"Alex?" Kara asked sleepily when her daughter entered her bedroom a few mornings later, moments before Chewie jumped on the bed. "What's wrong?" She asked sitting up.
"Nothing." The teen said before passing her mother a tray with a plate stacked high with pancakes.
"What's this for?" Kara asked confused.
"Your birthday." The teen said.
"Thank you." Kara said taking the plate. "But you didn't have to."
"So you don't want them?"
"Of course I do." Kara said as she patted the bed next to her. As her daughter sat down she asked. "Where's your breakfast?"
"I ate it earlier." The teen said.
"You should have woken me."
"You were out of it." Her daughter said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Kara smiled as she ate her pancakes. "Even better with these."
"So what do you want to do today?" The teen asked.
"I have work." Kara reminded her. "But we can do something tonight?"
"Okay." The teen said as Kara finished her breakfast. Once she was done the teen took the tray before returning a moment later with several wrapped gifts.
-00-
"I can't remember the last time I saw you on your birthday." Eliza said hugging Kara at lunch. "I think you were still in high school."
"Probably." Kara agreed.
"I hope you aren't working too hard today. After everything you've been through you need to rest. Even Alex is resting."
"That is more worrying that reassuring." Kara pointed out. "Is her leg okay?"
"It's fine. Stop worrying." Eliza said. "How are you doing?"
"Me? Okay." Kara said biting into her burger, while sensing Eliza's eyes on her. Looking up she added. "Really. I realised I can either worry about everything and miss the now or just enjoy the now. Which I am going to try to do."
"Good. Just don't forget we all want to help you do that."
"I won't. And thank you for all the help you have given Alex."
"Of course." Eliza said.
"How do you think she is doing?"
"With her control?"
"Well with everything." Kara said.
"She's doing fine." Eliza assured her.
"I lied." Kara confessed out of the blue.
"About what?" Eliza asked frowning.
"I'm stressing about everything, like literally everything."
"That is hardly surprising." Eliza said. "But you were right the more you stress about what could happen, the more you will miss now. And you don't want to miss any of Alex growing up."
"So what do I do? What did you do? I mean you must have been worried about someone coming from me. Maybe going after Alex to get to me."
"I still worry about it." Eliza said. "I will never not worry about it and neither will you. But the trick is to not let it consume you. And when it is starting to consume you, you need to talk to someone."
"Who did you talk to?" Kara asked.
"Clark for the most part. Especially when you were a teenager. Then after you came out and I met J'onn, he became a good sounding board. Talking won't solve your problems, but it does help."
-00-
"Lucy!" Alex greeted as the younger Lane sister entered the lounge. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Of course." Lucy smiled. "How's the leg?"
"Improving, slowly." Alex said as Lucy saw the three teens.
"Is that Alex?" Lucy asked pointing. "She looks just like Kara."
"Yes she does." A familiar voice said from behind her.
"James?" She said turning.
"Hi." He smiled.
"Good to see you." Lucy said, looking more weary than happy.
"Hey Sis!" Lois smiled before hugging her.
"Lois." Lucy replied.
"Am I late?" Barry asked skidding into the room.
"No. I'm glad you made it." Alex said hugging him.
"Of course. Is that Alex?" Barry asked. "She really is a mini Kara. But is it true she doesn't like ice cream?"
"I'm not sure that is how she defines herself, but unlike Kara she actually likes healthy food." Alex explained.
"Freaky." Barry grinned.
"Aren't we missing someone?" Lena asked when she noticed Kara was missing.
"She's still at work." Alex said.
"She never worked this hard when I ran CatCo." Lena commented.
"To be fair you didn't have the best record with employees." Alex said. "I mean you had Reign as well."
"That wasn't entirely my fault." Sam protested.
"Didn't say it was." Alex replied.
"I think she was blaming me." Lena said.
"Blame? No. It was just an observation." Alex smiled as the door opened and Kara walked in.
"What's going on?" Kara asked confused as she found herself being hugged by friends and families.
"It's your birthday." Alex reminded her. "And I told you we were going to go big. So we have cake, then we are going to go to karaoke probably without the teens who don't want to be traumatised. Then I have tickets for a show. Then we come back for cookie cake."
"Cookie cake?" Kara asked.
"But first, real cake."
"Two cakes?" Kara asked.
"Three, but we'll come to that later." Alex said leading her to the main cake which was covered in candles.
"Wait a second. Where's Kara?" The older Kara asked.
"Here." The teen said wondering why her aunt was asking for her.
"Come here. Seeing we all missed you birthday, this is about you as well." Her aunt said.
-00-
As the teenage Alex sat in the den with Chewie the door opened and Diz walked in.
"Sorry, I didn't know you were here." He said.
"It's fine."
"Shouldn't you be downstairs at the party with your mom."
"Yeah, but no."
"Did you fight or something?" He asked.
"No. There are just too many people down there. It's a little overwhelming."
"I hear that." He said collapsing on the couch. "So you're just hiding?"
"Yes. You?"
"Same." He said. "But if you want to be alone I can go."
"It's not about wanting to be be alone, more just not being gawked at." Alex said. "How come you aren't with Kara?"
"She's like a magnet for attention and that led to everyone to look at me and then try to figure out if I was meant to here. Can't blame them, I look out of place."
"Not really." Alex said.
"Plus this family is like The Family. If I stay down there I may end up with a horse head in my bed."
"What?" Alex asked lost as the door opened and the other two teens entered carrying snacks.
"Thought you two might be hiding up here." The teenage Kara said putting the snacks on the table.
"Were you sent to get me?" The teenage Alex asked.
"No. And we told your mom we had a games thing going on, so I don't think anyone will come looking." Kara said as she sat next to Diz.
"Thanks."
"I don't get get." MJ said. "You see more people at school. Why is tonight freaking you out."
"At school there are tonnes of people but they ignore me. Here everyone wants to talk to me." Alex explained.
"You should exploit it." MJ said.
-00-
"Hi guys." The older Kara said entering the den a little later.
"Hi mom." The teenage Alex replied.
"We're going to head to an all night karaoke. I'm guessing you don't want to join us." Kara said.
"We're good here." The teens said.
"I'll stay here tonight." The teenage Alex said.
"You sure?" Kara asked, feeling guilty about leaving her daughter.
"We have big movie plans." MJ said as Kara looked to her daughter who said.
"Have fun."
"Okay." Kara said hugging her. "Call if you need anything."
-00-
"I can't believe we just did an all nighter." Kara said as she and her sister entered her apartment shortly after six the next morning.
"Or that we outlasted Lena and Sam." Alex said flopping down on the couch, wincing as she moved her leg. "I didn't think that was possible."
"Thank you. That was like the best birthday ever." Kara said sitting next to her sister.
"Well we had plenty to make up for." Alex pointed out as she wrapped an arm round her sister.
"Do I get a whole birthday week?" Kara asked hopefully.
"Sure, but no more all nighters." Alex said. "I'm too old for it."
"Well you are only human." Kara grinned.
"Nothing wrong with that." Alex said.
"I'd forgotten how much I loved birthdays." Kara confessed.
"I'd forgotten just how much you loved them too." Alex said. "Pretty sure you were more excited than the kids were when they turned ten."
"I like parties and cake and presents." Kara listed. "Seriously though, thank you. I needed it. Not just the birthday, but the break. I actually went for a few hours without thinking about Lobo or Stagg or Tycho."
"Starting Monday we are going to finish this investigation and tie up every loose end. We are going to find Tycho and we are going to stop him. Regardless of if he is real." Alex said as the door opened and the teenage Alex entered.
"You're back." The teen said.
"What are you doing up so early?" Kara asked as her daughter came over and hugged her as Chewie jumped on her lap.
"I missed you." The teen said. "Did you have fun?"
"We did." Kara said.
"Did you sleep?"
"No need to sound so judgemental." Her aunt shot back.
"So no?" The teen guessed.
"Still judgemental." The older Alex said.
"You looking half dead probably doesn't help." Kara said.
"Do you want breakfast?" Her daughter asked. "Or more birthday cake?"
"Cake for breakfast? Are you feeling okay?" Kara asked.
"It's for you not me." The teen pointed out.
"Then yes to cake."
"Really?" Her sister asked.
"What?" Kara asked looking innocent.
"It's not even seven yet." Her sister said looking at her watch.
"So a pre breakfast snack." Kara said taking the plate off her daughter. "You're just jealous."
"Not the word I would use." Her sister said as Kara wolfed down the cake. As she finished she looked at her daughter and asked.
"So what do you want to do today?"
"Shouldn't you sleep?" The teen asked.
"What? No. I'm fine." Kara said causing the teen to look at her aunt and ask.
"Should she sleep?"
"Probably, but you just gave her sugar. And she is still super excited about her birthday week. She'll be up for hours."
"Let's walk Chewie." Kara said standing. "But first I'm going to get changed." As she disappeared the teenage Alex walked over to her aunt and hugged her.
"Thank you." She said.
"For what?" The older Alex asked tired and confused.
"Mom seems really happy." The teen said.
"Pretty sure that's the birthday cake." The older Alex said. "But I will leave her in your hands. I need sleep." She added as she stretched out on the couch.
-00-
"I missed you last night." Kara said as she walked with her daughter.
"You looked pretty happy in the photos Lena sent." The teen said.
"I was happy. But I still missed you." Kara said. "So what did you get up to?"
"Not much, we just played video games and watched movies." Alex said before adding. "But it was fun though."
"Good." Kara said. "But I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Last night being so overwhelming for you." Kara said.
"How did you know?"
"I'm your mother and although you don't tell me as much as you used to, I still know things. Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were having fun." The teen said. "Besides hanging out with Kara, MJ and Diz was fun. It was being downstairs that was hard."
"It gets easier. But next time tell me." Kara said.
"Okay." The teen agreed before stating. "I'm glad we came to Earth."
"So am I." Kara said.
"But … can we visit Alura again sometime?"
"Of course." Kara said looking at her daughter. "We can go whenever you want."
"Don't you have a job? Well two jobs."
"Technically yes, but I can figure something out. Want to take your cousins?"
"Can it just be us? Just for a few days."
"Of course." Kara said. "Everything okay?"
"I just miss spending time with you."
"Me too." Kara said wrapping an arm round her daughter's shoulder. "But I promise you, things will be different from now. Soon you will see so much of me you will be sick of me."
"Not happening." The teen said.
"I'll hold you to that." Kara said.
-00-
On Dakran ….
As Lobo burst into a large room the occupants all turned to face him.
"You're Lobo." A grey haired man stated.
"Yep. Lobo by name, massacre by nature."
"Who hired you to kill me?" The man asked.
"No one. Not here for business. This is just pleasure." He said lighting a cigar.
"What do you want?" A younger man asked.
"To talk about you son." Lobo said before exhaling smoke.
"Haldor?"
"No the other one."
"Frax?"
"The other one."
"Salkor?"
"Yeah."
"He's already dead." A younger man pointed out.
"I know. Not by me."
"You know who killed him?"
"No. But I know something that will interest you more. Something I don't think your investigator shared." Lobo said.
"What?" The older man asked.
"He had, well has, a daughter. She is on Earth." He said tossing a disc at the man who flinched and backed away.
"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. It's more fun to see what you do now." Lobo grinned before leaving, saying as he did so. "Don't disappoint. You won't like me when I am bored."
-The End (for now)
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it.
In the original version of this I did tie up the Tycho plot, but then an idea for a follow on took over and I changed it to allow for a sequel/continuation.