"Sir, the vehicle is on approach," Agent Adler informed him as she stuck her head into the room.

J'onn had been sitting there since Kara had left, holding Alex's hand and just talking to her. It didn't matter about what, he'd just talked. It had probably been the longest conversation he'd held with one person in some time...even if it was one sided. "Thank you," he said in response. Agent Adler was gone a moment later.

He'd have to keep a distance from the Danvers.

It was going to odd for him since he'd forged a closer bond with Alex and Kara over the past several weeks. He'd become used to them being around, especially Alex. Keeping his distance was something he could do, the cameras within the base (and his powers) made it easier to check in without being close. It would still be hard, though.

Certainly, he could leave the room before they got there, but he'd promised Kara that he wouldn't leave Alex's side...just in case. One of them had been with her at all times since they'd been rescued by the DEO. He didn't want to worry or let down Kara by leaving the room, even if it was just moments before. The thought had just come to mind because J'onn hadn't wanted to make things harder or more difficult on Doctor Danvers.

He heard them approach before he actually saw them, the hurried steps and the upset thoughts. J'onn was on his feet and ready to exit by the time they made it to the door. Looking back at Alex, he hoped that she woke up while he was gone. J'onn needed his second in command back (and he needed to know that the person he considered a daughter was going to be okay). Kara and Doctor Danvers entered the room together, Doctor Danvers had an arm wrapped around her adoptive daughter. "Let me know if you need anything," he said quickly, keeping his eyes cast down he moved out quickly.

Moving to his office, he immediately pulled up the feed from Alex's room. He took a moment to watch them. Kara was distancing herself, staying near the wall. He was certain that it was to let Doctor Danvers have her time with Alex. Letting out a sigh, he watched as Alex's mother brushed hair away from her face and then leaned over to kiss her forehead.

Turning his head, he reached out and grabbed the tablet on his desk. He started to go through the reports and digital paperwork that needed to be done. Right now, he needed to be Hank Henshaw and he needed to make sure that the DEO was where they needed to be after everything that had happened. This last encounter...it made for quite a bit more paperwork.

There was a quick knock on his door and then Agent Torres popped her head in. "Sir, Ms. Danvers is requesting us to run-"

"Whatever she needs, Torres," J'onn cut in quickly.

"Understood, Sir."

He tried to focus on the reports and requests and everything else he had on his tablet paperwork-wise that he really needed to get done. Nothing had really gotten done in over twenty-four hours and that meant that he was extremely far behind, he was never behind. He couldn't concentrate on work, however.

A walk.

J'onn felt like he just needed to move. He'd been sitting with Alex for so long and they'd been in those cells. Getting out and walking, getting some fresh air, sounded like something he really needed. He wasn't going to go far, just right outside, but he'd be close enough in case he was needed.


He was having a hard time with keeping his distance, even though it had only been a few hours. J'onn kept walking by, not close, but close enough he could look in. Alex wasn't awake yet, wasn't awake still. He knew that he needed to get some sleep. He wasn't leaving the DEO, though, he couldn't bring himself to do it. J'onn felt like he needed to be close by.

Seeing the time, he walked to the medical room that Alex was staying in and knocked lightly on the door before opening it. Both Kara and Doctor Danvers looked exhausted and worn. Since he wasn't going to leave the base anyways, he figured he might as well make an offer. "I just wanted to see if you two would like to go home for the evening? I would be willing to stay with-"

"That's not necessary," Doctor Danvers told him quickly and a bit gruffly.

"Thank you, though," Kara added gently as she smiled sadly up at him.

"If you need anything, I'll be on site," J'onn said, mostly to Kara. Kara gave him a nod. "Is there anything that you might require? Dinner or-"

"Your agents have already seen to it," Doctor Danvers replied and threw a glare his way. "They've been very helpful. I...I appreciate it."

J'onn looked over to the wall where the marathon of what he assumed had to be 'Doctor Who' was playing, getting a glimpse of the world that had been Kara and Alex's secret code while they'd been imprisoned. "Just let me know if you need anything else," he told them and headed out. It didn't seem like things could get any more awkward or tense, he was certain it was all something that Alex could feel during her unconscious state.

"Hank, wait," Kara said as she chased after him. She looked around, he figured to see how alone they were right outside of Alex's room. "I'm sorry about Eliza-"

"There's no need," J'onn assured gently. "I understand her reasons."

"I think if Alex woke up, it would be easier. She's asked me about ten times if I'm sure we have the best doctors looking after her," Kara explained. "I just...thank you...for making her...us...comfortable."

"There's no need to thank me."

"You didn't have to do this."

J'onn looked right at her. "I think you know that I did." Their eyes held one another's for a long quiet moment before Kara just nodded. "Please, just remember that I can sit with her if you and Doctor Danvers need to have some time away. You both need sleep, too. You'll be no good to Alex if you're exhausted."

"You're right," Kara told him with a bit of a smile. "I'm going to try to convince her to stay for a few more hours and then go sleep at my place."

"Just let me know and I will make sure you have a vehicle take you home."

Kara nodded and then walked back to the medical room. He watched her go for a moment. J'onn wished that one of his powers was that he could heal another person. If he could even transfer that ability to Alex, he would without hesitation. Letting out a sigh, he turned and headed for the cot that waited for him.


Kara had woken him around three in the morning. She'd basically seemed to be demanding that Doctor Danvers go home with her and get some sleep. So, J'onn had taken over. He'd slept enough, at least that was what he told himself.

"I hope you don't mind the company so late," he told Alex after Kara and Doctor Danvers had left. "I think that Kara isn't doing well with your mother here, which I think is new...for her. Not because of mother/daughter things, but because of her hatred towards Hank Henshaw."

He was quiet for a moment, watching the show play.

"I'll admit something to you that I won't admit to Kara," he said as he stared at the screen. "I've been watching this all day. Well, probably more listening than watching. I wanted to know your secret code, to understand how this funny sad ancient man who reinvents himself over and over again traveling through space and time in a strange blue box entranced you both so much." J'onn went quiet and watched the show.

"You got my boots, right?"

The quiet, gentle voice scared him, almost making him jump, which was weird for J'onn. He looked over to see Alex staring at him with eyes just barely open. It took him a moment, giving it a breath, before believing that she was really awake. "Alex…"

"I liked those boots," she whispered.

A smile spread wide across his face. "We got them."

"You're my hero," Alex told him weakly.

J'onn just stared at her, relief washing over her. He realized then that he really should call Kara and let her know that Alex was awake, but he just wanted to sit there and talk with Alex first. Alex had been out for over twenty-four hours and he just really wanted this time. "Kara and your mother were here."

"How long have I been out?"

"A long time," he told her gently.

"J'onn…"

"I've lost track," he told her honestly. "Well over a day."

"Have you slept?"

"A little."

"Kara?"

"She's at home with Doctor Danvers...sleeping. I should call her-"

"No," Alex said louder this time. "No, let them sleep." She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "But Kara...she's okay?"

J'onn reached out and took her hand. "She's fine. Frustrated with Doctor Danvers, but fine."

"Do I want to know how broken I am?" she questioned.

The doctors had been in since he'd left earlier when Doctor Danvers and Kara were there, so he hadn't gotten an update. There was probably a report update on Alex in his inbox by now, but he hadn't checked since he'd forced himself to sleep. "You are not broken," he said slowly. Alex just stared at him. He knew what she meant. J'onn also knew that she wasn't pleased with his response and wanted him to get right to it. "Your broken ribs will heal...your lung is bruised...and your leg…" He stopped there and took a moment to let the other stuff settle in before continuing. "You've already undergone the surgery to have a plate and screws put in your leg. It's casted-"

"But I'll be able to walk on it okay?" Alex questioned quite seriously.

J'onn stared at her for a long silent moment. "It's going to take work, I won't lie to you."

"No secrets between us," she said as she squeezed his hand, still staring at him.

He didn't need to read minds to know that Alex was scared. "No secrets," J'onn repeated. He let out a sigh. "It's going to take anywhere from six weeks to eighteen months for you to recover," he informed her. "You'll need to take it slowly, to keep your weight off of it for so long and then ease back onto using it, you'll have to go through physical therapy...and most importantly of all...you'll have to be patient."

Alex just stared at him and then closed her eyes. "Tell me when I can wake up from this nightmare," she muttered.

"I should still call Kara," he said. "I promised her."

"Call her," Alex said and then yawned. "Tell her I'm awake and then let me talk to her."

It was clear that she was still tired, but that was to be expected. Alex was healing and her body had a lot of healing to do. He pulled out his phone and dialed Kara, who immediately picked up. "She's awake," J'onn told her. "And she wants to talk to you." He handed the phone to Alex, who seemed to almost have a hard time holding the phone up to her ear, though he wrote it off to exhaustion combined to how much she must hurt.

"Hey Kara," Alex whispered and closed her eyes as she talked. "No. Don't wake her up. Sleep. I'm not going anywhere." J'onn watched as a smile formed on Alex's face. "Mmhmm…" The smile brightened. "I love you." Finally, she opened her eyes again to look at him before holding out the phone. "You should sleep, too."

"I already did."

"For what? Three hours?"

"Four."

Alex just stared at him.

"You should sleep," he told her and reached out to brush hair away from her face with his free hand, the other still holding tight to Alex. "I can turn off this marathon if-"

"I like listening to it," she whispered as she closed her eyes.

J'onn just sat there, watching over her. She seemed suddenly peaceful. The sleep she was in now was different to him than it had been previously. Maybe it was because sleep was her choice this time. Or maybe it was just his imagination. Whatever it was, he was glad and relieved that Alex had woken up and was now sleeping peacefully.

Sitting back in the chair, he held onto her hand, and he just watched as the Doctor and his companion ran.


Doctor Danvers and Kara arrived several hours later. He'd already received a text from Kara explaining that her adoptive mother was really not going to be in a good mood because Kara had turned off her alarm, so that she could sleep longer. She was also not pleased with the fact that Kara hadn't woken her up when he'd called originally when Alex woke.

A knock at the door pulled his attention away from the episode that he and Alex had been watching. It was Agent Adler standing there. "Sir, they're pulling up now." A breath later, she was gone as quickly as she'd appeared.

"Thank you," he said and started to get to his feet.

"Wait, it's not over yet," Alex complained as she held tight to his hand.

"Your mother-"

"I," she said with emphasis as she looked directly at him. "I want you to stay."

"Alex-"

"Please?"

They'd watched two episodes so far since she'd woken up again and she'd taken great joy in it. So, he sat back down and gave up the fight, for now anyways. J'onn wasn't sure how well they'd actually be able to watch the episode once her mother arrived. There were several more minutes of silent watching, that was up until Doctor Danvers noisily pushed the door open.

"Alex!" Doctor Danvers exclaimed and then rushed to try to hug Alex.

J'onn released Alex's hand, even though she'd held on. He got up to make room for Kara too. "I should give you three some time-"

"You said you'd finish watching this with me," Alex told him.

He watched as her mother seemed to hover so much that J'onn might consider it smothering normally if she hadn't been injured and finally awake. "Another time."

"You can pause it," Eliza told Alex. "You've seen all of these episodes before anyways."

"J-Hank hasn't," Alex defended.

It didn't seem like her mother cared and he understood. There was much that Doctor Danvers didn't understand because she didn't know the whole truth or his relationship with her daughters. "I'll be back in a while," he told Kara, who simply nodded and gave him an apologetic look. He looked back at Alex as he pushed the door open. Her mother and Kara seemed so happy to have her awake, but Alex in that moment looked miserable as she stared back at him.

This was more important, he told himself.

Alex needed the time with her family.

More so, Doctor Danvers needed the time with Alex.

He pushed the door open and headed for his office to actually force himself through the paperwork that was certainly piling up.


"It's been four days."

"I know," J'onn replied.

"Alex won't go home until you see her," Kara told him.

For the past four days, the time since Alex had woken up, Doctor Danvers had insisted on staying and not going anywhere. So, J'onn had kept his distance. He'd stayed at the DEO, sleeping on the cot, but it hadn't been restful. He'd taken solace in being able to focus on Alex and knowing that she was okay...that she wasn't in distress (except the one time that her pain meds hadn't been given to her and she'd ended up in immense pain, but he'd just picked up the phone and had his people take care of it). It hadn't been easy, but he'd known that Doctor Danvers hadn't wanted him there.

J'onn tried to brush it off. "Doctor Danvers-"

"Eliza is already on her way to my house. I convinced her to go ahead of us so that she could change the bedding since Alex is going to stay with me," Kara explained. "Please?"

With a nod, they walked to where Alex was waiting alone. This was the first time in so many days that Alex had been left alone. Normally, he and Kara would keep watch (though, technically, they could both HEAR Alex if they were needed...so really, she hadn't been alone alone).

When he entered Alex's room, he found her sitting up on the edge of the bed. She was dressed in loose pajama pants and her jacket was already on. She had only one shoe on, the other leg and foot casted. J'onn had been keeping tabs on Alex's recovery by way of constantly harassing the doctors for updates.

"I hear you're being a stubborn patient," he said as he closed the door behind him, leaving only the three of them in the room together.

"They're kicking me out," Alex told him with a small smile. "And I missed my marathoning buddy."

"You have your sister."

"It's not the same," Kara and Alex said in unison.

He smiled at that. He'd missed them. "Hopefully you'll be able to rest easier in a proper bed."

"Sir, please tell me that I'm not indefinitely benched," Alex practically pleaded.

"Alex," J'onn said slowly and seriously. "You need to take it easy."

"So, I'll rest for a few days, but then I can come into work, right?" Alex questioned.

He was quiet for a long while.

"J'onn, please."

"Why don't we wait and see what the doctor says when you go in?" Alex looked like he'd just she'd just been fired and given her the most horrible news at the same time.

"He's right, Alex," Kara said gently. "You need to heal still."

"I'm going to go stir crazy."

"Let's just get to the first doctor's appointment and assessment first," J'onn offered as the best compromise he could come up with. "Between your doctor and the three of us, we'll figure out the next step, okay?"

From the look on Alex's face, one of defeat and yet devastation, this plan didn't seem like something that she actually was pleased with. "Okay," was all Alex replied with, not looking at either of them. It was the quietest that he'd ever heard Alex and probably the most emotionally compromised. J'onn swore that she looked like she was trying to hold it together, but just barely. He hated upsetting her, but he didn't need her to agitate her injury any further or even make it worse.

It killed him.

"Can I help you to the car?" he asked.

"No, I got it," Alex said, her voice a little louder though just as sad.

"Alex-" Kara started to argue.

"I have to work here," Alex told them. "I don't-"

"No one's going to think less of you."

He wanted to echo Kara's statements, but he knew Alex was just proud. J'onn would happily carry her out and he knew Kara would do the same. This, though, was going to be Alex's fight...her recovery. If he'd thought of this, he would have cleared the pathway from medical to the vehicle so that he could carry her. "I want you to let me know if there's anything that I can do for you in the meantime. Anything I can get you."

"Thank you," Alex mumbled as she grabbed the crutches and then slowly lowered herself down, her injured leg not receiving any of her weight. "Let's just go, Kara."

He had a feeling that Alex might be mad at him, but this was for the best. J'onn just hoped that she understood that...later.


Not having Alex at the DEO wasn't easy.

Alex had been an integral member of his team for two years and the one that he knew that he could trust most. There was also the fact that Alex was the only member of his team that knew that he was actually J'onn J'onzz. Since revealing himself to both Danvers sisters, he'd felt freer.

Kara was keeping him updated, but it had already been a week and he felt like he was falling behind with everything. On top of all of that, Supergirl wasn't assisting them as much as she normally did. J'onn understood, of course, that Kara was juggling Catco and helping Alex...but it was just different.

Lonely.

J'onn realized that it was lonely.

He missed the sisters.

He missed Alex especially.

He'd wanted to go visit Alex, Kara had suggested he do so as well, but Doctor Danvers was still in town. J'onn wasn't sure how long Alex's mother was going to be around, but he just hoped that she was actually helping Alex rather than driving them both crazy.

This was temporary.

Alex was going to get better.

Things would go back to normal.

It was just going to take time.


TBC…