"Hi guys." Alex called as she got home and saw her niece and mother.
"Hi Sweetie." Eliza smiled as the teenage Alex asked.
"Where's mom?"
"She's out doing her thing. She'll be back soon." Alex assured her before looking at her mother and asking.
"Where are the others?"
"Diz and Kara are in the den. Don't worry the door is open. MJ is out bowling with his friends."
"You didn't want to go to?" Alex asked her niece.
"No."
"Have you had a fight with MJ?" The older Alex asked concerned.
"No."
"You feeling okay?"
"Sure."
"Then why aren't you out with MJ?" Alex asked.
"Mom is lying. She says she is okay, but she is acting weird and having nightmares. And now she had gone back to working all the time. What if she does too much again?"
"Right now your mom is stressed about the bad guys we can't catch. Being Supergirl is giving her some stress relief." Alex said. "You don't need to worry about it." She went on before adding. "She is worried about you though."
"Why me?" The teen asked.
"Because she thinks you are hiding how you are feeling from her." Alex explained. "I know you want to help her, but that isn't helping and is making her stress more."
"Then how do I help her?" The teen asked.
"Don't give her another reason to feel stressed." Alex said simply. "And just talk to her. Remember your mom has a very vivid imagination she is going to fill any gaps you give her."
"Hi." Kara called entering the house. "Sorry I'm late." She added.
"It's fine. We were just about to eat." Eliza smiled as Kara hugged her daughter.
"Everything okay?" Kara asked feeling like she may have interrupted something.
"Unlike you we don't have a knack for finding trouble." Her sister reminded her.
"You're the one with one leg." Kara pointed out.
"Do you have to work tonight?" The teenage Alex asked her mother.
"No. I'm all yours tonight." Kara smiled.
-00-
As they started to eat the older Alex and Kara exchanged glances before Alex said, looking at her daughter.
"We didn't mean to stress you out."
"What?" The teen asked lost.
"I know you think, you both think, that we have been acting strangely." Alex said looking at both teens.
"How do you know that?" The older teen asked.
"Wildcat."
"You just asked him?" The teen Kara asked her boyfriend.
"Yeah. You asked me to."
"Subtlety."
"What was the point in being subtle? It's not like Grant would have told me a different answer if I asked carefully." Diz pointed out.
"You could have just asked me." Alex pointed out to her daughter, resulting in a snort.
"What?" Alex asked.
"You would have said nothing. Just like you are about to do." The teen said.
"What exactly do you want to know?" Alex asked.
"Really?" The teen countered.
"Really."
"Why are you so stressed?"
"We think two people were responsible for most of what has been happening. One is in custody, the other isn't and he is still dangerous." Alex said. "Until we have him, there is still the chance that you may be in danger. We didn't want to tell you that as we didn't want you to get stressed."
"Is Diz in danger?" The teenage Kara asked.
"We don't know. For now we are assuming you are all in danger." Her mother said.
"So the DEO guard stays?" The teenage Kara asked, not sounding that disappointed.
"For now." Alex confirmed. "We don't know what, if anything, is being planned. Until we do, we all need to be careful."
"What about the skets at Kar's school?" Diz asked.
"Sket?" The older Kara asked. "Actually I can guess what that means."
"Holtz has moved out of state. The whole family has." Alex said.
"The others?" Diz asked.
"Most are on community service."
"But they're still free?" Diz pressed, not hiding his displeasure.
"For now."
"Can't you lock them away?" Diz asked.
"It's not that easy." Alex said also frustrated.
"But they have been threatened a lot." The older Kara said. "I'm sure they won't be stupid enough to try anything else."
"Maybe." The teenage Kara said sounding unconvinced.
"I know it doesn't make it better. But I don't think they will cause you problems." The adult Alex said.
"Really? Then who is behind the notes?" Diz asked earning a kick to the shin.
"What notes?" The older Alex asked her daughter.
"It's nothing." The teenage Kara said.
"Then why kick Diz? What's going on?"
"It's nothing. I'm just not very popular right now."
"Are you being bullied? Threatened?" Alex pressed looking at her daughter.
"It's fine. I would tell you if it wasn't. School ends in a few days. By next year it will be back to normal." The teen said. "Besides they're not who are the problem right? It's the actual bad guys. That's why we have the guard?"
"It's possible." Her mother said.
"Does that mean you are going to be working at the DEO more?" Her daughter asked.
"No. I'm going to start working at home again, most of the time anyway. It may take some time, but we will figure this out. But this is important, there is to be no sneaking off or ditching your DEO guard. I don't care how strong you think you are or how self reliant you think you are. If you do it not only places you in danger, but everyone in this family. But that said, we can't keep living in fear of something that might never happen. So while you will keep the guard, I want you to have as normal summer as possible."
-00-
"The guy you don't have is the one who wants you isn't it?" The teenage Alex asked her mother later that evening as they walked Chewie.
"He is interested in Kryptonians." Kara confirmed.
"So you are in danger?"
"I have fought worse than him and no matter what he tries I will come home."
"What if you don't?"
"Where's that coming from?" Kara asked coming to a stop and looking at her daughter.
"You are stressed for a reason." The teen argued.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you." Kara said. "The reason that I'm stressed isn't because I am worried about me. I'm worried about you."
"Are they coming after me?"
"No. Well I hope not. But they have before. So I will always worry about it."
"Are you sending me away again?"
"No. Why would you think that?"
"You have before when you thought I was in danger."
"And I hated every second we were apart." Kara said hugging her. "Sending you away those times were the hardest things I have ever done and I never want to do that again."
"If I wasn't here, wouldn't it help you?"
"How would it help me?" Kara asked.
"You wouldn't have to worry about me."
"No matter where you are in the Galaxy, I will always worry about you." Kara said. "And when you aren't with me I worry about you so much more. I hate being being away from you."
"Me too." Her daughter replied.
"I have been worried because I thought you were hiding how you were feeling from me. But I have been just as bad. I really am sorry. I promise you I am not sending you anywhere. Just be careful, we don't know who might be watching. And whatever happens trust your instinct."
"Okay." The teen said.
"Why don't we practice your powers tonight?"
"Aren't you tired?"
"I'm fine. But first we need ice cream." Kara said.
"Why?"
"Have you learned nothing? You always need ice cream."
-00-
"Diz gone?" Alex asked as her daughter walked into the kitchen.
"Yes." The teen said grabbing some water from the fridge. Sensing her mother's eyes on her she said. "I don't want to talk."
"I didn't say anything." Alex said as the teen shut the fridge door. "But fortunately there is nothing stopping you from listening." She added causing the teen to throw her head back as her mother went on. "I remember how rough High School can be. How quickly people pick sides and abandon friends. It does get better though."
"Sure." The teen said.
"Although I don't know the details I do know what I want to do, but I also know you probably don't want me doing that." Alex said. "So I am not going to do anything, unless you ask me to."
"You're not?" The teen asked sounding relieved.
"I trust you." Alex said. "And I know you are strong, but that doesn't mean you have to deal with everything alone. I can't force you to talk to me. Well I could, but we both know that won't end well. Just promise me you'll talk to someone. And the second you need help, you will ask."
"I will." The teen said. Before hugging her mother and adding. "I love you."
"Love you too." Alex said.