Notes: Warnings for sexual assault in the beginning of the chapter and mentions of rape at the end. It's not terribly graphic, but please don't read if you think these will trigger anything for you. Safe reading 3
Her heels clicked against the sidewalk in a steady staccato. The night air blowing her hair in cool wisps. She pulled her long jacket tighter around her, keeping her head down, sticking to the lightened end of the road.
The man was still behind her, she could hear the hit of his shoes against the floor, following her step. She tried not to panic or show she was afraid. It wasn't the first time a man followed after her because of her line of work, nor the first time this particular man
/attempted to walk her home.
He was calling after her, still asking for a "good time". She told him plenty of times before that she didn't do that, that she was a dancer, not some whore. Apparently tonight he was refusing to take the hint. She walked faster, her calves burning, her
/heart rate quickening.
He pursued her still, matching his pace to hers. He was too close to her. She had to get away. She only had a few blocks until she made it to the bus stop. She broke into a full sprint, her jacket flapping behind her like a cape, her arms swinging, her
/breath leaving in hard gasps. He chased after her, catching up easily.
She tried to scream, but it came out as a yelp as he took hold of her jacket, jerking her back hard. He pulled her into the dark alley nearby, slamming her back into the cold wall.
"Please. Please, don't."
Dirty hands gripped her. The smell of liquor filled her nostrils. He pressed his body against hers, crushing her, pinning her in place. She tried to kick and punch. It was no use, he was too strong. His eyes were wild, she knew what would happen next.
"I'm gonna make you feel so good," he sneered into her ear, his hand around her throat, tightening.
She shut her eyes, the chill down her spine was paralyzing, her heart hammering through her chest. Why? Why, why, why… Why didn't she let her coworker take her home tonight? Why wasn't she more careful? How could she be so stupid?
His lips, sloppy, wet, kissing on her neck. She wanted to disappear. His hand still on her throat, the other slipping under her coat and touching her laced thighs. She focused her eyes on a crack in the wall as they welled up with tears. She imagined
/slipping herself into the crack, falling into the floor, melting into the wall. He was slipping his hand into her underwear.
This was it.
But then, something clicked. She was thrashing, fighting, screaming.
"No! NO! HELP!" The sound ripped through her. He tried to cover her mouth, but she bit down on his hand. He yelled in pain.
"You stupid slut!" He slapped her across the jaw, and she fell to the floor. She braced herself, the rough asphalt cutting into her palms. He grabbed her ankles, pulling her back, her stomach scraping across the hard rocks.
She screamed again, "HELP!"
And then, a red-caped figure was throwing him away. He flew into the far off wall with a hard thud. The blonde haired woman ran towards him, a blur, then gripped him by his shirt with one hand, her other in a tightly balled fist. He was clawing her forearm,
/terror in his eyes, his head gashed and bleeding.
"Please, don't hurt me!" he begged.
The powerful woman struck him. Once. Twice. She lifted her fist for another, but his body went slack, his arms falling, his head rolling to the side. She released her grip, his unconscious body falling to the floor.
She lay there on the blacktop, heart pounding, shock keeping her still. The blue-and-red suited woman was walking towards her. The fury in her expression immediately softening when their eyes locked.
Supergirl.
"It's okay, you're safe now," Supergirl said, extending her hand out. She took the offered hand, letting herself be pulled to her feet.
"Th- Thank you," her voice cracked. She broke down then, the tears bursting through against her will. Supergirl pulled her into a hug. It was incredibly soft and comforting, Supergirl's hand rubbing small circles against her back.
She cried until she couldn't anymore, an ugly choking sob full of snot, all the while Supergirl held her. Steady. Safe. She pulled back, wiping the wet tracks down her face, and Supergirl gave her a tender smile.
"What's your name?" her hero asked.
She was trying to catch her breath, the words choking in her throat, "My, my name is, A-Alex."
Supergirl's jaw clenched, so slightly it went unnoticed by Alex. Her sister's face flashing in the forefront of her mind. She shook it off, now wasn't the time, and quickly released her bite, smiling again easily. "Well, Alex, if it's alright, I'd like
/to fly you to the hospital to get checked out."
Alex violently shook her head no, her tears threatening to spill again. "I-I don't want anyone t-to know," she whispered, looking down at her feet.
She was embarrassed by her own stupidity. She felt like she deserved what was coming to her- she was an exotic dancer after all. She purposely aroused men for money, but never followed through with the implied promise. It was only a matter of time before
/a man tried to take what he thought he paid for. The last thing she wanted was everyone judging her.
Supergirl lowered her stance, her fingertips tilting Alex's chin to meet her gaze. "Hey, it's okay, Alex. This… this isn't your fault." A quiet understanding in her voice.
"But I had it coming! I'm a dancer, and he just wanted what he was owed. Plus, I could've ran faster! I could've fought harder! I was so scared, I almost let him…"
"No," Supergirl cut her off. "You did fight. You fought him off of you. You screamed and yelled and bought yourself enough time for me to get here. You did everything right."
She looked over at the predator's still unconscious body, then back to Alex. "And no matter what you do, no man ever has a right to your body. Ever." Her voice was steel.
She was furious that Alex could ever think she deserved to be treated in such a way. But she couldn't let Alex see her anger, she didn't want the woman thinking she was upset with her. She took a calming breath, composing herself.
"But right now, I have to get you checked out to make sure you're okay. Please?"
"Okay." Alex agreed reluctantly. "But, will you stay with me once we get there? I-I don't want to be left alone."
"Of course. All night."
Supergirl guided Alex's hands around her neck, making sure she had a stable grip, then wrapped her own arm around Alex's waist. She floated over to the dirtbag on the floor, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, and hoisted him over her free shoulder.
/She bent her knees slightly, and then lifted off into the night air, carrying them both to the hospital.
Once there, everything seemed to rush by. The police and Alex's brother were called to meet them. Supergirl sat with Alex in the meantime, holding the woman's hand as she was examined. Only a few cuts and bruises needed treating, and for that Supergirl
/was grateful.
The vile man, slowly coming back around, had a minor concussion and needed a few stitches for his head, but was otherwise unscathed. The police arrived and handcuffed him to the bed until he was conscious enough to take back to the station.
Alex's brother showed, panic, then relief, washed over him as Supergirl explained what had happened and that his sister would be okay.
"Just be there for her and support her. It's important that she know this wasn't her fault. She might be shaken up for quite awhile, but as long as you're there I know she can get through this."
Alex was ready to be discharged after hours of questioning and waiting, the police collecting all the information they needed and the doctor pleased enough to let her go home to get some rest. Supergirl walked Alex to her brother's car, he already in
/the driver's seat.
Alex turned and gave Supergirl a tight hug. "Thank you, Supergirl. I don't know what I would've done without you. You're my hero," she sniffed, the words somewhat muffled in Supergirl's shoulder.
Supergirl released the hug, opened the passenger door to allow Alex to get inside, and gently shut it behind her. She waved goodbye as the car rolled off, then shot into the early dawn sky.
She had to see her sister.
Lena awoke with a sharp pain between her eyes, her temples pounding. Everything ached as she rolled off the bed, the pads of her feet brushing against the cold morning floor. She sat for awhile, the air empty and chilling, the dam inside her threatening
/to break. Fingers gripped sheets, steadying as she teetered on the edge.
She reached to check her phone, but remembered dropping it with the rest of her belongings at the door. She opened her nightstand drawer and brought out a bottle of pain medication, popping two pills into her mouth, swallowing them dry.
Standing, she headed towards the master bath. She flicked the light, hurting her tired, sensitive eyes, and came face-to-face with someone she didn't recognize. It was her face in the mirror, her features, but the person wasn't her. This person before
/her was just a shell, a ghost of the person she once believed to be. Lena had always felt alone. But this, this was something else. This left her raw and bleeding, the cracks in her facade splitting her down the middle.
Lena's jaw tightened, eyes welling with burning hot tears. She didn't want this anymore. She was tired, so tired. The pain so deep she felt everything. She felt nothing. She wanted to thrash, to throw things, to scream until it stripped her throat, leaving
/it red and aching.
Instead, she swallowed it down like she was taught, like a Luthor would. Lena was going to do what she did best: pretend nothing was wrong. She would rebuild her walls and act as if the only friend in her life hadn't severed her heart in two.
She began to get ready, deciding to keep her hair down, a veil. She applied her makeup next- her eyes lined in black, her lips blood red, and just enough blush to give her face life. She went to her closet, slipping on a black dress that hugged her in
/all the right places, and a pair of tall red heels.
Lena stared at herself in her full-body mirror, her mask perfectly placed, her outfit making her look more powerful than she felt. It was easier looking at herself this way. She squared her jaw, the final door inside her slammed shut. She put on her coat,
/and gathered her things. She checked her phone, but not even so much a text from Kara. She locked the door behind her with a final resolve.
She would never let anyone else in again.
Kara knocked on Alex's apartment door frantically, barely holding her super-strength back from tearing the door off its hinges.
After she saved that woman, Alex, she had to make sure her sister was okay. It was irrational, Kara knew, because her sister was a highly trained professional who could take care of herself. Still, her emotions got the better of her, and here
/she was. Alex was taking too long for her liking, though.
She knocked again, using her x-ray vision to see if her sister was getting up from bed. It was still early, the sun just beginning to peek out from it's slumber. She knocked once more and saw the lump in her sister's bed begin to rouse. It got up and
/headed towards the room door lazily, dragging it's feet. Kara fought back the urge to bust down the door, anxiously switching the weight on her feet.
The lump finally got to the front door, and began unlocking the chain. Once the door was open, Kara all but flew through, wrapping her arms around her sister's neck and waist.
"Alex! Thank Rao you're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay, Kara, I was sleeping," Alex, a little more than confused, choked out from the suffocating hug. It was tender yet frantic, like Kara was afraid to let go, and it meant something was wrong.
Alex squeezed her sister, reassuring her. "Hey, I'm okay, Kara. I promise." She extended her arms slightly, pushing Kara back so she could look at her face.
She did a once over on Kara. Her face was pale, not the usual sunshine glow she possessed. Her clothes were a frantic mess, like she had gotten dressed in a hurry, and her glasses tilted on the bridge of her nose. She cupped her sister's worried face
/in both hands, the crinkle in her brow prominent.
"Tell me what's wrong. Did you just come back from saving someone?"
Kara hung her head, defeated, and nodded in confirmation. Alex sighed, this wasn't the first time a save got to Kara.
"Why don't we sit down and talk about it?"
They made their way to the couch, Alex sitting down first and guiding Kara's head to lay in her lap, Kara's legs bent and her feet flat on the cushions. She looked like the world was crushing in on her, her eyelids painted purple in exhaustion. Alex stroked
/her baby sister's hair soothingly, patiently waiting for her to talk.
"I saved a woman in an alley last night… Her name was Alex, too, and it freaked me out a little. We were at the hospital for a while and then I came straight here to check up on you. That's all," Kara said finally.
"That's all?" Alex asked, looking down at Kara skeptically. She knew her sister, and Kara knew that Alex knew her sister, so why the run-around? "Come on, Kara, I know you. I know that's not all. Tell me."
Kara let out a shaky breath, covering her eyes with her forearm, "I just… I heard her screaming blocks away, so I rushed in to save her. When I got there... she was being dragged all over the ground, begging for help." She sat up quickly then, her back
/to Alex, her muscles tense. She fixed her eyes to the far wall, staring blankly, her mind recalling the man in her grip.
"It was sickening, Alex," she whispered, more to herself than her sister. "I threw him so hard. It took so much of me not to keep hitting him over, and over, and over. He almost…" She ground her teeth down, the veins in her neck taut. Alex placed her
/hand on Kara's shoulder, a gentle reassurance.
"He almost raped her!" Kara cried out. "And the worst part of it: she thought she deserved it! All because of who she was, she thought she got what was coming to her." She was shaking her head, her eyes shut tight.
"I just don't understand how anyone could think they deserve that! How, Alex!?" Tears were streaming down her face now, the anger in her seething. She dropped her head into her hands, letting it roll over her in waves.
Alex reached her arms around Kara's waist, resting her head against her back. She could feel the jaggedness in Kara's breathing, her heart punching through her chest.
"Sometimes.. People think they deserve bad things, because everyone else thinks that they're bad," Alex reasoned to Kara. "Sometimes they just need someone to show them that they aren't."
Suddenly, Kara's mind flashed a face of someone else who needed to be shown how good they really were.
Lena.
Kara groaned into her hands. She gathered herself, reeling the line of emotions back in. Lena had opened herself up to Kara, and she just left without an explanation. I'm such an idiot.
Kara twisted, releasing Alex's hug, letting her feet hit the ground, and cupped her tired sister's face.
"I'm sorry I woke you, thank you so much for listening to me." Kara placed a gentle kiss to Alex's forehead. "But I have something I have to take care of."
Maybe it was still too early becauseAlex didn't question it. Instead she looked into Kara's eyes, searching, and said a simple, "okay."
They both stood up, Kara wiping the dried stains down her cheeks, and hugged goodbye. Kara reached for the doorknob to leave, Alex calling from where she stand in front of the couch.
"We'll talk about this later?"
Kara turned, giving her a quick nod and smile, then was gone.
Notes: This chapter was particularly hard to write, but if it just sucks I'll take it down and rewrite. I'll be honest here and say I'm not completely sure where I was taking this story, but it's slowly shaping in my head and I hope you
/guys will enjoy the product.
