"Mother! No! I don't want to leave. Please don't abandon me." Kara sobbed in her sleep. "Scared...Mother! Father! Please... Not strong enough."
As Alex struggled to crawl to Kara's side Astra said. "I have her." In no position to fight Alex warned.
"Careful. Could be an hallucination rather than a dream."
Nodding Astra moved to Kara and lifted her niece into her arms, just as she had done many years before on Krypton.
"Calm yourself Little One." Astra said as she held Kara.
As Kara opened her eyes she saw before her a glimpse of the person she had been dreaming of and called. "Mother?"
"Hush Little One." Astra soothed as she held her niece.
"Aunt Astra?" Kara asked as she heard her aunt calling her pet name for her.
"You're safe now."
"Wh- what happened?" She asked confused as to why her aunt was holding her.
"A nightmare." Astra explained as she continued to hold her niece. "You are safe now." For a minute Astra silently held Kara remembering how close they had been on Krypton, but finally she said. "Your mother believed all nightmares end the longer we are awake."
"That never stopped them coming back the next night." Kara said.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Astra asked.
"That dream demons can not hurt us, nor can they survive for long. And by thinking happy thoughts before sleep the demons can't be born." Kara recalled.
"It is still true." Astra said.
"Only it wasn't a dream, it was a memory of my last moments on Krypton." Kara said sadly moving away from her aunt who looked on before finally saying.
"Your mother could always make the difficult decisions. If she thought it was the right thing to do she would do it regardless of the consequences to her or anyone else. It was something that we often argued about."
"Are you any different?" Kara asked remembering why Astra had been in Fort Rozz.
"Maybe not." Astra conceded before saying. "Your mother and I had many disagreements."
"I remember." Kara smiled sadly.
"But one thing we always agreed on was we wanted you to be safe. Your mother wanted you to survive. She sent you here because she loved you and she had faith in you. She believed it was the right thing to do."
"I know." Kara said wiping away a stray tear. "But that doesn't make it any easier to live with."
"Do you wish that you had died on Krypton?" Astra asked curious.
"There have been times when I have felt so lost and so alone that I have questioned if it may have been better to have died." Kara confessed. "But for all that I lost that day when I was sent away and had my world destroyed I have also gained so much."
"Like her?" Astra asked nodding at Alex who seemed to be sleeping.
"She's my sister." Kara said. On seeing Astra's confused looked she explained. "After Kal-El found me he took me to a family who raised me as their own. That day Alex became my sister. She has always been there for me, always protected me." With their connection revealed Astra sat back and digested Kara's words. After minutes of silence Kara looked up at the sky and commented.
"The stars look so different from this planet. Sometimes it is hard to believe I am looking at the same stars you taught me about on Krypton."
"I remember you used to sneak out of your room at night to find me so I could teach you about the stars." Astra recalled, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly at the memory.
"When my mother caught us you always took the blame." Kara smiled. "You said you had insisted I joined you in the observation lounge so you could teach me."
"Your mother may have been fooled, I am not so sure about your father." Astra pointed out as the conversation stopped once more as the sun started to rise. Finally Astra said.
"I blamed you for things your mother did. That was wrong. I spent so many years trying to protect you and then after all that time in the Phantom Zone I tried to kill you. You were right about me, I did go crazy in Fort Rozz. I let my failure to save our people destroy my memories of you. I blamed your mother and, by proxy, you for what had befallen our people."
"If what you say is true all Kryptonians were responsible for what happened to Krypton."
"Blood bonds us all in success and failure, in glory and defeat and in creation and destruction." Astra recited.
"Blood bonds us all." Kara said quietly.
"And that is why we must unite to save this planet." Astra said with renewed energy as she turned to face her niece.
"I can not join you if you and Non plan on hurting people."
"They are not our people."
"You are wrong. This is not our planet, but these are as much my people as you are. I was raised on this planet. My family is from this planet."
"Tell me, why do you hide your identity? It is because you fear what will happen to you and your friends and your adopted family? Some of these people you strive to protect may have shown you kindness, but most of them are little better than barbarians."
"Says the terrorist." Alex muttered from the side.
"Alex?" Kara asked moving to her side. "Can I get you anything?"
"I'm okay." Alex said before asking. "You?"
"I'm fine."
"Your hand?" Alex asked.
"It's okay." Kara replied subtly moving it out of Alex's sight.
"You sure?"
"I am. You should focus on you. You don't look so great." Kara pointed out concerned with how pale her sister was.
"I'm fine. But we should make a move. Help me up."
-00-
Alex was torn, she knew that Kara would have a better chance of making it without dragging her along. However, no matter what Kara said Alex did not trust Astra and did not want to leave Kara alone with her aunt. However, after thirty minutes of slow progress and feeling her wound was bleeding again she said.
"You need to go on without me."
"No." Kara argued.
"I am slowing you down and moving is causing me to lose blood. We both stand a better chance of survival separately."
"I am not leaving you." Kara said. Seeing how torn her niece was looking Astra said to Alex.
"You say that Kara is your family."
"She is."
"Then you are also bound by our family motto. We are stronger together. So we all stay here or we all go on. You may choose which."
"I need a few minutes." Alex said before looking to Kara and asking. "We passed some branches a couple of minutes ago, will you get them so I can re-splint my ankle?"
"Of course." Kara said not questioning Alex's motives. The second she was out of earshot Alex turned to Astra and asked.
"Why? We both know you both have a better chance without me."
"Because Kara has lost too much already. To lose you and be responsible will break her. I will not allow that." Astra said as she secured another dressing to Alex's side. As Alex gasped in pain Astra continued. "It is time to prove that humans can be strong. You owe it to Kara to survive."
-00-
Three hours later as the trio stumbled over the unfamiliar terrain Astra knew Alex did not have much chance of survival unless rescue came soon. Whilst she conceded she may have over estimated the fragility of humans she knew that Alex was at her limit, with any pretence of supporting her own weight long since discarded.
Glancing over to her niece she saw the grim determination that had shone through the day before was being replaced by guilt and doubt.
"Let's rest." Astra said as she help Kara lower Alex to the ground. "I will fetch some water."
"Please hold on Alex." Kara pleaded as she rested Alex's head in her lap. As she did so she was scared with how hot Alex's face was. "A little longer. Hank will find us. I need you to hold on until then. I can't do this without you. I need you." She cried. "You are so strong and I need you to be strong now because if you aren't I won't be strong enough. I have lost so much already, I can not lose you too."
Astra stepped away from the sisters leaving them some privacy and started to walk towards what she hoped was a water source. She had only moved a few feet when she noticed something approach in the distance. Any debate over sharing the news with the others was curtailed by Kara hearing the helicopter and exclaiming.
"We're safe." The happiness in her voice quickly changed to confusion when she saw Astra continue to walk away. "Where are you going?"
Turning back to face her niece Astra stated.
"I can not stay with you. Your side will imprison me once more."
"Where will you go?" Kara asked as she continued to cradle Alex's head. "You still don't have powers."
"My people will find me." Astra said turning away from Kara. It was at that moment though she saw her own people fly in.
"General Astra." Non greeted. "It is good to see you. We feared the worse when you disappeared. Are you injured?"
"Not really, but I have no powers. How did you find me?"
"We followed the humans."
"We must go before they arrive." Astra said not wanting another fight to start.
"We can destroy them." Non argued.
"No. I need the device removed. I need my powers back." Astra argued.
"And them?" Non asked ready to kill the Danvers.
"Leave them. We must leave now." Astra said as she took hold of her husband who reluctantly flew off moments before the DEO helicopter landed.
"What happened?" Hank asked running to the sisters.
"You have to help her." Kara said. "She's bleeding and she has a fever."
"The medics will take care of her." Hank said as he tried to extract Kara from under Alex. "You need to let them do their jobs." He added as he led her off to the helicopter. "What about you?"
"I got zapped by some device. I don't have my powers. I couldn't get her to safety. It's all my fault."
"Kara calm down." Hank instructed. "We'll take care of Alex. She will be fine." But despite his words the grim look on the medic's faces filled him with doubt.
TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.