"Where is everyone?" Alex asked when she opened her eyes and only saw Maggie in her room.

"My company not good enough for you Danvers?" Maggie quipped, hoping to avoid the real question Alex wanted answering. For a moment the reply had the desired effect as Alex became slightly flustered trying to come up with a suitable retort. Eventually though Alex said.

"You know what I mean. Did mom get Kara to come down here?"

"No, there was Supergirl emergency that came up."

"Kara is being Supergirl, even though there is Kryptonite out there?" Alex asked.

"Apparently." Maggie replied.

"Where's mom now?"

"Talking with your boss."

"About Kara?" Alex guessed.

"I guess." Maggie replied just before Alex slid out of bed. "What are you doing?"

"I need to see Kara." Alex grimaced as she looked for clothes.

"You do remember the whole getting shot and bed rest thing?" Maggie asked, knowing full well she wouldn't win the argument.

"I agreed to rest until mom came back. She came back, Kara didn't. I need to go and see her."

"And people say I'm stubborn." Maggie muttered before lifting a bag off the floor and placing it on the bed.

"What's that?" Alex asked.

"Clothes. I figured there would be no stopping you and you'd cause yourself more damage if you did this alone."

"You're helping me?" Alex asked surprised.

"Yes, I'm helping you. But if I think you are getting worse I'm bringing you straight back."

-00-

Having helped Alex to Kara's front door Maggie said. "I'll wait in the car. Call if you need anything."

"Thanks." Alex said trying to hide the fact the walk had drained her.

"At least sit down when you get in there." Maggie said shaking her head as she walked off.

Having seen her girlfriend leave Alex banged on the door. Getting no response she bang again calling.

"Kara, I know you're in there. I'm letting myself in."

"Alex? What are you doing here. You should be in bed." Kara said as she opened her door.

"Probably." Alex said still slightly breathless from the walk to Kara's door. "But I needed to see you."

"You need to get back to the DEO." Kara said supporting Alex's weight.

"I will, after we've talked. But I really need to sit down." Alex said as Kara helped her to the couch.

"You don't look so good." Kara said concerned.

"I'll be fine after we talk." Alex said before noticing Kara's spartan apartment and exclaiming. "You're running away? Were you even going to tell me?"

"I'm not running away. I just need to try new things."

"Like?"

"I don't know yet. I'm still trying to figure it out. But I need to take you back to the DEO."

"Not yet. Not until you tell me what happened after you touched the Narth."

"I told you, nothing happened." Kara said avoiding eye contact.

"Kara, you can't lie to me."

"Fine I saw what would have happened if I had never come to Earth. Jeremiah never worked for the DEO, he never went missing. You became an amazing scientist. You were so happy and safe."

"Who protected the City?"Alex asked.

"J'onn and the Guardian."

"That is the most stupid thing I have ever heard." Alex said. "What you saw was a vision driven by your fears and paranoias and guilt. But I don't care what your weird brain came up with. There is no way Guardian could protect this city as well as you do." Alex smiled. "And you do realise if dad hadn't joined the DEO J'onn would probably have been killed by Hank Henshaw, so your visions just don't make sense."

"And I thought you were annoying when you plot picked in Homeland." Kara said trying to sound normal so Alex wouldn't worry about her.

"Kara, ignoring the fact that the visions were just that, visions. Which as we just covered, made no sense. We have to talk about why you saw life on Earth without you." Alex said. "You said to me, well White Martian me, that you didn't want to be abandoned and I get that. But I think you are so scared of being abandoned you are the one doing the abandoning."

"Trying to find myself is not abandoning anyone." Kara protested.

"It is and it is not the first time. You were going to run off to Metropolis with your cousin." Alex reminded her. "You were going to abandon me, replace me with someone you thought would be less likely to leave."

"It wasn't like that."

"Yes it was." Alex said. "And I don't know how long I have before the pain meds completely wear off so you just listen, no talking." Alex demanded, waiting a moment before continuing. "Now I think you are so scared that I am going to leave you or replace you that you are cutting me out of your life so you are not a burden. You have managed to convince yourself that people don't want you or need you and that terrifies you." Alex said maintaining eye contact with her sister.

"It's not that. I have literally destroyed the life you had. You said it yourself before I came you were the star of the family. I took that away from you. Then I took your dad, your career, your happiness. I have ruined your life."

"Kara I don't know what the Narth did to you, how he twisted your mind and memories, but that is not how I see it. You have always been a beacon of hope in my life, even in my darkest moments. You have not ruined my life. You want to know what would ruin my life? You not being in it." Alex said. "Kara, we're sisters and although we need a warning label, we are stronger together. Always have been always will be." Hoping her words had got through to Kara she carefully held out an arm, trying not to pull her stitches and said. "Come here you stupid alien." When Kara leaned into the embrace Alex gently hugged her before asking. "You going to stop being stupid?"

"You told me being stupid was in my freaky DNA." Kara said once again trying to force herself to sound cheerful.

"The alien card doesn't get you out of this one." Alex said pulling back to look at her sister. "So are you going to stop being stupid?"

"I just want you to be happy and safe."

"Easier to do if I didn't have to chase round after you." Alex said, but seeing the guilt wash over Kara's face she added. "It was a joke Kara."

"It was also true. I hate that you have to do so much for me because I keep screwing up."

"Kara, I don't look out for you because I have to. I do it because I want to. And that's never going to change. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good, then please can you take me back to the DEO?"

-00-

"Alexandra, where have you been?" Eliza asked seeing Kara was helping her sister back into her bed in the infirmary.

"Dealing with the most stubborn alien on the planet." Alex replied.

"Who has nothing on the most stubborn human in the room." J'onn said arms folded across his chest. "Which part of rest did you not understand?"

"Please don't shout at her." Kara suddenly exclaimed feeling guilty that she was once again the cause of Alex getting into trouble. "It was my fault."

"No one is shouting at anyone." J'onn said. "But we are all concerned about the safety of both of you."

"I'm fine." Alex said, but her pale face implied a different story. "But I could really use some sleep, so perhaps we can save all the non-shouting until tomorrow?"

"Okay." J'onn agreed before threatening. "But attempt to escape again and you are going into a containment cell."

"No more escaping as long as Kara does not leave this room." Alex said. "If she leaves I leave." She added looking straight at Kara so she knew she wasn't bluffing.

-00-

"Hey." Maggie smiled when Alex woke up hours later.

"Hey." Alex asked before looking round.

"It's okay. She's sleeping over there." Maggie said pointing to an adjacent bed where Kara was fast asleep with her back to them.

"Is she okay?" Alex asked.

"Better than she was. I'm sorry." Maggie said.

"For what?"

"Not taking better care of her. I should have dragged her down here."

"You're tough, but not that tough." Alex smiled. "And she's not your responsibility."

"She kind of is." Maggie said. "You see you are my responsibility and she is yours so that makes her mine as well."

"I didn't follow any of that." Alex said trying to ignore the throbbing pain.

"Can't all be genius detectives." Maggie smiled.

"So how is she doing?"

"She's slept almost as much as you. But when she has been awake she has been withdrawn. But there haven't been any escape attempts so that's progress."

"I guess."

"Between us we aren't letting her out of our sight." Maggie promised. Seeing Alex was loosing her self in worry Maggie distracted her by saying.

"So I've met your mom."

"Kinda guessed that part." Alex said dryly. "How'd that go?"

"Good, I think. She seems nice. Obviously we were more concerned about you, but I don't think she has black listed me. Mind you that was before I helped break you out of here, so I'm probably in her bad books now. Speaking of bad books, I need to get back to the precinct before the Captain engraves my name in his bad book. I'll be back later." She added gently kissing Alex before leaving. As the door shut Alex looked over to Kara who lay with her back to her and said.

"I know you aren't asleep. We shared a room for years I know exactly what you sound like when you are asleep and this isn't it." She then waited for Kara to respond. When her sister remained silent and motionless she added. "Fine, you don't want to talk. I won't make you, yet. But I'm here when you're ready."

-00-

"Detective Sawyer?" Lena asked approaching her desk.

"Ms Luthor." Maggie replied looking up, surprised at the identity of her visitor. "Can I help you?"

"Can we talk? In private? It's about Kara."

"Kara?" Maggie asked confused.

"Yes Kara Danvers." Lena confirmed.

"Sure, I was just about to get some coffee anyway." Maggie said grabbing her jacket and leading Lena out of the precinct. When they were outside Maggie asked. "So what's on your mind?"

"I'm worried about her. She seems to have lost her bounce recently."

"Her sister got shot."

"I know, but I think there is more to it. She talked about leaving the city and now she isn't answering my calls and no one has seen her. I'm worried she has done something." Lena said, uneasy at betraying Kara's confidence, but concerned for her safety.

"She's fine. She's with Alex." Maggie said.

"So they're talking? That's a relief." Lena said.

"Do you want me to pass on a message?"

"Just tell her my window is always open."

"Okay." Maggie said. Lena was already walking off when Maggie's mind caught up to what exactly Lena had said.

TBC...


A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.