"Kara! Where have you been?" Winn asked as his friend entered the control room.
"Out clearing my head."
"You weren't on radar."
"No. I wanted to be alone so found somewhere remote. Why?"
"We got a lead on Jeremiah."
"Seriously? Where? Where's J'onn."
"Everyone has already gone." Winn said looking awkward.
"Where?" Kara pressed.
"It's too late." Winn said.
"What do you mean too late?" Kara asked.
"They arrived forty minutes ago and got caught in a firefight."
"Alex?" Kara asked eyes wide.
"Is fine. But J'onn got hurt."
"How bad?"
"I don't know, they are flying him back now. In fact the helicopter is just landing now." He commented looking at his screen. Hurrying away Kara went to meet the med team and on seeing Alex she asked.
"How is he?"
"We don't know yet. Cadmus had a fire based weapon." Alex said concentrating on her boss's recovery. "I'll let you know when we have something." She then tossed a disk at Kara and instructed. "Give that to Winn."
-00-
"How is he?" Kara asked when Alex finally emerged a few hours later.
"He'll be fine." Alex said.
"What happened?"
"They were better defended than we expected. They waited until we were on the ground before they attacked. We lost Davies and Roberts." Alex said sadly. "I was nearly taken out, only J'onn saved me. But they had a fire based weapon." Alex explained. "Whatever it did stopped his ability to regenerate kicking in for awhile. But for whatever reason he can heal himself again now."
"This is my fault. I should have been there." Kara said.
"Yes you should. Where were you?" Alex asked trying not to let the anger she felt show.
"Trying to clear my head." Kara said.
"And you couldn't have left your phone on?"
"I wasn't in a service area." Kara explained as Winn approached.
"Well?" Alex asked.
"Assuming those files were accurate. It looks like we missed your father by minutes."
"Minutes?" Alex asked.
"Literally." Winn confirmed. "According to the logs he was put on a transport two minutes before you arrived." The clarification causing Alex to turn to Supergirl.
"Did you hear that? We missed him by minutes. I really hope you enjoyed clearing your head. Because it caused two agents to lose their lives, J'onn to get hurt and us to miss dad."
"I'm sorry." Kara said as Winn tried to intervene.
"The good news is I may have a potential new location."
"Really? Tell Team Echo to get ready we leave in ten." Alex ordered.
"Disregard that instruction." A familiar voice said from behind Winn.
"General Lane? What are you doing here?" Supergirl asked.
"The President asked me to debrief Director J'onzz and make sure he understands and complies with the new orders."
"What orders?" Alex asked.
"To cease all attempts to extract the enemy combatant."
"Enemy combatant? You mean my father?"
"I do."
"My father is not an enemy combatant." Alex said angrily.
"He infiltrated the DEO, stole secret documents and helped build a weapon. How would you prefer me to describe him? A terrorist? If it were up to me he would be the subject of a shoot on sight order. But it's not. However, the President is in agreement with me that no more resources are to be spent searching for him, especially when there are strange telepathic parasites in the City. You want to find your father, do it in your own time. But make sure if you do find him that you bring in straight to detainment. Otherwise you'll end up behind bars as well." With that he walked past the trio to the infirmary.
"Alex-" Kara started only for Alex to say.
"Don't talk to me right now." With that she stormed off.
"Give me the location." Kara said turning to Winn.
"But-"
"Winn."
"It's dangerous to go there alone." He said.
"I don't care. Give me the location."
-00-
"Is Alex here?" Kara asked when Maggie opened the apartment door later that evening.
"Now may not be the best time." Maggie said knowing how much Alex had already drunk.
"I need to see her." Kara pressed.
"She's pretty drunk." Maggie explained.
"I'm not drunk." Alex shouted from inside.
"Please." Kara pressed.
"I really don't think this is a good idea." Maggie said although she stepped away from the door.
"Can you give us some space?" Kara asked, still not feeling comfortable enough round Maggie to bare her soul.
"Sure." Maggie said taking her jacket of the hook. "Just remember things could go a whole lot different tomorrow."
"You don't have to go." Alex said.
"I'll be back later." Maggie said kissing Alex goodbye.
"You have a skill at chasing people out of my life." Alex said to Kara after Maggie had gone.
"Alex, I know you are upset-" Kara started only for Alex to cut in.
"Of course I'm upset, when I needed you, you weren't there. I have always been there for you. Always. But when I needed you, where were you?" Alex asked, her voice slightly slurred. "Thanks to you J'onn got hurt and we can't search for dad anymore. Was this all part of your plan to keep dad out of my life? I mean even after you moved in he still treated me like a star. He was the only one to never think that you outshone me. Is that why you were so quick to assume he was bad last time? Is that why you don't want to find him?"
"Alex, I would do anything to get Jeremiah back-"
"No you wouldn't. You were one of the first to side against him last time. And you are always conveniently too busy to help with the search. Is it too much to ask that you repay some of my sacrifices? I mean after he went missing again you and Mon-El practically went off the grid. Then after the last search you started spending more time with Lena. All I wanted is for you to be there like I've been there for you. So many of your enemies call you selfish and up yourself, even Mon-El did, but I never saw it until today. Is it a family thing? Because if so I'm starting to see why Astra had issues with your mother." She said.
"You've not always been there for me." Kara finally said pushed too far by Alex. "You skipped on my birthday to go to a concert. My first day at college you said you'd spend the evening with me, only you went out and got drunk. When we were at school I covered for you when you snuck off with your friends. I sat in the park alone so you could be with your friends while Eliza thought you were with me. I never complained. I always did what you asked, including not using my powers even though it killed me day by day. I hid my true self, fought against my instinct to help others because you told me it was for the best. I hid my identity from my friends, my mentor, because you told me it was dangerous to tell them, even though you were happy to share it with Maggie. But you know what? You were wrong. Cat knows and the world still spins."
"You told Cat? Cat Grant? Are you trying to get mom and me killed?" Alex asked.
"Cat has known for months." Kara shrugged. "And I'm glad she knows and that I know she knows because right now she is the only one giving me helpful advice."
"By advice do you mean attention?" Alex asked. "You were right when you were on the Red-K, I had no life without you. But I changed that and maybe just maybe you don't like the idea I can have a life without living in your shadow."
"I never wanted you to live in my shadow. You have always been my hero." Kara said. "All I've wanted was for you to be happy."
"Yet when you joined the DEO you were so quick to point out I had only been hired because of my connection to you."
"I was upset." Kara said meekly.
"Well guess what? I'm upset now. I have given up everything for you and thanks to your self-indulgence I've lost DEO support in finding dad."
"I'm sorry and I will make it up to you, which is why I went to the location Winn found. But he wasn't there, I'm sorry. But we will find him." Kara said.
"No we won't. I will. There's a contact in Gotham who has agreed to help. I am going to do what I should have done a long time ago, I'm going to break free. I'm going to focus on what I want and I am going to find dad. If you want to help stay out of my life."
-00-
"Kara? What's wrong?" Lena asked as Kara came bursting into her office. Seeing how distraught her friend was she asked. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry. I needed to talk to someone."
"You can come to me anytime." Lena said directing her to the couch. "What happened?"
"Alex."
"Is she okay?"
"Yes. But we had a fight, a huge one. Now she's leaving and it is the right thing for her, but I don't want her to leave like this. I want her to be happy, but not to hate me. But is that me being selfish? I mean she's going and I know that's the right thing so maybe I shouldn't care how or why, but it still hurts."
"Kara." Lena interrupted squeezing her hand. "I'm not following."
"Sorry." Kara said wiping away the stray tear. "I let Alex down earlier and I went to apologise. But she'd been drinking and let a lot of things off her chest. And it hurt and I said horrible things to her. Now she is leaving and we're not talking. At least she isn't to me." Kara said getting more upset.
"Kara, whatever has happened I'm sure you can fix it." Lena said pulling her friend in for a hug.
"Not this time. She has so much hidden resentment towards me. I have cost her everything and she hates me. And I get that, I was forced on her. And I know moving is the best thing for her but I don't know how I am going to make it without her. I mean she is the only one who really knows what I have been through. Sometimes I hate this planet. I should have died with my parents."
"Don't say that Kara." Lena said hugging her tighter.
"You don't understand. Everything is a lie. I am so tired of lying, but it's the only way to keep people safe and happy."
"What's a lie?" Lena asked causing Kara to stand, an action mirrored by a confused Lena. Kara then took a step back and undid her blouse revealing her uniform.
As Lena saw the uniform the pieces fell into place. Stepping back she tried to say something only couldn't get the words out. Eventually her anger boiled to the surface and she said.
"You've lied to me since day one. I thought you were a friend. You used me. You played me. You are no better than my mother. Wait is that why you pretended to be my friend so you could get information on her?"
"Lena, no-" Kara tried to say.
"Get out." Lena said. "I never want to see you again."
TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
