"Problem?" Lucy asked as she approached Alex's bed a few days later. "Apart from the obvious. Because you were discharged days ago, but you are still here. Don't you trust me to run this place?"
"I trust you."
"Then why are you here?"
"I want to stay near mom. Also, I am hoping if I am here with mom, Kara will focus on herself a little more."
"Is it working?"
"No." Alex sighed. "But being here does allow me to think about what happened and try to figure out who was behind it."
"Any luck?"
"No. I keep coming back to the same problem."
"What problem?" Lucy asked.
"They didn't kill us." Alex said.
"Not sure I would class that as a problem." Lucy countered.
"I'll rephrase. Why didn't they kill us? They had the opportunity, but they didn't. Why?"
"Luck?"
"No way." Alex said.
"Well, if the attackers were being controlled by contact lenses, perhaps they fought it and deliberately just wounded you?"
"Cam attacked Steve. He wouldn't have needed contact lenses." Alex said. "There is more to it."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. But it wasn't an accident. So what did we do, or you do, that you wouldn't have done if we had all been killed?" Alex asked.
"You want a timeline of every decision that was made?"
"Yes."
"Fine. I will compile it. But you need to go home. Your mom is about to be released. Go home with her."
"I will."
"Good." Lucy smiled. "And Alex, the hunch about the contact lenses, is looking less like a hunch and more like fact."
"In what way?"
"Several bodies have turned up. They all died in the same way and at the same time as the Boston attacker. I'll send you the files."
00
"How are you feeling?" The younger Kara asked entering her grandmother's bedroom later that day.
"Bored. But I am doing better being here rather than at the DEO."
"Even though they let you out, you still need to rest." The younger Kara reminded her.
"I know. But while I may need the rest, you don't need to nurse me."
"I'm not. I am just bringing you some food. Unless you'd prefer aunt Kara to cook?" Her granddaughter said before smiling and adding. "But that might set back your recovery."
"Probably, but you need to rest yourself."
"I'm fine." The younger Kara said.
"You were attacked as well."
"We fought him off and I wasn't hurt." Kara said before hearing a noise. "I'll be back in a minute." She said leaving the room and seeing her mother slowly making her way to the stairs.
"Going somewhere?"
"Kara? What are you doing here?" Alex asked looking up at her daughter.
"Checking on grandma. Clearly I should have been guarding you." Her daughter responded.
"I don't need guarding or babysitting."
"You are sneaking out of the house." Her daughter pointed out.
"I'm not sneaking, I am walking downstairs."
"Which you are banned from doing. Do I have to call J'onn?"
"You do remember I am your mother?" Alex asked.
"Then set a good example and get back to bed." Her daughter said not backing down.
"That isn't how this works." Alex said wondering if she had jumped to some type of parallel world. "And I am not going to work. I am going to check on your aunt."
"Fine." Her daughter conceded. "Just don't push yourself."
"I won't."
-00-
"I have dinner." Kara said returning to the apartment.
"Great, I'm starving." Steve smiled from the couch where he and Chewie were sitting. "Where's Alex?"
"Across the road." Kara said sitting next to Steve. "Thank you for looking after her."
"What do you mean?"
"The last few days, I know she has been talking to you."
"I was just a sounding board." Steve shrugged. "Besides she did a great job looking after me." Steve assured her. "How are you doing?"
"I hate being so helpless."
"You're not helpless."
"Aren't I? You all got hurt and I could do nothing to help you."
"You can't be everywhere." Steve said taking Kara's hand. "You can only do what you can do. For everything else, you have everyone else."
"Wasn't that what your Fortune Cookie said last night?"
"Can't beat the wisdom of Wok 'n Roll." Steve said. "But I'm serious, you aren't in this alone. We are all with you."
"But at a huge cost."
"Which no one minds paying." Steve countered.
"How can you be so okay with this?" Kara asked.
"Why wouldn't I be? You are not to blame."
"But you were stabbed."
"How many times have you ended up on death's door?" Steve asked.
"Too many." Kara said.
"And you keep going." Steve reminded her as the front door opened and the older Alex slowly walked in.
"Alex? What are you doing here? You are meant to be in bed." Kara said.
"Don't you start with me. I have had that non stop all day from your niece."
"Because you are meant to be resting." Kara countered.
"I am." Alex protested as she sat down. "But more importantly you are meant to not be moping, yet something tells me you are moping."
"I'm not moping." Kara lied before asking. "Want some food?"
"No, but I need to eat." Alex replied.
"I'll go heat it up." Kara said standing. "But remember I have superhearing and I will hear everything you say about me."
"How's Eliza?" Steve asked when it was just him and Alex.
"She's okay. Tired and sore. But she is healing well." Alex replied glancing over at her sister who was taking food out of a bag. She then looked at Steve and nodded towards Kara. In response Steve shook his head.
"You know, random silence is just as suspicious." Kara called from the kitchen.
"We can't help being worried about you." Alex said.
"You need to worry about yourselves."
"And you need to stop deflecting." Alex countered.
00
"Have you seen-" The younger Kara started to ask when her aunt entered the kitchen the next day.
"She's at my place. She's fine." The older Kara said. "How is Eliza?"
"Less stubborn than mom." Her niece grumbled. Her tone then lightened and she added. "Alex is still asleep if you are looking for her."
"Late night last night?" The older Kara asked.
"We had a bit of a movie fest."
"How come you are up?"
"Couldn't sleep. Besides I need to take breakfast to grandma."
"I can take it." The older Kara smiled. "Try to get some rest."
"What about you?" The younger Kara asked.
"What about me?"
"How are you doing?" Her niece asked.
"I'm okay." The older Kara said.
"You know I don't believe you." Her niece pressed.
"I'll be fine." The older Kara said. "Besides you have enough on your shoulders, with you know, your wedding and Finals. Get some rest." She added before taking the tray and taking it upstairs.
"Morning." Kara smiled entering Eliza's room.
"Hi Sweetie." Eliza smiled.
"How are you feeling?"
"A little sore. But the kids are taking good care of me." Eliza smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm not the one who was stabbed."
"No, but you are the one bearing the responsibility."
"I've already had this lecture from Steve, Cat and Alex and Kara."
"And did you listen?"
"I'm trying." Kara said putting the tray down.
"Please promise me you won't do anything reckless." Eiiza asked.
"I'm not doing anything. That's part of the problem." Kara said.
"Babysitting your sister isn't doing nothing." Eliza pointed out.
"You know what I mean."
"I do." Eliza said. "But maybe you just need to step back and stocktake."
"Maybe." Kara shrugged. "But what I do know is you are meant to have taken your medicine already and you haven't."
"I'll have it after breakfast." Eliza said. "Have you eaten?"
"Yes, but I'll sit with you while you eat if you want company?"
"I'd like that."