Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! Thanks for waiting everyone, I know it has been a LONG few weeks between updates which is why I let this chapter get away from me a little bit.=) For those who are wondering, I ended my semester exactly how I wanted (all "A's", Dean's List) and now have a lengthy break where I can hopefully finish this story as strongly as it began. What are you waiting for? Dive in!

Lena and James make their way back to Catco to run some damage control. Meanwhile, Lillian's goons are at it again, carrying out their murderous leaders every order. J'onn gives Alex the bad news and it's a race against time to get everyone back to the DEO in one piece!

"Honestly, James. It really wasn't necessary to escort me." Lena told the protective young man in a flustered tone as they rode the elevator to the top floor of Catco. "I'm a Luthor after all, death threats do come with the territory." She added with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Lena..." James sighed because really there was no limit to the CEO's self-loathing sometimes. "You're one of the 'super-friends' now and Kara would never forgive me if something happened to you on my watch."

"The 'super-friends'?" Lena scoffed. "Do you really call yourselves that?"

"Yes? No?" He found himself flustered by the mildly amused look the woman was giving him. "It doesn't matter. The point is, we protect our own and now that includes you."

Lena was touched by the sentiment. The majority of her life had been spent fending for herself and the one person she'd loved above all else hadn't been able to love her more than his obsessions. To say she was a loner was a tremendous understatement. However, Kara had changed all that, forcing Lena to accept her friendship and by proxy all the 'super-friends' it seemed.

"Thank you, James." She replied quietly as he gave her that award-winning smile.

"All my friends call me Jimmy."

Before she could respond, he ushered her out the open door of the elevator and herded her towards her office. Lena was back in her element, impeccably dressed and ready for business. Gone were the sweats and sneakers, replaced with a couture dress, Louboutin's and a generous amount of makeup to cover the results of her recent sleepless nights.

The newsroom was a flurry of activity despite it being well after normal business hours, most of those racing around it barely taking note of their two leaders finally making an appearance after days of absence. The news board was full of possible headlines:

"Where is Supergirl?"

"Crime rate on the rise during the disappearance of the 'Girl of Steel'"

"Is National City doomed?"

The last one caught James' attention and he mentally made a note that there needed to be some sort of explanation for Kara's disappearance or the city would be turning on her in no time. Once Lena finished her work at Catco, he would rush her back to the DEO and head out as Guardian to do some damage control. He didn't want the cities criminals thinking it was a free for all just because Kara wasn't out there. The vigilante quickly turned his attention back to Lena.

"How long do you think it will take you to get everything settled here?"

"James..."

"Jimmy." He corrected.

"Of course. Jimmy, I have been absent from my duties for several days! Not that it wasn't for a good cause, because it certainly was ... but the business never sleeps and I need to know what's been happening with my investment."

"Well for one, people are starting to notice Kara's absence." He whispered, pointing at the news board. "How much longer do you think we can keep people in the dark? We need her back as soon as possible which means you need to get back to the DEO."

"Point taken." She admitted, eyes wide at the accusatory tone the narrative was taking. They surely couldn't tell anyone about her friend's current predicament but they also couldn't allow her reputation to be sullied in the interim. "Can you influence the narrative somehow?"

"I'll do my best but we honestly need a believable cover story before people start cursing the House of El."

"Call an editorial meeting. Hopefully, between you and I we can turn the tide until there is an official statement. Perhaps Alex can whip something up? Preferably something with FBI credentials attached?"

"I'll call her." James answered, already dialing the agent's number. He was surprised when a call from the DEO came in before he could punch the call button. "Hello?"

"James!" a panicked voice came from the other end.

"Winn?"

"Yeah! Listen! You have to get Lena back to the DEO, like right now."

"Why? What's going on? Is it Kara?"

"No. No, she's okay for now but if you don't get Lena back here she may not be. Henshaw escaped!"

"How the hell did that happen?" James hissed as he stepped into the hallway so he could hear better.

"I'm still working on the details but I'm pretty sure that Lillian wasn't bluffing. As long as Henshaw is out there, nobody is safe."

"All right, I'm grabbing Lena now," James told him as he headed back to the office.

"Good! Papa Bear wants you both back here before things get out of hand."

"I think they already have..." James stumbled to a stop, phone still to his ear as he rounded the corner and found himself face-to-face with the murderous cyborg!

"Alex."

The agent jerked awake, eyes scanning the darkness for the source of the disturbance. She glanced across the bed and smiled softly. Maggie was flat on her back with Kara sprawled across her chest, both completely oblivious and snoring softly. Alex took a moment to enjoy the view before she was reminded why she'd woken in the first place.

Someone had called her name.

She stood quickly, making sure not to disturb the sleeping duo. Throwing on a discarded hoodie, broken arm tucked against her side and alien gun in hand, she crept out towards the living room in search of the disturbance.

"Alex."

She spun around, bringing her gun up to face...J'onn?!

"Jesus!" She gasped, immediately dropping the weapon to her side. "J'onn what are you doing here so late?!"

"Alex, it's barely after 7pm." He told her with an amused smirk. "Seems a couple days with a toddler have worn you out."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess. Crazy couple of days, you know..." She murmured, glancing back at the bed to ensure her outburst hadn't awoken Maggie and Kara as J'onn nodded his agreement. "What's up?"

"I know I promised you a few more days," J'onn began without preamble. "But I need you all to come back in, as soon as possible."

"What? Why?" Alex exclaimed, barely keeping her voice down. "She doesn't need her next dose for another twenty-four hours. You promised..." she all but whimpered, dropping to the couch in defeat.

J'onn hated that he had to hurt his eldest child like this but her safety and Kara's took precedent. He sat heavily on the couch beside her, wrapping his arm around her shaking shoulders as she held back tears.

"I'm sorry. But the situation has changed. Henshaw escaped and I can't risk the two of you being caught outside the DEO unprotected."

"You think he would come after her?" Alex asked in a small voice, face paling at the prospect.

"Lately it seems as if Cadmus has a concerted interest in you, not Kara. But either way, I'd feel much better if you were both back behind the DEO's walls."

Alex nodded her head sadly, knowing with Henshaw on the loose their best bet was to get everyone behind the DEO's bulletproof walls but wanting to avoid it all the same. Her gaze was drawn back to the bed where her girls were sleeping, blissfully unaware that the situation had taken a drastic turn for the worse. J'onn squeezed her shoulder again in reassurance before he stood.

"I have agents in the hall and there's a DEO vehicle waiting in the parking garage to bring you back as soon as you're ready." He informed her quietly.

"You're not taking us back?"

"Considering the circumstances," his eyes immediately went to the bed where Kara was sleeping. "It will probably be easier for her if I wasn't here when you wake her up."

"Oh. Right. Evil-doppelganger kinda ruined things between you guys." She agreed solemnly as J'onn smiled sadly in response.

"He did. It was Maggie who pointed out that Kara might not be able to differentiate between the evil-robot version and myself. Though, I'm hopeful the adult-Kara can forgive me."

"She loves you, J'onn. We both do." Alex assured him, grabbing his hand in hers. "And Kara knows you love her back. You don't need to worry."

"Go." He said softly as he pulled her to her feet. "Get your girls ready. I'll see you back at the DEO."

He was unprepared when Alex pulled him into a strong, one-armed hug. "Thank you." She murmured against his shoulder. "For giving us time."

"I just wish I could have given you more." He replied sadly as she pulled back.

"I know." She turned with tears in her eyes and headed towards the bedroom as J'onn made his way to the door. He took one last look at his daughters before quietly slipping out.

James froze in place, unsure of how to proceed.

Henshaw had Lena by the throat, just as he'd grabbed Alex in the command center and James had no idea how he could liberate her without causing the young woman harm. He locked eyes with Lena, hers wide in terror, as her feet barely skimmed the ground.

There weren't a lot of options at his disposal in the moment and James knew he just needed to buy a few minutes until Winn sent the Calvary. He threw caution to the wind and charged the villain head on, shield out, hoping to distract him long enough for Lena to escape. Unfortunately, Henshaw saw him coming from a mile away and before James could stop it, the vigilante was thrown through the glass windows surrounding the office!

"James!" Lena gasped and she could hear Winn panic, calling for the other man through the discarded cellphone.

Henshaw sneered at the chaos he had created as Catco's employees fled the area in terror, leaving James and Lena behind to deal with the cybernetic menace. James was lying unconscious surrounded by glass; unable to help anyone at the moment and Lena was seriously wishing she had taken Alex up on her offer of self-defense classes.

The cyborg turned his attention back to her, red eye gleaming. "I have a message from your mother."

Maggie awoke to a gentle hand on her shoulder. She cracked one eye open to find Alex hovering above her, a pained expression on her face. Maggie frowned in response, fully awake now that she knew her mate was in distress.

"Ally?" She mumbled, voice full of sleep. "Hey. What's the matter?"

Alex sighed. "We need to go back to the DEO."

"Um, okay...when?"

"Now."

"Now?!" Had Kara not been sleeping on her chest, Maggie would have shot up in bed at her fiancée's pronouncement. Instead she had to settle for gently sliding the toddler over to the other side of the bed so she could face Alex. "We were supposed to have another day."

Alex slumped beside her on the bed, laying her forehead dejectedly against Maggie's collarbone as she recounted all that had happened in the last few hours. By the time she was done, silent tears streamed down the agent's face and Maggie had to bite her lip to keep her emotions in check.

Now wasn't the time for weakness. Her girls needed her to be strong, no matter how much she wanted to breakdown too. She gently lifted Alex's face to get her attention.

"It's gonna be okay, Ally. We've made it this far. We'll get you both back to the DEO and you and Little Danvers can watch Disney movies on the big monitor and we'll all make the most of the time we have left with her. Okay?"

"Yeah." Alex replied, though her tone and her posture were still awash in defeat. Maggie needed Alex to believe her so she tried again.

"Baby do you trust me?" She asked, voice slightly uncertain because the last few days had not been a good indicator of their relationship. Alex's reply, however, set her at ease immediately.

"With my life." She whispered, pressing a small kiss to Maggie's lips.

"Then trust me now. If we stick together, it's gonna be okay. El Mayarah, right?"

"Stronger together."

Henshaw's words should have been terrifying to Lena; should have had her calling to any higher power that would listen to save her from whatever horrors her mother was sure to inflict as payback for her assistance in the DEO.

Instead, the young woman was filled with cold, numb, dread.

Lillian rarely bothered to send messages.

Why warn your enemies and spoil the element of surprise? No, better to crush them beneath your heel when they least expect it. So, this? A warning? Such a gesture could only mean that Lillian had unspeakable plans for her daughter, something she wouldn't inflict upon even her worst enemy.

Henshaw had paused after he delivered the proclamation, expectantly, as if this was some macabre scene from a play and she had somehow forgotten her lines. She raised her chin defiantly, despite that fact that it was nearly impossible with the vice grip around her neck.

"Well?" He growled, foul smelling breath just inches from her face, hot and rancid. "Don't you want to beg for your miserable life?"

"Why should I?" She countered, groaning in discomfort as his grip tightened. "You're just going to kill me anyway."

"Eventually." He agreed with a smirk. "But your mother has something much more interesting in mind for you..."

Lena paled at the implication.

Her mother had proven herself quite adept at devising horrific manners in which to 'punish' her enemies. No doubt Lena's betrayal called for something painful and extreme. Lillian Luthor was not to be betrayed, especially by her own family.

Her ego could never let it stand.

Henshaw gave her a feral smile as she shuddered. "Ready to beg, yet?"

"Not just yet." Lena gasped, trying to wriggle from his grasp once more, or so he thought. Just as his hold was about to tighten, she tapped her necklace and the cyborg felt his entire body seize up!

After finally composing herself, Alex reluctantly pulled on a pair of jeans and long-sleeve white tee before jamming her feet into a pair of boots. She rolled the sleeve up over her cast as she made her way to the door. Sliding it open just enough, She peeked her head out in search of the soldiers J'onn had sent to escort them. There was only one at the end of the hallway facing away from her and she stepped out to get his attention.

"Agent?" She called out tentatively, wondering why the man hadn't reacted to her approach. When he turned to face her, she knew why.

"Hello, Agent Danvers." He sneered as he approached her, one hand on his weapon.

"Shit!" Alex turned just in time to dodge as the man fired at her! She scrambled along the hallway until she reached the door, barely making it inside before another bullet whizzed by her head.

"Alex, what the hell?!" Maggie was crouched down next to the bed, a hysterical Kara clutched to her chest.

"Get back!" She waved frantically. "Maggie, get back! It's Cadmus. Get Kara somewhere safe!"

As if to punctuate the agent's words, several rounds slammed through the door, narrowly missing her. She could barely hear Maggie screaming her name over the ringing in her ears but managed to stumble towards her. The detective slid her the alien gun just as the windows to their balcony exploded inward!

With a burst of speed, Alex made her way to Maggie and Kara, shoving the duo into the bathroom before slamming the door behind her. "Keep her safe!" Alex yelled through the door and Maggie guessed the agent must have hit her head again if she thought for one moment that she was gonna let Alex fight the intruders alone.

She quickly placed Kara in the bathtub, doing her best to soothe the frightened child. "Hey! Kara, listen to me. There are some bad men outside and I need to go help Alex. Stay in the bathtub until one of us comes to get you. Understand?"

"No, Maggie! I scared!" Kara whimpered, clutching Maggie's shirt in her little hands.

"I know. I know baby. I am too." Maggie tried to soothe her as sounds of the fight filtered through the thin door. "But I have to go help Alex. She needs me! I promise to come back. But you have to let me go okay?"

Kara nodded tearfully as the detective guided her to lie down in the bathtub, hands covering her little ears, Ice cream snuggled against her back. Maggie leaned forward to press a quick kiss against her forehead then crawled to the door. The sounds of the fight had died down and it filled Maggie with dread. She cracked the door open just enough to peek through the sliver.

What she saw made her shudder.

Alex was on her knees, arms pinned behind her back as a man towered above her.

He reached down to pinch the agent's chin painfully between his fingers as he asked, "Where is she?" Alex whimpered but refused to respond, even as the man's fingers dug deeper into her jaw.

The apartment was small and there were only so many places Alex could have hidden them. She wouldn't be able to stall for long. Maggie had seen enough. She glanced around and spotted Alex's alien gun lying just outside the bathroom door. If she could get to it, she could free Alex and turn the tide.

The only problem was she would have to expose herself to reach it.

The decision was made for her when the man backhanded Alex so viciously that her head snapped to the side! Maggie saw red and suddenly she was out of the bathroom, gun in hand, firing wildly at Alex's captors. The agent used Maggie's distraction to extricate herself from the men's grasp and slide behind the kitchen counter where the duo kept their extra weapons. She jammed her thumb against the biometric lock and in seconds was armed and on her feet!

"Maggie, look out!" Alex warned the detective as one of the men grabbed the heavy kitchen table one-handed and flipped it end over end at the woman! Thankfully, her fiancée's warning had given Maggie just enough time to throw herself out of the way.

Both women turned to gape at the man. There was no way he should have been able to do that. It was obvious these men were enhanced and it was going to take a lot to bring them down. Maggie didn't hesitate when she leveled Alex's gun at the man and fired.

The crunching sound that accompanied his body crashing through the balcony and onto the street below was unusually satisfying. Normally, neither woman would use such an unpredictable weapon on humans but it was clear these men weren't human and they had no problem using deadly force.

Alex spotted one of the men heading for the bathroom door and vaulted over the counter to intercept. She slid to a stop in front of him, immediately firing several rounds into his gut! Her eyes grew wide as she noted her attack had done nothing to slow the assailant. He slapped her gun away before slamming her against the bathroom door, drawing a combat knife as he did.

"No!" Alex barely managed to block the attack with her cast as he drove the blade towards her face. The cast kept the blade from hitting its mark but she still felt the tip sink into the plaster and nick the skin beneath!

"Ally!"

She managed to turn her head enough to see Maggie doing her best to fight off two of the goons as they backed her into a corner. Alex tried to push the man way but found herself anchored to him by the blade trapped in her cast.

"The door!" Maggie was yelling and Alex glanced down to see a familiar red glow emanating from the cracks."Look at the door!"

"Oh, no..." She gasped, wrenching herself free of the man just as the bathroom door was blown of its hinges!

The man was struck full force with Kara's heat vision, incinerating him on the spot. Alex stared at the charred corpse, only the cybernetic pieces remaining, before springing into action. From the direction of the beam, she could tell Kara was still lying down in the tub; could hear the child screaming and guessed that the little hero had no idea she was even doing this.

Alex was torn between comforting her distraught sibling and rushing to assist Maggie with the remaining assailants when the stream of heat vision ceased suddenly. Everyone in the apartment froze in shock, unsure of what would come next.

What no one could have predicted was the bathtub bursting through the living room wall!

"NO HURT SISSY!" Kara bellowed, little face twisted in anger as water from the burst pipes flowed over her.

Faster than human eyes could track, the little Kryptonian sped through the apartment, slamming into the Cadmus agents like a runaway train until she stumbled to stop in front of her sister! She glanced up at Alex, eyes glassy, then pitched forward unconscious. Alex swooped to catch her before she hit the ground, gathering the child to her chest as she surveyed the damage with disbelief.

Her bathtub lay in the living room, as well as what was left of her kitchen table; the crumpled bodies of their attackers were strewn about motionless, her bed was on fire and the entire apartment floor was covered in an inch of water.

"Maggie!" Alex yelled, struggling to her feet, Kara clutched in her arms. "Maggie, where are you?"

Just as her panic was rising, there was a groan to her left and she spotted her fiancée pulling herself up on the kitchen counter. Before Alex could ask if she was okay, the remainder of the front door flew open and DEO agents flooded in!

"Ma'am! Are you okay?" Vasquez inquired, unable to hide her surprise at the destruction surrounding them.

"Yeah. Yeah, we're good, I think. Mags?" She asked as her fiancée made her way over to her on shaky legs.

"I'm good babe. I just wish Little Danvers would warn us before she does that." The detective told her with a rueful chuckle, placing a gentle kiss on Kara's forehead.

"You and me both." She replied, sighing with relief as Maggie wrapped her arms around them.

"She okay?" Maggie asked quietly, rubbing soothing circles on Alex's back.

"I think so. Probably just a solar flare." Alex answered, clutching Kara ever closer. "You just have to be the hero?" she whispered to the child with a small smile as the agents all around them began securing the scene.

"Let's get you three out of here." Vasquez offered, herding the trio towards the door. "I'll have a cleanup crew come back and repair everything, Ma'am."

"Thanks, Vas." Alex was truly grateful for the other woman's help, even though she had almost been too late. She glanced around her apartment with a defeated sigh. "This is why we can't have nice things..."