Hello my beloved reviewers & readers, followers & favoriters.

We have come to the end of this story.

I did not intend for this, but this is as of right now the last chapter. I could have gone longer but I felt that things were just getting unnecessarily drawn out and it would be better to end on a future-oriented note.

Thank you so much for the privilege of writing this story for you. I have greatly enjoyed and cherished all your feedback as well as the responses to the question of the day - seeing what you all had to say was always a highlight. THANK YOU SO MUCH! This story is one of the most highly reviewed ones in the Supergirl fanfiction archive and has one of the highest (if not the highest!) ratios of reviews to chapters. This isn't a reflection of me - it's a reflection of your faithfulness and amazing engagement! You all are my inspiration.

As for what you really want to know... let's talk about the future of this story arch!

So as you will probably pick up from the ending that there is potential for continuation. Whether or not this will happen is largely dependent on my personal capacity and motivation to do so! I'm not saying that it's contingent on you all motivating but I will say letting me know if you want a sequel can't hurt...

Alright. Without further ado...

Here is the final disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl.

Alex hugged Kara close, burying her face in the girl's blond hair.

"How are you feeling?"

The question could be directed to either of them but this time it was aimed at Kara.

"Excited," Kara snuggled closer. "And happy."

"Me too," Alex smiled. "Oh look there's J'onn."

Dressed in a suit and a human form, J'onn walked up to them, his face stretching in a smile.

"Congratulations," he beamed, offering a small carefully wrapped box to the girl.

"It's not official yet," Kara accepted the box shyly.

"It will be in an hour. Go on, open it," J'onn encouraged her.

Kara glanced at Alex who nodded approvingly, then pulled off the gift-wrap and opened the little black velvet case.

Her blue eyes widened and simultaneously filled with tears as she carefully lifted out a small object, dropping the jewelry box in her focus on the piece of metal.

Concerned, Alex leaned over to see what it was that had caused Kara to begin crying,

Cradled in Kara's hands was a small pendant on a silver chain; its elegant silver curves accenting the beautiful stone it cradled.

"Where…" Kara turned her large watering eyes on J'onn.

"We reclaimed it," J'onn answered Kara's question simply. "I only just barely got it out of evidence in time for today." He met Alex's questioning gaze before glancing back at Kara who had closed her eyes and pressed the pendant against her heart.

"Kara came to earth with this necklace," J'onn explained softly.

Alex's eyes widened.

"I hope it was appropriate…" J'onn trailed off worriedly, watching a tear make its way down Kara's face. "Kara…" he knelt before her.

"Thank you, J'onn." Kara launched herself at the Martian. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Finally, turning away, Kara held out the necklace to Alex.

"Can you put it on me?" the Kryptonian stretched out her palm, delicate pendant resting on impenetrable skin. "I want to wear it."

Gently, Alex draped the necklace around Kara's neck, slowly fastening the clasp.

As soon as it was secure, Kara wrapped her hand around the pendant. She continued to cling to it as they met Eliza in the courtroom, as a small number of family and friends congregated and a stern judge proclaimed happy words with a large smile.

"Kara, you are legally under the permanent guardianship of Alexandra Danvers. Welcome to the family and congratulations."

As the room burst into excitement around her, Kara lifted the pendant to her lips and kissed it before letting her fingers loosen from around it in order to jump into Alex's arms.

(line)

"Do you…" Kara's voice was sleepy, her question trailing off without a clear direction.

Alex was lounging on the couch, Kara leaning heavily against her as they watched the end credits of some random movie that Alex had already forgotten the plot to.

Her mind was in a different place, sifting through the journey that had begun with a phone call that one Thanksgiving dinner. Here, she sensed, was a turning point.

They had been to hell and back again and found something beautiful in the process.

Family.

"Do I…?" Alex prompted Kara who had fallen silent.

Her hand found the girl's silky hair, stroking it gently.

How did she ever get so lucky as to be this amazing girl's guardian?

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if things were different?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

Kara shifted slightly so she could look directly at Alex. Her eyes were like the sky on a clear day, a deep blue that stood guard before the unfathomable depths of the galaxy.

"Like… what if I had come later. Or earlier. Or not at all." Kara's brow furrowed slightly as she considered her own words. "I wonder what our lives would be like."

Alex examined Kara's face, only suddenly realizing that the girl had already grown older since she had first met her. She was just a bit taller, her face slightly less round. Alex had always rolled her eyes in the past when her mother talked wistfully about how fast kids grow up but now her words had a whole new meaning.

"I guess I think about it sometimes," Alex said slowly, realizing that Kara was waiting for a response. "But then I think there are so many important things happening right now that I want to make sure I don't miss a bit of it." Alex smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of Kara's face. "No matter what could have happened, this is what did and I want to be right here living this life with you."

Kara caught her hand, holding it tight.

"Me too."

Pulling her little sister closer, Alex knew one thing for sure.

Nothing would ever separate them.

Dear Kara.

First of all, I want to say that I'm sorry.

I know who you are.

And I know who my mother is.

The night before you befriended me at school, I got into my mom's computer while she left the room for a phone call. She would never ever consider me bold enough to touch her laptop. I did though; I just wanted to find Lex's address so I could write him in jail but an address was not what I found.

While I was on the computer, an email with your name in it popped up. I was so curious I couldn't resist clicking on it. When I opened it, I could not believe what I was seeing.

I had no idea what to do with the information I saw there.

The next day at school, you talked to me and brought me to your lunch table. I didn't know what to do. I thought about telling you but couldn't figure out how or where the conversation would even go. And this sounds horrible, but you were the first person to be nice to me and I didn't want to ruin that.

I do not regret anything as much as I regret not warning you right away.

When I came to school the next day, having worked up the courage to tell to you what I had found, it was too late. You were gone.

Your friends agonized over your disappearance. They were worried that an old foster family had found you. I knew it was my mother.

But I still had no idea who to tell.

Finally I sent an anonymous tip out to other organization that had been mentioned in that email, hoping they were on your side. Winn helped me set up an untraceable account to do so, but I didn't tell him anything that was going on, just that I needed to send a message that couldn't be traced back to me.

I think he helped me because you helped me.

I wrote out everything I knew about my mom's work in the hopes it could help the DEO save you. Later, I received an email from an undisclosed sender that said you had been found. That same day I also found out that my mother had been arrested and I was going to be transferred to a private boarding school in England.

I don't expect we'll ever meet again and perhaps, with all my family has put yours through, that is for the best. I do not blame you in any way for the arrest of my mother; she deserved what happened. In her quest to protect humanity, she lost her own. I have witnessed that firsthand.

I have not told anybody your secret and I never will. Consider it a meager token of apology and goodwill.

Although we only got to be friends one day, I will never forget your kindness.

Best,

Lena Luthor.

Slowly, Kara put the letter down, staring at it as she tried to make sense of what it had contained.

Lena Luthor knew who she was.

Kara didn't doubt that Lena would keep her secret.

The realization surprisingly sent a burst of excitement through her rather than fear.

One of her human friends had found out who she was and had used that information to help her. On a planet where it seemed the only option was to hide who she was, that fact made Kara feel that maybe there was some hope for her future. Perhaps she would not be keeping her Kryptonian heritage at bay her life, maybe, someday, people could know.

And maybe that meant that Kara could help.

In the time following her recovery, Kara had been thinking a lot about what it meant that she had these abilities on earth.

Her mother had sent her to this earth to protect Kal-El but when she had arrived, Kal-El was protecting the earth.

She could do that too.

Kara touched her necklace, stroking the stone gently as she thought.

She could protect the earth. Not the same way as her cousin, not right now anyways. She was still a kid and Kara wanted to be one as long as possible. She wanted to spend her weekends with her friends and watch movies with Alex while eating take-out.

But Kara also knew she wasn't an ordinary kid; she had seen things, been through things, that hopefully most kids didn't. And she had these abilities. She had even used them to save lives before in the school bombing.

There had to be some small way to help, just like so many people had helped her.

Images filled Kara's mind: Alex's loving smile, Winn's twinkling eyes, Eliza's mischievous wink…

Her family and friend's safety was her first priority, always. But there were other good people like them out there who could use help.

Tucking the letter away in her drawer, Kara decided not to make a move yet.
But she would be paying attention. She would be looking out for the moment someone needed her, just as she needed the people in her own life.

Kara turned to look out the window, out at the streets before her, taking it all in as she listened and sorted through the jumble of sounds. What had once been a jarring cacophony of sounds surrounded her like a soothing symphony.

This was her home now.

And when the right time came, Kara would be ready to protect it and the ones she loved.

...

..

.

Thank you all.

This brings In the Darkness I Will Guide You to a close.

Question of the Day: what was your favorite part of this story? Bonus question: would you like to see a sequel? (see author's note above)

This story is thanks to all of you. In your own way, you are all authors in this creative work; take pride in that.

Until next time, whenever that might be,

~silverlining