Chapter Ten "A Better Tomorrow."

A frown crossed Alura's face, this was the day where for her, it was do or die for her with this meeting. She wondered what her legacy would be when she was gone and dead. Would she even be remembered? That was an obsession for her in a way, but many Kryptonians were not forthright, they did not think past tomorrow, rather they only thought of today because why think of tomorrow? They thought that Krypton was going to last for hundreds of years, or a thousand year when they thought about that.

"It's going to work, it has to work."

Kara paused when she stated the other part of the statement before Harry could. "And if it doesn't, well we're going to….well we're not going to have a good day."

Harry and Kara held hands together, separately they were pretty strong and their determination was without peril. But together, they were a force that had to be reckoned with, and Harry and Kara spun around, watching every little moment that Alura did. She climbed down the cavern; they were shielded from the radiation.

He hoped for the best, but the worst was something that was extremely likely to take place. The blonde standing next to him bit nervously down upon her lip, she did look rather cute when she did that. Then again Harry thought that Kara looked rather cute when she did anything. It was impossible to be anything but the beauty that stood beside him. The pair shifted against each other when they continued to walk down the cavern.

"This is the most likely spot to plant the probe," Alura stated when she calculated everything in the back of her head. She spun around, before putting her hands on her hips. She blew her hair from in front of her face, before she reached behind the head and tied it back. "If we crack the core here, the radiation will only infect the dead zone."

Kara supplied the answer to Harry in a whispered undertone. "Parts of Krypton that is not habitable for any long term life. They've been most infected by the core and that's likely where most of the Kryptonite is."

Harry waited and watched, there were a few moments where they carefully watched what was happening. The young wizard carefully kept his eyes on the prize and his eyes on what Alura was doing. The clock ticked down several seconds when they were down here. Kara used her heat vision to help cut some of the core away.

So far so good, the shields held themselves up and allowed them to be down here. This radiation would infect people without any shields within minutes. Alura remotely controlled the probe; thankfully they could do this at night thanks to the modifications that were made. Otherwise the Council might interfere but now they had no idea what was being done. The blonde bit down on her lip before she shifted her arms and her legs and spun around, nervously biting down on her lip with sweat rolling down her face.

'Easy does it, Alura, one wrong move and….'

It was one wrong move that likely might happen before she placed the probe in the core. It rattled, another tremor, if it shifted a bit more, the cavern could collapse on them and crush them all. She felt rather vulnerable given that there was this simple fact that she did not have any super powers. Sure her magic would be able to sustain her for a little bit but only for a little bit. Otherwise the cavern would collapse down on her and crush them all.

That was not something that she wanted to think about and she watched it cut into the hole, before the mirror reflected the red sun from the other side of the planet. The light amplified into the hole before flooding it with the light. The yellow tinted solar radiation, combined with the magic caused everything to slowly heal over.

The radiation was interesting in the sense that the sun tended to amplify the gifts within Kryptonians but it also made them more susceptible to the twisted core of the planet. The young scientist bit down on her tongue, gauging the readings that popped up. So far it was so good, at the very least it was not going to cause an explosion. She would hate to be the one who was responsible for blowing up the planet in her attempts to save it. That scared her a little bit but Alura kept calm. Losing her mind would do her no good whatsoever.

Her eyes fixed on the planet's core when more sunlight flooded into it, she was getting closer and closer to a point where she could really heal the planet and make sure nothing like that happened again. The scientist stood by them, with Kara adjusting the mirror ever so slightly at her signal. This allowed more sunlight to pour in and more sunlight to fix the core of the planet. She blinked carefully, her readings were dropping.

"That is one thing, one in a million is it not?" Kara asked when she rolled her shoulders, but Harry gripped her hand tightly.

"Yeah, that is one thing," Alura responded in an absent minded voice when she carefully turned her head around and bit down on her lip when everything settled down, the core continued to rock and shift before it settled. "The actual people of this planet, they'll need enlightenment, they'll need something that will…"

Harry shook his head, cutting her off before a smile crossed his face and he responded as only he could. "One step at a time, one step at a time."

"Quite," she stated, knowing what happened with the Council and what was to come. Her experiences of sorrow, well in many ways they were beginning and the blonde shifted herself, feeling the knots that twisted in her stomach rather prominently. "Let's see what we can do."

Alura swayed herself nervously on her feet, she watched, everything could come crashing down before her very eyes if she was not careful. The core being stabilized was one thing but how stable could the center of a planet be when the people on it were not stable? The blonde watched carefully, when she saw her equipment.

"Radiation readings are dropping down to a safe level, or at least stable for another hundred or so years, pending any further tampering," Alura said to her two companions before she turned around towards them. The blonde carefully kept her eyes on small but non noticeable crack.

"I think we did it," Harry responded when he carefully smiled and Kara looked back at him, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Was there any doubt whatsoever?"

"Perhaps a little," Harry responded with a smile, when he pulled her into his tight embrace. It was that lovely afterglow of a job well done that carefully held them together.

"The Council has been mistaken in the past and it was one of those times."

Harry smiled, a government actually admitted that they might have made an error. Especially one that was stubborn as the Kryptonian government, perhaps there was some amount of hope that could be offered for this world yet. Then again, he would have to wait and see what happened next. The dark haired wizard threw his head back, his hair going in his eyes.

"We assumed that the solar technology could be used to help empower us in the upcoming war, but the words of Jor-El and Alura proved to be true," the Council responded when they looked at her. "We are here to ask you to destroy all of the technology and all blue prints of technology."

Alura smiled up at them, before she nodded her head. "You shall consider that to be done."

The blueprints were in her head, she had a pretty good photographic memory. So having the blueprints destroyed would not really bother her that much at all. She could really rebuild elsewhere but perhaps she should wait a few years. Of course, as long as she was on this planet, there was a chance she would be hunted down by every whacko on the planet.

For once, she could not be sarcastic when she thought that the Council was the one that have infinite wisdom. They were actually thinking with some kind of foresight and that amazed her. It was an entirely new experience for Alura. Perhaps there was some kind of hope for the Council and the type of things that they promoted. At least that's what she hoped that were.

"We feel that it would be unwise for you to remain on this planet, although it would also be unwise for your talents to go without use for the good of all Krypton."

A smile spread across Alura's face, of course this was the case. Of course she could still have some kind of use. A part of her wondered if they were trying to figure out how to make up for what happened. The Zor-El incident and the Zod incident were fresh in her minds. All Alura wanted to do was make a difference but everything went entirely wrong.

"All I wish to do is make a difference," she voiced, hoping to convey to the Council what she had on her mind. Of course making a difference could be something that was not going to be that easy, given that everyone was stuck in those same habits.

The mutterings of the Council commenced, it was always like this when they hoped to come sort of any kind of resolution. Harry and Kara exchanged a tense glare; the couple hoped that the Council knew what they were doing. The pair carefully watched each other and stood on their toes, edging forward a little bit, before they cleared their throats with a cough.

"If we may make a suggestion," Kara answered when she watched them and the eyes turned towards her. Not many had been brave enough to speak to the Council when they were considering a resolution which made them gain some form of respect towards Kara. The blonde focused on them, a smile crossing her face. She was certain that she got their attention and now they could progress forward a little bit. "I think that Alura should be given a chance to explore other parts of the galaxy, to enhance the knowledge of Krypton for the good of the people."

Harry caught on and decided to follow his girlfriend's lead. "How could make this world a better place if we allow ourselves to be isolated from the rest of the world at large? Truly if Krypton is the best, then they would remain vigilante to ensure that no other part of the universe passes by. If they really wish to last for a thousand years, or a million years, or any amount of time, they will always be ready to grow."

Alura also caught on and she added. "I would be willing to offer my services to Krypton as an ambassador to help bridge the fractured relations that we have with our neighbor planets. Otherwise are lives will be cold, barren, and without meaning. We have a lot to learn from these worlds, and they have a lot to learn from us."

Kara chimed in with a few more words of her own. "Is there much of any point of living for thousands of years when we learn nothing?"

The attention of the Council was grabbed and they swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker. Kara wondered if she achieved some kind of modern day miracle and actually pushed through towards these blowhards. It was a one in a million shot that she did but at the same time, confidence brimmed through her eyes.

'Kara, you are amazing,' Harry thought to himself and put an arm around her. She actually got them to listen, despite it all.

"You all speak much wisdom."

Given Harry's experience, he almost sensed a "but" coming and braced himself for some sort of impact regarding it. But nothing came except for more words of encouragement.

"I believe that you will have much to teach the other planets in the galaxy and also much to learn from it," one of the Council members stated. "Therefore the three of you will be official envoys from the planet of Krypton. I hope that you do not make us regret this decision. And once again, you have our apologies about the misjudgment of how your technology should work."

Alura crossed her arms carefully; she did not say anything but she was thinking many things in the back of her head. The truth was that if they did not try and use her technology for their own selfish gains, then none of what happened was going to happen. Of course, she shouldered her fair share of the blame but that was a valuable lesson for all to learn.

"I accept this role but only if Harry and Kara do as well," Alura answered when she eyed them. "I can tell the two of you, you would be happier with the freedom to go as you please, to travel the universe."

"As long as it's together," Kara responded when she watched Harry.

Harry smiled at her, grabbing her hand carefully eying her, before he repeated. "As long as it's together."

The two of them nodded in agreement, they were both in this together and ready to challenge the world. That was who they were, that was what they did, and the two stood forward. This adventure might be over but this new responsibility would bring many new adventures.

Jor-El was an individual who thought a lot about the various mysteries of the universe. It was just an element that was in his genetic makeup. Science was something that he enjoyed, in various forms, he had little time for romantic endeavors. No matter what, he had this obsessive compulsion to find out every single little bit of knowledge that he could get his hands on. It was one of the traits that were prominent through many members of the House of El, even though he was equally gifted. He was given a heavy burden to shoulder and he thought about this when he stood at the edge of Zor-El's grave.

He watched the grass, barely growing over the grave, but it would be covered in a matter of days. The funeral was quiet and private. His father had gone to the temple of RAO to contemplate what had happened and Jor-El used his own lab to do so. In many ways, it was his own personal fortress of solitude, it allowed him clarity and time to think over anything and everything. It was the place where he felt at ease. The oldest brother thought of the fate of the youngest brother.

If only he had done more to reign in some of Zor-El's worst tendencies. He allowed his father to play the two brothers against each other. In hindsight, that likely messed up Zor-El in many ways and caused him to develop tendencies where he tended to get violent if he did not get what he wanted.

The good news out of this situation, was Alura, Kara, and Harry made it out there okay. Jor-El had a feeling that they were the key to many things yet to come.

The bad news is that Zor-El was six feet under the ground. They did not kill, rather he killed himself or rather his own greed did. Jor-El felt that he also killed Zor-El in his own way and their father was responsible. He wondered if that was why his father went to the temple of RAO after the service. To consider what his actions had done, his harsh and cold methods at raising his two sons.

It was a hard and bitter pill to swallow but it was one that Jor-El came to the conclusion of. He made a mental vow to not raise his son in such a way, providing that he ever had a son. There was a possibility that he might be married to his work and nothing more at this rate. In fact, he found himself rather uninterested with pursuing any intimate relations with anyone. Jor-El watched carefully over the horizon when he saw two people approach him.

"I take it all went well with the Council," Jor-El responded still focusing on his brother's grave, but not turning around to face the group.

"About as well as could be expected," Kara responded with a sigh when she stood over her father's grave. In this native universe, she would technically never come to be, but perhaps that was for the best. She did wonder how her parents got together but she suspected at this rate she will never know. She bit down on her lip nervously before she added in a small voice. "I apologize for your loss."

Jor-El said nothing more a moment.

"Zor-El was the one who should have known to leave well enough alone, but he did not despite constant warnings," Jor-El answered when he walked across the yard of the state, barely acknowledging them. It was not because of the fact that he snubbed them but rather his mind was elsewhere at this present instant. He blinked his eyes carefully and threw his head back for a slight sigh. "That was what….that was what one would expect from someone like Zor-El."

Harry knew that he had no love loss for Zor-El, given the fact he tried to kill Kara. He wondered if the fact he knew that this was his daughter, would that stop him? The fact that answer could not be given with picture perfect clarity ate Harry up on the inside. He said nothing, he did nothing, and Kara grabbed his hand gently.

"We fixed it," Kara added when she watched him.

'I wish we could have fixed the fractured House of El,' Kara thought to herself when she rested her head on Harry's shoulder, when his arm snaked around her waist. 'I told Kal-El it was dysfunctional, but I must have been understating slightly.'

Jor-El paused and looked into the sky, the red sun set over the planet and he nodded his head.

"I'm glad that it has been fixed," Jor-El responded when he closed his eyes in deep thought and contemplation. He watched the couple over his shoulder, they had their lives ahead of them. "And I have heard word of your new post. Congratulations and best of luck for it."

Harry and Kara felt that luck came with a "you're going to need it' but Jor-El did not voice those words. The two of them sensed what the other was feeling, they had for some time, almost when they exited the Phantom Zone. The pair snaked their arms together rand stood carefully next to each other. There were butterflies dangerously flapping their wings in their stomachs and causing them tension beyond anything that they could ever believe.

"So will Krypton truly live for a million years like the Council believes?"

That was a deep question that Jor-El posed and not one that either Harry or Kara wanted to be in the position to answer presently. Their hearts beat intensely against their rib cages when they waited and watched for a chance, an opportunity to answer one of the deepest questions they would ever do.

"That is down to the people of Krypton."

Kara answered that question.

"Only they can make the choices that will sustain a civilization for that long of time," Harry added carefully when he grabbed Kara's hand tightly and she nodded, smiling boldly and brightly.

"I imagined as much," Jor-El responded carefully when he spun on his heal, soon he would figure out what happened. "I must go and hope that Rao speaks favorably about my brother. Best of luck once again."

Kara watched him go. "Thanks."

She turned to Harry and the two wrapped their arms against each other, standing next to Zor-El's grave. The two hovered above the air and their lips met with a passionate kiss, carefully wrapping their arms around each other, feeling the pleasure between each other, and the two wrapped their arms around each other.

It was relaxing to be together after everything that transpired over the past week and indeed more.

Would they ever be free?

That was something that Harry and Kara gladly would find out together. They felt that as long as they were together , they could face anything. As long as the pair of them were together, they could face the world, the universe, and anything it had to offer. It was something that they always thought, naturally, but it grew stronger as they did.

They would prepare for that next adventure together, as they enjoyed the sunset standing next to each other, arms wrapped around the other. It was a beautiful day for both of them and the pair of them eagerly awaited what was to come next.

The next day was as beautiful as the evening was before. The happy couple sat on a blanket on the grass, having a picnic together. It might have seemed like a simple date, but Harry embraced that eagerly. Sometimes his life lacked certain things and simplicity was one of these things that his life lacked. He enjoyed the moments he spent with the girl of his dreams.

"I'm glad we're together," Harry responded when he eyed her, when she chewed on the sandwich that he made her and drank the juice, carefully kicking back with her shoes off her feet, wiggling the bare soles of her feet teasingly and tantalizingly at him. "I'm really glad that we're together."

Kara smiled, she thought likewise.

"Me too, I feel like we can handle anything," she responded when she laid back, her head resting on his lap. Harry began to slowly feed her grapes and she rested, chewing them carefully. It allowed them to rest back. "We make quite a team, we were meant to be together beyond everyone else."

Kara thought about how tacky that sounded but just because something sounded tacky did not prevent it from being accurate. She refused to believe that she could be happy with any other guy other than Harry. She felt his talented fingers brush through her hair, oh the things those fingers did to her and his tongue as well. But there were many other qualities about Harry that made Kara tingle inside with the utmost of joy. It caused her stomach to stir a little bit carefully.

"I'm glad we're together, really I am," Harry responded when he parted her hair a little bit and fed her another grape.

"My turn," Kara responded when she shifted and pinned Harry down, straddling his hips, not that he minded. "I think it's time for a little dessert."

She reached into the tin, prying it open, to reveal a stash of cherries and a second tin was whip cream. Harry quite liked where this one was heading and she reached over, dripping the cherries into the whip cream, before she slowly licked the cream off, before nibbling on the cherry.

She popped one into his mouth, and then slipped another one on her tongue, waggling it seductively towards him. Kara leaned down, before she popped the cherry into his mouth. He felt her shirt ride up, her breast brushed against his chest, her taunt stomach pressed against his. Her lovely legs shifted against his bare legs, she was the epitome of everything he ever wanted in a girl.

"There's something…I want to ask of you," Harry responded and Kara slid back, corking an eyebrow in curiosity when she bit down on her lip.

Kara turned around, before she watched Harry. A smile crossed her face, she wondered, she wondered. Dare she hope? Although after the close connection they felt when they were together in the Phantom Zone, and then later on Krypton over the past week or more. Although technically speaking they were in the Zone for months and months.

She turned to speak to him, a shadow of a smile crossing her face, before she batted her eyelashes towards him. "Yes, Harry, anything."

Harry decided to build this up a bit, he never treated a relationship with any girl this seriously or really felt like he connected to anyone this much. "Remember how you said you wanted to be with me forever."

"I do remember that, Harry, and I stand by that," Kara responded when she edged closer, placing her hand gently on his knee. "I love you and I don't think that anything on Krypton, Earth, or anywhere in the twenty eight galaxies will ever change that."

She smiled prettily at him, as if she was capable of smiling in any other way.

"We're connected in some way, I think, the moment we crossed paths and the connection grew stronger each second he stood together," Harry added when he carefully edged her closer. "I know it sounds silly…"

"No, there is never anything silly about true love," Kara added when she leaned forward and her lips touched his. The two felt the light hearted feeling that only love could feel.

Harry never felt the tingling sensations in his spine that he felt by just kissing Kara with any other girl. He pulled her to her and whispered in her ear.

"Marry me," Harry breathed in her ear.

"Excuse me?" Kara asked when she stepped back, not quite believing what she heard. It was too good to be true.

Harry breathed in and stated in a clear voice. "Kara Zor-El, will you do the honor of being my wife?"

Kara gasped when she threw her arms around Harry, before kissing him on the lips with full force. Their lips smashed together, and she pushed him back on the blanket that they sat on. Her legs locked around him, when their tongues met with passion. The two of them ran their hands through their hair and Harry reached underneath her shirt, which she moaned appreciatively into his mouth at. The two indulged themselves in their lips and their desire for each other.

She pulled back and a grin spread over her face.

"In case you couldn't read between the lines, that means yes," Kara responded when she licked her lips, and snuggled against his chest. He wrapped his arm tightly around her, pulling the blue eyed blonde into his body.

"I'm sure that meant yes," Harry responded when he carefully pushed her back onto the grass and the ring was on her finger, almost like magic. Mainly because it was magic.

"So if you're up for a little celebration about our engagement," Kara stated when she eyed him, undressing him with her eyes.

"I'm always up for some celebration with you, Kara," Harry responded when he draped her over his lap and pushed her down, unbuttoning her shirt and putting some privacy charms up so they were not disturbed.

The wind blew crisply outside of the In-Ze estate, Kara and Harry managed to make the necessary repairs so everything would topple over. It was not pretty, not at the slightest but somehow, someway, they made it work. The blonde stood next to Harry, carefully watching everything.

Alura walked out next to them carefully peering over her shoulder. She was impressed beyond most measures by what Harry did. The blonde bit down on her lip when she carefully watched everything and turned to them. "The two of you, you did an amazing job restoring everything."

"Coming from you that means the world," Kara stated when she eyed her mother but Alura frowned towards her.

"You know, we look so much alike, it's almost creepy," Alura remarked when she watched Kara carefully and placed a hand to her chin, cupping her face. "Are you certain that we're not related in some way?"

Kara decided to go for a version of the truth. "Well you never know if you're related to someone or not, I suppose it's possible."

"You cannot deny our resemblance is uncanny," Alura remarked when she shrugged her shoulders and Kara smiled before she turned around to face Harry with a knowing look in her eyes but she spun back around to properly face Alura.

"One truly never does know, do they?"

Kara and Harry took a moment to smile at what they knew. Perhaps they would enlighten her on this possibility some day. Although they did not know which revelation that Alura might take worse. The revelation that she had a grown daughter or the fact that she had a grown daughter with Zor-El. Perhaps it was Harry, but he had this feeling that Alura was not too fond of this man.

"So, Harry and I, once things are settled down, we're getting married," Kara informed her.

"Congratulations," Alura responded, she was happy for the two of them, really she was happy. "I'm sure the two of you will have a long and happy life."

"Well, I suspect it will be happy," Harry smiled towards her but Kara playfully elbowed him in the side. "And pretty long, not to mention full of excitement and adventure."

"I don't think either of us would have it any other way," Kara responded when she bit down on her lip, knowingly thinking about everything that transpired. The young wizard carefully watched everything with Kara and they stood, seeing the red sun rise up.

"And you did not think you were leaving without saying good bye."

Kara, Alura, and Harry spun around to see Lara standing next to them, she almost popped up or perhaps she had been there the entire time and none of them noticed.

"So, my father told me about this new job, it's amazing that you get to travel the universe," Lara responded when she ran her hands through her hair. "I doubt he'd approve that much if I went."

"Well the invitation is open, there's plenty of room in my ship," Harry responded with a knowing smile. There was a lot of room on his ship for activities of all sorts, including recreational activities. It would be a couple weeks before they left yet.

"Yeah, you're always welcome," Kara responded, she was quite fond of her aunt, although she supposed that she should give Jor-El a chance. Even if he was a bit arrogant, although may she felt that her aunt could do better ,a little bit. Along with her mother, most certainly but that was more of a long term idea in Kara's mind.

Then again, it was far be it to interfere with the natural progression of love. Although she wished that she could find them guys like Harry that would be perfect and wonderful.

"So where are you heading?" Lara asked them.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's exciting and I'm sure we may return someday," Kara responded with a smile before Harry and Kara looked at the sun one more time. "But we aren't leaving just yet, in a couple of weeks, so plenty of time to change your mind."

Lara looked like she considered it.

Perhaps they had bought Krypton a few more years or maybe a million years like the Council proclaimed, but still they remained optimistic that the future would be bright.

The End.