Kara spent the next three days in her room, not eating, sleeping, or drinking.

"Kara," Alex called out, twisting the locked doorknob. "Come on. At least have some water."

"Just leave me alone, Alex," Kara replied, rubbing the tears from her eyes and trying not to sound like she was crying.

"Can you just let me in and tell me what's going on? I'm worried. Come have something to drink."

"I'm not thirsty," Kara lied. "Please, go away."

"You haven't been to school in three days, Kara. You have to go tomorrow."

"You're not my mom," Kara shot back angrily.

"No, but I'm your sister. If you're not out here in the morning eating breakfast with a huge glass of OJ, I'm breaking the door down and kicking your ass."

Kara rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed, clutching her pillow to her chest.

Right now, she didn't even want to be Supergirl. She wanted to waste away to nothing.

Of course, that wouldn't happen, given her superpowers. Still, she felt the urge to punch herself in the face for whatever she'd done to hurt Lena. What was Lena even so angry with her for? Kara didn't know, and that was probably the worst part. But how could Lena have laid there, holding her hand, assuring her that she was okay, and then completely rejected her like that? Kara knew she wasn't perfect, but the mixed signals from Lena had become overwhelming, and Kara was starting to feel something she'd never felt before: worthless. It could have been 100 things that Lena hated about her, Kara reasoned. She thought back to the few nights they'd had together, laughing, eating, listening to music… It was all so confusing. Where did it go wrong? Where did she ruin their budding friendship? Or whatever it was.

Unable to figure this out, Kara resigned herself to her room where she continued to isolate for the next two days. (Alex, of course, was unable to break the door down, and therefore couldn't make her go to school.)

Kara missed the following Monday too. Her end of the semester projects were due. She was going to fail. They'd hold her back.

She didn't care.

She'd ruined whatever she'd managed to have with Lena. That was all that mattered.

I'm so pathetic, she ruminated. I should've just left her alone. Then I wouldn't feel like this. Look at me, moping like a fucking child. And what about Supergirl? I should at least go do that. I could forget school and just go out to work. Or… I could stay in bed and never leave my room again. Yeah… That sounds good. Forget Supergirl. What's the point anyway?

But Kara knew what the point was. She knew she cared about saving innocent people. But the depression she'd fallen into was too deep to dig herself out of alone, so she stayed in her room the rest of the day, until finally, her phone rang.

"Come downstairs," Alex said into the phone.

"Ugh! Fuck off, Alex. I told you, I'm not coming out."

"Get down here, now. You need to see what's on TV."

"I don't care, Alex!"

"Supergirl would care."

"Yeah, well… Not right now she doesn't."

So Kara hung up the phone. Ironically, the phone rang again about ten minutes later.

"Fuck off, Alex! I'm not coming down so just leave me alone!" Kara screamed.

"Um… This isn't Alex," the voice said gently, sounding confused.

Kara froze. That was Lena's voice.

She looked down at her phone and saw the caller ID. Lena Luthor. No way, Kara thought. This isn't happening.

"Who is it then?" Kara asked dumbly, then instantly slapped herself in the forehead for her stupid question.

"You know it's me, dipshit."

Kara bit her lip, feeling tears well in her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was about to cry because Lena called her a dipshit, or because she was so relieved to hear the voice she never thought she'd hear again.

"Lena, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Kara finally blurted. "I don't know what else to say. I'm really, really sorry that I'm such a fuck-up and that I can't do anything right by you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I—"

"Hurt me?"

"Well… Yeah. I mean… Didn't I? Isn't that why you told me to leave?"

Lena laughed bitterly. It was a sound Kara hadn't heard in a long time, and it was one she didn't miss. The original Lena Luthor was back.

"No, Kara," Lena finally said. "I told you to leave because I can't stand to look at you."

"Oh. Um…" Kara said, dumbfounded by the intensity of the insult. Then, choking up, Kara asked, "I mean, why'd you call then?"

"Wait… Kara… That came out totally wrong. That wasn't… That wasn't the whole thing."

"There's more?"

Now it was Kara's turn to release a bitter laugh.

"Yeah."

"Shoot, then. I can take it."

"You don't understand, Kara."

"Okay. Enlighten me, then," Kara offered, feeling a sudden burst of irritation growing.

Was Lena seriously calling her just to insult her? But hey, Kara reasoned. I probably deserve it.

"I can't look at you anymore because I can't see anything but your shining eyes, your perfect lips, and your adorable nose."

"Uh… What?" Kara asked dumbly.

"You're so fucking dense," Lena sighed. "You have no idea how hard this is for me, and you're just making it harder. Can you just shut up and listen?"

Kara was silent, shocked, and horrified by the way this conversation was going.

"I read you completely wrong, Kara," Lena explained. "I look at you and see you look back at me with… something in your eyes that I can't explain. Something I've never seen before. And it feels… it feels like… I don't know."

"Oh… kay…"

"I know what I want it to be, and I know that it's not, and it hurts, so I just… need it to stop, okay?"

"Lena…" Kara said, after a long pause. "I think you're right. I am dense. Because I really, really have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

"Say my name again," Lena said suddenly, her voice shaking.

"Huh?"

"Say my name one last time before I hang up."

"Wait, don't hang up!"

"Please, just say my name, Kara."

"Lena, come on!"

The call clicked over, signaling that Lena had ended it, leaving Kara even more shocked and confused.

"Fuck!" Kara screamed, wanting to throw her phone at the wall and shatter it.

She refrained though, on the slim, slim chance that Lena called her back someday. Kara knew she'd take another session of berating and insulting in a heartbeat just to hear her voice again.

Only a few minutes passed, though, before Kara's trembling hands, covered in her own tears, grabbed her phone again. She tapped on Lena's name and waited for the phone to ring. It only rang once before going straight to voicemail, telling Kara that Lena had rejected the call.

She tried again. One ring, call declined.

Just as she was about to give up, Kara thought back on Lena's words.

I know what I want it to be, and I know that it's not, and it hurts, so I just… need it to stop, okay?

"Wait…" Kara said out loud, to herself. "Was she trying to…" Gasping, Kara cursed, "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, fuck," and immediately tapped Lena's name again, this time praying that the girl would answer the call.

"What do you want, Kara?"

Come on, Supergirl. Think fast, Kara was thinking. Think. Think!

"I wanted to hear you say my name again."

The other end of the line went dead silent, and Kara almost thought Lena had ended the call, but when she pulled her phone away from her face to check, the call was still connected.

"Lena?"

"Kara," Lena said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

The hero fell back onto her bed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Just needed to hear it one last time before you gave up on me. Thank you for answering the call."

"Well, you were just going to keep calling if I didn't," Lena replied, with a slightly playful tone.

"That's true," Kara agreed seriously. "I would have."

"Why?"

"Because I… I needed to hear it. And… I need you to clarify what you meant. If you're going to cut me out of your life, I'll respect that, but… I'd really appreciate an explanation. Like, a real one. Not a bunch of inarticulate, jumbled words."

"Hey!" Lena snapped. "I'm not inarticulate!"

"Then explain. Please, Lena."

"Fucking hell, Danvers. I… The night I had that panic attack in front of you, when we were in the car… and you looked at me… calmed me down… played with my hair… held my hand… I thought…"

"What?" Kara asked, receiving silence in return. "Lena, what did you think?"

"I thought you were looking at me as… I don't know. More than just friends, I guess."

Kara felt a lump rise in her throat.

"Maybe you're the idiot," she said, her voice hushed and low.

"Excuse me?" Lena said in disbelief.

"I was looking at you as more than just a friend, you dweeb," Kara sighed. "Why do you think I brought you to the hospital? Why do you think I stayed with you? Why do you think it was so fucking hard for me to leave?"

"Because you're stubborn and feel obligated to care for others, just like Supergirl?"

Kara hesitated. She wanted to tell Lena, right then and there. She really did. But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't.

So instead, she just replied, "No, Lena. I care for you."

"But I'm a Luthor," Lena said simply.

"You are. You're Lena Luthor. Your own person. Your own strong, smart, funny, independent person."

"Kara…"

"Yes?"

"I have something else to tell you."

Swallowing hard, Kara waited to hear more.

"Supergirl might have superpowers… and she might have saved me from a plane crash… but you, Kara Danvers… You're my hero."

Thinking she might faint and feeling grateful that she was already laying down, Kara went quiet.

"Hey… You there?" Lena pressed.

"Uh-huh."

"Did you hear me?"

"I… um…"

"Kara?"

"Yes. Yes, I heard you. I… I'm just…"

"Yes?"

"I thought you hated me…"

"I could never hate you, Kara. I just… can't be around you. Does that make sense?"

"No… Not really."

"I can't look at you, looking at me like that, and not want… more…"

"Well… Why can't we have more?" Kara asked shyly, gathering all the courage she could to speak the words.

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, you're a little dense tonight."

"Kara Danvers! Tell me what the hell you meant!"

"Now you know how I felt," Kara laughed lightly.

"Not funny. What are you talking about?"

Lena was beginning to feel anxious. Surely, she wasn't about to…

No. No way. Kara wouldn't. Despite what she'd said, there was no way Kara was going to say—

"Fuck," Lena gasped suddenly, before Kara could respond. "Kara, I can't—"

Hearing the tone of panic in her voice, Kara could tell she was feeling a panic attack coming on, so she whispered, "Hey. Lena. It's okay. I'm right here. Just breathe."

"But I—"

"Shh. We'll talk about it in the morning at school, okay? Just… focus on your breathing right now. Put all of your stuff in the footprints."

Lena squeezed her eyes shut and pictured her razors. They needed to go in the footsteps, but Lena hated the thought of that being washed away from her. No, she needed them. Needed the escape, just in case.

"Lena?"

"Yeah. Yeah…"

"Footsteps," Kara reminded her, sensing her getting off track. "Stay with it."

Lena forced herself to place the razors carefully in a footprint in the sand, then filled the next one with her own self-loathing. In the third, she placed her doubts about Kara's feelings. About what they had. Then, she watched in her mind as the razors faded into the ocean and took her self-loathing with them. But before the sea could wash away the third item – her doubts about Kara – she picked them up, out of the sand, and clutched them to her chest.

Love is weakness, Lena's mother had told her long ago, when she'd come home from elementary school with her first crush. Don't. You can't let this happen.

"Lena? Are you with me?"

The word "no" bubbled out of Lena's mouth. Then, she corrected herself, saying, "Yes. Yes, I'm with you."

"Lena… What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I can't do this."

Kara let out a heavy sigh.

"Lena… Why?"

"Because Luthors don't love people, and people don't love Luthors."

"For fuck's sake, Lena. You are not your last name. You are not your mother. You are not your family. You're just… you. Just Lena."

"Maybe to you, but—"

"Yes, Lena. To me, you're just you. That's what I've been telling you all along. You don't have to be anyone or anything else. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be you."

"Even if I cut?"

"What…?"

"You'll still care, even if I cut? Even if I don't stop?"

"Lena, you have to stop! You can't keep—"

"Yes, I can, Kara. It's my choice."

Sighing again, Kara reluctantly replied, "Yes, I'd love you no matter what."

She hadn't meant to say it like that. Hadn't meant to say "love" in that context. But there it was, just like every other stupid thing she'd said to Lena.

Fuck.

"Care. I'd still care."

Lena couldn't stop the smile that spread over her lips.

Confidence suddenly mounting, she challenged, "You said love."

"You're insufferable," Kara huffed.

"Kara… Will you come get me?"

"Sure, but it'll be a while. I don't have a car, remember?"

"Oh, shit. No, don't walk in this weather. It's still cold. I'll come to you. I mean… if that's okay."

"Right now?" Kara asked hesitantly.

"Sure. Unless you don't want me to."

"I do," Kara quickly told her. "Please. Please. I haven't left my room in a week though. Can I have twenty minutes to shower?"

"You what?"

"Uh… I mean…"

"Kara, you've been holed up in your room this entire time?"

"I was distraught, okay?! I thought you hated me!"

"Oh, Kara… Sweet Kara…"

The hero blushed, gripping the phone a little tighter as her palms began to sweat.

"Uh… I gotta go get clean. I'll… um… see you when you get here."

"Kara?"

"Yeah."

"Make sure you wash behind your ears."

Kara had to laugh at this. Lena was so incredibly good at making her laugh. How was it that one girl could bring on so many emotions in such a short span of time?

It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Lena didn't hate her. That Lena cared for her too. That was all Kara could think about for the next twenty-five minutes as she showered and then waited quietly downstairs for Lena to arrive. Luckily, Alex was asleep upstairs and didn't hear her descend the creaky old staircase. And that… was a miracle.

Kara felt her heart leap when she heard Lena's car pull into the driveway. When she opened the door, Lena was standing there with flowers – beautiful pink roses.

"I know you like pink," Lena commented with a shrug, looking down.

"W-What are these for?" Kara asked her, dumbfounded by the gesture for a second time.

"For… For liking me, despite my name."

Like isn't the word, Kara was thinking, but she didn't want to overdo the 'love' thing just yet.

"Come inside," Kara offered with a nervous smile.

Lena shook her head and countered with, "Put the flowers away. Then we're going for ice cream."

"What?"

"Hurry up, Four Eyes."

Lena's smirk made Kara's heart flutter, so she did as she was told and hurried back to the foyer where Lena was waiting for her.

"Ready?" the brunette asked.

Kara nodded and followed Lena out to the car.

They were oddly quiet until they reached the ice cream parlor, where Lena put the car in park but left the music on.

"I love this song," she sighed happily, leaning back in the seat.

"Me too," Kara agreed with a smile. "But we should go inside. It's getting late, and we have school tomorrow."

"Don't be such a spoil-sport, Danvers," Lena laughed, opening the door and stepping out.

Kara followed her into the parlor, and the two ordered their ice creams, Kara ordering a medium, and Lena ordering a small.

"Yikes," Kara said, upon seeing the large size of the 'medium' ice cream. "I think I overshot."

"Dare you to finish it!" Lena cried with a grin. "Bet you can't."

"Challenge accepted," Kara replied, immediately beginning to lick the already-dripping ice cream.

"Let's go sit in the car, though," Lena offered. "Music."

Kara nodded.

Lena finished her ice cream slowly, and soon, Kara had just a little bit left too.

"Ughhh," she groaned, feeling her stomach turn.

She'd definitely overdone it.

"I haven't eaten in a week."

"You what?"

"Uh… nothing. Anyway…"

"You're not chickening out, are you, Danvers?"

Kara shook her head, announcing, "No way. Not a chance," and continuing to work on finishing the ice cream.

Only on the last bite did Kara actually get any ice cream on her face, which was pretty much a miracle, considering how fast the ice cream had been dripping.

Lena looked over at her and bit her lip, holding back a laugh.

Once she'd gotten it under control, she husked, "Hey, Four Eyes. Come here."

Kara blinked, not understanding the command, but Lena grabbed the collar of her blouse and pulled her forward. Pushing Kara's glasses slightly further up the bridge of her nose, Lena leaned in and hovered there, just long enough to make Kara's heart race.

"Your glasses were slipping," Lena explained breathily. "And you have ice cream on your lip."

Embarrassed, the blonde instantly started to reach up to wipe her face, but Lena caught her wrist with surprisingly fast reflexes.

"Wait," she whispered. "Allow me?"

Kara froze, not knowing what to say. Was Lena asking to…

"Kara?"

The hero actually shook her head to pull herself back into the moment, making her golden locks bounce around her shoulders.

"No?"

"No. Yes."

"What?"

"Yes… You can… You can get it," Kara finally told her shyly.

Lena's smile was sly and confident, something Kara hadn't seen in a long, long time, but there was something incredibly seductive about it this time, and Kara wasn't sure if her heart was going to explode or stop completely.

All Kara knew was that when Lena's tongue danced across the corner of her lips – taking the ice cream with it and leaving a trail of electrified skin in its wake – she saw fireworks.

And not the Fourth-of-July kind. The huge, colorful, loud, overwhelming magic of Disney World kind that left her completely breathless.

"Lena," Kara gasped, finally regaining her ability to retain oxygen.

Feeling her own heart racing, Lena leaned even closer, resting her elbow on the console, and looked into Kara's eyes as she cupped the girl's cheek in her hand.

"Kara," Lena said with a smile. "That was…"

Then, in stunning unison, they both finished, "Magical."

Eyes wide with surprise and affection, they both laughed. Gaining some of her own bravery, Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and pulled her into a warm embrace. The kind that made Lena feel like she could turn off the heat in the car.

"I should bring you home," Lena said, suddenly pulling away.

Startled, Kara asked, "Did I… Did I do something wrong?"

Lena shook her head, assuring her, "No, sweetheart. It's just late, like you said."

"And… this was okay for you?" the blonde nervously confirmed.

Lena smiled warmly and nodded her head, telling Kara, "This was so much more than okay, Kara. This was… everything. Everything I ever could have hoped for. Everything I never could have even imagined. Everything I thought I'd never have."

"And I'll see you tomorrow?"

Laughing at this, Lena kissed Kara's cheek and told her, "Yeah, honey. Tomorrow morning, bright and early. I'll meet you at your locker."

"Promise?" Kara asked, feeling an overwhelming flood of insecurity flow through her.

"Kara," Lena whispered, pecking the girl on the lips. "I promise."

"You won't change your mind?" the blonde pressed, biting her lip. When Lena shook her head, Kara finally smiled and swallowed her nerves, saying, "Okay," and buckled her seatbelt.

Back at Kara's house, neither wanted to say goodnight.

"Don't go," Kara pleaded, the words pouring out before she could stop them.

God, I'm pathetic, she was thinking.

"I have to," Lena sighed. "I don't want to, but I have to."

Nodding reluctantly, Kara undid her seatbelt.

"Hey," Lena stopped her, touching her hand. "Don't be sad, okay? I'll see you in like… six hours and 27 minutes."

They both laughed, realizing how late it was and how little sleep they would be getting.

"Goodnight, Lena," Kara whispered, daring to bump noses with Lena and nuzzling her lightly in an automatic gesture of her affection.

"You're cute," Lena told her, beaming from ear to ear.

Kara had never seen Lena smile so much, and it was the most refreshing thing she'd ever experienced.

Seeing Kara blush, Lena husked, "Goodnight, Miss Danvers."

Shivering – and not from the cold – Kara offered a weak, embarrassed smile and got out of the car. As soon as she shut the door, she regretted it and longed to be beside Lena again, but instead of getting back in the car, she looked at Lena and blew her a kiss.

Wow. I am a nerd, Kara realized, blushing even more as she walked back up to her front door.