an: so i opened a page and this fell onto it. it's the surprise actor au you didn't know you wanted! unbeta's, so mistakes are all mine. mon-el is mike matthews for the purposes of this story.
i should also note that i know almost nothing about how to tv show, and most of the stuff i do know comes from an unhealthy obsession with those bts things on dvds. apologies for any glaring inaccuracies.

Is This the End for Supergirl?

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Kara Danvers, former Supergirl actress and darling of the silver screen, was seen yesterday leaving an audition for a daytime soap. Danvers, a relative unknown before her meteoric rise to stardom as lead of the acclaimed LuthorFilm franchise, has struggled to find work since the spectacular financial crash of the studio and arrest of studio head Lex Luthor twelve months ago. Industry insiders speculate—

"I've told you not to read that trash," a voice said from above Kara as the magazine was plucked from her hands.

"They're calling me a washed-up starlet, Alex!" Kara whined, letting her hands flop dramatically to the floor as her sister tossed the magazine to land among the remains of their Sister Night mess on the coffee table and sat down next to her.

"Is that why you're sitting upside-down on my couch in your pyjamas at two in the afternoon?"

"I'm hiding. James is looking for me," she grumbled. "He wants me to audition to host a game show. A game show. I hate game shows." Kara could feel Alex rolling her eyes. "Maybe Noonan's is hiring. I make awesome coffee."

"C'mere." Alex pushed her legs off the back of the couch, swinging Kara around so Kara's head was in her lap and gently carded her fingers through her hair. "You're an amazing actor. Something will come along." Kara's heart ached at the guilt in her sister's tone, but Alex continued before she could say anything. "Now get up and put some grown-up clothes on."

"Why? And why are you home from work so early?" Kara asked, grabbing Alex's wrist to look at her watch.

"I took a half-day. Maggie's coming over."

That made Kara sit up. "Maggie? Are you two…?"

"She coming to get the rest of her stuff," Alex said, standing and turning away. "It's fine."

Kara stood, wanting to hug her sister but unsure if Alex would accept it. Although Alex had told her repeatedly that she had nothing to do with it, Kara couldn't help but feel responsible for Alex and Maggie's breakup. Alex had been too focused on digging Kara out of her post-Supergirl funk to notice the cracks forming in her own relationship, and by the time she realised she and Maggie had grown so far apart it was too late to fix it.

Alex turned to face her, saw Kara's hesitation and pulled her into a hug anyway. "It wasn't your fault. We just….wanted different things." She released her and poked the crinkle between Kara's eyes, earning a smile and half-hearted smack. "Now go call James before he comes here looking for you. I haven't seen him since you two stopped dating, and I've got too much to do to pull the Scary Cop Big Sister act."

"Okay firstly, you work in White Collar Crime, not scary, and secondly, he wouldn't believe it from you anyway. He's seen you cry during Love, Actually." Alex pulled a face of mock outrage and started towards her, but Kara laughed and danced out her reach, heading for the bedroom where she kept a spare set of clothes. She changed quickly, and moved back into the living room to find Alex sitting on the sofa again, staring at her phone.

"Do you want me to stay?" Kara asked, making her sister flinch and lock her phone hurriedly.

"No, its fine," Alex said, standing and pulling Kara into another hug then pushing her gently towards the door. "You have to go be a movie star."

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Hey," Kara caught Alex's wrist. "I love you."

Alex smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I love you too. Now go, or you have to help me clean up."

Kara pulled a face and scrambled towards the door, hearing Alex's laugh echo behind her as she left.

…

There was a time, not so long ago, that Kara couldn't just walk down the street without being mobbed by either fans or paparazzi. But interest in her had plummeted since she'd stopped working, to the point where if she went out like this – hair messily pulled up and face hidden behind oversized sunglasses – most people didn't even give her a second glance.

At that time of day in downtown National City, her Uber only took five minutes to show up, and Kara dropped gratefully into the car. James called her twice during the drive but Kara muted both calls, instead chatting easily with the driver, a friendly middle-aged man who hadn't looked too closely at his passenger. As a result, it wasn't until he pulled over in front of her building and she thanked him before getting out that he recognised her.

"Hey, aren't you—" he started, but Kara just gave him a friendly wave and disappeared inside her building, nodding to the doorman who held the door for her.

Her phone rang for the third time as she kicked the door of her apartment shut behind her, and Kara gave in and answered it gingerly. "James, I really don't wanna host Celebrity Wheel of Fortune…"

"Hello to you too," her manager replied with a smile in his voice. "Don't worry about that. The deal fell through anyway."

"Oh." Kara was surprised to find she was disappointed. She really hadn't wanted to squeeze into a sequin dress and mock other vaguely famous people twice a week, but she'd thought she'd at least get that job if she tried for it. She was beginning to think that the fallout from Supergirl really had left her as 'toxic and unemployable' as the tabloids were suggesting. "Okay…"

"No, Kara, it's fine. I'm actually calling with good news this time. Dusklight wants you."

"What?" Kara nearly dropped the phone. Dusklight was a ratings juggernaut of a show. "But—"

"I know. Apparently the showrunner's a fan. Or knows someone who's a fan. Either way, you're on a shortlist to audition for a regular love interest they're introducing after the hiatus. I'll send you the pages in the morning."

"But—" Kara said again, trying to work through her surprise. Lately, she'd had to google the shows James sent her to audition for, but not this time. Dusklight was a prime-time drama midway through its second season that some English major of a critic had dubbed 'detective-cape-punk', and it was popular enough that the network had already renewed it through to its fifth season. It starred Mike Matthews as Jaxon Price, an NCPD detective who'd come out of a sting-gone-wrong with shadowy powers he didn't understand and couldn't fully control. The show was critically acclaimed for the depth of its storytelling and character arcs, and appearing on it had been a secret dream of Kara's ever since she and Alex had started watching it. There was only one problem.

"James, that's Lena Luthor's show!"

Lena Luthor, sister of the infamous Lex Luthor, co-starred as Isabelle Lewis, the medical examiner that Price had gone to for help. She had weathered the storm surrounding her brother's downfall gracefully, largely through the backing of showrunner Cat Grant, one of the most influential women in the industry. The famously media-shy star's dislike of all things related to LuthorFilm was legendary, however, and Kara was certain that, as former lead of the studio's biggest franchise, she definitely fell into that category.

"Kara, Cat Grant herself sent me this request. You have to go," James said, forestalling any more of Kara's objections. "Besides, if you get this, even as a recurring, you could have work for years."

Kara sighed. It really was a good opportunity, and she wasn't in the position to be turning down work at this point. "Okay, I'll go. But if she kills me I'm telling Alex it was your fault."

…

The audition was no different to any other audition Kara had done lately, except that there were only four other women trying for the part. 'James wasn't kidding about a shortlist,' she thought to herself, glancing around and realising that she recognised everyone in the room from one role or another.

As far as Kara could tell, the audition went well. The part was for a detective, a partner and love interest to lead actor Mike Matthews' character, and Kara felt she cheated a little by just going into the room pretending to be Alex. There was a difference between actual detective and TV detective, but the casting director seemed satisfied with her performance, and even Cat Grant seemed… not happy, but definitely not unhappy, and Kara left the audition feeling better about her performance than she had in a while.

The producers obviously agreed with her, because two days later James called her saying they wanted her to go in for a chemistry read.

"It's between you and one other," he told her, and Kara had arrived at the studio to see the 'one other' was Leslie Willis, an actor whose most recent show had been cancelled after one season.

Leslie looked her up and down as she entered, then scoffed. "You're my competition? Shit, I've got this in the bag, then."

Kara wasn't sure what to say to that, but was saved from having to respond by the appearance of Cat's assistant. "We're ready for you, Ms Willis. Ms Danvers, just wait here for a bit, it won't be long."

Leslie shot her another look as she followed the woman into the other room, but Kara ignored her and settled into a couch near the door. There was a low table covered in old magazines along the opposite wall, and Kara reached for one until she saw her own name on the cover. Grimacing, she tossed it back onto the table and pulled out her phone instead, opening twitter and scrolling idly through her mentions. There was nothing earth shattering in them, but it kept her occupied until the door opened again and Leslie swaggered out, looking her over as she left.

"See ya, Supergirl," she said with a smirk, and Kara resisted the urge to poke her tongue out at her retreating form as she stood and followed Cat's assistant into the back room. Cat Grant and the casting director from last time were both there, along with two other men that Kara guessed were network people, based on their expensive suits and bored expressions.

Kara opened her mouth to introduce herself, but before she could say anything, the woman in front of her stopped abruptly, causing Kara to stumble into the arms of a man she hadn't noticed standing nearby.

"Woah there," said her saviour, supporting her until she righted herself. "Falling for me already, eh?" Kara blushed and opened her mouth to apologise, but the words died on her tongue as she recognised Mike Matthews. He smiled at her disarmingly, which only served to rattle her further.

"You may begin," Cat ordered from behind the desk, her expression faintly amused, and Kara stepped away from the star and struggled to fall into character.

They ran through the scene, but Kara was still flustered and off balance, and she was certain she'd blown it until Mike broke character halfway through a line and turned to Cat.

"I want this one," he declared, as though Kara was a doll instead of a person, and she was caught between being offended and delighted that she might not have screwed this up.

The casting director had lent over and was whispering in Cat's ear, but she waved him away and surveyed the two actors in front of her with narrowed eyes. The silence stretched painfully, and Kara did her best to channel Alex and not fidget under the scrutiny. Finally, Cat's face spilt into a leonine grin, which should have been a good sign but did nothing to help Kara's unease.

"I'll have a contract drawn up and sent to your people. Congratulations, Ms Danvers. But lose the glasses, they make you look like a librarian."

It took a moment for Kara to process the words, but when she did her heart soared. She almost bounced through her thanks you's and farewell, and it wasn't until she was dropping into the car, practically vibrating with excitement, that she realised that interacting with Lena Luthor, the woman whose brother had almost ended her career, had gone from hypothetical possibility to inevitable certainty.

an: not a kar*mel story, i swear.