For anyone wondering. I know they changed Lena's home country to Canada, but I just love the idea of her being from Ireland so much that I'm sticking with it. This section kicks off with the scene at the end of 6x08 where Alex and Kara are at Kara's apartment, and we've just found out Lena is leaving. We're jumping in after Kara's little speech about not wanting to be alone.
The phantoms story sits open on Kara's laptop, but the idea of writing it paralyzes her. Every terrifying moment of her nightmare rushing back every time she thinks about the Phantom Zone. Nobody has asked her about the nightmares she saw when the phantoms seeped into her mind. Everyone is just so happy to have her home. Even Kelly hasn't asked her about it. Kara wonders if her sister's girlfriend is just terrified of what Kara might say if she asked.
From the sofa, Alex yawns sleepily. "I should head home," she says, trying to shake some wakefulness into herself. "Unless… if you need me here, I can stay."
Kara pastes a smile onto her face. "No, of course not. You go, be mushy with your girlfriend."
"Are you sure? I don't mind staying… Kelly will totally understand."
Kara shakes her head. "I'm fine. Really."
"You'll call if you need me? I can be here so quick."
Kara nods. "Yeah, I'll go to bed soon though, so I promise, I'll be fine."
Alex gathers Kara into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're back."
Kara buries her head in Alex's shoulder and breathes in her comforting scent for just a moment before she ushers her sister out the door and into the night.
When the door shuts behind Alex, Kara sags against it. The truth is, she's anything but fine.
She has barely slept a wink since she got back to her own apartment. The first night, in the Tower, she slept like a log. Sedated and under the yellow sun lamps. When she'd woken, Lena had been there, still wearing the same clothes from the Phantom Zone. Nia told her later that Lena had stayed by Kara's side all night.
Every night since, Kara had curled into her bed only for the nightmare to replay in her mind. The phantoms were bad enough, but the things they conjured up in her mind were worse.
Reluctantly, Kara closes her laptop. The story will have to wait for morning.
She finds comfort in her nighttime routine. Brush teeth and hair. Change into a cozy pair of pajamas, tonight she chooses the soft cotton set Lena gave her for Christmas last year. The shorts and shirt are covered in a leafy print that has Kara thinking about a Caribbean holiday and that's the kind of thing she needs tonight. Comfort and a distraction. The embroidered KD on the pocket is a reminder that everything Lena does is just a little extra on Kara's scale. She rubs her fingers over the raised area and wonders how Lena is doing. Is she in Ireland yet?
Kara continues her routine, starting with night cream which she doesn't really need but it makes her feel nice, and ending with the fancy moisturizer Lena gave her just because. Kara is almost out of it, a gift from the before times. Before things got complicated between them by the whole Lena finding our Kara is Supergirl and Lena losing her way. Kara doesn't dwell on that. Lena is back in her life and that's all that matters.
When Kara sinks between the sheets, it's Lena who is on her mind. It's always Lena, but tonight even more so. Lena's face swims into view, but it's not her Lena, it's the phantom Lena and Kara can't stand it. She tries to conjure up her Lena. Her sweet Lena in a pantsuit in her office at L Corp before their Earth was destroyed. Lena in jeans and a sweater at her loft for game night with a glass of wine in hand.
None of it helps. And worse than that, Kara knows she won't be able to sleep. Not now.
She grabs for the book she had been reading before her impromptu trip to the Phantom Zone. She can barely remember the plot but it's another gift from Lena. Something Lena told Kara she just had to read. When did Kara's apartment get filled with reminders of Lena? Moisturizer, pajamas, books, and that's not even mentioning the warm blanket draped over the back of her couch or coffee mug that says, 'you're my hero' (Lena's first gift to Kara).
Kara reads for awhile, starting back at the beginning of the book, though she's not sure she takes any of it in. Her eyes droop and there's phantom Lena again. Kara drops the book down on her chest. This is ridiculous.
Her mind made up, Kara slips on a pair of word Uggs and heads for the open window of her apartment. She'll just fly out over the ocean for awhile until she's tired. The wind in her hair and the cool night air on her skin always helps.
It's late, and the city is quiet. Only a few lights remain on in a few windows. Kara glances to the Luthor Corp building instinctively. She's so used to seeing Lena's penthouse office lit up at all hours of the night, but it's not Lena's anymore and it's not lit up.
Kara flies by Lena's apartment even though she knows it will be quiet, but it's on the way to the ocean.
The salty scent of the ocean fills Kara's senses and she breathes in deeply. This is exactly what she needs. She puts on a burst of speed, flying out over the water until she can't see land in any direction.
She hovers there for a few moments, just Kara Danvers and the water. She didn't even bother to switch her pajamas for her super suit.
It happens slowly. The shifting of the quiet. One moment she's hovering above the water, enjoying the feeling, and the next, it shifts to something sinister. The dark and the quiet, so much like the Phantom Zone.
She flies. Not caring about the direction. Her breathing is shallow, and she can barely keep herself in the air. When she finally sees land, it's not National City. It's green, rocky, and for a second she thinks she must have overshot and ended up in Norway.
No, she realizes. That's impossible. Canada perhaps? There are houses, but it's dark and none of them are lit up. She darts down, hoping for a street sign that will tell her where she is. Cape Clear. It doesn't ring any bells and she didn't bring her phone to check on maps. She continues inland, only to find she's on a small island. No wonder she's never heard of it. Another burst of speed and she can see even in the dark that the next island is the same. Finally, she sights what she thinks is the mainland and ducks down low, searching for a highway of some kind. Instead, she catches sight of a sign that tells her just how far off course she is. A sign that tells her Cork is an amount of kilometres away that means little to Kara. She's in Ireland?
Kara's heart skips a beat, tumbling forward in time as she realizes she has two choices. One, fly back home over the inky, black ocean that looks too much like the Phantom Zone, or two, find Lena.
She knows Lena wants to do this alone, wants to search for her family on her own terms, but perhaps she'd be okay with a visitor, anyway?
With her mind made up, Kara follows the coast. Lena sent Kara a copy of her travel information and Kara knows that she's staying somewhere along the coast, a little south of Dublin.
When she arrives at the AirBnB Lena is renting, light is just beginning to peak over the horizon. For a moment, Kara thinks the whole thing has been a stupid idea, she should just turn back and fly home. Then her mind conjures up the image of phantom Lena and she has to make sure. Has to know that Lena Luthor is okay.
Kara listens for Lena's heartbeat. Is it the slow, even beats of her friend sleeping? Or slightly faster as she gets ready for her day. But there's no movement inside the little cottage. There's also no sign of a rental car in the drive. Kara does the mental math Olympics trying to figure out how long a commercial flight is, how far Lena will need to drive, the time difference between National City and Ireland.
In the end, she has no idea if she's too early or not. Either way, Lena isn't here.
Kara expands her search, listening for the familiar beat of Lena's heart or her voice. When she finds it, she smiles. It's unmistakably Lena, singing along (off-key) to Fleetwood Mac. She's not far away, so Kara waits.
Kara laughs when she sees Lena pull up in a little Ford Fiesta which is about as un-Lena as a car could get. Lena barely stops to put the car in park before she leaps out having caught sight of Kara, still in her pajamas.
"Well, I guess AirKrypton is faster than commercial," Lena jokes.
Kara nods and buries herself in Lena's arms. Lena tugs her close and Kara breathes in Lena's scent until Lena pulls back slightly.
"I'm sorry," Kara says. "I didn't mean to show up unannounced."
Lena shakes her head. "Don't apologize. It's nice to see a friendly face. Let's get you inside, though. Yeah?"
Kara nods and lets Lena wrap a strong shoulder around her as they head for the front door of the cottage.
With one hand, Lena punches in a code on the door and Kara hears the latch click open. Only once she's inside does Kara notice she's shivering. Her short pajamas aren't enough for the crisp, Irish morning.
Lena notices too.
"Come on, let's have some tea. The woman I rented this place from promised to get it stocked before my arrival."
Kara sags into a chair at the four-seater dining table, already missing Lena's warmth.
Neither of them speak as Lena moves through the kitchen boiling a kettle and making tea. She looks just as comfortable here in this tiny cottage as she does in her sprawling National City apartment. In her simple jeans and maroon sweater, she even looks the part. For a moment, Kara glimpses a different Lena. One brought up in Ireland by people who cared for her and loved her. A version of Lena who never needs to wonder if her mother loves her because of course she does.
Lena takes the two mugs of tea through to the little sitting area and settles onto the sofa in front of the bay window. Kara trails along and takes the mug from Lena, settling in opposite her.
Kara watches Lena take a sip from her mug, though her own mug sits cradled in her lap.
"We don't have to talk, but we can if you want."
Kara nods. "It's this article Andrea assigned me."
"About the phantom attack?"
"That's the one."
Kara stares at her mug for a long time without elaborating.
"I can't sleep without seeing that place. Without seeing what it made me see."
"You haven't slept since you went home?" Lena asks, scooting a little closer.
Kara shakes her head. "No, not since the night in the Tower."
"That was days ago."
Kara sighs. "I know."
Lena grabs for Kara's mug and puts it on the coffee table. "Come on," Lena says, tugging Kara to her feet. She tugs Kara through to the bedroom as if she owns the place.
"You trust me?" Lena asks.
Kara doesn't hesitate. "Yes."
"Good. Then you also trust that I won't let anything happen to you?"
Kara's eyes dart to the bed. She's so very, very exhausted.
"I know you wouldn't," she whispers.
Lena lips quirk up in the slightest of smiles, less sure of herself than she once was.
"Good, you get yourself comfy and I'll be right back."
Kara listens as Lena walks through the cottage and outside, her boots crunching on the gravel. When she hears Lena returning, this time with her luggage, Kara slips her Uggs off and climbs under the covers. It's dark in the bedroom aside from a slither of light peeking through the curtains, but Kara can see easily.
Lena wheels her suitcase into the room and lays it down, the zip whizzes around and she flips it open. Kara watches as Lena uses the armchair to balance, tugging her boots off, then the blue jeans that Kara wishes she had seen earlier in their relationship. Why doesn't Lena wear jeans more often? They suit her.
A moment later, the jeans are on the armchair and Lena slips into a pair of soft, gray pants. She turns back to the suitcase and tugs her sweater off, the undershirt too. Kara's heart thuds in her chest, and across the room, Kara hears Lena's heart speed up a little. When Lena's bra drops to the ground, Kara's breath hitches.
If Lena notices, she doesn't say anything. Instead, she tugs a casual Henley over her head in a shade of blue that is almost the same color as Kara's own eyes.
Lena turns and Kara's not sure if she imagines the slight blush on Lena's cheeks as she hesitates by the bed.
"Lena?" Kara questions.
Lena nods, her heart thudding in Kara's ears and giving away a nervousness Kara also feels.
Lena scoots under the blankets and rolls to her side, meeting Kara's eyes.
"Kara?"
"Lena."
Lena chuckles, it's quiet but it's enough to crack through the awkwardness.
"Come, I want to tell you a story," Lena says, already rolling to her back.
Kara shuffles across the mattress and into Lena's waiting arms. Her head drops to Lena's shoulder, just a little above her heart. Lena tugs her close, her arm coming to rest on Kara's waist. Kara's other arm rests across Lena's stomach and Lena's comes to rest on top.
Kara tries not to think about just how intimate their position is.
"Comfortable?" Lena asks.
Kara looks up, meeting Lena's eyes as best she can. "Yes," she mumbles.
Lena smiles in the dark room and Kara feels her body heat a little.
"Would you like me to tell you a story?" Lena asks.
The lilt of her voice and Lena's arms around her has Kara already relaxing a little. She nods.
"I don't remember much from before the Luthors. Only snippets, but my Mum, my real Mum, she used to tell me this bedtime story."
Kara smiles against Lena's chest. "You must have been so cute as a kid," she says.
Lena laughs and the sound vibrates through their intertwined bodies. "There was a field behind our house, and Mum used to take me out there to play. She'd make me little flower crowns sometimes."
"I'm sorry I never got to meet her," Kara says.
Lena sighs. "She would have loved you."
They're silent for a few moments before Lena continues. "I found the real version of this story once, but this is how my Mum used to tell it."
Kara snuggles in a little closer to Lena's body, feeling the words as Lena speaks them so that her whole world becomes Lena.
"Many hundreds of years ago, Ireland was a place filled with magic, but it was also a place filled with tragedy. My sweet girl, this story is a story of love too, and of family. Never forget that family is the greatest gift but also the greatest curse of them all."
Kara smiles into Lena's chest as some of her American accent falls away, replaced by a gentle Irish lilt.
"Our story begins with King Cumhall mac Trénmhoir. In today's world, we would call him a duke, but he ruled a portion of Ireland. He was a great man. A strong man and a good leader he ruled the Fianna. Do you know what that is?" Lena asks.
"Tell me," Kara replies.
"They were a lot like us. Little groups of warriors bound together by friendship. My mother, she never mentioned if they fight for good or evil though."
"I like to think they fought injustices," Kara says.
"Then that's what they did. The Fianna fought injustices all across the lands of Ireland. One day, while out with the Fianna, Cumhall came across a young woman. She had dark hair that cascaded down her shoulders in loose curls and her name was Muirne. She had snuck out of her father's castle, hoping to find a suitor who would please her father. He was a powerful druid called Tadg mac Nuadat."
"And why didn't Taddy want his daughter getting married?"
Lena smiles. "Tadg had the power of prophecy. He had foreseen that the marriage of his daughter would cause him to lose his home. They on the Hill of Almu. My mother used to say it was that hill you can see outside the village. But it's not. It's an hour from here. The Hill of Allen."
Absently, Lena's hand shifts from Kara's hip and she begins stroking Kara's hair. Kara hums contentedly as Lena continues the story.
"Cumhall and Muirne fell in love. Cumhall helped her to run away from her father. But old Tad wasn't happy and he appealed to Cumhall's cousin Conn who was the high king. Conn told Cumhall that he must give up Muirne or face exile. Cumhall refused."
"If he really loved her, I'm not surprised. I would never give up the woman I love for anything," Kara says. Her sleepy mind doesn't realize what she's said, but she can hear a smile in Lena's voice when she speaks again.
"Nor would I."
"What happens next?" Kara asks.
"Well, Conn and Cumhall compete in a series of battles. Due to his superior strength, Cumhall is unable to be driven from the lands. In a final battle at what is now Castleknock, Cumhall is slain by the warrior Goll mac Morna. Goll goes on to take over the Fianna. Unbenknownst to any of them, Cumhall's wife, Muirne is pregnant with Cumhall's child."
"A secret baby?" Kara gasps. "This story has it all."
"Well," Lena continues. "Muirne's father, the great druid, refuses to take Muirne back, and he orders her burnt at the stake for her relationship with Cumhall. Thankfully, King Conn steps in at this point and takes Muirne under his protection."
"That's good of him," Kara slurs, her body becoming sleepy in Lena's arms.
"Yeah, it is," Lena agrees.
If there's more to the story, Kara doesn't hear it. She drifts into a dream world where she wears armor and wields a sword, fighting for her powerful druid wife who looks an awful lot like a medieval Lena.