Lena stared at Kara. She was speechless. It was a strapless black dress that reached midthigh. Lena had no doubt this was picked out by Alex. Her hair was down but she still wore her glasses. The average person wouldn't recognize her as Supergirl but Lena could see it. If she hadn't known before, she would after tonight.
"Wow, you look… you're beautiful Kara," Lena said standing. Her own dress was also strapless but it was blue instead of black.
Kara blushed. "Thanks. I… Alex picked it out. She said if we went out then I needed something nice to wear."
Lena took out her phone and walked over to Kara. There was no way Kara was getting away with not having her picture taken. "Take a picture with me?"
Kara wrapped an arm around Lena as they posed for the camera. Lena snapped the phone and checked it. It was perfect, just like Kara. She showed it to Kara. "Send it to me," Kara demanded. Lena sent the photo as requested and changed the background on her phone.
"Are you ready?" Lena asked.
Kara touched her face, making sure she had her glasses. "I'm ready," she confirmed. "Food first?"
"Food first," Lena agreed. "Do you want Italian, Mexican, Chinese?"
Kara looked thoughtful. So many choices. "Italian," she decided after a full minute.
Lena nodded. She loved Italian food. "Alright. I just need my purse." By the time she finished Kara was already standing in front of her with her purse. "Right, let's go."
They walked out to Lena's car. More than one person was staring at the both of him. She was used to the stares, part of being a Luthor, but Kara was not. Every time someone whistled at her she blushed, while Lena glared at them. She didn't like the way they looked at her. She completed ignored the fact that she had also been checking out Kara.
They climbed into Lena's car and drove off to the Italian restaurant, La Vecchia Cucina. It wasn't far from the pier. But still far enough to drive. The restaurant was busy when they arrived. They had to wait about thirty minutes before they were seated at a table. The table was worth the wait as it had an ocean view.
They ordered some drinks and appetizers. The waiter left to fill the orders while they picked their entrée.
"Do you miss Krypton?" Lena asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Every day," Kara said sadly.
"Can you tell me about it?" Lena questioned. Kara stared at her for a minute and Lena wondered if she went too far.
"You want to know about Krypton?" Kara whispered in surprise.
"Yeah, I mean if you're willing to," Lena said.
"Well, I don't remember exactly when but sometime after I was born, Kryptonians started using a matrix to create life," Kara began. "It was their way of keeping the planet from being overpopulated. In fact, Kal was the first natural birth in years."
Lena's eyes widened in surprise. "They had the technology for that?" she asked in amazement.
Kara nodded. "Krypton was extremely advanced in terms of technology." She smiled sadly. "I wish you could have seen it. I know you would have loved it."
"It would have been amazing to see," Lena admitted.
The waiter returned with Kara's appetizers and their drinks. Lena took a sip of her martini. They quickly ordered their meals, so they could return to their conversation.
"Was everything lost?" Lena asked. It was sad, hearing about how Kara had lost everything. She had known it but hearing about it first hand was worse.
"Not everything. Some of our technology survived," Kara replied. "Kal and I survived and our customs through me. I can teach you, if you want."
Lena nodded. "I would love that." She touched the bracelet Clark had given her. She still had no idea what the symbols on it meant. She simply hadn't had time to look. "Can you give me a hint?"
Kara laughed. "When we get home, I'll see if the DEO can give you access to some of Krypton's records, including the translator."
Lena grabbed a piece of calamari. She bit the piece and sighed. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. "Can you teach Kryptonese?" Lena asked curious.
She was certain the answer to most, if not, all her questions were in Lex's records. She had no desire to go through Lex's stuff to get her answers. She would rather ask Kara. In fact, if she ever came across Lex's records on Krypton or Kryptonians she would burn it to the ground.
Kara shook her head. "I can teach you to understand some of it. I taught Alex some. But it's impossible to teach a human to speak it. Believe me, I tried, but human vocal cords are unable to produce the sounds needed."
It saddened Lena to know she would never be able to talk to Kara in her native tongue. Still, she could learn to understand it. That was enough for her. "That sounds perfect," Lena said with a small smile. She touched her bracelet again. She was one step closer to finding out with was carved into it.
"How's your hand?" Kara asked nodding toward Lena's now, stitch free hand.
There was a rather nasty scar on her palm but it didn't bother Lena. No one would even notice it unless they paid attention to her hands. "It's fine. All healed." She put her hand on the table, palm up. Kara traced the scar with her finger. "Don't be upset. It was an accident."
"But you were upset because I was hurt," Kara said softly.
Lena took Kara's hand in hers. She brought it to her face and kissed it. "I was upset yes," she began. "But this," she raised their joined hands, "this is a small price to pay. You're alive and that's all that matters to me."
Their food arrived. Lena let go of Kara's hand so they could eat. They ate in comfortable silence. Kara was halfway through her second entrée before she said a word.
"Lena," she said hesitantly. "Do you know anything about Project Exodus?"
Lena furrowed her brow in confusion. She dropped her fork, full of pasta, back on the bowl. "Project Exodus," she repeated. It sounded vaguely familiar. "It sounds like something I've heard or seen somewhere. But I don't know anything about it. Why?"
Kara dropped her own fork. She hoped this didn't ruin their evening but she had promised Alex she would look into it. "The DEO has been looking into CADMUS. Project Exodus was brought up in connection. We think it was one of Lex's projects."
"Figures Lex would be involved," Lena said with a sigh. "I'll look into it when we get home." She glanced at Kara. "Unless you want me to do it now."
"No," Kara said quickly. "No, it can wait. Alex promised to call if CADMUS attacked again. We don't need to worry about it until then."
Lena nodded. "As soon as we get home, I'll see what I can find. I don't know how much I will find," Lena told her. "Lex was good at hiding things. I haven't found half of the shit he was up to."
"Whatever Lex is up to, we will deal with it," Kara promised.
"You think Lex is involved in CADMUS?" Lena questioned in surprise.
"I want to say yes but I think that has more to do with my dislike of Lex," Kara admitted. "I have to remind myself that not every attack against myself and Clark is Lex's fault."
"What made you think I was different?" Lena asked curious.
"That day in your office, when we first met, you said you wanted to make a name for yourself outside of your family," Kara said. "I remember feeling the exact same way. I want to be my own hero, separate from Clark. Anyway, that was when I knew I could trust you."
"You knew so soon after we met?" Lena was surprised. A Super trusting a Luthor so soon. It was unheard of. Then again so was a Luthor falling in love with a Super.
"Of course," Kara exclaimed. "I wanted so badly to tell you the truth. But every time I got close; something would happen. You would get hurt and all I could think about was how my secret would get you killed."
Lena was never angry about Kara not telling her, her secret. Perhaps she should have been. But she could never be angry at Kara. She loved her too much for that. "I'm not mad Kara. I was never mad at you for hiding the truth. There were times I wanted to tell you I knew, like when you would disappear and make up some lame story about what happened." Kara blushed. "But a part of me understood why you did it. So, I let you think I fell for those excuses."
"No more secrets," Kara promised.
"No more secrets," Lena agreed with a forced smile. She did have one more secret. But it wouldn't be long until she knew about that secret. She felt guilty for keeping the secret, especially after their promise to not keep secrets.
Lena paid the bill when it came and they left the restaurant.
"It's still early. Do you want to walk to the club?" Lena asked.
The club was about a mile away. It wasn't like the loud clubs that most young people went to. This club was a lot nicer and a lot more expensive to get into. There was also a dress code.
"Sure," Kara agreed. She held onto Lena's previously injured hand as they walked.
"Let me know if it gets too loud for you," Lena requested.
She enjoyed walking down the street holding Kara's hand far too much. She wondered if Kara realized how romantic this was. She doubted it based on what Alex had told her.
They got to the club just after nine. There were people inside but it wasn't yet busy. Lena planned on leaving before it got too busy so Kara wouldn't have to suffer.
Lena quickly paid the cover fee and they went inside. Lena squeezed Kara's hand. "Are you okay?" she asked concerned.
Kara nodded. "I'm good."
"Do you want a drink?" Lena asked.
"Alcohol doesn't affect me," Kara reminded her.
Lena let go of Kara's hand so she could dig through her purse. She withdrew a small bottle of what Kara recognized as the alien alcohol. "Alex gave it to me," Lena explained. "You don't have to use it but I thought I would give you the option."
"Okay," Kara said. Lena wasn't sure if that meant she wanted the alcohol, or she was simply acknowledging what she said.
"Do you want some?" Lena asked for clarification. Kara nodded. "Alright. I'll get us some drink. Do you want to find a table?"
The two separated. Lena went to the bar while Kara went to the seating area. The bar was almost empty when Lena approached. There was a couple at the other end with their drinks and a group of four men waiting for their drinks.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"Two shots of your best scotch, actually make one a double," Lena said. "Also, two beers."
"What kind of beers?" the bartender asked as he poured shots.
"Anything is fine," Lena answered. She wasn't picky when it came to beer, and Kara didn't drink much so she wouldn't care either.
The bartender grabbed two cold beers and popped the tops off. "My personal favorite," he said with a wink.
Lena resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the bartender. She handed over her credit card. "Open a tab," she requested. The bartender did as she requested and handed the card back. She grabbed all of the drinks, with some difficulty, and made her way back to Kara.
She carefully sat the drinks down, with some help from Kara. "Thanks," Lena muttered.
She pulled the bottle of alien alcohol from her purse, putting her credit card away in the process, and poured a little into Kara's glass. She wanted t Kara to have fun and relax a bit but she didn't want her to get wasted. Alex had told her alien alcohol was stronger to a Kryptonian than regular alcohol was to a human.
She hesitated, not sure if Kara wanted her beer to be stronger. Kara took the bottle from her hand and poured some in, more than Lena would have added. "I'm not that delicate Lena," she said before taking a drink of her beer.
"I don't think you're delicate," Lena told her. "I just didn't want to pressure you into drinking."
Kara got up and moved to sit beside Lena. "As long as you are here with me, I feel safe. Even when drinking," Kara said leaning against Lena.
Lena grabbed the two shot glasses. She handed the one to Kara. "Cheers," she said. They clinked glasses and both downed their glasses.
They watched as people came in. Some went to the bar and some went to the dance floor.
"How are you feeling?" Lena asked once the scotch and beer were gone.
"Floaty," Kara answered slowly. "I'm not floating right?"
Lena snorted. "No, you're not floating Kara. Do you want more?"
Kara nodded. "Yes please."
"Alright. Stay here. I'll get more drinks."
Lena made her way back to the bar. "Two more scotches, beers and do you have bottled water?"
"We do," he confirmed.
"I'll take two of those as well," Lena requested.
The bartender poured the drinks and sat them on the counter. It was a lot more difficult to carry this round than the previous. She dropped one of the beers but Kara's fast reflexes kept the bottle from spilling and breaking.
Lena added the extra alcohol to Kara's drinks. They toasted and downed their shots. The familiar beat of one of Lena's favorite songs blasted through the speakers. "Do you want to dance?" Lena asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
"Sure," Kara agreed. She stumbled out of the booth.
Lena led Kara to the dance floor, keeping a tight grip on the Kryptonian so she didn't fall. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's neck and swayed to the music. Kara kept a firm grip on Lena's hips to keep herself steady.
"I didn't know you could dance," Kara muttered. She laid her head on Lena's shoulder.
"I went to boarding school," Lena told her. "There wasn't much to do other than go dancing and drinking."
"I never went to a dance," Kara commented. "I was too afraid of hurting someone. But it's nice, dancing with you. I don't feel afraid. Do you think that's the alcohol?"
"I'm sure that's part of it," Lena said. "You're certainly more relaxed. I've never feared you would hurt me Kara. Even if you did, I know it wasn't intentional."
Kara shook her head against Lena's shoulder. "I would never hurt you. I don't even want to think about it," Kara muttered.
Lena kissed her cheek. "I know Kara. Come on, you need to drink some water." Lena led Kara back to the table. She pressed the bottle of water into Kara's hand. "Drink it darling."
Kara sipped the water, still leaning against Lena. "Tonight has been great. Thanks Lena," Kara said.
Lena held Kara in her arms. "Anytime Kara."
They stayed at the club much longer than Lena expected. Her car was still at the restaurant and there was no way she could get a drunk Kara back to her car. She refused to leave Kara alone to go get her car. So, they sat at their table, with Kara sipping water until she was sober enough to walk.
"I'm so sorry Kara. I shouldn't have given you so much," Lena apologized as they walked down the street.
"I'm fine Lena," Kara assured her. "I could have said no but I didn't. Besides, it was nice to pretend to be human for a night."
Lena smiled slightly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Lena helped Kara into the car and sped off to their hotel room. By the time they got back to the hotel Kara was doing much better, although she was hungry again. Lena ordered pizzas from the parking lot and gave the store their room number for delivery.
Once back in the room they changed into their pajamas and waited for the pizzas. "Do you want to watch a movie?" Kara asked from the couch.
"Sure," Lena said taking out her earrings. "Whatever you want is fine."
Kara flipped through the channels until she found Wizard of Oz playing. It had just started. "Wizard of Oz just started," Kara exclaimed.
Lena came out of the bathroom and sat beside Kara. "Wizard of Oz?" Lena questioned. "I've never seen it."
"You've never seen Wizard of Oz?" Kara gasped in horror. "It's my favorite movie."
"The Luthor's aren't known for family movie night," Lena said with a shrug. "Why is Wizard of Oz your favorite?"
"A girl appearing in a strange new land," Kara said. "Alex played it for me when I arrived and I always related to Dorothy." Kara patted the spot beside her. "Come lay with me and watch this."
Lena climbed onto the couch beside Kara. Kara automatically wrapped her arms around Lena like it was the most natural thing to do. As soon as they were comfortable the doorbell rang. Kara sighed and jumped off the couch. "Money is in my purse," Lena told her.
Kara grabbed the money from Lena's purse and quickly paid the pizza boy, with a decent tip. She grabbed the pizzas from his hands. He was a little surprised to see two people for the four pizzas but didn't comment.
"Have a nice night," Kara told him as he left.
Kara sat the pizzas on the coffee table and grabbed some napkins. Lena laid her head on Kara's lap while Kara ate her pizzas. Kara tried offering pizza to Lena but she was still full from dinner.
The two silently watched Kara's favorite movie. Kara was eager to know if Lena liked her favorite movie, like it was the most important thing in the world. Every few minutes Kara would glance at Lena, looking for any sign that she hated the movie. She found none. Lena seemed to enjoy it as much as she did.
Lena never made it to the end. Before Dorothy beat the wicked witch, Lena was fast asleep. Kara was bummed she missed the best part but vowed to bring the movie over when they got home.
Kara carefully pulled herself out of Lena's grasp. She stood and pulled Lena into her arms. She carried the younger woman to the bedroom. She carefully laid Lena on the bed and tucked her in. She made her way to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Lena unconsciously readjusted herself so she was cuddled with Kara. Kara leaned over and gently kissed Lena on the lips. "Goodnight Lena," she muttered.