The clatter of heels on the sidewalk brought the CEO and Sam right back to their college days. Giddy at the thought of a night out, Lena didn't realize how much she needed to blow off steam until her cheeks hurt from smiling. She was nearly doubled over in laughter as they reminisced, mocking their younger antics. The city's Friday evening energy was in full force, many people milled about and the streets were alive with activity. While they meandered toward a popular downtown restaurant, Sam was recounting her notorious 'Edward 40-Hands' Night from junior year.
"Remember Brainy yelling after I spilled malt liquor on him from two stories up?" Sam recalled with a shit-eating grin.
"Good lord, how could I forget?" Lena guffawed. "How you made it up that lattice with both bottles still taped to you is beyond me. Full bottles, no less!"
"With Nia helping me onto the roof, of course! But what can I say," Sam giggled. "I sure as hell wasn't getting caught by campus security."
"You better pray that Ruby isn't half as industrious as you, or half as mischievous." Lena warned, tears in her eyes from incessant laughter, "She will burn Metropolis to the ground."
"She's definitely clever, but thankfully still my sweet six-year-old." Sam acknowledged, earning an endeared hum from the CEO. "Seems like she takes after her Auntie Lena. Always looking out for other people. Sometimes too serious, but total mush on the inside."
Lena waved the compliments away, smiling as she remembered babysitting Ruby during a Metropolis visit last year.
"Give it ten years, they'll go by in a microsecond." Sam said, then paused for a moment before continuing. "Then she'll fuck shit up."
The two cracked up as they approached the restaurant. A sizable crowd had gathered around the front door, spilling out onto the patio as they awaited entry. Luckily Lena had scored a coveted reservation - all it required was a quick phone call that afternoon. The Luthor received a bit of teasing from her visiting friend for pulling some A-list strings ("Ooooh, Helen knows the owner!" Sam had quoted one of their favorite movies). But Sam clearly delighted in moving to the front of the line. The hostess greeted them, pausing before the door to allow two patrons on the other side to exit. A woman with chin-length auburn hair passed by first, then Lena came face-to-face with the woman behind her.
"Kara," Lena greeted, internally scolding herself for her high-pitched tone.
"Hey, Lena!" The reporter replied, her eyes darting over to the Luthor's dinner companion. Lena noticed a look of disappointment fall over Kara's features.
"This is my friend Sam!" The CEO blurted, rushing her words. "Sam and I swam together in college. We're catching up while she's in town. Sam, this is Kara Danvers."
"Hey!" Sam greeted effervescently.
"Pleasure to meet you," the blonde smiled politely. "And this is my sister, Alex." The blonde explained, prompting a small wave from the redhead.
"Ah, I've heard about your potsticker eating contests." Lena offered.
"That's me." The elder Danvers said nonchalantly with a small salute. Kara gestured between the two of them.
"Alex and I were grabbing a drink before the dinner rush. It's packed in there!"
"Looks like it." Lena commented, drawing a blank on anything intelligent to add in that moment. She locked eyes with the blonde, her expression unreadable.
"So," Alex nodded slowly, looking deeply uncomfortable as the four stood in momentary silence.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" It took Lena a second to realize it, but she had subconsciously taken a step forward upon seeing the blonde. The Luthor was blocking her path. She quickly shuffled to the side, earning a chuckle from Sam, who was eying her with amusement.
"Alright, then," the blonde said, continuing her departure. "You two enjoy your night. Nice meeting you, Sam!"
"Likewise!"
"Um," Lena's hand shot out to gently grab Kara's wrist as she moved towards the street. The reporter looked back at her with an intrigue.
"It's good to see you, Kara." Lena offered softly, wanting to say more. She quickly let go, half of her wanting to put the uncomfortable encounter out of its misery, the other half wanting to prolong the time with the reporter.
"You too." Kara said, a light blush appearing on her cheeks before she turned to join her sister. Lena turned promptly to follow the hostess inside.
"Why didn't you call?" Sam inquired as they were seated.
"What's that now?" Lena asked, eyes trained on the wine menu. A small chortle from her friend could be heard across the table.
"Why didn't you call Kara," Sam raised an eyebrow flirtatiously. "After you two hooked up? That woman has zero poker face."
Lena dipped her chin slightly, turning a bit red. She knew there was no getting out of spilling the details on this one. Even if it would be heavily filtered for alien content.
"We haven't hooked up. Honestly!" The CEO insisted in response to Sam's unconvinced frown. "She's a reporter who wrote an amazing profile on me and..."
"The Catco one? That was her?" Her friend perked up.
"Correct."
"Pretty spot-on about you and your brilliant work. I meant to text you, but Ruby was sick that day and it totally slipped my mind." Sam recalled, perusing the menu. "That actually checks out, because I was like, either you bribed the reporter, or they seriously have the hots for you."
The Luthor grinned involuntarily at that. Sam tilted her head quizzically as she flipped the entrée list over. The waiter approached. After he left with their drink order, Sam continued her investigation.
"And you didn't make a move? I mean, I know you're L-Corp's wife and all, but you can be a downright minx. Just ask all three of my high school roommates."
The CEO knew well enough to not even pretend to be guilty in front of Sam. She rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Yeah, yeah. I made a move with Kara, actually. We sort of had an impromptu first date, but then she stood me up the next time."
"Ok, rude. Did she give a good reason?"
"Yes, I'd say so." Lena smirked to herself. "She even wanted to make up for it."
"And if bumbling Lena back there wasn't obvious enough. 'This is my friend, Sam.'" She teased, imitating the Luthor. "Hell, I'd date her. I've got eyes. So why didn't you go for it?"
Running a hand through her hair, Lena chose her next words carefully. If the CEO were being honest with herself, she was secretly glad for the opportunity to talk about Kara. The blonde had occupied her thoughts a lot lately, something she scolded herself for. The matter of fellow Nodeis in the shadows should have been her sole focus, right? Sam's questions allowed her to act like a carefree teenager for a moment, entertaining the butterflies in her stomach. But then there was the reality of the situation.
"Let's just say I'm in the middle of a high-stakes project for work. Wait, I know that sounds arrogant, it's just…I'm wrapped up in something that could make me, um, vulnerable. Like, professionally." She corrected as Sam reached across the table for her hand in concern.
"Don't worry about me, I'm not in danger!" Lena quickly backtracked (and partially lied). Sam gave a reassuring squeeze, allowing Lena to go on.
"And I think Kara knows very well what that's like, with her reporting gig and whatnot. So even though I like her..." Lena felt her mouth go dry. Though the circumstances were fictionalized, the feelings were not. The Luthor took a sip of her water before picking up where she left off.
"In this case, she relates a little too closely to the situation. Getting close to her could blur some moral lines. 'Messy' is an understatement."
Kara could relate, 1,000 percent. Lena had thought to herself the past few weeks. All she wanted to do was get out of her own head and be candid with someone.
Sam nodded thoughtfully, processing the story. She then leaned over the table, prompting Lena to lean in curiously as well.
"I hear pools are very sanitary." Sam stage whispered.
Laughter shook Lena's shoulders as she covered her mouth, knowing that a playful jab at her graduation night escapade would inevitably come up. It always did whenever she saw her best friend, just like Sam's nicknames for her drunken college alter egos.
"What was her name again? Kate?"
"Kelly."
"Kelly Olsen, that's right! She was sweet."
"She was," the Luthor said fondly. "And I'm emotionally unavailable."
"High School Lena, maybe." Sam agreed. "But Grownup Lena doesn't have to be."
"We'll see." Lena shrugged doubtfully.
"So, I don't quite believe your story." Sam began, causing Lena's eyes to widen. "You're still a terrible liar, kid."
"What do…I-uh…but…"
"It's alright! I know you have your reasons, so I won't press it." Sam laughed at the CEO's flustered response. Lena relaxed a bit.
"And damn, that article! Who knows, maybe Kara is just that good of a writer, but she seems to get you and your artsy baggage."
"Just in time!" Lena announced as their drinks arrived.
"Ah yes, a Paper Plane for the Luthor and Negroni for the Arias." Sam confirmed, then raised her drink. "So it begins!"
"Can I get you some duct tape for your beverage? Another drink to strap to your free hand?" Lena quipped, smirking as they clinked glasses.
"I'm sophisticated now, thank you!" Sam replied with an exaggerated head bow and a flourish of her hand.
"Oh, Edward Spiderhands might need some coaxing, but I'm sure he'll make an appearance tonight. We just need a very tall building for you to scale." The CEO joked, causing Sam to nearly spit out her drink.
"You wish!" She cackled, and Lena soon joined her. Once they calmed down, the two sipped their cocktails, allowing the din of the restaurant to fill the small break in conversation.
With the clock reading eleven, the reunited duo called it a night. The two shared a bone-crushing hug outside the restaurant before heading their separate ways. Sam got a cab uptown, needing to get up early for a work conference, then it was right back to Metropolis. She offered Lena a ride, but the CEO was content to walk home. Crowds had thinned out on the street, as most people were either in the bars or retired for the evening at this time of night. The Luthor had a pleasant buzz going and was looking forward to a stroll, entertaining the thought of a sleep-in the next morning. As she reached midtown, only half mile from her apartment, a well-dressed group crossed the street just ahead of her, causing her to have to slow her pace. There were three men and two women, perhaps all in their early 40s, heading in the same direction as Lena.
"Hur stor var sprängningen?" The Luthor overheard, instantly recognizing the Nodei dialect. Relying on her enhanced hearing - slightly above the range of a human - she listened intently while pretending to be occupied with her phone. It was a woman's voice, raspy.
"Tillräckligt för att vi ska förlora henne," the man next to her said, meaning the explosion was big enough for us to lose her.
The CEO wondered whether they meant she as in Supergirl, or she as in Lena.
"Precis." Based on the other woman's tone, Lena understood it as yeah, no shit.
"And Commander? What has he advised on the matter?" The same woman probed.
"Capture. Hostage. Maybe kill, sooner rather than later."
Lena froze, knowing she had only two options: follow the group to whatever their intended destination was and risk exposure, or flee. She chose the former, given that the situation had just escalated exponentially. The Luthor continued her stroll, feigning a phone call to look occupied as the group carried along. Quickening her pace as discreetly as she could, she trailed the Nodeis. They disappeared around the corner just two blocks from her apartment. At that point it became obvious that they were headed for the canals. Picking up into a jog, Lena was determined not to lose the group.
In her 19 years of being away from home, Lena all but forgot about her people's uncanny knack for identifying other aliens. It was this very skill that enabled her to spot a certain Kryptonian in their very first meeting. It was almost subconscious at this point, really. But it wasn't until she rounded the corner - meeting the expectant gazes of five fellow Nodei as they closed in on her - that Lena realized her oversight.