Soooo...this is a long chapter. Grab a snack, hydrate, and maybe even stretch out. Don't start this a few minutes before you have to run out the door unless you're good with leaving a dangling chapter behind you (Gasp! Who does that?). Maybe it should have been two chapters. When revising and editing, I really wished it had been two chapters, but it felt like one chapter. Okay, enough posing. They're turning a corner here folks. Let's hope there are clearer skies ahead. What could possibly go wrong?
Gasp! She said it!
<><>
Leaning back on the couch in pajamas, Lena flipped through the channels. Kara sat down on the other corner of the couch. Looking at the bowl in the other woman's hand, Lena raised a brow and said, "Really?"
"What?"
"Popcorn? Is that what you were doing while I got changed?"
"I did the dishes too."
With a head shake, Lena said, "We just finished dinner, Kara, and you ate a huge dessert. You can't possibly be hungry still."
"Uh..." Sliding the bowl into the middle of the couch, Kara smiled. "I made enough to share."
"Liar," Lena said with a smile.
Kara winced, withdrawing the bowl.
"Kara, I—"
Shaking her head, Kara ran her fingers through the bowl of popcorn, pulling out a few pieces but dropping them back inside, uneaten.
"Kara, please, that was supposed to be a joke. I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
With a loud exhalation, Kara said, "Is it a good sign if you can make a joke about it?"
Reaching out, Lena said, "Come here."
Lifting her head, Kara held out the popcorn bowl. "Do you want some?"
"No, I'm actually quite full. I want you to come over here. Come on."
"You want me to sit next to you?" Kara asked, her brows furrowed tightly together.
"We always used to sit together and watch TV. You don't have to. Do what you want, but you look like you could use...something. There was a time when after you'd had a long day, being held was that something. Maybe I'm just not that someone anymore."
"No, you are," Kara said putting the popcorn on the table as she moved closer. "You are. I'm just surprised you want to—"
"Come here, Kara."
Sliding under Lena's arm, Kara rested her head on her friend's shoulder and relaxed immediately.
"Is this all right?" Lena asked.
"It is. It's nice."
Lena combed her fingers through blonde hair, feeling her friend relax even further under the touch. "I've missed you, Kara."
"But I'm right here."
"Then I've missed us."
"Me too. Do you still want that...us?"
There was a long pause as Lena seemed to arrange her thoughts. "I do. Kara Danvers isn't who I thought she was, and now I have to get to know this whole new person and see if she's someone I want an 'us' with. Do you understand that?"
"Maybe you'll like Kara Zor-El even better than Kara Danvers."
"Kara," Lena said with a note of disapproval. "I couldn't possibly like anyone more than Kara Danvers. She's my favorite."
"You're my favorite, Lena," Kara replied as she looked up into green eyes. "You think maybe you can like Kara Zor-El just as much?"
With another head scritch, Lena replied, "I hope so. How patient are you willing to be?"
"I'm here until you kick me out."
"Or until someone kills me."
Kara scrunched up her face. "Not on my watch. I am virtually indestructible. I hope I proved to you today I mean to stand between you and any harm that comes your way."
"I think you proved it more than today. You've been throwing yourself between me and harm since the day we met, haven't you?"
Kara snuggled up further into Lena. "You keep making yourself a target. Someone has to defend you. I've volunteered."
"Why?"
"What?" Kara looked up again, locking gazes with Lena.
"Why do you keep working so hard to keep me alive?"
"I protect everyone. I'm Supergirl."
"I know that. This feels personal. It has for a long time. Tell me why."
"I..." Kara swallowed hard. "I can't lose you."
"That's what you said earlier today. You said you lost so much, everything, but you can't lose me. Now tell me what that means."
Licking her lips, Kara said, "Krypton."
Lena blinked once, slowly, then gently combed her fingers through Kara's hair. "That is everything. That's more than anyone else has lost. You have a new family here, though. I'm not diminishing your loss. I'd never do that. I only mean, you have so many people who love you, Kara. In that grand scheme of those friends and family, you don't need—"
"I need you!" Kara grabbed Lena's shoulder as she stared intently. "I know it was selfish, Lena, but you knew me, just Kara. You saw just me. You knew Supergirl too, but she was someone else. You're the only friend I had who only knew me. I was so scared that if you knew who I was, Kara Zor-El, that you wouldn't see me the same anymore."
"Because I was a Luthor? Because you thought I would care that you were an alien? Because—?"
"Because you liked Kara better, better than Supergirl."
"But you are Supergirl." Lena shook her head. "Kara, that makes no sense."
"It does. Just hear me out." Kara relaxed her grip, tracing a random pattern on Lena's arm as she spoke. "Everyone knows both of us. Everyone likes Supergirl better, puts her first. Even Winn, the only person I chose to tell, he's this big superhero groupie. He's my friend, but he loves Supergirl. Do you get it?"
"No."
"Okay, if a bomb were about to go off, and you could only save Kara or Supergirl—"
"You are Supergirl."
Kara sighed. "Work with me on this Lena. Pretend I'm not. There's a bomb. There's Kryptonite, okay? I'm not Supergirl? We good?"
Lena nodded.
"Thank you. Now, you can either save Kara or Supergirl. Who do you save?"
Opening her mouth, Lena took a quick breath, and her eyes widened.
"Oh, you'd save Supergirl? That's okay because—"
"No, Kara." Shaking her head, Lena ran her hand along Kara's cheek. "I'd save you. I'd save Kara. That's not the problem."
"What's wrong?"
Eyes closed, Lena swallowed before she met Kara's gaze again. "I had to make this choice before with Jack, and I saved Supergirl."
"Oh, Rao. Lena, I'm so sorry I asked you this, and I'm sorry about Jack."
"It was the right thing to do. He needed to be stopped." Pushing some of Kara's hair behind the blonde's ear, Lena said, "Jack was my past. You're...You're here now."
"I am." Kara pushed up, so her face was level with Lena's. "Lena I—"
"You should eat your popcorn."
"I'm not hungry...for popcorn."
Lena's laugh was quiet and nervous. "I find that hard to believe, Miss Danvers."
"All right, I'm a little bit hungry for popcorn, but it will wait. We're finally talking. I feel like I've been starving for this conversation. I want to talk about us."
"Us?"
"Us."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Running a thumb along Lena's jaw, Kara said, "Lena, do you want an us?"
"Kara, your friendship is incredibly important to me. I want—"
"I don't want your friendship."
"...what?"
"Oh, Rao." Eyes closed briefly, Kara shook her head. "Of course, I want your friendship. I don't want just your friendship. Lena, do you want to be just my friend?"
"Kara, I..." Lena's eyes flicked away for a moment, and her brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Kara tried to turn in Lena's arms.
Placing a hand on Kara's cheek, Lena said, "Kara, you're important to me. I think maybe people are right, and we've been kidding ourselves. Maybe we've been more than just friends for a while, but I'm hurt."
"I get that. I want to move beyond that. Do you? Can you?"
"I want to. I hope we can."
"If we both want to, I know we..." When Lena's gaze flicked away for a moment again, Kara asked, "Are you trying to distract me?"
"I thought you wanted to talk and be held," Lena said as she ran her hands through, Kara's hair.
"I do but..." Eyes closed, Kara relaxed into the touch until words from the television drifted over to her. Eyes flashing open, she turned and said, "Reign!"
"Kara, no!"
Kara was on her feet, staring at the image on the TV, and Lena wasn't far behind. Reign stood at the edge of a building holding a man upside down by his ankle. The man waved his arms and his other leg around while Reign stood there speaking casually. The news announcer was giving a description of the goings on, but it was fairly clear. Reign was going to drop whomever this was.
Pulling open her shirt, Kara said, "I've got to get there!"
A hand on the symbol on Kara's uniform, Lena said, "Don't go."
"If I don't go, she'll kill him."
"If you do go, she'll kill you."
Kara thought for just a moment, then nodded once. "Maybe, but I have to try. Someone should."
"Why does it have to be you?"
"Lena—"
"Kara, not against her. I know you always want to do the right thing, but she kills the worst kind of people. The world will probably be better off without him in it. It will be a much worse world without you."
The news announcer yelled, "Oh my God!"
"No!" Kara spun and yelled.
On screen, Reign had let go of the man, and he plummeted. Suddenly, a figured swooped by grabbing him on her arc and landing on the roof of the next building. Slowly, Reign took to the air and drifted to the next building to land on the corner and study the cloaked figure in the cowl who stood there over the man lying on the roof.
"Kate," Lena whispered.
"The world wouldn't be better off without her," Kara said.
Hand over her mouth, Lena breathed out the words, "Oh my God."
Kara dropped her glasses and shirt on the coffee table.
Arm wrapped around her torso, Lena begged, "Kara, please don't go. She nearly killed you last time, didn't she?"
Nodding, Kara admitted, "It was bad, yes."
"Then don't go. Just stay here with me."
"I have to go. It's my job, Lena."
"No it's not. You get paid for a job."
Head held high, Kara stared unblinkingly. "You're right. You can quit a job. It's my duty. This is who I am. This is who Kara Zor-El is."
Lena looked up at the ceiling to keep tears from falling. "Are you coming back?"
Stepping close to Lena, Kara placed a hand on either side of Lena's face tilting the other woman's face forward and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I plan on it because I'm still hungry. You know, I really want to finish that...popcorn."
"You idiot. If you get yourself killed, I will make you regret it, Kara Zor-El."
"I believe you," Kara replied as she headed toward the glass slider. "You can't be alone here. Call Alex!"
"She's hurt."
"Yeah but...just call her. She can still protect you, or she'll send Vasquez or Ront over to—"
"Who are Vasquez and Ront? Are they agents with the—?"
"Lena!" Kara stared intently, her hands fisted and tension riding along the surface of her body.
Grabbing her phone from the table, Lena was already in her contacts. "I'm doing it. Just be careful!"
"Yes, dear!" Kara said as she dropped her slacks and was out the balcony exit and off into the sky.
"Alex, it's Lena." She moved over toward the slider which was open to the night sky, seeing the figure quickly fading into the distance and out of sight. "We just saw Reign on television, and Kara has gone off to face her."
"She what!?"
Closing the balcony door, Lena nodded. "I agree. Do something for me, won't you? Get your people down there and do your best to keep her safe. She's incredibly brave, but she's an idiot."
"Supergirl is engaging with Reign downtown! I need a full team in two minutes!" Alex yelled into the background. "Thanks for calling me, Lena. We're on it."
"Thank you, Alex. Call me with an update when you can?"
"Of course. Oh, and just stay at your place. We've got people on you. You'll be safe there, all right?"
"Of course. I'm not your sister. I'm not going to do anything foolhardy."
"Good to hear. Later."
Sitting down on the couch, the phone still clutched in her hand, Lena watched as Kate and Reign exchanged a commentary that couldn't be heard. The body language made it clear. Reign was casual, gesturing at the man behind Batwoman while Kate stood her ground. It was after a third and obviously final head shake on Batwoman's part that Reign gave several nods; then the villain was suddenly mere inches from Batwoman and holding the vigilante in the air by her throat.
With a flick of her wrist, Batwoman tossed something into Reign's face. It was hard to see what even on Lena's colossal television screen. There was just motion, a few small things had been thrown, and then suddenly smoke engulfed Reign's head. She dropped Batwoman, and the vigilante pulled something else out of the utility belt. It looked like bolos. She whipped them around quickly before tossing them to strike Reign. They wrapped around the other woman, and seconds later, electricity arced along the villain's form.
Reign fell to a knee, her back curved cruelly. The news reporter said the villain's pain was obvious. Even as Batwoman backed up, turning and speaking to the man on the ground, Reign snapped the cords that bound her. She shook her head and rose again, striding with determination toward Batwoman.
As Reign pulled back an arm to backhand Batwoman, the vigilante raised both arms in weak protection. The casual slap struck Batwoman's arms, and the redhead went flying not stopping until she collided with the cooling unit on the roof where she stuck, partially buried. She pulled herself free, falling to the ground but pushing upright again. Then Reign was on her, lifting her by one shoulder to dangle her off the ground.
Obviously hurt, Batwoman grabbed something else from her utility belt and tossed it at Reign. Foam quickly expanded covering Reign's face. As the villain dropped Batwoman and began to scoop off the growing mass, Batwoman slipped behind the other woman and stuck something to Reign's back. Seconds later, a high-pitched whine was evident even across the television. Reign bucked and spun, lashing out in all directions and stumbling. There was no mistaking the pain and disorientation of the villain. Before Batwoman could move from the area, an errant had struck her and spun her twice knocking her to the ground. It was several moments before she slowly pushed herself to a standing position again as she backed away.
Finally, Reign fell and managed to slam her body around enough that she broke whatever was making the noise. With a head shake, the villain rose again. She pushed away the final bits of foam that clung to her. One hand reached out in warning at a somewhat shaky Batwoman. The vigilante reaching into a utility belt again, though it was clear which one of them was coming out better in their exchanges. Though each had been dropped a few times, only one of them was injured from the exchanges.
Suddenly, a streak of red and blue appeared on the scene and crashed into Reign. The villain was blindsided and jetted off-screen in a blur of motion. Supergirl landed on the roof, speaking briefly to Batwoman who nodded in response. The hero pointed behind herself toward the man who still cowered on the roof. The duo exchanged a very brief handshake, more of a grip, and then Batwoman ran off to grab the man. One grappling gun use later, Batwoman and the man were gone just as Reign reappeared on the scene.
Supergirl floated into the air to match Reign. The hero in red and blue, her blonde hair flying out behind her in the night's wind, was face-to-face and only feet apart from the villain all in black, her dark hair twisted back and covered. They spoke though no one could hear the discussion. Reign seemed calm if not exactly gentle as she apparently was explaining something. Supergirl, on the other hand, was rigid and unyielding in her response, as ever the virtue of justice. After a few words back and forth, Reign held out a hand and nodded, perhaps with resignation. A split-second later, she'd strike.
There were times the cameras couldn't even pick up motion. The duo would simply be in one place, and then they'd be somewhere else. It wasn't a truth of cameras picking up the motions of Supers. It was the truth of humans understanding the abilities of gods. Somethings were just beyond fathoming. As they'd streaked across the air, across the city top, and the picture shifted further and nearer, from helicopter camera to helicopter, one thing was clear as it had been before; Supergirl was not coming out better in this exchange. Supergirl was fast. Reign was faster. Supergirl was strong. Reign was stronger. Supergirl was kind. Reign was not. There was no unwillingness to go in for the kill in the motions of the villain, and perhaps that more than anything else was the telltale difference.
Her anxiety building, Lena tossed herself off the couch and away from the television. "Fuck!" She grabbed her purse and coat and rushed toward the front door. Hand on the doorknob, Lena stopped just short of turning it. "What are you thinking?" She asked herself before turning and walking back into the kitchen. Lena came back with a large Tupperware bowl with a lid in her hands. She dumped Kara's popcorn into the bowl, snapped the lid on tightly, and then opened the front door and walked out without pausing.
The 9ff GT9-R was a German made car modeled vaguely off the Porsche 911. Unlike the Porsche that was rear-engined, the 9ff was mid-engined. This gave it better weight distribution, and it showed in the handling. A limited edition street-legal car of which only 150 were ever produced, the even rarer production run could reach up to an impressive 257 MPH due to the engine. This twenty car limited run model car could go from 0-62 MPH in 2.9 seconds and 0-190 MPH in 16 seconds with this more powerful engine for those willing and able to spend over $1 million on the vehicle. As Lena sped out of her parking garage and onto the streets of National City heading toward Supergirl, accelerating away at impressive speeds, she was making good use of her purchase.
Clipping her phone into the dash of her vehicle, Lena glanced at the live feed of Supergirl's fight against Reign. As multiple helicopters did their best to keep the fight caught on camera, the aliens buffeted each other viciously. The fight would disappear for a short time before being picked up on another news feed. Luckily, most of the downtown traffic seemed to have been drawn off, either people had pulled over to watch the live stream or had headed down to watch the fight in the sky above because Lena's split attention and breakneck speed only made her trip safe with deserted streets...vaguely safe.
The battle raged back and forth across the skyline for several minutes. There was about a minute or two long pause for some discussion between the two before they struck again, heat vision striking heat vision in a display that looked like an early dawn rising above. No one came out the better in that exchange, and all too soon the titans clashed again, their bodies coming together with fist and feet and the full force of thunderous gods. Mortals below shook from their combined might and from fear.
By the time Lena reached the barricades downtown, Supergirl's resistance had turned futile. The Girl of Steel was lead, her limbs too heavy to move in defense as Reign battered her again and again. A grip on the symbol of the House of El, Reign dangled Supergirl high above the buildings. The villain spoke once more, and Supergirl drooped limp from her enemy's hand, sweet unconscious having finally been granted as protection from the torrential downpour of punishment. With a final shrug, Reign opened her hand and let Supergirl drop like an afterthought but with less care.
Before she could fly away, Reign's head snapped back at a flash of movement halfway down the skyscraper length. Once again, Batwoman appeared and swung through this time catching Supergirl before shooting off another cable from her grappling gun and continuing her arched descent slower toward the street below. After several back-and-forth paths across buildings, the vigilante finally landed with a stumbling thud, rolling to the ground and dropping Supergirl, falling less than gracefully on top of her.
Batwoman pushed slowly to her feet over Supergirl's downed form in the middle of the street. One arm was wrapped around her own center, and she used the back of her other hand to wipe away blood that trickled from her nose. Floating to the ground, Reign touched down effortlessly. She tilted her head to the right, her face still a study in serenity as she blinked once, holding her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply. Opening her eyes, she turned her hands over, palms out to the vigilante, and waited.
Pushing herself to her full height with an audible grunt, Batwoman unwrapped the hand from around her waist and held it palm up, wiggling all the fingers at once again and again in a 'come get me' gesture.
"I told you before. You have chosen the wrong side of this, human. We have the same purpose and fight the same fight. Now step aside," Reign said in an almost offhanded way.
"That won't be happening."
"Move, or I will move you."
"Then you'll move me," Batwoman replied.
Just then, black SUVs pulled up surrounding the duo. Several DEO agents, Alex Danvers with a bad arm strapped to her body at the lead, piled out drawing non-standard weapons on Reign. The non-human didn't even glance in their direction. She rose perhaps two inches off the ground and hovered as she stared at her foe.
"Let me by!" A voice yelled from far in the back near the police barricade.
Head turning slightly, Reign listened to something else, to another discussion going on far behind her even as the DEO agents took position. Several tense moments passed, second after second ticking off, and then the villain took to the air and lifted away.
"Go! Go!" Alex said as she signaled her people and ran past Batwoman, dropping down on a knee next to her sister, "Supergirl, can you hear me?"
"She dropped like a brick," Batwoman said. "She was dead weight."
Alex grimaced. "Thanks for catching her. How are you?"
"I'm fine."
Alex nodded, then looked up at Batwoman who had already begun to step away. "Are you sure because—?"
"Take care of the girl scout," Batwoman said as she shot off her grappling gun and disappeared from sight.
As the ambulance pulled up, Alex ignored the fleeing vigilante and wiped hair and blood from her sister's face. "Just hold on, sweetie. I've got you."
Back behind the police barricade, a panicked Lena Luthor continued to argue with the officers there. Only them physically restraining her kept the young Luthor at bay.
"I need to get by!"
"Lady, that isn't going to happen!" The officer responded. "You can either back up, or I can arrest you. Your choice."
"You don't understand. Supergirl—"
"Doesn't need your help," the officer interjected.
"But I..." Lena's face lifted, and her eyes widened.
As Lena stopped speaking and all the people behind her took several steps back, the police officer turned to see what had gotten everyone's attention. There, floating about ten feet off the ground, was Reign. Gradually, Reign lowered herself until she touched down and walked toward Lena. The two officers present pulled their firearms and held them toward the villain, arms trembling slightly.
Stopping about three feet from Lena, Reign's head tilted left then right. "Do I know you?"
Swallowing hard, Lena mumbled, "God, I hope not."
Reign took one step forward, her presence forcing Lena to retreat. "What's your name?"
"Um..." Lena nodded several times, silent, then said, "It's Lena."
"Lena," Reign said then repeated, "Do I know you?"
"We haven't met," Lena replied with a head shake thrown in for good measure.
"Hmmm. Still..." Reign took two steps bringing her closer to Lena.
"Don't move," one of the cops said as he scurried alongside Reign, his partner paralleling the motion on the villain's other side.
As the cop pulled back the hammer on his pistol, Lena said, "Oh, for fuck's sake, don't shoot her. It could ricochet and hurt someone."
Laying her hand on Lena's shoulder, Reign said, "You're smart. You're smarter than most humans."
Her head barely shifting, Lena turned her eyes so she could peer down at the hand that lay so carefully on her shoulder. The touch was featherlight, a hand cupped over the curve, but it felt unforgiving. There was an immediate sense of power and rigidity that transferred through in even such a casual gesture.
As her heart rate tripped up even further, Lena let out one shuddering breath before she met Reign's gaze again. "That's what they say."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Not...Not really," Lena admitted.
"I'm Reign."
"Oh...Yes, I...Reign."
"Do you know what I do?"
Lena gave one slow nod and replied, "You kill people."
"I cleanse the world. This world is infested, and I'm the cure. I will cleanse this world, and I will reign."
"Ah." Taking a breath to try and steady herself, Lena said, "You've been doing a lot of cleansing, have you?"
"As necessary, yes. Tonight I was interrupted."
When Reign began to turn back toward the scene in the street, Lena impulsively clasped her hand over the villain's that had begun to slip off her shoulder. Reign paused for a moment then turned back to look at Lena again. Though most of the villain was covered save for the neck, a bit around the eyes, mouth, and the ears. Reign's hands were left mostly bare. That left Lena with a warm hand against hers, a hand with skin surprisingly soft but also with moisture coating the back of the knuckles. If Lena had taken a moment to think about what that moisture was, a bit sticky to the touch, panic would have set it. Instead, she forced a smile to her face and squeezed the hand under hers.
"Tonight was necessary?" Lena asked, her voice oddly calm even to her own ears. "Who was that man you were going to...cleanse?"
"He sold poison to children," Reign replied simply, with no attempt to move her hand away. "He is the head of the snake. You cut off a snake's head, the body dies."
"That makes sense. Though I would think cutting off most any part of the snake would—" As she felt Reign tense under her hand, Lena smiled more brightly and changed her wording. "No, no, you're right. Best to cut off the head. I'd have done the same."
Relaxing again, Reign nodded slowly. "Yes, yes, you would have. You understand. Tell me, Lena, do you mourn for those I've cleansed from this world?"
Allowing that thought to actually sink in, Lena replied, "No, I don't."
Pulling her hand from underneath Lena's, Reign placed a palm on either side of the woman's face. "You understand. Too few do, but you understand. There is a place in this world for just people, but first, the cleansing must commence." Gravely, Reign nodded once.
In a mirroring gesture, Lena did her best to nod in return, but the hands on her face restricted the movement.
"Once I have cleansed this world, and I reign above this perfect order, I sense there will be a place for you. First I will need to remove some impediments who have chosen not to...comply with how things must be. It is regrettable because..." Looking behind her, Reign frowned at the empty street where Supergirl had laid. Turning back to Lena she said, "Well, that's a bother. Oh, well, another day for that. We will speak another day?"
Lena shrugged. "If you say so."
With a small inclination of her head, Reign stepped back and lifted into the air, out of sight.
"Holy fuck, that shit was crazy," one of the cops said.
Lena wasn't listening. She was looking at the palm of her hand, the one that had touched Reign and was darkened and wet with blood.
"Lena!"
At a yell of her name, Lena looked up to see Maggie Sawyer striding across the road toward her.
"You stay right there, Lena! We need to talk!"
Snapped out of her daze, Lena turned and ran back toward her car. The ambulance had disappeared down Elm Street, and there were only a few major roads from there. She did some quick calculations on how long it took Alex and the DEO to get there from the time she called them, the direction they'd headed out, and the speed at which they'd likely been able to travel given the roads and traffic conditions. She made some speculations on the area of town in which they were likely held up, started her vehicle, and gunned it past some upset people and in the likeliest direction she thought the DEO, and more importantly Kara, had gone.
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Maggie Sawyer watched tail lights of something silver and Porsche-like, but not a Porsche, up ahead. When catching up to the DEO ambulance, it had been a bit of a surprise to see the sports car there. In retrospect, no it hadn't been. Lena 'I need to make up for every wrong my family has done so I'll throw myself into danger at the drop of a hat' Luthor had been at the scene of the fight and in conversation with someone who could whoop Supergirl's butt. Why would Lena let something like the federal government slow her down, especially when said federal government was between Lena and Kara? Several "Pick up the fucking phone Lena!" left on voicemails later, Maggie was left with no other recourse.
Making another call, Maggie said, "Alex, you've got a tail."
"What the fuck are you talking about? I can't deal with this now, Maggie. Kara's hurt. Who's following us?"
"Lena."
"What!?" A second later, Alex was plastered against the back window of the ambulance looking out at the car behind them. "Fuck! What the hell is she doing!?"
"I saw her at the scene when you guys were sticking Kara in the ambulance. I tried to get to her, but she ran off and got in her car. You know the rest."
"Well, she can't come with us. We're taking Kara to the DEO."
"Yeah, I get that. I've called her a bunch of times, but she's not answering. What do you want me to do?"
"I'm going to call in a roadblock and lock her out."
"She's going to be pissed, babe."
"Then she should have signed the fucking NDA! Meet me at the base."
"Okay, I...Alex? And you hung up."
Maggie followed behind Lena's car for several blocks until she saw the two black SUVs up ahead on either side. What was coming next was fairly obvious. As the ambulance raced through, the SUVs moved together to block any other vehicles from following. Maggie slowed down to a safe distance. However, Lena's car surged forward. It barely squeaked between the bumpers of the two government SUVs as it nearly doubled in speed in seconds. The SUVs kept moving forward, screeching to a halt as the drivers got out and looked at the tail of the silver car racing away.
Breaking at the SUVs, Maggie rolled down her window. "Get out of the way! Move it!" When they did, she accelerated after Lena and the ambulance, though both were now out of her sight.
In the ambulance, Alex held her sister's hand. "You're going to be okay, Kara. Just stay with me." Her phone rang again, and she glared down at it, only answering when she saw Maggie's name. "Hey, you get Luthor in line?"
"No, her car's fucking fast, babe, and she drives like a maniac. She's still behind you I think."
"What!? Fuck!"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Fucking Lena Luthor!"
"Hey, this is exactly what we wanted right? I'd say she cares."
Looking down at her sister, Alex nodded. "Right. Sorry. I'm just...sorry."
"How's Kara?"
"Breathing. She's hurt."
"Right. Sorry. I'm trying to catch up to you."
"Just get here when you—" There was a thud on the ambulance. "What the hell was that?"
"What was what?"
"Hold on," Alex said as she stood up and looked out of the back window again. "Okay, Lena's still behind us. I think we just hit something."
"Everything okay?"
Staring at Lena's car, Alex nodded. "Yeah, I've just got to figure out what to do with my sister's not quite girlfriend. If I hold her at the door, can you take care of her?"
"I guess. It won't be pretty. Are you sure she can't—?"
"Mags, no NDA no entry. J'onn would have my ass."
"Your ass is mine. That's non-negotiable." Maggie paused before continuing. "Okay, keep Lena outside, and I'll deal with her."
"Thanks, I love you."
"I love you too. I love Kara."
"I'll tell her."
"Thanks. See you both soon."
Sitting again and squeezing Kara's hand, Alex said, "Hey, Sis. That was Maggie. She loves you. Guess what? That idiot girl of yours is making an incredible nuisance of herself. She's trying to follow us into the DEO. So, how pissed would you be if I have her arrested by federal agents? Would you be pissed enough to open your eyes and yell at me? If you would, I should let you know I'm seriously considering it. So, you might want to open those baby blues right now and let me have it. Kara, sweetie, please wake up. Please, Kara?" Alex kissed Kara's hand, then wiped tears away from her face before hitting the contacts on her phone again. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you, lazy bones." She spoke into her phone, "This is Agent Danvers. I need added security on the entrance. We've picked up a tail, and I need her held until the security threat can be assessed. Her name is Lena Luthor."
When the ambulance arrived at the entrance to the DEO building, there was a serious security detail in place. Six agents with automatic weapons stood at the entryway. The ambulance had to come to a nearly full stop to slide under the overhang. It caused Lena's vehicle to come to a sudden, full stop just a few feet back. Three of the agents moved to stand between Lena and the ambulance that pulled slowly forward. One moved to the passenger side of the car and two to the driver's side. All six leveled their weapons at Lena.
"Miss Luthor, turn off the vehicle, put the keys on the dash, and place your hands where we can see them," the lead agent ordered.
As the lights from laser pointers bounced off of her, Lena revved the engine and flipped the agent who was speaking to her the bird before gripping the wheel again.
"Fuck," the agent moaned. He grabbed the radio clipped to his shoulder while bracing the weapon against his hip. "This is Agent Kratan. Please be advised that we have an apparent hostile at the entryway who refuses to stand down. Requesting permission to use force as necessary."
The car lurched slightly as Lena clutched and changed gears, then revved the engine again.
A siren sounded, and an unmarked police vehicle pulled up behind Lena's car at an angle. Maggie jumped out. "Don't shoot her! Hold your fire!" She ran between the DEO agents on the driver's side and the car, laser sights bouncing off her back as she knocked on the car window. "Lena, you need to listen to them. These guys will shoot you."
Pressing a button to lower her car window about an inch, Lena replied, "Is..." Looking at agents around her, Lena paused before continuing. "...Supergirl being taken to a medical facility for treatment?"
Maggie nodded. "Of course. She's hurt so—"
Revving the engine again, Lena cut off the cop and said, "Then let them shoot me. They can take me there too."
"Whoa! Whoa!" Maggie yelled as she ran around in front of the car and half-threw herself on the hood as it bucked forward again. "Hey, you do not run me over, bitch! I have a line in the sand for friends. You can hit me with a fist when it's called for but not with a car."
The horn honked sharply as Lena punched it three times, literally punched it as she slammed her fist down rapidly into the center of the steering wheel, and then shouted, "I need to see her!"
Hands still splayed across the hood of the car, Maggie replied, "No can do, Lena. You didn't sign it."
"But I need to...! What!?" Lena blinked tears from her eyes.
"No signature equals no entry. Let me get someone to drive you home. I don't think you should be driving." Maggie pointed to one of the agents, gesturing for the agent to lower a weapon, but a voice drew her attention back to the car.
Her window fully lowered and her head sticking out of the car, Lena asked, "Signature, what signature?"
"On the NDA," Maggie replied. "No one goes in without signing one. Sorry."
Blinking rapidly, Lena said, "Fine."
Relaxing a bit, Maggie tried for a gentle smile. "Thanks, kid. I'm going to have Agent Ront here—"
"I'll sign it."
Maggie's head snapped back to Lena. "What did you say?"
"I said I'll sign it. If you let me see her, I'll do whatever you want." One hand coming to her face, Lena wiped away tears. "Please, Maggie, please let me see her."
"You'll sign the NDA."
"Yes."
"Don't bullshit me, Luthor."
Lena's head shake seemed to set off a small tremor in her body. "I'll do anything you say if you just let me see her."
Maggie softened. "Kid..." Maggie sighed and walked away from the front of the car, holding out a hand to the agent again. "Ront, take care of my car, will you?"
"Detective Sawyer, I can but..." Agent Ront took a step forward, weapon lowered and stance unthreatening. "Ma'am, we have orders."
"Right, from Agent Danvers." Nodding, arm swinging out in a wide arc, Maggie's fist solidly thumped into the agent's well-muscled upper arm. "Hey, you been working out?"
"Uhhh..." Head bowed, Ront blushed and swallowed hard.
With dimpled cheeks, Maggie said, "Ront, you just let me deal with Agent Danvers. I'm going to get Miss Luthor here to sign a stack of papers roughly as thick as the National City phone book. Once that's done, and we have her checked for carpal tunnel, Alex will already know what's going on and have approved everything. I promise you won't get in any hot water, okay?"
"Promise?" Ront stressed the question.
"Hey, have I ever steered you wrong?"
Raised eyebrows were the response.
"When I was sober?" Maggie clarified.
Head tilting to the side, Ront continued to stare.
"And it wasn't funny?" Maggie further clarified.
"Funny for who?"
Arms waving in frustration, Maggie stepped toward the driver's door on Lena's car. "Oh, stop being a fucking bitch-nipple and park my car for me, Ront! Don't scratch the paint, either. Luthor, slide your ass over. I'm driving."
"But...okay." Releasing her seatbelt and putting the car into neutral, Lena pulled back on the parking brake and lifted herself gingerly over controls and into the passenger's seat.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Maggie examined the vehicle briefly. She had to slide the seat forward slightly as Lena had a few inches on her. Pulling the seat belt into place, she depressed the clutch and brake, releasing the handbrake, but did a double take at the dash and stopped, not slipping the car into gear.
"Uh..." Tapping on one of the dials, Maggie asked, "What's this?"
"Hmmm?" Cocooned in her burgundy wool coat, Lena's eyes seemed sunken in as she followed Maggie's finger's motion. "Oh, um...speed. It's the um...the speed gauge," she responded in one of the least put together sentences she'd uttered in front of another person in...perhaps ever.
Instead of commenting on the young Luthor's disheveled emotional state, Maggie tapped the gauge again. "It says 420. Does this car do 420 miles per hour?"
Lena released a tiny, humorless laugh that was just tension slipping out. "That's kilometers per hour."
"Oh. That's better right? It means it goes slower? I only speak American math." Maggie tilted her whole body closer to Lena, ginning a little bit. "I'm an ignorant stereotype."
Lena allowed herself a small smile back. "It goes slower. 420 kilometers per hour is...261 miles per hour," she replied with a pause and touch of concentration in the middle, likely for math.
Throwing the car into first, Maggie whistled as the engine roared and they slid forward. "It doesn't go that fast, does it? I mean, that would be like twice the speed of my police issue vehicle...going downhill."
"Heh...not quite that fast," Lena assured. "The top speed of the 9ff GT9-R is 257 miles per hour."
The car stalled. Lena and Maggie locked gazes.
"Are you all right driving a clutch? I could—"
"I know how to drive clutch! I just..."
"Are you sure because I could—"
"I can drive clutch!" Maggie started the car again, working her jaw back and forth and exercising out some of the tension that she carried but tried not to share.
Behind them, Ront honked. Maggie spun to flash a brief 'you're #1' with her middle finger before facing front again.
"You can just put it in second. With this transmission..." Lena slumped down under the force of Maggie's glare. "Sorry."
With a single nod, Maggie moved them forward again, under the overhang, and into the parking garage.
They went through two security checks, Lena having to fish out her ID even though they referred to her as 'Miss Luthor' by name before seeing it. It seemed being infamous didn't trump bureaucracy. At least that was consistent. As they pulled into a parking spot, Lena staring blindly at the yellow numbers painted on the concrete wall before the headlights were shut off, the young Luthor finally broke the deafening silence.
"Maggie is...? I called but... I don't even know if her phone... Maggie..."
"I spoke to Alex in the ambulance on the ride over here."
Lena's quick inhalation filled the small vehicle as she clutched at her seatbelt like a lifeline.
"She was alive. She was breathing."
"Oh, God I..." Ragged sobs erupted as Lena slid to the side, her head falling onto Maggie's shoulder.
As the tears continued, Maggie curled an arm up and over Lena's head, holding the younger woman close. "I got you, kid. Let it out. Just let it out. I got you."
<><>
It was several minutes later before Lena Luthor, the woman who could face down an entire C-Suite during a hostile takeover, was feeling put together enough to rise on slightly shaky legs and enter the DEO. With her purse on her shoulder, she clutched her coat front in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other. Maggie had raised eyebrows at the container but made no comment. As it and her purse went through x-ray, the guards didn't even raise eyebrows. One signed NDA that was only about half as thick as the phone book later, the duo proceeded into the heart of the government agency.
To say every gaze fell on Lena would not be an overstatement. With a yelp, Winn fell out of his chair. They were most of the way through the main room when J'onn J'onzz stepped in their path.
"J'onn, she signed the NDA, and she only—"
One hand raised to Maggie, J'onn peered intently at Lena.
She raised an eyebrow in response.
Brows furrowing, his intensity increased.
In return, her eyebrow rose higher.
"Hmmm." Rubbing his chin, J'onn took a step back. "Miss Luthor, you have a busy mind."
"Um...thank you?"
He nodded at her and turned toward Maggie. "Supergirl is in Medbay Three under the sunlamps. She hasn't regained consciousness. Her status is still being assessed."
"So we're..." Maggie gestured between herself and Lena several times, then flicked her finger toward the medical area.
"Of course. Miss Luthor doesn't pose a...hmmm. She's signed the NDA."
"Right. Come on, Lena."
As they left, J'onn added, "Miss Luthor, you should try and get more sleep."
Not breaking stride, she muttered, "Doesn't take a mindreader to tell me that." She left even more tension in her departure than her arrival.
Maggie and Lena arrived outside of Medbay Three quickly. They stood in front of a glass window watching medical staff scurry about like ants in a rainstorm. Underneath an array of sunlamps lay Supergirl. Her breathing was regular if perhaps a bit shallow, though it was possible the later was a trick of anxiety fueled minds. Her uniform was torn in places, and blood and rapidly forming bruises speckled her skin which was visibly paler. At her temples, from a finger, and under her uniform on her torso, wires stuck out and counted out the tempo of still marching vitals. From both wrists, tubes went in feeding fluids and nutrients. This piercing of the Super's skin, perhaps more than anything else, spoke to her frailty in this moment.
With a tablet shoved into her sling, Alex Danvers marched the room asking questions and barking out orders.
Outside, Lena looked from her friend's battered form, to her own bloodied hand, shuddered, and squinted her eyes shut.
"Hey, she's going to be okay," Maggie said laying a hand on Lena's shoulder.
"You can't know that."
"No, but I know Kara. That girl's indomitable. She's a force for hope and faith in this world. She has that, and we have to have it in her right now. Can you do that?" When Lena merely bowed her head, Maggie elbowed her and said, "Hey, can you do that?"
Lifting her head, Lena nodded, "Yes, yes, of course."
"Better. You're not hurt, are you?" Maggie ran her thumb along Lena's cheek.
"What? No, why?"
"It looks like there's blood on your face. What happened?"
"Oh, God." Eyes closed for a moment, Lena shook her head. "It's not mine."
"Okay, well whose...? She looks pissed."
Indeed, having caught them standing outside, Alex was staring fury in their direction. Slapping the tablet down on a nearby table, she punched in the code and opened the medbay door before storming out to confront them.
"What the fuck, Mags! You had one job, one job! This is the opposite of that fucking job!"
"Whoa, whoa! Easy, babe. Just let me—"
"Kara is hurt, and J'onn will have my ass in a sling over this! She cannot be in here. I need to call security. What the fuck were you thinking!?"
"She signed the NDA."
Leaning forward, Alex asked, "What did you say?"
Maggie nodded. "She signed the NDA. Every line, every initial, every 'I' crossed and 'T' dotted. She went through the security checkpoints and even got a temp plastic card."
Lena held up her lanyard with her DEO visitors pass to illustrate the point.
"J'onn even spoke with us and passed her through. It's all legit. How's Kara?"
"Oh, I..." Sighing, Alex nodded. "Sorry. Kara's unconscious but still breathing on her own. Her heart rate is steady. Her pupils are reactive to light. We're pushing fluids and nutrients, and we have her under the sunlamps. So far, she doesn't seem to be regenerating, but that takes some time after this sort of injury. At this point, it's just a waiting game."
"Do you have a prognosis?" Maggie asked.
"It's too early to tell, but there's no reason not to expect she'll recover." Her gaze flicked to Lena. "Honestly, it doesn't look as bad as the last time she had a run in with Reign. It's bad, don't get me wrong, just not as bad." Gaze resting on Lena this time, Alex asked, "What happened to you? Where are you hurt?" She reached out, grabbing the other woman by the chin and turning her face back and forth for examination.
Wresting her head away, Lena said, "It's not my blood."
"Whose is it?"
Hesitantly, Lena admitted, "Kara's."
"Kara's! How the hell did you get Kara's blood on you!?" Alex looked over to Maggie for an explanation.
Maggie shrugged and looked back to Lena.
Sighing, Lena replied, "Reign she...when she was talking to me she touched me and..." She held out her palm, dark and blood partially rubbed off from contact with the steering wheel and her coat plus various other surfaces along the way. Still, there was no disguising what was coating her hand.
"Reign spoke to you?" Alex blinked several times, hand coming up to cover her mouth as she looked over at Maggie again.
Maggie nodded. "Yeah, I caught the tail end of that, but I couldn't hear it. It looked kind of...By intimate, I don't mean intimate. It just looked intimate you know?"
Eyes wide, Alex looked back to Lena. "What the fuck did she say to you?"
"Nothing intimate," Lena assured. "She said she's Reign, and she's going to cleanse the world. She said the man she was going to kill was selling poison to children. She called him the head of a snake and said that if you cut the head off a snake, it dies. She asked if I regretted those she killed." She glanced back and forth between Alex and Maggie then admitted, "I told her I didn't. She told me there would be a place in the new world for people like me. She referred to Supergirl as an impediment. When she noticed Kara was gone, she said it was a bother and told me she'd talk to me again. Then she left."
"That's it?" Alex asked.
"There were two police officers there. I'm sure Maggie can track them down and corroborate my story. Honestly, I was terrified. When she showed up, I assumed she was there to kill me. My initial thought was that I was grateful my affairs were in order. When I'd lived beyond the first minute of our conversation, I was totally ad-libbing it from there. Then I realized that if she was talking to me, you had time to get Kara out of there, so I just...spoke to her."
"Wait, let me get this right. You were chit-chatting with Reign while we pulled Supergirl off the scene?" Alex asked.
"I don't know if I'd call it chit-chat, though I am a Luthor. We do discuss world domination with tea and crumpets, so I suppose—" anything else Lena might have said was swallowed up when Alex threw one arm around her and pulled her close. "Right...huggers."
"You are fucking crazy," Alex said.
"It's hereditary."
A laugh that showed hysteria's proximity escaped Alex's lips. She stepped back from Lena. "Why don't we get you cleaned up? Follow me."
Alex led Maggie and Lena into Medbay Three which housed Supergirl. They stayed at the far end, but it didn't disguise the sounds and smells that were no longer insulated by the walls. Alex sat Lena down, grabbing a single glove, which she donned, and a container of cleansing wipes that she shoved into her sling. She angled her stool between herself and Lena's gaze that fell heavily on her sister's limp form. As Maggie disappeared to parts unknown, Alex pulled out the first wipe and began to work on Lena's face.
"So, hope this didn't interrupt any hot plans you had tonight," Alex joked as she smudged blood from Lena's face. When the other woman remained mute, Alex began again. "It was probably just Netflix. Am I right? Netflix will wait for you. So, what were you watching? Anything good?"
"We were talking." When Alex glanced up but continued cleaning without interruption, Lena eventually said, "Kara and I were talking. We were talking about...us."
"Oh, well that's...great. Is it great?"
"I like Kara better than Supergirl. I'd save Kara over Supergirl."
Alex tossed a wipe into the container placed nearby for just such need. "But they're the same person."
Lena's eyes focused on Alex for a moment before wandering out to linger on a spot in the center of the room. "It's a hypothetical."
"Oh, gotcha. So you like Kara. Well, that's good. I happen to know for a fact that she's pretty fond of you too. Turn your head for me." Grabbing a new wipe, Alex asked, "So what sort of 'us' conversation did you two have if you don't mind my asking?"
"I asked her not to leave tonight," Lena said ignoring the question. "Kara said..." Eyes closed, Lena let out a heavy sigh. "She said this was her duty. This was who Kara Zor-El was, but she promised she'd come back to me. She told me to just wait at home for her, but I saw what Reign did to her last time. How do you just wait at home knowing that—?"
"Hey...she's going to wake up, and you two are going home."
"But what if she doesn't?"
Tossing another used wipe into the kidney-shaped container on the tray next to her, Alex pulled out a fresh one. "Put your hand on my knee, palm up." She leaned to the side until she caught Lena's gaze. "She will. This is who Kara Zor-El is. She fights the toughest fights, and she never gives up. Our job, your job, is to never give up on her. Never."
"But—"
"Never."
Trapped under Alex's steely gaze, Lena nodded once.
Jogging into the room in his Guardian outfit, helmet under his arm, James said, "Hey, Winn and I are going to head downtown and make sure things stay in hand. With Supergirl out of commission, we want to make sure no one gets any bright ideas, though Reign's presence usually scares the criminal element undercover for a while. How's Kara doing?"
Wiping Lena's hand, Alex replied, "So far so good. We're still waiting for her sunlight absorption to kick back in so she starts to heal, but she's breathing on her own. She's in good hands. Don't get in too deep out there, and radio us if you need backup."
"Will do. Also, J'onn didn't want to bother you, but I thought you should know. We have a security breach."
Gaze shooting up sharply, Alex asked, "Like a hacker? What did Winn say?"
"Not a hacker. Someone's inside. I offered to stay and assist, but J'onn says they're not hostile, just not authorized. He's being...I don't know, weird. You might want to talk to him."
"Yeah, thanks for the head's up. Once I deal with things in here, I'll look into it."
Walking around James with a water bottle in her hand, Maggie said, "Hey, James."
"Hey, Mags, Lena," he added glancing down.
Eyeing James' costume, helmet pressed against his body by one arm, Lena returned back to staring out at nothing and coolly replied, "Guardian."
James took two stumbling steps back. "Lena! No I...! What!?"
Rapping her knuckles on James' breastplate, Maggie said, "Man, relax. I'm pretty sure she doesn't care."
"I...but." He pointed at Lena. "Is she the security breach?"
"Nope, she's authorized," Maggie replied making a signing motion.
With a resigned sigh, he turned to leave the room hitting his coms on the way. "Winn, why didn't you tell me Lena Luthor was here!? Since when does she have DEO access?"
"Oh, yeah. She really startled me. A Luthor in the DEO. Pretty cool, right?"
"She's my boss!"
"Oh, is that like a problem? She's Kara's boss too." Winn laughed. "Maybe she should have a superhero division at Catco. Too bad I don't work there still."
James's discussion faded to nothing as the door sealed behind him.
"Okay, all cleaned up." Alex added the last blood-stained wipe to the pile that had collected in the basin.
Lena stood, gaze moving back and forth between Kara and the door. Most of the medical staff had evacuated the room. Only one physician remained now, updating Kara's chart and feeding data into a nearby computer. Rhythmic beeps filled the otherwise near silence of the room.
Watching Lena closely, Alex said, "If you can't do this, you should decide now."
Wide eyes stared back at Alex, and Lena licked her lips in a feeble attempt to bring moisture to her mouth. "I feel...I feel..."
Alex blinked, waited, and waited some more. She waited with the patience of someone who had done this far too often to be as young as she was and to have a sister who was even younger. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had likely already discarded the concept of how many shots she'd be drinking tonight and would be hitting the bottle directly. There was something to be said for the efficiency model when passed out blind drunk was your predetermined goal.
Breaking the bubble of silence which had begun to press in on them, Alex asked, "What do you feel?"
"Everything," Lena replied suddenly and with a start, perhaps alarming herself with the answer. She nodded. "I feel everything." Turning, hand on the glass window for balance, she stared at Kara's form under the lamps with wires and tubes sticking out. "She said she lost everything once. I feel...everything."
The first hint of a smile she'd had in hours, Alex squeezed Lena's arm. "Do you want to sit with her?"
Head turning to face the agent at near whiplash-inducing speed, Lena's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, and then she held up a Tupperware container. "I brought her popcorn."
Alex's smile grew. "She likes popcorn."
"She was going to eat it. She said she'd be home for it. I..."
"You want to bring it to her?"
"Please?" Lena asked eagerly.
"Come on. Let's put a chair next to her so you can wait and give her that popcorn when she wakes up. How does that sound?"
"Thank you," Lena whispered.
Once Lena was situated, bowl in lap and taking one of Kara's hands after several false starts, Alex joined Maggie off to the side.
"Wow," Alex said, her back against the broad glass window as she calmed a bit more.
"How are you holding up?" Maggie asked, holding out an open energy bar that Alex waved off.
"I'm going to have a nervous breakdown in about four hours."
Taking a bite of the energy bar, Maggie nodded. "That sounds right on schedule. What about those two?"
Watching Lena's nervous energy and Kara's state well past slumber, Alex smiled again. "That's something, isn't it?"
Maggie hummed in agreement.
"She really talked to Reign so we could get Kara out of there?"
Sipping her water, Maggie shrugged. "She was talking to her. When I got there, Reign had her hands on Lena's face. I drew my weapon before I realized it was a stupid fucking idea. I spent maybe fifteen...twenty seconds trying to come up with some idea better than pissing on Reign's leg, and that was my go-to idea, when she just flew off."
Throwing one arm around Maggie and applying a hug, Alex said, "Well, I'm glad you didn't have to piss Reign off...literally. Usually, I forget how young Lena is. Then I see her in pajamas, holding a bowl of popcorn, and waiting for my sister like a kid at a sleepover, her eyes big as saucers. It makes me feel like I got a window back in time to what she looked like when the Luthors adopted her all those years ago."
"You know, she's almost ten years younger than me."
"Ten years, huh?" Alex relaxed her grip on Maggie so their gazes could meet. "That make you feel bad for calling her the hot chick?"
"Almost," Maggie replied with a quick, double eyebrow lift. She took another sip of her water. "So...SuperCorp."
"I don't have the energy to argue with you about that right now. I need to figure out how we have an intruder, and why J'onn isn't going ballistic about it. Then I want to grab some food that doesn't come in a foil wrapper, a shower, and a few hours sleep that aren't in a chair."
"After we catch the intruder, you want some help with that shower?"
"Babe, I just..." Glancing down at her bad arm, Alex admitted, "Actually, I could probably use the help. Up for doing my hair?"
"Always." Maggie stretched to lay a kiss on Alex's temple as they made their way to the door.
Pausing in the open doorway, Alex looked back and said, "Honestly, I don't care what we call them, so long as they're happy, both of them. They both deserve it."
"Truth."
<><>
"That doesn't look comfortable. Doesn't your back hurt?"
Fingers wound their way through Lena's hair, rubbing gently along the back of her head. The sound of nails lightly touching her scalp joined with that soothing feeling that threatened to lull her back to sleep. The familiar voice was correct, though. There was an ache in her lower back and a nagging feeling that something more important than sleep was calling. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly lifted her head to unexpected surroundings and one very welcome face.
"Hey, sleepy head."
"Kara!" Lena launched herself from the chair in which she'd been asleep, her head and one arm on Kara's torso, and landed half across the other woman. "You're awake!"
Kara laughed, catching Lena with a bit of effort. "Well, now that makes two of us. We're both in the DEO too. That's unusual."
Head pulled back and eyes as wide as saucers, Lena said, "I signed so many papers with so much legal mumbo jumbo in them without reading it, my legal team would have a communal aneurysm if they knew. Don't tell."
"Uh...Cross my heart, hope to—"
Lena grabbed Kara's hand. "Don't."
Pressing a button that raised the lights to a safe height, Kara smiled again. She pushed Lena back as she sat up, a bit wobbly. "I'm all right. Don't worry."
"No you weren't, and yes I will, Kara Danvers...Zor-El...whatever!" Lena scolded, one finger waggling with the impressive force of an entire body's displeasure. "You could have died. You could have died!"
"I didn't."
"You could have died!"
"I heard you the first time." Kara grinned a bit sheepishly. "And the second."
"Don't do it again." Lena poked Kara in the shoulder.
Head tilting forward, Kara asked, "Almost die?"
"Yes!"
Recoiling from the other woman's voice, Kara rubbed at the back of her own neck. "Uh...Did you come all the way to the DEO and sign an NDA just to yell at me?"
"Yes!" Her energy spent, Lena slumped in on herself and shook her head. "No, I..." She looked around in search of something before stooping and reappearing with a container in hand. "Here."
"What is it?" Kara asked pulling the lid off the Tupperware container, as sheer joy painted her face upon seeing the contents. "Popcorn!"
"You left it at home. You said you wanted it so..." Lena shrugged.
"Mmmm," Kara said, her cheeks chipmunk-like as she slid over and patted the side of the bed next to her. A look of concentration crossed her face. "Needs to be heated up."
Hands still next to her on the bed where she'd just landed, Lena offered, "I could find a microwave, I'm certain."
Staring intently at her own palms over the bowl, the air distorted from heat between Kara's eyes and hands. Seconds later, she ran her fingers through the bowl, melting butter and heating popcorn. There was even the evident 'Pop!' of an errant unpopped kernel.
"Hmmm. I loved unpopped kernels. Oh, well." Kara shoveled more popcorn into her mouth and ate quickly.
"Well, that's a...neat trick," Lena commented.
"That's nothing. You should see her with a Thanksgiving turkey," Alex commented as she scooped energy bars and pouches of Gatorade out of her sling and dropped them on the bed next to Kara. "Welcome to the vertical world, Supergirl. How are you feeling?"
"Mmmph...hungry."
"That sounds about right." Alex grabbed the cleansing wipe container from before and handed it to Lena. "She's going to be a buttery mess. Supergirl, your readouts look good. Solar radiation absorption has returned to optimal levels. You need to replace calories and electrolytes. You know the drill."
Kara nodded. "Reign?"
"Gone again. Still no clue where she's going. No known casualties this time."
"Batwoman?"
"Yeah..." Alex sighed. "We need to talk about her."
Both Kara and Lena stilled.
"Alex, what happened to Kate?" Kara's voice hung heavy in the air.
"She's fine, Kara."
"Alex, is she—?"
"Fine, I promise," Alex interrupted Lena. "Her physical condition isn't an issue. I wouldn't lie about that."
"Hey, you're eating!" Maggie said as she approached the bed. "I should take a picture of this rare occasion."
As Kara stuck out her tongue in response, Lena said, "Kara, manners," and held out a cleaning wipe.
Maggie ticked her head to the side, and Alex nodded, moving a few feet away so they could lean close and mutter together quietly.
Taking the now empty popcorn bowl, Lena asked, "How was it?"
Dropping a used wipe in the bowl, Kara said, "I really wanted that popcorn. It was worth waking up for."
"Well, I know you said you'd come home for it, but I thought I'd bring it to you. I wanted you to know you don't always have to come to the popcorn. The popcorn will come to you."
"Oh." Kara made to adjust nonexistent glasses and changed the motion to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Well, that's good to know. I mean, I'm always willing to go to the popcorn, but it would be really nice if maybe the popcorn were willing to meet me halfway."
Lena swallowed hard. "I suspect it might be."
Picking up an energy bar, Kara played with the edge of the wrapper while she smiled before ripping into it. "You know, technically my body needs this to live, but the popcorn...the popcorn feeds a different need, you know?"
As their gazes met, Lena's normally light voice came out a bit throaty. "Oh, I know."
Kara crushed the energy bar in her hand. "Uh...That happens sometimes when my powers are first coming back. That's normal."
As she held out the bowl again, and Kara dropped the remnants of the ruined bar inside, Lena smirked, "I'm sure."
"It is."
"I said I believed you."
"Yeah, but you—"
"Ahem." Holding out a fresh bar to her sister, Alex cautioned, "Use gentle hands, Kara."
"Very funny, Alex."
"Lena, mind if I borrow you for a few minutes? Kara needs to finish eating, and she could probably use a shower."
"Oh, of course. Is anything wrong?" Lena asked as she jumped the foot down from the bed to the floor.
"I'm just hoping you and Maggie together can provide some influence over an issue we're having."
Lena nodded. "Is it technical?"
"Highly." Alex pointed toward the ground, waving her finger around. "Watch where you walk. It's piled high and deep in here now."
Looking back and forth in confusion across the uncluttered floor, Lena asked, "What is?"
Smirking from Lena up to her sister, Alex said, "The innuendo."
Lena's response was an eye roll while Kara had the good grace's to choke.
<><>
Medbay Seven lacked the glass window of Three and had two armed guards stationed outside it. Alex's handprint and security code gave access to Maggie, Lena, and her entering. Inside, a redhead lay back on a bed. Her ribs were wrapped, and she had a few fresh sets of stitches, and many scars from older ones, across her body. Bruises, purple and mottled, stood up angrily across her form. Eyes focused on the newspaper in her hands, she looked for all the world as if she could have been spending a lazy Sunday in bed except for the...everything else. She raised her head, smiling brightly, when the newcomers entered.
"Hey, visitors!" Kate said in way of greeting. "So, the girl scout's up, huh?"
Lifting the chart from the foot of the bed, Alex examined it and asked, "How do you know that?"
Gesturing at Lena, Kate replied, "By the company and general mood. How's your girl doing, Lena?"
"She's hungry," Lena replied as she struggled to keep a smile off her face. She crossed quickly to Kate and applied a gentle hug as she whispered, "Thank you for catching her."
Kate chuckled, breath snagging as she did so, her next words tight. "Don't know as it was necessary, but maybe it saved the city some street repairs. I think she was harder than the building I hit. I'm going to send her my medical bills."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Alex said snapping the chart back into place at the foot of the bed. "You're an idiot, and thank you." She pointed back and forth between Maggie and Lena. "You two take care of this."
As Alex left the room, Lena asked, "Why are we here?"
"Don't worry. I'm up to speed," Maggie assured her. She pulled up a chair. "Kate, sneaking into the DEO...What were you thinking?"
"I only have an HMO?"
"Did you two date because of the sarcasm?" Lena asked, grabbing a chair.
"It was the sex," Maggie and Kate responded together. When the response made Lena freeze mid-motion, they both began to chuckle.
"I was after her money," Kate said with a smirk.
"Right, right, and I needed a reputable front for my night job," Maggie added.
"Hmmm." Pulling her chair up to join the other two women, Lena asked, "So, why are we here? Did Agent Danvers task you two with destroying the remaining vestiges of my sanity? If so, I'll give you fifteen minutes of my time, though I doubt it will take you that long."
"No, but I bet we could do it in ten." Maggie flashed dimples. "Kate here snuck into the DEO last night, and she hasn't signed the NDA. We're supposed to tag team her into doing it."
"Well, if you two are going to tag team me..." Kate grinned, green eyes moving back and forth between the other two women.
"I'm engaged."
"I'm exhausted."
"I'll take those both as maybes."
With a laugh, Maggie said, "You haven't changed."
"Why mess with perfection?" Kate winked at Lena. "Kara's doing okay?"
"Better than you. She was cleaning out an entire row of vending machine food when I left. Why won't you sign the NDA?"
"I need to have it reviewed by legal, and the fuzz hasn't given me my phone call. Your lawyers approved it?"
Leaning back in the chair, Lena admitted, "Not exactly."
"Whoa. You let the government get you by the short hairs?"
"I needed to see Kara, and this was the only way. Quid pro quo."
Kate nodded. "Has your team looked it over yet?"
"No, but I'll have to send it to them and get chewed out over it. I hate getting badgered by legal. It makes me feel like a child, not an accomplished adult with multiple degrees." Running her hand through her hair, Lena added, "These people work for me. How do they make me feel like a gawky ten-year-old back in high school?"
"Uhhh." As she looked at Maggie, Kate's face morphed oddly for a moment, confusion evident, then she turned back to Lena again. "Yeah, lawyers are a particular bunch. I tell you what. Have your folks look over the paperwork you signed and get back to me after they've finished going up one side of you and down the other. Talk to me about any clauses that should be of concern. If your folks can sleep at night with you having signed it, I'll add my John Hancock to one."
"Heheh. You said...John." Maggie giggled.
"You're an immature idiot. I miss you."
"Right back at you. Lena, you think you can make that happen?" Maggie asked.
"I suppose. I would have preferred to have buried the knowledge of this document far away from legal, but I should tell them. I'd hate to have the DEO inherit $5 billion if Janković manages to blow my brains out." When Maggie choked on air, Lena clapped her on the back. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah. The...oxygen went down the wrong pipe."
"I don't think there is a wrong pipe, Mags."
Ignoring Kate's comment, Maggie stood and asked, her, "You need anything else?"
"I was thinking maybe a sponge bath. Send your fiancée back in."
"One boot enema, coming up. Take it easy Kate." Kissing Kate on the cheek, Maggie headed to the exit with Lena in tow. They had to wait to be let out.
"How'd it go?" Alex asked.
"I need to send my NDA to my legal department."
"Lena, it's already signed. Please don't—"
"Honey, Kate just wants one reviewed by a legal team she trusts before she signs off on it. Two birds one stone, you know? Lena isn't trying to back out on this." Maggie looked over at Lena. "You're not trying to back out on this, are you?"
"I don't want to lose access to Kara if she's hurt again. This way you'll let me back in, won't you?"
"Walk with me," Alex said, sliding her good arm around Lena's shoulder. "What do you think about getting Kara out of the city for a little bit? This place isn't exactly safe for either of you right now."
"I'd have to agree, but she isn't exactly one to run from a fight. It's both admirable and entirely annoying."
"Right, but if Janković was sighted in National City, she might be willing to take you someplace safer."
Lena nodded. "If that were to happen, yes. As far as we can tell, he's still hole up in Metropolis."
As they entered the main room of the DEO, Alex pointed to a larger screen. On it was a man with sunglasses, close shaved dirty-blond hair, and a strong jaw with a touch of scruff. He was wearing a hoodie, but the hood was pulled back. Even fully clothed, his musculature was evident. He pulled off the glasses, and his gray eyes glanced back and forth across the camera. He walked passed a familiar looking building.
Lena gasped. "Is that...?
"Janković," Alex finished.
"Is he in front of...?"
"The Catco building? Yes," Alex supplied. "That was as of 7:45 this morning. What time do you usually get to work?"
"Oh, my God."
"So, given this update, I don't think Kara will be unwilling to get you out of the city? How do you feel about getting her further from Reign while we try and find some information to the woman's identity and a weakness?"
Lena stood nodding, watching the man on the screen walk across the street and into a coffee shop she was known to frequent. "Where would we go?"
Squeezing Lena comfortingly, Alex replied, "I've got an idea. Leave that up to me."