Forever (Part 2)

Disclaimer: Supergirl and Flarrowverse characters and concepts belong to Greg Berlanti & Co. Highlander characters and concepts belong to Panzer-Davis Productions. Dr. Shepherd and any other characters/concepts from Grey's Anatomy belong to Shonda Rimes. Birds of Prey characters and concepts belong to Tolin/Robbins Productions. All other recognizable characters and concepts belong to DC Comics. The plot and all original characters are mine.

A/N: Here it is...the second half of Alex's tale. This one is going to be split between her and Kara's POV, alternating between chapters (I'll label them accordingly). I'll post new chapters every Wednesday and Saturday. The story will also be posted on AO3 for those who follow me there. Enjoy!

Prologue

These fleeting charms of earth

Farewell, your springs of joy are dry

My soul now seeks another home

A brighter world on high

As Alex returned to life once more, the first thing to filter into her consciousness was soft music, though she wasn't quite sure where it was coming from. She slowly opened her eyes, expecting to find Luthor staring down at her. The last thing she remembered was being vivisected on the so-called doctor's table. Instead, Alex found herself back inside the replica DEO cell. A hospital gown had been thrown on in place of the scrub top the goons had cut away, her ankles were shackled once more, and a fresh set of cuffs with a longer chain had been snapped onto her wrists.

I'm a long time travelling here below

I'm a long time travelling away from home

I'm a long time travelling here below

To lay this body down

The odd music continued to play and Alex sat up, doing her best to ignore the way the chains rattled with even the slightest movement as she looked around for the source. Her eyes soon landed on a video playing on one of the cell's glass walls. Alex immediately recognized the non-denominational church in Midvale they'd attended a few times when Kara was trying to learn about Earth religions. The camera angle was a bit strange, though. It was facing the church's entrance and tilted up towards the ceiling. People she hadn't talked to in years started passing in front of it, and that's when it hit her – the camera had been placed inside a casket. Her casket. A fact that was all but confirmed when the faces started getting more familiar. Winn. Lucy. J'onn. Clark. Lois. Lena. All seemingly devastated.

Farewell kind friends whose tender care

Has long engaged my love

Your fond embrace I now exchange

For better friends above

Alex wasn't sure whether the music was coming from the funeral itself or if it had been added in by her captors, but the combination was starting to have an effect. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away as her mother approached. Eliza leaned in, placing a kiss on what she guessed was 'her' forehead. "I'm so sorry, Sweetie," she whispered. "I was so unfair to you the last time we spoke. You were doing far more than anyone could have expected, and I couldn't…." Her mother trailed off, wiping tears from her eyes. "I've always been proud of you, Alexandra. You never had anything to prove…not to me. Not to anyone. I should have told you that every chance I got. I love you." At that, Eliza broke down, and Alex instinctively climbed back to her feet, reaching out to touch the screen as though she were making contact with the woman herself.

"Mom," she breathed, flashing back to the day they'd buried the empty coffin representing her father's allegedly missing remains. That had been the first and only time she'd ever seen her mother break down like that. Until now. She saw Kara come up behind Eliza and reach out, only to have the older woman jerk away from her touch. A neighbor came to help her mother to her seat, and by the way Eliza was acting Alex theorized that she blamed Kara for the loss of her eldest child. It was the only explanation she could think of as to why her mother would be so cold towards the girl who had seemingly been her favorite for so long. And the look on her sister's face broke Alex's heart all over again. In one fell swoop, Lord had not only ripped the young immortal away from her life and those she loved, but had destroyed what was left of her family.

I'm a long time travelling here below

I'm a long time travelling away from home

I'm a long time travelling here below

To lay this body down...

Kara stepped up to the casket, reaching in and making some movements like she was straightening someone's clothes. "You have been the sun of our lives," she whispered in Kryptonese. "Our prayers will be the sun that lights your way on the journey home. We will remember you in every dawn. And await the night we join you in the sky. Rao's will be done." Alex remembered the prayer from her father's funeral. It was the first bit of Kryptonese her sister had taught her. Only this time, Kara's grief was overwhelming, to the point where it seemed like she could barely get the words out. Her sister's eyes were red from crying, and all Alex wanted to do was wrap her arms around the younger girl and tell her everything would be okay. But it wouldn't be…maybe not ever again. Lord had seen to that. "Rao, I miss you so much, Lexie," Kara said softly. "I wake up every morning, expecting you to walk in and tell me it was all just a bad dream. If I'd just been a little faster that day, maybe I could've saved both you and Maggie. I'm so, so sorry…." Tears streamed freely down Alex's cheeks as she watched her baby sister dissolve into a sobbing mess out of guilt she never should have been made to feel.

"It's not your fault, Kar," she urged, futile as it was. "I was the one who made you leave. Don't put this on yourself." Of course, her words had no effect, and she could only watch as Lena put her arms around Kara's shoulders and guided her in the opposite direction from where Eliza had moved. Another reminder of how shattered her family had become in the wake of her supposed death.

I'm a long time traveling here below,

I'm a long time traveling away from home.

I'm a long time traveling here below

To lay this body down,

To lay this body down.

The music stopped and there was a brief blackout as the casket camera shut off and another one activated, showing the front of the church. Her clone was dressed in the same suit she'd worn the day she first met Maggie, and there was an American flag draped across the bottom half of the casket, meaning the DEO must have retroactively rejected her resignation so she could be buried with full honors under her FBI cover. J'onn and Lucy's doing, most likely. There was even an honor guard standing by, though Alex wasn't sure if they were from the actual FBI or if they were DEO agents borrowing the FBI Honor Guard's uniforms for the day in order to maintain her cover.

Brushing the tears from her cheeks, Alex dropped down onto the bench as she watched the minister come forward. After giving generic platitudes about the cycle of life and the promise of an afterlife, the kind-looking older woman stepped aside in favor of those who'd known Alex better. J'onn was first, and he went on at some length about her fierce loyalty, keen intellect, and dedication to duty until he was overcome by emotion (likely some combination of his own and whatever his telepathy must have picked up from everyone else) and M'gann – who'd left National City on the first ship Lena arranged and subsequently made her way to Nevada to join him – came forward and took him aside to center himself. Lucy picked up where he left off, adding in stuff about her stubborn determination to do what she believed was right, no matter what anyone else thought. Even Cat Grant – whom Alex barely knew beyond what Kara told her – threw in her two cents about her bravery in the face of tyranny and her willingness to do whatever it took to protect those rejected by society. Clearly, the Queen of All Media was trying to stick it to Lord and score some political points, but Alex didn't really mind. If anyone besides Kara could make something good out of all this, it would be Cat.

Speaking of Kara, it appeared to be her turn to get up and talk. Alex watched her sister move to the casket once more and stare down into it for several long moments, clearly trying to compose herself. Kara drew in a few deep breaths before finally turning to face the assembled crowd. "I came here when I was 13," she began softly. "I'd just lost my whole family, and had no one left but a long-lost cousin who was still finding himself and couldn't handle the responsibility of raising a teenage girl. Lucky for me, he knew an amazing family who could help. That was when I first met the Danvers'. Jeremiah was a wonderful man, and Eliza is the best foster mother anyone could've asked for. But as much as I love them both, I could never truly connect with them as parents, because I already had parents I loved. I'd never had a sister, though…not until I met their daughter, Alex. It was rough at first. Alex was used to being the star of the family, and then I came along and started sucking up all the attention. She tried her best to help me fit in, and I tried not to annoy her too much – especially in front of her friends – but it wasn't until we lost Jeremiah that the two of us really bonded, since I was one of the few people around at the time who truly understood what she was feeling. I can remember the exact moment it happened, too. It was right after the funeral. Alex was sulking in her bedroom, as had become her habit from the day we'd been given the news, and I was trying to sleep. But Jeremiah's death raised the memories of what happened to my own parents and I found myself caught up in a nightmare. Usually, Eliza was the one who soothed me when that happened. That night, though, it was Alex who wandered in. She rubbed my back until I woke up and then prodded me to talk about it – something Eliza never did, probably because she didn't want me reliving those moments any more than I had to. The talking actually helped, though. Alex and I stayed up most of the night, working through what we'd both been feeling, and then the next day she punched out the school bully instead of just standing by and pretending not to know me. It got her kicked off the soccer team and grounded for about a month, but after that everyone knew not to mess with the Danvers sisters." Everyone in the church laughed a little at that, and even Alex found herself chuckling at the memory before sobering again. If there was one thing she regretted, it was wasting most of that first year with Kara treating the younger girl like a burden instead of a sister. "Alex and I were pretty much inseparable after that," Kara continued. "Stronger together, we always said. She wasn't perfect. God knows she had her share of issues to work out. So did I. But whenever I needed her, she was always right by my side. And I was always there for her." The Kryptonian wiped at her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. "I wish Alex hadn't chosen such a dangerous job, but telling her not to help people would've been like asking her to stop breathing. It's just who she was. And I know that working with Supergirl over the last year or so was something she held as the greatest honor of her life. She believed in everything Supergirl stands for, and on more than one occasion called her the truest hero this world has ever known." Kara trailed off for a moment, digging a piece of paper from the pocket of her skirt. "Supergirl…she asked me to say a few words on her behalf. She wishes she could be here herself, but her cousin needed assistance with a matter off-world." It was clear that the lie was something Kara and Clark had probably rehearsed for this occasion, but luckily everyone who wasn't in the know seemed too distraught to pick up on her more obvious tells. Kara looked down at the probably-blank piece of paper and started to 'read.' "To the friends and family of Agent Danvers," she began, using the opposite of her 'Supergirl' voice. "I've asked Kara to express to you my condolences on your loss. Agent Danvers was an amazing young woman, and certainly one of the finest humans I have ever known. She, more than anyone else, served as a constant source of inspiration. I may be one of Earth's heroes, but Agent Danvers – Alex – was mine. And she didn't need godlike powers. She was a hero all on her own, and your world feels just a little darker without her in it. I grieve with you, and I swear by the Light of Rao that I will spend the rest of my life trying to live up to the example she set." Kara closed the paper, and Alex could tell that she was struggling not to break down again. Tears filled the immortal's eyes at the pain in her sister's voice. The minister chose that moment to step in, wrapping up that part of the ceremony as Winn and Lena both helped Kara back to her seat.

When the minister finished speaking, Alex watched the Honor Guard close the casket and cover it completely with the flag. Six DEO agents – including J'onn and Lucy – acted as pallbearers, lifting the casket and carrying it from the church, the other mourners filing out behind them.

The camera blacked out again, and the next thing Alex saw was everyone gathered at the cemetery in Midvale, right next to the headstone bearing her father's name. After the minister gave the traditional burial rites, the Honor Guard did a three-volley salute, then folded three spent shell casings into the flag and presented it to her mother. A bagpipe played as the casket was lowered into the ground. The ceremony seemed to be over at that point, and the last thing Alex saw before the feed cut was her mother yelling at Kara (though she couldn't hear what was being said), and the Kryptonian speeding off.

Wiping away her tears, Alex ran a shaking hand over what little remained of her hair as the door to her life as a Danvers seemed to slam shut. "The son of a bitch really did it," she muttered.

"You thought I was lying? I'm hurt." Raising her head, the immortal spotted Lord's arrogant grin plastered across the wall where the funeral video had played. She shot right back to her feet and stalked over to the screen.

"Are you happy now, you sick fuck?" she snarled. "You got what you fucking wanted!"

The smug smile grew even wider. "That I did. The alien is cut off from her family, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before her friends start to turn on her as well. Without anyone to ground her, it won't be long until she gives the mortals all the proof they need that aliens are dangerous."

"And then you'll provide a solution, right?" Alex spat. She knew that his assessment was off, since Kara still had Lena at the very least, but she wasn't about to tell him that. Let his overconfidence be his undoing.

"Of course. One that you are going to help me create."

"Fuck you!"

"Tempting," he grinned, "but I don't usually go where I'm not wanted."

Alex shook her head. "Asshole," she muttered under her breath. "Tell me something: if they've already had the funeral, how the fuck long have I been here?"

"If you must know, it took a few days to reach the facility you're at from National City. My constituents believe I had a meeting with Senator Crane in Washington in the time I spent waiting for you to wake up after Henshaw removed the dagger we'd used to keep you dead during transport."

"So, we're in DC?"

"Nice try, Subject 10-15, but the location is none of your business. All you need to know is that you're deep underground, and there are multiple layers of lead and promethium over your head right now. No one – super or otherwise – is ever going to find you down there." He glanced down like he was looking at his watch. "Well, as much as I've enjoyed this little chat, I have a council meeting to get to, and you have another appointment with the good doctor." The screen shut off before Alex could respond. A second later, the outer door opened and the goons returned. No guns this time, but one of them had a cattle prod hanging from his belt. Alex dropped into a fighting stance as they approached the cell itself. As soon as the first goon walked in she leapt forward, tackling him into the wall face-first and wrapping the chain of her cuffs around his throat. Goon #2 tried to come at her from behind, but she twisted around, bringing Goon #1 with her and slamming him into his friend, sending the latter stumbling back out of the cell. She pulled the chain tight until the guy went limp, then dropped him and jumped over his prone form through the door. Goon #3 met her with a fist to the nose. It disoriented her for a moment, but she recovered quickly and jabbed her elbow into his groin when he tried to grab her. While he was doubled over, she grabbed the cattle prod and jammed it into his side.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" she growled as he collapsed, twitching. Goon #2 was trying to rise and she quickly gave him the same treatment before slamming the weapon into the nearest wall to break it. The outer door was open, so Alex seized the opportunity to make a run for it. If she could just get out of there, she could go find Kara and finally tell her sister the truth, and then the two of them could go to Gotham so she could start working on a way to wake Maggie up. All Alex had to do was locate the exit before more goons appeared. Unfortunately, the shackles made it impossible to go as fast as she needed to. She made it about halfway down the hall before hearing footsteps from both sides. A shot rang out, and Alex felt something slam into the center of her chest. The immortal dropped to her knees as darkness started to encroach on her field of vision. She fell forward a moment later, and the last thing she saw before death took her once more was a pair of expensive heels….

TBC (And for the record, the song playing at the beginning is Long Time Traveller by the Wailin Jennys. I'd include a link to the version they played during Episode 1x20 of The Originals, but this site doesn't seem to like those. But that's the scene that kind of inspired this one. Anyway...see you Saturday!)