Survivors

Chapter 35: Father Daughter relationships can be complicated

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Kara hated leaving her kitten with Dante but she was not going to drive her bike across the country again. Alex's butt couldn't handle it. She didn't want Streaky locked in a mini prison cell in the cargo hold of a plane and if she left her in their apartment they may no longer have a couch, plus they would have to ask someone to check on her everyday and Kara did not want to give them an excuse to come and go as they pleased. So Dante's place was the only option. She acted as if nothing was wrong, not even Alex knew what she knew, but Kara was seeing the world through new eyes. The one man she trusted besides her adopted father no longer seemed trustworthy.

She would not tip her hand. In the past, Kara may have broken down the door to his apartment, demanding answers, threatening everyone around her. Not this time. She had been played for a long time and who knew what reaction they would have if Kara just confronted them. Would they go after Alex to make her do as they wanted? They already had Jeremiah and Eliza in the fold and no doubt every bit of research ever done on Clark. What else did they plan? The sad thing is, if J'onn had just come out and asked Kara if he could study her in exchange for setting her loose against Non, she would have allowed it, meaning they wanted her for something else.

The psychological evaluation disturbed her the most. She had told Jessica things she never would have dreamed admitting aloud in the past. She told her things Alex didn't know. She told her everything. Jessica always swore no electronic copies of their sessions existed. Now Kara wondered. She had never thought to check her and Alex's room for listening devices. Had they been there for years? The men on Connolly's teams certainly had hundreds of opportunities to plant them. Were there cameras? Wouldn't Kara have noticed? Perhaps, but she hadn't been looking. She should have. She let her guard down because she felt safest in her home. That was where she was weakest apparently.

Landing in Raleigh finally, not even the sight of her mother and father waiting for them with her little brother could take Kara's mind off what she had found. She had so much to do this trip, so many conversations to be had, not the least of which was one with Clark. She had promised him last week that she would give him answers when they were all together and still hadn't decided what answers to give him.

Eliza rushed both girls, wrapping them as best she could in her arms. Jeremiah took his turn as well, though he noticed a bit of tension from Kara. The two had talked since the disastrous therapy session but things still needed to be said and he knew this. He had hoped she had calmed over his and Eliza's decision but that may have been wishful thinking.

Once the group arrived home and Clark rushed upstairs and back down with all his art projects to show his sisters, the atmosphere relaxed a bit in regards to Kara. She had wondered what sort of reception she would get from Clark. He seemed pleased to see her.

Kara at times missed the early years, the first year of his life and the time when she first arrived. She was the most important person in his life. Their time here was a nightmare until they met Alex and difficult for a while afterward. It was still difficult for Kara. But then, the first year of his life, she was the most important person in his universe. It was her hand that fed him, she was the one who stayed up at night and sang to him when he was sick. She changed every diaper, let him gnaw on her finger when a new tooth bothered him.

That was the last time Kara felt solely responsible for someone else. Since then she had been a responsibility to others.

Once Clark was done regaling them with his artwork and tales of the first grade, Kara casually looked around the house. At least she hoped to appear casual. In actuality, she was looking everywhere, X raying the walls, the light fixtures, checking under the phones, the furniture, carefully inspecting frames on the wall.