"Hi guys." Alex said as the teenage trio entered the house the following morning. As they did she headed for her daughter and hugged her. "Love you."
"Love you too." The teen said.
"Is mom here?" The teenage Alex asked.
"No. Were you expecting her to be?"
"Well yeah, she didn't come home last night."
"I will kill her." Alex said grabbing her keys and leaving the house as the three teens watched confused.
-00-
"Kara." Alex said approaching her desk.
"Alex?" Kara asked springing up like a meerkat. "What are you doing here?"
"Dragging you to get some breakfast."
"Breakfast?"
"The first meal of the day."
"Is it that time already?" Kara asked.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing, I just got word blind and lost track of time." Kara said. "And now I proved Alex right."
"What?" Her sister asked.
"Alex thinks I am neglecting her and to prove her point I didn't even make it home last night or this morning." Kara said miserably as she searched for her phone and sent her daughter a message.
"Come on. Breakfast time." Alex said. "Let's get you a sticky bun."
-00-
"How are you feeling?" Alex asked when she met her sister for lunch in the park.
"You don't need to watch over me." Kara said.
"You didn't sleep last night and got barely any sleep the night before. You are getting stressed again."
"I know. But I am okay. I just need to finish this article then I'll kick back and relax."
"If you aren't home by six I am going to drag you back home." Alex warned.
"I'll be home." Kara said.
"You better be." Alex said as her phone buzzed. "I have to get back to the office."
"You need help?"
"No. Go write your article. I'll see you at home."
"Stay safe." Kara said as Alex walked off. She was about to bite into her sandwich when her super hearing picked up screaming. Standing she threw the sandwich in the trash and ran to an alley where she changed into Supergirl and flew towards the scream.
A minute later she landed next to a man who was receiving CPR as a young woman sobbed to the side.
"He's had a heart attack. He needs hospital now." The man performing CPR said.
Nodding, Supergirl scooped the man up and flew him to County Hospital where she handed him over to the doctors before standing back and watching as they tried saving his life.
As she watched, for what felt like an eternity, the sobbing woman from earlier ran towards the trauma area just as Supergirl heard the doctor call time of death.
Moments later the doctor emerged and approached the sobbing woman.
"He's gone. We weren't able to get treatment to him soon enough." As his words sunk in the man's daughter screamed hysterically at Supergirl.
"Why weren't you faster? Why couldn't you save him?"
"I'm sorry." Supergirl said before leaving.
-00-
As Kara sat at her desk at CatCo she started to review the evidence again. But as she did she started to have flashbacks of her fights with Mongul, of being taken by Lobo, of Alex being stuck in the forcefield, of Alex on Red K, of the death of the man earlier in the day. Suddenly finding it hard to to breathe she stood and walked towards the balcony, but seeing someone on it she turned and went to Cat's office. Seeing it was empty she went straight to Cat's private balcony and sank to the ground as she tried to breathe.
-00-
Having barked a multitude of instructions at her terrified assistant Cat stormed into her office and sat at her desk. As she reached for her glasses she heard laboured breathing from nearby. Confused she looked round and realised it was coming from the balcony.
Standing she marched to the balcony ready to tear strips off the intruder only to see Kara huddled on the ground tears running down her face, struggling to draw breath as wind and rain swept across the balcony.
"Kara, listen to me." Cat instructed kneeling in front of Kara. "Look at me." She added as she placed her hands on Kara's face forcing her to look at her. "Look at my eyes. Focus on them. Then breathe."
"Can't." Kara gasped.
"Yes you can. I've seen what you can do. So I know you can do this. In and out." Cat paused and watched before adding. "That's it, in and out. Just focus on breathing." When Kara's breathing eased but didn't return to normal Cat sat on the floor next to Kara and wrapped an arm round her. "That's it focus on breathing."
For the next ten minutes Cat watched her former assistant struggle to regain composure and the ability to breathe normally. But when she felt Kara had finally regained control she asked.
"What happened?"
"I … I don't know. I was working and then I started thinking about everything."
"Everything?"
"Mongul, Kai, Lobo, Sloane and how I'd let Alex down and the man, I don't even know his name, and I couldn't breathe. I thought I needed air, so I came out here where no one would see me and it got worse and I couldn't move or breathe." Before Cat could comment Kara said. "I'm sorry."
"What have I said about apologising?" Cat asked.
"Don't." Kara answered before adding. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, wait until you see the dry cleaning bill for this suit." Cat said. Causing Kara to smile as she wiped tears from her eyes. "Come on, we should get inside before this storm picks up." Cat added as she got to her feet.
"I'm sor-. I should go." Kara said as she followed Cat into her office.
"Sit." Cat ordered in a tone that Kara had no strength to argue with so obediently she sat on the couch, moments before Cat handed her a glass of water and a bowl of M&Ms. "I'm going to make sure we aren't disturbed." Cat added before leaving her office.
-00-
"Hi guys." Alex greeted when she saw all three teens sitting round the table studying.
"Hi." They responded.
"Everything okay?" Alex asked.
"Fine."
"Can you pass the cookies?" MJ asked.
"Su-" The adult Alex started to respond only to notice the cupboard opening and the cookies flying over to the table, taking a path over a very hopeful Chewie. A moment later the cupboard door shut and MJ was thanking his cousin.
Shaking her head the older Alex sent another text to her sister, worried about the lack of responses. She then looked back at the kids and asked.
"Everything go okay at school?"
"Sure." One of them answered.
"I'm glad we've had this conversation." Alex said as her phone buzzed. Hoping it was her sister she quickly read the message. "I have to go." Alex said.
"Everything okay?" Her daughter asked looking up from her homework.
"Um, yeah. I don't know how long I'll be and it will take up your mom's time as well." She said looking at her niece. "So why don't you stay here tonight?"
"Is mom okay?" The teenage Alex asked frowning.
"As far as I know. Why do you know something?"
"No."
"Okay. I'll see you guys later. Eat without us." Alex said leaving.
-00-
When Alex reached Cat's office she didn't bother knocking instead she walked straight in and saw Cat at her desk.
"Wh-" She started to asked but Cat raise a finger to her lip and indicated Alex should be quiet.
Seeing her sister lying asleep on the couch Alex felt the questions corse through her body, but she waited until they were on the balcony.
"What's going on?"
"I found her out here having a panic attack earlier."
"Panic attack?" Alex asked.
"I talked her down."
"You did?"
"Carter was prone to them." Cat explained.
"Did she say what caused it?" Alex asked.
"From the sound of it everything." Cat said before handing Alex a tablet. "But that video is doing the rounds, I don't know if it was the final nail." Confused Alex watched footage of a young sobbing woman blaming Supergirl for not being fast enough.
-00-
"Alex?" Kara asked opening her eyes and seeing her sister.
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Feeling?" Kara asked sitting up before realising she was in Cat's office. "That was real?"
"Yeah."
"Where's Cat?"
"Gone home. It's just us here." Alex said moving to sit next to her sister. "Want to talk?"
"Not really."
"Alex is staying at mine tonight. So we can either talk here or go back to yours and talk there. Your choice."
"I don't want to talk here."
"Okay, let's go." Alex said. "We'll stop off and get some food on the way back."
-00-
"What happened?" Alex asked as she and Kara sat on the couch in Kara's apartment.
"A sudden realisation of what a failure I was." Kara said.
"You're not a failure."
"The evidence says different."
"What evidence?"
"Alex keeps getting put in danger, she thinks I'm neglecting her and I want to send her off to live with her father's family who she things are at best criminals and at worst war lords. Then on top of that things I used to be good at I am no longer good at. That man died because I wasn't fast enough."
"I may be biased, but what I know is that I and my kids are alive because of you."
"Alex had so much pent up anger and resentment." Kara went on.
"I can only imagine what Kara and MJ would say of they were exposed to the human equivalent of Red K." Alex commented. "I mean they are bad enough without drugs. And think about what I have been like."