Alex pushed herself off the wall and followed Lena out the door. The CEO was so preoccupied she didn't even hear Alex approach until felt herself being pushed towards the wall.
"Are you satisfied now?", Alex snapped at Lena.
"Alex?", Lena asked, looking down, checking to see if Alex was carrying a gun.
"Are you satisfied, or did she have to die, again? Is that what you wanted?", Alex was so angry, stressed and upset that tears were flowing freely down her face.
"Alex no! I never wanted this to happen, I was,", Lena stopped, then continued, "I am angry, but you have to believe I never wanted this to happen to her."
"Did you see her, the bleeding wouldn't stop, she is scared of you. The person that broke her is the only person that could save her. Sounds like something your brother would do.", Alex snapped.
That last comment made Lena's hackles rise, "I am not my brother." She snapped as she pushed Alex away and drew back to throw a punch.
"Could have fooled me.", Alex said through her tears. Lena struck, but years of training took over and Alex easily blocked the sloppy punch Lena threw, striking back with a blow to Lena's stomach that bent the woman in half.
Lena was bent over trying to catch her breath, Alex standing over her. "You locked her away, poisoned her with Kryptonite, then conveniently had a cure for it."
"No, not like that.", Lena choked out.
"You took Kara from us, from me. I am her sister and you took her again.", Alex threw another punch. Connecting with Lena's stomach again. She pushed Lena hard, down the hallway.
Lena could hear the pain in Alex's voice, this wasn't just about Kara.
"You took her away from her friends." Alex pushed again, but Lena wasn't defending herself anymore, 'Maybe I deserve this.', she thought.
"You took her away from me, again. I couldn't protect her from you and I couldn't save her, I had to bring her here, to you.", Alex's tears were falling hard now, she wanted Lena to fight back, she wanted a reason to hurt this woman like Lena hurt Kara. "Fight back, throw a punch, do something Luthor."
"No Alex.", Lena stood as straight as possible, hoping Alex wouldn't continue this beating.
Alex fell to her knees, "You took away my sister, and then you saved her. Why Lena? Why did you do all this?"
Ruby came out of the room, saw Alex on her knees crying and looked at Lena. Lena saw anger in Ruby's eyes and was about to say something when Ruby blurred to Alex's side, engulfing her in a hug. "Aunt Lena!", Ruby snapped out, "Leave her alone!"
Lena was shocked, Ruby thought she had hurt Alex, she turned to run down the hall, and as the door slid open, there stood Astra.
"Where is my niece?", Astra asked looking down at Lena.
Alex's head whipped around, how? Astra was dead, she'd been the cause.
Sam wasn't paying attention to anything except Kara's heartbeat, but she heard Ruby yell at Lena and looked up. She entered the hallway at the same time as Astra was asking about Kara.
Astra looked up as Sam entered the hallway, "You move like a klutzy Daxamite, who are you woman?"
Sam wasn't sure how to react, nothing Kara had taught her covered how to meet your friend's dead aunt. She took a deep breath, Astra had been a general, a leader, she would respect power, "I am Reign, Kryptonian by birth, protector of the House of El as named by Kara Zor-El. It is my honor to meet you, General."
Astra was taken aback by such a formal greeting, "What house Reign? And why are you not speaking Kryptonian?"
Sam closed her eyes, trying to remember Clark's name, "Like Kal-El, I was sent here as an infant, Kara Zor-El has been teaching me, but I regret that I am a slow learner. Unfortunately, I do not know my house, General."
Astra steps down the hallway, snarling at Alex, but Ruby stood between them. "Like mother like daughter," Astra says as she smiles down at Ruby.
"Khuhtive kehp vo throniv", Ruby says in Kryptonian. 'My own to protect."
"Honored Warrior", Astra responded, in her native tongue "No disrespect is meant."
"None is taken, General.", Ruby responds in Kryptonian, smiling.
"Is the youngling yours Reign?", Astra asked as she continued to approach Sam.
"She is General, and I would prefer Samantha or Sam, please."
"Very well Samantha, you may call me Astra, now may I ask where my niece is, where is Kara?"
"Through here Astra.", Sam said as she opened the door to Kara's room. "If you will excuse me, I need to see what my youngling is up too right this moment."
In the hallway, Sam looks and sees Lena, holding her stomach, still hurting from Alex's attack as well as shocked at how well Sam just handled a Kryptonian General. She waves the woman closer and notices Ruby tense up. "You three want to tell me what is going on?"
"I attacked Lena, it was unprovoked on her part.", Alex answered, sniffling and rubbing her face.
"Alex, why?", Sam asked.
"Anger at me, stress over Kara, the fact that I happen to have a cure for her.", Lena answered. "I probably deserved this."
"She wasn't even defending herself.", Alex held her head down, totally ashamed of herself.
"Alex, I hate saying this like this, but go in there with Kara.", Sam said.
"I can't"
"Why the hell not?"
"Because of Astra, because I'm the one that killed her.", Alex was holding her head down.
Sam, Lena, and Ruby all stared at Alex. You would have thought she'd grown a second head. She looked up at them, tears in her eyes once again, "She was threatening J'onn and Kara, I did what I had to do."
"I'll take you in Alex. This is a discussion for later.", then to Ruby, "Walk Aunt Lena to the infirmary young lady, you owe her an apology. And you two need to talk."
Ruby looked at her mother, then at Alex, hung her head, "Fine"
Sam looked at Lena and pointed with her eyes for Lena to go. Lena got the hint, she and Ruby needed to talk.
Sam watched Lena and Ruby walk out. Then turned to Alex, "Let's go."
In Kara's Room
Astra entered and J'onn stood up straighter. "Don't worry Martian, while you are protecting my niece, there will be no retribution. But there will not be friendship either." Then she turned back to where her niece was laying. Tears were forming in her eyes as she approached Kara, looking to Eliza for permission to touch her, not wanting to cause any more pain to her precious little one. Eliza nodded, and Astra moved to the other side of her bed, taking Kara's hand in her own, feeling how cold she was. If Eliza was shocked at the appearance of this woman, she didn't show it.
"I'm Eliza Danvers."
"You are her adoptive mother?"
"I am"
"Thank you for taking care of her, I'm Astra."
"You are welcome, Kara has told me much about you.", Eliza stated as calmly as possible. When this was all over, she was going to need therapy.
Astra sat and held her niece's hand, while silent tears ran down her cheeks.
Ruby was leading Lena to the infirmary, remembering the route like It was yesterday when her mom worked here in this building. When Aunt Lena wasn't hurting everyone important to her.
"Ruby, I hate to ask, but please slow down."
Ruby turned and noticed that Lena was crying. "Aunt Lena?"
"It just hurts Ruby. I can't keep up with you at superspeed."
"Sorry." Ruby apologized, "I'm sorry about the hallway also, I thought you, I guess it's kind of silly, but I thought you hurt Auntie A."
Lena was a little offended, but it was highly unlikely she would have gotten in even one good punch on Alex. "I would laugh, but it would probably hurt."
Ruby stopped and looked at Lena, she was paler than normal, her eyes had dark circles under them like her mom's when she stayed up working. "Aunt Lena, are you really okay?" Ruby asked, feeling herself calm down just a little.
"I don't know Ruby, I really don't.", Lena answered, just as they reached the infirmary.
"Sit down Aunt Lena, tell me what you need."
"I need a few ibuprofens and some ice for the bruises on my stomach." Ruby found the ibuprofen, but there were no ice packs. She found a gallon freezer back and was going to fill it with water. "Ruby, add a little rubbing alcohol to it, it won't freeze solid that way, not that it will help us."
"I have a surprise for you.", She added rubbing alcohol till Lena said to stop, then she placed the bag on the countertop and using the same principle that Kara had shown her when using her heat vision. She started to blow on the bag, but she could watch the crystals form, so she kept blowing till the crystals stopped forming. Then she picked it up and grabbed a towel, "How's this?"
Lena was amazed, smiling "It's perfect Ruby, thank you.", then she placed it on her bruised stomach, sighing in relief. "Go ahead and ask Ruby, I know you are upset with me."
"Why are you so mad at Aunt Kara? What did she do?", Ruby asked a bit of anger in her voice.
"Ruby, she lied to me about being Supergirl, I had to find out from someone else. She broke my trust."
"So, she never told you?"
"Well no, she told me at her Pulitzer ceremony."
"Did you ask her? Did she know you knew?"
"No, she just told me. She said it was because she was scared, she would lose me."
"So, Aunt Kara told you she was Supergirl, without you asking, and you were still mad at her?"
"She lied to me, I trusted her."
"Did she tell you about her visits to Metropolis to see me and mom? Or the times when she was injured or hurt? Or when she needed someone to talk to, but you and Auntie A were busy? How about when I was sick for your big Hong Kong presentation, and Aunt Kara took the day off to fly to Metropolis because you needed mom so bad? Did she tell you any of this Aunt Lena?"
Lena was speechless, how many texts had she simply looked at from Kara and not answered because of some big project? How many times had she been in a fight and not shown up the next day?
"So, were all these lies part of that betrayal Aunt Lena?"
"Ruby, that's different. She had you and Sam."
"She wanted you and Auntie A!"
"She could have come to me."
"You were busy, you didn't answer, me and mom did.", then she paused, "How about you Aunt Lena, you know I look up to you, I want to be just like you. You used to let me follow you around the office and pretend to be Lena Luthor.", Ruby started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks, "But then mom transferred, and you told us you would stay in touch."
Lena was taken aback, she never realized that Ruby idolized her, she always thought it was Alex. She was also beginning to realize that while Ruby was angry about Kara's current situation, she was hurting.
"You never call just to talk, its always business. Auntie A at least writes, texts and calls all the time. Aunt Kara came to my birthday, Auntie A sent me my cell phone just for us. I bet the number is in your phone."
Lena nodded. It was, she had never even dialed it.
"Where were you for my birthday," Ruby paused, "Oh yeah, you called three days later, to talk to mom. So, all those promises were lies, you betrayed me, but I don't want to hurt you, I just want an honest answer on why you felt the need to make a promise you never planned to keep?"
"There is nothing I can say that wouldn't be an empty excuse, Ruby. Do you hate me, Ruby? Like everyone else?", Lena cried.
"No Aunt Lena, I don't hate you, I feel like I should, but I can't because I love you.", Ruby cried, realizing how much truth there was in her words. No matter what, Lena had been there three years ago when Ruby and her mom needed her, "I just wish you had talked to me, to mom, to anyone, instead of hurting Aunt Kara."
Lena felt Ruby's arms wrap around her, not believing what she had just heard. This beautiful young woman still cared for her, even after what she had done. For all her talk of betrayal and trust, Lena had done the same to everyone in her life.
"Now please tell me, Aunt Lena, please tell me that Aunt Kara is going to be okay?"
"Oh Ruby, she has to be okay."
Ruby sobbed into the shoulder of her idol while Lena held her tight.
Lena's phone buzzed, a text from Sam, 'Something is wrong with Kara.'
Kara's brainwaves started to spike, her heart rate was elevated, and her eyes were moving fast under her eyelids.
"Where am I? Who's there?" It was dark and Kara couldn't see a thing, she recognized the scent of Lena's perfume. "Lena?"
"Liar.", she heard from Lena's voice.
"Lena I'm sorry, so sorry, don't leave me alone, please, Lena I can't stand being by myself."
"Is Supergirl scared?"
"Yes, Lena! Please don't leave me alone."
"You betrayed me Supergirl, you lied about everything, so now you have been judged."
"Kara Zor-El, you have failed your mission." Alura's voice called out and are now sentenced to the Phantom Zone. Alone for all time."
"Mother, no, don't, not that please."
"Put her into that box and send her away, she betrayed the ideals of her people, she failed."
"Mother, no!", she screamed as darkness engulfed her.
"Alex it's me, your sister, don't you recognize me."
"I don't have a sister, especially not an alien like you." Alex snapped. "Get in the cell." As she pushed Kara into the cell and the Kryptonite lights came on, sapping her powers."
"Alex, please, please remember, it's me, it's Kara. Don't leave me alone, please."
"Turn down the lights, make sure she has no visitors."
Kara is in a ball crying, "Please no.", again darkness falls.
She back in the fortress, Lena smiles as she walks away, "Don't leave me alone, please Lena." Days pass, she stops eating hoping that the kryptonite will dull the pain, afraid of being trapped, afraid of being alone, afraid of failing her friends and family. She has failed her mission, she's no hero, just some girl with powers who should have stayed hidden from the world. She curls into a ball and loses track of time, pushing the food away when it is offered. Maybe darkness will claim her. She closes her eyes.
"Kara"
"Alex", then she hears her sister's heartbeat, "It's too loud Alex." Alex stops, and there's Lena and Brainy. But then Lena pulls out a gun and levels it at Brainy's head, pulling the trigger, before his body hits the floor, she turns the gun on Alex and fires. Kara hears herself scream as the cage forms around her again.
"Alone again Supergirl."
"Lena, no, please don't leave me alone again."
The faces of her family are swirling around her, calling her scared, a child, a failure.
"What's going on?"
Alex looks up at the monitor, "Oh god, she's having a nightmare. Her heart rate is spiking, if this keeps up, she's going to go into Cardiac Arrest." Alex moves to her side, putting her hand over Eliza's and gripping hard, she starts to sing a Kryptonian lullaby that Kara taught her, something that would help calm her when she had bad dreams before. Astra hears the words, it's the song she used to sing when Kara was a baby. The two women start to sing lightly, Astra watching Kara's face and listening to her heart rate, Alex watching the monitor.
"Kara, baby, we are here, stay with us," Eliza whispers into Kara's ear.
J'onn steps closer to the bed, hesitating, but then placing his hand on Astra's shoulder in a sign of unity, he joins the song. Brainy is watching the monitor. Sam is at Kara's feet gripping the rail of the bed. All are watching and waiting.
The faces of her family are still there, but the sound has changed. They are singing, Astra and Alex, J'onn and Sam, she hears Eliza, she hears Brainy, they are here, she isn't alone. Lena's face comes into focus and Kara closes her eyes and opens them again. Lena's face breaks like a mirror and Kara is looking at herself, with her family standing around her, singing a lullaby, letting her know that they are all here for her.
"Her heart rate is slowing down and her brainwave activity is leveling off, she is coming out of the nightmare," Alex says as she looks around the room.
Lena enters the room, "What happened?"
"Nightmare." Eliza answers.
Ruby blurs into the room standing beside Astra and J'onn, she puts her hand on Kara's head. Everyone notices a soft smile form on Kara's lips, as she sighs and continues to sleep.
"How bad?" Lena asks.
"Bad enough, that we thought she was going to go into Cardiac Arrest."
"Thank you, Martian, for the support, but this changes nothing between us.", Astra shrugs J'onn's hand off her shoulder, then looks back to her niece but questions Alex, "Who taught you that song?"
"Kara did, she said you used to sing it to her on Krypton.", Alex answered.
"Thank you, you and I will talk Alexandra. But not until she is safe.", Astra says softly.
Sam peels her hands from the bed, a perfect imprint of them now a permanent part of the bed.
"Will someone please explain what has happened to my niece? Who is responsible for this?"
"That would be me.", Lena answered almost whispering.