Slightly heavy topic that touches on Lena's self-harm past because sometimes I write this story when I am in a bad spot and this helps. If self-harm stuff is triggering for you please be careful, the cutting itself is a very small part of things, but tis there.
Lena had watched the footage most of the day which of course meant she got no work done. It couldn't be helped though: Supergirl was engaged in a fairly intense fight just outside downtown and this other alien just would not stay down when Kara had bested them. This resulted in hours of fighting and Lena feared Kara over doing things and having her powers flare at the end of this fight and leave her fiancé defenseless when all was quiet. Eventually, Lena saw the other alien go down for good and once the cameras cut to their reporters she texted Kara. She got a response maybe 15 minutes later with Kara telling her she was physically fine, but that Alex had demanded her come to the DEO to be looked over. Lena normally would've taken Kara's side and said she was an adult who could come home if she wanted to, but today she was sort of ok with Alex playing the all-important Big Sister card to get Kara to be looked over. Kara told Lena that Alex was sending a car for her because and she quoted Alex 'I'm sure Luthor is worried I got my medical degree out of a cereal box'. Lena rolled her eyes at Alex's little joke and she quickly bid her assistant goodbye for the night and left to meet her car downstairs.
Once at the DEO, Lena was directed to the med bay where Alex was by then finishing checking Kara over. Lena was waved in by Alex once she finished marking things down and Lena fussed over Kara who had a few scraps and bumps, but nothing that she hadn't seen far worse of before.
"See I told you I was fine." Kara tried to be cute as Lena held her head in her hands and examined the cuts on her forehead, chin and cheek closely.
"Oh, you think this is funny do you? Because your powers have never crapped out on you after a fight before. You fought that alien for over 4 hours Kara, I know because I timed it. I know because it was televised." Kara felt bad instantly at trying to make light of a situation that she and Lena knew could have ended differently.
"Lena I'm sorry. But I swear I didn't overdo it until the very end and it was only because I knew I had him." Lena nodded and held Kara's hand a little tighter as she looked at Alex. "Are you sure her powers didn't flare or do something else terrible?" Alex pulled up her data on her tablet and showed Lena and Kara.
"Best we can tell her powers are fine, but you have a valid point. This was the longest sustained fighting Kara ever has done, at least alone and there is almost no possible way to test for how fatiguing her powers might play a role. I would rather she stay here tonight, in the sun bed and that way if anything happens the medical team is here, I'm here and we can address it right away. If it were earlier in the day I would just send her home and tell her to sit on the balcony for a few hours, but it's getting late so not much sunlight left. It is up to you guys though." Alex stepped back from the couple and pretended to be doing other things on her tablet, leaving Kara and Lena to talk.
"You want me to stay, don't you?" Kara looked at Lena and while Lena wanted to put her foot down and make Kara stay, she knew this had to be Kara's decision.
"I want you to be safe and protected love. What if we got home and your powers gave out there and we didn't know it. So yes, I think staying here for the night is best, but this has to be your decision." Kara always appreciated that about Lena: she knew that as Supergirl a lot of decisions were made for her by the DEO or Alex so at home Lena made sure that their relationship was that of equals and that meant having autonomy.
"I'll stay the night. But only cuz I can sleep in the sun bed and recover faster which means coming home sooner." Lena smiled and offered Kara a brief kiss before Alex came back over. "Great, I'll have the bed set up for you and in the morning we will run through a strength test of your powers and make sure everything is at the level they normally are. That's the only way I can think to test them." Kara nodded and she and Lena followed Alex to the room Alex always put on standby when Kara is called into work. She turned the sun bed on and turned to Lena.
"Should I have someone blow up the air mattress so you can stay?" Lena looked at Kara who seemed suddenly sleepy as she changed and got settled on the bed. Lena shook her head, "she'll wake up more if I am here just to make sure I am ok. I want her to get some real rest so whatever readings you get on her powers in the morning will be accurate."
"If you are sure.' Lena nodded her confirmation. "Ok, then I will have an agent drive you home." Alex went to arrange Lena a ride home and Lena went over to Kara.
"You staying here or going home?" Lena smiled at Kara and offered her a quick kiss, "I think I should head home. If I stay, you will climb into bed with me or I'll stay awake and do the same to you. This way we hopefully both get some sleep and I will come get you first thing and you can take me to breakfast." Kara pulled Lena closer to her, "oh I can, can I? Gosh that is so nice of me."
"You know most people can contain their horny teenage hormones long enough not to make out in a government building." Lena smirked at Alex, "you clearly don't read the news Agent Danvers." Lena offered Kara one more longer kiss and then kissed her forehead, "please get some sleep and I will see you in the morning." Alex walked Lena out to the front desk area of the DEO and made sure the younger woman made it safely in the car.
"I'll likely just crash here in my office so if you want an update on Kara just holler. Otherwise I trust you'll be here early, demanding my sister's release."
"Your sister owes me breakfast Alex, I'll be here plenty early." Lena bid her soon to be sister in law good night and Alex tapped the top of the SUV that was taking Lena home, giving the agent driving the all clear to take off on the road. Lena was dropped off at home and after checking in with her security team downstairs she bid them goodnight and retreated to the penthouse. She still felt on edge, but she told herself it was just her adrenaline that had not come done completely. She quickly changed into her sleep clothes, stealing one of Kara's shirts to sleep in for the night. After doing a few little things before bed, Lena crawled into bed and instantly hated how it felt to be sleeping alone after so long having Kara with her while they slept. Her discomfort and fear of what had happened today eventually were overpowered by her deep exhaustion and Lena feel asleep.
Normally Lena enjoyed very few bad dreams or nightmares when she was this level of tired, but tonight things were not as they always were. Lena also failed to take into consideration that Kara usually woke her from bad dream before they got to be too much to handle and with no Kara, there was no one to wake her before the bad dreams morphed into nightmares. Just a little after midnight however, Lena was finally shaken out of her sleep by a hyper realistic nightmare that caused her to sit upright gasping for air. Lena all but fell out of bed as she took in as much air as she could. She made her way into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face and let it drip off her face, back into the sink. Lena didn't realize she was shaking until she realized she was gripping the sink with her dominant hand and she still felt unsteady.
Lena could not remember details of her nightmare which to her made it that much worse. In her fear and anxiety Lena didn't know what to do to calm down and before she could try and stop herself with some more rational thinking she grabbed the small mirror she used to put on make-up and hit it against the counter of the sink which had been long ago reinforced so it would not crack under Kara's touch. The small mirror broke and Lena grabbed one piece of the glass. In her head, Lena knew that this would solve nothing but at the same time Lena wanted to be calm and get out of the head space she was currently in and this was the only way she knew to achieve that without Kara here to help her. After she quickly cut her forearm she drops the glass at her feet and sinks down to the bathroom floor, feeling significantly calmer and finally feeling as though she can take a full breath.
It takes Lena a few minutes to feel the intoxicating haze her actions have given her wear off. She grabs a hand towel from the linen closet and hold it to the cut on her arm and aside from the mix of guilt and shame, Lena feels something she is not familiar with feeling after cutting: fear. Lena was pretty sure the injury was not deep enough to require anything drastic like the hospital, but she also didn't know what to do next. As she felt her anxiety beginning to spike again she remembered something Alex had told her months before, "my phone is always on, I'd rather help you feel safe at 2am…" Lena looked at the clock in the bathroom and it was at that point about 12:30 in the morning and while she felt awful at the thought of waking Alex up, it was the only option she felt safe using. Lena got her phone from the bedroom and with great hesitation she hit Alex's name in her phone. It rang a few times which made Lena feel guilty for calling so late, but she didn't have time to panic as Alex finally answered on the 4th or 5th ring.
"Danvers." Alex's voice was sleepy and Lena could hear her yawn and she clearly wasn't awake enough to see which phone she was answering: her work phone or her personal phone.
"Alex, its...its Lena." Lena regretted not being able to control how she sounded and her voice breaking would suggest something was wrong, which it was, but she didn't want Alex to worry.
"Right, sorry I didn't check the screen before I answered. Kara was fine when I checked on her about an hour ago. I told her I'd let her sleep the rest of the night unless she asked the med staff to call me. So she should be all set for tests in the morning and then she'll be home." Lena was glad to hear that Kara was doing well and that should would be home soon, but Lena struggled to get the reason for her call out.
"Good, I'll probably come get her around 7, that way you have time to run your tests." Lena kept her voice in CEO mode and that caught Alex's attention more than her earlier stutter did.
"Lena, did you call to check on Kara or did you call for something else?" Lena wanted to lie and say it was for Kara, but she looked at her injury and forced herself to be honest with Alex.
"Something else." Alex felt suddenly more awake and was rolling off the temporary mattress she had set up in her office.
"Ok, are you alright? What's wrong?" Alex tried to keep her tone of voice calm because she knew Lena well enough to know that if she sensed panic in Alex she would lie and shut down to protect Alex.
"I'm fine, I just had a difficult dream and I just freaked out and I guess…I couldn't stop myself."
"Couldn't stop yourself from what Lena?" Alex had an idea what Lena was talking about and she was already putting her field jacket on over her PJs.
"It would appear that old habits do in fact die hard. And I think…I need some extra help if you are available." Alex reached for her car keys and hesitated, "Lena, would it be a good idea to bring my medical bag with me?"
"That would probably be a wise decision Alex, yes." Alex hated that she had to grab the bag and she hoped whatever she was walking into was not as bad as what she thought up in her head. "Lena I am walking to the car now, will you be ok till I get there?"
Lena checked her injury and knew she would be fine till Alex showed up. "I'll be ok Alex. I'll take the alarm off so just use your code to get in." Lena hung up the phone immediately after saying that, which she didn't think much of until she immediately got a phone call back from Alex. As soon as the phone clicked through and well before Lena can say anything she hears Alex's voice, "don't you dare hang up on me after calling me for this kind of help. And just so we are clear, I am not mad you called, I am mad you thought I was gonna hang up the damn phone before I stepped foot in your building."
"Sorry. I didn't intend to scare you."
"Lena if I'm gonna help you, you gotta drop your CEO tone."
"Alex I'm afraid I can't do that until you get here."
"Why?"
"This tone, it helps me keep things compartmentalized in my head and if I lose that right now I will just be a mess of tears when you get here." Alex sighed heavily and Lena could hear the car get turned on. "Ok. But you gotta talk to me while I drive."
"I'm not sure what to say."
"Doesn't have to be anything meaningful Lena, I just need to hear you talking." Lena understood and began to tell Alex about her week at work: meetings she had had, her latest projects and even managed to slip in details about how the beginning stages of the wedding planning was going. This took up the 15 minutes it took Alex to get outside Lena's building. She let Lena know when she had parked the car and only when she had reached the elevator did she agree that Lena could hang up the phone. Lena could hear the front door open and then heard Alex's voice right after.
"Lena, its me."
"Bedroom." Lena waited, but didn't have to wait long for Alex to enter the Master Bedroom where she was still sitting on the bed. Alex put her bag down on the floor and shed her jacket, leaving both women in their Pjs. Alex sat down opposite Lena and gave her a second to adjust to another person seeing her vulnerable and scared. Lena didn't say anything, but held out her arm for Alex to look at. Alex peeled away the towel and saw that while the cut was still bleeding, it did not seem like a deep enough injury to require stiches. Alex looked at Lena who had her head turned away from Alex.
"Lena. Hey, Lena you gotta stay with me on this okay? Is this the only one?" Lena nodded her head. "Ok. That's good. I am gonna grab my bag to bandage this, it might be easier in the bathroom." Lena shook her head no.
"That would not be a safe option until I clean it up Alex." Alex looked confused and quickly ducked her head in the Master Bathroom and she saw the broken mirror which at least gave her a snapshot of what had happened. She returned to Lena, grabbed her bag and laid Lena's arm across a pillow, placing a sterile sheet under it. Alex put on gloves and pulled out some butterfly bandages and some wrap bandages. She tossed the towel aside and cleaned the cut, something that made Lena wince with pain at first, but after that she seemed to be fine. Alex examined the cut one more time to make sure it was clean, put the butterfly strips on it to keep it closed and after putting some gauze on top of those she carefully wrapped Lena's arm with the adhesive wrap bandage.
"After a few days, you won't have to have any bandage on it and it'll heal like any other injury. For the weekend though, I would keep everything on it and then next time you shower take a look and see if you need another bandage ok?" Lena nodded and let Alex clean up her supplies while she sat there in relative silence. Alex sat back down on the bed and didn't wait for Lena to say anything.
"Now that we took care of the actual cut, you need to tell me what happened." Lena took a deep breath and looked up, finally making direct eye contact with Alex. A move that in the business world made her a force to be reckoned with, but in this moment all it did was show Alex exactly how much pain Lena was in. Lena opened her mouth a few times, trying to say something but nothing came out. Finally, she was able to get out the only thing she was used to saying when she had been caught cutting when she was younger, "I'm sorry." Lena had tears rolling down her face and Alex hated to see it because for all her power in the boardroom, Lena Luthor looked like a kicked puppy when she was sad and crying. Alex brushed some of the tears from Lena's face and the gesture was a little too much kindness for Lena and it caused the tears to come more.
"Hey, Lena you need to just listen to me. I know it's scary, but this doesn't mean you are back in the same mindset you were when you were younger. Now I can't know that unless you tell me for sure, but I get the feeling that this wasn't you trying to end your life."
"I wasn't."
"Ok, good. Just tell me what did happen." Lena explained, in that watery voice you have when you've been crying, and Alex felt better that this wasn't a life threatening emergency, but she still was concerned for Lena. Lena tried to brush all the tears away and stand up from the bed.
"I should put on some shoes and sweep up the glass in the bathroom so I don't step on it later." Lena moved to do just that, but Alex stopped her. "I'll get it. You just rest for a bit ok."
"Alex, I can clean up my own mess. Back in the day I did it with some regularity and I never got hurt a second time." Alex nodded and still didn't move.
"When you were in your 20's and this happened all the time, who cleaned up after everything was calm?"
"I did."
"What about when you went into the hospital after the suicide attempt? You were unconscious, who cleaned up that time?" Lena looked like Alex had sucker punched her and she looked away. Alex gently pushed, "Lena, who?"
"I did. When I came back, I cleaned it up. Mother said it was a cry for attention and she would not have our staff clean it up and reward my behavior with attention from the help. So when I got back, I cleaned it up." Alex had feared as much and her response was to point back to the bed until Lena sat back down.
"Exactly, you cleaned up every time, even the one time where someone else really should have helped you. This wasn't a cry for attention Lena, it was a cry for help, now and back then. I am going to go clean it up because that is what people who love one another do: they help you when you are hurt, they clean up after you and they cover your ass. They love you when you cannot love yourself, so please let me help you with this."
Lena shifted in her spot on the bed, "you sound like Kara." Alex smiled, "yeah well, who do you think taught her all the smart shit she tells you about family and love." Alex went and quickly swept up the glass in the bathroom and removed the glad fragments from around the sink. She threw away the metal that had held the mirror and all the glass away before cleaning the floor with a mop. Once everything was settled in there she returned to Lena who was laying on the bed, turned toward Kara's side of the bed, clutching her pillow.
"All cleaned up." Alex went over to her sister's side of the bed and say that Lena was still awake. Alex pointed to Kara's side of the bed, "this seat taken?" Lena smiled slightly and gestured for Alex to sit. Alex instead mirrored Lena and propped herself up on her elbow.
"I would ask if you want to talk about it, but I know you don't. Instead, let me say something to you. Thank you for calling me." Lena was expecting a lot of things from Alex, but a thank you was not on the list.
"Why would you thank me?"
"Because I told you to call if you needed help and you did. I have known enough people with this problem to know that maybe you couldn't have called me in the moment and that's ok because you called me before it got any worse. You let me help you."
"I think I had a nightmare that triggered an anxiety or panic attack. Usually, when Kara is home she hears my heartbeat speed up and can wake me up before it gets bad, but without her here I just woke up freaking out and it was like I couldn't breathe, let alone call you." That made a lot of sense to Alex because she heard less and less about Kara's nightmares in the time she had been with Lena because they both managed to catch the other when night time terrors came to call.
"I'm sorry she isn't here. I didn't think waking her to bring her with me would be what you need right now."
"I'll obviously tell her when she comes back, but yes it would've been harder in some ways had she come with you." Alex looked at the clock and noticed how late it had gotten.
"Well, I am exhausted and you should sleep if you can. Can I crash on the couch or the guest room?" Lena glanced at the clock and realized in that moment how tired she was now that things were calm. She also realized that she did not want to go back to sleep alone. She pulled Kara pillow closer to her and moved so she was back on her side of the bed.
"You can stay in here with me. If you want." Alex knew that this was the closest she would ever get to hearing Lena admit she did not want to be alone so she took the hint and did not push it. "I'll get an extra pillow from the guest bedroom and I'll be right back ok?" Lena nodded as she settled back into the bed and tried to focus on the faint scent she could detect from Kara's pillow. Alex returned and gently climbed into her sister's side of the bed, turning off the bedside lamp and turning on her side.
"Night Lena." Alex mumbled it as she curled into Kara's spot. She didn't hear anything back and had assumed Lena had just fallen fast asleep. Instead she felt a small hand gently grip her own: a sensation that made her open her eyes. She saw Lena's hand in her own and her heart broke a little as she watched Lena clutch Kara's pillow to her like she would die if she let it go.
"Lena." The CEO looked at Alex and Alex could see the tears that Lena tried to hide and it made her think of all the nights Kara would spend in bed when she first got to earth: scared and crying, desperate for her big sister to make the scary things go away. Alex pushed herself closer to Lena and opened her arms, "I am not going to insult your pride by offering you a hug, but if some human contact is what will make you feel secure and safe, I'm at least moderately comfortable. Probably not as comfy to snuggle as Kara, but I am a pretty good stand in." Lena cracked a smile and was thankful beyond words at Alex's gesture. She moved closer to the older woman and didn't realize how much she needed that physical show of love until she felt herself grip Alex tighter than she meant to.
"I'm sorry Alex." Alex ran her fingers through Lena's hair and the CEO could feel her shake her head. "Don't apologize for needing help Lena or for needing some extra love. Everyone needs to be held up sometimes."
"Not Luthors." Alex held her tighter, "yes, Luthors. Look Lena, Lex and Lillian are two pieces of work I can't make heads or tails of, but this is not about them. You are a human being with a heart that is just as fragile as anyone else's and thank God you aren't like them Lena. You have the best parts of being a Luthor without all the hatred that your family tries to be proud of. So trust me Lena, even you, with all your good parts, need help and love."
"How can you be so sure I have all the best parts of my family?"
"Because only the person with the kindest soul in any family, who has all the good of their name in them, could possibly attract the very best that my family has to offer. Kara never gave people chasing her the time of day, that is, until you started chasing her. Then all of a sudden she was quite happy to stop and see who exactly had the guts to love someone who is quite literally out of this world." Lena seemed to settle and be less tense after that, but she stayed snuggled into Alex's body, almost like a kid holding a stuffed animal to keep it safe in the dark.
"Thank you, Alex."
"You are welcome, now sleep." Alex wasn't sure how long it took, but she was willing to bet that both she and Lena passed out pretty soon after that. She woke up to her alarm going off at 630 and if they didn't have to go get Kara at the DEO she would have ignored it and went back to sleep. She sat up in the bed and after sending some texts to the Agents watching Kara she looked at Lena and almost laughed at exactly how relaxed the CEO looked when dead asleep.
"Lena." Alex tapped the sleeping woman's arm gently and Lena half opened her eyes before groaning. "What time is it?"
"6:30. I have to head back to the DEO to get Kara. You wanna come with me or are you ok here?" Lena sat up slowly and looked around.
"I think I'm going to stay here. If I show up like this she will be more worried than if you tell her to come home before we get breakfast." Alex had to agree, seeing Lena with a small injury outside their home would leave Kara more unsettled. Alex told Lena she would be back in an hour and she left to go get Kara and bring her back home. Alex spent most of the drive trying to figure out the best way to bring Kara home without startling her with news about Lena. As Alex walked into the DEO she was handed a tablet by another agent who showed her Kara's current stats, all of which seemed to be at her normal baseline. Alex went into the room Kara was in and saw her sister changing into her spare set of clothes.
"There you are. They already ran tests on me and said I could go home as soon as you said I could. Is Lena here yet?" Alex smiled, "she actually called me and asked if you could meet her at home first and then you all leave for breakfast from there."
"Why'd she call you and not me?"
"Because she knows you were supposed to be resting. Now you have my all clear to go home, so let's go." Alex started walking out of the room and Kara followed sort of confused.
"You are taking me home?"
"Just because you can fly everywhere, does not mean you should. Besides, just because the tests are all good does not mean I want you taxing your powers so soon after a fight." Kara looked at Alex over the rim of her glasses the whole ride down the elevator and the whole walk to the car. Once they left the garage Kara broke the silence.
"You are hiding something from me and its scaring me so just tell me."
"I'm not hiding something from you. I am just taking you home."
"You are the worst liar ever. You lie almost every day about what you really do for work and yet you can't lie to me to save your damn life. So what are you trying to hide from me?" Alex sighed, she had to give Kara that point: she was not good at lying to Kara, at least not anymore.
"Kara, it's not my thing to share with you, but trust me, everything is ok." Kara opened her mouth to argue further and push for details and Alex held up her hand.
"No, Kara! You need to fucking trust me on this one ok. You KNOW I would not lie to you about something important and you know I honor my word so just sit still for the rest of the ride home and it'll all make sense." Kara relented and sat back in her seat. She had been texting with Lena prior to leaving the DEO so she knew she was alright at least, but Kara knew something was wrong, but not wrong enough to cause Alex to break a promise. All that to say, none of this stopped Kara from bolting from the car the second Alex parked it in the garage at the penthouse. Alex hauled ass to catch up with Kara and only did because the hero had to wait for the elevator. Alex was quiet in the elevator cuz at this point she knew better than to try and calm Kara down. When they stepped off the elevator Kara all but ran through the front door with Alex trailing behind her. She normally would have yelled out Lena's name, but she did not need to: she could hear where Lena was. As Alex joined her in the living room she and Kara could hear the unmistakable sound of a piano being played.
The two sisters walked slowly through the penthouse to the parlor where Lena had a baby grand piano nestled in the corner near the fireplace. Kara knew that whatever was wrong with Lena would be addressed later and she took a seat on the couch that faced the fireplace and pointed for Alex to do the same. Kara knew that Lena usually never played the piano unless she needed to express herself somehow or she was in a good amount of pain. It was the best outlet she had to cope with the things that often came up around her past trauma and it allowed her to communicate with Kara without saying anything directly.
One thing that I know
It will get better
Each and every drought
Ends in the river
If I were a diviner, you'd be awash in rain to cool your fire
Oh to cool your fire
Alex was more than a little surprised since she had never heard Lena sing very seriously and she knew the CEO played the piano, but she did not know she could play it like this.
There could be winds of change in my auburn hair
But I'll tie it back for now
And when the bitter breeze carries a trace of fear
We'll persevere some how
We're gonna push on through, pretty girl
Just like we always do, beautiful girl
I know the world can be cruel, pretty girl
You're gonna make it 'cause you've got love on your side
The truth of letting go
Lies in the answer
That when the storm subsides
I'll still be there to hold you
There's beauty in your violence, and the dissonant melody I hear you sing
Oh I love to hear you sing
There could be winds of change in my auburn hair
But I'll tie it back for now
And when the bitter breeze carries a trace of fear
We'll persevere somehow
We're gonna push on through, pretty girl
Just like we always do, beautiful girl
I know the world can be cruel, pretty girl
You're gonna make it 'cause you got love on your side
Pretty girl
One thing that I know
Is it will get better.
Lena played the song out and as she did Kara got up from her seat and went and stood next to the piano bench.
"You're playing."
"I am. You're home."
Kara smiled, "I am. Clean bill of health too." Lena smiled and nodded, still not making eye contact with Kara. Kara could see the bandage on Lena's arm so she could take a guess at what happened to cause the injury and the piano playing so she didn't push Lena.
"How about we make breakfast instead? Alex is here to supervise so I won't burn the kitchen down." Lena smiled more genuinely at that and stood up from the piano bench. In a very fluid motion she leaded into Kara and let her fiancé wrap her arm around her in a hug.
"I…I didn't have a good night." Kara kissed the top of Lena's head and held her a little tighter. "I can see that." Kara pulled Lena back for a moment so she could look at her face. "How are you now?"
Lena nodded, "I'm ok, just tired. Alex came and helped me and then we fell asleep, but not for very long." Kara nodded and looked over at Alex with an appreciative look on her face.
"How about we go back and lie down then? Then we could have brunch when we wake up."
"You don't have to do that for me."
"I don't. Just like how you do not have to pretend to be ok if you aren't. I can handle whatever is going on inside you Lena. But you gotta let me help."
Lena looked like the tears would start again if she wasn't careful and she looked at Kara briefly, "I'm sorry."
"Love. It's ok. You called Alex for help and that is all that matters. The rest we will figure out in time, just like we always do. Do you want to talk about it now or get some rest and talk later?" Lena managed to choke out "later" before dissolving into tears while Kara hugged her. Kara quickly picked Lena up bridal style and carried the crying CEO into their bedroom. She laid Lena down, kissed her and whispered that she would be right back. Kara met Alex in the doorway and nodded toward the bed.
"I'm gonna let her get some more sleep. You are welcome to stay and get some more sleep or head home. I know Kelly must miss having you actually at home instead of the DEO overnight." Alex nodded, but looked over Kara's shoulder at Lena who had resumed hugging Kara's pillow.
"Will you two be ok if I go? I can stay." Kara smiled and offered her sister a tight hug before letting her go. "You've done enough, more than enough in fact. So go home and take a nap. Eat something and spend time with your girlfriend. I'll check in later and maybe we can have dinner together, the four of us, if Lena is up for it later tonight."
"That sounds good. Just let me know. And for what it is worth, physically Lena is fine and I know in time she will be back in her normal state of mind."
Kara nodded her understanding, "thank you for coming over last night to help her. I know she probably hated asking for the help, but the fact that she asked anyone other than me for it is huge. So, thank you." Alex offered Kara a small kiss on her cheek, before pointing to the door, "I am going to head out. Just call me in a few hours ok?" Kara nodded and walked Alex out, locking the door and setting the alarm behind her. When she returned to the bedroom she changed out of her clothes and put on Pjs before getting into bed. When she did Lena naturally snuggled close to Kara and rested her head on the hero's chest because even without Kara's power of super hearing, the beating of her lover's heart was all Lena needed to feel safe and calm. Lena mumbled I love you before passing out totally and after repeating it back to her Kara did the same.
