A/N: This is written in response to a prompt given by red lighting. Thanks to Frozenfever9712 for the advice.
"Hey Alex." Winn said as he entered the room Eliza, Hank, Alex and Kara were in. "Oh, hi Eliza."
"Winn." She smiled.
"So I realise I may not have been that helpful earlier, which is why I need to show you something." He said looking at Alex. "But before that, has something happened? You all look a little, um, well, frazzled. Well apart from Kara, who looks wide awake and full of energy."
"Kara has learnt how to fly." Alex said.
"Oh, that's bad." Winn agreed. "Any other powers?"
"Not yet." J'onn said as Kara happily clung to Alex."So what did you want to show us?"
"Right. Okay, so I got some supplies and had Vasquez help me set them up in the training room next door." He said beckoning for them to follow.
"What type of supplies?" J'onn asked.
"Supplies for Kara." Winn explained as he opened the door to the adjacent training room.
"You have converted my training room into a child's play area?" J'onn asked when he saw all the apparatus that had been assembled.
"I have. So I have crayons that she can eat without harming herself. There is a ball and some soft skittles, a small climbing area and slide, Aquadraw, some Happyland playsets, a bead maze, a rainbow stacker and some non toxic Play-Doh."
"Where, did you get all of this?" Alex asked as Eliza added.
"It must have cost you a fortune."
"It's nothing." Winn shrugged as Kara started to struggle against Alex's arms until the elder sister put the baby down. Immediately Kara half walked, half crawled towards the toys. Just before she got there Alex asked Winn.
"Are these safe for her?"
"Um, you do remember she is Supergirl and is kind of indestructible?" Winn asked.
"She is a baby." Alex said.
"Yeah, an indestructible baby." Winn pointed out. Seeing Alex's glare he added. "But they are all rated safe for a human eighteen month baby. And the good news is while she is distracted with them she won't want to F-L-Y."
"Why are you spelling out fly?" Alex asked.
"So she doesn't understand what I'm saying and get ideas."
"Dear, I doubt Kara's vocabulary runs to fly yet." Eliza pointed out.
-00-
"How did it go with Lord?" Alex asked as Lucy entered the training room a couple of hours later.
"He denies all knowledge and... what has happened in here? Where did you get all of this?" She asked getting distracted by all the toys.
"Winn." Alex said before getting the conversation back on track. "Do you believe him?"
"I'm not sure. He is hiding something, but I don't think it is related to this, at least not directly anyway."
"Why have you found something?" J'onn asked.
"Maybe. Nothing came up in the database search for any alien or weapon that could cause this. However, we expanded the search to look for an alien or weapon that could cause severe ageing."
"You are hoping the principle is the same, only reversed?" J'onn asked.
"I'm not a science person, but hopefully I'm not far off." Lucy said.
"And did you find something?" Alex asked.
"Yes. One of the prisoners from a planet Gelf was a scientist convicted by Kara's mother for unethical genetic experiments. As part of his work he was trying to find a way to reverse the ageing process, only it went wrong and instead accelerated it. In the process he killed his partner. After that he went a little crazy and kept trying out his experiment. All of his victims under went accelerated cell death and ageing. He killed nearly one hundred people."
"How did he actually age people?" Alex asked.
"He had a device that he made." Seeing the questioning looks everyone was giving her she added. "Again, I am a lawyer not a scientist. I was hoping one of you may be able to figure it out and if it could have been reversed."
"I can look." Eliza offered knowing Alex didn't want to leave Kara.
"Sir, Ma'ams." Vasquez said entering the training room. "Sorry to interrupt, but Maxwell Lord is here. He wants to know if you want his help."
"Has he admitted he is behind this?" Alex asked.
"No ma'am." Vasquez said. "But he says he is willing to help solve whatever problems you have."
"If he is here at least we can keep an eye on him." Lucy pointed out.
"Fine, show him in." Alex said feeling a migraine coming on.
"Hello Alex." Max smiled as he entered the training room. Looking round he asked. "The alien hunting business going so badly you need to run child care on the side?"
"Not in the mood Max." Alex said.
"I can see that." Max replied half sympathetically. "You do look like you have taken on an army by yourself. So what exactly is the problem?"
"Kara has been de-aged." Alex said nodding at the baby who was playing with the Play-Doh.
"Wait, that is Kara? Your sister? The girl of steel?" Max asked pointing at the baby.
"Yes."
"That is the funniest thing I have heard all week." Max laughed.
"This is not funny." Alex said walking up to Max.
"Sorry. I'm sure you don't see the funny side." He said as he placed his hands on Alex's shoulders. Before Alex or any of the adults could protested Max felt a sudden burning sensation in his leg."What the-" He asked looking down at his smouldering thigh.
"Kara, no." Alex said stepping between Max and the baby who was attempting to use her heat vision on Max.
"The little -" Max started only for J'onn to cut him off.
"She's just a baby." J'onn reminded him. "You are lucky she is not at full strength."
"Can't you slap her in Kryptonite cuffs?" Max asked as he rubbed his thigh.
"No." Eliza said horrified by the suggestion.
"Perhaps it would be better if you tried working somewhere else." Lucy suggested.
-00-
"Where's Kara?" J'onn asked when he entered the training room that evening and only saw Alex.
In response Alex wearily pointed towards the ceiling where Kara was flying round.
"How long?" J'onn asked.
"Ten minutes." Alex said pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Looks like she is mastering flying." J'onn commented. "She is showing more control than normal." He added earning an eye roll from Alex.
"Unfortunately she has mastered the fact that I can't reach her up there. Don't suppose you want to fly up there and grab her."
"Not especially, but I have an idea, back in a minute." J'onn said leaving the room.
When he returned Alex immediately smelt the familiar and comforting aroma of freshly baked cookies. Reaching over she took one from the plate and started eating.
"I meant you could use them to bribe Kara to come down." J'onn said shaking his head.
"I need the sugar. Besides, according to Hamilton Kara isn't allowed them."
"I don't think she got the message." Hank said as Kara swooped down and tried to grab a cookie off the plate. When Hank covered them Kara started to cry and said something that sounded like.
"Ookie."
"That's typical that her first word is food related." Alex said as she freed another cookie and broke a bit off, which she gave to Kara. In response Kara stopped crying, grinned like a rabid hyena and started munching. The second she was finished she took another from the plate.
Having demolished the cookies Kara took off again and high on sugar started acrobatically flying round. Unfortunately the rapid movements combined with a full stomach resulted in a far less full stomach as she regurgitated the cookie over J'onn.
Unable to vomit, cry and fly simultaneously Kara dropped down and was safely caught by Alex as J'onn looked in dismay at his shirt.
"No cookies in future." He said as he walked out of the training room.
"Not sure you'll live that one down." Alex said as she cleaned Kara's face before hugging the crying baby. As Kara started to settle she repeated.
"Ookie. Ookie"
"Really don't think that is a good idea." Alex said.
-00-
"What's wrong?" Eliza asked as she entered the training area the next morning and found a very dazed looking Alex watching as Kara made models out of the Play-Doh.
"Her super hearing has kicked in. Any sound gets her attention." Alex said. "Unfortunately that means the slightest sound wakes her up."
"Which means you aren't sleeping either." Eliza pointed out.
"Something like that." Alex said as she glanced over to Kara.
"Do you remember when she first came to Earth and was having problems controlling her powers?" Eliza asked.
"I do."
"And how she couldn't sleep at night as she couldn't shut out all the noise."
"Kind of like now, Yeah."
"Do you remember helping her through it?"
"I remember telling her to stop being such a freak." Alex said guiltily.
"After that." Eliza prompted.
"Yeah, I set up my old metronome so she could focus on that." Alex recalled.
"And it worked, it kept her calm and she started to sleep. But it drove you crazy."
"Yeah, well have you ever tried to sleep next to a metronome?" Alex asked. "But that is a good idea. We could set something up in here. Doesn't have to be a metronome, just something with a beat. I can't believe I didn't think of that."
"Well you have a lot going on and on not much sleep." Eliza sympathised.
"If I over looked that, what if I have overlooked something in the data?" Alex asked running a hand through her hair.
"Why don't I look after her for a while?" Eliza offered. "That way you can get some sleep." Seeing Alex's reluctance she added. "It hasn't been that long since you were this age and I was looking after you. I don't think I did that bad a job."
"Just two hours." Alex reluctantly agreed as she stood. She had barely made it a step though when Kara flew to the door and blocked her path as she held out her arms.
Shaking her head Alex took Kara in her arms and hugged her before walking back towards the toys and putting Kara down.
As she backed away Kara watched her like a hawk and the second she got too close to the door Kara was flying to intercept again.
This time Alex took her in her arms before passing her to Eliza who held Kara as Alex started to escape. The second the door opened though Kara started screaming.
"Go." Eliza said. "If you look back you won't be able to go."
Feeling guilty Alex left the room trying to ignore the screams, but by the time she had made it twenty yards the guilt was too much. Sighing she went to her lab, grabbed a tablet, a blanket and pillow and returned to the training room where Kara was still screaming. The second Kara saw Alex she calmed slightly but did not stop crying until Alex put down her supplies and took Kara from her mother.
"You owe me big time." Alex muttered to Kara who seemed oblivious to Alex's plight.
When Alex was finally sure that Kara was not going to get agitated she put Kara down by the toys and walked back to the supplies she had brought, under the suspicious gaze of Kara.
"I'm going to sleep in the corner, will you watch her?" Alex asked Eliza.
"Of course." Eliza smiled as Alex threw the pillow down and then lay on the floor. Moments later she was asleep. Content that Alex wasn't leaving Kara started to go back to playing until something caught her eye.
Toddling over to Alex, Kara picked up the corner of the blanket and pulled it up to cover Alex's shoulders before heading back to her toys.
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope to get the final chapter up this week.