Hi! This is the first of hopefully many (eep) Supergirl fanfics! I'm fully obsessed with these girls and I can't stop myself. I hope you enjoy this! I already have a few more ideas in the works. :)

"Don't stay up too late, okay? You have to be on the road by eight."

Alex quickly nods, deeming it easier to appease her mother rather than roll her eyes and claim she's eighteen years old and headed to college in the morning. She doesn't want to start a fight on her last night at home, especially since Kara has been shut up in her room ever since they got back from dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant.

"Okay, mom." That's it. That's all it takes for Eliza to smile and back out of the room, leaving the door open just a crack.

Alex breathes a sigh of relief and surveys her bare room. The posters have been stripped down from the walls and all of the science trophies have been pushed into the closet. She doesn't need to embarrass herself on the first day of college with over a dozen brass trophies that indicate she's a science…geek.

She triples checks her to do list and makes sure everything is where it's supposed to be. Most of her clothes are packed and all her dorm stuff is stuffed tightly in the car she inherited after Jeremiah's death. It's a small two-door car and unfortunately, she can't bring Kara to help her unpack. There's absolutely no room and Eliza was worried the new setting would send Kara into sensory overload.

It was a risk she wasn't willing to take.

Eliza told Kara at dinner that she was to stay back. Alex saw the tears immediately clouding her sister's bright blue eyes that seemed to be dimming over the last few weeks. The end of summer was always hard; Kara had finally gotten into a routine after three years and though going back to school was always hard, it was going to be even harder since Alex was moving two hours away.

Alex sits on the bed and sighs. She had been so confident in high school and floated successfully through the four years. School was easy. Everything came easy. She knew her place and was well liked and pretty popular due to her wealth of knowledge and ability to help those who needed it. Her fiercely protective nature made Kara's transition from middle school to high school rather easy. Everyone in their small town knew not to mess with the younger Danvers because they were aware of what Alex was capable of. She had no trouble threatening anyone who caused her sister pain. It didn't matter their size or how much pull their parents had in town. If they hurt her sister, she hurt them for Kara.

"Alex?" Kara's timid voice jars Alex from her thoughts.

"Yeah?" Alex looks up and sees Kara's head poking through the slightly ajar door.

"Can I come in?"

They stopped sharing a room two years ago. It was more Kara's choice because she wanted to be independent; she wanted to face the nightmares and pain on her own because she knew how many hours of sleep she robbed from Alex her first two years on Earth. She owed it to her sister.

"Of course."

Kara crosses the threshold with her head down, her gaze fixed on the soft carpet that was spread throughout the room. "Are you all packed?"

"Yep," Alex nods, watching Kara stare around the bare room. "At least I think so. I'm probably forgetting something."

Kara shrugs. "You're like the most organized person I know. I doubt it."

"Yeah, well," Alex laughs, standing to her feet when Kara awkwardly stands in the middle of the room because she's so uncomfortable. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to pick the lock to get you out of your room."

"You don't know how to do that," Kara giggles nasally. She finally looks up at Alex, revealing her red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

Alex takes Kara's face in and tries not to frown. Despite turning sixteen a month and a half ago, Kara's still got the innocent sparkle in her eyes from when she first moved in with them three years ago. She's grown taller and a lot more comfortable but there's still the vulnerable young girl that seeps through now and again. It makes Alex sometimes second-guess going so far away for college.

"Hey, come here," Alex finally says when Kara's bottom lip quivers. That's all it takes for Kara to step forward and wrap her arms tightly around her sister. "What's wrong?"

It takes Kara a minute to respond. She clasps her hands around the small of Alex's back so her sister can't pull away. "I'm just being a baby," she admits shyly. "I'm, I'm going to miss you so much."

"You'll be okay," Alex promises, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She feels Kara's tears against her neck and closes her eyes to regain her composure.

"I'm excited for you," Kara breathes out shakily. "But I'm going to miss you." Maybe if she keeps repeating that, Alex will change her mind. "Like, so much."

"And I'm going to miss you," Alex says, her hands running up and down Kara's back to comfort her. "But after the first week you won't even notice I'm gone."

"Yes I will!" Kara's lips slip into a pout.

"You won't have to fight over who gets the first shower," Alex begins, her voice thick and full of emotion. She can feel Kara's grip getting impossibly tighter. "Mom will always cook everything you like. No more smelly salmon stinking up the house because of me."

Kara can't help but laugh. "I hate fish."

"I know," Alex laughs back. "And it will be quiet. You love the quiet."

"I don't!" Kara lies, her voice cracking. "I only like the quiet when you're here."

Alex pulls back a bit so she's looking her sister directly in their face. She leans forward, their foreheads now touching. It's easier now that they're the same height.

"I'm going to come back at Thanksgiving and you're going to be taller than me," Alex whispers, almost sadly. She remembers how Kara barely reached the tip of her shoulder when she first came to Earth. It was a lot easier to wrap her in hugs and hold her at night than it was now.

Kara instinctively bends her knees a bit so she's no longer eye-to-eye with her sister. It makes it much easier to bury her face in the crook of her sister's neck at this level. She yearns for the earlier days where she was successfully able to melt into Alex's embrace because of the height difference. Now, Kara has to bend a bit because she always wants to be safely tucked in Alex's shoulder. It's where she feels the safest.

"Come on. Let's not get weepy. I haven't left yet."

"I know." But Kara won't let go. She can't force herself to set Alex free.

"How about we have a Friends marathon?"

Kara slowly loosens her grip. "With lots of ice cream?"

"We just had dinner an hour ago," Alex laughs. She tickles her sister's stomach and wishes the laughter could stay with her forever.

"What's your point?"

Alex playfully rolls her eyes and leads Kara down the stairs, a smile spreading across her face when the younger girl reaches for her hand. She's Kara's tether, her protector, and her safe space. Hopefully that doesn't change in their time apart.

Five episodes and two and a half pints of ice cream later, Kara's back to her bright and cheery self. Alex knows she's focusing on the present and not the fact that in less than ten hours, she's going to lose the most important person in her life.

Kara falls asleep with her head in Alex's lap fifteen minutes later. Alex laughs and accounts it to all the ice cream her sister's consumed. She's definitely in a food coma now. Rather than waking her up right away, Alex lets three more episodes play and runs her fingers through Kara's hair, savoring the silkiness that slips effortlessly though her fingers.

She doesn't want to let go either.

It's past midnight and Alex has no choice. She shuts off the TV and flips on the lamp next to her to help Kara stir.

"Kara?" Alex whispers softly, gently shaking her sister. "Come on, wake up."

A petulant whine escapes Kara's mouth. "Huh? No. I'm up. I was up."

"You fell asleep three episodes ago," Alex points out with a laugh. She lifts Kara into a sitting position and stares at her sister knowingly when she yawns. "Let's go to bed."

"No!" Kara tries to protest. "No. One more episode. Please?"

"I can't," Alex argues, suddenly immune to her sister's puppy dog eyes. "It's 12:15 and I have to be on the road by eight."

"But, but-"

Alex shakes her head and pulls Kara to her feet, letting her sister fumble tiredly up the stairs under her careful guidance. Kara hesitates once they reach Alex's room.

"Can, can I sleep with you?" They haven't shared a bed in months, maybe even a year. "For one last night. Please?"

"No snoring," Alex warns with a tight smile. She motions for Kara to go in first and watches her little alien sister hover over the bed. "You're not as little as you used to be. Remember that when you roll over. You'll fall off the bed."

""Cause you're a bed hog," Kara teases.

"It takes one to know one."

Kara climbs in the bed after Alex, rolling over so her head is resting on her sister's chest. It's how they slept her first night on earth. The beating of Alex's heart and the faint sounds of her breathing still calm her to this day.

Alex instinctively wraps her right arm around Kara and strokes her hair, letting her left hand clutch Kara's in her own. "Night, Kara."

"Night," Kara responds faintly. Sadly.

Nearly a half an hour passes and Alex still isn't asleep. She can feel Kara twitching in her arms, which indicates she's not sleeping either.

"Alex?"

"Kara?"

"What happens if I get a nightmare?" Kara asks meekly. She feels Alex's fingers through her hair but still can't will herself to relax.

"Mom will still be here."

Kara guffaws. "But she's not…she's not you."

"You haven't gotten a nightmare in almost a year," Alex points out.

"So?" Kara tries to argue, her voice higher than normal. "I could get one. Then what?"

"You won't, Kara."

"What if I do?" Kara yells, louder than she intends to. "You won't be here."

Alex sighs and eases herself up in the bed. Kara's head is now resting against her chest as she holds her protectively. "I'll tell you what, if you get a nightmare or can't sleep for any reason, just call me. Okay? I'll stay on the line until you fall asleep."

"It won't be the same."

"I know." Alex frowns, kissing the top of her sister's head when she hears her start to sniffle. "I know. But you've come so far, Kara. Don't let me going away to college diminish any of that."

"I'm just going to miss you so much."

"And I'm going to miss you," Alex whispers. "But once I get settled, you can come visit. I promise. I'll even drive down to get you."

"Eliza won't let that happen."

"Yes she will," Alex says confidently. "Trust me."

"Promise?"

Alex can tell by the tone of Kara's voice that she's fading. "I promise." She rubs Kara's arms and kisses her forehead one last time. "Sleep. You can't be a grumpy alien tomorrow."

Kara's already fast asleep.

Morning comes to soon and when Alex opens her eyes, she expects Kara to be fast asleep on top of her. But the bed is empty. She stretches and kicks the covers off, dragging herself down the stairs when the smell of French toast gets her attention.

Eliza's nearly finished with breakfast when Alex shuffles into the kitchen, rubbing her tired eyes and yawning repeatedly. "There's my college girl!"

Alex tries not to roll her eyes and embraces her mother tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Kara pouting over her food.

"I wanted waffles."

"Well, sweetie, you can't always get what you want," Eliza teases, reaching over to pull at Kara's messy ponytail. "I'll make you waffles tomorrow."

"Wow. You made my favorite breakfast over Kara's?" Alex grins, holding a hand over her heart to express her gratitude. "Best day ever."

Kara scowls but shoves a forkful of syrupy French toast in her mouth. "She only made it because you're leaving. And I'm pretty sure her tears are mixed somewhere in the food too."

"Oh, don't be silly," Eliza chastises, dabbing her teary eyes.

"I'm only going two hours up north. Not to the Middle East for war." Alex laughs but quickly stops when both her mother and sister glare at her. "Okay, sorry. That was a bad comparison."

"It's just a big day for you," Eliza smiles, forcing Alex to sit and shoving a large plate of food in front of her elder daughter. "Your father would have been so proud, Alex."

Kara nods in empathy, reaching across the table for her sister's hand. "He would."

Alex smiles tearfully and savors the last twenty minutes with her family. She triple checks that she has everything one last time and sucks in a breath, watching Kara clutch Eliza's side as she desperately tries not to burst into tears.

"I guess that's it," Alex mumbles. She tears her eyes away and looks at the ground helplessly. "I'll be home at Thanksgiving…"

Eliza wraps Alex in a one-arm hug. "Call us when you get there, okay? I'll come visit as soon as you're settled."

"Me too!" Kara pipes up. She pulls Alex in for a hug as well and the brunette laughs as her mother and little sister encircle her. "I'm coming for a long weekend. I don't care what you say."

"Deal."

Eliza opens her mouth but closes it at how happy Kara looks. "Fine."

The two Danvers sisters squeal and throw their arms around each other.

"Don't forget about me," Kara requests shyly. "And call me when you get there and tell me everything! I hope your roommate doesn't snore."

"It's a good thing I'm used to it," Alex teases one last time, letting her sides dig into Kara's sides so she can hear her giggle one last time. "You're going to be okay."

"I know." Kara sucks in a breath and hugs Alex again. "And so are you."

Eliza takes in the sight tearfully, wishing Jeremiah could be here to witness how far all three of them have come. "You better get a move on, honey. Traffic might be a nightmare."

Kara pulls back and kisses Alex's cheek, smiling when Alex does the same to her. She doesn't want to let Alex's hand go but she has to, especially when she feels Eliza's arm around her waist to hold her back when Alex does go.

"I love you guys," Alex whispers, brushing the tears away from her eyes.

"We love you, too, honey," Eliza whispers back, feeling Kara's face bury into the side of her body. "Drive carefully."

Alex waves one last before getting in her car.

"Come on," Eliza whispers to Kara caringly. She rubs her younger daughter's back and tears her away from the front porch. "Do you want some waffles?"

Kara nods as she watches Alex's car finally pull out of sight. "Yeah," she pouts, knowing that once she gets used to the silence, it's all going to be okay because when Alex does comes home, the reunion will be worth the wait.