A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for keeping you waiting. Imma try to get all the chapters up by the 25th but if not, well, before New Year's Eve, I promise! Again this story is 10 chapters long, so we're about the halfway mark now.
Kara was a little distracted over lunch with Lena, but her presence always does wonders to her. It was like a calming effect, a soothing wave the washes over her, making her forget most of her worries.
Most, not all, with Alex's questions still lingering in her mind.
Kara nodded along as Lena talked, she listened with awe whenever she talked about the work she's doing with L-Corp, the foundations and charities she supported, particularly this holiday season, and pretty anything that the CEO was passionate about. She was an active listener to her talk about everything. Everything except James, anything except James and her relationship with Lena. All Kara got was that they were talking, they were trying, and things were seemingly finally going back on track.
Up until five minutes later of her passively nodding along when an interview that James had to give was turned upside down – at least, Kara would assume – when talking about the hot topic of the president demanding Supergirl exhibit the same transparency as James did as Guardian.
When asked of his motivations, of his reasons for revealing his identity, and if he felt better now that everything was out in the open, James admitted that it was easier not keeping a secret and working together with the rightful law enforcement agencies.
That one answer and a few questions later, and somehow the media was spinning the story that James supported the president's sentiments and that Supergirl should reveal her identity to the public.
Kara was upset. She was mad, sure, but she knew that James meant well. Was she irritated as hell? Yes, yes she was. Mostly because she was already feeling incredibly torn apart about the situation, especially with the president calling for Supergirl to hang her cape if she wasn't going to comply. But she also knew that James was mostly talking about himself as Guardian, that when he came out, he had no choice. It was out of necessity. James should have known better though. He's been in the industry for years and still, he was led to that conclusion throughout the interview.
Crinkle was on full show, she was looking at James hurt and upset, giving him the silent treatment as soon as she and Lena marched back to CatCo after catching the news on the TV of the restaurant they were having lunch in.
Lena, on the other hand, was fuming. She was currently exchanging words with James in his office all while Kara hung around just by the doorway, with Nia trying to figure out when it would be best to interrupt the two after many media outlets were reaching out wanting to get a statement from a Luthor.
"Look, Lena, I was just saying how things were for me. And with what's happening now, I think a compromise of sorts could be made. Supergirl doesn't have to give her identity to the public, but something close to that. Maybe she has an earth identity like Superman, but if you'd remember, Superman gave his alien identity to the public ages ago. They all know he's Kal-El from Krypton during an interview with Lois Lane, and that was enough. It gave people something to go on without pressing for anything more."
Kara's anger wavered a little after hearing that, James was telling the truth. However, her anger flickered back in full form when she realized that there wasn't really that much separating her Kryptonian name from her name on earth. 'Kal-El' was least a bit far from 'Clark Kent'. The only thing that separated Kara Danvers from Kara Zor-El was the last name, and people might put two and two together faster in her case.
"That's not the point, James." Lena argued. "And like it or not, we're going to set things right with a press conference."
"Lena, I'm the CEO of this company and I don't need you calling a press conference for-" James argued, but Lena never let him finish
"I'm sorry, did I stutter? You seem to think this optional."
"Cat Grant…" James tried to argue once more.
"Sold her company to me." Lena replied. "I own CatCo, James, I own it now, not Cat Grant. I don't care if she left you in charge, I'm your boss now and I won't hesitate to replace you if we don't set this right. You being the CEO of CatCo means that you represent this company, you're the face of the company. What you say, your opinions, it could easily represent what CatCo stands for."
James took a deep breath to keep his cool. "And I'm guessing you want Supergirl to keep her identity a secret? You're one to talk, Lena. Don't you want to know who she is?"
Lena looked at James with hurt and disdain. The whole thing capturing Kara's full attention. Just for that comment, she really wanted to knock the living daylights out of James, good friend or not. Lena's jaw tightened before clearing her throat. "That's a different matter."
"How?" James pressed on, feeling like he's gaining the upper hand in this argument.
"I thought we were friends. And you can't keep secrets with people you want an honest relationship with." Lena replied. "It's a sign of trust. But what the president wants, James, if it's not easy for you to comprehend, is essentially own Supergirl by holding the knowledge of her identity. She can't come out, alien identity, or worse, earth identity. If she tells who she is to the public, she immediately endangers the lives of the people she love, I get that. The same if she only comes out to the government, and I highly doubt this country's government would be satisfied with just her alien identity. They'd want everything they can know about her. James, Supergirl, she doesn't belong to any government. She's not an all-American hero like her cousin, and she shouldn't be. She's the symbol of hope not just in National City, or this country. She's a symbol of hope for the whole world, and maybe one for the universe too. Supergirl, she doesn't serve the interests of one country, or hold loyalties to one either. She's on the side of good, justice, and freedom. Maybe not necessarily the American way, especially with the world we live in right now. Especially with the hate in this country."
James looked stunned and at a loss. If Kara was being honest, she was too.
"I… What about giving powers to humans? Wasn't that your whole stance? Playing god? Don't tell me of what you think about Supergirl – " James argued, grasping at straws.
"It's not about that." Lena simply replied. "I'm on no sides, James. I understand Supergirl's side, and for that matter, I do agree that everything the Children of Liberty stands for is wrong. They're only out there to spread hate. But I also know that not all aliens are like Supergirl, and she can't possibly deal with all of them by herself, last time I checked, splitting herself in half isn't one of her powers. I wanted to do something, still do if possible, to help remove the fear. Maybe it's the right way, maybe it's the wrong way, I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it out. But that is an entirely different matter from Supergirl's identity. If you can't understand that, James, if you can't understand me and my stance, then there's no real point in arguing, is there?" Lena responded, putting him in place and leaving Kara even more stunned.
She watched as Lena marched out of the office and into her elevator, ignoring James and excusing herself only from Kara, saying something about rescheduling their interrupted lunch date.
Kara simply nodded, still processing everything. James looked at her half pleading and half asking for forgiveness as soon as Lena left but Kara simply ignored him. She knew she would forgive him eventually, but right now she was still disappointed in him.
For what he said that argument and for how he treated Lena.
And with all the things swirling in her head – emotions like guilt for being happy that Lena and James are once again at odds, feeling hurt for Lena having to deal with James, and being plain angry with him on top of the Supergirl news – Kara figured that she needed some time to think.
That and Alex, she needed her sister to help clear up the mess in her head and her heart.
There was too much noise in her head and she was tired of it. The time has come to straighten things out.
A/N Pt2: Hope you're enjoying the start of the final demise of LOLsen! We have Alex driving it home in the next chapter, I promise! Plus Kara's bi-awakening? Haha?