A/N: Thanks for the comments.

Marcy - Keep the puns coming!


"Today we are going to do something a little different." Landon said. "Something you may find scary or uncomfortable."

"Should I get Brad in here?" Kara asked.

"That's funny." Landon said. "But no, no need for HR, assuming you two are serious about taking therapy seriously."

"You have reason to doubt it?" Alex asked.

"Yes, months of you not taking it seriously." Landon said.

"Aren't I meant to be the one with trust issues?" Alex asked.

"Interesting question and one that brings us neatly onto today's session." Landon said not taking the bait.

"Ohhhh, are we doing the falling backwards and catching each other thing?" Kara asked.

"No, no need for party games especially when it is clear you trust each other to catch one another already." Landon said. "I mean Alex has literally jumped off a skyscraper knowing you would catch her. And Alex caught you in space."

"So what are we doing then?" Alex asked.

"I'm going to ask you to trust me with your safe place."

"Safe place?" Kara asked.

"The place where you go when things get bad or you get angry." Landon said.

"NooNans." Kara stated.

"I didn't mean physically." Landon said. "I meant mentality." Seeing the blank look on Kara's face he clarified. "When things get hard where do you mentally go to find peace?"

"Caves." Alex said.

"Sorry?" Landon asked, wondering if he misheard.

"Caves." Alex said. "I picture being in a cave."

"A specific cave? Or caves in general" Landon asked as he started scribbling in his notepad.

"A specific one?"

"Okay, why caves, why that cave?" Landon asked.

"I like caves." Alex said.

"Why?"

"They're exciting. They're different. You can explore and discover." Alex said enthusiastically.

"They are. But caves are bad for Kara. I mean they are dark, there is no yellow sun. Perhaps that is why you like them, because Kara won't follow."

"No of course that's not the reason I like caves." Alex said.

"If you say so. When did you start liking caves?" Landon asked.

"I don't know exactly. I was fourteen maybe."

"Around the time Kara came to live with you?"

"I guess." Alex agreed.

"Before or after?" Landon probed.

"I don't know."

"Close your eyes and think. Think about when you first fell in love with caves. Was that before or after Kara arrived on Earth?"

"After." Kara conceded.

"What happened for you to start liking caves?"

"I went out surfing and the wind picked up so I took shelter in one of the caves off the coast. And it was really tranquil. It was sheltered and quiet and there was the drip, drip, drip of water. It was therapeutic. After the storm passed I went home, but then a couple of weeks later I got into trouble for something. I can't remember what and I went back to the cave. No one knew about it. I could do what I wanted in there. It was my place."

"So it gave you the privacy that you lost after Kara took over your room?" Landon asked.

"I guess." Alex agreed reluctantly.

"And now, when you feel anxious, scared, worried, stressed, do you picture yourself in the cave?"

"Yes. But not just picture, but hear myself there as well. The roar of the waves in the distance, the steady dripping of water inside."

"And you're by yourself?" Landon asked scribbling in his notebook.

"I am." Alex said. As Landon looked up he saw Kara's expression and turned to her.

"Kara, this is important. Alex having this safe place that doesn't involve you, doesn't mean she doesn't want you. Just like when you were having the Black Mercy dream you didn't imagine Alex, you imagined Krypton and Astra. Do you understand that?"

"Sure." Kara replied.

-00-

"I think we won that round." Alex said as they headed to her car. "How about a celebratory sticky bun?"

"I'm okay."

"You know I was just giving him what he wanted right?" Alex asked. "Seriously, you think I have safe place? And if I did why would I pick a cave? They're dark, damp and cold. What am I a bat?"

"You made the whole thing up?" Kara asked.

"Of course I did. We talked about this last night." Alex reminded her. "I said I would lead the conversation and direct Landon where I wanted, without giving him anything he wanted."

"I know, but you sounded really convincing and the other DEO base is a cave."

"Yeah, but I didn't build it. I'm pretty sure it was built before I was born." Alex said.

"So you don't like caves?"

"Of course not. But I knew he would love them. I knew he would pick up on the darkness and try to use it to drive a wedge between us. And wow, did he lap it up. Everything I said he tried to turn into proof I resented you. Next week you pick something really innocent and watch as he turns the knife." Alex said before taking Kara's hand and adding. "My safe place is where you are, because I know you will protect me."

"Always." Kara agreed.

"So we're good?"

"We're good." Kara said. "Even better as you are buying me a sticky bun."

-00-

"No Kara?" Lena guessed as Maggie let her into Kara's apartment.

"Or Alex."

"Is that because they have been arrested for murder?"

"No."

"Have you checked?" Lena asked. When Maggie just rolled her eyes at Lena, the youngest Luthor said. "I'm genuinely curious if you have checked?"

"If Alex murdered Landon I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be a body left." Maggie said.

"Good point, but slightly disturbing you have given it that much thought." Lena said. "On the bright side you have nothing to worry about as you have tricked Alex into being a model patient. Maybe that's why they aren't back, maybe they are having so much fun they extended their session."

"Or there was a DEO emergency." Maggie said.

"Pretty sure there isn't. Running a media company I normally find out these things before most people." Lena said as the door opened.

"You're back late." Maggie commented as Alex and Kara entered Kara's apartment.

"We had to debrief." Alex said.

"Debrief? As in a mission?" Maggie asked.

"No the therapy session." Alex said.

"Does that mean it went badly?" Lena questioned.

"No, it was perfect." Alex said as she sat down and removed some sheets of paper from her pocket.

"What's that?" Maggie asked.

"Evidence."

"Evidence? Of what?"

"Landon trying to mess with us." Kara said.

"I'm lost." Lena said.

"He asked about my safe place. I made one up and every feature of it he tried to say was because I didn't want Kara in my life." Alex said.

"And that's a good thing?" Maggie asked.

"Of course it is. It proves he is trying to break us. But then Kara, being the genius she is pointed out we need proof. Obviously we can't record the sessions."

"Why? I mean they are your sessions so the ethics rule wouldn't apply." Lena said.

"Nothing to do with ethics." Alex said. "At Landon's request Winn installed an em interferer in the office so recordings are impossible in there. So instead Kara suggested that we minute the sessions. After the session we wrote down everything that happened."

"May I?" Lena asked.

"Sure." Alex said handing them to Lena.

"A cave? That was your safe place. He bought that?" Lena said reading the notes.

"Alex was crazy convincing." Kara said proudly.

"But Landon was brutal." Alex said. "Every aspect of a cave he tried to use as proof I didn't like or want Kara."

"Yeah, but at the end he tried to convince Kara that you having a safe place that didn't involve her was not because you didn't want her in your life." Maggie said reading the notes.

"Of course he did. He had to look like he was trying to help us." Alex said.

"Why?" Maggie asked. "The sessions are confidential. No one would know, so why try to help Kara feel better?"

"Because he thinks we are starting to trust him. He knows he needs to maintain that trust to try and break us." Kara said. "So he said enough to look good but not enough to be convincing."

"So you believed Landon and thought that Alex mentally runs away to where you can't exist?" Lena asked.

"Yeah." Kara said looking guilty.

"But we talked it through and she knows what he said was B.S." Alex added quickly.

"So you made something up, which resulted in Landon suggesting you wanted space from Kara. Something you agreed to, which upset Kara. He then tried to make Kara feel better but because of you and your bias against Landon, she didn't believe him?" Maggie summarised.

"Yeah." Alex agreed.

"And Landon is still the bad guy in this scenario?" Maggie asked.

"Well yeah, who else would it be?" Alex questioned.

Shaking her head Maggie went on.

"Then after the session rather than letting things fester, like you two have done recently, you sat down to talk and realised there was no problem?"

"Yes."

"Something that wouldn't have happened were it not for Landon." Maggie pointed out.

"That is stupid." Alex said. "That's like watching your parents getting murdered, then thanking the murderer for bringing you closer to your sister."

"Kind of a dark analogy." Lena commented. "But I'm still confused by the notes. I mean you can't ever use them as it will be his word against your word."

"Only J'onn is a telepath. He can read Landon's mind. When the time is right we'll share uor findings. Until then we patiently gather evidence." Alex explained.

"Also by writing everything down we can review everything that has happened and help us see the pattern." Kara said.

"Both crazy and compelling." Lena said.

TBC...


A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.