Kara was half laying on her couch, watching TV without real purpose. The programms in the afternoon were really boring. And still, she couldn't get her eyes off the screen. Kara wouldn't tell Alex but she was drained and tired. Since their fight two days ago, the young kryptonian wasn't sure it was the good idea to tell her sister the truth about her condition. She wouldn't hide her fatigue, it was quite obvious just by looking at her; but she wouldn't show all of her exhaustion. And to be honest, Kara was certain Alex was also hiding things from her.

The young woman was slightly concerned about her loss of energy. She hadn't felt complete since she had tried to use her heat-vision two days ago. Kara wasn't about to use her powers for a long time. And that was bothering her. It was really hard sometimes when her super-hearing would kick in, hear a scream and knowing she couldn't help was extremely frustrating.

Kara's sanity and mind was saved by three hesitant knocks on the front door. The young woman stood up and walked the slower she had ever walked with a sigh of annoyement. Her face lit up and her boredom faded away when she opened the door. On the other side stood Winn, holding a box of donuts, a shy smile on his face.

"Winn!" Kara exclaimed backing a little so her friend could enter.

It took only two seconds for the young man to put the pink box on the kitchen table and spin to face his friend. After that, the only thing he saw was blond hair. Kara had lunched herself in his arms and was squeezing him hard. So hard Winn had to retain a cry. But eventually, Kara's grip loosened and it was Winn's turn to enjoy his friend's presence. Having her in his arms was all he had wished since he had learned how seriously in danger she was two weeks ago.

The young man decided to pull out after a good ten seconds. A shot of confusion crossed his face when he noticed that the young woman steadied herself by using his arms.

"Kara, are you ok?" he asked looking at every details of the pale shade of pink on her face

"Just have some vertigo sometimes. No big deals." she assured making her way towards her couch

"So... I thought Alex was staying with you." Winn said as he looked around him and didn't see any sign of the other Danvers sister

"She is." Kara started sitting down. "She's out buying rice...Lots of rice." she added almost chuckling. "That's the only thing I can keep in my stomach." the young woman explained as she saw the curious look of Winn

"Really?" he wondered. He knew Kara for a very long time and he had seen her eat all kinds of food, not always healthy. And he knew how much she liked to eat.

"Yeah... We tried chinese yesterday evening. It did not end well." Kara started shivering as she remembered how fast she ran to the bathroom and threw up. "Waffles in the morning and rice the rest of the day. That's been my energy source for three days." she obviously complained

"Wow, now I feel bad for you. And I feel stupid since I bought you donuts."

"Don't worry, I'm sure alex will take care of it." Kara joked even if a part of her really wanted those donuts.

A light silence settled between the two friends. Each of them were thinking to what to say next. It was very different things, important too. But neither of them really knew how to start. Eventually, Winn started.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. Miss Grant wanted me to finish some of your stuff and then I thought you would want to be alone with Alex and-"

"It's ok, Winn. You're here now." Kara said with sad tone that didn't go unnoticed

"You're sure everthing is ok?" he asked lowering his head so he could see Kara's face as she hung her head

"I'm so sorry." she simply said with a shaky voice, snapping her head up again

"Wh-For what?" Winn wondered confused

"I know it's stupid since Alex and Eliza explained it to me but I still think about it sometimes and I have to get it out of my chest." Kara started still not lighting Winn's lantern. "When I was out, I had nightmares. And it was so real." she started to explain as she fought back tears.

Winn's heart broke as he heard the pain in his friend's voice. The young man put a comforting hand on Kara's knee without really realizing it.

"I was emprisonned by Maxwell Lord and Lucy's father. They wanted informations and used Alex against me. She sacrificed herself to protect those secrets." the young kryptonian paused to regain a normal voice. She had just noticed that it was trembling. "I swore to her, I promised to keep all the things I knew to myself. And I kept that promise... Even when they brought you in." she stopped to look up at her friend's sad eyes.

Winn was clearly afraid of what could follow. He was really sorry for Kara to have experienced such terrible things. But there was something worse. He realized that she had trouble to admit it wasn't real. That kind of pain in Kara's eyes was really rare and Winn had just seen it a couple of times.

"They wanted to know my cousin's identity but I couldn't tell. I wouldn't. And that's how I let them kill you." Kara finally explained before she let tears fall down her face. "I am so sorry." she added

"Hey, it's ok. It's alright." Winn assured rubbing Kara's back gently. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm not blaming you for anything. So don't blame yourself. In my opinion, even if it was a nightmare, you did the right thing, Kara" he said to make her look up. "I wouldn't want to be saved if it meant to unleash super secrets."

Kara looked at him for a second, appreaciating the sincerity in his stare. The young kryptonian sighed in relief and wiped the tears off her face.

"Thank you." she finally said, pulling him in a hug

Their embrace was cut short by insisting knocking on the door. Winn immediately jerked back and a quick look at his friend told him she was fine enough to go answer helself.

"James!" Kara cheered five seconds later.

She didn't have the time to do anything else as the man forced her into a tight hug. Kara accepted the embrace and responded by putting her hands on his back, right behind his shoulders. The young woman could feel all of James's concern and fear he had accumulated since he had heard the news. All of his frustration flew away in a simple tight embrace, allowing him to make sure his friend was fine and out of danger.

"God I was so worried." he breathed out

The hug ended a bit brutaly when Kara pulled off, hearing her other guest coming closer.

"I should go now. It was good to see you, Kara." the young man stated, slightly hurt

"Winn... Thank you." she said simply, earning a small smile from him, right before he left.

It gave the oportunity to James to slowly close the door. As he turned back, he joined Kara who was sitting next to the kitchen table.

"Kara, I'm so sorry I couldn't be here sooner. I only got Winn's message two days ago and then the desert—" James spoke quickly lunching himself in a round of apologies

"It's ok, James. I understand." Kara interrupted sincerely. "And it wouldn't have done anything to anyone except making one more person crazy worry."

"Does Clark know?" the man asked after a sigh of guilt mix with relief

"No, I don't want to take any risks. The Argo fever is quite contagious and Alex says I could still infect him. I know if I tell him now he would come and expose himself."

"Yeah... Stubborness runs in the family." James joked, making Kara laugh. "I wish I would've been there for you." he added with a sad tone

"You're always there for me." the young woman comforted brushing lightly his fingers.

The soft gesture made James look up and lock his eyes with Kara's. They stayed like that for a few seconds before the man awkwardly cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. Kara did the same and regretted what she just said. The two weren't naive about their feelings for each other. They were well aware of their mutual attraction but they wouldn't admit it. James was with Lucy and Kara was way too shy to enter in competition. James was torn between the two women and still had strong feelings for the Major.

"So, uh... Winn told me you were still recovering." the man tried to change the subject

"I'm tired pretty much all the time but I'm ok. I just have to be careful with my powers. I can't use them or I lose to much energy." Kara explained like nothing add happened

"So when do you think you'll be flying again?"

"Honestly... I don't know." the young kryptonian shrugged in defeat. "But I can't wait though. I think I'll be returning to CatCo tomorrow. It's boring here."

"Just don't take too much too soon, ok?" James warned

"Don't worry, Alex will make sure of that." Kara chuckled.

An other uncomfortable silence settled between the two friends. Kara didn't know were to put herself and thought about James for a second. She knew what he was thinking. He was worried about her and sorry he couldn't have been there sooner. Guilt was eating James from inside. Still, a huge amount of it disappeared as soon as he had taken the young woman in his arms earlier. And then, when Kara detailed James emotional state, she quickly saw how miserable he looked. As far as it was possible for him to look that way.

"James?" Kara started a bit concerned. "How long have you been back from Egypt?"

The man seemed to look like a guilty child for a second before admitting his defeat. At that moment, he knew he wouldn't stay in the apartment for long.

"Since this morning." he said looking down

"This morning!" Kara exclaimed. "James, go to your place and have some rest."

"But-"

"You're exhausted and jet-lagged and your clothes still have sand on them." she started elevating her voice. "Just go, James. I'll be fine. Besides, Alex will be back soon." the young woman assured

"Ok..." James finally consided.

The man stood up reluctantly and headed for the door. Kara followed closely and opened the door.

"I'm so glad you're ok."

"Me too... See you at CatCo?" Kara said as he stepped out

"See you at CatCo." James confirmed with a shy smile.

And Kara closed the door.

Once again, she was alone in her apartment. Once again, she dragged her lazy body to the couch. Once again, she started to watch bad shows on TV. Kara sighed heavily. She was bored, tired and lazy at the same time. It was this weird feeling of need of action and will to stay in your bed for the rest of the day. The young woman hated this sensation; her that was usually full of life and always ready to move. It was even worse than when she had lost her powers because she still had them but was incapable of using them. All Kara wanted was fly again, put on he suit and save people. Like she was destined to do, like she had always loved to do.

And then there was James... The man she loved but was with an other respected, nice and beautiful woman. A woman who had supported Supergirl against her father during the Red Tornado fiasco. A woman who had thanked her after Supergirl had saved her. A woman who had been a huge asset when it came to incriminate Armstrong during the E-mail hack. No. Kara couldn't compete. Even if she knew James loved her, she was also certain that he loved Lucy more. And that was where she was naive and wrong.

But the one thing that was keeping Kara confined in her apartment was her own fear. Not the fear of being hurt but the fear of hurting others. The images of her nightmares were coming less frequently. Usually, it was right before falling asleep and right before waking up. But it was less violent and horrible as Kara became used to it. The young kryptonian still felt horribly guilty and terrified when she would see Alex, Winn or Cat get killed. Because all of those people had been killed because of her, because of their connection to Supergirl. And that was why Kara was so afraid to fly again.

"I wish you saw the face the cashier made when I paid for all this rice." Alex said entering the apartment thirty minutes later

"You just had to tell we were preparing a party." Kara said from the couch

"You stayed laying here watching crapy TV all afternoon?" Alex exclaimed seeing her sister with the commander in one hand, constantly changing the chanel

"No, James and Winn came." the young woman answered with a bored voice

"That's cool. Did you tell Winn about the nightmare?" the agent asked carefully stowing the rice in the closet

"Yes and it helped. A lot." Kara confessed. "But then James came and it became awkward."

"Ow... Why?" Alex asked now curious. She had always encouraged Kara to fight for James but she realized a while ago that her sister wasn't built for that kind of competition.

"He was so worried and he gave me a hug. A tight hug." Kara started, shifting in a sitting position so she could face Alex by turning her head. "And of course I accepted the hug and stayed in his arms for a while. It hurt Winn and he left awkwardly. God I'm so stupid." she whined waving her arms

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Alex started, sitting in the seat opposite to the couch. "You just can't be in a not complicated relationship with your friends." she paused only to see the glare her sister was giving her. "You set things clear with Winn a while ago. Now you just have to let him deal with it. One way love is his problem, not yours. You have a love triangle problem."

"I don't know which one I prefer." Kara shrugged

"Trust me, neither of them is fun." Alex chuckled putting an end to the subject

"Anyway... I'm going to work tomorrow." Kara stated a few seconds later

"But you're not recovered yet." Alex exclaimed suddenly in disagreement. "You have to rest for a few days."

"But it's been a few days, Alex." Kara contered, whining. "It's boring in here and the TV is making me nuts. At least if I'm working I can think about something else than the fire in the forest that is giving so much trouble to everyone."

"You're not strong enough." Alex tried not very convincing

"I'll be ok, I promise. I can stand, I can walk without face-planting."she said before sighing. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that? Because last time I checked, you were on the verge of death five days ago and you almost collasped when you tried to use your heat-vision" Alex said with just enough sarcasm not to make it sound mean and unapropriate.

"I don't want to use my powers, just go to work and be an assistant." Kara countered one last time, making Alex sigh

"Fine. But the smallest sign of fatigue, you lay down and rest."

"Come on, Alex. The last thing I want is to faint at work... again." the young kryptonian assured

"If you need me tomorrow I'll be at the DEO." Alex said but trully meant 'Call me if you swallow wrong.'

Kara was in the elevator, latte in hand, ready for action. Alex had told her that her cover for work was that she had been suffering for a very bad flu so the number of people that was saluting her on her way wasn't surprising. Kara was still under the emotion of the people's affection for Supergirl. Most of the letters and drawings had been cleaned up but all the flowers and candles were still in front of CatCo. It was more impressive than on TV. A tear had slid down her cheek but Kara quickly wiped it away.

The elevator finally stopped to her floor and the young woman stepped out from it and made her way through the bullpen. She smiled when she saw Winn, so focussed on his screen that he didn't even noticed it was Kara that was settling at her desk. Finally, he looked up naturally and his face lit up with a mix of confusion and joy.

"Kara! What are you doing here?" he asked but already glad his best friend was back to CatCo

"I'm working here." Kara joked putting Cat's latte on the edge of her desk

"Is Alex...aware of that?" the young man asked afraid of what an elite DEO agent could do if pissed off

"She knows." Kara smiled before going back to preparing her desk before sitting down.

A minute later, a woman, maybe five or six years older than Kara, came rushing out of the elevator with a latte in her hand, but stopped instanly at the young woman's desk when she saw it was already occupied.

"Oh my God. You're Kara Danvers?" she asked almost panting

"Yes and you are?" the young kryptonian asked back smiling slightly

"Not working here anymore. Oh thanks for coming back! I couldn't be an assistant for much longer." the woman said before spining

"Uh you can take that back." Kara empressed to say, handing her the latte she had just brought

"Right... Thank you!" she exclaimed before leaving, clearly glad she wouldn't see Miss Grant today.

Kara chuckled and suddenly stopped when she heard her boss' elevator coming close. The young woman smiled to herself, thinking about how her habits were returning fast. Her super-hearing had turned on naturally and didn't use a lot of energy. It was probably the less consumming power anyway.

The doors slid open and Cat stormed out with the usual sound of her heals angrily slapping the ground. Her pace quickly slowed down as she saw her blonde assistant waiting for her with a latte in hand.

"Kira, you're back. I was about to fire the other one anyway." Cat said as she took the latte without stopping.

Instinctly, Kara followed her in her office with a note pad and a pen. She waited as Cat put her purse on the floor next to her chair, took off her sunglasses and sat down. Then, the young woman wasn't surprised to see her boss waving her hand, ordering her to close the door.

"I am surprised to see you here so soon but I'm also glad to see you're up to work." Cat started before sipping her latter. "Are you...up to work?" Cat asked concerned about her assistant's health since her buverage was almost cold. She didn't say it was though. She didn't want to.

"I assure you I am, Miss Grant." Kara certified trying to appear strong and confident

"Perfect then. Now go back to work. Chop chop." Cat said, dismissing her by waving her hand.

Cat watched Kara exiting her office. She knew she was still recovering and wasn't really up for the usual amount of work. So the Queen of all Media righfully decided to make her work slower. She could imagine how terrible it was for Kara to stay at home and do nothing. She was herself like that. Sundays would be horrible if it wasn't for Carter and all his energy. But now that Kara was here, Cat could ask her about the Supergirl matter. She would speak to her tomorrow and let her get a normal day of work first. Cat had made sure personnaly that all the letters and drawings adressed to Supergirl would be archived in CatCo, waiting for the hero to come and see them if she wanted to. And Cat was sure and certain Kara would request them at some point.

AN: As promised here is chapter 12 at the very end of the week.

So that was a slow chapter with a lot of reflexion and dialogue. Hope the conversations between Kara and her friends satisfied you. Don't forget to tell me about it. I will reply as always.

Also thanks for all the reviews and all your encouragement messages. It made me feel less alone I guess.

Next, Kara will spend some time at CatCo and will probably talk to Cat about the Supergirl interview. I will probably update in a few days ;)