A/N: Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you liked the reunion. The sisters still have a way to go to recover their relationship and there will be more scenes between them before the story ends. Max will also be back.
"Kara?" Winn exclaimed as he saw his friend enter the DEO flanked by Alex, J'onn and Eliza. "You're alive?" He added before hugging her.
"Careful." Alex warned immediately causing Winn to pull back and look at Kara.
"Whoa, you look awful. I mean you're hurt. Your powers?"
"Gone." Kara said simply, all too aware that every Agent was looking at her.
"So what was it? Who was it? Max, Cadmus, Lane?" Winn asked.
"What was what?" Kara asked.
"Who took you. And who took your powers." Winn clarified.
"No one took me. Not really. Leslie saved me. And then hid us in a mine."
"Leslie? As in your nemesis Leslie Willis?" Winn asked.
"Perhaps you can save the interrogation for later?" Alex suggested. "We need to run some tests and get Kara under the lamps."
"Right. Sorry." Winn said before hugging Kara again. "I've missed you."
-00-
As Alex hooked Kara up to a machine she asked. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah. I just didn't think I'd ever be back here." Kara confessed.
"Well I'm glad you are." Alex said squeezing her hand.
"Me too." Kara said before saying. "You should talk to Eliza."
"Why?"
"Because you are fighting."
"No we're not." Alex lied.
"You didn't speak to each other the entire ride over. You won't even look at each other. I grew up having to spot the signs of an Alex-Eliza fight, so I know you are fighting. It's because of me isn't it? It's my fault."
"It's not your fault. It's mine. I said things I shouldn't have. Which is recurrent theme in my life right now. Mom was hurting and I made her feel worse. I doubt she wants to see me right now." Alex said.
"You're her daughter. Of course she wants to see you." Kara argued.
"Not this time." Alex said before noticing Kara was unhooking herself from the machine. "What are you doing?"
"I am not doing these tests until you and Eliza start talking."
"Kara, now is not the time to be stubborn." Alex said. But as Kara stood Alex conceded. "Fine. Once I have started the scan I will talk to mom."
"You promise?" Kara asked.
"I promise." Alex said. "So can I start hooking you up, again?"
"Okay." Kara said sitting back down. As Alex restarted setting up the machines Kara said. "Maggie said you'd been suspended."
"Yeah, Lucy and I had a fight. I may have said some thingsā¦.some very-"
"Passionate things." A familiar voice said as a new person entered the room. "I always thought super stubbornness was a Kryptonian thing, turns out it is a Danvers thing. Alex never gave up on you. I wish Lois had as much faith in me as Alex has in you."
Seeing her friend Kara smiled and greeted. "Lucy."
"Kara. I can't believe it." Lucy said before apologising. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" Kara asked.
"Ignoring the fact this is my father's fault. I assumed you were dead. I called off the search." Lucy explained.
"You had good reason to." Kara said. "I mean I should be dead. And then Leslie took us somewhere she knew we wouldn't be found. There was no way to know I was alive."
"I still shouldn't have given up. I'm sorry." Lucy said before looking at Alex. "And I'm sorry for not listening to you."
"You were doing your job." Alex said before taking Kara's hand and saying. "The important thing is she is back now."
"But no powers?" Lucy asked.
"No." Kara agreed.
"But we will figure out why and we'll figure out how to get them back." Alex promised.
"I didn't mean to interrupt the testing. I just really wanted to see you." Lucy said to Kara. "Anyway, I need to go finish some paperwork so I'll see you you later. If you need anything let me know."
-00-
"Eliza." J'onn said as he walked up to her in the observation room where Eliza was looking into the adjacent room where Kara was being tested.
"J'onn." She acknowledged before turning attention back to Kara.
"What are you doing in here?" J'onn asked.
"Just observing."
"I mean why aren't you with Kara or helping Alex?"
"Guilt." Eliza said. "I gave up. I don't even know how to start making that up to Kara."
"Everyone gave up except Alex." J'onn reminded her.
"And Maggie." Eliza pointed out.
"I think that is down to Alex." J'onn pointed out. "Kara doesn't blame any of us for assuming she was dead."
"Doesn't stop me blaming myself." Eliza said.
"True, but I still don't see why you are not helping Alex." J'onn confessed.
"I think I am the last person she wants to spend time with. Alex was right, I give up too easily. If I hadn't accepted what we were told about Jeremiah maybe we could have saved him. I could have saved Alex all that pain. And then despite seeing first hand that people survive when it looks like it is impossible I gave up on Kara being alive. I ignored Alex who refused to give up. Instead of helping her I suggested she was crazy. She must resent me."
"I don't." Alex said walking up to J'onn and Eliza. "And I'm sorry for what I said to you. I don't hold you responsible for what happened to dad. I didn't mean what I said. And I'm sorry for driving you away."
"You didn't." Eliza said as J'onn silently left the room. "As hard as you try you could never drive me away."
"But you've been keeping your distance. You haven't even called." Alex said.
"Because every time I did we fought and I didn't want to fight with you. If I thought I could have helped you I would have been there, but I just seemed to make you more angry. I thought you needed space." Eliza said. "I hoped when you were ready you'd come back to me."
"I'm sorry." Alex said hugging her mother.
-00-
"How are you feeling Sweetie?" Eliza asked as she and Alex entered the room Kara was in.
"The same." Kara said before asking. "So are you two back to normal?"
"Normal for us." Alex said.
"You promise?" Kara asked.
"We promise." Eliza said hugging Kara.
"Did the tests show anything?" Kara asked.
"Not really. All your cells look normal. They are showing no changes. Which is good." Alex said.
"Then why don't I have powers anymore?"
"It is only a hypothesis but I think the explosion completely drained your cells. After that you were in a cave for two weeks, with no access to sunlight. There was no way for your cells to recharge."
"But I've been out of the caves for weeks." Kara said sadly.
"Do you remember the first time you lost your powers?" Alex asked. "It wasn't just recharging, it was also adrenaline. Due to the amount of time you were in the dark, maybe you need a bigger rush to jumpstart them."
"Whatever it is you need, we'll figure it out. Together." Eliza said.
-00-
"Kara, I don't even know where or how to start making it up to you." Alex said that evening as the pair sat on Alex's couch. "I am so sorry for what I said."
"You were upset." Kara said.
"That's no excuse."
"After what I said to you when I was under the influence of Red-K it wasn't so bad." Kara shrugged.
"Yes it was. And I wasn't on drugs, which makes it far worse. But I will make it up to you. Starting with finding a way to get your powers back."
"And as much as I appreciate that there's no rush. I've survived this long. I can survive longer." Kara said.
"I know you hate being without powers." Alex said. "And right now you are my priority." She added pulling Kara into a hug.
"Don't neglect Maggie. I mean I'm back because of her." Kara reminded her sister, her voice betraying her tiredness.
"How did she find you anyway?" Alex asked.
"Apparently I'm not very good with fake names." Kara said, confusing Alex. Before Alex could press further though Kara had fallen to sleep.
-00-
"How is she?" Maggie asked when she returned home and saw Kara fast asleep on Alex.
"I don't know. Scared and exhausted." Alex replied.
"And you?" Maggie asked knowing Alex held herself responsible.
"Fine." Alex lied.
"Where's your mom?"
"At the DEO, seeing if she can figure out why Kara's powers haven't returned." Alex then paused before asking. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"That you knew Kara was alive."
"Because I didn't know." Maggie said. "On my first day back I was helping with some paperwork on a case. The victim sounded a little like Kara. But there was no proof it was her-"
"Victim?" Alex interupted eyes wide.
"She was attacked by the Bayside Mugger. That's when she hurt her ribs. She didn't tell you?"
"No, she's not really talked about anything that happened after the device exploded." Alex said sadly as she started to realise just how much she had let Kara down and just how big a gap had grown between them.
"She probably needs time to process." Maggie suggested.
"I still don't understand why you didn't tell me." Alex said.
"The officer who rescued her couldn't even ID her from the photo I showed him. I wasn't going to give you false hope so I investigated in the background. The first time I got proof she was alive was today." Maggie explained waiting for Alex to lose her temper. Instead Alex silently looked at down at Kara before looking back at her girlfriend and saying.
"Thank you for not giving up and bringing her home."
-TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Next chapter up tomorrow.
