Chapter Text
The joy Kara felt from freeing the people of National City from Myriad’s control was short lived. J’onn was taken into custody at the DEO almost as soon as they arrived by General Samuel Lane. Although it was clear Lucy wanted to protest, she hesitated. Seeing the opportunity, General Lane turned to Lena.
“And what is she doing here?” He pointed at her while also turning away, seeming to ask the room at large. “She’s a civilian and a,”
“A Luthor?” Lena asked coldly. While she had not had been on the receiving end of too many naysayers while in National City, Metropolis was filled with people who hated her just because of her last name.
“Ms. Luthor helped break the city from Myriad’s control. She deserves to be here.” Kara stepped in to defend her fiancée. “What do we know?” Kara directed the question to Lucy.
“Not much,” Lucy turned to the screens as Kara stepped up beside her. Lena hung back, closer to Winn, so she wouldn’t interfere while Kara was in her element. As Lucy and Kara debated a plan of action with the other military and DEO agents around, Lena felt a pressure building in her head.
“Do you suddenly have a headache too?” Winn asked from her side, rubbing the side of his head with one hand. “It’s building.” Winn continued before Lena could answer. One by one everyone in the room began to show signs of a headache, some clenched their jaws, some shut their eyes, and some simply but their head in their hands with a small groan.
“What’s causing this?” Alex asked through clenched teeth.
“It’s Myriad.” Kara said. “I have to face them. Non can stop this signal. We have to do something before this gets worse than just a headache.”
“Supergirl you can’t face both of them, Non and Indigo are too powerful for together. You can’t do it alone.” Alex protested.
“You’re right.” Lena could see Kara’s shoulders sag as she accepted the truth. “But, if J’onn helps me.”
“Absolutely not. We are not releasing a criminal for any reason.” General Lane protested.
“Let him go.” Lucy spoke up.
“Lucy,”
“No, I am in charge here. I am the Director of the DEO, which has custody over J’onn J’onz and I am ordering you to release him.” Lucy stared her father down, nearly daring him to defy her orders. Lena silently applauded the woman for growing a pair and standing up. “Let him go.” Vasquez pulled the cuffs of J’onn as directed. “Set them both up with a live feed.”
Lena waited until just before Kara and J’onn took off to step her to the hero.
“Kara, please be careful.” Lena gripped her arms tightly. Her head was pounding and she knew Kara could see how much pain she, and the others, was in. “Please come back to me.”
“I love you,” Kara pulled Lena close to her, covering the lips below her with a long kiss. Before Lena could reply, or comment on the fact that Kara hadn’t actually answered her, Kara had already swept out of the building with J’onn.
The fight with Non and Indigo, while relatively short, did nothing to ease the pain her Lena’s head. The knowledge that Non could not, not would not but was physically incapable, of stopping the signal placed a heavy weight on each of the viewers, and especially on Kara. Even through the limited view of J’onns body camera, Lena could see Kara’s shoulders sag with the weight of what she had to do. Soon she disappeared from camera only for her voice to come through an ear piece witch Susan handed to Alex.
Lena watched to emotions filter across Alex’s face as she spoke to Kara. With each word, Alex sagged a little more and her eye became just a bit more glossy. Lena found herself moving closer without meaning too.
“I can’t do that Kara.” Alex paused, Lena noticed a single tear roll down her face. “I promise.” Her voice cracked and she pulled the earpiece from herself and held it out for Lena.
“Kara?”
“I don’t have a lot of time Lena. I’m going to fly Fort Rozz out of earth’s atmosphere myself.”
“Kara,” Lena chocked on her words.
“Listen to me, Lena, please. I love you. I love you so much. Being with you in the best thing that has ever happened to me Don’t ever forget that, okay? I need you to promise me something. Promise me that you won’t bury yourself in your work, that you won’t stop living your life. Make room in your heart for someone else.”
“Kara, I can’t.”
“You have too Lena.” Kara’s voice was clouded by the tears Lena knew were there. “I can’t do this if you don’t.”
“Then don’t do it! There had to be another way.” Lena swallowed harshly.
“There isn’t another way. I’m out of time, love.”
“Kara, please don’t.” Lena didn’t want to let go.
“I love you Lena Luthor. I couldn’t wait to be your wife.” The line remained on but there was no one on the other side. Lena cried out for Kara to come back, pleading with her love to stay. Her attention was only switched when they could see Fort Rozz on the screen slowly lift from its groove in the desert.
“No,” Lena whispered, tears running down her face. Beside her, Alex gripped her necklace in one hand, Lena recognized the chain as one that Kara almost never took off, before turning away from the table sharply. Her jaw clenched, she climbed into the pod that Kara had arrived on earth in. Lena could only watch as the pod took off, hoping Alex would get there in time.
Alex and Lena stood on opposite sides of Kara’s bed when she woke up. They each took turns berating her for being so stupid, Alex made sure Kara knew that she wasn’t the only badass in the family, before the elder Danvers stepped out of the room to give the couple some privacy.
“Kara Danvers Zor-El,” Lena started, “if you ever do anything like that again I will kill you myself.” With that, Lena pulled Kara into a deep kiss that left the both of them breathless when they separated. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Kara replied, pulling Lena closer by wrapping her arms around her waist. Instead of leaning in for a kiss, Kara buried her nose in Lena’s hair, taking a deep breath. She felt like she could finally breathe again.
When the couple finally left the medical bay, they were met with cheers and applause, Lucy and J’onn greeting them with hugs as they had done to Alex moments ago. J’onn was reinstated as Director of the DEO, and accepted the position with grace while at the same time offering to share the duty with Lucy, who had done her job admirably for the short time she had had it.
The group separated, making plans to meet up at Kara and Lena’s place later to celebrate a hard-earned victory, a party that would only be broken up by a falling star that turned out to be much more than that.
Later that night, after the man in the pod had been moved the city DEO base, which Kara had been unaware even existed, Kara and Lena laid in bed together. Lena rested her head against Kara’s chest, reassured by the even beating of her lover’s heart.
“I couldn’t have done this without you.” Kara broke the silence that had blanketed them since she crawled into bed.
“Sure you could have.” Lena replied, pressing a kiss to the spot above Kara’s heart.
“Lena,”
“I’m not saying that to patronize myself Kara or anything similar, I know my value in your life. I merely meant that you would have been, and are, a great hero with or without me. Your heart is what makes you a hero Kara, not a cape or a symbol on your chest. You, your heart is what gives people hope.” Lena smiled against Kara’s skin when she felt the blonde hold her closer.
“Whether or not that is true,” Kara shifted until they were eye to eye, “You are the one who gives me hope. You, this little family we’ve created her in National City with Alex, James, Winn, J’onn and Lucy. You are what gives me the strength to do things like carry a ship into space.”
“Please don’t ever do something like that again.” Lena chuckled a bit but her tone was serious.
“I’ll do my best.” Kara kissed her quickly. They settle back into bed, holding one another close.
“Kara?” Lena waited until Kara hummed a response. “I can’t wait to call you my wife either.”