Kara woke all alone, immediately looking around for her big sister. After their weird interaction the day before, she was unsure where their relationship stood.
Alex was nowhere to be found.
It wasn't exactly a fight they had, but she could tell Alex was royally pissed.
She sat up slowly, testing the waters of her recovery, and discovered that she felt perfectly fine today. She called Dr. Hamilton in, and she was subsequently cleared to go home.
As she changed and prepared to leave, Winn walked in to check on her.
"Hey, Kara! I see you're feeling better tonight. You want to go out for drinks? We could catch up and stuff-"
He stopped talking when he noticed Kara's hesitation.
"I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to though. If you're not feeling up to it, or if you don't feel comfortable, it's totally cool. I'm sorry I even asked, I shouldn't be pushing right now, it's just that-"
Kara gently interjected. "Winn, it's totally fine. In fact, I appreciate the gesture and I would definitely go if it was literally any other day. But, I have to get home and check on Alex. I think she's mad at me and I want to make sure she hasn't done anything stupid."
Winn nodded, feeling comforted about his outburst. "Well, if you need anything, I'm here for you. Always. Just call me. If things don't go well tonight, just remember I'm still up for those drinks. I hope you don't need them, though."
Kara gave him a sad smile and hugged him tight as she left. "Me neither, Winn. But I have this bad feeling that I will anyways. Thank you for the offer."
With that, she left and made her way towards the apartment. As soon as she stepped outside, she found it to be pitch black dark.
She had never been out this late without being in contact with Alex or talking to her for an entire day. Something about all this just felt weird to her and it pulled at her gut. Being without Alex left a hole in her heart, and it just felt so... wrong. Something in her gut was telling her to walk away. To go in the opposite direction of the apartment. Something wasn't right, and tonight was not going to end well at all.
Kara should have listened to her intuition.
Instead, she cautiously and slowly flew towards the apartment. Kara did not want to risk walking alone, powered or not. She knew Alex would not be happy if she did that.
But I guess she's not happy with me now anyways.
The thought was fleeting, but it was there.
When it shouldn't have been.
She steeled herself as she walked up to the door, and there it was again. That feeling that this was a bad idea, that she shouldn't open the door. The pull at her gut telling her to walk away and wait until the next morning.
Kara should have listened to her intuition.
Something about this was all just... off. She wanted to help Jeremiah, but just couldn't see a way how. There was nothing bad about that, there was no ill intent. It's not like she just gave up without trying, she did everything she could to get Jeremiah back when they were back in that room.
But Kara didn't expect her big sister to understand any of that, especially when she was this pissed. So she knew things were about to get ugly in there.
As soon as she opened the door, a wave of rancid stench hit her all at once. Everything reeked of alcohol, and it was horrible. She found Alex sitting at the dining table, drowning in liquor. Her sister had four empty bottles next to her and there was broken glass littered absolutely everywhere.
Which would indicate she drank even more than the four bottles on the table.
Kara could tell her sister was blackout drunk. There's no way she'd remember any of this in the morning. She was not coherent enough for any kind of productive conversation.
Being the caring little sister she was, she sidled up to Alex and attempted to help her stand. She just wanted to get Alex showered and in bed. Then, they'd talk tomorrow.
But apparently, Alex had different ideas.
As soon as Kara put her arm around her to help her up, Alex snapped. "Don't touch me, Kara. I don't want or need you here right now."
Those words really hurt, especially coming from her big sister, but she tried not to let them affect her. Kara knew that Alex was drunk beyond belief, but that fact didn't stop her from feeling the pain of the words.
Feeling the sting of the intended insult.
And it only got worse.
Way worse.
As Kara carried on her task undeterred, Alex began really digging in. "I thought you were better than this, Kara. You are THE Kryptonian, Mrs. High and Mighty. You're supposed to have unfailing hope and unwavering faith in everybody. The one time you choose to go against that is with our father? My Father?"
Kara looked Alex in the eyes. "Look, I know you're drunk. You know you're drunk. We didn't have an opportunity to properly talk since yesterday. I'll let go of what you've said so far, but please stop. Just drop it. We'll talk about this tomorrow."
Alex snorted. "Just like you to weasel out. Take the easy way. You've been doing that a lot lately, haven't you? Took the easy with Jeremiah, giving up on him. Taking the easy way with me, avoiding this very conversation that we're already roped into. What is it with you?"
Kara was pleading with her swaying and barely coherent sister. "Alex, come on. You don't mean that. You don't mean any of this. Please stop before you say something you'll really regret. For you, and for me. I'm begging."
Alex laughed derisively. "What makes you think I don't mean what I'm saying? Because I mean every word. Drunk or not, I've thought these things before. I mean it when I tell you, I'm just saying the words that sobriety prevented me from saying.
You are here begging and pleading with me. The great Supergirl even glancing my direction? The wondrous and mighty Supergirl begging and pleading with a mere mortal like myself? Amazing. Never imagined this wonderful day would come. I thought you didn't care about this family, but you took the time out of your day to beg me for something. A shame that your own father doesn't get the same luxury."
Her little sister's eyes welled with tears. "Alex, please stop this. You and I both know that I would do anything to have him back. The real him. I would give anything for you to be happy, and if that means having him, then so be it. I would die for him to come back, for you all to be a complete family. You know I would. It's just not a possibility right now."
Alex's eyes darkened. "If you would so gladly die for this family, then why don't you? Hm? Go. Go trade yourself to Cadmus. Go offer yourself up. Go get him back. Do it. You coming here ruined everything. It ruined my career, my family, my life. It ruined Mom and Dad's relationship. Mom can't even look at him right now. You got Jeremiah captured because you were so weak and useless. You told me you would protect him, but you failed.
You know? When Clark was infected by the Red Kryptonite, he was right about everything. You are an egregious disgrace to your family crest, and a disgrace to the Danvers, too. He said that you came in and you ruined my family, and he was right. I shouldn't have defended you to him. Because he was right, and I knew it. I wish you had never come into this household. I wish you were dead, and Jeremiah was here in your place."
Tears were spilling down Kara's face. "Lex, please. I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of that to happen. You know it. You know I feel regret everyday for being pulled out of the Phantom Zone and ruining your family. You know it because I've told you. Millions of times. If me staying there and suffering would have meant happiness for your family, then I would have. But I didn't know. It wasn't my fault. I know you don't really mean this, and I know you're pissed. You have every right to be. But please just stop. I can't take it."
Her big sister's face contorted with mock sympathy. "Aww, the little alien girl can't take it? Well let me tell you something. You weren't the one who had your life and family ruined by an outsider. An alien. You have no right to tell me to stop talking. In fact, you have no right to be in my apartment right now. I think you should leave. I want you to leave."
Kara looked at her big sister with nothing but pain and sadness in her eyes. "Alex no. Please don't make me leave you like this. I want to help you, I really do. I want to help this family. Your family."
Her sister's eyes lit ablaze. "Damn right it's my family. Not ours, not yours. If you really wanted to help, you would not have given up on Dad so easily. If you really wanted to help, you would have left as soon as you came to Earth."
Kara shook her head. "Alex, you don't mean this. I know you don't. You have always been there for me, you have always loved me. You have always been the best sister to me. We can talk about this tomorrow, I'll leave if that's what you really want. Just please be careful, Alex. At least just stop drinking for tonight, and try not to do anything reckless or stupid."
Alex's body was shaking with a cold fury that Kara had never seen before. "Stupid? What, like talking to you? Loving you? Devoting my life to you? Wasting every minute of my life on you? All of those were stupid, but I did them anyways. I've learned my lesson now. You said that I've always loved you. Let me tell you a secret, Kara. I only did so because I was told to. I only really love my family. And that does not include you anymore. You're either part of the family, or you're not. And I guess you've made your choice."
Kara couldn't keep up a bold front anymore. Everything Alex said had chipped away at the armor she worked so hard to build. Every stinging comment and hurtful insult reopened an abandonment wound that she and Alex had worked together so hard to heal.
So far, she had been able to keep her tears and sadness relatively contained. But not anymore.
Her sister's words had hurt her more than anything Cadmus could have ever done.
As Kara turned to leave, tears blinding her completely, Alex spat on the ground behind her. "That's right, Kara. Turn your back and walk away. Just like you did to this family. Just like you did to my father. Leave. Like you should have done all those years back. Go."
Kara was on her way out the door when she quickly turned back one last time. She needed to get out, but also needed Alex to know that she'd be there despite everything Alex had said. Everything Alex had thrown in her face.
"I'll be here for you tomorrow, Lex. I'll be here for you the next day too. I don't care what you say, I'm always going to love you. I only came here tonight because I wanted to help. That's all I've ever wanted. If never seeing me again gives you the happiness that you deserve, I'll leave. Just know... Just know that I love you. Always have, always will."
With that, she closed the door, and ran out as quick as she could. Everything Alex said had left a crack in her heart. And now, the cracks no longer had anything to hold them together.
She fell to the floor, anxiety and depression overcoming her, and broke down. She was having a panic attack. And it was a bad one.
One hall down from the only person who could stop her panic attacks.
Ironic, isn't it?
Kara couldn't breathe. All of her fears she'd ever had just... rose to the surface. Just like that. All it took were six bottles of alcohol. Six bottles for her worst nightmare to come true. To not be a mere nightmare anymore, but instead a harsh and painful reality.
It's like Kara could feel physical pain from what her sister had just told her. She couldn't even deny any of it, because for the most part, it was all true. She felt as if her sister had reached into her chest and pulled her heart right out of it. Everything was missing, she just felt empty.
Her cracked heart was turned into a broken one, right down the hall from the only person who could fix it.
The only person who could cause it to break to this extent.
Again.
Ironic, isn't it?
Kara called Winn in tears, and his concern could be heard from the other end of the line. She asked if he was still good for the drinks. He said yes. She asked if she could stay the night with him. He said yes. She quickly hung up the phone, and sobbed until she could no longer feel the pain.
Her sister had left her with no family.
She had only left Kara with one thing.
And that was a broken heart.