The town of Midvale is home to less than 10,000 residents, many of them blue collar workers like fishermen, small business owners, and the employees of the last remnants of American factories producing medical supplies and car parts. It was an idyllic place to raise a family, with sandy beaches and biennial carnivals where children won stuffed animals and couples kissed at the top of the Ferris wheel. When Alex Danvers was young, she'd wake up early each morning to surf, except for the months when snow blanketed the shore and warm hot chocolate was a better start to the day than crashing waves. Even in her teen years where morning volleyball and soccer practices replaced hot chocolate, she always found time for the water.
Unbeknownst to her, the young girl she was forced to share a room with followed her each day, keeping her distance as she watched, in awe of the other girl's skill and grace with a board. Kara did not want to disturb or anger Alex, having learned quickly that she was less than pleased by the new arrangement. Neither ever had siblings and the learning curve was steeper than Mount Everest, even in the face of the tragic loss the blonde girl experienced before joining their family.
At least two years would pass before they bridged the gap towards sisterhood. The sudden death of Jeremiah Danvers was like a cold bucket of water dropping harshly on their lives. Eliza did her best to hold herself together, for Alex and Kara, especially for girl who'd already endured more loss than someone her age should. Still, the onus fell to Alex to be the glue of their now reduced family. She proudly carried the weight of her father's absence on her shoulders, refusing to buckle under the heavy expectations of her heartbroken mother and the responsibility of being an older sibling.
Like a good big sister, she never allowed Kara to see how the change in their dynamic placed a strain on her. Alex wanted her little sister to have a hero, a protector in a world that never bothered shielding her from the harsh truth that sometimes people simply did not come home. Losing her parents was a dark spot on her otherwise sunny character, having incomplete memories made the loss that much more devastating. The passing of her father saw to the disillusion of barriers in their relationship.
Despite her reservations, Alex drove straight to Midvale when all hell began to break loose. She wanted to turn around and fight through the disarray in the city to find her sister, but she trusted Kara's judgement about Lena Luthor. If there was anyone with the means and skills to save the world from the impending apocalypse, it was the youngest Luthor. Obviously, the CEO was paranoid enough to have prepared for the worst case scenario of this virus and surely would have used her immense resources to devise a plan beyond escaping the city.
Kara's nerves are frayed as they traverse through the small, coastal town. According to Eliza, there was a line drawn in the sand among the locals with laborers determined to return to their places of employment on one side and nearly everyone else on the other. Much like the rest of the country, the thought of several more months without paychecks left those who did not have the privilege of working from home clamoring for Maxwell Lord's ill-conceived vaccine. There was no telling how many infected people they might encounter, even in such a scarcely populated area.
As they drove down the main road, Kara pointed towards Midvale High School, a dark brick building that looked just as scary during the day as it did at night.
"That's where Alex and I went to high school." She told her companions, their heads briefly turning to inspect the building. They moved slowly, keeping their eyes and ears alert for any suspicious activity. With the street lights inactive, there were shadows around every corner and not a soul to be seen. Though, being undetected did not mean they weren't being watched or followed.
"I bet you were the homecoming queen." Lena commented jovially, imagining a younger version of Kara with a shining crown upon her head. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the grimace beneath Kara's helmet.
Her memories of that time weren't great, filled with awkward teen years and a more socially inclined sister. Alex played sports and pretended she didn't have a sister. Their lives between the four walls of the school were disparate, Kara's more isolated and lonely. She struggled to make friends and certainly was not the homecoming queen.
"Alex was runner up her senior year. I spent too much time in the library for anyone to notice me." Her somber words reminded Lena of her own childhood.
Living in the shadow of her genius brother and constantly under the scrutiny of Lillian Luthor's sharp eye made for a solitary existence. When her father died, the woman was delighted to ship her husband's lovechild to the furthest boarding school possible, finally giving Lena the chance to spring from her cocoon. Even then, she was forced to learn the harsh lesson that there were people who would only want her friendship for the things she could buy or the connections she could offer. Very rarely did they seek her for companionship. Jesse was the first real friend she ever made.
Now, there was Kara Danvers, a reporter of all things, who managed to worm her way into Lena's life. For a while, she suspected deception on the part of the other woman, believing that she was trying to gain her trust in order to slander L Corp's already tenuous name. She waited for the scathing articles, but they never came. Kara was always critical yet fair in her assessments of L Corp's endeavors and she respected Lena's privacy about the personal matters she wanted kept from the public eye. The CEO was quite literally speechless to discover that the sunny disposition and blinding optimism were genuine qualities. Everyone she contacted spoke so highly of Miss Danvers, from her time as Cat Grant's assistant to the seemingly endless list of charities that she volunteered her time to.
It was hard trying to not fall in love with the bubbly blonde. Not that Lena was trying particularly hard. Even Jesse knew the cause was lost after their third meeting when her boss had to leave work early for fear that her employees might see the dopey grin plastered to her face after Kara left. She had a reputation to uphold after all.
There was only one way to fall for a woman like her: hard. And, boy, was Lena falling. If the few kisses they'd shared today was any indication, the end of the world would be more fun than the young Luthor had anticipated.
When the main road ended, Kara directed their bikes left, veering onto a dirty road that lead towards the alcove of homes tucked along the shore. During the summer, the beaches were inundated with tourists, providing the small community with the vast majority of its revenue in just three short months. Now, the houses they passed were likely empty as the virus severely curtailed the vacation season. The Danvers were one of the few families in town to actually live on the water.
There is only one house with lights flickering, a little green home with white blinds and a wraparound porch, sitting above the ocean on a cliff. The bikes' tires crunch under the gravel driveway as they pull in behind to Alex's bike and Eliza's car, breath shuttering under the cool, beach air when they remove their helmets. Before they have the chance to dismount from their vehicles, the FBI agent comes barreling out of the front door, her weapon drawn. Lena and Jesse are about to grab their rifles when Kara yells out.
"Alex, it's me. Put it away." Hearing her sister's voice, Alex's shoulders dropped and she exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding since the last time they'd spoken. She rushed to embrace the young woman after holstering her gun, ignoring the gear wrapped around the other woman's shoulders.
For the first time all afternoon, Kara felt absolutely safe, standing in her sister's arms. Lena envied the love between the two women as she watched them hug under the porch light, likely powered by a generator nearby. There was an intimacy shared that she would never be able to achieve with her brother, not that she wanted to anyway. She feels a touch of nervousness when Alex Danvers releases her sister to greet the women behind her.
"You got my sister here in one piece." Her words are not a thank you, per se, but they are still sincere. Alex shakes her hand and points to Kara, "I can't imagine that was easy."
"Oh, she did not make my job easy." They shared a knowing laugh at the blonde's expense, causing Kara to push her sister away with a grunt of disagreement. There was a beat of silence before an older woman came rushing from inside the house, her arms outstretched. Kara stepped away from her sister to meet her embrace, but Eliza stopped her before she had the chance.
"Gear off, first, dear." The young woman blushed briefly as she divested herself of the assault rifle and backpack. She leaned them both on the bannister and threw herself into her adoptive mother's arms.
"Eliza, I'm so glad you and Alex are alright, I was worried sick the whole way up here." Satisfied her family was secure and in good health, she introduced them to her friends. Jesse stood to the side as Alex and Lena whispered conspiratorially to each other. The CEO was more than happy to rat out Kara for her daredevil antics earlier if her sister's ire would prevent future idiotic stunts.
The older woman left her second daughter on the porch to greet the young Luthor and her assistant.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Luthor and Miss Claremont. You have written several articles that I've utilized in my own work. You're both quite brilliant." Lena barely stops herself from preening, the compliment feathering at the untouched part of her that always wanted her mother's praise. She feels Kara watching her as she tries and fails to disguise a revealing blush. Instead of ridicule, the blonde meets her eye with a perceptive smile, and shelving a conversation about mothers for the future.
"Wait a minute? Danvers? Eliza Danvers? As in 'Three-Dimensional Printing for Heart Valve Repair and Arterial Reconstruction,' by Doctor Eliza Danvers?" Jesse's voice is excited, verging on hysterical when she pushes past her boss to meet the girls' mother. Her mouth hangs wide open, flopping open like a fish as she stands in front of her hero. "You've pioneered the most revolutionary advances bio medicine. You're like the Wonder Woman of bio-engineering."
"Well, that's a new one. Never been compared to Wonder Woman before." She modestly boasts, linking arms with the young woman and dragging her into the house, Alex following behind them. Once they were alone, Lena's gear joined Kara's on the porch.
"You never told me your mother was a bio-engineering rockstar." The dark haired woman mused, treading into the other woman's personal space, just one step below her and delicately placing a hand on her waist.
"I didn't tell you that Alex has just as many degrees as Eliza either. I hope you won't hold that against me, Miss Luthor." The women size each other up as a new series of clouds began to roll in, stealing the moon from view. Shadows danced across Lena's face and concealed the weariness hanging beneath her eyes. Through the exhaustion, her eyes shined bright and her smile was mischievous.
"Forgive me, but there are far more important things I'd like to hold against you." Hardly able to contain herself, Kara swallows boisterous laughter from the atrocious pick up line in favor of planting her lips firmly against Lena's. For a moment, she almost loses her balance when the other woman pulls her closer, catching herself on the bannister without ever separating their mouths. They finally part when the heavens rain down upon them, a clap of thunder following close behind. She draws Lena close, sheltering her underneath the awning.
"I think we can both agree that while you're a genius, pick-up lines are not your area of expertise, am I right?" The blonde jokes, curling a damp lock of hair behind Lena's ear as the other woman defiantly scoffs.
"I'm hilarious and you know it, Danvers." She replied, forcing the blonde backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. "If I weren't, you probably wouldn't let me do this."
Lena kissed her fiercely, making her head spin for a moment before she reversed their positions, covering the small woman's body with her own. The action was unexpected, her mouth dropping open to whimper and accept Kara's probing tongue. A flash of lightening illuminated the dark haired woman's face, her lips swollen and her cheeks a vivid shade of crimson as her leg moved of its own volition to wrap around Kara's waist. The blonde simple rolled with the punches and used a deceptively strong arm to hoist Lena higher, her lower back leaving the wall as her companion nibbled at her already tender lip.
The building of heat between her legs was agonizing, trickling through every one of her pores and setting her skin ablaze. She nearly explodes internally when Kara moves her mouth to kiss the sliver of skin not covered by the turtleneck sweater she wears. Her head knocks against the wall, arms curling around Kara's neck to pull her closer.
"Kara, we have to stop." Her voice is unrecognizable, breathy and wanton. She swears she hears a soft whine, like a puppy being told playtime was over. Still, Kara continues the assault on her neck, driving Lena absolutely mad with want, until the opening of the front door sends her flying across the porch.
Thankfully, it's Alex and not Eliza who puts a stop to their impromptu make out session. She's clearly aware of what was taking place just moments before and takes advantage of the situation, poking her head outside to stare eye them suspiciously.
"I guess I'll just tell mom you're too busy for chocolate pecan pie." She tells her sister before slamming the door shut.
Before she knows what's happening, Kara presses one last kiss on her mouth before grabbing their gear and dragging Lena inside the house, chasing behind Alex before the older woman can get her hands on her sister's favorite treat.
The atmosphere of the Danvers' home is pleasant, in spite of the circumstance that brought them to Midvale so suddenly. According to Alex, her mother spent the entire day in the kitchen, eagerly preparing for the moment both of her daughters would be under the same roof again, suppressing the urge to watch the madness of the world unfold on the television. Lena sipped her tea and wondered if this was what a real mother is meant to be like, devoted and adoring.
After a meal fit for an army, they retired to the living room for tea and chocolate pecan pie. The dessert was decadent, something Lena would never allow herself under ordinary circumstance. However, sitting around a coffee table with Kara's family and Jesse was a situation that called for sugar and calories. There were pictures littered around the room of Kara and Alex, their youthful faces smiling together. If there was more time, she would tease them about geeky braces and period appropriate hair styles. This home has been thoroughly lived in, decorated with love and care by a mother, a true mother.
For a split second, Lena wonders where her own mother might be, if she is alive and unharmed. Or, had the vaccine morphed her into the monster she'd always been. The thought is fleeting.
All eyes are on her as she debriefs them about the facility she's prepared 50 miles away.
"I did not know Maxwell Lord's vaccine would be so volatile. I certainly could not have predicted he would initiate some type of Hollywood-esque zombie apocalypse by failing to sufficiently test his 'vaccine' before sending it to the market. Everyone working in the business knows Lord to be a greasy capitalist who only believes in the value of medical and technological advancement for the sake of money, but that never stopped this administration from seeking his services. When the pandemic began, I had a bad feeling that things would get worse before they got better. Little did I know just how dreadful things would get."
She reaches over to re-fill her teacup while Jesse continues for her.
"Several months ago, Lena tasked me with researching and purchasing a facility fitting her necessary criteria such as being capable of housing members of L Corp's staff as well as any family they brought with them, fertile land, and an electrical grid that would handle all the equipment we needed to conduct research. Eventually, the former Shelbyville Corrections property was purchased. Contractors worked for weeks installing updated security measures, replacing underground pipes, and fitting the roofs with solar panels. After that, I spent a month on sight accepting deliveries of nearly every supply you could think of, from clothing to agricultural supplies. Since then, everything has been waiting to be used."
Their audience was silent as they spoke, forks scraping against plates were the only other sound in the room. If they strained their ears, they might have been able to hear the crashing of waves just a few hundred feet outside the door.
"How close are your people to developing a vaccine?" Eliza asked, setting her empty plate on the table.
"We thought there was a breakthrough two weeks ago, but the vaccine caused catastrophic damage to the lungs and diaphragm. The long term impact on breathing quality would have been counterintuitive to curing the virus." Lena told them honestly. She wouldn't concern herself with privacy if there were two more scientists in the room that could help her unravel this mysterious virus.
"You never told me that." Kara commented, returning to the pie tin for another slice. She greedily licked a glob of chocolate from her fork as she watched Lena from the other side of the couch.
"We didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. Even if we did develop an effective vaccine, there would still be months of testing before human trials could ever begin. Lord was allowed to skip over the red tape put in place to prevent situations like this. But, people were pressed to return to Business-As-Usual, so money won out. Unfortunately, it was unlikely then and certainly impossible now to resume life as we knew it."
"I always knew Lord was a bastard, but he's really fucked up now. He better hope I don't find him." Alex grumbled, digging the heel over her palm into her eyes to rub away the exhaustion threatening to take them all on a trip to dreamland. When the second Danvers daughter reflexively yawned, Eliza began to clean up the mess on the table and ordered the four women to bed while she handled the dishes.
"We can leave for Shelbyville in the morning. I think we all need a good night's rest before operating any vehicles. We should be safe for a few hours." Eliza told them from the kitchen, leaving no room for disagreement, her wrists deep in soapy water.
Like the superb big sister she was, Alex shuffled Jesse upstairs to her own room, muttering about ways she wanted to kill Maxwell Lord. Her companion was silent, but nodded along as they climbed to the second floor, considering the numerous ways she would like to harm the man responsible for their situation.
With Eliza in the kitchen, Kara and Lena were left alone, sitting on opposite ends of the couch. For a few moments, they silently pondered the course of their day, until the latter shrugged her shoulders and turned towards the blonde.
"So, meeting the family on the first date. You're mighty presumptuous, Danvers." She joked, attempting to break the tension in the room. Luckily, Kara laughed as she stood up, holding out a hand for Lena to take.
"Nights not over yet, Luthor." With a wink, she dragged the dark haired woman down to the basement which was converted from an office to a bedroom after Jeremiah's death with their backpacks in hand. The switch at the top of the stairs illuminated the room in a soft, white aura from several strings of fairy lights placed around the room. They highlighted canary yellow walls covered in colorful artwork featuring grassy landscapes and futuristic domiciles, basking under the brilliance of a scarlet sun.
They told the story of a search for another world, one with which to seek belonging and acceptance in the face of a tremendous loss. She did not know this loss personally because she was too young to have remembered her real mother's death, but the longing illustrated in Kara's work was eerily familiar. Lena walked around the room, absorbing the little bits of information about the blonde woman from the knickknacks on her desk and the books on the hanging shelves.
Kara is introspective as she watches Lena experience the young girl she was living in the Danvers' household. She remembers the relief of having her own room. Her relationship with Alex improved enormously when they weren't living shoulder to shoulder, struggling to find a moment to themselves without the other interrupting their peace. When Kara was no longer plagued by frequent nightmares, having her own room allowed her the chance to explore painting as a form of therapy. In her final two years at home, when Alex was away at college, she spent more time at the beach and in front of an easel than anywhere else. Eliza was the first one to suggest she sign up for art classes at the community center. A minor in art history was a secret she kept to herself, even from her sister.
"I never took you for an artist," Lena tells her, dropping onto the sunflower yellow blanket with a plop. She resists the urge to fall asleep immediately and forces herself to sit up again. The bed feels softer than a cloud, whispering sweet dreams in her ear.
"I'm sure you have secrets of your own." She pondered aloud, wondering what mysteries lay below the heavily curated persona of Lena Luthor, CEO. Who was Lena when the makeup and tailored skirts came off, when she was free to be her most authentic self?
Kara sees her companion struggle to keep her eyes open, so she presents her with a pair of fuzzy pajamas and points to the small bathroom in the corner. When Lena accepts the clothes and retreats, the blonde takes care to fill her backpack with the few articles of clothing she had left in her room, leaving out two extra sets on the dresser for tomorrow. She placed the handgun still attached to her thigh on the dresser and went upstairs to use Eliza's bathroom.
When she returned, hair wet from a hot shower, Lena is leaning against the headboard with her hair wrapped in a towel. She's managed to uncover the senior yearbook Kara hasn't thought about in ages, dust lining the hardcover. The page with her photo is open, her smiling face staring back at Lena among a class of similar young expressions, though the light did not reached her eyes. Without a word, she takes the book and leaves it on the night table, climbing over Lena's legs to drop onto the side of the bed pushed against the wall.
"You look good in my pajamas," she remarked, her provocative gaze leaving behind a frail of fire as she further appraised the CEO wearing her clothes, "though you'd probably look better without them."
As much as Lena wants to continue their activities from earlier, she cannot allow the equally as terrible pick up line to stand without retribution. The blonde's breath hitches when her waist is straddled, Lena's body heat mingling with her own.
"So, are we competing to see who can deliver the worst pick up line imaginable? Because, I think you're winning." She mocked, making a show divesting her damp hair of the towel and flinging it across the room. Just a sliver of skin peaks from under the snug nightshirt as she raises her arms above her head to stretch, rolling her hips against Kara achingly slow. To her credit, the other woman does not miss a beat and replies provokingly:
"If I've won, then what is my prize?"
In an unspoken dare, Lena snakes her hands under Kara's tank top, nails dragging sharply across tremoring muscles. She does not mean to tease, but there is something deliciously tempting to see the bravado leave the blonde's body as Lena's hands inched towards her breasts. Eyes blown wide, Kara is the proverbial deer in the headlights, mesmerized by the rocking of narrow hips into hers.
She does not blink, does not breath for fear that if she moves even an inch, her body will shatter like porcelain. Just the sight of Lena Luthor looking down upon her with the eyes of a goddess made her feel like a foolish mortal, imprudent enough to believe she could soar in the light of someone beautiful beyond words. At the risk of her wings melting, she lifts her head to seal her lips against Lena's, only to be denied by a devious smile.
"How would you like your prize?" Lena torments as she removes her hands to grasp both sides of Kara's face, her breath hot against the blonde's cheek, words tumbling from her lips like lava spilling from a volcano. "Would you like it fast? Or, would you like it slow?"
"I-I want," she repeats the two words over and over, so aroused that her brain began to short circuit when Lena finally yank the thin straps of her tank top down her body and sucked a red mark directly onto her chest.
"Say it, Kara," her murmured into Kara's skin, teasing the sensitive skin around her nipple with unhurried flicks of her tongue. "Say. It."
"Lena, please." She nearly chokes on the simple plea.
"Oh," Lena feigns surprise. Her scorching mouth closed around an already hard nipple causing Kara's head to seize back into the pillow, a strangled breath clawing up her throat. A single eyebrow arched, giving the impression that she might wait for an answer as long as possible even as Kara's sputtering came to an abrupt stop when Lena pinches the other nipple with the pad of her fingers. The temptress in her lap smiled wickedly when her prey cried out for more when she pulled her hand away. "I guess it's dealer's choice then."
Without further fanfare, she finally kisses Kara, inhaling the soft whimper that escapes the younger woman's mouth when Lena bites her lips harshly and then soothes the ache with a deliberate swipe of her tongue. The movement jumpstarts her brain and she immediately moves her hands to Lena's hips, digging her nails into tender flesh. They move against each other painstakingly slow, exploring the delicious feeling of their bodies pressed together without an immediate danger looming in the forefront of their minds.
Finally in control of her own body again, Kara sits up suddenly, sending Lena almost tumbling from her lap. Strong arms grasp her thighs before she falls to tug her closer, legs spread wide as her lower body instinctively ground against the other woman's clothed abs.
"Kara," she gasped, allowing the blonde to assume control of her pleasure.
Lena acquiesces delightedly when Kara raises her arms to pull the sleepshirt over her head, throwing the scrap of clothing across the room and latching her mouth to Lena's neck. Her bite is ferocious and deep, turning pale skin to a luxurious shade of purple. The dark haired woman moaned licentiously, her skin dripping with sweat that the blonde greedily licked away, moaning at the saccharine taste. Kara's palm stuck to the small of her back as she worked her other hand between Lena's legs.
Kara can already feel how wet Lena is underneath the flimsy pajama pants, legs twitching as they securely wrapped themselves around Kara's waist.
"You're so close already, Lena." Kara whispered into her chest, biting and sucking at every piece of flesh she could reach. "I bet if I touched your clit right now, you'd come all over my hand." She punctuated her point by drilling the palm of her hand between Lena's legs with more force, the woman in her lap gasping under the pressure.
Lena looks down at her with stormy eyes, willing the other woman to stop her teasing, but Kara is too keen on watching the seductress fall apart on top of her, giving the dark haired woman as taste of her own enticing medicine. She uses two hands to rock Lena's body into her, nails leaving crescent indentations on her hips as Lena clawed at her bare shoulders. The woman leaves marks of her frustration across Kara's back, nearly breaking skin as her essence soaks through the pajama pants to coat Kara's torso.
Kara is seconds from granting her clemency when the muffled sound of shattering glass startles them both. They freeze, straining their ears to hear a stifled scream. The moment is lost as they rush to cover themselves and race up the stairs with their pistols drawn.