Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Survivors

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 15: Pain

Kara opened her eyes in the dark room. The moon was new and barely any light peaked into the window but she could see Alex in her bed, on her side, breathing softly and slowly. The blonde knew her sister was in a deep sleep. Not sleeping well or at all often, had made the girl an expert on the sounds Alex Danvers made when she was restless, dreaming or completely out. Tonight Alex was oblivious to the world.

Kara was not sure what woke her but she felt they were not alone. Turning towards the window, she first noted it was open, trying her best to ignore the cause of the open window. Finally she forced down the shiver and took in the long haired woman in black standing in her room.

Astra smiled, the same familiar smile that had brought so much comfort to the girl in her life, identical to her mother’s smile, identical in every way to her mother except the streak of white hair running free in the storm of brown.

Astra bent down next to Kara’s bed. The blonde didn’t say a word, reveling for a moment in her aunt’s smile.

“I finally found you, little one. I have never stopped looking. My Kara.”

“Aunt Astra.” Kara whispered. She sat up in bed and turned to face her only living blood.

“Yes, I have come to take you home.”

“Home?”

“Yes. I have found you. You are safe now. Do these humans know where you are from?” the woman in black asked.

“Yes.” she responded. “They have taken me in, me and Kal…”

“Kal is here? Where?” Astra was still smiling but the smile seemed more forced.

“How did you find me?” the blonde asked.

“I have been watching the men who tracked you for months. I was waiting for them to take you away from the house so I could kill them all in secret. You did well against the leader. You hurt him badly. Why didn’t you end him?”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“That is okay. You shouldn’t have to. I will protect you, as it should be. Lets hurry and leave. It is time to come home.”

Kara looked where Alex thankfully still slept soundly.

“I don’t want to leave. Couldn’t you just let me stay here?”

“Stay here?” Astra frowned. “Why would you want to stay here? On this planet we are more powerful than Rao. Humans are beneath us. Look what they tried to do to you, Kara.”

“Not all humans. The Danvers have been so good to us. I was alone and Alex found me and Kal and we were… we didn’t have anything. They have given us lives.”

“And I will give you the life you deserve.” Astra argued. Kara did her best to ignore that Astra had not said the same of Kal.

“Aunt Astra… where is Non?” the girl asked, hoping to take Astra’s attention away from leaving with her.

“Non? He won’t harm you, Kara.”

“He hates me. He hates Kal.”

“He does not make the decisions in our marriage. I will protect you.”

“Did he make the decision to kill those humans who had my pod?”

Astra froze while Kara looked closely at her. She saw the truth in her aunt’s eyes. No matter who had planned it, Astra hadn’t been forced to do anything.

“Did you… why were in the Phantom Zone? In Rozz?” she asked finally, not sure she wanted to know the answer but needing to. Jor El’s hologram must have been lying. Non yes but not Aunt Astra.

“Because your mother betrayed me. She was a liar and she is gone now. There is nothing to keep us apart. We can be together, the way it was meant to be. Just the two of us.”

“And Non and Kal El?”

“Kal El has no part in this. He belongs to Jor El. He doesn’t matter. I will let him stay here or take the burden off of you permanently.”

“Permanently? What does that mean? I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here. Non scares me. I like it here. You can move nearby! We can…”

“You would choose humans over me?” the woman frowned disapprovingly. “I love you, Kara. I have always loved you and always will.”

“They love me too. Men threatened them and they still didn’t turn me away. Kal needs… I can’t, I won’t leave Alex. She is my sister. You can leave Non, he will never find us. You can move here, live here. The ocean is so beautiful and the seagulls… Aunt Astra?”

Astra had stood up, her eyes glowing.

“Aunt Astra, what are you doing?”

“The humans have poisoned your mind, Little One. The burden Jor El placed on you has caused you to rely on those beneath us. I am going to remove the poison. You will understand once it is done. I am going to do what you should have done to Henshaw. I will make sure they feel no pain since they have shown you kindness. Then you will be free to join me.”

Astra walked over to where Alex still lay asleep. Kara moved in front of her quickly.

“What are you doing? You can’t kill them! You aren’t a killer!”

“I am what I need to be. Move aside Kara. Do as you are told, or have the humans changed this as well? Have you forgotten your duty? You are a child, my child. You do as your are told. I am your elder and you are my daughter now. It will be over for them soon. It will not hurt.”

Astra’s eyes lit up again as did Kara’s. Her vision became red and though she could see the shock on her aunt’s face it did not matter. Astra wanted to kill them all. Her new family…

Astra’s heat vision met Kara’s. The blonde could feel the pressure in her head, her power being defeated. She could not stop her aunt. Instead the girl screamed and flew into her aunt, knocking her out the window. She felt her aunt slap her across her face hard, her skin burning so moved back, floating in front of the window to her room, trying to prepare to fight.

“Stay away from them!” Kara screamed. Astra smiled and shot into the air, disappearing in the darkness above in less than a second. She could hear the frantic voices behind her. The Danvers, Alex, Kal El, they had to run.

“ Go! Run! Astra is here! I can’t hold her off for long! You have to run! Take Kal! She will kill you! I will fight her as long as I can!”

“ Kara stop! Come back inside!” Alex screamed.

The girl turned around, seeing Alex step gently around broken glass on the roof. Alex did not understand. English. Alex needed to hear that damn language Kara could not remember at the moment.

“Astra!” she settled for, pointing up at the sky. “ She is… she is above us ! She was in our room! She wants to kill you Alex, run!”

“Kara, honey, listen to me.” Jeremiah told her. “Astra isn’t anywhere around. You jumped out of the window. Through the window I mean. Come back down to the roof. I want to make sure you aren’t cut. Please come down.”

“Run! She is a murderer! I do not know how long I can fight her!” the girl pleaded. Why didn’t they understand?

“Kara, please come back down.” Alex asked her calmly.

Kara looked to the sky and then back down. She was ten feet high, over the extended rooftop outside her and Alex’s room. When had she flown? Wasn’t the window open? Where was Astra? She had smelled her. Her familiar scent, the same perfume… she wouldn’t have had that perfume in Rozz. She wouldn’t have found that scent on Earth. Kara looked to the sky once more, seeing no sign of her aunt.

“Kara, honey, you were having a nightmare. It’s okay, come back to me.” Eliza asked calmly, also on the roof.

Kara looked up and around, turning in the air with no problem. Her vision was red, her power at the ready but she knew when she felt Astra’s beams that she could not over power the woman.

The Danvers took her in, circling in place where she floated and looking everywhere, up, down, everywhere. Her eyes were glowing with immense power.

“What happened Alex?” the father asked.

“I don’t know. Kara screamed, I woke up and she was in front of my bed with her back to me, her arms were out like she was protecting me. I thought for a second someone might be there but I couldn’t see anyone. Then she used her heat vision and screamed and flew out the window. She isn’t going to fall is she? Kara, turn your eyes off and look at me!”

Kara hesitantly pulled her power back, very confused. She was becoming more disoriented by the second. Finally she floated down to the roof.

“It is real. Astra wants to kill you all. She found me! I have to fight her.”

Eliza wrapped her arms around the girl from behind, not surprised that Kara’s hard body was tenser than usual. She was like a snake, coiled to strike. Eliza whisperer in her ear softly.

“No one was here. It was just a bad dream. Do you know where you are?”

Kara nodded. “I am on the roof. She wanted to kill Alex. I couldn’t overpower her vision and she… I hit her. She slapped me. She said she would kill you all. She smelt like…” Krypton was Kara’s unspoken word. The blonde realized then that Astra had not been here. She couldn’t have smelled like that. Kara had never smelt that scent on Earth.

“It felt so… what did I do? I… is the house on fire? Oh Rao, what have I done?”

“You thought Alex was in danger and you protected her. You protected us all but it wasn’t real, Kara, I promise.” Jeremiah told her. “Astra wasn’t here, the window was closed.”

“It felt so real.” she whispered, almost begging, hoping that she hadn’t fought an imaginary enemy, her own aunt, using heat vision that close to Alex.

“It wasn’t real. Come back to bed. I’m tired and we have school in like two hours.” Alex told her, taking her hand. “I’ll lay down with you.”

“Kara come inside. It is okay. You protected us.” Jeremiah encouraged.

“I used heat vision inside our room, didn’t I?”

“It is okay. We are going… Kara, some dreams can feel very real at times. It happens, especially after what you and Alex have seen a couple days ago. It is fine.” Jeremiah reassured her. “Come back to bed. I can close the blinds and replace the window. Nothing is on fire, I promise.”

“Is Kal El okay? Have you seen him?! Is he alone? What if she is real? She could come through his window!”

“She isn’t. She can’t find you. We are safe now.” Alex assured her and took her hand, trying to coax her back into the house. “Watch your step… I guess glass wouldn’t bother you. We can check on Clark and you can see he is fine, then we are going to sleep a few more hours. Come with me.”

Kara followed Alex back into the room and down the hall. Just as Alex had said, Kal was trying to stand using the railing of his baby bed, unaware of the drama that had taken place down the hall, only knowing a lot of noise had occurred and woke him.

“See, Sweetie? He is alright. You had a nightmare.”

“It was so real.” Kara whispered.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t. Come get into me bed. The breeze feels nice, right?” Alex offered, pulling as hard as she could, not making much progress. Finally Kara turned towards her and began following, not knowing what to say. She felt she had made a fool of herself. She lay down with Alex as ordered by her big sister, but did not sleep. Alex had no problems but it still felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes when the alarm clock woke her two hours later.

Both girls got ready as usual, Alex sleep walking as usual and Kara quiet but very alert. She couldn’t shake the feeling someone or something was watching her. She had felt like this since J’onn left.

On the way to school, Alex was talking about something but Kara could not focus on her, missing a question.

“Hey! Are you listening to me? No, because you would have answered me. Let me try… Me Alex, need attention.”

Hearing Kryptonese brought Kara out of her constant scanning of the area.

“Sorry. I was thinking. What did you say?”

“I said do the glasses feel weird? I think they look cute on you but it is probably weird having something sitting on your nose, huh?”

Kara shook her head. “How are you not freaking out?”

Alex scrunched her eyebrows, pretending to not know what she was talking about. “Why would I be freaking out?”

“Because your family was almost killed, you could have been killed! Men were shot in the head near you. Their heads were just… gone! I fired lasers…”

“Heat vision.”

“… heat vision in our room then I flew out the window, shattering it! How does none of this freak you out?”

“Oh yeah, that stuff. No big. By the way thanks for protecting me, even if it wasn’t real. That was really sweet.”

“Protecting you?”

“We can call it a trial run.” Alex offered.

“If she had been there I couldn’t have stopped her!”

“It’s the thought that counts. I mean it.” the older sister told her.

Kara let out a breath. “I will always protect you, Alex. Always. No one will take you away from me.”

Alex felt her eyes beginning to burn so instead punched Kara in the shoulder, lightly so she wouldn’t crack her knuckles. “I’m the big sister. I protect you, Blondie.”

“None of this bothers you?” Kara asked, disbelieving.

Alex shook her head. “What do you want me to say? I saw guys threaten you, our family, I saw them die. I thought you were going to be taken away from me forever. I didn’t know what would happen. I… Kara, do you think I am stupid?”

Kara was surprised by the question. “Of course not. You are very smart.”

“Then why do you think I should be… I don’t know. You warned me, you warned us all many, many times. Too many times. We knew, we all knew, that there were people after you. We all knew what could happen. I knew what could happen. You may think this started out as a game or I was curious and maybe I was for about five minutes. But after that, I knew what was involved. I knew bad things could happen to you and me for being around you. My parents knew what could happen. We aren’t stupid Kara. We knew we could be attacked. We took the risk. Yeah, it sucked and yeah it scared me. I thought I was going to lose you all, my parents, Kal and especially you. I just knew they had figured out a way to kill you. I have nightmares about it. I may be better at hiding them than you and yeah my nightmares aren’t as vivid but they happen. I love you. So yeah, what happened was horrible, but we didn’t make them come after you. They decided to do that. They dealt with the consequences. We got lucky but the worst is behind us.”

“Before I came into your life, no one would have ever invaded your home and threatened your family’s life.”

“Yep, things were pretty boring.” she admitted.

“This isn’t funny, Alex!”

Alex started walking again. “I know it isn’t funny. What would you have done? If you had found me on Krypton, my planet gone, my family dead, no food, no… nothing. What would you have done, if you knew people on your planet were hunting me? Would you have taken me in?”

Kara walked slowly behind her. “Of course I would.”

“Then why do you think I should be any different? I found you, your are mine. They tried to take you away and they got dealt with by our personal special forces team. It happened and we came out ahead. Screw your aunt and uncle. They won’t find us. It’s a big country. If Henshaw hadn’t had a bright idea for once and gotten lucky he wouldn’t have found us. Let it go Kara. There is no use dwelling on it. You keep enough stuff in your head that you should let go.”

“Like what?”

Alex stopped and turned towards her. “I don’t know, how about constantly feeling bad for feeling good? I get it, okay? You are a good person and want to protect everyone. You think you are responsible for every bad thing on this planet because you could stop it. You couldn’t have stopped Henshaw. I mean you did but you… look, you have the weight of this world and Krypton on your shoulders. You talk in your sleep sometimes. I can never understand it because I haven’t gotten that far into space talk but I know you are sad. I know you are constantly feeling guilty and I don’t know what to do to help you stop. I just know that you have to.”

“I don’t constantly feel guilty.”

“Nope, sometimes you feel very afraid.” her sister told her.

“Do not.”

“So you haven’t spent this whole walk to school constantly using your X ray vision to make sure no one is watching us?”

Kara dropped her head, knowing she had been caught.

“Yeah, thats what I thought. Lets take it a day at a time. Today is going to be a good day. So tell me, does this skirt make me look… uh… like a Daxamite Harlot? “

“Yes it does. If you ever apologize to me for letting me drink ocean water,I may tell you what that really means.”

Alex frowned, seeing Kara’s sly grin. “That doesn’t mean totally hot, does it? What did I just ask?”

“Nothing. I swear to God.”

“You pray to Rao! It doesn’t count! What did I just ask you?”

“I think the skirt looks very nice on you, Alex. We are going to be late. I would hate to miss that horrible sound that makes my head feel like it will split in two.”

“Fine. I got a surprise for you in biology anyway. I found a piece of one guy’s brain in the yard. I think the Seals must have missed it. I’m thinking when the teacher isn’t looking, we check it out in the microscope, you know, see what was on his mind… Kara? That was a joke, please don’t vomit.”

“You are so weird Alex. So very weird.” Kara admitted, smiling at her. No matter what mood she was in, Alex could make her smile. Kare felt horrible about keeping the truth from her. Alex had dealt with enough, they all had. How could Kara tell her that the only time her brain rests, the only time she can actually feel something was when she hurt herself. She had promised Eliza she wouldn’t, but she had to. The blonde never felt physical pain any longer and though the idea seemed great the reality was less so. She felt even more differentl than others every time she should have been hurt but wasn’t. Her pain made her feel less like a machine and more Kryptonian. Kara had only done it three times yesterday, never for long than a minute. The last time took her almost three minutes to heal but she had felt… something. Anything would be preferable to the blackness she felt so often. Only Alex could make her forget for a while.

Kal used to make her feel that way. Kara was there for everything, his first tooth, his first word which had been her name, giving her a slight thrill at the time, especially when his mother watched the recording. She had been there for his first steps, sat up at night when his tummy wasn’t feeling well, or he had a toothache. She had been the one to see his first smile.

She also knew that Kal… Clark, was no longer hers. He spent the day with Eliza. How long before he would be calling her Mom or Mommy? How long until he reached for her when he was hurt instead of Kara? How long until she would be the annoying older sister instead of the one who had been trained to be his caretaker, who took care of his every need? Her position in his life was changing. He wouldn’t know the language, and while he might one day grow into powers and have to be told about Krypton, Eliza would always be his mother and Jeremiah would always be his father. Where did that leave her?

Class was the same, the injuries from the automobile accident that still haunted Kara, had mostly healed for her fellow students. While her and Alex were not popular, the kids in Choir were nice to them and she suspected Alex enjoyed it, even if she acted like she didn’t. Her sister still wouldn’t sing but her lip singing skills had vastly improved. Kara had learned to become… comfortable in school.

Today was different. All the eyes on her, she wondered had anyone seen the gun battle? Had anyone been up early and seen her light show and waking nightmare? Was someone watching her and Alex now?

The girl fought off feelings of anxiety all day. She did her best to avoid looking directly at the security camera but couldn’t help herself at times. Was someone watching her on the other end of the camera? Kara found herself listening to more of the conversations around her. She normally did her best to tune them out but not today. Today she had to be alert. A few people in choir told her the glasses were pretty, making her feel a bit better.

She also noticed that Alex also appeared to be more alert, her guard up even more than usual. Kara felt horrible about this. Alex never had to worry about people watching her or attacking her with guns before the blonde entered her life. They still seemed the same, seeming to have fun, Alex making jokes about who she called stuck up brats and hoes, but Kara knew things were different. The idea of danger had always been there, constantly on Kara’s mind and in the back of Alex’s mind.

Now it was very real and both had grown very aware of that fact.

Once home, they were greeted by Eliza and Kal in his high chair, apple sauce covering his face and seeming to have a good time.

It must be nice to not understand what was going on, was Kara’s first thought, then stopped, realizing she was a bit bitter. Maybe Jor El had gotten what he wanted. Kara would carry the load, Kara would be the one who lived with the death of every life on Krypton and quite a few on Earth weighing her down. Like his birth, Kal El would be free of dispositions. No burdens on him, the chosen one to preserve the Kryptonian race, no stress, no fear. He was already forgetting their language.

“How was school today, you two?”

“It was great.” the blonde answered quickly and enthusiastically. Even Alex was taken back by how happy she had sounded in comparison to the day. While not depressed by any means Kara had been more subdued but now seemed to be in the best mood.

“Great! Clark has been wanting to play with you all day. He has been asking for you and Alex.”

Alex most likely, Kara thought. She was happy he at least seemed to be glad to see her.

“Kawa? Bite?” the toddler offered.

“ No thank you, Kal.”

“Bite?”

Kara shook her head. “No thank you, Clark.” The blonde moved quickly up the stairs and began doing her homework slowly. She could normally be done with a dozen assignments in a minute but was in no mood to do so tonight. Alex took her customary place next to her on the floor, turning on music and reading, asking Kara questions about advanced math and Kara patiently explaining while Kara asked her about immune systems and viruses, trying to understand the complexities of life and ignore the fact that she had no need for an immune system. It was for the best. If she did not have these powers she would have no doubt been dead from the exposure to elements she had endured on her trip across country. It was a testament to her skill and the durability of Kryptonian blankets that Clark had not fallen ill.

That night, Kara had taken a shower first. After starting the water, she did her best not to, but failed. The girl knew she shouldn’t, it wasn’t right, normal people, normal humans didn’t do this.

She still focused her power on herself, her hand this time. Gritting her teeth to prevent a scream, she turned the back of her hand over and ignored her reddened blistering palm. Once the back was red and swollen, she stopped and cried, the noise from the shower drowning the sound. It took longer for Kara to completely heal, but after a few minutes the pain was gone and the shame and guilt returned. Stepping into the shower and hurrying along, she opened the door to find her sister waiting for her.

“Thank God, I thought you were going to be in there forever. If we are going to watch Netflix before bed, I really need to get my clean on so… scram.”

“Sorry.” Kara told her sheepishly but Alex caught her tone.

“Hey? I was joking. Its no big deal.”

“I know.” Kara lied and moved off to their room. Alex shook her head, wishing she hadn’t said anything. Kara had been off today, paranoid, and if she was being honest with herself Alex had been too. Still, she worried about the usually sunny blonde.

Walking into the bathroom she also worried about something else. The heat. Of course Kara had been in the shower and usually took incredibly hot showers but the room felt different. There was less of a humid heat and more searing heat. But Kara wouldn’t use her heat vision. She was afraid of it. The small room felt like an oven instead of a sauna. Looking for signs of scorching and finding none she worried more. Perhaps it was nothing. Maybe her imagination was running wild. She had been on edge lately.

It was one time.

If I ask her about it and I am wrong she will be upset, think I don’t trust her.

If I don’t and she is, then she is going to keep doing it. No.

No.

“Kara wouldn’t do that.” Alex whispered to herself. “She just did it one time to find out of she could hurt Non. Thats it. It is my imagination. She would have screamed. She screamed the last time. Yeah, she has been different but we have gone through a lot lately. Its just hotter than usual. Maybe she cranked up the water. That’s it. No way she used her heat vision on herself. No way.”

The two sat side by side watching Seinfeld reruns on Netflix while Alex explained the jokes to Kara, Kara laughing whether she got them or not. After two episodes they went upstairs and continued to work on Kryptonese.

Alex slept restlessly, dreaming of men in black masks tying Kara to a surgical table, opening her up while the girl screamed. She dreamed of Kal being taken away, locked in a cell. Her parents taken away and hearing gunshots as soon as they were out of sight.

She woke up once to check on Kara, unsurprised that the girl was faking being asleep. Kara may be immune to most human conditions but the blonde couldn’t hide eyes that desperately need a good weeks sleep. It was becoming more difficult for her to carry her usual smile, though her mother and father seemed not to notice. They had been strong since the attack, doting on all three of them a bit more perhaps but trying to keep things normal, whatever that meant. Normal would never apply again though. Alex knew that the second she became attached to the two aliens. She didn’t mind, even if it caused a few nightmares and a lot of worry. It was what it was. Alex was a pragmatic person and had been since she figured out Santa Claus wasn’t real at age four. She was also pragmatic enough to pretend to believe in Santa Claus until she was ten to keep the extra presents coming.

Still the older sister believed in destiny since she had found Kara. Something had drawn her to the muddy girl and her baby cousin and the list of coincidences that brought them into each others lives was too long to discount as a random occurrence. Her life would never be normal but she never wanted it to be anyway. As long as her family was safe, Kara included, Alex could handle whatever came. She had no choice.

She also actively ignored the part in the back of her mind that was screaming that Kara was hurting, not only obviously emotionally but physically harming herself. Deciding she would do research on the net tomorrow she forced herself to relax, eventually falling back asleep.

Kara listened to Alex’s breathing pattern and deciding that she had fallen asleep and was safe, allowed herself to drift off. Unfortunately her super hearing was still alert and she heard Kal squirming in his bed. She knew he was about to cry. The very tired girl prepared to roll out of bed. Kara opened her eyes and nearly screamed.

Non knelt next to her bed, smiling at her, inches from her face.

Kara closed her eyes and reopened them.

He wasn’t there. Her heart was racing and she stood in shaky legs, trying to control her breathing. As soon as she was able, Kal began crying.

Shaking her head, the blonde caretaker walked into his room, hoping to get to him before he woke anyone. Walking into the room she saw he had rolled over to his stomach and was on all fours. Kara picked the little boy up and sat in the chair with him.

“ Shhh. You are going to wake up the house. Whats wrong?”

Kal began biting his tiny fist but the crying wouldn’t stop. Kara had seen this before and gently ran her finger over his gums, feeling the budding tooth.

“ Got a new tooth, huh?

“Mommy.”

“No, Kara.” she told him standing up. She knew what he needed. If she could get him downstairs quickly and place a teething ring in the freezer he would feel much better. Cold always numbed the soreness. One time she believed the two had maybe got six hours sleep in four days due to teething. Of course no one helped. He was her responsibility. She had resented it a bit at the time but now understood. She was being groomed to be a mother and she had done well.

On the way out, Eliza walked in.

“Hey sweetie. Whats wrong with the baby boy?”

“He is teething. I have dealt with it before. Go back to bed. You need rest. I am sorry we woke you.”

“Mommy!” Kal cried out, reaching for Eliza. Both females froze. Kal tried to wiggle out of Kara’s arms to reach the woman.

Kara sighed and handed the boy over who hopped into Eliza’s arms quickly.

“Kara… its okay. I can handle this. You have school in the morning and I have all day. I don’t have to write tomorrow. I know you… if you want to take care of this, you can. I can call you out tomorrow.” she offered, noting the look on the girl’s face she desperately tried to hide.

Kara shook her head. “That is fine. He wants you tonight. If you don’t mind, I will go back to bed.”

Eliza touched Kara’s cheek and kissed her forehead. “He is always going to need you, Kara. He is just used to me being around him all day. You don’t have to do this alone.”

I’ve been doing this alone since he was born. He doesn’t need me anymore. I’ve been replaced, were Kara’s unspoken thoughts. Instead of voicing them she just nodded and smiled.

“Thank you, Eliza. He likes the teething ring. Usually five minute in the freezer works fine. Good night.”

Kara walked into the hallway but stopped short of the bedroom, watching a soothed Clark, because that was who he was now, being taken down by his ‘mother’. Once downstairs she looked at the bathroom and tried to force herself away from it. It wasn’t right, she didn’t need this and she shouldn’t do it.

But it wasn’t like she was hurting herself. Not really. Nobody would know if she did it just one more time.

Kara argued with herself that she shouldn’t but was closing the door before she realized it. The lights were off and she didn’t bother to turn them on, instead just locking the door. Kara couldn’t stop the tears or the pain in her stomach but she didn’t cry aloud. She wouldn’t. Instead she took several deep breaths and focused, her heat vision coming easier every time. The pain hit her immediately, stronger and sharper than anything she had felt in her life. She hated it, hated every part of it. She knew her arm was blistering, skin burning, but couldn’t make herself stop, instead softly crying while her forearm fried.

Alex had gotten out of bed, listening from her room to the exchange. She knew Kara was standing in the hallway after her mother went downstairs. Alex heard the bathroom door open and close. Walking as quietly as possible, she noted from the gap between the bottom of the door and floor that the lights were still off. She heard Kara crying softly, her respiratory rate telling her that her little sister was trying to control her breathing. Before Alex could knock on the door, the crack at the bottom of the door lit up and she could feel the increase in heat.

She could also hear the sizzling of skin. Frozen for a moment, having to face one of her worst suspicions, Alex couldn’t move. She finally knocked on the door.

“Kara, are you in there? I need to use the bathroom.”

The glow at the bottom of the door ended immediately.

“Give me a minute and I will be right out.” the girl’s shaky voice told her.

Alex waited a minute and a half, debating several things, calling her mother and father, kicking in the door or waiting longer. She knew what the hold up was, Kara was waiting for whatever part of her body she injured to heal.

Alex supposed it was taking too long because the door opened and with a half mumbled apology, Kara shot past her and moved towards the bedroom, no doubt for the covers to hide her injury. Alex stood for a few moments, trying to hold in the tears, until she heard her mother coming up the stairs. Shaking her head, she moved slowly back into the bedroom, seeing Kara nearly completely covered, her back to her.

Kara, what am I going to do with you? Alex thought. She passed her own bed and slid under the covers. Kara jumped but Alex pulled off the covers regardless.

“Let me see?”

“See…?”

“Don’t lie to me, Kara. Let me see.”

Kara hesitantly held her arm up. Even in the dim light in the moonlit room, Alex could tell that her arm was very red, and very swollen.

“Kara.” Alex whispered.

“Please don’t tell.” the girl begged quietly.

“Keep your arm out from under the cover. It will hurt worse if it is touched. How long does it take to heal?”

“A few more minutes. I wasn’t as hot this time. Please don’t tell, Alex.”

Alex wrapped her arms around the girl and Kara let her pull her close.

“I won’t. But you are going to have to do something for me.”

“I won’t do it again.” Kara tried. “I didn’t want to.”

“Yeah, I didn’t figure you were a masochist. Kara you are going to have to talk to someone who knows what the hell is going on with you or I am going to tell Mom and Dad. One day you are going to go too far. One day you might not be able to heal yourself or could… damn it, Kara. You are going to have to talk to someone.”

“I don’t want to talk to J’onn.” she told Alex immediately. J’onn was judgmental. He also was to close to her own experiences. The last thing she wanted was to compare experiences with someone else.

“I know. I will figure out something. Until then you go nowhere without me. We stay in the same room. I can feel the heat from the door. I am going to be outside the bathroom when you are inside. Please Kara, until I can figure something out please try to hold off. I… just please. Let me… I will figure something out.”

“I don’t want anyone to know.” she begged.

“I know. Just… let me figure something out, okay? Now try to sleep. I got you, no one will find us. We are safe. I am going to hold you and we are going to keep the nightmares away. Thats an order, little sister. Close your eyes and go to sleep or I am going to sing you to sleep.”

“You can’t sing.”

“Thats why it works as a threat. Go to sleep, sis. I got you. No nightmares tonight.”

DEO Headquarters

Vasquez felt sick to her stomach, having been summoned to Director Henshaw’s office. She had her letter clutched in her hand but had no idea if it would be needed. She had been told to keep her mouth shut when they left and did the same when Henshaw returned with none of the men he left with, including her supervisor. Obviously things had gone badly and she would find out how badly in a moment.

The Director sat behind his large desk as usual, but seemed different. Most of the time Vasquez had seen him, he was energetic, excitable, aggressive, stalking the DEO hallways and listening for any bit of intel that may lead him to an alien. Despite being the director he preferred to lead teams himself in the field.

Today he looked… tired.

“Agent Vasquez, Susan, have a seat, please?”

If Vasquez had not been alert before she definitely was now. The woman slowly walked around the chair in front of the desk and sat, her eyes never leaving Henshaw’s.

“As you have no doubt determined by the lack of agents I returned with, the mission did not go as planned. I… may I ask what the letter in your hand is?” J’onn asked.

“Did you hurt the girl or the baby? Did you hurt the family?”

“No. How does that pertain to the letter?”

“It’s my letter of resignation. I want to be a part of defending this planet, not hurting children. I… thought you wanted to question the girl. You threatened to use the baby… I can’t work here if…”

“I was wrong. We never made it to the house regardless. On the way, I received a call from a friend of mine. He is in the Army, stationed in Wyoming. His unit found something… strange. We detoured there and were attacked by a very bad, very strong alien. I cannot tell you what kind because he slaughtered the men, took their bodies. I barely escaped. I had been held back by a call and when I heard the screams it was too late. I ran over the hill and they were all… gone. No remains, just blood.”

“Oh my God.” the agent whispered.

“Indeed. I have given some thought to the girl and baby. Since she is going to school and obviously not caused any trouble, I believe it would be best to leave her and her baby alone. They may have information on these other super powered individuals who attacked our convoy and killed our men, but since she is not with them I doubt she would know anything that could help us. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Vasquez watched Henshaw’s eyes carefully. He seemed… sincere?

“I think that would be best, sir.”

“I assume you have told no one of this information you found, correct?”

“No one sir, as you ordered.” she told him quickly.

“Excellent. I would like you to rease any information you have on your home computer about her.”

“I already have.” Vasquez told him. She made sure she wouldn’t be used for something like that again. Henshaw nodded.

“I have been looking at your resume. Quite impressive. You are very skilled. You are part of the monitoring section, correct? You keep an eye on the world, alert the DEO when possible signs of alien activity occur?”

“Yes sir.”

“Your supervisor is dead. You have not been with the agency long but I don’t need to impress upon you the importance of having someone I can trust in command positions. You kept this secret, the information on the girl. I want you to head the division and be on the monitors yourself as a primary field support. Another young woman will be joining us but she isn’t what you would consider Agency material. She prefers to work from home. Vivian is a genius hacker. I would give her a better, more professional title but it would be coloring. She is a hacker, a virtual goddess who can be anywhere in seconds, electronically of course. She will work in conjunction only with you. You monitor, she will help the team in the field in regards to situations where we need immediate control of traffic lights, locked doors, etc. I am also bringing in some new field agents. I have plans to turn this organization into what it was supposed to be. You can say the deaths of my agents has opened my eyes to how unprofessionally things are done here. I would like you to consider putting that letter in the trash and becoming a real part of this team. I need people who are loyal and dedicated. Dedicated to me and not Lane.”

This caught Vasquez by complete surprise. Everyone knew Henshaw and Lane were best friends. J’onn saw the surprise on her face.

“We are a civilian organization, no different than the CIA or FBI. Lane’s interference has caused us to make many tactical mistakes. He will be here shortly and I will inform him of our new relationship. We are going to become the protectors of this planet from those who wish to do it harm and only those. Can I count on you Vasquez?”

“You are serious.” she whispered, poorly hiding the shock she felt.

“Yes, I am. Very serious.”

“In that case, yes sir. You can count on me… provided there are no innocent children harmed. No innocents period.”

“I give you my word. I will have an organizational meeting going over the new structure and chain of command tomorrow. Thank you Susan.” J’onn told her, standing and offering his hand. The agent took it with her shaking hand and gave a slight smile before moving out.

J’onn was alone for a few moments before General Samuel Lane walked in without knocking of course, a wide smile on his face.

“I suppose you haven’t heard about our recent loss?” Henshaw guessed.

“Oh, you mean the off the record mission you wouldn’t even give me the details? I was supposed to be surprised. Judging by how many agents died in the plane that crashed over the Pacific which is total bull, I am guessing we lost quite a few in this mission of yours and youhave no surprise. I am glad to see you survived.”

“Thank you.”

“So what was it? What took out a whole team? How did you get away?” Lane asked, excitably like a kid wanting to hear how his buddy shagged the Prom Queen.

“They were taken when I was away in Wyoming. I thought that staying off the grid would keep Greer’s team away from the capture. Instead my men were slaughtered. I was scouting and only heard the screams.”

“That is a loss, but it was a great idea. Going completely off the grid with no way for the Navy to pry into our business. We should think about it more in the future. Have you heard the great news? Greer is dead! Car wreck, flipped off a bridge! His body has been discovered, DNA confirmed. A buddy of mine is slated to replace him and I will see Connolly in court for every act… he may have been under orders but if nothing else he and his men can be sent back to the desert where they belong. He won’t be a problem anymore.”

“I know he won’t, because he works for me now.” Henshaw told him, wiping the smile off of Lane’s face.

“What the hell are you talking about Henshaw? Who gave you permission to make a decision like that?”

“The President when I was appointed to head this operation. It is time I did so. My agents were killed. I have lost a lot of agents. I need people who can fight, not conduct Swat raids.”

“I can give you my men! I have Delta Force, I have Green Berets…”

“And I do not want them. This isn’t a military organization. This isn’t the Army. I have tried it your way and it isn’t working.”

“Excuse me?!”

“General, remember we are friends. You have no actual jurisdiction over me or my agency. I have relied on you for advice in the past…”

Lane shook his head. “This is about losing the men from the last mission. That kind of loss can lead you to retying everything. Its nothing to be ashamed of. Losing men is part of war but it does…”

“Its over. I am in charge of this organization. Of course the President can have me removed but the conversation I had with him this morning, he agrees that a new direction is needed. He also agreed to have Connolly and his team’s military contracts be released. As of this morning none of them are under the employ of the US Armed Forces. They agreed to work for me shortly afterward.”

“Connolly will never agree to work with you!”

Henshaw shrugged his shoulders. “Greer is dead and he has developed a taste for fighting aliens. His men go where he goes. You can ask him yourself.”

J’onn looked out his office window and beckoned Connolly inside. Lane didn’t hide his disgust for the man.

“General Lane. Look at you. Have you gained weight? Do Generals not have to participate in PT in the Army? You look like hell.”

“What is the meaning of this Connolly? What do you have over him?”

“Have over him? He is my superior officer. Or what are you? I’m confused after being in the military for so long. What should I call you, Director Henshaw?”

“Director works.”

“You think you can trust him?!” Lane shouted at Henshaw.

“Yes, I can. From this point on the DEO is restricted. Military will not have the right to come and go as they please. We have dangerous creatures in holding cells and the less people in, the better. If you need to contact me General, please do so through official channels.”

“Thats it? I have been with you, I supported your appointment, I…”

“Need to leave.” Connolly finished. “Hawk can show you the way out if you like. Give my congratulations to Lois when you see her. I heard she is going to be receiving a full journalism scholarship. And Lucy, making the homecoming court as a sophomore? Very impressive. You have some daughters to be proud of there, General. Oh a friend told me you painted your residence in Washington. Deep red for the trim? Nice. I have always liked a deep dark crimson. Reminds me of blood. So… you are leaving?”

“Yes I am. This isn’t over Henshaw.” Lane threatened.

“Yeah, it is.” Connolly told him, opening the door. “Go back to fighting terrorists. Leave the aliens to the people who know how to fight aliens. Take care General.” he finished with a wink. Hawk was waiting outside but Lane moved quickly for the exit not bothering to acknowledge the man.

“That went well.” Connolly told his boss.

“Brining up the daughters? Really?”

“I was congratulating him! Honest. Just trying to be nice.”

“You were trying to intimidate him.” J’onn chided.

“I don’t need to try to intimidate him. He is intimidated all on his own. So what are the first steps to fixing this piece of crap organization? Jack is about to set up an evaluation exercise to determine which of these agents, if any, have any idea how to fight.”

“First we need…”

Both men stopped talking when the tone went off on Conolly’s phone. The one Vivian only used when she needed to get in touch with him about really off the board topics.

“Yeah?”

“They are okay. Haven’t been attacked or anything. Ty and Dante are in town setting up the house regardless. Alex called privately. Said she needs to talk to J’onn now.”

“Patch her through. I am with him now.”

Connolly handed the phone to J’onn. “They are okay, but Alex wants to talk to you.”

The Martian took the phone, dreading what this was about. Alex did not strike him as the type to just call and chat.

“Hello?”

“Director Henshaw now, right? Kara needs to talk to someone.”

“Okay, put her on the phone.” he offered.

“No, you don’t understand. She doesn’t need someone to talk to for five minutes or a Martian and his Seals. She needs someone who knows what they are doing. Dante is cool but… she is going to self destruct if she can’t…”

J’onn was shocked to hear Alex crying. The girl regained herself after a few moments. “Look get somebody. We… she needs someone long term, someone… she just needs someone and I have no idea what I am doing. She is a wreck. She doesn’t sleep, she barely eats, she is always paranoid, she… she needs someone who can really help her. Find someone and do it quickly.”

Alex ended the call.

J’onn took a deep breath. He wished he could have read her mind then.

“Whats wrong? She doesn’t seem the type to call and ask how the weather is.”

“You still seeing that FBI profiler?” J’onn asked. Connolly shook his head.

“Don’t know what you are talking about and don’t even think about trying to read my mind.”

“So you and Dr. Jessica Ryan, FBI Behavioral Science Unit, are not involved in an affair? You do not drive or fly to whatever city she is in when you are on leave. She doesn’t visit any city you are in when she is near. The two of you do not contact each other by burner phones an average of twenty two times a month?”

“Who I do… what I do on my own time is my business.” The former Seal told him shortly.

“Yes and I don’t really care. No, I haven’t been watching you. Ty thinks its funny that you would wind up in love with a psychiatrist and talks a lot. Something about a match made in Heaven. I wasn’t aware that it was something you wished to keep hidden.”

“I don’t… look I may not be known but their are whispers. Those FBI guys keep a tight lid on their profilers. If they found out she was seeing me it would cause trouble for her.”

“Can you trust her? Can I trust her? I know you haven’t told her about what we do. If you did, do you think she would consider working with us?”

Connolly dropped his head. “Kara is seriously messed up, isn’t she? I knew… damn it! Okay… okay… yeah. Jess is great at what she does. I don’t know if she will want to leave it for… this.”

“Okay…”

“But I will ask. She will keep quiet about this even if she doesn’t agree. Maybe she knows somebody if she can’t…”

“Jason… if she is in love with you she is obviously not scared of challenges. Just tell her a young girl’s life hangs in the balance and she is the only one who can help. Kara needs her… and I bet Alex does as well.”

Connolly nodded his head.

“I was about to call her anyway. I will fly out tonight wherever she is and talk to her. I’ll do my best, Hank.”