As Kara lay in bed, unable to escape the images in her head she heard whimpering from her daughter's room. Moving there with superspeed she saw her daughter thrashing around and moved to the bed.
"Alex." She called sitting on the bed. As the teen still thrashed around she gently squeezed her daughter's shoulders, calling. "Alex."
When Alex's eyes flew open, her heart pounding Kara said.
"It's over."
"Mom?" The teen asked focusing on the figure sitting in front of her.
"I'm right here." Kara said. "It was a dream. We're both safe."
"I'm sorry." The teen said sitting up and hugging her mother.
"For what?" Kara asked.
"Waking you."
"You didn't." Kara promised her.
"It's two in the morning." The teen said.
"Well you aren't the only one suffering from sleep issues." Kara said. "You think you can go back to sleep?"
"I don't want to." Alex said.
"It might help to talk about your dreams." Kara said.
"Not yet." The teen said. "It will make them seem more real."
"Okay, you can have a bit more time." Kara offered as she pulled away from the teen. "But you are going to have to talk to me at some point."
"I know. I will. Just not yet."
"Okay." Kara said. "But seeing you can't sleep why don't we watch the best racing movies of all time?" Kara suggested.
-00-
"How are you feeling?" Kara asked entering the infirmary early the next morning
"Angry, frustrated and grateful." Her sister listed.
"Grateful at being locked in an infirmary?" Kara asked.
"Grateful that I have you in my life. If you hadn't found that antidote-"
"You only needed it because you rescued me." Kara pointed out.
"Well keeping you out of trouble is my job." Alex said shifting on her bed. "Seriously though, thank you."
"Always." Kara smiled.
"You okay?" Alex asked.
"I'm all healed."
"Only physically. I saw what state you were in, it is not going to be easy to get over that."
"It's easier to get over things when you have things to focus on." Kara said.
"Alex?" Her sister guessed.
"Yeah. I don't know how to help her."
"You surviving will have helped her. But if you let things fester you won't be able to help her. And being strong for Alex doesn't mean you aren't breaking on the inside."
"I know." Kara said.
"Talk to me." Alex instructed.
"You need to recover first. Besides Kara and MJ will be here in a moment."
"Then talk to Lena or mom. Don't do this alone." Alex said as the door opened and the two teens walked in.
"Hey guys." Alex smiled as her kids carefully hugged her.
"Are you coming home soon?" MJ asked.
"It won't be long." Alex said as her sister slipped out of the room.
-00-
"Hi Sweetie." Eliza greeted as Kara came back to the house.
"Hi." Kara said before approaching her daughter and hugging her.
"How was Alex?" Eliza questioned.
"Still in the infirmary." Kara said as she released her daughter. "Kara and MJ are with her now." She added before looking at her daughter and asking. "Anything you want to do before they get back?"
"Not really." The teen said listlessly.
"You okay?" Kara asked.
"Sure." She said before standing and adding. "I'm going to go have a shower."
"Did something happen?" Kara asked when it was just her and Eliza.
"Apart from the obvious no." Eliza replied. "She has been quiet all morning. But unlike you she did have breakfast." She added putting a plate of pancakes in front of her daughter.
"Thanks." Kara smiled before explaining. "I wanted to check on Alex."
"Your sister will be okay, you I am not so sure about." Eliza said.
"I'll be okay. I have to be."
"Take time for yourself." Eliza warned as a new figure walked into the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" Kara asked.
"MJ told be to come. He wanted to be beaten." Lena explained.
"Wait you are coming Go Karting?" Kara asked.
"If that is okay." Lena said.
"Of course, I'm just having a problems picturing you in a Go Kart."
"Why? I'm a natural racer." Lena said. "So where are the kids?"
"MJ and Kara are seeing Alex, they should be back soon. Alex is in the shower and Diz I guess will be here soon." Kara listed.
"So a moment of peace?" Lena said. "One which you can use to tell us how you are doing."
"Me? I'm fine." Kara said wondering if this was a coordinated interrogation by Alex, Eliza and Lena.
"Since I arrived you have been rubbing your arm. Is it hurting?" Lena asked.
"No." Kara said looking down. "It's fine. I didn't even know I was doing it."
"You sure?" Eliza asked looking at her carefully.
"I'm sure. Really, since the Kryptonite left my system it hasn't hurt at all." She added as they heard the teenage Alex come downstairs.
"Morning Alex." Lena greeted.
"Hi." The teen greeted.
"I'm going to get Chewie's breakfast. Want to come with me?" Kara asked her daughter.
"Sure."
"We'll be back soon." Kara said to others as she led her daughter out of the house.
"So want to tell me what's wrong?" Kara asked as they entered the apartment.
"Nothing. I just didn't get much sleep." She reminded her mother. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"You can always wake me." Kara said before asking. "Is this about what happened or about meeting your grandparents?"
"A bit of both."
"You don't have to meet them." Kara said.
"I want to."
"Then what's wrong?" Kara asked.
"What if they cause you problems?"
"What if they don't?" Kara countered.
"Seems more likely they will."
"You need to not worry so much." Kara said, before asking, half expecting another null response." Why else aren't you getting any sleep?"
"I keep seeing it." Alex eventually said.
"What?" Kara asked.
"When we were being held. When I was escaping."
"What happened when you were escaping?" Kara asked.
"Nothing. I mean it wasn't real."
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"Because of the Silver Kryptonite I saw things. But they weren't real."
"But you thought they were?" Kara asked.
"Yes."
"What did you see?"
"I saw you die." The teen said, tears streaming down her face, causing Kara to pull her in for a hug.
"I'm okay." Kara said into the hug.
"But it's not over is it?" The teen asked.
"I don't know. But it will be soon."
"How can you be so sure?" The teen asked.
"Hope and faith." Kara said holding her. After awhile she pulled away and looked at the teen.
"You going to be okay?" Kara asked. When the teen nodded she said. "We don't have to go today if you don't want to."
"I want to." Alex said.
"You sure?" Kara asked.
"Yes."
"Good, because you need to win the race later."
"I do?" Alex asked confused.
"You want to give MJ bragging rights?" Kara asked.
"No."
"Then you need to win the race, or at least beat MJ."
"I have never been Go Karting before." The teen reminded her.
"I know, but it is easy to pick up. Plus we watched all those movies."
"Not sure that's how you learn." The teen said. "Especially as one of those movies was a cartoon about a conscious car."
-00-
"What are you doing here?" The adult Alex asked when her sister entered the infirmary that evening.
"I wanted to check on you." Kara said.
"You mean you wanted to make sure I wasn't working?" Alex guessed.
"It wouldn't be the first time you disobeyed medical orders." Kara shrugged.
"I'm still here." Alex pointed out before asking. "So how was Go-Karting?"
"Insanely competitive and at one stage was more like dodgems. But there were no major crashes, although I think the human contingent will be a little sore tomorrow."
"Thanks for looking after Kara and MJ."
"You don't have to thank me for that." Kara smiled.
"In that case I will ask about Fels' parents. When do they get here?"
"How do you know about that?"
"Alex told Kara and MJ, who told me. The more important question is why didn't you tell me?"
"You are in the infirmary." Kara pointed out.
"With plenty of time on my hands." Alex countered.
"Right now there isn't much to tell." Kara shrugged. "I still don't know when they are coming."
"Remember you don't have to see them alone. And the Tycho threat may not be gone for good. You may have to pick your battles."
"I'm hoping Fel's parents won't end up in a war." Kara countered. "Any updates on Tycho?"
"No." Alex said. "Lena gave my team access to the … I don't know what to call it, server prison maybe, anyway they are going through all the data. But since Lena did her thing, there hasn't been any evidence of Tycho doing anything so it looks like it worked."
"For someone not working you seem to know an awful lot." Kara said.
"My ears work fine." Alex said. "How are you doing?"
"I don't know. I'm just trying to focus on Alex and forget everything that happened."
"That's not healthy, but I get it." Her sister said. "Has Alex talked about what happened after she escaped?"
"She said she had lots of hallucinations and saw me die." Kara said.
"She was terrified it was real." Alex said.
"She talked to you about it?" Kara guessed.
"Yes, but she also shared her memories, that's how we figured out where they took you. She had a really rough time."
"I'm trying to pack as much as possible in at the moment to keep her mind off what happened, but I'm not sure it is working."
"I am pretty sure Alex will just want to spend time with you." Her sister reminded her. "I appreciate everything you are doing for Kara and MJ, but mom can take care of them, focus on Alex and focus on yourself."