Ignore the types. Enjoy.
When she joined the Luthor household, she was immediately taught how to play chess. It was important that everyone in their home knew how to think logically. Lex would always remind Lena that chess required some understanding of logical strategy. If she wanted to win the game, it was important to bring her pieces out in the beginning, to keep her king safe at all times, not to make big weaknesses in her position and not to blunder her pieces away for free. Mistakes were inevitable, but if they could be avoided, avoid them.
It was chess that developed her scientific way of thinking. Chess allowed Lena to generate numerous variations in her mind. It allowed Lena to explore new ideas, trying to predict their outcomes and interpret surprising revelations. She would decide on a hypothesis, and then she would make her move to test it.
Chess made Lena the decision maker she was today. She wouldn't do anything without considering all her options and their outcomes. If the outcome wasn't favorable, it wasn't worth her time. If the outcome meant that she would be hurt in some way—either financially, physically, emotionally, mentally—then she would not pursue it.
So, with all this information, it meant one obvious thing: she knew better.
Being a strategic person and having a mind of science, she knew better. Yet, she did it anyway.
She fell for a superhero knowing that it meant she would feel like this. She considered the outcome of falling for Kara and still, knowing that she would be wrecked by it all, did it anyway.
Lex would be disappointed.
All that precious time wasted, just for her to resort back to her old ways.
Sitting on the floor, Lena stared at the wall; strategizing her next move.
When she arrived on the hallway, she saw the blonde holding the wall. She knew that Kara had been lying, she knew that the blonde was more affected by the fight than she let her believe. Picking up her pace, she ran closer to the older woman, hoping to provide some relief.
"Kara," she shouted.
The blonde tried to step forward, but she fell to her knees instead.
"Kara," Lena shouted once more.
Her date didn't respond, instead, she held onto her chest as she started to heave. Lena continued to run towards the blonde, finding the hallway longer than it had been before. "Winn," she shouted. The man had been following her earlier, but he stopped along the way, to talk to the DEO agents that stayed behind.
"Winn," she shouted, again, finally reaching the older woman. Knelling on the floor, she managed to catch the blonde before she collapsed completely.
"God, dammit! Winn," she shouted once more; holding onto the blonde as she lied her gently onto the floor. "Kara, honey, you need to breathe."
"I'm coming," she heard the man shout around the corner, "gosh, hold your horses."
Finally, Winn appeared on the hall, walking slowly until he noticed the woman on the floor. As he picked up his pace, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, talking quickly into the receiver. "Uh, Alex—Alex, we have a problem. Something's wrong with Kara."
Lena watched as the blonde stared blankly at the ceiling. She had stopped actively trying to catch her breath, instead, she had been breathing faintly and sporadically.
"Kara," Lena stated, softly slapping the woman's face, hoping to get her attention and keep her awake. "Kara, look at me."
The woman's eyes started to close slowly, and her breathing had only gotten worse. Being that the blonde didn't seem to be breathing at all.
"Okay, okay," Winn hung up the phone, hovering over the women. "Uh, Alex is on her way. She—she, uh, she said—um, they're coming. They're coming." Running his fingers through his hair, the man panicked. "What happened?"
Lena shook her head, positioning herself over the older woman. "I don't know," she murmured to the man. Bringing her attention back to the blonde, she tapped her once more. "Kara?"
The blonde didn't respond. Lena panicked, putting her ear quickly to the woman's chest. "She's not breathing."
Immediately, Lena placed the heel of her hand over the center of Kara's chest; quickly placing her other hand over the first, the CEO started CPR.
After that, everything became a blur. The DEO showed up moments later, immediately removing the brunette from the blonde and placing an oxygen mask over her mouth. When Lena moved to go with them, she was held back by agents, who told her that she did not have the clearance to go along. When she put up a fight, they held her down until the blonde was in a car and on her way to the DEO, without her.
Which bought the Luthor here, sitting on the floor, outside a middle-class apartment, waiting. The brunette was still staring at the wall when she heard the doors to the elevator open, and footsteps approaching her. The person stopped abruptly, hesitating as they took in her presence.
"You know," Lena began, "when they took her away, I almost went back to her place. I almost went back hoping that she would just walk around the corner. But, that wouldn't have been logical. I mean, I held her as she collapsed so, walking obviously was not in her cards. At least not tonight. Then, I thought, who else would have information on her? Who else would know her whereabouts? I narrowed it down to Winn and her sister: Alex Danvers."
The woman she spoke to shifted, stepping closer to the door, as she remained taken aback by the woman's presence. "But, then I remembered Winn talking to an Alex on the phone; and I remember seeing a woman rush to her when they came to get her. She looked so scared, so worried. So, I assumed she was Alex. So, going to her place wouldn't make any sense, right? Not when she would be spending most of her night helping Kara. Then, using my resources, I found something. Alex Danvers is in a relationship."
Lena took her attention from the wall, focusing on the smaller woman, now standing next to her. "With you: Margarita Sawyer. A detective with National City's Police Department."
Maggie chuckled, leaning against the apartment door. "Are you sure that I'm the one who's a detective."
"You know, there was a three in five chance that you would arrive here, to get something for Alex. The chances that you'd go to your own apartment, instead, was two in five." Lena shrugged her shoulders, "I went with the more favorable outcome."
Maggie nodded her head, fidgeting with her keys, "Look—"
"Where is she," the woman questioned, standing up. "And don't tell me that I don't have the clearance."
The women stared at one another. Lena knew she was taking a chance with the brunette. She knew she was taking a chance on showing up here in the first place. There was no guarantee that Maggie would tell her where Kara was. There was no guarantee that she would even be notified if the blonde was alive or not. But she had to try, she wasn't just going to sit around and wait for something to happen.
She couldn't just sit around and wait for something to happen.
Maggie's eyes danced over the woman's face. Smiling when she noticed the younger woman wouldn't back down. The detective shifted, unlocking the door as she spoke to the brunette. "I'm going to get Alex a bag, then I'll to take you to Kara. Sound good?"
Lena nodded her head, sighing in relief. "Yeah," she whispered brokenly, "that sounds good."
"Good," the woman stated, pushing the door open for the Luthor to step in. Motioning for Lena to sit on the couch, she stepped into the kitchen, and returned with a glass of water. Pushing the glass towards the woman, the smaller woman spoke up, "By the way, no one calls me Margarita. I go by 'Maggie.'"
Lena smiled weakly, taking the glass. "Nice to meet you, Maggie. I'm Lena."
"I know, but nice to meet you too."
She was beautiful like this.
When she was frustrated and confused, she was beautiful.
Absolutely stunning.
Kara smiled to herself as she continued to stare at the brunette; enjoying the way her mouth twisted in thought. She came to visit Lena during her lunch break, insisting that the younger woman eat instead of doing whatever she had been doing on her computer. Regardless, their lunches sat on the brunette's desk, neglected.
Lena growled in frustration, shifting as she practically slammed her fingers into her keyboard. Kara smirked, finding the CEO's frustration entertaining, while she stood from her seat. Walking behind the Luthor, Kara pulled the brunette away from her computer, reaching over her shoulder to close her laptop.
"Kara," Lena argued, "I was just about to—"
"Take a break," the blonde answered, "yeah, I know."
Green eyes shifted towards sea blue for the first time that day, staring daggers into the older woman. The blonde smiled, continuing to pull the smaller woman away from her desk. "Don't look at me like that, Lee. I've been here for thirty minutes and you've barely looked up from your laptop."
The Luthor sighed, "That's because I have work to do."
"And now you have food to eat. You can work later," Kara argued.
Lena remained in her seat, glaring at the older woman as the blonde reached her hand out to be held. "You can either come with me willingly, or I can carry you over to the couch. Either way, I win."
Kara watched as her friend pondered her choices. She loved when Lena got like this: sassy, she meant. She loved when the brunette would fight her on every little thing, only to later give in when she realized that things wouldn't go her way. It was one of Kara's favorite games. It was one of the things that Kara liked most about the younger woman.
"I need to finish that work," Lena fought once more. The blonde smiled slightly, amused by the brunette holding on to the last bit of her resolve.
"And you will," she promised, "after you get some food in your stomach. Until then, take my hand, we'll eat in your sitting area. You'll tell me about your day, and I'll tell you about mine. I'll make you smile, you'll make me laugh. You'll tell me about how silly your engineering team is, and I'll tell you about how Snapper is driving me crazy. Then we will say our goodbyes and do this again come dinner time."
Lena sighed, "Kar—"
The blonde shook her head, tsking the woman as she spoke. "No, no, no. Remember, the first step is that you take my hand. So," the blonde's fingers danced as she held her hand out for the smaller woman. "Take my hand."
The brunette groaned, shifting her eyes to the hand dancing in front of her. After a moment, Lena reluctantly grabbed Kara's hand, allowing the blonde to pull her out of her seat and guide her towards the couch. Kara gently placed her hands onto the CEO's shoulders, pushing her to sit on the couch as she grabbed their food from her desk. Sitting next to the brunette, Kara opened the woman's food, holding it out to her as she spoke.
"Steamed vegetables and steak Pad Thai, just the way you like it," Kara stated, handing the food to the woman. "I asked them to throw in some extra vegetables and sauce too."
Lena smirked, grabbing the food as she begrudgingly thanked the older woman. Kara chuckled at the brunette, loving how she was refusing to back down without a fight. "You're welcome, Ms. Luthor."
The reporter reached down towards the floor, collecting the bottle of water, that rested there, as she took out a bottle of aspirin. Grabbing a pill and opening the water, Kara pushed the items towards the brunette. Lena looked up from her food, furrowing her eyebrows at the blonde.
"For your headache," Kara responded.
Lena squinted her eyes, placing her fork down as she held her hand open to accept the pill. "How'd you know," she questioned.
"You get extra cranky and stubborn when you have a headache. Plus, you squint more than usual, which I never really understood, since that can only make your headache worse."
"Thank you," Lena replied once more, throwing back the pill and taking a sip of her water before returning to her food. The women sat in comfortable silencing, stealing glances at one another as they ate their lunches. After what seemed like forever, Kara placed down what was left of her food and shifted towards the younger woman.
"So," Kara began, "tell me about your day."
Lena smiled shyly, making the blonde swoon. She loved this part of Lena too: the shy part. The part that was always somehow shocked when Kara would decide to ask questions like that. Simple questions that would tell her that she cared. Simple questions that told her that she was not alone anymore.
"My day has been busy," Lena stated. When the blonde noticed that she wouldn't elaborate, Kara sighed, scooting closer to the younger woman.
"That's all I get," she questioned. Kara feigned being hurt, offering her saddest eyes towards the woman; hoping that she would continue. After a moment, Lena exhaled loudly, officially breaking down her walls for her best friend.
"My day has been long and kind of terrible. I'm working on this project, but every time that I think it's going well, I find that I am back to where I started. Everything I do to fix the problem only creates a new one; to be honest, it's quite discouraging."
The blonde nodded her head, absent-mindedly moving her hand towards the brunette, as she ranted, the blonde threaded her fingers through raven hair. Massaging the brunette's scalp in hopes to lessen her headache and make her relax. Lena stilled at the action. Stiffening as she felt the blonde's fingers scratch her scalp, while Kara idly moved closer. When the blonde continued her movements, the brunette relaxed under her touch, continuing to recount her day. "I suppose the numbers could be off. I could be overestimating how much the power this thing might need, but I don't really know because I haven't ever tried something like this before."
The reporter hummed, encouraging the brunette to go on as Lena shifted her head onto her shoulder. This had become their new norm. Kara would show up to her office almost every day with lunch for the Luthor to eat. Lena would tell her about how stressful her day had been, and Kara would just sit there, listening. Understanding what the brunette had been trying to say.
She would be the soundboard that Lena needed. Not really offering a response but allowing the woman to say what she was thinking allowed the hope that she would find a solution to her problem. She usually would, and in the end, she would turn to Kara and thank her for her assistance. Even though the blonde had done next to nothing. Kara remained silent, nodding her head and only responded when necessary while the brunette spoke.
After a while, Lena shook her head, moving from Kara's shoulder. "Anyway, I'm ranting. Tell me about your day," she stated.
Kara shrugged. Her day hadn't really been that eventful. The city, for once, didn't require the help of Supergirl, and there wasn't anything hard-hitting to report. So, Kara spent most of her day with Lena running through her mind. Wondering if the brunette was stressing herself out, over a new product and wondering if the woman had anything to eat. After growing tired of wonderment, Kara left her job for an extended lunch and decided to visit her friend.
This was the highlight of her day. This moment, with her best friend, determined how her day went.
"It was uneventful," Kara finally stated.
Lena furrowed her eyebrows, "How so," she questioned.
Kara shrugged, once more, "I don't know. There hasn't been anything worth reporting on in the last two days. Which has made work somewhat boring and Snapper crankier. But, other than that, there isn't really anything to report. My day has been kind of boring…until now, of course."
Lena smiled at the blonde and Kara couldn't help but force herself to breathe. Lena's smile wasn't like anyone that Kara had seen. Until she met Lena, Kara didn't know that someone could smile so beautifully and so easily. The brunette's smile would break across her face; always starting off as a smirk, only to take over her face a moment later. Kara loved that smile.
That smile was enchanting.
"Check," Kara stated aloud, making a check motion within the air.
The CEO squinted her eyes, staring at the older woman. "Check," she questioned.
"Yup, check. I told you if you took my hand we would eat, I'd make you smile, you'd make me laugh, you'd tell me about your engineering team, I would complain about Snapper, and then we would say goodbye and do this again come dinner."
"Well," Lena began, "We have eaten."
"Check," the blonde interrupted.
"And you've made me smile."
"Check."
"I told you about my engineering team and you have complained about Snapper."
"Check and check."
The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "I don't remember making you laugh."
"In due time," the blonde responded, enamored by the younger woman before her.
"And I'm not quite ready to say goodbye."
"Then, don't," Kara responded. The reporter looked at her watch, sighing loudly as she realized that she had overstayed her welcome. She would need to be back at CatCo soon. Even though there was nothing to report, Snapper insisted that everyone pitched a story. Plus, Kara knew that Lena had a meeting coming up soon and she wanted to be gone before the people arrived.
"I think a 'see you later' would suffice," the blonde finished.
Lena shook her head, looking down as she played with the water bottle in her hand. "Don't go," she whispered. This was the part of their friendship where everything got confusing. The part where she and Lena would have dates that weren't dates. Where they would share intimate touches and glances and deem them friendly. Where they would teeter on the edge between friends and whatever the hell Kara had wanted them to be. This was the part where everything became complicated.
This was the part where Kara had to remind herself that she and Lena were just friends.
"Hey," Kara stated, placing her hand onto the woman's fidgeting hands. "I'll see you later. Remember, I have to come back for dinner."
Lena chuckled to herself, "If you thought I was stubborn earlier, wait until dinner comes around."
Kara laughed at the thought, "Oh, I know. You'll be the worst."
The Luthor laughed at the blonde, "Oh, yeah. It'll be after my two-hour conference call to Japan; and you know how I get during those. Are you sure you're up for that?"
The reporter smiled at the younger woman, chuckling at her silly behavior. "Any and every time."
Lena's smile fell gently from her face, taking in the words of her best friend. "Then…I guess I'll see you later."
The women stood up from the couch, opening their arms to embrace one another. Admittedly, the hug lasted longer than it should have, both women not wanting to let go. Kara moved her head into the brunette's neck, closing her eyes as she took in the smell that could only be described as Lena. She needed to go. She needed to go back to CatCo, but more importantly, she needed to leave this room. Otherwise, she might make a move that could jeopardize her friendship with the younger woman; and she would never want to jeopardize that.
As if she manifested it, a knock appeared on Lena's door, forcing the women to pull apart. Jessica stepped in the room, gesturing behind her. "Ms. Luthor, you're one o'clock is here."
Lena nodded her head, "Thank you, Jess, you can send them in."
The reporter smiled awkwardly, motioning towards the door as she picked up what was left of their lunch. "Well, I should be going."
Smiling one last time at the brunette, Kara grabbed her things and left the room. Stepping around the people waiting at the door, the blonde smiled awkwardly as she moved around them. The reporter shook her head, calling for the elevator as she pondered what happened in Lena's office.
"Kara, wait," Lena stated. The CEO motioned for her guests to entire her office, informing them that she would be joining them in "just a moment." Closing her office door, Lena moved in the direction of her friend.
Kara turned around, bringing her attention towards the engineer. "Yeah," she questioned.
"I made you laugh—I mean earlier," she stated simply. "I made you laugh."
Kara smiled and chuckled at the younger woman, "Yeah, yeah you did."
Lena's lips tugged into her infamous smirk to smile, only cementing the smile onto the blonde's face. "Check," the brunette replied, walking backwards and motioning in the air the same way the blonde had earlier.
The blonde smiled, stepping to the elevator, while she called back to the Luthor. "I'll see you tonight."
"See you tonight."
Turning off the car, Maggie twiddled with the keys in her hand. Pondering what she was going to say to the brunette before they left the car.
"I would get it over with," Lena stated, leaning back in her seat. Looking towards the brunette, the detective furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't know you well but growing up a Luthor I've learned how to tell when someone is hiding something from me. So, get it over with. Say what you have to say."
Maggie nodded her head at the younger woman, "I'm not sure they will let you in."
Lena shrugged, "Between telling me I didn't have the clearance and holding me down when I wanted to go with them, I figured. But, I need to try," the brunette finished brokenly. "I care about her. A lot. And I need to know that she is okay…I'm sure you'd do the same for Alex."
The smaller woman nodded her head, "Okay," she stated, pushing her door open. "Come on, rebel, let's go save your cause."
Lena got out of the car rather quickly, following behind the smaller woman as she walked in a hurry. As they walked through the parking lot, Maggie took out her phone, holding it to her ear as she waited for the receiver to pick up.
"Hey, Danvers," she sighed, "I need to call in that favor. I have Lena Luthor with me."
Lena watch as the older woman nodded her head, turning around to share a look. "I know, I know; but, you and I both know how LD feels about her. Imagine how pissed she'll be waking up and being told you turned her away."
Shifting away from the younger woman, Maggie spoke quietly into the phone, hoping that Lena wouldn't hear her. "Hey, don't say that. She'll wake up, just give it a little time."
They had arrived at the front of the building, Maggie holding the door open for the younger woman walking behind her. "Besides," she replied loudly, "maybe Lena can help. She has degrees in—"
Maggie motioned towards the brunette, snapping her fingers as she tried to get the woman to tell her credentials. Catching on Lena replied, "Biochemical Engineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biological Engin—"
"Science," Maggie finished, ignoring the younger woman. "Luthor has degrees in science."
The detective stared at the CEO, holding the receiver so that Alex wouldn't hear her. "God, what are you fifty, why do you have so many damn degrees?"
Lena shrugged her shoulders, "I got bored."
"So, you get four freaking degrees?"
"Actually, five. I have one in English."
Maggie stared at Lena, waiting for her to explain the obvious. "What," Lena replied, "I can like the arts, too."
Slowly, the detective brought her attention back to the conversation with her girlfriend. "Look, I think that you should allow her up. She can help you figure out what happened to LD and by her credentials, she is more qualified than the agents helping you already."
Lena folded her arms. Staring at the agents who had been guarding the door. She could tell that they were debating on whether to escort her out, but the smaller woman made them hesitant to do so.
"Yes," Maggie cheered, motioning to that they were good to go. Lena sighed, silently thanking the detective for her efforts. "Okay, we'll be up soon."
Maggie hung up the phone, staring at the Luthor as she spoke. "You're lucky that she loves me and that you're so damn smart. Otherwise, I'm sure she would have hung up on me sooner."
Uncharacteristically so, Lena suddenly grabbed the smaller woman into a warm embrace. Whispering "thank you" over Maggie's shoulder as the detective hugged her back, hesitantly. "Okay, okay," Maggie stated. "Don't thank me yet. We still need to wake up sleeping beauty. Come on."
It didn't take long for the women to arrive on the main floor. It took an even shorter time for them to find Alex. Located in the medical bay, the older Danvers had been staring at a sample through the lens of the microscope. Frustrated, the agent groaned, slamming her hand into the table. Maggie gave the Luthor a look, placing Alex's bag on the unoccupied bed as she walked over to her girlfriend.
"Want to talk about it," the detective questioned.
Alex looked up from the microscope, staring at her girlfriend as she reached the table. "There is nothing to talk about. I have nothing, I don't—I don't know why she won't wake up. Or what even happened for that matter."
The agent sighed, pushing the microscope away while she dropped her head into her hands. "She crashed earlier," Alex stated. Looking up from her hands, she spoke to the brunette still rooted in the door way. Lena hadn't entered the room. Unlike Maggie the first person she noticed, entering the medical bay, was the blonde lying on the table, under sun lights. She looked terrible. Still in her dress from the gala, the blonde lied on the table with a tube in her mouth, somehow, an IV in her arm, and chords that connected to an EEG on her head. Her eyes were slightly sunken and her skin paler than usual. She looked nothing like the Kara the Luthor knew.
"I know," Lena stated, continuing to stare at the blonde, "I was the one performing CPR when you arrived."
Alex nodded her head, acknowledging that she didn't notice the woman when she arrived. All she saw was Kara lying on the ground, unconscious. "Yeah, well, she crashed after that too. I stopped counting after the third time."
The brunette stepped hesitantly into the room, continuing to stare at the blonde on the table. "How does she have an IV in her arm?"
Maggie squinted her eyes, looking at the younger woman, "Shit, I didn't even notice that."
Alex shrugged her shoulder, "I don't know. It can be many things. She could have lost her powers. She could have been over exposed to Kryptonite. She could have been exposed to the red sun. I just…I don't know. If I had the weapons maybe I could experiment on them and figure it out. But everyone keeps telling that they disappeared…whatever the hell that means."
The Luthor reached down, carefully holding the blonde's hand into her own. "It means that Winn and I powered the Black Body Field Generator."
"What is that," Maggie questioned.
"It is a device that if equilibrium with the alien weapons, the Black Body Field Generator would absorb electromagnetic radiation and shut them down."
Alex folded her arms in confusion, "Okay, but that doesn't explain how they 'disappeared.'"
Lena shifted her attention from the younger Danvers, onto the agent. She hadn't noticed before, but she looked just as bad as Lena felt. Like she had been crying. Like she had been to the ends of the earth and back and had yet to find a solution.
"The generator was stronger than expected, and in shutting down the weapons, they were thrown into the air and collided."
Alex glared at the younger woman, twisting her mouth up in concentration. "So, you're telling me that the one thing I need to save my sister—excuse me, the three things that I need to save my sister…don't exist anymore?"
Lena nodded her head, returning her attention towards the blonde. Suddenly, the brunette heard a something collide with the wall behind her. Followed by a groan of frustration. Lena turned her head towards the noise, noticing that the older Danvers sister had thrown the stool that she was sitting on; and was currently pacing back and forth in the med bay.
Maggie walked towards the older woman, refusing to stop her from walking, but allowing the woman to know that she was there if she needed her. "Okay so, we don't have the guns. What's our next step?"
Alex shrugged her shoulders, "Hope for a fucking miracle," she murmured.
The detective nodded her head, "Okay. So, now that we're hoping…what's next?"
Alex ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, closing her eyes while she tried to find a solution. "I don't know. I don't know."
"Okay, well, maybe you should take a break. You've been at it for hours, Alex. I'm sure you just need to clear your head." Maggie turned around to face the younger woman, noticing that she hadn't shifted her attention from Kara. "What about you, rebel. You have any ideas? I'm sure one of your infinite degrees can be of assistance."
Lena ran her fingers gently along the blonde's arm, stopping at her hand, giving it a squeeze. After waiting a moment, the brunette turned her head towards the older woman, finally addressing her question. "I am an engineer, not a physician. I know as much about the human body as you do."
The cop sighed, motioning to Lena as she reached out to stop Alex from pacing. "What about you having a degree in biological engineering, that could work right?"
The brunette shook her head, stepping away from her date and closer to the women. "Industrial bio-engineering extends from the creation of artificial organs by technical means. Or they finds ways of growing organs and tissues through the methods of regenerative medicine to compensate reduced or lost physiological functions."
"So…you can help," Maggie questioned.
"No, my degree focuses on the non-medical aspects of bio-engineering; it is closely related to biotechnology, nanotechnology, and 3D Printing. Meaning, I'm better with machines that help people than helping people."
Maggie nodded her head, shifting her attention back to her girlfriend as she spoke to the Luthor. "Well, that's good, because Alex is good with helping people. You guys can work together to bring back Little Danvers."
Maggie shifted in front of the agent, forcing the woman to look into her eyes. "Does that sound like a good idea, you and Lena working together?"
The Luthor could see what the woman had been doing. She was not only trying to hold Alex together, but she was also trying to make sure that Lena was okay, too. The detective was the only person who hadn't been distracted by the body on the bed; she was the only person who still had hope that this all would be solved. She was right to bring Lena. Not only for the Luthor to see her date, but also for the Luthor to help fix the situation that Kara, unknowingly, got herself into.
Alex and Lena could fix this, they could help Kara, only and if only they focus long enough to do so.
Lena brought her attention to Kara's sister, sighing before she spoke. "I would love to help. I'm not great with the human anatomy, but I am a fast learner and great with anything relating to science."
Alex's eyes shifted from the younger woman onto her girlfriend. The two shared a moment, Maggie offering a kind smile towards her lover. Alex nodded her head, turning towards Lena as she spoke. "Okay, yeah. Yeah, we can do this, we can figure out what happened and wake Kara up."
Maggie smiled, happy that her girlfriend had become a little more optimistic. "Okay, good. So…what's next?"
Looking at her now, it was hard to believe that the Luthor ever had a break. Desk now filled with papers, Lena neglected her laptop as she stared at the documentation, scribbling upon the pages. Chuckling to herself, the blonde leaned against the frame of the door.
Kara was sure Lena did not know how to do anything but work. She was sure that the brunette found some small joy in stressing herself out as much as she had. And despite that joy, Kara was positive that she would be much happier not being in the building at all. It was now seven o'clock, and Lena was already two hours over her office time. The woman needed a break, and as promised, Kara was going to make sure she got one.
After taking another moment to watch her friend, Kara moved from the door, ready to start their evening. "It's closing time," she started to sing, playfully. "Open all the doors and let you out into the world."
Lena jumped at the intrusion, taken aback by her friend's presence. "Kara, I have to—"
"Closing time, turn all of the lights on every boy and every girl," Kara continued. The blonde walked towards the CEO's balcony door, closing and locking it. Turning her attention to the brunette, Kara walked closer to her desk, continuing to sing as the brunette attempted to talk to her.
"Kara, I just have a couple of more papers to edit and sign."
"Closing time, one last call for alcohol so, finish your whiskey or beer," the blonde continued to sing, reaching over to close the brunette's laptop, and to turn off her desk light.
"Kara," Lena warned.
"Closing time, you don't have to go home. But, you can't stay here."
Lena sighed, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms. Kara walked over to the sitting area, turning off the last bit of light that entered the brunette's office. Once engulfed in the dark, Kara walked back over to the brunette. "It's two hours past your closing time. So, here is what you're going to do. You're going to take my hand, we are going to go back to my place and eat some of the many food I have ordered. We are going to have dinner, while watching a movie. You can choose. We are going to smile, we are going to laugh. Then, we are going to try this again, tomorrow, at lunch."
Lena continued to glare at the woman, "Kara, I have just a couple of more pages. Then, we can go." The brunette turned on her desk lap, resuming work without listening to the blonde. Kara laughed lightly, walking around Lena's desk to turn off the lamp once more.
Holding her hand out, the blonde sighed, "I know who wants to take you home," she sung, lightheartedly.
"Kara," the Luthor warned.
"Don't 'Kara' me, come on, Lee. I want to take you home. Let me take you home. These papers will be waiting for you in the morning."
As always, the brunette refused to give up without a fight. Staring at the blonde, Lena waited for her to relent. "You know that look might work in intimidating your employees, but I can't help but find it cute. Give it up, Luthor. Come on, take my hand. You know the routine."
Lena continued to stare at the older woman, refusing to leave her office in its current state. "Lee," Kara begged, crouching next to the woman. The blonde sighed, as she placed her head into the younger woman's lap. "Why do you always have to be so difficult?"
The brunette exhaled loudly, pushing her fingers through the blonde's hair. "Because, you insist on being stubborn."
"Because, I'm trying to take care of you," Kara responded.
"I can take care of myself."
Kara shifted in the woman's lap, taking Lena's hand from her hair and into her own. "I know, but I can take care of you too. So, let me."
The CEO gazed at their hands, twisting her lips as she contemplated leaving the office. She had been here longer than she would like to admit. Most of her day was spent behind that desk and over paper work. The least she could do is join the blonde for dinner and a movie, and if she needed to, she could return to her work after dinner. Kara was here, like promised, offering her a much-needed break, the least she could do was take it.
"I get to choose the movie," she questioned, earning a bright smile from the reporter.
"You get to choose the movie," Kara confirmed.
The brunette shifted her attention back to her desk, frowning as she acknowledged the paperwork. After a moment or two, the Luthor let out a breath. "Then, what we are waiting for," the brunette questioned, smiling slyly towards the blonde.
Kara smiled at the younger woman, standing up as she continued to hold onto the brunette's hand. "Come on, then, let's fly away."
"Wait, wait, wait," Maggie groaned, holding her hand out to the people standing before her. "I don't get it. What are you going to do?"
Lena removed her eyes from the tablet in Winn's hands, shifting her attention towards the smaller woman while she spoke. "I'm—we're going to recreate the weapons."
"Yeah, I got that part. What I don't understand is why you think it's a good idea to recreate the terrifying alien weapons that almost—and technically is, killing National City's superhero," Maggie interrupted.
"She is going to recreate the weapons because we are sure that they have something to do with the state Kara is in now," Alex replied.
Nodding her head, Lena brought her attention back to the tablet. Reaching out, the Luthor attempted to touch the device, only to have Winn pull it away a moment later. "If Winn and I can figure out what the technology was made of and what they used to fight against Kara—"
"—then you might be able to figure out what exactly is killing her and how to stop it," Maggie finished.
Lena nodded her head once more, rolling her eyes as she grew frustrated with Winn. "Give it to me," she demanded, holding her hand out.
The agent glared at her, shaking his head as he pulled the tablet closer to his chest. "No, this isn't something that just anyone can use. This is my baby. She and I have been through a lot, and I won't let you take your frustrations out on her."
The CEO growled, cornering Winn as she yanked the tablet out of his hands. "Oh, trust me, the tablet isn't what you should be worried about. It's not the one I'm growing tired of."
Winn held his hands out, surrendering to the younger woman. "Fine, if she gets broken though, you'll have J'onn to talk to."
Ignoring the man, Lena connected the device to the screens before her. Pulling up information for everyone to see. "So, after seeing the obvious, Winn and I have concluded that we should focus on the weapons. Winn says that the devices seemed different—"
"Stronger," he corrected.
"Stronger, than the ones Kara encountered earlier this week. So, we either need to recreate the weapons, using what little information we have about the first few she encountered, or figure out where they got them from," Lena concluded.
Alex titled her head, staring at the screen and its data. "How are we to know where they got them from?"
Winn raised his hand, stepping closer to the Luthor, "May I," he questioned; motioning towards the tablet. Lena rolled her eyes, placing the technology into the agent's hand. After touching the screen, a couple of times, he brought up a new screen.
"What are we looking at," Maggie questioned.
"We are looking at the part where I come in. While Lena tries to recreate the weapons. I am running a facial recognition software on all the cameras in National City. If these guys bought weapons from someone, somewhere in town, I'll be able to figure it out," Winn held his hand out to the CEO, waiting for a high five.
Instead, the brunette glared emotionlessly at the man, waiting for him to place his hand down. "Okay, no high fives," he murmured.
"And while they are doing all of that, I'll be taking care of Kara," Alex stated, disregarding Lena and Winn's interaction. "She has crashed more than expected and her stats aren't getting any better. I can try to figure out what the exactly the weapons are doing to her system and see if I can stop or reverse it."
"I've also given the DEO permission to use the anatomy machine, to help Alex discover what is causing Kara's episodes," Lena concluded. "They should arrive with it soon, along with the scraps that were left behind after the guns collided."
Maggie smiled at the group, "And I'll see if I can get space dad to help me around the city. The moment someone hears that Supergirl isn't at her best, we are going to have criminals crawling out of the deepest corners. Safer to be ahead of the problem."
Everyone nodded their heads, agreeing on their assignments and roles within the group. "Cool," Maggie stated, "I'll try to be back in an hour or two, see how well everyone is doing."
Once again, the group shared looks and bobbed their heads, moving out of the room to conduct their activities. Lena followed the older Danvers sister back towards the medical bay, quietly strategizing her next move. "You know the engineer's lab is downstairs," Alex stated, looking over her shoulder.
"I know," Lena replied, "I asked Winn to have some equipment brought up to the medical bay. I didn't want Kara to be alone."
Alex turned the corner, walking into the med bay, tiredly. "You know she won't be alone. I'm monitoring her, remember?"
The CEO hummed her response, "I know. But, you get what I mean. I didn't want to miss anything."
"Okay," the agent responded quietly. Grabbing the stool, she threw earlier, Alex placed it next to her sister's bed. Sitting down, Alex grabbed her clipboard, turning to the monitors as she began to record her sister's progress.
Lena waited a moment, stopping at the door as she looked at the older Danvers for the second time that day. She still looked exhausted and sadden by the world. But now, now there was something there that wasn't before. Before, the brunette's face contorted in frustration and exasperation. Her lack of hope for her sister's survival showed all too well. The brunette supposed Alex had grown discouraged after seeing her sister crash one too many times.
But now, Alex's face twisted into something different. Her features no longer showed discouragement or hopelessness; frustration or exhaustion. Instead, her face glowed in determination and defiance. She refused to accept this fate for her sister. She refused to be controlled. She refused to watch her sister and hero die.
And Lena was determined to do the same.
"No," Kara groaned, as she tried to take the remote back from her friend.
"You said I could choose the movie. So, I am choosing the movie. We will watch 'The Prestige.'"
Kara rolled her eyes, reaching out for the remote, once more. "That's not what I meant when I said you could choose the movie. I didn't know you would choose something so…depressing."
The brunette held the remote out of Kara's reach, sighing as she spoke. "I'll have you know that this is one of the most beautifully written movies I have ever seen. Also, this movie is not depressing, it's good, interesting, and well preformed. We watch this."
Kara sighed, throwing herself onto the couch as the woman cued the movie. The two sat in silence for a moment, the blonde throwing a blanket on herself as she continued to pout over the movie selection. Shifting her attention from the television onto the reporter, the brunette smirked at her friend.
"Are you going to share that blanket, or would you rather sit there and pout," the CEO questioned.
After debating it, Kara meekly held the end of her blanket up, offering it to the younger woman. Lena smiled, pulling the blanket onto herself as she leaned back on the couch. "Thank you," she replied.
The blonde nodded her head, continuing to stare at the movie annoyingly. After moments of silence, Lena tapped the older woman with her foot, hoping to get her attention. When the blonde realized that the brunette wouldn't let up, she finally shifted her ocean blue onto kryptonite. "Hi," Lena stated simply.
Kara smirked, "Hi," she replied.
"Come here," Lena stated, "I want to cuddle. You can't watch a movie without cuddling."
The blonde playfully rolled her eyes at the younger woman, shifting but refusing to move towards the brunette. The Luthor smiled, expecting the behavior from the older woman, she pulled the covers back and off the blonde; crawling towards her on the couch. Habitually, Kara loosened, allowing the younger woman to snuggle into her as she adjusted the covers back onto them.
"See," Lena questioned, "Isn't this much better?"
The younger woman grumbled, refusing to relent. "You know," Lena began, as her hot breath tickled the reporter's throat, "you can't stay mad at me forever. I do have my ways of getting you to stop."
"What," the blonde questioned sassily, refusing to take her eyes off the movie, as she tried not to be distracted by the brunette's proximity. "Do you plan to turn this movie off?"
Kara bit back a smile, while she felt the brunette's forming against her neck. "No, no I don't."
"Then, I don't see how I'll be stopping anytime soon."
Lena adjusted against the blonde, once more. Turning further into the blonde, altering her head to whisper in Kara's ear. "Ms. Danvers," she began, smirking when she noticed the blonde take in a shuttered breath. "Is that a challenge?"
"Could be," the blonde replied, after clearing her throat.
The CEO smiled wickedly at the blonde, leaning back enough for Kara to see her face, as she responded. "Just making sure."
With that, Lena started lightly stroking at Kara's sides—earning a glare from the older woman. "You wouldn't dare," the blonde argued, knowing what the brunette had been gearing up for.
"Could be," she replied, sassily. Taking advantage, Lena pressed into Kara's sides, dancing her fingers along the blonde's abdomen as she squirmed around. The brunette continued to wiggle her fingers around the blonde's sides, extracting choked laughter from the blonde as Kara tried to push her away.
"Lee, stop," Kara begged, trying to get away from the younger woman.
"Not until you give in," she replied, continuing to tickle her friend.
After several moments of Kara fighting against the inevitable, and Lena continuing her ministrations. Kara finally gave her up, throwing her hands up in surrender as she shouted, "white flag, white flag." The brunette stopped, allowing the blonde to surrender respectfully.
"You don't fight fair, Luthor," Kara groaned, turning in towards the brunette's body; trapping Lena between her and the back of the couch. "Why can't you just allow me to be upset," the blonde questioned playfully as she covered her face.
"Because, as long as you're with me, fake or not, I refuse to allow you to be upset. Just like you refuse to allow me to work myself to death. It's my job to take care of you too, you know? I care about you just as much as you do me; and although your pout is cute, I prefer to see you smile. Always."
Not expecting that answer, the reporter pulled her hands down from her face; staring at the woman in front of her. It was happening again, whether Lena ever noticed it or not, Kara clearly saw it happening again: the lines blurring. Moments like this she found herself simultaneously wanting to stay and run away from it.
She wanted to stay because in these moments, she could pretend. She could pretend that Lena's lingering eyes, her generous smiles, her kind words meant something more than that of a friend. She could pretend that Lena saw her the ways she hoped she would, the ways she dreamt she would. She could pretend that Lena wanted to jump carelessly into the unknown with her, effortless. She could pretend that this would—this could, be more than what it was. She could pretend that they had the courage to be more than what they had become.
But, even pretending would have to come to an end; and reality would, as always, have to settle in. And when it did, it would leave Kara feeling like she did in these moments. It would leave her feeling like she should run away. Because this, these moments they weren't real. At least not to Lena anyway. At least not in the way that Kara hoped it would be. Instead, in moments like this, she found herself both so confused and, yet so sure about what this could be.
Kara had been a brave woman. She was willing to fight almost any and everything to save those she cared about and the city she loved. But even Kara Danvers wasn't brave enough to face the inevitable heartbreak that would come from this unrequited love. Because that's what this was: unrequited. There was no way that Lena cared about the blonde like she wanted her to. There was no way this was more than in Kara's head. They were friends and that's all it seemed it could ever be.
"Don't say things like that," Kara replied, barely a whisper.
Lena shifted, furrowing her eyebrows as she stared at the woman. "Like what," she questioned.
"Like that," she replied meekly, refusing to make eye contact with the younger woman.
Lena reached over, placing her finger gently under the blonde's chin as she silently asked for her attention. "Why," she questioned, staring softly at the younger woman.
"Because, when you say it as one thing, I take it another; and I can't keep doing that."
"What if I mean it as the same thing," Lena questioned.
"They aren't the same thing," Lena stated, taking her attention from her microscope.
The DEO had arrived with Lena's alien anatomy machine an hour ago; and after moments of setting the machine up, and moving Kara onto it, Alex had finally started her testing. However, despite the cutting-edge technology, the brunette insisted that it functioned on the same level as her previous machine.
"Seems like it," Alex grumbled.
"It's not, you just don't know how to work it," Lena replied, sighing as she stood up from her make-shift desk.
"Or your machine is from the dinosaur ages," she replied, coldly.
"Do you want me to teach you how to use it," Lena questioned, holding her hand out towards the older woman, hoping to acquire its controller.
"No," the agent replied, "I don't need you to teach me how to use it. I just need you to teach me how to turn this damn thing on."
Lena sighed, looking at the machine and onto her girlfriend's sister. The machine was on, it was obvious by the lights and the beeping that came from it. Alex simply wasn't using the device well. She had the screen set on the manual setting, rather than having the task run automatically. This caused the screen to appear as if it hadn't been working, because the system hadn't been told to run any tests. It was an easy fix, Alex would just have to let her show her how.
The CEO stepped closer to the older woman, holding her hand out as she silently waited for the brunette to comply. After Alex continued to hit random buttons, she finally gave in. Annoyingly, placing the tablet into the CEO's hand, grudgingly.
"You're upset. Your sister is lying on the table and the last thing you need is to try to figure out how to work a new device," Lena stated; leaving no room to question. "I understand. I'm scared too."
Lena went into the setting of the machine, changing it from manual to automatic. Afterwards, the brunette encouraged the machine to run test on those from planet Krypton and to continuously run test, every fifteen minutes. She was sure that despite the test, Alex would be able to analyze the data, she wouldn't have to teach the brunette anything for now.
"Here," Lena stated, "it should work well for the time being. I can show you how it works once this is all over."
Alex nodded her head, giving her thanks to the brunette as she viewed the information on her device. Lena waiting for a moment, hesitating as she passed her girlfriend. Lena sighed, squeezing the blonde's hand, allowing her fingers to linger as she moved back towards her desk. Alex and Lena grew silent once more, allowing time to past between them as they worked.
Finally, Lena felt like she was getting somewhere. At first, she spent most of her time trying to reconstruct the weapon. However, there was no way she was supposed to know what those weapons had been made of. They weren't from this planet. That was obvious. She knew that the moment she saw Kara fall effortlessly out of the air. Nevertheless, she didn't get a chance to see more than a glimpse of the weapon before she was being instructed to help evacuate. She saw even less of it when she and Winn fixed the generator to get rid of them.
Lena could only guess what the weapons had been, other than that—and the little information Winn gave her about the original weapons—she had close to nothing. Growing frustrated, the brunette grabbed another shrapnel from what the DEO had salvaged, hoping to find a clue. It took her ten minutes to realize that she had been looking at nothing more than a piece of metal that was made of an element, unsurprisingly, out of this world.
"How's it going reconstructing the weapon," Alex questioned, looking up from the device in her hand.
"As well as expected," Lena replied, "how's it going with you."
"As well as expected," the brunette replied. "I have no clue why her vitals are this way. The only good thing I can find is that she doesn't look like she will be crashing anytime soon."
"That's good," the Luthor stated, sighing in relief. She might not have any idea what the weapons could have done to the hero, but at least she doesn't have to worry about her crashing if they can't find it soon. With this news, they were no longer on a tight time constraint. Granted, they were still in rush, but at least now it didn't mean life or death.
"Yeah, it is," Alex stated. The two fell back into their normal pattern, both growing frustrated by their lack of results; but refusing to get discouraged. "You know she really likes you," Alex began, barely above a whisper.
The Luthor smiled to herself, removing her eyes from her microscope as she looked onto the blonde. "I really like her too."
Continuing to look at her device, the agent replied to the younger woman. "I have the right mind to give you the 'if you hurt my sister, I'll kill you' speech."
Lena nodding her head, shifting her attention back to her microscope effortlessly. "I would be more than happy to hear it."
"Even if it means that I have the clearance to do everything I say I'd do and get away with it?"
"Especially that," Lena chuckled lightly. "The last thing I would never do is intentionally hurt her. I spent three weeks being mad and away from her; and that nearly destroyed me. So, I wouldn't imagine that I would do anything to jeopardize what we have. It's been short lived, but it is already one of my favorite things. So, if you want to give me the 'I will kill you speech,' I will happily listen. Even if it means that I would have to imagine my own death."
Alex smiled to herself, looking up briefly from her device to watch the younger woman. After accessing her for a moment longer, she broke her attention back to the device. She was impressed by the Luthor. In hoping to find a way to help Kara, she hadn't paid attention to the role that Lena gratefully took. Effortlessly, Lena made sure that she could put her skills and resources to use to help the younger woman. Not once has she allowed the woman on the bed to cloud her judgement. Tirelessly, she worked from one idea to the next, in hopes that blonde would be able to wake up. It was obvious she cared about Kara, and despite wanting to give her sisterly speech, Alex couldn't deny that.
"Good answer," Alex replied, making a note to drop the subject for the time being.
"Well, luckily for me, it's the truth," the woman replied kindly.
The women shared a look of understanding, both smiling weakly at one another before returning to their duties. Lena pushed aside yet another piece of shrapnel, placing the following piece under the equipment. The metal was different from the first few the brunette had analyzed. This one shared similarities to the common weapons used within the city. Instead of having this strange glow, or falling far from the periodic table, Lena registered an element that she recognized. This shrapnel was more metallic than the others and had a rough sketching within its surface.
Pushing back, the brunette reached for alcohol and a swab, coating the surface of the fallen device; without damaging its material.
"All right so, I have almost every officer in NCPD patrolling the streets and we have a couple of helicopters in the air," Maggie stated, slowly erasing the moment created. "I told them I would be back in a couple of hours, but they plan to update me on anything that happens. How is it going here?"
Alex shifted her attention from the machine, allowing her girlfriend to place a gentle kiss onto her lips. "The same. Kara hasn't crashed in a while and it looks like she has stabilized, but nothing else on this front. This machine is helpful with running tests a little more quickly than usual, but it still is going to take a little while before I have everything I need."
Maggie nodded her head, accessing the machine briefly before turning towards Lena. "The machine's impressive, looks very futuristic, rebel."
Lena thanked the woman, "And what do you have," Maggie questioned.
"Nothing, at the moment. The original plan to recreate the weapons hasn't worked out as well as I hoped. So, I've decided to see if I could find any unique markers on the shrapnel."
"And," Maggie questioned.
"And," Lena stated, allowing her answer to linger as the symbol on the shrapnel appealed. "And, I just might have something. But I'm not too sure."
"Well, what could it be," the detective questioned.
"No, clue. It might be nothing at all, but I'll look into it."
Maggie smiled lightly, clapping her hand excitedly as she stared at the women. "Okay, so looks like progress is being made," she stated, optimistically, "Kara isn't crashing, and Rebel might have something. This is a good start. I'll go see if Winn needs help with anything and if the station has spotted someone with similar devices."
Maggie walked over towards her girlfriend, "Things are going to be fine, Danvers. She's a fighter," the CEO heard the younger woman whisper, and with a kiss, Maggie was out of the room.
The detective was right, Kara was a fighter. The fact that she had still been breathing on the table, despite crashing more than three times, told the Luthor so. Kara was going to be fine. She would make sure of it. Even if it meant that she wouldn't ever sleep again.
Kara froze, staring at the young CEO.
With her heart beating fast, the younger woman began assessing the situation. What did Lena mean when she said that? What did she think that Kara meant when she said she takes it one way, rather than the way it was meant to be received? How did Lena want her message to be received?
"Wha—what do you mean," the blonde questioned, pushing back from the brunette as she sat up on the couch.
Lena scooted back, giving the blonde room to adjust but remaining close. "What do you mean," she replied coolly.
There were two ways Kara could address this. She could continue with what she started. She could tell Lena that she had been falling for her. That all the things that she did for her weren't just actions of a friend but actions of someone who was falling hopelessly and foolishly in love with her. She could tell Lena that she wanted to be more than what they were; that she thought about her endlessly. Or, she could tell her something completely different. She could make up a lie in hopes to save herself from inevitable embarrassment. She could tell her that she was being silly and overthinking the situation. She could tell her that she hadn't meant anything that she had just said. She could save herself from Lena wanting to just be friends.
The CEO waited patiently as Kara thoughts fought amongst themselves. After moments of silence, Kara looked at the brunette, offering Lena her best "Sunny Danvers" smile. "Nothing, I just meant that I take it more seriously than I should. With us being friends and all," Kara stated, retreating. "I just mean, that I'm not used to having a best friend outside of Alex and Winn, people just always have a way of leaving me. So, I guess I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop, is all. As depressing as that sounds."
A look of deflation passed Lena's face, only to be quickly recovered the next moment. The brunette nodded her head in understanding, shifting her seat closer to Kara. "I understand," she began, "You of all people know that I know what it feels like to be alone or used. But, I promise you that I'm not planning on leaving you anytime soon. I meant what I said, Kara, I do care about you. I always will."
Kara smiled weakly at the younger woman, attempting to put on a brave face as she ridiculed herself. She should have told her. It was already out in the open, she should have just claimed the secret as her own and see where Lena would take things from there. Was using the best friend card the wiser solution? Maybe, but now she would never know what could happen. In trying to preserve her own feelings, she let a perfect opportunity slip away. Yes, she still had her best friend. But who know what could have come from her being brave in that moment; being a little more like her alter ego than herself.
"Same," Kara replied shyly, blinking rapidly to hide her pain and frustration. Lena noticed the change in the woman's demeanor, looking over the older woman before she spoke. "Kara, I—"
"We should watch the movie," the blonde interrupted. Grabbing the remote from the table, she began the movie; sitting back on the couch as she avoided Lena's gaze. After a while, Lena's attention finally left the blonde and shifted onto the screen.
Finally, Lena felt like she was getting somewhere. After giving up trying to recreate the weapons, the brunette decided to focus on the strange markers on the scraps left behind. Out of all the shrapnel, two pieces had an identifying marker that could be used. She spent majority of the last hour cleaning the metal, in hopes to identify the symbol. Nevertheless, she realized that she couldn't do it on her own. It would take too long for her to guess what it could have been and, although Kara wasn't crashing anymore, they still were in a rush to wake her up.
Lena pushed herself from the microscope, grabbing the shrapnel as she walked towards Kara and her sister. "Any changes," Lena questioned, focusing on her girlfriend.
Alex shook her head, looking up from the tablet as she spoke, "No, not since my last update. Her bloodwork looks fine. I'm pulling her pulmonary report now."
Lena nodded her head, leaning down she placed a kiss onto the blonde's forehead. "I'll be right back," she whispered against her skin. Standing up, she replied to Alex, "I think I might have something. I'm going to have Winn run some test on this debris. He might be able to identify this symbol to help us find the suppliers."
"I hope so," Alex replied.
"I'll let you know if we find anything," Lena replied, walking out of the room. Quickly rushing downstairs, Lena stumbled onto Winn and Maggie discussing his progress. "How is it that despite our cutting-edge technology, my expertise, and working for a secret government agency, that grants me access to anything and everything, I still can't get a single hit on who sold the weapons."
"Give it time," Maggie stated, "our shooters might have been careless, but it seems as if we are dealing with professionals here. It's only a matter of time before they get cocky and slip up."
"Yeah," Winn replied, "but we don't have time to wait for that to happen. We need something now."
"I might be of assistance," Lena stated, handing the shrapnel to the DEO agent. "I found some indications on the evidence obtained by your agents. It looks like it could be some kind of symbol. I was hoping you could run it through your database and see if you could identify it. Maybe that could help figure out who might have sold the weapons."
Winn smiled at the woman, "I'll get right on it. Shouldn't take long with the upgrades I added to the DEO's mainframe."
"Okay, then I guess I'll wait. For the moment at least," Lena replied.
"See, Rebel," Maggie began, leaning onto the center table, "I knew that your thousand and one degrees would actually come in handy."
Lena rolled her eyes playfully at the smaller woman, "I'm not sure my degrees actually mattered in this case. All I had to do was look through a microscope."
"Well still, that's something," Maggie stated. The women stared at the screens, watching as the database compared the partial symbol on the metal to those within its systems. The detective chuckled to herself, continuing to stare at the screen, while she spoke to the Luthor. "Who would have thought, a Luthor and a Super. It sounds like the love story of the century if you ask me."
Lena chuckled, briefly shifting her attention, "I wouldn't say that. Our relationship has been anything but perfect since we've started."
"Oh yeah," Maggie replied, "the friends-with-benefits situation going exactly the way it always goes. Someone caught feelings and what not. And I thought Alex was stubborn. Imagine how I felt trying to convince Kara that you might just give her a chance. After the Natalie debacle, Alex and I had to convince her that there was no way you could hate her. Especially if you told her how you felt after seeing her with someone."
Lena turned her attention completely to the woman, "You're the reason she came to my office that night."
Maggie nodded her head shyly, "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good love story."
"Thank you," Lena stated, "I'm not sure that without your advice she would have found her way back to me. Or that I would have let her in. So, thank you. These last two weeks have been some of the best of my life. Despite tonight, I mean."
Maggie nodded her head, "Yeah, tonight, tonight sucks."
The women remained in silence, bringing their attention back to the screen. As they waited patiently for the system to work. Although, it didn't take long before the screens began blinking in a rapid succession.
"What's going on," Lena questioned.
Winn jumped up from his computer, grabbing his tablet as he stared at the screens. "The facial recognition database has identified our shooters and two others in a car deck, downtown of National City; and the symbol on your shrapnel has been identified."
Winn ran his fingers along the tablet quickly, bringing up the information and its results onto the screen. Gasping, Lena took a step back from the table, "You've got to be kidding me."
"You've got to be kidding me," Kara shouted. Pushing herself off the couch, walking angrily to the kitchen.
Lena chuckled at the blonde's outburst, turning the TV off as the movie concluded. Looking at her watch, the brunette acknowledged that it was late, deciding to move from the couch. Stretching lightly, "Kara," she began.
"No," the blonde interrupted, "you've got to be kidding me. That's how the movie ends? That's how it ends? Guy has a twin, and everyone dies? That doesn't even make any sense. That's the last time you get to choose a movie. That was terrible."
The brunette chuckled, grabbing her jacket from the kitchen and putting it on. "The movie wasn't terrible it was well acted and written."
Kara sighed, leaning against her table as she protested, "No, it was not. It was not well written. It didn't even have a happy ending."
"Just because it didn't have a happy ending doesn't mean it wasn't a good movie, Kara. You fell into the pattern that the narrator said you would, despite the truth of the story you just wanted to be fooled into thinking it could be something more than it was."
The blonde sighed, handing the brunette her purse, while she prepared to leave. "Well, excuse me for being an optimist. I'll be better next time."
Lena shook her head, opening her arms to older woman, preparing to say goodbye. "Don't be. Your relentless optimism is one of my favorite things about you."
Kara rolled her eyes playfully, stepping into the woman's embrace. The women held onto one another longer than expected, tightening their grips as if they were one another's lifelines. "Thank you for dinner and the movie," Lena stated, whispering to the older woman.
"Thank you for the company, I enjoyed spending time with you. Even if the movie was bad," Kara joked.
"We should do this again," Lena stated, pulling slightly out of the blonde's embrace, but still being held by her.
"We will," Kara stated matter-of-factly.
"Good," Lena stated, smiling brightly at the blonde.
"Good," Kara replied, smiling just as bright.
The women continued to stand in the kitchen. Holding one another as their gazes shifted across one another's face. "Good," Lena repeated in a whisper.
"Good," Kara replied in the same manner.
"I should go," the brunette stated, but she had yet to move from the blonde's hold.
"Yeah, it's late," Kara replied. Once more the woman continued to stand in the center of the room, refusing to move from this moment.
"Lena," Kara began, only to be cut off by the brunette's lips. Kara froze, taken by surprise of the brunette's action.
Was Lena Luthor actually kissing her? Was Kara actually standing in her kitchen with Lena Luthor in her arms, kissing her? The kiss was a gentle detonation, soft, tentative and over before the blonde could fully process what had happened.
Lena felt Kara pull back a few inches, her eyebrows drawn as her eyes flickered between Lena's searching. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Lena stated, attempting to step back from the blonde's hold. But the reporter wouldn't allow her to.
Lena opened her mouth to speak but Kara's hand cupped the back of the woman's neck, contrasting on its own according. Pulling Lena towards her, fast and hard. Their lips met, and she wasn't sure which one of them it was who let out a small sound; she had no idea, all she knew was that their lips fit together perfectly. Suddenly, she left the gentle pressure of Lena's tongue against her lip and then against her own, the taste of the CEO washing over her.
She needed more.
She needed Lena, yes, needed her against her but what she needed was more than just touch, and somehow, as Lena slowly and carefully drew her even closer, she felt whatever that something more was. Kara relaxed completely, and knew that she felt more comfortable, more at home in that moment than she had for a while. Gently Lena pulled her back, guiding her towards the couch, not breaking the kiss. Kara followed the movement, stepping forward and allowing Lena to take control and lead her wherever she wanted.
When they arrived at the couch, Kara gently sat the Luthor onto it, straddling her hips. Pushing off Lena's jacket as their lips continued to explore one another, the brunette groaned when the reporter rolled her hips. The CEO bit briefly onto the younger woman's bottom lip, earning a guttural moan from the younger woman. Lena pushed back from the blonde, tugging at her shirt as she silently requested its removal.
"Yes," Kara stated quickly, leaning in to connect her lips to brunette's once more. Lena allowed the contact, before quickly pulling back to look into the blonde's eyes. "Are you sure," she questioned.
"Positive," Kara replied.
Lena continued to stare at the screen in disbelief.
Could these results be true? Of course. But did that make things any less surprising? Of course not.
Lena, Maggie, and Winn stood in the center of the DEO watching as the screen identified the symbol and the person who sold the weapons to the shooters. The symbol matched an organization known as Cadmus. The same organization that took over every household screen to shout their propaganda earlier that week. The organization that claimed the alien race needed to be dealt with. The organization that without a doubt had terriostic intent.
And next to the organization was a picture of a woman Lena knew all too well. The woman that Lena knew was all too capable of this.
"Okay," Winn began, "so the symbol that you found on the metal matched that of Cadmus. Which isn't surprising being that these weapons come out and suddenly they make themselves known."
Maggie nodded her head, "Yeah, they are about as subtle as brick to a face. What about her?" The detective pointed to the neighboring screen, the screen that showed a video from a car deck where a woman had handed weapons to the criminals. "Who is she?"
Winn shrugged his shoulder, "I don't have a name yet. Just a face, the system is taking a little longer to identify her."
Lena shook her head, "No need. I know exactly who sold them the weapons."
The agent and detective shifted their attention to the younger woman, furrowing their eyebrows in confusion. "She," she began, "She is Lillian Luthor."
"As in…," Winn questioned hesitantly.
"Yes," she answered. "My mother."
I know, it took a while for me to come back. Life got hectic in these last few months. Next chapter will be released next Wednesday, and I am looking for one-shot ideas so, send them my way. I'm officially back. Thank you kindly for waiting.
