A/N: Italics are still flashbacks and I still don't know what I'm doing. Enjoy!

2.

"So… You came here for the funeral."

They're at the wake now, back at the mansion, and Lena has found herself sitting between her mother and Jack whom she hasn't seen since she left for National City, and she doesn't know which is worse; her mother's critical stares and heavy silence or Jack's oncoming interrogation.

"Why else would I be here for?"

"I don't know." He raises his shoulders. "You've always been rather… unpredictable." His eyes dance to somewhere over her shoulder and, for a brief second, she's tempted to turn around and look. She doesn't.

"Are you still mad at me?" She can't keep an incredulous laugh from sipping into her voice.

"You left."

"You know I had to."

"You alsohadto not call?"

"Jack… Please don't do this now…" She's practically pleading and she can feel her mother's eyes on her too."This isn't about you,"they say,"don't embarrass me in front of everyone."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Lena nods and says nothing.

She has no idea how much time has passed but conversations flow stiffly and the air grows heavier with each passing minute. Lex, who is sitting across from her, seems to be engrossed in a discussion with the family lawyer and Lillian is watching them like a hawk, listening to everything they say. The family company is to move to Lex now, naturally, and Lena briefly wonders if that means she'll have to give up her current position in the National City branch. It was partly her choice to be in the R&D department, loving the more hands-on approach, and Lionel had been kind enough to indulge her; he knew how to take full advantage of her talents, after all. Now, with him gone, however, maybe Lex would have a different approach. She doesn't stay long enough to find out. She excuses herself soon after and, taking her drink with her, treads her way outside.

Her mind is slightly blurry and she finds herself sitting on the porch swing, glass of whiskey in one hand and a half-burnt cigarette in the other, her legs tucked underneath her as she lets herself swing lightly back and forth. It's chilly, she has no coat and she can see the white puffs of her breath as she exhales but she doesn't care.

"That's such a nasty habit." She has to force those little puffs of air to keep coming out.

"The drinking or the smoking?" she smirks as she takes a drag. Act comfortable and maybe you'll feel comfortable, isn't that what they say? Lena was a pro when it came to the whole 'fake it till you make it' deal.

"I thought you quit." The blonde newcomer takes a step forward and sits down next to her, seemingly oblivious to the effect she has on Lena who tries not to audibly gasp at the proximity.

"I thought I did too. Yet here we are…" Another drag. "Didn't expect to see you here," she says honestly. "I completely missed you inside."

"Lillian made sure to tuck me in a corner table, she probably didn't want a commoner around you royals," she laughs and Lena hears herself chuckle as well. "Safe to say I didn't come forher," Kara deliberately shudders at the mention of the woman. "Or the admittedly magnificent selection of food." Lena laughs at that, she knows what Kara's relationship with food is like. "Honestly... I wasn't going to come. But after seeing you at the funeral… I wanted to be here. For you."

The brunette nods as a small smile makes its way to her lips. "Thank you. It's- it's really good to see you. I'm surprised mother even let you in, to be honest."

"You and me both," Kara laughs. "I was ready for her to have her guard dogs throw me out. I even had a speech prepared for if that happened and everything!"

"A speech?" Lena frowns.

"Well… Not like aspeechspeech. More like- I knew what I wanted to say to her if she threatened to throw me out." Kara is blushing slightly now and it's adorable. Lena needs something else to think about. "So… How's life in National City treating you?" Kara asks after a couple of tense silence-filled moments and Lena can't help but think that as easy and comfortable catching up with Lex had been, it's the exact opposite with Kara. And that feelssowrong.

"It's good," she nods. "I'm… head of the R&D department so… It's good. It's challenging."

It's Kara's turn to nod now. "Good to see you're adjusting okay," she smiles. "I remember how worried you were that you weren't gonna be good enough."

"Well, you know me. Always worried about something," she tries to joke but god, the only thing she wants is for the earth to swallow her whole. "What about you? Back in Midvale trying to make a name for yourself?"

"Oh, uh… No, actually. I live here now. Not in your house obviously, just- Metropolis. I got a job in the Daily Planet, it's kinda really exciting actually." Kara can probably tell that Lena is intrigued because she smiles and keeps on talking. "Cl- A friend recommended me. It's nothing big, I'm just an assistant, I'm not a reporter or anything, but it's still exciting. You know, getting to play with the big kids for once," she laughs. "Alex was wary, of course, but that's just Alex. She's in National City too, by the way, being a hot-shot FBI agent and all that. So like… Me being a personal assistant in Metropolis is nothing compared to that."

"If it's what you want to do, then I'm glad you're doing it," Lena offers the sweetest smile she can muster and it has to be working because Kara is offering one in return andfuck, a minute longer alone with her and Lena will be a lost cause.

"Well, I still want to write my book, I haven't given up on that. But I do need to make a living until my writing career takes off," she giggles. "At least this job is closer to actual writing. I was kinda getting tired of waiting tables at Noonan's all the time."

"Kara?" Lena smiles fondly at the mention of the coffee shop and is about to reply when a new voice makes it way to her ears. She doesn't know the person, but she can tell by the way he's looking at Kara that she's probably not going to like him too much.

"Mike!" Kara's face lights up a little and yep, Lena isdefinitelynot going to like him. "Hey, we were just talking," she smiles and gets up to go greet the man with a hug and a tender kiss on the cheek. "Mike, this is Lena. Lena, Mike," she makes the introductions and Lena is on her feet now too, politely shaking the man's hand. "Mike is… He's my fiance." She knew she shouldn't have gotten up.

"You're… engaged," she tries to smile as she speaks and her voice sounds foreign in her ears. Kara nods. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You… Well, you weren't here." This is the second time Lena hears the same excuse today and it's not getting any better. She feels like she wants to scream but her brain is still so busy trying to process the new information, she can't even form words properly.

"I didn't know you wanted to get married," she says instead.

"It was pretty sudden, actually… We only met a few months ago, but it felt so right, you know?" Kara smiles as she looks up at Mike and Lena has to hold back a frown.

"I'm happy for you," she smiles and hopes it looks more genuine than it feels. It has to cause Kara is beaming back at her. "For both of you," she adds as an afterthought and she knows she's probably overselling this. Kara smiles at her and they stare at each other for a few moments and it's like the world around them comes to a slow halt.

"We should uh… get going now." And then Mike speaks and puts his arm around Kara and the world suddenly jump starts, going twice as fast as it did before.

"We should?" Kara asks before she can stop herself. "I mean, we should. We've probably overstayed Lillian's welcome as it is," she chuckles awkwardly.

"Honestly, you probably did that in the first few minutes of being here," Lena tries to joke but her laugh dies on her lips as Kara pulls her in for a hug.

"I'm really sorry for your loss," she whispers in her ear. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I still have my old number." Lena nods. "Seriously, Lee," god, she's missed this nickname, "I mean it. Call me."

"I will," Lena whispers back and her voice sounds thicker than she expected. There's wetness on her cheeks, when did she start crying? "Thank you for coming," she says, her hand hastily wiping away the stray tears.

"That's what friends are for." Kara smiles tenderly, her hands squeezing Lena's own. Friends...

It's a sunny, unusually cold Tuesday morning, and it's the first time in four weeks Lena isn't in line for her daily double Espresso and fruit mix to go. Her absence is brushed off at first by the blonde barista, but she can't shake the worry that's settled in on the pit of her stomach. Kara doesn't even know her name, so she knows it's ridiculous to worry this much over it; and yet here she is, her eyes darting to the door every time the little bell jingles only to fall when she realizes it's not her mysterious friend.

"Is it weird that I kinda think of her as my friend even though I don't know her name or anything about her and the only interactions we've had are while I'm at work and she comes in to order?" she had asked Alex one time a few days ago when they were talking on the phone.

She could practically feel her sister rolling her eyes. "Is this about that pretty brunette again? What's weird is that you can't stop talking about her."

"I can't help it, she's just so… I don't know. She just seems like she-"

"Like she needs a friend, yeah, I've heard. Kara, you've only ever talked to her for like three minutes at a time. If you think she needs a friend, then go be her friend! Who knows, maybe you two are the same kind of weird." Alex had chuckled at that and Kara had groaned and held herself back from defending the mystery girl.

"Danvers! Your line is out the door, wake up!" With a jolt and a few quick blinks, Kara brings herself back to the present and realizes that Snapper is right. Her lineisout the door; and no one looks particularly pleased. She gets back at it with a quick apology and a small smile and doesn't stop until everyone is either seated or gone. Her eyes glance back at the clock on the wall and she sighs when she realizes it's well past the brunette's usual time.

"Would it be too forward of me to assume that your worry is about whether or not I'll show up today?" The familiar voice chuckles and Kara's eyes light up. It feels as if the entire room just got brighter. She looks a little different today but Kara can't place it. So she's content to smile and take her position behind the counter, her finger already hovering over the double Espresso option as she waits for the girl to give her order.

"I'll take a… Mango passion fruit juice thing, the big cup, and…" Her eyes run over the menu overhead and Kara is left momentarily confused before she punches in the drink order.

"If you're looking for lunch, all our paninis are two sixty until two o'clock," the blonde says with a smile in a rare bound of eloquence, surprising even herself when she manages to not stumble over her words.

"I'll have a panini, then," she says with a smile.

"Uh… Which- which one?" Aaaand she's back to awkward again.

"Why don't you surprise me?" The way she says it sends a chill down Kara's spine and she's only half-certain she doesn't actually shiver. "I'll be right there." The brunette nods towards an unoccupied table to her left.

"Oh. Not to go today?"

"I figured I could sit in for lunch," the brunette raises her shoulders and smiles and Kara can barely keep herself from grinning.

"There you go. One mango passion fruit juice thing in a big cup and one surprise panini." Kara smiles as she places the brunette's order on the table.

"It's… all wrapped up," the girl chuckles as she looks at the sandwich in front of her, wrapped in aluminium foil.

"Yeah," Kara grins and nods. "Cause it's a surprise. Enjoy your meal!"

"Thanks, you too!" Beat, beat, beat. If it was possible for the earth to open up and swallow Lena whole, now would be an excellent time for it to do so. "I- I… Um…"

"Thanks, I was just about to go on my lunch break too!" Her signature smile never once leaves her lips, if anything it gets a little wider as Lena's blush deepens. "Actually…" It takes a couple of moment for Kara to speak again, seemingly unsure of what she's about to say. "Do you mind if I join you?" she blurts out and Lena feels her jaw slack slightly. "I mean, you're not with anyone and I'm not with anyone so I thought maybe we could keep each other company…?" The blonde immediately stops her rumbling and backtracks when she gets no response, however. "Nevermind, that was stupid. I feel silly now," she chuckles nervously as she takes a step back. "Sorry about that, enjoy your meal!"

"Wait, no, don't go!" It takes Lena a couple of long seconds to bring herself back to the world of the living and she hates how loud her voice is when she finally manages to make it work again. "I mean… Of course you can sit with me, I don't mind." She manages a small awkward smile but the girl's face lights up and she feels herself relax again.

"Awesome! I'm Kara, by the way." She plops herself down in the empty seat across from Lena and brings out her own lunch.

"I know," the brunette chuckles at the confused sounds that leave Kara's mouth as she works on unwrapping her panini. "Says so right there."

"My- boobs…? Oh, the name tag! Right, I forgot about that," Kara hates the blush that's now apparent on her face; Lena thinks it's adorable.

"I'm Lena," she simply states and just like that Kara is finally able to put a name to the face.

"I like your name," she smiles. "Though I am kinda disappointed it's not actually 'sixteen'."

"Well, sorry to disappoint, then," Lena's soft laugh turns nervous when she notices Kara staring at her. "What?"

"You haven't tried the panini yet."

"I'm trying to get through the million layers of wrapping around it! It looks good so you have that going for you," she jokes when she's finally reaches the sandwich.

"I made it special." The girl looks excited and, had she been standing, Lena is certain she would be rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Okay… That's only mildly threatening." Lena chuckles as she takes a bite. "Does it- does it have kale in it?"

"...yes? You hate it, don't you? Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have added that! It's actually kale pesto with basil and oil and walnuts and- Oh my gosh, you're not- you're not allergic to anything, right?"

"Kara?"

"I should have asked, I'm so sorry, do I need to call 911 or something? Where's your phone?"

"Kara."

"I left mine in my bag in the locker room cause we're not supposed to carry them around when we're working and there's-"

"Kara!"

It's the soft hand that's suddenly on top of Kara's own what finally makes her stop and breathe. "Sorry."

"I'm not allergic to anything and I actually love kale so thank you. It's a great panini." Lena laughs at the relief that washes over Kara's features.

"Oh, good. Cause it would've been really awkward if I killed you during our first lunch." The girl laughs heartily and Lena is left wondering what exactly she has just gotten herself into.

"We're a little old for sleepovers, don't you think?" she asks when Lex knocks on her door later that night and enters her room. He's wearing satin pajamas that contrast heavily with Lena's worn out sweatpants and tank top and the young woman has to hold back a chuckle at the sight.

"Oh, don't tell me you've gotten old before your time, Lena," he jokes. "You're only twenty. Don't think I didn't notice you smuggling that glass of whiskey at dinner, by the way. You little rebel," he lets out a laugh as he moves to ruffle the girl's hair playfully. "Besides, you looked like you needed one," He winks and buries himself under Lena's covers on the right side of the bed. Lena always preferred the left.

"Did you know Kara got engaged?" she asks a few moments of silence later, after she's also settled in bed.

"MIT Kara?" Lena hums. "I did, actually. To some… vanilla douchebro. Max or something."

"Mike…"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"So you could do what, Lena?" He turns to face her now and she can feel his eyes on her face. "Drag yourself back here and pine after her like you did back then?"

"You don't know what it's like," she huffs after a while.

"But I know it's not worth it, Ace..." he sighs as he reaches over to place a hand on her shoulder. "She'snot worth it." Lena's body stiffens at that and she pulls away, her eyes refusing to look at her brother.

"Go," she chokes out.

"One day you'll see I'm right," he says as he gets up and Lena can practically feel him shake his head in disappointment.

"Yeah well, maybe when you learn to have some compassion."

She visits Lionel's grave the next morning. It's better now without all the people and the press lurking at every corner. She takes a moment to appreciate the quiet as she places a neatly arranged bouquet of flowers on the marble, it feels so much more personal. The big sunglasses are gone now too; Lena feels freer, more comfortable to be herself. She still doesn't cry, showing emotions is still a sign of weakness after all, but she does tear up. And she doesn't bother to wipe the tears away this time.

She gets a call from Lex halfway through the day informing her she's late for the appointment with their lawyer and asking her to meet him and Lillian at his office. She doesn't even get the chance to say that no one told her she had to be there in the first place.

The company goes to Lex. The mansion goes to Lillian, and the rest of the assets are divided among the three of them. Lena didn't expect to get the company or the house so neither of these comes as a surprise. What is surprising, however, is the fact that Lionel has apparently left her an estate no one knew about, as well as the titles to the Luthor Children's Hospital in National City. Lillian is fuming by the time they leave and Lena doesn't know if it's because she only got the house to herself and has to share everything else, because she apparently has no say in the company, or because there is a secret estate that got passed on to the youngest Luthor instead of her. Whichever it is, Lena can't bring herself to care; she's not mentally strong enough to break the heavy silence as they all drive back to the mansion.

Lex goes to work immediately, giving Lena no chance to talk to him about her future in LuthorCorp. She doesn't want to lose her current position, but she also knows that now that Lex is the CEO, it's more likely for him to appoint her as his COO. She's sure he'll talk to her about that later, when he's not so busy making changes to the company's policies and procedures like a madman.

She spends the rest of the day locked in her room, mostly to avoid Lillian if she's being completely honest. She's only been there a day and a half and it's already too much. She also just wants some privacy so she can research the property her father left her. Since it was so under wraps, very few people knew about it, the family lawyer being one of them, apparently, as he told her to call him whenever she wanted to go visit it. He had handed her a dossier as they were leaving his office, the contents of which are now littering Lena's bed and floor. It's titled 'Project #857' and it's about as intriguing as it sounds. There are no pictures in the folder; only practical information like description and exact size and location. It's a house, she gathers, somewhere in Europe she's heard of but she's never been before. She looks it up. It's a ten-hour flight and she doesn't know if she can do it; the six hours to get to Metropolis were bad enough. She thinks about calling Kara, talk to her about it, ask for her opinion, listen to her voice… She calls Sam instead.

It's three days before they see each other again. Kara is at the local market and Lena is on the phone with Jess, letting her know that she's extended her leave and that she'll be staying in Metropolis for a few more days. They bump into each other, quite literally this time too, only now it's Kara who crashes into Lena and the brunette swears that the smile young woman gives her is brighter than the sun itself.

"Hi! Oh my gosh, hi, sorry, are you okay? So sorry for that, I was… looking at the puppy," Kara mumbles the last part of her sentence blushing faintly as if she's embarrassed. There's a tiny puppy only a couple of feet away from them wagging its tail wildly and Lena thinks it's almost as adorable as Kara at that very moment.

"It's okay," Lena laughs softly. She knows what the combination of Kara and puppies is like. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um… Shopping." Kara lifts her entire shopping trolley of the ground and it almost tips over. "It's Monday so… Monday's-"

"Grocery day, I remember. Got your weekly fix of ice cream?"

"Yep!" Kara beams. "What about you?" Lena doesn't know when it happened, but they are now strolling down the sidewalk, in a direction completely opposite from the one she was planning on going.

"I didn't get my weekly fix of ice cream," she jokes.

"No, silly," the blonde giggles and bumps her softly on the shoulder. "I mean what are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to the company, actually. Lex and I have some details to go over."

"Oh…" Kara looks kind of disappointed and there's the slightest glimmer of hope in Lena's eyes. "I wanted to ask you if- hey, hold on." She stops walking abruptly and almost bumps into Lena again. "Isn't LuthorCorp that way?"

"It is."

"Then what are you doing following me?" She doesn't let Lena reply as she turns around and starts walking to the opposite direction, pulling the younger woman along with her. "Come on, I'll walk you." Lena only chuckles and shakes her head.

Kara wanted to ask her if she wanted to get lunch, she finds out along the way, but won't because she doesn't want to take up too much of her time.

"We should catch up soon, though!" She smiles as they stop in front of LuthorCorp, Lena slightly sweaty and out of breath, the distance being larger than she had anticipated. Kara, on the other hand, seems fine as ever. "Like really catch up, not like at your house. Call me whenever you're free, okay? It would be awful if you left and we hadn't gotten a chance to go on a proper lunch date!" Lena's mind chooses to ignore the lunch part, focuses on the date. There was a time when she would have done anything for a real, actual date with Kara. Not to say that this wasn't true now as well.

"Of course," she replies with a smile and a nod.

"For real call me this time, though," the girl insists. "Cause you said you'd call me three days ago too and you didn't."

"I'll call you, Kara," she laughs. "Scout's honor." They both giggle as Lena holds up three fingers. It seems to be good enough for Kara who closes the distance between them and squeezes Lena into a hug, gives her a soft peck on the cheek and leaves hastily, saying how she had to run home otherwise her entire supply of ice cream would turn into soup. Lena stares at her practically jogging away with an amused and lovestruck look on her face and has to blink several times in order to bring herself back to reality.

A/N: Come find me on tumblr itsaroseforrose so we can hang, as the youths say xDAlso, feedback is much appreciated!