As I promised, here you have a new one-shot! This is based on the promo for 5x12, I used all but one scene of the promo and it has taken me two weeks to finally complete this. Is my longest one-shot ever, in any fandom, and let me say I'm proud of it. You will probably find some mistakes, as always, forgive me for those. I hope you enjoy this and buckle up! It's gonna be a wild ride!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all the caracters belong to DC and The CW, I only used them to write gay fics.
PD. Sorry for the scenes with Willy boy but they are necessary.
Never again
Game night had been fun with William. Kara wouldn't dare to say it was the best game night, not by far, but the temporary return of Winn and the addition of the other reporter had made it… lighter somehow. The Superfriends teased him because he was the new guy, everyone laughed and, for a second, the gang forgot about the person that was missing. Well, most of them did. Kara could never forget about her. She didn't want to. Rao, she really wished that those tequila shots could make her feel something, or better, make her stop feeling.
Before the night was over, Winn – or Marty as they were calling him because William didn't know the Toyman was a doppelganger – suggested they go to the monthly karaoke night at Al's Dive Bar which happened to be the next night and they all agreed to it. Everyone started leaving Kara's apartment after that, J'onn and Winn were the first to go, the latter following the former since he was staying at his place. Nia was next, taking a cab to her apartment rejecting Kelly and Alex's offer to give her a ride. William, then, approached Kara, who was gathering the beer bottles from the coffee table. He tapped her shoulder lightly, making her turn around and smile.
"I had a really great time tonight, Kara." He said smiling timidly. "Your friends are amazing"
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I can relate to be the new kid in town." The blonde really did. She didn't want anyone to feel as alone as she had felt when she first got to Earth, and after losing his best friend, Kara assumed that that's how William felt.
"Yeah, well…" he huffed a laugh, "I can't wait for karaoke night. I've never been to… uh…" his face contracted slightly in confusion, "what was it? Al's Dive Bar?"
"Yes, Al's Bar. It's a really cool place, lots of aliens hang out there, and they have chicken wings to die for." The blonde emphasized the part about the food because… well she loved food.
William's eyes widened in surprise. "An alien bar?" Kara only nodded. "That sounds interesting."
The kryptonian's eyes narrowed as she stopped herself from crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Is that a problem?" William had never said anything anti-alien but it sure was a good time to find out now. Sooner rather than later.
The reporter shook his head as he denied it. "Of course not. I'm sure it will be an amazing experience." He stated with a smile. "I should get going but," he reached down and grabbed the beer bottles. "I can take the rubbish on my way out."
"You don't have to." Kara tried to take the bottles out of his hands but William backed away before, walking towards the kitchen and the trash can.
"It's okay, it's the least I can do." He put the bottles inside the trash bag and tied it up.
The blonde chuckled. "I meant, don't throw the bottles… I recycle them." She pointed out. Lena was all about green energy, recycling and anything eco-friendly and some of that had stuck with the heroine.
William looked down and laughed under his breath. He then untied the bag and pulled the bottles out, leaving them in the sink to be rinsed. "I'll take out the rest of it."
"Okay… thank you." She said quietly, still standing in the middle of her living room.
"Thank you for inviting me." The reporter turned around and moved slowly towards the door, trash bag in one hand while the other reached for the doorknob. Turning his head to see Kara, he said his goodbyes. "See you tomorrow."
The blonde smiled. "See you."
They stared at each other for a few seconds until they heard someone clear their throat, making them break the eye contact. William opened the door. "Goodbye Alex, Kelly. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise William." The eldest Danvers answered as she came out from behind the curtains that separated the living room from the bedroom fixing her jacket over her olive shirt.
"Have a nice night, Will." Kelly replied close behind from Alex.
The man only nodded and finally made his exit.
"What were you two doing in my bathroom?" Kara crossed her arms and raised a brow, looking at her sister disapprovingly.
Alex raised her arms in surrender. "Nothing above PG13, little sister… Not that your eye-fucking with Tea-O-clock was any better."
The kryptonian flushed and scowled at her sister. "We were not doing that, Alex!" Kara felt something at the pit of her stomach thanks to Alex's comment. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Yeah, sure…" The redhead dismissed Kara's negative.
"Don't bother your sister, Alex." Kelly grabbed her girlfriend from behind, gently squeezing her shoulders. "If there was anything to tell, I'm sure you'd be the first to know."
The agent just rolled her eyes playfully. "Anyways, we have to go." She walked to her sister and gave her a hug. "Tonight was fun." She embraced the alien harder, knowing she could take it, and felt a pair of arms around herself. "I'm glad you're allowing yourself a few distractions." She was talking about William, Kara was sure. "It's not healthy that you think about her all the time. It wasn't your fault." Alex whispered that last part, letting go of the blonde.
Pulling away but her hands still resting on her sister's waist, Kara responded. "It was my fault. But," she nibbled on her bottom lip, looking down. "I'm trying to give her space. Also I need to figure out what I'm going to do… I know she won't just believe my word so I have to show her she can trust in me again." She looked up and smiled. "But I can't go around feeling sorry for myself. I have to keep living my life and hope for the best."
Alex pushed a lock of golden hair behind Kara's ear. "You're the Paragon of Hope after all." She proudly said.
The heroine nodded, fighting back her tears.
"See you tomorrow, kiddo." Alex kissed Kara's forehead and backed away. Taking Kelly's hand between hers, she pulled her girlfriend towards the door. "We'll kickyour ass at karaoke." That made the blonde laugh.
"Goodnight Kara" Kelly waved at the blonde.
"Bye." Was all Kara said as she waved back.
Once she was alone, the kryptonian let out a trembling sigh. Deciding that cleaning up could wait, she walked to her room, gently took off her glasses, changed into her pajamas at human speed and climbed into bed, waiting for a dreamless night.
The next day came too quickly, Kara felt like she had just fallen asleep when her alarm went off. She got up, made herself breakfast – something light, just a dozen of eggs with bacon and toasts – and speed-cleaned all the mess from the night before. Taking her time in the shower, she was running just a bit late for work, not that she was worried about it. Picking a light brown dress with elbow-length sleeves, she finished getting her clothes and make-up on and left her apartment.
Arriving just in time for Andrea to yell at her, as usual, Kara settle down on her desk and started typing something, anything to look busy and not be disturbed by anyone. Of course this didn't work and Nia dropped by with a coffee and a smile, telling Kara how excited she was for karaoke night.
"Yeah, I'm excited too. It's time for something normal after all the craziness." The blonde said to her fellow alien.
"What are you going to sing? I was thinking of 'Beautifully Unfinished' by Ella Henderson for myself…" Nia said tapping her chin with her index.
The heroine hissed and scrunched up her face. "I don't think that's a good idea…"
"Why? It's a beautiful song…" The naltorian crossed her arms and pouted.
Kara nodded slowly. "It is a beautiful song but," she stood up, walked around her desk and placed her hands on Nia's arms, "it may be hitting to close to home, don't you think?" The brunette sighed and nodded. "You should sing something fun, something that makes everyone stand up and dance as they sing along!"
"I'm not singing anything form *NSYNC." Nia warned Kara as she laughed.
The kryptonian gasped and touched her chest with one hand, offended. "How dare you, Nia Nal? How dare you?"
This made Nia laugh harder, which attracted the attention of their co-workers. She leaned towards Kara and whispered, "We all know Backstreet Boys is a better boy band."
The blonde slapped, at human strength, her desk and then pointed Nia with the same hand. "That's it, missy. You're un-invited to karaoke night."
"You can get un-invited? I better not do something wrong then." William interrupted and both women turned their faces to see him.
Nia moved a hand in a dismissing motion. "Pfff, just ignore her. She has no authority to un-invite anyone." She winked playfully at him.
Kara crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, yeah?" Nia nodded self-assured. "Good thing I do have the authority to make you write some of Andrea's ideas of 'good' stories like 'dress for your body type' or 'what color is your color?'"
Nia's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't, you know I'm chasing a big story right now."
"I know and I expect the best from you, so go do that and stop insulting the best boy band that ever existed."
The brunette poked her friend in the stomach and started walking away. "Okay boss, but my story will blow your mind so be prepared."
"Bring it on…" and before Nia disappeared behind a corner she added, "and think of another song!"
The British man laughed softly at the blonde's antics. "So… what's the best boy band that ever existed?"
"You offend me just by asking." Kara answered with a smile as she took a seat at her desk again, making William walk to get closer. Rao, she missed Lena loving *NSYNC as much as she did. Her smile faltered at the though.
"Is it mandatory to sing? Can't I just watch you guys?" He asked playfully.
She gave him a fake dirty look. "You want to go to karaoke night and not sing? Really?"
"I'm not the greatest singer." The man tried to justify himself as he shrugged.
Kara chuckled, making the corner of her eyes crinkle. "Karaoke night is not about who sings the best, is about who makes the best performance. So it doesn't matter how you sing as long as you put up a good show."
"That doesn't make sense." His brows knitted.
"Relax, everyone will be tipsy, they won't notice if you can't reach a note."
"You Americans amaze me every day." William said and then placed a small piece of paper at Kara's desk. "This is the address of a small coffee shop away from here, we can meet there to discuss the other thing." He whispered with a serious expression on his face, alluding to Lex Luthor of course.
Kara quickly covered the piece of paper with her hand and dragged it close to her, slipping it in a drawer of her desk. "Perfect, we can meet there on Monday. I have the day off."
"Okay. See you later Kara." He tapped her desk and turned around.
The rest of the day was quiet, until she got a call from the DEO informing her of an alien attack downtown. Whipping her glasses off her face as soon as she was alone, she flew as fast as she could – without creating a sonic-boom – met the DEO strike team lead by Alex and took care of the problem. She didn't go back to work after that, not in the mood to be told she needed to re-write something. Kara instead headed home and ordered two pizzas to eat before she left for the bar, knowing the chicken wings wouldn't be enough for her appetite. As soon as the food arrived, she wolfed down all of it in less than thirty minutes. Looking at the hour, she decided she could watch some TV before she started getting ready. Flipping through the channels with her favorite blanket covering her lap, she saw that DEO ad 'she' had done with the Luthor siblings. Rao, it was so weird to watch that and not remember doing it but what hurt the most was that Lena may never be that civil with her ever again. She kept changing the channels until a movie caught her attention: Titanic. Lena's favorite movie. Well, that was depressing. However, she didn't change it or turned off her TV. The blonde was absorbed watching the scene where Jack sketched Rose when her phone rang.
Looking at the caller ID, the reporter answered immediately. "Hey Alex."
"Hey sis, are you ready yet?"
Kara's eyes went round, pulling the phone away from her ear to look at the time. She was running late. "Yeah, yes. I'll be on my way in a few minutes." She stood up and speeded into her room, putting her sister on speaker as she put together an outfit.
The agent scoffed, not believing her sister. "You're lucky you have super speed, you know that?"
"Well…" Kara chuckled, "Barry is a speedster and he's still late for a lot of things." She had picked a pair of blue jeans, a white spaghetti strapped shirt, a beige cardigan and ankle boots to match.
"True," the redhead agreed, "Just don't be super late." Alex loved doing 'Super' puns, "We're meeting at the bar in 15."
Kara had already taken her phone into the bathroom, stripped and hopped inside the shower, just turning the water on as she answered. "I'll be there in 20… 25 tops. I can't make the water come out faster." The alien justified herself as she let the water hit her skin. The truth was, she didn't want to rush her shower. Even if she couldn't feel its temperature, the dull feeling of the water hitting her skin relaxed her and Rao knew she was in dire need of some relaxing.
"Sure, we'll see you inside. Do you want me to place an order of chicken wings?"
The blonde laughed, "Do you even have to ask?"
"Duh, what was I thinking," Kara could almost see her sister playfully bumping her own forehead, "I'll ask for two orders."
"You know me, sis."
"Alright, see you there Kara."
"See you there Al. Love you."
"Love you too." After that, the blonde heard her sister ending the call and started scrubbing herself clean.
15 minutes later, Kara came out of the shower in her bathrobe and her hair wrapped in a towel, she put her clothes and shoes on, styled her hair in a ponytail flip with a twist, applied a little make-up and finished her look with her glasses. Deciding against flying, she called a taxi and arrived at the bar in less than 10 minutes, where everyone was already waiting for her.
"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late." She greeted everyone as she walked towards the group of friends seated in a long table right in front of the stage. They had managed to fit chairs for everyone so they could face the stage and see the performances.
A chorus of 'hey' and 'hello Kara' was their answer, they all had drinks in front of them, beer for some and cocktails for others. At one end of the table was J'onn, at his left was Alex, Kelly, Nia, an empty seat for Kara, William and finally Winn at the other end, facing the martian.
Before the blonde sat down she stopped and pointed at the bar over her shoulder with her thumb. "I'm gonna get a drink. Be right back."
Leaning at the bar, she made a hand gesture to get Al's attention. "Hi Al."
The bartender approached her as he cleaned a glass. "Hello Kara, what can I get you?"
The blonde drummed her fingers as she decided what to drink. "I'm in the mood for a rum and coke, please."
"Regular or special?" The big man asked, his voice a little louder than a whisper. Some people at the bar knew Kara wasn't as human as she appeared but didn't know the specific kind of alien she was. They respected her privacy none the less.
"Special." It had been a while since the kryptonian drank something that could actually affect her, never finding a reason to want to get drunk. However, the recent events were reason enough, she though.
"Coming right up." Al turned around and started mixing her drink.
Glass in hand, Kara went back to their table where the boys were enjoying the chicken wings and their drinks. Taking a seat on the high stool beside William, the blonde asked about her absent friends. "Where are the girls?" She brought her glass to her mouth to take a sip with one hand and then rested her chin on the other.
"They went to the ladies room," Winn answered, fiddling with his fake glasses, pushing them up his nose. "But we were telling William here not to worry about singing. We all suck." He placed a hand on the Brit's shoulder and shook him playfully.
"We are good in a lot of things but singing isn't one of them." J'onn agreed before adding, "Well, except for Kara. If she wasn't such a good reporter I'm sure she would be a famous singer."
Kara turned to face the man bashfully. "Aw, don't say that."
The other reporter nodded with a tight smile on his face. "No pressure then, right?" He said teasingly.
"Oh, pressure for sure, Big Ben." A voice coming from behind the man made him turn. It was Alex with a beer in hand and Kelly in the other. "Nia just went to sign us all up so start thinking of your song, there's no backing out."
William chuckled and reached for his drink, gulping it down. "What the hell, let's do it."
Everyone cheered ad his words and raised their respective drinks, just as Nia came back.
"Well, well, we should decide the order our performances, shouldn't we?" The naltorian said as she sat down again.
"I think I know how we can decide." Kelly stated, grabbing Alex's beer, finishing it and setting the bottle in the middle of the table, moving the chicken wings to the sides. With a flick of her wrist, the bottle was spinning and everyone was tapping the table excitedly. After a few seconds it started spinning slower and slower, finally pointing at Winn.
The genius stood up and downed his tequila shot. "Let's get this show started."
And so the fun began. Winn sang 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' by Def Leppard as everyone in the bar were clapped along the bit. The next one to go up the stage was J'onn, who had gotten better at karaoke since the last time where he talked more than singed. He chose 'Careless Whisperer' by George Michael for his performance and the whole bar was delighted. A couple of aliens sang a duet after, followed by someone who was way too drunk to read the lyrics properly, earning him a collective boo. The gang was spinning the bottle again until one hand reached out and stopped it.
"Alright, I'm going." Nia said as she pulled her hand back and stood to her feet.
"This should be interesting…" Alex muttered drinking her third beer. Kara swatted her sister's arm. "Ouch!" She whined, making the blonde role her eyes, knowing she didn't hit her hard.
"Nia is going through a breakup, we both know what that's like." She saw as the brunette grabbed the mic and waited for the music to begin. Kara thought of her most recent breakup, Mon-El, and how the heartbreak his departure had caused paled in comparison to the one caused by Lena. The heartbreak Kara brought on herself. "She needs our support."
Alex didn't say anything else as the music started. Nia had chosen 'Complicated' by Avril Lavigne. Kara smiled, remembering that Alex used to listen to the Canadian singer all the time when she arrived at the Danvers' home. It still was a song that could be related to her situation with Brainy but it was also a song well known by the crowd, even making some people sing along the chorus.
Cheers, applauses and even some whistles exploded in the bar as soon as the music stopped, making Nia blush and make a small bow, thanking the crowd and placing the microphone in its stand. As the brunette returned to the table, her friends kept on cheering for her.
"Nia, that was amazing!" Kelly said as she hugged the young woman.
The naltorian returned the hug, "Thank you, I was so nervous." She let go of Kelly and took her seat between the Danvers sisters, both of them engulfing her in a one armed hug.
"You did it great!" Kara said, briefly resting her head on Nia's shoulder before pulling away.
"Wonderful!" The redhead agreed.
"Thanks Kara, I feel better now." She smiled at the blonde before turning around to face Alex. "What are you singing?"
The agent lowered the beer bottle that was on the way to her lips seconds ago before answering. She turned to give Kelly a mischievous look. "Well, we were thinking of a duet." She nudged gently at Kelly's shoulder with her own.
"Oh, Kara and William should sing together too!" Winn exclaimed with a grin on his face.
William tried to shrug it off with a laugh. "I don't want to embarrass Kara."
"I think it's a great idea." Nia said beside Kara. "It's hard singing after Kara. Better to do it with her."
Everyone on the table agreed, but Kara remained silent, sipping at her drink. She had switched her alien alcohol from the human kind after the first glass but now she wished she was still drinking something capable of affecting her biology.
"Kara, what do you say?" Alex asked after noticing her sister's lack of opinion.
"Uh, well…" The kryptonian looked around the table, all eyes were on her.
"We don't have to." Her co-worker said, gently touching her arm.
Kara stared at him for a few seconds. "No, no… it's okay. We can sing together." She reassured him with a smile that, even if she tried, didn't reach her eyes. "After Alex and Kelly, of course." She added, turning to look at the couple.
Alex slapped the table with both hands as she stood up. "Well, since that is settle, how about some shots?" They all agreed. "You want the special, Kar?"
"Yes! Please…" The blonde said a little too eager.
"Perfect, I'll ask for some more snacks too." She backed away towards the bar coming back with a tray with six shots of a golden liquor and one slightly clearer and with different consistency. She placed it on the table and everyone reached for them, however William took the different one, examining its contents.
"What's this?" He brought the shot close to his face as he smelled it. Everyone on the table had alarmed expressions on their faces.
"Don't drink that!" Kara grabbed his arm with one hand and snatched the shot away with the other.
"Oh, I'm sorry." The Brit said confused, not knowing that he could've died if he drank that.
The blonde downed the shot before anything else could happen. It didn't hit her as hard as the first time she had tasted it but she did feel slightly dizzy afterwards. "Don't worry, it's just… that was mine." She stated with a tight smile.
Trying to not make a big deal out of the situation, Alex pulled Kelly to her feet and grabbed two shots, placing one on her girlfriend's hand. "Let's get this over, shall we babe?"
Kelly smiled and clinked her shot glass with Alex's, nodding at her and then drinking it at the same time. "Let's go."
The lasts singer was just getting off stage as the women approached the guy with the tracks. Once they grabbed the microphones, the music started, a familiar beat that made everyone cheer. Alex started singing the first verse of 'You're The One That I Want' as she walked around Kelly. Then it was Kelly's turn. She changed the word 'man' for 'girl' as the song went on, and everyone was over the moon even if the girls couldn't hit every note. They gave an incredible performance and at the end of it, a lot of people were standing as they clapped, everyone on Kara's table were doing just that. Kara even had her hands cupping her mouth as she cheered at her sister and her girlfriend with Winn whistling at them too.
Alex circled Kelly's waist with an arm and raised her other hand, motioning for them to settle down. "Okay, okay, I know we're amazing but calm down." She let go of her girlfriend and stood between William and Kara, patting at their shoulders. "I believe it's your turn"
Kara rose to her feet, mockingly cracking her neck and knuckles like she was going into a fight. "Are you ready William?" She asked him with a raised brow,
Standing to his full height, he nodded with confidence. "Always." Kara's jaw tensed at that single word. Such a simple word that hold so much meaning to her. But apparently, 'always' was not – ironically enough – always true.
"Come on."
And so, they walked to the stage, William close to Kara's back. "What are we singing?" He asked over her shoulder.
"'Africa' by TOTO." She simply answered, making sure the guy in charge heard her as well.
The other reporter grimaced at that. "That's not a duet."
Kara turned around to look at him, sighing. "I know, it's just that I've been wanting to sing that for a while and we hadn't had the change to come to karaoke night in a long time." She explained.
He nodded slowly in understanding. "Okay. Let's do it."
They both climbed into the stage, William a little nervous while Kara stood firm with confidence. The music started, the sound of drums rhythmically beating accompanied by the keyboard seconds later. Kara nodded at her partner, signaling him to begging the song when the time came.
"I hear the drums echoing tonight, but she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation," The man sang. Kara found curious how his accent got lost a little.
"She's coming in, 12:30 flight, the moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation," The blonde continued the song. She liked that verse a lot, finding herself looking at the stars for salvation since she first came to Earth and even before, when she was still on Krypton.
"I stopped an old man along the way, hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies," William stumble a little with the beat but recovered quickly.
"He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry girl, it's waiting there for you," The alien dragged the last word, showing that she could carry a tune with ease.
"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you, there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do," Both of them sang, Kara extending her free arm towards the crowd as William tried to imitate her. She couldn't help thinking about Lena, how she would fight more than a hundred or a thousand men for her. How she wasn't going to let anyone drag her away from the young Luthor even if Kara had to save her from her brother and herself. "I bless the rains down in Africa, gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh, ooh," Their voices combined sounded nice, as the crowd let them know with some applauses even if the song was far from finished.
"The wild dogs cry out in the night, as they grow restless, longing for some solitary company," The Brit resumed the song, followed by the blonde.
"I know that I must do what's right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti," Even as she sang, Kara's mind was elsewhere, thinking she had to make it right with Lena, whatever the cost may be. She was connecting so much with the lyrics that she forgot it was William's turn to sing his verse alone and continued singing.
"I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become," She had become a liar and a traitor in Lena's mind. She had to fix that.
"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you, there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do," Again, both reporters sang along, "I bless the rains down in Africa, gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh, ooh,"
They moved slowly side to side at the music solo, waiting for the final part of the song, Kara moving her hands as if she was playing the African drums.
"Hurry boy/girl, she's waiting there for you," Kara and William sang, chuckling a little at the clash of words. "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you," Kara pointed at the audience as she moved energetically on stage, "there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do, I bless the rains down in Africa,"
"I bless the rains down in Africa," They took turns singing the last verses, William doing the first solo.
"I bless the rains down in Africa," The blonde reached up with one hand and wiggle her fingers as she lowered it, like it was rain, while she held the mic close to her lips with the other.
"I bless the rains down in Africa," William moved around the stage, trying to keep up with Kara's energy.
"I bless the rains down in Africa," The alien grabbed the mic stand with her free hand she swung it on its base away from her body as she threw her head back, dragging the last note as long as the beat allowed her.
"Gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh, ooh," The reporters finished the song together, smiling at each other as the song died down, their friends clapping and whistling like they were in the last concert of The Beetles, being followed by the rest of the people in the bar.
They walked to their table with wide grins on their faces. Kara still felt conflicted, a lot of feelings had surfaced with the lyrics of the song but she had had fun with her new friend and she wanted to enjoy the rest of the night. As they sat down again Alex admitted that they kicked hers and Kelly's asses and offered to get them all more shots, however it wasn't necessary as Al approached them with a tray full of drinks, claiming that it was on the house because of everyone's amazing performances. He even promise them a free order of chicken wings, making Kara squeak in joy.
After a few more songs, J'onn stood up and said he had to go, something about a PI case he was working on. He left some bills to cover his drinks and a little more for the snacks and said goodbye to everyone, hugging the girls and 'man-hugging' the boys, reminding Winn – Marty – that he had keys for whenever he was planning to retire for the night. Nia decided to leave with J'onn, claiming she still had to work on the article she promised Kara. Winn excused himself to go to the restroom, leaving Alex, Kelly, Kara and William on the table.
"I'm gonna ask for one more drink before we go." The blonde said.
"I want another beer too, let me go with you to the bar." William stood up as well and followed Kara. They asked for their drinks – Kara asked for a beer as well – and they were left alone as Al fetched their order. "Would you like to go out sometime?" The Brit blurted out.
Kara's eyes went wide in surprise for a second before replying. "Like a date?" She nervously asked.
He pressed his lips together. "Yes… or no, however you prefer…" He hesitated at the end.
Kara was speechless, "Uh…" Al saved her as he returned with their beers.
"Here you go."
"Thanks Al, can you close our tab, please?" The kryptonian asked as she reached for the bottle.
"Sure." The bartender went away, walking towards the register.
After a few seconds, William spoke again. "So…"
Kara was buying time as she raised the bottle to her lips and took a long sip. When it had dragged to long, she lowered the bottle. "Can I… think about it?" She mumbled, her eyes not meeting his.
"Yes, sure." He quickly assured her. "You can tell me on Monday after our meeting." Oh, right. The 'Let's catch Lex Luthor without getting anyone killed' meeting.
"Okay." Kara gave him a tight-lipped smile.
Soon after, the whole gang had left the bar for the night. Kara again took a cab, deciding that flying after drinking was highly irresponsible, besides she didn't want to end up flying towards Lena's apartment, tipsy as she was. As soon as she got home she texted Alex – not that her sister had anything to worry about, to be honest – and stripped of her clothes, washed her face, brushed her teeth and finally threw herself into bed, glad that the alien alcohol seemed to have relaxed her body a little, sleep didn't take long to come.
Sunday morning was uneventful. Kara swung by CatCo, glad that both William and Andrea were off that day, she didn't want to face the Brit before she had an answer and, truthfully, she hadn't given it much thought. After crashing the night before and rushing out of her apartment that morning it hadn't cross her mind at all until she stepped foot in the building. It's not like she had time to date, she barely had time to save the world and keep her job this days… although a little distraction from her problems would probably be good. Kara finished her piece on Toyman, feeling bad for dragging Winn's name in the mud for things he didn't do, but pointing out that, even if he tried, this Toyman hadn't killed anyone. Ugh, she really disliked Andrea and her need for clicks. Printing the article and leaving it on Andrea's office, the heroine decided to go since Sundays were half-days in the office.
Arriving to the Lex owned DEO, the blonde greeted her sister who was standing in the command center. "Good afternoon, director."
"Supergirl, good to see you." She nodded at her sister with a smile. "How's your head?" She asked humoredly, knowing her sister wasn't much of a drinker.
The blonde only chuckled and gave her a self-assured look. "Great! Just a little bit of sunlight and I'm as good as new."
The director got closer to Kara and whispered, knowing that the blonde could hear her perfectly, "I resent you, you know that, right?"
"You love me." The kryptonian replied with low voice as well. "So, anything interesting today?"
"No, it's been awfully quiet all morning." The redhead cross her arms over her chest in a languid motion.
"Oh Rao, you just jinxed i –" before Kara could finish her sentence, the monitors around them exploded, sparkles of electricity jumping out of them.
"What the hell was that? Someone give me a status report, now!" The director barked the order as she stepped back, close to her sister.
"Are we under attack?" The Super asked, her body tensing ready to fight.
"I need answers, now!" Alex demanded, looking at her agents.
"The computers aren't responding, ma'am. We have to reboot the entire network." Vazquez replied.
"Do it immediately." The director ordered but before anyone moved, all the monitors turned on again and a familiar face appeared on them.
"Hello, hello, hello dear agents of the DEO." Winslow Schott Jr. aka Toyman, who supposedly had died on the explosion he caused days ago, was on every screen of the command center.
"What am I seeing? Is this an old video? How did he hack us and why are we seeing this just now?" Alex questioned as she pulled out her phone, texting Winn **we need you at the DEO, Toyman is back**.
Toyman clicked his tong a few times before talking with his distorted voice. "This isn't old footage, I can assure you." The man on the screens gave them a twisted smile. "I am your servers now, I now all and I control everything on the DEO."
Kara gritted her teeth. "How is this possible?" Her fists clenched as well, veins popping up.
The man chuckled. "I play to win. I hope you have fun 'cause I sure will." The screens all went black and silence reigned in the room.
The second that happened, toy machines came flying into the command center, shooting at everyone. Kara dodged them with ease, Alex did too.
"Supergirl, get rid of them!" Alex yelled.
"I'm on it!" The blonde's eyes glowed with heat as lasers came out of them a second later, destroying some killing toys quickly as the agents shot others down.
Once every toy was destroyed, Alex took a few second to process the whole thing before speaking again. "I want everything offline. The firewall of the server should reboot itself and delete every piece of information after that. It should erase this virus or whatever it is."
"Alex you can't do that. The alien registry, every mission report, our information about Leviathan, all of that will be gone! And what about the holding cells? We should try to find his location first, I'm sure Brainy can do something." Kara refuted, every agent watching her reaction, waiting for the director to speak.
"I gave my orders. Brainy is not here and every second we use the computers Toyman gets more intel, he could see our every move with the CCTV. The holding cells are on a different server and have an emergency generator in case of electric malfunction, if anyone had gotten loose we would be seeing them already." Alex said, looking at her agents do as she said. Pulling out a small silver cylinder from her belt, she got close to her sister. "This is one of two cylinders necessaries to access a back-up server. It's always offline and gets updated everyday by me with an external disk so it doesn't have direct contact with the DEO network in cases like this."
With her hands on her hips Kara nodded in understanding, only to stop a second later. "Wait, one of two? Who has the other one?" A crinkle formed between her brows.
The redhead clenched her jaw. "Who do you think?"
The kryptonian sighed. "Lex."
"Unfortunately, yes. We can recover everything after, don't worry. Besides, as soon as J'onn restored my memories he and I moved Alura's hologram to a secure location. It was never connected to the network, only answered to me, you and J'onn and it doesn't appear in any record so Lex knows nothing of it." Alex squeezed Kara's arm trying to ease her mind.
The heroine chewed her bottom lip before responding. "Okay, that's good." She couldn't imagine what Lex would do with an almost unlimited source of information about Krypton and the twenty-eight known galaxies.
Backing away from the Super, Alex turned around to speak to the agents. "I want a full sweep of the building, I want a strike team on the holding unit just in case and everyone else searching every corner of this place until we find something. The DEO is on lockdown, people. No one goes in and no one goes out unless they're cleared by me. Let me know when our friend Legionnaire comes."
"We should begin with the storage where you guys put Toyman's equipment." Kara suggested.
"Let's go." With a firm nod, Alex agreed.
The room was dark, filled with metal boxes. On the table there were pieces of the monkey bombs and a tactical computer, which quickly draw their attention.
Kara got close to it, seeing the screen on, frozen with static. "Why is this on?"
"I don't know, it's not supposed to be." Alex answered as she pulled out her gun.
Suddenly, a beeping sound caught their attention. Kara tuned it with her super hearing, finding its source: one of the boxes on the corner of the room. Trying to see what was inside with her x-ray vision, she let out a frustrated sigh. "Why is everything lead-lined this days?"
"You can thank Lois for including that in her first article about your cousin and then thank Lex for making lead-lined things protocol." Alex joked without any humor in her voice.
Kara shook her head and started to approach the mysterious box. Before she could lift the lid, it opened by itself, revealing some kind of robot that looked like it was still putting its pieces into the right places. "I'm guessing that transformer wasn't there before."
"Nope." Alex simply answered as she took a look at the robot. It wasn't big, it was about Kara's height, and judging by the look of it, it seemed like the computer that formerly occupied the box had morphed into it somehow.
Kara drew back her arm to build momentum, but before she could punch forward the robot shot lasers at her, sending her back in the air. The blonde recovered quickly enough to shift mid-air and stop herself from colliding with the back wall. She let out an angry huff. "I hate robots." The alien flew towards the machine at high speed and punched it, her fist piercing through it. A few seconds later it was crumbling to pieces.
"Ma'ams, the Legionnaire is here." The voice of an agent came through the ear pieces both women had on.
Alex reached up to her ear and spoke. "We'll be right there." Closing the communication channel, she turned to her sister. "Let's try to figure this out."
Winn was livid when they met him at the entrance of the main floor. Pacing from side to side, a hand rubbing his temples and his blue mask partially covering his features. "What happened?" He demanded to know as he spotted the director and the heroine.
Alex raised her hands in defeat. "We don't know. A few monitors and electronic devices seamed to malfunction and the he was on every screen."
"He's dead, I watch him explode right in front of me." Winn stated angrily.
Kara put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "We're just telling you what we saw. It didn't look like something pre-recorded and his killing bots appeared right after. It was too well coordinated to be the work of a dead man."
"My father did the same, remember?" The man's fists clenched as he said that.
"We will figure this out." The blonde assured him.
"Do you think of any place he could be like when we found his plans to kill Andrea?" Alex interjected.
Winn stopped to think for a few moments. "We found Toyman's lair on the old factory my dad owned so, maybe the old arcade by the pier where he used to take me to? Or the warehouse where he held me hostage." With a touch on his gauntlet, it displayed holographic models of both buildings, one after the other.
"Okay, let's go to the arcade first. With Winn's father it was empty but we don't know if it will be the same this time, too many people could be in danger." Kara said with a stern face.
With a nod, Alex agreed. "Let's go check it out. I can have a strike team assembled to go to the warehouse to watch the perimeter."
"What about Brainy?" The blonde suddenly asked.
"Wha-what about him?" Winn stumble a little on his words.
"He could help us track him, right? Or help with whatever tech we might find." Kara said like it was an obvious thing.
The redhead shook her head. "He's not here. Lex has him working on something and, frankly, it gives me a little peace of mind that he's watching over him."
"Let's hope Brainy can handle Lex." The Super said with a sigh. "Meet me at the arcade." And with that, the heroine took off and flew out the balcony.
Supergirl arrived at the place in a matter of minutes, landing outside the building. Squinting slightly, she used her x-ray vision to scan the place. It was filled with families and teenagers however there was no sign of Toyman, bombs or traps anywhere, not even in the storage rooms.
Kara's index and middle fingers touched her ear as she communicated with her sister. "Alex, there's no signs of him here. Change directions and go to the warehouse, I'll be there in a minute."
"Copy that, Supergirl." Alex confirmed and Kara could hear the motorcycle's engines as her sister suddenly stopped, turned around and sped off in quick succession.
Taking a last look at the arcade, the reporter crouched her knees and a second after she was in the air. When she arrived to the warehouse, the DEO strike team was already there, scouting the perimeter. It was weird seeing the DEO issued Kevlar vests instead of the FBI ones they used to wear when the organization was a secret back on Earth 38. Not long after, Alex joined them, with Winn clinging to her on the back of her bike.
Removing her helmet, the director climbed off the vehicle and walked towards Kara. "What's the status here?"
"Perimeter is clear but I can't see inside. There's lead in the walls, it doesn't look like something intentional, just the way old buildings were made, but it still hinders my sight." Kara informed Alex and Winn.
"So, we're going in." Alex stated. "Listen everyone, Supergirl, the Legionnaire and I will go in first, I want everyone covering our six, got it?" God, it was so annoying not being able to say Winn's name.
A chorus of "Yes, ma'am," was the response she got.
Supergirl leading the way, they stood at the entrance of the building. The blonde clutched the padlock in one hand and pulverized it, making the big chain that held the door closed fall. Opening the door slowly, the trio made their way inside. Walking along a hallway with doors on each side, they checked every room, finding them empty. They reached the end of the hallway where a double door entrance. Alex approached it first, trying the doorknobs.
"It's locked." Alex said as she raised her gun again.
Kara walked to the door and with a push with both hands, it was open.
The blonde couldn't believe her eyes. "Empty."
Behind her, Alex lowered her weapon and turned her face to see the agents that were close to them. "We're done here. Go back to HQ."
Once they were left alone, Winn took off his mask and threw it on the floor angrily. "How is this happening!?"
"Winn, calm down. We will catch him." The kryptonian guaranteed him.
The man laced his fingers behind his neck as he looked down in frustration. "I can't have him risk my future." He mumbled.
"He won't. I promise." Kara said with a steady voice.
"I say we look around, see if we're missing something." Alex suggested.
After 15 minutes of pointless search, they decided to go back to the DEO. As they made their way to the command center, Winn noticed that Kara was far behind them, walking slowly, lost in thought. He stopped walking but Kara didn't notice and bumped into him, knocking him off his feet.
"Oh Rao, I'm so sorry." She quickly helped him stand up. The interaction made Alex turn around and give them an odd look.
"Are you alright?" The former IT asked as he brushed off his pants.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"I'm not but I can still tell you're distracted. What happened?"
Meditating her answer for a few seconds, Kara finally let it out. "William asked me out."
"He what?" Winn's eyes went round and Alex's face twisted in something between interest and confusion as they asked at the same time.
Kara shrugged. "He did… after karaoke night. Actually we we're about to leave the bar when he asked me." She confessed.
"And what did you say?" Alex wanted to know.
"That I'd think about it. It's just…" She looked at Winn now, "Given who I am… how am I supposed to date someone?"
"Do you want to date? It's not something you have to do, you know?" Winn knitted his brows.
"I haven't felt this way in a very long time." Kara said somewhat agitated.
"What way?" Her sister asked.
The blonde drew her lower lip between her teeth "Wanted. Like someone wants to get to know me."
Alex gave her a sad look.
"But it's also a hard thing to do," Kara continued, "to let someone in. They won't know me completely unless I reveal my secret but I would be such a hypocrite if I just tell William who I am." It all came back to Lena. "I kept my secret from one of the most important people in my life for three years and I'm supposed to share it with someone so new? But if I don't I would be making the same mistake and I'm really tired of going in circles, of feeling guilty – with good reason – I just… I don't know what to do."
Winn and Alex shared a look. The redhead got closer to her sister, placing her hands in the blonde's arms. "You have every right to keep your secret for as long as you like, and people have the right to feel the way they feel about it. What happened with Lena…" she sighed, "Is not anyone's fault."
"It's my fault." Kara interjected.
"Was it your fault to hurt her? Yes." Kara squeezed her eyes shut, the truth was hard to hear even if she already knew it. "Was it your fault the way she reacted? The things she did?" Alex waited until her sister opened her eyes and looked at her. "Absolutely not."
"She's not bad, Alex. She's hurting. Because of me, that makes it my fault." The kryptonian insisted.
"The only thing you're guilty of right now is not giving up on her. If you want to fight for her, do it. Fight with everything you have, I won't get in the way anymore, just… be careful because I cannot lose you." Alex begged her sister, pulling her closer and resting her forehead on Kara's.
The kryptonian hooked her hands on her sister's neck. "You're never going to lose me." She promised. After a few minutes in the same position, the sisters pulled away and, alongside Winn, the walked to the command center.
The rest of the day had passed trying to find out what were the Toyman's plans, how was he still alive if that was the case and how to stop him. They didn't find much, Winn was frustrated and, without Brainy's help who was doing God knows what with Lex, the Superfriends decided they needed to rest and start fresh the next day. After coordinating everything with the oddly disconnected DEO, both sisters left the building.
The redhead approached her sister with a tired expression as they walked to her motorcycle. "Want me to go stay with you tonight?" She knew that Kara had a lot on her mind, she was beyond pissed with this situation, Winn being one of her best friends, the first person she told her secret to, and the whole situation with the youngest Luthor.
The kryptonian shook her head. "No, I'm good."
"Are you sure? I don't mind, you know it." Alex insisted.
The reporter straightened her back a bit as a muscle in her jaw twitched. "I'm not going home."
"Even Supergirl needs to rest."
"I mean, I'm going to the Fortress." Kara admitted.
Confusion overtook Alex's face. "What? Why? I don't see how anything in the Fortress might help here."
"It's not about Toyman," The blonde corrected her sister, "I just…" she let out a long sigh, "I need to think."
Alex's shoulders fell as she let out a long breath. "Call me if you need me, okay?"
With a nod, Kara took off in the air. She flew up, high enough to not shatter any windows with a sonic boom, and then she pushed herself in the direction of the Fortress of Solitude. Memories started assaulting her mind, images of a broken Lena, screaming at her, basically saying she ruined her life. The tears that fell from her eyes were quickly wiped from her cheeks with the wind, but new ones appeared, repeating the process. A few minutes later she was picking up the heavy key and entering the ice like structure. They really needed to upgrade that, back in the day it seemed impossible that there was anyone strong enough to lift the dwarf star key but nowadays anything could happen, just like Hank Henshaw had demonstrated a few years ago.
"Welcome, Kara Zor-El. How may I assist you?" The robotic voice of Kelex greeted her.
"Hello Kelex. I don't need anything, thank you." The blonde knew she didn't need to be polite with the robot but it was a habit. "I'm just here to think." She stated and started walking towards the back of the Fortress, passing by the statues of her aunt and uncle, as she made her way to some kind of resting rooms.
The Fortress of Solitude wasn't just for storing dangerous things and get information, it also had living quarters since Kara was supposed to live there with baby Kal for a while once they arrived to Earth. The kryptonian walked inside her 'room', which had something resembling a bed and some shelves. Some journals occupied them, some really worn out and a few newer looking ones. After discovering that Red Daughter had stolen one of her diaries to spy on her, Kara had moved all the journals she had written since she got to Earth to the Fortress. It seemed that she did the same in this new Earth, with the difference that one of her latest journals, the one she set on fire on Kaznia, was also at the Fortress. Maybe she could… The blonde reached out for it, the mint colored cover was exactly the same, and opened it to see if her idea was possible. Her smile faded quickly. Of course, this were not the same journals she had written back on E-38, they were filled with moments she had no memories of. Some events had stayed the same but 'her' thoughts were different. She put that journal down and went through all the other ones in chronological order, and it was not an easy task. When she arrived to Earth and started living with the Danvers, she would fill diary after diary with the things she didn't know, the things she discovered, and most of that – if not all – had stayed the same. She had about five journals from the first year she had lived on Earth, all written in a mix of kryptonese and English for the terms she couldn't translate. Over time, her writing was less frequent, maybe filling one journal a year. The last few years she was so busy with her life as a super heroine and eventually writing for a living that she didn't have much time to write out of fun. Reading through the next journals she encountered Lex's name, speaking of him like Clark's best friend, making her frown. That had been true a decade ago, but not anymore, however he kept appearing on her diaries, small sections where 'she' wrote about something her cousin said or did.
The mint green journal had events from, at least, five years ago up until the moment RD had stolen it, making Kara think she lost it and replacing it with another that barely had a few thoughts on it, most of them about Lena if anyone was wondering. However, here on this Earth, that hadn't happened, Red Daughter didn't steal it from her, so this was the latest addition. Why, then, 'she' had moved them to the Fortress was a mystery to her. This was the one with the biggest changes, there were entries about how cool 'The Streak' from Central City was or other commenting that Star City seemed to need a Super and not just a vigilante with the events that happened there, some of them requiring Superman to help the Emerald Archer once or twice. There were notes about Cat and how being her assistant made her feel small sometimes but admiring her boss' strength. Then she became Supergirl and the entries multiplied. And then, her meeting with Lena. Holly Rao, this Earth had changed so much. Before she could think more of it, a lough cracking sound followed by an alarm interrupted her thoughts.
"Intrude, intruder. Surrender now or the Fortress will take offensive measures."
Rama Khan, Kara thought as she sped towards the Fortress' main room. There he was, still in his stone form before morphing. Without thinking it twice, she blew a gust of freeze breath at him in an attempt of immobilize him. Unfortunately the sonic cannon was nowhere to be seen so Kara assumed it had been destroyed as well as it had happened back before the world was turns upside down by the crisis. Oddly enough, the ancient man didn't move or try to stop her breeze breath from hitting him. He was covered in a thick layer of ice from the neck down and, a second after, the Fortress had trapped him in a crystal prison.
"What do you want here?" The kryptonian demanded to know. She saw his smirk through the clear material.
"I'm here to give you information about Leviathan." He spat out the name with anger.
The blonde let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah? Well, you can go back to the tar pit you crawled out off because I don't believe you."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or so humans like to say. There's someone in Leviathan I want exterminate. That benefits you as well, kryptonian." Rama Khan stated.
Kara tensed her jaw and clenched her fists at her sides. "You tried to create a super volcano that would not only destroy National City but most likely the entire west coast killing millions of people…" She walked slowly towards the man, "I won't trust anything that comes from you."
Rama Khan scoffed, but spoke regardless of Kara's words. "Thanks to you, someone usurped my position as Guardian of Earth. Her name is Gamemnae, also known as Gemma Cooper for the humans of this era. Do what you want with this information but I can assure you, on my honor, that I speak the truth."
"Your honor means nothing to me." The Super hissed. "I will find out what Leviathan is planning and I'm going to stop it."
"You can't stop Leviathan alone."
"Who said I'm alone?" She said with defiance.
The man laughed and with a movement he freed himself from the ice, turned into stone and then dust, escaping through the cracks on the Fortress' floor. The crystal prison deactivated automatically right after, not sensing any threat.
"Now what?" Her words floated in the air, with no one to give her an answer. Should she go back to National City and inform Alex of this? Should she stay in the Fortress to think as she had planned? Should she sleep and forget about every single one of her problems for a second? The weight of the world often rested on her shoulders – the weight of the now extinct multiverse had too, not many weeks ago – but it had never felt as heavy as in that moment. Her world was shattering in multiple places at the same time and she didn't have enough hands to fix it. She wanted to scream, she wanted to punch something with all her might and let all her anger and frustration out. Unfortunately, she was supposed to keep it together all the time. She was the Girl of Steel, and she did not bend, she did not break, she did not stand down. But she was close to. Without noticing, Kara had fisted her hands. They were shaking. Out of fury or dread she didn't know. So the blonde did the only thing that she really wanted to do: go talk to her best friend.
She flew as high and as fast as she could, letting the wind ruffle her hair, hearing her cape as it waved at high speed behind her, occasionally letting her eyes wander to watch the stars. All of that felt different in this new universe but she had to adjust. She made it back to National City just after midnight. Slowing down and finally stopping, she floated in the middle of her city a few hundred feet above the tallest skyscraper, she closed her eyes and listened. There was nothing very interesting, she could hear the sirens of an ambulance making its way to the hospital, also she heard music in a lot of places, people laughing, people crying, but that was not what she was looking for. Finally she heard it. Thump, thump, thump. A steady heartbeat. Calm. Familiar. She could recognize it in a sea of other heartbeats. She could tell if the person they belonged to was asleep, nervous, afraid or excited by the frequency. She flew towards it relatively slow, feeling a slight drizzle on her cheeks. It looked like the dark cloud above her head wasn't just metaphorical.
Reaching the tall building, she floated near the balcony for a few minutes, just like she had done months ago with some journals on her hands. She was empty handed this time. Kara gently descended on the balcony, gulping down the knot on her throat as she tapped lightly the glass door. There was no answer and the heartbeat remained the same. She knocked again and this time, there was a slight change in the pace of the heartbeat. If she was a lesser person, she would have peeked. She would have used her x-ray vision to see inside the penthouse, see the person she was desperate to see, observing her movements as she got off of bed. But she wasn't, so she didn't. And, if she stopped to think about it, the house was probably lead-lined anyway. It hadn't been like that back on E-38 but this Earth had changed so many things that she wouldn't be surprised. However, she kept her hearing tuned, listening to the shift of the silk sheets, quiet footsteps, and the flick of a light switch. The hallway became illuminated, and a silhouette obscured part of it, growing closer each second. After a few moments, Kara and the other person were face to face, the bullet proof glass being the only barrier between them. Blue eyes that could see perfectly in the darkest night encountered a pair of green ones. People often described both blue and green eyes like the sea. Where the blonde's eyes were like the calm sea after the storm, the brunette's eyes were the storm in itself. Unforgiving.
Minutes passed, but might as well been hours for Kara, when the other woman finally reached out and slid the door to a side. "What are you doing here, Supergirl?" She asked with an emotionless tone, however her heart betrayed her and the reporter heard it clearly.
"Don't call me that." Kara pleaded. She had noticed that the brunette no longer called her by her name. She also noticed that it had been a while since her friend saw her out of supersuit. Some people would say it was a defense mechanism both woman were employing.
The green eyed woman let out a sarcastic laugh. "How should I call you, then? Kara Danvers?" She raised a challenging brow. "I don't think so, because she used to be my best friend, who said she'd never betray me and you are not that person."
"I'm not her! I'm not Kara Danvers and I'm not Supergirl," She pushed herself into the penthouse, making the brunette back away, "I'm neither… and I'm both." Kara tried to explain with glossy eyes, "I'm… I'm Kara Zor-El." With that, she bent down and pulled out her glasses from one of her boots. Placing them in her face, her suit began to dematerialize. Once it was gone, she took off the glasses again, gently, and put them in the front pocket oh her jeans.
The brunette gazed into Kara's eyes, then observed the way the blonde locks were less curvy since they were damped, her eyes traveled lower and saw the simple white T-shirt and blue jeans before they found glasses-free blue eyes again. It was the perfect mix of Kara Danvers and Supergirl. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" She crossed her arms over her chest, defensively.
The reporter tilted her head back, looking at the ceiling as she fought back her tears before reestablishing eye contact. "I know my words mean nothing to you right now… actually, I wanted to show you that all I'm saying is true. That I always trusted you, believed in you, that I still do!" She guaranteed the brunette. "That you never were just another Luthor… but I don't know how, Lena."
"How were you planning on showing me? Making J'onn show me false memories? Or perhaps, using the Book of Destiny to change my mind?" Seeing Kara's surprised expression, Lena explained herself. "Lex told me about it. How it can change reality and such. Lex is proving to be more honest than you which sounds like something from a crazy nightmare."
"He's manipulating you! That's what he does, he jeopardized the fate of the multiverse just because he wanted to kill every Superman of every Earth with the Book of Destiny! He's telling you parts of the truth, the parts that benefit him but when the time comes he is going to betray you." Kara stepped closer to squeeze Lena's arms but the CEO backed away from the contact.
"At least I'll see his betrayal coming!" Lena exploded. "He didn't come to me with a friendly face and kind words, he told me we would work together until we didn't need each other, basically we're just waiting to stab the other in the back, but I least I know what I signed up for!" A single tear rolled down her cheek. "You broke my heart Kara… you broke my trust, you, broke, me." She said each word slowly, letting them sink in.
The blonde swallowed a sob, finally losing the battle against her tears. "If I could rip out my own heart and give it to you to mend yours, believe me, I would." Her bottom lip was trembling, so she bit it.
"There's nothing you can do…" Lena whispered as she wiped her own tears with the sleeve of her night shirt. "But you didn't answer my question… what lie were you going to show me?" Why she asked again, Lena didn't know. Maybe she was a masochist.
"I… uh, I wanted to give you my journals so you could read in my own words my thoughts about you. Since the moment I met you I've thought that you were good… amazing actually… and I usually wrote about it." The kryptonian confessed. "But is useless now."
"Why?" The young Luthor pried.
The heroine sighed. "This Earth changed many things… Including the circumstances of our first meeting and our relationship."
"How?" Lena didn't know why she wouldn't shut up. It was not like she trusted the other woman but her voice was so sincere. It always had been.
Running a hand through her hair, Kara blew out her cheeks. "We met through Lex and my cousin Clark. It was around the same year as before, some kind of gala, I don't know. I didn't read much because I was attacked."
"Did you tell me your secret in this reality?" The brunette wanted to know.
"I don't know."
"Tell me."
Shaking her head, Kara insisted on her previous answer. "I told you I don't know, I didn't read that far, just our first encounter."
"Tell me!" Lena reached out and pushed Kara by her shoulders, making her back off two steps. Obviously, the blonde had let herself be pushed.
"What does it matter!? It's not like it was really us!" The alien said exasperated.
"Of course it matters! It matters if you told this Lena, because that means you didn't tell me because I'm a Luthor! And if you didn't tell her it means that, on any Earth, you are just as much a hypocrite as on ours!"
"So either way I'm fucked!" The veins on Kara's neck popped.
Lena was shocked at the curse. She had never heard the blonde curse. She recovered after a few moments. "… Basically, yes." She mocked her.
The blonde laughed under her breath, putting a hand on her hip and the other one rubbing her temples, covering her eyes in the process. "Just… tell me what to do…" She begged.
"Like I said, there's nothing –" Lena didn't get to finish her sentence because a pair of lips were covering her own. Pushing the kryptonian back, punching her in the chest even if it hurt, she got her to back off enough for their lips to separate but Kara's hands were still on Lena's cheeks. "What the hell, Kara!?" She tried to get out of the grip but it was impossible.
"I love you, Lena." Kara finally admitted. "I love you so much it hurts." She rested her forehead on Lena's, who had stopped struggling when she heard those words. "I don't know how I didn't realize before how much I love you… and I think you do too or else you wouldn't be hurting so badly…" She brushed her nose on the brunette's very carefully.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She denied in a whisper so low that, even with how close they were, Kara wouldn't have heard without her super hearing.
"You do… your heart doesn't lie." She kissed away Lena's tears as she said that.
The CEO sniffed, she couldn't deny it anymore. "You broke it… you broke my heart…" she repeated her early words.
"I know…" The blonde said with sorrow, "But I'll spend every day of my life trying to put it back together."
"It won't be the same."
"I don't want it to be the same… I will never, ever, lie to you again." She leaned closer again, softly pressing her lips into Lena's. She didn't fight it this time, her hands that were gripping Kara's shirt released it and traveled up to the blonde's neck, feeling the soft hair. Kara's hands shifter too, they were no longer on Lena's cheeks, they had gone south, resting on the brunette's waist. The kiss wasn't hungry or passionate, it was one filled with hurt from a past plagued by lies and hope for a better future. Their lips were barely moving, the salty taste of their tears present. After a few seconds they finally pulled away. "I love you, Lena Luthor."
"I love you, Kara Zor-El." Lena whispered back. "Please, don't hurt me like that again… I don't think I can take it."
"Never again." Kara promised.
So, basically what I wanted to do with this was to show that even if we can't see it, Kara still thinks of Lena. Let's be real, she can't be every minute of every day begging on her knees for forgiveness, she has a life. But she still thinks about our girl!
Anyways, let's see how 5x12 and 5x13 go, let's hope Kara finally realizes she loves Lena more than a friend.
This is dedicated to a very large SuperCorp group chat I recently join. You gays are the best, thanks for accepting me and keeping me motivated to write.
What did you think of the Danvers sisters parts? And Nia's? Sorry for not writing more of Kelly, is hard to fit her in.
PD. For a moment I didn't know how to write a "happy ending", the Kara/Lena talk was just pure angst!