Her forehead pressed against the door she just closed and her eyes shut tightly, Kara tries to concentrate so as to not break the door handle still in her hand. She takes a deep breath and counts to three before she trusts herself enough to speak.
"If I turn around, will I see you?"
It feels like an eternity before she gets an answer.
"Yes," Lena says, her voice barely a whisper.
Slowly, as if she can't muster the strength to spin on her heels faster, Kara turns around. And there, just a few feet from her, stands Lena Luthor. Kara's breath catches in her throat.
Lena looks tired and frail but no less beautiful than how Kara remembers her. Kara stares at her, at the pale skin that somehow seems even paler now, at the dark hair that have been cut slightly shorter, at the green eyes that stare right back, with something that looks awfully like tears in them.
Lena is silent, probably waiting for Kara to speak first, and maybe she's just taking in her presence as well. After all, it's been months since they last saw each other.
When it becomes clear that Kara won't utter a word, Lena attempts a smile and says:
"Breathe, Kara. I wouldn't want you to drop dead now."
Kara releases a breath she didn't know she was holding and steps forward, slowly. Lena lets her come closer until they stand a foot apart.
"Are you real?" Kara asks.
It sounds stupid, it really does, but she still has no idea how in the hell Lena can be alive, so maybe this is just one big hallucination.
"I'm real," Lena confirms, "and I'm here."
"Alive."
"Alive."
"How?"
It's the one question that Kara can't answer, the one that's been eating away at her over the past few days. She needs Lena to explain herself, to make sense of everything that's happened since the explosion.
"Can we sit," Lena asks instead of answering.
Kara nods and, instinctively, holds out a hand for Lena to take. The brunette hesitates for a second but then slowly raises her hand until it touches Kara's. The mere contact is electrifying for Kara. It's tangible proof that Lena is here, with her, flesh and blood. She tugs Lena closer and brings her other hand to her face, where she lets fingertips ghost over Lena's cheek.
Lena, once again, lets her. She watches Kara softly, waits for her to dictate their encounter. She squeezes Kara's hand as if to reassure her that she's real.
"I've missed you," Lena confesses quietly.
This seems to snap Kara out of her trance, because she blinks and steps back, then leads Lena to the couch and together they sit. Their hands remain joined; neither of them willing to break the contact.
"I thought you were dead. Everyone thinks you're dead."
"I know, I—"
"Why? Why did you disappear? And, and how did you do it?"
"I can explain. Let me explain, Kara."
"Did you know? About the explosion?"
"Did I know what?"
"That it was going to happen. Did you know?"
At that, Lena retracts her hand. Kara sees the hurt in Lena's eyes and realizes she's messed up.
"Do you really think so little of me? Do you believe me capable of—of what? Blowing up my own office? Killing my employees?"
"Not you, but… maybe someone warned you and that's why you weren't in your office when the bomb went off."
Lena looks away, frustrated. She runs her hands through her hair, then folds them in her lap.
"The day of the explosion, I got a call from a friend who works for the FBI. She told me that Lex had escaped about twelve hours earlier and they had reason to believe he was going to make a move against me. I didn't know anything else and I certainly didn't expect it to happen so soon. I went to work like any other day."
"I saw your car in the parking lot. I saw you get in the elevator."
"I did. But I didn't go up to my office. I went down to one of our secret levels. We have labs there. I wanted to check on some of our newly created devices."
"No one came forward to tell us about this."
"No one was there, Kara. The scientists work at night to avoid running into other employees. I had them all sign NDAs when I hired them. And the security cameras have their own separate room, on the same level."
There's a short silence during which Kara tries her best to process the information. Secret labs at L-Corp. She's not terribly surprised, and even if she trusts Lena, she can't suppress the small shiver that runs through her body.
"You were in there… you heard everything."
"I did."
Lena looks haunted, as if she's remembering the exact moment she heard the deflagration. Her tone is distant and colder when she speaks again.
"I knew it was Lex. The moment I heard the explosion, when the whole building shook… I knew it was him. My own brother, trying to kill me. I had to think fast. I also knew that Lex wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted, so I gave that to him. Now he thinks I'm dead."
"How did you get out of the building?"
This is something Kara wants—no, needs—to know. Lena smiles and holds up her right hand. On her middle finger, there is a ring. It's a plain silver band with a small ruby and Kara hadn't noticed it before.
"This is something I've been working on for years," Lena explains, pride evident in her tone. "I won't bore you with scientific details, but this ring allows me to turn completely invisible for a few hours. It runs on a solar battery but not this Earth's sun. I have a specific solar lamp in each and every place that I own. There's still some work to be done with it though. The battery doesn't last as long as I'd like and it can be a problem when you're trying to, well, be invisible."
"Wow. I just… This is unbelievable."
And it is, really. Kara's head is spinning. Her friend has created an invisibility ring and that's probably the coolest thing she's ever heard. A thought pops up in her mind.
"Wait… That day in the streets, when I saw you… You were there, weren't you? I mean, I didn't dream."
"I was."
Lena's expression become somber at the memory and Kara isn't sure why but she doesn't ask.
"You weren't supposed to see me; the ring just ran out of battery."
"Oh."
After another short silence, Kara clears her throat and goes on with her questions.
"How come none of your scientists noticed the ring was missing though?"
"Like I said, I've been working on it."
"You alone?"
"Me alone. I couldn't trust anyone else with something that important."
"Wow."
Lena allows Kara to touch the ring even if Kara doesn't ask for her to slip it off her finger.
"How does it work?"
"I just need to turn the ruby so that it faces inward and I disappear."
As she speaks, Lena twists the ring and suddenly there's no one sitting next to Kara, who looks up, alarmed.
"Lena?"
"Still here."
"I can still feel your fingers."
"That's normal."
"Wouldn't people bump into you in the streets?"
"No, actually," Lena says as she reappears. "As long as you're not aware that someone is invisible, you can basically walk right through them. The invisible person only becomes solid if you know they're here. It's all a matter of awareness. As for me, I can't go through walls or doors, or anything."
That's when everything clicks for Kara. The elevator doors in the parking lot, and the penthouse.
"The cameras at your place…"
"Ah, you saw that? It's… I have access to them via a remote. I can stop them from working whenever I want."
"But… why would you want that?"
Lena blushes a little and she looks down at her hands.
"Well, you see, as the CEO of L-Corp I am often in the public eye but I'd like to keep my private life just that: private. So when I have… special friends coming over, I make sure no one can see them but me."
"Oh," is all Kara can utter.
There's a strange feeling in her chest that Kara quells immediately. Now isn't the time to analyze whatever the Luthor makes her feel.
"I simply paused the camera to give me enough time to open and close the door without it showing up on the surveillance feeds."
"Where have you been staying this whole time?"
"I have an apartment in town that's under an alias. No cameras there."
Kara nods and she gets up suddenly. Lena looks at her, eyebrows raised questioningly. Kara simply grabs two glasses and a bottle of water before settling back on the couch. She fills the glasses and hands one to Lena who accepts it gratefully.
"So what now? How long do you think you'll have to stay hidden?"
"I'm not sure."
"But how can you live like that? Hiding? It's not a life, Lena."
"I don't intend to live like that. There's a reason I decided to reveal myself to you," Lena says as her eyes meet Kara's and hold her gaze.
"Why did you?"
"I need your help."
"Me? But I—I'm just… I can't… I mean, how could I help you take down Lex? I don't know where he is."
"I do."
The confession stuns Kara. Her mouth opens slightly in shock and she's pretty sure she stops breathing altogether.
"You do? How?"
The silence that follows is so long that Kara wonders if Lena's even heard her. She puts a hand on Lena's knee to get her attention.
"Lena?"
"I have this ability. I've had it for as long as I can remember. My mother—well, Lillian—told me that the reason my birth parents gave me up was because I… I freaked them out."
"You have superpowers?"
"No, not exactly. I can… When I focus on someone really hard, I can hear their thoughts. I can read their minds."
"You're telepathic?"
"Kind of. It's complicated."
"You think your parents gave you up because of that," Kara repeats softly.
"Yes. The Luthors knew about my ability when they adopted me. After a few years, I realized that that was actually the reason they adopted me at all."
"What do you mean?"
Lena sighs then, a deep and wistful sigh. Kara takes hold of her hand once more and lets her thumb stroke the smooth skin below.
"When I was a child, Lionel and Lillian would bring me to dinners and galas, and they would ask me to focus on a few people and make note of whatever they were thinking. That's how the Luthors built their empire so quickly and without much opposition."
"They used you," Kara murmurs, horrified.
"Lex… Lex taught me how to lie. He said I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do. He taught me how to lie to our parents, and when Lillian and Lionel realized that I wasn't useful to them anymore, they sent me off to Europe for my studies. In the meantime, Lex also found a way to protect himself from me. I don't know how he did it, but I could never read his thoughts after that. He must've found a way to shut me out. Until recently."
Kara understands at once.
"Now that he thinks you're dead, he doesn't have to protect his mind from you."
"Exactly. It took me a while to get reacquainted with my power. I hadn't used it in years. But eventually I managed. And now I know where he is, what his next moves are and who's working with him."
"Your mother?"
"Surprisingly, no. She's just as much in the dark as everybody else about his intentions."
"So what do you need me to do?"
"I need Supergirl."
In the short silence that follows Lena's request, Kara thinks of many things. She wonders how the others will react to Lena's survival and abilities, she wonders if Alex will be mad if she tells Lena that she is Supergirl, she wonders if she should tell Lena about the DEO. She wonders if she should pretend to set up a meeting with Supergirl, because obviously they can't be in the same room at the same time without Kara revealing who she is.
She wonders if she can trust Lena. That last thought takes her completely by surprise, as Kara had thought her trust in Lena was firmly rooted in the friendship they had built over the past year. Yet everything that the Luthor has revealed tonight doesn't sit well with Kara and it makes her realize that Lena is not as pristine white as she looks.
The idea that Lena can read her mind at any moment makes her deeply uncomfortable and she wonders if Lena would ever violate her trust like that. When she dares to look at the brunette again, she finds Lena staring back, waiting expectantly for her answer.
"Uh, I'll see what I can do, of course."
Lena's expression doesn't change and Kara squirms.
"Are you—are you reading my mind right now?"
"I can't, actually," Lena replies right away.
"Oh. Why?"
Kara wants to scream and shake Lena when she remains silent. She does none of that, and she watches, frustrated, as Lena gets up from the couch and walks over to the window. Kara had sat there only a few days prior, and she'd seen Lena in the streets below. The faint glow of the city light reflects on Lena's face and Kara contemplates her beauty for a moment before she joins her at the window. They stand side by side in silence; Kara still wondering if Lena's ever going to answer her.
She does, after another minute.
"There are some people that are immune to my telepathic powers. None of them are human. Tell me, Kara… If I punched you in the face right now, would I break your nose or would I break my hand?"
Kara's heart skips a beat as Lena's words sink in.
She knows.
In the few seconds that follow, Kara scrambles to find a rebuttal, anything to steer Lena off the truth, but nothing comes to mind.
"I trusted you with my secrets tonight," Lena continues, not really expecting an answer to her rhetorical question. "I hope you know that you can trust me with yours."
Kara is looking at Lena, at a loss for words, but Lena is still focused on the city below and she pretends not to feel the anxiety coming off of Kara in waves.
"How—when?"
"You didn't show up at my funeral. I was worried."
"You attended your own funeral?"
Lena smiles, but there's no joy in it. Her eyes find Kara's once more.
"I did. Out of curiosity, to see who would attend. Can't say I was surprised at the low turn-out. But I wasn't there for me."
The atmosphere grows heavy—heavier—and Kara wishes she could just hug Lena because she knows, she understands what the other woman means. Lena has lost many of her people in the explosion and it makes sense that she would feel guilty about it. It makes sense that she would go to their funeral if she could.
"I'm sorry," Kara offers quietly, knowing that her words will do nothing to ease Lena's sorrow.
"I was worried about you and I could only think of one way to make sure you were okay," Lena continues. "So I meditated for a while to try and reconnect with the psychic in me, and then I waited for you outside of your place. When I saw you, I tried to… to hear your thoughts. I know I shouldn't have. But, well, you were my only friend and I knew my death would likely cause you pain. I needed to know you'd be alright. Imagine my surprise when I realized I couldn't do it."
Her tone holds no resentment yet Kara feels like something is wrong between them, like something is broken. She swallows hard under Lena's piercing gaze.
"I wanted to tell you, about me. But knowing my secret puts you at risk. Me, too. I didn't think it was absolutely necessary that you know."
"I understand, Kara."
"But it doesn't feel that way. You're disappointed in me," Kara argues.
Lena looks away; her shoulders sagging a bit.
"I'm not. I'm just worried."
"Worried?"
"Kara, you were… to me you were sweet and innocent and so far from all the shit that comes with being different. You were my friend. But then I learned that you are actually a superhero, a Super… and I can't help but think that it's only a matter of time before my last name drives us apart."
At that, Kara reacts immediately. She steps closer to Lena; so close that she feels Lena's left arm brush against her chest.
"No."
"No?"
Lena looks amused and she tilts her head to the side, still not facing Kara but looking at her nonetheless.
"I won't let that happen. I told you, both as Kara and as Supergirl that you are more than just your name. You are more than a Luthor, Lena. You've proven that time and again. Lex's history with Superman won't repeat itself with us. You mean too much to me for it to ever happen."
Perhaps it's the impassioned tone or the earnest words—Kara isn't sure what does it—but Lena wraps her arms around Kara's neck and hugs her really tight. Kara hugs back instinctively and closes her eyes. They've never really done that before, being so intimately close. It feels good. It feels right.
The embrace lasts and lasts, but neither woman seems to mind. Kara's hands are flat on Lena's back whereas Lena's hold the back of Kara's head and neck. After weeks of drowning in despair and anger, Kara feels appeased, at peace. Holding Lena in her arms is cathartic.
"I've missed you, too," she whispers. "I've missed you so much."
Lena's hand tightens in her hair.