Once Upon National City

A/N: And finally I'm back! That took some time but I'm here now! For the moment at least. XD Just so everyone knows, I'm so behind on the current season, so anything I'll be writing about canon-wise will take place Season 3 and before until I get caught up. Enjoy!

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Guest – Thanks for the review! It's great to be back. Glad you enjoyed the drabble. :)

Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.

Summary: There are times when even a superhero needs a hug. Alex & Kara. Family/Comfort.

*** ~ Superhero Hugger ~ ***

Alex wasn't sure what drew her from her peaceful slumber at first, just that she was warm. Warmer than usual.

"Mmm…"

Not that it was an uncomfortable warmth. On the contrary, Alex was very comfortable right now, the secret agent relishing everything about the position she was currently in. The soft pillow under her head. The plush blanket covering most of her body, staving off the cold. The reassuring weight draped over her waist. And the tall, lithe body pressed up against her back.

Wait. Tall body pressed up against her back?

Slowly blinking back into consciousness and looking under the blanket, Alex spotted a familiar blue sleeved arm holding her around the waist, as well as a familiar red cape draped over her body. Had it been any other person, at any other time, that same person would have found themselves with an elbow to the head and a very scrappy Alex wailing on them in an instant. As it was, this was not any other person.

"Kara…?" Alex mumbled, still not quite awake.

A soft sniffle.

"Sorry," came a regretful voice near her ear. "Didn't mean to wake you up."

They hadn't done this since they were kids. Cuddling like this. Usually it was the other way around, but still. Sure she and Kara hugged all the time, and snuggled together on the couch during Sister's Nights, but this kind of cuddling, this soul warming cuddling, had happened for years. Not since Kara's nightmares of Krypton exploding stopped.

Covering the arm around her waist with her own, Alex intertwined her fingers with her sister's.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, her voice still rough with sleep.

The arm around her waist tightened.

"No," the Kryptonian mumbled, Alex almost not hearing it.

"No?" she echoed, knowing her adopted sibling all too well.

Another sniffle.

"Maybe?" Kara offered a few seconds later.

Since her near drowning at the hands of Rick Malvern, Alex found herself constantly in the presence of her friends and family. If it wasn't Maggie, it was J'onn. If it wasn't J'onn, it was Winn or James. And if it wasn't the boys, it was most definitely Kara. While other people would have gotten annoyed at this point (it had been a week since the incident after all), Alex didn't mind the attention all that much. After all, she still couldn't take a shower without someone else in the apartment with her. Not yet at least.

Alex hummed.

It was an irrational fear Alex knew, one which stemmed from the trauma she suffered while in captivity. And as much as Alex wished it would all just stop, the anxiety of nearly drowning always came back the moment she stepped in the shower and the water was turned on. Even though the was no chain link fencing covering the top of the shower barring her escape. Even though the glass shower door could be easily opened no matter what side she was on. Even though she knew her family and friends would save her should such a thing happen again.

"Did something bad happen?" Alex queried, the half asleep DEO agent wondering what could have upset her Super sister so.

At this point, it could have been any number of things, especially something superhero related. Alex hadn't stepped foot inside the DEO for almost a week now, J'onn forcing mandatory sick leave upon her the moment she was able to walk again on her own after that ordeal. And should she even think about getting back to work before she was cleared for duty, the suspension that would follow would be the least of her problems, or so he threatened. So, rather than tempt fate, again, Alex rested as much as she could, leaving National City safety matters to the rest of her colleagues and sister. But now it seemed something had happened.

Feeling Kara shake her head behind her, Alex frowned. If nothing bad had happened to the city, what else could have possible set the Kryptonian off like this? Did something happen at CatCo? Did Kal-El do something to upset her sister? Or was it something else like-

"I dreamed I couldn't save you," came Kara's small voice, as if hearing Alex's thoughts.

Oh.

"I didn't get to you in time and you... died..." came the rest of her sister's choked words.

Alex pursed her lips together.

Yeah… she could see how that could be upsetting, especially for Kara. Heck, it was quite upsetting for her just thinking about what could have been, even though it didn't actually happen thankfully.

Silently contemplating just how to comfort the distressed Super, a thought occurred to Alex.

"Where's Maggie?" she asked, realizing now it was only the two of them in her apartment, her girlfriend nowhere to be found. Maggie was definitely here before she fell asleep, Alex remembered as much.

"She got called into work earlier," Kara said, solving the mystery for Alex. "Told me to keep an eye on you."

"You were already here?" Alex asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise. She turned to look over her shoulder at her sister.

Usually it was only one of them keeping her company since her near drowning. Outside of Games Nights that is. For Kara to have already been here, despite Maggie's presence, the Kryptonian must have been really bothered by that nightmare. While whatever rift between her girlfriend and sister had mended over the time they frantically worked to save Alex, both of them respected each other enough to allow the other their solo time with her. Kara especially so. So for that to suddenly change-

"I was," Kara reluctantly answered, her face hidden from Alex's limited view. "On the couch."

A beat.

"Just listening to you breathe," her sibling admitted a few seconds later.

"Oh Kara," Alex said sadly.

Unable to keep this position any longer, Alex quickly turned around in her sister's arms, Kara letting out a whine at the sudden movement. That whine quickly turned into a sigh when Alex wrapped up the alien in her arms, tucking Kara's head under her chin, leaving Kara's ear pressed to her chest over her heart like they had done so many times before as kids.

"Better?" Alex asked, stroking her sister's hair.

Kara nodded, nearly whimpering in response.

"I got you," Alex said softly, kissing the top of her sister's head. "I got you."

Alex didn't know what it was, perhaps it was something in her tone or maybe it was the words she said, whatever it was, Kara soon became a blubbering mess in her arms, the Kryptonian sobbing uncontrollably into her tank top.

"It's okay," Alex said, all the while rubbing her shuddering sister's shoulders and back. "I got you."

Ignoring the trembling fists threatening to rip open the back of her tank top, Alex pulled the Super closer to her, repeating what she always did in moments like these.

"I got you."

And it would be in this position hours later that Maggie would find them upon returning from work, the NCPD officer wasting no time in joining in on the hugs as well.

A/N: This takes place very shortly after Season 2, Episode 19 titled "Alex", aka the episode where Alex nearly drowns. While I realize that the show cannot show every possible moment in between episodes, I always thought it a bit strange that they would show Alex's and Maggie's tender moment afterwards but not something between Alex and Kara. Not that I'm saying their tender moment would go like this necessary, but still.