Alex woke the next morning feeling like death. Her head was pounding and she seemed to be suffering from the worst hangover of her lifetime.

Which was really saying a lot considering how much she drank daily when Kara was taken.

She bolted upright, immediately regretting it, and looked around. Alex could have sworn she had been by the dining table last night but somehow had ended up by the bathroom.

She didn't remember how.

Did somebody come? Did somebody help me here?

Frankly, Alex didn't remember anything at all from the night before. Everything was a blur. She could only remember clearly what had happened up until she opened her third bottle, but everything after that was an impenetrable haze.

She looked at the time and was highly alarmed to see that she was three hours late from when she was supposed to arrive at the DEO.

She scrambled for her phone and was relieved to find a few texts from J'onn telling her that she had a couple days off in light of what had happened with her father and Kara.

Kara.

I shouldn't have walked out on her like I did in the med bay. Especially while she was recovering from a bullet wound. I was mad but that didn't give me the right to treat her like a stranger. I'll go talk to her today and I'm sure everything will be all sorted out.

Still with absolutely no recollection of anything she had said the night before.

The stuff that had really hurt her baby sister.

Alex got dressed and ready to go to the DEO anyways. Kara wasn't in the apartment, which was uncharacteristic since she usually left whenever Alex did. So, her big sister just assumed there was some kind of Supergirl emergency that had pulled her to the DEO.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by a surprise. A box of donuts and a note from Kara.

Hey, here's a box of donuts for you. Thought you might need them after last night's drinks. Don't do anything stupid today. Love you.
-Kara

Alex's mind swirled with thoughts and questions. She was here last night? For what reason? Don't do anything stupid? Why would she tell me that? Why does her note seem so... so... distant. And not personal. I have never received such a... not Kara... note... from Kara before.

Her little sister's notes had always been super long and carefully crafted. They were very personal and usually only happened because she was not going to see Alex in the morning for a Supergirl emergency.

Even if there was an emergency today, that didn't explain Kara's distinct lack of... personality and... warmth in the note.

Alex silently cussed as she realized. Kara had been here. Last night. When Alex was drunk. Really drunk.

Shit, shit, shit, shit. What did I say? God damn it, what did I say to her? Why did I get so drunk? Dammit, I screwed up. I have to find her and talk to her.

I have to find out what I said.

Alex left the building quickly and looked everywhere to find her sister. She checked the DEO, checked and rechecked the apartment over and over throughout the day. She even checked all the news stations for any mention of Supergirl.

But no sign of her little sister.

She was planning on asking Winn to track her phone but he was also nowhere to be found.

Where could she have gone? Why was she hiding from Alex? What if she was taken again?

Alex tried calling over and over, but only got voicemail. And the stress of being unable to find her finally got to Alex.

She succumbed.

Just like she had the night before, Alex sat at her dining table and popped open a bottle. As she became increasingly less coherent and rational, she tried to justify Kara's actions.

I'm sure she's just off somewhere dealing with the whole Jeremiah thing. Just like I am. We all have our different ways of coping. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. I'll talk to her tomorrow.

As was highly predictable, Alex forgot. And she never ended up talking to Kara the following day.

Meanwhile in another part of town, Winn had just closed the door behind his forlorn best friend. She had just now gotten back from her customary daily check on Alex.

They happened for two reasons: to make sure she hadn't done anything stupid or died from the alcohol, and to drop off the donuts and note for her sister to find the next morning.

Despite Kara telling Alex that she would be there for her, she still wasn't ready to see Alex in person yet. It's not like Alex remembered that promise anyways. Everything still hurt so bad. She was still feeling the fresh sting of rejection and abandonment. But at least she found a home in Winn.

They grew extremely close the past couple days. Kara would feel depressed and confused. Winn would be there for her.

Then Kara would be hit with a wave of guilt as she remembered everything she had done to screw up Alex's life.

Winn would be there for her through that too.

They found comfort in each other's presence, and grew as close as any best friends could ever become.

Sure they were thrown together by a crappy situation, but it didn't change the fact that they were inseparable now. Kara had confided in him so many things that she had never dared tell anyone else except Alex.

And that's what gave her the confidence to broach the newest subject tonight.

"Winn? I think... Maybe I... I've been thinking about what Alex told me... And..."

Winn cut in there. "Kara, this already sounds like it's not going to end well."

She shook her head and continued anyway. "She told me that if I really wanted her to be happy, I'd give Jeremiah back to her. I've been thinking... Maybe I should try."

Her best friend did not like the sound of this. "That's a great idea in concept Kara, but how exactly do you plan to achieve this? It's not like you can just walk into Cadmus and politely ask for him back. If that were a possibility, we would have already tried that by now."

"Well... That was... kind of my plan. Think about it, Winn. All Cadmus has ever wanted is me. They ran all the tests, they did everything they could. But Lillian still wanted me dead. Who knows? Maybe she needs me now to run more tests since I'm using my powers, and not suppressing them. She might want to see the effects of what could happen if I were to be exposed to Kryptonite while using powers, or if-"

Winn interrupted more abruptly this time as the realization dawned on him.

She was thinking of trading herself.

"Kara, stop. It kind of sounds to me like you're listing reasons why Lillian would want you back. And since we're on the topic of getting Jeremiah out, and not you back in, I don't see how that has any relevance to the conversation at hand."

He was intentionally trying to simplify the situation in hopes that it would help Kara see reason. He was afraid where she was going with this idea. And when an idea got in her head, there was no getting it out.

Kara shook her head. "Winn, you know it's not that simple. Sacrifices are needed in order to win wars. I have done enough to ruin Alex and her family. It's time I make it right. If it costs me my life, then so be it. Anything to make her happy. Anything to fix her family, the one that I ruined."

Winn finally realized that he was too late. The idea was already cemented in her head. It seemed as though she had been thinking about it for a while now, and only began seriously considering it after her own big sister had pushed her over the edge.

Alex shouldn't have done anything she did or said what she did. Winn was royally pissed at her for ruining his best friend, her own sister. She had no right to put these ideas in Kara's head when all she's ever been is a supportive and loving little sister. His best friend didn't deserve this, especially from her own family.

No one did.

He would be sure to give Alex a piece of his mind the next time he saw her, but for now, he had to deal with one crisis at a time.

Or more like, one Danvers sister at a time.

"Kara, no. They are not just her family. They're yours too. And if you're gone, they can't be a complete family anymore. You can't just throw your life away like this."

Nothing seemed to be getting through to her. "Winn, I don't expect you to understand. But if Alex ends up happy, and her family ends up whole, with or without me, I have not thrown my life away. I've simply given it up so I could fix what I ruined. It's my fault that everything is like this. If I had just stayed in the Phantom Zone-"

"No. Just stop. You seriously cannot be saying that right now. You really believe their lives would have been better without you in it? Mine? What about me, Kara? You were my only friend, the only one who listened. You were there to help me through the thing with my Dad, when no one else was. What would I have done without you? And now you're trying to say everyone's life would have been better if you had never come? What about mine, do I just not count?"

Kara stopped. "I'm sorry Winn. I shouldn't have said that. But still, it doesn't take away from the fact that everything Alex said held a little truth. Everything bad that's happened to her family is because of me. It's all my fault. It always is. I destroy everything I touch. They don't need me. I don't want to ruin them more than I already have. If you don't watch out, then soon I'll ruin you too."

Winn shook his head and turned his back. "Kara, I really think you should sleep on this. You can't really believe that you dying will make Alex happy. You need to seriously consider all the possible repercussions of trading yourself in to Cadmus. There will be no going back. You may think all of this is for good, but that's because you're hurting. You're not thinking clearly, Kara. In fact, I don't believe you're really thinking at all. You need to stop thinking with your heart, and start thinking with your head.

Ask yourself if you dying and leaving this world forever will really make everyone happier. Will J'onn be happy when he finds out he's lost another daughter? Will Alex be happy that you are gone? Especially after seeing how much it destroyed her the first time you were taken? Do you firmly believe that I will be happier when you're dead? If you really completely and truly do, then go ahead... I can't stop you."

With that he stormed out of the room Kara was staying in and slammed the door shut.

He knew she needed someone right now, but he also needed to get through to her. Winn wouldn't be able to help his best friend if she was dead. And she needed to realize that for herself.

Unfortunately, there was nothing and nobody who could change her mind.

Except maybe Alex.