AN: Slightly AU, Alex appears in Kara's dream world, paired with someone who surprises her sister.
It was Krypton. Alex looked around, finally getting to see the place where her sister had been born.
This was the place that made Kara happiest?
Alex supposed she could understand why she had chosen this home – a chance to be with her parents again. She was a little disappointed though, she had expected Krypton to be a little brighter, to have more colour. Even looking out through the windows she was disappointed with the view. She began calling for her sister as she moved through the strange halls, surprised there were no family pictures unlike her own home growing up.
"There you are!" Kara's voice welcomed Alex into the largest room she had found so far.
Alex stared at the woman who looked so like Astra - but without the familiar white strand of hair, the little boy in red, the older man standing next to Kara. Only this Kara had her hair curled and wore a long flowing dress making her look so much older. She looked so happy.
"Kara…"
"We've been waiting for you."
"You have?"
"I have."
Alex turns at the familiar voice. Astra is standing there, smiling at her. She looks different too, so much more relaxed than Alex has ever seen her and there's something else. Alex frowns as she tries to understand, and she turns back to Kara.
"This isn't real, it's just a dream."
"Of course it's real. You've been ill, with a fever, and the doctors were worried about treating you because you're human. This is where you're supposed to be."
"No it's not. I don't belong on Krypton; you know that this planet is gone. Only you can break the hold of the Black Mercy," Alex flinched and stepped away as Astra came up beside her, trying to put a hand on her arm.
"Alex," Astra spoke her name softly, "they were just nightmares. Just give yourself a chance to remember."
"No, Kara you have to try and remember the truth. You grew up on Earth. You're my sister. I know you think this is the ideal world, that you could have had the ideal life here but it's not real. Getting what you want through some parasitic alien that lets you live in this dream world isn't real happiness. You have to fight to remember."
"But you're happy here too," Kara tried to assure her.
"How did I get here? You know I'm human, that I'm from Earth not Krypton."
"Aunt Astra crashed on Earth during one of her scouting missions. You helped keep her safe from the authorities on your planet."
"But the only reason I'm older than you is because you were trapped in the Phantom Zone for all those years… and why would Astra bring me back with her?"
Astra smiled at Alex, reaching out to stroke the side of her face, "oh darling how could I not bring you back?"
For a moment Alex froze, staring back at the woman who had been trying to take over her planet for the past few months, then she quickly stepped away turning to her sister: "Kara, what the hell…?"
"It's okay that you love her," Kara reassured her, "remember we've accepted that you want to be together and we're all happy for you both."
"Listen this has gone far enough. Earth needs you to be Supergirl and I need my sister…"
"Supergirl?"
"Yes, you're Supergirl. A hero, raised on Earth. You have to try…"
Kara stepped away from her family, towards her sister as a handful of memories broke through, "Alex…"
"That's it," Alex smiled at her.
"No!" Alura grabbed Alex and pulled her towards the transporter, while Kara's father went for the controls to send her away. "I think it's time for you to return to Earth. We'll have a ship take you home."
Alex reached out for her sister, "come with me."
Kara took a step forward, but Kal-El held onto her arm, "please don't leave me."
"It's not real!" Alex called out to her as the transporter began to glow.
Kara watched her sister disappear. In her heart she knew what she had to do.
Alex followed Kara out of the DEO, trying to catch up to her sister. She had seen the look on Kara's face when she woke and knew where she was going. Telling her that Astra had helped save her only revealed that other Kryptonians had been responsible for the attack.
"We need to talk," Alex called after her.
"Later. Once we've stopped Non and the others."
"I know you're upset…"
Kara stopped and spun around, "I'm angry."
"Me too. When the hologram of Alura didn't know what to do I was worried."
"We can talk about our feelings later. Right now I have to find the Kryptonians."
"Not until you explain why." Alex caught up to her sister.
"Why what?"
"In that perfect place you wanted, I was there even though I wouldn't have been part of your family. You didn't have to do that. You could have forgotten about me."
"Oh. That."
"And the other thing. With Astra."
Kara looked away as she tried to compose an answer that she wasn't sure her sister was ready to hear.
"Part of me wanted you there too of course. You're my sister Alex. That's something I would have missed growing up on Krypton and you're my family too."
"But Astra….?"
"I wanted her to be happy. She was always so lonely back then. I see the way you two are around each other, I guess I just thought..."
Alex stared at Kara, "I…"
"It's okay. If I misread the situation I'm sorry. We can talk about this later, Supergirl is needed out there."
Without saying anything else, Kara used her super-speed to leave and Alex was left with a head full of questions. Luckily DEO duty called and Alex was able to focus on something else. At least, that was the plan.
Hank passed the binoculars to Alex as they waited to see whether Wynn's hunch was right. Part of Alex wanted Astra to be the one to show so that she could prove Kara wrong, another part of her was just a little worried that in seeing Astra she would be distracted remembering how close the other woman had been to her before.
"There," Hank pointed to the sky just in time for Alex to catch the dark blur of a flying Kryptonian before they landed.
They waited to break cover, needing to confirm the aliens plans. As soon as Astra reached out to make her move, Alex yelled her name to get her attention. Then another Kryptonian landed and Alex signalled Hank that she could handle Astra and he should deal with her comrade.
The Commander smiled as Alex approached, but it wasn't as scornful as the one she had seen previously, this time it was hopeful, "Is Kara…"
"She's fine."
"I'm glad."
"She'd be better if you stopped what you're doing, you and your friends."
"We're trying to help save your planet," Astra returned, beginning to circle Alex as if looking for a sign of weakness.
Alex mirrored her, "then work with us, not against us."
"I tried that once before. They refused to listen. This is the only way."
"Kara trusts us."
"My niece is still a child, she follows her heart. She is naïve."
Alex wasn't sure she disagreed. Still, she had a job to do… she raised her weapon, aiming it at Astra. Before she could blink, the alien was in front of her grabbing her wrists.
"Why you thought you could face me alone, human…"
A dark shadow loomed up behind Astra, it was Hank in his Martian form. Alex saw him raise the Kryptonite weapon and quickly shook her head to stop him. His reflexes were fast enough to make him stop, but he placed the green sword against Astra's back. The radiation it emitted would remove her super strength.
Alex broke Astra's grip on her and reached into her pocket for a pair of Kryptonite-laced handcuffs, "it helps when we have something to make you just as human."
"You will not win. When Non completes our plan, I will return to him and you will suffer the same fate you plan for me," Astra lifted her chin defiantly, her gaze cold.
"Let's get them out of here," Hank told Alex, heading over to his already-handcuffed opponent.
