Chapter Text
Chapter one
Things between Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers had gone exceptionally well amid a backdrop of all of the tensions created by the Agents of Liberty.
Much to the relief of everyone in their little group, they’d finally admitted their feelings for one another and actually agreed to go on a date.
Everything had been set to be perfect, but as was the theme for Lena’s life, things were ruined by a member of her family.
When Lex showed her images of Kara displaying abilities impossible for terrestrial beings, Lena had felt more disappointed than anything.
Not in Kara, but in herself.
How could she allow something like this to happen again?!
How could she let someone she cared so much about lie to her for years?
How had she not noticed that her best friend was an alien?
Perhaps most importantly, how could Kara Zor-El think that she could start a relationship under such false pretences?
All of this ended in a cancelled date and Lena withdrawing from the Superfriends until Kara confronted her and she angrily revealed that she knew the truth.
She ignored Kara’s claim that she was planning to tell her during the date.
It simply had to be a lie.
Months later, this all culminated into a purely professional relationship, whereby Lena just sequestered herself into her work.
She had enough projects to work on without allowing herself a moment for her mind to drift to Supergirl.
In National City, this was already a difficult endeavour, but it became more difficult on that particular day.
Upon opening her calendar, she found her 10 am appointment to be with one Kara Danvers.
The notes explicitly said that Kara had been assigned by Andrea to ask about L Corp’s latest technological advances.
The fact that she’d actually made an appointment told Lena that the Kryptonian was also endeavouring to be professional.
This was why Lena tried to just focus on her work for a few hours and ignore that she would be seeing Kara today.
As angry as their last interaction was, Lena was legitimately worried that one puppy pout from the reporter would have her forgiving her with only a look.
Frankly, a part of her was surprised that Kara had given up on their relationship after only one argument, but Lena had to tell herself that it was because she had obviously lied about her feelings.
She may be an alien, but ultimately the superhero was just like everyone else around Lena all her life.
Just like with everyone else, Lena was determined that she could be professional and that involved not dwelling on an interview while she had so much to do already.
There was no reason to cancel the appointment just because she was admittedly nervous about an interview, even in spite of her confidence around the project she would be discussing.
In spite of her determination to just work normally, time both flew by and dragged at the same time.
Still, 10 am rolled around eventually.
“Miss Luthor, Kara Danvers has arrived for your 10 am appointment,” came through the intercom.
Lena drew herself up and her fingers hovered over her keyboard as she considered her options.
She could tell her assistant she was swamped and tell her that Catco would have to rearrange (preferably with another reporter that didn’t distract her quite so much).
SInce Andrea had undoubtedly sent Kara for a reason, this seemed fruitless.
The editor may have no idea what had ended their date plans so prematurely, but she still seemed to be under the impression that there was still a chance that they could somehow end up together.
Disregarding her reluctance, Lena reached over to press the button and replied, “that’s fine, Jessica, please send her in.”
The CEO slowly closed her laptop lid and then allowed her hands to fall down the arms of the desk chair and she took in a couple deep breaths until the door to her office opened.
Suddenly, she was transported back to years ago when two reporters came through the same door.
With no idea that she was really being interrogated by Superman and Supergirl, Lena had just let herself appreciate how adorably nervous the woman had been.
She was pulled back to the present by Kara nervously tapping against her pad as she pitched back and forth on the balls of her feet.
As Lena feared, the Kryptonian was exactly as adorable as she remembered, if a little more tired looking than before.
She managed to push past the pang of concern that she felt instinctively and instead focused on the reason that the reporter was here.
Clearing her throat, she gestured at the seat opposite her desk, determined that they wouldn’t be moving over to the couches as they often would have before everything fell apart.
“Please take a seat, Miss Danvers,” she said, the words feeling strange in her own mouth.
Kara visibly cringed at the formality, but she supposed that it was better than the venom that she had expected was coming her way.
Despite her best efforts, the editor-in-chief of CatCo was adamant that she had to be the one to conduct this particular interview.
After days of worrying about it, she found herself standing in the office of the woman she loved, made all the more painful by the clear evidence that she no longer felt the same way.
Even after all of the anger that had passed between them, Kara couldn’t help but hold onto her feelings.
After all, it was all her fault.
She should have told Lena the truth the moment they really became friends.
It was far too late for that, though, so Kara just crossed over and took up the indicated seat as she pulled her pad of paper open.
With a lot of reluctance, she opened her mouth and said, “thank you for meeting with me, Miss Luthor.”
What followed was a perfectly professional interview, with unusually little sub-text to their words.
Thirty minutes later, Kara just finished writing up the answer to the last question while Lena walked across the office to grab a glass of water for herself.
It seemed like the best option so that she no longer had to stare into those ridiculously beautiful eyes.
Behind her, Kara finished the final word and then drew her bottom lip into her mouth as she clicked and unclicked her pen.
There was so much more she wanted to say.
She’d spent months reimagining their argument trying to think of the words that would make Lena understand.
Finally, she’d come to the conclusion that she’d long since passed the point where she understood herself why she was keeping secrets.
Instead of mounting any one of her defences, Katara put the pen away and stood to thank Lena Luthor, CEO of L Corp, for the interview one more time.
Before any words left her mouth, the door to the office burst in, a bedraggled man in a messy suit marching in to the sound of Jessica shouting:
“Sir! You can’t go in there!”
Lena turned, holding the glass, rather bored even though she assumed that this was part of her quarterly assassination attempt.
Any other time, she would admittedly have been at least a little afraid.
A few months ago, she would have been frantic to protect Kara Danvers from the gun the clearly intoxicated man pulled out.
She knew better now.
There was no need to protect Kara Zor-El.
The man didn’t say a word as he pointed the weapon at the strangely relaxed CEO.
It was obviously pissing him off that she didn’t throw her hands up and demand to know what he was doing.
The sound of the security boots hitting against the ground threw him into hasty action.
He pulled the trigger.
Kara was already in front of Lena at this point, though, there was weirdly no whooshing as the superhero moved.
The bullet made contact with her and Lena had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as the woman crumpled to the ground.
She didn’t bother to look at the Kryptonian who was feigning an injury to fool the crazed gunman.
He frowned at the sheer nonchalance radiating from Lena Luthor, but he didn’t get a chance to ask what was wrong with her as three men also burst into the room, two of them tackling him to the ground while the other lunged to grab the gun.
Jessica ran in, standing a safe way apart, her eyes growing wide as they landed onto Kara on the ground.
“Oh god, Miss Luthor, I’m so sorry,” she squeaked out as the security guards heaved the man off, “I’ll call an ambulance!”
“I got this, Jessica,” Lena replied, still unnaturally calm.
The assistant frowned, but decided that Lena obviously knew what she was doing, she hoped anyway.
This was why she followed the security man, if reluctantly.
Lena watched them go, and with her eyes still on the open door, said, “okay, Kara, you can get up now.”
Seconds passed with no answer, so she finally glanced down and rolled her eyes when she registered red staining the pastel shirt.
“Seriously, Kara? Do you carry around fake blood in case you have to support your lie?” she asked, her eyes moving up to her face as she spouted the accusation.
She drew her eyebrows together though, because Supergirl’s face had paled and she couldn’t think of a single way to fake that on the spot.
Her sight shot back to the red and her knees buckled as she fell down beside Kara.
Her hands shook as she pulled up the shirt to reveal that she had been mocking a woman who had really taken a bullet for her.
All calm drained from her body and her head swivelled around to the unconscious face as her hands automatically shot up to stem the bleeding.
“How is this possible?” she asked, but again received no response, raising her panic more, “Jessica!”
Her assistant ran back into the room, followed by one of the security guards.
“Should I call an ambulance?” she asked frantically, and hopefully.
“No, call Alex Danvers!” Lena said, pushing down on the wound, unable to take her eyes off Kara’s face.