"Alex?" The older Alex asked confused when she saw her niece sitting by her bed.
"Hi." The teen said.
"What are you doing here?"
"Mom and I switched in with Kara. How are you feeling?"
"Okay." The older Alex said. "Did the other me hurt you?"
"No. We barely saw her." The teen said. "But I'm sorry I didn't notice."
"Not your fault." Alex said. "What matters is that you and MJ are safe."
"What about you?" The teen asked.
"What about me?"
"You're hurt because we didn't notice."
"It wouldn't have made a difference." Alex assured her. "Where's your mom?"
"Went to get coffee and probably cake." The teen said. "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." The adult Alex said as she shifted on the bed and winced in pain.
"Shall I get the doctor?"
"No, I'll be okay." Alex said taking some deep breaths, only she breathed too hard and causing pain to shoot through her ribs.
"I'm getting the doctor." The teenager said leaving the room.
"What's going on?" Kara asked joining her daughter in the hallway a few minutes later.
"Alex woke up in pain so I got the doctor."
"Stay here." Kara said entering her sister's room.
"Alex?" Kara called to her sister.
"I'm fine." Alex grimaced.
"You need to take your pain medication." The doctor said fiddling with her IV.
"Pain is the body's way of telling you what's wrong." Alex argued. "If I can't feel pain I will hurt my body more."
"True. But as you well know we are talking about dulling the pain not removing it." The doctor said before turning to Kara and saying. "Talk sense into her." With that he left.
"Where's Alex?" The older Alex asked, trying to side step the lecture.
"Waiting out side. How are you doing?"
"I don't need babysitting."
"You are the only person who believes that." Kara said.
"Why don't you get Alex back in?"
"Well I'm hoping you'll talk more if it is just me."
"I don't want to talk." Alex said as she started to feel light headed. "Damn it."
"What?" Kara asked frowning.
"He increased the meds." She said before passing out.
00
"Mom?" Alex croaked the next time she woke up.
"Right here Sweetie." Eliza smiled before passing her some water. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay."
"No you're not. But I talked to the doctor and they have agreed no more strong meds."
"Thank you." Alex said. "The last thing the kids need right now is for me to get hooked. How's MJ?"
"He's okay."
"Should I be worried about him?"
"You need to worry about yourself. Let me worry about MJ." Eliza said as the door opened and the older Kara entered the room carrying a bag of food.
"I got you real food."
"Thanks." Alex smiled.
"I'll give you some space." Eliza said kissing her daughter's head.
"How are you feeling?" Kara asked. "Or is that still a stupid question."
"I am really jealous of your powers right now."
"Healing was the thing I missed most when I wasn't on Earth." Kara commented before asking. "You want to talk about what happened to you?"
"Beaten, tortured, interrogated." Alex listed. Seeing Kara staring at her she added "All I could think about was what they might be doing to MJ."
"Well fortunately they didn't do anything." Kara said.
"But they could have done. I don't know how to keep him safe. I'm scared." Alex confessed.
"I know." Kara replied. "But you aren't alone. I'm not going anywhere. I'll look after MJ and you."
"I just feel so helpless, just like I did after the accident."
"Needing help and being helpless are two different things." Kara reminded her as the door opened and J'onn walked in.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" He asked realising he entered at a bad time.
"No." Kara said. "I was just reminding Alex that she isn't alone."
-00-
"Hi." The older Kara said when she entered the lounge and saw her niece typing away on a laptop.
"Hey." The teenager said. "How's mum?"
"Frustrated." Her aunt said before explaining. "J'onn and Eliza are with her now."
"I'll head over as soon as I've finished this assignment." The teen said.
"Want me to fly you?"
"Thanks, but no. I think I need some fresh air."
"Where are the others?"
"MJ is in his room and Alex is back at your place."
"Why?" Kara asked.
"MJ came down, saw Alex and went straight back upstairs. After that she said she was going to study at yours." The teenage Kara said causing her aunt to sigh. "Neither of them are explaining what is happening."
"This is stupid." The older Kara muttered before taking a breath and saying. "I'm going to talk to MJ."
"Good luck with that. I suggested he came with me to the hospital and he just ignored me."
"I'll see if I can talk him round."
00
"MJ?" The older Kara said knocking on his door.
"What?" He called back. Taking that as permission Kara opened the door and entered his room.
"How are you doing?" Kara asked.
"Fine."
"I've just seen your mom."
"Is she okay?"
"She misses you." Kara said. "I know you don't like hospitals but she needs to see you, or at least speak to you. Why don't you call her?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to see her disappointed."
"Why would she be disappointed?" Kara asked confused.
"I didn't see it."
"The imposter?" Kara guessed.
"I'm meant to be her son and I didn't even see it wasn't mom."
"The imposter was a professional. They spent a lot of time and effort learning to be your mom. Plus from what Alex said she was at work the whole time so there weren't many opportunities to see it." Kara said. "What I do know is your mom isn't disappointed in you. She's worried about you. Worried that the imposter hurt you."
"They didn't. I told her that."
"I know. But all the time she was captured she was convinced they were hurting you. Her mind came up with hundreds of different ways you were being hurt, that's why she fought so hard to escape. It is going to take time for her to believe none of what she feared actually happened. It will be easier to do if she speaks to you. Your sister is going to the hospital soon, why don't you go with her? Any problems I will fly you straight back here."
00
Having dealt with one teenager Kara went back to her apartment. Pausing by the door she took a deep breath before entering her apartment. Hearing the door open the teenage Alex looked up and said.
"Hi."
"You need to put an end to this." Kara said looking at her daughter.
"What?"
"What ever it is that is happening between you and MJ."
"It's not me-"
"It's half you." Kara pointed out. Not giving Alex a chance to argue she went on. "Right now we need to come together as a family. That is what your aunt needs. And no matter what he says it is what MJ needs."
"I'm here because he has made it clear he doesn't want me there." The teenager protested. "If he doesn't see me he can't get angry with me."
"Why is he angry with you?"
"He's always angry."
"And you've done nothing to provoke him?"
"No."
"What about not helping him with that thing neither of you will talk about."
"If I had I would have made you angry."
"What exactly did he want you to do?" Kara asked.
"It doesn't matter any more." Alex said, her dodging not helping Kara's mood. "Besides if I tell you MJ will just get more angry. If you want me to help him it is better for me to stay here and not say anything."
"Is MJ in trouble?" Kara asked.
"No."
"Are you?"
"No."
"Alex?"
"I'm not. I promise." The teen said.
"Okay." Kara said relaxing. "But you can't hide over here."
"But I just make MJ angry, when he saw me earlier he walked out of the room. Isn't it better for him if I'm not there."
"It would be better if the two of you got over whatever it is that's caused the rift. You can't do that in separate places."
"Fine." The teenager said shutting her textbook and putting in her bag.
00
"Hi." Eliza greeted when Kara and her daughter entered the kitchen with Chewie.
"Hi." Kara smiled.
"I'm just about to make dinner if you have any requests."
"We could get take out.' Kara pointed out.
"I think we could all use nutritionally beneficial food." Eliza pointed out.
"Do you want some help?" The teen asked.
"I would, thank you." Eliza smiled. She then looked at Kara and said. "Perhaps you can coax your nephew out of his room?"
"He went to the hospital with Kara." The older Kara said confused.
"No he didn't." Eliza said. "He had a change of heart and then locked himself in his room. I tried talking to him, but I made it worse."
"I'll go up." Kara said leaving the kitchen.
"You okay?" Eliza asked looking at her youngest granddaughter.
"Yes."
"Okay then, let's start with dinner. Do you want to chop those for me?" She asked pointing to some vegetables.
"Sure." The teenager said as she took a knife from the drawer.
"How are you doing?" Eliza asked.
"Fine." She said as there was a loud slam from upstairs. Moments later Kara reappeared in the kitchen.
"I'm assuming you had as much luck as I did." Eliza said looking at her daughter.
"Would it be better if I went home?" The teenage Alex asked.
"MJ's anger is about what happened to his mom, not you." Eliza said.
00
"Has she said anything?" Supergirl asked approaching Vasquez, who was looking at a video feed of the fake Alex's interrogation.
"No. However, we found out where Alex was being held and we obtained DNA samples, we assume from the guards. And one of them is in our system. Unfortunately we have no idea where they are, but we are looking. How's Alex?"
"Angry, frustrated, scared of the kids getting hurt."
"On that note we have increased the security on all of them. So far no problems."
"What about Warehouse 13?" Kara asked.
"I would remind you that it's not actually called Warehouse 13 but I feel like that would be wasted effort." Vasquez said before explaining. "Fake Alex didn't access it. But she did access files on what it was storing."
"And?"
"Nothing stands out, but I have assigned our favourite new meta squad to the case, see if their out of the box thinking can get us somewhere."
"Anything I can do?"
"Not right now. But I'll keep you updated. Besides I assume you have your hands full with Alex."
"And MJ." Kara added.
"He not coping?"
"He's really angry. Or at least he is one minute, then really withdrawn. Just when I think I am getting through to him he shuts himself off."
"He was the same way after the accident." Vasquez said.
"Yeah?" Kara asked.
"Yes. With Alex at Kara's bedside at the hospital and Eliza torn between the hospital and the house, I and Ruby spent a lot of time with MJ. Well we tried to, but his response to everything was very Alex."
"Any tips?"
"Patience. And J'onn. In the end I think J'onn's endless patience broke MJ's resolve."
"Good to know." Kara said. "Anyway I better get back."
"Call if you guys need anything."