J'onn's hand was on her arm, pulling her close. The phones were still ringing, but they were there standing in anticipation of what was coming next. Nothing came. The phones all stopped ringing and then her mother was at the door.

"They were trying to alert us of an incoming storm set," Eliza told them. "They're going to come around and make sure that the cottage is as protected as possible…boarding up the windows and all that. We should have enough food and water until it passes."

"We're safe, though?" Alex questioned.

"It's just a storm, Alex…"

The sound before, she realized, the booming...it had to have been thunder. She sucked in a breath and gave her mother a nod. She was still a little shaken by it all. It was hard not leaping to the worst case scenario when it was the way Alex was used to thinking.

"You know what? The storm's not here in full force yet," Eliza said gently. "Why don't you and J'onn go out and get some fresh air before we're locked in here for the storm's duration? I'll take the baby and we'll just rock for a few minutes." She held out her arms for Amara, but J'onn didn't hand her over right away.

J'onn was looking at her and Alex knew that he was asking her for permission. She was the one who hadn't been able to spend as much time with Amara as it seemed everyone else had...and Alex was her mother. Their situation wasn't easy, but she knew that if there was a storm coming, then this might just be the only time until it passed that she got to go outside. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea," she finally said slowly. It was hard for her as she watched J'onn hand Amara over to her mother, but she knew that her mother would care for the baby and that she and J'onn could use a few minutes together (and time outside of the cottage, especially before the storm came).

Wrapped in a throw, using it like a shawl, Alex walked the perimeter of the cottage with J'onn in silence. It was even more beautiful outside than it was from looking out the window. She stilled and sucked in a breath, her eyes on the dark flurry of clouds that were making their way towards where they stood.

"You thought it was Cadmus, didn't you?" he questioned quietly and gently.

Alex looked over at him, her eyes searching his face for his feelings on the same question. "Yes," she responded just as silent.

"So did I."

There was something comforting in knowing that J'onn had had the same thoughts, that she wasn't completely foolish. "We can't live here forever unnoticed, J'onn," she whispered as his arm encircled her, holding her close to his side. Alex let her head drop to lean against him. She closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a breath. "This isn't any kind of life for a child."

"If it were possible, it it made sense," J'onn told her. "I'd whisk you both away to another planet. Somewhere I'd know was safe…"

Alex didn't know if there was really a place out there like that. She knew that Kara had once told her that she'd been to twelve planets growing up, so there had to be some kind of world out there that didn't hate what was different. "You and I aren't really ones for running away from a fight," she finally said...and it was the truth.

"You're right about that," he commented, there was definitely a smile in his voice.

As she stared out at the incoming stormfront, she knew that one thing was for certain, they'd weather that storm just like anything else that blew into their lives. They were fighters and they couldn't forget that.

They wouldn't.

When Alex and J'onn walked back into the house, the far too pleased sounds of her mother and Kara talking to Amara filled the cottage. They stayed back for a moment and just both watched as sunny Kara walked around with Amara in her arms, both her sister and mother talking to her daughter in high pitched adorable voices. It was something so peaceful and perfect, that moment, and all Alex could think was that this was a glimpse of what their future could look like.

Happiness.

It wasn't something that they all got together for a long periods of time. She was far too used to the anxiety, action, worry, and exhaustion (emotionally and physically) that came with her job (a job that she loved even with the weight of it). This was their family. No matter how dysfunctional it could be at times, no matter their pasts, no matter how unexpected...this was it and Alex wouldn't trade it away for anything.

Kara was the first to see them, likely she'd not heard them come in because she was so focused on the baby. She lit up. "Oh, there you guys are… How was your walk?"

"It was nice," Alex said not moving from the doorway. She just smiled as she watched them and J'onn's arm wrapped around her.

"It doesn't look very nice out there."

"I've never minded a storm."

Rocking Amara, she just watched as her daughter slept in her arms. They were both individually bundled up and though the storm was raging outside, it didn't seem to bother Amara. Alex always loved to sleep during storms, the rain always aided her in sleeping so much better. Perhaps that was what it was like for her daughter too.

It was probably one of the few times since she'd gotten to the cottage where she felt like she completely was alone with Amara. J'onn, her mother, and Kara had spent so much more time with Amara and Alex had felt like maybe somehow she wasn't as good of a mother as she could be (even though that was completely illogical, there were reasons why she couldn't be there...and reasons why Amara had to be whisked away).

"Mommy loves you," she whispered.

It was silly, but Alex felt like she needed to say it aloud. Of course actions spoke louder than words, but she still felt like she really needed to say the words. As she rocked Amara, Alex found herself being flooded with a happy feeling...something she couldn't really describe beyond that, but it was beautiful. She stopped rocking and looked down at Amara's sleeping face. Sucking in a breath, she started to rock again. All she could think was that maybe she still shared a telepathic link...but this time with Amara.

She knew that she should try to elicit a similar response, but at the same time...Amara did need to sleep. So, Alex just rocked and watched her daughter sleep. There wasn't a lot of certainty when it came to Amara (except that they'd all fight to the death to keep her safe), but they had no idea how long it would take for her to adopt one set of features and stick to them. It had been captivating, concerning, and confusing in the beginning...but now she didn't really mind or notice. No matter the coloring, Amara was her daughter and nothing was going to change that.

There was a light knock at her door before it swung open an inch. J'onn was peeking in. He instantly was smiling. "You know, I've been lectured by your mother about this," he whispered. "When the baby sleeps...you're supposed to sleep."

"I just wanted to watch her for a little bit," Alex confessed quietly.

He let himself in and moved closer. "She is absolutely beautiful to look at."

"And I think...I think I felt her? It wasn't words, but like a feeling…"

J'onn crouched down next to the rocking chair and nodded. He was actually beaming at her. "I'm glad that you can feel it too."

"I suppose that it probably comes more naturally between you two…"

"You're her mother, Alex, and when you were pregnant with her...you had the ability-"

"But I haven't been able to use it with you since I had Amara," Alex pointed out.

"We also never made a point of trying it out."

"Not now," Alex told him quickly. She didn't really want to fuss about it. Fatigue was hitting her and she knew that if it wasn't coming easy or it was just downright difficult (or not working), then it would just be an insane amount of frustration that would hit her. She didn't want that. She wanted this happy moment to just stay with her until she woke up.

"Of course."

Alex looked down at Amara again, brush her finger along her cheek. "Do you think she's worried?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I know that she knows that she's loved and that when we're calm with her, then she feels calm," J'onn explained. "I think it's important for us to try to be calm...not just for Amara though…"

"I'm actually excited about this storm."

"As long as it doesn't whisk the cottage away?"

Alex grinned at that. "It's a storm, not a tornado…"

"I should let you sleep," J'onn said as he got to his feet.

Alex took in Amara for another beat before getting up from the chair, leaving the blanket she'd been wrapped in behind and simply moving towards the bassinet near her bed in order to tuck Amara in. "Stay?" she requested in a whisper as she set Amara down, making sure she was positioned properly.

Silence.

She looked over at her a moment later and he seemed to be unsure. "You don't have to-"

"No, it's just...I wanted to give you your space-"

"I just don't want to sleep alone tonight," Alex told him. "I just want to be held. That's all." It wasn't like she wanted to strip down or anything, she just wanted to lay in the same bed with him and be held. She wanted to feel that connection with him. It was something small and yet something huge at the same time. They were trying to get to know each other in this relationship. It was a different way of knowing each other and this was something that Alex felt was necessary for them both. Now just felt right.

"Okay," J'onn responded finally and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

The bed wasn't large, Alex was fairly sure it was a full, but it would be big enough for cuddling and the body heat factor would just be a plus (especially with the storm). She moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him before pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'm glad that you found this place."

"I am too."

"But we really do need to sleep…"

The storm had been wonderful as far as Alex was concerned. They'd lost power after day one, but it hadn't been a big deal. They had candles. Even though it got chilly, they had each other and blankets. There was a fire in the fireplace and they had food. They had each other and that was really all that mattered.

"Remember your first storm with us, Kara?" Eliza reminisced.

"Uh, storm? How about the first Earthquake?" Alex countered with a smile. Kara had been this adorable, lost, and easy to love girl when she'd first come to Earth and she'd had so much to learn. The planet's weather and seismic shifts were among them, especially since California didn't often have weather outside of sunshine.

Kara just beamed at them. "As terrifying as those moments were, I am happy to be here and to understand it all now…"

It almost felt like family camping, but inside, as they all were gathered together in front of the fireplace. "I never imagined us having three generations of Danvers gathered around like this," Eliza commented.

Alex wondered if that was because her mom wasn't quite sure if she'd ever have grandbabies. Of course, that wasn't exactly how Alex had ever thought she'd be a parent...but she wasn't taking it back. Amara was beautiful and amazing and everything that she never knew she wanted in her life. "We're going to have to make sure that we take lots of pictures."

"Oh, Eliza's already been on it," Kara said.

"I wasn't sure how long it would be until you were here with us," Eliza confessed gently. "And I didn't want you to miss Amara growing...so I've been taking pictures every day… That way, you'll have pictures...because they grow so quickly when they're this small." She smiled and just looked so peaceful. "She reminds me sometimes of you when you were that small, Alex. She make a face that reminds me of you...and they grow up too fast."

The evening continued just like that.

Smiles.

Happiness.

Stories.

Talk of the future.

The storm raged on outside, but the Danvers family was peaceful inside the Scottish cottage on the little island. "Did you ever decide on a middle name?" Eliza asked.

"Not yet," J'onn responded.

"We figured there was no hurry," Alex put out there.

"I was just curious-"

Before Eliza could finish what she was saying, a window exploded inward, bringing the storm with it. J'onn was immediately shielding her and Amara. Alex sucked in a breath and blinked rapidly as she tried to take in what was happening. The first moment, she thought that maybe it was something from the storm...that something had been thrown into the window.

It wasn't the storm.

"Go!" J'onn shouted as he helped her to her feet and turned her in the direction of the bedroom.

She could see him changing into his Martian self. Alex didn't want to run away, she wanted to stay and fight, but Amara… Her daughter was screaming in her arms and she found her mother right beside her. Doctor Hamilton was there in the cabin and had been napping, but they found her outside of the bedrooms. They all gathered in Alex's room together.

"We need to barricade the door," Eliza said quickly.

Alex, though, knew that nothing was going to stop the cyborg from coming in after them. It was a ugly harsh reality that she couldn't do anything to stop. "A barricade is going to do nothing against-"

"I don't care!"

She watched as her mother and Doctor Hamilton worked to erect a makeshift barricade with what they had in the bedroom. Alex moved and went to work. She couldn't be some damsel in distress. She refused. So, she grabbed the baby carrier that she'd been given and went to work putting Amara in it. It wasn't something her daughter was used to, but they were going to have to do it anyways. It seemed to calm Amara, which brought Alex so much relief as the sounds of fighting seemed to get closer. Grabbing her firearm, she got it ready and turned to see the horrified look on her mother's face. She wasn't going to just sit there and hope that the cyborg didn't come through the door, not when she could do something to stop it.

They needed a plan. Looking around, Alex realized one, but she knew it wasn't one that her mother was going to be behind, but she was certain that she could convince Hamilton to do it. She moved to the window and opened it, the storm in full swing outside.

"Alex! What are you doing?" her mother shouted.

"Hamilton! You need to get out of here. You need to call the DEO," Alex said as she moved to the other woman. "They might not be able to get here to back us up, but they need to know what is going on."

"I-" Hamilton tried to argue.

"Someone has to go!" Alex insisted. "J'onn and Kara are going to try to keep us safe...and my mom won't go...so I need you to do it." They stared at each other for a moment before Hamilton finally gave a firm nod. "Talk to Lucy and Adler. Make sure they know where we are. No matter what happens, it's not safe for us here anymore."

She and her mother helped Hamilton out the window, but left it open. It would be a good distraction if the cyborg got into the bedroom. Alex's next concern was for her mother's safety. She pointed to the bed. "Under," she instructed. The bed wasn't large, but it would be large enough for her mother to slide under and with the duvet hanging down, she would be obstructed from the view of someone walking in.

"What about you and Amara?" her mother immediately argued.

Looking around, Alex realized that there really was only one other place that she could hide. She immediately went to the wardrobe and opened it. They really didn't have anything except a few pieces of clothing in it. It would work. She'd be cramped, but it would be the best place for her to hide with Amara in that room. It would keep her daughter close to her, which is what she wanted.

"Okay, okay," her mother said.

Alex climbed in carefully, her legs folded tightly with Amara's comfort in mind at the same time. "I love you," she told her mother.

"I love you," Eliza echoed. Tears were failling down her mother's face as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to Amara's forehead and then one to her cheek. With that, her mother quietly closed the wardrobe doors leaving them in the dark.

Alex sucked in a breath and then pushed it out. Amara was quiet and she hoped that she stayed that way. One hand was running along the back of the carrier, Amara facing into Alex's chest, while Alex's other hand gripped her sidearm. If the cyborg made it in and tried to take them...or Amara...then Alex wasn't going to give up without a fight.

For what felt like the longest time, there was only the sounds of thuds. Fighting, Alex knew. Kara and J'onn were doing their best to keep them safe. There was a loud crack and breaking sound and Alex knew that the fight was moving...and it was moving closer to them. It got louder and louder and Alex found herself bouncing Amara slightly to keep her quiet as she started to fuss. There was a crack that emanated from beside the wardrobe, making it vibrate and making Amara scream out.

"Shh…" she whispered as she continued to bounce Amara. All Alex could think was how unreal it felt that it was really happening...that the cyborg...that Cadmus had found them. She'd fought so hard about accepting that they'd been safe before...and now that she'd finally accepted it, they weren't safe anymore.

The doors of the wardrobe came flying open and Alex came face to face with the cyborg wearing her father's face. Her firearm was already up and ready and pointed right into his face. Kara and J'onn went at him, but they both seemed to be hurled out of sight.

"Jeremiah, please!" she heard her mother shout.

To her horror, she watched as her mother crawled out from under the bed. Alex really had no escape at that point, but she noticed that the cyborg seemed to be temporarily distracted by her mother.

"She's our daughter, Jeremiah! Our granddaughter! Please don't do this! I know that you're still somewhere inside!"

"You're wrong," the cyborg spoke, sounding mostly of Jeremiah Danvers but then also partly of machine. "You can't stop Cadmus."

Alex shot at him, not caring the face that he wore. It didn't matter. He wasn't Jeremiah Danvers, not anymore. He was a cyborg sent by Cadmus. She wouldn't let Cadmus win and she wouldn't go back there...and most of all, she wouldn't let them have her daughter. Cadmus had to be stopped.

"Alex!" she heard her mother yell.

She didn't blink, she shot again. The cyborg didn't seem fazed. She'd shot him twice right where his heart should have been. She found herself being drug out of the wardrobe by the throat before being shoved against the cottage wall.

"Jeremiah! Stop! Please!" her mother shouted with all the voice she had.

She swore that was going to be it. He was going to kill her. Her father's face being used by Cadmus Labs was going to be the last thing she saw before he killed her. But then something changed. He blinked and suddenly there was something different behind those brown eyes. "Alex?" he whispered.

"Please just let them go!"

Her mother's voice, she realized, was registering in his mind too. He looked over at her, his hand still on Alex's throat. "Eliza?"

Her mother was crying. "Jeremiah, please! Please let them go! Don't hurt them!"

Her father was looking back at her again and it was like everything was crumbling inside of him. His hand loosened around her throat and he took a step back. And then she saw it, the fight inside of him. It was clear that it took work for them to control the cyborg version of her father. No matter what they did, they had to fight Jeremiah Danvers in order to use his body.

Kara and J'onn were in the room once again, but before there could be anymore fighting, the cyborg took off on his own.

Tears were falling down Alex's face and she just looked over at her mother. All she'd ever wanted was for her father to come home, for them to be reunited. Cadmus had killed her father...but this...it was like they just kept killing him over and over again. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

"Alex," she heard J'onn say but it took her a moment to realize he was standing there with her, his hands holding her up as he searched her and Amara with his eyes. Kara was over with Eliza.

"We have to go," was all Alex could think to say in that moment.

"I know," he whispered as he transformed back into his human disguise.

"Where will we go now?"

"The only place we can go," Kara spoke up.

TBC…