A/N: Cheam - this one will also have angsty moments.
"Alex?" Kara asked when she woke up in her sister's arms.
"Morning." Alex smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay. I guess. You're still here." She said confused.
"Your synapses are really firing this morning." Alex said sarcastically.
"I mean, why are you here?"
"I didn't want you to wake up alone."
"I would have been okay."
"I know." Alex said. "Doesn't mean you have to be alone though."
"Don't worry about me. You should be spending your time with Maggie."
"Perhaps I want to spend it with you. So what do you want to do today?"
"I need to go to work."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Alex said.
"Work makes me feel normal, well normal-ish." Kara said. "I can't stay here forever." When Alex just stared at her she added. "I'll be fine. Please I need to do this."
"Fine, but we meet for lunch and dinner." Alex said. As she heard Kara's stomach growl she added. "And we are going out for breakfast."
Before Kara could answer there was a knock on the door.
"Expecting someone?" Alex asked.
"No."
"It had better not be Max." Alex muttered heading to the door.
"Hey." Alex said confused when she saw Maggie on the other side of the door.
"Hi. I bring gifts." Maggie said holding up a tray of coffee and a bag of something.
"You didn't have to." Alex said.
"Kinda did unless Kara has learned how to stock her cupboards and you figured out how to cook."
"That's low Sawyer." Alex said as Kara walked over to the door.
"Hi Kara. These are so you don't starve." Maggie said handing the tray and bag to Alex. "I'll see you later."
"Stay, please." Kara asked.
"I don't want to interrupt."
"You're not." Kara said.
Seeing a nod from Alex Maggie entered the apartment as Alex said."No guarantee you'll actually get to eat any of these."
"Something my arteries will be happy about." Maggie said.
-00-
As they sat round the table in silence Maggie watched Alex watch Kara, who sat frowning at her doughnut. "Are you sure you want me to be here?" Maggie asked.
"Of course. Why?" Kara asked.
"Well you two aren't actually talking." She pointed out. "And I know I don't know what's going on, but I kinda think you should be talking. Instead you," she said looking at Alex, "are staring at Kara and you," she turned to Kara, "are looking at that doughnut like you may hurt it if you eat it. Trust me it will do more harm to you than you to it."
"Sorry. I was just thinking." Kara said.
"About what?" Maggie pressed.
"I think I'm going to ask for some time off."
"That's a great idea." Alex said approving of the plan.
"Then I thought I'd go to Midvale for a few days." Kara added.
"You want to tell mom what happened?" Alex asked surprised.
"Want? No. Need? Kind of."
"You want me to come to Midvale with you?" Alex asked.
"No. I don't want you to get the blame for what I did." Kara said. But as she saw the hurt in Alex's eyes she added. "But perhaps you and Maggie could come up this weekend. I mean Eliza hasn't seen you since you got engaged."
When Alex didn't immediately respond Maggie said. "I'm game. It'd be kinda cool to see where you two grew up."
"Alex?" Kara asked.
"Sure, if that's what you want."
"It is. But I need one more favour." Kara said.
"Anything."
"I'm going to call Eliza today and explain. Will you be with me when I do it?"
"Of course."
-00-
"These layouts are awful." Cat said skimming the offering, before calling. "Goldstein."
"I think she means you." James whispered to a colleague.
"Uh, yes?" He asked.
"Send me an article like this again and you are fired. It is the quality I expect from the planet." Cat said. "Does anyone have anything useful to offer?" When she was met by a wall of silence she said. "Then go find something. Now! Except you Kara. Stay."
"Good luck." James said to Kara as he walked out with the others.
"Sit." Cat instructed when it was only Kara who remained. "Your positive mental attitude seems to have hit a wall." Cat commented carefully looking at Kara who looked defeated.
"That would be an understatement." Kara said.
"What happened?"
"I did something really, really stupid and hurt a lot of people."
"I'm sure it seems worse than it is."
"No. It's really not. The worse part is they have just forgiven me. They keep telling me it's understandable. But that doesn't mean it's justifiable. My foster mother just took it in her stride. If it had been Alex I'm pretty sure she would have be sent to military school, or at least the adult equivalent. Is there an adult equivalent? I mean other than jail." Kara started to ramble but as she looked at Cat she said. "Sorry, I'm babbling."
"Kara whatever it is that happened, if your friends and family have forgiven you it means that you still have their love and respect."
"But I don't deserve it."
"That is for them to decide not you. The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes."
"I'm trying. Which is why I want to take a few days off so I can go spend time with my foster mother."
"Take what you need." Cat said.
"Ms Grant. Sorry to interrupt, but Carter is on line one." Eve said entering the office.
"I need to take this." Cat said to Kara.
"Of course, I have to write my article anyway." Kara said quickly leaving the office.
-00-
"Would you like me to buy you your own chair?" Cat asked as she walked out onto her balcony that evening.
"Ms Grant? I didn't think you'd be here." Supergirl said turning round.
"Would you like me to leave my building?"
"No. Sorry, it's just I thought you were with Carter."
"You are incredibly well informed." Cat said. As Supergirl tried to come up with a reason why she knew that, Cat took pity on the floundering hero and explained. "His father took him to an astronomy meeting across the country. But I can go if you prefer time alone."
"I honestly don't know what I want."
"Your solution turned out to be as bad as you feared?"
"Worse. It was stupid. I was stupid. But once I started I didn't see straight. And although part of me knew something was wrong the rest of me was just happy to feel again."
"What was the solution?"
"Do you remember when I threw you off the balcony?"
"Not something I am likely to forget."
"My behaviour then was because I had been exposed to a chemical." Supergirl explained.
"I remember you saying."
"I exposed myself again, to small amounts, in a controlled way, with the antidote on standby. Only the antidote didn't actually work the way I thought it did."
"What possessed you?" Cat asked in disbelief.
"I made a decision. A decision that killed many of the Daxamite invaders and made the planet uninhabitable for all Daxamites, including someone I loved."
"I'm sorry."
"My cousin said he wouldn't, couldn't have made the decision if it had been someone he loved who was affected. But me, although it hurts so much, I know I'd do the same thing tomorrow if I had to. What does that say about me?"
"That you're a hero." Cat said simply. "That no matter how hard the decision you can make the right decision for the right reasons. That is something that most people aren't capable of." The two then stood in silence staring out over the city until Supergirl confessed.
"I've lost the trust of people I care about."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"My si- people I work with are watching everything I do." Supergirl said as Cat rolled her eyes at the near slip.
"Because they love you and they are worried about you."
"More like they think I can't take care of myself."
"There is nothing wrong in asking for help."
"On Krypton it was seen as a sign of strength." Supergirl agreed.
"Clearly your people were more enlightened than humans." Cat said before asking. "Was it human corruption that stopped you asking for help this time?"
"No. I didn't want to burden people with my problems. Especially my sis-"
"This is ridiculous. Only telling me half truths won't help." Cat interrupted. "I know who you are, Kara."
"What? No." Supergirl said before seeing Cat's expression and realising it was a battle she wouldn't win and said sadly. "Another thing I have failed at."
"You haven't failed. The objective of having a secret identity is to, I presume, keep your family safe?" When Kara nodded Cat went on. "I have no intention of sharing your secret. Your family are safe."
"Thank you. How? When?"
"As you'll recall I thought I knew during Dirk's failed takeover. But you and your Martian fooled me. I started having suspicions when both Supergirl and Kara started to behave differently during your last chemical phase. But it was during Myriad that I couldn't deny it any longer. Especially when your foster mother and sister got involved."
"I'm sorry I lied."
"I forgave Olivia, I can forgive you. But now that is out of the way, why did you cut yourself off from your friends and family?"
"Alex, my sister, gave up so much growing up to look after me and protect my identity. Her life, her career have all been about me. She finally found someone, who makes her really happy and, it's stupid, but I felt like I was being abandoned, and I hated myself for it, because she deserves to be happy." Kara explained as she played with the hand strap on her uniform. "The night that Mon-El left Earth Alex proposed and they are so happy together. But seeing them together reminded me of everything I had lost. So I avoided them. The more I avoided them the easier it got. Not just with Alex, but everyone. And then I felt even more alone. It all seemed to spiral out of control."
"You are not alone. You will always have people around you who will want to help. Use them. It doesn't have to be me, but I am always willing to help." Cat said as it started to rain. "Seeing no one else is here, why don't we take this inside."
-00-
"Where's Kara?" Maggie asked as she sat down opposite Alex in a restaurant across the street form CatCo.
"Inside CatCo. At least her phone is." Alex said glancing down at her phone screen.
"Which is why we are meeting in this restaurant?" Maggie guessed.
"Yeah. I know the Red-K is out of her system, but that doesn't mean she won't be tempted to go back to Max."
"The way Winn told it Max knows better than to help Kara again." Maggie said.
"I don't want to take that risk." Alex said.
"So why don't you go in and sit with her?"
"Then it will look like I don't trust her."
Maggie opened her mouth to point out that Alex clearly didn't trust Kara before deciding better of it. Instead she said. "I know Kara is in a really bad place right now and you are blaming yourself, but the way I see it some good has come from this."
"What?"
"From what you said Kara said things she would never normally say. Things that you had been oblivious to. But now, I know it hurt, but at least you know what Kara was going through, what she was thinking. Now you know, you can really help her."
"I guess. But then she is running off to Midvale. You heard her she doesn't want me there."
"Only for the first couple of days." Maggie reminded her. As Alex glanced at her phone again.
"What do you think she's doing? It's gone midnight."
"Just go in and talk to her." Maggie said.
-00-
"Agent Danvers." Cat greeted when she saw Alex wandering the floor plate.
"Ms Grant? I was just looking for-"
"Kara? She's in my office, asleep. You probably want to get her home before the cleaners come." She said walking off.
Confused Alex entered Cat's office and saw her sister, dressed as Supergirl, sprawled on the couch. Turning Alex looked for Cat, but she had already left. Frowning Alex approached Kara and gently shook her awake.
"Alex?" Kara asked confused.
"Hey." Alex smiled gently brushing hair off Kara's face.
"Where am I?" Kara asked confused looking round before realising where she was and what she was wearing. "There's something you need to know. Cat-"
"I've already figured it out, we can deal with that later. Right now let's get you home."
TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
