"I have finished running all the tests I can think of on that ring." Lena said entering the control room the next day.
"Hi Lena." Alex said turning to her friend.
"It is made of a metal I have never seen. And I have no idea how it works." The Luthor said clearly frustrated. "Most of the tests don't even give recognisable results. Plus I can't figure out to activate it. I mean there must be a link-"
"Did you put it on?" Alex interrupted.
"No. Kara gave me specific instructions not to. Something about destroying my soul."
"Well, while that may be slightly over dramatic, it probably pays to be cautious." Alex said.
"Well, that limits us to remote scans and for now there is not much else I can get from it."
"So you have nothing?" Alex summarised.
"Pretty much. I can't even begin to guess at where it originated from."
"Maybe Alura's search will turn up something." Alex said before asking. "Did you manage to run any of those samples we sent over?"
"From the returned prisoners?" Lena asked.
"Yes."
"Well, the good news is, preliminary results from those samples came back as normal. But that doesn't mean there isn't something there."
"And it is going to be really hard to prove a negative."
"You can't keep them there indefinitely though." Lena said. "Can you?"
"Technically yes. Morally, probably not. And with Kara around I can't see that happening." Alex replied.
"So what are you going to do?"
"For now keep up with the tests. J'onn has offered to read their minds to see if any of them remember anything happening that shouldn't have. In the mean time we are trying to verify all their identities genetically."
"Wasn't one of your Agents in the group?"
"Yes. Cody." Alex confirmed. "It seems like him and he doesn't remember anything happening, but we can't be sure that it is him or that he was aware of what was happening."
"It could have just been an honest trade." Lena said.
"You believe that?" Alex asked.
"I remind you of who is in my family. Of course I don't believe that." Lena said. "But I am guessing Kara does."
"That she does." Alex confirmed.
"Where is she?"
"CatCo. I think." Alex said before looking at her watch. "Or home. She wanted to spend some time with Alex."
"Everything okay?"
"She told you about Lobo?"
"She did."
"Well she is freaking out."
"Want me to talk to her? I can clear my lunch break tomorrow."
"I'm sure she'd appreciate it." Alex said as one of the Agents handed her a tablet.
"Problem?" Lena asked.
"No. Not exactly. These are the latest results from the returned prisoners. Just like the last lot everything is okay." Alex said sharing the results with Lena. "But I still have a bad feeling."
-00-
"You okay?" Kara asked she walked with her daughter and Chewie.
"Shouldn't I be?"
"You tell me. You seem a little quiet." Kara said. "I know the last few weeks have been hard, but I promise you that I am okay."
"Alex said the danger wasn't over." The teenager said.
"She did? When?"
"Yes, yesterday when we were walking Chewie. Is that why Alura left so quickly?"
"Yes."
"Do we need to leave?"
"I don't know. There is a chance that there is another bounty hunter after me. If there is, we have three choices. One we go back to life on the run, two we stay here and live like we have been, three we stay here, but hide on Earth." Kara explained.
"I don't want to leave." Alex quickly said. "Neither does Chewie."
"I don't want to leave either." Kara assured her. "But I also need you to be safe."
"I will be here." The teenager said before adding seemingly out of nowhere. "I never wanted you to get hurt."
"I know that." Kara said, confused about where the statement had come from.
"But since telling you to be Supergirl all you have done is get hurt."
"That's not all I have done." Kara argued. Seeing her daughter stare at her she added. "It's not. I have done plenty of things without getting hurt. Mongul was an exception."
"That would mean it was the only time. It wasn't." The teenager argued.
"I am fine." Kara said hoping to end the debate. "And I chose to be Supergirl. I gave you veto rights. But the decision was mine."
"You like being Supergirl?"
"I do. But I love you and I want you to be happy. So if you want me to give up Supergirl I will."
"I don't." Alex said. "But I don't want you to get hurt."
"I don't want to get hurt either. But there are no guarantees in life." Kara said. "But I am going to be working really hard to make myself better so I won't get hurt as much."
"More training with Cat guy?"
"More training with Wildcat." Kara confirmed. "But that isn't going to be at the sacrifice of spending time with you."
"Okay." Alex said.
"Anything else on your mind?" Kara pressed.
"Can you stop worrying about me?" Alex asked.
"No." Kara said. "My job is to worry about you."
"You don't need to and I am having fun on Earth."
"You are?"
"I like hanging out with MJ and Kara and I like my talks with Alex."
"What talks?"
"When we walk Chewie."
"What do you discuss?"
"Can't say. It'd break the code."
"What code?" Kara asked.
"The aunt niece confidentially code. Alex told me how you told her about it."
"Did she?" Kara replied smiling slightly at her words being used against her.
"She did. But we have fun."
"Why do I feel I am going to pay for pushing you to have fun?" Kara asked suspiciously.
"Paranoia?" Her daughter suggested.
-00-
"Will you relax I am not suggesting you eat it." Lena said as she unpacked her kale salad the next day and noticed the strange look Kara was giving her.
"You have before." Kara reminded her.
"But today I bought you that heart attack maker." Lena countered pointing to the burger. "I even had them not put lettuce in."
"Thank you." Kara said biting into the burger.
"Although a healthier diet might help you."
"Have you been talking to Alex?" Kara asked.
"Which one?"
"Mine. She keeps telling me to eat better."
"She's worried about you." Lena reminded her.
"Kale isn't going to make it better."
"It could." Lena pressed.
"It's green. I don't do green stuff." Kara countered.
"Let's hope all your enemies never find out the key to your demise is waving kale in front of you." Lena smiled. Barely getting an acknowledgement from her friend Lena went on. "So how are you coping with everything?"
"By everything you mean?"
"I meant Mongul and Lobo, but feel free to add to that list."
"I am … I don't know." Kara said. "I feel lost. I thought if I defeated Mongul things would become, I don't know, normal. Or at least safe for Alex, but that plan went out of the window. And now I'm not sure what to do."
"Even when Lex was in prison he hired people to try and kill me." Lena reminded her. "My way to protect myself was to build walls and shut myself off."
"I remember."
"At the time I thought it was the right thing to do. Even though it led to a lonely life." Lena went on. "However, hindsight is a wonderful thing and I realised, far too late, that I should have accepted all the help I was being offered. Everyone wants to help, let us."
"It may not be that easy." Kara said. "Lobo has destroyed entire planets in his pursuit of his targets. Plus he's immortal."
"Immortal?" Lena asked doubtfully.
"So the stories go and seeing he has been around for decades it seems like a good assumption."
"What else?" Lena asked.
"He is a genius and a psychopath."
"So you are dealing with an immortal and powerful version of Lex?"
"Well if I wasn't depressed before, I am now." Kara countered.
"Sorry." Lena said. "But remember, you don't know if he is after you. All you know is Mongul, who likes to spread fear, has told you something to make you afraid."
"Right now there is no way of telling if it is true or not. And I don't like waiting." Kara said.
"Prepare for the worse and hope for the best." Lena said. "And I am pretty sure Alex and I can handle point one and you can do point two."
"That's one way of looking at it." Kara agreed.
"So what do you want to do?"
"I don't know. I need-" Kara started only for Lena to cut in.
"I didn't ask what you needed, I asked what you wanted. You have just saved this planet, it's okay to be a little selfish." Lena added.