"Kara, you are safe here. We're all safe here." Alex said noticing Kara looking at the door of the lamp room as if she was expecting it to burst open.
"What if we not?" Kara asked, fear in her eyes. "What if he changed what he makes me see? What if they really do attack?"
"The DEO can suffer from two types of attack. One an eternal one. But we have beefed up the defences and Winn is monitoring everything. The second type is internal from prisoners escaping. But J'onn is so convinced I am going to murder the aliens that this to you he has put confinement under lockdown." Alex explained. "So we are all safe. Okay?"
"Okay." Kara said before asking. "Where's Maggie?"
"At work."
"Is she okay?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?" Kara pressed still haunted by the image of seeing Maggie die.
"I am."
"Then why haven't I seen her?"
"She wanted to give us space." Alex said. "It was actually thanks to Maggie we found you."
"Really? I'll thank her when she gets back. When is she getting back?"
"I don't know."
"Why not?" Kara asked. Noticing Alex pull a face she pressed. "What happened?"
"We had a minor disagreement." Alex explained.
"About and since when?"
"After we found you I wasn't taking it so well and I said some things I probably shouldn't have. I've not seen Maggie since."
"Alex, no! Why are you still here? You should be out talking to Maggie." Kara said suddenly focused on the here and now.
"Until you are fully recovered you are my focus." Alex said.
"But-"
"No buts. You are too important." Alex said. "When I think you are better I will see Maggie. So what do you want to do?"
"Actually I think I'll just sleep." Kara said. "And I wouldn't mind some time alone to process."
"You sure?" Alex asked.
"I am." Kara said hugging Alex. Seeing Alex was not taken with the idea she added. "Please."
"Fine but I am checking on you in two hours."
-00-
"Alex? Where's Kara?" Eliza asked as she entered her eldest daughter's lab and saw her sitting looking miserable.
"Getting some sleep. She said she needed time alone" Alex explained. "I don't know how to help, so I agreed but said I'd check on her in a couple of hours."
"And you?" Eliza asked.
"What about me?"
"Why are you here?"
"Well, I didn't feel like sleeping and J'onn has locked me out of the holding cell area so I can't do what I really want to do right now. So I thought I would try to do something useful." Alex explained.
"What happened wasn't your fault." Eliza said as she approached Alex.
"Yes it is. I am meant to look after her, but I didn't even notice she was missing. The worse part is it was the third time in under a year she has been kidnapped and for two of them I didn't notice. All those times you told me I needed to be a better sister, I didn't listen. You were right, I'm not good enough."
"Alex listen to me." Eliza said as she hugged Alex. "I know I was hard on you, harder than I should have been, but I only ever wanted what was best for you. I wanted you to have a better life than me, To be better than me and well parenting is hard. And I made mistakes. But despite my mistakes you are so much better than me. I am so proud of you. You have been a fantastic sister to Kara and Kara believes that. You can't blame yourself. If you do it will just make Kara feel guilty."
"Are you trying to guilt me into not feeling guilty?" Alex asked.
"Maybe. Is it working?" Eliza asked pulling away.
"Sorry to interrupt." Winn said rushing into the lab. "But we may have a small problem with Kara."
-00-
"Sawyer. Visitor." The desk sergeant bellowed as Maggie jogged down the stairs. Looking over to the sergeant she followed the direction of his point and saw an unexpected figure.
"Kara? Are you okay?" She asked hurrying over to her.
"I will be."
"You sure? You look kind of, I don't know, not okay." Maggie said concerned.
"I just need time. But I'll be okay. Right now I'm just happy you're alive. Can I hug you?"
"Um, sure?" Maggie said sounding unsure. But Kara ignored Maggie's doubt and engulfed her in a fierce hug and said.
"So happy you're alive."
"I wasn't the one imprisoned and tortured." Maggie said, unsure why Kara thought she should be dead. In response Kara just hugged her tighter.
"You sure you're okay?" Maggie asked.
"I will be." Kara said.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here?" Maggie asked when Kara finally pulled away.
"Can we talk?" Kara asked.
"Sure. Why don't we get a coffee." Maggie said aware of how many people were watching.
-00-
When they reached a small coffee shop Maggie brought some coffees and a bun for Kara before heading to the table and putting items down.
"Thanks." Kara said as she started to play with the bun.
"Not hungry?" Maggie asked concerned.
"Not had much of an appetite recently." Kara shrugged before looking at Maggie and saying. "Sorry."
"For what? Not giving yourself diabetes?" Maggie asked. "We've got as long as you need so just take your time and eat or don't eat. Whatever works."
"Thanks." Kara said before finally adding. "You make Alex not only happy, but whole. Since you've been in her life she has had a light about her."
Confused Maggie just nodded and let Kara speak. "I have tried so hard to make Alex happy, to repay her for everything she has done. But I will never be able to make her happy like you can. And I know that Alex can be a little stubborn and hot headed at times and she speaks without thinking. But it is because she cares so much. And I know what she said wasn't clever, but her whole life has been about protecting me and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and took the brunt of her frustrations. But if it hadn't been for me she would have never said that and I could never forgive myself if I cost Alex her happiness. Please don't blame her for what she said. She needs you. Please don't give up on her, please forgive her."
"We've not broken up." Maggie said. "Wait does Alex think we've broken up?"
"Yes? No? I don't know. I kinda assumed she did. I mean she said she treated you really badly and you'd left."
"I gave her space. She needed to focus on you." Maggie said. "Plus she was likely to say something she'd regret." Maggie added before asking. "Does Alex know you are here?"
"No."
"Where does she think you are?"
"In the lamp room at the DEO." Kara confessed.
"What is it with you two escaping infirmaries?" Maggie huffed. "Let's get you back there before she kills both of us."
-00-
"Kara? Where have you been?" Alex asked engulfing her sister in a hug as Kara and Maggie entered the DEO.
"I wanted to talk to Maggie."
"You didn't have to leave the DEO to do that." Alex pointed out.
"Kara!" Eliza exclaimed as she saw her youngest. "What were you thinking?" She went on as she hugged her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Kara said returning the hug. Noticing Maggie and Alex weren't talking to each other she said. "But I'm a little tired so I may go to the lamp room. Will you come with me?"
"Of course." Eliza said.
"Do you want me to come?" Alex asked concerned.
"No. I'll be fine. Look after Maggie, she did bring me back." Kara said walking off with Eliza leaving Maggie and Alex alone.
"The S on her uniform so doesn't stand for subtle." Maggie commented.
"It's not an S." Alex corrected before asking. "Where did you find her?"
"She found me. She came to the precinct." Maggie said.
"I should probably explain." Alex said leading Maggie into her lab. "When she was being held prisoner some telepath got into her head and made her keep reliving us dying. Part of her is still terrified we are dead and part is terrified she is still stuck in his manipulation and we are going to die."
"That would explain the hug." Maggie said.
"I think she just needs to see people, alive."
"Probably, but that's not why she came by."
"It wasn't?" Alex asked confused.
"No. She wanted to fix us. She thought you thought we'd broken up." Maggie said. When Alex didn't immediately respond Maggie asked. "Do you?"
"I don't know. I mean I kind of lashed out and then you disappeared."
"Kara needed you, needs you. I get that." Maggie said. "I left because I didn't want you to feel like you had to split your time. And if we'd broken up why would I be texting you?"
"You were texting?" Alex asked before confessing as she pulled a smashed block from one of her drawers. "I may have lost my temper and killed my phone."
"The aliens who hurt Kara still breathing?" Maggie asked looking at the electronic wreckage.
"Yes. J'onn won't let me near them."
"Wise Martian." Maggie said.
"I'm sorry I lashed out." Alex went on. "You didn't deserve it, especially as you were the one who found Kara."
"You were upset and I get that and although you need to work on your delivery you may have had a point. We don't live in a perfect world and you do have to make decisions that I don't have to. While I still believe you all use your power a little too freely maybe there are times you need it. At least until there is proper process in place."
"So we're okay?" Alex asked.
"We're fine. How are you you? No holding back."
"A mess." Alex confessed. "I just feel so helpless."
"That is one thing you'll never be." Maggie said hugging her.
TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.