"Kara?" Alex said as she burst into her sister's apartment a few hours later. What she hadn't been expecting to see was her partner sitting on her sister's couch as Kara slept with her head on her lap. In a quieter voice she asked. "Maggie?"
"Hey." Maggie said quietly.
"Is she okay?" Alex asked moving over to them.
"She's getting there. I assume you know what happened?"
"Yeah. Winn played me the recording." Alex said as she perched on the coffee table and looked at Kara, concern burning in her eyes.
"She'll be okay, but I think you really need to talk her." Maggie replied to Alex who then looked at her and asked.
"What are you doing here?"
"Someone needed to look after her and you were out of contact."
"It didn't have to be you." Alex said. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. You know I'd do anything for you." Maggie said as Kara started to whimper.
"You may want to extract yourself." Alex said. "She can thrash around in her sleep when she has nightmares."
"Kinda pinned." Maggie pointed out as Kara's whimpers turned into cries.
"Kara." Alex said as she gently shook her sister. "Come on Kara, wake up."
"Alex?" Kara asked confused as she opened her eyes.
"I'm right here." She said.
"What happened?" She asked groggily.
"You were having a bad dream."
"When did you get back?" She asked, still confused, before trying to sit up, suddenly becoming aware she was lying on someone.
"Maggie?"
"Hey Little Danvers." Maggie smiled.
"Sorry, didn't mean to fall to sleep." Kara apologised looking tired and embarrassed.
"After the fight with your cousin I think you needed the sleep." Maggie shrugged. "But as comfortable as your couch is I'm going to go."
"You should both go." Kara said.
"I've only just got here." Alex pointed out.
"You should spend the night with Maggie." Kara argued. "I'm okay."
"No you're not." Maggie stated. "You need to talk to Alex." She then turned to Alex and said. "I'll see you later."
"Sure." Alex said.
"How are you doing really?" Alex asked. "Because that crinkle is embedded right now."
"I'm okay. You should go home, you must be exhausted after today. Wait, how did it go? Do you still have a job?" Kara replied.
"It was fine and yes I do. So does J'onn. Right now I'm more worried about you."
"I will be happy not to fight Kal again, but I'm okay. Just a little tired."
"It wasn't the physical fight I was referring to." Alex said. "I saw and heard what happened."
"I'm sorry." Kara said.
"For what?" Alex asked confused.
"How mean I was to you when I was on Red-K."
"That wasn't your fault." Alex reminded her. "In the same way it wasn't Clark's fault. But I know what he said would have hurt you."
"None of it was new." Kara shrugged.
"Some of it was to me." Alex said. "Like the part where he said you were keeping your distance from me and that I was ignoring your calls. I'm not ignoring you. I would never ignore you. I thought you were avoiding me, but I thought you needed space. I should have known better. You hate space and time." Alex said. "I thought that you stayed away because you didn't want to be reminded about what you had lost. That seeing me with Maggie would make you feel worse. I thought that once you processed a little you would come to me."
"You're happy." Kara said. "The last thing you need is me moping around."
"Kara, you being in pain will always make me sad. It doesn't matter if you hide yourself away or live at my place, while you are suffering I am never going to be happy. I don't know how to help you." Alex confessed. "I can see you are in pain, but I can't even start to imagine how you are really feeling."
When Kara remained silent Alex asked. "Do you know why I was in trouble with the President?"
"Because you failed to destroy Rhea's ship?"
"Yeah, but do you know why I didn't destroy it?"
"Because you couldn't get the cannon working before it was destroyed." Kara said.
"No. I had it working."
"Then why didn't you take the shot?" Kara asked thinking how if Alex had taken the shot Mon-El would still be on Earth.
"Because you were on the ship. You would have died." Alex said. "You are too important to me to lose. I couldn't do it. Clark may have abandoned you but your parents didn't. They sent you to Earth so you could live. And I would never abandon you." Alex added as she drew Kara into a hug. "So talk to me."
"I hurt so much." Kara confessed.
"You are the strongest person I know, you're going to get through this."
"I don't feel strong right now." Kara said.
"I know. But it will get better and I will be with you all the way."
After a few minutes of comfortable silence Alex asked. "So is Superman a third rate hero?"
"Huh?" Kara asked looking up.
"He called you a second rate hero, but he has lost to you twice in less than a month, so is he a third rate hero? Perhaps I'll ask him later."
"Don't he feels bad enough as it is." Kara said.
"So do you." Alex pointed out before adding. "You don't always have to protect him."
"Kinda do. It was my job."
"Was being the right word." Alex said. "Right now, your job is being my sister." She added before noticing Kara was starting to fall to sleep.
"Come on. You need to go to bed." Alex said.
"No."
"You want to talk more?" Alex asked. When Kara shook her head Alex said. "Then it's bed time."
"I can't."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked frowning.
"It's stupid."
"I'm sure it isn't. Tell me."
"After my first fight with Kal just before I woke up at the fortress I had a dream. Mon-El and I were in bed, just lying there. I was so happy. We were so happy. I didn't want to go. He asked about my necklace and I told him how my mother gave it to me and said while I had it I would never be alone. I was so happy, so complete. And I know it wasn't real, but it felt real. Now whenever I lie in bed I remember that dream." She said, subconsciously reaching to where her necklace used to hang. "And it reminds me of all I have lost."
"I'm sorry." Alex said hugging Kara a little tighter. After a minute she suggested. "Well if bed is out of the question, how about movie night then. Doris Day marathon?"
"No. You have work tomorrow, well today. You need to sleep."
"So do you." Alex reminded her. "If you're not sleeping, neither am I."
"I need less sleep than you." Kara countered.
"After today, well yesterday, you probably need more. I'm not moving so you may as well put the movie on." Alex said. "Or are you really going to make me do it?"
A second later Kara was back on the couch with two tubs of ice cream as the movie started playing.
-TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Final chapter up tomorrow.
