happy new year, readers! i wanted to post this chapter last week as the final chapter of 2017, but i got too busy with work and family stuff, so i apologize for that. thus i'm making this the first upload and first chapter for this fic of 2018!
it's only been one week and 20gayteen has been a pretty wild ride, eh? donald trump has a bigger button, kfc has more gravy, ellen page got married...oh, and we finally found out katie mcgrath's birthday! rip david harewood.
well, anyway, i'm moving this along, but there's a surprise at the end of the chapter so ;)
now, read, ponder, and enjoy!
"Do not touch anything," Lena ordered as she swiped her access card and the door unlatched for her.
Lex made an affronted noise and laid a hand on his chest, feigning offense. "I would never."
She cast him a skeptical look, leading him down the aisles of lab tables and greeting the staff present. It was late, so people were scarce, which was good. If Lex were to set anything afire or do something worse, there wouldn't be any unnecessary injuries. "I mean it," she insisted, slapping his hand away before he could touch a burette filled with blue liquid.
He exhaled an exaggerated yelp, clutching the hand close to his chest again. "Do I have to remind you that I am the older sibling?"
"Oh, shut up."
This morning, he had called her and told him that he'd dropped in for a visit. Just all of a sudden, out of nowhere; she wanted to be pissed, but looking at him now, wandering near her vicinity, she couldn't. Truthfully, she missed him, especially after everything that had transpired. He also told her that Lana Lang had joined him, but due to prior engagement, she couldn't meet them until later tonight.
Which was fine, because Lena wanted some time to prepare a well thought out speech for the woman who had caused a lot of people a lot of trouble, even though Lana didn't know it.
They reached another door and she swiped her card again to gain entry. Inside laid a mess of equipment, most likely left by the researchers and engineers who were working on the project. On the main table that sat in the middle of the room was the Air Maker prototype.
"We're eighty percent done," she informed her brother, moving towards what was her pride and joy on the face of this realm. Before she left, she was determined to make this thing a success and create a survival opportunity for the humans.
Lex hummed in appreciation, approaching the table and leaning down to have a close look at it. "You're faster than I thought," he murmured, absorbed in the design of the device.
"Do you know who you're talking to?" she scoffed, smirking when he looked up at her with a hint of annoyance.
"There is no need to brag."
"Oh, I intend to brag as much as I can with you."
He drew out one of his hands from his pocket and waved it in the air, attention returning to the device. "Yes, you're the smarter one, I know."
"As long as you remember," she said, tucking on gloves and picking the device up.
Twirling it in her hands, adoration rose in her. She hadn't had much of a chance to spend her time down here and tinker with this thing, given that she was still CEO and Jess had more or less told her that her responsibilities stretched far beyond being cooped up in a laboratory. Sometimes, she wondered if she should have approached her brother for the job at all.
She smiled inadvertently. "It's a beauty."
Lex mirrored the smile with pride, nodding and ducking his chin lower, something he did when he was happy with or for her. "You did a good job," he said, no sign of teasing in his voice, just pure and unadulterated pride. "With this and with the company," he added.
"Yeah?" Because as proud and assured as she was in herself, Lex was still her big brother and the only family she got.
A big and strong arm reached around her shoulders to pull her towards him, curling her body into his, ensconced in the warmth that she would never tire of – a brotherly and loving embrace. They stared at the device together. "Absolutely," he reassured, kissing the top of her head.
It was past eleven o'clock when they finally emerged from the building and were prepared to head back over to her place, where Lana had agreed to meet up with them. They spent two hours discussing the details of the Air Maker, throwing suggestions and vetoing ideas and offering advice. It was way too easy to fall back into the camaraderie they always had when they put their brains together.
She had truly missed her brother. And their time spent together in the laboratory had reinforced her determination to see this thing out, just so her brother could have happiness – as short as it would be – and be able to go home soon and return to their lives. She had given her driver a day off today, because Lex had exclaimed that he wanted to spend time with her alone and didn't want someone else there with them.
As Lex maneuvered his car out of the parking lot, she finally asked, "Did you finally make a move on Lana?" She regretted asking when he almost swerved into a wall. "Okay, seriously, that was just a question." A car behind them honked, which she didn't blame the driver for.
"She – well – um…" he drifted off, squinting slightly, as if he was carefully pondering his next words.
She stared at him for a second before a disbelieving chuckle escaped her lungs. "Are you stuttering?" Her brother was one of the most confident men she knew, always very assured in his abilities and never wavering in his decisions, even in the face of Hades. That was well proven in his choice to drink the Lethe waters, in spite of Hades and Persephone's staunch opposition.
"You wouldn't understand," he grumbled, scowling.
Blonde hair and blue eyes and argyle came to her mind and she quirked a brow with a shrug. "You'd be surprised." He swerved again. She grabbed onto the handle above the door and shot him a glare. "Seriously?" More honks sounded behind them.
"Why would I be surprised? What do you mean? Did you meet someone?" A grin spread across his face as he teasingly nudged her knee, waggling his brows. It was as if he was unaware of what kind of road risk he had become.
"We're not talking about me," she curtly replied.
"Oh, come on!" he whinnied, shifting lanes without flicking the signal, eliciting more displeased honks.
She cupped half of her face with her free hand, groaning. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Do you drive like this in Metropolis?"
He shrugged. "I don't drive in Metropolis."
"Oh, of course," she deadpanned, slapping her knee. "That gives you the right to be two seconds away from becoming yet another statistic in the country." He snickered; she shook her head. "And we're talking about you right now. Why is Lana here? Did you finally grow a pair and ask her out?"
"I will have you know that my pair has always been here," he said. And when his eyes twinkled, she knew it wouldn't be anything good. "And Lana can attest to it."
"Oh, gross!" she complained, cupping her palms over her ears and grimacing.
He guffawed, boisterous and…happy. Lex had always been a delightful person, never not with a smile on his face and mischief in his gaze, but Lena swore that this was a new level of happy – in love and carefree. She was starting to like this Lana person already. "Hey, you asked," he said between snickers.
"I asked if you made a move," she reiterated, glowering at him. She wondered there was bleach for brains. Maybe she could invent one. Perhaps many siblings in the whole wide world would thank her for it.
His laughter died down and the car slowed down at a red light. Yeah, that didn't mean she would let go of the handle. She didn't want to risk it. He loosened his fingers around the steering wheel and his smile transformed from humor to pleased, enlightened. And, well, as much as she wanted to hate Lana Lang, the fact that she managed to elicit this kind of look on her brother was something else.
To her chagrin, she was already giving points to a woman she hadn't even met yet.
"She made a move," he said, glancing at her. She raised her brows in surprise, to which he nodded in agreement. "We had dinner and were taking a walk. And then she kissed me. Said I was too much of a slowpoke and she wasn't that patient anymore."
Lena laughed. "Good on her," she commented. "So…what? Are you guys together now?"
"I –" He rubbed his hand over his bald head and then slapped his palm back down on the wheel. "We're taking things slow." She narrowed her eyes, just about to rebuke him for being a pansy, when he held up a hand in a defensive gesture. "I just don't want to mess things up, okay? She's just…something else – I don't ever want to mess things up and lose her. And my tendency to get overexcited about stuff is not going to help. So, for now, we're taking things slow, doing it her pace."
She sighed, nodding. "You really like her, don't you?"
He blinked and inhaled deeply with a nervous laugh as he switched gears and pushed the car forward when the light turned green. "I think I love her," he whispered.
"Oh?"
"I've never felt anything like this before."
"Yeah?"
He threw her an exasperated glance. "Yeah."
"Well, let's hope I like her too, then."
Thankfully, there was no swerving or any potential accident inducing movements when he threw his head back and groaned. "I did not think of that," he said quietly, no doubt chastising himself for his carelessness. Her smirk grew when he released another groan. When they finally pulled into the parking lot of her building, he shifted his body to face her, a pleading expression on his face. "Can you please be nice?" To prove his point, two giant hands were steepled together.
She directed her gaze at those hands for a few moments before she shrugged and opened the door to step out. "That depends."
At first glance, there was no way to deny that Lana Lang was a breathtaking woman, distinctive Asian features and darker complexion, accompanied by a smile that seemed to be well-practiced but didn't seem fake at all. Well, to outsiders, anyway, but Lena had spent almost her entire life perfecting a fake smile, so she could spot one miles away. Not that she blamed Lana anyway, given that she and Lex were still rather early in their relationship and she was already meeting the family.
The woman was waiting in the lobby, her concentration split between her laptop and her phone, when Lena and her brother emerged from the parking lot to meet up with her. Lena and Lex stood at the doors for some extended minutes, her observant while he appreciative. And when they made their way over, Lena had to give the woman more approval points for the way she seemed to be genuinely delighted at Lex's presence.
"Lana," Lex greeted, leaning in for a cavalier kiss before loosely wrapping his arm around her waist and gesturing at Lena, "this is my sister, Lena."
And there was that fake smile. She had to give it to Lana; that smile was impeccable. Perhaps they really could find something to talk about. Reaching out to shake Lana's hand, she offered, "I've heard a lot about you, Lana."
Lana's lip twitched, slowly turning somewhat genuine. "Same here, actually," she said, and they both glanced at Lex, who looked like a deer in headlights.
"It is not my fault that I have two amazing women whom I care about in my life and I want one to know about the other," he piped up, smoothly slipping away from the awkwardness of being called out. Before either woman could say anything, he flourished his arm in the direction of the elevators. "Shall we head up?"
Lena stared at him for a minute, rolled her eyes, and then went ahead.
Behind her, she could hear Lana tell Lex, "You're lucky you're handsome."
Once they had made their way to her place, she had pretended like she had run out of scotch, when truthfully, she still had ten bottles left in storage.
Because who was she kidding? Lena Luthor would never allow herself to run out of scotch as long as she still lived on this surface. To be honest, when she returned home, she might make a couple of trips here every now and then to commission herself more.
Lex and Lana could see right through her farce – the former offering her a glare while the latter just watching in amusement. Lena did not stand down from her brother's glare, only raising her brow, cocking her hip, and waiting for him to make himself scarce and get out, though she wouldn't mind if he purchased a couple more bottles. The more the better, as the saying went.
When he looked to his girlfriend and she nodded in agreement, he just made a noise of disapproval, pointed a warning finger at his sister, and got out again.
"Let's hope he doesn't crash the car," Lana commented once the door shut closed behind him.
Lena snorted, granting the woman an appreciative look. She made her way towards the bar and looked to Lana inquisitively. "Choice of poison?"
The other woman crossed her arms, smirking. "Scotch," she said dryly.
Mirroring her smirk, Lena easily took out a bottle and poured two glasses. "Wise choice." She got out from behind the bar and handed a glass to Lana.
"I'm actually more of a tequila girl myself, but I would love nothing more than to see your brother almost having a stroke when he comes back," Lana said, drinking from the glass.
They sat at the island, opposite one another, and Lena spent the silence apprising the woman her brother was now dating. Lana Lang was a real piece of work, enough to drive a demon into willingly ridding his own memories in the Underworld just to have a chance with her. Now, Lena had never met anyone who would make her want to do that – Kara didn't count – and she was really curious as to what it was about this woman who had caused easily almost everyone with power in the Underworld wrought with worry.
Her own principles had made her naturally dislike Lana Lang at first glance. She was dragged out here to the mortal realm because of her, so that was already enough cause for abhorrence. But from the stories Lex had told her and the fact that she might never have met Kara had it not been for Lana, Lena was willing to give her a chance. Plus, their interactions so far had done nothing but make Lena dislike her less.
And Lex was right about one thing: she really was beautiful.
"I'm not going to promise that I won't hurt your brother," Lana said after deciding that Lena had had enough time apprising her.
Lena smiled. At least the philanthropist knew why she had sent Lex away. More points. "I don't expect you to," she replied. "I just want you to know that if you do anything that can potentially scar him for a long time, I will rain hell upon you."
"I don't expect any less from the infamous Lena Luthor." Normally, coming from anyone – especially a man – that would have sounded condescending and meant to be insulting. But Lana made it seem like her name was something to be revered. She raised her brow in question, prompting Lana to continue speaking. "I've known about you before I met your brother. And I don't think I've ever stopped admiring you."
"I've only just come out of hiding," Lena said, cocking her head.
"You just have to look in the right places."
"Should I be worried?"
Lana laughed and shook her head. The glass was placed on the island and she leaned her elbows on the surface. "Believe it or not, you've made quite a name for yourself at MIT. Plus, anonymity is not much of a thing when you're Lex Luthor's sister. The public just didn't pay attention because you haven't done anything back then."
Lena opened her mouth as a display of understanding, sighing. "Plus the fact that I am a woman kept the press off my back."
The other woman inclined her head with a distasteful grimace. "That, too."
"So how did you, a philanthropist who doesn't know a lick about engineering, know to know about me?"
"I pay attention to strong women in public, obscure or not. Meryl Streep, Malala, Emma Watson, Lena Luthor," she easily listed out, jutting one finger as she went. "And hey, if meeting you means I get to date your brother, that's a bonus."
She couldn't help herself but burst out laughing. "You know what, you're good."
Lana's smile this time wasn't the least bit fake. She lifted her glass and waited for Lena to meet her in the air. They clinked and drank, and then Lana's smile turned conspiratorial. "Now, tell me stupid stuff about Lex."
Kara (8:53 a.m.): So I have a proposition for you.
Lena was in the middle of a meeting. Imagine that, she hadn't even had her second cup of coffee and her board of directors had already dragged her into the meeting. Thankfully, before she sat down, she had signaled Jess to bring her more coffee, so now she was on her fourth. And judging by the way these men were going on, she needed at least ten.
Surreptitiously, she hummed in pretend appreciation while unlocking her phone to reply to Kara. It was better than listening to them and wondering why the fuck Kara's father would want to create these creatures in the first place.
Lena (8:59 a.m.): Sounds sexual.
Kara (9:03 a.m.): Lena!
She inhaled her chuckle before the men in the room could be alerted to the lack of attention she was directing them.
Lena (9:03 a.m.): What is it?
Kara (9:04 a.m.): Are you free to talk?
Lena (9:06 a.m.): I'm actually in the middle of a meeting
Kara (9:06 a.m.): Lena Luthor, pay attention!
Lena (9:07 a.m.): You wouldn't say this if you were here.
Lena (9:07 a.m.): I'll call you when I'm done?
Kara (9:09 a.m.): Alright, talk later!
Throughout the following two hours, she tried her damnedest to not glare at the flimsy Donald Trump lookalikes filling up the conference room. And well, they were lucky that they were not important enough for her to summon the monster inside her and eat them up alive, because they were not worthy.
Finally, when she finally had had enough, she summarized what each and every one of them had brought up and argued about, taking mild pleasure in watching their jaws drop at how she had actually listened to them despite the apparent boredom she had been exuding. And then she made sure to send them off with reassurances that she would think them over and make her decision before the next meeting.
Watching these people leave the conference room one by one had to be one of the most satisfying things in her mortal life.
"What time is it, Jess?" she asked, leaning back against her chair and closing her eyes for a brief moment of respite.
Jess, appearing from behind her and not really hiding the dinosaur caricature she had drawn on her iPad – probably from the last god-knew-how-many hours – replied, "Almost noon, Miss Luthor."
Surprise wasn't even in the books for her anymore. Resigned was what she was. Maybe she should have reconsidered this CEO and moving out to National City thing before she had approached her brother. She wondered if she could still take back that decision and get Lex to find someone else to fill in her position. She'd much rather spend her days in the lab.
"Go get some lunch, Jess," she sighed, her eyes still closed.
"Miss Luthor?"
She smiled slightly. "Don't worry. Lex is dropping by in an hour," she reassured.
Satisfied, her executive assistant bade her goodbye and left the room as well, leaving Lena alone with her phone and the birds outside and the noise of the air conditioner humming above. In the distance, there was an ambulance siren and the mean part in her wondered who died.
She honed in on the auras, picking up the mild energies that differed from humans scattered across the city, and laughed silently at the immortals for their curiosity and perhaps regret. The mortal realm was not as fun as Zeus liked to put it, and it certainly was not for every immortal. Kara was just one of the few who could fit in, and Lena had to force herself, while Lex didn't even remember that he wasn't one of them.
Once she felt that her eyes had rested enough, she picked up her phone from the table and dialed the intended number.
"Hey!"
The smile that stretched across her face seemed to be a natural reaction to the stimulus that was Kara Danvers now. She spun her chair slightly to face the wall-to-ceiling windows. "Hello, Kara," she greeted.
"That was a long meeting," Kara observed.
"CEOs have to suffer too," she quipped.
Kara laughed, and even through the crackle of the connection, Lena still allowed the warmth to spread through her nerves and rid her of the impatience that had gathered up in her bones.
"So what is your proposition?" she prompted. A bird had flown past the window. Having caught a glimpse of its pure whiteness, there was a moment where she wished that she could be as pure. She adjusted her gaze to the CatCo building, also the tallest building in the city. Not that surprising and well deserved, Cat Grant, while human, would have made a formidable Olympian – even demon.
Kara was quiet for a long while, which only served to mildly dissipate Lena's delight into wariness. "Up for a trip to Paris?" Kara finally offered in question.
Her heart stuttered. "Paris?"
Kara hummed in affirmation. "You know, City of Love, City of Lights, Paname, Pantruche…"
"I know where Paris is, Kara."
"Oh, good, I figured since you're not from this realm…" Kara drifted off. Lena could already picture her standing inside the building she was looking at, probably staring out the window, biting her lip and her free hand on her hip.
"What's in Paris?"
And there was that long pause again. Lena did not like long pauses from Kara. When her friend finally spoke, her voice had taken on a new tone of nervousness and discovery. "Diana Prince."
Amusement did not find Lena easily. As a matter of fact, before Kara even showed up in her life, she hadn't been amused for quite a while, finding everything quite so boring and dull. After Kara had appeared, Lena quickly found herself smiling and laughing more genuinely, finding humor in the most ridiculous things.
So, of course, right now stuck in a fucking metal tank in the middle of the sky, where she normally would force herself to sleep or do more work, she was laughing at another one of Kara's antics. Only this time, there was the addition of the other Danvers, who had insisted on joining once she'd found out where they were going and who they were meeting.
"Please don't do anything to the plane. It's expensive," she managed to resound above the loud volumes of the two sisters.
Naturally, ignoring her, Kara shoved an elbow into the back of Alex's knee, cackling when the older Danvers howled. "Serves you right," she said triumphantly and grabbed the remote from Alex's loosened fingers.
Lena watched as Alex's eyes flashed as soon as Kara lifted off her and settled on the other end of the couch. And then the redhead leaped off and pushed Kara so hard that the blonde fell over the edge and onto the carpet, sounding a loud thud, which caused Lena to wince. She would have still stopped them, but this was much too fun to watch.
"We are not watching that stupid movie again!" Alex yelled.
Kara recovered herself and jumped back onto the couch, but Alex, having expected her sister's move, easily shoved her back on the carpet with a kick of her foot. If they were merely mortals, Lena was certain that they would be covered in bruises.
"Crazy, Stupid, Love is not stupid!" Kara exclaimed from the floor, having given up on brawling with her sister, which, honestly, relieved Lena a little.
It was a very expensive plane.
"Stupid is literally in the title of the movie!" Alex yelled back.
Lena made a note to apologize to the pilot later on for the commotion. She wondered if pilots accepted tips.
Looking down at her watch, she had to laugh, attracting both sisters' attention. She quirked her brow at them, moving from one to the other. "You two spent so much time fighting over the remote that we only have half an hour until we land. So why don't you sit down quietly and leave the poor remote alone?"
The blonde listening to her and sitting in original seat opposite Lena was expected, but Lena had anticipated some form of protest from the other Danvers. Instead, the woman just shrugged and sat down on the opposite side of the aisle. Lena narrowed her eyes, slightly confused.
Alex shrugged. "I just wanted to stop Kara from making me watch Ryan Gosling again."
Her snort and Kara's huff combined made a weird noise in the atmosphere. "It's Julianne Moore," Kara stubbornly pointed out.
"And I understand," Alex began in a placating tone, as if she was trying to appease a child, "but there are only so many times a woman can watch Julianne Moore before risking getting tired of her face."
"You did not just say that."
"I'd much rather watch Carrie Fisher, to be honest."
Kara paused slightly and then lifted a finger in a motion of relenting. "I should ask Hades where she ended up in," she muttered.
"Elysium," Lena offered. Both sisters looked to her so fast she briefly worried about their neck. One was holding back in her excitement and the other was wary like she couldn't trust Lena yet. "She spun Hades' head so fast that he just sent her to Elysium to shut her up. Persephone told me that Carrie told him he should try out some of the medications she'd had to become a happier person. Said maybe he'd be nicer to the souls sent down there if he tried out Xanax."
"Oh my god, she's amazing," Alex said, staring at Lena like she was newly impressed.
And somehow, the idea that she had impressed Kara's sister brought her comfort.
"So tell me why you couldn't have just flown here?" Lena asked once they were in the limousine with the partition drawn up to ensure privacy.
"Because I know you're scared of flying and I'm not letting you take the plane alone," Kara replied matter-of-factly.
Lena had to smile. What else could she do, really? There was this woman, an Olympian no less, who had shown time and time again that she truly cared, and for Lena, there weren't many of that. Kara's remark had only served to water her affection and encourage its growth – trouble, really, but again, what could she do?
Alex shot her sister a long look before she addressed Lena, "It's too conspicuous if there are suddenly two flying people in the sky with no solid explanation. Zeus would be livid, and he's angry enough as it is." She shot Lena a knowing look, similar to solidarity, which Lena was thankful for. If there came a day when she had to reveal her true self to Kara, it would be by her own accord.
Despite the tentative footing that their…acquaintanceship had taken up, Lena couldn't help herself. "And what are you doing here?"
The redhead crinkled her nose, shaking her head at Lena with a roll of her eyes. "You think I'm just gonna let my sister run off to Paris with a demon alone?" she easily replied. It sounded humorous, purposefully spoken as if it was meant to be a joke, but Lena knew better than that. Alex still didn't trust her, and she didn't expect any less than that. "Also, I want to see Diana too."
"You close?"
The Danvers sisters spared each other a long look before they turned back to her. "As close as two daughters of Zeus can be," Alex offered, diplomatic and strategically formed.
Lena may never have spent time with Zeus before – from what she'd heard, she wished she never had to – but word of mouth carried a lot of weight. And Zeus' lack of care for his children had never failed in fostering distrust and competition between his children, creating the most violent and aggressive relationships that not even Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine could compete with.
Ever since she had learned about Kara and Alex's relationship, she had wondered if it would be the same had Alex been Zeus' daughter.
"I've been taking a lot of vacations lately," she commented, already bemoaning the remarks that her board of directors would surely make when she returned.
"You deserve it." She lifted her gaze from her hands on her lap to Kara, who was staring at her with concern and adoration. "Hell, I deserve a vacation."
"Oh, don't be a baby. You've been on vacation since you left Olympus," Alex grumbled.
"And then my beloved father gave me this job and look where we are."
"Well, you are an Olympian and you are his daughter."
Kara growled. "Zeus and his fucking thunder cock."
The other two women gaped at her, jaw dropped. Lena could hardly fight the laugh that was bubbling in her chest, while Alex seemed like she wanted to throttle her sister for the language. "Kara!" they both gasped.
"Listen, I learn stuff when I'm here, okay?"
"I'm telling mom."
Kara slapped her sister on her forearm, yelping, "Don't you dare!"
Paris was blanketed in snow, inches of it, though not as thick as what Lena had seen was capable of back in the States. She tucked her coat closer to her body, stuffing her hands in her pockets, as they trudged past the borders and entered the Louvre premise. It wasn't that she needed the coat and the scarf; she had gotten used to the temperature in the Underworld, but she had to keep up appearance.
The Seine was visible, and it mildly reminded her of the River of Lethe. She had promised Lex and Lana that she would be back in two days, and they were free to stay in her penthouse if they felt like staying. But before she left, she made sure to bid her brother a proper goodbye in case he decided to go home before she did. When she had hugged Lana – yes, she hugged Lana – she quietly decided that Lex didn't make a mistake drinking the Lethe waters.
They passed the large glass and metal pyramid and Lena took a moment to admire the craft and efforts it must have taken Pei to construct this masterpiece. Often, she had hoped that the Underworld was in good enough conditions for architecture like this to rise.
She was snapped out of her admiration when her senses rose and detected a familiar aura that she hadn't felt in a long time. The last time she had felt this particular aura, it was near the end of the war. Slowly, her gaze traveled from the top of the pyramid to the entrance, where a woman clad in a red coat stood, tall and regal.
Lena smiled. The woman hadn't lost her grace after so many years of desolation and loss.
Kara squeaked in excitement while Alex snorted, and Lena could see that her blonde companion was hardly containing herself as they made their way towards their welcome party. Once they were close enough, Kara leaped forward and engulfed the demigoddess in an embrace, not letting go in what seemed to be ages. They muttered words into each other's ears, but Lena made a point to not listen in. Once Kara had finally released the woman, it was Alex's turn.
When Alex relieved the woman from her embrace, Lena stepped forward, but they didn't hug, only stared each other with reminiscing smiles.
"Lena," the woman finally greeted.
"Good to see you again, Diana."
hah! bet you didn't see that coming. i've been planning this whole lena knowing diana thing for quite some time, and my original plan to introduce diana was earlier on, probably in chapter 7 or something, but then other things got in the way. i have a terrible knack for as much worldbuilding as possible, so that might be a little confusing for y'all - thank you, though, for staying with me!
more to come!