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 this chapter specifically 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 Seven: Two Nights in Zurich
By: The Rainbow Writers
It seemed to Kara that her life was controlled by threes. It had been three days since Kara had said goodbye to the brunette and she knew that she was obsessing about the fact that she hadn't heard anything from Lena other than a quick text to let Kara know she had landed and was due at her first meeting in three hours. It was, by her calculations that if it was three pm with her it was midnight already in Zurich, so the chances of a message were slipping away, and it was at least the third time she had refreshed all her messenger programs and E-mail accounts to check just in case. She wasn't really surprised therefore when Jimmy wandered over to where she was perched on the edge of a random desk just staring at the phone in her hand.
"You okay?" The warm voice broke into Kara's consciousness as Jimmy settled against the desk close by. "You've been sitting there looking at your phone since the meeting ended and that was seven minutes ago."
"Sorry? Yeah, I'm fine." Kara immediately perked up and tried to cover up by stuffing the phone deep into her back pocket. She saw the raise of his eyebrow that told her he wasn't buying the lame attempt at deception, not that she was good at it anyway. "Just was half expecting a text from someone that hasn't come." She let out a soft breath.
Jimmy laughed softly and nodded.
"I've been where you are." He said not fully understand what Kara had meant. "Waiting for that reply from your source who had great information and the perfect lead..." He breathed out. "I hate to tell you this, but that message probably isn't coming."
"Yeah." Kara let out a hard long sigh and agreed with him, really knowing she didn't want to explain to him the real situation. That she had hoped that despite being so busy Lena would have just had to find the time to touch base, check in, something. "I guess sometimes we have to remember that sources are people, not just a link to a story, their lives take precedent over a good scoop." She breathed out again. "Or the heat is just too much."
"Yeah." Jimmy pushed up and reached to lightly put his hand on Kara's arm. "Stick with it Kara, there are stories out there and you have great instincts." He complimented her not really noticed when there came a muffled ding from Kara's pocket. "You'll be after my job in no time."
"Right after Snapper actual learns my name." Kara gave a soft laugh, of course she had heard the ping and now she was literally jumping to pull her phone out and see what it was. Warring with herself, she decided it wasn't too big a fib to go along with his 'assumption' and easing it out of her pocket. "Here's hoping that buzz was what I need." She made the honest comment that could be taken either way and as she brought the screen to life with her finger and saw the notification come up with '1 New message from LL' she nearly jumped out of her skin. "You must be good luck, I have to go... deal... thanks." She took a few steps away from him with a grin. "Really Jimmy, thanks." She added in a softer more connected voice to him and watched him nod and then motion for her to go.
Heading straight towards the elevator, she ducked into a rarely used hallway and finally brought the message up to look at it.
L: 'God I miss you, my life is horrible.'
K: 'I miss you too, what is going on that is so bad? You can talk to me.'
She hesitated for a moment and then sent a little blue love heart after it.
There was a long moment before anything came in reply to this but then.
L: 'Kara? Hey hi.'
K: 'Hi! You weren't expecting me to be waiting for you to message me were you? Well I am, because I miss you, so why is it so horrible?'
L: 'Horrible, yeah right sorry I was being a drama queen I'm just tired these meetings are endless and everyone hates me'
The blonde looked down at the message and felt a pang of hurt in her heart for the brunette. After all how could anyone hate Lena? That she couldn't understand.
K: 'Not everyone, I don't hate you. So the Swiss are dumb and don't know a great thing when they meet one, their loss.'
She hit send and then quickly started typing again.
K: 'You're allowed to be a drama queen, it's just you and me, I'd watch a whole play of you."
The reply again took some time.
L: 'Youd hare it the whol play.'
It took Kara a minute to decipher but she was typing the next moment.
K: "No, I wouldn't. Even if you read the phone book, the boring Swiss one.'
L: 'you know the bestards talk in diffeent language when they want to talk about me.'
K: "Hire an interpreter to narc on them!'
L: 'I speak the fucking languae... all of them'
K: 'Lena, I'm sorry their so mean. They're clearly jealous of how smart you are.'
L: 'A dumb whore with her btroths shoes on'
K: 'Lena...'
The blonde started her response, biting her lip as she stood there in the hallway with the odd employee going past her and tried to decide if she should even type this.
K: 'Do you want me to come see you?'
The pause this time was the longest yet.
L: 'Dear kara, no, im fine'
K: 'You're not, and that's okay, no one is fine dealing with bunch of mean girls (or boys, I won't call them men). We can just... talk.'
As she was waiting for a reply, the small red dot's on the messenger telling her a reply was being typed, the phone itself began ringing bright, the name 'Alex' flashing at the top of the screen.
"No, no." Kara cursed at the phone and finally hit accept. "Hey Alex, what's up?" She tried to answer as casually as she could.
"We need you, Hudson park, something big and yellow." The reply came in Alex's usually direct tone as the sound of a small explosion could be heard in the background.
"I'm on my way, I just have to get out of the building." Kara's feet were already heading to the emergency stairs to head to the roof. The whole time she stared at the phone and the little dots on the messenger that indicated that Lena was still typing almost haunting her now as her desperation for a response grew.
Instead of words a photograph quickly loaded up on the screen. Lena was laid out on a large hotel bed, her hair down, a pair of glasses pushed up onto her head She was dressed in a full three piece suit, with the tie only a little undone, the top button still fastened. In the CEO's hand was a large glass of amber liquid. The words 'wish you were here' scrawled over the empty space on the bed, obviously with an editing program.
K: 'You look beautiful in a suit, like a black and white movie star.'
Her fingers flew over the screen as she stared at the photo and breathed in and out a few times before she quickly changed into her super suit and took to the air.
-x-
The description of big and yellow that Alex had first used on the phone had in one sense been correct, but as Kara flew at the twenty foot high gelatinous blob that was engulfing and dissolving everything in its path as it moved through Hudson Park, Kara knew her sister could have given her a little more to prepare her for the chaos when she arrived.
Supergirl had flown straight in, using her speed to quickly move the stragglers in the park who hadn't run away but instead had tried to shelter in place. There had been an older man hiding behind a bench, the hot dog cart man clutching to his stall, and a woman who reminded her of Eliza a little walking a new puppy. The little dog had been doing his best to snarl and growl at the enormous alien creature, doing nothing to help his mother's attempt at hiding behind a small bit of stone fence.
Once all the civilians were safe, Kara moved in front of the creature and tried to assess what would be the best course of action. Not hesitating she let out a stream of icy breath and though the creature tried to fight her, its forward progress was soon stopped and it just jiggled in place. It appeared to have become too viscous for movement.
In this state, Kara was able to observe that within the middle of the goo was what looked like a hard metallic center. Trying to judge what exactly was going to be the best course of action to take with this particular foe, she flew down to land in front of it and reached out to test whether it could cause her harm through the same mechanism that it had been melting trees and fences. When the contact between her finger and the outer edge of the yellow creature didn't cause her any pain, she stood at the ready as the creature seemed to wiggle more and more before it counteracted the freezing.
Behind her she could hear her sister telling her to be careful, but of course Kara knew that sometimes in a fight like this careful was a relative turn. Taking to the air again she backed up a little just as the creature began to engulf a series of benches, before with a burst she went through the middle of the yellow blob but on the way hit the central metallic core with a hard right hook. The goo seemed to move with the punch as if she was hitting the jaw of any other normal foe she would fight, and as Supergirl flew out the other side, the goo lurched its the side and then collapsed in a shorter mound, pooling into a large divot in the grass.
"Okay big and yellow is well... unconscious..." Kara had already shaken most of the residual goo off by the time she flew over to land next to her sister. She took the towel that her sister had handed her to wipe the sludge that was on her hands and arms off completely. "You can deal with this? I have a fire at work I had to leave and if I don't get back to it..." She questioned her sister quickly.
"Sorry I had no idea, you should have said something." Alex instant frowned softly.
"No, it's okay I know when you only give me 'big and yellow' it's important." Kara gave her a soft smile. "But... your team can take it from here? I'll pack it in the van if you need me too, we're going to need a big bucket."
"Kara it's fine we just couldn't do what was necessary to get it to that stage." She glanced at the unconscious blob, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched her sister's movements and micro expressions. "Kara, really is it bad at work? There are other places you could work, even as a journalist. You don't have to deal with any crap that man is throwing at you."
"No, it's not like that, just something I'm working on that I want to get right you know. Not give Snapper an excuse to say I'm failing out." Kara shook her head to the worry. "I'll keep you in my pocket in case I need you to scare him one day, how's that?" She offered the compromise.
"I can live with that." Alex gave her little sister a broad proud smile. "Go sock it to him, Little Danvers."
"Don't take any flack from the wimpy yellow blob, Big Danvers." Kara smiled back at her just as proud and then finally took the air.
As soon as she was high enough she retrieved her phone from her boot and scrolled down the messages she'd missed.
L: 'Gretta Garbo? Kthrine Hepbirn?'
L: 'too cdlose to call huh'
L: 'You found somethgn else to do.. odnt blame you'
L: 'Im going to get some air.. a wakl maybe'
The messages had gaps of about three minutes in between, though the last had a slightly longer lapse as if Lena had been holding on for some sort of response and then had just given up on her.
For a moment Kara grappled with sending a message back to explain, calling Lena directly to hear the sound of her voice or well... it was the third option she took as she headed off trying not to break the speed of sound accidentally, at least until she was clear of the city.
-x-
"Katherine Hepburn." Kara kept her voice soft as she let her feet touch the ground, having changed back into her normal clothes before she landed in order to not stand out as Supergirl when there wasn't any reason she'd be needed in Zurich. As she'd been at Catco, she was wearing a simple pair of cream dress pants and a white blouse with a spattering of sparkles in the fabric that seemed to glow in the evening light.
The park she'd landed in was pristine, carefully manicured lawns sat behind the cobblestone outer walls. The paths were made of perfect river stones and wound through trees, artisan topiarys and well maintained hedges. The park was silent and empty, well other than the suited figure that was slowly stood by the central fountain throwing pebbles into the water. The sound of the disturbance lost in the whoosh of the water that spouted from the top of a cherubic angel's halo and cascaded down the various carved stone levels until it rejoined the main pool.
Lena lowered the hand that held the next rock slowly as she turned her head to see Kara walking towards her, it clicking against the path when she dropped it. Tears instantly sprang into green eyes, a hard sob literally just breaking from painted lips at the sight of the blonde.
"Oh Lena." Kara instantly rushed forward with her, arms open and engulfed her in as strong a hug as she dared. "There was a thing, trying to eat the city... that's why I wasn't here sooner."
The brunette literally crumpled against the strong body holding her, her hard sobs shaking her to her core.
It would have been hard for Kara to miss the mix of perfume, scotch and tears as she kept Lena in her arms. She rubbed one hand up and down her back through the rough wool of the expensive suit, just standing there in silence as she let Lena cry.
-x-
Lena for her part had remained silent since they'd left the park to come back to her suite. She reminded Kara of a porcelain doll, and the blonde made sure to be as soft and as gentle with her as she could. One by one, the brunette's jacket, vest, shoes and the pants that still had a hard perfect crease in each leg were now a lump on the floor.
Pulling down the bedclothes, she made a quick decision to peel off her own shirt knowing it would be itchy to the sensitive brunette. The move left her in a white strap top and her dress pants, her shoes already toed off when she'd taken Lena's smart well shined shoes off. It had been clear the brunette really had been trying to show them she was now in the place her brother had once been.
"It's sleepy time." Kara whispered softly as she moved to pull the tie up over Lena's head, and then undid the top two buttons to make it more comfortable for her to sleep in the shirt. "Can you lie down?" She asked the question of her softly and didn't so much get an agreement as the brunette just collapsed onto the mattress and it was left to Kara to move around and ease in behind her, settling the blankets up over them. She twirled up the wild black locks to the back of Lena's neck before she settled there with her. Another question burned on the tip of her tongue, but instead of asking it she made another choice and pressed herself in closer, wrapping her one arm around Lena's stomach to complete the full body connection as the other wrapped up over the top the brunette's head on the pillow.
"I don't deserve you." Lena whispered sadly as she let the tension fall out of her body, now that it had somewhere to rest.
"Yes, you do." Kara whispered back. "And even if you won't believe me, I know it's true."
-x-
After Alex had done all the necessary follow up work on their latest alien 'visitor', she had quickly packed all the things she might need to focus on throughout the evening and headed straight out of the DEO. Her destination, Catco, to check in with her sister, hoping to find the blonde calmer and more grounded than she had seemed on their call out.
She had been discouraged more or less instantly after she had arrived, discovering Kara wasn't anywhere to be found. The feeling underlined even more so when she'd run into Jimmy and through their brief conversation confirmed that he hadn't seen Kara since the two of them had had a chat about a 'source' that she'd had that had let her down.
The brunette's anxiety had climbed even further when she had then gone to Kara's apartment, only to find it empty, with no trace of the blonde having been around for at least the whole day. Not really knowing her next move, Alex had returned to her car, her mind rolling with idea and worries about just what Kara was doing, where she was and why she was there.
It was true that her sister had mentioned a 'work' thing that she was focused on, but that didn't really match with all Jimmy had said about the fact that Kara had seemed to have been waiting for someone to call her before her next step of journalistic investigation could begin. The idea that her sister had maybe lied to one or both of them made her worry increase a thousand fold
Pulling out her phone the older Danvers had quickly punched in a familiar number, not surprised when Maggie had picked up before the third ring. Getting straight to the point Alex had asked if the two of them could meet up ASAP in their usual bar, the Agent needing to talk about what was going on before she totally lost it.
It was this history of the last hour of Alex's life that had lead to now, her literally marching through the door into the bar, not even pausing as she usually did to get a general cope of the crowd only looking specifically for Maggie. The detective was sitting at the bar obviously having been sitting there waiting for her girlfriend. Continuing the stalking pace she had set, Alex crossed the busy room and dropped onto the stool beside her heavily.
"Hey." Maggie turned slightly to smile a charming smile at her and then let her attention flick to the bartender who was going by carrying a container of used bottles. "Can we get another beer when you get a chance?" She ordered the drink specifically for Alex as her attention moved back completely to the other brunette. "So... how many minutes until the world is gonna end this time?" Her tone was serious, as in fact considering the life that Alex led working for the DEO and with her sister being Supergirl, Maggie fully expected that something big was going on.
"The world's not in danger." Alex shook her head. "Well I suppose it might be in a round about way." She mused momentarily. "This is about Kara."
"Okay." Maggie gave a soft nod. "What's wrong with Kara?" She offered the wide open question hoping it might actually help Alex talk to her about what was going on. "Is she having hold over from being sick?"
"Oh God I hadn't even thought that." Alex cursed and shook her head tightly, the other woman's words obviously adding to the concern that filled her mind.
"Danvers, come on, start at the beginning and I promise to offer whatever help I can." Maggie reached out putting her hand on Alex's arm as a new beer slid onto the bar top nearby.
"I'm not very good at that." Alex admitted, though she had to admit just the touch of Maggie's hand on her arm had actually settled her a little. "I just..." She paused again. "I think maybe Kara's in some kind of trouble." She gave a brief idea of the point. "I think she's lying to me, maybe to more people than just me."
"Well that is a pretty big accusation, especially knowing your sister is the paragon of good and all that." Maggie admitted taking a sip of her own beer. "What did she do or say that makes you think she's lying?"
"Earlier we were both called out to an alien incident which, if you ever wanted to see a living blob of lemon jello, now's your chance. But Kara was... distracted, like she wasn't really there with me. Often she likes to hang around after the take down, just to makes sure everyone is okay, or in this case I felt sure she'd want to poke it some more and figure out whether or not it was actual jello but..." Alex shook her head. "She didn't, she barely stayed long enough to say anything to me. I called her on it and she said there was a 'work' thing that she was dealing with and it needed all of her immediate attention."
The brunette picked up her beer and drunk a large swallow.
"So you know she didn't have DEO work to do, 'cause you were literally doing DEO work when she tried to skip out on the jello poking... which for the record, hell ya I want to meet the Blob. I've seen all the movies." Maggie tried to get her girlfriend to at least smile, and she was pleased to get a slight smirk around the bottle of beer as Alex drank from it. "And then I'm guessing you went to her 'other' job and..." She prompted the next logical 'detective' fact gathering step.
"How did you know I would do that?" Alex blinked, lowering the beer.
"Girl, you might be a federal agent and I'm just a lowly vice detective but the art of investigation is the same no matter the badge. You work from A to B to C and so forth." Maggie pointed out. "So what did you find at her other job?"
"Nothing, well no Kara at any rate." Alex summed up. "I did however find Jimmy, who runs Catco in Cat's absence and he told me a rather different take in that Kara had told him that she was frustrated waiting for a source of hers who had just dropped her stifling her investigation."
"Hmmmm... okay." Maggie narrowed her eyes a little. "And then I'm guessing you went by Kara's? Because you don't want to just call her and pin her down just yet."
"Exactly." Alex nodded motioning to Maggie in agreement. "And she wasn't there. No sign of her at all, not even an empty pizza box on the island." She forced a breath out.
"Okay hold on..." Maggie held up her hand which was gripped around her beer softly to stop Alex from continuing. "So the evidence you have for sure is that your sister was distracted from doing the 'extra work' she would normally do at the DEO and said to you that she had something on the go she was needed to focus on." She got an immediate first nod from Alex. "And when you went to Catco it was obvious it's not a story that she's focusing on, but she also underlined to this Jimmy that she was waiting on someone..."
"Exactly and..." For the first time Alex actually seemed to calm down a little. She looked at her girlfriend, her features softening just a small amount. "I know about something going on and I'm worried it's linked to that. And before you ask what 'else' is going on I am about to tell you."
"I'm not thinking it's a what else so much as a 'who' else Alex." Maggie smirked at her. "It's sounding like your sister is chasing someone."
"I thought that, but the person I thought that might be... It can't be." Alex was deliberately vague.
"Why can't it be? Are they on a space ship on their way to Mars?" The detective made the joke before taking a sip of her beer.
"No they're busy, and I mean don't take a break busy, even for Supergirl." Alex sighed. "And I'm worried that because of how Kara is right now, the things we've talked about and she's working through.." Alex stopped again. "I think maybe she's doing something she shouldn't to try and get answers."
"Whoa, slow down." Maggie put her beer down and shook her head. "How did we get to where ever here is from there?" She shook her head. "Step by step, you know how this works Alex. So, you know who you're sister's boo is and as far as you know said..."
"She doesn't have a boo, she's working out if she wants a boo." The other woman clarified.
"So Kara has a crush, yes?" Maggie tried to clarify.
"No... yes..." Alex seemed to get frustrated a moment. "You remember when you were younger, you know trying things out because you didn't know if you'd like them or not... well no most people do that, I didn't..."
"Alex, you didn't do anything that unusual." Maggie's voice was soft as she reassured her. "It takes time to figure things out, but what I'm getting here is that Kara's a bit of a late bloomer too, and you're afraid she's what... out seeing how much stamina she really has? Trying drugs... alien drugs..." She added to broaden the category. "Generally stepping out of her good girl shoes to walk on the wild side?"
Alex took another deeper breath this time obviously examining and categorizing exactly if this was what she was worried about.
"Yeah, sort of." She squinted slightly. "She's been questioning things about feelings, the expression of those feelings... sex." She offered the word with almost trepidation.
Maggie for a moment couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Danvers, I know what you're like after hours, under the sheets and you're saying that word like it's going to burn your tongue." The Detective couldn't help but laugh. "Is the idea that your sister is out sowing some wild oats that horrible to you? I bet there are a bunch of hunky men who would love to do things with Supergirl."
"It's not the sex thing... well no it is because Kara is only like 15 in my head and suddenly she's gone from innocent to asking me how it feels when you're turned on." The brunette widened her eyes in Maggie's direction. "She's never and I meant never been like this before, when we were teenagers she kissed like two boys and then moved on, even when I was full out dating she used to shrug and just say 'I don't get it' and then tease me about 'swapping spit' being gross."
The entire run down was making Maggie grin more and more as it became clear that Alex was having a near mental breakdown about the fact that her sister, the illustrious Supergirl was finally having her own sexual awakening it seemed.
"I can get all that, from your position as her sister." Maggie tried to break the issue down further. "But for the record if I was her friend I'd be giving her a list of bars and telling her to try every flavour she can get her legs around before she makes any big decisions." She saw the way Alex put her head in her hand immediately in panic and Maggie held up her own hand. "But luckily she is not getting advice from me... but... I do happen to know a little about you Danvers sisters and what you said before, Kara has a specific person whose prompted this little awakening yeah?" She checked she was right.
"Yeah and she's not here and I'm..." Alex began.
"She?" Maggie injected the word after making a slight noise in her throat of surprise. "Your sister has entered puberty over a girl?" Her eyebrows raised.
"Yes." Alex breathed out in a hard sigh. "Which meant all of it she's sharing with me, because I know all about it, in my three months of lesbianism."
"You, Danvers are so cute." Maggie couldn't help but leaning forward and giving her a brief brushed kiss. "So who is it? Whose got your sister's motor running? Is she another superhero? Wonder Woman? She does it for everybody, gay or straight."
"Lena Luthor." Alex literally whispered the name. "A human, all be it very 'powerful' human, who could get really hurt, really easily if Kara's just... working things out without meaning it..."
"Hang on!" Maggie cut her off again already having sat back on her chair at the revelation. "That is a lot to unpack Alex." She gave her reason for interrupting. "I mean... first... Kara, who... wait... her little trips to boys town... has she ever..." She left the question open.
"No." Alex shook her head.
"Wow." Maggie let the word slip out. "But kinda making sense since you just said Luthor is the first time she's every acted... well... like a cat in heat?" She used the base phrasing to try and get Alex to at least talk more with her then she ever would with Kara.
"She's not even acting like that, or at least she wasn't, before the worries of today happened." Alex revealed.
"Alex..." Maggie paused to take a sip. "Did anything happen between the two of them with your sister being sick? Thinking someone is going to die, it makes people say stuff they're holding back ya know?"
"Actually it all started when Lena was the sick one." Alex shook her head. "I'd never seen Kara so... uneven, off keel. She was literally panicked that something was going to happen to her that she couldn't stop." The brunette explained. "I called her out on that and a few of their 'behaviours' towards each other and that's when the questions started." She licked her lips. "Everything from snow globe moments to the definition of how a 'knot' in her 'stomach' would sort itself out."
"Honey, where is Lena that she's not available right now?" Maggie asked the question as a theory formed in her own head. "Did they have a fight? Call a time out?"
"No, Lena is away on a business trip, for the week, and she asked Kara for zero contact because she needed to focus solely on everything there." Alex told her girlfriend all Kara had about Lena being busy for the next while, which had increased her own number of 'cute' animal pics by at least 30%.
"Babe, I am going to reassure you right now that you're sister is not out bar hopping or bed hopping or getting high in an alley with some weird guy named 'Rob'." Maggie reached and took Alex's hand. "Because from what you're telling me... this isn't so much Kara's puberty moment, it sounds a lot more like her 'first love' moment." A sly smile crossed her face. "Look at all the evidence Agent Danvers." She paused for a moment. "Kara's wherever Lena is Alex, after all... distance isn't the problem it is for us non fliers." She winked at her.
"No." Alex shook her head. "Supergirl wouldn't just up and leave National City." She denied hard. "Kara wouldn't travel who knows where without telling me so I didn't worry."
"How exactly have you been reacting to this whole Lena Luthor awakening?" Maggie raised her eyebrow.
"Amazingly." Alex instantly bit out and the quickness of her absolute over the top word made Maggie back at a laugh.
"Oh no Danvers, you might want to think that but... this is your baby sister. Who you have, and I'm not being mean, but you two have boundary issues sometimes. I bet you've been helpful but at the same time completely freaked out by the fact it's Lena Luthor and trying to stamp out any fires of attraction at the first spark because you want Kara to still be 14 and never have to deal with the shit you have trying to get to the good stuff." She squeezed the hand still in her own.
Alex stayed quiet for a long moment.
"I may have taken a few wrong steps, made a few mistakes since this all began but..." She huffed out and then sighed, letting the move drop her tense shoulders. "Okay one of them was huge but..." She looked into soft eyes. "You're right I've been the equivalent of a fire extinguisher putting out a sparkler."
"Which is okay, you're her big sister, you never have to be 'cool' with the fact that she's horny." Maggie pointed out reassuringly.
"Never... Never say that word again in relation to my sister. My sister is having feelings of a mature nature, that covers it." Alex's tone was tainted by a hint of defense.
"Right, exactly, you don't have to be 'cool' with that." Maggie smiled at her. "But you do have to get your head around the fact that Kara is a woman, well a female... and we 'all'..." She put heavy stress on the word. "Have those mature natural feelings, hell I know you do." She reached out and pinched Alex's ass where it was on the stool to make the Agent jump and give a slightly girlie squeak. "Alex, really... what you need to get your head around is that Kara needs to explore this the way Kara needs to explore this. Some of that will be by asking you questions, picking your brain and your heart for ideas to understand but some of it babe, is going to be more hands on practical and the only one she wants to do that with is Lena." She spelled out the issue.
"You really think she's with her right now don't you?" Alex looked to her girlfriend for honesty.
"Yes and I'll tell you why." Maggie slipped off her stool to slip her arms around Alex's waist. "Because your sister doesn't lie to you, and I think part of the reason she gave you a vague half excuse and then rushed off was because she didn't want to lie to you. A half truth can be justified, especially when you're only thinking with half your brain..."
"If your next line has anything to do with what the other half of her brain is doing, I'm going to..." She held up her finger to the other woman.
"See you already get it." Maggie didn't finish her sentence because it did indeed suggest where the rest of Kara's focus was. "Remember the first time you wanted to figure out how it all worked? The strange knots, the world going sideways for no reasons, your body feeling like a firecracker with a lit fuse."
"I do actually..." Alex's tone softened out entirely as she looped her arms around Maggie's neck. "About six weeks ago."
Maggie shared a similar grin with her girlfriend for a long moment.
"So, Agent Danvers, the next step in any investigation is a stake out..." Maggie began to lead her towards an idea that was forming in her head.
"You and I head over to Kara's place... wait it out." Alex's smile was turning more coy. "Work it out." She added lower.
"I love how you think." Maggie leaned in to kiss her again quickly and then turned to pick up her beer. "Chug, we don't know how long till she gets home."
-x-
Alex walked into Catco, a large cup in one hand, obviously full of something delicious, a box of donuts in the other, as she made a bee-line for the office that no one seemed to know Kara had. Kicking the closed barrier lightly with her booted toe as she got there.
"Alex, that's my door." Kara looked up from her laptop with a soft half smile half scowl. "What are you doing here so early anyway?"
"It's not that early, it's after nine." The brunette shrugged. "But I wanted to see my little sister, see how she was, strut around her office floor a little looking dangerous, you know setting a tone for everyone to think about." She put the drink down and the donuts. "The drink is mine." She warned with a look.
"But are there jellies?" Kara couldn't help but move the box closer and open it. Grinning when she saw her favourites and immediately she took one out and took a bite. "Thank you, I really needed sugar, you must have an alarm."
"No, not exactly." The brunette took a moment to back track and close the door she had just booted open. "That is I do, but it's not based on your blood sugar. It's based more on the fact that I arrived at your place after work yesterday afternoon with pizza, calzones, and an apple pie, and I left there about an hour ago, and found you here. I didn't leave during that time so I can only tell you where you weren't and that... that sets off the alarm."
"Alex, I'm sorry, why didn't you text me? Phone me?" Kara screwed up her face putting down the half eaten doughnut.
"Because I'm your sister and I know when something is wrong and you try to avoid real explanations." Alex explained. "I was worried when I thought it was work based but now, now I'm more worried because though I don't doubt your commitment to Journalism, I know you didn't spend all night here."
"I didn't." Kara bit her lip as her face showed her guilt and her concern over her sister's worry. "I was in Zurich." She found herself just blurting it out.
Alex gave a snort and then blinked wide eyes at her younger sister.
"Zurich?" She blurted out the word with the slight bluster she knew her sister would be expecting "Lena." She said the brunette's name in a much quieter tone.
"She had a really horrible day, and she was alone and upset..." Kara began to try and explain.
"And you couldn't bear that." Alex shook her head with a sigh.
"How could I? She was crying and drinking and then she went out for a walk in a strange city in the middle of the night." Kara tried to put forward her own evidence for her choice.
"I get it." Alex's voice was soft and caring as her eyes came to look into blue ones. "You really care for her."
For some reason Kara fumbled for a minute with her phone and then pushed it towards Alex.
"She sent me that." She finally spoke the words her mouth drying out as she looked at the picture again as it slid across the desk.
Alex felt trepidation as she reached out and took the phone, looking at what was actually a stunning photograph of the CEO, all it really missed was a cigarette in the brunette's other hand and it could have been a movie poster. She couldn't help the raise in her eyebrows or the soft 'oof' that slipped from her lips.
"I think I'd have flown to Zurich for that." Alex admitted, setting the phone down again. "Was she okay?"
"By the morning she was... perfect... Lena." Kara let out a soft sigh. "We had a proper Swiss breakfast on a terrace, then she was off for more meetings and I didn't know what else to do so I flew back and came into work to try to take my mind off the fact that I won't hear from her again for another two days at least when she gets home."
"I know what you're going to think when I say this Kara, and I am not saying it for the reasons you think." Alex moved to lean her ass on the white desk. "You have to be careful with Lena, she's..." Alex hated the words that floated around her head, after all she was basing this off herself, off her own choices and actions, and reasons for being a certain way. "Broken." She offered the word carefully. "And I don't know if you understand what that means."
"That she gets lonely and she doesn't know how to let people in, that she gets scared and it's easier to run and put up all the hard edges and walls to protect herself." Kara tilted her head softly as a frown became etched on her face.
"Wow." Alex arched her eyebrows again and blew up into her hair. "Maybe you do." She looked away for a moment.
"I don't... know what it feels like, not really. When I feel alone... lonely... it's because everything I loved, everything I knew, everyone on Krypton is gone." Kara winced a little as she made the admission.
"I know and I know that that must be impossible to ignore and to go through but even through that, with all you've been through Kara, you're not broken, you are so perfect, you have such a heart, such a belief, such hope." She smiled lovingly at her sister. "And that alone, without anything else makes you so, so special." The brunette licked her lips. "But also, maybe that's because of what you are, who you are. Humans... we're messed up." She gave a sad shrug. "You've seen what we're capable of doing to each other, to anyone who's different, anyone that we believe is threatening us, even if that belief is crazy. And we don't bounce back, not completely. From every bruise, every hurt, every lie, every tragedy." Alex tried to pull in an even breath but partially failed, the air hitching just slightly in her chest.
"They called her a dumb... w-whore... in a language they thought she didn't understand." Kara's voice cracked as her eyes welled up with tears. "Just because they're afraid of her, jealous of her."
"Oh Kara." Alex pushed closer to her sister and just pulled her into her arms, in a way really no one else ever did, and held her so tight. "We're mean too." She agreed with the level of pain all this obviously brought to Kara. "Horribly, horribly mean and I wish right now I could face whoever they were and make it clear that a good woman is worth a thousand of them." She admitted, anger threading into her tone. "But I can't and that..." Alex shook her head against the side of her sisters head. "Makes me so angry, for Lena, for you, for the whole sorry mess that is humanity."
"How do you do it? After something beats you down, kicks you while your there, and then just get up and keep going?" Kara asked the question in a soft whisper. "If you don't feel hope, if you don't believe it will get better."
"Some people don't." Alex hated the fact that this was a horrible truth but she had made a promise to herself and to Kara, that she would be true and help the younger woman if she could and right now the Kryptonian didn't need words of placation, she needed the truth. "They get beat down, broken, and often... make the answer oblivion. An end that offers none of the pain, none of the struggle."
"There was no such idea as suicide on Krypton, no one ever felt that... purposeless, lost. You return to Rao when it is time, no sooner, no later." Kara held onto her sister a bit tighter.
"Over 132 people end their lives everyday Kara, and that's just here in our country." Alex whispered the statistic that she knew so well.
It was hard to tell if Kara tried to form a word or just made the wounded noise on purpose as she buried her face into Alex's neck and sobbed suddenly. Knowing she couldn't do anything else, Alex just held her tightly and let her cry for a few moments.
"Now, clearly you do need natural sugar, so first you're going to eat those doughnuts and then..." Alex moved back to sit down and open the top of her coffee. "You should come with me Kara, there is something you need to see."
-x-
Alex had checked over her shoulder a dozen times or more as she led the way for her sister to follow down the familiar DEO hallways. She then turned into a room and paused at the door before closing it behind the two of them.
"Thank you for coming with me after all I said, well tried to say." The brunette moved to snap on a monitor and obviously flicked around a few places before finding what she was looking for. "I just wanted to..." She stopped and breathed out. "I was going to get you to watch this sometime but I didn't have an agenda with it as it were but..." She stopped with a quick shake of her head. "I just want you to know that I'm not trying to judge Lena, or find a fault with her, I just... I know I'm right." She nodded for Kara to sit down on the chair in front of the computer terminal. "It's all keyed up, just..." She pointed to the keyboard but she knew the blonde knew exactly how to operate their system. "I'll be outside." She pointed to the door and backed up to it. "For what it's worth, I like her." She said before slipping out.
Kara took a deep breath, reaching up tentatively to click the mouse in order to start the video rolling. A bland view of her prone on a metal bed, the swirls and spots that Lena had mentioned to her that made her look like Bambi visible to bring a soft smile to her fact to start.
Then the forms of what became clear was Lena and Alex coming down into the hallway, stopping outside, eyes flashing at each other in what she recognized was a disagreement before they seemed to soften to each other again and then finally Lena came into the room and her sister remained outside.
Kara watched as Lena delicately made her way to her beside, heard Lena start talking and saw her own hand come out searching for the brunette who took it immediately.
And then the words came, the ones she knew Alex had based all she had said off of and for the second time that day Kara found herself sobbing.
-x-
Lena barely looked as she pressed through the rotating doors of the hotel, the bright brass hardware shining too much for the headache that she had, and the walls of varnished wood hell that had met her for the last four days seemed to darken her vision even more.
Not that there was anything wrong with the hotel, indeed it was beautiful with clean lines and decorative blanket and pictures of white capped mountains everywhere, but right now it was everything Lena hated. It screamed of transiency, impersonal emptiness and false perfection and she wanted none of that. Until so recently that was all her life had been filled with, but since moving to National City Lena had changed and she didn't want to go back.
Keeping the dark over-sized sunglasses she was wearing down over her eyes, she began the swift walk from the entrance through the lobby towards the elevator but her fast footfalls slowed as for some reason she looked up and couldn't help but notice a blonde, perching in one of the beige chairs by the far window. Dressed in a brown tonal sweater and a soft looking pair of cords, she stood out in the very metropolitan crowd.
Reaching up Lena pulled the glasses half way down her nose, though her feet had already changed their trajectory and were pulling her towards the very solitary figure.
"Kara?" Lena pressed her pace a little to bring her right to the chair she was sat in.
"Lena, hey, whew I was afraid I was going to miss you and..." She glanced towards the hotel's front desk. "Mr. Klaus over there does not like me." She made a soft worried face.
"Everyone likes you remember." Lena smiled easily repeating the phrase often used by the blonde.
"I know usually but I found someone who doesn't, Mr. Klaus." Kara bit her lip lightly. "He thinks I cheapen his lobby." She put on a soft voice.
"No, he probably just doesn't understand how you can afford to be just sitting in the hotel and not out working hard enough to pay for the room." Lena corrected her still smiling almost as bright as the evening sun that was setting out of the window behind Kara.
"One problem, I am not paying for a room." Kara gave a nervous laugh. "And he also seemed to think I was stalking you."
This made Lena laugh again and shake her long dark hair, that again was down, this time flowing over a light grey suit paired with a deep red blouse with a tied bow on the low neckline.
"Well right now he's wondering what he's going to have to give me for free for offending my guest." She said smugly.
"Oh be nice, he brought me water begrudgingly." Kara motioned to the small glass next to her chair. "The fourth time he tried to make sure I was in the right place."
"Come with me." Lena held out her hand suddenly for Kara's. It was taken without hesitation and Kara pushed up to stand as Lena had obviously wanted her to. Then with a purpose Lena stalked her way with Kara to the front desk, pulling the glasses off her face completely.
"Why is my guest in your lobby as if she is unwelcome Mr... " She made a point of staring down, which considering she was shorter than the man, at his name tag. "Klaus? Did she not make it clear to you that she was here to meet with me?"
-x-
"I though he was going to pee himself." Kara couldn't help but giggle as the doors to the elevator closed, one of her hands still clasped in Lena's, in the other around an expensive bottle of wine that had been handed first to Lena and then to Kara to hold as the brunette kept berating him. "And his manager, she looked like she was going to murder him."
"Wouldn't you if suddenly you were risking losing over 20,000 Euros a month in business because a staff member left a guest waiting in the lobby?" Lena pointed out as she moved to slip her glasses into the chest pocket of the suit jacket.
"To be fair I couldn't remember your suite number..." Kara tried to speak up for him.
"You should have been sat in the bar, receiving complimentary drinks that would be billed to my account while you waited." Lena pointed out the faux-pau with a shake of her head. "He was screwed and he knew it." She winked at the blonde with a bright smile.
"Are they really going to send up dinner?" Kara questioned perplexed by the whole idea of how a fancy hotel like this worked.
"They better." Lena glanced over her shoulder as the escalator reached the right level, opening silently so Lena pulled Kara out into the hallway. "And the baked Alaska should come an hour after the main and be fresh or he won't like his next run in with me." She laughed again as she drew Kara along to her suite, 401. A number she pointed to as she used her key card to gain entrance. "So..." She turned after slipping inside and releasing the warm hand in her own. She rolled her shoulders to send the suit jacket back of them a little before easing it off completely. "As lovely as this is, what are you doing here?"
This left Kara floundering for a moment, she'd been sitting in the lobby for over an hour, lucky that it hadn't been longer considering how she had no idea what time Lena was due back at her hotel anyway.
"I..." Kara took a slight breath and then slipped off her glasses remembering Lena's constant reminders that she preferred to see her eyes if the disguise wasn't necessary. "Missed you."
Lena looked down slightly the smile on her face shifting from giddy happy to heart-warmingly soft.
"I missed you too." She offered the gentle reply. "But this was nearly three minutes fly away, you can fit a lot into those lost minutes." She smirked a little coyly. "Can National City really do with out you?"
"Alex knows where I am and she will phone if I'm needed." Kara spelled out that she had covered all of her bases. "But only if I'm really needed." She smirked a little more.
"Put that bottle down, you look like a very pretty bell boy." Lena nodded to the nearest surface as she bent one leg up to ease off impossibly high heels.
"I would make a horrible bell boy." Kara did move to carefully put the bottle down on a table and smiled to herself as Lena went from taller than her to her real height in an instant, and in the one small move became somehow more Lena to her.
"Well I certainly wouldn't want you to be delivering my room service, I'd be worried it'd get eaten on the way." Lena giggled as she picked up her suit jacket and moved to hang it up in the closet.
"You'd be smart and order three times what you wanted, with lots of kale." Kara trailed behind her letting her get comfortable knowing she must have had another long trying day.
"I would, you're right." Bright red lips curled into a softer smile. "But I know you." She added gently.
"So... how bad was today?" Kara finally broached the touchy subject.
"Shorter than any other." Lena offered the first positive point that came to her mind. "And I made my final offer and left to let them think it over knowing either way tomorrow I walk away forever."
"Good, they should know better then to mess with my pillow." Kara smirked at her.
"We need to rethink that one, just because the guy who makes 'My Pillow' that my company fired six years ago." Lena laughed. "Well, he was delusional."
"Oh." Kara deflated a little. "Little pillow?"
"We could go french, 'petite pouffe'." Lena's laugh was bright and happy, far more the girl at peace that the blonde was used to when it was just them.
"I would confuse it with poodle." Kara laughed more at the option.
Still laughing Lena gathered her long straight hair and balled it up into a large puff on her head.
"Do you like my shave?" She turned to the side with a model pose.
"Never, never do that." Kara made a slight motion with her hands to indicate for her to stop as she giggled with laughter.
"This more what you were thinking.." Lena split her hair down the middle forming two 'balls' now which she held on top of each ear.
"Wait..." Kara walked slowly closer and her grin began to get even wider. "Has anyone ever told you you look a little like Princes Leia like that?"
Lena let her hair fall and reached to slap at Kara's arm.
"You think Lex and I weren't called Luke and Leia like a gazillion times by other children." She gave a mock scowl.
"But I meant it as a compliment, and Leia never needed Luke, she was Princess." Kara pointed out the evidence.
Lena laughed again and drew her hair back up to the 'buns'.
"Kara Danvers, you're my only hope..." She stood straight and looked forward as if into a projector.
Not stopping to think, Kara made the three quick steps it took to be where Lena was and literally swept her up into arms.
"I'd fly across all the galaxies to save you." Kara smiled at her.
Lena wrapped her arms high around Kara's neck and kicked her legs a little in the bridal style hold.
"In a ship you won in a bet? Does that make Alex Chewbacca?" She wiggled fine eyebrows, green eyes glittering.
"Yes, but don't tell her." Kara giggled along.
"Winn is definitely R2D2." Lena relaxed in the comfortable and safe hold. "Do you have a Light Sabre?" She wiggled her eyebrows again. "Because I might just have a laser gun."
"I bet you have a few." Kara blushed slightly and giggled more before she spun them slightly and made zooming noises like they were in a spaceship.
Lena's laughter was as bright and light as Kara had even heard it as she just held on.
"No not the asteroid field... bank to the left, THE LEFT!"
Kara pretended to fly them the wrong way through the suite before she finally collapsed back onto the huge bed letting Lena fall to land safely on top of her.
Lena just rested in place for a long moment, letting her breathing settle from the laughter, have laughed so hard she did have a soft ache in her side.
"I'm never letting you drive me anywhere, ever." She put her hand flat on Kara's chest. "No wonder you crashed your ship, you were as much of a klutz at 13 as you are now."
"I was but for record I didn't crash, it was a pre-recorded flight plan." Kara corrected her with a bright smile. "I just got, sidetracked."
"Oh, so did you come here via Ethiopia? Is that why the front desk concierge hated you, were you trailing something unmentionable from an elephant you scared flying past?" Lena lowered her hand to Kara's chest and made the motion to tickle her, suddenly realizing to herself she didn't even know if Kryptonians had the same kind of sensitivities humans did, so instead she poked Kara accusingly.
"Please no tickling." Kara suddenly answered the question for her as she continued to giggle putting up her hands in mock surrender.
"It is so good to see you." Lena moved her hand back to rest on the crest she could feel beneath the sweater the blonde was wearing. "Last night doesn't count." She made the soft reference to the day before.
"It does, but in a different column, hows that?" Kara offered back softly. "And I'd come every night if you needed me too." She added her voice going to an even more whispered tone.
Lena had been going to launch into an apology about being drunk and an emotional mess but instead she just nodded her head where it rested next to her hand on Kara's chest.
"You make it hard not to need you." She admitted in an equally soft whisper.
"It's only fair, you've made it impossible not to need you." Kara felt all of her skin grow warm all at once as she admitted the truthful words back.
"Then we're even." Lena traced the top corner of the crest on Kara's hidden suit absently as she just laid there.
"I mean it Lena..." Kara's words stayed hushed but mostly because even Supergirl found herself so unsure of what she was about to say, even though a bigger part of her felt that she couldn't let the moment pass without saying them. "You make me feel things I've never felt before, such big feelings." She breathed out the words with the honesty they held.
"Big feelings are scary." Lena continued her slow trace of the upper left corner of the glyph she could feel. "I don't mean to scare you."
"It's not scary like seeing you cry, or seeing some crazy alien try to hurt you..." Kara admitted the difference she had drawn in her line. "It's more exciting because I've never felt them before, exhilarating because I don't know where they'll take me next... confusing because I don't know if you feel anything similar..." She took a soft breath and continued not waiting Lena to feel like she'd expected a response or an admission into her inner workings. "I need to be in your space, when I'm not it feels wrong."
Lena leaned her head up a little to look into blue eyes, the dark haired frame face moving softly back and forth in a gently shake before she leaned up, letting Kara see her eyes dip closed before she lightly grazed her lips over the blonde's.
Nothing Alex could have tried to explain to her, even all those years ago when her older sister had tried to make some sense of their mother's confusing birds and the bees talk could have prepared Kara for what this felt like. Not even the handful of times now when she'd shared a kiss as an adult were even a point of comparison. Everything she was sure had stopped around them, the earth wasn't rotating, the universe held its breathe as her whole body went from warm to feeling on fire. The only word clearing in her head was 'desire', the one her sister had seemed to use over and over during their recent talks as she tried to somehow clue Kara into, that which she now knew Alex couldn't have described, even when she was trying.
Before Lena could pull back too far Kara pressed her head up and made the pressed connection between their lips again, literally craving the feeling even from the fleeting glance of the first touch.
Kara's name was moaned onto her own lips by the brunette who pressed harder into the kiss now, guiding her hand up Kara's slightly exposed neck to cup around the blonde's ear as she angled her head to keep the kiss active.
Almost reminded there was more to the two of them then their mouths, Kara's arms came up around Lena's back to pull her in softly closer, both of them angling now to draw out the animated full mouthed kiss. The fingers threading around her ear making a shiver go through her whole body that she didn't have the capacity to hide.
It was Kara's movement that seemed to break something in Lena, the brunette pulling her hand back off the blonde's skin, in a too quick motion, her lips pulling back from the warm ones that they had caressed the last second.
"I'm so sorry.." Lena's pale cheeks flushed with the most colour Kara had even seen. "That was too..."
"Don't be." Kara shook her head softly, not thinking to move her arms from around Lena who she wanted to be exactly where she was pressed against her. "I was... going to ask you if I could kiss you." She admitted a blush coming to her own cheeks at how she wasn't as bold as Lena had been.
Kara's words seemed to ease whatever panic it was that Lena was feeling, the brunette taking a more even breath as she blinked green eyes at the blonde.
"I have a reputation for being... bold." Lena let her lips morph back into a soft smile. "I just didn't want to be too bold, not with you."
"Bold is a part of who you are Lena, I don't want or need you to change that about yourself." Kara gave her what Lena had come to categorize as the Super's quirky smile. "If I'm overheating, I'll tell you." She admitted her cheeks blushing more. "You know... I'm not that experienced." She bit her lip again almost more embarrassed now that she was so 'inexperienced' almost like a teenager instead of a grown woman.
"You don't need experience Kara, you need to be you." Lena offered. "I remember when I invited you to my gala, and you came with your friend, Mike?" She let the moment play back in her head. "The way you danced, the way you were with him I thought..." She paused. "I was never a happy child Kara, never one to dream of sleeping beauty and fairy tales. Hated pink and most everything." She blinked at Kara again. "But that night, I thought you looked like a fairy tale princess, something I didn't even really believe in and yet was there, right in front of me."
"I came to the party to see you, to be in your space." Kara whispered back the admittance. "Even though everyone was worried it would be a trap for Supergirl, I didn't care... you invited me to your party, I would have went through anything to get there to see you."
Lena actually smiled again, then she tapped her hand lightly on the place on Kara's chest where it had rested.
"Put your shoes back on... we're going out." She pressed off the blonde, even though a big part of her didn't want to lose the connection, making the break she began her own path back to where her shoes and Jacket were.
"I thought we could kiss more?" Kara didn't move as fast off the bed, taking a big breath in and out as she instantly missed Lena being there.
"Later." Lena pressed up again the six inches her heels pressed her to and pulled on her jacket. "Come on slow poke."
"Yes, Princess." Kara finally teased as she pushed herself up and moved to put her own boots back on.
-x-
Kara had literally been led through by Lena, her hand in the brunette's, out of the hotel, into a cab and then out of it again. They'd arrived at an unknown venue in the unfamiliar city and she had no idea what the neat sign above the elaborate entrance even said. Not where it was, what it was, or really how the car had brought them there. She just knew she was holding Lena's hand as they pressed from the outside air, into the different cadence of the indoor location. The first thing she became aware of was music, not being played by a DJ or a sound system, but live music being played by dozens of instruments.
The venue was luxuriously decorated with realm and realms of fabric swatches and drapes, the walls themselves decorated in a bold black and white striped print as over two dozen chandeliers filled the main room. It consisted of a large dance floor that was ringed with small intimate round tables, most with no more than two chairs at each. At the top of the dance floor was the orchestra she had heard as soon as they had entered, and off to the left was an enormous bar, manned by three different bartenders. The wall behind them filled with more liquor and spirits then Kara had ever seen before.
"Dance?" Lena stood about an arms length from the blonde, but still held her hand, glancing back at the polished floor of the dance area.
An immediate broad smile of understanding finally came to Kara's face, and she immediately gave a soft almost shy nod before she stepped closer to the brunette.
"We didn't get to dance that night." Kara finally whispered when their bodies were close together and started to sway to the music.
"Exactly and it's all I wanted to do." Lena breathed back, the two of them blending seamlessly with the many other couples slow dancing already.
"But it was your party, you could have done anything, with anyone..." Kara breathed out the awed words as she slipped the hand that wasn't still tightly holding Lena's onto the brunette's hip.
"Not when the one I wanted already had a partner." Lena shook her head softly as she moved closer, not putting her hand on Kara's waist, but instead resting it flat on Kara's chest.
"He was just being polite, or I was... I didn't want to dance with him." Kara clarified the misunderstanding. "The most beautiful woman in the world had invited me to her party, me a nobody."
"My next gala I will only dance with you." Lena offered. "Not a nobody."
"Lena..." Kara leaned her head forward resting their foreheads together. "I always want to be this close, be in your space."
"When we can, we will be." Lena shifted her head slightly and just nestled it into Kara's neck. "And when we're not, we have this."
"This is perfect." Kara nestled her closer closing her eyes to memorize the feeling.
-x-
Lena couldn't remember the last time she'd had an evening like the one she just had, dancing in Kara's arms without any concern of schedule or the clock. The two of them then ordering something to eat in the beautiful dining hall attached to the dance area and spent the time gazing at each other, talking and eating as if the world barely existed around them. Then there had been the leisurely walk they had taken back to the hotel, not starting hand in hand or anything like that, but often just glancing at each other, chatting lightly about nothing of any actual purpose, time just passing by. Finally ending up arm in arm by the time they had made their way into the hotel itself. And now, back in the hotel suite, their promised meal had been sitting outside their door. Even the baked Alaska, even if it was no longer fresh, but Lena couldn't fault the hotel for that. All of it was now being devoured by Kara, who was sat on the long couch, grinning brightly between each mouthful.
"Does it taste better because it was free?" Lena asked as she crossed over to settle on the edge of the seat cushion nearest to the blonde.
"Oh yes it does." Kara grinned as she swallowed another delicious mouthful. "Mr. Klaus might not know how to treat a guest of a guest but the cooks sure know how to cook."
"Chef, the word is chef." Lena teased her smile still bright. "And your heat vision is really helpful for bringing things back up to the right temperature isn't it?"
"Wait until you see me cook a turkey in six seconds." Kara sat up a bit taller. "Eliza won't even cook it the traditional way anymore."
A bright laugh slipped from painted lips.
"The Danvers' house must have been a fun place a lot of the time. The help you could have given to me in all my early experiments alone would have been fantastic."
"Just think..." Kara picked up the cloth napkin that she'd unwrapped from the cutlery and made sure to clear around her mouth before she pushed away from the cart and leaned to look more at Lena. "Now I can help in your lab anytime you need me too. Though other than lighting Bunsen burners, which I have done..." She added proudly. "I'm not sure if the only thing I'll be good at isn't distracting the scientist." She smiled at Lena.
"Oh so you think you distract me do you Kara Zor-El?" Lena tilted her head slightly.
"I think I can distract you if I try." Kara's mouth pulled into an even brighter smile as she shuffled a bit closer. "Are you saying I don't?"
"I'm actually not saying anything about that." Lena laughed, before her face sobered a little as she looked into blue eyes. "My flight out of here is at a ungodly time in the morning, I don't expect you to stay here with me and be horribly disturbed too early in the morning." She pointed out as she breathed in deeply. "But it would be nice if you could stay maybe a little longer." She offered the option hoping it didn't sound as terribly demanding as she felt it did.
"You're forgetting Lena, I don't get horribly disturbed by getting up early." Kara tilted her head a little.
"How many phones have you been through since the last necessary purchase that I know about?" She arched one eyebrow.
"Two, because I have super strength, not because I was disturbed." Kara gave a soft laugh. "And... I was thinking maybe I could just stay until you're on your way to the airport, though I'm not escorting your slow plane home." She smirked.
"Could you even fly that slow if you tried? I mean carrying half a mountain maybe, but just you?" Lena queried obviously caught up in the idea.
"I could, but you're right it would take concentration. Going fast is easier then going slow." Kara made the easy admission about her powers. "When I first was learning..." She gave a soft laugh. "I used to dart around like a hummingbird. I even made Alex puke our first flight."
"The things you two must have done." Lena just shook her head and looked down briefly. "I feel for your adoptive mother."
"She's a saint." Kara gave her the title easily. "I broke more things just... pop." She made the motion with her hand as if she was holding a glass and then it was exploding. She gave another soft laugh. "People think it's so cool to be a Super, but they don't realize powers can be a pain in the butt sometimes."
"Ass, say it Kara, ass, it's a pain in the ass." Lena grinned brightly. "One day I will get you to admit there is something more than a polite perfect person in there..." She reached and tapped a finger on Kara's lips.
"But what if you actually find out I am just a polite person by nature?" Kara grinned under the touch.
"Then I guess I will just have to work on tarnishing your halo." Lena shifted to lean her head on Kara's shoulder. "And you should know, being a Luthor, I can be ruthless."
"You can be a ruthless ass?" Kara rewarded her by saying the foreign word that usually didn't creep into her vocabulary.
"Exactly." Lena beamed happily and shuffled in her place a little, tucking her head more under Kara's chin. Almost the moment Lena shifted, Kara's arms came up to settle her in place, encouraging and rewarding the move by hugging the brunette loosely.
"Could I see you tomorrow? When I'm back in National City?" The brunette took a moment to ask the question that had come to her mind when she had mentioned leaving early in the morning.
"Definitely." Kara agreed to the idea immediately, not able to hide her own enthusiasm about it as she gave Lena a soft squeeze.
"I know I'll have a mountain of work to do and I'll be going to the office as soon as I land but maybe Supergirl could drop in?" She snuggled for a moment as she used the title. "My patio could be open."
"I've already put it in my calendar." Kara closed her eyes as she answered, just breathing in the scent of the woman in her arms as she realized how content she felt. Without over thinking it she shifted so she could place a soft kiss on the top of Lena's head. "Maybe I can even fly you home whenever you can pull yourself away from your desk?"
"Maybe." Lena agreed to the possibility. "Though honestly I was just thinking of the idea of more kissing." She admitted. "When there wasn't a time schedule."
"Mmmm I thought you'd forgotten about the more kissing." Kara smirked at the reference, her hand sweeping up and down Lena's arm softly as she felt the familiar knot growing in her stomach.
"I hadn't." Lena replied, shifting from her tucked position to free her head, before she angled it soft and grazed her lips against Kara's.
"Hmmmmm..." The pleased hum like noise escaped Kara after the first press, as the blonde sat there for a moment with her eyes closed just memorizing the return of that feeling. The impossible to describe feeling that engulfed her when they kissed. Blue eyes opened briefly to look at Lena, again seeming to memorize her before they slipped closed and Kara pressed forward the short distance so that their mouths met again in a longer kiss.
"I couldn't." Lena breathed into the kiss as she just relaxed any tension in her body and leaned into the feelings that the touch brought, ever aware that for tonight at least, this would all end far too early.
To Be Continued in Episode Eight...