SPOILERS for Season 7

As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls

Part Two: Regeneration

Disclaimer: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, Jor-El, Zor-El, Lara, Allura, General Zod, Lionel Luthor, Martha Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics. Some of this chapter and some information from subsequent chapters have been influenced by the book The Last Days of Krypton. It's a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who loves Superman. These ideas are used in a non-profit fashion and just for fun and inspiration.

Author's Note: Wow, this chapter took way longer than I'd hoped it would! I didn't have ideas for a long time, and the book mentioned above really inspired me to start again with this chapter. Thanks for being so patient, and I hope everyone loves it!

Chapter Seven: Broken Home

When Kara gazed into the mirror, the reflection staring back at her did not resemble a traditional Kryptonian. Convention dictated that public officials and people of status had a neat, pleasing appearance. Any marks or deviations from the norm were to be covered up and hidden from public view. In order to cover up her scars, she would have to adopt clothing that hid everything but her eyes. Vivid pink scars rose up and away from her skin to create an aesthetic that only the eldest Kryptonian warriors could appreciate. Her sun-kissed flesh was broken by jagged, uneven reminders from the torturous experience of being torn from the inside out and left for dead.

For a warrior of the old times, each scar represented victory over violent adversity. Their ideals were written in war wounds, and the more of them a warrior had, the more respect they deserved. If she thought of her scars in that aspect, she should have held her head high with pride for surviving a vicious attack. Two days had passed before she was able to walk freely around the castle again with only minor pain from stretching her injuries when she moved the wrong way. It was her first time in front of a mirror since the incident, and her immediate reaction was to hate what she saw. After all, the civilization of Krypton as she left it would have isolated her because of her physical mutilation. In their eyes, each scar was a menace to society's mental well-being. She would be better off as an outcast so that the general population did not become disturbed by her repulsive unsightliness.

Many would have thought that her face was the worst of it all, but in truth, all of it was revolting. There was no domain left untouched by the dig of Lana's claws, but most of them weren't visible. Her face was. There were four deep wounds on each side of her face. On one side, they extended all the way down to her lips. It made it uncomfortable to talk, but that wasn't the only reason for her recent introversion. The physical wounds were only the beginning of her problems. Before the event, the feeling of security had been taken advantage of. Now that she knew that an attack was easier than she expected, she was on high alert and often felt vulnerable. Even with Clark and Lex taking shifts in watching over her, she didn't feel remotely safe. On the contrary, she felt exposed. Lana had slashed her way into her and left everything lying out in the open.

No matter how she tried to look at herself, she could not see a warrior. She didn't have the heart for it. Her eyes, timid and fearful, were that of a victim. The strength inside her was gone, and her reserves were empty. Her tentative world had been turned upside down. The scars on her body were covered by a long-sleeved shirt that fit her very well and scooped down at the neck to show the beginnings of the wounds. It was bright blue to offset her dark jeans. She longed for a mask to cover her face to keep the deep ache from hitting her every time she looked at herself. If she wanted to admit the truth, she would confess that she loathed her current exterior and wished that the sun would restore her smooth skin faster. Because there was Kryptonite involved, her bloodstream retained traces of it and prolonged the healing process.

Lex had been occupied with other things for the past two days, including a massive excavation for meteor rocks, so she was mildly surprised to see him enter the room instead of Clark. Her room had become her sanctuary. It served as a place where she could be left alone for the most part. She could watch television, and the cook bothered her less. She hadn't been eating nearly as well as she should have, but there were far more important things stirring in her mind besides hunger and thirst. His pale blue eyes watched her intently for five seconds or more. She recognized it as an examination of her well-being, and he must not have liked what he found. The polished front he maintained in his all-black suit was replaced with concern as he approached her from behind. His arms slid around her waist and gently pulled her back against him. He was careful of her scars.

They hadn't slept together since Lana kidnapped her. She faced no accusation in his eyes. Instead, he turned his face so that his lips brushed against the side of her neck in an affectionate kiss. Her head moved backwards to rest on his shoulder while her eyes closed in an attempt at temporary relaxation. It felt a hundred percent better just to be in his arms. "The scars will be gone within two weeks," he said softly. His warm breath puffed on the sensitive skin of her neck. Listening to the rhythm of his breathing was more calming than anything.

"I know." She fought to keep her voice amicable instead of projecting how tense she was. "You have work today." The gentle reminder veiled the question of why he was here and not there. It was too early for him to come home, and she was accustomed to his late nights. It wasn't that she was complaining, but there remained a very real fear in her that she would have to face her demons and learn how to be sensual again without thinking of her terrible trauma. The thought terrified her. It was her mate, but his touch would bring back memories that she wanted to bury. His hand reached up to touch her cheek, but as soon as she felt his proximity, she violently flinched away from the attempted contact. Lana's touch was too fresh.

"Easy." His tone was smooth and meant to soothe her, but nothing calmed her more than seeing his hand fall. There was new sadness in his eyes, and she had a feeling that he was finally beginning to understand what effect this entire thing had on her. She couldn't find the strength to look in the mirror anymore. Temporary as her scars might have been, she still had to live with them for a week or more. "I have more important business to tend to than Luthorcorp." She could deal with Clark's constant, watchful presence, but Lex presented pressure that she felt so much more than Clark's somber eyes.

When she drifted away from his grip, he allowed it. The displeasure showed in his eyes. What frightened her was that his gaze was harder and colder than it had ever been. He could have been giving Dedalus or Charity that look, but now he was turning it on her. The loving glances had disappeared along with her will to touch and be touched. What if Lex didn't love her anymore? She forced herself to push the question to the back of her mind and to focus on the moment. "I want to be alone." Her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive position and to create the illusion of strength. It didn't work. His lips curled into a snarl as he snatched her arm and pulled her close. She pushed back against his hold, but he was too powerful for her weakened state. "Lex," she protested.

Her struggle reached its peak as she pushed him with all her might, but his fortitude held. Her own movement retaliated and sent her head slamming back into the mirror. She heard the distinct shatter as her head throbbed from the rough impact. When she reached back to touch her head, her fingers came away warm with blood. His eyes went wide with shock mingled with remorse, and she found herself wrenched into a hug. "I'm sorry." It was a voice with a weakened resolve. He was acknowledging that he made a mistake, but with almost every part of her body touching his, she was unable to cope. His grasp was invulnerable to her resistance, but she could hear the frustration in his voice. "Damnit, Kara!" His vehement curse was immediately followed by the bite of his lips and tongue forcing her mouth open.

For that moment, all she could hear was her harsh breaths coming out of her nose. It didn't take long for him to break the kiss, and she only winced when his fingertips brushed the skin of her cheeks. His cheeks were bright pink with frustration, but she could feel it draining from him as the longevity of the skin contact increased. "You scare me," she whispered quietly. His eyes, which had been forlornly drawn to the floor, were lifted to stare into hers. "Like her." This infuriated him more than anything, but he kept his mouth shut despite his anger. Any kind of violent reaction would only prove her point.

"I don't want to," he admitted softly. One of his hands slipped into her hair while the other rested on her marred cheek. His fingers were careful of the back of her head, but they gently removed shards of glass that were tangled in her hair. "I hate what she did to you. All I want to do is erase her touch and make you – us – normal again." His tone expressed his mild aggravation, but she understood at once that all his aggression was being misplaced. He wasn't angry with her. He was livid with Lana, and since he had no outlet to release all that built-up anger, she took the brunt of it. Her unwillingness to work with him had only made it worse. She had her own issues, yes, but did that mean that she could refuse to alleviate his?

It was somewhat awkward to lift her arms over his, but once she did, she ran her hands over his smooth head. He closed his eyes and resembled a cat. She expected to hear him purr at any moment. All of the tension between them had been somewhat relieved by the mere sense of touch, the thing that she feared and detested all at once. "You can't erase what she did to me." His eyes were still intense, but his calm overcame the anger and the hate. "I need time. I hate my scars. They're ugly." There. The confession was out, and she couldn't take it back. His head tilted downward so that his forehead pressed against hers and their eyes were perfectly aligned.

"You're beautiful. I don't care about the scars." He was telling the truth. It showed in his silvery blues, and she appreciated it. But she couldn't agree with his opinion. After all, he hadn't seen the way the rest of her body was scarred and just how much she'd been torn. She was certain that, once he saw that, he would become disgusted with her. She possessed an innate desire to comfort her mate through intimacy, but at the same time, self-preservation told her to wait until the scars healed. "I just need you to touch me," he murmured with a sigh. To any other female, it might have sounded like a selfish request, but she may have unwittingly been sharing her feelings of insecurity with him.

"I love you." Tears sprang to her eyes, always ready to fall when she didn't want them to. "But I can't. Not this soon." She should've felt secure with her mate, but she didn't. Her dreams were filled with flashes of reptilian green eyes, and she was frightened of the thought of them interrupting intimate moments. It was better to push him away before they started anything instead of waiting until they were caught in the throes of passion and numb inhibitions. His disappointment was written on his face and magnified by his swift exit. His steps were short and punctuated. He was fuming, but he obviously didn't want to cause her harm. She gazed down at the dry, sticky blood on her fingers and decided that she was in need of a shower. It would allow her to think logically.

The hot water seemed to melt away her problems as long as she kept her eyes closed. She was reluctant to shower completely nude, but she was determined to overcome that ridiculous fear. It went fine until she had to rub her hands over her skin in order to clean it. With nothing but the foam of the soap between her fingers and her scars, she could feel the raised, hard ridges that covered her body. In truth, she felt safer with Lex than she did with herself. He wanted to help her heal, not only physically, but mentally as well. After her shower was finished and her body covered with expensive fabric, she ventured out to the greenhouse.

Her fascination with these flowers stemmed from the fact that they were primitive compared to what she was used to. Her mother's precisely-tended garden was full of perfect flowers that had no flaws and served many purposes. These flowers seemed so raw and wild. Their appeal was something that she couldn't resist. No two plants were alike here. The garden in her memory had rows and rows of flowers that looked exactly like one another and were bred to perfection. She remembered Krypton calling itself the perfect society before Zod's army took over the planet on its way to destruction. Maybe being flawless wasn't the answer here. Lex appreciated her for her personality, but she wondered if he would stay with her if the scars were permanent.

His devotion was a mystery to her. She wondered if he really did love her or if she was some exotic curiosity that would fade with time and damage. In light of recent events, she would say that love was the answer. Lana's attack should have brought them closer, but Kara felt an odd separation between them that tore them apart. It was her fault. Her mother never would have laid eyes on her if she was scarred like this on Krypton. She would have been thrown out of society by the Council, and Allura would have done nothing to stop them. Her father was a brilliant scientist and once-leader of Argo City. He wouldn't have done anything to prevent it either. He always said that nature should be allowed to take its course. That was what had gotten all but two of their race killed, including her family.

She remembered her uncle's vibrant blue eyes and the skin next to them that wrinkled when he smiled. His shock of white hair had once been black like her father's, but it had changed early. It didn't bother Jor-El. Nothing had. He walked through life carefree and interested only in his family and science. She remembered many times that she entered his laboratory, the largest space that she'd ever seen outside of Kandor, to find him tripping over equipment, staring intently at something that she would never understand, or talking to himself about his latest invention. Everything about him made her smile, and he would always greet her fervently and launch into an explanation of what he was doing. She wouldn't understand what he was saying half the time, but his intense concentration and interest were admirable.

When Aunt Lara was there, she would only smile and shake her head in loving dismissal at Jor-El's antics. She was beautiful with copper hair that shone in the red sunlight and blazing green eyes that sparkled with mirth. She could see why her father had been so enamored of Lara, but it wasn't as if her mother was plain. Allura was insanely intelligent, but never plain. Her light brown hair was cut in a cropped fashion that was more function than anything, and her blue eyes were pale and dynamic. They would change colors with her mood, like Lex's eyes did. With a politician and a scientist as a father and an eminent botanist as a mother, she would have had much to live up to had her family not fallen out of favor under Zod's rule.

Her father did not stand strong against Zod and instead searched for ways to curry his favor. Her mother had lost her job because of their ancestry, and her brilliance took a turn toward madness. She wished that she could have had more time to spend with her parents as they had been before Zod's takeover instead of the warped years of her later life. Jor-El and Lara stood strong against the tyrannical dictator, and she loved them for it. But as soon as her father assigned blame to her uncle, she'd been forbidden from seeing him. When little Kal-El came along, the situation became more dangerous, but she remembered sneaking out to see him or babysit while Lara and Jor-El had important things to do. She came home to beatings when her father found out, but it had been worth it.

She closed her eyes against the tears that wanted to come. She was careful to keep her hands at her side, and they squeezed into fists when she thought of her father's punishment. The flash of memory that her thoughts provoked was past unpleasant. Her father, drunk on power and anger, had thrown her into a hrakka pen, where the large lizards nearly tore her apart. She could have been killed. She'd carried the scars on her abdomen and in her heart until her arrival here. Even with such abuse, she missed her father. But it was only the part of him before Zod that she wished would return. If Jor-El and Lara had known anything, they would have taken her in without question. She didn't want to put them in any more danger than they were already in under Zod's threat.

Remembering the hissing lizards with their sharp, razor-like claws swiping at her was so vivid that she could feel her heart pounding. The smell of the oily hide filled her nostrils, and the burn of teeth and claws slashing into her skin was almost tangible. She looked down when she felt liquid running through her fingers and saw the distinct stain of blood on her hands. It was real. The dizzying effect was staved off by her grasp on reality. She was surrounded by harmless flowers and plants. She fought to bring herself back and to see what had really happened. In all the panic, she'd torn open one of her wounds, which was bright red with fresh pain.

The trip to the mansion wasn't bad, but it was certainly hard not to focus on the pain. "Lex!" she called out as soon as she was in the door. She waited a few moments, but he didn't come. Rather than hunt him down, she went down to the sublevels and to the laboratory. Her fingerprint wouldn't provide her access. She hadn't tried, but it was a fact that Lex made sure she was aware of. She could hear the sound of faint footsteps inside. When she focused her hearing, she heard mutterings into a tape recorder. "Dedalus?" The mumbling stopped, and she stepped back as the door slid open. "I cut myself."

While he assessed her wound, her eyes ran over his disheveled appearance. His hair was mussed and greasy, there were circles underneath his eyes, and he had an odor to him that told her he could use a shower. He tilted his head toward the hospital bed. "Lie down." She entered the cold room and did as she was told. There were many computers running with different beakers and tests in progress, but she didn't understand any of it. She was reminded of her uncle's laboratory, only this scientist was much darker and didn't care for her like Jor-El did. He came back with a tray of tools and lifted her hand away from the wound before rolling up her shirt to look at it. "Ah. You cut yourself deep. Such a powerful creature injured by something so irrevocably human."

His muted chuckle barely registered in her mind. Dedalus's presence made her nervous. She didn't feel secure with him like she did with Lex. There was an emotional aspect that drew her and Lex together, but Dedalus was only in this for profit. She wondered just how much he'd profited from her behind Lex's back. "I didn't pay attention," she murmured. The cleaning didn't hurt as much as the stitching would, but it still agitated the injury. Two towels came away soaked with her blood before he finally started stitching. The pain made her fingers close on the metal railing at the side of the bed and twist it with a loud groan. She would swear that he was making this more painful than he had to. From the corner of her eye, she saw his tongue swipe across his lips. The smell of her own blood was making her sick. How could he be enjoying this?

"Lex is planning on keeping you all to himself," he said with an almost imperceptible hum. "The most powerful creature on Earth, and he wants you to squander your gifts. That's selfish, don't you think?" She gritted her teeth. This was a conversation that she wanted to avoid. "You really are extraordinary. Someone like you shouldn't be kept from the rest of the world. After all, they need power just as much as he does." She waited for him to finish. It seemed like every minute that ticked by took an hour. She knew that it was because she was watching time go by instead of being passive and allowing it to pass, but that didn't stop her.

"I don't think so," she said quietly. He remained silent until he was finally done, and she waited until he placed a fresh bandage on it before attempting to get up. His hand powerfully pushed her back down, and his eyes held a glimmer of malice. "Let go." Her eyes hardened into a glare, and she felt the tickle of heat vision burning behind her retinas. She wanted badly to let it loose on him, but the physical threat wasn't quite enough to justify that kind of reaction. With all the tension in her body projected in her voice, she carefully crafted a response. "I'm not ready for that." That was a plausible explanation from either side. She only hoped that he would consider it so.

Lex released his tension with a sigh. He barely made it to his office without smashing something, and an expensive ash tray bore the brunt of his fury. It lay in shattered pieces on the floor in front of his desk, and he could see them from behind it. He was tempted by the amber liquid in his liquor cabinet, but he decided to save the crystal decanter from ending up on the floor with the ash tray. It was wise to keep his hands free of things that he could break until he cooled down. He'd been stable before all of this. Before this beautiful blonde with sparkling eyes stole his heart and his control over the world around him. Everything threatened to fall apart because of that mutant that had once been his wife.

The anger that he displayed in front of Kara wasn't toward her. She was recovering. It was understandable that she was not only physically scarred from the event but mentally as well. Lana touched her and made her feel like she was something unworthy of his affection, and it made his blood boil when he saw the caution in her eyes. He could never hurt her. He had the desire to make her understand what he was experiencing, the flood of emotion that he wasn't used to at all, but he wasn't using the right channels of communications. He was putting his needs before hers, and that needed to change. She required time to heal from Lana's assault. He could give her that.

In the meantime, he would figure out a way to keep his irritation under wraps. It seemed that every second away from her was a second wasted. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again the most primal way, even if she just slept next to him. The constant warmth of her body would provide him the comfort he needed. If he could only find some way to make her feel safe with him again, he wouldn't have to worry about this unbridled aggression. He craved her touch, but he couldn't take it by force. He would have to be patient and wait for her to come to him.

Movement by the door caught his attention. His father entered unannounced and approached the desk with leonine grace. His hands were folded behind his back, which gave him the appearance of a predator. Those dark, amber eyes swept across the mess on the floor and carefully analyzed the remains of Lex's temper tantrum with a raised eyebrow. "I hope that Kara wasn't here to witness your petulance." With his short, choppy words, Lionel deliberately slipped insult into his concern. "This certainly isn't any way to entertain such a special young lady." He could read the malice in his father's eyes, and it almost took him aback. He'd been under the illusion that his father couldn't care less about Kara, but he should've known better. He spoke her language. Of course he was interested in her. The thought made Lex bristle with annoyance.

"She wasn't. Her whereabouts are none of your business." He had to learn to control his temper, because he didn't want his father to see his vulnerability. He struggled to put on the cold veneer that he'd perfected over the years, but he couldn't hold back a slight snarl. "What do you want, Dad? I thought that we were done with your surprise visits." The jab didn't affect Lionel like he wanted it to. His first visit with Kara in the stables had forced Lex to tighten up security. Obviously, his strategy for keeping Lionel out of the picture hadn't worked. He would have to fire the incompetent servant who disobeyed his strict orders.

"You know, the things I've learned about Krypton are very interesting." This had to be going somewhere. He could only watch as his father prowled around his desk and walked behind him. He couldn't help a small twitch when his father's hand came down to rest on his shoulder. Lionel's voice lowered until it no longer boomed throughout the room. It was meant for his ears only. "For example, did you know that they were taken over by a dictator a few years before the planet's internal destruction? He was an ambitious general, but eventually, his inattention cost him his freedom. He was trapped in an otherworldly prison called the Phantom Zone." The name sounded so familiar that it gave him chills, but he couldn't remember where it came from. It was rare that his perfect memory failed him.

"Is this another one of your historical life lessons?" He sounded pompous, but he was glad that his father wasn't facing him. Lionel couldn't see the weakness in his eyes. He had the feeling that this wasn't normal. His father was sharing information about Krypton that he'd kept secret for years. Lionel had to have a reason for it. He knew that Lex was hungry for information about Kara's home planet. Kara tried to explain a few things, but she remained quiet for the most part when he asked about Krypton. After such traumatic ruin, he could understand why. Lionel wasn't the type to dance around a topic unless he planned to prolong the suspense and drama of his announcement. Whatever it was, it was definitely important.

"My point," Lionel enunciated, clearly agitated at his son's careless rejection of his incredibly tempting release of vital intelligence on the doomed planet, "is that Jor-El, Clark's father and Kara's uncle, fought against this general with all his wisdom and strength and won. The House of El had one distinct enemy, and his name was General Zod." A chill ran through his blood. He would never forget the name of the evil entity that once inhabited him. He never thought to connect it with Kara and Clark's race, but it fit perfectly. "I'm very disappointed in you, Lex. You've thrown away every offer I've given to you. Today, you will accept my offer to return to Metropolis and work directly under me, or else Kara will find out exactly what Zod did with your body."

He knew what his father was threatening to do. The damage that Zod had inflicted on the world had been catastrophic. If Kara knew that he had a hand in that, if she saw evidence of the destruction Zod caused here on Earth, she would surely break down. He would never regain her trust. He was backed into a corner, and there was only one option. "I need time to teach her more of our language and customs. I suppose there are other strings attached to your proposal?" He didn't wear defeat well, and he knew that his present mood seemed more agitated than weak, but agitation was a type of weakness according to the Luthors.

"Of course." Lionel's head dipped in a small nod of approval. His father was obviously pleased with his fast decision, even though he didn't have a choice in the matter. "I require more time with Kara. Through her, we can learn more about her culture. I can also teach her English more efficiently than anyone else." That was another jab at his character. He was far too busy to properly instruct her, so he was somewhat relieved that there was someone else to take on those duties. Unfortunately, it had to be his father. Lionel's eyes turned dark as he turned away from the light. "I also would like you to take care of Dedalus. He can't be trusted with something of this magnitude, and I'm appalled that you chose him in the first place. From now on, you will conduct all experiments related to Kara yourself to ensure that this doesn't happen again," he snapped.

Kara's safety really did mean something to Lionel. Lex's momentary shock was only clouded by his father's denouncement of Dedalus's abilities. "How do you suppose I take care of him?" He used words of caution because he saw what his father meant. The dark glint in Lionel's eyes only meant one thing. "I can't just kill him," he said in a hushed voice with widened eyes. What did Lionel expect? He was prone to use measures of deceit, but that didn't mean he was a killer. Even being accused of Lana's murder had disgusted him. "He's loyal. He won't tell anyone." His father's smirk implied that he knew all the secrets in the world. Not only did he know a chunk of them from this world, but he also knew much about Krypton as well.

"Really? Perhaps that's why he hasn't informed you that Kara has injured herself. He's treating her as we speak." His already bruised ego was wounded even more, and he couldn't keep the emotion out of his eyes. He wanted to ask a hundred questions at once pertaining to her health and how Lionel discovered this, but his father silenced him with a raised palm. "I will accompany you to the lab so that you can see the doctor's treachery for yourself." How his father could have possibly planned something like this eluded him, so he believed it to be true for the moment. There was no way his father could concoct such a precise scheme. He was on his feet without a second thought, and the glass crunched under his Italian shoes as he thought of ways to get rid of anyone who would plot against Kara.