Kara's glad she's kneeling, or else she would have staggered, her stomach swooping and her mind reeling as she tries to comprehend it. Time travel. Actual, real-life time travel. It's like something out of a B movie sci-fi film, except there's no denying it's actually happening. She's back at that morning, ducking the same bullets from the same four gunmen while the fifth goes after…

Lena! Peeking around the edge of her cape, she can just make out the leader stalking towards the far end of the courtyard, where Lena's wrestling against her security guard's grip.

The sight of the other woman's struggles finally spur Kara into action, and she wheels out from under her cape to face the men. The one on the far left springs forward first, just as he had before, and Kara lets him run straight towards her before grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and lifting him high in an arc over her head, slamming him back down face-first into the ground. The second man's on her as she turns around, and she drives her fist into his stomach. As he bends in half, all the air whooshing from his lungs, she brings a knee up into his face, then her joined fists down onto his back, making him drop like a sack of potatoes.

The other men have already turn tail and run by the time she looks up. She springs over the sprawled bodies of the unconscious gunmen, sprinting towards the leader before she focuses her laser vision on him and blasts the gun in his hands.

She almost forgets about the returning gunman until she feels the patter of bullets on her back. Taking to the air, she quickly turns his shots back on himself, dropping him once more.

She's almost relieved when the leader once again disappears into the getaway van, because it means a least she at least still kept him from Lena.

The courtyard unfreezes once more, and Kara calms the civilians before landing beside Lena.

"You're okay?" she confirms. She touches Lena's bicep where she has been rubbing at it, her fingers brushing lightly over her skin. But then Lena stiffens, just slightly, and Kara immediately pulls away, remembers she's on duty and that, for Lena at least, they haven't just walked off a dance floor hand in hand.

Lena quickly slides on her professional mask. She lifts her chin slightly, hiding her trembling hands behind her back. "Yes, thank you, Supergirl."

Ignoring the clench in her chest and turning to the bodyguard, Kara says, "I'll escort her up to her office, Leo, if… that's okay?" Kara looks back towards Lena for her permission, missing how startled he looks that Supergirl knows his name.

"Of course," Lena grants. "You may go, Leo. Thank you."

He nods to her, lets his fingers linger at his forehead as he salutes to Kara, then heads towards the lobby, glancing back briefly before disappearing inside.

Kara lets her hands hang at her sides as she walks Lena inside, trying not to crowd her, even though her fingers tingle with how close she is. Although she knows it's clear, she does one last sweep with her x-ray vision around Lena's office before shepherding the woman inside and closing the door behind them.

She watches as Lena takes up position behind her desk, the sleek white surface as expansive as any ocean dividing them. The ache in her chest springs up with a vengeance.

"I suppose I owe you my life thrice over now." Lena finally turns towards her with that rueful smile.

Kara's been waiting for that, trying to figure out a better way to express her thoughts to Lena, to prevent that wounded look she had caused the first time they had this conversation. "You don't owe me anything. I wanted to save you."

Lena's arms slide from their fold, and she looks at Kara with… well, she looks confused. Like what Kara said doesn't make sense.

Before she can puzzle that out, there comes a knock at the door, causing Lena to flinch. Kara doesn't need her x-ray vision to assure her, "It's just the agents here to debrief you." She steps over to the door, admitting Alex and the two other agents.

Alex dismisses the others to do their sweep of the building, then she and Lena sit down at her desk for Lena's debriefing.

Kara takes up her place near Lena's painting, still watching Lena as she speaks. But now her mind is full of string quintets and spinning and Lena's soft, cool skin under her fingers…

She's once more yanked from daydreaming when Alex and Lena rise from their conversation. She joins them just as Alex tries to caution, "Your best course of action would be to lay low for the day, cancel any plans you have -"

Lena's voice is just as firm a second time. "I can't."

Alex shoots a stunned look at Kara, who does her best to return it, although the news is no longer news to her.

"I have a charity auction tonight," Lena continues. "Perhaps you've caught word of it? I've been planning it for weeks. I can't just cancel last minute."

Kara takes a step forward, unable to help herself. "Miss Luthor, please, don't put your safety at risk for this, not after everything..."

"My brother is jail. Now so is my mother." Now that the words aren't coming as such as shock, Kara notices how Lena's hands are pressed in tight fists against her sides. "I'm the only Luthor left, and I plan to start using that name for good. This event is going to benefit charities all across the city. I won't cancel it just because I'm at risk again."

Kara tries again. "Miss Luthor…"

"I'm sorry, Supergirl, that's my decision."

Alex lays her hand on Kara's shoulder. "Well if we can't convince you to cancel, will you at least allow Supergirl to go and keep an eye on things?"

"Of course. I'd be glad to have her."

Lena's soft gaze doesn't fail to make her melt, but Kara keeps her nod serious as she says, "I'll be there."

Alex excuses them, and Kara can't stop a soft sigh from escaping her lips as she watches Lena through the door once more. This time, she's prepared for Alex's eye roll when she turns back around, and just gives her a light shove. "Quit that."

Unfortunately her pout ruins the whole effect, and Alex just ends up laughing as they make their way down the corridor.

She debates the merits of faking like she doesn't know what the weapon is and going through blueprint upon blueprint again, just to make sure she doesn't mess with the past. But really, what is she, some kind of saint? She can't go through that again. Plus, it'll give the DEO extra time to search for the gun and the man who tried to wield it.

"It's a Malorian temporal rifle," Kara tills Winn.

"Sounds intense," he says as he turns to his computer to bring the specs up. "So you've seen one before?"

Kara fidgets. "You could say that."

As he exclaims over the rifle's abilities, she can't help but ask, "Would boosting the power of one make it possible for someone to use it for time travel?" At twin surprised glances, she adds, "Hypothetically."

Winn scratches the back of his head. "I don't know, I don't think they're built like that. But hypothetically, if you messed with one enough, I suppose the energy could be used do some wacky time travel stuff."

Alex and Winn look at each other, and Kara can see in their eyes they're about to ask why, and she knows she can't come up with a good enough lie, so she blurts, "We should tell J'onn Cadmus is behind this."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing," Alex says, her brow furrowing. "I'll go talk to him."

She stalks away, and Kara and Winn watch her for a moment before he turns back to her with a quirked eyebrow. Thankfully, she has an easy excuse to escape.

"I have to run, it's Snapper, I have a meeting and if I really push it…"

Winn's eyes widen in sympathetic panic. "Go, go." He flaps his hands at her, shooing her away.

With a sigh of relief, she jogs out of the building, taking off and making it to CatCo just in time for Snapper to call the journalists to order.

Snapper's still angry; she might as well have just missed the meeting again for how far away her thoughts are. But the promise of a first-hand account of the attack works again, and she does her best to write it from memory as precisely as only problem is that she had been distracted when she wrote it the first time, and is now even more discomposed by the brain-liquifying knowledge that she's in the past. The draft ends up taking just as long as the first time she wrote it, and she feels like she's itching out of her skin by the time she throws herself off the roof at lunch time.

As she flies, she argues with herself over whether actually trying to stop Lena from throwing the charity auction is a good idea. But she's already changed one thing, so why not another?

She doesn't change back into her regular clothes this time, instead landing on Lena's balcony in full Supergirl gear. Maybe a little distance will help her stay focused enough to talk Lena out of the auction. And since Supergirl's already going, she can't derail her concentration by springing an invitation on her.

She pushes through the glass door, her hands going to her hips as Lena spins to face her.

"Supergirl!" she exclaims, hopping to her feet. She smiles, red lips framing dazzling white teeth. "Twice in one day, this is a surprise."

Kara nods to her, wandering further into the office as she gathers her thoughts. She doesn't quite look at Lena as she says, "I came to see if you'd changed your mind about the auction."

Lena's eyes grow steely as her smile fades. "I've already told you my decision."

"But Miss Luthor," and even though she's not quite looking, she still catches Lena's slight flinch at the name, "it's dangerous. Your life is at risk."

Lena flicks her wrist in a careless gesture. "If I canceled my plans every time I got a death threat I'd never leave my apartment. This is nothing I can't handle."

Kara frowns at that, but continues. "I know I've helped you before, and I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but it would make me feel a lot better if you weren't in danger at all."

Lena chuckles mirthlessly, folding her arms across her chest. "It would make your life a lot easier, wouldn't it."

Now Kara does turn to face her, her arms dropping from her hips. "That's not the point. Miss Luthor, I don't want to see you hurt. I hope you can recognize by now that I… respect you." She stumbles at the end of the sentence, almost saying something inappropriate. Something like "I like you." Something that feels like a little bit more than "like."

Lena must catch her hesitation, because she seems unconvinced, her mouth slanting in a hard line. "Be that as it may be, I still refuse to cancel this charity auction. There's so much good that can be achieved from it."

Kara huffs in frustration, pacing a few feet away before turning back. "I feel like I don't understand. You've already saved the city! Everyone knows you turned Lillian in. There's nothing else you need to prove."

Lena laughs again, and it's colder than the air above the clouds. "Are you really so naive? To much of the public, turning my mother in means almost nothing. It could be a ruse, or some kind of plot. To them, my name precludes all." She turns away to look out the wide windows, her arms tight across her chest. "So yes, there is more to prove. There's everything to prove."

Kara takes a step forward, raises her hand, hesitates. What can she say, really? Because Lena's right. There's a segment of the population - a large one, no matter how Kara wishes otherwise - that only sees Lena's last name. That judge her by her family's actions instead of her own.

But she has to try. "I know I can't really understand what your life is like. But I do know that there are people in this city, good people, that realize that you're trying to move L-Corp in the right direction. The donors and guests involved in the charity auction must see that, and want to help the city just as much as you do, right? Don't you want to protect their safety, if not your own?"

Lena's shoulders tighten as she looks out the window, and Kara immediately realizes it was the wrong thing to say.

"This morning's events are already all over the news," Lena tersely tells the cityscape. "My guests will be able to figure out the risk of attending an event held by myself. Either they'll come or they won't. Most them will, though, for the sick thrill of being near someone who attracts so much danger."

"Maybe some, but I'm sure that won't be the majority. Most of them will be there for charity, so they'll understand if you have to put the auction off."

Lena finally looks over her shoulder, letting her head fall back slightly in a way that Kara recognizes all too well from Cat, a movement that looks lazy but is nothing if not keen and calculated. "You don't have much experience in the corporate world, do you? That's not how these types of things work."

She spins on her heel and steps over to the door to her balcony. "I'm sorry, Supergirl, but I'm not in the mood to explain the minutiae of my position to you. I've made my decision."

Kara understands the dismissal for what it is. After a moment's hesitation, she gives a terse nod. Striding over to the door, she pauses a moment as she's about to pass Lena.

"Even though I don't agree with what you're doing, Miss Luthor," she says quietly, "I'll still be there tonight. I meant what I said this morning. I want to protect you."

With that, she steps out onto the balcony and into the sky.

When she gets back to CatCo, Kara alternates between going through the multitude of edits Snapper suggested on her article and beating herself up over how awfully her conversation with Lena had gone. She had wanted to protect Lena, and all she had managed to do was make her angry and herself frustrated. She picks apart every word, trying to understand.

One comment she keeps getting stuck on is when Lena said Kara didn't understand how the corporate world works. It's not true, although Lena would have no idea she had learned the ins and outs of a CEO's position while at Cat Grant's beck and call. And yet, she finds that she doesn't really understand why the guests would be upset if the event was postponed or canceled, other than a lost opportunity for fundraising and a slight inconvenience in scheduling.

Kara thinks about it, and finally a realization hits her: networking. That's what this event really is to the majority of the guests, and likely the donors. Sure, there are those who would appreciate the true charitable, good nature of the event and support Lena's cause. Others would see it as a way to boost their reputations. But all would recognize it for the opportunity to build business relationships. After all, hadn't that been her job as Cat's assistant, when planning all her functions? To set up the interactions that would be the most advantageous to her boss? Hadn't she watched Cat doing the same kind of deceptive dance, the same subtle push and pull of information disguised as party chatter?

She knows through her experience as Cat's assistant that connections are worth almost more than gold in the business world. And breaking them can be disastrous. Especially for a newly appointed CEO of a company fighting to get from beneath an unsavory reputation.

Kara puts her head in her hands with a heavy sigh, feeling like a total jerk. If she's trying to get Lena to trust her as Supergirl, being incredibly dense isn't the best way to do it.

As she sits with her elbows on the desktop, hands covering her face, a knock comes from the open door. "Kara?"

Kara's head whips up at the voice. There, standing in her doorway, smiling a slightly hesitant crooked smile, is Lena.

Kara's too surprised to do much more than blink at her for a moment.

"Lena!" she cries, unable to fight the grin forming on her face as she scrambles out of her seat. She hurriedly gestures Lena inside, pointing her to one of the small chairs she had set up in the corner and dropping into the other. "Hi! I- You're in my office!"

Lena smiles at her, the glances around the room. "I went looking for you in the journalism department and they directed me up here. This is a cute little space."

"Oh, thank you." Kara blushes and adjusts her glasses. She had done her best to brighten up the small room with colorful artwork and flowering plants. She had even gotten one of those pink rock salt lamps. "Miss Grant gave me this office before she took her sabbatical. I wouldn't mind your wall of windows though," she added, gesturing to the four very windowless walls.

They share a laugh before quieting back down. There's a moment of silence as Lena lets her eyes roam around the office, but it's not as awkward as Kara might have expected.

Finally, Kara speaks up. "Um, is there something wrong? I mean, of course there is, I was there, when the…" She moves her hands, miming shooting lasers and flying figures until she stops with a flush, realizing she's not using her words. "Anyway, I meant, are you doing okay?"

She shuffles forward in her chair until their knees are almost touching, putting on her best listening face. Maybe if she's as supportive as she can be now, it'll make up a little for being so brusque before.

Lena gives her a soft smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

Her knee moves against Kara's, a barely-there brush before moving away that's probably purely accidental, but it sends a flutter through Kara's belly anyway.

"Okay, if you're sure," she says. "But even if you're not - sure, that is, or not okay - you know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know, Kara. So I hope you'll believe me when I say I really am all right."

Kara nods, and Lena's smile grows a little nervous. "I came to see you because there's something I'd like to ask you."

Kara looks up. In her fixation on her earlier conversation, she had totally forgotten about Lena asking Kara-her to go to the auction.

"Would you like to come to the charity auction tonight? I'm sorry for asking so last minute, I had just thought…"

"Did you think I'd say no?"

Lena fidgets briefly with the visitor's badge clipped to her blouse before admitting, "I, well, I was afraid that, with the way the last event I asked you to turned out, you might be… reluctant to accept an invitation from me again."

Kara leans forward, telling her earnestly, "Lena, you're my friend. I always love to spend time with you."

If the word "love" trips a little heavily from her tongue, she pretends not to notice.

"Good," Lena says. Kara watches as her shoulders relax, her hands stilling in her lap. "That's… I'm glad to hear. In that case, I'll see you there? It starts at 8 o'clock."

"Okay, yeah, 8 o'clock it is."

There's another moment of silence as they smile at each other. There's something about Lena that makes all the tumult that usually surrounds Kara, the noise and bustle of the city that she can always hear in the background, just fade away. It's peaceful, and Kara finds she doesn't want it to end, so she asks, "Do you want to stay here for a bit?"

"I wish I could, but I really do need to be getting back to work," Lena tells her apologetically.

"Oh, of course, no problem."

Neither of them move for a second, until with a barely-there sigh Lena rises to her feet.

"I'm really glad you agreed to come tonight," she says softly as they cross to the door. "It honestly does mean a lot to have a true friend at these kinds of events."

The butterflies start up again as Kara says. "Of course. I - I wouldn't miss it."

Before she can stop herself, she reaches out to Lena's shoulder, dusting her fingers down her arm before quickly pulling them back.

"Bye, Lena," she whispers.

She's probably imagining things, by Lena's voice sounds a little breathless when she replies, "Goodbye, Kara."

She goes through the door, and Kara watches her walk down the hall until she turns the corner out of sight.

"Bye," Kara sighs, then returns to her desk to put the finishing touches on her article.

Kara fidgets through the briefing, then hurries down to the locker rooms to change into her dress. Alex walks in as Kara is putting the finishing touches on her hair, trying to get her now-purposeful flyaways to curl this way or that.

As Alex leans her hip against the counter, Kara turns her head from side to side, asking, "Do you think my hair looks nice?"

The corner of Alex's mouth quirks up, and she raises a brow as she pretends to look Kara over. "I think Lena will think so."

Kara thought she would be more prepared for the insinuation this time, but instead it just makes her blush harder than ever. "She - we're - I'm not -"

Alex can't entirely stifle a laugh as she bumps Kara with her shoulder. "Whatever you say, little sis."

Kara flushes through the rest of her teasing - and her tacit support - then hurries out of the DEO and to the ballroom. The heavy arched doors now look ominous instead of striking, and she can't help but look around anxiously as the bouncer checks her name from his list.

As she enters, she does a quick scan to make sure everything is as she remembers - quintet in their corner, socialites scattered across the floor, fancy baubles on velvet tablecloths lining the walls - before the crowd grows silent and Lena steps up to the microphone.

Kara is struck again by the elegance of this woman, her silky hair tied up in a sleek coiffure, the dress hugging her slender curves, her creamy pale shoulder where Kara's hand had rested just hours ago - at least for her. She starts weaving her way through the crowd before Lena even fully finishes her speech, wanting to greet her as soon as she comes down off the platform.

Lena catches sight of her as she turns away from the microphone, a smile blooming across her lips. Kara's heart gives a painful thud before Lena picks her way down the steps at the edge of the stage in her heels.

"Kara!" she greets. "I'm so glad you could make it. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the door, I had to make my introductory speech."

Kara waves her explanation away with a grin. "No it's okay. It was very good."

"Thank you." Gesturing around the ballroom, Lena asks, "So, what do you think?"

"It's wonderful, Lena," Kara tells her, following her gaze out to the mingling crowd. "I've been to events and galas before for Cat, but this is…" She looks back at Lena, a her stomach swooping when she catches pale green eyes. "This is something else."

Lena guides her further into the ballroom, her fingers barely brushing the skin of Kara's elbow. "In that case, I'll try to make it pleasurable for you."

They only get a few steps before Kara realizes she should really put in an appearance as Supergirl before she forgets like last time.

"I saw you have a bar," she says, thumbing in its direction. "Do you want something? I figure you don't have punch."

Lena laughs. "Sorry, I don't think I ordered punch. But some champagne would be lovely."

"Great, I'll be right back."

Kara squeezes away through the crowd, then down a back hallway until she finds a small supply closet to change in. In no time she's in full regalia and swooping in through the door to the balcony.

She gently drifts down next to Lena, who's in conversation with another businessman. They both glance up in surprise when her feet touch down.

"Hope you don't mind if I interrupt," she says, sparing the man only a passing glance before fixing her eyes on Lena.

Lena simply lifts one eyebrow. "Supergirl."

Kara winces internally at the cool reception. "Miss Luthor. I just wanted to thank you for inviting me. I know that this auction means a lot to you, and I realize how much good you can achieve from it."

It seems like Lena catches the echo of their disastrous conversation, the apology Kara is trying to make, because her face softens and she gives a small nod.

"I'm glad you were able to make it."

"You may not see me much tonight, but I'll be around, keeping an eye on things." Kara tells her, settling her hands on her hips. "Making sure it doesn't get too… rowdy."

At the sorry attempt at a joke, Kara swears she sees the corner of Lena's lips curl up, just slightly, and it makes her heart soar.

Finally turning to the businessman standing beside them, she tells him, with as much sincerity as she can muster, "I hope you realize what a good business relation you have in Miss Luthor. She and L-Corp are going to go far."

He looks at her with the proper amount of awe, nodding vigorously. She gives them both a nod as she turns and takes back off.

She whizzes back into her dress and hurries to the bar to grab two flutes of champagne before returning to Lena's side.

"Oh, Kara! There you are. You just missed Supergirl again, you know."

"Did I?" Kara tries her best to look disappointed. "Oh jeez, I have the worst timing."

Lena takes one of the champagne flutes, raising it in a toast to the man before turning away. Kara follows her as she makes her rounds through the room, admiring all over again how truly good Lena is at playing the corporate game. They end back up at the refreshment table, where Kara takes it a little more easy on the mini sandwiches, her limbs tingling in expectation for what Lena is about to ask.

Finally, Lena sets her champagne glass onto the counter and holds out a hesitant hand towards Kara. "May I?"

"Yes," Kara says immediately, taking her hand and almost pulling Lena towards the dance floor in her excitement.

Lena lets out a laugh, tugging on Kara's hand a bit until she lets her take the lead. She gets them into position, her hand settling at Kara's shoulder blade, and Kara's stomach swoops in memory as well as anticipation.

The waltz is just as thrilling and breathtaking as it was the first time around, and Kara can't help but be hyper-aware of Lena's slender fingers against her back, her hand in hers firmly yet gently leading the way. She can't stop the bright peal of laughter as Lena spins her to a stop, her eyes fixing on Lena's lovely green ones.

Lena once again lets go as soon as the music ends, though this time Kara catches her fingers in a light squeeze before they fully slip away. She can't be sure, but she thinks she catches a light blush on Lena's cheeks as they curtsey to each other and step away from the dance floor.

"You dance very well, for never having been to a fancy ball before," Lena compliments as they make their way along the edge of the ballroom.

Kara ducks her head before looking back up at Lena with a shy smile. "Oh, well, thank you."

As they meander past the tables of items for auction, anxiety begins to churn in Kara's gut. She knows that it's growing closer to when the attackers show up, and she still hasn't formed any sort of plan for dealing with that temporal rifle.

She tries to go over her previous fight, to figure out where she could have done something different, but all she can think of is the woman by her side. It's totally irrational, but she can't stop thinking about how the leader had shouted at her to reveal Lena, frenetic hate shining in his eyes. She needs to get Lena out of there, or she knows she won't be able to focus on anything else all night.

"Want to go outside?" Kara asks, pointing towards the balcony. "It's so nice tonight, we could get some air…"

Lena nods, and they make their way up and out to the terrace. As they lean against the ledge, admiring the view, Kara tries to keep her nervous energy contained, but Lena must notice, because she asks, "Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no, I just," Kara thinks fast, trying to find a good excuse. She's already used the drinks one tonight… "I just need to use the restroom. I'm sorry, I'll be right back."

"No, that's fine. I'll be right here." Lena smiles warmly at her, and Kara feels the knot of anxiety in her chest loosen just slightly as she returns it.

It returns full force as soon as she makes her way back inside, and she slips into her Supergirl suit and back outside as quickly as she can.

As soon as she draws level with the balcony, she calls out to Lena, causing her to whirl around from where she had been gazing at the empty doorway.

"Oh! Supergirl, you startled me."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have bad news." Lena's face grows pale. "We've received word that a group of your attackers are headed this way. I need to get you out of here."

Lena turns to look back at the door. "But, Kara -"

"I'll come back for her, I promise. But I need to get you to safety first."

Kara floats over the railing and holds out her arms towards Lena, unwilling to violate her boundaries even now. Lena hesitates a moment, looking back towards the ballroom one more time, before nodding and stepping forward. Putting one arm behind her back and another under her knees, Kara scoops her up into her arms.

She wishes she could take a moment to savor this - Lena's form in her arms, the warm weight of her against her body, Lena's arms coming to wrap around her neck - but instead she only murmurs, "Hold on," before leaping back over the edge of the balcony.

She finds where Alex's squad is stationed fairly quickly and gently sets Lena down in front of her sister.

"Look after her."

Alex looks at her, her brow drawn in confusion. "Supergirl, what -"

With her super-hearing she catches the sounds of screams and the high whine of the temporal rifle. "They're already there."

Lena lets out a gasp and takes a step forward, but Alex catches her shoulder.

"Keep her safe," Kara tells her, then kicks back into the sky, racing back to the ballroom.

She dives through the door leading from the balcony and sticks a three-point landing right in front of the trio of gunmen. The sight of the jury-rigged gun still makes her shudder, this time with the added knowledge of what it can do when it goes wrong.

"You really shouldn't have messed with that," she tells the leader.

He leers at her as he gives it a heft. "You like? I made some upgrades. Should be able to take even you on, now."

She ducks away from his first shot, gesturing to the civilians still clustered behind her. "Run! Go!"

Taking the two flanking gunmen out with her laser-vision, she turns her attention to the leader. She tries to duck in close, to snatch the weapon from his hands, but he keeps up a steady stream of fire, and she has to focus most of her attention on just avoiding the beams.

"Where is she, Supergirlie?" he yells, firing shot after shot even as she leaps into the air. "Where's the Luthor?"

"Not here, jerk!" Kara yells back. "You're just gonna have to deal with me."

She continues to dip and dodge, keeping an eye out for - there! an opening.

She plunges down towards him, reaching out for the gun, when it emits a stuttered whining sound.

"No!" she cries, but even as she wrenches it from the man's hand, it explodes in a ball of blue-white light.