AN: So I watched that ending scene like five million times and I have a a lot of feels about it. I mean I get it; but Kara fucked up just as much as Lena did. Neither are innocent and neither deserved to be all high and mighty, so I kind of...fixed it? Or well re-wrote it into a way that feels more authentic to me.

Kara stood in front of her easel perched in front of the window, overlooking the city. Paint palette in one hand and brush in the other, swiping back and forth on her canvas. When she first crash landed on Earth, she was scared, maybe a little anxious, of having these abilities, of being different.

Eliza had suggested she take up a comforting hobby, to help ground her and channel her anxieties. Kara had picked up a paint brush and some old painting supplies in their garage and painting quickly became her new comfort.

Something just sparked when she picked up that paintbrush.

To this day, she still enjoyed painting. It continued to keep her grounded, calm. It helped keep her together when she was stressed or her life was falling apart at the seams. Kind of like it was currently.

Lex taking over the D.E.O, everything with Leviathan, trying to cope with the changes in post-Crisis world, her friendship with Lena being on the rocks or basically being over.

It was a lot to take in. Kara wished more than anything that she could call up Lena, confide in her best friend. Alas, she couldn't do that, didn't even know if she had a right to call Lena her best friend anymore.

Not after everything.

Try as Kara might to avoid it, keep her own heart safe, she missed Lena.

It was only when she heard a familiar sound that she tensed up, her defenses flying up. Because Kara could hear Lena's heartbeat and the sound of a cab door opening and closing.

But it couldn't actually be? Could it?

Kara set down the wooden palate and her paintbrush before moving towards the window. Her eyes feel on Lena crossing the sidewalk, towards her building. Kara stood there, a little shocked and a little confused while still staring, even after Lena's form disappeared. Kara stood there, listening, for the sound of the elevator dinging on her floor and Lena's heartbeat as the woman stepped out of the lift.

Before Kara knew what she was doing, she was across the space of her apartment and opening the door. Right as Lena posed to knock.

Lena stood on the other side, her fist posed to knock. Kara took a breath and withdrew from the door, physically putting space between her and Lena. She knew, it was necessary, not really, they were in the small space; but they were already miles apart.

Lena stepped through the doorway, shutting it behind her.

There was an awkward silence between them, tension filled the room around the two of them. Tension followed them everywhere for the past few months, constantly keeping them at arm's length.

The two of them stood there, each tensed, as if they were both trying to keep themselves together. Neither moved, neither spoke. There was so much to say, so much hurt from both parties that maybe neither of them knew exactly how to fix it.

But they had to start somewhere, right? Kara opened her mouth to say something, but Lena cut her off.

"I made a terrible mistake, I was hurt. I was so hurt and," Lena paused and glanced down at her feet before looking up. "I thought I could get rid of the hurt."

"By pushing me away?" Kara hadn't realized she'd said the words out loud until she saw Lena nodding.

"By pushing you away, by pushing everyone away," Lena added. "I thought that I knew better, that I could make the world a better place; but I was wrong. That hurt, it took me down a dark, dark path where I was blind to what I was really doing."

Lena reached up and brushed a tear away. "Lex always knew how to push my buttons, how to manipulate me and he used that to his advantage," Lena's voice broke, and it broke a part of Kara. "You were right, Kara. You were always right. This whole time, I became a villain."

"You were acting like a villain," Kara corrected, meeting Lena's gaze. "You're not a villain, Lena. you never were, despite your last name, despite your actions, you're not a villain. I shouldn't have said that to you."

"It was nothing that I didn't deserve."

Kara shook her head. "Except you didn't deserve it. Just like you didn't deserve me lying to you for years."

Lena scoffed and tilted her head. "Kara….what I said to you. What I did to you? Especially in the fortress? I did that and for what? Because I was hurt and wanted you to feel what I felt? I fucked up and that's on me."

Kara closed her eyes, taking deep, soothing breaths. Sometimes, she could still feel ice prison, closing in on her, making her feel claustrophobic.

"I know what I've done, working with Lex for the past months," Lena added, her voice slightly steadier. "I'm not here asking for forgiveness."

Kara raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Then why are you here?"

"Lex is working with Leviathan and they're going to use Obsidian to do something terrible. They're using the system that I helped create...I didn't know that I was helping them," Lena scoffed again, as if she couldn't quite believe it herself. "I should have known...but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that right now, I want to stop them."

"I want to help you stop Lex and Leviathan," Lena repeated, more firmly. "I didn't come crawling here asking for forgiveness that I probably don't deserve -"

"Everyone deserves forgiveness," Kara cut her off, stepping away from her table and closer to Lena, but still keeping space between them. Kara desperately wanted to hug Lena; but held herself back.

Kara was reminded of how Lena had been using her to gain access to Myriad. It still kind of hurt and left a weight on her chest. She let out a breath to try and alleviate some of that weight.

"Maybe it's not going to happen tonight; but I have hope that it can happen, we can work to get back to where we were."

A shocked look crossed Lena's face as if she couldn't actually believe it.

"Just as I hope that one day, you can forgive me," she added, a small smile on her face. Mentally, Kara just shrugged, they didn't call her the Paragon of Hope for nothing.

"You said it yourself, if I was going to continue working with Lex, acting like a villain, you would treat me like one," Lena shrugged. "It's not as if you didn't give me a warning and it was really nothing compared to how I -"

Kara shook her head. "Let's not play the who's more to blame game. We could be here for hours, days even going back and forth about that; but there's more important things at stake. We both messed up, we're both at fault for our own actions. We're both to blame for our friendship tanking; which means -"

"It means that we're both responsible for mending it."

Kara nodded. "It's not going to happen over night. Too much has been said and done for that to happen; but we can work on it, while we work on stopping Lex and Leviathan. A Luthor and a Super: Together, like it should have been."

"Together," Lena echoed.

Kara pulled out a chair from her table. "Have a seat."