—She uses Cisco’s device to travel to Earth 2, after a short visit to the first one to have a movie night with the Allen-West & Co little makeshift family.She lands in a place she immediately remembers.It’s the deserted alley behind Noonan’s and it’s a few minutes away from the CatCo Plaza. She likes the familiarity of it, the strong scent of coffee swirling in the air, mixed with the fresh dough of cinnamon rolls and the unique smell of boiled milk. She smiles and takes a deep, deep breath before adjusting her outfit and pulling her glasses higher up on her nose.She’s here as Kara Danvers, reporter for the CatCo magazine and she really hopes that for once, she won’t have to be Supergirl.—As it turns out, Earth two doesn’t have a Supergirl.She’s at Noonan’s to jostle a few points on her notepad so she can have a clear line of what she needs to do and all the information she has to gather when the images on the muted TV above the counter captures her attention.Her jaw all but drops and she stares, dumbfounded, at the face of her sister, displayed on the screen with a bright caption underneath.National City’s champion engaged in a deadly combat with the Last Child of Daxam.She almost chokes on her coffee when she sees the face of Alex’s lookalike opponent. She could have guessed from the title on the caption but it still takes her by surprise and she notices the differences. He’s smaller, larger and his eyes are as black as a moonless night.She’s at loss as to what to do, feeling terrified for that woman who looks exactly like Alex but who isn’t her sister but soon enough, the fight is over and the Daxamite is being dragged by a team of men in black. She squints, hoping to identify them as DEO but they’re gone too fast for her to make out anything helpful.The camera focuses on the woman who saved the city and zooms, capturing a smile and a pair of soulful, shining eyes as she effortlessly hovers a couple of inches above the ground. She’s flying but there’s no cape billowing behind her and the black of her suit is sparkling under the flashing lights. It looks like it’s made of some kind of flexible metal that follows every single one of her movements and there’s no crest on her chest, no visible sign of any kind.She tilts her head to the side in a gesture that is all too familiar to Kara and then, up, up, up and away she flies.The woman doesn’t seem to have a superhero identity and the news only refers to her as National City’s champion.It’s odd and strange but then again, it’s a whole new world, Kara thinks.—She goes from strange discovery to heart-wrenching tragedy, in this strange universe she’s supposed to investigate.CatCo exists but it’s not a media empire, it’s a production company that produces movies, TV shows and some very prestigious documentaries. Kara finds out that it’s even bigger than the Walt Disney company, in her world and she’s stunned when she learns it’s been created by one talented Cat Grant, art prodigy and business genius.She’s thrown off by the unsettling familiarity of all those differences.She derives from her official researches to dig a little more and she finds out Lucy Lane is a well-known reporter in Metropolis and about to marry President’s daughter. She smiles at that but then her heart weeps a little when she scrolls down on Lucy’s biography. It says Lois Lane died in a shooting but there are no details. No title for Lois, no explanation surrounding her death and Kara digs around a little.She discovers Lois Lane was the leader of a rebellious, terrorist group that tried to have the president Luthor assassinated. She resisted when the army went to take her down and they had to shoot her.It makes her heart bleed a little and she weeps even more when she learns that Lois’s fiancé, Clark Kent, is still purging his sentence in Metropolis’s prison.Apparently, Barry wasn’t kidding when he told her Earth 2 was the one with the bad doppelgangers.—She stumbles upon a robbery in National City main avenue, as she exits the public library, and she realizes how much Barry’s words were true.She’s walking in a small crowd when she hears the gunshots and she has to force herself to act like a civilian instead of listening to her instincts. She runs to go hide herself behind a car and only then she risks a glance towards the stage of the action.She stares in bewilderment, thinking the universe, in every earth that exist, has a funny sense of humor.The doppelgangers of Winn and James are here, shooting in the air to clear a path towards the fancy shops full of jewelry and pretty, rich things. They are carrying fancy technological weapons but they use the common one to shoot and scare people away.The police’s sirens howl in the distance and there’s a familiar windy sound, followed by the crack of a superforce hitting the ground. National City’s champion is here, tall and strong and Kara is blown away by this woman who looks so much like her sister, back on Earth 38.The combat is weird and unfair as evil Winn and James are using ice and fire against the city’s hero and Kara realizes that National City’s champion doesn’t have heat vision or icing breath.In the end, the evil robbers drives away and Alex’s lookalike takes off into the night, leaving the police to deal with the mess.Kara’s left staring at the street and the words are out of her mouth before she can even think them.“You have got to be kidding me.”—She sees herself.She stares at this Earth 2 version of Kara Danvers, climbing out of a police car, all geared up like a cop and dangling a messing ponytail around as she barks orders and directives.It doesn’t stop just there because now she’s picking up on a familiar voice, rich and deep and with some well hidden accents of Spanish and soon enough, there’s a version of Maggie Sawyer following her Earth-2 version of herself.Her head spins and her mind goes blank for a few seconds, because it’s too much to take in.—“Whow. You look just like my partner here. It’s … kind of creepy actually.”She lets out a dry chuckle at Maggie’s words.There’s one thing she never realized about crime scenes, it’s the protocol and procedures the cops have to follow through. As Supergirl, she’s used to leaving before the dust of the fight has even settled but now that she’s trying to act like a normal civilian, she has to give a statement and to wait for a cop to let her go.It’s embarrassing. She didn’t think this thing through and now, she sees the Earth-2 version of herself approaching from behind Maggie, who is still staring at her with awe and wonder in her dark, chocolate eyes.“Hi. Are you done with …”She meets deep, deep blue eyes and the world stops for a while.She’s looked at herself in a mirror before but this, this is beyond words and she couldn’t even try to describe the mixed feelings that makes her whole body vibrate and tingle.It’s unnerving and fascinating at the same time, to see a perfect reflection of herself have a personality, an attitude and emotions that are not hers.They stare at each other for what seems like a whole eternity but then, Maggie’s voice comes between them.“Hi, Kar’. Miss Teschmacher here was just giving me her statement but to be honest, I was just too struck by how much she looks like you. It’s scary, really.”Kara tries not to wince at the familiarity between the two cops. It’s already so weird to look at her clone, she doesn’t need to know what is happening between Earth-2 Kara and Earth-2 Maggie.“It’s … fascinating.”Kara almost gasps because even her clone’s inflections are the same as hers. It’s deep but a little sweet and even though it lacks her usual sunny disposition, she can imagine that being called on a crime scene can erode the optimism, on the long term.“Uh, yes, kind of, I guess” She stutters a little because really, that whole situation feels entirely surreal and she hopes she can escape it right away.“Alright, Miss Teschmacher, you’re free to go. We have your number if we need more information.” Maggie says before turning on her heels to go talk to a rookie.Kara let out a relieved sigh and wanders away.—She jumps when her phone, her Earth-38 phone rings.It’s a reflex, something she’s acquired along all those years working for Cat Grant, she picks up.The voice at the other end of the line is hers and for a whole minute, she can’t reply. Her clone asks, almost shyly, if they can meet for a drink and Kara doesn’t even know what that means but she’s curious and a little dizzy too, so she says yes.—It goes incredibly smoothly.She meets her other self in a bar and after a brief moment of panic when she recognizes Hank Henshaw as the bartender, she sits in one side of a booth. Sat across the polished table, facing her, is that improbable version of herself with deep, deep blue eyes and a smile brighter than the sun itself.She’s wearing a pair of ripped off jeans and a worn-out light Grey sweater with the faded black and bold NYPD letters plastered on her chest and she notices, for the first time, that her clone doesn’t wear glasses.That’s why the blue is so deep and bright and free, in her sparkling eyes. It’s like watching the sun shines over an ever clear ocean.“I know it’s unusual and maybe not very professional but I wanted to see you again. I’m … drawn to you in a way I can’t even explain.”Kara opens her mouth but there’re no words coming out of it and she just looks at her clone. She’s scanning that face that is exactly like hers, up to the scar above her eyes and the very slight curl around her lips. It’s deranging and yet fascinating.“That’s … That’s okay. I’m actually curious. I’ve never … I mean, I can’t believe I’ve never seen you before. You’re … me.” It’s an incoherent ramble but the local version of Kara Danvers doesn’t seem to mind. She smiles and waves a waitress to order a bourbon.She shakes her head and simply asks for a club soda, not wanting to drink, not when the whole world is already spinning on itself and she’s feeling so dizzy, so unsteady.Earth-2 Kara arches a brow but doesn’t push it.—Three hours later, she’s drunk and laughing openly with the woman everyone else assumes is her twin sister.Three times, people came to ask if they were sisters, awe and wonder clear on their face.It turns out, she doesn’t have her high tolerance to alcohol here.She knows she has all her other powers, she tested her hearing and supervision when she’s taken off her glasses under the pretext of cleaning them, but she’s vulnerable to the effect of alcohol.That’s how she ended up drinking sweet, sugary cocktails while her clone self lined up the double Bourbon.It’s easy and it shouldn’t be, to talk to that version of herself she ignores everything about.—It’s one AM and she’s drunk, she’s drunk and she’s naked in a bed she doesn’t know.The body atop of herself however, is familiar in a way she can’t fully explain. It’s herself but it’s not her and she’s spinning in lust, want and desire. There’s a pang of guilt tugging at her heart but it goes away when fingers dig in her flesh and caresses her center.—She jolts awake, sweat drenching her whole body, eyes wide and breathing shallow, ragged.There’s a good number of eyes on her and she looks around in a frantic, desperate way to chase away the reminiscence of something she can’t even begin to think about.She’s at the DEO, safely tucked under the sun bed. It was all a dream, nothing was real. Nothing happened.She passes out under the weight of her relief.—“You’re telling me that, when you were in your weird coma, you just dreamed of another earth, one where you … slept with your doppelganger?”Cat’s voice sounds both incredulous and amused. Kara winces and hides her face under a pillow, groaning from underneath it. It’s not funny and she stills feels a little nauseous about the whole experience, even knowing nothing was real, that it was all the fruit of her coma-imagination.“It’s not funny.” She groans and she smiles against the sheet when she feels Cat’s hand strokes the muscles of her back.It’s been five days since she woke up but she’s still a little weak and vulnerable and she needs a daily dose of sun-powered rest.Cat’s been there the whole time, making a scene in the DEO lobby when agents tried to take her away.It was Alex, who pleaded her cause to Hank and the martian finally, finally caved and let Cat stay. Of course, the CEO of one of the most powerful media empire of the world had to sign a ridiculous amount of papers and confidentiality agreements but she did it without a fuss.Now, they were back at Cat’s place and Kara finally had brought herself to tell the whole dream to the other woman.Who was clearly struggling to get her mind around the story here.“You slept with yourself, Alex was some kind of Supergirl, Winn and James were Bonnie and Clyde, Maggie was your partner because right, you were a cop and I was … a female Walt Disney?” The last words are sharp and disdainful and it makes Kara laugh.“Yes, a very loved one if I remember correctly.” She does, remember. Everything. It haunts her nights and sometimes even her days too.“Ugh. Lionel Luthor was president, greater Lane was the actual Lois and about to marry Lena Luthor when your cousin was in prison for having tried to kill the president and Lois …” Cat trails off and there’s something strangled in her voice when she pronounces that name. She doesn’t say it out loud often, Kara remembers. It’s loaded, it’s a wound that didn’t heal correctly.“Can you please stop talking about this? I dread the day I will have to tell Alex about it… I will never, never hear the end of it.” She groans again and the sound of Cat’s laugh fills the room. It helps, that Cat is taking it with humor. Mostly.“Alright, Darling.”Kara pokes her head out of under the pillow and throws a suspicious look at Cat Grant, who is not famous for giving up when asked.“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not done with that chapter but for now … I would rather focus on something else.” Cat says and her voice is low and husky, lined with desire as her hand wanders across Kara’s skin.Kara smiles and shuffles closer to Cat to ask for a kiss. She’s a breath away from her lover’s mouth when she hears the question.“Wait, did you sister really kill that daxamite man-child you’re calling a friend?”Kara groans and makes her shut up with a deep, messy and hungry kiss.
