Lena yelped as the back end of the mustang hit the barrier as the car slid sideways, followed seconds later by the side connecting with a crunch as the sharp curve of the road came upon her careening vehicle. The sound of metal against metal was like fingernails on a chalkboard as the vehicle seemed to ride the barrier around the bend as the car continued it's forward momentum towards the final curve of the winding section of road and Lena's eyes widened as her fate came into focus. She tried to turn the wheels in a vain hope of caressing her beloved mustang around the final bend but the impact of the front left side must have pushed the wheel frame against the front tyre and it refused to budge. Time seemed to slow as the barrier came ever closer and she knew that it wouldn't hold. Lena closed her eyes and gripped the steering wheel in a white knuckle embrace as she braced for impact.
This is it, she thought. Bubba was going to succeed in engineering her demise and wished perhaps that she had been shot instead. At least she would have been in Kara's arms and not in a metal coffin.
The Mustang slammed into the barrier and it tore like crepe paper with a scream of protest. The airbag finally deployed and it burned and slammed into her face. The sound of scraping metal as the car edged though the opening and was followed by a sudden jolt as the momentum stopped causing Lena to open her eyes.
"Oh, Jesus!" she moaned as the car teetered on the edge of the shoulder, the barrier clinging to the back end of the mustang as she looked down into the canyon below. The engine was still on and Lena reached down slowly to turn the key in the ignition. The car hopped forward and tilted precariously as the barrier lost its grip a little more and Lena let out a yelp. Her back lost contact with the seat as the locked restraint of the seatbelt held all her weight as she took in the view and her doom. The sheer drop guaranteed there was nothing that would impede the car when it took it's final plummet to the large boulders and shrubs at the bottom.
Lena looked longingly at her cell phone which had popped free of the centre console and was now resting on the passenger side floor. She daren't move a muscle as she closed her eyes and tried to slow her pounding heart and erratic, shallow panicked breathing.
Lena wondered if her despicable family would mourn her and concluded that her few close friends and even the multitude of past lovers were likely to show more emotion in the wake of her death than either her mother or megalomaniac brother would show. They would play it up for the media, of course. Her mother may even shed a few crocodile tears in the process, but in the end Lena felt sad that she hadn't a family and partner of her own. That she had wasted years on frivolous affairs without any true emotional connection. She thought of Kara and her stomach flipped and her heart ached with what could have been. She had finally found love and she was about to die. Life was cruel and unfair.
Lena now wished that more than just a handful of residence's were perched up on the hill. The road saw very little traffic during the daylight hours. If it had been night time there would have been teenage boys taking their dates up to the top to look out at the city lights below and hopefully steal a kiss or more in the process. No one was coming. She wasn't that lucky. Lena tried to ignore the trickle of blood running down her cheek. She had hit the side of her head against the window with the first impact and she felt the closing in of loss of consciousness. She had a splitting headache, the blood from her injury dripped off her chin and dotted on the now deflated airbag. Lena pictured Kara in her mind as her fight to stay conscious waned and became inevitable. "I love you, Kara Danvers," Lena whispered as the car shifted again with a jolt, causing her to cry out from the pain in her head and chest. With her final breath before the darkness overwhelmed her Lena cried out in a final desperate plea for salvation. "SUPERGIRL!"
Meanwhile across town...
Kara knocked on the door and waited impatiently to be greeted. She heard the locks disengage and the door opened with a smiling Maggie to welcome the agitated blonde. "Hey, Kara," she greeted with an even bigger grin as Kara dashed through the door way obviously on a mission as her eyes darted around looking for her sister.
" Hey there Mags," Kara said distractedly over her shoulder as she moved further into the apartment. "Alex! Get your butt out here I need to talk to you."
"She's just stepped out of the shower. She came home covered in some kind of alien goop. Mucus, blood or something else, who knows. But it stank to high heaven and was a luminous blue, so you'll have to give her a minute. Do you want coffee? There is also a plate with some left over dumplings in the fridge."
"Pot stickers?" Kara enquired with a pause in her pacing and a sparkle in her eyes.
Maggie smiled indulgently and nodded. "Yeah, help yourself and I'll go hurry your sister along, okay. After last night I'm sure you two need to talk." Kara was already speeding to the kitchen and ignored Maggie's chuckle as she headed towards the bathroom.
Kara was stuffing her face and making happy foodgasm sounds as Alex entered the living area, rubbing her hair vigorously with a towel. She paused a few steps away from the couch and watched her sister eat with unmitigated enthusiasm, "Don't tell me Lena doesn't feed her conquests. I'm shocked!," the brunette said with sarcasm. She snapped her mouth shut at the blazing blue eyed glare that her comment provoked.
"Alex, behave," Maggie said softly as she passed by her lover with coffee for Kara. "To help wash down your mountain of food." She punctuated her words with a smile and a wink and sat in the overstuffed armchair with her own cup, her feet tucked in comfortably beneath her.
"Where's mine?," Alex muttered with crossed arms and a frown as her sister smiled in thanks taking a noisy slurp of the aromatic liquid as if to rub it in.
Maggie smirked at her girlfriend, "Get your own, Snarky, and perhaps come back with a nicer attitude for your sister. Perhaps even an apology."
Alex opened her mouth to snap back, but she saw no malice in her lovers eyes and her tone was more playful than nasty, but she knew that Maggie meant her words and reluctantly uncrossed her arms and took a deep cleansing breath. She decided to skip the coffee and took a seat on the couch beside her sister. "Sooo what are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here, it's just, you usually take a few days before you forgive me when we fight. Plus I'd usually be at the DEO if I hadn't been slimed."
Kara swallowed noisily and placed the now empty plate on the table in front of her. "I went there first."
"Oh, right." The sisters just stared at each other for several long moments, Kara fidgeting with her mug and Alex sitting straight backed and tense. Maggie knew that Alex wasn't likely to apologise in an effort to break the tension, because she still believed that she was right about Lena Luther and that Kara could do and deserved so much better than the party girl night club owner. Her hackles were still raised and Alex couldn't believe the poor judgement Kara was showing.
Maggie unfolded herself from the chair, "is it safe to leave you two here unsupervised? I've got to head to the station for my shift."
Kara nodded, but didn't hide the uncertainty that crossed her face for a moment.
Alex caught the fleeting expression and her body relaxed a little and her face softened, not enjoying her sisters unease. "We'll be fine, baby. Be safe and I'll see you tonight."
Maggie gave Alex a quick kiss and then gave Kara's shoulder a squeeze before leaving the sisters to their own devices.
Alex took another calming breath and ensured that her voice reflected as little judgement and disappointment when she spoke her next words, despite how she truly felt. "I saw you last night, in the rain, kissing her."
"Y..you did?"
"Yeah. Are you okay? Was she ... Did something bad happen?"
"If by something bad, you mean two gun wielding maniacs hell bent on murdering Lena, then...yes, something bad did happen. And if you mean did Lena herself do something bad, then no, she didn't. It was wonderful. Lena is wonderful. This isn't the first time we'd been together and it certainly won't be the last. As long as I can keep her alive, that is."
Alex gawped at Kara in disbelief. She'd never heard this tone from her sister before last night. Kara was trying to project being unaffected by the words she'd just uttered, but failed miserably. Kara was the most loving and protective person she had ever known and it was obvious that there were intense feelings involved in whatever this thing with the enigmatic and beautiful Lena Luther was.
Alex swallowed the uncomfortable lump in her throat, clearing it before speaking, "Was she hurt? Does she know who you are?"
"She is fine, except for a face injury that I accidentally caused trying to covertly protect her. But you really don't care about that, do you? All you are concerned about is if my secret is safe," Kara replied.
Alex was a bit taken aback by the bitter tone in her last statement. "I may not think much of her, Kara, but that doesn't mean I'd want her hurt!" Alex exclaimed defensively.
Kara looked down at the empty mug sitting between her hands in her lap, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I know that. It's just.. I wish you could see Lena the way I do. She may be a little wild, but she isn't a bad person and she has tried to separate herself from her family. She is the black sheep that refuses to fall into line. You really know nothing about her."
"And you do? You barely know her either, Kara! Just how much time have you spent together. How long has this clandestine relationship been going on?"
"Alex, please stop belittling my feelings. I need you to not be judgemental right now. She cares about me and I her. A lot. I have never felt this intensely about anyone and she has expressed her own feelings for me."
"Kara, I worry that this is only going to end in heartbreak. Yours, not hers. You can't deny her reputation. Hell half of National city has probably experienced her feelings first hand." Kara snapped her head up and gave her sister a scathing glare. Alex raised her hands in apology for her barb, "Sorry. Sorry. I'm trying here Kara, but how can you be sure."
"I can tell when people are lying, remember! And besides I can feel it when she touches and when she looks at me, Alex. God, I melt at the desire and affection I see in her gaze. Is it so hard to believe that she could have feelings for me? I know I'm not exactly the coolest and most beautiful woman she's been with, but..."
Alex cut Kara off, hating the way her sister was putting herself down. "Oh, Kara, no. You are beautiful and amazing and anyone would be lucky to have you. You have such a big heart and you always see the best in everyone. Even when people show their ugly sides, you always try to see their redeeming qualities, even if they don't have any. I love that about you, Kara, your hope and unrelenting faith in people. I just..." Alex threw up her hands and sighed before smiling at her sister, "Just why did it have to be her."
The blonde smiled, her eyes sparkling with the thoughts of Lena. Alex could see that Kara would indeed need to see this new relationship to the end, because she wasn't to be swayed in her feeling for Lena Luther. All Alex could do was to be there for her when it all comes tumbling down and help Kara pick up the pieces.
"I want to be able to come to you, Alex. Will you be able to put your reservations aside and be happy for me?"
"I'll do my best, Kara. You may be the girl of Steel, but you are my sister and my instinct is to protect you."
Kara leaned over and gave Alex a hug, "Thank you, big sister. I love you too!"
"Okay, so was there something in particular you wanted my superior advice on?" Alex asked when they finished hugging it out.
Kara wiggled in her seat. This is it, just lay it out there. You know she'll likely explode so just say it. "I...uh..I've already had to lie to her and rush off to save someone and I essentially made it harder to protect her, because I'm hiding who I am. Alex, I was prepared to tell her last night as the intruders were making their way up the stairs before Lena took charge and became the protector, rushing us into a panic room in her study. But despite her bravery in the face of danger, if it wasn't for who I am, what I am, we both would have died last night. Lena has rivals in this city intent on getting her out of the way permanently. I need to protect her and it would be some much easier if I didn't have to hide who I am."
Kara felt the tears welling in her eyes and Alex's heart ached for the desperation she saw in her sisters face. "Aww, Kara, I wish you didn't have to hide, but we all know how dangerous it can be for the people that you care about with all the menacing forces you encounter on a regular basis. It is as much to protect them as it is to protect you. But I can't let you forget that telling Lena is even more of a risk with her families hatred towards Supers! Kara, please think very carefully about this. Your relationship is still very new, just enjoy it for the time being. You don't have to decide right this minute."
"SUPERGIRL!"
Alex gave a start when Kara jumped up off the couch in a blur of speed, her super suit already replacing her alter egos clothing. "I have to go. Someone's calling for me."
Alex's response died on her lips, because Kara was already gone.
Kara growled in frustration as she hovered above the city. She had flown in the direction that the cry for help had come from, but no further cries for supergirl had followed. Kara closed her eyes and focused on trying to separate the cacophony of sounds from the city below her. She needed to find something that didn't fit amongst the everyday sounds of traffic, sirens, and the sounds of thousands of residents going about their lives. The sounds of tearing metal registered followed by a yelp of pain and another cry for supergirl, though it was obviously softer, the person in distress was fading. Thankfully it was enough for Kara to find a general heading and she burst through the sky as her eyes scanned the landscape below her.
Kara's heart leapt into her throat when she saw a familiar car teetering on the winding section of road that she had travelled down earlier that morning. "Lena, " she whispered as she flew towards the crash site, her jaw locked in determination to control the storm of emotions roiling within her.
Kara tore the driver side door clean off and peered in at Lena, who was barely conscious and mumbling incoherently as blood trailed along her porcelain skin from a head injury. She was holding the mustang preventing it from taking its final plunge as she assessed the situation. Using her X-ray vision Kara scanned Lena to ensure that she didn't have a spinal injury or broken bones before moving her. Satisfied by what she saw Kara tore the seat belt holding Lena in place and took the injured beauty into her arms and cradled her as the barrier finally gave way and the vehicle with one final screech careened into the valley below, exploding upon impact.
Kara hugged the woman in her arms a little tighter as she watched the wreckage burn. She was transfixed as her mind raced with the same thought over and over again. I could have lost her. I could have lost her. A gentle, trembling caress of fingers along her jaw pulled Kara from her trance. She turned her gaze to find dazed, glassy green staring back at her. "How did I not see it. That first night. You are so beautiful."
Kara was sure Lena would feel and hear the sudden galloping of her heart as Lena rested her head against her chest and continued to look into her very soul. Kara swallowed hard, not sure what to do or say. Kara focus! Lena's hurt. She needs to get to a hospital. "Y-you," Kara cursed how flustered she was, her voice high pitched and squeaky. She cleared her throat and tried again. "You need to see a doctor to get your head attended to and to check for other injuries. Thankfully nothing is broken at least, but there could still be internal injuries or something." The sound of approaching sirens and a helicopter filled the stillness of the air.
"No hospitals. Get me out of here , Supergirl."
Kara adamantly shook her head, "You need medical attention."
"I have a doctor that will come to the manor." Lena reached out and touched her with a familiarity that the blonde couldn't ignore. "Please, Kara, before the media arrives. I think for now it be better if they think I'm dead. You have already saved me twice in the last twelve hours. Save me one more time and take me home."
Kara couldn't say a word. She didn't know what to say. Lena knew her secret and she was still looking at her like she had that morning when they had kissed passionately on that skinny cot in the panic room.
"Please," Lena pleaded softly as her eyes fluttered closed as she lost consciousness and became deadweight within the safety and security of her arms. Unable to deny Lena's wishes, Kara flew towards the Luther estate with the woman she loved safely in her arms.
Kara found the house keys in the inside pocket of Lena's jacket and opened the front door and entered the large spacious foyer. Kara frowned when she noticed that the alarm wasn't activated and scanned the immediate vicinity for evidence of intruders. Not sensing anything amiss Kara deduced that Lena hadn't bothered setting the alarm before leaving.
"I'll have to talk to her about that," the blonde muttered to herself as she strode purposefully into the large and surprisingly warm and comfortably furnished library. Kara placed Lena carefully on the sofa and stared at her in concern. "Now what? She needs a doctor and says she has one. But an unconscious woman can't make a call. Shit! Why couldn't you have just let me take you to a hospital, Lena!." Kara found herself pacing as she talked with her hands. "I should have taken you regardless of what you wanted. But no, I couldn't possibly do that because I can't seem to say no, when you say please and look at me with complete and utter trust. Arrgh what if there is something seriously wrong and every minute I stand here arguing with myself is one minute closer to your untimely demise!"
"That's a little melodramatic don't you think, Supergirl?"
Kara gave a yelp and spun around to find slightly unfocused green eyes watching her and a small smile gracing those crimson lipstick lips. "Lena! Thank Rao you're awake. Tell me who to call!"
"In the study. There is a rolodex. There is a number for Doctor Sims. Just tell her I need her expertise and she will come no questions asked."
Kara disappeared with a gust of wind and returned a moment later with her phone to her ear as she waited impatiently for the other end of the line to be picked up. On the fourth ring a woman answered and Kara relayed exactly what Lena had told her and then hung up a moment later when the doctor said she was on her way.
Kara knelt beside Lena and noticed that the cut on her head wasn't bleeding anymore. "How are you feeling?"
Lena valiantly smiled at the concerned superhero, "Not bad considering. Hell of a headache though. Could you grab some aspirin for me, please. In the bathroom vanity."
Merely seconds later Kara was helping Lena to sit up as she handed over a glass of water and several tablets. After swallowing down the medication and taking a few more sips of water Lena leaned forward and gave Kara and sweet gentle kiss on the lips in thanks. "I can't believe I just kissed Supergirl," the dark haired beauty said softly with a cheeky smile.
Kara felt herself blushing and tried to calm her thumping heart. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out as Lena pressed a finger to her lips. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Kara. As do I, but right now perhaps it would be best for you to be Kara Danvers and not Supergirl when the doctor arrives. You can borrow clothes from my closet if you need them. I'm just going to rest my eyes again for a little while." Lena, seeing the panic in her lovers eyes gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm okay, Kara. I promise. Just tired. Most likely a concussion. It's all right. Doctor Sims will be here soon." Lena closed her eyes and eagerly accepted the blanket of darkness that welcomed her.
Kara lingered for a few more minutes just watching Lena sleep before heading up to Lena's bedroom. She had never felt so out of control. Her emotions were wild and untamed. Going from panicked fear from the uncertainty surrounding the fact that Lena Luther knew her secret to the exhilaration that Lena was alive and seemingly mostly unharmed, to finally a sense of immerse freedom. Free from her secret. Free to enjoy the burgeoning relationship with a stunningly beautiful, smart and passionate woman. She wouldn't have to lie every time she had to rush off to keep National City safe. She could be her whole self with Lena and hopefully Lena would in turn open up and lower her own barriers. This was a beginning for them. She could feel it and Kara couldn't help the silly grin that stretched across her face.
"You'll need someone to wake you every couple of hours and you should rest for the next twenty four hours. No work, Lena. No stress. Just rest and relaxation. Got it?", said the middle-aged doctor with ash blonde hair and kind smoky grey eyes. "I mean it, Lena. You were incredibly lucky that you didn't receive more serious injuries." She turned to Kara who had been hovering nervously behind the couch as the doctor had checked over her patient. You'll be staying to keep an eye on her, yes?"
Kara nodded and ignored the raised eyebrow from her companion. "Of course. There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be," Kara responded earnestly.
"Good and if any of the symptoms I mentioned occur, get her to the hospital as soon as humanly possible." Kara nodded in affirmation. "Okay. Good. I'll show myself out. Take care Lena. It was lovely to see you. Perhaps we can grab dinner and catch up when you are feeling better?"
"That would be good, Grace. Thank you for this. For not asking any questions and getting here so promptly. I know how busy your practice is."
"Anything for you, Lena, dear. Take care now and your friend has my number and can dob on you if you don't do as your doctor orders." The doctor winked in Kara's direction and gave Lena's shoulder a squeeze before turning around on her sensible shoes and left the room.
Lena closed her eyes again and sighed as the stronger medication kicked in and her headache eased to a dull roar. Kara deciding that Lena would be much more comfortable upstairs in her own bed and scooped her up into her arms and flew up to Lena's bedroom.
Kara ensured Lena was tucked in and turned to leave, but a hand on her forearm stopped her exit. "Where are you going?" Lena asked sleepily.
I need to make a call and then I'll rustle up some food for us. I won't be long. Rest, baby. I'll wake you to eat and then I'll be right beside you all night long."
"You promise?"
Kara leaned down and gave Lena a soft lingering kiss, "I promise."