Notes:

Today Oct 10. 2018 is Mon-El's second Earth Birthday! This is to every single one of you my Karamel family! Enjoy
Special thanks to walea23 for coming to me with her idea for doing something special for this day!

Before jumping in, this is a Canon Divergence from season 2 where Mon-El never left and is around for his 1st Earth Birthday

Space Puppy

Mon-El was flying!

He was actually flying! His heart leaped in excitement as a laugh broke from his lips. Now he could tag along with Kara when she was superhero-ing and maybe even join her for non-superhero-ing missions. This had been Mon-El's wish from the day he had watched Kara soaring the blue skies. Now he got to feel how she must have been feeling every time and he understood why she loved it. He loved it too.

He felt the gust of air tousling his hair in every direction and tickling his stubble. In front of him was the red cloudless sky basked in the grace of their star Rao, and beneath him, stretched to where the sky met the horizon, was the city he grew up in. He saw the market spread out along the oldest passage with cream-colored canopies and the crowd bustling through it. He looked to his right and saw the enormous crimson summit of mount Dax-Or looming over from a distance. The same picture he would see every morning when he stepped onto the balcony of his chambers.

Unconsciously his eyes drifted to where the castle was. The tall spires and turrets covering each corner of the pyramid shaped structure that shone like a ruby among the sand.

Out of a sudden, all the exhilaration and joy of flying in his heart vaporized and was replaced by melancholy as his eyes laid on the place he once considered his home. The home he despised and resented. The home in which he was never loved and instead was surrounded by flatteries upon flatteries. Manipulated, shutdown and thrown away like a puppet for her mother. Merely watching and seething silently while she ruled and punished ruthlessly.

Mon-El didn't wish to be in that place anymore, therefore he willed his body to steer away, but it didn't. He was locked on a track that was dragging him towards the very place he was trying to get away from. Towards the palace.

He twitched and kicked, yet it didn't budge. The invisible strings were pulling him faster and lower towards the building and he felt fear gripping his heart when he began plummeting head first to the ground.

Only then did he open his mouth and called out to the one person who truly cared about him in this cold world.

"KARA!"

Mon-El's eyes flew open to a dark ceiling with a gasp. For what felt very long, everything was moving forward like he was still falling. An after effect of the nightmare. Once things slowed down, he looked around to remember where he was. Still panting, it took him many fearful heartbeats to realize he was in Kara's bedroom, lying next to her.

"Kara?" Rasping, Mon-El reached for Kara blindly, expecting to feel her warm and soft body to sooth his wrecked nerves and slight tremors. But to his absolute disappointment, his hand instead touched the white sheets which still held warmth, indicating she had very recently left the bed.

Mon-El untangled himself from the blankets and pulled himself into a seated position. It wasn't a big deal. Maybe she had needed to use the bathroom. He decided to search for her and get some water in hopes of erasing the nightmare from his mind.

Standing up, he headed for the kitchen. He had just set foot in the living room area with the couch and TV when he heard murmurs.

"…don't do that! He'll find out!"

Mon-El froze when he heard Kara's hushed words. From his place, he saw the silhouette of her figure facing the tall window between the delicate blue Hoosier cabinet she kept near the entrance door and the dining table. Looking closer, Mon-el could see the golden glint of Kara's blond curls thanks to the soft glow of the street light outside. He was so confused he couldn't understand why Kara was talking to herself. He opened his mouth to question her, but she apparently was not done yet.

"Ok, meet me tomorrow after my lunch break on 34 Franklin."

Kara lowered the thing she was holding in her right hand and from the light shining from it, his slow sleepy mind finally caught up to the fact that Kara had been talking on the phone.

"Mon-El!" Kara gasped, getting caught off guard.

"Kara? Who were you talking to?"

"No one! What are you doing up? You scared me!" Kara mumbled with a hand over her heart.

"Ehm… nothing. Just thirsty." Mon-El shrugged, not ready to tell Kara about why he was awake. Besides, he was finding Kara's behavior a bit odd. Now that the fog of drowsiness was lifting, he couldn't help wonder what Kara had meant by all those words and who was she meeting tomorrow.

"Let me get some water for you." Kara kindly offered and returned quickly with a clear glass filled to the brim. "Here."

Mon-El gratefully accepted it and chugged down half of the glass before putting it mindlessly on the coffee table beside them. "Hey Mon, are you okay?" Kara asked in concern. "You look a little pale." She pointed out and he rubbed his arms affectionately.

The moment Mon-El felt Kara's warm hands on his cold skin, his body instantly reacted by pulling Kara into his chest and wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just missed you." He tucked his face into the crook of her neck, covered with her golden locks, and Kara held him tighter.

"Come on, let's go back to sleep," Kara whispered, kissing his cheek and urged him to move with her as she dragged him back to bed.

It didn't take long for Mon-el to feel the lure of sleep with Kara being so close. Her scent and rhythmic breathing relaxed his tense muscles, assuring him that the nightmare wouldn't come back this time.

It was passed Tuesday noon in the DEO training room and Mon-El was beyond bored. There had been no calls or missions since this first week of October. Since coming to Earth, Mon-El had been trying to keep up with the human's calendar, learning the names of their mouths and how they had four seasons which he found interesting.

On Daxam they only had two seasons and seven months. Each month was named after a goddess, with each having a special day in them dedicated to that specific deity. A day when Daxamites celebrated what they stood for by throwing lavish parties.

Mon-El's favorite celebration was the one on the coldest month of the year when even the sand would freeze and days were too short. Right before the gradual return of the warm months, it was the day of lovers. The day the goddess of fertility and prosperity bestowed upon her worshippers true love and the miracle of new life. While there was no more giving births on Daxam naturally with the birthing Matrix taking over the job, the tradition had remained.

In a similar way, the day also represented the rebirth of the nature and end of dark days and Mon-El loved when on this special day all the fireplaces were stocked and ablaze along with endless dancing and music and drinks flowing like rivers. Everyone was specifically invested in their pleasure on that night. Even more by Daxamite measures.

One particular thing Mon-El always looked forward to each year, was testing his chance to find his true soulmate among the crowds because it was told that on this night one would find their rightful mate if the goddess saw one deserving.

Many memorable nights had come from those days. Ones that never lasted beyond the nights themselves. And even though each encounter left him feeling more helpless and bitter that he had not found the one he truly felt love for – or be loved in return on a deeper level than plain lust – Mon-El justified that maybe the goddess was putting him through trials. That one day she would deem him worthy and align his stars so that his path would cross the one of his soulmate.

Thinking about Kara, a soft smile slipped onto Mon-El's face and he felt the once mystical warmth of love he had only heard of, heating his entire being like the sun. His dark days were behind him. The goddess had finally answered the pleadings of his lonely heart.

Come to think of it, wasn't the human's Valentine's Day serving a very similar purpose? And hadn't he and Kara gotten together for the first time on that fateful night?

Stifling a yawn, Mon-El checked his phone, expecting to see a message or something from Kara, but found none. It was strange. Kara would almost never go till noon without checking in with him at least once and judging by the time, it was her lunch break so she should have called already. Maybe she had been very busy at work.

Just as he thought that, the memory of last night's events came back to him vividly. Kara had made plans with a mysterious person at a location called 34 Franklin. It could have been work related and there was no reason to obsess over it. Nevertheless, he found the whole thing a little cryptic and since there was absolutely nothing for him to do, Mon-El's curiosity grew so high that he decided to ask Winn about the address. Maybe he could surprise Kara and they could have a last minute lunch.

Mon-El climbed the stairs two at a time with his mind set and found his way to the control room where Winn usually hung out.

Curiouser and curiouser. Winn was nowhere to be found and Mon-El was told by Donna that he had left about half an hour ago to take care of something.

Completely bummed, Mon-El flopped down on Winn's vacated chair and tried to think of a way to find that address. He passed almost a full minute by rolling the chair on its axis like a child which caused a few agents to give him raised brows.

In between the spins, Mon-El saw a corner of a fluorescent green sticky note beneath Winn's keyboard with only the number "34" visible. He stopped the chair at once and snatched up the small paper, knocking down one of the action figures in the process.

"34 Franklin" Mon-El's jaw dropped as his eyes grew wide.

He picked his phone and called Winn who didn't answer. Mon-El tried Kara next and when she didn't pick up either, he made up his mind that he had to go find out what was all this about.

Mon-El first thought of asking someone for help, but he didn't like dragging someone else into this. He kept thinking until a solution to how to find the address showed itself to him. Mon-El couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it sooner. The Map app on his phone. He quickly opened the app and typed in the address and very soon he was on his way downtown.

Getting farther from the central parts of the city, traffic gradually disappeared and the houses started looking less shiny and more faded. The moment he reached Franklin Street, Mon-El knew this was one of the unfriendly parts of the National City judging by the haunted grey looking apartments and overloaded dumpsters that spread a rotten smell into the air. The only occupants of the place were a group of young men in hipster clothes gathered close to a sport's car chatting and looking rather suspicious. They stopped their conversation and turned to look at Mon-El accusingly.

What on Earth Kara and Winn were doing in a place like this? In spite of being an indestructible alien thanks to his Daxamite genes and being a Prince in his previous life – which meant being used to have people stare at him - Mon-El felt uncomfortably self-conscious and vulnerable under the hostile scrutinizing stares. He wished he at least wasn't wearing his Mike Matthews glasses which gave him a dorky simpleton look.

Subtly Mon-El diverted his path form the threatening bunch and turned into the first alley. After checking his surroundings for possible observers, Mon-El leaped on his powerful legs to the rooftop of a five-story building. According to the app, he was 300 meters from his destination. He jumped to the next rooftop to get himself there without any unnecessary interruptions.

When Mon-El got close, he slowed his steps and sharpened his ears and eyes to spot Kara or Winn. From his place on the roof of another apartment, he noticed the address was, in fact, a dingy shop called "Madam Bianca's Boutique" with wide tapes across the big fracture in the window and big white sheets hiding the interior from outsiders. A crooked square with once decorative brass numbers showed this was indeed number 34.

Mon-El stood waiting. It didn't take long before the alley door of the shop cricked open and Kara stepped outside in her Supergirl suit while talking to someone who was still inside.

"We can't take him anywhere now! It's just for a few more days."

"But –"

"Please Winn. Pleeeease?" Mon-El smirked at how Kara, no Supergirl, won the argument with a pout.

"Okay." Winn sighed in defeat and stepped outside to lock the door behind him with a padlock.

Mon-El had less than a millisecond to duck his head when Kara suddenly looked up. Lying down on the cement floor awkwardly, Mon-El prayed she wasn't using her powers and see him there. He had no idea what excuse he could come up with if she did find him.

Thank Rao Kara only bid Winn goodbye before leaping into the sky and shut away.

Mon-El slowly moved and watched Winn walking away to the other end of the narrow alleyway where a van was parked. It was the same van he used when helping James as Guardian. When Winn drove away, Mon-El jumped down as quietly as he could without damaging the floor and went to check the shop. He sensed something was moving in there and he was dying to know what or who. It was driving him crazy and he was tempted to break in. With his powers, it would be piece of cake, but he didn't want to be caught. A few minutes later when he couldn't find any other way to solve this puzzle, he gave up and decided to go back to the DEO before they notice his absence.

In his heart, Mon-El trusted Kara and Winn. It was their secrecy that was frustrating and to be fair the pair were terrible at being covert. Whatever it was, they would come clean sooner.

Around 7pm the same day, when the sun was about to set, Mon-El heard Kara's light footsteps climbing the stairs of the building and as soon as she stepped inside her loft, he greeted her with a glass of red wine and a soft smile.

"Hey, babe." Mon-El pecked her lips sweetly before handing her the glass and taking her handbag from her.

"Hey, you!" Kara replied with a giggle and a pretty blush. She sipped at her drink, her hand on Mon-El's waist.

Mon-El put Kara's bag in her bedroom and went back to stir the pot of soup he had been busy preparing.

"Oh, Rao! What smells so good!?" Kara gasped when she came to peek over his shoulder.

"Tomato soup. You like it?"

"I love it!" Kara squealed and kissed Mon-El soundly on the cheek which made him chuckle.

"Good, cause I was a little worried you might not." Mon-El said as he lowered the level of heat and checked the readiness of the boiling potatoes in a second pot with a toothpick. Kara stood watching him in awe. "Dinner is almost ready babe. You should go get changed."

"What's the occasion?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought of trying a new recipe from the book." Mon-El nodded at the thick cooking book on the kitchen island as he took off his apron and hung it on the hook beside the fridge.

The dinner that night went very normal and couply. A kind of casual romance that was exclusive to the girl from Krypton and the boy from Daxam. The evening consisted of lots of smiles for no apparent reason and telling each other about how their day had gone without any interruption from DEO or urgent need of Supergirl's presence. Unsurprisingly Kara didn't mention her detour at all and Mon-El opted to not bring it up until Kara herself was ready.

"Hey Mon, do you have plans for this weekend?" Kara asked after dinner when they were washing the dishes together standing side by side over the sink.

"No, but I think I have a Saturday night shift at the bar. Why?" Mon-El replied as he scrubbed a bowl clear from tomato soup.

"It's ehm, Eliza called today. She invited us over to Midvale this weekend." Kara took the soapy bowl from him and rinsed it.

"Oh, she did?" Mon-El paused the washing to give Kara a bright smile. He always wanted to see the house where Kara had grown up. Plus the idea of going on a trip outside National City was beyond tempting.

"Yeah! So would you like to come?" Kara beamed at him, excited over his apparent enthusiasm.

"Of course! It's gonna be like a roadtrip! We've never done that before."

"Yes! It's gonna be a fun trip to Midvale. You can see where me and Alex grew up and went to school and it will be so fun! There's the park, the main square. Oh and then there's the beach!"

Mon-El smiled at her babbling and laughed at how she smeared her face with a little foam when she scratched her chin.

"Babe, you got something on your cheek." Mon-El teased and couldn't contain himself, laughing harder when Kara swiped cheek and instead put more foam on there.

"Mon-El!" Kara scolded but failed to put authority in her voice by cracking up.

She retaliated by splashing some tap water on his face. Mon-El didn't miss a beat and rubbed some of the foam on his kitchen gloves over her nose which in turn got Kara gasp and sprinkle him with more water as she giggled. He was suddenly overcome with fondness at the sight of her messy face and crossed eyes as she tried to wipe off the soap on her nose. Mon-El grabbed a dish towel and leaned forward to dry her nose before dropping a kiss there. She dropped her hands and stared at him lovingly. Without warning, Kara snatched the towel from him and started dabbing it on his wet face, the result of her mischief. She slowly dragged the soft cloth from his temple to the corner of his mouth with gentleness. Mon-El's breathing quickened. She was so close that they were breathing the same air. The air that was getting more charged by the second. Their lips crashed into one another as though opposite poles of magnets finding each other.

The soapy fight turned into a kissing session on the couch – rest of the dishes long forgotten – the two ended up wrapped tightly into one another's warm strong limbs. Clothes were discarded piece by piece, not too rushed, yet impatiently. Quick pants filled the air along with moans of pleasure. Asking and receiving. More kisses and words of endearment, sometimes even laughs echoed in the cozy flat. Drowned in and committed to arousal, they took each other to the peak where euphoria was the only existing concept in the universe.

The descent was gentle and silence fell as they stared back at each other, coming down to Earth once more. Kara laid on Mon-El, her chest pressed against his, her fingertips following lines of his face, moving upward to thread into his short hair and Mon-El remained unmoving, stunned by her profound affection and ethereal beauty. With them, lust and love were mingled and the same. They could make love to each other for hours or they could simply be together without saying a single word and still starve for the other as intensely as the first day.

After taking a shower together and continuing their explorations and enjoying every single touch, they returned to the couch this time clothed and snuggled close into one another as though they haven't been with each other all the night.

Kara suggested they should catch up on Stranger Things. Kara loved Eleven and the bond she shared with Mike. Mon-El agreed. He was also rooting for Steve and Nancy.

As the shortest clock hand raced close to eleven, Mon-El noticed Kara's eyes fluttering closed as her head rested on his chest.

"I think it's time for bed." Mon-El gently caressed Kara's hair, putting a kiss there and reached for the remote to turn the TV off.

"Hmmm." Was Kara's answer as she shifted and eventually scrambled to her feet.

When they settled in bed, Kara turned to Mon-El. "Hey Mon, I was wondering…" She trailed off, biting her lip.

Mon-El rolled to his side, mirroring her posture and adoringly took in her drooping eyes. "Yeah?" He urged when she didn't continue.

"…did you by any chance go downtown today?"

Mon-El's tried to keep his face straight. Had Kara seen him on the roof after all?

"No, why?" He lied.

"I was doing Supergirl business there and I thought I heard your heartbeat close by." Kara yawned widely and shifted her head to use Mon-El's chest as a pillow.

"You- you know my heartbeat?" Mon-El stuttered in awe as he tangled his fingers into her long tresses. He loved the sweet fragrant smell of her shampoo. The same smell still on his hands after washing her hair in the shower.

"Yes, of course I do. It helps me know how you are or find you anywhere you are. Just like I know Alex's." Her words were now slurred. Mon-el continued to brush her hair lulling her to sleep.

After that sweet Tuesday night, Mon-El continued to notice many more unexplainable behaviors from both Winn and Kara. They would chatter animatedly, probably arguing about that thing in Madam Bianca's Boutique, and one time Mon-El caught them being scolded by Alex. What all these encounters had in common, however, was they would fall instantly quiet when Mon-El would come close. He might not have Kara's super hearing, but he gathered Winn and Kara had gone overboard with something that Alex had found out.

To his surprise, it didn't take much of convincing for M'gann to give him the weekend off. Everything was working out perfectly for his first trip.

On Friday noon, Kara and Mon-El were all packed and ready. Kara was in a light blue sundress and denim jacket and Mon-El was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt with his sleeves rolled up. They both heard the loud honk as a huge roofless car pulled into the curb where the aliens were standing with their jaws dropped at the sight.

Alex was riding shotgun in one of her normal black and grey attires while J'onn was in the driver's seat wearing a Hawaiian floral shirt. Mon-El was dying to know where he had gotten that shirt from. He wanted one too.

They then picked up Winn and went to meet Maggie in her navy blue sedan. Alex naturally went to ride with her, claiming they had the cooler ride which made Kara pout. James sadly was staying back for the day since as the new CEO of Catco he had responsibilities that could not be pushed back. Instead, he was supposed to fly to Midvale first thing tomorrow morning and join them around noon.

The two cars hit the road, starting the long eight hours roadtrip. There was constant arguing in J'onn's car over who got to pick the music, with each having a very different taste in music. They annoyed J'onn to the point where he decided each hour one person chose the music with him having the first hour. Kara's turns were really sweet. She knew all the songs by heart and sang along with them, showing off her beautiful voice. Mon-El could never get enough of her.

When the roads would get empty without a third car in sight, Maggie would sometimes – result of Alex's shenanigans no doubt – take on J'onn. Alex booed or sarcastically remarked how slow they were driving as their car passed by. They would speed forward to put distance in between, then slowed down and waited for them to catch up as if taunting J'onn's boat sized car which he was very fond of. He, in fact, told Kara, Mon-El and Winn how accommodating and capable his 1952 Vintage Chevrolet Deluxe convertible was. He also very discreetly added that it wasn't just a car which confused them. Upon further asking though he refused to elaborate on that, saying how he did not have time for that now.

They had only two very short stops on the way to gas their tanks and stretch their legs. It was well passed nightfall when the two cars pulled into the driveway of the two-story creamy colored house with crimson roof tiles on a cliff close to the beach. The tired passengers and drivers got outside, walked on the neat lawn and took in their surroundings. Mon-El breathed in the smell of the ocean and sensed the dampness of the air. Even though National City was by the ocean, the air felt different here. Denser and cleaner. His ears then picked on the tiny whistling sounds from every direction and when he asked, Kara told him it was just the crickets singing. How unusually wonderful.

The lamp over the porch turned on, casting light on them before the door opened. Eliza stepped outside with a wide smile adorning her aged features and welcomed them all inside. Once inside everyone tucked into some delicious apple pie before calling it a night. They were all tired from the long drive.

Alex and Kara of course took their own beds in their shared room. Maggie was offered the guest room and the three men took the extra mattresses in the closet and laid them on the living room floor side by side. Mon-El stole a goodnight kiss from Kara before she disappeared upstairs. He was going to miss having her close during the night.

The arrival of morning announced itself to Mon-El with a sharp golden ray on his face. He threw his hand over his eyes and stirred to his side, trying to go back to sleep. However, the humming sound in the background intrigued his mind and convinced him against sleeping. He pushed away the blanket and noticed J'onn was already awake, reading the newspaper on the sofa while Winn was still deeply asleep. They said quiet good mornings and Mon-El went to inspect the sound. It sounded very familiar yet he couldn't put a finger on it. His search took him outside.

In the light of day, everything looked so different. The early beams of the sun had illuminated the morning dew on all the leaves, making them shimmering like diamonds. Unlike National City autumn had not quite arrived here yet with the leaves remaining persistently green.

Mesmerized by all the beauty surrounding him, Mon-El followed the humming towards the edge of the cliff and then it hit him. It was the sound of the ocean. He couldn't understand why he hadn't recognized it sooner. Maybe because it had a different quality here. The lack of city noise certainly made it feel continuous and far more pronounced. Even the color of water looked rather different here with a tint of green instead of pure blue.

The empty beach looked so inviting and Mon-El lost the battle inside that told him to go back inside and wait until everyone was awake.

Mon-El had been to the beach before, many times with Kara. Yet he had never been on his own with absolutely no one around. It was a little strange at first, but soon he found that he preferred it much better this way. The magnificent landscape seductively pulled him in and before he could stop himself, Mon-El was taking off his shoes and socks to feel the soft sand with his own skin. The sand here was whiter in color and smoother. There were no footprints distorting its uniform surface.

The small waves tickled his toes when he got close to the water. It was familiar. He got so lost into all this that his mind drifted away on an entirely new path. A swarm of peace washed him over with each stroke of water on his feet, and for the first time ever, Mon-El felt detached from reality in a way that wasn't born from a need of escaping something. Simply overtaken completely by the moment.

Mon-El had absolutely no sense of time or awareness about anything beyond the ocean, therefore he tensed when two hands wounded themselves around his midsection and a warm body was pressed to his back. His muscles instantly relaxed and leaned back when her scent mixed with the salty taste of the air, filled his lungs.

"Good morning." Kara whispered into his ear, sending tingles through him.

"Morning." Mon-El said back quietly and raised a hand to touch her face resting on his shoulder. He didn't feel ready to tear his eyes away from the scenery just yet. "It's so beautiful." He stated, but already knew those words were too feeble to describe all that this vision was resonating inside him. He wished he could remember some of those profound words from Shakespeare's plays.

Nevertheless, Kara seemed to understand just what he meant. She tightened her hold on him and Mon-El felt her content sigh before saying, "It is." They were just two very plain words, yet they held so much within.

Slowly, Mon-El turned around and took in the sight of Kara. Another vision that had similarly enchanted him every day. The missing piece of the moment. She was still wearing the white sleeping gown from last night covered by a brown cashmere blanket with white square patterns woven onto it. The breeze ran through her loose blond curls and her sapphire eyes were glowing with such intensity that Mon-El felt that if he didn't taste her lips right then and there, he would cease to exist.

Kissing her had never felt this gratifying. It was as though it was their very first. He experienced it once more, becoming free of reality. Untethered and one with the cosmos.

"How did you know I was here?" Mon-El asked when they finally parted, touching his forehead to hers.

"I followed your heartbeat."

His should have known. He couldn't even begin to describe how endearing this was.

Gradually the real world came back and reluctantly they turned to walk back to the house while holding hands. Right before the ocean disappeared behind the cliff, Mon-El glanced at its direction one more time and made a silent promise to himself that he would return soon.

After breakfast, Kara took Mon-El out to show him every corner of Midvale. From the high school to the park where she and Alex used to hang out at with their friends. He bought them ice-creams from the town's famous coffee shop and even showed him the church. At lunch, she was still talking about the things he hadn't seen yet. When Mon-El asked if they should go back to Eliza's for food, she insisted that he should try the pizza they had in Midvale's only Italian restaurant. That was really weird. Shouldn't they be having lunch with the others? They did come to Midvale together. Nevertheless, Kara's mind was set and he didn't question her.

A few hours later while sitting on a park bench, Kara ran out of places to show him or memories to tell. Mon-El kept glancing at his watch. It was 16:47.

"Ehm, Kara?" he asked

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't we go back? I'm sure Eliza and everyone else must be wondering where we are."

"Wh- why?" Kara became flustered with her trademark crinkle forming between her brows.

"Because we've been gone all day? Didn't Eliza invite here us to see us? Isn't it impolite to just take off?"

"Oh, you mean that!" She sighed in relief and Mon-El felt something was off. "Yeah right. Let me check in with Alex."

Mon-El didn't understand why she thought it was necessary to check first before going back.

"Okay! Let's go back!" Kara informed him happily after making the call.

Mon-El decided he needed to have a discussion with Kara about her behavior. He felt he was missing something and he didn't like it.

When they reached the house it was strangely quiet inside. They walked in and Mon-El didn't see anyone.

"Kara? Where is everyone? Didn't you just talk to Alex?"

"I did. Maybe they're out back." Kara strode to the back door and slid it open.

"SURPRISE!"

Mon-El jumped in his skin when suddenly he was sprayed with confetti and everyone shouted in unison.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MON-EL!"

"Wh-" Mon-El gawked at the group, now including James who had finally arrived. They were all wearing those cone party hats and holding balloons and squibs. Eliza standing in the middle was holding a big three-layered chocolate cake with a single lit candle on it.

Mon-El's heart swelled, barely able to contain himself. He couldn't believe his eyes. They had all gone out of their ways to throw him a surprise party and not only that, but they had remembered the date. October 10th. He himself hadn't been counting the days.

Everything now made sense. The trip to Midvale, Kara's strange behavior, her keeping him away all day.

"You guys…Thank you so much!" Mon-El didn't know how else to express his gratitude. The whole yard was decorated with birthday ornaments and Christmas lights. They had even put up a balloon arch and a placard over a table in a corner that said "HAPPY FIRST EARTH BIRTHDAY MON-EL" with stars and spaceships painted on it.

"Eliza, thank you so much for all this. It must have been so much trouble." Mon-El thanked her as soon as he found the words.

"You are so welcome sweet boy! It was no trouble at all. " Eliza answered, patting his shoulder kindly.

Mon-El walked to Kara next, his eyes filled with emotion. "Kara, you did all this for me?"

Kara shrugged with a blush. "Well, it wasn't just me! Everyone helped."

"Thank you so much!" He kissed her cheek and she fixed a party hat on his head. Mon-El noticed no one apart from Kara and Winn were wearing them anymore.

"Winn and I wanted to put up a bouncy castle, but Alex said no." She frowned at Alex who was listening.

"Oh for God's sake! Where would you have fit it in the yard?" Alex gestured at the limited space around them.

"We could have put it up in the front." Kara argued.

"And have the neighbors watch grownups jumping around inside it!?" Alex pinched the bride of her nose and Maggie pulled her away before they argued longer. Alex went straight towards the beers.

Eliza put the cake down on the table next to a small pile of presents and they all encouraged Mon-El to make a wish and blow out the candle.

Deep in his heart, Mon-El didn't feel he needed anything more than he already had in his life, but he did have a wish. He wished they could be forever like this. Together and happy.

Everyone cheered and whistled when he blew out the candle and Alex loudly told everyone about Kara's first Earth Birthday when she turned the cake along with the room into an ice blizzard at her first attempt to blow the candle. They all laughed. Kara, not so much.

Next was time to open the gifts. Mon-El received a set of five Classical novel books from J'onn, a LEGO Death Star from Winn and an Xbox game from James that Winn had beat them at not long ago. James explained Mon-el could practice for their next showdown.

Alex had gotten him a nice red tie which surprised Mon-El a little since knowing Alex, he expected to find something more like a Nunchaku in the long narrow package. On the other hand, Maggie gave him a bottle of Aldebaran rum which made him really happy. It brought back sweet memories from that night he had gotten Kara drunk for the first time. Who knew what would happen next time they got drunk?

Eliza's present was a very fine looking wristwatch with a big round screen, tiny golden Latin numbers and delicate hands that were glimmering the light. Mon-El excitedly took off his favorite calculator watch (an older gift from Winn) and put it on, wrapping its soft brown leather band around his wrist. It was truly the most luxurious accessory he had ever possessed since coming to Earth. He was speechless.

Counting in his head, Mon-El realized only Kara was left. He didn't want to assume she had a gift for him – Kara loving him was enough – but even so, he turned to look for Kara and his jaw dropped when he saw her walking towards him with a white puppy in her arms. A big red bowtie was cutely tied around the puppy's neck, indicating it was a present.

Everyone showed different reactions. Mostly they "Aww"ed, but Alex sighed and J'onn's face was unreadable.

"Happy birthday babe." Kara said, pecking his lips, and put the quiet little ball of fluff into Mon-El's arms.

"This- this is for me?" Mon-El gently patted the small warm head. Once again his heart flipped at lengths Kara had gone to make this a perfect night for him.

He had dreamt of having a dog. He absolutely loved watching owners play with their dogs in the park, the way they seemed to be bonded. He wanted that for himself so much, but he had never, not even once, told Kara directly that he had such fantasies. Yet here he was holding the perfect puppy in his hands. Kara knew him too well.

"34 Franklin!" He suddenly realized.

"What!?" Kara's eyes grew wide.

"That night on the phone! You were talking to Winn about the puppy!" Mon-El tactfully refrained from slipping out the fact that he had followed her there.

"Yeah…" Kara looked away, biting her lip. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"It's alright babe. I never could figure out what this was all about. You totally got me." Mon-El kissed her cheek lovingly, making her smile.

"See? I told you I can be sneaky when I want to!" Kara loudly stated for Alex to hear who only rolled her eyes and sipped at her beer bottle.

Too much time was spent cuddling the puppy and appreciating its cuteness, before they remembered to serve the cake. It was running a little late for dinner but no one seemed hungry. No one except Kara of course.

"Everyone? Let's take some photos together before the dinner." Eliza announced, holding up the old family camera in her hand. Even though rarely anyone used films anymore these days, Eliza still loved the old way. Although old, that camera used to belong to Jeremiah and held a great deal of sentimental attachment to leave it unused in a closet. Almost all of the families photos had been taken on it and this time should be no different she thought.

They first took pictures without the puppy. The poor thing was worn out from all the excitement and attention and was napping on a chair nearby.

"Can we take some photos with the puppy too?" Kara asked and Mon-El eagerly nodded.

"Sure honey." Eliza beamed at the excited aliens who went to get their puppy.

"Ready?" Eliza asked when everyone went back to their positions this time with the puppy resting in Mon-El's hand in the center and Kara laying her head onto his shoulder.

"Say cheese!" Eliza said. The camera flash went off before it clicked and suddenly the puppy let out an eerily gruff roar that wasn't like any kind of sounds a puppy should make.

"OUCH!" Mon-El jerked his right hand away in pain, only to find the puppy biting at it with long fangs that he didn't have until a second ago. The soft blue eyes were now big and green with narrow slit pupils and the white fur had blue scales in it. Mon-El's eyes stopped on the two curved horns growing on the small head.

"KARA?!" Mon-El called, utterly terrified.

"Oh Rao!" Kara covered her mouth, stunned.

"That's not a puppy!" Winn squealed as he backed away in horror, colliding into James' tall figure. "That's a demon from HELL!"

"Everyone stay back!" J'onn commanded, taking Eliza away and back into the house. His Martian ruby eyes were glowing sharply. The party was over. It was now a DEO business.

"Kara, where the hell did you get that dog? You said you found it in a shelter!" Alex questioned Kara accusingly while taking cover behind two chairs with Maggie. Unfortunately, they didn't have their guns on them at the moment.

"Does it really matter right now!?" Kara shouted back at her without taking her concerned eyes off the creature still chewing on Mon-El's extended arm, its colorless saliva dripping on the grass.

Kara was the only person who hadn't listened to J'onn's order and was standing as closely as before. Mon-El's skin wasn't pierced under the sharp teeth luckily, nonetheless, it was painful. Reading his writhing face, Kara plainly knew this fact. "I'm gonna get it off now, ok?" She assured gently, locking eyes with him. Mon-El nodded curtly.

"Kara, no!" J'onn forbade her as soon as she reached her hands of steel forward to grab the Non-Puppy.

"Aaaaah!" Mon-El yelled through gritted teeth when the jaws pressed harder in reaction and growled threateningly.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Kara cried, withdrawing her hands instantly as though she had touched a naked wire.

"We need a plan!" Kara looked back at others, hiding at the far end of the yard.

"You think?" Alex said, handing out a small shovel to Maggie while holding onto a rake as a weapon for herself. Typical Alex.

"What is that thing!?" James asked.

"A shapeshifting alien." J'onn replied.

"Then why a puppy?!" Winn asked in horror.

"It's the easiest way to get attention and food from humans." Maggie wisely deduced and everyone hummed in agreement.

"It's just like Lillo and Stitch!" Kara remarked adoringly.

"Ehm, guys? Can we do this later? Kinda losing my arm here!" Mon-El reminded them.

Everyone focused back on the poor birthday boy and tried to think of a way to save him faster.

"How about we give him some cake?" Kara suggested.

Alex huffed. "Not all the living things love chocolate Kara."

"You don't know that. Maybe he likes it!"

"He obviously prefers meat."

"We could use some salami from dinner."

Winn rose his hand to gather Kara's attention. "Why not use your freeze breath?"

"I don't wanna hurt him!"

"Better than that having an armless boyfriend!" Mon-El muttered through gritted teeth. He was getting frustrated.

"Here are the salamis!" Eliza peeked through the backyard door, holding a bag of salamis. Evidently, she had been listening to the conversations going on outside.

Kara ran to get them from her and took one piece out, waving it enticingly at the growling little alien. "Here Stitchy…" She cooed.

Kara screamed when "Stitchy" jumped on her with a savage cry, trying to take the salami along with her hand. Thank to her superspeed, only the offered meat got eaten and not anything else. Not that it possibly could harm her badly what with her Kryptonian powers, nevertheless the alternative was scary.

Mon-El staggered back and massaged his dented forearm with a grimace. His arm was imprinted with red marks from the creature's fangs. Hopefully, a bit of sunlight would help them go away soon. Only then did Mon-el realize he was wearing Eliza's watch. Checking his wrist he saw it was on the other arm and was safe. He thanked the gods.

"Mon-El, you okay?" Kara rushed towards him, staring at his arm with worry etched on her face.

"Yeah, don't worry Kara. Still have two arms!" He wiggled his hands in the air in a sort of dance move to lighten up the mood.

Kara wanted to say something, but Alex interrupted. "Kara! Where did you put the rest of the salamis?!" She yelled.

Kara gasped before turning around. The little demon shapeshifter was long done with the small piece of food and was sniffing around with hungry eyes for the rest of good smelling bag of meat and spotted it on the table right next to the cake and presents. Kara must have thrown it there in her hurry to get away.

"Oh no!" Mon-El murmured.

It was one of the most horrifying massacres in cake history. The half-eaten beautiful creamy cake exploded, going everywhere. They all ended up covered in cake with icing on their faces and clothes. Kara got the worst of it when she had leaped forward to do damage control.

The little rascal proved to have some superpowers of himself when it dodged Kara's hands. It jumped upwards like a frog and grabbed the lights, dragging them down. Kara once more pounced and missed him by the width of a hair. The group huddled in the corner started shuffling around and moving fast when the two zapped in their direction.

Kara groaned in irritation. "J'onn, a little help here?"

Mon-El though this was useless. They needed something to contain the alien. Looking around he saw J'onn was missing.

The chase continued with plant pots breaking, chairs collapsing and the small granite fountain turning into a pile of rocks. Kara was almost in tears. Even Alex and Maggie's attempts to stop the tiny monster with their gardening tools were ineffective. Stitchy bit the rakes into iron filings and the shovel ended up with a stitchy shape imprint on it. Kara kept pleading with them not to hurt it, only to control it. It was turning into the most ridiculous tag game with Kara chasing after the small frenzied alien while others ran out of their way, ducking, diving and dodging. It was a full on havoc now.

J'onn appeared out of nowhere by phasing and pinned the fake puppy with a special gun. "Cover your ears!" He shouted before pulling the trigger.

Mon-El had been slow to follow his instruction and went deaf at the sharp whistle that pierced his brain. Looking around he saw Kara mirroring his stance by pressing down on her ears and her eyes screwed shut. The other, non-alien, members of their group, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected.

Stitchy howled in pain, squirming and folding onto himself in a fetal position. At least now he wasn't running around anymore. The torturous assault ended very soon and J'onn clasped a DEO standard restraining loop around the little party wrecker's neck to effectively deprive it of any powers.

J'onn took the alien with him, saying he was flying it to the DEO as fast as he could. The rest of them took a few minutes to gather their wits and looked around to survey the damage of the once cozily decorated backyard. It looked more like a battlefield than a birthday party.

Mon-El found all of his presents almost untouched with just had some cake on their packaging. Only the tie needed washing. It was a miracle. Maybe that wild thing knew at some level that this was his birthday.

No one really talked that much and spent started cleaning up the mess. Kara had insisted Mon-El resting, claiming it wasn't his responsibility to help, being the birthday boy and all, but he wouldn't have any of it. They each had a plastic bag in hand and chose a spot to clean. Eliza watched over, guiding them on the best way to deal with the garbage or the remains.

Mon-El finished cleaning the overturned table from every last piece of sticky sweet chocolate and went to see how Kara was doing with the broken fountain. Everyone else was already done and had headed inside to wash up and change into clean clothes.

As he came close to Kara who was sitting with her back to him, Mon-El heard her sniffling quietly. "Kara?" He called softly, but she didn't answer. "Hey, are you crying?" Mon-El's heart broke seeing her teary eyes when she turned her head to look at him.

"I'm so sorry for all this." Kara apologized, dipping her head towards her limp hands that held two uneven pieces of the stone.

"Hey, it's okay. No one got hurt." Mon-El touched her forearms gently, trying to soothe her by brushing his thumbs over her pulse points.

"I wanted it to be perfect." She whimpered quietly and let go of the stones before they got crushed in her slightly shaking hands. "I wanted it to be the perfect night for you."

"And it was!" Mon-El cupped Kara's face to force her to look at his face. "I don't need a perfect birthday party, or- or perfect gifts to see this as the perfect night! I swear to Rao I loved it!"

He now had all her attention. "You- you loved it?"

"Yes, of course I loved it! So what if it got a little messy, it's always a little dramatic with us!"

"That's true. We're all about drama." Kara chuckled at him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She still had some cake on her face and Mon-El couldn't resist reaching out and brush it away with the pad of his thumb.

Their eyes met and they smiled endearingly back at each other. "I still owe you a birthday present. I could get you another puppy, but I'm scared now." Kara said apologetically with a nervous laugh and her stare changed into a more serious one.

"It's okay Kara. I don't need any proof of how much you care about me. You do that every day by just being at my side."

"Are you sure?" She pouted. "There is nothing you want?"

Mon-El shook his head with a laugh. "Nothing."

Mon-El's breath got hitched in his throat when Kara came onto him, her warm breath fanning his face. She stared him down seductively, looking at him through her lashes. "Nothing?" She whispered.

He gulped down with a racing heart. His lips were millimeters from Kara's, breathing the same air and brushing them. "There might be a –"

"Hey, Lillo and Stitch!" Alex's voice ruined the moment. "Get you alien butts inside and clean up fast. Mom says dinner is ready."

Kara dropped her head on Mon-El's shoulder and they both burst into a laugh, thinking how ridiculous they had been.

"Come on, let's go before they come arrest us too." Kara got up to her feet, holding out a hand to Mon-El who accepted it without hesitation.

"Okay, but can I still have my present?" He whispered into her ear hotly as they walked into the house.

Kara snorted with a blush. "Yeah, but you'll have to wait till we get back to my loft."

"Ah man!"

"Shush!" Kara slapped him in the chest.

When the couple entered the dining room all washed up and changed, they found out J'onn was already back and informed them that the rabid shapeshifter was now safe in DEO and they would make a decision about where he would go later. The alien didn't seem to have the same level of intelligence as the criminals the agency dealt with, thus they couldn't detain it. They had to find its origins and send it to an appropriate home.

It was revealed over dinner that Kara had found the stray puppy one late night last week after stopping a mugger in the downtown. Same night when Mon-El had caught her talking to Winn on the phone. She had taken the puppy to the abandoned shop called Madam Bianca's Boutique and as she had been busy trying to keep the whole thing secret, Kara had asked Winn to bring food and blankets for it when he was out with James Guardian-ing. Never in a hundred years had she expected the puppy to turn into a sham.

Kara weakly argued maybe she and Mon-El could still somehow take care of it, but one glare from Alex forced her to retreat. God only knew the amount of trouble that uncontrollable alien could cause in a busy and populated city like National City. It was a wonder how it hadn't caused a scene during its time disguised as a puppy.

After dinner, Alex came up with the awesome idea to make a campfire on the beach, as it was something the two sisters used to do as teenagers. They took camping chairs, blankets and a big bag of S'mores with themselves to the beach and set up a place. Mon-El helped Alex and Kara to find proper logs to use for the fire. In no time with Kara's heat vision the timbers sizzled into tall orange flames and everyone settled around, enjoying it. They spent the night chatting and roasting marshmallows on sticks. Kara then started to sing a campfire song and Mon-El listened to her in fascination. He especially loved it when she left her own chair to come and snuggle with him, sitting on his lap and covered them securely with a blanket even though the cold didn't matter to them.

Everyone looked so content and happy. He wished that night never come to an end, yet at some point contagiously repeating yawns from everyone around their small circle was a clear sign that they had to gather their belongings and go back to the house. Kara blow out the fire with her freeze breathe when they were departing.

The living room for sleeping that night was even more cramped than the night before with James. If anyone needed to use the bathroom they would have had a hard time passing through without waking up others.

However, what woke Mon-El up in the early hours was not someone trying to pass through, but Winn snoring next to him. He was so loud he woke up everyone else in the room as well as Kara whose sensitive hearing had picked up on the persistent noise.

Mon-el and James seeing an opportunity, used their phones to capture Winn's snores, knowing they could haunt him with it later. Kara chastised them, but wasn't successful in stopping them.

After a little debate, it was decided that they would try and role Winn over to his side instead of waking him up. It proved ineffective, though, as not five minutes later the snores resumed. Having no other choice they got out of bed again and woke Winn up.

To Mon-El's absolute delight, the next day was spent mostly at the beach. The water wasn't warm enough for swimming, though the aliens weren't bothered by that fact. The beach was quiet and almost devoid of visitors in that time of year which encouraged Kara and Mon-El to get a little overboard by swimming away from prying eyes to have some private fun in the water that included Mon-El getting his alternative birthday present sooner than discussed.

They had sandwiches for lunch and Winn spent 4 hours building the biggest sand castle Mon-El had ever seen. He had even brought his Stormtrooper LEGOs with himself and had stationed them on its towers. They took so many photos with it.

Another hour was dedicated to make Mon-El a mermaid tail out of sand. Much to Kara's embarrassment, Mon-El went even as far as making two big round breasts for himself which he was so proud of and kept cupping them. Kara turned red as cherry when J'onn and Eliza came to watch and turned almost purple when he, Winn and James started calling them "Sand Boobs". At that, Maggie started whispering something into Alex's ear and she burst into a fit of laughter. That inside joke lasted until well into the night with one of them occasionally cracking up, followed by the other's snorts.

Watching the sunset was among the most enthralling experiences Mon-El had ever had. As he had come to realize, similar things had a different quality to them here compared to National City and that included the way sky changed colors closer it got to the evening. They all stopped what they were doing and took a moment to enjoy the last minutes of daylight in silence.

Despite being the Prince of Daxam and having the privilege of seeing other planets, Mon-El had never seen such a stunning masterpiece. So many rich ranges of colors blending into one another as the sun touched the horizon. The Pacific Ocean taking the same shade of blue the sky was, uniting them into the same body, turning it into a canvas. Gold and silver flickers of light danced on the water where it kissed the sun and the orange above diluted into the indigo of sky in the most magical way. It all dimmed and turned navy and grey as the sun sank deeper into the water, saying farewell to the audience. Unconsciously Mon-El started counting how long it took for the yellow star to completely disappear. It turned out to happen much faster than he had expected.

To Mon-El this was the perfect ending to a perfect holiday. His heart was settled and happy. He would cherish the memories every day and hoped to make many more with Kara and his new family.

After the darkness fell and the air started to get chilly everyone decided to head back to the house and begin packing for their departure the next morning. Mon-El and Kara, however, stood behind and enjoyed the time they had left by walking along the beach, fingers interlaced and listening to the music of the hidden ocean behind the veil of night.

"Are you happy?" Kara asked impromptu.

"Very happy." Mon-El said in absolute sincerity and gave her his widest smile.

"I'm happy you're happy." She snuggled into his chest and Mon-El relished in her closeness.

They finished their walk with a long kiss. Another perfect ending, Mon-el thought.

A few days after they returned to National City, they found out "Stitchy" was actually the lost pet belonging to another alien and his real name was something no one could pronounce.

Supergirl had personally taken the beloved pet, carrying him in a reinforced case – courtesy of Winn – and reunited him with his distressed owner. Unbelievably the little monster had turned as gentle as a puppy once in his owner's arms.

Later same night at the loft, sitting at the kitchen island, Kara was showing Mon-El the pictures Eliza had sent them all from the party. There was this last picture of them standing all smiles and even the space puppy was there in Mon-El's arms. The look on Mon-El's face was one of pure joy.

Kara then brought up the matter of his birthday present again and Mon-El tried to ease her mind.

"Babe, you already gave it to me!" He smirked. "Have you forgotten? Because if you have, we could totally –"

"Mon-El no!" Kara blushed adorably and held a hand up to stop his train of thoughts. "I'm serious! Everyone else gave you something. I want you to have something from me too."

"But Kara you don't have to just because they did." Mon-El put his hands on her shoulders. He wished she understood that having a physical gift from her didn't matter to him.

"Maybe we can go to a shelter and get a real puppy this time? Would you like that?" Kara asked.

"As much as I love that idea, I keep thinking of all the responsibilities and how we both have full-time jobs… Maybe in a few months after we have it figured out, then we can find the perfect dog."

Kara sighed and went to flop down on the couch. "Your right. I really hadn't thought this through. I just found the puppy staring at me in that filthy narrow street all alone and shivering in rain with those big blue eyes and I had to take him with me somewhere safe. Then I remembered how your eyes sparkle every time we see a dog in the park and I thought to myself that this could be the best gift. I never considered how much work it takes. All the care and time. You're right. We're not ready yet."

Mon-El sat beside her and threw his arm around her shoulder in console. "But we will be. Soon. Don't worry."

Kara smiled at him warmly with a knowing look. Pretty rosy splotches appeared on her cheeks.

"What?" Mon-El questioned the twinkle in her eyes.

"Nothing." Kara looked away, still smiling. "I was just thinking of something."

"What were you thinking of?" Mon-El pressed her to tell him. The curiosity was killing him.

"Oh, never mind." Kara waved her hand at him.

"Come on! Tell me please?!" It was like pulling a tooth.

Kara bit her lip before lifting her eyes to his pleading ones. "Okay, okay I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you won't freak out."

"Why would I freak out?" Mon-El frowned, not understanding how horrible what she was thinking could be.

"It's just this is a sensitive subject that usually freaks guys out." Kara gulped and looked down at her hands, fiddling with the rope of her sweatpants nervously.

"I promise I won't." Mon-El softly took Kara's fidgeting hands in his and squeezed in reassurance.

Kara looked at him quizzically for a few seconds as though making up her mind.

"I… I just thought how amazing you could be with children one day."

Mon-El blinked at Kara a few times in astonishment. "You mean like a nanny?"

Kara chuckled. "No, silly!" As if suddenly losing it, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss before explaining, "I meant what a great father you'd make someday."

Mon-El's stomach did a somersault and his heart skipped at that. He had never imagined himself as the kind of person with a family, let alone having children of his own. Just the idea of it sent his head spinning.

"You- you really think so?" He asked shyly while holding Kara tighter in his embrace.

Kara ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head in tenderness, caressing his neck. "I know so." She said so confidently as though it was a well-known fact only he didn't know.

Mon-El was so overwhelmed by emotions that he couldn't find any words to say in return. Instead, he held Kara closer and thanked every single god for the happiness and love that was filling his heart to point of bursting. That was then when the three words flowed from his tongue for the first time, as inevitable as the rising sun.

"I love you."

Kara slowly pulled out of his arms and looked at him in shock. Mon-El visibly saw her eyes getting wet and filled with tears. A familiar sight. "Comets…" He murmured.

"I love you too." She said back in a shaking voice.

This time when they kissed, Mon-El felt something had changed. The affection between them was more profound than ever before and it was as if he could actually taste the infinite expanse of love on Kara's lips. It was the greatest gift Mon-El had ever received.

To love and to be loved in return.

THE END