Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Seeing Red

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 07: Caves

Barry had just been pulled into a portal of light once again and tried to orient himself to being inside Kara’s closet back in National City.

He wasn’t there long. Kara hit the closet door sending it flying into the room. She continued moving until she reached the living room and began pacing, then walking all around the apartment.

He caught a few glimpses of her face and saw…

Fear.

She wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Kara?”

The girl said nothing, moving towards the fridge, slamming the fridge door and back into the bathroom, she came out with a water bottle, but Barry had a good idea that clear liquid was not water.

“Kara!”

The blonde had her back to him, at the window now. She drained over half the bottle. Barry walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She finally turned.

“If you want to leave, I understand. I can leave and you can sleep here. I will stay gone tonight. You shouldn’t have to run back. Its late.” she finally told him, the first words she had spoken and slightly slurred.

Barry shook his head and tried to gently pull her to the couch. The girl didn’t budge.

“I don’t want you to go anywhere. I don’t want to go. You think you can talk to me? Was that… I guess robots can’t really lie. One thing we always were able to do was be honest with each other.” he tried, hoping to erase that look of fear that still graced her face. It worked but not in the intended fashion. Instead Kara laughed.

“You think I have been honest with you? I never told you I was an alien. I knew exactly what you were looking for and I kept it from you. I lied about why I couldn’t talk to you anymore.”

“To keep me safe.”

“From me!” Kara shouted. “I wanted you safe from me. Yeah, Lex threatened you but I could have found you after Myriad, after his memories were gone. You knew who I was, there was no need to stay away. But… but… I couldn’t. I don’t even know what I am doing now. You can never love me. I won’t allow it. I almost… I almost used you tonight. That’s why I wanted the red lights on. I wanted to be with you, a guy I liked, I cared about, I wanted you. I wanted to see what it would be like, could be like to actually be with someone I truly wanted to be with.”

Barry was surprised. He hadn’t expected that. The man thought her only motive was to show him her history.

“You would have what you wanted.” she continued. “I would have what I wanted and maybe you could see that I wasn’t that different from other girls. Maybe you would have me out of your system. I used you tonight. Want to know the real reason I needed you here tonight?”

“Yes?” he answered cautiously.

“My family, and apparently everyone else I know from the DEO, were planning on having an intervention tonight! They think I am a drunk! Batman beats people to the point of brain death and he worries about me losing my temper! That’s how bad I am. I am toxic.”

“I don’t believe that. Let’s sit on the couch.” Barry tried again. Instead she pulled her hand out of his and walked back to the window.

“You want to know the real me, Barry? Do you really? Fine. When Hank Henshaw found us, after the guys saved us, I burnt his arm off and crushed his leg, ground it to dust just to see him hurt. I was 13 and I loved the look of absolute fear on his face. I started burning myself, using my own heat vision on my arms. They would blister, blacken and stink and I did it because… I still don’t know why! I broke my own fingers! Think about that! How sick does someone have to be to break their own fingers?” she finished, turning around.

Barry was shocked by her eyes. They were red, blood shot, a tear leaking from one but they mostly appeared manic.

“I cut myself with my fingernails, deep. When I was 14 on mine and Alex’s birthday, I blew out candles on my cake and turned the cake to ice. Know how I dealt with it?”

Barry said nothing, watching the girl closely. He wasn’t sure if she was even talking to him anymore.

“I ran to the bathroom, leaned against the door so no one could get in, and pierced my skin under my elbow, with my fingernails. I tried to find an artery and ripped my arm open in the attempt. I tried to kill myself. I killed my aunt and you want to know the sad part? If she were here I would do it again. I hate my parents on Krypton, I hate my entire House. When an alien challenges me, I take them to the desert and beat them to death. Sometimes I see Non and sometimes I see Clark’s father. The DEO can contain the aliens, has holding cells, strike teams, everything you could want but all I leave them with is clean up. I do it because I love it.”

Barry tried to walk closer to her but she moved to the other side of the room, circling the table and keeping it between them. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, or how to handle this situation. Thoughts of Oliver’s warning popped in his head but he dismissed them. Despite her appearance, he wasn’t scared of her. Worried, frightened for her, but not scared of her. Even now, he knew she wouldn’t hurt him.

It was her hurting herself he worried about and desperately wished Alex would hurry up and get home.

“Did you know I killed Ra’s Al Ghul? I put a fist through his chest. I was the head of the League of Assassins for about five minutes. I still work with them. We are hunting a man named Damian Darhk and when I find him, I will probably kill him too. I’m sure Oliver Queen has talked to you by now, hasn’t he? That hypocritical ass is the same as I am but he can’t beat me so he fears me. I’m the bad guy, no matter how many bodies he dropped. I let him do what he did, until he crossed a line. That self-righteous bastard protected a monster.”

Barry tensed, wondering if Kara had heard what Oliver said. Was she there or could she hear? Was there anywhere in the world she couldn’t hear whether it was her own super hearing or whatever tech she had at that Fortress?

If she had, Barry seriously worried for Oliver’s life right now.

“My family thinks I am an alcoholic. Maybe I am, but what else… who wouldn’t be? My family from Krypton, my house, my grandfather, father and Clark’s father were responsible for the destruction of our planet and my mother helped cover it up. I can never let Clark know this! Never! You saw him. He is everything I am not. He is the symbol the world needs to look to for hope. He believes in the goodness of this world, of people. If he found out the whole truth it would destroy him.”

“You do a lot of good, Kara. People…”

“People? People fear me. Every government agency in the world is looking for a way to kill me. Kelex wasn’t lying. Two years ago, I screwed in a red sunlight bulb in the bathroom, took a straight razor and slit my wrists. I lay down on the floor and waited to die. I didn’t think about my sister finding me dead. I didn’t think about my parents or Clark. All I wanted to do was die because I was too weak to live with the guilt and pain. I’m not strong. I’m a monster. Stay away from me, Barry. I am no good. I haven’t been since I left Krypton. All I do is hurt the ones who love me the most.”

Kara drained the second half of her bottle and threw the empty container towards the couch. She walked back to the window and slid it open.

“Stay here, or don’t. I won’t be back tonight. Tell Alex I won’t kill myself. She might believe you, but I have lied to her before, about a lot of things. Just please stay away from me, Barry. You are the only guy I have ever met who makes me feel… the way I feel when I am around you. Stay away from me. I couldn’t handle the guilt of what I would do to you. I told Grayson all the time and I am telling you the same thing now. There is no happiness to be found with me. Please save yourself. You have had enough hurt in your life. It was selfish of me to let things even get this far.”

Kara took off without another word, flying so fast he had a hard time seeing her leave. He rushed over to the window but she was gone.

The man looked around the apartment and picked up the bottle on the floor by the kitchen. Barry wasn’t sure how long he sat, a few minutes or an hour. It couldn’t have been that long because he heard keys in the door and Alex walked in quickly with a smile.

A smile that slowly went away when she didn’t see Kara.

“Is she in the bedroom changing? She wants to go to a club? Please tell me she is changing and wants to go to a club.”

Barry shook his head.

“We went into her closet, arrived in a secret ice castle in Antarctica and a flying robot who sounded like Loki told her he couldn’t turn the red lights on because the alcohol in her system would kill her without her powers.” the man explained.

Alex nearly collapsed but caught herself on the table.

“The robot told her you had set up some conditions after she tried to kill herself?” he added, questioningly.

Alex said nothing for a moment but did place her elbows and the table and put her head in her hands.

“Where is she?”

Barry shrugged his shoulders, kind of numb at the moment, not knowing what to do.

“She said to tell you she wouldn’t kill herself and would be back tomorrow.”

“Okay… did she wear her suit? Any of them?”

Barry shook his head. “She did drink a bottle of a clear liquid I am pretty sure wasn’t water.” he offered.

Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out her com.

“Kelex, I need Scarlett on the roof quickly. Stealth mode when you land her. Does Kara have her phone?”

“No.” the robot answered.

“You are an asshole, Kelex. You know that?”

“I did as I was programmed and followed your protocols.” Kelex reasonably explained, making her want to shoot him at the moment. She knew it wasn’t his fault. He saved Kara’s life. Now Alex had to get to Kara before she did anything else stupid.

“Did she take any bottles with her?”

Barry shook his head and stood up, not quite sure what to do but unable to sit.

“Okay… okay. I know where she is going. I will be only a little behind her.” Alex reasoned, speaking to herself. Barry caught that, however.

“How are you going to catch her? She could be in space. She could be anywhere and she can fly faster than any jet.” he reasoned.

“She flies around Mach 2 normally, but when she is drunk she is slower, slightly under Mach 1. My jet goes faster and she will also get lost a few times. She can navigate by the stars but when she is seeing double… it doesn’t matter. I won’t be back tonight. Take one of the beds, take the couch… Barry…”

Alex hesitated, not sure if she should say what she knew she had to. Honestly at this point, she had no idea… yes, she did.

“Barry, I have to do something. I can’t let her go on like this, Mom and Dad can’t. She… I know you two kind of just found each other again… and she really likes you, she does. I’ve never seen her act the way she acts around you with any guy. It’s like she is lovesick teenager. But… you need to stay away for a while.”

Barry was surprised. He thought Alex might ask him for help, to try and talk to Kara, but stay away? They had just found each other again. He had to stay away for six years! He thought he would never speak to her, have to watch from a distance and never get to hear her voice.

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.

“Are you seriously telling me to stay away from your sister because she has problems? Because it seems to me that she needs all the people who care about her around her. She will think I am abandoning her. She told me to stay away from her. If I do…”

Alex raised her hand to stop him.

“I like you, Barry. Honestly, I have always thought you were the only one she could ever truly love. She lights up around you in a way I have never seen her light up around any guy. But right now, she has so many things she needs to work on or she will never be happy. When she is ready, yeah, go for it. I will let you know everything that is going on, but you are going to have to trust me. She hates herself and she is becoming even more out of control and for Kara, that is impressive. What about you, Barry? You lost your father not long ago, went through a lot of traumatic stuff. Have you worked it all out? Because you need to and taking care of her is not going to allow you to do that. You are going to have to trust me and let me do what needs to be done.”

Barry looked at the floor, not sure what to say. Yeah, maybe he hadn’t dealt with his father’s death, maybe even his mother’s, but Kara was the one bright spot he had.

Had he been planning on focusing on her instead of working his own issues out?

“How long?” he finally asked.

“I don’t know. I do know that you will wait for her. I can see it when you look at her. Until she is okay she won’t be able to have what she could have with you. We have been working for eleven years and trust me, if not for therapy she would have lost her mind a long time ago. But it’s not working anymore. I need to save my sister.”

Kelex cut in to inform Alex that her personal hover jet was two minutes out.

“Okay. Keep me informed?” he asked.

“I will. Don’t give up, Barry. She is under there and I am going to bring her back. I have brought her back from the edge before but this time, this time is going to be tougher. I have to go. She won’t be able to contact anyone for a month at least, maybe three, maybe longer.”

That caught Barry by surprise. He had thought Alex was simply going to talk her into coming home.

“What are you planning to do?”

Alex looked at the floor and then met Barry’s eyes.

“Something we should have done a long time ago. She is getting help, whether she wants it or not. She may hate me forever but I won’t let her die. Something else before I go. If you ever want to talk to someone, someone who can know everything about you, that you wouldn’t have to keep secrets like being the Flash from, Jess is good. She has kept Kara and me sane for years. I hope you will think about it.”

Barry shook his head.

“You think I need therapy, huh?”

“Do you think I need it? I go three times a week. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. We all need help sometimes, right? The stuff we see and have to do, the decisions and the pressure, it gets to us. Don’t be afraid to address it. She is good. Lock the door before you leave in the morning. I’ll text you in a couple days. I’m putting an end to this tonight.”

Alex left the apartment, running towards the roof. Once she reached it, she could see it in the distance, though it was hard to make out. In stealth mode it was nearly silent, no running lights, no loud engines. The machine was powered by a small Phantom Drive and could hit incredible speeds and turn on a dime. The bottom opened over her and a pack fell to the roof. Alex slipped on the suit, not very different from her normal suit but slightly bulkier and better able to handle the G forces she would experience when she hit supersonic.

Alex flew herself, the feel of controlling the aircraft soothing as it often was. Kelex was capable, but in the field, she was the one who made the moves required for combat in the air. Two hours after takeoff, she slowed and brought the jet just above the tree lines then floating above a set of woods she knew very well. She could see her home from the top, the lights off but night vision picking it up easily. A rope descended as she moved to the back of the craft and Alex grabbed a pulse rifle and slid to the ground.

She only walked a short distance, wishing she had placed her helmet on but knowing it would do no good. It was the top of her head she always seemed to hit in that damn entrance.

As Alex suspected, the large boulder they had used to protect the entrance in High School, was in place.

“Kara, open up your rock. I know you are in there.”

Where else would she be? Like the first time Alex found her, whenever Kara was lost she wound up in this damn hole in the ground.

Hearing no movement, Alex briefly thought of having her helmet dropped from above so she could use infrared, but then shook the thought off. Kara was in there.

“Last chance.” Alex warned.

Counting to ten and hearing nothing, Alex grabbed the pulse rifle from her back and fired, turning the formerly large boulder to dust.

Slipping the rifle on her back she made her way inside, determined not to hit her head.

“Ouch! Damn this rock!”

Alex failed at her first task. It would be the last failure she had tonight.

The cave was complete darkness, but she knew the open cavern well. It wasn’t large by any means. The hole in the top had been covered long ago and the boulder at the front kept too much rain from getting in, so it wasn’t flooded as it used to be this time of year.

Alex heard Kara’s breathing and knew she was pressed against the wall in the back-right corner. Her knees would be drawn up and her arms wrapped around them, trying to hold herself together.

“You broke my rock.” Kara told her, obviously drained and a bit drunk still, judging by her voice.

“I told you it was your last chance.”

Kara snorted in the dark. Alex sat next to her, their legs touching, and wrapped her in her arms.

“Talk to me.” the older sister ordered. “You haven’t hurt yourself, have you?”

She could feel Kara’s head shake.

“I think… I hurt Barry.”

Alex squeezed tighter and kissed her head. “Barry is a big boy and he wasn’t hurt. He is worried about you. We all are. Have you had anything to drink since you left our place?”

“No.” Kara told her.

Alex believed her. She would know when it was safe. When Kara started to shake, she was sobering up. Alex just had to keep her talking, keep her from leaving until then. “I can’t believe I told him what I told him tonight. I told him everything. He knows everything. He is probably never going to talk to me again.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” the brunette assured her. “If he knew where you were he would have come after you.”

Kara sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“You didn’t tell him?”

“Sister secrets, right? This is our place. I love and hate this place. It was where I found my little brother and sister and it’s also the place you run to, to forget about everything. We used to fight, Kara. We fought whatever or whoever thought it could beat us. When you had panic attacks because of storms, you walked out in the rain and stood there, every storm until you finally beat it. That is a night I will never forget. The four of us standing in that storm. I thought we would be struck by lightning. You were so scared but so brave. I knew that night, when you said it wouldn’t beat you, I knew it wouldn’t. Me and you don’t lose, right?”

Kara laughed softly.

“Eliza asked me if we could beat the storm inside next time.” she remembered. “She was soaked. We all were but she had been to the salon the day before. Her hair… I would have found it funny if I wasn’t so scared. I still don’t like storms. I have stood inside a tornado and not flinched but I still hate them. I hate explosions. I hate seeing dead bodies. I hate seeing dead children. I hate so many things.”

“And you are still scared of a lot of things. So am I, but we can’t let that stop us from living life. There is more to life than what we do. We used to know that. You need help remembering it. You need help, Kara. Jess is not what you need anymore. You need to be somewhere safe, somewhere you can get help with the problems you still have.”

Kara shook her head.

“I can’t Alex. I’ll start seeing Jess more than I have been, no excuses, but you know I can’t stop. What about the kids? A lot of kids expect to see me every week. Some of them don’t have much time. Should I just abandon them?”

“J’onn can play you for a few months.”

“Months?! Alex be serious.”

Alex began running her fingers through Kara’s hair. Eliza figured out long ago that it soothed her. It may not have been a cure all but it worked in the short term.

“I am serious. You and me. No crime fighting, no saving anyone, just the two of us, getting help.” her sister told her.

“Getting me help you mean.”

“There is no me. It’s we. We have always been there for each other, at each other’s side, ever since I found you in this hole in the ground. There is always going to be a we. If one of us is messed up, both of us are. Kara… why did you even take Barry to the Fortress?”

Kara said nothing for a long while, thinking of different reasons, anything that sounded good. In the end she decided it was best to be honest. It usually was with Alex and her sister already knew the answer anyway. The blonde stood up and began waking in circles. The cave was dark but her eyesight was getting better. That meant she was sobering up. The shaking would start soon and, in her hurry, to leave she had not taken a bottle of anything.

“I was going to screw him. I figured the guy got me out of an intervention, so he deserved something out of it. I thought maybe if I gave him what he wanted he could go back to Central City and it would be easier to keep this thing, whatever it is, on a physical level. Physical I can handle.”

Alex shook her head, standing up as well. She had suspected that and Kara confirmed it. Her younger sister had used Grayson for years, used him physically for comfort but always kept her distance emotionally. Barry tended to break down Kara’s walls, so she planned to have sex with him, see him on her terms. Control was everything to Kara, as far as others went. It was self-control she had a problem with.

“I think he is wanting more than that.” Alex told her.

“He can’t have it. He just lost his father. The last thing he needs is me screwing up his life.”

“I agree.” Alex told her, surprising the blonde. “You can’t be what he wants, what you want, right now, but you could be, one day. Maybe if you would love yourself as much as you love others… Kara, you are shaking. It’s only been a few hours.”

“I know how long it has been, Alex. I need to go anyway. There is a bar in Raleigh I found out about. Just a night cap. I should be going back regardless. Maybe I can show up for work on time. Cat may have a heart attack if she saw me there before she was.”

Alex shook her head. “It’s Friday… Saturday now, remember? Why don’t you fly beside me or even ride with me? We can get some sleep this morning till noon and maybe play on the beach with Clark?”

Kara shook her head. “I have work to do, Alex. Someone is in trouble. Someone is always in trouble. I have to check in with Nyssa and find out if Darhk has been found. I have hospitals to visit. I’ve never been to the Children’s Hospital in Nashville. I have cults to bust up, people worshipping that stupid symbol. I thought it would be a great way to draw Astra and Non out. Instead Cat turned it into this great symbol of all that is right in the world. At least the money it brings in can help children and save lives. It can do some good.” she mumbled. “I have to go.”

“No!” Alex nearly shouted, grabbing her hand and trying to pull her back. She had never been able to and tonight was no different. “Please stay, for a little while. I love being back here. We can pretend we are eating sticky buns again and you can sing to me.”

Kara laughed, despite the shaking that was spreading throughout her whole body.

“I haven’t sung in a long time or played the guitar for that matter. I just haven’t had it in me. Most days I want to hide under the covers, forget about the world. Remember my perfect world that brain sucking plant showed me? I still have those memories. They are strong, like I lived them. The memories never went away. I’ll see Jess more, open up more than I have been but that is the best I can do. I really have to go. Be careful on the flight back. Watch out for commercial flight paths.”

Kara walked out, Alex following.

“You won’t agree to get help? To dry out and stay away from alcohol, control your anger and depression…”

“Alex!” Kara shouted. “I don’t have time for that. The world needs me. I really have to go.”

Alex followed the blonde outside the cave. “Take my com. Your shirt is almost shredded from the wind shear. I have another com in the jet. Just grab a shirt and jacket from the house. Some of our stuff should be in the closet still. The key is the same place it has always been.”

After a quick hug and assurance that Alex would be in National City after she checked on the Midvale home, the brunette watched her sister fly off then took a deep breath.

Her pulse was racing and sweat was beginning to form on her brow.

“I hope you forgive me for this, Kara.”

Taking out her phone, she sent the text.

Kara had taken off quickly, changed into a new shirt and jeans she had found and was building speed. She was a minute and a half from the bar by her estimation. Before she could land a voice was in her ear.

“Supergirl.” Batman greeted her. “I need you in my cave immediately. We have an alien threat trying to kill a friend of mine.”

“Oh, okay Bruce. I am on the East Coast. I need to make a stop and I will be there.”

“No.” the man’s deep voice called. “I need you now. Fly here immediately. I am not sure how long we have until the alien plans to attack.”

Kara cursed inside. She needed a drink to make the shaking stop but Bruce never called her with this much urgency.

Deciding she would just deal with the shaking, Kara bypassed the bar and flew straight for Gotham City. The blonde made up her mind that she would beat this. She didn’t have a problem and she would show everyone. Maybe then they would leave her alone about it.

National City

Eliza received a text from Alex at 6 AM. It had begun.

The woman felt sick to her stomach. What her and Jeremiah were about to do would be the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives. She knew it would be bad, she knew Kara would possibly never forgive them.

It was a risk that was necessary. They no longer had a choice.

“Clark is up.” her husband told her, quietly entering the kitchen. Eliza worried for a split second, wondering if he had tried to follow Kara. A quick check out the kitchen window relaxed her. The boy was on the beach, sitting with his knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them, a position he had picked up from Kara. When her daughter was upset she retreated into herself, curling up into a ball almost. Now Clark was doing the same.

“He is on the beach.”

Jeremiah nodded, expecting as much and moved back to the bedroom with Eliza to dress for the day. Ten minutes later they walked out to the beach and sat next to their son. He didn’t greet them, instead staring out over the water. Perhaps he was looking at a sail boat far off but they both doubted it. Jeremiah made the opening move.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked, skipping the preambles. He knew everything about his son and knew when he was upset. This morning something was bothering him greatly. Clark never got out of bed before nine on a Saturday morning, yet here it was, 6 AM and both parents knew he had not slept the night before.

Clark shrugged his shoulders.

“It is better to let it out.” Eliza assured him. “Keeping things inside will make you…”

“Like Kara?” the boy finished for her, knowing she would never say it and knowing what she meant. “I listened to her after she left. I know I’m not supposed to but you were all worried about her and I wanted to make sure she was okay.”

Both parents’ minds were racing. They had scolded him many times about listening to Kara and Alex when the girls were not present. Not only was it an invasion of privacy, it was also an opportunity for Clark to hear things he did not need to hear.

“Okay. I won’t bother telling you that you shouldn’t have.” Jeremiah told him. “You already know that. Something last night bothered you though. You haven’t slept, have you?”

“Is it true? Did mine and Kara’s parents destroy Krypton? That’s why that lady was so mad at us when she broke into our house, mad at me. She said my father on Krypton was a… is it true?”

Eliza and Jeremiah tried to school their faces but it didn’t work. Clark caught the glances they gave each other and knew.

“It is true. That’s why, isn’t it? That’s why Kara is always sad. She knows. Its why she hurts herself and drinks so much. Its why she tried to kill herself, isn’t it? Please don’t lie to me. I want to know the truth. Kara said last night it would destroy me, that I could never know. I want to know though. If it is true, I want to know.”

Jeremiah placed an arm around his boy. True to form, Clark leaned into him as he always did.

“You are our son. That man does not matter. What happened there, it just doesn’t matter and has nothing to do with you.”

“How did they do it? Kara’s father and mine? My mother was to blame too, wasn’t she? How did they do it? Did they do it on purpose? Is that why Kara’s aunt wanted to hurt me so bad?”

Eliza shook her head quickly. “That woman wanted to hurt us all because she was evil, sick, twisted.”

“But Kara loved her.” the boy told them. “And Kara killed her, to protect me.”

“To protect all of us.” Jeremiah told him quickly. “No, your parents and Kara’s father did not do it on purpose. They did cover it up, not tell anyone. Instead they did one thing right, they got you and Kara off that planet. The two of you are here, you belong to us and the past doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to Kara. She drinks too much. She shakes. Is she hurting herself again? Is she going to try and kill herself again? I am afraid not to listen to her. I am afraid I am going to lose her. I can’t lose her.”

“You won’t.” Eliza told him quickly, standing up. “We are doing… something. She is going to be away for a little while and get better. You are going to stay with Jess and Mr. Connolly and…”

“I want to be where she is.” Clark told her, standing up himself. Jeremiah took a deep breath and stood as well. He had hoped Clark would remain calm while he was sitting, but that wouldn’t be the case. Today even the sight of the ocean the boy loved so much would not help.

“You have school.” Clark’s Dad reminded him.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to Kara.” Eliza told him. “She has kept this a secret since you both landed here. She didn’t want you to know because she didn’t want you living with the burden.”

“I am not a child!” the boy yelled. Both parents were surprised. Clark never yelled.

The two stood in front of their little boy, only eleven but he had grown since last night and not for the better. Eliza decided to take the lead.

“All Kara has ever wanted was for you to be happy. She has done everything to protect you, everything to make sure you are happy. She is the one who took care of you when you were born, when you arrived. When you were hearing loud sounds and smelling thing you never smelled before, seeing through things, she took care of you. Kara taught you to fly, she showed up in costume at your birthday parties, she has worked hard to make the symbol she wears something you can be proud of.”

Clark turned away from the two, staring back at the ocean.

“How many people has she killed?” he asked quietly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Jeremiah took a deep breath, his heart racing.

“As many as it has taken to make you safe, to make the world safe. She doesn’t like it, but she does what is necessary. Alex does as well. Everything they do comes down to one thing, keeping their family safe. Now I need to ask you for something. I need you to be strong for Kara. She needs our help now because she is facing an enemy that she cannot beat on her own.”

“Alex always helps her.” Clark pointed out.

“And she always will. Those two have been stuck on each other since they met. They formed a bond before Kara even knew how to speak English. Maybe one day, Kara can tell you what happened on Krypton, but I know you love her. Because you love her, you cannot ask her now. She has too much going on and can’t deal with that pain. I will tell you everything once she is better, but you can’t ask her.”

“You know?” the boy asked, surprised. He had thought only Alex and Kara really knew everything.

“Yes, I do. I will tell you, once I know that Kara is okay. You have to promise me to never ask her. Can you do that?”

Clark thought about it but not for long. As unfortunate as it was, he knew he would get the truth from his Dad while Kara would only tell him things she thought he needed to know, meaning nothing. He nodded his head.

“Okay.” Eliza said, letting out a breath she had been holding. “Come inside and pack a few things. You will be able to get your clothes every morning from here but you shouldn’t have to open the house every time you want something like your toothbrush. Connolly will help you bring your video games and anything else you want, later. Me and your father must go. Kara needs us. I will let you know what is going on, keep you updated. I hope soon you can see her. Until then I need you to be a good boy for them. No flying, or eaves dropping, no trouble. Got it?”

“Yes Mom. I promise. I won’t say anything about this to Kara, but when you get back, I want to know everything.”

Jeremiah patted him on the back. “I promise, and I have never broken a promise to you.”

Clark nodded his head then looked up sharply, peering at the house.

“Lobo is here.” the boy told him. “Want me to beat him up? My heat vision is feeling good today. Kara said it is harder to control but more powerful when I am mad. I’m a little mad right now.”

Jeremiah told the two to stay outside and moved towards the house, walking into the living room from the deck. Like Clark said, the man was standing there, all seven feet of him. He wore a large brown jacket with a hood and black leather pants, black boots and a belt with a silver skull on it.

“Sorry, I helped myself in. Since this planet knows about aliens now, I can’t move around as easily as I used to. In the past, people were afraid to look at me too closely. Now they want to put me on Facebook and Instagram.”

“If you are here, I am guessing you found what I need?”

The large Czarnian pulled a plastic bag from his coat pocket.

“Got it from Avalon. You know you can find a portal to that planet in Britain? A lot of the old stories are based on…”

“Lobo, I would love to hear your stories… not really. Kara needs this. What exactly have you found out about it?”

“It’s the equivalent of St. John’s Wort without the side effects. Its subtle, consistent. It should work if she has her powers and won’t kill her if she doesn’t. At least the plant won’t. I can’t speak for what you are making with it. If she has her powers, I would suggest upping the dose. If she loses her powers for any reason she is going to be very sedated on a higher dose.”

Jeremiah silently agreed, staring at the plants in the bag. If it worked Lobo could get more. He had to worry about a great many things, like he had when he made Kara immune to Kryptonite. Suicidal thoughts and actions were the most prevalent in his mind as was the risk in some antidepressants in the first two months of treatment. This herb would help but the rest of the components were the truly dangerous ones. This meant Kara would need inpatient treatment for three months at least. He had no idea what other side effects were possible but would have time to study them. If this worked it could be the medication Kara had needed since she was 13.

“How much do I owe you? Name your price.” Jeremiah told him.

Lobo shook his head.

“Your daughters are my friends. Just get her better. I don’t want her to live like… me. I’ll be sticking around the planet for a while so let your Martian friend know.”

“Any reason you are sticking around?” the man asked warily. Lobo had fought by Kara and Alex’s side but the father never forgot who he was dealing with, a monster who killed all life on his home planet.

“With Kara out of action, some things might get hairy on Earth. The Green Lanterns have…”

“I’m sorry,” Jeremiah interrupted, “what is a Green Lantern?”

“Cosmic police. They call themselves a Corp, at least that’s what the human Lanterns call themselves. They are supposed to protect sectors of the universe from galactic threats. They stay out for the most part unless they have to become involved. Since your blonde daughter popped up, they leave Earth alone, even if there are four of them here. But recently some Reds have been on Earth. That can’t be good.”

“What is a Red?” the man asked cautiously.

“Nothing you want to know or meet. Angry, powerful, easy to piss off and crazy when you do piss them off. Not something you need to worry about. I will keep an eye on them. Get your daughter better.”

Lobo left Jeremiah standing in the living room, holding a bag of extraterrestrial plants that he hoped to use to develop an anti-depressant for his youngest daughter. As always it seemed, if he succeeded it could help her and if he failed, made the slightest mistake, it could be catastrophic.

“We can do it. Me, you, Alex, we can do it, Jeremiah.” Eliza told him. He had been so lost in thought he hadn’t heard her. Both their phones alerted them to texts.

It was Alex.

/She is being taken to the facility right now. See you both there/

A tear slipped from Eliza’s eye.

“She is going to feel betrayed. She is going to hate us.” the woman whispered.

“She hasn’t left us a choice. She has lost weight, is shaking, taking damage in fights she shouldn’t, starting fights she doesn’t need to. I swore to her I would protect her. If hating me is the price of doing that, I will accept it.”

Gotham City- Bat cave

Kara flew to the front of the Mansion. The door was unlocked but to her surprise, Alfred wasn’t waiting for her. He usually greeted her at the door when he knew she was coming. If he was in the Bat Cave things must be serious. She checked below, looking through bedrock and inside the cave. Alfred was there, as was a suited-up Bruce Wayne. Bruce was watching Brother Eye, images from around the world lighting up, alerting him to danger, terror plots, known criminals surfacing, any number of things.

Taking the elevator down, Kara walked confidently out and headed straight to the large computer. Bruce did not turn around at first, his head down. Pulling off his cowl, the dark man turned towards her. She noted Alfred had walked away without a word and seriously began to wonder what was up. Both were acting out of character. Alfred hadn’t even greeted her.

“Bruce? I came here, as you requested. Emergency, remember? Alien attacking your friend?”

“Your hands are shaking.” he told her quietly, irritating the blonde.

“I can handle myself. What species are we dealing with?” she asked, trying to control her hands, clenching her fists in a hope to stop the tremors.

“Kryptonian.” Batman answered. Alfred flicked a switch, bathing the large lair in red light. Kara felt the loss of power instantly and began to panic but kept her face calm.

“You told me once that you wanted me to stop you if you ever went out of control. You said I would do what needed to be done, what your family could never do. I am doing that now. Supergirl is trying to kill my friend, Kara Danvers. I won’t let that happen. Kara Danvers is important to me. You are going to a facility that you will not leave until Kara Danvers is back. I’m not giving you a choice.”

Kara was too surprised to even move, reeling from the loss of power and Bruce’s words. She never heard Alfred walk up behind her and barely noticed the pinch in her neck when he injected her with a sedative.

The last thing she saw before she passed out was Bruce Wayne catching her before she hit the floor.