A/N: This is the last part of the 4x10 story.

With the sunlamps teetering in the crook of her elbow, Lena staggers through the door and knocks it closed with her heel. She disposes of the two lamps in the living room, connecting the wires to the closest outlet and turns out toward the balcony where Alex and Kara are sitting, Supergirl soaking up the last glimmers of sunlight before the whole city settles into the slower pace of night.

Lena taps her knuckle lightly against the frame and despite the softness of the sound, Alex jumps.

"Oh hey," she breathes out as her shoulders settle. She takes her eyes off Kara to look at Lena.

"How did it go? Is she okay?" Lena asks and steps onto the balcony.

Alex nods, face in shadow as she looks back toward Kara. "I was able to extract the bullet and she started healing a bit as soon as I had it discarded…"

"But?" Lena questions, taking the hint from Alex's far away gaze and trailing words that there's something more she wants to say.

Alex shakes her head with a sigh. "It's nothing," she says as she pushes herself out of the chair. "Let's get her under the sunlamps, we've already waited longer than we should have."

"Okay," Lena agrees.

They rouse Kara from sleep and settle her on the couch closest to the balcony because even though healing started with the removal of the kryptonite, her words still slur nonsense as she walks between them, an arm from each woman supporting a side because her frame still wavers and each step still draws a groan or a wheeze or a flinch.

Her eyes drop shut the moment she settles, her lips pinched tight and her hand ghosting over the space the bullet had been. A fluttery rattle of breath escapes her and Alex's need to take away her pain stabs inside her. Her boots squeak as she turns to power up the sunlamps and help Supergirl, but before she can take a step, a hand, limp and clammy and soft, wraps around her wrist.

"Alex," Supergirl whispers.

And Lena holds her breath and Alex freezes, because the voice holds so much more than Supergirl's declarative timbre, the stripped-down sincerity bleeding out like a confession or a cry. It doesn't sound like Supergirl, it sounds like Kara when she's scared or hurt or missing home.

Alex's breath tangles in her throat.

"Hey," Alex whispers back, she can't stop her fingers from drifting toward Supergirl's cheek, catching a tear before it falls.

"I'm sorry, I—" Supergirl shakes her head and retracts the hand she'd wrapped around Alex's wrist. "Sorry."

"No, no," Alex comforts softly, dropping to her knees so she's eye level with Supergirl and looking into eyes that are so achingly familiar her heart nearly stops. She sees them with Midvale as the backdrop, behind a desk at CatCo, up in the sky with stars surrounding them. Alex rubs her head.

"I just want to thank you," Kara says through a cough. Her heart aches with the desire for a hug from Alex in that moment, to soothe her throbbing head and burning skin and just forget. "For everything."

A beat passes and Alex can't speak through the lump in her throat and the memories mounting in her head, the pulsating heartbeat between her ribs; and then, she leans forward and draws Kara into an embrace. It's all awkward angles and elbows against the back of the couch, but the sisters unravel into the hug like they're coming home.

There's so much history, like static between them, that when Kara falls asleep and Alex vacates her cross-legged post on the floor beside the couch, she walks straight to the kitchen where Lena's putting away cleaning supplies. Alex joins her behind the counter, in a position that keeps Kara visible, and takes in a deep breath. She leans against the granite, propped up on both arms.

The silence quivers between them, the room swelling only with the sound of Kara's breathing. A gust of air swirls through the open window and Alex finds herself shivering as she watches moonlight glimmer across the room and toss shadows across Supergirl's face.

"There's something I'm missing, isn't there?"

Alex turns to face Lena.

Lena opens her mouth to answer then stops. She shifts her weight and watches Alex, it's not her place to break this news and the conflict plays across her face.

Alex shakes her head. "You don't have to say it, Lena," Alex exhales something heavy in her chest and her face falls and suddenly there are tears gathering at her waterline. She waves a hand in the direction of the couch. "She's Kara. I should have known," Alex whispers. "How could I not know? I have… I have all these memories, I…" She covers her mouth to muffle the strain of sobs that aches to break through.

"It's not that simple," Lena says.

Alex nearly whimpers, teary eyes peeking out from beneath her fingers. She takes a long, deep breath and swipes at her cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"Have a seat." Lena tilts her head toward the tall chairs on the opposite side of the counter and Alex follows, sitting beside her as Lena lets the truth come out.

/

When Kara wakes, the sharp pain in her abdomen has receded to a dull throb. Over the blanket draped across her lap, two arms wrap around her, their touch soft and familiar. She exhales as the remnants of sleep unravel around her.

"Why're you hugging me?" Kara mumbles and a loose fist raises to rub her eyes. "Alex?"

She peeks between her fingers, squinting in the dim light.

"Sorry, Kara," Alex pulls back but keeps a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I couldn't wait any longer."

A crease forms between Kara's brows and her eyes dart between her super suit and Alex, and as the realization washes over her, she shoots upright. "How do you… I…"

"Hey, it's okay." Alex soothes her rapid breathing with a single squeeze on her shoulder, a brush of her thumb. "It's okay."

"But you…" Her brows crunch together. "I don't understand."

"I knew something was wrong, all this evidence was piling up in my head… All these memories I couldn't explain or fit together and all of a sudden I just knew it was you. I asked Lena about it, she explained what happened and then it all came back." Alex takes her hand. "Kara I am so so sorry."

Kara's eyes water and her lips flutter up into a smile and she bolts into Alex's arms, wiggling her way into a snug embrace. "It had to be done and you were so brave about the whole thing. I just missed you so much." She deflates with the words and Alex runs a hand over Kara's back.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Alex hugs her tight and Kara doesn't ever want her to let go.