Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Reborn

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 06:

“I’m glad we are alone for a little while. I haven’t gotten a chance to really talk to you since I have been… back, I guess you could say.” Kara said to the not-so-little boy whose back was to her.

Clark turned towards her with puffy, red eyes.

“I missed you.” he told her quietly, then added, “I gave up on you. I thought you were dead. Alex told me you weren’t, that she just had to figure out a way to get you home, but I didn’t believe her.”

“It’s okay.” Kara assured him, recognizing the guilt in his voice.

Clark shook his head. “Alex told me once that when I was little, when I was a baby and you would get upset, I would know, even before you cried. She said the two of us were linked, that whenever you needed to feel better, I would always run to you, no matter what. When did that change? When did you and Alex become closer… I should have been better. I shouldn’t have been scared of you. I know you don’t remember some stuff, but there was a time I was scared of you. I know it hurt you. Maybe if I hadn’t, maybe I would have known you were alive. I would have never doubted.”

Kara wrapped the boy in a hug. His arms remained at his side, but he lay his head on her shoulder and cried, his body shaking with sobs.

“Don’t cry, Little One. You and I will always be connected. I won’t leave you, ever again. I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”

“You should have stopped after Myriad.” He finally told her, stepping back. “This world never deserved your help. Neither of you. Alex almost died, you almost died and for what? We should have run, left this planet when we found out about Atrocitus. That stupid Justice League could have fought and we would be together and free. Mom, Dad, Alex… we could have all gone somewhere, anywhere.”

Kara shook her head. “From what I understood from Alex, Atrocitus would have found me anywhere I went.”

“Not if you had stopped being Supergirl after Myriad! He would have thought you were gone, he probably wouldn’t have even thought about you!” Clark snapped. “You were happy. We were all finally happy and that monster hit Metropolis and you had to fight it! You and Alex almost died! Again! And I had to watch and couldn’t do anything!”

It was obvious the boy was on the edge of breaking down again and Kara knew she had to calm him somehow. She took a deep breath and pulled him by the hand to a crystal table in North end of the Fortress and had a seat.

“Let’s take a moment, okay? I know you are upset, but what I did, what we did, had to be done. This planet, Earth, is our home. Neither Alex nor I would have let it be left unprotected, not while Doomsday walked it, not when the Worldkillers and Diasporans arrived. One day, when you wear that symbol on your chest you will understand…”

“I want nothing to do with that stupid symbol.” he spat out.

Kara looked at the table top and folded her hands. “Did I do so much wrong that it means nothing now?”

“No!” he quickly told her. “You saved humans so many times… but that symbol. Alex would get mad if I told you, but if you had your memories you would know. Maybe I get why you kept being Supergirl, but why you kept wearing that symbol, I will never understand.”

Kara smiled sadly and reached across the table to take his hand.

“I don’t remember a lot of my childhood. I remember the good things and Alex thinks I am blocking out the bad. Since I don’t remember much about our parents, I am guessing there was a lot of stuff about our family that was bad. Alex told me we stopped Myriad, but she never said how we stopped Astra. I know I probably I killed her. I don’t remember Zor El or your father… or your mother for that matter. I do know why I wore that symbol though.

“It wasn’t just the House of El. It meant hope and I must have needed that. I wanted you to have that. Hope that everything would be okay, hope that the world could be better. Not just Earth, but any world could be better.”

The boy shook his head quickly. “There is no hope for this planet. Humans don’t deserve our help.”

Kara was shocked by the bitterness in his voice. She desperately wanted her memories back. Had she done this to him? Kara knew she must have made many mistakes, put him through hell with her addictions, but why hate the human race?

“Our family is human. Do they not deserve our help?” she asked.

“Our family is different. They aren’t like humans. We are…” he started, but clearly couldn’t finish the thought.

“Better?” she guessed he would say.

The boy slightly nodded his head.

“You think only the planets who have citizens that are completely good deserve to live while others suffer? Did Krypton deserve to die?”

“Our House… no, I guess most of them didn’t.” he admitted, looking down, not meeting her eyes.

“Our house, huh? I am really not going to like what I learn, am I? Did I tell you?

He shrugged his shoulders. “After a while.” Clark told her quietly.

Kara stood up. “I won’t ask you to tell me. It is obviously bad and you shouldn’t have to. My memories aren’t completely gone though. I know why I chose to continue to wear this symbol. I remember the days after Myriad when I considered wearing something else. I didn’t though because of a bed time story my mother told me. I still remember it was my favorite. I had forgotten it for years on Earth, but after Myriad I finally had time to explore the Fortress a bit more. I found a small room that no one except Alex knows about. It’s hidden under the floor and contains the lode crystal, I wasn’t planning on showing you until you were older, until you were ready, but I think it’s important for you to know now. You need to know the story. Follow me.”

Kara and Clark walked the middle of the Fortress where Kelex was waiting.

“I had planned to wait till he was 18 to show him, just as you always had planned.” Kelex told her. “I will tell them where you are if they arrive and you are still below.”

“Thank you, Kelex.”

The floor slid open from a seamless spot like all the doors to the Fortress did. If Kara hadn’t shown Clark, he would have never guessed anything was there. He didn’t know the Fortress had a basement.

Kara floated down and Clark jumped, his powers dampened by the red lights of the Fortress.

Kara caught him and put him on his feet. It hadn’t been a long fall, only twenty feet or so and the room was very small. It was lit up by the small crystal on a pedestal in the middle.

“Is that the lode crystal? The one everything emerged from?” he asked, a bit in awe. Alex had told him how the Fortress had been built, the work they had done studying the area for the correct size, for the security and the carving of the rock and ice, culminating with placing the crystal in the middle of that enormous cave.

“Yep. That’s it.” she confirmed. “So, I must have told you some pretty bad things to hate that symbol, but to know why it is important, you need to know the story I heard as a girl. It is a story I wasn’t sure was more than a fairy tale my mother told me until I found this room.”

Kara pressed her palm on the top of the pedestal next to the lode crystal. A hologram appeared in front of Clark so suddenly the boy jumped back. Kara came around to stand behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

The hologram was of a dark-haired man, perhaps in his mid-twenties. He didn’t wear the traditional Kryptonian clothes Clark had seen in other pictures. Instead, he wore what appeared to be pants resembling leather and a leather-like jacket closed tightly. The jacket appeared to be a mixture of dark, but slightly different scraps of whatever material it was made of. The man’s hair was slightly shaggy and unkempt like Clark’s and his face had the beginnings of a rough beard.

“You look so much like him.” Kara whispered.

“Who is he?”

“This is Seg El, our great grandfather. Vor El, our grandfather was the son of Seg El and Nyssa Vex El. They were heroes of Krypton. They were the ones who brought the city states together, which eventually led to the High Council being formed.”

“How? Why?” the boy asked, his eyes not leaving the man in front of him.

“When Brainiac tried to use Myriad on Krypton, it wasn’t the first time he had attacked us. The Coluan first attacked one hundred and fifty years before you were born. Nyssa Vex had chosen Seg to be her mate despite him living with the lower class who did not belong to a House. The two gave DNA samples to the Kandor population council, and that would be the child who became our grandfather. Seg’s grandfather, Val El, had made it his mission to search the stars and built this very Fortress as a tool. The Kandor ruling council did not heed Val El’s warning of an immortal Coluan who was a destroyer of worlds. They insisted he dismantle the Fortress and give the technology to a council led by a zealot religious head of state who ruled them all. He refused, hiding it instead in this crystal and refusing to tell them where the crystal was. Val El was imprisoned and the House of El was stripped of their standing which led Seg to the underbelly of Krypton.”

“He was poor?” Clark asked.

“Yes. The House of El was no longer recognized and had been removed from the Science Council. Just as well because from what I understand, Seg never took an interest in science. He wasn’t much of a follower of rules, so the military guild never would have worked for him either. He was a fighter though, tough and mouthy, arrested several times for defending people who were abused by the military for their own enjoyment.”

Clark wasn’t surprised. The man looked like a fighter.

“Brainiac entered the atmosphere and left his ship, walking into the military headquarters with ease. He used parasites to control the heads of our defenses and eventually half the military. The ruling council was slaughtered.”

“He did not count on the lower class rising up.” Kara continued. “Seg and Nyssa rallied the remaining scattered military, the citizens who had nothing to fight for but their lives, and led a revolt. They defeated Brainiac’s slaves and forced Brainiac back to his ship to repair his physical form. Nyssa flew to Argo City and convinced them to establish communications with the other city states. Seg spoke to them over a holo message. The leaders of the other city states had heard Kandor City was in ruins and began discussing surrendering and negotiating with Brainiac before he recovered fully.”

“Cowards.” Clark whispered and Kara smiled at the indignation in his voice.

“Perhaps, but your great grandfather was not. He refused to surrender. Seg reminded them that they were all Kryptonian and just as in the past when races like the Vrangs and Daxamites tried to enslave us, we would not give up, we would not surrender and we would never ask for mercy from any creature or race. One man, a governor from Kryptonopolis, told the others that fighting such a technologically advanced creature was hopeless.

“Seg told them all that as long as there was an El on Krypton, there would always be hope. He knew he could beat Brainiac, but needed their help. Fight or die, those were the only options.”

“How did he win?” Clark asked, engrossed in the story. “He didn’t have any powers on Krypton.”

Kara smiled remembering her mother tell her that Seg’s intellect did not match his bravery, but sometimes bravery was more than enough.

“He took the crystal his grandfather had hidden and reformed the Fortress. Seg used Val El’s notes to make a Phantom Zone projector, not one that could be activated and controlled from the surface, only a small one that had to be detonated on site. He would have to find Brainiac, get inside the ship and activate it, sending everything around him, and himself into the Phantom Zone.”

“He sacrificed himself?”

Kara nodded, a tear rolling from her eye.

“Yes he did. The armies of Krypton attacked Brainiac’s ship en masse allowing Seg to use a skimmer to slip inside. He found Brainiac in the ship and activated the device. The two, along with his ship, were sent to the Phantom Zone.”

Clark felt a shiver, his hair standing on edge.

“Nyssa Vex El, sired our grandfather who sired our fathers. She pulled the cities together, formed the planetary council, helped form Krypton into the planet it was when it died. No more divisions between city states, no more upper and lower class, all belonged to a House and all had equal rights.”

Clark shook his head. This was the first story he had ever heard about something good the House of El had done.

“Do you see? The House of El may be dead, but our family is alive and this is our world, our home because of our family. As long as a child of Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers lives on this planet there will always be hope. The House of El never mattered, but the symbol does. That symbol to me will always be associated with one man who stood in the face of impossible odds and certain death and won.

“That’s why I continued to wear it and that is why you will wear it one day. I know you will because you have his heart. Whatever I may have told you about the House of El, remember who you really are. You are from Earth, you are the son of Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers, and you are the descendant of the greatest hero in the history of Krypton. No planet is perfect. There were many cowards on Krypton but there were many good people who did what was right and gave their lives for others. When you put on that symbol one day remember that… always. You will never be me. You will be better than me. You will be him.”

Kara walked to the far wall and placed her palm on a glowing spot. The wall slid open revealing a mannequin of a man’s torso with the same jacket Clark saw on Seg El.

“Is that his?” he asked reverently.

Kara nodded, taking it off the mannequin and handing it to Clark.

“He gave it to Nyssa before he went to face Brainiac. I planned to tell you this story and give you this jacket before you put that cape on for the first time. You aren’t ready for the cape yet, but I bet the jacket will fit you now. It’s yours.”

Clark looked at the jacket in his hands with wide-eyed wonder.

“If Brainiac escaped and attacked Krypton again, where is Seg El?”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. She had wondered this herself many times.

“We will probably never know. Let’s go up top before Alex, Mom and Dad freak out about me being away from their sight any longer.”

When the rest of her family finally joined them in the Fortress, Kara noticed things were very tense between Alex and Eliza while Jeremiah looked nervous, but she decided not to mention it now. Alex had told her how she felt, but until Kara could talk to her mother alone, the blonde had no idea how to heal this obvious rift.

Letting her observations go for now, she decided to turn in for the night. She rolled over into her large bed. Kara always preferred her bed in her house and even at her parents’ house, but Kelex did fine work on this one and she had slept on it many times.

Alex slid in next to her and wrapped her arms around her little sister.

“No.” Kara told her.

“Yes.” Alex countered.

“I still have my powers. I could kick you in my sleep and snap your leg.”

“I’ll deal with it. Besides, you don’t kick in your sleep. Quiet now.”

Kara knew better than to argue. They had done this many times in her life and the blonde knew she never won the argument.

The following morning, around 6 AM Eastern Standard Time, Alex was knocked out of the bed. She looked up from the floor and saw Kara sitting up, breathing heavily, with an unreadable look on her face.

“Kara? You okay?” she asked hesitantly.

The blonde took a deep breath and nodded, not looking Alex’s way.

“I guess I had a bad dream… or a weird dream. I don’t remember… why can’t I remember the…” She trailed off and Alex could tell she was upset.

“Calm down.” Alex told her, moving quickly back to Kara’s side. “Tell me what you do remember, okay?”

Kara looked at her, confusion written on her face. “Did I ever talk to a creepy clown? White face paint, long green hair, scars on the sides of his mouth?”

“Shit.” Alex whispered. She felt a chill run the length of her body as she realized the implications of Kara’s past horrors starting to surface in her dreams. “Yeah, that’s one of those memories we don’t need to talk about right now, okay?”

A sound off to the side alerted her. She looked to see Kelex walking into the chamber followed by her parents and little brother. Judging by the looks of concern on their faces, she guessed they had heard the commotion when Kara woke.

“Kelex? Where are you with the preparations?” Alex asked, ignoring her parents, not wanting to start another argument this early in the morning, especially in Kara’s presence given she was already unsettled.

“I have made all arrangements per your instructions. Your full itinerary has been downloaded to this data tablet and I am making the final adjustments on Kara’s new glasses. They should be ready within the hour.” He handed Alex the tablet, their travel plans showing on the display and she began reading the information.

“What is he talking about? Itinerary for what, Alex?” her mother asked suspiciously.

“I asked Kelex to book seats for Kara and me on a flight from Raleigh to the closest major airport from Destin… which looks to be Pensacola, Florida. We’re arriving early afternoon.” Alex replied, never looking up from the tablet.

Before either of her parents could protest, Alex turned to Kara, directing the rest of the conversation to her. “I’ve told you about Leslie, how she helped you before. I believe she is the best option to get at the memories you’ve locked away and can help you deal with them.”

She hesitated with revealing her thoughts on Kara’s dream, but felt she needed to know to understand Alex’s urgency. “The dream you had, I believe it was a memory fragment. I worry you’ll unconsciously unlock more memories like this and I don’t want that to happen without having Leslie around to help you deal with them. I won’t pressure you, but I’m asking you to trust me. You know I wouldn’t do anything I feel would hurt you. You know that, right?”

“Alex, you couldn’t just call her? Or set up a Skype session? Or… something? I don’t feel comfortable with the two of you leaving. Kara just… she… I don’t…” Jeremiah trailed off clearly at a loss for words or maybe he didn’t want to start an argument either.

“No, I need to see Leslie, face to face, so she knows I’m serious and can tell I’m not lying. Kara needs to go with me because I know Leslie will need to see her and talk with her.” Alex answered in an even voice though her stomach was clenching at trying to hold back her temper.

Her mother spoke up then, reaching over to take Kara’s hand, while avoiding Alex’s intense glare. “Well, if you’re set on going, then we’ll just go with you. It shouldn’t be a problem to arrange time off and pull Clark out of school. Kelex, book three more seats for the flight they’re on.”

With her temper slipping almost beyond her ability to control, Alex decided it was time to end the game her parents thought they were playing.

Switching to Kryptonese, she gave a different set of instructions to the AI. “Kelex, ignore her. My sister and I are going alone. No matter what she says or thinks, they can’t get off work on short notice and my brother needs to be in school. They’ve wanted things to be ‘normal’, so they are going to be ‘normal’. Please continue with my earlier instructions….oh, and we’ll need the glasses and a com for Kara before we leave.”

Kelex gave the robotic equivalent of a very, very long sigh, then graced her with a slight bow, “ By your command… “

Kara giggled at the cheeky AI and looked at her stunned sister. “ Did he just go all ‘Cylon’ on you?”

Alex blinked and looked at her sister in pleasant surprise. “You remember our ‘Battlestar Galactica’ marathons? Sweet!… And yeah, he did!” she added, directing the last bit towards Kelex, trying to project a tone of aggravation towards him and failing miserably.

“ It seemed appropriate,” he responded, leaving the sleeping chamber with no further comment.

“Would you two speak in English so we can understand you?” Jeremiah demanded, his voice laced with annoyance.

“You both keep preaching to me about keeping things ‘normal’ for Clark. Leaving at the drop of a hat with no explanation to the Dean is not normal for you two. You will stay here for Clark, he has school and you both have work. My work schedule has always had built in flexibility. The Dean knows I deal with CDC projects, so my sudden absence will not draw attention like yours would.” Alex said.

She continued as calmly as she could, hoping her parents got the message without her having to resort to potential bloodshed. “You being there would be counterproductive anyway. You were not her patients, we were. She won’t talk to you or with you there. It has to be the two of us. I will do whatever it takes to convince her to help.”

Whether it was her reaction from the day before, or her words really made an impact, her mother nodded, her face drawn in displeasure, her lips pinched. “I’m not happy about this at all, but I guess you leave me no choice. I want you both to call frequently, let us know what’s going on. Kara, honey, we just got you back and…. this is hard for me. I just…” Eliza’s face fell as she teared up with a sob.

Kara reached over and hugged her mother. “I love you, Mom. I’m not leaving you, just taking a little trip with my big sister, nothing I haven’t done before. I need this, you know I do. Honestly, I get the feeling you aren’t as opposed to this doctor as you are with me leaving again so soon after coming home.”

Eliza tightened her hold on her youngest daughter. “Maybe you’re right, but it feels impossible for me to let you go right now.”

Alex looked over to her father who was nodding his agreement, obviously as unhappy about the turn of events as Eliza judging by the stressed look on his face.

“Well no one asked me!” Up until now, Clark hadn’t said a word, watching the exchange quietly. Seeing their parents agree to let his sisters go on a trip alone was apparently more than he could take. He stormed out of the chamber running towards the transporter.

“Clark, wait!” Kara called out, trying to stop him, but it was too late. Alex felt guilt for accidentally dragging Clark into the middle of the ongoing feud she had with their parents. After trying so hard to be positive for him, Kara’s return had removed all restraints she’d put on herself when she was around her Mom and Dad.

“It’s okay, Kara, I’ll go check on him.” Jeremiah sighed, looking back at them, worry on his face, but love in his eyes. “Be careful, take care of each other. Keep in contact with Kelex every step of the way and check in with us. I love you both, more than you will ever know.”

With her father gone, Alex looked at her mother who was still holding Kara’s hand. Her mother looked distraught, obviously trying not to break down again. “We need to get going so we have time to pack and get to the airport. If you want… we do have a little time for breakfast… umm, if you wouldn’t mind cooking.”

That was as much of an olive branch as Alex felt like offering. Kara leaned into her, smiling gently.

Eliza gave her oldest a nod, her expression more sad than angry now. “Ok, I’ll get started. I’ll make a bacon and cheese breakfast quiche with biscuits and gravy on the side. Everything should be ready in about an hour.”

Alex nodded and left the chamber to coordinate with Kelex before leaving the Fortress with her sister to pack.

Several hours later, she and Kara were seated comfortably in first class seats on a flight bound for Pensacola, Florida. Upon arrival, they would pick up their rental car, grab some takeout, then travel an hour and a half up the coastal highway to Destin. At the end of this journey was the woman who Alex hoped would be willing to move past their disastrous last meeting and consent to help her sister.

As Kara curled into her while watching a movie, Alex reflected back to the last time she saw Leslie. She had just returned home from wiping out a couple of smaller Cadmus cells and was exhausted.

Letting her mind drift back, Alex leaned into her sister for comfort as she reflected on that encounter, mostly to recall the events as close as she could because she knew Leslie would. The woman could be ruthless when driving a point home.

“Why are you late?” Leslie shouted from the front porch, obviously disgruntled and angry at having to wait the past several hours.

Alex trudged tiredly up the sidewalk to her front door, dropping her equipment bag at her feet as she thought how to answer. She had honestly forgotten Leslie was coming today.

“I was busy taking care of something.” Alex knew that answer wasn’t going to suffice, so she braced for the incoming verbal assault.

“Yeah, I see that. So, how many did you kill this time? I don’t have to ask if you’re hurt… I can see physically you’re not, but emotionally? How long are you going to continue on this self-appointed mission of yours? How long do you think you can keep doing this? How many people will you have to kill to fill that hole in your heart?” Leslie had softened her voice in volume but not in tone.

“Can we go inside? I’m tired and would like to sit down.” Alex asked, hoping to derail the impending rant.

“Of course, by all means, let’s make sure you’re comfortable.” Leslie followed Alex as she let herself into the house and headed to the kitchen for a couple of bottles of water. Offering one to Leslie, Alex sat in her recliner, shaking with the tension and adrenaline running through her body. Leslie sat across from her saying nothing for what seemed like hours. Alex figured the woman was waiting for her to answer the questions she had asked.

“You asked how many? I don’t know, not that many. These were two smaller bases, lightly manned, heavily armed. I used their own explosives to blow up them up. I didn’t see any survivors, doesn’t mean there weren’t any. As for how long…” Alex paused, considering her answer to Leslie’s last question. “… I will continue until Lillian Luthor and Samuel Lane lie dead at my feet. Kill the head, the body dies. Cadmus will die with them and Clark will be safe… at least from them.”

“And the next threat? I know you have your robot and super spy computer searching all potential threats and keeping tabs on suspicious chatter. What are you going to do when that chatter produces a potential threat?” Leslie asked, eyes intent.

“I’m going to eliminate it.” Alex replied without hesitation.

“And for how long will you keep at this? After Cadmus is gone, how long will you track possible threats to Clark? To your family?” Leslie kept pushing.

“I will do this for as long as it takes! Kara expects no less from me, she wants me to keep our family safe…” Alex stopped, knowing she just stepped onto the equivalent of a land mine and Leslie wouldn’t hesitate to activate it.

“You said ‘wants’, that Kara ‘expects’ no less from you.” Leslie repeated, leaning forward to hold the younger woman’s attention.

Yep, that land mine just blew up in her face. Closing her eyes, Alex started her breathing exercises to calm herself before answering. “Your point?”

“You know my point, Alex.” Leslie’s tone softened at this statement, attempting to keep the conversation civil. But Alex was excellent at reading body language, even Leslie’s. She could see the woman ready to spout off the same rhetoric she continued to have thrown at her from all sides. Still, Alex gave Leslie the answer she knew the woman was resigned to expect from her.

“She’s not dead. I can feel it… I feel… her. How many times do I have to tell you this! All of you, the same thing over and over again. You, my parents, Bruce, J’onn… all of you, putting doubts in my head, but my heart knows… I would know if she were really gone. I’ve told you I don’t know how to explain it, but I know she is alive. She is waiting for… something, I don’t know what, but she will come back to me.” Alex reply was measured, but very heated. She felt herself repeating words she had said for what seemed like a thousand times, knowing no one outside of her and Kara really understood what they were to each other. Her parents lack of faith frustrated and angered her. Everyone else she could give a pass. But, she wasn’t giving up on Kara like everyone around her no matter how many times she was told to do so.

Leslie shook her head and sighed, obviously frustrated. “Alex, you can’t heal until you are willing to acknowledge the truth. You can’t move on until you accept Kara is gone. She isn’t coming back and no matter how much you want to believe she is, it doesn’t change the facts! She flew into the sun to destroy the Worldkiller and save the world! She knew what she was doing, and in doing it, her thoughts were on her family, on you specifically! Bruce told me what she said before she entered that portal. She wouldn’t want you stuck like this, she would want you to grieve then move on! Alex, she would want you to live. It’s time to let her go.”

Alex heard her words. She understood them and somewhere in the back of her mind, the logical part that sometimes held sway over her actions, she could agree. But her heart, her soul cried out in protest.

Though her anger was slowly building, Alex’s reply was soft, but firm in denial. “I’ll never let her go. She would hold on for me if the situation were reversed. I know she would.”

With a frustrated sigh, it was apparent Leslie was through pulling punches with her. “She is dead, Alex! Kara is dead! Until you get it in your head that she is, you are never going to get better! Is that what you want to continue to do to your parents? To Clark? They need you and you are keeping yourself from them by denying the truth! You are spitting on her memory and her sacrifice by refusing to accept that she is gone and moving on with your life! It would kill her all over again if she could see you like this.”

Alex’s voice was quivering and though her tone was even, her anger was simmering beneath the surface, ready to erupt. “I wish I could explain it. I wish you could feel what I feel just so you would get off my back. I believe in my sister and I believe in us. Nothing you or anyone else can say to me will get me to change my mind!”

“So you refuse to move on, dishonoring your sister even more?” Leslie continued and Alex finally lost control of her temper.

“Go to hell, Leslie.” Alex was on her feet, clinching her fists.

Leslie stood as well, unwilling to back down. “You’ve mentioned you’re still having anxiety attacks so I’m going to assume you aren’t taking the meds I’ve prescribed. I imagine you’re still having flashbacks for the same reason. Until you are willing to take the meds and get this fantasy of Kara being alive out of your head, there is nothing I can do to help you. I refuse to return until you are willing to address these issues and accept the truth!”

Speaking barely over a whisper, shaking in her rage, Alex dismissed the doctor. “Then leave. Don’t come back. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.”

Looking back now, Alex knew that Leslie couldn’t understand the nature of her relationship with Kara, so she wasn’t wrong in trying to council Alex to grieve and move on with her life.

Ultimately, the outcome of the argument wasn’t surprising. Alex had felt so much pressure in the midst of the naysayers surrounding her, that it became harder and harder to maintain her sanity. So, while she couldn’t remove her parents from her life, she could remove Leslie. Having Kara back, confirming Alex had been right, didn’t cause Leslie to be wrong given the information she had. Regardless, Alex needed to apologize to the woman for threatening to kill her.

The pilot came on the speaker and announced their decent into Pensacola. A short time later, the sisters gathered their bags and picked up their rental car.

They chatted as they drove, commenting on the scenery along the beautiful coastal highway. Kara did ask a few questions about Leslie. While not wanting to divulge much, Alex felt comfortable telling her Dr. Thompkins had been Kara’s therapist for close to a year. She admitted that, while the doctor didn’t have a great bedside manner with her patients, she was tops in her field and very competent. She told Kara that, despite their sometimes very loud verbal sparring matches, Leslie had helped Kara immensely. In spite of her own last encounter with the blunt doctor, Alex told Kara there was no one she trusted more to help her little sister.

Leslie lived in a fairly secluded area, her property included a private beach which was inaccessible except by invitation or by boat. The house was surrounded by a wrought iron fence and secured by an electronic gate Alex knew Bruce had insisted be installed and subsequently monitored in the Batcave. Bruce always did look after and take care of his own… sometimes whether they wanted him to or not.

When they arrived, Alex asked Kelex to check to make sure the doctor was home. Once he confirmed she was, he looped the security feed to insure Kara wasn’t caught on video, before disengaging the security gate. Alex slowly pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine.

“Wow, this is really nice,” Kara commented.

The house, like all houses along the beaches of the Gulf Coast, was built up on stilts to minimize damage due to hurricanes and tropical storms which were a normal hazard of coastal living. The structure looked extremely sound and knowing Bruce, the pylons holding the house up off the ground were probably reinforced using Nth metal. The landscaping included tropical plants and trees spaced around the house in a manner as to provide privacy without losing the aesthetics of the area.

“Yeah, it is beautiful here. I guess she could easily afford it with all the money Bruce paid her just to help us.” Alex remarked, fully turning to her sister. “I have to convince her to help you in spite of how abruptly I ended things. I don’t know how she will react, so until I break the news that you’re back, stay in the car. I don’t want her passing out, freaking out or… anything.”

Alex handed Kara a hair band. “Here, there’s no one around, so don’t worry about the glasses, but just in case, tie your hair back. I want her to see you, not your disguise. It will be fine, I promise.”

Kara nodded and put her hair up in a simple ponytail, then removed her glasses and slipped them into her pocket.

Alex climbed out of the vehicle and walked up the beautifully landscaped sidewalk, noting the breeze off the Gulf felt warmer than the breeze off the ocean in Midvale. She climbed the staircase leading up to a wide, wrap-around deck.

Alex rang the bell and started her deep breathing exercises to help settle her nerves. She could hear the woman muttering, loudly as she approached the door and then silence. The next moment the door flew open and standing there with a look of incredulity was her infuriating ex-therapist.

“Well… didn’t think to see you so soon. No need to ask how you got past Bruce’s security. So, since you’re here, does this mean your little personal war with Cadmus is over? How many people did you kill, just out of curiosity? Did it make you feel better or stop the nightmares and flashbacks?” Leslie asked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the door frame.

Alex wasn’t surprised at Leslie’s reaction to seeing her, but she was intrigued by something she said. “You didn’t expect to see me so soon? You thought I would eventually seek you out? After I threatened you? Which I am sorry about by the way. Umm…. I don’t really do apologies, well, or at all… so… yeah, I’m sorry.”

Leslie pinned her with a pointed look. “Alex, believe it or not, I know you. After considering the circumstances, I know you aren’t a threat to me. If there is one thing you and Kara had in common, it was your reactions to anything said against the other. I left because I knew I couldn’t do anything for you until you were ready for my help. Now, stop stalling and explain why you are here.”

Keeping her face void of any emotion and knowing the reaction her next words would elicit, she calmly answered, “Kara’s alive. She needs your help.”

Leslie groaned, rolling her eyes. “I told you until you got it in your head she was gone you would never get better. You told me to go to hell! If you aren’t ready to face the truth why are you here?”

At these words, Alex smirked, unable to contain her grin. Walking to the railing, she signaled her sister to join them. Leslie followed and was now staring at the vehicle.

As soon as Alex saw the door open, her focus shifted back to the doctor so she could memorize her reaction and permanently engrave it in her mind for posterity.

Leslie scrunched her face up, the glare from the afternoon sun reflecting off the windshield into her face, making it hard to see. As Kara approached, Leslie suddenly dropped her arms and grabbed the railing, body ramrod straight, shock clearly evident on her face, her mouth opened but no words came out.

When Kara reached the top of the stairs, she held out her hand in introduction, smiling genuinely at the immobile woman. “Hi! You must be Leslie… Dr. Thompkins. I understand from Alex that you and I used to fight a lot… and for some reason it was a good thing.”

Alex watched as Leslie’s eyes darted, looking over her sister’s face and down her body, ending at her outstretched hand. Slowly, instead of reaching over to shake Kara’s hand, Leslie raised both arms and gripped her sister by the shoulders. She whispered then, eyes still wide. “Kara?”

Dropping her hand, Kara nodded, reaching up to lightly grip the doctor by her elbows. After another few moments of staring in shock, the woman moved suddenly, taking Alex by surprise. She engulfed Kara in a hug that could have broken bones if her sister had been human.

What happened next was something Alex never thought she would see, much less believe was even possible. The cold, impersonal, badass, ‘tolerates no bullshit’ Dr. Leslie Thompkins, broke down in her little sister’s arms and cried.