Chapter 6
Lena Luthor is no stranger to being lied to, betrayed, and deceived. Lionel hid the fact that he was her real father. Lex betrayed and deceived her multiple times. And Lillian matched Lex in deceit and betrayal, with lies and deceit being the norm. Not to mention the numerous assassination attempts. Apart from Lena's family, there were many deceivers. Most so-called "friends" were only after Lena's money, her status, or her body—or all of the above. Lena learned early on that trust is a weakness that one simply cannot afford. And Lena was excellent, no, she was masterful at not trusting. Until the day she met Kara Danvers. Kara, the clumsy, bubbly reporter who always seemed upbeat, always smiled, and saw only the good in everyone. Kara, who believed in Lena even when all the evidence was against her. Kara, who declared herself Lena's best (and only) friend within a short time. Kara, who with a single smile brought down Lena's years of built-up walls as if they were a house of cards. Kara, with whom Lena had hopelessly fallen in love over the past months.
And then there was Supergirl. The blonde heroine with a slight god complex. This confident, righteous woman who saves lives every day and has saved Lena's own life on several occasions. Supergirl, who would occasionally stop by to ask Lena for help and advice. Lena is not blind; she appreciated the superhero's beauty early on and engaged all too happily in the innocent flirtation that had been happening between them from the start. Until that one evening when, instead of the cheerful red and blue schoolgirl outfit, she appeared in a black, sexy bodysuit—and nothing was innocent about their encounter anymore. In that moment, Lena decided to set aside her feelings for Kara, just for that one night. But Supergirl kept coming back, and what started as a one-night stand became much more. So much more. Lena's heart was deeply torn between her feelings for Kara, which would surely not be reciprocated, and her feelings for Supergirl, which were clearly reciprocated, at least to some extent. Lena lay awake night after night trying to decide whether she should allow her affection for Supergirl to grow. Whether it wouldn't be better to experience a few happy moments with Supergirl instead of chasing unfulfilled dreams with Kara.
Lena stands in the doorway of her bedroom, looking thoughtfully at the blonde person lying in her bed. Only Supergirl had ever called Lena "Lee." In the moment Kara used that pet name and collapsed in Lena's arms, it dawned on her: Kara is Supergirl. Supergirl is Kara.
How had she missed it? How had she been fooled by glasses and a ponytail for so long? "And you call yourself a genius. Pfff," Lena chides herself. She is angry and hurt, and she will confront Kara, she will shout at her. And she will forgive her. Lena knows all too well that she can't stay mad for long. Not when it's Kara. Not when the possibility of more than just friendship with Kara suddenly seems so close. Kara has lied to her and deceived her, hidden a huge, important part of her personality—and seduced Lena in the guise of Supergirl. Kara has caused her countless sleepless nights with this one big lie. Oh yes, Lena would be angry. But not today. One problem at a time. Her first priority now is Kara's recovery. Supergirl's recovery. And for that, she needs to finally find out what's going on with Kara.
Lena places the hot soup she had been holding the whole time on the nightstand and sits on the edge of the bed. Kara probably has a fever, but what does Lena know about Kryptonian body temperature? She wipes Kara's hot forehead with a damp, cool cloth. Kara opens her eyes but seems unable to focus. "Lee..." she whispers hoarsely, reaching for Lena's hand. "I'm here, sweetheart." "...cold," Kara murmurs, pulling Lena closer tentatively. Lena acquiesces and lies down beside Kara. The latter turns to her side and snuggles close to Lena, her head resting on Lena's shoulder, and her leg and an arm draped over Lena's body. Lena pulls the blanket over them both and turns on the TV. It's one of those cooking shows where, in Lena's opinion, they use too much butter, salt, and sugar. She mutes the volume and reaches for her phone. Probably now is the right time to contact Alex Danvers. She had seen on Kara's phone that Alex had called her a few times in the last few hours. Now Lena understands why Kara's sister is so overly protective of Supergirl. For a long time, Lena had suspected that Alex and Supergirl might be in a relationship. She shakes her head
Lena: Agent Danvers, Kara is with me. Can we talk? Lena Luthor
It only takes a few seconds for Alex to respond.
Alex Danvers: I'll be there in 20 minutes.
Lena doesn't reply; it would be pointless. She sighs in annoyance and extricates herself from Kara's embrace, which Kara protests with a grumble.
Soon, Lena hears the hum of the elevator that leads directly to her penthouse. She opens the door to avoid letting Alex ring the loud bell and wake Kara. To her surprise, Alex arrives flanked by four other agents.
"Miss Luthor, where is Kara?" Alex asks coldly. She's in agent mode, no emotions, just business.
Lena stands firmly in the doorway, blocking the agents' entry into her apartment. "Agent Danvers. I wasn't aware you'd show up in full force to visit your sister," Lena replies, emphasizing the word "sister" while raising an eyebrow. Alex seems to realize her mistake and starts to stammer, "I… uh… we were in the area… on another matter. Hence the company…" Lena smiles. Caught. "Well, then I'm sure the gentlemen won't mind waiting outside while you are welcome to come in…" Lena steps aside to let Alex in. Alex opens her mouth, then nods to the other agents. "Gentlemen," Lena bids them, closing the door behind her.
"Where is Kara, Ms. Luthor?" Alex asks again. Thousands of questions and fears race through her mind—that Kara might have attacked Lena just like she did Cat Grant, that she might have revealed her secret identity and Lena could now use it to her advantage. Lena stays silent and studies Alex's face. She looks tired, a hint of panic in her voice, a worried line etched on her forehead.
"Lena. Please call me Lena. Kara is in bed, she's sleeping." Lena places her hand on Alex's upper arm and gives her an encouraging smile. She sees Alex's features relax slightly. "Oh, good. Very good…" Alex exhales in relief. "Alex, I'm Alex," she adds. "Are you okay, Lena?" Alex asks cautiously. "I'm fine, Alex. But Kara is not." Lena leads Alex to the bedroom, where Kara still appears to be sleeping. Alex rushes to Kara's side and kneels at the edge of the bed. "Hey Babygirl," she whispers softly, stroking Kara's hot forehead. "Alex? …sorry," Kara mutters. "It's okay, Kara. I'm here, we'll get you into… home." Kara weakly shakes her head and opens her eyes. "No, Alex…stay here…please." Lena watches the exchange between the sisters and steps behind Alex. She taps on her shoulder before whispering quietly, "Let's talk over a cup of tea, Alex. Kara can sleep a little longer." Alex nods and follows Lena to the living room.
As the tea water boils, Lena leans against the kitchen counter. Alex has settled into the dining chair. The comfortable, incredibly expensive chairs tempt her to lean back and close her eyes briefly. Alex hesitates, calculating how many months she would need to work to replace the chair if she were to stain it. But she is endlessly tired and hungry and quickly discards the thought. She has been awake for nearly 24 hours. First, she found Kara in her apartment, treated her at the DEO, then spent hours flushing the toxin from Kara's body and monitoring her. And when she just wanted to take a 15-minute coffee break, just relax for a brief moment, Kara fled. Those damn malfunctioning handcuffs. For 8 hours, she has been searching for Kara, nearly dying of worry over these 8 hours, and the relief of finding Kara now sleeping in a bed—even if it's at Lena Luthor's—is so overwhelming that fatigue drapes over her like an iron blanket. Lena sets a cup of tea, a bottle of water, and the reheated leftovers of the lasagna she cooked the night before in front of Alex. "Eat and drink, Alex." Alex thanks her with an exhausted smile. Lena sits opposite Alex at the dining table and drinks her green tea while Alex eats. For a brief moment, both enjoy the pleasant silence. Alex silently takes the dishes to the kitchen and then sits back down with a "So…" at the table. "You're not taking her, Alex. She stays here. She came here voluntarily and for a specific reason. To me. I want to know why and what's going on with her." Alex recognizes in Lena's tone and hard facial expressions that she means business and won't negotiate. Either she would have to incapacitate Lena to bring Kara back to the DEO, or she would have to accept that Kara is here and staying here. At least for the moment.
Alex hesitates. How can she explain to Lena what's going on with Kara without revealing that Kara is Supergirl? "Lena…it's…complicated." Lena snorts derisively. "Alex, I know it, I know Kara is Supergirl. Does that uncomplicate things?" she raises an eyebrow inquiringly.
"Well...yes," Alex sighs. "Kara, actually Supergirl, was exposed to red kryptonite a few weeks ago. It essentially lowers inhibitions... The first time she was accidentally exposed to this stuff during a harbor operation. We were able to capture her quite quickly. What happened after that, I still don't understand. Somehow Kara managed to steal several vials of liquid red kryptonite from the DEO and consumed them. I wasn't paying attention. I should have noticed." Ashamed, Alex looks down and fiddles with her fingers before continuing quietly, "I didn't see it. How could I not see it?" "What didn't you see, Alex?" asks Lena. Her mind races, but Alex's words still don't make sense. "I...she's addicted, Lena. It acts like a drug and Kara has consumed it over and over again. I don't understand why. But she's drug addicted, Lena. Dependent on this red devil stuff. And right now, she's going through withdrawal. I'm the worst sister in the world. How could I have missed this!" Alex cries and buries her head in her hands. Lena isn't sure how to react. Should she embrace Alex, or would that be too much? So she simply sits still and waits until Alex calms down. Her own thoughts race. Lena knows EXACTLY why Kara consumed the red kryptonite: to find the courage to keep returning to her, Lena Luthor. Lena pushes the thought aside. It's not for Lena to enlighten Alex about the reasons for Kara's addiction. Only Kara can have that conversation.
"You look tired, Lena. I should go..." Alex remarks, pulling Lena from her thoughts. Lena shakes her head and speaks before she can think. "Would you like to sleep here, Alex? You also look very tired. We can discuss what to do next tomorrow. Okay? I have a guest room." Alex hesitates for a moment. It's been a long, nerve-wracking day. Nothing more can be accomplished today, and maybe that's okay. Kara seems safe and well-cared for here. And at least this way she can be near Kara. So Alex nods silently and lets Lena show her the guest room.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the new chapter:-)