"Morning." Alex greeted as she entered the kitchen the next morning.
"Hey. Coffee?" Adam offered.
"You need to ask?"
I guess not." He said pouring her a cup. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sore." Alex confessed. "But I'll deny it if you tell Kara. Speaking of, where is she?"
"Fire downtown. She'll be back soon. So why did you turn your phone off last night?" Adam asked.
"I didn't. I put it on airplane mode." Alex said. "How do you know? Was Kara checking up on me?"
"No. Eliza texted me to say you weren't responding. So why airplane mode?"
"Mom was ringing every five minutes checking up on me as if I was going to endanger Elle. I don't understand why she has such a low opinion of my babysitting skills."
"Well-" Adam started only for Alex to keep going.
"I mean I am not the one who once forgot Elle."
"That was once, for one minute, and it was four years ago. You are never going to let me forget that are you?"
"No." Alex agreed. "And after I tell Elle I'm sure she won't either. But despite having never forgotten Elle or harmed her in anyway, mom then started giving advice and criticising what I was doing. Then she demanded to know what movies we were going to watch. It was as if she thought I was going to make her watch the Saw boxset."
"To be fair last time we were in Midvale and Eliza asked Elle if she wanted to listen to Disney sing-a-long in the car she said no and asked for AC/DC." Adam reminded her.
"So? Someone has give her balance in her life and Little Miss Disney isn't going to give that to her. What's wrong with AC/DC? You like them."
"There is nothing wrong with AC/DC. It's just a little strange for a five year old to prefer that to Disney." Adam said. "Your mom thought so too."
"I thought it was meant to be the mother who was over protective and overbearing not the grandmother." Alex complained.
"There was also that time you let Krypto clean the food off Elle's face." Adam reminded her.
"Firstly, I didn't let. He just did. It's not my fault your dog knows no discipline. Secondly, she has a super immune system so it wasn't dangerous. Thirdly, whose side are you on?"
"Elle's" Adam stated as the child in question ran into the kitchen and towards Alex moments before she engulfed Alex in a hug as she squealed.
"Auntie Alex." Elle squealed running into the kitchen and hugging her.
"Hey munchkin." Alex smiled lifting her into a chair, wincing as she did so.
"I didn't tell mommy." Elle said proudly.
"Didn't tell mommy what?" Adam asked.
"That I got to stay up past eight." Elle said proudly.
"And you wonder why Eliza rings so often?" Adam asked Alex before turning to Elle and asking. "What else weren't you meant to tell mommy?"
"That I got to eat ice cream." She grinned.
"Ice cream? Really?" Adam asked looking back at Alex.
"Wow, you really do take after your mother." Alex commented earning a bigger smile from Elle who then asked.
"What happened to your band aids?"
"They came off in the shower." Alex lied.
"Perhaps you should give auntie Alex some more." Adam suggested earning a glare from Alex.
"Right now you need breakfast." Alex said cutting off Elle attempting first aid again.
"Okay." Elle agreed before asking. "Are you coming to the park with us today?"
"Of course she is." Kara said entering the kitchen.
"But no one is going anywhere until you've eaten your breakfast." Adam said to Elle.
"Can I have pancakes?"
"No."
"But it's Saturday."
"And you had ice cream last night." Adam reminded her.
"Please?" She pleaded looking at Kara who got a pointed stare from Adam before she said.
"No pancakes. And as your dad is the only one who can make them has decision is final."
"Why can't you and auntie Alex cook?" She asked looking disappointed.
"That is one of this world's greatest mysteries." Adam said handing Elle a bowl of cereal.
-00-
"So you want to talk yet?" Kara asked as she sat next to Alex on a bench whilst Adam and Elle threw a ball for Krypto.
"Talk?" Alex asked.
"About Maggie." Kara said trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.
"Nope."
"It might help." Kara pressed.
"You have your own problems." Alex replied.
"What problems?"
"Trying to balance your DEO life with Elle, the judgemental parents at the school, raising a kid and your career." Alex listed.
"Things I am managing to do. Right now I am more worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Kara sighed. "You were distracted yesterday, which is why you were thrown into a wall."
"It was a ten foot alien who had aspirations of being Popeye." Alex said before reminding Kara. "I don't have Super powers."
"Which is why you need to be careful. The reason you got thrown into the wall wasn't because he was bigger or stronger, but because you weren't focused."
"What'd you do? Write down every lecture J'onn and I ever gave you so you could recite it back?" Alex asked.
"Alex I'm worried about you. I can't lose you. When I saw you flying towards that wall last night I was so scared."
"You're not going to lose me." Alex said. "I promise I will be more careful."
"Perhaps it would be easier to be more careful if you accepted you're not fine." Kara said.
"Okay, I'm processing." Alex conceded.
"And I get that, but it's been over six weeks." Kara said before more quietly adding. "This time."
"There's a lot to process." Alex said suddenly smiling and waving at Elle who was looking over at them.
"I know." Kara said taking Alex's hand. "And I know you think you have to process alone, but you don't. I will always be there for you."
"I know."
-00-
Noticing Elle was distracted Adam bent down in front of her and asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Elle." He said in a stern voice causing her to say.
"Auntie Alex is sad."
"Why do you say that?" He asked glancing over to Kara and Alex who were deep in conversation.
"She just said she was."
"When?" Adam asked confused.
"Just now, she told mommy."
"You can hear them?" Adam asked looking back to Elle knowing there was no way normal hearing could pick up the conversation.
"Yes. Can't you?"
"No."
"Because you are old?"
"Sure." He replied before saying. "You shouldn't listen to people's conversations."
"But they're loud." Elle complained.
"Do you listen to conversations a lot?" He asked causing her to look at the ground and nod.
"That's how I know mommy missed my show because she was hurt at work." She confessed causing Adam to hug her.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I thought I'd get into trouble for listening."
"What's going on?" Kara asked concerned as she walked over to them.
"You know how you have really good hearing?" Adam asked.
"Yeah."
"Turns out Elle's hearing is really good to and she has accidentally been hearing conversations she shouldn't."
"Am I in trouble?" Elle asked staring at her feet.
"No." Kara said hugging her daughter. "But it is really important that you don't listen to people's conversations."
"It's hard."
"I know. But I can help with that." Kara said as Alex and Adam wondered what else Elle had overheard.
-TBC..
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.