You guys are marvellous :)
And, to the lovely guest reviewer who thought this might be the last chapter: fear not! TV show episode structuring's got nothing on my ability to drag out a story! ;) There are at least four more chapters currently, and there could well be more. Who knows? We'll see :)
Chapter Four
Liza let out a deep breath which kind of turned into a high pitched squeak of happy excitement; she turned to face Kara with what should really be illegal levels of adorable happiness on her face. Kara's insides met the cliché and completely melted.
"Oh!" Liza gushed happily, grasping Kara's hands and squeezing them in her delight. "That went so much better than I expected!" She released Kara and practically span around the room, completely dumfounding Kara. "I can't wait to tell Millie! Oh," and her face dimmed a few notches, "I hope it went as well for her."
Kara's completely dazzled brain forgot Musicals Etiquette for a moment as she started to ask:
"Did you not see and hear the song her dads sang with your dad?"
But thankfully, Liza appeared not to hear her.
Probably too busy lost in thoughts of Millie, Kara grumbled to herself.
"I need to go and find her, make sure she's ok," Liza said, her face still bursting with joy. And then she turned back to Kara, her green eyes bright and full of feeling. "Look, Kara, I'm sorry I was so short with you and Barry when you first found us. I owe you so much, helping us see how much better things could be if we were only brave enough to take a stand for the things we wanted." She took a step closer and reached for Kara's hands again, squeezing tightly. "I'll never forget this; never."
And then she tugged Kara closer, dashing a quick barely-even-there kiss on her cheek before she pulled away again, dropping Kara's hands and heading for the door.
"See you later, doll," she said, her joy-filled grin widening as she pushed the door open. "I'm gonna go find Millie."
Kara couldn't speak. She could barely breathe. Her cheek was burning, almost as if Lena's lips –Liza's! Liza's lips- had branded their mark into her usually-impenetrable skin which now felt well and truly penetrable.
She raised a shaking hand, her fingers ghosting over the spot where Lena's lips had pressed against her skin and she had to close her eyes, to at least attempt to reassemble her thoughts.
Real life actual kisses with Mon-El never came close to the effects of a kiss on the cheek from just a fake Lena.
The thought was completely undeniable.
I need to talk to Lena.
I need to know if- if it's even slightly possible that we could have something.
If me and Barry ever manage to make it out of this.
Which- Crap! I should probably not have let Liza run off on me like that!
She started from her daze and dashed out of the room, making her way hastily back the way she and Liza had come, just in time to see Liza talking to Barry in the lobby- he got here fast? Does he have his powers back? He can't, or at least that's totally unfair because I don't- before Liza got in a cab which drove away, taking her and her painfully beautiful joy with it.
"Barry!" she called as she approached. "Where'd she go? Why did you let her-"
"Kara, slow down," he said, holding his hands up as if in an attempt to project calm. "Millie sent me here to tell Liza to meet her at their apartment. It went fine with her dads and she wanted to share the news. I think it's fine; they're fine."
Kara took a breath, realising that he was probably right and also that she really needed to remember right now that it was Liza in that cab, not Lena.
"Ok," she said, nodding and taking a deep breath. "Ok, sorry," she looked at him, her brow crinkling as she realised she had just yelled at him and been more than a little out of line. "I'm just a bit-"
"Hey, it's ok," he smiled, his own discomfort showing clearly on his face. "Me too." He squeezed her arm briefly and started walking back into the club.
I love Barry. He's just so good.
They made their way back to her dressing room, or at least the room that had chests and hangers with clothes that fit Kara in; it felt like the right place to go somehow, to take a minute to regroup.
I really need a minute to regroup.
She sank into a chair, her heart still reverberating with the force of everything that had happened in the last hour, her cheek still burning with the ghost of Lena's kiss, aching with the knowledge that it hadn't been Lena but Liza, and that even Liza was now off to shower someone else with much more meaningful kisses…
"What do we do now?" Barry began, pacing with a nervous energy that Kara could totally have related to just ten minutes ago. "We got- we got Millie and Liza to tell their fathers that they're in love."
"Which," Kara spoke almost by accident in the silence he left, "I know we're in a musical and I haven't exactly earned the right to feel this and everything, but seeing Lena in love with someone else was…"
"It was hard to watch," he finished for her, his eyes meeting hers full of the same pain she was feeling. "I know. But Kara…" he hesitated, before taking a breath and rubbing his face pensively, "you don't need to earn the right to feel something like this. Maybe," he paused again, taking a step closer. "Maybe you're feeling what you're feeling now because it means something important. Maybe this is a chance to learn something; I mean… I know I've learned things in here. Seeing Iris- well, Millie fighting for her chance to love someone even if it's dangerous, well, it's made me see that she's right. That if two people love each other, they should give it everything they've got to make it work, regardless of the complications. And maybe- maybe that's true for you and Lena too."
Kara could feel the tears in her eyes, the tightness in her throat, but knew that if she let it out now she might not be able to stop.
She took a deep, careful breath and allowed herself to nod, feeling an impossible smile crack across her face as she allowed this possibility out loud for the first time.
"I- I just don't know- I- I hope so," she said, her voice small and her breath catching as a treacherous tear broke and rushed down her cheek. She brushed it quickly away, her smile quaking as she met Barry's gaze, but she found only gentle care and fiercely proud friendship in his eyes as he looked at her. "I just- I don't think she feels- feels anything like that for me."
"Have you talked to her about it?" he asked, his voice so gentle, so kind and Barry-like.
"No," Kara admitted, her throat tight as he nodded quietly for a moment.
"Well, I think you should," he paused, looking at her carefully for a second before he went on. "Even if Alex disapproves." Kara let out a small snuff of laughter, unable to hold it in as she met his gaze and nodded. "She clearly means a lot to you."
"Yeah," she said slowly. "I think you're right." She blew out a deep breath, feeling some of her tension somehow drain away; no matter what happened next, she knew that Barry would have her back.
"Ok," he said, his smile encouraging. "Well," he sighed, "I mean, what are we supposed to do? What do you think this- this Music Meister needs us to do now?"
Kara didn't even have time to express quite how much she didn't know the answer to that question before-
"Ah, there you are!" Winn/Grady came striding into the room, calling for them. "You two ready?" he asked expectantly as he made his way towards the upright piano tucked in one corner of the room.
"Ready for-?" Barry asked.
"For rehearsal, you dolt," Grady snarked back way more meanly than Winn ever could. "Mr. Moran told me that you got more songs in your repertoire."
"Ah," Barry said, his eyes widening slightly. And suddenly Kara realised what they had to do.
"We have to finish the musical," she said, standing up and catching Barry's eye.
"Yeah."
"Uh," Kara began, turning in trepidation towards Grady as she remembered what Moran had said earlier, "do you do you happen to know anything original?"
"As a matter of fact," Grady said with a grin and a wink, "I've been working on something all day."
"Wow," Barry murmured as they stared at the pianist, "things really are easier in musicals."
"Yeah," Kara agreed, fervently hoping that that would extend to their ability to improvise lyrics and dance moves.
They took a few steps closer to the piano and Grady set up an arpeggiated chord.
"All right," Barry said, blowing out some air and taking a breath.
"At times like these when life is getting me down and the world seems like it's gonna end-ship-"
"Mm-mm?" Kara murmured, trying not to look too sceptical even as she guessed where this was probably going.
"There's at least one power that we both still have and that's the power of-"
"Friendship?" Kara finished for him as he gestured at her.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed excitedly. "That's exactly what I was gonna say."
"Yeah, it's an easy rhyme," Kara had to protest a little but he quickly carried on-
"I'm your super friend," he sang so beautifully it completely warmed her heart even as she had to laugh. And then he started tap dancing and she could not be but impressed. "Your super friend. I'll be there in the nick of time if you're ever in a spot."
Somehow the words and the steps just came to her, as if she'd learned them since childhood, and she gladly joined in with this of all songs.
"And if you're not there in time you can just go back in time and give it another shot!"
"I'm actually not supposed to do that anymore," he corrected her slightly awkwardly.
"Oh, okay."
But then he spun a full 360o on his heel and told her to: "Sing!"
"I'm your super friend, super friend,"
"When you need a compliment I can rattle off a dozen. For instance, I have to say, I'm not impressed by your more famous cousin."
"Thank you!" Kara exclaimed, turning to him. "No one ever says that."
"Oh, he's all, like, 'I'm Superman', whoop-di-whoop-di-whoo."
Kara practically cackled at that.
"That's a really good impression!"
"Thanks."
It's weird how the music just starts and stops exactly as and when we need it to.
Ah, musicals.
And then they sang together.
"I'm your super friend, super friend,"
"When it comes to buddies, pal, you're the best-"
"I love you more than the lightning bolt I wear on my chest-"
"If you're ever sad I'll bring you flowers-"
"And you can list soprano as one of your powers-"
"If you're ever broke-"
"I've got the cash-"
"On my couch-"
"You're welcome to crash-"
"And if you ever need a hand-"
"I'll be there in a Flash!"
"Barry!"
"That was funny!"
She reached to tug him up from the chair and, as they spun through to the final line of the song, suddenly they were on stage, in full performance mode, big band and a shiny dress but somehow keeping it together with perfect harmonies for the end:
"I'm your super - that has a double meaning - friend!"
The cheers and applause from the audience were wild, an almost immediate standing ovation, and Kara couldn't help feeling as elated as she was baffled, her heart pounding with exhilaration in her chest.
And then they heard the gunshots.
They both froze and Kara remembered Cutter Moran's cold eyes.
She quickly stood up from the dip Barry held her in and they met each other's eyes for a second, their almost forgotten fear quickly rekindling.
"Come on," Barry murmured, taking her hand and pulling her off the stage.
They rushed back through the club, following the sound of gunshots.
Damn these heels! Kara thought as Barry pulled ahead of her, unhindered by his footwear.
Her heart clenched in her chest as he pushed through the doors and she heard him cry 'Stop!' and then go quiet after another round of gunshots.
She made it through the doors and her stomach twisted horribly in fear.
"Barry!" she cried, not wanting to believe what her eyes were telling her, that her friend was lying on the ground, bleeding out from a bullet wound in his chest. "Oh my god."
She stared, utterly dumbfounded that this could be happening right now.
Weren't we literally just singing about being super friends?! How can he be shot now? How can he-
And then that train of thought was suddenly cut off by searing, bright, hot pain that riddled her chest and stopped her from breathing, stopped her from thinking just for a few long seconds.
And then she realised that she too was lying on the ground, that she was bleeding out, that she was going to die.
Alex is going to be so mad.
I never told Lena.
I never told Lena who I really am, and I never told Lena that I love her.
I can't die now, not now-
Pain rattled through her again.
We can't die now-
"Barry!" she called again, her voice weak, more like a croak. "Barry!"
"Kara," he wheezed back, and then the world shimmered and darkness began to crowd her vision.
I'm going to die and Lena will never know that I loved her; she'll think I never even trusted her…
Lena…
Spoiler alert: Kara doesn't die! Unfortunately I feel the need in this stray-bullet-wielding existence to reassure you, despite the fact that you're probably already pretty sure, that Kara does not die. I myself am pretty sure that I will never choose to write a story where a queer character dies from a bullet wound; some things are just…apparently so bad that I can't find a fitting way to describe them, but you get what I'm saying. The next chapter is going to be a bit of a POV shift, so just don't panic! She's gonna be fine, I promise!