In National City, a certain Lena Kieran Luthor was busy working in her lab during the bustling of people heading home from their jobs. As usual, she was busy studying something and barely noticed the passage of time. She shared her brother's intellect and enjoyed tinkering around with recent technology in her spare time. Besides, running Luthor Corp, as it was now known thanks to the new multiverse, took its toll thanks to Lex's actions with Leviathan causing the public to suspect that she had something to do with it. Lena finished the last of the day's tests and jotted down the results. Just as she was about to grab her coat, her phone chimed and brought her attention to it. She picked it up and saw that she had received a text from Kara.

Kara: Hey, Lena! Want me to come by and bring some Big Belly Burger?

Lena smiled when she saw the text from Kara. It had been a few weeks since she had admitted her feelings to the Kryptonian. And now, whenever she thought about or saw her, she couldn't stop smiling. Something about how Kara was just so happy to see her and hang out like a puppy that was happy to see its owner made her forget the day's stress.

Lena: Sure, Kara. I could use the company after spending hours in my lab.

Kara: You spend too much time in the lab, Lena. You need to relax too and get away from there occasionally. I can take you on a flight around the city if you want.

Lena: Kara, you know that I hate flying.

Kara: I know, but you would be with me. And you know that I would never let you fall. I will keep you in my arms the entire time. Besides, I know of a beautiful place we could go to, but only if I fly there.

Lena shook her head, knowing full well that Kara would have given her the puppy-dog eyes if she had been next to her.

Lena: Okay, I will consider your offer. I could get away from L-Corp for a while, but do not get your hopes up. I still hate flying, even if it is in the safety of your arms.

Lena turned her phone off and walked out of her lab. The trip back to her office was long as exhaustion took its toll on her body. However, the thought of getting to see Kara was enough to get to her office. She opened the heavy wooden doors and saw Kara standing on her balcony. In her hand was a bag from Big Belly Burger. Lena had never been so delighted to see her friend and food. Come to think of it; she could not remember if she had eaten lunch or just worked through it. Greeting her best friend, she wrapped her arms around her, enjoying the warm embrace she had grown used to.

"I am glad to see you, Kara," said Lena as she pulled away from the Kryptonian.

Kara beamed at the raven-haired CEO as she walked into her office. "Well, I am here, and I brought offerings."

Lena followed Kara to the couch as she set the bag down and began to pull out its contents. She grabbed a burger and began to unwrap it, her stomach grumbling at the aroma of the food in front of her. After taking a bite, she turned to Kara and noticed that the Kryptonian seemed worried about something. That caused Lena to be concerned for her. So, she furrowed her brows together, shifting closer to her on the couch.

"Kara is everything all right?" asked Lena, her eyes studying Kara's.

Kara swallowed. "Yeah, everything is fine. I am just stressed about some of the articles I have to finish."

"Kara." Lena set her burger down and pointed to Kara's forehead, where a crinkle was forming between her eyebrows. "I can see the crinkle, and I have spent enough time with you to know that you're lying when it shows."

"Alex told you about that, didn't she?' asked Kara, taking another bite of her food. "She always busts me with the crinkle. I am going to get Botox for that one of these days."

"Don't. I love your crinkle," replied Lena as she smiled at the Kryptonian, grabbing her burger and leaning back on the couch. "So, what is bothering you, Kara?"

The Kryptonian looked down at her burger, focusing on her breathing as she sat there in silence with Lena. Even though it had been a few months since Jeremiah's death, it still weighed on her. The loss of her adoptive father reminded her of the grief she'd felt seeing Krypton explode. And the pain she felt at the gaping hole it left made her miss how human he'd made her feel, which she valued as an alien refugee on Earth. Kara looked at Lena, a small smile appearing as she recalled the night she kissed her. It meant everything to her that Lena did not mind her being an alien, let alone a Kryptonian whose cousin was Superman. Sighing, she decided to confide in her and unburden her mind.

"Since Jeremiah's death, I have been trying to cope with losing him. I still miss him. He was one of the few people who made me feel like I belonged." A sadness in Kara's voice tugged at Lena's heart. "But something doesn't feel right about his death. I can't shake this feeling that the story me and my sister were told wasn't true."

Hearing this, Lena set her food down as she furrowed her brows in confusion. "What was the story?"

"We were told that Jeremiah died of cardiac arrest." Kara looked down as she recalled Alex showing up at her apartment with the news. "But I don't know; it just seems weird that he died of that."

That made the raven-haired CEO look down as she tried to recall the past few months' events. Something about the way her brother acted before he revealed his plan with Leviathan to her seemed odd. After growing up with Lex, she had come to realize when he was up to something. A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told Lena that he had something to do with Jeremiah's death. She knew better than to assume that he was not involved. If he knew Kara's identity, there was no reason he wouldn't know about her father. Lena also knew that Lillian had forced Jeremiah to work on Project Cadmus.

"Well, if you want to look into it, I'd be happy to help," said Lena, wanting to comfort her friend.

"Thank you, Lena. I am so grateful that I have you as a friend," replied Kara as she scooted closer to Lena. "Although, I wish we could be more."

"I know, Kara, but I am still adjusting to you being Supergirl. That is still shocking, mainly because you are a dork, and I'm not used to knowing that you can also be National City's hero." Lena bit the corner of her lip as she shifted her gaze away from Kara.

Kara grabbed Lena's hand and squeezed it gently. "It's okay, Lena. I understand that you want to wait before making the change. But I do have one question."

"What?" asked Lena.

"What was it like to kiss me?" asked Kara, a sheepish grin showing despite her attempts to hide it.

Smiling, Lena looked at Kara and said, "Kissing you was amazing, like seeing a gorgeous sunset on a beach. However, I must admit that kissing you while you wore your super suit was a bit intimidating. However, if flying with you is half as enjoyable as kissing you is, I might take you up on your offer."

As the CEO saw the Kryptonian light up at the news that she would be willing to fly with her, she quickly added, "But not tonight; I am too tired from working in my lab all day."

"Okay, I should probably head home now anyway. I promised Alex that I would do movie night with her tonight, and she wants me to watch this new film she found recently, but she won't tell me what it is." Kara finished eating the last of her burger and stood up. "I can't complain; it beats seeing Terminator 2: Judgement Day for the thousandth time this month."

Lena stood up and hugged the Kryptonian. After a few seconds, both broke the hug, and Kara flew back to her apartment. As Lena cleaned up the remainder of the Big Belly Burger wrappers, getting ready to go home, she heard her office doors open. She looked up and saw that it was her mother, Lillian Luthor. That was the last person she wanted to see tonight. However, she did not have the energy to bother with calling security on her.

"What are you doing here, mother?" asked Lena as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What? Can't a mother visit her daughter?" asked Lillian, fanning innocence.

"This coming from the mother who says she loves me but will use my personal relationships against me," said Lena, leaning against her desk. "So, just drop the act and tell me why you are here."

Lillian looked at her daughter, a stoic expression on her face. "I am here because I need your help with something."

"And what makes you think that I would help you with anything? The last time you needed my help, you broke me out of prison and used me to get to Lex's vault," replied Lena, shuddering at the memories of the event. "And although you've been helpful in recent times, it doesn't change the fact that I still don't trust you."

"Fair enough," said Lillian as she stepped closer to her daughter. "However, I am not giving you much choice to help me."

Just as her mother said, Lena saw several armed men enter her office and surround her. Three of the five men held semi-automatic rifles, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Two of them stood behind her as she pushed herself off the desk. She sighed as they stepped closer to her, ensuring she had no way to reach the watch Kara had given her. Lena felt uncomfortable wearing the watch as it did not feel right with her being a Luthor. And no matter how often Kara told her that she trusted her and did not regret giving it to her, the uneasiness never went away. Although now she wished she had worn it.

"What exactly do you need my help with?" asked Lena as she looked at one of the guys standing behind her.

Lillian stood before her daughter and pulled out a vial from her jacket pocket. "When the Daxamites were here, I learned that Rhea's blood was laced with kryptonite. And since then, I have been working on a way to do the same for Lex without the side effect of the radiation. However, I have hit a snag in the serum I have made so far."

"And you want me to help you figure out what is going wrong?" asked Lena.

"Yes. You had some success with turning Harun-El into an injectable serum."

"Yes, but it was unstable and required several injections to combat the negative effects. If you recall, I needed your help to create the anti-serum for it," said Lena. "Besides, what makes you think I would help you give Lex an advantage over Kara?"

"If you don't help me, I will send someone to kill her sister, Alex Danvers," replied Lillian as she put the vial back in her pocket. "Now, I don't think she would want that."

Lena forced her rage down as she heard her mother's comment, trying her best not to provoke the armed men that surrounded the two of them. "Fine."

Together, with the armed men following them out of the office, Lena and her mother made their way to Lillian's lab. Lena was the first to exit the black van and walk to the door. Once Lillian used her security pass to unlock it, they both made their way downstairs. The armed men stayed outside the lab as Lena, and her mother walked in, the sliding door closing behind them with a hiss. Several vials of the kryptonite sat neatly on a table. Next to them rested scattered test results that had failed. Lena approached the table and carefully picked up a used syringe.

"Are you still on animal trials?" asked Lena as she set the syringe back on the table.

"No, I was able to get past them. Sequencing their DNA to the serum, I could lace their bloodstream with kryptonite. However, when I do that for the human subjects, it becomes unstable, and the radiation poisoning kills them soon after," replied Lillian.

Lena studied the remaining vials of the kryptonite serum. The sight of the green substance reminded her of the weakened kryptonite she had made a while back. Her stomach churned at the thought of her maniacal half-brother having kryptonite-laced blood. She looked at her mother for a moment, wondering if the serum was her idea or Lex's. A sinking feeling told her it was Lex's idea and yet another one of his schemes to keep Kara from stopping him.

"Well, I will need to look at the serum and read all the notes and tests you have done. If I can replicate what I did with the Harun-El, I may be able to make a version that can bind with human blood cells and spread throughout their body with time." Lena looked her mother in the eyes. "But only if you uphold your end of the deal. Leave Alex and Kara out of this."

"If you do as your told and don't sabotage the serum, I will make sure Alex comes to no harm, but you must not tell Kara about what you're doing here," said Lillian.

"I will not lie to my best friend, not this time. I won't make that mistake again," retaliated Lena, remembering her promise to Kara.

Lillian admired her daughter's willingness to remain loyal to the Kryptonian. She said, "Fine; you may tell Kara if you wish. There will be nothing she can do once Lex has his hands on this serum."

With that, Lillian left Lena alone with the samples of the kryptonite serum. She began the laborious process of pouring over her mother's notes and the test results. After studying a few notes, she noticed that the kryptonite had weakened compared to its usual radiation strength. That made her wonder what exactly her mother planned to do with the serum once she used it on Lex. Pushing aside her worries for the moment, Lena continued reading the test trial results, hoping to find something useful. She needed to find a way to negate the serum's abilities without alerting Lillian to what she had done. There was no way she would willingly help, not when it meant endangering her best friend and humanity.

Meanwhile, in her main office, Lillian sat down with a visitor that had not shown his face in National City since Myriad had gotten used. "Hello, Maxwell. Nice of you to join me."

"While I am delighted to be back in National City, what I can't seem to understand is why Lillian Luthor needs my recipe for red kryptonite," said Maxwell Lord as he leaned back into the chair. "I thought you could make green kryptonite, so why would you need my recipe?"

"I am experimenting with different types of kryptonite, and I heard from someone that you had made red kryptonite," replied Lillian, lying to Maxwell.

"Hmm, that is interesting. I wonder who told you." Maxwell shifted in the chair. "Before I hand it over to you, I need to know if you plan on using it against Supergirl. I'd like not to cross her or her sister now that we have reached amicable terms."

"I assure you that I have no intention of using your recipe to ruin your relationship with the Danvers sisters," said Lillian, her words not carrying the weight of her promise. "I just need it for my experiments."

Still wary of Lillian Luthor's intentions with his recipe, Maxwell handed over a copy of it to her. He got off the chair and went out of her office and down the hall. As he walked past several doors, he spotted a large room with glass-paned windows allowing passersby to see into it. Lena stood at one of the tables, examining a green substance underneath a microscope. Maxwell stepped closer to get a better look at it and saw it was green kryptonite. Curious as to what she was doing there, he walked in.

"Are you the infamous Lena Luthor that I heard moved to National City?" asked Maxwell as he leaned against the wall.

Lena looked up from the microscope. "Yes. And who are you exactly?"

"I am Maxwell Lord, CEO of Lord Industries. I also helped your friend Supergirl," replied Maxwell, a smug smile showing as he spoke.

"Oh, right, she mentioned you once or twice. You were the one who helped her fight Non when he used Myriad on National City, right?" asked Lena.

"Yeah." Maxwell approached the table, scanning the various scattered pages on it. "What are you doing here with your mother? I thought you two weren't on the same side."

"Funny, I could ask you the same thing, Maxwell." Lena watched as he picked up one of the pages of notes. "What are you doing here?"

Setting the paper down, Maxwell said, "I am here because she wanted my recipe for red kryptonite. Your mother also paid a hefty amount; it must be important to her."

Concern flooded Lena as she heard what Maxell said. "Did she say what she needed it for?"

"Lillian said something about needing it for some experiments," replied Maxwell.

Lena was aware of Kara's history with red kryptonite before she showed up in National City. There were reports of her tossing Cat Grant off a forty-story building and barely catching her in time. And although Kara never talked about it much, she was aware of the emotional scars it had left behind. Not to mention the weeks and months it took for the city to trust its hero again. Lena's stomach twisted into a knot as she realized why her mother had purchased the recipe from Maxwell Lord.

"You should get out of here before my mother catches you in here," said Lena, knowing full well that her mother could see what was happening from the security cameras in the room. "She does not like when people are in her lab uninvited."

"Then why are you here?" asked Maxwell, leaning against the table. "Why are you in your mother's lab, doing experiments on kryptonite?"

Lena inhaled sharply. "I am here because Lillian needs my help with this serum for Lex. If I do not comply with her, I risk putting Alex Danvers in danger. So, I suggest you leave before you end up on her hit list."

Maxwell took the hint and started to walk out. However, just as he got to the doorway, he turned back to her and said, "I will warn Alex and Kara about what is going on."

Lena silently mouthed a thank you to Maxwell before returning to the serum in front of her.

A/N: This is a story I've had in my back pocket for over a year now. I'd started it and forgot about it until recently. So, I've decided to share it with you. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.