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Chapter Text

“So then Maggie said…” Alex paused looking across at her sister while Lena finished the fifth… sixth(?) of her vegetable wraps and stared off into space.  Clearing her throat, Alex continued slightly louder, “So then Maggie said, ‘Damn, Danvers, why don’t we just have sex right here at the crime scene?’” When that got no reaction, Alex barked, “Lena!”

“What!?” Lena’s head swiveled back and her gaze locked with her sister’s.

“You were totally checked-out again.”

“No, I wasn’t.  I was—” Lena paused, her mind trying to recall something that her sister had been saying. “Maggie, and a crime scene and… sex?” A crinkle formed between Lena’s eyebrows.  “Okay, I must not have been listening.  I’m sorry, Alex.  What were you saying?”

Alex sighed.  “What’s on your mind?”

“Work.” Lena rolled up another vegetable wrap, taking a big bite and mumbling around the food.  “The head of the lab has us going completely in the wrong direction with this project.  We’re basically poking around in the dark looking for answers.  It’s like that eye closed game you wanted me to play when I first got to Earth.”

“You mean Marco Polo?” Alex replied with the clear understanding of someone who had spent years translating for a sibling who spoke with her mouth full.

Lena nodded.  “It’s exactly like that.  Everyone else is stumbling around not knowing what they’re doing—”

“And you’re a big old cheater because you can look through your eyelids with your x-ray vision?” Alex asked leaning back with her arms crossed.

“Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Nope.” The ‘P’ popped when Alex answered.

“First of all, I had only been here a few weeks, and my English still wasn’t perfect.  You only said I had to have my eyes closed.  I had my eyes closed.”

“Cheater,” Alex muttered under her breath.

“I heard that, and I would have found you with just my hearing back then too.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

Finishing her wrap, Lena studied her sister.  “Are you in a bad mood?  You seem a bit testy, even for you, I mean.  Is everything all right with Maggie?  I know things didn't work out like you wanted but—”

“Fine.  It’s you that worries me.”

“Why?  I’m good, great, better than great.  I’m great… est.  I was thinking about mold though.”

Eyes narrowed, Alex shook her head.  “You lost me, sweetie.”

“Penicillin, Alex, think about penicillin,” Lena said gesturing excitedly.  “What if I penicillined the project?”

Taking her sister’s hands to calm them, Alex said, “Sweetie, penicillin can’t be a verb.”

“Oh… hmmm.  English is a hard language.”

“I know, but you’re great with it.  So, what do you want to do?”

With a bright smile, Lena explained, “I could have a happy lab accident.”

Alex withdrew her hands. “Lena…”

“Alex, just hear me out.  I already know how to ‘erroneously’ alter my test parameters so that I enter the wrong data and accidentally cause the test results we want rather than the ones we’ll get if we follow the parameters that have been set for us.  It will save years of time, money, and worthless research.”

“Lena …” Alex paused, considering her best course of action as she chose her words.  “Maybe if they go the route they’re going, they’ll stumble on another amazing discovery and…” As Lena shook her head, Alex’s voice trailed off.  “No, huh?”

“The most likely outcome is that a section of the division will be laid off, and I’ll run out of toxic chemicals to ingest.”

Her face horror-stricken, Alex looked around and then whispered, “You’re ingesting toxic chemicals?”

Lena shrugged.  “I get bored.  In case you’re curious, Dimethyl Sulfoxide tastes better than Mercaptoethanol.  Mercaptoethanol tastes as bad as it smells.”

“You… you ingested…” Rubbing her hands over her face, Alex sputtered for several moments before she looked at her sister again.  “Why?  You won’t even eat meat?”

Lena shrugged. “Boredom.  Anyway, Alex, I know I said I wanted to be a scientist because I was made for science.  I mean, I was literally made for science, but—”

Shaking her head, Alex said, “Lena, you can’t draw too much attention to yourself.  It’s bad enough you came out as Supergirl.”

“That was a good thing.  I saved your life.  I’ve saved so many lives and—”

“Hey!” Alex pointed, her finger hovering in her sister’s vision.  “I worry.  Mom worries.  I know how important being Supergirl is to you, but you’re more important to us.  Supergirl can be this unique and mythical being, but Lena Danvers has to seem ordinary.  People who make giant scientific breakthroughs are not seen as ordinary.”  When Lena’s face fell, Alex squeezed her sister’s arm until green eyes looked up again.  “Hey, the people who really know you know the truth, Lena.”

“And what’s the truth?” Lena asked with a sigh.

“That between Supergirl and Lena Danvers, you, Lena Danvers, are the extraordinary one.  Supergirl just has a flashy costume.”

As her infectious smile appeared, Lena chuckled and said, “It’s the cape, isn’t it?”

“Oh, it’s definitely the cape.  Plus, you look great in blue.”

“Right?” Lena rolled up her last vegetable wrap, making ready to eat it.

“Hey, I do want to talk to you about something else.”

Lena nodded, biting into her wrap and giving her sister her attention.

“It’s about your Instagram feed.”

“Hmmm.”  Holding out her hand, Lena chewed and swallowed quickly, putting down her food.  “Alex, that was not my fault.  I had no idea I would run into anyone from the lab at the beach.”

“I know, Lena, but now it’s out there.  Now, you’re… out there,” Alex said, waving a hand around in front of her sister’s torso.  “The pictures that Wing guy—”

“Winn.”

“Winn, whatever, it’s still a stupid name.  The pictures that Winn guy took of you in the bikini are everywhere.  They’re on his feed, your feed, Twitter has grabbed it, and you’re even on Facebook.  People have them and are posting them everywhere.”

“I know.”  Lena sipped some of her water and nodded.  “You should see some of the comments I’ve gotten.  They don’t even make any sense.”

“Like what?”

“Um…” Lena started to count things off on her fingers while she tried to recall them.  “Some of them are just words like ‘biceps’ or ‘dead’.  I’ve gotten a few ‘so gay’ comments.  Are they calling me gay?   I’m not gay.  I mean, it’s fine, but I’m not gay.”

“Well, they—“

“My belt, people are commenting about my belt.  I think they think I do martial arts.”

“Huh?”

Nodding again, Lena explained.  “People are on my Facebook and tagging all of these work photos of me.  I’m getting all these ‘look at that brown belt’ comment.  I know some self-defense, but I’m no brown belt.  I’ve responded that I don’t take martial arts, and that just gets a ‘so cute’ or ‘dying’ response or something.”

Alex sighed, her elbow on the table and her chin resting on her palm.

“Oh, and then people keep saying, ‘daddy’ to me.  What does that even mean?”

Choking on air, Alex asked, “They’re calling you daddy?”

“They’re calling me daddy?  Why would they do that?”

“Lena…” Alex paused, carefully asking, “Are all of these comments from women?”

After a few moments of consideration, Lena replied, “Golly, I guess so.  Does it matter?”

“I should have your problems,” Alex muttered as she rubbed her face.  Hands on the table, she plastered a smile on her face.  “Sweetie, you need to go to the gym.”

“Uh, no I don’t.  I never have to go to the gym.  I’m just naturally like this… remember?” Lena whispered the end conspiratorially.

“That’s the problem,” Alex whispered back.  “Lena, people are asking where you go to the gym, aren’t they?”

“I guess.  I mean, yeah, sure.”

“What are you telling them?”

“That I jog and work out at home.”

Alex shook her head.  “Sweetie, you have a body that looks like it was sculpted with the assistance of a professional trainer, or like you’re an alien whose cells absorb solar energy and just builds muscle without having to earn it.  You’re the same size and coloring as Supergirl, and you’re hiding behind glasses, a ponytail, and oversized sweaters and a lab coat.  So, before people put two and two together and get…”

Lena hazarded a guess.  “Alien?”

“Alien,” Alex agreed.  “You need to go to the gym.”

“But, Alex, I can’t.  I can’t work out.  Don’t you think people will notice when I go to lift weights, and they don’t weigh anything?  I mean, I could jog on a treadmill and pretend to get winded.  However, there is no way I could feign exertion lifting, what five or six hundred pounds?”

“Try a hundred-and-fifty pounds, Lena.”

“Really?” She leaned back, eyes wide and her arms crossed.  “Wow, I would have screwed that up.  And here I thought anything under a thousand pounds was a safe bet.  How do you get out of bed in the morning?”

“It’s a daily struggle,” Alex said with obvious sarcasm.  Opening a Velcro pocket on the leg of her pants, Alex pulled out a set of black bracelets that looked a bit like Fitbits.  “Here, put these on?”

“What are they?”

Smiling, Alex just nodded.

With a shrug, Lena fitted one around each wrist.  “They go here?”

“Yup.”  Alex pulled out a small black tube.  “They have a long and complicated scientific name, but let’s just call them Equalizers.”

As Alex pushed the button on the tube, red lights flashed on the bracelets.  They each flashed three times, and then there was a keening noise that lasted for a few seconds.  The lights switched to green, and then Lena’s hands suddenly slapped down onto the table top.  The Kryptonian gasped, looking down at her hands as betrayal painted her face.

After several seconds of staring at her hands, Lena lifted her face to her sister and started to stutter.  “Wh… wh… what…?”

“It’s called gravity,” Alex informed her smugly.

“Make it stop.”

With a sharp laugh, Alex said, “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Al-ex,” Lena whined while her lower lip jutted out.

“Oh, don’t pout at me, you big baby.  Just lift up your arms.  You can do it.”

“But it’s sooooo hard.”  Lifting her arms, Lena continued to pout as she held her arms out to her sister.  “I don’t like these.  Take them off.  Take them off.  Eh… eh… Al-ex.”

“Oh, good God.  Fine.” Alex pushed the button, freeing Lena from gravity’s effects.

“Thank, Rao,” Lena said, stripping off the bracelets just a bit too quickly and depositing them on the table.  “Those are evil.  Why would you do that, Alex?  Why would you be evil?”

“God, you’re so dramatic.”  Putting the bracelets and the controller back into her pocket, Alex explained, “Because, little sister, you have to get yourself to a public gym and be seen working out.  You said yourself that you couldn’t fake it.  With those and the matching set for your ankles, you won’t have to.”

Eyes wide and mouth agape, Lena said, “Wait, you want me to actually… exercise?”

“Yes, Lena, I want you actually to exercise.  It’s what the rest of the world does.  You know, all of the other humans.  Just.  Like.  You.”  Leaning forward, Alex stared down her sister.

Wilting under her sister’s gaze, Lena said, “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.  Look, you only have yourself to blame, you and that Wind guy, so—”

“Winn.”

“Whatever his name is.  It’s still a dumb name.”

“You’ve met him you know,” Lena reminded her sister.  “He works two seats over from me at the same table.”

“Lena, I don’t remember guys I’ve met in passing once.”

“You’ve probably met him twenty times, Alex.”

“Yeah?”

Lena nodded.

“Oh.  Well, he must not be very memorable.”  Alex shrugged.

“Winn is… he’s smart and very sweet.  I suppose he doesn’t stand out.  Hey, maybe he’s a superhero, and he’s trying to go unnoticed.”

“You think?”

“I… no,” Lena admitted.  “He’s way too into superheroes.  His desk is covered with action figures.  Superman was his favorite until Supergirl showed up, and now he talks about her a lot… a whole lot.  It’s kind of… awkward.”

“Oh, someone has a little crush?” Alex asked, smirking.

“Yes.” Lena sighed.  “It was bad enough when he was crushing on Kal.  I didn’t need to hear about how perfect my cousin was, but it’s much worse when it’s me, and he doesn’t know it’s me.  Every time he starts, I just put in my earbuds and tune him out.”

Alex laughed.  “He’s detailed?”

“Rao, help me, yes.  I’m afraid to open anything with an attachment from him.”

“Pictures?” Alex guessed.

“Let’s just call it ‘fanart’,” Lena replied, making little quotation marks in the air with her fingers.  “So, this gym thing—”

“Hank’s already approved it.”

“Oh.” Lena noticeably deflated as she picked up her remaining bit of veggie wrap. “When you say approved—”

“I mean mandatory.”

“…oh.”  Chewing and swallowing she asked, “Couldn’t I just—?”

“What part of mandatory has somehow escaped you?”

“But Alex, I already work out a lot.” Leaning forward, she whispered, “Did you see how big those three aliens I fought last week were?  That was a workout.  I do earn these muscles.”

“Sure, Supergirl does.  However, Lena Danvers, Supergeek, needs to earn hers.” Grinning at her sister who glared back just short of heat vision at her, Alex added, “Oh, don’t look so glum, Sis.  Maybe you’ll meet someone nice at the gym.”

“I doubt it,” Lena replied with a profound pout.

Chapter Text

Lena stood with her gym bag hanging off her shoulders and wrist and ankle bands in place.  They were still powered down, and gravity was still behaving itself.  She stared up at the silver L that was the gym’s symbol and managed a smile.  She may not have had a choice about going to a gym, but at least she’d gotten to choose the gym.  This one was less than a mile from her lab, though there were several downtown, had a stellar reputation, but the name is what appealed to Lena.  The L-Gym reminded her of her own family name, the House of El.  If she were going to have to work out, if she were going to have to feel the effects of gravity, at least she could feel close to home.

Pushing open the door, Lena allowed her eyes to sweep across the gym.  Patrons exercised on state of the art gym equipment.  Several in-shape trainers either stood by and assisted people or moved through the area to check on patrons.  She inhaled to find the area smelled clean, the scent of cleaner hitting her nose even with some sweat, but the latter was fresh and not unpleasant.  It was honest, and Lena Danvers was certainly no stranger to honestly earned sweat.  To her left was a check-in desk, so the brunette headed that way.

“Hi, can I help you?” said an upbeat girl working the front desk.

Lena smiled back. “Hi, I’m new, but I signed up online.  I’m Lena Danvers.  What do you need from me?”

“Driver’s license?”

“Right, right.  I…” Lena dug through the side pocket of her gym bag where she’d stuffed her wallet.  “I have one of those, and it’s… here.”  Victorious, she pulled out her wallet and withdrew her license.  “This is me.”  She handed over the license to the other woman who continued to smile.

“Thanks.” The woman scanned in her license, then typed something into the system.  Handing back the license, she said, “Cute glasses, very geek chic.”

“Uh, thanks.” Lena smiled.  “They let me see.”

That was met with a giggle.  Looking at her system again, the other girl said, “Yup, you’re in here.  Okay, so we have you scheduled with the new member elite package.  Oh, lucky girl.”

“Hmmm?”

Smiling, the girl nodded at Lena.  “Okay, we just need to get your photo for your membership I.D.  Go stand over there on the green sneakers, okay?”

Moving over to the green sneaker-outline as directed, Lena put her gym bag down.  “Like this?”

“Perfect.  Just smile.  Oh, are you a glasses on or glasses off for pictures girl?”

“On, definitely glasses on.”

She shrugged in responses. “They suit you.  Say cheese.”

Her brow furrowing, Lena said, “Actually, I’m ve—” There was a click and then a flash.

“All set.  Let’s just get your L-tracker.”

“My what?”

Smiling as she typed into the system, the girl repeated, “Your L-tracker.  It’s our fitness tracker that syncs with our gym equipment.  Have you downloaded the app on your phone yet?”

When the girl finally looked over at her, Lena shook her head.

With another smile, the girl said, “Download the app, and all of your workout data will load onto your phone.  What band do you want?”

“Band?”

“Wrist, upper arm, leg?”  She gestured over to Lena.  “We can even do a chest one if you want.  You can have more than one if—”

“Wrist,” Lena said quickly.  “Oh, I have…” She held up her wrist where she wore one of the devices that Alex had created.  “Will this be an issue?”

“It shouldn’t be.  Many folks wear a Fitbit or…” She squinted but lost sight of the device when Lena quickly lowered her arm.  “Some other kind of fitness tracker.  Our gym equipment does work with other devices that are made to track some kind of workouts, but trust me, using ours will provide nearly flawless results.  You’ll be able to see your heart rate, of course, but this will track all of your exercises on all of our machines.  The time and length of each piece of your workout will be stored, and your progress will be charted.  We’ll provide you with suggestions on how to enhance your workouts and performance.  This sort of data is the reason we’re the number one gym on the west coast… and growing,” she added with a smile.

“Well, you don’t have to sell me.  I’m already here.”

“Then tell your friends.”  Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out a small black bracelet with a glass and metal faceplate.  It looked a bit like a watch.  She plugged a mini-USB cable into it.  After about two minutes, she unplugged it and handed it over to Lena.  “Okay, this is you.  Your trainer will be right with you.”

“Ah… okay.  Anything I should know about using it?”

“Yes, but your trainer will show you that.  It’s really simple.  You can sync it to your phone wirelessly, and it transmits and receives wirelessly from the equipment.  You just need to push a button on the machine to start the process.”

“It sounds simple.”

“It is.  The designer is an engineering genius.  You’ll see.”  She grinned broadly and waggled her eyebrows as if there were some great joke there.

Smiling back and nodding slowly, Lena began to busy herself as she waited for the inevitable next step… working out … shudder.  Lena was reading through a pamphlet on proper lifting techniques when a voice made her look up.

“Miss Danvers?”

The bluest eyes Lena had ever seen looked back at her.  She blinked several times, not answering, just staring into blue eyes.

The smile fell off the blonde’s face, and she examined a piece of paper in her hand.  Looking up at Lena again, she said, “Lena Danvers, right?”

“Yes.  Yes, I’m her… me… that person... I …” Swallowing, Lena took a moment to compose herself and said, “I’m Lena Danvers.”

As the smile returned to her face, the blonde said, “Well, awesome.  I’m your personal trainer, Kara.”

“You’re my person… al trainer.  Right.  That’s yes.  Uh…” Putting back the pamphlet, Lena picked up her gym bag from the floor.  “Sorry, my first time here.  I’m a bit out of it I guess.”

“No worries.  Not your first time in a gym though.”

“Hmmm?”

Kara began to walk, and Lena followed along.  Gesturing toward Lena, Kara ran one hand up and down in the general direction of brunette’s body. “You’re toned, cut even.  You obviously workout.  Where have you been going?  Who’s your trainer?”

“I… It… closed.”

“Your gym closed?”

Lena nodded.

“Oh, well that sucks.  I mean, it sucks for them but lucky for us because now we get you.  Let’s get you set up with a locker first, and then we’ll start with stretches.  I don’t think I need to tell you that though, do I?”

“No, I always stretch before I fight.”

Walking into the locker/bathroom area, Kara asked, “Oh, you do martial arts?”

“I…” As blue eyes looked slightly down at her, Lena squinted. “No?”

“Are you sure?”

Head going from a nod to a shake, Lena smiled nervously.

“You don’t look sure.  Are you a boxer?”

Sighing with relief, Lena smiled again but much more naturally. “Boxing, yes.  I punch things.”

“All right.” Kara laughed.  She fully opened one of the lockers that was ajar.  “Well, you can use any locker in here that’s empty. Generally, people will put a lock on one that they use, but occasionally they skip that, so just double-check to make sure it’s empty.  Don’t assume that because there are things inside an unlocked locker that someone forgot their things.  We check at each shift change, and if we find things left from one shift change to the next, we’ll clean it out, okay?”

“Okay,” Lena said pulling her lock out of her bag and shoving her bag, minus her cellphone, into the locker.  As Kara closed the door, Lena clicked her lock into place.  “So now we…?”

“Let’s go stretch, Miss Danvers.” Kara headed back toward the workout area of the gym.

Lena followed in the blonde’s wake. “It’s Lena, please.”

Kara turned slightly, smiling broadly.  “That’s a pretty name, Lena.  Are you from around here?”

Lena took a faltering step, nearly stumbling before she recovered. “Earth?”

With a chuckle, Kara replied, “Well, actually I meant National City, California if you want to be more… general.  Earth was sort of a given, right?”

“Right, right.”  Squeezing her eyes shut, Lena opened them and said, “Sorry, talking is not my best form of communication.”

“… what?”

“I… I mean, English is not my native language.”

“Oh, well, your English is amazing.  I didn’t notice.  I’m fluent in French, German, and Italian if any of those are helpful.  My Japanese and Mandarin are also pretty good, but I’m making an assumption that neither of those are your native language. We have trainers who speak Spanish, Greek, Portuguese, Russian, Polish—”

“No, please, English is fine.  My sister says I just have a tendency to babble a bit… and maybe sound like an idiot.  I’m sorry if I sound like an idiot.”

Laying a gentle hand on Lena’s back, Kara’s eyes took on a hint of sympathy. “Older sibling?”

Lena nodded.

“I’ve got one of those.  What does she know?”

With a smile, Lena replied, “Everything if you ask her.”

Kara’s laugh was sudden and loud. “Yeah, that sounds about right.  Older siblings.  I feel you.”

“You… feel me?”

“Oh, sorry.  Idiomatic speech.  I mean, I understand your situation.  I sympathize, empathize.  I think we have a lot in common here.”

Mouth opening slightly, Lena’s smile grew, but she didn’t speak.  She just nodded slightly.

“Well, okay then.  Have you linked your L-tracker to the app on your phone?”

“Not yet,” Lena admitted.  “The girl at the front desk said you’d help me with that.”

“Cindy, and she was right.  Okay, the app is installed?”

“It is.”

“Great.”  Kara smiled.  “Go to the app and on the main screen is an option that says, ‘Install new device’.  You want to hit that.”  When Lena did so, Kara added, “It should now say that it’s looking for a new device.”

“It does.”

“Working as designed, excellent.  I like that.  Go to the device and hold in the button on the top until the ring around the screen turns green.”

When it did so, Lena asked, “Now what?”

“They should both show you the same nine-digit number and ask if you want to pair them together.  If the numbers match, just hit ‘Yes’ on your phone.”

Lena did so, and a few minutes later ‘New device paired’ popped up on her phone.  The device on her wrist vibrated and the ring flashed green three times before the screen returned to a calm and pleasant glow.  “Is that it?”

“That’s it.  Well, now you’re paired.  It will track your heart rate, and you can turn the GPS function on and off.  It’s automatically off.  That’s the default.  It was decided in design that people didn’t want to default into tracking their movement into a database.”

Nodding quickly, Lena said, “Agreed.”

“You have secrets, Miss Danvers?” Kara asked with a little smirk.

“Me?”  Lena asked.  “Your system would die of boredom.  How much data of someone sitting in a library can it handle?”

Kara’s laugh was a sharp bark.  “These muscles did not come from a library.  Come on.  Let’s stretch out and get you started.  It’s time to put those muscles to work, all right?”

“Hmmm.” With a sound of resignation, Lena gave one stiff nod and stepped onto the mat.  She casually reached for the controller clipped onto her waist, pushing the button.  The lights on the units on her ankles and wrist turned red.  There was the hum, and then the lights switched to green.  That’s when it all happened.  That’s when gravity happened.

Lena was prepared for it this time.  She’d spent the last two days playing with the ATDs as she had dubbed them, Alex’s Torture Devices.  She’d put them on while doing chores around the house, walking to and from work, and even the worst of all tasks… taking the stairs.  She had no idea how humans did it.  Four flights of stairs were completely unmanageable.  She tapped out after two and ended up on the elevator.  The music wasn’t that bad.  Still, her eyes widened as the ATDs powered up and the pull of the planet took her.  Lena barely contained her grunt as she exhaled slowly and began her stretching exercises.

Lena followed Kara through the stretching exercises but turned to examine some wall posters of stretching techniques.  She’d done some research beforehand and had gotten mostly through the pamphlet before her trainer had shown up.  They started with a few basic stretches of the neck, shoulders, arms, and legs, but then things got a bit more advanced.  Kara grinned over at Lena as the lunge and twists began.  Then came the knee to the chest and the high kicks.   Lena was doing all right with the hip stretch with a twist, but she was starting to feel it when they began to do push ups.  When Kara added T-pushups, Lena was feeling the strain.  The best thing to be said about the jump squats that came next is that they worked the lower body, but they also challenged Lena’s greatest current enemy: gravity.  By the time the jump lunges came along, Lena was staring with wide-eyed confusion at the grinning woman next to her.

“Great job!” Kara said as the warm up exercises finished.  “Want to do some planking?”

“No,” Lena replied dryly, her fingers already itching to turn off the ATDs, and the workout hadn’t even started.  “You’re a sadist, aren’t you?”

“I’m paid to be,” Kara replied, the kind smile still on her face as she laid a gentle hand on Lena’s shoulder.  “Come on.  Let’s get you to your first torture device.”

“Lead on, Vlad the Impaler,” Lena said as she followed in Kara’s wake.

“I think I’m more of an Elizabeth Báthory type, don’t you?”  Looking back over her shoulder, Kara winked.

“The Blood Countess?”

Stopping suddenly, Kara turned.  “You know your history.”

“Well, I… I had a lot of studying to do when I… You see when I first… I…”

“You had to gain citizenship?”

Relaxing, Lena nodded.

Beginning to walk again, Kara said, “Why is it that if you have a desire to move to this country, we require you to jump through hoops to prove you deserve an opportunity, but if you’re born here, ignorance is a right.”

Lena shrugged.  “You’re asking the wrong girl.”

“Right.  Sorry.  I’m just… venting.  Sorry.  I’m not usually this tense, but my mother has been…”  Exhaling, Kara put a hand on one of the machines.  “Just forget it, okay?  I’m here to train you, not have a therapy session about my family problems.  Anyway, we don’t have time for that.  You’re not a therapist, are you?”

“Scientist.”

“Ah, much more respectable than what I’m doing with my life.  My mother would approve… and I’m doing it again.  Okay, before you need to warm up again, let’s get you lifting.  We’ll start with a simple bench press.  What do you usually do?”

“Ah… I’m not… What… What do I usually do?”

Pausing with a hand over a panel with some sort of electronic readout that seemed to exist to adjust the weights, Kara looked over at Lena.  “I’m asking how much weight you want to use.”

“Oh, that do in a what do I usually do.  When you said do, I thought you were asking what do I usually do about another do.”

Slowly standing, Kara’s brows furrowed.  “What?”

“What what?” Lena mirrored.

“Uh… What exactly is your native language?  Maybe we could get you someone who—”

“No, you can’t.  Trust me,” Lena replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.  “Can we just…?”

“Sure.”  Kara’s smile was far more sincere.  “We’re going to be fine.  How much weight?”

“One… hundred?”

“Okay,” Kara replied.  “Let’s start it light and raise it with your reps.  Good thinking.”

“Thanks.”  Sighing with relief, Lena watched while Kara took a moment for the system to recognize her and then set the weights.

“Okay, so I can set weights on machines because I’m a trainer.  The system will log my information and track who made what changes and when.  You’ll log in as the user.  No one else, except another trainer and someone who you assign as a workout buddy can come along and adjust the weights on your machine.  It’s a safety precaution.  Just make sure you log out when you’re done.  After three minutes of inactivity, the system will prompt you to see if you’re still active and then log you out if you don’t respond in a minute.  Also, if you log into another machine, you’ll be automatically logged out of the prior machine, so you don’t have to log out every time if you’re moving from machine to machine.  It’s a nice courtesy if someone is waiting.  Questions?”

“How do I log in?”

“Let me show you.”  Kara held out her arm for Lena to join her, and the brunette did so.  “Okay, just wave your L-tracker here, and when it recognizes you, hit the button that says, ‘Member’.  We went through a lot of naming options, but that one seemed neutral enough.”

Following instructions, Lena asked, “Now what?”

“Now the system sees you here.  I’m logged onto this machine as a trainer, and you’re the user/member.  It will log the use of the machine into your data history, and only you and I can make changes to the machine unless you log out or another trainer logs in.  You don’t have any gym buddies who have access to make weight changes for you.  You can set them up with different levels.”  When Lena nodded, Kara said, “Oh, free weights.  You need to add the weight manually, but it will track reps for you.  Just check afterward to make sure it’s right.  We also have machines that have less weight stability, so they’re more like free weights.  Give them a try if you like the free weight experience.  Are you ready to get to work?”

Nodding, Lena slid onto the seat and under the bar.

The workout, overall, was not the worst thing that Lena had ever done.  She’d spent twenty-four years trapped in the Phantom Zone after watching her planet and almost everyone she knew and loved destroyed.  Therefore, the workout was only the second worst thing she’d ever done.  Covered in an amount of sweat she didn’t think her body was capable of making under a yellow sun, Lena slowly stood from the last of the workout benches.

“Hey, great job today,” Kara said with one hand extended for a high-five.  “That felt good, didn’t it?”

Eyeing Kara with open hostility, Lena replied, “I’m buying you a dictionary.”

“Huh?  Why?”

“So you can look up the word good.  You’re not using it right.”

Laughing, Kara replied, “Deal, but only if you get me a dictionary for whatever your native language is too.  You said a few words I’d never heard before.”

Finally smiling, Lena said, “You don’t want to know what they mean.”

Kara blanched.  “Were they about me?”

Ignoring the question, Lena pointed toward the locker area.  “I’m going to grab a shower.”

As Lena walked away, Kara laughed.  “I’ll take that as a yes.  You have a potty mouth, Miss Danvers.”

As she got some distance, Lena turned off the ATDs.  As soon as the effects of gravity diminished, she smiled and sighed happily.  “Oh, thank Rao.”

Lena showered and changed into something casual but clean.  When she made her way out, Kara was going over schedules at the front desk.  The blonde caught her gaze and smiled up at her.

“That shower seems to have done the trick.  You look much better,” Kara said cheerfully.  “See you tomorrow.”

Lena’s step stuttered, and her smile faltered.  “Tomorrow?  What’s tomorrow?”

“Sunday.”

“Okay, now you sound like me,” Lena replied, crossing her arms.

Kara laughed.  “I do, don’t I?  Tomorrow is Sunday, though.  I just mean I’ll see you back here tomorrow.”  She watched as Lena’s face contorted oddly.  “You’re scheduled back in tomorrow to work out again.”

“Again!?”

“Yes, again.  You didn’t earn those muscles in one day, did you?”

“Do you want an honest answer?”

“Always.”

“Well, then…” Lena paused.  “Tomorrow I can’t be here because I have a previous appointment.  Tomorrow I’ll be in jail.”

Stepping close, Kara grasped Lena’s forearm and spoke quietly.  “Is everything all right?”

“With me?  Yes.  With my sister?”  Lena’s smile grew.  “Tomorrow I’ll be in jail for murdering my sister.”

“Your… That’s a joke.  You’re joking.”

“Yes.  It’s funnier in my native language, apparently.  Families are just…”

“Complicated.”  Kara nodded.  “You don’t have to tell me.  So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, you will.”  Lena waved and stepped out the front door as she mumbled, “Unless I’m in jail for murdering my sister.”

The flight over to the DEO was quick.  Lena dropped in through the Supergirl entrance in the ceiling, or what she considered to be the Supergirl entrance, with a slap of her boots on the floor and a few running steps as she came to a stop.  She waved at the agents who looked up at her and dropped her gym bag on the floor.

“Supergirl, how was the gym?”

Turning and painting a serious expression on her face, Supergirl nodded.  “Director Henshaw, it was fine, good even.  I had my trainer take a lot of pictures, and she even got some videos of me.  It’s lots of good material.  I was thinking; I could post one or two a week for a while.  People won’t know they’re all from the same day and—”

“No.”

“But… but you don’t even know what I’m—”

“You need to keep going to the gym,” Director Henshaw said.  “It’s the only non-alien explanation for your physique.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get that.  But I think—”

“It’s been decided.  Thank you for your participation, Supergirl.”

As Hank walked away, Supergirl pouted.  “Isn’t this a democracy?”

“You mean the United States?” Alex slapped a hand onto her sister’s shoulder as she walked up behind Supergirl and moved next to the Kryptonian.  “Yes, that’s a democracy, but the DEO isn’t.”

“But the DEO is in the United States.”

“Is it?  Is it really, Lena?”

“Yes, yes it is, Alex.  Right now we’re standing on U.S. soil.”

Alex held up one finger.  “Are you sure?”

“Uh… I was before you asked me.  How do I find out?”

“You could ask Hank.”

“But he… he just… I… but… argh!”  Supergirl rubbed both hands over her face.  “Why is everything so hard today?”

“Was the gym hard on you today, little sister?”  Alex pinched Lena’s cheek.

“Don’t do that.”  Lena pushed her sister’s hand away.  “The gym was hard.  You may not realize it, Alex, but exercising is really, really hard.”

Walking around in front of Lena, Alex crossed her arms.

“What?”

“Nothing.  I have oodles of sympathy for you.  Go on.”

“Thank you.  My trainer must be insane to do that all day voluntarily.  She seems nice, really sweet and friendly, but she smiled more the more pain I was in.  What kind of person does that?”

“Uh… she smiled at your pain?”

Lena nodded quickly.  “She was all like, ‘You’ve got this!  Just three more!  Push it out!’  Then she’d high-five me when I finished my sets… as if I wanted to lift my arms again.”

“Lena, she’s motivating you.  That’s her job.”

“She’s killing me.  She’s a sadist.  Clearly, she gets off on hurting people.  That’s her job.”

“You’re Supergirl.  You beat people up all the time.  That’s your job.”

“No, I’m a scientist.  Beating people up is what I do in my spare time.  I’m volunteering.  It’s like charity work with my fists.”  Lena grinned, but the smile turned into a frown.  “That came out wrong.”

“Everything that comes out of your mouth comes out wrong.  Why are you even here?  Did you get an alert?”  Alex pulled out her phone, checking for messages.

“No, I came for protein bars.  I’m almost out, and your torture devices are kicking up my metabolism even more than normal.  I need more calories.”

“You should just eat a few cheeseburgers.  That would fix you up.”

“Alex, that’s cruel.  Meat is animals.  I love animals.”

“Me too.”  Sticking her phone back into her pocket with a smile, Alex added, “They’re delicious.”

“Mean.”  Lena pouted.

“Oh, put the pout away, and go get your protein bars.  The crew was working on a new flavor for you.  I’m not sure what it is, but I know it has kale in it.”

“Kale?” Lena asked, lighting up.

“That.”  Alex pointed accusingly at her sister.  “The excitement you get over kale is proof that you’re an alien.  You need to keep that on the down low.”

“Alex, lots of people like kale.”

“Yup, and you’re all aliens.  Think about it.”  Alex nodded slowly as she watched her sister consider her words.  “Go get your protein bars.”

“Okay, okay.  Hey, there is one more thing.  Can you talk to Director Henshaw for me?”

“About?  And don’t say the gym.”

“But Al-ex, I don’t need to go.”

“But Le-na, yes, you do.  You ran around in public barely clothed, looking like you do, and getting your picture taken.  You need to go to the gym.”

“But… but… but… Why can’t we just take some pictures of me at the gym here looking like I’m working out?  That would work.”

“No.”  Alex turned to walk away.

Instantly appearing in front of her sister, Lena said, “But it would.  I could wear a bunch of different outfits and make faces like the weights were heavy.  We could do some every week.  It would totally work.”

“Oh, it might but no.  This is what the director said to do, so you’re doing it.  Anyway, working out is good for your soul.”

“Gosh darn it, Alex, my soul has plenty of muscles.  You know that.  I have bulging soul muscles.”

“Bulging soul muscles?” Alex repeated with a laugh.  “Lena, you’re adorable, but you need to go to the gym and be seen in public.  Just do it.”

“But I literally don’t need to do it.  I can…”  Grabbing two nearby agents by their belts, Lena held one in each hand, their waists at her head level.  “Look, I literally do not need to workout.  See?  See these muscles?  No need to workout.”

As the agents windmilled awkwardly in Supergirl’s hands, Alex just sighed and said, “That’s undignified.  Put my agents down.”

“But Alex—”

“Now.”

Dropping them like a dog does a ball from its mouth, and both agents landed with as much grace, Supergirl’s pout returned.  “I still think this gym idea is awful.”

“Noted.  Now, go get your protein bars, and then meet me in the lunchroom.  We can grab something to eat.  I bet you’re hungry.”

“I’m starving!” Lena said dramatically as she snatched up her gym bag from the floor and wandered out of the room.

“That’s not exactly a breaking news update, film at eleven comment, Lena!” Alex yelled after her sister before going to check in with some agents.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Lena, hey, hey.”

Looking up from her lab computer, Lena smiled at her friend.  “Hey, Winn, what’s up?”

“Did you see this Supergirl pic?” Winn held out his phone.

Hand held in front of her protectively as she looked away reflexively, Lena said, “Whoa, there!  What are you showing me?”

“Supergirl was in a fight with three aliens on Monday night.  The Gazette got this awesome pic of her.  See?”

Turning back hesitantly, Lena glanced carefully before seeing it was a newspaper picture and then looking head on.  It was a fairly decent picture of her just having landed a roundhouse punch onto the chin of one of the aliens.  His… her?  His, Lena nodded, his head was snapped back, eyes rolled back into his head and spittle flying out of his maw, as he was unconscious before he’d hit the pavement.  These things were tough, but Supergirl was tougher.

With a lopsided grin, Lena nodded.  “That is a good picture.  I… uh, I like it.  She looks pretty good.”

“What!?  She looks amazing!  She always looks amazing.  Look at those muscles, those eyes, that hair, that cape!”

“The cape?”  Lena adjusted her glasses looking back down at her system as she spoke.  “You like the cape?”

“Uh, yeah.  The boots too.  The boots are hot, but the cape makes a statement, don’t you think?”

“I think it provides stability and helps her corner.  It’s more than an aesthetic.”

Looking at the image in his hand, Winn scrunched up his face.  “Oh. Yeah, that makes sense I guess.  Good thinking.  Did you catch any of the fight on the TV?”

“Definitely not.  I’m not the fangirl that you are, though.”  She began to type again.

“Yeah, why not?”  Winn leaned on Lena’s desk, edging into her space.  “You seemed to be pretty into Superman, but you’re like the total opposite of interested in Supergirl.  How come?”

“I’m just not, that’s all.”  Lena shrugged.

“Yeah, but why?  You and I always talked Superman stuff before, but now that we have our very own local Super, you’re like disinterested.  It’s weird.  I know it’s not ’cause she’s a girl, ’cause you like girls.  I’ve seen you looking.”

Fingers stilled over the keyboard, Lena looked up at her friend.  “You’ve seen me looking?  What is that supposed to mean?”

“At girls.  I’ve seen you looking.”  When Lena didn’t react, he smiled.  “It’s not a big deal, you know.  We all have our thing.  This is California.  It’s really liberal here.  Who cares if you like girls?  Your sister is gay, isn’t she?”

As understanding dawned and her eyebrows rose, Lena asked, “You think I’m gay?”

“Not necessarily.  I’m not trying to label you.  It’s pretty obvious you aren’t straight.”  Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, Winn asked, “Are you all right?”

“I… yeah.  It’s obvious?”

“It’s cool.  You know that right?  Like I said; we all have our thing.”

“And what’s your thing?”

Standing again, Winn looked down at his phone.  “Superheroes.  If I ever met one in real life, I’d be in love.  I’d be completely in love.  How could you not be for someone who gives up so much of their life for others?  They have to be the most amazing anybodies in the world, right?”  He smiled over at her again.

“I… I think they’re just people.  You’re reading too much into it.”

“I think they’re amazing.  You should give them more credit.  Like Supergirl, if I ever met Supergirl I’d tell her that—”

“I think you have a report due before lunch.  Is it done yet?”

“Yeah, yeah, almost,” Winn replied heading back to his desk.  “You’re not my supervisor, you know.”

“We’re supposed to be able to work unsupervised.  Don’t prove management wrong.”

“Whatever.”  Sinking into his seat, Winn smiled once more at his phone before putting it on his desk and getting back to work.  For several moments they worked in relative silence.  “She’d like me if she ever met me.”

Lena looked up at the out of context comment.  “What?”

Turning his chair, Winn faced his friend.  “Supergirl, she’d like me if she ever met me.  I’m smart and nice.  She’d like me.”

“Winn…”  Lena was silent for several seconds as she considered her response.  “Of course, she would.  You’re brilliant and a wonderful person.  If Supergirl knew you, I’m sure you and she would be friends.”

“You think?”

“I guarantee it.  She’d be lucky to have your friendship.  You’re a gift.”

With a kind smile, he turned back to his work.  “Thanks, Lee.  You’re the best.  Supergirl would like you too.”

Lena laughed.  “I think she and I would have a very complicated relationship.”

“How so?”

Looking over at Winn, she replied, “Well, she’d be after my best friend.  I’d have to vie for your affection, and you’d have to deal with the two of us fighting over you.  That’s complicated.”

Slowly, a huge smile spread across Winn’s face.  “I could make that work.”

“Well, I couldn’t,” Lena said turning back to her screen.  “I’m pretty sure Supergirl could take me in a fight.  I might be in good shape, but can you really picture me in a wrestling match with the Girl of Steel over some boy?”

“I can now,” Winn mumbled so quietly no human could have heard him.

Lena glanced over at him twice in confusion before returning to her work.

It was nearly an hour later when Jess from accounting came in to chat them up about a rumor she had heard.  “Okay, you didn’t hear this from me, but something major is happening at the c-suite level.”

“What?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but the board is being adjourned for a special vote.  Also…” Jess looked around as if they weren’t the only three people in the lab.  “I overheard the CFO talking to my boss’ boss, and they were hunting down some irregularities in financing.”

“What does that mean?” Lena asked.

“You want me to guess?  I could guess,” Jess offered.

“Guess.  Guess already,” Winn said waving his arms about.

Sitting on the edge of Lena’s desk, Jess said, “Chill, Winn.  You are such a high-strung little nerd.”

Hand to his heart, Winn looked at Jess, obviously insulted.  “No, I’m not.”

“Which, high-strung or a nerd?”  Jess winked over at Lena.

“Both.  Either.  Yes!”  Winn jumped out of his chair pointing at Jess.  “Lena, back me up here.”

“If the ‘mint in the box’ set of Star Wars memorabilia fits…” Lena replied, pointing while she grinned at Winn.

“They lose their value out of the box.  They’re collectibles.  You know this.”

“Nice one, Danvers!”  Jess held up a hand, high-fiving Lena when the Kryptonian did the same, then shaking her own hand around to try and remove some of the sting of the impact.  “Anyway, my educated guess is we’re looking at embezzlement that has to come from pretty high up.  It’s not the CFO because she’s leading the charge to get this under wraps.  We have a CIO, Chief Information Officer.  It could be him.  He orders a lot of finances for the IT and tech for this company, and that’s huge.  It could be the CMO, the Chief Marketing Officer.  This company pumps money into its brand, and she orders that.  You want to know where I think it’s coming from though?”

Leaning closer, both Lena and Winn nodded.

“I think it’s coming from on high, from the CEO.  The buck starts and stops there.  Quite a few projects were ordered and approved, but the finances don’t add up.”

“How do you know that?” Lena asked.

Smirking and crossing her arms, Jess said, “My group pulled several files on projects that we couldn’t account for.  There were tens of millions of dollars that went to various projects, but we couldn’t find any employees assigned to them.  There were addresses of properties the company owned, and the money had been spent, but we couldn’t track down the actual purchase and sales of any equipment.  Then…”

When she was silent, Winn waved his arms around again.  “Oh, come on already.  Give us the gossip if you want, but enough teasing.”

“Not a fan of foreplay?  That’s a shame.”

“I… huh?”  Winn blinked as his cheeks colored slightly.

Squeezing Jess’ forearm, Lena said, “We do have to get back to work.  Do you know anything else?”

“Yeah, so there’s a history of utilities to a factory that’s supposed to be closed.  It’s ours, but not operational.  Suspicious, huh?”

“Highly,” Lena admitted.  “What does it all mean?”

“It means the board is voting, and I think we might be getting a new CEO.”

“But… but… but this is Luthor Corp,” Winn finally managed.  “Lionel Luthor is dead, and Lex is running things.  Would they really bring in an outsider?”

Jess shrugged.  “They may not have a choice.  Anyway, that’s what I know.  When I hear more, I’ll drop by to share the juicy tidbits.”  She winked over at Winn as she pushed off of the desk and ambled over to the door.  “Try and learn to appreciate the foreplay.”

“Wow, a non-Luthor in charge of Luthor Corp,” Winn said as he retook his seat.  “What do you think that would mean to our jobs?”

“I think she likes you.”

“The new CEO?  You know who it is?”

“What?  No, I have no idea.  I mean Jess.  I think she comes down here and tells us stuff just to flirt with you.”

“Whhaaatttt!?”  Winn scoffed.  “No.  No way.  Never in a million years.  You really think so?”

Lena shrugged as she returned to her work.  “You should ask her out.  Maybe she’s secretly a superhero.  You never know with people.”

“Pfffttt, nah, I’d know if a friend was secretly a superhero.  Their disguises may fool strangers but not their friends.”  After a few moments of silence, he asked, “You really thinks she likes me?”

“I do.  Now, let me get back to my research project while I still have a job.  You should too.”

“Yeah, yeah.  You know, a good wingwoman would ask Jess for me… hint, hint.”

“Yes, a good wingwoman would.”  Smirking while typing, Lena ignored Winn’s open glaring for several seconds before she turned to him.  “Fine.  I’ll feel her out and see if she’d be interested in a non-work related encounter with you.  If she does, no talking like Yoda or pulling out a Hogwart’s House quiz on your phone.”

“But that’s who I am.”

“I know, and I love you exactly as you are. Never change.  I’m just saying it’s third date material.  Understand?”

“Understand I do.”

Turning back to her computer with an exasperated sigh, she replied, “Single you’ll always be.”

<><>

Her system was still running through tests, so Lena left work a half-an-hour early with plans to come in early the next day when the reports would be done.  With gym bag in hand, she headed over to L-Gym.  She waved at Cindy at the front desk, stowed her gym bag in one of the lockers, and made her way over to the stretching area.  She’d barely begun when legs appeared in her vision.

“Hey, workout buddy,” said a cheery voice.

Looking up, Lena’s brows creased together.  “Kara.  Oh.  I didn’t expect to see you yet.  I’m early.”

“I know, but I was just doing paperwork, so I thought I’d come out and join you.”

Lena smiled.  “Cindy shouldn’t have called you.  I can do stretches by myself.”

“She didn’t.”  Holding up her phone, Kara said, “Proximity detector.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m your trainer, and you have your proximity detector on.  It gives me an alert when any of my members come into the gym, so I can give them attention.  Like I said, I was just doing paperwork, so let’s get to stretching.”  Getting on the floor, Kara began to stretch out.

“Your device is pretty neato.”

“Neato?”  Kara smiled while she shook her head.  “Thanks.  We try.  We want to make a real community here.  You can make your access as open or closed as you want with the proximity detector.  The default is just to allow your trainer to see you when you’re close, but you can add gym buddies to your circle or open it to anyone in the L-Gym family.  We think of ourselves as a family.”

“Isn’t that sort of tracking dangerous?  Couldn’t someone use it to stalk someone?”

“It’s not like that.  It doesn’t give you a trail of where they’ve been.  It just pops them up on your app when they’re close enough, and you can engage with them like… Hold on.  I’ll show you.”  Picking up her phone, Kara hit the screen then typed for a few moments.

Lena’s phone buzzed next to her on the ground.  Checking it, she saw she had an alert on the L-Gym app.  The alert consisted of a message from Kara that read, ‘Hey, L-Gym friend, want to work out together sometime?  I’ll spot you if you spot me.’  It had a picture of Kara with a bright smile.  Lena’s image was the one they took of her when she first checked in.  Lena’s response was a series of emoticons.

Kara laughed.  “Okay, I’m not sure what that means, but that’s the idea.  You can change your image to something else or just go with a generic outline.  You can turn it on so more people can see you or make it as limited as you want.  What we’re going for here is branding, of course, but also getting people to work together to be healthier and more health conscious.  People are more likely to work out if they do it together, so we’re trying to form a fitness buddy community.”

“And here I thought gyms just wanted to collect your membership money and never have you workout.”

Face screwing up in displeasure, Kara replied, “We’re not that kind of gym.  Sure, that makes money, but we’ll charge a bit more and do better.  We’ll never be the cheapest place around, but we can be the best.  You can go somewhere else for half the price because you don’t get support and non-attending members are fronting the tab.  That’s not our model.  Our model is attending members, supportive staff, and top of the line equipment.  That’s why you’re here, right?”

“Uh… right!”  Switching over to a new exercise, Lena said, “So, your gym equipment, it has your logo on it.  Your L-tracker links to it.  It’s all proprietary.  This was all made for your gym, right?”

“Yup.”

“By who?”

“The owner is an engineer.”

“Oh… cool.”

“Make sure you get your hamstrings,” Kara said as she did hers.  “You don’t want to tighten up mid-workout.”

Working on her hamstrings, Lena said, “I would have thought she’d be a physical trainer.  She’s just in it for the equipment?”

“No, she’s in it for the whole thing.  She has a Masters in Engineering and a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Fitness.”

“Wow, she takes this seriously.  No Business Degree?”

With a sharp laugh that held much less humor than usual, Kara moved around to do a new exercise.  “Now you sound like her mother.”

Watching the frown that creased the other woman’s face, Lena asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No.  Never.  Come on, let’s pick up the pace.  You’re here early so we can get some extra exercises in today if we don’t slack off.”

Curling up her legs into her chest, Lena sat back and stared at the other woman.  “I’m being punished for being early?”

Jumping up to her feet, Kara planted her fists on her hips.  “Did you give your old trainer this hard of a time?”

“No… much harder.”

With an easier laugh, Kara held down a hand and pulled Lena up quickly when the other women reached toward her.  There was a good bit of force behind it, and Lena hadn’t turned on her ATDs yet, so the Kryptonian collided with her.  Their torsos struck leaving Kara smiling slyly and Lena blushing a bit as she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stepped back.

“Don’t know my own strength,” Kara said, not letting go of the other woman’s hand.  “You all right?”

“If I say no, can I cut out early and get a kale smoothie instead?”

“Kale smoothie?”  Releasing Lena’s hand, Kara tilted her head to the side.  “Where do you go, Jamba Juice?”

Eyes widening, Lena said, “The apple and kale ones are delicious.  You go there?”

“Most of the staff goes there.  Hey, maybe you and I could—”

“Kara!”

At the call of her name, Kara turned her head to see Cindy at the front desk with phone in hand, shaking it in her direction.

“Phone call!” Cindy said.

“I’m with a member!” Kara replied.

“It’s your mom!”

Kara visibly cringed.  “Take a message!”  Her mood visibly darkened, she turned back to Lena.  “Ready to hit the machines?”

“Like punch them?  I won’t lie.  I’ve been tempted.”

With a laugh that seemed to release some of her tension, Kara put a hand on her back and walked Lena over to the nearest machine.  “Let’s get you started on your workout.”

Lena did her usual workout plus a little bit extra with Kara cheering her on.  When she finished, Lena gratefully turned off the ATDs and hit the showers… not literally.  She was clean, changed, and checking her text messages as she was headed back out of the locker rooms.  Kara was handing off a packet of some kind to Cindy at the front desk.

Checking her phone, Kara looked up at Lena.  “Tomorrow is an off day for you, huh?”

“An off day?  Oh, not a gym day.  Right.  Too bad.  I love working out.”

Kara fell into step next to Lena.  “Oh, come on.  I know you love it.  Why are you always pulling my leg like this?  Are you just trying to make me smile?  It’s working, you know.”

“Well, you have a great smile.”

“That makes two of us,” Kara replied with a smile.  “So, about Jamba Juice.  I was thinking—”

“Kara, it’s your mom again,” Cindy said with the phone in her hand.

“What the hell.  Does she have me low-jacked?” Kara hissed out.  “Cindy, just take a message.”

“I’ve tried.  She keeps calling because you’re not calling her back.”  Cindy held the phone out.  “Could you… Please?  She’s pretty demanding.”

“No shit, right?  I’ll be right back,” Kara told Lena as she trotted over to the desk and spoke in hushed tones into the phone.  “Stop calling here.  This is my work.  Whatever it is you want, call your son.  If you want to contact me, do it through a lawyer.  I don’t count as part of the family, remember?”

Lena stared at her phone, pretending to look at something, but every word reached her ears thanks to superior hearing.

Hanging up the phone with a bit of gusto, Kara took several cleansing breaths before she turned back to Lena and crossed the room to join the brunette again.  “Sorry about that.  That was my uh… mother.  She keeps calling.”

“Is everything all right?”

“If you knew my mother, you wouldn’t ask that.  My mother is just… she’s just… What’s your mother like?”

“Dead actually.  I was adopted when I was thirteen.”

Kara blinked several times then nodded before looking down at her feet.  “Sorry.  I uh… me too.”

“What?”

She met Lena’s gaze.  “I was four when my mom died, and I ended up in foster care.  My mother isn’t my birth mother.  I don’t think she ever wanted me.  My dad, my adopted dad, he was great to me, but he died when I was eleven.  Then it was just me, my mother, and my older brother, Alexander.”

Head snapping up slightly, Lena said, “My adopted father died when I was fourteen, and I have an older sister named Alexandra.”

Arms crossed, Kara asked, “What does your mother do?”

“She has a degree in bio-engineering.  She’s—”

“A doctor,” Kara finished.  “So is mine.”  Kara started to make the sound like the music from the Twilight Zone and then smiled.  “Okay, we should really grab some smoothies and discuss how this is actually some secret government conspiracy or something because it sounds like we basically have the same life.  You’re not a chess master are you?”

When her phone vibrated, Lena looked at the text.

DEO: “911”

“Uh… chess is… good.  Look, I’ve got to fly RUN!  I can’t actually fly, but I run and… bye!” Without looking back at Kara, Lena turned and headed out the door quickly.  She made a beeline to an alley where she changed quickly and headed into the air.  Within minutes, she’d landed at the DEO.  “Hey, what’s the emergency?”

“I thought you’d call,” Alex said as her sister strode up.

“It said 911.  We could have been under attack.”

“You sent her a 911?” Alex stared down at agent at the console.

He shrugged.  “Director Henshaw said to make sure she responded immediately.  She responded.”

Alex sneered.  “Idiot.  Don’t do that again.  Next time just send her a picture of a box of kittens with a sign that says ‘Free’ in front of it.  She’ll respond immediately.”

Grabbing Alex’s arm, Lena turned her sister back toward her.  “Are there really free kittens?”

“See?”  Alex gestured at the agent before patting her sister’s hand.  “You’re squeezing too hard, sweetie.  Sorry, no kittens.  We do have a security alert, though.  How about we discuss that?”

Releasing her sister, Lena nodded.  “Oh.  Okay.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I just… I’m fine.  Tell me about the security alert.”

“Bring it up on the screen,” Alex directed.  The screen showed a sketchy looking man.  He was very blond, tall, thin, and had a half-circle scar around his left eye.  Reaching under a park bench, he retrieved an envelope that was taped there.  He took it and walked out of view of the camera.

“Who’s that?” Lena asked.

“Noah Frandsen,” Alex replied.  “He’s a hitman, a good one.  He doesn’t come cheap.  We got word that he’s in town and targeting someone major.”

“And this has something to do with the DEO why?  I mean, I’m all for stopping hitmen, but is he an alien?”

“Nope, he’s very much human.”

Head tilted to the side, Lena asked, “Is he here to kill aliens?  What am I missing?”

“Bring up the next video,” Alex ordered.  The screen showed an array of what were clearly weapons, but non-standard ones, laid out across a warehouse floor.  Men on their knees with their hands behind the back of their heads were being cuffed and taken away.

“Okay, that looks more like DEO business.  What’s the connection?” Lena asked.

“This warehouse filled with advanced tech led us to this hitman.  Someone in there flipped on him to cut a deal.”

“Why?  What?  What did they tell us exactly?  I don’t get it.”

Alex rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.  “Neither do we yet.  One of the people we arrested with these unregistered and experimental weapons told us they overheard their superior talking to a man about Frandsen being sent into National City to take out someone major.”

“Who?  I mean, who was the person talking to?”  Lena waved her hands around.  “What do we know, Alex?”

“Nothing else.  The communications were never in person.  Director Henshaw says he has some advanced interrogation techniques, and he spoke to the man in question but got nowhere.  Right now all we know is that we have a hitman on the loose in the city with an unspecified target, and whoever hired him is making weapons like this.”

Lena nodded.  “Why are they making weapons like this?”

“Not a clue, but it can’t be good.  Lena, we’ve begun testing, and some of those things could hurt you.”

“Me?”  Lena scoffed.  “Please.  Not me.  You’re exaggerating.”

“Hey, take this seriously.  This person could be gunning for you, literally gunning for you.”

“This was in National City?”

“No, Metropolis but—”

“Then they’re probably not after me.  You’re overreacting.”

“You’re underreacting.”  Squeezing Lena’s shoulders, Alex said, “Overreacting, if that keeps you safe, that’s in my job description.  Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“So you’re starving.”

“Yeah.”

Her arm around her sister’s shoulders, Alex began to walk with the brunette toward the lunchroom.  “How are those new protein bars?”

“They’re good.  Do you want to try one?”

“Never.  Never offer again.  If I’m dying of hunger, just let me die.”

“You’re awful.  Hey, can I ask your advice on something?”

With a squeeze of Lena’s shoulders, Alex replied, “Of course.  What do you need, sweetie?”

“How did you know you were… interested in Maggie?”

“Wow.”  Alex stepped away, taking Lena’s hand in hers.  “What brought this on?”

“Something my friend Winn said.”

“Which friend is that?”

“Alex, you’ve met… never mind.  I work with him.  Anyway, he said something, and it got me thinking, so I’m a bit curious about the subject.”

“You think your friend Wink might be gay?”

“You mean Winn?”  Smiling Lena shook her head.  “No, he’s not… Okay, he’s not straight, but he’s not gay.  He’s very… He’s very… I can’t describe him.”

“Maybe I’d understand if I ever met him.”

Lena stared quietly for several seconds before sighing and shaking her head.  “This is just a losing battle.  Maybe.  Anyway, I was wondering how you knew for sure.  Was it just Maggie?  If she hadn’t pushed the issue, would you have known?”

“Maggie didn’t push the issue.  She was just honest in a way no one had ever been with me before.  I’d like to say I’d have figured it out eventually no matter what.  It was never about Maggie though.  She just called me on it.  Then she rejected me… which is fine.  It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.”

“It’s fine, Lena.  It’s fine.  Okay, it’s not fine, but she has that right.  We’ll be friends eventually.  I hope we’ll be friends, eventually.  Right now it’s just new and raw, and it hurts, but it’s getting better.  What I did figure out was that it wasn’t about her.  It was about me.  All Maggie did was make me take a good look at myself, and I’m grateful to her for that… or I will be when I’m done hating her stupid beautiful face.”

“But how do you really feel?”

“Shut up,” Alex replied with a laugh, putting an arm around her sister’s waist as they walked off again.  “Whatever your friend Wine is going through, it’s about him not some other guy.”

“Okay, well, now you’re doing it on purpose.”

Alex blinked.  “Doing what on purpose?”

“Never mind,” Lena replied with a sigh.
“So, is there another guy?”

“I… I’m not sure.  Things are confusing right now.  Thanks for talking to me, Alex.  This helped.”

“You know what else would help?  An entire salad bar worth of salad.”

“Totally,” Lena agreed.  “You get me.”

“Oh, no.  No one ‘gets you’, but I’ve been feeding this bottomless pit of a stomach of yours for long enough to know how to deal with you.  Plus, you’re awful when you’re hangry.”

“I never get hangry.”

Alex laughed.  “You are the very definition of hangry.”

Pouting, Lena grumbled.  “Mean.”

Chapter Text

It was a Wednesday when Lena showed up at the gym again.  She did her usual check-in, stowed her gym bag, and headed to the stretching area.  Lena made it all the way through her stretching, and Kara still hadn’t shown up.  After giving the gym a once-over just to make sure the trainer wasn’t still working with another member, Lena headed to the front desk to check on Kara’s status.

The person working there today wasn’t Cindy but some buff and white-toothed young man with a ready smile.  “Can I help you?”

“My trainer hasn’t shown up yet.  Kara?”

He didn’t check the schedule, just leaned forward on the desk and spoke in hushed tones.  “Oh, sweetie, she’s in the manager’s office in a meeting.  It didn’t look pretty.”

“Is she in trouble with the manager?”  Lena’s voice was full of concern.  “Kara’s a great trainer.  I’d be happy to vouch for her.”

“No, no, no,” the man assured.  “Kara is the manager.  Actually, she’s the owner.  Some haughty amazon and her bodyguards showed up, and things got a bit heated, so they went into Kara’s office.  If you had been here like a half-an-hour ago, you could have heard them from here.  It was a real catfight.”

“Wait, an actual Amazon?  What did she look like?  I might know her.  Maybe I can help.”

The man looked confusedly at Lena, but before anyone could get further into their strange conversation, voices came from a hallway in the back of the gym followed by a group of people.  A man in a suit who gave off a bodyguard vibe lead the group followed by a very tall, brunette, middle-aged woman who was dressed to the nines.  She was beautiful, elegant, and managed to look down on everyone in the gym with one sweeping glance.  Behind her came a crestfallen Kara, and bringing up the rear was another woman who seemed to be another bodyguard.  Looking over her glasses, Lena did a quick x-ray of the group to see the two in suits were indeed armed.

The elegant looking woman spoke, and it was obvious that she was the one who was talking before.  Though she was far away, Lena could make out every word.  “Just make sure you’re there on Monday, Kara.  This is what your father would have wanted.”

“Right, my father,” Kara hissed out bitterly.  “That’s what this is all about, my relationship to my father.”

Sighing, the tall woman said, “Oh, stop being so dramatic.  That’s your brother’s job.  You’ve always been the reasonable one.  This is about business.  Right now, it’s about the family business and keeping it in the family.  We need you for this.”

Kara looked up sharply.  “We?  Suddenly there’s a we?”

“Kara, you and I will be all we’ll have left soon.  I’ve tried to explain to you why I’ve done the things that I did.  When you have your own children, you’ll understand.”

“When I have my own children, they’ll never doubt that they’re loved because I’ll never give them reason.”

After a few moments of staring, the woman said, “I’ll expect to see you on Monday.  I’ll send a car and—”

“I can make my own way there.”

“It won’t be any trouble.  The driver—”

“I said, I can make my own way there, Mother,” Kara stressed with a bit more force this time.

Kara’s mother nodded once then said, “Fine, but I’ll send you a reminder, and a car will come around if you’re late.  This is a critical situation.  We need you.  This is everything and—”

“I know!  I get it, okay!?  Are you done, or do you want to tell me the sun is hot and that water is wet?  The obvious has been stated.”

“Snippy does not suit you, Kara.  It never has,” Kara’s mother said as she looked down at her from her six-foot frame made taller by high-heels.  “Do try and dress appropriately.  I assume you have something that isn’t lyrca and spandex?”

Arms crossed and a smug smile finally making its way to her face, Kara asked, “The Nike business line for women won’t work for this?  I thought we were going to ‘Just Do It’.”

“Just be there,” the woman replied, turning on her heel and striding out without another word.  She walked past Lena without even a first glance, let alone a second one, and left the gym.

Lena watched her leave then headed toward Kara’s deflated form leaning against the wall.  Hesitantly, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Huh?”  Kara straightened up, pulling out her phone and grimacing when she saw the time.  “Fuck.  I’m so sorry, Lena.  Look, my schedule is empty after this, so if you have the time, I’m yours for however long you need.  I just had an unplanned visitor and—”

“I saw,” Lena said then added, “I heard.”

“You… heard?”

“Well… some.  I was kind of far away but… That’s your mom?”

Kara sighed.  “That’s Lillian in the flesh, mother of the year.”

“That looked um…” Nodding to herself, Lena asked, “Want to grab a smoothie?”

“Oh, no.  You should be working out.”

With a bright smile, Lena replied, “Oh, one day won’t hurt my schedule.  Just don’t tell my trainer.”

Kara smiled back.  “She’s pretty strict?”

“A slave driver.  Really, I’m pretty sure she helped build the pyramids.  I haven’t actually seen the whip yet, but I know she has one.”

“That’s because you’re just an elite member.  It comes with the ultra-elite package.”

Squinting, Lena asked, “Why would someone want you to whip them?”

With an awkward laugh, Kara said, “You know what, why don’t you grab your bag, and I’m going to log out of my system and let folks know I’m heading out for the evening.  Sound good?”

Lena nodded.

The duo met by the front door and headed outside.  They chatted very briefly as they walked into the parking lot.  Kara paused once she reached the main area of the cars, and she looked around a bit as if searching for something.

Finally, Kara said, “Where did you park?”

“Oh, I didn’t.  I flew here… on a… bus,” Lena added awkwardly.

Kara’s brows pressed together, but then she said, “I could drive.”

“Fine.” Lena smiled eagerly as they moved off her mistake.

Kara led the way to a Porsche 911 GT2 RS.  It was gray with black detailing and had custom rims.  It looked new.  Kara pushed a button to unlock it with a welcoming chirp.  The interior was black and red, and although the smell that hit Lena’s nose wasn’t quite ‘new car’, it both looked and smelled recently detailed.  The whole thing reeked of money, more than Lena would spend in several years on rent.

“Nice car,” Lena said hesitantly as she peered into the vehicle which was her net worth several times over.

“Thanks,” Kara replied sliding into the car and not seeming to notice Lena’s unease.  “Just toss your bag in the back.”

Carefully, Lena placed her bag on the floor and sat down wary of pushing or pulling anything with too much force.  “So, the gym must be doing all right.  You own this one, right?”

As the engine thrummed with power, Kara turned with her own touch of hesitancy and asked, “Who told you that?”

Lena’s response was, “Do you have a Masters in Engineering and a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Fitness?”

Shifting the car into first, Kara said, “Let’s talk over smoothies.”

Jamba Juice was located at the mall only a short drive away.  Taking her seat at a table in front of the store, Kara slid one of the kale and apple smoothies in her hand across the table to where Lena waited.  They both drank in silence for several minutes making quiet noises of appreciation over the beverages.

The quiet had grown uncomfortably heavy when Lena finally cleared her throat and said, “So, do you have a Masters—?”

“Yes,” Kara replied staring at the smoothie.

“You own the—”

“Yes.”

“All of the—”

“Yes.”  Kara lifted her eyes, meeting Lena’s gaze.  “It’s my company.  L-Gym is my company.  I started it about four years ago after I designed the gym equipment and the L-tracker.  They were my Master’s degree graduate project.  I approached a few different gyms with the idea of working with them with my designs, but none of them approached fitness the way I wanted to do it.  I had… some money that I got when I turned eighteen, so I decided to put it into my own startup.  My father taught us a lot about business, always took my brother and me to meetings and insisted we learn about the family business, so I wasn’t completely ignorant about how to run a company.  I took a chance and put in a lot of hard work, and it paid off.  L-Gym has taken off and is the largest gym franchise on the west coast.  We’re planning to launch on the east coast in 2019.”

“Wow.  Congrats.  So, is it like a secret?” Lena took a long sip of her smoothie before adding, “You kept talking about yourself in the third person.  I’m just confused.”

With a soft smile, she replied, “It’s awkward.  I love being a trainer, love that part of the business, but when people find out who you are it changes the conversation.  They treat you differently.  I just want to be Kara, to have that level of anonymity.  I guess it’s kind of like a…”

“Secret identity?”

Smile growing, Kara chuckled.  “Maybe?  I want people to treat me like who I am not what I am.  Does that make sense?”

Staring down at smoothie again, Lena said, “So much, you have no idea.”

Reaching across, Kara squeezed Lena’s forearm.  “Does this have to change anything between us?  Can we just keep being Lena and Kara?”

Lena’s gaze shifted to a warm hand on her forearm, and she swallowed hard.  Eyes turned up until she met Kara’s gaze, and she nodded.  “I’d like that.  I’d like it if we could just keep being… us.”  When Kara smiled and squeezed her arm again, Lena asked, “So, want to talk about whatever is going on with your mom?  No pressure, but I’m a pretty good listener.”

“Ugh.”  Sitting back and withdrawing her hand, Kara pushed her smoothie away in obvious general disgust.  “She drives me crazy.  I mean literally, she’s the reason I’ve been in and out of therapy all my life.  I’m sorry, is that oversharing?”

Making a circular motion over the table, Lena replied, “This is a safe zone.  Say what you want.  I won’t betray your confidences.  Eliza, she’s my adopted mom, she makes me a little crazy sometimes too.”

“Lillian, my adopted mom, she makes me more than a little bit crazy.  If I hadn’t gone away to boarding school, I’m sure I would have ended up in the psych ward.  I’m surprised my brother hasn’t gone off the deep end yet.  Actually…”  Kara shook her head.  “He’s just been really distant lately.  I don’t know what’s up with him.  He was the one that made me feel the most welcome when I was first adopted, but lately, he’s been all over the place.  He’s got this secret project at work that’s taking over all his free time, and it’s gotten him into some trouble.”

“What do you mean, trouble?”

Kara looked around as if to make sure they wouldn’t be overheard, then leaned forward and spoke in hushed tones.  “Okay, so we have a family-owned business.  It has been since it was created.”

“Kind of like yours?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.  Anyway, my brother is the president right now.  He has been since our father died.  I thought he was doing a great job.  Apparently, he’s been putting money into a project which wasn’t fully vetted.  It didn’t pass through anyone else in management.  It’s some little pet project of his, but apparently, it’s a lot of money.”

“So, is he like stealing money?”

“What?  God, no.”  Kara sat back, running her hand through her hair.  “He’d never… There’s no need for something like that.  He has money.  He has plenty of money.  He just wanted to do something off the books or get it to market sooner or something.  I don’t know.  I don’t know anything about it.  The point is, someone found out, and he’s in trouble.  He’s not in ‘call the cops’ trouble, but it’s the kind of trouble where they’ll vote in a new president.  My mother thinks he’s going to leave the country to get out of the public light.  You know, for the good of the company”

“Oh, wow.  So, does your mom want you to speak on his behalf or something?”

“I wish.  I would.  I’d like to smack him upside his bald head right now, but no.  My mother just dropped a bomb on me in classic Lillian fashion because what she wants and needs always comes in before everyone else’s desires.”  Elbows on the table, Kara rested her head on her hands and sighed heavily.  “My mother dropped off my birth certificate with me.  That was the proverbial bomb.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

Lifting her head, Kara made eye contact again.  “My father was my father.  He was literally my father.  My father had an affair with my birth mother.  That’s why they adopted me.  I’m a bastard.”  Kara watched as several expressions played over Lena’s face: confusion, dawning understanding, a touch of horror, and then finally sympathy.  “At least you know the people who took you in wanted you.  You were actually chosen.”

“Hey.”  Reaching across the table, Lena laid a hand on top of Kara’s.  “You’re amazing.  You know that, right?”

Kara shrugged.  “At least it finally answers the billion-dollar question as to why I was adopted.  Even as a little kid, it didn’t feel right in that house.”

“Billion-dollar huh?”

Lacing her fingers with Lena’s, Kara smiled a bit.  “Inflation.”

Lena laughed a bit.  “So, what does this birth certificate bomb have to do with what’s going on with your brother?  Hey, he’s your half-brother.”

“Wow, yeah.”  Playing with her hair again, Kara said, “Some tough genetics there.  Glad I’m a girl.  So, the company.  Apparently, my mother intends to trot me out as the other heir to my father’s legacy and put me in charge of the company when my brother gets ousted.  This will keep the company in the family and keep some outsider from being put in charge.  My brother has been making noises about fighting this, but the CFO is a tough woman who discovered the irregularities with the funds and is ‘on a witch hunt’.  So says Mother.  My mother hates her, which probably means I’ll get along great with her.”

Lena sat nodding while Kara talked, but when the blonde grew silent, she asked, “Are you going to do it?”

“Do what?”

“Take over the company, your family business.”

“I… I have to, don’t I?”

“Do you?”

Lena tried to pull away, but Kara just squeezed her hand tighter while she thought before saying, “That business was everything to my father.  He’d be heartbroken to see it leave the family.  If I don’t take over, they might even decide to pursue criminal proceedings against my brother.”

“Did he break the law?”

“It’s… It’s not like that.  It’s more like misappropriation of funds.  He didn’t steal it, but the money isn’t where it’s supposed to be.  It’s still within the company.  The publicity could be bad for everyone if—”

“Lena?”

They both looked up, pulling their hands apart at the approaching figure.

“Hey, I thought that was you,” Alex said as she walked over to their table, a shopping bag in one hand and a curious expression on her face.  “What are you uh… doing?”

“Alex!” Lena practically leaped to her feet.  “This is my, uh, Alex.  My uh—”

“The big sister?” Kara asked smoothly as she rose with her hand extended.  “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Uh-oh.”  Smiling, Alex shook Kara’s hand.  “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Oh, it’s not.  It was awful, horrible, terrifying.”  Kara looked over at Lena, winking before she met Alex’s gaze again.  “Just kidding.  She adores you.  Lena goes on about you all the time.  You must get awfully tired from hanging the moon and the stars.”

With a sharp laugh, Alex replied, “Yeah, well, it’s a full-time job, but someone has to do it.  I wouldn’t want everyone stumbling around in the pitch-black at night.”

Smiling brightly, Kara replied, “Well, on behalf of everyone that stays up past sunset, thank you.”

“Tell them they’re welcome, and so are you.”

Alex looked over at Lena, raising her eyebrows and grinning a little bit.

Pointing at an empty chair, Kara said, “Please, join us.”

“Oh, no.  I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“It’s no intrusion,” Kara assured.  “We’re just getting to know each other, chatting about life as adoptees, right, Lena?”

“Ab… Absolutely.  Join us, Alex.”  Lena’s smile was a bit slower in coming, but no less sincere.

“Oh, you’re adopted too?”  Alex pulled out a chair.

Kara nodded.  “Lena and I have a spooky amount of things in common.  Can I get you a kale and apple smoothie?”

Paused mid-sitting, Alex squinted at one of the half-consumed smoothies while she pursed her lips.  “Ah… not this time.  I grabbed one on my way in, and I had a kale salad for lunch.  I’m kind of all kaled out right now, you know?”

“Yeah, that can happen,” Kara admitted.  “They sure are delicious though.”  In the background, someone made a loud noise causing the blonde to look away.

‘Alien,’ Alex mouthed to her sister while pointing at Kara.

‘Stop it,’ Lena mouthed back delivering a gentle kick to Alex’s shin that would doubtless leave a bruise.

When Kara turned back, Alex asked, “So, Kara, how do you and Lena know each other?”

“From the gym.”

“Oh, you met at the gym?”

“Alex, Kara’s my trainer,” Lena explained.

“Ooooh.”  Alex smirked.  “So, you’re the sadist.”

Eyes nearly as wide as saucers, Lena let out a little nervous laugh.  “I… I didn’t say that.”

“No, no I think that was literally what you said, Lena.  You said she was a sadist who got off on causing you pain.”

“Alex.”  Lena shook her head at her sister, then looked over at Kara.  “This is all out of context.”

“She said her pain made you smile,” Alex added grinning even broader at Kara.  “Isn’t that the dictionary definition of a sadist?”

“I’ll show you the dictionary definition of a sadist,” Lena warned between gritted teeth.

Chuckling, Kara leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her smoothie.  “You two are fun.  You can tell you’re siblings.  So, Alex, what do you do when you aren’t lighting up the night sky and harassing your little sister?”

“Well, those two things take up most of my time, but I squeeze in a few hours with the FBI when I’m free.”

“A fed?” Kara sat up a bit straighter.  “Well, that’s ah… That’s a bit concerning.”

Alex looked over at Lena who looked confused, so asked, “Why, is there something wrong?”

Nodding, Kara said, “Well, I was just telling your sister here that my brother, whose name is also Alex, coincidentally, has gotten himself into a bit of hot water.  See, our family business works with a lot of local governments.  This one government opened an official state zoo some miles inland from the Pacific Ocean.  Well, it turns out they had these amazing porpoises that would live forever, but they required a diet of baby seagulls brought to them in the porpoise pool to do so.  So, the director of the zoo sent my brother down to the ocean to bring back baby seagulls for the porpoises.  However, while my brother was down at the beach, the lions escaped from their cages and began to surround the porpoise pool.  When my brother returned to the zoo carrying thousands of young gulls, he was forced to make the split-second decision.  He either had to run and jump high over the lions in order to get the gulls to the porpoise pool or these porpoises wouldn’t be fed and wouldn’t live forever.  Well, my family has never backed down from anything, so my brother jumped over the lions and made it to the porpoises, but he was arrested, and I’m sure you know why, right Alex?”  Sipping the last of her smoothie, Kara grinned like she knew some kind of secret.

“I… I… Lena?” Alex looked over at her sister.

“Golly, I have no idea what’s going on.  Your family business is at a zoo?” Lena asked.

Silently laughing and shaking her head, Kara leaned on the table and smiled over at Alex.  “He was arrested for transporting young gulls over state lions for immortal porpoises.”

Alex’s brows pressed together while she absorbed that, and then as understanding dawned, she leaned back and groaned.  “Oh!  That was awful.  That was… That was actively painful.  You, madam, are a sadist.  That hurt me.”

Chuckling and winking at Lena, Kara said, “Maybe a little bit.  I don’t get to try that one out on too many feds.”

Waggling her finger at Kara, Alex said, “Because you drive us all away with your painful sense of humor.”

Clutching both hands to her chest, Kara grunted in feigned pain.  “Ouch.  You wound me.”

“I’m just returning fire.  They teach us that at Quantico.”

“Okay, fair enough.  I guess I deserved that,” Kara admitted.  “So, outside of suspending celestial bodies, giving your sister a hard time, and riddling taxpayers with emotional bullet holes, what do you do for fun?”

“Jeez, that kind of fills up my schedule.  I don’t have a lot of free time after that.”

“Oh, come on.  You must like to do something else.  What about working out?”

Alex nodded.  “Well, I’m no Lena or you, but it’s kind of a job requirement.  I have to stay field sharp.”

Kara smiled.  “What about fun?”

“Does drinking count?”

“Ah, you’re a club girl.”  Pursing her lips, Kara said, “I like clubbing.  I need to watch what I drink.  There are a lot of empty calories in alcohol, but I love to dance.  We should go clubbing sometime.”

“Oh.”  Stiffening, Alex replied, “Thanks, but I don’t think we go to the same kind of clubs.  You see I… I’m a… I just came… I …”

Kara watched Alex for several moments before her eyebrows rose and she nodded, then smiled.  Hand patting the table gently, Kara said, “Alex, we go to the same kinds of clubs.  We should go sometime.  I’ll even drive.”

“She has a great car,” Lena added.

“I have a few.  I kind of have a thing for cars,” Kara admitted sheepishly.

“You have more than one car like that?” Lena asked, clearly curious.

“Different kinds of cars for different uses, different moods.  I have some that are better for group outings so you could go clubbing with us,” Kara said encouragingly.

“Oh, that sounds great.  I love to dance.”

“Awesome.  We’ll make plans.  Alex, feel free to invite friends, or if there’s a special girl, you should definitely bring her along.  I should get going.”  As she stood, she said, “Hey, thanks for everything today, Lena.  Talking helped.”

“I pretty much just listened.”

“Yeah, but you’re right.  You’re a great listener.  I really appreciated it.  If I’m going to be dealing with my family again, maybe I should make an appointment with a professional, so I don’t have to chew your ear off.”

“Well, my ear is pretty sturdy.  I don’t think you can actually chew it off.”

“Don’t tempt me.  I’ll try,” Kara said with a wink.  “Alex, great meeting you.  I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon.”

“Same here.”  Alex watched as Kara walked away, the smile falling off her face as she gently slapped her sister’s arm.  “What the hell was that, Lena?”

“What?  What’s going on?”

“You and teacher, that’s what.  How could you complain to me about going to the gym when that was at the gym?”

“You mean Kara?”

“You mean Kara?” Alex mocked.  “Yes, I mean Kara.  That woman is smart, funny, beautiful, and either she has something very wrong with her eye, or she was flirting with you.”

“No.”  Brows pressed together, Lena considered then repeated, “No.  She’s just really friendly.  That’s her job.”

“Well, she’s very, very good at her job, then.  Lena, she was flirting with you.”

“You think?”

“I’m really bad at this, and even I know she was flirting with you.  Lena, she invited us out to a gay club.  She told me to bring friends, to bring any girl that I was seeing.  Who did she tell you to bring?”

Hesitantly, Lena replied, “No one.”

“Why?”

“Because she… uh.  I don’t want to say in case I’m wrong.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Nodding, Lena finally said, “Because she wants me to go there as a single girl while she goes there as a single girl so we can both be single girls in the same place at the same time?”

Rubbing her temples, Alex said, “God, and I thought I was bad at dating.  Poor Mom will never have grandchildren.  We’re a couple of disasters.”  Smiling over at her sister, she said, “Lena, She. Likes. You.  Wait a minute, when you were talking about your friend Wino who might be gay, were you actually talking about yourself?”

“Did you just call him Wino?”

“Just answer the question.”  Alex crossed her arms and stared at her sister.  “Lena, was that conversation about Kara?”

“I… I… yes,” Lena finally admitted.  “There’s just something about her that makes me feel all…”

“Gay?”

“No, well, not exactly.  I don’t know.  How do you feel gay?”

Alex shrugged.  “I just get up in the morning, and there it is.  Question, did I interrupt a date here?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Are you sure?  When she asked you to go to the mall with her, what did—?”

“I asked her.”

Eyebrows rising, Alex leaned forward.  “Come again?”

“There’s some drama going on with her family’s business, which may or may not have something to do with zoos, and she and her adopted mother got into a big dispute at the gym today.  I don’t want to breach any confidences, but I suggested we come here so she and I could talk someplace that wasn’t her work.  That’s all it was.  It wasn’t a date.”

“Oh, okay.  She knew that?”

“Well, sure.  Kara was pretty upset today.  I don’t think she was in a good place to be working.  She needed a friend.  I was trying to be a friend.”

Squeezing her sister’s hand, Alex said, “You’re a great friend, Lena.”

“I try.  She’s got a lot of stuff going on, Alex.  She’s really nice, really funny like you said, but there’s a lot going on in her life.  I think she could use a friend.”

Studying her sister, Alex asked, “Is that what you want to be, her friend, Lena?”

“I…” Letting out a heavy breath, Lena said, “I don’t know.  I didn’t realize I had options.  I’m not sure it feels real.  It’s a little bit… intimidating?”

“You, intimidated?  I thought you didn’t bend for anyone.”

“Well, maybe for cute blondes,” Lena mumbled.

Perking up with enthusiasm, Alex asked, “Did you just call her cute!?”

“Shhhh!”  Looking around, Lena waved her hands at her sister.  “Keep your voice down.  People will hear you.”

“So?  You just called her cute.  You like her.”

“I can find someone aesthetically pleasing without being romantically or sexually attracted to them.”

Alex grinned.

“What?”

“You just said sexually attracted.”

“Ugh.”  Lena sunk down into her chair and then pushed back up looking around the mall.

“What is it?” Alex asked, instantly alert as she also looked around.  “What are you looking for?”

“A sniper with a kryptonite bullet.  This conversation is killing me with embarrassment.  I’m hoping to find someone who can do me in faster.”

“Idiot,” Alex said taking a swipe at her sister’s head and missing when Lena moved out of the way with ease.

When her phone chimed, Lena picked it up and her brows furrowed.

“What is it?”

“It’s a message from Kara.”

“She texted you?  Is something wrong?”

Shaking her head, Lena began to type back then put the phone on the table.  “No, it’s through the app for the gym.  She just asked if we were still here, so I told her we were still in the food court.”

“Why’d she ask?”

“She didn’t say.”

About three minutes later, Kara came striding up with Lena’s gym bag in hand.  “You left this in the back of my car.  I almost just took it home and tossed your stuff into the laundry with mine, but I figure community laundry is third date material.”  Kara laughed and winked at Lena again.

Blanching, Lena took her bag and looked down, playing with the zipper.  “Yeah, yeah, thanks.  I’m actually pretty particular about my stuff.  I have a lot of dye and perfume allergies, so I always do my own laundry so… uh… yeah.”

“Oh, well, good to know.  I’m glad I didn’t stink your stuff up with my smelly detergent.  You okay?” Kara asked.

Lifting her head, Lena managed a smile.  “Absolutely.  Thanks for my bag.”

“No problem, but I also realized two things: One, we need to reschedule your gym appointment from today, and two, I don’t have your phone number.”  Unlocking and handing over her phone, Kara said, “Put it in here?”

“Oh.”  Nodding, Lena placed her bag on the floor and typed her digits and name into Kara’s phone before handing it back.  “Here.”

“Awesome.  I’ll text you, so you’ll have my number.  I’m glad we were close enough that the gym app let me reach you.  Now, does Friday before or after work fit into your schedule?”

“Uh, after would be better.”

Nodding, Kara clicked a few things on her screen.  “Okay, I sent you a 5:30 update for a workout appointment.  If you need to change that, you can see my free time through the app.  Hey, thanks again for letting me slack today.  Sometimes we just need it.  Family, right?” Kara winked at Lena again before giving a sideways nod in Alex’s direction.

“Tell me about it,” Lena replied.

Alex cleared her throat.  “I can hear you two.”

“Watch it.  It’s the fuzz,” Kara whispered.  Stepping in close, she embraced Lena.  “Really, thanks a million… a billion after inflation.”

Eyes closing, Lena relaxed into the embrace.

“Mmmm, you smell great,” Kara whispered.

Eyes flying open, Lena looked over at her sister before meeting Kara’s gaze as the blonde stepped back.

“Well, leaving take two.  I’ll see you both soon, I hope, you definitely, Lena.  Bye.”

As Kara left, Lena sank into her chair and gripped the edge of the metal table tightly enough to put finger-shaped indentations into it.

“You gonna make it?” Alex asked with a grin.  “I thought that third date comment was about to make you swallow your tongue.”

“Yeah, that was uh… no.  No, that wasn’t what got me.”  Placing her bag on the table, Lena patted it and watched her sister’s expression as she quietly said, “My uniform is in here.”

A container of Tide Pods: $14.99

A box of Snuggle fabric softener sheets: $3.99

The look on your sister’s face as she realizes your hot trainer doing your laundry almost outed you as Supergirl: Priceless

Chapter Text

Knocking on the edge of Jess’ cube with a frozen drink in hand, Lena smiled when her friend looked up at her.  “Hey.”

“Hey,” Jess replied.  “Is that a mochaccino?”

Lena nodded.

“Is this a bribe?”

“Maybe?”

Standing, Jess looked over the walls of her cube before sitting and gesturing Lena closer.  She took the drink, taking a deep sip. “Mmmm. Okay, what do you need?”

“It’s about Winn.”

“Meganerd 2000?  Huh.  What does he need?”

“You like him, right?”

With a shrug, Jess replied, “Sure, what’s not to like.  Does he think I don’t like him?”

“No, I mean you like him.”

“Oh.”  Her smile growing, Jess repeated, “Do I like him? Why, does he like me?”

“I asked you first, and I brought you a mochaccino.”

Chuckling, Jess wrote something on a piece of steno paper, tore it out of the notebook, folded it in half, and handed it to Lena. “Here, give this to Winn from me.”

Brows creased together, Lena opened it to find the words, ‘Do you like me? check:’ Below were the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with little boxes next to them.

“I don’t understand,” Lena said.

“Oh, come on,” Jess replied, leaning back in her chair while she sucked icy beverage through her straw.  “Didn’t you go to middle school?”

“Well, not on this pl ... place. I wasn’t adopted until high school.  I was in another country then, and we didn't have these,” she added, holding up the note.

“Oh, right.  You know, if I didn’t love you so much, I’d hate you.  I was born in this country, and I get treated like an outsider because I'm Asian.  You weren’t born here, but people treat you just fine because you're white.”

“I’m ... sorry?”

“Nah, people are racist idiots, and it isn’t your fault.  Anyway, sexists treat us both like trash.  Fuck ’em all.”  Taking the note back, she crumpled it up and threw it into the trash.  “Come on.  Let’s go see the Jedi Master.”

As Jess rose and walked away, Lena followed and said, “You know, he’d love it if you called him that.”

“Jedi Master?”

Lena nodded.

“Hmmm ... sounds a bit kinky if you think about it too hard.  I’ll try not to think about it.”

“Kinky?” Lena let that stew but when they reached the elevator finally said, “I don’t get it.”

“Of course, you don’t,” Jess said smiling up at Lena and stepping in as the door opened. “You’re adorable.  Hit the lab rat floor?”

“Hmmm. We're not lab rats,” Lena said hitting the button.

“Yet you knew what I meant.”

“You're ... number crunchers.”

“Number crunchers?”  Grinning, Jess asked, “How long did it take you to think that one up?”

“I saw it in a video game.”

“Which one?”

Lena mumbled something.

“What?”

“Toon Town.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

Shrugging, Lena said, “It was fun, a Disney game, but they shut it down like five years ago. You played a toon, and you threw pies and squirted seltzer bottles at the cogs who tried to take over Toon Town.  Number Crunchers were bad Guys.  There were also—”

“Here we are,” Jess said as the elevator door opened and she stepped out.  “I’m sure your game was fun.  I’m sorry it ended.”

“It was fun.  It was cute too.”

Smiling at the other woman, Jess nodded.  “That sounds like you.”

They walked down several winding corridors before coming to the lab testing area.  Lena scanned her badge, and they walked in.  Winn was at his desk, typing away when they entered.  He glanced up, then did a double take when he saw who it was.  Sitting up a little straighter, he smiled.

“Hey, hey, what’s up, ladies?”

Sitting on Winn's desk, Jess pushed back and crossed her legs.  She smiled as Winn followed the motion. “So, Schott, what are you doing Friday night?”

“Ah, you ah ... You know. The usual.”

“Online video games and launching your potential children into a sock?”

Hand to his chest, Winn replied, “The accuracy is what makes that hurt the most.”

Jess laughed.

Clearing her throat, Lena said, “Be nice.”

“Sorry.”  Looking at Winn again, Jess asked, “How’d you like to do something that requires pants?”

“I’m confused yet intrigued.  Go on.”

“You, me, dinner at a place that doesn't include carrying your food on a tray.  What do you say?”

“What, like a date?” Winn clarified.

“A date.  I’m asking you out on a date,” Jess stated.

Mouth agape, Winn stared at Jess before he began to look around the room, under his desk, everywhere.

“What are you doing?” Jess asked.

“I’m looking for the hidden camera,” he explained.  “This has got to be some kind of gag.  Guys, this isn’t funny.”

“It’s not a joke,” Jess explained.  “Lena?”

“It’s not a joke, Winn.  She's asking you out.”

Jess nodded once.  “However, it is an expiring offer, and it expires in 5...4...3...”

“Yes! I say yes!” He replied jumping to his feet.

“Well, you're enthusiastic,” Jess said, a smug smile on her face.

“I’m excited! This is going to be awesome. I’ll ... I’ll pick a great restaurant, and I'll pick you up, and—”

“Hey, hey, slow down there, Jimmy Nerdtron.” Jess hopped off the desk, patting his shoulder. “I asked you out, not vice-versa.  I’ll have Lena send me your number, and I’ll text you details about the date.  I’ll pick you up.  Sound good?”

“Yeah, but I ...”  Nodding, Winn said, “Sound good, great, awesome!  It sounds awesome.  I’m excited.”

“You're hiding it well.  Well, I’ve got to get back to counting other people’s money.  Bye lab rats!”

“Bye, Jess.”  Lena waved.

“Bye. Text you soon ... back!  I’ll text you back!” Grinning from ear to ear, Winn watched while Jess left and even stared at the closed door for several seconds. “Lena!”

“What!?” She jumped, startled.

“You are the best wingwoman, ever!”  Rushing up to her, he threw his arms around Lena and squeezed hard. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, oh!”  He stepped back.  “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Lena chuckled.  “Winn, you could never ... I mean, ow.  A little bit.  You’re stronger than you look.  Do you workout?”

“Yeah, some,” he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Oh, send her my number.  Do it!  Do it now!”

“Okay, okay.  Wow, someone is pushy.”  Pulling out her phone, Lena fired off a text to Jess. “You sure you don’t want to play hard to get?”

“Are you kidding?  You could tie me to the hood of her car if you thought that would help.  Hard to get is for losers.  I’m an easy target.”

“She has your number. Are you happy?” Lena asked as she put her phone on her desk.

“Happy I am!”

“Winn ...!” Lena warned.

“What?  Chicks dig Yoda.  He’s adorable.”

“Well ... All right, though compared to Jar Jar Binks, who isn't?  He set the bar low.”

“Right?” Winn laughed. “Though if he had turned out to be a Sith Lord—”

“Don’t,” Lena warned.  “Don’t go on about Jar Jar Binks being a Sith Lord now or especially on your date with Jess.  I can set you up with the girl, but I can’t go out with her for you.”

“Okay, okay,” Winn said as he eased back into his chair.  “She’s not your type, huh?”

“No, she’s not,” Lena replied as she settled in front of her system and logged back in.  A thoughtful look came over her face as in a voice just barely above a whisper, she added, “I think I like blondes.”

<><> 

Tossing a rogue alien into the back of the DEO van with each hand, Supergirl wiped her hands together while the agents on the scene locked the doors behind the aliens.

“Good work, Supergirl,” Hank said.

“Thank you, Sir. I'm happy to help, as always.”

“And we’re happy to have your help, as always.”

When her phone vibrated in her boot, she took it out and furrowed her brow, reading a text. “Uh, Director Henshaw, any chance I could take a few hours off tomorrow night?”

“Barring any emergencies, I don’t see why not. You have plans?”

“Maybe,” Supergirl replied, still looking at her phone as she wandered a little bit away. “Thank you, Sir.” Supergirl scanned the agents who were doing cleanup before she found the one she wanted. “Agent Danvers, do you have a moment?”

“Of course, Supergirl." Alex rocked back and forth on her heels, directing other agents around as she did so. "What do you need?"

Leaning close, Supergirl whispered, “You’re not working tomorrow night, right?”

“No, why?”

Supergirl held out her phone for inspection.

“Oh. Well, you don’t need me for—”

Grabbing her sister's forearm, Supergirl nodded. “Yes, I do.  Plus, she mentions you by name.  Please, come with me?  Please?”

Alex laughed. “Where’s that brave alien fighter that was just here?”

“Fighting aliens I can handle. This makes me nervous,” Supergirl replied as she studied her phone. “I can’t be alone with her.  I’ll freeze up.  I need backup.”

“But you’re alone with her all the time at—”

Lower lip quivering, Lena pouted at her sister.

“Fine you big baby.  I’ll go with you. What’s the name of the club where Kara wants you to meet her?”

Scrolling back through the text message, Supergirl looked up at her sister and said, “The Out Club.  Do you know it?”

“Oh, yeah.”  Alex nodded rather seriously. “Wear something gay.”

“Something gay?”  Supergirl shrugged. “What does that even mean?”

Walking away, Alex said over her shoulder, “Everything you own is gay.  You’re the master of gay coding.”

“Huh?” Looking down at her uniform, Supergirl asked, “What, even this?”

With a laugh, Alex replied, “Especially that!”

<><> 

At 6:30 PM, Jess picked Winn up at his apartment. He was waiting downstairs with a bouquet of flowers in hand. Winn was wearing a pair of tan slacks, a blue sports jacket, and a white collared shirt. He opened the passenger’s door to her car as she pulled up but paused, not getting in.

“I didn’t wear a tie. I couldn’t decide. Tie on or tie off? I tried both. I tried both several times. I tried different colors and patterns. I own ties, you know, and normal ties. They aren't all Hogwarts houses. I own lots of normal looking—”

“Winn,” she paused to make sure she had his attention. “Just get in the car. You look great. The place we’re going has stars but not five of them. You’re fine.”

He laughed a bit nervously as he climbed into the car, closing the door and buckling up. He held out the flowers to her. “Here, these are for you. I know you asked me out but ... here.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, smelling the flowers and smiling over at him again before placing them in the backseat.

As the car pulled away from the curb, he said, “You’re fine too. I mean, you look fine, nice, lovely. You look lovely.” He allowed himself the opportunity to examine her more fully. She wore a black dress, knee length, with a sheer over-dree with dainty, silver flowers stitched into it. The sleeves of the dress were capped, and it had a black belt that was maybe two-inches thick and satin. It tied on the side. “You look great Jess.  Wow.”

Smiling slowly, but keeping her eyes on the road, she replied, “Thanks.  I guess we both clean up pretty well.”

“You especially, though you always look beautiful at work.”

“Yeah?” This time she glanced over to see him staring with a goofy smile.

“Yeah, definitely.”

She didn’t comment, but her smile grew.

They drove out to Leroy's Kitchen and Lounge about four miles away in Coronado. It was a casual place with an interesting but not extensive menu and a relaxed atmosphere. They had reservations and had to wait a few minutes for their table, but they chit-chatted about work until they could sit. Once seated, they both ordered an adult beverage, then got an appetizer they could share. They spoke over their menus while they made their meal choices.

“So, how did you meet Lena?” Jess asked, continuing on a safe topic of mutual friendship.

“The lab,” Winn said with a little laugh. “I was tucked away in a far corner when she first started.  It was prime real estate for our group.”

“In the corner?”

“We’re not exactly social people, and it gave me two walls for hanging things. Prime real estate. Anyway, Lena started, and she and I got assigned to work on some projects together. I thought it would make more sense if we sat closer together. I couldn’t get anyone in my row to move away from the wall, so I got Eve to switch with me, and I was only two seats away from Lena. It made it easier to chat with her ... You know, about projects we were working on.”

Jess smiled knowingly. “Oh, I know. So, you couldn’t manage to get the seat next to hers?”

“No, that's Shrieker’s desk,” Winn replied with an awkward laugh.

“What's a Shrieker?”

“Siobhan,” Winn explained. “When tests don’t go her way, she’ll let everyone know it. When anything doesn’t go her way, she’ll let everyone know it. We uh ... We dated for a little bit. It was brief, like, really brief. She likes to yell at people. I didn’t like getting yelled at.”

Snapping her menu closed and laying it on the table, Jess said, “Well, I’m not a fan of yelling at people. I’ll do it if I have to, but I prefer stating the facts and letting the fact that I’m right speak for itself. Yelling tends to be for people who are in the wrong."”

“So, you’re always right?”

Her lips curling into a smile, Jess said, "Say that again but not as a question.”

“Uh ... So, you’re always right.”

Jess chuckled. “And just like that, this date is starting off on the right foot.”

Winn ducked his head a little bit, looking up and thanking the waiter who brought his beer. They both placed food orders and went back into conversation.

“So, your turn,” Winn said, “How did you meet Lena?”

“Shortly after you did, I expect. There was some sort of mix-up with her check, and HR sent her down our way to look into it. I was working in payroll at the time before I’d moved over to accounting. She kept apologizing to me for putting me out, for taking up any of my time. The girl had put in two forty-hour weeks, and someone had dropped a digit on her pay, so she'd gotten paid at one-tenth of her rate.”

“Whaaaaat? She never mentioned that.”

Sipping her drink, Jess shrugged. “We shuffled around and got her the right check deposited by Monday, but she still had to go the weekend with pennies in her account. She was so nice, and I felt so awful about it; I asked her to go out and get drinks with me after work ... My treat, of course.”

“Well, yeah. She couldn't exactly pay.” Winn grinned. “Lena-bean is the best.”

“You have such a crush on her.”

“Me? Nah. We're just friends.”

“Oh, I know you’re just friends. Lena is ‘just friends’ with a lot of guys who wish it were otherwise. I’ve seen the orbitals she collects. She has no clue. Lena is a sweet girl with a jawline that could cut you, but she’s completely clueless when it comes to all of the guys who have crushes on her ... and the girls."

With a little laugh, Winn nodded.

“It’s probably just as well,” Jess continued. “As pretty as she is, as smart as she is, as built as she apparently is, if she had anything more going for her she’d be ... she’d be ...”

“Supergirl?”

Brows furrowed, Jess stared at Winn for a few moments before shaking away some thought. “So, enough about Lena. Tell me about you. What does your mom do?”

“Uh, I ... I don’t know. She left.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Winn shrugged. “It happens.”

“What about your dad. Is he still ... around?”

“My dad. Yeah, he’s ...he's not going anywhere.” Winn replied as he studied his hands on the table.

“Well, that’s good,” Jess said with an encouraging smile. “Are you two close?”

Scratching behind one of his ears with a finger, Winn asked, “What about your parents. What do they do?”

“Well, my dad sells insurance, and my mom’s a podiatrist. I have an older brother who’s a night security guard, and I’m an accountant. We’re pretty much the most boring family in the world. If we all wore the same size, we could buy one beige sweater for Christmas and just pass it around from person to person. We’re that boring. What about—?”

“My dad’s a mass murderer!” Winn blurted out.

“Wh ... What?”

“The Toyman, my dad’s The Toyman!” Winn’s hands flailed about, and in his flurry, he had to catch the water glass he connected with to keep it from spilling all over the table. “My dad was a toymaker, and a guy who worked with him stole his toy designs, so he put a bomb in a teddy bear, and he sent it to the guy. He killed a bunch of people. I was eleven, and I had to watch my dad get dragged off to jail, laughing about how no one would cross him again. It was just me and my mom, and she just left me one day, was just gone. I think it was because of all the reporters, but she left me alone, and I ended up in foster care. You go from home to home, your clothes in trash bags. Big kids like me never get adopted. Kids whose fathers are mass murders never get adopted.” Silence stretched between them long and taught. Winn stared at Jess quietly begging her to say something, anything, while he panted and then swallowed hard trying to recover from his verbal vomit. He picked up his water glass with slightly unsteady hands, taking several long drafts before speaking again. “I guess this isn’t what you wanted, dating a guy like me. Lena told me not to talk like Yoda on this date. Maybe she should have said not to mention the murder.”

Finally finding a reason to crack a smile, Jess moved one of her hands about casually while she leaned back in her chair and her posture relaxed. “Well, I’ll admit I don't have ‘son of mass murderer’ on my Tinder profile. I hadn't really thought about it. I bet you don't have 'daughter of a podiatrist' on yours, do you?”

“You’re on Tinder?” Winn asked, his eyes widening.

“That’s what stuck out to you?”

“Why would you ever have to be on Tinder? You're so amazing. Guys must be throwing themselves at you.”

Jess chuckled. “You’re all right, Schott. You don’t have any mass murdering urges, do you?”

“No, at least I don’t think so. My dad and I were a lot alike; we did everything together.” Hurriedly, Winn added, “Except the murder. We did everything except the murder together.”

“Thanks for clarifying.”

“What about you? Do you have any, uh, podiatrist urges?”

“Podiatrist urges? I don’t have a foot fetish if that’s what you're asking.”

Blushing, Winn hastily replied, “No, I just ... I ... Where’s that waiter with our food.”

“Looking to put something in your mouth?”

“Yeah, besides my foot.” Winn blushed an even deeper shade of red. “That’s not what I meant.”

“If my parents ever break up, I could give you my mom’s number.”

“Uh ... uh ... Do you like Star Wars?”

Jess shrugged. “Sure, who doesn’t like Star Wars?”

“Do you want to hear my Yoda voice?”

“What’s your Yoda voice?”

“My Yoda voice, this is,” Winn said doing a decent approximation of Yoda’s tone and inflection.

Nodding, Jess said, “That’s pretty good.”

“You like it?”

“Sure, Yoda’s cute.”

“Yes,” Winn whispered. “I can do a Wookie.”

“Save that for after dessert,” Jess said with a wink.

<><> 

Making their way down the street with the club, Alex and Lena eyed the line that started before they were half a block away. Heads turned in appreciation from those waiting as they passed by. Wearing a fitted red dress and black heels that only added about an inch to her height, Alex looked vastly different from her usual Kevlar with sidearm accessory. Next to her sister, Lena wore black dress pants, a white shirt with black stripes, and a green vest with matching bowtie, but either ignored the attention she garnered or didn’t notice it as the sisters headed toward the front of the line. Acting on Kara’s instructions, they went to the bouncer at the front door and gave him their names. He checked the list, pulled back the rope, and let them in.

“Wow, your new friend knows someone,” Alex said as they entered the club.

“I guess,” Lena agreed. “Maybe she knows someone who knows someone.”

“Maybe she trains someone famous ... like Supergirl.”

“Stop it,” Lena said, giving her sister a gentle shoved that sent Alex stumbling sideways.

Just barely recovering, Alex straightened her dress and moved to walk next to her sister again. “Don’t do that once I’ve started drinking. Alcohol plus super-strength equals Alex flat on her ass.”

“Don’t give me reason.”

“Don’t give me reason,” Alex mocked.

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do that,” Alex mimicked once more.

“I’ll call Eliza. You know she doesn’t like it when you do that.”

“Tattle-tale.”

As they opened the door into the club, the music washed over them. Lights flashed, and bodies moved on the dance floor. People gyrated about surrounded by the rhythm and the colorful strobes. Even Alex could feel the base in her chest, and Lena stopped, head down from the assault of noise.

Hand on her sister’s shoulder, Alex asked, “Are you okay?” When Lena lifted her head.

Lena nodded, smiling slightly when she met her sister's gaze. “It’s just loud.”

“We don’t have to stay.”

“I’ll be fine. It just takes me a minute. I’ll be fine.”

Squeezing Lena’s forearm, Alex gave a gentle smile, the earlier sisterly teasing abandoned in favor of support.

Soon the duo was walking through the club looking for Kara who had texted that she had arrived about twenty minutes before them. When they found her, she was leaning by the bar with a stunning brunette, about her height, who had legs for days. The brunette was wearing a form-fitting, knee-length black dress that left her shoulders bare and was shimmery around the midriff. The outfit looked pricey, though neither of them knew enough about fashion to understand how pricey. Kara, on the other hand, was wearing a white suit with tan pinstripes. She wore a matching vest with an eye-popping, turquoise tie. Her blonde hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Drinking and standing close together, the two women smiled and laughed conspiratorially.

Grabbing Lena’s arm again and stopping them both, Alex gestured to the brunette with Kara. “Do you know who that is?”

“No clue,” Lena replied.

“Not from the gym?”

“If she is, I don’t know her.”

“A sister maybe? Kara's adopted so maybe—”

“She just has an older brother,” Lena replied, shaking her head.

“Oh.” Alex grimaced. “Well, they look ... cozy. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Lena shrugged. “Maybe it’s her girlfriend.”

“I'm sure it’s nothing,” Alex repeated.

Just then, Kara caught sight of them. Her smile bright, she waved over at the sisters. Seeing the motion, the woman with her turned and smiled. Tensing a bit, Alex smiled and nodded, while Lena smiled and waved with much more ease.

As they approached, Kara stepped forward and wrapped Lena in a hug that was readily returned. As they parted, Kara said, “Wow, you look great. Nothing against the usual workout stuff, but you clean up nice.”

Grabbing the knot of Kara's tie and straightening it slightly, Lena replied, “I could say the same about you.”

“Maybe I need workout formal wear.” Smiling and holding eye contact just a bit too long to be friendly, Kara finally looked over and held out a hand, “Hey, Alex. Good to see you again.”

“Kara,” Alex replied with a touch of amusement before her gaze shifted to the other woman. She extended her hand. “Hi, Alex Danvers.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Kara said as her manners caught up with her. “Alex, Lena, this is Samantha Arias. Sam is the CFO of—”

“No, no, no, no, no,” Sam said as she waved her hands back and forth in front of herself. “It is after five o’clock on a Friday night, and I’ve had one hell of a month. Ruby is with my mom for the weekend, and I don’t want to hear a word about my work until Monday morning. Promise?”

When Sam pointed, Kara smiled. “Promise.”

As Sam wheeled on her, Alex said, “Yes ma’am.”

“Good manners. I like you,” Sam replied with a dazzling smile. Turning to Lena, she said, “Promise?”

“I have no idea what you do for a living.”

“Close enough. Ladies, let’s drink,” Sam said as she gestured to the bar.

“Sam, I like the way you think,” Alex said as she sidled up next to her at the bar and ordered a beer.

“So, Alex, what do you do for work?” Sam asked.

“I thought we weren’t talking about work,” Alex countered.

“My work. I’m a hypocrite, but I’ll buy this round so answer the question.”

“If you’re buying this round, I’m an FBI agent.”

“Okay, what are you if I’m not buying this round?” Sam prodded.

“Uh ... I’m still an FBI agent, but I’m spending your tax dollars on my beer.”

With a resounding laugh, Sam laid a hand on Alex's arm. “Funny, you’re funny. Lena, your sister is funny.”

“Yeah, that's why we keep her around, for the laughs.”

Trying to ignore the slight blush that came from the contact with the other woman, Alex said, “Lena, do you want a strawberry daiquiri or something?”

“Sounds great.”

“A lot of calories in those,” Kara said with a grin. “You know I’m going to have to work that off of you, right?”

“And what are you drinking?” Lena asked.

“Sparkling water,” Kara said holding up her drink. “I’ll have a beer later, but I’m driving.”

“Oh, are you the designated driver?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, Kara’s my chauffeur,” Sam said with a wink over at the blonde.

Laughing, Kara said, “Yes, ma’am, Miss Arias. Whatever you say, Miss Arias.” She took a sip of her water. “Figures my mother would set me up to drive Miss Daisy around.”

“You are such a brat,” Sam said with a laugh.

“Hey, if you’re picking on me, I could just head back to my gym and—”

“I apologize,” Sam said quickly, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. “You’re sweet, charming, and much cuter than your brother. I’m keeping you.”

“It’s the hair, right?” Kara asked very seriously, before breaking out into a cagey grin.

Returning the smile, Sam raised her own glass in a mock toast. “Oh, it’s definitely the hair.”

Awkwardly, Alex and Lena made eye contact as the other two women grinned at each other in the intervening area.

Finally, Sam asked, “Lena, what about you? What do you do for a living?”

“I’ve been told I'm a lab rat.”

Sam frowned slightly. “With the cheese and everything?”

“Oh, good point. I don’t actually eat cheese. I’m a pharmaceutical scientist.”

“See, much sexier,” Kara said, placing her arm over Lena's shoulders. “Although I bet you’d be amazing in one of those mazes.”

“Heh.” Looking back and forth between Sam and Lena, Alex finally offered, “Actually, her sense of direction isn’t all that good.”

“It’s fine when I can see where I’m going. Roads just confuse me,” Lena argued.

“As opposed to what?” Sam asked.

“I ... grew up in ... large open areas with ... You could see for miles and ... plains. Not airplanes. I don’t mean I can fly. I don’t mean I’m a pilot, that kind of flying. What other kind of flying is there? I mean—”

“Drinks! Alcohol!” Alex said as the bartender deposited their beverages. She handed Lena’s over and whispered to the Kryptonian, “Put this against your mouth and don’t talk.”

Nodding briskly, Lena did as instructed.

Drinking turned into dancing, something else Lena could do without revealing government secrets. Dancing continued until Sam’s and Alex’s heels were hanging from one of their hands, and sweat glistened on their skin even under the subtle club lighting. Finally, the humans all tired, even Kara who worked out professionally, the ladies returned to the bar. They got water for their first round because they needed the hydration, and it was always a wise choice to layer water between alcoholic beverages.

“Who wants something with a bit of a kick?” Sam asked as she placed her empty water glass on the bar.

“You buying again?” Alex asked with an easy smile.

“Sure, if it keeps you dancing with me.” Sam’s smile was slower as she leaned forward slightly.

“Ah ...” Looking over at Kara, Alex swallowed hard and averted her eyes. “Well, it’s just dancing.”

“Sure,” Sam replied with a laugh. “Anyway, it’s a company credit card.”

“Oh, really?” Kara said, a bit of force behind the question, but the smile on her face carried through in her voice.

“We’re bonding.” Sam blew Kara a kiss.

Head thrown back, Kara laughed throatily.

Alex and Lena looked at each other, both missing the joke, before Alex said to her sister, “Grab me a beer. I’ve got to hit the can.”

Sam watched Alex disappear through the crowd before turning to order drinks. Once the order had been placed, she turned to Lena and Kara who were chatting and said, “Your sister’s cute.  I take it she’s new to this scene?”

“Alex?”

Sam nodded.

“You mean clubs like this?”

“I mean meeting and dating women,” Sam clarified.

“Oh, yeah. That’s new.  She told Eliza, her mom, over Thanksgiving dinner. It went ... ah ... There was a lot of alcohol.”

“Eliza wasn’t supportive?” Kara asked with obvious concern.

“Oh, she was fine.  Alex just got all worked up beforehand and decided Eliza would freak out, so Alex freaked out first.”

“Is Alex your half-sister?” Sam asked. “You keep saying Eliza and called Eliza Alex’s mom.”

“Oh, Lena here is also adopted,” Kara explained. “She has an older sibling named Alexandra, lost her adopted father ten plus years back ... how many?”

“Thirteen,” Lena replied.

“Huh.”

“What?" Lena asked.

“Thirteen,” Kara said, “Lionel, my adopted father, died thirteen years ago when I was eleven. This is—”

“Weird.”

“Yeah,” Kara said slowly. “Anywho, she’s a fitness buff, her adopted mother is a doctor, and she’s obviously brilliant.” Kara ended with her hand on her own chest and a bright smile.

“Is she also incredibly humble? If so, you two are practically the same person,” Sam snarked.

“Hey!” Grabbing a few mixed nuts from the bar, Kara tossed them at Sam.

Giggling, Sam shook her head and combed her fingers through her hair to loose any pieces that got stuck. “So, Lena, ignoring the woman here with the bad manners, answer me this. How long have you been out?”

“Out of what?”

“Uh, the closet?”

“I have a closet,” Lena replied.

Eyebrows high, Sam looked from Lena to Kara for an explanation.

Putting her arm around Lena’s shoulders again, Kara said, “English is Lena’s second language.  Try to avoid idiomatic speech.”

“No idiotic speech?” Sam grinned. “Good Lord, Lena. How do you spend any time with Kara at all?”

“Hey!?” Grabbing more nuts, Kara tossed another handful at Sam.

Laughing, Sam grabbed a handful from a bowl on the bar and returned fire.

Watching with the speed of a Kryptonian, Lena stood by calmly as volleys of peanuts, pieces of walnuts, and the occasional macadamia nut arced past her.  She could see each one clearly as they spun end over end on their way by.  She held her head steady, moving only her eyes from one woman to the other so as to belay the awareness of others of the capability of her speed.  When a cashew rolled by, she bit her lowered lip and chanced to stretch out her hand quickly as she nabbed it, shoving it into her mouth and chewing with a smile. Some things were worth the chance.

When Sam and Kara broke into a fit of laughter, their nut war paused, Lena said, “You two are going to get us tossed out of here even faster than the nuts.”

“You don’t think we can handle the bouncers?” Kara peeled off her jacket and laid it on the stool before unbuttoning her cuffs and beginning to fold up her sleeves.

“What are you doing?” Lena asked.

“Getting ready in case we have to fight. Are you going to join me?”

“Ah ... I’m not much of a fighter.”

“I thought you boxed,” Kara said as she paused mid-motion.

“Right," Lena said slowly. She pulled off her jacket and copied Kara’s motion. “I just meant I’m not much of a boxer outside of the ring.  Isn’t that a confusing word, boxing ring?  They’re square.  Why are they called rings?”

“Holy forearms. You two met at the gym, huh?” Sam asked, appraising Kara and Lena with a critical eye.

“Yup.” Kara beamed. “Hey, I bet I can do more pushups than you.”

“In your dreams,” Lena replied.

“Loser buys the drinks,” Kara said.

“I'm buying the drinks,” Sam said. “So, technically that means—”

“Loser has to do 100 burpees," Kara said.

Lena grinned. “If you wanted to do 100 burpees, you could have just asked.”

Stepping closer to Lena, Kara said, “Okay, then let’s make this interesting. Let’s go into the parking lot and run suicides. Loser has to ...”

Turning to rest her elbows on the bar and tuning out the conversation of the other two women, Sam sighed. “Great, my new CEO is just as big an idiot as her brother, just a different kind of idiot.  The new company wellness program is going to suck.”

Weaving her way through the crowd back toward the bar, Alex came up short as she saw a crowd of women gathered where she’d left her sister, Kara, and Sam, only Sam still visible and looking visibly annoyed.  The women seemed to be cheering as they stared down at the ground, and some even clutched money in their hands as if they were making bets.

“Damn, Danvers.”

At the familiar voice, Alex turned suddenly to see wavy dark hair, light brown skin, and a bright smile from a petite form.

“What’s a place like this doing around a girl like you?”

Alex swallowed a nervous laugh as Maggie's dimples deepened. “Sawyer, you’re ... here.”

“Guilty as charged.”  Stepping forward, Maggie gave Alex a quick hug before stepping away.  She was dressed more casually than Alex, a pair of dark slacks and a dark button-down blouse, but the outfit was both soft and warm at the same time.  “Hey, it’s great seeing you without anyone trying to kill a world leader.  Wait, you’re not here because someone’s trying to kill a world leader, are you?”

“No,” Alex assured. “Tonight is personal.”

“Cool. So are you here alone or ...?”

“No, there are other people. I mean uh ... I’m with friends.  I came with friends.”

Smiling again, Maggie replied, “Cool.  Me too.  I came with some folks.  They’re out here somewhere or other.  Hey, maybe we could grab a beer or a dance, you know, as friends, right?”

“Oh, sure, yeah.  I mean, I like beer and dancing so ... uh, sure, right.”

As Alex nodded briskly, Maggie reached out and squeezed her forearm. “Are you all right?  You seem ... off.”

The warmth of Maggie’s hand seeped into Alex’s arm, and she had to suppress a shudder. “Yeah, yeah, I’m cool.”

“Cool.”

At the bar, Sam pushed her way through the press of bodies that were chanting off numbers as Kara and Lena continued in their pushup contest, Kara not giving in, and Lena watching the human to keep pace. “Okay, okay, enough people! You’re both officially disgustingly healthy and more than a little bit sexy, apparently.  The shows over.  Everyone leave,” Sam added, waving the backs of her hands to shoo the crowd away. As the masses booed her and shot her the stink eye, Sam held her ground. “Whatever, people.  I have a nearly thirteen-year-old daughter.  Your temper tantrums and disapproval mean nothing to me.  I deal with it at a professional level.  You don’t have to go home but ... you know the rest.”

“I would have had you,” Kara said as she rose to her feet.

“No way,” Lena countered. “I’m not even winded.”

“Neither am I. Again?”

“No!  Not again!”  Sam turned with a drink in each hand. “Unless I can sip a martini at your gym, Kara, exercise here is done for the night. This is not the place for it.”  When that got no response, she nodded. “Okay, another daiquiri for Lena, a Guinness for Kara ... really, Guinness?”

“They’re lower in calorie and carbs than you think,” Kara replied as she took the thick, Irish beer.  “What I can’t figure out is how Lena here drinks daiquiris and still maintains a six-pack.”

Pulling her glass from her mouth, Lena said, “Uh ... I almost never drink.  Yup, like twice a year tops. You caught me on a rare occasion. It’s okay to cheat once in a while, right?”

“Right,” Kara replied, but she smiled wickedly. “It’s especially okay if you get up early tomorrow morning with your trainer and go for a long run.”

“Running tomorrow morning?” Shrugging, Lena took another sip of her drink. “Sounds like fun. We can add in some suicides.”

Sam shuddered as she turned with the final two drinks in her hands. “You people are sick. If you ever see me running, call the police.  Someone’s chasing me.  Okay, so how long was that line at the ladies’ room that Alex isn't back yet?”

“Yeah, she has been gone a ...”  Looking around, Lena’s gaze fell on her sister and every muscle in her body tensed.  Her free hand formed into a tight fist. “Maggie.”

“You okay?” Kara asked.

“That's Maggie.”

“Who’s Maggie?” Sam asked sipping her drink while she watched Alex talk to another woman across the bar.

Inhaling and letting out a long, shuddering breath, Lena said, “She’s a cop that Alex met on a case.  She broke Alex’s heart."

“Oooohhhh, drama. That’s much more interesting than exercise.”  Sam nodded.  “So I take it we’re anti-Maggie?”

Adjusting her glasses, Lena replied, “We're not fans. I’m going to go over there and—”

Stepping between Lena and the other women, Sam said, “I’ve got this. Why don’t you two talk about your muscles?  I’ll go deal with the heartbreaker.”

“What do you think she's going to do?” Lena asked as she watched Sam walk away.

Kara shrugged. “No clue.  Hey, how many one-armed push-ups can you do?”

Lena snorted. “More than you.”

The music thrummed loudly, and Maggie and Alex were forced to stand close to each other to be heard.  It was warm, a trickle of sweat running down Alex’s back that wasn’t entirely caused by the ‘at capacity’ crowd. Sometimes one person, or one plus one, could make more heat than hundreds.  Head down and smiling, Alex looked up as she brushed a few loose strands behind her ear.

“There you are, sweetheart,” Sam said as she slid up next to Alex, startling the other woman with her proximity.  “I was about to send a rescue crew after you.  I was worried you fell in.”

“Uh ... Sam.”  As a beer was held out to her, Alex grabbed it by the neck of the bottle.  “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Sam replied not releasing the bottle yet but instead leaning closer to apply a gentle kiss to the top of Alex’s jaw just below the other woman’s ear and whispering, “Relax.”  She stepped back, letting go of the beer but holding Alex’s gaze as the redhead’s eyes widened. With a broad and open smile, she turned to Maggie. “Hi.”

“Uh ... hi.  I’m ...” Maggie paused as Sam slipped her arm around Alex's waist. "Maggie."

“Maggie?  Maggie the cop?” Sam asked.

“Oh, Alex has mentioned me?” Maggie grinned, her dimples returning.

“In passing,” Sam said with a shrug.  “There was some police officer named Maggie that Alex met on the job.  I assume that’s you ... unless she collects you all by the dozen.”

“Huh.  Actually, I’m a detective, Science Division.”

“Science Division?”  Sipping her drink, Sam said, “I don’t think she mentioned that.  Did you mention that, sweetheart?”

Looking back and forth between the two women, Alex took a sip of beer. “I don’t think we actually spoke about Maggie much.”

Sam chuckled. “You’re right.  That sounds like us.  Talking is not always what we do best.”

Maggie pointed over her shoulder. “That sounds like my cue to leave.  Alex, it was great seeing you again.  Sam, it’s been memorable.”

“Same here, Maddie,” Sam replied.

Pausing, Maggie corrected, “It’s Maggie.”

“Right, Maggie.”  With a little finger gun, Sam said, “I’ll remember that for next time.”

As Maggie turned to leave, Alex took a few quick steps after her.  “Hey, Maggie, wait up. Sorry about, uh ... I’d still like to grab that drink and dance sometime if you want.”

Glancing over at Sam who watched them with a smile, Maggie replied, “Another night.  I don’t want to interrupt your night out with your friend.”

“Oh, yeah.”  Alex’s gaze tracked over to follow the path of where Maggie glanced at Sam. “Another night then?”

“Definitely.  Glad you took my advice and put yourself out there.  She suits you.”

“Yeah, Sam's something.”

“Congrats.”  With a nod, Maggie walked away and disappeared into the crowd.

Turning to join Sam, Alex put her arm around the other woman’s waist so they could speak closely as they walked back to the bar. “What the hell was that about?”

“Your sister was on her way over,” Sam explained.  “Apparently, she isn’t a fan of Maggie’s.  After seeing the muscles on her, I thought a gentler touch might be in order.”

“That was gentle?  You forgot her name, her job, and pretty much told her we were screwing.”

“Well, if you don't want to make a liar out of me ...” Sam grinned while Alex stared open-mouthed until cheering from the bar distracted them both, and Sam said, “Why is Kara upside down?  What the hell are they doing now?  You, stop taking videos!”

As Sam stomped off to break up the goings on, Alex stood by herself and stuttered out, “Don’t ... Don’t make a liar out of you?”

<><> 

After leaving the restaurant, Jess and Winn drove to another part of town and parked in a lot behind a movie theater.  As they headed up an alley toward the street, Jess took Winn’s hand and dragged him toward a small door under a dim light.  The door proved to be unlocked, and a staircase that was even more dimly lit led upstairs.  It was a narrow walkway, and Jess had to lead the way with Winn trailing behind.

They were nearly to the top of the stairs when he slowed considerably, saying, “Uh ... Where are we going?”

Turning with a wry little grin on her face, she asked, “You okay, Schott?”

“Me?  Pfft.  Yah.  It’s just, this isn’t the kind of place I’d take a lady.  This looks like the kind of place you’d buy drugs or something.”

“Oh, and you’d know all about that?”

“Well, no, but I watch a lot of movies. Like, we’re going to go knock on some nondescript door, tell them Louie sent us, and buy some crack or Adderall or something.”

“Crack or Adderall!?”  Jess laughed sharply.  “Are those the two types of shady drugs dealings in your life, Schott?”

“Hey, I went to college!  I know stuff!”

“Oh, my God!  You’re adorable!”  Still holding his hand, Jess stepped down, so her lower foot was on the same step with his upper foot.  It brought them to nearly the same height. She leaned close to him.  “Do you trust me?”

“I ... I ... I ...” Winn swallowed hard.  “I do.  I trust you.”

Her smile growing, Jess said, “Good.”  She stood there watching him for several seconds before she turned and headed back up the stairs, continuing to tug him along in her wake.  “We’re not here to buy drugs or do anything illegal.  Well ... Nah.  Well ...?"

“Okay, you are not filling me with confidence.”

“Relax, we’re just here to take in a show.  Sometimes things can get a bit risqué, and I can’t promise that the entertainment will stay within the realms of exactly what is legal within this establishment, but it isn’t hurting anyone.  Everyone is an adult, and we’re just here to have fun.”

“Doing what?”  Winn looked up at a sign that said, ‘Cast Only’ and pointed.  “Uh, we’re not cast.”

“You’re with me. It's fine.”

As Jess pushed the door open, Winn asked, “Are you cast?”

“Not tonight.”

As they moved through the area, Winn stared wide-eyed at the ensemble.  There were folks in jeans and t-shirts doing sound checks and lugging equipment around, but that isn’t what got his attention.  It was the people in lingerie that had him bug-eyed and jaw hanging.  It was more specifically the men in lingerie that caused the reaction.  The muscular boy in the gold lame speedo that grinned at him wasn’t a big deal, but the man with the long, curly black hair in the bustier, high heels, and wearing much more makeup than Jess was, well, he was another matter.

The man’s gaze slid up and down Winn briefly before he turned to Jess, his lips curling into a sultry smile.  “Jessica, you sly bitch.  I didn’t think we’d see you tonight.  Did you bring us a virgin sacrifice?”

Jess laughed as she hugged the man.  “I did.  This is my friend, Winn.  Winn, this is Eldon.”

“Winn.”  Looking Winn up and down, Eldon said, “Well, aren’t you precious. Jess, can I keep him?”

“Hmmm ... I don’t think so, Eldon.  He’s sweet.  I think I like this one.”

“Oh, pish-posh.”  Eldon slapped playfully at Jess’ arm, and they both laughed.
“You are getting so stingy in your old age.  What happened to sisters over misters?”

“Two words,” Jess replied lifting a finger as she said each of them. “Brian Levin.”

Pointing at Jess with his other hand on his hip, Eldon took on a suddenly defensive attitude.  “Hey, I did you a favor with Brian.  I told you he was a cheat.  I told you, but did you believe me?  Noooo.  Well, I proved it, didn't I?”

Arms folded as she returned his attitude, Jess said, “Right, and that’s what everyone wants to come home and see, their roommate and they’re boyfriend on the kitchen table going at it.”

With an exaggerated eye roll and sigh, Eldon smirked a bit as he said, “I told you that boy wasn't a vegetarian. He loved sausage.”

Reaching over and taking Winn's hand, Jess said, “Well, Winn doesn’t. Right, Winn?”

“Right,” Winn replied nodding just a bit too quickly.

“That's because you’ve never tried my sausage.”

Even as Winn danced backward behind Jess, she said, “Oh, leave the boy alone, Eldon.  I’m sure there's some unsuspecting youth that you’re nailing this week.”

“You're right.  I’ll go find my flavor of the week.  Did you just drop in because you were in the neighborhood, or are you and the virgin staying for the show?”

“Oh, we’ll stay.  You be gentle with him, okay?”

“Aren’t I always,” Eldon said with a teasing smile and wink before he walked away.

Once he was gone, Winn tapped on Jess’ shoulder.  “Hey, hey, I’m uh, I’m not a virgin you know.  I don’t know what anyone told you, but I’m not a virgin.”

“Oh, baby.” Jess patted his cheek lightly. “Yes, you are.”

“Haha.  No, I’m not.  I may never have ...” He pointed over in the vague direction to where Eldon had disappeared, “But I’ve...” Winn pointed at Jess and nodded.  “I definitely have, and more than once, with more than one girl, more than two even.”

“So three?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re adorable, but you're still a virgin.  Don’t worry.  I’m going to take care of that for you tonight.”

“But I’m not ...” As Jess began to walk away, Winn followed. “Wait, what?  You’re going to what?”

“Come on.  Let’s go get prime seats before they let in the general public.”

“But what did you mean by ...?”  Seeing three, cute, college-age, scantily-clad girls in cat costumes, Winn became distracted.  He stumbled a bit but managed to keep his footing.  He had to hurry to catch up to Jess as they emerged into what was the main seating area of a movie theater. “Um, so what happened with you and that Eldon guy anyway?”

“It’s old news.”

“It didn’t seem that old.”

Jess gestured to seats, and when Winn nodded, they both sat, and she said, “I met Eldon in college.  That’s how I got involved with this crazy crew.  I was still straight-laced and rather conservative at the time, getting my degree in accounting.  Anyway, I ended up in this house with three other folks, and Eldon was one of them.  I was dating this guy and—”

“Brian.”

“Yeah, Brian.  He was cute.  I liked him. Eldon told me that Brian was a cheat and was just using me to get help with his accounting degree.  I didn’t believe him.  One day, when I was at the library, I got this series of texts from Eldon begging me to come home.  He told me that I studied too hard, and that we were going to have a movie night.  He said he’d order pizza and asked me to pick it up.  I finally agreed.  When I got there, the pizza wasn’t in my or Eldon’s name, but in Eldon’s phone number there was sausage pizza in Brian’s name.  I was already pissed by the time I got home.  He wasn’t answering his phone, and by the time I got home ...” Jess rolled her hand in front of herself.

"On the kitchen table?”

Jess nodded.

“Yikes.  That must have been ... uh ...”

“Well, it was unsanitary as hell. Tables are for glasses, not asses.”

When Winn laughed, Jess laughed along with him.

“I was devastated at the time.  I hated them both.  Eldon thought he was doing me a favor, or so he says.  I don’t know.  He’s a slut, and Brian was cute, but he doesn’t go around sleeping with people’s boyfriends normally.  Maybe he did do me a favor.  I guess it hurts more because some part of my friendship with Eldon never recovered, and some guy who cheated on me wasn’t worth that price.  I would have rather lived clueless until I figured it out on my own.” As Jess stared down into her hands, another hand reached over and covered hers, squeezing gently.  She lifted her head, looking over at Winn.

Winn smiled.  “For what it’s worth, Eldon’s not my type.  I mean, yeah, he looks great in a corset, and I do like brunettes, but he’s taller than me.  I’m only 5’9”, so I’m kind of self-conscious about my height.”

“Well, I'm only 5’2” ... taller in heels.”

“I think you're perfect,” Winn said with a shy smile.

Smiling back, Jess said, “You know Schott, you got a little bit of game.”

"No, ’cause it's not a game.”

Jess watched him for a few moments, saw the way the serious look on his face didn’t waver.  She turned her hand so that she could intertwine her fingers with his.  “I was right in what I told Eldon.”

“What you told Eldon?”

“Yeah, I like you.  I think I’m going to keep you.”

“Uh ... cool, yeah, cool ’cause I like you too.  I want to be kept. So, about that virgin thing ...”

There was a murmur of voices as the doors to the back of the theater opened, and people began to mill in.  Most wore dark clothes, generic jeans and t-shirt wear, though some were costumed.  Jess and Winn were definitely the most formally dressed in the crowd.

It wasn’t long after people were seated that Winn learned what was going on.  Actors came out and welcomed people to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  The audience was rowdy, cheering, yelling profanities with smiles that were yelled back with equal good cheer.  Jess was among the group of people yelling and cussing while Winn looked on confused.  At one point, Eldon came out among much cheering by the crowd.  He talked for a bit and even introduced Jess as ‘their very own Magenta’ who had stopped in to take in a show.  Jess stood up and took a bow at the crowd which was met with jeers, and one yell of ‘You’re a slut!’ that had Winn on his feet and ready to fight ... well, kind of.

Jess laughed and yelled some profanity back as she grabbed Winn’s hand and pulled him back to a seat with her. “Winn, relax.  No one is being mean here.  It’s all in good fun.”

“It doesn’t sound it,” he grumbled.

“It’s all about characters in a movie.  You’ll see.  Don’t you know anything about Rocky Horror?”

“Not really.”

She squeezed his hand and smiled.  “Oh, boy.”

There was a pre-show which involved the girls in the catsuits, and as they were sitting in the front row, it was practically in Jess and Winn’s lap.  It verged on ‘not exactly legal’ in the level of undress.  Winn’s eyes bugged out at one point when one girl’s upper covering was literally bandaids.

When they left, Winn turned to Jess and just blinked, no words coming out.

“Are you okay?”

“What was that?” He squeaked out.

“Yeah,” she said slowly.  “Last week we were doing a scene from Avenue Q with Muppets.  It was a lot less risqué.  Maybe I shouldn’t have put you in the front row.  The girls were cute though, right?”

“They were making out at one point.  That was like practically porn.  I don’t ... I mean ... This is a date.”

“Do you want to leave?  I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.  You just told me a lot about you, about your geek stuff.  This is sort of my geek thing.  I don’t tell anyone about it.  I just figured ...”  Jess shrugged.

“This is your secret geek thing?”

“Well, yeah. No one knows about this except the people here.  No one at work or my parents know so—”

“Wait, you’re sharing your secret thing with me?”

“I ... yeah? Is that okay?”

His body relaxing, Winn smiled.  “Are there going to be any more half-naked girls making out in front of me?  I mean, I’m not opposed, but a guy should be warned before something like that happens.”

With a laugh, Jess replied, “No, there aren’t ... well.  No, not really.  Even for this show, that was kind of over the top.  Sorry about that.”

“Hey, no apologies for the content.  Those girls were all eighteen plus, right?”

“Yeah, they were actually in their twenties.”

“Wow, that makes me feel old.  They looked younger.  It was bothering me.”

Before Jess could comment on Winn's decent streak once again showing itself, Eldon walked out and began speaking to the crowd among cheers.  “Okay, you sluts, we’re just about ready for the main event, but first, do we have any virgins in the crowd tonight?”

There was lots of cheering, calling of, ‘Over here!’, and Jess patted Winn's hand and said, “Sorry about this.”

“About what?”

“Right here!” She called out, pointing at Winn.

“Hey, I am not—”

Some girl with dark hair wearing a kind of ratty maid’s costume came over and grabbed Winn’s hand, dragging him from his seat.

“Eeeek,” he managed to say as he looked back at Jess.

She blew him a kiss.  “Have fun and try not to tense up.  It’s easier that way.”

“What’s easier that way?  What’s going on?”

Four other people were lead to stand near the movie screen in front of the audience.  One of the cast walked around and drew V’s on their foreheads with lipstick while Eldon continued to speak.

“We've got ourselves five virgins here tonight.  What should we do with them?”

“Fuck them!” The crowd yelled out in vague unison.

“Heh, heh.  You lucky virgins,” Eldon said as he paced in front of the nervous group on the stage. “You get to be screwed in front of two-hundred people.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute,” Winn stuttered out, but when he looked over at Jess, she smiled at him gently and held a thumbs up closed to her torso.  With a little nod and a smile in return, he forced himself to relax.

A woman in a sparkly gold top hat, sparkly gold and black jacket, and sparkly rainbow shorts and corsets came out with five balloons.  She placed a balloon between the legs of each of the virgin sacrifices.  Then Eldon came back with a long pin, the kind you’d find in a lady’s hat from the 1920’s.

Starting at the opposite side of the line of people from Winn, Eldon said, “Okay, people, let’s bust the cherries on these virgins.” As he popped each balloon with the pin, Eldon cried out in feigned pleasure and gripped the shoulder of the person.  When he got to Winn, he threw himself against Winn and with an overly loud stage whisper said, “That was good for me. Was it good for you?”

Shrugging, Winn said, “Eh, I’ve had better.”

“Oh, you bitch,” Eldon replied with a smile as he turned back to the crowd. “Let’s have a round of applause for our virgins!”

As people clapped, and they made their way back to their seats, Winn didn’t need to turn to see who smacked him on the butt.

“Congrats.  You survived your deflowering,” Jess said as Winn sat next to her.

“Yeah, that was, uh, well it wasn’t the worst initiation I’ve gone through.  I survived college and high school.  Did you have to do that too, that virgin initiation thing?"

“Mine was different, but yeah.”

Winn nodded. “Different how?”

“I had to deepthroat a banana in front of a crowd like this.”

“You had to ...”  Winn cleared his throat. “How big of a banana?”

Jess smiled. “Does it matter?”

With a nervous little laugh, Winn said, “Lucky banana.”

“You know, sometimes a banana is just a banana, Schott.”

“And sometimes it isn’t,” he countered.

The lights went down, and their conversation ended.

Winn learned that Rocky Horror was basically a group of actors playing out a fairly awful movie that was playing behind them on the screen while the audience yelled responses, often obscene, and almost always very suggestive ones, in response to what the actors were saying.  Winn couldn’t make out half of what was being said because of all of the yelling.  The energy was high, and people all seemed to be having fun.  It was an infectiously good time.  When they left, it was with hugs and well-wishes from the cast members who knew Jess so well.

As they got outside, Winn said, "So, that was interesting.”

“Too much?” Jess asked.

“No, no not exactly, just interesting.  So, you dress up as the maid and do that?”

“Sometimes. It’s fun.”

“And you have the maid costume?”

Laughing and playfully pushing at Winn, Jess said, “Okay, now someone has an active imagination.”

“True, but can you blame me?”

Smoothing Winn's lapels, Jess asked, “So, how do you feel about coffee?”

Shrugging, Winn replied, “Coffee is fine.  I’m more of a soda guy but—”

Grabbing him by the jacket and pulling him close until their torsos struck, Jess said, “My place is about a five-minute drive from here.  Now, how do you feel about coffee?”

“Oh?  Oh!  Coffee!  Yeah, yeah, I love coffee!  Coffee’s like my favorite thing to drink. Let’s get some coffee.”

“Only if you want to.”

“Please? I would really, really like to have some coffee with you.”

“Two reallys?”

“More reallys than that,” Winn admitted.  “I’ve wanted to have coffee with you for months, but I didn’t know if you wanted to have coffee with me so...”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure either.”  Stepping away, Jess looked over her shoulder as she headed toward the parking lot. “Come on.  Let’s go to my place and start a pot brewing.  We’ll see where we go from there.”

<><> 

It was after three in the morning when the four ladies left the club. Alex and Sam had had more than a little bit to drink, and it was showing.  Kara had consumed two alcoholic beverages, and a lot of water, over the course of the evening.  Lena had actually had quite a bit to drink, lots of lovely, fruity things that were pretty high in alcohol content, but due to her metabolism, she was stone sober.

Laughing with her arms straight out at her sides, Alex turned in a circle as she walked in the night air out in front of the club.  Sam watched, laughing as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

“They’re trashed,” Kara noted.

“Well, they’re not sober.  That’s for sure,” Lena replied. “I’ve seen Alex trashed.  She’s not quite there yet.  There’s still quite a lot of blood in her alcohol stream.”

“Heh. Your sister’s a drinker, huh?”

“Not professional.  She’s more like a hobbyist.”

“What about you? You drank a lot. You seem fine, though.”

Lena chuckled. “Oh, I can handle my alcohol.  I have a very high metabolism.”

“I guess.  Maybe I should give you a field sobriety test to make sure you’re okay to get home.”

“Don't worry, I’m not flying ... or driving, or riding a skateboard, or anything that ends in ‘ing’ except for walking,” Lena said with a stiff smile. “Alex only lives three blocks from here, and we’re both going to stay at her place tonight and do breakfast together in the morning.”

“That must be nice, spending time with your sibling.  You two do that a lot?”

“We do.  Once a week we have sister night, and we have fun.  Alex is great, but lately, with figuring out her sexual orientation and everything, I think she's just been looking for more ways to unwind.”

Looking over Lena’s shoulder, Kara smiled. “Oh, Alex has problems unwinding, does she?”

“She can be a bit ... tense.  You probably didn’t see it with her out drinking and dancing tonight, but her work is pretty rigorous.  Outside of the occasional night like this and some time with me, she’s pretty wound up.”

“I bet Alex knows how to have fun other times.”

“I don’t know.  Even when we were kids, she was always so ... uptight.  Now she acts like she’s my mom.  I guess she’s just highly responsible.”

“Is that what she’s being, responsible?” Kara asked with a grin as she pointed over Lena’s shoulder.

Turning, Lena gasped as she saw Alex and Sam entwined and making out against the wall of the club. “Oh, Rao,” she whispered.

“How responsible are you?” Kara asked with a cheeky grin.

Spinning back to Kara, Lena said, “I’m so, so sorry. Alex would never do something like this if not for the gay thing, and Maggie, and ... I’m sorry.  This isn't Alex."

“What isn’t Alex?”

“Kissing Sam.”

“Why not?" Kara asked, her confusion obvious.

“Because ... well, you.”

“What about me?”

“You and Sam.  Sam’s your girlfriend ... isn’t she?”

“My girlfriend!?”  With an eye roll, Kara ran her hand through her hair.  “What would make you think that?”

“Well, you two had all these little jokes about your family, and you said your mother set you up wither her.  She told the bartender that he could thank you for the generous tip since her money was your money so—”

“Ugh!  Crap!  No, Lena, no.  Sam is the CFO of my family’s company.  I spoke to her on the phone yesterday, but I just met her tonight.  My mother wanted me to get to know a business associate, that’s all.  I think maybe she and I can be friends, but I’m not dating her.  As a matter of fact, I’m single, okay?”

“Oh, okay.  Well ...”  Lena glanced over her shoulder to where Alex and Sam were wandering down the street together and still kissing occasionally. “That’s good.”

Smiling, Kara asked, “It’s good that I'm single?”

Nodding, Lena replied, “It’s good that you’re not dating Sam because that would be incredibly awkward right now.”

“Oh, right.”  Kara forced a smile back onto her face.  “Yeah, it looks like your sister is going home with my girlfriend.  It’s a good thing I'm not a jealous woman.”

“How long are you going to tease me about this?”

Kara held out her hand. “Just the car ride back to your place.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine. I can just—”

“Well, you can’t go back to your sister’s place.  You don’t want to see or hear anything that’s going to happen there, do you?”  At the horrified look on Lena's face, Kara nodded.  “That’s what I thought.  Do you live three blocks away?”

“Well, no.”

“So, let me give you a ride home. You get to see one of my other cars. Do you like cars?”

Lena shrugged but took a step after Kara.

“Really?  I can’t impress you with my collection of fancy cars?” Kara asked as they walked along.

“You’re trying to impress me?”

“Ah, you caught me.  Maybe I like you.” When Lena's expression was contemplative, but she said nothing, Kara added, “Pssst, this is the part where you say, ‘Maybe I like you too.’  You missed your cue.”

"Ha!  Right.  Well, I do like you.  You’re really nice.  What’s not to like?”

“Thanks.”  Kara was quiet for a few moments before adding, “It’s more than a maybe. I do like you too.”  When they reached Kara’s car, the blonde pointing it out, Lena reached for the passenger's door, but Kara beat her to it.  She paused, her hand on the handle and said, “Look, Lena—”

“Maybe I should just walk—”

“No, no.” Pulling open the door, Kara smiled. “I’ll get you right home.  No worries.”

The car ride home was quiet but a bit stiff.  Conversation was pretty much one-sided on Kara’s part.  She tried to engage with Lena several times, but the other woman kept her responses to the monosyllabic and directions.  When they got to Lena’s apartment, Kara idled the car, smiling.

“Well, this is me,” Lena said.

“Cool.  So, you live alone?”

“I do.”

“Oh.  Maybe I should walk you up.  You know, just to make sure you’re safe.  The neighborhood looks ...”  Kara looked around at the quiet apartments, trees neatly laid out in even intervals, and mid-range sedans in decent condition lining the streets.  “Actually, it looks pretty good.”

“It's a quiet area.  I like quiet.  Noise bothers me.”

“Ah.  So, do you drink coffee at night?”

“Before bedtime?”

“Right, right.  You’re probably planning on going to sleep now.”

Lena squinted.  “It’s after 3:00 AM.  What else would I do?”

Her smile tense, Kara nodded.  “Right.  Well, I had a great time.  It was really nice seeing you outside of the gym.  We should do that more, don’t you think?”

“I ... guess?”

“Hey, you promised me we’d go running in the morning.  You keep your promises, don’t you?”

“Always. I mean, I always try.”

“Heh, great.  Well, I know where you live now.  I’ll just drive all the way back to the other side of town so I can drive all the way back over here in a few hours.  You know, all the way there and all the way back with my gym bag that I keep in the trunk.”

“O-kay.  I guess you should get going then.  I won’t keep you any longer.  There’s a coffee shop that's open 24/7 just two blocks straight ahead.”  Lena thrust out her hand at Kara.  “Thanks for the ride.”

Looking from the hand to Lena and back again, Kara sighed before shaking the hand.  “Great.  See you tomorrow around ... eight?  That isn’t too early considering how early it is right—?”

“That’s fine.  I’ll have a problem sleeping past sunrise, anyway.  I’m a morning person.”  As she stepped out of the car, Lena said, “Good night.  Well, good morning until later in the morning when it will be good morning again.  I mean, later!”

“Heh.  Yeah, sure, lat...”  The car door closed.  “...er.” Kara sighed more heavily while she watched Lena walk away and disappear into the building.  Hand in a fist, she tapped several times at the top of the steering wheel.  “Okay, Luthor, enough with the subtleties.  That girl does not take a hint.  You need to ...” With a big yawn, she shook her head. “You need to get some sleep if you’re going to go running in a few hours, but then ... then you’re going to ask Lena Danvers out.”

Chapter Text

Lena was already stopped by the front of her apartment building when Kara walked up, sweaty and checking her pulse.

“It took you long enough,” Lena said.  “Did you take a nap?”

“I grabbed ice cream,” Kara replied with a grin.

“What, really?  You got ice cream without me?”

“No.” Kara chuckled.  “How long have you been here?  Did you skip your cooldown lap?”

“Uh, no.  I, uh, I did that lap to cooldown thing.  You’re just slow.”

“Whatever.  You’re just fast,” Kara responded.  “Seriously, I was fine for a while there, but you just didn’t ever slow down.  I couldn’t keep up.  Did you run track in college?”

“No, I was much too busy with school.  There was Anatomy and Physiology I and II, General Chemistry, General Physics, Introduction to Biology, to Environmental Science, to Nutrition, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry—”

“Okay, there, okay, I get it.  It sounds like you were made for science.”

Lena’s eyes widened, and she stared down at her fumbling fingers.  “The Danvers, they were both scientist, Eliza still is, and my birth father was a scientist.”  Raising her head, she smiled.  “I guess it’s a combination of nature and nurture.”

“Or something else,” Kara said as she leaned in closer, brushing a few loose strands over Lena’s ear.  “From where I’m standing, I’d say you have really good genes.”

“There just, you know, genes.”

“Not all genes are created equal.”  Kara smiled down at Lena who stared back wordlessly, then she raised her sports bottle.  “I could use a refill.”

“Oh, sure,” Lena replied with a nervous laugh.  “Your bag is in my apartment anyway.  Come on up.”  

Lena led the way to her third-floor apartment.  The interior was neat but not severe.  Pictures of the Danvers hung on the walls showing a teenage Lena and Alex.  Others were more recent with just the Danvers sisters or with them and Eliza.  A few nick-nacks lay out on shelves, and several bookshelves lined the room housing anything from romance novels to the latest scientific journals.

While Kara explored a bit more with her eyes than she’d been able to do earlier, Lena left for the kitchen returning with two glasses of water.

“Thanks,” Kara said as she took the glass.  “I love running, but it does make you thirsty.”

Lena hummed her agreement as she took a sip of her own water, but she paused as Kara examined the glass.  “Is something wrong?”

“Is this a beaker?”  Kara held the glass up, looking at the measurement lines along the side.

“A Christmas gift from my sister,” Lena explained.

Slowly, a smile grew on Kara’s face as she read off the words next to the lines on the beaker, bottom to top: Reactants, Yields, Products, and You’ve Blinded Me With… Science!!  Kara took a sip of water before gesturing toward Lena with her head.  “That t-shirt come from your sister too?”

Lena glanced down at her t-shirt that read, ‘If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.’ and nodded.  “Alex thinks she’s funny.”

“Alex is probably right.  So,” Kara took a step closer, “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty hungry after that workout.”

“I’m starving.  I was thinking—”

“We should go out to eat.  You know, grab some lunch together.”

“Together,” Lena repeated.

“Together,” Kara replied as she placed a hand on the cabinet above and to the left of Lena’s head and leaned in, “like a date.”  

“A date… us?”

“Not if you don’t want to.”  Kara pushed away from the cabinet.  “It can be just friends if—”

“I want to,” Lena said hurriedly as she placed a hand against Kara’s shoulders.  “I’d really like that, actually.”

“Me too.”  Heartened, Kara smiled as she leaned closer again.  “I wanted to ask you last night, but you practically flew out of my car.”

“Yeah, I,” Lena managed a small laugh, “I do that sometimes.  Sorry.”

“No apologies.  We’re talking about it now, getting on the same page, and that’s what’s important.”  Kara’s smile grew.  “So, what do you want?”

“What do I want?”  Lena swallowed hard as she looked up into Kara’s eyes, the woman still smiling and scant inches away now.  Then Lena’s nose crinkled up.  “A shower.”

“A shower?”  Her eyes widening, Kara stepped back and snapped her arm down to her side.  “Oh, god, I’m so sorry.  I’m a sweaty mess.”

“It’s fine, Kara.”

“No, I spend so much time at the gym, sometimes I forget that no matter how good my deodorant is, it’s not magic.”

Lena chuckled.  “Well, you’re only human.  If you had a change of clothes, I’d say you could use my shower.”

“In my gym bag.”  Kara gestured over her shoulder with her thumb.  “I have a change of clothes, shampoo, bodywash, and deodorant.”  When Lena just raised her eyebrows, Kara shrugged.  “I told you I wanted to ask you out last night.  I wasn’t going to miss my chance today.”

“Oh,” Lena replied, a hint of pink rising up her neck.  “Well, in that case, it’s the first door on your right as you go down the hallway.  There are extra towels in the closet in there if you need one.”

Kara grabbed her bag from the floor, patting it.  “I brought one.  I came prepared.”

“I guess so.  Hair dryer is under the sink.”

“Awesome.  I’ll be quick.  Just let me wash off the stink, then I’ll take you to lunch.”

Lena smiled sweetly, listening until she heard the water start running in the bathroom.  Immediately, she grabbed her phone and shot off a text.

Lena: “She asked me out!!!”

Lena: “On a date!!!”

Lena: “On a lunch date!!!”

She waited about twenty seconds before shooting off another text.

Lena: “Alex!”

Lena: “R u awake?”

Lena: “Wake up.”

Lena: “I need to talk to u.”

Finally, little bubbles appeared promising a response.

Alex: “Why the fuck r u texting me at the crack of dawn!?!?”

Alex: “Someone better be dead!”

Lena cringed.

Lena: “It’s after 10 AM.”

There was another pause before a response came.

Alex: “Oh.  Sorry.  I was up late.”

Lena: “By yourself?”

Alex “Shut up.”

Alex: “Why r u texting me?”

Lena: “Did u read my texts?”

Alex: “No I was too busy being pissed.  Hold on.”

Lena tapped her fingers excitedly on the countertop.

Alex: “Hey congrats.  This is Kara, right?”

Lena: “Yup.  We went for a run this morning and then she asked me out.”

Alex: “U two went on a run after last night?”

Lena: “Yup.”

Alex: “I hate u both.”

Lena: “I love u too.”

Lena: “So how’s Sam?”

Alex: “Shut up again.”

Alex: “Why don’t u get ready for ur date and let me die in peace.”

Lena: “Kara is showering.”

Lena: “She got sweaty on r run.”

Alex: “Ugh, poor human having to run with you.”

Alex: “Did you wear ur equalizers?”

Lena: “I wasn’t at the gym.”

Alex: “I’ll take that as a no.”

Alex: “People will get suspicious if u don’t get tired.”

Lena: “Can’t I just enjoy my date without any sister guilt?”

Alex: “Fine.”

Alex: “Enjoy ur date.”

Alex: “Go pick out an outfit and let me get back to dying.”

Lena: “Ok love u Alex.”

Lena: “Have a good day.”

Alex: “Love u too.”

Alex: “Have a good date.”

Lena: “Say hi to Sam for me.”

Alex: “Shut up again again.”

Lena smirked as she put down her phone and made her way to the bedroom.  She went through several outfit quick changes, examining herself in the mirror each time.  When she heard the hairdryer stop and then the bathroom door open, in a flash she changed back into her clothes from jogging and stepped into the hallway.

“Hey, I saved you plenty of hot water.”

“Oh, right.  I need a shower from all that running and sweating.  I’ll just…” She inched by Kara and hurried to make her way into the bathroom.

“Did you do something different with your hair?”

Lena turned.  “No, it was always in a,” she patted the back of her head, “french braid.”

“Oh, sorry for not noticing.  It looks nice.”

“It’s fine.  I’m just going to grab a shower.  I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Take your time,” Kara said, but then added, “Hey, mind if I grab your wi-fi password so I can check my email?”

“No problem.  It’s incorrect.”

A small crease appeared between Kara’s brows.  “Your password is incorrect?”

Lena nodded.  “Most of my non-work passwords are incorrect.  That way, if I forget it, the computer reminds me.”

“I don’t…”  Kara shook her head.

“It says, ‘Your password is incorrect.’”

With a smile, Lena closed the bathroom door and started the water, leaving a slightly confused Kara on the other side.  She was in the bathroom for maybe ten minutes, taking a quick, before stepping back into the hallway wrapped in a towel.

“Just give me a minute to dress.  Where do you want to go?”  She mostly closed her bedroom door and began dressing at a more normal speed.  “Noonans is great if you haven’t been there.  They have a fantastic kale salad and veggie wraps.  Alex likes their burgers but… not my thing.  I prefer animals not on my plate.”  Pants already on, she pulled on her t-shirt and grabbed a pair of socks.  “Do you have a preference?”

Lena stepped into an empty living room.  She listened closely, but there wasn’t another heartbeat.  She looked around briefly, but Kara was nowhere to be seen.  Hands on her hips, she frowned as she looked about and then spied a post-it note stuck to her cell phone.

‘Lena, I had a family emergency.  I’m so sorry.  I’ll call you.’

“Family emergency… I hope everything is alright.”  She grabbed her phone intent on shooting of a text when she received one.

Alex: “Sorry to ruin ur date but we have a situation.”

Alex: “Meet me at HQ ASAP.”

“Oh, well.  I don’t have anything better to do.”

Lena: “On my way.”

In a flash she was changed into her uniform and then out the window.  The flight to the DEO was quick, and she ended up beating Alex there.  The main area was a buzz of action, agents talking into their mics while information streamed across their screens.

Catching Vasquez’s gaze, Lena asked, “What’s going on?”

“Director Henshaw is in the ready room.  He’ll brief you.”

Lena nodded and headed to the ready room where the director looked over a report.  She waited for him to finish and hand it back to the waiting agent with a nod.  Director Henshaw looked especially grim, and that was saying something for a man who seemed to be born without the gene allowing one to smile.  As the other agent left, her turned his grim face to Supergirl and nodded.

“Supergirl, thank you for coming so quickly.  We have a situation.”

“Agent Danvers told me.”  She nodded.  Exactly what is the nature of this situation, Sir.”

“I’d like to wait for Agent Danvers to arrive before filling you in on all for the details.” His brow furrowed in concentration.  “She’s just arrived at the parking garage.  She’ll be in here in a moment.”

“Oh, okay.”  Hands on her hips, Supergirl rocked back and forth, heel to toe, for a few moments while the director studied the report in his hand.  After a bit of fidgeting, she walked over to the corner and leaned against the wall.  About two minutes later, when the only sound to fill the room was that of pages being flipped, Supergirl cleared her throat.  “So, how about those Padres, huh?”

Director Henshaw looked up at her through narrowed lids but didn’t reply.

“Angels?”  When silence and that stare was her only response, she squeaked out, “A’s?” in a slightly higher tone.

Henshaw studied her for another moment before returning his gaze to the report.  “Agent Danvers has just stepped off the elevator.”

“Right.  Good talk.”

Alex was talking her eyes fixed on Henshaw, as she walked into the room.  “I got here as quickly as I could, Sir.  I sent a text to… Supergirl, you’re already here.”

“You said we had a situation,” Lena replied with a shrug.

“You haven’t updated her yet.”

“I thought it best to wait for your arrival,” Henshaw replied, is voice graveley.

Ales nodded, closing the door behind herself and holding her hand against the sensor plate until it turned red.

Stiffening, Supergirl looked back and forth between the two DEO agents.  “What’s withall the secrecy, and why did you just lock the door, Alex?”

“Please, have a seat, Supergirl,” Henshaw said though he remained standing, his strong arms crossed over his broad chest.

“I’d rather stand and find out what’s going on.”

“Supergirl, sit down,” Alex said as she pulled out a chair for herself and sat.

Frowning, Supergirl went to the table, pulling out a chair and taking a seat.  “Fine, so long as someone tells me what’s going on.”

Alex glanced to Henshaw, who nodded minisculely, and said, “There’s been an attack.”

“In National City?”

“No in,” Alex hesitated, “Metropolis.”

Slowly, Lena’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.  “Kal-El.”

“What we know so far is—”

“I need to get to Metropolis!” Supergirl was on her feet and on her way to the door before Henshaw could finish his sentence.

“Supergirl, wait,” Alex said.

“My cousin needs me.”

“Supergirl,” Alex tried again, then, as the Girl of Steel gripped the door, added, “Lena!”

Arm shaking with tension, Supergirl turned back to her sister.  “Is he alright?”

“We don’t… our reports are inconclusive.  We don’t know.”

“But he’s in danger?”

“Yes.”

“Then I need to go to him.”

Henshaw said, “Supergirl, flying off half-cocked without all the information—”

“He’s my cousin, my baby cousin!”  She stared Henshaw down, tension riding along her whole body before she swallowed hard, her eyes and posturing softening.  “Please, my job was to protect him.  I promised my mother I’d keep him safe.  He’s my family.  Don’t you understand?”

Those his hands remained on his hips, Henshaw tilted his face forward, seeming to stare at his shoes.  When he looked up again, it was with an unusual gentleness in his eyes.  “Yes, yes, I do.  So let’s get you briefed so we can all help him.”

At Henshaw’s gesture, Supergirl returned to her seat.

“Supergirl, what we know right now is that there’s been an attack on Metropolis, on Superman in particular.”  As she sister tensed, Alex hurriedly added, “At last report, he was holding his own, but there’s extensive damage to the city.  Some of the energy signatures we’ve been able to pick up were unpleasantly familiar.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“You remember those alien derived weapons we found, the ones I said could hurt you?”

Lena nodded slowly.

“That kind of familiar,” Alex said, “and that’s not all.”

“Why do I feel like this is about to go from bad to worse?” Lena asked.

“Because it is,” Alex replied.

“Kryptonite.”  Both women looked up at the sound of Henshaw’s voice.  “We’ve been able to pick up a signature which is nearly identical to Kryptonite.”

“Nearly identical?” Lena looked from Henshaw to her sister.  “What does that mean.”

“Well, we think it’s an artificially created kryptonite.”

“Artificially created… is that even possible?”

“Apparently,” Henshaw replied.

“Lena, there’s one more thing,” Alex said.

“Really, Alex, can it get worse than all of this?”

“There’s someone in some sort of… battle suit flying around the city attacking Superman, and he’s been identified as,” Alex glanced at Henshaw, “Lex Luthor.”

“Lex Luthor as in the CEO of Luthor Corp?”

“Yes.”

“But… I work at Luthor Corp.”

“We’re well aware of that, Supergirl.  We assume you’ve had little interaction with Mr. Luthor.”

“None,” Lena replied.  “I’ve watched his quarterly speeches along with everyone else, but he’s never come to my division.”

“Which may be the only thing that kept this attack from taking place her in National City and against you.”

“I wear a disguise.”

“Supergirl,” Alex squeezed her sister’s forearm, “Lena, it’s not much of a disguise, sweetie.”

“It works for Kal.”

“Perhaps not,” Henshaw said.

Lena sighed.  “Is there anything else, or can I go help my cousin?”

“We don’t have any agents in Metropolis.  We dispatched two squads as soon as we learned about the attack, but it still will take them hours to get there.  If you leave now, you won’t have any backup.”

“But Kal-El will,” Lena said rising.  “I’m going.  Don’t try to stop me.”

“We didn’t intend to,” Henshaw said.  “We just wanted to make sure you were fully apprised of the situation before you left.  Any questions?”

Supergirl shook her head.

“Keep your coms open,” Alex said.  “I’d go with you, but…”

“I’ll fly faster alone.”

“Right.  I’m going to grab a plane, and I’ll—”

“You’re staying here, Agent Danvers,” Henshaw cut in.  “I need you to coordinate our agents from headquarters.”

“Can’t you?”

“I’ve got to step out.”

“In the middle of this attack?”

“Because of this attack,” Henshaw countered.  “Now, you both have your orders.  Supergirl, good luck.  Agent Danvers, I’m counting on you.”

As Henshaw walked past them, only stopping to unlock the door before he left, Alex said, “Be careful, okay?”

“When aren’t I?”  At the look on Alex’s face, Supergirl added, “I withdraw the question.  I’ll be home in time for dinner.”

“I’m holding you to that.”  As a rush of air was her only signal of her sister’s absence, Alex ran to the door and shouted down the hallway, “I’m ordering potstickers!”

Chapter Text

Lena didn’t make it home that evening or for the next three nights.  Saturday spilled into Sunday and then Monday into Tuesday.  Though Kal-El had survived the fight somewhat worse for wear, he had survived.  Much of the same could be said for Metropolis.  Unfortunately, over a hundred of its citizens weren’t as lucky. 

Supergirl’s arrival had turned the tides on the fight, possibly saving Superman’s life.  Together, they managed to fight off the attacker who fled leaving them to decide between pursuit and saving the lives of an unknown number of people trapped in the rubble.  Perhaps that was part of Luthor’s plan, playing on the sympathies, or god complexes as he’d have said, of the Supers to keep them busy and cover his retreat.  Whether by chance or design, Lex Luthor escaped, and the two heroes remained behind to save the city and its inhabitants.

On Monday morning, Alex called Lena in sick for work though no one cared much.  The entire nation’s focus was on Metropolis and what had unfolded.  The attention of Luthor Corp staff was doubly fixed on that city across the country yet now tied to them through tragedy.  So, when Lena finally arrived home just after 2 AM on Wednesday, grabbing a few hours of sleep, a shower, and half of the produce section before stumbling into work, no one asked questions about her absence.  Even security barely looked up from their phones, the news stream of Metropolis capturing every available channel, as Lena trudged past them to the elevators.

“Hey, you’re back!” Winn said as he surged out of his chair, his eyes widening as he took in Lena’s appearance.  “Are you sure you should be back?  You look like crap.”

“And you wonder why you’re still single,” Lena quipped as she dropped into her chair and booted up her system, her eyes blurry with exhaustion.

“Sorry.  No offense, but are you still contagious?”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before entering the password into her system.  “I would have been contagious even before I got sick.  You’re a scientist.  You should know that.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t look sick before so… Hey, were you watching the news while you were home?  I texted you a bunch of times, but I never heard back.”

“I got your texts, but I was in no place to answer.”  She sighed.  “Metropolis was… That was devastating.”

“It must have been terrifying for the people there.”

Lena paused, staring at the screen of her computer.  “It was, but they’re resilient people.  They really pulled together to help each other.”

“Yeah, I saw some footage of people pulling others out of ruined buildings.”  Winn was quiet for a few moments.  “So, do you think it was really who they said it was behind the attack?”

“Yes,” Lena answered unquestionably.  

“Oh.”  Winn nodded.  “They say he and Superman were kind of friends at one point.”

“Kind of.”

“So, do you think—”

“Winn, can we drop the chit chat for now?  I’m really not in the mood.”

“Oh, sure.”  He squared up his chair to his desk and began to type.  “I hope you feel better.”

Lena didn’t answer.  She tried her best to put the events of the last few days out of her mind and focus on the work.  With images in her mind of crushed bodies pulled out from under rubble, of children crying in the streets for their mothers, it was likely it would take years to put that all aside if it ever happened.

After work, she flew straight to the DEO, only pausing to make a quick phone call to her cousin.  When all seemed as well with him as things could be given the circumstances, she took off and landed in the central control room a few minutes later.  Alex was waiting there for her and looking just as haggard as Lena did, perhaps even more so.

“Supergirl, thanks for coming in.  I know it’s been a long few days for you, but we could use your account of what happened,” Alex said.

Supergirl nodded and followed her sister to a side room.  “Have you gotten any sleep, Alex?”

“Yeah, I grabbed a few hours here and there.”

“A few hours a day or a few hours total?”

Alex didn’t respond, just pulled out a chair and slapped down onto the table the clipboard she was carrying.  “So, I filled out everything I could in the incident report, but I still have some questions for you.”

“Okay.”  Lena took a seat.  “I’ll tell you what I can, but things were incredibly chaotic.”

“Can you confirm the identity of the attacker?”

“Oh.”  Lena nodded.  “It was Lex Luthor.  I’ve seen him on screen several times.  I would have recognized him even if I hadn’t been expecting to see him.”

“That sucks.  The Luthors are a powerful family with nearly endless resources.  He could hide out anywhere.  Especially with you showing up in Metropolis, we should consider you a target.”

“I don’t think he’ll show his face again.  I wouldn’t be worried.”

“You’re not me.  Worrying about this kind of thing is my job.”  Alex jotted down a few words before flipping the page.  “Did Mr. Luthor have kryptonite?”

“Definitely.  That feeling is unmistakable.”

Alex’s head snapped up.  “Are you alright?”

“Just tired,” Lena assured.  “Kal and I had it handled.”

“That’s not what I saw on the news reports.”

Lena opened her mouth, likely to defend herself but then shrugged.  “Fine.  There were a few tough moments, and with that kryptonite powered suit being used against us, things got tight, but Kal and I had each other’s backs.  Also, we had help.”

Alex looked up from her writing.  “Right, you mentioned that when you checked in.  There was some intermittent news coverage during the fight.  They’re referring to the other man as a flying, green alien.  Can you confirm that?”

“Well, he flew, and he was green.  I don’t know who he is or where he’s from.  We didn’t have any time to chat, and he took off when Mr. Luthor did.”

“Any idea why?”

“Chasing him I guess?”  Lena shrugged.  “Honestly, Alex, Kal and I were too busy trying to save lives to worry about him… whoever he is.  All I know is I’m glad he was there.  He definitely was useful.”  When Alex muttered something as she wrote, Lena asked, “What was that?”

“I said you could have died.”

Lena leaned back in the chair.  “Nah.  I mean, sure, things got pretty dangerous at times, but with Supergirl and Superman there—”

Alex’s head snapped up, and her hand slapped the table.  “You could have died.  That’s why I didn’t want you going out there.”

“He’s my cousin!”

“And you’re my sister!”  The two women stared silently at each other for several moments, both of them breathing a bit hard before Alex leaned back in her chair.  “I was scared, Lena.  I was scared something would happen to you while I was stuck clear across the country.  Do you have any idea how many times I almost disobeyed orders and just flew out there?”

“Alex, I didn’t mean to frighten you.  I had it under control and—”

“And you knew I’d be terrified for you.”

Lena rose and walked in a small circle, one hand running through her hair.  “What did you expect me to do, Alex?  Kal-El was in trouble.  All of Metropolis was in trouble.  Did you really expect me to do… nothing?”

“No, I know you too well for that, but as scared as you were for Kal-El, that’s how I felt about you.  I know you did what you had to do, but I was stuck here just worrying I’d never seen my little sister again.  Can’t you acknowledge that?”

“I… I’m sorry, Alex.  I didn’t really consider your feelings when I left.  Of course, you were scared.”

“Terrified.”

Lena winced.  “I’m sorry, but I’d do it again.”

“Of course you would, you self-sacrificing idiot, and I’d be terrified again and give you an earful when you got home.  That’s our family dynamic.  We’re protectors, angry protectors.”

“Some of us are angrier than others,” Lena muttered.  “Did Eliza call you?”

“Multiple times.  Mom had some choice words for me.  Have you called her yet?”

“I texted her when I got home last night, and she called and woke me seven minutes before my alarm.  I really could have used those other seven minutes.”

Alex nodded in agreement and stifled a yawn.  “Okay, we have a BOLO out for Lex Luthor.  The airports have all been alerted.”

“Except he has a suit that lets him fly.”

“True, but we don’t know how much power it had left.  We’re hoping it won’t let him leave the country.  Luthor Corp lawyers are already giving us a hard time, but your eyewitness statement should help.  I left a call for Superman so we can get his statement.”

“He was devastated when I left.  Clark and Lex used to be good friends, and Superman and Lex were mostly friendly for a while.  He’s blaming himself for not seeing this coming.”

“Because you’re both martyrs.”  Alex stood, drawing the clipboard back to her body.  “Go home and get some sleep.  You look like crap, and you’re no good to anyone if you’re so tired you fall over.”

“You should get some sleep too.”

Alex waved dismissively at her sister as they walked to the door together.  “How are things with Kara after you ran out on that date with her?”

Eyes wide, Lena turned to her sister.  “I never called her.”

“Well, you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, and so has she apparently.  I got maybe three texts the whole time I was gone, but I meant to call her this morning.”  Lena rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands.  “Oh, Rao, I’m so tired.  I’m lucky I remembered where I worked.”

“Just send Kara a text, then go home and get some shut eye.  Try to watch where you’re flying.  We don’t want a repeat of the great dove incident of 2017.”

Lena frowned.  “People shouldn’t release those at their weddings.  They’re just asking for trouble from low-flying superheroes.”

“Well, you certainly made that wedding memorable.”  Alex clapped her sister on the back.  “Give me a call tomorrow to check in, and don’t leave town even for food.”

“Even for food!?”

“Even.  For.  Food.”  Alex punctuated every word with a poke to her sister’s shoulder.  “Until Lex Luthor is caught, I want you close to home.  Now go get some rest.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Lena flew home and goes straight to bed.  With exhaustion pulling at her, it was no more than two minutes from the time her head hits the pillow until she was asleep.  However, her dreams were restless and filled with the screams of people trapped under crumbling buildings.  No matter how quickly she dug, no matter how many people she freed, the screams continued.  It was with the sounds of the dying echoing in her mind and the image of a sickly green glow haunting her that Lena awoke to her phone.

“Hello?”

“Lena?”

Lena checked her phone, only seeing a string of numbers with no contact’s name.  “Yes, who is this?”

“It’s Kara.”

“Kara?”

“Kara from the gym.”

“Oh, Kara.”  Lena pushed herself to sit upright and rubbed her eyes with one hand.  “Sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice.”

“Were you asleep?  You sound sleepy.”

“Well, it’s,” Lena glanced over at her alarm clock, red numbers glowing on the display, “a little after two in the morning.  What’s wrong?”

“Two AM?  Aw, crap, right.  Subtract when you go from east to the west, dummy.  I’m sorry, Lena.  I’m only half awake myself.  I’ll let you get back to sleep and then call you tomorrow… by that I mean later today but at a less obscene time.  Goodnight… morning… you know what I mean.”

“Wait.”  Lena turned on the small lamp on her side table.  “I’m already up.  Why don’t you tell me why you called?”

“Oh, I just… Well, I’d texted you to say I’d give you a call when I got back into town.  We need to talk.”

“We need to talk,” Lena repeated slowly.  “Well, that doesn’t sound good.”

“Right, what happy story ever started with the sentence, ‘We need to talk.’?  The next part of that sentence is never, ‘Because you won the lottery.’”

“So, I didn’t win the lottery.  That’s disappointing.”

There was a heavy sigh over the phone line.  “I really do need to talk to you, but since I can’t tell time, what are you doing after you’ve slept?”

“Working.”

“And apparently I need to learn how to use a calendar also.  Dinner, how about dinner?”

“What about it?”

“Will you have dinner with me?  I could pick you up at your work.  Just tell me the time.”

“Dinner tomorrow… How about I meet you at Noonan’s at 5:30?  It’s downtown and about two blocks from my work.”

“Okay, I’ll send a car for you.”

“I’d rather walk.  I need the exercise.”

“I’ll remind you that you’re the one who said that.”

“Ugh.  Are you going to make me pay for that at the gym?”

“The gym, right.”  There’s a prolonged silence.  “Look, I should let you sleep.  I’ll see you tomorrow at 5:30.  I’m really sorry I woke you.”

“Forget about it.  See you tomorrow.”  Hanging up and returning her phone to the bedside table, Lena shut off the light before lying down.  She stared at the ceiling, sleep once again beckoning as her mind had even more with which to contend.  “Great, I’m going to get dumped, and I haven’t even had my first date yet.  Good going, Danvers.”

<><> 

It was about 12:30 the next day, and Lena was locking her system at work when she got a text from her sister.

Alex: “I’m downstairs.  We have a situation.”

“Could this day get any better?”

Lena: “I’ll meet you down there in five minutes.  Are you at security?”

Alex: “No, I’m outside with a contingent of agents.  Hurry.”

“Uh-oh.”

“What uh-oh?” Winn asked as he came to stand by her.  “Are you having system issues?”

“No, it’s uh… My sister she…” Lena held out her cell phone and wiggled it around. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”  

“Okay, I’m going to get us good seats up front, so we don’t miss anything.”

Lena nodded, but instead of going down she went up.  It was a quick change at her usual spot on the roof before she was drifting down to meet the group of black SUVs out on the street.  “Hey, what’s up?”

“We got the address of where Noah Frandsen is making his hit.”

“And?”

“And it’s this address.”

“Here?  Alex, why didn’t you call me as soon as you knew?”

“They gave me the address as soon as the message was decoded.  I knew it seemed familiar, but it wasn’t until I got here and recognized the building that I realized where it was.”

Supergirl nodded.  “Who’s the target?”

“There was no name just a time and place, and given the weapons we found recently, we have to assume the target is you.”

“Alex—”

“No arguing.  Until Frandsen is caught, we need to put you into protective custody.”

“That’s ridiculous.  I protect other people.”

“Not today.  Today we protect you.”  Alex gestured toward one of the SUVs.  “Get in, and I’ll have an agent drive you back to the DEO.”

“But—”

“I said no arguing.  I’m going to keep a team here to sweep the area.  With any luck, we’ll have Frandsen into custody by 1:00 o’clock, and you can get back to your normally scheduled life.”  When Supergirl opened her mouth to argue, Alex added, “Don’t make me go through what I just went through with Metropolis.”

Deflating, Supergirl hung her head and headed for the vehicle.  The drive back to the DEO was subdued.  Even though Agent Ront attempted conversation several times,  Supergirl did little more than shrug or grunt in response.  When Supergirl finally spoke, it was a tangent.

“Why 1:00?”

“What?”

Leaning forward to stick her head between the seats, Supergirl asked, “Alex said she’s hoping they catch the guy by 1:00 o’clock.  Why did she give that specific time?”

“Oh, that was the time given in the coded message.  It was just an address and then thirteen hundred hours for a time.”

Frowning, Supergirl eased back into her seat.  After a few moments of thought, her eyes widened.  “I’m not the target.”

“Excuse me?”

“Radio Agent Danvers and let her know I’m not the target.  The target is Luthor Corp’s new CEO.”  With that, Supergirl was gone with just an open door on a moving car to show she was ever there.

<><> 

The crowd was gathered in the yard at Luthor Corp, a large open area which was used to host the occasional tented soiree.  A curtained-off stage sat in front of the lined up chairs filled with employees.  The stage was temporary but sturdy, erected for today’s speech and speaker.  A new era was about to be rolled out for Luthor Corp.

“Let’s just walk through this one more time, Miss Luthor,” Alana said.  “Once Miss Arias has given your introduction, you’ll take the stage.  Your speech is expected to last for eight minutes, after which you’ll take questions from reporters.  Did you study your talking points?”

Kara tapped at her temple with one finger.  “All memorized and ready to parrot back.”

“Good.  You can expect the reporters to be vicious.  This recent incident in Metropolis is blood in the water to those sharks.  After a few minutes of reporter questions, I’ll take the podium, thank everyone for coming, and encourage employees to have refreshments.  Miss Luthor and Miss Arias, security will escort you both inside to—”

“I want to stay outside and meet people.”

Alana narrowed her eyes and stared at Kara incredulously.  “You do?”

“Of course.  They’re Luthor Corp employees.”

“That’s not in question, Miss Luthor, but at all prior events, the Luthor Corp CEO never… milled about with employees.”

“Right, and look where the status quo has gotten us,” Sam muttered.

Kara nodded.  “Miss Arias is right.  This isn’t going to be business as usual anymore.  Relatability and accountability will be two of our buzzwords going forward.  I want to know the employees here, and I want them to get to know me.  After all, we all work for the same company.  We’re teammates.”

“Teammates?”  Alana raised her eyebrows and looked over at Sam.

Sam placed a hand on Alana’s shoulder and offered a kind smile.  “Get ready for a different kind of CEO.  Personally, I think this has been too long in coming.  Kara here will be—”

There were raised voices and a commotion at the far end of the stage.

“FBI, this is an emergency.  Get the hell out of my way!”  Alex bustled past people, leaving another agent to deal with questions, and made her way across the stage.  “Where’s Miss Luthor?”

Kara stepped forward, confusion painting her face.  “Alex?”

“Kara, what are you doing here?”

“She works here starting today,” Sam supplied.

“Sam, I…”

Sam crossed her arms and smirked at Alex.  “You never call.  You never write.”

“Sam, I… Sam… I texted you but—”

“Relax, Alex, I’m just jerking your chain.  I got your text.  I’ve been pretty busy what with my prior CEO trying to kill one of the greatest heroes in America and nearly destroying Metropolis in the process.”  Sam winced and looked over at Kara.  “Sorry.”

Kara shrugged and pushed forth a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.  “Don’t apologize for my brother’s actions.  I’ll be doing that enough for both of us for the next few years.”

“Kara… Luthor?” Alex asked cautiously.

“Yes.”

“Oh, fuck me hard,” Alex mumbled into her hand which she’d slapped over her mouth.

“Alex, what’s wrong?” Sam asked.  “If you’re here to bring Kara in for questioning, she’s already gone rounds with the authorities.  She doesn’t know anything about her brother’s actions.  Kara hasn’t even been part of the family business.”

“Right, right, the reason I’m here.  Miss Luthor, we have credible intelligence that your life’s in danger.”

“Come again?” Kara asked.

“The FBI has been tracking the movements of a hired assassin that came to National City a little over a week ago.  Today, we intercepted a message that his target would be at this address at thirteen hundred hours.”

“The speech commencement ceremony starts at 1:00 o’clock,” Kara said.  “But why would anyone want to hurt me?  I run a gym.”

“Apparently, not anymore,” Alex said.  “Forgive my bluntness, but after your brother’s actions, you should consider a more robust security team.  This may not be the last attempt on your life.”

“God, I fucking hate my family sometimes,” Kara sighed as she dropped her head forward and pinched her brow.  Lifting her head, she asked, “Okay, so now what?  I have absolutely no experience with killers.  The only people who have ever threatened my life are clients mid-workout.  Hey, maybe the assassin is your sister.”

Alex managed not to swallow her tongue — barely — and kept her face relatively placid.  “That’s unlikely, Miss Luthor.  If you’ll come with me to a secure location, I’ll update you and your security on what the FBI knows so far.”

“I guess, but can you please stop calling me Miss Luthor?  It makes you sound like my childhood butler.  No one calls me that unless they’re getting paid to do it.”

“Fine, Kara then, but we need to get you to someplace safe.  You’re far too exposed out here.”

Squeezing Kara’s forearm, Sam said, “This sounds serious.”

“If it gets much more serious,” Alex added, “you’ll be leaving in an ambulance.”

There was a woosh and a sudden breeze as Supergirl dropped down from above and crossed the stage amid hushed voices.  “Agent Danvers, I hope you got my message.  Did you find…”  She stared at Kara, blinking.

“Supergirl… wow,” Kara said nearly as stunned as the hero.

Alex stepped closer, giving her sister a little nudge with her elbow.  “Supergirl, this is Miss Kara Luthor, the new CEO of Luthor Corp.  She’s just agreed to come with me to a secure location where we can protect her and update her on the threat.

“Kara… Luthor?”

“Why do people keep saying my name like that?  Supergirl, I realize there’s bad blood between our families, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance.  I didn’t have anything to do with my brother’s actions, and I’ll prove that with my actions.”

“I… I… Alex?”

“Supergirl, may I speak to you off to the side for a moment, please?”  Alex asked.

“Of course,” Supergirl replied with her most professional face that quickly cracked again once they had a semblance of privacy.  “She’s Kara Luthor?”

“Right, what are the odds?”

“What am I going to do?”

“Right now you’re going to try and help us catch an assassin while I get Kara to a secure location.  You and I can discuss the rest later.”

“You’re right.  Keeping Kara safe is what matters.  I would just like to remind you of one thing.”

“Go on.”

“It was your idea that I go to the gym.  If not for you, my civilian identity wouldn’t be involved with a Luthor.”

“Is that your version of ‘I told you so?’”

“Well, I did.  I told you me going to the gym was a bad idea.”

“No one could have seen this coming.  There was no way—” At movement near the curtain, Alex’s head turned sharply to the right.  “Miss Luthor, get away from the curtain!”

“But there’s someone—”

Alex crossed the intervening area and spoke in hushed tones to Kara.  “You stick your head out there, and you’re making yourself a target for an assassin’s bullet.”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts,” Sam said as she joined them.  “Alex is right.  This company can’t afford more negative publicity, and personally, I’d like it if you stuck around.  I’m getting used to your face.”

“Fine,” Kara agreed, “but do we know if this is going to be someone with a gun?  Could it be a bomb?”

“The MO of the assassin in question is a long-range rifle, but I don’t think we can rule out anything,” Alex replied.

“Then I’ll leave, but I want the employees all to go home for the day.”

“For the day?  Kara, the company can’t afford to lose a half-day of productivity right now.  Our stocks are already way down,” Sam said.

“The company can’t afford to risk another scandal and endanger our employees,” Kara countered.  “I’ll leave when I know the employees will be safe.”

“God, you’re so annoying,” Sam said.  “You’re right, but it’s really annoying.”

“Get used to it.”

Sam nodded.  “Gladly.  I’ll just go out there and let people know we have a gas leak or something, and they should all go home for the day.  We’ll have them check their emails for updates on tomorrow.”

As Sam tried to walk by, Kara caught her wrist.  “You’re not going out there.  If anyone is going to step on that stage, it should be me.  This is Luthor Corp, after all.”

“I’m not letting you go out there and get yourself shot,” Sam said.

“And I’m not letting you get shot in my stead,” Kara countered.

“I’ll go.”  Supergirl lifted a hand to shoulder height and smiled.  “I’m bulletproof, and everyone out there probably knows who I am.  I’ll just be a moment.”

Supergirl stepped onto the stage amid the bright lights of the gathered new crews.  Conversation immediately hushed at the sight of the Girl of Steel.

She tapped on the mic, “Hello?” and recoiled at the shrill reverb, moving back slightly from the amplifying device.  “Sorry about that.  Hello, Luthor Corp employees and members of the press.  I’m sorry to tell you this, but we’re canceling today’s event.  We have a small gas leak, and we’re trying to locate the source.  If everyone would please leave in an orderly fashion, we’d appreciate that.  Luthor Corp employees, please check your emails for updates about work tomorrow.  Have a great day.”

“Supergirl!  Supergirl!” reporters shouted out.  

“Is Miss Luthor under investigation for the recent incident in Metropolis?”

“Are you here to personally search for kryptonite on Luthor Corp premises?”

“There are rumors that the FBI are on site.  Is Miss Luthor under arrest?”

“What?  No.  Miss Luthor isn’t… kryptonite?  Who said anything about kryptonite?  Yes, the FBI is here… No, I mean they’re not here to—”

At the sound of a throat clearing behind her, Supergirl did a double take and harshly whispered, “What are you doing out here?”

“My job,” Kara whispered back as she grabbed the mic from the podium.  “Hey, how about we take it easy on Supergirl, folks?  She just flew in from Metropolis, and boy is her cape tired.” Kara shook Supergirl’s cape with one hand amid laughter from the crowd.  

Alex joined the duo on the stage, one hand on Kara’s shoulder and the other on her sidearm as she cast her gaze across the crowd.

Supergirl could only gape at the practically suicidal action of Luthor Corp’s new CEO who might set a record for starting and ending her career.

Kara held one hand out in front of herself, raised.  “As you can see, no handcuffs.  No matter what rumors you’ve heard, I haven’t been hauled off by the FBI.  We just have a little gas leak here, folks, so how about everyone clears out before I literally start off my first day here with a bang?  Luthor Corp employees, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

While employees began to shuffle out and the press continued to yell out questions, Kara left with Supergirl directly behind her and looking accusingly at the surrounding buildings.  When they got behind the curtain again, the group let out a communal breath.

“Are you crazy?” Supergirl asked.  “You could have gotten yourself killed out there.”

“You were getting killed out there.  Someone had to come to your rescue.  Plus, the reporters had me in shackles being hauled off to Guantanamo Bay.  I appreciate what you’re doing, but if I don’t start doing some PR, I won’t have a company to run.”

“And if you keep doing things like that, you won’t be alive to run it.”

“Okay, okay, you’re both right,” Sam said.  “How about we just get Miss Luthor out of here now.  Given who you both are, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances to argue in the future.”

“Sam’s right… about everything,” Alex said.  “Miss Luthor, please come with me.  We have a safe house prepared for you.  I’ll escort you there myself.”

“Just a minute.”  Kara held up one finger before going back to Alana with Sam trailing behind her.

“Now what is she doing?”  Alex sighed and whispered at Supergirl, “Your girlfriend has a death wish.”

“My what?  Oh, Rao.”  Supergirl covered her face.  “Please don’t tell Eliza?”

“Are you kidding me?  I’d rather go back on stage and see if I can attract the assassin’s bullet.  Mom is going to kill me slowly when she finds out about you and Miss Luthor.”  When Lena’s head turned sharply to the woman in question, Alex asked, “What’s wrong?”

“She just said my name.”

“Supergirl?”

After looking left and right, Supergirl whispered, “Lena Danvers.”

“Oh, fuck.”

Supergirl nodded.  “This could be bad, Alex.”

Before anyone else could say anything, Kara and Sam joined the other two again.

“Okay, I’m ready to go, Alex.  Do I call you Alex or is it Agent?”

“Agent Danvers is fine.  Supergirl?”

“I’m going to do a sweep of the surrounding buildings, and then I’ll search Luthor Corp for any incendiary devices.  I’ll contact you when I’m done.”

“Hold on, you can’t go around x-raying Luthor Corp,” Alana said as she stepped up, still clicking on things on her tablet.  “We have dozens of proprietary designs in there.  Unless you’ve signed an NDA, certain parts of the building are off limits.”

“Alana?”  Kara waited until the other woman met her gaze.  “It’s fine.  This is Supergirl, and she’s here to help.  She gets access to anything she needs.”  Kara met Supergirl’s gaze again.  “We have nothing to hide.”

“The board is going to have your head for this,” Sam said.

“It looks like the board can wait in line.  If I survive this assassin, the board can take their shot… not literally.”

“Let’s just get you into the safe house, then whoever wants a piece of you can line up,” Alex said.  “Follow me.”

“I’m going with you,” Sam said.  “Assassin or no assassin, Kara and I have plenty of work to do.”

“Good.” Kara smiled, placing one hand on Alex’s and one on Sam’s shoulder as they walked away.  “Then you two can talk.  I bet you have a lot to discuss.”

Chapter Text

It was after 4:00 PM when Alex strode into the DEO.  A jittery Supergirl, with an energy bar in each hand, was twirling in one of the chairs.  At her sister’s presence, she hurriedly finished one energy bar and joined the agent.

“Nothing?” Alex asked.

“I found some oily residue on a chair in an empty apartment in one of the buildings across from Luthor Corp.  It’s being tested, but I think it was gun oil.  The chair was next to an open window.”

“Probably to stabilize a sniper rifle.  Any kryptonite?”

“I couldn’t feel any.  If it was there, all hint of it was gone before I showed up.  It could have been in a lead-lined magazine, but I think we’re just dealing with everyday ammunition.”

“So you’re safe, but Miss Luthor is still in danger.  I like it better, but I still don’t like it.”

“Speaking of Miss Luthor,” Supergirl looked left and right, “did she mention me again?”

“You?  Oh, you.”  Alex nodded, her voice hushed.  “Yeah, she asked about you.  Apparently, you two are supposed to have dinner plans.  She asked if it would be okay to have you brought to the safe house, so she didn’t have to cancel.”

“What did you say?”

“What should I have said?  Do you want to have dinner with her?”

“If I say yes, am I in trouble?”

Alex squeezed Supergirl’s forearm.  “She’s not her brother.  Her life is going to be under constant scrutiny, and that’s not her fault.  Then again, her life is going to be under constant scrutiny.  Involved with a Luthor isn’t exactly life under the radar.”

Supergirl nodded, sighing, “I think she’s going to break up with me.  Well, more like say our dating is a bad idea since we haven’t even started to date yet.”

“Why do you think that?”

“She told me we needed to talk.”

Alex’s face contorted as she sucked in air through her teeth.  “Yeah, that’s not good.  I ‘needed to talk’ to a lot of guys when I was in college.  Though to be fair, when I said it wasn’t them it was me, it really was me.”

“Even if we did date, would I ever be able to tell her who I really am?  I mean, would the DEO sign off on that?”

“Hey, no one decides for you who you can date but you and the person you’re interested in.  The real question is, are you up for the challenges this particular relationship will bring?  After what happened in Metropolis, a relationship between a Super and a Luthor won’t be easy.”

“You’re right,” Supergirl replied with a nod.  “Maybe her ending this before it begins is for the best.”

“That’s not what I said.  Being in the closet and playing straight was easier for me, but it wasn’t better.”  Alex placed a hand on either of Supergirl’s shoulders, a steadying force in uncertain seas.  “Sometimes the hardest path is the best.  You need to decide if it’s worth the struggle.”

Supergirl smiled and enveloped her sister in a gentle but unyielding hug. “You’re the best sister in the galaxy, you know?”

“Just one galaxy?” Alex replied with a chuckle.

“Several.  Your good advice almost makes me forgive you for making me go to the gym in the first place… almost.”

Alex stepped back, a smile still on her face.  “Hey, if this thing with you and Kara works out, you owe me.  I expect—”

“Agent Danvers, Supergirl, my office,” Director Henshaw called out with his ever-present half-scowl painting his face.

Alex nodded over at him and grabbed her sister’s hand, stopping Supergirl’s progress when the hero tried to head to the office.  “Not a word to the director.  Don’t even think about Kara romantically when we go in there.”

“Alex, he’s not a mind reader.”

“Sometimes, I’m not so sure about that.  His Chocos went missing from the break room one day, and fifteen minutes later, he had the offending party in his office.  I swear, he didn’t talk to anyone else, just walked around the office glaring at people.”

“Okay, but you said his glare was worse than waterboarding.”

“That’s true.”  Tugging on Supergirl’s hand, Alex headed to Henshaw’s office.  “Come on, let’s go in there before he has reason to glare at us.”  They stopped just outside the office, and Alex knocked on the door frame.  “You wanted to see us, Sir?”

“Please, come in and close the door behind you.”

Alex and Supergirl’s exchanged anxious gazes before Supergirl pushed the door closed behind them.

“I need an update on the Kara Luthor situation.”

“An… update?” Supergirl’s voice squeaked.

“Yes, how is that developing?  Have you made any progress?”

“Progress with…” Alex’s gaze wavered between Henshaw and her sister.

“Locating and apprehending the assassin,” Henshaw replied. 

“Oh, that progress.  Yes.  I mean no.  I mean I found something, but it wasn’t really something—”

Alex cleared her throat.  “Sir, may I before she gets going?”

“Please, Agent Danvers.”

“We don’t have an update on the assassin’s position, but Supergirl located a sniper set up in a room across from the Luthor Corp. building which is consistent with the assassin’s MO.  She found some oily residue and brought it back to see if we can confirm it’s gun oil.  There were no traces of kryptonite in the room.  Our techs are still sorting through the chatter to see if we can locate him and find out if we can confirm his target.  In the meantime, we need to assume that Miss Luthor is the intended target.  She and a member of her staff are currently in one of our safehouses.”

“So, we’re no closer to catching Frandsen, but at least we’re protecting the civilian who is the priority.  Agent Danvers, you’ll continue to head up the protective force for Miss Luthor.”

“But Sir, don’t you think I could do more if I—”

“Agent Danvers, I’m well aware of your abilities and concerns, but the reason I’m putting you with Miss Luthor is that you are my best agent.  I don’t want any agent on this detail that hasn’t been chosen by you.”

“Are you worried we have a mole?” Supergirl asked.

“No, but after the incident in Metropolis, it wouldn’t surprise me to find some agents struggling with their loyalties when it comes to protecting a Luthor.”

“She isn’t like her brother.”

Henshaw’s eyes narrowed as he studied Supergirl.  “That may be, Supergirl, but I’m worried that perception, true or otherwise, could lead to resentment and not showing the proper priority to one’s job.”  Henshaw paused, waited to see if either of the women would say anything else, and then nodded.  “Please keep me apprised of any progress in this case.

Both Alex and Supergirl replied with a, “Yes, Sir,” before heading to the door.

“Agent Danvers, please stay a moment.”

Another cautious gaze was exchanged between the sisters, and then Supergirl exited, leaving Alex with Henshaw.

“Alex, is everything alright with your sister?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Metropolis was brutal.  I don’t know if her cousin would have survived if she hadn’t arrived on the scene, and the regular assault with kryptonite took its toll on her.  Though she healed physically, she’ll always bear emotional scars from the incident.  I worry her defense of Miss Luthor may be her overcompensating.”

“It’s not,” Alex assured.  “You know how Supergirl is.  She always sees the best in everyone.  She always gives everyone the benefit of the doubt.  Supergirl is—”

“Hopeful, I know.  If there were anything else to it, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

“Sir, if there were anything going on with Supergirl that I thought the DEO should know, I’d make a personal report directly to you.”

Henshaw folded his hands in front of himself, his steely gaze staying on Alex in a way that had regularly made lesser agents squirm.  Finally, he nodded.  “Make sure you do.  You’re dismissed.”

Outside the door, Alex only made it partway down the hallway when her sister was next to her.

“Oh, Rao, Alex, I thought for sure Director Henshaw knew about Kara and me.  I can’t believe you lied to him when he asked you directly.”

“Eavesdrop much?”  Alex kept walking, getting further away from Henshaw’s office before she said, “Anyway, I wasn’t lying.  If I thought your relationship with Kara was any of the DEO’s business, I’d tell Henshaw.  Supergirl or not, you deserve your privacy.  Hell, you’ve given up more than anyone to this planet.  I’m not going to let them take a chance of happiness away from you.”

“You know, I really am the luckiest Kryptonian on this whole planet.”

Alex rolled her eyes.  “Clark would disagree with you.”

“Clark would be wrong,” Supergirl said, giving Alex a little hip bump that sent the agent teetering to bounce off the wall.  “Sorry, sorry.”

<><> 

Alex drove Lena to the safe house because though Supergirl could drop right in, officially, Lena Danvers lacked the security clearance.  It was an awkward drive over, Alex at the wheel and Lena nervously wringing her hands together.  From time to time, Lena would open her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately, she’d just sigh and remain otherwise silent.  It wasn’t until they’d parked that Lena finally spoke.

“It’s an actual house.”

“What did you think it would be?”

“Some shady hotel room like in the movies.”

Alex exited the car, giving her sister an odd look.  “You watch way too much television.  Anyway, your girlfriend is one of the fifty richest people in America.  We couldn’t exactly pack her into a Hotel 6 and expect her to stay there.”

Eyes wide, Lena asked, “She is?”

“I notice you didn’t say she wasn’t your girlfriend,” Alex replied with a smirk.

“On second thought, maybe Clark is the luckiest Kryptonian on the planet.”

“You remember what I said about your behavior?”

“Yes, remember there are agents watching.  Anything I do can get back to the director, so don’t do anything I wouldn’t want him to know about.”

Alex nodded.  “Good.  Vasquez is the onsite lead agent and will run interference, but still, you need to be careful.  You remembered to eat dinner before you left?”

“For the third time, Alex,” Lena sighed, “yes, I ate before we left.  I have eaten with humans before, you know.”

“Yes, and as one of those humans, I’m officially requesting you close your mouth when you chew.”

“At least I don’t snore.”

“Only because of your alien physiology.  You’d shake the shingles off the roof if you did.”

“I’m surprised your snoring doesn’t,” Lena muttered.

Alex knocked on the safehouse door, held up her ID to the peephole, then gave a passcode to gain them entry.  Inside, two agents could be seen, but there were more upstairs and outside.  As Alex and Lena made their way to the living room, the smell of food and the sound of pots and pans reached them from the kitchen.  In response, Lena’s stomach growled.

“Classy.”

“Stop it,” Lena whispered, shooting her sister an ugly glare.

“Hey, I’m in the kitchen!” Kara called out before the sisters could get into it any further.

Indeed, Kara was in the kitchen surrounded by steaming pots and cutting boards covered in vegetable scraps. She was wearing slacks and a button-up and a collared shirt with the first three buttons open.  Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows showing off impressively toned and tanned forearms.  Her long hair hung loose with softs curls, and she was wearing a half apron, the kind that just covered her pants, and it was streaked with red sauce and flour.  It was vastly different from her usual workout wear, dressy yet homey at the same time and entirely attractive.

When Kara smiled brightly at her presence, Lena swallowed hard and whispered, “Oh, Rao.”

“You gonna be okay?” Alex nudged Lena.

Lena nodded and whispered back, “So long as you stay with me.”

“Hey, I thought I heard company.” Sam walked down the stairs pausing just a few steps from the bottom.  Her dress was red and knee-length, and a black shawl hung off her arm.

“You look amazing,” Alex said with a broad smile.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Sam replied with a touch of heat.

“Hungry?”

Sam nodded at Alex’s question, putting in an earring as she continued down the stairs.  “I usually am though.  Where are we eating?”

“We have reservations at—”

“You’re leaving me alone?” Lena tugged Alex’s arm, jerking her to the side.

“I’m leaving you to your date so I can go on mine,” Alex said, pulling her arm back and straightening the sleeve of her jacket.

“But… but… Kara’s in danger, and you’re in the FBI.”

“So are all of the other agents here.  I’ll be back in the morning for my detail, but tonight I’m off duty.”

“But what about me?”

Hands on her hips and rocking back and forth, Alex smirked.  “Hey, Vasquez, can I trust you to protect my little sister in my stead?”

“I’ll throw my body in the way of anything that can hurt her,” Vasquez replied without missing a beat.

“Gee, thanks,” Lena replied with obvious sarcasm.

“See, you’re all safe.”  Alex patted Lena on the cheek.  “Have fun on your date.”

“Yeah, but I—”

“By, Kara!”

“Bye, Alex, Sam!  You two have lots of fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”  Kara dropped her apron on the counter as she came to stand next to Lena, an arm casually tossed around the other woman’s shoulders.  “Of course, that leaves lots and lots of fun stuff to do.”

Sam laughed, but Alex glared and lifted her brow as her gaze moved from Kara to Lena.

Kara cleared her throat and gingerly removed the obviously offensive arm, her smile wavering.

“You two have a good time, as good a time as you can have in protective custody surrounded by a half-dozen agents who will be reporting everything back to me.”  Alex nodded at Kara in emphasis.  “We won’t be out too late, and we’ll only be about fifteen minutes away, ten if there’s an emergency and I have to drive fast.”

“Have fun, you two,” Sam said with a wink as she looped her arm through Alex’s and they walked to the door.  “So, where are we going?”

“You know that new Italian place on Sebastian Street?  Well…” Alex’s voice faded away as they left the safe house.

Left alone with Kara, not counting a half-dozen agents on high alert, Lena headed into the kitchen, inhaling deeply.  “What’s for dinner?  It smells amazing.”

“That would be my famous spaghetti squash ‘pasta’,” Kara made air quotes around pasta, “with kale, mushrooms, sautéed onions, and sundried tomatoes.  I also made us some garlic bread.  Hungry?”

“Starving,” Lena admits.

“Good, then you can pour the wine while I plate the food.”

“We’re having wine?” Lena asked as she picked up the bottle of white wine from the kitchen counter.

“Too many calories?”

“What?  No, it’s fine.  I guess I just wasn’t expecting all of… this.”  She gestured around the kitchen.

Kara placed the tray of bread on the stovetop and pulled off her oven mitt, dropping it on the counter.  She gently cupped Lena’s cheek.  “You’re worth this and a lot more.  Thanks for settling for a night in protective custody under the FBI’s watchful eye.”

Lena blushed slightly but managed to smile.  “I spend a lot of my nights under the watchful eye of the FBI.”

Kara stepped away, rubbing the back of her neck.  “Yeah, your sister is protective.  I thought she was going to shoot me.”

“Oh, Alex would never shoot anyone while she has them in protective custody.”

“Uh-huh.”  Kara nodded.  “I’m sure that was supposed to be reassuring, but I’m actually more concerned now.  Oh, hold on.  I have something for you.”  Kara left briefly, returning with three dozen roses: twelve blue, twelve orange, and twelve coral.

Lena gaped for several moments before taking them all with a smile.  She held them close, inhaling deeply.  “They’re gorgeous.  I love the color selection.”

“There’s a whole language to flowers, you know.  They’re like hidden messages.  I used to love doing code-breaking exercises when I was a child.  Flowers kind of remind me of that.”

“Oh, and what do roses mean?”

“Well,” Kara took the roses back, laying them all on the counter.  She pulled out three roses, one of each color, and began to hand them back as she described the meaning for each one.  “Yellow is for joy and friendship.  Blue represents the unattainable the impossible, and orange,” she held the last rose by the stem, gently brushing Lena’s cheek with the petals, “desire.”

With a nervous laugh, Lena took the last rose.  “I was supposed to be pouring the wine.  Where’s the corkscrew?”

The smile fell off Kara’s face, and she furrowed her brows as she looked around the kitchen.  “Oh, um… I’m not actually sure.  I hope we have one.  Maybe it’s—”

“I’ll find it.  You get us food before I gnaw my way through the cork.”

“If we can’t find the corkscrew, you may have to.”

While Kara fixed plates of food, Lena slid her glasses down her nose and examined every closed drawer.  When no corkscrew was forthcoming, she pulled out the cork by hand and poured two glasses of wine.

“Good, you found the corkscrew,” Kara said, a plate of food in each hand.

“Yup, all set.” Lena palmed the cork, tossing it into the trash can.  “Wow, the food looks good too.”

“Let’s hope it tastes good.  Come on.”

They sat across from each other at the dining room table, both silently eating except for positive noises regarding the food coming from Lena.

“You know, I’ve never dated anyone I trained before.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, that was kind of why I wanted to talk to you tonight.”  When Lena didn’t respond, just waited, Kara said, “I wanted to tell you that I wouldn’t be your trainer anymore, but you already know that.”

“I do?”

“You were there for my speech, such as it was, at Luthor Corp.  I wouldn’t have asked you out had I known… Is everything okay with the food?  You look… peakish.”

“What?  No, the food is fine.  I just…”  Lena took a big gulp of her wine.  “I just have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about our complicated relationship.  Everything seemed so much easier between us a week ago, but that’s all changed after Metropolis, hasn’t it?”

“I… I…”

“Before my brother did what he did, I was happily running my gym, but now I’m running Luthor Corp, and you, Lena, you—”

“I’m not who you think I am,” Lena said hurriedly.

“—work for me.”  An awkward silence hung in the air between them.  “You’re not who I think you are?”

“I… work for you,” Lena said in one long exhalation.  “Yes, Luthor Corp, that’s where I work.  I work there.  I’m a scientist doing science at Luthor Corp., a science company.  That’s me.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Kara asked, her brow furrowing.

“Yes, I’m just… I’ve never dated my boss before.”

“I get it.  I was surprised when Alana, my Executive Assistant… I have an Executive Assistant, so weird.  Anyway, I was surprised when I had Alana pull a company roster, and there you were, Lena Danvers, Pharmaceutical Scientist.  I thought about calling this off, but Sam reminded me that you don’t report to me, and I shouldn’t give up the things that matter to me because of the job I’ve been thrown into.  I do think we should keep this on the down-low though.  The paparazzi are going to be awful for a while and at work—”

“You don’t need to explain.  I agree.”

“Oh, cool.”  Kara lifted her glass.  “How about a toast then?  To complicated relationships.  Anything worth having is worth working for.”

Lena lifted her glass, gingerly clinking it against Kara’s.  “I couldn’t agree more.”

When Lena’s phone signaled an incoming text, Kara asked, “You need to get that?”

“No, it’s probably just Alex being Alex.  She can just be sort of…”

“Protective?  I get it.  I used to have my own Alex, but he… Well, you know the highlights.”

“I’d like to hear more if you’re willing to share.”

“More?”

Lena shrugged, talking around the food in her mouth.  “Sure.  No matter what Lex has done or why he did it, he’s your brother.  I’m sure you know a different side of him than the news is telling.”

“Very different.”  Kara leaned back, a little smile coming to her lips.  “Lex was the one person who made me feel at home with the Luthors.  He used to read from his science books to me, and he taught me how to play chess.”

“Which I hear you do quite well.”

“Come over to my place sometime when someone isn’t trying to kill me, and I’ll show off my trophies.”

“Is that how you get girls back to your place?”

Kara laughed.  “First I try my collection of sports cars.  If that doesn’t work, I go for chess.  I live in extremes.”

“Obviously.”  Kara took another forkful of her food.  “By the way, this is amazing.  I bet it’s better than the food at the restaurant where Alex took Sam.”

“We should find out when I’m no longer a guest of the federal government.  By the way, thanks for agreeing to have dinner with me even under these circumstances.  I wish I could promise you nothing like this would ever happen again, but dating a Luthor is difficult under even the best of circumstances, and this is far from the best.”

“Well, every relationship comes with its challenges.  I, uh, I can get pretty busy too.  Dating me isn’t going to be easy.”

“Really?  How often has someone been trying to kill you on a first date?”

“My date or someone else?”

Kara laughed,” Nice one,” and returned to her food.

Lena smiled and pushed back her chair.  “Let me get the wine from the kitchen in case we want more.”  She returned moments later with the bottle in hand.  “So, tell me more about young Kara and Lex.”

“Young Kara, huh?”  Kara took a forkful of food, chewing while she considered her words.  “I lived in this little apartment with my mom, and the Luthor mansion was gigantic, vast in comparison.  It felt hollow.  During the day, when the servants were moving about, it wasn’t so bad, but at night it felt like I’d gotten locked in a museum.  I remember the first night I spent there.  I was in my room, which was probably as big as my old apartment, crying.  It wasn’t loud.  I was just holding my teddy bear and crying quietly to myself.  The door opened and, just for a moment, I expected to see my mom, my birth mom.  I spent a long time expecting to see her, but I bet you get that.”

Lena nodded, sympathy reflected in her eyes. 

“So the door opened, and Lex walked in.  He sat down on the bed and, said, ‘Why are you crying, Kara?’  I told him, ‘Because my mommy isn’t here.  She’s gone, and she’s not coming back.’  Lex nodded like he understood, and he took my hand and said, ‘I’m sorry your mommy is gone, but you know who is here?’  I shook my head, and in the slice of light coming in from the hallway, I could see him smiling.  He said, ‘Your big brother, and I’m not going anywhere.’  I sat up and leaned into him, and I cried more.  He never asked me to stop, never told me things were alright.  He just held me and let me cry.  It seemed like any night I cried, he knew, and it would always be Lex who showed up to take care of me and protect me.”  Kara wiped at the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes even as she laughed a bit.  “That’s who Lex was to me, the one person in my otherwise empty world.  He used to say, ‘It’s you and me against the world, Ace, when do we attack?  I think we can take them.’”

“He sounds amazing.”

“He was.  He really was, but when my father died I got sent off to boarding school, and Lex was already in college.  Our calls and visits became less and less often.  He was out here for four months setting up Luthor Corp West before I saw him, and even then, he left in the middle of dinner because of a business emergency.  After what happened in Metropolis, I have to wonder what his business really was.”

“You never suspected he was… you know, doing what he was doing?”

“Never,” Kara replied emphatically.  “Sure, I knew he was vehemently anti-alien.  I sometimes thought that was how Lex and Mother bonded, but I never thought he’d do anything violent.  I could believe that Lex would go into politics to further his own agenda, but never that he’d physically hurt someone.  I would have staked my own life on that.”

“You would have lost,” Lena said wincing as the words left her mouth.  “Sorry.”

“You don’t need to be.  You’re not saying anything I haven’t.  Quite frankly, you’re being much kinder to me than most people.  I’m sure the death threats are going to just keep on coming.  A lot of people lost family members in Metropolis, and I don’t expect they’ll all take it lying down.”

“You think this assassin that’s in town is here because of what your brother did in Metropolis?”

“Of course.  Why else would someone want me dead except for revenge over what my brother did?  He killed someone’s family, and now someone wants to kill his.”  Suddenly, Kara sat up straight.  “Oh, my God, my mother.  I need to call her and make sure she’s alright.  They could be after her too.”

As Kara rose, Lena rose also and reached across and took her hand.  “The FBI already has her under surveillance for her own safety.  Alex said that your mother refused protective custody, but she did agree to bring in some extra security and allow the FBI to maintain a presence outside her home.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Lillian Luthor,” Kara said as she sat back down.  “She probably thinks she can chastise the assassin into defeat.  She might be able to do it too if the assassin is anything like my self-esteem.  It took a lot of years in therapy to undo what she did.”

“So,” Lena laid her napkin over her lap again, “you mentioned that your brother and mother bonded over their anti-alien beliefs.  You didn’t agree with them?”

“I wasn’t born into that household, and even when Superman appeared and revealed himself as an alien, my father was still alive.  He may have had his faults, my existence is proof of that, but he taught us critical thinking and encouraged us to think for ourselves.  Then I was sent away to boarding school, which was a blessing, and critical thinking was encouraged and even rewarded.  I don’t know what kind of a person I’d be if I’d stayed under my Mother’s thumb… maybe like Lex.”

“I don’t believe that.”  Lena offered a soft smile that gradually encouraged one in return.

“So no, you won’t hear any of my family’s xenophobia from me, but I am a little worried about Supergirl.”  When Lena started to cough, Kara asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I… cough, cough… I’m fine.”  She took a sip of her wine.  “Alex is right.  I do need to chew better.”

“Maybe the food is too good to eat slowly?”

“Maybe.”  Lena cleared her throat and managed a smile.  “What were you saying about Supergirl?”

“I met her for the first time today.  She seemed really uncomfortable with me, and people like me.  I’m a people person.”
“I’m sure she was just concerned for your safety.”

“Maybe, but it felt like there was something else going on.  I mean, my brother did attack her and her cousin.  What should I expect?”

“Supergirl’s not like that.  She wouldn’t hold something against you that you didn’t do.”

As she sipped her wine, Kara’s brows rose.  “You sound like you know her personally.”

“Well, I… She works with the FBI, so Alex knows her.  I feel like I know her.”  Lena shrugged and ducked her head slightly.  “You can ask Alex, who definitely knows Supergirl better than I do, and I bet she’ll tell you the same thing.  Supergirl doesn’t blame you for what happened in Metropolis.”

“Hmmm… Alex knows her well, huh?”

Lena nodded and took another bite of her food.

“How well?  I mean, for Sam’s sake, is there something I don’t know because your sister and Supergirl seemed pretty chummy,” Kara waggled her eyebrows, “if you know what I mean.”

This time Lena’s cough was explosive.  She grabbed her napkin to cover her mouth as she worked to clear her throat barely noticing when Kara got behind her, patting her on the back with vigor.

“Alex is right.  You do need to work on chewing.”

“No, you said,” she coughed more, “you said Supergirl,” there was another round of coughs, and she took a few sips of wine to clear her throat completely, “it’s just… Alex and Supergirl?”  Lena’s face twisted in displeasure.  “Ewww, no, never.”

Kara straightened to look down from her full height at Lena.  “Because she’s an alien?”

“No, because…”  An uncomfortable silence hung between them.  “Because they’re more like family than coworkers, and Alex would never think of her that way.  Never.”

Kara wandered back over to her own seat, a heavy line between her brows.  “You seem awfully sure about that.”

“Because I know my sister.  I know her type.  She likes…”

“Humans?”

“No.”  Lena sighed.  “This honestly isn’t a human versus alien thing.  I’m sure Alex would date an alien.  I’d date an alien.  You’re not an alien, are you?”

Kara seemed to consider that.  “Maybe on my mom’s side.  That would explain so much of my mother’s attitude toward me and also why I’m so far above average on everything.”

“Everything?”

With another eyebrow waggle, Kara grinned.  “I’ll be happy to prove it.”

A slight blush rising on the back of her neck, Lena replied, “You should finish your food, and I should text Alex back before she thinks we’re all dead.”  Kara pulled out her phone, and there was indeed a text from her sister.

Alex: “We’re at the restaurant.  Let me know if there are any problems.”

Lena: “Not problems, exactly, but the conversation is a bit awkward.”

Lena: “You need to tell Kara that you wouldn’t date Supergirl.”

When her phone chimed, Alex apologized to Sam and checked the text, her eyebrows rising.

Alex: “What the hell are u two talking about?”

Lena: “Her brother, my job, aliens, dating.”

Alex: “What do u mean ur job?”

Lena: “At Luthor Corp.”

“Anything wrong?” Sam asked.

“No, Lena just…” Alex shook her head and put her phone face down on the table.  “No, my sister is just weird.”

“Ah, well, as an only child and the mother of an only child, I wouldn’t know.”

“Yeah, I was an only child for a long time.  Lena didn’t come to live with us until she was thirteen.  She was such a scared little kid.”

Sam took a sip from her wine, smiling.  “Good thing she had a big sister then.”

Alex laughed sharply.  “We didn’t really get along well at first.  Everything was suddenly all about Lena, and I resented her.  She was a really obnoxious teenager, a real know it all.”

“Really?  I can’t see that.”

“It’s true.”

“What changed?”

Alex pushed around some food on her plate with a fork, a pensive look on her face, before answering.  “I guess we figured out we could work together instead of against each other.  The Danvers sister are just, um…”

“Stronger together?”

Alex took a sip of her wine and a moment before answering.  “You could say that.  We certainly make a great team, and as much as I resented her at first, Lena is as much my sister as if she’d been born to my family.  I’d do anything to protect her.”

“You know she’s an adult, right?”

“I know, but I can’t get the image of that scared kid out of my head.  No matter how big and strong she gets, she’ll always be my little sister.”

“Even when she can bench press you?”

“Oh, she can bench a lot more than me,” Alex chuckled.  “What about you, have you thought about having more kids?”

“I’ve considered it, and Ruby asks sometimes.  She has friends that have younger siblings, and she thinks being a big sister would be cool.”  Sam took a sip of her wine, her smile fading slightly as she continued to speak.  “I’m really making progress with my career, and I worry I’d have to sacrifice that if I was raising another child alone.”

“Maybe you just need help,” Alex said with a shrug.

“Sure, find me someone who will volunteer to change dirty diapers and take some night shifts.  Ruby promises she’ll help, but she has school, and I think she’d find out that the idea of taking care of a baby is a lot better than the reality.”

“Well, maybe you’ll meet someone who wants to have kids with you, like a partner.”

It was Sam’s turn to pause.  “Tell me about your work.  What’s it like working for the FBI and with Supergirl?”

“Didn’t we already talk about my work?”

“Tonight?”

“No, I mean when we… met.  Didn’t we talk about all of that?”

Hands folded and resting under her chin, Sam grinned.  “Sweetie, if we talked, I don’t remember it.  I remember a lot, but I wouldn’t call it talking.”

“Oh, God,” Alex said, blushing brightly.

“Now that part I do remember.”  Sam’s smile grew as Alex’s blush did.  “Come on, tell me about your job and I’ll stop teasing you.  What’s Supergirl like when the crowds aren’t around?”

“Honestly?  She’s just as nice as what you see in public.  There’s no hype to her.  She really cares about people and puts them first.  She cares about everyone on the planet.”

“Nice to know.  She seems pretty amazing, but she also seems too good to be true.”

“Just too good to be human.”

“How long have you known her?  Oh, I may or may not be under specifics instructions from my daughter to ask certain questions.  When I called and told her I’d be out late because of an incident at work where Supergirl arrived, she screamed loudly enough that I didn’t need the phone to hear her.”

Alex chuckled.  “Yeah, she has that effect on kids, and puppies have that effect on her.”

“Puppies.  Okay, that’s kind of adorable.”

“Supergirl really is.  She’s a bit like a puppy, and I meant that in the best way possible.  She’s fun and excitable, and she never tries to do anything wrong.”

“She sounds incredibly positive.”

“Yeah, I guess.”  Alex shrugged.  “It’s hard to believe she is after all she’s gone through, but I think she makes a choice every day to look for the silver lining in every situation.  Given her raw power, she could have done anything she wanted to do on this planet, and she chose to dedicate her life to protecting those weaker than her, which is everyone.  Can you imagine having an entire world laid at your feet and choosing to treat it like the most precious gift in the world?”

“Me?  No.”  Sam lifted one fist.  “I would be a horrible tyrant making the people of planet Earth bow to my every whim.  But since I can’t, I’ll just be a terrible despot who lords power over my twelve-year-old.”

Alex laughed.  “I guess the people of planet Earth should be grateful that you’re human.”

“Definitely.”  Sam took another sip of her drink, her gaze never leaving Alex’s face.  “Do you think she has family here?”

“Supergirl?”  Alex nodded.  “Definitely.”

“Do you know them?”

“Do I know…?”  Eyes widening, Alex said, “I’ve met Superman.”

“Oh, I met more like adopted human family, but that’s interesting.  What’s he like?”

“Nice.  Kind.  He’s a bit like Supergirl when it comes to his values, but sometimes, he can be easier to talk to.”

“In what way?”

“He’s just more… Human is the word that comes to mind.  He has all of these powers, but it’s like talking to a human.  You can tell he’s been here almost his whole life.  Supergirl, sometimes she will just do or say something, and you just shake your head and think, ‘She is an alien.’  It’s not in a bad way, but it’s noticeable.”

“That’s really interesting.  I hadn’t ever thought of Superman as a human in an alien’s body while Supergirl is just…”  When Alex’s gaze drifted away, Sam said, “Lena?”

Alex startled.  “What?  No.  Why would you say that?  I never said anything about Lena.”

“You’re looking at your phone again,” Sam said, gesturing toward Alex’s phone face down on the table.  “I assumed you were thinking about Lena.”

“Oh, yeah.”  Alex sighed with relief.  “Sorry about that.”

“No, don’t apologize.  It’s good she has someone that cares about her so much.  Do you want to text her again?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.  I’m sure she’s fine.  There are a half-dozen agents in that house.  What could happen?”

“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself of something.  Why don’t you just text her?”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“She’s in a house full of FBI agents because someone is trying to kill the person she’s with.  You get to worry about that.  On a selfish note, I wouldn’t mind knowing Kara is safe.  She popped up out of nowhere and is holding my company together.  I don’t know what would happen to us if anything happened to her.  Plus,” Sam shrugged and smiled, “I’ve really gotten to like her these past weeks.  She puts people over profits, and that’s a refreshing change in corporate America.”

“Speaking as a person?”

“Hey, c-suite are people too,” Sam replied with a chuckle.  “Really, though, Kara is exactly what this company needs.  She’s a truly good person.  In my position, you don’t meet a lot of those.”

“Truly good, huh?”

Sam nodded.

Alex pulled out her phone while she spoke. “She’ll need to be to date Lena.  My sister is an amalgamation of innocence, selflessness, hope, and puppies… heavy on the puppies.”

Alex: “Just checking in. U good?”

Lena’s phone chimed on the coffee table, but she barely spared it a glance as she sat across from Kara on the couch, both of them sipping from their wine glasses.

“Favorite musical.”

Lena sputtered.  “How can you ask me to pick just one?  That’s inhumane.”

“Okay, okay,” Kara replied with a chuckle.  “What was I thinking?  How about favorite movie, or will that cause a conflict in your soul.”

“No that’s fine.”  Lena stared into her glass.  “When the Danvers first took me in, I felt so lost, like a stranger in a strange land.  I left behind a home I thought I’d never see again to be with the strange people who didn’t even speak my language.”  With a sigh, she looked up and met Kara’s earnest gaze. “The Wizard of Oz really spoke to me.”

“I get that.  My father was like the wizard, Lex a mix of the smart, brave, and kind-hearted companions, and my mother was definitely the witch.  You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a pool or get caught in the rain.  I wonder… hmmm.”

Lena chuckled.  “You’re silly.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It’s nice.”  She blushed slightly as Kara smiled at her.  “Okay, favorite song?”

“Anything by NSYNC.”

“You like NSYNC?” Lena asked.

"I do. You?"

“You could say that.” Kara grabbed her cell phone from the table, a grin on her face as she brought something up before laying it on the table again.  With a final push on the phone, she turned her smile on Lena.  “Top of my playlist.”

When ‘I Want You Back’ started up, Lena laughed.  “I’m not gonna lie.  Brittany and Justin were—”

“My OTP!”

“Yes!”

“Where have you been all my life?”

“All of your life?”

“And you say I’m silly.”  Kara stood, holding out a hand to Lena.  “Come on.  Let’s dance.”

“Here?”

“Why not?  The music and the company are good.  What else do you need to have a party?”

With a smile, Lena rose, and she and Kara danced.  They danced through ‘I Want You Back,’ ‘Tearing Up My Heart,’ and ‘It’s Gonna Be Me.’  ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ was playing, and Kara and Lena were both pretending to be puppets when Vasquez walked into the room, looked them both over critically, shook her head, and left.

It took another four songs for Kara to declare, “Water break,” leave the room, and return with two bottles of water.  “You have a lot of stamina,” she said, handing a bottle over to Lena.  “You don’t even look out of breath.”

“What?  No, I,” Lena bent over slightly, knees bent, “Whew.  That was quite the workout.  My adrenaline is really flowing.  Thanks for the water.”

“I’ll keep you hydrated if you stick around.”

“Where else would I go?”

“No, I mean…” Kara reached out, taking Lena’s water and placing both bottles on the coffee table before gently tugging Lena’s hand to encourage the other woman to sit with her on the couch again.  “I mean, I like you.  I like you a lot more than I’ve liked anyone for a really long time.  I’d liked to get to know you better, a lot better.”

Blushing slightly, Lena’s gaze dropped and then she looked back at Kara through a curtain of lashes.  “I like you too… a lot.”

“Wow, you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“No, I’m not.  I’m just—”

“Hey.”  Kara reached out and cradled Lena’s face in her hand.  “You’re stunning.  Literally, sometimes I’m stunned by how beautiful you are.  You’re like… I think Sappho said it best when she said, ‘...gracious your form and your eyes as honey: desire is poured upon your lovely face Aphrodite has honored you exceedingly…’”  Kara scooted a bit closer on the couch, her thigh pressed against Lena’s.  “I’d really like to kiss you now.”

“Sappho said that?”

“No, that was all me.”  Kara brought her face scant inches from Lena’s, close enough that their air was warmed from each other’s breath.  “May I?”  When Lena didn’t respond at first, Kara started to withdraw, but a hand on the one on Lena’s face stilled her motion.

“Yes.”

It’s just one word, a clear response to a question, but Kara still held her ground as her gaze swept over Lena’s face, as if looking for some sense of hesitation.  It wasn’t until Lena leaned a bit closer, bringing her mouth as near as it was before, that Kara took the leap and brought their lips together.  As seconds passed, the gentle pressure of the kiss increased, desire expressed in the pillow brush of lips, the flick of a tongue, a sigh of relief followed immediately by a moan.  A calm beginning turned almost frantic, and Kara’s hands gripped Lena’s hips with enough pressure to make a human wince.  In return, Lena fisted her hand in the front of Kara’s shirt in an attempt to bring the other woman closer, so close that only their clothes and Lena’s hand caused a division. 

Lena tilted back, dragging a very willing Kara on top of her, but just a few seconds later, the pulling turned to a gentle push with which Kara immediately complied.

“Too fast?” Kara asked, breathless.

“Alex.”

“Your… Your sister?  What?”

Lena sat upright, running a hand through her hair and grabbing her phone from the table.  “She keeps texting me.  Just let me reply, so she doesn’t think I’m dead.”  She shot off two quick texts to Alex then dropped the phone onto the table again.  “Now, where were we?”

“Somewhere around,” Kara leaned in pressing a kiss against the pulse point of Lena’s neck, “here.”

“What about here?” Lena asked, pointing at her jaw.

“Yeah, maybe that was it.”  Kara’s next kiss was pressed against Lena’s jawline.  “Or here.”  She kissed the corner of Lena’s mouth.  “No, I think maybe it was… here.”  As she kissed Lena’s lips, Lena pulled her by the shoulders, and they picked up where they had left off.

On the table, completely ignored, Lena’s phone chimed again and added to the text chain.

Lena: “Having a great time.”

Lena: “Glad you’re not here.”

Alex: “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Alex: “Are you okay?”

Alex frowned down at her phone, glaring at it when several minutes had passed with no response.

“You’re frowning again.”

“Hmmm?  Oh, sorry.”  Alex slipped her phone into her pocket and returned her attention to the woman across from her.  “It’s just Lena being… well, Lena.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Nah, they’re in good hands.  I’m just a worrier.”

“You’re a big sister.”

“And a federal agent.  It makes for a lot of worrying.  If anything ever happened to Lena, my mom would have my head.”

“Didn’t we already talk about this?  Federal agent or not, you and your mom both need to recognize that Lena is a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.”

“Trust me, it’s more my mom than me.”

“As a fellow mom, I can understand your mother’s concern.  Sometimes when I look at Ruby, I still see that infant the doctor placed on me when she was born.  We can’t keep them young forever though.  A parent’s job is to raise a child into an adult that doesn’t need them in their lives but do it in such a way that the child still wants them in their lives.  One of the most painful things a parent can do is to watch their child become everything you’d hoped they would be.”

“My mom would love you,” Alex said with a sigh.

“Not the Danvers woman I’m trying to impress here.”

“I know.  I just… The way you talk about your relationship with Ruby, the way you parent, it reminds me a lot of my mom, of the good things she did to raise Lena and me.  My mom and I have our differences, but even so, I think she’d tell you she’s proud of the person I’ve become.”

“You’re an FBI doctor.  How could she not be proud of that?”

“Yeah, she wasn’t actually all that thrilled when she found out where I worked.  It’s like she thought I was putting Lena in danger instead of protecting her.”

“By working at the FBI?”  Sam furrowed her brows.  “How?”

“Pffft.  Mom logic.  How would I know?”  Alex took another sip of her wine and smiled.  “Care to explain it to me?”

“I’m afraid that would break the most sacred vow of non-disclosure of MAD… Moms Against Daughters.”

“Ha!  Yeah, mad sounds right.”

Sam ran a fingertip around her glass, gently tracing the rim.  “How did she take it when you came out?  Have you come out to her?”

“Yeah.  My mom was great, but I was a neurotic mess.  I was so sure she was going to be disappointed in me.  She said she never could be.  I think it’s brought us both closer.  How about your mom?”

“I haven’t seen her since I got pregnant and left home.”

“Oh.”  Alex looked down, staring for several moments as she flexed the fingers in her intertwined hands several times.  “Do you know if she still lives at your old home or if she’s even still alive?”

“Yes to both.  My mom’s Facebook is public, and anytime I want to feel sorry for myself, I look her up.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know how to get in touch with you.”

“I have a public Facebook too.  All I use it for is posting pictures of Rubes and me.  I guess part of me hopes my mom will see us and…” Sam shook her head.  “Ruby is probably better off not seeing a woman who thought keeping up appearances was more important than keeping her.”

“Yeah… Yeah… You deserve better than that; you and Ruby both do.”

“We have better.  We have each other.” Sam took a final sip from her glass, tipping it back to empty.  “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more.”

“More is good,” Alex replied with a smile.  “More could be very, very good.”

Sam smiled back, but that smile soon turned into a sigh.  “You’re looking at your phone again.”

“Oh, God, I’m sorry, Sam.  I’m just—”

“Worried about your sister.  Don’t apologize.  I wish I had an older sister who worried about me.”  Sam gestured with her head toward Alex’s phone on the table.  “Why don’t you give her a call so you can relax and enjoy dessert?”

“You’re sure?” Alex asked, already picking up her phone.

“Absolutely sure.”  Sam grabbed the dessert menu.  “I’m going to find myself something chocolate.”

“For two,” Alex replied as she unlocked her phone and called her sister’s number.  Moments later, a deep frown appeared on Alex’s face, and she scowled at her phone.

“Problem?”

“She isn’t picking up.  Why wouldn’t she be picking up?  Now I am worried.”

“Alex, you have a house full of FBI agents.  Call one of them.”

“That’s a much better idea than calling in a strike force.”  Seconds later, Alex had dialed again, this time her call picked up.

“Agent Vasquez.  How can I help you, ma’am?”

“Vasquez, is everything alright there?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Is Lena okay?”

“She’s in the living room with Miss Luthor.  They’re playing music.”

“And you can see her, both of them?  Everything is okay?”

“Ma’am, I was under the impression that given the... circumstances, we were to supply Miss Luthor and her friend with privacy.”

“Yes but… Vasquez, Lena isn’t answering my call, and she hasn’t texted me back in several minutes.  Would you please just go and check to make sure that she and Miss Luthor are well?”  Alex glanced over at Sam, offering a reassuring smile.

“Are you sure you want me to do that, ma’am?  I mean… your sister is there.  They’re fine.”

“Just remember Metropolis, Vasquez, and go check.”

“Yes, ma’am.” There were several seconds of nothing, and then the boy band music grew louder, making Alex grimace.  A few seconds later, the music grew fainter again and then faded into nothing.  “They’re fine.”

“Well, can I talk to her?”

“No.”

“Because?”

“She’s otherwise occupied.”

“What the fuck—” ‘Sorry,’ she mouthed over at Sam.  “Vasquez, I need to speak with my sister and make sure she’s okay.”

“She’s fine, Danvers.  She’s just busy.”

Alex’s frown grew.  “What’s the code word for today?”

“Kangaroo.”

With a harumph, Alex said, “Fine, but tell her to call me when she’s free.”  Hanging up and placing the phone on the table, Alex continued to frown.

“We’re leaving, aren’t we?”

“No, it’s fine.  Vasquez gave me the code word; it’s fine.”

“Uh-huh.”  Sam gestured toward a waiter who approached immediately.  “Bring us the check, please.”

As the waiter nodded and left, Alex said, “Sam, we don’t have to go.  I told you.  It’s fine.”

“Oh, I hear the words that you’re using, but the look on your face tells a different story.  Anyway, now you can owe me dessert for our next date.”

“Next date?”  Alex smiled, nodding.  “I’d love that if you want to.”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”  Sam quickly signed the check that was brought to her.

“At least let me—”

“Since I’m stuck away from home and working, this is on Luthor Corp, Kara’s orders.”  She handed over the check to the waiter.  “Anyway, think of it as public relations between the FBI and a company that is sure to be under scrutiny from said agency.”

“Public relations.”  Alex rose, walking alongside Sam to the exit.  “I could do public relations.”

“Good.”  Sam nodded as Alex held open the door, pausing under the frame to smile back at Alex.  “Let’s hope you can do private relations too.”

“Private—”  Alex stopped short and then nearly tripped hurrying after Sam’s retreating form.  “Oh, boy.”

The drive back to the safe house was filled with more chit-chat as the ladies got to know each other better.  Quickly, they pulled up outside, Alex’s gaze sweeping the exterior of the house and the perimeter.

“Everything alright?”

“The outside agents are where they’re supposed to be.”

“Is that a yes?” Sam asked.

“Everything looks alright, but I still feel like something is off.  I’m gonna check.”  She pulled something from a hidden compartment in the car door, popped open the door, and exited, glancing back in just long enough to say, “You stay here in the car, just in case.”

“Hey—”  Seconds later, Sam’s door had opened and closed, and she was hurrying to catch up to Alex.  “Hey, don’t leave me alone.  You’re making me paranoid.”

“You’ll be safe in the car,” Alex said, taking the safety off the weapon now in her hand.

“I’ll be safe behind the woman with the gun,” Sam replied, getting directly behind Alex.

“Fine, but don’t cross in front of me until I give you the all clear.”

“No problem.”  They made their way to the front door, and Sam whispered, “Ruby is not going to believe that I followed an armed FBI agent… again.  She is so going to want to meet you.”

“Yeah?”  Alex spared a glance over her shoulder before turning back to the front of the house and approaching the door.

Alex knocked and held up her badge for inspection, gave the password, and then she and Sam entered the house, leaving the agent in the foyer.  They’d reached the edge of the living room when Vasquez hurried toward them.

“Ma’am, what are you doing here?” she whispered.

Alex looked past Vasquez, hurrying into the living room.  “Lena.  Lena!”

“Alex!”

From the couch, Lena’s voice was followed by a yelp as Kara was practically shot putted into the air.  The young Luthor’s arms and legs pinwheeled as she went up from the couch, with an arc that caused her to clear the coffee table, and came down with a thud on the floor on the other side.  Even as Lena sat up, hand over her mouth, Kara moaned.

“Oh my—” Hands over her mouth, Lena slowly rose to her feet to stare down at Kara.  “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m,” Kara moaned again as she pushed to her feet and rubbed one of her shoulders, “good.  I’m good.  What happened?”

“I uh…”  Wide-eyed, Lena glanced back at her sister.  “I guess I don’t know my own strength.”

“I guess.” Kara rubbed her shoulder again, grimacing.  “Maybe I feel a little less guilty about falling down on the job as your trainer.  I’d say you’re trained.”

“We should ice that shoulder,” Lena said as she headed to the kitchen, grabbing a Ziploc from a cabinet and beginning to scoop ice into it.

“What just happened?  What were you two…” Alex’s gaze bounced back and forth between Kara and Lena before she spun of Vasquez.  “Really?  You couldn’t have given me a heads up?  You couldn’t have told me she was—”

“Otherwise occupied,” Vasquez said.  “Learn to take a hint, Danvers.”

“Whatever.  Lena, get your bag.  We’re leaving.”

Lena returned to the living room, a bag of ice in hand.  “We are?”

“Alex, may I speak to you in private for a moment?” Sam asked.  Together, they stepped into the dining room.  “I know she’s your little sister, but she’s not a little girl.  You really should let her make her own decisions.”

“No, it’s not that.  It’s just that being seen with Kara—”

“You did not just say that,” Sam snapped.  “Is this because she’s a Luthor?”

“What?  No.  Well, yes but…”  Sighing, Alex pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Let me try that again.  I don’t want it to get back to my boss that Lena and Kara are dating.”

“Because it’s embarrassing?”

“No, because,” Alex paused, licking her lips as she seemed to choose her words carefully, “with Kara in the FBI’s protective custody, and Lena being my sister, this is kind of a conflict of interests.  I don’t want my boss to freak out.”

“How can your boss control who your sister dates?”

“Oh, you’d be amazed at what Director Henshaw can control.”

“What?”

“Just trust me on this.  It’s not that I have a problem with Lena dating, or dating Kara, or… whatevering with Kara, but keeping their relationship on the down-low will be best for everyone involved.”

Lips pursed, Sam asked, “And what exactly does your director think is going on with those two tonight?”

“Friendship?”  Alex shrugged.  “I’m kind of in a don’t ask don’t tell zone right now.  Director Henshaw knows Kara used to be Lena’s trainer, and he thinks Lena is here being supportive given everything that’s happened lately in Kara’s life.  I don’t want him to know otherwise unless this thing with them turns into something real, you know?”

Sam nodded slowly.  “And none of the agents here are going to report back otherwise?”

“I handpicked the crew for tonight.  Vasquez was their trainer, and they’re all loyal to her.  I trust Vasquez with my life… literally.”

“Okay, fine.”

“Okay,” Alex repeated.  “Anything else?”

“Yes.”  Sam slid her hands over Alex’s shoulders.  “I wanted to say goodnight to you.  Would you like to say goodnight to me?”

“Goodnight?”  Alex glanced at one of her shoulders and then the other as Sam’s arms slid over them and then hands clasped behind her neck.  “Oh, goodnight!  Yeah, I’d love to say goodnight, you know, just to be polite.”  She looped her arms around Sam’s waist, pulling the other woman closer.

The kiss was gentle and explorative.  It was almost as if the frenzied passion from the earlier evening hadn’t happened, as if this was a beginning and not a continuation.  When Alex’s tongue reached out, licking across Sam’s bottom lip, a moan escaped the CFO’s mouth as she parted her lips.  From there, things escalated quickly.  Hands gripped flesh with nearly bruising force, and though Sam connected with a thud as Alex pushed her into the wall, neither of them seemed to notice.  Shirts were pulled out to allow nails to rake along taut stomachs and hands to cup bra covered breasts.

“Ahem.”

Sam startled at the throat clearing, jerking her head back and Alex’s lower lip, gripped between her teeth, with her for a moment.

Eyes narrowed, Alex turned to glare at the agent in the doorway.  “This better be important.”

“Your sister is worried about Miss Luthor’s shoulder,” Vasquez said, her face a mask of indifference.  “She said to tell you she’s really, really sure nothing is broken or dislocated, but she still wants a doctor to look at it.  You’re a doctor.”

“Fine,” Alex grumbled as she pulled her hands out from under Sam’s shirt, pulling down on and returning her own shirt to a semblance of order once Sam had removed her hands.  “Tell Lena I’ll be right there.  I’m just…”

“Playing doctor?” Vasquez deadpanned.

Alex glared.  “Tell Lena I’ll be right there, Agent.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Alex ran her hand through her hair and fixed her tie, looking down at her shoes as she said, “I’m so sorry about that, Sam.  That was inappropriate.  I’ll talk to Vasquez and—”

“Hey.”  Sam tilted Alex’s head back until their gazes met.  “You can play doctor with me anytime, Dr. Danvers.”

“Really, in that case…” Stepping close to Sam again, Alex stopped herself and backed off again.  “In that case, I should go check on Kara before my little sister shows up and we’re both scarred forever.”

Sam laughed.  “Probably a good plan.”

A quick evaluation led Alex to agree with Lena’s earlier diagnosis, but she warned there was a muscle strain and possibly a tear.  “Ice twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off and rest it.  Take some anti-inflammatories, and call me if the pain worsens or the swelling increases.”

“She can call me,” Lena offered.

“Are you a doctor?” Alex asked.

“Well, no but—”

“Maybe she plays one,” Vasquez suggested, leaving the room when Alex glared at her.

“Just call me if you need anything medically related, okay?”

Kara saluted with her good arm.  “Will do, Doc.”

Heading to the front door, Alex said, “Come on, Lena.”

“Just a minute.”  Lena crouched in front of Kara, taking the woman’s hand in hers.  “I’m really, really sorry I pushed you like that.  I was startled.”

“Worth it,” Kara said smiling.  “You can throw me across the room if it’s the price of kissing you.”

Blushing slightly, Lena ducked her head.  “I can’t not really.  I’m only—”

“You’re amazing,” Kara said, tipping Lena’s face up and applying a slow kiss to her lips.

It was gentle, just lips on lips, but the heat grew quickly.

“Lena, come on!”

“Coming!” Lena said pulling back and jumping to her feet.  She hurried over to her sister but glanced back to see Kara smiling at her as she exited the room into the cool evening air.

“You okay there?  You seem a little worked up.”

Lena snorted.  “You’re one to talk.  I could hear Sam moaning from the living room.”

“So you sent Vasquez to get me?”  With a heavy sigh, Alex said, “Lena, she reports to me.  I don’t want her to see me making out with some girl.”

“Well, I didn’t want to see it.  Hearing it was bad enough.”

“Hearing it was bad enough,” Alex mocked and shoved Lena’s shoulder.  “God, you’re such a child.”

“You’re such a child,” Lena replied as she shoved Alex in return, sending the redhead stumbling several feet to the side as she was forced to run after her sister to keep Alex from sprawling across the pavement.  “Sorry.  Sorry.”

<><> 

Protective custody day 2 -

At a loud grunt from the den, Vasquez spun into the room, pistol drawn and gaze combing the room.  The only person apparent was Kara.  She wore a backpack that was crammed to the gills, and she was squatting and rising again in rapid succession.  Sliding her weapon back into its holster, Vasquez cleared her throat which resulted in Kara glancing up at her and showing a smile that would better be described as a grimace before returning, fully engaged, to exercise.

“What are you doing?”

“Squats,” Kara replied with a grunt.

“With a backpack on?”

That got a nod.

“Miss Luthor, why are you doing squats with a backpack on?”

Kara briefly patted the backpack but didn’t stop her exercise regime.  “It’s filled with books.  They make decent weights.  I have to up my reps because of the lower weight, but I’m making it work.”

“So you’re doing this to exercise.  I still don’t understand.”

“I know.  I know.”  She grunted again.  “It should be an arm day, but my shoulder feels a little stiff.  I know better than to push an injury.  I can get another backpack.  Want to join me?”

Vasquez patted the pistol in her holster.  “You know I’m armed, right?”

Kara chuckled.  “Who knew the FBI was so funny.”

“That’s what the last guy I shot said too,” Vasquez replied as she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. 

“See, funny, you’re funny.”  Three squats later, her brows furrowed.  “Wait, that was a joke, right?  Right?!  Right!?”

Protective custody day 3 -

“Miss Luthor, do you need any… huh.”

Kara was upside down, back against the wall, and doing pushups.  The tip of her ponytail hovered just above the ground each time she pushed up to then coil, rather snake-like, and disappear behind her as she, again and again, lowered herself and her head grazed the floor.

Vasquez crossed her arms as she studied the other woman.  “What’s this?”

“Arm day,” Kara said in between upside-down pushups.

“O-kay.  I take it the shoulder is feeling better?”

There was a grunt, possibly in the affirmative.

“I’ll take that as a yes.  We have an agent getting groceries.  Do you need anything else but what you have on the list?”

“Oh, yeah.  Let me just check the fridge.”  On her hands, Kara stepped away from the wall, turned, and walked on her hands into the kitchen.

Vasquez trailed after her.  “I am an underpaid public servant.”

<><> 

Protective custody day 4 -

As Alex entered the safehouse, there was a pounding of feet to her right.  She whipped around, pistol drawn with arms out and feet splayed, to see Kara reach the bottom of the stairs, flash a smile at her, and turn, huffing and puffing, to head back up them. Weapon pointed from where Kara came, she watched while Kara ran to the top of the stairs, reached the top, and ran back down again.  When no obvious threat presented itself, Alex holstered her sidearm, frowning slightly as Kara neared her.

“Kara, what are you—”

“Ten more,” Kara said as she turned and took another trip up the stairs.

“Danvers.  How are things back at the base?”

Alex turned to Vasquez and gestured over her shoulder with her thumb.  “Things are fine.  What’s going on here?”

“Leg day.”

“Like exercise?”

“Affirmative.”

“Seriously?  She’s just running up and down the stairs?”

“Upper body was yesterday, so many pushups my shoulders hurt, and squats were the day before.”

“How many squats?”

“Ask her, I’m not the one who went to MIT.”

Alex watched as Kara made yet another trip up and down the stairs.  “How long has she been at it?”

“About,” Vasquez glanced at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen, “twenty minutes so far.  She’s making my knees hurt.”

“Maybe we can bring a giant hamster wheel in.”

“Oooh, and a giant water bottle?  Do you think the director would approve that?”

“Maybe we can get her one of those hard hats with straws in it.”  Alex turned back to an approaching Kara.  “Hey, what do you think of—”

“Eight more,” Kara said before turning and thudding back up the stairs.

“Hold up your hand,” Vasquez said, and when Alex did, she slapped Alex’s hand.  “Tag, you’re it and just in time.  She asked me to do suicides, and I told her the agent relieving me would do them with her.  Enjoy your day.”

“She wants to what!?”

“Seven more,” Kara said, her smile a little bit maniacal as she turned and ran back up the stairs yelling, “Feel the burn, woo hoo!”

<><> 

Protective custody day 5 -

Kara: “I’m going nuts cooped up in here.”

Kara: “I just want to go outside, stretch my legs, and jog, but the fuzz won’t let me leave.”

Kara: “I’ve got a great idea.”

Kara: “I can wear a disguise.”

Kara: “Check this out.”

There was a short pause, and then a picture popped into Lena’s texts.  It was Kara wearing a baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses, and a bright smile.  Lena frowned as she studied the image.

Lena: “Who is that?” 

Kara: “LOL!” 

Lena: “No, really.  Who is that?”

Lena: “Who’s there with you?”

<><> 

Protective custody day 6 -

“Bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored.  I am soooooo bored.” Kara laid upside down on the couch, her legs over the back and her head tipped backward and hanging.  Her arms lay limply, stretched out to her sides along the length of the couch in either direction.  Her only movements were occasional mumbles and sighs and one foot that constantly drew designs in the air.  “Argh!  So bored!”

Seconds later, the sound of a door handle turning and footsteps filled the air, causing Kara to perk up slightly.

“Kara?”

“Sam?”  The young Luthor did a situp, looking over the back of the couch.  “Oh, hey, Alex.”

“Kara.”  Alex nodded as she shifted the two large grocery bags she held in her arms.  “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.  I’m soooo bored.”  Rolling back over her shoulder, Kara landed on all fours on the floor before pushing to her feet.  “I’d kill for an employee relations issue or a broken machine to fix.  I feel like my brain is turning to mush.”

“Kara, it’s only been six days,” Sam said.

“Which is almost a week of doing nothing.  I don’t remember ever doing nothing for that long.”

“What about on vacation?” Alex asked.

“Vacation?  I don’t know her.”  Kara bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.  “Is that just food, or is there like a broken laptop in there or something.”

“Jeez.”  Alex glanced over her shoulder at the open door and said, “We did bring one thing that should make you feel better.”

“What?”

Seconds later, with a large bag in each arm and a third pressed between them, Lena appeared.  “Hey, there.”

“Lena!”  Kara’s face brightened as she hurried to the door.  “Here, let me get some of those bags.  They look heavy.”

“Yeah, they are kind of—”  As Kara rushed by her without so much as a glance, Alex shot a look at Sam, who stifled a giggle and made her way to the kitchen.

“Actually, they’re not… Oh, okay.”  Kara handed over the middle bag and then let Kara ease another one from her arms.  “I can carry them, you know.  I’m strong, like regular human strong but strong.  It’s totally normal.”

Kara laughed as she and Lena made their way to the kitchen.  “As your personal trainer, I can vouch for how strong you are.  You earned those muscles.”

Lena glanced over to her sister who returned a knowing smile.  “So, I brought some puzzles.”

“Logic puzzles?”  Kara dug through the bags, finding several games and such in the one, and dragging out a box and shaking it.  “Oh, jigsaw puzzles.  This one has a picture on it.”

Lena laughed, taking the puzzle from Kara.  “That’s the whole point, silly.  You put it together and make a picture.”

“Oh, interesting.  I’ve never seen one with a design like that before.”

“Puppies?  You’ve never seen a puppy puzzle?  But puppies are the best.”

“No, I mean a puzzle with a design instead of just being a solid color.  Doesn’t the design make it sort of easy?”

“Well, yeah, but then you have puppies.”  Lena held the puzzle close, hugging the box and smiling.

“Hey!”  Alex tossed another box to Kara which was caught after an initial startled reaction.  “This one has 3,000 pieces.  It should entertain you nerds for a few minutes at least.”  As her phone rang, Alex pulled it out, frowning at the screen.  “Excuse me.  I have to take this.”   

While Sam put away food, Kara and Lena chatting happily and started to assemble the puzzle.  Though Alex was only gone for a few minutes, the ladies were about a quarter of the way done when Alex reappeared.

“So, that was work.  They got something.”

“The assassin?” Kara asked as she jumped to her feet.  “Am I free?”

“Sorry, no.  They were able to find a message that he’d been sent.  So far it hasn’t lead us back to whoever hired him, but that’s the goal.”

“Can I see the message?  Do you have it?”

“Sure, that couldn’t hurt.  Maybe you’ll pick up something that we haven’t and bring us closer to getting you home.”  Alex brought up a series of messages on her phone and handed it over to Kara while Lena peered over the CEO’s shoulder.

420-867-5309: “I want it done in one clean shot. Make it quick.”

NF: “I never miss.”

420-867-5309: “You better be as much of an ace shot as she is an ace chess player.”

Kara swallowed hard as she stared at the screen before closing her eyes and whispering, “No.”

“Hey, you okay?” Lena asked.

Shaking her head, Kara handed the phone back to Alex and dropped into a seat on the couch, her face in her hands.

Gently sitting down, Lena cautiously reached out, wrapping her long fingers around Kara’s wrist.  “What’s wrong?”

There were several beats of silence, and then Kara said, “I know who hired him.”

“You know that number?” Alex quickly rounded the couch to stand in front of Kara.  “It came back as a burner phone, unregistered, but you know it?”

“No, I…” Kara sniffled, rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand.  “He called me Ace.”

“Who did?” Lena asked.

“In the text.  He said I was an ace chess player.”  Kara looked up at Lena, a pained smile on her lips.  “He gave me that nickname.”

Lena glanced up at shrugging Alex before asking, “Who… oh.”

Eyes closed, Kara swallowed hard, and her voice wavered as she spoke.  “The day I came to live with the Luthors, Lex taught me this game called chess.  He explained all of the rules, the strategy behind it, and everything clicked.  It’s like I could see six or seven moves ahead the first time I sat down at the board.”  She sniffled again, this time actually smiling just a touch.  “Lex was eleven, and I was only four, but the game was like music, a melody in my head that just flowed out of me, and I played it with ease.  Lex was a genius, is a genius, but his four-year-old sister beat him in chess that day.  He smiled down at me, squeezed my shoulder and said… he said, ‘Way to go, Ace.’  It’s Lex.”

“Your brother?” Everyone turned to Sam who was standing off to the side, a package of celery in her hands.  “Are you saying the ex-CEO of Luthor Corp is trying to kill our current CEO?  Jesus Christ, Kara, don’t take this the wrong way, but this is going to kill our stock prices.”

Kara made a little strangling noise, and Lena pulled her closer in preparation for tears.  However, when Kara tilted her head back, she began to laugh.  “He’s going to kill me over a goddamn company!”  Her laughter grew, nearly hysterical.

Alex gestured toward Kara with her head, eyes locked with Lena’s, and the younger Danvers nodded.

“Hey, Kara, I know this is hitting your hard, but you need to be calm.  The good news is that the FBI is already looking for your brother, so I’m sure they’ll have him soon, and then you can leave here.”

Kara stood, hands on hips as she stared at the ground a shook her head.  “I’m leaving.”

Lena’s head shot up.  “What?”

“You mean you’re leaving the country?” Alex asked.

“No, I’m leaving this damn safehouse.  I’m done hiding.”

“You can’t do that.”  Lena turned to her sister.  “Tell her she can’t do that.”

“I mean, technically, she can leave any time she wants.  She’s not being held, she’s being protected.  It’s really fucking dumb though.  She’s going to get herself killed.”

“Did you hear that?” Lena asked.  “Alex said it was really fu… really dumb, and that you’re going to die.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’m tired of playing this game by Lex’s rules.  You can’t win a game of chess through defense.  You need offense.”

“This isn’t a game,” Lena said.

Kara smirked.  “With Lex, it’s always a game, and I’ve been beating him since I was four.”

“But it’s not a…” Alex grumbled as Kara left the room, heading up the stairs.  “She’s being stupid.  Her life is not a game.”

“Let me talk to her,” Sam said and followed after Kara.

“Alex, what do we do?’

“We?”  Alex ran her fingers through her hair.  “I’ll try to convince Kara to take our protection in her home and at L-Corp.  If she refuses, I’ll see if Hank will approve surveillance and security without the civilian’s permission.  Knowing that Lex Luthor is behind this, I expect he will.”

“Thank you.”  Lena squeezed her sister’s forearm.  “What can I do?”

“Spend as much time with her as you can and keep an ear on her at work.  With you two dating and working together, Supergirl won’t be far if something goes wrong.  You’ll protect her.”

“I hope so, but even I can’t stop a speeding bullet when I’m not in the room.”

Patting Lena’s hand, Alex left and headed up to where Sam and Kara were in the middle of a heated conversation, leaving Lena alone with her thoughts… and fears.

Chapter Text

Sometimes, super-hearing was a curse. When your bestfriend and your work buddy were standing much too close to each other in the doorway of your office and whispering intimate details, the fact that your earbuds were broken was a personal attack from the universe. Oh, and how intimate those details were. Some things were definitely better left to the imagination.

“Hey!” Lena practically leapt to her feet, and the two love birds startled apart and started at her curiously. “It’s Jess’ lunch break. Winn, why don’t you take an early lunch and go with her… somewhere else… far away… go.”

“Why don’t you join us?” Jess asked.

“Yeah, come on, Lena Bean. It will be fun. Jess and I can tell you all about our date last night.”

“I already heard all about it,” Lena mumbled, blessedly saved from further indignities as her cell phone rang. “Hold on. It’s my sister. Hey, Alex, what’s up?”

“Lena, I don’t want to alarm you, but have you spoken to Kara recently? She didn’t pick up when I called, and the agents guarding her missed their check in.”

“What? When?” 

Lena’s muscles tensed. After Sam had talked herself blue in the face, trying to convince Kara not to return to public life, Lena had taken her turn. Not one to push, she’d nudged Kara in the right direction, attempting to be the voice of sanity. In the end, nothing short of hog-tying Kara and sitting on the CEO would have worked to keep Kara there. Lena had been sorely tempted to do so. Remaining physically untethered, Kara had agreed to a full detail of agents so long as they kept their distance, and though none of them had been happy with the resolution, a compromise had been reached.

Now, not even twenty-four hours after Kara’s declaration to stop hiding, things had gone amiss.

“It’s probably just a technical issue,” Alex said, her voice calm except for a slight tremor that sensitive Kryptonian ears picked up, “but I’m on my way over to the gym with a team right now.”

“What’s your ETA?”

“Two minutes.”

A lot of very bad things could happen in two minutes.

“Too long. I can be there in less than one.”

“Lena—”

It took seconds from the time Lena hung up on her sister and dialed for her phone to catch up to the speed of her fingers and ring on the other side.

“This is Kara—”

“Kara, are you alright!? Are you at the gym!?”

“—I can’t come to the phone right now. I’m probably with a client. Feel the burn. Woo Hoo! Anyway, leave a message, and I’ll call you back after we’re done with these reps! Beep! Yeah, just kidding, that was still me. Heh.” 

When the actual beep came, Lena strained not to smash her finger through her phone as she hung up. Muscles tensed, she hurried to the exit just a bit too quickly and stopped at the couple cuddling in the doorway.

“Guys, move.”

“I think she’s jealous.” Jess snuggled into Winn’s neck.

“It’s an emergency.” Lena’s voice rose slightly, her volume growing as the tendons in her neck stood out like piano wires.

Winn laughed as he pulled Jess close. “That tickles. Do it again.”

Lena’s phone beeped in her hand, alerting her of a text, and her gaze went to it instantly, but it wasn’t Kara. 

Alex: “Traffic. We’ll get around it.”

Alex: “Stay put. Don’t do anything dumb.”

That delay was the last straw, pushing her over the edge even as a titter of laughter came from the couple blocking her way. Muscles rippling, Lena rose several inches off the ground. Her eyes glowed yellow, and a gust of cold air blasted out of her lungs as she yelled, “Move!”

Plastered against the wall on the other side of the hallway, Jess and Winn stared wide-eyed at the hovering alien who was there one second and gone the next with nothing to show for her passing but a gust of wind and two friendships forever altered.

“Alex, come in!” Lena said into her coms as she streaked through the sky and tossed her cardigan over her shoulder to flutter down to the street below.

“I read you, Supergirl.”

“Did you reach your agents?”

“Still no answer.”

“Crap. Okay, I’m about twenty seconds out,” she said as her slacks followed her sweater on their way to the pavement. “She didn’t answer when I called, but she doesn’t when she’s in a training session. She’s fine.” Her shirt buttons scattered like confetti right before her button-down was torn away. “She’s fine.”

“I told you I was on this. I told you to stay put.”

“You also told me you were two minutes out and hit traffic.”

“Supergirl—”

She disconnected her coms instead of continuing a conversation that would prove unsatisfying for both parties and searched for a different sound. Super-hearing reached across the city, zoning in on a familiar heartbeat, a steady beacon of well-being. It was followed by an equally familiar and comforting voice.

“We always appreciate a referral. Which client did you say sent you?” Kara asked.

“Actually, it wasn’t a client,” replied an unfamiliar male voice.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, it was ahhh… I’m not sure if friend is the word I’d use. I really don’t think I’m the one that should be defining your relationship.”

“Okay.” Kara paused amid electronic beeps that signaled gym equipment being activated. “Is it someone from graduate school? I know I haven’t kept up with classmates as well as I could have. I’ve been so busy.”

“Nope, from before school,” the man replied. “Let’s just say he promised me you’d be a real ace at this.”

Kara didn’t respond verbally, but she didn’t have to. Her slow and steady heartbeat, an athlete’s staccato, broke into beats tripping over each other as adrenaline fueled blood poured through her veins. The sound was drowned out by the sonic boom as Supergirl surged forward, buildings shaking in her path and the sidewalk splintering on impact with her landing. The gym doors crashed in, ‘pull’ sign ignored, and the world froze around the hero due to the speed with which she moved. 

Across the gym, Kara’s half-turned statue stood motionless in front of the man with the hypodermic injection gun raised inches from her neck. With a growl, Supergirl was in motion, and the man was airborne as time began again with a bone-crushing collision of human and weight machine.

Hands raised defensively as she spun, it took Kara only a moment to take in her assassin’s absence and the superhero’s presence. “Supergirl?”

“Are you alright?”

She looked to her left, to the downed and broken man and the machine into which he’d been thrust that had seen better days, and she sighed heavily. “Better than him. How did you know?”

“The FBI agents guarding you missed their check in, so I… I...” One trembling hand cupped Kara’s cheek. If she’d heeded Alex’s orders, if she’d tried to reason with Winn and Jess, if she’d wasted just a few more seconds, they wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. “Rao, that was too close. Your heart is pounding. My heart is pounding. Let me take you home.”

“I…” Kara stepped back awkwardly from the hero, her gaze sweeping left and right as employees and clients alike surrounded them. “I’m fine. I should probably call the authorities.”

“Oh, I can… Hold on.” Hand to her ear, Supergirl activated her coms, “Agent Danvers, do you read me?”

“Supergirl, we’re a minute out.”

“I got him.”

“You got him?”

“I got him, and Miss Luthor is secure.”

Alex breathed a heavy sigh of relief across the line, echoing Supergirl’s feelings on the matter. “Thank God. We’ll be right there. Supergirl, about before… I’m sorry. Good work.”

“Right, thanks. Just get here, okay, and call medical. We have some clean-up to do.” 

“Is Miss Luthor—”

“She’s uninjured.” Her steady gaze met Kara’s, brows drawn together and green eyes laser (not literally) focused. “You’re alright, aren’t you?”

“I don’t need to do my cardiovascular exercises today,” Kara replied, patting her chest in the mimicry of a rapid heart beat, “but yes, I’m fine. If I want to stay this way, I should call my CFO before this makes the news. L-Corp will need to get ahead of this and spin it.”

“I hardly think the news is your biggest priority right now.”

“You don’t know Sam.” Kara pulled out her phone and turned her back on Supergirl.

“She says she’s fine, and I don’t see any injuries either external,” Supegirl did a quick x-ray as Kara waited for her call to be picked up on the other end, “or internal. You should see the other guy though.”

“I’m about to. We’re pulling up out front. I’ll be right in,” Alex said, disconnecting the call.

It took three full rings before Kara’s call was picked up on the other end, and Sam’s greeting was crystal clear to Supergirl even without the phone on speaker. 

Kara chuckled, an uneasy tremble in her voice to match the tremor in her hand that she shoved under her arm and held steady. “Hey, Sam, I have news. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Whatever you did, tell me they didn’t have to call the cops.”

“Does the FBI count?”

“Jesus Christ. Kara, if this is a joke—”

“Supergirl is here. She just stopped the guy who was hired to kill me.”

“Oh, my God. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, fine.” Kara sank down onto a nearby weight bench, letting out a shaky breath. Her breath wasn’t the only thing shaking as the adrenaline that had been racing through her system abandoned her now that the threat had ended “It was close, Sam. I thought he was a client, and then he called me Ace, and I knew. I knew who he was and who sent him. I just knew, but before I could even turn around, she was there,” she glanced over at the hero who had ushered the growing crowd away to give Kara privacy and was even now posing for photographs with patrons and gym personnel alike, “and I was safe. She saved my life.”

“Well, thank God for that. Are you going to the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“We still need to get a doctor to check you out.”

“What are you, my Mother?” Kara laughed, quick and without humor. “What am I saying? You’re actually worried about my well-being. Sam, the guy never touched me. I promise. I’m fine.”

“Look, as a friend, I’d feel better if we had you looked at.”

“Sam, I don’t—”

“And contractually, you need to be checked over by a physician after an assassination attempt.”

“Wh… There’s an assassination attempt clause in my contract?”

“That big-ass paycheck of yours makes more sense now, doesn’t it?”

“... fuck.”

“Go home and I’ll make some phone calls. Actually, stay where you are until security arrives to take you home. I’ll still make phone calls and have a doctor meet you at home. I’ll also reach out to PR and approve a press statement.”

“Okay, yeah, fine.”

“Kara, are you sure you’re okay?”

“My brother just tried to kill me so…” Kara pulled her ponytail loose and ran her hand through her hair, and a tittering laugh escaped her lips. “I’m peachy.”

“Just try and get some rest. I’ll be over as soon as I deal with this. I’ll bring wine and broad shoulders.”

“Thanks. I’ll need both.” When she hung up, Kara stared at her phone and sighed heavily. “Crap.” Then she was on her feet and heading toward the front doorway.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Supergirl was just there, between Kara and the doorway, within the blink of an eye. 

“Hey, easy there. I need to get outside.”

“There are press outside.” Supergirl thrust out one arm, rebar wrapped in flesh, barring Kara from the door. “Sam is going to have both our hides if you go out there and talk to them now.”

“My CEO made quite an impression in that one meeting, huh?”

“Uh… Well, Agents Danvers talks about her too, but, yeah. Look, just stay in here… please?” A hand that could crush a steel beam wrapped around Kara’s shoulder with the greatest of care as green eyes stared pleading into blue. 

“Um, Supergirl, what exactly—”

“Supergirl!” Agent Danvers arrived on the scene with two other agents following in her wake. A third stood outside in an attempt to bar the opening where the doors had once stood. “Update me.”

“Agent Danvers.” Supergirl stood with her hands on her hips in a pose that had adorned the front of papers and magazines alike and become well-known to the public. “As you can see, Miss Luthor is unharmed. I’m afraid I can’t say the same for her assailant. He has three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and fractured skull. I’ve kept a check on him, and his breathing has remained steady but… What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Head tilted to the side, Alex frowned. “You look shorter.”

“No, I’m the same height I’ve always been.”

“She’s right,” Kara said. “I thought it was my imagination, but you look shorter.”

Alex’s gaze swept down the hero, stopping suddenly below the knees then rising back up sharply. “Where are your boots?”

Indeed, instead of red boots, Supergirl's outfit stopped at the stirrups bottoms of her pants, and her feet stuck out.

“Oh, that. I was in a hurry. There was an assassin.”

“And you didn’t have a few seconds to put your boots on?” Kara asked.

Supergirl met Kara’s gaze. What would the boots have taken to grab and put on, one second, two? That was too many. If she had arrived a split-second too late, she’d be cursing herself for switching into her uniform, for keeping her identity secret at the cost of someone she cared about. Was that worth it? That answer was an easy ‘no’ even as she replied to Kara, “Not if I wanted to keep you alive. If anything had happened to you—”

“Supergirl,” Alex grabbed her arm, tugging without success, “may I speak to you over there for a moment.”

Supergirl allowed herself to be led to the side, but she kept an eye on Kara.

When they were as alone as they could be in this area, Alex whispered, “You need to leave.”

“What? Why?”

“Because there are a dozen photographers and reporters outside, and you look like someone almost killed your girlfriend.” When Supergirl met her gaze, Alex added, “Unless you want some photos splashed across the front page that will make both your lives more complicated, you need to leave. I’ve got her now. Trust me.”

Had it been anyone else, Supergirl would have remained steadfast, but this was Alex. Alex had spent a lifetime protecting her, had literally made it a full-time job, so Supergirl nodded, and with one last, longing look at Kara, she left. 

Ignoring the flashes from cameras and the bevy of questions, Supergirl took to the air and headed back to her apartment. Her civilian clothes had been strewn across half of National City, and even if they weren’t, she was in no rush to go face the disaster she had left behind her at work when she faced her friends. 

Normally, Lena would superspeed herself through dressing, so it only took only a second. Today, she took her time, picking out the perfect socks to go with her shirt and carefully buttoning up her shirt with exacting ease. She was just about to unbutton the third shirt she had put on, because maybe this wasn’t the exact right shade of blue for the day, when she stopped herself. She was Supergirl, the Girl of Steel, the Maiden of Might, but right now, she was being a big old chicken. 

It was only a matter of time before something like this happened, and as much as she would have gladly put this conversation off forever, some things were inevitable. With a lot less confidence than she felt when facing off against a meteor hurtling toward Earth, she opened the door, squared her shoulders, and walked out of her apartment. Flying would be faster but… Maybe it was okay for all of us to have a little chicken in them.

Chapter Text

The hallway from the elevator to the lab in L-Corp had never been so dark or foreboding. Lena dragged her feet, each step more agonizingly slow than the one before, but if she could put off the conversation she was about to have forever, that would still be too soon. When her phone rang, images of a convenient tsunami, maybe an urgent nuclear meltdown rushed through her mind, but unfortunately, it wasn't anything that demanding. Still, she stopped where she was and answered. It was only polite.

“Hey, Kara, what’s up?” 

“I have good news and bad news,” Kara replied, her voice less manic than when Lena had seen her last. “Well, I think it’s bad news, but I’ll let you decide. Which do you want first?

Not needing any more unpleasantness in her day, Lena didn’t hesitate to answer, “Good news, please. I could go for some of that.”

“They caught the guy who was trying to kill me. I’m safe.”

It’s hardly news since the ‘they’ who caught the guy was Supergirl, but still, the relief in Kara’s voice was a welcome salve to Lena’s frayed nerves. “That’s amazing. I’m so glad to hear it.”

“I’m so glad to say it and mean it.” Kara chuckled. “My brother is still out there, so safe may be a bit of an overstatement, but I’ve tasked Sam with doing a full forensics audit and to assist the FBI in freezing any assets to which my brother could have access, so I’m definitely safer.”

“Definitely. I’d love to take you out for a celebratory Jamba Juice run or something, anything, really. Are you free now?”

“Actually, about that.” Kara’s pause was long enough for the smile to fade from Lena’s lips. “I hate to be this girl who constantly cancels on you because my brother is in the top ten on the FBI’s most wanted list and still has me set in his sights, but I need to cancel our lunch. I’m sorry.”

Though disappointing, in retrospect, this was hardly surprising. They’d have a few messy days, wells, maybe even months depending on how long Lex eluded capture, ahead of them. As exciting as this new relationship was, Lena had been far more patient for the results of a set of tests at work that were doomed to failure. The possibility of a relationship with Kara was more than worth the wait. “No apology needed. I get it.”

“To be 100% clear, I want to see you, and I’m going to make this up to you, but I’m currently hiding in my office from your sister who keeps throwing around words like national security and debriefing. I’m not getting out of here any time soon.”

Lena flinched. She’d been on the end of a few sisterly debriefings from Alex, and those were done with love not the enthusiasm of federal power. “Let me know if you need me to call my sister and remind her that you’re the victim. She can be a little much, but she means well.”

“I believe that. If I text you an SOS, you’ll know why.” 

There was a banging on a door on the other side of the line, and with her sensitive hearing, Lena was able to make out Alex’s less than dulcet tones.

“I’ll be right there,” Kara called out before returning to her conversation with Lena. “Ugh. I can see why Alex took her fancy medical degree and went to work at the FBI instead. Even her bedside manner must be intimidating.”

Despite today’s goings-on, Lena laughed. “You should try her sisterly advice.”

“No thank you. I already have one Alex trying to kill me. I feel like your sister would be more direct and efficient than my brother. Speaking of which, you’re being safe, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Half of the FBI may be surrounding me, but if my brother has been keeping an eye on me, he knows about you. Where are you now?”

“At work, of course. Checking up on your employee?”

“No I just— So you’ve been there all day, and you’re not leaving early or anything?”

“I’m not planning on it. I might even stay late. I want to catch up on a few reports.”

“Oh. Huh.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I just want to keep you safe. I could send a security detail to take you home, have a few of them check out your apartment and then take shifts. Like I said, Lex is still out there.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. He’s basically penniless, and the FBI is looking for him. He’s a smart man. I bet he’s not still in the country. I’m safe.”

“Right. You’re safe,” Kara agreed. “Well, if you change your mind, just say the word. I know we’re still getting to know each other, but everything I’ve learned about you so far I like. Everything, do you hear me?”

Lena’s smile returned in full, and she nodded as she spoke. “I feel the same way. I want to keep getting to know you better. Whatever this is, I want this.”

“Me too and I can’t imagine anything changing that.”

“Even if I chew with my mouth open?”

“What? Disgusting. We’re through.” Kara said with mock outrage, pulling more laughter from Lena. There was another bang on the door, and Alex’s voice pierced their little bubble again. “Okay, I think your sister has used up her small supply of patience. I guess I know what to buy her for Christmas. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Sounds good and good luck with Alex.”

“Pray for me. Bye.” The phone disconnected. 

Despite her earlier mood and what waited for her at the end of the hallway, there was more pep in her step and a smile on her face as Lena continued on her way. Kara was safe, and although their lunch plans had to be rescheduled, that was something they both very much wanted to happen. Lena had spent half of her life on this strange new world where this sort of intimate relationship always seemed out of her grasp. How odd yet wonderful it was to find out she was wrong.

When Lena arrived at the lab, Jess and Winn stood huddled by his desk, whispering in conspiratorial tones. Leslie, one of the other techs, looked up from her station long enough to glare at Lena, which was Leslie’s version of a greeting, before returning her full attention to her work. 

Lena cleared her throat, startling Jess and Winn from their conversation.

“Hey, we should talk,” Lena glanced over at Leslie, “in private.”

The trio walked in silence up three flights of stairs to the roof. Outside, the wind tossed Lena’s skirt and hair around. Winn and Jess huddled close to the bulkhead which offered some protection from the breeze.

“Is this too cold? I’m sorry. We could—”

“You’re not even out of breath, are you?” Jess asked. “I bet you didn’t even feel that climb in your legs.”

“Oh.” Lena shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jess asked. 

“I… I don’t know. Upsetting you? Are you upset, angry, what?”

“How about embarrassed?” Winn said. “The things I said to you, the fanfics, oh my God, the fanart!” Winn covered his face with his hands. “Can I change that to mortified?”

A nervous chuckle escaped Lena’s lips. “Yeah, some of the art was… a lot, but it’s fine. If we’re fine, it’s fine. Are we?” Lena glanced back and forth between her two best friends. “Are we okay?”

Winn peeked out between his fingers. “Are you who we think you are?” 

“Supergirl,” Jess clarified. “You’re her, right?”

This was way past the point of subterfuge or diversion, and lying, despite her having a secret identity, had never been Lena’s strong suit. Anyway, these were her friends, people she trusted, and they deserved better than a boldfaced lie.

“Yeah, I’m her.” Lena held her head high. “My name is Lena Zor-El. I was born on Krypton and was sent to Earth as a child to save me from the destruction of my planet. I’m Supergirl.”

“That’s so cool,” Winn said.

“I thought you were mortified,” Jess said.

“Oh, I am. I’m mortified but she, her, that’s cool, right?”

A little knot of tension eased in Lena’s gut, but Winn was never going to be the hard sell. If worse came to worst, she could always fly to Japan and get him some Magna or local cards/toys. He was a magpie of collectibles and easy to distract. Jess on the other hand…

“Her cool?” Jess rolled her eyes. “Only a geek like you would think a geek like her is cool. Lab rats.”

“We’re okay,” Lena said with a laugh at the familiar term of affection. She rushed forward, pulling Jess close with one arm and Winn with the other. The embrace melted away the last of her stress. 

“Ooof, how did I ever think you were human,” Jess said into Lena’s shoulder. “It’s like hugging an appliance.”

“A super high-tech one though.” When Lena released them, Winn stepped back. “I have so many questions. Like how bulletproof is bulletproof? How fast can you fly? How do you shoot laser beams from your eyes?”

“Not lasers. It’s heat vision. That’s different.”

“I have a question. Explain this.” Jess stepped forward, gently pressing a finger into Lena’s forearm that dimpled slightly under the pressure. “How do you feel like a normal squishy human when bullets ricochet off you? Is it like a forcefield or something?”

Lena shook her head. “It’s a little hard to explain with the limited grasp of science on this planet. My cells are like…” Her mind raced on the search for a familiar parallel. “My cells react similarly to a non-Newtonian fluid. Their viscosity changes, becoming more or less solid, depending on the force they’re under. Because the relationship between shear stress and the shear rate differs, there’s no definable constant coefficient of viscosity.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You lost me at the word viscosity or maybe before that.” Jess said.

“Viscosity is the gradual deformation by shear or tensile stresses,” Winn explained, “but you’re not a fluid… are you?”

“No. My cell membranes collect and store power from the sun, and when met with force, they strength, harden in direct correlation to that force.”

“So sort of like Newton's third law?” Winn asked.

“You know what? I’m sorry I asked.” Jess pulled out her phone, frowning at it. “I’ve got to get going. The CFO has a group of us working on another audit, and they are pulling out the stops. It’s going to be a few late nights at the office for me.”

“Before you go, there’s something else I need to tell you,” Lena said.

“There’s more?” Jess sighed. “Well, go ahead and pull off the bandage, and let’s get this over with.”

Slowly, Lena smiled. “I’m sort of seeing someone.”

“Whaaaat? Congrats!” Winn embraced Lena again, this time more briefly. “We should totally double-date.”

“I need better definitions around ‘sort of’ and ‘someone’.” Jess held up a finger with each point she asked. “Who is it, how long has it been going on, and what are their intentions toward my bff?”

“Well, it’s only been like a week or so, her name is Kara, and,” Lena shrugged, “we like each other. I don’t know where it’s going, but I know I want it to go somewhere.”

“We look forward to meeting her,” Jess said, “soon. I can sort of understand the whole superhero identity thing, but you don’t get to hold out on me about your dating life. I need details.”

“Actually, you both have, sort of, vaguely met her.” Lena sighed around her nervous smile. “Her last name is Luthor. She’s Kara Luthor.”

“As in the CEO of the company?” Jess asked.

Lena nodded.

“Do you think you can get me a slurpee machine in the lunchroom?” Winn asked. “I’ve put a note about it in the suggestion box every week since I’ve gotten her, and so far, nada.”

“That’s been you?” Jess shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m dating the slurpee king. Tell no one. We all have our secrets to keep, right?”

Lena couldn’t have said it better herself. “So we’re really okay?”

“I’m going to need some time. This is a lot, and my head is still swimming, but I love you.” Jess reached out, squeezing Lena’s forearm. “We’re going to be okay.”

“So long as we never mention the fanart again, I’m good,” Winn said.

“Agreed,” Kara said.

“I really need to bolt before Miss Arias sends security to find me, and I have to explain why my urgent family issue involved standing on the roof of the building with you losers. Too bad you’re not dating the CFO.”

“My sister is dating her if that helps.”

“Your sister is—Nope. I’ve got no time for this.” Jess gave Lena a quick hug and then planted a kiss on Winn’s cheek. “Don’t go flying off with him. I’ll need him later.”

When Jess had left them behind and the door was closed again, Winn said, “So I have a question.”

“You want to meet my cousin Kal, don’t you?”

It wasn’t exactly a guess. Superman had been Winn’s longest superhero crush, the one about which he was most vocal. He had turned his attention in part to Supergirl since Lena had donned the uniform, but much of that was a combination of novelty and proximity—though he had underestimated the proximity. Winn had been entirely cool about Lena’s secret identity. The least she could do was arrange a meeting between her friend and her superheroic cousin.

Winn slapped his hands to his cheeks like an homage to Edvard Munich’s The Scream. “Could I?”

“I’ll set it up the next time he’s in town.” Looking a bit dazed, Winn nodded and turned to go, but Lena stopped him, taking him by the arm and turning him back to her. “Hey, I wanted to let you know you were right about something.”

“What?”

“You once said that if Supergirl met you, she’d like you. You’re the best, Winn, and I’m really lucky to have you as a friend.”

“Aww, come here, Lena bear.” They embraced again. 

Winn had been Lena’s first real friend since coming to work at L-Corp. If she ever doubted her instincts when it came to people, it stopped now.

“I need to get going too before Leslie decides to find a higher up and rat me out for this extended break. If she does—”

“I’ll talk to Kara, let her know you were taking care of me because of everything that’s been going on. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Cool. Thanks. Tell your cousin hi from me.” As he left and the door closed behind him, Winn’s quiet mutters of, “I’m gonna meet freaking Superman,” trailed behind him.

Bolstered by two positive conversations in a row, Lena pulled out her phone.

It didn’t get to a second ring before Alex answered. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I can’t just call you?”

“Lena, I’m in the middle of something. You know this. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Actually, there is something you need to know.” The next words died on Lena’s lips, refusing to be shared.

“Spit it out already.”

Lena took a deep breath and let it out. “When I couldn’t get in touch with Kara and got worried, I went looking for her. I left in a hurry, as fast as I could, and Jess and Winn were there.”

For several moments, silence hung in the air between them.

“Lena, did they see—”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure that they—”

“Yeah.”

“But maybe they—”

“No. I talked to them, Alex. They know.”

The back of Lena’s neck burned as Alex spewed out a string of vulgar yet exceptionally creative expletives. On the other side of the line, an uneasy quiet, broken only by Alex’s ragged breaths, took over. There had been two such reactions, the calm before the storm, from Alex in Lena’s memory: the time a dust storm had kicked up and made Lena sneeze with enough force to toss the fountain in the park dozens of feet away and the time Lena had run into a tree and knocked it over on the roof of Jeremiah’s GTO. This was number three.

Each time was more terrifying than the one that came before.

When Alex spoke, her voice was a harsh whisper. “Say nothing to no one, especially Hank. Do not even take his calls. Do you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t call me about this again. I’ll be by your office later, and we’ll talk. No excuses. I don’t know what you’re doing, but it can wait. Understood?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good and Lena… I love you, and I’m going to take care of this.”

Of all the planets in all the galaxies with all the big sisters, how did Lena get so lucky?

“Thanks. I love you too.”

That was three conversations under her belt, and Lena was still dating an amazing girl, had received the unconditional love and support from her two best friends, and was once again assured that no matter what this world threw at her, it would need to go through Alex first. Things were looking up.

Chapter Text

Alex’s conversation with Lena had been brief and to the point. Lena had filled her in on the incident, explained exactly what Jess and Winn had seen, all about the conversation that followed, and focused on the seemingly positive reaction. Her sister, the eternal optimist, was of the opinion that this was a good thing, and Jess and Winn would now be allies in all things Supergirl.

Optimism was a wonderful trait, or so people told Alex. She wouldn’t know. When you had spent much of your formative teen years and then your adult life responsible for the protection of one of two survivors of an alien race, paranoia and skepticism were necessary tools of survival.

The L-Corp parking structure was well lit and maintained. Security was no joke either. If not for Lena’s guest parking allowing Alex access, the DEO tech squad would have had their work cut out for them to gain her access.

It was after eight PM when Jessica Cho exited the elevator and headed toward the parking spots. Alex stood next to her black, shiny SUV, arms hanging down on her sides and half-smile on her face as she forced herself to appear non-threatening. Confrontational, though more of a natural expression, didn’t work well when one needed civilian cooperation.

“Alex, what a pleasant surprise.” Jessica’s smile was far more natural, her body language more open, than Alex was able to mimic. “I thought Lena went home hours ago.”

“Oh, she did. We chatted for a bit, caught up on some sister stuff, but she’s not why I’m here. I’m here to see you.”

“Me?” Jessica tilted her head to the side as her brows pressed together. She glanced over at the SUV then back at Alex, and her eyes widened. “Oh.”

When Jessica took a reflexive step back, Alex had to force her hand to still its motion toward her holstered weapon. “I just want to talk. I’ll give you a ride home.”

“No thanks. I have my car.” Gaze glued on Alex, Jessica raised her hand and pressed the button on her keyfob. Nothing happened. She pressed it again and again, finally turning her head toward the empty space. “Where’s my car?”

“At home in your driveway,” Alex said.

“But… but I drove here.”

“You must not have because it’s at home in your driveway.” Alex pulled open the rear, passenger’s side door of the SUV. “Get in.”

Hesitantly, Jessica took a few steps closer. Her body weight remained back on her heels, still not willing to commit to the offered ride and the unspoken conditions that accompanied it. “I’m not sure what’s going on here. Maybe I should call security and—”

“Hi, Jess,” Winslow said from the backseat of the SUV.

Getting Winslow into the vehicle had been a far easier task. Alex had merely greeted him, pulled open the door, and offered him a ride. He’d hopped in with all of the naivety of a dog that didn’t know the difference between a ride to the park and one to the veterinarian.

Jessica peered through the open doorway. “What are you doing here? You left work like three hours ago.”

“Oh, Alex was waiting for me. We went out for dinner, chatted, grabbed dessert, and then it was so late, she offered to come get you too.” He beamed at Alex. “Wasn’t that nice of her?”

Jessica winced, and a hint of sympathy for the woman stirred inside of Alex. In every relationship, there was the skeptical one and the trusting partner, not that Alex had a lot of experience when it came to intimate relationships of this sort, but even within families, this was something she understood only too well. 

“So some lady shows up in a van, offers you candy, and you hop in?” Jessica rubbed her temples before lifting her head to meet Winslow’s gaze again. “You know you’re being kidnapped, right?”

Winslow scoffed. “I’m not being kidnapped, and there was no candy. We had ice cream.”

“If you’re not being kidnapped, ask Alex if you’re free to go.”

He shrugged. “Alex, am I free to go?”

“Your government appreciates your cooperation, Mr. Schott.”

“Oh, I’m being kidnapped.” Winslow sank down into the seat but made no attempt to leave. “Now the ice cream feels dirty in my belly.”

Jessica took a step back, and her neck craned left and right. 

Alex had chased down plenty of runners in her time to recognize the symptoms. There was a certain thrill to the chase, and she jockeyed back and forth on her feet, warming up her calves in preparation for the sprint. It was with the utmost level of restraint that Alex forced herself to still. If this situation remained anything but amicable, Lena would never let her forget it.

“Jessica, hold on one moment, please.” Alex pulled out her phone, went to her recent calls, and hit the button. It was answered on the first ring.

Lena’s smiling face flashed onto the screen. “Hey. How did it go?”

“You were right. She needs some convincing. Talk to her.” Alex held out the phone to Jessica. “Please?”

Though she kept her distance as best she could, Jessica came close enough to take the phone and then scoot away like a feral animal. “Lena! What’s going on?”

“Alex needs to speak with you.”

“Yeah? Well, she can call me and make plans to meet someplace public in the light of day. Do you know she stole my car?”

“How can it be stolen if it’s in your driveway?” Alex pointed out.

Jessica shot Alex an impressive glare. “Anyway, as a citizen of the United States of America, I still have rights. I’m not going to be disappeared to some black site.”

“Jess, that’s not going to happen, right, Alex? Hold me up to her.” When Jess turned the phone, Lena said, “Alex, tell my friend she’s not going to disappear, and you’re just taking her home.”

“You’re not going to disappear. We’re going to drive around, have a little conversation, and then I’ll drop you off safe and sound at home.” Alex used her most practiced smile. “Promise.”

“I don’t believe her.”

“Turn me back.” Jessica did so, allowing Lena to once again face her friend. “Jess, trust me, Alex would never hurt any—you. This whole thing is one of the reasons I didn’t tell you that other thing about me. The government has a lot of red tape.”

“And we cut it lengthwise.” After spending hours getting a far too in depth education from Winslow about Midi-chlorian counts in Jedi, Alex’s patience was worn razor thin. Her foot tapped out the first few notes of her growing frustration, and she affixed Jessica with a heavy glare. “Look, if the government wanted to snatch you up and secret you away somewhere, we have people for that. I’m here which means we want to talk. Let’s keep it that way, okay?”

It was touch and go for a few moments, but finally, Jessica sighed, and her shoulders slumped. She moved forward and handed the phone back to Alex who thanked Lena and then hung up. “My back and feet hurt too much to argue about this any more. Let’s just make this quick. I need to get home to feed my cat.”

“That’s already been taken care of.”

Jessica stilled with on foot on the lip of the car runner. “And how would you know I have a cat let alone that he needed to be fed?” 

Alex shooed her inside, and although Jessica hesitated, she moved and took a seat next to Winslow. Closing the door on the passengers, she left herself into the front passenger side and twisted toward the occupants in the back. “Nothing goes on in my little sister’s life that I don’t know about. Nothing.”

Alex didn’t bother buckling up. It would limit her ability to make eye contact with the passengers, so she trusted in Agent Ront’s driving skill to keep her safe. “Thank you both for agreeing to speak with me.”

“As if we had a choice,” Jessica said, taking Winnslow’s hand when he groaned.

“At any rate, we won’t keep you any longer than is absolutely necessary. I have a document for each of you to sign, and you’re welcome to read through them, but if you have any questions you’d like to ask me, now is the time.”

Winslow lit up at the offer. His earlier concern seemed to vanish as he leaned forward, eager and curious. “Are you really Lena’s sister? Like can you—?” He held his hands as high above his head as he could manage in the vehicle and made a little hopping motion on the seat. “Up, up, and away.”

“She doesn’t say that.” Lena wasn’t kidding about Winslow and his fanfic interest. “Am I really her sister? Yes. Is it biological?” Alex’s gaze moved from Winslow to Jessica, and where he hung on every word, the white’s of her eyes showed all around, and she leaned away. It would be so easy for Alex to imply an extra terrestrial power, something that might spur them to sign without reading and end this, but shortcuts wouldn’t help them in the long run. “No. I’m quite human but don’t think that makes me a pushover.”

A mirthless laugh escaped past Jessica’s lips. “That wasn’t a concern.”

“Good. Superman brought his cousin to live with us when Lena was only thirteen and had just arrived on Earth. I’ve been her big sister since then, protecting her every day, and I’m excellent at my job.”

“Hey, we’re not a threat.” Jessica gestured between herself and Winslow. “You’re not the only one in this car who loves her. Stop treating us like the enemy.”

Winslow nodded in agreement.

It was with great reluctance that Alex nodded along and uttered words she would deny if anyone repeated them. “You’re right. I’m sorry. When you spend most of your life looking for threats, even friends can be threatening. Can we start over?”

“Can you put my car back?” The venom was gone from Jessica’s words, and a smile played along her lips.

Alex shrugged. “If it helps, we filled the tank.”

“In this economy?” The final vestigates of fear, or perhaps anger, fell away, and Jessica relaxed back against the seat and crossed her legs. “You should have opened with that. I would have signed away my first born.” She held out the pen. “Let me read what you’ve got there.”

The NDAs were substantial, and though eyebrows were raised when Alex brought them out, neither Jessica nor Winslow said anything. They sat quietly, reading through the documents while Agent Ront took them all on a scenic tour of downtown National City. On a few occasions, Winslow raised a hand or opened his mouth, either with a question or objection, but each time, Jessica stilled him with a touch or a shake of her head. It seemed the pragmatist had won out.

Both of them were shaking out their hands and stretching their wrists by the time they finished signing in spot A and initialing in spot B throughout the document. Given the rocky beginning, the process had actually gone quite smoothly, and Alex was secretly pleased. By the time they pulled up in front of Winslow’s apartment, it was late into the night with a good day’s work completed.

“Mr. Schott, your government thanks you,” Alex said as she stood on the sidewalk, holding the back door of the SUV open.

Winslow paused to press a kiss to Jessica’s cheek and whisper soft words before he squeezed past her and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Hey, Alex, you were kidding about that whole kidnapping and blacksight thing, right? We were never in any danger.”

Alex fixed him with a heavy stare, and it only took seconds for him to wizen under her gaze. “Goodnight, Mr. Schott. I’m sure we’ll speak again.” She closed the door on the back, got back into her seat, pulled her door closed, and the vehicle sped away. In the side view mirror, Winslow stood frozen, watching the vehicle accelerate down the street.

“You know he’s going to have nightmares about you, right?” Jessica asked.

A smile tugged at Alex’s lips. “Then he’s smarter than he looks. What about you? Any further questions or commentary?”

“I think I’m clear on the situation. If I think too hard about Lena’s secret identity around others, the government will somehow know, and my cat will be looking for a new home. Does that sound right?”

Alex looked back over her shoulder. “Don’t think that hard about it, and you won’t find out.”

“I get it,” she said. “Lena’s secret, what it could mean in the wrong hands, I get it. She’s like a nuclear bomb inside a unicorn stuffed animal. So long as no one looks under the surface, they can’t set it off.”

“She’s incredibly powerful,” Alex agreed, “and yes, she’s just a rainbow stuffy that wants to watch Disney movies, eat ice cream, and lay her head in your lap. I don’t know if the rest of  Krypton was like them, but she and Kal-El, Superman, are two of the most decent people you’ll ever encounter. I don’t know if you believe in God, but if you do, send the Almighty a prayer of thanks. This whole thing, the continued existence of our species, hinged on that.”

Jessica nodded. “I have a lot of questions for her, a whole lot. She’s been to a whole other planet.”

“More than one.”

“Wow. Yeah, this is going to take some getting used to.”

“She’s still the same person she always was,” Alex said. “Please don’t treat her any differently.” As much as Agent Danver’s mission was protecting Supergirl’s identity, Alex’s mission was protecting her little sister’s heart. “She needs people she can trust in her corner.”

Jessica thrust her hand forward. “She has one more now. Glad to be on the team.”

Without hesitation, Alex twisted around further, extended her arm, and grasped Jessica’s hand. “Glad to have you.”

It was only a few more minutes of idle conversation before they arrived in front of Jesica’s townhouse. As promised, her vehicle, fully gassed, sat in the driveway.

Jessica stood at the edge of her driveway, saying her goodbyes to Alex who had stepped back in the SUV—after opening the door for Jessica—and lowered the window. “If you want to swing by once a week while I’m at work, fill the tank,” she thumbed in her car’s direction, “and give me a ride home, I won’t complain. Maybe we could skip the paperwork next time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Be safe and if anything comes up, my number is in your contacts.”

“No it isn't. Why would— You know what? I’m not even going to ask. Give Lena my love. I’ll see her tomorrow.” Jessica turned on her heel and headed toward her home.

With her stack of papers safely completed, Alex closed her eyes and relaxed for the first time that day, allowing the gentle sway of the car moving down the near empty streets to rock her like a baby in a cradle. This could have been a disaster, someone finding out Supergirl’s secret identity, but Lena’s friends were actually decent and forthcoming. Perhaps years in government service had jaded Alex to the true nature of most humans, or perhaps she needed to trust more in her sister’s judgment. Alex always said Lena saw the good in people, so it only made sense that she let the better people closer to her.

The woman of the hour was waiting in Alex’s apartment with the TV on and a pint of ice cream all but fully consumed by the time she got home.

“Well?” Lena asked. “Everything went fine, right?”

Alex dropped the completed NDAs onto the coffee table. “Yup. I only had to break three of Winslow’s fingers to get these done. Jessica was quick to learn from his mistakes.”

“Alex!”

“Oh, relax, no phalanges were damaged in the signing of these papers. If Winslow says I twisted his arm, he’s speaking symbolically. I didn’t hurt a hair on his head.”

“Thank you.” Lena wrapped Alex up in strong arms, and Alex was quick to return the hug. “I knew you would take care of this for me. You always do.”

“Always.”

For several moments, neither sister tried to pull away. Though their relationship in the first year that Lena had come to Earth had been tumultuous, they’d quickly learned a lesson they had never forgotten. They truly were stronger together.

“What about Hank?” Lena asked when they stepped apart. She grabbed her ice cream off the coffee table, frowning into the nearly empty container as if someone else had snuck in and stolen the contents while it had been out of her sight. “Is this going to cause you any problems?”

“You let me worry about him. I’ve got this.”

“Alex, I—”

“Start up whatever you were watching, and I’ll join you as soon as I change.” Alex walked into her bedroom, pulling off her work uniform as she went. “Wait, it wasn’t Disney, was it?”

In response, Lena broke into a rendition of ‘It’s a Small World’, and Alex shuddered. The things she did for the love of her sister.

<><>

Alex awoke to a message from Hank the next morning.

Hank: “Come and see me first thing.”

“I swear, he’s a fucking mind reader,” she mumured for not the first time.

Avoiding the inevitable was impossible and putting it off would only stoke Hank’s no doubt irritable mood, so she showered and dressed quickly, heading off to work early. He was in his office when she got there.

“Come in, Agent Danvers,” he said without lifting his head when she knocked at the door.

Alex closed the door behind her and placed the NDAs on his desk, front and center, without any discussion.

He studied the pile of paper for a moment before lifting his head and meeting her gaze. “What should I know about these?” It wasn’t the type of question someone uninformed about the subject would ask.

Professionally, Alex stared straight ahead, hands behind her back as she made her report. “In the process of saving Miss Luthor’s life yesterday, Supergirl’s identity was compromised. Two civilians, Jessica Cho and Winslow Schott, witnessed an impossible to explain away use of powers. As soon as she could tell me securely about the incident, Supergirl did so. She then met privately with the civilians to gauge the level of concern this should raise. Trusting in Supergirl’s assessment that these people weren’t a threat, and based on the thorough vetting we do of anyone close to her, I accepted that and waited until the evening to meet with them and get the necessary papers signed. It was done so without incident, and I’m confident there won’t be further issue.”

“I see.” Hanks studied her, and Alex did her best not to squirm under his scrutiny. 

Is this how the paramecium on the slide felt as the microscope peered down at it, small and vulnerable? 

“Is that all?”

“Yes, Sir.” Alex bit her lip, not revealing Lena and Kara’s relationship. It was largely in the realm of the undeveloped, currently, and didn’t spill into DEO business. Should that change, she’d notify her superior, but for now, her sister deserved at least a modicum of privacy.

“Well done then.” Hank tapped on the reports and nodded in her direction.

“Thank you, sir. I should get to work.”

“You’re dismissed,” he said, but when she reached the door, he called after her. “Agent Danvers?”

Wincing, hand on the door knob, Alex smoothed her expression and turned. “Yes, sir?”

“I just want you to know I get it. I had family, those that I would have done anything for. You have her best interests at heart, and I respect that, but if you ever need anyone to speak with,” he nodded, “you can trust me.”

A frown pulled at Alex’s lips at the vagueness of the comment. She did her best not to let it push into her earlier thoughts and instead nodded. “I appreciate that, sir.”

“Carry on.”

Alex went about her duties, busy with tasks, but anytime she had a free moment to herself, his words came back to her. ‘I had family, those I would have done anything for.’ It was the past tense, the finality, that clung to her like syrup on a toddler’s hands. There was nothing in Hank’s military jacket, at least what was available at Alex’s clearance level, that mentioned a family past or present. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who needed a friendly ear.

Chapter Text

Lena greeted the sunrise in her usual fashion, with a smile on her face, stretching in bed like a cat warmed in a sunbeam. Each day held new delights, new opportunities to learn and grow and discover. Would this have been her life on Krypton, meeting each day with the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning? Likely not. It had taken losing literally everything that mattered to make the little things matter.

A slow, hot shower was followed by dressing at inhuman speed and left plenty of time for breakfast. A huge bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruit paired well with a green drink. She was pondering the virtues of another glass when her phone rang, and her smile grew.

“Alex, hey, good morning. How are you?”

“Still not a morning person,” Alex grumbled into the phone, but the affection in her sister’s voice was clear, even if it did take super hearing and years of practice to separate out the surly from the sentiment. “I got a call last night, after your bedtime, so I didn’t want to bother you with it then. Kara wants to have lunch with you.”

Kara Luthor, now that was a good reason to smile. Even with the threat to Kara, these past few days had been magical. Lena had dated a handful of people since coming to Earth, but never before had she clicked with someone like this. Kara was brave, hardworking, beautiful, funny, kind, but more than all of that, Kara was good. Kara was good in the way that Lena believed most humans to be deep down, even if some of them were too afraid to show it. What a gift it was to find someone who wore their goodness not under layers of armor but like a house robe, on display for the world to see.

“I’m looking forward to lunch already.” Though in truth, that didn’t mean much. Lena was always looking forward to her next meal. “Question, why did she call you and not me? She has my number.”

“Lena, she doesn’t want to have lunch with you.”

“But you just said—”

“She wants to have lunch with Supergirl.”

“Oh.” That complicated matters. As good of a disguise as the glasses and ponytail were, and it was impossible to argue with success, there was a difference between fooling people who had no idea who Lena was and only saw Supergirl during moments of danger and sitting down to lunch with someone who had explored your mouth with theirs. “What do you think I should do?”

“She probably just wants to thank you, maybe tell you she’s erecting a statue in your honor or something. Rich people do stuff like that. Eat her food, be humble, and tell her we know nothing else about her brother’s whereabouts. When we do, and we’ll find him, I’ll contact her directly. As of right now, he’s the biggest threat to you which makes him my top priority.”

“Right, act professional.”

“Just remember who you are and don’t flirt with her.”

“Flirt? I don’t think I would even know how.”

Alex snorted. “Good. Keep it that way. If she starts to get weird, acts suspicious and looks at you too closely, tell her there’s an emergency somewhere and leave. There’s always an emergency somewhere.”

“Which makes it a good excuse.” At the press conference, Kara hadn’t looked at Supergirl with any sort of recognition beyond what came with the cape. Even in the gym, when they were inches apart, Kara had been more concerned about her business than the hero in front of her. So long as Supergirl kept things professional, and she could easily do that for one meal, everything would be fine. “Okay, let ‘Miss Luthor’ know that I’ll see her for lunch at noon.”

“Fine, but don’t you two make a habit of this. I’m too damn old to be passing notes between my sister and her girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend. Wait, did she say something? Did she tell you she was my girlfriend? Alex? Alex?” But the screen had gone dark, Alex having disconnected after delivering her message. It did leave Lena with a lingering question and a new reason to be anxious. “Is Kara my girlfriend?”

Winn was decidedly normal when Lena got to work that morning. He made a few corny jokes, talked nerdy to her, and smiled as easily as ever. When he shared something personal with her on break, though it was a piece of Supergirl fanart, the rating was PG, and they were both spared any potential embarrassment. 

She begged off for lunch, saying she had plans, and though his smile might have been a bit smug, he said nothing. She changed on the roof, hiding her clothing in the usual spot, and flew away from the building before making a wide loop to return. She touched down on the balcony outside Kara’s window, straightened her cape, and knocked on the glass. 

This was going to be easy.

Then Kara turned, looked at her, and smiled. Lena’s knees went weak.

“You have faced down criminals, aliens, and all sorts of threats. You’ve carried burning planes and held up collapsing bridges. You can have one normal meal with a pretty girl.” It was a small pep talk, but Supergirl needed the reminder.

Kara pulled open the balcony door and stepped back. “Hey, come in.”

Inside the room, there was a spread of food on the coffee table near the couch. A big bowl of salad, veggie kabobs, rice with vegetables, some sorts of wraps, and shakes were laid out. A quick glance around the room didn’t reveal boxes or bags from any particular establishment, but there was a cart with several trays, the same that were used to refill the salad bar in the company lunchroom, out of the way near the door.

“Miss Luthor, I appreciate the invitation.” Supergirl kept her head high and her voice level. She nodded when Kara met her gaze but maintained a neutral expression. “Was there something in particular we needed to discuss?”

“I just wanted to thank you, really, and I was looking for an excuse to try some of the new cafeteria options we’ll be offering. They’re all vegan.”

“Ve-vegan?” Supergirl nearly tripped over her own feet. It wasn’t a very far line from muscular, upbeat, vegan Lena Danvers to your friendly neighborhood Girl of Steel if you looked closely. “Did Agent Danvers tell you that’s what I ate?”

Kara’s gaze was fixed on her phone, her brows drawn together, but when she tucked the phone away and lifted her head, she smiled. “I’m sorry, what?”

Supergirl pointed toward the table of food.

“Lunch. Right. I hope you don’t mind vegan food. The girl I’ve been seeing, she’s a vegan, and I sort of wanted to test out the new menu on someone before she tried it.” Kara cocked her head to the side. “Is that alright? If you’d prefer something else, I can have it brought up.”

“No. No. This is perfect. I mean, I’m usually a steak and potatoes kind of gal,” Supergirl flexed a bicep and poked it for emphasis, “but when in Nome.”

“You mean Rome?”

“Do I?” Supergirl shrugged. “Let’s eat.”

The food was excellent and a nice upgrade from the salad and one vegan option that the cafeteria usually offered. Supergirl mentally added it to the perks of dating the boss. They ate mostly in silence, passing around dishes and humming in a mutual appreciation of all of the wonderful flavors. 

It wasn’t until Supergil was filling up her third plate before Kara finally spoke up. “So, I’m sure you’ve wondered why I called you here today.”

“I did, actually.” Alex’s words about table manners rang in Supergirl’s ears, and she swallowed before grabbing a napkin off the table to wipe her face. With a clear mouth and conscience, she added, “If it was just to thank me, you don’t have to. I save people. That’s what I do.”

“It doesn’t mean you don’t deserve thanks for doing it. You’ve saved me more than once. You were there for the new CEO announcement and again at the gym, both times when I needed you the most.” Leaning back against the couch, Kara watched Supergirl oddly, her head once again tilted to the side and a hint of a smile on her lips. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were following me.”

Until Lex was caught, there would be more than a bit of truth to that statement. As much as dating Kara was personal for Lena, keeping Kara alive was also a job for Supergirl. It was rather fortuitous that their paths intertwined.

“I can assure you I’m not, Miss Luthor. Each time, it was more the FBI than me that figured out you needed help. I just happen to fly faster than they drive.”

“And for that I’m grateful, but that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to see you. I want to talk about us.”

“Oh?” Supergirl’s heart pounded against her chest, the sound reverberating in her ears with enough force that it seemed impossible for Kara not to hear it too. “And by us you mean…”

“A Luthor and a Super, working together,” Kara explained with a casual smile. “Look, I’m not going to dice words. What my brother did, his attack on your cousin and you, what he did to Metropolis, was unforgivable. When you showed up at the press conference, my first thought was that you were there to dress me down in front of everyone.”

“I would never—”

Kara held out her hand toward the hero. “I know. That’s the problem with being raised by vipers; you think everyone is looking for an opportunity to bare their fangs. You’re better than that. I have no right to ask, especially after all you’ve done for me, but I want the chance to show you that I’m better than that too.”

“You don’t need a chance,” Supergirl said. “You’ve already shown me that. Anyway, you’re not your brother, and you shouldn’t be judged by his actions.”

“And you are almost too good to be true. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t trust in your sincerity, but once again, any misgiving says something about my upbringing and not about you.” Kara put her plate, now clear of food, off to the side of the table. She grasped her hands together and leaned her elbows against her knees. Her jovial tone was forgotten and replaced by a serious yet hopeful manner. “You can trust me. You probably already do by nature of being,” Kara made a motion that indicated the entirety of Supergirl, “but I want this to be more than a belief that I won’t hurt you. I think, no, I know, I can help you. I’ve already had a crew collect a sample of whatever it was my brother used to attack you in Metropolis.”

“You have?”

“Yes, some of the technology, well, let’s just say even if I were paying in Golden Age comic books and mint in the box action figures, I couldn’t have gotten the group of scientists that will work with this more excited about their projects.”

The technology that had been used against her and Superman was terrifying. There was alien tech to be certain, things that humans wouldn’t create on their own for generations if they ever did. It had been masterfully combined with some kind of synthetic kryptonite, turning the deadly but rare substance into a no less deadly but far more common substance. The DEO had promised Supergirl that in the aftermath of the fight, their agents had accounted for every bit of technology and every scrap of kryptonite left behind.

Apparently, they had not.

Never one to excel at poker—she was more of a Go Fish girl—Supergirl’s brow pressed together, and a frown pulled at her mouth. The fight was a bad enough memory without knowing others with technical skill and bankrolled by a multi-billionaire company, now had those weapons.

“I want to assure you that I’ve done extensive background checks on those involved and have them tied up in non-disclosure agreements that even Harry Houdini couldn’t escape,” Kara assured, reading Supergirl like the open book the Kryptonian tended to be. “I disassembled the weapons personally and divided each of them into relevant sections. Each scientific team only gets to see a part of a weapon or weapons, and they have no interaction. All reports are sent for my eyes only, so I’m the only one with the complete information… assuming that makes you feel better.”

“Immeasurably.”

Just like that, Kara’s smile returned. “Well good, great. So when I have my reports completed, maybe we could do this again, just so we can talk about my findings,” Kara said with undertones of hesitancy.

“Will the food be this good again?” Supergirl popped the last of the vegetarian spring rolls into her mouth, savoring the mix of vegetables and the zing of dipping ginger sauce. “If you keep feeding me, I’ll keep coming around.”

“Noted.”

For the remainder of the lunch, their conversation changed to things less serious. It would have been too easy for Supergirl to forget she was in uniform, that she was there as more of a professional courtesy and not for personal reasons. Instead, she held herself stiffly, too often needing to literally bite down on her tongue when Kara said something particularly humorous or charming. That appreciation would have to wait for another time when the uniform, and all that it entailed, didn’t separate them. 

That did bring with it one important question. If Kara and Lena continued to date, if their relationship eventually became as serious as these early days promised, when should Lena reveal her secret? At what point did secrecy become deception?

That thought was sobering enough that when it was time to leave, Supergirl didn’t need to remind herself that a hug would be inappropriate. Instead, she stood with her hands behind her back, mimicking Alex’s casual work stance, while she and Kara said their farewells.

“Stop by anytime. My balcony,” Kara gestured toward the wall of ceiling to floor glass, “is always open.”

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, professionally, of course. Until your brother is in custody—”

Kara held up a hand. “Say no more. I appreciate the extra protection. I wish I could say it’s not necessary but…” A poor excuse for a smile twisted Kara’s lips, and she looked away toward the windows, her gaze ghosting across the cityscape. “In the past, my brother and I had a wonderful relationship. It’s clear that’s no longer true. You need to stop him, or a lot of people will be hurt. I know I have no right to ask this,” she looked back and met Supergirl’s gaze, “but I hope you can bring him in alive.”

“That’s our intention,” Supergirl replied. “I just hope he lets us.”

Kara nodded in silent understanding. It was more than Lex deserved, but taking a life wasn’t just about the deceased. Others in their lives, whoever took the fatal action, paid a heavy price too.

The lunch hour had wound down, and though Supergirl’s life was unscheduled, Lena had a job to which she had to return. “I should get going. Let me know what you find out about those weapons.”

“You have my word on that.” Kara stuck out her hand. “Again, thank you for everything.”

Supergirl gripped Kara’s hand, and a welcome tingle ran up her arm and through her body. Alex’s warnings of a professional demeanor rang out loud in Supergirl’s head, and she smiled and gave the hand a brief shake. “Thank you for lunch. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.”

Supergirl left the way she came, but as she flew over the city, she couldn’t help but look back. She had half expected to see Kara watching her fly away, but the CEO was once again lost in thought, sitting back on that white desk with phone in hand. 

In a way, it was comforting. Everyday, people pointed and watched as Supergirl flew by, but when it came to Kara Luthor, Lena Danvers was the one she watched walk away.

The rest of the day ended without incident, and by the time Lena showed up at her sister’s apartment that night, the scent of vegan cheese and the pizzas they topped were waiting for her.

“All the veggies?” Lena asked, giving Alex a quick hug before going to pop open the first box.

“All the veggies,” Alex agreed. “How was lunch?”

“Awesome,” Lena said around a mouthful of pizza, earning her a look of reproach from her sister. She swallowed hurriedly. “Sorry. It went well. You were right that she wanted to thank me, but there was no mention of a statue.”

“Meh. Give her time.” Alex handed Lena a plate and kept one for herself. From a smaller box, separate from the mini-tower of pizzas that was Lena’s, Alex pulled two slices of pepperoni and plated them. “Was that all she wanted?”

It was tempting to mention the weapons to Alex, but Alex would be forced to tell Hank, and the DEO would probably try to get them back from Kara. Lawyers would get involved, and everything would be a mess. It was better to leave Kara’s scientists to it and tell Alex when there was something substantial to share.

“She wants to work with me in future,” Lena said, providing a truthful statement if not the whole truth. “She wanted to make sure I knew I could trust her.”

“She’s not her brother.”

“That’s what I said. We talked about him some, but it wasn’t exactly a pleasant topic. Anyway, if she reaches out again looking for me, well, not me, me, Supergirl me, let me know, that’s me me, and I’ll, Supergirl, will get back to her.”

“I long for the days when your gibberish didn’t make perfect sense.” Alex grabbed a beer from the fridge, pulling out the filtered water and carrying them both over to the coffee table. “I’m just glad you didn’t spill your secret identity to her. Telling Hank about Winn and Jess wasn’t an experience I’m eager to repeat anytime soon.”

“Actually…”

Alex spun in her direction. “Lena, no. Tell me you didn’t. Please, don’t say—”

“I didn’t. She doesn’t,” Lena added quickly to counter the uptick in Alex’s heart rate. “It was professional, and Kara is none the wiser.”

“Thank God,” Alex whispered.

“I was just thinking…” Lena waited until her sister’s gaze met hers again. “I like her, Alex. I know it’s early, but if things keep going like this, I can’t keep lying to her.”

“How quickly are you two moving? No judgements. I just need to know when I should take a mental health day off to brace for my next meeting with Hank on this subject.”

“It’s not like that. It’s just,” Lena sighed, “Kara’s special, and she deserves someone who can meet her partway in a relationship. If I’m never going to be able to be honest with her because of her family or brother or whatever, I need to know now before I get in any deeper. I don’t want to do that to her or me.”

“Hey,” Alex reached out and gripped Lena’s hand. “This is your life, and I will do whatever you need to support you in that. If the government doesn’t like it, they’ll have to go through me.”

“Even Hank?”

Alex nodded. “Even Hank. Now, how about we turn on a movie and talk about this girl you like so much while we eat pizza.”

“You’re the best sister ever.” Lena grabbed an entire box of pizzas and supersped over to her seat on the couch. “We can talk about the girl you like too. When I listened for your heartbeat this morning, I noticed it wasn’t coming from your apartment even though you had just woken up. How’s Sam?”

“No.” Alex glared at her, but after a few seconds, a smile broke out on her face. “Okay, yeah. Sam is… I don’t think you’re the only one that has someone special in their life.”

Lena squealed and kicked her feet happily. She patted the couch next to her. “Tell me everything.”

“Not everything,” Alex chuckled, “but yeah, let’s talk. It’s about time the Danvers sisters had things go their way in love.”

Chapter Text

As the weeks passed and Lena and Kara grew closer, the challenge for Lena was in walking that fine line between privacy and deceit. When makeout sessions spilled over into even more passionate endeavors, Lena would turn off the lights before undressing—or more importantly taking off her glasses and letting her hair down. 

Kara never questioned it. 

Though Kara mentioned she had an extra empty dresser in her room, should Lena ever want to leave anything there, Lena only nodded and smiled. 

Kara never pressed the subject. 

Each time after making love, Lena would slide out of bed before sleep and Kara’s loving embrace could draw her in until the sun rose. One time, Kara grabbed her wrist and pulled it back to apply kisses on her hand. “Stay,” Kara whispered. “Please?”

Lena turned and pressed her lips to Kara’s in response. “I can’t tonight. Maybe next time.”

Next time came and went, and so did Lena, and Kara didn’t ask again.

They met for lunch on days that both their schedules allowed, had dinner together every night but sister’s night, and spent their weekends as a couple. Even with Lex still out there in parts unknown, it was an idyllic life except for one thing: Supergirl. What had once been one of Lena’s greatest joys was spoiling right before her eyes, leaving her feeling like a faithless spouse.

“I need to tell her,” Lena said as she pulled food, a pile of veggies big enough to feed a family of four and that would hold her over until dinner arrived, out of her fridge.

It was sister’s night, but Alex was with her team, responding to yet another Lex sighting. They had a handful of them every week, and so far, none of them had panned out. A few had provided fun anecdotes, like the poor guy who got hauled into a van when he stepped out of the convention where he was cosplaying Walter White, but mainly, Alex described them as a waste of time and resources. Still, it was the one time you didn’t take these things seriously that they came back to bite you in the butt, so each tip was investigated thoroughly.

“You mean you want to tell her, right? I know you care about Kara, but you don’t owe anyone a part of yourself that you aren’t ready to share. If she’s pressuring you into anything—”

“Never. She never puts any pressure on me for more than I’m willing to give.” In this regard, Kara had been perfect, better than Lena thought she might be if the situation were reversed. As soon as Lena set a boundary, even if it was with her silence, Kara acquiesced. It was one of the things that made Lena want to redraw those lines or even erase them altogether. “This isn’t about Kara. I want to tell her because I want her to know me, Alex. Holding back, avoiding things, leaving her alone every night because I don’t know how to explain regular, middle of the night emergencies, I just don’t want to keep doing it. I love Kara, and she, we, deserve better.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“I think so.” Lena had tried to work up the courage to tell Kara the truth on more than one occasion and stalled out. It was an odd sensation, realizing how much someone meant to you filling you with so much gratitude even as the idea of losing them filled you with an equal measure of dread. “Yeah, I’m going to do it tomorrow after dinner or maybe even before. I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat, knowing that conversation is coming.”

“Please. You can always eat.”

“Maybe I love her more than broccoli.”

“Wow. Don’t tell Mom. She’ll be on the phone with wedding planners.”

There was a knock on the door. “Delivery for Lena Danvers.”

“Did you send the food here?” Lena gasped and slid her glasses down the bridge of her nose. Looking through the door revealed no food, just some shaggy-haired guy in a uniform with a flower arrangement that was about as big as him. “Oh, Kara sent flowers.”

“Did you even throw out the last ones yet?” Alex chuckled.

A vase of two dozen, long-stem roses from yesterday sat on their own stand near one of the windows. A mixed arrangement from three days earlier had a place of pride in the center of the coffee table. They were all still as fresh and fragrant as the day they arrived.

“No. If she keeps this up, I’m going to run out of room for them all.”

“Maybe that’s Kara’s plan. She’s going to stuff so many flowers into your apartment that you’ll have to move in with her.”

“Clever. Maybe it will work.” Lena pulled open the door and stepped back. “Just put them on the kitchen counter. Thank you,” she said as the man nodded and brought the flowers inside. “Alex, can I call you back? I want to give Kara a call and thank her.”

“We’re almost at our destination. I’ll call you once we’re done here.”

“Be safe.”

“It’s probably nothing, but I always am. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Lena disconnected and grabbed the note card from the flower arrangement.

“Red is for roses. Gray is for steel. I hope that these flowers tell you just how I feel.”

Lena chuckled. “It’s not Sapphos, but it’s the thought that counts.” 

Kara was her most recent call after Alex, so it only took a few seconds for her to make the call and for Kara to pick up on the other end.

“Hey, this is a nice surprise,” Kara said. “Is Alex being tedious? Do you need me to come and rescue you? I will, you know.”

“My hero. No, Alex is stuck at work, but she should be back soon. She got another tip on you know who. I, on the other hand, got a lovely flower delivery.”

“Someone sent you flowers? Who am I fighting for your love?”

“Very funny.” Lena leaned in, inhaling the lovely odor from the bouquet. “Did you already tip the guy?”

“What guy? What are you talking about?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the delivery guy replied. “I got what I deserved and now so will you.”

A green mist, sprayed from something within the bouquet, rose into the air surrounding Lena. Her lungs convulsed, desperate to spew out the fire that was burning inside them. The phone slipped from her grip, but Lena was too busy clawing at her throat and gasping for air to give it any thought. She backpedaled, not stopping until she hit the side of the couch and slumping down to the ground as her legs turned to jelly. 

She’d encountered this once before but hadn’t taken on such a generous serving of the noxious green substance. That was in Metropolis which meant only one thing.

The flower delivery man’s hair came off with his cap, and he crouched in front of her. Slowly, he peeled off the fake mustache and goatee, and she stared into Lex Luthor’s green eyes. He watched her carefully, amusement playing on his lips as she gasped like a fish out of water. When she tried to rise, a pathetic attempt from someone who had literally held up buildings, he stood smoothly and kicked her in the abdomen. What little air she had managed to suck into her miasma filled lungs came out in a woosh, and she crumbled back to the ground.

“And stay down.” Lex grabbed her hair, pulling her head back until she met his gaze again. “I want you to know two things before we start. One, you’re not going to live through this. Two, you’ll probably be grateful for that when we’re done. Now, let’s talk about my sister.”

Chapter Text

Kara’s feet pounded up the stairs, matching her frantic heart’s tempo as she raced up to Lena’s apartment. She hadn’t given the elevator even a second glance when she’d arrived, a lifetime of cardio put into practice for the most important run of her life. Lex was alone with Lena, and all Kara could do was hope she had arrived in time.

Lena’s front door was unlocked, not that a lock would have slowed down Kara’s adrenaline-fueled panic, as Kara reached it and shouldered her way inside. Lex stood huffing and puffing over Lena’s body, the blood on his hands, his shirt, splattered across the wall and floor all the more terrifying given the source. Lena lay sprawled out on the floor, her body limp, blood coating her face and soaked into her clothing. From beneath the blood came an odd green glow, the same nauseating shade as the handful of glowing rocks laid out around Lena’s body.

Wide-eyed, Lex looked up from his handiwork and smiled at Kara like the madman he was. “Little sister. I’m glad you could join us. We should—”

With a wordless, guttural scream of rage at this inhumane treatment from someone who had once been the most important person in her life to the person who now was, Kara launched herself forward and smashed Lex into the wall, knocking the breath from him. Her fists pounded against his torso like he was a punching bag as she took out every ounce of fear, every bit of helplessness she’d experienced since she’d heard his voice over the phone and channeled it into her strikes. She brought her elbow around and then the other, and his head snapped from side to side with the force of her blows. As he swayed stunned, she grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled down hard even as she thrust her knee up and smashed him in the face. His body fell limply, and she tossed him to the side, discarded like trash.

“Lena!” Panting, Kara dropped down to her knees and desperately felt for a pulse. There! It was weak, and the breathing was shallow, but Lena still lived. Given the sickly green glow that filled the prone woman’s veins, how long that would continue was another matter.

Though far from an expert on this subject, Kara knew enough to grab up the green rocks and hurl them, baseball style, through the window and out of the apartment. Slowly, the green receded from Lena’s skin, but there was still so much blood, and she was much too still.

“Please, be okay,” Kara begged as she wiped some of the blood from Lena’s face. “Please.” At the chuckle from behind her, Kara stilled and turned slowly. Though still prone, Lex was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

“Bravo, little sister. You made it in time for the main event.” Lex pushed up to his knees and smeared the blood, his own now joining Lena’s, across his face with the back of his hand. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to let by-gones be by-gones on that whole assassination debacle and join me in my extermination project, would you?”

“You’re disgusting! Obscene!” Kara spat. “You’ve completely lost your mind.”

His smile grew. “I’ll mark you down as tentative.”

As he rose, Kara did the same. Lex’s intellect tended to leave people underestimating his physical strength, but Kara had spent a lifetime with him, being prodded and crammed in an ill-conceived effort to force her into the Luthor mold which she never fit. They’d been pitted against each other in games of strategy, and she’d won. They’d faced off at fencing, and she’d been the victor again and again. In hand to hand combat, she hadn’t fared as well.

Cautiously, she sized him up, looking for any weakness, any sign of injury from her earlier attack upon him or perhaps which Lena had managed to land. He stood strong, his stance steady and the expression on his face cocky. That was also Lex’s greatest downfall, his ego. Though Lena needed medical attention, stalling and hoping Alex arrived in time—though it had taken a half-dozen calls on the drive over, Kara had been able to alert the agent of Lena’s plight—might be their best, perhaps their only, option.

“Why?” Kara asked.

Lex paused, head cocked to the side. “That’s a bit vague. Care to elaborate?”

“Why go after Lena? Why did you attack Superman?”

“Oh, that why.” Lex shrugged. “I did it for the good of the human race, to show that Superman isn’t a god, that he can be defeated. I did it for everyone, even you, Kara.”

“Me?” The half-strangled sound that burst free from her lips could hardly be called a laugh, but it was a close approximation. “You tried to kill me!”

“Technically, I tried to have you killed.” Lex took a step to his right, and Kara followed suit, keeping out of reach of his longer grasp should he lunge at her. 

“Is that supposed to be any better?”

“Look, I’d already planned on killing whoever took over the company as a reminder of what’s mine, and when I heard it was you, I may have overreacted.” He shrugged. “You know what Mother always said. ‘Boys will be boys’ and all that.”

He took a shuffling step forward, and she was forced to step back.

“As to that one…” Lex gestured behind Kara to where Lena lay on the floor, but she refused to look. Taking her attention away from her opponent for even a split second was all it would take for Lex to slip her guard and end this fight before it had truly begun. “That one was personal. I mean, I would have killed her anyway, but after I saw the pictures, the articles of you two together…” He shook his head. “Father would roll over in his grave if he knew the sort of company you were keeping.”

“I never took you for a homophobe, but I guess I never really knew you.”

“Please, this isn’t about gender; it’s about race, species, but you already knew that, didn’t you?” Though she didn’t reply, his smile grew. “I knew you did. After all, it was your app that showed me who she was, where she was. In a way, we’re in this together, so thank you.”

Kara cursed herself. 

When the L-tracker had first revealed Lena at the conference where Supergirl appeared, that made sense as Lena was an employee. Then there was the time when Supergirl had stopped the assassin at the gym, and once again, the proximity detector for Lena went off. Still Kara needed to prove it to herself, so she placed a call to Alex, ordered up a vegan feast, and waited for Supergirl to arrive. Unless Lena had somehow snuck past Kara’s assistant’s watchful eye and sat against the door for an hour, then snuck away again when Supergirl left, the results of the experiment were conclusive. Lena Danvers was Supergirl. 

Kara had spent so much time trying to earn Lena’s trust, had been so busy being careful about her girlfriend’s feelings and boundaries that must come with a double life, that she trusted her technological safeguards would keep Lena safe. Perhaps ego was the downfall of every Luthor.

“She’s innocent in all of this,” Kara said. “I’m the one you’re mad at.”

“No. I’m just disappointed.” He chuckled. “Now I know why Mother and Father used the phrase. It is oddly satisfying.”

Without warning, Lex surged forward, forcing Kara to dodge back. Her foot hit the blood-soaked carpet, squishy and slippery, and though she stayed upright, it was enough. Lex was on her in a heartbeat, raining blow after blow down on her defenses. He was fast, faster than she remembered as madness drove him forward. Even when one of his shots snuck through, she refused to give way and let hate trump love.

Their violent dance only lasted a few more seconds before he tied her up in a grapple, his arm around her neck as he squeezed. She’d managed to sneak one hand in, using it to help her chin slide down and stop him from cutting off her blood flow. If he succeeded in that, the fight would be over in seconds. When he lifted her from her feet, she found new leverage, pushing against the side of the couch and knocking them both back. His grunt when he hit the counter where the kitchen was open into the living room would have been more satisfying if she could have taken a full breath.

“I’ll make you a deal, last offer, little sister,” he breathed in her ear as he tightened his grip on her throat. “Surrender, and I’ll let you live. Think of picking out a tombstone for the alien as a valuable life lesson. One day, you’ll thank me.”

Kara didn’t have air for a witty response. She reached around blindly behind her, searching for something more substantial than a napkin on the counter to use in her defense. Her fingers connected with something solid, maybe wood, and as she searched for a grip she touched metal. Without giving it a second thought, she gripped the handle, yanked the knife from its block, swung the blade around in front of her and past, and sank it into Lex’s shoulder.

“You bitch!” he howled, letting her go. 

She kept hold of the knife and stumbled away, sucking in air as she spun on him. Only a fool would assume Lex was less dangerous when wounded, and for all her mother’s numerous faults, she hadn’t raised one of those.

He pressed his palm to his shoulder, pulling the hand away bloodied. “Why do you care about her so much?”

“Because she’s good, better than you, better than me, better than humanity deserves. Even with all her power and despite our shortcomings, she chooses a life of service to others.” Kara adjusted her grip on the knife, taking in her brother’s exhaustion, his injury, even as her muscles screamed and every bruise to be ached across her body. She needed to end this now. “You’ll never understand that though. The problem with you, Lex, is that rather than strive to be better than you are, you destroy anything and anyone that threatens your fragile sense of self-worth. You could have been anything, and you chose to be the worst among us.”

“And the problem with you, Ace,” Lex reached inside his jacket and pulled out a revolver, “is you bring a knife to a gunfight.”

“Fuck!” Kara blindly tossed the knife at him as he fired, and she dove over the back of the couch. He grunted, and when gunfire didn’t rain down on her, she chanced a look around the arm of the furniture. Though he still held the pistol firmly in one hand, the knife had somehow struck him in the thigh. He was left to grip the handle as he struggled to stay upright.

This was probably the best break Kara was going to get, so she reached down and scooped up Lena’s unconscious body, using what was nearly the last of her strength to toss her girlfriend over her shoulder. Lex was between them and the front door, so they headed deeper into the apartment on the search for a few more seconds of life. When she reached the bathroom, she stumbled inside, slamming and locking the door behind her. She put—not nearly gently enough—Lena into the bathtub and then crawled in on top of her girlfriend. 

The porcelain probably wouldn’t stop a bullet, but she was out of ideas, out of energy, so she laid down on top of Lena and said, “I’m sorry. I led him right to you. I’m so sorry.” She pressed a kiss to Lena’s forehead.

When Kara had admitted to herself that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Lena, this wasn’t what she meant.

Bullets splintered the door, and despite her attempts to stay in control, Kara yelped. There were a few heavy thuds, probably from a booted foot, and then the wood gave way with a sickening crunch. The door creaked open, and the last of Kara’s protections fell.

“Get up,” Lex said.

Ears still ringing from the gunshots, Kara pushed up but didn’t rise. She got high enough to peer over the lip of the tub and meet her brother’s gaze. “You’re going to have to kill me if you want to get to her.”

“Well, obviously,” Lex said. “I just wanted to look you in the eyes as I did it. We’re blood. You deserve that.” He raised the weapon and aimed.

“Lena!” A voice bellowed from the main area.

“Alex, we’re in the bathroom!” Kara called back. “Lex has a gun!”

Instead of having a shootout in the hallway, Lex stepped into the bathroom. He pointed the gun down at Kara, to where her body provided scant protection to the woman beneath her. Then he waited until Alex burst into view in the doorway.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Agent Danvers,” he said as Alex stood there, hands empty and palms held out in what seemed more like a surrender than a rescue. “You’re too late, but since I am the better man, I’ll let you say goodbye.”

“Mr. Luthor.” Alex only glanced briefly at Kara before her gaze locked on Lex again. She took a single step forward. “You don’t need to do this. We can come to a compromise where everyone gets out of this alive.”

“No. I’m ready to be a martyr for my cause. Though the human race may not understand yet, they’ll thank me one day.” 

He pulled back the hammer on his weapon, and Kara tensed.

“How when history is written by the victors?” Alex took another step forward. “You’ll be cursed, villainized, and every crime, every tragedy, every death that could have been prevented will be blamed on you. Superman will give speeches about this for years to come, and your name will be synonymous with betrayal and failure. Those that don’t curse your name will laugh at you.”

Even as Lex sucked in a deep breath, Alex rushed toward him. He whipped the gun directly at her chest and pulled the trigger. Round after round exploded, the sound echoing through the small room and leaving Kara half-deaf. When she looked up from where she had reflexively ducked, Alex stood with one arm raised and a hand wrapped around Lex’s throat. He dangled off the floor, clawing at the grip that shut out his air.

“You should have come peacefully,” Alex said, and she punched Lex in the face. His head snapped back rather satisfyingly. Then she turned and tossed him through the doorway and partially through the drywall in the hallway.

“...Miss Luthor?”

Lex lay unconscious in the hallway, just below the bulletholes he had decorated the wall with. Kara turned her head and blinked up at Alex. “What?”

With a surprising strength, or perhaps not given the display she’d just put on, Alex easily lifted Kara out of the tub. “I asked if you were injured.”

“Um… No but Lena—” 

Kara reached out, but Alex beat her there, lifting Lena from the tub and pressing her head to Lena’s chest. “It’s weak, but her heart is beating,” Alex said, holding Lena in her arms like one would an infant. “You saved her. Thank you.”

“I got here as fast as I could but—” Given all that had happened, this shouldn’t be what stuck out, but Kara’s mind refused to give way on this one point. “I didn’t realize you were Kara’s blood sister. She said she was adopted. Do you have another persona too, like a costume and all that?”

“Lena!” came an echo of Alex’s earlier yell, once again coming from someplace in the living room area. “Lena!”

“Uh…” Kara’s gaze swept from where Alex stood holding Lena’s body to the bullet holes in the wall behind where Alex was when Lex opened fire. The more information she had, the less sense it was all making. “Alex, we’re in the bathroom!”

Alex’s footfalls pounded in their direction and stopped as she came just into view at the edge of the doorway and stared down at Lex’s unconscious body. She turned, and her gaze swept the occupants of the room: Lena, Kara, and another Alex. Her hands shot forward, leveling a decidedly non-terran weapon at her other self.

“What the fuck is this?” Alex, the one in the hallway, demanded.

“Agent Danvers, please lower the weapon,” said the Alex that held Lena. “I’m only here to help.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Alex demanded.

Alex glowed red and grew in mass. Where Lena’s older sister had stood holding her body was now an unfamiliar man with dark brown skin, short hair, and a lifetime of worries etched into his face. “Alex, it’s me.”

“Hank?” Alex’s gun wavered, but she didn’t put it down.

“Yes and no,” he said. “I’ll explain it all later, but right now, I need to get Lena to medbay in the DEO. Please, trust me.”

“She saved us from Lex.” Kara glanced at the man holding Lena. “I mean he saved us? I don’t want to misgender you but… They saved us from Lex. I think you can trust them.”

After a moment of hesitation, Alex holstered her weapon. “Get her directly to the DEO and under a sunlamp. Then we need to talk.”

The man nodded but instead of walking out of the room, he rose off the ground, glowed, and disappeared through the ceiling with Lena in his arms. 

“Are you the real Alex?” Kara asked as Alex approached her.

“You’re bleeding,” Alex said in response. “What happened here?”

“What? No. I’m fine.” Kara certainly didn’t look it. There was blood on her shirt, her pants, her hands, and probably her face. It ran down her left arm and dripped onto the floor, making a growing pool. “This isn’t my blood.”

“Kara,” Alex stepped closer, grabbed a towel off the rack, and wrapped it around Kara’s upper arm. “I think you’ve been shot.”

“I was?” The blood seeped through the makeshift bandage, and with her attention drawn to it, Kara’s arm began to burn. “Oh, fuck. I’ve been shot.” Her legs gave way, but Alex gently lowered her to the floor.

“I’m going to get you medical attention, but I need you to come with me. You saw a lot, and I can’t explain it all right now but—”

“Am I going where your friend took Lena?”

Alex’s face screwed up at the word friend, but she nodded.

“Them I’m in.” Kara slumped against Alex, barely noticing as the redhead barked out orders to someone else who stood in the hallway. “Wherever Lena is going, I’m all in.”

Chapter Text

Lena’s mouth was as dry as Meteor Valley on the farside of the Rainbow Canyon. She tried to lift her hands to rub the sleep out of her eyes, but her arms were heavy, weighed down as if she’d fallen asleep with her Equalizers strapped to her wrists. Warm, soothing light glowed down from above her, but to the side was not the cheery yellow paint of her room and instead the sterile white and silver that looked suspiciously like the DEO’s medbay.

“What—” she managed to croak out before words caught in her throat.

“You’re awake!” A nurse, one Lena knew by sight but whose name currently escaped her, smiled down at Lena before turning and running off. “Agent Danvers, she’s awake!”

This was definitely the DEO.

Lena struggled to sit up but had only made it a few inches before strong hands gripped her shoulders, urging her to remain supine. Alex smiled down at her, but the bags under her sister’s eyes and the lines of worry that criss-crossed Alex’s face told a different story.

“Don’t try to get up, okay?”

Lena nodded. “... thirsty.”

The head of her bed rose a few inches, not enough to call it sitting up but enough to let her draw liquid from the straw of the drink Alex held out to her without choking. It was water, tepid but blessedly wet, and she took several gulps before allowing Alex to take it away.

“What happened?” Lena asked.

“A lot.” Alex dropped down into a chair as if the strings of concern that had been holding her upright had been cut. “Lex poisoned you with an airborne version of kryptonite. Luckily, Kara was on the phone with you and recognized his voice. She got there in time… barely, and kept you safe long enough for J’onn to arrive. Lex was down for the count by the time I got there. Also, I had to tell Sam who you are.”

“You did what? Who’s John? Where’s Kara?”

“She’s getting her bandage changed. Lex shot her.”

“He what!?” Lena surged forward, trying to sit up again. This time, Alex didn’t do anything, just watched as Lena ran out of steam in her struggle and dropped back onto the bed. Breathless from the exertion, Lena asked, “Is she alright?”

“Better than you. She’ll be fine, but I had to bring her back here with me after everything that she saw, not that I think I could have stopped her. She’s been unwilling to leave your side for more than a few minutes since it happened.” Alex gestured to a recliner that had been shoved up against the wall. It sported a pillow and a hastily folded blanket. “I had to tell Sam some reason why I ushered her CEO off to a blacksite, and since Kara wasn’t leaving until she knew you were safe, I went with the truth. Sam took it surprisingly well, and she’s been keeping the company’s board and the press at bay. As to J’onn,” Alex shook her head, “that will have to wait until you can sit up and I can have a drink. We have a lot to discuss.”

“Lena!” A familiar figure slid by the door, one hand grabbing the open doorway. Pulling herself back, Kara stepped into the room, and she broke into a grin when her gaze fell on Lena. “You are awake.” She rushed forward and wrapped Lena up into a one-armed hug, her other arm crammed between their torsos in its sling. “I was so worried you’d never wake up again.”

“I told you she’d be fine,” Alex said. There was a tone to her voice, the one that sounded like, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’ no matter what words Alex chose. Apparently, Lena’s well-being had been in doubt.

When Kara broke the embrace, her free hand refusing to let go of one Lena’s, Lena glanced toward her sister. “Alex, do you think we could—”

Alex was already on the move, giving them privacy without being asked. “I’m going to call my girlfriend and tell her the good news,” Alex said, glancing back at Kara. “You remember your promise.”

“Tell Sam I’ll be at work tomorrow,” Kara said, still holding tight as she took Alex’s vacated chair. “I’m not going anywhere today.”

Alex closed the door, leaving the two of them alone with so much unspoken left between them. Lena had imagined a million scenarios where Kara discovered her true identity. Some of them were funny, some awkward, a few even oddly erotic. None of them had been this bad.

“Alex and I had talked about it, and I was going to tell you,” Lena said, trying to assuage her own guilt. “This is not how I wanted you to find out. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m the reason Lex figured out who you are.” Kara’s face fell forward, and she stared at the floor while Lena waited for an explanation. “He hacked my system and mirrored my access then expanded the alert range from feet to miles. If I hadn’t been so caught up in the new company, if I hadn’t been so busy trying to understand the technology we found in Metropolis, I would have noticed.” She lifted her face, and her eyes swam with tears. “I promised you could trust me, but I left you vulnerable. It was my fault.”

When Kara tried to pull away, Lena held tight. “No. You are not to blame for anything your brother did.”

“But I—”

“No. Do you hear me? No more guilt because of other people’s actions, not for either of us.”

Kara nodded and rose from the chair, taking a seat on the side of Lena’s bed. “I thought I lost you.”

“I’m kind of big for that, and you’re much too organized.”

Kara chuckled. “From now on, I’ll be more careful.”

“Do we have a ‘from now on’, after all of this?” Lena asked. “You’re okay with dating an alien?”

“Okay with it?” A grin stretched Kara’s face. “It’s freaking amazing. Your sister let me review your test results and examine the data she has on your biology. The way you synthesize sunlight is…” Kara mimed a little explosion on the side of her head. “I have so many questions to ask you.”

“As someone who was literally made for science, I have lots of answers. Can that wait though? I’m still really tired.”

“Oh, right. I can leave if—”

“Lay down with me?” Lena lifted the edge of her blanket and scooted to one side, leaving an open spot. “There are no lies between us anymore.”

“I’d love that.” Cautious of her arm, Kara climbed into bed and cuddled into Lena’s shoulder. “Your sister said that once you were awake, you’d be walking around in a day or two.”

Lena hummed her agreement. She had only been badly hurt, knocked out of the sky and out of her powers, once before, but she’d been on her feet within a day after having awoken and back in the air the day after that. 

“I need to put in a few days in the office, maybe a solid week and give Sam some time off. She’s more than earned it. After that, could we maybe take a weekend, just you and me somewhere where we can just be ourselves?” Kara asked. “You don’t have to answer my questions, I can agree not to ask you anything more complicated than what you want for dinner, but I want to be with you.” Kara lifted her head and gazed into Lena’s eyes. 

Lena pressed her lips to Kara’s. “That sounds perfect.”

“Just like you.” Kara snuck in a final kiss before curling up against Lena again. “Now close your eyes and get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” Lena asked.

“Promise. Forever.”

Forever. There was no one else Lena wanted to spend it with more.