"Ponytail?" Snapper asked looking up. For a minute he looked at Kara's bruised face before saying. "We need to discuss protocol and your pending unemployment."

"I know you're mad at me right now." Kara said. "But I have a good story."

"One which you should have told me about, in full, from the start. If you believe in a story you make me believe. If you can't do that you'll never persuade the public." Snapper said. "If you want to run off gun ho that's fine. But you do it as a free lance. Which if your article is not outstanding you'll be anyway." Seeing Kara open her mouth to speak he held up a hand. "I'm not done yet. You lied, you said you were working with the police."

"Actually I said 'what if I was working with the police' and you took that as, I was working with the police." Kara said nervously adjusting her glasses.

"What are you a lawyer?" Snapper asked.

"You keep telling me language is important." Kara reminded him.

"When chasing and writing. Not when talking to me. I'm your editor, that makes me your boss, your priest, your god. You confess, you beg for mercy. You tell me everything, except your personal problems, which I really don't care about. Do I make myself clear?" Snapper asked.

"Yes boss."

"So what happened?"

"I found the girl and got her out of there, but that lost me a few friends." Kara said.

"I sent an investigator, of sorts, to find you. The rumour going round was you were an alien."

"Makes sense. I mean if you wanted to get rid of someone and the only people asking questions hated aliens wouldn't you say that?" Kara asked glad she had rehearsed the cover story with J'onn first. "They knew I had helped Jen escape so they locked me away. They thought I wasn't alone and wanted me to give up my partners."

"Looks like they more than just locked you away." Snapper said looking once again at Kara's wounds. When Kara remained silent he added. "I commend your dedication, however the beaten reporter look is not what CatCo goes for. Cat always preferred the psychological torture of her employees."

"Once was enough for me." Kara agreed.

"So where is it?" Snapper asked.

"What?"

"The article you are hoping will save your job." Snapper said holding out his hand. Nervously Kara gave him the article and waited while he read it. Nervously she watched as he sighed, scribbled and shook his head.

"Did you actually attend an elementary school?" Snapper finally asked. "Because this is missing basic grammar and the spelling is wrong." There was then another long pause before he said. "But the story has enough appeal to draw in the readers and buy you another day. Make the corrections and get it back to me by lunch. After that I will decide on your employment status."

Smiling Kara took the article from him and was just turning to leave when Snapper asked.

"You know what I find interesting?"

"What?"

"Your complete lack of interest in Supergirl's absence."

"Is she missing?" Kara questioned.

"You tell me, you're her goto girl."

"I've not spoken to her since I left on the story." Kara said.

"Interesting." Snapper commented.

"But I don't think she is missing." Kara added. "I mean she is on the news right now." She said pointing to a bank of screens, showing live scenes of J'onn as Supergirl rescuing some puppies. Confused Snapper watched the footage for a minute before turning back to face Kara only to find she had gone.

-00-

"Did it work?" J'onn asked.

"Based on his confused frown if he had any suspicions about me being Supergirl they disappeared quickly. Thank you. Enough people know about me as it is."

"Of course." J'onn smiled moments before Alex marched into the control room.

"What were you thinking? What possessed you to go back to work? They are still out there Kara."

"They will always be out there."

"But you won't always not have powers. Would it really have hurt you to stay here until they returned?"

"I'd already avoided Snapper for too long. I had to see him." Kara said.

"You should have taken me with you." Alex said.

"You can't follow me round all the time." Kara said. "I don't need protecting all the time. I can take care of myself."

"Your recent knack of getting kidnapped suggests otherwise." Alex countered.

"It's not like I planned to get kidnapped."

"Really? I was pretty sure that was your plan when you chose to join an anti-alien cult."

"Why can't you understand I had to do it?"

"How can I when you won't talk to me?" Alex asked.

"I do talk to you."

"Then tell me what really happened with Cadmus or the Narth." Alex demanded.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. Why can't you be honest?"

"That's enough. Both of you." J'onn interrupted. "Both of you are hiding things."

"Now where are you going?" Alex asked noticing Kara was walking off.

"Home. Don't try to stop me."

"I don't know what happened in the mine shaft yesterday, but don't take it out on Kara." J'onn warned walking off.

-00-

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Kara asked as she opened her apartment door later that evening and saw Alex standing there.

"Movie night." Alex said holding a pizza box and a couple of DVDs. "And an apology I shouldn't have lost my temper earlier. What happened yesterday freaked me out, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"So you're not here to yell at me?" Kara said suspiciously, knowing Alex was still upset she wasn't staying at the DEO.

"No."

"Interrogate me about what happened?"

"No."

"Is this some sort of psychological trick?"

"No. No tricks, no yelling, no interrogation. Just sisters' night."

"What about Maggie?"

"She's working a case. So are you going to let me in or do I need to find someone else to eat this pizza?" Alex asked waving the box. Stepping to one side Kara let Alex into her apartment.

"You've been painting." Alex commented noticing the fresh artwork in the corner.

"It helps clear my mind, especially when I can't fly. It also gave me something to do while Snapper figures out if he is going to fire me."

"Well you do kind of deserve it for lying to him." Alex said.

"I know. I won't do it again." Kara said.

"Good." Alex said wanting to demand Kara made the same promise to her but instead added. "So pizza?"

"Sounds good."

-00-

An hour into the movie Alex's self restraint wore off and she paused the movie before saying.

"I'm sorry I ignored you."

"You didn't. I understand you want to spend time with Maggie and I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy."

"So do you, and I should never have skipped out on your birthday."

"It's just a birthday. And I know you don't like them."

"But you do. And this one was special. And I never should have forgotten its significance to you."

"You have your own life Alex."

"I saw your life and started projecting my life onto it. I'd felt overwhelmed and then happy because of Maggie. I thought you were going through the same thing with Mon-El. I was so caught up in my life I didn't even bother to dig deeper and think about what else you were going through."

"Well I could have told you." Kara said trying to take the blame.

"Yes you could." Alex agreed. "Why didn't you?"

"Because you were happy. And we both know I really don't cope well with change and I just thought I'd get over it." Kara confessed.

"I should have been there for you. But I am here now so start talking. But if the next words out of your mouth are 'I'm fine' I am going to exploit your lack of powers."

"After Myriad I felt so good. I mean I had defeated Non, I had Cat's respect, James and I had a future together, I got to work with Clark….Then everything started to change. Cat left, I had a new boss, a new job, James and I broke up, Mon-El came into my life and made me question my beliefs, I found out my father supported genocide, I killed someone, Guardian appeared, James and Winn lied to me, then there was my birthday when I felt more disconnected from Krypton than ever and then you, you had someone more important in your life. And I am happy for you, I really am, but it just feels like everything is happening so fast."

"You and I really need to work on the communicating thing." Alex said taken aback by the length of the list, wondering how she had missed the build up. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you were happy."

"Kara I am your big sister. It is my job to look out for you. And no matter what happens in our lives I will always be your sister." Alex said hugging her. "No matter what happens you need to talk to me. Okay?"

"Okay." Kara agreed before asking. "So seeing how we are sharing, are you going to tell me what happened in the mine shaft?"

"There was a woman who told me that dad had been killing people and that I would join Cadmus."

"What was she smoking?" Kara asked.

"She said she would exploit my weakness." Alex explained.

"You think she is going to use Maggie, Eliza, J'onn and me against you?" Kara guessed. "And that is why you got so freaked out earlier? You think they'll come after us?"

"She said dad is working for her to protect me. She could force me down the same route."

"No she couldn't." Kara said. "You are the most stubborn person I know and even if she backed you into a corner you would figure out a way out. The only way she'll truly win is if you try to do something stupid to protect us. Don't shut us out. Especially Maggie." Kara warned.

"That advice works both ways." Alex said. Seeing Kara's confused look she added. "You still haven't told me the whole truth of what you saw after the Narth touched you or what really happened for those weeks you were held by Cadmus. I'm not going to push you, but when you're ready I'm here. But tonight no more talking. Just hugging." Alex said.

"I've missed this." Kara confessed.

"Me too." Alex said as she held her sister.

"We'll get him back." Kara said softly.

"You know I only want that if you are part of the reunion?" Alex said. "I can't lose you."

"Alex?" Kara asked.

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay here tonight? I don't want to wake from my nightmares alone." Kara said quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Alex promised her wanting to ask about the nightmares, but knowing Kara would tell her in her own time.

-00-

"When will we bring her in?" Henshaw asked.

"We won't. She'll come to us." The woman who had talked to Alex in the mine replied.

"That seems unlikely." Henshaw said.

"It'll happen. Her world will crumble and she'll feel like she has no choice." The woman said.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt her." Jeremiah rem minded her.

"Let me remind you, you and your wife caused her more damage than I ever could the day you took in the alien." The brunette said looking at Jeremiah. "But I haven't hurt Alexandra. Nor will I, directly anyway. As long as you hold up your end of the deal. Now I have sewn the seed of paranoia Alex will slowly shut herself off from the world. She will lose her connections to everyone and when the time is right we will strike and force her hand. She will run to us, well you." She smiled. "Now finish the weapon unless you want to watch me destroy your family."

The End

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it. There may be a second part to the story, I'm just waiting to see where the show goes first.