Bang. Bang. Bang.
Lena jerked awake. Someone was knocking on her door. She looked around the room, her bedroom. Her head was resting on Kara's shoulder. One of the few parts of Kara that wasn't injured. On the other side of Kara was Alex, curled up against her sister.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Lena jumped up. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up Alex or Kara. She ran to the front door and threw it open. It was Jess with several bags of food.
"Jess," she greeted. Lena tried to smooth her hair down. She was used to looking anything but perfect.
"Ms. Luthor," Jess said. She studied her boss's appearance. She was wearing pajamas, which Jess had never seen her boss wear. Even when Jess would come by in the middle of the night Lena would still be fully dressed, wearing whatever she had worn to work that day. Lena also looked tired, like she hadn't slept well. Jess could tell Lena had been crying. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Lena lied. She was nowhere near fine and she wouldn't be fine until Kara woke up.
Jess wasn't convinced but she knew better than to push her boss. "I brought bagels, cinnamon rolls, eggs, bacon and sausage, and stuff to make pancakes, waffles, French toast." Jess scrunched her nose, trying to remember everything she had bought. "And some other stuff."
Lena helped Jess carry the bags to the kitchen. "I appreciate this Jess," Lena told her. She pulled a couple of the hundred dollar bills from the counter. She handed it to Jess.
"Oh no, Ms. Luthor this is far too much," Jess protested.
The CEO sighed. What was it with people not wanting to take money from her? "Take it," Lena insisted.
Jess stared at the bills in Lena's hand. "Fine," Jess agreed. She hadn't completed all of the grocery shopping needed to feed Supergirl. This money would certainly help with that. "Do you need help cooking?" It was Jess' way of politely asking if Lena knew how to cook.
"I can handle it," Alex said walking out into living room. She was dressed similarly to Kara but in blue.
Jess looked between Alex and Lena. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her what was going on. She had stayed here far too long and it seemed like she was interrupting. "Oh, Ms. Luthor! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt."
Lena looked at Jess then at Alex and it clicked. Jess thought Alex and Lena were involved. The idea was ridiculous. Lena barely knew Alex. Besides she preferred blonde aliens. "Oh no, it's not like that," Lena assured her. "She's a friend, helping with Supergirl."
It finally clicked in Alex's head. The thought of it made Alex shudder. She would never date the CEO, or any CEO for that matter. They had nothing in common, other than their love for Kara.
"Right," Jess said. "I'm sorry Ms. Luthor. Um, I should go. I have more grocery shopping to do."
"Get Potstickers," Alex requested. Lena and Jess stared at Alex. "They're Supergirl's favorite." Lena understood, and was grateful to get some, or any, information on Kara. Anything that would give her an edge.
"Potstickers," Lena repeated. "Lots of Potstickers."
"Yes Ms. Luthor," Jess said before leaving her bosses apartment.
"We need to get Kara moved," Alex said once Jess was gone.
"Right," Lena said. She couldn't believe she almost forgot about Kara needing the sunlight. She felt awful. "Do you want to make some coffee and get breakfast ready? I can move Kara on my own."
"Let me know if you need help," Alex called after Lena. The last thing she wanted was for Lena to drop her injured sister.
Lena chose to ignore Alex's words and continued to her bedroom. It took some effort to get Kara into her arms. Once the blonde was situated it was easy to carry her outside. Her head rested against Lena's chest. Lena could stay like this forever, if not for the fact that Kara was starting to get heavy.
Kara was gently placed on the lounge chair. "Enjoy the sun darling," Lena whispered to her.
"I made coffee," Alex informed Lena when she walked back into the kitchen. "Your coffeemaker is a lot more complicated than it should be. I recommend teaching Kara how to use it before letting her try to use it. Unless you want a broken, probably expensive coffeemaker."
Lena laughed. She assumed Alex was joking. The look Alex was giving her said otherwise. "Has she broken a coffeemaker before?" Lena asked curious.
"More than one," Alex said honestly. "When she came to Earth, she knew nothing. We have so many things here that she didn't have on Krypton. The first time she saw a toaster popping out toast, she thought it was a robot trying to attack her. She punched it and broke it. She was proud of herself for it too."
Lena grabbed the counter to steady herself as she laughed over the mental image of a young Kara beating up toasters. "I can see the headline now: Supergirl vs Toaster."
Alex snorted at the thought. "I can imagine the kind of article Kara would write. Something about the evils of toasters and how she was doing a public service." She chuckled at the thought. She looked toward the bedroom and her face fell.
"You're worried about her," Lena noted.
"You're not?" Alex counted. She sat the spatula on the counter. "I am. Logically, I know she will be fine. She's survived far worse than this. But… I don't know. I hate seeing her like this and there's always a part of me that wonders… what if? What if she doesn't wake up? What if this is what kills her?"
Lena's heart clenched at the thought. She didn't want to think about Kara dying… ever. She put her hand on Alex's arm for a second. "She's not going to die. Kara is strong. She'll get through this."
"Breakfast is done," Alex announced once the last of the pancakes were stacked on the plate.
"When did you learn to cook?" Lena asked curious. She knew Kara couldn't cook. Kara lived off of take out.
"When I was young," Alex answered. "I never cook since I'm never home. Kara can't cook unless it involves heat vision. She almost burned down the kitchen the one and only time she tried." Alex laughed at the memory. It wasn't funny at the time but now it was funny.
Lena grabbed plates for them while Alex served them. Once they had their food, they made their way to the balcony where Kara was resting. Lena was pleased to note there seemed to be more color in Kara's cheeks. After a quick check Lena found that the wounds still weren't healing.
"Give it time," Alex told her. "They'll heal."
"Not fast enough," Lena grumbled.
"A day, maybe two in the sun should kick start her powers," Alex said. "Trust me. I've had plenty of experience."
Lena picked at the food on her plate. It tasted fantastic but she wasn't hungry. "Can you tell me more about Kara when she was younger?" Lena asked. She took a bite of pancake. With any luck Alex's stories would distract her enough so she could eat.
Alex sat her fork and knife down. Her first instinct was to say no. She didn't know how much Kara wanted Lena to know. Then again Alex knew Kara well enough to know her sister wouldn't be mad. "Her birthday. When Kara came here, my dad spent months trying to translate Kara's birthday on Krypton to a date on Earth. He could never figure it out. So, we made a new birthday, the day she came to Earth." The CEO smiled slightly. "For years she was always so sad on her birthday. We had this tradition, a single cupcake with a candle. Over the years we added to it. We found that keeping her distracted made her enjoy her birthday more. But that one bit always remained the same."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Lena asked confused. She did enjoy learning new things about Kara but this seemed private, between the sisters.
"Because her birthday is on the eighteenth," Alex explained. "And knowing her like I do, I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to include you in the celebration. You need to understand the significance of the day."
The eighteenth. That was less than a month away. That didn't give Lena a whole lot of time to plan something special for Kara. "Thanks Alex," Lena said grateful that Alex was giving her a chance to prove herself. She was determined to make this birthday special, no matter what.
"Do you know how to fire a gun?" Alex asked after several minutes of silence
"I shot Corbin to save you," Lena reminded her. "It was self-defense but no one makes that distinction with a Luthor. But to answer your question, yes, I can fire a gun. I even own a gun."
Alex had forgotten about that. There was a lot going on that day. "Do you know self-defense?" Alex questioned.
"I know the theory but not in practice," Lena admitted. She was wondering the point of these questions. It wasn't like shooting or punching aliens was going to help.
"It's not just aliens that hate Kara," Alex said, knowing exactly what Lena was thinking. "If Cadmus got ahold of her when she's like this…"
Lena nodded in understanding. "I'll do whatever it takes," Lena promised.
"Even if it involves your own mother?" Alex asked raising an eyebrow at her. "Are you willing to do whatever it takes?"
Lena stiffened at the mention of her mother. Lillian Luthor managed to escape prison with the help of the real Hank Henshaw and Cadmus. No one, not even Supergirl, knew where they were. Lena had been interviewed by NCPD as well as the FBI but Lena hadn't been aware of the escape until it was on the news days later. That same day Kara had come to L-Corp to get an interview.
"If Lillian tries to hurt Kara I will put a bullet in her myself," Lena said fiercely. Lillian had already tried to hurt Kara once. She wasn't about to let it happen again.
"You would do that for Kara?" Alex asked surprised. Her respect for Lena increased dramatically with that declaration.
"I would do anything to protect Kara," Lena responded. "Even if she will never love me back."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Alex said setting her glass down. She turned so she was facing Lena. "She came here. Of all the places she could have gone, she came here."
"I was simply the closest place," Lena said dismissing the thought. She couldn't afford to get her hopes up.
"Actually, this wasn't the closest place," Alice disagreed. "Her apartment, my apartment, hell even CatCo was closer to her. Yet she chose here. She chose you." Alex was a little hurt Kara chose Lena over her. The rationale part of her mind knew why. Alex hadn't been home at the time so there was no reason to go to Alex's apartment. Still it hurt.
The sound of a cellphone ringing pulled Alex and Lena from their thoughts. "That's Kara's phone," Alex said to herself. She went inside Lena's room and grabbed the phone. Lena was right behind her.
"Kara, Kara, are you okay?" the panicked voice of Clark Kent asked.
"Superman," Alex attempted to interrupt.
Lena's eyes widened. Alex called him Superman but Lena was certain she could hear Clark Kent's voice. It was like a light bulb went off in her head.
Clark Kent didn't trust her because of the Luthor name. Just like Superman.
Clark Kent knew Kara. There was no reason for them to know each other. He lived in Metropolis. She lived in National City. He was a reporter. She just became a reporter.
The single most obvious fact she missed… Clark Kent came to National City at the same time as Superman.
"I am such an idiot," Lena muttered to herself. Clark Kent was Superman. There was no other explanation.
"Superman," Alex said again. "Kara is okay. She lost her powers and is unconscious but she's stable."
"Where is she?" he demanded.
"She's safe Superman," Alex tried to assure him.
"Alex, where is my cousin?" Clark demanded again.
Alex glanced at Lena. She didn't want to tell Clark because she didn't want to hear the Luthor's are evil speech. Lena nodded at Alex, silently giving her permission to tell him. "She's at Lena Luthor's penthouse."
The line went dead.
Alex glared at the phone like it had done something to her. She tucked it in her pocket incase some of Kara's other friends called to check on her.
As they walked back outside Superman touched down on the balcony beside Kara. Superman moved to grab her with the intention of taking her away from Lena.
"Stop, you're hurting her," Lena hissed moving over to Kara's side. She gently stroked Kara's hair.
Superman immediately let her go when he heard the moans of pain. "Why did you bring her here?" he demanded, rounding on Alex.
"I didn't," Alex said crossing her arms over her chest. She was a lot less intimidating when wearing pajamas. "Kara came here."
Superman's eyes widened slightly. He knew they were friendly. Supergirl had saved Lena's life on many occasions. But Lena knew her secret? Did that mean Lena knew his? "She can't stay here."
"Why?" Alex asked. "If Lena wanted to hurt Kara, she would have done it already. For an hour I had no idea where Kara was. Lena called me and told me where Kara was. If not for Lena I wouldn't know if Kara was alive or not." By the end Alex was yelling at Superman. She cared about him. He was like a cousin to her as well. But he was very black and white with some things. In his mind all Luthor's were evil. There was no in between.
Lena grabbed the dishes and made her way to the kitchen. If she was going to deal with Superman then she was going to need something stronger to drink. Today it was screwdrivers. Once the orange juice was poured into the pitcher she grabbed ahold of the vodka.
She couldn't help the tears pouring down her face. It had nothing to do with Superman disliking her and everything to do with Kara. She was terrified of what would happen to Kara. She was terrified she wasn't going to be able to protect her.
"Clark," Alex said once Lena was gone. "I know you want to protect Kara. So do I. But do you really think I would leave Kara here if I thought for a second Lena was going to hurt her?"
"No," Clark admitted.
"Lena won't hurt her," Alex said confidently. "I don't think Lena can hurt her."
"How can you be so sure?" Clark questioned.
"Because Lena's in love with her," Alex answered. Clark's eyes widened. "Just watch the way Lena is with Kara, or how she talks about her, then you will understand."
The sound of breaking glass pulled them from their conversation. Alex ran to the kitchen with Clark right behind her. Lena looked up when the two arrived. "Well shit," she said as blood dripped down her hand and into the sink.
"What happened?" Alex asked running to Lena's side. She saw Lena's puffy cheeks and knew the other woman was crying.
"Bottle slipped out of my hand," Lena answered, wincing as Alex ran her hand under cold water.
Alex turned to Superman. "Can you go to the DEO and get my medic bag?" Superman was gone in the blink of an eye. "Keep it elevated."
"I should have paid more attention," Lena said. She was embarrassed.
"It's fine," Alex said. "I'm a doctor. I'll get your hand fixed up." She poked around the wound. It was going to need stitches. "Why were you crying?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Clark was back but didn't want to interrupt the conversation.
"I was thinking about everything that happened," Lena said honestly. "I think it finally hit me."
Alex watched Clark disappear for a few seconds. He returned with a cape draped over his arm and Alex's medic kit in his hand. Alex took the offered kit and got to work fixing up Lena's hand.
Clark took the cape and wrapped it around Lena's shoulders. Lena stared at the cape. "Whenever I get hurt Lois would wear my cape. It was comforting for her. I thought, maybe…" He looked nervous, a look Lena wasn't used to seeing on a Super, "maybe, Kara's cape would offer you the same comfort."
"Thanks Clark," Lena said without thinking.
"How did you know?" he asked. He wasn't surprised she knew. He should be but he wasn't.
"When Alex called you, she called you Superman but I recognized your voice," Lena explained. She flinched as Alex began the stitches. "Honestly, I should have figured it out sooner. There's no reason that Clark Kent and Kara Danvers should know each other. Yet you two came into my office like you were best friends."
Clark frowned. "We didn't think of that," he said sheepishly.
"Done," Alex announced.
Lena stared at the now stitched cut on her hand. It took five stitches. "Kara is going to have a fit when she sees this," Lena said with a sigh.
"She is," Alex agreed. "The first time my mom cut her hand when cooking… Kara freaked out. She was convinced my mom was dying."
"I should go," Clark said. "If you need anything, or if Kara wakes up…"
"You will be the first person I call," Alex finished. It wouldn't be the first time Alex called him to tell him Kara was fine after some fight. "Before you go, can you clean up the glass?"
"Of course," Clark agreed. Within seconds all of the broken glass was disposed of. Once it was gone Superman flew out of the apartment leaving the two women alone.
"I'm sorry about him," Alex said. She cleaned up the blood in the sink.
"I expect nothing less from Superman," Lena said honestly. She flexed her hand. It felt weird with the stitches in her palm. This was the first time she had stitches. She did not like it.
"That doesn't make it right," Alex said firmly. "Clark… he means well. He really does love Kara but I don't think he knows how to help her. That doesn't excuse him being a dick though."
Lena shrugged. "It may not be right but I'm used to it. I am a Luthor after all. Distrust comes with the name."
"You've done a lot for this city," Alex said. Lena handed her a new bottle of vodka for the screwdrivers. "You have proven you are not your brother, or your mother. I'll admit I was one of them. Kara wanted to tell you about her so many times and I told her not to because I didn't trust you. But then I saw you here. I saw how much you love her." Alex turned to face her. "I was wrong."
Lena poured their drinks. She took a sip and sighed in relief. She didn't know how to respond to Alex's declaration that she was wrong. It didn't seem like something Alex admitted often. "Tell me something else about Kara." Lena mentally winced at how it sounded. It was supposed to be a polite request but came out as a demand.
"She's claustrophobic," Alex said, not bothered by Lena's tone.
"Supergirl is afraid of small spaces?" Lena questioned in surprise.
"She was stuck in a pod for twenty years. Most of the time she was asleep but it still bothers her," Alex explained. "She likes places like this, open and not overly cluttered. She hated the DEO's original location. It's why she didn't want to work for them for so long."
She nodded in understanding. She chose this place for its view and open floor plan. She loved the natural light. It was so much nicer than Metropolis.
"You should take something for the pain," Alex said. She could see Lena fighting the urge to rub her hand, and wincing every time she stretched the skin too much.
"I'm fine," Lena said automatically.
Alex dug through her bag and pulled out some pain killers and another bottle Lena didn't recognize. Alex placed the two bottles beside Lena. "This one," Alex tapped the first bottle, "is Norco, only take one. The other is an antibiotic. Take it twice a day. Starting now."
Ignoring the order was useless, Lena knew. So, she quickly took the pills, washing them down with her screwdriver. She ignored the look Alex gave her. Pain killers and alcohol didn't mix. She just couldn't bring herself to care.
The two women grabbed their glasses and the pitcher and made their way back to the balcony. Lena made sure the cape was still wrapped around her arms. Clark was right. It did bring her some comfort. They relaxed in the lounge chairs and soaked up the sun. Alex was using the short shorts to her advantage and was working on her tan.
"I'm going to go to my apartment as well as Kara's," Alex said after a while. "Pick up some clothes for both of us. Is there anything you need me to grab while I'm out?"
"No," Lena replied sipping her drink. "Jess should be back soon with enough food to feed us for a few days at least." Lena watched as Alex gulped down the rest of her screwdriver and poured herself another one. "Let me know when you're ready to go and I'll call my driver."
"Thanks," Alex said grateful.
Lena sat her glass down. "I have something I want to show you," she said standing up. She didn't wait for Alex to respond. Instead she went to the safe in her closet and pulled out the device she had been working on for weeks. She made her way back to the balcony and handed the device to Alex. "It's for Kara to put on her suit. It's a Kryptonite shield. The only issue is I don't know if it works. I've been doing some calculations and the only way to know for sure is to have her test it but if the dose of Kryptonite is too strong and this doesn't work… it will kill her."
"This is amazing," Alex said turning the device over. She inspected every inch of it. It was lightweight, not that it mattered much to a Kryptonian. "How did I never think of this?"
"You're not an engineer," Lena said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter. Until it's tested it won't be ready for her and there's no way to test it without putting Kara in danger."
"There is another Kryptonian we can ask," Alex pointed out. "I'm sure Clark would be willing to test it, especially if you offered him one in return."
She handed the device back. "I don't know if I trust it enough to use Clark as a guinea pig."
"Why not ask him?" Alex suggested. "Tell him you can't guarantee it will work. See if he's willing. I'm willing to bet he will do it." Lena was surprised by that. "Kryptonite is there one weakness. I know Clark would feel better if they were protected from it."
"Fine. I'll ask him," Lena agreed. "But we are not telling Kara about it until we know it works."
"Agreed," Alex said, raising her glass for a toast. Lena clinked their glasses together.
Kara's phone rang. Alex sat her drink down so she could answer it. "Hi mom," Alex greeted.
"Alex," Eliza said confused. "Why aren't you answering your own phone?"
Alex glanced toward the bedroom. "I must have left it in the room." Alex answered. She gulped down the rest of her drink. She was going to need it if she was talking to her mother.
"How is Kara?" Eliza asked.
"She's still unconscious," Alex replied. "She's starting to heal but it's slow. I imagine by tomorrow night all the minor wounds will be gone. Hopefully by the next day the rest of her wounds will have healed."
"Do you need me to come over?" Eliza questioned.
"No mom. We are managing," Alex answered. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to visit.
"We?" Eliza asked.
"I've been staying with Lena Luthor while Kara recovers," Alex informed her mother.
"Alexandra," Eliza began.
Alex cut her off. "Don't start. This is the safest place for Kara. No one would expect Supergirl to be at Lena's."
Eliza sighed. Alex had a point. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Yes mom," Alex said resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
"Call me when Kara wakes up," Eliza requested. "I love you Alexandra."
"Love you too mom," Alex said before hanging up. She gently tossed the phone on the table and turned her attention to Lena. "I'm going to get dressed. Take care of Kara."
"Always," Lena responded as Alex went back inside.