Rise of Supergirl Ch.5 (Marvel/Twilight)

The Girl Who Had a Very Understanding Father

"I really do need to be getting you back home. I just need you to point me in the right direction. Your dad is probably getting worried," Kara said, ignoring the fact that her ship could triangulate her position from anywhere in the galaxy. Finding one girl's house wasn't hard.

If Kara had taken Bella home directly after finding her, she wouldn't have been able to shock her out of her depressed state, not that Kara knew how well that worked. She couldn't read Bella's mind, but waking up in a spaceship next to an alien should be enough to jolt anyone's worldview.

As they made their way out of the ship and stepped outside, Kara picked Bella up, slowly rising into the air.

"You can fly!?" Bella yelled, clinging to Kara as they quickly rose above the tree line.

"Haha! Yep!" Kara laughed, enjoying Bella's look of surprise. "I can do lots of stuff, Bella. Stick around and you'll be surprised a few more times, I guarantee it."

Kara carried Bella in her arms in a classic princess carry as they flew through the sky under Forks' usual persistent cloud cover. They flew slowly so they could talk as they enjoyed the view. Kara would always love flying.

As they started to fly towards Forks, Kara did her best to convince Bella of something she thought would be good for the young girl.

"I think you should tell your dad about the vampire stuff," Kara suggested.

"What? Why would I do that?" Bella looked at Kara like she was crazy. "Charlie would never be able to understand, and he'd be in so much danger if any vampire found out he knew..."

"Bella~" Kara sang. "Trust me! You need to tell your father what's going on. Death threats from vampires aren't a good enough reason to keep secrets from your family. Besides, I bet he'll surprise you. If he's anything like his daughter, Charlie must be a cool dude."

Bella snuggled her face into Kara's shoulder, eyes scrunched shut. She'd enjoyed the marvel of flying in the open air at first, but once they got moving a little, Bella realized she may have a teeny tiny fear of heights.

A perfectly rationale fear that most humans have, especially when they're soaring above the treetops with nothing between them and certain death aside from the thin arms of a young girl.

"Are you sure?" Bella mumbled, uncertain. She trusted Kara, but once her dad knew the secret, it couldn't be taken back. If the Volturi ever learned that Charlie knew about the existence of vampires, they would kill him.

Bella didn't remember much about the vampires' laws, but she knew that secrecy was their most important. If you knew, the only outcome was to become one of them or to die at their hands.

"Yes!" Kara promised. "I can run circles around vampires. No need to worry. You and your dad will be perfectly safe."

Bella calmed down and silently agreed that maybe, maybe, telling her dad about the crazy shit-show that was her life wasn't the worst idea in the world.

"Besides," Kara continued gleefully, "I despise secrets amongst close family. I think lies like that are like poison. Once Charlie learns about the sheer scope of the supernatural nonsense that he's been surrounded with for years, unaware, he'll realize that he's already so bound up in everything that he can't tell anyone."

Bella didn't really understand what Kara meant by that, but she had a feeling that there was more that Kara still hadn't told her. What was so special about Forks?

Kara was looking forward to meeting Bella's father. If there was one trope she genuinely enjoyed from some of the classic alien movies, it was the small-town cop cliche. Even the new Sonic movie had a police officer who sided with the furry little extra-dimensional hedgehog.

After a few more minutes of flying, Kara set them down in Bella's backyard.

"Thanks, Kara," Bella gave her a hug once she was back on her feet. "I feel a lot better thanks to you. Not good, but better. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't found me out there. I could've died..."

Kara knew that Bella would not have died, but she understood why Bella would think that way. She'd do her best not to take advantage of that goodwill, but it was hard not to be a little manipulative when you basically knew everything important about all the major players in this world.

It was a delicate balancing act, living in a fictional world. It would take some time to get used to.

"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt too badly out there," Kara smiled. "Also, your dad is home. He's, ugh, searching through your room while coordinating on the phone with some of his deputies and some of the boys from La Push. We should probably let him know you're okay and he can stop tearing through your stuff looking for clues. I'm pretty sure he thinks Edward kidnapped you or something."

Bella paled at the thought of Charlie ransacking her room. She didn't have anything incriminating in there, but it was still her private space.

Bella hurried to get into the house, only to realize the front door was locked and she didn't have her key. She rang the doorbell and waited, anxiously. Kara followed behind her, curious to meet Bella's father.

Bella was so out of sorts that she didn't think twice about showing up in front of Charlie with Kara in tow.

Charlie put down everything he was working on and rushed downstairs. He was desperate for anything at this point. As a police officer, he knew the first twenty-four hours in a missing persons case were crucial.

When he tore open the front door, he nearly wept in relief at the sight of his daughter, Bella. He barely made note of her strangely dressed companion. He didn't care about anything else now that his daughter was back, safe and sound.

"Hey, Charlie," Bella said softly, nervously biting her lips. "I'm so sorry for causing so much of a panic. Edward broke up with me and I got lost out in the woods, like an idiot."

Charlie wordlessly pulled Bella into a hug, crushing her in his embrace. He hadn't slept for over a day and hadn't stopped searching since the night before. His deputies at the police department along with a contingent of men from La Push had scoured the forest all night long without any hint of where his daughter had gone.

After a moment, he pulled back and examined Bella to make sure she was in one piece. "I'm just glad you're okay, Bells. Never do that to me again."

Charlie then turned to Kara, speculatively. "And, uh, who might you be, young lady?" he asked. He didn't react to her abnormal clothing aside from a slight crook of his eyebrow.

See, this was part of what Kara liked about Charlie, and why she had plans to drastically change his fate. Charlie was an expert at soldiering on despite any crazy supernatural shenanigans. In canon, he was endearingly accepting of his vampire daughter and half-vampire granddaughter.

People vastly underestimated Charlie Swan, which wasn't very fair considering he lived in a town rife with the supernatural. In the books, how many times did he come close to death at the hands of some nomadic vampire without realizing it?

Besides, Kara would be a superhero soon. Having a good relationship with at least one person in law enforcement was a good idea. Charlie was relatively safe considering he was both a good man and isolated from the powers-that-be.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Swan! My name's Kara Zor-El! I found Bella unconscious out in the woods, so I brought her back to my ship until she woke up! Sorry she was gone for so long. I would have brought her home sooner, but y'know, she wasn't awake, and I didn't know where home was, exactly. Sorry, again. You must have been so worried," Kara introduced herself cheerfully and, most importantly, truthfully, even if she rambled a little.

"Kara... Zor-El? Ship?" Charlie repeated, questioningly. Not that she could fault him. It was a strange name. Let it never be said Charlie was slow, but the hints Kara was giving were a little outside his field of expertise. She doubted he would be able to put things together on his own.

"Haha, yep!" Kara smiled as she hovered off the ground, showing off her powers. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Swan. I suppose, from your perspective, I'm an alien!"

Bella slapped her hand against her forehead at Kara's blunt reveal. She almost burst out laughing at Charlie's gobsmacked face, but she decided to cut in before Charlie freaked out. She dragged both him and Kara inside the house so none of the neighbors would see Kara on their front porch dressed like she was ready for Comic-Con.

Charlie looked Kara up and down once they were inside, skepticism in his gaze. "You don't look like much of an alien, young lady," he said.

Instead of arguing the point, Kara blurred from one side of the room to the other in a burst of speed. By the time Charlie realized Kara had moved, she was already moving back into her original position.

Charlie flinched back, instinctively reaching for a sidearm that wasn't there. It took him a second to realize what had just happened, and then he sat down with a thud, his face pale. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but words refused to come out.

"Alien. Superpowers," Kara gestured to herself, as if that was all the explanation Charlie needed.

Bella was astonished, doe eyes wide with wonder. Kara really could move faster than any vampire she'd ever seen! No wonder she wasn't worried about any bloodsuckers.

Kara decided to leave more explanations for when Charlie was calmer and had time to process all the craziness that had just dropped into his life. He didn't even know about vampires or shapeshifters yet!

Charlie was still in shock, but he stepped aside to make some calls, letting everyone know Bella was home safe. While he did that, Bella quickly cleaned up and got changed. Kara and Bella then prepared some food, as they were both starving. Serious talks went over better with food, anyways.

"Hey, Kara?" Bella started. "I think it would be best if we stuck with aliens for today. I'll tell him about vampires eventually, but I don't think he'll take it well when he learns I was dating a centenarian."

Kara laughed. "Okay. Sounds good to me. You don't need to tell him, by the way. It's your life and your father. I just think you would have an easier time of things if you did. Everyone needs a support system. Who else can you rely on if not your own father?"

Their conversation quieted and they focused on cooking, Bella lost in her thoughts about what she wanted to do.

Before long, Charlie returned and the two humans and the Kryptonian were sitting around the kitchen table, eating some delightfully greasy fish and chips.

"Can you tell us about space?" Bella asked, unable to wait a second more. She was so excited she could barely sit still. Her vampire boyfriend dumped her? No big deal, Bella would just be over here making First Contact with a gorgeous alien girl.

Charlie chuckled a little at Bella's enthusiasm. He wasn't sure what to think about Kara, an alien, but she seemed like a nice girl. Then again, appearances could be deceiving, not that there was much he'd be able to do about someone that could move faster than he could see.

This wasn't all bad, he supposed. Charlie would admit to himself that he was getting a little worried about his daughter. Aside from Edward, she barely showed any interest in anything since she moved to Forks. A new friend that could hold her attention might be exactly what she needed to get through this whole Cullen business.

"Hmm," Kara hummed. "I suppose I can give you the basics about space travel and other inhabited worlds." She pulled up a projection on her comm of a few different planets and races that she knew were active in the local galaxy.

"First and foremost, your planet isn't called Earth by anyone but you humans, for the most part. Earth has a few designations depending on who you ask. It is best known as Midgard, Terra, or Planet C-53," Kara lectured.

"The reason why humanity doesn't often receive visitors from beyond the stars is because, technically, Midgard is a protectorate of Asgard, which you can see over here," Kara pointed out a specific hologram depicting a battle between Asgardians and Frost Giants.

The Kryptonians kept meticulous records. They were like technologically advanced galactic hermits. They practically never left their home system, but they knew everything that happened on other major worlds.

"The Asgardians have protected this realm from outside interference for thousands of years. The Frost Giants of Jotunheim, led by King Laufey, invaded Midgard about one thousand years ago. If not for the Asgardians, humanity would be nothing more than slaves to the Jotun."

Bella was bug-eyed and Charlie nearly choked on his fish.

"Earth has been invaded by aliens!?" Bella asked. It was one thing to know aliens existed, but to think they tried to enslave her species...

"Oh, yeah," Kara waved her hand emphatically. "Earth gets incursions from other worlds from time to time. It was last invaded by the Kree in 1995, I believe. If it wasn't for an enhanced human named Carol Danvers, it's possible humanity would've been enslaved by the Kree. Again. They technically conquered a portion of your species for a brief period around five thousand years ago, but they didn't stay for long."

"Huh," Bella said eloquently. She may have overloaded on new info in the past few hours. She was a close match for Charlie's quiet stoicism by this point.

Charlie was out of his depth, but he was surprisingly chill with the situation. Honestly, his brain probably fried a little at 'alien' and 'superpowers'. He was handling it about as well as he did canon-Bella's weird hybrid baby.

"So, uh, do you have any plans, Kara?" Charlie asked. "Not that you don't seem like a decent girl, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea to go around telling people you're an alien..." he trailed off, imagining all the ways the government could screw him and his daughter over just for being involved in something as groundbreaking as this.

"No need to worry about that," Kara assured him. "I only told you because Bella is my first human friend, you seem like a trustworthy person, and I feel just a tiny bit bad you were up all night searching for Bella while she was sleeping on my ship. Sorry, again."

"You don't need to apologize," Bella cut in. "I'm home, none the worse for wear, and I made a new friend. All's well that ends well," she smiled, seeking to reassure them both.

Kara was surprised at how mature and astute Bella could be. Kara also thought it would've been a long time before Bella was able to smile like that. Aliens are so much cooler than vampires. It's no wonder she was pumped up and filled with energy. 

"That's good," Kara replied. "That kind of ties in with what I'm planning to do here on Earth. I have all this power. It's only right that I use it to help other people, I think. So, I decided I'm going to be a superhero!"

"A... superhero," Charlie said dryly, with a bit of disbelief. It's not like the world didn't have heroes in the past. Even Tony Stark was considered something of a superhero these days, but it still felt wrong for such a young girl to be going out looking for trouble.

"Yep! I'm going to be a superhero! A little like Iron Man, I guess, but I plan on actually helping the average person as much as I can. My hearing is incredibly sensitive, so I can monitor a city like Seattle or New York by myself without any problems," Kara assured him.

Kara appreciated that Charlie cared enough to worry. He was a good man, and Kara hoped she would be able to help him navigate the insanity that encompassed his daughter's life.

Bella looked at Kara with stars in her eyes. "A superhero!?" she parroted, though with much more enthusiasm than her father. "That's so cool!"

Charlie thought Bella sounded her age for the first time in a long while. She'd always been far too mature for her age, something he suspected had to do with her flighty mother.

"Damn, right," Kara agreed. "I have more powers than just the ones you've seen. With everything I can do, it would be irresponsible to not help people whenever and wherever I can. I'm bullet-proof and strong enough to crush a tank with my bare hands. I could lift your police cruiser above my head with one hand. I can also fly," Kara explained, trying to dissuade Charlie's worries.

The Swans were good people, and it warmed Kara's heart that they worried for her safety. She'd do her best to keep them safe from the shit-show that was coming their way.

Charlie rubbed his mustache as he put his thoughts in order. "I'd say that vigilantism is illegal and unsafe, but I don't think there's much out there that can pose a threat to you. I'm not sure how to feel about this, to be honest."

"Haha, sorry about that, Charlie. Just wait a few days and see what happens. I bet the world will surprise both of us. It's not like I have any intention of being subtle," Kara said as she propped her chin up with her fists, leaning against the table. 

It's not like there was anything anyone could do to stop Kara from her hero/vigilante activities. Humanity would come to know very soon that there were people with powers like Kara in the world. If it was going to happen sooner or later anyways, Kara figured she might as well be the one to get the ball rolling.

Charlie gave up on thinking too deeply about it and shrugged. If a new alien friend was required to bring him and Bella closer together, then Charlie was all for it. She seemed to be a nice girl, anyways. Charlie chuckled under his breath as he pictured the future. He couldn't wait to see how the world reacted to a flying blonde teenager who could bench-press a semi-truck.