So sorry for taking so long to update, combination of life and mulling over Kara's reaction. It could have gone SO many directions….

As always I don't own Supergirl or any of the characters, just borrowing for entertainment purposes.


The Auction Chapter 6

"Kara?" Lena cautiously asked trying to get the Kryptonian's attention for the third time with no response. Lena wasn't sure what to expect right now, her adrenaline and fear were nearing an all time high. Lena's breath had quickened and her nerves were making her hands shake. Her hand still hovered over the Nth metal bracelet on her wrist in preparation for nearly anything. Because standing before her, a mere 25ft away, was one of the most powerful beings on the planet and Lena had absolutely no way to gage Kara's emotions right now. Kara hasn't said anything since the news story ended, in fact she's hardly moved. But Lena hasn't gotten to where she is in business without being able to read people, and what Lena was reading wasn't good. "Kara, Please? We need to talk about this?" she pleaded one more time.

Lena was observing Kara closely. Kara was still facing the television but no longer watching it. EVERYTHING about Kara's body language was tense, tightly closed eyes, teeth gritted, arms straight at her sides with tight fists. Lena knew it was her imagination, from fear, from nerves, but she swore she could hear the crackle of energy in the room. Kara's skin vibrating with power barely contained.

Lena begins to move her hand even closer to the bracelet, fingers actually touching the sides, pointer finger hovering millimeters from where she needs to push to protect herself from the nuclear explosion she's afraid is about to erupt. Then Kara releases a very visible breath. In fact, Kara takes in and releases another, repeating this process two or three more times. Kara's shoulders loosen slightly but Lena can still see Kara's hands shaking from the pent-up energy as they come up to cover her face with the distinct sound of trying to hold back tears. "Roa, Roa, Roa." she mumbles a few times even though Lena doesn't know what that means. She wasn't moving from the spot in front of the television but she wasn't exactly standing still either, her body shifting, her feet taking small slightly pacing steps. Lena heard panicked mumbles, "Twenty-four years in the Phantom Zone. Ten on Rozz, he'd be 34… no, 35, maybe…. Length of time to get here? How old was he when we left?" Kara then yelled at herself in frustration with her memory, "I don't know!" Kara stopped, gripped the hair on the top of her head in anger. Lena watched cautiously while Kara was trying to do the math on something. Something she didn't quite understand.

Kara turned to the TV again even though the story was no longer on air. "Kal?" Kara says the name again quietly as the tears flow from her eyes. "Did you make it?" Kara asks the television, her face momentarily softening into a smile. "You did, didn't you…. This whole time…." this time Kara wasn't asking but was confirming it to herself as she wiped away tears.

Lena wonders if Kara is finally coming down, coming back into focus, "Kara?" Lena attempts again to gain the Kryptonian's attention. Kara remains still in thought, hands covering the lower half of her face, back turned to Lena. For a few moments everything seems eerily quiet and Lena braves a few steps closer to the alien relaxing her own hand away from the controller bracelet when she hears Kara mumble something while shaking her head. "What?" Lena asks for clarification softly, not sure if Kara was talking to her or not.

Kara pulls her face away from her hands, wiping away the water that had leaked from her eyes, "two minutes" Kara repeats louder what she said before, looking at Lena for just a second before turning away again trying to hide her tears.

Lena looked at Kara confused not knowing what to say. Not knowing what Kara was talking about, but was relieved that she finally seemed to be communicating. "What's two minutes?" Lena asks trying to keep the young woman in conversation.

"Two minutes…." Kara continues with her back still turned, softly but loud enough Lena hears. "Uhm… two minutes… That's…." Kara is burying her face in her hands again, Lena sees the tension build again in Kara's shoulders, her fists clench, as she chokes out the next few words, "Uhm... that's how long…." After a pause Kara lifts her head but keeps her hands over her clenched eyes forcing out the rest through gritted teeth, something like anger in her voice, "that's how much time was in between our pods." Lena lets that sink in, not responding, she's still not exactly sure what that means. Kara's breathing has gotten heavy as she continues straining through gritted teeth, "His pod made it." Kara turns and Lena can now see Kara's tense profile. Kara slowly lowers her hands and Lena sees the bright glowing red that emanates in and around Kara's dangerous eyes, "But mine didn't."

Lena steps back quickly almost knocking over a side table next to the couch. Terrified, knowing exactly what Superman's eyes can do when they shine that color. Her hand once again finds comfort in touching the bracelet, it becoming a security blanket in the last minute. This time though, it doesn't go unnoticed.

Kara drops quickly to her knees, her hand covering tightly clenched glowing eyes aiming toward the floor in case the pent-up energy escapes. Her other hand shooting forward in front of her in an open palmed pleading position, "I'm Sorry! I'm Sorry! Please!" She continues begging, "Please, don't turn on the Kryptonite" fear clearly being heard in her voice. "It'll go down. It'll go down" Kara says referring to the energy behind her eyes.

Lena, racked with her own apprehension, her own fear, listens to Kara's words, her lucidity calming her slightly. She watches as Kara does regain control. Kara's breathing although deep, becomes steady. The glowing that is partially being covered by her hand fades back to normal skin color. After a short period of time, fifteen seconds maybe, Kara's hand lifts from her eyes, it joins the other one in front of her trying to project vulnerability. Her eyes have returned to normal, the only redness remaining is the signs of crying. Deep blue oceans meet Lena's, silently pleading for mercy, unsure of how much she scared Lena, unsure of how much tolerance Lena has under that kind of fear.

Sensing she's made it through the storm, Lena's hand leaves the bracelet. She begins to feel relief and the tension everywhere in her body relaxes. With the adrenaline leaving her system her limbs begin to feel weak. Lena's arms and legs are shaky. Hardly audible, she mumbles an explicative to herself while coming down from the adrenaline. Trusting Kara's control again, she lets her eyes leave Kara's and walks back to the counter where she left her glass of wine. Lena uses the countertop to steady herself, grabs her glass and in single gulp swallows what's left. She grabs the bottle and two finger rule be damned, she refills her glass to the top.

Lena turns with her glass in hand to look at Kara. She isn't sure where to start but the alien on her knees seems nervous and is intent on letting her make the first move. Lena, taking her glass with her, walks to the couch in the living room sitting while Kara's nervous eyes follow her the whole way. Kara is just on the other side of the coffee table from her now. Setting her glass down, Lena pats the cushion next to her, silently asking Kara to sit next to her. Kara, still unsure, makes no move until Lena pushes lightly with, "Please?" and pats the spot again. Kara got up and made her way around the coffee table taking the seat next to Lena on the couch. "Thank You" Lena said and then continued, "I'm going to start out by telling you what I know, which isn't a lot mind you, but I'll tell you honestly anything I know about him." Lena paused taking a drink of wine as Kara's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Kara wasn't used to people with authority freely handing out information.

Lena began again, "He is Kryptonian, like yourself. He's said so, he doesn't stay long places, flies in, saves something or someone and flies away. But a reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis always seems to be in the right place at the right time, manages to get a question or two answered before he flies away. He doesn't give much detail, sometimes doesn't answer at all, but he has said he's Kryptonian."

Kara smiled at the information, hesitated a second and then asked, "How long has he been here?"

Lena shrugged, "We don't know. He's been flying around in the suit and cape for…" Lena paused as she thought about how old she was when she remembers hearing about him for the first time, "twelve, maybe thirteen years. But that isn't necessarily when he got here. There's a rumor that he's been here many, many years before that, maybe even grew up here."

Kara volunteered, "My cousin and I were put into two different pods, the destination was supposed to be here, Earth. He was a baby."

Lena quickly added understanding now, "And your pod didn't make it."

"I think his did" Kara affirmed.

Lena released a deep breath before taking another hefty sized gulp of her wine. "So, what you're saying is you're Superman's cousin?"

"The crest he's wearing on his chest, that's my families crest" Kara answered.

"I thought that was just an S, for Super" Lena responded.

Kara was shaking her head, "It's Kryptonian, it means stronger together. Please, I was originally sent to protect my cousin. Please can we go to this Metropolis and find him?"

Lena quickly and emphatically responded, "Oh, No no no no. We can't do that, no." Kara responded with disappointment and desperately pleading eyes. "Kara, they have been trying to capture him for YEARS. If the first thing you do on this planet is join him, they're going to override your cuffs and take you back into custody" Lena said bluntly trying to make her understand.

Kara was quiet for what felt like a long time, but in reality, was much shorter, contemplating Lena's words. "If Kal saves people, why are they trying to capture him?"

Lena answered, "Kara, the power you have on this planet, the power he has on this planet, it's enormous. Humans can't even begin to compete on your level and even though Superman, or Kal I guess his name is, is generally considered a hero. The people in power need to prepare for the worst, that he or you could use your gifts against us." Lena begins looking at Kara for understanding and only receives a disappointed stare. "Come on Kara, imagine if you were back on Krypton and super beings showed up. How would your governments and militaries react?" Kara didn't answer but Lena could tell Kara was understanding her train of thought. "Theory has it that when he showed up on the planet so did the Kryptonite. I know that it's been used a few times against him, by authorities and…. others" Lena's voice wavered slightly at the thought of her adopted brother Lex. "He's been injured by it, but so far has managed to get away."

Kara interjected, "That's exactly the reason I should find him, to help him, protect him."

"How Kara? If you or your powers were caught on camera anywhere near him…. The list of Kryptonians on this planet is extremely small. You'd get caught, and I'd be in deep right along with you. Plus, you might end up drawing MORE attention to him, do you want him in bracelets like yours?" Lena saw the hurt expression on Kara's face as Kara looked down to her wrists. Lena tried to soften her demeanor worrying she had been too harsh. "Kara, I just don't want you to get hurt" Lena told her. "Seeing what Kryptonite does to you first hand, I don't want to see that ever again."

Kara perked up a little at Lena's concern, nodding slightly "I don't want that again either. But my original duty, the reason I was put in that pod and sent to Earth was to protect him. I can't ignore that."

"Kryptonite Kara! You could get caught in the middle if they're going for him with kryptonite. Not to mention it's my job to keep you away from that kind of trouble" exclaimed Lena.

Kara sat back on the couch in frustration of the situation. She needed Lena to understand because there wasn't any way she could do this without her consent, the bracelets on her wrists assured that. But not only that, Kara didn't want to do this on her own. She was unfamiliar with Earth. She didn't even know where Metropolis was. Kara crossed her arms, not looking at Lena anymore, solemn and slightly pouting "He's my cousin, the only blood relative I have left in the universe." Then looking into Lena eyes, "How am I supposed to ignore his existence? How am I supposed to ignore the promise I made to his mother…? And mine, when we launched?" Because Kara honestly didn't know how to do this.

Lena sympathized with Kara for wanting to find and protect her baby cousin. But what was worse, Lena felt the truth in Kara's words, the conflict inside. Kara really wouldn't be able to ignore this. This would eat at her insides until Lena would be dealing with superpowered problems. The reality of the situation is unless Lena now chose to keep Kara locked in the Nth metal cell in the basement, something she was completely against, Lena wouldn't be able to leave the house or even sleep without the worry Kara might fly out the window in an attempt to find her cousin alone. That's something Lena knew she couldn't let Kara do. She was bound to get caught the first time, exposed to unfamiliar Earth customs. Lena took the last rather large gulp from her glass of wine, "Alright, I can't make promises, but we will TRY to find him."

Kara's excitement beamed across her face in a smile that stretched ear to ear. "Thank you, thank you!"

Lena smiled at the site of Kara's happiness but dread at the thought of their new mission, or rather terror about getting caught. "Don't thank me yet. This isn't going to be easy. And this may not be fast. He doesn't fly around all day long, he comes and goes, randomly. And YOU need to listen to me, you need to stay under the radar, no powers or people are going to take notice and this is going to go all to hell. Understand?"

"Absolutely! If you'll help me find him, I'll do anything. Thank you, Lena" Kara said with giddy excitement still in her words. Kara leaned forward invading Lena's space to give her a huge hug. Lena reacted a little stiff at first, not coming from a family known for their affection. But Lena soon appreciated the blonde's contact and returned the embrace. She couldn't help but smile watching the Kryptonian lean her head into the crook of her neck and shoulder.

Lena mentally shook herself out of it and was the first to pull away from the embrace, her professional side getting the best of her, "It's been a long day Kara." Lena stood up from the couch straightening her blouse, "I think we should call it a night?"

Kara, sensing the demeanor change, "Alright" stood up from the couch.

"If it's alright, I'll walk you to your room?" Lena asked.

"Of course," Kara responded.

Lena escorted Kara up to her bedroom and made sure the Kryptonian had found her sleepwear in the wardrobe. Kara wore a comfortable night shirt and pant pajama set. She sat at the edge of the mattress and spoke up just before Lena made it to the door of her room, "I'm going to be honest. I might be a little too excited to sleep." Kara quickly added, "Not just about my cousin either. Being off the space station alone…., and then add being here. How beautiful your home is, how great you've been. I haven't been this happy in a long time."

Lena smiled looking into the sincerity behind Kara's blue oceans. Lena couldn't help but feel affection for the beautiful blonde in front of her, her happiness seemed to make her happy. Lena made her way back to the Kryptonian, she felt compelled to touch her cheek adoringly, then sat next to her. "You say it's because of the good that's happened today but I get the feeling you're a beacon of hope and light wherever you are" Lena tells her.

Kara looks down for a second, "Not always." Looking back up to Lena, "I try, it's been a lot better… since the humans. Mostly. But I feel like you saved me, sort of. I just want you to know I appreciate what you've done for me. I'm appreciative."

Lena smirked slightly, "Noted. It's time for bed though." Kara nodded slightly unenthusiastically. Lena used a knuckle to lightly bump under Kara's chin and was rewarded when Kara smiled. "Buck up, you've got a whole new path in front of you. And I'll be here to help guide you on it."

Still smiling, Kara made her way up the king size bed threw the comforter to the side and laid under only the sheet, "I get hot. Kryptonians run warmer than humans."

With a small laugh Lena responded, "Also noted." She paused briefly before adding, "Before I leave, I'd like to put the red sunlight lamps on low. It's pretty dim, I'm hoping they won't bother you." Lena quickly adding, "It's not a trust thing, promise. I was just hoping you'd allow me to take some blood samples in the morning?"

Kara answered "Yes, of course."

"Then I'll see you in the morning," Lena said as she made the lights adjustments and, "Good night, Kara" before she shut the door as she left.


As always please leave a blurb, comment, critique, thought or review. I really REALLY appreciate them.

On top of that I'm going to ask for one more favor, this story started out as a few angsty scene ideas in my head and I still have some ideas, but if you've got some thoughts, prompts, suggestions I'm all ears, send them in a message I'd appreciate the extra pushing.