into the room. She had lovely flowing red hair and stunning purple eyes. He suddenly recalled who she was. "Loana."
His wife.
As he stared at her, he knew why he loved her. She had a lovely personality, even though she was Kryptonian, he had fallen for her - more than he did for Kara. She used to be Kal's wife, but they never truly loved each other. When they had met, it was practically love at first sight.
He moved forward. Suddenly, Kara didn't seem so important anymore. Wrapping his muscled arm around his wife's waist, he pecked her cheek, causing her to blush.
"Ahem." The blond Kryptonian cleared her throat. "We have a meeting to get to, if you don't mind."
"Of course," Halk Kar sat opposite Kara, his wife by his side.
~~~~~~~~
What could go wrong?
Kara didn't know what to expect from either of their dreamstates, even if hers was too enticing.
How did two Black Mercies get on board, anyway?
Taking a deep breath, she readied herself to enter the concocted reality.
A bright world. The only difference being the slightly reddened sky.
She knew this place. This was Krypton.
But why was she here?
"I'm so glad that my parents had not overreacted."
"So am I." Kara looked over her shoulder. Mon-El!
She lunged for him, yelling his name, but she went right through him. As if she were a ghost.
She was, she supposed, she still had no clue about how this technology worked.
She had to make herself visible and tangible in this world.
She noticed that Mon-El was with another girl. A Kryptonian.
As she slowly realised who it really was, she gasped. Not at the fact that the woman was her, but at the swelling in her belly.
She was pregnant.
And Mon-El was completely under the influence of the parasitic alien. She had to find a way to free him.
Alex had done it once for her. She could do it for Mon-El.
This was Krypton - but, like hers, it was never destroyed. Here, they were happily married and were going to have a child.
The realisation hit her. She had to see what Halk Kar was experiencing - then figure out how to save them.
~~~~~~~~
As she pulled herself into his world, she saw Halk Kar, hand around the waist of a woman.
Her eyes widened. She recognised that redhead, but who was it?
"Okay, Kara. Are we still going for dinner?"
She spun round, and realised that Halk Kar stood right behind her. She jumped. "W-what?"
"Yeah, of course."
Her voice.
Of course, she was in both their dreams. She didn't know what else to believe.
Reaching above her head. she pulled off the headset. Suddenly, she was back in the ship. Looking at the monitor towards her right, Kara tweaked the settings.
Now, they should be able to see her.
She lay back down, hoping the results would not be as horrifying as when she had been under the influence of the Black Mercy.
~~~~~~~~
Mon-El was in paradise. Nothing could take this moment away.
Whatever happened on that planet, on Earth, was a dream. This was his reality. This amazing, lovely reality.
As the memories of his dream began to fade, Mon-El embraced his wife and soulmate - his one true love, and breathed in her scent.
Lovely - just as she was.
~~~~~~~~
Kara re-entered the dreamstate.
Mon-El, she thought, I'm coming to save you.
She walked over to the kitchen, where she hid behind a wall. If dream-Kara caught her, it would be the end of the world. For her, and for Mon-El.
She was running out of time. The Black Mercy would kill them all if she didn't succeed.
She moved out, feeling the need to observe the other 'Kara'.
After a while, Kara knew that she had to take action. She stepped out of the shadows and, in one swift move, knocked dream-Kara unconscious.
She started to move out of the shadows, and was instantly pulled into the arms of Mon-El. She stuttered, "H-hey."
"Hi, you done with your stuff?"
"'Stuff'?"
"You said you have to go do some things, so you left me."
"Y-yeah. Let's go."
As they walked down the halls, Kara looked over her shoulder. "Mon-El, do you ever have realistic dreams?"
"I-I guess?"
"Dreams about planet Earth? Or a place called National City?"
His eyes widened. "About you being someone called Supergirl? Or me being some form of superhero named Valor?"
This may break him out of his dreamstate!
"Yeah."
"How did you know about all that? You didn't believe me when I told you about it this morning." Mon-El looked baffled.
Kara shrugged, "I . . . changed my mind."
"Did . . . you have the same dream?"
"Have you ever thought that . . . it wasn't a dream?"
A small smile began to spread on his face. "Yeah, now that you mention it . . . this feels like more of a dream . . . "
Kara nodded. She began to think that he would be able to break him out of his dreamstate. Maybe the Black Mercy would not be able to kill them at all. Just as that thought crossed her mind, Mon-El chuckled, "But that's how everyday feels . . . I mean, this is paradise."
"This feels too good to be true, though, Mon-El. We have to leave. Now."
"Leave where? We just got here."
Kara knew that she had to keep in character. Forcing her hand would be her last resort, but both ways could get them killed.
"Just try and think of the last place you were in the dream . . . try to think that they are real. Try imagining that this is the dream."
"O-okay?"
Maybe he would finally realise this dream.
Kara smiled.
"So . . . what's supposed to happen?"
She groaned.
"You . . . you don't remember?"
Kara felt a hole in her heart. He would never recall the memories.
"Y-you . . . you aren't really Kara, are you?"
"I . . . I am!"
"No she's not!" Both heads turned as dream-Kara waltzed through the door. "She made me unconscious and took my place!"
Kara only stood there, dumbfounded. She had to play this right.
"Who are you, impostor?"
"My name is Kara Danvers of Earth. I am from Krypton. I'm you if the planet had actually exploded."
"But it didn't, so how and why are you here?"
"Krypton was destroyed, in my reality. He is trapped in this reality and I have to save him."
Mon-El glanced between the two Karas. Kara looked at him. "Mon-El, you have to believe me. Supergirl is real. Valor is real. Our life on Earth is real. It isn't a dream. This . . . this is the dream. Think about it; isn't it too good to be true?"
Mon-El stared at her, seemingly trying to discern the memories of reality and of fiction.
Dream-Kara glanced at him 'lovingly', "Mon-El, come on . . . she's filling your head with lies. She could just as easily be a Martian, or some other shapeshifting creature."
"Mon-El-"
"Mon-El-"
"No. Stop. I've made my decision."
A silence told him that they were awaiting his answer. "Ask your Mother to see fit what to do with the impostor."
The last time she had been in a situation like this, she was on Alura's good side. Without her powers, she would not last long on Alura's bad side.
~~~~~~~~
"So, this is the creature pretending to be my daughter?"
"You are not real. None of this is."
"And she babbles nonsense as well."
"I think that she should be banished. Fort Rozz or the Phantom Zone." Dream-Kara intercepted.
She headbutted dream-Kara, who returned with a strong, but human-like, punch. "Wanna go?"
"No thanks." The fake Kryptonian said, head held high, upholding the dignity a Kryptonian leader should have.
"This foul creature attempted to sway King Mon-El of Daxa-ton to her side by assaulting my daughter. She, and all others who assist her, must be eliminated."
"Maybe you would let me speak, Your Honour?"
"I would not usually, but since you are foreign to us and seem very adamant about whatever nonsense you spew, go on ahead." Alura gave a subtle nod. "But I suggest you do so quickly. Your breaths are limited."
"You would not . . . kill me, would you?"
"No. No, we wouldn't. We would send you to a place of eternal torment."
"Alright then." Kara cleared her throat.
"The place we come from is very different. We used to live in this solar system, but we ended up leaving for Earth when Krypton eventually exploded. Kal-El reached first, but both Mon-El and I ended up in the Phantom Zone, and eventually, when we left, 25 years had passed on Earth and Kal had become Superman."
"Superman."
"When we both came of age, I became Supergirl of National City and he became Valor. We ended up fighting crime together and are the best of friends. Though he seems to have some sort of rivalry with a Thoronian who also escaped, Halk Kar."
"Halk Kar?"
The judge looked upon Kara, "If that is all you wish to say, rise so I may give you your sentence."
The guards hauled her to her feet, not giving her a choice.
"Wait."
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
"She described every detail of my dream . . . perfectly."
"She could easily be a psychic, like a Martian, or even a Titan. Don't be fooled by her antics."
His shoulders slumped, before he nodded, "Proceed."
"Kara Danvers of Earth, I sentence you to a lifetime . . . in the Phantom Zone."
With that, and all her might, she ripped out of the grip of the guards, her newfound strength coming from her desperation to save Mon-El. She might not even be able to save Halk Kar.
"I am Kara Zor-El of Krypton and Supergirl of National City. I will save Mon-El no matter the cost."
She lunged at her dream counterpart, instantly earning a punch. The metallic tang of blood began to fill her mouth as she half-swallowed and half-spat the blood.
The world shook beneath their feet, but the dream-people took no notice. "W-what was that?"
"It's just the tremors."
"Those aren't tremors. That's the world falling apart. You are going to get crushed to death by the Black Mercy if you do not wake up!"
"Black Mercies are extinct."
"Mon-El! Look around you. In seconds this perfect paradise is becoming a desolate wasteland." Her arms were grabbed as she was pulled back. She fought to get closer to the Daxamite.
"Remember our life. Remember how we hung out."
Kara struggled, pulling one hand free and using it to drag herself along the floor to Mon-El.
"If you go down, I go down with you, Mon-El." Kara escaped the guard's grasp, sprinting towards Mon-El.
She leaped onto him, causing him to fall backwards.
Mon-El pushed back, causing the Kryptonian to tumble the other way, before his hands tightened around her neck, "Die, scum!"
Kara thrashed, fighting for air and clawing at his wrists, "Mon-El, please . . . "
The guards pulled him back, and before they were able to advance on her, she pinned him back down, "Back to the topic . . . I'd die with you . . . I'd die for you. You know why?"
She pressed her lips to his, a genuine kiss, before she pulled back. "Because you are my Daxamite Prince, and I love you."
A flash of white light, and . . .
They lay in a grey room with many windows, the D.E.O.
~~~~~~~~
Alex watched her sister nervously.
"J'onn . . . I cannot stand here and watch Kara suffer. Send me in with her."
"She's had experience with this sort of thing."
"So have I! In case you've forgotten-"
"I remember very clearly, Director Danvers." J'onn looked at the human woman. "And you and your sister are like my daughters . . . I cannot lose you both. Not when I have promised your Father that I'd look after you."
"But you'd let Kara die?"
"I'm not letting her do anything. She's made her choice."
"And I've made mine."
"Alex!"
Just then, a long beeping noise was heard. "KARA!"
Alex ran over, eyes raking over her sister's body. Suddenly, Kara's body began to move. Violently. Without any warning, Kara's body began thrashing on the bed that they had lain her on.
"J'onn! Do something!"
His eyes began glowing red, before Kara took a deep breath and sat up. She turned. "Alex?"
Alex embraced her sister, "Oh my god. Kara. Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah. I'm alright."
She looked to her right, Mon-El still lay there, the Black Mercy still on his body. "Is . . . is he-"
Mon-El suddenly took a deep breath and sat up, the Black Mercy crawling away. Kara flung her arms around his neck excitedly, tears of joy brimming in her eyes.
"What made you believe me?"
"'Kara' never said that she loved me, and the kisses with her just didn't feel, you know, 'real'. But with you . . . "
"Alright, lovebirds, go home and get some rest."
"W-wait! What about Halk Kar?"
Alex walked out of the room with Kara and pointed to the room next to theirs. "He awoke a while before you guys."
"Thank Ra." Kara looked into the room where Mon-El still sat upon the bed. "H-hey, can you tell Mon-El to go home first? I need to talk to Halk Kar."
"Sure."
Kara walked into the next room, her chest still tight. "H-hey."
"Oh. Hey."
"Did you-"
"Yeah. I did."
"How'd you get out? Did someone go in to get you or . . . ?"
"Actually . . . I got out myself."
"That's . . . that's good . . . what happened?"
"I realised whatever was in there was too good to be true." He took her hands.
Kara gave him a nod and turned to leave, unable to get any words out.
"Do you know what I saw?"
Kara stopped in her tracks. Without turning, she said, "Your perfect world, of course."
"Not just that . . . The girl I was married to . . . she wasn't you. I had loved you since I met you that day in the park . . . and since I had realised that . . . I wasn't so sure anymore. But now that you stand before me, I do realise something."
~~~~~~~~
"You the most beautiful girl I had ever lain eyes on. The Black Mercy had only made me realise this. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"I-I have to think about this."
Mon-El sighed. Everything she had said to him in the dreamstate . . . had that meant nothing? He dashed off as he heard Kara say, "Meet me at the park tomorrow . . . just you and me. I'll tell you then."
He should have known better. There was no way Kara would ever love someone like him.
With tears streaming down his face, flew into the distance, needing something to punch.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Oh man! This was a long chapter (over 3000 words)! It took a lot of planning and, even so, didn't come out as initially planned. This chapter was quite stressful to write and I got so into the action that my heart is still pounding. I don't think I will ever have a chapter that is this long ever again. I don't know if you guys found this worth the wait, but I was struggling to get my thoughts together and my motivation levels were quite low. This chapter has also got to be one of my absolute favourite chapters and I really hope you enjoyed it. The next few chapters won't take as long to be posted, so it will be less stressful for me and your waits wouldn't be as long for the next few chapters! The next chapter will be quite interesting.