As always, Thanks!


Lena knows it's Sam. Knows it as soon as the sound reaches her. Because for three weeks she has listened to her nightmares. Has heard them over and over in her head until they were as familiar as her own. And so, she doesn't wait for Alex and Kara, doesn't even look back to see if they are following her. She just runs. And she knows it's a reckless thing to do, but she doesn't care, not with Sam this close, not after everything had started to feel so hopeless.

She follows the sound of Sam's voice as it echoes in the hollow darkness, follows it until she can hear the words that repeat like a broken plea for absolution.

"I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them."

But when she finally finds herself in front of Sam's trembling frame her hands hesitate as they reach out; restrained out of the fear that it will only add to her torment. But eventually, the need to feel that Sam is really there, really in front of her wins out, and she kneels in front of her, leaning forward until their foreheads touch as she tries to ease Sam out of her tortured thoughts.

"I killed them. I killed them."

The rush of footsteps sounds behind her and Lena turns to see Alex, sees the same relief and fear she was feeling mirrored back. She thinks she can hear Kara too, sees where she stands somewhere behind Alex, her back silhouetted by the outline her cape.

Alex pauses only for a second before dropping next to them. Her hand moving to Sam's shoulder, her voice steady.

"Sam look at me okay. You have to look at me. We're right here with you."

Lena's hands move to cover Sam's, the rock she had used to etch her daughter's name into her memory still held tightly there in tired desperation.

She hears her own voice waver.

"It's okay Sam, we're going to get you home. We are going to get you back to Ruby."

At the mention of her daughter's name Sam's eyes focus on Lena's.

"R-ruby?"

She nods, and this time her voice breaks, realizing that they are not too late, that a part of Sam is still there with them.

"Yeah. Ruby. She's waiting for you."

Silent tears trail down Sam's face, and for a moment Lena thinks she can see relief in the other woman's eyes.

"Lena? Alex?"

But then it's all too quickly replaced again by fear as she pushes herself further into the rough bark of the tree, pulls her hands away to cover her ears.

"No. No. No. I'm sorry. No. I'm sorry. I-I killed you. I'm sorry."

She cannot find the words to answer.

Hears instead as Kara does. Her voice firm and understanding in a way that neither Alex's or Lena's could have been.

"You didn't kill anyone. Reign killed them. It wasn't you. You are not her."

Lena grabs onto Sam's shoulders then, her grip matching the determination of Kara's words.

"You are Sam Arias. You're the strongest person I know. And you're not going to give up now. Ruby needs you. She needs you to fight back."

Her hope falters again as Sam shakes her head back and forth.

"I-I can't. They won't let me go."

Kara's voice is firmer still but now Lena can hear the pain that it is trying so desperately to hide.

"Whatever you're seeing. Whatever you're feeling it isn't real Sam. But we are. Ruby is. And I can't promise there won't be pain. And I can't promise you that everything will be okay."

Lena looks at Kara, silently pleading for her words to be enough; silently listening to the promise she makes.

"But I will make sure you never have to come back to this place. I will make sure Reign never hurts anyone again. But you have to do this first. You have to tell us where she is."

She watches as Sam closes her eyes.

Feels the grip on her hand tighten and loosen.

Waits breathless as the broken woman tries to confront the darkness inside of her.

But then all at once, Lena finds the darkness staring back.


Lena is running in the direction of Sam's voice before she can do anything to stop her and it's Alex who has to pull her to her feet so that they follow her fast enough that they don't lose sight of her.

The ground is uneven beneath her feet as she trails blindly after her sister, a reserved hope in each step that she takes as Sam's voice becomes clearer but no less pained.

And she had been so focused on not falling behind that she almost runs into the back of Alex when her sister abruptly stops.

It's then that Kara sees Sam for the first time, huddled among the fallen rocks and decaying trees with Lena in front of her, hands unsure as she tries to find a way through to their friend. Alex steps toward them wordlessly, but Kara stays back; her eyes scanning the hazy distance, her hands testing the strength that remains in them trying to prepare for the fight that is inevitable now. She sees Julia then too. Her eyes fixed somewhere beyond everything that is around them, unaware of it all. Kara kneels in front of her, knowing she is not really there with them, but her hands still reach out, wordlessly taking one of Julia's, and the steady pulse she feels is enough to let her hold onto what little hope she still has. What little hope remains that she will be able to save her too.

Kara stands again, steadier somehow now, stronger.

She hears Sam's tortured refrain sounding like the echo of her own memories. Her own nightmares.

"No. No. No. I'm sorry. No. I'm sorry. I-I killed you. I'm sorry."

She closes her eyes, reminds herself these are not her demons here. But still, she finds something of herself in Sam's words and in the pain and guilt they hold.

"You didn't kill anyone. Reign killed them. It wasn't you. You are not her."

She is surprised at the sound of her own voice. Surprised at how determined it sounds in spite of how terrified she feels.

She watches as Lena's hands grip tightly onto Sam's shoulders. Listens as she tries again to bring her back to them. But Kara knows she is too scared. Feels too alone. That everything seems too hopeless. Because she has felt every one of those things before.

She looks at Alex and remembers every word she ever said to her to make her feel like she would survive whatever war was raging in her head, whatever nightmare she woke up from.

"Whatever you're seeing. Whatever you're feeling it isn't real Sam. But we are. Ruby is. And I can't promise there won't be pain. And I can't promise you that everything will be okay."

She looks at Lena and sees the trust she still has in her. Lets it give her the strength she needs to makes a promise she is willing to die to keep.

"But I will make sure you never have to come back to this place. I will make sure Reign never hurts anyone again. But you have to do this first. You have to tell us where she is."

Sam's eyes shut tight, her voice more distant.

Time slows and Kara feels the cold return.

She knows what's coming, but there is no way to stop it.

Sees her hand reach out to pull Lena away, but it's too slow.

Hears her voice call out, but it's too late.


Alex didn't realize why Kara had reached for Lena so suddenly, didn't understand her panicked warning, didn't realize that Sam was gone until Reign's hand was already wrapped around Lena's throat.

She steps forward, out of instinct, but Kara moves in front of her first. Shoulders squared to the Worldkiller, hands clenched into fists, and if it weren't for the slight waver in her stance, she would have forgotten she was powerless in this place.

"Let her go!"

Alex watches Reign turn toward them. Her words taunting Kara.

"I saw her you know. I saw her grow mournful, and angry, and desperate."

She looks into Reign's eyes and sees nothing left of Sam.

"I saw her lose faith in you just like the rest of them will now."

Nothing left but hate.

Kara steps towards Reign.

"This isn't about her. This is about you and me.

Stops only when the hand around Lena's throat tightens again.

"You are nothing. You've always been nothing. You cannot protect your world from what is coming. And her."

Reign looks back at Lena.

"Her death will just be the start."

"No!"

And Alex tries to hold Kara back, tries to stop her, but her adrenaline and fear make her stronger, faster, and Alex can only watch as Kara's body collides with Reign's.

Lena falls roughly to the ground, struggling to find her breath, and Alex reaches for her, grabs hold of her jacket, pulling her back until suddenly the weight is gone from her hands. Until suddenly Lena is gone. And she barely has time to think about how any of it is possible; that maybe none of this is really happening, when all at once everything else disappears too.


Lena's eyes snap open and the world comes into focus with bright lights and disjointed sounds.

A deep breath rushes to escape her lungs around the fading tightness of Reign's hands around her throat.

A harsh beeping fills her ears as she watches Alex stumble off her chair and toward Kara's side.

Lena's own feet slowly find their purchase on the ground as she tries to make sense of the chaos around her.

"How could you leave her alone in there!" Alex is grabbing the front of Brainy's suit as he tries to stutter out a response.

"Her-her vitals w-were dropping. She couldn't sustain all of you there any longer."

"Then pull her out." Alex shouted again looking between Brainy and J'ohnn.

"I'm trying, she's – she's not letting me."

Alex takes a step back before her hands find the closest thing to her and Lena startles at the clash of metal as one of the tables crashes to the floor.

"Goddammit Kara!"

And just like that all the lies and all the secrets between her and Kara were made meaningless in Alex's anger.

No one moves. No one looks at her. She knows none of them realize what Alex has just done.

And she can't help but think that it should have mattered more. That finally knowing for sure who Kara is should make her feel something other than numb.

But that's all she feels.

Not angry or hurt or scared.

Just numb.

She stands back, watching Alex pace back and forth, hands running through her hair, over her face, only stopping when J'ohnn finally grabs her shoulders.

"Alex."

But she just shakes her head and steps back from his hold, the tears barely contained in her eyes.

"You have a location?"

It's Brainy that answers.

"Yes, however…."

But Alex only looks at J'ohnn, and Lena can see the silent conversation happening between them. Can only imagine all that's left unsaid.

"You have a location?"

He nods.

"Yes."

And she watches as Alex's anger is replaced by a sense of purpose.

"We have to go, there isn't much time, and Sam is alone with the other Worldkillers."

J'onn and the others look worriedly between each other but say nothing, each silent in their tasks as they get ready to leave.

Lena wants to follow, tries to, but Winn stops her, shaking his head and she thinks that maybe he is who Kara tasked with making sure she didn't do exactly what she had just been planning on, because even now, even still, a part of her never stopped trusting that Kara would protect her.

But she can't just do nothing. Not when everyone else is risking everything.

"Alex?"

The agent stops just in front of the door, looking back over her shoulder at Lena.

"I need you to find a way to bring her back."

And it's then that Lena realizes Alex isn't talking about Sam.

"When this is over I won't just leave her in that place."

It's then she understands what Kara's promise to Sam really was.

Understands what it will take for her to keep it.

Fears what will happen it she can't.

Knows what it will cost her if she can.


Coming Up: Kara and Alex fight two different battles. Lena wars with herself.

Feedback and such is welcome and appreciated!