The Darkest Place

Broken

A Phantom was tackling her to the floor, its claws raking across her neck.

She was in the Anchor, screaming in horror as she watched her friend's body slowly hit the floor.

She was crying as she touched his cold face, silently begging him to wake up.

Kara closed her mouth.

***

They were talking about her. Kara could tell.

Alex and J'onn were standing in the hallway, chatting in hushed tones. Mon-El stood off to the side, occasionally jumping in with a comment.

Her powers weren't fully back yet, but her hearing was already better than the average human's. She caught words like "trauma" and "mute" and sighed inwardly.

She wished more than anything that she could just talk, but something inside just wouldn't let her. It was frustrating beyond belief.

"Hey."

Kara jumped, startled. The memory of a Phantom ambushing her at the Anchor surfaced and she pushed it away. Lost in thought, she hadn't realized that Mon-El had made his way to her bedside.

His eyes widened in alarm. "Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to say, um..."

He swallowed, meeting her eyes as his next words came out in almost a whisper. "I'm really glad you're okay. When we thought you were dead..." He trailed off.

I missed you. The words bubbled up in Kara's throat, begging to be let out, and it was all she could do not to break the bedside table out of frustration. Instead, she just smiled weakly and hoped her eyes conveyed how she felt.

Mon-El cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyways, I'll, uh, I'll let you get some rest."

Don't go.

Kara watched helplessly as he walked away.

If only.

***

A knock sounded at the door and Kara started, almost knocking over her glass. Immediately, warm fingers wrapped over her own.

"It's okay," Alex muttered soothingly, rubbing her sister's shoulder. "It's just the door."

Kara nodded and smiled faintly. They were having a family dinner to celebrate her return, and the stress of having to interact with more than a few people at once was already getting to her. Ugh. It didn't use to be like this.

She steadied herself with a deep breath and opened the door to her apartment, stepping aside to let whoever it was in. Or at least, she tried to. As soon as she stepped away, a pair of arms pulled her back and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

Winn. The name echoed in Kara's mind and she blinked back tears, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

"Oh, I can't believe you're really here," he whispered hoarsely, breaking the hug to cup her face in his hands. Kara chuckled through her tears.

Winn then moved to greet J'onn, Alex, and Mon-El, and Kara leaned against the counter, surveying them all. All those moments in the Phantom Zone, crying silent tears and mumbling a prayer for Rao to bring her back to the people she loved. She couldn't believe she was finally home.

Home. Jix-Til's face flashed in her mind, grief clouding his eyes as he told her of the two people who were his home. He wanted so badly to escape...now he never would, thanks to Nyxly.

Or was it because of her? Kara had spent so much time convincing him to have hope, to believe that they were going to escape. He had distrusted Nyxly, but Kara had waved away his concerns. Perhaps the only villain in this situation was her.