"Agent Aptil. Thanks for coming." Alex said as the FBI agent was shown into her office.
"In the interest of full disclosure I'll be honest and say I can never figure out if your invites are optional." Aptil confessed.
"Agent Rashid woke up." Alex said ignoring his comment.
"Is she okay?"
"She appears to be, but there was something that happened, which may not be relevant, but I feel you should have mentioned it."
"Her reading my mind?" He guessed.
"Why didn't you mention it?"
"At the time I thought it was irrelevant. In hindsight I can see that was a mistake, especially if you have looked into my past."
"I have." Alex confirmed.
"I know my old unit has a reputation, but most of it is rumour."
"But not all of it?" Alex asked.
"No. But we never learned a way to attack a telepath like that. Don't get me wrong if there was a way we would have been trained in it. But as far as I know there is no attack, unless you are a telepath. Which I am not. But what we did learn was a telepath was at their most vulnerable when they were being blocked." He added looking distracted. "I wasn't the only one in the room." He then looked straight at Alex and asked. "Can you look up personnel files? Actually don't answer that. But if you can get information on Jeff Conway that would be useful. In the mean time I am going to head back to the Bureau and do some digging."
"What do you think?" Vasquez asked after Aptil had been escorted from the room.
"He gave up Conway very easily." Alex said. "So either he is trying to cooperate and is worried about an inside threat, or he is trying to distract us. Dig into Conway and check with Rashid if he was actually near her."
"There's another option." Vasquez pointed out. "He could be trying to set us up. We have no remit to investigate his team. If the Senate Select Committee catch wind of what we are doing they could use it as reason to remove you from post."
"Then we had better make sure no one figures out what we are doing." Alex said.
-00-
When Alex got home that afternoon, feeling drained, she headed straight for kitchen and coffee. She had barely switched the coffee machine on when she heard the door open. Turning she saw her niece standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"Hi Alex." She greeted. "Everything okay?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"I'm sorry." The teenager started. "For running off and trashing your house."
"Learning to use your powers will take time." Alex said. "But you shouldn't have run off. I know how special your mom is. But I also know that the only thing that can really hurt her, is something happening to you. So if you really want to help you mom you have to stay safe."
"I know." The teenager said sounding miserable.
"I've been thinking and I have an idea about your powers. Want to try it?" The adult Alex asked.
-00-
"You survived your latest kidnapping then?" Cat asked as she joined Supergirl on the balcony.
"I did."
"And the person who took you?"
"Is gone. For now anyway. It was the bounty hunter."
"Yet you are still alive."
"There isn't actually a contract on me." Supergirl said.
"Yet you look miserable. I can't imagine that being because you aren't the centre of attention."
"No." Supergirl said smiling faintly before turning serious and saying. "He doesn't want to kill me. He wants to turn me into a psychotic killer."
"Who does he want you to kill?"
"No one specific. I guess everyone. He's bored and wants me to entertain him."
"You certainly keep more interesting company than you used to." Cat pointed out. "How exactly does he intend on turning you into a killer?"
"There's a ring, it unleashes rage. You saw what I was like when I was influenced by Red-K. The ring will be worse and there will be no way back." Supergirl said.
"And this ring is drawn to anger?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you in danger?" Cat asked. "You are in control."
"I know. But Lobo threatened to change that. And now he has gone to plot how to make me lose it."
"You have lost everything and still ended up abnormally hopeful and almost balanced." Cat pointed out. "He can't touch you."
"I wish that were true." Supergirl said. "But we both know that Alex is my strength and my weakness."
"How much time have you spent with Alex recently?" Cat asked.
"Lots. I mean we went to Argo together."
"And what did you do on Argo?"
"I searched the archives for information on Lobo and the Lanterns."
"What did Alex do when you were doing that?"
"Spent time with my mom."
"So she wasn't actually with you?"
"No."
"Alex is one of your strengths and you need to keep it that way." Cat said. "You could just worry about everything that could go wrong, lock yourself away and sacrifice your relationship with Alex in the hope that you are making the world safer for her future. Or you could live for the moment and actually spend time with your daughter and have faith that no matter whats happens you will win."
-00-
"Have you seen Alex?" The adult Kara asked her niece and nephew.
"Your Alex?" Her niece asked.
"Yes, my Alex, as in grounded Alex who is not at home." Kara said both concerned and annoyed.
"Mom took her." MJ said.
"Where?"
"Don't know." MJ said. "She just told her to grab a jacket and then they left."
"You weren't invited?" The adult Kara asked.
"No." MJ said. "Don't worry we'll guilt her over it later."
"Everything okay?" Eliza asked walking into the room.
"Just wondering where Alex took Alex." Kara said.
"Can't help you with that, they left rather abruptly." Eliza said. "But I am sure they will be home soon. Why don't you help me prepare dinner while we wait?"
"Just to check, when you say help what do you mean?" MJ asked.
"Slicing and dicing." Eliza said.
"So we don't need to order a backup pizza?" MJ clarified.
"My cooking is not that bad." Kara argued.
"You are literally the only person who thinks that." The teenage Kara said.
"Come on." Eliza said wrapping an arm round her daughter's shoulder before looking at the kids. "You two can lay the table in thirty minutes."
-00-
"So how are you doing?" Eliza asked as Kara chopped the carrots.
"Okay I guess. Better than I was. But I'm still scared of what might happen."
"We all believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself."
"I thought when Rensh died Alex could have a normal life. But since we arrived all I seem to do is cause her stress."
"I know she was scared when you were taken, we all were. But she is so proud of you and what you do as Supergirl." Eliza said.
"Yet, I'm kind of neglecting her because of it."
"What do you mean?"
"On Argo I spent very little time with her, instead I trawled the archives for information on Lobo. Cat pointed out there is no point in sacrificing the present for the future. So I am going to try living a normal life."
"Wise words. You know what could help with that?" Eliza asked.
"What?"
"You could try dating." Eliza suggested.
"I don't date." Kara said
"But you could." Eliza pointed out.
"It's too complicated and it would be unfair on Alex. Besides I want to spend more time with Alex, not less." Kara said as she heard the front door open. "They're back." She said moving to the lounge.
"Where have you been?" The adult Kara asked.
"The aquarium." The teenager said.
"You are meant to be grounded." Kara pressed.
"Alex said it was okay." The teenager said dropping her aunt in it.
"You do realise aunt Kara now has the power to break us out of being grounded?" The teenage Kara asked her mom.
"Why don't you guys go wash up." Eliza said. "Dinner is almost ready." As the three teenagers reluctantly left the room the adult Kara turned to her sister and asked.
"Why the aquarium?" The adult Kara asked her sister.
"I figured that sound wasn't enough. So I hoped that if Alex could used to visualising fish next time she struggles with her powers she'd calm herself a little easier."
"That's not a bad idea." Kara conceded. "Ignoring the whole, she's grounded thing."
"Sorry, I kinda forgot." Her sister said.
-00-
"Am I in trouble?" The teenage Alex asked she and her mother returned to the apartment that evening.
"Pretty sure equal blame lies with your aunt." Kara said sitting on the couch and patting the cushion next to her. As Alex sat down, Chewie jumped onto her lap and made himself comfortable as Kara said.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" The confused teenager asked.
"I have been so worried about Lobo and the Lanterns and Mongul, that I have spent all my time worrying about them, when I should I have been worrying about you. So from now on I'm not going to worry about Lobo or the Lanterns."
"You're not?"
"No. I'm just going to worry about you and try to get things back to how they were."
"Were when?" Alex asked. "I mean it is not like we have ever had a normal life, especially by Earth's standards."
"For that I am also sorry." Kara said. "What I meant is I want things to go back to how they were when we used to spend time together without worrying."
"You've always worried." Alex pointed out.
"But you haven't."
"So does that mean I am not grounded?"
"No." Kara said.
"Oh."
"Do you have somewhere to be?" Kara asked.
"No."
"No big party?"
"No."
"Then why are you wanting me to rescind the grounding?"
"Kara and MJ imply freedom is important."
"I bet they do."