A/N: I feel like I should disclaimer that I don't have a set schedule on how to update this story. I write when I can and between work, school, and actual life, sometimes it can be a while. Hopefully not four years, if you know you know, but I guess what I'm saying is I can't make any promises regarding update time. But for what it's worth, this story has been consuming my thoughts
Guest 1: Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you like it so far :)
barattajennifer: Hi! I appreciate you still reading my stuff after so long, it means a lot! Also it won't let me type your username with the . for some reason or it will disappear, sorry about that!
Guest 2: You're so right, Kara will always find her way to Lena, and no matter how hard Lena tries not to, she will always care about Kara.
Dragoncila: Chapter 2 is here!
tell-me-your-desires: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter :)
A thousand emotions hit Lena at once. Fear. Regret. Confusion. Hope. Guilt.
Why? Lena wanted to scream. Why did you come?
Lex tugged at her hair again, holding her head steady as his dagger rested against her throat.
Kara's eyes began to glow blue, barely restrained heat vision radiating from her gaze.
"Ah, ah, ah," Lex tsked, applying pressure to the blade on Lena's throat. Lena inhaled sharply. "We wouldn't want to do anything rash now would we, Supergirl?"
Even from this distance, Lena could see the clench of Kara's jaw as her eyes slowly returned to normal.
"If you don't want me to slit my dear sister's throat open, I suggest you make your way over here," Lex said, infuriatingly casual. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Slowly."
Lena watched as Kara took hesitant but steady steps forward. Her eyes met Lena's with an unreadable look before flickering above her shoulder and Lena's heart panged. She remembered a time when she could so easily read Kara's emotions. Now, the Kryptonian's face was steely and distant.
"Put down the knife, Lex," Kara called across the hangar as she approached, her hands raised placatingly. "I came alone, like you asked. Let her go."
Lena exhaled shakily at hearing Kara's voice. She had so many things she wanted to tell her, things she wanted to apologize for, things she wanted to explain. She wished they were reuniting under infinitely better circumstances and bitterly Lena thought that maybe in another universe she got to talk to Kara on her own terms. She would have gone to Kara's door and begged her forgiveness. She would tell her everything she knew of Lex and Leviathan, how she wanted to help stop them. She would plead for Kara's trust and swear to never betray her again. She would promise to be the person Kara deserved.
But apparently fate couldn't allow her this.
"You don't make the demands here, Supergirl," Lex reminded, irritation in his voice. He looked over her and past the hangar doors, seeing the vague outlines of unconscious bodies lying on the ground. "I see you made quick work of my security."
"Well, when you only arm them with bullets," Kara scoffed as if she was angrier about Lex's blatant disregard for his guards' lives than the fact that they were shooting at her. "It wasn't really fair."
Lex chuckled but it lacked any real joy. Lena felt like she was in a ticking time bomb. Kara was a few paces away from them when Lex jerked his head at her.
"That's far enough," he said.
Kara halted grudgingly, her jaw ticking. She obviously wasn't too keen to follow Lex's orders. Her eyes met Lena's but before Lena could process the weight of her gaze, she was looking away again, staying firmly in place.
Lena couldn't stay silent and watch Kara fall into whatever trap her brother had laid out. She pulled hard against her restraints.
"Kara, you—" Lena's warning was cut off as Lex pressed the blade into her throat, drawing the smallest amount of blood. Kara made to step forward but Lex sent her a warning look as he yanked Lena's hair for good measure. Kara remained motionless, her fists clenching at her sides.
Lex growled low in Lena's ear, "I don't want to kill you, Lena. Stay. Still."
The threat was clear. I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to.
Kara's eyes darted across Lena's face, the deep blue filling with rage.
"What did you do to her?"
Lena blinked in confusion. Lex scoffed, muttering something about priorities. His grip on her hair disappeared as he touched her temple and Lena fought back a wince. She had almost forgotten about the ambush outside the prison but now she was acutely aware of the blood wetting the side of her face.
"Nothing that couldn't have been avoided if she had just cooperated," Lex countered.
"Well, I'm cooperating now," Kara said slowly. "So hold up your end of the deal and let her go."
Deal?
Lena searched Kara's eyes but they weren't simply unreadable anymore. Now they were guarded, Kara staring squarely over Lena's shoulder at Lex, refusing to look at her.
"You know, you Kryptonians are so predictable," Lex drawled, the dagger unwavering. "All about truth and justice. So noble and righteous. How did you put it all those years ago, Lena?"
Lex paused contemplatively before speaking, and Lena could practically hear his mocking satisfaction as he threw her own words out, "You really do have a god-complex."
Kara's face hardened, but she otherwise had no reaction.
Lex sighed in disappointment as he moved around Lena, repositioning himself at her side, the cold metal still held firmly to her throat.
"Nothing?" Lex asked incredulously. He pointed to Lena with his free hand, the gesture almost outraged.
"She betrayed you," Lex taunted. Beneath his calm veneer, Lena could hear the anger. "She lied to you, manipulated you. Lena used you, and yet you're here. Running to her aid like a lost puppy."
He sneered, his disgust obvious, "It's pathetic."
Lena closed her eyes, biting her trembling lip. Lex was right. Lena had done all of those things to Kara and more. She wanted to hurt Kara. She wanted to make her feel what she herself had felt. She deceived her for weeks, building Kara's hopes and assuring her that she was still her friend. Promising that nothing had changed, craving the moment she would finally see the look of utter betrayal on Kara's face. She showed Kara a world where she could be Supergirl and keep her best friend, convinced her that it was possible, just to tear it all away.
And most recently, Lena had been inadvertently helping Lex and Leviathan, so blinded by her ambition, her hurt. Kara had no reason to come to her rescue, to make whatever deal she had made with Lex. Yet here she was.
Why?
"I said," Kara snarled. "Let. Her. Go."
Even after she found out Kara's secret, Lena had always had trouble reconciling sweet, bubbly Kara Danvers with invincible, headstrong Supergirl. Kara was a lover not a fighter and Supergirl seemed to punch first and ask questions later. Whenever Supergirl was so judgmental of Lena, Kara was always there for her. It's what made Kara's lie cut so deep, what compacted Lena's feeling of betrayal. She didn't know what the real Kara thought of her, who the real Kara was.
Standing before her, Lena could hardly recognize the Kara she knew. Her vibrant blue eyes were so dark they were nearly black, locked in a stare so cold it sucked the warmth from the hangar. Her jaw was set, lips slightly pulled back to reveal an almost animalistic snarl underneath. The signature scarlet cape fell evenly over her broad shoulders. Her back was ramrod straight and every muscle in her body seemed coiled, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Her presence radiated sheer power. It was intimidating, terrifying even. This being before Lena did not remind her of Kara Danvers. She was completely and utterly the Girl of Steel.
"You're not the only one Lena's betrayed," Lex's voice was different, darker. He turned his gaze on Lena. "She betrayed me today, too. Refused to join me, despite my unwavering support. Won't take her rightful place at my side as earth's saviors."
The blood drained from Lena's face at Lex's expression. Gone was his maniacal glee, his smug nonchalance. His unnerving mirth was replaced with a look devoid of emotion. He chuckled but it was humorless. Empty.
"She even killed me once. Shot me in the chest. Her own flesh and blood," Lex's gaze was cold but his voice held wrath that could fuel a thousand suns as he turned his stare on Kara.
"For you."
The blade against Lena's throat was shaking. Lex's hand trembled, his white knuckles a stark contrast to the dagger's black hilt, his hateful eyes as dark as the handle itself. Lena dared not move a muscle. Lex was consumed by fury, by vengeance. And that made him unpredictable. Volatile.
"Maybe betrayal doesn't mean much to you, Supergirl," Lex seethed. "But in the Luthor family, it's punishable by death."
His hand tightened around the dagger. Kara's eyes widened.
"No!"
It all happened at once.
Kara surged forward, reaching for Lena. A stinging sensation cut across Lena's throat, stealing her breath. Lex's wrist flicked and then he was plunging the knife up, up, up—
Kara let out a gasp, Lena exhaling in the same breath.
Lex stood before her, one hand on Kara's shoulder, the other gripping the knife buried in her side. No.
"Kara!" The name tore itself from Lena's lips. No, no, no—
Kara fell to her knees as Lex stepped away, a sickening smile of satisfaction, of victory on his face. Green illuminated Kara's veins, spreading beneath her skin. Her hands hovered almost delicately over the hilt embedded in her torso. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Lena struggled in her chair, tears springing to her eyes. She thrashed against her restraints. She twisted and pulled and fought, desperate to free herself. Her wrists rubbed raw against the ropes but she hardly noticed. She had to get to Kara.
Kara's mind seemed to catch up to her body as she let out a whimper. Her hands grasped the hilt of the dagger before a voice stopped her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lex scolded, his smile bright and his eyes dark. "Unless you want to bleed out, then by all means be my guest."
Red was spreading across Kara's suit, staining the blue fabric a dark purple. Her lips trembled as she fought back a cry of pain.
Lena was still writhing in her restraints. Her mind was paralyzed by crippling horror, her movements distraught. Kara needed her.
"You said you didn't have access to kryptonite," Lena accused, terrified as Kara trembled on the ground.
"Do you like it?" Lex gestured to the blade proudly, as if it weren't lodged in another living being. "The multiple earth debacle gave me the opportunity to study multiple heroes, one of which was Supergirl's good friend Oliver Queen. He made concealed kryptonite arrows a few years ago but unfortunately retired them shortly after. During all of the chaos of Crisis, I fashioned my own replica of the technology. Impressive, isn't it?"
"It's sickening," Lena spat at him.
"Oh, calm down, Lena," Lex replied, unconcerned. "I didn't hit any vital organs. The blood loss isn't severe enough to kill her. She won't die yet, so long as the blade stays where it is."
Lex aimed his last words at Kara, looking at her pointedly. Lena was appalled at how thoroughly he seemed to have thought this through. The kryptonite was weakening Kara, keeping her from using her powers, but she couldn't take it out or risk bleeding to death. Just enough to keep her alive and powerless to Lex's will. To what came next.
Lena's fury and horror began to boil over. She had to get Kara out of here.
She tucked her chin forward and pushed hard against the ground, forcing all her weight against the back of the chair. The breath left her lungs as her back slammed into hard concrete, a painful shock reverberating through her arms as the chair broke beneath her. She frantically began untangling herself from the ropes, her fingers shaking.
Lex barely spared a glance at her commotion, basking in his triumph. He waved his hand forward, singaling, his eyes never leaving Kara's weakened form. Lena had finally freed herself when a man on her brother's payroll hauled her off the ground, holding her arms in a vice-like grip.
"Let go of me!" Lena struggled, fighting his hold. She threw her weight forward, urged her legs to move, nearly tore her shoulders from their sockets. She managed to free one of her arms, elbowing the guard in the face. He grunted, his grip loosening, and Lena jolted forward in a mad dash for Kara.
She only made it a few steps before a hand grabbed her shoulder, whirling her around. A fist connected with her cheek, sending Lena to the ground. The guard lifted her prone form by her shirt, raising his fist again as she recoiled.
"Stop!"
Lena's eyes snapped open at the sound of Kara's pained but authoritative voice. She was closer now, doubled over on her knees, a hand gingerly resting around her wound as the other supported her weight. Her veins were glowing an incandescent green, the color lacing its way through her skin. She made another move towards Lena but her body seemed to resist, her hand clenching against the ground as she tried to breathe through the pain. The throbbing in Lena's cheek paled in comparison to the painful pounding of her heart.
"Don't hurt her," Kara managed through gritted teeth.
"Unbelievable," Lex laughed derisively. "Kryptonians really are a different breed."
"S-said you'd let her go," Kara stuttered defiantly at Lex's feet. "Let her go."
Lena felt like screaming. Crying. Breaking. Anything to relieve the pain in her chest. Kara shouldn't have come. She should have stayed away. She was stabbed, impaled, yet only concerned for Lena's freedom.
You idiot! You absolute, self-sacrificial, righteous idiot!
"I will," Lex paused, a look of mock contemplation on his face as he grinned. "Eventually."
Lena watched in horror as Kara growled, lunging for Lex's legs only for her brother's boot to connect with her jaw. Kara's head snapped back, blood flying from her face as she landed hard on the floor. She curled in on herself, hands clenching and unclenching around the air over her wounded side.
Lex hauled Kara back to her feet only to send her sprawling once more with a hard fist to her face. Lena protested as Kara groaned, fighting to escape with renewed vigor.
"Stop, Lex. Stop!" Lena cried.
"Not so mighty now, Kryptonian," Lex sneered, standing imposingly over Kara's battered body. He sent a kick to her uninjured side, flipping Kara on her back with its force.
"Not p-part of the deal," Kara wheezed.
"On the contrary," Lex countered smugly. "I said I would let Lena go. I never clarified when."
Blood was dripping from Kara's lip, running down her chin. Her ragged, stuttering breaths echoed around the hangar.
"Please, Lex," Lena was begging now. She glanced at Kara, the look of pain on her face, before meeting her brother's eyes pleadingly. "Please don't do this."
Lex looked at Lena with something almost akin to sympathy.
"If only you'd joined me."
Something sharp pricked the side of Lena's neck, her eyes widening in panic. She couldn't leave now, not when Kara was still in danger. But as hard as she fought it, consciousness was slowly slipping away from her.
Lena's gaze fell on Kara, worried blue eyes consuming her vision before she was dragged into darkness.
A/N: Chapter 2 is done! I haven't written many action scenes before, so hopefully it was decent! I got the hidden kryptonite knife idea from Crisis on Earth-X when Oliver shoots a seemingly normal arrow at Overgirl before the tip of the arrow falls away to reveal kryptonite underneath. On a side note, this hiatus is going to kill me. I need Kara reuniting in-depth with everyone ASAP.