A/N: Read and Review! Thanks to all of you for giving me feedback. Onwards we go!

Story: Woven

Chapter 4: Maelstrom

The next morning, Lena cursed herself for promising Kara such an inconvenient request. She had tossed and turned all night trying to avoid Dream Kara, for fear that she might be sporting track shorts, and now it was 6 in the morning, the air was frosty and she was being driven to the school track bundled in fur. Of all the things she hated, being cold definitely made her top three list. While still in bed she had momentarily dared to snuggle deeper under her covers and pretend like she had slept through her alarm, but a text from Kara ensured her derailed those plans.

It wasn't that she was afraid of disappointing the blonde, or that she couldn't say no to her, but she had promised. A Luthor never went back on their promises as far as she was concerned.

She looked down at her phone and opened the already read thread and recalled the events that led up to this moment.

Kara: Morning Lena! Today's extra cold so make sure to bring a warm jacket :) see you soon!

Truthfully, she only wanted to stay in bed more when Kara mentioned it was cold, but she had her read receipts on and Kara had already seen that she had opened her message.

Kara: Hey you're actually awake! Was Bruce going to drop you off? Alex and I can pick you up if you'd like.

Lena: You live across the street, why would you drive to school?

Kara: We pick up the other varsity runners who don't live as close, so are you in?

Lena: Would I even fit?

Lena wasn't sure why she even asked; it's not like she was contemplating actually getting a ride with Kara. Bruce was always ready to drive her. When he slept was a mystery to her.

Kara: We'll fit, sometimes Luce sits in my lap, but you can sit on mine and Luce can sit on Mags or Nia instead.

Lena's entire body felt warm as she read Kara's text. Sit on her lap? A book that had been resting on her nightstand went flying forward, hitting the wall with a thud.

Kara: So do you wanna ride my face?

Another book vaulted across the room.

Kara: ride my face

Kara: my face

Thud after thud resounded as books flew every which way. Pretty soon Lena's entire room had books strewn across the floor.

Kara: no that's not what I meant

Kara: I meant my face

Just as Lena thought it couldn't get any worse, her phone rang and Kara's name appeared. She answered only to hear a shriek, a rumble of noise like the phone had been dropped, and then Kara yelling at Alex asking her what she had done.

"Alex fix it! I asked if she wanted to ride with me and it keeps autocorrecting. I know it was you!"

Alex could be heard laughing uncontrollably, "oh my god, you asked her if she wants to ride your face!"

"Argh you're so... so mean! Fix it! She's going to think I'm a creep."

"You are kinda all over her Kar, it's too late for that" Alex teased and Lena wondered if she should hang up. "Fine, fine, stop pouting at me like that, where's your phone?"

"Oh… ummm, I don't know, I freaked out and tossed it… here it is!"

Lena fumbled with her phone and clicked the button that would wake the screen so she could hang up, but it was too late.

"Lena?" Kara's voice was perfectly clear now.

Lena took a deep breath, "hey Kara."

"Oh god, I must have dialed you by accident when I was freaking out over my texts, which was all Alex's fault. I would never tell you to do that!"

"I… kinda figured you were having some trouble."

"Right, so...did you need a ride?"

"Bruce is already up, but thanks anyways. I'll see you at school."

"Okay, see you…"

Lena sighed and set her phone down.

"Alex I swear to god I'm going to take off my spikes and beat you to death for this!"

"Go ahead, but maybe hang up your phone first."

Another meep from Kara and then the line went dead.

Lena touched her ears and couldn't deny how hot her entire face still felt. If ever she had a sibling as devious as Alex, she'd surely have thrown around several curses and spells that she'd later regret. Thankfully all Lex ever did was tease her every now and then. Plus, weaving a spell against Lex was bound to be reflected right back at her. His power of reflection was his alone. Every Luthor had an innate ability; one that was shaped by their desires and needs.

Lex's ability is mostly for protection, and as long as he's in contact with someone, he can shield them too. That must mean… he's always needed to protect himself against something.

Lena frowned as she imagined what kind of life Lex had before she had stumbled into his life. However, unlike Lex, Lena still hadn't discovered what her unique ability was. So far her only penchant was casting remarkably powerful and destructive spells that she had little to no control over. As the car pulled over, she spotted Kara and the rest of the girls already stretching in the middle of the track.

"Wow little Danvers, I didn't know you had it in you," Maggie teased as Alex stretched her out.

"I don't have anything in me and it was all Alex's fault!" Kara groaned as she gave her sister an annoyed look. "Of all the things why did you have to make it so sexual?"

"It's not like I thought that would happen," Alex defended herself. "It was Maggie's idea, you should be mad at her."

"Wow, way to throw me under the bus."

Kara just rolled her eyes and ignored the flirtatious banter that ensued between the two. There wasn't anything worse than the two of them throwing sexual innuendos back and forth, especially when she knew they weren't exactly joking.

"Just please promise to be kind of normal when she comes," Kara huffed as she stretched her arms.

"I'd be more worried about Luce than anything," Maggie suggested right as the youngest Lane approached them.

"Are you guys talking shit?" Lucy asked brassly with a smirk.

"Kara invited a new girl and she was wondering if you were going to behave," Alex explained.

Lucy cracked her neck and then shrugged, "well that depends, is she hot?"

Kara's cheeks were rosier than the cold warranted but only Alex took notice.

"It's the Luthor," James grunted, "isn't it?"

"Her name's Lena," Kara corrected him and didn't like the tone he had used.

"I think she's pretty," Nia pitched in, answering Lucy's original question.

"Thank you Nia," Kara added rosily; finally someone had said something that was true and nice.

Lucy was about to comment on Kara's strange reaction when something in the distance caught her eye. "Hey guys… who's that furry burrito?"

"Burrito?" Kara whipped around to see someone wearing a huge fur coat and realized it was Lena. "Lena!" She took off towards the girl and stopped when she was standing in front of her. "You made it!" She pulled Lena into a friendly embrace and was amazed by how soft her fur coat was. "That's a nice jacket."

"Thanks… I don't do well with the cold."

"So that's why you came dressed like a furry burrito," Kara mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh it's nothing, come meet the team," Kara pulled at the cuff of her jacket and led them back on the field.

Lena followed out of sheer force and pulled her coat close to her chest as a small breeze rolled by. Her first impression of the team was that it was tiny; granted, every school she had been enrolled in had huge class sizes. As she took in everyone's stares it was easy to assume they all felt very different about her being invited to track practice. The tall boy with toned shoulders looked at her with distrust, a dangerous glint lingered in his gaze. Kara's sister seemed to be appraising her, while the girl next to her nodded in what seemed to be approval. One of the girls, almost as tall as Kara, smiled shyly at her. The one that worried her most was probably the girl with a wavy bob that was glazing over her with an almost predatorial look.

"Wow," Lucy spoke up first. "So what brings you to our early morning practice?"

Lena shrugged, "Kara said you guys need a manager."

Kara glanced at Lucy and then back at Lena who fidgeted under Lucy's heavy gaze.

"I'm down for having a super ho-"

"Awesome manager, super awesome manager" Kara finished for her. "So everyone this is Lena, and Lena this is James, Alex, Maggie, Nia and Lucy… Winn should be getting here soon. Anyways feel free to sit on the field benches while we do some laps now that we've all stretched."

"Actually I haven't, maybe you could stretch me out," Lucy grinned at Lena.

"Ignore her," Kara muttered and grabbed Lucy by the arm before the girl could put anything else into motion, dragging her to the track. "Would you behave for like ten seconds!" Lena heard Kara scold the girl in the distance and chuckled.

Lena watched as Kara drilled them around the track and found herself enamored with Kara's running form. Her stride was long and her hair flowed freely in all directions. She looked nothing short of majestic. Kara loped ahead of her teammates and always waved hi at Lena as she passed. So enraptured was Lena with Kara, that she failed to see Winn approaching her.

"Hey there, you must be Lena!" Winn greeted her with a dapper attitude. "Nice coat!"

"How are you not freezing?" Lena asked as she looked the boy over. He had a t-shirt and some jogging pants; his light sweater casually hung over his shoulder.

"I'm used to it," Winn chuckled as he took out his stopwatch. "So what do you think so far? We're a tiny team, but we've got spirit."

"So couldn't you just be the manager for both teams?" Lena asked logically.

"Sadly we don't always go to the same meets, plus… I wouldn't be able to storm their locker room and hurry them up without being pummeled and then buried alive. It makes no difference that I'm gay and so is the majority of the track team."

Lena chuckled, "so what you're really saying is that this is a gay club on the down low and I fit the bill."

She could feel Winn's playful gaze scan over her before he replied, "with a coat like that, definitely."

Lena smiled as an unfamiliar warmth spread through her; it reminded her of Sam. She glanced at Winn's sparkling, friendly eyes and his gentle smile and could easily recall how Sam had looked at her just the same way. Easy going, playful souls that made her feel at home upon first meeting. Souls that were vulnerable to the chaos that followed her.

"We might have all gravitated to the team to feel safer… Midvale isn't exactly known for its forward thinking. And Kara promised us all abs of steel. Still haven't experienced that benefit," Winn chuckled and patted his stomach. "But we've stayed in it because it's fun and we've all become really good friends."

Lena looked back and saw Kara and the rest doing drills. They all looked so animated; she could see Lucy making eye contact with her and wiggling her brow and raising her shirt enough so that Lena could glimpse the abs Winn had been talking about. Kara could be seen giving Lucy a quizzical look, making a quick glance at Lena and then slapping Lucy's hands so that her shirt fell back down. The rest of the team laughed at Kara's expense and Lena found herself feeling that same warmth flow through her.

In fact, she was beginning to feel so warm that her coat felt a bit much. She shimmied it down her shoulders and let it hang loosely against her elbows. Winn winced as he looked up at the sky.

"Geez, talk about global warming…" He muttered. "Does it feel really warm to you or am I just experiencing some premature form of hot flashes?"

The dark-haired girl sighed and did her best in ridding herself of the warmth that she had felt moments ago. It wasn't global warming's fault (this time); it was hers. As much as she wanted to feel like she belonged with Kara and Winn and the rest of the team, she didn't. She wasn't the same kind of outcast. Unlike their differences, Lena's could actually hurt them. Being anything on the sexuality spectrum wasn't dangerous; being a spellweaver with little control over her powers was.

What if I get too excited? Or what if I feel like this again? Will I just melt all my friends like I'm melting Winn right now? Or worse, I could split the earth in two like when Kara surprised me… there's no way I could join.

"Mmm you're super toasty," a girl's voice broke her out of her dismal reverie.

Lucy had no concept of personal space as she wound her arm around Lena's and snuggled into her side.

"Lucy what are you doing?" Kara shrieked as she ran up to the bench.

"It's way too cold to practice and Lena's toasty," Lucy explained matter-of-factly and lifted her leg over Lena's lap. "I say we take her to every cold ass track meet, she's perfect."

"You… you're getting your sweat all over her," Kara whined as she attempted to pull Lucy off Lena.

"I don't hear her complaining," Lucy smirked.

Try as she might, Kara's attempts to unlatch Lucy from Lena were fruitless. So, without fully thinking it through, Kara knocked Winn out of the way and pulled Lena away from Lucy. With multiple 'oompfs' and flailing limbs, Kara, Lena and Lucy ended up sprawled on the field. Kara lay flat on her back, Lena conveniently on top of her and Lucy sprawled on her side after rolling off of Lena's back.

"Oooh doggie pile!" Maggie chimed.

Kara's eyes went wide and she quickly reversed her and Lena's positions. Lena yelped and shut her eyes for the impending crushing feeling she was sure to feel now that she was at the bottom of the dog pile. She'd be sure to get the blonde back for this minor betrayal; how dare she put her at the bottom of a human pile. She felt Kara's body press more firmly against hers and could feel Kara's warm breath on her neck. If she weren't so preoccupied with being crushed to death, she might have been in serious trouble of weaving a spell.

"Get off you dead weight jerks," Kara grunted shakily.

Lena winced her eyes open and caught sight of Kara's trembling arms at each side of her head. She was… shielding her.

"Now!" Kara shouted and Lena could hear a 'fiiiine' from above. Kara's arms stopped trembling so violently as the girls tumbled off. The blonde groaned as she rolled off Lena to lay by her side; their shoulders touched and Lena found herself wishing she wasn't wearing a stupidly thick, fur coat. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Lena muttered, hoping her cheeks weren't displaying a full blush..

"I knew Kara was a top," Maggie chided.

"I… I am not, I just couldn't let you guys crush our potential manager!" Kara bounced back up with superior agility and offered a hand to Lena.

Lena took Kara's hand and was surprised at the feeling. It was like before when they were standing outside the cafe. She felt a calming aura wash over her and her fears from before faded into the recesses of her mind. As soon as she was on her feet, Kara's hand slipped from hers and Lena was left with residual, electric feelings on her fingertips.

"So what do you think?" Kara asked. "Do you think we could be your people?"

Lena stood still for a moment, her eyes not quite believing how earnestly everyone was looking at her. They couldn't possibly actually want her around, could they? They didn't even rightly know her. Even the boy who was glaring at her upon arrival seemed aloof and less threatening.

"C'mon furry burrito, be our friend and our manager!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Furry burrito?" Lena looked down at her fur coat and how tightly she had it wrapped around her. Without warning a bubble of laughter rose through her chest and past her lips.

The whole team joined in. Alex glanced at Kara whose attention was solely focused on Lena. Her smile was gentle and warm and Alex couldn't remember Kara ever smiling at anyone like that. Her adopted sister had many smiles-small, shy ones when she was teased; great, big, dazzling ones when she was overjoyed; ones that tugged on one side of her mouth when she was feeling smug… but this was different. Her eyes drifted back to Lena and she saw how the girl's cheeks tinged with pink for a fleeting moment when her eyes met Kara's.

"I'll do it," Lena spoke somewhat softly as the laughter died down; her gaze furtively leaving Kara's.

Lucy was the first to pull her into a bear hug and shout, "we get to keep the furry burrito!"

"But," Lena quickly pulled out of the hug and she somehow managed to keep Lucy at arm's length, "there will be rules."

"Rules?" Lucy spoke the word like it was poison.

Lena nodded, "for instance, I'll initiate hugs from now on."

"Oh will you now," Lucy smirked. "Fine, I'll concede…"

Everyone gasped at Lucy's submission.

"Only because I'm certain you'll be hugging me of your own accord in no time."

And just like that Lena found herself traveling in the midst of a group on her way to the cafeteria; Kara was always at her side and Lena swore she could feel waves of calm radiating off the blonde's skin. She had gone from being determined to be a loner to being inducted into what was turning out to be the rowdiest group at school. She hadn't said much since accepting the offer to be manager and filling out an info sheet, but the others didn't seem too bothered by her silence.

They sat at a large round table inside the cafeteria. At first Lucy had beat Kara to the open chair on Lena's left, but the blonde was determined to sit by Lena.

"I invoke my captain privileges and ask you to scoot," Kara stated.

"That's an abuse of power!" Lucy whined, " you can't monopolize our hot, furry burrito like that."

"I'm not monopolizing her, she's not a burrito, and I never ask for anything as captain" Kara shot back.

Lucy rolled her eyes, "fine, but I call dibs on our first bus ride."

With that Lucy ungraciously scooted her tray down and left the seat empty for Kara. Lena nearly choked on her toast when Kara smiled warmly at her. She should be used to Kara smiling at her like that; dream Kara smiled at her plenty. Still it felt strange for it to be happening in a place where everyone could witness it. She gave a small smile back and was about to ask what Lucy meant about bus rides, when a strange groan interrupted her.

"Really Kara, you've made her a part of your group?" Mike's question seethed with disgust. "She's a Luthor, Kara. A creepy, up to no good, Luthor."

"And you're being an idiot right now," Kara muttered as she locked eyes with Mike.

"Come on Kar, why are you acting like this? We had a good winter break didn't we? Suddenly she shows up and now we're always mad at each other…"

Kara bit her lip, her gaze momentarily drifting to Lena to see her reaction. Her pale complexion remained perfectly still; she thought she saw her jaw tense a little but the moment had come and gone too quickly for Kara to be sure she hadn't just imagined it. She rose from her chair and pulled Mike aside. The last thing she needed was to make a huge scene.

"Mike, I already told you, I don't feel the same." Kara murmured as she thought back to last month. She had tried going on a few dates with Mike during the break, and while they all weren't complete failures, she had noticed she didn't see dream Lena as much as she used to. The more she saw Mike, the less she dreamt of her pale, dark-haired dream girl. It had scared her and she had pushed Mike away.

"Because of her?" Mike hissed.

"Because I don't feel the same, period." Kara insisted. "It's been that way since before Lena showed up."

"Come on Kar, I'm not blind… you follow that stupid girl like a damned puppy!" Mike shouted, "if I didn't know any better she's put some kind of witch spell on you."

Kara knitted her brows and let out a frustrated growl. Did people really think she was completely without her own volition, so much so that her interest in Lena was being blamed on magic? She couldn't very well explain to others that she had known Lena a long time via her dreams, or at least had known a version of her. She still wasn't sure if Dream Lena nad real Lena had anything more in common than their expressions, but she was set on figuring out if there was a connection.

"Just leave her alone, Mike." Kara muttered and made her way back to the table.

She was just about to sit back down when she felt a rough hand clamp on her wrist. She winced at the pressure and stared wide-eyed at the boy behind her.

"Just wait a sec-ow!" Mike yelped and quickly retracted his hand. Immediately his eyes flew to Lena.

He shuddered at the green glare that rested so heavily on him he half wondered if his inability to breath was caused by it. One moment he was holding on to Kara's wrist and the next he felt a sharp pain that caused him to reel back. He swore that green-eyed she devil had something to do with it. He sneered at her, but knew this wasn't the best place to get back at her; he'd wait until Kara wasn't around. Lena turned her gaze away from him and clutched her lion keychain as Kara took her seat. After Lucy commented on what a dick Mike was, more friendly conversation ensued.

Just take deep breaths and everything will be fine. You're ok, she's ok… everything is ok.

Lena had nearly crushed the bones in that boy's wrist, but her brother's charm had nulled the impact of her magic. She slowly ate her food and clutched her keychain all the while. It helped that the mood shifted considerably once Mike left, and the way Kara happily ate her food distracted Lena from her seething anger. The bell rang and Kara dropped back to walk with Lena towards their homeroom.

"Is he like your stress ball?" Kara asked as she pointed to Lionel.

Lena fumbled with the keychain before responding, "kind of…"

"I just see you tossle him quite a bit," Kara added with a small smile, "he's cute. May I?" She reached out for the keychain gripped in Lena's hand.

"Oh," Lena relaxed her grip and unlatched him from her bag, "sure."

Kara took the small lion from Lena's hand and played with his mane. She had never seen such an adorable keychain before and as she jostled it she thought she felt something. Her brows knit together as she tried to make sense of the sudden confusion that overtook her. Before the feeling could make any sense to her, Lena gently pried it from her grasp.

"My brother gave him to me," Lena explained as she clasped him back to her bag.

"It must be nice having an older brother," Kara said aloud as she took her seat by Lena and recalled the young man that had been sitting in Lena's hospital room. "How far apart are you guys?"

"About 10 years," the brunette answered as she took out her notebook for class.

"He looked really young; reminded me of Clark, my cousin… don't know if I've mentioned him before."

Lena nodded, class had begun and she wasn't the best at making small talk so she was grateful for the interruption. It didn't help that she was still caught up in the fact that she had almost done something horrible on Kara's account. No matter how strongly she felt about general bodily respect, she couldn't just go crushing people's hands at her convenience. It could have been anyone, Lena thought; she would have reacted that way even if it hadn't been Kara… at least she hoped so.

Her mood grew dark and somber as she battled with her feelings for the blonde. Had she unknowingly cast some kind of charm spell on her upon meeting? It did seem strange that she would take a liking to Lena right off the bat, especially with all the rumors that surrounded her family name. She had never been known to cast those kinds of spells, but it wasn't like she had complete control over her weaving. If she had accidentally weaved such a spell, then Kara had been trapped into liking her. In fact, maybe everyone who had been drawn to her had been affected by the same spell. Lena worried the inside of her cheek and thought back to all her interactions.

It made more sense thinking Kara had been bewitched than to believe she was drawn to Lena of her own accord. Same thing with all Kara's friends; she had done nothing to deserve their kindness. Painfully, Lena's chest tightened, each breath shallower than the last, and she felt the need to cry. There was no point in crying, she chided herself and attempted to bottle it up by shaking her head ever so slightly. Without warning, a loud crash caused the class to rumble and multiple students shrieked in surprise. Lena glanced out the windows and wasn't surprised to see a maelstrom of rain, wind and lightning. Of course that would be the result of her trying to reign in her feelings.

Good going, Lena... instead of crying, you're going to drown the whole town.

"Students, get away from the windows, single file and let's head to the cafeteria." The teacher's voice rose above the cacophony of anxious shouts.

Lena clenched her jaw and could feel the sting in her eyes more boldly than before. This was her fault… almost everything bad was her fault. She clutched her bag and rushed out into the hall before the teacher could stop her. She snaked her way through other classes that had already poured into the hallways; her heartbeat thudded in her ears, her hands trembled and the noises of the world fell away. If it really was her magic causing Kara's friendship and the others' kindness, then this was by far the worst thing she'd ever done with her spells.

A sick feeling settled in her gut as she forced the front doors open and was greeted by stinging whips of water. She raised her arm to shield her face as best she could but it was in vain, dirt and rain and debris violently flew at her from every which way. She forced her body forward even as the wind pushed her back, nearly knocking her to her knees.

LENA!

A tiny voice broke through the cracks and whips of the wind and lightning. She ignored it and kept going forward, ignoring the sting of the small cuts on her cheek. She needed to get far away from here before she destroyed everything-before she destroyed the small, gay track team that welcomed her with open arms, the quiet patio that Kara insisted she could enjoy a quiet breakfast at, the cafe owned by a kind, old man with a silver mane… before she could destroy Kara.

"Lena!"

The voice was louder and this time Lena felt herself being roughly pulled back and enveloped by a strong, warm body. She tried pushing away but most of her strength had waned in her struggle against the storm. She felt her legs being swept off the floor and before long she was curled into the crevice of Kara's neck. The howls of the wind died down but the rain was unrelenting. She could feel Kara's heart beat vigorously against her ribcage and only heard her gasps once they had taken shelter.

Lena expected Kara to put her down, but the girl carried her through the hall and into a room at the end. A faint smell of palo santo filled the air and amidst the sound of thunder, Lena half imagined herself in a forest. When Kara finally put her down it was on a small couch that was situated across from her bed. She still felt in a daze, but the moment she felt Kara tugging her shirt over her head, she instantly snapped out of it.

"What are you doing?" Lena yelped as she tried to force her arms down.

"We're both soaked, these clothes have to go!" Kara shot back but stopped wrestling with the brunette.

Lena's face felt on fire as she pulled her shirt back down. "I'll change in the bathroom," she murmured.

Kara nodded and pointed her towards the restroom. "I'll bring you a t-shirt and some pajama pants."

Lena hurriedly changed out of her wet clothes and piled them on a towel Kara had given her. She opened the door slightly when she heard a quiet knock.

"I'll throw your clothes in the dryer… I umm...well I brought you some boy shorts and a sports bra, but to be honest I don't think it'll fit you, but I mean it's not like you have to put them on, you can just go commando, I wouldn't care or anything." Kara rambled as she stuck her hand through the door with the aforementioned articles of clothing.

Lena said nothing and merely handed Kara her clothes wrapped in the towel. Of course she had taken off her underwear and bra, but there was no way she was going to put on Kara's. For one, Kara was correct in assuming she wouldn't fit.

Which means she's definitely ogled me.

Her blush returned with a fury as the thought crossed her mind. She shook her head and quickly pulled Kara's t-shirt over her. She looked down at it and realized it was an old track t-shirt; she sniffed it and picked up Kara's scent-a surprisingly fresh and lightly sweet smell. She pulled the plaid pajama pants up and noted they were too long so she rolled up the legs. When she came out, Kara was standing at the side of her bed and texting someone on her phone.

"I'm letting Bruce know you're here, not like he can drive down to the school in this weather anyways." Kara murmured more to herself.

Lena clenched her fist and felt tears sting her eyes. Whatever she had done, she didn't deserve someone as thoughtful as Kara.

"Hey are you ok?" Kara quickly threw her phone down when she caught wind of Lena's sniffle. "We should probably dry our hair and I can clean that scratch you got on your cheek," Kara reached out to clear a strand of wet hair from Lena's face.

"No," Lena stated and didn't bother to pull away. "No, Kara, this is all wrong… this is all my fault."

"Ok Zeus, I doubt you summoned that freak storm," Kara jested with a slight chuckle.

Lena's green eyes flashed angrily at her, "I bottled up my emotions until they had nowhere left to go! Instead of just crying like a normal girl, I unleashed a fucking maelstrom on the whole god damn town!" Lena's voice raised in both volume and octave before it trembled into a sob, "I… I'm a freak, Kara… you, you could have gotten hurt, and it would have been because of me. It was me, don't you understand, I'm...I'm a monst-"

"Stop!" Kara commanded, her voice also trembled but her grip that pulled Lena was strong.

Again, Lena found herself embraced by Kara's strong arms, but this time she wouldn't let herself. "Let go, Kara! Just let go!" She tried her best to push off of the girl, but Kara was unrelenting.

"No!" Kara protested and held the thrashing girl only to lose her footing and fall back on the bed. She pulled Lena down with her and held her tighter as the girl's grunts turned into sobs. "Shhh, just breathe…" Kara coaxed the brunette as she stroked her back with her firm hands.

The thunder that had been clapping eagerly moments earlier, dwindled down to a rumble as Lena sobbed into Kara's chest. The blonde held her securely, their legs awkwardly tangled and their bodies flushed.

"I've held you like this before," Kara murmured, "well not you, you… but…sort of you."

Lena's sobs subsided as she took in Kara's comment. It was a strange thing to say and it was borderline nonsensical. She still couldn't understand why Kara seemed drawn to her, but in this moment she didn't feel like fighting it. She felt guilty pressed so close against her, and didn't deny how much better she felt with Kara's arms holding her close. She wished she could stay like this for a while longer, but Kara's next words put an end to those thoughts.

"You scared me." Kara spoke up again and Lena's heart felt a decisive crack. That was the truth of it all; even if Kara didn't believe she had culled the storm, she still thought Lena was crazy.

And who wouldn't? I literally just ran through a storm and then started spazzing about how I started it because I couldn't cry.

"I thought you were going to get blown away," Kara continued. "And...you can't honestly believe you're a freak. Even if you're different, you're not a freak. If anything I'm the freak."

"What?" Lena felt the word tumble out with less finesse than she usually had.

Kara looked down hesitantly at the girl who had burrowed out from under her chin. "I...I know I'm all over you, but… you...I feel like I've known you for a really long time."

Oh spirits, I really did cast a spell on her.

Kara took note of Lena's worried gaze and instantly tried to back track. "Sorry that came out weird, it's just… when I lost my family, all I really took comfort in were my dreams…"

"Your family?" Lena asked, her brows knitted with severity.

"Oh, right, sorry I'm so used to this small town where everyone knows everything about everyone. My mom and dad and aunt and uncle died in an accident about 3 years ago now. The Danvers took me in, my cousin's already in college."

Lena's brows eased into a sorrowful expression, "Kara, I'm so sorry."

The blonde offered her a sad smile, "the thing is, I've never felt drawn to someone since then. But I always had… my dream girl…" Kara winced at the phrase.

Again, Lena used her brow for expression and raised it up in question. Kara was surely speaking of some kind of conceptual type of girl she had concocted in her fantasies like most people do. Unlike Lena who somehow managed to dream up Kara down to her boyish grin.

"I.. think I understand," Lena filled in the silence. "But I'm afraid I can't be your dream girl."

"Why not?" Kara asked timidly.

"I'm sure your dream girl is a normal human not plagued by the Luthor name."

Kara sighed, "do you also think you cast a spell on me?"

Lena's eyes widened, her jaw slightly dropping. "You… you know?"

Kara rolled her eyes and muttered, "I'm not that stupid…"

"No it's not that, it's just… do you think I cast a spell on you?" Lena asked.

Kara shook her head, "of course not. I liked you before I even met you, so you couldn't have even if you could have… does that make sense?"

Again Lena was confused and showed it with her expression. She knew the girl might be prone to romantic expressions or even exaggerated truths, but what she said didn't exactly fall within those lines. She sounded like she literally meant exactly what she said.

"Kara…" Lena rolled off so she could lay by Kara's side. "What do you mean?"

Kara nervously wrung her wrist and shrugged, "you're going to be creeped out, and seeing as the storm of the century is raging, I don't want you to feel stuck in an awkward position."

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Lena asked with a gentle nudge.

"Alright fine," Kara said and in one fluid motion leapt from the bed, grabbed a sketchbook and flopped back down on the bed. "Here."

Lena gingerly took the sketchbook in her hands and glanced at Kara before opening it, "are you sure?"

Kara gave her a tentative nod. "Just look."

Lena flipped the cover and found herself struck by the first image. It was a pencil sketch of a girl with long black hair, facing away, sitting on the floor; there was a solemnity in her solitude. Lena flipped the page and this time she was sure of it… it was her. She flipped through more pages and the likeness became more exact, more learned and eventually natural.

Ok so Kara has been drawing me… that's not too weird. A bit embarrassing… flattering even.

"Kara I don't understand, these are just drawings."

"Go back to the first page… look at the date."

Lena did as instructed and found the small etching of a date in the bottom right corner. She gasped… it was almost 9 years ago. That must have been a typo or so she thought as she flipped to the next page and the next. Only the ones at the very end were recent.

"I… I've dreamt of you for a long time."

A/N: Next time...

What's a dreamweaver?