"Again. You are leaving yourself wide open for a counter attack." Her browns studied the exhausted posture of the woman practically dripping sweat in a training tank and workout pants, barefoot for their mat exercises. Ohhhh she was most DEFINITELY enjoying this. Payback's a bitch. "Study where each strike comes from and block them. Ready?"

"Not really." Something told her the boss of the agency was loving this taste of revenge. She raised her fists and nodded. Two blocks from one swung back kick and one punch, barely dodging the third when a backhanded strike had her ducking just in time but couldn't avoid the roundhouse left legged kick which had her hitting the mat on her side hard. "Ughh…"

"Right yourself and pay more attention." She hadn't even worked up a sweat, surprised when she heard about the seven self-defense courses the businesswoman knew. Certainly all seven were missing in action. The woman acted and rolled and swung herself back up to her feet. This time, Lena attacked versus defended herself. Three clever moves and Alex had her on her back on the floor again. "Again."

"I need a break Director." She didn't mean for that to come out as a whine, giving up her hopes as Danvers chuckled and shook her head. With a slow and nonchalant smile and turn of head to hide it from Alex, her voice changed slightly but hid the smirk once more. "Fine." She wanted to play? Bring it. Once back on her feet again, before the once well known badass agent could deflect, Luthor had swung two strikes with both hands, swinging her leg up and knee right to where she hoped to make contact with the woman's gut, only to meet air. "That's it." She had promised to behave herself, take all of Alex's wrath and rage thrown her direction, not anymore. The Director gasped when the CEO began to attack with strike after strike, punches and kicks, back strikes of her arms and attempted body slams, finding Lena wasn't so easy to beat.

Alex had been fooled completely, switching tactics to another combat to counter each hit and block as best she could. That's when Lena shot her leg up and used the sole of a foot to push her back and quite far away from her, almost causing one foot to step off the mat. Browns hardened and a snarl released from her lips. The raven haired pain in her ass was smirking and holding one hand out, cupping her fingers to signal her to try at her. Then in a cocky manner, Lena turned her back on Alex and that was enough to send her over the edge. Enough was enough. "Take your best.."

The Director dashed forward and even with carefully calculated kicks and punches, the CEO was easily dodging and blocking them. "..shot." She hadn't known when it had happened, but one moment she had torqued her body for her most powerful right cross, which usually sent all agents even J'onn and Kara to the mat and the next she had been flipped harshly and landed face down on the floor at Lena's feet.

She heard the cursing from below and felt her ankle grabbed, looking down just as the woman's legs wrapped around her own and before she could throw out curses herself, she had been flipped and twisted slamming onto her side on the mat. Lena heard the woman spit and the growl warranted her fuck up, grabbed by the back of her shirt and slammed in the gut by the Director's knee then let go to drop at Alex's feet this time. Danvers wasn't done with her, not by a long shot and Luthor was flipped backward and punched in the gut by the back of the skilled agent's closed fist.

"What was that?" She didn't know what took over, perhaps it was rage or hate or fury at herself, but she started giving Lena a taste of why she was the prime class badass she had been titled, that sent other agents cowering and crying for the medic and their mommy. The businesswoman didn't stand a lick of a chance and even with the several fields of karate and self-defense, she was no match for what the Director had under her own belt. She had been impressed though, judging just how many black belts Lena might own but certainly didn't do her jack shit good when facing off against Danvers.

Lena's own sarcastic over-confident manner had her in a heap of the worst kind of trouble. Alex was absolutely, without much effort, kicking her ass. Even when she got her shit together and found the nerve or courage or perhaps even survival instinct to fight back, that had grown much more difficult. It was time to play dirty then. Bring it. "Not so cocky now are we?"

"You're one to talk? Did your ego take a nosedive when you decided to wash off your mistakes or was it the drug?" The growl that erupted from the Director, the warning thrown her way and still Lena couldn't help herself. "Didn't think to check the head of what you stood under did you?"

"WHAT?! BITCH!" Alex saw red and the moment she did, her common sense began to slip. The cackle had her punch force increasing, her kicks quicker and attacks sloppier. She couldn't see what Lena was doing, too furious to take a breath and realize her mistake.

"Shouldn't drink so much Alex. You get so sloppy when you booze up." Lena hated to do this, but she knew that her friend she had done unspeakable things to as well, needed to be pushed past that breaking point. "Were you drunk when I took..your darling...little..sister?" She fucked up royally and knew it right then.

Alex may be seeing way passed red, but her attacks were less predictable and more exact to their target..her. "Oh..shit.." Lena couldn't dodge anything anymore, feeling every hit so orchestrated with precise effort that she knew she had stepped off the mat and was two feet or so from hitting the wall. That's when her feet left the ground with a knee to the gut and her body kicked into that wall, sending pain shooting all the way up her spine through her skull and with one slap to the back of her head she was seeing stars. Her attacker stepped back when her body dropped to the floor and didn't get back up. At her attempt to move, a foot under her lifted some and rolled her onto her back, forcing her gaze to steel cold brown hues. She felt that foot push against her stomach and press down some. "A...l...e.."

"Stupid. That was beyond stupid. Next time you do that, you won't be getting up on your own. Go it? I promised my sister I would spar with you, but you push me like that again and you will be going out in a set of crutches or wheeled to the parking lot. Got it?" The woman under her nodded and she pressed down to make Lena suck in struggled air in the last warning she would get. She removed her foot, stepped back and walked off, leaving who she had just trained in ass kicking 101 to lick her wounds. "I'm gonna check on Kar."

"Sh...shi...t.." She wasn't doing that again..

Both J'onn and Nia watched from the observation deck, one grimacing and one shivering, yet their eyes glistened with unshed tears. Ten days, concerns and orders against their own wishes, had the decision made for them. The Colonel was off to the White House for another meeting, leaving the Director back in charge of the DEO once more. Both heard the approaching footsteps with one glancing over, as the previous Director kept his eyes on his kryptonian daughter. The other had just entered, her favorite gun holstered and black suit on, with her arms slightly up and hands out in front of her. James and Lena stepped over to join the Martian Manhunter and Dreamer at the window.

"Kar. Kar it's Alex." She knew who was looking down, not focusing on that right now, especially with the state of mind her sister was in. Alex moved slowly closer to the hero, noticing the tears along Kara's jeans and scratches all over her exposed skin. The powder blue shirt was torn some too with blonde strands not even pulled back anymore. "Kar." She took a seat in a righted chair, studying the state that the room Supergirl had been stuck in, was in. It was in absolute disarray. Alex noticed the brand new sketch pad she had gotten her sister torn to shreds. The paints and brushes were in tatters by ripped up bed sheets. The pitcher of Kara's favorite juice was spilt, with shards of glass all over the floor where the object had been thrown into the wall. Her sister's favorite foods on the floor at the other side of the room. "Hey. It's Lexy Kar. It's Alex. It's your Wai Aoe."

"Lexy?" She watched each move made carefully, until the woman resembling her sister sat down in the only chair not destroyed. With a nod, Kara took the hands off her bare scratched up arms, walking closer and when before her fell to her knees dropping her head in Alex's lap. "Aoe. Udolkhehdia. Scared...scared sis." She pressed her face into one of her sister's legs and just let the tears fall freely. "Did I.." A gentle hand ran through her hair, brushing it with calm fingers.

"You didn't hurt anyone Kar. Everyone's okay. You haven't eaten, have you?" A shake of the head and her own head went up to mouth food. "I'm get you something to drink and we are gonna get some potstickers and pizza and your favorite punches, then watch something together okay?" She watched the head lift and blues so frantic and lost look at her with such fear it tore her heart in two. "Sisters Night okay?" The blonde nodded then set her head back down. Alex continued to run her fingers through messy hair. "Will you be up to getting cleaned up some?"

"Okay." She lifted a hand and made a signal with it, informing her space dad of what to do. "Saying I smell Lex?" She chuckled and shook her head.

"Well, you do look a little matted sis. It will do you some good." She locked eyes with the sweet warm hues of her girlfriend, smiling at the hand on the glass and lifting her own up to sign a heart. The woman nodded and stepped away from her view, replaced by a set of worried emeralds and a nervous expression. The CEO pointed to her head and Alex tapped her com back on. "Will you do that for me?"

"Yes. Alex, my eyes don't like the lights and I feel like I'm itching inside." Kara told her, looking back up at the Director. "Aren't you cold?" She didn't miss the slight twitch of her sister's lips or the shaking of her orbs. "You aren't, are you? Just tell me what's going on Lexy."

"You had a fever of 103.7 yesterday sis. I had Hamilton come in while you were asleep this morning, which was on the floor by the way, with it being 104. Your blood pressure dropped tremendously in the last ten minutes I've been in the room with you. It just went back to normal, but your pulse rate is way too fast. You flew into a heavy rage last night. You were crying this morning and...tell me." Alex hated this.

"Throat hurts, head hurts, I'm freezing, my body aches. My ears ring and then I hear way too much then it's like it all goes away. I couldn't stop my eyes from glowing this morning. They feel hot and I know I didn't release my heat vision. They're burning Alex. It hurts." Both heard a knock and Alex's hand went to her hip. She then noticed the code come up on the panel and nodded. "Lexy.."

"Hey. Hi Kara." She gave the warmest of smiles and did just as her girlfriend had, approaching slowly. "I had been by this little coffee shop and picked these up for you. I'll admit, I may have eaten a few of my own on the way back here." She chuckled slightly and before she knew what had happened, after a strong gust of wind, a chair was placed under her. The door shut and locked behind them and the blonde returned to sitting on the floor by her sister. "Here."

"Thank you Kelly." Alex smiled with the smile returned and a nod of the head, watching the woman's body language. She noticed Kara reach up and take the bag of goodies, but the psychologist wasn't done, getting on the floor in front of the hero.

"Hey Kara?" Blues filled with anxiety stricken fear trembled when looking at her. "Would it be okay if we talked?" Kelly was glad the sweets she got were the right ones. She would thank her brother later for that knowledge, instead putting her focus on helping who she had begun to consider like a little sister. "That okay?" Nervously and cautiously, Kara nodded. She looked away and noticed the art supplies. "You paint?"

"I used to...back on Krypton." She sighed and noticed what a mess she made of what was brought to her. "I'm having a hard time...um…" She blinked, once then twice and rubbed her eyes. Kara gasped, feeling when her eyes began to heat up, scooting away from both of them quickly. She heard shifting of both women, their chairs and heartbeats, then nothing but silence which had her shaking badly. With one hand over her own eyes she waved her hand and shook her head. "St...st...tay ba..ff..gga..ba...stabb..ak...b...ba…" She felt hands on her shoulders, one hand on her chest and one taking away the one she had over her eyes. "Ba..sta..vish...viz.."

"I'm covering your eyes. Nod when you feel my hand." The blonde nodded. "I'm going to tap your chest with my fingers. I want you to use your own, count the taps I make and repeat them on the floor okay?" Another nod. "Okay." Kelly tapped one finger twice, with both her and Alex seeing Kara do the same. "I'm going to do it again, okay?" The nods continued and two more rounds had both women relieved. "Okay, this time I'm going to tap then stop at different times and when I say go, I want you to repeat it with your own alright?" Olsen tried for something not too difficult and felt a slight warmth against her fingers that were over the kryptonian's eyes. "Okay, your turn." She met Danvers' hues and mouthed heat vision. Alex's eyes widened, immediately looking up and signalling the red sun emitters to be turned on.

"Did I...Lex." She felt her sister behind her, arms wrapped around her. "What happened?" Kara felt the hand removed from her face and opened her eyes to the gentlest of browns that she never thought no other than Alex could give to her. "Kelly?"

"You got the patterns right." She gasped, realizing what was on and shook in her sister's arms. "Whoa whoa."

"Not...the...ta..tank..not..tha..no...tank no.." She was in a total panic and couldn't help but thrash some. With the emitters on though, both women could hold her somewhat still. "No no...not tank..I...th..that. Not...no..brea...ath..cat..can't..t..t. brea..eeethe." She didn't like this feeling, it far too familiar and that terrified her to no end. Without meaning to, Kara bowed her back a certain way and when she twisted her body with what was left of her kryptonian strength too fast a loud pop had her screaming between both women.

"Shit. Kelly, she dislocated her shoulder. I need to pop it back in place." Olsen nodded and they adjusted positions, with a sobbing Kara in her arms. "Sorry sis." Danvers used just enough force and with the another pop her sister was screaming again and whimpering against her girlfriend who just ran a hand slowly up and down her back. Suddenly, her body went limp in Kelly's arms and as careful as possible, they both lowered her to the floor in sheer panic, only to discover Kara had only fainted. "Kar?"

"Hurts. No more." Alex looked up, noticing who Nia seemed to be having a heated discussion with, hearing a groan only for Kelly to lift Kara up and set her on a new bed that had been wheeled in when they and J'onn had heard Supergirl's screams. He stood at the doorway and nodded to the Director who thanked him, putting her attention back on their hero. Danvers noticed the food and drinks by the door, along with a box of games no doubt from Kara's place. They tucked her in and noticed a new table that had been brought in too, grabbing their chairs to head over to it. Kelly and Alex grabbed the grub and beverages, setting theirs up on the table and setting a few napkins down by their meals.

"Food usually gets her flying over. The fact she's not budging at the smell of something she loves so much has me worried even more Kelly." Every ounce of tension in her facial muscles left Olsen just as unsettled. She glanced up to where Danvers had before, watching the businesswoman with her head down in obvious guilt with tears trailing down her face. Nal was waving a hand around and the psychologist knew what that meant. The Director must have picked up on her girlfriend's own worry and followed those eyes back to the observation deck. That was when both watched Nia slap Lena hard, with the CEO not even raising a hand or her head in absolute shame. "Holy hell." They looked to each other and mirrored expressions of both shock and uneasiness. "I wasn't expecting to see that."

"Nor was I." Their ears picked up what sounded like a code being punched in, judging from the numbers entered, it was a rather upset Naltorian. "Nia?" Dreamer entered in regular attire and quietly brought in a chair with her. There was something in her other hand which had Danvers' brow raised. When she was seated, Nia opened her hand and Alex had never been more grateful to her. "What is that?"

"It's Kara's necklace, given to her when Alura sent her off in the pod that day. It actually belonged to her Aunt Astra, bestowed to her sister and left in.." Their gazes followed Dreamer's own. Both Alex and Kelly looked back to Nia. "I kept it safe, after everything that happened. Lena had taken it when she took her. She had the audacity to remove it from her neck. Kara told me once how special it was to her, so much that even as Supergirl it stayed on her." Alex rolled the stone pendant around in her palm and ran her fingers along the chain. "It hangs in the shower hook when she bathes I've been told."

"When Kara went to fight Non and Indigo with J'onn, she removed it and handed it to me and told me to keep it safe for her." Alex recalled that horrid day, remembering every bit of it like it was yesterday. "It was during Myriad, when she risked her own life to fly Fort Rozz into space. My head felt like it was being crushed and...she came over on the com to.."

**flashback: Better Angels to stop Myriad

"Supergirl, what's going on? The Myriad signal is still escalating."

"We defeated Non and Indigo, but we can't stop the Myriad wave and we can't power the ship. I'm going to fly Fort Rozz into space myself. It's the only way we can get Myriad off the planet.

"That is not an option, Kara." She found the will to stand, to pace just like her sister always did. "Once you're in space, there's no atmosphere. There's no gravity." She had to talk her sister out of what Kara planned to do. She raised her voice, attempting to push authority into her tone to stop her 'person' from doing the most dangerous unthinkable thing to stop what was happening. "You wouldn't be able to generate thrust, you wouldn't be able to breathe, you wouldn't be able to get back."

"There's no other way." Her sister's voice had its own tone, Alex had only ever heard when they were kids.

"No." She looked for something, anything to stop what she knew was coming. "I can have Max.."

"No, there's no time.." Their argument continued, with every disagreement being countered back in quick fearful precision. That day, Alex...would NEVER..EVER forget..

**end of flashback

She didn't know when it happened, when all that fear, agony and upset she had pushed down and bottled, came spilling out, but strong and warm arms wrapped around her in such a tender yet protective nature and Alex immediately knew who they belonged to. She turned some and with those gentle blues, she felt the same thing as when her sister opened her eyes after the battle with Red Daughter.

There was something precious, a familial bond unlike any other and everyone knew how deep it ran, brought on by a pod that crashed to Earth and a fragile girl that came to their door. Myriad, Reign, hatred of aliens, Red Daughter and a betrayal's wrath. The universe would know her name, if anything...ANYTHING took her sister away from her again..

She shut the door to the conference room, turning around to several eyes directly on her and her movements further in. Without being bothered or annoyed by the gazes, she walked to the head of the meeting table and took a seat at the only empty chair. When putting her hand on the top surface, it was instantly grabbed and held in a rather comforting manner. Brown met brown and she smiled in thanks to her. Returning her now serious expression and mood, she snatched the tablet the other woman held, nodding in a thanks. With her hand now free, she set the tablet up on the stand, swiping a code in and pointing across from her to the monitor mounted on the wall above the white boards. With the file unlocked, the hero's room came into view. Once everyone knew what that meant, the surveillance kept up and security measures enforced, she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Only those in this room have access codes into there. As you can see, we've got her in a DEO safehouse until everything is in order. Kara's place now has updated security and panic buttons with direct links to Lauren, J'onn, Nia, Brainy, Kelly and myself. If for whatever reason none of us are available, I have given Captain Sara Lance a way in. White Canary is a very trusted friend, the leader of the Legends and a ship known as the Waverider. She also has ways of alerting Flash and Arrow if need be. As for the other Captain and Major, now Colonel...thank you Lauren, they are on the bottom of the list." Haley nodded and the Director continued. "I know you were needed at the Bureau, but I appreciate you taking the time to be here."

"Anything I can provide I will Director Danvers." The Acting Secretary of Alien Affairs offered, thus showing how much she would do for Alex's sister now or any of them for that matter. "Am I to understand James Olsen and Lena Luthor will have zero access or firsthand knowledge of this meeting, decisions and informative actions?" Alex nodded. "Very well. Has Miss Olsen been given all necessary documentation and a badge for security protocols?" Kelly held up her keys and laminated key card. Haley was satisfied with that show of respect, for someone she barely knew.

"She has. Dr. Olsen is also taking on psychological evaluations of Supergirl. For the time being, that will be the only name given until everything is back in full working order here. I would rather not risk another occurrence of any kind like that in the future. Each of you has a tablet under your chair. Please get them now." She watched as the group reached down and under their seats, retrieving the objects and setting them onto the table, flipping the cover over. "Turn them on and follow what they ask for. I will give you a few minutes to go through this. When you're done, the program will release two chimes and your screen will lock."

"The ratio of these progra.." Nia shut up her boyfriend before Brainy could continue his computer lingo or headache materializing notions, keeping one hand over his mouth to give the rest of them some peace. What she hadn't expected was the measures taken by the Director, just to protect Supergirl and the rest of them from any other chance of danger. A few quite loud gasps were heard and no one needed to look at each other as to why.

Every thought, concern and formal duty to protect not only her sister, who happened to be National City's and the rest of Earth's hero, but every single person here astounded Haley. She had completely underestimated this woman to the highest degree. J'onn's decision to leave Alex in charge, had been the right one. Her eyes kept slipping up to meet that very Director and in a sign of absolute respect and apology, she released the warmest of thankful smiles. A smile in return and one simple nod, with her leaned back in the chair while keeping her back straight and a posture of true leadership before them all spoke more than several volumes.

This wasn't a time for her to show any form of weakness, not after everything that had transpired. Her trust issues were valid ones and she watched as palms went on scanners, along with each finger and thumb, retinal scans were done and a small SD card popped out with a sharp but tiny object inside which required a minor blood sample to be administered and pressed into the plate on the card's chip.

"You can toss the pin but snap the lid back on the card and insert it back into the tablet's slot. This will ensure no other can access your program, tablet or information. I have already provided you with individual codes but when you go to use them at the safe house, my place or where you all know she might be, you will be required to have an eye scan and fingerprint scan which it will randomly choose with finger of which hand it needs to open the door. When it shuts, another random fingerprint will be required on one of the six panels placed in different areas of each abode."

"Why my brother?" She needed to understand but regardless would stand by her girlfriend. The Director turned to look Kelly directly in the eye.

"Back when the World Killer situation occurred, there were measures taken..hold on." She swiped her finger along her tablet and with a few activations, they all heard several loud clicks and what sounded like vents opening with gusts of wind sent through. Everyone turned their heads from left to right and tried to locate where the air circulations were coming from. "The air pressure through the panels of the walls are ensuring no other can hear anything spoken in this room. The metal plates along the ceiling block any camera feed and the shop lights provide us enough light to continue."

She comfortably leaned back and took one of the psychologist's hands, squeezing it. "Let me continue now. Back when Reign's human identity had been discovered, it had been brought to our attention that Lena Luthor knew how to make kryptonite. On a not so...friendly request, Supergirl asked your brother to break into Lena's lab and see about the kryptonite. James had insisted that the vault was empty. It wasn't." Pure shock, hurt, betrayal, anger and finally guilt settled over Kelly's face.

"What..was.." J'onn was floored and even more so appalled. "Why didn't you report this?" His former second in command and Co-Director touched her tablet once more.

**flashback: confessions to the crime

"You know...you had the...I know you would have been able to. Being Guardian and doing such a thing for Supergirl..I should have known she would ask you to do something so wretched as that. I forgive you James. You are far too important to me for me to lie or deceive you. Every record I had found of Lex's I used to create what I needed to for Sam. I have pushed one friend away and fought like hell for the other one. They are my sisters James. These are people, like you, I never expected or felt I deserved to have."

"If she asks anything else of me, I will tell her I can't do it. I will not risk losing your trust because of her insecurities."

**end of flashback

She switched to another file and squeezed her partner's hand a little more, then looked to the former Colonel. Her eyes flickered to each and everyone else in the room, sighed and tapped on the second file.

**recording: three days ago

"I couldn't hurt you. I wouldn't."

"I know. I knew you had given me something different than them. Why me? You spared my sister, but not me. Why?"

"I felt like you used me too. It doesn't matter now when they all just see me as Lex. They may have been thankful for me undoing what they think I did but the anger is still there and it's why I don't want to really help anymore. Alex nearly killed me and I almost let her but...there was a part of me that wanted to knock her down until she understood how traitorous she had acted! I helped to clear her fucking sister! SHE USED ME! THEY ALL DID! They are NOTHING but traitors! So is Kara! She's not Supergirl, she's a fraud! So you have a choice James Olsen. Me or them."

"Superman once acted like a friend but he sent me to be her babysitter. She's a grown woman but really nothing but a child. I love you Lena and I choose you. No matter the repercussions I will always choose..you.."

"I'm sorry I left you there James. I..I love you too James Olsen."

**end of dismal recording

The recording ended and sniffles that turned into heavier sobs nearly broke her heart to see. Forgoing her need to act like a leader and Director when she should, Alex embraced her shaking and somewhat broken girlfriend. Everyone froze when they heard the most terrified painful wailed scream from their tablets and knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

"KARA!" They all shouted at the same time, jumping out of their chairs and watching the feed with frantic eyes. What was connected to monitor the hero, had also been broadcasting everything that had been heard in the speakers of their devices. Supergirl..Kara Zor-El ..had heard..everything..