Chapter Text
Lena flew with purpose and intent, while J'onn followed at a respectful distance, even has he quietly relayed coordinates back to the DEO. Ultimately they landed outside a small shack in the desert, where Lena stormed inside and tore open the trap door in the floor to reveal a gleaming subterranean lab.
Notably, there were no active defenses or guards. J'onn figured the lab was likely hidden even from Cadmus' own grunts, kept as a resource so off the books only Lillian herself knew about it.
And sure enough, Lillian was inside. She whirled at their intrusion, caught entirely off guard by their abrupt and noisy arrival. She drew a gun that Lena promptly knocked across the room.
Lena disengaged the exosuit and they stared each other down with matching contempt.
"Dare I ask how you found me?" Lillian said, after a long, tense silence.
"I left a sample of a unique radioactive isotope on the 'L' key of the keyboard in my lab," Lena said. She reached over to a nearby lab station and picked up an ultraviolet light and pointed it at Lillian, illuminating a neon-bright spot on the tip of her right ring finger.
Lillian looked down and flinched before composing herself again. "Well. How disappointing to learn that I'm so predictable," she muttered. She drew herself to her full height and looked down her nose at Lena, a pose Lena had seen literally hundreds of times in her life. "You lied to me," Lillian declared, with an air of mystified disappointment.
"I didn't lie," Lena countered. She was proud of the fact that her voice stayed steady. "I hid the most important part of myself to defeat you. You just fell for it."
"It's her, isn't it? Supergirl?" Lillian asked, tossing the question like a sharp object, meant to wound. "You would betray your family for an alien?"
"I'm only 'family' when it's expedient to you," Lena said, quietly.
Lillian actually looked stricken by that comment before she smoothed the front of her suit. "Well. It would be a shame if your relationship with Supergirl and her startling similarity to a certain junior reporter from CatCo were to become the foremost issue in a trial defense focusing on the protection of humanity, wouldn't it?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer, and instead looked over to J'onn. "Am I to expect the trite declaration that I'm 'under arrest,' then? Any time now."
J'onn held out his hand, indicating trap door to the facility above them, and the flashing red and blue lights beyond that spoke to a massing police presence outside the shack. "If the formality suits you, yes. You're under arrest. Again," he said.
An hour later, Lena and J'onn landed back at the DEO, after escorting Lillian's police transport to a secure facility. Perhaps predictably, all of Kara's friends were already there, assembled and waiting for news.
J'onn morphed back to his usual appearance, and waited while Lena deactivated the exosuit. "Lillian Luther has been taken into Federal custody," he announced. He put a gentle hand on Lena's shoulder, and gave her a kind look, the same expression he'd worn to a representation of her younger self in her mind all those weeks previous. "Welcome back, Lena," he said, in a low rumble. "You did well."
Lena nodded a bit, and held out the nanocontroller for the exosuit as Alex approached, assuming Alex was about to confiscate it. "Is Kara..." she breathed, then hesitated.
Alex ignored the proffered tech and gently tackled Lena with a hug. "She's okay," Alex whispered. She pulled away, and held Lena by her shoulders. "Are you?"
"I'm fine," Lena said, even though her voice trembled. She looked past Alex at Winn and Maggie, who were wandering up with matching grins.
Winn waved at her awkwardly, then noticed he was covered in powdered sugar. "Oh, uh. We got donuts. I saved you one."
Lena exhaled a tiny chuckle. "Thank you."
"And we held your seat at game night, these past few weeks. Hasn't been the same without you," he added.
That, unexpectedly, was what broke Lena. She let out a noise of anguish and slowly crumpled.
Alex caught her under an elbow before she could fall, then held onto her while Lena sobbed into her shoulder.
Winn stood nearby, horrified at whatever he'd said that provoked such a strong reaction, until Maggie biffed him across the shoulder and pulled him in to the collective hug. Eventually, Lena couldn't help but laugh through her tears as she was inelegantly squished by all these people who cared about her. It was perfect. It was family.
They only parted when Kara slowly trudged out from the infirmary, wearing sweats and socks, and looking every bit as haggard as Lena felt.
"Hey, you," Kara whispered. She gently wiped a lingering tear from Lena's cheek.
With the last of her strength, Lena threw herself into Kara's arms.
They held each other up with a little help from their friends, and started to heal.
Kara was back under a sunlamp, fidgeting but comfortable. Lena could see her though the infirmary windows as medical staff flitted around and between them, taking samples and running tests.
"I have to admit I have a million questions about that suit you designed," Eliza said, as she wandered closer, flipping through the files that Alex had printed up for her. "But I'll hold off until you've gotten some rest." She smiled kindly at the dull, dazed expression Lena turned her way.
"Doctor Danvers," Lena blurted, in a stilted kind of greeting, while a few disconnected memories suddenly clicked together in her brain. "Your husband - Cadmus had a file."
"Alex told me as soon as Winn discovered it in the DEO systems," Eliza replied. "There's a team working to decrypt it and figure out where he is." She set aside her notes to give Lena her full attention. "It was a big risk, exfiltrating that data."
Lena shook her head a bit. "I knew it was important. I just didn't know why."
Eliza watched her for a moment, and got the sudden impression of just how young and vulnerable Lena really was. She put a gentle hand on Lena's shoulder. "Thank you," she said, quietly. "Not just for the file, but for everything you did to protect the people we love." She turned to cast a speculative look at Kara across the infirmary. "How about we turn down those sunlamps to an intensity that won't burn a human to a crisp, so you can keep her company?"
She blatantly ignored Lena's bleat of protest and dragged her over to Kara's bedside, then recalibrated the lamps, kissed Kara on the forehead, and promptly disappeared, miraculously taking the DEO medical staff with her.
Kara sat up with only mild apparent discomfort, and smiled at Lena. "Hi," she murmured. "I'm sorry about your mom."
"Your mother rather makes up for her," Lena said dryly. She twisted her fingers together in a nervous motion, stayed a few steps out of easy reach, and steadfastly avoided looking at Kara's heartbroken expression. "I'm... trying to remember how to be, here. With you. In the DEO," she admitted.
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"Logically, I know we've only been apart for a few weeks," Lena explained. "But part of me is still sure that we don't know each other at all. Like you're a stranger. Like you're looking at me and seeing someone I wouldn't even recognize in a mirror."
Kara grimaced a bit at that. "J'onn said it might be difficult to reintegrate your memories," she said, and squinted a bit in confusion. "Something about 'little boxes.'" For a long moment she chewed on her lip, then shook her head. "Look, don't tell Alex, but I could actually use some time to recover after all this. And if I need time, and you need time..." She shrugged. "Maybe we could spend that time together?"
"I'd like that," Lena whispered.
Kara grinned in relieved triumph, and looked around with exaggerated secretive movements. "That means I get to do one of my favorite things. Check myself outta here against medical advice." She waggled her eyebrows at Lena, then shuffled off to tell her sister she was going home, and to chill out.
Thankfully for this particular "Supergirl incident," there weren't a lot of civilian eye witnesses who saw Kara get launched out to sea, and so for once the resulting news cycle was easily managed. J'onn graciously offered to fill in for Kara for a few days so she could get some proper rest.
Lena was hesitant to take time away from work after almost losing everything to Cadmus, so she compromised with half days in the office, with the other half spent on her laptop in Kara's living room.
Neither woman was especially practiced in "taking it easy," but Kara found herself willing to move a lot slower with Lena keeping her company. Lena, on the other hand, still found herself periodically struggling to trust her reality.
In the end it took about a week for Lena to relax, to feel like she was no longer on the precipice of losing everything, again. Kara tried to gently coax Lena into talking a little, when she seemed receptive.
It was late on a Friday, and they were huddled together on the couch watching old black and white movies. The autumn air had turned chilly outside, and it had started to rain. Once the credits started rolling, Lena muted the TV and shivered a bit, then scooted a little closer to Kara, who tried very hard not to ruin the moment by drawing too much attention to it.
But honestly, she couldn't really help herself.
"Hey," Kara said quietly, as she squeezed Lena in a gentle side hug. "Can you tell me what it was like, when you were away?" She sighed when Lena instantly stiffened in her embrace, but pressed on. "You recognized Supergirl," she said. "But you didn't remember Kara Danvers?"
"I don't really know how to explain it," Lena murmured. She let her eyes wander across the loft, and focused on the enormous windows looking out at the city beyond. "It's like there were blank walls, in my mind. I knew there should be art hanging on them, but somehow I couldn't see it. And I knew I couldn't think too much about it, or something terrible would happen." She turned her eyes back to Kara, and they were shining with unshed tears. "You were still there. I just knew I had to protect you by not not seeing you."
Kara drew a single, gentle fingertip across Lena's brow, then tucked a lock of hair behind Lena's ear. "You did protect me," she murmured.
"Well, what good is that if my mother hurts you anyway?" Lena asked, bleak and sad. "Whether that's the end of a cannon, or on the witness stand?"
Kara made a face, unable to argue the validity of that point. "Yeah. I've been talking that over with Alex, while you've been at work," she said. "I think... maybe it's time for Supergirl to go public."
Lena shut her eyes in anguish.
"I never wanted to hide in the first place," Kara continued. "I spent so much time trying to blend in, to be normal. Openly using my powers was so... freeing. Openly living as myself - all of myself? I think that's something I really want. But I know that decision isn't just about me."
Lena shot a sideways look at her. "Is it about me?" she asked.
"You," Kara agreed. "Alex, Eliza, Clark, the DEO..." She sighed. "But mostly you. And I'm worried that you might decide we're not worth the risk."
"Well, can you blame me?" Lena asked, sharply. She extricated herself from the covers and got up from the couch with jerky, abrupt movements. "I already know what it's like to lose you."
"Lena," Kara whispered.
"Except I didn't know it was you. It was just all the beautiful art, in my mind, that suddenly wasn't there. And honestly, I feel rather foolish about that. I forgot happiness was so fragile." She wandered away, and ended up in front of one of those enormous windows, watching the water run in rivulets down the glass. She folded her arms tightly against herself, warding off the evening chill.
Kara got up as well, and stepped closer, but kept a careful distance from Lena. "Happiness might be fragile," she allowed, quietly. "But there are some of the strongest and most capable people on the planet willing to fight to protect your happiness." She sniffled a bit. "And mine."
They stood at an impasse for a long moment, then Kara sighed. "I know you think this is because of what Lillian said," she said.
Lena shot her a glare. "And I'm right."
"No," Kara insisted, shaking her head. "I mean, the timing - yeah, maybe. But this really is something I've wanted. And I've only been brave enough to really consider it because of you. Because I saw the lengths you went to, to fight for me." She stepped a little closer, and ducked her head to chase Lena's gaze. "Lena, I told you - I've never felt safer than when I'm with you. That's still true."
"But hiding the truth protects you," Lena said, abruptly.
"I don't think it does," Kara replied. "I think it just puts other people at risk on my behalf. And I don't think I can live with that anymore." She took a deep, slow breath. "You said you lost me, and you didn't even know it. But I lost you, and I did know it. I saw the complete lack of recognition in your eyes."
Those eyes locked on to hers, and Kara took half a step closer, drawn by the natural pull between them. "Being so scared for you, and not being able to tell you?" Kara mused. "Not being able to hold you? Not being able to tell you how proud I was of you? That all sucked. One out of ten, would not recommend. When stuff goes down, I wanna be with my best friend."
Lena felt the pull just as plainly, and took her own half-step closer. Kara watched her intently, but didn't dare move another muscle.
"Would you need a PR firm?" Lena asked. "To handle the disclosure? I could hire you one."
Kara fought off a smile. She should have guessed that Lena would jump straight to logistics. "I hadn't really thought that far ahead," she admitted. "But I was just going to ask Cat."
Lena snorted. "Isn't she off climbing mountains or cliff diving or something, somewhere?"
"I think maybe she'd come back for this. She likes me," Kara said, before frowning. "But - like I said. This isn't just about me. What about you? What about L-Corp?"
"Oh, I have an entire corporate communications team frothing at the mouth, ready to bombard the press with releases about how 'human' and 'relatable' their CEO is," Lena said, wryly. "I've barely held them off, these past few months. But - you going public is a somewhat different proposition than us going public."
In truth, Kara knew she had deliberately conflated the two events; she mostly imagined revealing her true self at Lena's side.
"Unless that's really what you're asking for," Lena said, after a moment of ominous quiet.
"It's a lot to ask," Kara admitted. "I know that. And it doesn't have to happen all at once. But eventually someone's gonna notice..."
"... that the CEO of L-Corp spends an awful lot of time with a junior reporter from CatCo, who, coincidentally, looks amazing in a cape and boots."
Kara lit up. "You like the boots?"
"You know I like the boots," Lena said. "But your point stands. Supergirl doesn't exist in a vacuum."
"Because I had actually considered switching to boots below the knee. Like Clark's," Kara said. She looked down and bent up one leg to inspect it, as if imagining what different footwear would look like.
Lena sighed in fond exasperation. "Which brings up an excellent point about your cousin," she added.
"Supergirl's cousin," Kara said, waving off that concern, even as she still stood on one foot, looking rather like a flamingo. "Clark Kent doesn't have any documented ties to the Danvers family. He and Jeremiah were really careful about that." She finally set her foot down, and heaved a sigh. "You're right. This is a lot."
"But it's something you really want," Lena observed.
Kara nodded, with tears gathering in her eyes. "And I didn't even know that until I met you," she said. "Connecting with someone as my whole self? I didn't even know me as my whole self until I was me, next to you."
And that made Lena tear up in response. "I know exactly what you mean," she said.
"I love you," Kara whispered.
"I love you," Lena replied, immediately. "And I'm scared," she added, in a small voice.
"Me, too," Kara replied, equally small. She waited, and watched, and saw the instant Lena came to a decision. It was hypnotic, watching the tension roll from her limbs, as Lena suddenly looked every inch the powerful CEO and brilliant engineer who could stand side by side with Supergirl.
Lena stared up at her, defiant and beautiful in the fitful evening light. "I think," she began, "that our lives are inherently somewhat dangerous. Regardless of whether you're wearing glasses or not."
Kara nodded. "Yeah, that's true."
"I think," Lena continued. She took another step toward Kara. "That our chances are better if we team up."
"Definitely true," Kara agreed.
"And I think," Lena said, as her voice hit a low, dangerous register, "that if anyone tries to mess with this family, we'll take them on together." She looked up, into Kara's eyes. "El mayarah."
Kara shuddered, rocked just like the very first time she'd heard Lena say those words. She pulled Lena into a gentle hug, and exhaled.
"Those rabid motherfuckers..."
Maggie blinked, and looked up from her phone to see Alex pacing across the living room, growling at the news broadcast on TV.
"Look how disrespectful those reporters are," Alex said, pointing at the screen. "Lena is just walking out of the courthouse after her deposition like a normal, law-abiding citizen, and they're all up in her face. Kara basically has to hip check that one asshole into next week." She looked over and noticed Maggie smiling at her. "What?"
Maggie shook her head and chuckled. "You've had a hell of a year, Danvers," she observed. "It's been nice, being here with you, you know?"
"It has been a hell of a year," Alex agreed, with a wry look, effectively distracted from her annoyance at the news. "Definitely did not expect to come out, or to nearly be beaten to the punch by my kid sister. Not as surprised that I ended up dating a cop." She squinted and considered the TV again. "Am a bit surprised Kara ended up dating a billionaire named Luthor."
"Hey, be nice. That billionaire is probably your future sister in law," Maggie teased.
Alex stuttered to an abrupt halt. "O-oh yeah? Well, Kara's your future sister in law, so you should probably get used to it."
Maggie waited, amused and serene.
Eventually Alex realized what she'd said, and flushed violently. She groaned and threw herself face first into the sofa next to Maggie.
Maggie scooted a little closer and scritched her back. "You could ask a girl," she said.
"I could ask a girl," Alex muttered, muffled into the sofa cushion. "Instead of just saying all the idiotic things out loud. I'm sorry."
They were quiet for a moment, then Alex lifted her head, daring a quick look at Maggie.
"You should ask a girl," Maggie mused, with a smile.
It was a bright, hot day along the coast of Belize. Kara dropped out of the sky and landed on a private beach, then grinned when she spotted Cat Grant sprawled elegantly across a comfortable chaise, wearing an enormous hat and sunglasses.
Cat scowled at her over her mimosa. "Ugh. How on earth did you find me?"
"I called in some favors," Kara said as she stepped closer. "All the favors, actually. It's good to see you, Ms. Grant."
"Yes, well, do get down to business," Cat said, with a twitch of her fingers. "You're blocking my view."
Kara nodded. "I need your help. I have a story to tell, and you're the only person I trust to break it."
"And which story would that be?" Cat asked. "That Supergirl is part of the LGBTQ community, or that she moonlights as a reporter at CatCo?" She sighed and took off her sunglasses. "Those are two separate news cycles, Keira. Have I taught you nothing?"
Kara rocked on her feet, absolutely flummoxed. "Hang on. You knew... both?"
Cat looked at her, unimpressed, and took a sip of her drink.
"Of course you knew," Kara breathed. "Well, right. As you can imagine, this..."
"... this disclosure will have to be handled deftly, with candor and grace," Cat interrupted, mostly ignoring her. "Otherwise it will backfire and turn the public against you. Which I imagine you'd like to avoid, since you're so unerringly sentimental about all those little friends of yours."
"Which include you," Kara said, in a rush. "And I know it will be delicate. That's why I came to the Queen of All Media."
Cat pointed at Kara. "Don't you butter me up, Supergirl."
"Then consider it a favor. One I'll repay. Help me go public as Supergirl. Then I'll give you an exclusive about my engagement."
The offer was impulsive enough that it actually caught Cat by surprise. She sat back in her seat and set aside her drink. "Lena Luthor actually agreed to marry you?"
"Uh. Wow. You are really well-informed," Kara observed, in a murmur, as she cast her eyes around the remote beach that took three water taxis and a special guide to get to.
"Of course I am," Cat said, irritated. "And don't evade the question. Consider this practice for your big reveal."
"No. No, I haven't actually asked her, yet," Kara admitted, with an awkward shrug. "But, she's the one." She found herself smiling absently, looking off into space. "Wa-pow," she concluded, while making a little punching motion.
Cat rubbed her temples. "Lena Luthor marrying a woman from another planet who unironically says things like 'wa-pow,'" she said. "Whatever will her hateful, regressive, murderous family think?"
"Mm," Kara grumbled. She shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable.
"That wasn't rhetorical, Keira," Cat snapped. "What will they think?"
"Nothing good," Kara replied. "But secrets can be weapons just as much as guns or bombs, so I'm taking one weapon away from them. They can't hurt Lena with it - with me, like that - ever again."
Cat stared at her with narrowed eyes. "You really love this girl."
At that, Kara couldn't restrain the shy, happy grin that broke across her features. "I really do," she replied.
Cat reached for her phone, and opened her calendar. "International broadcast on a Thursday evening," she decided. "Preferably before some large media event, like the Oscars, or a sports... thing. You get natural continuation of the news cycle when people are in front of cameras for other reasons."
"So you'll do it?" Kara asked.
"Next month," Cat continued, ignoring her. "The fifteenth. That will give me time to return to CatCo, see what kind of mess you all have made in my absence, and decide on a recording location." She pursed her lips. "It will be a streaming exclusive. First of its kind. We'll request bids from all the major social media services."
"Could we maybe revisit the part where you already knew about me?"
Cat rolled her eyes. "Glasses," she muttered. "One of the most valuable secrets in the world, hidden behind a pair of glasses."
"And a ponytail," Kara added, idly tugging her hair back to mimic her usual civilian hairstyle.
Cat already wasn't paying attention again, entirely absorbed in planning the media event.
Kara grinned, recognizing her old boss back at work. "Thank you, Ms. Grant."
Cat shooed her away with a dismissive wave.
Kara alighted on the L-Corp balcony a little before 5pm, bearing a single perfect plumeria blossom from her apartment planter. She grinned at Lena through the window, and lifted her eyebrows in silent invitation.
Lena immediately canceled her late evening teleconference, kicked off her heels, and switched to the sandals she'd started keeping under her desk for just such an occasion.
Kara dropped her off at the island beach, then zipped off and quickly returned with two ice cream cones. They ended up sitting on a fallen piece of driftwood, watching the sun sink low in the sky while they ate their treats and talked through Cat's timeline for the interview.
"I feel like I should be freaked out, but I'm not," Kara mused. "I'm actually really relieved. Is that weird?"
"Not weird at all," Lena replied. "I know having a secret identity has always been a burden for you."
"Ugh, seriously," Kara complained. "It literally made my stomach hurt when we first met and I hadn't told you. Of course you already knew, because you're, you know, you."
"Hypercompetence can be a burden of its own," Lena murmured wryly in agreement.
"And I know everyone says they're on board with it, but I'm gonna have to like, triple-check to be sure."
"We all knew what we were getting into," Lena countered. She bumped lightly against Kara's shoulder with her own. "We're with you, Supergirl. All the way."
Kara bumped her back, gently. "Thanks."
When they'd finished their ice cream, they got up and strolled the beach together, side by side.
Kara looked over at Lena, admiring the slant of sunlight across her face, and the peek of the flower over her left ear. She felt a piece of her soul settle, deep inside, after being adrift for so long. She exhaled a tiny noise, and nodded to herself.
"You know, we had a pole star, on Krypton," Kara said, as she stopped walking and cast her eyes back toward the ocean. "It aligned with the planetary rotational axis, so it would stay fixed in the sky while the world turned. We called it Girehn Sul-El - 'the Light of Sul-El,' who was one of my distant ancestors." She paused, aware of Lena's curious eyes watching her. "I was eight when it disappeared, obscured by the atmospheric haze for good."
Lena immediately moved closer, and wrapped an arm around Kara's waist. Kara held her back.
"I got it back when I met you," she continued, in a rough voice. "And I mean that literally. Winn and I were working on the computer models based on data Clark gave me from the Fortress. Solved it right after those drones attacked your helicopter." She managed a smile. "You can see it, from the Antarctic, in winter. I'll take you sometime and introduce you to the penguins."
Lena could scarcely breathe, as if she could feel the same anticipation swooping in Kara's chest. "Can't wait," she whispered.
Kara nodded in agreement. "Being here with you, after coming all this way, all this time? It almost feels fated, you know?"
"It does," Lena agreed.
"But it's better than fate, 'cause I get to wake up every day and choose you. It's not random collision in a chaotic universe. It's you. It's us." She leaned away and gave Lena an earnest look. "And I'd choose you forever."
Lena immediately teared up and took a sharp, shaky breath. "That... sounds suspiciously like a proposal," she said.
"Yeah." Kara ducked her head, suddenly shy. "Or it's just a declaration of boundless, unending love across space, and time, written in the stars. Doesn't actually have to be a thing. I know our lives are complicated, and ceremonies are hard..." She exhaled a nervous chuckle. "Wait until I try to explain Kryptonian life bond rituals. So. Many. Candles."
By then the anticipation had fully caught up with her, and Lena could feel that joyous flutter that she'd always experienced around Kara. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any of the trepidation she expected. That seemed like a good sign.
She reached for Kara's hand, and she squeezed it, then waited patiently for Kara to stop rambling about the time her childhood friend Vila set fire to the drapes in the House of Ascension...
"Yes," Lena said, simply.
"Yes. Wait, yes? Really?"
"Star-crossed or not, I choose you, Kara Zor-El. Forever."
The way Kara's entire bearing transformed was nothing short of magical. She lifted her chin, with a serious, intense expression that was somehow familiar and incredibly alien.
In that moment, before Lena stood the last daughter of the last noble house of Krypton.
Then Kara's shoulders fell.
"Oh, but there's stuff I'm supposed to say," Kara said, with sudden dismay. "About the honor of my house and how you amplify it. How I will seek Rao's light in your eyes, for all of my days. I can't remember the rest of it. Dang it, I wasn't nervous until right this second. Why are you so pretty?"
Lena chuckled, and pulled her in for a kiss. "You can tell me later. I'll be here. Maybe put a bag over my head so I don't distract you."
Kara laughed against her lips, but focused on the important part. "You'll be here. And I'll be here."
"Together," Lena agreed, in a whisper.
It was a promise as solemn as any vow, and Kara returned it before kissing her back.