Something Just Like This
Fic 2B
Happy Girl by Martina McBride
Bad Blood and Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
I own nothing.
So I am continuing this. Thank you for the comments and kudos. I've never had to translate a review before and so far I've done it TWICE for this story. I've also never had a story get this kind of response, and seeing how many people are reading this series and enjoying it makes me smile in a way I rarely do.
Thank you, everyone.
Lena was laughing harder than she thought she ever would, watching Kara animatedly telling (and showing) a group of small children how to masterfully play Whack-a-Mole. A daunting feat given just how much restraint her alien had to show, but Lena would deny the woman nothing that brought such a smile to Kara's face.
The CEO was content at the moment to simply sit and watch, the enormous stuffed puppy they had exchanged their mountain of tickets for earlier beside her. The rest of their tickets they had been slipping to the growing number of children and teenagers who had begun to show up after school hours were over. Lena had a bag of smaller prizes Kara had insisted they get as well since this was Lena's first time ever doing anything like this.
What she was going to do with character erasers, plastic animal figurines, and the hodgepodge of other silly cheap little odds and ends Lena had no idea. The candy had already been devoured by Kara, although Lena had indulged in a tootsie roll or two.
Her phone softly playing the Kim Possible theme made her sigh even as she answered it. "Go ahead Jess." She noticed Kara tilt her head, listening in.
"Ms. Luthor, everything here remains under control. Ms. Reyes has deployed the anti-Trojans, successfully locking out Mr. Schott and anyone else attempting to infiltrate electronically." Jess sounded pleased. Lena didn't doubt that she was. This might be some of the most fun her assistant had had in the last several months.
"Excellent, and physical incursions?"
"All rebuffed by both Ms. Cabot and a Major Lane, who I seriously think you should consider hiring as part of L-Corp's legal team." Jess was clearly impressed and that was difficult to do. "Lexa and her team have had Agent Danvers, Guardian, and Detective Sawyer stalled in the courtyard for most of the day. I did turn over Ms. Danvers' phone to her sister. I fear that it may be a total loss."
"Don't worry about it," Lena assured her assistant. "Prepare the prototype, Kara can test it better than any conditions we can produce in the lab."
"I'll have Ms. Reyes install the programming," Jess replied. "Should we expect you back tonight or shall I arrange accommodations?"
Lena looked over to where Kara was now showing a new group of children (this one older than the last) how to better throw the balls on the games.
"Is there anything that absolutely requires my presence for the next several days?"
"No Ms. Luthor," Jess said after a few moments. Lena decided to believe it was because Jess actually had to look instead of the woman sitting in shock at her desk. "In fact, aside from the meeting with the overseas investors next Friday there is nothing that Ms. Arias and myself cannot handle."
"Very well Jess, if you would arrange for the New York apartment to be readied that would be wonderful. As for your recommendation, prepare the usual offer with the stipulation of not only meeting but exceeding her current paygrade." Hiring Lucy Lane would not just benefit her company, but it would mean Kara would have one of her friends that she desperately missed back. "What about CatCo?"
"Already taken care of," Jess assured her. "Ms. Hollis and her partner have already arrived and set up there. I shall have the images of that encounter loaded onto the laptop that will be awaiting you in New York."
Lena had to wonder just what Jess was speaking of. She had hired the woman in question because the reporter had a long rap sheet of dealing with strange and outright weird occurrences. Lena figured she would fit right in with Kara and the things that happened on a weekly basis in National City. Ms. Hollis and her partner Ms. Karnstein were meant to be Lena's stand-ins at CatCo, taking over from James.
"Very well," Lena said after a moment. "Thank you Jess. Is there anything else?"
"No, but Major Lane would like to speak to you. Ms. Reyes has already loaded her contact information onto your phone. I have absolutely no idea what ringtone that woman has set." Jess hung up before Lena could respond.
Chuckling, she put away her phone. The ringtones were a point of contention between Trikru Security's IT genius and Jess's sensibilities. Lena rather liked them, although several she had had to Google.
"Everything alright?" Kara asked, moving to settle beside Lena.
"Everything is fine Darling," Lena said, lacing their fingers together. "Are you finally free of your adoring fans?"
Kara blushed, looking away. She wasn't wearing her glasses, a rarity when not in private or in costume. However, so far not a single person had had any reaction to her. With her hair up and in jeans, Kara supposed it was just as effective.
"They're so cute Lena! And they just wanted to know how to play."
"Kara, I think it's adorable." Lena smiled at her. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I think so." Kara looked around the place again. "Is there anything else you might want to try?"
Lena chuckled. "I think we've done everything two people can do here, and I have no desire to try my luck at bumper cars or go-carts."
Kara nodded. "Ok, so we're headed to New York next?" Her blush deepened once she realized what she had said.
Lena laughed. "Yes, if that's alright with you? Think of it as a small vacation. Work is taken care of for both of us, and if you are needed in your extracurricular activities then go."
Kara frowned, thinking about it. She did a lot as Supergirl, but the DEO had handled things before she had revealed herself. NCPD, FD, and other emergency services had all handled things as well. Lena was right. If her help was truly needed, then she could get there in enough time to do something. Besides, she was only going to be on the opposite coast. It wasn't as if she was going to another Earth!
She relaxed, her face resuming its normal smiling expression. "Yes. I've never actually been to New York City before."
"You, who owns every Disney movie to date, can sing along verbatim to every musical, has really never been to NYC?" Lena raised an eyebrow in skepticism, but Kara is shaking her head. Instantly, Lena knows most of what they'll be doing while in the city.
"Well then, I suppose we both have an adventure waiting for us."
Kara crashed into the bed, her new stuffed animal taking up most of the remaining space. The apartment was small, only a single bedroom, but it was a large 'small'. It was comfortably furnished, looking more like Kara's place in National City than the clean white lines of either of Lena's spaces. Lena had laughed at her expression, explaining that this was her space and her space alone. Outside of bodyguards and Jess, Kara was the only other person Lena had ever brought to this place.
"The dog stays on the couch," Lena told her, amused at the antics of her alien. "You can cuddle with me." It was a bold statement, but the kiss before lunch had not been their only such exchange.
Kara sat up, looking between the two as if contemplating it. Lena closed her eyes so she wouldn't suffer whiplash from simply watching Kara speed the stuffed creature to the couch and return to the bed.
"I'd much rather cuddle with you," she admitted shyly.
"Let's see what's been stocked for us before we get to that," Lena said, turning towards the closet. "I don't know about you, but I despise sleeping in jeans."
Kara wrinkled her nose at the thought. She honestly didn't know how Alex did it. Still…
"Lena, why are there clothes in my size in your closet?"
"Lexa probably had one of her people go to your apartment to find out, or Jess already knew," Lena replied, the thought occurring to her that she had no idea if Kara kept spare supersuites in her home or not.
Kara's eyes bulged. "Oh Rao…that's not-"
The theme song for Pink Panther began blaring from Lena's phone. As it wasn't a ringtone she knew, Lena almost let it ring out. Kara, however, saw the name attached to the tone and picked it up. She answered it on speaker.
"Hi Lucy!"
"Hey Kara, before you freak out I gave Ms. Huang the information about sizes. And really, we've had that discussion. You need a better hiding place." Kara could well imagine Lucy's look at the moment.
"Major Lane I presume?" Lena asked, moving to stand beside Kara.
"That would be me, Ms. Luthor," Lucy responded. "Kara, what on earth is going on? The most sense I've gotten out of anyone has been Vasquez, and all they knew was that there was supposed to be a pot-luck game night yesterday. I won't even repeat what James said."
"Well…" Kara began explaining about the eight months of missed game nights, forgotten plans, and outright abandonment she had been silently suffering through. "I don't even know what I did. I mean, I know James and Winn didn't like it when I said I thought them going out and playing hero was a stupid thing to do. I know Alex feels betrayed about Jerimiah. But I had thought we had gotten past those things! But more and more it's like they're only interested in spending time with Supergirl, and then only when they have too."
"That's shitty of them," Lucy commented. "And your thoughts Ms. Luthor?"
"I'm tempted to give them the Luthor villain they all want to believe me to be," Lena answered after a moment. She shook her head at Kara's stunned look. "I'm sorry Darling, but if it were only me they were hurting I really would not care. I'm accustomed to it at this point. They are, however, hurting you and that is something I will not abide by. I know, intimately, how it feels to have your family betray you. You're always there for everyone, in one persona or the other, and I feel as if they've been taking that for granted."
"Oh, I like her Kara," Lucy commented. "I also agree with her. No, it's not your turn to speak yet." Kara shut her mouth, wondering how Lucy knew she was about to say something. "For right now, you are both going to be considered off-grid. Vas is already running interference, so you get one phone call that they can't trace. By the time you both get back next Friday, I will be in National City. We'll deal with the personal mess then."
"You basically want Kara to try and call off the hounds," Lena stated.
"Ms. Luthor, if they want to continue to be stubborn idiots that is on them." Lucy drawled. "As far as I'm concerned, Kara trusts you and you've been vouched for by people I trust. Plus, have you seen your PA get defensive on your behalf? I thought the detectives were going to have to change their pants, and I was on video chat."
Kara nodded. She knew she liked Jess for a reason. "Good, Lena needs as many people in her corner as possible who know just how amazing she is."
Lucy laughed. "Right. Now call your sister. I'll see you both in a week." She hung up, still chuckling quietly to herself.
In New York, both women stared at the phone for a moment. Lena gently took it from Kara's hands, sliding the L-Corp prototype phone in to replace it.
"Your phone was a total loss, as I know you heard earlier," she explained, "I and a few others have been working on this. Mostly it's meant to be used in combat and disaster relief situations, but it was pointed out to me that certain people would find a nearly indestructible phone useful in their day-to-day lives. I was going to ask if you would mind testing it for me in a few months, seeing as I trust you more than anyone not to abuse the tech."
"Thank you," Kara whispered. "I'm sorry, so sorry, for lying to you for so long. I know how much trust matters to you and I still did it. I'm-"
Lena cut her off with a kiss. "Kara, you are a terrible liar. You told me you flew on a bus. I've known practically the whole time. I still trust you, I really want to date you if today wasn't obvious enough for you, and it's your secret to tell. Considering what I know now, I can't be angry at you for wanting someone who only sees you as Kara."
The CEO grunted as she was wrapped into an almost too-tight hug. Kara was shaking, tears pouring down her face. Slowly, Lena managed to wrap her arms around the blonde. It had taken her a while to reach certain conclusions, but the more time spent with Kara the more she had decided that it didn't matter.
Kara loved with her whole heart. Lena could hardly do less.
"Come on, I know the best place to order pizza from even this late at night," Lena said once Kara's sobs had lessened. "I can't vouch for any potstickers, but I am certain I can find someplace still open that has them."
"You're the best," Kara whispered. "And I really want to date you too."
"Good, then I can introduce you as my girlfriend from now on." Lena snickered. "Who knows, it may just give my mother an aneurism."
"Considering your mother knows, it just might," Kara muttered. "You know, she told me you would hate me if you ever found out."
"Joke's on her then." Lena tightened her hug once more before letting Kara go. "Call your sister while I order the food."
Kara nodded, turning to do just that. It rang twice before Alex answered.
"Kara! Where are you? Do you have any idea what's been going on?"
"Hi Alex, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Kara said once she was certain Alex had finished yelling. "I'm on vacation. I'll be back Friday."
"VACATION!? What about work and Supergirl duties? You can't just-"
"Yes, I can." Kara cut her off. "No one was concerned last night when you all ditched me again with no explanation or apology."
"So you're going to throw a tantrum like a child over one missed game night?"
"One?" Kara didn't think she could feel that angry that quickly without Red-K involved. Not with Alex. "Try eight months of missed everything! Do you even remember when we had our last sister's night? Or the last time you and Maggie made it to game night or girl's night or anything? Do you even know the last time you spoke to me about anything other than work?" Kara took a breath. "Last Hanukah, Alex." She fought her tears, not wanting Alex to hear her crying. "I'm ecstatic that you have Maggie and happy that she makes you happy. I know you're still mad about Jerimiah."
"Kara, I'm not-"
"I don't even know what I did, really, to upset everyone else, well, I told Mon-El I didn't want to date him but that's something else. I know you don't care, but I don't want to be dragged around anymore by everyone. So I'll be back Friday. Leave Lena and her people alone. She's not done anything wrong. She hasn't kidnapped me or hurt me in any way. Lucy will let me know if Supergirl is needed before Friday. That's the only part of me anyone wants around anyway." She hung up before Alex could respond.
Alex looked at her phone in disbelief. Kara had hung up on her. Kara never just hung up on her. Not when her sister sounded seconds away from crying.
No, that was usually when Alex dropped everything to go after what had made her sister upset to either fix it or offer whatever comfort she could.
She couldn't do that this time and not just because she had no idea where Kara was.
Kara was crying because of her. Or…well…because of all of them.
Had it really been (Alex quickly did the math) eight months since they had done anything together outside of work? Her mind struggled to come up with something that did not involve Supergirl and the DEO.
There was that weekend where they had gone to the zoo…no that was her and Maggie.
The night they all went out…no, that was her and the boys. Maggie had joined them later once her shift had ended.
Lena's gala! Alex had…meant to go, but work had come up. Work that had not taken them anywhere near L-Corp or the party.
Winn had talked about game nights recently, hadn't he? Alex thought on it, trying to recall if he had said anything about Kara. He hadn't, talking mostly about things he and James had taken to introducing Mon-El to.
James had discussed Kara with her recently, hadn't he? Alex felt her frown deepen. He had, but she had tuned most of it out because it had been more of the same 'Kara's spending too much time with a Luthor' and 'I'm a hero now, why can't Kara/people in general support that'. Frankly, Alex could take the man down with or without his armor so she sided more with Kara in that argument.
She slumped against the wall with the realization that she had basically forgotten about her sister. Alex recalled Maggie mentioning it once or twice, but at the time Alex hadn't realized it had been so long. She had waved it off, bolstered by Kara's statements on how happy she was that Alex was happy.
That still held true. Despite what else she had said, Kara had reinforced that she was happy for Alex. Those words did not erase the guilt building inside her.
Why did Kara think she was still upset over Jerimiah? She was still angry about it, but not at Kara. Her sister had done what she felt was right at the time, and Kara had been right. Alex still couldn't take back those words, and clearly, she hadn't done enough to reassure Kara that they weren't true.
Kara was her little sister, just as much a Danvers as Alex was.
Alex needed to fix this. She picked her phone up from where she had dropped it and dialed her girlfriend.
"Hey Danvers, did you find Little Danvers?"
"Maggie, I fucked up. I really, really fucked up."
The week in NYC was without a doubt some of her favorite time spent on Earth and in Lena's company. Kara had known that Lena was ridiculously rich and had connections with connections (and even more layers than that), but aside from a few things (like filling her office with flowers and buying CatCo), it wasn't something Kara bothered to think about. She still didn't think much of it; confident that watching her be ridiculous gave Lena more pleasure than any amount of money (she was right).
Museum Row was mostly how they spent their days, with trips to explore Central Park and various parts of the city. Lena took her on two different river cruises, one to see the Statue of Liberty and another that was full of couples enjoying a night on the river with dinner and dancing. Lena took her to FOA Schwarz where they got to watch a pair of employees play the giant piano and build bears at their Build-A-Bear area.
Lena had not passed up the opportunity to make a golden retriever dressed as Supergirl (considering they actually had an accurate rendition or Kara's suit, how could she not?). Kara did her best to recreate one of Lena's CEO outfits on her black bear, tossing a lab coat and goggles over it to complete the look. Superdog and Plumeria joined Fluffy on the couch along with the growing pile of little knick-knack souvenirs they had been collecting.
At night, Lena took Kara to Broadway (and off-Broadway) shows. Rent, Wicked, The Lion King, Hamilton, and Beauty and the Beast were just the opening acts. Lena tried to find shows she thought Kara would like, including The Blue Man Group and matinees of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Drunk Shakespeare, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Kara loved every minute of it. If Lena kept track of the ones Kara wrote down to try to come back to see (or see if any traveling versions of the show would be coming to National City), she made no comment on it. Lena merely laughed and allowed Kara to drag her from one interesting thing to another.
Cooney Island was its own adventure. Lena had never been but thought Kara would like the carnival-like atmosphere. Between the rides, the food, and the other attractions it was as close to an amusement park or fair that Lena had ever been to.
"Lena," Kara groaned when she heard this. "That's it! In October, I'm taking you to Midvale's Harvest Festival. And then in December, we're going to go to the Christmas Village that gets set up every year in National City Park. I'm not letting my girlfriend hibernate in her office when there's so much going on outside of it."
"I'm not going to get any say in this at all, am I?" Lena asked, leaning back in her chair with an amused eyebrow raised.
"No, you have to at least try it." Kara was determined. "If you don't like it or have a very good reason for not wanting to go, then I'll drop it."
"And what of the assassin of the week?" Lena was mostly teasing.
"That isn't an excuse." Kara stared at her dead on. "You set a trap at your own gala for one and hold press conferences despite knowing the danger. Between me and your bodyguards, who should really go and get their own lunch now," she nodded to two men dressed as casual New Yorkers except for the Trikru logo printed on their shirts, "we can keep you and everyone else safe."
Kara did have a point. Lena texted the lunch order to the two men, nearly rolling her eyes as they were replaced by two women in nearly the exact same outfits. Honestly, just how many people did Lexa have on her staff? As far as Lena knew, no one from National City had been flown out here.
"Are you certain you didn't hire the LoA?" Kara asked quietly, eyeing the others in the crowd who appeared to be on Lena-watch. Not even Alex could move like that, but Kara had witnessed Sara doing so as easily as breathing.
"No, I'm not," Lena admitted quietly. "And honestly, I don't think I want an answer to that question either way. I'm not entirely certain which would unnerve me more."
"Yeah…" Kara agreed. "Do you want to go on the Ferris Wheel? I promise not to let you fall."
"Alright," Lena agreed after a moment's hesitation. Flying with Kara was different than entrusting herself to a metal contraption that had been standing for decades. "Maybe we can find one next Fourth to watch the fireworks from." That was supposed to be romantic, and not in the least bit 'extra' to pay the operator to stop them at the very top.
Kara paused. "Sure," she said hesitantly.
"Kara?" Lena looked at her.
Kara took a deep breath. "I don't like fireworks for the same reason I don't like thunderstorms."
"The noise?" Lena glanced around them. It was the middle of the day so things were fairly quiet at the moment.
"There isn't any sound in space, not really," Kara said quietly, "but I was still close enough to see and hear…"
"Oh, Kara…" Lena slipped her hand from Kara's to wrap her arm around the taller woman instead. "But I thought you and Alex watch them on TV?"
"We do because Alex loves fireworks. It's different when I'm not alone and the actual explosions are happening far away. Even then, sometimes I still go somewhere that someone isn't shooting off massive balls of gunpowder just for the quiet. My neighborhood is always pretty quiet since it's so far into the city residential area, so there're aren't any set off close by."
"But you can still hear the ones from further way." Lena well remembered the parties disguised as fundraisers her family would throw or attend around the holiday. She had had classmates who often described the weeklong (or longer) setting off of fireworks depending on where in the country they hailed from.
"Yea, I still hear those." Kara paused. "Lena, you can't ban fireworks. Nor can you buy the country's entire supply."
Lena thought about it a moment. She could potentially use the components for different things…and broke at Kara's look. She laughed, leaning on Kara to keep herself upright.
"I don't think even I could afford to do that Darling, but I can soundproof my apartment and we can spend the time there watching movies without explosions." She said once her laughter had run its course. "Or I'll scandalize Jess again and take a vacation to a remote location where we won't hear anything but what we want to."
Kara chuckled, wrapping an arm around Lena's shoulders. "Jess would probably refuse to send you with any tech to make certain you were on an actual vacation."
Lena scoffed. "As if that would stop me."
Kara nodded. Her girlfriend was a genius and would most likely be able to make a usable computer out of their phones and whatever was in their bags. If she were ever trapped on a deserted island without her powers, Lena was certainly the person she would want with her.
"Come on, you know I have never actually been on a Ferris wheel before?"
Lena looked at her. "Really?"
"Really," Kara nodded.
"I guess it will be a first for both of us then." Lena figured the bright smile that brought to Kara's face was more than worth any fear she had concerning the fairground attraction.