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It’s the afternoon of the official unveiling of her foundation’s logo and headquarters. After a flurry of activity, press statements and some champagne, everyone slowly left and Lena took a moment to gather a few things from her office. As she sat down at her desk, she breathed in the smell of new furniture that clung to the air still, even though Lena had moved into this office a couple of weeks ago already.
It looked different than her old office at L-Corp, still modern, still clean lines, but overall less white, more wood accents, and even a small plant Nia had given her a few days ago. Lena smiled at the little card that was still attached to it, reminding her to water it but not too much.
She was nervous about launching into an entirely new undertaking, and she felt a little out of her depth, not about running the organization, but about moving entirely away from the for-profit world. But despite the nerves, Lena was excited. This truly was the fresh start she wanted years ago, but back then, she had simply stepped into a twisted legacy left by Lillian and Lex. This, now, was all hers.
“Hey you,” a familiar voice echoed against the still somewhat bare walls.
“Kara! I thought you left to go back to CatCo.”
“Oh, yes, that’s the plan. But I wanted to give you this before I go.” Kara stepped closer to her desk, a small leather-bound planner in her hands. “It’s a tradition, you know?”
Lena laughed a little as she took the planner and let her fingertips glide over it. “Thank you.”
Kara turned and took in the space, eyes lingering on a few items here and there. “I like this. It looks very...you.”
“It still needs some work, but it’s manageable for now.”
Kara nodded, her body still half-turned away from Lena as she looked over at a small table and tools Lena had set up. Her little “tinker corner”, she called it. It also prominently featured her mother’s grimoire and a few key items she regularly used for working on spells. Admittedly, she hadn’t actually made use of that part of her office yet. The last few weeks had been a blur of paperwork and meetings with lawyers and potential contacts, with little time to do anything else. But Lena didn’t complain. The pieces were slowly coming together, and it felt like she was finally starting to knit the bits of herself together in a more coherent way, too.
“Is everything okay?” Kara’s voice pulled Lena out of her thoughts.
“Hm?”
“You seemed very far away for a minute.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry. All good. I was just thinking.”
Kara chuckled a little. “I can see that.” She touched her forehead between her eyebrows, signalling to Lena that she noticed the way Lena’s eyebrows were scrunched together.
Lena let out a small laugh at the gesture. It had become sort of an inside joke between them, pointing out “the crinkle” they were both prone to whenever they got lost in their thoughts.
“Were you thinking about anything in particular?”
Lena knew that Kara had likely picked up on more than just the crinkle. She often noticed even the smallest movements, the way Lena’s shoulders tensed, or when she fiddled with her fingers. Some days, it made Lena feel exposed around her, but she was also grateful that Kara cared enough about her that she made the effort to notice.
“I was just thinking about this,” Lena waved her hands across her desk, “what it took to get here.”
“Yeah.” Kara said quietly.
They were both silent for a while, each absorbed in their own version of a parade of dizzying memories of the past few years.
“I have to pinch myself sometimes. It’s hard to believe. Everything has been so crazy for so long, I just...never dared to think we’d make it.”
Kara nodded. Her eyes were firmly fixed on a point somewhere behind Lena’s head.
“It is kind of nice,” Lena continued, with a half smirk, “that I no longer have to worry about Lillian’s goons barging in to throw me off the balcony. Makes for a more relaxing afternoon at the office.”
Lena heard Kara make a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a gasp. She thought maybe it was too soon to be making these kinds of jokes, but if there was anyone out there who’d understand, it was Kara.
They slipped back into silence and Lena was absentmindedly tracing the edge of the leather notebook with her thumb.
“You know you’re allowed to grieve for her, right?”
Lena glanced up. “Oh, I know. I will, eventually.”
“Okay,” Kara nodded. “I just wanted to make sure.”
A familiar burn bubbled up in Lena’s chest, and it slowly squeezed the air out of her lungs. She knew this sensation well. It had sat with her and kept her company for years, a toxic friend who offered both camaraderie and mutual destruction. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on feeling her feet on the ground beneath her.
“I know. It’s just...complicated. She was complicated.”
Kara reached out and laid her hand on Lena’s desk, palm facing up. Lena didn’t hesitate and placed her own hand on top of hers, lacing their fingers together.
“Trust me, I get that. But you have a few pretty smart friends by your side to help you figure it all out. And you have me.”
Lena gave her a crooked smile. “That’ll make for a fun game night. Help Lena figure out how to feel about the death of her manipulative adoptive mother who put everyone’s lives in danger countless times. We’ll have to come up with teams and a points system.”
Kara laughed a little at that, but held on to Lena’s hand firmly. “I’ll bring donuts.”
The words made Lena think back to that evening years ago, after she had testified against Lillian in court. Kara had come over with donuts then, as a friend. They had barely known each other, and yet Kara had wanted to make sure she was alright. It was Kara who had encouraged her that evening to go talk to Lillian, to not shut her out completely, who reminded her that despite everything, Lillian was still the woman who raised her.
Lena shook her head a little. Today was not the day to go down this path. Today was her fresh start. She looked up at Kara. “Thank you.” For the notebook. For understanding. For not giving up on me.
Kara moved around the desk to stand next to Lena and pulled her up into a hug. “Always.” Lena felt Kara’s arms tighten around her. “I should probably head out now, but...call me later?”
Lena felt herself nodd against Kara’s shoulder. “I will. Now go, before they start spreading rumours that CatCo’s Editor-in-Chief is showing favouritism toward the Lena Luthor Foundation.”
Kara pulled back and grinned. “Let them. You’ll always be my favourite.”