Meeting with Supergirl

Kara's apartment

Kara relaxed on the couch, ready to enjoy a well-deserved quiet night of reading and relaxation. She'd been feeling a lot better after her night with Gwen & Cassie -- it seemed like her sex life, and maybe her love life, was looking up. Still, she missed her girlfriend. Kara wondered what she might be up to as she crossed dimensions, and if she was thinking of Kara. She recalled how they would cuddle up together on nights like this and watch movies together, or just talk about their day. Kara sighed as she picked up the book she'd been reading. *I could probably use a few more nights out with friends,* she thought. *Right now, though, let's focus on finishing this book.*

She tried to lose herself in the story, but Kara's attention was drawn away by a knock at her door. She wasn't expecting any company, so she wasn't sure what to expect as she walked over to the door. She opened it to find Koriand'r and her girlfriend standing there -- she instantly recognized her as Mary Jane, the gorgeous redhead that Cassie had shown her nude photos of.

"Kori! It's been way too long," Kara smiled, pulling the Tamaranean in for a hug. "And you must be Mary Jane. Cass & Gwen have told me a lot about you... and *ahem*...shown me even more."

MJ giggled at Kara's teasing grin. "Yeah... Cass told me all about that," MJ said, giving Kara a hug of her own. "And, of course, I got the photo she sent me of you three... I liked what I saw."

"So did I," Kara chuckled, motioning MJ & Kori to come inside. "So, what brings you two--"

Kara stopped in mid-conversation as she noticed MJ & Kori's companion out of the corner of her eye, and her face lit up.

"Oh my god! Max!" Kara gleefully exclaimed, eagerly jumping into the Almerac princess' arms for an excited hug. "You have no idea how much I've missed you!"

"I think I have an idea," Maxima grinned as she hugged back. "I missed you too."

Kara gestured for the redheaded trio to come in to her apartment. "So Max, what brings you to Earth?"

"A number of things," Maxima replied as the group settled in on the couch. "For one, these two invited me to visit when we met on Thanagar. I very much wanted to see them again, so I was quick to take them up on their offer. I also really wanted to reconnect with you again, Kara. It has been too long since we've seen each other. We were so close..."

Kara smiled and, with a hint of regret in her voice, told Maxima, "Yeah, we were. I'm sorry I didn't stay in contact with you..."

"...Don't apologize. I know of the responsibilities on your shoulders," Maxima reassured her. "And I look forward to catching up with you. But before we do, we have an important matter to discuss," she continued.

"Um, OK... How can I help?" a curious Kara asked.

"There's another me -- at least, we think it's another me -- running around in space with Kori's sister, doing some pretty nasty things," MJ explained. "Apparently she's a Red Lantern."

"Oh..." Kara looked at MJ, then at Kori, and finally at Maxima. "That sounds like trouble..."

"It certainly is," Kori replied. "And we want to stop her. But we would like to do so without harming her. I can't... I can't see her hurt," she continued, taking hold of MJ's hand.

"Aww, Kori..." MJ cooed as she squeezed Kori's hand. "Anyway, Kara, Maxima told us you managed to survive getting rid of that Red Lantern ring. And we learned that most people don't..."

"You're right. Most people don't survive removing a red power ring... but I did," confirmed Kara. "It nearly killed me, though..."

"And you're able to survive pretty much anything... do you think a typical non-powered human could survive losing a red power ring?" MJ asked, a tinge of pessimism in her tone.

"I'd like to," Kara answered. "But I doubt it'll be easy. I can tell you that I was able to get rid of my ring thanks to my girlfriend at the time. She... she calmed me. Reminded me who I really was. It sounds like something out of a cheesy movie, but love... love was what saved me."

"So we need to find out who this other me loves, find the universe she lives in, bring her face to face with an angry, rampaging, superpowered me, and hope that she can get through to her. Sounds simple enough," MJ sarcastically remarked.

"That might not be as impossible as it sounds," Kara said. "I have a friend as S.T.A.R. labs whose job it is to research extradimensional visitors. If anyone can help, it's him."

"Thank you, Kara!" Kori smiled and leapt at Kara, enthusiastically wrapping her arms around the Kryptonian in a grateful hug. "This means a great deal to me."

"Yeah, I can tell," Kara chuckled as she hugged Kori back, amused.

"So we've got a lead on a solution. This is good," MJ smiled, looking at Kori and feeling touched by how joyful she looked. "Now that we've got the business side out of the way, I wanna know all about Kara Zor-El."

For the next few hours, the four women sat on the couch and enjoyed a lively conversation. Kara eagerly caught up with Kori, who gushed to her about her relationship with MJ, while Maxima filled Kara in on her recent adventures. MJ and Kara hit it off instantly, and the four women talked about their recent adventures long into the night.

"It's getting late," Kori observed, yawning widely. "MJ & I have a photoshoot in the morning tomorrow. We should probably get going."

"Aww, really? That sucks," Kara asked, the disappointment in her voice clear. "You guys think we could hang out again soon?"

"Definitely," Mary Jane agreed as she and Kori stood up. "Expect to hear from us very, very soon. Ready to go, babe?" she asked Kori.

"Ready," Kori nodded. "Maxima, you're planning on staying here a little longer, correct?" she asked, giving the Almerac princess a wink and a knowing grin. Maxima looked at MJ, who also smiled slyly. "Yeah, I think you two have a lot more to catch up on..."