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 Eight: Green Is the Colour
By: The Rainbow Writers
Alex had been in a deep sleep, so deep she hadn't even registered there was someone in her apartment or for that matter a figure right near her bed until hands were on her shoulders shaking her. This fact made her immediately reach up to begin to push at the hands touching her, as her inner fight instinct began to take over.
"ALEX! Wake up!" Kara's voice pushed into her sister's head with the audacity that such a unexpected waking in the wee hours of the morning would possess. Her hands ignoring Alex's attempt to immediately displace them. "I have to talk to you."
The brunette cued in quite quickly that her visitor was her very enthusiastic sister. Lightly she pressed to sit up, while at the same time separating herself from her sister's, all be it light, grip. Squinting ever so slightly she recognized the glowing numbers on alarm clock read 1:48am. Turning back to look at her sister, Alex rubbed one eye and then gave a huff.
"Kara, what is it? If you needed me instantly, why didn't you just call?" Her tone had a slight grumble to it, but it was evened out by her worry.
"Because it's not an emergency, it's an announcement... it's sharing the best night of my life with you." Kara fell back onto the bed with a puff as the blankets pillowed out at the end, landing below her sister's feet, that the brunette had pulled up closer to her body when she'd sat up.
"You finally took that trip to Victoria Falls you've always wanted to?" The brunette still looked both annoyed and perplexed. "Was it everything you imagined?"
"Lena and I kissed." Kara turned her head to look at her sister, the sparkle in her eyes was almost as bright as the smile plastered across her face. "It was everything you said it would be... scary, amazing, passionate..." She let out a soft sigh. "I get more of what you were talking about, the wanting to stop thinking and start doing."
Alex's look softened considerably as she sat up properly and even leaned her hand out to touch her younger sister's arm.
"I see." The older woman pulled her hand back to rest in her lap. "Congratulations Kara, you kissed a girl." There was a light element of teasing to the brunette's tone. "I'm taking it though that you back here in National City suggests you did think rather than just act." She pressed sightly for details of what had actually happened after her sister had left for Zurich the day before.
"She's in a plane over the Atlantic on her way home." Kara rolled to be looking at her sister. "But yes, just kissing." She underlined the fact to make it clear. "No need to launch into any more ridiculous Birds and the Bees speeches." She referenced the dreadful talk that she'd had with Eliza years before.
"Just kissing?" Alex questioned the summary. "There wasn't any talking about the kissing?" She quizzed. "That's not like you."
"What do you mean talking about the kissing? You can't really talk and kiss Alex." Kara gave a soft giggle. "We did talk about big feelings, and how much we both want to be in each others space. She took me dancing." She leaned back swooning a little again remember the feeling of being with Lena on the dance floor.
"Lena took you to a club?" Alex blinked surprised at this fact. "You hate loud music and crowds, and the flashing lights for another."
"No, not that kind of club, a dance hall, it had an orchestra and a wooden dance floor... I think this place was old." Kara grinned more. "It looked like something out of a movie."
"Slow dancing, you went slow dancing with Lena?" Alex understood a little more. "How did that feel, being so close to her in a public setting?" She continued the gentle interrogation. "Were you totally self conscious about the other people there?"
"Honestly Alex, I didn't even notice anyone else was in the room, it was like it was just the two of us." Kara gave another sigh. "She had wanted to dance with me since her Gala, I mean can you imagine that... Lena Luthor was having a huge gala to reintroduce her taking over L-Corp and the only thing she'd actually wanted to do that night was dance with me." She made a soft contented noise.
"So you danced and you kissed." Alex did smile when she gave the summary. "So what does this mean for the two of you?"
"That we're going to spend as much time in each others space as we can, remembering she runs a huge company and I'm Supergirl." Kara gave a soft laugh. "I'm seeing her later after she gets to the office and figures out how many problems have been created while she was overseas." She made it clear that they already had plans to see each other again.
"So you're dating?" Alex again tried to pin Kara down to a definition.
"Yes." Kara nodded rolling back and forth a little. "It's so crazy Alex, I never thought I'd ever feel like this."
These words really did make the brunette smile.
"I'm happy for you Kara, really I am." She offered honestly. "And I'm very happy you felt you could tell me so quickly." She added the point that she really did feel. "The idea of my little sister, who I've been happy with, sad with, scared for and concerned over, being so joyous is just a really good idea to have." She went on. "You do know though if she hurts you, I am obligated to kill her?"
"Alex!" Kara looked at her and rolled her eyes as she scrambled up beside her sister. "Does that mean if Maggie hurts you I'm obligated to kill her because you know... I am a lethal weapon."
"Riggs or Murdoch?" Alex countered.
"You're Riggs." Kara gave out an immediate laugh. "I am the calm, calculated one."
"Really?" Alex arched her eyebrows. "Which one of us owes the city over 5 million dollars in repair bills?"
"Five million?" The blonde suddenly looked at her sister with soft panic in her eyes. "It can't be that much to... fix a crane... or a bridge... or..." She grimaced. "I guess I'm Riggs, we need to buy you a boat."
Alex laughed brightly shaking her head.
"Really Kara, you and Lena... though I have my reservations over some elements of it, I am truly happy you're happy right now." Alex grew serious again a moment later. "Let me know if I can help out in anyway, find little time holes in your DEO workload, that kind of thing." She offered. "Though remember, although you might want to spend 24/7 with Lena, the two of you need space too."
"I know." Kara gave a soft nod. "So you want to go get breakfast? You love the waffles at that place by the highway."
"Breakfast?" Alex looked at her a little sideways. "It's two o'clock in the morning Kara, which makes it 10am in Zurich, Lena's not going to be home until late having left Switzerland at ten." Alex did the quick math. "No wait, I bet she left earlier didn't she and you've just been flying around like a carnival balloon a while haven't you?"
"Yeah." Kara gave a nod leaning back on her folded arms. "Saw some whales and a pack of dolphins too, followed them for awhile."
Alex smiled even more.
"You're amazing Kara." She began honestly. "You deal with things with such openness, such joy and open emotion. Try not to lose that commodity if you can, it's one of those things that makes Kara – Super."
"And one of the things that makes you Super is knowing you'll eat waffles with me at two am." The blonde grinned at her sister. "And we can swap stories about how awesome Maggie and Lena are."
"Give me a minute to get dressed and then I'll take you to Big Stacks, on me." The brunette offered, smiling brightly as Kara nodded eagerly and bounced up off the bed to go find out what was in her big sister's fridge to snack on while she waited for Alex to get ready.
-x-
Lena felt tired, there was no way around that, she just was. Having left Zurich at 4:30 in the morning, the flight had taken a full twelve hours, meaning she had got out of the airport and brought to the office by five, well that would have been the case if she had stayed at Zurich time, but of course that wasn't possible. So pulling back the eight hours difference, Lena had been in her office, having said a passing hello to a number of her employees and opening up some mail, at 10 o'clock in the morning.
Now that it was three in the afternoon, the brunette had been awake and on the go more hours than she wanted to count. Her paperwork incomplete due to the stream of 'necessary' meetings Jess had lined up from her throughout the day, which meant that even if she did get out of the office at a reasonable time she would be taking work home with her.
"Miss. Luthor your 3:15 is here." Jess' voice came crisply though her intercom and giving her assistant her usual permission, Lena just leaned back slightly in her chair, not overly sure which one of the emergency meetings this was.
Lena's eyebrow raised in subtle surprise as Jess walked in with a rather solemn looking J'onn J'onnz, though when he thanked Jess for the introduction, her graced her with a light smile. Pushing up from her chair, Lena leaned over the desk and offered her hand to the head of the DEO, immediately receiving a serious stern shake. She motioned to the chair for him to sit down as she too retook her seat.
"I can't say I was expecting this." She summed up honestly.
"I apologize, but in my line of work unexpected meetings are the norm." J'onn moved to sit down but first placed the large hard sided briefcase he was carrying down beside his left leg. "I needed to follow up with you in relation to your recent visit to our office."
"I see." Lena leaned back a little into the support of her chair. "And what do we need to follow up on, I assume by now Agent Schott has confirmed with you that, like I promised, I erased any trace of L-Corp material from your systems and that I also didn't access anything while I was there that wasn't necessary to my purpose." She kept her eyes on him.
"You are correct, all technological interactions between the DEO and L-Corp were satisfactory." J'onn gave her a quick curt smile. "But you can understand that the ease in which you were able to do what you did that day Miss. Luthor, it has caused the DEO to have certain concerns about your company's more 'private' activities." He began softly clearing his throat. "I am making the request for a full inventory of the desert facility that you took Agent Danvers too, and a report on the projects currently being tested in your on site laboratory here at L-Corp." He let the question stand first alone on its own.
"Request away, but expect me to ask the same of you in return." Lena kept her tone and face neutral, even with a ghost of her smile on her lips. "You know the nature of some of the things I do in my lab, the details are not something I would just hand over to any organization, Government run or not." She made clear. "I see arrangement of such things as a game of poker, everyone turns over their cards, or we all walk away from the table."
"I see." J'onn let a long moment of what could have been awkward silence play out, but as it involved two alpha type-A personalities looking at each other during a serious exchange it passed normally. "Regarding a different topic, I also came to return something of yours that remained at the DEO after you left." He leaned to pick up the case and slip it onto her desk and press it a soft distance closer to her. "Thank you again for everything that you did in helping save Supergirl."
"I can assure you I didn't leave anything of mine at the DEO." Lena shook her head eyeing J'onn first before glancing at the case. Very slowly she drew the container close to her as she slipped forward to the edge of her seat. Her fingers sliding to the locking mechanism, expecting to find it secured only to have the clasps flick open at her touch. Easing up the lid, Lena let her eyes pass over the dark foam filled interior before letting them linger on the led covered container that lay nestled therein. Green eyes widened both in recognition and in surprise as she drew her gaze up from the case to the Martian. "I gave this to Alex, to the DEO to deal with in an appropriate manner." She said choosing her words with care.
"Well Miss. Luthor, due to an arrangement with Superman, the DEO is not able to be in possession of Kryptonite." J'onn made the point clear as he watched her close the case again. "And as you did allow, it was used temporarily in order to free Supergirl of the alien parasite that was attacking her, but the ownership of this sample remains in your hands."
"With all respect J'onn.. or do you prefer Agent Henderson, I gave the Kryptonite to Alex under the full understanding that the DEO would no doubt add it to the stockpile you gave to Superman." Lena pointed out. "Why would the DEO want me to have a sample of something that is, to them at least, contraband?" She asked of him, tilting her head just slightly to the side. "I'm not going to take possession of something only to have that possession thrown back in my face if a certain Man of Steel finds out it exists."
"I assure you that I'm not attempting to set you up." J'onn shook his head softly. "Alex told me of your idea about the creation of an anti-venom, I believe that was the term she used, or some other device such as a shield or a suit treatment that would lower or eliminate a Super's vulnerability to the substance." He filled in hoping to make her understand his point of view on this. "The DEO has been trying for several years to come up with a number of similar items, with limited success and after seeing how you created a liquid form in less than 12 hours, it became obvious to me that perhaps the likelihood of your success creating an anti-venom is exponentially higher then ours." He gave her the compliment.
"So you're giving me this back to perform unofficial experiments on it, ones that you in the DEO, can't because of... alliances?" Lena summed up the Martian's point with a slight edge to her tone. "After all, my family certainly doesn't have that particular problem, at least not to Kal-El."
"I believe the alliances that your family have or have not made in the past are irrelevant here." J'onn shook his head to underline the point. "I believe the only alliance of importance is the one that we have both made to Supergirl."
"Kara. Her name is Kara." Lena stiffened even more. "And I will do everything I can to help her, to protect her but that doesn't mean I will open myself up to, or ever been in any kind of debt to, the DEO. I've operated with departments, companies, the Government for a long time Agent Henderson, I know when one is offering an olive branch but are hiding the poison ivy behind it."
"My request for access to your inventories and experiments is completely separate from this." J'onn lifted his chin a little higher. "And though I can understand your hesitation, I assure you there is no poison ivy behind this olive branch." He pressed to stand up. "My obligation to the DEO is make sure we are not in possession of any Kryptonite, my choice of returning it to you is bore out of what I believe will lead to the greater good for Kara."
"Talking of her, and her sister for that matter, do they know you're here, returning this to me?" Lena didn't press to stand, just watched him with focus.
"No." J'onn gave the simple short answer. "I hoped we could keep this between the two of us, no point getting anyone's hopes up about a discovery we both know may take years to occur."
Lena let a soft moment of silence before replying, mulling over in her mind all that had happened, all that had been said.
"I will take this back... J'onn." She personalized the response purposefully. "And for now I will accept the olive branch that comes with it." She cupped her hands together and rested them on top of the case. "And believe me, I will find a way to nullify the effects of Kryptonite." She looked at him still. "But I do not offer with this the hand of friendship." She shook her head. "I believe that in this your motives are honorable, but I also believe that keeping secrets from those you care about is wrong. I will be telling Kara this was returned to me."
"I expect no less Lena. You have already proved the risks you are willing to take for Kara's betterment, and for that I have nothing but admiration. Both of the Danvers sisters are very important to me, their health, their welfare, the wellness of their hearts." J'onn took a few slow steps back before he stopped with the last sentence to look at her confidently.
"Why is that exactly?" The curious part of Lena had often been called her downfall, landing her in trouble, creating bad situations, and now as she almost demanded the details from the tall individual in her office, knowing as she did who and what he was. She again just gave into the need for understanding, letting that motivation top all others.
"Jeremiah Danvers was my friend, and he asked me to look out for his girls." J'onn's look of nostalgia was easy for Lena to read. "Somewhere along the line I must admit, it became as much about keeping my word to an old friend, as it did about my love for the two of them."
"I made this offer to Alex and now I'm making it again to you. If in the future you believe I can help with something, don't hesitate to ask. The worst I can say is no." She breathed out softly as she pushed up to her feet. "I know that Kara and Alex both think of you as you do them, but I'm not Kara or Alex, and I know you have no such dedication to me, but I also think you know that just like you, I wouldn't hurt either of them, if I could stop it."
"Then clearly Lena we have a common ground to start from, even if we will not yet call it friendship." J'onn nodded to her and then moved to let himself out.
-x-
Winn had timed his 'move' carefully, watching the comings and goings not only from the main room of the DEO, but also of the lab where Alex mainly worked from. It was only after much of the day had gone by, the time near 4:30 in the afternoon when he decided that things were finally 'right'. Pushing up casually from his work station, he moved to the hallway and headed towards where Alex was, the oldest Danvers sister walking back towards the lab from just grabbing a fresh cup of coffee. The young man literally met her as thy both converged at the entrance of the lab.
"Hey." He called ahead lightly to draw attention to his presence.
"Hey Winn." Alex looked back towards his voice and gave him a perfectly normal work smile. "Anything come back on the Anderson tap yet? I know I haven't got any notifications and I know I would normally but..." She gave a shrug indicating that she was asking more out of the hope there was something new to action in the case.
"No sorry, but.." He glanced up at her face. "I would appreciate a chat?" He offered the possibility up to her.
"Sure." Alex stalled her forward movement and turned fully towards him, then took the steps to meet him in the hallway as he continued the short distance. Something about the way he'd inflected the question made her realize that either something important had 'pinged' on the young tech's radar that could end up being incredibly important, or he was about to corner her into a conversation so absurd she would be cursing herself for letting it happen. The last time it had been the latter she had ended up listening about the value of a vintage Pokemon card for almost fifteen minutes.
"Yeah so well.." He began glancing back down the hallway he'd come down to meet her. "Is there somewhere we can go that's less, public?"
"This way." Alex eyeballed him for a minute before she said the words and then began to walk, feeling him fall quickly into step beside her as she lead him to enormous but empty room that Kara often used to train. It wasn't the kind of space most of the rest of the DEO ever went too, so the chances of them being interrupted fell to only a handful of people. She put her coffee down to rest on a big crate near the wall. "This is less public, what's bothering you?"
"Okay so I'm just going to do this and see what you say, I'm not going to pre-empt anything." He waffled a little before squaring up a little and pulling his tablet out of the 'pouch' of the hoodie he had obviously put on just for the purpose of hiding it. "So you might remember that a while ago, Supergirl had to rescue Lena from an attack at L-Corp, there was the big alien guy, lots of dead minions by the end and well.,. that's about it, apart from it giving us another tick in the we think Cadmus is behind most things going on box."
"You mean the should have been blue but he was pink Althrian? Have you got something from the continued postmortem on him? I've been waiting on that team to update me for weeks, but I'm pretty sure their stalling." Alex gave him her full attention now. After all anything that had to do with Cadmus was on the top of her 'work' pile."
"Yeah that delay might have been... created because of other things going on in yours... and mine sphere of things. AKA Kara almost died." Winn began again. "So I may have re-routed some things away from your plate until things improved, which I know sounds kinda bad now, but at the time seemed like the right thing to do. Anyway let's not dwell on that and more on the fact that Janice from the Alien physiology department who were dealing with the full investigation, came to me, again a few weeks ago, to show me something... odd. I looked into it as much as I could but as I don't really know what to do with the information I decided it was best to come to you."
Alex let a hard breath pass out through her nose when she heard his explanation and while on one hand she was a little pissed off he'd re-routed things away from her, she knew that Winn had only done it from a place of good intention. After all the near full week of Kara's parasite attack had been non stop stress and panic, could she have really dealt with anything from another case?
"Kara is fine, for now." Alex added in her pessimistic way and moved to step in closer to him to try and see what was on the tablet. "So, tell me about what the team in Alien Physiology found."
"Well it wasn't just them, I've been... working through some idea's about it myself but..." He stopped realizing he was wandering off topic. "We already worked out that he'd had some kind of treatment, grafting maybe done to his epidermis, but what we didn't know until the team did a more detailed observation, was that not only was he the wrong colour but his alien dermis itself had been changed. Like you know the Althrians have this remarkable skill to take copies or imprints from things they touch, which of course he did have the ability to do but..." He held a finger. "They can only process one thing in this way, having to a copy a second thing they have to blank back to normal as it were and then copy the new model, meaning if they wanted to look like a trash can, touched it and reproduced it, and then wanted to be more of a garden fence, they would have to slush the trash can print first and re-touch it again should it want to revert back." He offered the long winded explanation. "But, our pink friend didn't need to do that." He looked into Alex's eyes.
"I'm getting the idea of what you're suggesting but how did this Althrian turn not only to another colour but able to switch templates without going to blank?" Alex tried to narrow down what made some sense in his run down but she was left with more questions then answers.
"Layered integrated dermis." He offered. "Literally all his surface skin was only the top layer of an imprint printable copy book. Some one had recreated his skin and packaged layered pages of it into the equivalent of a copy paper post-it note." He breathed out. "But only on the skin of his hands." He added the detail.
"Considering that Cadmus is an anti alien organization, that sounds like a lot of trouble for them to go through to modify an alien." Alex pursed her lips as the bells began to ring in her head. "What other imprints were found on his hands? Had he copied anything yet that seemed like a goal or does it seem he really was just trying to get into Lena's secret lab under the building."
"Well let me show you..." Winn moved to beside the brunette and opened up a screen of lab shots. Each looking some what like a mathematical diagram but only visible because of an obvious contrast colour bringing out lines and marks that would normally be invisible in the same light, almost colourless hue of the base. Each frame was different a mismatch of lines and patterns. "He'd already 'copied' a dozen things, everything from the chaos of dozens of overlapping fingerprints from an elevator button..." He zoomed in one of the layers. "To the fabric of Kara's suit." He moved to show her another.
Alex paced a few short way and then turned to pace back her mind clearing going a million miles a minute.
"Did they figure out what the maximum number of patterns he could hold was? And if he was able to erase older useless ones by will alone?" Alex questioned looking back at his tablet.
"No to the first one and no idea on the second." He shook his head unhappily. "I can tell you that once the layer was removed physically from the alien, it degraded quickly."
"So... someone sent a modified Althrian to photocopy any number of experiments in Lena Luthor's secret lab..." Alex began to try to piece together what they did know.
"Well I certainly don't think it was a get in and grab one thing mission." He shook his head, why send something this elaborate to do that?" Winn offered his frown growing.
"And the seventeen very human commandos there to erect an energy barrier around the building. I know we all just assumed the usual reasons for doing that, trying to keep all of the employees in the building while they looked for whatever it was they needed but... what if that isn't the reason they were there? What if the reason they were there was to make sure the Althrian was recovered after he had copied everything he could in the lab? If you'd made that much of an investment modifying an alien, one who most likely didn't undergo the experimental procedures voluntarily..." She snapped her fingers. "When I loaded him into the transport with Rogers, I thought I heard him... well for lack of a better word praying. He kept saying he was sorry to someone other than us and repeating a name... Pethoria."
"Sounds more like a alien being held captive, being offered a 'way out'?" Winn looked at the other agent to see if he was picking up the right idea from her.
"Exactly." Alex nodded. "Which makes the note about the HPR experiment, it might have been a red herring, or just something to put him in the right place. I need to talk to Lena, I need to know what else her brother kept with the HPR when she found it."
"Hey don't like to toot my own horn here but, I've been down there." He smiled. "And there are dozens of things stored around the lab's sub rooms." He revealed. "She has them pretty much ordered to the 'enth degree, I shy away from using the 'compulsive' word but it's clear that Ms. Luthor is the type of person who lives by the a 'place for everything' rule."
"Winn, once you create something, do you need to have the schematics or can you make it from memory?" Alex crossed her arms over her chest as thoughts flew through her head.
"Er do I have a photographic memory that can recall all the things I've ever made?" He looked at her his eyebrows high. "No." He replied. "And honestly even if I could, I'd keep a detailed blue print on file... just in case you know?"
"Exactly, one of the theories was that Lex gave up the location of the HPR to Cadmus expecting them to retrieve it but Lex Luthor is well known for his photographic memory, he remembers what he had for lunch on the third Tuesday in May fifteen years ago let along the blue prints to his most precious pet projects. So if Cadmus has a communication line with Lex, it must not be sophisticated enough to pass on recreations of the blue prints." She tried to talk out what was sticking in her mind.
"We don't even know if Cadmus has anything to do with Lex specifically, they could just be inspired by what he did." Winn reminded her of just how little they actually had on the mysterious organization.
"Or trying to impress him." Alex narrowed her eyes.
"What it does mean is that someone somehow knows that Lena had a hidden lab and that's where she was keeping her brothers 'things'." Winn frowned. "Which in turn means they have an in at L-Corp."
"Lena told Kara that only three people knew about the elevator and the lab as far as she was aware. Her PA, the head of security and herself. Now clearly she has no idea exactly who her brother brought into his confidence, but going on the theory that Lex isn't involved, that leaves us two suspects." Alex breathed out again as her mind cleared on the fact. "Though I do want you to go over everyone who has access to Lex Luthor with the finest tooth comb we have at the DEO, guards, other inmates, laundry staff, medical people, the warden and anyone who has an exemption to see him like his lawyers and even family." She looked at Winn. "At the same time we're going to deep dive on the PA and the security head, because I have to agree with Kara's assessment, if Lena had hired them to steal the blue prints she'd have made damn sure they didn't do as much damage as they did to her. A few bruises, a scrape here or there but not nearly pulling her lower arm off in a rage because our Althrian wasn't getting the job he needed to get done, done."
"Yeah see this is why I knew I had come to you with all that I had." Winn admitted with a small sheepish look as he took a breath. "There's something else." He looked down at the floor in a very 'avoidy' move.
"Come on Winn, out with it." Alex urged him.
"The serum team examined this..." He slipped his hand back into his 'pouch' pulling from it a vial the brunette remembered handing in after incident when she had got back to the DEO, partially filled with the dark almost tar like substance she had collected from the floor in the van. "It's..." He gave a uncomfortable look. "Basically the equivalent of melted brain cells."
"Autopsy didn't find the leftovers of an implanted device to trigger the destruction?" Alex questioned and the immediate head shake of 'no' she received did nothing to reassure her. "So either our unknown player has a brain melting device already, or the goons were dosed with something that enabled the brain melt to occur when it was somehow triggered."
"Quite." Winn nodded. "And if we follow the brain melt device theory, the operator had to be in the vicinity to activate it, nothing further than across town, nothing we know about could reach farther than that."
"No, I bet their closer than that." Alex shook her head. "When the first three detainees from the fight club went down, they were in transition for lockup to transit, and in that moment were outside and accessible to someone on the street to flick a switch for the first time. We both know how big and like a rabbit warren the main police department is, the holding cells are in the basement, and the cell signal down there is horrible on the best days so our unknown factor had to wait until they were in range. Just like at the L-Corp building, they waited until everyone was outside being prepped for transport, some of those guys were on their knees in the lobby for at least an hour."
"Satellites." Winn looked at Alex with a nod. "As you said all of the victims so far have been outdoors. Using a satellite as your boost and link expands the field immeasurably."
"Looks like we're working late Agent Schott, you've got trying to figure out if you can triangulate any satellites that could have been used or hijacked for the purpose as we have a literal time of transmission down to a window of a few seconds and I am going to be scouring CCTV footage to see if there is a someone working them or another device for a local location." She reached out and patted his shoulder softly. "You in the mood for Thai? We're going to need food later."
"Before I jump on that with immense joy and relief that you're not actually wanting to kill me for interfering, I do have one more tiny thing to tell you. The brain goo... the one thing it is mixed with, is a substance we have no idea about, or at least the serum department didn't. Alien in origin is the best they could come up with, but it has similarities... chemical ones, too..." Winn hesitated again. "Well to Kryptonite." Winn heard the groan slip from Alex's list. "And we only really know that because I may have kinda... borrowed the workings of all that Ms. Luthor did when she was here and her workings on the Kryptonite, to make it useful and liquid, that gave us more molecular and chemical information than we've ever had on the stuff."
"Winn part of your job is to observe and well... remember or borrow... whatever you need to in order to help the DEO." Alex tried to underline to him he'd done the right thing.
"What it does mean on a positive note, maybe, is that somewhere, someone has managed to manipulate Kryptonite and apply it in a way that is untraceable by Kara, she handled at least three individuals who had been dosed and she was fine." Winn pointed out.
"She actually handled that vial not long after I collected it, so no matter what similarities it has to Kryptonite, it's inert when it's introduced to our foe's minions and only melts their brains when it is triggered too." Alex reached up to run her hand through her hair. "More and more I'm starting to worry we have an entirely new player on the field then Cadmus, one we have less information about then Cadmus, and who is bold enough to attack a place like L-Corp directly."
"Alex... how much of this do we tell everyone?" Winn still looked uncomfortable and unsure.
"For tonight, this stays between you and me." Alex motioned between them. "Until we have more, something concrete as a start point... Kara..." She took a soft breath. "Is booked for the night unless she's absolutely needed, and come on we both know she's not that helpful with the long tedious analysis of videos and computer code."
"Especially if it might end up suggesting her newest friend might be in real danger." Winn winced.
Alex took a deep breath in and made a noise of agreement to Winn's worry, thinking about just how out of control Kara was likely to go if their unknown player took another more serious swipe at the CEO.
"J'onn left earlier to do something he just told me was important, but I know that the other military agencies have been giving him a lot of grief, as has the city after all the recent construction costs they've incurred because of the various attacks." Alex huffed. "So if he shows up, and asks... we'll tell him of course, but I think until we know more, we'll work this together, okay?" She actually checked with him giving him the seeming choice to be in or out.
"I am so on board with you on this." Winn gave a smile. "It makes me feel better to not carry all this on my own anymore that's for sure."
"No one should be working this alone, this is going to be a team effort." Alex slung her arm around his shoulder and began to lead him back towards the door. "So how many satellites are there in range at any given hour?"
"You don't want to know." Winn shook his head.
-x-
The sky was just turning from the bright yellow of the day into the hues of orange and red, with just a touch of grey on the horizon that told Kara a storm was coming. Of course the app on her phone said there was a 70% chance of rain but she preferred to see things for herself high above the city.
She'd had another reason for taking the high altitude scenic route to her destination as well, the butterflies in her stomach had been so excited she wasn't sure for a moment she might not just explode into confetti the moment she touched down on Lena's office balcony and saw the brunette.
She'd made her descent quick, not wanting to make it public knowledge for someone to start keeping track on social media just how many time Supergirl was going to be doing this evening arrival at the CEO's door. Her boots made a slight noise as she landed on the concrete and moved towards the double doors that led inside.
Kara had been just about to reach for the handle and push inside, remembering how Lena had pointed out two different times it would be open for her, but her hand stalled as she reached the right angle to see the brunette's position behind her high backed executive chair.
A laptop was pushed off slightly to her right, a cup of tea sat in a china cup on a square coaster of marble seemingly untouched, and leaned down onto her folded arms across her desk Lena was asleep. Her dark hair was sprayed out over her back and one shoulder away from her face so she could breathe, and even with her eyes closed there was still a little sign of the exhaustion she felt sitting there.
With a sudden new purpose, Kara moved in as silently as she could, moving towards the desk in a slow deliberate pace before she closed the laptop knowing it would secure itself and then leaned a little closer, keeping her voice a whisper.
"Lena?" She checked in a barely there wistful tone, not really wanting to wake the sleeping woman, knowing that her day had been incredibly long with the flight and the effects of jet lag. Making a split second decision, she picked her phone out of her boot and fired off a text to her PA who was most probably outside the office. Making up a lame excuse that Supergirl was taking Miss. Luthor somewhere to help with a problem, so she wouldn't be back to the office until the morning.
The soft ding of a polite acknowledgment from Jess outside instantly worried Kara, but she was happy when the soft noise didn't wake the brunette and picking up Lena's darkened phone from the desk, she secured it with her own in her boot. She then moved to pick up Lena with the growing familiarity of the pose, and silently backtracked them to the doors and out onto the patio before she took softly up into the sky.
-x-
"Hey there's the sleepyhead, back from the land of nod." Kara's smile was the first thing that came into focus as green eyes began to push open a few hours later. The two of them cuddled up on the couch with Lena laying half beside, half across Kara on the large couch.
"Kara?" The brunette's voice was full of confusion as widened green eyes took in where she was. "How...When..." She stammered just slightly, her brain awash with questions and discontent. "Weren't we meeting at my office?" She shifted almost uncomfortably to sit up, honestly a little disorientated by the large difference between what she had expected and the reality she was being faced with. "Why don't I remember..."
"I did meet you at your office but you had burned your candle at both ends for so long your body gave out." Kara frowned softly. "When I landed you were asleep at your desk, I tried to gently wake you but you were... out for the count." Kara made the crossing motion like a boxing ref would with her hands. "So I texted Jess to tell her you were being picked up to help with a Supergirl problem, locked your laptop and brought your phone..." She motioned to the table where it was sitting silenced. "Home so you could rest. That was..." She glanced at the near the television. "Just a little under three hours ago. You've been sleeping like a baby ever since."
"Three hours?" Lena squinted at the clock to and then sighed hard. "Kara, I am so sorry." She brought her focus back to the blonde. "I was looking forward to seeing you so much." She looked for a moment like she was going to reach out and lay her hand on Kara's cheek, but she stopped herself.
"Why are you sorry? I think watching you sleep, especially that peacefully, might just be in my new top five things to do." Kara's smile was genuine and emotive as she blinked blue eyes at Lena. She pushed up to sit so they were more eye to eye. "Taking care of you is also very high on my important things to do list, I hoped you'd understand that by now."
"It's going to take a little longer for that to sink in." Lena admitted.
"So, you're not mad I flew you here, let you sleep?" Kara bit her lip softly, not quite sure how to read Lena's obvious worry about the missing time.
"No Kara..." Lena looked at the other woman, her brow furrowing even harder with a frown. "That was very sweet of you, truly." She underlined. "I just... I'm used to being the only one who changes the things around me..." She stopped and tried to ease the frown on her face. "That didn't come out right." She breathed in again, this time a little softer. "I know I had a family, a mother, father, brother..." She offered wanting, no needing Kara to understand what was happening right now with her. "But the only way in that, that I could be Lena was to forge my own way, not be the thing that people molded and shaped me to be, but what I wanted with me in control." She tried to explain. " Even Lex, though we were close when I was younger, he wanted something from me, wanted to shape me a certain way whether I wanted that or not, I wasn't allowed to have my own ideas about my future and because of that I became so focused on that's exactly what I would do, no matter how hard, how lonely, how painful that would be." This time she did reached out and touched Kara's cheek. "Then you came along and... though I still am so defensive about control, about being in charge, you only ever enact any kind of decision based on how it protects me, like it's me that's the center to the move, not an alternative motive."
The green eyed woman stopped and breathed in with just the slightest of staggers.
"Lena..." Kara said the brunette's name in a tone so gentle and so accepting that it probably disarmed Lena even more on top of the moment already playing out. The blonde's cheek pressed a little more into the pressure of the brunette's fingertips. "You are the center." She let the words pass in the same tone. "You were obviously so tired, so in need of a little comfort and time to rest... and in my family... when a scientist falls asleep on the couch, or at their desk or in front of research... well since as long as I could manage, they get carried to bed." A tiny smile pulled onto her face. "Would it be better if next time I try harder to wake you so you know what is happening? I don't want you to wake up disoriented, that wasn't my intention."
Lena seemed to calm a little as Kara spoke but she didn't answer a slim smile pulled onto her lips.
"How many times did you have to carry Alex to bed when the two of you were up doing things you shouldn't?" She asked her voice quiet.
"Most nights." Kara answered honestly in the same quiet tone. "Sometimes I think she used to fall asleep on the roof knowing she'd wake up in bed in the end."
"Do it a few more times for me and who knows, it might become a thing I 'fake' too." She offered the lightly humorous reply.
"And maybe after a few more times you'll figure out all you have to say is Kara, carry me to bed." The blonde's look was soft as she explained the difference. "I... I thought the couch was better than the bed though because I... I didn't want to seem presumptuous." A soft blush came to her cheeks.
"You're so..." It wasn't that clear just what Lena had been going to say as green eyes flashed back to the clock, a curse slipping from her lips rather than any word that would work in the conversation. "My mother... she was coming to the office at nine, I had been going to enjoy some time with you and then suggest you swung back here later." Her eyes were wide as she leaned to pluck her phone off table.
"I'm so sorry Lena, I had no idea or I would have woke you up. Your phone wasn't even making odd noises like a calendar meeting alarm or anything." Kara's face fell as she realized how badly she'd obviously screwed up.
"There's a reason for that." Lena admitted. "She didn't call until past four, I was just fitting her in and wanted to keep it at the office." She let her breathing ease a little as she looked at Kara for a moment and not the slim phone in her hand. "That and I had my phone on mute for when you got there, I hadn't wanted us to be disturbed."
"Call her now, explain a big emergency happened, blame it on Supergirl if you need too, it's okay." Kara offered motioning to the phone. "A quick apology will help prove it was unavoidable."
"Oh believe me, Jess will have had to tell her exactly what I was doing when I wasn't there at nine." Lena shook her head. "There's a good reason there won't be any missed calls or texts on this." She held up her phone. "Because I've disappointed her and that means the next communication between us will have to come from her, when she's forgiven me." Lena drew in a tighter sigh. "But..." She looked at Kara again, dropping the phone down again on the table. "What's done is done and I will not let her interfere in this." She motioned between the two of them. "Ever." She summed up almost ominously.
Kara didn't quite know how to respond to this so she just continued to smile softly at Lena to offer her support. If there was one thing she was figuring out more and more, the Luthor family was as complicated as one would think they were and so many ways they were the polar opposite of the 'family' she was used too.
"Well then, how are you feeling now? Do we get you some water and then tuck you into bed to get a full nights sleep?" Kara made the offer, putting Lena in the center just as she had said she would.
"Well apart from my three hour nap, I have been on the go for twenty four hours right now so maybe sleep is what I should prioritize." Lena reached and closed their hands together, squeezing lightly. "But honestly I've only eaten a nut bar and five grapes in that time too. Which I know is going to make you do the crinkle."
Kara tried to wiggle her eyebrows but the crinkle was already there.
"You're lucky you didn't wake up in med bay on a drip." Kara dragged their hands up to kiss one of Lena's knuckles. "How about I go get some take out for us, while you get ready for bed and then we'll fill that tiny belly of yours before we tuck you in?"
"Vietnamese please." Lena's smile was actually genuinely bright as she raised Kara's hand to her own lips and kissed it lightly. "Could we put aside ten minutes in that for kisses?" She asked the question with a cute apprehensive look on her face.
"Of course." Kara's face lit up and the crinkle disappeared. "Has anyone every told you that you look like Snow White when you're sleeping, I was waiting for little animals to come and start weaving daisy chains around you. You're the fairest of them all."
"You really are obsessed with Disney aren't you?" Lena's smile morphed into a grin. "Does that make you Dopey, Doc or the handsome prince."
"I'm hoping the last one because that person gets the kisses." Kara's smile spread into a grin as well.
-x-
It had surprised Lena, when the next morning, walking in to L-corp, after having been dropped off a few blocks away from the building by a 'stealthy' Supergirl wanting to extend the time they had together as much as possible, she was literally met in the lower lobby by her mother. The older Luthor watched as her daughter walked over, pulling off her sunglasses at the last moment before Lena stopped in front of her.
"Mother." The brunette turned on her best 'perfect' tone and body pose as she looked into her mother's eyes. She was suddenly glad she had gone for a power dress in a dark green colour, with a pair of sky high heels that made her feel confident as soon as she'd slipped them on. Above anything else the bracelet on her wrist had almost become a type of security blanket, just giving her the knowledge she could call Kara at a moments notice. "I have to say I'm surprised to see you here this morning, so soon after I had to miss out on our meeting."
"Oh your PA made it very clear you were needed in a far more important place than here with me. Supergirl needed you no less, I could hardly be angry at you answering a call like that, rather than meeting up with me." Lillian's voice was it's usually softly biting tone, her words carefully chosen to make the whole event feel uncomfortable. "So I am here, hoping to catch you before another busy day takes you time." She gave Lena a false smile. "How was Zurich? I find the place a little tedious if I'm honest."
"I wasn't there for pleasure Mother, you know that." Lena kept her body taut as she kept up the duel with the other woman. "I did pass your message on to Bjorn however, he told me to remember him fondly to you, even though he acted like as much of an ass as the others did." Not a line changed on Lena's face as she spoke, no intonation in her voice, this was just a passing of information and it felt like it.
"Well I know you didn't expect a warm welcome from your brother's business partners, you're smarter than that." Lillian pointed out. "Well any daughter of mine would."
"Oh I expected exactly what I received, I think it was them that was surprised in what they got." Lena pulled in a slightly tight breath, the only show of what her Mother had said had hurt her, even if only slightly.
"Enough shop talk." Lillian suddenly called a halt to the conversation. "I have a gift for you, can we go somewhere a little more appropriate than the lobby of this corporation."
"Let's go up to my office then." Lena motioned towards the elevator being the first one to step towards it.
The pair were silent as they traveled up to Lena's office, though the young brunette deliberately stopped at Jess' desk and had a brief and friendly discussion with her PA, keeping her Mother waiting before she opened up the office and led Lillian in.
Not really paying much attention to what her mother was doing, Lena moved around the office just as she did every morning: taking off her coat, hanging it up and moving to pour herself a glass of water. She did pause in this motion and looked at the other Luthor.
"Drink?" She asked waiting until the other woman shook her head before she poured herself a glass and came over to her desk, moving to her chair and sitting down on it.
"You can see where the chair is should you want to sit down." Lena motioned across the desk to the visitors chair close to her Mother.
"No, I don't want this whole occasion to feel like a business meeting. I came to see my daughter." Lillian informed her with a shake of her head.
It was hard for Lena to stifle the noise of mistrust that threatened to fill the short silence before her Mother continued.
"You don't have anything personal around you here do you Lena?" The older woman began a soft prowl around the office. "No pictures of family, no mementos?"
This comment did make Lena give a soft snort.
"It's my office not a shrine to the Luthors." She bit back knowing the reign she had on the caustic tone that was fighting to envelope her voice, was loosening.
"Just one picture is not a shrine, it's a statement." Lillian contradicted her. "Of pride, of love. You should be proud of who you are, what you've come from."
Again a little of Lena's restrain slipped.
"Just like you are?" She snipped back.
This made Lillian turn from her observations of the room to look at the green eyed woman staring back at her.
"I know that you never thought it Lena, but I did my best for you, what I thought was right. Your father brought you into my life, the life I had with my son and the man I thought Lionel was. With your arrival came the realization that I couldn't live in that fog anymore, not because he brought some stay in off the streets, but because he brought to me a daughter, his daughter." She pulled in a breath.
"What?" Lena instantly pressed up off her chair not truly comprehending what had suddenly been said, or what it meant. After all she had lived her whole life to this moment believing she'd been adopted, due to some yet unknown motivation, by the Luthors, not that she was Lionel's real daughter.
"I knew your father wasn't faithful to me or his son, I just tried to put it out of my mind, pretend that what he did away from us wasn't real, didn't matter as long as he came home to us. But then.." She looked again at Lena. "Then your mother died, and I was left with the very real child that all his betrayal had created." She paused. "Not only that but it was obvious that he loved you, cared about what happened to you as no doubt he had for you mother." She locked her jaw. "You have no idea how it feels to have your reality in life, love and all that supports, creates within you, be torn down over and over again and then be left having to be the one to pick everything up again and build anew."
"I have more idea than you think." Lena's tone was slightly softer.
"Maybe." Lillian frowned. "But what you don't seem to comprehend is I tried Lena, I tried to be the mother you lost. But it soon became obvious that's not what you wanted, what you or Lionel wanted. I knew the best I could hope for was for Lex to have a sister, someone he could rely on, trust and mentor." She moved closer to the desk, behind of which Lena was still stood in silent shock.
"It was only when I came, looked at you in that chair, saw all you had done, that I appreciated just what a Luthor you really are, and you are." She underlined intensely. "It was also when I realized that I had to do something to fix the rift that exists between us. Because when it comes down to it, there's only you and I left Lena, we should be able to be family in a world that would throw so much scorn at us." She raised the purse she had been holding on to and sat it on the desk, unzipping it as still Lena just stared at her, obviously completely lost in the mountain of family history that had been diverted towards her like a rolling out of control avalanche.
"At first..." It was because Lillian took something out of the bag and moved to the side of the desk, close to Lena, that the young brunette actually blinked life back into focus and looked at the older woman. "I considered taking a piece out of the estate..." She eased open a slim jewelry box as she held it out towards Lena. "But I thought better, you deserve your own treasure, so I just thought about your eyes and used that as my design motivation." She turned the box so that Lena could easily see the stunning platinum chain inside, a large tear drop shaped emerald sparkling in a diamond studded setting hanging from its middle.
Lillian looked at how almost in a trance Lena lifted her hand to come up under the box, the older woman's eyes shifting just slightly off her daughter's face to look at a long pale arm.
"It looks like someone else has noticed how entrancing your eyes are." She nodded towards the green stoned cuff around Lena's wrist. "Self purchase or... someone I should know about?" It was obvious that the older woman tried to infuse her voice with a little maternal charm.
Lena's eyes briefly came off the beautiful necklace to glance at the 'gift' Kara had given her, noting that indeed the stones in them were a similar shade of green.
"Gift but not..." She shook head, she may be shaken but she was not about to offer up who had given her it and why. "You bought me this?" She looked again at the boxed jewelry.
"I did." Lillian nodded. "Well no, I had a friend create it from my design but... yes, just for you."
"It's beautiful." Lena had to admit the easy fact, it was clear that the piece was expensive and the chain was delicate. The artisan her mother had asked to create the piece had done the older Luthor justice.
"Well I'm glad you like it." As Lena hadn't actually 'taken' the box from her, she made the move to put the box on the desk directly in front of her daughter. "Perhaps I'll even see you wearing on a magazine cover, featuring you as the youngest and most successful CEO the world has ever seen."
Lillian took a long moment to look at Lena, who was still looking at her gift. The older woman turned and took a step towards the door, but she stopped and turned again.
"I also meant to mention, I look forward to seeing how your approach to a Super works out, working with one is certainly a novel approach by a Luthor." She settled her purse strap back on her shoulder.
Lena was prevented from saying something as the soft beep of her intercom sounded. Pulling her back to the world Lena moved and interacted with it to listen to her PA.
"I hate to interrupt Miss. Luthor, but your nine o'clock is here." The honest regret in Jess' tone made her focus even more. "Should I escort them to the sun room and supply beverages until you are ready?" She asked the coded question that basically meant 'I know these are really important people, since you're busy do I delay them with A plus treatment'.
"I'll be right out." She assured her PA and then looked at the other woman in the office with her. "Maybe we could meet again, soon?" She offered, the inner conflict she felt almost burning inside as she made the offer.
"I would really like that Lena." Lillian nodded. "Let me know when you're available." She walked, this time with her daughter shadowing her to the door. "So much like your Father, always busy, always pushing so hard, always moving the company forward." She made the soft comparison as Lena reached to open the door.
"I will call you." Lena just nodded repeatedly as she pushed the door open and with a nod her mother left.
-x-
As Kara looked into the mirrored walls of the L-Corp executive elevator, she had to groan and frown at how Mon-El was leaning in close, his breath marring the perfect surface as he checked his teeth.
When the text requesting she swing by when she had a chance from Lena had arrived, Kara had diverted the two of them from their 'training' exercises outside in the real world. She'd dragged Mon-El to Lena's favourite bakery and picked up a perfectly balanced croissant with artisan ham and organic cheese baked into the center. The two aliens had already inhaled a few of the decadent treats, the reason she guessed the Daxamite was worried about something stuck in his teeth.
"Now Mon-El, I need you to understand a few things before we get upstairs. One... Lena doesn't know you're an alien, but I'm going to make sure she knows after this morning, I want her to know you can be trusted and that you're not breakable like a human in case of a fight." Kara began to outline the facts she wanted to make clear.
"You're here for a fight?" Mon-El looked at her confused. "Then why are we bringing her breakfast... is it poisoned? The Princes' mother had literally perfected that one. What is she this Lena? She's a Barainex isn't she? I knew it from that party you took me to, can she do that trick, closing one eye and licking the other. That's just cool."
"No, and No... and NO!" Kara looked at him disgusted. "We are not here to fight, she is a human being, and no I don't even know why someone would want to lick their own eye!"
"Gotta admit I've tried it." The Daxamite stuck his tongue out and laid it against his cheek, distorting his face trying to get it as high as he could.
"Stop that!" Kara slapped at his arm softly. "You are so weird sometimes." She gave a hard sigh. "Look what I need you to understand is that Lena is special, a special human like Alex and Winn, to be protected at all costs in a fight, to be evacuated when something is bad..."
"Oh...OOOOHHHH." A grin pulled onto his face as he turned to look at her, shifting his hands into small gun like shapes as he pretended to fire off a few 'rounds' in her direction. "You sex with her. Like a consort or a toy? No shame meant to either of your arranged mating partners, just asking."
Kara's face went through a quick series of emotions; shock, repulsion, harder repulsion and then shock again.
"Way to go Kryptonian! Enjoying the better things, and here I thought all of you only, you know, loved yourselves, but hey here you are on Earth, living like a Daxamite." His grin was wider. "You know three is a good number sometimes, if she can take you, she can take me."' He winked salaciously.
"NO! Just no!" Kara's voice was tight and alarmed. The idea of Mon-El touching Lena made a hard cramp of disgust rush through her. "She is not a toy, neither of us are mated to anyone, I'm not even sure if consort is a term that works on earth." She breathed out trying to address each of his misconceptions. "Look, Mon-El... never ever will you and I or especially Lena be 'three is a good number'." She used the phrase not wanting to say threesome and give him a new word.
"It's cool, I get it. Honestly I've seen for myself that humans especially can be a little jealous when it comes to sharing those they fuc..." He began the word but Kara's hand shot up to cover his face.
"Not a word you use in public and mixed company." Kara corrected him, glancing to see they were getting close to the top floor. "Look Mon-El, what I'm trying to tell you is that Lena is a part of our team, which means 'you' need to protect her like any of the other humans on our team."
"She's on our team." He stood a little taller and repeated the words. "But for the record are members of the team allowed to sex?" He nudged Kara's shoulder a little. "Because I know humans can be fun." He gave his eyebrows a wiggle. "It changes the way I'd be with her you know, I'd be more respectful if she's 'yours'."
"Lena is Lena's. And to help you understand, she is a Luthor, one of the most powerful families on the planet Earth, so to translate this into Daxamite terms, treat her like a Princess. You do not touch." Kara smiled at him, but there was a feral look of warning behind it as the elevator dinged and she headed out into the hallway moving straight to Jess' desk. "I thought the hardest working PA in National City might need a treat." She dropped one of the bags on the edge of the woman's desk with a bright smile.
"My time being Ms. Luthors assistant has come with benefits since the two of you became friends." Jess smiled at her immediately as she pulled the bag closer to sneak a peek inside.
Mon-El took just a half a step closer to the desk, leaning over it slightly as he rested his backside on the far edge to look at Jess, his mouth opening to say something that instantly Kara was sure she didn't want to be said.
"Jess really appreciates a nice pastry." Kara put a finger up in front of him to stop him from saying anything, she added a fast shake of her head when he looked at her disappointed to be cut off. "Can you let Lena know we're here, she asked me to stop by but I'm not quite sure what the issue is, so this really is a fly by."
"I'll let her know straight away." Jess nodded and then focused on doing just that.
It took only moments before the office was opened to them. Lena, who had been half way though Kara's name in greeting literally stopped, pulling her head back a little to reassess the situation when she saw that the blonde had not arrived alone.
"Well this is..." She didn't managed to get her words to flow seamlessly. "Unexpectedly nice." She blinked quickly. "Come in." She stood back out of view opening up the way forward.
"Someone brought you breakfast or an early lunch because I doubt you've eaten this morning." Kara followed her inside her office and Mon-El trailed in after her looking around at everything taking it in.
"It's artisan, ham and cheese." He stated with a nod. "Delicious. Even if I'm not sure what animal an Artisan is exactly."
Lena who's eyes had only been on Kara since she had come in and moved towards her desk, but she turned and gave Mon-El a look of complete confusion after he had spoken.
"Sorry, he's still learning." Kara moved closer to the desk and pressed the bag closer to the brunette who was hiding behind the it. "It's part of the reason he came with me, I'm not sure even with all that went on at the DEO that you were properly introduced but Mike here, is really an alien named Mon-El from a planet called Daxam that was destroyed at the same time Krypton was."
"Sorry?" Lena looked uncertain, considering inside she now felt sideswiped for the second time. Mike... Mon-El, the individual that had been dancing with Kara the night of her gala, was an alien? An alien who was familiar with Kryptonian history. "You too are similar?"
"Oh no." It was Mon-El that took a half step away from Kara's side to make the pronouncement. "Daxamites are fun, Kryptonians, not so much." He beamed at the brunette. "I'm kind of like a play boy to Kara's librarian." He offered hoping his 'humanisms' were on point.
"Actually he is in training to be a hero, while I am well Supergirl already." Kara put her hands on her hips. "We were out working some tactics when I got your text..."
"The two of you are working together?" Green eyes narrowed just a little as she looked between the two of them.
"Oh yeah, I learned early to do what Kara tells me, but you know all about that huh?" He winked at her.
Green eyes went wide as Lena's look went from Mon-El to Kara, her brow furrowed and the clear look of 'what the hell Kara' was etched into her brow.
"What he means is that he's really bad at being helpful, he needs a lot of correction, he thought hitting another alien with a bus full of people was a good idea..." She reached out and pushed him slightly, swallowing under the near glare that Lena was giving her.
"Totally." Mon-El stood up a little more in a 'hero' like pose. "I am learning that stopping the bad does not mean you walk over the good to do it. I'm learning humans are special. Humans like you." He pointed to the side of his head and tapped it in a 'learning' motion.
"Are you?" Lena's eye colour had darkened a little as she kept them on Kara. "Well that's a good thing I'm sure." She backed away from both of them, not taking the bag with her as she retreated to the far side of her desk.
"Mon-El, can you go check if Jess is enjoying her pastry for me?" Kara asked the out of the blue question, mostly because every vibe she was getting from Lena was one that she just wasn't used too. She was sure that there had to be some misunderstanding and she needed a private moment to express the point.
"Oh you want me to go distract the other human." Mon-El gave her both thumbs ups. "I'll keep her busy.. there's other rooms on this level right?"
"Go, don't touch anything or anyone." Kara snapped a little and with a sheepish look the Daxamite finally retreated out of the room. "I can explain the weirdness of that, he's... very weird." Her voice showed her panic.
"I thought we agreed to not tell anyone about us yet?" Lena's voice was tight.
"I didn't tell him about us!" Kara's word were fast and tight as she contradicted Lena's interpretation of things. "I just stressed to him that if there is a fight or a horrible thing happening and you are there, he has to prioritize you like he knows to prioritize Alex or Winn. What you don't understand Lena is that he's a Daxamite? They... on their planet, well before it became a wasteland, they live like everyday is a Egyptian harem party. They only have arranged marriages but in terms of physical relationships it's a wide open party so he naturally just assumed we're... intimate. I specifically told him..."
"Did you correct him on that assumption? Or did you just let it lie since it had been said already?" Lena knew her words were sharp but right now she felt raw and exposed.
"I corrected him, immediately." Kara underlined with strength in her voice. "Lena, the last person on Earth I want to discuss our relationship with is Mon-El. But he is an alien, who has similar powers to my own..."
"Kara you know... no..." She shook her head. "Go back to your training, to your Alien protege and forget I even called." She pressed out a hard breath and wiped at her forehead with her finger tips. "I wanted you, I wanted to talk to you, but obviously I need to work on making that clear."
"Lena..." Kara said her name in a soft pleading tone. "I'll get rid of him and we can talk."
"I'm busy." Lena shut down the idea immediately. "I'll call you." She added the dismissive end.
"Lena..." Kara tried to repeat her name but the way that green eyes came up to look at her, burning with emotions that the blonde wasn't quite sure she could place, she didn't feel capable of doing anything but shrinking into herself and letting out a hard sigh. She took two steps to the door, stopped and looked back but the brunette was already staring out the window, the Luthor blockade clearly in place. Trying not to make a fool of herself, Kara turned and left, heading straight to the elevator and leaving Mon-El to catch up. "Do not talk right now, just... we have to go." The words came out tight and high as she tried not to cry.
To Be Continued in Episode Nine...