Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Lena Luthor was falling in love. The realisation had taken her by surprise but she couldn't deny the way her lips quirked upon hearing her lover's name or the way her lungs forgot to breathe when she saw the brunette.

She had met Sam Arias in her first year after graduating from National City University. LuthorCorp had just acquired Sam's company and Lena had been in charge of the takeover. It was 3 o'clock in the morning when she had found Sam, then a junior VP, still in the office, her head down over spreadsheets.

'Burning the midnight oil, are we?' Lena asked from the open doorway, making the other woman jump. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.'

'It's fine. I wasn't expecting anyone to be around,' Sam admitted.

'Same here,' Lena concurred. Eyeing the stack of papers, she questioned, 'what are you working on?'

'Cross-analysis report,' Sam replied before smirking. 'They're my thing.'

Amusement was written all over the Luthor's face. 'Your thing?'

'Yeah, you know, that thing you're good at,' the brunette explained.

Lena rolled her eyes. 'I know what a 'thing' is. It's just, cross-analysis reports?'

Sam narrowed her eyes. 'Are you judging me?'

Lena smiled in response. 'Just a little.'

The other woman leaned back in her chair and stared at her challengingly. 'Alright then. What's your thing?'

Remembering why she had even passed by the only office with the lights still on, Lena replied, 'going home on time to get some sleep.'

'It's 3 am,' Sam pointed out. 'I'd say you're doing a pretty terrible job.'

An eyebrow raised, Lena argued, 'I never specified how much sleep I intended on getting. Could be two hours, could be fifteen minutes.'

'Touché.'

She offered a genuine smile. 'You should go home and get some rest.'

'These reports aren't going to write themselves,' Sam said, nodding to the spreadsheets on her desk.

'Those reports aren't going to grow a pair of legs and run out of your office in your absence,' Lena countered.

'Okay, but how can you know that for sure?' The brunette doubted.

The Luthor shook her head in amusement. Noticing the empty mug, she wondered, 'how much coffee have you had?'

Sam followed her gaze and exhaled loudly. 'I stopped counting after my fifth cup' was her answer and Lena couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

'Is that from the kitchen?' Lena asked, to which she received a confirmative nod. 'I can't believe you would want five cups of that in your body.'

Shrugging, Sam told her, 'you'd be surprised how good it tastes after 1 am.'

'I'll take your word for it,' Lena replied dryly. 'Are you coming in later?'

Sam groaned at the reminder that she was due at the office in a few hours. '8:30 sharp. You'll find me right where you left me.'

The Luthor chuckled. 'Go home,' she turned her head to read the name on the door, 'Samantha Arias.' 

'Yes, boss,' the other woman returned teasingly. Lena smirked, suspecting the brunette wasn't aware of just how accurate her statement was. 'And please, it's just Sam.'

'Well, Sam, I'm sorry I disturbed you,' Lena said.

'I'm not,' Sam interrupted with a teasing smile.

The Luthor laughed softly, inexplicably glad that the feeling was mutual. 'I'll see you later,' she told her as she stepped out into the hallway.

'Wait, I didn't catch your name,' Sam stopped her.

'Lena,' the woman offered.

Sam furrowed her brows as she sifted through her memory to figure out why the name sounded familiar. Brown eyes wide, she checked, 'as in Luthor? So you are literally my boss.'

Lena smirked. 'Good night, Sam.'

As she walked away, the brunette's 'good night, boss' echoed through the empty office.

True to her word, by the time 8:30 rolled around, Sam was at her desk, working just like she had a few hours before, expect this time, it seemed like the sun had sucked the caffeine and the energy out of her body.

'Oh my, Miss Arias. Are you wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday?' Lena asked with faux shock as she leaned against the open doorway.

Sam glared at her. 'I went home to change, thank you very much.'

Lena laughed and held up a paper cup from the coffee shop down the street as a peace offering. 'Here. I thought you could use some real coffee.'

'You're a saviour, Lena,' Sam exclaimed, gratefully accepting the hot drink.

'Can't have my top cross-analyst falling asleep on the job now, can I?' The Luthor remarked.

Taking a sip, the brunette checked, 'do you also pay me to laugh at your jokes?'

'I do,' Lena nodded seriously.

Exaggerating a laugh, Sam exclaimed, 'she's smart, she's generous and she's funny. Those Luthor genes are really something.'

Lena smiled despite herself. 'See, this is why you're my favourite employee,' she teased.

'I'm your favourite employee?' Sam repeated amusedly.

'I didn't see anyone else's light on in the office last night,' Lena pointed out, turning serious. 'You're focused and diligent, and you're good at what you do. Showing favouritism is prohibited but if I had to pick someone I'd want to work with, it would be you.'

The compliment was unexpected. Raising an eyebrow, Sam asked, 'so, is this a strictly professional relationship or do you not buy coffee for every employee who stays at the office past 3 am?'

'I might if anyone else did,' Lena kidded.

Raising her cup, Sam toasted, 'to working overtime.'

Mirroring the movement, Lena added, 'and to new friends.'

An eyebrow arched but smiling nonetheless, the brunette repeated, 'and to new friends.'

Sitting at her kitchen counter, Lena smiled at the memory.

'Someone looks happy,' Sam observed curiously from the other side of the furniture. Since the Luthor was working late - increasingly so the past few days - she had suggested coming over and cooking dinner for them. 'Thinking about your girlfriend? Preferably me?'

The Luthor rolled her eyes although the fond smile never left her lips. 'I was thinking about the first time we met,' she answered truthfully.

Sam's face lit up when she remembered the fateful night some two years ago that had marked the beginning of their friendship. 'I can't say I've ever been more glad that I worked overtime,' she remarked.

'That makes two of us,' Lena agreed as she slipped off the stool and joined the other woman's side. She left a quick kiss on her cheek by way of greeting before heading to the wine refrigerator and grabbing a red wine whose label she refused to ruin by reading it out loud in her terrible French accent. After pouring the chilled drink in two glasses, she handed one of them to the brunette and took a sip from her own. The alcohol tasted as expensive as its name sounded and a memory tugged at Lena's heart as her mind flashed back to National City three years earlier.

'You're drunk,' Lena accused with a giggle, the sound escaping her lips proving that she's wasn't entirely sober either.

'I'm not,' the blonde beside her denied, shaking her head as if that would validate her words.

'Oh yeah? Walk in a straight line for me please, Miss Danvers.'

Kara leaned in closer to her even though there was barely any space left between them. 'I can't even do that when I'm sober,' she retorted.

Lena knew where this was going and she shook her head in anticipation of the corny joke.

''Cause I'm gay for you,' Kara finished in a singsong manner.

It wasn't even remotely funny but Lena still found herself throwing her head back laughing and somehow, half-drunk, sitting on the pavement and drinking cheap wine from a paper bag with the girl of her dreams next to her, she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be. 'Your jokes are so lame,' she teased.

'And yet you laugh,' Kara pointed out.

'Because I love you, not because you're a comedic genius, dummy,' Lena replied with a smile.

'Well, yours is the only laugh I want to hear forever and ever,' the blonde said with a shrug, making the other woman blush.

How she managed to be this charming and goddamn smooth when she was drunk, Lena had no idea.

'Good, because I will never get tired of hearing your jokes, no matter how bad they are,' Lena returned adoringly.

'You wound my ego,' Kara pouted, bringing her hand to her chest to emphasise her point.

'It was getting a bit big,' the Luthor commented observantly.

'Well, that's your fault,' the blonde told her. 'Anyone's ego would grow tenfold if they were dating the smartest, hottest, most selfless person on the planet,' she clarified as an answer to Lena's questioning gaze.

If the red on Lena's cheeks hadn't been visible before under the dim streetlights, she knew it was unmissable by now. She gently shoved her girlfriend with her shoulder. 'How do you have more game drunk than sober?'

Kara visibly took offence at her words. 'Remind me again who picked up who when we first met?'

'Who picked up whom.'

Kara narrowed her eyes. 'Now you're just being smart because you know I was the one who wooed you.'

'I wouldn't go so far as to say you wooed me,' Lena argued.

'I was there. You were wooed,' the blonde assured.

'We didn't even start dating until months later,' Lena pointed out.

'But we were hanging out,' Kara insisted.

A chuckle spilled from Lena's lips. 'Darling, hanging out doesn't equate to dating. I hang out with Winn and the other guys all the time, but that doesn't mean I'm going or I want to date them.'

'True,' the other woman allowed, 'but we were vibing.'

Lena would've laughed if she hadn't known exactly what Kara was talking about. It was almost embarrassing how well she understood the blonde's lingo. 'Alright,' she conceded. 'You sometimes have game when you are not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Although, for the record, I'm also very much in love with flustered, sober Kara.'

'Easy for you to say, you can flirt with anyone you want without losing your cool,' Kara grumbled.

Lena turned to face the blonde and sandwiched the pouting woman between her legs. 'Does it matter who I could flirt with when there's only one person I like to tease?' She asked, her voice low as she left a trail of kisses from her jaw down her neck.

Slightly out of breath, Kara prompted, 'what else do you like to do with this person?'

Instead of using words, Lena grabbed the blonde's chin and turned her head so their mouths could meet in a slow kiss. The bitter wine tasted sweet on Kara's lips and while Lena had reached her tolerance level of cheap alcohol for the night, she knew she could never get enough of Kara, or the way she breathed out 'I love you' against her lips as they pulled away, her lipstick smudged, cheeks flushed, pupils dilated.

'I love you too.'

'Lena? Are you okay?'

Sam's concerned voice floated from her left, pulling her back to the present.

A small smile and a little reassurance. 'Long day,' Lena explained. 'But I'm okay.'

'Want to talk about it?'

Leaving her wine glass on the counter, Lena fetched her phone from her purse and checked it for any missed calls, texts or emails that might've come through in the twenty minutes she had been out of her office. Breathing out a sigh of relief when she came up empty, she dropped the device next to her drink and said, 'I will tell you all about the riveting day I've had after I change out of these clothes.'

*

The plates were cleared and the wine was being poured when Sam summarised, 'so it's been two months since your brother was arrested and the board still hasn't decided who to replace him with?' as her eyes followed the dark red liquid flowing into her glass.

'Correct,' Lena confirmed as she placed the bottle back on the table. Being a Luthor with a double major in Electrical engineering and computer science, and Business, and thus knowing the ins and outs of the industry as well as of the company, Lena was more than ready to helm the organisation. Ironically, her last name was also the reason the board was still on the fence about Lex Luthor's successor. Sharing blood with the man who had brought the company to its knees proved to be a point of discussion, no matter how many times Lena had assured them that she hadn't known of nor did she condone Lex's criminal behaviour.

'Is it possible that they're considering keeping Mercy Graves on as the acting CEO?' The brunette asked carefully.

The Luthor shook her head certainly. The interim CEO had done an admirable job guiding the company through the rough waters caused by Lex's arrest following the charges of fraud and embezzlement, but the board had made it clear that they were still searching for a permanent fixture at the company. 'I had an interview with the board today,' she revealed.

'Oh?' Sam responded, this being the first time she was hearing of the matter. 'How did it go?'

'Hard to tell. Since they're still considering Eve Teschmacher a prime candidate for the position, I have no idea how their minds work,' Lena informed without bothering to hide the obvious disapproval in her voice.

'LuthorCorp's CFO?' Sam asked with a frown. 'Wasn't she passed over for the interim CEO position due to her ties with Lex?'

Lena nodded. 'Everyone knows they were lovers and she's an okay CFO, but she's loyal to Lex. There's no way she didn't know about the money or the fraud, and who knows what she'll do if she becomes CEO. Lex may be in prison, but he'll be in her ear the whole time.'

'How come she's still up for the job?'

The green eyed woman shrugged, equally confused by the board's decision-making process. 'Beats me.'

'Who else are they considering?' Sam questioned.

'Morgan Edge. He's been circling around that position for years like a vulture,' Lena replied, poorly concealing the disdain she felt towards the man.

'His reputation isn't all too glowing either. I heard he has a habit of throwing people under the bus if it helps him advance his career,' Sam mentioned.

A frustrated groan resonated across the table as Lena leaned back in her chair. 'They're both immensely unfit to work at the company, and not just as the CEO, it's unbelievable.'

'I'm sure the board will come to the same conclusion,' Sam said in an attempt to soothe the Luthor.

'And what do they even have to offer?' Lena ranted, the brunette's words seemingly falling on deaf ears. 'Eve will probably follow Lex's footsteps, which is nothing new or good, and Edge will probably do whatever it is that gets him the most money and fame. Even Lex wasted the company's potential. With the resources we have, we could do some good and really help people. We could literally change the world, but they're all too fucking selfish to realise it.'

Sam couldn't help but smile at the passion with which Lena spoke. It was an exhilarating thing to witness. 'Do you know when they'll come to a decision?' She asked since the Luthor was clearly not looking for consolation.

'Soon I suspect. Maybe even next week,' Lena guessed. 'It's the third time they interviewed me and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the other two are completely unsuitable for the position.'

'Think you can make it through the weekend without calling the board and telling them to hurry up?' The brunette teased as she stood up and brought their empty wine glasses to the sink.

'I make no promises' was Lena's reply.

Sam laughed as she started washing the drinking containers. The sight of the Luthor's phone on the counter reminded her, 'hey babe? Who's Veronica Sinclair?'

'A family friend,' Lena answered indifferently. 'Why?'

'You got a text from her while you were changing. She wants to know if you're coming to the party,' Sam relayed curiously. 'What party is she talking about?'

'Oh, there's a rooftop party tomorrow night. It's just her and some of her rich friends so it's pretty exclusive,' Lena explained, sounding less than interested in the event. Hearing her girlfriend's tone, she raised an eyebrow at the other woman. 'Would you like to go?'

'It could be fun,' Sam pointed out.

'If your definition of fun includes meaningless gossip, expensive booze and a rooftop, then sure,' the Luthor agreed.

'That sounds like your definition of fun,' Sam recognised, a smirk on her face.

Lena was about to argue to the contrary when she realised her previous speech invalidating her fellow CEO candidates, the bottle of red wine they had just emptied, and the penthouse apartment she was currently residing in, all spoke for themselves. 'You're right. We're going,' she decided.

*

'Can't be easy being rich if you're scared of heights,' Sam commented as they stepped out onto the rooftop where the party had already started. Catching Lena's questioning glance, she clarified, 'rooftop parties, penthouse apartments and offices? I'm just saying, you rich people sure like high places.'

'High places bring us closer to the sky and the sky is the limit, Sam,' Lena deadpanned, her serious expression revealing nothing of the mocking words coming out of her mouth. 'This is just a reminder that we have more money than most people and that, is our primary source of joy.'

'That's dark, even for you,' Sam stated, although the smile on her lips was a clear indicator of her amusement.

'I'm stressed' was Lena's answer, and while it wasn't really an excuse, Sam let it slide.

The couple noticed a tattooed woman approach them and it was almost comical to see Lena's mood do a complete 180 from broody to overly excited.

'V!' She exclaimed as she went to hug the woman.

'Lena! It's been way to long,' the other woman greeted with matching enthusiasm.

'Veronica, this is Samantha Arias,' Lena introduced. 'Sam, meet Veronica Sinclair.'

'It's nice to meet you,' Sam offered, her hand outstretched for the other woman to shake.

'None of that,' Veronica dismissed as she leaned in for a hug. 'Any friend of Lena's is a friend of ours.'

The conversation between the two old friends was lively and for some reason, involved a lot of hand gestures. Their respective businesses, LuthorCorp and Veronica's casino 'Roulette', as well as the latest gossip about some hotshot actor who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar were discussed. The names of mutual acquaintances were dropped - none of which Sam recognised - as the women talked about how likely they thought these people would succeed in their latest endeavours. All in all, Sam had barely said five words but she was delighted to have discovered this new side of Lena.

'I didn't know you had such strong feelings about Lucy's vegan ice cream startup,' Sam teased once Veronica had gone off to mingle with her other friends.

'I wouldn't call them strong feelings,' Lena argued as she grabbed two champagne flutes from a passing waiter and handed one to her girlfriend. 'But if the occasion presents itself to offer my professional opinion on the matter, I will not hesitate to give it.'

'"That woman should save her money and invest in her education so she does something other than chasing rainbows for a change" is your professional opinion?' Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

'I like Lucy,' Lena started. 'She's like a sister to me.' At her lover's pointed gaze, she corrected, 'she's like a long lost estranged sister to me, and the concept is great, but she has no experience running a business and no knowledge of the ice cream industry. Her startup is doomed to fail.'

'Then help her,' Sam urged. 'You know how to run a company and you have some experience managing a business's finances, give her some advice. You said you wanted to help people, this is your chance.'

Lena liked Sam, she really did, but not when she used her own words against her, even though she was making a valid point. She glared at the brunette. 'I hate it when you try to make me a better person,' she mumbled, wishing she could mean the words.

'That's the spirit,' Sam encouraged just as another person joined their gathering.

'Lena, hey.'

Lena's green eyes snapped to the new presence. 'Lois, hi. We were just talking about your sister,' she told her, smiling at the oddly perfect timing.

'Lucy's vegan ice cream,' Lois confirmed. 'It's a new idea,' she said carefully, seemingly wanting to support her younger sibling while also uncertain if vegan ice cream seller was her true calling.

'Well, listen. I don't know much about ice cream but I do know a couple of things about running a business. If she needs any help or tips, tell her she can just give me a call, okay?' Lena offered.

'That's kind of you. Thank you, Lena. I'll let her know,' Lois promised.

Sam was introduced to the conversation and the three chatted away, although most of the talking happened between the Luthor and her friend. For someone who never mentioned her friends, Lena was surprisingly up to speed with their lives, Sam noted. 

By the time 1 am came around, everyone at the party knew who Sam was. The brunette had noticed that while she couldn't relate to "I flew to Japan last night to have dinner with my boyfriend because we were craving some real sushi, you know?", the girls Lena called her family friends were actually really cool and in the absence of her lover, Sam entertained herself by conversing with some of the ladies.

The party was far from over but Lena was enjoying a moment of solitude as she stood by the glass railing and looked out at the sea of city lights. Somewhere in between champagne sipping and mindless thinking, Lena found herself taken to another time, on another rooftop, with a sea of stars lighting up the dark night.

'We're going to fall,' Lena whispered.

'Don't worry. I used to come up here with Alex all the time. It's perfectly safe,' Kara promised.

'For two kids maybe. I'm not sure your statement holds for two clumsy adults,' Lena pointed out.

'You worry too much,' Kara told her with a smile.

Lena rolled her eyes. 'Yes, Kara. My fear of falling to my death off a roof while I'm sitting on a roof is completely irrational,' she said sarcastically.

'My sister used to tell me stories about the stars when I first got here,' Kara remembered suddenly with a faraway look in her eyes, and her voice was enough to shut off any thoughts inside Lena's head. 'She didn't know the real names of the constellations so she made them up,' the blonde continued, 'but I didn't care. I would've listened to her talk about anything if it meant that I didn't have to think about my parents.' Her parents who had died in a fire when she was 13 and who she hoped were looking down on her right then, sitting on the roof with her lover, with the same pride and knowing glint in their eyes they used to get when she rambled on about a pretty girl at school.

'I'm sorry, Kara,' Lena spoke quietly. Her words felt empty, insufficient, disproportionally lacking compared to the pain Kara had gone through, but she didn't know what else to say.

'Thank you,' Kara said softly as she glanced at her, her gaze conveying more than her words ever could. 'I used to have nightmares and when I didn't, it was because I was staying up all night replaying the night of the fire over and over again. Alex found me here one night and it just became our thing.' Silence fell upon them as the pair looked up at the sky. 'Sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed in the city, I look up at the stars,' Kara confessed. 'It's comforting, but nothing compares to this view. This town and this house are filled with memories with friends and family, but this spot belonged to Alex and me, at least it used to until now. These nights on the roof mean the world to me and I'm really glad I found someone worth sharing them with.'

'I'm honoured to be that someone,' Lena told her, pouring every ounce of love she felt for the woman in her words. 'I love you, Kara, like I'm crazy-follow you to the ends of the earth in love with you.'

'I'm crazy-follow you to the ends of the earth in love with you too, Lena,' Kara returned with a grin.

The rest of the trip had been spent running around the streets of the Danverses' hometown. Midvale was a quaint town, unassuming yet still having a certain je ne sais quoi that had Lena falling in love with the neighbourhood. Kara acted as their personal guide as the couple visited the places that were constitutive of her teenage years:

'This is where I went to school.'
'This is where I used to go roller skating with my friends.'
'This is where I had my first kiss with a boy and realised I liked girls.'
'This is where Alex pushed me in the stinging nettles.'

Learning Kara's history only made the Luthor love and appreciate her more than she already did and while Lena had never understood the appeal of a house behind a white picket fence, she would've built a hundred of those if it meant spending the rest of her life with Kara.

The sound of glass breaking brought Lena back to reality as the memory shattered in front of her, along with her past hopes and dreams. A pause, then a loud 'my bad, sorry!' was yelled by one of the attendees before the party resumed.

Lena made a beeline for the bar where she found her girlfriend chatting with one of her friends.

'Hey, are you okay?' Sam asked when she spotted her ordering a stiff drink.

'I'm fine,' Lena lied. There was a certain blonde living rent-free in her brain and she didn't have the mental strength to deal with her tonight.

So Lena drank. She drank to forget that if it was up to her, she would spend every night with Kara. She danced along to the bass-heavy music to forget that she would've stayed in National City with Kara instead of going to Metropolis had she been given the choice. And then she drank again to forget that if it was up to her, she could've married Kara.

The more she tried to forget, the more she seemed to remember - remember loving Kara, continuously, since the moment she fell for her until now. It was like muscle memory and Lena had gotten so used to it, she knew it would take a lifetime to unlearn. And right there, finding clarity in the middle of the dance floor with her lover in front of her moving to the music, she wondered if this was how it was going to be now, Lena and Sam, and Kara.

By the time Lena noticed the surprising absence of the blonde in her mind, she knew she was long gone. The sun was rising and her cups - plural - were empty, just the way Veronica Sinclair liked to end her parties. Safe to say, she was greeted by a colossal headache when she woke up from her slumber that afternoon, but at least the hangover offered a reprieve from any work- or Kara-related thoughts.

Speaking of work, Lena got the job as the acting CEO of LuthorCorp two days later. It shouldn't have come as a surprise considering the short list of candidates, but Lena's confidence in the board's decision-making abilities was lacking - a matter that seemed to be problematic now that she was the CEO.

Now here she was, staring out of the floor-to-ceiling window the same way her father, her brother and Mercy Graves had done before her while she held the keys to the kingdom in her hands - or at the very least the ones that opened the door to her new office.

She should be feeling elated or relieved, but she could find neither emotions in her current state of mind. All she could think about was Kara and how they had always dreamed of this moment. Lena could already imagine how Kara would've reacted and it shouldn't be this easy to picture the blonde still being by her side but it was.

'Told you you'd make it,' Kara said with a proud grin.

'We made it,' Lena corrected, because even though she was the one who had just become LuthorCorp's newest CEO, having the blonde next to her to share this achievement with was the only reason she felt like she was winning.

Kara bit her lip and smiled. 'We really did, didn't we?' She reflected, both women knowing that the only way they were celebrating this moment together was by somehow having figured out an alternative path where Lena had gone to work for her family's company and Kara had accepted the internship at CatCo Worldwide Media while still continuing their relationship.

Suddenly, Lena was surrounded by her friends and she realised her daydream was taking place at Al's dive bar in National City, the gang's hangout spot when they were in the prime of their drinking days.

'Don't forget about us when you're a hotshot billionaire CEO, okay?' Winn, a fellow National City University engineering alumnus, requested with a toothy smile.

'I'm sorry, who are you?' Lena questioned, feigning confusion before breaking into a grin. 'I'm kidding, Winn. How could I ever forget about you or the trouble you got us into back at NCU?'

Lena felt Kara's arm slip around her waist and she melted into the embrace spontaneously as Winn argued, 'trouble or fun?'

'A little bit of both,' the Luthor acquiesced. Contentment filled her chest as she watched her friends recount their adventures, mixing drinks with laughter.

'I'm proud of you,' Kara whispered, her breath warm on her cheek and her words meant only for her ears.

Lena's smile grew and she leaned back against the warm body, knowing Kara would hold her weight, easily and steadily as she always did.

The fantasy faded and Lena was left staring at her reflection in the window. She suddenly felt homesick for a home she wasn't sure even existed and she wished she was back in National City, celebrating with her friends, with Kara. It didn't seem fair to go out and drink to this new chapter in her life without the woman who had been responsible for inspiring the dream in the first place. Being an engineer at heart, Lena had never seen the appeal of running the family company, not until Kara had pointed out the large scale changes she could make as the CEO of a corporation like LuthorCorp. Even then, Lena had considered going rogue when she realised answering her family's call meant leaving Kara behind, but the blonde had made the decision for her, opting to break up with her on the night of their graduation, fully aware of the one-way ticket to Metropolis in Lena's drawer that she had been thinking of torching until that moment. In retrospect, it had been the right choice, one Lena wasn't sure she would've been strong enough to make had it been up to her. It took her months, years even, to realise that Kara had done it out of love, and she was eternally grateful for the blonde's thoughtfulness and willingness to endure the heartache, the tears, and the anger Lena's current success had required from the both of them, yet a part of her wondered if they could have made it this far and still be together somehow.

A knock interrupted her reminiscing and she quickly boxed any Kara-related thoughts, a mental exercise she found herself doing so often, it was becoming a habit.

'Admiring the view?' Sam observed as she entered the room.

Turning around to face her lover, Lena smiled as her eyes wandered over her figure. 'I was, but I think I like this one better.'

An amused smile on her lips, Sam closed the distance between them and greeted her girlfriend with a sweet kiss.

Lena's heart jumped at the contact and she wrapped her arms around the brunette, pulling her closer.

'Missed me?' Sam teased once they pulled away.

'Just glad to have you by my side,' Lena told her honestly.

'I'm glad to be by your side,' the brunette returned lovingly before playfully asking, 'how would you like to celebrate this promotion, Madame CEO? Another round of Veronica's infamous "am I on a rooftop and is that the sun rising?" perhaps?'

Lena groaned at the reminder of their weekend and smiled. 'God, no. I barely recovered from round one.'

'But you had fun,' Sam stated with a smirk.

'I did,' the Luthor agreed. 'Thank you for making me go. I forgot how much fun those girls could be.'

Sam could distinctly remember Lena making the decision to go, but she accepted the credit anyway. 'You're welcome. Next time don't judge a party by its invite,' she teased. 'Now, what would you like to do tonight?'

Lena hummed as she thought about it. 'Let's stay in tonight, and when things start to settle down at the company, we can go away for a weekend,' she suggested.

'Sounds perfect.'

*

The clock on Lena's nightstand read 2:30 am when she glanced at it in the middle of her sleepless night. Her mind was overrun with thoughts of Kara and Sam, and the primary emotion she was feeling at that moment was guilt. The more she seemed to fall for Sam, the more she thought of Kara, and while remembering your ex when you were dating someone new was probably normal, Lena was certain that looking for a problem with her current lover was not the hallmark of a healthy relationship. Sam was honest, fearless, and compassionate. She was hard-working and one of the strongest people she knew. Long story short, Sam was amazing and there was absolutely nothing wrong. The only problem was that she wasn't Kara and Lena knew that she could've easily fallen for the brunette's charm had they met under different circumstances - circumstances that didn't include a recent love affair with Kara Danvers.

The chemistry between Lena and Sam was undeniable. They had both felt it on the night they first met and again when they first kissed two months ago. Yet, despite her growing affection for the woman, she felt like something was missing and no matter how much she was enjoying their current romance, it wasn't fair to Sam to keep going when she was thinking about returning to National City.

Lena's groan ricocheted off her bedroom walls when she realised what she had to do and she wondered if Kara had felt a similar way when she had made the decision to break them up, only ten times worse considering the depth of their love.

The breakup itself took place five days later, partly due to Lena avoiding Sam to avoid the painful conversation, but mostly because of her hectic schedule as the new CEO of LuthorCorp. Lena had tried to be as honest as possible while remaining respectful towards the brunette and their short but sweet relationship. Sam for her part appeared to find it a disappointing turn of events, but didn't seem devastated by it. She did request some time and space to let the developing romantic feelings fade, to which Lena agreed, herself needing a moment to get used to their new normal.  

Lena missed Sam, but she knew she had made the right decision. Fortunately and somewhat unexpectedly, it didn't take long for her to get a literal social call from the brunette.

'Why did I just receive an email inviting me to an interview for the CFO position at LuthorCorp?'

'Hello to you too,' Lena greeted amusedly.

'Hi, is this some kind of compensation for breaking up with me? "I'm sorry for breaking your heart, here's a promotion to make you feel better"?' Sam asked, and Lena was relieved to hear the teasing tone in her voice.

'Oh, so that was you getting your heart broken?' Lena checked. 'Because I'm pretty sure you had the same reaction when Lou told you the coffee in the kitchen had ran out the other day.'

'My love for you runs as deep as my love for stale coffee,' the other woman expressed.

The Luthor chuckled despite herself. 'I can't believe I thought I was falling for you.'

'I'm a catch.'

'You are,' Lena admitted.

'Don't grow soft on me now, Madame CEO,' Sam warned playfully.

'Wouldn't dream of it,' Lena promised before answering her previous question. 'And no, your invitation has nothing to do with our breakup. In fact, I suggested you as Eve's replacement to the board days before we broke up.'

'You've been the acting CEO for 10 days,' Sam deadpanned.

'I had a meeting with the board on my second day to discuss the change in management and Eve's latest social media posts supporting Lex's actions among other things,' Lena revealed.

'Other things?' Sam inquired curiously.

'Other things,' Lena confirmed. 'Like relocating the company to National City.'

Silence then a whistle. 'Bold move,' Sam noted.

'It's necessary,' the CEO confessed.

'We are definitely talking about this the next time I see you,' the brunette told her - this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have on the phone - before adding, 'whatever you do, I'm with you, Lena.'