AN:

I will say that fear is a huge motivation. Thanks to a dear friend and fellow writer's threat of character deaths AND the lack of happy endings I actually managed to get off my lazy behind and write this. I do apologize for the delay. When you get sidetracked as easily as I do, this is what happens.

I am sorry for the delay though. Keep in mind that this is self-edited, so all mistakes belong to me. If (when) you spot something I missed, feel free to point it out so I can correct it.

Other stuff to keep in mind

- In my universe, regular, Earth-technology kind of soundproofing will dampen Kara's hearing to very faint sounds, like heartbeats.
- I know the show hasn't given us any hints of where Lena lives or if it's an apartment or a house. So in my head-canon, she lives in an ultra-modern penthouse located in a building she owns.
- The idea for this story came during the season 2 to season 3 hiatus. I started to flesh it out and what was supposed to be a short little fun story mutated into what is yet another ridiculously long work in progress. That said, by the time I had the second chapter finally written, I had seen where the show was going and unlike the show, I'm choosing to have Kara concentrate on her "human" life because that is what she has become familiar with in the decade or so she has spent on Earth before taking on the mantle of Supergirl. And that only happened after she saved Alex's plane from crashing. In my head-canon, she would end up blaming all her current heartache on her decision to become Supergirl, since that is just a persona she took on to help others.
- I'm explaining the lead weakness of Daxamites as more than just being in the presence of the element or compounds with lead and more like the lead or lead compounds have to enter their system in order to do something because lead is a non-radioactive substance.
- I may in future chapters include Sam Arias & Ruby, but there will be no Reign.

Disclaimer: please see chapter 1.


Chapter 3

Lena calls the emergency vet clinic to tell them she is running a little behind and she'll be there to pick up Pepé the moment she is done cat-proofing her home. She would rather have Pepé being cared for instead of being locked up in a cat carrier while she gets everything set at home (having him roaming free while she's making her penthouse safe for both of them seems to defeat the purpose). Lena doesn't want Pepé to feel any kind of stress once they set foot and paw inside the penthouse and she doesn't want to risk accidentally hurting him while she rearranges everything. She is happy to see the truck from City Pets beat her to her building and they're waiting by the unloading area in the back. Then again, the small fortune she spent there means they should move heaven and earth to meet her and Pepé's needs. After everything is moved to her penthouse, she dismisses her driver until Monday morning. She'll use her personal car instead.

As Lena moves (more like pushes and drags, so she hopes she doesn't throw her back or damage the granite flooring) her furniture around to accommodate for the giant cat tree, which City Pets had billed as the next generation cat gym, guaranteed to keep cats from scratching furniture (at least the custom made thing blends well enough with the rest of her home's decor and it looks like a bookcase inspired by abstract art); she can't help but wonder what Kara is up to. It's not just because Kara would make this rearranging of furniture a hell of a lot easier, but because she honest to god misses her best friend. Maybe she was a bit too hasty in dismissing everyone from her driver to the delivery people from City Pets, but the idea of having strangers in her home longer than necessary, has always creeped her out (and that was even before the almost regular attempts at her life). Lena knows Kara would be even more excited about her new addition than she is herself. And as much as she wants to fix things between them, she knows she can't force her presence on Kara. Not when simply seeing her is a reminder why her boyfriend is no longer around. Even if Kara has been denying things are weird, the constant crinkle in her brow along with the extended, uncomfortable silences between them, are proof enough that Kara is no longer at ease around her. She wonders if things would be different if they (read: Lena) had found a different way to stop the Daxamites. Lena's darker side wonders if Kara acting so strange is only because her boyfriend was banished along with the rest of the invaders, or if Kara actually blames Lena for the invasion since she was the one who helped Rhea make those transmatter portals. Does Kara think she's just like Lillian and Lex? Is that why Kara seems so uncomfortable around her ever since she modified Lex's dispersal device? Does Kara think that the moment Lena found out she was betrayed and used, that she went crazy and used trying to stop an invasion as an excuse to act on her family's xenophobic views?

Lena knows now and back then that realistically, a long, drawn out war wasn't in the cards. Not if they wanted to win. Once the Daxamites realized their weakness for lead bullets, they made sure all their soldiers were equipped with body armour that was a lot better than the ones used on Earth. And even if those next-generation bullets Project Cadmus (before it went rogue openly), DARPA and the U.S. military developed were used to pierce their armour, they would have been useless against their seemingly invulnerable skin. They didn't have the time needed to modify those bullets to add enough lead, still be effective at piercing the alien armour, and produce enough for them to be effective in a very short amount of time. The safety and well-being of an entire planet had meant doing something drastic. That meant exploiting their only weakness, and the most effective way was to disperse lead into the atmosphere at just the right concentration and the right type of compound.

While elemental lead was best since it was pure, there was no guarantee as to what it would react with once it settled on Earth's surface, so it was deemed better to make it into the "safest" compound with the slowest rate of absorption. They had to find a way to make it as innocuous to humans as possible, but still deadly to Daxamites. It had taken working alongside Lillian, with her MD and biochemistry background, to come up with a lead compound that met those conditions. Heaven knows that was something she never thought she'd do willingly. The only way Lena has been able to live with herself and her decisions has been the fact that she knew most of the Daxamites would have a way to leave Earth the moment the air became toxic to them. She knew their death toll wasn't going to be astronomical (no pun intended). Still, part of her wonders if the fact that Monel was Rhea's son led to Lena not fully trusting him. She wonders if that is one of the reasons she feels so damn guilty every time she sees her best friend. Because that is another thing she has kept to herself. That for some unexplained reason she just didn't trust Kara's boyfriend; something that got cemented the moment she realized who his mother was. Part of her always wondered if there was any possibility he would turn on them and that is why unconsciously she may have figured out the only solution was to banish all of them. The irony being that Lena knows better than to judge someone by whom they are related to. God knows she is sick of everyone thinking it's only a matter of time before she'll show her true colours and pull a Lex or a Lillian without warning. Part of her wonders if she's capable. At times, even Lena herself wonders when she'll crack, because with the pressure to turn the company around and maximize profits, the temptation has been there to turn a blind eye to the less than scrupulous projects some of her research teams have suggested. She forces herself to stop dwelling on the past and focus on the present and the future.

Lena puts up gates to keep the living room area isolated from the rest of the penthouse in the hopes it'll make adjusting to the new environment a little easier for Pepé once she's back to work. He'll have full access to the penthouse while she's home though. Once she is satisfied he won't be able to squeeze through (since he's still too young to jump over) and hopefully it'll be a while before he learns to climb over them, she looks around the living room area and tries to decide where it's best to put one of the two self-cleaning cat-litter boxes she has (she hopes that keeping Pepé's main areas limited to the living room while he's alone and at night in her bedroom and the hallway leading to it, will help him learn to use and get used to the litter boxes faster). The other one will in the hallway leading to her bedroom, where Pepé will sleep. Hopefully by the time she goes back to work on Monday, Pepé's natural instinct for a clean environment means he will have learned to use them. She'll remove the gates once she is sure Pepé has acclimatized to his new home and has no problem using both litter boxes.

As she goes through everything on her checklist, she realizes that a lot of things can be overlooked because most people wouldn't even think that some non-toxic plants and/or medications to humans could be lethal to cats. In a way she is glad she has never been great at keeping houseplants alive. Who knew something as helpful to humans and as innocuous as aloe vera is toxic to cats and dogs. The most tedious thing by far is covering all electrical cords with a protective sleeve to prevent Pepé from chewing on them. Then to make doubly sure, she puts the cords under cords management covers to they're all neat, not visually enticing to a kitten, and not dangling around. She debates on where to put Pepé's food dish and eventually settles for the kitchen because she doesn't want cat food remnants in her living room staining her furniture. She'll put a second water dish near the big cat gym only when she isn't home and until she can get rid of the gates (she puts in a second, smaller cat gym inside her bedroom hoping that will discourage Pepé from scratching the furniture there). By the time she finishes, Lena realizes it's basically time for lunch. No wonder her stomach is growling. All she had to eat since she woke up were an energy gel and a protein bar. It's a good think she called to give the emergency vet clinic a heads up. She makes a quick sweep over her now (hopefully) cat-proof/safe apartment and is glad that she hasn't forgotten anything. She looks at the cat gym and she is glad she did her research and found out the custom made piece (which even has a custom made scratching area), and hopes it'll be enough to deter Pepé from ruining her regular furniture and her walls.

Lena grabs her phone from the table by the door and scrolls through the list of restaurants she has on her contacts list. She can't help the pang of sadness that hits her when she sees that most of them are now places she frequents with Kara. She chooses one of the fancier, more upscale places Kara isn't fond of. Kara's logic being that it's silly to pay double or even triple and barely get enough for one person (well, one with superhuman metabolism). Such places don't hold as many memories. Lena smiles sadly to herself because a few years back, before the move from Metropolis, the thought of being nostalgic over food or even avoiding certain restaurants, was preposterous. After speaking directly to the manager (the establishment she chooses doesn't ordinarily do takeout), she places an order for pick up with very specific instructions. She can barely contain her excitement as she rides the elevator to the garage. Even if she has to replace all her furniture and remodel/fix her apartment's walls, she is positive she is doing the right thing with adopting little Pepé. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Kara debates if it's better to show up with lunch or to head out to one of their favourite places. With the temporary restraining order in place, technically speaking, they wouldn't have to worry about nosy reporters but the same can't be said about the other patrons, the staff, or even the less scrupulous "journalists" using other, less than legal means to eavesdrop on their conversation. But, now that she is aware of her own feelings, would Kara be able to prevent those long, uncomfortable silences? If she shows up with lunch, would they be able to sit alone with no interruptions between them and not end up in a worse place than they are now? Would Kara be able to explain herself and begin their healing process? In the end, she decides lunch in a restaurant would be less awkward for a first step. Or at least she hopes so. This is one thing she wants to do carefully. One, she doesn't want to blindside Lena by suddenly forcing both of them to spend time alone when for months, they haven't been able to so. It would be kind of strange to suddenly act as if nothing had happened, even if that is how most of her conflicts with Alex and her friends have been resolved. She is tired of just sweeping everything under a rug because she has noticed that there is a lot of resentment built up from that. Two, she is afraid that in the privacy of Lena's office, she would just blurt things out without first gauging to see if they're ready for such a talk. A public setting this time wouldn't be so bad because now, she can use it to her advantage if and when things get to that uncomfortable level. She can update Lena of her comings and goings for the past couple of months and also ask Lena what she has been up to, without it being just an excuse. Since it has been so long since they have really exchanged more than a couple of stilted sentences, they really would be catching up. She can then slowly try to move things to more personal topics and see what Lena's reaction would be. If she notices that Lena would rather keep things impersonal, at least the setting would make it easier for them to stop talking about the deeper subjects her best friend may not be ready for.

With her mind made up, Kara picks up her pace. She releases a long breath as she rounds the corner leading to LCorp's main doors. She wonders if she still has that unrestricted access, or if her idiotic behaviour has caused Lena to take it away (and if she did, Kara wouldn't blame her one bit), since now they're behaving like they barely know each other. She is angry and disappointed with herself when she thinks about how things have changed. Just a few months ago; they were so close they could basically finish each other's sentences. Hell, if she were completely honest with herself, she has always been more in tune with Lena than she ever has with anyone else. At one point, she would have included Alex in that list, but after all the lies and secrets, she realized that things had been so one-sided she barely knows her sister (that's another relationship that is in serious need of fixing). Now, she and Lena can barely stay in the same room without hoping for a text message or a phone call to interrupt them.

Kara pushes through the closest set of revolving doors without any issues. At least the security guards posted outside haven't been instructed to stop her on sight (one of her many irrational fears as of late). She is slightly taken aback by what she sees. In the span of four months, LCorp went through a major overhaul. Instead of just the security desk where people would sign in and out before heading to the elevator banks; now there is a solid glass wall (which Kara imagines is bulletproof) with two full body scanners that she is sure uses Advance Imaging Technology. There is also a device to scan purses, briefcases and the like. Kara nearly sighs with relief that she gave in to Cisco's suggestion and now carries her super suit in a secret, especially made compartment in her purse because there is no way she would have been able to keep her identity a secret if she had to be scanned by those machines. She only hopes that whatever Cisco had made that hidden pocket in her purse would stay undetected through the scanners.

Kara remembers Lena telling her that the new LCorp lobby would have only one point of entry to the bank of elevators and everyone would have to go through a state of the art metal detectors and scanners that would rival if not surpass any of the major airports around the world. Surprisingly enough, the changes to the lobby don't make the building seem unwelcoming. If anything, it gives the place an extra sense of security, which she guesses is good, considering what the entire planet has gone through recently.

Kara makes a beeline to the security desk with a smile plastered in her face. She doesn't recognize any of the guards behind the desk. "Hi. I'm here to see Ms. Luthor. Uh, I don't have an appointment though." She says once she gets one of the guards' attention.

"May we see some identification please?" The man asks.

"Of course." Kara says.

Kara feels a bit dishonest when she pulls out her driver's license, but makes sure her media pass is well hidden inside her purse. The last thing she wants is to have security escort her out thinking she is there to snag the coveted interview with Lena, when the sole purpose of this visit is a personal one. Work is the last thing on her mind. She does her best to stay calm as the man types what she presumes are her name and such on a log. She silently thanks Rao and any and all Earth deities when the security guard smiles at her as he waves her through one of the two full-body scanners after instructing her to put her purse through the other machine.

Kara puts her purse on the moving belt and then looks at both scanners as she walks slowly toward one of them. She notices that unlike what she has seen at both airports in National City and Metropolis, the ones at LCorp's lobby are bulkier. She wonders about their capabilities because these, more than likely were designed and produced by LCorp since Lena said security would be state of the art. She knows that Lena doesn't trust anyone other than Kara and Lena herself when it comes to safety so she knows the scanners are not to be taken for granted. Her mind quickly wanders to the worst case scenario. As far as she knows, there isn't a Lena Luthor equivalent in Earth-1 either, so maybe Cisco's tech doesn't compare to LCorp's under Lena's guidance. Not only that; maybe these do more than just scan for explosives and weapons. She wishes she could have used her x-ray vision to scan the alien detecting prototype in Lena's office during that first interview, but she barely had time to fry it. Now, even if she could surreptitiously scan this one, she wouldn't know what to look for. It's not as if she has a clue what the full-body scanners in airports look like from the inside, so she wouldn't be able to compare their differences. That's not something she ever thought she'd need to know. It's now or never. If she takes any longer than what is considered normal, the security guards will suspect she is up to something. With what she hopes is a surreptitious deep breath, she steps into the scanner.

Kara has a small panic attack, wondering if it'll give away her origin (they still disagree on the whole alien detection device, though she's very grateful Lena hasn't gone ahead with mass producing it). Kara holds her breath as she slowly walks into it and is told to stay still while the machine does its job. After what feels like an eternity, but it's more like half a minute in reality (from what she's told), she nearly collapses (it's only her super strength that is preventing that) with relief when a green light and a quick ding go off (probably indicating she poses no threat). One of the guards returns her purse and then informs her that she needs to take the elevator on the far end as that is the only one that will reach the CEO's floor. The other guard calls to let one of Lena's assistants know Kara's on her way up. Then they go back to routinely checking camera feeds before they jot down a few notes on the log book and type a few entries on a keyboard. At least they're just as relaxed as they were when she first arrived (their heart rates are the same). She is sure that they would have reacted differently if they had found out she's an alien or if they had suspected she was hiding anything in her purse. That stupid failed Daxamite invasion didn't help with the anti-alien sentiments one bit. As expected, it only made things worse for the aliens living peacefully on Earth.

As Kara rides the elevator up to the executive floors, she can barely keep her paranoia in check. Part of her wonders if secret data isn't being sent to some centralized server (that may or may not be shared with the government) with all the information on who is and who isn't an alien. The fear has nothing to do with Lena knowing. After all, when she finally came clean, they managed to work through the reasons why she had kept her origins and her alter ego a secret. But with more good quality photos of Supergirl floating around, along with the knowledge that Kara Danvers is some sort of alien, it'd only be a matter of time before someone else figured out Supergirl's real identity. Not to mention that it would be found out she has been living as an American citizen under false pretences. Yes, she is a refugee from a planet that no longer exists, but she never legally went through the process of getting asylum. And again, after Rhea's idiotic attempt to take over Earth, can Kara really blame Lena and the majority of Earth's population for wanting to know who amongst them is human and who isn't? After all, most, if not all the alien/human encounters humans have been aware of have all gone in favour of the aliens in terms of power imbalances, to the point that the American government made a new organization just to deal with alien threats. Still, understanding why some would feel that way doesn't mean Kara agrees. Forcing someone to reveal themselves when they're not ready isn't fair. Anyone admitting such a personal secret should do so by choice and not forced to because of some device used to assuage the fears and prejudices some may feel. After all, not all aliens living on Earth have special powers. Some are actually weaker than humans and many just want to be left alone so they can rebuild their lives. The majority of the aliens on Earth aren't fugitives from the law, but beings escaping a life of prejudices in their home planets. If it weren't for power crazy lunatics like Zod, Non, her Aunt Astra, Rhea and other aliens wreaking havoc on Earth, perhaps President Marsdin's bill that allows aliens to legally immigrate to America wouldn't be opposed by so many.

Kara pushes all negative thoughts away as the elevator dings its arrival at the top executive floor, where Lena's office is situated. She nearly has the elevator's doors close on her before she can step out fully; she is so taken aback by the changes here as well. She plasters what she hopes is one of her usual "Sunny Danvers" smiles on her face and walks as confidently as she can towards what seems like a reception area where Lena's second assistant, Hector, is working. She sees that since the overhaul, the area seems smaller and completely open. In this area, there are no places anyone can hide. Even the desk where Hector is busy typing away is impossible to use as a hiding space, since it's made of glass. She suspects things like filing cabinets and other storage furniture are passed the set of doors in a separate area. Jess's desk is nowhere to be found, so she imagines it's because there is now a separate area for it. Perhaps a new cubicle style or maybe it's like an outer office that leads to Lena's that's situated past the set of double doors just to Hector's left (but unlike CatCo's layout, these doors aren't made of glass). She is tempted to lower her glasses and scan the floor, but somehow manages to contain her curiosity. It's her own fault she has no idea what changes were made during the reconstruction of the LCorp tower. She trusts Lena and if she wants to know the extent of the changes to the top floor and the reasons behind them, then she'll ask Lena for a tour. She won't betray Lena's trust that way, because in her eyes, that accounts to what Winn had done when he tried to hack Lena and LCorp's servers.

She resists the urge to sigh when she realizes Hector hasn't noticed her arrival. She wonders if she should talk to Lena about it. Shouldn't he be expecting her already? She remembers hearing the security guards informing either, or even both of them of her arrival. The elevator ride was very fast, so there is no possible way anyone would forget there is a visitor on the way up. And even if he were such a chowder head, at the very least, wouldn't the ding of the elevator alert him? Kara's crinkle makes its appearance when Hector doesn't look away from his computer monitor the closer she gets to his desk (and it's not like there is that much distance to cover from the only elevator to Hector's work space). She sometimes wonders if she should start wearing high heels just so her footfalls would alert people she's approaching and she doesn't have to figure out a way to gain their attention that doesn't involve her clearing her throat and then trying to greet them without stuttering first. She hates being the one to break the silence in such situations.

"Uh, hi, umm, Hector. Good afternoon." Kara says after a quick glance at the large clock on the wall behind his desk tells her it's definitely past noon.

Hector looks up from his work and smiles at Kara but doesn't say anything. He only waves her through the double doors to what she presumes is the outer area of Lena's office, where Jess should be.

So far, so good. The lack of Hector's surprise at least means that he was notified of her arrival. Plus, if he hasn't stopped her, then it's further confirmation her unrestricted access should still be there. The smile in her face is a bit more genuine and a bit less forced.

Jess looks up from her monitor and immediately scrunches her eyebrows together in worry the moment one of the double doors swings open and she sees who is walking through it. She was sure Hector had misunderstood security when they informed him that Ms. Danvers was on her way up. She actually thought they had meant Agent Danvers and with her workload basically tripling, she hasn't had a chance to explain to every security guard that Agent Danvers and Ms. Danvers are two separate people. After the DEO officially became a known government organization, Agent Alex Danvers (whom she eventually learned is Ms. Danvers's sister, so wouldn't Hector know that as well. It's not as if the two siblings look even a little alike that they could be mistaken for each other) has been showing up from time to time during the renovations to ensure everything is all right, especially after the last couple of attempts on the CEO's life. Though Ms. Luthor and Jess both think it's a way for the DEO to keep tabs on the last free Luthor (Lillian Luthor doesn't count because she is on probation after her lawyers managed to blame PTSD from Lex's actions and his life-long incarceration and Corbin "kidnapping" her); to make sure LCorp and her boss aren't doing anything illegal. In fact, Jess has been ready to happily inform Agent Danvers and her organization that from now on they can't just waltz in as if they own the company. That they need to kindly make an appointment to talk to Ms. Luthor and not just drop in unannounced in the foreseeable future since anything happening within LCorp doesn't fall within the DEO's jurisdiction. Then, she was going to remind security that the unrestricted access to LCorp was only given to Kara Danvers, cub reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media and not Alexandra Danvers, DEO agent.

Kara sees Jess's reaction and her steps falter slightly. Maybe things aren't the same after all and her access has been revoked and Jess is worried she'll just speed past her like before. "Umm, hey Jess." She says after a slight hesitation.

"Ms. Danvers, is everything all right with Ms. Luthor?" Jess blurts out as she pushes her chair away from her desk and stands up abruptly. Something has to be wrong. Otherwise, Ms. Danvers wouldn't show up to LCorp by herself after Ms. Luthor had taken the rest of the week off. She tries her best to keep herself from panicking. She may be Ms. Luthor's executive assistant, but with no other close friends other than Kara Danvers in National City and no close family members who aren't power-hungry, xenophobic lunatics, Jess is very protective of her boss.

"Uh, I think so?" Kara asks more than says. "I was just going to see if she is free to join me for lunch." She adds with a bit more certainty. Why would Jess be asking her if Lena is okay. Has Lena been working through her lunches again and has gone back to those nasty meal replacement shakes now that Kara hasn't been around? The thought alone sends another round of guilt through Kara.

Jess does a double take at that. Of all the people in the city (make that the world), shouldn't Ms. Danvers know her boss isn't in the office? Hell, she thought the reporter would have known even before Jess herself did. She figured that the reporter had finally convinced her boss it would be all right to take a few days to rest because they have all been going on non-stop for months. Just what on Earth is going on here? "Ms. Danvers, Ms. Luthor isn't in LCorp. She, uh, took the rest of the week off." She finally says. She has to bite her tongue to keep the "I thought she would be with you" from slipping out after the look of total surprise on the blonde in front of her.

"I—" Kara starts to say, but shuts up abruptly. She is at a complete loss of words. Of all the different scenarios she has been running through her head. This was never one of them. "Is she okay? Did she say why she is taking the time off?" She finally asks after regaining the ability to string sentences together. Once again, Kara had been so distracted by her thoughts that she failed to do something as simple as to listen to her surroundings. Now that she is aware, the lack of Lena's heartbeat along with the combination of the sounds of the keyboard clicking on that ever present laptop and Lena's pen scratching on paper as she makes notes on reports are nearly deafening in their silence. In fact, the sound of Lena's heartbeat has been the one constant of her visits to LCorp, and at times, her constant in National City.

Ignoring the increasingly awkwardness between them, Jess takes the time to really look at Kara Danvers. It looks as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice-cold water on her she is so shocked. To say she is just as if not more surprised than Ms. Danvers would be an understatement. Jess has just assumed the lack of the reporter's presence has been part of some mutual agreement they've come to in order to keep their definitely non-professional meetings out of LCorp in order to avoid the throng of reporters always camped out waiting for a quote. Now though, she wonders what is going on. She has heard more than once her boss calling Ms. Danvers her only friend here. It seems like they have had some kind of falling out (which could be due to Ms. Danvers using their friendship to land that coveted interview every reporter in the world seems to be chasing after that stupid invasion). That would explain Ms. Luthor's moodiness as of late. But if that's the case, why hasn't her boss rescinded Ms. Danvers's unrestricted access yet? She pushes aside any speculation because the blonde has done nothing to deserve Jess thinking the worst first. If anything Ms. Danvers has always been the exception to just about everyone.

"All she said this morning was that she's taking the rest of the week off for personal reasons." Jess finally replies. She omits the part about not being disturbed unless it's an emergency. She's sure that only applies to work and work-related calls. She may think the blonde in front of her is a little unprofessional at times (read most times), but she also knows she is one of the few people who truly cares for her boss. And if Ms. Danvers's sudden look of determination is any indication, perhaps she'll find a way to get to the bottom of things. Who knows? Maybe instead of a falling out, her boss has given in to old habits of pushing people away to avoid getting hurt. Heavens knows that was one of the main reasons she fought Mr. Spheer's attempt at staying together as a couple (and as business partners) and to keep their little start-up going when Ms. Luthor was appointed the new CEO of LuthorCorp. She still remembers overhearing their arguments before her boss had broken things off between her and Mr. Spheer for good. It had taken a couple of years for the relocation of the then LuthorCorp headquarters to National City so in the mean time; Mr. Spheer had tried everything in his power to keep Ms. Luthor in Metropolis. When it was clear Ms. Luthor had no intentions because in her opinion, the company needed to distance itself from the chaos and destruction her brother had caused in his quest to destroy Superman; Jack Spheer had come up with an ultimatum; him or LuthorCorp. It had been a shock to hear the always composed Lena Luthor raising her voice the way she did in those conversations. She had basically ended things right then and there, not realizing Mr. Spheer was bluffing. Not that the sudden breakup had discouraged Mr. Spheer. The man was nothing if not persistent, even offering to go as far as to only keep their dealings as business partners only and to move their start up anywhere Ms. Luthor would eventually settle in. That had only made things worse and Ms. Luthor had launched a series of very personal verbal attacks before she banned Mr. Spheer from LuthorCorp's premises. Not that the ban was necessary; the look he had when he finally left Ms. Luthor's office was clear enough to know her boss had succeeded in making sure she would be left alone.

Shortly after that, Jess noticed Ms. Luthor focused only on turning the family's company and name around. Ms. Luthor seemed to spend every waking hour in LuthorCorp's then Metropolis's headquarters, going home only to sleep. Jess thought her boss would relax a bit once the move to the west coast was finalized, instead, her boss worked even harder. It wasn't until that disaster with the Venture and meeting with Mr. Kent and Ms. Danvers that things started to slowly change. While Ms. Luthor tried her best to keep things professional, thankfully Ms. Danvers managed to befriend her boss and helped her relax and spend time outside of the office and do more than just work. Then with the way things turned out with Biomax, Beth Breen causing the death of Jack Spheer, Ms. Luthor slowly started to revert back to the life "Before Ms. Danvers showed up". Until once again the blonde managed to get through to her stubborn boss. Maybe in another bout of self-doubt Ms. Luthor decided to "spare" Ms. Danvers of the drama of being associated with a Luthor. Now, more than ever she really hopes the lack of the reporter's presence lately has been nothing more than the two of them trying to avoid the rest of the journalists trying to get a piece from Ms. Luthor. Still, part of Jess fears that her boss has tried to do something similar with Ms. Danvers. So it is a bit of a relief to see the reporter still willing to fight for their friendship.

"Uh, thanks Jess. I, uh, think I'm going to catch her at home or something. She probably forgot to tell me because she's been working so hard lately. Or maybe she tried, but I've been so busy also I haven't been paying attention to anything other than work myself." Kara says as cheerfully as she can. She has to bite back the urge to continue rambling. "I'll, um, see you around Jess. Oh, and the new office looks really nice." She says as she starts to leave.

"Have a good day, Ms. Danvers." Jess says. She really wants to add a "will you let me know Ms. Luthor is all right?", but won't. One. It's not professional (even if she knows Ms. Danvers won't care about that). Ms. Luthor and she may have a very good working relationship, but it's nowhere even close to friendship. And two. She doesn't have that kind of loose acquaintance type of relationship with Ms. Danvers either. In all previous visits, they barely exchange two words before Ms. Danvers quickly walks inside Ms. Luthor's office. And it's not for lack of trying from the reporter's side. But once again, Jess had refused to cross that professional line. Not to mention, it felt then and still feels very odd, to become friends with your boss's best friend. It's almost like a conflict of interest, especially if she and Ms. Danvers become as close as the blonde is with her boss. But as she watches a dazed Kara Danvers leave, maybe cultivating casual friendship with the reporter won't be so bad if it means she can keep better tabs on Ms. Luthor. Besides, becoming friends doesn't necessarily mean they would be the best of friends either.

The last time Lena has felt this giddy was when she was told she would be graduating MIT summa cum laude with a double engineering bachelor's degree at the tender age of seventeen. It takes everything in her to not run from her car to the clinic. While most people wouldn't recognize her with her current wardrobe choice, it's still unbecoming and against everything she was taught. She hopes the cat carrier she has isn't too big and Pepé won't slide around inside it during the drive back home. The clerk at City Pets was sure that it was the adequate size, allowing for Pepé to grow into it without having the need to replace it for something bigger later on. On a whim, she heads to the trunk and grabs the emergency blanket she keeps there and smooshes it towards the back of the carrier, hoping it'll take up enough space that it will prevent Pepé from sliding around. Then she panics, wondering if the blanket is taking up too much space or if it'll restrict airflow within the carrier. She's an engineer, for God's sake. She should be able to tell with just a glance. After some quick calculations in her head, she is sure everything is fine. She forces herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down before she grabs the carrier and heads over to the emergency clinic's main entrance.

Including the apology for running late and the staff's dismissal of said apology, settling the bill, and putting Pepé in the carrier, they're out of the clinic in less than ten minutes. Lena hesitates for a moment as she approaches the passenger door in the front. After a few seconds, she instead heads to the rear seat.

"Sorry Pepé. I'd love to have you up front with me, but with a working airbag, I don't want to risk anything. Besides, having you facing me, I'd probably get too distracted talking to you and trying to look at you to drive safely." Lena says as she settles the pet carrier in the middle seat, facing the space above the centre console. She quickly goes through the attachments she got in order to buckle the carrier properly. She wonders if there is a way to keep her kitten safe without relegating him to the backseat.

Traffic is light so she reaches the restaurant with her food right on time. She isn't surprised to see the sous-chef already waiting for her and waving the valet parking attendant away. The entire exchange takes less than five minutes. They're pulling into her building's underground parking in next to no time.

Lena can't help the smirk in her face as she pulls to her parking spot right next to the elevator. Ah, the perks of owning the building. It will certainly make moving around with Pepé's carrier and her food a lot easier. She is grateful it's the middle of the day so she doesn't have to share the elevator with anyone else. She is tired of the resentful looks some of the other tenants give her whenever they see her use the biometric scanner put in just for her. Maybe she should move to a house, but the thought of a long commute to the office is one of the biggest deterrents. She loves that it only takes her roughly ten minutes to get from the building her penthouse is to LCorp. Depending on the location, a house would at least triple that and for now, there is no reason for that. She would also miss the amazing view she has of the city's skyline. Then of course, there is also the fact that a house would sit empty while she is a work and heaven only knows what lunatics after her would do with that. At least the building has state of the art security and guards around the clock.

"Welcome home, Pepé." Lena says once she closes the front door, sets the carrier by the couch and opens the carrier's door. She is sure she has the silliest grin ever as she looks at Pepé slowly make his way outside the carrier and slowly starts to move around the living room. She resists the urge to hover over him because she doesn't want to overwhelm him. Instead she makes her way to the kitchen to grab a set of cutlery and plates before she settles on having lunch on the coffee table. She is just about to serve herself when her phone goes off with an incoming text from Kara. She never thought she'd be hearing that customized tone go off, since over the last month and a half, any contact had been initiated by Lena. She immediately reaches for her phone while doing her best to not get her hopes up. This is the first time Kara is initiating contact in months.

For the first time since arriving on Earth, Kara finally understands what she thought has always been a silly notion: walking around robotically, without any awareness of surroundings or what is happening. But somehow, after finding out Lena taking some time off and bidding Jess goodbye, Kara has somehow made it to the sidewalk outside LCorp's main entrance. But she has no recollection of making her way out of LCorp.

Kara also realizes just how much their friendship has suffered. It shouldn't surprise her and it shouldn't sting so much that Lena chose not to say anything to her. After all, she had been doing her best in isolating herself from everything and everyone. If she's honest with herself, she knows it's didn't start with Monel's forced departure and the way she chose to deal with it. The reality was that it had started when she became serious with Monel. Thinking back, she did the same thing her sister did once she started dating Maggie. Kara's whole world was consumed by her new relationship. Just like Alex's did. Just like Winn's did when he started dating Lyra. She even saw it when James and Lucy decided to give their relationship another go. She can't help but think over the number of times she not only came up with stupid excuses in order to decline hanging out with Lena, but also the times she cancelled her plans with her best friend. At first, it was that honeymoon phase of a new romance. Then it morphed into whatever was easier, and sadly, it had always been easier to give in to Monel than it was to constantly defend her friendship with Lena and why it was important to spend time with her best friend instead of him, especially before she had revealed she is Supergirl. She thought at one point, it would have gotten easier after the Supergirl revelation, but it had only gotten worse. Kara had thought that once they didn't have to be so careful about her identity, the excuses of why Lena couldn't be invited to their get-togethers would ease off. But after her last conversation with James, she wonders if everyone else still thinks Lena is a ticking time bomb. She wonders if Alex, Winn and J'onn also blame Lena for the invasion. She hates that she has basically lost touch with Lucy, and it's not as if she can't just change into her Supergirl costume and fly to wherever Lucy is and at least hang out for a bit. All because she got lost in her new romance.

As Kara walks aimlessly, wondering what she should do next, it occurs to her that in all the time she has known Lena, the woman has never taken a day off. She has been lucky she has been able to convince the brunette to take a longer than usual lunch break (read: more than scarfing down a sandwich, a salad, or those god awful meal replacement drinks at her desk while reading reports and emails). Immediately, her imagination goes into overdrive and she starts to picture worse-case scenarios; each one worse than the other. By the time she rounds a corner, she has to stop herself from hyperventilating and to force herself to stop thinking. That's when she realizes she has walked aimlessly about three blocks and it takes her a bit to realize where she is in the city. She shoves aside the hurt she feels that Lena didn't tell her she was taking time off. She knows it's her own doing, and before her mind can start again, she decides that just because Lena isn't at her office it doesn't mean she can't go through with her plan and try to fix their friendship. It just means that they won't have the buffer of a public place. She could put it off again, but knowing Lena won't be back at LCorp until Monday, it means too long of a wait and too much time to let her mind come up with even more horrible, worst case scenarios. She decides to pick up some food, text Lena she's showing up with Lunch and pray things will work out for the best. Now all she has to do is find a place whose food Lena loves as much as Kara does when it comes to most edible things. Part of her wonders if she is being too pretentious by automatically assuming Lena would agree to see her, but if she doesn't take a chance, then there is no hope of fixing things. After all, since the failed invasion, it has always been Lena who has made the effort to get together. She shoves aside any negative thoughts and decides to hope for the best.

It doesn't even take a minute for Kara to decide to fly to New York City to pick up lunch from Katz's Delicatessen, a place Lena says she makes a point to go to every time she has business to conduct in that city. Dessert will have to be something local since the ice cream Lena loves from New York wouldn't survive the flight back to National City. Once she is back, she heads over to this dessert café Lena once took her to and picks up two pieces of their chocolate cake along with an extra-large serving of their homemade raspberry ice cream. The only thing missing is the Amaretto hot chocolate Lena loves with the dessert, and that's only because it doesn't taste the same when it's reheated. She takes a deep breath and tries as best as she can to give out an air of casualness in her text. She should call, but she knows she'll be a rambling mess the moment the call is connected. Of course, there is always the chance the call may go straight to voicemail, which she wouldn't blame Lena for rejecting her call. After typing and deleting what feels like the millionth version, she settled on Hey Lena. Feel like having lunch together?, leaving out the fact that she had already stopped by the office or that she already picked up food for them. After some thought, Kara figured mentioning those facts or to simply invite herself to Lena's place would put her friend on the spot.

Kara waits patiently by the park near Lena's building and has to do her best to ignore the stares she is getting from people enjoying the nice day there because she has enough food to feed a small army.

Lena's hesitation over what to do after reading Kara's text is like a bucket of water thrown over an ember. A few months back, she would have just texted back and told Kara to join her for lunch at home. Now, she wonders if they are even capable of having a meal together without being surrounded by a throng of strangers. She knows this is a huge step forward because Kara is the one contacting her, so at least she's not the one forcing Kara to spend time together. But she also knows it's not that simple. The last time they attempted to hang out together it was a complete disaster. She remembers both gave a huge sigh of relief when she needed to rush back to LCorp to oversee something with the reconstruction of the building. She takes a look at Pepé and thinks he would be a fantastic icebreaker because they would automatically focus all their attention on him. Heaven knows that just looking at him explore around the living room is beyond adorable. She is about to reply with a text inviting Kara to her home (while there is not enough food, they can always get something else delivered) when her phone goes off again, sending the kitten scrambling to hide back inside the pet carrier.

One look at Pepé huddled inside his carrier and Lena has no idea what to do. Would an extra person hovering over him (because she's sure Kara wouldn't be able to just let him be without wanting to cuddle and pet him, especially after she finds out how Lena came upon him) be a setback in his acclimatization to his new home? She could call the emergency vet or do a quick search online, but that would mean waiting to reply to Kara and she doesn't want the blonde to think she's being ignored; not when this text is such a huge step forward in the their now slightly fractured friendship. One last look at the trembling kitten makes up her mind. She says some sweet nothings to Pepé as she reaches for the phone and fires a reply to Kara.

Hey back. I wish I could, but I have an expected guest I'm entertaining and won't be able to. I'll text you when I'm free though.

"Oh, Pepé, I hope you know what I may be sacrificing for you right now." Lena says softly as she puts her phone down and gets up to put her food away. She'll give Pepé a day or two to get used to her home and then she'll contact Kara and hope the blonde will accept the invitation and not come up with yet another excuse. Lunch is now the last thing in her mind.

It feels like a lifetime before her phone goes with Lena's familiar tone. Her smile dies the moment she reads Lena's reply. That again, wasn't what she expected. Of all the reasons she came up with in her mind (each one more ridiculous, absurd or morbid than the one before), a guest never entered her mind. The only other close friend Lena has that Kara is aware of, has a daughter that is school aged, and said daughter should have started school already. Last time she checked, no matter where in the continental United States someone lived, by mid-September, the scholastic year has already started full swing. She wracks her brain trying to think of anyone else who Lena feels close enough to actually take time off from work in order to "entertain" them and can't think of anyone. Then a dark thought crosses her mind. What if during her self-imposed absence Lena found a new best friend and she has slowly been replaced by this newcomer? The thought is enough to make Kara lose her appetite, something she never thought was possible unless she blew her powers and got sick in the process. Without an actual invitation to join them, Kara knows she can't just show up. Sure, Lena would never throw her out, but they're not in a place in their friendship (at least not anymore) where she can just invite herself over and hang out. She knows her presence now would only be another step backwards in their friendship. She'll just have to wait and hope that Lena will be willing to give her a chance. She quickly fires another text.

Yeah, sure. NP. TTYL.

With a defeated sigh, she grabs the bags of food and heads back to CatCo, knowing there is no way she can take the day off without getting in trouble with Snapper. At least she'll have enough food to keep her occupied for the rest of the day and she won't have to leave her office. She is eternally grateful she decided to text and not call because there is no way she would have been able to sound casual with this rejection. Sadly, the darker side of her yells at her 'what were you expecting, an engraved invitation after you've treated her like crap all these months?' Pushing those thoughts aside, she won't have much of a choice but to at least write the part of the article involving Supergirl. Hopefully work will keep her from jumping to even worse conclusions.

TBC.