Chapter 6: Confrontation

Alex sat in her lab at the DEO, distracting herself with work. After a night of thinking hard about it, Alex decided that she wouldn't tell anyone else about it. Or at least she would try not to. Though what was really eating away at Alex was the fact that Kara didn't tell her. That Kara didn't feel as if she could. It hurt to think that her little sister wasn't able to communicate the pain she was going through. It made Alex angry. If Kara had just opened up and not bottled it all up, none of this would have happened. Kara wouldn't have cut herself.

"Hey Alex! What're you working on?" Kara smiled and stood by the door of Alex's lab. Alex couldn't bring herself to meet Kara's eyes.

"Nothing much, same old. How have you been recently? You haven't spoken much about what happened with PSI."

"Alex, I told you before. I'm fine okay? Stop asking me over and over."

"Are you though?" Alex lifted her head to meet Kara's gaze. Kara couldn't help but look away as Alex stared her down, glaring daggers.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Kara… don't lie to me. I know you aren't okay." Kara faked annoyance to hide her panic, turning and walking towards the main control area. Alex was quick to follow, turning off her microscope and chasing after her. Alex grabbed Kara's wrist, making Kara turn to look at her.

"You don't get to do this Kara! You don't get to make us worry sick about you because you can't learn to just open the fuck up! Do you not trust us or something?!" Alex's yelling caught the attention of J'onn and Winn, who were both standing at the main table. Maggie walked in just in time to catch the end of Alex's rant.

"What are you talking about Alex? You know everything there is to know!" Kara shot back, anger masking the hurt in her eyes.

"But that's not true is it? I sure didn't know about the…"

"Alex stop!" Maggie put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder to silence her. Alex huffed and turned on her heel and went back into her lab, Maggie following close behind. Kara's eyes glazed over as her mind underwent a flashback, which was upsettingly common. She saw Alex fighting to save her, she heard the cracks once again, saw the blood afresh for yet another time. She could barely hold back the tears.

"Kara? You okay?" It was Winn, who was watching her in concern. Kara gave a nod. A news report popped up, showing reports of a fire downtown.

"I'll deal with that." And then Kara was gone, in a blur of red and blue.

Two Hours Later

New Group Chat: Alex, J'onn, Winn, James

Alex: I need to tell you guys something. You have to promise not to say anything to ANYONE though.

Winn: I promise ^

James: Me too.

J'onn: I promise as well. What's going on?

Alex: Kara isn't as okay as we think.

Winn: Um duh, but if we give her space I'm sure she'll get through it.

Alex: I found out that Kara's been cutting herself. With black kryptonite. It leaves cuts that heal like they would on a human, leaving scars.

J'onn: How do you know this is true?

Alex: I found a black kryptonite blade under her bathroom sink. It had a small amount of blood on it, and when I tested it the blood came up as Kara's.

James: Holy shit. Is Kara okay?

J'onn: We must stop her, this is serious.

Winn: I agree with J'onn. What if we have an intervention? Like when she comes back to her apartment from Catco we could meet her there and talk to her about it.

Alex: That's actually a good idea. Today?

J'onn: The sooner the better.

Alex, Winn, J'onn and James were all sitting in silence on Kara's couches, no doubt mentally planning what they were going to say and how they would say it. Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of keys and the door being unlocked. Alex nodded to everyone to play it cool.

Kara opened the door to her apartment, shutting it behind her and then dropping her bag down on the kitchen counter. She wanted nothing more than to just plop down on couch and sleep after the exhausting day she had at Catco. Snapper could be impossible sometimes.

"Kara, come sit down." J'onn spoke in an even voice.

"Holy sh- you gave me a heart attack guys. What are you doing here?"

"Kara, sit down." Alex replied firmly. Kara obliged and sat down an end of a couch. Whatever was coming next, Kara felt, was going to be serious. But she didn't expect what happened next. Alex took a black knife out of her pocket, laying it down onto the table.

"Kara, show us your arms." Alex ordered. Kara was speechless. How did Alex find it? Kara hadn't used the knife for a second time, she hadn't gotten round to it. That was why she hadn't noticed it being gone. So this was what Alex was talking about at the DEO earlier that day? Kara felt guilty, that her sister and friends had to find out this way. She felt ashamed of her actions and her dishonesty.

"Kara, please." James said quietly, prompting her to do what Alex asked.

"I can't…"

"Why not? It's a simple movement, I'm sure you know how to." Winn glared at Alex after what she had just said.

"Kara we are trying to help you. You need to let us in, to show us what you've been going through and also how you've been dealing with that negativity. We can't help you if we don't know what's been going on." J'onn, always the voice of calm and reason. Kara knew that she would have to show them eventually, so made her decision. Tears started to flow down Kara's cheeks as she looked to her friends faces, those faces. The faces that had died horrific deaths right in front of her. The tears increased as she looked down at her left arm and slowly pulled her sleeve up. A collective gasp arose from them all as Kara revealed more of her arm, showing multiple deep cuts spread closely and evenly up her arm. The sight of them made Alex begin to cry.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?! YOU COULD HAVE ASKING FOR SOME FUCKING HELP!" Alex exploded with rage, a side effect of being so upset.

"You all died." Kara said in a small voice.

"Wh- what?" That took Alex by surprise.

"PSI, she killed you all. I saw Winn and James get shot in the head, Alex. I saw J'onn burn to death on Mars, powerless to help him. I saw you getting killed right in front of me Alex, the cracks that your skull made when it was bashed in with the rock she was holding, they were deafening. All the blood that came out, it was so horrible. Eliza was crushed by a building, I couldn't save her. I saw Jeremiah getting killed by CADMUS." Kara's voice wavered, tears flowing down her face, "I saw what happened when my planet was destroyed. I saw my parents, my cousins, my family. I saw them being ripped apart, the pain and horror in their eyes. I saw Mon'el die. His pod was ripped apart, he- he died and it's all my fault." With that Kara finally gave into the waves of anguish that flooded through her body, sobbing and crying at the flashbacks that her words had brought her. None of them knew what to say. That was far more than any of them had expected, and was far worse than they had expected too. Kara was startled when she felt someone hug her. She recognised that it was Alex, and buried her face into her sister's neck.

"Kara, why didn't you tell us sooner? We could have helped." Alex said in a comforting voice.

"I wanted to stay strong, for the sake of everyone and the city itself. I didn't think that it was important, so I didn't want to distract any of you with it."

"Kara, you don't have to stay strong all of the time. Even heroes break sometimes. And you'd never be a distraction to us, you're our friend and we'll always be there for you." James stood and walked over to where the two sisters were hugging, wrapping them both in his huge arms.

"We all care about you Kara, never forget that." Winn smiled reassuringly at Kara and then joined the group hug.

"Thank you for trusting us and opening up to us Kara, you won't regret it." J'onn walked to them and joined them in hugging Kara.

"Though we'll have to talk about this more Kara, you can't cut yourself okay?" Alex looked into Kara's eyes.

"Okay. Though I need to tell Lena as well, she deserves to know." It was barely a whisper.

"About you being Supergirl?!"

"No no no. About the whole cutting thing. She'll find out eventually." Kara's voice was weak from crying, her breathing still erratic.

"Not tonight Kara. You should get some rest. We'll leave."

"Alex. Could you please stay?"

"Of course Kara."