A/N: Thanks for the reviews.
Baratta jennifer - Kara will slowly realise that.
"I got your message, everything okay?" Kara asked as she entered her sister's house the next day.
"Yes, I just thought we could hang out." Alex said. "MJ said Alex was out with Martin today."
"She is, but where are the others?"
"MJ and Mel have just gone camping." Alex started to list.
"Mel? She didn't seem like the camping type."
"Well it will be her first time, but she sounded enthusiastic." Alex shrugged. "And Kara is with Diz."
"How is he doing?"
"Still spooked, but less haunted. Although he is still having nightmares."
"He told you that?"
"No, he paces in the middle of the night." Alex said. "Kara said it is getting better though."
"So you are all by yourself?" Kara asked her sister.
"No need to make me sound that lonely. Besides you are here." Alex said.
"You asked me to come." Kara reminded her. "So is everything okay?"
"I just thought we could hang out and catch up." Alex said. "And maybe you could tell me honestly how you are doing?"
"I'm fi-" Kara started only to pause and confess. "I am no better that the rest of them." Kara said.
"Rest of who?" Alex asked.
"The Kryptonians. Everyone says they, we, are arrogant, but I always thought I was different. But that was just me showing my arrogance."
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked lost.
"When bad people have done things here I put it down to them being human. But Kryptonians were just as bad, my father was just as bad."
"Your father did what he thought was best for Krypton." Alex said not sure what had sparked the negativity in her sister.
"Just like Tycho and Lex and-"
"They were more self centred." Alex said.
"You've always said I was too trusting." Kara said. "That got Lena hurt. And maybe it stopped me acting sooner with Indomitable." Kara said as the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Alex said disappearing only to return with Barry.
"Hi Kara." Barry smiled as he entered the lounge.
"Barry? What are you doing here?" Kara asked hugging him.
"Alex called me this morning." He said causing Kara to look at her sister. "Not that one." Barry said.
"Why did Alex call you?" Kara asked confused.
"She's worried about you." Barry explained. "After I spoke to her I called Alex. As in that one who filled me in. I thought we could talk."
"You didn't need to come." Kara said.
"Pretty sure I did." Barry replied. "How are you?" He asked before saying. "Dumb question. Sorry."
"I'll give you guys some space." The older Alex said.
"Actually, you should stay." Barry said. "One thing I have learned more than anything is it is so easy to not ask for help and to convince yourself you are in it alone or that others wouldn't understand, but actually they do and letting them in is the best way forward."
"What are you talking about? I tell Alex everything." Kara asked still confused about why her daughter had called the speedster. "And why did Alex call?"
"Like I said, she's worried about you. She's worried you aren't getting the help you need and that is down to you being too stubborn to ask for help."
"She said all that?" Kara asked confused.
"Yes." Barry said. "And something about second guessing everything."
"Not everything." Kara said. "And last night I was trying to make Alex feel better, not make her call you."
"Kara, regardless of how we got here, you need to face what you are feeling." Her sister said. "Alex isn't the only one who is worried about you."
"You and I have been through so much over the years. And after awhile it just feels normal. But here's the thing, it isn't. Just because we chose to make a stand and make sacrifices others wouldn't, doesn't mean it doesn't take it's toll." Barry jumped in. "Kara, I know right now you are trying to focus on Alex and helping her. But running from what you are going through and what you are thinking won't help her. You have to face it."
"It's done. I can't change the past. Worrying if I should have taken a different path isn't going to help." Kara said.
"No, it isn't." Barry agreed. "And you are right you can't change the past and second guessing won't help. But no matter how many times you tell yourself that, it won't stop you second guessing yourself. Talking about those doubts, while uncomfortable, does help." He paused briefly before going on. "I have made so many mistakes over the years, convinced I was pursuing the right course. I thought I knew better than my friends, my family and my mentors, and sometimes I was wrong and it was my friends who paid the price."
"It's always the ones who don't sign up for this who pay the price." Kara said. "Alex, has her whole life. Both of them have." She said before saying. "I saw her die. He made me believe she had died. The stupid thing is part of me knew it wasn't true, but I still froze."
"That's understandable." Barry said.
"But everything that happened after that isn't. I don't kill, yet Indomitable is dead."
"He blew up. That isn't on you." Alex reminded her.
"My actions accelerated him becoming unstable."
"But you didn't know that." Barry said.
"I still caused it. I mean I listened to Lobo. What was I thinking. People are praising me for being a hero and saving the city, but if I had acted differently maybe he wouldn't have gone nuclear." Kara said. "And it is not just that. I forced Lobo to help contain the blast. He could have died and if he had that would have been on me."
"He's immortal." Barry reminded her.
"I didn't know that for sure." Kara said.
"Maybe, but you were still right. Lobo is okay."
"But I couldn't be certain. I crossed a line. I am not who I thought I was. For so long I was terrified that by wearing the red lantern ring something would be unleashed in me, it would force out my inner darkness. But I was deluding myself, I never needed a ring or Worldkiller-1 or Red-K, it was all me."
"Kara, listen to me." Her sister said taking her hand. "While we all have an inner darkness and you keep yours locked away better than most, even when you do unleash it, it is kinda pathetic. I mean when you were on Red-K you could have killed me and Cat, but you didn't, you just unleashed a rant the like of which I do without drugs." She paused and said. "I also know if you really believed Lobo would have died, you would not have used him."
"You don't know that."
"Yes we do." Barry said. "Because we know you and you are full of good and hope. Indomitable couldn't be saved, but the city could and you did that, in a way that almost cost you your life. A good person wouldn't have done that. I know right now you are questioning who you are and what you are and I know you have lost faith in yourself. But we haven't."
00
"Morning." Alex greeted her mother the next day.
"Hey." Kara said.
"So on a scale of one to ten how mad are you at me?" The teen asked. Seeing her mother's confused look she said. "For calling Barry."
"I'm not mad at you." Kara said.
"Really?"
"Yes really. But I was a little surprised."
"You talking to me about what you feel helped me." The teen said. "But you don't have anyone here you can talk to. I mean I know there is Alex, but what she goes through is different from what you go through. I thought Barry might be a better match."
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to talk to Barry?"
"I was pretty sure you'd say no." The teen said. "So did it help?"
"It did." Kara said before asking. "Did our talk really help you?"
"Yes." Alex said. "Plus you were right before when you said hugs help." She added hugging her mother.
"Yes they do." Kara agreed as the front door opened and the older Alex walked in.
"Everything okay?" Kara asked looking over at her sister.
"Kind of. The President wants to see you."
"When?"
"Now-ish."
"Are you in trouble?" The younger Alex asked her mother.
"No." Kara smiled before looking at her sister and asking. "Am I?"
"No." The older Alex replied.
00
"Supergirl. Thank you for coming." The President greeted.
"Of course." Supergirl smiled.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"I wanted to personally thank you for what you did." The President said.
"You did in your speech the other day." Supergirl reminded him.
"True, but that speech was mainly written by others. This thank you is solely from me. Obviously if you would like a more public one, happy to do that as well."
"This is fine." Supergirl said.
"The country may lose sight of it, but I don't. I know how important you are and how much we owe you." He said. "Are you sure you are okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Good." The President said. "In which case, let's get started. Where are we with the investigation?" He went on looking at Alex.
"We are hoping that the servers used by Indomitable may have some information on, however, they are buried in the wreckage of his building. It will take a while to clear the scene. Even then, if we can locate them and they aren't destroyed beyond all recognition, chances are the encryption will be so strong we can't get in." Alex summarised.
"What about Goodrich? Has he spoken?"
"No. Lawyered up. Claims he rented the lab out and therefore knew nothing and is innocent." Alex said.
"You're frowning." The President said. "I don't like it when you frown. What is bothering you?"
"Probably paranoia, but no one is turning. Why?"
"You think they think Indomitable is still around?" Supergirl guessed.
"Something has to be keeping them loyal." Alex said.
"And it couldn't just be mind control?" The President asked.
"Maybe. But we think we have deactivated all the transmitters." Alex said. "But either way we need to figure it out."
"What about the files Dodds gave you before their death? Anything on labs or babies or disturbing loyalty?"
"No mention of this. But then again we still have a lot of files to go through." Alex summarised.
"Despite the lack of information any further clue why they created those babies?" The President asked.
"We think, and it is still a hypothesis, that they knew Indomitable was unstable and the bone marrow was a way to keep him stable."
"I'm not a doctor." The President said. "But aren't bone marrow transplants not something you just recover from?"
"Yes, but Indomitable had incredibly high healing ability. It made what should take months only minutes." Alex said.
"And the babies, I mean to donate takes time to recover from." The President said.
"The babies are modified, but we don't understand to what extent. Their cell structures aren't what we have seen before. That said I doubt they cared about any suffering the babies went through."
"So you think they did suffer?" The President asked.
"Hard to see how they wouldn't." Alex replied.
"Any risk they could turn nuclear?" The President asked.
"Yes. But we are monitoring." Alex said. "But that isn't exactly a long term solution."
"No it's not." The President agreed. "For that we've got three options. Actively keep them alive, effectively leaving them as they are now. Two withdraw support and save those we can, or three withdraw support and do nothing."
"You mean kill them?" Supergirl asked.
"No, that was option four and I have ruled it out." The President said. "I have consulted senior religious officials who gave very mixed views. On the one hand life is life. On the other they are created artificially so not life."
"Life is life." Supergirl said angrily.
"I agree." The President said. "But I still have to listen to all the opinions. Including my Generals and that was a dark conversation." He then paused and said. "I asked you here as I would like to ask your opinion." He said.
"Me? Why?" Supergirl asked.
"Firstly you see those babies as babies, not as weapons or abominations or threats. Just babies. I can think of no better advocate. Secondly, you know the pros and cons of growing up on this planet different to everyone else." He said. "I don't need an answer today. But you have heard what we are facing. We don't know if they are in pain, whether or not they could have a normal life, or indeed whether they can live without artificial support. If they can we don't know if they pose a risk. There is no simple solution, but I would, when you are ready, like to hear your opinion. Also, if we can save them I can think of no better person to guide them." He said.