i don't remember the last time i've written such a long fic, but here ya go. remember to read until the end before you decide whether to run me over with a car or throw me off the balcony.

now read, ponder, and enjoy!

I'll be your hope;

I'll be your lifeline;

I'll never stop fighting.

-Hold On, Mickey Guyton

It wasn't the reparation of a relationship – or even a relationship. There was no repairing when it had gone beyond repair. In the wake of it all was a pile of rubble and debris, ruinations of what used to be, forgotten pieces of what could have been.

Lex Luthor had been defeated; his shadow loomed – they suspected his shadow would always loom over them, like a taunting ghost whose end goal was to stay in their minds and remind them of their failures – but at least he was defeated.

This time, they made sure his heart stopped and his brain died and there was no Monitor or otherworldly being saving his life on a twisted notion of saving the world. They stood in the crematorium and watched as the fires burned his bones to ashes for three hours, making sure that there was absolutely no piece of him left behind.

And once his ashes were scattered to the ocean, Supergirl stayed behind, determinedly not watching as the dead man's sister walked away, alone and tall and broken away. She stayed behind and watched the waves lap and lap and lap, and she couldn't help but think that Lex Luthor's remains were like her relationship with Lena Luthor.

Gone. Burned down to ashes. No traces left behind.

"I hope you're proud," she said between gritted teeth, her jaw clenched so tightly that her molars would have cracked had she been a human. "You've ruined your sister. You've ruined me. You've ruined us."

In fact, Kara knew he was proud, wherever he was, if there was even an afterlife. To be honest, after everything that had happened over the last five years, she couldn't even be sure if she believed in things like afterlife and an omniscient being and the sun anymore. The world seemed to reek with chaos and everything that's the opposite of good.

There was one good thing in her life. One, and Kara had singlehandedly bulldozed it because her paranoia and misplaced distrust. Well, no one had ever said Kara was a genius when it came to interpersonal relationships. She was a Kryptonian, after all.

She would've stayed there a bit longer, but she heard the siren wails and the people crying in the distance, in a familiar city, so she sighed and stood up, brushing off her pants. Just because there probably wouldn't be pure goodness in the world didn't mean she couldn't keep trying. She was a Kryptonian, after all.

It was kind of an inside joke now – if there was a superhero in the city, there would always be a villain of the week. And that remained true in National City, and every time one emerged, you better believe that the heroic duo that were Supergirl and Lena Luthor would follow closely behind, determined to throw the villain of the week into jail so they couldn't hurt anyone anymore.

Supporting them would be a team of DEO agents, believing that the brain and the brawl would be able to pull it off. Kara had a feeling that the DEO agents' belief in them, especially Lena, didn't come so easily. She had a feeling that her sister had something to do with it, after having woken up from whatever stupor she had been in that had made her believe that Lena was capable of evil – just like Kara – and outright decided that she would never mistrust Lena ever again.

Kara had a feeling, but she never asked. She had no right to ask. She was one of those hypocrites herself. But regardless of whether it was true or not, she was still glad. Glad that Lena finally had people in her corner. Glad that the general public was finally starting to believe in Lena's ability to save them all. Glad that they were at least cordial with one another, if not the best of friends.

Kara also had a feeling that they would never be best of friends anymore.

"A witch?" Lena exclaimed, not in disbelief, but more of 'why the hell not at this point'. "Are you kidding me?"

Kara felt her lips twitch at the incredulity on the other woman's face. "There are nice witches," she offered. Then she squinted a little and hummed. "Okay, maybe not exactly nice, but they're on the good side of the spectrum." Okay, the only truly nice witch Kara knew of was Zatanna Zatara, but she wasn't even really a witch.

Lena blinked at her for a moment and then swept her gaze of their companions to look for help, but they were as amused as Kara. She threw her hands in the air in exasperation, resting back against a random cabinet and shaking her head. If anything, Lena kind of looked like an actual girl right now, instead of a person weighed down by an ugly family history – Kara kind of liked it.

Yes, the villain of the week seemed to be a witch who went by the name of Selena. No one really knew much about her, other than the information that she hailed from a place called Limbo Town and she practiced magic. Oh, and she hated Supergirl for some reason. Kara had grown tired of trying to figure out why villains specifically targeted her city just because of her; she just wanted to capture them and throw them in jail like the rest of the villains she'd taken down.

In Selena's latest adventure, she'd rather childishly robbed a bank and announced a callout to Supergirl to face her in a fight. But when Kara had gotten there, the witch was gone. Go figure.

"I can't fight magic," the CEO announced, her hands frustratedly rubbing down her face.

"Sure, you can," Nia replied, one eye narrowed and the corner of her lips edged in a small smile.

"I'm a scientist, not a magician or a witch," Lena retorted without any form of animosity.

Out of everyone, the raven-haired woman had managed to form a startlingly close bond with Nia, but that was perhaps because the younger woman hadn't been around during the others' extended career in lying about Kara's identity and suspecting her motives from every direction. While Kara was pleased that Lena had a friend, she was also undeniably jealous.

Sure, she knew damn well that there was nothing between Lena and Nia but pure friendship, but no one had ever said that the green-eyed monster was rational. That spot used to belong to Kara and Kara only. There was even a time when she was 50% sure that they would be taking a step further, finally crossing the line that they'd both been hovering behind for years.

But then their friendship blew up, and here they were. There was no one else to blame but herself.

"What was that you always say? Magic is just science you don't understand," Kara said, raising her brows teasingly at the CEO.

Lena rolled her eyes, increasingly exasperated. "Well, I can't study the science behind magic while the magic is wreaking havoc on the city."

"You'll figure out a way. You always do."

"And why am I doing all the work here, pray tell?"

Kara grinned and shrugged. "You're literally the smartest person I know."

"You're a Kryp –"

"Even by Kryptonian standards. Superman agrees."

She wasn't lying. Clark had literally agreed when he saw how Lena had almost singlehandedly taken down her own brother, a feat that no one had ever successfully done, as proven by his escape from prison. Listen, if they managed to escape, they were never apprehended in the first place; that was the rule that she and Barry had set up.

Lena narrowed her eyes at the blonde, and Kara didn't dare look away. She wanted to look into Lena's eyes for as long as possible, drown in those coral green pools and beg for them to take her away to a wonderland – to take the two of them away to a wonderland, where they would have all the time to themselves and there wouldn't be any evil brothers or witches trying to ruin their lives.

For a long moment, it kind of did feel that way. Just the two of them and the rest had just...dissolved away into the background. A world of their own; it seemed like something that the two of them had a habit of getting into. For a minute, Kara thought this was it; this was the moment they needed to get unstuck from a working partnership and move forward.

And then someone cleared their throat, and Kara literally stumbled back and barely missed out on colliding with a metal table. Beside her, Alex was muffling her chuckle with her fist. Scattered across the room were different people hiding their amusement in different ways. She hated them. She was certain that J'onn was the one who cleared his throat, so she hated him more.

"I'm gonna – um – I'm gonna head back to the office," Lena stammered, scratching behind her ear as she gathered her stuff with another hand. "Unlike some of you, I have a company to run post-disaster. So, uh, yeah, I'm gonna go. Bye."

She gave Nia an awkward hug and the rest of them an awkward look before rushing to the door. Kara rushed as well so she could open the door for Lena, which made the other woman blink in surprise and gawk at her for a second, without a hint of anger or forced unfamiliarity at all. Kara's inner camera captured the moment to keep forever.

Then Lena licked her lower lip nervously, and Kara could barely resist from audibly groaning like the horny little shit she was becoming. THe CEO cleared her throat and threw a backward glance before saying, "Can you come by tonight? There's something I need to talk to you about."

It was Kara who blinked this time, taken aback by the request. Lex had been dead for four months and they'd been cordial for only a little longer than that. But Lena had never shown any sign of going beyond that, and Kara had never been courageous enough to cross a line that would plunge them back into darkness. In fact, they had never spent time alone since what felt like forever ago.

She dumbly nodded and muttered an affirmative, prompting Lena to slide out the door to head back to her office. It was until Lena had left the DEO building for ten minutes that Kara realized she never confirmed where they should meet.

The office. They were meeting at the office – L-Corp CEO office, specifically.

On any other night, Kara would have huffed and puffed and complained so much that Lena would have no choice but to pack up her things and finally go home. Tonight though, huffing and puffing were out of the question, because the last thing she was going to do was complain when it was her first time in forever where she could float out here and not feel guilty about it.

She gently floated down to the balcony and knocked on the glass door, arms akimbo as Lena spun around in her chair. Kara frowned a little as Lena's heart skipped slightly and her eyes flashed with something that looked like anxiety once she saw her visitor. Now, Kara was getting nervous about what they were going to talk about.

"Hey," Kara greeted, mustering as friendly a smile as she could, remaining where she stood. This was new territory; she wasn't going to encroach unless she knew she was welcomed.

Lena nodded and slid the door open, and Kara only went inside when she gestured for her to. "Hi...Kara," Lena hesitated, smiling stiffly. "Um, water?" she muttered. Kara stood by the couch – the couch – and observed Lena carefully, taking in the lines pinching the edges of her lips and the worried flecks in her eyes that refused to meet with Kara's. "No? Okay," she added after Kara took a little too long just staring at her without saying anything, and then she made her way to the bar to pour herself a stiff drink.

The blonde didn't say anything else. Didn't react. Didn't smile. Didn't do anything. She just stood there by the couch and waited, watching as the minute frown remain at the bridge of Lena's nose and her limbs moving stiffly as she moved from one point or another. She only broke when Lena made her way back, drinking rather generously from her tumbler. Judging by the smell, it was tequila on the rocks.

"What's going on, Lena?" she asked, not even bothering to pretend with formal addresses anymore.

The CEO started a little at the question, but Kara could tell she wasn't exactly afraid of the Kryptonian – no, it was something else. It wasn't even really fear, per se; it seemed more like she was...anxious and nervous.

"I'm leaving," Lena blurted, blinking rapidly down at her drink.

Kara stiffened, her arms locked to her hips as she gazed at the woman before her, the woman who was refusing to look at her. "What?" she breathed.

Lena nodded and forced a placating smile on her face, even though her eyes were clearly glimmering with unshed tears. "Yes, I recently went to London and realized there's a big opportunity for me – for the company – there that I'm missing out on. It's full of potential and freshness and there's no way I'm letting that chance go, so I'll be establishing a London branch over there. It's gonna be –"

"What?" Kara reiterated, her jaw stiff.

The rant paused as Lena made eye contact with the blonde. Once she saw the look in Kara's eyes, she just sighed and took a step back. "I'm leaving, Kara. I don't know why I'm even telling you this, really. We're not even friends anymore."

And that got Kara functioning again. A few seconds ago, she felt like her whole world had stopped and the universe was playing a joke again. She was quietly pinching herself to force herself awake from this bad, bad dream. But then she heard Lena's heart stutter and the words come out of her mouth and she knew it wasn't a dream and it was very real and Lena was leaving.

"That's crap!" Kara shot out, moving forward to take over the space that Lena had left behind. "No, you can't – you can't leave," she said, her voice trembling violently and her head shaking vehemently, like it was going to do anything. "What – why are you leaving, Lena?" she whispered.

"I told you why –"

"No, that is –" She whirled around and threw her head in her hands as she started walking a trench around Lena's office floor, making random noises every now and then. "Lena, please," she begged, standing in front of Lena again, closer this time. "Please, you can't go." In an act of desperation, she reached out and grasped for Lena's free hand tightly, placing it against her chest.

At this rate, if they moved closer, their lips would meet and it would be magic. But then this wasn't a fairytale, and Kara couldn't do that, so she settled on resting their foreheads together and making sure that Lena could see the sincerity in her eyes. They breathed in unison for an extended minute.

"Why?" Lena whispered. "Why shouldn't I leave?" It may have sounded like a question, but Kara had learned to recognize Lena's special brand of tonal shifts and facial expressions, and this wasn't a question. This was a plea in return, asking Kara to convince her to stay.

"Lena, I – since my whole world blew up, I got much older than I'm supposed to be, suspended in space. And then I came here and my cousin's a grown-up – my cousin, who I was supposed to take care of. And I – I became a superhero, Lena. I pretended to be a human for years and I became a superhero. And I learned some many things about saving lives and my parents and Daxam and everything else. You know, and I'm supposed to feel fulfilled, right?" she ranted, refusing to let go of Lena so she could really hammer her words into the other woman. "I'm supposed to feel fulfilled by all those things, because I've grown, Lena. I've become so much more than that little assistant who couldn't even stand up to Cat Grant."

She started laughing a little breathlessly at the things she was saying herself, because, boy, the things she'd been through. And Lena – Lena was just frowning, as if she didn't quite understand where Kara was going. Well, she was going to soon.

"But I don't, you know. I don't feel fulfilled, not from all those things. Sometimes, I even feel empty and worthless and I think, 'what is the point of me doing all these?'."

"Kara, no –"

Kara didn't let Lena say anything, not even when the woman had used her first name rather than her moniker. "I didn't feel fulfilled by any of those things, but there was one thing – one thing that made me feel like there is a point to me doing any of this, one thing that fulfils me all the time."

Her fingers on Lena's arms tightened, but not so much that she would hurt her. And in front of her, she could see the realization beginning to slide into her green eyes, darker but also a little bit lighter, a magical effect that wouldn't be so surprising on someone like Lena Luthor.

Rao, this woman was unbelievable.

"Lena, I –"

"Supergirl, come in."

Her head snapped aside, one hand leaving Lena's arm to touch the earpiece in her ear. Damn it, why didn't she remove it before she came here? Granted, she'd be still be able to hear it, but she could ignore it if she acted like it was hidden somewhere deep in her pockets. She rolled her eyes a little, holding firmly onto Lena with her other hand.

"Downtown. There's a building on fire and firefighters can't get inside," Alex announced into her ear.

Damn it. Kara glanced at Lena and saw that the raven-haired woman had stepped back – ah, no wonder she started feeling a little colder.

Before her sister had rudely interrupted, all Kara could see were green eyes and alabaster skin; all she could hear was the intermittent thumps of Lena's heart, just as frantic as she was feeling; all she could feel were soft skin and hot air and silk and home. But now, she could hear the frantic calls of the people looking for all the help they could get, looking for Supergirl.

Her world had frozen to a stop and there was a chance for her world to get back on track in just seconds, but now that chance was gone.

She knew it, simply by looking at the way Lena had stepped back and her eyes had shuttered off again, resembling to when Kara had just landed on the balcony and knocked on the glass. Kara's world was still frozen in place; it would still go forward, but at a slower pace, a boring pace, a pace without Lena Luthor next to her.

"Lena, please," she whispered, clicking the earpiece off.

The other woman just shook her head and hastily carded fingers through hair, the tears in her eyes long gone. "I don't know. Maybe we're just on different paths right now," she replied in a hoarse and unsteady voice. "Maybe it's just too hard and I hate it here and I kind of still hate you and I don't..." she drifted off and sucked in a sharp breath, not realizing the impact of her speech. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "What was the one thing, Kara?"

Opening her mouth, the words were ready, pathetic and desperate and perhaps convincing. But the words didn't come out. Nothing came out.

Nothing could come out, because Kara was looking at Lena and all she could see were the exhaustion and grief, like she was only one step away from giving up on everything. And Kara realized she couldn't keep Lena here – she'd been selfish for so long that it had led to this; she couldn't keep it up if she wanted that look on Lena's face gone, even if it meant she would never see Lena again.

Her stiff shoulders dropped and her chin lowered; her whole world stopped again. Kara retreated a few steps to gain distance from Lena, or maybe to help Lena gain distance from her – she couldn't tell. Well, the things she would be doing from now on could very well all be for Lena, if she was being honest with herself, starting with not convincing Lena to stay.

"All I want is for you to happy," she said, not even hiding the heaviness in her voice. "That's all I want."

"This is – it's important to me, Kara."

"I know."

"I shouldn't need your approval."

"You don't."

"But I –" Lena faltered, inhaling shakily and drinking another mouthful of hard liquor, a thread of silver edging her eyes. "Tell me I can go." In her eyes, there was resentment, obviously hating that she'd resorted to this, a levelheaded CEO who both loved and hated being around the Kryptonian. "Tell me I can go," she repeated.

Nothing had ever sounded as audible as the sounds of their hearts cracking simultaneously, but despite her own heart cracking, Kara meant what she said. At whatever the cost of her own.

She nodded and swallowed dryly. "Go, Lena," she whispered hoarsely, looking away so she wouldn't have to see the relief and the resentment coming together within the very person who'd come to make everything worthy for her. "Go and be happy." She made her way back to the balcony, knowing that if she wrapped her arms around the raven-haired woman, she would never let go, and Lena needed to go. "Can you do something for me though?"

"What is it?" Those three words meant anything – staying, if Kara had asked.

"Don't tell me when you're leaving. I don't want to know."

Speechlessness ensued. And then Lena weakly answered, "Okay."

Kara turned around and took one last look at Lena. Lena Luthor. The woman who everyone had used to think would be the Lex to her Supergirl. The mere human being who'd sacrificed more than she should to save the whole world. The social pariah who only ever wanted to help. Her best friend. Love of her long, miserable, alien life. The woman.

The woman.

"Goodbye, Supergirl." Kara raised her brows, pleading quietly. "Goodbye, Kara," Lena corrected.

"Goodbye, Lena."

Supergirl took off from the L-Corp balcony one last time. Trailing behind her were her broken heart and a woman who couldn't stay. She had a fire to save.

No one knew. No one had the time to know. Because, as luck would have it, Selena decided to wreak some form of havoc over the city to get Kara's attention again the night after her confrontation with Lena; the witch decided that destroying a load of L-Corp shipment at a port would be the way to go. Apparently, even witches had access to the media and could see through the odd relationship between Supergirl and Lena Luthor.

And usually, it wouldn't have been a big deal and Lena wouldn't have really cared as long as the people remained safe, because Lena had never understood what selfishness really meant. But the problem was that the shipment contained volatile material that carried high levels of high-risk radiation, that if it was leaked, the whole city would be doomed.

That was how they all ended up here – three of the smartest minds in National City, along with the resident heroes of National City – and none of them knew that they were going to be one smart brain short soon.

"For the record, I still think it's insane," Lena quipped, shaking her head as she typed on tablet without even looking at it. Before any of them could reply, she hastily added, "And for the record, I haven't come up with a way to deter Selena yet, because like I said, I'm a scientist." The last few words came out like a petulant hiss.

Kara would have laughed if it wasn't for the knowledge weighing down on her shoulders. The truth was she had forgotten completely about Selena's shadow when they were bidding goodbyes yesterday, so she hadn't expected to see Lena again, let alone so soon.

"It's okay. You figure out the shipment. We'll figure out Selena," Alex said, gun at the ready.

And then off they went. As suggested, Lena would deal with the shipment, focusing on not triggering it or even letting Selena anywhere near it so the material inside wouldn't doom the entire city, with Brainy's help. Meanwhile, the rest of them were just yelling and flying and shooting and bristling at the cackles that Selena released every now and then.

They went at it for almost two hours, all the while Kara couldn't really stop listening to Lena and making sure that her heart was still beating for as long as the woman was still in National City, which got her distracted every now and then. It wasn't often, but it was often enough that Alex took notice and shot her an indescribable look, which Kara promptly ignored and proceeded to use all her powers to make sure Selena stayed subdued long enough for Lena to hide away the shipment.

Eventually, they were all starting grow exhausted, to which Selena only responded with louder cackles.

And then Kara heard a creak, so she lifted her head to see that Lena was standing on top of a container, her handy tablet in hand and a tube in her other, both connected with a flimsy cable. On her face was minute expression of uncertainty and excitement, which were usually telling for when Lena thought she figured out something but still wasn't sure about it yet.

Kara also noticed that there was a container open behind the one Lena was standing on, and Brainy was in there, doing his own thing with his supercomputer brain. She narrowed her eyes, slowing down her attacks, waiting to see what Lena had in store for them.

"I suggest that everyone but Brainy and Supergirl steer clear in the next five seconds," Lena muttered into the earpiece.

And they obeyed.

Kara floated in the air, wondering what Lena was holding and anticipating her to wield her genius once again, because she was a genius. For a brief moment, the Kryptonian thought about how they could possibly go on without Lena's genius brain assisting them. For the past several years, they had become so incredibly reliant on the woman's intellect that it became so hard to imagine her not being responsible to save the world.

Her heart ached at the notion. Ached more than it already was.

Lena pressed something on the tablet, and the tube in her other hand emitted a wavelength of pulsing energy, quiet and gentle. The containers around them concaved from the energy – Kara suspected that the DEO would have a lot of expenses report to deal with this time around. The ocean water rippled violently from the pulse, lapping and crashing all over, spilling over the port.

Selena released a cry and collapsed onto the ground, no longer weaving magic that could threaten them. She stayed there for a moment before she cried out in anger again, shooting Kara an angry glare. Before they could do anything to actually apprehend the witch though, she'd already used whatever magic she had left to lift herself off the ground and disappear into the portal.

For a few long seconds, they could only stare at the empty space that Selena had occupied earlier in astonishment. And then they shifted their astonishment at Lena, who was staring at the empty tube in her hand.

"I think I figured it out," she muttered, but they could all hear it in their earpieces.

See, Lena was a genius.

The CEO clattered down from the top of the container with the help of Dreamer and strode away without throwing them a second glass, concentrated on her tablet. "God, I'm so glad I'll be gone after this."

As she walked away, the rest of them paused in their movements, staring after her curiously, and then looking at Kara, who could only gaze after the woman who held her Kryptonian heart in her hands.

"What did she mean?"

Kara crossed her arms and leaned against the container that Lena had belatedly told them to carry back to the DEO. Obviously, it had something to do with her idea, whatever it was.

"She's leaving," she answered, thinking about their encounter at Lena's office.

"What, like on a vacation?" Alex prompted, arms crossed as well.

Shaking her head, Kara sagged back and lifted her gaze to the moon. "For good." Would Lena look at the same moon as her? Would Lena think about her when she looked at the moon? Would Lena think about her at all?

"She can't leave."

Kara shrugged, even though every part of her was very much not shrugging right now. "She is."

Her sister started making protesting noises but no actual words came out. She stopped only when Kara locked eyes with her; she must have seen something in Kara's eyes that got her to shut up and get rid of the indignant look on her face. They were quiet, pensive and recalling and gradually growing unsurprised at Lena's decision.

"Go after her," Alex then prompted, moving to lean against the container like Kara. The Kryptonian frowned, her eyes widening at her sister. "You love her. Go after her."

"It's not that simple –"

"It is."

Kara huffed and pushed away from the container, waving her arms absently in the air. "I have responsibilities. The people. National City. A job. I can't just pat my ass and say goodbye."

"Sure, you can."

"I can't leave you. I love you!"

The redhead softened and she gestured for Kara to come closer. When Kara did, she clasped onto Kara's forearms and rested their foreheads together, smiling gently but also painfully. "I know you love me, Kara, and I love you too. But it's different. You've been different since Lena showed up in your life, and I like that you're different. You're...happier. Livelier. I think – Look, you found a purpose with Lena. A lot of things you do, you do them for Lena – don't even try to deny it."

Deriving comfort from her sister's close proximity, Kara allowed herself to shed the tears she'd been holding on to since Lena came along with them to the port. "I love her. So much, Alex." Alex nodded. "I don't know what to do without her."

"I know. I know you do." Alex reached up to brush back a stray strand of blonde hair. "So go after her. Don't let her go. Don't give up on your purpose." She chuckled and let Kara go. "National City will be fine. This city's been fine since long before you showed up, Supergirl. I think wherever Lena's going could use a little Kryptonian help as well."

Kara stammered for a bit before she finally absorbed everything Alex was saying; everything Alex was basically giving her blessing to. She smiled widely and placed a kiss on her sister's forehead. "I love you, you know that?"

"Right back at you."

Apparently, the L-Corp shipment that Selena wanted to destroy was a whole host of cesium, which would more than likely cause mass cancer and damage more cells that necessary if a large amount was exposed. Given that the Harun-El hadn't worked as well as she expected, she figured that maybe combining cesium with Harun-El could work. After all, the Chinese had a saying: 'Fight poison with poison'.

Even Alex had hummed in consideration at the explanation – Alex, the one who had a PHD and an MD and could work in any highbrow hospital if she wanted – stating that it sounded like a workable solution, if not a risky one. To that, Lena had quickly responded by saying that human experiments wouldn't happen until she was sure the components were so safe that even unaffected people could take it without side effects.

But then during the fight at the port, Lena had just randomly started thinking about the components of cesium while she and Brainy were doing their best to transport it. And then she just figured out the best way to fight magic with science – or, Selena's magic with her science.

She mentioned that she hadn't been confident with the strategy, but it couldn't hurt to try. She mentioned that it could either make Selena stronger or weaken the witch significantly, but it couldn't hurt to try. She mentioned that she was rather certain that humans would definitely be endangered if exposed to the pulse, and yet she'd stood there on top of the container and held the cesium in her very hand, and activated the material.

And it hurt Kara to love a woman so utterly reckless.

"Hey," she greeted, entering the lab that Alex had let Lena to use. She offered a perfunctory wave to Brainy, focused on Lena, who was humbled over a microscope while tapping on a tablet. "Can I do something?" she asked, standing next to the genius.

"What is it?" Lena inquired, standing upright to look at Kara curiously.

"I want to take you flying." Lena raised her brows, blinking in surprise at Kara's proposition. The blonde nodded resolutely, emboldened by her sister's encouragement. "I want to take you flying and I want to get rid of your fear of flying."

Lena blinked. Again. Then she looked to her left where Brainy was standing, who seemed rather absorbed in his work to pay attention to them, but Kara could tell by the way his ears perked that he was definitely listening, probably going to report this to Nia later. The gossips. Understanding that she wasn't getting any help from the alien, Lena turned back to Kara, opening her mouth, as if to say something but not saying anything.

Kara tamped down the way her heart pounded against her chest and the thoughts that were a million variations of how everything could go very wrong. She wiggled her brows and put on her winning smile, wordlessly daring Lena to back away from what was obviously a challenge right now.

And if there was anything that Lena hated most of all, it was a challenge. So Lena hardened herself and glowered at Kara playfully, like they hadn't just broken each other's hearts last night.

"Sure," she permitted, taking off her lab coat and tightening up her ponytail. "If I die –"

"I would never let harm come to you, Lena," Kara promised humbly, watching as Alex threw her a reassuring smile across the room. They reached the balcony and Kara decided that the moon tonight was round enough for this. Only the best for Lena. "Let's go."

There was a delight in the way Lena yelped when Kara picked her up in a bridal carry, unrestrained and surprised dissolving into excitement. Kara heaved a chuckle and floated off the balcony, flying slower than usual to carry Lena across the city, across the horizon, across the map, across and across and across.

Kara let Lena cower in her shoulder for a bit and then nudged her gently to get her to look at how beautiful flying was. As Lena marveled over the city, Kara marveled as well. She floated and she looked at the lights and skyscrapers and she decided that she really loved National City. Only not as much as Lena, which wasn't much of a pity, really.

"I love you," she confessed, turning slightly to make eye contact with Lena.

Lena's head whipped around from looking at the city to looking at her so fast that Kara had to harden up a lot of to make sure she didn't accidentally throw herself below. "What did you just say?"

The Kryptonian floated them over the center of a bridge and landed on a pillar that held the bridge up, standing on top of a globe and making sure that she was holding Lena as secure as she could. And then she breathed, "I said I love you." She gulped and nodded at Lena's gobsmacked face. "I love you – that's a reason to stay, right?"

Between them were the sounds of cars honking and people yelling and even some crashing, but Kara paid no mind to those things. They were not going to be any of her business soon enough, if Lena would agree. She just needed permission. And for awhile there, Lena was so quiet that Kara became more scared, afraid that Lena would only get angry at her, afraid that there was no way to repair this anymore.

But then Lena did the impossible – Lena grinned, so bright and wide that Kara didn't even need supervision for it to light the whole world up. Kara felt her own lips tugged into a wide grin as well as she leaned forward to rest their foreheads together, breathing heavily.

"And no offense, but you're wrong," she said softly.

"Wrong about what?" Lena asked just as softly.

"Wrong about us being on different paths," Kara answered, determined to have Lena's eyes stay on her. "You are my path." Lena's breath sharpened. "You are always gonna be my path." She got closer, if that was even possible, nosing against Lena's cheek, swaying on top of the bridge. "And, Lena, I know there's still a lot between us, but I'm so tired. I'm tired of fighting with you and pretending that I don't love you and you don't love me too. I just – I want you, that's all I want."

"But National City –"

"– can take care of itself," Kara interjected. She drew away from Lena and delighted in the quiet complaint that Lena made, looking out at the city she'd been protecting all this while. "I'm gonna do everything in my power to make it up to you. I'll love you to the end of my days. I'll cherish you like the treasure you are. I'll even eat kale for you." Lena giggled. "I'll do anything you want, Lena. I choose you."

Lena didn't say anything to follow up, but that grin of her face was telling enough. Her arms were slung around Kara's neck and their bodies were pressed so close together that Kara just wanted this moment to freeze. She memorized the curve of Lena's body under her hands and she imprinted that happy grin in her head and she promised herself that she would make that grin happen for the rest of her fortunate life.

"So, here's my thought: London." Lena nodded, humming. "I'm following you now. I'm just gonna follow you wherever you go. If you wanna go to space, we'll go to space. I hear space is interesting."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what I heard too," the CEO replied, chuckling as she said it.

"I – well, I mean they've got crime there, right?" Kara teased.

Lena started nodding reassuringly, mock seriousness on her face. "Tons," she provided.

"They've got...Jack the Ripper." Lena laughed, burying her head in Kara's shoulder. "What? They never caught the guy. Maybe I can. I'll be that alien who caught the serial killer. Maybe they'll change their tone on –"

Before Kara could finish her sentence, she found herself attacked in all senses. Oh. Lena was kissing her. Kara tightened her arms around Lena and could do nothing but kissed back, because it was Lena and she was beautiful and god, she was so glad she took Lena flying. Everything was just overwhelming and calming at once, and there was nothing more fulfilling than having Lena in her arms like this.

"We're floating," Lena whispered against her lips Rao-knows-how-long later.

Kara shook her head. "You do that to me," she replied casually and chased after Lena's lips.

Everything was supposed to be beautiful – and everything was. National City was always going to be important. It was the birthplace of Supergirl. It was the birthplace of Kara Danvers, the journalist who won an award for breaking a story about Lex Luthor. It was the birthplace of a found family that would always stick.

It was the birthplace of the Luthor and the Super. It was the birthplace of Lena and Kara. It would always be precious. And Kara would always be grateful to National City for giving her Lena Luthor, for giving her fulfillment, for giving pure and unadulterated love.

And Kara had Lena in her arms, on top of a bridge, unabashed by their feelings and unafraid of what would lie ahead. Kara wasn't foolish enough to think that everything was fine and dandy, and she could just find a place with Lena and live happily ever after. She fully understood that their road ahead would be bumpy and there was a lot they both needed to make up for; she also fully understood that they would do it together.

This was not a reparation; this was a whole new world.

Everything was beautiful...until everything wasn't.

The witch recovered faster than they'd expected, but Lena suspected it was because the cesium used earlier hadn't been enough. In the middle of the night, Selena showed up at the main power plant that powered the entire city and then some, and she shouted loud enough for Kara's super-hearing to pick it up.

After having informed Alex of the situation, she really wanted to drop Lena off at her penthouse and go and deal with the witch, but then Lena issued a challenge: how were they supposed to deal with a witch without Lena's expertise in cesium? And Kara had to huff a groan and pick Lena up again, but not without making the woman promise not to put herself in unnecessary danger.

"Sure."

Kara should have known to make Lena say those exact words.

Lena stood at the top of the inside of a clock tower. She made Supergirl line the whole thing up with all the cesium in the shipment that was supposed to cure cancer, because she could always order more. She made sure every human was out of the vicinity. She pressed the button.

And Selena fell. For good.

For a brief moment, all Kara could feel was relief. This was the end of Selena, and the end of Supergirl and Lena in National City. The rest of it, the DEO could handle – Alex had promised, after all. Selena's fall marked the beginning of Lena and Kara's lives together.

Except then Lena's heart stuttered and her eyes faltered and she just...plunged off the beam. And Kara pretty much saw her life flashed before her eyes.

J'onn was surveying the scene, calculating the damages and growing a headache in anticipation of the expense report.

And then he heard: "Hey, Lena?"

Nia was marveling at Lena's brain and excited for the sleep she was finally going to get.

And then she heard: "Lena, open your eyes, please. Open your eyes."

Brainy was logging everything he'd learned today into his brain, already formulating a number of questions for Lena to puzzle out together.

And then he heard: "Stay with me. Stay with me. You stay with me. You have to stay with me. Please."

Alex was already walking towards the clock tower, ready to congratulate the two greatest minds on earth.

And then she heard: "No, please. You can't leave me. You're not allowed to leave me. Please open your eyes."

Supergirl was National City's sweetheart. She was the Kryptonian who would always rush over to save someone's cat or make sure a criminal didn't get away. She had a bright smile and an adoring attitude. She held the key to the city.

Lena Luthor's funeral was a grand one, held at the Luthor Manor, with everyone important in attendance, including the President of the United States of America. A woman named Samantha Arias gave the eulogy, marveling at Lena's brilliance and mourning the loss of a wonderful mind, barely keeping it in at the death of her dearest friend.

Supergirl hovered over the Manor, not a hint of emotion on her face. She personally floated down to be the pallbearer, rejecting the funeral organizer's offer to help. She held the coffin steadily and gently over her head and walked down the earthy path to the Luthor family plot, ignoring Lillian Luthor's sneer and her friends' pitying looks.

The attendees watched as she placed the coffin down perfectly in the freshly dug up grave. They watched as she stood there right in front of the gravestone, staring at the crystal coffin emotionlessly. They watched as she flew up, up, and away.

Supergirl never came back down. Supergirl was never seen again.

"It's been three years."

"And I'll wait another three years if I have to."

In the decades since Superman found it, the Fortress of Solitude had always been in isolation, occupied only when one of the two Kryptonians on earth needed it for emergencies. It had all the technology that a human brain could barely fathom and no one but Kal-El and Kara Zor-El was given full access to it.

It was the place where Kara and her cousin had placed an ice cradle containing one Lena Luthor in. It was the home of Kara Danvers for the last three years, as she waited and waited and waited for Lena to recover and open her beautiful green eyes for them to start their lives together. It was a quiet and lonely place, but Kara could bear lonely for however long it would take for Lena to ward away the effects of the cesium poison.

"Kara, she –"

"She's breathing. Her brain's working," the blonde cut her sister off, focused on cataloguing the latest alien technology that Alex had brought over for her to store in the inventory. "I'm immortal. I can wait."

Alex stood to the side, arms crossed, fully understanding that her sister would not be deterred, but she had to try. It had been three years, after all. "You know as well as I do that you're not immortal."

"I can live a long life. Much longer than an average human."

"You calling me average now?"

Kara turned around and smiled teasingly at her sister. It wasn't like the bright ones that she used to display back in the day. Kara's smiles nowadays were dimmed and lacking in life; she'd been grieving for three years. There wasn't going to be a real smile until the woman in the ice cradle woke up.

But she tried. She'd always tried. It wasn't exactly a difficult decision to make – to retire the cape, leave National City, and become Lena Luthor's lifelong guardian. She stayed in touch with her friends; Alex visited once every two months, sometimes bringing over Noonan's or new foreign objects. She hadn't completely cut herself off.

"You're never average, Alex." Kara left behind the inventory and moved forward to embrace her sister. "You're the best sister a girl can ask for."

Alex hummed unconvincingly, returning the embrace readily. But then she froze in Kara's arms, her breath hitching. Frowning, Kara pulled away from her sister, ready to ask if she was okay, only to have her sister covering her mouth with a hand and her eyes wide, gaping at something behind Kara's shoulder.

Kara froze as well, as soon as she heard the third heartbeat echoing in the room – stronger than before. She hurried back and spun around, gasping at the sight before her. She raced over to the cradle, tearing off the lid without even bothering with the control panel.

And suddenly, her arms were full of one Lena Luthor, breathing and warm and alive, so alive. And the whole room went empty except for the two of them – she made a note to let her sister have a chance at reuniting with the raven-haired woman as well. Lena readily tightened her own arms around Kara's shoulders, burying her face in loose blonde strands. Kara grinned, a real grin, a happy one. There was no way she was ever letting go after this.

"You waited," Lena whispered in her ear.

"I'll always wait for you."

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