"They all asleep back there?" Eliza asked her grandson as they drove to Midvale a couple of days later. Turning MJ saw his mother, aunt and cousin all fast asleep in the back.
"Looks like it."
"So how are you doing with everything?" Eliza asked her grandson.
"Me? Fine."
"I sometimes wonder if anyone in this family has a different answer to that question." Eliza said. In response MJ just stared of the window. "MJ, what happened to you was bad. But don't lose your faith in people."
"Easier said than done." He pointed out.
"I know." Eliza said. "But hang in there." She added as MJ went back to staring out of the window. Knowing he wouldn't talk more she asked.
"So any plans for your time up here?"
"Surfing maybe, if Alex is up for it and avoiding all of Kara and Diz's PDAs. Speaking of." He said taking out his phone.
"You texting your sister?" Eliza asked.
"Yes. So don't want to walk in on anything." MJ said as he let his sister know they were a few minutes out. Having sent the text he asked his grandmother. "Is mom really okay?"
"You don't think she is?"
"I hurt her pretty badly."
"Your mom is strong and what happened isn't your fault."
"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt."
"She has moved on. If you want to help her you need to move on too." Eliza pointed out as she pulled onto the driveway. Putting the car into park and turning off the engine she turned and called.
"Girls." Getting no response she called louder. "Girls!"
"I'm awake." The older Alex said before looking round dazed as Kara woke up. "We here already?" The older Alex asked.
"Yes Sweetie." Eliza said getting out of the car as Kara gently woke her daughter as her sister climbed out of the car and stretched.
"Hi guys." The teenage Kara said walking towards the car before hugging her mom.
"Hi." Her mother said. "Everything okay here?"
"It's fine." Her daughter said releasing her before approaching her brother and slapping the back of his head.
"Hey! What's that for?" He asked.
"Your text." She said before taking a couple of bags out of the trunk.
"How's your leg?" Alex asked her daughter.
"It's fine. The stitches dissolved yesterday." The teen said carrying the bags to house and into the kitchen where Diz was making coffee.
Heading straight to the fridge MJ opened it before commenting. "Wow, this fridge is rammed." He then headed to a cupboard and finding some potato chips which he started to eat.
"I wonder why." His cousin said dryly.
"You didn't have to get the groceries in." Eliza said to her granddaughter.
"It's fine." The teen smiled.
"Where's everyone sleeping tonight?" MJ asked, still munching on the chips.
"You lot can figure that out." His mother replied taking a cup of coffee from Diz. "And then you can unpack."
00
"You okay?" Kara asked coming to sit next to her daughter, who was sitting on the beach with Chewie that evening.
"I guess."
"Why are you hiding out here?"
"I'm not hiding. I just started to feel overwhelmed." The teen confessed.
"You probably have a few more days of that." Kara said sympathetically. "Want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Want me to go?" Kara offered.
"No." The teen said leaning against her.
"Then I am not going anywhere." Kara said wrapping an arm round her daughter.
"What if he had really done it?" The teen asked after a few minutes.
"Who and what?" Kara asked.
"Lobo and killed you."
"I don't know. I do know Alex and Eliza and J'onn and Kara and MJ and Sam and Ruby and Diz, would have all looked after you."
"I know that, I meant with Lobo. He gets away with everything."
"Not so much this time. Your grandparents put him through the wringer."
"But he will come back won't he?"
"Probably."
"And you can't stop him?"
"Not yet, but we are working on it. But I won't be able to do it alone. Fortunately there are lots of people out there who want to help." Kara said. "So you need to stop worrying about it."
"Okay."
"Okay?" Kara asked confused.
"You don't want me to stop thinking about it?" The teen asked confused by her mother's response.
"Of course I do, I just didn't think you'd agree so quickly." Kara said.
"No point in worrying about things I can't control."
"That is very true." Kara said.
-00-
"Why is the house so quiet?" The adult Alex asked as she came into the kitchen the next morning.
"The kids have gone out." Kara said pointing to the note.
"You okay with that?" Alex asked her sister.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I wasn't sure if you wanted to spend time with Alex."
"Well, I do, but I get the feeling Kara and MJ are better at treating her normally right now, which is probably what she needs." Kara conceded.
"Plus she is stressed about you." Her sister went on as Eliza entered the kitchen. "Hi mom."
"Hi." Eliza smiled.
"Kids have left us in peace. They'll be back for dinner, which apparently they are sorting." Alex said to her mother.
"In which case you two can rest." Eliza said before adding, while looking at her daughter who was on her phone. "And not check your email."
"This is important." Alex said reading the message.
"What is it?" Kara asked.
"That lead I thought was a trap. Was a trap." Alex explained.
"Any one hurt?" Kara asked.
"No. Apart from the robots we sent in. But seeing you hadn't named them, they don't count."
"So what now?" Kara asked.
"They set that trap nicely, which means they know what we know."
"Mole?"
"Or shapeshifter. But not at the DEO." Alex said. "Vasquez is working on it."
"Which means you don't need to." Eliza said in a tone, Alex knew better than to argue with.
"Turning it off now." Alex said before looking at her mother. "Happy?"
"I will be when you actually rest."
"Seeing we have a day of quiet, anything you want to do?" Alex asked her sister.
"Umm-" Kara said trying to come up with a good idea.
"Why don't I make up a picnic and then we'll all go to the bird sanctuary you used to be obsessed by?" Eliza asked.
"I wasn't obsessed, just mildly fascinated." Kara countered.
"No, it was an obsession." Alex said.
"I wonder why we stopped going." Eliza said.
"Alex." Kara said.
"What did I do?" Alex asked.
"Told me about ducks. After that I could never look at them the same way." Kara reminded her.
"I remember now." Alex commented before asking. "So are you still boycotting ducks?"
"No, we can go." Kara said.
00
As the three adults got out of the car that evening Kara asked, while sniffing the air.
"Is that a barbecue?"
"Does smell like it." Eliza said.
"Or they are trying to cover up burning the house." The older Alex said as Kara followed her nose to the barbecue, which her niece and Diz were standing by.
"Hi." The teenage Kara greeted when she saw the trio.
"Hi." Her aunt smiled as MJ came out of the house carrying some containers.
"Finally." He said when he saw the adults. "I'm starving."
"We missed you too." His mother countered.
"Where's Alex?" The older Kara asked.
"Kitchen, making dessert." Her niece explained.
"Alex, as in my Alex is making dessert? That sounds like a terrible idea." Kara said.
"There is a lot of fruit involved." MJ said.
"Well I am going to take these inside." Kara said heading up to the house.
"Hey mom." The teenage Alex said when she saw her.
"Hey. How are you doing?"
"Good."
"Yeah?" Kara asked.
"Felt almost normal for almost the whole day."
"That's good." Kara smiled.
"Did you come in to see how I was or what was for dessert?" The teen asked skeptically.
"To see how you were of course. But now I am here …"
"You can help carry the fruit salad out." The teen said.
"Fruit salad? Okay." Kara said sounding disappointed.
"Don't worry, the brownies are cooking."
"You made brownies?" Kara asked looking happier.
"You think I'd just give you fruit salad?"
"It crossed my mind." Kara said. "Seriously though, you doing okay?"
"Yes. I even went surfing earlier."
"You did? That's great." Kara said. "We should celebrate."
"You aren't having a brownie early." Her daughter countered.
"You're no fun." Kara grumbled as her daughter put the bowl of fruit in her mother's hands before grabbing the salad and plates and walking outside.
"Bet you get treats early." Kara said to Chewie before following her daughter outside, joining the rest of the family who stood round the barbecue talking and laughing.
"Look at you carrying fruit, without breaking out in hives." Her sister greeted when she saw her.
"Not funny." Kara said putting the fruit salad on the table.
"You okay?" Her sister asked.
"I think so." Kara said glancing over at her daughter who was joking with her cousins.
"I know you are worrying about everything, but the Lobo issue is kinda sorted, Tycho may well be dead and chances are we just need to mop everything up."
"Are you trying to be optimistic?" Kara asked looking at her.
"Well someone needs to be, but it really makes me uncomfortable, so the sooner you return to being Little Miss Hopeful, the better." Alex said.
"You're right." Kara said.
"I am?"
"Even Alex knows better than to worry about everything. Time I followed suit. Besides, things always work out in the end, right?"
"Sure." Her sister replied, surprised by the sudden change in direction."
"Then let's quit worrying and have fun, at least until the end of summer."
"Okay." Alex said, hoping the bad guys knew about about Kara's new timetable.
"But you suck at having fun, so I am choosing all activities." Kara said.
"Yeah, that's not happening." Her sister said.
"Yes it is."
"No, it's not." Alex countered.
"Want me to get Eliza involved?" Kara asked.
"You are unbelievable." Alex said.
"What has she done?" The teenage Alex asked approaching the pair with her cousins, carrying plates stacked high with burgers.
"I have taken charge of all the fun activities this summer." Kara said taking a plate from her daughter.
"This is going to a long summer." Her sister grumbled as she took a plate from her daughter.
00
"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Vasquez asked when Lucy entered her office with two escorts and a briefcase.
"We need to talk." Lucy said, nodding to her escorts who turned and waited outside the office.
"Alex isn't here, she and Kara are in Midvale."
"That may be for the best." Lucy said.
"What does that mean?" Vasquez asked frowning.
"There was an old secure storage facility my father used to stash alien tech. We found it. It was empty apart from a safe. That safe had another journal in." Lucy said opening the briefcase. "To me it looks really similar to the others. But you need to figure out if that is true."
"Why? I mean I am assuming you don't know what is in here, unless you can suddenly read Grattlok."
"I don't know what it says. But there is one Kryptonian symbol I do know." She said opening the journal and pointing to a page.
On seeing the symbol Vasquez said. "I'll start testing."
-The End (for now)
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be back with the next part as soon as I can.