A week later
"Kara?" Winn asked jumping up from his desk when he saw Kara approach.
"Winn." She smiled as he hugged her.
"How are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Kara said.
"Says the mouth, but not the eyes….so either you're still dealing or you have not had your sticky buns yet this morning."
"I'm okay." Kara assured him.
"So are you back for good?" Winn asked but before Kara could answer James saw them.
"Kara? When did you get back? Are you okay?" He asked, concern radiating from his eyes.
"I'm okay." Kara said.
"You sure? I've been worried about you. You just disappeared."
"Sorry. I just needed time to think."
"I get that." James said trying to conceal his hurt.
"So are you back?" Winn asked again.
"If Ms Grant hasn't changed her mind, Kara Danvers is back."
"Only Kara?" James asked.
"For now. I don't feel ready, I'm not sure I ever will."
"You'll figure it out." James smiled. "You always do."
"So where have you been?" Winn asked. "Cos we kinda heard a rumour you were back a week ago."
"I was, briefly. I came back with Alex, but then she had to go to a conference in Geneva so I went to visit my cousin for a few days."
"But now you're back?" Winn checked.
"I am." Kara smiled.
"That's good." Winn smiled. "I mean your departure sparked a mini financial breakdown. There have been rumours about a certain pizza delivery shop going out of business."
"I don't eat that much." Kara protested.
"You kinda do." James smiled back.
"So where's Simon?" Kara asked looking over to her former, empty, desk.
"Fired." Winn said. "I think it is a new hobby for Ms Grant. After Simon she used an Agency who is now refusing to send her any more assistants."
"Speaking of Ms Grant, I should go and see her."
"Good luck. She has not had an assistant to abuse this morning." Winn said.
"Kara? You're back?" Cat said looking up as Kara entered her office.
"Half back." Kara corrected.
"I see."
"You're disappointed." Kara guessed sadly.
"No. You need to do what is right for you. But I have no doubt that if you ever do choose to bring back that other part of your life you will not let anyone down."
"Thanks."
"Although, right now you need to do what is right for me. And seeing I still don't have a replacement assistant we'll start with that."
"What was wrong with Simon?" Kara asked.
"I needed his cheery claptrap as much as I needed a hole in my head. Which, thinking about it was funny, as where he should have had a brain he just had a hole."
"What about Faye? She was eager and hardworking."
"Yes, the wheel was definitely turning, it was just a shame the hamster had long since died." Cat pointed out.
"I don't think telling her that so bluntly encouraged her to stay." Kara said carefully. "Perhaps you could be more constructive with your criticism."
"I was very constructive with Tanya."
"Tanya?" Kara asked confused. "Oh, you mean Tina?"
"Tina, Tanya, what's the difference? I gave her very constructive advice."
"You told her to go to Trinidad and take up Limbo dancing." Kara sighed.
"Yes." Cat agreed. "Everything went over her head, including that suggestion. What better qualifications do you need to be a limbo dancer?"
"Ms Grant." Kara said fidgeting with her glassed. "Maybe you could tone down the meanness just a little when you talk to your assistants, and perhaps not enjoy torturing them so much?"
"You make it sound like I need to feel the warm glow of epicaricacy running through my veins." Cat said.
"That was the consensus amongst your recent assistants." Kara said carefully.
"Ridiculous, none of them would even know how to spell, or pronounce for that matter, epicaricacy, let alone know what it means."
"Well, I'll get right on finding you another assistant." Kara said before whispering. "Again."
"Did you say something?" Cat asked.
"No." Kara smiled. "In the mean time I'll cover the assistant role."
"Good. Staff meeting in ten minutes."
-00-
"So what are we thinking for the lead article?" Cat asked.
"The American right to protect ourselves against all threats by any means. Reasons why aliens should be detained." One editor suggested.
"Stop talking, when I need an ignorant opinion I'll read the Daily Planet." Cat said before turning her head to the next in line. "Features. What do you have?"
"A special on Supergirl's disappearance."
"Will the article have any substance or will it all be hearsay?" Cat asked avoiding looking at Kara.
"I am running down a lead now." The editor said.
"If you don't have a confirmed lead in five hours bring me a different story." Cat ordered before calling. "Science."
"The myth of global warming." One of the younger, cockier, men in the room said.
"Do I need to remind you that aliens were so distraught by the damage we cause this Earth they thought it was better to destroy us than let us keep going? Remind me how you ended up on the science desk. No, wait, I remember, it is because your head is like a black hole, nothing of reason or intelligence passes your event horizon. But when I moved you to science it was so you could be tested, not write. Does anyone have anything worthwhile?" Cat asked feeling a migraine come on. Getting no response she looked round the room surprised to see everyone staring at the TVs behind her.
"I can't help but notice the sudden lack of focus in the room." Cat commented before she rotated to look at the screens behind her to see what had captured everyone's attention. Playing out on the screens was a burning scene of carnage with the caption, 'Military train derails'.
"Why is our helicopter not there recording this?" Cat demanded. When the question was met by silence she pointed out. "That was not rhetorical."
"I will get right on that." James said as Cat swivelled round. As she did so she looked straight at the spot where Kara had been standing. Seeing it empty she allowed herself a brief smile.
-00-
General Lane found himself having to order his men to certain death. Although he was used to it, today was definitely different. He was used to being away from the frontline. From where he normally sat he could see the ramifications of his actions as the body count rose. But they were numbers without faces. Now he found himself on the front line having to order his men, his men with names and faces to head towards a burning train in the hope they could decouple the carriages with the volatile explosives from the rest of the rolling stock. If the chemicals didn't kill them the explosion that was minutes away would. But even if he did order a retreat it would do no good, the expected radius of destruction, from the explosion and the radiation was so great they could never escape anyway. The only redeeming fact of the situation was that they were in the desert and far enough from a populated area to cause many civilian losses. And he thought wryly at least they would take some of the paparazzi with them.
As the fire spread he had wondered if this had been staged to remove him from the Army without further embarrassment. Although he had been found to be not responsible for what had happened, there were still plenty that blamed him and want him removed. But he shook that off as paranoia. Instead he focused on one thought he could not escape, regret. Regret of losing both his daughters.
Accepting the inevitable he watched as his men attempted the hopeless task and waited for the fiery death. What he hadn't expected was a thud sounding to the side. Turning he saw the last person he was expecting.
"Supergirl?"
"What do you need?" She asked trying to bite back her memories and fears over their last encounter.
For a moment Lane was lost for words as he dumbly stared at the woman he had tortured, who was offering her help.
"General?" Supergirl pressed.
"There are explosives on board, if the fire reaches them everything within a thirty mile radius will be destroyed and the fallout enough to keep this zone uninhabitable for years."
"Which carriage?"
"Third from back." Lane explained.
Nodding Supergirl took off and flew to the train. Once there she used her heat vision to burn through the couplers on either side of the carriage before lifting it up and flying it to safety.
With the carriage safe she returned to the train and used her freeze breath to extinguish the flames, secretly relieved when the fire came under control without sparking an environmental disaster.
Content everything was under control she walked over to Lane and said.
"The carriage is about ten miles that way. Five of your men were already onboard and are keeping it safe." Not wanting to see him any longer she flew off. It wasn't until she was near National City she realised her hands were trembling.
-00-
"I'm impressed." Cat said looking at a picture on her desk. "I didn't know you had it in you."
"Carrying a train carriage? Because they are really not that heavy." Kara said, trying to brush off the morning's excitement.
"I meant getting the perfect shot to accompany your return. This picture shows Supergirl save the very people who mercilessly tortured her. The people will love it. Their hero returns, she saves the day and she shows more compassion and forgiveness than this whole city can muster. I could not have staged a better photo if I tried, apart from maybe having flames in the background. Next time think more about the background."
"I wasn't really thinking about the photo opportunity." Kara said.
"Which is why there are no flames in the background." Cat pointed out before finally looking away from the photo and instead focusing in Kara. "Out of interest was this a flash in the pan or is Supergirl back?"
For a moment Kara didn't answer, instead she looked at her hands, grateful they were no longer trembling. Finally she looked up and said.
"She's back."
"Good, because I need to speak to her." Cat said confusing Kara.
"Um, Ms Grant-"
"Kara, I have something I can only tell Supergirl. I was specifically told not to tell you. So either get Supergirl here so I can keep my word or stay in the dark."
"Yes Ms Grant." Kara said still confused.
When she appeared on Cat's balcony, as Supergirl, thirty seconds later Cat pulled a thumb drive from her desk before heading to the balcony.
"Ms Grant?" Kara said hoping she would get some sort of explanation.
"This is for you." Cat said, handing the drive to the caped hero.
"What is it?"
"It has all the information your sister collected on Project Cadmus and should lead you to her."
"How did you-? Where did you-? Wait, Alex has gone to Cadmus, by herself?" Not giving Cat the chance to answer she flew off.