Chapter 8

Lena eyed her friend thoughtfully over the rim of her mug of tea. "You're looking somewhat better today, Andrea. How are you?"

Andrea paused on her way to take another bite of her savory scone to respond with a soft smile. "I am doing better… thanks to you."

"Hm. Glad I could help, though I'm not sure I've done anything for you." Lena considered her newly revived friendship with her ex, how powerful it had been to have a friend in her corner, a friend who understood her. This never would have happened pre-Kara. That clumsy ray of sunshine had turned her into someone who had gal pals. Ick. It was nice.

"Please. Feigned modesty never worked with me. Own your wins. It's what you do best." She broadly smiled in self-satisfaction. "In fact, I would go so far as to say that you're my inspiration."

Lena scoffed in confusion. "In what regard? I've inspired you to be cold and callous?" Evil Luthor over here! She keeps forgetting.

"Hardly. You're so soft it's sickening. You're a marshmallow." Andrea chuckled.

Lena's gape was incredulous. "A m-marsh-" I am a fan, but not even Kara is privy to that guilty pleasure.

"Oh, don't worry, honey. You still have the rest of them fooled," Andrea reassured with a hint of condescension and a wink.

The other CEO was unamused.

"No, you see, you've inspired me to get my life back. I used to go out, have fun, do things. I think I used to be a good person. Now, I have meetings, paperwork, more meetings, and loneliness. Not that I don't deserve the misery, but I'm never going to find redemption in a stuffy office. That has to change. Ihave to change."

Lena set her mug down and leant forward with curiosity. "What are you getting at, Andrea? Come out with it. Don't tell me you're leaving Obsidian and moving to Panama. I hear Bastimentos is gorgeous, but really."

"Phsst. Not a chance! I can still use Obsidian North to do good, just like you've done with L-Corp. I've already begun reorganizing our product and R&D portfolios with a global focus of humanitarian self-sufficiency."

Lena was genuinely proud of her friend. "That's wonderful, Andrea. Please let me know if I can help in any way."

"Thank you. Now, to that end-" At that moment, Andrea's sweeping hand hit the glass of water to her right, and Lena reached out for it reflexively.

Everything in the café suddenly stopped with oppressive silence. The half-spilt glass of water was frozen in space with droplets suspended feet above the ground. Lena abruptly halted her grabbing fist in shock, studying the water in fascination. She allowed her eyes to drift to her friend's face which was comically frozen at the beginning of a word. Glancing back to the glass, she hesitantly plucked it from the air and set it aright back on the table. The world rushed back into motion with a deafening clamor.

"I'm such a klutz. Nice catch." Andrea continued as if nothing unusual had occurred. "I cannot devote enough attention to this new mission if my time is split between running two multimillion dollar corporations."

Lena struggled to remain composed and nodded in understanding. "Ah, that's what this is about."

"Yes, I need to sell CatCo. Know anyone who might have the interest and capital?"

XxXxX

The woman struggled against immovable bonds, surrounded by blinding, white lights, and silently pleading for help, as muffled screams echoed through the background. J'onn's hand flew to his earpiece. "Supergirl, Dreamer is in trouble."

Alex, Brainy, and Maggie met her at the music building a few blocks from the NCU Sleep Lab. Supergirl did a double-take and resisted the urge to throw her arms around Maggie's shoulders. "Hey Maggie. Thanks for the backup."

The detective raised her chin in greeting. "No problem."

"Okay, Alex and Maggie, go in the back. You're on rescuing the study participants. Brainy, you and I go in the front. You find Nia, and I'm on Dr. Somnus. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Let's go."

She forced herself to go in at Brainy's pace. Without recon, they were in the dark over what type of defense to expect. There was one security guard in the lobby who didn't put up a fight or even protest when they cuffed his wrists to a door. In fact, he seemed strangely excited to see Supergirl, as if he was inwardly fangirling. Weird.

"That was too easy." She worried her knuckles in her palm.

"I have to agree. The lack of resistance is unsettling. Do you think we were expected?" Brainy asked.

The blonde shrugged, as they carefully stepped down the corridor. They both caught the sound of muffled moans coming from the end of the hallway and ran toward it. As was her wont, Supergirl burst through the door without hesitation with Agent Dox on her tail. A massive blue limb swept toward them which the Super artfully dodged, but it hit her companion in the chest with a loud 'thunk.' His limp body slammed against the adjacent wall and sagged to the tiled floor.

She shouted, "Brainy!" and ran to him. Breathing, two broken ribs…

"S-Supergirl," a voice hissed behind her.

She spun to encounter a towering, blue-skinned monstrosity with four arms, black hands and legs, and a tail that seemed to expand and contract to any length of its owner's will. Its head had oily, black eyes, a long, slender beak/mouth resembling an anteater's, and no discernable ears under its static, raven hair.

She struck her power pose. "It's over, Dr. Somnus. Release your captives, and surrender now."

A wet chuckle spit through the small mouth. "You are no match for me, Kryptonian."

The fleshy, blue tail expanded and swiped toward her again. She ducked and sped to the other side of the room, running into a bed, hearing the frame crack at the impact. She distractedly noted how comfortable it looked with a plush comforter and warm bedside lamp. She flew over the assaulting tail and charged at the insectoid alien, delivering a solid fist to its jaw and speeding around to its other side. She sank another powerful blow into its flank. Neither hit resulted in a budge or even a flinch from her foe.

Supergirl evaded the unnaturally quick tail and flew up to face the doctor with a furious glare. She targeted a stream of heat vision at the torso which elicited a high-pitched shriek. She winced at the pain in her sensitive ears and gasped in surprise at the fire that suddenly seared through all four of her limbs. She struggled to free herself from the black claws clamped into her, holding her aloft with ease. Her eyes radiated with fury which she aimed at the nearest arm.

A pinch at the hero's nape was followed by silence and darkness.

A glowing, blue bubble expanded into the side of the room. Doors flew open at the entrance of detective Sawyer and the older Danvers firing with determination at the large alien. Dreamer was positioned between the older women with her left hand holding up the oneiric energy shield and a confident snarl edging her lips.

Shyla Somnus gripped the slack, folded Super against her with her long snout sucking at the back of her neck. Her tail rushed at the intruders but was deflected by the energy shield. She dropped the Kryptonian in frustration. Large, translucent wings expanded behind the alien's back and brought her to hover over the women. Black talons slashed forward, bullets repeatedly bounced off her, and her tail pounded away at the bubble to no avail.

Dreamer released her energy chain from her right hand and whipped it toward the alien. Catching one of the four wings, she yanked down ruthlessly, shredding the wing halfway and sending the villain hammering to the floor. The young hero gave her a mocking, "aww," and slashed out again.

Fuming, Somnus hissed, "you've torn my wing, little Naltorian. I will show no mercy! This planet will bleed!"

Dreamer smiled confidently, as her chain wrapped around the fiend's neck. "There's a nap for that," she cheerfully informed the doctor. The brunette hero's eyes blazed with white-hot, blue energy, and she floated up a meter with the gathering of power. As the chain squeezed tighter, Dreamer released the shield and shot a tumultuous blast across the room in a breath.

As blue sparks dissipated, Alex and Maggie ceased fire. There was nothing left of the room. The equipment and bed were simply gone along with most of the wall the bed had been against. The alien lay shriveled and unmoving on the floor, as Supergirl groggily sat up.

Maggie eyed Dreamer in awe. "Damn, girl."

Alex flipped her weapon back to her wrist and agreed. "Yeah, Nia. Damn. That was impressive."

Dreamer blushed and shrugged in humility, as she knelt to check on Brainy. "Thanks, guys. He's okay; I think it's just a concussion."

Supergirl chimed in. "What happened? It looks like we won?"

"Well, Dreamer won. The rest of us were pretty useless," Alex responded.

The blonde hugged her protégé with a proud smile. "Nice going, Nia! I can finally retire."

"No way! You can't!" Dreamer frantically begged, and the Super just laughed. "Oh, you're kidding. That wasn't funny," she grumped.

Supergirl draped an arm over her friend's shoulder and seriously disagreed. "No, the look on your face was very funny."

The brunette huffed and ignored her. "I feel the need to point out that there is, in fact, an alien that looks like a giant blue mosquito. I was right." She motioned to the carcass of Dr. Somnus.

"Heh, so dreams do come true." Supergirl smirked.

Dreamer shoved her friend in annoyance. "No! No, no. I'm the only one who gets to do dream puns! It's my thing!"

The blonde held up her hands in surrender. "You're right, Dreamer. I apologize."

Dreamer grinned. "That's right! All of you remember what I'm capable of! Dream puns are off limits."

Alex turned with Brainy hefted over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Nia. There's no way we could forget this."

"Seriously," Maggie added. "That was badass. I wouldn't want to be on your bad side, but ya know with the puns… You snooze; you lose."

Supergirl cracked up, and Alex snickered with mild concern for her ex.

Dreamer fumed in silent outrage.

XxXxX

When Kara arrived home, she wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep for a week. She sped out her Super suit, took a ten second shower to rid herself of her caked blood, donned her softest pajama shorts and tank top, and planted herself face-first atop her bed. She released an exhausted sigh and squirmed around in an effort to find the most comfy position. It occurred to her that she should probably get up to turn out her lights but couldn't find the motivation to move.

As she reviewed the day's battle in her mind, her ears picked up a familiar heartbeat. A knock followed a moment later. Firmly rooted, she called from her bed, "come in!"

Lena stepped into the apartment with full arms of two takeout bags, a pastry box, and a larger, shiny black box. "Kara?"

Kara mumbled a greeting into her pillow and lifted up onto her elbows. "I smell Chinese and sugary goodness."

"Yes, cupcakes. You're a bloodhound." Lena smirked as she stacked everything onto the counter. "Are you hungry?"

"Hmph. You know the answer to that, but I'm not moving."

"Alright, I'll put them in the fridge. I brought the Q-wave modified Obsidian lenses for the Superfriends. I cannot stress enough how important it is that the directives delivered to the subject, presumably Lex, are the same from every person. Conflicting messages will only cause confusion and could possibly backfire."

The blonde murmured an affirmation.

"Oh, and I can evidently stop time now. I only have focus on an object."

"Super cool," Kara sleepily replied. When she noticed that she no longer heard Lena's rummaging, she opened an eye. Lena was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her eyes glassy and focused intently on… What? Oh Rao, she's staring at my legs. Kara reddened and cleared her throat.

Lena straightened. "Right. Well, I'll let you get some rest. You look exhausted." She stepped toward the door.

"Lena?"

Her friend turned and gave her a gentle smile. "Yes?"

"Cuddles?"

She didn't hesitate. "Of course." The executive kicked off her boots, flicked the light switch, and climbed up to rest her head on the other pillow. Used to the routine, she lifted an arm in invitation. Andrea's right; I'm a marshmallow.

The hero scooted closer, facing her best friend, and sighed contentedly. "Thank you."

"Any time." Lena carefully tucked a lock of hair behind her friend's ear. "Kara?"

"Hm?"

"I know we agreed to be as open and honest with each other as possible, and I promise I'm going to do my best to honor that."

"Me too," Kara agreed with her eyes still closed. "I promise, too."

Lena scooped Kara's hand and tucked their fists against her chest. "There's something I know I need to tell you, but I… I just don't know how. I don't think I'd survive if I lost you again."

Kara opened her eyes at that with a scowl. "You never lost me, Lena. You never will." She squeezed the hand holding hers.

The younger woman let out an undignified hiccup-squeak. "Thank you for not giving up on me, for believing in me."

Kara snuggled closer. "I've always believed in you, Lena Luthor, and I always will. I love you," she said with conviction.

As a tear tracked down the side of her cheek, Lena fell into the trusting, blue eyes in front of her and garnered her courage. "I love you, too, Kara. Or… That's not entirely accurate."

"What do you mean?" Kara wiped away the offending tear.

"I mean… I meant. God this is hard." Lena inhaled a stabilizing breath and rushed it out. "I'm in love with you." She froze and held her breath in horror, anticipating rejection, scorn, dismissal, loss.

"Oh! Thank Rao, Lena. You had me really worried there! Geez." Kara chuckled in relief. At the look of fear and confusion written all over Lena's face, she amended, "sorry, I mean, I'm in love with you too, obviously. At least, everyone's been telling me it's obvious, but I was too scared to tell you. Even M'gann said 'just ask her out already' as if it's that easy, 'cause it's not. But you're so brave, Lena, so much braver than me, and I'm so glad you-"

Kara's ramble was cut short by soft lips against hers.

Lena slowly eased back and grinned at the open-mouthed, wide-eyed look of wonder on Kara's face. "Kara Zor-El."

Kara gulped.

"Will you go on a date with me?" Lena knew the answer but figured it needed to be asked.

Kara licked her lips in anticipation and forgot words. She laced a hand behind Lena's neck and pulled her in for a deeper kiss. Breaking for breath, she remembered to respond, "okay," and pulled her back in. She wasn't feeling particularly tired anymore.

Lena giggled when she heard an angrily growling Kryptonian stomach.

XxXxX

Lena stormed into the office and threw a white disc onto her mother's desk. "You bitch," she seethed. "What have you done to me?"

Lillian laced her fingers together and raised her chin. "Lena. I expected you sooner. Have a seat."

"I'm not your fucking puppet! Just let me alone!"

A large thug grabbed Lena's arms and cuffed her hands behind her back. He placed her in front of the chair and forced her down into it.

Her stepmother smiled condescendingly. "That's better. Lena, dear, you are a Luthor, and as such, you will assist in your brother's ascension. I'm certain you will continue to be the ingrate, but it is a great honor."

Lena spit. "You're nothing more than a malignant barnacle hanging onto your psychotic son with delusions of glory. We know what Lex is doing, and we will stop him."

"Who is this 'we'?"

Lena clenched her jaw and glared with loathing, and the thug knocked her unconscious.

xxxxx

She awoke on a cold, concrete floor next to a bed in a dim room and heard instrumental music playing quietly. Lena coughed and blew away the dust ball that was edging toward her mouth. She pushed herself up and rubbed at the aching lump on the side of her head. When she caught sight of a cute black mouse scurrying next to the wall, she greeted it. "Hi there, little one."

"Its name is Starbuck."

Lena jumped and spun on her rear, holding her chest. "Eve! You startled me."

The petite woman on the bed gave an oddly cheerful wave with a smile. "Hey, Lena."

The dark-haired woman inconspicuously pressed the alert on her belt, as she got to her feet. "We'll be rescued soon… Oh." Noticing Eve's protruding belly, she added, "that complicates things. Congratulations."

Eve grinned proudly. "Thanks! You're going to be an aunt! Starbuck doesn't like cheese. Nope, but Starbuck does like peanuts and blueberries. Don't you, sweetie? Do you like blueberries, Lena?"

Sinking her forehead into her palm, Lena groaned.