As Kara leaned against her sleeping sister in the early hours, recalling the train wreck, she heard whimpering from upstairs. Recognising it as her daughter she moved upstairs with superspeed, stopping out side her niece's door where the sounds were coming from.
"Kara?" She called quietly as she knocked on the door.
"Come in." Her niece called.
As Kara walked in she saw her niece hugging her daughter who sat on the bed looking upset.
"Alex? What's wrong?" The adult Kara asked.
"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream." The youngest teen said.
Not wanting to intrude the teenage Kara quietly stood and left the room and went downstairs. Seeing her mother asleep on the couch she sat down next to her and wrapped the blanket round them before leaning against her mother and trying to sleep.
"You're the wrong one?" Alex said waking and noticing it was her daughter not sister leaning against her.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." Her daughter said hugging her.
"It's okay." Alex said wrapping her arms round her. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"No. Alex did. Kara is talking to Alex so I came down here."
"Alex was in your room?" The adult Alex asked feeling lost.
"She crashed out on my bed last night, so I took the floor."
"You could have used the spare room." Alex pointed out.
"I thought Aunt Kara would be in there. I had my sleeping bag, I was fine."
"Your leg okay?"
"It's fine. I'm almost starting to think Lena is telling the truth when she says it is healed."
"That's good. I'm sorry we didn't talk last night." Alex said.
"Aunt Kara needed you." The teen said.
"So how is it going?"
"Your DEO spies aren't telling you?"
"They aren't there to spy on you." Alex said.
"That wasn't a denial." The teen said.
"Seriously, how is it going?"
"I'm just avoiding everyone." Kara said. "I'm still viewed as a pariah."
"It'll pass. They'll move onto something else."
"I know." The teen said. "But something did happen."
"What?"
"Remember how we said Alex saved Holtz and Chris?"
"Yes."
"Afterwards we found that they had tied Martin in the old building and just left him. We got him out and he is fine, but they did it because he had tried to help Alex and MJ."
"Did he go to the Principal?"
"No. He's too scared."
"Leave it with me." Alex said.
-00-
"Where are we with McGuire and Rogers?" Alex asked entering the control room.
"No strange comms from them. All their emails are going to verified friends and families. There have been no more trips to train stations. My guess is they are waiting for a signal before they do anything." Harris said.
"Has anything turned up in the background searches?"
"McGuire has a mother and a sister who he speaks to regularly, but Rogers has no family. Both his parents died nearly twenty five years ago in accident."
"Any chance he blames the government for that?" Alex asked.
"I doubt it. It happened during the big Earthquake. They were driving and ended up driving straight into the two hundred foot hole created on the East side."
"Any sign McGuire's family is in danger?"
"Nothing so far. Both the mother and sister seem to be calm. But if there is a threat they may not know about it."
"Let me know if you find anything." Alex ordered.
"Yes Ma'am." Harris said as Vasquez approached Alex and said.
"You are needed in training room three."
Knowing that was the training room with adjustable levels of Kryptonite and red light Alex nodded and hurried to the training area.
-00-
"What's going on?" Alex asked as she entered the room and saw her sister being pinned to the ground by Ted Grant.
"Hey boss." Wildcat said releasing his hold on Kara and standing. Before Alex could say anything Kara launched herself at Wildcat again, who effortlessly used her momentum to flip her onto the mat where she landed with a huge thud. "She's been like this for the last hour."
"I've got it from here." Alex said as Wildcat nodded and left the room. As he did so Alex turned off the lamps allowing her sister to return to full strength.
"Feeling better?" Alex asked walking over to Supergirl who was still lying on the floor. Not getting a response she said. "Training like this isn't actually going to make you perform better. In fact it will probably have the opposite effect."
"Great, so I can't even train right." Kara said.
"That's not what I said." Alex said sitting down on the mat next to her sister, who continued to lie on her back. "Kara, unless you mastered time travel there is nothing more you could have done yesterday. Most of those deaths were instantaneous."
"That doesn't make their deaths less meaningless." Kara said.
"I know. But you can't save everyone."
"I'm going to go to CatCo." Kara said standing. "I'll see you later."
"Kara wait." Alex called, but her sister had already gone.
-00-
"Hey guys." Ruby greeted as the teenage trio approached. "How was school?"
"You don't know?" Alex asked.
"Know what?" Ruby asked confused.
"What mom did." Kara clarified.
"What?" Ruby asked lost.
"So you don't know?" Alex asked.
"What are you three talking about?" Ruby asked.
"Mom came down here and met with the Principal." Kara explained.
"What did you do?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing." Alex said.
"She wanted to sort the Holtz issue." Kara added.
"Is Holtz still alive?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, but he is suspended again." Kara said.
"So is Chris." MJ added happily.
"And the Principal won't look us in the eyes anymore." Kara added.
"That doesn't sound so bad." Ruby pointed out.
"My life still sucks." MJ complained as the teenage trio walked home with Ruby.
"It is way worse for me." Ruby said.
"How so?"
"Not only I am stuck on babysitting detail, which you have pointed out is career regression, I have to hear you whine all the time." She pointed out.
"At least you get to go home at the end of the day. I'm stuck with the whining all night." The teenage Kara said.
"Why is smoke coming from the drain?" Alex asked.
"It's steam." Ruby said. "They must have installed a new steam system down there, or the explosions yesterday has caused a lot of venting."
"Shame it's not enough for me to get lost in and disappear." MJ said.
"Yeah, sucks to be you." Ruby said.
"What if we stop for bowling on the way home?" MJ suggested. "That wouldn't be breaking any rules."
"Apart from the go straight home rule." Ruby countered. "Face it MJ, a life of solitude and boredom awaits you."
"This is so unfair." He complained.
"On the bright side you can do you homework."
"You are such a freak." He mumbled.
-00-
"Where are we with the portal?" Alex asked as she paced the control room, still worried about Kara.
"The bomb disposal robots have removed everything that might be a sensor or power. The portal is completely dead. We think it is safe to go in. the question is do we sent a sacrificial goat?" Vasquez asked before clarifying. "I meant another actual goat, not Barton."
"I know." Alex said. "Wait Barton is out there?"
"Yes, his team are on portal duty today, so you could send him in."
"I am sure he knows better than to cross me again." Alex said. "But we'll keep him as plan B. Send in another goat."
"Can I at least let him know we were thinking about sending him in?" Vasquez asked.
"What has he done to you?" Alex asked.
"You'd be happier not knowing." Vasquez said.
"That just makes me more curious." Alex pointed out.
-00-
"Kiera!" Cat called across the ballpen. "My office. Now."
Slowly Kara stood, fully aware of the sympathetic glances she was getting, before she marched to her mentor's office. Walking inside she shut the door before waiting in front of Cat's desk. For a moment Cat looked at her before standing and saying.
"Outside. This is clearly a balcony talk."
Nodding Kara silently followed Cat onto the balcony and waited. Finally Cat spoke.
"The people love Supergirl because she has a heart. It is your heart that sets you apart." Cat said. "But because you have a heart you will feel every injury and every death that you couldn't prevent, regardless of if you had a chance. But if you don't deal with it, it will eat away at you and you will close your heart off to everyone."
"I can't just forget all those people."
"No one is asking you to." Cat said. "But you have to find a way to deal with it."
"You make it sound easy."
"It won't be. I can't begin to imagine how you feel and you can't just turn off your emotions. But just like you need an outlet for anger you need one for your sadness and guilt. And you need to sleep." She paused and then asked. "When was the last time you slept for a full eight hours?"
"Eight hours? I don't know. Normally it is in more bite size chunks."
"Because of Supergirl?"
"It's not as if criminals work to a timetable."
"But there are other heroes who can pick up the slack. Sure many of them are self serving, but that doesn't mean they are completely incompetent. No one can replace you, but that doesn't mean they can't help you. You don't need to help every old lady across the road. In fact the world will be safer if you conserved your energy for when it is really needed."
-00-
"Our goat is ready." Vasquez said. "Do you want me to call Supergirl?"
"No, let's give her a day off." Alex said looking at the screens that showed the feed from the goat's head mounted camera.
"Send him in."
"It's a her." Vasquez said. "Ginny."
"Supergirl isn't even here, how has she named her?" Alex asked.
"She hasn't." Vasquez said. "The randomly naming things has kind of stuck."
"Of course it has. Okay send in Ginny." Alex said watching as the goat entered the cave. After watching if for a few moments walking through the portal and back Alex said. "Looks like it is deactivated. Dismantle the portal, remember that could still be traps."
"Yes ma'am." Vasquez said before asking. "When does Agent Ginny get inducted?" The question causing Alex to shake her head before leaving.
-00-
As the teens sat working through their homework, MJ tried to explain why the pun Alex was reading was funny. But as he explained it Alex took a sip of water and started choking on it only for MJ to point out.
"It wasn't that funny." But as Alex continued to cough the teenage Kara frowned and asked.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just went down the wrong way." Alex said in-between splutters. "I'm going to get some more water." She said standing before feeling like the world was swaying.
"Alex?" MJ asked.
"Ye-" Alex said before collapsing to the ground.
"Ruby?" Kara shouted for help before moving to her cousin's side. "She's burning up. Get Ruby and call mom." Kara said before activating her Supergirl beacon as she continued to try and wake Alex who was starting to come round.
"Kara?" Alex asked confused. "What happened?"
"You fainted." Kara said. "Just lie there, help will be here soon."
"You called mom?" Alex guessed before she started to cough.
"Alex?" The adult Kara asked flying into the room and seeing her daughter on the floor. "What happened?"
"She choked on water and then fainted." The teenage Kara said.
"I'm okay." Alex said trying to sit up as they heard MJ sprint up the stairs.
"It's Ruby, she's unconscious as well."
"I'm going to take both of them to Lena's lab." The adult Kara said.
"Mom is already on the way there." MJ said.
-00-
"What happened?" The adult Alex asked as she and Lena approached the two half Kryptonians who were lying barely conscious on the beds. Kara hovering at her daughter's side.
"I don't know." Kara said panicking as her daughter's breathing got more laboured. "Kara said Alex choked and then collapsed, but MJ found Ruby unconscious. Both of your kids are fine."
"Are you feeling okay?" Alex asked wondering if it was Kryptonite related.
"I'm fine." Kara said.
"I'll run tests on Ruby, you focus on Alex." Lena said looking at the adult Alex, as Kara stood beside her daughter squeezing her hand.