Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Supergirl or its plots or characters.

Chapter 10: Dark Come Soon

Most of the time Kara just flew to get from one place to another, giving it no thought, but not tonight. Lena Luthor had kissed her tonight so everything was different. It was as if the world looked a little different; Kara was aware of every subtle sensation from the way her heart pounded in her chest to the cool breeze blowing her hair back as she flew.

Confident that she was high enough above the skyscrapers, Kara allowed her eyelids to slide closed as she replayed the way Lena's lips felt against her own, soft and warm. Her skin still felt like it was on fire where Lena's hands had touched her and electricity seemed to still buzz through her entire body.

So lost in her reverie that she almost flew past her apartment building, but caught herself just in time, descending quickly. Kara landed gracefully on her fire escape, lifting the window open and letting herself in.

"How'd your date go, Baby Danvers?"

She hadn't been paying attention and the voice caught her off guard. She bumped her head on the window frame, shattering the glass with a loud crash that the entire block had to have heard. It didn't hurt obviously but that would be like the fifth time just this year she's had to replace that window for her clumsiness. A groan of annoyance escaped her and she stared at the sky as if asking Rao how she was going to afford to replace it again on her reporter salary.

Gathering herself, she finished stepping through the window and Kara stood fully and took in the scene in her living room. She saw Maggie sitting on her couch, watching her TV, eating her popcorn, smirking at her. Maggie was doing her best to hide a snort of laughter behind the bowl of popcorn as she watched Kara survey the damage. A second later Alex was running into the room, gun drawn until she laid eyes on Kara.

"Oh, it's just you. I thought someone was breaking in," her sister shrugged her shoulders and put the safety back on the gun before setting it on the coffee table, flopping down next to her fiancée on the couch.

Kara sighed heavily, the adrenaline from the surprise of them both being in her apartment this late starting to wear off and sleepiness setting in. She crouched down and began picking up pieces of glass with her bare hands and tossing them in the garbage, muttering to herself, "I could say the same about you two."

"So, how was your date?" Alex called from the couch, her mouth full of popcorn already, unconcerned with the mess apparently because this had become so commonplace.

"Well, we never made it out of her apartment," Kara replied, brushing her hair out of her face as she strode over to them. This was immediately followed by Alex's incredulous shout,

"WHAT?!"

"OOOH DAMN, Baby Danvers! Get it!" Maggie exclaimed, obviously impressed as she set down the bowl of her popcorn and scooted to the edge of the couch to hear every juicy detail.

Their strong reactions startled her a little and it took Kara a second to realize what they had thought she had insinuated with her words. She could feel her face burn with embarrassment as her brain immediately imagined her and Lena-

"NO! No! That's not what I meant! We didn't- we just…no. Just no," Kara finished lamely, unable to formulate a coherent sentence to refute their accusations. This wasn't good enough for the two of them, their expectant eyes boring holes into her.

"I knew that dress was gonna make Lena want to-," Alex began smugly to Maggie, but Kara wasn't about to let her finish that sentence.

"NO! I said, 'NO,'" Kara practically shouted to be heard over them discussing her love life. Her eyes slid closed briefly while she took a calming breath then looked back at them before making her way over to the trash can with the shards of her window, her Kryptonian skin unharmed by the sharp glass.

She had to set the record straight or they'd never leave her alone so she finally found her words, "I told her I was Supergirl…."

The two women seemed to finally sense her seriousness and Alex adjusted to see her better, hooking her arm over the back of the sofa.

"What did she say?" she asked with barely concealed apprehension in her voice. Kara sighed heavily and dumped the glass before looking over at her sister.

"She knew," Kara told her simply, even though the conversation she and Lena had had was anything but simple afterwards.

"What do you mean, 'she knew'?" Alex asked, her tone dipping slightly. She could see Alex going into protective older sister mode. Even though Alex had come around to the belief that Lena was nothing like her family, the suspicion of Luthors was a hard habit to break.

By this point, both women were sitting on their knees on the sofa and their torsos hanging over the back so they could more fully face her. Kara sighed, something she was doing a lot tonight. She desperately needed sleep and she wanted to dream about Lena but these two weren't having it. So, Kara came around to sit on the arm of the couch, both of them adjusting to keep their eyes locked on her. Kara took a breath and spoke,

"She just kind of figured it out… I shouldn't have been so surprised… someone so smart."

Alex and Maggie weren't satisfied with this answer, but that's all Kara was willing to give them right now. She had a lot to process and she would tell all to her sister in time, but right now all she wanted was to sleep.

Luckily, her sister seemed to get the hint because she nudged Maggie who said a little too loudly,"It's getting late, we should go."

They both stood and turned to leave, but as Alex passed her she placed a comforting hand on Kara's shoulder.

"See you at the DEO tomorrow?"

Kara looked up gratefully at her sister, smiling tiredly as she nodded her confirmation. Supergirl had been on unofficial leave from work at the DEO since Mon-El's departure, so to hear that Alex felt she was ready to return made Kara feel she really understood her feelings for Lena.

With a playful punch to her shoulder and a, 'see ya, Baby Danvers,' from Maggie, she and Alex left Kara alone in her apartment. Using the last of her energy, she used her super speed to tape up the window, put on her pajamas, and launch herself into the warm, inviting confines of her bed.

Sure enough, as soon as her head hit the pillow, memories of Lena permeated her dreams, but not of her kiss.

Kara was pissed.

What was she supposed to do if Snapper wasn't going to publish her article? More and more aliens were going to be kidnapped and who knew what Cadmus was doing to them at this very moment. All she could think about was how Lillian had tortured her for her blood, forcing her to drain her powers so she could make the Medusa virus. What other horrors was she inflicting on innocent aliens? Or were they just being exterminated?

She was reviewing her notes over and over to come up with something so that would make Snapper see that this story was worth publishing. In her rush and frustration, she almost walked into someone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of red, and she used her powers to stop short or else risk toppling the person. One of the many downsides to having super strength was that even the slightest of bumps could hurt a human.

"Excuse me," she apologized quietly, looking up as the person turned, and she was sure her heart stopped for a moment.

"Lena?!"

"She said with surprise in her voice for some reason," the brunette didn't sound accusatory just seemingly like she was waiting for Kara to remember something.

It didn't take long.

Kara's eyes slid closed as she realized why Lena was there. Guilt shot through her as she remembered… they had made plans to go out to lunch. How could she have forgotten? She had been so excited when the CEO suggested it because it was the first time they were going to hang out outside of either of their jobs.

"Ooooh, my god, we were going to try out that new fermentation place! I totally forgot," Kara groaned, hoping that the CEO wasn't mad at her. She had just been so caught up in concern for the abducted aliens and being unable to publish her story to warn the others that everything had just taken a back burner in her mind temporarily."I'm so sorry, there's just so much going on," she apologized, having difficulty meeting Lena's gaze but she could feel the brunette watching her intently.

When Kara was finished she was finally able to chance a glance her way only to see Lena smiling, assuring Kara, "That's okay. No need to explain. Kombucha can wait." Kara sighed and dropped her head with relief causing Lena to ask with worry in her voice, "Is everything okay?"

She didn't need super powers to see the concern in her emerald eyes which seemed brighter than usual today, reflecting all the natural light from the large windows in the office. Lena really was beautiful in her long red woolen jacket, black dress, and bright red lipstick with her raven hair pulled sleekly back into an elegant bun.

Lena was being so gracious about her forgetfulness that it made Kara feel worse somehow. Kara felt privileged by the fact that the busy CEO had made time to go to lunch with her, so the guilt wracked her that she had wasted Lena's precious time. Then, not only was Lena not upset with her, but she was worried about her well-being and it made her stomach do funny things.

"Ugh, no. Snapper refused to publish my article , my article on Cadmus," she began to reply, only realizing halfway through her sentence that she was again dredging up Lena's family by referencing Cadmus, but it was too late to stop, so she finished, "He says I need more sources."

The change in Lena was immediate. The smile, the look of concern, all of that was gone now, only to be replaced by icy stoicism as she asked flatly,"What did mother do now?"

She didn't like the direction this exchange was going in now. She hated to constantly remind Lena of the horrifying things her mother was capable of, but she had a right to know. Kara couldn't stop thinking that if she had only remembered that they were meeting for lunch then they could have been reminiscing about some trivial show they were both watching right now, anything but this.

"Cadmus stole the alien registry. They're abducting everyone on the list," she revealed reluctantly, watching Lena's reaction. Kara could see the brunette's jaw visibly tighten, her eyes hardening as Kara explained, "My article was meant to warn everyone."

Her gaze dropped to the floor, her voice cracking just a little at the end. It had been a lot harder to say that than she anticipated. Every time she thought about those aliens, families just trying to make a life for themselves on this planet, Kara's heart ached knowing that Cadmus could be doing any number of things to them right now. And most of those aliens didn't have abilities like hers so they were no match for Lillian's cruel tactics.

After a moment, she lifted her eyes to look at the woman in front of her, only to see the coldness in Lena's eyes softening as she looked right back at her. Then Lena shifted her face away briefly, apparently considering something before turning back to look at Kara.

"Well, something that important… if Snapper won't let you publish it at CatCo, maybe be a citizen journalist: post a blog, tweet the hell out of it. Imagine how many people you could reach instantly by just blogging about it," she suggested conspiratorially, and Kara thought it seemed as though the CEO was just as fired up about this whole thing as she was now. When it came to her family, Lena always seemed to take whatever they did personally and was determined to make it right in any way possible.

"Yeah, maybe you're right… although Snapper would crucify me," Kara replied exaggeratedly, considering Lena's suggestion seriously though. It really wasn't a bad idea, but it certainly would get her into a lot of trouble. Yet, as in one of her favorite quotes, 'women who behave rarely make history.'

Then Lena was looking at her; her head tilted slightly to the side, clear eyes seemed to see right through her, as if she was the one with x-ray vision. Kara needed a distraction and quick or she was going to get lost in those eyes.

'You're with Mon-El now, why are thinking about Lena this way?' her inner voice chastised her, but she brushed it off as another thought occurred to her, this one she spoke aloud.

"In the meantime, there's something you could help me with. Does L Corp have any technology that we could use to find missing aliens?" she asked hopefully with Lena still looking at her like that, as if Kara was saying the most interesting thing she'd ever heard.

"I can look into it," Lena agreed quickly, but then a smile slowly curled her lips, making Kara's stomach flutter, and she continued, "Or maybe I can do one better. When Lex ran the company, mother was on the board, maybe she left something behind, a trail of bread crumbs. Could be your second source."

Excitement bubbled up inside her at the idea of them working together to take down Cadmus and save the aliens. How anyone doubted Lena's motives was a mystery; she tried so hard to do good, why couldn't anyone else see that?

"Thank you," Kara realized she was biting her lip as she smiled broadly at the CEO. She couldn't help it. Lena was still looking at her like that, her red lips seeming more noticeable than usual.

"What are friends for?" Lena shot back with a flirtatious smile, at least that's how it seemed to her. The word 'friends,' she was having trouble with though, something about it just wasn't sitting right. Kara had to avert her eyes because she couldn't stop staring at those full lips and bright eyes. She was actually relieved when Lena left because there was no telling what her rebellious mind would do the longer she was here at CatCo.

'Friends.'

That word would never be able to encompass the feelings Kara had for Lena and yet they used it to describe each other quite a bit. At least they did before last night. What word would they use now?

"Kara!"

Her head snapped up at the sound of someone yelling her name. Greeting her eyes was the unwelcome sight of Snapper, hands on his hips, a look of deep displeasure creasing every wrinkle on his face. Kara straightened herself up at her desk and strained her brain to figure out what he had just asked her, but she had no idea.

Her thoughts had been completely taken up by memories of kissing Lena Luthor last night. The feeling of those lithe fingers on her bare skin was making her blush just thinking about it.

"Where is your piece on the Alien Marriage Equality Act?" he snarled; what little patience he had was obviously waning every second he stood there without an answer.

"Uh- it's- uh," Kara stumbled over her words trying to come up with a coherent response without outright lying. The truth of it was that the article was open on her computer, half-written. How could she focus on it when Lena Luthor's lips had been pressed against hers less than 24 hours ago?

"Unless you want to be relegated to the advice column, I'd suggest you get that submitted in the next hour," he barked at her. Not waiting for a response or Kara's excuse, he stomped away, off to harass someone else probably.

Sighing in frustration, Kara tried to subtly scope out the office, looking and listening for anyone who may be nearby, but the coast seemed clear. She tried to not use her powers unless absolutely necessary but if she wanted to get back to day dreaming about Lena's perfect smile, then this was what she had to do.

Confident no one would notice, Kara used her super speed to type the article in mere seconds. It probably wasn't the most well-constructed article she had ever put together, but she knew they were in too much of a rush to get the magazine out in time to care about her little political story.

Just as she had emailed the story to James and Snapper and her mind was going back to memories of last night, she heard the tell-tale buzz of her phone in her purse.

She dug around for it for a minute before locating the offending device and glancing down at the screen. It was a text from Lena that read, "Are we still on for tonight?"

Kara's heartrate doubled just seeing the woman's name on her phone, much less knowing she was inquiring into their date, an actual date this time hopefully. Not wasting another second, Kara typed the hasty reply, "Definitely! When's a good time for me to come by L Corp?"

She waited a minute, holding her breath in anticpation just texting with the CEO. Kara still couldn't believe that everything was out in the open now. It was surreal to think that in a matter of minutes her whole world had changed. Lena knew she was Supergirl and had known for a while apparently.

She should have known that someone as intelligent as Lena Luthor would have figured her secret out. But what struck Kara was that, instead of confronting her, Lena had waited and allowed Kara to 'come out' as Supergirl when she was ready. Whatever she had felt for Lena before that realization had multiplied exponentially afterwards. On top of that, Lena felt something beyond friendship for her too.

The phone buzzed again, "I have meetings until 4. Any time after that or during… I might need saving to keep me from going mad of boredom."

Kara laughed to herself and replied, "Haha only if you can save me from Snapper... I'll head over there when I get off at 5… I can't wait to see you."

Her thumb hovered over the send button, considering whether that last bit was too much. It was the truth. Sitting here at work and not near Lena, was a slow, excruciating agony when all she could think about was wrapping her arms around the brunette.

She hit send.

Kara stared down at her screen, her heart pounding in her chest, unable to breath as she waited in anticipation of Lena's reply. She didn't have to wait long before the text appeared with a, 'ding.'

"I can't wait to see you either. I can hardly get any work done, thinking about last night," came Lena's response and Kara's pulse picked up significantly.

Lena felt the same way. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

"Me too! See you soon," Kara replied, a smile plastered to her face.

Kara couldn't believe she had just done that. Now that article was out there for the whole world. A story that Snapper had outright ordered her not to publish, but she knew this was the right thing to do. She had to warn the aliens of National City because she couldn't bear it if one more alien was abducted, and she could have done something to prevent it.

Mon-El had said something about getting food but the sound of her phone ringing pulled her attention away from him. Lena Luthor's name appeared on her screen and a rush of excitement filled her, as was becoming the norm whenever the CEO called.

Picking up the device and accepting the call with a swipe of her thumb, Kara brought the phone to her face and greeted, "Lena?"

"I found something: activity at a facility that's supposedly defunct," the CEO's voice sounded a little rushed coming through her earpiece but also a little distracted as she continued, "It's big enough to build almost anything, or to hide something."

Then all a sudden there was the buzz of electricity and a loud crash.

Instantly, Kara knew something was wrong. Her blood turned cold and it felt as though it had frozen in her veins, stopping her heart.

"Lena?!" she could hear the pitch of her own voice increase in anxiousness. Kara needed to hear her voice, but when she did she immediately regretted her wish.

"Stay back!"

The words sounded far away but there was no mistaking the fear in the CEO's normally calm, even tone. It was getting hard to breath, but Kara didn't want to jump to conclusions or panic, but something definitely was very wrong.

"Lena? Lena?" she repeated a few more times, desperate for Lena to pick up the phone and tell her everything was all right, but she knew it wasn't.

Without another word or explanation to Mon-El, Kara used her super speed to change into her Supergirl suit in the blink of an eye and fly towards L Corp faster than even she thought possible. With her super hearing, she could hear Lena's scream, a gut-wrenching sound that made her previously stopped heart pound with adrenaline. Just ahead she caught sight of a figure falling.

It was Lena.

Kara pushed herself to fly even faster, closing in as Lena fell further and further towards the unforgiving pavement.

Mere feet from the ground, Kara slipped one hand around Lena's back, the other under her legs. Even in her speed, Kara was careful to not hurt Lena by allowing a little give in her arms to cushion the fall.

For only a second Kara floated there in mid-air, holding Lena bridal-style, giving her breathing a chance to even and using her x-ray vision to check the woman for injuries. Lena's arms had found their way around her neck, gripping her shoulder and Kara tried to ignore the way it was making her feel to have Lena this close to her. Satisfied that the brunette was unharmed, Kara propelled herself upwards back to the very balcony Lena had just fallen from.

The CEO seemed to be handling falling from a skyscraper rather well, in Kara's opinion. She was hyper-aware of the other woman's elevated heart rate and rapid breathing, but she hadn't fainted or thrown up or anything; both of which had happened to people Kara had saved in the past.

When she arrived back at the topmost balcony, she saw the two men gape open-mouthed up at her, seemingly dumb-founded. She contained her rage the best she could as she stared down at them.

"Drop something?" she asked rhetorically before using her super breath to knock them out cold, before alighting on the balcony.

As much as she loathed to do it, she set Lena gently down on the ground and almost instantly the question came from the woman, "How did you know?"

She hated lying to Lena but, but she had to do it. Thinking of the first excuse that came to mind, she told her,"I was getting coffee with Kara Danvers when you called."

"Well, that's lucky," Lena replied, her breathing still irregular, adrenaline coursing through her veins as well at her near-death experience. But she didn't stop there,"I'm glad you're here. I have something you'll both want to know. Cadmus and the missing aliens… I know where they are."

As she flew to L Corp, Kara could remember the feeling of absolute terror she had felt watching Lena fall from her balcony. She was sure she would have given Barry Allen a run for his money with the speed at which she flew.

Her mind wouldn't allow her to just let it go. All she could think of was that moment; the feeling of Lena Luthor in her arms. But something darker permeated her mind: images of what could have happened if she hadn't gotten there in time.

A heart-wrenching pain shot through her at the mere thought of losing Lena. That was the first time she had really considered what life would be like without the other woman, and that was not something Kara ever wanted to think about. Kara shoved these thoughts away and reminded herself that Lena was okay and she was going to see her in just a few minutes.

Today, Kara had considered flying directly up to the topmost balcony now that Lena knew her identity, but L Corp had too many employees; too many people who would ask questions if Kara Danvers never walked into the building but somehow walked out. So, she opted for her go-to strategy of finding an alley to land in, changing quickly, and walking inconspicuously through the front doors as Kara Danvers.

It was really nice to be allowed in so quickly these days; in less than five minutes she was outside of Lena's office, heart pounding and palms sweating in anticipation. She tentatively knocked, waiting for Lena's, 'come in,' before opening the double doors.

Peeking her head in to make sure it really was okay for her to enter, Kara laid eyes on the gorgeous brunette sitting at her desk. A broad grin stretched across Lena's features as Kara stepped more fully into the space, and the CEO immediately stood to greet her.

Kara couldn't help but stare; Lena was absolutely beautiful. Her raven hair was pulled back, as was her norm when she was at work, and she wore a navy blue sleeveless V-neck blouse that exposed her fair skin paired with a black pencil skirt that hugged the curve of her hips. All of this was impossible not to notice and completely distracting, so much so that she almost didn't realize Lena had crossed the room towards her and was now within arm's reach.

She was only peripherally aware that her own lips had curled into a content smile. It was still hard to believe that this was real, but the feeling of her heart pounding against her ribcage certainly felt real. Then, Lena closed the distance and slipped her arms around her waist and there was the tangible proof. Her arms responded in kind, snaking around the brunette's back and pulling her even closer.

Like a magnet, Kara felt as though her lips were being pulled to Lena's until they brushed gently. As hungry as she was to taste even more of Lena's intoxicating lips, she restrained herself, her arms loose around Lena in case she needed space or wanted to retreat. But Lena didn't apparently, the opposite actually, she tightened her hold on her with one arm while the other slid up behind her neck, pulling Kara even closer, if that was possible, and deepening the kiss, taking it from a mere brushing of lips to an eager kiss.

The feeling of Lena's lithe fingers entangled in her hair caused a pleasurable shiver up her spine. A heat was spreading from everywhere Lena's skin touched hers, spreading and warming her entire body.

Lena was the one to pull away this time, but just slightly, their arms stayed wrapped around one another. Their eyes slid open almost simultaneously as did their lips curl into smiles. Then Lena broke the silence, her voice slightly husky,"I missed you."

That heat seemed to find it's way to Kara's face at Lena's admission. She hadn't realized how badly she wanted the CEO to say those words to her until she heard them.

"I missed you too," she echoed, but there was something else that was on the tip of her tongue. Kara lowered her face, debating with herself if she should just be honest or not but Lena was too perceptive.

"Hey, is everything okay?" she asked, the timber of her voice lowering just slightly with concern.

Raising her gaze once more, Kara met those emerald eyes directly, searching those depths for something. They were so close that Kara could almost see her reflection in their clear depths. It was easy to see that Lena genuinely wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong. So, she chose to speak up.

"I just- I thought maybe- maybe you'd wake up this morning and you would… regret last night."

'Or it was all just a dream,' she thought the second part to herself, anxiously awaiting Lena's response.

Lena's brow seemed to furrow in response and for a brief second, Kara had no idea what she was thinking. But she felt the hand that rested on the nape of her neck drift to her cheek, cradling it softly. Kara was so caught up in the feeling of Lena's thumb gently stroking the skin there that she didn't anticipate the woman leaning in and pressing her lips to hers again. This time it was a soft kiss full of reassurance.

It was a short and sweet kiss that was over too soon because once again, Lena pulled away, those green eyes now seemed to be searching hers.

"I would never regret any part of last night, Kara," Lena told her firmly, "I'm honored that you felt safe enough with me to tell me your secret. And I've wanted to tell you exactly how much I want to be with you for a while now, but I just never thought you were interested in being anything more than friends."

It was Kara's turn to look confused. How could Lena ever think she wasn't interested? And then Mon-El floated to the surface of her mind and a stab of guilt shot through her again. But less than before.

"Well, I'm definitely interested," Kara told her with a flirty smile, eliciting a small laugh from Lena which significantly lightened the mood. The CEO released her then and went over to the coat rack, picking up her long black, wool coat and purse before turning to look back over her shoulder at Kara, teasingly asking,

"Good. Now, are you taking me on a date this time or not?"

A/N: Thanks to the folks who have stuck with this story! I know with the new season it has become less relevant but my goal is to take this story into season 3, rewriting the Supercorp interactions to fit in with the story (and keep Lena far, far away from James...ew, just ew). Please review and let me know how I'm doing it! Oh, and this chapter is named after 'Dark Come Soon' by Tegan and Sara. And again, thank you all so much for reading!