Stop the World (Supergirl)

Chapter 3

"Much to see today?" Alex asked, turning her head towards the window where Kara stood in a nightgown that only just went past her knees, and chunky red cardigan. The world outside was grey, but Alex could see form in the clouds.

"Well, it's stopped raining, and we actually have quite a nice view of the beach, though it looks grey, cold and completely uninviting, plus the lighthouse and rocks," Kara responded. It was the morning after their second night at the Luthorsport Hotel, almost 48 hours since their arrival. Alex had slept for the bulk of the previous day, only waking to have a little to eat. Lena Luthor had come and gone throughout the day, bringing their meals, hot water bottles, and managed to find them a wireless.

Kara turned to Alex and smiled. "Feeling better today?"

"I haven't tried to move yet, so I'm going to say 'yes', but assume 'no'," Alex said. Her throat was raw, and her voice was croaky and sounded far-away. "Come here, before you get cold feet."

Kara tip-toed over to Alex's bed and plopped down beside her sister, pulling the top-most blanket over them. Between them, the Danvers sisters were in possession of almost every blanket in the hotel.

"Lena will be here soon," Kara said. Lena had spent a few hours chatting with Kara the day before, swapping travel stories and old school tales. Kara found Lena's stories fascinating, boarding school in England, finishing school in Paris, numerous trips to the south of France and Italy and all over the United Kingdom and even Spain before the Civil War. "Lena said she'd ask Mary to put honey in our porridge. You have to try to eat some, you can't just eat bread or toast. I know you're sick, but it will help, I promise."

"Which one of us has medical training?" Alex teased.

Kara chuckled and lay down beside Alex, pulling the blanket over her. "I'm just so glad you're not dead. I was so worried," Kara confessed. They hadn't yet spoken about what happened, how they'd ended up in Luthorsport. "You were so cold, Alex. You were barely conscious, and bleeding, and your breathing was so ragged, and I was so afraid."

Alex leant her head into Kara's shoulder. Her body ached, her head ached, it hurt to breathe, she could hardly use her hands, and yesterday had needed to be carried by Kara to the bathroom and back. "I was afraid too, you know," she murmured looking Kara in the eye.

Kara tensed up and looked away.

"Not just yesterday," Alex continued, "For months. Since we crossed the Atlantic, really. Every night I never knew if you were going to come back. And sometimes you come back in a pretty awful state."

"Every night you worked," Kara said. "You were working what, 16 hours shifts?"

"Kara, you were running into burning buildings. You were redirecting bombs and incendiary devices away from populated areas, pulling airmen out of crashing planes..."

"You weren't eating, you were barely sleeping."

"I couldn't just leave," Alex said, getting defensive. "People needed me. I had to help."

"I had to help too!" Kara cried, "That was why we were there! We're volunteers, Alex. London needed us. It - it still does. We knew what we were getting into, we - "

"We had no idea what we were getting into, Kara," Alex said. "None at all. How could we? We had no idea of what hell looked like until we walked straight into it. And it nearly killed us. No one knew they were going to try and flatten the whole damned city. H knew needed a break, and - "

"I didn't need a break or a rest or anything," Kara protested, her eyes full of hot, angry tears. Alex was right, but she was loath to admit it. "I was fine. I am fine."