Nightmare
Notes: Find me on Tumblr at spoopercorp and on AO3 as Local_Asshole.
I'm so fucking sorry.
Lol, not really. Have fun suffering, bitches.
Kara's concern skyrocketed when her time spent with Lena grew scarcer and scarcer with each passing day—it had been another passing month, making it four since the Black Mercy incident. But since then she had been launching numerous beneficial programs and humanitarian projects all over the world within her branches. She was busy doing good, and Kara could not blame her absence for it.
"I know you probably don't want to hear this," Alex started, "But Winn and I have been tracking several L-Corp—"
"What?" Kara cut in with a glare.
Alex raised a finger, "Let me finish. I know you and Lena are friends, but I think she's up to something."
She nodded away towards the computers, walking off, "Let's head to the terminals, Winn will provide some more intel."
Kara took a deep breath and sighed, her expression hardening as she trails behind her sister, "What makes you think that Lena is up to something?"
"L-Corp activity and product transportation has been...erratic. Most of the time the boats or trucks rotate and...well, nothing has been consistent recently," Alex explained, "Winn found out Lena hired several researchers and exhausted a lot of money to find something, and she's desperate for it. We don't know what it is she's interested in, but I don't like where this is leading."
Kara's lips pressed into a thin line, "Lena is not her family, Alex."
"I'm asking you to be cautious," the agent retorted in frustration, "Don't let your guard down around her, I'm not asking you to avoid her, we know that's not going to happen. I'm only asking you to look out for anything suspicious, no matter how trivial it seems. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt too, that is until we found out she was purchasing lead."
Kara's brows furrowed, "She wouldn't do anything to hurt me."
A disappointed and exasperated expression took over Alex at her little sister's naive faith.
Kara's lips formed a pursed line, "I trust her. Lead doesn't hurt."
"But it hides," Alex argued, "Lena doesn't want even you to know what she's up to," she scoffed, "That's it? Really? No evidence to counter her suspicious activity? You have to be more convincing than 'I trust her'."
They slowed their pace once they arrived at their destination, Winn with his back facing the two newcomers as he focused on the monitor while James was adorned in his Guardian outfit, his arms folded with a grave look on his face.
"I'm going to have to agree with Alex," he stated deeply.
"It took a little over a week," Winn piped up, "To hack L-Corp's firewall and the rest of its virtual security with a lot of trial and error, but I managed to get some order shipment information and some relatively sketchy attachments in emails sent by Lena."
"It doesn't sound good," James added, moving aside so Kara could step closer and observe, "We also used some resources and discovered the reason for the lead—she's constructed a bunker with walls lined with it. We had some agents scout around and Maggie do some detective work; there's no kryptonite, but you can't see inside. Lena wants her privacy for something, but we pinned the area under her contemporary home on the outskirts of National City."
Kara memorized the location.
"It's not hard to find, it's the only building in the middle of a plane of trees," Alex said, "What worries us is that all the activity suddenly halted yesterday; we believe she found what she was looking for."
"Some keywords are 'ater clementia', 'ieiu gynot', 'dol dokhahsh'," Winn informed, shaking his head, "And some other foreign alien languages we still need to decipher. We discovered this not long before Alex called you here."
Kara's eyes widened once she registered the horrendously butchered Kryptonese, "That's my native language, the spelling and writing is ancient though," she squinted her eyes, glazing then over the text, "Why is Lena looking for the Black Mercy?"
Alex's brows wrinkled, "Is she planning on cloning them? To use them on others? Or does she want to produce new species with the DNA?"
Kara waved off the suggestion instantly, brows crinkled, "No, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't want to hurt people, she wouldn't use the Black Mercy on anyone."
Alex frowned, "Let's be realistic here, Kara, there should be at least one exception."
The Kryptonian shook her head, "No, she..."
Kara placed her hands on the table to steady herself and closed her eyes, sorting through any possible reason.
Her surroundings muffled into a distant echo in her concentration, drowning out the noise of Alex debating with the boys whether or not to notify J'onn immediately.
Then suddenly Kara's eyes snapped open, a gasp escaping her throat, heart racing in such a panic it made her lungs breathless.
"She wouldn't. I need to go."
"Wait! Kara!" Alex called, but was met with a rush of wind whipping against her cheeks. She grumbled, activating her earpiece, "Kara! Don't just fly off like that!"
Kara felt the wind rushing through her hair and urged herself to fly faster, breaking the sound barrier with a thunderous boom.
Lena's abode stood out like a sore thumb within all the greenery, and Kara's enhanced vision slowed her to note there was no one home, but there was a sizable lead-lined room under the building.
"Kara!" Alex shouted through her earpiece, "What's going on? She could be luring you into a trap! Get back here, you might get hurt!"
"I'm not the one in danger!" she growled back, touching down to the ground. She wasted no time admiring the extravagant architecture and broke through the entrance.
Kara surveyed the home for denser traces of lead she and dashed over to Lena's bedroom, pummeling the hidden door before zooming down. Her pulse was elevated, panicked, its beat so fast she felt like she would have a heart attack.
I should've known.
"We're sending backup!" Alex notified.
"No! Don't send any!" Kara demanded.
There was a huff of anger, "Fine! But the moment I think things are going downhill I'm sending backup! Just keep the line on!"
Kara made her way down the corridor, her x-ray vision useless, but there were no other rooms besides one, and she looked down the hall to see Lena entering a cell with a wall of glass.
The woman turned, eyebrows arched slightly.
Kara bolted toward her, but just as her hands were about to shatter the wall, everything turned red and she slammed against it uselessly, the plexiglass vibrating from the force.
Kara stumbled back, then rammed her shoulder into the glass again with a roar, but it was no use.
"What's going on?" Alex's voice crackled.
Kara ignored her, instead looking into Lena's eyes across the barrier. "Please," her voice cracked, "Don't do this."
Her best friend smiled sadly, and she glanced behind her shoulder to the platform in the middle of the room, then back to the front.
They were mere inches away, the only thing separating them was a wall of plastic, and Kara was rendered human with the red sunlight emitters.
"Supergirl. I didn't think you'd actually figure things out and come," Lena said softly, "I'm glad I decided to install precautions then." Her expression was torn and hollow, like she wanted to cry but could not bring herself to do it.
"Why?" Kara asked, her voice broken.
There was a moment of tense silence, then a deep, trembling breath.
Lena averted her gaze shamefully, "I've never been enough. For anybody," she shook her head, lips quivering, "They would always choose someone else. Always. They didn't care. But then...then the Black Mercy—it made me—I mean...suddenly I was enough. For Lionel. For Lillian. For Lex. For myself."
She sighed, "I have to give people second chances here, where I get none in return—no one is willing to give me the opportunity to make the Luthor name good and instead slander me, spouting ignorant hate about me everywhere they go, everywhere I go."
She chuckled humorlessly, "Then I realized how unhappy I was living in this reality, that my biggest mistake was coming back to this hell, voluntarily sticking myself in this godforsaken cycle of anger and bitterness and pity. I hate it here," her voice cracked, choking the sound, "I don't want this anymore... But now I've found a solution. And the prospect makes me feel so...giddy," she smiled tightly, tears dripping from the corners of her eyes, "You don't have to worry though, I've handed L-Corp over to the DEO, all of its research and equipment and employees so they won't lose their jobs—everyone wins. Everyone will be happy."
"Lena," Kara begged, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Listen to what you're saying, you're just desperate, not everyone will win and be happy if you do this. Please just step out of there and let me help you."
"They'll be happy," Lena argued softly, a forlorn and wistful glint in her eyes, "Your friends, just like almost everybody else, don't care for someone like me—someone who's one of the biggest threats to National City's beloved Girl of Steel. People all over the world will celebrate yet another crazed Luthor's death," she blinked back tears, her voice wavered, "I've made a device so Mon-El can return to Earth, it's been tested, you'll get him back—you'll be happier."
"No!" Kara shook her head in refusal, "Maybe...maybe that would've made me happy back then, maybe it might today, but I've recovered and moved on a long time ago—I've accepted that he's not coming back...I cherish the family and friends that I have now, Mon-El is in the past—he's gone," she swallowed the uneasy bile down her throat, "You make me happy. You're my best friend! I can't—I can't lose you... I care about y—"
Lena's expression darkened, "Don't say that."
"You can't do this!" Kara pleaded, "You're my best friend! I love you!"
"Don't."
"But I do lo—"
"I said don't!" come the stern interruption.
But Kara was not having it. "No! You listen to me!" she cried, "I care! Do you really believe that I don't?"
"I wish I could say I didn't," came the cruel remark.
Kara's eyes widened at the coldness, blues desperately trying to hold the visual connection.
It was then she realized how far down the rabbit hole Lena was, that she convinced herself this was the best solution, the best way out, leaving no room for protest. Kara had a dreadful inkling that maybe she was unsaveable, that no sound argument could make her change her mind.
Lena's expression softened, apologetic, and she withdrew into herself again, "Once the monitors flatline, the emitters will turn off and the doors will open," she hesitated and her cadence grew somber, "I want to be buried in the same cemetery as Lionel. And when Lex's time comes, I want him next to me. And Lillian next to the golden boy. Please remember that."
A pause, heartbreaking and poignant.
"Goodbye, Kara. I'm sorry."
I love you.
She debated saying that, but eventually settled for a light shake of her head, finding the phrase too cruel for Kara to hear. Lena stepped back, turned away to stride over to lie on the platform despite Kara's screams of protest and the rattle of the thick plastic as it was bombarded with a shoulder, then an arm, and then a leg.
Lena shivered when her back made contact with the cold metal, but once she was situated, the latch in the ceiling slid open with a hiss and the Black Mercy slithered out.
"No!" Kara screamed hoarsely, "Lena! Please!"
Save her!
By now she was sobbing hysterically, her weak human hands bruising from hitting the thick glass with violent desperation.
"No!"
Save her!
She rammed her shoulder into the barrier.
The parasite stalked closer to its prey.
"No!"
Save her!
Again, her shoulder made contact.
The Black Mercy pounced, attaching itself on Lena's chest and squeezing its tendrils around her body. She tensed, then relaxed.
"No!"
Kara fell to her knees, defeated, resting her head against the acrylic glass, looking down at her bruised hands shaking atop her lap. She clenched them into fists, the stretch cracking parts of her skin open so that blood flowed from her knuckles.
Kara let more silent tears fall and drop on her reddened hands, her body trembled with her soft hiccups, and she closed her eyes, focusing her ears on the steady heartbeat ahead of her.
It was strong, but slowing and weakening with each second that passed.
Kara waited with bated breath and a clenched jaw.
"Hey."
Lena blinked her eyes open, squinting them as they adjusted to the sunlight. She registered that she was laying down on a blanket.
"Hey," she greeted softly to the person next to her.
When her vision focused, it connected to a pair of beautiful blue eyes.
Kara giggled nuzzling closer so that their noses brushed, "Liking the picnic so far?"
Lena hummed.
The blonde chuckled, "You need to bring more kale chips, I don't think there was enough for me. Or for Lori."
Lena felt a pang of nostalgia and melancholy settle in her chest.
This isn't real...
But it will be. Soon.
"I'll keep that in mind for next time," she smirked.
Kara leaned in to give her wife a loving peck on the lips.
"Mom! Mommy! I want to go home and have a slumber party!" Lori called, running towards her parents.
Kara sat up and grinned, "I thought you wanted to play outside in the park?"
Lori pouted and folded her arms, a crinkle between her brows, "But I'm tired and I want to watch Mom's new TED Talk!"
"I'm not sure you'd find quantum entanglement very interesting," Kara teased.
"Mom is always interesting!"
"Not as interesting as Supergirl."
"But I see Mommy on TV all the time and at school already!"
Kara laughed, "Okay, honey."
Lena smiled brightly and sat up from her prone position, "Whatever you want, sweetheart."
The trio gathered the picnic supplies, and the two mothers watched as their daughter skipped to the car in the distance, an extraordinary sunset basking Lori in its warm gradients.
"Lena?"
She startled from her reverie, glancing up at her wife, "Hmm?"
Kara tilted her head and grinned, so scintillating it rivaled the sun itself.
"Ready to go home?" she asked softly, her cadence melodic and caring.
Their eyes met and their gazes shared an unrivaled fondness, communicating unconditional adoration for one another.
Home.
However, Lena found a strange urge to look back and gazed over her own shoulder, expecting something—someone—but there was only vast greenery to be seen.
There was nothing there for her. Nothing behind her that convinced her to stay.
Lena shook her head and turned back.
"Ready," she answered, taking her wife's hand and lacing their fingers together as they followed their daughter home.
Kara let out a tragic cry, filled with utter agony when Lena's heart ceased to beat. When Lena immediately succumbed to the Black Mercy's clutches. When Lena's lungs exhaled its last breath.
It was a chilling sound, and the parasite seemed surprised at how fast its host perished.
The doors clicked, sliding open with an echoed thump, and the lights returned to the synthetic fluorescent white.
"Oh my God," Alex whispered through the earpiece, "I...I'm so sorry, Kara. I'm so sorry..."
But she was not listening, her vision concentrated solely on Lena's dead body through the blur of tears, how it laid unmoving and lifeless.
She was gone.
Once the parasite was finished leeching from her best friend, it detached itself and slithered away.
Kara released a gut wrenching scream, an angry blue laser shooting out from her eyes as it scorched the alien. It withered and died, shriveling up like dried foliage.
Kara held back a sob, carefully standing on her feet, her legs unsteady and her knees shaking. She took a step forward and almost collapsed from the grief, from another loss that burdened her shoulders, adding to the already cumbersome weight. What hurt especially about Lena's death, was that Kara believed she could have prevented it.
It was an excruciating feeling.
Eventually, the hero staggered to Lena, still laid on the platform, eyes closed, peaceful expression.
Kara closed her eyes and looked away, reopening them a moment later to find that what she was experiencing was reality and not a nightmare. She choked out a sob, snaking her arms under Lena's shoulders and knees before lifting gently.
There was still no heartbeat, still no breath, she was limp and cold, her skin so pale it was like porcelain.
Kara took several steps before the overwhelming grief sent her collapsing to her knees, Lena's dead body still wrapped in her arms. She unleashed the full force of her sobs and mourned the memories they shared, and now she could not stop and hold in the tears and cries of sorrow even if she tried.
Lena's head was rested against a strong arm, and Kara raised her other hand to brush back a lock of hair that marred the Luthor's usually ethereal appearance.
Kara grunted and stood again, Lena's body somehow heavy despite the inhuman strength she possessed.
She trudged up to Lena's bedroom, pausing once she noted the oversized bed and wondered how lonely it was to sleep in the expensive and lavish home. Kara set the woman on the mattress and frowned at the two small frames faced down on the nightstand and curiously flipped them up. Her tears poured out at a faster rate at a photo of Lena and Jack making silly faces at the camera. Then there was another that centered Kara and Lena at a gala, both smiling brightly for the momentous occasion. They were the only objects of sentimental value so far.
Kara reluctantly carried Lena back into her arms and finally took note of how impersonal and simple the CEO's abode was, even though it was awfully roomy for one person. It was almost as if she had no time to decorate with her busy schedule. There was a small fridge in a tight kitchen with other amenities like a stove, oven, microwave, and so forth. A small table and a complementary chair sat in a corner. A single-person sofa with a tiny coffee table to the right-hand side and a massive television in the front were in the living room. Only absolute necessities for one person, not even accommodations for guests, because Lena never really had any friends, or family.
The hallway was the most decorated with its six pieces of original paintings hung up along the walls, monotone with grays just like the rest of the interior. Everything was purposefully and immaculately placed, save for the immortalized photographs in Lena's room that stuck out of the colorless theme like a sore thumb.
Kara stepped outside, her boots crunching atop fallen leaves, the cold autumn air settling around her. She let out a small breath, a cloud of white leaving her lips as she did so. Then she was floating, flying into the sky with Lena's body caressed in her arms.
Kara barely registered her surroundings when her feet touched the concrete floor of the DEO, but she raised her head once the normal chaos of shouting and technology suddenly quieted at her arrival.
"Kara!" Alex called, breaking the tense silence and shoving through the group of agents, "We suddenly lost connection, what happ—"
The woman froze in place, eyes wide at the image of a mournful Supergirl with Lena Luthor in her arms.
Kara frowned before taking a step forward, her momentum carrying her through the large halls of the DEO. The agents wisely backed off and made way for the Kryptonian, dipping their heads at Supergirl's anguished procession—their expressions were drawn with more pity than sympathy, and Alex, James, and Winn's faces communicated remorse and guilt. J'onn was stone-like, as usual, but his eyes were lamenting and knowing, as if he expected this.
Kara knew she made it to the medical bay when Dr. Hamilton placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her out of her daze.
"We'll take it from here," she murmured, assistants and other doctors gathering around as the body was set on the gurney.
Kara was silent, her hand gripping Lena's, their fingers intertwined with unmutual strength. Then the stretcher was wheeled away, and Kara felt the tangle of their skin loosen. She was reluctant, and held onto the pale fingers as long as she could before she let the inevitably lengthening distance separate them. Her hand still hovered midair, reaching futilely for someone who was already lost.
Kara watched from afar, her vision blurred with newly shed tears as the doctors attempted to revive Lena on the way to the emergency room. She knew they would fail, that it was fruitless, and as much as she wanted to hear that familiar heartbeat again, she did not bother listening for something she knew would not come back.
Kara bristled slightly when she heard her name softly called out just behind her, registering multiple footsteps—three people. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, concentrating on the heartbeats.
Alex. James. Winn.
"We're so sorr—"
"You didn't even give her a chance," Kara mumbled, cutting her sister off, tightening her hands into fists, "None of you did, no matter how many times I begged you, tried to convince you that she was good."
"We're sorr—"
"It's too late for apologies," she muttered, "You all know that. Please, just...leave."
The footsteps echoed away. But there was another coming closer, different than the others.
A broad shoulder brushed her arm.
"J'onn," she greeted quietly.
A moment of silence.
"What did you see?" she finally asked.
He sighed heavily, "Kara—"
"What did you see?" she repeated, sterner.
More silence.
"She was already doubting herself minute after minute because of Lillian," J'onn started, "Because of her brother's actions constantly praised by who used to be two of the three people in her life that mattered the most," he hung his head, "Then the world was against her every step of the way, trying to convince her that she was unneeded, unwanted...worthless," he finally turned to the mourner, "You knew her best, so you know it never worked. You know, despite how much opposition she faced, she was always headstrong and persistent..."
A pause.
Kara's jaw tightened, clenching stiffly, her teeth grinding in anticipation.
"...until she finally saw a world that loved her."
Notes: Constructive criticism appreciated.