"How long have you known?" Supergirl asked as she found Alex at the DEO.

"Known what?" Alex asked.

"That I get to go to negotiator training starting tomorrow."

"Maggie told you?" Alex guessed.

"No. Maggie's Captain sent me a message asking me to pass the news onto Supergirl." Kara explained. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't want to ruin the surprise." Alex said. "Plus you would have been super excited and not slept and I thought you needed to do this on a full night's sleep."

"You're right. But I can be cool and sleep tonight." Kara said. "Is Maggie excited?"

"That's one word that could be used in a sentence." Alex said carefully. "But remember Maggie may not share your enthusiasm and you might want to tone it down." Alex said. "Also remember you are going as Supergirl, not Kara so try to act professional."

"I always act professional."

"Weren't you meant to be in a CatCo staff meeting an hour ago?" Alex asked.

"Shoot." Kara said looking at her watch before disappearing.

-00-

As Maggie sat at the bar drinking beer she saw Lena walk over to her.

"Isn't this a little low end for you?" Maggie asked.

"Kara asked to meet here." Lena said. "Something to do with wing night and celebrating going on the course tomorrow. Plus she said you were going to be here."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Maggie asked.

"It has not escaped my attention that there are certain events that you find stressful."

"Is that an admission that you are deliberately trying to stress me out?" Maggie asked.

"Do you display this level of paranoia all the time?" Lena asked. "Because Kara has done a lot of reading recently and I am sure she would be happy to give you another session."

"That's why you are here? To suggest I have a session with Kara?"

"I don't need to make that suggestion, Kara will do that all by herself." Lena said. "I wanted to see you because I have a gift for you." Lena said handing Maggie a box. "Relax it isn't a grenade."

"I know that." Maggie said. "Because I know you get too much of a kick out of annoying me to actually harm me physically." She added as she opened the box as she did so she looked at Lena and commented. "This looks like Kryptonite."

"Indeed it does, but it isn't. As I am sure you figured out from the weight, or lack of. It is a Kryptonite stress ball. Something tells me you are going to need it."

-00-

"What's taking so long." Supergirl asked as she paced Alex's kitchen the next morning.

"I don't want indigestion." Maggie said.

"You are eating a plain bagel. You have bigger issues." Supergirl said. "We need to go."

"It doesn't start for an hour and we can walk it ten." Maggie said sipping her coffee.

"I don't want to be late." Supergirl said.

"You can always fly there." Alex said earning a glare from Maggie. "I'm going to go to work. Have fun today."

"You really want to learn from this course?" Maggie asked.

"Why else would I be doing it?" Kara asked.

"Revenge." Maggie said.

"Against who? You were the one who said I need to think more and not just act with my fists. This will help me."

"Yes I did." Maggie said. "I will tone down my criticism in future. But if you really want to learn sit at the back and watch. You will be in a room of pros."

"Sit and watch. I can do that. It will be like therapy, without the hostility."

-00-

"Good morning. I am Cruz and I will be leading you through this course. You are all busy people so the higher ups have decided to split this course for one half day per week for the next few weeks. Failure is not an option. When it comes to negotiation, failure is death. And I will demonstrate that shortly. First, let's see what type of group we have today. Who can answer this question. What's the number one rule of negotiation?" He asked as he started unpacking his bags.

Immediately Kara wanted to raise her hand, but instead she followed Maggie's advice and waited as another trainee raised his.

"Yes Rabb." Cruz said reading the man's name tag.

"Never say no."

"Next one of you to quote a movie will be thrown out." He said pulling a dummy from the bag. "This is my helper Emily." He said putting a dummy in the chair. "Same name as my ex-wife. Today, she is my hostage. And being my ex-wife I am being quite trigger happy. When you screw up I will kill her." He said waving a paintball gun before shooting her. "That was for your dumbass answer just now." He then placed the gun down and looked round the room.

"We are going to start with the most basic way of building a rapport, this can be for negotiation and interrogation. It is called mirroring. Not only will it build rapport, but it will also slow the conversation and give you more time to think." He then looked round. "Let's try some role play. Who wants to volunteer first? Just to avoid all doubt, no superpowers are allowed in this room." He finished looking straight at Supergirl. He then pointed to one of the men and said. "Briggs get up here?"

As Briggs reached the front Cruz handed him a card.

"Detective Briggs here is going to try to sell me an opportunity. On that card describes the opportunity." He then looked at Briggs. "When you are ready try selling it to me. You can assume we know each other. To make it easy, you can use the first line on the card as the opening gambit." He explained before picking up the gun again. Remember you screw up and Emily dies.

"Hey man, I have just learnt of a great opportunity. I'd love to hear your views." Briggs said.

"Um, you know now isn't a great time." Cruz said.

"But this is fantastic, you can make a thousand bucks-" Briggs started to say only for Cruz to aim his gun at the dummy and fire.

"Congratulations you just got Emily killed." He said. "What were you doing?"

"Trying to push the benefits."

"When you are being confronted by a sales person and they start pushing, how do you feel?"

"Annoyed."

"And when you have a hostage situation the last thing you want is for the person to feel annoyed. Try again."

"Um, why not?" Briggs tried causing Cruz to shoot the dummy again.

"What happens when people feel like they are being interrogated? They get defensive, scared and angry. Anger equals dead hostage. I have already given you the answer." Cruz said. Getting a blank look he said, let's switch I'll sell, you block."

"Um, ok." Briggs said.

"Hey man, I have just learnt of a great opportunity. I'd love to hear your views." Cruz said.

"Um, you know now isn't a great time." Briggs replied.

"It isn't a great time?" Cruz asked with a slightly upward inflection.

"Yeah I-" Briggs started.

"There we go." Cruz interrupted. "Without thinking he started to volunteer info. With that your criminal doesn't feel penned in and actually feels the need to explain. As they start sharing you start getting the intel you need. Even if it is useless intel it buys you time to think. As a negotiator your only asset is your brain.

-00-

"How was negotiator training?" Lena asked entering Kara's apartment where her friend was sitting on the couch talking to Simon.

"Awesome." Kara said.

"Yet you are talking to Simon." She pointed out.

"I needed to practice what I had learned. Fortunately I am more balanced and a whole less bitter than Cruz so there will be no shooting."

"Shooting? I thought it was negotiator training? Who was shooting?"

"The trainer. He liked shooting the hostage." Kara said as Alex walked in.

"I thought it went well, why is Simon out?" Alex greeted.

"Practice." Kara explained as Alex sat on the couch. "But if it is movie night time already I will put Simon away." She said carefully putting him in the drawer. As she returned she asked Alex. "What do you want to watch?"

"I don't know." Alex said.

"You don't know?" Kara asked immediately trying to practice the mirror technique.

"No, I'm too tired to make decisions." Alex explained.

"Too tired?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, I was stuck in budget meetings all day."

"Budget meetings?"

"Yeah, the DEO budget is being negotiated and we have to justify everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes, including your snack bill." Alex said as her phone buzzed. "I've got to go. J'onn needs me back. I'll see you tomorrow." She said leaving.

"Why were you doing an impression of a parrot?" Lena asked once Alex had gone.

"I am not a parrot, I am a mirror."

"As profoundly philosophical as that sounds, what are you doing?" Lena asked.

"The mirroring technique, it is-"

"I know what it is. Why are you using it on Alex? I mean she would tell you anything anyway."

"To practice for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Kara asked.

"Well yeah, it's therapy."

-00-

"Good afternoon." Landon greeted only to get the normal silent response from Alex as Kara more enthusiastically sat down.

"You seem to have lot's of energy this afternoon." Landon commented. "What do you want to start with?"

"Start with?" Kara asked.

"Yes what would you like to talk about?"

"Is anything up for grabs?" Alex interrupted.

"With in reason." He confirmed.

"Let's talk about you then." Alex said.

"My life is not relevant to these sessions."

"Not relevant to these sessions?" Kara asked trying the technique again.

"No. These sessions are about you, not me."

"Because that is what you want." Alex interrupted.

"My wants are irrelevant, it is about what you need." Landon said.

"We need to not be here." Alex pressed.

"The higher ups have a different view on life."

"Probably because that is what you told them." Alex argued.

"They decided on the need for therapy before I was hired." Landon pointed out.

"You don't have to work here to recommend it." Alex countered.

"I think you over estimate my significance and power."

"Then tell me what exactly is your significance and power?" Alex asked.

"I am just a therapist. I am here to help you."

"By bullying and belittling?" Alex asked.

"Do you often feel bullied and belittled?" Landon asked.

"No, but Kara does, which is why you pick on her."

"I don't pick on Kara. All I try to do is help all my patients identify areas where there may be problems."

"So instead of seeing people you see problems?" Alex asked as Kara grew restless not being able to use her new skill.

"Everyone has issues that they need to face." Landon argued.

"Perhaps you should start with the man in the mirror." Alex said as Kara fidgeted.

"Is there a problem Kara?" Landon asked.

"Problem?"

"Yes, you seem a little agitated."

"Agitated?"

"Yes." Landon said. "What is causing that?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Kara asked, before mentally kicking herself for not following the mirroring technique.

"I can't do that." Landon said.

"Some shrink you are." Alex muttered as Kara tried again.

"You can't do that?"

"No, this is not about giving you answers it is about you finding answers."

"Finding answers?"

"Yes, explaining why you act the way you do."

"The way I do?"

"Yes, trying to understand why you make the decisions you do."

"That's easy. She's a good person." Alex jumped in.

"I am not arguing with that. But on top of being a good person, her actions may be governed by other factors. We need to understand them to ensure that the right decisions are made."

"And by right decisions you mean?" Alex asked as Kara tried to hide her frustration at being interrupted again.

"I mean decisions that won't end up with people being hurt or worse."

"And by people you mean?"

"Kara, you, J'onn, Maggie, the DEO, the public." He listed.

-00-

"I'd ask how therapy went but I am pretty sure I can see a little cartoon thundercloud above your head." Lena said when she entered Kara's apartment and saw her friend talking to Simon again.

"It was a disaster."

"What happened? Did Alex finally flip?"

"No. She kept interrupting."

"Landon?"

"Me. Kind of. I was trying the mirroring technique and I think I was making inroads but Alex kept jumping in."

"Did you tell her what your plan was?"

"Well no. I mean I didn't have time last night." Kara explained. "But at least I have a question to ask next week. How do you stop people breaking the flow?"

"Heat vision would probably work well." Lena said.

"I'd never do that to Alex." Kara reminded her. "Besides I am not allowed to use powers in the training sessions."

"But your instructor can shoot the proxy of his ex wife?"

"Yes." Kara said. "Perhaps we should introduce Emily at therapy. At least Alex would get target practice."