As the rain cleared and the sun poked over the horizon, its rays bathing Kara, she started to feel the pain in her stomach slowly subside and her strength returned. As her powers returned she heard the alarm from her daughter's necklace, increasing her desperation to get up.
Grunting with effort Kara managed to get unsteadily to her feet, pausing as a wave of dizziness washed over her, before stumbling a few steps as she tried to take off, ending up flat on her face as pain ripped through her stomach.
"Come on." Kara ground out as she tried to get to her knees. Taking a breath she allowed her body to absorb more of the sun's rays before again she got to her feet and tried to take off. This time she made it to the sky and started to unsteadily fly.
Landing by the entrance, still feeling unsteady, Kara walked into the lab, where she was immediately seen by Lena.
"Kara?" Lena asked confused.
"Where's Alex?" Kara immediately asked stumbling into a workbench.
"In the iso cell." Lena said trying to figure out if Kara was real.
"What? Why?"
"She's lost control of her powers." Lena said as Kara started walking to the cell area.
"Kara wait. You are covered in blood." Lena pointed out.
"It's not mine." Kara said touching her face where the alien's blood had splattered her.
"Pretty sure that is." Lena said pointing to Kara's stomach.
"Oh, right. I should change." She said disappearing in a blur before returning in a tracksuit she found. She then walked to the holding cell where she saw her sister watching her sleeping daughter.
"Alex." She called.
"Kara?" Her sister asked. "How are you-"
"Long story, but I am okay." Kara said hugging her sister. "But what's wrong with Alex?"
"I think that thinking you were dead caused her to lose control. She broke the inhibitors so we set her up in there. Anything that gets close gets thrown against the cell walls."
"I need to go in."
"I know." Her sister said but as Kara raised a hand to deactivate the shield her sister asked.
"You okay?"
"I will be." Kara said deactivating the shield causing everything outside the cell not bolted down to fly against the wall. Once she was inside Alex reactivated the shield and watched as Kara approached her daughter and pulled her in her arms, carefully cradling her.
"Alex, wake up." Kara said said gently. "Alex."
"Mom?" Alex called, her eyes still shut.
"Time to wake up." Kara said causing the teen to open her eyes.
"Mom? Are you real?"
"I'm right here?"
"You were dead. It was on the news." The teen said confused.
"You saw what Lobo wanted you to see." Kara explained as she hugged her. "But I promise you I am okay. I'm right here with you." She said.
"I don't understand."
"All that matters is we are both okay." Kara said holding her tightly.
"Alex?" Lena called to the older sister from the door.
Nodding Alex walked out of the room and followed her friend to the lab.
"What is it?"
"Firstly, I called Eliza and let her know."
"Thank you."
"Secondly, look at this." She said showing Alex the screen.
"Whose samples are these?"
"Alex's."
"But that isn't right. Her hormone levels are all over the place."
"And look at this one, taken an hour before."
"They shouldn't fluctuate that much." Alex said. Before exclaiming. "Damn it. How could I have missed this?"
"Missed what?" Lena asked.
"Frax warned us." Alex said.
"Alex I need a little more to go on." Lena said.
"When we were on Dakran he mentioned something about puberty being different. There being several short, extreme bursts. We thought, well hoped, as Alex hadn't had an issue previously it wouldn't apply. But I guess we were wrong."
"Frax mention how to help?"
"No, just he'd do what he could, only he isn't here."
00
"Is she okay?" Alex asked her sister who was cradling her unconscious daughter.
"She passed out." Kara said.
"Using her powers non stop will be exhausting." Alex pointed out. "But Ruby, will be here soon with a new inhibitor."
"Why's this happening?"
"We think it is what Frax warned us about."
"What?" Kara asked finding it hard to concentrate.
"The hormone spike. It would explain her recent mood swings and the fact she has been struggling with her powers."
"And her mood swings. I should have seen that." Kara said. "So what do we do?"
"I think we have to ride it out." Alex said. "But the new inhibitors will help."
"Can you bring in some dry clothes?"
"Sure."
00
As Alex woke again she was immediately aware of the warmth that surround her. Opening her eyes she realised she was being hugged. Looking up and seeing her mother she tried to figure out what was real and what wasn't.
"Hey." Kara smiled down at her.
"Mom? You're alive?" The teen asked.
"I'm right here." Kara smiled.
"I thought-" The teen cried.
"I'm fine." Kara repeated holding her tightly.
"I'm sorry." The teen said crying into Kara's chest.
"For what?"
"Lost control. Can't stop them, I'm trying."
"I know." Kara said. "We'll figure it out together."
"I can help with that." The older Alex said coming into room containing the holding cell a necklace.
Feeling her mother was about to release her, Alex clung to her.
"It's okay, I'm just going to get that necklace, I am not leaving this room." Kara said before getting to her feet.
Having passed the necklace to Kara, the older Alex reactivated the shield before Kara put the necklace on her daughter. Once it was in place Alex deactivated the shield again and this time everything remained still and tranquil.
"It's okay now." Kara said hugging her daughter again.
"That will stop you using any psychic powers." The older Alex said. "But you can take it off anytime you want."
"Why can't I control them?" The teen asked.
"We think because of a chemical imbalance. But it should go back to normal soon. But you'll need to ride it out until then." Her aunt said sympathetically.
"You were dead." She said looking to her mother.
"No I wasn't." Kara said hugging her tightly. "I'm fine. And so are you."
"No. No we're not. I ruined it. I didn't want to, but I couldn't help it and-" She said getting more and more upset.
"Alex, you need to calm down." Kara said seeing the beginning of a panic attack.
"It's my fault. I didn't mean to." The teenager cried, her breathing becoming more erratic.
"Alex, calm down. Take some deep breaths." Kara said.
"Can't." The teen sobbed in-between wheezes.
"Yes you can." Kara said. "I am right here with you. Every time I squeeze your hand take a breath in."
"Can't-"
"Yes you can. Breathe in." Kara said squeezing her daughter's hand. "And out." She said releasing it. "And in." She said squeezing her hand once more.
After several minutes Alex's body went limp in her mother's arms.
"She okay?" The older Alex asked quietly approaching them.
"I don't know." Kara said as she continued to hold her daughter tightly.
"The good news is we think the hormone imbalance has peaked. But we don't know how long they'll take to go back to normal, and there will be more swings. Lena will be here and keep monitoring. I'm going to go back and ask the others what happened and try to figure out what Alex was talking about. I'll be back soon."
-00-
"Hi guys." Alex said returning to the house. As she spoke she was pulled into a hug be her mother. "She is okay." Alex assured her. "She's with Alex."
"How's Alex?" The teen Kara asked.
"Getting there. How are you guys doing?"
"We're fine." MJ shrugged.
"You guys want to fill me in on what exactly happened earlier?"
"We figured Alex would run to the ship so went to find her, but she had no control of her powers. We thought she lost it because she thought aunt Kara was dead." MJ said. "And then she collapsed, but her powers kept going and we couldn't get close."
"She kept going on about ruining everything. Any idea what that was about?" Alex asked.
"No. She was already really upset when we found her." MJ said. "But Martin may know."
"Why?"
"He messaged me to say she took off and he was really worried. Which reminds me I should probably let him know we found her." He said taking out his phone.
"How's you leg?" Alex asked her daughter.
"It's okay."
"It's probably time to change the dressing." Alex said.
"Already done." The teen said. "So you can get some rest."
"I'm okay." Her mother smiled.
"No you're not." The teen said hugging her.