On Monday morning, Kara sat next to Lena in their first period class as usual, talking to the reserved raven-haired girl about the turtle she'd found and how she wanted to keep it as a pet, but she didn't know where she would be able to keep it in the dorms. Lena smiled fondly as she listened, shaking her head at Kara's antics good-naturedly and encouraging her to elaborate when her chattering would die down. Their class that day was a work period; they'd been told to pair up and work on an assignment, which thanks to Lena's quick thinking and tutoring abilities, they'd finished quickly.
Lena looked at Kara in confusion when, out of nowhere, the blonde fell silent, staring at her phone screen with wide eyes and her mouth agape. All of the color drained from her features, and Lena prepared herself to help in case she was about to pass out. Lena couldn't quite make out what was on Kara's screen, thanks to the angle she was holding her phone at, but whatever it was had completely shattered Kara's good mood.
"I'll be right back," Kara mumbled, abruptly getting up from her seat and walking right over to Alex's friend group. Lena watched with a look of worry and confusion as Alex looked at Kara with a sharp look, clearly about to tell her not to bother her when she was with her friends, but then the older Danvers' face crumpled into one of concern and seriousness. She said something to her friends, and one of them started to laugh, but immediately stopped and looked terrified when Alex shot her a glare that clearly said "don't mess with me right now."
Alex took Kara's elbow and quickly informed the teacher that Kara was having a "female" emergency before pulling her out into the hallway and off into a little alcove lined with a few printers. Stopping once they were out of sight, Alex glanced from side to side to make sure they were alone before looking at Kara questioningly.
"What's going on?" Alex asked, searching Kara's face for any sign of an answer.
"Really? You don't know? What the hell kind of a joke is this?" Kara shoved her phone in Alex's face. It was a text from an anonymous number with a picture of her shooting heat vision out of her eyes when she'd gotten Winn out of the tree. Alex's eyes widened as she looked at the picture, then at Kara, and then back again. "Please tell me it was you," Kara then said, her voice trembling as her fears were confirmed.
"Kara, this is bad, like really bad. How is Winn? Do you think he could trace the number and somehow get that photo wiped? Holy shit… holy shit," she was now pacing back and forth in front of Kara. "My dad is already doing everything he can to make sure the DEO doesn't take you to poke and prod at you like an experiment, Kara. If they catch wind that you have heat vision, I don't think there's much more he'll be able to do. Not to mention, whatever student took that picture could use it as a scare tactic to make other students turn against you."
"I know this is bad," Kara groaned, leaning her back against the wall and sliding down into a sitting position. "What am I going to do? Winn is still recovering from his concussion, I can't exactly ask him to hack into whoever's phone this was and delete the picture."
"Okay," Alex said, still pacing. "Okay, there's got to be something we can do, right? Have you gotten any other texts? I mean, it seems like you're the only person they sent it to—could it be they just want to hold it as some sort of leverage over you? If they're not going to release it, we could just play their game in the meantime and see what Winn can do once he's recovered."
I know your secret, and lucky for you, as long as you don't step out of line, it's safe with me. Kara frowned, considering the possibility that the picture was being used as leverage. I'm going to bide my time with you. Consider this your warning, kid.
"I think I know who has the photo," Kara said slowly, earning a surprised and questioning look from Alex. "And if I'm right, that means it's not going to get out. But I think it is meant to scare me and it might be used as blackmail. I'll just have to… bide my time, I guess."
"What are you talking about?" Alex said, barely restraining her voice from rising above a soft level, and Kara was surprised at the ferocity on Alex's face. "You mean someone has already given you reason to think they're going to blackmail you? Who the hell is it?"
"You know that girl in your grade… Gemma Cooper?"
Alex's face twisted into an unrecognizable expression then. Her voice was deathly calm. "Yeah. I know the name."
"She… pulled me aside the other day and told me she knows I'm not human. She said she's not going to tell anyone, as long as I don't step out of line, whatever that means. But she threatened to tell Lena and even the entire school. I guess she sent the picture to show me she has proof, and that she wasn't just making empty threats. I'm assuming it's from her."
"I don't know her personally but from what I've heard, she's bad news, Kara," Alex said. "Something's not quite right about her. She's brilliantly smart, wise beyond her years, but bad luck has a way of following her. I'm talking gruesome shit; murders, assault, people going missing. Her family is extremely wealthy and has a lot of influence. Even my dad doesn't mess around with them. If I didn't know any better, I'd be tempted to say she doesn't seem human. It never winds up being her, but she's always around when it happens. A lot of kids just think she's misunderstood, but I don't know… this could be serious."
"The good news is," Kara said as she stood up and put her hands on her hips, "I'm literally bulletproof. I guess I'll play into her game for now and wait for Winn to recover, like you suggested. In the meantime, I should probably try not to draw attention to my friends, or you. I don't want you guys to get pulled into my mess."
"Kara, this is insane," Alex said. "I suggested waiting it out when I thought it was just some dumb kid who went for a stroll and saw something crazy! Not when I knew it was Gemma. Besides, I'm not letting you do this alone, and you know for a fact that Lena will not take kindly to you distancing yourself."
"I left Krypton to burn!" Kara hissed quietly, tears stinging her eyes as she walked toward Alex, towering over the older girl. Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "I left my family… to die in a raging explosion while I just… what? Went off to have a nice little life on Earth? It shouldn't have been my mother and my aunt and my people, Alex, it should've been me, and I'll be damned if I let anyone get hurt for me ever again."
Alex frowned, reaching out to tentatively put a hand on Kara's shoulder. "You can't think that way, Kara. What happened to Krypton wasn't your fault. You were sent here for a reason! The people who stayed behind made that choice because they believed in you and they willingly made that sacrifice. You shouldn't ever think that it should've been you, and you also shouldn't expect to do everything on your own. People choose to take their own risks and make their own sacrifices. You don't have to protect us, we're all capable ourselves."
"But what about Lena?" Kara lamented, looking like less of a looming force then and more of a small, scared child. "She doesn't even know the truth. How can she protect herself if she doesn't think there's anything to fear? And Winn? He didn't know either. Now that he does, he's in on something that could get him hurt even more. It's my fault he found out at all! If I hadn't rushed into things, we could've cut him down naturally."
"The world isn't yours to carry," Alex insisted. "Lena knows how to take care of herself. She has Lex, and she's an incredible, strong student. Winn offered to hear you out. You didn't have to tell him everything, you could've told him it was all in his head, but he asked you to tell him the truth. He knows the risk, too, and he accepted it. I accepted the risk when I agreed that this education would be worth being away from my parents, and I told them I'd protect you, room with you, and cover for you. You don't have to worry about us."
Alex could see the confliction swimming in her sister's features. Keeping her hand comfortingly on Kara's shoulder, she waited as patiently as she could, hoping the blonde would come around to see things from her perspective.
Finally, Kara sighed, deflating like a balloon. "Alright. I'm still going to give Gemma what she wants. She seemed sincere when she said she wasn't going to cause any immediate problems, and she hasn't given me any reason to think she won't be true to her word. But I won't change anything drastically to protect you guys yet." Alex's face relaxed, and Kara added, "The next time one of you gets hurt, that changes. And if Gemma makes any moves outside of what she's said, things will have to change."
"Deal," Alex said, giving her a small smile. Then, she lightly whacked Kara on the arm, giving her a mock dirty look. "Besides, how dare you try to say you don't want to pull me into your mess? You're my sister. It's our mess. We're in this together."
Kara's eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her face. Alex looked confused.
"What?" Alex asked, looking behind her to see if Kara was smiling at something she couldn't see. When she looked back, she realized Kara was grinning at her, and then the blonde pulled her into a nearly bone-crushing hug.
"I'm just really glad you called me your sister, and not just behind closed doors," Kara announced excitedly, and Alex found herself chuckling.
"I know, crazy that I'd come around. But when we found Winn the other day, I realized we make a pretty good team. Plus, you're way cooler than most of my friends."
The two hugged for a moment longer before heading back into the classroom to avoid raising the teacher's suspicions. Kara returned to her seat wordlessly, looking much less shaken than when she'd left the room, and Lena stared at her curiously until the blonde glanced over and noticed her expression.
"What just happened?" Lena asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Kara said, giving her a small smile. "It just had to do with some of the people still giving me a hard time here. I freaked out, but Alex and I talked about it and I feel a lot better now."
"I see," Lena said softly, looking down at her desk. Looking back up, she said in a slightly more confident tone, "Kara, who's still giving you a hard time? If I knew who it was, I could ask Lex to keep an eye out, or I could help you figure out a way to stop it."
Kara hesitated. If she told Lena, there was the chance that she'd be able to put two and two together. She was exceptionally bright, and Kara was almost certain that once she got some information, she'd pick at it until she found out the truth, and Kara was terrified of that possibility. But she also figured telling Lena could be a good thing; if Lena knew what she was up against, she could keep an eye out and would be prepared in case Gemma targeted her for being Kara's friend. Plus, Kara thought, the more honest she was about Gemma, the less likely Lena would be to believe Gemma over Kara if the manipulative sophomore tried to tell Lena the truth too soon.
After a moment, Kara realized it was a no-brainer. She cared much more about keeping Lena safe than about her own fears, and whether or not Lena knew the truth, Gemma made it clear that Kara's friends were at risk. If she didn't tell Lena who was targeting her, the potential consequences could be much worse. Ripping a little piece of paper off of one of her notebook pages, Kara scrawled Gemma's name down and slid it over to Lena, not wanting to be overheard by the other students in the room.
Looking at the piece of paper, Lena's eyebrows knit together as she reread it a couple of times. This wasn't good. It explained why Andrea was getting close to Kara, at least, but Lena felt a chill down her spine at the realization that for some reason, Gemma was targeting Kara. Lex was smitten with Gemma, to begin with, so Lena wouldn't be able to get his help. She'd have to call him off of trying to get information as well, as Lena was sure Gemma would catch on if Lex was asking questions about her lackey when it was really her own doing; Andrea was just carrying out some of her dirty work.
That wasn't to mention that Lena was well aware of Gemma's history. The Luthors didn't fear the Coopers. Though Lena was not friends with Gemma and thought it best to simply keep her distance, it made sense that Lex liked her. Their mother Lillian had worked closely with Gemma's father for many years, and had ended their partnership as good friends. Lena knew that Gemma was involved in a lot of dirty dealings, barely able to keep her own hands clean, and that her father had phenomenal lawyers to whom he paid copious amounts of money to have illegal things brushed under the rug. The Luthors, arguably, could be the only people capable of taking the Coopers down. Perhaps that was why the partnership had ended and why they'd decided to remain on good terms; Lena never knew those details.
Whatever the case, Gemma coming after Kara was bad, bad news. Lena was going to have to play her cards wisely to figure out just what was going on before she could do anything to hurt Kara. Lena assumed Gemma likely played a role in what happened to Winn already. Realizing that she had been silent for a while and that Kara kept glancing over her waiting for some sort of reaction, Lena looked up and gave her a small nod.
"Thank you for trusting me," Lena said quietly. "I can help you with this if you'll let me, Kara. We should talk about this later—maybe come over to my room to study after I get back from chess with Lex?"
"Yeah," Kara said, "that's a good idea. But Lena, until we can talk about it, please don't try to fight this battle for me. I'm more equipped to deal with this than you are, and I don't want you to get hurt."
"Seriously?" Lena asked, letting out an incredulous laugh. "Kara, nobody is equipped to deal with her. Nobody except for me and Lex, that is. Look, I'll explain in better detail later, but whatever power you think you have over her? Don't expect it to work. I don't want you getting hurt either, and this isn't my first rodeo with her."
Kara bit her tongue. She shouldn't have said anything about being better equipped in the first place; she knew that, and realized only after it came out of her mouth that it wasn't the best thing to say. What, like she was just going to explain to Lena that she'd be fine because she was bulletproof and could shoot fire out of her eyes?
Nodding, Kara said, "I'm sorry, you're right. I just don't want to drag other people into my problems, you know?"
"Oh, believe me," Lena chuckled, "I know exactly what you mean. But I also know that you would be foolish to run into this alone, so even if you don't want me helping in the foreground, you should know that there is no way I won't be helping in the background."
Kara smiled, reaching out and gently squeezing Lena's hand. "I appreciate it, Lena."
Lena froze. What was that? For a moment, she didn't know how to react. When Kara touched her hand, she felt a thrilling jolt of electricity blaze through her body. Her heart thudded in her chest and her stomach fluttered like a giant butterfly was trapped inside. Gently pulling her hand back, she swallowed and nodded, managing a smile back at Kara as her mind reeled trying to comprehend the feelings she'd just had.
Luckily, there wasn't much time to dwell on it, thanks to class coming to an end. As they walked out of the room and went their separate ways, Lena felt her heart return to its normal pace and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. As she walked down the hall, she glanced back once over her shoulder at the blonde's wavy locks bouncing as she walked and felt her heart melt at the way Kara's face lit up and she excitedly hugged Nia upon seeing her in the hall.
…
"You're kicking my ass today," Lex commented as he examined the chessboard in front of them. Lena smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as she gazed over at him with pride all over her face. He rolled his eyes teasingly and added, "Don't get a big head, though. It could just be a fluke."
"Oh, come on," Lena shot back. "You just can't accept that I can actually wipe the floor with you in a chess match."
Moving a piece and taking one of Lena's pawns, Lex commented, "You haven't asked me for updates yet today."
"Well, do you have any?" Lena raised an eyebrow. She was going to ask him to stop prying, but if he actually had information already, it could still be a game changer for Kara. Lena figured she'd find out what he knew first, and then if it wasn't of importance, find a casual way to ask him not to bother her about it anymore.
Lex shrugged. "I mean, I might've found out something from Gemma that could be of interest. She and I played hooky for a period to go to the lake and hang out, and we were talking about our histories and she mentioned something about wanting revenge for her mother. She wouldn't go into more detail on what exactly she meant by that, but she told me that Andrea has been helping her unravel the truth about what happened to her mom. Maybe that has something to do with Kara?"
Lena looked confused for a moment, studying the chess board thoughtfully as she captured one of Lex's pieces. "Wasn't her mother killed in a gang incident or something like that? Kara isn't even from here. What could that possibly have to do with her?"
"Maybe," Lex said, his eyes trained on her movements as she took her turn, "it's not Kara specifically, but what she stands for."
Lena's eyes met his. "You mean you think that it was people from Kara's country who killed Gemma's mother, so that's the only way she feels like she can get revenge? That's fucked."
"Something like that," Lex replied. "I get the desire for revenge, though."
Lena frowned. What did he mean by that?
"Sure," she said, "but that doesn't mean Kara should be the one she gets revenge on. She didn't even have anything to do with it."
Lex merely shrugged, not commenting any further on the subject. Lena felt her face falling into an expression of barely disguised suspicion then. She finished the game quickly, beating Lex with ease and standing up as soon as she'd won.
"It has been a pleasure, as always," she said politely before walking away. She could feel his eyes burning into her back, and she was worried that with his perceptiveness, he may have noticed the fact that she was trying to avoid looking at him as if she were trying to catch him in a crime. Lex was typically on her side without question. She didn't like that he was playing devil's advocate for Gemma, even if it just seemed like an attempt to empathize. Lex didn't empathize with people. She had a bad feeling that he was being swayed by his new friend.
Walking down the hallway toward her room, she found that she was wringing her hands nervously. If Lex was involved, that would make taking down Gemma and keeping Kara safe extremely difficult, if not impossible. Lena knew Lex loved her more than anyone else in his life… but if Gemma could take that place, Lena had no doubt Lex could be convinced to turn against her. He was a Luthor, after all.
Lena walked into her room, checking the time and sighing in relief as she realized she still had some time before Kara would be coming over to hang out and study. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts and to regroup. Lex's information confirmed that Andrea was genuinely just a lackey, and she was now beginning to wonder if she could use what she had on Gemma to find out what exactly was going on. First things first, she would have to find out the real story about what happened to Gemma's mother to explain what she had against Kara.
Mentally setting aside her plan so that she could deal with it after meeting with Kara, Lena set to putting away her things from her classes and tidying up until she heard her friend's soft knock on her door. Heading over to it with a bit of pep in her step, Lena opened the door to see Kara waiting there patiently. Smiling at Lena when she opened the door, Kara stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind her.
"How was chess with Lex?" Kara asked as she sat down in an armchair near Lena's desk. Lena sat down at her desk chair, angling so that she could put her materials on the desktop and still be facing Kara. "Did you win today?"
"I did, as a matter of fact," Lena said, smiling as well. "It was alright. Unfortunately, it seems he's been getting close with Gemma. But that could be to our advantage."
"What?" Kara asked. "He's getting close with her?"
"It's a long story," Lena explained. "That's part of why I wanted to meet with you in private to talk about it. Our parents have a history, and though Gemma has a bloody past, we've never been afraid of them. Gemma and Lex have been pining for each other from afar for years, they've only just now worked up the nerve to talk to one another… and, well, it seems to be going well for them."
Lena went on to tell Kara about Gemma's past and her actual involvement in crimes she was never pegged for, as well as explaining what Lex's relationship with her could mean. She pointed out that if she was able to remain in Lex's good graces, things would likely be fine, and she could try to get information out of him while he was still willing to help her. However, there was a good chance Lex would side with Gemma if it ever came down to it, especially if the two of them grew closer. Lex would view Gemma as providing opportunities that Lena didn't, and he could switch his allegiance without a shred of guilt. From there, Lena was able to elaborate on their conversation earlier, explaining that he believed Gemma might be going after Kara because of where she was from to seek revenge for her mother.
"So, we may not even need him," she said, her voice rushing out in an excited stream of words. "If I can figure out how Gemma's mother really passed away—which there's a lot of controversy around it thanks to her family's desire to keep everything under wraps—then we can figure out what she has against you and possibly find a way to clear your name in her mind and get her off your trail!"
Kara was staring at Lena with wide eyes. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she could feel the tips of her fingers tingling slightly. Trying to swallow, she found she had cottonmouth as well. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. She had perceived Gemma as a threat, but just how much of a threat she was, Kara hadn't been sure. That, of course, changed with Lena's news. But what really made Kara feel so nervous was the fact that Lena was headed directly down the path that would lead her to figuring out who Kara really was, and she did not feel ready to tell Lena.
It was odd to her; she'd had no problems telling Winn once he'd seen her use her powers. She could confide in Alex. But with Lena… it felt different. When she thought about the danger it could put Lena in to know that she wasn't truly human, she felt an intense fear like no other. She couldn't risk losing Lena. The Luthor meant far too much to Kara for her to deliberately put her in harm's way. But would it really be worth it to let Lena find out the wrong way? No… Kara would have to ensure that Lena didn't find out the truth, at least, not until she was ready; not until she trusted herself to be able to adequately protect Lena with her powers alone.
"I know it's a lot to process," Lena said, "but with Gemma, it's always better to shut her down sooner rather than later. I've never seen firsthand any of the crimes she's committed, but I knew from the stories my mother told that they were atrocious. I'm not going to rest until I've figured out how to get you out of this situation."
Kara shook her head. "I can't ask you to put yourself at risk like that, Lena," she said, "not for me. I want to exhaust all other options before we go digging into her past. Most people don't like those memories prodded at; if you start looking into it and she catches wind of it, it won't just be me she's after."
"This might be our only way to stop her from bothering you, or worse. If you have a better idea, I'm all ears, but this is the only lead we have."
"Trust me," Kara pleaded. "I'll figure something out. We're at school anyways. She won't be able to do anything to me here. I room with Alex, and she's trained in martial arts. Just give me some time. And then, if that's the only thing we can do, we'll do it. Okay?"
"Fine," Lena sighed as she begrudgingly caved, feeling her heart ache at the sight of Kara's pleading look. "But only because I can't stand to see you staring at me like a kicked puppy."
Kara's face melted into a bubbly grin, and she gave Lena a small hug. "You're the best," she mumbled.
While Kara was all smiles, though, Lena's eyes were wide and her face had turned bright red. As she sat, reveling in Kara's warmth and her sweet, inviting smell, she knew that what she should be doing was coming up with a plan that was less invasive than the original and that she wouldn't have to tell Kara about. Instead, her mind was fuzzy, solely focused on the blonde's strong arms wrapped around her and the way her voice sounded like music to her ears. In that moment, Lena was simply grateful that Kara couldn't see just how deeply she was blushing.
A/N Ahhh, the budding seeds of young love c: are y'all ready for this slow burn?
I'm not going to lie, I struggle with slow burns because I just want them to be together, but with Supercorp we really can't have it any other way. Oh, not to mention the fact that Lena still doesn't know, and we all know how canon Lena reacted…
I haven't decided to what extent her reaction will be in this, though. Probably not to that extent, but it's Lena; she's been Through It and doesn't take betrayal well.
I'd love to hear any thoughts on how you guys think Lena should react when she finds out and any other thoughts you have so far! I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter, and thank y'all for supporting me so far!
Until next time!
Nana