AUTHOR'S NOTE: Trigger warning: family member death. (Sorry for the spoiler. Just felt it was appropriate and necessary to give the TW).

"Where the fuck have you been?" Alex sobbed as soon as Kara creaked the door open.

Their mother was kneeling on the floor in tears.

"What happened?!" the blonde blurted, looking between her mother and her sister in horror.

"Dad's gone," Alex choked out, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

"What do you mean he's gone? He—"

"He had a heart attack, Kara," Eliza whimpered. "I went into the bedroom… and he was… he…" Lifting her gaze, the girls' mother looked up at Kara, seeing her slack-jawed, and added, "Where have you been?"

"I—I was out w-with a friend," the young blonde said in a daze, the reality of the situation not yet having taken its full weight. "He… He can't be gone… Where—"

"He was pronounced dead by the paramedics when they arrived," Eliza explained, slowly rising to her feet.

"But—" Kara sniffled, falling into her mother's arms.

Eliza soothed her daughter, rubbing her back and mostly forgetting about Kara's transgressions of sneaking out in the middle of the night.

After the girls had consoled their mother, and each other, they made their way back upstairs to their bedrooms.

Lying in bed with tears in her eyes, Kara found herself unable to settle enough to sleep. How could she, when her father had just passed away? Restlessly, she tossed and turned, trying to control her breathing enough to sleep but failing miserably.

Eventually, she pulled her phone off the charger and unlocked it to check her notifications. She hadn't checked her phone since being home, but looking down at the screen, she noticed a surprising missed direct message from Lena.

OfficialLenaLuthor: Hey, you okay?

Forgetting that she had agreed to text Lena to let her know when things were okay, Kara quickly typed her reply.

My dad had a heart attack. Paramedics pronounced him dead when they arrived. He's gone…

OfficialLenaLuthor: Oh, my God, Kara I am so sorry! So so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you right now?

KaraTheCareBear: Nah. It is what it is, I guess? I don't know. I just feel numb right now.

OfficialLenaLuthor: Do you want me to pick you up? We can just go somewhere. Anywhere you want. I know sometimes when I'm overwhelmed, I just want to get away…

KaraTheCareBear: Thank you, Lena, but… no. I think I should stay with my family, in case they need me.

OfficialLenaLuthor: Of course. I'll be around tomorrow if you need to get away, okay? Just let me know. Anything you need. Anything at all.

KaraTheCareBear: Thank you, Lena. I really appreciate it. You're very sweet…

OfficialLenaLuthor: Nah. I just like ya, kid. Try to rest and get some sleep, okay? I'll be here tomorrow.

KaraTheCareBear: I probably won't text much. I just feel like shutting down, you know?

OfficialLenaLuthor: Totally…

KaraTheCareBear: What? Why dots?

OfficialLenaLuthor: I just… I'm worried about you. You're a sweet kid. You don't deserve to go through this. I just wish I could help.

KaraTheCareBear: It's okay, Lena. Really. I'll live.

OfficialLenaLuthor: Will you… Will you maybe at least text me at some point tomorrow, just to say, 'Hey, I'm okay?'

KaraTheCareBear: Yeah, I can do that.

OfficialLenaLuthor: Thank you. It's okay if you don't want to talk. I respect that. Sleep tight, Kara.

KaraTheCareBear: Thanks again. Goodnight.

With a heavy sigh, Kara hugged her phone to her chest and squeezed her eyes closed, allowing several tears to drip onto her cheeks. How was this girl so sweet? She was grateful to have a new friend, but it didn't feel real. Just like her father's death hadn't hit her yet. It was all a blur. Turning this thought over in her mind, Kara finally fell asleep without realizing she was even tired.

The next day was so long that by 1:00 PM, Kara was essentially done with everyone.

"I can't people anymore, Alex," she sighed to her sister.

She was tired of hearing the condolences of other family members. She was so tired, in fact, that even when her sister had replied, "Well, you're going to have to," she got up out of the rickety kitchen chair where people were gathered and walked upstairs.

Throwing herself down on the bed, Kara let out an exasperated sigh. It was all too much. As if losing her father wasn't bad enough, now she had to deal with distant relatives she hadn't spoken to in years telling her how sorry they were and that, 'We're here if you need anything.' Where the fuck were you when we could barely pay the mortgage? Where were you when we didn't have food in the pantry? Kara had been wondering. Her family had always struggled, even with two incomes. Money wasn't something they ever had much of. Usually, they didn't even have enough. Now, things were a little better. Her father had just gotten a promotion at the factory, and her mother had just gotten a (small) raise. They were making ends meet. But up to that point, even buying the girls' school supplies had been difficult for Eliza and Jeremiah. Putting food on the table had been difficult. Everything had been difficult. And now, Jeremiah was gone. Kara's father was gone. Kara couldn't help but wonder what would happen to them now, with the financial strain of funeral costs and the loss of an entire income.

Her mother had refused to let Kara get a job. 'Be a kid while you can,' she'd said. Of course, the blonde - being the responsible young adult that she was - had been begging for a job since she turned 15, knowing full well how much her family struggled financially and wanting desperately to help. Now, Kara realized what an incredible gift this was from her mother. Had Kara been working a job, they likely would have been able to pay for the funeral no problem. Of course, she felt terribly about this, but on the other hand, she was grateful that her mother had sheltered her from breaking her back doing menial labor, all while trying to get good grades and live a normal young adult's life.

Still, Kara knew that her father's death would be the breaking point in their family that was the catalyst for finally getting a job. Alex would probably have to get one too. Less than twenty-four hours after Jeremiah's death, their mother was already making calls to her boss to pick up extra shifts, even scheduling herself to work three doubles the following week.

Just as Kara wiped her tears and her runny nose on her sleeve and was about to pull up some employment websites on her phone to try to distract herself from her sorrow and anger, she remembered that she'd promised to message Lena to check in.

At first, she just pulled up their message on Instagram. Finding herself reading through their past exchanges, Kara couldn't help the small tug she felt on the corners of her lips. The frustration didn't fade, though, and her tears didn't stop. Like an elephant on her chest, her anxiety and the overall feeling of being overwhelmed took over, making it harder to breathe. The more she thought about her uncertain future, the more she wanted to run away. Taking a deep breath to steady her resolve, she decided that - despite a low grade sense of panic that the star wouldn't reply - she was going to text Lena and include her phone number.

KaraTheCareBear: I'm so sorry, Lena. I didn't think I would do this, but... is there any chance you're free to call? If I hear, 'I'm sorry for your loss' one more time, I'm going to off myself.

OfficialLenaLuthor: Don't joke about that. And of course. I'll call you in two minutes. Just have to fake sick and bail on this interview.

KaraTheCareBear: Wait what NO don't bail! You need to take care of your stuff! It's okay. I'll be fine.

But it was too late. By the time Kara sent her second message, Lena was already calling her.

"Hey…" Kara squeaked into the phone, her voice cracking. "If I'd known you were gonna call so fast, I would've waited to text until I had stopped crying… Sorry."

"Hey!" Lena snapped. "Don't ever apologize for crying! It's totally okay."

"Okay," Kara sniffled. "Thanks."

"You calling to talk, or do you want me to bust you out?"

Kara wasn't sure. She just knew that Lena was the most recent thing to make her smile, and that was priceless. Hearing her voice was a wave of relief she couldn't explain, but the thought of actually being in Lena's presence again was definitely appealing.

"I'd do pretty much anything to get the fuck out of here," Kara confessed.

"Sweet. Be right there."

"You don't have to—"

"Hush!" Lena cried. "I do what I want."

Kara laughed at this - actually laughed - and when her sister heard the sound form the hallway, she poked her head into the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, looking at her sister quizzically.

"None of your business, Nosy," Kara shot back with a scowl. Then, turning her attention back to the phone, Kara mumbled, "Sorry."

"Sister's a little overbearing, huh?"

"Uh… Yeah. You could say that."

"Well, let's get you out of there for a bit. She can be mad later. We've got shit to do."

"We do?"

"Yep. Go get ready. I can be there in like 20 minutes I think."

"Thanks, Lena."

"You got it, kiddo."

"Hey!" Kara hollered. "I'm not a kid!"

"Yes, you are!" Alex chimed in loudly from the doorway.

"Shut up!" Kara hissed at her sister, making Lena laugh when she heard the exchange.

"See you soon, bud," the star said.

Kara could hear the smile in the celebrity's voice, and it made a smile spread over her own lips as well.

Then, after a brief argument with her sister, Kara grabbed her bag and made her way outside.