A/N: And we're back! The S5 trailer has me reeling with emotions… I think I could literally cause as much damage with them as my spellweaver Lena seems capable of doing. Does anyone remember Smallville Lena? She knew about Clark being the Blur and she even joined the squad in later seasons! Why...tell me why SG writers?! Why would you put Lena in a position where she punches the daylights out of Kara (meaning she has no issues equipping kryptonite)? *Sigh* whatever, I'll keep rooting for Lena to prevail.

Anyhow, back to the story! More Lena and Lex moments, a certain blonde that Lena just can't seem to shake off, the Thorul legend and a little cafe in the middle of nowhere.

- AL

Story: Woven

Chapter 2: Your People

As soon as she got out of the car and approached the front door to the ominous mansion, her brother had already opened the door. She could feel his concerned gaze examining her for any signs of distress, but when he found none he looked Lena square in the eyes.

"I felt that spike earlier today… what happened?"

Lena bit her lip as she brushed past her brother into the parlor. "I was just adjusting," she half lied. It was because Kara was holding her hand, because Kara was the spitting image of the girl from her dreams, but what would Lex make of that? "There's this really friendly girl that surprised me is all." Again it wasn't necessarily the truth or a lie.

"Oh," Lex relaxed his tense stance, "that's good, right? I hope the keychain helped."

Lena nodded as she took a seat by the window overlooking their garden grove. "It did; I promise next time I won't be so caught off guard." Kara flashed through her mind with her blinding smile and the thought alone threatened to break her focus. She sighed and sank into the loveseat, "I'm just glad I got through the first day."

Lex smiled softly, "it'll get easier Lena, I promise. So aside from that friendly girl, did you meet anyone… out of the ordinary?"

Lena willed herself to not show any outward reaction, but she felt her heart skip a beat. Had Lex known she would meet Kara? Or was he merely curious about the kinds of people that surrounded her at Midvale High?

"Nope, just your run of the mill high school stereotypes," Lena murmured. "Should I have met someone extraordinary?"

Lex shook his head, "no, sorry, I'm just being cautious. Anyways, dinner should be ready soon. To be honest, I wasn't sure if coming here would affect your powers in a positive or negative way. You'll let me know if you feel any different?"

Lena nodded but then raised a brow, "how exactly did our family obtain half of this town?"

"I'm not sure what world you came from Kara, but the silent treatment does not usually mean someone likes you." Alex replied to her overly enthusiastic sister as they walked home.

"She's just different," Kara replied dreamily.

"Riiiiight... did she," Alex squinted and looked Kara over, "did she cast some sort of spell on you?"

Kara huffed and nudged Alex's shoulder, "don't tell me you're one of those people. So her last name is Luthor and she lives in the Thorul Mansion up the hill; she's still human."

"Do you remember the stories Nana used to tell us about the Thorul's?" Alex shivered and drew up her bag on her back. "They conjured demons and cursed people who were at odds with them."

Kara rolled her eyes, "Nana also told us if we kept playing outside at night we'd start growing horns from our head and sprouting bat wings from our shoulders, and we both know that didn't happen."

Alex laughed and used her fingers to imitate horns on her head. "I don't know, Nana may have had a point, me and you turned out to be demons in our own right. Speaking of Nana, what are you going to do about Mike?"

Kara shrugged, "I already told him it's not going to work out."

"We both know he's about as thick as a bank vault door and if he catches wind of you liking Lena, I wouldn't put it past him to take out his frustration on her."

Kara's hair on the back of her neck bristled. "I won't let him."

"Geez Kara calm down, I said he might. Don't get all hot-headed just yet." Alex glanced at her sister; naturally, Kara was protective of her friends and family, but Lena had just arrived… it really seemed like her adopted sister had been put under a spell. She could see that the Luthor heir was attractive, but Kara was never one to get hooked on merely looks alone. The girl's heritage was intriguing, but again Kara wasn't one to care too much about the Thorul tales. "You seem awfully protective of someone you just met."

Kara pursed her lips and shrugged; she couldn't tell Alex the truth. After dinner she excused herself and rushed upstairs to her room. She sat at her desk, letting the glow of her lamp rest on her sketchbook before opening it. Her gaze scanned the page and her finger dragged along the thick paper. The likeness was too exact to be a coincidence-full lips, prominent eyebrows, long dark tresses and a strong jaw.

Lena was the girl from her dreams.

Kara felt her face flush as she thought of all the dreams, that featured Lena, that weren't exactly PG. It's not like she had any control of the dreams… not really, Kara thought. There were some that were more like nightmares and on those nights Kara would wake up in a cold sweat. She pushed those out of her thoughts and shut her sketchbook. She wasn't sure what it meant, but she wanted to know Lena outside of her dreams. Kara sighed as she flopped face first into her bed. Would Kara love her just as much as she had come to love dream Lena? Kara hugged a pillow close to her chest as she thought of a harder question-would real Lena reciprocate her feelings like dream Lena did?

When Lena's driver pulled up to school, Kara was already waiting for her.

"Should I take care of her ma'am?" Her driver's firm voice caught her off guard.

"What?" Lena raised her brow. What exactly did 'taking care' of her mean? "No, no that won't be necessary," she assured him. "What's your name by the way?"

"Bruce. Have a good day, ma'am."

"Thanks Bruce," Lena offered a small smile but the man remained stoic behind the wheel.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take care of that girl?" He asked again as Kara glued her forehead to the backdoor window and squinted as she peered in. She wouldn't be able to see anything, the windows were replications of a one-way mirror. Lena, on the other hand, could see her perfectly and was blushing at how adamant Kara seemed in invading her space.

"No, I got it, she's harmless." Lena muttered and opened her door, taking care not to swat Kara away.

"Lena!" Kara exclaimed happily much to the Luthor's discomfort.

"Morning, Kara," Lena responded with a lot less vigor and borderline annoyed tone, "you're here early." The brunette had asked to be dropped off an hour early to do some light reading in the library and maybe to also avoid the morning crowd, including Kara.

"Oh right, I practice from 6 to 7 in the morning and then roam about until breakfast," Kara said with a yawn. "Come on lets get some grub! It's the best when you get the first serving of the cream of wheat and the freshly toasted toast!"

Before she could protest and insist that she already ate breakfast (regardless if all she had was some coffee) Kara was dragging her to the cafeteria. Thankfully this time she had the decency to merely pull at the cuff of Lena's jacket rather than take her hand. She kept her hands balled into fists so that her fingers wouldn't accidentally brush against Kara's, and kept her gaze on the tiles as they rushed through the hallways. It was fine; she was fine. She'd just get food, eat it and walk away. She was sure Kara would soon be distracted by the arrival of her friends, or…

"What the hell, Kar, you didn't help rack the hurdles!" Alex shouted and whacked the back of Kara's head.

"Ow!" Kara let go of Lena's jacket to rub the back of her head. "Hey, I didn't complain about the last time you stalked off with Maggie!"

"That was… that… ugh," Alex groaned as her cheeks reddened and she stalked off angrily towards the food. "I hope you choke on your cream of wheat!"

Lena chuckled, "your girlfriend is lovely."

Kara's eyes widened and she waved her hands in front of her, "no, no, no, no that was not my girlfriend." She imitated gagging sounds before continuing, "she's my sister, Alex Danvers, who apparently is in the worst mood ever." She shouted the last part as they neared Alex in line. "But...ummm...how did you know?"

"Know what?" Lena asked, her nerves jumping for no good reason.

"That...I like girls too. Is it that obvious?"

"Oh," Lena paused. She had assumed Dream Kara's ardent love for her meant that real Kara was also attracted to her and girls in general. Of course, she couldn't lead with that. "I'm a witch," Lena let the words slip and then stammered, "and my only power is having a superb gaydar."

Kara let out a deep belly laugh and wondered how Lena could say such things with a completely straight face. "I'll have you know that's a really awesome power. I never guess right." Kara sighed.

"Straight girl crushes?" Lena asked.

"Maybe," Kara's eyes flitted to Lena's and then quickly looked away. "Are you… also?"

"Is 'also' the new term?" Lena teased but replied, "I've dated both, but always find it easier being with a girl."

"Same," Kara smiled wide as she picked up her tray.

When Lena got her tray and paid for her meal, she found Kara waiting for her to follow.

"Kara," she called after the girl who was already set on leading them somewhere. Kara stopped and looked back. "Don't take this the wrong way…" Lena began. What way did she even want Kara to take? There weren't many ways for Lena to express her need for distance. Sorry, but I'm actually a spellweaver and you've been featured heavily in my dreams, so now I need you to keep 100 plus feet away from me at all times or I might blow up the school with the energy from my emotions. Nope, she definitely couldn't go with that. "I actually enjoy eating in quieter places, so I'm just going to-"

"I know the perfect spot!"

She really needed to learn how to say 'no' to Kara. She sighed, saying no wasn't necessarily the problem. It was hard not giving in to Kara's will because she acted on it so quickly and was dragging Lena long before the Luthor could even fathom what was happening. They were in a rather secluded part of the campus, a grove of sorts filled with wildflowers and some fruit trees. There were a few benches near a willow and that's where Kara led her. She took a seat on the far end, but it didn't make much of a difference, Kara sat smack dab in the middle.

Lena stirred her food around and watched as Kara dipped her toast eagerly into her cream of wheat and nearly scarfed the whole piece. The brunette took a small sip from her spoon and marveled at how Kara ate with such vigor.

She must train hard if she's eating like it's the last thing she'll ever do.

She ate at her slower, steadier pace and felt Kara's gaze turn on her once she was done. "So what do you think?"

"I… like it. It's not too sweet."

"What about the toast?"

Lena chuckled, "surprisingly soft and buttered fairly."

"Right? It's the best!" Kara agreed wholeheartedly. "So, I take it you're not much of a people person?"

Lena bunched the fabric of her pants and pursed her lips. Not being a people person wasn't exactly up to her; people didn't have to put up with everything that she had to. When normal people got angry, they might say or do something they'd regret later. When she got angry she crushed solid objects around her, set buildings to flame and could potentially kill someone accidentally… maybe she wasn't a person at all?

No, no, I can't get lost in those thoughts… Lex is also a spellweaver and he's a good person.

"Sorry, I say stupid things sometimes," Kara said once the silence was too much for her.

"I'm just… better off alone." Lena spoke softly.

"Or maybe," Kara raised her finger, "maybe you haven't met the right kind of people… you know, your people."

Lena should have kept her gaze on the ground, but she whipped her head and saw Kara's blinding smile.

My people… but...who are my people? Spellweavers like my brother? Friends like Sam? Girls from my dreams? People that always get hurt because of me… are those my people?

Lena shook her head and stood with her tray in hand. "I… don't have a people." She turned to leave and walked away.

Kara watched her go, her heart sinking with every step Lena took. She hadn't meant to pick a sore subject, but she should have known better what with kids whispering behind Lena's back, that she'd want some distance from the bulk of Midvale High students. She groaned and smacked her forehead; why was she so oblivious? She thought back to the sadness she saw in the depths of Lena's eyes and grit her teeth-Dream Lena also had that sadness in her eyes. Especially during the nightmares; that's how her eyes looked right before everything took a turn for the worse.

First period passed by without incident much to Lena's relief. She ignored Kara's worried glances and kept studious notes when the lesson began. She had no idea what came over her when she decided moping to Kara was an okay thing to do. Honestly, she had just met the girl yesterday and already she was pouring out her emotions without fear of what they might turn into. She gripped her pencil tight and broke her lead a few times before taking a deep breath and dwelling on her brother's words.

"100 years ago, the land that Midvale was built upon experienced several years of drought and dust. Crops couldn't be sustained, livestock grew sick and meek, and families either faced starvation or sought a new home. There was, however, one spot of land that always produced a bounteous harvest, but it was owned by the Mayor and he coveted what he considered was his. The townspeople begged and eventually he gave in, but he only spared the bare minimum. While he lived in gluttonous comfort, his people barely received enough to survive."

Lena's brows furrowed, "please don't tell me we're descendants of a fat, good-for-nothing, Mayor."

Lex laughed and shook his head, "not quite. 3 years into Midvale's misfortune, a traveler came into town. People warned him not to stop, to pass through before he was cursed by whatever darkness plagued the town. He disregarded their warnings, built a home and in the middle of a dilapidating town, opened a small cafe. When he began to sow seeds on his land, the Mayor passed by and laughed, saying he would never produce a single crop. Again the stranger paid him no heed. In a few months time, the traveler had amassed a most miraculous harvest and he celebrated by inviting the townspeople to dine at his cafe. The food prepared that night wasn't your run of the mill cheese and bread; the traveler had weaved a spell into his harvest. As the townspeople filled themselves on the traveler's food, they found themselves dreaming of a future they had long ago buried and hoping for more than their survival. The only man who did not partake in this feast was the Mayor. This is where the tale takes a turn and-"

"Miss Luthor, a little less daydreaming if you don't mind," the teacher's stern voice broke her concentration.

Lena swallowed her retort and nodded while others sniggered in the back. She thought of setting their desks on fire, but quickly discarded the thought before it became a reality. She already knew the answer to the question posed on the board, but she figured answering it wouldn't give her points with anyone present. Her thoughts were still focused on Lex's story when class resumed, and she wished she had more time to ponder the second half when the bell rang.

When they were let out for lunch, Lena found herself walking towards the grove Kara had introduced her to. The traveler in Lex's story actually reminded Lena a lot of Kara. The way he smiled at everyone he met and how he always extended an olive branch to the man who hated his guts were very similar to Kara's demeanor. She took a seat on the bench and pulled out her homemade lunch. If Kara was the traveler then she was the Mayor who kept denying the girl even an inch of friendship. The longer she was left to eat in silence, the more she expected for Kara to just appear beside her.

But she didn't.

Lena sighed, what had she been expecting? She had basically told the girl she was a loner with no need for friends; it wasn't rocket science to figure out why Kara hadn't sought her out. The rest of the day passed by in a colorless haze. When the bell rang to let out, Lena walked in a trance towards the front where Bruce should be waiting.

"Lena!" Kara shouted after her.

Lena glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Kara standing behind her. She had a paper in her hand.

"I was wondering if I could maybe," Kara glanced at Bruce who was waiting by the car, his rock-like stature more noticeable with his arms crossed, "walk you home?"

"Oh, uh," she also looked back at Bruce. "I'm not sure my driver would…" she faltered for a moment, "but we could give you a ride home?"

"I… I actually live right down the street by the cafe. I say the cafe because it's literally the only one. They actually have really good pastries and chai tea lattes, if you're ever in the mood for something sweet. The owner's super, duper, duper nice, I'm sure he'd-"

Lena cleared her throat, "I can have Bruce drive us there." Kara smiled at her and it was almost too much to bear. "I'd like to check out the cafe."

"Alrighty, let's go!" Kara went over to Bruce and extended her hand, "Hi slightly intimidating male, my name's Kara."

"Ma'am should I take care of her now?" Bruce ignored Kara and glanced at Lena.

Lena blushed and shook her head furiously. "No, Bruce this is Kara… my… classmate; you'll be driving us to the cafe before heading home."

Kara chuckled and forcibly shook the tall man's hand. His face remained stoic, but he resumed his chauffeur responsibilities and opened the back door for the girls to enter. Kara dove in and scooted for Lena to follow. There wasn't much talking, which Lena was somewhat grateful for, but that was because the car ride had been less than five minutes. When Kara had said she lived 'down the street' she really wasn't kidding. Furthermore, what had her invitation been all about? She wished she could blame it on wanting to check out the cafe, but she had offered Kara a ride before even know where she lived.

I want to be near her.

The thought frightened her and she quickly put a pin in it to deal with later. For now, Kara had already exited the car and beat Bruce to opening the door for her. If her driver was agitated, he didn't show it.

"My lady," Kara announced as she offered her a helping hand.

Lena rolled her eyes but accepted Kara's hand. Unlike last time, she was quick to retract it afterwards. The building ahead was quaint. Large windows let light pool in, a small number of tables rested cozily inside, and the patio was covered with lush plants. Her gaze fell on a porch swing and a rush of feelings threatened to overtake her. Her hands trembled as she sought out her keychain, but found a warm, firm grasp instead.

"Hey are you ok?" Kara leaned in to whisper.

Unlike the last time, Kara's hand soothed the emotions that had invaded her mind. She focused on Kara's soft, warm hand that wrapped protectively around her own and could feel the turbulent emotions ebb away.

"Yeah, sorry." Lena withdrew her hand slowly. "Lead the way."

Kara nodded, tugged Lena's jacket cuff and led them towards a small table in the corner. When they sat, Lena scanned the room and found that it was mostly empty, save for another couple on the far end enjoying a small cake together.

"What can I get you ladies?" A kind yet stern voice called her attention.

Lena looked up at the old man and found a pair of greenish,blue eyes twinkling down at her. He had long, silverish hair that trailed in waves to the base of his neck, his jaw, chin and cheeks were peppered with stubble. He looked familiar, though Lena knew she had never seen him in her life. He smiled as Kara placed her order.

"I'll have what she's having, minus the cake."

"Are you sure? The cakes are delicious." The old man assured her with a sweet smile.

"I'll just have some of Kara's," Lena replied, not wanting to disappoint.

"Kara sharing?" The old man chuckled. "The world might end any second now."

"Hey!" Kara took offense. "I can share!"

"Yes, dear, but do you ever?" The old man asked with a grin and stopped Kara before she could answer, "without threatening to pin their fingers down with forks?" Kara clamped her mouth shut, "I thought not. I'll be back in a jiffy."

Lena watched the old man go and felt a strange melancholic mood in his walk.

"So, ummm I actually wanted to propose," Kara stalled as she fiddled with the paper in her hands.

"What?" Lena felt her throat dry instantly.

"What, what?" Kara asked, alarmed by Lena's wide-eyed expression.

"Propose?" Lena wasn't sure if she spoke; her lips felt useless.

"Oh my bad, propose an idea!" Kara clarified and blushed afterwards. "Though you know this wouldn't be the worst place to propose, it's actually quite romantic, have you heard-"

"Kara…" Lena sighed, "tell me about your idea, please."

"Oh right, of course," Kara straightened up and lay the paper on the table. "So, as you know, I'm on the track team. Our manager graduated last spring and I was wondering… if maybe you wanted to apply?" Lena stared at her with an incredulous expression plastered on her face. "I mean, it's just a thought; I figured you might enjoy all the girls on the track team… not because you're bi, that's not what I meant. I just think maybe you're wrong." Kara took a deep breath before she continued. "You do have a people, and maybe you'll find them in the track team… with me." Kara added softly at the end. "But if you're not interested that's ok," Kara flipped over the application her voice rising in volume, "if you are, I wrote down all of our meets, so you could check me out… I mean us, the track, the team… the track team." She tripped over her words with the grace of a fish out of water.

"I… could check out one of your practices," Lena offered after a moment of silence. The truth was she didn't do well with crowds… especially ones that buzzed with energy. Something always went wrong at events that she attended. "The morning ones."

"Really? That would be great; only our varsity team is required to meet in the morning. You'll meet Alex, a less grumpy version, Lucy, Maggie, Nia, James, Winn...he's technically the guys team manager but he's super dedicated. There are more, but I don't want to overwhelm you."

"You might have already accomplished that, dear," the old man returned and set down two warm mugs with beautiful designs. "As you can see, Kara is a social butterfly, but I'll tell you this, she's never brought someone here before… unless of course she's dragging the whole track team in."

"I… old man, you have no shame!" Kara yelped and threw a packet of sugar at him. "Don't listen to him Lena, he's just read one too many romance novels."

"They are fine literature," the old man corrected, "Do you read, Lena?"

Lena nodded, "I do. However, any romance I've ever read ends in tragedy."

"You are too right, not enough happy endings. Though I always hold out for one."

Lena smiled as the old man took his leave.

"Just you wait, I'm going to bring the whole team to devour your entire inventory, Lionel!"

Lionel… now that couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Kara had walked into her home with a stupid grin and Alex already knew why. She had seen the awkward encounter in front of the school and wondered if her sister knew how imposing she could be. Though she feared Kara rubbed people the wrong way, she was glad the Luthor girl hadn't completely shut her down like she thought she would. Maybe Kara was right… maybe she did like her after all.

"How was your date?" Alex asked nonchalantly as she helped their mom set the table.

Eliza's brow raised as she glanced at Kara whose ears were tinged pink.

"It wasn't a date! I was just showing her the cafe… and asking her if she wanted to be our team manager?"

Alex almost dropped the plate she had been holding, "what?"

"We need one, and she's not involved in anything yet," Kara explained

Alex groaned, "how crazy are you? Just because you like her doesn't mean you can force her to be around you all the time!"

"I'm not forcing her! I asked… she's going to come to our morning practices to check it out." Kara muttered and crossed her arms. "She needs friends Alex like I needed friends when… well you know."

Alex frowned and sunk into her chair. Of course Kara would feel empathy for the new kid. It wasn't too long ago when she was the new kid. Her family had been from here originally and visited so frequently it was almost like they had never left, but they had moved away and lived in National City… until that day-the day Kara and her cousin lost both their parents. Kara and her had spent every summer together and nearly every holiday; their families were close, so it was no surprise that the Danvers had been designated as Kara's guardians when all her blood relatives had perished.

"Fiiiine, I'll be nice," Alex groaned but smiled once Kara was beaming at her. She'd do whatever she could to keep Kara smiling like that, even if it meant welcoming the strange, dark-haired girl onto their team.

"So who's your new friend sweetie?" Eliza asked as they sat down to eat.

Kara was already four forkfuls in when she struggled to swallow her half-chewed spaghetti to speak. "Lena Luthor," she said in a garbled voice.

"I heard a few rumors that they returned," Eliza commented with an easy tone. "I imagine it's very difficult for her to start school here unnoticed… especially with all the folktales surrounding the old Thorul family."

"It's not like they're all bad," Kara added. "I like the ones Lionel tells."

"He does have a good storytelling voice," Eliza said.

"Don't let dad hear you say that," Alex muttered.

Eliza chuckled, "he'd be the first to agree. That man loves Lionel's baking more than anything… I bet you he's at the cafe right now, stopping by for his favorites and that's why he's late to dinner."

The drive back to Thorul mansion should have been short and eventless. Lena was warm and content even though the thought of joining Kara for track practice made her a little uneasy. She had thought it best to avoid the girl, but maybe she wasn't completely a negative influence. When Kara had held her hand today it hadn't been as volatile as yesterday. She had calmed her like Lionel did.

Speaking of Lionel…

She glanced down at her keychain and played with the lion's mane. Lex had named her lion and told her of the cafe… perhaps there was a connection. She pondered and found herself drawn back to the old man's eyes… they were so gentle, but something about them made her sad.

Lena peered out the window and felt her heart drop and suddenly the air around her had evaporated. Time slowed down to an excruciating pace and Lena swore she could see the minute expressions of the drivers in the other vehicles. Bruce was just about to approach a three-way stop sign. To her left was a mid-sized semi, the driver's eyes closed, his grip on the steering wheel lax, and directly in front of her was a man with dark hair and his eyes opened wide at the oncoming truck. His movements were too slow; he wouldn't make it in time. Lena had to do something.

She raised her hand and watched the car follow suit; it leapt in the air, the semi passing underneath it, and with a wave of her other hand, Lena directed the semi to curve, sending it scraping along the road's barrier. Without much finesse, the car came back down, not as quick as it should have, but not slow enough for Lena to feel assured that the driver was ok.

The last thing Lena remembered as her vision faded to black was the sound of glass shattering, the sharp sound of metal grinding against metal and Bruce calling her name.

A/N: And that concludes another chapter! Apologies if it seems choppy, I tend to add breaks and start on another scene, but I do hope they bridge together in a way that makes sense for you all.

Next on Woven:

Lena and her ever evolving powers...

The second half of the Thorul Origin Tale...

Lena and track girls… oh my… a flirtatious Lucy?! is Kara jealous?

Please Read and Review… I've been promising you all my tumblr for like eons so you could throw requests or whatever else you'd like to throw at me. So here it is: arion-larent

Oh also, I set up a poll on my profile so you all could vote on which story gets my utmost attention. So far a whopping total of ZERO people have participated haha. If it remains that way, this will be my main work so that's good news for you guys :)

- AL