So after the long wait here's chapter 2 for you lovely bunch. I'm about six chapters ahead, so I've made a dent, well a slight one at least. Apologies once more.

Without further ado.


The plan had worked.

Her plan had worked.

She had done it.

Somehow – she didn't know how – she'd finally managed to bring her Mother down and had toppled CADMUS off its axis. Now Lillian Luthor was on her way to jail, probably to join her son in the same hole he'd been incarcerated in.

Lena sighed as she leaned lazily against her balcony, allowing the light winter breeze to whip around her, swilling the whiskey in the palm of her hand almost lazily.

She'd expected to feel triumphant in her victory. Elated and overjoyed that she'd finally managed to purge the world of the last true Luthor. The last Luthor who wanted to cause harm and not good. She truly thought she'd be beyond happy at the spectacular triumph and the manner she'd pulled it off in.

It should have been a victory to be proud of, a victory like no other. She'd become the hero and toppled the villain, she had taken the Queen off of the chessboard and had defeated the Grandmaster. She'd outplayed, outmanoeuvred and completely outsmarted her Mother, keeping herself three steps ahead of the dangerous game she'd been playing. Really the happiness should have been oozing from every single pore on her skin.

But it wasn't.

She felt empty almost, the victory a dreadfully hollow one. There was no joy, no happiness swirling within her. Instead there was this empty hole in the cavities of her chest where her heart had been not a few hours previously. The pain she'd felt had been numbed by the whiskey, and even though the crushing weight of the burden she once carried had been lifted, still she felt weak, still she felt small.

She thought she'd feel good at ending her Mother once and for all without a drop of blood being spilled, alien or human. Peacefully, tactically and calculatedly she'd ended her Mother's reign of terror on her own yet there was no reprieve, no sense of victory.

Instead she felt sad, terribly so. Because her Mother might have been a xenophobic psychopath but still…

…Still she was her Mother.

She was the only Mother Lena had ever had, as rubbish as she was. And no matter how much she told herself to stop loving her, that she didn't love her she knew she did. She knew she always would even after everything she'd done. Even with all the conflicting emotions she harboured towards her, the loathing, the hatred, the bitterness and the anger she still loved her.

Her love for Lillian couldn't save her however. Just like her love for her Father hadn't saved him and the love for her Brother didn't save him either. She couldn't help but feel that her love was a curse for it certainly wasn't a cure. Everyone she loved left her eventually, everyone who loved her fled her grasp.

She couldn't help but question if it was her who was the cause and not them.

The thought sent a shiver through her body, that hollowed ache becoming all the more prominent. It shook her to the very core at the mere thought. She'd never been shown love, not from her biological parents, not from her foster parents and not from her adopted parents either. How could she possibly know how to love properly if she'd never felt it herself.

Was she doing it wrong? Was there a way to love someone without pushing them away?.

Sadly she polished off the glass in her hands, vaguely aware that it had to have been her fourth or fifth, not that she was counting.

She couldn't even feel proud of her plan, a plan so Machiavellian the man himself would have been impressed because to pull it off she still had to be someone she wasn't. She wasn't true to herself. It wasn't Lena who'd pulled off the cunning slight of hand, it was Lena Luthor.

In order to fulfil it she'd had to become, had to embody, everything she hated about herself. Everything she hid, everything she buried and that niggling anger which burned beneath her armoured flesh had been brought to the surface in order to bring about her Mother's downfall.

She could understand, now, why the rest of her family wore that disposition. The power she'd felt as she became everything they embraced, the sense of superiority and complete invulnerability was nothing short of intoxicating. It was dizzyingly wonderful and the rush was like nothing she'd ever experienced and in those hours she felt as if she could take on the world and win.

But it was also the hardest few hours of her life however. Going against everything she believed, every one of her moral fibres, every single thing her instincts had been trained to push away… It was almost crippling. The armour she cloaked herself in, a poor man's strength, felt brittle against her bones and her flesh, white skin tender and raw.

The exhaustion it left her with was beyond comprehension, the whole thing leaving a bittersweet taste on her tongue. The grief was just as sour.

She'd grieved for her Father, her Brother and now she was grieving for her Mother. Even though the latter two weren't dead they may as well have been because she was certainly dead to them now. There was nothing to salvage from the wreckage left of her family, her own hand hammering in the final nail in the Luthor coffin.

Thankfully she hadn't shed a tear however, her body at least agreeing to that. She wasn't going to waste her tears on a woman who cared nothing for her, a woman who was so hell-bent on destroying other's she couldn't even see her own Daughter for the woman she'd become.

Lillian Luthor wasn't worth it. She was not a woman worth her precious tears.

Lena sighed loudly and entered the spacious work quarters, leaving the late night chill and instead seeking sanctuary in her office. Instantly she moved to her desk where the half empty bottle of whiskey lay and poured herself another large glass, skipping the ice and going neat instead.

Weakly she slumped into her overly large chair, resting her weary body and trying to recuperate some of her strength after the emotional excursion she'd taken herself on that day.

She knew it had been worth it. She knew it was what needed to be done. Her Mother's crimes couldn't go unpunished any longer and there was no one else who could get remotely close enough bring down CADMUS. She'd done what even Supergirl hadn't been able and that brought her some sense of victory, as little comfort as it was.

Slowly her mind shifted to the blonde being, the woman who was her friend though she doubted that to be the case any longer.

Lena didn't think she would ever get the look on Kara's face as she flicked that switch and unleashed the missile out of her head. The hurt on Kara's face, the visible pain as she watched Lena launch the missile, the missile which was going to eradicate every alien in National City. She looked distraught, heartbroken but more than anything she looked determined and those eyes which were filled with such radiance and goodness sparkled brighter than usual.

And it was that look that threw her, not the distraught and hint of disgust - because that was a gaze she'd grown immune too over the years.

She couldn't help but wonder what was going on in Kara's head at that moment. Did Kara truly believe her to be capable of such a despicable act?... She couldn't help but think she didn't. She hadn't taken her eyes off the girl for a second, unable to even blink as she scanned for every microscopic twitch of her face.

Kara could have stopped her from even turning the key if she wanted too, she was certainly fast enough to do so. But she didn't. She didn't move, she didn't flinch. Instead she…

… She hesitated.

Supergirl was facing down two people with a weapon more deadly then she'd ever come across and yet… she'd hesitated in acting. And if Lena hadn't been lying about her allegiance and had let that missile fly without switching out the isotope and rendering the virus completely inert then every alien would be dead. All because Kara had been unable act, because something had held her back from intervening.

And Lena couldn't help but wonder if she was the reason Kara held back.

At first she wasn't certain, sure that Kara must surely despise her for working alongside her Mother and would have bought into the vicious lies which she constantly fought on a daily basis. It sure felt like it the last time she'd seen her.

But the way she looked at her, the hope which shone in those cerulean blue eyes… Those eyes said anything but. And Kara's eyes gave away everything. It was her eyes which had made Lena put two and two together regarding Supergirl's identity because there was no way two people had such mesmerising iris's.

The thought only served to confuse Lena even more, her anger at Kara's abuse of their friendship clashing with the contrasting look in her counterparts eyes. The look which radiated nothing but faith and belief and the look which always buoyed Lena's self-esteem just a little higher.

Maybe she had believed in her, in the end at least. But she hadn't at the beginning and that's what was irking Lena more than anything. Kara always told her how good she was, how unlike her namesake she was… Yet, when it mattered she too had come to her under the duplicitous guise and tried to milk her for information under the pretence of friendship.

There was a reason she never let anybody in and that was it. And Kara knew that, she'd told her this as well as many other aspects of her life but still she'd acted impulsively and selfishly knowing how insecure she was about those around her. Because when Kara was with her she wasn't Supergirl, she was just Kara Danvers, the awkwardly adorable reporter from CatCo. She was Kara Danvers her friend, not Supergirl her part time ally. She was Kara Danvers, the woman she was beyond certain she was falling in love with and yet she too deceived her for her own gains, something people had been doing to her throughout her whole life.

But she didn't hate the blonde, even with the anger coursing through her she couldn't hate her. Because in some-way she understood where the reservations had been coming from, where the doubt had filtered from because as had always been the case she was a Luthor, not by heart no but by name yes.

And she couldn't blame Kara for believing it, not for a second because it was an inevitable moment. A moment that should have come a long time ago. She couldn't hate her, she could never hate Kara and she was certain no one could hate Kara. That was a feat impossible in itself.

And Lena knew deep down that she too was partially to blame in this mess, even if it was only slightly. Because in the end she too had played into the role of villainous Luthor, openly and brazenly she had paraded that side to Kara. Yes it was a rouse and yes it was to bring her Mother to her knees but she hadn't helped the situation one bit because her plan had been born out of spite and hurt.

She'd hurt Kara with her own deception, just as Kara had done to her and she knew she didn't have a leg to stand on… Not really.

She felt rotten anyway but that… That was just the icing on the cake of a very bad day. A bad day she just wanted to forget by drowning herself in Whiskey.

And she was going to do just that.

Happy Thanksgiving Lena she mumbled dejectedly to herself, losing herself in the bottom of the bottle once more.


Kara was sat in the DEO, watching from a distance as her Mother stood over J'onn and helped him to recover from the White Martian blood within him. Her mind was all over the place, her nerves shot to pieces as she tried to reconcile the day's events in full.

It was an act. It had all been act.

She had been right all along.

Lena never had any intention of betraying them, of betraying her. Instead the only person she was betraying was her own Mother. Single-handedly she had saved every single alien in National City and each and every one of them owed Lena their lives.

Kara could have lost so many people she loved tonight due to that virus but instead she hadn't lost one.

Lena on the other hand…

… Lena'd lost everything.

Her last real relative, her last link to her name was now gone and was being prepared to face justice for the atrocities she'd committed. She had no one left now, no family, nothing.

Kara's heart ached in her chest, feeling the woman's pain vividly. She couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for her to do it, the strength she must have needed to dig into in order to commit to the plan.

The plan that was so ridiculously dangerous and reckless that she couldn't help but want to slap her stupid and call an idiot for even attempting it.

Did she care so little for her own safety that she didn't even think of the outcomes? That she could have died if it had gone wrong? That if her Mother hadn't killed her for the betrayal then Kara would have been forced to do something she never wanted to have to do to Lena…

The what-if's were swirling around in her head, her nerves withering away with every single one.

Rao, she was angry with the woman. She was angry that she hadn't filled her in on the plan. She was angry that Lena hadn't revealed her knowledge of CADMUS and her Mother's involvement sooner and she was angry that Lena had allowed her to believe she was cruel and evil just like her Mother.

And not only was she angry at Lena but she was angry at herself for letting the woman do it, for letting other's make her think the same. She was just so angry. If it hadn't been a rouse and Lena truly had abandoned them for her Mother then the result would have been catastrophic.

Because her unwavering faith in the last remaining Luthor had crippled her, weakened her when she'd needed to be her strongest. Throughout the entire exchange she had believed in the woman, believed that she wouldn't flick that switch up until that final nano second when it was too late.

When Lena had turned that key it felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Her stomach had plummeted, her heart all but stilling in fear at what she'd just witnessed and an un-describable pain had swam through her body, worse than any Kryptonite she could ever ingest.

A pain which had rendered her just as inert as the virus being unleashed on them all.

And because of that moment of utter defeat she was too late to stop the missile from exploding.

Kara knew had it been anyone else, even if it was Lillian Luthor turning the key she wouldn't have hesitated. She'd have stopped that key from ever being turned. But it hadn't been anyone else…

…It had been Lena.

Her friend Lena, the kind and strong and wonderful woman who meant more to her than even she could comprehend. Her Lena, who had come up trumps for them and shown her true colours, colours Kara had always known were there for everyone to see.

Her belief in her from the very beginning had been justified, her pride and admiration for the woman growing with every passing second as she realised the sacrifice Lena had just made not just for everyone, but for her.

She'd given up her last chance at a relationship with her Mother, she'd sacrificed the love she'd craved since she was but a child and had severed her last link to the only family she'd ever had. She'd given up everything simply because that's who she was. She was the most selfless, brave, strong and determined woman Kara was certain she'd ever met and she was surrounded by strong women and always had been.

She'd sacrificed it all saving the aliens every single soul in this City believed her to hate.

And she didn't even ask for the credit.

She didn't even ask for a thanks.

At that thought Kara stilled, guilt swimming through her in waves as she realised she hadn't even said thank you to the woman who had saved so many. She'd been shown no gratitude for her deeds, for her feats and Kara felt sick to her stomach that she hadn't given her one.

Steeling herself she moved out of the room, settling her nerves and her angst so that she could go and see the CEO who was the true hero of the hour by a long shot. She knew that Lena probably didn't want to see her after their last encounter, her hostility a bitter slap in the face and she also knew that she couldn't go there as Kara Danvers either because Lena didn't want to see her even more so, of that she was certain.

But she didn't care right now. She needed to see her, she had to see her. Even if Lena didn't return the sentiment. She'd left her to wallow in her pain once already this week and had failed to be there for her, she wasn't going to make the same mistake again. She was going to go there and beg for forgiveness if she had too. She had to find a way to make this right because Lena was alone now, in every sense of the word.

She didn't want to lose her friend because of a momentary lapse in judgement. She didn't want to lose the kinship she shared with the woman who was becoming a huge presence in her life, her source of happiness and strength. She'd go there and show Lena that she wasn't alone, that she had people who loved her.

Because she loved her.

She didn't know how she loved her but she knew that she loved Lena and that was enough for her. She was one of her best friends, the one person she had all to herself that had nothing to do with her work. The woman who had actually seen Kara Danvers and not Supergirl. The woman who had become her sounding board of reason, helping her navigate the right's and the wrong's and showing her that sometimes not everything was black and white, that there was a grey area in everything.

The woman who always found a way to make her smile, no matter how hard a day she'd had.

The enigmatic CEO had managed to worm her way into her heart with her natural charm and her beautiful smile and Kara found the hole she was leaving was nothing short of gigantic.

She had to make sure that she was okay.

"Hey Kara wait up".

Alex's voice echoed off the walls behind her and she turned to face her Sister who had a wry, if not guilty smile on her face as she jogged over.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, placing a gentle hand on Kara's arm. "I just want to say I'm sorry okay… You- you were right about Lena and I should have believed you. I'm sorry I didn't" Alex admitted, straightening her back and sucking up her pride.

Alex knew she'd misjudged the woman, her prejudice clouding what was right before her eyes. The CEO had saved her life once when she hadn't had too, shooting Corbyn before he could blow her brains out. That should have been enough to convince her, to come to her own conclusions on the woman but she'd always been a cynic at heart.

But when it came to her Sister she couldn't help but find all bets were off, her sheer need to protect the girl overpowering every rational thought in her mind. Old habits die hard.

"It's fine. You weren't the only one and I know why you'd believe it… You don't know Lena like I do and she doesn't show much of herself for people to believe otherwise" Kara acknowledged, baring no ill-will to her sibling.

Alex smiled softly and nodded her head, grateful for the acceptance. "You knew she wasn't working with her Mother didn't you… Right till the end?" Alex said slowly, squeezing her Sister's arm gently. Alex wasn't an idiot, she knew how much Lena's friendship meant to Kara, knew how much the woman herself meant to her sibling.

Kara nodded, biting on her bottom lip to hide the tremor. "I did… Look I need to go and make sure she's okay and tell her thank you on behalf of the aliens in National City".

Alex nodded and squeezed her arm again before releasing her. "I'm pretty certain she could do with her friend right about now… She kinda lost a lot tonight" Alex noted, clearly referencing her sister's alternate persona.

"Supergirl's her friend too… I don't think she wants to see Kara right now" She sighed miserably before strolling away from her Sister and jumping out the window.

She just had to see her.


When Kara landed on the balcony adjacent to Lena's office she couldn't help but instinctively scan the vicinity to ensure the area was secure. A quick glance across with her enhanced vision and she was satisfied that Lena would come to no harm, not today anyway.

Kara could feel the nervous edge bubbling beneath her skin, her palms seemingly sweaty as she looked through the large glass paned windows. She didn't need her x-ray vision to find Lena, she could see her easily without it.

The CEO was sat almost limply in her oversized chair, head hanging lazily on her chest as she sipped from the bottle idly. Her eyes were glazed, tired and there was no doubt in her mind that Lena was more than likely a little drunk. She noted the smashed glass on the far end of the office, a sight that was becoming all too familiar for Kara's liking.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, worry and guilt nipping at her impenetrable skin and she had to once again fight every instinct that was screaming at her to flee. She'd taken the cowards way out before but she was determined to never do it again, not to Lena.

Right now she knew her friend needed someone and she was going to be that person whether the CEO liked it or not. Kara shook herself, pulling up her hardy Supergirl persona because she was certain her alternate persona would buckle under the weight of the woman's heavy gaze.

With a deep breath she pushed open the glass door from the balcony and stepped into the warm office, hands poised on her hips and back as straight as a rod. The posture felt uncomfortable, a show of unnecessary strength, as if she was making up for something physically that which she was currently lacking emotionally.

Silently she moved inwards a little further, her steps quiet but almost impossibly loud in the space and silence between them. Space and silence which was so foreign to Kara it caused her to shift uncomfortably on the spot.

She was waiting for Lena to turn and face her expectantly, just as she did every time she entered via the balcony. She was waiting for her to spin in the chair with the dazzling smile on her lips and hurry on over, hands gesticulating wildly in her happiness at seeing her. It was something she did whenever Kara came to the office, regardless of what persona she was interpreting. It was something so endearing, to see the powerhouse of a woman get so flustered and shook for those brief first few seconds.

But she didn't turn around. Didn't even try too and Kara couldn't hide her disappointment though it wasn't unexpected. As much as she'd hoped for her usual cheery welcome she'd known the moment she'd left the DEO that she would find no love in this office tonight.

It still hurt though, even with the foresight. It hurt hell of a lot more than Kara had anticipated and she could feel her disposition start to waver, teetering off of its pedestal precariously.

The silence seemed to linger on for an age and Kara didn't know whether this was silent treatment or if Lena was so past clean living that she hadn't even heard her enter. Just as she was about to clear her throat however that familiar voice reached her ears.

"I thought I told you that wasn't an entrance?" Lena said almost cuttingly, her voice thick with alcohol and at least an octave lower than normal. She didn't even turn to face her, didn't spare her a glance as she focused on the bottle in the space before her, back suddenly rigid.

Kara could feel her hair bristle at the words, the cold hostility instantly beginning to seep into her bones. She took some comfort in being able to hear how forced the sharp tone to her friend's normally cheery voice was though it was minute. Still though, she longed to see those beautiful green eyes, eyes which showed Kara everything Lena was feeling but Lena it seemed know how much expression they held and averted her gaze completely.

"I can uhh… I can go out and come through the front door if you like?" Kara said nervously, cursing herself for the stupid remark the moment it had slipped past her lips. Mentally she face palmed herself for it, realising how much her Kara was showing right about now and so sucking in a deep breath she steeled herself once again. It was too late to take it back now.

Lena laughed dryly at the words, no feeling behind the chuckle but still she refused to look at Supergirl, instead focusing on the now nearly empty bottle in her palms. The world around her was fuzzy, woozy and steadily turning into a cacophony of colours but even through the thick haze of almost intoxication she could pinpoint Kara's voice with trained ease.

"How about you do one better Supergirl and leave the way you came in" Lena uttered out dejectedly, trying to ignore the hammering in her chest at the woman's presence. She'd had a feeling she'd show up at some point in the night but that hadn't made it easier, instead it had made the whole thing worse.

She'd spent the last hour building herself up to face her former ally only to let every word and every argument she'd practiced disappear from her memory, rendering her unprepared and on a whim. The steely confidence she prided herself on, the promethium wall she shielded herself with was down at its lowest and no amount of pep talks had been able to bring it back up.

Right now she was sat before Kara and she was weak, exposed and vulnerable and it was a feeling which unsettled her greatly. She was as much as a Master of disguise as the woman before her yet she found herself rendered completely immobile, unable to bring up the obscuring walls she used to protect herself from harm.

Her emotional range was too spent, too bruised to stave off yet another battle and now she had to do this the old way, the hard way, completely unprotected and running off adrenaline and her instincts which hadn't failed her yet.

Lena was glad to see that it wasn't only her walls which were down however. She didn't even need to look at Kara to know that the woman's strong and confident Supergirl side was dwindling rapidly and Kara Danvers was shining through just as quickly.

"Look Lena…" Kara trailed off, awkwardly rubbing at the back of her neck and just willing Lena to look at her, if even for a second. "I want to say thank you… You saved every alien in this City and they all owe you their lives" Kara got out quickly, sensing Lena was about to cut her off mid-way through her sincere show of gratitude.

"I just did what any decent citizen in this City would do" Lena said monotonously, shoulders stiffening and her will crumbling slowly under the sheer sincerity behind every word slipping from the Superhero's lips. "Don't sound so surprised that I'm not as evil you think Supergirl".

The last sentence was a barb and she knew it.

…Kara did too.

But the Kryptonian shook it off, unwilling to allow the woman to get to her. She was hurting, she was in pain and she knew Lena wasn't thinking clearly right now, blinded by the Whiskey and the tremendous loss her heart and mind were currently processing. She wouldn't let it deter her from helping her friend, if anything it spurred her on.

"I never thought you were evil Lena. Not for a second" Kara replied strongly without missing a beat, unconsciously stepping further into the room so she could get closer to the CEO who still hadn't even looked her way, something which irked the blonde hero greatly.

Lena could hear the honesty in her voice, the force of truth behind them and she didn't know whether to feel grateful or bitter at the late show of support. Kara's faith in her had been the driving force in her need to do good the past few weeks and seeing it waver, seeing it falter had wounded her greatly.

And she knew deep down how stupid her bitterness was over a fleeting moment in time but she couldn't help it. Pure and radiant Kara Danvers who had faith in everything and everyone lost faith in her for the tiniest of instances and the fact that someone like her could do so had knocked her ego and self-esteem for six.

"You know it's the truth as well. I told you that you weren't like your Mother and I was right, you are nothing like her and I stand by what I told you earlier…" Kara ploughed onwards, unwilling to allow the woman to slip from her grasp. "You didn't have anything to prove to anyone about how good you are but you did so anyway because you knew what she was doing was wrong" Kara pressed, unconsciously stepping further into the room and closer to Lena so now she was only just behind the woman's chair.

Lena just rolled her eyes, hands tightening around the bottle in her grasp. She didn't have the energy to yell, to be angry and rage at the woman before her, she didn't have the energy to feel anything right now, the grief suffocating every emotion she had in her body.

She could feel Supergirl's massive presence looming behind her chair, the hairs on her neck standing on end at the close proximity but willed it away, unwilling to allow the woman to shake her any-more than she already had.

"So you were right, congratulations Supergirl I hope it makes you feel better" Lena half mocked, a bitterness lacing the undertones of her voice which wasn't visible to the everyday naked ear but was more than visible to Kara's seriously sensitive ones.

Kara winced at the words, stung slightly at the statement and instantly back tracked.

"I'm not saying it to make myself feel better Lena… I'm saying it for you because it's the truth" Kara said softly, emotion filling her words so thickly she could barely contain it. "I also owe you an apology" She continued on, sucking up her pride and giving the woman everything she had. "The way I came in here, accusing your Mother about her position in CADMUS… It was wrong, insensitive and I never meant to hurt you…" Kara spoke nervously, her voice trembling the slightest amount as she spoke so earnestly. "I know what it's like to be blinded by our parents…".

She was sorry, Rao she was so sorry.

Finally Lena swivelled in her chair, turning herself to face the Superhero. The moment Kara caught a glimpse of the woman's face her heart lurched in her chest and she barely managed to contain the gasp that was threatening to spill from her throat.

The pain was etched onto every curve of the woman's porcelain face and no steely façade could hide that, maybe from a mere mortal but she was no mortal. Her green eyes were dazed and glassy, hurt brimming on her lashes and shining with stubbornly unshed tears. Her jaw was slack, mouth parted ever so slightly as if it was an effort to close it.

Rao it hurt to see the indomitable woman look so… so fragile, so human.

She'd seen many sides to Lena but this was one she hadn't and it was one she never wanted to see again. The raw agony which was burning just beneath her skin was glaring, blinding and she could feel it radiating off of her friend in waves.

"I knew what my Mother was like long before you worked it out" Lena uttered quietly, her eyes staring off at the spot behind Kara so that she wasn't looking directly into those pools of blue which captivated her so much. "I also knew she was the head of CADMUS… Even when you came strolling in with your accusations…" Lena trailed off, willing to expose her own deceit, aiming to bait Kara into revealing her own though she knew it was unlikely that she'd willingly reveal her secrets.

Kara shifted awkwardly on the soles of her feet, un-nerved but not surprised by the revelation. "Why didn't you tell me Lena?... You can trust me…" Kara sighed sadly, hoping that the words were heartfelt enough to tug on the woman's visible heart strings. She had to admit the woman's act of hostility earlier on had been so convincing, so real that there no was no way it was an act. There was something more to it than merely playing a part and Kara knew it. She just didn't know what and Lena was yet to disclose that.

Lena just scoffed, swirling the bottle idly in her grasp and finally managing to look straight at the blonde beauty before her. "Could trust you" She clarified sweepingly, a little more fire in her tone, the icy disposition thawing slightly. Kara winced at the words, eyes narrowing in confusion at the strong words being thrown at her and completely oblivious to their meanings.

So far she'd deduced Lena was pissed at her over something and now she was sure it wasn't the accusations she'd made about her Mother after the Cyborg incident.

So what was it exactly?.

"And I had to play the part… If you found out what I was up to then there was more of a chance of my Mother finding out and I couldn't risk that, not until the Isotope had been switched and disposed of" Lena admitted, unwilling to lie about her part in all of it.

Lena Luthor was many things, but a liar she was not.

Kara nodded, her strong posture softening and she moved her hands off of her hips to rest in her lap, thumbs twiddling unconsciously around one another. She could see the logic and reasoning behind it but still she remained disappointed that Lena had kept her so far out of the loop.

"I was going to tell you…" She continued on, finding herself unable to stop now that she'd begun. She bore her eyes into Kara's, willing herself not to get sucked into them but that was getting harder and harder with every passing moment. The sheen of righteousness glistening off of her untouchable skin was as captivating as ever, the softness and sweet aura which seeped from every visible piece of her beginning to take a hold once more.

Kara just stood there rigidly, hanging off of every word that slipped past the woman's plump and pink lips. She knew Lena needed to talk so she stopped herself from interrupting, allowing the CEO her needed moment.

"… But something happened earlier on that day. Someone I thought I could trust betrayed my confidence, someone you and I know very well… And it made me realise that the only person I can rely on to get things done is me" Lena said simply but strongly, the challenge in her eyes unmissable. She knew it was petty and in a poor taste but she figured she may as well kill two birds with one stone and hash out her issue with Kara at the same time, even with her own guilt in it all. "I know you sent our mutual friend to interrogate me under the pretence of an interview…".

"… I thought she was different. Different from everyone else who'd ever made friends with me… I was wrong…".

She couldn't mask the raw pain in her throat from filtering through as she spoke, eyes burning from the unshed tears pooling there. All she wanted right now was an apology, an explanation and for Kara to give her a reason to trust her again. Because she wanted to trust her, she didn't want to lose her friend and she desperately needed to know that she wasn't alone. And if she got those two things then she would trust her again.

Because Kara was… Kara. She'd become a constant in her life, a constant she'd lacked for so long she practically craved it, craved her.

The anger had fizzled away now, leaving behind only a hollow pain and a dull ache which was being fuelled by the whiskey in her veins.

Kara literally froze on the spot, her mouth going dry as her heart hammered in her chest. Pain swam through her organ's, the revelation hitting her like a kryptonite rock and she was certain her legs were going to buckle right there. She knew she'd hurt Lena that morning, but seeing how much it had wounded the woman shook her greatly.

She gaped slightly, her will crumbling under the pained gaze of her friend and momentarily looked away in shame. Lena didn't seem angry anymore, she just seemed hurt, dreadfully so. And she realised she far preferred an angrier Lena than this fragile and wounded one before her. Angry Lena she could deal with, could take every blow thrown at her but this… this was something she didn't think she could cope with.

Barely Kara pulled herself together and Lena noted she at least had the decency to look ashamed. It was a small mercy but something for her to grab onto none the less, something to show that Kara was willing to admit her deceit, even if only slightly.

"I'm sorry" Kara muttered sincerely looking down at the woman sat before her. "I was wrong to do that to you" She sighed sadly, looking down at her feet to will some more courage back into her bones before looking back into Lena's eyes which were searching her own for answers.

"Why?" Lena asked quietly, her face solemn as she spoke. "You should have trusted me too… If you had only come to me outright and asked instead of sending my friend in to dig for information then I wouldn't have cared… I'd have willingly given you the information I had and we just might have worked together on a way to bring my Mother down without me having to look like I was about to commit genocide" Lena said sadly and it only hit home the harsh reality of the situation to Kara.

She'd never intended to hurt Lena but she was certain she had hurt her irrevocably so. And Rao it hurt. Her chest was practically burning and she wished she could make the pain go away for the both of them.

"I…" Kara begun and was about to spin a tale but decided against it. She'd deceived Lena enough for one day and there was no way she was going to continue to do so. "The people I work with wanted to hack into your systems, your personal systems… And I didn't want them to, I wanted you to maintain your privacy… Kara got wind of the situation and was really annoyed that they were doing that so she wanted to speak to you directly, to prove your innocence in it all… She didn't think you would tell me, that you trusted me enough to be completely honest but she trusted you to be honest with her and… And she knows she got it horribly wrong, she's been so upset over it all day" Kara spoke quickly, half tumbling over her words in her haste to show how apologetic she was over it all.

Lena nodded at the words, accepting them before finishing off the bottle in her grasp and placing it down on the table, almost knocking it over with her slightly trembling hands.

"She thought she was protecting you… I thought I was protecting you but we both got it wrong. I really am sorry Lena" Kara finished sadly as she reached out to the raven haired beauty, hesitantly dropping her hand onto her shoulder and squeezing it gently.

Lena just stood, pulling away from the touch and stumbled into the table as she did so. Momentarily she lost her balance and was certain she was about to end up face first on the floor but strong arms caught a hold of her, heaving her easily up into a standing position.

This time Lena didn't pull away from the blonde, instead turning in the grasp so that they were almost nose to nose. Shaking away the Whiskey haze she looked up into those piercing blue eyes, searching for any doubt, for any inkling of a lie and she wasn't surprised to find nothing of the sort. All that filled them was guilt, remorse and that overwhelming warmth which seemed to shroud her.

Lena could feel herself buckling under the look, her will to punish Kara for hurting her all but disappearing. The girl stood before her was finally telling the truth, not the truth she wanted but the truth none the less and Lena found herself unable to punish her for her previous misdemeanours, her anger having been overridden by the crushing sense of loneliness which had plagued her for so long.

Of course it would rear its ugly head, now of all times.

"I…" Lena could barely get out, exhaustion creeping into her bones and she leaned back on her heels not even realising that Kara still had a hold of her arms and was keeping her steady even though she felt like she was swaying.

"She's planning on coming to see you in the morning if you're willing… I can let her know if she's allowed or not for you?" Kara said gently, worried slightly at how much the woman had gotten down her. When she was sitting Lena had managed to maintain some sense of sobriety but now she was standing the true extent of her consumption had come to light.

Lena bit her lip unconsciously, too drunk to notice the way Kara's eyes flashed down to her lips before zooming quickly back up to her eyes. All she'd wanted was an explanation and an apology, both of which she'd gotten and the pain within her seemed to dull a little at that realisation.

She had no one as it was and now she was at an impasse. Push away the one person she had left out of pure spite or suck it up and find a way to move on from it. Her drunken mind was telling her to walk away from Kara and Supergirl for good, wounded and pained by the betrayal.

It was screaming at her, in a voice that sounded frightfully like her Mother's, to give up on trying to be friends with a Super. That doing so would only cause her more pain further down the line, just as it had Lex. That she was a Luthor, she didn't need anyone, she didn't deserve anyone.

But her heart was telling her a whole other story, had a whole other agenda.

Her heart was telling her to give the blonde another chance, that she really had been trying to protect her in that stupidly naïve way, in a way that was so Kara Danvers it was almost impossible to persecute her for it. That it was an honest mistake.

The road to hell was paved with good intentions after all and everything in Kara's eyes were screaming out to her that it was unintentional, that she had never meant to hurt her, betray her.

Pulling herself out of her musings she willed some strength back into her body, breathing some life into her weary bones and nodded up at Kara, signalling her agreement.

If anyone was to blame in all of this it was her Mother. Not Kara, not herself, but Lillian Luthor.

She couldn't, no, she wouldn't allow her Mother to tarnish and stain the one good thing she had going for her in her life. She'd swallow her pride and take it on the chin, adding it to her armour and using the experience to build a better wall. She could forgive Kara for the discretion though she doubted she could forget it, not just yet.

She was bigger than that, better than that.

Kara might have done what other's had previously but her intentions… her intentions had been good, pure and an attempt to protect her. It wasn't a way to get to her, some nefarious scheme in order to paint her as something she was not as had often been the case. It had been terribly thought out and the execution of said plan was even worse but the explanation she'd been craving had helped to clear up the confusion of it all.

Kara let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, a smile slipping onto her lips at the nod of approval. Warmth swam back into her bones, relief flooding through to her core at the woman's signal of forgiveness. She didn't deserve it, not one bit, but there was a reason Lena Luthor was one of a kind and she was certain this was it.

Because even after what she'd done, even after the pain and hurt that she'd been put through…

…still she was willing to find a way past it, find a way to fix it.

She couldn't help but marvel at the woman's strength, even whilst she was in the midst of her own despair, half cut and wounded, still she wanted to make it work, willing to extend a second chance Kara knew she was lucky to receive.

And Kara could feel it in her gut, could feel it in every fibre of her being that this was her moment. This was the opportunity she knew she could not miss. She didn't want to lose Lena, as a friend or as anything and she knew that any more lies left between them would only weaken their already fractured friendship.

It was now or never and as terrified as she was she knew that Lena finally deserved to know the truth, the truth she should have told her a long time ago. Shaking her head she dispelled the sound of Alex and J'onn warning her not to do this, unwilling to let it hold her back.

Lena had proven herself time and time again even when she didn't even have to that she was worthy. That she deserved to know her secret, more so than many people in this City.

And if spilling her deepest secret was what it took to keep the woman in her life then that's what she would do. Because the woman stood before her was more than worth it.

"Lena… there's- there's something else I need to tell you" Kara got out quietly, surprised at the lack of nerves she felt. Whenever she'd told people her secret she'd found herself frightened, worried, amongst other things but right now, in this moment she couldn't help but notice how calm she felt.

There was no trepidation, no fear. There was only the overwhelming need to prove to Lena how much she trusted her.

Lena looked up at her from beneath her own tired lashes, a curious expression filtering across her face. She could see the slight smile tugging at Kara's lips, her grip on her shoulders loosening some-what.

"I've been lying to you… A lot more than you know and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I was too frightened to say anything because you were one of my only friends who saw me as me and not as other me and I didn't want to lose that so" Kara rambled, beginning to trip over herself in her haste to explain her reasons why she'd lied.

She could see a small smile twitch at the corner of Lena's lips, eyes widening a little and the sadness within them was replaced with a hint of excitement and knowing. A look which screamed I-know-something-you-don't-know.

Lena watched as Kara rambled, the awkwardly adorable girl from CatCo who she'd come to care for far more than what was appropriate emerging and instinctively she knew what was coming. The words she'd wanted Kara to say to her for a long time were on the cusp of being spilled and in those few precious moments Lena's pain fizzled in to the background, disappearing into obscurity as her heart raced in her chest.

"I- Kara and I-" She stumbled awkwardly, unable to do her trademark reveal - which made explaining so much easier - of showing her suit under her shirt because she was already wearing it and she knew she didn't have a shirt on under the suit to reverse the process…

Crap she was spiralling again and she knew it.

"Kara I already know" Lena said quietly, cutting across the woman's ramblings and fully able to see how much she was struggling with the reveal.

Kara seemed to still completely at the words, her entire body freezing over. She could feel her jaw drop at the revelation, eyes widening to a comical level so much so a small laugh slipped past the CEO's lips at the expression.

Lena smiled softly up at Kara, charmed by blonde's current expression. Even dressed up in her mighty Supergirl outfit she could see Kara, her Kara, the one she'd come to absolutely adore over the last few months.

All the sting from her betrayal had been pulled from her body, that demon now exorcised. This is all she'd wanted from Kara, ever since the beginning of their friendship this is what she'd wanted and she didn't know whether Kara was telling her this as a way to seek absolution or because she truly wanted to reveal herself but it was working either way.

Right now she was drunk and looking for a lifeline to cling onto to stop her from drowning in the mess her family had left for her to clean up and Kara was that lifeline. She'd been that rope stopping her from sinking the moment she'd first walked into her office.

And today she'd become the boot on her skull which was forcing her under, unintentionally so, only to sweep in now and pull her up for air once more. She didn't care if Kara was only doing this to ease her own guilt, to apologise for her misdemeanour but right now she didn't care.

Maybe in the morning she would but right now she didn't.

Because Kara was baring her biggest secret and if that wasn't a sign of trust then she didn't know what was. If that wasn't showing her that she believed in her, that she truly believed that she was good, that she was her friend then she didn't know what was.

Her name meant nothing to Kara. Only her intentions.

"H-how?" Kara managed to get out almost breathlessly, laughing a little as she composed herself.

Alex had always said her disguise was weak.

"I've known since the first time I met Supergirl after I met you" Lena admitted, a slight slur to her words as the alcohol in her blood showed its full potency. "You've got the same eyes…".

"Why didn't you say?" Kara asked curiously, a smile slipping onto her lips as her whole body relaxed in relief. She shouldn't have been so surprised, Lena was one of the most intelligent women she knew and wasn't easily fooled.

Lena smiled almost bashfully, an awkward edge coming to her voice and Kara couldn't help but feel as if just maybe they could get back to the way they were before her idiot move that morning. The way Lena was looking at her now was the way she usually looked at her.

That had to be a positive right… right?.

"Because it was your secret to tell Kara…" Lena said quietly and she stepped back from Kara and perched herself down the table to give herself a little more purchase. She could feel the grief at her Mother's loss nipping at her heels but she refused to allow it to mess up this moment, this moment she'd been waiting for. "I didn't want to push you into telling me… I wanted you to trust me enough that you could come to me with it when you were ready" She continued on and her face began to drop slightly, that sombre mood taking over once more. "That's why I got so hostile with you today… I've trusted you with everything and I understood why you didn't trust me with this secret and that never bothered me… but when you were lying to me again today I… I thought you were just using me and had been our entire friendship, that was why you wouldn't tell me you were Supergirl".

Kara listened to the words, her heart sinking a little as the deep cut she'd made on the woman became visible once more. But she wouldn't let the woman think she didn't trust her, not when that was as far from the truth as it came. "Lena…" Kara smiled gently, stepping a little closer to her with a gentle expression on her face. "You couldn't be further from the truth" She laughed quietly, trying to ease the tension still lurking in the room around them.

Lena listened to every word being spoken, her angst stilling momentarily under Kara's kind words and soothing sunshine which always managed to brighten her day, her mood and her life.

"I trust you completely, I always have" She admitted and the sincerity she always spoke with was shining through greater than ever. "I never told you because I was scared it would change the way you were with me, change our friendship… Everyone who found out who I was only came to see me as Supergirl and forget about Kara, but I'm more than that. I'm Kara Danvers just as much as I am Supergirl and I like it when people see me as Kara… And you… You saw me, for the first time in a long time someone wanted to get to know Kara and not Supergirl… I guess I just didn't want that to change" Kara spoke earnestly, that awkward and flustered demeanour she always managed to have around Lena beginning to emerge.

After a momentary pause Lena nodded her head, her slight smile brightening into a lob-sided one. Suddenly she felt emboldened, her strength returning at the earnest words and she couldn't help but lose herself in those blue pools which were shining so majestically.

Again she searched for any hint of a lie but there wasn't one. Just as was the norm the only thing in Kara's eyes was glowing sincerity.

"Your secret is safe with me. I haven't told anyone and I won't either" Lena said truthfully. Even if Kara had hurt her she would never do such a thing back, she'd had the perfect opportunity today to switch allegiances and spill to her Mother who Supergirl really was.

But she hadn't. She didn't. She wouldn't.

"Clearly" Kara laughed in relief, her usual happy demeanour sinking back into its rightful place. "Please say you forgive me for today… I made a big mistake I know".

Lena sighed, finding an ounce of composure in her stupor and feeling better now that she was sitting down once again. "I'm not going to lie to you Kara it hurt…" She began, watching as Kara's expression dropped into that of a kicked puppy. "But your intentions were good. Beyond ridiculous but I know now that you meant well and you've apologised so… I forgive you" Lena smiled back, the first proper one she'd given in what felt like an age.

Kara's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she practically bounced on the spot. "Thank you so much" Kara got out through her grin, laughing softly and thoroughly pleased she'd hung around to reach this ending. She knew it could have gone a whole other way. Unable to control herself, body working of its own volition she jumped forward, giving her friend a huge hug.

Lena froze initially, suddenly stiff and completely surprised by the action and for a second she was certain she couldn't breathe and whether that was due to the woman's incredible strength or shock at the move she didn't know.

However her carnal instincts took control, the whiskey swirling within her causing her to slacken and return the almost tender embrace and sinking into the blonde's strong arms she was sure she would melt. She couldn't stop herself from indulging in the offered comfort, her friend's arms aiding in chasing off the loss and grief within her.

And for those few moments she felt so calm, so at ease. It was almost as if nothing could touch her, not the people, not her pain… nothing. Having Kara hold her like this was utterly bittersweet.

Finally they pulled apart, Kara stepping back to give the woman room to breathe. She couldn't help but smile almost shyly, shocked at her own actions and being so forward and that all too familiar blush began to nip at her cheeks.

Lena was just smiling sadly up at her, the pain still evident in her expressive eyes but nowhere near as overbearing as before and Kara was glad she could take some of it away, even if it was just a little.

"How are you feeling?" Kara asked tentatively, a wry smile sliding onto her face. "It must have been hard doing that to your Mom?".

Lena nodded, hands crossing over her chest in a protective manner, almost as if she was physically trying to hold herself together at the seams using only her arms. "She might have been the worst person but… She was still my Mother, as unfortunate as that was…" Lena admitted dryly, throwing in an eye roll for good measure. The room around her was swimming precariously and she found herself wanting nothing more than her bed. "But it was the right thing to do, I know that Kara".

"Well I'm proud of you… Even if you could have gotten yourself killed I am proud of you for standing up for what you believe in!" Kara supported kindly, her heart swelling in her chest at the woman's heroic actions. "You were the real hero tonight and I'll make sure everybody knows that it was you who saved them!" She added on excitedly, glad to be able to help get the word out.

She knew what Lena wanted more than anything and that was to be accepted. For the people to see her as her own woman and not bred from the same cesspit as her family. And she could do that, she could provide that platform to spread the word. And she'd do it, every time.

"I had it under control" Lena shrugged with humility, a humility Kara was completely enamoured with. She could never understand how a woman with so much power, so much ability could ever be so humble. And when you factor in just what line of people she came from it made the feat an even more remarkable one. "And you don't have to do that… I didn't do it for praise".

"I know" Kara said quickly with her hands up before her. "But it's the least you deserve and I can't take credit for that save, not at all" She pressed on with a smile, glad to feel how much the tension had disappeared.

She grinned towards Lena, still noticing how weary the woman looked as well as how slightly unstable she was. Clearly the day had taken everything out of her and she shouldn't have expected anything less. Sometimes it was far too easy to forget how human Lena was.

"Look it's late and I think you need to sleep off that… well… that" Kara said, pointing towards the empty bottle beside her. "How about I swing by in the morning and we can talk a bit more?" Kara offered, slightly hesitantly but it was all washed away at the delicate smile which reached the CEO's eyes.

"I'd like that" Lena nodded in confirmation, craving some sleep if only for it to offer her some respite from the troubles plaguing her psyche. "I… Thank you, for coming here tonight and telling me the truth… It… It means a lot to me, knowing that you trust me" Lena offered with another curt nod of her head, still feeling woozy but stabilising herself enough to walk alongside Kara as they moved towards the balcony though her steps were laboured.

She didn't miss the feel of Kara's hand on the small of her back as they moved, the touch burning through the thick fabric of her dress and the hold so gentle yet strong enough to keep her steady.

"I'm glad you know… well knew" Kara corrected with a smile as she stepped out into the night air. "I can take you home if you want?" She offered but Lena just waved her off, scanning the long drop below them almost cautiously.

"I'll get my driver… You know how much I hate flying" She laughed lightly, pulling one out of Kara as they came to a stop.

"Yeah maybe not the best idea… I bet it'd be pretty difficult trying to get sick out of my suit" Kara noted with a laugh, her nose crinkling at the thought. Lena just smiled a little brighter at the bad joke, though the observation probably wasn't too far off. "Until morning then" Kara said towards her floating up into the air so she was a couple of feet higher and looking down on the raven haired beauty.

Lena nodded. "Yes Kara… Until morning!".

Kara nodded back with a smile and was about to fully take flight but stopped and cast one last look at her friend. "Oh and uhh Happy Thanksgiving Lena" She grinned before shooting off into the blackened sky, gone before Lena could even say a thing back.

The CEO just watched her go with a small smile on her lips. Everything seemed just a little bit better now, her heart stronger and her mind sharper. The crushing weight which forced down heavily on her narrow shoulders had eased, her burden feeling easier and more manageable. The loss and loneliness that had invaded her mind on Kara's initial betrayal that morning was ceasing to exist as her heart swelled with the new affirmative show of complete trust.

Finally she felt as if she wasn't truly alone this world. There was someone out there for her, someone who believed in her, someone who trusted her implicitly. The relationship between them which had been crumbling at an accelerated rate was already building back up on stronger foundations that before and Lena couldn't help but smile at that.

All the hope she'd lost, all the pain she'd felt was being washed away by the ever constant tide that was Kara Danvers. Just like a wave breaking on the shore she had swept over her, her current sucking out all of the debris within her very core and dragging it out to sea where it could never be found nor touched.

Lena couldn't hide the sloppy and lobsided grin from taking complete control of her face as she looked to the skies with a new found hope in her heart.

"Happy Thanksgiving Kara".


So my dear readers, I hope you enjoyed this one. It was a biggy, clocking in at roughly 11,000 words and with countless re-drafts it took a fair bit of time but for you guys it was so worth it. I can't tell you when the next chapter will be up, only that it has been written already, it's just a case of getting a little further ahead in the story but you won't have to wait nearly as long as you did for this one.

Let me know what you think and I hope you're all having a great start to your new year.

With Love,

C.