A/N: Hey guys, new update! I wanted to say thank you for all the love on this story, this is amazing. I can't wait to hear what you thought about it. Any theories?

For the record, I won't let this story unfinished. I have a great plan for this one (and for the sequel) so don't worry. It will be completed.

PS: yes, Lena travels with a Ouija board, so what? Our girl is always prepared.
PSS: I started reading A Little Life, one of the books Katie advised (amazing and heartbreaking btw) and, I have to say, it may reflect on my writing. Even more in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading.

Take care. See you next Friday if all goes well.

Reviews corner: Thanks for commenting on this story. To the guests members: I see you, I can't reply to your reviews directly but I see you. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, thank you for your support. You're all amazing in general!

DAY THREE

Lena woke up in a gasp. Disoriented. She looked around and remembered vaguely being back in National City, not in her family house in Ireland. She sat up, trying to grasp at the remnants of her dreams. Bad dreams. Nightmares. Memories. She knew she had dreamt about something important without having the possibility to remember it. It was vanishing the more she was waking up. It happened quite often. The first few times, she had thought she would be able to recover the memories of the six months she had forgotten but now, she just felt disappointed.

Sighing heavily, she rubbed at her face. She felt tired but at least there wasn't this continuous pain splitting her skull behind her eyes anymore. The sun was already up in the sky and she hadn't been woken up by Liz for once. Liz. Why didn't she wake her up like she used to do every morning for the last four years? Putting the sheets away, Lena rushed out of her bedroom. She heard chatters in the kitchen. Liz's little voice gushing about Snowflake being magical. Kara laughing and singing softly along some NSYNC's song.

When Lena left the hall leading to the living room, Liz spotted her right away. "Mom!" She exclaimed, running in her arms as Lena bent down to catch her. She kissed her all over the face. "Hey, my little lamb, did you sleep well?"

Liz only hummed her reply while hiding her head in Lena's neck to cuddle. Lena stood up with her in her arms and smiled to Kara. "Good morning."

"Good morning. I made coffee and toasts if you're hungry." Lena nodded and rounded the counter to grab a cup. "How long have you been up, you two?"

"Oh, two hours more or less." Kara replied vaguely. "I heard Liz waking up. I thought you could use some more sleep." She shrugged. Lena smiled wide. This was pleasant not to be the only one on which Liz depended on.

"It's fine. This is the first time in six years I'm not woken up at the crack of dawn by this munchkin." Lena faked eating Liz's neck. The little girl giggled easily and put her hands on Lena's face to stop her from tickling her. She eventually asked to be put down and ran to her bedroom. Lena turned toward Kara to finally thank her. The blond looked as neat and perfect as usual but she was in yesterday's clothes and her hair was flowing freely on her shoulders.

"So, you slept here?" Lena asked while passing behind her to take a toast and the strawberry jam in the fridge. Kara turned around and leaned on the counter. "I did. You actually asked me to but I'm not surprised you don't remember."

"I did? When?" Lena scrunched up her face, trying to remember. She had no recollection of such a discussion. She remembered fighting sleep on the couch as they were watching TV. Kara's smile confirmed it. "You fell asleep on the couch so I carried you to bed. You were in a daze and you asked me to stay. So I did. I slept on the couch."

Lena threw a glance above her shoulder to look in the living room. The couch had been tidied up but she could tell the cushions weren't disposed like she had put them the day before. She was glad Kara had stayed the night, even if she wouldn't admit it. She would take all the time she could spend with her. Early morning breakfasts and late-night talks included. Trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach was starting to be tiring and she felt like her resolve was crackling. But she couldn't. She was doing it for Liz. For Liz, only.

"I have to go to CatCo." Kara said behind her. Lena was still buttering her toast. She should finish quickly or Kara would start to wonder if something was off. "I know some guys on my team will be too thrilled to write about you coming back and I need to stop them." She continued. "After that, I'll take some time off and leave Nia handle the publications. We need to focus on Liz."

Lena nodded. It was a good idea. Liz needed Kara. "Okay, I think we'll see you later, then. Liz is going to Kelly's to hang out with her and Esme since I still need to finish the Gaelic translation."

The day before, they had worked all the rest of the afternoon to find any clue on what Liz had talked about. Brainy had slowed down the record he had and Lena had worked with different dictionaries online to find the right words and make sense of all of it. They were in the middle of it when Liz had woken up and asked to go home.

"Any chance in that?" Kara asked. They hadn't found the time to talk about it yet. Lena nodded pensively. "There was progress but I prefer to talk about it with everyone when we'll have the whole text translated."

"Alright. Why don't you go to the satellite? The computers there are more performant."

Kara was right. Dick had told Lena they should work from there because the Tower was more of an old school headquarters now than a truly effective base. For the amount of research she had to do, the satellite was the best option.

"That's the plan." Lena agreed. "Dick will meet me at the Tower to portal to the Justice League HQ. He has some research to do on a bad guy the Titans can't figure how to beat and he promised me some old program Bruce was keeping in the cave. It could help with the translation."

She turned around just in time to see Kara's face transform from irritation to surprise. "Oh, so you know who he is."

Lena shrugged. Of course, she knew Dick Grayson was Nightwing. The man couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it – which was ultimately the case. "Yes, he's not the most skilled when he has to hide and lie. He used to leave his suit in the middle of his apartment." She explained, taking a bite of her toast and chewing slowly. Kara's face took a strange shade of red. "I…"

Lena watched her rub at the back of her neck, crinkle right in place between her eyes. Kara then lifted her hand to replace a lock of hair behind her ear. Lena rolled her eyes. Now she felt she had to give an explanation. "I helped him when he bought the circus back so I was there a lot. For strictly platonic business, Kara."

The blond looked caught off guard and lifted her hands in alarm. "I didn't say anything. I don't have a say in your love life." She rushed out, her cheeks becoming redder and redder.

Lena hummed. "Even if you did, it's inexistant." She took a sip of her coffee. Why did she just say that?

There was an awkward silence between them. Kara was analyzing the floor so intensely Lena swore she saw it melt. She had to admit she was slightly enjoying Kara's state of embarrassment. The blond was so obvious it hurt the eyes. But they couldn't, Lena repeated in her head. Liz had to be the priority.

Kara cleared her throat and finally looked up. "I should go." She seemed to have the hardest time articulating the words out. She took a step in Lena's space, ready to embrace her in her arms but stopped just an inch away and squeezed Lena's forearm with her hand instead. "See you later."

She was gone in a flash, leaving Lena wondering how on Earth it had become so weird between them in a minute time. The day before, they were holding hands on the couch and now Kara couldn't even approach her. Even if they couldn't, Lena was craving Kara's touch. Wanting it so badly it was painful to stay away. But she couldn't go there. She could not. So instead, she took another bite of her toast and scrolled through her phone to see three text messages. It was Dick telling her he had the program she needed to translate the Gaelic words automatically. Perfect.

Gossips and rumors were the bread and butter of every decent magazine so CatCo wasn't different. When Kara walked out of the elevator and towards her office, all she could hear was Lena's name. Alright, some gruff guy was wondering who had stolen his donut but mostly, everybody was talking about Lena being back in National City with a little girl by her side.

She tried not to listen to it. She tried to cancel the noise, but as she was walking the long way to her office – she could thank Cat Grant for that - the remarks she heard made her snap her pen in half.

"Shit!" Kara hissed. She rushed to her desk and threw the pen in the bin, wiping at her inky hands with a tissue in irritation. She was already in a sour mood, now she had to pass the day with ink all over her hands.

"Aren't you supposed to be in vacation?" Nia said, walking in the office with two cups of coffee. Kara took the one extended to her gratefully. She pushed some files away from her desk pad and took the ones Nia gave to her.

"Hi, Nia." Kara replied gruffly. "I just needed to make some last-minute check on next week's release before staying home for two weeks."

She saw Nia sit down on one of the chairs in front of her desk but kept going through the photos for the articles she had to review before leaving.

"Did you tell her?" Nia asked in a sigh. Kara didn't even bother looking at her. "Tell who what exactly?"

"Lena." Her friend replied with an obvious tone. "Did you tell her you love her?"

Kara broke her second pencil of the day and it wasn't even 9 a.m.. "What? No!"

"Then what are you waiting for? You said you would do it if we found her. We didn't, she found us herself. But she's here now!" Nia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Kara threw her pen in the bin with more irritation and took another one. She was trying to win some time. But for what? She sighed and sat down in a huff. "She's been gone for seven years. It's not that simple."

"You love her. She loves you. You already have a child together. I don't see how's that's complicated." Nia said cocking her eyebrow.

And she may have a point. Well, it was complicated but Kara had avoided the question long enough. She had tried to tell Lena though. Several times. Recalling their entire history, Kara had thought it would be easy to tell Lena what she was feeling but there always had been something preventing her from doing it. The moment they were a tiny bit fine after their fight, the moment she felt it was the perfect time, Lex had sent her to the Phantom Zone. In the Zone, Kara had promised herself that if she was able to come back, she would tell Lena. She almost did when she first put feet in the Tower. When they hugged. Kara almost kissed her. But they weren't alone and kissing her right there didn't feel like the right thing to do. Then, they had to capture the phantoms back to prevent them from colonizing the world. And deal with Alex's wedding proposal. And Esme's arrival. And defeat Leviathan in the middle of that.

Kara had thought then that it was the perfect time to tell Lena the truth. Everyone was happy. Nia and Brainy were back together. J'onn was on Mars with M'gann. Alex and Kelly were living their new life with Esme. All that was left was them. But then Nyxly and Lex decided to work as a team and almost destroyed the core of humanity. Lex killed William and kidnapped Esme. During the fight to retrieve her, Lillian got injured and died some days later. How was Kara supposed to come up with a way to tell Lena her feelings after all that? She preferred to support her and show her their friendship was as strong as before even if her family had tried to destroy the world again, instead of pressuring her with feelings she wasn't even sure Lena would reciprocate. Or maybe was it the whole problem? Without purposefully doing it, Kara had made the revelation of her feelings as complicated and twisted as her identity reveal. And now she was stuck again.

"We're not the same as before." She said in frustration. "We don't know each other anymore."

"Then, learn to know her again." Nia shrugged. "Don't you love her anymore?" She had an answer for everything, Kara remarked.

Was Kara still in love with Lena? Seeing Lena with Liz, watching her being a mother and endorsing her role with such humility and grace, Kara had realized her feelings were still there. As bright and deep as ever. But she couldn't say anything now, could she? It was too risky for their relationship. And with Liz in the middle of it, Kara didn't want risking losing them both.

"I…" She stammered. "I wasn't so sure at first. She's so different. So anguished around Liz. But then I saw them together, like truly saw her act as a mother and she's…" The burning in her stomach returned but for an all-together reason. She sighed again, a small smile growing on her face. "Lena's perfect with her, Nia. She's so good at this. And she suffered so much."

Nia softened a bit, seeing how cheesy Kara's expression had become. "You should tell her."

Kara shook her head. "What if she doesn't feel the same?"

Nia scoffed. "Of course she does. Have you seen yourself?"

Kara felt Nia's eyes observing her from the other side of the desk. She knew her friend was just trying to help and convince her to act on the feelings she had been harboring for years now but Kara was terrified. Losing Lena had cost her so much. Even before the whole disappearance situation. When Lena had learned about her identity, when they stayed away from each other for a whole year, Kara had felt so empty. She never wanted to feel that way again.

"Listen." Nia said suddenly, putting both of her hands on the desk to make her point. "You won't lose her. Forgetting the fact that she can't stay away from you for too long, Lena won't resent you for your feelings. Dick told her he liked her and she's still friend with him."

Kara opened wide eyes. She had learned about that just the day before. "How do you know that?"

"Raven told me the other day. I was talking about him coming in National City." Nia shrugged with a sly smirk on her face. More like Raven laughed about it with her.

Kara furrowed her brows. "Raven from the Titans?"

"Yep! We play online together." Nia explained. Alright, those superhero meetings in the shadows, outside of the satellite, were starting to be confusing. Nia and Raven being friends was something Kara had never seen coming. They were total opposites. "So no worries, I'm sure Lena won't resent you for the way you feel."

Kara rolled her eyes but a spark of hope ignited itself in the depths of her heart. What if Nia was right? Before, Kara could tell for sure what she could expect from Lena. What her reactions would be. But now, she wasn't so sure. Time had done its job at putting a gap between them so wide Kara couldn't help but worry she wasn't doing the right thing. But dishonesty and lies would certainly not help either. It would widen the gap even more so. Maybe the right thing to do was to make her intentions clear towards Lena. To tell her the truth, as she promised she would do after the whole Supergirl gate. And maybe after that, they wouldn't be fine for a while, maybe it would take time for them to become friends again. But Kara knew it was the best thing she could do. Because lying and avoiding the truth already caused her to lose Lena once. And now it wasn't just about Lena. She would do anything to prevent herself the hurt of losing Liz too. She may not be human, but there was so much more she could bear before losing her mind totally.

"I don't know, I…" Kara sighed and glanced at Nia with sorry eyes. "I was so sure she was feeling the same way before, you know…" She paused. Before she dated James. Before she knew I was Supergirl. Before she stole Myriad. Before her disappearance. Before she came back with a girl who looked like me. "But now there's Liz to consider and I… I'm not sure where I fit in this and I don't even know if they'll stay here. I don't want to make her run away. And she lied to me! She vanished and hid for years!" She rambled on, her feelings mixing up in her mind, not knowing what to express first. Kara grabbed at her hair in frustration. Everything was so messed up.

Nia stood up and rounded the desk to lean on it with crossed arms, right next to Kara's chair. "You know, what I found funny is that the thing disturbing you is how Lena managed to run away and stay hidden, how she lied. It's not the fact that somebody decided to make a child with both your DNA's. Not the fact that you both were potentially married in another reality. And now you want to tell me you have doubts it's not meant to be? She kept the baby, Kara. Your baby."

Kara looked up with pleading eyes, asking Nia to stop there because it was becoming too much. Too much truth. Too many feelings to handle. Too much to unpack and fix at once. "I'm just scared she'd run away again with Liz." She articulated through a shaking breath. She felt Nia's hand on her shoulder, rubbing her thumb against the fabric of her shirt affectionately.

"Well, it's better she runs away knowing the truth than stays and is lied to. Again." The brunette said pointedly. And Kara kind of hated her because she knew she was right. Lena deserved the truth. It was hypocritical to vent about Lena's lack of honesty and keep all that from her. Kara had already made the mistake once. She didn't want to risk putting Lena in that place ever again.

Before stepping out of the office, Nia turned back around, her hand already on the handle. "By the way, you should apologize to Brainy. He didn't deserve your anger yesterday." And with that, she was gone. Like she just didn't remind Kara how bad a friend she had been the day before. Kara groaned and slammed her head on her desk frustratingly. What a mess.

There was no one in the lab except for them. Lena even started to wonder if all those superheroes weren't avoiding the satellite because they knew a Luthor was on it. It had been a while since she had her name thrown out at her face but it was still a possibility. Lex's crimes were still very present in people's memories.

"So you and Kara, huh?" Dick said from across the room. His tone was supposed to be uninterested. They had stayed pretty much silent until now. He was currently working on a computer, making research on someone called Deathstroke, while Lena was tampering Liz's electronic gloves. The screen in front of her was showing an algorithm translating the Gaelic text for her. She just had to wait. All her attempts at translating by herself were unproductive. It was taking too long for her liking, having to guess how the words were spelled through the recording, then search for some correspondence in different dictionaries. It was a painstaking work. So Lena found another, more productive, solution. An algorithm she configured herself to do the job for her.

"Is there a question somewhere?" Lena replied sardonically. She didn't even bother looking up from the gloves. She had almost succeeded in increasing the possible load the gloves could withstand without frying the energy converters. It wasn't an easy task. She had fried two pairs of converters before understanding she needed to add two more ones.

"You will be married to her." Dick whispered in a conspirator tone, loud enough for Lena to hear it. She paused on her task then shook her head.

"No, it's not a certainty. The future is changing every time we make a choice." Lena rebutted. She didn't need any spark of hope. What was it with her friends? All trying to convince her to express her feelings to Kara. They couldn't be together. Couldn't they just mind their own business?

She heard Dick snort from the other side of the lab and turned on her stool, the gloves temporarily forgotten. "You deciding to come back overnight is surely pulling you in that direction." Dick teased. He was still scanning his screen with rapt attention. As if it wasn't a big matter. As if it couldn't bother Lena that much. She didn't like him when he was like that. All know-it-all remarks and scornful judgements barely hidden.

"Are you going somewhere with that? Or can we go back to work?" Lena asked with a cocked eyebrow. Fortunately, she had seen worse than him. Dick Grayson never impressed her. In fact, it was usually the other way around.

Dick sighed and finally stopped what he was doing to look at her. "You like her." He said. It wasn't a question. Lena rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. The floor became strangely interesting as she felt a blush rose on her cheeks. "It's still not a question." She grumbled.

"No, because I don't need an answer." Dick replied, standing up and walking towards her. "It's clear as water. It's all over your face when you look at her."

Lena couldn't stop the small smile that grew on her face. "What do you want me to say?"

They shared a look. It wasn't heated or serious. Dick was looking at her like she was a precious thing, something he was scared to break. Fragile and sensitive. James used to look at her like that too.

"Nothing, I just…" He looked down first, probably disturbed by the green in her eyes. She vaguely remembered him in a drunken state at one of the galas they had to go, admitting how her eyes were hypnotizing and that he couldn't focus when she was looking at him. They were twenty-something and drunk. She never thought much about it. He seemed to recover though and Lena strengthened her spine in reaction. "Now I understand why you and I wasn't possible. I can't compete with her."

Lena smirked. Kara had a way of putting big grown-up men in their place and making them wonder about their virility. Supergirl was an icon, a paragon of hope and especially very much stronger than every man on Earth. Except her cousin, even if they still had to prove that point. But Kara Zor-El was smart, and funny, and very loving. Charming in an unconscious way with her light smile and cute dimples. Clumsy too when she was too excited to be cautious enough with her powers. It was all endearing traits. More than that, in fact.

"You don't have to compete for anything." She sighed. "You're one of my best friends. And Kara is…"

"Is not just a friend. I think it's more accurate to say she may be the love of your life, you know, with the whole being married thing." Dick winked and Lena wanted to make him swallow back the little complacent smile on his face. She rolled her eyes again, instead. Dick wanted her to know she could confide in him, like she used to do during their teenage years. He wanted to be friendly and help her. "I don't believe in marriage."

He chuckled lightly, turning back to rejoin his computer. "I'm sure one day you will. If it's for her."

Lena would never admit to Dick how close to the truth he was. Because being a maid of honor to Alex and Kelly's wedding had meant being with Kara most of the time organizing. And she would jump from a cliff before admitting she had thought about the blond in a white dress walking towards her. Kissing her. Taking her with all her flaws and imperfections. Accepting her for what she was. Of course she had pictured it. But she wasn't supposed to. Kara was her best friend. So she'd never say anything more to Dick. He knew enough.

There was a beeping sound and, in the corner of her eyes, she saw Dick take his phone out of his pocket. He shut off the alarm and turned sorry eyes to her. "I need to go. There's an emergency in Bludhaven. A chemical factory blew up. You'll be okay on your own?"

Lena nodded. "I'll just work on the gloves. I'll keep you updated on the translation, don't worry."

"Thanks." Dick approached and circled his arms around her briefly. "Be careful." She told him. He nodded once and walked out of the door. Lena watched him go. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had in her guts. They weren't lovers or not even that close as friends but it was still terrifying to know the man was risking his life. Knowing he was doing it because he felt it was his duty. Without fear. And without any supernatural abilities. Dick was a hero. And he was her friend. She hoped he would be okay.

The satellite was a gift and a curse. It had all the most updated technologies in the world and because of them, Lena knew instantly what happened in Bludhaven. There was an incident. Or more like a set-up. It was Joker's fault. She had followed the Titans' mission all along through the screen set up in the lab – thanks to Cyborg's needs to have archives for everything. They were supposed to rescue the employees of a chemical factory which happened to blow up a second time while they were in it. Since the site was enormous, Kara had gone to help, with Nia and Brainy on her sides and Batwoman joining the group later. They were all there to see the roof of one of the wings collapsing in a racket, knowing too well it was Nightwing who was in charge of rescuing this area. Lena had felt sick and mortified, not being able to keep her eyes away from the screen. She couldn't breathe. She kept thinking about them. Praying, praying, they were all okay. Hoping to see him crawl from underneath the piles of wreckages.

Kara found him. After lifting tons of concrete and steel, after agonizing minutes of searching, she found him. He was still breathing. Lena had watched her fly away with Dick in her arms, knowing she was coming straight to the satellite but she couldn't move.

Kara found her two hours later, still in the lab. Still on the rolling stool. Her shoulders sagging. Her face neutral. Watching the news with glassy eyes, not seeing them really. "Hey." She said in a soft tone, coming in front of Lena. "He's in the medical bay. Alex and Victor are working on him. He has a punctured lung and a broken leg. He'll probably be concussed too but he's…" She sighed, knowing it wouldn't fix anything. "He's going to be fine."

Lena looked up and Kara was there. Alive and breathing. She registered what the blond had just said. Dick was injured but alive. He was alive. Lena took a deep breath consciously. It felt like the first she was taking since she'd seen the news. She took a second and exhaled slowly, shakily. She brushed her hands in her hair, her eyes watering. A shiver ran through her body. She recalled their discussion. How Dick knew about her feelings for Kara. How he seemed happy to know that, if he couldn't have her, at least she could be happy with someone else. "What an idiot." She finally said in a bitter chuckle.

There was a beat of silence. The computer's hum was the only sound in the room. Lena was waiting for the algorithm to come out with a translation on its own while she was working on Liz's gloves. She had forgotten about the gloves, though, when the first news about the incident had appeared on the screen in the corner of the room.

She was aware of Kara observing her, aware of her trying to make herself as small as possible in the room not to oppress Lena. She met Kara's eyes again and a single tear rolled down her cheeks. It was relief. As if guided by instinct, Kara took two steps in a haste but stopped, her hands in the air between them.

"Can I …" Her eyes traveled between Lena's. She looked torn. "Can I hug you?"

It hit Lena how wide the gap between them had become. How far away they were from the two best friends who used to comfort each other without even asking. But they never really felt like just friends, right?

Lena took a step, hesitating, not really sure how to say yes without saying it, without appearing too eager. Kara's eyes softened and without thinking more, she took the last few steps and circled her arms around Lena very gently, as if she was scared to break her. The brunette immediately hid in the blonde's neck, inhaling Kara's natural perfume she had missed for so long. She felt Kara nosing at her hair, a hand securely at the back of her head, the other at the small of her back.

"It's been a long time." The blond whispered. Lena couldn't agree more. It felt like being alive again. Ignited.

"It shouldn't have. I'm sorry I've disappeared." She apologized with a gravelly voice. She felt Kara nod against her head.

"It's okay, I understand now. I missed you though. So much." Kara murmured back. She plunged her nose in the black hair just above Lena's ear, relaxing in the familiar embrace. It gave Lena goosebumps. "I missed this."

Lena had missed it too. Their closeness. The familiarity of the skin against skin. She had tried to stay away from Kara's touch at first. Because she knew the moment it would happen, she would become addicted. She always felt starved from affection, too long devoid from it. Lilian wasn't the best cuddler of the Luthor mansion. Far from it. She hadn't even comforted Lena when she had been crying all night long the first few months after she arrived. Those long months her four-year-old self had been grieving her mother without even knowing what grief was.

Lionel would sometimes be affectionate but it never went further than a hand on a shoulder. Lex would kiss her forehead and hold her hand but it was never the same. Kara's touch was everything. It was family and home and love and belonging. Warm and cozy and welcoming. And safe. She couldn't stay away from it, she knew it.

Lena reclined from Kara's neck to look her in the eyes. Her green eyes were glistening, moved by the whole gesture. Her heart was beating hard. "Me too." She replied with a small smile. Her eyes glided to the blonde's lips which were forming an easy smile.

How she dreamt of those lips when she was away. How she had thought about it for weeks even before Alex and Kelly's wedding, never finding the right time to do it. To just lean and kiss Kara. Because she was almost sure Kara felt the same way. But she couldn't now, could she? There was a child in the equation. They had to be careful. It wasn't just their feelings they could hurt. And she had hurt Kara so much. She didn't deserve it anymore.

Sighing, Lena looked away and detached herself from Kara reluctantly. It was never the right time apparently.

"I should finish this. Liz needs it to practice." She said, gesturing to the skeletal gloves on the counter. Kara grabbed at her hand, stopping her from going too far away. "Lee…"

The pleading in her voice made Lena pause. Kara hadn't called her like that for a long time. She was the only one using that nickname and every time, every single time, Lena's heart would somersault right down to her stomach.

She turned around very slowly to look up in the sorry blue eyes. "Kara, we can't."

And Kara didn't even have to ask why, it was obvious. They were both aware there was too much at stake. They couldn't be something. Not if Lena decided to go back to Ireland. Not with all Kara's life here in National City. It didn't mean Kara had to accept it. Honestly, Lena didn't know if she would prefer for Kara to drop the matter or to pursue it endlessly. To make her cave. Because she knew her resolve was thinning out.

With a disapproving look on her face, Kara opened her mouth but they were interrupted by the alarm on the computer. The translation was finished.

Lena rushed to the computer and typed furiously on the keyboard. In a corner, a printer came to life. She walked to it in a haste to read the words. Kara came next to her with her hands on her hips.

"It looks like a legend?" Kara wondered aloud, her eyes scanning the words. Lena agreed but she didn't like it one bit. Why was Liz pronouncing this weird mantra? What was the link? A puzzle piece was missing.

Going back to the computer, she copied the lines and put them in a search bar. Some results came up. None of them were reporting the whole text but some of the lines appeared here and there on websites about witchcraft. Legends about witches and chosen ones. Lena almost rolled her eyes. How predictable. When would their life be normal?

"I should go back to Ireland to talk to Florence." She declared hastily, folding out the paper and putting it in her back pocket. There had to be answers somewhere. Someone out there had to know something about this sort of prophecy. And Florence was her first guess. The first source she could question.

"I'm coming with you." Kara said stubbornly. "I can fly you there." She added as if it was a good enough reason to convince Lena to let her go with her.

"I have a better idea." Lena cocked an eyebrow. There was no way she would be flying in Kara's arms across an entire ocean. She grabbed at her phone. "Let me just ask Kelly to keep an eye on Liz a little longer."

Lena hated flying. It was one of those innovations mankind was so proud of but Lena hated it. She hated it since the day she had crossed an ocean in Lionel's jet because her mom had died and she had to switch family. The flight had been disturbed by turbulence, reflecting Lena's mind at the time. Since then, she had avoided business trips and taking a plane to go on vacation as much as possible. Even if flying with Kara was fun sometimes, she preferred to stay with her feet on the ground.

She held her hands out to Kara and waited for her to take them. They weren't flying to Ireland. Lena was magically transporting them there. They had relocated to Lena's loft after leaving Liz in the good hands of Kelly and Alex for the afternoon. The blond clasped her strong hands in hers and Lena tried not to think about how much she appreciated the contact. She focused on their destination instead and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose.

Gloomy cave, dark green forests, humid weather, and welcoming people. Musky perfume, daisies, and tulips in a vase. Rosemary and thyme smells, violet and lavender thrown in a boiling cauldron. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, letting herself be enveloped by the atmosphere of what she remembered the cave to be.

A swift noise was heard and when Lena opened her eyes again, they were just in front of Florence's cave, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees. The fresh summer breeze was shuffling in their hair. The sun radiating down on them.

Kara pulled away immediately. "Uh I'm gonna be sick." She moaned, clinging her stomach. Lena scrunched up her face. She had wished Kara wouldn't be affected by the transportation. "Sorry, it happens the first few times."

"A warning would have been nice." The blond grumbled between heavy exhales. "Argh, I'm never sick, Lena. Why do I feel that way?"

"Because it's magic and you're vulnerable to magic?" The brunette winced. Kara groaned back. She leaned on a tree, her forehead directly on the trunk, possibly to try to cool her head.

Lena remembered seeing Kara getting sick once and it wasn't pretty. The blond had solar flared, using too much of her energy fighting too many enemies in a short amount of time. She had eaten too many dumplings for a normal being the day before and ended up throwing up all day long. She had been exhausted and miserable. The whole experience had just been too much. Once her stomach had gotten back to normal, she had sworn to never eat that much again. Just to accept Brainy's pizza challenge two days later. Lena knew Kara would be fine. The nausea should last several minutes, not more.

"Come on in, it's cooler inside." Lena showed the cave's entry. She wasn't sure what to expect of Florence, seeing they were showing up unannounced but it was important. It was a magic matter, Florence wouldn't push them away.

"In there?" Kara asked suspiciously. "It looked like it'll crumble once we'll have a foot in."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Nobody would guess you're scared of an old lady in a cave."

She walked in, not waiting for Kara. She didn't hear her complain about small spaces and claustrophobia. What she heard instead were Latin incantations. When they put step in the chamber inside the cave, Florence was casting a spell. A protection spell if Lena recalled the words right. She threw a glance to Kara. The blond was mesmerized, her mouth agape, the light of the white candles reflecting in her eyes. Lena looked down with a slight smirk. She knew Kara would love it here.

They waited for Florence to finish her spell. A barrier spread itself around them in the form of a blue transparent shield. Lena heard Kara gasp. When Florence turned her eyes on them, it wasn't surprise or disbelief in her eyes. Just anticipation.

"I was waiting for you." Florence said, walking to Lena to embrace her lightly. Lena almost forgot how obsessed her mentor was with the new crystal ball she had gifted her for Christmas.

"We have questions." Lena cut directly to business. She pulled out the folded paper with the translation out of her back pocket. "Do you know anything about this?"

The woman looked at the paper with a frown. "A chosen one with great power." Florence started to read aloud. "A hero to protect them all. The Other rising to push the Unique to the brink of Fate and, in the ashes of the Earth, conquer or perish with the rest of humanity."

Lena shivered, hearing the words being expelled so religiously. Kara put a hand on her shoulder. Lena looked aside to give her a reassuring smile, even if she knew the beating of her heart was probably betraying her.

"I have no idea what this is about. It sounds like a prophecy." Florence said after a while. Lena watched her eyes traveling on the paper.

"Liz said it. We put her under a scan to do some tests. The rays made her react. She was in a trance and she said that in Gaelic." Lena explained, a bit of despair in her voice. She needed Florence to have an explanation, or a lead, anything.

The woman nodded thoughtfully, her finger on her chin. She paced a bit around the stele in the middle of the chamber. "Did you ask your mother if she knew anything?" The knowing tone wasn't lost in Lena's ears. She couldn't contact her mother. All her attempts had led nowhere.

"You know the answer to that."

"Well, I think it's time you try it again. I remember she was really into this kind of legends. She had found an old book in her house. It was your great grandmother's, I think. It was full of it. Stories with mythical creatures. Legends about your ancestors battling evil. I'm sure you'll find your answers there. Or she can give them to you." Florence shrugged.

Lena remembered the amount of old furniture in the attic at home. The books and the vials and the weird jars covered with dust. It was too painful to go through it though. Everything was soaked with her mother's energy. It was even more painful than to try to contact her through a session and never succeed.

"I'll try the Ouija first." Lena heard Kara's head turn towards her in a crack. "If it doesn't work, I'll go through her things in the attic. But only if it doesn't work." She warned with a pointed finger. Florence hummed and smiled.

"I'm sure it will." She turned to Kara then. "Now, if you want to, I can read the lines of your hand."

Kara gasped again. Lena grabbed Florence's hand before she could touch Kara's. "No, thanks. We're in a hurry." The last thing she needed was Kara freaking out about her future. Lena didn't even want to know if she was part of it. She intertwined her fingers through the blonde's.

"We are?" Kara asked, looking puzzled and completely out of her territory. "Yes." Lena hissed. She pulled on her hand to exit the cave. "Bye, Florence."

"Goodbye, Lena. Kisses to the little one!" Florence said in a chuckle. Lena rolled her eyes. The old owl knew exactly what she was doing.

Now, to next step. She had to contact her mother.

"Did you say Ouija, back there?" Kara asked immediately after they appeared in the middle of Lena's living room.

"I did." Lena replied, not taking the time to explain further. It was the middle of the day already and she wasn't sure she would be able to establish a contact before the night. Once the night fallen, contacting the dead was dangerous and unpredictable. Lena had to make it quick. She walked quickly in her room to retrieve her Ouija board from the back of her dressing room and came back in the living room with it under her arm. She found Kara spread out on the couch. All in her Supergirl glory, the blond looked pale and completely washed out, slumped with her legs wide open. Thanks whoever inventing the pants.

"Are you okay?"

"I hate magical transport. It looked way cooler in Harry Potter." Kara grumbled, an arm over her eyes. Lena chuckled. She liked how dramatic Kara could be sometimes. It reminded her of Liz. Speaking of their daughter…

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I think you should go pick Liz and keep her out of here for the rest of the day. I need to focus and I don't know how much time I'll need." Lena was occupied putting the Ouija board on her kitchen counter and lighting up white and red candles around it, so she missed Kara's surprised expression. She heard her stand up in a groan though. As if she was truly in pain.

"You're going to do this here? It's not dangerous or something?" The blond asked, perching above her shoulder to watch what she was doing.

"I don't have a secret cabin on the hands. Where do you want me to do this?"

"I don't know." Kara shrugged. "There's still the Tower or the satellite but I'm not sure it'll work if your magic comes from the elements. You could go back to your house in Ireland in a puff." She said, mimicking the disappearance of a magician with a flourish of her hands.

It had been an implicit understanding when Lena had started using magic. The elements were what fed her magic. She needed to be close to nature if she wanted to cast a spell. She had to use natural and fresh ingredients to make potions and not simply use the rosemary from the kitchen. It didn't work like that. She had to be surrounded by nature to make it work. But it was true only for most parts. Casting spells and making potions were about using nature and shaping it to do whatever we wanted from it, keeping in mind that it always had a cost. Speaking to the dead wasn't natural. It was walking a thin line between life and death, between good and evil. It called for patience and peaceful mind. All of which Lena didn't really have at the moment.

"I need a calm place. There's always someone coming in and out of the Tower. And you're right about the satellite. I don't think it'll work. It will be hard enough. I'll stay here, it's fine. Just keep Liz away." She didn't want to tell Kara she couldn't really use a Ouija in her house because it would call too much spirits. The blond seemed satisfied with the few explanations and agreed.

"I'll go get Liz and we'll go to the aquarium or something. Is she allergic to anything?" She asked with earnest eyes. Lena smirked. Liz didn't have allergies, or better, she never was sick. At all. "She's half Kryptonian, Kara."

"Right. Better be safe." She shrugged, her hands fidgeting. "You're sure I can take her wherever I want? You won't worry your eyes out?"

Lena rolled her eyes. "No, I trust you with her, and you said it yourself. She couldn't be safer with anyone else." She may seem over-protective with Liz sometimes but she knew Kara would never hurt her intentionally. Liz was always stuck to her or very close at least but Lena had to let her be. It wasn't healthy.

"Just be careful, okay?" Kara said while squeezing her shoulder. These were the same last words Lena had said to Dick before the incident. A ball of nerves came back in her stomach. She hoped he was okay. She would visit him later.

"Don't worry. It's not my first try." She replied to Kara with a reassuring smile. The blond nodded and, with a last longing look and a second squeeze to Lena's shoulder this time, she left by the balcony.

With that, Lena turned back to the board and started to list off the steps in her mind. She went back to her room to retrieve a pen and a sheet of paper. Putting them next to the board, she pushed away the stool and walked in front of it. Nerves were starting to rise underneath her skin. She shuffled her fingers a bit. It wasn't that horrible. She had done it many times. It had only worked once but it never meant it wouldn't work now.

She eyed the wooden board with suspicious eyes, the letters glaring back at her as if anything could pull out of it. Lena didn't like the idea of bothering the spirits. They were dead for a reason and there were multiple examples in movies to explain why it never was a good idea to bother them. There was always a bargain too and usually - Lena took this experience from the two times she had tried to summon her mother - the bargain was energy. The energy felt in the real world was lacking in the spiritual one. That was what you would lose by dying. The energy. Or magic, or life. It was called different whether you were religious or not, believing in magic or not. It was the same entity though. The thing that got you running.

But Lena had to do this sacrifice if she wanted answers. It wasn't for herself anymore. It wasn't about her missing the presence of her mother. It wasn't about her abduction. It was about Liz talking a language she never possibly could have learned and having glowing eyes and an energy so much more powerful than her mothers, who were already pretty powerful themselves. It was about being frightened for her. Frightened enough to do whatever it took.

Fear had a strong impulse. You wouldn't know really what fear was before having a child. Parenting was always, always, mixed with fear. One wouldn't go without the other. It wasn't about love first and fear as second. No, fear was first. Because the first phrase crossing Lena's mind every morning wasn't "I love my daughter very much". It was always "I hope she's okay." Because the fear of Liz being sick or unhappy or upset for any reason would cause her more stress and fear than any other thought she could have about herself. It was always about putting Liz first. Fearing she would hurt herself, that anybody in any way possible would cause her harm voluntarily or not. Fear was the only reason she decided to bother the spirit for the third time in her life.

Lena inhaled deeply through her nose, exhaled slowly through her mouth, placed her hands on each side of the board and closed her eyes. Mentally, she projected her energy all around the room, throwing it against the walls, waves after waves. She felt it pulsing through her fingers, escaping the cage of her body, and being freed. It was the easy part. Now she had to imagine a door opening. To think about who she wanted to walk through it.

Lena had some memories of her mother. Really old blurry ones but some still. She remembered the smell of her skin when she would burry herself in her chest. The color of eyes, the same shade as hers she could see every day in the mirror. The sound of her voice when she told her stories before going to bed. The sound of her screams when she was drowning in the lake behind the O'Connelly's farm.

Lena opened her eyes in a gasp, pulling her hands away from the board, electrified. Her magic came back in her like a thin wire of energy tangling up in the middle of her chest. She tried to reign the energy back in, to tidy it up and spread it in her limbs with balance and calm. She took a deep breath, tried to force her heart in an even beating. Alright, back to square one.

She inhaled again, exhaled, closed her eyes then placed her hands back on the board. Her mother died in horrible circumstances, she knew it. She was fine with it. Her grief had been over a long time ago. She replaced her mother's voice in happy memories. Ones in which they were laughing together, playing in the gardens, singing songs in the middle of the living room or while baking a chocolate cake.

In Lena's mind, her mother was the definition of love. She was conscious she couldn't be impartial and really trust her memories because she was only a child but she could trust her instinct. Her guts. And deep down in her heart, Lena knew her mother was as loving as it was expected from her. As loving as Lena hoped to be with Liz. Her mother had taught her how to walk, how to eat properly, how to read, how to recognize the birds in the trees. She had told her an immeasurable amount of time how much she loved her. She had taught her how to be a good mother. Lena couldn't say the same from the Luthors. Lillian had only told her she loved her when she was on her deathbed and, even if Lena found it moving at the time, she couldn't stop thinking it wasn't entirely a selfless gesture. Lillian wanted redemption for her soul. That was all. Actually, Lillian had only taught her all the things a parent shouldn't do.

But Lena couldn't say she hadn't been loved. It was more the fact that whether she accepted to be loved or not. Her eyes still closed, her mind drifted to her past relationships. James had been fine. He was attentive and honest. Trustworthy and faithful, which wasn't always the case for men who were in his position. He was never trying to diminish her success or feeling wounded in his pride because she was a woman in a position of power. He accepted her partly as she was, stubborn and loving selfishly sometimes. She just never accepted he could risk his life without asking for her opinion. She didn't like the fact she couldn't control him and so he was right to leave. She couldn't control the ones she loved. It wasn't a good way to love somebody. Lena knew it now. She also knew she owned her protectiveness and need of control to Jack.

The man had been her first love. The first to crack her walls and make her realize she was so much more than just a last name. And he was ambitious for them both. Hungry for a better life. Purposeful with dreams so huge they were always meant to overwhelm the world. He lost himself though. But she lost him first. He wanted her to love him in a way she never could. With all her heart and trust. How many times he had wished Lena could tell him all her fears. And she never confessed one. Never said how scared she was of the future. How scared she was to let him guide them both towards a fate he was sure they were destined to. She accepted instead. To be put on board with projects after projects. Going to the same university, taking the same classes, living in the same apartment. It was fine, for most of it. Lena liked engineering and she wanted to cure cancer. But her last name, all in itself, was calling her to do other things. To take back a company, to fix her brother's mess.

Knowing how her life went by after that, Lena knew now she was kind of destined to move to National City, just like Jack's fate was to be eaten away by his own ambition. She couldn't help but miss him though. She missed her friend and his good heart and his witty remarks and his British accent. She could have used his advice on how to deal with Kara and Liz. Or just to talk. Simply talk. Tell him what her life had been. What happened since he left. How she missed his smart charming face.

"Lena?"

Lena startled and opened her eyes brusquely, the light in the room piercing her pupils. The sun was setting and shades of orange and red were flowing through the windows. She didn't know how much time had passed since she started, but it must have been close to an hour at least.

"Lena?" The deep voice said again and she turned around instantly. There. Right there. In the middle of the living room, between the couch and the coffee table. Was Jack. Her brows went high on her forehead and she threw a glance back to the board. Summoning people with a Ouija board wasn't exactly calling them back to life momentarily. Lena glanced back to Jack who was smiling. She tilted her head suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?"

"You wanted to see me."

"No, I didn't."

"I'm pretty sure you did or I wouldn't be here."

Lena recalled her last thoughts. The emotions she was feeling deep in her heart. The missing and the longing of an old-time friend. She sighed. Of course, magic wouldn't go the way she wanted it to. The last time she had succeeded at summoning a dead spirit, Lionel showed up instead of her mother. She was starting to think her mother didn't want to talk to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to call you." She stammered. Bothering the spirits was still unforgivable when it wasn't the right spirit you bothered. She took a step, squinting her eyes to really look at him. "Is that really you?"

Jack was wearing the same attire she had seen him last in. His form was a bit transparent, showing his soul was there but not his body envelope. He smiled again with all his teeth and Lena remembered suddenly how it felt to be the one receiving that smile. She smiled back. It was him.

"I know you weren't expecting me. Your mother hears you but you never seem to open the door large enough for her." Jack explained in a compassionate voice. He was in contact with her mother. Quickly, an entire other perspective of the world opened in Lena's mind. There was a world outside of this one. She had never had the possibility to talk about it with a spirit but now, her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know more.

"You know my mother?"

"I do. She told me to tell you she follows you everywhere. She's very proud of you."

Lena felt a prying hand clutching hard around her heart. It was always the same sensation when the topic of her mother was brought. With glistening eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. Why, out of any possibilities, was it Jack who could talk to her?

"I feel her, sometimes. When I'm not…" She trailed off, impossible for her to express how it felt. When she was not okay, when she had doubts, Lena could feel her mother. A light perfume in the room. A brush of fingers on her cheek. It happened multiple times, especially in the last seven years. Since Lena discovered she was a witch. She knew it was her without being a hundred percent certain. It just felt reassuring and comforting. She just knew.

"Is she here now?" She asked hopefully but her smile instantly disappeared as Jack shook his head.

"No, you only opened the door for me."

"But I need her help." Lena frowned.

"You might need my help too without knowing it." He shrugged. "You should hurry, though. I don't have a lot of time."

Lena thought about that, thought about her earlier reflections. She decided to use the Ouija board to summon her mother to have answers about the prophecy Liz had pronounced.

"I don't know how you can help me. I was trying to call my mother because we have questions about a prophecy my daughter pronounced the other day. I don't think you know much about witchcraft."

Jack chuckled a bit, the ghostly sound reverberating against the walls in a chilling way. "No, I don't. You know I don't believe in that. But congrats on your daughter. I know you're doing a great job with her."

A proud smile grew on Lena's face. She would never be ashamed of the pride that spread in her body when people talked about Liz. "Thanks, I guess."

There was a bit of silence. Jack tilted his head on the side with some kind of mischief in his eyes. "You know, I always thought you'd be a good mom."

Lena nodded thoughtfully. They had talked a lot about their future. Marriage. Children. Legacy. Jack wanted a big family. Being an only child, he wanted his children to know the values of fraternity and family. Lena didn't know what she wanted at the time. It always felt too soon, too far away in time to think about it. Then, after graduation, after all the crimes Lex had committed, she wasn't sure she wanted to bring a child in this mess. To put the weight of the Luthors' name on so small shoulders. She wasn't sure she was cut for the role. Doubts of not being able to be a good parent because of how she was raised. And how could she know how to be a mother when her own mom passed away so soon? Who was she supposed to take advice from? Who would take the responsibility to bring another Luthor in this world with her? Jack was ready to accept that. But Lena never was. Not with him.

"You had all these expectations but I couldn't…" She exhaled in a shaky breath and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "It wasn't right to me, Jack. I'm sorry I made you believe we were on the same page." The tears in her eyes threatened to fall but she kept them at bay.

"Oh, I knew." He replied with amusement in his voice but his serious expression betrayed his emotions. "I just didn't want to see it. But now I know I wasn't it for you, Lena. That's fine. You were my last love. I'm glad I could be with you one last time before it was over."

Lena sniffled loudly and rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand. Jack was making it awfully difficult for her not to break down.

"Liz is wonderful by the way."

Lena looked up to meet his soft eyes full of affection. "You see her?" She wondered in a whisper.

"We can see everything. Sometimes we're blocked by magical barriers but most of the time, we can. Be present everywhere all at once. We just can't act. Touch, feel, it's not… We can't. But I see you with her. She's as clever as you. I see you with Kara too." He seemed to want to take a step ahead, be closer to her, but without succeeding. His soul was stuck to its place. "I know you're in love with her." Jack declared softly.

Lena's cheeks reddened a bit. She remembered the time Jack and Kara had met. How Kara had only her best interests at heart and wanted to protect her at all costs. A small smile grew back on her face. Yes, she was desperately in love with her. Jack wasn't the first to notice it. He wasn't the first to talk to her about it that day.

"I am." She admitted, swallowing the lump in her throat. "But with Liz, we can't…"

"She loves you too." Jack interrupted her before she could utter her lame usual excuses out. She shut her mouth in a clack. Kara loved her. Lena knew that too. They just couldn't act on it. It was too risky. Too scary. Too demanding.

"I know." She sighed heavily. Her arms came up to circle herself in a shield of flesh and bones. A shiver irrupted on her skin. The atmosphere had become chilly suddenly.

"You kept the child. You want her. You want them." He hammered with conviction. "Give her a chance."

The tears finally fell and glided on Lena's cheeks. "I can't. What if…" She hiccuped in a rare moment of vulnerability. "What if it doesn't work? What if she's too good for me? I hurt her so much, Jack. I don't know how to fix it."

"It will work, Lena. You know it, deep in yourself. You deserve it. You deserve to be loved. Trust her. Let her love you." It was his last words before vanishing. The last echoes that remained in the room after Jack was gone. Trust her. Let her love you.

Her heart was pounding in her ears. Her breaths were coming shortly, heavily. With Jack gone, it seemed Lena had regained the ability to breathe properly. What was that? She brushed a hand through her hair. As she walked around the kitchen island to retrieve a tissue on the counter, she threw cautious glances to the Ouija board as if anybody could walk out of it now.

Remembering she still had to close the door to the spirit world, she took her place back in front of the board and closed her eyes. She breathed in and out, in and out, focusing on the energy in room, attracting it back towards herself, feeling it through her limbs, and spreading it back in her body.

Once all her energy back in her, Lena looked around the room helplessly. She didn't have her answers, and better, she had even more questions. Why was Jack the one who appeared? How could he know so much? Why did he feel like he had to tell her all this? Everybody kept talking to her about Kara, about their relationship as if they knew anything about them. It wasn't that easy. There were hurt and anger and love and resentment, all mixed up between them. Lena never felt like she deserved Kara as a friend. How could she think anything more? They were meant to stay friends. She could settle for that much. The rest was too terrifying. Especially since they didn't know what happened to her yet or how Liz became their daughter.

With Jack's soul vanished, Lena realized maybe the spirits knew about what happened to her. Maybe Jack or her mother were with her the whole time she was in that bunker. Shaking her head, she gave up on the idea as suddenly as it came. There was a chance the Platinum Kryptonite would reveal enough. If she didn't have her answers then, she would definitely ask the spirits again. But for now, if she could get her answers thanks to the memories stuck in the gem, she would settle for that. It was better not to bother the spirits too often.

Putting the Ouija board back in her wardrobe, Lena thought about what she could do next. She didn't get the answers she was looking for concerning the prophecy. She still didn't know what was happening with Liz. The last and only thing that could possibly help her was in the attic of her family house in Ireland.

She looked at her watch with a sigh. It was 5 p.m.. Lena still had time before Kara and Liz would come back. Without really thinking clearly, she focused on a place she knew by heart. She needed a pick-me-up before Liz would come home and what better way to cheer spirits up than by visiting a friend?

Lena Luthor didn't have a lot of friends. Tess Walsh, her alter ego living in Ireland, had some but it was mostly to keep up appearances. Lena Luthor could count on her hands the number of friends she had. Thanks to trust issues, she could reduce her closest friends, the ones she would go to, the ones she would take advice from, to two.

Andrea, her lifelong friend, was one of them. Despite their old rivalry and Andrea's betrayal, they kept their friendship intact during the years. Andrea, just like Sam, helped keep Lena's whereabouts a secret and invested in their friendship more than she ever had before. She wanted to make amends, to show Lena she was on her side again and for good.

Sam was the other one. They had been colleagues first but became friends quickly. Sam was loyal and honest, which were two qualities Lena seemed to be lacking in her close circle. After all they have been through, all the Reign debacle, Lena promised Sam could always count on her. And Sam stayed on her side throughout the years too. She was Lena's best friend, her associate too, and Liz's godmother because it was obvious. And the one who Lena would go to when she was invaded by doubts and stress.

Sam was calmly analyzing a contract when Lena appeared right in the middle of her office in Metropolis. She raised her eyebrows and looked Lena up and down in disbelief. It made Lena self-conscious and slightly ashamed to appear out of nowhere like that. But she needed to talk to someone about the crazy things goings on and she couldn't do it with Alex, Kelly, or Nia anymore. They didn't have the whole perspective. Not like Sam had.

"Hi, I was just thinking you were late for our weekly meeting." Sam said ironically while standing up from her chair.

Lena shrugged. "Sorry, I thought you'd prefer to skip the whole knocking-on-the-door stuff."

Sam huffed but embraced Lena in a hug, nonetheless. "You're lucky I missed you."

"Likewise. It's been what? Three months?" Lena scrunched up her nose, ready for the light reproach.

"Yeah! How have you been? How's Liz?" Sam rushed out, guiding her to the couch in the corner of the room.

"We've been… good. A lot happened."

Sam sat next to her and leaned on her knees with her elbows, curiosity lighting her eyes. She was all ears. So Lena told her everything. From the day Liz started to show Kryptonian abilities, passing by her accident with the little boy in the park and how frightened her daughter had been, to the day Lena decided to go back to National City to tell everything to Kara and find a solution.

"Wow. You weren't lying. It's a lot." Sam replied in a small chuckle. She looked thoughtful for a minute. "How has it been with Kara? How did she take the news?" She asked cautiously, standing up to get them two glasses of water.

"Not as bad as I expected, you know." Lena shrugged. "Kara is Kara. She was angry at first, but it lasted two seconds. Then she rose to the occasion and is currently…" She paused, glancing at her watch again. "Visiting National City's aquarium with Liz." It still felt surreal to her. Liz and Kara were becoming closer and Lena was glad to see Kara liked her new role very much.

"Oh, so she took it well. And with you? As charming as ever?"

Lena tilted her head on the side without quitting Sam's deep brown eyes. "What do you mean?"

Her friend rolled her eyes so dramatically it made Lena laugh. "Don't play the fool with me, Lena." She warned playfully.

"It's fine." Lena shrugged. She looked down at her shoes. "Kara is… Kara." She repeated with more intensity. Sam snorted.

"You got it bad." She shook her head, a large smile on her face. "You didn't tell her yet, didn't you?"

Lena groaned internally. "Not you too." She grumbled. "This is the third time I have this discussion today. I'm here to have a good talk with my friend because the last days have been really depressing. So please don't tell me what I should do. I already know."

Sam rose two hands but laughed a bit. "Okay, I won't say anything. I'll let you vent about all the weird stuff happening in your life then."

Lena rolled her eye. "I don't want to bother you with everything. They're all just so… Cautious with me as if I could break down in a second. I just need to have a discussion with someone who's in my corner."

"I'm sure Kara wants to be in your corner too." Sam said, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Lena shoved her away, laughing. "Stop! This isn't funny." She missed their friendship so bad.

"I'm not joking. I remember how you used to talk about her when I was with you in Ireland. I've never heard you talk about anyone that way so I'm curious. Tell me, is she still the same as seven years ago?"

Just thinking about Kara made the butterflies flutter in her chest again. As pathetic as it sounded, Lena couldn't help but be resumed as a speechless and blushing mess when she let herself think about Kara. Her mind drifted instantly to all the things Kara had done for her, all the times she had saved her life. All the times she took her in her strong arms and flew away with a hand on her thigh and the other on her waist. And now those memories were joined by more recent ones, with Liz in the center and Kara being freshly thrown into motherhood and succeeding wonderfully.

Lena sighed dreamily. "Well, she's even better. She's annoyingly kind and sweet and ready to help all the time. She likes to talk to Liz and always lowers her tone with her. They have the same love for animals and drawings and… " Lena paused there to glance at Sam who, apparently, had decided to let her rant. She shook her head to clear her mind. She could at least try to preserve the rest of her dignity so she decided to steer the discussion towards their daughter. "Liz loves her already. She's so patient and understanding and she gives her confidence to be at ease in her own skin which is…" Lena cleared her throat. "Everything. She teaches Liz everything she can, she shares stories and advice. I've never seen her interact with children on that level before. It's so endearing and charming. It's nice to share the responsibilities too." She stopped her vomit of compliments towards Kara and took a large gulp of her water, suddenly very thirsty.

Sam was observing her, a mischievous smile spreading very slowly on her lips. She laughed then. Bluntly and freely. Lena smiled and prepared herself for the mocking remarks.

"I wasn't expecting that much." Sam finally said, her eyes still smiling for her. "You never talk that much. About anyone."

Lena just shrugged one shoulder, an easy smile on her face. "You asked for it."

"Yeah, I know, I mean I didn't expect you to be this…" Sam formed a flourish of fingers towards her face. "Disgustingly in love."

Lena scoffed while crossing her legs and arms in a defense mechanism. "You asked." She repeated. "You already knew anyway." She added, brushing nonexistent dust on her pants.

"I know." Sam replied with the same conviction. "I'm happy for you. She seems to be on the same page."

Lena frowned. She replayed her earlier rant in her mind quickly. How could Sam guess that? "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Lena! You're not that oblivious, I know you! Kara is so into you, she worships the ground you walk on."

Lena rolled her eyes again but the image was enough to make her smile. Kara, in Supergirl attire, strong enough to lift a building but weak for a Luthor. "Stop it, she doesn't." She argued with a semblance of conviction but her smile betrayed her.

"She so does!" Sam exclaimed. "She always has been! How many times did she save you?"

"She does it for everyone." Lena dismissed the argument. Sam cocked an eyebrow. "She flew to Dublin to bring you scones."

"She wanted to be forgiven!" Lena argued, uncrossing her legs quickly. "I don't care, it's a sign!" Sam exclaimed back.

Lena huffed. "It's not necessary to try. It's doomed to fail." She grumbled, crossing her arms back and almost, almost, pouting. Her admission made Sam laugh in victory. "Now, we're speaking! Though I knew you with more confidence in yourself, honey."

Lena looked up to meet her eyes. It wasn't a joke to her. Everybody seemed to know what was going on between Kara and her and thought they just had to make the first steps but it wasn't that simple. "No, Sam, you don't understand. It can't work."

Sam frowned. "Why not? You're good together. You always were."

Lena shook her head dismissively. "Because she's Kara and I'm me." Sam groaned, out of frustration or because maybe she was losing patience, Lena didn't know.

"Is it the old Super vs Luthor thing? Because you're totally not like your brother and she's so much hotter than her cousin."

"Hey!" Lena reacted immediately with a threatening finger. "Careful!"

Sam lifted her hands in surrender (again). "Just saying Lois didn't choose the best of them."

Lena rolled her eyes but smirked because she totally agreed but couldn't say so. She learned to be careful, knowing beings with superhearing were walking on Earth. "I'm sure she's just fine. Besides, they have children now so." She shrugged. Superman wasn't that bad, just very conservative.

"Good for them but don't change the topic." Sam replied with a knowing smile, pointing her finger at Lena. The brunette groaned. Sam knew her too well.

"I told you there's nothing to talk about. It can't happen. She's a superhero always splitting her time in between countries. I'm just old boring little human me and I have a daughter now. I can't even tell Liz her mom will be home every night because I'm not sure of it." Lena rose her arms in annoyance.

Sam let the silence last. She tilted her head and analyzed Lena a bit. It made her self-conscious again as if Sam could crack all her walls and see behind them. "Is it really the problem? She asked.

There were so many excuses Lena used to tell herself but she had settled on these ones for now. She knew it wasn't that impossible for them to make it work. She could still live in Ireland and see Kara and the others every day. Liz would probably not care about Kara coming in and out of the house because she knew what she was doing. No, the reasons were deeper than that, buried under layers of trust issues and coping mechanisms and a huge amount of denial.

"Of course it is! Why?" Lena replied, her voice going higher.

Sam scoffed. "Because it sure sounds like an excuse."

"Argh, not you now." Lena dismissed with a flourish of a hand and an eye roll. Sam tilted her head again, a smirk spreading on her lips. Lena didn't like that face on Sam. It meant trouble.

"Heard that somewhere before too?" Sam asked.

Lena shrugged. "Alex..." She didn't have to tell more. Alex had stayed as stubborn and forward as she used to be. Sam just laughed. "She must be right, you know. I saw you two together and I can tell you're not very subtle with your feelings."

Lena huffed in frustration. She was tired of this discussion. Why was everybody trying to make her talk? "It's just… what if it doesn't work? Liz will be sad and disturbed. I'll be heartbroken. What's the worth?"

Sam leaned closer and Lena knew she was about to be truthful and honest. "It'll never work if you never try in the first place." She said softly. "I know you're scared…" Lena scoffed but Sam gave her a pointed look. "You are scared and it's okay." She stressed. "But you can only know by trying. And I'm sure you already can think about one or two reasons why Kara's worth it." She winked and stood up, putting an end to their conversation. Lena didn't know what to add anyway. Why was everybody telling her the same things?

"I'll leave you to work." Lena stammered while standing. Sam nodded and hugged her close. "Give me a call tomorrow or the day after? Ruby will be home and I'm sure she would be happy to hear from you."

Lena agreed. "I will. She sent us a post card for Liz's birthday. She seemed to like it at Columbia."

"She does! We miss each other, but you know…" Sam shrugged with a sad face. "It's life. She has to live her own adventures."

Lena rubbed Sam's arms in a reassuring gesture. She couldn't even fathom what it would be like to be separated from Liz like that. She could understand Sam's anxiety. "It's for the better. She comes home at least."

"Yeah, I trust her. She's a good girl."

They smiled softly at each other. Sam took Lena one last time in her arms. "Okay, now go, you witch." She smirked. Lena laughed and nodded. She took three steps back then focused on her destination. A wink and puff later, she was back in her apartment.

The night had fallen. The apartment was dark and Lena rushed to the windows to close them before lighting the lights on. With a sigh, she sat on the couch ungracefully. Her heart felt lighter and seeing Sam had always the effect of cheering her up but she still had so much to think about. They didn't have any information on the prophecy. They didn't know who decided to play God seven years ago. And Lena didn't know if she should tell Kara she loved her or not.

As the front door opened and slammed on the wall, Liz's rapid footsteps echoing on the linoleum, Lena put herself together and braced herself for the little fire cracker who was about to crash in her.

"Mom!" Liz shouted excitedly. She rushed in her arms. Lena embraced her easily and pulled her against her chest. "It was awesome! We saw jellyfishes and clown fishes and I even touched a ray!"

Lena couldn't stop the grin from spreading on her face. Liz was so happy. "Really? How was it like?"

Liz scrunched up her face in disgust. "Weird." She said first but then her face lighted up again. "But Kara said they were sharks. Did you know? Can we have one?"

Lena heard Kara laugh from being her so she stood up with Liz in her arms and walked in the kitchen. The weight in her arms and the warmth Liz was emitting were both reassuring to Lena. Liz had been gone since morning and she had missed her a lot.

"We'll think about that." She replied to Liz. She turned to Kara. "How did it go?"

"Wonderfully. She's very curious about everything." Kara smiled, tickling Liz in her ribs. The girl giggled. "We ate ice cream and learned a lot of things. She may crash at one point. She was rubbing at her eyes on the road back."

Lena looked at Liz and took on the lazy smile on her daughter's face. Liz was exhausted but she had fun. "Good. Bath, dinner, and bed, then. What do you say? Want to stay for dinner?"

"Yes." Kara agreed easily. "I can't wait to hear what you discovered."

As she walked to the bathroom with Liz still in her arms, Lena opened wide eyes. It wasn't exactly why she invited Kara but… Be it. She could still pass some time with Kara. Innocently.

"I'll order pizza." Kara shouted from the kitchen. Lena agreed with a shout back. Pizza almost felt like old times.

With full bellies and the aquarium adventures put away, Lena and Kara were relaxing on the couch, with Liz in her pj's in between them, heavily leaning on Lena, her head on her mother's thigh, her eyes fighting the urge to close themselves because she wanted to watch the end of Moana but Lena's fingers in her hair were so hard to resist to. Snowflake was sleeping in a ball against Liz's belly. Lena was content to stay just like that, comfortable and warm, listening to Disney songs but she knew they had to talk about what she discovered during the day. Or more so the lack of discoveries. She could feel Kara's gaze drifting on her from time to time.

It was still weird to her not to see Kara readjusting her glasses every time she was nervous. Instead, Kara would quickly avert her gaze when Lena would stare back and fake staring at some dust on the floor. She hadn't changed, Lena realized. Kara was till as nervous and sometimes flustered around her. It was astonishing. Because Kara, or more so her alter ego, represented such an image of power and confidence that it was interesting to watch her being reduced to a stutter mess when she was nervous or to see her struggle just like any other person.

The next time it happened, though, Lena decided to clear her throat, causing Kara's gaze to meet hers. She smiled softly, trying to reassure Kara as much as she could. She knew they had to talk about her try at contacting her mother but she couldn't stop thinking they should talk about what transpired earlier between them too. Maybe it was her talk with Dick. Maybe it was her talk with Jack and then with Sam. Maybe it was just about time she realized they were all right. But Lena couldn't. It was too hard to even think about it. About the possibilities for them. Of them.

"Did you have any success with the… thing?" Kara asked. She eyed Liz and shook her head as a sign for Lena to know the girl wasn't sleeping.

Lena thought back to her discussion with Jack, the emotions rolling around in her stomach. Her whole day had been filled with emotional, strange, honest conversations. She could skip some details and it wouldn't be lying, right? "No. It didn't work. I'll have to go back home and rummage through my mother's thing to find the book Florence talked about." She said, brushing her fingers delicately through Liz's hair.

"I can help if you want." Kara shrugged in the corner of her eyes. Liz pushed up on an elbow and turned around in a weird angle to look at Lena.

"We're going home?" She asked with hopeful eyes. Lena deflated a bit. She hadn't planned to take Liz with her. She had planned to teleport in her house, find the book and come back in an hour time more or less.

"I'll go home but I don't think you should come." She replied and immediately, hope disappeared from Liz's face.

"But I miss my toys." Liz pouted. Kara chuckled and Lena knew why. It was typically her pout on Liz's face and the girl was so cute it was impossible for anybody to say no to that face. Lena rolled her eyes then looked at Kara who shrugged but smiled.

"I'll be happy to see where you both live."

The statement was simple but it was asking a lot. It was including Kara in their life, bringing her in the house Liz and herself had shared alone for six years. Bringing her between the walls where so many memories were impregnated. Bringing her in a house so old it was still guarding all the energy of her ancestors.

"You're sure? It's a witch house, you may feel weak." Lena smirked. It was Kara's turn to roll her eyes. "I can deal with that. I care about my wealth and you care about that book. We need to know what's happening anyway."

"So we're going home?" Liz asked again, shuffling on the couch causing the cat to flee and spread its legs lazily on the carpet.

"Alright, yes. We'll go tomorrow." Lena accepted and Liz squealed, clapping her hands. "But!" Lena warned with one finger. "You have to go to sleep now, it's getting late."

Liz huffed and crossed her arms in a dramatic way that made Kara chuckled. The blond leaned across the couch, grabbed Liz on both sides of her chest and pulled her on her lap, tickling her. The girl squealed again and tried to fight Kara off her. Lena was caught up in the image. Liz was smiling and giggling like she only did when Lena was tickling the right spot between her ribs. Kara was smiling too, so big and bright, with all her teeth. It was beautiful. They were beautiful. Lena's heart warmed and felt so full of love and emotions she couldn't even grasp at.

"Your mom is right." Kara said after a while. Lena hadn't realized they had stopped their little fight. Liz was in Kara's arms, the blond carrying her like a baby. The girl's dark hair was splayed everywhere on Kara's forearms. Lena thought about how it felt to have Liz in her arms like that. She was so used to it she could feel the weight on her biceps, the stretching in the small of her back. With Liz's eyes so blue looking in hers like she could fix the whole world with one word only. It was exhilarating. "You have to sleep well if you want to come with us tomorrow." Kara advised, popping Liz's nose with a finger.

"Okay." Liz sighed then she looked up in Kara's eyes. "Will you read me a story?"

The smile that grew on Kara's face was so tender, so delicate. So loving it could only be shared between a mother and her child. Kara nodded slowly and told Liz she should go pick a book. The girl kissed Lena on the cheek and ran to her bedroom.

"You know she can pick Harry Potter and you'll have to read at least three chapters before she falls asleep, right?" Lena joked, standing up from the couch to retrieve their cups. Kara chuckled behind her.

"I know. It's okay. I like spending time with her." The blond admitted. Lena hummed in reply and busied herself with cleaning up the cups and drying them and putting the coffee in the coffee machine for the next morning. She could feel Kara's eyes on her back, following all her movements. She could sense Kara wanted to say something. Turning back to look at her fully, Lena recognized the nervous habits Kara had. The brush of the hair, the rubbing on the nape. Finally, the blond opened her mouth and it was to apologize again.

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. It wasn't fair. You didn't choose." She said, playing with her fingers against the island. Lena, on the other side of it, was glad for the distance. She was tiring of hearing and telling apologies. Kara had a right to be upset. Lena was upset herself.

"It's okay. I understand. It must be unsettling." She replied earnestly. "Two days ago, you were living a life without a child or all those problems. Now we have so much to fix."

Kara shook her head, disagreeing. "It's not that weird, you know. Maybe it's weird that it isn't. It comes naturally with her. She makes it easy."

Lena nodded. She had seen it with her own eyes. Liz and Kara were becoming close and so quickly it was almost shocking, knowing how shy her daughter was. "She can be really easy going when she overcomes her shyness." She agreed.

Kara sighed. It was a long expressing one, revealing all the emotions Kara was feeling at the moment. "She's everything, Lena." She said, pushing away from the island. She rounded the stools and approached. "I can't tell you how much I admire you for what you did with her. I can't imagine how hard it must have been, alone and with all those questions staying unanswered."

Lena was only capable of watching her feet, images of the last six years invading her thoughts. The loneliness, the doubts, the struggles, the love, the sharing. "Yeah, there were tough times but as you said, she makes it easy." She replied without looking up. She could feel Kara approaching though. The blond was just a foot away now.

"I just wanted you to know…" Kara cleared her throat. "I regret how it happened. For you and for her. And for me too. But I don't regret her. She's an incredible gift, Lena. Thank you."

Lena finally looked up to see all the honesty and truth in Kara's eyes. She was drowning in those shades of blue, so deep and earnest, expressing love so easily and carelessly, as if Kara wasn't afraid of sharing it with her. Because she trusted her, with all her heart. And now, she was saying she loved their daughter and that Lena had done a good job raising her. Kara was telling her she measured the difficulty of the task, of doing it alone, after waking up with six months of her life vanished and a fear so present in her it was obvious she had to flee. It was overwhelming and waves of love and pride were rocking in Lena so wildly she could swear they were the reason she leaned forward.

Kara didn't move. She kept breathing heavily, their breaths mingling as Lena's lips were hovering just close enough for them to feel the semblance of touch. Just a bit more. Lena just needed to push on the balls of her toes a bit more and her lips would be touching Kara's. She would be kissing Kara.

Silence enveloped them. Time seemed to stop. Kara wasn't moving. And Lena was looking at her lips but she was so close she could only see a blur of light pink flesh curved into a surprised O, Kara's teeth barely visible in shades of white behind her lips.

"Kara! I'm ready." Liz shouted from her room. Clocks seemed to start again. Lena could hear the buzz of the refrigerator. Or was it her heart that she was hearing in her ears? Finally, Kara moved. She took a step back, just one. Lena inhaled sharply, as if she had been holding her breath the whole time.

"I… I should go." Kara stammered. She didn't wait for Lena to reply and rushed in the hall leading to the bedrooms on bare feet, her steps echoing on the floor. Lena took a second deep breath. What just happened? What was wrong with her? So good for keeping it together.