Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lena feels like an interloper in this thing, because that is absolutely what she is. But sometimes one doesn’t have a lot of options. She hates this suit, hates what it stood for, but it is what makes it possible for her to maneuver carefully yet quickly through broken concrete, crushed glass, and sparking electrical lines with Kara in her arms. And it’s what made it possible for her to get to Kara in the first place, using the arsenal she had installed after replacing Lex’s preferred weapons to take down Cadmus members and a recalcitrant alien that was trying to finish off the Girl of Steel.

She needs to get outside. Just as she is about to ignore the cautious voice in her head, she hears charges blow and barely gets to the floor, shielding Kara, as an enormous metal girder sweeps the area where they just stood, crashing to the ground beyond them. She is up immediately and in front of Kara, firing on the two forms that were doing their duty, using the sabotaged parts of their building to eliminate intruders. The suit protects her from a few hits before she can take them out.

She turns to pick up the unconscious woman whose pallor is honestly frightening. Mustering what little judgment she can, she carefully picks her way to the shattered entrance and makes her way out into the night. She doesn’t set Kara down, just works the suit sensors in these few seconds to see how much time they have. The readout suggests the equivalent of two broken ribs, three fractured fingers, internal bruising but no perforated organs, a deep laceration in K’s thigh that is still bleeding but not gushing, and possibly a concussion.

Lena knows they need to get clear; the battle inside the Cadmus facility is ongoing and reinforcements could come for either side, though she fears Cadmus has the upper hand this time, making Kara a highly-sought-after target. The superhero won’t be injured further by a short hop to a safer place where she can be stabilized. Lena takes off into the night with her, re-directing energy from the suit to keep Kara warm.

The short journey lands them in an open space in the desert. There are no facilities, but a clear sky, a half moon, and few nearby structural features will let Lena zero in on anyone following them. She released four decoys that took off in diverging directions along the way; the suit’s signature is remarkably hard to get a read on but she can’t be too careful. Best-case scenario, that was a waste of expensive yet replaceable parts; worst-case scenario, she bought them a little time with anyone in pursuit. Either way they need to be out of here quickly, heading to a safer location.

She sets the still unconscious superhero down, lays out a thin, insulating sheet and sets Kara on it, strips out of her suit after turning on its torches, and starts pulling her limited medical supplies out of it. The growing chill has slowed the bleeding from Kara’s leg but that is its only advantage. A closer look shows two slivers of kryptonite imbedded in the wound. Lena concentrates on those first, using forceps to remove them. She wraps them up and moves them behind the currently abandoned suit, turning on its shielding. Then she applies an antibacterial cream along with medical strips to hold the gash together and wraps the wound. There isn’t a lot she can do with the ribs except wrap Kara’s torso to stabilize them. Using the medical knowledge she’s gained over the past several months Lena sets and binds the fingers together, earning a groan from the laid-out form. At least Kara has some connection with consciousness. But after a follow-up whimper, she settles again. A more-detailed scan doesn’t show any troubling swelling or bruising in Kara’s skull, so Lena decides to leave that for now; Kara’s current state of unconsciousness could be from sheer exhaustion.

Needing to get the wounded woman to somewhere with better medical care, Lena suits up again. She picks up the wadded-up kryptonite and hurls it as far as she can across the desert. Kara is again in her arms, and shortly after Lena’s feet leave the ground Kara’s eyelids flutter open and she seems to focus for a second. A soft voice barely reaches Lena’s ears, “You said you hate flying.” As Kara’s eyes close again, Lena barely chokes out. “Yes, I do”. She holds Kara as closely as she can as they hurtle northeast, releasing a few more decoys in their wake.

-----

They arrive at an L Corp property in the mountains and Lena activates the ridiculously extensive security system. The house has a medical room and is close enough to civilization that she can summon a medical professional quickly or, in extreme circumstances, get Kara to a hospital. She doesn’t think that will happen but it’s a needed feature in the second stage of this rescue effort.

She gets Kara inside and onto the semi-reclined hospital bed in the stark white and grey room. She unwraps Kara’s ribs and works her out of certain pieces of her Super-suit and into a hospital gown before stepping out of her own suit, leaving it in a corner of the main room. Lena’s fingertips barely brush over the extensive bruising as she re-wraps the damaged ribs. She covers Kara with a sheet and blanket and then starts to hook up the various pieces of equipment. When she acquired Lex’s suit, she also acquired some more extensive files on Kryptonian physiology and she quickly enters the appropriate numbers into machine settings that will allow correct tracking of the injured woman’s status.

Kara regains consciousness as Lena is attaching sensors, and after a muted exchange of hellos, she tracks Lena’s movements with her eyes; it’s obvious she is struggling to keep them open and the look of strained pain on her face is making Lena’s heart hurt a little. When she’s done, she moves back up to stand by Kara’s head. “You have a couple of cracked ribs, a few broken fingers, a lot of bruising, a deep cut in your thigh, and possibly a concussion given the bruise I found on your temple. And you already know your powers are blown.” Kara nods once, carefully. “The read-outs are telling me that long-term you should be OK. I know you ache all over, but do you have any sharp pain, anything that feels really, really wrong anywhere?”

“No.” Kara tries to shift to look around and winces. “Where are...” Lena smiles as she holds up a hand to stop her. “Not now. Tomorrow. I’ve wrapped your ribs and now I’m going to check your fingers and your leg, and then I’m going to stop poking and prodding you and let you sleep. OK?” Kara would look rebellious if her eyes weren’t trying to roll into the back of her head. “OK.”

Lena feels a bit proud of her medical prowess on the digits. The portable X ray shows they are properly set and the bandaging still looks good. Kara’s thigh concerns her more but there’s no inflammation and the Kryptonian’s healing powers may kick in relatively soon. She applies hospital-grade treatment to it and then moves up to Kara’s shoulder, adjusting the covers. “Stop fighting it now and sleep.”

Kara seems to put all of the little energy she still has into one question, “Where will you be?” Lena can’t stop her hand from moving to cup the other woman’s cheek. “I’ll be on the couch over there for the night.”

Kara is out in less than twenty seconds. Lena moves to dim the lights and wanders back over to smooth a perfectly tidy blanket. She is exhausted but heads to the main room to check in on a secure connection. This house was one of a number that was just upgraded, one of the reasons she chose it.

When she gets through, she asks her team for any information they have on Cadmus or the DEO. She ‘s informed that Cadmus seems to have weathered a DEO attempt to shut down a facility, and chatter is at high levels but under new encryption that is difficult to break. Also, a bit ominously, the DEO channels are quiet. She inquires if communication patterns suggest that Cadmus is searching for anyone. There is a very long pause before the tactical lead states that it doesn’t appear there is a search going on and asks why she is inquiring. She has to come clean with them; this group has been putting together a long-range plan against the Project for months and her impetuous actions have just altered those plans, possibly disastrously. She lets them know she was there, in the suit, but gives no explanation of why and her tone and wording make it clear she’s not taking questions. She can tell the tactical lead’s molars are about to break from clenching his jaw given his voice when he asks how they should proceed. She asks all groups to look at future plans with this new development in mind, politely demands to be alerted to any changes in communications, schedules another check-in at 23:00, and signs off.

She thinks briefly about a shower but then moves back into the medical bay to collapse onto the soft, grey couch, hoping her faith in the security measures holds for the night.

Chapter Text

Lena sleeps for eight hours; Kara sleeps for 16.

The shower feels amazing and Lena pulls on clean technical pants, a henley, and soft, fuzzy socks, setting clothes aside for Kara to use later. She’s been carrying a sidearm from room to room so she finally puts on a holster. As the coffee pot drips away she checks Kara’s room for the third time since awakening. She’s already rolled the hospital bed so it’s at an angle where the Kryptonian is bathed in the sunshine coming through the single, blast-resistant window, which looks out on an alpine meadow. She’d also gently washed the ash and dirt off her face without eliciting any movement from the sleeping woman. All her vital signs are currently steady though there is no indication that her healing abilities are back. She’ll need to ask Kara how long that usually takes when she wakes up.

A foray into the many sides of the internet using proprietary software, hardware, and her own know-how to shield her search reveals little information about the events of last night and she has had no alerts. Lena then checks Lex’s, or maybe it’s her suit, and is happy to find it only needs a few simple repairs while she downloads data from recording and sensor equipment she has modified. She resupplies its arsenal with what is at the house; they’ll be under-powered until this situation is resolved and she can get it to an L Corp facility, but it will have to do.

A stocked pantry and freezer add dried fruit, rolls, and butter to her coffee and she settles on the couch in the medical room to keep an eye on Kara, monitor the security system and communications, and determine next moves. The situation with the DEO needs to be clarified. Until she has that information, long-term plans are on hold and may have to be scrapped. But in the short-term, if Kara doesn’t have her powers back for at least another 24 h, they need to move. What she saw last night, her intuition, and the little the rest of her team knows are all telling her Cadmus came out ahead last night and if that is the case they may not be secure in this location. They need to go further off-grid. She feels she should regret her decision to get involved and all the complications it is bringing, but she can’t. Not with the memory of entering that atrium with walls and ceiling crumbling or blown apart from heat vision, freeze breath, alien weapons, and bodies hitting them, where Kara was bleeding and barely upright with three huge aliens, two immobile and one moving slowly but holding onto a sword laced with kryptonite; she had taken care of that one and then Kara had been collapsing on her.

Lena just needs to adjust her lens and she knows different moves and combinations will present themselves. She spends the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, interspersing her review of data collected from the Cadmus facility with re-configuring her future strategies and looking over Kryptonian physiology, preparing herself to address her most pressing issues.

-----

The processor blades are slowing down from producing a smoothie to go with a very late lunch when she hears Kara’s voice. She grabs water and barely stops herself from running to the room; speedwalking is certainly not running. Lena’s greeted with a small smile and tired blue eyes and she finds herself smiling back.

“Hi. How are you feeling?” She walks over to the bed with the water and adjusts it to a more upright position. Kara winces when she tries to take the water with her good hand, but she is able to do so, taking a small sip and keeping her eyes on the cup in her hands. “Not the best. Achy with really stiff muscles. My leg also stings a little.”

Lena moves to the machines, “Your vitals have been stable since I got you here. You’ve been in the sun most of the day. I was rolling the bed around to track it. But I don’t know much about how your healing process works, both in your current condition and for your current condition.” She stops herself from asking questions and waits to see if Kara will fill in the blanks.

Kara glances up at her and then back to the glass. “You asked me last night about my powers, right?” Lena nods and Kara must see it on her periphery. “So I don’t have to explain that part. In this condition, I still can heal faster than a human but it takes time to get powers back. That can take a few days, especially given the other damage my body sustained.” She looks up again and out the window. “How long have I been here?”

“Less than 20 hours.”

“And the DEO knows where I am?”

Lena keeps her face a mask as she hedges, “No, I haven’t been able to contact them from here. And when I reached the facility last night, I followed the noise that came from the fight between you and the aliens helping Cadmus. There were no DEO agents with you then or when I pulled you out of there. But there’s a place that I’d like to move to later today, where we should be able to communicate with them. Why don’t you eat something to help with building your energy back up, we’ll see how mobile you are, and then we go if we can?” She’s watching Kara’s face closely the entire time and sees hesitation but then it quickly disappear as she answers, “Yeah, I could eat. And then whatever we need to do to get in touch with the DEO.”

Kara wants to move out of the bed and follow Lena into the kitchen, but Lena is adamant that she doesn’t need her to pass out from low blood sugar or whatever the equivalent is for Kryptonian physiology under a yellow sun. Or maybe just from the pain. So Kara sits in bed and drinks electrolyte mixtures and a smoothie and pouts. The pouting doesn’t last very long though given Lena has the house sound system on while she cooks and occasionally she can hear Kara singing along and catch glimpses of the superhero carefully stretching out her limbs and moving her torso to work on the stiffness. Lena thinks wistfully that Kara looks so young in that gown.

Kara’s face lights up when she’s presented with a heaping serving of ravioli and cream sauce with a generous side of garlic bread. Lena feels a small, grateful pang at seeing her so lively, “I figured you could use the calories to build up your strength.” Kara looks up at her with cheeks full and gesticulates with her fork until she swallows. “Always,” is her emphatic reply. Lena can’t control a wide grin as she turns to head back to the kitchen to see if she can find more food.

When the famished woman has recharged, they check on her mobility and flexibility. Lena is getting uneasy; she wants to switch locations tonight and it’s getting late. Kara is moving pretty well given her condition, but now comes the test of her leg. As she slides out of bed, Lena supports her, conscious of the damaged ribs, though Kara’s hand slips a bit and lands on the holster. She steadies herself and slowly shifts away from Lena to see if she can stand. She can, and she can definitely move with Lena’s assistance, but it’s obvious from her coloring that she shouldn’t put weight on the leg for very long. As Lena helps Kara push herself back onto the bed, Kara asks in a quiet voice “How long have you been carrying a gun?” Lena chooses to deflect “About 36 hours”, she answers. Kara lets it go but it’s clear she’s not happy with the answer. Lena grabs loose but warm clothing that she picked out earlier and asks if she needs help dressing. “No”, comes the reply, “but don’t go too far in case I’m wrong.”

The warsuit is packed with a few supplies and the Super’s suit, and Lena finally resolves a debate she’s been having in her head all day. When she comes back, Kara is almost dressed; she needs help with anything involving deep bending from the waist and Lena assists her. She then lays some outerwear next to Kara and proceeds to sit on the couch, looking somewhat unsettled. Kara picks up on it and fumbles for the jacket, mumbling “I know, we need to go.” But Lena stops her with a glance and Kara’s body language shifts with the tension in the air. Lena clears her throat and speaks, “Before we continue here, we need to clear the air about something.” She makes eye contact and holds it. “You know I know, Kara, don’t you?”

Kara’s flinch at her name is subtle and she holds Lena’s gaze for a few seconds, but then her head droops along with her shoulders and she’s blowing out a long breath, one that ends abruptly when her chest tightens up with pain. One hand goes to her ribs and Lena is up to help her when she sees Kara’s defeated look. Lena continues forward and lays a soothing hand on her shoulder as Kara answers “Yeah. It makes sense. I’ve just … I’ve just pretended that wasn’t the way it is, because you let me be Kara. But that wasn’t fair. I’m sorry. Is that why you’ve been distant over the past months? You finally had enough?”

Lena shakes her head, “No, Kara, it isn’t. I haven’t ‘had enough’ of you. You are important to me; you’ll always be important to me. We need to leave now but we’ll talk about this more. Let’s get the rest of these clothes on you so you stay warm, then I’ll get ready and come back in here to get you.”

Outside in the cooling air of the mountains just past sundown, Kara is sitting in Lena’s arms with her red cape wrapped around her for additional warmth. “We’re talking about this later too,” Kara states, tapping on the warsuit’s chest plate and then her fingers move unexpectedly to brush Lena’s cheek, “though I have to say I am enjoying this role reversal.” Lena can feel both the blush and the smile on her face. She is tempted to minimize the moment, to give Kara a playful nudge as if they are simply teasing each other, but then she realizes both that there’s little space on the Girl of Steel’s body that wouldn’t hurt and that Lena actually wants to leave their interaction as it is. So instead she simply arches an eyebrow at Kara before taking off to the east.

-----

They reach their final destination and Lena secures the small, secluded house on a wooded slope in time for her to get Kara out of her outerwear and situated in an adjustable bed before her scheduled check-in (Kara had somehow fallen asleep during the flight over – Lena presumes it must be her natural comfort level with flying through the open air). As she passes through a main room with furniture in a rich brown palette she drops the warsuit that she had partially removed in the bedroom and enters a small, dark office with some of the most advanced communications technology anywhere spread across a black desk. She turns on the lamp, makes sure the door closes behind her, and puts on a headset.

Two of her team, Teo, the cyber lead, and Casey, the risk analyst, are waiting for her contact. After the usual checks, Teo reports that they have identified a couple of transient signals that could be DEO but they can’t isolate them or figure out what is being used for transmission. Hopefully soon. Also, while they are still working on the Cadmus communications they’ve found some of their teams using a version of encryption among themselves that had been cracked previously (yay for Cadmus teams ignoring the memo). Now they know the Cadmus site that was raided has been cleared out, but the DEO appears to have taken the heavier losses. Also, Cadmus is clearly searching for something or someone.

Lena’s reaction to this final news is a mental “Shit” as she runs her fingers through her hair.

Casey probes further into the subject Lena had sidestepped last night, “So they saw you? They know about you and the suit?”

This time, with a search initiated, Lena has to provide the whole story. “I didn’t see anyone alive other than three aliens working with Cadmus - two were at least unconscious and one I took down from behind - along with three Cadmus agents who were eliminated. I destroyed cameras before I got in range or they were non-functional due to structural damage. Feeds were completely disrupted in the facility. I don’t think I was seen. However, I did leave that facility with Supergirl sans powers. That’s probably who they’re looking for, her and whoever she’s with.”

Hopefully she won’t have to get used to these long, awkward pauses laced with tension. This time her team member sounds like Lena’s admission just caused her an excruciating headache. “You went in there after a … friend?”

She feels her spine straighten even though they can’t see her. “I went in there to assist the DEO and I rescued an asset.”

The volume of Casey’s voice increases markedly, “A DEO asset.”

There’s a bite in Lena’s voice as she throws back, “An asset to the planet. And one that, with the DEO, is present and important in our scenarios for undermining and destroying Cadmus.”

Casey’s response is immediate, “Not in all of them. We have contingency plans that address every major loss. And you know, when the options get sparse and the outcomes show a very low probability of taking out Cadmus, those are the scenarios where we have lost either you or the advantage of surprise, not Supergirl or DEO personnel.”

Lena retort is just as quick, “But it’s too early in the game to have her taken out of the picture.”

The other woman does not back down, “It’s also far too early in the game to have your position revealed along with Lex’s accessories that we’ve liberated and this organized opposition you’ve brought together. And yet that’s what you risked.”

And there it is, the decision she has to own and address. She assembled this team carefully, starting almost a year ago, to combat Cadmus and dismantle it completely and quietly while shielding L Corp from involvement and scandal. It was a dangerous undertaking against a heavily armed adversary that played by no rules and worked in the shadows. Secrecy was paramount to success and safety.

She had risked exposing her intentions and thus her highly proficient, loyal team, as well as, potentially, her company, when she intervened in the DEO operation. She knows what Teo and Casey are thinking – why did Lena interfere in a DEO operation and what was Lena doing rescuing Supergirl who is not vital to their future actions.

Lena still does not regret it and she won’t say her decision was a mistake. But she may have weakened the team’s confidence in her commitment to the priorities and plans they developed together, and she must reaffirm their trust in her to do what needs to be done from this point onward.

Casey breaks the brief silence, “Is there something we should know?”

She had made this decision months ago and had been working from it ever since; it was the correct one then and now, meaning last night had to be an anomaly. Though Lena’s mind is racing, her voice has regained her customary steady, professional tone, “No. You’re right. We can’t risk that kind of exposure. So let’s talk about what’s next, what I need to do.”

Teo re-joins the conversation, “We’ve filled you in on what is happening externally, but there’s major news internally. We’re seeing increasing interest in our cyber presence and we’ve re-directed a dozen attempts to infiltrate our systems in the past 24 hours. That’s equal to the number we’ve dealt with in the six months prior. Also, one of our people has been approached by members of what appears to be a quasi-military group. Not Cadmus, but more official and with similar sympathies. She’s not compromised but all of these events are telling us we need to accelerate our timeline. You need to come in and we need to skip ahead to our plan for more covert measures. They may not have seen you, but they suspect something beyond the DEO is working here and they are actively seeking it.”

Her lips thin at the news but her response is concise, “I’ll be there within 48 hours. Keep trying to find the DEO.”

They don’t question the timeline or the request, though they have a legitimate reason to, and she is grateful for that.

She signs off and removes the headset, instead taking a high-tech earpiece with her so they can send her alerts at any time in this location. Her steps take her out onto a wooden balcony looking over pines and juniper under a night sky where the Milky Way’s scattered stars shine brightly. Lena stands there for several minutes, her breathing steady, each exhale clouding the cool air in front of her. This day was always inevitable if they were to succeed, and she is ready for it. Well almost.

She returns to the house, making her way to the room where Kara is still and quiet. She lays her sidearm and holster on the nightstand, slipping out of her shoes and sweater and into the second, smaller bed, even as she berates herself for the fact she won’t pass up this chance to be near Kara; there is after all another bedroom. She lies on her side holding her pillow and listening to her companion’s soft breathing until sleep comes.

Chapter Text

Lena is awakened by sunlight hitting the burgundy sheets from the bedroom window. Her breath stutters when she turns over to find blue eyes looking at her, and though she thinks Kara noticed it, she tries for a nonchalant smile and greeting, “Good morning. Why are you awake already?”

Kara’s answering grin gives the sunshine some serious competition, “Morning. Just enjoying the company and the sun. And thinking. And really wanting a shower.”

Lena rolls herself to a seated position on the side of the bed with a yawn and then scrunches her nose with a playful smirk, “Yeah, I think you need one.”

Kara gives her a look of exaggerated offense, “You are so lucky my pillow-throwing powers are off.”

Lena laughs and reaches over to pat Kara’s hand, “We can arrange a bath. How do things feel this morning?”

Kara catches her hand and moves slowly to mirror her position, with hair and clothes looking as disheveled as Lena feels. She stands under Lena’s watchful gaze, able to bear weight better than yesterday and to walk if she uses the bed for support. Bending looks uncomfortable, letting Lena know that the ribs are still painful.

Even with that Lena is impressed. “You weren’t kidding about quicker healing. Let’s get you to the bathroom.” She pushes herself up, careful not to pull on Kara’s hand still intertwined with hers, and provides support as she leads her out of the bedroom.

The house doesn’t have the same caliber medical facility as their last location but it still has certain amenities that cater to potentially injured or incapacitated residents, including a walk-in whirlpool bathtub with an extendable showerhead. There’s also a cane right around the corner in the entry closet and Lena lets go of Kara’s hand to grab it and give it to her for the twelve steps to the bathroom. She positions herself at Kara’s side again in case she is needed as the injured woman slowly but steadily makes her way.

She pulls a small chair into the navy blue room, leaving Kara so she can gather medical supplies and the clothes she brought with them. When she returns, Kara has been able to wiggle out of the loose red shirt she put on last night but is looking from the tub to herself a bit quizzically. Lena sets the supplies, clothes, and a towel next to them on the side of the tub and gestures that Kara should sit down. Her voice is gentle as she takes Kara’s injured hand, “Let me help you.”

Kara looks up with some shyness in her gaze and nods at Lena. With their hands already touching Lena starts there, sealing the wrapped fingers in a moisture barrier. After that she focuses on unwrapping the ribs while softly humming, providing white noise to distract both of them - for her personally it is not the time to be noticing Kara’s physique. She breaks from the melody as she is finishing, “It will be more confortable for you to have your mid-section uncovered while bathing but let me know if you need the ribs to be supported and we can re-wrap and seal them.”

Kara places her hands over the injured area and presses slightly through a couple of inhales and exhales. “I’ll be OK.”

Lena re-commences the humming as she helps Kara out of dark grey sweatpants and wraps her leg with a moisture barrier as well. She catches Kara’s gaze, “I’ll re-wrap everything when you’re done.”

The superhero’s flexibility and mobility are not quite where they need to be to strip off the tighter underclothes she’s had on since her rescue without causing some unneeded pain. So Lena doesn’t pause in her movements, beginning the task of helping Kara remove them. She grabs the large white towel and lays it over Kara, explaining, “We’ll get you out of the last of your clothes and wrap you in this to get in the tub. When the water gets high enough and is keeping you warm you can put it on the edge for when you’re done.”

They engage in light banter, mostly talking about Supergirl’s most recent pet rescues, keeping it casual as they work the clothes off, finish wrapping the towel around Kara, and get her into the tub. Kara is able to position herself to turn on and adjust the water and deal with the showerhead. “I’ll be OK”, Kara echoes her earlier words as she makes shooing motions towards Lena from the tub. “Especially if there is breakfast when this is done. Please.”

Lena leaves the door open and moves out to the house’s galley kitchen. The freezer yields quiche, bacon, pineapple, and the requisite coffee, which she immediately starts brewing. Lena can hear the water turn off when the tub is full, then on and off as Kara washes her hair. Intermittent splashing is also occurring.

The kitchen is in Kara’s line of sight from the tub and when Lena looks over after heating up their meal, a mug of coffee in hand, she finds Kara with sleeked-back hair looking at her. There’s a furrow in Kara’s brow and when the other woman’s voice reaches Lena, there’s a hint of curiosity in it. “I heard you talking last night.”

Lena’s eyes widen and immediately after so do Kara’s as she rushes to soothe the anxiety she sees, “No, not like that. I woke up for a few minutes and could hear voices but couldn’t make out words. I thought you had made contact with the DEO. But then it sounded more like a difficult conversation with people you know.”

“Yes, it was,” Lena shrugs her shoulders as she speaks. “But recently it seems they’re all difficult conversations.”

“I’m sorry that’s happening.” Kara’s head has tilted to the side and her eyebrows quirk up. Her voice shifts, becomes more plaintive, “I hope that’s not the same for us. Our conversations are usually so easy.” She ducks her head down and her voice is barely audible. “It’s one of the best things about talking to you.”

Lena moves towards her to answer but Kara seems to change her mind about addressing that topic and launches into a different line of inquiry as Lena gets to the doorframe. “So did the people you were talking to set up this network of houses we’re moving among? Is that how you know we’re safe here?”

Lena takes the change in stride. “No, that’s me. My mother, and therefore Cadmus, may know Luthor family and Luthor Corp properties but they don’t know what L Corp or I have bought using shell companies and aliases. A very small group is aware of these locations. All of the residences are top tier in terms of security measures and many, including this one, are off the grid. If we can be safe anywhere, it’s here.”

The look Kara gives Lena is thoughtful, “I hope that later you’ll tell me why you need them.”

She pushes the button to open the drain; the tub is modified for the water to escape quickly and Kara stands momentarily with the help of a bar in the tub, wrapping herself up as Lena glances back to the kitchen to provide her some privacy. Lena then moves over to help her out of the tub and into loose clothing, including a white hoodie, black pants, and warm, blue heather socks. She treats and wraps wounds as they go, checking in on how the other woman feels. The responses confirm Kara is on a rapid road to recovery.

As they’re finishing up, Kara returns to a point in an earlier conversation while lightly rubbing her hands on her fleece-covered legs. “You said you could get in touch with the DEO here. Have you or the people you were talking to last night talked to them? Did you see Alex or anyone else when you were at the Cadmus facility?”

“No and no.” Lena takes a deep breath, bracing herself, and meets Kara’s gaze. “Honestly, Kara, we can’t find them. What we’ve determined is that operation did not go well for the DEO. They may have shut down communications to escape and regroup.”

Kara looks distraught and Lena reaches out to cover one of Kara’s moving hands with her own as Kara’s voice catches a little, “Or the group sent in may not have gotten out. Isn’t that the other possibility? I have brief flashes from us leaving and I remember you stepping over a body. There were casualties.”

Lena maintains eye contact as she answers, “I saw some bodies, one DEO and three Cadmus. I didn’t recognize the DEO agent. I didn’t see anyone come out but I didn’t stay given your condition. I would not count your sister out….. ever.” Lena makes sure to emphasize the last word. Kara’s lips turn up at the ends the smallest amount. “My team, which includes the people I was talking to, is trying to find out what happened. I promise you that. Anything I know, you will know.”

“Maybe you could get something off of my comms? Or do we even have them?”

“Yeah, I saw them on the floor in the atrium and I brought them back. There was a lot of damage but I uploaded any data and specs yesterday for the team to check out. We’ll use anything we discover from them to try and make contact.”

Kara nods but the worry still hangs around her. “Thank you.” Then her forehead crinkles. “You know, I haven’t actually said that yet have I, at least not for dragging me out of that place.”

Lena feels embarrassed by the recognition and brushes it off. “It’s OK, Kara. I wanted to help. Besides, you’ve been unconscious, in transit, or otherwise occupied during our time together so those seem like pretty good excuses.”

She moves away from Kara so she has space to get up. “Now let’s get you fed.”

As they sit down in the small breakfast nook off the kitchen with its picture windows and pale curtains, Lena feels the weight of an entire day where Kara is fully conscious and in investigative mode settle in. She knows the questions are going to continue to come and her prediction turns out to be right as Kara gets back to the reason Lena was able to transport her unconscious self across portions of two states. They have settled into eating as Kara starts. “I haven’t forgotten that we’re supposed to talk about the suit. It’s Lex’s, right?”

Luckily this one isn’t too sensitive of a topic. Lena tells the story with the smell of bacon and eggs and coffee surrounding them, recounting how she had seen the suit at the vault where her mother plus henchmen had dragged her to use her Luthor genetic code. Eventually her interest and her desire to take back some of the playing field from Cadmus had led her back there to look for any possible tools. She had suspected Lex might have reinforced items so they could withstand explosives, and she was not disappointed. Sensors had picked up the imminent Metallo-bomb and had dropped the suit into a subterranean compartment, sealing a blast shield over it. The only reason she had been able to find it was she had found a functional lock for the facility among the rubble and her DNA was, luckily, still a valid key to access those now-underground containers.

Lena concludes, “I haven’t used it much but I’ve certainly stretched my engineering muscles working on it. I know it has a terrible history but I’ve re-configured it so it’s more of a defensive model for many situations than an offensive one for the purpose of battling Kryptonians. And I feel better with it in my hands rather than in my mother’s. As a bonus, it has occasionally been handy for keeping an eye out for Cadmus activities.”

Kara has asked a few questions throughout the story but seems surprisingly content to take Lena’s explanation at face value, at least for now.

With their meal completed and cleared, Lena heads to the shower in the smaller bath, leaving Kara carefully working her muscles while sitting in a tan recliner in the main room.

Just as Lena is about to step under the water there’s a knock and Kara’s voice carries through the door, “I’m going outside to soak in the sun.”

“OK,” Lena says, raising her voice to be heard. “There’s a small, rectangular receiver by the computer in the office – the door in the corner across the main room from you. Take it with you. There are sensors all around the outskirts of this property. If any are triggered, it will alert you.”

“Got it”, comes the reply.

Lena showers quickly, dresses in a black shirt, jeans, and boots with her sidearm, and heads outside. She finds Kara surrounded by multi-colored pillows, a small burnt orange blanket, and sunlight, asleep in a green Adirondack chair by the house where the pinon and juniper have been cleared back. The receiver is in her lap. At least she has the receiver’s volume turned up. Lena carefully re-arranges the woman and her sleep aids into a more comfortable configuration and adds a small trifold stool with a pillow for a footrest, noticing Kara’s feet are still covered only by her socks.

She thanks whatever spiritual being might be listening that has granted her a temporary reprieve from Kara’s inquisitiveness.

She gets her suit and does a quick sweep of the area. Finding nothing of note, she heads back into the office where she keeps an eye on Kara through the window. She can use the time to launch some critical movements at L Corp and leave Kara to the Kryptonian version of a fill-up.

-----

In a case of good timing, Lena is taking pizzas out of the oven just before she sees Kara start to stir. She goes to help the other woman inside so they can fuel that metabolism further, getting her settled on the soft, dark brown couch to help lessen any discomfort from the hours of immobility. Kara is stiff but is moving more easily than this morning, which indicates she continues to heal along her own predicted timeline.

That observation engenders both relief and unease in Lena.

After consuming an impressive quantity of slices for not being at full power, it seems Kara may be having similar feelings. While eating she and Lena were on opposite ends of the couch with Kara’s legs stretched out and feet touching Lena as they chatted about their surroundings, including the bristlecone pines found in this Great Basin system with their thousand-year lifespans and all the history they were present for. But now, in the pause after the conversation ends, Kara’s facial expression shifts to a more focused look, and Lena can sense the change in tone that is coming.

She’s not surprised when Kara ends the lull by directly attacking the elephant in the room, even if her first words come out tentatively, “You’ve been fairly unresponsive for months and I wondered what had happened. At first I thought it was because of me. I wasn’t the best version of myself earlier, though you were sheltered from a lot of it, except for that ugly sequence of events with the invasion. After that got resolved, things seemed to change between us.”

Kara pauses and then continues, her voice stronger, “But now I’m seeing the edges of something else that’s been going on – a mysterious team, safe houses, the comms and the gun you wear so easily, Lex’s warsuit! How you knew about a DEO operation. Maybe you can’t let me in, and I know that’s a possibility. But if you can, I’d appreciate it if you would help me understand.”

A part of Lena wants to tell her everything, to partner with Kara on this endeavor, but that isn’t an option. She’s doing this to free the world, her company, and herself from Cadmus so every one of those things can move on and have a better chance to flourish, and she believes in the path she’s chosen to accomplish that. And though she’s only admitted this to herself so far, she’s also trying to protect Kara, someone who doesn’t accept protection easily.

She sets her filter for this conversation to a presumably appropriate level, laying a hand on Kara’s lower leg next to her on the couch and locking eyes with her. “I’m doing my part to neutralize Cadmus, a goal that has become my highest priority. Their presence is a constant threat to the country and to my company. My and Luthor Corp’s connections to Cadmus, how those connections are perceived no matter how distant they may be from our current reality, those make L Corp vulnerable. So for a little less than a year I’ve been gathering things –people, equipment, supplies, intelligence, resources – and we’ve been deciding where strikes and counterstrikes could fall effectively when we are finally ready. Within the last five months – especially after the invasion and my mother taking credit for halting it – Cadmus has only grown more complicated and dangerous, so our efforts have been ratcheted up and I’ve been drawn further in.”

Kara is staring at her with confusion, and she can feel how different Kara’s perspective is before the question comes, “So you’ve done this without looping in others who are fighting the same fight?”

Lena feels the frustration rise in her immediately at what she sees as a simplification of the situation, knowing Kara sees it instead as a legitimate concern rising from the hope and belief she puts in people, particularly in people working together.

Lena tries to temper her words and feelings to keep her tone even, “I’d ask first, is the fight the same? The desired outcome, the dismantling of Cadmus, may be the same for my group and the DEO, but the methods and damage to be both inflicted and endured are different. My company is a priority to me and to the team I’ve assembled. It isn’t to the DEO. So the methods we use will protect L Corp while the DEO would let L Corp burn to the ground, figuratively and possibly even literally, if it meant they eliminated Cadmus. We’re not trying to do what the DEO does – we have no plans to engage Cadmus in firefights, for example. We’re bringing a different approach and skills to help end Cadmus while doing what we can to make sure L Corp is viable at the end.”

Kara looks like she is about to protest that depiction of the DEO but Lena continues before she can, “And really, why would I share my plans with the DEO? So we can what? Partner? Beyond the efforts I’ve made to protect National City, I’ve been asked directly by the DEO a number of times to assist with tech-related matters, and I have done so willingly and to the best of my ability. Yet they still keep me at arm’s length. Even if the DEO knew my plans, my actions could be seen as sinister if allowed to continue, and my experiences tell me they would be. We’d likely be curtailed by suspicion and unnecessary caution. I don’t have time to work with such a,” she uses air quotes, “partner. I’m just not trusted by the DEO and its affiliates and my team won’t be either.”

She knows that last statement will hurt even as she says it but she has faith in her informed perception of the upper echelons of the DEO. Her expectation is borne out by Kara moving her leg out from under her hand and by the look on Kara’s face as she counters, “I trust you.”

“Yes, Kara Danvers trusts me. But Supergirl has a strong connection to the DEO. Are you telling me they don’t influence at least some of your interactions with me?”

Kara’s gaze has gone to the floor and her voice is low. “I told you why I didn’t tell you.”

Lena just barely muffles the sigh that passes out of her. She doesn’t want to upset Kara further but this time together – it will end soon and she so wants Kara to understand. “I know. And I believe you. And I’m … I’m happy and I’m honored that I can be that for you. But this isn’t just about you and me. It’s also about the people around us.

“You asked why I wasn’t responding to you much these past months. I care about you. I don’t want you caught in the middle of this, between what I’m doing and what the DEO is doing. And I respect you tremendously. I won’t put you in a position where you have to choose. You’ve always worked from what you think is right. I won’t complicate that.”

Kara’s eyes are back on hers and her cheeks are flushed. “So you just pull away from me without any explanation? What if I care too? What if I want to help anyone fighting Cadmus? What if I don’t want to lose you?”

Lena tries again to explain her position, “Kara, for you the DEO Director, Alex, Winn, Lucy – they’re family, aren’t they? You’re loyal to them and they to you and I understand that. The team I’ve pulled together trusts me to follow the plan we’ve designed together to stop Cadmus and I owe that to them. Like I said, we and the DEO aren’t always going to be on the same page so you helping one could put you at odds with the other. It could even put you in the position of having information that helps one and hurts the other and then you have to make a decision. I’m not going to ask that of you.

“I play to win so at the end of this, I plan to be in National City, running L Corp. For now we won’t be communicating as much but you’re not going to lose me. I’m asking you, please, trust me on this.” Even as she makes this last statement, she knows that Kara may not remember the most important part of this for Lena – that Lena does not want Kara to lose her - when the reality of how infrequently they’ll be communicating becomes clear.

Kara is not looking convinced by these arguments, at least not yet. Her body is tense, with her legs pulled up as far as they can comfortably bend towards her body and her arms crossed. “It just seems we should be working together on this, not separately.” She carefully moves off of the couch and grabs the cane she had left next to it earlier. “I need some time to get my head around this. I just need to be alone.” She heads back outside.

Lena makes no effort to suppress the sigh that leaves her this time as her head falls back against the couch.

-----

Lena is wrapping up a few hours of exchanges with Jess on L Corp security and the placement of certain loyal employees when she hears cane-assisted steps approaching. Before she can turn, Kara speaks, “So what went wrong?”

Lena swings her chair around. “What do you mean? What went wrong at the Cadmus facility?”

Kara stands just inside the door with her back against the frame, her expression serious. “No. Why am I here, with you? Joining in a DEO operation against Cadmus, having a DEO-affiliated person spending days with you – given what you’ve told me, those would be a seen as a risk for a group that is trying to avoid attention from both Cadmus and the DEO. Listening to those raised voices last night, it was clear something was causing strife. The obvious answer would be your interference and then my presence here.”

Lena’s answer is careful, “I had information that Lillian had made a play and successfully lured a full DEO team into jeopardy. Having the DEO take significant losses now wasn’t a good thing in the scenarios we’d considered – thus my half-assed rescue attempt.”

“And you went in with the backing of your team?”

She’d always known Kara could be exceptionally perceptive and Kara had had the time to think about these questions. “Without my team even knowing about the DEO operation or my intercession.”

Kara seems somehow both unsurprised and incredulous, “You went in without backup?”

“I’ve had a lot of training these past months with the suit, with weapons, with EMT procedures. I wanted to help; I thought I could. As I said, I have reasons to assist the DEO. When I got there the situation was a mess. And then I found you in that condition and I needed to get you to somewhere safe, even if it meant fallout for me.”

“And fallout you got.” Kara looks hesitant but she inhales and steadies herself. “Did you know Supergirl was part of the team?”

She doesn’t know if Kara knows what exactly she’s asking or not, but Lena isn’t going to avoid the underlying significance of the question. She answers it as if Kara is asking if she did it for her, for the reasons they constantly seem to skirt around.

“Yes.” She’s looking straight at Kara, hoping it says enough.

(She knows what she can’t say or even imply yet – that she can’t do it again but she knows she would. It’s a reason she has to go.)

She thinks Kara understands, at least some of it, because she's nodding her head, though she’s broken eye contact and is looking up, gaze moving along the edges of the wainscoting.

“How can I help you?”

(And with that question Lena really wants to believe Kara does understand.)

“Help the DEO and that will help bring down Cadmus.”

“I can do that.”

“Thank you.”

Kara meets her eyes briefly. “I should let you get back to work.” She turns and leaves the office.

-----

Kara had eventually called over to Lena that she was capable of putting a meal together and Lena should feel free to take care of what she needs to, and now she’s been listening to Kara move around in the kitchen with the occasional sound of water running, a pot banging, or a door opening for almost an hour. Her attention drops to the corner of her monitor as a message pops up from Teo. He has promising news - with the help of Kara’s equipment, they’ve locked onto a signal that appears to be a DEO communications channel in sporadic use. He sends the signal information but notes that, unfortunately, they haven’t yet figured out how to make secure contact.

Lena thinks about the knowledge of the DEO that she and Kara have and feels confident in her reply, “Great work. We’ll figure something out.”

Kara looks up from laying out bowls, spoons, and napkins when Lena steps back into the main room. She must see something in Lena’s face because she immediately asks, “Good news?”

“Yeah. With your comms and the team’s tenacity we may have a means of reaching the DEO. Let’s eat and talk through possible approaches. Dinner smells amazing.”

After the emotional exchanges of the day, solving problems over hearty bowls of soup feels good. They work through various ideas and, by the end of the meal are ready to set up an initial transmission to see if the DEO will bite on it.

Not knowing the encryption, the two had thrown around simple code words that might get the DEO’s attention and shield the intention of the conversation from others. Hoping that the first message will reach Winn or someone who is connected to him, two words are sent out on an asynchronous repeat, words Winn had used when describing Guardian’s weapon against the Daxamites – Space asthma. Lena had almost flinched when the words had come out in the round-robin of ideas at the table but Kara hadn’t seemed bothered by them.

Now it’s just a matter of waiting. Lena insists on cleaning up and directs Kara to the recliner. She has copies of some files on Kryptonian physiology that came from Lex that she had used at their previous location. Without mentioning the source she gives them to Kara and Kara proceeds to spend the next couple of hours reading through them to see if they provide any new information.

Kara’s eyes eventually start to close and Lena, who by now is reading on a tablet across from her, suggests she sleep. Lena glances up a few times as Kara takes her advice, preparing and then disappearing into the bedroom.

Lena’s eyes keep moving towards the doorway and it’s only a matter of minutes before she follows the same routine. She knows intuitively that their time is short now and she wants to spend as much of that time as she can in Kara’s presence, ignoring her own conflicted emotions.

As she moves into the room preparing to collapse into her bed on the right-hand side, she feels Kara grasp her left hand.

“Would you stay with me over here tonight?”

Lena knows Kara is tactile and looks for contact, for connection, especially after conflict. She can do this for her. And she wants to do it for both of them. She knows she is likely not going to have time with Kara after tomorrow; either the DEO will be found and come to them or Kara will recover and go off to find the DEO. She thinks that Kara may also be feeling the return of Supergirl creeping up on her and all that entails.

She slides in next to Kara, and when she feels an arm move around her shoulders she rolls on to her side to put her head under Kara’s chin. Her arm rests carefully across Kara’s waist. She feels lips press to the top of her head and her hand on Kara’s hip tightens slightly.

“Thank you”, comes the whisper from above her.

Lena moves her hand off Kara’s hip to take Kara’s left hand and bring it to her lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. “Of course,” she whispers back, placing both hands on Kara’s midsection.

“Will you tell me something?”, Kara asks quietly.

“What?”

“Will you tell me about the best gelato you’ve ever had? I want to listen to your voice … and hear about really good desserts. My one complaint about these houses is they don't seem to have any.”

Lena’s voice has laughter in it. “I can do that.”

They both find slumber within a minute of each other, Lena not quite finishing her story about a little restaurant in northern Italy.

Chapter Text

Lena wakes to a barely-there buzz from the earpiece letting her know a transmission has been received. Kara has shifted away, making her exit from the bed easier.

She moves to the office, closing the door and turning on the desk lamp. It’s been hours, but she finally has a reply: Space asthma here. She’s ready for this dialogue.

I worked out the induction coil issue. Interested in hearing how? I have potstickers.

It’s now likely the DEO knows that she knows Supergirl’s identity. The subsequent response confirms for her that someone who knows Kara well is on the other end. And at the moment that someone doesn’t care whose identity she knows.

Potstickers from Cheng’s? Where?

Lena sends coordinates that are encrypted with a Luthor Corp algorithm she knows Winn would recognize from their work on the weapon; he would be able to decode it in less than 15 minutes. The response comes back more quickly than she expected.

There in two hours.

Wear a new suit.

Roger that.

She spends the next 90 minutes purging anything she doesn’t want the DEO to find and packing a few pieces of cutting-edge equipment into the warsuit. Unfortunately, the house will have to be downgraded with the DEO’s impending arrival.

When she is done she wakes Kara with a hand on her arm. Kara presses herself upwards onto her elbows and peers up at Lena, a combination of startled and confused and very, very sleepy. Lena is just visible in the low light from a lamp in the main room.

“Why are you up?” Kara mumbles.

Lena is relieved they’ve made contact and her voice is more upbeat than it has been, “The DEO responded. I’ve communicated with them, probably with Winn. I’m meeting the agents now and should be back in about an hour with them. Try to get more rest; the sun isn’t even up yet.”

Kara is now smiling sleepily but has collapsed back onto the bed. Her voice is soft and not at all convincing, “But I want to come with you.”

Lena strokes a hand through Kara’s hair as she whispers, “You look like you could use more sleep. So get some. I’ll be back with them soon.”

She barely gets a half nod and Kara snuggles back into the pillow still with a small smile as Lena walks out.

-----

As dawn breaks five DEO agents in black tactical gear are getting out of a dark SUV at the rendezvous point where two dirt service roads intersect. Lena lands about fifty yards up the road from them. Weapons are raised at her until Alex Danvers steps forward and motions for her group to stand down.

Lena is relieved that Alex is standing in front of her alive. At the same time she can feel the scrutiny the agent is giving the suit. Best to ignore that. After all, the DEO doesn’t need to know anything about it.

Lena closes the space between them. “Agent Danvers.”

“Ms. Luthor.”

Seeing the weariness and worry enveloping Alex, she gets to the point. “Supergirl is about an hour away. Now that I’m sure you’re not hostiles, I’m sending the coordinates to Winn.” Winn, standing by the SUV, looks up from the screen he is holding and gives a slight wave. He glances down then promptly up again and provides a thumbs-up, signaling receipt.

“How is she?”

“Physically, she’s healing quickly from a deep laceration and some fractures and, though she hasn’t said much, I think she feels her powers will be back very soon. Her appetite over the last 12 – 16 hours also seems to suggest that. Mentally and emotionally I think she’s probably much better after I told her I believed I’d communicated with Winn, and that will only improve more when she sees you.”

Alex catches her eye just long enough to offer a low but heartfelt, “Thank you”, and then turns back towards her colleagues, “We’ve got a destination. Let’s get going.”

-----

Lena delays during her trip back, unsure of what she is going to say to Kara now that they have reached this point. She arrives at the house and leaves the warsuit in a shed attached to the main structure by the back door, foreseeing the need for a speedy and unnoticed getaway. She goes inside and wakes Kara, sitting next to her on the side of the bed as she lets her know that Alex and Winn will be there soon, and she shares in Kara’s excitement at that news.

When Kara finally gets up, Lena hugs her carefully and Kara hugs back more fiercely than Lena expected. Their time alone here is ending, and while neither is saying anything, it seems to Lena they both are feeling the deep grooves left in their relationship by these days. Lena steps away from the embrace and walks with Kara over to the couch, noticing how her movements have little of the hesitance of the two previous mornings.

The DEO agents arrive on the road leading up to the house then, and Lena goes out to escort the agents in. Two agents remain outside to patrol and a third roams through the house, keeping an eye on the windows.

After their reunion, Alex gets to work debriefing with Kara in the main room across from where Lena stands while Winn is working next to them, occasionally inserting a few words into the conversation about the new suit and communications equipment he brought. Lena’s grateful that Kara is back with her people. Now Lena can fulfill her commitment.

She starts to move, only to be stopped by Kara’s voice, “Where are you going?”

She smiles at her as she gestures at the kitchen, which conveniently has a mudroom off it with a door that she is hoping Kara hasn’t registered. Her words are both truthful and deceptive, “I’m coming back.” She walks into the kitchen, shuffling around and making appropriate noise until the chatter among the three behind her picks up in volume again and the other agent has moved into the office. Lena slips out then and heads to the shed.

She is quickly into the suit and moving to a clear area to launch, only to roll her eyes when she hears someone come up behind her. It must be Alex. “What do you need, Agent Danvers?” she asks, turning.

Alex is facing her in a relaxed posture, hands on her hips. “I noticed you didn’t say when you’d be coming back. You know, we should really talk.”

“Unfortunately, I have a previous engagement.”

“Yes, the suit suggests that. You know, Ms. Luthor, you can’t take on Cadmus alone, even in that. You’re not responsible for …”

The introduction of this topic seems to consistently trigger a strong negative response from Lena no matter how much she tries to stop it, and she finds herself cutting Alex off sharply, “We both know my responsibility in regards to Cadmus is a complicated topic, Agent Danvers. I assure you, I’m not as reckless as you think I am; in fact, this is all calculated. I run a multibillion-dollar company with tens of thousand of employees working to improve the world. While my mother and her organization are out there, my company, people important to me, they’re targets. If I have a means to fight back, why wouldn’t I do so?

“I’ll talk, but mostly because I hope you can explain this to Kara. What she knows is that I’m not in this alone and we’ll be working against Cadmus using our resources and knowledge.

“However, until we succeed, it’s best for me to shield L Corp from my name and to shield myself from Cadmus. That requires working from behind the scenes to accomplish the overall goal. I was going to take these steps months from now but this little incident has pushed up the timetable.”

Lena can see the miniscule shifts in Alex’s expression as she registers what is being said, and when Lena finally pauses, Alex demonstrates her comprehension, “So no more distancing yourself, as Kara has been describing it. You’re moving to a whole different level; you’re disappearing in order to pursue Cadmus’ downfall.”

“In a manner of speaking. It’s the only way I can keep my family, my company, and the people I care about separated in the way I need them to be in order to take on Cadmus. Now I hope you aren’t going to try to stop me.”

Even as Alex’s hand seems to slide unconsciously to her sidearm at Lena’s words, she purses her lips and shakes her head. “You pulled Kara out of a battle zone and took care of her. And I have a feeling that wasn’t calculated. Not to mention, you’ve protected National City more than once. I know not everyone is going to agree with me on this but I think I understand where you’re coming from and I won’t get in your way, at least not today.”

She rubs her jaw and gives Lena an appraising look. “Kara’s not going to be happy with this.”

Lena looks away, raising her eyes to the sky. “I know. Tell her, when this is all over, I’ll find her.”

“Are you sure you want to do that? There’s no guarantee on how this plays out, just in case that wasn’t made very clear to you a few nights ago.”

She returns her gaze to Alex. “I’m aware of that, Agent Danvers. Take care of yourself, and please take….”

She stops as she sees lightening-fast movement out of the corner of her eye and then Kara is walking towards her dressed in her new suit without a hint of discomfort. Even dressed in a warsuit made to match a Super Lena feels breathless from the sheer power that emanates from the full experience of Kara Zor-El.

Regaining her composure, she cocks her head at the superhero, expression having gone from somber to exasperatedly bemused. “So much for a getaway. You’re powered up again I see so I would guess you heard all of that?”

Kara looks somewhat chastened. “From the part about L Corp and Cadmus. My powers were back this morning. After our talk yesterday, I figured you would run as soon as I was healed or back with the DEO, whichever came first, but Alex was quicker to catch on when it actually happened. I was trying to keep you around for as long as I could.”

Kara advances further and Lena stops herself from stepping back. And then Kara is in her personal space and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Lena shivers. Kara steps back with a look that mixes sadness and something Lena cannot think about right now, “I’m going to hold you to those words, if I don’t find you first.”

The continuing gaze between them seems to shimmer with intensity. Lena finally breaks it as she nods and, before her feelings can bind her body to the ground, she turns, separates herself from the two onlookers, and takes off into the rising sun.