Author's note : Hey ! Remember me ? Or this story ? You know, the one you started following a decade ago ? LOL. I'm sorry for the unbelievably wait you had to endure between chapter 13 and this one. I had the opportunity to be sent away on a great 5 month training for my work and it was kind on a short notice so I couldn't finish the fic before leaving. Then, although I'm a known multitasker, I couldn't fully commit to both activities at the same time so I decided to stop writing until I was completely finished with my exams. So, thank you for the wait and enjoy this new chapter.
-"I don't want to go" Kara whined.
-"Kara, we already talked about this" Alex sighed. "The break up rumors between you and Lena are attracting a lot of bad press right now and we need to focus the media attention on your project again."
-"And the award ceremony will be the perfect occasion for that, I know" Kara repeated what her sister has been saying to her the past few days. "The problem is that there's a good chance Lena will attend the ceremony."
-"Yes, but I will be there too" Alex replied, putting her hand on Kara's shoulder. "And it will be quick. You get up on that stage, take the award, give a few thanks and get out."
-"As simple as that ?" Kara echoed, looking at Alex for reassurance trough the mirror she was standing in front of.
-"Yes, as simple as that" Alex confirmed, adjusting her little sister's tie.
During the ride to the award show, Kara tried to keep her anxiety from rising up too high. Even the fact that this was her first ride in a limo couldn't distract her from the panic she felt at the prospect of seeing Lena again after four days without talking or texting to the CEO of L Corp.
Kara was starting to feel grateful that her sister had rented the limo. Alex has said that she couldn't possibly show up at the award ceremony in a cab or worse, exiting the subway and Kara was now glad for the tainted windows and the soundproofed back which helped her pretend she was in some sort of protective bubble.
Soon, Kara would be crowded with journalists, investors, scientists and hospitals managers from everywhere and the only person who could have helped her navigate through all that, well, let's just say that they weren't in speaking terms anymore. Fortunately, Alex would be there but Kara couldn't deny the fact that she secretly wished Lena was the one accompanying her like they originally planned.
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-"Hey, you should slow down on that" Veronica said, grabbing the glass of champagne directly from Lena's hand after the CEO picked it up on a passing trail.
-"Hey !" Lena protested. I was going to drink that."
-"Oh I know, but some of us can hold their alcohol," Veronica said slowly, "and other can't" she finished, looking pointedly at her friend.
-"What if she doesn't come ?" Lena wondered out loud anxiously, starting to pick at her fingernails, her hands not being occupied with a glass of champagne anymore.
-"Relax Lena, she's going to come, trust me" Veronica replied, rolling her eyes. "She has not arrived yet because someone wanted to be there early so we wouldn't miss her."
-"She has to, this is my only chance Veronica."
Since Kara was avoiding all of her calls and text, Lena figured that the only chance she had to talk to Kara was this very evening where work forced the two of them to be in the same space again after Kara had started ghosting her.
So Lena has spent the last hour standing near the front entrance, hopping to spot Kara when she would arrive and ask her what Lena could do to fix whatever she had done to Kara.
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When Kara stepped out of the limo and her feet touched the red carpet, she was assaulted by a multitude of flashes. Alex was by her side in a second, hooking their arms together and guiding her forward. Kara tried to muffle the shouting of her name and focused on her sister voice, which kept saying "keep walking" in her ear. As she finally reached the entrance, Kara thought she noticed, between two blinding flashes, a familiar pair of green eyes looking back at her, but she could have imagined it.
As Lena was contemplating seating for a few minutes, her feet starting to kill her, she heard Kara's name being shouted by the crowd of journalist outside. She craned her neck to get a better view of the red carpet and finally saw Kara in person for the first time in days.
Lena expected to see Kara in one of her signature pastel colors but was surprised when Kara appeared in a black suit with a black shirt, the only spot of color on her outfit being her light blue tie and matching pocket handkerchief. Even her blonde mane was unusually tied in a bun.
This outfit was very discreet and made it easy to blend in the crowd and Lena wondered for a minute if this wasn't the purpose of it after all. But a lot more will be needed to detain Lena, she will be following that blue spot that was Kara's tie with her eyes until it would be imprinted in her retina if necessary.
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-"Sorry Lena but if you're going to keep following App Girl until the prize-giving takes place it's going to be without me" Veronica warned. She was growing tired of walking around the room waiting for the perfect opportunity for Lena to approach Kara.
-"I have to talk to Kara, it's not negotiable" Lena replied, the wariness clear in her voice.
-"I get it but that sister of hers is worst than a CIA agent, she won't leave her side" Veronica pointed, exasperated. "The woman didn't even take a bathroom break in the last hour for God's sake !"
-"There's still five minutes left before they give the prize" Lena reminded. "Come on, Veronica, help your best girl out would you ?" she begged doing her best puppy eyes.
-"Okay. Just because it's you asking" Veronica conceded. "I'm a party girl, not a marathoner you know."
-"Thanks Veronica, I owe you."
Just as the two women were going to move forward into the crowd to keep their strategic distance between them and Kara and her sister, the president of the National City Hospitals Foundation tapped the mic and demanded the guests' attention.
-"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the annual National City Hospitals Foundation award ceremony. As you know, this event aims to reward the people who help the hospitals of National City to improve significantly the way they attend and treat the patients."
Everyone in attendance turned toward the stage to hear the man out. Lena would have to wait if she wanted to talk to Kara. The problem was that it would be harder for Lena to catch Kara when the crowd would disperse all at once after the ceremony.
-"This past year, we witnessed the arrival of two very motivated new players on the field" the president continued his speech. "Both made an incredible contribution to increase the quality of our public health service so let me tell you that the debate to decide on a winner has been very intense."
He paused for dramatic effect. This was, after all, a first for the foundation.
-"So intense that, in fact, we couldn't decide at all. Yes, you heard me right, this year we will be rewarding two extraordinary people."
Kara frowned.
-"Did you know about this ?" she asked her sister.
Alex shook her head.
-"First, Kara Danvers of Krypton Enterprise" the president went on, after the few "oooh" of surprise stopped.
People cheered and applauded.
Kara new she was going to win the award. All winners do. After the commission deliberates, the designated winner receive a letter informing them that they had been chosen by the committee. The medical field being composed principally by very busy professionals, they make sure that way that the winner will be of attendance to take their prize and prepare an acceptance speech. However, Kara was never told that there would be another winner this evening and probably, this other awarded person didn't know about Kara's win either.
-"Whose App revolutionized first responders daily work and reduced medicals errors, especially during first-aid intervention, by half" the president of the foundation finished the announcement and gestured to Kara to come join him on stage.
Kara got up on the stage, shook the president's hand and accepted her award with a bright smile. Then she stood awkwardly on stage next to him waiting to know, like everybody else's, who the mysterious co-winner was.
-"Then, Lena Luthor of L Corp" the president declared, pointing were Lena was standing, with his hand.
The crowd applauded politely as Lena made her walk up on stage and went to stand next to the president. The later being the only thing separating the two women right now.
-"Whose recent assumption of the leadership of the late Luthor Corp helped decongest our overcrowded hospital rooms by developing at home medical care with a range of practical and affordable new products" the president spoke again, totally unaware of Kara's new rising panic.
Then the president of the foundation put his hand on Kara's shoulder and gestured for her to take his place behind the lectern so she could give her thanks.
The president went backstage to give room to the two women. Kara took a few steps forward and went to stand behind the lectern. She blinked a few times because of the flashes coming from the front row entirely composed of journalists. She put the award down on the lectern and adjusted the mic to her height as she searched for her sister in the crowd. Kara quickly spotted Alex and saw her gesturing silently for Kara to speak and then leave fast.
You get up on that stage, take the award, give a few thanks and get out, Kara remembered. She took a deep breath and pushed her glasses up her nose quickly.
-"Good evening everyone" Kara begun. "Thanks a lot for this award. I'm glad that the Krypton App helped so many people, I designed it with no other goal in mind, so it's really great to see that it completed its mission well."
Kara kept her eyes focused on the crowd in front of her, trying to establish a visual contact with all the different parts of the attendance to make sure she was addressing everyone like Alex taught her.
-"I would also like to thank my parents, who gave me this love for science and always believed in me" Kara continued smiling.
-"To my sister, who dropped everything to help me in this wonderful but crazy new adventure" Kara went on, looking at Alex who had tears in her eyes.
-"And finally, a big thank you to my IT guy, Winn Schott, who helped me bring Krypton App to life with his incredible programming skills" Kara spoke again, smiling at Winn who was winking and pointing fingers gun at her. The crowd applauded enthusiastically.
Kara was done. Well, she should have been done if Lena hadn't won the award too. Now, Kara was compelled to say something. It would be weird not to, with Lena standing only a few feet away from her and knowing that they just launched a new medical product together.
Kara was afraid that if she looked at Lena and saw her beautiful dress and pleading eyes, which she got glimpses of earlier while she was mingling in the crowd, she would forget what to say and make a fool of herself. Kara pushed her glasses up her nose and approached her mouth to the mic again.
Don't look at her.
-"Before I hand over the mic to Miss Luthor, I wanted to congratulate her on her win" Kara said, motioning to Lena with her left hand but without looking at her. There was a round of applause and Lena smiled to the crowd politely.
Don't look at her.
Kara could feel Lena eyes boring into the side of her head and it was becoming harder and harder to not turn her head, just once.
-"In my opinion, Lena Luthor deserves that award as much as me" Kara continued.
She caught sight of her sister in the crowd, doing a back and forth gesture with her hand at her neck, thus motioning for Kara to cut her discourse short. Alex knew how bad Kara had taken the news of Lena's betrayal and she wanted Kara to spent the less time possible sharing the stage with the Luthor. Kara nodded imperceptibly at her sister and decided to wrap up her speech.
-"In fact, I wouldn't have collaborated with her on the artificial pancreas if I didn't think she was the most talented and altruist person I know" Kara spoke again, gripping the edge of the lectern to resist the urge to look at Lena.
Don't look at her.
-"I'm just...Glad that National City is finally catching up and acknowledging it" Kara finished, and stepped aside to let Lena take her place behind the lectern before Lena could look at Kara or try to shake Kara's hand as a thank you.
However, Lena attempted neither of those things. If she was being honest, she was still a little stunned by Kara last words. If Kara still thought so highly of her then it meant that Lena had still a chance to fix everything. Surely, all of this mess was just a big misunderstanding and everything could go back to normal if Lena put the right amount of effort into it.
So, when the clapping started to die down, Lena, more motivated than ever, straightened her shoulders and took her place behind the mic.
-"Thank you all" Lena said. "Thank you Kara" she added after a pause, glancing at Kara but the latter stubbornly kept looking straight ahead, just bowing her head slightly to acknowledge Lena's words.
-"This prize means quite a lot to me." Lena spoke again, stroking the award Kara had left on the lectern. "When I first took over Luthor Corp and changed its focus to home therapy, it was very hard." Lena sighed at the memory. "Nobody wanted to invest or even be associated to LCorp in any way. I won't lie, I struggled a bit, but receiving that prize today means that LCorp helped a lot of people so now, I can say it was totally worth it."
There was some applause but Lena wasn't done yet.
-"I would like to thank everyone at LCorp who helped me get this far of course, but I would also like to thank Kara Danvers, who was the first person to remind me that I'm more than my family and to trust me with a project that I'm very proud of." Lena added, gripping at the side of the lectern. She spotted Veronica in the crowd, giving her two thumbs up to let Lena know she was on the right track.
It was now or never.
"I hope that the artificial pancreas would be the first common project of many, because I can't see myself working with anyone else anymore" Lena continued, smiling at Kara.
As the crowd clapped again, Kara couldn't help to turn and look at Lena this time.
Lena walked away from the lectern and went to stand in front of Kara, who remained quiet and clenched her fists so hard at her sides so she wouldn't be tempted to reach for Lena's hands.
-"Kara, for whatever I have done to you please forgive me. I can't imagine my life without you in it."
Kara almost answered.
Almost.
The murmur of the crowd which wanted to stay silent but couldn't restrain its anticipation at the prospect of a juicy scoop, halted Kara. Even if Lena was far from the mic now, the first rows have heard her very well and were almost exclusively made of journalists. The rumors of Kara's and Lena's break-up had been spreading non-stop for the last few days, so everyone in attendance knew that, what Kara was about to respond would either confirm or deny them.
Since when Kara did owe them a response ?
First of all, since when her life become so complicated ? All she ever wanted was to make science and if she helped people in the process, even better. But this ? She has never asked to be constantly the center of attention, she has never wanted to be a source of entertainment. Why people couldn't just leave her alone and let her work in peace ?
A flash from a photographer standing just at the foot of the stage, brought Kara back to reality. She glanced nervously at the assembled guests looking back at her, expecting. Kara panicked and flew the stage quickly, prize and decorum totally forgotten.
Lena stood paralyzed as Alex bolted after her little sister, half expecting the night to end this way since the beginning of the ceremony.
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A mess.
A fucking mess.
That was her life right now. Lena had thought that she would fix everything the night of the ceremony but the truth is that she just made everything worse. The media were thrilling on her and Kara's break up, but mostly, they were too happy to gave Lena the bad role. Since they couldn't blame her on anything professional, they used the few words she had spoken to Kara on stage two days ago against her, making assumptions that Lena must have done something bad to make Kara run away.
Everyone was adding fuel to the fire that was Kara's and Lena's relationship, saying the most horrible things about her but that, Lena was used to. No, what unsettled her the most, was that they came after Kara too, saying how she had it coming for getting involved with a Luthor, or that she should have stayed with Mike, the perfect golden boy, instead of that vermin that was Lena.
She needed to get away. Lena had her fair share of scandals with her father's more than controversial political views and her brother's criminal conviction, but somehow, this one was were Lena drew the line.
She got up from her desk, opened her safe and retrieved a white envelope. She sat at her desk again and opened the envelope. She took the set of keys that was inside and stroked it affectionately.
When her father died a few years ago, Lena inherited an old mansion in Ireland. She had discovered in her father's will that he had bought this mansion as a gift for Lena's biological mother but the latter had died while giving birth to her so he gave it to Lena instead.
Now, every time she wished to get away from the city and take some well deserved vacation, she would go to this mansion to relax and refocus on herself. She hadn't gone there for a while now but today it seemed exactly what she needed.
Her decision was made. She would take a week away from everything until this another mediatic storm settle down. But first, she would have to inform Jess and Veronica of her plans, the only two people who would worry and search for her it seemed.
She decided to begin with her best friend before briefing Jess on everything LCorp related and dialled Veronica's number.
-"Hey Veronica" Lena greeted when her friend picked up.
-"What's up girl ?"
-"I'm just calling to tell you that I'll be leaving soon."
-"What do you mean ?" Veronica asked, the confusion clear in her voice.
-"I'm so tired of all of this. I've had my share of media shitstorm involving me and my family but this is too much."
-"Yeah, sorry about that" Veronica sympathized with her friend. "They're going hard on you but nothing's new, right ?"
-"It's just that this time it feels different" Lena said. "She, Kara," she clarified, "she's not used to all of this and..." She took a deep breath. "Her face is everywhere Veronica, It's too hard to not think about, well, everything" Lena finally admitted what was bothering her the most.
-"Okaaay..." Veronica dragged the word while wondering why the hell Lena was calling her to tell her all of that.
-"I'll check everything with Jess regarding L Corp, so don't worry about being disturbed with work stuff, I just called you to tell you that I won't be available for lunch or to be your plus one at some boring gallery opening" Lena said, smiling at the last bit.
-"Lena ?" Veronica asked, a hint of worry tainting her voice. She hailed a cab in a hurry.
-"Yes ?"
-"You're not going to do anything stupid, right ?" Veronica inquired as she yanked open the door of the cab that just stopped in front of her.
-"Anything stupid ? What are you..." Lena wondered out loud as she organized some papers and files on her desk to give to Jess until it hit her what exactly her friend was thinking. "Oh my God Veronica, I'm not going to kill myself !" Lena yelled on her phone.
-"OK that's good but just so you know, I'm already on my way !" Veronica replied as the cab took off in the direction of the LCorp tower.
-"Jesus Veronica, seriously ? What is wrong with you ?"
-"What's wrong with me ?" This was Veronica's turn to yell. "You're the one talking about leaving, about how tired you are and that you checked with Jess so she could look after L Corp while you're gone ! What was I supposed to think ?" she hissed on the phone angrily now that the panic had wore off at Lena's reassurance that she wasn't planning to end her life soon.
-"I'm just going to retire to my stupid mansion in Ireland for a few days !" Lena clarified, letting her head drop on her hand at her friend dramatic response to her call.
-"You stupid !" Veronica immediately shot back. "You scared the hell out of me !"
-"Sorry" Lena finally apologised after a bit. In truth, Lena could have been a little more specific and Veronica's reaction, though a little exaggerated, at least showed how she cared about Lena.
-"Since I'm already on my way over your office, lunch at Il Palazzo ?" Veronica asked, having recovered from her panic in a flash and always keeping her priorities straight.
-"Meet me in ten."
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"Kara, for whatever I have done to you please forgive me."
Kara had very little sleep last night after the ceremony. Lena's words kept haunting her in her sleep.
"I can't imagine my life without you in it."
Kara got up from her bed, growling. She rubbed her eyes as she kept replaying what happened on the stage over and over again.
What if what Lena had said was true ? Kara wondered. Alex seemed convinced that Lillian was right, arguing that those Luthor were all the same and that she had been foolish to had fallen for Lena's "good Luthor act".
Kara wasn't so sure anymore. Lena seemed really hurt and confused last night. She didn't look like she was lying at all.
Knowing herself, Kara wouldn't be able to move on without going to the bottom of this situation. She turned her inner conflict in a way she could understand it better : a math problem. Two people, Lillian and Lena, had dissentient views of the same situation. Both women had arguments to convince Kara of their respective theories, so, the only thing Kara needed to decide was an objective proof. And there was only one person who could help her get that proof.
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-"I'm not sure that's legal Kara." Winn answered, uncomfortable. Kara had asked Winn to meet her at Noonan's shortly after her morning breakthrough so he could help her with his amazing IT skills.
-"Well, if my theory is confirmed, what Lillian did isn't really legal either." Kara retorted. Winn just frowned, still having cold feet about hacking another's person phone.
-"So, could you do it ?" Kara asked, looking at her friend with her eyes full of hope.
-"Technically, yes" Winn replied, deep in thoughts. "But you'll need to stay within a radius of sixteen feet from Lillian's phone for the download to work." He took a sip from his latte and added : "plus, with that method, we can't select what file we want to retrieve so we have to download the whole memory of the phone, so it might take a while."
-"OK." Kara said. "And how much time do you need to build this hacking device ?" she then inquired.
-"Hum... A few hours ?" Winn replied.
-"Perfect !" Kara exclaimed, smiling widely. "Because I know where we'll find Lillian tomorrow" she added, showing an article on her phone to Winn, about an auction sponsored by Lillian. "You could sit a few rows behind her and game on !"
-"Me ?" Winn reacted immediately, panicking. "Why me ?"
-"Well, she doesn't know you so she won't suspect anything."
-"Kara I'm not sure I could..." Winn started to protest.
-"Please" Kara insisted, doing her best puppy eyes.
Winn sighed. He was doomed.
SC~SC~SC~SC~SC
Calm down. Breathe. Everything's fine, she won't suspect anything.
Winn kept repeating those few words mentally as his sweaty palms and erratic breathing was drawing the attention of the old man seated next to him.
Winn had managed to sit two rows behind the Luthor widow so she couldn't spot him, without turning completely and the downloading could still be carried on smoothly.
The mission was going well and Winn was starting to relax. Unfortunately for him, Lillian suddenly decided it was the right time to stand up.
Where is she going ? Winn wondered anxiously. There was still a lot of time left before the end of the auction. Plus, as the honored guest, Lillian sat at the front row so if she left the room, Winn would be out of range and the download would be lost.
Winn glanced quickly at his phone. 10 minutes of downloading left. He has to do something. He won't have a new good opportunity like this one again. Winn stood up hastily, startling his neighbour, and followed after Lillian, making sure to stay seven feet behind.
Lillian exited the room as Winn rightfully thought, took right in the hallway, stopped two times to greet people and then made her way toward the bathroom.
Winn panicked. If Lillian entered the bathroom, the door will close behind her and all connexion between their cell phones would be lost. He glanced at his phone again : 2 minutes.
-"Hey ! Mrs Luthor !" Winn said as Lillian was reaching for the door handle.
-"Yes ?" Lillian replied, raising an eyebrow.
-"I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan of your husband's work and that it's so sad that he isn't here anymore to bless humanity with his genius" Winn started to improvise, hoping he could buttonhole Lillian for the remaining 2 minutes.
-"That's very kind of you to say, thank you" Lillian answered politely. She reached for the door handle again.
-"It's a shame that your daughter doesn't seem to follow her father's path. She clearly has the potential, such a brilliant woman like her.
-"Well, Lena's a grown and capable woman. She can run the family company as she please" Lillian said, a discreet rictus of disgust making its way at the corner of her lips. She clearly didn't agree with her daughter's vision concerning L Corp.
-"Of course ! L Corp has so much potential as a company is amazing" Winn continued stalling.
-"Yes well, if you'll excuse me young man, this lady here is trying to attend to her needs."
-"Oh, right, sorry" Winn stammered as he fumbled with his phone still in his hand.
30 seconds.
But when Winn looked up from his phone, Lillian had turned the handle and was already pushing the bathroom door open.
-"Wait !" Winn all but yelled in despair.
Lillian sighed audibly and turned slowly to Winn, a clear look of impatience on her face.
-"What ?"
-"Sorry, it's just that I kind of promised a selfie to my friend " Winn tried as a last resort. "Do you mind ?" he added, gesturing to his phone, sheepishly.
Lillian Luthor sighed again but nodded at Winn to stand next to her.
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-"This is bad. So bad" Winn kept saying as he was rummaging through Lillian's phone on his computer, witnessing information he shouldn't ever be aware of.
-"Just search for recording files like, mp3, and skip the rest" Kara urged him, squeezing his shoulder anxiously.
-"Ok, ok."
Winn taped on his keyboard for a few moments .
-"There it is" he finally said. "All recording files. Should we listen to all of them ?" he asked, turning to Kara for permission on how to proceed.
-"If we must" Kara replied sighing. There was a lot of them on the screen.
-"Wait" Kara spoke again before Winn could click on the first file. "According to Lillian, she recorded that conversation between her and Lena a long time ago but if I think she tempered it somehow, it should be a recent file. No ?"
-"Ok, I will organize the files from the most recent one to the oldest and then we start listening to them one by one.
-"Ok" Kara simply answered, bracing herself.
Winn double clicked on the first recording file. A male voice was telling to his unknown interlocutor, probably Lillian, that she or he owed him money. Kara told Winn to skip it and move to the next file. At the first three words spoken, Kara hit the pause button a little too hard.
-"It's this one."
-"Ok, let's see what it can tell us" Winn said and started to explore the file's properties in detail.
-"Interesting" Winn spoke again after a while.
-"What ?" Kara asked anxiously. She was finally going to know whom, of Lillian or Lena was right.
-"It's edited."
-"Like it's been modified ? Kara inquired, frowning.
-"More like it was pieced together" Winn answered. "See, some fragments come from other recordings that are almost one year old and other had been recorded like, a week ago but they all have been mixed up in this file" Winn explained.
-"Oh my God it's fake" Kara stated the obvious, eyes open wide in shock.
-"Hum, why are you surprised ? Winn asked his friend, very confused by her reaction. "Wasn't that what you were expecting when you asked me to investigate ? That it might be fake ?" he added.
-"Yes but, it also mean I screwed up" Kara admitted, dropping herself on a nearby chair. "Big time."
Author's note : Yes, you screwed up big time Kara ! Thanks for reading (and for still following after that incredibly long hiatus). Just one chapter left and this AU will come to an end. See you for the "bouquet final" dear readers !