AN: Sorry for the wait for those who still remember and follow this little fic. My reasons were plenty but I don't want to bore you to death with them. Lol.
Shoutout to the Guest comment about the food mention. I see you're well educated. Haha. Nasi Lemak is my fav.
Anyway, as always, enjoy~
TW: Brief suicidal thought and action.
*
*
*
It was like déjà vu.
Kara, standing across Lena, sporting that same horrified face when their skin touched the first time and they found out they were soulmates. There was a moment where time stood still between them. Both waiting, caught in the moment as they studied each other. The only difference this time, blue eyes looked back and forth down Lena's feet and up again, like she was having a hard time understanding the situation she had just encountered.
Lena with blood-stained hands and pants stood over Cat Grant's lifeless body on the floor.
It felt like an eternity when in reality was only a mere second.
Regardless, to Lena, it was an eternity of moments, dragged dreadfully slow as she waited for the worst. The last experience she had standing over a corpse, she served ten years for it. Granted, she was guilty of that. This one though...
This one...
Cat— No, Miss Grant...
The one person that had looked past her criminal background to give her a chance of becoming a person worthy to be proud of, now lay dead on her feet.
"Get away."
Lena was jolted out of haze at Kara's voice. She wasn't yelling, but it came close.
"Get away from her."
Lena stumbled back, away as per instructed. She didn't catch Kara's face when the said woman was already in a blur of movements, kneeling down, slipping arms under Cat Grant and then vanished in a violent gust of wind. The only remnants left were the cool air and bloodied mess, making Lena shiver for both.
The office was quiet and bright, creating the splotched red and the mess of papers on the floor that much clearer. On a second look, the room was a mess. The desk was at a weird angle and the documents that Lena had painstakingly colour-coded for Miss Grant's easy access to, were scattered apart everywhere.
Lena had the sudden urge to tidy everything up or else she would not stop hearing this from her boss of her incompetency. But, halfway picking up a paper on the floor the reality of that never going to happen now doused her entire body like a cold shower.
Because Cat Grant was gone.
Dead.
No more Bulletproof coffee. God, was she shot?
Dead.
No more calling off shady men that use potential investors as a front.
Dead.
No more arranging meetings and conference calls. Dubai. That conference calls from Dubai.
Was Cat in the middle of the call when she was attacked?
Murdered. She was murdered.
Lena should call them back and explain. Cat would be annoyed that such an important meeting was interrupted.
Catco was going to open up a branch in the Middle East market and Lena figured Dubai would be their first choice to start.
But she was dead.
Dead.
She should call them.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Dea—
"Lena!"
Her vision sharpened instantly at the new voice. Eyes wide and breath in short burst. A woman, dark-haired with a blurry face came into view.
"Easy, now. Take a deep breath, Lena."
Belatedly, she realized she had moved into a corner. Her back was against the wall as she tried to make herself small to whoever was in front of her. Their voice was calm, meant to soothe and Lena followed their instruction to take a deep breath. Gradually, when her heart wasn't attempting to burst out of her chest, Maggie was there. Red and blue lights bled onto her features, police sirens blaring from somewhere below the building.
Behind Maggie, policemen were filling the room, equipped with cameras and their equipment bags as they took residents. One of them set up a heavy-looking gear onto the carpet and Lena found herself moving towards it.
Swallowing past her scratchy throat, "Excuse me, you can't leave that there, it'll leave an indentation."
The guy looked up from his equipment on the floor. "What?"
"The rug." Lena pointed. "It's a high pile. Your heavy gear would leave a mark." Miss Grant didn't even let her walk over it claiming that it'll last longer that way. Whatever the hell that meant, Lena didn't ask, simply nodding and making a mental note to avoid the area whenever she came in.
But the man only stared dumbly, like Lena had spoken an alien language. So she repeated, slowly this time. He looked peeved by the second, gaze directed above her shoulder before he found Lena again.
"You're joking."
"Connor," Maggie called from behind her.
Any more words about to form on Connor's lips died instantly. With a defeated sigh, he got up and took his equipment away with him, but not before giving a look at Lena.
Maggie stood by her side after that, "That okay?"
Connor had found a corner away from the bustle of the room to continue setting up, and Lena realized the other policemen had no disregard for Miss Grant's belongings. Dirty boots clamoured every inch of the room, ugly yellow placards littered every surface, and flashes of camera lights invaded the privacy of Cat Grant's office.
Something soft and heavy blanketed her shoulders before she realized that she was shaking.
"Okay, I think we should go. You don't need to be here anymore. C'mon, walk with me," Maggie enveloped her with a side hug that left Lena ashamed she melted upon contact.
Away from the chaos, Lena's mind caught up to her soulmate. Did Kara call the police? Where did she take Miss Grant to?
"Kara..." Lena said, small. "Is she—is she okay?"
Maggie stopped in the lobby to give her full attention. "Yeah, why wouldn't she? She's at home probably sleeping considering the hours. Do you want me to call her?"
Lena chided herself silently for forgetting no one knew she knew Kara is Supergirl. "Right. No, that's fine."
Thankfully, Maggie let it go. Her features soften considerably. "I'm sorry about what happened to Cat Grant. I know you'd rather go home and rest but can you tell me what exactly happen? Every little detail you can remember would help us find the person responsible for this." A warm hand clasped Lena's shoulder reassuringly. "Whenever you're ready."
Lena hugged herself, intentionally pulling the blanket wrapping around tighter. "I... I came here to help Miss Grant. She had a conference call from Dubai. I usually take notes for her to review later." Her vision glazed over the memory. "Her room was the only one with lights on. And I just found her lying there on the floor. I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was cold and she—her face, her skin was pale. She—Miss Grant is gone, isn't she?"
Maggie only nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry."
Another shudder passed through Lena's body. Every minute passed the harder it seemed for her to accept this new truth. She shut her eyes, willing everything to be a bad dream.
"What happened next?"
Lena opened her eyes, imagination shattered and only grew worse. Kara's stricken face and harsh voice filled her mind. "Supergirl came. She took Miss Grant away. I don't know where, she just left."
She left me, was what Lena didn't say, didn't want to ponder over. Because, despite the horrifying event that had transpired, Lena felt betrayed. Her soulmate had left her with nothing but a disgusted and harsh look for a second time. Cat Grant was murdered and Lena only cared about herself.
What kind of a person that made her? Maybe Kara was onto something there when she decided to leave her on her own.
"Hey, let's get you home, yeah?" Maggie's voice and warmth enveloped her again. She didn't have the energy to refuse or agree, merely went along with the motion.
But, home sounded nice.
*
It was past 3 AM that Lena found herself curled up on the sofa of her living room still wide awake. She tried to sleep earlier but her nerves were too fired up to settle. Maggie had been such a good friend, driving her to her house, and even offering to stay. But, Lena waved the concern off because the detective still had a job to do now more than ever.
The blood on Lena's hands was gone now, scrapped raw in the shower. Her bloodied clothes were tossed away never to be seen again. She could turn on the TV and put on something to stave off the deafening silence of the night but eventually, she didn't, worried that her fingers would slip the remote onto the news station. Better the stillness than Cat Grant's possible repertoire filling the living room.
Lena didn't even think she could handle hearing the other woman's name without having a flashback of deadweight body and cold crimson blood that made her sick and her fingers sticky.
She fought back a shiver.
Just then, something crashed in the kitchen. Lena was instantly on her feet. The dark abyss of the kitchen stared back at her as she slowly made her way to investigate. Her chest heaved as if she had run a mile when in fact it was barely ten feet or so.
When her shaking hand finally reached the light switch and turned it on, she was met with Athos rummaging through the trash. The can overturned, its content naturally spilt onto the tile floor and Athos's head deep into the dirty pile. He was so deep that only his fluffy butt and tail, straight in the air like a beacon, could be seen. A darker spot of grey on its left hind leg was the only indication it was indeed Athos.
Lena sagged down the wall onto the floor. The tension left her body instantly.
What did she expect really, living with three unruly kittens? This time of night was their playtime after all. As if on cue, Porthos and Aramis came strutting into the kitchen from wherever they were, passed Lena's seating form to join their brother demolishing the newfound treasure.
She didn't know for how long she stayed seated on the cold kitchen floor. All she knew was the phantom of cold body dripping red conjured up in her mind was slowly diminishing with each mewling and mess the trio across her had made. The little chaos in her kitchen was calming and soon she could breathe properly again. So much so that she didn't even flinch when the doorbell rang, didn't register the ungodly hours and the possible danger that came with it.
Lena merely stood and walked to open the front door revealing Kara behind it.
All of her effort in finding peace a while ago diminished completely. Reality washed over like a slap in the face.
"Kara."
"Can I come in?"
Kara looked terrible. Her hair was tangled and damp borderline dripping like she had just come out of a storm. Judging by the clear dark sky and her dry clothes, Lena guessed she had just come out from a shower instead. Clear blue eyes stared defiantly, waiting. There were red-rimmed though and dark bags underneath visible more than ever without her glasses.
The intensity was too much so Lena's gaze travelled down to Kara's outfit—muscle tee and sweats— that couldn't possibly provide enough warmth for the chill night. She didn't even have shoes on.
Pulling herself together, Lena opened the door wider, silently inviting the Kryptonian in.
Kara walked further inside, stopping at the living room with Lena following suit. Silence soon overcame. Heavy and loaded.
Kara didn't even look at her, her profile was the only thing Lena could see as she chose to drill a hole in the walls with her piercing gaze instead. And Lena didn't have it in her to break the silence however hefty it was becoming, afraid to poke the figurative bear.
Either way, it seemed she didn't have to wait long when Kara spoke with an unexpected monotone voice, sudden as her visit.
"I brought Miss Grant to the General Hospital. They declared her dead upon arrival. It was too late for anyone to do anything."
Even if only half of Kara's face was visible, Lena could very well see the equally blank expression on the other's expression. It unnerved her. More so when Kara finally turned to finally grant her a full view of that stony features.
"She was stabbed in the heart."
"Kara," It seemed there was nothing else Lena could conjure up at the moment. Her own chest tightened trying to picture Miss Grant's horrible last moment.
Kara suddenly chuckled, hollow and mirthless. Her gaze landed somewhere above Lena's shoulder. "It's funny, she had a few panic buttons around her office. One beneath the table, one on the side of her mini bar, another between the bookcases, even below her chair's armrest, did you know?"
"I... No."
"She never got to use it tonight."
"Kar—"
"It's funny because she had all these safety measures, which she and I had planned to put in place years ago when she found out I was Supergirl and she wanted to have an advantage of being able to call me personally if the need arises. I even gave her the beacon watch which she wore, but she didn't even use that, didn't use any of it. And I can't stop thinking that maybe she thought she didn't have to. Maybe she didn't think there was danger at that moment."
Lena swallowed against her dry throat. There was a beginning of tears pooling beneath her eyes. "Kara, why are you here?"
Blue gaze finally looked right at her, equally teary. "I kept thinking— my mind won't shut up at the possibility that—" Her voice choked up like it physically pained her to voice out the next sentence. "Just, please tell me."
"Tell you what?" When there was no response, hurt, incredulous and despair mixed up inside her entire being. "Tell you what, Kara?"
Shakily, Kara breathed deeply and voiced out, "Why were you there? Why were you the one who found her?"
Lena smiled, pained. "That's not really the question you want to ask me."
Tears unashamedly streaked down Kara's face. "Did you... kill Cat Grant?"
There it was, Lena thought. She couldn't really fault Kara for her doubt, could she? After all, Lena had killed before. It was only fair for Kara to ask her this. Especially, since she was the one who found Miss Grant's lifeless body. The last person to be seen with the famous media mogul before her untimely death. Kara had seen Lena in the same situation before, blood pooled under Lena's feet, a lifeless body.
If Kara hadn't known her criminal past, she wouldn't be here asking the same question. Would there be another reality where Kara came looking for her for a more domestic type of reassurance?
Lena had no way of knowing any of that because her reality was now staring her in the face still waiting.
"Please Lena..."
She wondered why Kara's pleading sounded so heartbroken. Did it pain her to ask as much as it pained Lena to have to answer? There were hot tears streamed down her face now, unrelenting, matching Kara's.
Lena made sure her voice was clear even if her vision blurred by the edges, as she finally answered. "I did not kill Miss Grant. It wasn't me."
Kara did nothing but stared. Maybe searching for lies, maybe she didn't believe her. Lena had no way of knowing what was on the Kryptonian's mind and found that she didn't care at the moment. She was tired and sleepy. Her eyelids became heavy when the tears eventually stopped.
Kara stepped forward before stopping, unsure. And Lena waited. Brushed her tear-stained cheeks dry. Waited. And waited some more.
There were thousands of words unspoken in those blue eyes that Lena could see but could not hear. Kara didn't seem willing to let it all out so Lena had no way of knowing what they could mean.
Perhaps a cup of hot tea would calm Kara's nerve to voice out whatever she wanted to say but before Lena can offer some, the Kryptonian had given one last pained look and disappeared in a blast of wind. The sound of the front door closing softly despite the abruptness filled in before familiar stillness greeted once more.
Lena walked to her bedroom to finally go to sleep. She slipped beneath the sheet, warm and cosy. Her last conscious thought being how unpleasant she must be for her soulmate to always want to run away from her.
*
Morning greeted her with a scratchy throat. She coughed drily and head straight to the bathroom, down a hefty glass of water from the sink. The cool liquid went through her throat unpleasantly.
Lena grunted unhappily and chose to ignore it entirely for a shower.
Finished with her morning routine, she paused in front of her opened wardrobe, hands already grabbing her work blouse before she remembered she didn't have a boss anymore which probably meant that she was unemployed now.
She donned a plain black sweatshirt and comfortable lounge trousers instead before heading to the kitchen. The garbage can from last night was still there, overturned, no sly feline perpetrators in sight.
With a sigh, Lena moved to clean the mess, brought the trash outside and finally fixed herself a cup of coffee. It warmed her throat just so, giving a much-needed reprieve.
She stood there by the kitchen island, sipping her coffee and staring at the walls, willing herself to think of nothing, to feel nothing.
A sudden ping of noise crushed all of her effort into nothingness. There was a message from her abandoned phone on the island. A bunch, actually, from the same person. Maggie.
[01:54AM] Hey, let me know if you need anything? I'm up all night. You won't bother me.
[05:13AM] Catco's close until further notice seeing as we still need to process the scene, just so you know.
[07:56AM] Morning. U doing ok? Don't be a stranger now.
Lena's emotional floodgate struggled against its entrance as she typed a reply.
Thank you, Maggie. I'm fine.
She also wanted to write something more appreciative instead of being dismissive, but restrained. It wouldn't do her good to let go of her emotion now so early in the morning.
She headed to her garage-turned-lab instead. Maybe she could take another step in finding a cure for cancer. It has been a while since she spent time here. The last time was with Kara, who had agreed to look into her Kryptonian's science journal she collected from some mission years ago when they were stuck on a calculation of nanocarrier's penetration on the cancer cells.
That was before the kiss.
Before she confessed to Kara about lying that she was a Luthor.
Before everything went to shit.
God... that was just last week. Yet, Lena felt old. Weary, worn-out.
Never mind that she had just woken up. The sun shining outside, no doubt creating a beautiful canvas of light in the sky indicating a brand new day.
Lena was tired.
And everything inside her lab reminded her of Kara. Her seat across, her notes—written in Kryptonian, still messily scattered on the side of her desk. A dirty mug Kara had last used.
And because Lena was tired, she didn't even bother cleaning up Kara's mess. Didn't bother looking that way again, merely got on to what she came here to do in the first place. Even if the space was crawled with everything that was Kara, Lena pretended that it wasn't.
She had cancers to cure.
*
If only it was that easy.
Of course, curing cancer wasn't easy. If it was, scientists would have had a breakthrough already. If it was, it wouldn't be one of the most feared diseases in the world. If it was, Lionel would still be here.
And maybe Lena wouldn't be here now.
Alone. Exhausted. In a city too sunny.
Maybe she would've still been in Metropolis. Lionel always wanted her close. To care for or to monitor closely, she wouldn't even mind either way. At least then, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Wouldn't feel like shit.
Alas, she was here. Alone, tired and feeling like shit.
It worsened when the next day, Lena wanting to be more helpful, had called the hospital's mortuary to arrange Cat Grant's funeral. She berated herself for only remembering it a day later. She was still Miss Grant's personal assistance after all. It was the least and the last thing Lena could do for her.
But, as it was, everything had been settled by none other than Kara herself, the funeral was to be held at the end of the week. Closed and private.
That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. In this case, broke Lena's calm resolve.
How dare her! How dare Kara took everything and left her with nothing!
Miss Grant was the one who wanted Lena as her personal assistant. Lena was supposed to be the one that planned the funeral, be useful for once and gave back one last time to the woman willing to give her a chance despite Lena's past.
But, Kara took that chance away, just like she did with everything else.
Lena slumped tiredly against the chair in her lab. Her trembling hands lessened every second as she calm down. Though, the whiteboard remained a dark splotch in the middle of all their written calculations, pieces of broken glass from the cup of coffee she had thrown across the room landed pointedly on the floor now.
Loud mewls and scratching from outside the door broke her haze just barely. She was always extra careful not to let the three musketeers feline get inside her lab in fear of their safety and her expensive equipment.
But, Lena was far too gone to care about such things and opened the door. Athos lunged for her, starting a climb from her shin and upwards, his claws stung only slightly as they found purchase against the fabric of her clothes, Porthos and Aramis doing the same from her calf and about, until they settled around her neck and chest, purring loudly, still clung by their sharp claws.
And for a moment, Lena forgot all about her rules in the lab. Forgot about her favourite mug jagged and broken on the floor. Forgot about Kara.
*
The next morning, Lena forced herself to wake up early and dressed for work. Even if her body ached and there was a beginning of a headache. Not to mention her scratchy throat seemed to only worsen. She picked her attires half-heartedly. More casual than her usual blouse and pencil skirt, she opted for a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers.
She wanted to hand in her resignation. Surely, whoever to be Cat Grant's successor wouldn't be as open-minded to have a murderer as a personal assistant, would they? Lena didn't have it in her to lie again and she decided best to not be there at all when it eventually came down to it.
Finally arriving at Catco, she braced herself against the throng of people at the lobby entrance and then inside the elevator. They chattered and went about their days as if nothing had happened. As if the very company they worked for hadn't lost its founder. Whoever was Cat Grant's successor sure didn't waste time for a mourning period.
Getting out on her floor, she was expecting to find someone else sitting in Cat Grant's chair, so she was ready for the mental image but what she found was beyond her imagination.
The resignation letter in her grip was forgotten as soon as her mother came into view. Kara and James were there in the office too, talking on and on as Lillian looked on silently, unimpressed.
That familiar cold gaze caught Lena from across the room and stayed until Lena finally made her way inside Miss Grant's office.
Lillian stood up from behind the desk almost too quick before Lena could think to form a greeting. "Lena Kieran, I presume?"
Lena chanced a glance at Kara and found the other woman was already looking at her. Blue eyes lost their usual brightness, dark shadows under, not quite covered by her glasses. She looked as drained as Lena felt.
Despite it all, a fire ignited inside Lena as she saw the broken shell of a person that was her soulmate. Kara didn't have the right to look so pitiful when she was the one who deemed their bond meant nothing anymore. Shouldn't she be relieved to have cut ties? Wasn't this what she wanted? What more did Lena have to give for Kara to be happy?
Unwilling to go down that rabbit hole, Lena focused on her mother's presence, barely keeping it together as she took in everything. Lillian looked misplaced here in Cat Grant's office, standing behind Cat Grant's desk. She wanted to drag her mother away at once.
"What are you doing here?" She gritted, "This isn't your office."
"Mind your tone, Miss Kieran." The underlying; 'remember who you are when people are around, dear,' rang loud under that. "I know we're in hard times but it's no reason for such rudeness. It's unbecoming."
Lena's grip on the forgotten letter tightened again. Her heart clenched painfully at the dismissal, shoulders hunched, properly chastised. Was it too much to ask for her mother not to feel ashamed of her? Did Lillian even care about anything other than business? Did she know who found Cat Grant's body?
Perhaps, it was Lena's fault for expecting too much from the people around her. She can feel Kara's burning gaze from the side which she expressly ignored as Lillian's voice continued.
"Especially when you're talking to your future employer. Since you were Cat Grant's PA, it's only fitting that you'll be mine. I would need—"
"James is the interim successor for CatCo," Kara cut in effectively. Steel in her voice. "As agreed with the board of directors. A unanimous vote which you have no say in, Mrs Luthor."
Lillian gave a dramatic sigh. "This again? Yes, I heard you the sixteen times before Miss Danvers. Kara, do you mind if I call you Kara?" She smiled sharply without breaking her gaze but Lena felt it directed to her regardless. "Your reputation precedes you. A promising journalist under Cat's tutelage herself. I always admired Cat Grant and her sharp-wittedness. CatCo and her legacy deserved the very best which was why the last-minute decision swap."
James crossed his arms against his chest. "That still doesn't explain why LuthorCorp bought Catco."
"Well, if I was to explain my business module to you, Mr Olsen, we would be here all day and then some, I'm not even sure you'd understand any of it, see, there are no pictures."
James looked red in the face, his posture tense as if ready to sucker punch her. But, Kara laid a hand on his arm, stopping him.
Bored, Lillian took a seat again. Cat Grant's chair was still there, as with everything else in the room. They didn't even change anything. Were they ever going to?
"Now, Lena, would you mind escorting these two out? We have much to discuss."
Lena moved forward instead and placed her crumpled resignation letter on the desk. "I quit."
It was Kara who spoke first, "What?"
Lena didn't acknowledge her, merely stood her ground and waited for her mother.
"Leave," Lillian said to Kara and James before fixing her gaze back at Lena. "Lena and I need to talk privately."
"I have nothing else to say."
"Then, you'll listen."
Lena's head pounded whether because of irritation or something else, she didn't know but she didn't leave. How can she? It was better to let her mother say her piece now rather than be hounded by it at a later date. Not that it would deter Lena's resolve on the matter.
Lillian raised a perfect eyebrow directed over Lena's shoulder. "Why are you two still here?"
It seemed Kara was reluctant to leave. Lena could feel a burning gaze from her at the back of her head that Lena almost turned around to see if Kara was using her heat vision. But, Lena wouldn't be defeated and she didn't think she could face those blue eyes again without breaking down.
"Good morning," another voice suddenly joined inside the office, making everyone's attention focus on the newcomers. It was Maggie. She greeted Lena with a smile not quite there, two officers were on each of her sides without any of her familiar warmness.
"For goodness sake," Lillian rose from her seat once again, "This is becoming rather tiresome. Is this visitation day?"
"We're here on official business, ma'am." One of the officers explained. "Miss Kieran, please come with us."
Lena stood frozen at being called out. She suddenly felt suffocated with all the eyes now directed at her.
"What is this about?" Lillian had now stood directly in front of Lena, blocking her sight from the police officers.
She didn't even notice her mother walking around the table to stand in front of the conversations that were currently still ongoing. Her thoughts filled with dread at the officer's last word. Come where? To the station? Was she being arrested?
Unwanted memories that had no place to exist inside her mind, reinforced and tucked away by mental walls began to crack layer by layer.
No, she can't go back there. She can't. She can't. She can't. She can't.
"Lena,"
She swallowed the bile that threatened to escape. "Maggie,"
"C'mon," Maggie placed a comforting hand on her lower back, urging her to walk towards the balcony of the office. The other two officers stayed where they were, Lillian still grilling them with questions, James and even Kara stayed with them.
The pounding inside Lena's head was increasing by the seconds, loud against her ears that she could barely hear what Maggie was saying. Lena searched for self-control, try to calm down and found them in Kara's piercing blue eyes, not straying from her own even as they gain distance from each other.
"...okay?" Maggie finished, expectantly. Lena finally tore her gaze away.
"Wh—What? Can you repeat that?"
Maggie at least didn't look annoyed by her lack of attention. "I'm saying that you don't have to worry. We're just going to ask you the same question I asked the other day and some more questions to get a clearer timeline. Take your statement in a more official manner. We need proper documentation of everything that's why we need to take you in."
The composure that Lena held shattered. The cracks were now upon the last defence and she couldn't hold on anymore.
They need to take her in, Maggie said. Lena needs to go to the station. She has to go there and—and be there again— the last time— last time— no, she can't. She can't. She can't go back to that place again.
"Le—"
There was a gun in Lena's hands.
Shouting, outside the office. The walls were glass so her colleagues could see what was happening in their boss' room. And they were running away from it.
Running away from Lena, pointing a gun at the people in the room—Maggie's gun that Lena had grabbed from the holster far too easily. Maggie was too trusting. Too kind.
But, not anymore. "Lena, put the gun down."
Lillian cautiously stood beside her. "What are you doing?" She hissed. "Stop this foolishness at once."
"Shut up!" The gun in her hands shook with the force of her voice, effectively rendering everyone silent. Lena took the moment to study the room with a heaving chest. The two officers were pointing their guns at her. James had escaped the room to herd every staff on the floor to safety. Maggie and Lillian stood side by side with a matching grimness on their face.
And Kara... Kara was doing nothing but staring into Lena's soul, horrified.
"I can't go back there," Lena shook her head, willing Kara to understand. "Please, I can't go back there."
"Lena, give me the gun. Whatever it is we can talk about it peacefully." Maggie moved into her line of vision again. Her tone was still soft, placating but neutral. Kara took that chance to slip away unnoticed.
And then a few seconds later, Supergirl entered in a gust of wind from the balcony and stood in front of Maggie and everyone else, ready to become their shield if necessary. She could have easily taken the gun away but somehow didn't. Perhaps Lena could still save this. She just needed Kara to understand.
"Lena,"
Kara might have been saying everything or nothing at all at once with that word alone.
"I can't go back there," Lena repeated. Her arms were beginning to sore. Her skull felt like it was about to burst.
"Go where Lena?" Kara asked, looking equally distressed as Lena felt. "Please talk to me."
"I ca-can't...go. They—" Her fractured memories couldn't be mended anymore, but the one thing that was clear was the terror she had experienced in that place. "They—I can't!"
She'd rather die than experienced that again. Maybe, she could arrange that.
"Lena!" She blinked her eyes open to blur images and cool metal pushing under her chin. "Look at me, Lena."
Kara's face soon cleared. She looked stricken more than usual. "I didn't do it," Lena said. She needed Kara to believe her. "It wasn't me."
Tears streaked down Kara's face. "I know. I believe you."
Slowly, she stepped forward, little by little. Afraid and determined.
"I believe you and I won't let them hurt you... You're not alone, anymore. I will always protect you, no matter what. Always."
How can Lena not believe that when those blue eyes were so earnest and bare? So she let Kara approach her until they were only at arm's length, until they were face to face, breathing the same breath, their foreheads touching and Kara's hands gripping Lena's before she lowered the gun away from under them.
Warmth spread through, replacing the cold, moments ago.
"Thank you, Supergirl." Maggie broke the silence, relieved now that her gun was safely in her possession again. "We'll take over from here."
"Sorry, Maggie. I can't let you take her."
"What?"
But, Supergirl had already flown away. Lena tucked safely in her embrace.
*
*
*
AN: Couples that fly away from police together, stay together? :)
Hope you liked that. Comments are much appreciated. Until next time, lovelies.