Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl or the characters.
Kara woke abruptly, a foreign sound disturbing her rest. She took a few seconds to survey her darkened surroundings for the source. Her bedroom on the second floor of the Danvers home was still as cluttered as it had been the previous day and nothing seemed to have changed during her sleep. She glanced at the glowing digital clock on her bed stand. 4:36 AM. Still too early to get up for school.
Kara sighed and snuggled deeper under the covers, a nagging doubt still in the back of her mind that something was wrong. Just as she started to doze off again, she heard the noise again and instantly knew it was the same sound that had woken her minutes before. Someone was crying.
Hearing the muffled sobbing again, she knew it was Alex. Worry flooded Kara and she quickly threw off her blankets, ignoring the cold and focusing only on rushing to her sister's side. She already knew that Alex was still having trouble coping with her father's death. Kara missed Jeremiah too—to her, it was losing her own father all over again. But Kara knew that as close as she had been with the older Danvers, Alex had been closer and was still new to dealing with the overpowering grief.
Kara slowly pushed open Alex's door. With her X-Ray vision, the Kryptonian could see the older girl curled under her blankets and pillow clearly trying to be as quiet as possible. If she hadn't used her super hearing, Kara knew she wouldn't have been able to hear the sobbing from across the hall and she instantly felt a surge of affection for her older sister. The fact that Alex would go to such lengths to make sure her little sister would not be disturbed warmed Kara's heart.
Carefully, she got onto the bed and placed hand on her sister's shoulder as she gently lifted the edge of the blanket.
Alex's tear-streaked face peered back out at her and Kara felt her own eyes begin to water as she saw her older sister—her brave, strong older sister—reduced to such a vulnerable state.
Alex was supposed to be the strong one. When Kara had first arrived on the new planet, Alex never failed to appear at her Kryptonian sister's side to comfort her when the memories of Krypton returned or the nightmares were too much to handle. Kara knew she was blessed to have an older sister like Alex—an older sister that sacrificed her precious sleep every night at the slightest whimper of her adopted younger sister; an older sister that never got angry at her for accidentally breaking valuables and protected her from the bullies or pranksters at school. Alex was her anchor whenever Kara was being pulled away by the storm. Alex had taught her how to fit in a new world and Kara knew that she would never be able to repay her sister for that. Alex would always be her loving, caring, overprotective sister and Kara would give anything for her.
As if ashamed of herself, Alex sat upright under the covers and wiped at the tears on her cheeks as she hung her head in shame.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," she whimpered, still wracked by hiccupping sobs as she tried to stem the flow of tears to be the strong sister she usually was. "I'm sorry. You can go back to sleep."
Kara's heart broke and she bit her lip in a futile attempt to prevent herself from crying as she wiped a tear off her sister's cheek, viciously shaking her head. "Shhh," she whispered to her distressed sister, "you didn't wake me. I'm fine. I'm here for you."
She moved closer, putting her hands on Alex's shoulders and tilting her head back up. It was in the moment, when their eyes met, that the confident exterior Alex had tried to maintain crumbled before an outpouring of grief and she threw her arms around her beloved alien sister as she buried her face in her Kara's soft blonde hair.
Kara immediately returned her sister's tight embrace, rubbing calming circles into Alex's back.
"Dad's never coming back," Alex's voice muffled by Kara's shoulder, and finally Kara's resolve collapsed as the tears finally escaped her control and poured down her cheeks.
Together the two sisters sat, only aware of each other and their grief as they cried for Jeremiah, the father that they had lost.
Kara shifted slightly in discomfort, trying to get blood flow back to her legs, and Alex's arms instantly tightened around her, pulling her closer.
"Please," her older sister pleaded through her soft sobs, "don't go."
"It's time to get ready for school," Kara whispered back, her heart breaking into even smaller pieces as she rubbed Alex's back, "it's time to start a new day."
Alex's embrace got impossibly tighter and even with her invulnerability, Kara felt slightly crushed.
"Hey, hey." Kara put her hands on Alex's shoulders, pushing her away gently to look her in the eyes. "It's going to be okay."
Alex bit her lip and nodded, sniffling. "I'm sorry Kara," she said softly, "I should be comforting you. You've lost both dads you've ever had."
Kara shook her head violently. "No!" she insisted with such force that she surprised herself. "No," she said slightly softer, "this is our time to lean on each other. Because we're family. We're the Danvers sisters. Jeremiah wasn't just my father, he was yours first. But we both loved him. And now we both need to support each other."
From the other bedroom, they heard Eliza Danvers stirring in bed. Kara glanced at the clock. It was just a little before the time that they'd usually wake up for school. When she turned back to Alex, the tears had finally stopped flowing down her sister's face and the soft sobs had been reduced to slight sniffling.
"I'm okay now," Alex said softly, running a hand through Kara's hair. "I know I'm usually the one doing the comforting but...thanks...for being here."
"You're my sister and I love you. I'll always be here for you. Whenever you need me." Kara gave one of her trademark smiles as she brushed a wet lock of hair out of her sister's face. "C'mon. Hug?" She held out her arms and squealed in surprise and laughter as Alex more or less tackled her rather than hugging.
They stayed in that position for a few seconds, lying side-by-side on the bed simply communicating by looking into each other's eyes, both sisters seeing the mutual love and dedication they felt for each other. They knew that their bond would only continue to grow and they both looked forward to it.
"I hated you when you first came," Alex said softly.
Kara nodded. She'd known it since the first day she arrived, despite Alex's attempts at hospitality. Not that Alex could be blamed for her reaction to such a sudden change in life. Kara was just glad that they had gotten past it.
"But you grew on me," Alex continued, twirling some of Kara's beautiful blonde locks around a finger. "I can't tell you how glad I am that you're my sister. Don't ever forget that, okay?" Alex's eyes were pleading, something Kara normally didn't see from her.
"I won't. And you'd better not forget that I'll always be here for you," Kara reassured her. "Even though I'm the younger sister and the alien, I'll always have your back. We're family. Love bonds us all."
With that said, Kara put on a brave smile and was pleased to see an equivalent smile from Alex. She felt Alex's fingers touch her hand and she threaded her fingers through Alex's. Together, the two lay holding hands as they watched the sun slowly shine through Alex's window. It was going to be a beautiful new day and the Danvers sisters were ready to face it together.
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it! Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. They make me a better writer.
Special thank you to my wonderful beta readers MarvelDC31 and Mama Wolf Pack. You both helped make me a better writer and to make this fic as best as it possibly could be.