"How is she?" Alex asked when she entered Lena's lab with her daughter.
"She is warm, but not burning up anymore." Lena said glancing through a small window to the side room where Kara was hugging her daughter. "And she is awake. She improved after a shower, so my guess is some sort of chemical poison." Lena said before looking at the teenage Kara.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Can I get a blood sample?"
"Sure." Kara said sitting down and offering her arm.
"We've not managed to get a sample from Alex because of her powers." Lena said as she stuck in the needle.
"So they're back?" The adult Alex asked.
"Yes, but we don't know to what level." Lena said withdrawing the needle and putting a some gauze over the puncture.
"Go get changed." Alex directed her daughter. "Then we'll look at your leg."
As the teenager disappeared Alex turned to Lena and asked.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing." Lena said. "So far I have been able to do very few tests. Her recovery suggests a toxin probably from the pool water. I'm running what I collected through a mass spec. Assuming it is something not terrestrial, results may not be in for a while." She explained before asking. "I take it there is no history of anything similar happening?"
"Not that Kara has ever said." Alex said. "But we need a history. I'll talk to Kara."
"I'll keep running tests." Lena offered.
-00-
"Your mom is freaking out next door." The teenage Kara said as she approached her cousin, who was sitting alone in a small room as the adult Kara tried to identify every illness her daughter had ever suffered from to Alex and Lena. But when she saw how pale her cousin was looking the teenager said. "Wow, you look like crap."
"Feel it." Alex said miserably wrapping the blanket round herself tightly, still feeling cold despite having changed into dry clothes. "Thank you."
"You've saved me plenty of times." Kara shrugged. "But what were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me or MJ what was happening? In fact why did you out right lie about it when I asked?"
"It wasn't your problem. I chose to take him on."
"We're family, we don't do things alone." Kara said. "But it is hard to have your back if you don't talk to us. So next time you take on the top of the food chain tell us." She added before noticing the small anklet round her cousin's ankle, which was poking out of the bottom of the blanket.
"Isn't that what you got on Argo?" The teenage Kara asked pointing at her cousin's ankle.
"Yes."
"Is your skin normally this inflamed?"
"No." Alex said looking at red raw skin under the anklet.
"Mom." Kara yelled.
"What is it?" Alex asked rushing into the room, her sister on her heels.
"I think you need to see this."
"What is this?" The adult Alex asked looking at the anklet.
"Something I got from Argo." The teenager said.
"How long have you had this rash?"
"First time I noticed it." The teenager said as her aunt removed the anklet. Having removed the anklet she carefully washed the area and noticed the rash starting to disappear.
"How are you feeling?" The adult Kara asked.
"Better." The teenager said sounding confused. "Much better."
"I'm going to take this and run some tests." The adult Alex said taking the jewellery.
-00-
"Well I think we have discovered her kryptonite." Lena said entering the room where Kara was sitting on a couch with her daughter, while the teenage Kara sat to one side texting her brother an update.
"She was poisoned?" The adult Kara asked looking up.
"Yes."
"Who? How?"
"The anklet, or rather the anklet mixed with chlorine."
"Something from Argo did this?"
"Something she got from Argo. It may not have originated from there." Lena said. "But the key was the chlorine interaction which released an unknown compound, but one Alex seems to react very badly too."
"Since removing it everything has started to look normal again." The adult Alex said.
"So she's okay?" Kara asked, her tone practically begging.
"Seems to be." Alex confirmed.
"Told you." The teenager said.
"But we'll keep monitoring her for a few days." The adult Alex added as Kara tightly hugged her daughter.
"Can we go home?" The teenager asked.
"Maybe we should stay here." Kara said. "And run some more tests."
"I want to go home." The teenager said pouting.
"She can wear this." Lena said holding a sensor. "If there are changes it will sound an alarm." She then looked at the teenage Kara and said. "You need to wear one too, just in case."
-00-
"Here you go." Kara said passing her daughter a mug of hot chocolate.
"Thanks."
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay."
"Want to talk about what happened?"
"As in drowning?"
"Or the whole bully thing." Kara suggested.
"No."
"Okay."
"Really?" The teenager asked suspiciously.
"After what happened, you get a pass tonight. But it is one night only." She warned as she sat next to her daughter. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"
"I'm fine." Alex said, with less bravado than normal as she hugged her mother.
-00-
"Why aren't you in bed?" Kara asked entering the kitchen the next morning where her daughter was feeding Chewie.
"It's after eight." The teenager pointed out.
"You are meant to be resting." Kara said.
"But I am fine now." Alex countered.
"We don't know that."
"Yes we do. Lena and Alex said I was fine and the alarm thing Lena gave me hasn't gone off. Hence, I'm fine."
"And you will be a lot more fine going back to bed and resting." Kara said trying to usher Alex towards her bedroom.
"I don't need rest." Alex protested, but there was no way to stop her mother lifting her and flying her to room.
Ignoring the muttering and complaining Kara returned to the kitchen and finished feeding Chewie just as the front door opened.
"How's Alex?" The teenage Kara asked when she and MJ entered her aunt's apartment.
"She's okay thanks to you." The older Kara said before walking over and hugging her niece. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The teenager said.
"Is she allowed out?" MJ asked.
"No. Not today." Kara said.
"But I'm fine." Alex complained as she emerged from her bedroom.
"We don't know that. You aren't going anywhere."
"What about Chewie?"
"I'll take him for his walk." The older Kara said. "You are staying here."
"But we can stay here?" MJ pressed.
"She needs to rest." Kara said.
"We'll just watch movies." The teenage Kara said.
"Please." The teenage Alex pleaded, flashing her pout.
"Why did Alex have to teach you that?" Kara grumbled.
"Plus, we can keep an eye on Alex while you talk to mom." The teenage Kara pressed.
"Fine you guys can stay, but no using powers." The adult Kara warned. She then looked at her daughter and said. "Don't forget you promised to call Eliza."
"I won't." The teenager replied.
-00-
"Alex okay?" The older Alex asked when Kara walked into her kitchen.
"I think so. Quiet. Maybe Kara and MJ can get her to open up. I know I couldn't. It didn't help that I think I annoyed her."
"How?" Alex asked.
"I possibly got a little over protective." Kara confessed.
"So how are you doing?" Alex asked.
"I keep thinking about what would have happened if Kara hadn't have been there."
"Well she was and Alex is going to be fine."
"I should have done something before. I encouraged her to face a bully. What was I thinking?"
"You couldn't have know she got her version of Kryptonite from Argo." Alex reminded her. "On that note, I am sending Ruby to Argo today to see if she can figure out where it came from."
"Is that wise?"
"I know I may be a little hard on Ruby, but she is a good Agent."
"No I meant. What if this is a hangover from the Worldkillers? Ruby could be in danger."
"You are jumping to Worldkillers?" Alex asked.
"I don't know." Kara said. "But the Worldkillers came from Argo, the anklet came from Argo."
"Whatever that compound is, it is not her Kryptonian DNA it is interacting with." Alex reminded her. "It is her paternal DNA. Seeing you don't know what that is, how can anyone else?"
"I guess. Do you think it could have caused issues without the chlorine?"
"We will need to do more tests. Do you think it was causing problems?"
"I don't know. She has been really grumpy since coming back from Argo."
"Well she is a teenager." Alex said. "But Lena and I will keep looking into it. We will figure it out. In the mean time don't jump to conclusions" She then glanced at her watch and asked. "You ready?"
"For what?" Kara asked confused.
"To see the Principal."
"Isn't it Saturday?" Kara asked.
"Yes, but I told the Principal I would be there first thing. Seeing Alex could have died I doubt he'll care about weekends."
"Not that I am not grateful, but shouldn't I be the one driving this?"
"Yeah, but I have a badge and a gun." Alex reminded her.