"MJ you are going to be late." Alex shouted up the stairs a few days later. Still getting no reply she looked at her daughter and asked. "Can you go see what's keeping him?"
"Do I have to?" The teenager asked. Seeing her mother's glare though she said. "Fine, I'm going."
"I think he's sick." The teen said returning a couple of minutes later.
"What do you mean?"
"He's spluttering and looks like crap." The teenage Kara said bluntly.
"You feeling okay?" Alex asked looking at her daughter as she put her coffee down.
"I'm fine." The teen said moments before Alex headed upstairs to see her son.
"What's going on?" Alex asked entering her son's room.
"Don't feel well." MJ said from somewhere under the duvet.
"What's wrong?"
"Everything." He complained as Alex sat on the side of the bed and exposed his head.
"You're burning up." Alex said. "Is anyone at school sick?"
"There's a cold going round." MJ said.
"That's probably what this is. Get some rest."
"So no school?"
"No school. I'll work from home today, so shout if you need anything. I'll be back to check on you in a bit."
-00-
When Alex came back downstairs her sister and niece were in the kitchen.
"MJ has a fever. It's a probably a cold, but he isn't going to school today." She explained to her daughter.
"Okay." The teenage Kara said grabbing her bag and nodding at her cousin before the two left the house.
"I'm going to work from home today." Alex explained to her sister. "But that doesn't mean you are covering for me. You still need to take it easy."
"Okay." Kara said.
"I mean it. If I see you on the news I will come down to the DEO."
"I'll take it easy." Kara said. "You just worry about MJ."
"Phone me every two hours to let me know you are okay." Alex went on.
"Alex, I'll be okay." Kara said. "I'll see you later."
-00-
"I don't get it." The teenage Alex said putting down the tablet she was reading that evening.
"What?" Her mother asked.
"Prohibition. Seeing it failed miserably in Massachusetts and Maine why did anyone think it would work?"
"It had a lot of support." Kara pointed out.
"From religious zealots."
"I'm not sure they would class themselves as zealots." Kara said as the front door opened.
"Hey, can I stay here tonight?" The teenage Kara asked her aunt as she entered the apartment.
"Have you had another fight with your mom?" The adult Kara asked.
"No. Mom has MJ's cold so it is like a plague house. With all the coughing I doubt I will get much sleep there. If I stay here I can cook."
"As long as you make enough food for your mom and MJ you can stay here." Kara said.
"Thanks." She said.
"And you need to help me with this." The teenage Alex said.
"What is it?" The teen Kara asked.
"The Prohibition in 1920s America." The youngest teenager said. "Specifically why anyone thought it work."
"No problem, I aced that topic." The teenage Kara said.
-00-
"How are you feeling?" The adult Kara asked as she walked into the lounge where her sister and nephew were on the couch wrapped in blankets.
"Like crap." Alex said, her voice hoarse.
"I've brought food."
"Not hungry." Both Alex and her son said.
"It's soup. It's good for you." Kara said passing each of them a bowl. Seeing her sister stare at it Kara said. "Eat."
Reluctantly Alex sipped the soup.
"My tastebuds must be really bad." Alex said.
"Why does it taste bad?" Kara asked.
"No good. But you have never made good soup." Alex said before coughing.
"I still haven't. Kara made it." The older Kara said. The revelation causing MJ to eat his soup. "Speaking of, Kara is going to stay at my place tonight to give you some peace."
"Sounds good." Alex sniffed.
"Can I get you two anything else?" Kara asked.
"No, we just need sleep." Alex said.
"Okay, well call if you need anything."
"You don't need to fuss over us. Take care of yourself." Alex said to Kara.
-00-
"Where's Alex?" Wildcat asked when he saw Supergirl the next day.
"She's off sick. Why?"
"Diz called he said there's something we need to hear."
"What?"
"Don't know. He didn't say, he was talking in teenage grunts. But I know Alex asked him about Kai."
"Let's go." Supergirl said.
"Probably best if you change." Wildcat said. "He will probably respond better to Kara."
-00-
"Hey Diz." Grant said as he sat opposite the teen in a diner.
"Hey." Diz said looking at Kara. "You're the aunt?"
"Yes." Kara nodded. "I've heard a lot about you from Kara."
"You here to distract me so the final blow can come in from behind?" He asked looking round for Alex.
"Alex is sick, so I came." Kara smiled. "Wildcat said you had some info?"
"She wanted to know if I had heard anything from Los Zetas or Kai and I hadn't. But this morning I saw one of my bros."
"A meta?"
"No. He was normal."
"What did he want?" Kara asked.
"Out."
"Of Kai?" Kara pressed.
"They're not called that anymore, but yeah. I told him to meet me here an hour ago. But he didn't show."
"Did he say anything, like why he wanted out or what was happening?" Kara asked.
"Just that it was bad. He seemed scared. But he wouldn't say."
"If anyone shows up call him." Kara said pointing to Wildcat. "I don't care how much you used to trust them. You could be in danger."
"And you care?"
"You are my niece's friend, so yes."
-00-
"How are you feeling?" Kara asked approaching her sister that evening. "Have you actually moved from this spot?" She questioned noticing Alex was still wrapped in blankets on the couch.
"Briefly." Alex croaked.
"Where's MJ?"
"Upstairs gaming."
"At least he is feeling better." Kara said.
"Wish I was." Alex said miserably.
"You are still burning up." Kara said feeling her sister's forehead. "Have you taken anything?"
"Yes. Those." Alex said pointing to a packet of pills on the table.
"Should I call Eliza?"
"Kara, I'm okay. Or I will be. I just need sleep."
"Okay, but call if you need anything. I'll be listening."
"That's creepy, but comforting." Alex commented.
-00-
As the teenage Kara crept into her aunt's apartment later that night she carefully and quietly tried to make it to the spare room only to hear her aunt say.
"A little late for a school night isn't it?"
"Aunt Kara?" The teenager asked spinning round and looking at her aunt who was sat at the kitchen table. "I was just, um mom is still sick, can I stay here?"
"I know your mom is sick, I've been over there. And she thought you were here."
"Did you tell her I wasn't?"
"She is already a terrible patient." The adult Kara said.
"Thanks." The teenager said. "Anyway I'll go to bed."
"Not so fast. Seeing I am now complicit I think I deserve to know where you have been."
"I had training."
"That ended two hours ago."
"Afterwards I went for dinner."
"With Diz?"
"You'd prefer I ate alone?" The teen asked.
"No. Just trying to figure out how mad your mom will be when she finds out."
"She's always mad." The teenager pointed out before saying. "I hear you met Diz."
"I did."
"And?"
"And what?" The older Kara asked.
"Did you like him?"
"Does that matter?"
"Well yes, if you like him you might protect him from mom."
"I thought you were just friends." Kara countered.
"Yes." The teenager said avoiding eye contact.
"So why would he need protection?"
"Have you met mom?"
"Point taken." The older Kara said. "Anyway, you should go bed."
"Okay. Night." The teenager said standing. But she then stopped and asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, why?"
"I don't know, you just don't seem like your normal self."
"I'm fine." The adult Kara assured her.
-00-
"Should you be here?" Supergirl asked when her sister entered the control room the next morning.
"I'm okay." Alex said, her throat still sounding sore.
"Very convincing." Supergirl said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure." Alex said before looking over to Vasquez and saying. "I need to catch up with the last couple of days so let's move the briefing back by an hour."
"Sure thing." Vasquez said as Supergirl led Alex to her office.
"What's up?" Alex asked.
"Why are you really back at work?"
"Because I'm okay."
"So you are not here to keep an eye on me?"
"Maybe a little." Alex said.
"I love that you worry about me, but if you collapse you aren't going to be able to worry about anyone."
"Kara, a few nights ago you reached rock bottom. No one springs back from that quickly, even you."
"I know and I am taking it easy and every time I have felt myself waver I knew I could have talked to Cat or Lena."
"But you didn't?"
"Well no. Because Chewie tends to be a goto."
"Chewie?"
"He's a really good listener." Kara said. "Although sometimes he has this judgemental look about him."
"Well now I'm even more worried about you and now I'm better you come to me." Alex said.
"You don't sound better." Kara pointed out.
"I'm fine. And someone needs to be here to make sure you don't stretch yourself too thin."
"Alex, I know you want to protect me, but sitting on the sidelines just makes me feel more useless. I mean there are people out there who I am not helping, because I have been too fragile. That doesn't make me feel any better."
"I know you love helping people, but I am not going to let you do that to your own detriment." Alex countered.
"For the record the only DEO type thing I did yesterday I did as me, as in Kara me."
"What did you do?" Alex asked.
"Met with Diz."
"Why?"
"You asked him to tell you if anyone who had joined Kai made contact. They had. So I went with Wildcat to meet him. Which was probably for the better. But it turned out to be a dead end. His contact never made further contact."