COPYRIGHT: The following is a work of 'fan-fiction' and no copyright infringement is intended against those who own the rights to Supergirl and all related characters. All original Characters are the possession and copyright of The Rainbow Writers.
Please note that while we are big fans of the TV Show, we are not up on every nuanced bit of history and lore, so if we get something horribly wrong... we're sorry in advance.
TW/Suicide: In future chapters there will be discussion between characters of suicidal/self harm thoughts and the statistical rate of suicide. While there may be passing reference to past suicidal thoughts, there is no plot points in this fan-fiction to suicide, no character death but we wanted to be upfront so that no reader is caught unaware and have to endure undue mental heath pain. We urge anyone who is experiencing thoughts of self harm or suicide to please reach out to anyone in their life they trust or to a mental health hot-line.
Pairing: Supercorp, Alex & Maggie Set: Season Two Episode Six 'Changing', Branch from Canon from this point out.
Note: Hi, for any of our long time readers who happen to catch this- Hi. It's been quite a long time and as anyone can imagine we have our reasons for being silent but hopefully some good will come out the continued Pandemic as we've found motivation to create again. For those interested we have applied to cross post at Archive but are waiting for approval. This may not be the continuation of any of our historical stories, but we hope you give it a go and enjoy it none the less. Long live powerful women everywhere! The Rainbow Writers (Kath and Beth)
Broken
Episode Three: Coming Out, Redux
By: The Rainbow Writers
"So..." Alex had her arm through Kara's as they meandered through the crowds all over the Food Truck Festival. It was a popular destination in the large city and sprawled over three parking lots and a good deal of the main city center's park. Her words paused for a moment as a clown on a unicycle went by through the crowd and she had to watch the 'ridiculous' sight with the rest of her group for a moment.
Winn was on the blonde's other side, already working his way through a deep fried hot dog creation, that he was trying to contain in a long wrapper. The older Danver's had a takeout cup in her free hand that she was obviously enjoying as it contained a cup of extremely high end artisan coffee. Kara wasn't any different, except as they were waking she had a large over stuffed burger in her hand munching on it, somehow managing to do this without losing any of the toppings off the enormous creation.
"I have a fun game to play while we're here." Alex continued glancing past her sister to Winn who grunted his vague interest. "Instead of looking for the next dining experience, we should all cast our eyes over the crowd and pick out a person of 'interest'." The way she said it clearly insinuated what kind of 'interest' she was talking about as she bumped Kara's hip.
"The only thing I'm interested in right now is this fantastic burger." Kara took another big mouthful and groaned at how good it tasted.
"I'm with Kara on this one." Winn shook his head, wiping his chin clean of grease with a thin paper napkin from his pocket that barely managed the job. "I mean logically who comes to a food truck festival to meet someone? Everyone smells like smoke, grease and regret after thirty minutes here."
"Apparently Alex finds smoke and grease sexy." Kara teased through another mouthful as she hip checked her sister back on purpose. "Go on then this is your game, you pick first." She wiggled her eyebrows not sure her sister had thought this through in mixed company after her revelation a few nights before.
Alex met the blonde's quick look and smirked.
"Okay, as the two of you are being boring." She shrugged her shoulders. "Dark hair, working the second BBQ station in front of the 'Baby Ribs' truck." She offered almost immediately.
Kara immediately looked to where her sister had indicated, with Winn of course doing so almost at the same time.
"Ooooo she's cute, though isn't she a little tall for you? You always said you didn't like too tall." Kara finished up the last bite of her burger with a smile.
Winn had opened his mouth to comment before Kara had, but on hearing the blonde's words he stopped, looked at Alex and then looked back towards the named truck seeing only a tall, fit looking woman working the indicated position.
"She is." He offered guardedly. "But I'm confused... I thought this was a point... you know... sexy people out game." He continued to lack a proper cadence in his words. "Not that she's not sexy, I mean and she obviously has good technique... with cooking..." The lovable nerd was blushing and stammering more with every word. "I just thought..." He focused on the truck area again. "You meant like him..." He nodded. "Muscular, ruggedly handsome..."
"He's okay." Alex said with a shrug. "If you like that kind of thing."
Winn now actually stopped walking and scrunched up the small piece of garbage he held in his hand.
"Okay stop." He held up his hand. "You aren't into that kind of thing?" He frowned at the brunette, his eyes glancing at Kara for any input.
A simple but nervous smile came to the older Danver's sister.
"To be fair in my head we'd all have had a turn and I would have gone last... It planned out better that way." She offered taking a quick sip of her drink.
Winn looked from Alex back to Kara and then repeated the motion.
"I don't think I should be the one to comment on this first." He admitted tentatively.
"Winn, breathe..." Kara leaned to shoulder check him lightly. "And I think if the too tall rule is no longer enforced, you should go talk to her." She grinned with a cheeky glint in her eye at her sister. "Flash your shiny badge, girls love that."
"Wait, wait I know what's going on here?" Winn backed up a little from both women looking at them individually as he did. "This is some kind of test, to see if I get all weirded out by the idea of two girls isn't it? I mean I know the stereotypes brainiacs like me get but that does not mean I am not a chivalrous and a non barbaric male." He stated shaking his head.
"Actually Winn..." Kara tactfully cut him off as she moved to slip her arm back through Alex's. "I think it's just my big sister's subtle way of coming out to a friend." She smiled at him in that bright way only Kara seemed able to smile. "And I'm proud of her for that."
Alex flashed her sister a quick smile as Winn's eyes widened slightly.
"Damn." He cussed quietly. "I mean that's cool, and great and awesome that you told me, I feel honoured that you'd tell me personally rather than just picking it up in the rumour mill at work." He stood a little straighter but then frowned again. "But also damn." He breathed out. "I owe Olsen 50 bucks."
"Wait, you and Jimmy had a bet about Alex being gay?" Kara's eyes went wide at the same time that her sister's did.
"I want half of that action, since I was the center of the bet." Alex finally added with her chin a little higher.
"Well actually, if I'm honest, Jimmy and I might have a kind of bet on all the girls in our group." He offered with a quiet and guilty tone. "Which sounds creepy but it isn't... see previous speech about how completely normal I am for a nerd."
"Even on Kara?" Alex piped in immediately. "What is the over under?" She side eyed her sister whispering the word 'Luthor' under her breath. "I might want to roll my winnings into that bet."
"Who... what did you say? After the over under thing, which I may be avoiding answering, because it was a mathematical type of bet not a relationship based one." He looked even more awkward.
"Which of you bet I was more gay then not?" Kara questioned after pinching her sister through her jacket to make the other woman jump a little.
"I had a 20-30 percent chance Alex was gay, Olsen had 50-75 chance." Winn squirmed a little. "For you Kara it was all about..." He paused and made a vague hand gesture with both of his hands up to his chest.
"You were betting on if I like breasts?" Kara's nose scrunched up in confusion and Alex literally bent over laughing suddenly.
"No sis, they were betting on how big yours were." Alex informed her little sister with a grin. "For a cut of that one too I can give you the real answer." She turned the grin towards Winn.
"Talk to me at work." Winn grinned at her as if the question was one they'd been waiting to decide for along time.
"You designed my suit, how can you not know my bra size?" Kara screwed up her face at him in disbelief.
"That may have been a statistic I created out of finding the median size of all my favourite comic book hero's... endowments and then made a comparison abstract model to guesstimate yours." Winn admitted awkwardly.
"You are such a nerd." Kara stuck out her tongue at him. "But that doesn't answer the question about whether Alex is going to go talk to BBQ girl while getting me ribs or not?"
Alex brought her eyes up and wiggled her eyebrows a little.
"If there's no ring and no obvious tattooed names of significant others on any of that visible skin, I might just see if I can get your ribs for free." Alex fished her ID out from her pocket.
"Go big sister!" Kara grinned and did a soft cheer motion with her arms, still grinning as Alex moved off and she stepped closer to Winn. "Thank you." She said in a low voice as her smile softened while she looked at him. "It's a really big deal for her."
"Yeah I kinda worked that out, which is why I made up that ridiculous story about Jimmy and I having a bet." Winn turned to look only at Kara for a moment. "To be honest if her being open and real let's her loosen up a little, enough to pay attention to her own needs... I'm behind her all the way."
"You made that up? You're awesome." Kara was smiling even brighter somehow. "And so right, Alex has spent so long trying to be what everyone else thought she should be, and the reality is she is doing the job she is born to do, but as we both know the job isn't everything." She watched as her sister struck up a conversation with the woman in question. "She deserves more in her life, she deserves to get what the whole 'love' thing is about too."
"Both of the Danvers sisters do." Winn looked at Kara with a softer smile.
"And all of our assorted friends." Kara nudged her shoulder into his again.
"You know funny you should mention that." Winn pushed his hand into his pocket. "I have been thinking about... trying to get closer to someone."
"Really? Who?" Kara's excitement was obvious and clearly real. "I know a superhero who can up talk you to anyone."
"Lena Luthor." He offered the name with an almost shy look. "Kara really, her mind is ... amazing." He enthused. "And... well I think she kinda thinks the same about me."
"Lena... Luthor." Kara repeated the name slowly. "Well..." She took in a soft breath. "She did give that piece of high tech fabric as a present." She tried to make a point of something positive, even if her brain was making lists of how Winn and Lena could never work out. "I guess..." She tried not to stammer too much. "When you run into us tomorrow here you can make small talk with her?"
"Oh no." Winn shook his head. "I'm not that kind of guy." He breathed out. "Guys like Jimmy are small talk guys cause they know they could be talking about anything but all the girl is looking at is muscle, height and good looks." He outlined. "I'm planning something more... appropriate, for the two of us."
"Keep me updated." Kara nodded to him. "As a friend of hers I can, help scope the landscape for you. I do know she's not seeing anyone right now." She added the truthful statement. 'Well other than going to food truck with me.' She didn't know why her brain repeated that to itself immediately.
"I might call that in." He smiled now. "You know I was worried if I told you you'd give me the whole, she's out of my league talk." He admitted. "But a part of me was willing to risk telling my best friend something that might be left field." He definitely seemed happier now. "And she's your friend so I thought why not."
"Never go into it thinking anyone is out of your league Winn." Kara had to correct the point softly. "You are a great guy, incredible genius with all things technical and... the truth is Lena would be lucky to have someone with as much heart and integrity in her life." She knew every word she was saying was true. "My only warning would be... she is insanely busy, and she has no idea about work and life balance so if she has no time to date, it's more her then you."
"Yeah I've told myself that too." Winn admitted with a nod. "I'm still in the early stages of putting together something cohesive to even begin with so it's not like anyone should expect any results soon." He laughed at his out 'nerdy' reasoning.
"Miss. Danvers?" A bright voice called through the crowd as a perky woman hurried over towards her and Winn, a tall man followed her, munching his way through some BBQ. "It's Jess, Jess March, Miss Luthor's assistant." She enthused with a bright smile.
"Hi Jess." Kara waved as she pinpointed the woman in the crowd and met her half way, Winn coming in behind her much as Jess' date did. "Hey, it's good to see you. I hope you're enjoying everything as much as we are."
"I am." Jess nodded. "Are you here to check out what's good and what's skip-able?" She asked of the other woman. "I don't think I've ever seen Miss. Luthor dedicate the time to something like this that it would need to be able fully appreciate all that is here." She continued to enthusiastically talk. "Mr. Winn." She put her attention to the young man as he settled in beside Kara. "I had no idea the two of you were dating."
"Us?" Kara immediately sputtered out the word. "Oh no, we're just friends." She immediately made the point clear looking at Winn, who for once seemed more pleased she'd made the distinction. "And yes, just checking out to see what is the best of the best." She summed up with a smile.
"Oh but the two of you... so cute." Jess gave a soft giggle. "Oh.. oh, this is Mark. Mark this is Miss. Kara Danvers, she's a journalist with Catco, and Winn, he's a scientist." She made the introductions perkily.
'Mark' just nodded to the both of them, his eyes lingering on Kara.
"You doing a spread on this or just here for fun?" He asked of her barely keeping his eyes on her long enough to show he really cared about the answer.
"Going to pitch one to my editor." Kara acknowledged with a nod. "But mostly we're just here for the food fun. Which ribs are you eating? Alex is off getting us some from 'Baby Ribs'."
"Alex?" He asked with a quirk tuning back into her.
"Miss. Danvers has a sister who's with the FBI." It was Jess that filled in the information for him.
"Oh." Mark nodded. "These are Spicy Joe's. They're good, not really that spicy but good." He just shrugged as he held the box aloft for Kara to see inside.
For just a moment there fell a short silence before Jess reached to take Mark's hand and pointed off to a distant cart.
"I think I see desserts." She announced lightly. "Let's go." She added give Kara and Winn a wave and watching as they left Winn shook his head.
"What is it about personal assistants, they're always so... friendly." He offered the observation.
"Was I that annoyingly friendly when I worked as Cat's personal assistant?" Kara bit her lip worried for a moment.
"Worse." Winn teased. "And just so darned cute."
"Mmmm you upset me and then win me back in one swoop." Kara winked at him. "Ooo here comes Alex, she has wings, but does she have the hottie's phone number?"
"You know of and can say the word hottie?" Winn blinked. "What has journalism done to you?"
"I've been hanging out at the DEO cafeteria too much." Kara laughed lightly.
"Wings for you..." Alex arrived and picked up the top package she was carrying and passed it to Winn. "Ribs for you." She held the second out for Kara. "And Aleah's phone number for me." She held up a folded napkin.
"Danvers charm for the win." Kara held the package in one hand and offered a high five with the other. "See, you're really good at this, you've been saving up all your swagger and now you are ready to swag."
"Please, please stop." Winn held up his now sauce covered hand that already held a wing. "Quit at hottie, you used that one right." He encouraged her with a laugh. "Can I have that number if it doesn't work out?" He added looking at Alex.
Both Danvers' sisters looked at him with the almost exact same 'really?' look and he was forced to shrug and concentrate on his wings.
"Should we get a table to eat this?" Kara sniffed at the still closed package of ribs.
"Definitely." Alex encouraged. "How else will I steal from both of you efficiently?"
-x-
"So come on, now that Winn is on his way home, tell me exactly how things went with Aleah?" Kara linked her arm into Alex's as they moved down the neon lit city sidewalk away from the subway station they'd left Winn at to continue making his way home.
"Well..." Alex's glanced briefly down, colour lightly tinting her upper cheeks. "It went well, I think, for an introduction." She offered. "I just waved my badge and said any chance of a taster for a hard working agent." The brunette laughed at her own bravado. "And from there we just... chatted." She revealed a little more. "She's the owner's kid sister." Alex relayed the information. "She's in her last year of university so in reality too young for me." The brunette continued. "But she's very pretty and asked me to call her to have drinks sometime."
"She's not too young for you, you're 27, she's probably at the youngest 23. Call her." Kara reinforced the idea immediately. "Worse case scenario you have a drink and get me to call you with a work emergency to get free of her showing you tiktok videos like the young-ins do now a days." She teased her sister about the idea of 4 years being too much of an age difference.
"I don't know... maybe." Alex smiled as she hugged closer to her sister for a moment. "The thing is, I kind of already have someone I'm interested in and..." She paused and shook her head. "It doesn't feel right meeting with other people before I've even tried to address her." The brunette groaned at herself and the way she sounded. "This used to be a lot easier when I was drunk or high." She shook her head. "And I didn't give a damn how I hurt them."
"It makes me sad to think that's how you thought it should be." Kara admitted softly. "I admit I used to just think that you were so involved with school and then work that dating just wasn't something you bothered with, I figured that the men were lining up around the block but that you had more important things on your mind. It was wrong of me not to clue into the fact that you were hurting Alex, and I'm sorry if I ever did anything that supported you not appreciating yourself because you know I think you deserve the world." She squeezed her sister's arm softly.
"Oh Kara." Alex breathed out softly shaking her head. "You've never hurt me." She looked into blue eyes. "Well apart from the arm thing." She teased.
"Of which you know I am eternally sorry for." Kara grimaced for a split second. "Though speaking of mistakes... there is one in the making I need to tell you about. Winn has gotten the strange idea into his head that there is a new girl he is going to make a big play for, he is just putting the finishing touches on his cunning plan to ask her out." She teased knowing Alex would ask the question she was fishing for her to ask.
"A new girl?" Alex blinked. "Oh please it's not Diana from statistics at the DEO is it?" She groaned.
"No, I think he has more of a chance with Diana and we both know she's engaged." Kara nodded her agreement on Alex's first guess. "Lena Luthor."
Alex coughed, choked a little and then looked at Kara.
"Lena Luthor?" She could hardly even say her name. "Winn is going to try and date the Man Eater?" She shook her head firmly. "We have to save him."
"I know but I froze, I didn't want him to think I was just being negative because of our history." Kara made the easy admission to her sister. "I told him that she would be lucky to have a guy like him, which she would, and I think if Lena wanted one she'd have a thousand already lined up." She grimaced again. "I tried to warn him that she is extremely busy and dedicated to L-Corp, so not to take a brush off personally."
"Kara, you know that has little weight to it when you literally spend two days a week with her having coffee, donuts or just talking." Alex blinked at her sister still shaking her head. "People like Lena destroy people like Winn."
Kara shot her sister's a sideways, 'explain or retract now' look.
"I mean people like Lena, Cat Grant, people in that echelon... they change people like Winn. They turn them into something they never were." Alex began her explanation. "Now I know you're looking at me with that look but this actually has nothing to do with the fact she's a Luthor and everything to do with the fact she's a high end, well versed, rich, powerful and demanding woman. And Winn... Winn isn't any of those things." She frowned at her comparison.
"For once I can see what you're saying a little." Kara had to frown. "Winn would try to change too much to be what he thought Lena wanted him to be, when in reality Lena would really only want him to be exactly who he already is and changing would just make her doubt that he was authentic in what he felt." She saw the soft nod from her sister. "I think he's right on one level, the two of them are tech geeks, you should have seen them during Supergirl's tour... thingamagigy this and whatsawhosal that quotient but... Winn is a geek, he's a gorgeous geek but that is only one facet of Lena."
"And I..." Alex offered a softer smile to her sister. "Can understand Winn, she's beautiful and glamorous, with soft green eyes and that killer clavicle..."
"Is everyone starting a Lena Luthor fan club around me?" Kara quirked an eyebrow.
"No, I was just pushing to see if the President would make me accountant or something. Minute taker?" She teased poking her sister lightly.
"Hey, I'm not the President of the fan club, I just didn't understand why everyone thought she had to be evil because her last name was Luthor." Kara squirmed thought didn't release the link of their arms. "And it turns out Lena is everything you don't think a Luthor is, she's kind and generous, quirky and funny."
"Stop." Alex held up her free hand. "We don't know whether or not Ms. Luther comes from a good place yet." She challenged with a shake of her head. "My points were purely physical observations, that I'd imagine a boy would also assess." She pointed out.
"Oh Alex..." Kara had to give a soft laugh. "From everything I do know boys don't go on about the soft colour of someones eyes or point out the curve of their clavicle." She stressed the words. "How long have you been gay? Wait... Kelsey Chestam in high school... you totally wanted to kiss her didn't you?"
"She had great cheek bones." Alex stuck the tip of her tongue out at her sister, just as Kara's phone began to ring.
"You're isn't ringing yet, maybe the world isn't ending." Kara freed her arm from Alex's and swiped across the face of her phone to pick up the call before it went to messenger, realizing who it was as she put it to her ear after accepting it. "Hey Lena..."
"Kara!" Lena's reply was interrupted with a half sob from the brunette.
"Lena? Lena what's wrong?" She heard the noise of utter despair and immediately her heart clenched with fear, her keen hearing could also make out the sound of running water and the echo of that water off a hard surface. Beside her she saw Alex stretch to alert attention waiting for more details.
"I was tired... too tired... I went to have a shower..." The brunette's words were mumbled slightly. "Slipped.. my arm.." She groaned this time as she clearly attempted to move the limb. "Head.." She added in another pained moan.
"And you're at home?" Kara asked the necessary question, mouthing to ask Alex to flag them down a cab if she could as the street seemed too crowded for her to just fly off from without everyone noticing.
"No... my office suite." Lena clarified with another moan.
"Stay where you are, I am literally only ten minutes away." Kara quickly reassured her and then hung up. "Alex... Lena's fallen in the shower at her office... I..." She looked off towards an alleyway but then on cue a group of club goers emerged from it showing she had no where to secretly take off from.
"Kara! Cab... let's go!" Alex called to her, stepping out onto the road to hold up her badge and forcibly stop an empty cab that was just driving by most likely on the way to an arranged pick up.
-x-
Swiping her L-Corp card passed the reader to get the elevator to work after hours before she pushed the button, Kara could literally feel her sister's glare intensify from its beginning when she had used the card to get them into the locked front door of the giant building.
"I can explain." Kara stepped back to be stood beside her sister, them both looking at the numbers as they began to go upwards and soft elevator music played around them. The mirrored walls of the expensive elevator made it too easy for them to look at each other in the reflection without trying.
"And you're going to. Maybe not now but before the morning." Alex warned her hard stare never fading. "What is she doing at her office at 11.49pm?"
"She has an unhealthy relationship with her work, I tell her this all the time." Kara gave an annoyed huff trying to will the elevator to go faster. "And... and she gave me the key-card so that I could access L-Corp if there was an emergency, because she trusts me." She tried to give her sister some beginning of an explanation. "More evidence how she is not evil and is not hiding anything."
"That might be an explanation but I'm going to need more than that to give it up." Alex shook her head. "Giving you a key card could mean a LOT of things." She continued. "Not all of them good."
"Were you born a pessimist?" Kara gave a hard huff as she glanced at her sister and then looked straight ahead again. "It's just a key-card, means that I don't have to worry about security when I come for coffee... it doesn't have to mean anything more than that."
"Does it open her secret lab?" Alex arched her eyebrow.
For a moment Kara chewed on her lip to draw out not answering, she could feel her sister's eyes burrowing further and further into her in the reflection on the mirrored wall when the sudden ding of their arrival and the doors opening gave her the easiest out she could have asked for.
"This way." Kara took off like a shot, moving just shy of Supergirl speed down the hallway to the double doors into Lena's office which she opened with her card and then moved inside directly to the far corner where the hidden doorway to the bathroom was ajar. "LENA?" She called out before looking back to see Alex give her the 'go check motion', and then wiggle her phone to show she was ready to call for emergency help if need be. "Lena..." She moved down the short interior corridor to the bathroom and was happy when she turned the handle to find it was unlocked. "Lena!" The third repetition of the brunette's name came with a gasp when she saw that Lena was literally curled up in the back half of the enormous shower in a ball against the corner of the wall cradling her arm with a slight trail of blood coming out of her wet hair. "Lena..." She whispered as she pushed the glass door fully open to first shut off the water and then knelt down letting it seep into the material of the knees of her jeans. That Lena was still in her dress pants and a bra, things like her brace, her shoes and jewelry missing convinced Kara immediately that she must have tripped when she'd been leaning in to set the water for her shower. "Please say something." Her soft hands came up to try and wipe wet hair out of the brunette's face to better assess her head injury and her general state before she yelled back at Alex to call Supergirl knowing it would be faster to fly then get an ambulance. She could somehow do the change around in a situation like this that screamed for it even if it did risk exposure.
"Kara..." Green eyes blinked open and then squinted with pain, attempting to shift slightly, enough to move her 'good' arm from off the wall where it was supporting her, she gave up with a soft 'umph'. "You're the only one I could call."
"Always call, I will always come." Kara reassured her assessing how to best move the injured CEO and then despite herself and the situation, she decided that what she needed most was for Lena not to be balled up against the cold and wet tiling. So not thinking about how it looked, she carefully reached in and gathered the slim brunette up into her arms, being careful of her injuries, the brunette literally just flopped in to lean heavily into the blonde embrace the moment her weight was lifted.
Unaware that her sister had slipped into the room the tension was suddenly broken by the older woman's voice.
"Kara, what are you thinking..." Alex grabbed a large bath towel off the heater and threw it on the tiled floor. "Put her down, on this..." She ordered her sister fully expecting Kara to comply. "You shouldn't have moved her." She added with a frown as her sister followed her orders and lightly lowered Lena onto the towel. "Go get my bag, it's in the main room." She instructed pointing behind her and then took out her phone flicking on the flashlight. "Miss. Luthor can you tell me where you are?" She began to assess the cut on Lena's forehead from the pressure of the blow she'd taken when she'd fallen over, and as green eyes fluttered open she tried to quickly gauge if Lena's pupils were reacting to the light.
"My office." Lena's voice was a little spacey. "I... Agent Danvers?" She blinked trying to lessen the tight squint that kept her eyes mostly closed.
"Well that gets you points, but please call me Alex, I was with Kara when you called, we both rushed over." Alex explained moving to pull another towel down and fashion a rolled pillow for the brunette, just as Kara raced back in. "Get the med kit out of it, and the tube marked skin glue along with a cleaning wipe please Kara." She instructed her sister in a soft voice. "Lena here is doing good all things considered, but I do recommend that once I patch you up we take you to the hospital for better checks then I'm capable of."
"No hospital.." Lena made and attempt to shake her head, but failed. "I just need help..." She pulled in a pained breath, obviously trying to focus and center herself. "To my car."
"You are most certainly not driving, and if you won't go to a hospital to check if something is broken..." Alex looked pointedly at Kara who seemed to be dumping most of her purse on the floor, it taking a moment for Supergirl to kick in and turn to look at Lena. Kara lowered her glasses before she gave a quick head shake to the question of any bones being broken. "You are going to be stuck with the Danvers sisters tonight because at the very least you need to be on concussion protocol." She outlined as finally Kara handed her what she had wanted and she began to clean Lena's head. "This has a topical painkiller in it so things shouldn't hurt in this small area soon, though the headache I can't do anything about with just a cream." She finished cleaning the wound and then applied a long blue strip of a thick material from the tube which began to go clear as it dried. "Kara, she has a brace right?" She asked seeing her sister nod dumbly again as if Alex should know this fact from their prior conversations. "Can you find it for her? I want to immobilize her arm before we sit her up." She offered glad when Kara finally began to press up off her knees. "You've got Kara in quite the tizzy." She spoke to Lena as her sister scurried off, trying to keep the brunette engaged.
Lena didn't respond really just let more of her weight press into the improvised pillow beneath her head.
"Kara just let me in... She told me you needed this?" With her usual strong confidant tone Supergirl held out Lena's discarded brace to Alex as she stepped into the washroom.
"Thank you!" Alex snapped the brace away from her and scowled at the hero standing there. "I hate to tell you this Lena but I don't think you're going to get to argue about no hospital with our new arrival."
"Miss Luthor, you need to be checked by a doctor and while Agent Danvers is very good at triage..." Supergirl began as she bent down next to the brunette.
"She's all the doctor I need." Lena managed to say, pressing her eyes open again to look at the blonde. "Kara told me her sister has a doctorate." The brunette went to press her hand on the tiled floor as if going to brace herself to sit up. "Really there is no need for you to be here, I just needed help getting up."
"Stay down please." Alex put her hand on Lena's shoulder to keep her from pressing up as she shared a look of 'what do I do' with her sister. "Clearly Lena doesn't want a flight to the hospital Supergirl, but thank you." She tried to smooth over the fact and take charge of the situation since Kara seemed to not be engaging her brain. "I'm sure there are other things around the city that need you more, between Kara and myself we'll take care of her." She underlined motioning with her head to the doorway to try and get Kara to move.
"If everyone is sure... because I could just..." Supergirl made a slight move like she could pick her up and Alex shook her head again. "Kara can call if there is a change in your status." She finally stood up a bit disheartened and moved out of the room again.
"Kara must have panicked, I told you she was in a tizzy." Alex tried to explain that little charade away, hoping that even if she didn't want it to be bad, Lena had hit her head hard enough not to notice Supergirl hadn't taken the very distinct barrettes out of her hair that she'd had in as Kara. "Now, let's slip this back on and yes I'm afraid it is a test of sorts to see whether you're going to a hospital pouting or you're getting an escort back to your place to recover."
"Kara told me you weren't very..." Lena paused, grunting slightly in pain as the medical brace was settled back in place, the relief it brought was almost instant however. "Flexible. I think she was being too critical." The brunette sighed, a little more comfortably and moved to push up to sit despite Alex's frown at the move. "If I can whittle you down to just putting me in my car with a driver, I'll know she was wrong."
"The best you can whittle me down to is either Kara going to yours to do hourly concussion checks or you going to Kara's for the same? Hospital is where we are at right now because you gave yourself quite a hit Lena, and my sister would never forgive me if I said you were okay and you actually weren't." Alex softened her voice a little as she pulled down another heated towel and wrapped it around Lena's body. "We don't want you to get a chill till we can get you into something dry."
"Wh... why did Supergirl leave without her..." Kara pressed back into the room with a frown on her face as she glared at Alex. "She's sitting up, is she supposed to be doing that?" The younger blonde again pressed onto her knees, carefully moving around to hold the warm towel around the brunette and at the same time draw Lena close to lean against her.
"Well Lena doesn't want to go to the hospital, let alone be flown there for the second time in a week." Alex sat back a bit watching as her sister settled the brunette into the new comforting position. "And we're just discussing what Lena can whittle me down too in terms of treatment."
Lena moved her good hand and laid it lightly against Kara's chest, the opposite side to where her head was resting.
"I didn't need Supergirl." Her voice was now more of a tired whisper. "I needed you." She closed her eyes.
"Can we take her home?" Blue eyes looked across to Alex after Kara lightly kissed dark hair.
"Yes, that was one of the options I gave." Alex had to give her sister a soft smile, even as behind it her head was slightly spinning with everything she was witnessing between the two younger women.
-x-
"Okay so lights are dim... blankets are super soft... pillows are fluffed... ice water in case you're thirsty. I have my phone on soft alarm for when it's time for me to wake you up and ask you silly questions." Kara paced by her own bed a little, looking down at Lena who was already poised on the pillows with a soft frown. "Have I forgotten anything that you need?"
"Osgar but we left him in the office." Lena gave Kara an uneven smile.
"One sec..." Kara held up her finger and then darted off towards a long blanket box under the window, pulling out something that she hid behind her back until she was close to the bed. "Lena Luthor meet Pinky, Pinky meet Lena. She might seem a little... worn... but she's had a lot of practice with bumps, bruises, concussions and even having wisdom teeth removed."
Lena's smile brightened as she focused on the scruffy looking pink bear that was being introduced to her. The stuffed creature showed its age and how much it had clearly been lovingly abused by Kara in her lifetime.
"She's cute." The brunette reached out to lightly rub her finger on a soft pink nose. "Thank you Kara," Green eyes slipped up to look into blue. "I'm so sorry to do this to you, I'm so embarrassed by all of this."
"No Lena, don't be." Kara slipped down as she let Lena pull the bear into her own lap and reached out to play with one bean filled foot. "When I picked up the phone and heard how much pain you were in, I would have learned how to fly if I thought I could have managed and got to you sooner." She made the soft admission.
"Oh God, I think I told Supergirl I didn't need her." Lena cringed for a moment as the memory cleared in her rattled head.
"Whatever you said, she'll understand and I'll explain it was me that freaked out and called her, you were... being brave like you always are." Kara looked at her with soft adoration. "If I'd have been in that much pain... I'm a total wimp when I'm hurt."
"I never want to think of you hurt." Lena said softly, creeping her hand down over the pink bear to softy stroke over Kara's fingers. "People like me, we deserve this." She shook her head, curling her fingers around the blonde's. "People like you are the ones people try to do better for."
"You don't deserve pain." Kara shook her head as the words came back in a soft but confident tone as she curled her fingers around Lena's in turn. "You'll never get me to believe that you do." She underlined the fact. "And I happen to know that Pinky won't hear of such talk either. So what we need you to do is just get as comfortable as you can get, try to fall asleep and be ready to call me names when I wake you up in an hour."
"She'll have a better chance of resting if you'd leave her alone." Alex's voice came from the doorway, with neither of the two on the bed knowing how long she had been standing there. "C'mon Kara, you're loosing nursing points." She nodded to the main area behind herself.
"You made my head doctor use her mean voice." Lena offered with an amused smile.
"Just for the record that's not her mean voice, you'll know when you hear her mean voice." Kara gave a soft laugh and squeezing Lena's hand one more time pushed up. "Now on doctor's orders rest, I'll see you in an hour." She smiled at Lena before she moved and with one last look pulled the divider curtain across to try and block out the noise, back tracking to find Alex sitting at her kitchen island. "She seems way more with it, but that could just be a show." She fretted softly moving to the fridge to get a tub of ice cream and then two spoons.
"Hmm I'm sure Ms. Luthor can put on a show." Alex shook her head and looked down at her lap from where she was sitting at the breakfast bar, her voice low and quiet. "Just because she seems okay doesn't mean you can crash on the sofa and forget the protocol." She added looking at her younger sister. "I should stay."
"No Alex it's fine, you need sleep more than I do and I won't forget the protocol. The alarms are in my phone already." Kara wiggled the object for effect. "I know how important it is to make sure she doesn't have any serious side effects. I remember what you were like after that soccer game when the striker from Leaside elbowed you and knocked you out." She reminded her softly. "Lena gets the same treatment. Though without Mom's homemade soup, I can't cook."
"Yeah I'm sure she will." Alex nodded again looking up. "You gave her Pinky." The brunette made the observation. "I thought she was a refugee from Bearacus who was so precious only you could protect her."
"I didn't give her Pinky, I just... Pinky wanted to help make her feel better, you know how altruistic Bearacusian's are."She shrugged quickly.
"Do you remember you once bit me because of the stuffed bear!" Alex reminded her.
"You took her up in your tree-house, she hates heights and trees." Kara defended with a soft laugh. "I let you cuddle her when you had your wisdom teeth out and were drunk on laughing gas."
Alex made a soft noise of agreement but then looked over to her sister, her face serious.
"What's going on here Kara?" She said the words carefully but with a genuine inquiry that she wanted answered.
"Lena tried to cave her own head in in her expensive shower." Kara looked back at her a little confused by what her sister was trying to ask. "A friend needed my help?"
"A friend?" Alex's brow furrowed lightly. "Do you even remember not taking your barrettes off when you just arrived as Supergirl?" She asked of her sister reaching across the small island to poke one into the side of her sister's head. She knew it wouldn't hurt the Girl of Steel, but it would acutely remind her they were there. "Did you hear yourself when the first thing you did was call out for me to call 'you' to come?" The brunette continued her barrage of points. "Kara, I have been so, so honest with you recently about me and all that's going on with me. Why won't you do the same?"
For a moment Kara suddenly felt really heavy, as she went through each of the moments that her sister had highlighted and realized how 'out of character' they had been in some ways. No, more out of control, which is exactly how she'd felt in those moments. Almost as if Supergirl had been some other person who could swoop in and make everything okay again for Lena, make it so she wasn't hurting. Feeling guilty she reached up and took the two one of a kind barrettes she'd bought at a street fair out of her hair and placed them a little away on the other side of the island.
"And the key-card?" Alex stressed the word as she pressed on with her 'evidence' that pointed to something not adding up. "I love you but I'm not sure half naked in my shower after falling, and hitting my head that you'd be the person I called." She shook her head, her frown worse. "There are these people called paramedics, they do that for money."
"I..." Kara hesitated for a moment, not because she was trying to avoid the question or the points of evidence her sister was amassing before her but because she honestly didn't know what to say. "I... I don't know what to say Alex." She finally admitted this simple fact in a small voice.
Alex's face became more neutral, almost tender as she breathed out and looked at her little sister.
"How long have the two of you been dating?" She asked softly deciding maybe it was just best to call Kara out.
"We...We're not dating." Kara had taken the two necessary attempts to get her mouth to start forming words. "I would have told you if we were." She added in quickly taking a few steps around the far side of the island almost putting distance between them and the bedroom. "Dating?" She repeated the word almost shocked that Alex had used it, but as her sister immediately noticed her reaction was shock not utter denial.
Alex hadn't really expected this reaction, but that led the brunette to think deeper. Softly she pressed up and followed her sister to get closer, so her voice was more hushed.
"Then how long have you been in love with her?" She offered a different question.
Blue eyes blinking rapidly back at Alex was the blonde's first response at the soft but still pointed question.
"..." She gold fished for another moment, pointing towards the bedroom and then vaguely at herself and then in the very Kara move bit her lip as if trying to gnaw the words out of herself. "Is that what this is?"
Alex closed her eyes for a moment, she let a slow measured breath slip in to fill up her chest and then out again before reaching out to lightly touch her hand to Kara's arm.
"I can't really answer that... feeling love is something every individual experiences differently, but.." She led softly. "Why don't you try and tell me what you feel, about Lena about how she makes you feel?" The brunette offered the starting point.
Blue eyes blinked again, almost assessing for a moment if this was an easier question to answer and finding she could form words again it clearly was.
"She makes me feel important, not because I'm Supergirl but just because I'm Kara. She makes me feel special, because she's always pointing out all the things about me that she's impressed by or that she thinks are so rare and precious, she makes me feel... like I belong." Kara managed to begin the sum up as suddenly the feeling of Lena leaning into her embrace in the bathroom swept into her mind. "She makes me feel needed, not to fly in and save the day but just by being me."
"But that's not all is it?" Alex offered in return. "She makes you feel afraid, terrified probably, whenever she's hurt or in danger, you feel that fear then too. When she smiles at you, she makes you feel that you need to smile back, to try and convey what that smile means." She rubbed her hand down over Kara's arm softly as she spoke.
"Yes." Kara agreed in a soft still slightly confused tone as Alex seemed to be so easily laying out all of the reasons she was right about her assessment of what the accumulation of this meant. "And she makes me sad when she puts herself down because of Lex, she makes me so sad when she talks about her life before now, when she hints at all the people that have hurt her and let her down in one way or another mostly on purpose because I can't understand how they didn't see who they had in front of them, they didn't see how special she is."
"You want to take her pain away and make it so nothing ever hurts her again?" Alex offered the prompt.
"Yes... but I feel that way about other people, people like you." Kara put forward the contradictory evidence.
"And when I hug you, kiss your head... Do you close your eyes, breathe in deep and wish I would never let go?" The eldest Danver's inquired quietly. "Because I saw you in that bathroom Kara, the way you eased her into your arms, the way she settled against you, both of you closed your eyes, just breathing the presence of the other one in like it was all the air you needed."
"Is this how you knew?" Kara blinked at her for a moment, but this time it was clear to Alex who could read her better than anyone that her mind was actually collating a dozen different moments that the Agent wasn't even privy too.
"Honestly no." Alex shook her head, "Because I've never had those moments yet to know that's what I want." She admitted gently. "But I do know that's how I want to feel with someone, that connection, that security." She licked her lips quickly. "And for me..." She even snorted a laugh. "It was more the thoughts and ideas I had about what I wanted to do to and for a certain someone... who wasn't a guy." She laughed again. "But I'm just a human Kara, I'm all about the drive, the passion, the need, the physicality." She shook her head. "But you?" She moved to tuck blonde hair behind her sister's ear. "You're not like that."
"What do I do?" Kara whispered the words knowing if there was anyone anywhere that she trusted to give her advice it was Alex. "Do you think she feels the same way and doesn't know it? Or does she? Or is it just me?"
"Oh Kara." Alex shook her head again with a smile. "No one can answer that but Lena." She chuckled again, moving her fingers to settle the flyaway hairs around the blonde's ear a second time. "And she won't answer it unless you ask." She pointed out the position of things. "Remember Winn? You broke his heart because that feeling wasn't shared, but you're true friends and nothing can ruin that, not even stepping out of the comfort zone and taking a risk."
"But... she doesn't know I'm Supergirl." Kara's face fell for the first time. "How can I ask something so important of her if I'm not being honest with her?"
"Kara why haven't you told her already? And that's a question not a criticism. I want to know the answer." Alex asked, for the first time her head split in different directions about the question Kara had asked.
"Because I'm supposed to hide it... because you would blow a gasket..." Kara gave a half frown to the truth, seeing her sister give a soft 'I'll give you that' nod. "Because... a part of me likes just being Kara with her." She frowned even more. "Her... Lena's... opinion of Supergirl is a little... up and down."
"Are you afraid if you merge that line for her, how she feels will change?" Alex asked not letting up the pressure.
"Won't it have too? I won't just be little Kara anymore..." Kara tried to begin an explanation.
"You'll always be little Kara to me, and I knew from the start who you were, what you were. Nothing will ever change the fact that to me, you're my little sister, who I look out for, who I love unconditionally." She pointed out. "There isn't two of you Kara, Supergirl and Little Miss Danvers, there's just you." She shook her head. "Now don't get me wrong here, I am not telling you you should tell her..." Alex drew her hand out in a flat line. "What I'm saying is, if she loves you, that won't change anything."
"What you're saying is Kara, you need to think and make some decisions." Kara smiled at her softly.
"Yeah." The older woman summed up standing up tall and opening her arms to Kara offering her a hug, only to be met the next second by the hardest hug Kara had even given her. Closing her arms around the blonde, Alex smoothed her hand over Kara's back. "It's not an easy thing I'm asking either." She made sure to draw back and look into blue eyes. "But believe me, it changes... everything."
-x-
Trying her best to tip toe in past the curtain, Kara couldn't help but use her powers to listen in not only to Lena's breathing but also to her heartbeat. And the culmination of that observation made her instantly convinced that the brunette wasn't actually asleep yet.
"The Evil Doctor just left the floor, I thought it couldn't hurt to check on you again just in case you needed something." Kara barely whispered the words near the foot of the bed making sure that if she was wrong, it wouldn't be her voice that awoke the brunette.
"You know I'm not sure how in this scenario you're supposed to get any rest." Lena's voice came back to her sounding a little groggy but okay enough to engage in chit-chat.
"I'm not the one we're worried about tonight." Kara shook her head even if Lena wasn't looking at her. "Your arm looks uncomfortable, how about another pillow in that mountain?"
"Actually I was thinking of swapping those I have if I'm honest." Lena replied turning her head and opening green eyes. "For a softer, warmer replacement, who needs sleep too." She explained where she was going with the idea. "If you sleep this side of me, I can't roll onto my arm because then I'd roll out of bed and if I roll to the other side, I'd only land on you and you can push me back on my back." She detailed more.
"Sounds to me like you've been doing some of that planning you're so famous for and not so much resting." Kara was forced to recognize after her conversation with Alex, that her stomach did a little flip flop of excitement at the idea of getting to be so close to Lena. Almost as an answer she moved to the side of the bed Lena had indicated she would be taking up to guard the brunette from rolling and without any further contradiction or discussion she moved to lay down. "What position is best for the Lena bumper?"
"Whatever position she usually sleeps comfortably in." Lena replied. "You look like a side sleeper to me."
"Well I do a little this..." Kara did move to be on her side with one arm up under the pillow. "Sometimes a little this..." She star fished out more with a giggle. "A little this..." She leaned half onto her back and snored comically. "Apparently when I was younger I had a tendency to do this..." She stuck one arm up into the air. "Alex said it was creepy."
"When I was younger I had a tendency to sleep under my bed." Lena admitted with a chuckle. "After my brother half convinced me I was a vampire."
"Please do not crawl under my bed, first it's against Doctor Danver's orders and secondly I can't guarantee what you will find under there." Kara grimaced. "The dust bunnies might steal you away to be their Queen."
"I might take it, I heard it's good to be Queen." Lena laughed but then stifled herself, obviously in pain from the jostling movement.
"Sorry, I'm not supposed to make you laugh or make you move." Kara apologized with a soft frown and moved to get into a comfortable position on her side. "I'll make like a pillow and just be ready to keep you from rolling too far."
"I had to bang my head on the other side to my mangled arm." Lena groaned and evened out on her back again, looking up at the ceiling for a long moment. "You're sister really cares about you, I remember from the penthouse she knew how worked up you were."
"She does, we can both kind of read each other body cues." Kara made the soft admission seeing how uncomfortable Lena looked. "Can I suggest something?" She questioned in a tender voice.
"A scotch, straight, double hit." Lena queried, giving the answer of what she thought would be the thing that could help her most right now to manage her pain.
"I don't have any in but I will get some for next visit promise." Kara noted knowing that she would make a special trip now. "I was more thinking..." She pulled herself up closer to the headboard and then moved her arm under Lena's pillow as she got closer to the brunette. "You could lean more without worrying about rolling at all and take more weight off your arm without transferring it to your head.
"I don't want you to be uncomfortable Kara." Lena's words however belied her body as she let some of her weight shift against the blonde, instantly breathing a little easier.
"I could never be uncomfortable if it makes you feel better." The blonde reassured her. "You're as light as a feather, you can lean more than that." She urged her softly.
"I've never trusted anyone like this Kara." Lena admitted softly as she did let herself rely on Kara for support. "I'm usually too afraid of betrayal, hurt... or just being the target of some kind of set up that I don't know anything about until it's over." She closed her eyes and again breathed in and out deeply. "Thank you."
"All I want is for you to be safe, to ease whatever pain I can if I can't take it away altogether, but I don't have any magic that does that." Kara didn't really think before she moved her hand and rested it on Lena's good arm that was leaned into her, slowly sliding down it to find the brunette's hand and interlink their fingers again. "But I also don't want your thanks, I just want you to settle and rest so that you can heal, because I want all the pain to go away."
Lena squeezed the blonde's fingers quickly and just continued to let her breathing even.
"I guess tomorrow is canceled." She said sadly.
"No, just modified. You'll get to enjoy food truck festival from here or your own bed if you'd rather." Kara contradicted, the soft shake of her head translating on the pillow just a tiny amount. "And as soon as you're well enough we'll pick another thing to go to together so that the whole city can see us, without any big hats or sunglasses."
"I'll probably carry both just in case." Lena chuckled at her usual reality.
"Ridiculously unnecessary." Kara squeezed their fingers together again. "If National City has nothing better to put on the front page then the two of us at a fair, or down at the waterfront boardwalk... well then go ahead, the world must be safe at least for a few hours."
"I don't ever want to make you a target of my haters Kara." Lena shook her own head. "The world can be cruel and you... you seem so pure against that tarnish. If it saves you, I'd wear any disguise."
"Lena, I have my own enemies that could make you a target and while I don't want that to happen, I know in a way I can't stop it, but I can stop them, and I will stop them from getting anywhere near you." Kara felt the word disguise twist into her gut almost making her want to pull back away out of shame for the fact that she was the one wearing one really. "Because I will never let fear steal one minute of time that I could be spending with you."
Lena fell softly into a moment of silence before again closing her eyes and settling against Kara more.
"You know opticians don't recommenced sleeping in your glasses, you could hurt yourself." She pointed out softly.
"More importantly I could poke you in the head with them if you roll more." Kara pointed out with a soft chuckle as she momentarily let go of Lena's hand and moved to take off her glasses and pull the elastic out of her hair to free it, as she hated sleeping with her hair tied up. She stretched to drop them on the bedside table and then leaned back in place.
"Now I believe you'll rest." Lena didn't open her eyes though a smile came to her lips. "See you in an hour pillow."
"More like 45 minutes but yep." Kara gave her hand a soft squeeze and closed her own eyes.
-x-
The sudden electronic beeping of her phone on the bedside table didn't pull Kara out of sleep but did pull her out of her own deep thoughts. She reached back quickly to brush her finger over the display to silence it, just as Lena gave a soft groan of unhappiness to the disturbance. The brunette's body leaned heavily against Kara's in a position that had finally found her some comfort.
"Sorry, just time for a concussion protocol check." Kara kept her voice soft. "What is your name?"
"Lena Kieran Luthor." Came the sleepy reply but the brunette in no way moved.
"Where are we right now?" Kara smiled softly at the coherent reply, happy that maybe none of the side effects from the head injury that her sister had warned her about were going to be an issue.
"In Kara Danvers, reporter for Catco's, apartment." Again Lena gave a precise reply, still not moving from her comfortable lean.
"Right again." Kara reassured her. "And what day of the week is it?"
For a moment this question seemed to make the brunette pause, which in turn made Kara's sense tweak just a little, worried that her friend was suffering from some bad effects from her fall.
"Most people would say it was Friday night, but they would be factually wrong, it's Saturday morning, goddamn early Saturday morning." The brunette took a breath and moved just a little against the blonde.
"Exactly right." Kara couldn't help herself from snuggling a little closer as she moved to give Lena's forearm a squeeze. "You can go back to sleep now."
"Kara are you seriously going to do this every hour until we get up?" There was a hint of whine to the brunette's tone.
"Yes Lena, it's to make sure you're okay." Kara reminded her softly. "Even if you had relented and went to the hospital, they still would have asked us to do this when we took you home so... yes every hour."
"You know I'm sure I would feel better if I could just sleep off this brain exploding headache, and then start afresh in the morning. I can't help but feel your constant interruptions will only damage that plan and not help it."
"I understand that perspective, I really do but not checking that you're not experiencing any of the horrible outcomes from taking a blow to the head like you did... I would never forgive myself, could never forgive myself... if something bad happened to you, just so that I didn't annoy you." The blonde spelled out her tone still soft as she hoped maybe somehow Lena could just settle again and go back to sleep. "Just think you're lucky Alex didn't stay, she'd be flashing a light in your eyes every time and doing neuro cognitive tests."
"That would have made me hate your sister." Lena summed up. "You're lucky, you know I'm going to forgive you for this."
"I hope so." Kara breathed out her worry honestly. "Now stop wasting sleep time." She urged her.
"Talk to you in an hour Kara." Lena shuffled again just enough to happily lean into Kara.
-x-
The electronic beep had barely hit the second note when Kara reached back and shut it off. Again she hadn't been sleep this time either, but she hadn't been as deeply in her own thoughts this time.
"Lena..." She urged when the brunette hadn't moved or seemed to wake up this time. "Time to do checks."
"Seriously?" Lena's voice was a little scratchy and half muffled from the fact she had her head turned into the pillow.
"What's my name?" Kara prompted her hoping to get this over quick and let the injured brunette get back to the sleep she seemed to be enjoying.
"Little Miss Sunshine." Lena replied.
"What company are you the head of?" Kara snorted a soft laugh knowing that Lena had used the 'nickname' a few times so it should count.
"Disney World." Lena offered dead pan.
"Lena, this is not helping... do I have to call Alex back here?" Kara warned her softly.
"No, no more prodding and flashlight tests." The youngest Luthor replied shaking her head very softly into the pillow which she hadn't roused herself from. "L-Corp... should have called it Lena-ltd."
"You should have." Kara agreed with her. "Last one and then back to dream land, what city are we in?"
"Kara really?" Lena grumbled. "I know I only moved fairly recently, but it's not like I moved from Metropolis to Little Town mid west." She objected.
"These questions aren't meant to be like a school test Lena, these are just to assess you aren't experiencing any mental lapses and can remember normal things." Kara reminded her. "I would ask you some complicated physics question but I don't know the answer." She gave a tiny chuckle. "So it wouldn't help us assess anything about how you're doing."
"I should ask you one to assess your mental balance." Lena herself chuckled. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"When you tell me what city we're in?" Kara didn't let the point go.
"Kansas." She deliberately answered incorrectly. "I'm just waiting for the munchkins to wake up."
"You can be such a rebel." Kara gave her a soft squeeze with the arm that was half wrapped around the brunette. "Just tell me what city and back to blissful sleep you go."
"You know the way we're going I could have named off most of the cities in the country, how then would you assess the appropriateness of your question?" The brunette teased.
"That you're enjoying these verbal gymnastics just to not answer the question tells me a lot. Go back to sleep then, I'll talk to you in an hour." Kara instructed with another squeeze.
With a sigh Lena settled comfortably again.
"National City." She mumbled under her breath. "Rule Nazi."
-x-
The next protocol check showed that Lena was okay but was suffering from the inevitable headache expected from such an accident, that she answered the three questions so quickly and without any backtalk that it almost did worry Kara for a second but when the brunette had simply said 'too tired' and cuddled in further the blonde hadn't really been able to argue.
When the next round of her phone beeping cut into her own unconsciousness like an unwanted foe, Kara hadn't been able to think straight enough to stop herself from reaching back and swatting at the annoying noise. The soft 'clink' of the glass front of her phone breaking under her strong hand did instantly rouse her from her own sleep and made her softly berate herself under her breath. Third phone face in a month, Winn was going to have fun chiding her as he replaced it again.
"Lena... Lena..." She gave a big yawn only half awake herself. "Time for checks."
"No... no more checks." The brunette flopped this time, the biggest movement she had made for hours, which in turn caused her to groan in pain. "I was comfortable and asleep. I'll never get that back now." She huffed perfectly grumpy in a way Kara couldn't partially think was endearing.
"Just tell me honestly, how is your head? You're enough of a scientist to know if you're experiencing anything out of bounds." Kara's sleepy voice questioned, noting in the back of her head that she wasn't even sure her phone was salvageable now to hear the other alarms.
"It hurts, but I am fully aware of where I am, how I did it, and the four e-mails I would have gone back to write after my shower had this not happened." Lena replied opening green eyes to see if they would adjust to the dim light.
"Just promise you'll tell me if anything seems odd, or your having any trouble... do you want some Advil for the pain? Alex said it was okay to take some but nothing stronger." Kara lifted up a little to look at the brunette where she had flipped more onto her back.
Lena turned her focus to the blonde and for a moment the brunette's brow pulled into a frown, and green eyes blinked and then squinted a little before she reached her good hand back to check the pulse point on her temple.
"What? What's wrong? Are you dizzy? Vision blurry?" Kara instantly panicked when she saw the moment of 'something' flash across Lena's face.
"Kara?" Lena's voice was small this time, her hand a little shakily moving to touch the blonde's cheek. "I..." She squinted more.
"You?" Kara's voice was almost a whisper of worry and concern as she leaned just a tiny bit into the touch thinking the physical connection would help clear up whatever confusion that Lena was experiencing.
"Supergirl?" Lena's voice also was a confused whisper as she let her hand move to brush over a thick curl of blonde hair.
At that moment Kara felt like some giant alien had come and just ripped the whole two floors above her apartment off as somehow, at the same time, the rest of the world had sunk out from underneath them, leaving them hovering there in space.
"Let me get some Advil to help with the pain." Kara felt herself push out the words more than decide it was a good way to deflect the confusion, after all... was it right to act as if Lena was confused, which would suggest her head injury was worse when the reality was that the brunette was actually just seeing the truth that Kara had always been hiding in front of her.
"Okay." Lena's voice was still quiet and unsure.
"Lena..." Kara's voice was filled with such softness and concern that it was almost a medicine in and of itself. Blue eyes locking with green ones for a long silent moment and as a soft unsure smile spread across the blonde's features. She released a hastily held breath as she leaned a little harder into the fingertips that had returned to her cheek after running over her hair. "Leave it to you to figure things out at the most unlikely time." Her voice was nearly silent but in the quiet of the early morning city, not to mention that there was only inches between them, meant even the pain that Lena was in, it would have been impossible for the brunette to miss them.
"Supergirl." Lena said the odd but yet familiar name as, with her fingers shaking slightly she drew them over the line of the blonde's cheek bone and then up and over a soft eyebrow. "I think I prefer Kara." The slimmest of smile's came to the brunette's unpainted lips, the result giving her a soft almost vulnerable look in contrast with the confident red that usually lingered there. "Is this some kind of dream? My head tricking me?" She queried softly.
"No, not unless you'd rather it be." Kara shook her head softly, making blonde curls bounce a little around her face. "I just... always promised myself if you said it, before I managed to get the nerve to tell you, I wouldn't lie about it. A sin of omission is still a sin I guess, but lying just feel so much worse than not saying anything." There was a slight tremor in the blonde's voice as she made the soft admission of where her mind had been, where her mind was really.
"Does it change us? Should it change us?" Lena asked, her smile dissipating as her brow furrowed enough to pull at the still angry looking wound on her head.
"No." Kara's immediate answer came with a harder head shake, with her not burdened by a head injury. "I hope not... it doesn't for me. I haven't changed." She tried to explain but she knew her own heart was racing as it always did when she felt exposed. "I hope all it means is that now you know sometimes I wear a suit and fly around helping people. I hope it means... you know exactly what I'm saying when I say I will always try to protect you, from anything, from anyone... if I can."
"So we can go back to sleep? This test is over?" Lena's frown was still lightly etched into her brow.
"Let me get the pills, they might help the headache." Kara felt a soft frown pull at her own features, suddenly hating herself for having said anything because it was obvious something had just changed, and she was unsure if it was for the better. The frown etching in harder she began to pull away, finding her leg a little tangle in the blanket and it wasn't the easy quick move she had hoped it could be.
"Kara... just come back.." Lena pressed up on her good arm to sit. "I don't need pills, I just need my pillow."
This small phrase managed to erase the frown as Kara nodded and shifted her weight to settle back down, moving her arm to offer Lena the same space she'd been occupying before. The brunette leaned back from her semi upright position to put herself back fully against Kara's body, her hand reaching up to see if Kara's fingers were still close enough to interlace with.
Those searching fingers didn't have to work hard before they found what they were looking for and Kara's fingers interlaced with the brunette's once again.
To Be Continued in Episode Four...