#wpcts

"Mom?" Ruby's soft voice breaks Sam's haze. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Sam shakes her head as if it to clear her mind, and she smiles. "Yeah, I am, sweetie." Giving Ruby another kiss on the top of her head, Sam says, "How about we order pizza tonight, from that place you like?"

"Yes!! Can we watch a movie after dinner?" Ruby asks, hopeful that her mother won't deny her this time.

"Is your homework done?" Sam checks.

"Yes, everything is done," Ruby says excitedly.

"Then okay," Sam concedes, grinning at her daughter's happiness.

"What kind of movies do you like, Alex?" Ruby asks curiously.

Before Alex can reply, Sam catches her eye with a silent motion that says she's just going to walk away to order the pizza. Nodding at Sam, Alex turns her attention back to Ruby who's now guiding her toward the living room. "We have a bunch of DVDs, but we also have Netflix and Hulu, and--oh!! We can also rent something on iTunes, right mom?" Ruby shouts the last few words so Sam will be able to hear her.

Alex is pretty sure Sam couldn't make out what Ruby asked her, but she still yells back, "Yeah!!" making Alex chuckle.

"Well, I like basically any kind of movie, except rom-coms, I find them a little bit boring," Alex explains, scrunching up her nose for emphasis.

"I agree," Ruby says without missing a beat. She pulls Alex down, so they are sitting side by side on the couch, and continues, "They have very stupid jokes, and it's always the same thing…"

"Well," Alex smiles, "What movie do you wanna watch?"

"Mm…" Ruby grabs the remote control and turns on the TV. "Let's see what the options are…"

It takes them a long time to settle on a movie, long enough for Sam to finish her call and join them on the couch. "So, did you choose a movie?" she asks, hugging her daughter and pulling her closer, so Ruby is leaning against her.

"Yes! We haven't watched Moana yet, and Alex says it's a good movie," Ruby replies, tilting her head up to look at her mom.

"Sounds good to me," Sam says, shrugging slightly because she has no idea what the movie is about, but she would watch anything her daughter chose. "The pizza should be here in thirty minutes. We can start watching the movie, and pause it when the pizza gets here."

"Can we eat while we watch it? Pleeeeease?" Ruby begs, making her mother chuckle.

Sharing a look with Alex, Sam sighs overdramatically, and says, "Fine, we can eat here."

Alex laughs, finding the mother-daughter dynamic completely adorable, and she thinks she is lucky to be there, witnessing it.

They start watching the movie, and about ten minutes in, Alex's cellphone starts ringing. "Sorry, I'll be right back, don't pause the movie," she says, standing up to go to the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hey, Kara. What's up?"

"Hey! Wanna have a sisters' night tonight??" Kara asks chirpily on the other end.

Alex worries her lip, knowing her answer will probably get Kara feeling down. "I'm sorry, I can't… I promised Sam I'd sleep over again tonight."

"Oh…" Kara is quiet for a few seconds; she doesn't want to be alone, and the thought of Alex -- her sister -- spending more time with Sam, who might potentially turn bad, leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. "…Are you into her or something?" Kara asks with a bit of a bite to her words.

"What? Kara! No…" Alex sighs, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. "She's… She's just afraid she will have another nightmare and accidentally hurt Ruby. You know how scary it can be to have powers you can't control," Alex says softly, but her voice doesn't leave room for too much argument.

Kara paces in her apartment; something in her gut tells her this isn't going to turn out okay, but she can't explain why she feels that way. Maybe it's the fact that most people who have entered her life in the last two years have either died or left her. Or maybe there's a part of Kara who feels jealous and threatened about a new Kryptonian showing up like this. What if she's a better hero than me? What if National City doesn't need me anymore? What if Lena stops seeing Supergirl as a friend and mentor? The voices in the back of her mind whisper to her.

Shaking her head, Kara forces a smile to her lips -- even though Alex can't see her -- and says, "Yes, sorry. I understand. Be careful, okay?"

Alex sighs in relief at Kara's seemingly acceptance of her reasoning, and she nods, "Always am. Goodnight, Kara. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya," Kara replies and hangs up. She stares at her empty apartment, and it's as if the emptiness resonates within her, making her ache.

Kara thinks about calling Winn or James, but they are probably busy fighting crime together. She can't hang out alone with Lena in her own apartment, because if an emergency occurs, she'll have to make up an excuse to leave.

That dreadful feeling of anxiety was starting to take hold of Kara when a thought crosses her mind; I can visit Lena as Supergirl, she thinks, getting up fast to change into her super-suit. That way neither of us will be alone tonight, and I don't need to lie…much…

It's not long before Kara is landing gracefully at the balcony at Cat's office -- Kara still has some difficulty thinking of it as James's office even it has been his for more than a year now -- and she thinks of how much she misses Ms. Grant.

"Good evening, Miss Luthor," Kara greets softly as she knocks on the glass so as not to startle Lena, who seems to be deeply concentrated on what she is reading.

Lena's head snaps up, and she smiles at the sight of her favorite superhero. Lena gets up and goes over to the balcony to join Supergirl, "I thought we had agreed on you calling me Lena," she says with a teasing smile.

Kara chuckles and nods, "Yes. Lena, it is."

Leaning over the railing, Kara says looking over National City, "You're working late…"

"As usual," Lena scoffs playfully, mirroring the superhero's stance. She looks at Supergirl out of the corner of her eye, and asks, trying to sound nonchalant, "Is something bothering you?"

The question catches Kara off guard, and she frowns as she turns to Lena, "Why?"

"Well," Lena tries and fails to hide her smirk, "You usually only visit me when my life is in danger -- not counting that one time Morgan Edge was being an ass to me -- and as far as I know, I'm not in any mortal danger. So," The smirk shifts into a soft smile, "Is there anything bothering you?"

Kara regards Lena for a few seconds, weighing whether she should be truthful or not. Sighing, Kara nods, but she turns her gaze away from Lena.

"Okay…" Lena frowns, wondering what could be bothering the hero so much that she would come to her, but still feel reluctant to talk. "Is it something classified?"

Kara worries her bottom lip and nods again.

Sighing, Lena places a hand on Supergirl's shoulder, and says, "We can stay here in silence if you want."

Kara gives Lena a watery smile, feeling truly grateful to have such a good friend like her. "Thank you, Lena." she manages to say in a whisper.

They are quiet for a while, both women leaning against the railing, standing shoulder to shoulder. The silence isn't heavy, but Lena can feel Supergirl getting ready to either talk or leave. She knows the hero has come to a decision when she hears her asking lowly, "Do you have anyone in your life that you'd do anything to protect?"

Lena only needs to think for a second before her mind is flooding with images of Kara. With a light blush, Lena nods. "Yeah."

"What if… What if that person was trying to help someone -- a third person--, but you could feel it in your gut that things won't turn out well? What would you do?" Supergirl seems anguished, and it's such a shocking thing to see -- a strong hero acting as broken as a mere human -- that it takes Lena a few moments to gather her thoughts.

Her brows furrow in concentration, and she asks, "Can you prove things will turn out badly?" When Supergirl shakes her head in response, Lena sighs and says, "Then I guess all you can do is stand by your friend's side and be there to protect them however you can when things go down the wrong path."

It sounds rather obvious and simple, but something about hearing the words coming from someone as selfless as Lena put things into perspective for Kara, and she knows Lena is right; no matter what goes down, she will be there to protect Alex.

But what about Sam? Kara thinks, I need to protect her too… But how can I do anything if we have no idea what's going on?

"Supergirl!?"

Lena's surprised exclamation brings Kara back to reality, and she notices that she dented the railing by squeezing it too hard. "Sorry, Miss Luthor… I-I can pay for the damage," Kara says sheepishly.

Lena chuckles, and just waves off the offer. "It's okay, don't worry about it. But what got you so worked up?"

Supergirl rubs her face and paces around a little, making Lena think for a second that the scene looks rather familiar, but she turns her attention back to what the hero is saying. "May I ask you a… delicate question?"

Lena frowns, but curiosity gets the best of her, and she nods.

"If somehow, you were taken back to the past and you had a second chance to try and get to your brother, would you try harder to get through to him? Or… or would you just make contingency plans?"

It's Lena's turn to be taken aback by a question. If she didn't know Supergirl as well as she thought, Lena might think the hero was taking a jab at her, but she can tell by Supergirl's body-language that the answer is truly important to her. "I…" Lena trails off, because that's a question she needs to look deep within herself to answer. "I guess I'd have to say both."

Kara can see sadness clouding Lena's eyes, and she mentally berates herself for making her friend feel that way, but she needs her help, so she listens attentively as Lena begins to explain herself.

"I mean, how could I not try to dissuade my brother from committing those atrocious acts? I'd do everything and more to get him to stay on a good path, but if I kept seeing the signs, if I kept seeing the red flags, then I'd do everything in my power to foil his plans…" Lena sighs, and looks down at the city for a few seconds before saying, "I think… once you've intentionally taken an innocent life… I think, once you've crossed that line, there's no turning back… I'd do anything to make sure Lex never crossed that line."

Before she knows it, Lena is being turned around and engulfed by strong arms in a warm, tender hug. "I'm sorry, Lena… I wish I could make that happen for you."

Lena is stunned for a few seconds, but the words soothe her, and she tentatively hugs the hero back. "It's too late for Lex," she whispers around the knot that formed in her throat as tries not to cry, "but it doesn't sound like it's too late for the person you're worried about."

Kara pulls back and gives a slight nod. Fidgeting with her cape and letting her gaze fall to the ground, she says, "You're right. It's just… these past couple of years I lost a lot of people… Came close to losing many more… I guess it's all finally catching up with me… A-And lately it's been getting harder for me to stay positive…" Kara confesses feeling somewhat ashamed of herself; but at the same time, just by saying the words out loud, Kara feels an unbearable weight being lifted off her shoulders.

For the second time that night Lena is stunned into silence. Supergirl just admitted a flaw to her; a Super willingly revealed a weakness to a Luthor. All Lena can think is, She really trusts me. In her way, she really does trust me.

"It's okay to feel that way, I mean--" Lena closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly as if it would help her think of encouraging words. When she opens her eyes again, Lena gives Supergirl a sympathetic smile and tries again, "What I mean is, you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you've lost more than any human will ever understand. So it's okay if you can't always be positive. It's okay if you need those around you to give you strength and remind you why it is that you put on your suit and fight every day," Blushing, Lena tentatively steps closer to the hero, and continues, "I know you're not human, but you've been living among us for a long time, and what you are experiencing is very human. Just remember that there are people who are here for you if you need us, and there's nothing we would like more than to give you as much hope as you give us."

Lena's words are so enveloping; they are so entrancing, heartfelt, and honest that when Kara comes to her senses, she notices how elaborate her breathing is, how she can hear her own heart beating in her ear, and how lost she had gotten in Lena's clear, green eyes. Kara knows that those feelings mean something… Yes, she does, but… but she can't think about them. No! Kara thinks to herself, This is not the time to think about any of that. I'm just tired, and I'm being silly. Yes! That! Oh god, I've been silent for too long, I should say something. "Uh… Th-Thank you, Miss Luthor-- I mean, thank you, Lena. Y-You're very sweet…" Kara stutters out, starting to take steps backward to put a little distance between her and Lena.

Lena frowns a little at the hero's sudden change in demeanor, but she chucks it out to Supergirl feeling embarrassed about exposing such a vulnerable side of herself -- and that's something Lena can understand.

Taking a deep breath, Kara gathers herself, and tries again, "Really, thank you for hearing me out, and thank you for the good advice, Lena. I'm really lucky to have you as a friend."

Smiling brightly, Lena shakes her head. "It's nothing. But I'm glad I could help."

Kara finds Lena's smile infectious, and she smiles back at her. "It's pretty late. Would you like me to fly you home?"

"Oh, no, no," Lena laughs, shaking her head again as she waves her hands. "I appreciate the offer, and I feel honored, really, but flying is only for absolutely necessary situations." When Lena is met with an adorable questioning gaze from the hero, she explains, "I'm terrified of flying."

"No way!! I didn't know that!!" Kara exclaims in surprise. But after it wears off, she smiles softly at Lena, and says, "Well… then I guess I should let you call your driver. Thank you again for all your help."

"Anytime, Supergirl."

Kara takes flight, but before she leaves, she uses her x-ray vision to make sure Lena is safe at CatCo. Once she's satisfied with her sweep, Kara flies off to patrol the city.

The rest of the night is fairly uneventful; Kara fights off some minor crimes, and Sam sleeps through the night without having any nightmares.

The next morning, at seven sharp, Alex is downstairs helping Sam with breakfast.

"Alex?" Sam calls, making Alex stop setting the table. "Could you check on Ruby while I finish making the pancakes, please?"

Alex finds Sam's little sheepish expression adorable, and nods. "Of course." She finishes setting the table quickly and runs upstairs.

"Ruby?" Alex knocks on the teenager's door. "Are you ready for school? Pancakes are almost done."

Ruby swings the door open, and smiles at Alex. "Ready."

Alex wraps an arm around the girl's shoulders, and they start making their way back to the kitchen.

"I didn't hear mom crying last night," Ruby remarks.

"I didn't either," Alex smiles at her. "I guess she finally got a good night of sleep."

"I'm happy," Ruby replies and falls quiet for a beat.

Before they can reach the kitchen, Ruby stops Alex, and says lowly, "Where are you and my mom going today?" At Alex's surprised expression, Ruby explains, "She told me I should go to my friend's house after school, because you two might not be back until then."

Alex swallows hard and quickly glances toward the kitchen before turning back to Ruby. "What did your mom tell you we're doing?" she asks, wanting to make sure she won't tell the teenager anything Sam doesn't want her to know.

Ruby rolls her eyes impatiently. "She told me you're going to visit my grandma, but I don't understand why. Mom hates grandma. I've never even met her…"

"I… I don't really know what happened between your mom and your grandma," Alex says, putting her hands inside her front pockets. "But we just want to talk to her. Maybe she can help us figure out why your mom is having these nightmares."

It didn't make much sense in Ruby's mind, she can't figure out how something that might have happened years ago might be affecting her mom now, but before she can question Alex further, she hears her mom calling her.

"Don't worry," Alex says with a smile, "Your mom will be okay. C'mon, let's eat."

In forty minutes, Sam and Alex are dropping Ruby off at school. "Ready to go?" Sam asks Alex once Ruby is safely inside the school.

"I just need to stop at my apartment real quick. I need to grab my gun; I left it at home when I went to see you yesterday," Alex explains.

Chuckling, Sam says, "Well, I appreciate that." And she starts driving toward Alex's with her instructions.

In reality, Alex doesn't need to grab just her gun. She needs to grab the clip loaded with kryptonite bullets she has in her safe, but she doesn't want to tell Sam that; Alex doesn't want Sam thinking she sees her as a walking time-bomb, but Alex knows she needs a backup plan in case things go south.

It only takes Alex a couple of minutes to place the clip in a lead case, and put it in one of her back pockets. She fastens her holster, and secures her gun. Alex makes sure she has her badge, and leaves her apartment.

"Got everything?" Sam asks when Alex enters the cars.

Placing a hand on her gun, Alex smiles and says, "All here."

The trip goes by quickly, both women absorbed in their own thoughts; Sam is worried about what they might find out on top of the anxiety of seeing her mother again. Alex, on the other hand, isn't too worried about what they might learn, she's more concerned about how that will affect Sam.

Once they arrive, Alex can see how nervous Sam is by the way she keeps balling her hands into fists.

Sam knocks on the door, and a minute later an older woman, elegant and healthy, answers it. "Samantha," The woman says with a polite smile even though she is surprised to see her daughter there. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Patricia," Sam greets dryly, "this is agent Alex Danvers, we need to ask you some questions."

"Hello, ma'am," Alex smiles, and shows the woman her fake FBI badge.

Patricia frowns, but she steps aside to let them inside the house. They sit in the living room, Alex staying close to Sam for emotional support.

Their host goes into the kitchen to get something to drink, and she comes back carrying a tray with a jug of iced tea. She pours them a glass each, and asks, "How's… um…" Patricia trails off, not being able to remember her own granddaughter's name.

"Ruby?" Sam completes her mother's question, anger clear in her voice.

"I've never met the girl, so I don't think you should expect me to keep her name straight," Patricia replies defensively.

"Well, you kicked me out for having her, I didn't think you'd wanna meet her," Sam says, trying to hide her resentment.

But that finally lets Alex understand why Ruby has never met her grandmother, and why Sam doesn't talk to her mother. For all Eliza's flaws, Alex thinks that at least she wouldn't have kicked her out for getting pregnant… At least that's what Alex would like to believe.

"No, you made your choice. You had to know there would be consequences," Patricia says calmly, sitting on a chair in front of Sam and Alex.

"I was a kid," Sam counters.

"You know as well as anyone that the moment you become pregnant, you're not a kid anymore," Patricia doesn't even bat an eye saying those words, and Alex feels herself getting angry for Sam.

"So, I didn’t deserve a support system?" Sam asks with a bite to her words. "Married adults have children all the time, and they still need their parents."

"I would have just been a crutch for you," Patricia replies, getting up; getting disconcerted with this line of questioning.

"You were my mother," Sam says without missing a beat.

"And I always wanted what was best for you!"

"So you just let me leave?!" Sam gets up as well, feeling too angry to stay still.

Alex feels like she's intruding, like she shouldn't be there for that conversation; so she stays quiet, letting the two talk.

"That's not what I wanted to have happened at all," Patricia explains.

Alex watches as Sam exhales heavily, and asks, "Do you know how hard it was for me to come here?"

"Well, then why did you?"

"You're unbelievable," Sam scoffs, shaking her head, and Alex takes that as her cue to stand up, placing what she hopes is a soothing hand on the small of Sam's back.

Patricia looks uncomfortable with the small display of affection, and she eyes the two suspiciously, although she doesn't say anything.

Sam gives Alex a small, grateful smile, and sighs. "Some things have been happening," She says, turning her attention back to her mother.

"What things?" Patricia asks.

Sam shares a look with Alex, and at her friend's small nod, Sam continues, "I guess I was wondering if… growing up… I-I… if I ever did anything strange."

Alex doesn't feel the need to rush their conversation; she doesn't know if Patricia knows anything about Sam being an alien, maybe she thinks she truly adopted a human child, so Alex lets Sam take her time with her questions.

"What do you mean by strange?" Patricia asks confusedly.

"I don't know. Did I fall? Like, fall and not get hurt? Did I ever lift anything really heavy?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," Patricia replies, turning around and walking a bit further away from Sam.

"Nothing?" Sam insists.

"No," Patricia says, turning back around to look at her daughter.

Alex can tell Sam is growing frustrated, and she doesn't blame her.

"Okay, uh… Well, maybe you can help me find something out about my birth mother," Sam tries, changing her line of questioning.

"Why do you wanna know about her?" Patricia asks curiously.

"You know what?" Sam shares a look with Alex, and shakes her head. "Just forget it. Sorry I bothered you."

Alex is thinking of not-so-pleasant ways of getting every bit of information out of Patricia when she sees Sam taking a deep breath -- the kind of breath you take to fill yourself with courage -- and she hears Sam saying, "I was at a press event… Someone had a gun, they fired it at the crowd, a lot of people got hurt," Sam says, stepping up to her mother; it's a simple gesture, but it's one that speaks volumes, it lets Patricia know Sam is not leaving without answers.

"I got home, and I found a hole in my coat," Sam continues, placing her hand where the bullet had hit her. "I found a little piece of metal, a bullet; it was completely flattened. I got shot--" Sam's voice trembles and Patricia turns her gaze away. "and it didn't puncture my skin! I got shot, and I didn't feel it!" Sam's voice is getting louder, and Alex feels her own heart aching at the raw emotion in Sam's voice. "How could I not feel it? Patricia--" Sam says through gritted teeth, "Tell me what you know!"

Patricia looks from Sam to Alex, then back at her daughter. "Follow me."

Sam sighs with relief and waits until she feels Alex close to her so they can follow Patricia out of the house, to the backyard, and into a shed.

The moment Alex's eyes lay on the massive item hidden under a tarp, Alex knows what it is. "Your pod," she whispers lowly to Sam, but Sam is too entranced to hear her.

Alex watches as Sam slowly steps closer to it, and tentatively reaches up to pull the tarp off, revealing her pod.

"You asked about your birth-mom, I lied. I didn't adopt you, I found you… in this," Patricia says lowly, motioning toward the ship.

Sam feels like she's in a trance, a dream. Even though she already knew from the exam's result that she is Kryptonian, the reality of it is finally hitting her as she stares in awe at the metal contraption. "I-I… I just… don't understand," she murmurs, shaking her head.

"I didn't understand it either," Patricia says, "I didn't know where you were from, or who left you in this thing, or why. And you just… y-you looked so damn helpless…" Patricia sighs, remembering the night she found Sam. With a small smile, she completes her sentence, "that I took you home."

Shaking her head as if the motion would help her accept everything she was hearing, Sam asks, "W-Were you ever gonna tell me?"

"I swore that I would tell you when you turned eighteen, but you were gone by then," Patricia replies promptly. "And I thought, well, maybe… maybe that's better. That you'd be better off, out there on your own, not knowing."

"That I'm an alien?" Sam asks incredulously.

"Sam…" Patricia sighs. "I just wanted you to have a normal life," she says shakily.

When Alex sees Sam turning her attention back to the ship, watching as it comes to life with Sam's touch, Alex quietly and discreetly changes the clip of her gun for the one filled with kryptonite just in case the ship does something to Sam. But to her relief, the only thing that happens is a key making itself known to Sam.

"Ma'am," Alex says, getting Patricia's attention. "I'm going to report back to my superior officer, and he'll arrange for the Bureau to come confiscate the ship."

"You can't do that," Patricia tries to argue, "It's mine."

Alex raises her hand and shakes her head. "Technically, it's Sam's, and she has agreed to that."

When she hears her name, Sam snaps out of her haze. She grabs the key and goes back to standing by Alex's side. "You heard her, Patricia. They'll need to take it with them," Sam nods to Alex, and Alex walks out of the shed to call the DEO. Once they are alone, Sam folds her arms in front of her chest in a protective manner, and says, "I guess it's better to learn the truth late than ever…" And letting her eyes fall to the ground, Sam adds lowly, "Thanks for keeping it all these years."

She doesn't wait to hear her mother's reply; Sam feels like her head is spinning, and she all but runs toward her car. When Alex joins her, she says, "We need to figure out what this is." And before Alex has a chance of saying anything, Sam turns the car keys, and they are driving off.

"Sam?" Alex asks worriedly. "Where are we going?"

"I… I-I don't know…" Sam frowns at her own answer, but she can feel the key speaking to her; she knows she must drive now. "It's… It's telling me where to go."

Once they get to the coffee shop, and Kara is happily eating her food, Lena takes a sip of her tea and wonders whether she should ask more questions about Kara's panic attack or not. But before she can decide, she hears Kara speaking, "I was just thinking of too many things at once," she explains through a mouth-full. Swallowing, Kara continues, "You lost Jack… and in a way, you've lost your mom too. I just… I kept thinking about how you'd feel if something were to happen to Sam… And then I thought of Ruby, and I started wondering who would take her in if the worst-case scenario came true…" Kara stares out the window to avoid Lena's intent gaze.

"Kara…" Lena sighs, but there's a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Thank you for worrying so much about me, but I'll be okay, and Sam is fine--"

"I know, but what if that changes?" Kara cuts Lena off, surprising her. "We didn't foresee what happened to Jack, to Lillian, or to Mon-El…" Kara bites her lip, and her gaze falls. "Do you know what would happen to Ruby if Sam couldn't take care of her anymore?" she asks quietly.

Lena frowns, and she wants to ask why Kara is so fixated on the idea of Sam getting hurt, but she decides to answer nonetheless. "I'm not sure. Sam and I have been getting closer since she moved here, but I don't know a great deal about her personal life. Maybe her adoptive mother?"

Kara nods, and chances a look at Lena, "S-Sorry… I guess I'm the one who hasn't felt all that well lately."

"I understand, Kara," Lena says softly, reaching across the table to hold Kara's hand. "You suffered a great loss… it's normal to worry about the safety of your friends, especially since we aren't superheroes and there isn't a great deal we can do to protect them." The words are meant to soothe Kara, but her stomach drops; she is a superhero, and she still isn't good enough to protect everyone she loves. "If I weren't going to therapy, I don't know how I would've been able to function after what happened to Jack… My therapist helped me understand my feelings better, and she helped me accept things without feeling guilty about them. If you want, I can give you her number."

Kara doesn't know why therapy has never felt like an option to her, but she tells herself she should ask J'onn if the DEO has a professional she could talk to. "Thank you, Lena," she replies with a small smile. "I'd appreciate that. And thank you for bringing me here, I-I didn't mean to scare you and kinda ditch work…"

Lena squeezes Kara's hand one more time before letting it go to take another sip of her tea. "Don't worry about work, Kara, your wellbeing comes first. And you didn't scare me, although, as your best friend, I might ask how you're feeling more often now." Lena says, raising her eyebrow and smirking.

Chuckling, Kara nods. "I think that's fair."

The rest of the day goes by fairly quickly, and a few blocks away from CatCo, Sam is going through her final reports of the day when Jess knocks on the door and announces that Alex Danvers is there to see her.

"Please, show her in, Jess," Sam says with a polite smile to her secretary.

Alex walks in, hands in her pockets, and she waits until Jess has closed the door behind her to greet Sam. "Hey," she says, the word coming out almost like a sigh.

"Hey…" By Alex's tone, Sam can tell Alex doesn't have good news for her. She stares at the agent for a few more seconds, before putting the report away, and standing up to pour them a glass of scotch. "Something tells me I'm gonna need this," Sam says loud enough for Alex to hear her from where she's standing.  

Alex is chewing on the inside of her cheek when Sam walks up to her to hand her a glass. "I wish I had better news, Sam. I really do…" Alex says, cradling the glass between both hands. "But the exam--"

"It showed I am Kryptonian, right?" Sam cuts her off, and Alex nods. Sam can't stop herself from mirroring Alex, nodding her head along, before downing her scotch in one gulp.

"Hey..." Alex steps forward, taking the glass away from Sam, and setting it down along with her own before she gently guides Sam toward the couch. "I know it's a shock, and I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but this can be a good thing, okay? This might mean that National City has a new hero, you could help keep us safe alongside Supergirl if that's what you want."

Alex's hopeful smile helps keep the tears threatening to spill from Sam's eyes at bay, and her words ignite something inside Sam's chest; maybe this isn't bad after all. Ruby wanted her to be a hero like Supergirl, and with these powers, she could keep her daughter safe. "Yeah…" she finally says, holding on to Alex's hand like a lifeline. "You're right," her voice comes out a little hoarse, and Sam needs to swallow the knot in her throat. "Th-This can be a good thing."

"Yes, we just need to find out more about how you arrived here," Alex says, holding Sam's hand with both of her own.

"I arranged everything with Jess; I'll be able to visit my mother tomorrow after I drop Ruby off at school."

"Did you talk to Lena too?" Alex asks both out of curiosity and to keep track of who knows what.

Sam shakes her head, "No, she's not scheduled to come by tomorrow. There's no business for her to attend to here, and she usually doesn't come by without calling first." Sam says, starting to feel calmer. "I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I come back to National City."

"About that…" Alex bites her lip, worrying about how Sam will react to her next few words. "J'onn has assigned me to go with you, not because we don't trust you, but since the DEO has learned about you, it is our duty to follow your situation… And if you mother knows where your pod is, we'll need to confiscate it. I promise it's for your own safety, Sam. We can compare the pod to Supergirl's and, with our technology, we can help you make sense of whatever we may find."

Suddenly it dawns on Sam that from the moment she walked into the DEO that morning, from that moment on she'll forever be under the government's eye. The thought bothers her and makes her feel uneasy. But Alex's words help her fight those feelings, and she tries her best to focus on the silver lining; she tells herself that Supergirl also works with the DEO and she seems happy with it. That alone should be reassuring enough.

"That's okay, Alex. That might be for the best, actually. I don't know what I would do if my mother was actually hiding a spaceship in her backyard." Sam laughs, shaking her head.

Smiling at Sam's seemingly easy acceptance of what she just told her, Alex says, "You'd be surprised with the things we find in people's backyard."

Sam laughs a bit more, but when her eyes fall on their intertwined hands, all sounds become muffled, and the only thing Sam can hear clearly is what she deduces to be Alex's heartbeat. It should scare her, it should put her off to be able to hear such a thing, but Sam closes her eyes, and her own heart seems to slow down to match Alex's.

"Sam?" Alex calls, but it goes unanswered. It's not until the third try that Alex sees Sam's eyes snapping open.

"S-Sorry," Sam mutters, feeling her cheeks turning red.

"It's okay," Alex reassures her. "Were you… were you listening to something?" she tries to guess. "I've seen Supergirl do the same thing more than a few times," she says, chuckling.

"Um…" Sam searches Alex's eyes, and when she sees understanding being reflected in those warm, brown eyes, Sam says, "Yes. Y-Your heartbeat… Everything faded away, and it was all I could hear."

Alex chuckles again; she's lost count of how many times Kara has done that to her. "From what Supergirl tells me, that can actually be very calming."

"It is." Sam smiles shyly, subconsciously rubbing her thumb against the back of Alex's hand.

The gesture is so spontaneous and sweet it catches Alex completely by surprise. She stands up abruptly, and she can feel her cheeks burning. "Uh… So… Tomorrow, should I meet you here so we can go?"

Sam blinks at Alex's sudden movement, and she wonders for a second what had just happened, but she didn't have time to dwell on it before Alex asked her question. "Um, actually, if you hadn't shown up tonight, I was going to call you…" Sam fidgets with her watch as she gathers her courage, and asks, "Could you sleep over again tonight? I-I'm afraid I might have another nightmare and make the house catch on fire or something… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did anything that hurt Ruby."

And just like that, with that simple request, awkward Alex Danvers is gone, and confident Agent Danvers is back. "Of course," Alex replies with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you," Sam sighs in relief, and gets up, "Let me just grab my things and we can go. Ruby will be thrilled to see you."

"Is it too dorky on my part that I'm proud she likes me?" Alex asks as she watches Sam gather her things.

Sam laughs bemusedly, "Are you kidding me? That's the only reason I'm keeping you around," she answers playfully, nodding toward the door so Alex will follow her out the office.

"Supergirl," Alex greets, and just by the way she looks at her sister, Kara knows there's a lot she needs to get ready for. "We-- Well, I think Sam…" Alex takes a deep intake of breath. "I think Sam is Kryptonian."

"What?" Kara scoffs in disbelief. "Th-That can't be."

"Believe me, I don’t want it to be true either." Sam says defensively, pulling her hand free from Alex so she can cross her arms protectively in front of her chest.

"N-No," Kara shakes her head; clearly having some difficulty wrapping her head around the sudden news. "No, that's not it. I mean… I just don’t think it's possible. I was a teenager when I was sent to Earth, and the only other pod sent out that day was Kal-El's. The planet exploded right after I left Krypton's orbit."

"Someone might have snuck in and sent Sam before you and Kal-El." J'onn offers. "But for now we must determine if Ms. Arias is in fact Kryptonian, and if she is, we need to figure out why her powers are only manifesting themselves now. Agent Danvers, run a full check up on Ms. Arias; Winn, search the government's database and try to find any mention of a third pod landing on Earth; Supergirl," J'onn looks at Kara with the understanding of someone who also thought they would never find anyone from their own planet ever again. "You should ask Alura's hologram about a third pod being sent to Earth."

All three of them nod at their boss, and Alex gently places a hand on Sam's back to guide her toward the medical bay.

"Will this take long, Alex? I need to be at L-Corp no later than eight…if I'm going to be late I need to call Jess to let her know she'll need to rearrange my meetings." Sam says a little harshly, once she's sitting on the exam table and she sighs, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry, this is just… This is too much. All I want is to be normal… I just want to be a good mother to my daughter."

Alex understands what's like to have her entire life turned upside down by an unforeseen change, but in her case it was someone new being introduced to her life, not finding out she's from another planet. Sighing, Alex gently grabs hold of Sam's shoulders and waits until she looks up at her, only then Alex says, "Whatever is happening to you, we will figure it out. Together. If it turns out this is just an anomaly or some sort of weird alien infection, we'll treat you and you'll go back to being a kickass CFO and an awesome mom. But if you are Kryptonian, well…" Alex smiles, "let's just say I pity whoever chooses to mess with Ruby."

Sam can't help herself; the idea of being a 'super-mom' brings some comfort to her heart, and she laughs in relief. Placing one hand on top of Alex's, Sam says, "Thank you, Alex. Really, thank you so much for doing all of this for me."

"Don't mention it." Alex shakes her head, although there's a smile tugging at her lips. "Alright," she says, letting go of Sam so she can grab a syringe. "First, let's see if I can draw some blood for analysis."

As Sam watches Alex preparing her arm to draw the blood, she says, "If? I've had blood work done before. Countless times in fact, especially when I was pregnant." But the smile disappears from Sam's face when she sees the needle bending as Alex tries to puncture her skin.

Looking up at Sam, Alex gives her a small smile. "I already expected this, okay? After all, a bullet didn't hurt you, so there's no reason a needle would."

"I-I thought it was triggered by adrenaline or something…" Sam mutters, eyes still locked on her arm.

"It might have been the case at first… but once whatever triggered this transformation started, I think it's been gradually making you stronger." Alex says softly, not wanting to cause Sam to panic. "Lay down for me, please." Once she complies, Alex gets the scan she usually uses on Kara, and starts a reading of Sam. "Do you know anything about your birth-parents?"

Sam shakes her head. "My adoptive mother never told me anything about them."

"Has she ever told you any detail of how she learned about you?" Alex asks, keeping an eye on the scanner's monitor.

Sam shakes her head, "No… But I think it's time I paid her a visit."

Alex nods, and trying to act nonchalantly she asks without looking up from the monitor, "Would you like me to go along? You know…having a federal agent there might help her tell the truth…"

Sam laughs in disbelief; she can't wrap her head around the fact that this has become her life, but still, Alex's offer is very sweet. "Thank you, but I think I can handle Patricia on my own."

"Okay." Alex smiles at Sam, and puts away the scanner. "All done, we should have the results soon. In the meantime, go back to work, go back to being a mom, alright? We've got your back."

Sam gets up from the bed and gives Alex a hug. "Thank you, Alex."

"It's no problem, Sam. Come on, I'll walk you out."

After Sam's gone, Alex gets back to the main operations room where J'onn and Kara are gathered around Winn's computer.

"So, Alex, what have you found out?" J'onn asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She's definitely Kryptonian, but I haven't told her yet, I wanted to give her one last day to feel…normal." She says, glancing at her sister. "What did Alura say?"

Kara shakes her head, "There are no records of a third pod being sent to Earth. And I repeated the words Sam heard in her dream, and my mother says there's nothing in her archives that would explain it."

"Nothing on the government database either?" Alex asks.

"Nada." Winn says. "If she really came to Earth in a pod, whoever found her did like the Kents, and hid her pod."

"She's going to pay her adoptive mother a visit soon." Alex informs them.

"That's good." J'onn nods. "You should go with her." And before Alex can get another word in, J'onn adds, "That's an order, Agent Danvers."

"Yes, sir." Alex sighs, and starts walking away from them.

"Alex, hold up." Kara calls after her sister, and when she catches up, she places a hand on Alex's back, making her wince in pain. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's nothing, Kara. Don't worry about it." Alex tries to get Kara to let it go, but it's too late, Kara's already using her x-ray vision to check her back. 

“Alex!" Kara gasps. "What happened!?!?"

"You said you'd never use your powers on me." Alex counter argues, but she knows she's only buying time, because Kara is too protective to let this slide.

"And I never do unless you're hurt or in danger, and you're hurt, Alex! Who did this to you??"

Alex pulls Kara away from the other agents, and says, "Fine. It was Sam, okay?"

"What?!?! Alex--"

But before Kara can continue, Alex interrupts her, "She was asleep, Kara. She was having a nightmare, she was scared and in pain, I tried to wake her up, and she threw me across the room."

"She's dangerous, Alex! We need to keep her here." Kara argues, terrified of what a newly-discovered Kryptonian can do with powers she does not comprehend.

"And what, Kara? Make her lose her job? Send Ruby to live with a grandmother she's never even seen?" Alex asks exasperatedly. "What if whatever is happening with her worsens because of those decisions? The woman in her dream said, 'soon you'll reign'. Reign, Kara. We need to be smart and very careful with how we deal with all of this, because if Sam becomes what the woman said in her dream, we will have a very dangerous situation in our hands."

"That's what I'm saying! We can't let her walk free!" Kara's voice is rising as she gets increasingly frustrated at her sister.

"What if the only thing keeping her from turning into this reign thing is her humanity, Kara?? Do you remember what happened to you when you were infected by the red kryptonite??? What if she becomes like that when we cut her links to her friends and family? We can't have an enraged Kryptonian playing monarch in National City."

The words hurt Kara; part of her believes that's what Alex thinks she can become, and it scares Kara, because on some level she's afraid of it too. Crossing her arms, and averting her eyes from Alex, Kara says, "Okay… But one wrong move, one violent act from her, and I'll bring her in, Alex."

Alex nods. "If that does happen, I'll help you bring her in, but until then, continue treating Sam nicely. Be her friend, Kara Danvers, not the city's hero, okay?"

Kara nods, and then something crosses her mind. "Oh Rao… What's gonna happen to Lena if Sam turns bad??"

"Kara…" Alex sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You can't tell Lena…"

"I know, I know." Kara groans. "But I--"

"No. No buts. She can't know. We don't know what might send Sam down the wrong path." Alex says firmly, looking into her sister's eye to make sure Kara knows she's not messing around.

"Okay, okay…" Kara relents, but part of her doesn't agree with Alex; between Sam and Lena, Lena comes first, and she needs to protect her. "I'll… I'll let it go for now…"

"Good, thank you." Alex sighs in relief.

A few minutes later when Ruby is done with her homework, she makes her way down the stairs, and seeing her mom laughing along with Alex, she quickly grabs her phone and sneaks a picture of them. In her mind, Ruby figures that if something does end up happening between the two of them, she'll have a good picture of the first time they had dinner together; and if not, well, then she has a cute picture of her mom and her friend.

Dinner goes by incredibly fast in Alex's opinion; before she realizes it, they are already clearing out the table for dessert.

"Are you going to stay over tonight?" Ruby asks through a mouthful of ice cream. "Mom makes killer pancakes for breakfast."

Sam shakes her head good-naturedly at her daughter, but she says, "You're welcome to sleep here tonight, Alex."

"I-I don't want to overstay my welcome." Alex replies, feeling her cheeks turning pink again.

"You wouldn't be overstaying, I promise." Sam guarantees, but she understands that not everybody feels comfortable sleeping anywhere else besides their own bed, so she says, "But if you don't want to, it's totally okay."

"But she was drinking, mom, she shouldn't be driving." Ruby insists, and Alex can't help but find the girl's stubbornness a little endearing -- maybe Alex sees a little of herself in Ruby.

"Well, Alex can stay here for a couple more hours and wait for the alcohol to wear off, or she can get an uber if she wants to go home." Sam says calmly.

"But, mom--"

"Ruby." The way Sam says her name is enough to let Ruby know she should quit insisting.

Feeling a little awkward and not wanting to disappoint the teenager, Alex says, "I-I can stay…"

"Don't let the puppy eyes and the pout win you over, Alex, or you're done for." Sam chuckles, but she is trying to give Alex a way out in case she doesn’t want to stay the night.

"Oh, believe me, I have to deal with Supergirl's pout, so I can handle Ruby’s." The idea of her favorite hero pouting makes Ruby laugh, and Alex can't help but feel good for making that happen. She looks at Sam and asks, "Are you sure it's no trouble?"

"I'm sure, no trouble at all." Sam replies, smiling at how excited Ruby looks. "But you, little lady," she says to her daughter, "finish your ice cream, brush your teeth, and go to bed."

"But mom…" Ruby whines, "It's only nine!"

"Yes, and you have to be up at six-thirty to get ready for school, so no whining. Come on, finish up."

Ruby does manage to ask Alex a few more questions before Sam says her name in that special way that lets Ruby know her mom is reaching her limit. Giving both of them a hug goodnight, Ruby goes back upstairs to get ready for bed.

"She's such a great kid." Alex gushes as she settles on the couch with Sam.

"I'm totally biased, but yeah, she is." Sam smiles all proudly. "You'll be a great mom one day, Alex, I can tell."

Biting her lip to contain her smile, Alex starts fidgeting with a throw pillow to keep her hands occupied. "Thank you. I-I really hope so--" but before Alex can get another word in, she hears Sam yawning.

"God, I'm sorry, Alex." She apologizes, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No, don't apologize, it's okay. You're probably exhausted, it's been a long day."

"It's not even the long hours that are getting to me, I'm used to that, it's just… I've been having these weird nightmares…" Sam's eyes widen, and she looks like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't mean to tell anyone that, but she's so tired the words were spilling out before she could do anything about it.

Alex frowns slightly, "Do you wanna talk about them?" she asks softly.

Sam tries to laugh it off, waving dismissively at Alex, "No, it's okay. They are just, um, really weird nightmares. Almost like a sci-fi, horror movie hybrid, you know? It's nothing serious just…just annoying, that's all."

Alex can tell Sam is lying, but it's clear she doesn't want to talk about them, so she backs off. "Well, then I guess we should call it a night so you can get some rest."

"Sorry for being such a poor host." Sam says, getting up so they can make their way upstairs.

Following Sam, Alex shakes her head, "What? No! You've been lovely, Sam. I had a wonderful time, but it is getting late, I understand."

Sam thanks Alex, and shows her where the bathroom and the guest bedroom are. "I'll get you one of my pajamas, I'll be right back."

It isn't long before Sam is back, handing Alex one her favorite pajamas. "I think they will fit you well, and they are very comfortable." She says smiling. "Um, there's a pack of new toothbrushes in the sink cabinet, and… Oh! I need to leave to take Ruby to school around seven-thirty, so we'll probably have breakfast at seven. You're welcome to join us, but if you want to sleep in and leave after us, that's okay too."

"I'll be downstairs at seven." Alex says with a bright smile. "I don't think Ruby would forgive me if I missed breakfast, plus, I can run out and get coffee if you want me to."

Chuckling and shaking her head, Sam says, "I see Ruby has won you over." She laughs. "Good night, Alex. If you need anything, just knock on my door, it's the last one on the left."

"Thanks, Sam. Good night."

Alex gets ready for bed, and settles in for the night, but it is in fact too early for her to sleep, so she decides to watch TV until she gets sleepy.

A little after midnight, Alex hears some mumbling coming from somewhere near, and her first instinct as a DEO agent is to grab her gun and investigate, but remembering she isn't at home and that she doesn't have her gun with her, Alex gets up, and quietly opens her door. Before she takes more than a couple steps into the hallway, she sees Ruby opening her door.

Taking in how scared Ruby looks, Alex gently holds her hand and coos softly, "Hey, sweetie, everything is okay."

"It's my mom…" Ruby whispers back to Alex; tears starting to well up in her eyes. "She's been having these awful nightmares, but she won't talk to me about it. Can you help her, Alex? Please?"

The fear she sees in Ruby's eyes cuts deep into Alex's heart. "Of course, sweetie. I'll do everything I can to help, okay?” She says, squeezing Ruby’s hand lightly in what Alex hopes is a reassuring manner. “But right now, I need you to go back to bed, because your mom needs you to be well-rested for school tomorrow, alright? Can you do that for me?"

Ruby stares at Alex for a few seconds as if she's deciding whether to trust her or not, but Alex is a federal agent and she knows Supergirl, so in Ruby's mind there's no one better to help her mom than Alex. "Okay." she finally says, letting go of Alex’s hand to close her door again.

Alex waits until she hears the covers shuffling inside Ruby's room so she's certain the girl is back in bed before she quietly makes her way to Sam's room.

When she reaches the door, Alex stops and considers what huge invasion of privacy it will be if she opens Sam's door without knocking first, but then Alex hears it -- Sam's voice twisted in agonizing pain as words in Kryptonian are mumbled between sobs. Without giving it a second thought, Alex flings the door open and what she sees leaves her paralyzed for a few seconds; Sam’s still mumbling incoherently, tears streaming down her tightly-shut eyes, and her back arching off the bed as if every muscle in her body is straining against an invisible force.

When Sam cries out in agony again, Alex snaps out of her haze and she crawls onto the bed, cradling Sam’s face in her hands. “Sam, Sam, wake up!” Alex begs, but before she knows it, Sam has grabbed her by the collar of her pajamas, and she’s being thrown across the room.

Alex has the wind knocked out of her lungs when her back hits the wall, and she winces trying to get back up.  “S-Sam,” Alex uses every bit of strength left in her body to make her way back to the bed. “Sam, please, you have to wake up!” She says, grabbing Sam’s arm. “Ruby is scared, Sam. You need to come back to her!”

Ruby’s name seems to have a good effect on Sam; the crying stops, and her muscles relax, making Alex sigh in relief. But her relief is short-lived. Everything seems to come back with a vengeance, and as Alex is trying to soothe Sam, trying to get her to wake up, Alex sees the familiar glow of heat-vision starting behind Sam’s eyelids. She only has time to jump out of the way before two laser beams are scorching the ceiling.

Sam’s body falls back heavily on the bed, and with a gasp she finally wakes up.

The smell of something burning assaults Sam’s nostrils, but she’s so tired, so confused by the terrible nightmare she just had that she thinks she must be imagining the smell.

“S-Sam?” Alex whispers, slowly getting up from the floor.

That startles Sam, but she notices that Alex also jumps back slightly. “What—What are you doing here?” she asks even more confused.

“I heard you crying, and I came in to check on you…” Alex explains, inching closer to the bed very carefully. “Sam…what were you dreaming about?”

“I-I don’t know…” Sam is drenched in cold sweat, and she pulls the covers over her body as if they could protect her from whatever is happening.

“I need you to try to remember, okay?” Alex says softly, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

“What difference does it make?!?!? It was just a dream!” Sam snaps, feeling too irritable, too vulnerable and scared to try to put into words what she saw in her nightmare.

“Sam… Dreams don’t make you do that—” Alex says pointing up to the scorch marks on the ceiling.