It was late, the moon already high in the sky, when the sound of a heavy crash came from the balcony, making Lena jump in her chair. She turned around, wide-eyed, but saw nothing, saw no one. Silently, while keeping her eyes focused outside, she fetched her taser gun from inside her purse.
I really should call security, she thought as she walked slowly outside, but what if there was nothing outside? They would think she was crazy. But what if there was? What would she do then?
Lena opened the door carefully and peered outside, the taser falling from her suddenly nerveless fingers to the floor with a loud clatter. On the far end of her balcony was an unmoving messy bundle of red, blue, and blonde.
"Kara..." Kara's name slipped in a fearful whisper and she stood rooted to the floor for what seemed like forever. Was Kara dead? Was she?...
A low moan brought her back to reality and Lena rushed to Kara's side. "Supergirl!"
Lena knelt by her side and slowly turned the superhero towards her, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of her. "Y-you're bleeding..." Lena whispered, her clear eyes wide with worry and fear.
Kara was bleeding from a cut on her forehead. Another, just beneath her left eye, bled profusely, leaving a trail of red down her cheek and neck; her bottom lip was cut and swollen, and everywhere that wasn't covered by her special suit, was covered in cuts and bruises, and scraps.
Kara cracked dazed blue eyes open. "Miss Luthor..."
"I need to call for help! Who do I call? You..."
"Lena," Kara's voice sounded a little stronger this time, but Lena could see the effort it took the superhero just to utter her name. "Help me sit... Please..."
Kara's apparent calmness finally seemed to cut through Lena's almost state of panic. She had never felt this way before, so at loss. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she was in CEO mode - the part of her that just took control and lead, and worried about consequences and feelings later. Much later.
"We need to get you inside first, away from prying eyes."
Before Kara could protest, Lena carefully helped her to a sitting position and then slipped Supergirl's arm around her shoulders. Kara groaned in pain and Lena's heart clenched. Focus, Luthor. "I know it hurts, but I have to get you inside."
"I'm heavy..." Kara let out with a gasp of pain.
Lena braced herself and slowly, steadily, pushed them both up. Kara stared dazedly at her, eyebrows raised, her pain momentarily forgotten.
"I CrossFit." Lena gave the surprised alien a smug, lopsided grin.
"Aren't you full of surprises..." Kara muttered, biting her lip to keep from screaming at the sharp pain in her side - she suspected her ribs were broken -, only to remember her lip, too, was hurt. She gasped involuntarily.
"I aim never to be predictable, Supergirl," Lena said, keeping her tone light as she guided the injured woman inside her office, supporting most of her weight. She was indeed heavier than most women she'd met, but nothing she couldn't handle, even in heels.
Kara wanted to reply that she was anything but predictable, that she surprised her every time they met, but the pain ripping through her body was becoming annoyingly overwhelming. Her suit protected her from most attempts to inflict serious injury but being momentarily powerless meant the body inside was exposed to a kind of damage she couldn't control.
Lena maneuvered the injured superhero onto her couch and helped her lie down as gently as possible. Kara groaned, not hiding the grimace of pain as Lena pulled her legs onto the couch.
The CEO rushed to a nearby closet and removed her 1st aid kit, running back to kneel at the wounded woman's side. "Why aren't you at the DEO?" Lena willed her hands not to shake as she opened the kit. At least her voice sounded normal.
"Not strong enough to fly there..." Kara managed to let out, her eyes firmly shut against the pain. Rao, being powerless really sucked.
She hissed when Lena touched her cheek with the antiseptic, to clean her cut.
"Sorry..." Lena mumbled.
"...and I know I'm safe here, with you."
The hand gently swabbing her cut faltered for a second at the softly spoken words. "Do you, now?"
Kara nodded, her eyes still closed. Rao, it hurt so much.
"How do you know I'm not just tricking you to hand you over to your enemies?" Lena really wanted to know, because hearing Supergirl say that she felt safe with her, a Luthor, was almost as sweet and as surreal as Kara asking for comfort. Almost.
They were one and the same, but at the same time, they were different; Kara all sweet and clumsy, and naive and beautifully uncomplicated, and Supergirl... Supergirl, the strong, self-assured, 'take no bullshit' superhero. They were one and the same, but still, they were different.
Through her pain, Kara found the strength to open her eyes just a trifle and smile at her. Lena needed the reassurance and she would give it to her, how often she may need it. "I know your heart, Lena Luthor... and I heard you lock down your office."
Lena blinked, the hero's sweet, mischievous smile sending a swarm of butterflies into a frenzy in her stomach. She chuckled and lowered her head. "Busted." Lena kept cleaning her wounds. "Should I call agent Danvers? You really should see a doctor." Lena frowned. "Do you have a doctor?"
"Yessss..." her side was throbbing now. "I'll give you her number..."
Lena reached for her phone and dialed the number Kara recited to her.
"Hello?"
"Agent Danvers? Lena Luthor."
Silence from the other side. "What can I do for you, miss Luthor?" Alex's voice was cold and suspicious.
"Supergirl crashed into my balcony and she's injured. She needs medical attention."
Lena heard the relief from the other side, and when Alex spoke again, her voice was softer. "Is she conscious?"
"Just barely."
"Let me talk to her, please."
Lena held the phone close to Kara's ear. "Agent Danvers wants to talk to you," she said softly, gently touching her arm.
"Alex..." Kara let out a pained breath.
"We've been looking all over for you." her voice was etched with worry.
"Sorry... Lena was closer and safer..."
Silence. "How bad is it?"
"Don't know... My ribs... I think they're broken..."
"All right, we'll be there before you know it," Alex said. "Let me talk to Luthor."
"'Kay... she wants to talk to you..." she'd have to talk to Alex about the way she called Lena by her last name. She really didn't like it.
Guessing Alex's next question, Lena pulled back her phone, still stroking the injured woman's arm. "I have my office on lockdown, agent Danvers. She's safe here, don't worry."
"Good. I'll be right there."
The call ended, and Lena returned her full attention to the barely conscious woman, taking in all of her for the first time since she'd found her outside. Kara was thinner, paler, the dark bags under her eyes even more pronounced than the last time she'd seen her, just the week before.
"K-Supergirl," Lena correct herself just in time. "What's going on? Why does it feel like we're under siege?"
She knew she shouldn't be asking this, not right now when the woman was injured and barely conscious, but she wanted Kara to keep talking to her. It made her feel safer, assured that Kara would be all right.
Kara inhaled deeply before she answered, the pain clouding her thoughts. "We think the first wave of attacks was a distraction...."
Lena frowned. "A distraction for what?"
"The opening of a portal by an invading race..."
Lena's eyes widened comically. "A-a portal? B-but..."
"We're trying to figure out a way to close it... Until then, we have to fight off the scouts..."
"You, you mean."
Kara blinked her eyes open and looked at the CEO. "We - I don't work alone, Lena."
"But you're the only one putting your neck out there to keep them away." Lena couldn't resist touching the bruising cheek, her voice softening. "You're the only one bleeding."
Kara opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "It's my duty..." she finally whispered, her head greedily leaning into Lena's touch. This was not good. This was not good at all. She was here as Supergirl not as Kara, but Rao, it felt so good to feel her warmth on her bruised skin, to feel Lena's care for her.
"It scares me that you're like this. You're supposed to be indestructible."
"No one is..." Kara gave her a pained smile. "We all have our weaknesses..."
"Will you tell me why this happened?"
Alex would kill her, but she trusted Lena with her life. And maybe with a little more than that. "I blew up my powers... Not enough time to regenerate them..."
Lena nodded, very much aware that Kara had just admitted one of her biggest weaknesses to a Luthor. "Thank you, for telling me," Lena said softly.
Kara gave her a small smile. She was just too tired and in awful pain. It sucked to be human.
"Is there anything I can get you? Are you cold?"
"No..." she felt queasy. She hadn't felt like that since she was a kid.
"I have pot-stickers."
That prompt a dazed blue orb to open.
"Pot-stickers?" she repeated weakly, her brain instantly on code red at the mention of her favorite food, but her stomach was having other thoughts today.
Lena nodded with a smile.
"Why do you have pot-stickers? You're not that fond of it," Kara asked, knowing Lena wasn't crazy about the treat, never realizing she was letting that knowledge be shown.
Lena blushed and cleared her throat before deciding to tell her the truth. She wanted to see her reaction. She wanted to see the expected, adorable blush. "I-hum... I was hoping Kara Danvers would stop by today and I know she loves them, and she hasn't been taking proper care of herself lately, so..." she didn't tell her she'd been ordering pot-stickers every day since Kara's last visit, hoping to have something around she knew the blonde reporter absolutely loved, to make her feel better, only to have the untouched boxes brought back down to the cafeteria every day, much to her employee's delight.
"Oh..." it was Kara's turn to blush, as predicted. "That's..."
"...silly of me, I know." Lena gave her a self-deprecating smile. "It's not like we had anything scheduled. I haven't even heard from her since last week."
"I was going to say sweet..." Kara mumbled to herself, adjusting a little to relieve the weight from her injured ribs, but any movement hurt like crazy and she gritted her teeth against the pain.
"Don't move so much." Lena gently rubbed her shoulder. "Agent Danvers should be here any moment now."
As if on cue, Jess's voice sounded through the intercom: "Miss Luthor, Agent Danvers is here to see you."
Lena gave her a gentle pat, wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss her, but she refrained herself - barely. This was getting out of hand and she was bound to make a fool of herself if she didn't cut it out! She walked to her desk and dialed a code on her computer to unlock her office. "Show her in, Jess."
Lena squared her shoulders, chin slightly higher, and changed into her CEO persona. She knew Alex Danvers mistrusted her, even though she had saved her life not that long ago. The doors to her office opened and Alex Danvers walked in, followed by several men, two of them carrying a gurney.
The agent went straight to Supergirl's side and knelt by her side. Touching her arm, she lowered her head and spoke to the injured woman in a low voice. When Kara nodded, apparently agreeing with something, Alex finally moved away from her and acknowledged Lena Luthor, leaving the men to tend to the superhero.
"Miss Luthor, we appreciate your help." Alex had made a quick survey with her eyes and noticed all of Kara's visible cuts were cleaned and patched.
"Is she going to be all right?"
There was true concern in her voice, Alex noted, and, despite her rigid stance, Lena's eyes betrayed her anxiety.
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time she has to go through this. She'll be fine soon."
Alex nodded to the men checking on Kara and they started to carefully move the injured woman to the gurney. Kara let out a muffled cry of pain as the movement jarred her side and her head sagged against the man holding her upper body, unconscious.
"Kara..." she whispered. Lena's eyes widened in sudden worry and she started to move towards the now unconscious superhero, only to be stopped by a firm hand on her arm. She turned her head around to face cold, unflinching dark eyes.
"Take her down. I'll be right there," Alex ordered her men, never wavering her gaze from the now grim-looking CEO, her hand still clasped around the woman's forearm.
Alex waited until they were left alone, and Lena quickly released herself from her grip, not usually an easy task because Alex Danvers was strong. Not Kara, strong, but strong nonetheless.
"She told you," Alex accused in clipped tones.
"Told me what, agent Danvers?" Lena walked to her desk and positioned herself behind it, effectively creating a barrier between them.
"Cut the crap, Luthor," Alex's tone of voice was cutting, menacing, but Lena was a Luthor. She was not intimidated by her. Much. "I heard you call her name. She told you."
Lena sighed and sagged against her chair, in a very composed, very CEO way. No way around it now. "She didn't tell me. I figured it out months ago." Lena looked at the DEO agent, a smug smirk on her face. "And you just confirmed it."
Lena watched as the agent's jaw worked tensely, the dark, cold eyes apparently zeroing on some point on her throat. Lena was sure if looks could kill and Alex Danvers didn't have to explain herself to her little sister, she'd be dead right now.
"You really should reconsider her disguise, agent Danvers. Relying on perceptual blindness, glasses and a ponytail to hide her identity is not effective; it's too big a risk. Someone else might actually pay attention."
Alex sighed, some of her coldness ebbing away, and she scratched the back of her neck. "Actually, miss Luthor, you're the first one to figure it out," Alex admitted. She would never admit it to a living soul, but she was impressed Lena was so observant, but then again, so was she. "The very few people that are privy to her true identity were either told or found out accidentally."
It wasn't just her impression when Lena straightened almost imperceptibly.
"Miss Luthor,"
"Lena, please," Lena interrupted her, locking eyes with Alex. "Let me put your mind at ease, agent Danvers. Kara's identity is safe with me. They'll have to torture me out of my mind to even get a chance at knowing what's her favorite food."
Alex watched her for a while, gauging her sincerity, reading the layers of unspoken information that she realized Lena Luthor was purposely letting out in the open, for her. "Why?"
Such a simple question, with such a tricky answer. "Kara's my friend. My only true friend. She always believed in me, always gave me the benefit of doubt when everyone else was rushing to accuse me, and she never, ever asked for anything in return."
It was true, all of it, but it was also the PR, well-rehearsed kind of answer and Alex knew it. So, she merely lifted an eyebrow and waited.
Lena lowered her eyes, knowing Alex was seeing right through her. "I-I care about Kara." she cleared her throat. "A lot."
Alex nodded, her face impassive. "More than a lot, I would risk guessing," Alex said, a smirk on her face.
Lena blushed, but years of having to defend herself in boardrooms full of old sharks usually paid off in times like these, and she managed to keep her composure.
"I will always do everything within my power to keep her safe, I promise you."
"Even it means staying away from her?"
Lena swallowed, but lifted her chin, her decision made. "If necessary, yes."
Alex nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good answer," she said softly. "Thanks for your help."
Lena rose abruptly from her chair, her hands on her desk for support, as Alex walked to the door. "Please, tell me how she's doing."
Alex turned her head to look at her, a flicker of understanding flashing in her eyes and nodded. "I will."
"Agent Danvers," Lena called out just as Alex was about to leave, "perhaps I can be of assistance with the portal." That clearly caught Alex's attention and Lena elaborated, "we've been working on a new technology that could prevent portals and wormholes from opening in our space without our consent."
Alex turned fully to face, her arms crossed. "Did you just figure that out too?"
Lena smiled sadly. "No. Kara told me. I hope she's not in trouble."
Alex just shook her head, her arms falling to her sides. "I'll call you. Soon."
And she left, leaving Lena alone, to stare at her white couch, now stained red, with Supergirl's blood - Kara's blood.
She left herself drop on her chair, her fingers pinching her eyes shut in a failed attempt to stop the tears. She didn't cry often, having long ago learned how to shut down her feelings, her emotions, but lately, it seemed she couldn't control herself around the beautiful blonde. All her feelings seemed to have a mind of their own when she was around Kara and, often, she found herself talking to the woman about her past, her childhood, her fears and hopes, and dreams, and Kara always, always listened. Never judged.
She wanted to be with Kara now, wanted to be there for her when she woke up.
Everyday. For the rest of her life.
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