"I'm okay. You don't need to watch over me." Kara said to her sister as she sat on the couch as her daughter went upstairs to talk to her cousins.
"Even if I believed that, mom has given me strict instructions." Alex pointed out as she passed Kara a bottle of water.
"Didn't those instructions involve pie?" Kara asked.
"No. I think she had other things on her mind, like making sure you were okay."
"I'm okay." Kara repeated.
"You sure about that?" Alex asked as she sat next to her sister.
"I'm fine. Just worried about Alex."
"She seemed okay." Alex pointed out. "And it's not like she didn't know she had a father and maybe seeing his picture is a good thing."
"It is, but that's not what I meant." Kara said.
"Then what?"
"She shouldn't have to keep going through things like this." Kara said.
"Neither should you." Her sister countered. "The important thing is you are both safe now." When Kara didn't respond Alex asked. "Want to tell me what happened? As in all of it."
"He was sent by Fels' family." Kara said. "He told me that Fels came from a powerful family from the planet Dakran. He ran away twenty years ago, but he didn't know why. His family searched for him for years, and when they discovered he was dead they sent him and his truthseeker friend to find out the truth."
"How did they find you?" Alex asked.
"Lobo. He sent them here." Kara said. "Which means things aren't over with him." After a moment she continued. "He wanted to know about Fels. I didn't want him to know about his connection to Alex so I tried to hide it. But that just made him convinced I was hiding something about Fels' death. He thought I was able to overcome the hybrid truthseeker so he probed events before and after. But like I said, it wasn't reading my mind or making me say the truth he made me re-live every memory he probed." Kara said wrapping her arms round her knees. "But he was in my head too. I mean he was talking to me throughout, like an interrogation. He sensed I was hiding something so probed deeper. I tried so hard to hide the link between Fels and Alex, but it was so draining and hurt so much and he seemed so powerful. In the end I was no match for him and I couldn't hold out anymore and now he knows." Kara said. "Eventually he told me his job was to find out what happened to Fels and he was content I had nothing to do with his death and let me go. But now he knows about Alex. What if they want her?"
"Who?"
"Fels' family."
"I think you are getting ahead of yourself." Alex said. "But even if you're right, there's no way they are getting her." Before Kara could respond they heard the front door open and shut causing the sisters to look at each other before jumping up.
"Kara!" Alex called upstairs moments before both her kids came down.
"What?" The teenager asked.
"Where's Alex?" The older Kara asked.
"She went down to get some water a few minutes ago." MJ said.
Realising it was Alex who had left Kara rushed out of the house and chased after her daughter.
"What happened?" The adult Alex asked looking at her kids.
"Don't know. She was fine when she came down." MJ said.
"Well she had been a bit quiet." The teen Kara said. "But other than that she was okay."
-00-
Seeing her daughter walk through the rain Kara called out to her, but got no response. Breaking out into a run, Kara quickly caught up to her.
"Alex." She said, but the teen kept walking into the park. "Alex stop."
"I need to be alone." The teenager said.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to say anything to upset you." The teen said.
"You won't." Kara said moving to stand in front of her daughter who then changed direction and walked down a different path.
"Alex, stop." Kara repeated once again moving to in front of her daughter. "Talk to me. What's going on?" Kara asked as the rain lashed down.
"I just need to be alone."
"That's not happening." Kara said. "You can talk to me here or I will fly us home, but we are talking. What's going on?"
"You won't understand."
"Try me." Kara said.
"Maybe I will never be the hero you are, but I don't want you to choose someone over you. And I definitely don't want you to choose me over you."
"What are you talking about?" Kara asked.
"I heard you talk to Alex. You got hurt trying to protect me."
"Of course I tried to protect you. You are everything to me. I will always protect you." Kara said.
"What good does that do if you are dead?" Alex cried, tears running down her face. "I thought he had killed you. You were on the ground. You weren't moving. I thought you were dead." She added moments before Kara hugged her tightly.
-00-
As Kara sat on the couch that evening thinking through everything that had happened she heard Alex whimpering from her bedroom. Jumping up Kara rushed in and saw her daughter thrashing in her sleep.
"Alex." She called moving to the bed, but as she did so she suddenly saw herself drowning, the image so vivid that it caused a moment of shock before she shook it off and gently shook her daughter awake. "Alex." She called again as the teen's eyes opened.
"Mom?" Alex gasped before hugging her.
"It's okay. You're safe." Kara said. "You were having a nightmare. It's over now." She soothed, refusing to release her until she felt her daughter's trembling stop. When she did eventually pull away she called out for the lights to turn on before looking at her daughter. "We are both okay." Kara assured her. When Alex nodded Kara asked. "Do you think you can sleep?"
"I don't want to go back to sleep." The teenager said, afraid of the nightmares that might be waiting.
"Then we'll do something else." Kara replied. "Let's go to the lounge. I'll make you some hot chocolate." Kara said starting to stand.
"Mom. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."
"I don't mind you yelling if it means you are being honest about how you feel, rather than bottling everything up." Kara said, hugging her again. "Although telling me how you feel over doughnuts would be better still." She added causing her daughter to snort. Kara's expression then turned serious and she pulled away from Alex before adding. "What I do mind is you running off. Especially after you had just been kidnapped."
"I'm sorry." The teen said.
"And Alex is still really annoyed with you for not handing the holo cube over earlier."
"I knew she would take it." The teen said.
"To protect you, you could have been dangerous." Kara pressed.
"I'm sorry." The teenager said.
"I know." Kara said. "There's something else you need to know. No matter how much you complain you will always be the most important person to me and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if that means I get hurt. But no matter what happens I will always try as hard as possible to get home to you." She paused and looked at her daughter before adding. "When I was trapped in that pocket dimension with Mongul it was you who kept me going. You will always be my strength." She said letting her words sink in before she stood.
"Come on. Let's get that hot chocolate." Kara said leading her to the lounge.