When J'onn finally drove the car into, the pitch black, Midvale he was exhausted. Not wanting to let Kara down further he had driven without rest to get the sisters back to their childhood home. Though out the journey he had sadly watched as the sisters sat in the back of the car with Kara silently clinging to Alex. The only time Kara spoke was when she screamed and cried in her sleep. As he drove he wasn't sure what was the worse sight, Kara looking so defeated or Alex looking so helpless.

When he finally pulled up in front of the Danvers' household he immediately saw Eliza open the front door, bathing the night in a warm glow. Climbing out of the car he opened the back door and helped Alex get out before Kara followed. The sisters had barely made it two steps from the car when Eliza reached them and engulfed them both in a hug.

"I am so happy to see you both." She said as she held them, both girls immediately comforted by the hug. Looking between their heads Eliza made eye contact with J'onn and mouthed. "Thank you."

J'onn silently nodded and were it not for the fatigue would have taken to the skies straight away. As it was though, he was so tired he followed the three women into the house and allowed himself a few minutes of recovery before taking the quicker route home.

As Alex and Kara sat on the couch Eliza said. "You must both be hungry. I made chocolate pecan pie."

"Actually I'm not very hungry." Kara said softly and distantly. The words and tone taking Eliza by surprise and causing concern for everyone.

"You need to eat." Alex said gently.

"I will tomorrow." Kara promised.

"How about a hot drink then?" Eliza asked.

"Sounds good." Alex said wanting to give her mother something to do so she didn't feel the same desperation she felt.

"I'll help." J'onn said following Eliza to the kitchen.

When they reached the kitchen Eliza asked. "What's wrong with her?"

"Physically, nothing anymore. But she was tortured. It will take time to recover." J'onn warned. "But I know she will be fine because she has Alex and she has you."

-00-

"Is she asleep?" Eliza asked as she returned to the lounge ten minutes later and saw Kara lying across the couch with her head on Alex's lap.

"Yeah, for now anyway. Where's J'onn?"

"He went back to National City." Eliza explained.

"But he was exhausted." Alex said.

"He said you could achieve more there." Eliza responded. "He said he would tell you if he found anything." She then disappeared returning a minute later with a blanket that she carefully placed over Kara.

"When she first came here she was so sad and fragile, but she still had that light about her. No matter what happened she would see the light and the end of the tunnel. Often she was the light at the end of the tunnel. But tonight it was like her light had been snuffed out. I have never seen her so defeated." Eliza said sadly. "What did they do to her and why? I don't understand. And why would they hurt you?"

"Because there are people out there who hate anything that is different. They hate all aliens indiscriminately. No that's not true, they hate all aliens, especially those who don't conform to their model of being world destroyers." Alex said her voice bitter.

"How are you?" Eliza asked.

"I'm okay." Alex said looking down at Kara.

"Alex I know you are the strongest of all of us. But that doesn't mean you always have to be strong. It is fine to not be okay." Eliza said. "I saw the video. I saw what they did to Kara, I saw what they did to you. It was you in that video wasn't it?"

"I let her down." Alex said as a stray tear ran down her face. "I was so focused on finding dad I didn't even know what was happening until it was too late. This happened because I let my guard down."

"This is not your fault." Eliza said sternly. "I saw how hard you fought to protect her."

"But it wasn't enough." Alex replied.

-00-

Hours later Alex started to feel Kara stir and she stroked Kara's hair and hoped her sister would wake gently. However the gentle stirring soon changed into wild thrashing and crying.

"Kara." Alex said trying to wake her.

"No, please." Kara sobbed, still asleep.

"Kara, it's okay. You're safe."

"No more." Kara pleaded thrashing more and more.

"Kara!" Alex said more forcibly as she shook her sister. When Kara's eyes finally shot open Alex said.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

"Alex?" Kara asked, her voice trembling.

"I'm right here and you are safe." She soothed as Kara started to sit up. "You want to talk about it?"

For a minute Kara didn't speak, instead she moved away from Alex and then pulled her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees. Knowing Kara would talk when she was ready Alex sat and watched and waited. Eventually Kara lifted her head up and looked straight ahead at the wall before saying.

"I don't understand. Why would he do something like that? Non, Indigo I get, any of the prisoners from Fort Rozz all of them make sense, but Lane? I mean I know he didn't like me but I thought he accepted we were on the same side. After what happened I thought he accepted I was not a threat. What did I do to make him act like that?"

"You didn't do anything." Alex said. "General Lane has always hated things that are different. Don't blame yourself for what he did to you. No one has any right to put someone in that much pain."

"I let it happen to aunt Astra." Kara said sadly.

"You tried to stop it, then you freed her." Alex reminded her as a new wave of guilt washed over her at the mention of Astra.

"It wasn't just the pain. It did something to my mind." Kara said as she continued to hug her legs to her chest. "I started to have dreams, only they weren't dreams. They were memories. I kept reliving my last moments on Krypton, being stranded in the Phantom Zone, what I did when I had been exposed to red Kryptonite, aun-" She said before pausing. "My worse memories and I had to keep reliving them. Then when I finally woke Lane was there ready to inject me again and it started all over again. And now it is like I'm trapped in those nightmares."

"I'm so sorry I didn't stop it." Alex said hugging Kara.

"This wasn't your fault." Kara said feeling guilty over Alex's guilt.

"You are going to be okay." Alex assured Kara. "We are going to get you through this, together."

"I just want the memories to stop." Kara said sadly as she let Alex hold her.

-00-

"Hey Sweetie, how are you?" Eliza asked when Kara returned to the house after a walk along the beach the following morning.

"Okay. I forgot how good the beach can be, with the sun and the birds." Kara replied, trying to smile.

"Your cousin rang, he said to call when you're ready." Eliza said.

"Thanks." Kara said.

"Winn also called. So did James, they're worried about you."

"I'm fine." Kara said before asking. "Where's Alex?"

"She's asleep."

"That's good. She needs the rest."

"So do you."

"I'm fine. Not a scratch on me."

"Come, sit." Eliza said patting the couch next to her. As Kara sat down Eliza pulled her foster daughter into a hug. After a minute she asked. "How are you, really? And don't say fine, I've had enough of that from Alex this morning."

"I'm afraid." Kara confessed.

"Of what?"

"Not being strong enough. I don't think I could go through that again. I'm afraid I have let my mother down. I'm afraid that if I go back I will let everyone down." Kara listed.

"You have always had this great burden on you." Eliza said. "The need to protect Kal-El, to live up to your mother's expectations. And you have accepted that without complaint. You have no idea how much I prayed you wouldn't use your powers so you would be safe. But you couldn't do that because it wasn't you. You are strong and brave. Your mother would be so proud of you." The statement bringing a tear to Kara's eyes.

"What if I have done more harm than good?" Kara asked. "I worked with General Lane, he saw the good I can do, but yet he still fears me enough to torture me. If he can't trust me how can anyone? I've been reading the papers and half of them seem to want me locked away and experimented on. They fear me. After the red Kryptonite I kind of understand it, but I really thought they had forgiven me."

"Papers say what they need to say to drive sales and make profit." Eliza said. "Don't take them to heart."

"But what they say isn't based on lies. I am a danger. Exposed to red kryptonite I am no better than Non and people know it. General Lane knows it. He had such hatred and fear in his eyes."

"I don't know why he did what he did. But anyone who is capable of and prepared to torture isn't human. You may not be human, but you have more humanity in your little finger than he will ever have." Eliza said as she continued to hug Kara. After a few moments though Eliza heard a deep growl from Kara's stomach and commented. "We need to feed you. I still have that chocolate pecan pie."

"But it is not midday yet." Kara said remembering the no pie before lunch rule that Eliza had always tried to enforce.

"Like that ever stopped you and your sister." Eliza pointed out as she helped Kara stand and led her to the kitchen.

As she cut the pie Eliza casually asked.

"So why are you ignoring James?"

"I'm not."

"That is not the general consensus of opinion." Eliza countered.

"I don't know what to say to him."

"Well, I don't know how it worked on Krypton, but on Earth, 'hello' is normally a good start." Eliza said earning a small smile from Kara.

"He'll ask when I'm coming back." Kara sighed as she took a mouthful of pie.

"And you don't know?" Eliza guessed.

"I don't know if I want to go back. I don't know if I can be Supergirl anymore." Kara said sadly. "I feel so weak, so vulnerable, so afraid."

"Going back as Kara does not mean you have to go back as Supergirl." Eliza pointed out. "You have friends in the City who will support you no matter what you decide and I am sure that is the same for James."

"He has such faith in me." Kara said. "Sometimes that faith is such a source of strength. But sometimes, like now it is overwhelming. I can't meet his expectations right now, I'm not sure if I ever will. I don't want to disappoint him."

"I am sure no mater what you do you won't disappoint him." Eliza said squeezing Kara's hand across the table. "And you'll never disappoint me or Alex."

-TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. The next one will be a little less angsty.