Fall 2016
Kara asked James to take in Mon-El as an intern at CatCo to help the new arrived alien to get used to notions like work, responsibilities and human life in general. She started regretting that decision a week ago but convinced herself she was doing the right thing. Now, as she was frenetically searching for her last paper on her desk, Mon-El doing nothing to help her, she wasn't sure if the Daxamite was still worthy of her patience. She had to give her article to Snapper so he could share his impressions of it but she was having trouble finding it, especially with Mon-El following her around and distracting her. A normal day at CatCo, all in all. Well, until Lena Luthor decided to turn Kara's world upside down. Again.
-"Kara ?" the CEO of LCorp asked tentatively while Kara was busy removing Mon-El's legs from her desk.
-"Lena !" Kara exclaimed, straitening herself up quickly. "Surprise visit to CatCo ?" she added to buy herself some time to recover from her friend sudden appearance.
-"No, I'm here to see you, actually" Lena replied smiling brightly. She wasn't sure that showing up unannounced at CatCo would be a good idea, she didn't want to disturb the Blonde during her work after all, but since she made the decision to move their relationship forward, she had to take the lead and show Kara that she was an option as interesting (if not more) as any other, like that frat boy in a bow tie that kept hovering over the reporter. She even tied her hair in a bun again, since Kara seemed to have enjoyed it the last time they saw each other.
-"You are ?" Kara heard herself answering. It seemed that she was definitely incapable of forming cohering sentences around Lena these days.
-"Well, apparently someone is too busy to use the private number I gave her so, I decided to come in person" Lena said, smirking.
Kara just kept staring at the brunette, not knowing what to say. It was true that she didn't try to reach her friend since their last exchange but between babysitting Mon-El and dealing with that gang with alien weaponry, she didn't really had the time to do so. Well, if she was honest with herself, she kind of welcomed the distractions. Since that last time they talked in Lena's office about aliens illegal fights, Kara was always wondering, assuming that she decided to act on her revived crush, if she would be ready to face the consequences that a romantic relationship with Lena will entail. Would her family be supportive of her dating a Luthor ? Especially Kal-El ? Probably not. Would she have to tell Lena about her secret identity ? Surely. Did Lena even like her this way ? No idea. So yes, if Kara was being honest, she was glad for the distraction.
-"LCorp is hosting a party this week-end" Lena went on, sparing her friend of a reply. "It's a gala fundraiser for the Children's Hospital after that horrific attack on their building". Then, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for an eventual rejection, she added : "I was hoping you'd come."
-"Gala ? Is that like a party ?" Mon-El suddenly intruded the conversation. Kara was so focused on Lena she had totally forgot he was there. And that he behaved like a five years old.
-"No, no it's not" Kara silenced him quickly, feeling so embarrassed.
-"Most people wouldn't touch a Luthor with a ten-foot pole, but..." the CEO spoke again, totally unfazed by the interruption. "It would mean a lot to me if you were there". She said the last part looking directly at Kara and biting her lower lip. The blonde puppy eyes could make Lena agree on almost everything, like going to a stupid pyjama party she had no interest in when they were teenagers, but since their last talk, she discovered that her lip-biting had quite the effect on Kara too.
-"Of course I'll come, I'm honored" the reporter replied smiling and trying not to blush too much.
-"I love parties ha ha ! Could I come too ?" Mon-El asked enthusiastically.
-"No" Kara said abruptly, glowering at the Daxamite. Her hostile reaction surprised everyone in the room, including herself. It seemed that she was taking this gala invitation way too seriously. It wasn't a date after all. Or was it ?
-"No, of course your friend can come" Lena intervened. She came to CatCo to ask Kara to accompany her to her fundraiser but she was also on a permanent mission for LCorp since she had decided to restore her family's image. She had to send a positive message to the people she met, show them that LCorp was a respectable company that supported noble causes. That was why she invited this young journalist to the party and also because, if she was being honest, the list of guests was still very short. Apparently, the name Luthor still inspired a lot of fear.
-"What's your name ?" the CEO asked Mon-El to have his name added on the list of guests.
-"Mike ! Of the interns..."
-Well, Mike of the interns, find yourself a nice suit and I'll see you there." Now Lena understood why Kara had said "no" when the young man asked to go to the party. Clearly, the lights were on but nobody was home. However, Lena desperately needed more guests at her gala to give a good impression, so she thought that the poor boy who had trouble remembering his last name will do.
When they bid their goodbyes, Kara watched Lena leave, mesmerized, until the brunette disappeared in the elevator. Even after the doors closed, Kara was still daydreaming about Lena's beautiful retreating form until Mon-El shoved a disgusting half-eaten candy stick in front of her, yelling : "We, are going to a party !"
It was going to be a long day.
Unfortunately for Kara, the next day wasn't better than the previous one. She was still frustrated that the gang could get away again with the help of a shiny new alien gun. Plus, she started to stress over Lena's gala. Was it a date ? Did Lena want her to be her plus one at the event ? But she invited Mon-El as well so, probably not. What about her outfit ? She hadn't had time to think about what dress she would wear and with this gang terrorizing the city she might had to sneak away during the party to fulfil her Supergirl's duties. Normally, she would vent to her sister, but Kara didn't want to share her thoughts about Lena with her family and friends yet. The CEO's last name still generated too much mistrust for people to be objective. Moreover, Alex was kind of distracted lately. Something was clearly bothering her and maybe Kara would finally learn what it was if she had not been complaining to her sister about Mon-El for the past five minutes. Alex had come to her apartment a little earlier, telling her she wanted to talk about something but Kara's stress was reaching a dangerously high level and so she started to tell Alex about all the ways the Daxamite was driving her mad. It was a safer topic than Lena and her gala invitation. Plus, the insufferable alien really annoyed her with his childish behavior. As a Kryptonian, she already wasn't a fan of Daxamites but the truth was Mon-El exceeded all of her expectations about his kind. Trying to educate him was really getting on her nerves. She was glad Alex let her express her frustration but she was being a terrible sister and so, tried to focus the conversation on Alex again.
-"You came here wanting to talk to me about something and I haven't shut my mouth, I'm sorry" Kara apologized to her sister. "What is it ? What's wrong ?"
Alex took a deep breath. "I..." she started to say when someone knocked at the door. Kara used her x-ray vision and saw that it was no other than Lena herself. "What is she doing here ?" she wondered out loud, rushing to open the door. It seemed that she couldn't catch a break lately.
-"Lena ! Hi !" the Kryptonian said in an unusual high-pitched voice. "Come on in" she added looking at Alex nervously and hoping her sister would not be too aggressive over her friend. She was definitely not prepared for what came next.
-"I'm sorry I keep dropping in on you it's..." Lena started to say to Kara but stopped herself the second she laid her eyes on Alex. The CEO always assumed that her friend was single considering how she never mentioned someone in particular when they talked but she should have known better. It had been foolish of her to assume that her perfect ray of sunshine wouldn't arouse keen interest among other people.
-"Hey, I know you" Lena finally said to the woman in front of her, smiling coldly. "You saved my life" she added after looking Alex up and down, her disdainful stare contradicting her words. Kara flinched at Lena's tone. She expected Alex to be a little unwelcoming of her friend because of the latter's last name but she hadn't considered, in any way, that the situation could be reversed.
-"Special Agent Alex Danvers FBI" Alex introduced herself to Lena, extending her hand. Kara closed her eyes and wished with all her heart that the CEO would accept it.
-"She's my sister" Kara said relieved when Lena accepted her sister's outstretched hand.
-"The city is smaller than I thought" the CEO replied, her voice suddenly back to her usual tone.
When Lena left, Kara found herself, as every time the Luthor came to visit her, with more questions than she had before. Now, beside the incoming gala, she was wondering why Lena came to ask her if she could be in touch with Supergirl. She hoped that her friend wasn't in danger or involved in something shady. Sensing her stress rising back at those thoughts, the Kryptonian asked Rao silently why she had to fall for the National City's villains' favorite target.
-"How did she know where you lived ?" Alex interrupted her thoughts.
-"I...hum, told her" Kara lied. She wasn't going to tell her sister that she didn't know otherwise Alex would launch herself into an endless rant about how she shouldn't trust a Luthor, especially if they were friends before like Superman and Lex, to be careful with her identity, etcetera.
-"Kara, is there something I should know ?" Alex asked again, taking a sip of her beer.
-"Uh, like what ? the Blonde answered confused.
-"Like, do I have to tell Mom to set another place at the Thanksgiving table ?" the older Danvers replied smiling.
-"What ?" Kara exclaimed surprised. "No, no Lena's just..." she laughed nervously, "a friend" she managed to say, adjusting her glasses to avoid looking at her sister.
-"Well, she may be a friend to you, but clearly, you're something more to her" Alex stated, finishing her beer.
-"What ? No !" Kara denied, starting to blush furiously at the thought of Lena liking her back.
-"Oh please Kara !" Alex shouted. "The woman was ready to pounce on me until you told her I was your sister ! she continued looking at her sister, her eyes open wide. "Sometimes I forgot how clueless you are about those things" she finished sighting.
The sisters were nearing a very hot topic for Kara so she decided to change the subject quickly by asking Alex again what she was going to tell her when she came to her apartment. The brunette just smiled and said that it wasn't important and that she would tell her later. Then, the agent took her jacket from the chair and hugged Kara goodbye.
-"Crap !" Kara whispered loudly as she launched herself from Lena's balcony. Of course the CEO had to invite Supergirl to her gala as well, she should have seen it coming from a mile away. Kara was already worrying about Lena's safety but since she learned more about the gang, she was convinced that the fundraiser will be a prime target and apparently, so did Lena, that was why she had invited Supergirl. To protect her guests. The problem was that now, Kara was in more trouble than before if it was even possible. She would have to be there as Kara and Supergirl, be on the lookout for a hypothetical (but almost certain) apparition of the gang and, last but not least, Lena will be in attendance. And if there anything that could jeopardise the mission, it was the sight of Lena in a cocktail dress, looking more gorgeous than usual.
After her little freak-out in National City's sky, Kara had flown to the DEO and asked Winn to help her plan the evening. Then, she had gotten back to Lena's office as Supergirl, hoping to dissuade the CEO from going to the gala. Unfortunately, Lena was as stubborn as she was in high school and had categorically refused to change her mind. So, here Kara was, at this fancy party in her grey dress, wishing her glass of champagne would actually have some effect on her for once to calm her nerves. The CEO had excused herself a little earlier to salute some representatives of big medias companies and promote LCorp, but Kara didn't let her out of her sight even for one second. As Winn was telling her about some exciting new video game he bought, she was watching Lena from afar, hoping the CEO wouldn't come back too soon to ask her why it was taking so long for Supergirl to check the perimeter. If the gang was going to make an appearance tonight, Kara thought, it would be great if they could do it now.
Later on the evening, Kara's wish had been granted. The gang had made a huge entrance and Kara had switched in full superhero mode, kicking asses all around. Well, if she was being honest, she had been the one getting her ass kicked the most but she wasn't going to stand by while people were getting robbed. Actually, it had been Lena who had saved the day with Winn's help and Supergirl would be so proud of the CEO if she wasn't also a little angry. Why she had to put herself in danger every single time ? Kara thought exasperated. If Lena had told her about her plan from the beginning, they would have settled this case in a faster and safer way, not to mention the number of tossing around she could have avoided.
Anyway, everything was fine now so Kara decided to pay Lena a visit at her office to thank her for her help. Kara new that her friend was still being harshly judged because of her last name and that she probably needed someone to finally acknowledge all of the brunette efforts to do good. But not anyone. So Kara decided to thank Lena for her ingenious plan and great bravery as none other than National City's superhero.
-"You took a great risk Miss Luthor", Supergirl said to Lena as they were walking toward the CEO office. "Why didn't you tell me what you were up to ?
-"I doubt you would have believe that a Luthor wanted to see justice done."
-"First, that's not true" Supergirl said seriously. "And second, you have to stop putting yourself in harm's way like that. There are people who care about you and who are worried sick, like Kara Danvers." The Kryptonian felt a little bad for using her super alter ego as her wingman but she didn't want Supergirl to replace Kara in Lena's mind. She had seen this happen before. Once they were introduced to the superhero, some people would stop paying attention to Kara, reducing her to a way of contacting Supergirl, nothing more, and Kara wanted to keep Lena in her life, even if it meant only as a friend.
-"That's remind me" the CEO spoke again, "I couldn't find Kara after the gang was arrested at the party. Is she all right ?"
-"Uh... Yes !" Kara replied quickly, chastising herself for bringing the subject and almost falling into the trap she accidentally set for herself. "One of her friend was injured during the fight so she accompanied him to the hospital."
-"I hope he's well" Lena said. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your help at the gala" she then added.
-"Well I couldn't stop them without you, thank you" Kara answered truthfully.
-"Who would have believe it ? A Luthor and a Super working together ?" the CEO pointed, making both of them laugh. "I hope we can work more together in the future" the brunette went on, smiling at Supergirl. The Kryptonian noticed that, even if this smile was genuine, it still wasn't the same she witnessed as Kara Danvers the reporter, or even Kara the high school student.
-"Me too" Kara replied, smiling too. Maybe Lena wouldn't replace her for Supergirl after all.
-"Oh. I didn't realize you had company", an elegant woman interrupted them from the doorway of Lena's office. When the CEO saw her, she kindly asked Supergirl to leave so that was what Kara did. But, as she was about to rush to the sky, she wondered where she had seen the mysterious woman's face before.