Chapter Text
“I’m an attorney and this is not how I usually like to argue my case!” Kara Danvers yelled, straddling a massive wrecking ball that was due to clash into one of the few remaining historical buildings in National City.
“Not my problem, Lady—” The construction foreman was showing no mercy, standing on the cab of his truck, holding out a piece of paper as if it gave him every right in the world.
Kara continued as her adopted-sister Alex Danvers and her girlfriend Maggie Sawyer attempted to help her down from the wrecking ball, sensing the tipping point in rage. “This building has been here for over 75 years serving as a landmark for this community. This community deserves this building! It’s something to—Ow!” She’d caught her leg on a metal piece of the wrecking ball, but didn’t stop. “This building is a community center!”
“Get out of the way lady! I’ve got a permit here that says I can tear this building down!”
“Well I’ve got a permit that says I can congregate in any public space!” Kara held out her own paper, granted it was a Chinese food receipt but he didn’t need to know that.
“I don’t care – Light it up, Charlie!” The foreman looked back towards his wrecking ball operator giving him the signal. Soon enough the engine roared and Kara could feel her heart drop.
She turned towards Alex and Maggie. “This is just a scare tactic! It’s time to get out our mats.”
“Yeah, well it’s kind of working.” Maggie mumbled. She exchanged a glance with Alex who was following her sisters lead. She thought these women were insane but went along with it anyway. Love will do that to you.
Kara took out her yoga mat, “We have to lie down and protest!” She laid out her mat on the concrete and pulled out three bags of gear from her knapsack. “Here, some goggles, with some sunblock, and some fresh wipes. Come on lie down!”
Maggie and Alex followed.
“We will prevail!” Kara yelled triumphantly.
“You will go to jail!” The foreman mocked.
“Lock arms, guys!” Kara encouraged.
Alex who was lying between Kara and Maggie did as she was told.
Maggie gulped, “I’m not feeling great about this.”
“Have a little faith please.” Kara urged.
Alex took a deep breath and turned towards Maggie, “Maggie, will you marry me?”
“Really?” Maggie was incredulous but smiling. Out of all the times in the world! “Oh my god! Yes!”
Alex launched herself towards Maggie but kept her arm locked with Kara, making Kara feel very much like the third wheel. Kara turned away from the intense make out session that erupted.
“Shut it down!” The foreman yelled and she sat up in victory, dislodging herself from Alex.
“We did it!”
Then she heard the “whoop, whoop” of the police car and quickly learned they had not. They lost and they were going to jail.
~~~~~
“Thanks Mags…” Kara hugged her sister-in-law-to-be. “I know you’re probably out of strings to pull for me…” Maggie gave her a tight, condescending smile, nodding. “…so thanks.”
Alex gave her a shoulder squeeze.
Kara cringed, “Did they knock it down?”
“Sorry, Kar.” Alex squeezed her shoulder harder.
Kara ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “How is this still happening? I’m not getting through to people. Why don’t people respond to me?”
Alex pulled her in for a hug. “Oh Kara, Luthorcorp isn’t people, it’s a heartless profit machine, and it’s getting worse all the time.”
“Yeah, pulled this from the break room.” Kara pulled back and saw that Maggie was handing her the latest Forbes magazine with the one and only Lena Luthor on the cover. She rolled her eyes.
Maggie continued, “They’re bidding on the Surf Avenue lot. Surprise, surprise - they want to put condos up and tear down the community center—”
“Wait a minute!” Kara huffed. “My community center! Our community center?”
“Come on, let’s grab some dinner. Celebrate our engagement!” Alex beamed towards Maggie.
Kara sighed, “I can’t. I’m tired. I’m sorry guys. I just want to go home. Can I rain check?”
Alex pulled her in for another hug. “Of course, Kar.”
Kara held on a little longer than probably her sister intended but she needed that warmth. Another building lost. Sometimes she wondered if it was even worth fighting for.
~~~~~
Kara threw the magazine and her bag on the small kitchen table in a huff. The walk and subway ride to her house did nothing to calm her frustration. These massive corporations were coming in and buying up all the old properties, promising all the wishes in the world, but then when it actually came time to pay up, the ones who promised were long gone. Leaving nothing but a massive condo or apartment buildings that looked as cookie-cutter as the last.
She slammed her finger on her answering machine. “Hi honey, it’s Mike. I’m sorry but I’m not going to make it back for your birthday. I’m stuck training some new trainees in Amsterdam. It’s a real mess. I’m sorry. Well got to go.”
She rolled her eyes. Mike had been gone it seemed longer than he’d actually been home. Sometimes she wondered if she just kept him around to stem off the loneliness that came with having no one but her sister to call.
Before she found herself wallowing in that thought, she picked up the corded phone on the wall. It had come with the old apartment years ago and she liked the nostalgia of the thing so hadn’t upgraded. It came in handy with calling in delivery orders, which she did often.
“Yeah, Hi Mr. Wong. Kara Danvers. Yeah, I’m fine. I’d like a #17 and a #5, and a #7. And can I get the #4 without the garlic sauce. And then maybe like two orders of the #26… yeah… yes, this is for one… and can I get two #8’s. Okay… bye.”
She showered and put on her pajamas which consisted of an old pair of gym shorts and a raggedy t-shirt that she only wore when she needed the comfort. Like today. By the time she’d cleaned herself of the National City dirty streets and even worse jails, her food order had arrived. She gave the delivery driver an extra couple of bucks to keep quiet when he realized she really was the only person at the end of this massive food order.
Settling in, she reluctantly opened the Forbes magazine article. Rolling her eyes at every ridiculous photo of the billionaire playgirl that was Lena Luthor. Lena Luthor makes nothing but money—lots of it. She’s the face of Luthorcorp but she’s so much more than that. She leads their real estate division while her brother leads the investment and innovation arms. Together, Luthorcorp has become unstoppable, rivaling Amazon and Apple for the top spot among most profitable companies in the world. Her trademark green eyes and sharp wit make her an irresistible negotiator…
Kara closed the magazine in frustration. “Whatever.”
But as she closed her eyes that evening, she couldn’t stop her mind from conjuring those green eyes.
~~~~~
“When they told me I’d been chosen the Medical Center’s Woman of the Year, I assumed it had something to do with the millions we’d contributed to the pediatric wing, but as it turns out, I had my appendix removed this year and whilst under anesthesia, I’d apparently proposed marriage to every nurse in the hospital…” Lena Luthor paused as laughter bubbled out of the audience. She held them in the palm of her hand. “…including the many attractive male nurses.”
This one brought quite the eruption. It was a publicly known fact that Lena Luthor favored women, well many women, and occasionally she allowed her own self to poke fun of what the press assumed was her Achilles heel. If they only knew.
She finished up her speech, holding up the plaque that would hang somewhere in the Luthorcorp building, and made her way back into the crowd that had begun to disperse and mingle again. She didn’t really care that much about awards. It was one of many. It wasn’t that she didn’t like receiving these awards, it was just silly. Charities spent a terrible amount of money to put these things on, she’d prefer the money to actually go to the children in need. Ridiculous.
“Ms. Luthor! A word please!” It was an anchorwoman from the local National City news station. She plastered on her most charming smile and met her, pleased when she saw a blush forming as she averted her gaze.
The woman cleared her throat and waited for the red light on the camera, turning back towards Lena, “So why are pediatrics so important to Luthorcorp?”
“I think feet are very important, aren’t they?” Lena joked. “I’m just teasing. I know there is much more to pediatrics than feet. Kidding again. Children are our future. We want to support them as much as we can at Luthorcorp. We’re always very pleased to be involved with charities like this one…” Lena went into autopilot. Mumbling the right catch phrases that made the press love her even more.
After she was dismissed, she resigned herself to another glass of champagne, stopping along the way to shake hands and kiss cheeks. She was amazed she didn’t get sick after every one of these kinds of things.
“Hey!” It was her driver, Tony. He was the closest thing to an actual friend that she may have. That’s depressing. “You’re brother wants to see you.”
“Tonight?”
Lena was interrupted. “Hi!”
“Oh hello!” It was two women who giggled the moment she gave them her attention. She flashed them a smile and raked her eyes up and down both of them. “Can I help you?”
Both of them giggled even more. God it’s easy. “Can you sign our GQ?”
Lena raised an eyebrow. “GQ… for a second there I thought you meant a medical term and I got a bit excited.” More giggles. “Hang on a second.”
She turned back to Tony. “I’m not running up to Westchester just because he calls. That’s absurd. He’ll just have to wait!”
Tony dug into a plate of hor d'oeuvres. “Right on! Forget him. You do you.”
“Yeah…” She turned back to the women who had her GQ cover from April with them. It featured a very alluring photo of herself, if she may say so. The interview was garbage, nothing revealing or exciting about it at all. All canned Luthorcorp fodder but people still enjoyed it. She gave them both the magazine, posed for photos and dismissed them with a promise to find them later. She wouldn’t.
Lena turned back towards Tony who smirked, “Should I get the car?”
“Yeah.” It was time to go see whatever the hell her brother wanted.
~~~~~
An hour later, Lena was ringing the doorbell of the Luthorcorp manor. She refused to walk in as if she actually lived there because this place had always felt like a prison to her. When her father died and her mother moved to another property, she was shocked when her brother, Lex, took up residency. He’d hated this place just as much as her. It didn’t take long to realize it was a status symbol to him. Which was something that Lena wasn’t particularly interested in.
“Good evening Ms. Lena!”
“Rosario! Excellent new hairdo!” She greeted the woman with a firm hug after all she did practically raise her. Lilian wasn’t the most… hands-on mother. Preferring the title of mother, but not the actual responsibilities.
“Oh Ms. Lena.”
“No, I’m serious! You look like a young Imelda Marcos.”
Lena caught the way her shoulders pushed back in confidence with her blushing laughter.
“Hello Lena.” It was Helen that greeted her next. Lex’s wife. Well, wife indicated it was some sort of partnership. She was more like the woman who agreed to anything Lex said as long as the checks kept coming. Delightful woman. Lena enjoyed messing with her.
“Helen, don’t you think Rosario looks particularly lovely?” Lena looked back towards a waiting Rosario.
“I hadn’t really noticed. Rosario, the children need baths.”
Helen’s shoulders dropped. Lena was reminded that there wasn’t a single redeeming quality about Helen. “Yes, Miss Helen.”
Lena decided to mess with her further, a rise out of her may make her evening. “How are the kids, aside from being dirty of course?”
“They’re fine. Can I get you something?”
“Oh I’d love some milk duds.”
“We don’t have any.”
“Such a shame.”
“I could send out for one.” Helen suggested halfheartedly.
“Oh no, don’t be ridiculous. If you’re going to send out, get a whole box.”
Helen sneered. “Lex is in the gym.”
Lena smiled victoriously. “Right.”
Lena made her way through the winding passages, biting back the bile that came with each passing step. God, she hated this building. It was over a hundred years old and drafty as hell. Cedar and Mahogany wood paneling held up portraits of past Luthor’s in their prime. She was sure she’d find her painting hanging in the worst part of the house due to being the resident family disappointment.
Growing up here was what she assumed a prison would be like. Well a very well stocked, well cared for prison. She grew up with everything she wanted. Everything she asked for, she got. But the only thing she really wanted was love. To be like one of the families on tv or in the many novels she read. Instead she got cold shouldered hugs and reminders that Lex was the star and she was just the spare. Should anything happen to the golden child, she was due to step in. Nothing ever did happen to Lex, so she was consistently overlooked. A delightful childhood.
She shook her head and opened the gym door to see Lex toweling off, seemingly done with whatever workout he’d slogged his way through.
“You wanted to see me.”
“It’s incredible how much more relaxed I feel. Helen does an hour a day too.”
Lena wandered to the water pitcher filled with freshly sliced cucumbers and poured herself a glass. “Yes, you both seem extremely relaxed. Could cut the relaxation with a knife.” She took a sip. “So why am I here, Lex?”
Lex’s jaw worked as his lips pursed. She’d recognized that look. It was the same look she gave when she wasn’t pleased or something wasn’t going her way. Crap. “We lost the Westside Waterfront Deal because your chief counsel, your latest model/attorney, forgot to file an environmental impact report.”
“I will admit that the law is not Amber’s strong point. That’s why I fired her—”
“No! I fired her, just as I fired Debbie from Saint Bart’s Law School and Stacy from online law school—I want someone from Yale, or Columbia, or from the continental United States.”
“Women of that level of intellectual ability often find me shallow.”
“Well hire a man!”
“Well don’t be ridiculous.”
“Because you don’t want to sleep with them?”
“No—because men can be idiots. They have trouble taking orders from a woman like me and I have no patience for their incompetence.”
“You need someone who can write a brief, instead of removing yours.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “Did you have someone write that joke for you?”
“Lena.”
She looked away. “Fine.”
“And she can handle your divorce while she’s at it. You are still getting a divorce aren’t you?”
“Unless my ex-wife decides to fall in love with me again, or you know, for the first time.” Lena took another sip from her cucumber water, wishing it was something stronger.
“Try to find someone who can actually spell law, please. I’d like to close a real-estate deal this decade.”
“Real-estate is my thing. Investor relations is your thing.”
“Yes, and investors don’t enjoy when we lose deals that can make us lots and lots of money.” Lex took her cucumber water from her hand, signaling the end of the conversation and it was time for Lena to go. “Find an attorney by tomorrow.”
“Or else…” Lena tested, she was feeling bold tonight.
“Lena.” The muscles in his jaw bounced. It was time to go.
Looks like she needed to find a new lawyer. By tomorrow. Oh boy.