Maggie knocks on the door at ten thirty the next morning. Lena is sitting at the kitchen table, going over her statement again and again. Kara, in her Supergirl outfit, paces nervously next to her until she hears the knock. At full speed, she's at the door before Maggie's had the time to drop her fist back at her side.
"Hey Supergirl," Maggie says with a smile.
"Come in," Kara replies as she steps aside to let her in.
Lena has stood up and she waits for Maggie to come to her before offering her hand.
"Detective Sawyer."
"Please, call me Maggie. A car's waiting for us downstairs. Whenever you're ready."
"I'm ready," Lena affirms.
"Great. Let's go then," Maggie says as she turns back toward Kara, who's still at the door.
"Can you give us a minute," Kara asks her.
"Sure thing, Danvers. Make it quick."
Kara smiles gratefully and closes the door behind the detective before facing Lena who's grabbed her coat from the chair in the meantime.
"I'll do a sweep of the area before your car arrives there."
"Thank you."
Lena looks at her expectantly, waiting for Kara to say whatever she needs to say, and Kara freezes.
"I should go," Lena reminds her. "Maggie is waiting."
"Right. I—yes. Are you okay?"
"No," Lena blurts out, brutally honest. "But I doubt anyone would be after everything that's happened, so…"
"You will be fine. You can have your life back now."
This doesn't seem to comfort Lena, who looks more distraught than ever. Kara can't help herself: she surges forward and engulfs Lena in a tight hug. The coat in the brunette's hands drops to the floor as she decides she'd rather hug Kara back. When Kara pulls back and looks into Lena's eyes, she sees the myriad of emotions in them and she brings a hand up to brush a strand of black hair and tucks it behind Lena's ear.
"I'll be right there, okay? Just a few feet behind you, the whole time."
Lena nods, never taking her eyes off Kara's and, once again, she kisses Kara's palm which rests a bit awkwardly against her cheek. It burns her skin, that feather-light press of Lena's lips. Kara swallows hard and she fights the urge to fly away because this is too much and yet not enough. Too intimate and yet so distant. She hates that she loves it so much, that she yearns for it.
But this time is different. This time, Lena is the one who steps closer and she's the one who puts her hands on Kara's upper chest and she's the one who leans in… Kara closes her eyes before she feels Lena's red lips brush against hers, so briefly and lightly that she thinks she might have dreamed them. Instead, Lena settles for a kiss on Kara's cheek and Kara could send the table flying through the window in frustration.
When Lena steps aside and walks past her, Kara whirls around to demand an answer and she finds herself staring into Maggie's brown eyes.
"Maggie? What are you—"
"I said "make it quick," Kara. You asked for a minute, I gave you three. We need to go."
In her Lena-induced trance, Kara hasn't even heard the detective come back into her apartment. Her face reddens and Lena smirks at her over Maggie's shoulder. Thankfully, her sister's girlfriend doesn't tease her. Maggie is clearly taking her job seriously and today she has a mission which is to safely take Lena from point A to point B on time.
"Sorry. Go. I'll see you there," Kara nods.
Maggie squeezes her shoulder and a few seconds later, she and Lena leave the apartment. Kara locks the door behind them and she sighs. Her phone buzzes once and she checks her messages. Guardian is ready for Supergirl to pick him up.
"Show time," she says to herself before jumping out of her window.
The journalists go wild when Lena exits the SUV with Maggie and two men in black around her, pushing through the sea of reporters until they can get past the barriers set up.
"Miss Luthor, Miss Luthor!"
They're all calling her name but Lena stares straight ahead at the podium and she ignores the people gathered in front of it. She'd asked the FBI to set up the podium in front of L-Corp and they'd agreed. Supergirl flies low and waits until Lena is in position, the mic in front of her. She spots Guardian in the far back, watching over people. As the shouts stop and the crowd quiets down, Kara lands on the podium, about ten feet behind Lena, slightly on her right. She hears some gasps and the murmurs start up again. Lena shoots her a thankful smile to which Supergirl replies in kind.
Then Lena turns to tap the mic once, twice, and her hands grip the sides of the lectern and she begins:
"I often wonder what would have become of me if I hadn't been adopted by the Luthors. Where I would have grown up and how. I wasn't born a Luthor but I was raised as one. I was raised with Lex. He was my brother. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him. My Lex… I would have given anything to save him from himself. My heart broke when I realized he was too far gone, that he couldn't be reasoned with. And then he murdered hundreds of innocent people and I hated him and everything associated with him, including the name I'd been so proud to carry for many years."
Kara notices that Lena's hands haven't let go of the lectern and that she isn't reading from her notes. That isn't surprising though, considering Lena's gone over her speech probably a thousand times since she wrote it.
"It took me a long time to accept the fact that I'd lost the person I cherished the most in this world. But I buried my brother the day he committed these atrocities. He died with all these people. The man who tried to kill me, the man behind the attack on L-Corp that took the life of sixteen of my employees... that wasn't my brother. That man wasn't the Lex I knew, the one I grew up with. He was a vengeful, spiteful stranger. Thanks to an informant, the FBI got wind of Lex's plans for me and they managed to get me to safety before he could succeed in enacting his revenge on me."
Lena's voice wavers and she takes a deep breath.
"Unfortunately, many of my employees here at L-Corp weren't that lucky. They died because they worked for me. They believed in L-Corp and its future. They believed in what we could achieve together. They believed in me. I owe them. Lex's looming shadow is gone, and I promise you today that I will do everything in my power to make sure L-Corp becomes the company my employees were hoping to see it become one day. I promise you that I will make them proud and that their deaths will not be in vain."
Kara wants so badly to reach out when she hears the shaky exhale coming from Lena. She briefly wonders if Lena is going to crack, if the mask is going to slip, but Lena soldiers on and continues her speech.
"Their names will be engraved on a plaque at the entrance of L-Corp, along with a picture of each of them. I offer my sincerest condolences to their families and I want them to know that I share their pain. I am as loyal to my employees as they are to me and my heart is heavy today. Please know that as long as L-Corp stands and as long as I live, those that we lost will be remembered."
As her eyes scan the crowd silently listening to Lena, Kara sees a couple that she instinctively knows to be Jess' parents. They hold onto each other, tears on their cheeks, and hang on every word Lena says. Kara wonders if Lena has seen them, has recognized them.
"There is a lot of work to be done after everything that's happened. We will all need time to adjust. I will take back my position as CEO of L-Corp in a week. I hope you'll give me another chance to prove that I am not Lex and that my last name does not define me. The employees I lost knew that. Thank you for coming."
The questions burst forth as soon as Lena stops talking but she steps back from the mic and turns toward Kara, tears in her eyes. Kara knows this is her cue. She hurries toward Lena, grabs her arm and escorts her down the podium. They ignore the reporters who ask what the nature of their relationship is, they ignore the flashes of cameras and Lena only breathes once she's safely seated in the SUV. The car's engine is already running and it leaves immediately. To avoid arousing suspicions, Supergirl stays back and waits until the crowd has dispersed to join Guardian.
"That went well, I think," James tells her.
"No one tried to kill her so I would agree."
"Will you be stopping by CatCo then?"
"Yeah. Give me a moment. I want to check on Lena first. She'll be back to my apartment by now. Maggie's with her."
"Okay. Check in with me later?"
"Sure."
James watches her as she takes off, watches her as she becomes a distant point in the horizon.
When she lands in her apartment, Maggie and Lena are sat on the couch with identical mugs in their hands.
"I made some coffee," Maggie explains.
"Thanks."
They exchange a long look and Maggie takes the hint. She sets her mug on the coffee table and stands up.
"I should head back to the station now."
Lena looks up at her and smiles gratefully.
"Thank you, Detective, for your assistance today."
"Of course. I'm sure I'll see you around."
Kara walks her to the door and after a few parting words, she closes it behind Maggie and leans against it. Her eyes focus on Lena.
"How are you feeling?"
"Emotionally exhausted," Lena answers truthfully as she brings both mugs to the sink to wash them.
Kara observes her in silence for a few seconds before she steps away from the door and closer to her.
"I need to go back to CatCo today."
"Okay."
"There's lunch in the fridge. I'll buy pizzas on my way back tonight."
"Sounds good."
Once Lena is done, she dries her hands on a tiny towel and turns to face Kara.
"Kara?"
"Yeah?"
"I should probably move back to my penthouse, soon. Before I go back to L-Corp."
Kara's first instinct is to protest, to say no. She's grown accustomed to having Lena with her, and there's still that fear of losing her that Kara can't shake. But if that's what Lena wants then Kara can't exactly refuse.
"Can we discuss this tonight," Kara asks in an attempt to gain time to think about it.
"Of course. I shouldn't bother you right now; you're already late as it is!"
"No, Lena, I don't mind. It's just… We'll have more time tonight," she finishes lamely.
There's so much more that she wants to say and Kara hates that the timing is never right with them. Lena seems to sense her frustration becomes she takes Kara's hands in hers and smiles.
"Hey. I'll still be here tonight. Go to work."
"Yes. Yes, okay," Kara nods.
She squeezes Lena's hands and then breaks free and hurries to the bedroom to change. A minute later, she's back at the door and ready to leave when Lena's voice stops her.
"Kara?"
"Yes?"
"No mushrooms on my pizza, please."
"Uh, okay. I'll try to remember that!"
"Please do."
They smile at each other and Kara can't resist speeding back to Lena and kissing her cheek before storming out of her apartment. The door slams behind her and she misses the way Lena's fingers brush against the spot her lips touched.