"Okay no more moping." Sam said. "This weekend we are going away and will be having fun."
"Going where?" Alex asked.
"Vegas."
"I can't, I'm on call, I need to be near by." Alex said.
"Vasquez said she has it covered." Sam shrugged.
"We can't leave Indomitable." Kara argued.
"He'll do what he'll do regardless of if you are here." Sam said.
"Wow, kick me while I'm down." Kara said.
"You know what I mean." Sam said.
"I'm useless?" Kara asked as her phone rang. "It's Alex." She said answering the call in video mode.
"Hi, you okay?" Kara asked.
"I'm fine, just checking on you." The teen said.
"Alex, tell your mom you are fine." Lena called from somewhere behind Kara.
"I'm fine." The teen said before looking carefully at her mother and asking. "Why? Are you not okay?"
"See, now you have made her worry." Lena said to Kara.
"I'm fine." Kara said to her daughter. "I just miss you."
"Want me to co-"
"You stay right there." Kara said. "I'm fine."
"Besides we are about to go out." Lena said coming to sit next to Kara. "Which raises the question, why aren't you out? I mean it must be nine with you."
"I'm studying."
"I think you are missing the point of college." Lena said.
"That's what MJ said." The teenage Alex said.
"That does not bode well." The older Alex muttered form somewhere out of view.
"Go have fun." Kara said to her daughter.
"What about you?" The teenager asked.
"We'll make sure she has fun." Sam promised.
00
"I thought Kara would be way worse than you, but you are giving her a run for her money." Sam said as she sat down next to Alex in a club that evening.
"Sorry?" Alex asked being pulled from her thoughts.
"The moping. Empty nest syndrome."
"It's not that. I mean it is a little, but it is mainly Indomitable." Alex said.
"And people say I'm a workaholic." Sam said. "And from experience immersing yourself in work is not healthy."
"I know, but I can't exactly ignore him." Alex said. "He is already five steps ahead of us. If I relax that lead grows."
"If you don't relax he wins anyway." Sam countered.
"So another typical no win situation." Alex said dryly.
"It's your optimism I miss the most." Sam quipped.
"Sorry." Alex sighed. "I just hate losing."
"I know. I have been to games night. You and Kara are scary."
"Speaking of, where is Kara?" Alex asked looking round.
"Registering for Karaoke. Don't worry, Lena is with her to stop her registering everyone."
"No, that means Lena won't be registered." Alex argued.
"That is a good point, but I trust Lena. Most of the time. Maybe we should join them in the queue." Sam suggested.
"Good plan. I am so not in the mood." Alex said standing before asking. "How are you doing?"
"Me. Fine. Why?" Sam asked as they walked towards Kara and Lena.
"You live in a different State to Ruby."
"I miss Rubes, so much. But she needs her space." Sam said. "Plus I love my job. That said if there was a good opportunity in National City I would be tempted. And by tempted I mean there is a flash."
"Good news." Kara said approaching them. "We are on in two songs."
"We?" Alex asked looking at Lena.
"You, Kara and Sam. My throat stops me." Lena smiled.
-000-
"It's really smart." Lena said joining Alex on the hotel balcony that evening.
"What is?" Alex asked turning to face her friend.
"Indomitable's plan."
"You've figured it out?" Alex asked.
"Not exactly, but I have some ideas."
"You know you are drunk right?"
"Frees my mind to think." Lena pointed out. "So want to hear it?"
"Can't be any crazier than my theories." Alex shrugged. "So what is it?"
"Previously there have been attempts to discredit Supergirl right?" Lena asked.
"Yeah."
"But they've failed."
"Yeah."
"Want to know why?"
"Supergirl is good? They were bad. People saw sense." Alex listed.
"Yeah. But more than that, there was no real alternative."
"What?" Alex asked.
"A Supergirl alternative. There wasn't one."
"Umm, Superman?" Alex pointed out.
"Yeah, but no. I mean firstly and maybe biasly – is that a word?" Lena asked slurring slightly. "Anyway, he came first. He wouldn't have replaced. The closest was Ben Lockwood but he was a flash, obviously not the flash, just a flash, and he was anti Supergirl from the start." Lena said before adding. "I think I am drunk."
"Yeah." Alex agreed.
"Doesn't mean I am wrong." Lena slurred.
"Does mean I am not following." Alex pointed out.
"There is no replacement for Supergirl. No one has ever tried. Until now. What if Indomitable has been set up as an alternative. Someone who wasn't against Supergirl, just felt he was better. He even announced himself as her replacement. The plan is to set him up as the hero then go in for the kill." Seeing Alex's expression she went on. "For the last year he has been gaining popularity while chipping way at Supergirl. Who ever is behind this is in no rush and has thought about strategy," Lena said before asking. "We are sure Lex is locked away?"
"Yes. My money is still on Tycho."
"Has his PA said anything?"
"No. Nothing. And she has been offered a lot by the DA. She is either the most loyal employee in history, or we are missing something." Alex said.
"Where is she?"
"FBI have her. Why?" Alex asked.
"I don't know, something just doesn't feel right."
"On that we agree. I just wish I knew what." Alex said before hearing a loud crash from inside the suite. "Now what?" She asked leaving the balcony. As she entered the room she saw her sister on a swivel chair spinning at speed."
"What's going on?" Alex asked.
"The world is spinny and floaty, but mainly spinny." Kara slurred from the chair, which kept spinning.
"You got her drunk?" Alex asked Sam.
"Technically she got herself drunk, when Indomitable came on TV." Sam said, her voice also slightly slurred.
"And where did she get the Aldebaran rum from?" Alex asked.
"Lena … mainly." Sam said as they heard a large crash. Turning Alex saw her sister on the floor amongst the remnants of the swivel chair.
"Kara?" Alex asked rushing to her side.
"Hey. What are you doing here? What am I doing here?" Kara asked.
"Are you okay?"
"No. I'm not spinning. The room is. I'm not." Kara said from the floor.
"Okay. Let's get you up." Alex said offering her sister her hand.
"Or I could stay here."
"You are sitting on a broken chair."
"Fitting. Broken like me." Kara hiccuped.
"You're not broken." Alex said helping Kara up. "Let's get you to the couch."
"What's the point?"
"It is more comfortable and there are snacks." Alex said leading Kara to the couch.
"Snacks can't fix everything. If they could Dunkin would rule the world. Maybe the galaxy. The Dunkin overlords. That sounds sinister. I have made donuts sinister. He's right, I am a bad, bad, person."
"Who's right?" Lena asked sitting next to Kara.
"In- Indomitable."
"The only thing he is right about is his dentist." Sam said. Seeing the looks she was getting she added. "What? He has nice teeth."
"This is going to be a long night." Alex complained.
00
"I have breakfast." Lena called coming into the suite the next morning. Seeing Kara was still sprawled unconscious on the couch she said. "That is going to be one big hangover."
"One big hangover you can deal with." Alex said.
"Why me?"
"It's your fault."
"Sam is equally to blame." Lena argued.
"Maybe, but she didn't sign me up for karaoke last night."
"You enjoyed it really." Lena said putting the bag of food down. "Where's Sam?"
"Getting coffee. She said you were taking too long." Alex replied.
"Sam said that?"
"Well I may have said that." Alex confessed as they heard a groan from the couch.
"Morning sunshine." Alex called.
"Not so loud." Kara complained. "Seriously breathe quieter. Why is everything so loud?"
"Because you are hungover." Her sister said.
"Can't you cure me?"
"Of a hangover?" Alex asked.
"Yes." Kara said as Sam entered with coffee.
"Morning." Sam greeted happily.
"Why are you so happy?" Kara asked.
"It's a nice day and we have plans."
"Do they involve not breathing loudly?" Kara asked burying her head under the cushions.
"How long do her hangovers last?" Sam asked Alex.
"Depends, but if we get her out in the sun she'll perk up."
"Good, because the first concert starts in three hours."
"First concert?" Alex asked.
"We got tickets for two shows." Sam said. "You said keep Kara busy. Although based on how miserable she was last night maybe I underestimated how busy we need to keep her."
00
When the group returned to the suite that evening Alex noticed her sister was being quiet and asked.
"You okay?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"We have just sat through the Backstreet Boys Reunion show but you aren't singing." Alex pointed out.
"I am really grateful to all of you for trying to cheer me up. But it's not right. Indomitable is out there working through his plan. I don't have time to sit back and do nothing."
"Kara, you need a break. To beat Indomitable you need to be refreshed." Lena said.
"Maybe, but right now metas and aliens could be being killed."
"Kara, burying yourself in work is easy, but it doesn't get the right answers." Sam said. "Everything Indomitable is doing is designed to get to you. His commentary and has made you second guess everything, including your right to have a life and have fun. But both of those are important. Not just to you, but Alex as well. She will lead her life based on how you act." She then paused and said. "After Reign, I felt terrible and I thought I had to make amends so I buried myself in work. I thought successes and stability would overcome what I had done. But all I did was deprive Ruby of what she wanted, what she needed. Right now the world may not know it or appreciate it, but it needs Supergirl. Closing yourself off, is going to weaken Supergirl."