“I’m sorry it took us so long to find you.”
Kara can’t see Alex’s face from where her head is currently resting in her sister’s lap, but the way the words get caught in Alex throat before they fall out, the sob that follows, hits Kara right in the chest.
“Hey, I know, I know,” Kara says, sitting up and pulling her sister into her arms. She presses a kiss to the side of Alex’s head as fresh tears fall down Alex’s face. “I’m here now, it’s okay.”
Kara knows the Phantom Zone is something that’s going to haunt her for a long time, if the nightmares from the past three days since her return are anything to go by.
But it’s also going to haunt those who love her, those who lost her, those who didn’t know if she’d ever return and spent over a month fighting to get her back.
“I…” Alex’s voice catches on a sob again. Kara wishes there was something she could do, some way to make Alex feel better because she’s the reason she’s hurting in the first place.
“It’s okay,” Kara repeats, holding her sister close. Alex’s touch is grounding, reminds her that she’s back on Earth, that she’s back with her family, that she’s back home. She hopes it does the same for Alex.
“No…I…we had a way to find you, a month ago. Lena built a device to lead us to you, but we had to-“ Alex’s voice catches again before she clears her throat. “We had to choose, you or thousands of people and I-I chose them over you. You were stuck there for so long because I didn’t choose you. I’m you sister and I didn’t choose you.”
Kara can hear the guilt in her sister’s voice and tears fall from her own eyes. She doesn’t blame Alex, she doesn’t blame any of them, she’s just happy they found her.
“Alex,” Kara says, waiting until watery eyes look up and meet her own. “You saved thousands of people, I would’ve given my life for them in heartbeat. I don’t blame you, you’re the one that brought me home. And I’m here now, everything’s okay.”
Alex has been the one comforting her for the past few days, it’s Kara’s turn to return the favour.
“I know, but it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, choosing others over you.”
“Come here,” Kara says, tugging her sister forward again.
Alex easily tucks her head into Kara’s shoulder as another wave of tears soak through Kara’s shirt.
It takes a while but Alex’s breathing eventually evens out, Alex’s face dry even if she’s still tucked into Kara’s side. They both need this, this reassurance that it’s not a dream, that she’s really back and isn’t going to disappear if they open their eyes.
“Lena couldn’t choose.”
Kara’s heart skips at the mere mention of Lena. She swallows heavily. “What?”
“No, that’s wrong. She did choose, but she chose you. She knew thousands of people would die but she chose you anyway.”



















