"Ms Luthor?"

Lena turns away from the window towards the voice of her new assistant, Hector.

"Ms Luthor, your Mother has called again. She asks that you please call her back today," Hector relays the message as requested. The CEO made it quite clear that her mother's calls are never to be sent to voicemail and he should always take a message.

"Thank you," Lena replies turning back towards the window and looking out over the city. A city that she never wanted to return to, but after the government quarantined National City, what choice did she have but to return to Metropolis.

Lena looks again at the package on her desk, it mysteriously appeared overnight. She carefully reviewed all of the security footage for any sign of how it came to be on her desk. But all the footage shows is one minute her desk is empty and then the next shows the package sitting here. Confident that the package cannot be traced to anyone, she opened it and examined each vial carefully. Nothing about them looked normal. She couldn't quite describe it, but somehow they felt and looked otherworldly. Closing up the box, she sets a folder on top of it and presses the intercom.

"Hector," she says and waits for his reply.

"Yes, Ms Luthor."

"I'm going to be working in the lab for the rest of the day, send my lunch there and cancel my afternoon meetings," Lena instructs.

"Should I reschedule them for later this week?" He asks.

Lena contemplates the question for a moment, before responding.

"No, I am starting a new project and I'm not sure what it's going to entail just yet," she replies.


Kara sighs. It has been one month since the quarantine was lifted. And while National City and CATCO have mostly been restored, the same cannot be said about her life. After fighting Kal-El, she then had to fight Rhea. And during that fight Mon-El was exposed to the lead dust and almost died, which Kara knew nothing about until a few weeks ago when she finally woke up from blowing out her powers in the fight to save Earth. While she hates that she wasn't consulted, she is grateful that Alex was able to stabilize him. It was Kal-El who made the decision to put him in stasis and send him to the Phantom Zone. A decision that she never would have agreed to, after spending 24 years in the phantom zone, she wouldn't wish that on anyone. And while it all weighs heavily on the hero, it's nothing compared to losing Lena's trust and friendship.

"Kara?" Cat's voice startles her.

The blonde looks up towards the door to see the perfectly put together vision that is Cat Grant.

"Are you ready?" Cat inquires softly.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Kara asks as she stands up and smooths down her skirt.

"I really think it will help," Cat offers.

"O-okay," Kara answers hesitantly.

Cat crosses the room and takes the hero's arm and turns her towards the full length mirror. "Look," she says stepping out of the reflection. "It's just a small ceremony honoring you for everything that you did to save the city," Cat reminds her.

"I don't feel like a hero, my best friend hates me and my boyfriend almost died and half of the city was destroyed," Kara replies morosely.

"Oh Kara," Cat exclaims moving to stand behind her. "None of that is your fault. And Lena Luthor of all people should understand why you kept your secret identity from her. And if your boyfriend truly believed in you, he wouldn't have put himself in harm's way."

"He never listened to me," Kara laments.

"And this time it cost him dearly," Cat points out.

"I shouldn't have gotten so close to Lena, I knew that she would be upset when she found out the truth, but I really thought that she would understand," Kara confesses.

"Kara, she might come around yet, it's only been a few weeks," Cat reminds her supportively.

"She hung up on me twice and now she's changed her number," Kara replies sadly.

"You know, I'll be in Metropolis next week, would you like me to visit her on your behalf?" Cat offers.

"Oh gosh, I don't know if that is a good idea. She feels betrayed that I didn't trust her. I don't think that there is anything that you can do to fix that," Kara replies as they leave for the ceremony.


"Ms Luthor, there is someone here to see you," Hector announces over the intercom.

"Hector, I said no interruptions," Lena replies impatiently pressing the button.

"She says that you owe her an interview," Hector begins to explain, but then there's a slight jostling and the unmistakeable voice of Cat Grant fills her lab.

"The L-Corp building is an eyesore and the mayor wants to know what you're planning to do about it?"

Lena sighs heavily before punching the button again, "Put her in the executive conference room, I'll be up in ten minutes," she instructs her assistant.

"Yes, Ms Luthor." He replies as Cat scoffs in the background.


Cat paces the conference room impatiently. She knows that Kara pointedly asked her not to do this and technically, she is abiding by that request. However, she did contact the mayor to inquire about what was happening with the L-Corp building. Predictably, he told her that his calls to the Metropolis had gone unreturned. Cat, of course, offered to help and now she's here on his behalf, not Kara's.

"At least your assistant is somewhat competent," Cat grouses when Lena finally enters the conference room.

"I find it difficult to believe that you would come all the way to Metropolis without making an appointment," Lena challenges.

"I am the keynote speaker at the Women in Media event tomorrow night," Cat replies with a shrug. "However, the Mayor did ask me to meet with you and find out what you intend to do about your building. He mentioned that you weren't taking appointments, so I thought maybe I'd just drop in and take a chance," she offers slyly.

Lena sighs. Even though she knew that it was inevitable that the National City media would come calling, it's just that she expected it would be Kara using it as an excuse to see her. She never expected it would be Cat Grant in person.

"Well, I am not prepared to make a statement today, so this meeting is off the record," Lena says sharply, she is not going to let this woman intimidate her.

The media queen rolls her eyes and stuffs her note pad back into her purse. "So off the record, why have you abandoned National City?" She queries.

Lena takes a breath and let's it out slowly. "Well, since the city was under quarantine and my building was heavily damaged, it made sense to relocate back to Metropolis," she replies.

"Now, that sounds a lot like a formal statement. Tell me the off the record response," Cat chides.

"It's none of your business," Lena snaps back at her.

Cat smiles smugly, Lena just admitted that her reasons for leaving were personal.

"I am sure that you are aware that the city engineers have deemed your building to be structurally sound. Demolition seems a bit extreme. I don't understand why you are so willing to walk away this, when you could salvage it with a few phone calls and get everything back on track," Cat lectures, watching the brunette carefully to see if she comprehends the underlying message.

Lena walks away from her to the window and gazes out over the city a moment. Lena wonders if Kara knows that Cat is here on her behalf.

"Or," she begins. "Or I could demolish the building myself, it might be cathartic," Lena quips.

Cat smirks, she is surprised how much she likes this young woman.

"I'll have my assistant send you my official statement by the end of the week," Lena says standing up to leave.

Cat groans inwardly, she was trying not to be direct, but she has no choice now.

"Lena, you're not the only one that she lied to. Hell, she not only lied to me, she used a shape-shifter to convince me that I was mistaken," Cat confesses.

"I am not discussing this with you. Why do you even care?" Lena asks abruptly turning the tables on her.

"She was devastated after the invasion, Lena. She lost everything and you, her supposedly best friend, bailed on her," Cat retorts sharply, just a hint of emotion creeping into her voice.

"And you care about her? Who are you kidding Cat? You're only protecting your investment, you see her as an extension of your brand. Helping her, helps you," Lena points out sharply.

"I can see that I am wasting my time here. If you were really her friend, then you would know that Kara protects those whom she loves fiercely. The invasion could have been ended quickly with one shot from the positron canon. The President ordered it, but Kara insisted on having time to save to attempt a rescue. She went so far as to work with your mother to make it happen. And yes she may have lied to you, but sometimes lying to people is the best way to keep them safe," Cat counters seething with anger.

Lena pauses thoughtfully, but doesn't want to let Cat to know that she hit her mark.

"Kara's lies didn't keep me safe," she retorts angrily. "If she would have just trusted me, I could have helped her."

"But you had to know that she was Supergirl," Cat argues back.

Lena pauses a moment because it's true. She had long suspected that her friend was Supergirl, it was the only explanation for the many times that Supergirl saved her from harm. She'd never admit it to Cat Grant though.

"Let the Mayor know that I don't give a damn about what he does to the L-Corp building," she snaps before turning abruptly and leaving the room.


Cat sighs. Well at least she tried, even though she believes that Kara is better off without having Lena Luthor in her life. And National City is definitely a better place without the Luthors, she reminds herself. The CEO stares out the window of her private jet, she was shocked to notice that Lena had put on quite a bit of weight. Perhaps she is a stress eater, Cat muses.

"Ms Grant, is there anything that I can get for you?" The attendant asks approaching the executive.

"Water and please see that I am not disturbed until we are about to land," Cat replies setting up her laptop on the table in front of her.

"Yes Ms Grant," the attendant responds before backing out of the cabin.


The hero flies over the city and for a moment everything is fine, but then she spots the damaged L-Corp building and it all comes back to her. Lena's face went from happy to furious as soon as she uttered the words, 'Kara Danvers sent me'. The phrase had become a crutch that she couldn't stop using to explain why Supergirl always seemed to know when Lena needed her. But this time it was completely unnecessary for her to say it, which is probably what led to Lena figuring it out.

She sighs again as she hovers above the building and wonders if she will ever not think of her friend when she flies past it. With any luck the city will demolish it and remove the reminder for her, Kara thinks, although this building isn't the only thing to remind her of the loss. The invaders destroyed the entire block where she lived. Kara lost everything she owned. It was Cat who immediately stepped in and took care of her, setting her up in an apartment a few floors below the penthouse. She furnished it and by the time Kara was released from the DEO infirmary, Cat's personal shopper had also filled the closet with clothing for her as well.


Flying back to the penthouse she lands softly on the balcony outside the living room. The door is unlocked because Cat is expecting her for dinner.

Not yet comfortable in Cat's home, Kara enters the living room slowly, trying to sense where Cat is without being too intrusive.

"Am I early?" Kara asks leaning against the door jamb of the office.

"Ha, you are never early," Cat teases. "But you are on time at least," she says closing the laptop.

"I saw your speech on the news, inspiring as always," Kara says brightly, but the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"I saw Lena Luthor," Cat says deciding to take the bull by the horns.

"I asked you not to do that," Kara huffs and her hand immediately goes to her glasses, which aren't there, so she settles for running her hand through her hair instead.

"Well, the mayor asked me to try to talk her into repairing her building, he doesn't want to see it demolished," Cat explains.

Kara rolls her eyes, she doesn't need x-ray vision to see through Cat's explanation.

"You should go see her and just apologize," Cat suggests. "I'm sure that once you explain everything..."

"She asked me to leave her alone," Kara interrupts her. "And I need to respect that."