Warnings and Disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.


"Morning," Jeremiah greeted when Maggie emerged from the bedroom the next morning. Kara looked up from the plate of pancakes she was currently devouring. "Did you have a good night?"

"I slept pretty well," Maggie told him, reaching for the coffee he held out, "but I wouldn't say it was anywhere close to good."

"Here here," Kara added in agreement. They focused on their breakfast again when a key sounded in the lock. "Eliza," Kara said, glancing through the door before moving to open it for her foster mother.

"Kara," Eliza pulled her youngest into a tight hug, holding her closely for a few minutes before letting go. She didn't let go very far though, just enough to run a critical eye over her daughter, looking for any injuries. Finally satisfied, she turned her attention to Maggie, performing the same ritual. "Maggie," she murmured into her hair, pulling her close again. "I am so sorry."

"The autopsy?" Maggie asked quietly. Eliza shook her head.

"Didn't tell us anything we didn't already know," she admitted. "Hopefully the brain slides will be more revealing. They should be ready in a few hours."

"Why are you taking apart his brain?" Kara asked, focusing on her breakfast again.

"We know he did the procedure on himself," Jeremiah answered. "He admitted that much. We suspect he altered his brain somehow. We think he gave himself a very limited form of telepathy."

"Is that possible?" Maggie asked. All three Danvers nodded.

"Extra sensory perception is nothing new," Eliza told her as she helped herself to a pancake. "There have been countless studies devoted to understanding the mystery of the paranormal, and the brain is always the main focus of these studies."

"But science has never proven that any of that is real," Maggie objected. Kara smiled.

"They've never proven it isn't real either," she pointed out. "It's still a big mystery."

"But it would explain a few things," Jeremiah added. "Like why J'onn could never read him. Or how he knew Edith was dead. Even how he managed to kill himself."

"He killed himself?" Kara asked, her bright tone calming slightly.

"He died of natural causes," Eliza told them, "but there was no reason for those causes. His heart simply stopped working. DEO medics were there within minutes, but despite their best effort he was gone. Why his heart stopped is still a mystery."

"He lost the will to live," Maggie said quietly. "His only reason for living was Edith, and without her there was nothing." They were all quiet for a moment until soft footsteps were heard coming down the hall. As one they turned and looked as a sleepy Alex made her way to the kitchen.

"Morning," she yawned, automatically opening the fridge and pulling out some juice. She poured herself a glass and was halfway done drinking it when she really saw who was at the counter. "Kara!" She nearly dropped her cup in her haste to reach her sister but thankfully Jeremiah was there to grab it from her hands. Kara was nearly flung off the stool by Alex, who was gripping her so hard it would normally leave bruises. "You're back. Did you have fun? Did you actually camp or was it more of a convention?"

"Alex," Eliza warned. "Let her breathe."

"Right," Alex said, releasing her after a few minutes. She sank onto her own stool as Jeremiah handed her the juice along with a plate filled with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. She ate slowly, her eyes never leaving Kara's. But Kara didn't mind. Her eyes rarely left Alex.

"Let's watch the morning news," Jeremiah suggested, trying to break the awkward silence. Eliza nodded and turned on the TV while Jeremiah finished dishing up breakfast. Kara's attention turned at once to the broadcast, the reporter in her unable to not watch.

"Nerd," Alex said affectionately, but she too turned to watch the news. Not as completely as Kara though. She continually shot glances at her sister while the family ate. At least until the program got to their big story. "Supergirl."

"What?" Kara asked absently, completely engaged with the news. Alex snorted.

"You dork," Alex said affectionately. Kara turned to her, confusion plainly showing on her face. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Huh?" Kara asked again, though this time her attention was on her sister.

"The top story was about Supergirl," Alex explained patiently. "She is amazing. You should see some of the stuff she does."

"It is pretty awesome," Kara beamed. Alex looked at her curiously. "What she does, I mean."

"Yeah," Alex smiled. "She's my hero."

"Alright Alex," Jeremiah interrupted them. "We have a busy day planned. Why don't you go get ready?"

"Okay," Alex nodded. She put her dishes in the sink then made her way to her bedroom. "Do superheroes have heroes? I wonder who her hero is?"

"You are," Kara said quietly, tears streaming down her face. She turned to Maggie, who also had tears running down her face. "It will be okay Maggie."

"She didn't even know I was here," Maggie cried. Kara engulfed her in a hug and held her tight. Eliza soon joined in.

"It's okay," Eliza cooed quietly. Maggie tried to stop her tears, but it seemed like everything that had happened had finally reached its boiling point. As much as she wanted to stop crying, she just couldn't. Kara and Eliza seemed to realize that and just held her as she cried.

"I'm okay," she said when she finally calmed down enough to raise her head. The tears had finally stopped. She shot them a watery smile, which they returned. "It's just… a lot to take in."

"I know," Eliza smiled down at her before letting her go. "I've had two months to get used to it, and sometimes I still don't know how to deal with it."

"How do you?" Kara asked quietly, not relinquishing her grip at all.

"I look for a cure," Eliza said quietly, "and I cherish every moment I have with her."

"In case there is no cure," Maggie whispered. Eliza didn't counter which told the detective everything she needed to know. This led to another round of crying, and this time even Jeremiah couldn't keep the tears at bay. The family huddled together until they heard footsteps coming back.

"Hurry up, Kara, or else we're going to be late," Alex said as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Late for what?" Kara asked. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Late for school dummy."

"Alex!" Jeremiah quickly chastised her. "You don't call your sister names." Alex rolled her eyes, plopped on the stool next to Kara, and reached over her sister for a piece of bacon that Kara hadn't eaten yet. Kara looked to her foster father imploringly. "Besides, it's Saturday."

"Then let's go to the beach," Alex said, nibbling on the bacon. "We should get some good waves. I can surf while Kara practices swimming."

"No," Eliza spoke up. "You know she isn't comfortable swimming by herself, and if you're busy surfing she'll be terrified to go into the water."

"Fine," Alex relented, "I won't surf. We can just swim. And I promise I won't leave your side and I'll never let anything happen to you."

"Well," Kara said helplessly, glancing at her foster parents.

"How about the park?" Jeremiah suggested. "It's a bit cold for water anyway. Plus, if you go to the park Kara can watch the birds without anyone thinking she's strange."

"Yes," Kara turned to her sister. "Can we go to the park. Please Alex."

"We can go to the park," Alex agreed quickly. "But that means you should get ready or I might just leave without you."

"Why don't you watch that documentary you were telling me about while Kara gets ready," Jeremiah said. Alex nodded and headed into the living room. She sat down in front of the television, which was playing some random program, and quickly became completely engrossed. "That should keep her occupied for a few hours," Jeremiah told them as he cleaned up after breakfast.

"Since when does Alex watch soaps?" Maggie asked.

"She doesn't," Eliza answered. "It doesn't really matter what she watches right now. In fact, the TV can be off and she'll still zone out."

"Zone out?" Kara asked, looking at Alex in a panic.

"She goes catatonic," Jeremiah explained.

"Catatonic!" Maggie screeched before covering her mouth with her hands. She slowly looked at Alex, half expecting her outburst to have disrupted the other woman, but Alex was still on the couch, watching the screen intently. "Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay," Eliza reassured her.

"But catatonic? Isn't that bad?" Kara asked. Eliza sighed.

"It normally isn't good," she relented, "but we left normal a long time ago." She reached over and grabbed Kara's hand, then did the same with Maggie. "I know it's scary, but it's the new normal for her. She zones out, but she always comes back after a few hours. And her vitals always remain steady during this time." She pointed to a tablet that Jeremiah carried with him. "Dr. Hamilton is continuously monitoring her. If there's ever anything she doesn't like J'onn will have her in the DEO med bay in less than a minute."

"You're saying there is nothing we can do for her?" Maggie asked.

"Just be there for her," Eliza answered, a sad smile on her face. She squeezed their hands supportively before letting go. She turned to Jeremiah. "If you've got everything covered, I really need to get a few hours sleep before heading back to the lab."

"Of course," he answered immediately, "though, now that Kara's back I doubt Alex will be content to spend her time with me."

"Which is why I've asked J'onn to get you clearance for the lab," Eliza told him. "He's talking to Lucy about it now. I hope you don't mind." He shook his head.

"I'd do anything if it will help save our daughter," he said solemnly. Eliza nodded and excused herself to the bedroom. Jeremiah sighed and turned to Kara and Maggie. "She'll be out for a while. If you need to do anything for that Gotham trip, now is the time." Maggie nodded.

"I actually do need to go into the precinct," she reluctantly told them.

"I need to go the Catco," Kara added, "and then to the DEO."

"Go," he told them, "do what you need to do. I'll let you know when she comes back." They nodded and left the apartment slowly, each lost in their thoughts as they made their way to Maggie's car.

"I shouldn't be more than a couple of hours," Maggie said as she climbed into her car. "I'll make sure the Chief cleared up everything." Kara nodded absently.

"I'll do the same thing on the DEO end," Kara said, unenthusiastically. Maggie nodded and started the car. She was about to pull out when Kara put her hand out. "Are you okay?"

"No," Maggie admitted. Kara nodded knowingly. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to spend as much time with her as I can."

"Me too," Kara admitted. "I'll see you in a few hours." Maggie nodded as Kara flew out. They both hustled as quickly as they could, but it still seemed like a long time to tie up the loose ends from their adventure. Maggie was finished first and beat Kara back to the apartment. Alex was still on the couch staring at the TV, though Maggie could see she wasn't watching. She nodded to Jeremiah, who was watching her daughter closely, before sitting on the couch.

"Can I?" she asked, reaching her hand out uncertainly toward her fiancé. Jeremiah smiled and nodded.

"You can touch her," he said quietly. Maggie smiled and moved her hand to Alex's, interlocking their fingers.

"You're sure I'm not hurting her?" she asked.

"Positive," he smiled at them. "I've had to move her plenty of times. The only thing is it might be a bit awkward if she wakes up unexpectedly."

"Oh?" Maggie asked.

"Think about it from her perspective. She doesn't know who you are. If you woke up and had a complete stranger holding your hand what would you do?"

"Right," Maggie said. She squeezed her hand once more before reluctantly letting go. "It wouldn't be to weird to have my hand on her leg, right? Not on, but by the side? People squish together on couches all the time." Jeremiah just smiled at her and turned back to whatever he was doing. Maggie sighed. She leaned her head back, turning just enough so she was watching Alex. The TV was droning on, the volume lowered until it was an indistinct background noise. Maggie closed her eyes briefly. She was just so tired and the events of the last few months were starting to catch up with her. She jerked upright with the sound of a door slamming.

"Hi," Kara said brightly, beaming down at her. Maggie frowned and looked around her. The TV was still on, but it was showing some prime time show now. The windows, which had light streaming into them, were dim. The only lights now were the lights in the city surrounding them.

"How long was I out?" Maggie asked, stretching her limbs. Kara smirked.

"Well, we had just finished breakfast and now we're ready to start dinner," she said, her eyes twinkling. Maggie looked around and saw both Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the meal.

"I slept all day?" Maggie asked, her head turning to where Alex was. Or where she should have been. "Alex?"

"She's washing up for dinner," Kara quickly reassured Maggie. "Although it was quite cute when you were asleep. You were practically all over each other."

"What?" Maggie asked, her sleep filled brain trying to process. "Did she freak when she woke up?"

"I moved you before that," Kara told her, "at least back to your side of the couch. I think I got some pictures before that though. If you ask nicely I might not send them to all of your friends." Maggie growled at her as she stood up.

"If you don't delete them right now I might be forced to show your picture to your mother," Maggie countered as she headed to the kitchen. She waved to Eliza and Jeremiah and grabbed a stool.

"What picture?" Kara asked. This time Maggie smirked.

"You're mug shot."

"What!" Eliza screamed, nearly dropping the pot roast she was preparing. "Kara Danvers! Explain yourself." Kara glared at Maggie.

"It was a perfectly acceptable exit strategy," Kara defended. "We knew going in that getting arrested by Gotham PD was the best option."

"The Chief knew and was just waiting for my call," Maggie added, throwing Kara a bone. "Although he was a little upset at having to bail out two instead of one, he took care of everything. We even have all the in-processing paperwork they did. The fingerprints, the DNA, the mug shot. Everything that Gotham had is ours."

"I bet they're not to happy with that," Eliza said, finishing up the pot roast and bringing it to the table. Maggie shook her head.

"They knew the deal when they agreed to our help. I'm just glad we caught the guy. We managed to keep most of that alien drug off the street, and the gang that cooked it is done for. It was a good day."

"It was," Kara agreed.

"Can you girls set the table?" Eliza asked. They nodded and got to their tasks.

"Oh, by the way," Maggie spoke up as they worked, "I think the Chief is onto your secret identity."

"What?" Kara asked, putting down a spoon so hard it dented the table. She looked toward Eliza. "Sorry."

"That's okay sweetie," she said as she helped Jeremiah move all the food over. "What do you mean Maggie? Is Kara still safe?"

"I think so," she said. "He didn't say anything outright to me. But he knows Supergirl's style and penchant for destroying things."

"I do not," Kara protested, only to be shushed by her mother.

"And he got the pictures the crime scene techs got. Then he had to bail out Kara Danvers, a reporter who had no business being in that city, let alone that warehouse." Kara sighed. "Plus, the only reason he bailed you out was on my word. Even a rookie cop can make that connection."

"I guess we need to tell J'onn," Kara said. "Do you think he'll cause trouble?"

"My gut says no," she told them honestly. "But it still might be a good idea for J'onn to talk to him." Kara nodded solemnly until Alex came running into the kitchen.

"So, what's for dinner?" she asked, sitting down quickly before noticing Maggie. "Hey, look who's finally awake. You must have been really tired to sleep all day."

"I was running on fumes," Maggie admitted, happy when Alex smiled at her.

"Well, you missed a great day. We went to the park, then we went to a museum, then we went to a movie."

"You and Kara?" Maggie asked. Alex nodded. "That sounds like fun. Next time you should wake me up."

"Kara wanted to," Alex said as they started dishing up their plates, "but I wouldn't let her. I haven't had a sister day in like forever."

"Well, I certainly don't want to come between you and your sister," Maggie said honestly.

"And remember Alex," Jeremiah started intently, "we let you spend all day with Kara today because she and Maggie need to start working on their project tomorrow."

"Right," Alex looked crestfallen. "The secret project that I can't be part of. I could help them with it."

"It's something they have to do by themselves," Eliza said. Kara nodded, so Maggie started nodding too. Alex sighed and slowly picked at her dinner. Jeremiah and Eliza talked about work, trying to draw Alex out, but she stayed quiet. Maggie glanced at Kara, who just shrugged, until finally the dinner was over.

"May I be excused?" Alex asked when everyone was finished. "I think I'm going to read in bed for a bit before I go to sleep."

"Of course, honey," Eliza said, taking Alex's plate and putting in in the sink. Alex turned to Kara.

"Are you going to sleep in our room or are you staying out here with Maggie again?" Kara looked uncertainly at Jeremiah, but before he could answer Maggie spoke up.

"Of course she's sleeping in your room tonight. I only kept her out here last night because I had so many ideas about our project and I couldn't wait for the morning." Alex smiled and ran up to give Maggie a quick hug before bolting toward her room.

"Don't be too late," she called back to Kara. Kara nodded and watched until the door slammed closed.

"That brings back memories," Eliza said as she started the dishes.

"Let me help," Kara insisted. "You cooked." Eliza conceded, and Maggie moved over to help, leaving the scientists to talk quietly at the table.

"What is this project?" Maggie asked as she rinsed the dishes that Kara handed her.

"Part of the camp story," Jeremiah told them. "I was able to tell Kara about it during the day, but I didn't want to wake you up. Sorry." She shrugged and waved for him to continue. "You remember that I told you she kept asking for Kara and the only excuse for her absence was she was away at camp?" Maggie nodded. "Well, that worked while you were gone, but we knew when you got back she'd want to spend every second of every day with her."

"That's what she was like when they were growing up," Eliza added. "As soon as Kara joined our family, all of Alex's free time was spent with her. The only time they were apart was for school, practices, games, and meetings." Kara nodded helpfully. "It wasn't until after Jeremiah … left that things between them changed."

"Changed?" Maggie asked. She had always known the sisters to be close, they couldn't even stay mad at each other for more than a few hours. She couldn't imagine one without the other.

"I didn't handle Jeremiah's death very well," Eliza admitted. "Alex has always had more of a connection to him then me and to be honest I've always felt a little jealous. When Kara came to live with us, I hoped I would finally have a daughter who would connect with me, but she connected with Alex. I started to feel a bit on the outside, but then Jeremiah died, leaving me to deal with everything. I admit I didn't handle things well and Alex caught the brunt of my anger, my disappointment."

"I am so sorry," Jeremiah said, reaching for her hand over the table. She gave it to him and he squeezed gently.

"Alex started lashing out; at me, at Kara, even at her father who was dead. She was so angry. I had no idea how to help her. She and Kara were fighting, and I had no idea how to help either one of my daughters and I thought our family was falling apart."

"So, you did have a normal family dynamic at one time," Maggie said triumphantly. "Then what happened?"

"A young kid in our class was killed," Kara said softly. "He was the first friend I had here, except for Alex of course. I thought the police weren't doing enough so I took it upon myself to find his killer. Alex went with me to keep me safe, even though she protested every step of the way."

"And gave me a heart attack when someone tried to kill them," Eliza added. "Eventually, thanks to their help, the killer was found at that young boy got the justice he deserved."

"The cops couldn't solve the murder of a kid?" Maggie asked, aghast. "No wonder you don't play well with them." Kara looked abashed.

"I guess it didn't help when we found out the murderer was the local Sheriff."

"No way," Maggie gasped, dropping the plate she had been drying. Thankfully Kara had excellent reflexes and caught the plate before it broke.

"It was the first case we ever worked," Kara reminisced, handing the plate back to Maggie. "Of course, during our investigation we found out our star quarterback was smoking dope and got him suspended right before the big game. And then one of Alex's friends was having an affair with one of her favorite teachers and we got him arrested. Not to mention the Sheriff was dealing drugs and killed Kenny to cover it up."

"Another day in the life of the Danvers sisters," Maggie grinned. Kara smiled.

"We were ostracized together and suddenly our family squabbles didn't seem like that big of a deal."

"And they've been pretty inseparable since," Eliza added. "And we knew Alex would be extra clingy when you got back. Which is why we came up with the idea for the project. We know life doesn't stop for you just because Alex has had a setback. You still need to go to work or save the city or do whatever Supergirl and the best detective I've ever met need to do. Whenever you need to leave, just tell Alex you're working on the project."

"And she'll buy that?" Maggie asked uncertainly. Jeremiah could only shrug.

"We've been telling her you're at camp for the last few weeks," he said. "And we told her you had a project you needed to work on when you got home. The camp thing stuck with her, hopefully the project will too, but we have no idea if it will work until we try."

"And if it doesn't work?" Maggie asked. "Is it going to hurt her?"

"She's already dying," Eliza said sadly. "How much worse can it get?" Maggie sighed.

"I don't like lying to her," Kara said, "but if it will keep her happy and safe I'll do it. But if I ever think it's hurting her I'm stopping." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Now, if you don't mind, it's been a long day and I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight," Maggie whispered as Kara quietly walked past. Maggie looked longingly at the couch.

"You can stay as long as you want," Eliza said, knowing exactly what Maggie was thinking.

"I don't want to impose," she protested weakly.

"Nonsense. You're part of this family now too. You are never an imposition. I'd understand if you want to return to your apartment, but if you really want to stay we can probably get a second bed in the spare room. It' will be tight, but I think we can do it."

"Thank you," Maggie said with tears coming down her face. Eliza held her in her arms while Jeremiah made up the couch. "This really is the best family a girl can hope for."

"Get some sleep," Eliza told her gently. They retreated to the master bedroom, leaving Maggie alone in the front room. She climbed onto the couch, her eyes falling closed almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.