"I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Kara, you need to relax and actually have fun," Alex told her sister as they moved into the frat house. "Plus, aren't you the one who told me that we needed to get out and have fun?"

There was a full on, people already drunker than drunk, party going on. Kara swore that the majority of the people there were shirtless or missing some item of clothing. There were red solo cups and beer cans scattered across every flat surface in sight. The party had obviously been in full swing for most of the day already. Even though Alex had a good point about relaxing and having fun, Kara still missed them doing other things like going to the movies or cosmic bowling or nearly anything else. It wasn't that Kara didn't enjoy parties, it was just the she didn't enjoy the drunken insanity that came with this kind. Something had changed with Alex, Kara had noticed it and had tried to ask the polite questions without pushing too much, but so far Alex hadn't told her anything. So, she'd jumped at the opportunity to do something with Alex, in hopes that it would help her open up.

This certainly wasn't what she'd expected though.

Alex pulled her into the crowded chaos without a second thought. Kara felt uncomfortable in so many ways. She knew that if she needed to, she could physically take care of herself and that Alex was pretty good at doing so as well. The environment they were traipsing into just happened to be one of limited judgement.

"Al-lex!" someone shouted.

Immediately she was yanked in the direction of the voice. Kara sighed. This was going to be a long night. She just hoped that something came of it, that she could find out what was really going on with Alex. That was really all Kara wanted, well that and spend time with her sister...the thing was that Kara couldn't get drink. So, she could drink any of these partiers under the table...but she'd not feel any of the effects of it. Alex, however, could get drunk...and perhaps her inhibitions would lower enough to allow her to say the things that she should share with Kara...or at least that was what she hoped.

"Who did you bring with you?"

And suddenly Kara felt like she was on parade in front of her sister's friends. This wasn't what she'd expected when she'd been brought to a college party with Alex...she expected white lab coats...or cheese plates...or wine...or something way higher class than this. Right now, it felt like Alex...and everyone else there had just jumped off the deepend. Alex was a PhD student, was this really what PhD students did in their freetime? Because as far as Kara was concerned, it was the same thing that what the freshmen...and basically all of the other classes did...when they were getting their bachelor's degree.

"This is my sister, Kara," Alex introduced as they came to a stop.

"You two don't look like sisters," one of them, clearly too drunk in that moment, said rather untactly.

The drunken fool was rewarded with a sharp slap from the other. "Come on...they totally look like sisters...they have the same eyes…"

Kara wanted to facepalm right in that moment. She looked to Alex, who seemed unfazed by the comments. They weren't getting out of this easily, that was obvious. Her sister went forward with introductions anyways.

"So...this is Jesse and Lizzy…" Alex said as she motioned to them.

Being who she was, Kara just couldn't bring herself to be anything else but kind and polite. "Hi," she said as she held out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you."

Jesse and Lizzy just looked down at her hand, giggled, and then dragged Alex off in a direction. With her super hearing she could hear Jesse and Lizzy commenting on how weird she was. Kara knew that she wasn't supposed to use her powers, but sometimes she just couldn't help it. She followed them, which ended up with her dodging quite a few spatially unaware drunken students before she had a drink spilled on her blouse. And yet, her sister still wanted to stay and said it was fine...that it would dry.

It really was going to be a long night.

It had been quite a few hours.

Kara had tried to be a good sister. When they'd drank, she'd had a drink too even though she couldn't be affected by the alcohol. When they'd danced with a room that had been converted to resemble some kind of rave...she'd danced with them and tried to loosen up. She'd sat with them while they'd gone on about things that Kara didn't understand (either because she'd been out of the loop on what they were talking about or that they were just that drunk...that they were incoherent). Looking down at her watch, she sighed. It was extremely late and her sister was extremely drunk. "Alex," she said quietly. "I think it's time for us to head home."

"Nah," one of the guys who had wrapped his arm around Alex and had kept trying to kiss her said. "You can stay, can't you? We like you. You can totally sleep over."

Alex started to reply in an incoherent manner and Kara knew that her sister was definitely done. Once they got out of the house and out of eyeshot, Kara could use her super strength and just carry her sister back to her car...and then drive them back to Alex's apartment. Right now, though, she moved to yank her sister away from the guy. Everyone was grumbling and mumbling and drunk out of their minds, but Kara didn't care. All she cared about was getting her sister out of that place.

"Hey! Hey!" the guy kept going as he pulled on Alex's arm, making it that much more difficult for Kara to have full control of her sister. "She doesn't want to go!"

"She does and she is!" Kara insisted and slapped away the guy's hand. With Alex's arm around her neck and her weight on her, Kara moved away from them and in the direction of the front door. Living on Earth, Alex had always looked out for her...this was one of the rare times where Kara felt like she could actually look out for her sister.

"HEY!" the guy screamed at her as he simultaneously yanked Alex backwards. It was enough that Kara lost her limited hold on her sister fell to the floor in a drunken heap.

Kara just stared at her for what felt like a long moment, but she knew it was actually only a breath's time. No matter how much trouble Alex seemed to get into, Kara had always seen her sister as strong...in this moment...it scared her how incredibly vulnerable and weak Alex seemed. Kara had always been stronger, physically, than Alex...but this, this was really the first time she'd even entertained the thought of violence. It wasn't something that she'd been brought up believing in, not with the House of El on Krypton or with the Danvers on Earth. She reacted without thinking, punching the offending guy in the face.

Immediate regret followed.

Her hands came up to cover her mouth and the apologies flooded the air. The drunken college student had landed on the floor next to Alex, screaming out in pain, his hands up at his nose, and blood pouring from it. All her life, she'd controlled her powers and been always ever conscious of her physical strength.

It was as if the incident had instantly sobered up Alex, who was getting up off the floor after looking over the guy that Kara had knocked down. "He's going to be fine," Alex whispered as she took Kara's arm. "You just broke it…"

"That bitch!" the guy shouted.

Alex kicked him out of nowhere. "Shut your mouth! She's my sister!" Kara noticed the anger flare in her sister, a protectiveness that Kara had seen before. "Idiot," Alex mumbled before Kara found herself being yanked out.

"Shouldn't we stay? Should we call 9-1-1?" Kara rattled off.

"Exactly why we're not staying," Alex told her firmly.

It was so odd to Kara to see her sister go from a stupidly drunken state to responsible in a snap. It was a blur, suddenly they were at the car and Alex was trying to open the driver's side door. It took Kara a moment to stop thinking about what had just happened, to stop her worrying over whether the guy that she punched would be okay, and to Alex. The keys were on the ground and Kara realized that her sister really wasn't in any state to drive home. "Alex."

Nothing.

"Alex!" Kara shouted.

Alex blinked and looked over at her.

Kara sighed and scooped up the keys off the ground. "I'm driving."

"Kara-"

Giving her sister a stern look, Kara frowned deeper. "Do we really need to discuss this?"

"I just want to go home, Kara," was Alex's tired and somewhat slurred reply. It was like the temporary sobered state was wearing off.

"So, we'll go to your place," Kara surmised quickly. She was exhausted and all she wanted was to sleep just like she was certain Alex wanted to. "Just get in the car."


There had been no other conversation up until Kara was tucking her sister into bed, that was following the whole point of the early morning where Kara had held Alex's hair back as she'd thrown up pretty much the entire evening's liquid party that Alex had originally ingested. It was a side of Alex that wasn't too pretty, but Kara was glad still that she was able to see more than just the side of her sister that she was used to seeing. She caressed her sister's cheek, checking Alex's temperature after everything that had happened. She seemed fine and Kara turned to go.

"I'm sorry."

Kara turned back to her and just gave her a small sad smile. "I'm not."

Alex seemed confused. "Kara-"

"I know that it's been hard living with me-"

"Kara-"

"No, I just...I was glad to see a part of your world that I hadn't seen before," Kara told her. It wasn't even that she'd seen it, it was just that she'd been included and that they'd had these sister moments that probably didn't mean a lot to others...but it meant a lot to Kara. "You should sleep," she said. "I'm going to just be on the couch if you need me."

"No," Alex said, finally able to get a word in. "Stay with me." Kara sat on the edge of the bed. Alex tugged her down to lay next to her as she scooted over. "I promise that there's nothing else inside me to throw up," Alex put out there.

Kara shook her head at that and couldn't help but smiling just a little. She laid down next to her sister and stared up at the ceiling. She was just glad that Eliza wasn't there because she and Alex would have gotten into it and Kara felt like Alex always took the bulk of things when it came to Eliza and her being upset or disappointed.

"You took care of me back there," Alex whispered. "Thank you."

They were staring at each other now. "You always take care of me."

"I probably have gotten you into a fair share of the problems that led to me needing to take care of you," Alex pointed out. "Take your shoes off...you're staying, remember? You have PJs here. Don't act like you're a stranger."

Kara laughed before getting up and kicking her shoes off and nudging them under her sister's bed. It didn't take long for her to change and slide back into bed next to Alex. She found herself being wrapped up into Alex's arms and just let out a sigh as she left her glasses on the nightstand. "You need a skylight…"

"Couldn't really see stars from here anyways," Alex pointed out. "Too many lights in National City."

"True."

"I mean, you could see them."

Kara smiled at that. "It wouldn't be the same."

"Thank you, Kara. Really."

"You never have to thank me. I'm your sister, Alex. I'm always going to be here for you."

"I don't think you understand how much I appreciate having you as my sister," Alex told her as she gave Kara a good squeeze (for Alex's strength).

"You know you can talk to me...about anything."

They stared at each other in the dark. "I know...just not tonight, okay?"

And Kara could see it, Alex was ready to pass out. She'd been surprised at how long Alex had stayed awake after the party. Kara had half expected to have to drag Alex from the car to her apartment. "Okay," was all she whispered as she watched Alex's eyes close.

Tomorrow was another day.