"Easy." Alex said when she saw her sister sit up.
"Alex?" Kara asked stumbling from the bed and hugging her sister.
"It's okay, you're safe." Alex assured her. "But you need to rest." She said pushing Kara to sit on the bed.
"What happened?" Kara asked looking round confused.
"You were trapped inside a Lantern ring with Mongul. After we got you out the sun healed you but you collapsed. You passed out a couple of hours ago."
"A couple of hours?" Kara asked as Alex handed her a bottle of water.
"Don't worry, you have not missed much. Apart from Mongul and Marvin leaving. Not sure which one I was most happy about." Alex said as Kara greedily drank the water.
"Is Alex okay?" Kara questioned once she had finished the water.
"She's fine." Her sister assured her.
"But-" Kara started.
"I promise you she is fine." Alex repeated.
"How can I make this up to her?" Kara asked.
"I'm sure she'll understand." Alex said, not sure why Kara was feeling so bad about it, before asking. "What happened in there?"
"Mongul had planned it." Kara said. "He wanted to trap me in there with him, knowing I wouldn't have powers. He planned on killing me so that when he was freed he would be known as the slayer of Supergirl and Sinestro Corps would invite him into their party." Kara explained before having another gulp of water from a new bottle.
"He seemed weaker than before, I assume the ring reduced his powers as well. But I had no powers in there. Fortunately you forced me to train with no powers so I could hold my own, kind of. But in the first of fight he still got the upper hand."
"First of? How many did you have?"
"Can't remember exactly but a few. Why do you look so surprised? I mean we were in there for a long time. Can I go see Alex yet?"
"She'll be in school." Her sister said before asking. "What happened then?"
"Not so much then." Kara said. "I mean it was actually the first fight I lost. He took me prisoner and said he wouldn't kill me until he knew of he needed me for food. Then he got bored and decided to hunt me. After that it was mainly me running and him chasing, with a few fights in between." Kara said loosing herself in the memory.
"How long do you think you were in there for?" Alex asked.
"Hard to tell as there was no sun, or daytime, but three to five days I guess, maybe longer. What's with that face?" Kara asked.
"Time ran differently inside the ring than it did out here." Alex explained.
"Which way?" Kara asked looking almost panicked.
"For us you were only gone for a couple of hours."
"Thank Rao." Kara said.
"What?" Alex asked.
"I mean it would have been so hard on Alex if it had been the other way round."
"True, but it was still hard on you." Alex said. "You sure you are okay?"
"I think so." Kara said. "But I really need to see Alex."
-00-
As the sisters walked to Alex's house Kara immediately headed for her daughter and pulled her into a hug.
"What have you done?" The teenager asked.
"Nothing. I just missed you." Kara said not releasing Alex.
"You saw me this morning." Alex reminded her.
"I still missed you." Kara said hugging her tightly.
"I missed you too, but I'll also miss breathing." The teenager said causing her mother to release her.
"Sit." The adult Alex said to her sister. "I'll get you a drink."
"Okay." Kara said collapsing on the couch, falling to sleep immediately.
"What's wrong with mom?" The teenage Alex asked frowning.
"She's fine. Just tired." Her aunt said before looking at her mother and asking. "Can you keep an eye on her?"
"Of course. But are you going somewhere?" Eliza asked.
"Yes. I have to finish some things off at the DEO. I'll see you later."
As she left Eliza noticed all three teenagers were looking at their phones.
"What are you doing?" Eliza asked.
"Both of them are hiding something, we are trying to figure out what." The teenage Kara said looking at the news sites.
-00-
"Kara, wake up." Alex said gently shaking her sister from behind so not to get accidentally blasted by her heat vision.
"Alex? What happened?" Kara asked sitting up.
"You fell to sleep, I would have left you longer, but you need to eat. Dinner will be ready soon."
"I'm really back?" Kara asked.
"You're really back." Alex smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but okay." Kara said. "Is Alex okay?"
"She's fine. She's upstairs with Kara and MJ." Alex said. "More importantly, everything you need for tomorrow is at your place. Either in the kitchen or your bedroom."
"How? When?"
"After you crashed on the couch I went and got everything."
"You didn't have to."
"Yes I did." Alex said.
"Thank you." Kara said gratefully.
"I know it will sound hollow as it was only a couple of hours for us, but I need you to know that no matter how long it took I would have kept trying to get you out."
"I know." Kara said.
-00-
"Mom!" Alex called as her mother thrashed round in her sleep in early hours. The cry causing Kara to bolt upright and wake up. Realising she was in her own bed Kara felt some, but not all, of her panic subside. As she looked round she saw her daughter and immediately pulled her into a hug.
"Alex? I missed you so much."
"What's wrong?" Her daughter asked concerned.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Kara said pulling away.
"No you're not. What happened yesterday?" Alex pressed. "Please don't lie about it."
"Mongul was being transported off-world by the Lanterns." Kara explained. "Only he tried to escape and then the Guardians did something and I ended up trapped in a pocket dimension with him. Time passed faster for us than it did here."
"You got hurt?" Alex guessed.
"A few bruises and I broke my arm. But as soon as I was back in this dimension I healed. I was always going to come back though."
"How long was it for you?" The teenager asked.
"Not long, a few days." Kara said causing her daughter to hug her. "I'm okay." Kara promised her before tensing. "Wait, what time is it?"
"Um, three ten." Alex said looking over at a clock.
"Three ten?" Kara asked. "That means its your birthday," Kara said hugging her. "You need your presents."
"Pretty sure you need sleep more." The teenager said as Kara jumped out of bed and went to her wardrobe saying.
"Sleep can wait."
-00-
"Happy Birthday Sweetie." Eliza greeted before hugging her granddaughter when the teenager came into the house that evening with her mother.
"Thanks." Alex said hugging her grandmother.
"Where have you been?" MJ asked.
"We went to Havasu Falls." The teenager said pulling away from her grandmother.
"Where?" MJ asked.
"Arizona." The adult Kara said.
"Why?" MJ asked not seeing the attraction of Arizona.
"It was like somewhere we used to live." The teenage Alex said.
"Wait, did you fly there?" MJ asked.
"Um, yes."
"That's so unfair." He complained as the adult Kara looked at her sister who nodded in response.
"Why don't you go to the lounge?" Kara suggested to her daughter who followed the instruction and opened the door, only to see her Kryptonian grandmother.
"Alura!" Alex said happily before hugging her grandmother.
"Hello Alex." Alura smiled.
"How are you doing?" The adult Alex asked her sister once the lounge door had shut and it was just them in the hallway.
"I'm okay. Today has been the perfect break." Kara said. Seeing the look of concern she was getting from her sister she added. "I just want to focus on Alex today."
"Okay." The adult Alex said wrapping an arm round her sister and guiding her into the lounge where her teenage namesake was happily talking to Alura, Lena and J'onn.
-00-
"Is Alex okay?" J'onn asked noticing the teen was asleep on the couch soon after dinner.
"We did a lot of walking today." Kara said.
"And Aunt Kara made her open presents at 3 this morning." The teenage Kara said.
"Kara." Eliza said in a mildly chastising tone, looking at her daughter.
"That's not true." The adult Kara said. "Well, technically it is true, but it is not like I woke her up at three. Well actually I did, but not to open presents."
"Why can't you do things like that?" MJ asked his mother.
"Okay I will." Alex said.
"You will?"
"Tomorrow I will wake you at four and we'll go running."
"That's not what I meant." He said.
-00-
"How are you doing?" Alura asked after Kara has put her daughter to bed. "Alex said you had been having a hard time."
"It's not been easy. I have felt really lost. But everyone, especially Alex, kept me anchored."
"She also mentioned you were imprisoned by the Lanterns."
"Not deliberately. It was an accident."
"But you were stuck with Mongul for several days?" Alura pressed.
"I was." Kara said. "But I'm okay."
"On this planet you may be Supergirl and all that entails, but to me you will always be Kara. My sweet, strong and at times infuriating stubborn daughter. But I do not expect you to be all of those traits all the time. Tonight I'd like you to forget about your strength and your stubbornness." Alura said.
"I'm okay." Kara repeated. "And in a way it was kind of like an immersive therapy session."
"What?" Alura asked.
"When I was there, it was like I was facing all my fears at once. Abandonment, solitude, loosing Alex. And there were times that I felt so close to giving up. But I didn't and I got out, well Alex got me out." Kara said falling silent. But after a moment she added. "Mongul told me they wouldn't rescue me and I didn't believe him. But then I got so cold and scared and I lost faith."
"Loosing faith and having doubts is normal." Alura said.
"But all that time they were looking for me and I feel like I betrayed them somehow."
"You betrayed no one. You did all you could do to make sure you returned home safely." Alura said hugging her.