"Morning guys." Kara greeted as her niece and nephew made it into the kitchen.
"Any news on mom?" MJ immediately asked.
"The good news is, according to Eliza, she is being a really difficult patient so she must be feeling better." Kara smiled before saying. "I've got breakfast for you." She said pointing to a box on the table. "Did you two get any sleep last night?"
"A little." MJ said taking a pastry from the box. "Are we in trouble?"
"Of course not." His aunt said. "Why would you be in trouble?"
"Staying up most of the night."
"Your mom and I stayed up all the time watching movies all night when we were your age." Kara said. "So do you have any plans for today?"
"No." MJ said sounding dejected.
"Okay, you two have left me with no choice." Kara said. "Get dressed we are going out."
"Where are we going?" MJ asked.
"It's a surprise."
"Is it far?" The teenage Kara asked.
"Yes."
"Then how will we get there?"
"I'll drive."
"I'm pretty sure that will make mom mad." The teenage Kara argued before MJ added quietly.
"And from the sound of it probably kill us."
"There is nothing wrong with my driving." The adult Kara protested. "But if it makes you feel better I will get Lena to drive us."
"Can I come?" The teenage Alex asked.
"Of course." Kara smiled at her daughter as she called Lena.
"Everything okay?" Lena asked as she answered the call.
"Yes. But I need some help."
"Sure." Lena agreed.
"We are taking a road trip, only -"
"Alex wouldn't want you to drive." Lena guessed.
"Yeah."
"And I also assume I can't just lend you a driver?" Lena asked.
"The location is kind of a secret." Kara said.
"I'll be there in thirty minutes." Lena replied.
-00-
"Okay, pull over here." Kara instructed Lena a few hours later.
"Here?" Lena asked confused. "There is nothing here."
"Yes here." Kara said.
"Okay." Lena said pulling the car off the road.
"Right, let's go." Kara said.
"Go where? We are in the middle of nowhere." MJ pointed out.
"If you want you can stay in the car, but I guarantee you'll regret it." Kara said. She then looked at her niece and said. "There's a little bit of walking, let me know if it gets too much."
"Okay." Her niece agreed as she got out of the car.
"Let's go." The older Kara said leading the confused group into the woods.
-00-
"I thought it was here, but maybe it was there." Kara said frowning after a thirty minute walk.
"Has your mom flipped out?" MJ asked his cousin.
"Feels that way." Alex agreed.
"Not meaning to sound like I am taking sides, MJ has a point." Lena agreed.
"Just wait a moment." The older Kara said.
"For what?" Her daughter asked.
"A surprise. Just be patient."
"You are telling three teenagers and a Luthor to be patient." Lena said. "I don't think it is going to work." She added.
"I just need to get my bearings. It's not my fault it all looks so foresty."
"You know we are in a forest right?" MJ asked. "Of course it looks foresty."
"There." The adult Kara said pointing. "I recognise that tree." She added before leading them into a large clearing. "Here we are." She said.
"Is your blood sugar running low?" Lena asked looking round the empty clearing.
"Here we go." Kara said ignoring her friend.
"Here we go what?" Her niece asked.
"It's here." Kara said.
"What's here?" Lena questioned, worrying about her friend's sanity.
Smiling Kara pressed the small metal object she had showed her sister weeks earlier and a ship suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Is that your ship?" MJ asked, his excitement obvious.
"It is." Kara confirmed.
"Can we take it somewhere?"
"Earlier you pointed out your mom wouldn't trust my driving." Kara said.
"Well you could prove her wrong." MJ said.
"Nice try. And no." Kara said. "But you can go in and look around." She added as a door opened.
"Fine, are there weapons and can we fire them?" MJ pressed.
"No you can't."
"So there are weapons." MJ said as he ran into the ship, quickly followed by the other teenagers.
"You not going?" Lena asked the adult Kara who hung back.
"I have already spent a lot of time in there." Kara pointed out.
"Fair enough." Lena said. "Why is it all the way over here, rather than Midvale?"
"I wasn't sure what Earth was like and just in case they could track it, didn't want it near Midvale."
"Makes sense." Lena agreed. "But that type of thinking highlights how much of your life has been on the run. But that stops now. And I have something for you to help that." Lena said. With that she handed Kara a key. "This of course is ceremonial as everything is based on electronics and biometrics. But it seemed fitting." Seeing Kara's blank look she added. "Apartment 309 is yours."
"Already?"
"Yes. It's fully furnished. You can move in whenever you want. Obviously not until Alex is out of hospital, but -"
"Actually she is already out." Kara said. "Part of the reason for today is to keep the kids away from the house so Eliza can get Alex settled."
"And they don't know?" Lena guessed glancing at the ship.
"No. It will be a surprise. Alex didn't want them to know, just in case the doctors changed their minds."
-00-
As the group entered the house in the late afternoon they heard the adult Alex talking to Eliza.
Not bothering to remove his coat, MJ ran to the lounge and over to his mother.
"Mom! You're back." MJ said before hugging her.
"Hey." She said hugging him while trying not to move her ribs.
"Shouldn't you be hospital?" Her daughter asked entering the room.
"I was released." Alex assured her before hugging her.
"But she won't be working for a while." Eliza added.
"Where have you guys been?" Alex asked.
"We went to go see aunt Kara's spaceship." MJ said happily.
"Did you?" Alex asked looking at her sister.
"Just to look." Kara quickly explained. "And Lena drove."
"There was no flying." MJ said, his disappointment obvious.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Eliza asked Lena.
"No thank you, I need to do some work. I will leave you to it." Lena smiled before leaving.
-00-
"Here you go." Kara said having used her super speed to chop the vegetables. Seeing Eliza's quirked eyebrow she asked. "Did I do them wrong? Did you want them thicker?"
"No. Those are fine." Eliza said. "It is just I was hoping we could talk as we did this."
"Oh, then I will slowly wash the knife." Kara said.
"Thank you." Eliza responded before asking. "How are you doing?"
"Doing?"
"The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, even by your standards."
"That would be an understatement." Kara agreed.
"So?" Eliza asked.
"I'm fine."
"Growing up, whenever you got hurt you would shut yourself off from the world and since you've got back it feels like you are doing the same." Eliza said.
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"You were separated from Alex from months, then you chose to make a home here. Alex is getting used to a new planet and starting school here, her powers are coming out, you have found out a homicidal warlord is taking on the Earth, something Alex failed to mention, and you have come back as Supergirl. But despite all that you seem completely normal."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Only if it is real. Like I said you shut yourself off to protect your heart and I think you are doing it now because you want to protect Alex, your Alex. And that's fine, but you need to take time for yourself and be honest with yourself. Maybe it is because you have got used to being by yourself, but I think it is because you are scared of letting people in because you don't want to go through the pain of losing them again." Eliza said before walking over to Kara who had long since washed and dried the knife. Placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders she said. "I know it won't be easy, and I know you are scared, but please don't shut yourself away."
"Hey can I- oh sorry." The teenage Kara said bursting into the kitchen. "Should I go?"
"It's fine." Eliza said releasing her daughter. As she did so she said to the adult Kara. "Please think about what I said."
"I will."
-00-
"Are you okay Sweetie?" Eliza asked her youngest grandchild after dinner as the adult Kara washed up.
"I'm fine." The teenage Alex said
"You seem a little a quiet." Eliza pressed.
"Just tired." The younger Alex said.
Pulling her granddaughter into a hug Eliza said. "Your mom is okay." Assuming she was still upset at seeing her mother get hurt a few days earlier.
"I know."
"Everything okay?" The adult Kara asked coming into the lounge.
"It's fine. Alex is just a little tired." Eliza explained. "Which might be my fault as I've taken over her bed since being her."
"It's not a problem." The teenager said. "I'm fine sharing with mom."
"On that note, I've got something I want to talk to you about." The adult Kara said.
"Do you want us to go?" The adult Alex asked.
"No, it concerns you as well." Kara said.
"What is it?" Her sister asked.
"You guys have been great and we have loved being here -"
"Are we leaving Earth?" Her daughter jumped in. "Have you freaked out about Mongul?"
"What? No." Kara said. "But I have found us somewhere to live."
"What?" Both Alexes asked.
"You guys have been great. But you need space." Kara said looking at her sister and her offspring. "And we need somewhere to settle."
"Where are you going?" The younger Kara asked.
"Just the apartment block opposite."
"How did you-" The older Alex started to ask before answering the question herself. "Lena?"
"Yes." Kara said. "Turns out she owns it."
"You don't have to move out." The older Alex said.
"I know, but you guys need space and like I said we are just over the road. And if you need me I'll be here in under five seconds."
"When are you moving?" MJ asked.
"It's kind of up to you. Apparently it is ready to move into, but we can stay for as long as you need."
"Can we see it?" The younger Kara asked.
"Sure. Although you'll need to help me find it first, I've not actually seen it yet."
-00-
"You okay?" Eliza asked her eldest daughter as the others disappeared.
"I guess. I doubt it make much difference. Something tells me Kara and Alex will be round here all the time and my Kara will probably use it is a hiding place."
"I sense a but?"
"I guess I had got used to having them around."
"And?" Eliza prompted.
"I know she says we are fine and she doesn't blame me for the bounty hunter, but what if she does and that is why they are moving? Or what if she is so angry about me not telling her about Mongul that she is leaving?"
"She returned as Supergirl to save you." Eliza reminded her.
"I know, but-"
"Alex stop being so hard on yourself." Eliza said gently pulling her in for a hug. "If Kara wanted to get away from you, she wouldn't move to the apartment block opposite."
"I guess." Alex said.
"That said you shouldn't have hidden Mongul from her."
"I was trying to protect her."
"I know. But you two protect each other much better when you aren't hiding things." Eliza said
"I know, I screwed up." Alex said.
"Just stop trying to fight alone. So many people want to help."
"I know."
"Speaking of people needing help, seeing it's just us, have you managed to talk to MJ yet?"
"I tried while you were cooking. He told me not liking hospitals was common sense. Then I even suggested we went to family counselling."
"And?"
"He asked if I had suffered some sort of brain injury in the attack."
"I seem to remember you having a very similar answer when I suggested counselling after your father died."
"Well I have become more accepting since then."
"MJ will too, just keep talking to him." Eliza said.
"Kelly was so much better at this than I ever was." Alex said.
"You are doing great." Eliza assured her as the front door opened and everyone returned.