As the teenage Alex thrashed around in her sleep she unwittingly sent images and the associated feelings of her memories to others in the house, waking every member with a nightmare.
Guessing the cause of her nightmare the teenage Kara jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, meeting Eliza on the way.
"It's Alex." The teen said entering the study where her cousin was sleeping, still thrashing round.
"Alex!" Kara shouted as Eliza moved to her bedside.
When Alex woke and saw Eliza and Kara looking at her, their eyes filled with both concern for Alex and fear of what they had just seen she said. "I'm sorry." With that she ran from the room and out of the house, nearly knocking her mother over in the process.
"Alex?" Kara asked wondering what had happened.
"Leave me alone." The teen said sprinting over the road, quickly followed by Chewie.
Seeing Eliza appear Kara looked at her foster mother who explained.
"Nightmare."
Turning Kara ran after her daughter who had already made into the apartment and barricaded herself in her room.
"Alex, I'm coming in." Kara said unperturbed by the door not opening as freely as normal.
"Leave me alone." The teen said.
"That's not happening." Kara said moving over to the bed. "What's going on?"
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
"I saw it in their faces."
"Whose faces?" Kara asked still lost.
"Eliza and Kara's. They saw my dream again."
"Okay." Kara said still not understanding why Alex was so upset.
"They're my thoughts. Do you think I want to share them?" Alex asked still upset. "Why do I have to have this power?"
"Alex, we'll figure it out."
"How? You don't have a clue how this power works. None of you do. It doesn't even work like it is meant to. I mean it is meant to project images not feelings." The teen said, almost screaming at her mother.
"You're right we don't know how it works. But unless you let us help you we never will. When Kal was developing his powers Eliza was one of the people who helped him understand them. Yet you always shut her down when she offers to help You are almost an adult and I trying to let you make your own decisions. But that requires you taking ownership. You said you didn't want help, that you wanted to figure it out on your own. And I get that and I respect that. But you can't throw your independence back at me."
"I know. I'm sorry." The teenager said. "I just … it doesn't matter."
"Sounds like it does." Kara pointed out.
"I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Not being in control. What if I start doing this when I'm awake?"
"I know how scary it is to not be in control." Kara said hugging her tightly. "But you aren't alone."
"What?" The teen asked feeling her mother tense.
"Nothing. I just saw a spider." Kara said looking up at the small house spider scampering across the ceiling.
"So?"
"Long story." Kara said. "Why don't I make some hot chocolate then you can tell me about your nightmare."
-00-
"You two okay." Eliza asked as she sat on the couch, the teenage Kara and MJ sitting either side.
"No. That was terrifying." The teenage Kara said resting her head on her grandmother's shoulder.
"Is that really what Alex felt and saw?" MJ asked.
"I don't know." Eliza said wrapping an arm round him.
"She didn't tell us how bad it was." The teenage Kara said.
"Alex has spent most of her life not being able to share things with anyone other than her mother. There are some things she won't feel comfortable sharing. Just like you two don't share everything."
"We do on the important things." Kara said.
"I don't know." MJ said. "You punched me before you told me what was happening with you."
"Yeah, but I wasn't that scared. I mean not compared to how scared I felt in that nightmare."
"Nightmares aren't memories." Eliza reminded them.
"But Alex is still having nightmares that are that scary." The teenage Kara said. "And that seemed worse than the one on Argo."
"What one on Argo?" Eliza asked.
"Aunt Kara dying." The teen said. "The content was bad, but the way I felt wasn't like this and MJ didn't experience it."
"Her range is probably increasing." Eliza said.
-00-
As Eliza entered Kara's apartment the next morning she her daughter and granddaughter asleep on the couch. Quietly she carried the food to the kitchen and left it on the side. Sensing movement she turned and saw her granddaughter approaching.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you." Eliza said hugging her.
"Will you help me?" The teenager asked.
"Of course I will." Eliza said not entirely sure what she was signing up for.
"You don't know what I'm asking." The teen pointed out.
"Family helps each other." Eliza reminded her.
"Mom said you helped Kal understand his powers."
"That's right."
"Will you help with mine?"
"Of course."
-00-
"How's Alex?" The teenage Kara asked her aunt when the older Kara entered the house later that morning.
"She's okay. She won't be around today though, Eliza is helping her with her powers." Kara said before asking. "How are you guys doing?"
"Okay."
"Are you sure? That must have been a pretty scary experience."
"Yeah, but at least we can tell ourselves it didn't happen to us." MJ said. "Alex can't." The comment causing guilt to wash over Kara. Seeing her aunt's turmoil the teenage Kara said.
"Mom wants to see you. She's still upstairs."
"Thanks." The older Kara said before jogging upstairs to her sister.
"Hey, how's Alex?" Her sister greeted.
"Okay. She's letting Eliza help with her powers so that's a positive. Did you see it too?"
"The nightmare?"
"Yes." Kara nodded.
"And felt it." Her sister confirmed. "It must have been scary for her. Mom said she ran off."
"It wasn't the nightmare. It was the fact she shared it." Kara explained.
"Did she talk about it?"
"More like yelled. But she said what she needed to say. I think it helped and like I said she asked Eliza for help."
"She'll be okay." Alex said.
"Kara said you wanted to see me." Kara said suddenly changing subjects.
"Yeah I spoke to Vasquez. Are you doing okay?"
"Never want to see another spider, but yes I'm okay. Wait have they found the others?"
"No. But after the story broke Tycho will know you are free and he is likely to do something. So in about an hour J'onn, as a meta called Valerie Andrist, and Superman are about to fight."
"Who is Valerie Andrist?" Kara asked.
"Before she was taken she could fly but not much else. J'onn is going to make her look a lot more powerful and take Superman down."
"Is Kal okay with that?"
"Says he is."
-00-
"Hi." The teenage Alex greeted when she saw her aunt.
"Hi Alex." The older Alex smiled.
"Is mom here?"
"No she is walking Chewie with Kara. They'll be back soon. Where's mom?"
"Still at the lab talking with Lena." The teen explained.
"Everything go okay?" The older Alex asked.
"I guess."
"Seeing it is just us I wanted to talk to you." The older Alex said.
"About last night?" The teen guessed.
"In part." Alex said patting the sofa next to her. Once her niece had sat down she said.
"I grew up with your mom and I remember how much she broke the no powers rule. And if I am being honest if I had powers back then I'd probably have used them all the time too. Even if I knew getting caught would put my family in danger." The older Alex confessed. "But the thing is this memory projection power you need to keep secret more than any of your other powers." Alex said.
"Why?"
"Because there are some people out there who'd want to turn you into a weapon." Alex said.
"What's so special about that power? I don't even want it." The teen asked.
"It's very powerful and very dangerous. And one day you will understand that. I know it is pointless to tell you not to use your powers, but please be careful with this one."
"Okay." She agreed as the two Kara's returned with Chewie.
"You're back!" The older Kara greeted before hugging her daughter. "How did it go?"
"Okay I guess. Didn't make any progress, but Eliza and Lena seemed happy with all the data they got."
"You sure you are okay? You look tired."
"Didn't sleep much last night." The teen reminded her as Kara's phone rang.
"Hi Eliza. Okay, we'll be right there."
-00-
"What's going on?" Kara asked when she entered Lena's lab with her daughter a short while later. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes and no." Eliza said.
"Is Alex okay?" Kara asked looking at her daughter.
"Don't worry, you will love this." Lena said. "Alex not so much." She added as she guided Alex to a bed and did a scan.
"Have you figured out my powers?" The teen asked.
"Not yet Sweetie" Eliza said.
"It's like we thought." Lena said to Eliza as she showed her a scan. All the while Kara stood nervously to the side. Eventually Eliza turned to her daughter and granddaughter and explained.
"As you know, you burn through a lot of calories when you use your powers." Eliza said looking straight at Kara. "So does Alex, including the mental ones. At the moment we are estimating that Alex is running at a huge calorie deficit."
"So her tiredness after using powers is not eating enough?" Kara asked.
"Only in part. But it is an important part." Eliza said before looking at the teen and explaining. "To fully control your powers, your cells need to be in good condition, that means you need to eat more."
"But I eat way more than Kara and MJ." The teen said.
"I know, but you need more calories." Eliza said.
"To get the calories she needs she needs to eat like you." Lena said.
"Told you pizza was good for you." Kara said.
-00-
"Sure you don't want to go over to your cousin's for dinner?" Kara asked when she and her daughter got home.
"I'm sure." She said sitting on the couch. "I'm kind of tired. And not just because I haven't had pizza."
"Did Eliza and Lena work you hard?"
"Not really. It was mainly them running tests and getting excited by graphs. They said it will take several sessions to figure anything out."
"Apart from your diet." Kara said.
"You aren't going to let this go are you?"
"No. But I'm sorry that I didn't make you eat more. I should have realised your tiredness after using your powers was related to food."
"I probably wouldn't have believed you for the psychic ones." The teen pointed out.
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Kara asked. "Pizza and movie? Pizza and games? Pizza and-"
"You know I can still put lots of vegetables on a pizza?" The teen asked.
"You can't on ice cream though." Kara countered. "But you can order." She said. She then watched her daughter tapping away at the phone.
"All done." The teen said before looking up and seeing the weird look she was getting. "What?"
"Are you okay?" Kara asked.
"I'm fine." The teen said before saying. "Maybe tonight you should stay at Alex's."
"Did she say something? Is her leg worse than she is letting on?" Kara asked.
"No. She's fine."
"Then why would we stay there?"
"Not we. You."
"Me?" Kara asked lost. "Why would I stay there?"
"So I don't make you have nightmares."
"What?"
"If I have another dream like last night you'll see it and feel it and you are dealing with enough as it is."
"For someone who at times is a genius, you say some really stupid things sometimes." Kara said. "There is no way I am leaving you alone."
"Bu-"
"Not done yet." Kara cut back in. "I know you don't feel comfortable sharing your dreams and feelings and I understand that. But if you do have another dream I am going to be here however you need me. Besides, I can promise I will be having plenty of spider related nightmares without your help." She said before asking. "Do you want to talk about the dream you had last night?"
"Not really."
"It might help."
"I just want to forget it."
"Okay." Kara said.
-00-
"We had a deal." Tycho said over the video link, having just seen footage of Superman being taken out by a Meta.
"And?" Stagg asked.
"Your experiment attacked Superman." Tycho said angrily.
"That wasn't mine." Stagg protested.
"Yes it was. Valerie Andrist was one of yours. Either you are attacking Superman or someone in your chain of command is, or you lost control again. I don't which. Just sort it or no more Kryptonite."
"Trust goes both ways." Stagg said. "That spider. Rumour has it that was fuelled by Kryptonite. We haven't been working on spiders. So that leaves you."
"Why would I create a Super spider? I'm only interested in Kryptonians."
"For a few minutes I couldn't figure it out either, but if I were paranoid I would say you are trying to frame me." Stagg said.
"Why would I do that?"
"Your attempted framing of Lex fell through."
"That was a much your plan as mine." Tycho said. "Why would I want to frame you?"
"To throw attention off yourself."
"If I wanted to frame you, you'd be framed." Tycho said. "Besides right now you know a dangerous amount about my operation. If I were to frame you I have no doubt you'd turn on me."
"Don't you forget that." Stagg said ending the call. He then looked to the far side of his office.
"What do you want me to do?" A man asked.
"We need leverage. Get me some."
"I assume I can use any asset I like?" The man asked.
"Just don't get caught." Stagg replied. "And make sure you plan ends up with me having Supergirl."