CHAPTER TWELVE: 'Magic'
SOON, OUTINGS WITH KARA became a regular instance. Every week on Thursday afternoons, Lena would show up at Kara's workplace and the two would go out for lunch. During their lunch dates, Lena would try to open up to Kara without being too vague or too revealing.
Sam and Lena begun training, opting to train during later hours after Sam finished working at least four times a week.
And every fortnight, the three would have dinner at Sam's on Saturday's; since Alex made it abundantly clear that Game Nights were a, 'strict tradition.'
"What the hell is this, Danvers?" Snapper barked, waving a folder with an evident report inside.
Lena heard Snapper from inside the elevator, her hands clutched onto the strap of her bag a little tighter at the man's outburst.
"It's the report you wanted on—"
"I know what it is, and what it isn't." Snapper cut the girl off.
The elevator dinged at the seventeenth floor.
"What it is, is a biased load of trash. What it isn't, is a professional report." He said, tossing it into the trash can nearby.
Lena's heels clicked against the tiled floors, as she made her way to the research department.
Kara averted her gaze to the floor. "Where are your sources?" Snapper demanded, "one mistake, Danvers, one misheard quote or biased tone and we might as well give The Daily Planet all media coverage."
"That's no way to talk to a lady."
Snapper looked up, and Kara spun around so fast she thought she'd topple over.
Kara's lips curled upwards at the sight of Lena Luthor standing in the doorway, green eyes narrowed and fuming. Green eyes that looked lighter than any other day Kara saw them. Lena exerted authority as if she were Cat Grant herself.
"And who are you?" The man asked, tipping his glasses down his nose a bit to take a better look at Lena.
"Lena Luthor." The vampire replied coolly, "not that you care." She stated the obvious.
"I don't." Snapper deadpanned, less than interested in the woman standing before him.
"Good, then after this you'll never have to see me again." Lena said.
"Lena, it's okay." The reporter spoke from behind, but Lena ignored her anyway. No one spoke to Kara like that. Least of all, a judgmental asshat.
Kara stood behind Lena awkwardly, not knowing what to do about the growing tension between her boss and her friend.
The vampire strode up to Snapper, keeping her hypnotic forest green eyes on his."You're going to apologise to Kara, read her drafts and mentor her like you should be. Everytime she makes a mistake, you will be polite and teach her right from wrong. Got it?"
Lena ended her compulsion, as she released her gaze from Snapper's. He slowly walked up to Kara, a solemn expression written over his face.
"Kara, I'm sorry for being such a horrible boss to you." Snapper apologised. Kara's hand flew to her chest at the sudden apology, as if to ask you're talking to me? She was completely shocked by the abrupt change in his behaviour. "From now on, I'll guide you to make sure you be the best reporter there is, in National City."
"Mr Carr, t—that's okay." Kara spluttered, she looked at Lena for guidance, like a child asking their mother's permission to accept candy from a stranger.
Lena shrugged her shoulders in response, "I think you should accept that apology." She said, winking playfully.
Kara let out a nervous laugh, "right. Snapper. Apology. Best reporter." She spoke like a robot, piecing this moment together.
The blonde cleared her throat, "Thank you, Mr Carr. I accept and appreciate your apology." She said with a firm businesslike nod.
Snapper smiled, actually smiled, and clapped his hands together. "Excellent!" He said, before fishing the folder out of the trash. "I'll give you feedback by tomorrow afternoon, if you could please find some appropriate sources this time." He said, before sitting at his desk.
His disdain only grew when he realised Kara was still standing there with a lingering Lena. "Well? I did say tomorrow afternoon." He snapped.
As if broken by a trance, Kara jumped slightly. "Right, sorry." She said awkwardly. "Lena?"
"Hmm?" The raven haired girl hummed.
"We should—"
"Right, got it." Lena mumbled to herself, before following Kara out the door.
"Can you believe that?!" Kara asked, skipping ahead of Lena as they exited the building.
"Well, he definitely isn't one of my favourite people." Lena mumbled.
"How'd you do that?" Kara asked, whipping around to face Lena.
"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice even.
"Snapper never, and I mean never, apologises to anyone." Kara said, her arms swaying back and forth in a 'x' motion.
"Magic." Lena replied, hoping their little banter would cover it up as an excuse.
"You can say that again. One minute he was so… nice. And the next he's back to his usual self."
Compulsion only worked for whatever a vampire wanted a human to do. Lena couldn't change Carr's personality though. If she could, she would. She's a vampire, not a saint.
Kara continued, "but it was nice that he apologised. Something he wouldn't have done if you didn't intervene. Thank you."
"Anytime." Lena smiled at the girl, who adjusted her glasses slightly.
"Are you wearing contacts?" She asked, staring deeply into Lena's eyes, oceanic eyes going back and forth.
Lena shifted a bit, as she averted her gaze to the busy sidewalk ahead. "No, that's my natural eye colour." She half lied.
Kara's brows furrowed, "huh. I could have sworn that they were darker than before."
"Shall we?" Lena asked, gesturing for Kara to lead the way and changing the subject.
Kara smiled as they began walking, "I was thinking we should go to my place? And order pizza?"
Lena's brows shot up, "you do realise this is an hour lunch break, right?" asked she, who was only teasing. She was afraid they may exceed their hour together and jeopardies the girl's job.
Kara's smile dropped, and Lena was quick to stop it from falling any further. "But," she spoke, and Kara perked up. "I think we better get to yours now, if we want to make it in time. Oh, and order now."
Kara's apartment was quite close to the CatCo Worldwide Media building, and Lena's worry about the time evolved to anticipation and excitement. She was going to Kara's apartment for the first time.
Simultaneously on the phone with the nearby pizza parlour, Kara lead the way until they reached her building after a ten minute walk.
"Yep, oh and garlic bread!" Kara said in a rush, "you want garlic bread, right?" She said in a hushed tone, covering the mic and Lena just nodded. She hung up the phone and wiggled her brows once they've arrived at her apartment. "Welcome to mi casa."
The door opened, and Lena took in all that was Kara. It was a drastic contrast between Lena's apartment. There were colours, everywhere as opposed to dull black and white.
A turquoise coloured fridge, a light blue kitchen counter, a warm brown coloured dining table.
Everything was warm and bright and so, so Kara. Her eyes travelled to the shelves of books then, to the shelves of photos.
In them, were mostly photos of Kara and Alex. Arms slung over one another's shoulders, smiling brightly at the camera in their youth.
Another with them dressed for Halloween, Kara pulling a silly face in a Supergirl costume, which made Lena's heart swell.
A group photo of Kara's friends that Lena met at the Alien Bar.
More with two older figures and Alex, Lena assumed were her adoptive parents.
There was a photo. Only a different couple, with a much younger Kara, with no glasses and a front fringe. Next to her were a woman and a man, who Kara shared the same features with. Her parents.
"I was thirteen." Kara spoke up from behind Lena, the vampire almost jumping at the sound of her voice. "When they died. They were always so happy."
Lena gave the blonde a small, sad smile. "I see where you get your happiness from." And Kara chuckled at that. "They're beautiful. Just like their daughter, and they'd be so proud."
Kara let out a shaky sigh, and before Lena could blink, the blonde engulfed her into a tight hug. "Thank you." Kara murmured against Lena's chest.
The vampire stroked blonde locks soothingly. Lena's vampiristic hearing were of use when she heard the pizza man come out of the elevator. "Pizza's here any minute now." Lena said, hoping that food would lighten up the mood and it did.
The doorbell rang, and Kara went to open the door to pay the pizza guy. "Hope you like peri peri." Kara said, holding the box in one hand, a bottle of coke in another and the garlic bread safely tucked underneath her arm.
Lena sighed, "Sometimes I wonder how you stay so fit considering your diet."
"Good genes." Kara shrugged.
They both sat on the couch, talking about their days and planned to go and see Ruby's play together with Sam.
Seven slices of pizza, (on Kara's end, Lena only managed to eat two without feeling guilty) six slices of garlic bread and three coke refills later, the two sat in comfortable silence, as they digested their meal.
The silence grew heavy and the next thing Lena knew she was talking about her family.
"I had a brother." Kara's head snapped up at Lena's confession.
"Lena, you don't have to to tell me anything about your family."
"I want to." She did. She wanted to be more honest to Kara. Lying to her friend just gets harder and harder with each passing day. "His name was Lex."
"Oh Lena, I know he's looking down on you."
Lena let out a short laugh, almost maniacally. "Kara, he's alive. He's just, dead to me."
"Oh." The reporter said, unsure of what to say.
"Is that morbid of me to say?" Lena asked. A part of her felt like it was. After all Lex was her brother. He was good. He was kind.
Kara inhaled slightly to think of what to say. "I think, you have a very good reason to think of him that way. I know you Lena." Lena felt her guilt grow. "You're a good person. And when you're ready, and when the time I right, you'll forgive him. You are not your brother."
Am I? Lena wanted to ask. She's killed before. She's a vampire. She's exactly like her brother.
"I think our hour is almost up." Lena said, "we should head back, don't want Snapper firing you." Lena joked.
They quickly cleaned up their mess, before exiting the apartment.
They strolled the busy streets of National City together.
"Hey, Little Danvers!" A voice was called from across the road and there stood Maggie Sawyer, attired in her NCPD jacket and badge. "Lena, if I remember correctly." Maggie said with her brow arched.
"Hello, Maggie." Lena greeted. "What's happened?" She asked, nudging to the crime scene and Lena can see Kara quickly flipping out her notepad.
"Robbery. Same old, same old." Maggie shrugged. "What's happening here?" The detective asked, eyes flickering between the two.
"Uh— we just got lunch. Heading back to CatCo now." Kara said chuckling nervously, "anyway, Detective Sawyer. Can you give a quote on the valuables stolen?"
Maggie furrowed her brows and looked at the institution behind her, a set of blue and green eyes following her gaze. "Kara, it's a bank." She deadpanned.
"Right." The blonde laughed.
"Lunch, huh?" Maggie asked. "Does your sister know about this?"
Kara's eyes widened. Before Lena could ask why it was a problem, the reporter's hand latched onto her arm to steer her away. "It was nice talking to you Mags! See you tomorrow night." Kara waved, and the detective just shook her head with a smile.
"What was that all about?" Lena asked. "Does your sister not like me?" Of course, she knew Alex didn't like her. They waited on the sidewalk to cross the busy road.
"No, no. She just uh," Kara scratched her head in thinking. The road was clear and they walked.
"Kara."
The girl in question sighed, "I don't know what she has against you, honestly."
Lena nodded, choosing not to pry any further. Just ask the two were halfway crossed the road, an incoming truck swerved uncontrollably. Right. Towards. Kara.