AN: As always thank you for the reviews, guys. dnmann and taro84, jennifer again, thanks! So, I'm not too sure about this one, but it got the aftermath, some revelation and mama Luthor. Enjoy!

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She screwed up.

By the time the silence was enveloping the entirety of her house in a thick blanket that left her feeling colder than ever, Lena wanted to call Kara back and beg for forgiveness. To explain that nothing else about their time spent together was a lie. That she cared about Kara too. More than.

But, now all that left was nothing.

Nothing, but Supergirl's cape that still rested on the couch. In her haste to leave, Kara had forgotten to take it back. The red sheet crumpled and abandoned, exactly how Lena felt at the moment.

She gathered the cape into her arms, hugged it close to her chest. The scent of rain and smoke and Kara's shampoo invaded her senses as Lena buried her face in it.

She screwed up. And now she's alone again.

She asked for this when she decided to lie to her soulmate. Lena deserved this. She deserved to be alone.

It was funny how things could change in a blink of an eye. She was in heaven and then in hell seconds later.

That kiss was everything Lena had hoped for. Her soul sung and thrummed with happiness, with a sense of accomplishment. She thought she could find her place in this life with Kara and then the flame of hope got smothered. The universe mocked her, waved nice things at her face only to pull away the last minute before she can grab it in her possession.

She lost ten years of her life and subsequently her family, her future, and now, her soulmate.

The misery that was her life kept piling up and beating her to a pulp and Lena didn't know how long she could hold on anymore.

She opened her eyes blearily to the purring on top of her chest as she lay on the couch. Her kittens were there, making themselves comfortable as they huddled around each other. The living room had gone dark, only street lights from outside illuminated the space. She must have dozed off.

She remembered folding Supergirl's cape and laying it on top of the coffee table to wait for Kara to come back to retrieve it. She remembered fighting drowsiness and her aching body that demanded rest to wait for Kara instead. Lena needed to make this right again. But, she must have lost the fight halfway because the cape was long gone now.

Kara had come back and left without looking back.

Lena wanted to cry, sure enough, that Kara wanted nothing else from her now. Sure that she had lost her chance in patching up, in asking for forgiveness.

Her self-deprecating was short-lived though when she saw something else in place of the cape before. Mindful of the dozing kittens and her own bruised ribs, she got up and reached for what Kara had left behind.

Two boxes. The smaller one, cream of some sort and the bigger one consisted of dark leafy greens with a mixture of something red and yellow and white powder stuff. Lena had a hard time computing what the hell it was and why Kara would have left these things.

It took her ashamedly long moments, Lena blamed it for her drowsiness, but she finally registered the label for the cream as a natural pain reliever and the leafy mix thing as a salad. Kale salad, to be exact.

Lena felt her heart open up again. That candle of hope sparked into an ember. Digging in the salad, she thought that she might have found her favourite food after all.

*

The next morning, instead of resting as per the EMTs order, Lena got up and ready for work. All night, she had been jittery, planning ways to make it up to her soulmate. Even if her body was still sore, at least her headache was gone. So, she took that as a win and headed to Noonan's first to get Kara's favourite.

With sticky buns in one hand and coffee in another, Lena entered the lift to Catco's building, pushed for Kara's level and took a deep breath to brace herself.

It was still quite early so when she arrived at the top floor, there were only a few people that were at their desks and a few janitors that were cleaning up the mess from yesterday's hostage situation.

"Lena?"

Someone called and she turned to find Nia walking towards her from the lobby's entrance. Nia gave a hug in greeting. "I heard what happen yesterday. I'm glad you're okay."

Lena couldn't really hug back with both hands occupied but Nia didn't seem bothered by it. "Thanks... Come to think of it, I didn't see you yesterday. Were you okay?"

"Probably because I was out for an interview and didn't get back until later. Lucky me." Nia started to walk deeper into the office, probably to get to her place, pulling Lena with her. "So, I heard you were quite the hero. Another one of Catco's very own heroes. Would you mind if I scheduled an interview?"

"Wha—What? That's ridiculous. I'm not a hero, Nia."

"Exactly what a hero would say." Nia grinned.

Lena rolled her eyes.

"So, why are you here? Not that I mind, but didn't Cat close Catco for today. Everyone got to work from home."

Lena's heart sunk at the implication. "Oh, I guess I didn't get the memo."

They arrived at Nia's desk, where the younger woman immediately started fishing for her notebook in the drawers.

"I was hoping to catch Kara before work started," Lena confessed dejectedly, eyeing the blonde's empty desk that was close by.

"Oh? Kara didn't tell you?"

Lena snapped her head to Nia, eyes searching. "Tell me what?"

"She's taken a week's leave to go to Midvale. Family matter." Nia shrugged.

Lena couldn't believe the whiplash she was having right now. Was this it then? Was Kara's abrupt leave, her telling that their relationship was over? Lena wasn't that self-absorb to think that everything Kara did revolve around her. But, the timing couldn't be a coincidence. They fought yesterday and now Kara's gone after leaving her with a pain relief cream and a kale salad. Were those her goodbyes? Her dusted off her hands and said good riddance after.

"Lena, you looked a little pale there. Wanna sit down?"

She forced a strained smile. "No, thank you, Nia. Here, you can have these."

Nia took the sticky buns and the coffee with confusion and no doubt more questions at the tip of her tongue, but Lena was already saying goodbye and walking away. Her heart was in her throat and tears were threatening to fall as she found her way out.

There was no more burning hope left inside. It had been completely extinguished now. Snuffed out.

Kara didn't want to see her anymore.

And Lena could do nothing about it.

"Luna Kylian."

She halted her steps just in time to not bump the woman that was in her way. The woman being Cat Grant.

"Why are you here?" Cat asked with a quirked of her brow.

"I was—"

"I specifically give every one of my employees a day off today and yet..." She sighed dramatically. "If you're trying to impress me, then don't bother. You already did yesterday, standing up in front of those extremists. Two months' bonus should suffice, do you agree? Or are you an overachiever, Luna?"

"I—"

"Since you're not denying it, let's talk more in my office."

Cat walked past her with a purposeful stride.

"I was leaving," Lena called out frustratedly. She didn't want to be in this building any more than necessary. Maybe she could hop on a bus and run somewhere far away too, leaving everything behind.

"It's not a request, Luna. Come along, chop chop!"

"It's Lena."

But Cat was already ways away ahead. Lena had no choice but to follow after her boss. Once they arrived at Cat's office, the older woman went straight to sit behind her desk. Lena closed the glass door behind her and walked closer. Cat didn't invite her to sit so Lena stood awkwardly between the two guest chairs.

Cat started with a "How old are you, Luna?"

"I'm 26."

"Hmm... And you're an intern in Marketing. Aren't you a bit old to be an intern?"

Cat's tone of voice was borderline condescending that Lena had a hard time not walking away and be done with it.

"Some would say."

"Why?" Cat sat back to regard her critically, hands clasped on top of one another. "Did you graduate high school late? You got pregnant? You were in a coma? Which one is it?"

Lena's patience was wearing thin. She didn't need this—whatever this is—on top of everything else with Kara. "I was away."

"Where?"

"Prison."

The silence that followed after was deafening. Cat looked up frozen like a statue.

And internally, Lena said fuck all. She wasn't planning on staying anymore. If Kara can leave, so can she. "I served ten years in state prison because I murdered a man when I was 16."

That should settle it. Lex would be mad to know that she had just put all of his effort to waste. But Lena couldn't care less right now. Surely Catco wouldn't want a convicted murderer as one of their employees. Such a prestigious company that named the Supergirl herself, they had a reputation to hold on to. All she needed to hear now was a 'You're fired,' or 'Get out,' or something else with the same context.

"What did he do?"

Lena broke out of her haze, sure that she heard wrong. "What?"

Cat's eyes were hard but not cruel. Her voice was clear when she repeated, "What did he do to you?"

Lena's heart thumped loudly against her ears. Memories of him and what he did on that day danced at the back of her vision, resurfacing now one by one like opening a Pandora's box.

No one had ever asked her that before.

Not even the police officers. When they found her at his home, they had cuffed her and taken her straight to the station. They had recounted what they think had happened and how she ended up killing him... never what he had done.

"N—Nothing." But Cat didn't fall for it. She waited and waited.

There's a pressure building inside Lena. Her chest felt tight, body trembled. She tried to pull herself together but the pressure kept pushing. "He—He had pictures of—of girls...younger than me. And videos. Tapes. Of him doing—he... he kept them all under his bed." She still remembered his room, his bed with a gold cream duvet. How soft it felt under her fingers. "He was my professor."

Cat had stood up to join by her side, tissues at the ready. Belatedly, Lena realized her cheeks were wet. Embarrassed, she thanked Cat for the tissues and wiped her tears away hurriedly.

Giving her a second to herself, Cat moved away to the minibar at the corner of the room, poured two glasses of whiskey before handing one to Lena.

"It's 8 am."

"Lena," Cat said disapprovingly, "How else are we going to make a toast? Here's to you for putting the sick bastard 6 feet underground," She clanked her glass with Lena's unresponsive one. "Now, I have a job offer for you to consider..."

*

Lena's plan had backfired tremendously.

Instead of getting fired for disclosing herself, Cat Grant had offered a position as her personal assistant, since her last one was still recovering from a gunshot wound. Cat hadn't pried much else after Lena's outburst which she was grateful for. The past is best left in the past, as they say.

So now, instead of hopping on a bus to leave town, Lena found herself running to Cat's favourite café three blocks away to get her Bulletproof Coffee, which was only one of the many requests of her boss that Lena now in need taking care of.

Despite the sudden physical exertion this new job demanded, Lena had never felt this seen before by her colleague and her boss. That was probably why she had accepted the offer and also it was pretty hard to say no to Cat Grant. All in all, it was definitely a step up from her previous position in Marketing, but that was a pretty low bar, so of course, working with— for Cat Grant directly felt like a promotion in on itself.

Also, a great plus was her work desk's neighbours. Having Winn sat across while Nia and James on the same floor were great. Some friendly faces definitely couldn't hurt but the one face that Lena wanted to see the most was still absent.

It had been three days without seeing Kara or hearing her voice. The last Lena had tried to bridge the widening gap in their friendship was her texting ' I'm sorry' the night Kara left which she hadn't replied to until today.

Lena tried not to think too much of what that might imply.

Her job was finished for the day and she was about to unlock her front door when she found the door was already unlocked. Lena's hope burned anew. The only one who had the key to her house was...

"Kara?"

Lena's calling was left unanswered, she quickened her steps and entered the lit living room to find someone unexpected standing in the middle of it.

"Who's Kara?" Lillian asked.

"Mom, you're here."

"Yes, quite the observation you have, dear." Lillian dismissed, "You haven't answered my question."

Lena blinked, still registering the older woman in front. It had been months since they last saw each other. And despite everything, Lena had missed her adoptive mother.

"Kara's just a friend."

Lillian said nothing for a while. It's hard to read whether her silence was approval or the opposite or anything of substance. Aramis meowed from the kitchen counter behind Lena, effectively cutting through the silence.

"You bought cats."

"I found them...saved them actually." She smiled as she moved to pick Aramis up into her arms.

"Strays. How nice of you. Have you checked them for fleas? Cat disease? No, don't bring it to me. Over there is fine." Lena stopped short, smile dropping. "And is this Kara also a stray you picked from the streets? Why are you expecting her inside the house while you're out?"

Aramis squirmed in her hold and eventually jumped out and flee to the bedroom. Lena wanted to go with him. "Kara is not a stray, mom. She has an apartment and a job. I said that she's my friend."

"A friend that's in possession of your house key?"

Lena smiled bitterly. "I guess the two of you have something in common."

Lillian walked closer, stopping right in front, towering over Lena which she barely managed not to flinch away. "I am your mother, Lena. I bought this house in this nice neighbourhood for you to live comfortably. Not to share it with anyone who tries to take advantage of you. Does she know who you are?"

Lena willed her face to remain calm, to stay unaffected. There was no doubt an underlying question was implied there.

Does she know you're a criminal? Does she know you're a Luthor?

Telling Lillian about whom Kara really was to her felt like a breach of trust. Not even Kara's circle of family and friends knew what they were to each other. So it was fairly easy for Lena to choose between Kara and Lillian.

"No. She doesn't know anything."

"Good, let's keep it that way."

Lena turned and escape to the kitchen. In need of something else to do, she rummaged through the fridge. "Have you eaten? I can cook but I have to go to the groceries first." There was nothing else left other than rotten apples. She picked them up with a grimace and threw them into the trash. Such a waste. "Or we can go out? I know someplace nice in the city."

"No, I don't have the time."

"But, we always had birthday dinner every year, although this year is two months late." Even when Lena was in prison Lillian never failed to come by and make it happen. Lena never questioned how just grateful that she had a few beautiful moments in there to count for. But now, seeing Lillian's confusion slowly turned realization across the kitchen counter, Lena felt disheartened. "You forgot, didn't you."

Lillian only took a second to morph her face into indifference. "Oh come now. You're an adult. There's no need to be upset about it." She admonished, making Lena sag with shame. "Work had been crazy and Luthorcorp is launching another branch here in National City. It's why I came, I'm going to move here permanently to helm the operation. I already got a penthouse near the company. So, we'll be seeing each other more."

"Can I come by Luthorcorp, someday?"

"Perhaps."

Lena's chest flared with hope at the not straight up rejection.

"You were saying you know someplace nice. Is this place still open at this time?"

They ended up going for dinner after all and Lena had a good time despite everything.

*

Everything was going well with her life—apart from Kara, that is, but Lena didn't let it deter her optimism nor was she giving up on her soulmate. She would respect Kara's wishes and wait however long Kara deemed to talk to her again. Lena can be patient. Whatever her soulmate want, she would try to accommodate. Besides, she had yet to properly apologize to the blonde for lying.

Her positivity might have also been influenced by her new position at Catco. Although it was only nearing a week being Cat's assistant, Lena liked the job very much. And Cat's rare praises whenever Lena did something right, something as mundane as getting the salad order correctly to never setting up a meeting for unwanted investors, Cat had been... not terrible.

Not only that, news that Lillian was moving to stay in the city only add to the good news category of Lena's little boxes in her mind. Having even one of her family nearby was enough for her to not feel alone anymore.

So, yes, everything seemed to shape up into something hopeful for the future.

Which was why the universe decided to fuck it all up, Lena guessed.

It was nearing midnight when it happened. Cat texted her to come by to the office to take notes on a conference call from Dubai that was happening. Going to Catco at ungodly hours was not that strange to be honest, since Lena had been staying late for most days to help Cat with more or less the same task.

But what was different this time was her boss hadn't mentioned to her beforehand that there was a conference call scheduled. Not even in Lena's calendar, was a call been arranged which only meant that she had overlooked it. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed her keys and locked the door behind and went straight to Catco.

Lena arrived fifteen minutes later. Telling the driver to keep the change, she got out of the cab and entered the building. In her haste, she didn't realize that the guard at the entrance was nowhere to be seen.

The top floor was eerie, but that was to be expected considering the time and with no one there. The lights were off saved for a few lighting up the hallways. And further inside, Cat's room was the brightest on the floor. Lena made her way there, mentally ready to be chastised by Cat for having to be reminded how to do her job.

Apologies were at the tip of her tongue when she pushed the glass door open.

But the words stuck in her throat as she took in the scene before her in horror.

Cat was on the floor, flat on her front, a pool of red under her.

It wasn't wine, the red too thick and the colour too dark.

Her handbag and notebook clattered down the floor. Lena didn't even realize her body had moved, kneeling to pull Cat on her back.

"Miss Grant,"

Her voice was oddly calm as she tried to stop the bleeding on Cat's chest. Blood surrounded her fingers anyway as Cat remained unresponsive. Her face was pale, lips blue.

And when Lena pushed harder to stop the bleeding, the blood was cold.

Lena can only hear her heartbeat, drumming against her eardrums. Her chest, rising and falling with abundance, needing air. She stood up, instantly felt lightheaded as she looked down at her bloodied hands and her bloodied pants where she had been kneeling.

Was this a dream?

A soft thud landed outside the balcony just at that moment, loud in the silence of the night. She knew who it was before they entered through the open glass door.

When Kara finally came inside donning her Supergirl regalia, her eyes widened at the state Lena was in, "Lena..."

Lena could have laughed if she could. Kara called her name with such concern lacing in her voice, you would think that they never had a fight a week before and never saw each other until now. "Your heartbeat. Are you--" But, then she looked down and saw Cat Grant's lifeless body.