"Everything okay?" Kara asked her sister as they drove to the DEO together.
"Kara had a bad night last night." Alex said.
"Pain?"
"Of the emotional variety. One of the side effects of the pain meds is nightmares and Kara had a bad one about the crash." Alex explained. "She always acts to strong, I sometimes forget that she's just a little kid." Alex said. "She was crying in my arms for about two hours. Mongul we have next to no chance of winning against, yet I felt so much more helpless not being able to help Kara." Alex said.
"Firstly, we are going to beat Mongul." Kara said. "Secondly you were helping her."
"Didn't feel like it."
"Growing up, how many times did I wake up having relived my final moments on Krypton?" Kara asked.
"A few." Alex said.
"More than a few." Kara corrected. "Every time it was the same darkness I felt filling me. The pain was overwhelming. But every time you would come over to my bed and hold me until I fell to sleep. Knowing someone was there for me, that someone still cared about me was a tether I could cling to. I am sure the same is true for Kara." She then paused and asked. "You sure you are okay going back to work?"
"I'm fine. I think I need to feel useful."
-00-
"Welcome back Director. How's Kara?" Vasquez greeted. "
"She's okay thanks. Thank you for running things in my absence."
"Not a problem. Everyone is in the briefing room when you are ready."
"Thanks. Any nasty surprises?" Alex asked heading straight to the briefing room.
"No more than normal." Vasquez said.
"In order to make sure Supergirl didn't solar flare we benched her and used are new suit squad. Who are holding there own. However, it seems like Mongul is adapting again and the attacks using troops with the gem stone technology has stopped." Vasquez said.
"You think they are running out of the gems?" Supergirl asked.
"More likely they know you aren't being drawn out so they are saving them for bigger attacks to force you out." Alex said before looking at one of the agents and asking. "Have you found anyway to neutralise the tech?"
"Best way is still to rip it out." She replied. "But there is a strong chance they may have come up with a mitigation by the time they get here." She then paused and looked at Alex and said. "One thing that confuses me is how did you manage to get the gem out?"
"Sorry?" Alex asked.
"The gem. It requires superhuman strength to get it out. But when you confronted the alien in that side street you managed to get the gem. So how did you do it?"
"Luck." Alex said not wanting to explain her niece's involvement. She then quickly moved onto her next question and asked. "How are our new suits holding up?"
"So far we have field tested three of them." Another agent replied. "However, even with the suits we are still weaker than them. I believe we will struggle with one on ones. The first skirmish went our way as they weren't expecting it. The second one we only won as there were two of us. In reality to take down one of them will probably require three of us."
"Right now we have seven gems." Vasquez took over. "So we are suggesting two squads with a reserve. Lena is producing more suits that should allow us to insert a gem into them, if we get more gems. Which means, in theory, the more of them we take out the stronger we will get."
"True, but they are likely to spread their resources." Alex said. "Which means in the early stages we will take a lot of damage and there are likely to be many causalities." She then looked at Supergirl and asked. "Any news from the Flash?"
"No other volunteers yet." Supergirl said.
Alex then looked back at Vasquez and asked. "Who have you got down for wearing the suits?"
"Hawkins, Reece and George have done the field testing and will be the primary squad. For the other four, tactically speaking the best options are Thorpe, Lewis, Smith and Pedersen." Vasquez said quickly adding. "I know you have doubts, especially after what happened, but they all have powers and are the ideal choice for this."
"Even Pedersen?" Alex asked.
"Especially Pedersen."
-00-
"Hi." Alex called as she entered the house.
"You're back early." Eliza commented.
"Kara is efficiently stopping rogue aliens, so I could focus on Mongul and actually finish a little early. How is she getting on?"
"Barely eating because of the pain meds, but other than that okay. MJ and Alex and keeping her busy."
"I'm going to check on her, I'll be back in a minute." Alex said jogging up stairs.
"Hi." Alex said opening the door.
"Hey mom." Kara said from the bed which was covered in school books.
"Are you doing homework?" Alex asked confused.
"You don't want us to?" MJ asked.
"No, just a little surprised."
"Well I have a lot to catch up on and Alex is helping me." The teenage Kara said.
"And by help you mean?" Alex asked suspiciously.
"Help. Don't worry I am doing my own homework. Alex is just explaining the parts I don't understand."
"By which she means all of it." MJ added causing his sister to throw a pillow at him.
"Okay, I'll leave you to it." Alex said just as her namesake asked.
"Is mom back yet?"
"Not yet." The adult Alex said slightly apologetically.
-00-
"Everything okay?" Eliza asked as Alex came back downstairs.
"Seems to be." Alex said.
"Yet you are frowning."
"It's just work. I think I am losing objectivity."
"About your sister?"
"No. I think it is safe to say I have never had objectivity when it has come to Kara. This is something else. I'm just having a hard time selecting the teams to take on Mongul's forces. I have to select them knowing they may get hurt or worse and it's hard."
"It's not much comfort but they all knew what they signed up for and knowing you they will have had far more training than required."
"It's still hard and the part of the job I hate the most." Alex complained miserably. "The thing I hate the second most is having to keep Kara there so much that she doesn't see Alex."
"That's Kara's choice and Alex understands."
"She looked pretty miserable just now."
"I'll talk to her tonight." Eliza said. "But first I need to get dinner started."
-00-
"Are you worried about your mom again?" Eliza asked her granddaughter that evening as they sat in Kara's apartment waiting for her return.
"A bit." Alex said before asking. "Do you think I am a bad person?"
"Why would I think that?" Eliza asked confused.
"I was the one who really pushed mom to be Supergirl and now she keeps getting hurt because of it."
"Being Supergirl is her choice." Eliza said hugging her.
"But I really pushed her an it just feels like it is my fault she gets hurt."
"I spent over a decade telling her not be Supergirl, but she did it anyway. Helping people is what your mother does."
"I know." Alex said before adding quietly. "Sometimes I wish she wouldn't."
"So do I." Eliza said. "But that doesn't make us bad. It just means we love your mother."
-00-
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Alex asked as she entered her daughter's room.
"Okay." Kara said before noticing the shabby looking soft toy in her mother's arms.
"Didn't I throw him away, like five years ago?" Kara asked.
"I assumed you didn't mean to and that you would come to regret it." Alex said handing her the toy.
"Where's he been all this time?"
"My wardrobe or with me."
"You've been hugging Mr Snugglebug?" Kara asked.
"Well you weren't using him." Alex pointed out. "But I thought you might want him back."
"Are you going to make me talk about last night?"
"Not if you don't want to."
"Is this reverse phycology?"
"No." Alex assured her. "And I know I set a very bad example when it comes to talking about how I'm feeling, but if you did want to talk about it I'm here."
"I know. But I think you should talk to MJ."
"Why? Has something happened?"
"He's feeling a little neglected."
"What about you?"
"I have Mr Snugglebug." Kara pointed out. "Besides I'm just going to sleep."
"Okay." Alex said kissing her head. "I love you."
"Love you too."
-00
"You still awake?" Kara whispered when she looked in her daughter's room later that night and saw Alex lying on the bed stroking Chewie.
"Mom! You're back." Alex said sitting up as Kara moved over and hugged.
"Sorry it is so late." Kara apologised.
"That's okay." Alex said returning the hug.
"How was school?"
"Easy."
"And your new powers?"
"Still weird."
"But very cool." Kara pointed out. "How about tomorrow I help you practice with them?"
"Don't you need to work?"
"It's the weekend."
"I meant at the DEO."
"What I need is, to spend time with you." Kara said.
"Then will you stay until I fall to sleep?"
-00-
"Everything okay?" Eliza asked when Kara emerged from Alex's bedroom.
"I think so. She's finally got to sleep."
"I meant with you."
"I'm fi- Right now I am feeling a little overwhelmed." Kara confessed.
"Talk to me." Eliza said patting the couch next to her.
"I don't even know how to start helping with Alex's new power." Kara said as she sat down.
"You know exactly what it is like to develop powers when no one around you have any."
"Yes, but back then you knew what I was capable of a lot more than me and could guide me." Kara pointed out. "I have no idea what Alex is capable of. Even if I did, telekinesis? Where do I start?"
"You know how frustrating it can be not being able to control your powers and how much work it takes." Eliza reminded her. "That knowledge will be invaluable."
"I just worry it won't be enough." Kara said.
"That's what makes you a good mother. Don't worry we will all help anyway we can."
"I know." Kara said.
"There's something else isn't there?" Eliza guessed.
"There is so much on the line." Kara said as she seemed to get fixated with her hands. "Mongul has a reputation for stripping planets of resources. And to him the number one resource is people, either to be cage fighters or slaves. If he comes here and wins so many people will suffer. But he is so strong and he has so many people behind him. It's just hard to see a way through this." She then paused and added. "And I feel like a fake."
"Why?"
"Alex and Cat both said the way to win is to inspire hope and that was something only I could do. I am meant to be the Paragon of Hope. But I'm a fake. I'm asking people to trust me, to have faith and hope. But how can I do that when there was a time I lost all my hope?"
"What happened?" Eliza asked.
"When Alex was two she got sick. Like really sick. I was living somewhere where money was everything. Without it you got nothing, not even healthcare. And I had barely enough to cover food and accommodation."
"What did you do?" Eliza asked.
"To start with I thought I could cut back, if I stopped eating I could make my wages go further and have enough to buy medicine and for a week or so that worked. But then Alex got sicker and there was no way I could pay for the treatment she needed. So I went to a, I guess you'd call them a loan shark. They gave me money and I managed to get treatment for Alex. But there was no way I could pay the loan off, not with the job I had. The interest rates went up every week. Every time I missed a payment I was beaten. Eventually, they gave me a choice. I could be a drugs mule or they would take Alex."
"What did you do?"
"I took Alex and I ran. I thought I already had one bounty hunter after me so I didn't have much to lose. I made it less than twenty miles before they caught up with us. They tried to take Alex and I tried to fight them off. We were surrounded. And I lost all hope. I just felt myself fill with darkness and despair. I knew there and then I wasn't going to be walking away. One of them pulled out a gun and aimed it at us. I tried my best to shield Alex. Then there was the sound of gunfire, a lot of gunfire. I didn't feel anything and eventually I looked up. All the men who were trying to kill me were lying dead."
"What happened?"
"It turns out there was a rival gang who decided they wanted to rule. That night they made a play and took out the gang I owed money to. I meant nothing to them so they let me live. I ran with Alex to the spaceport and stowed away on a ship. But that night not only did I lose hope, I felt grateful about the fact they had been killed." Kara cried. "So how can I be out there inspiring people when I am a hypocrite?"
"Kara, everyone loses hope. What makes you special is that you can always find it again. Never forget that." Eliza said hugging her tightly.