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Chapter Text

“The first polls just closed!” Sara shouted, her voice full of optimism and excitement. She shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth as she stared at the television screen in front of her, trying to will it to update with her hoped-for outcome. Before she realized what had happened, her sister and best friend, Laurel, had swiped the massive bowl of popcorn away from her and popped a few kernels into her mouth. Laurel’s fiance Oliver playfully took a handful and began trying to toss them into Laurel’s open mouth, gently leaning in to kiss her as she raised her arms in triumph at having caught all of them.

“Oooh, they called Delaware and New Jersey for Marsdin already. Who had those states?” Ray asked excitedly as he put the finishing touches on the scoreboard. He’d finally managed to talk everyone into a fantasy draft of the states to make the election watch a bit more fun and competitive. 

“That would be me,” Felicity said with a smile as she snaked her arm around her fiance Ray’s waist. “We can just call it now for me, right?” she asked cheekily as she pulled him into a kiss.

“Woah, woah! You promised you wouldn’t try to sway him with your feminine wiles,” Nate teased as he threw a handful of popcorn at the two of them.

“Okay, please do not get crumbs all over my floor,” Sara interjected, letting out a big belly laugh as she took in the sight of all of her friends having a great time. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have so many amazing people in her life who brought her so much joy, not to mention entertainment. 

“Hey, big guy,” Oliver shouted as he tore his attention away from Laurel who had snuggled up against him on the couch. When Ray looked over at him, he replied, “They just called Indiana and Kentucky for Greenville.”

“You have both of those?” Ray asked, tallying the scores thus far when Oliver nodded in response. 

“Oooh! Rhode Island and Connecticut! Those are mine,” Amaya nearled squealed as Nate brought over two glasses of champagne, one for each of them. 

“Way to go, babe. At least one of us is on the board,” Nate congratulated her as he held up his flute to toast with her. 

Everyone continued to joke and laugh and for the most part keep Sara’s carpet food-free as they celebrated watching President Marsdin’s re-election bid begin to become a reality. As the results from Arizona came in, putting Marsdin officially over the two hundred seventy vote threshold, everyone stood and hugged and cheered. Sara let out a contented sigh as she said, “She accomplished so much in her first term. She’s really going to be able to do a lot of good for this country over another four years.”

Even better than seeing one of her idols succeed on the national stage, Sara was thankful that nothing, at least to that point, had required her services as Supergirl that evening. Sure there were a handful of petty crimes happening throughout the city, but she’d hear police arriving on the scene so quickly afterwards that she didn’t feel guilty for taking a night to enjoy the company of her favorite people. Every once in a while throughout the night, Laurel would look over at her, as if she were checking to see if Sara needed to head out or if there was trouble requiring the team as a whole. She too was thankful for a night where she could stay in the arms of the man she loved uninterrupted. 

“Who ended up winning the pool, Ray?” Nate asked as Amaya leaned against him, their right hands intertwined.

“Oh, um, well, now that Nevada has been called…it looks like Sara is the big winner!” Ray said excitedly as he circled her score on his whiteboard. “Congratulations!”

“Really? I won?” Sara asked, still not sure if she understood all the rules to Ray’s game. He loved to add some sort of bonding or team-building or competition to everything they did, and it was one of the things Sara loved most about having him as a friend. “What’s my prize?” she asked when Ray nodded enthusiastically back at her.

“Free potstickers for a week,” Ray responded with a smile, touched at Sara’s encouragement for his idea.

“I love this game!” Sara’s eyes lit up at Ray’s answer.

“I hate this game,” everyone else muttered jokingly, knowing how much unlimited potstickers for a Kryptonian with near unlimited metabolism would set them all back.

“Does everyone have a glass?” Laurel asked from the kitchen as she and Oliver were filling up their own flutes with more champagne, his hand resting on the small of her back. When everyone responded yes, Laurel and Oliver joined them and prompted them all to cheers. “Here’s to four more years of girls getting it done!” Laurel said with a smile. Everyone obliged, and the sound of clinking glasses filled the air. 

“Okay, now it’s time for a real drink,” Spooner said with a crafty smile as she filled up eight shot glasses with the mezcal she’d bought for Sara the prior Christmas. The previous stuff Sara had kept around tasted like high-grade toilet water, and Spooner just couldn’t let her friend suffer through that. “Salut!” Spooner said as they all did another toast and threw back their shots, everyone’s tongues tingling afterwards.

Eleven months later…

“Sara, I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Laurel admitted as the two sisters walked over to the bar, Sara’s left arm snaked around Laurel’s right. They were at Verdant, one of the hippest neighborhood bars within walking distance of both of their apartments. Sara had been a frequent patron ever since they opened, as many of National City’s best and brightest would go there to see or be seen. Even though as a Kryptonian alcohol had no effect on her, that didn’t mean Sara couldn’t enjoy the music and the beautiful people she’d be surrounded by on any night of the week.

The Danvers sisters looked mighty fine that evening, if Sara did say so herself, with her and Laurel each sporting their own versions of a little black dress. Laurel’s was longer and hugged her body a bit tighter, while Sara’s showed off her muscular back and toned legs. Verdant’s lighting was warm, making both of their slightly different shades of blonde radiate, while the red of their lips stood in stark contrast to their black dresses.

“Laurel, it’s been almost nine months,” Sara reminded her older sister as she brought her other arm over to comfortingly touch Laurel’s right forearm. Sara guided her over to the bar, grabbing two glasses of champagne from the bartender and handing one to Laurel. “Come on, that old concert ticket stub we burned yesterday, from the Barenaked Ladies back in 2018…that had to be the final piece of evidence that that immature frat boy, Oliver Queen, ever cohabitated with you,” Sara said as she clinked her glass to Laurel’s, trying to encourage her sister to enjoy the beautiful night.

“That’s what you said about his metrocard last week…and his fucking sock I found in the laundry the week before,” Laurel said dryly, taking a huge gulp of her champagne. 

“And one of these times I’m bound to be right,” Sara replied with a soft smile. Taking a deep breath, she put a hand on Laurel’s cheek and continued when she could see her sister still seemed uneasy, “I know how much he hurt you when he ran off with Felicity. But you can’t shut yourself off from love forever.”

“You’re one to talk, Ms. different bedfellow every night of the week,” Laurel quipped, earning a scoff from Sara.

“Excuse you, some nights it’s a fellow and others it’s a lady,” Sara deadpanned indignantly, finally earning a small smile and eye roll from Laurel. “And besides, you know very well why I don’t host repeat offenders.”

Laurel let out a deep sigh as she finished her flute, placing the glass down on the bar. “Just because you’re the girl of steel doesn’t mean I don’t know how mushy your insides really are,” she said as she put her arm around her sister.

“Shhh! I have a reputation to protect,” Sara pushed back playfully as Laurel ordered a glass of scotch, deciding that, if she were going to give this a go, she needed something stronger than bubbly. Suddenly a pair of men several feet down the bar from the two of them caught Sara’s eye. They were conventionally attractive with their dark hair and mysterious green eyes that would occasionally glance in the sisters’ direction. “C’mon, let’s make some friends,” Sara encouraged as she gently guided Laurel closer to them.

“Your glass looks pretty empty there, gorgeous,” one of the men said to Sara. “Can I get you a refill?” 

Sara smiled. “That would be great, thank you,” she said sweetly. As the man who had offered to buy her a drink asked the bartender, his friend made his way around so that he was on Laurel's left, leaving the two sisters back-to-back as they struck up conversations. Sensing Laurel’s uneasiness, Sara leaned in close and whispered, “Give it ten minutes. If you want to leave, just put your hand on my shoulder, and we’ll call it a night.” As Sara felt some of the tension leave Laurel’s body, she turned back to her new friend as he handed her a fresh glass. “What are we drinking to?” Sara asked as she looked up at him with a smile.

“To the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” the man said as he held up his glass.

Sara paused a beat, her eyebrow raising just a tad as she replied with a smirk, “To be honest, I was hoping for a little more than friendship tonight.” The man returned her smile as they clinked glasses.

The next morning…

The prior night’s suit and tie were folded pristinely on the couch. The man from the bar stirred as the sunlight hit his face, and he inhaled sharply as he rolled over in Sara’s bed, his arm lazily reaching out but being met only by tangled sheets. “Good morning,” he said sleepily, but as he was only met with silence he looked around, wondering where the apartment’s occupant had gone. “Sara?” he asked as he sat up. “Sara?” he asked again this time a bit louder. “Was it that bad?” he mused to himself as his face contorted into a confused scowl as he got out of bed and proceeded to put his clothes from the prior day back on. Another thought occurred to him as he slid his pants up over his boxers and began to fasten his belt. “Was it that good?” he mused hopefully.

Suddenly the front door opened, and Sara had to do a double-take when she saw the man from last night standing half-naked in her living room. “Oh, Al–Alex?” she stumbled through trying to remember his name as the flashes from their evening together danced through her mind. “You’re still here?” she asked, confused, assuming that like the rest of the people she’d bring home, they’d get the clue when she was gone the next morning to make themselves scarce.

“Um…yes?” Alex responded, equally as confused, as he slid on his dress shirt and began buttoning it up. 

Clearly he was the one used to being on the other end of this conversation , Sara thought to herself. Sara closed the distance between the two of them as she helped him slide on his blazer and hastily explained, “Ah, okay, yeah, so last night was great, but um, I’ve got to go to work, so you can’t be in my apartment anymore.” She handed him his shoes and showed him to the door.

“That’s it? Can I get your number or something?” Alex asked, but Sara had already closed the door and began to gather her things to head off to CatCo.

Sara arrived at CatCo in no time and quickly caught up with her best friend and fellow reporter, Nate. They sipped on their coffees as they made their way through the bullpen. Sara pulled him in for a huge hug as it was the first time she’d seen him since he returned from his two-month trip. She had missed seeing him every day and was over the moon to have him back. As Sara was about to ask about his big trip, the conversation unfolding on the nearest television, of which Cat Grant made sure there were plenty, captured both of their attention instead. 

“Today marks the beginning of jury selection in the trial of Bishop Luthor,” Damien Darhk explained, as snippets of his show The Darhk Side were broadcast on the monitor in front of Sara and Nate. “Now, for those of you who may not be following this story as closely as we are – because, you know, you’ve got more important things to worry about, such as high gas prices, losing your job to an alien, and oh yeah, property damage sustained during last spring’s terraforming, more on that later in the show  – here are the facts. A missile was launched from the National City Port containing a virus specifically targeted to alien DNA. Supergirl stopped the missile before it could detonate, undoubtedly saving thousands of alien lives. When police showed up at the port, they found Mr. Luthor along with several of his associates and arrested them.” 

“Now, I know what you may be thinking. Wow, this Bishop Luthor guy sounds like bad news,” Darhk explained in his squeaky, condescending tone, his brow furrowed and face scrunched in a perpetual disapproving scowl. “And if you’ve paid any attention at all to what the mainstream media outlets of CatCo or The Daily Planet are pushing, all you’ll see are stories profiling his atrocities and predisposing the public to his guilt. Last time I checked, I thought this was America, where everyone, yes everyone, was entitled to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Well, that used to be the case!” Darhk shouted with faux glee as an over-recycled graphic of a demeaning meme of CatCo appeared on-screen next to his head. 

“But, now that our want-to-be autocrat-in-chief, President Marsdin has ushered sweeping unprecedented reforms into place, this country only seems to work that way for aliens, not humans,” Darhk continued, punctuating his syllables as if to drive home his point about the president’s incompetence. Sara let out a deep, frustrated huff as she and Nate took in his ‘reporting’ of events. “I mean, just look at how they are trying to throw the book at Mr. Luthor. We just ran through his crime, attempted murder of the city’s alien population. If they have the evidence to support that claim, great! Lock him up and throw away the key! But is that the only charge he’s facing? No, no, no, no, no,” Darhk mocked as he wiggled his finger at the camera. “Theft of government property. Murder of over two dozen aliens. Inciting terror,” he demonstrably began listing on his fingers. “These are all being alleged against him in this sham of a kangaroo court where the mainstream media, at the behest of the president, is predisposing the public, not to mention whomever is selected at today’s jury, to the man’s guilt, regardless of the facts.”

Darhk’s inflammatory and borderline conspiratorial rhetoric was nothing new, but that didn’t mean Sara didn’t find herself getting worked up at hearing it. Signal Media, the shameless company that had given Darhk and some of his lesser known ilk a platform and megaphone, had been a fledgling network until Darhk’s show began to take off in the ratings. The further he leaned into the anti-alien slant during the tragic events of the past spring, the more he seemed to be amplified. As naive as it might’ve been, Sara held out hope that real journalism like what she, Nate, and all the other reporters at CatCo tried to practice everyday, still mattered.

Darhk’s impossibly condescending and sarcastic tone continued, “And, while those biased publications, CatCo in particular, would have you think, gosh, we are so lucky to have our very own superhero to protect our city from the machinations of the corrupt elite such as Mr. Luthor. I would ask, are we though? Really, ‘lucky’ is the word you want to go with here?” His voice seemed to raise several octaves whenever he started spouting rhetorical questions, and Sara tried not to imagine what she would do to him, should she ever cross his path in real life. “Because the last time I checked, Supergirl was too busy protecting the city’s aliens by going after Mr. Luthor, instead of defending us against a rogue compatriot of hers, Reign. This is President Marsdin praising Supergirl’s heroics in apprehending Mr. Luthor. Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”

A compilation clip of the president addressing the country following the destruction left by Reign and Supergirl’s foiling of the Medusa missile airs, concluding with President Marsdin praising Supergirl and musing on how terrible the situation might have been were it not for her efforts.

“Ohhh! Lower your expectations America! That sound you’re hearing is the goal post moving. So we went very quickly now from top of the line security and defense to being completely reliant on a god from another planet. Ha ha ha! You remember the dozens of fires that broke out across the city, devastating entire neighborhoods, killing several firefighters and residents. The flooding that rendered nearly all of the waterfront district underwater for weeks, displacing thousands. Where was Supergirl when all of this was happening, and the humans needed her protection? Oh, right. She was saving the aliens from Mr. Luthor. Do you know how many humans have died in supe-related events since Supergirl revealed herself five years ago? Two hundred and twelve. Do you know how many aliens? Twenty-three. Tell me again that we are supposed to be grateful for her protection,” Darhk used air-quotes around the words ‘grateful’ and ‘protection’ to underscore his hateful insinuation. “Welcome to The Darhk Side . We have facts. Not slant.”

Sara took several deep breaths trying to calm herself down after watching his bastardization of the carnage National City endured. The monitor broadcasting Darhk’s show flickered, and realizing what was happening, Nate soothingly rubbed her shoulders and calmly explained, “Sara don’t listen to that blowhard. You know even he doesn’t believe his own bullshit.” Sara took a deep breath as she nodded and, in an effort to get her mind into a better place, she asked Nate to tell her all about his trip.

Meanwhile, across town…

“People like to argue that capitalists are only concerned with themselves,” Morgan Edge pontificated as he admired the model of his new highrise development project, resting on the side table in the corner of his office. “But the truth is, that without big business, this city would still be in ruin from the terraforming. But look at us now. Bustling,” he quipped with a smile as he turned back to face the long boardroom table full of National City’s wealthiest and most powerful elite. As he stood at the head of the table and looked out at them, he added, “I think we all should give ourselves a pat on the back. And, let’s not forget to glad-hand the Mayor as well. Without him, none of this could have happened either.”

“It’s you, Morgan. It’s all of you. In six months, you’ve done the impossible,” National City’s mayor commended him.

“Let’s not forget about Supergirl,” the only two women with a seat at the table spoke up simultaneously. Both it had seemed had gone out of their way to physically stand out from the repetitive gray and black suits the two-dozen or so men around the table from them sported. Cat Grant, CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media, was sporting a white stenciled dress with bright pinks, greens, and blues coloring in the space between white fabric. Ava Luthor, freshly minted CEO of Luthor Corp, who sat directly across the long table from Cat, had on a form-fitting, strapless bright blue dress complete with a gold necklace and matching earrings. The two women looked like goddesses among peasants as they shared a small smile in recognition of each other’s brilliance. Cat and Ava held each other’s gaze, as if each were silently asking the other if they wanted to elaborate. Cat slyly raised her eyebrow and tilted her head as if to invite the city’s newest high-profile resident to take the stage.

Ava smiled demurely as she collected her thoughts. While she hadn’t lived through the city’s terrible fortunes the prior spring, she had read extensively about it and done what she could to offer financial assistance with the clean-up efforts. “Literally none of the heavy lifting could’ve been done without her,” Ava impressed upon the Mayor.

“Well, yes of course,” the Mayor agreed, extending his arms. “I tried to get her to agree to having a statue erected in her honor down at the waterfront, but as usual, she doesn’t want any part of the limelight.”

“Mayor, it’s gonna take a lot more than a pretty statue to bring people down to that slum of a waterfront after what that rogue Kryptonian did,” Edge reminded him as he tore himself away from his floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the beautiful day outside.

“I am still working on the zoning commission, Morgan,” a clearly exhausted and frustrated mayor explained, clearly tired of having this conversation.

“You’d do better to explain how my development will revitalize that neighborhood,” Morgan responded as he again wandered over to the head of the table. He extended his hand to begin listing off the many pros his development would net out for the city, “Starting with moving out homelessness, crime…Moving in opportunity and an expanded tax base,” he finished as he rubbed the tips of his fingers together to indicate the city’s potential in new earnings.

“They’ve all heard your sales pitch, Morgan. We all have, and quite frankly, real businesspeople don’t need to try this hard. It’s unbecoming,” Cat responded dryly, equally fed up with Edge’s project as the Mayor, if not more so. Her quip earned a slight smile from Ava.

“Yes, I’m sure that everybody here has had a chance to read CatCo’s inflammatory articles about that sales pitch,” Morgan seethed. As he was about to spew a degrading comeback, Ava jumped in to further expose the flaws in his approach. 

“Your development would level the whole area. Force people from their homes, just to build high-rises for the wealthy,” Ava argued, commanding the room’s attention with her scurrilous insinuation. 

“Ava…are you spouting the CatCo company line? Really?” Edge asked with mock surprise. In response Ava narrowed her eyes and stared daggers back at him. Breaking eye contact with her, Edge pivoted to the rest of his audience to hit a little below the belt. “Ah…Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering all of the good press they’ve been giving you lately.”

“She’s earned that good press by donating millions of dollars to the rebuilding efforts, not to mention relocating her company to National City, resulting in an influx of jobs,” Cat chimed in to set the record straight, not appreciating this man’s spiteful words directed at a woman who had done more for the city in the three days she’d lived there than he had in his whole life. “But hey, good for you for trying to expose CatCo’s modus operandi for reporting: telling the truth.” 

“Hmmm,” Edge grunted mockingly as he folded his arms across his chest. Digging his heels in, he elaborated, “That’s funny because I thought it was restitution for what her brother did. A little bit of business advice, Ava…” Edge said, his voice deep as he settled in behind Ava’s chair. “Guilt is not a good business strategy.”

Doing her best to appear unphased by his not so veiled accusations, Ava kept her face neutral and her breathing even. Edge was so close she could feel his eyes on her back, but she locked eyes with Cat across the table, giving her a subtle wink. “No?” Ava asked, not bothering to turn around a face edge, as a crafty smile began to appear across her face, knowing she had him.

“No,” Edge responded immediately.

Ava looked over her right shoulder, locking eyes with Edge as she once again narrowed her eyes and unleashed her patented Luthor stare on him. “Neither is exploitation.”

Realizing she’d won this round and trying to salvage what he could, Edge gave a smile of concession as he responded, “I just want a fair hearing, that’s all. I’d hate to think that any of you here were unfair. Hmm? Now, my people have put together a tremendous spread, just in the office next door. Why don’t we all adjourn over there and take a sample of that.” As everyone except for Ava and Cat began to stand to grab their lunch, Edge added, “Ms. Grant, you know you’re welcome to join us as well. You know, we can disagree, but still break bread together.”

“You know, Edge, you are not as powerful as you think you are,” Ava added as she caught the look of incredulity on Cat’s face in response to his offer.

“Oh, no? Then what are we doing in my office?” Edge whispered smugly before stalking off.

“I hope you choke on one of those overpriced sandwiches,” Ava muttered under her breath, earning another raised eyebrow from Cat.

“As the only two people here with more than half a brain-cell, what do you say we blow this popsicle stand and grab a real meal?” Cat suggested once the last of the men had left the boardroom to pile into Edge’s office, leaving her and Ava alone.

“What did you have in mind, Ms. Grant?” Ava asked, her interest piqued. Part of her research into the best place to relocate her company had included a thorough review of all of National City’s heavy hitters, including Cat Grant. Ava knew a strong working relationship with ‘the Queen of all Media’ couldn’t be a bad thing for her, and she did have some time free up in her calendar, now that she no longer had any intentions of wasting another minute in Morgan Edge’s building.

“Come on, I know this little hole in the wall that makes sushi so good it’ll change your life,” Cat encouraged as she led Ava in the direction of the restaurant. “And by the way, my friends call me Cat,” she added with a soft smile.

“You just met me,” Ava said with a bemused laugh at the other woman’s uncharacteristically carefree nature as she walked with her the couple of blocks to the restaurant. “I could be a serial killer for all you know. With my last name, that might even be an improvement,” Ava joked dryly as the pair were led to one of the five tables in the matchbox sized dining room.

“Don’t do that,” Cat warned acerbically after she told their waiter to bring two of her regular order. Ava narrowed her eyes questioningly as she studied the woman in front of her. “Don’t pretend like we both haven’t vetted the shit out of each other and every other member who was in that meeting, because women like us are always the smartest, most prepared, and not to mention, most attractive people in any room we walk into, Ms. Luthor.”

Ava smiled as the waiter brought over two glasses of sake and their first course. She lifted her glass to cheers with Cat, who reciprocated. “Well, here’s to the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Cat,” Ava said as they clinked glasses and took a sip of their refreshing drinks. “By the way, my friends call me Ava, or at least they would if I had any friends. Luthors just have minions,” Ava deadpanned, earning a smile from Cat.

“Oh, I don’t know. You’re the last Luthor left. I’m sure you’re quite good at making friends,” Cat said with a sigh. “Your company’s not the only thing you’re trying to rebuild, is it?”

“I didn’t realize your lunch offer came with strings,” Ava responded, her jaw clenching as she took another sip of her sake.

“Old habits. It’s the reporter in me,” Cat said, taking a bite of her sashimi. “Everything you say here is completely off the record. Scout’s honor. She held up her three fingers in the girl scout sign causing Ava to scoff. Cat Grant was every bit as entertaining and fierce as she’d read, and she was pleasantly surprised to find out the stories she’d come across weren’t hyperbole. “You could always pat me down to check for a wire if you were so inclined,” Cat added demurely, batting her eyelashes at Ava. 

Is she flirting with me? Ava wondered before mentally reminding herself that not every gorgeous woman she met was a useless lesbian like herself. Ava took another sip of her sake and a deep breath as she weighed how much to reveal to this peculiar woman before her. Professionally, she had admired Cat Grant from afar for years and would’ve figuratively killed to have a mentor like her. But she struggled to let her guard down, to trust other people, and Ava supposed in her family sometimes that skill came in handy. “The party line is that I’m relocating Luthor Corp from Metropolis and rebranding it as LCorp in order to change its direction from one of…‘murdering world domination’ to one of actually benefitting the community,” Ava explained hesitantly. “And if I read anything contrary to that in CatCo Magazine, I’ll slap you with the biggest libel suit you’ve ever seen.”

“And the truth?” Cat asked expectantly, hanging on Ava’s every word.

“The truth,” Ava said softly as she took a deep breath, “Is that for the first time in my life, I’m in control. I call the shots. I get to dictate exactly who I am and what I stand for. And that all starts with the LCorp rebrand.” Noticing a knowing grin spreading across Cat’s face, Ava asked, “What is it?”

“You remind me of someone,” Cat responded softly, taking another bite of her food.

Ava could see the wheels turning in Cat’s head, knowing their chat was about more than just sussing out Ava’s intentions. “Who?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll cross paths sooner or later,” Cat mused, knowingly. She let out a heavy sigh as their waiter brought over their next course, and both women began to pick at the array of rolls in front of them. Then it was Ava’s turn to sit back and grin smugly. Noticing the shift in the room, Cat enjoyed the balance of sweet and savory in her roll before washing it down with her sake. “Why are you smiling?” she asked pointedly.

“Turnabout is fair play, Cat,” Ava said, cocking an eyebrow at the woman across from her. Cat took another bite of her roll, silently encouraging Ava to continue to explain exactly what she was fishing for. “Under your leadership, CatCo has grown from a fledgling magazine to a media empire with global reach and influence. You branded Supergirl. You’ve acquired numerous other entities and established a brand synonymous with excellence, poise, and truth.”

“As much as I love hearing you talk about my company and my accomplishments, I feel a conjunction coming,” Cat said sourly with a sigh.

“You should be on top of the mountain, Cat, and at one time, I think you were,” Ava explained, treading carefully. She recognized a bit of herself in Cat and told her what she wished someone would’ve told her, instead of just dancing around the hard-hitting topics, trying not to get fired. That’s what happens when you have minions instead of friends surrounding you. “But now…now, you’ve got the map open in front of you, and you’re searching for the next summit. Only, your eyes are closed. You need to open your eyes and make a choice.” Ava leaned back and she finished what was left of her sake, giving her words a minute to breathe in the comfortable silence between the two women.

Drawing out the break in conversation for as long as possible, Cat nodded slowly and then responded, “Well, I know the shitstorm you went through in Metropolis, and not that I’d wish that on anyone, but I’m really glad it led to you ending up here.” Cat stood and smoothed out her dress and she grabbed her clutch, causing Ava’s brow to scrunch in confusion. “I look forward to seeing you again Ava,” Cat said, extending her hand to shake Ava’s. “Oh, and thanks for lunch.”

Cat turned on her heel to leave, but Ava stopped her, “Wasn’t this your idea?”

Turning around to smile, Cat responded cheekily, “Since you won’t let me print anything we talked about, this one’s on you.”

Later that night…

Sara hovered in the night sky, just above the tips of National City’s tallest skyscrapers. Sara’s dark red cape fluttered in the wind, and her long blonde locks blew around her face. As she floated, she closed her eyes, and focused her hearing, engaging in her nightly ritual of sifting through the cacophony of sounds from the city below. There were lovers enjoying a first date, a new driver swerving unsteadily, old friends dancing like there was no tomorrow. Sara pushed all of that to the side, honing in on screams for help and wailing sirens. She couldn’t be everywhere or everything to everyone, so she’d learned to be strategic about when she intervened and when she let law enforcement take the lead.

Suddenly, as the winds shifted and the world drew quiet, Sara heard it. The police were chasing a suspect, and he was about to make his getaway from them. Sara’s eyes burst open as she took off flying at a frantic pace, heading directly for the West 5th Bridge. If the man the police were chasing were able to clear it, there was a good chance he’d be in the wind.

As she approached the scene, Supergirl saw three police squad cars tailing an armored truck. They tried engaging with it, but their bullets merely ricocheted off. A man stepped out from the passenger door onto the steps below him and returned fire, but his gun was unlike anything Supergirl had ever seen. He fired it at the police car which had initially fired on him, and it swerved out of the way just in time to avoid the heat blast, engulfing several feet of pavement in a raging fire before rejoining his associate inside the truck.

Suddenly the truck slammed on its brakes, causing the nearest squad car to become stuck under its fender. The truck dragged the car, with the screeching and grinding of metal against metal filling the air before the rear door to the inside of the truck was lifted revealing a machine gun. As the man began firing it directly at the police trapped in the car being dragged by the truck, Supergirl flew between the car and the gun, easily deflecting the rounds off her chest. 

When will these fuckers ever learn? Sara wondered as she yanked the gun forward, stepping on it to crush it and render it unusable before turning her attention back to the man inside the truck. She released the police car and landed on the top of the truck to face off against the man who was shooting the gun. He was tall, dressed in all black paramilitary style garments, and had a full, dark beard. He tried to engage her with some type of electrical weapon, holding the inert side while he swung the pulsing end at Sara. Supergirl dodged his rather feeble attempts and quickly grabbed it from him before using it to swipe him off the truck. The man landed on the hood of a nearby parked car, and Sara breathed a sigh of relief. That was until he rolled off and made his escape. 

As Sara weighed whether to stay with the truck or follow him, her eyes darted several feet in front of the truck, landing on a stopped station wagon with multiple people inside. Knowing she didn’t have a choice, Sara jumped off the roof of the truck and landed with a thud, not ten feet in front of the station wagon. The truck exploded as its momentum crashed into her, but Sara ensured no debris or shrapnel struck the innocent bystanders. She sighed as she looked over at them to make sure the family was safe. 

“Supergirl, you’re the best!” the child in the backseat said excitedly, happy to get a glimpse of her idol.

Before the child could even finish her statement, Sara had already taken to the skies, making a beeline for the DEO. Sara walked across the seal of the Department of Extranormal Operations quickly as she made her way to rendezvous with Ray Palmer at one of the center consoles. Ray led the DEO’s tech teams, coordinating across all things IT, data, and not to mention design of all of the field agents’ coolest gadgets and gizmos. “Cool car chase. Very fast, very furious,” he said, internally proud of his pop culture reference.

All business, Sara asked, “Any luck IDing the one that got away?”

“Oh, still running facial recognition. So far nothing,” Ray informed her, wishing he had more of an update for her. Ray knew how frustrated Sara would get when she let their perps get away, but realistically there was nothing else she could’ve done in this situation. Ray had been with the DEO for several years, working his way up through the ranks to become one of the most trusted and reliable members of the director’s leadership team. He had been best friends with the Danvers sisters for a long time too, with him and Laurel advancing through the DEO hierarchy together. It had been nearly nine months since his fiance, Felicity Smoak, had left National City with Oliver Queen, Laurel’s ex-fiance. The two of them eloped shortly after and moved to Star City, and Ray hadn’t heard from them since. He’d buried himself in work to keep his mind off of his personal drama and found fulfillment in what they did for the city.

“Anything else we can go on?” Quentin Danvers, the director, asked as he strode in to meet up with Ray and Supergirl. Quentin had been the director of the DEO for more than a decade and loved being able to work alongside both of his daughters. Seeing them grow into the formidable and amazing women they had become was a crowning achievement in his life, and he never took a day he spent with them for granted.

“This is his,” Supergirl explained as she held up her bloodied hand. “Ray, can you send a sample up to the lab? Maybe his DNA is already in the database,” Sara offered hopefully.

“Okay, well this is new and gross,” Ray said as he slipped on latex gloves, still not super comfortable around blood.

Sara sighed, frustrated at herself for not closing out the case. “I should have cuffed him.”

“You knocked him a hundred yards into the roof of that SUV. How were we to know he’d be able to walk away from something like that,” Laurel added as she joined the three of them. Laurel led the operations teams and was her father’s top field agent, well, along with her sister. Laurel may not have been blessed with Sara’s Kryptonian abilities, but she did know six different very painful ways to make someone talk using only her index finger, so she liked her chances going up one-on-one against any human they encountered.

“Yeah, and that truck was full of aluminum tubing,” Ray jumped in. “Which doesn’t really seem like much until you use it to build an illegal nuclear centrifuge.”

“This is a big win, Supergirl,” Quentin explained as he put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, knowing how disappointed she was, but trying to get her to understand that these things happen sometimes.

“It’s not a win until he’s behind bars,” Sara replied, clearly not ready to give in on this one as Ray packaged up her sample. “Let’s get this guy,” Supergirl said, leaving the three of them alone to tend to her hand.

“Hey, Sara, wait up,” Laurel said as she followed her sister and pulled her aside. “I um…I wanted to thank you,” she started a bit bashfully.

Noticing her sister blush for the first time in a year, Sara shoved her disappointment in herself aside for the moment. “Please tell me you took the guy from last night home,” Sara nearly squealed excitedly, going into sister mode.

Laurel cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable divulging too many details, particularly at her place of employment. She whispered, “We had a very nice evening…at my place.”

Sara gasped as she tried to contain her excitement. “Laurel Dinah Danvers, we are going to have a sister night, and you are going to give me all of the juicy details!”

Chapter Text

The next morning when Sara had arrived back from an early-morning check-in with the DEO on any updates regarding their escapee from the night before, she was relieved to find that the eligible bachelor she’d shared her bed with was nowhere to be found. What’s his name must’ve been a fluke , Sara thought to herself as she changed into her dark green dress before heading off to work at CatCo. She swung by Nate’s desk and dropped off his latte from Noonan’s, and the two of them proceeded to Cat’s office for the morning editorial meeting to review their pitches for the day.

“Chop chop, people. The news is not going to write itself,” Cat chided as the rest of the reporter pool filed into her office. “Morris?” she asked the brunette woman nearest her for her update first. 

“I’ve got day two of jury selection for the Bishop Luthor trial,” the woman responded quickly.

“And how are you expecting day two to be any different from day one ?” Cat asked skeptically.

“Well, no one was actually selected yesterday,” the woman spoke up hesitantly. “They’ll have to identify at least half the jury today or else it endangers the timeline of the rest of the trial.”

Cat paused for a moment to consider her point and instead of acknowledging her or encouraging her that the angle was worth pursuing, she just moved on to the next reporter. “Haircut?”

Nate spoke up, more confident than the first woman as he had more seniority than her and was used to Cat’s process. “Four of the families who were displaced by the fires during last spring’s terraforming are moving out of hotels and into their new homes. I figured I’d interview them, get their stories, and find out how the re-settling process is going.”

Again, not saying anything in approval, Cat merely looked to Nate’s left and asked, “Sara?”

Nate let out the breath he had been holding as he was mentally preparing himself to answer any one of a hundred follow-up questions Cat could’ve asked.

“I’ve got an appointment to meet with Ava Luthor this afternoon to discuss the relocation and re-branding of her family’s company,” Sara said proudly. 

Nate looked over at his best friend with an expression of pure amazement and whispered, “Nice!” hoping Cat didn’t notice.

Cat smiled as she fondly recalled her lunch with Ava from the prior day. The young woman was captivating and had certainly given Cat a lot to think about. She had known for some time that Ava’s inclination was correct; she had been mulling some type of career change over the past few months as she had started to get the feeling of plateauing, but Ava’s sage advice had made her realize the time to act was now. Cat was still wrestling with how to break the news of her departure to Sara, who had come to be her best reporter and brilliant protege. 

Realizing that the room, and Sara in particular, was looking at her expectantly, Cat responded, “The Daily Planet ran dozens of stories about her relocation before she left Metropolis. The Tribune led this morning with a story on it, and Damien…what’s his face won’t shut up about her.” Sara furrowed her brow, the vein in her forehead popping as she listened to Cat’s monologue. As she was about to ask what Cat meant by all of that, Cat continued, asking simply, “What do you have to say that they haven’t said yet?” She removed her glasses as she looked at Sara, curious what she would say. Cat knew that without her tutelage, Sara needed someone to push her if she were going to continue to excel, and she was determined to find the right person to manage that.

For a split second Sara paled as Cat’s question had caught her completely off-guard. She’d been so focused on securing time to actually meet with Ava that she had blanked on the fact that of course, a Luthor moving to National City would be covered by every major outlet. Then it dawned on Sara, something she had realized during one of the many times she began researching the change in leadership at Luthor Corp. “Ms. Luthor is one of only ten female CEOs based in National City and part of the miniscule fifteen percent of women who are Fortune 500 CEOs–” Sara began to explain but was sanctimoniously cut off by Cat.

“The Tribune’s cover already took the ‘women in leadership’ angle, Sara,” Cat said with a sigh, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Sara cursed herself internally for not getting to her point sooner. That was something Cat had worked with her on, and she thought she was getting better at it. “What I meant was,” as Sara jumped back in, hoping to salvage things, “there’s a clear parallel between her and Supergirl that no one else has honed in on.”

That’s my girl , Cat thought proudly to herself, not allowing the corners of her mouth to curl up in a smile. “How exactly do you plan to connect a Luthor and a Super?” Cat asked, intrigued to hear Sara’s response.

Sara knew that was the closest to praise anyone ever got from Cat, so she gathered her emotions and added, “Both women have a family legacy known the world over, and just like Supergirl was five years ago when she revealed herself to the world, Ava is finally in the driver’s seat when it comes to her legacy. She deserves to have her story told apart from her family’s.”

It’s official , Cat thought to herself. She doesn’t need me anymore. Clearing her throat, Cat was off to the next reporter, “Angela?”

Later that afternoon…

“You were able to trace the Merc with his blood?” Supergirl asked as she, Ray, Quentin, and Laurel approached the operations hub of the DEO.

“Meet Robert DuBois. Goes by Bloodsport, which is not any sport I’ve ever heard of,” Ray explained as DuBois’ profile ran across every monitor in front of the team. 

Ray took a seat at his workstation as Quentin asked, “What do we know about him?” as he quickly scanned the screens in front of him trying to take everything in that he could.

“Oh, you remember those bombings at City Hall, a few years ago? That was him,” Ray explained as he reviewed his notes on his computer in front of him. “And, he’s been AWOL ever since.”

Sara suddenly leaned in and began typing on Ray’s keyboard as Ray threw up his hands as if to just allow Sara to do his job for him. He knew how frustrated she was that she let this guy get away the first time, but they were hot on his trail, and they were going to find him. “His file says he’s ex-military,” Sara explained as she pulled up additional intel on him. 

“Where was he last stationed?” Laurel asked, as she and her father crowded around Sara and Ray. 

“Fort Harrison. Like twenty minutes outside the city,” Ray explained calmly.

“He worked security detail,” Sara added, her tone serious and her brow furrowed as she searched for something to click on one of the screens in front of her to lead her to his location. 

“He’d have knowledge of all the ins and outs of the base,” Quentin said as he let out a deep breath and ran his hand over the stubble on his chin. This guy’s priority was definitely elevated with the knowledge of what he’d be capable of. “He could sneak on, locate weapons, technology, anything he wanted to.”

“Ray, call his CO. See what they know about him,” Sara instructed, hoping it might prove useful as the team seemed desperate for any thread to unravel.

“Okay,” Ray agreed as he pulled his keyboard in front of him and began typing to contact DuBois’ CO. He’d only gotten through a few pages of digging however, when he realized something was wrong. “Woah, woah!” he shouted, drawing the attention of the rest of the team.

“What?” Laurel asked, her hands on her hips as she too wanted to catch this guy.

“Okay, the base server is down. This system is scrambled. Somebody hacked it,” Ray explained.

Realizing what she had to do next, Sara explained stoically, “I’ve got this,” and flew off. Supergirl flew through the city landing just outside the military base a few seconds later. She stopped next to a parked, armored truck, and noticed a soldier on the ground a few feet away. Sara walked over to see if he was okay, but she soon realized he was dead. As she looked around, trying to determine the best way to track their Merc, she spied a building nearby. Using her x-ray vision, Sara realized she couldn’t see inside, and there would only be one reason for that. “Lead…” she whispered to herself, knowing that was likely a decent place to start searching.

As Supergirl entered the warehouse and looked around, she was dismayed by how quiet it was. All indications pointed to this being the location of their Merc, but she couldn’t see anyone else in the warehouse with her. Suddenly, Sara was hit by a pulsing cannon blast that knocked her off her feet. The impact drove her back several feet across the floor, and she let out a pained grunt as she struggled to recover her footing.

Suddenly two soldiers came sprinting inside, looking for a place to hunker down while they engaged the invisible cannon. “Cover on the right!” One of them shouted as they tried to hide behind the barrels while they lined up a shot. They never got the chance though, as the cannon fired again, hitting them both, sending them sprawling across the floor much as it had done to Sara only a few seconds before. 

It provided Sara enough time to recover though as she made her way to her feet and just barely managed to dodge another blast from the cannon. Realizing where it would aim next, she took a deep breath and began running, sliding under the next blast as she got closer to it. Once she was within range, Sara trained her heat vision on the weapon, not letting up until it dropped its cloak, revealing a high-tech piece of machinery. 

The Merc she had been furiously chasing jumped down from the ship once he realized it no longer served its purpose. Sara was about to fly to him when she heard one of the soldiers from earlier cry out, “Help me! Please…” he begged. Sara was torn. She knew she needed to help the fallen soldier, but she could not let DuBois get away. Sara looked to the door DuBois undoubtedly planned to make his next escape through and blasted it with her heat vision, rendering it an inferno and causing DuBois to stop in his tracks. The delay gave Sara the window she needed to unleash her freeze breath at his legs, immobilizing him. 

Satisfied that DuBois wouldn’t get away again, Sara ran over to the soldier laying on the ground and writhing in pain. “It’s okay. I’m here,” Supergirl said soothingly as she knelt down next to him. She used her x-ray vision to inspect his wound from the cannon and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that he would be fine. Supergirl explained with a reassuring smile, “You have no internal injuries. You’re gonna be okay.” Sara called her father, letting him know DuBois was ready for transport and questioning back at the DEO while she stayed with the soldier, keeping a watchful eye over DuBois, ensuring he couldn’t wriggle out of her ice block.

Meanwhile across town…

Morgan Edge swung his golf club as he aimed his ball for the glass on the other side of his office. As the putt swung wide left, Ava strolled in, stopping the ball’s momentum with her Louboutin stiletto. She crossed her arms over her chest as she took in the sight of her business rival, trifling his day away on some silly activity. 

“Ava, twice in my office in as many days,” Morgan said as he realized he was no longer alone. His tie was slung over his right shoulder, and his hair was as usual full of way too much product as he went to line up his next shot. “People are gonna start talking,” he insinuated, his voice rising an octave into a sing-song voice. Once he let his second putt go, he stood up and smiled the cheesy type of smile that went out of style decades ago.

“Morgan, you have all the charisma of a Michael Douglas movie from the ‘90s,” Ava deadpanned, wondering why men felt the need to make a crack at every little thing. Was it so hard to just have a conversation where each person said what needed to be said, no more no less? Ava thought to herself in frustration. She had a million and one things to do on her schedule for the day, and extended small talk with National City’s second biggest blowhard, after Damien Darhk of course, was not one of them.

“You didn’t come all this way just to flatter me, did you?” Morgan retorted, a huge fake smile plastered across his face as his right hand came to sit at his hip while his left balanced against his golf club.

There he went again. Ava stifled a groan as she ventured further into his office. “I came because I have a proposition for you,” she explained flatly.

“Oooh, good. I do like propositions,” Edge responded with mocking enthusiasm as he tucked the golf club inside his imaginary scabbard on his left hip. Morgan would think of himself as the knight in shining armor type, little did he realize he was just the pre-feast entertainment for the real power brokers of National City.

Refusing to stoop to his level of immaturity, Ava kept things strictly business as she continued, “Now, you know I don’t agree with your waterfront development. But you are still the best developer in National City.” Men always need a greasing up before they can be plied and manipulated, and Ava knew she needed plenty of grease to talk him out of the latest whim he had his heart set on.

“What would you know about National City? Have you even spent a full week here yet?” Morgan asked. Gone were the earlier pleasantries. His game face, or at least what he considered to be his game face settled across his features as he grew serious for the first time that afternoon.

“I’ve done my research…and if you learn nothing else about me, you’ll know that I’m nothing if not thorough,” Ava educated him. Sure it was the understatement of the year, but Ava was growing tired with this insipid conversation and longed to be about a million other places than where she stood at that moment.

“Well, in that case, let me get you a drink before that complement leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Let me guess, you’re here because you want me to stay away from CatCo?” Duh! You idiot! Ava was internally screaming. She knew after their conversation the prior day it was only a matter of time before Cat would start putting feelers out for her company, and despite only knowing the woman in person for a day, Ava would hate to see such an immaculate brand end up corrupted by the second rate businessman who stood before her. She had to do something to try to pre-empt from destroying the feminine icon CatCo had become.

“Oh, come on, Morgan. CatCo isn’t good business for you and you know it,” Ava insisted, but not too hard. She had a delicate balance to tow between reminding him of reality and not seeming desperate. “There’s a city out there that needs to be rebuilt. That’s what you’re good at, focus on that,” a little more grease.

“You know, you can take the Luthor logo off your name and your building, but people still aren’t gonna trust you,” Edge retorted. Ava merely clenched her jaw in response, thinking even for him, that was a little below the belt. “And that’s a really easy sentiment to reinforce once I have CatCo’s editorial under my control. People love to believe what they read.” He was twisting the knife, and Ava knew it. Their conversation was over, and she was starting to wonder what she was even doing there anymore. There wasn’t enough grease in the world for this soulless ass.

“Using CatCo to defame your enemies and promote your own agenda…that’s despicable,” was all Ava could muster in response, the wheels in her head already turning over what her next move was in preserving CatCo as an independent and thriving institution. 

“Oh, no. That’s good business,” Morgan responded, clearly impressed with himself. He turned back to resume his useless golf game.

“I’ll see myself out.”

Later that afternoon at LCorp…

“Your three o’clock will be here any minute,” Ava’s lead researcher, Zari, reminded her as she began moving some of their proprietary prototypes into Ava’s lab off to the side of her office. 

“Did you become my assistant when I wasn’t looking?” Ava quipped as she let her hair down. She’d had it up in a tight bun ever since she returned from talking to Edge. She’d spent the ninety minutes or so since then mentally bouncing back and forth between wondering how she could thwart his imminent takeover of CatCo and making tweaks to some of LCorp’s heralded upcoming product launches. “Speaking of, did you have time to read that draft of my speech for tomorrow?” Ava asked as she crossed the room to fill up a glass of water, noticing for the first time how parched she was.

“Ms. Luthor, your three o’clock, Sara Danvers from CatCo Worldwide Media,” Ava’s assistant announced as she allowed Sara inside before resuming her post outside. 

“We’ll catch up after your interview,” Zari said softly as she slipped out behind Ava’s assistant.

“Don’t go far, Zari,” Ava said, earning a soft nod in response. Ava took a seat at her desk and crossed her long legs, motioning for Sara to join her at the chair across from her desk. Ava knew when she stood up in heels, hell even without heels, she towered over nearly all women and most men. The ability to be so imposing typically came in handy, although it hadn’t worked as well as she’d hoped earlier with Edge. Typically Ava bristled at reporters, but after her chat with Cat the prior day, knowing one of her best and brightest sat before her, she didn’t want to make the other woman feel uncomfortable, at least, not until she had to. “What can I do for you, Ms. Danvers?” Ava asked as she locked eyes with Sara, trying not to get lost in the baby blue hue. The glasses that slightly obstructed them seemed…out of place, almost as if Sara were trying to keep her true self hidden from the world.

“You could start by telling me how National City of all places became the site for your company’s rebranding,” Sara decided to lead with. She had a million questions she wanted to ask and thought she’d start off with a softball. Although Sara had done her fair share of research on the youngest Luthor, and she was all too familiar with her older brother, Bishop, Sara had to admit, the woman before her was…intoxicating. Ava didn’t look like any of the other CEOs she’d interviewed, and her style was far more daring than even Cat’s. 

Ava pursed her lips as she considered Sara’s question. She figured one of Cat’s proteges would cut straight to the chase, so she decided to take the opportunity to feel Sara out a bit. Ava shrugged as her right brow tilted slightly upwards, “What’s wrong with National City? No one in my family lives here, and it’s a major international hub. Check and check.”

“The same could be said for Gotham or Central City, and yet, you chose to move here,” Sara pressed, still trying to decide if she liked the coy game Ava was playing. Ava bit the inside of her cheek, knowing Sara had more she wanted to say. She was enjoying their little dance and wanted Sara to think she was leading. “Your donations to help the families displaced by the floods and fires from the terraforming in the spring wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would they?” Sara pressed.

Ava’s mouth curled upward in a slight smirk. “Last time I checked, wanting to help improve the community wasn’t a crime.” Despite Ava’s best efforts to feel Sara out, Sara didn’t budge; she had nerves of steel, Ava had to admit, and she rather liked that about the woman across from her. The fact that she was gorgeous didn’t hurt either.

“Did you know Supergirl once considered partnering with Superman in Metropolis?” Sara asked. Ava’s only response was to narrow her eyes as she considered Sara’s point thoughtfully. Rao, I didn’t realize she’d be so beautiful in person. I always just assumed her magazine covers and spreads went through intense editing , Sara thought to herself as she tried to refocus on the conversation. “She and I are old friends, and I remember her telling me she finally decided to stay because it was important to her to make a name for herself outside of her family.”

Ava let out a deep sigh as she uncrossed her legs, turning over Sara’s story in her mind a few times as she turned to look out her window. One hundred stories up, and she could see the mountains perfectly off to the left and the sea straight in front of her. Sara took the opportunity to lower her glasses and x-ray the room around her. She didn’t find anything out of sorts or cause for concern, although the secret room Ava clearly had behind one of her walls piqued Sara’s interest. As Sara took in the rest of the surrounding office, she was pleasantly surprised yet again how different its contents were than other CEOs she had interviewed. There were no showy celebrity paraphernalia, no frames of fancy degrees, and no pictures of family or friends. There were press releases from her previous product launches, what Sara guessed were early prototypes, and curiously, what appeared to be a hand-drawn map of Ireland next to a charcoal sketch of a young woman and a small child. 

“You’re good, Ms. Danvers,” Ava relented, her back still to Sara as she stared out the window. “I expected nothing less from Cat Grant’s team,” she added softly, causing Sara’s brow to furrow as she wondered if Cat and Ava knew each other. Ava quickly turned back to face Sara, her long blonde locks falling gently into place on her left shoulder. Sara gulped, mentally reminding herself that the woman before her was literally the most unavailable woman in the entire world. “Luthor Corp was synonymous with words like evil, darkness, and fear,” Ava began to explain, once again locking eyes with Sara. “Because of my family, people make a lot of assumptions about me, some of them true, some not.” Ava took a deep breath, knowing that she’d be quoted on the next part and wanting it to represent her well as the chapter of her life in National City officially began. “LCorp is synonymous with my values and what I choose. I choose light over dark. I choose truth over lies. And hope over fear.”

“And what would you say to those people who point to Bishop’s early career as a pioneering scientist, whose ‘evil, darkness, and fear’ were only illuminated once he’d gained power?” Sara pressed. Admittedly, in spite of her skeptical nature about any strangers, but especially those hailing from families as infamous as the Luthors, Sara found herself completely captivated by the stunning woman before her. Sara believed Ava, that, like herself, she was just trying to find her place in the world, unencumbered by the burden her family’s legacy carried with it. Sara even found herself admiring Ava, which was the last thing she’d ever thought she’d feel for a Luthor. Sara mentally berated herself, recalling that charm was something each of the Luthors possessed in spades. She couldn’t let herself be lulled into a false sense of security by the earnest sounding words and beautiful eyes of the woman who stood before her.

Ava scoffed, shaking her head slightly. Without giving it a second thought, for perhaps the first time all day, she said the first thing that came into her mind, “Off the record, I’d say a lion doesn’t concern herself with the opinion of sheep.”

Sara’s face inadvertently curled into a slight grin, on some level admiring a woman who could quote George Martin. “And on the record?” Sara continued to press, looking up at Ava with her big blue eyes that had been known to get her into or out of just about anything she wanted.

Ava took another deep breath as she considered her response thoughtfully, again knowing she’d be quoted famously or infamously, only time would tell. “I’d ask those people…if Reign were the first Kryptonian they ever met, how easy it would be for them to trust Supergirl.” Sara froze, not expecting a response like that. She supposed that her cousin Kal’s pristine reputation did perhaps make it easier for her to be accepted by National City as their hero. While Sara was still sorting out her feelings about Ava’s response, Ava felt a pulse on her wrist and looked down to her smart watch, realizing she needed to wrap things up. “As introspective as this interview has been, Ms. Danvers, I am late for my next appointment. And since I’m sure you didn’t get nearly as much material as Ms. Grant would’ve hoped for, why don’t you attend the renaming ceremony tomorrow? My assistant will handle the press credentials,” Ava added as she escorted Sara to the door of her office.

“Good day, Ms. Luthor,” Sara said with a small smile as she watched Ava close the door to her office.

“She’s cute,” Zari teased as she re-entered Ava’s office, carrying several prototypes. Ava merely glared back at her number two in response. “What? I’m straight, not blind,” Zari added with an eye roll.

“How’s the latest prototype coming? Were you able to get the glitch we found yesterday sorted out?” Ava asked, completely ignoring Zari’s teasing. Ava missed Zari stiffen as she pulled out the device and began running her through the latest updates she’d made.

Zari was the closest thing Ava had to a friend and had been with her since her early days at Luthor Corp. Her creativity and brilliance bought her a longer leash than most. Ava would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that Sara was breathtaking, but there was no point in acknowledging the obviousness of it. Ava would only see her when the two had their little dance whenever Sara had a story to write, and as much as Ava would enjoy being in her presence again, there was no future there. Luthors didn’t get happy endings; they foiled them, especially their own.

That evening at the DEO…

Quentin finished up the last of the paperwork associated with the team’s most recent case, feeling relieved that DuBois was in custody and the tech he’d tried so hard to steal was safe with the military. He clicked his pen and slid it into his pocket before storing the files he’d been working through in the filing cabinet under his desk. He took a deep breath as he looked around at the space that had become his second home over the past ten years. Quentin stood, closed his eyes, and breathed it all in, fondly recalling his adventures with his two daughters as they worked to keep National City and the world safe. 

Finally feeling ready, Quentin headed out into the main lobby of the DEO. He quickly found Ray who was hard at work with the tech teams, and he called for Laurel to join them via his comms. Supergirl flew to a landing in the lobby as well and walked over to join her father and Ray.

“Did we get a new alert?” Laurel asked as she strode in to meet up with them. Laurel had been in the training room, perfecting her form, so her face held a tint of red, her brow a hint of sweat.

“Ah, no, nothing like that,” Quentin explained. Laurel looked at her father curiously. It was obvious he had something big on his mind. He always ran his hand over the bald part of his head when he had something important to say, and true to form, he was doing it now. He took a deep breath and looked at both of his daughters. “I’m stepping down as director,” Quentin explained, releasing the breath he’d been holding once he’d finally gotten the words out, a small smile forming across his face as the prospect of retirement finally hit him.

“What?” Laurel and Sara asked, both of their brows scrunching in confusion.

“Congratulations, sir!” Ray said happily. 

Quentin had to stifle a laugh at the drastically different reactions he received from his team. “Your mom retired last year, and she’s been hounding me about joining her ever since,” Quentin explained as he looked at Laurel and Sara. “Working alongside you two has been the highlight of my life. But there’s nothing left for me to teach you, and it’s time for me to settle down with your mom back in Midvale.”

Supergirl let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around her dad. “I’m really happy for you, but I’m going to miss you. This place definitely won’t be the same without you,” Sara said as she tried to process what it would be like at the DEO without seeing her father everyday. Getting to work with him and Laurel was something she looked forward to, and Sara took comfort in knowing he would be happy and that she’d still have her sister by her side.

Laurel on the other hand was still in shock at her father’s news. He had recruited her to the DEO and trained her every step of the way. He’d taken over as director when she officially became an agent following her college graduation, and she had never known another director. Her mind began to wander in all different directions. Did he think she was ready to be the director? Was he bringing in someone from outside of their headquarters to lead them? A million questions began swirling through her brain, but luckily Quentin spoke up again to ground her.

“That’s not the only news I have tonight,” he said with a broad smile. “I’m happy to announce Laurel Danvers and Ray Palmer will be succeeding me as co-directors of the DEO. Congratulations you two!” Quentin said, prompting the entire team to cheer and congratulate Laurel and Ray.

“Laurel, that’s amazing!” Sara said excitedly as she wrapped her arms tightly around her sister, slightly lifting her off the ground as she was overcome with pride for her. As Sara let her grip on Laurel go, she turned to Ray and threw her arms around him to congratulate him as well. 

Once he and Sara broke apart and Sara turned back to Quentin to ask him all about his big retirement plans with her mother, Ray awkwardly turned to face Laurel, who still had a confused scowl plastered across her face. Ray cleared his throat and extended his hand towards her, “Congratulations, co-director,” he said earnestly.

Laurel swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared back at Ray. She knew he was just trying to be a good friend, but working next to him every day had been a struggle, and she knew he felt it too. It wasn’t Ray’s fault, but every time Laurel looked at him, she was still reminded of Oliver and Felicity and how much it hurt when she found out her engagement was over, and the family she thought she was about to start would never exist. Feeling tears start to prick at her eyes, Laurel shook her head, muttering, “Fuck this,” under her breath as she ran back towards the DEO training room.

Ray put his hand down, his gaze following Laurel out of the lobby, wondering if he should go after her. Quentin caught some of their exchange and could tell something was off with his eldest daughter. Before making a beeline to follow her, he patted Ray on the shoulder as if to tell him it wasn’t personal. Sara gave Ray a comforting smile before explaining, “Hey, don’t worry. She’ll come around. I need to talk to Cat about my article, but we’re still on for game night on Friday right?”

Ray gave her a soft smile in return. “I wouldn’t miss it,” he answered.

When Quentin arrived in the training room a few seconds later, Laurel was grunting and panting heavily as her fists and feet made repeated contact with the training dummy in the corner. “Laurel, can we talk for a few minutes, please honey?” Quentin asked softly as he stood behind her. 

“What’s there to talk about? You’ve already made up your mind,” Laurel spat out between punches.

“I thought you’d be happy about the promotion,” Quentin admitted, rubbing his forehead in frustration with how he could’ve avoided his eldest daughter having such a visceral reaction to his news.

Laurel let out a deep sigh as she unleashed a final kick at the training dummy before turning around to face her father. “Do you think I’m not ready? That I can’t handle it on my own?” she asked desperately, her tone shifting from pure anger to a blend of hurt and disappointment. 

Quentin eyed his eldest daughter carefully. “I wouldn’t have promoted you if I didn’t think you were ready,” he assured her. Seeing that she was unconvinced, Quentin went on, “Look, I know because of that douche Oliver, things personally between you and Palmer are…not ideal. But you’re my two best, most experienced agents, and I trust you more than anyone to navigate the DEO through whatever challenges are to come. I know how much you enjoy being in the field, leading teams in the trenches, and as director, you need a wider view of the situation. I thought this would be the best way to allow you to continue doing what you love while also taking more of an ownership stake in this place.”

Laurel had listened to him explain his position with her arms crossed over her chest, skeptical that anything he said would resonate. But she at least felt relieved that he trusted her and had made the decision with her interests in mind. Finally, Laurel lowered her arms, her defenses crumbling as she looked at her father, not wanting to make this harder on him than she knew it already was. “I just don’t know what this place will be like without you,” she whispered finally, as Quentin closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’ll be amazing because of you and your sister,” Quentin whispered in her ear as Laurel tightened her grip around him.

Later that night at CatCo…

Sara smoothed out her dress as she entered CatCo’s bullpen, fresh off flying in from the DEO. She opened up her notebook and flipped to the pages from her interview with Ava earlier that day and confidently strode towards Cat Grant’s office. “Hey, Cat, do you have a few minutes to talk about my article?” Sara asked as she gently knocked on the glass door. Cat was uncharacteristically facing away from her dozen or so television screens to look out the window. It almost looked to Sara like she was trying to memorize the view. Sara quickly shook that thought away as her question seemed to shake Cat out of whatever it was that was on her mind.

“For you, Danvers, I might even have five whole minutes to spare,” Cat said with a smile as she walked back over to her desk and took a seat, motioning for Sara to join her.

Sara eyed her boss curiously. ‘Chop chop’ was literally Cat’s catchphrase. Something was definitely up with her, but Sara wanted to get her take on the direction of her article before she broached that subject. “These are my interview notes and the outline for what I was thinking, pending the renaming ceremony tomorrow, of course,” Sara explained as she placed her notebook down on the desk.

Cat slid her reading glasses on as she studied Sara’s notes. Suddenly she gasped excitedly, presumably as she got to Ava’s quotes. “She said all this?” Cat asked, placing her hand over her heart in shock. “And she won’t be suing me for printing these words?” Cat followed-up, eying Sara skeptically. Sara fiddled with her own glass as she nodded in response, feeling incredibly proud of herself. “I am impressed, Sara,” Cat added as she slid the notebook back across her desk.

“Okay, what is going on with you?” That was it. This was completely uncharacteristic behavior for her boss, and Sara was tired of pretending like everything was fine when something was clearly very unfine. She prided herself on getting to the bottom of things, and Cat’s abrupt character transplant was off the charts in terms of what counted for normal around CatCo.

“Excuse me?” Cat asked, clearly caught off-guard by Sara’s question.

“Are you dying?” Sara asked, realizing it was likely a stupid question once she heard it out loud herself. Needing to follow-up, she quickly added, “Because I’ve been a reporter for you for six years, and that is the first time you’ve ever complimented me.” 

A soft, knowing laugh escaped Cat’s mouth as she stood up, causing Sara to stand as well. “No,” Cat said emphatically, and Sara felt relieved that at least her boss and mentor wasn’t in any kind of mortal danger. She held her breath though as she knew an explanation of some sort was coming. “No, Sara, I’m not dying.” Cat let out a full-blown chuckle at the mere suggestion that she was mortal. “I’m leaving.” 

Cat added the last part softly, and Sara’s face fell. She’d never considered Cat could ever leave CatCo. Then it would just be ‘Co.’ She was what inspired Sara to pursue journalism, and she was the toughest, most demanding boss she’d ever had. Sara couldn’t picture how she could work at CatCo without Cat. She had learned so much from Cat and doubted whether she’d ever have another boss or mentor or friend that she’d value the same.

“Okay, the cat is out of the bag. I am taking a leave of absence from CatCo,” Cat elaborated as she walked around her desk to stand in front of Sara.

“What?” Sara asked, still in disbelief. She was surprised she was even able to form words at this point, as she felt her whole paradigm shifting. Thoughts like whether she should consider a career change or leaving CatCo danced through her head, but then Cat spoke up again, and it helped Sara to understand where she was coming from.

“I’ve just done all there is that I can do here. I’m like a shark in a tank, and I’m swimming around in circles and I’m moving, but I’m not getting anywhere.” As Cat explained, Sara felt her legs start to feel uneasy, so she turned around and took the seat next to Cat’s desk again. “And yes, yes. I’ve created a media empire and…I’d like to think that I spread some light in humanity out there in the world. And I launched Supergirl for God sake. But…I’ve just been swimming in the same pool for too long. There are new seas and…summits out there that I have to go conquer.”

On some level Sara understood. Her father had said basically, though not as eloquently, as much when he announced his retirement from the DEO. Not everything in her tidy little world would remain as it had been, but with major changes in her two biggest spheres of life, Sara tried to calm her racing heart and remind herself that her father and Cat were just trying to live their dreams, and they had to make some pretty major life decisions in order to do that.

“Everything is changing so fast,” was all that Sara could muster as she let go a huge sigh. Cat strolled over to stand in front of Sara, and overcome with emotion, Sara stood up and wrapped her arms around her. She sniffled as she hugged Cat tighter, and Cat soothingly rubbed her back in response. As they broke apart, Sara spoke up again, not wanting to dwell on the things she couldn’t change, “I admire you, Ms. Grant. It’s scary leaving the life you’ve known.”

“Hmm, nahhh,” Cat responded, a smile creeping across her face as she weighed how she truly felt, deep down. “I’m about to take a leap into the unknown and…And I’m…I’m thrilled. Do you have any idea how exciting it is not to know what I’m going to do tomorrow?” Cat asked, earning a smile from Sara. “It’s exhilarating,” Cat explained, and she truly meant it. Ava, a woman she met once, had been right about her, and once she admitted it to herself, Cat felt more free and at peace than she had in a long time.

“I wonder how that would feel. Starting something new…being someone new,” Sara mused.

“Hmm, well, life is long. And you will be many different people before the end. And knowing you, every single one of them will be extraordinary. But not as extraordinary as me,” Cat had to throw the last part in.

“No, well…of course not.”

Chapter Text

“Woof, I did not see that coming in a million years,” Nate said, clearly deflated at just coming out of their morning editorial meeting where Cat broke the news to the reporter pool. He and Sara were filing out of Cat’s office and making their way towards the bullpen. Sara had considered telling Nate the prior evening after she’d spoken to Cat, but she was still in so much shock herself over the news. “You seem oddly fine about this news,” Nate said softly as he took a closer look at Sara. Narrowing his eyes, it hit Nate, and he playfully bumped shoulders with Sara. “You knew,” he said, in a mock accusatory tone.

Sara let out a sigh as she explained, “I went to Cat’s office last night for her take on the direction of my article, and she told me then. Things are moving so fast though,” Sara added as she realized that within just over a twelve-hour span, Cat had decided to leave CatCo and was announcing it to her staff. 

“Who do you think would be in play as potential investors?” Nate asked, causing Sara to chew on the inside of her cheek as she mulled what possibilities could be out there. “I mean, Cat would have to approve of whoever takes over for her, right?” Nate was concerned. National City wasn’t lacking in corporate tycoons and trust-fund babies looking to make a name for themselves. 

Before Sara could respond, the two of them heard a familiar, yet cringey voice on one of the screens behind them. “There’s still more I can do to touch people’s lives,” they heard Morgan Edge explaining to his interviewer as he appeared on-screen.

“What is this blowhard up to now?” Nate asked, impatiently. Through his interviews with the families who were going through the loss of their property and re-settlement along the various waterfront neighborhoods, he had come to despise Edge. Nate knew he was only concerned about himself and his bottom line.

Edge continued as Sara turned up the volume on the screen so they could hear him better, “In that vein, I’d like to announce a bold new direction for my company. I’m buying CatCo.” Sara and Nate were sporting the same bewildered looks on their faces as they just stood there in shock, staring at the screen in front of them. “In the last few years the press in this town has swung wildly to one side…” Edge could be heard continuing his monologue, but Nate and Sara didn’t hear the rest of his comments.

“You don’t think Cat would let him take over CatCo, do you?” Nate asked as he turned off the television in frustration. 

Sara blinked a couple of times, letting out the breath she’d been holding. It was one thing for Cat to step down and for Sara to know that she’d no longer be seeing her boss and mentor every day. It was quite another to think that she’d have to put up with Edge or one of his lackeys running CatCo’s reporter pool. “I hate that sentient bottle of cheap cologne,” was all Sara could get out as she hoped there was some way to prevent Edge from taking over.

A million and one thoughts were swirling through Sara and Nate’s heads as they considered what Morgan Edge buying CatCo could mean for their careers. Should they consider a move to The Tribune or any of CatCo’s other primary competitors? Would relocation to Metropolis to work at The Daily Planet make sense? Should they reconsider the field of journalism altogether?

Feeling herself start to spiral, Sara thought about what else she had going on that day and remembered the renaming ceremony for LCorp was coming up later that afternoon. Sara inadvertently felt a small smile form on her face at the thought of seeing Ava again. She wasn’t sure why such a thing brought her some sort of relief from the news about CatCo and her career, but it did, and Sara needed some semblance of hope to hold onto. “Hey, Nate, you’re still coming to game night on Friday, right?” Sara asked.

Happy for the break from his own spiraling thoughts, Nate took a deep breath as he considered it’d be the first time he would be seeing the entire gang since returning from his trip. “You know it,” he responded. 

“By then we should know for sure what the future of CatCo will look like, and if Edge is the one taking over, well, at least we’ll be able to commiserate together about it,” Sara said, trying to make light of what was a difficult situation for the two of them. 

“Thanks, Sara,” Nate said, as the pair hugged and went their separate ways to work on their respective stories.

At the DEO…

“Turn it up a couple more?” Sara asked as she picked herself up off of the floor of one of the DEO training rooms. Unlike some of the other training rooms located throughout the headquarters, this one contained kryptonite emitters that dampened Supergirl’s power, leveling the playing field between her and humans in hand-to-hand combat. Every once in a while, Sara and Laurel would use the room to spar, and Sara considered it invaluable practice should one of her foes ever deploy kryptonite against her or should she blow out her powers. While the only known sources of kryptonite were heavily guarded and secured within the DEO’s walls, she felt you never could be too careful.

“It’s already up to 25%,” Laurel explained, skeptically, hesitant to push her sister too much further. They typically kept it in the low twenties, and Laurel had just landed a particularly rough blow against her sister.

“I can handle it,” Sara responded, her voice firm, although she was breathing deeply and massaging the muscles in her shoulder where she’d hit the floor hard.

Laurel rolled her eyes and bumped it up to 27%, internally deciding not to go any higher regardless of how much protest Sara put up. “What’s got you so bent out of sorts?” Laurel asked, knowing how much Sara preferred using that room when she was trying to work through something stressful.

Sara launched herself at Laurel, but Laurel easily blocked Sara’s punches as the effect of higher kryptonite radiation levels was almost immediately apparent. Sara’s chest was heaving as she breathed deeply, trying to make the adjustment. “Cat’s leaving CatCo,” was all Sara could say as she barely dodged out of the way of Laurel’s attempt at her. “Oh, and the best part is that Morgan Edge is only hours away from adding CatCo to his portfolio,” Sara added glumly as she and Laurel locked arms, neither able to get the upper hand on the other.

“Edge? The chauvinist who thinks he’s god’s gift? That Edge?” Laurel asked as she and Sara each took a second to recover and catch their breaths in their respective corners of the room.

“That’s the one,” Sara replied between deep breaths. Realizing she wasn’t the only one working through some major curveballs, Laurel walked over to the control panel and turned off the kryptonite emitters. “What are you doing?” Sara asked indignantly in response.

“I’m sorry about Cat. I know how much you love working at CatCo, and watching you grow into your own as a badass reporter over the past several years has made me one proud, big sister,” Laurel explained as she walked over to Sara and threaded their arms together. Laurel led her over to the side of the middle platform, guiding them both to take a seat.

“You’re still processing Dad leaving, aren’t you?” Sara asked, knowing her sister, some times too well. Sara knew something had been off with Laurel ever since their dad made his announcement, but Sara had been so focused on her own shit that she hadn’t taken the time yet to talk to Laurel about it. “You’ve been talking about wanting to succeed Dad as director for as long as I can remember,” Sara said, trying to figure out what part of the situation was bothering her sister the most. “Aren’t you the first female director in the DEO’s history? Why aren’t you over the moon right now, celebrating?” 

“I just wish he’d told me about it ahead of time,” Laurel admitted with a loud sigh. “You know how much I hate surprises and how poorly I deal with change.”

“I mean, of the two of us, you were always the more stubborn one,” Sara said with a smirk, earning a playful nudge from Laurel.

“ I’m the stubborn one?” Laurel asked incredulously. “Pot…meet kettle,” Laurel retorted, a small smile forming across her face for the first time in a few days. 

“Seriously though. You’re such a badass, Laurel,” Sara encouraged her sister. “I know it’ll be different without Dad at the DEO, but when we’re not being stubborn, you and I actually make a pretty good team.” Laurel gave Sara a half-smile in return, and Sara could tell their chat was helping, but she still noticed some lingering hesitancy coming from her sister. Realizing what might be behind it, Sara asked softly, “Does your lack of jumping for joy have anything to do with Ray?”

Laurel let out a deep sigh in response as her hands began fidgeting. “I know it’s not his fault, but things between us haven’t exactly been all sunshine and roses lately,” Laurel admitted softly. Wanting to give her sister a chance to fully explain how she felt, Sara kept quiet and looked at Laurel encouragingly, giving her space to continue. “He’s just a constant reminder of what happened with Oliver and Felicity.”

Sara inhaled, trying to decide how to best respond to her sister when she got an alert on her watch. Realizing what it was for, she quickly stood up and explained, “Look, I need to head out for a work thing, but let’s catch up on this later, okay?” Laurel nodded as the pair started to exit the training room. “Remember what I said about you being a badass” Sara said as she pulled Laurel in for a hug as she took off for downtown National City.

Sara landed in an alley just off of the square in front of the LCorp building and quickly changed from her Supergirl costume into a three piece burgundy suit. She quickly whipped out her glasses and slid them on before heading towards the square. The sight before her caught Sara a bit off-guard as she wasn’t prepared for the magnitude of protests that would accompany the renaming ceremony. Sure, she wasn’t so naive as to assume Ava’s announcement would be met with universal acclaim, but still; there had to be several hundred protesters in addition to the couple dozen press corp, not to mention the hundreds of LCorp employees and folks who presumably came just to witness the day’s events.

Sara observed that the protesters primarily fell into two camps; one lumped Ava in with the rest of the Luthors and clearly viewed her as a proxy for her brother. Their signs and shouts communicated targeted messages about the Medusa virus and the Luthors’ well-documented history of atrocities against aliens and humans who got in their way. The other group was focused on LCorp’s policy of hiring only humans and was primarily composed of aliens with some humans as well. Sara hadn’t realized before that moment that that was something Ava had chosen to continue and decided she’d talk to her about that when the opportunity arose. Presumably, she’d have future opportunities to interview her as the newest business mogul to take up residency in National City.

Sara inched her way closer to the dais that sat at the front of the square in front of the LCorp building as she observed the crowd, her senses always acutely heightened in case of trouble. The protesters, particularly those unhappy with LCorp’s hiring policies, had predictably attracted a smaller subset of counter-protesters, arguing that, at a time when they felt humans were losing jobs to aliens, it was nice to see a company standing up to defend human employment. 

Deciding she’d keep an eye on them to see if the tensions escalated further, Sara continued to make her way closer to the front. Suddenly, Sara felt butterflies in her stomach as Ava walked out to the center of the dais. Sara questioned why the sight of the woman before her made her feel so…alive, not to mention a little flushed. Sure, Ava looked stunning, dressed in an all white suit, the sleeves of her blazer cuffed just below her elbows, with a deep blue blouse underneath, which made her steel-blue eyes pop. But Sara had been around plenty of beautiful women before. What was so special about the Luthor, of all people, in front of her to have this kind of effect on her? Sara shrugged the feeling off, and as Ava stopped in front of the podium and adjusted the microphone, her eyes scanned the crowd, and a huge smile spread across her face as her glance landed on Sara. Sara couldn’t help but return her radiant smile.

“I want to thank you all for coming,” Ava began, her gaze never leaving Sara. If Sara didn’t know any better, she’d swear the Luthor was nervous and concentrated on one of the few friendly, familiar faces in the crowd. Ava took a deep breath before continuing, “I know that National City has endured more than its fair share of hardship and challenges over the past year. In particular, my brother hurt a lot of good, innocent people and aliens. My family owes you a debt.” Ava paused a beat to take in the pulse of the crowd. “I intend to pay that debt, with interest,” Ava continued, punctuating each syllable for added effect. “I have personally donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the terraforming clean-up efforts. I have met personally with all of the families affected by the attempted terrorist attack involving the Medusa virus. And, I am relocating my company from Metropolis to National City in order to provide an influx of good, high-paying jobs.” Ava took another deep breath before continuing, “I know that none of this makes up for the pain and suffering this city has been through, but I hope it demonstrates how serious I am about distancing myself and my company from my brother’s murderous legacy.”

Sara was in awe. She knew Ava had a tall task in front of her – trying to introduce herself to a new city which only harbored deep-seated resentment for the rest of her family. But Ava’s message seemed to resonate with even the protesters in attendance, who at the very least, seemed open to giving the youngest Luthor a chance at proving how unlike the rest of her family she was. 

Suddenly, Sara felt a shiver pass through her as a feeling of impending dread settled into her stomach. She couldn’t put her finger on why or what had caused her sudden uneasiness, but she’d learned to pay attention to her instincts. As Ava continued her speech, Sara’s eyes darted from Ava to the crowd to the surrounding buildings, carefully inspecting every inch for anything that could be amiss. 

Sara looked back towards Ava as she finished up her speech, “By renaming my company LCorp, we will usher in a new age of cooperation and community. Together, we will chart a brighter future.”

Before Ava could say another word, an explosion rocked the ground behind her as several other smaller explosions erupted throughout the square. Concerned for Ava’s safety, Sara rushed towards the dais and escorted Ava off to the side before another explosion engulfed the area where Ava had been standing only a few seconds before. Ava coughed a few times as she looked at Sara. “Are you alright, Ms. Luthor?” Sara asked, her arms still protectively wrapped around the taller woman.

“Thanks to you, Ms. Danvers,” Ava responded with a smile. “You’ve got some quick reflexes, for a reporter,” Ava added softly. 

“Let me help you get out of here safely,” Sara insisted, knowing she needed to find a place to discreetly make her wardrobe change to Supergirl so she could help with the chaos behind them. The explosions seemed to have stopped, but both women could hear screams filling the air.

Ava scoffed in response as she shrugged out of Sara’s grip. Both women realized how much they missed the warmth and comfort of the other, but tried to suppress those thoughts. “My brother always ran at the first sign of trouble. I told you, I’m not like the other Luthors,” Ava insisted as she kicked off her heels and shrugged off her blazer as she assessed the scene in front of her, looking for the best way to help triage the situation.

Sara felt the butterflies return in spades as she watched Ava rush towards a woman who had lost her footing from one of the explosions to help her to her feet. Sara took the opportunity to quickly change into Supergirl. She rushed to each of the locations where fire engulfed a portion of the square and began using her freeze breath to temper the flames enough until the fire department arrived. 

Across the square Ava noticed a man in camouflage combat gear assaulting an alien. She recognized the alien, his skin having a purplish tint to it, as someone who had been holding a sign during her speech, calling for her to lift the ban on LCorp’s policy against hiring aliens. His hands were shielding his face as the man who was attacking him sent another violent kick towards his unprotected midsection. “Stop!” she shouted, not knowing what else to do to steal his attention away from the defenseless alien. 

The man let out a grunt as he spun around to look back at who dared to intervene and was met by Ava’s icy cold stare. “It’s not enough that these…roaches burned and flooded our city? Now they want to steal our jobs too?” the man asked angrily. 

“He wasn’t responsible for the terraforming,” Ava reminded the man who stood before her as the alien made his way to his feet. “Go home,” she said to him as he took a few shaky steps before sprinting out of the square. 

“I thought you were one of us,” the man in camouflage said menacingly as he slipped a knife out of his belt before launching himself towards Ava. The man had several inches and a considerable strength advantage over her, but Ava had taken painstaking care to ensure she’d be anything but a damsel in distress. Ava landed a nasty punch directly against the man’s jaw before quickly stepping back to avoid his slash with his knife. In one fluid motion, Ava yanked his arm holding the knife forward as she elbowed him in the face. As he came towards her once more, Ava used his momentum against him, dodging out of the way as she pulled him to the ground and kicked the knife out of his hand. 

Ava let go a satisfied sigh as she evened out the fresh wrinkles in her clothes before she heard a click behind her, sending a feeling of dread to settle deep in her stomach. From the corner of her eye she spied Supergirl flying around, putting out fires and helping people who had been harmed in the explosions. Ava swallowed the lump in her throat before slowly turning around to face the barrel of a pistol pointed directly at her head. “Otis,” she muttered through clenched teeth as she stared her patented icy stare back at the tall brunette facing her.

“Nothing personal, Ms. L,” Otis Graves responded as he kept his gun leveled at Ava’s head. “The big guy just had strict instructions about you not living to testify at his trial. And since those explosions I rigged up didn’t do the trick, well I figure a couple rounds to the head should,” he finished explaining as a demented smile formed across his face as he pulled the trigger.

Ava wouldn’t give him or her brother for that matter the satisfaction of running or pleading for her life. Otis Graves wasn’t the first person Bishop had sent after her in an attempt to prevent her from testifying at his upcoming trial, and if she miraculously managed to survive this attempt, he wouldn’t be the last. Ava stood there, defiant as ever, as the crack of Otis Graves’ gun thundered in her ears. 

As it turned out, something miraculous did happen as none of the bullets made contact with her. Supergirl had landed in front of Ava, and as Otis emptied his magazine, every single bullet bounced off of Supergirl’s chest, landing with a thud on the ground. “Are you alright–”

Before Sara could turn back to face Ava to make sure she was unharmed, Ava marched around to stand in front of a bewildered Otis, who was both fuming and in disbelief at failing to execute Bishop’s orders. Ava’s right arm peeled back and then launched forward, connecting hard with Otis’ nose as he immediately clutched his face in pain. “Say hi to my brother when you see him in max, you motherfucker,” Ava seethed as she shook out her right hand, still tingling from the contact she’d made with his face.

Sara felt her heart beating out of her chest as she watched the scene play out before her. Ava Luthor was certainly unlike anyone else she’d ever met, and Sara found herself feeling incredibly impressed by her ability both to take care of herself and her willingness to help people who had spoken out against her.

As Ava left the scene police, firefighters, and other emergency personnel began to arrive. For a brief second, Sara allowed herself to stare longingly after her. Once she was gone, Sara redirected her attention back to the scene in front of her. Supergirl personally escorted Otis Graves to the back of a police car, and assisted with the remainder of the clean-up efforts.

Meanwhile, back at the DEO…

Laurel had relocated from the kryptonite-dampening training room to the main DEO field agent training room. Her conversation with Sara had helped her work through her feelings about the changes at the department where she’d spent her entire adult life working. The more Laurel thought about it, and the more punches she threw at the training dummy, the more she’d come to realize that what was really bothering her was her own insecurity. She worried that without her father, her boss and mentor over the past decade, she might not enjoy the same level of success she’d come to expect from herself.

Today was her first official day as co-director, and she’d started things off that morning by addressing the ops team and leading them through a morning training session. She and Ray had met briefly to go over priorities, and then they had their first official briefing with the president. At first Laurel had been nervous; she’d sat in on calls her father had had with President Marsdin before, but it was obviously different with herself at the director level. Then she’d met up with Sara, and now she was continuing her training.

Laurel was so much in the zone that she hadn’t heard Ray enter the training room. “Laurel?” he asked again, much louder the second time to get her attention. Once his voice registered behind her, Laurel let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She walked over to the water fountain in the corner of the training room, filled up a cup, and took a few sips as she wiped the sweat off her brow. As she quenched her thirst, Laurel looked expectantly over at Ray, curious what he had sought her out to talk about. 

“Hey,” Ray began softly and a bit awkwardly once he knew he had all of Laurel’s attention. “I um…I know that with your dad retiring and us taking over as co-directors it has been a really big adjustment,” Ray explained as he returned Laurel’s gaze. “It’s been an adjustment for me too,” Ray admitted softly. When Laurel didn’t say anything and just took another sip of her water, Ray took a deep breath and continued, “I know that things between us haven’t been the same since…Oliver and Felicity left.” Laurel put her cup down and crossed her arms over her chest, visibly tensing at the reference to her ex. “But I miss my best friend,” Ray added softly, causing Laurel to melt a little bit inside.

Empirically, she knew that she wasn’t the only one feeling hurt and abandoned and confused after Oliver and Felicity had run off together, but seeing Ray acknowledge his feelings in front of her now and their impact on their friendship, Laurel realized she’d been acting a bit selfishly. She closed the distance between the two of them and wrapped her arms around Ray. At first Ray was a bit taken aback by her sudden action, but Laurel’s arms around him felt so safe and comforting. Ray returned her warmth and for a moment the two of them just stood there with their arms wrapped firmly around each other. Both felt their eyes misting a bit, as if they were taking a huge step in their recovery from the pain of losing the people they loved most.

As the pair broke apart, Ray spoke up again, hoping to build on their moment, “I want our partnership to work as co-directors, Laurel.”

Laurel eyed Ray skeptically at that comment as a thought occurred to her. “Is this the part when you tell me about a new team-building exercise you want us to try?” she asked.

“Just give it five minutes,” Ray insisted as Laurel attempted to stifle an eyeroll. “If it sucks or doesn’t work, we can stop.”

“What do I have to do?” Laurel asked curiously as she narrowed her eyes at Ray.

Knowing that was the most enthusiasm he was going to get from Laurel, Ray turned around with his back to her and prompted, “Turn around and sit down so we are back-to-back.” Once Laurel had complied, and they were both sitting on the floor of the DEO training room with their backs pressing against each other, Ray instructed, “Okay, link your arms through mine. Now, all we have to do is stand up.”

Laurel slid her legs up and began pushing herself up into a squat, but Ray’s much longer legs weren’t cooperating, and they fell down onto their sides. Laurel let out a huff as she and Ray regained their composure. They made several more attempts, but each time their coordination was a bit off, and one or the other wound up losing their balance, bringing the other down to the floor with them. 

Realizing it had been longer than the five minutes Ray had asked Laurel to give him, he spoke up tentatively, not wanting their time together to come to an end but not blaming Laurel if she’d decided she’d had enough. “It’s been more than five minutes…if you want to call it,” he said sheepishly.

“Absolutely not!” Laurel insisted. Even she was a bit surprised at her reaction, but her competitiveness wouldn’t allow her to just give up, especially not when she knew they were close. “We’re so close, Ray! Ready, let’s both bring our legs in now,” Laurel instructed. “Okay, and then on three, we are both going to start to stand on our right legs.” As they both prepared to put their weight on their right legs, Laurel counted them up, “One…two…three.” They wavered slightly before stabilizing, and Laurel asked Ray, “You good to bring up the left foot?” 

“Let’s do it,” he responded. Laurel again counted them up to three, and they shifted their weight evenly across both legs in their respective squats.

“Okay, I think all we have to do now is straighten out,” Laurel said as they slowly extended up from their squat and found themselves standing rather comfortably back-to-back. 

“We did it!” Ray said excitedly, as they lowered and unlinked their arms. He prompted Laurel for a high-five, who playfully rolled her eyes before indulging him.

Laurel again wrapped her arms around Ray, whispering in his ear, “If you tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it, but that was a good idea.” Leaning back, Laurel looked up at him and saw the pure, joy-filled smile on his face. Laurel had to admit to herself she did feel better about partnering with Ray as co-directors after their time together that afternoon. She added softly, “Palmer, don’t you dare abuse this, but you have earned one team-building activity per month.”

The next afternoon at LCorp…

“Ms. Danvers, thanks for stopping by,” Ava greeted Sara as her assistant led her into Ava’s office. Ava invited Sara to take the seat in front of her desk as she resumed her seat behind it. 

“Oh my god, your hand!” Sara exclaimed, concerned as her eyes caught a glimpse of the bandage around Ava’s hand.

Ava looked at her, confused, before remembering and quickly reassured Sara, “Oh, that. It’s nothing. Just a little sore after taking out my frustrations on Otis Graves,” Ava explained with a sigh.

Searching for a way to explain knowing about Otis, Sara quickly said, “Channel 52 ran a story this morning on his arrest. What was he even doing there?”

“If it weren’t for Supergirl, I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you today,” Ava lamented softly. She took a deep breath before explaining, “Oh, you know. Just another routine assassination attempt by my brother.” Ava tried to sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but Sara could tell she was still pretty shaken by the experience. 

Leaning forward slightly, Sara asked, “Is it because of the trial?” Ava nodded, her eyes working overtime to hold back any trace of tears. “I’m sorry,” Sara said, genuinely feeling that way. “That’s got to be a really scary situation for you.”

Ava let out a sigh and contorted her face into a forced half-smile. “At least I moved to a city with a resident superhero.” Ava noticed her remark brought out a slight blush in Sara’s cheeks as her face spread into a grin. She wondered what was behind that, but she decided she was growing fonder and fonder of Sara Danvers’ smile. “In other news,” Ava began, changing the subject, “I wanted to thank you for the good press about the renaming ceremony,” Ava added as a smile spread across her face.

“Well, I meant every word. I thought your speech was really moving, and the way you jumped in to help even the people and aliens who were originally there protesting against you proves that you aren’t a typical Luthor,” Sara explained, returning Ava’s smile. “You know there were a few details I found out that I didn’t include in the article,” Sara added, earning a curious, cocked eyebrow from Ava.

“Such as?” Ava asked, trying to discern what Sara was getting at.

“Thirteen people and aliens were taken to the hospital for treatment after the explosions in the square yesterday…and all of their bills were mysteriously paid by the same anonymous donor,” Sara explained coyly, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

Ava narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in response. “What a generous benefactor,” she said. “And how did you come to possess this intel?”

“Reporter, remember?” Sara said, pointing to herself proudly. “A magician never reveals her secrets,” Sara said with a wink.

Ava had to suppress the shiver she felt in response to Sara’s wink. Something about the woman before her was so…intoxicating. She couldn’t get enough of being around her. “Well, I’m sure whoever this mysterious person is, they are probably grateful that you haven’t revealed their identity,” Ava responded, continuing to play along with Sara.

“I just don’t know why… they wouldn’t want the world to know the good that they’ve done,” Sara said. “I mean if… they were concerned about how it came out, I’m sure there’s a reputable, enterprising reporter who would love to break the story.”

The smile faded from Ava’s face as she considered Sara’s proposition. She brought her left hand to her face as she pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly conflicted about what to do. “I’m sure the city’s unsavory characters would have a field day with the news, accusing… them of only doing so for absolution of their guilt and past transgressions,” Ava said softly.

Then it was Sara’s turn to show her frustration as she let out a deep huff as she asked, “You mean like Edge using CatCo as his own personal mouthpiece?” It was only a formality at this point that he’d be signing her paychecks before long, and Sara still hated the prospect of such a vile thing.

“Edge, Darhk, that guy who always wears tweed on Channel 52…” Ava responded with a sigh. 

Damn, she’s even adorable when she pouts , Sara thought to herself. Realizing Ava had said something during their interview a few days ago Sara reminded her, “What happened to ‘not being concerned about the sheep’?”

That earned a grin from Ava, instantly improving her mood. Mission accomplished , Sara thought to herself. 

Ava inhaled, about to say something when Zari entered her office unannounced. “Oh, sorry, boss. I didn’t realize you were in a meeting,” Zari fumbled through an explanation as she tried to apologize for interrupting. 

Zari was about to head back out when Sara stood up, excusing herself, “Actually, I should be heading out.” Sara could’ve spent the rest of the day and then some talking to Ava, but she knew the other woman had a high-tech empire to run. Sara thought she might’ve imagined the brief look of disappointment that flashed across Ava’s face, but quickly dismissed the thought. “Thanks again for the interview,” Sara said as she stood up and made her way towards the door.

“I hope this isn’t the last time we talk, Ms. Danvers,” Ava said with a grin as Sara walked out her door. “Do you have the latest prototype?” Ava asked, shifting into business mode as she looked at Zari.

“Are we really not going to talk about that?” Zari asked, pointing to Ava’s office door.

“Talk about what?” Ava asked, feigning confusion.

That night at Verdant…

Like she did most nights of the week, Sara wandered into Verdant that evening looking for someone to spend the night with, not to mention to get Ava Luthor off of her mind. Sara approached the bar and ordered a club soda with lime as her eyes scanned the bar’s interior. She stifled a disappointed huff as no one immediately jumped out to her. In spite of herself, Sara found her thoughts drifting to the prior day as she recalled how beautiful Ava had looked in her white suit. Not only that, but her speech had completely blown Sara away. While prepping for her interview and article, Sara had read all about Ava’s actions to help rebuild the city, but hearing how passionate she sounded in person was something else entirely.

And then there was what happened after her speech. Not only did Ava risk her own personal safety in order to help numerous people from the crowd – people who were not exactly Ava’s biggest fans – she also knew how to kick some major ass. Her moves reminded her a little bit of Laurel, and Sara allowed herself to wonder between the two of them who the more adept fighter was. 

Sara audibly grunted, hating that her thoughts once again had drifted to the Luthor. She internally reprimanded herself that, despite how charming she was, Ava Luthor was off limits; at least, she’d need to remain that way if Sara ever wanted to be able to publish a story about her. 

Suddenly, just when Sara thought she’d never get the woman off her mind, a gorgeous petite woman with the most beautiful long, flowing black hair she’d ever seen entered Verdant. Sara held her breath as she observed the woman who settled right next to her at the bar, and upon giving Sara a coy smile and wink, she leaned in and whispered, “I don’t know about you, but I could go for some bubbly.” Her warm breath against Sara’s neck sent a shiver down her spine as Sara quickly turned to the bartender and ordered two glasses of champagne. 

As the bubbly was deposited in front of them, the woman leaned in again and planted a gentle kiss on Sara’s neck. Sara was caught slightly off-guard by how forward this woman was being, but Sara did have to hand it to her; she did know what she was doing. Sara picked up the glasses and extended one to her new companion asking, “So, what are we celebrating?”

But Sara didn’t hear her response as the woman who’d been taking up nearly all of the space in her mind suddenly appeared on one of the television screens in the bar. Sara’s new acquaintance was once again kissing Sara’s neck, but Sara’s attention was fully focused on the news report covering Ava. The announcement explained that she had outbid Morgan Edge and would instead be taking over as the new CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media instead of him.

It occurred to Sara that that meant she’d be seeing the other woman on a regular basis moving forward, and a huge grin spread across her face. She looked to the beautiful woman next to her and captured her lips in a fierce kiss. Both women decided they’d had enough of the bar, and Sara escorted her down the street to her apartment.

The next morning…

“Oh my god! Sara, please tell me you saw the news!” Nate nearly shrieked when he and Sara met up at CatCo that morning. He handed her the extra coffee he’d grabbed at Noonan’s, and Sara took it gratefully. Nate gestured to the television screen behind them. The twenty-four hour news cycle had been re-airing Ava’s announcement about buying CatCo ever since the previous night with all major networks running it as their top story.

“It’s great, isn’t it?” Sara beamed. “Not only did we dodge a major bullet with Edge, but I think she’ll actually be good for this place.”

“I read your article on her, about the new direction she’s taking Luthor Corp, errr, LCorp,” Nate acknowledged. “I’m definitely not ready to fully trust that she’s wildly different from the rest of her family, but she’s definitely better than Edge,” Nate admitted.

“My article didn’t convince you?” Sara asked, feigning hurt. 

“I know you’ve spent a lot of time with her, but It’s going to take more than one good article to convince me, Sara,” Nate said as he took a sip of his coffee.

Just as Sara was about to respond, the coverage on the television in front of them as well as all of the others around them abruptly switched to the president, standing at a podium in the rose garden. “Woah, Nate, turn it up?” Sara asked as Nate reached for the remote on the table next to him.

“I am pleased to announce that on the heels of Congress passing the historic Alien Amnesty Act, I will be traveling to National City next week. I know that National City is still rebuilding from the horrific terraforming last spring, and this new act will enable those efforts to proceed with aliens and humans alike working hand-in-hand. Now, more than ever, we need partnership and cooperation between aliens and humans if we are to realize our country’s unlimited potential!”

President Marsdin concluded her remarks and answered a few follow-up questions, but Sara and Nate were awestruck by her announcement. “She’s coming here?” Nate asked, still processing the news.

“She’s such an icon,” Sara gushed. “Accomplishing record low unemployment, climate investment, and now alien amnesty.” Sara let out a contented sigh. “You think, um…Supergirl will get a chance to meet her while she’s here? Should I get a blowout?” Sara asked, whispering the word ‘Supergirl’ in an attempt to try to keep her excitement under control. 

“Okay, fangirl, calm down,” Nate said playfully as he wrapped his arm around Sara. “I’m excited too, but if we don’t get to morning editorial, neither of us will be covering anything next week.”

That night…

“Oooh, a nine!” Ray said excitedly as he claimed a wood card, a brick card, and a sheep card. In a mockingly devious tone, he turned to Laurel and offered, “I’ll trade you my ore for your wheat.”

“No way! You promised me you were saving that wheat for me for my next turn!” Sara objected.

“You both need to chill, because the price just went up from one ore to two for this bad boy,” Laurel taunted playfully as she held up her wheat card. 

Spooner just playfully rolled her eyes as she took another sip of her mezcal. 

“I’ll trade you my wheat for your brick,” Nate offered, trying to get in on the wheeling and dealing.

 Everyone had arrived over at Sara’s apartment earlier in the evening for their weekly Friday game night. It was a tradition they had started several years ago, and although things were a bit rocky after Oliver and Felicity left National City, the five of them had decided to continue the tradition as a way to strengthen their friendship and console Laurel and Ray.

“Sorry, buddy,” Ray addressed Nate’s offer. “I need my brick for my new settlement.” Looking over at Laurel and realizing she wouldn’t budge from her inflationary policy, he let out a deep sigh. “Okay fine, you can have both of my ore cards.”

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Laurel smiled coyly as the two of them traded cards.

“And with that, I shall build my new settlement,” Ray said excitedly as he turned in his cards and placed his blue house down on the board. 

“Traitor,” Sara joked as she playfully bumped Laurel’s shoulder on her way over to the kitchen. “Anyone need a refill?”

“We could use another bowl of popcorn, if you don’t mind,” Nate said from the table.

“On it,” Sara said as she popped a fresh bag into the microwave and pressed the ‘Popcorn’ button.

“So, I heard the news about Ava Luthor swooping in at the last minute to buy CatCo,” Laurel took the opportunity to bring up the subject, knowing the prospect of Morgan Edge potentially buying CatCo would’ve been catastrophic. “On a scale of one to ten, how relieved are you two?”

“Eleven.” “Four.” Sara and Nate responded simultaneously, sharing a curious look between the two of them at their drastically different answers.

“Four?” Sara asked indignantly as the popcorn finished. She removed the bag from the microwave and poured it into their bowl on the table.

“We traded a super shady, chauvinist rich person for a slightly less shady, murder-adjacent rich person,” Nate explained as he held up his hands to shrug. “Is it a net positive? Sure, but not all of us are smitten with her the way you seem to be.”

That caught everyone’s attention. Feeling everyone’s wide eyes on her, Sara chucked a kernel of popcorn at Nate’s face, nailing him right on the cheek. “If her last name were Smith, you’d be singing a different tune,” Sara insisted as she filled up a glass of club soda and added a lime before joining everyone else at the table. Noticing that everyone was still staring at her, Sara added sheepishly, “Excuse me for having eyes, okay. The woman is objectively gorgeous and has done more for the city in the week that she’s been here than most people have in their lifetimes.”

 “Well, her last name isn’t Smith,” Nate insisted as he took a sip of his gin and tonic. “It’s Luthor, and I’m not saying I’m ready to crucify her or anything. Yes, I acknowledge she has done good things for National City. All I’m saying is, it’s early, and the jury is still out,” he added before grabbing a fistful of popcorn.

“In other exciting news, the president is going to be here, in National City, next week,” Ray gushed. 

“She called us this morning before making the public announcement,” a beaming Laurel confessed.

“Oh my god, you spoke to her?” Sara asked in awe. “What did she say? What was she wearing?” Sara began spewing off a ton of questions before Laurel cut in.

“She called to talk through security and logistics for her visit next week. Ray and I will be running point, and I mentioned it’d be good to have Supergirl around to monitor things on the ground,” Laurel said with a wink as she looked over at her sister.

Sara was nearly speechless. “You said w-what? And she, she agreed? I’m going to meet the president?” Sara couldn’t contain her excitement as she allowed herself to daydream for a second.

All of a sudden everyone heard a shudder and feared they might be in the middle of another Earthquake. “What the hell was that?” Spooner asked as they all crowded around Sara’s windows. 

A blinding bright light raced across their view of the city, as Laurel whispered, “Nothing good.” All five of them looked on in fear as they wondered what could be causing the disturbance. Sara quickly backed away and tore open her button-up shirt to reveal her Supergirl suit beneath and took off into the night sky.

“Laurel, it’s a pod,” Sara explained as she caught sight of the mysterious object hurtling through National City.

“We need to stop it or there could be major casualties,” Laurel explained as she, Ray, Nate, and Spooner hopped in Ray’s car to head to the DEO. They’d had enough game nights and other social events interrupted by rogue alien activity that Nate had become an unofficial member of the DEO.

As Sara followed the pod, she noticed a large crane directly in its path. Fearing someone could get hurt, Sara carefully shifted the crane out of the way of the pod, and it landed in one of National City’s parks on the far east side of the city. Thankfully no one else was around, and no one had been hurt. 

Sara landed next to the pod but far enough away from the small fire that had formed from its impact upon landing. She quickly used her freeze breath to quell the flames. Sara took a few deep breaths as she inspected the pod, walking slowly to the front cabin. “That pod,” she whispered in disbelief, “It’s identical to mine. It’s from Krypton.” Sara tried to prevent her mind from running through wild possibilities of who could be in the pod as the thought that she and Kal might not be the only Kryptonians who survived Krypton's destruction.

“Supergirl, be careful. You don’t know what’s in there,” Laurel warned.

Sara took a deep breath and reached for the cover to the cabin. She easily dislodged it and placed it on the ground next to the pod. “Oh my god,” she said, staring at the pod’s occupant. It was a man, around her age. He was unconscious but otherwise looked healthy. Sara picked him up and once again took off into the sky. “I’m bringing him to the DEO,” she alerted Laurel.

Once Sara landed at the DEO headquarters and rendezvoused with Laurel, Nate, Ray, and Spooner, Spooner helped Sara get their mystery alien situated on one of their beds in their medbay. Spooner cut away his shirt, revealing the rather fit looking alien’s toned, bare midsection. “Pipe down over there, you two,” Spooner instructed sternly looking in Laurel and Sara’s direction as she applied several electrodes to his chest.

“We didn’t say anything!” Both Danvers sisters protested.

“You didn’t have to. Your thoughts are running so wild it’s giving me a headache,” Spooner teased them as she pulled up a monitor with the alien’s vitals.

“He has to be from Krypton,” Sara said, turning serious, trying not to get her hopes up about having another refugee from her home planet on Earth. “He must’ve escaped before the planet exploded, like Clark and I did.”

“He’s comatose,” Spooner explained. “His vitals are stable. Breathing is normal. But there’s nothing else we can really learn from him because…” Spooner sighed as the needle she tried to stick into the vein in his arm broke upon contact with his skin.

“That proves he’s from Krypton!” Sara insisted excitedly.

“It only proves he’s not human, which means he could be dangerous,” Laurel cautioned. “Remember Reign and the terraforming last year? I think we’ve safely established that not all Kryptonians come in peace.” 

“Well, I don’t think it’s fair to hold Reign’s behavior against all Kryptonians,” Ray insisted. “After all, look at Clark and Sara.”

Sara smiled back at Ray, happy to have his support. Sara understood her sister’s skepticism and knew it was her job to be cautious. 

Hesitantly venturing a suggestion, Laurel spoke up, “We do have those reserves of kryptonite in the vault. It might be worth bringing some down here, just in case he isn’t as benevolent as Sara and Clark.”

“Absolutely not!” Sara shot back defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn’t believe her sister would suggest such a thing. “He’s a refugee on this planet, just like me. He needs people to support him and teach how to fit in here, not treat him like a prisoner.”

Laurel weighed Sara’s words carefully. She knew it’d be impossible for her sister to be objective in this scenario, but ultimately Laurel found herself giving in. The DEO was extremely secure, and they had Supergirl for god’s sake if he did turn out to be a problem. “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point. No kryptonite,” Laurel relented. “Spooner, can you keep an eye on him and let us know if he wakes up or if there are any major changes in his condition?” Laurel asked.

“Aye aye, capitana,” Spooner complied.

Chapter Text

Sunday night at the DEO…

After wrapping another successful mission catching a rogue alien, Supergirl walks to the medbay in the DEO to take a seat beside their mysterious stranger. She had visited him a couple of times since he crashed in the park a couple of days prior, and there hadn’t been any change in his condition. Spooner had assured them that once he was ready, he’d wake up on his own, so Sara figured she’d sit next to him and talk to him for a bit, just to reassure him that despite being on his own, he’d have someone to look out for him as long as she was there.

Sara approached his bed and watched him sleep for a moment, anxiously hoping he’d open his eyes so she could ask him about who he was and who he had been on Krypton. “I know what it’s like to be a stranger on this planet,” Sara said softly, recalling her own landing on Earth all those years ago. “So when you wake up, I’ll be here for you. So you never know what it’s like to be alone.”

For a minute everything was silent. The stranger looked so peaceful laying on the bed in front of Sara. Suddenly the machines he was hooked up to started beeping wildly as he sat up, gasping for air. He reached out a hand, gripping Sara’s neck with incredible force. As she began to gasp for air herself, the stranger threw her down to his right side. Sara shattered the glass window as she landed hard on the floor. Stunned, she grunted a couple of times as she tried to collect herself.

Meanwhile the containment alarm within the DEO began blaring as the alien removed the electrodes on his chest. He rushed through the DEO, easily subduing the agents who confronted him. After a display of his super-speed and fighting agility, he looked down at his hands, clearly confused by his abilities.

“Don’t move!” Several agents shouted at him. The stranger tore their weapons in half with his bare hands before jumping the several stories down from the DEO onto the street below and super-speeding away.

Supergirl, Laurel, Spooner, and Ray met up in the lobby to gameplan. “Are you alright?” Laurel asked, concern written all over her face after the state she’d found Sara in after her altercation with their missing alien.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just a little shaken,” Sara reassured them, feeling all of their worried glances on her. She was slightly ashamed that he’d managed to over-power her. Sure she was surprised, but still; she was Supergirl after all. “Where is he?” she asked, desperate to change the subject.

“He disappeared into the city,” Ray informed Sara glumly.

“Which is exactly what we don’t need,” Laurel said with a sigh. “A rogue Kryptonian on the loose just as the president is due for a visit. We need to do everything we can to assure this isn’t another Reign situation. Am I clear?” Laurel asked, her tone sharp and serious.

Seeing that his partner was getting worked up, Ray jumped in to try to calm the situation a bit. “Of course, no one wants another Reign situation, so let’s talk options. How could we track him?”

Laurel and Sara looked at each other, clearly frustrated by their inability to contain their new rogue alien. Sara couldn’t explain it, but deep down she still had a feeling that was inherently good about this alien. Even if he did try to strangle her, he must’ve just been scared, being on a planet he didn’t know, surrounded by strangers with foreign technology. Not to mention having a bunch of weapons pointed at him probably didn’t help either. Sara continued reviewing the whole situation over in her mind trying to figure out what she could’ve done differently to avoid their current predicament.

Laurel likewise couldn’t believe that not one whole week after her father retired, she allowed a rogue Kryptonian to escape the confines of the DEO. She was regretting and second-guessing her decision not to use their kryptonite reserves to keep him subdued should he turn out to be hostile, but she’d given in to what Sara and everyone else thought was best. She wouldn’t be making that mistake again.

After a beat of silence passed, Spooner spoke up, “If he didn’t remove his DEO medical bracelet, there should be a tracker in there. Maybe we could see if it’s still online and transmitting?” she suggested helpfully.

“Spooner, you’re a genius!” Ray exclaimed as he took a seat at his workstation and began rapidly clicking keys to try to pull up the bracelet’s location.

“I keep telling y’all that!” Spooner teased.

Ray tapped a few more times on his keyboard before letting out a deep sigh. “What’s wrong?” Laurel asked, noticing he’d gone from optimistic to disappointed in a flash.

“He must’ve removed the bracelet,” Ray explained. “Its current location is in the middle of the intersection on the south side of the building.”

“So, what do we do now?” Laurel asked.

“Spooner and I will keep monitoring for his location, while you and Supergirl ensure that the president’s visit to National City goes smoothly,” Ray said, earning a nod from Laurel.

The next morning at CatCo…

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to reveal CatCo’s bullpen. Ava slid her sunglasses off and unconsciously ran a hand through her hair as she looked around, taking in the sights and sounds around her. Cat had certainly created a well-oiled machine , Ava thought to herself as she wandered further around. Interns were grabbing coffee; the graphics team was prepping the latest layout, and phones were ringing off the hook as reporters followed up with their sources. 

Ava took a deep breath as she wondered, for the hundredth time since she’d officially gone through with it, why on Earth she had invested in a media company when she didn’t know the first thing about the industry. Sure, she knew the importance of a free and fair press, and she still shuddered to think what Morgan Edge would’ve turned the company into. But beyond that, Ava reminded herself how much she enjoyed a challenge and learning something new. CatCo would certainly provide her plenty of opportunities for both.

Ava made her way into Cat’s, errr her, office, and set her bag down as she began re-arranging the furniture a bit. She had a slight flair for feng shui, and the energy in the room was screaming Cat. She needed it to at least somewhat fit her personality. Once she felt mildly satisfied with her changes, Ava looked up, noticing the dozen or so television screens broadcasting the various top stories of the day, none bigger than the president’s arrival in National City. As Ava was mulling over CatCo’s approach to her visit, she heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned around, relieved to see a familiar face. 

“Ava! Welcome to CatCo,” Sara greeted her, extending her arm to give Ava a planner with a bright blue bow on top. It was surreal for Sara to see someone else standing in Cat’s office, but she was beyond relieved it was Ava, rather than Edge. As Ava took the planner from Sara’s hand, their fingers briefly brushed against each other’s, and Sara had to fight to suppress the shiver that went through her at their contact. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Ava said, touched that Sara had brought her a first day welcoming gift. Ava had wanted to create this aura of being the boss and being serious, but Sara’s sweet gesture just completely melted her, and her face broke out into a wide grin as she admired the thoughtful gift.

“It’s a Danver’s family tradition,” Sara explained. “First day of school, you get a…a planner.” Sara fiddled with her glasses before looking back up at Ava, who yet again looked completely flawless, sporting a matching white vest and slacks combination with a black blouse underneath. It wasn’t like Sara to develop crushes on other people, so she was very confused why this woman made her feel like everything was right with the world whenever they were together. 

“It’s lovely,” Ava said softly as she looked down from Sara’s mesmerizing baby blues to the planner in her hand. Ava had to mentally remind herself that she and Sara worked together now, and as much as she didn’t want to, she’d have to suppress even her superficial attraction to the reporter. Speaking up again, she explained, only half-jokingly, “In the Luthor house on the first day, we would hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on our teachers, should we ever need to negotiate better grades.”

Sara laughed as Nate, whom both women had forgotten was even in the room, crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not impressed. Remembering why she had asked Sara to meet her in her office that morning, Ava spoke up again as she placed the planner on her desk behind her. “Ms. Danvers, Mr. Heywood,” she said, addressing them both, “thank you for meeting me this morning. Would you two mind giving me the official office tour?”

“Of course,” Sara answered happily.

As the two of them were heading out, Nate remained firmly planted in Ava’s office, and looking at his watch explained tersely, “Morning editorial starts in ten.”

“I guess it’ll have to be a quick tour then,” Ava told him, as the trio made their way around the office, with Ava and Nate explaining which departments were located where, how to get to the kitchen, and all of the other highlights of the CatCo office. Ava asked questions along the way, and her two guides explained what they could. 

“Well, Mr. Heywood, it appears we made it back with a few seconds to spare,” Ava commented as they concluded back in her office. Within a minute the rest of the reporter pool began filing in. Ava’s demeanor instantly changed from laid back to all-business as she addressed the room, “Okay, I know that Cat’s departure has been a transition for everyone, but I have every intention of making sure CatCo lives up to her lofty standards and continues to lead National City’s press coverage. While I admittedly don’t have the journalism background she did, I do have a successful business track record, and I wouldn’t have made the investment in CatCo if I wasn’t confident about its returns. While I may tinker here and there, I have no intentions of making any wholesale changes here, and I know how valuable each and everyone of you are to CatCo’s success.” Ava let out a breath as she added, “Any questions?” Ava purposely let the silence build, knowing that if someone had something pressing on their mind, the discomfort would encourage them to speak up. No one did however, so Ava figured they’d get started with the pitches. “Alright, let’s get started. Kate?” she asked, addressing the short brunette immediately to her right.

The woman blinked a few times, her brow scrunching as she and the rest of the room were both surprised that Ava knew her name and that Ava called her by her first name. Cat’s mixed bag of last names and nicknames had become so common, that some of the reporters only knew their colleagues by whatever title Cat had bestowed on them. “Opening arguments in the Luthor trial get underway this afternoon,” Kate explained. “I was planning to continue my coverage.”

Ava nodded slightly as she responded, “I read your articles last week on jury selection.” That caused Kate’s eyebrows to raise in surprise that Ava had taken the time to read her prior work. “There’s going to be a lot of editorializing, especially by The Tribune, on both the prosecution and my brother’s lawyer’s statements. Make sure our take is more nuanced.”

“You got it,” Kate responded. “I’ll have a draft ready for you this afternoon.”

“Great.” Turning to her left, Ava prompted, “How about you, Nate?”

“Well, my neighbor runs a bar that serves as a haven to aliens. They’ve been talking about attending the president’s speech, and I thought it could be good to get the alien perspective on the amnesty act,” he explained.

“You’ve got direct sources we can quote?” Ava asked. 

“Yeah, there’s at least two I can think of who would speak to me about it on the record,” Nate replied.

Ava nodded thoughtfully before adding, “After your series last week on the resettlements, I think this is a great follow-up direction for you to go in. I’ll look for your draft later today?”

Nate nodded as Ava prompted the next reporter. In spite of his reservations about Ava, Nate had to admit, for someone who didn’t have a journalism background, her follow-up questions were on point. Plus how prepared she was, having read all of their recent work and knowing everyone’s name and face was very impressive. It also felt nice to be complimented. Cat had her own style, and Ava clearly had hers, and at least for the time being, Nate was warming to the idea of Ava as Cat’s replacement.

Ava listened to several other reporters explain their story before prompting Sara for her current project. Sara explained that she had a number of interviews lined up to, as a compliment to Nate’s alien perspective on the amnesty act, get the human perspective. Ava mulled over Sara’s proposal for a few seconds before turning to the other side of her office. “Jacob,” she prompted one of the reports who had spoken earlier. When he met Ava’s gaze, she explained, “You’re taking Sara’s interviews and her story.”

“Um, what?” Sara asked, indignantly. She’d spent the better part of the past couple of days working to get those interviews scheduled, and now Ava was just going to reassign her? Hadn’t she done a good job with her article on Ava, herself? Did she not think Sara could do a good job with the story?

Ava spoke up before Sara’s mind could wander further with more questions, instantly putting her at ease, for a second at least, “Sara, you’re going to interview President Marsdin personally about the bill. No one else has an exclusive like this, and it would go a long way in proving that CatCo is just as capable, if not more so, with Cat no longer at the helm.”

The president? Sara gulped nervously as she replayed Ava’s instructions over in her head. She was at least relieved that Ava thought she was a skilled reporter, but a one-on-one with the president was a tall order. 

As Sara was thinking through how she’d manage to set-up the interview and what she’d ask, Ava spoke up again, “Okay, you all have your assignments.” As everyone started filing out of her office, Ava added, “Sara, do you mind sticking around for a few minutes?”

Once it was just the two of them, Sara took the seat nearest Ava’s desk, while Ava sat at the chair behind Cat’s desk. She made a mental note to buy a new desk chair. Sara nervously fidgeted with her glasses, before looking straight at Ava and asking bluntly, “Are you sure you want me to do the interview, and not someone more seasoned, like Elaine or Tim?”

Ava smirked as she awkwardly adjusted her position in the chair. After a few seconds of not finding a comfortable position, she stood and made her way over to the window, searching the view for a glimpse of the mountains, finding that they grounded her. Sara followed her and followed her gaze, taking in the snow-covered tips and jagged edges of the mountains. Finally Ava spoke up, “Sara, do you know why I felt comfortable buying CatCo even though on paper I’m about the least qualified person to own this place?”

“Maybe second least after Edge,” Sara joked, earning a smile from Ava. That smile caused Sara’s insides to positively melt.

“I did my homework,” Ava explained. “And not just on CatCo, but on all of you. Earlier this year, you interviewed Senator Collingwood and Representatives Scarborough and Miller. Last year, it was the mayor and governor,” Ava continued as Sara began to realize why Ava had picked her. “You’re not intimidated by titles. You’re balanced, and best of all, you listen much more than you speak. I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified.”

Sara let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding as she listened to Ava spout off all of her biggest interviews over the past year and a half. Sara realized she’d underestimated Ava and resolved not to make that mistake again.

Ava could tell she’d gotten through to Sara and sufficiently supplied her with the confidence to crush her interview. “Now, let’s talk about interview questions, shall we? What did you have in mind?” The pair spent the next several minutes brainstorming and refining a list of questions for Sara before Ava excused herself to head over to LCorp to check on things there.

Zari popped into Ava’s office, and they reviewed the finishing touches on their latest prototype. “Zari, you’ve outdone yourself,” Ava said excitedly. “I think we are just about ready to gear up for launch on these bad boys.” Ava walked across the room to retrieve a bottle of sparkling water and two champagne flutes. She set them down on her desk and poured out two glasses before handing one to Zari. “To our first product launch as LCorp!”

Zari raised her glass, clinking with Ava, and they both took a sip of their drinks. Zari’s excitement was more muted than Ava’s, and Ava was about to ask why, when they both heard footsteps approaching and turned around to face the door to Ava’s office. 

“You’re more of a lunatic than your brother is,” an incensed Morgan Edge blustered as he strode unannounced into Ava’s office.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Luthor,” Ava’s assistant apologized, heading in right behind him.

Ava sighed, responding coldly, “It’s fine. I know Mr. Edge’s calendar has freed up considerably recently.”

Edge’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched in response, but before he could say anything, Zari unexpectedly spoke up, “Excuse me?” Ava was a lot of things, but any comparisons to her brother, especially from the tool in front of her, were way out of bounds, and she wouldn’t stand by idly.

“I could ruin you,” Edge threatened as he approached Zari and Ava, unbuttoning his jacket and placing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. 

Ava shoved down whatever insecurities she had as she placed one hand on her hip and warned Edge, “You are dangerously close to being thrown out by security.”

Not that she needed the reminder, but Ava’s cold tone told Zari that she was more than capable of handling scum like Morgan Edge on her own. “You know what? I’m gonna go and let you…handle this ,” Zari said, shaking her hand at Edge before exiting, leaving Ava and Morgan alone.

“You are gonna regret, so regret, the day you screwed me,” Edge continued to softly threaten Ava, clearly keeping his voice down in an effort to mute his rage at her for stealing CatCo out from under him. “I sure hope you enjoyed yourself,” he said as he took a step forward, only inches in front of Ava. For her part, Ava really didn’t mind much, as her height over him only became more pronounced. “Because now, you have all of my attention.”

Ava had to fight to stifle a smirk. “Oh, well, Edge, like any woman who’s ever had all of your attention…I couldn’t care less,” she retorted dryly.

“You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?” Edge asked rhetorically.

Ava scoffed. “I get it, Edge. You’re used to being the ‘head honcho,’ the ‘top dog’ around here, right? Well, it’s a new day in National City, and unless you learn to adapt, well, you’ll be no better off than the dinosaurs,” she said, completing her utter dressing-down of the man before her. Ava shifted her tone, deepening it to really drive her point, “Now, get the fuck out of my building. The next time you come in here unannounced, I’ll have a restraining order taken out against you,” she threatened.

“You think you can change hearts and minds with your new mouthpiece?” Edge threw back at her as he backed away towards her door. “You’re about to find out the hard way just how much this town dislikes Luthors.” And with that, he slammed the door closed behind him, leaving Ava to finally get on with her day.

Meanwhile across town…

Supergirl landed next to a young girl holding a homemade sign. It was blue with white block lettering on it that spelled out “We love you, Madam President.” It was another beautiful day in National City, and Sara couldn’t believe she was looking at Air Force One, excitedly awaiting a glimpse of the president. Sara had followed her career since she was in high school, and while her time as a reporter had taught her to be skeptical and suspicious of everyone, Sara knew how important it was for her and young girls like the one next to her to have role models in their lives. 

The little girl next to Supergirl looked at her in awe. She wanted to say something, to ask if Supergirl knew the president, but she didn’t. Supergirl was notorious for keeping to herself, saving the day and then rushing off to the next emergency without taking the time to stick around and answer questions or get to know anyone. Despite how hard she worked to keep the city safe, little was known about her outside of her being Superman’s cousin.

Suddenly “Hail to the Chief” started playing, and two of the president’s Secret Service detail stepped out onto the stairs leading down from the entrance to the plane, their eyes scouring the nearby tarmac for any signs of danger. As the president herself stepped out onto the stairs, the crowd erupted in cheers. She waved and smiled back at all of the American flags waving in the audience. She wasn’t sure what kind of reception she expected, but it gave her confidence about the future of the Alien Amnesty Act.

The president was nearly half-way down the stairs to the ground level when a beam of fire shot straight into the stairs. 

“Oh my god!” people in the crowd started screaming as they realized they were under attack.

Sara turned to the girl next to her and yelled, “Go!” prompting her and her family to escape the terrifying scene. The crowd immediately began to scatter as everyone tried to avoid whatever was causing the disturbance.

The member of the president’s detail who had been struck by the fire beam rolled down the rest of the stairs, coming to a stop once he hit the ground. Other agents quickly ran to shield the president as another one was hit by another beam of fire. Supergirl took to the skies in an attempt to get a better vantage point to find who could be causing such mayhem. Sara was so distracted as she was surveying the ground beneath her that she completely missed the fireball headed straight for her until it was too late. The force of the blast propelled her into the air traffic control tower. But, Supergirl recovered quickly, dodging several more fireballs on her way towards the president.

Another Secret Service agent was hit by a beam of fire as he was shielding the president as she tried to enter the safety of her vehicle. As she stood exposed not knowing where the danger was coming from, Sara shouted, “Watch out!” as she flew as fast as she could to help the president. Sara landed in the knick of time, throwing open her cape to shield herself and the president from the flames.

Finally, Sara looked around, sensing the danger had passed. There was wreckage everywhere, but at least no members of the crowd had been harmed. Police had begun arriving on the scene, triaging the fallen and injured Secret Service members. The president exhaled deeply as she tried to catch her breath. “I owe you my life, Supergirl. Thank you,” she said, extending her right hand.

Sara gave her a nervous smile and extended her right hand in a firm shake. “I promise, Madam President, I will find who was responsible for this senseless violence.”

Supergirl escorted the president to the DEO, not trusting their would-be assassin wouldn’t make a return trip. “Welcome to the DEO, Madam President,” Laurel and Ray greeted her when she, Supergirl, and several more Secret Service agents entered the headquarters. Supergirl, Laurel, and Ray, along with Spooner, who joined up with the rest of the crew, escorted the president through the DEO headquarters, giving her a chance to see first-hand how the department operated.

“Director Danvers,” President Marsdin said as she and Laurel shook hands. “Director Palmer,” she said, addressing Ray. “Your predecessor, Director Quentin Danvers, was a key partner of mine, and I look forward to continuing the productive working relationship he and I enjoyed with the two of you.”

“So do we,” Laurel and Ray said in unison, a small smile escaping their lips. 

Laurel cleared her throat before adding, “We have a team scouring the city now for the alien who attacked you earlier, Madam President. The moment we have them apprehended, we will let you know.”

“Thank you, Director Danvers. I know the city is in good hands,” President Marsdin responded encouragingly. Sensing Laurel had more on her mind, the president prompted, “Was there something else, Director Danvers?”

“Oh, well,” Laurel began, not expecting the president to be so interested in what she had to say. “It’s just that I worry this alien’s display of violence could further inflame some of the lingering tension from last spring’s terraforming,” Laurel said, not wanting to sound alarmist, but needing to express her caution and skepticism.

“That’s precisely why I pushed Congress to pass the Alien Amnesty Act. I’m hoping it will lead to improved relations between aliens and humans and create an environment where aliens feel comfortable revealing themselves. For everyone from beyond the stars that has made Earth their home. I know the DEO’s mission is to hunt renegade aliens, but that mission is going to have to adapt,” President Marsdin informed the team as they continued their tour of the headquarters. Laurel tried to stifle a sigh, but the president was extremely perceptive. “You disagree, Director?” she prodded.

“I do, Madam President,” Laurel responded, refusing to back down, even from the most powerful woman in the world.

“Laurel,” Sara and Ray gasped together, shocked by her brazen questioning of the president.

Laurel looked back at the two of them, staring daggers. “There are aliens out there, killers who wouldn’t understand the concept of the very rights you’re offering them. Evil creatures who could take advantage of your good will.” Their escaped rogue alien from the prior night along with Reign’s terraforming were front and center on Laurel’s mind as she explained her position.

For her part, the president just smiled knowingly before responding, “I imagine the very same thing was once said about Superman, but someone gave him the benefit of the doubt. And now, look at where we are. I can think of no better time than the present to extend our hand in friendship.” She admired Laurel’s spirit; with her line of work, it was normal for Laurel to have a less than positive perception of aliens, and the president had had similar conversations with her father in the past. She just hoped that what she had said resonated with Laurel.

“Even if that hand might get bitten off?” Laurel challenged. As much as she had seen examples of good aliens such as Sara and Superman, she knew they lived in an imperfect world and needed to be reactive to the realities that demanded. 

“Would you…cut it out?” Ray muttered under his breath, not appreciating how much Laurel was second-guessing the president. He didn’t understand why his partner was pushing so hard. Yes Reign had come to Earth with violent intentions, but she was by far an outlier. The overwhelming majority of aliens who had come to Earth came as Sara had, as refugees. They needed friendship and acceptance, not skepticism and suspicion.

“One has to have hope,” President Marsdin said earnestly, unfazed by Laurel’s objections.

“What if it’s false hope?” Laurel asked.

“It’s hope, Director. How can it be false?” President Marsdin challenged, earning a sigh of acceptance from Laurel. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go prep with the governor and members of Congress who will be attending the speech tomorrow. Please do keep me posted on the alien from this morning,” President Marsdin said as she and her cadre of Secret Service agents exited through the tunnels beneath the DEO.

Later that afternoon, Sara, Ray, Laurel, and Spooner were feeling frustrated at their lack of progress with tracking down their escaped alien. Realizing they’d been at it for several hours and needed to take a break to get their minds off of their failure, Ray suggested, “Okay, let’s take five. To help us optimize our brain power, we should talk about something completely unrelated to help unlock a breakthrough,” he explained with a smile.

“I’m still counting this against this month’s team-building quota,” Laurel muttered with a frustrated sigh. 

“Oh, come on,” Ray encouraged them. He spent a second thinking through a fun, mindless distraction before suggesting the first thing that popped into his head. “Best Spielberg movie. Go!” he said excitedly as he looked at Laurel.

“I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but Minority Report , duh,” Laurel said with an eye roll.

Ray looked expectantly at Sara. “ The Post ! What else?” she asked with enthusiasm. “The Indiana Jones films are classics, but c’mon. The Post is literally about the power of the press!”

“I too am partial to Indiana Jones, but for me it has to be E.T. ,” Ray said, smiling as he recalled the flying bikes scene.

“Oh my god! That’s it!” Spooner spoke up suddenly. Feeling the rest of them staring at her, Spooner elaborated, “E.T.! As in, ‘E.T. phone home’.” When Laurel, Ray, and Sara just narrowed their eyes at Spooner, she sighed in frustration. “What if our escaped alien is trying to call home?” It finally dawned on the rest of the team what Spooner meant, and they looked at her like she was a genius. Jumping into operations mode, Spooner asked, “Ray, can you scan the city for any pan orbital transmissions heading out into space?”

“Psssh, yeah, I can,” Ray answered confidently as he pulled up his keyboard and began typing away. “Whoa, whoa. Check it. Deep space signal. Loud and clear,” he explained as the monitor in front of him geo-located the signal he found. Sara, Laurel, and Spooner crowded around him to get a better look.

“Where is it broadcasting from?” Sara asked.

“The Mount Pride Observatory,” Ray explained.

“And that’s where we’ll find our alien John Doe,” Laurel said, proud of them for managing to track him down.

“He must be trying to contact Krypton. He doesn’t know it was destroyed,” Sara explained, dreading having to explain to him what happened to their home.

Ray held up his hand to indicate that wasn’t the case. “Actually, no. He did not dial Krypton,” he informed the rest of the team as he continued typing to reveal additional information about their missing alien’s whereabouts.

Confused, Sara asked, “Where is the signal going to then?”

“Well, according to these very cool DEO star charts…he beamed a signal directly at a planet called…uh, Dac…Daxam,” Ray explained as he tried to make sense of the planet’s name. It wasn’t one he’d heard of before, so he wasn’t sure if his pronunciation was right. 

Daxam. Their missing alien wasn’t from Krypton at all. Sara was incensed, feeling like he’d lied to her. Maybe he knew she was from Krypton, and that was why he had attacked her in his escape attempt. Sara shook those thoughts away as she realized a new urgency to capture the Daxamite. She ripped open her button-down shirt to reveal her Supergirl suit underneath and quickly took off for the observatory.

Meanwhile, across the city at the observatory, the Daxamite paced impatiently behind the satellite engineer, asking him for the third time in as many minutes, “Any response?”

“No,” the man replied, the same answer he had given before, hoping the man behind him didn’t plan to harm him for not getting the answer he so desperately wanted. 

Just then a whoosh could be heard as a blue and red blur entered the room. Supergirl grunted as she landed and immediately began wrapping the Daxamite in a chokehold. Her grip wasn’t too secure though, and the Daxamite managed to flip her over, sending her crashing hard to the ground. As he threw his leg back in an attempt to kick her while she was down, Sara anticipated his next move and caught his boot, startling him. Sara used his momentum against him and shoved him roughly, sending the Daxamite to the ground as she stood, their positions now reversed. 

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he protested as he regained his footing.

Ha, spoken like a true Daxamite , Sara thought to herself. “Sure you don’t,” she shouted back at him in disbelief. Sure enough, proving her point for her, he swung his fist back in an attempt to punch Sara, but just as before, she realized what he was doing just in time, easily dodging out of the way of his series of punches and jabs he threw towards her head. Waiting for the right opportunity to come, Sara took advantage when he opened up too far on one of his punches and landed one of her own to his midsection, sending him sprawling across the floor. “Stay down, Daxamite,” she said, using all of her Supergirl to intimidate him.

“You know where I’m from?” he asked, not expecting that from the woman before him.

“Yup, and you should’ve stayed there,” Sara grunted again as the Daxamite again came towards her to attack, but she clearly had the upper hand over him in terms of fighting. Sara landed a couple of punches against him before shoving him. The Daxamite landed dazed in a heap on top of some destroyed satellite equipment. Sara let out a couple of deep breaths before bringing him back to the DEO with her.

Back at the DEO operations center, Laurel, Ray, Spooner, and Supergirl discussed how to proceed now that they had re-apprehended their escapee. “So, our mystery alien is from Daxam?” Spooner asked as the four of them were deciding what to do next.

“I’ve never heard of Daxam,” Ray said, eyeing Spooner curiously to see if she had.

“It’s a sister world of Krypton,” Sara explained with a loud huff. 

“You never mentioned it before,” Laurel said, looking at her sister, who was clearly uncomfortable.

“Do the Hatfield’s mention the McCoy’s?” Sara asked as she crossed her arms, clearly perturbed by the situation.

“I take it your planets didn’t get along,” Laurel replied, picking up on Sara’s not so subtle cues about her feelings.

Sara took a deep breath, uncrossing her arms as she began to pace, “Hundreds of years ago, Krypton and Daxam fought a bloody war to a stalemate. Thousands of lives were lost on both sides because of a pointless war Daxam started.”

“What were they fighting about?” Ray asked.

“Krypton was a democracy…a world of explorers, philosophers, scientists, and Daxam was a monarchy. With kings and queens who ruled a population of hoodlums,” Sara explained bitterly.

“So, if Daxamites are as bad as you just apparently said they were, then it’s no wonder this guy is trying to kill the president, right?” Spooner asked.

“It still doesn’t explain why,” Laurel said, wracking her mind to try to put the pieces together of why this Daxamite would want to kill the president.

“Why don’t we just have Spooner read his mind?” Ray asked.

“I told you, it’s invasive and personal and a major breach of privacy. I’d like to exhaust our other options first,” Spooner explained. She really preferred to use her telepathy as a last resort only because of how violating it could be.

“I’ll talk to him,” Sara announced with a loud, frustrated sigh as she headed for the DEO’s containment center.

The Daxamite was sitting on top of the slab that barely counted as a bed, his knees bent in towards his chest as he stared mindlessly out the clear glass wall to his cell. “Better get used to that view,” Supergirl said as she approached him. “You’re going to be in that cell for a long time.” The man before Sara said nothing in response; he merely sat in the same position, barely acknowledging that she was even in his presence, which only infuriated Sara further. “Well, that was quite the first impression you’ve made on Earth, Daxamite. Do you always introduce yourself by trying to kill heads of state?” She asked rhetorically, again earning only a blank stare from the man sitting across from her. “How did you find yourself in a Kryptonian pod?” Sara asked, feeling herself starting to get worked up. She didn’t want to believe the worst about him, that he could’ve harmed a Kryptonian in order to steal their pod, or worse, but she’d heard too many stories of Daxamites not to assume the worst. Plus the man’s insipid silence just really seemed to get under her skin. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Sara asked, growing more and more frustrated. “Anything?” she asked one last time. Well, at least no one could blame her for not giving him every opportunity to come clean , she thought to herself as she sent an exaggerated eye roll his way before turning away to leave him alone again.

Sara made it halfway across the room before she heard a voice speak up behind her, “Do they have Zakkarian ale on this planet?” Really? That was his response after everything he’d done? Sara struggled to maintain her outward demeanor, wanting nothing more at the moment than to knock some sense into him. “Because I could really use some Zakkarian ale. It’s been my experience that most of life’s problems go away if you bring Zakkarian ale to the table,” he explained as he straightened out his legs, crossing one over the other to make himself more comfortable, now that he knew he had Supergirl’s attention.

Sara strode closer to the wall of his cell again, crossing her arms as she responded defiantly, “You’re not getting anything.”

“Is it because I didn’t say ‘please’?” he asked, a smirk turning the corners of his mouth up. “Cause you know on some worlds ‘please’ isn’t even, you know, that big of a thing. Is this not one of those worlds?” the Daxamite asked with a chuckle.

Rao, typical Daxamite , Sara thought, thinking he’s god’s gift to the world. I mean sure, he’s attractive and all, but the smugness wafting off this guy is just too much . “I’m not surprised you would make a joke of this. Your entire race thinks of nothing but themselves.”

“And you would know all about my race, wouldn’t you, Kryptonian?” he spit back at her as he shifted positions to swing his legs out so his feet now rested on the floor. “Judging by that self-righteous glyph on your chest.” Sara merely clenched her jaw in reaction. “Hey, so shouldn’t you already have all the answers?” he mockingly asked.

Not having the time nor the patience to put up with him, Sara asked bitterly, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I know how your people feel about us. High-and-mighty ‘enlighted’ Krypton. Looking down on us lowly peasants ever since you attacked us with no provocation,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest as he stood up.

“We attacked you?!” Sara asked, enraged by his ignorant accusation as she stomped closer to the wall of his cell. “Is that…” Sara took a breath as she came to stop not more than a foot in front of the wall. He was trying to get her riled up, to get a reaction out of her, and she couldn’t play his game. She let out a deep settling breath as she asked, her voice returning to a more muted tone, “Why did you send a broadcast to Daxam?”

“It was a distress call,” he answered, not liking the insinuation that he was up to something nefarious.

“Why were you sending a distress call?” Sara challenged him skeptically.

“Because, I’m in distress! Okay, I-I’m not here by choice. I’m just letting my people know I’m alive,” he explained indignantly, feeling like all of that was fairly self-explanatory.

“Yeah, okay. So if you’re marooned on this planet, why are you trying to kill the president?” Sara asked pointedly, not buying his act for one fucking minute.

“Sorry, what’s a…What’s a pres…president?” the Daxamite asked, genuinely confused by Supergirl’s question.

“If you thought I punched hard before, wait til you see me when I’m angry,” Sara threatened, assuming he was taunting her.

“Hey! I didn’t come here to kill anyone!” he insisted, not understanding why a fellow alien, even one from Krypton, couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t be trying to find a way home.

“Good, because you never will,” Sara told him, staring daggers at him to emphasize her point. 

The Daxamite took a deep breath as he realized there was no point in trying to reason with the stubborn, self-righteous Kryptonian who stood before him. She was clearly just as brain-washed as the rest of them were. “Right, and you’ve already made up your mind about me. So, it seems kind of pointless to keep talking to you,” he said, his voice sounding resigned as he resumed his seat on the makeshift bed in his cell. “Bye-bye, your highness,” he taunted in a mocking bow gesture towards Sara, who only narrowed her eyes in response. Sara internally seethed, trying to figure out if there was a way to salvage this conversation, but ultimately decided he was beyond reasoning with. As she stormed off, she heard the smug bastard pipe up again, “Oh, hey, I could really use that Zakkarian ale though. Just give a think on it.”

Later that night…

Sara landed on the balcony of the National City Hotel and knocked on the door that led into the master suite. Two Secret Service agents approached the door cautiously before President Marsdin informed them, “Supergirl saved my life this morning when I first arrived in National City. She is welcome any time, gentlemen.”

The agents opened the door, and Sara strolled inside, pleasantly surprised to see the president looking more casual as she had discarded her pantsuit for the day for leggings and a loose fitting night shirt. Sara cleared her throat before explaining her purpose for showing up unannounced, “Madam President, I’m sorry to disturb you at such a late hour–”

“Nonsense,” the president responded as she led Supergirl over to the sitting area, motioning for her to join her in the chair opposite the one she had been sitting at. “What brings you by?” she asked, her voice calm and reassuring to Sara.

Sara took the seat and nervously splayed out her cape. Sara took a deep breath and explained quickly, “I have a favor to ask you.” When the president merely looked back at her with expectant eyes, Sara elaborated, “Sara Danvers is a good friend of mine, and she’s a reporter with CatCo Worldwide Media. It would mean a lot to me if you could sit down with her for a few minutes to answer some questions about the Alien Amnesty Act,” Sara concluded as she looked up at the president, hopeful that she’d agree to do this massive favor for her.

President Marsdin carefully considered Supergirl’s request and crossed her right leg over her left as she weighed how best to respond. “CatCo does have a sterling reputation,” she mused as Sara could see the gears turning in her mind. “This… friend of yours,” the president spoke up carefully, “What exactly does she hope to accomplish with an interview that my speech tomorrow won’t?”

Supergirl let out a sigh as she took a beat to think through her response. “You heard co-Director Danvers earlier this morning at the DEO,” Supergirl began. “After what Reign did last spring, how much worse the fallout of the terraforming could have been…not everyone is lining up to extend their hand in friendship the way you are, Madam President. By giving my friend a chance to question you about this, it will only strengthen the case for the Alien Amnesty Act.”

For a minute the president merely let the silence between the two of them breathe as she thought carefully through Supergirl’s proposal. Just as Sara was beginning to fear that she was about to be rejected by the most powerful woman in the world, President Marsdin’s face curled into a slight smile, “I will be in the suite for thirty minutes following the conclusion of my remarks tomorrow night. Ms. Danvers is welcome to come by during that time, and I would be happy to answer her questions.”

Overcome with relief and gratitude, Supergirl immediately gushed, “Oh, Madam President, thank you!”

Three days later…

“Sara, can I talk to you for a few minutes, in my office?” Ava asked, as Sara was typing up a few notes on her next story. Sara tried to gauge if she had done something wrong and was about to be chewed out or what exactly Ava had in mind for their little chat. Ever the professional, Sara stood and turned off her computer as she followed Ava into her office. Sara did her best not to admire the way Ava’s black and white dress contoured her body perfectly, accentuating all of her considerable assets. In the week or so that the two of them had been working together, Sara had been finding it more and more difficult to ignore just how good it felt to be around the other woman, even if they were just discussing mundane topics like interview questions or new story pitches.

Ava sat down but not in her desk chair; instead she opted for one of the plush seats in front of her desk, and she invited Sara to take the one across from her before directing Sara’s attention to the collection of television screens behind her desk. “Your interview with the president aired last night,” Ava explained, and Sara overanalyzed everything from her body language to the decibel of her voice to try to see if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

“And?” Sara asked, desperate to know about the reception it had gotten. She and Ava had prepped the questions together, so she felt confident going in, and it seemed to go pretty smoothly even though she and the president only had about twenty minutes together to squeeze it all in. Sara had been meaning to check on any buzz about it that day, but between foiling a rogue telekinetic alien and dealing with their Daxamite visitor, her plate had been pretty full.

Sara thought she caught Ava trying to stifle a smirk as she flipped on the biggest monitor to the evening news broadcast. They were re-airing snippets of her interview with the banner “CatCo Pushes Whitehouse for Transparency and Accountability on Alien Amnesty” floating at the bottom of the screen. Ava turned up the volume as Sara could be heard asking, “After the horrific events of the Terraforming last spring that devastated National City, why did you push so hard for Congress to pass the Alien Amnesty Act?”

President Marsdin looked at Sara thoughtfully, purposefully pausing a beat to make sure her response would resonate. “In some ways our country has realized its potential as the shining city upon a hill. We have overcome existential challenges both from within and externally, and each and every time we have emerged stronger and more united. There was a time when America’s diversity was seen as a weakness, when visitors arrived seeking only a chance to find a better life for their families. And they were initially met with skepticism and fear. Even today, it seems almost fanciful that the biggest fault anyone had with Kennedy was that he was a Catholic, and that that would impair his judgment as our commander-in-chief. I will not make excuses for Reign or the devastation she inflicted on the people of National City. But I also will not prevent the overwhelming majority of aliens who come to Earth, just as our forefathers did, from seeking out a better life. By welcoming aliens out of the shadows, I believe that we push America further towards achieving that goal of a more perfect union.”

Sara couldn’t help the smile that had crept across her face as she realized the president’s words affected her just as much now as when she had first heard them during the interview. Ava clicked the television off as she turned back to look at Sara. “CatCo’s stock is up over thirty points today, one of the biggest jumps we’ve had in the past year,” she explained to Sara. “The ratings on this are an absolute gold mine. You did an amazing job, Sara.”

The pair stood, and still in shock over how positive the reception to her interview was, not to mention how proud of her Ava was, filled Sara with a sense of fulfillment she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Wow,” was all she could say at first, earning a smirk from Ava. “Thanks for pushing me to do this.”

A broader smile began to creep across Ava’s face as she asked, “I was hoping you’d let me take you out to celebrate, that is if you don’t have any big plans this evening?”

“Oh, you don’t have to. Really, I was just doing my job,” Sara insisted, unsure why she suddenly was feeling a bit flushed at the prospect of spending time outside of work alone with Ava.

Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head playfully at Sara’s remark. “Sara Danvers, you are a lot of things, but being bashful about your work is not one of them. Now, I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Where can I take you to celebrate your wildly successful interview? With the president. Of the United States!” Ava punctuated each of the last syllables for effect as she gave Sara a huge smile.

“Okay, fine,” Sara relented, loving this playful, fun side of Ava that she hadn’t seen before. “There is a place I like a few blocks from here. Verdant? Have you heard of it?” Sara asked as they headed for the elevator. Ava shook her head and before long, she and Sara were exiting the building and headed for the street. 

Sara began to walk in the direction of Verdant when Ava called out, “Sara, tonight we arrive in style.” Sara looked back, a bit confused by Ava’s comment until her glance landed on Ava waving her over to her very expensive-looking Rolls Royce.

Sara blinked a couple of times before approaching the car. “Um…so this is how the other half lives, huh?” she asked nervously as Ava playfully pulled her inside the car. 

“Where to, Ms. Luthor?” Ava’s driver asked.

Ava looked at Sara expectantly, motioning for her to tell him about the bar. “Oh, um, it’s called Verdant. It’s at the intersection of Cordova and Richards.”

Sara was almost afraid to breathe too loudly in the car as they rode the several minutes through National City’s bustling downtown before arriving out front of the bar. “We’re here, ladies,” Ava’s driver, John, announced as he pulled the car to a stop. 

Ava excitedly opened her door and led Sara inside. Apart from the hole in the wall sushi place Cat had taken her to, Ava had barely had a chance to explore the city, so she admired the industrial chic vibe of Verdant as she and Sara walked towards the bar. “Okay, do you want to start off with champagne or prosecco?” she asked as she hailed one of the bartenders.

“Um, whatever you like,” Sara said softly, wondering why she was feeling so strange. Normally when a beautiful woman offered to buy her a drink, she knew exactly what to do, but tonight, something was different. Sara shrugged it off as Ava being her boss and not wanting to do anything to ruin their admittedly pretty strong working relationship.

“Sara,” Ava teased, “We are here to celebrate you and your amazing job this week.” Ava couldn’t put her finger on why Sara seemed so off. She was normally so confident and outgoing, but tonight she just seemed a little too self-conscious. Ava wasn’t the best at emotions or reading people, so she wondered if she’d done something wrong or come on too strong. Was it inappropriate of her to want to treat her star reporter to some celebratory drinks after a job well done? Ava took a breath and turned toward Sara, asking, her voice full of vulnerability, “Is everything okay? Is this…weird? I just wanted to show you that you did a really great job this week, and I’m just better with actions than words.”

Sara found herself completely melting at how adorable Ava looked when she was being vulnerable. The lights and other people all seemed to fade away as it was just the two of them in the room, and Sara was really beginning to wonder how she could maintain a purely professional relationship with the stunning woman in front of her. Sara took a deep breath to try to shake any of those thoughts away, and a smile crept across her face as she replied, “Everything is great. But I’m more of a tequila girl than bubbly.”

Ava beamed as she invited Sara to order, and they were promptly served a pair of shots. “Oh, it’s that kind of an evening, huh?” Ava said as she held up her shot glass.

“Cheers!” Sara said as she clinked their glasses together, and both women downed their shots. “Do you play pool?” Sara asked as she spied an open table not far from the bar. 

After losing two out of three games of pool and both matches of darts to Ava, Sara suggested they take a break at one of the nearby tables. Though Sara was unaffected by tequila, she knew enough of how to pretend and blend in so as not to draw attention to herself. “I’m sorry, I know tonight is supposed to be your night. I guess I let my competitiveness take over,” Ava apologized as a waiter brought over a few waters for them. 

Sara just laughed. She’d had more fun that evening than she had in a long time, and she realized she just really enjoyed spending time with Ava. Despite the fact that she was her boss and a Luthor, Sara didn’t want the evening to end. Taking the opportunity to tease Ava for a second, Sara spoke up, “You know, I’m very impressed by how well you can hold your alcohol. What did we do? Six shots of tequila? You must be an alien.”

“Um, it was seven, thank you very much,” Ava corrected her playfully. “It was only supposed to be six because I beat you that last round of pool, but then you guilted me into doing that shot with you. Thank god you let me order some tacos because otherwise I might not still be upright.” Sara laughed a full belly laugh, thinking she could listen to Ava all night. “Not an alien, by the way. Just a Luthor,” Ava teased her right back with a huge grin. The two of them shared a moment, just getting lost in the varying shades of blue in each other’s eyes. Ava again couldn’t shake the feeling that Sara’s glasses just didn’t belong, obscuring her baby blues and freckled skin, while Sara tried to look anywhere but at Ava’s full, pink lips, which just seemed to be begging her to be kissed. 

Suddenly the spell between the two of them was broken as Ava’s phone started buzzing. It was resting face down on the table to Ava’s right so she picked it up to reveal who had the audacity to interrupt their night together. Upon seeing the caller, Ava tensed and quickly hit the ignore button on her phone. Sara didn’t miss how Ava’s pulse elevated or her quick intake of breath as she looked at who was calling. “Do you need to take that?” Sara asked, internally begging Ava to say no. The last thing Sara wanted was for their time together to come to an end.

Ava took a sip of her water then let out a deep sigh. “No, it’s…it’s no one important,” she said dismissively before tilting her wrist to take a look at her watch. Realizing the time, Ava spoke up again, “Sara, I meant what I said earlier. You did an amazing job this week, and I’m glad we were able to celebrate tonight.” Ava stood and added, “I need to head home. Do you want a ride?”

Sara tried to shrug off the feeling of emptiness that had suddenly overcome her. “No, that’s okay,” she insisted. “I think I’m going to hang out for a little bit. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

With that, Ava was gone. Sara swallowed the lump in her throat as she realized the last thing she wanted was to go home alone to an empty apartment, so she looked around Verdant, hoping to find an eligible bachelor or bachelorette to get Ava off of her mind.

Chapter Text

“See if we can do something for the children’s hospital. Maybe a fundraising gala would help?” Ava suggested to her assistant as they, along with a member of her security team, were making their way through the LCorp lobby. A man behind them was replacing the last remnants of the company’s history as Luthor Corp by installing an LCorp plaque over top. Due to a full schedule at LCorp that day, Ava had had to skip the morning pitch meeting at CatCo and had asked that all of her reporters send her their progress reports on their articles. Ava had started reviewing them and providing feedback on the ride into the office, but she didn't know when she was going to have time to squeeze in getting to the rest. 

Her mind was bouncing back-and-forth between mentally reviewing her to-do list, sorting out how they could raise desperately needed funds for Luthor Children’s Hospital, where she’d recently stepped in to help run the board in an effort to help them clean up their mess of financials, and her night out celebrating with Sara the prior evening. Ava found herself thinking of the reporter and her captivating baby blues often, especially when she was stressed or anxious about something. She was so proud of the brilliant work Sara had done with her interview of the president, and she hoped the other woman felt appreciated.

Ava wasn’t ignorant about the fact that Sara and Cat had been quite close, and that Sara must’ve considered Cat’s departure from CatCo as a potentially career-altering move. Ava wanted to do everything in her power to keep her top reporter motivated and excited to grow her career at CatCo now that Ava was in charge, and if that meant the two of them spent more time together, well, Ava could think of far worse things to endure. 

The morning sun shined brightly off of the glass walls and ceilings within LCorp’s lobby, and as Ava made her way closer to the elevator, every couple of steps, a bright ray would catch her eyes all wrong, causing her headache from the amount of tequila she’d ingested the night before to flare up. She adjusted her sunglasses and took another sip of the coffee in her hand to try to ward off the latest headache. 

Ben Lockwood, who had been seated and waiting in the lobby for nearly an hour, tentatively spoke up as he finally spied the woman he’d been anxiously awaiting. “Uh, Ms. Luthor, could I have a word with you?” Ava didn’t even break stride. It was like he was invisible to her. Ben hardened his resolve, determined to get this out of touch, hoity-toity, elitist to at least acknowledge his presence as a human being. He stood and, this time a bit more forcefully, he said, “Uh…please. It’s about my father’s company, Lockwood Family Steel.” He nearly had to shout the last part as she just kept on walking.

Ava’s security escort held up his hands in an effort to keep physical space between this stranger and his charge, until Ava fully processed what the man had been saying. Realizing who he was, she turned back to face him, hating the way the glare from the sun seemed to pierce her skull. “Wait, wait, it’s okay,” she announced softly, but firmly prompting her security escort to give her the space to speak to this man. “Hi, how can I help you?” Ava asked as she carefully slid her sunglasses off so she could look at this man eye-to-eye. Well, close to eye-to-eye; with her stilettos on she stood at least an inch taller than him.

Lockwood approached her and apologized, “Hi, I am so sorry to ambush you like this. You’re not exactly an easy person to reach.”

Ava nodded, her face curving into a polite smile. “Well, that’s by design, but…Lockwood Steel. You’re Peter Lockwood’s son?” she confirmed.

Ben smiled, grateful that he was no longer being given the stink eye by Ms. Luthor’s security detail, and that she recognized him as at least somewhat of a familiar face. “Yeah, I’m Ben Lockwood and, uh…Okay.” Ben took a deep breath as he explained his pitch, hoping to get through to the powerful woman standing in front of him. “For twenty years, Lockwood Steel has been used in some of Luthor Corp’s most successful products.”

“Well, yeah, that is true, but in case you weren’t aware, we are rebranding. And in order for LCorp to remain successful, it has to stay current. Steel made with Nth metal is the future,” Ava explained flatly. She recognized that this man was there on behalf of his family’s company, but she wasn’t sure what exactly he wanted or expected from her. Success in business was all about adapting, knowing when to make certain decisions and when to pass on others. LCorp’s change to Nth metal was objectively the right call, despite the solid history her company had with this man’s father. 

“Shouldn’t the past matter, too?” Lockwood implored her, hoping to appeal to some sense of decency in the woman.

Ava stifled a sigh as she realized why exactly he was there. He wanted a handout, something to keep the family business afloat without any promise of increased productivity for her. The laundry list of other items on the docket for her that day crept back into Ava’s mind as she tried to find a way to wrap up this conversation sooner rather than later. “Look at it this way. This is an opportunity for your father, to modernize the plant, and his work force.”

“Well, yeah, but those machines cost millions of dollars,” Lockwood said, practically pleading for her to change her mind. How could she not see that she was single-handedly ruining his family’s livelihood by not renewing their contract?

“Your father is a businessman, and a good one. Just because it’s the march of progress, doesn’t mean he has to be left behind.” And with that Ava concluded the conversation by turning around and heading for the elevator. 

What a heartless bitch , Lockwood thought to himself as he watched her walk away in her designer dress, with her designer shoes, and designer purse. 

Later that morning…

“Sara,” Ava greeted her best reporter pointedly, as she strode into her office at LCorp. Ava was a bit confused about what Sara was doing there, not to mention feeling a little stressed at her showing up unannounced. Ava figured she’d had more than her share of unannounced visitors for the day. “I didn’t get your pitch this morning along with the rest of your colleagues’,” Ava added, her tone a bit harsher than she intended. The last thing she wanted was for their celebration the prior evening to set a bad precedent or make Sara feel like the rules didn’t apply to her.

“That’s actually why I’m here,” Sara responded, crossing her arms over her chest. Her tone matched Ava’s as the lightness of their evening together had completely eroded. Something thick and tense had replaced it, filling the room with a pulse – a certain energy that seemed to wind up both women.

Ava for her part only narrowed her eyes back at Sara in response, expecting something carefully thought out from the woman across from her, given how much trouble she’d gone through to interrupt her morning. “LCorp’s policy of only hiring humans,” Sara said snidely.

“Are you pitching an article Ms. Danvers, or trying to convince me to change my company’s hiring policies?” Ava demanded, closing the proposal she’d been absent-mindedly reviewing and shoving it across her desk in clear frustration. Ava stood up straight, her glare fixated directly onto Sara.

Sara let out a frustrated sigh before explaining, “In the wake of the president touting the Alien Amnesty Act, don’t you think that policy is outdated, not to mention clearly out of touch with the direction the country is headed in?” She fidgeted with her glasses while she waited for a response from Ava. 

After Ava had left Verdant the previous night, Sara had tried to find someone, anyone to take home with her to get her mind off the other woman. But it was no use; no one else made Sara feel as…alive as she did when she and Ava were together. Even now, even while she was so disappointed by the other woman, somehow being around her still filled her with this overwhelming sense of warmth. 

While Sara had lingered at Verdant looking for a distraction from her growing attraction to Ava, she’d caught something on one of the televisions, showing excerpts from an interview with Ava. They asked her if she planned on lifting the human only hiring requirement at LCorp in the wake of the Alien Amnesty Act, and Ava had said no, defending the policy. Sara had been incensed, unable to sleep all night and had resolved to talk to Ava personally about it that morning, hoping she could convince her to change her mind.

“Stop beating around the bush and ask me what you really want to ask me,” Ava said impatiently, drawing Sara out of her thoughts. Secretly Ava had to admit to herself that she was impressed by Sara speaking up and challenging her. Plus determination was a good look on Sara; the vein in her forehead popped, and the hard lines of her brow and jaw only further sucked Ava into her beautiful blue eyes.

“Do you plan on extending that policy to CatCo?” Sara asked. It wasn’t just that she was fearful that she’d be forced into accidentally revealing herself to Ava and the world; everything Sara had seen of Ava thus far was so different from her family. She seemed so much more tolerant of aliens, but this situation just seemed to go against all of that. Sara knew how much Ava struggled against her family’s darkness, and she just couldn’t understand why in this particular case, Ava seemed to let it win.

“I want to show you something,” Ava said, catching Sara off-guard. Ava could feel herself getting emotional and worked up, and she knew one of them needed to do something to change the dynamic before someone said or did something they’d regret. Ava walked over to what Sara assumed to be a high-tech safe, and Ava placed her palm on top, causing the device to beep. Ava then reached for the front latch, popping the device open and retrieving something from inside. Ava held what appeared to be something resembling a computer mouse in her hands.

“What is it?” Sara asked, confused by where Ava was going with this.

“It’s an alien detection device that allows humans to find out who among them is not truly one of them. LCorp is planning to launch this, and I was hoping you’d write the article,” Ava said simply as she walked back over to her desk, resting slightly against it, bringing herself back down to Sara’s height.

“You’re kidding,” Sara whispered, feeling her stomach start to churn at Ava’s suggestion that she write an article promoting such a device. For a fleeting second Sara began to wonder if her first instinct when she found out Cat was leaving CatCo to quit herself was the correct one. Sara tried to keep her emotions in check, swallowing the lump in her throat as Ava continued. 

“I’m dead serious. The goal is to have this device in every store, in every town all across America,” Ava explained. She could tell Sara was uncomfortable with the device, which was why she wanted her to be the one to write about it. She had seen Sara’s exceptional work when she was passionately enthusiastic about a topic, but she hadn’t seen her yet publish something that she was conflicted over. Ava knew this wouldn’t be the last time she and Sara didn’t see eye to eye on a particular topic, and she needed to know she could trust the other woman to be objective.

“How does it work?” was all Sara could ask as she tried to remain outwardly calm while her mind raced with scenarios of how the device could be used for ill.

“It’s just a simple skin test. Okay, let me show you what a negative response looks like,” Ava explained as she placed her thumb down against the pad in the center of the device. It beeped once before the blinking white light turned blue. “See. Right,” Ava said releasing the breath she’d been holding. She and Zari had been hard at work perfecting the device, and she finally felt confident in it being ready for launch. Knowing she’d get an interesting reaction from Sara, Ava extended her hand toward the other woman, prompting her, “Now you try.”

Sara felt herself pale as she reminded herself to breathe. She let out a shuddering breath as she asked, “But won’t a device like this…Doesn’t it go against everything America is supposed to stand for?”

“Such as?” Ava asked, placing the device down on her desk behind her. She was beginning to wonder what exactly was behind Sara’s obviously negative reaction to the device.

“Well, freedom…against persecution, oppression,” Sara fumbled through an explanation as she let a nervous laugh go. “America has always been a country full of immigrants. I mean you heard what the president said in my interview. Don’t you think this device will force aliens back into the very shadows the president is trying to shine a light on?”

“If aliens want to be citizens, that’s now their right. But if humans want to know which of their fellow citizens aren’t actually one of them, then that’s their right too,” Ava defended herself and her new product. “I’m a business woman. LCorp is in the business of making money, and this device is going to make us a fortune. Unlike my brother, I’m going to do it for the good of the world.” As Ava turned her back to Sara for a brief second to resume her seat behind her desk, Sara quickly removed her glasses and directed the lasers in her eyes at Ava’s device. Sara discretely cleared her throat as Ava took a seat and extended the device toward Sara, “So?”

“Right.” Sara plastered on a fake smile as she stepped towards Ava. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath before placing her thumb down on the pad, “Here it goes.”

The device beeped before the white light changed to the same shade of blue as when Ava had used it before. “See, works perfectly,” Ava explained as Sara released another deep breath.

Sara hated having to hide how uncomfortable she felt with this whole situation, not to mention how much she questioned her own judgment about the woman who sat before her. Ava was clearly more calculating and complicated than she’d initially given her credit for. Maybe Nate was right to be cautious of her. Before Sara could escape the suddenly not so friendly confines of Ava’s LCorp office, she heard Ava speak up again.

“I’ll expect a draft of your article tonight so we can coordinate with the upcoming product launch.” She briefly glanced up from the proposal she’d begun to read through again, and Sara nodded curtly before turning to head for the door. “Oh, and Sara, as your boss, when I give you an assignment, I expect you to follow through on it. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Sara fumed, slamming the door behind her. 

Later that afternoon at the DEO…

“Hey, I got your alert. What’s going on?” Sara asked as she landed at the DEO clad in her Supergirl costume. She had been stewing from her frustrating conversation with Ava earlier that day and welcomed any distraction. Sara didn’t understand how someone could one moment be so charming and the next be so infuriating. She shoved down those thoughts for the time being as she looked to her sister, Ray, and Spooner, who had all congregated in the operations hub of the DEO.

Ray typed away on his keyboard bringing up several screens as he explained with a heavy sigh, “Someone broke into the DEO’s kryptonite reserves last night.”

Sara paled, her frustration with Ava all but forgotten at Ray’s news. “How…how much did they take?” Was the first of a million questions running through Sara’s mind. She gripped the desk in front of her to steady her as she tried not to panic. 

Noticing her sister’s obvious discomfort, Laurel spoke up reassuringly, “Hey, I know this is a lot, but we are going to find them and make sure this never happens again, okay?” Sara nodded, her face hardening in resolve as Laurel patted her back soothingly.

The DEO’s leadership had had many conversations over the past several years about whether or not to keep a stockpile of kryptonite or to focus on destroying any traces of it. They were considering destroying what remained until the worldkillers had emerged the prior year. Following their defeat of the worldkillers, Supergirl and the DEO had decided on maintaining a small amount in the event that any future rogue kryptonians arrived on Earth. 

“It looks like they made off with about a quarter of our reserves,” Ray explained as he pulled up the schematics of their storage facility. “Enough to neutralize you,” he added softly, refusing to allow himself to think about what would happen if the people who stole the kryptonite were to use it against Sara.

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat, needing to focus on tracking these people down. She asked, “Do we have any idea who stole it?”

Ray typed quickly, bringing up several additional screens. “Unfortunately, no. There were two of them, they wore face masks, and they didn’t leave any type of electronic signature or physical clues to their identities.”

“Don’t the lead cases the kryptonite is stored in have DEO trackers installed?” Spooner spoke up. “Can we ping their locations?” she asked, thoughtfully.

“Unfortunately, they disabled those immediately,” Ray said with another sigh. 

“Don’t worry, Supergirl,” Laurel tried to comfort her sister. “Finding this kryptonite is the DEO’s top priority. We’ll find these guys and have it back safe and sound soon. I promise.”

Sara turned to her sister and wrapped her arms around her, convincing herself that she wouldn’t let the threat of stolen kryptonite terrify her. She still had a life to lead and a city to keep safe, but it was certainly easier said than done. 

Suddenly remembering another top priority, Sara lowered her arms from around Laurel and asked, “What about our Daxamite visitor? Have we gotten any confirmation that he was responsible for the attack on the president?”

“Actually, the opposite,” Laurel explained as she directed Ray to pull up footage of the fire-ball slinging alien they apprehended that morning. “We found her this morning,” Laurel explained.

“I don’t understand…it wasn’t the Daxamite?” Sara asked in disbelief.

“She apparently believed that the Alien Amnesty Act was a cover for getting all aliens to register into a public central database so they’d be forced into revealing themselves and opening themselves up for additional persecution,” Spooner explained.

Sara let out a deep sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “So, our Daxamite prisoner was telling the truth?” Sara asked in deep frustration.

“Apparently,” Laurel confirmed. 

Sara nodded and turned towards the direction of the DEO’s holding cells as it dawned on her just how wrong she had been about him. Turning back to face Spooner, Ray, and Laurel, Sara said softly, “I guess we better stop treating him like a prisoner then.” 

Sara quickly made her way down to the containment area and marched towards the Daxamite’s clear wall. Upon seeing her approach, he spoke up, “So, does everyone in this world have super powers or is it just us?” Sara pressed one of the buttons on the outside of his cell, releasing the door’s latch and allowing it to swing open. Supergirl stepped through to join the Daxamite inside. “Uh, what’s going on? Thought I was a dangerous killer,” he said, not understanding her behavior.

“I don’t know you at all,” Sara admitted softly, taking great care to look him in the eye, knowing she owed him at least that much. “And it was a mistake of me to misjudge you just because you’re from Daxam. You didn’t try to kill the president. And I apologize for assuming you did.” Sara took a deep breath as she attempted a do-over in their introduction as if to present a peace offering. “My name is Sara Zor-El, and I’m from Krypton. And like you, I’m a refugee on this planet. Earth.”

As she apologized, Sara found her thoughts drifting, as they often did, to Ava Luthor. Sara had been wrong about this alien trying to kill the president, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t aliens out there with nefarious intentions. Maybe she had jumped to incorrect conclusions about Ava, her company policy, and her new prototype, just as she had done so with the man standing before her. Sara resolved to take another pass through her article draft with an open and objective mind before visiting Ava again later that evening to apologize for her unprofessional behavior that day.

Bringing herself back to the present, Sara extended her hand towards the man in front of her, hoping her apology was enough to help them move toward a more productive working relationship. She had hated assuming the worst about him initially, but in her own defense, she’d never met a Daxamite worth befriending before. He stared at her for a moment, as if unsure of what to do next before a small smile crept across his face, and he extended his hand to grasp Sara’s.

“My name is Mon-El,” he explained, shaking Sara’s hand. For the first time since he woke up in the DEO, he felt a sense of relief, that this world wasn’t as terrible as he’d originally thought. Mon-El let out a sigh before asking tentatively, “So, uh, what now? Can you help me get in touch with my home world?” he added hopefully.

Sara let out a deep sigh as she couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes for what she needed to tell him. He was owed the truth about his home, and as much as it would hurt Sara to tell him she knew she needed to. “Uh, you might want to sit down. There’s something I have to tell you.” Sara stepped inside Mon-El’s room, and the two of them sat down next to each other on his cot. Mon-El stared expectantly at Sara who swallowed the lump in her throat before explaining, “When Krypton was destroyed, the debris showered onto Daxam.”

“Yeah, I know, that’s…that’s why I got out of there in a hurry,” Mon-El explained, not grasping the gravity of what Sara was trying to explain to him.

Sara nodded, bringing her gaze up from the floor to meet his eyes, wanting to be able to offer some type of comfort to him. “Well, some of the larger masses struck Daxam’s moon, disrupting the gravitational force of the planet.”

Sara’s tone combined with her explanation started to sink in for Mon-El as his brow furrowed, and his heart began to feel heavy. “Wait, what are you…what are you saying?” he asked, desperately hoping she wasn’t delivering the worst news a person could to a marooned alien.

“Uh,” Sara sighed massively, trying to figure out how best to explain the situation to Mon-El.  “Daxam is still there, but it was ravaged by solar storms. It’s a wasteland now. Your home…my home…they’re um…they’re gone.”

Mon-El didn’t say anything in return. He could tell Supergirl empathized with his plight, and that she wasn’t trying to pull any type of Kryptonian ploy with him. He just tried to breathe as he processed the news that his home and everyone he ever knew was gone.

That evening back at LCorp…

As Sara approached Ava’s office she was surprised to find her dutiful assistant nowhere to be found. The corridor was dark and dimly lit, and Sara hoped that she hadn’t missed Ava. Sara  stood in front of her office door and knocked, silently praying it wasn’t too late to make amends. 

Ava had removed her heels and, more than an hour ago, exchanged her business suit for yoga pants and a loose fitting tank. She was sprawled out on her couch reviewing the latest article drafts from her crack reporter team, and she nearly jumped when she heard the rap on her door. She brought her wrist up in front of her face to check the time and let out a frustrated sigh upon seeing that it was nearly ten. The last thing she wanted was to have to be on for god knew who was outside her door. Ava contemplated ignoring it, fearing it was some loathsome creature such as Morgan Edge or Damien Darhk. 

When Ava heard the follow-up knock, she knew whomever it was wasn’t going anywhere until she answered. She considered asking them to give her a minute so she could change into something a bit more professional, but ultimately decided against it. Whomever they were, they interrupted her evening, so they could deal with her in her current state. 

Ava took a deep breath, stood up, and shuffled over to the door. As Ava opened it to reveal Sara standing on the other side of the threshold, a small smile crept across her face. Ava wasn’t sure how she felt about the fact that the mere sight of Sara was enough to make her smile. But compared to all the other scenarios she’d allowed her mind to conjure, Sara was far and away superior. Ava blinked a couple of times as she stared at Sara, suddenly very self-conscious about her attire again. Deciding to own it, she took a step back from the door as if to signal to Sara she was welcome to join her.

Ava made a beeline for her couch, and Sara followed suit, placing her purse down on the cushion beside her. Sara was a bit taken aback by Ava’s appearance. First and foremost she was relieved she was even still at LCorp. Sara was so used to seeing Ava dressed to the nines in gorgeous dresses and impeccable tailored suits. Yet the sight of her looking so casual, particularly with her long, blonde locks tumbling down over her left shoulder…Sara internally pinched herself as flashes of tearing Ava’s tank top off started to race through her mind. 

“What brings you by at this hour, Ms. Danvers?” Ava asked, curling her legs up underneath her while she sat next to Sara on her couch. Ava propped her elbow on top of the back of the couch, resting her face against her open palm.

Sara took a calming breath in an effort to ease her racing heartbeat. She’d been plagued the entire day by the feeling that something between the two of them was broken and needed to be fixed, and she finally had her opportunity to do so. “I wanted to apologize,” Sara explained. When Ava just looked at Sara expectantly, encouraging her to continue, Sara added, “I want to be the best reporter in National City. And in order to do that I need to treat all assignments, big and small, with the same attention to detail and gusto. And I promise you will get nothing less from me in the future.” Sara fidgeted with her glasses and let out a breath as she looked up into Ava’s stormy blue eyes, hoping for a return to the ease between them the prior night.

A grin stretched across Ava’s face as she reflected on the reporter’s words, knowing she meant every single one of them. “I read your draft,” Ava acknowledged. Sara’s eyebrows raised in apprehension of what her boss might say about it, but she was pleasantly surprised by what Ava said next. “To be honest after our meeting this morning, I was afraid you’d do a hatchet job on me.” 

“Oh, I tried,” Sara admitted, a huge grin spreading across her face as the balance of the universe seemed to shift back into its natural state as they fell back into easy conversation. “I tried, I wrote several scathing drafts about the device, the company policy, all of it.”

Ava sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, causing Sara to feel butterflies in her stomach. “I have a confession to make,” she admitted softly. When Sara’s only response was a knitted brow, Ava continued, “I’ve seen you do amazing work when it’s about something you’re really passionate about. But I needed to know you could write objectively about something you disagreed with.”

Sara took a breath as she let Ava’s words sink in. She glanced around the room, and while spying the chessboard in mid-game on one of the nearby coffee tables, she asked, “You were testing me?” Ava looked away and nodded. “Did I pass?” Sara asked softly, refocusing her gaze on Ava. 

“We’re going to disagree sometimes, Sara,” Ava responded as she too locked eyes with the woman before her. Sara was so close, only a few feet away from her, and Ava fought every impulse within her that screamed for her to lean in and plant a gentle kiss against Sara’s lips. “I needed to know that you would push back and challenge me when I go too far. Or that you’ll tell the truth about something, whether you think it’s the latest and greatest or far from it.”

Sara smiled again as she realized Ava was doing what Cat used to do with her, just in her own unique way. She was giving up some of her precious time to devote to helping Sara become a better reporter, and that made Sara’s heart absolutely melt. Realizing she needed to say something quickly or else she might do something she’d regret, Sara smiled and even laughed a bit to herself as she explained, “You know, I’m actually glad you gave me this assignment. Some things happened that made me rethink my position.”

“Do tell,” Ava said invitingly as a huge grin spread across her face.

Sara laughed to herself as she tried to find the right words. “I still think Alien Amnesty is a good thing, but there are bad aliens out there.”

“Well, I’m glad you can see from my point of view,” Ava teased, earning another small laugh from Sara. Ava realized she would do just about anything to hear that adorable laugh and see Sara’s radiant smile every day of the week. Suddenly reminded of less happier times, Ava grew serious again and explained, “You know when I was a little girl, I adored Bishop.” Sara’s adjustment of her glasses didn’t go unnoticed by Ava, but she continued, “When he showed his true colors, I was crushed. I tried everything to reach him, bring him back to the side of good. But it was no use. I’d lost him. Finally I realized that some people are just bad. And there’s nothing you can do to change that. But, you can learn to protect yourself.”

“Yeah,” Sara admitted softly, understanding where Ava was coming from, and finding it comforting that despite how different the worlds they came from truly were, the two women had a lot in common. Realizing just how late it had gotten, Sara spoke up again, “Well, I’m sorry to keep you from everything I know you’ve got going on, especially with the new product launch coming up.” Sara stood up and added, “I’ll let you enjoy what’s left of the evening, and I’ll see you at CatCo tomorrow morning.” 

Sara turned and started heading for Ava’s door, but before she could leave, Ava stood up and added, “For the record no one’s job is in jeopardy at CatCo.” Sara stopped dead in her tracks and turned back around to face Ava, wanting to make sure she fully understood what the Luthor was explaining to her. Ava sighed as she explained further, “I am exploring lifting the ban on hiring aliens at LCorp as well, but if you print that without my approval, then someone’s job may be in jeopardy after all,” she teased with a smirk. 

Sara couldn’t help the beaming grin that spread across her face at Ava’s confession. “Goodnight Ava,” she said softly as she opened the door, leaving Ava once again to herself. She once again ran a hand through her hair as she lamented how cold her office felt without Sara in it.

A few days later…

“You’ve got some nerve, lady,” Morgan Edge seethed as he stomped into Ava’s office at CatCo. The morning editorial meeting had wrapped up a few minutes ago, and Sara and Nate were working on their upcoming articles when Edge had marched straight through the bullpen, making a beeline for Ava’s office.

“Good morning to you too,” Ava said dryly as he stopped in front of her desk, no doubt enjoying the role reversal of being able to tower over her, now that she was seated. “What have I done to offend your delicate ego today?” Ava quipped as she took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in her chair to stare up at the man who dared to ruin her morning.

“You’re a fucking hypocrite,” Edge spat out sharply. When Ava’s only response was a cold stare and clenched jaw, he continued, “You lectured me about wanting to use CatCo to promote my own interests?” he asked, as if Ava had personally wronged him. “And what do I read in the morning papers, but a glowing review of LCorp’s alien detection devices? I could slap you with the biggest lawsuit,” Edge fumed as he angrily shoved the papers in his hand at Ava.

Ava quickly grabbed the papers and placed them down on the side of her desk, internally fuming and wishing this ass would find some new shiny object to distract his attention from her. She maintained her icy stare up at Edge and asked coldly, “And what part of this morning’s headlines were untrue, exactly?” When Edge’s only response was to cross his arms over his chest, Ava continued. “None of them? Hmmm.” Slowly, she stood up, wanting to be able to tower over him now that she could feel she had him on the defensive. “What about hyperbole? Undo exaggeration?” Ava asked, still receiving only silence from Edge. “None of that either? I guess you skipped that day of business school Morgan, but it’s not illegal to co-promote business lines. So you can waste as much money as you want on that suit.” Ava spat out at him.

After a beat of thinking through his response, Edge let out a soft chuckle to himself. “How long until you get tired, huh?” Resorting to insults, real mature. Clearly he lacks any kind of actual comeback , Ava thought to herself as he began his biting personal critique. “Posing as Cat Grant, hoping that the gleam of liberal media is gonna somehow magically rub off on you.” Edge paused a beat before twisting the metaphorical knife. “You can use this institution as your mouthpiece all you want, but you’re just fooling yourself in this ivory tower. They’ll never trust you. They’ll never see you as anything but a Luthor.”

Ava bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to let his words have their desired effect. “You’re right, Morgan,” Ava acquiesced softly before her tone abruptly changed. “I am a Luthor. I’m cold, calculating, and always ten steps ahead of my competition,” she said, as if to warn him.

Edge couldn’t stifle the chuckle that once again escaped his lips. Pivoting he asked, “Is that why you rejected my latest development proposal?”

Ava let out a sigh of frustration, spreading her arms out in mock relief. “Finally. I thought you’d never get around to telling me why you’re really here. Can we drop the pretense that you actually care about integrity?” she asked, now that he’d made his intentions clear for his unannounced visit.

Edge placed his hand over his heart in mock hurt. “Ouch. Now that you’re a newspaper woman, I assumed you’d be more careful with your words,” he taunted her. “I could sue you for defamation of character.”

“I don’t know…don’t you have to have a character to defame?” Ava asked, her jaw clenching as she shot Edge an icy stare.

“Ooh,” Edge responded with a crooked grin. “So what exactly was the problem with my proposal? It didn’t help enough aliens? Or was it that it disproportionately helped aliens, because you can’t seem to decide which side of the fence you’re on.”

“Why am I not surprised you’re not thinking about the big picture? It’s not about aliens, Morgan. It’s about profit margins. And if you think I’d sign on to a deal where mine are less than yours…well, then you don’t know me at all,” Ava lectured him, more than exhausted from this conversation that had clearly run its course. “Now, if you’re done wasting my time, I have a company to run,” Ava told him as she moved around to resume her seat behind her desk. 

“I’ll see myself out,” Ava heard Edge say as he stalked out of her office. Ava just stared blankly ahead of her, not wanting to have to look at the pathetic man for another second.

Ava let out the breath she’d been holding once she heard the elevator doors close. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she tried to shake off the sting of his harsh words about her. She knew she gave as good as she got, and seeing him leave in frustration without any concessions from her certainly helped, but she lamented that every interaction with him seemed to end with her feeling so down.

Luckily, before Ava had a chance to wallow about Edge’s cruelty, there was a soft knock on her door. Ava pried her eyes open to see that it was Sara and Nate, and happy for the distraction, she gestured for them to come in.

Ava stood up to greet her two top reporters as they entered her office. “What did National City’s biggest ass want today?” Nate asked. Nate had to admit to himself, he’d been pleasantly surprised by Ava’s acumen with taking over CatCo from Cat Grant. As much as he had admired Cat and enjoyed working for her, Ava had a different style and some of his early reservations about her had, at least for the time being, been unfounded. Nate had been able to grow his skills as a reporter and writer under Ava’s leadership, and Edge was clearly a bully who pounced on any opportunity to stick it to his boss.

Sara was relieved that things between her and Ava had returned to normal, or at least whatever passed for normal between them. She still found herself drawn to the Luthor, continually sucked in by her beauty, not to mention her brilliance. Sara wondered if the growing attraction she was feeling for Ava would ever subside or if this was just the way her life was now. 

“He’s already taken up enough of my day,” Ava explained, not wanting to rehash their ugly conversation. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, besides moral support,” Sara began to explain, “We wanted to talk through some questions on our current assignments…”

But Ava didn’t hear the rest of what Sara went on to explain. One of the televisions behind her desk had piqued her interest with their coverage of Supergirl from the prior evening. She had saved a young girl and her mother from a vicious car accident caused by a rogue alien. It was clear that the girl looked at Supergirl with wonder and awe, and who could blame her? Ava at times found herself thinking about the super in such a way. But Supergirl didn’t stick around, didn’t offer any comforting words to the family. She left once they were safe, and that was the end of it. 

“We’ve never done a cover or an exclusive on Supergirl,” Ava said suddenly. “No one has. Not an interview, or a feature, or anything. Why is that?”

Sara and Nate shared a knowing look before Sara let out a sigh and spoke up, “Supergirl doesn’t want to be the story. She…” Sara paused, trying to think of how to explain it without it feeling like she was talking about herself. “She just wants to do her job, ensure that the city is safe, and be left alone.”

Ava narrowed her eyes at Sara as if she were judging how much she believed her explanation. “And you know that how?” she asked skeptically. 

After a pregnant pause Sara said softly, “We’re friends. She’s very clear on her position,” Sara reiterated. 

“Well, you need to get your friend to agree to an exclusive interview, Ms. Danvers. That’s an order.”

Chapter Text

“So anyway, that’s how that happened,” Mon-El said as he bench pressed another round of seven hundred and fifty pound weights. He had been explaining to Supergirl, Laurel, Ray, and Spooner who he was and how he found himself in a Kryptonian pod.

“You were a palace guard?” Laurel asked, clarifying his story.

“For the great royal family of Daxam,” Mon-El responded, out of breath from his physical exploits as he set the weight down and sat up. Spooner subtly narrowed her eyes while she listened to Mon-El’s explanation.

“Ugh, they were the worst. And their son, the prince, he was rumored to be the worst of the worst. Frat boy of the universe,” Sara commented, her disdain for the prince readily apparent to the entire team.

“Uh he…he had his good moments too,” Mon-El defended him tentatively.

“Hmm,” Sara shrugged, not willing to concede on that point.

“Oh yeah, your planets didn’t get along so well, did they?” Ray asked, picking up on some lingering tension between the two super-powered aliens. 

“Nope.” “No.” Sara and Mon-El both responded dryly.

After a beat of silence passed between everyone, Mon-El spoke up tentatively, trying not to get his hopes up, “Yeah, I know it’s a long shot, but any chance there was a response to that signal I sent to Daxam? I mean, I can’t be the only one left, right?”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, no one wanting to be the person to have to explain to Mon-El the truth about his home. Realizing she owed him something, Laurel cleared her throat and responded softly, “I’m sorry, but, no.”

Mon-El could tell by the looks of everyone that it wasn’t just that no one had responded, but that they didn’t expect anyone ever to respond. Even Sara, whom Mon-El had come to realize in their short time together was someone who didn’t give up easily, seemed discouraged and less than optimistic they’d hear something. Not wanting to bring the entire mood down, Mon-El decided to shift the conversation, “Right, uh…anyway, enough of those…those dreary thoughts, right? So what do you guys do for fun around here? Do you drink or dance or…oh, hey, do they play Garata here?” he asked excitedly looking at Sara.

“What’s Garata?” Laurel asked, confused.

“It’s like soccer, with dragons,” Sara explained with an eye roll.

“No, not that. Uh, we have PlayStation,” Spooner added thoughtfully.

“Great. So, when do we get out of here and do that…that thing you just said?” Mon-El asked, eager to get out of the DEO and do something besides being examined as if he were a lab rat.

“Actually, we think it might be better for you to stay here until we can fully assess your abilities. Spooner, you mind running point on that?” Laurel asked as she and Ray began heading for the exit to the training room the team had converged in. They had a briefing with the president and needed to head over to their joint offices to take it on a secure line. Sara meanwhile had to head out to get to CatCo, leaving just Mon-El and Spooner.

A while later after Spooner had had a chance to further evaluate Mon-El, she spoke up, rattling off the results of their tests. “No heat vision, no x-ray vision…but you’re strong,” Spooner added as Mon-El’s latest punch dented the metal console nearest her.

“As strong as Sara?” Mon-El asked with a cocky smile.

“Ha! No, not even close,” Spooner teased. “Uh, let’s see,” she started explaining again, running through her notes, “no freeze breath, which is kind of a bummer, right? No flight either, but your leaping is fantastic. I’m…I’m talking about like ‘tall buildings in a single bound’ kinda stuff. Yeah, we…we definitely have the makings of a superhero here.”

“Uh, a superhero?” Mon-El asked tentatively. He was still wrapping his mind around having these new abilities, not to mention dealing with the news about his home of Daxam. He admired Sara and everything she did to help and protect people, but did he have to join her in order to spend more time with her? Wasn’t it enough for him to just… be on this world without having to engage in the same heroic exploits she undertook every day?

“Yeah. You know, you…you go out there, you fight crime, save people, wear a costume…superhero,” Spooner said, unsure of where his hesitation was coming from. As she took a step back to really take stock of his demeanor, Spooner questioned whether she should speak up, knowing what she did about him. Sensing it might have something to do with his lack of enthusiasm, Spooner approached Mon-El so they were only a few feet apart. She spoke up softly, “You know…kind of like what the prince of Daxam, your charge, did, just now you’d do all of that with superpowers.”

“Uh huh,” Mon-El acknowledged her sheepishly.

Spooner crossed her arms as she let out a deep sigh, clearly uncomfortable about what she had to say next, “Look, I hate doing this without consent, but it was just…I mean I didn’t even have to try–”

“What…what are you talking about?” Mon-El interrupted her. His brow furrowed intently as he studied the shorter woman before him with much scrutiny and anticipation of what she was getting at.

Spooner took a deep breath before finally whispering, “I know you weren’t a palace guard. I know you’re really the prince.”

“How the hell do you know that?” Mon-El asked in disbelief.

“I’m telepathic. I can read other aliens’ and humans’ thoughts. Like I said, I don’t like to do it without getting permission first, but your thoughts were practically screaming it at me. It was impossible not to pick up on it,” she explained. 

“Why didn’t you give me up?” Mon-El eyed her suspiciously but could tell she was genuine in her reluctance to use her own powers on him.

“My mom disappeared twelve years ago, and I’ve been on my own ever since. I guess I remember the feeling of not having anyone else around that you could trust, and I didn’t want you to feel that way,” Spooner reassured him as she explained her own painful past. Her mother’s disappearance still haunted her so many years later as she was constantly racking her mind for what she could’ve done differently not to lose her only family. She just hoped that explaining it to Mon-El would help him feel more at peace with the team and understand that they were all fighting their own personal battles against loneliness. Needing to lighten the mood a bit, Spooner teased, “Plus, I figure I have something to hold over you to keep you in line, make sure you behave.”

“Thanks, Spooner,” Mon-El said with a broad smile.

“Now, uh, let’s see if you can lift eight hundred pounds, chief,” she instructed as she led him back over to the bench press.

Later that afternoon, Sara, dressed in her Supergirl costume, swung by while Mon-El was training against one of their metal training dummies. Sara stood beside her friend and whispered softly, “Hey, um, Spooner, would you mind if I had a minute alone with Mon-El?”

“No skin off my back, chica,” Spooner obliged as she made her way out of the training room and back to her desk to get caught up on some of her other assignments.

Realizing he and Sara were alone and that she was studying him carefully, Mon-El stopped trying to attack the dummy in front of him, and turned to face Sara. “What’s uh…what’s going on?” he asked, unsure of why she’d come to pay him a special visit.

Sara cleared her throat, as she began to explain why she’d sought a private audience. “You’ve been doing a good job here. Doing what you’re told. Following orders.” Sara had spoken to Laurel and Ray about allowing Mon-El to leave the DEO headquarters now that they knew he wasn’t a national security threat, nor would he reveal anything about their operation. They had relented, pending Sara agreeing to keep an eye on him, which was fine by her. “My sister and I are hosting a game night at my place tonight. You wanna come?” she asked, feeling like he’d earned a break.

“What’s uh…what’s a game night?” Mon-El asked, confused by Sara’s invitation.

“Well, you asked about fun earlier, and it’s how we have fun,” Sara explained. “We order takeout, play board games, and just catch up on how each other’s lives are going,” she added. “It’s like a mini-vacation, to take a break from all of the issues and problems that might be going on.”

“Is Spooner not invited? Is that why you wanted her to leave us alone?” Mon-El asked, still trying to feel out the situation.

Sara let out a huge laugh, causing Mon-El to feel butterflies in his stomach for the first time. He took a moment to really look at Sara, and beyond the self-righteous Kryptonian exterior, he realized that underneath all of that, she was an exceptional person, not to mention, an extremely beautiful one. He wasn’t sure if there was a better sound in the world than the pure joy in Sara’s laugh. 

“Spooner is one of my best friends and has a standing invitation to game night,” Sara explained. 

“Okay, great. Yeah, let’s do the games thing.”

Later that night…

“Can you explain the black card thing one more time?” Mon-El asked as he and Sara were seated on her couch studying the Codenames playing board spread out on the coffee table in front of them. They were seated so close to each other that their knees were touching, and Mon-El wondered what it would be like to put his arm around Sara’s shoulder. She smelled amazing, and it was nice to see her in plain clothes and out of her Supergirl costume for the first time.

Before his daydreaming could go too much further, there was a knock on Sara’s apartment door. She quickly stood and walked the handful of steps over to greet her guests. “You’ll figure it out. I promise!” she said happily back to Mon-El before opening her door. “Hey, Spooner!” Sara said excitedly as she leaned in to wrap her arms around the DEO agent. “What’s this?” she asked as Spooner handed her a bottle of clear liquid with a bow on it.

“I saw your stash of mezcal was getting dangerously low, so, figured this could be my contribution to tonight’s festivities,” Spooner said with a smile and a wink as she entered Sara’s apartment. Sara offered to take her coat as Spooner spied Mon-El and turned to him to ask, “Hey, Mon-El, do they have mezcal on Daxam?”

Sara missed the rest of their conversation as just as she was about to close her apartment door, she spied Laurel, Nate, and Ray. “Hey, sis,” Sara greeted her, wrapping her arms around her. Laurel could only reciprocate with one arm as her right was full of food.

“Hey, yourself,” Laurel said back, beaming before handing the container in her hand over to Sara.

Sara gasped excitedly. “Are those potstickers?”

Laurel nodded as she, Ray, and Nate made their way inside Sara’s apartment. Sara was starving and had been eagerly anticipating her sister’s arrival ever since she said she’d be bringing the food for their game night. “These are for you, and for the rest of us, we’ve got Hawaiian and pepperoni pizzas too,” Laurel instructed as Ray placed the pizzas down on Sara’s dining room table.

“And beer,” Nate added with a smile as he held up a couple of six-packs.

“Have I told you all how much I love you recently?” Sara said as a contented sigh escaped her lips. She was in her happy place with all of her favorite people. A thought suddenly cut into Sara’s mind as she wondered if she’d ever have Ava over for game night. As quickly as it had occurred to her, Sara shook the thought away. As much as their friendship was blossoming, Ava was her boss, and Sara was beginning to wonder if they could remain solely friends given how…good Ava made her feel whenever they were in the same room together.

“Woah! New game night player?” Nate asked, jerking Sara out of her wandering thoughts of Ava.

Realizing she had yet to introduce them, Sara explained, “Nate, this is Mon-El, the man who crashed in the Kryptonian pod. He’s a refugee from Daxam. Mon-El, this is Nate. He’s my best friend and fellow reporter at CatCo.” The two of them shook hands as Sara excitedly popped a potsticker into her mouth. Nate shared a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it look with Ray while he eyed Mon-El. 

Sara was indeed his best friend, and he had hoped for her to someday find someone to share more than just a night with. He knew all about her preconceptions and insecurities about having someone to come home to, but he had to hold out hope that someone as strong and caring as Sara could find happiness, if nothing else, but to give him hope for himself. He wondered if Sara did feel something for this Mon-El guy, or if she had just extended the invite as a friend, trying to make him feel welcome on Earth.

“Well, since I’m now outnumbered five to one, maybe I should apply at the DEO. How’s their press corps?” Nate joked as he realized everyone else in the room either worked at the DEO or in Mon-El’s case was affiliated.

Sara laughed as she finished her potsticker. “Don’t you dare leave me alone at CatCo!” she joked.

“Sara, I thought you said I had to be careful about who I reveal my powers and the DEO to,” Mon-El said, his brow furrowing at how comfortable Sara and Nate were despite the fact that he was just meeting him. Mon-El had a feeling the rules governing social conventions on Earth would take him a while to navigate.

“You do,” Sara clarified, wanting to be crystal clear with Mon-El about who knew her secret, who didn’t, and underscoring the importance that things remain that way. “Apart from the people in this room, the only other people who know my secret and about the DEO are my parents. It is vitally important that that does not change, are we clear?” Sara’s tone for the last bit was more serious and firm than her normal friendly one, but she needed to be sure she could count on him not to accidentally make her life extremely difficult.

“We’re clear,” Mon-El confirmed as he and Sara shared a nod and a small smile.

“Good. The same goes for your secret too,” she told him. “It could be dangerous if people outside of this room found out that you’re not native to Earth.”

After some of the tension from Sara making sure Mon-El knew about the rules of disclosure had dissipated, the six Superfriends fell into a pretty comfortable evening of munching on pizza, sipping on beer, and playing a few rounds of Codenames. 

After Ray, Nate, and Mon-El lost a close game to the ladies, Mon-El insisted, “I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it! Can we do another round?” Ray and Nate looked at Sara as if to plead with her to not be on Mon-El’s team anymore, both of them clearly wanting a turn at being on a winning team.

“All right, one more round, but let’s shuffle up the teams,” Sara offered, stifling a smirk at the boys’ competitive behavior. “Laurel and Mon-El, you’re with me. Spooner, I’m watching you over there!” Sara gestured adorably with her index and middle figure over at Spooner, joking that she would be keeping an eye on her. In response Spooner smiled and tipped her glass towards Sara before taking a sip of her mezcal.

As soon as the new set of words were revealed, Nate, Laurel, and Ray audibly groaned while Sara and Spooner’s faces fell. Mon-El just furrowed his brow in confusion at everyone’s reactions. 

“Spooner, where’s the mezcal?” Nate asked, pinching his nose as he let out a deep sigh.

Laurel had already made her way over to the kitchen to grab the handle of alcohol along with several shot glasses. As she returned to the group, she began pouring out shots and prompted, “Who else needs one?”

“What’s uh…what’s going on? Are you guys okay?” Mon-El asked, picking up on a clear change in the mood of the room.

Laurel, Ray, and Nate each shared a look, as if they were trying to decide between them if they wanted to explain, how much detail they’d go into, and who exactly would start. Finally Ray spoke up after quickly downing a shot of the smoky alcohol, coughing slightly from the burn in his throat. “The two, uh words, over in this corner,” he explained, pointing so Mon-El could see what he meant, “altar and ditch.” Ray let out a sigh as Mon-El carefully looked at the words on the coffee table, still not understanding. “I was engaged last year. So was Laurel. A few weeks before we were both supposed to get married, our fiancés…well, they left town…with each other. They got married not long after that.”

Laurel quickly downed her shot of mezcal before releasing a deep sigh, adding bitterly, “Fucking jerks.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mon-El said softly, not expecting the night to take such a dramatic turn. Up until that point he totally understood the fun of game night and felt honored that Sara had asked him to join. Mon-El found himself forgetting that Sara was from Krypton and their rocky start, feeling like he was getting to know the real her, someone who cared deeply and fiercely for her friends and family. The butterflies he’d felt at the beginning of the night when Sara was explaining the rules of Codenames had returned at various points. He’d been trying to study her throughout the night to see if there was any indication that she felt similarly towards him. Realizing that Nate had also reacted to the list of words on the table in front of them, Mon-El looked at him and asked, “Did your fiancé also leave?”

Nate scoffed as he downed a second shot, releasing a rather large sigh himself. “No,” he said softly before adding, “My girlfriend…ex-girlfriend, Amaya, went back to her family in Zambesi, Africa , earlier this year.” He emphasized the word ‘Africa’ as that was on one of the tiles on the board as well. “We weren’t engaged or anything, but she was the first woman that I could ever see myself marrying,” he added, a hint of bitterness mixed in with his melancholy tone.

Mon-El took a deep breath, feeling a little overwhelmed by how much he’d learned about Sara’s friends that night. “I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. “I um, I thought being an alien marooned here without any family or friends was a lot to process, but you all have been so kind and welcoming to me even though it’s clear you have a lot that you’re dealing with.” He quickly glanced in Sara’s direction and felt his heart melt at the sweet smile she gave him. “I guess, I just wanted to say thank you. And if there’s ever anything I can do to help you, please tell me.”

“To Mon-El,” Sara said after a beat of silence had passed, prompting everyone to bring in their glasses for a cheers. As they obliged and clinked glasses, she added, “the newest member of Superfriends’ game night.”

“Hear, hear!” Everyone responded, thankful to put some of their deep feelings aside and enjoy spending time with each other. 

A little bit later on, Sara, Laurel, and Spooner were cleaning up the pizza boxes and saving the leftovers. They were joking with each other, bumping hips, and laughing, and Mon-El felt his earlier feelings return in spades as a comforting warmth began to spread within his body. He turned to Ray and Nate, who were sitting in the chairs nearest him, cleared his throat, and asked tentatively, “Is uh…is Sara mated to someone?”

“Say what?” Nate asked, intrigued by Mon-El’s curious phrasing while Ray smiled and let out a soft laugh.

“Well, on Daxam, we had arranged marriages, chosen for you at birth. You reach a certain age, and boom. You’re latched to that person,” Mon-El explained. “Is that how it works here on Earth?”

“Uh, well, here on Earth, we call it getting hitched, not latched. And nowadays, you pretty much choose your own mate,” Ray responded, always finding it interesting how customs varied across the cosmos.

Mon-El looked over at Sara in the kitchen again, loving the way her whole face lit up when she smiled and the bounce of her soft waves as she laughed at something Laurel had told her. “Has Sara chosen?” he asked softly.

“No, she has not,” Nate said. He and Ray shared a curious look before directing their attention back to Mon-El who was clearly smitten. “Why do you ask?”

Mon-El shook his head, as if to cover his true intentions. “Just…studying Earthly customs.”

Before Ray or Nate had a chance to respond, Sara realized The Darhk Side was airing snippets of her interview with the president, and turned up the volume on her television so she could hear what nonsense Damien was spouting. She resumed her seat next to Mon-El on the couch as everyone gathered around to listen.

“Good evening and welcome to The Darhk Side . By now you’ve undoubtedly been inundated with coverage of the president’s so-called Alien Amnesty Act. But if you’ve been paying attention at all over the past several years – and you know here on this network, we always hold those in power accountable – you know that this latest piece of legislation from an out of touch administration is really about replacement, rather than amnesty. How else could you interpret this law?” Darhk asked rhetorically, his voice squeaky and full of derision.

“Is it not enough that of the quarter of a million new jobs added last month, over two-thirds of them went to aliens? Is it not enough that that the people of National City have to constantly live in fear that they will be the victims of another terrorist alien attack like the terraforming they withstood just seven, short months ago?” Damien continued to rattle off incendiary, not to mention inaccurate, scenarios that made Sara’s blood boil. She tried to take deep breaths, reminding herself that he was a fringe late night host that no one took seriously, but it was still difficult for her to just sit there and listen to him spout abject lies to millions of Americans.

“CatCo, a news outlet known for its hard-hitting political interviews – Not! – reporter, Sara Danvers, asked the president in their recent sit-down about whether now was the right time for alien amnesty. Considering how much damage Reign did to National City this past spring, I think we can all agree that no, now is very much not the time to be extending a hand of friendship towards these thugs invading our country. For any of you hoping that business mogul Ava Luthor’s recent takeover of CatCo would shift their tone closer to the center, don’t hold your breath,” Darhk explained condescendingly. “She’s every bit the bleeding heart liberal her predecessor, Cat Grant, is.”

Sara could hardly contain the rage swirling inside of her. What the hell gave this ass the right to pick apart her and the president? How could he so disgustingly twist their words and blatantly mislead people? Nevermind his cruel words about Cat and Ava, two of the most brilliant and successful people in the world. Before Sara could get worked up any further, a new face appeared on screen.

“To help shed some additional context on the situation, I’m joined by esteemed professor, Ben Lockwood of National City University. Welcome Ben,” Damien said as he shook the man’s hand and invited him to sit in the chair across from his.

“Thanks for having me on tonight, Damien. As a history professor it’s important to me to help make sure your audience understands the context and precedent for situations like the ones we find ourselves in now, so that we can learn from the mistakes of the past,” Ben responded.

Damien nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. “Tell me more about what you mean by that, the ‘mistakes of the past’ as you put it,” he encouraged his guest.

Ben smiled as he prepared to add on to his lead in. Sara couldn’t fully grasp why, but the expression on his face filled her with a sense of dread and foreboding. Maybe it was the sheer glee in the way the corners of his mouth stretched ever further across his face. Or maybe it was the utter lack of empathy in his cold, nearly black eyes as they seemingly stared back at her through the television screen. Who was this guy? What had made a seemingly bright and successful young man feel compelled to join Damien in his crusade against aliens, the president, and the free press? 

“Just look at this country’s own history,” Ben explained in response to Damien. “From recent examples, like the caravans of thugs and murderers illegally pouring into this country to commit the most violent of crimes, to the earliest days of our republic. Knowing what they know now, do you really think the indigenous peoples of this continent would choose to do everything the same if given a second chance?”

A ping on Laurel’s phone tore everyone’s attention away from the hate-filled discussion playing out on the television before them. Laurel grabbed her phone and answered it, moving to the other side of Sara’s apartment to better hear her agent. Laurel let out a deep sigh as she rejoined the group once she hung up. “Sara, I just got a ping from one of our agents at the DEO. There is a massive protest erupting downtown near High street,” Laurel informed her, as she made her way to Sara’s closet to grab her coat. 

“I’m on it,” Sara said, tearing her shirt away to reveal her Supergirl suit as she took off.

“I’ll meet you down there with a tactical team,” Laurel shouted after her as she, Ray, and Spooner headed for the DEO.

When Supergirl arrived on the scene, she couldn’t believe the sight before her. She had been expecting the protest to be against Darhk, Lockwood, and all of the angry, hateful people who’d spoken out against the Alien Amnesty Act. Instead, the crowd before her, several thousands strong, were protesting against the act itself, with many protesters carrying signs professing vulgar anti-alien sentiments echoed from Darhk’s show. Sara felt her stomach drop, and a queasy feeling reminiscent of kryptonite poisoning spread through her insides.

The next morning…

“That was pretty crazy last night,” Nate said as he and Sara met up at Noonan’s just as they did most mornings to grab their coffees and a quick bite before heading up to their floor in the CatCo building. Nate wiped at his eyes, still fighting off the slight headache resulting from how much liquor he had consumed the prior night after having to relive his break-up with Amaya.

“You’re telling me,” Sara agreed. “I can’t believe so many people actually feel that way,” she said, still in disbelief at having to break-up a few altercations at the mostly peaceful protests the prior evening. While she remained supportive of everyone's right to assembly, even when what they were calling for contradicted her own opinions, Sara still felt shaken by the vile shouting she’d heard throughout her city.

“They’re just scared,” Nate reassured her as he placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. “Darhk and Lockwood just gave them permission to channel that fear into action.”

“Heywood,” the barista called out, prompting Nate to take the few steps towards the counter to grab his coffee.

“You going to pitch Ava a story on the protests?” Nate asked after taking a gulp of the warm liquid, exhaling slowly.

“Danvers,” the barista called, holding up another cup. Sara stepped towards her and thanked her as she grabbed her vanilla latte. 

“Actually, I–” but Sara was cut off before she could explain her plans for the morning.

“Nate?” Mon-El asked as he spied Nate and Sara. Walking over to join the two of them, he popped a piece of his doughnut in his mouth and said excitedly, “Hey, buddy. You’re just the man I was looking for.”

Nate looked over at Sara curiously as Mon-El popped another bite of his doughnut. “Uh…thank you?” he said tentatively.

“Mon-El, what are you doing here?” Sara asked, expecting him to be back at the DEO.

“I just needed to ask Nate something,” Mon-El explained with a wink that only served to further confuse both Sara and Nate about his intentions.

Sara was racking her brain to try to think about what Mon-El could possibly need to talk to Nate about when she realized how close to nine it was getting. She decided to give the two of them some privacy as she turned to confirm with Nate, “I’ll see you in the editorial meeting?” before heading for the exit.

“Yup, I’ll be up in a few,” Nate said with a nod. “What’s uh, what’s going on, Mon-El?” Nate asked tentatively once it was just the two of them.

“Can you help me find a job?” Mon-El asked softly before finishing off the last of his doughnut. 

“What?” Nate asked, even more confused. For a second he thought Mon-El might’ve been there to ask about Sara based on their conversation the prior evening, but he didn’t see this coming in a million years. Did Mon-El want to be a journalist? Could he pass him off as an intern or something?

Before Nate’s mind had a chance to run wild with speculation, Mon-El elaborated, “Well, look I know we don’t know each other all that well, but…I’m just tired of being cooped up at the DEO all the time or being completely reliant on Sara. You mentioned last night that you’re the only one in the circle of trust who’s unaffiliated with the DEO, so I thought, you know, you might know of something,” he said hopefully, his eyes growing large as if to plead with Nate.

“Mmhmm,” was all Nate verbalized as he thought through Mon-El’s explanation. He did look a little bit like a lost puppy. Suddenly something occurred to Nate as he looked down at his watch, realizing if he didn’t leave that instant he’d be late, and Ava would chew him out in front of all of his peers. “Look, I need to get to editorial or else we’ll both be looking for a new job. But I have an idea,” Nate added as he handed Mon-El a business card. “Meet me here in an hour, and we can chat more,” Nate said as he began heading for the exit of Noonan’s.

“Really? Thank you!” Mon-El shouted back as Nate disappeared outside.

An hour later Mon-El was impatiently pacing outside of the location Nate had sent him to. It had been a few minutes since Mon-El had arrived, and he was beginning to wonder if Nate would end up joining him after all. Before Mon-El could get too worried, he caught sight of Nate rounding the nearby corner, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Nate gave him a pat on the back as the pair approached the large metal door on the side of the building in front of them. They weren’t far from Sara’s flat, but the neighborhood had a grittier vibe than Sara’s did. Nate knocked on the door, and Mon-El heard clanging before a pair of eyes popped up behind a slit in the door. “Dollywood,” Nate said simply, and the door opened. “C’mon,” Nate prompted, and Mon-El followed him inside.

It was a dive bar. “Jolene” by Dolly Parton was playing as the two men entered. There were jukeboxes, pool tables, and a small stage in the corner. Nate abruptly stopped several feet from the bar and turned back to look intently at Mon-El. “Promise me, you won’t make me look bad. You need to take this seriously, understand?” Mon-El swallowed the lump in his throat, surprised by Nate’s seriousness and nodded. “Okay, good.” 

As Nate led them to the bar, a very large black man who was cleaning and restocking glasses, leaned forward to embrace Nate in a one-armed hug. “Nate! What brings you here so early?” he asked, his deep voice bellowing throughout the bar. As Mon-El got closer he could see pointy tips on both of the man’s ears surmising he was an alien as well.

“Al, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Mon-El,” Nate explained, gesturing to his left.

Mon-El extended his hand to shake with Al, “It’s a pleasure, sir.” Al just chuckled in response, not remembering the last time he was called ‘sir.’

“Mon-El, this is Al, my neighbor. He owns this place,” Nate explained. When they both looked at Nate for an explanation of why he’d brought Mon-El there, he added, “Al, I know you’ve been wanting to hire another bartender for the weekend shift. I think Mon-El here could be your guy.”

“Hmmm,” Al let out a hesitant grunt as he looked Mon-El up and down. “Can he start now?”

“Seriously?” Mon-El asked with excitement. “Yes, whatever you need, sir.”

“Don’t call me ‘sir.’ It’s Al, and pour me a pint of the Zakkarian ale,” Al instructed. 

As Mon-El joined Al behind the bar, Nate mouthed ‘thank you’ to Al before explaining, “Well, I’ve got to meet with some sources. I’ll catch you two later.”

Meanwhile Sara landed in an alley just outside of the LCorp building before discreetly changing from her Supergirl suit into her deep green business suit. She evened out her hair before heading for the elevator. Upon arriving at the floor of Ava’s office, Sara didn’t see her assistant sitting out front, which seemed odd, but Sara just decided to chance knocking on Ava’s door. When she didn’t get an answer, she used both her super-hearing and x-ray vision to listen and look for any signs of Ava in her office, but found none. Sara’s brow furrowed as she began to worry about where she might be. After not seeing her at CatCo for the morning editorial, Sara assumed she got held up at LCorp with something. 

As Sara was thinking through what might’ve happened to Ava, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar face. “Zari?” Sara asked, causing the other woman to stop in her tracks.

“Ms. Danvers?” Zari asked, trying to make sure she remembered Sara’s name correctly. She instantly recognized the woman’s face, mostly because she knew how much her boss loved working with the star reporter.

“Do you happen to know where Ava is? She wasn’t at our morning editorial at CatCo, and in the past, the only time she’s missed those, she’s been here,” Sara explained, hoping she didn’t sound too worried.

“She has board meetings at Luthor Children’s Hospital on Thursdays,” Zari explained. She looked at her watch and added with a hint of a smile, “She’s probably wrapping up now, if you wanted to catch her.”

“Thank you!” Sara said before heading for the elevator and then cautiously taking to the sky to head over to the hospital. 

Zari let out a sigh once Sara was in the elevator. “When are those idiots going to admit to being head over heels for each other?”

Once landing in a secluded area, Sara repeated her earlier process of super-changing from her Supergirl suit back into her deep green business one just outside the hospital. Once she stepped inside the main lobby, Sara closed her eyes and concentrated her super-hearing, listening for Ava’s heartbeat. It took a few seconds, but Sara soon managed to isolate the rhythmic thumping noise, feeling her own tick up slightly. She walked to the nearest elevator and made her way to the fourth floor, coming to a stop outside of Room 408. Sara poked her head in, unsure of what to expect, and nearly had to do a double-take upon seeing Ava.

The normally so professional and put-together CEO was wearing a tiara, costume jewelry, and a robe and was in the middle of what appeared to be a tea party with a young girl, no older than six or seven, who was dressed similarly to Ava. Sara felt her cheeks redden immediately as she realized she’d interrupted something between the two of them. Once she’d spied Sara, a huge grin spread across Ava’s face. Maintaining her role for the girl’s benefit, she put her teacup down and said, “Lady Danvers, would you mind waiting in the hall? I’m wrapping up morning tea with Princess Nora right now.”

Sara nodded and left the room. She began to pace in the hallway as she felt her heart absolutely melting at the sight of Ava playing dress-up to comfort the little girl. Apart from the night she’d showed up at LCorp to see Ava in yoga pants, Sara had only seen her in designer dresses and suits. She liked this softer side of the woman she’d come to regard with a ton of respect.

As Sara was pacing and mulling over her anxieties about Darhk, she heard the door behind her close and out stepped Ava. She’d removed her princess costume, but Sara admired her skinny jeans and David Bowie t-shirt, deciding that Ava could probably wear a paper bag and look flawless. “Bowie, huh?” Sara found herself asking without meaning to, a huge smile spreading across her face.

Ava returned her smile as the pair started walking down the hallway, Ava leading Sara to the nearby elevator. “Yeah, one of the other little girls I saw this morning told me she was a huge fan, so I made up a little goodie bag of a t-shirt and poster, and we listened to ‘Starman’ on repeat for like an hour,” Ava explained with a soft laugh. 

Sara was torn; she didn’t know which sound she was growing more fond of – the sound of Ava’s heartbeat or that soft, contented laugh she’d just made. The butterflies Sara found herself feeling the more and more time she spent around Ava had returned, and she didn’t think she’d ever been more thankful that she ran into Zari at LCorp earlier.

“I’ve got one more hot date on my schedule, this time with an eight-year-old gentleman,” Ava explained as she led Sara to a different entrance of the hospital. “We’ve got to make an important pick-up though before we head to his room,” Ava said with a wink as they came to a stop just outside the sliding doors. A van pulled up in front of them, and Ava excitedly approached it. The driver, a short, brunette woman exited and came around to greet Ava, who threw her arms around her in a warm hug. The woman smiled back at Sara who reciprocated before opening the door to the van. She undid the seatbelt for her precious cargo and a golden retriever hopped down from the back seat. 

The dog came to sit dutifully in front of Ava as the woman handed the leash to her. “Hey, Goldie!” Ava greeted as she held up her hand, and the dog lifted its paw as if to give her a high five. “That’s my girl!” Ava said excitedly as she petted the dog. Ava guided Goldie back towards Sara, bringing the dog to a sit in front of the reporter. “Do you like dogs?” Ava asked, hoping Sara would be game to come with her.

It took a beat for Sara to realize Ava had asked her a question; she’d been in such a lovestruck trance. “Yeah. Yeah, I love dogs,” Sara finally spoke up, a huge smile spreading across her face. 

“This is Goldie,” Ava said, inviting Sara to pet the dog. “She’s one of our best emotional support dogs.” Sara rubbed the dog’s ears and then the three of them were off, heading for a room on the first floor of the hospital. As they came to a stop just outside the room, Ava asked sweetly, “Would you mind holding her for a sec for me? I want to surprise him.” How could Sara refuse? She nodded and gladly took the dog’s leash.

Ava knocked on the door before entering. “Hey, James!” She greeted the boy laying in the bed. “How’s the leg feeling today?”

“Better,” he said with a sigh, clearly not in an upbeat mood. “My mom had to work again today, so she won’t be able to see me until after dinner tonight.”

Ava took a quick peak outside and gestured for Sara to join her. “I’m sorry, little man. But I do have something I think will help make your day a little better,” she said as she took the leash from Sara’s grasp as she and Goldie entered the boy’s room. 

“Woah! Who’s this?” James asked, his face lighting up as Goldie walked over to sit on the side of his bed. He leaned down to pet her, and she licked his hand in response, causing him to giggle. 

“Her name is Goldie. She’s a three-year-old golden retriever, and she loves kids,” Ava explained as James continued to pet the dog. She put her front paws up on the side of his bed, and he scratched her ears.

“Can she do any tricks?” James asked suddenly, looking over at Ava. 

Ava walked over to the side of the bed where Goldie was and guided her into a sit again. “What do you think this is, amateur hour?” Ava asked with a huge smile. “Of course she can do tricks! Okay, Goldie, speak,” Ava instructed, and the dog promptly barked. “Good girl. Whisper,” Ava instructed, and Goldie barked again, but quieter.

“Woah!” James said with excitement. “What else can she do?”

Ava guided Goldie through several other tricks, keeping an eye on James’ face the entire time. She hoped her stunt had proven enough of a distraction to keep his mind off of his mother not being able to be with him, not to mention the fact that he was spending yet another day in the hospital. 

Sara meanwhile couldn’t tear her eyes away from Ava. She was completely in awe of the other woman. Not only did she run two multi-billion dollar companies, she served on the board of National City’s biggest children’s hospital, and somehow found time to volunteer with the child patients. She might be Supergirl, but Ava was Wonder Woman. As Sara continued to watch how effortlessly Ava was able to cheer up the little boy and take his mind off of the fact that he had to be alone in the hospital, she found herself slowly giving in to the realization that Ava had become way more than just her boss. 

After a while a nurse came in and informed them that the morning’s visiting hours were over, and they needed to wrap up. James was disappointed, but Ava promised she’d be back with Goldie. They said their goodbyes, and Ava and Sara headed back down towards the entrance where they had picked up Goldie. Ava petted the dog before handing her back over to the same driver from earlier. She and Sara were alone again.

“I take it you want to talk about The Darhk Side and last night’s protests?” Ava asked, her tone turning serious, providing a stark contrast to the past hour or so she and Sara had spent together. Sara let out a sigh and nodded in response prompting Ava to offer, “You hungry? I know a good lunch spot not far from here.” 

Ava once again invited Sara to ride in her Rolls Royce with her, and before long the two were waiting in a relatively long line at a taco food truck. Sara didn’t know what kind of place she was expecting Ava to take her to, but a food truck certainly wasn’t it. Sara wondered, with Ava still being new to National City and all, how she even discovered it. 

There were a handful of food trucks clustered in that section of the parking lot and some picnic tables set up nearby for seating. Sara made a mental note that this was the second time Ava had ordered tacos while they’d been out together, and she assumed by the length of the line, especially relative to the other food trucks, they must be pretty good here. But they could’ve been going out for boiled chicken for all Sara cared, although she did consider that a crime against food. Sara was really only concerned about the company anyways.

Once they reached the window Ava ordered a taco sampler and guacamole for the two of them. She then lifted her sunglasses slightly and looked back at Sara with a hint of a smirk and a cocked eyebrow asking, “Is it too early for margaritas?”

The way Ava looked at her, with that playful smile, those warm, inviting eyes, Sara felt all of her stress about Darhk completely melting away. Realizing she needed to breathe, not to mention answer Ava, Sara took a deep breath and responded with a huge smile, “Well, we’ve already established that I’m a tequila girl, so, no, let’s do it.”

“I like where your head’s at, Danvers. Can we add two margaritas to that, please, Raven?” Ava asked.

“Two margaritas coming right up, Ms. Ava,” the owner responded. 

Ava left a rather healthy tip, and before long she and Sara camped out at one of the picnic tables with their haul. “Okay, so you’re already on a first name basis with local food truck owners?” Sara asked as she dipped one of her chips in the guacamole. 

Ava had to stifle a grin as she was mid-bite of a taco when Sara spoke up. She finished chewing, swallowed, and told Sara, “We’ve established that you’re a tequila girl. I could eat tacos every day of the week and twice on Sundays. I had a couple of regular haunts in Metropolis, and I’m just figuring out which wheels I need to grease here for when I have an emergency two a.m. craving.”

“Well, color me impressed,” Sara said as she held up her margarita, prompting Ava to cheers with her. Ava obliged, and they both took a sip, savoring how the sweetness complimented their savory meal. 

“So, how did you find me, Danvers?” Ava asked once she had had a few bites. 

“A reporter never reveals her sources,” Sara replied with a smile and an arched eyebrow. “You’re um…you’re really good with those kids,” Sara said before she’d even realized it. She hadn’t planned on just blurting that out, but it was true.

“My name’s on that building,” Ava responded. “It’s important to me to make sure everything is running smoothly.” She meant it, especially after every terrible thing her family had done, Ava felt like the weight of atoning for their sins rested on her shoulders, and the hospital was one small way she could accomplish that. 

“That seemed like a lot more than an efficiency inspection to me,” Sara said. After watching Ava for herself, Sara could tell how much she genuinely cared.

“You’re right,” Ava conceded with a heavy sigh. “Those kids…they don’t have any preconceptions about the name ‘Luthor.’ To them I’m just…Ava.” Ava said the last part softly, and took a long sip of her margarita, clearly getting a little uncomfortable at allowing herself to have such a vulnerable moment in front of Sara. Shifting the conversation back to what she knew Sara wanted to talk about, Ava asked, “So, what did you have in mind to counteract Darhk?”

“Me?” Sara asked, surprised that Ava would ask for her opinion on something so critical. Sara fumbled through trying to make sense of all of her anxieties while explaining, “Oh, well…Darhk doesn’t have any accountability. If he’s spewing bullshit to his audience they’re not going to call him out on it, because they’ll believe whatever he tells them. CatCo on the other hand…we have standards…integrity. Our readers care about the truth, whether it’s pro-human, pro-alien, or somewhere in the middle.” Sara paused, looking to Ava for confirmation if she were way off base or if their thinking was in alignment so far. Not seeing any resistance from the woman across from her, Sara let out a deep sigh before continuing. “I’m so torn. Part of me thinks we owe it to our audience to call Darhk out on his lies, but the other part doesn’t want to elevate his platform that way. And the other part wants to believe our audience can see through all of his lies. Feel free to cut off my rambling at any minute by the way,” Sara said with a grin before taking another bit of her taco.

“Why would I do that? It’s cute,” Ava felt herself adding the last part before she’d even realized it slipped out. She blushed slightly as Sara looked at her, clearly surprised by the candid remark. Ava too let out a deep sigh as she reverted back to more serious topics, “Honestly Sara, a lot of what you said is stuff that I think about all the time. When I was making the decision of whether I wanted to buy CatCo or not, not knowing the first thing about running a media empire, I promised myself I would only do it if I could keep two promises.”

“What were they?” Sara asked, her eyebrow arching as she eagerly anticipated Ava’s response.

“First, I’d never let my personal feelings impact our coverage of a particular story,” Ava admitted.

“And the second?” Sara asked.

“That I’d be able to look these kids in the eye and stand by any story we ever published with conviction,” Ava explained as she finished off the last bite of her taco.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Sara clarified as she continued to stare into Ava’s gray-blue eyes.

“I’m saying we double-down on that integrity you mentioned earlier. We don’t punch back at Darhk, and we let our fair and balanced reporting speak for itself,” Ava said defiantly. Ava could feel something deflate in Sara, like she’d let her down with that answer. Not wanting there to be any lingering tension between the two, Ava added, “I’m sorry, that probably wasn’t the answer you were hoping for.”

Sara let a beat of silence pass between them as she downed the remainder of her margarita. She thought carefully about her next words before just deciding to go for it, “Can I just ask…I hate asking this, I do, but you said you wanted me to feel comfortable challenging you sometimes, and…” Sara trailed off, taking a deep breath as she gauged Ava’s reaction. When Ava’s only response was to slightly narrow her eyes, Sara asked quickly,  “...would the decision not to punch back be different if your last name wasn’t Luthor?”

Ava looked at Sara directly in her baby blue eyes as she considered her response. As she was about to speak up, Ava felt her phone vibrating on the picnic table, so she turned the screen towards her to get a look at who was calling. Just as when Ava had received a phone call when Sara had taken her to Verdant, Ava’s whole demeanor changed upon seeing who was calling her, Sara noticed. She visibly tensed, and Sara thought she saw her try to hide a scowl before making a concerted effort to return her expression to neutral. Sara wanted to ask who it was but knew she couldn’t. She sighed as she had a feeling their relaxing lunch together was about to come to an end.

Ava stowed her phone inside her purse before letting out a sigh herself. “I don’t know if it’s because my last name is Luthor, but I don’t want to get sucked into a race to the bottom with Darhk,” she admitted to Sara. “I’m sorry to cut things short, but I have to go. We’ll catch up later about your latest article?” Ava asked. Sara nodded, and Ava headed back towards her car.

Chapter Text

“Well, that’s not from Noonan’s,” Ava said with a smile as Sara entered her office at CatCo, a green paper bag in her left hand. She’d had two cups of coffee that morning but nothing to eat since she’d popped a handful of blueberries in her mouth before leaving her penthouse shortly after dawn. Her stomach had been rumbling throughout her last meeting, but Ava still had more she wanted to wrap up before she took a break to grab food. Sara’s arrival was exactly what she needed, and not just because she came bearing gifts. 

It had been nearly a week since Sara had found her at the hospital, and Ava had spent most of her time during the intervening days at LCorp. Ava had found her thoughts drifting to her top reporter more often than not, and the sight of her standing before her in her office, wearing that burgundy suit Ava had grown so fond of, caused the rumble in her stomach to turn to butterflies. Before Ava could spend another minute trying to self-analyze all of the reasons behind those butterflies and the warm feeling she got in her chest at being so close to Sara again, the other woman mercifully spoke up. 

“I may have made a special stop at Ignition for breakfast tacos,” Sara explained as she closed Ava’s office door behind her. She set the bag down on the empty space on Ava’s desk and slipped off her blazer, seemingly missing the resulting hint of blush in Ava’s cheeks. Sara handed one of the foil-wrapped tacos to Ava along with a napkin and a handful of salsa toppings before reaching for the other one for herself. 

Ava quickly unwrapped her taco and spread a mix of salsa verde and salsa rojas on her taco before taking a bite. A contented, involuntary moan escaped her lips as she savored her food. Realizing Sara had heard her, she put her taco down and looked at her sweetly, “Have I told you recently how much I love you?”

Sara returned Ava’s smile with a huge grin of her own. She had felt so torn about not seeing Ava for several days following their lunch the prior week. On the one hand, Ava had the power to lift her entire mood, seemingly bringing a smile to her face regardless of what external demons she was battling. On the other, Ava was Sara’s boss, and Sara knew that on the exceedingly unlikely chance that Ava actually returned her crush, the last things either of them needed were the added stress and complications of an office romance. Sara assumed that at some point her crush would fade, and she would eventually be able to be in the same room with the gorgeous woman in front of her and not have to hold herself back from constantly swooning.

Sara swallowed the bit of taco she’d been savoring and asked, “I take it you’ll be adding them to your rotation of favorite taco spots then?” Ava's smile spread wider across her face, seemingly loving the fact that Sara had remembered her affinity for them. 

Ava was about to say something back when her phone started buzzing, breaking the spell that always seemed to be cast over the pair’s interactions. Ava flipped it over to check who it was before quickly turning it back over so the screen was face down on her desk. At the same time Sara noticed the footage on one of the screens in Ava’s office changed to show Ava and a striking brunette she didn’t recognize. According to the reporting, her name was Samantha Arias, and she and Ava were quite the pair back in Metropolis. Sara could practically hear her own jaw hit the floor as she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen. The woman was positively stunning; she and Ava were both dressed to the nines in elegant ball gowns, each with one arm draped around the other. Sara’s heart sank as she recognized the look in both women’s eyes — completely smitten and enraptured — exactly the way Sara felt herself whenever her gaze landed on Ava. 

Sara’s stomach suddenly churned, the half-eaten taco all but forgotten. Ava glanced behind her realizing that whatever was on the screens had stolen Sara’s attention away. She let out a deep sigh and quickly reached for her remote, turning that screen off and pinching the bridge of her nose as she too put her taco down and leaned back in her chair, hating that another phone call had ruined an otherwise pleasant moment between her and Sara. 

It finally dawned on Sara why the string of mysterious phone calls that kept interrupting their time together affected Ava so much. “She’s…she’s who’s been calling you, isn’t she?” Sara asked hesitantly, judging Ava’s reaction to see how she should proceed. Ava’s only acknowledgement that she’d even heard Sara was a quick nod after taking a beat to decide how and if she wanted to respond. Ava wouldn't bring her gaze up to meet Sara’s, staring intently at something off into the bullpen over Sara’s left shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?” Sara asked softly, trying to tow the delicate line between supporting someone of whom she’d grown very fond and not wanting to pry into clearly sensitive topics. 

Ava let out the breath she didn't realize she’d been holding. Every time Sam called, her mind was assaulted with memories of how they ended things, how much pain Sam had caused her. Seeing her, even for a brief, fleeting moment in the archival footage of the two of them, once again brought so many painful memories to the surface that Ava had worked so hard to suppress. She ran a frazzled hand through her luminous blonde locks and explained, doing her best to keep her voice steady, “We were together for a long time. She was the first person – the only person – that I ever fell in love with. Things were really good between us…until they weren’t. I um…I broke things off with her right before I left Metropolis.” Ava let out a steadying breath, desperately wanting to talk about something, anything else. 

“Is she the reason you left?” Sara asked, torn between wanting to know anything and everything about Ava and suppressing her reporter instincts of pushing until she got the full story. Another part of her wanted to sit beside Ava, wrap her arm around her, and assure her that everything would be okay. Ava was clearly still not over this woman. 

“There were a lot of reasons,” Ava said softly. Suddenly she stood up, feeling herself revert to her comfort zone of walking around in heels, loving the added power she felt from towering over everyone. She looked out her window, her gaze finding the water, and she took a calming breath, then another. Feeling her emotions pass, she turned back towards Sara and crossed her arms over chest, asking pointedly, “How is securing an interview with Supergirl coming along? Do you have a date set, yet?”

Fuck. She’s not giving in on this, is she? Sara thought to herself. Ava raised both of her eyebrows as she glared expectantly at Sara, who was trying her damndest to come up with a reasonable explanation. Sara took a deep breath and fumbled through a non-explanation, “Oh…um…well, you know she doesn’t really do interviews.”

“That’s precisely why I asked you to do one with her,” Ava huffed out, releasing a deep sigh, clearly unhappy with Sara’s failure to take the assignment seriously.

“She’s–” But Sara’s half-hearted attempt at a justification was cut off by a fuming Morgan Edge.

“You’ve got some nerve, lady,” Edge seethed, his jaw tightly clenched in a poor attempt to keep his emotions in check.

Sara stood up next to Ava almost as if she were taking a defensive posture alongside her. She did her best to suppress her frustration with him, both with how he addressed Ava so rudely, and not to mention his interruption of their time together.

Ava took one last, longing look over at their half-eaten tacos on her desk before letting out a sigh. The realization that the best part of her day – an easy moment alone with Sara – was over sunk in. Ava turned to her best reporter and asked calmly, “Sara, could you give Mr. Edge and me the room?”

Sara thought she could see a flash of smugness dance across Edge’s face, but it was fleeting. Not wanting to leave Ava’s side, but knowing she had no choice, Sara responded dutifully, “Yeah, of course,” as she walked towards the door to Ava’s office.

“And don’t forget about that assignment,” Ava reminded her as Sara exited, earning a soft look back and a nod in response.

Sara walked over to her desk in the bullpen and pretended to busy herself in work. She tuned her acute superhearing to focus on Ava’s office as she remained concerned about what could have caused Edge to stomp into Ava’s office with such an attitude. It wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that, and Sara knew Ava was more than capable of handling herself against whatever bullshit he felt the need to whine about. 

“What can I do for you, Morgan?” Sara heard Ava ask, her voice calm and even in a stark contrast to his.

“Did you think I wouldn’t see the hit job article you published on my latest waterfront development proposal?” Edge chided. Sara could hear his heart beating so fast with how worked up he was over some imaginary slight. “Nevermind the number of attacks on my character. Going after my business practices was hitting a little below the belt, don’t you think?”

Ava’s heartbeat remained steady as she properly took Edge to task, berating him for storming into her office again , reminding him that he wasn’t the almighty business god he thought he was, and educating him on the merits of a free and fair press. Sara caught herself smiling slightly; Ava was more than capable of fighting her own battles without any assistance from Sara.

Sara tried not to let her thoughts drift back to the images she saw on screen of Ava with her ex, Sam, but it was a losing battle. She was the only woman Ava had ever loved, and how could she not? The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, and the scenes of the two of them together, their arms draped all over each other, their eyes staring intently into the others…Sara knew it would only haunt her nightmares.

Later that afternoon…

Ray opened the door to the main DEO training room and felt his breath catch in his throat as he took in the sight in front of him. His partner and co-director was sharpening her skill with a wooden staff against one of the training dummies he’d programmed. She was clad in a tight-fitting black tank top and leggings that accentuated just how strong and tough she truly was. 

Ray blinked a couple of times as he found himself getting lost in her precise movements. He mentally scolded himself that they were partners and still figuring out how to recapture some semblance of their old friendship. Laurel Danvers was many things, most notably a brilliant and badass leader, but interested in any kind of romantic entanglement with him was most definitely off the table.  

As Laurel ended her fighting simulation against the training dummy, she spun around quickly, having felt eyes watching her from behind. She relaxed when her glance landed on Ray and his goofy, yet adorable smile as he stood just inside the door to the training room, his eyes looking at her expectantly. Laurel walked over to the water cooler stationed not far from where Ray awkwardly stood and filled up a cup halfway before quenching her thirst. Finally she spoke up to ask, “Did I miss our weekly team-building activity?” Laurel gave him a soft smile to emphasize her joke. 

“What?” Ray asked, a bit surprised by her question. “Oh, no, nothing like that,” he added once he’d recovered his senses enough and realized she was messing with him.

“Do we have a new case? I didn’t get any alerts…” Laurel kept pushing, turning serious. She was curious to know what had brought Ray down to the training room to find her if it wasn’t something urgent or work-related. 

Ray took a deep breath to collect his thoughts as he struggled to ask, “Um…would you mind…errrm…could we talk for a minute?”

“Is everything okay?” Laurel asked, worried that something might be wrong with her partner.

“I was actually going to ask you that,” Ray admitted softly, earning a puzzled expression from Laurel in response. “I know when your dad retired last month, and we both became co-directors, it was a big change. For both of us. I feel like all things considered it’s been a good, big change,” Ray explained, feeling some of his apprehension for this conversation fade as Laurel’s expression softened into a smile. He tried to ignore the shimmering green of her eyes, but like with most amazing things about the woman before him, Ray found himself completely powerless against her.

Laurel’s smile widened as she took a minute to reflect on their time together as co-directors of the DEO and all of her insecurities when they were initially promoted. “I would have to agree. Between the president’s visit, Mon-el’s arrival, and the usual crazy that passes for normal around here…we do make a pretty good team. Maybe my dad knew what he was doing after all,” she said with a wink.

“Maybe,” Ray agreed with a shy smile. “I know that neither of us will ever be able to forget what happened with Oliver and Felicity, but you’ve always been one of my best friends. It’s nice knowing we’re on the same side, able to support each other, instead of reminding each other of the bad times.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better partner through all of this,” Laurel said as she filled up a second cup of water and handed it to Ray. She held up her cup, prompting him to cheers with her in a small sign of celebration of their accomplishments with taking over for Quentin.

“Partners,” Ray obliged as their paper cups tapped together.

Laurel shifted a bit as she felt some of the awkward tension melt away. She’d had something weighing on her mind recently that she wanted to talk to Ray about. “Hey, um, since we have a rare lull in the alien activity right now, do you have a few minutes to talk about Spooner’s mom?”

“Yeah, I unfortunately haven’t been able to find much that we didn’t already know, but let me show you what I’ve been looking at,” Ray responded as he led Laurel out of the training room and over to his workstation in the operations hub of the DEO. He spent a few seconds typing on his keyboard before he brought up a grainy picture of Gloria Cruz.

Laurel stared at the picture, studying it for clues about what it could mean and what it could tell them. Whenever their workload had even the slightest tick down, the two of them would always try to devote some energy towards locating Spooner’s mother, even though they knew it was a longshot. “When was this dated?” Laurel asked, her eyes still combing through the limited details the photo provided.

“Spring of 2013,” Ray informed her.

“That makes this the most recent photo we’ve been able to find of her,” Laurel said, trying to process what that could mean. The quality was poor; it was likely pulled from a traffic camera or other low-grade technology plus it was nearly a decade old. “Can you tell anything? About potential locations, who any of these people in the background are?” she asked, desperate for something actionable to follow-up on.

“That’s what I’ve been spending my free time the past week doing, but so far no luck,” Ray explained with a frustrated sigh. Ever since he and Laurel had first met Spooner and heard about her mother’s disappearance they’d formed a bond to do everything in their power to try to find her, promising they’d only bring something exceptionally promising to Spooner so as not to get her hopes up.

“How did you even come across this one?” Laurel asked, considering that it had been nearly a year since the last time they’d had any kind of update, even one as shaky as this.

Ray began to explain but was abruptly cut off by his partner, “Well, after exhausting all of my…legal search hacks, I resorted to–”

“Don’t say another word,” she interjected, not wanting either of them to face any kind of exposure for the lengths Ray employed. She appreciated his determination but wasn’t sure how she felt about him going outside of legal channels. “I thought you were supposed to be a boy scout,” Laurel added with a smirk.

“Scouts are known for their ingenuity, so I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Ray replied with a smile of his own, appreciating their once again friendly banter.

“What’s our next move?” Laurel asked, wanting to know what Ray thought they should do with this latest development. The pair spent the next few minutes strategizing about potential leads based on this new photo they could track down.

That evening…

Sara brought over two glasses of red wine and set one down on the end table next to where Laurel was seated on her couch. Laurel emptied the takeout container of fried rice onto her plate as she reached for the television remote. She clicked through a couple of screens before arriving at the action section on Netflix and was about to press play when Sara cut in, “You are not seriously about to start Terminator , are you?”

“What’s wrong with Terminator ?” Laurel asked, a hint of teasing indignation in her voice as she put her plate of food down. Sara had meanwhile grabbed a fork and the container of potstickers as she took a seat next to her sister on the couch. Both women were dressed casually in yoga pants and loose-fitting long sleeve tops as they settled into one of their regular sister nights.

“We just watched it at our last sister night, two weeks ago,” Sara insisted. She knew it was Laurel’s favorite movie, but they’d seen it so many times recently, and she felt like they needed to mix it up. 

“No, we watched Spy at our last sister night. Terminator was the one before,” Laurel corrected as she took a sip of her wine. She knew her sister was angling for something with a bit more humor and a few less bombs than Terminator , but it was her comfort film and always seemed to lift up her mood when she was stressed.

“Ugh, we need to mix it up,” Sara huffed out, deciding neither of them were going to get their way that evening. Both women took a sip of their wine as they pondered potential options for films they both enjoyed. Finally, they both smirked and looked at each other, declaring in unison, “ Thelma and Louise !”

Laurel quickly clicked through Netflix and started the film before digging into a huge bite of her food. “Did you take all of the fried rice?” Sara asked, slightly disappointed as she rummaged through the empty takeout containers.

“Sorry, I’m stress eating,” Laurel apologized. Her voice was a bit muffled as she spoke while chewing through a full mouth.

Sara’s brow furrowed at her sister’s comment. She popped a potsticker in her mouth, and once she’d washed it down with a sip of her wine she said, “I thought things at the DEO were going pretty well.”

“Well, they are, for the most part,” Laurel assessed as she tried to gather all of her thoughts and feelings about what had been weighing on her mind. When Sara’s expression remained puzzled, Laurel added, “Ray and I are still figuring out the new normal. He wants so badly for us to go back to being friends, but I think we both know it’ll never be that simple again,” she finished explaining before shoveling another spoonful of fried rice into her mouth.

“You seem like you’re both at least handling the co-director stuff well, though,” Sara encouraged, reassuringly. She meant it. She knew how stressed and unsure Laurel felt when their father retired, and Sara had definitely noticed her sister becoming more confident in her new role. She’d also noticed her and Ray spending more time together and an ease starting to settle between the two of them

“Yeah, I mean we had a few instances early on where we didn’t see eye-to-eye, but that’s bound to happen. I think we just have to learn how to listen to each other, and we’ll get there, you know focus on making sure we act as a team,” Laurel said, a small smile spreading across her face as she reflected on how she and Ray were figuring out this new phase of their friendship and working partnership.

“I’m glad you two are figuring it out. You’re two of my favorite people, and you deserve to be happy,” Sara replied with a broad, knowing smile spreading across her face.

“What?” Laurel asked, noticing her sister’s curious expression.

“You really don’t see it?” Sara asked, skeptical that her brilliant sister could be so dense.

“See what?” Laurel asked, even more confused.

Sara took a sip of her wine and said softly, “I think he has a little bit of a crush on you.”

“No he does not!” Laurel said emphatically. She shook her head at Sara, not sure if she was making a joke to try to ease her stress or if she truly believed what she was saying. “Please, we are both still getting over Felicity and Oliver,” Laurel added, trying and failing to put a lid on any further discussion of romance between her and one Ray Palmer.

“The statute of limitations on that is about to expire, and you know it,” Sara insisted with an eyeroll at her sister’s latest remark. She knew that what Oliver and Felicity had done was unforgivable, but it had been a year, and Laurel had slowly but surely been dipping her toe back into the dating waters. More than anything, Sara just wanted her sister to find someone who made her happy.

“Okay we need to talk about literally anything other than my non-existent love life. Please regale me with stories of your romantic escapades,” Laurel insisted, desperately trying to change the subject. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she noticed Sara’s demeanor instantly changed. “Ooooh, blushing and secretive. Have you finally decided to encourage Mon-El’s interests?” Laurel teased, loving that she was able to turn the tables and get her sister on the hotseat in the romantic department for once.

“He’s…actually not who I was thinking about,” Sara confessed as her face scrunched a bit at the mention of Mon-El. She had been enjoying getting to know another alien and helping him acclimate to life on Earth. She valued his friendship and did what she could to prevent him from doing something completely reckless, and he was fitting in well with the rest of the Superfriends. She could tell he was interested in more, but friendship was about the extent of any relationship she’d want with him.

“Ohhhh, do tell!” Laurel’s eyes shot open, and her eyebrows raised in curious excitement by Sara’s comment. On paper her sister and Mon-El had all the makings of a relationship, particularly the fact that Sara wouldn’t have to hide being Supergirl from him. Laurel knew how Sara kept herself guarded against potential romantic relationships because of her secret and the burden of bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. She hoped that sooner or later Sara would find someone she truly loved and would want to settle down with, and was intrigued by who it could be if not Mon-El.

“Ugh, Laurel, it’s…never going to…she’s not even…” A clearly frazzled Sara tried to explain the mess of emotions going through her mind, but failed spectacularly. She wasn’t even entirely sure what she felt for Ava, so how on Earth was she supposed to explain it to her sister? She reached for the nearest pillow, burying her face in it in embarrassment. 

“Okay, I’ve never seen you like this before. You’re really into whomever this is,” Laurel insisted, reaching for the pillow to throw it on the floor. Laurel put their plates of food down on the coffee table in front of them and took Sara’s hand in hers, gently rubbing it to try to soothe her clearly conflicted sister. “Tell me,” she insisted softly as she stared into Sara’s eyes.

Sara looked into Laurel’s deep green eyes, searching them for wisdom for what to do in her situation. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh and looked down at their intertwined hands saying softly, “There’s so many reasons why it’s a bad idea.”

Laurel’s brow furrowed as she considered Sara’s words and how clearly torn her sister was. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Sara so hung up on someone before, and she tried to balance a quiet excitement at the thought of her sister potentially falling for someone, with the conflict Sara was clearly struggling with.

A thought suddenly flashed through Laurel’s mind as her sister’s curious behavior began to make sense. “Oh my god. It’s Ava, isn’t it?” Laurel asked with a gasp. She knew they’d been joking about it ever since Sara first met the woman, but she didn’t think it was anything serious, not until today when she saw the look on Sara’s face just now. 

The moment Laurel said the Luthor’s first name, she could’ve sworn Sara’s face spread into a huge smile and turned several shades redder. Laurel knew the situation was clearly complicated; Ava’s brother and entire family had basically made it their mission to eradicate aliens from the planet. Not to mention the fact that Ava was Sara’s boss. But the sisters had had several conversations over the past few weeks since Ava had taken over as CatCo CEO, and Laurel could tell by the way Sara spoke of her, that there was a trust and admiration that existed between both women, that Sara’s feelings for Ava went far beyond a physical attraction. 

Laurel rubbed Sara’s hand again soothingly and spoke up softly, “Well, who would’ve thought? The universe really does have a twisted sense of humor,” Laurel said with a comforting smile. 

“That’s it?” Sara asked sheepishly. “You’re not going to try to tell me it’s a bad idea or all of the reasons why it would never work?”

“Sara, you’re allowed to feel things,” Laurel insisted. “I know how much you carry on those broad shoulders of yours, but being Supergirl doesn’t mean you have to completely close yourself off from love.” Laurel paused as Sara still looked at her like she didn’t really believe what she was saying. Laurel took a deep breath and tried another approach, “‘Feelings are like waves; we can’t decide when they’ll come, but we can decide which ones to surf.’” Laurel let her words sink in as a beat of thoughtful silence passed between the sisters. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sara took a deep breath as she considered her sister’s advice carefully. She still wasn’t sure she believed what Laurel said about being able to make a relationship work as Supergirl, not to mention how Ava was still clearly hung up on her ex, Sam, but for the first time in her life, Sara wanted something more. She felt reasonably comfortable in her career as a reporter and with her duties as Supergirl. She had a great relationship with Laurel and a group of supportive not to mention fun friends. And yet she still felt like something was missing. “I think…I want to surf this one,” Sara allowed herself to admit out loud. 

“What does that mean exactly? I don’t know if it’s the wine or what, but I’m starting to get lost in the metaphor,” Laurel laughed, trying to add some levity into what had become a deep and introspective conversation. 

“I want to be more than just her…best reporter,” Sara replied, not trusting herself to admit to more than that just yet. 

“I think you should tell her that. Or better yet, show her,” Laurel insisted with a smile as she brought Sara’s hand up to her mouth to give her sister a quick peck. The two resumed their food, wine, and movie as they shifted to lighter subjects and enjoyed their sister time alone together. 

A few days later…

“While the prosecution has presented compelling testimony and expert witness accounts in the state’s case against Bishop Luthor, all eyes will be on Ava Luthor’s testimony early next week. The younger Luthor is expected to present damning confirmation of some of the prosecution’s most heinous allegations against Mr. Luthor when she takes the stand,” the evening news anchor explained as footage from that day’s testimony in the courtroom played. “We are joined now by Eobard Thawne, the man leading the defense of Mr. Luthor. Mr. Thawne, how is your team planning to prepare for Ms. Luthor’s forthcoming testimony against your client?”

“Well, obviously I don’t want to completely reveal our strategy, but I think we all need to remember who has gained the most since these allegations were brought against my client. And who stands to gain even more if he’s convicted?” Thawne responded with all the charisma of a used car dealer.

“You’re not seriously suggesting that Ava Luthor somehow set her brother up as the fall guy for the Medusa virus attacks, are you?” the anchor challenged his wild assertion.

“Well, Lawrence, those were your words, not mine. All I and the rest of my team can do are point out the facts. And the facts regarding Ms. Luthor and her credibility are quite clear. Not only did she gain a controlling share of Luthor Corp upon my client’s arrest, but she also acquired a multi-media conglomerate in CatCo, which she has used to not only promote her new developments at Luthor Corp but also publish all manner of flattering articles, swaying public opinion in her favor and away from my client. It is curious that, for how much disdain she claims to have for her family, and for how much distance she’s tried to put between her and them, without their money or influence, she wouldn’t be CEO of any company, let alone two Fortune 500s, nor would she be able to donate so heavily to National City’s clean-up efforts after the horrific terraforming event last spring–”

Ava couldn’t bear to listen to any more. She abruptly turned off all of the television screens that sat behind her desk, hoping that, just for a few minutes, she could shut out the constant bombardment from all sides. Foolishly, she’d allowed herself to absorb anything and everything coming out of her brother’s trial, and after several days, Ava was emotionally drained. She felt like within the span of one evening talk show host, she’d go from hero to co-conspirator and back again, and it was positively maddening.

Ava took a minute to stand and walk over to her back window. It was too dark to see the water at that time of night, but thankfully she was able to catch the moon’s light reflecting off of one section. She took a deep breath and then a second as she stared below her, feeling at least a small fraction of her anxieties leave with each exhale.

After a beat Ava heard the door to her office opening. She took a beat to mentally prepare herself for who it could be at that hour and finally turned around to face them. Ava released the breath she’d been holding as one of her favorite people, Sara Danvers, walked through her door and closed the gap between them. Ava thought Sara looked like an angel. She wore a dark green sleeveless dress, showing off her exquisitely chiseled arms, and her beautiful blonde locks hung loose over her shoulders. She adjusted her glasses as she neared Ava’s desk, and Ava had to fight the urge to remove them, along with the rest of Sara’s attire right there and then.

Once Ava realized where her mind had gone, she quickly shook her head, trying to rid her mind of such inappropriate thoughts. She couldn’t be thinking about one of her employees in such a way, although if Ava were being honest with herself, Sara had been more than just an employee to her for some time. 

“Everyone in National City has got an opinion about me,” Ava lamented through a forced smile as she leaned back against the front of her desk.

Sara offered her a small smile as she extended her right hand, which was holding a nondescript white paper bag. “Well, I know tacos are your calling card, but I thought you could use some fried sugary goodness in your life tonight. You eat doughnuts, right?” Sara asked.

“Um, well…I am human,” Ava joked as she gratefully accepted the gift from Sara. Both women laughed softly, and it didn’t escape Ava’s notice how quickly Sara had the power to lift her spirits. “Thank you, Sara,” Ava said as she led her over to the couches in front of her desk, motioning for Sara to join her. “I’m sorry if you came here to get a draft reviewed…I’m not really in the mood tonight to focus on work. My to-do list over there is just going to have to wait until tomorrow,” Ava explained softly as she gestured to the uncharacteristically cluttered desk of hers. She pulled out a doughnut from the bag Sara had brought and quickly tore off a piece, enjoying the treat.

A bit bashfully, Sara admitted, “I actually came here to see you…and check on how you’re holding up with everything.” She in turn popped a bite of the second doughnut in her mouth, internally congratulating herself for picking them up on her way.

“You saw the news? What Bishop’s lawyers are saying about me?” Ava asked, suddenly feeling ashamed. Unfortunately, she thought, there was a hint of truth in every story that was spun about her. Ava felt herself wishing the carefully crafted version of herself she’d thus far presented to Sara was the only one she would ever see, but Ava knew Sara better than that. Still, if Sara had been paying attention and still chose to show up to see how Ava was dealing with it all, Ava figured it might mean that she wasn’t the only one who viewed their relationship as more than purely professional.

“I did,” Sara responded softly.

Ava put her doughnut down, feeling her emotions swelling as she allowed her guard to drop momentarily. “I’m really scared, Sara,” she confessed, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Sara in turn placed her doughnut down too, wiped off her fingers and slid closer to Ava on the couch, both women so close they were nearly touching. “I…I know that I have to face him in court, tell the world how truly horrific his actions were, but…part of me just wants to change my name and move to the middle of nowhere so I can be someone else,” Ava explained, sniffling to try to keep her emotions in check.

Sara adjusted her position on the couch, looping her left arm behind Ava’s head and resting the right one on Ava’s right shoulder. Instinctively, Ava leaned her head against Sara’s, loving the warmth and comfort the other woman’s touch brought her. Ava reached her right hand up to grasp Sara’s left while Sara gently stroked Ava’s right shoulder. Ava took a couple of deep breaths as she waited for her emotions to pass, never wanting Sara to let go of her. For the first time in her life, Ava had finally found a place that felt safe – Sara’s strong, warm, and comforting arms.

“For what it’s worth,” Sara spoke up softly, “And I promise, I’m not just saying this because you’re my boss, I think you’re incredibly brave,” Sara confessed, meaning every word. Sara desperately tried to keep her heart from beating out of its chest as she sat there, holding Ava in her arms, never wanting to let go.

Ava scoffed, secretly touched by how understanding and gentle Sara was being with her. “I’m really glad that we’re friends because spilling my guts to someone I trust is hard enough. I couldn’t imagine having this conversation on the record,” Ava added, trying to bring some levity to their serious conversation.

Sara laughed, and Ava considered the sound might be the best thing she’d heard all day. “I hope you appreciate the sacrifices I make to my career,” Sara joked, relieved to see that Ava seemed to have relaxed a bit. As she leaned against her, Sara took a minute to carefully study and memorize the unique beating pattern of Ava’s heart, finding that the rhythm brought her calm and strength.

“I’d like to think even without being able to quote me in exclusives, your career is still doing okay,” Ava said with a smile.

“Well, if you need someone to talk to, who cares more about her friends than her career, I’m always here,” Sara reassured Ava, a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Ava reached for her earlier discarded doughnut, deciding she needed more sugar for the next phase of their conversation. She popped another bite into her mouth as Sara dropped her arms from around Ava to do the same, both women instantly missing their physical connection. “His lawyers reached out to me earlier today. Privately of course,” Ava admitted softly.

“What does he want?” Sara asked.

“To see me, or so they say. Obviously I’m not going to. Bishop has never done a single thing to prove he ever had even an ounce of humanity, why would now be any different?” Ava asked rhetorically, her voice full of disdain for her brother.

“Never? Not even when you two were younger?” Sara asked as she took another bite of her doughnut, studying Ava’s face for her response.

Ava let out a deep sigh as she reflected on growing up in the Luthor household. “Honestly, it’s getting harder to remember ever feeling like a family. I used to think something was wrong with me, because of how I disagreed with their enthusiasm for world domination. How fucked up is that?” Ava asked with a forced smile, causing Sara’s brow to furrow as she wondered how someone as wonderful as Ava could’ve been raised by such terrible people. “And then with Bishop sending Otis to the renaming ceremony to try to intimidate me to back out of testifying…I just thought I was done with him, you know…I’d finally shut the door on being a Luthor,” Ava tried to explain, her voice wavering. Sara had to fight the urge not to reach out her arm again, wanting nothing more than to hold Ava and tell her how amazing she was for dealing with how much her family had thrown at her. “Should I feel guilty for not wanting to go see that monster ever again?” 

Then it was Sara’s turn to let out a deep sigh. She looked Ava in the eyes and explained, “I’ve spent most of my life wishing I could talk to people that are no longer here.” Ava just stared back at Sara, more than anything she was in shock that someone cared enough about her to stick around this long and listen to her emotional outbursts. “I can’t tell you what to do, but it might make it easier to face him in court if you see him beforehand.”

“I just feel like until this is all wrapped up and he’s put away, this is going to be my life,” Ava confessed, lamenting how much the trial had overtaken her world.

“Sounds like you need a distraction,” Sara said playfully.

“I’m listening,” Ava encouraged, her right eyebrow raising in anticipation at Sara’s suggestion.

“Well, tomorrow is Friday night. I usually have some friends over for game night…you wouldn’t want to join us, would you?” Sara asked tentatively, hoping she hadn’t crossed a line or professional boundary. 

Ava’s face absolutely melted at hearing Sara’s invitation. “You would really want me there?” she asked in disbelief.

Sara’s face spread into a huge grin at the adorable dork in front of her who clearly didn’t realize the power she had over her. “Yes!” she insisted. “And, I’ll have you know, it’s a very exclusive club.”

The next morning Sara texted Ava the details for where and when to meet for game night and headed for the DEO following her morning pitch meeting to speak to Mon-El. She arrived in her Supergirl suit and headed for the training room the two of them used regularly, hoping she’d find him there. Sara let out a small, relieved smile as she spied him, his exposed torso glistening from the exertion of his efforts. Sara admired him for a beat before heading inside to join him.

Upon seeing that he was no longer alone, Mon-El halted his training and grabbed a towel to wipe some of the sweat off his brow. “Oh, hey, Sara. I’m glad you’re here,” Mon-El greeted her with a wide grin. “I’ve been reading up on the rules for Cards Against People, and I had a few questions.”

Sara laughed to herself at his eagerness and misnaming of the game. The way he looked at her unnerved Sara a bit as she began to realize what Laurel had meant during their sister night, about Mon-El having feelings for her. Sara shrugged the feeling off, needing to focus on making sure he was clear about how to behave that evening. “And I’m sure Spooner would be happy to go over your questions about Cards Against Humanity , but I have something I need to talk to you about,” Sara explained, emphasizing the name of the game.

Mon-El tucked the towel he’d been holding awkwardly over his right shoulder as he crossed his arms over his chest in anticipation of what Sara might say next. “Oh,” was all he managed to stammer out as he waited for her to elaborate.

Sara let out a deep breath as she gathered what she wanted to say to him. “I invited someone to game night tonight, and…she doesn’t know – can’t know – that I’m Supergirl. Or that Laurel, Spooner, and Ray work for the DEO,” Sara added the last part quickly.

“What?” Mon-El asked after a beat of awkward silence passed between the two aliens. His brow furrowed in confusion as he followed up with a bewildered, “Why would you invite someone who doesn’t know who you really are? Is this a joke? Are you being funny right now?” he asked as he started to laugh.

Sara rolled her eyes. She was already stressed about having Ava freaking Luthor in her apartment that evening. She had a million things to do to get everything ready, and the last thing she needed was an extended, drawn-out conversation having to explain everything in nitty gritty detail to Mon-El. Sara let out a sigh and explained, “Look, Mon-El, Earth is…complicated, okay? The person who’s coming, she’s…well, she’s someone I care about, and she’s going through a tough time. I was hoping tonight could be a fun way for her to get to make some new friends and unwind a little bit,” Sara fumbled through what she hoped was a plausible-sounding explanation.

Mon-El’s face didn’t really change from the confused scowl he’d been sporting until he heard Sara explain that this newcomer was going through a tough time. His expression softened as some level of understanding dawned on him. “Kind of like how you invited me to game night a couple of weeks ago? Because you were trying to help me deal with being the last of my kind on a strange planet?”

“Exactly,” Sara said, starting to feel relieved that he understood at least a little bit.

Mon-El narrowed his eyes back at Sara, considering everything. “So, can she know that I’m an alien from Daxam? Or do I need to lie about that too?”

Sara cringed. She deserved that. She hated lying to Ava, but they were most definitely not at the point where she felt comfortable opening up to her about being Supergirl. Sara wondered if she would ever feel comfortable telling Ava who she really was, but she quickly shoved that thought aside as she regained her focus on the present and that evening.

“You can be honest about who you are, a palace guard from Daxam,” Sara explained. “Laurel and I found your pod, and we hit it off. Just don’t mention the DEO or that I’m Supergirl, and we should be fine.”

Mon-El hid a cringe of his own at Sara referring to him as a palace guard. Suddenly, some of what Sara was saying made sense to him. He trusted Sara and considered her a friend, but he was still keeping a part of who he was a secret from her. What she was asking wouldn’t be any different. Mon-El took a deep breath and extended his hand, confirming with Sara, “I won’t let you down.”

Sara again rolled her eyes at his goofiness as she shook his hand before wandering off to get her apartment just right.

Later that evening…

Sara was putting the finishing touches on her place while Nate and Ray were deep in conversation over a few beers. Laurel and Spooner were getting plates and napkins together to go with the pizza they had brought with them, and Mon-El was following Sara around like a puppy, offering to help her move furniture while she swept and dusted. Spooner began taking drink orders, and Sara felt herself getting so caught up in the excitement of the evening that she forgot to keep her superhearing tuned for Ava’s arrival.

Before Sara realized it, there was a knock on her door, seemingly bringing everyone out of whatever conversation they were having to look at the door, then at Sara to see how to proceed. Sara nervously fidgeted with her glasses and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she approached the front door to her loft. She let out the deep breath she’d been holding and opened the door, revealing Ava on the other side.

A huge smile spread across Ava’s face as she locked eyes with Sara who looked ecstatic to have her in her apartment. Sara ushered her inside and closed the door behind them, prompting Ava to ask, a hint of insecurity in her voice, “Am I late? You did say ‘be here at seven’, right?” when she noticed everyone else was already there and had made themselves quite comfortable.

“You are right on time,” Sara reassured her sweetly, easing any concerns from Ava that she was late to the party. Sara took a minute to admire Ava as she removed her coat. Sara offered to store it in the closet nearest the door. Ava had on tight black jeans that hugged her toned legs in all the right places and a loose-fitting flannel top that was cuffed just below her elbows. Her hair was down in loose waves, and Sara had to fight the strong urge she was feeling to wrap her arms around the other woman. She had been looking forward to having Ava over to her place and to meet her friends ever since the idea first occurred to her earlier in the week, and she felt like she needed to pinch herself at the reality of it finally happening.

“I love your place! It’s so cozy and inviting,” Ava said sweetly as her eyes wandered across all of Sara’s homey decor. It was exactly as Ava had pictured it, and after seeing Sara and how happy she was to have her there, Ava felt more confident than ever in her decision to come. She had been extremely surprised when Sara had invited her over, and Ava wanted to be careful about crossing any boundaries with their professional lives. But after the week she’d had and how stressed out she’d felt, seeing Sara and just being around her seemed to lift Ava’s entire mood.

“Oh,” Sara said, surprised by Ava’s compliment. Sara assumed as one of the wealthiest residents of the city, Sara’s place couldn’t compare to what Ava was used to, but she appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. “Thanks.”

“Okay, I know you said not to bring anything, but my parents raised me better than that,” Ava spoke up as she placed one of the tote bags strung over her shoulder down on Sara’s countertop. When Sara just looked back at her, not knowing how to respond with the mention of the Luthors, Ava’s mouth spread into a huge grin. “I’m kidding,” she said with a soft laugh that Sara couldn’t get enough of. Ava reached into the bag and brought out a container that she passed to Sara, explaining, “But seriously, I brought a round of potstickers for you–”

Sara gasped excitedly, cutting Ava off as she grasped the container and took the lid off. “How did you know?” she asked in amazement that Ava had come bearing her favorite food.

Ava smiled and shook her head slightly, thinking how adorable Sara looked as she popped one of the snacks into her mouth. “Well, I might not be the intrepid reporter you are, but I’m not completely incompetent,” she responded indignantly, winking at Nate whom she spied over on one of Sara’s couches. “I also brought a round for everyone else too,” Ava explained as she held up the second container to show them, the spell between her and Sara broken, now that she’d acknowledged the group of strangers all staring at her from across the room.

“Oooh!” “Thank you!” Came the replies from Laurel, Spooner, Ray, Nate, and Mon-El as they each stood up and began making their way towards Sara and Ava in the kitchen.

“And I brought some options for beverages,” Ava explained as she placed her second tote bag down on the counter. She began pulling bottles out and explaining what they each were. “A bottle of white, a bottle of red, and…tequila, of course,” she said excitedly as she removed the final bottle, a handle of Espolon. Ava missed the look Laurel and Spooner shared as they eyed the spread from Ava.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to go to all of that trouble,” Sara responded sweetly, touched that Ava put in so much effort. When she told her not to bring anything she was serious, but she loved that Ava made such a sweet gesture.

“Speak for yourself, chica!” Spooner spoke up excitedly upon seeing the Espolon. “You were due for another round of that good mezcal I keep telling you about, but this should hold you over for a bit,” she added as she opened the bottle and poured some into her glass.

“Can I get anyone anything?” Ava asked, letting go a smile at Spooner’s reaction.

“Let’s do introductions! C’mon guys, gather around,” Sara encouraged as everyone formed a circle, leaving Sara and Ava standing across from each other. “This is Spooner,” Sara gestured to the woman standing on Ava’s left.

“Hola, chica. Love your taste in booze,” Spooner said with a wink as she took a sip of her drink.

“Oh, thank you! Great to meet you,” Ava said genuinely.

“This is my sister, Laurel,” Sara said, pointing to the woman between Spooner and herself.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Laurel said as she extended her hand towards Ava.

“Likewise,” Ava said as she reciprocated.

“This is Ray,” Sara said, pointing to the man to her left.

“Hi,” Ray greeted Ava with his ever cheerful smile.

“Great to meet you,” Ava responded.

“This is Mon-El,” Sara introduced them.

“Wow, Mon-El, that’s…I can safely say you’re the only Mon-El I’ve ever met. Nice to meet you,” Ava said, making sure to pronounce his name so that she said it right. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something about this Mon-El character that made the hair on the back of Ava’s neck stand up. He seemed like a perfectly nice guy, and Sara clearly trusted him, but…there was just something off about him that Ava tried to ignore.

“You too,” Mon-El responded with a soft smile. There was something about this woman. Mon-El wasn’t sure if it was the fact that Sara asked him to lie to her or how much Sara lit up when this woman entered her apartment. There was just something about her that rubbed Mon-El the wrong way, but he knew how much things going well that evening meant for Sara, so he shoved any negative thoughts about Ava aside.

“And, you know Nate,” Sara finished, the wide smile never leaving her face as it was clear she was having an amazing time.

“Hey, Ava,” Nate greeted her with a wave. She returned it along with a soft smile, sensing Nate was a bit uncomfortable with her being there.

Sara’s glance landed back on Ava, and as she gestured to her, she explained, “And, everyone, this is Ava.”

“Our boss, for those of you who didn’t know that already,” Nate muttered dryly as he took a long sip of his beer.

“Can I…I don’t mean to overstep or anything, but can I suggest some ground rules for tonight?” Ava asked tentatively. She knew being in a social setting like this with two of her employees was bound to cause some confusion and frustration, and she didn’t fault Nate at all for how he felt.

“What did you have in mind?” Sara asked, her brow furrowing at Ava’s request.

“Well, no work talk for starters. I’m not here as your boss, for either of you,” Ava clarified, wanting to reduce the sudden tension in the room as quickly as possible. She hadn’t missed the way the mood in the room had shifted when Sara opened the door to let her in, and the last thing she wanted was to cut into anyone’s fun. “And no talk about the trial,” Ava added softly.

“That seems reasonable,” Sara agreed. She was about to encourage everyone to grab some food and a drink when Ava spoke up again.

“Oh, and, we start things off with a shot of tequila?” Ava asked, a cheeky grin spread across her face as she held up the bottle of Espolon.

“Now we’re talking!” Spooner said excitedly.

“Wooo!” “Ahhh!” Everyone exclaimed as they quickly downed their shots. “Smooth,” Spooner added nonchalantly as she savored the tequila.

“So, what are we playing?” Ava asked as the team made their way from the kitchen over the couches in the main center of Sara’s open concept loft. Ava took the seat next to Sara and missed the brief scowl that danced across Mon-El’s face as he was beginning to get used to sitting beside her.

“Well, I just got a new expansion pack for Cards Against Humanity,” Sara explained excitedly, silently praying Ava was a fan.

Ava gasped excitedly upon hearing Sara’s response. “It’s been years since I’ve played!” she exclaimed, feeling more thankful than ever that Sara had invited her over.

Sara and Ava began passing out white cards to everyone. When they were finished, Sara looked around as everyone began inspecting their cards and asked, “Okay, is everyone ready?” She reached for the stack of black cards closest to her and giggled excitedly to herself as she read the prompt silently. Ava fought to hold back the contented sigh she felt herself wanting to let go at how adorable Sara’s laugh was. Sara took another quick look around at everyone before reading aloud, “‘What’s a girl’s best friend?’” 

Everyone scrunched up their faces as they examined their cards closely, debating which response would most resonate with Sara. Ava handed in her card first, followed closely by Laurel, Ray, Spooner, and Mon-El. “C’mon Nate, pick one!” Sara joked with him before he finally passed her one of his white cards. “Okay,” Sara began as she cleared her throat in mock seriousness, shuffling up the cards a bit so as not to reveal who passed her which card. “‘Diamonds’, a classic,” she said as she turned over the first card, her face holding a perpetual smirk as she tried to gauge who could’ve submitted which card. “‘Birth Control.’ Hmmm, this got personal fast,” she quipped. “‘A certain je ne sais quoi. ’” Sara couldn’t stifle a laugh at reading that one. “These are in French now? ‘An AR-15.’ Spooner!” she said accusingly, looking over at her friend.

“What?” Spooner asked, entirely serious. “It’s my best friend,” she muttered before taking another sip of her tequila.

Everyone was laughing and shaking their heads at Spooner, but Laurel sighed a bewildered look on Ava’s face at the whole exchange. “She’s in law enforcement, although I’m not sure that makes it okay,” Laurel offered as some sort of an explanation. Ava just shook her head, deciding it was an inside joke. One she hoped to someday be part of.

Sara shook her head at her friend’s antics. Continuing with reading through everyone’s submissions, “‘Your mom’ awww, I do love my mom, but let’s see what the last one is. ‘Free samples.’” Everyone groaned causing Ava to become even more confused. Sara jokingly shot daggers at each and every one of them to cut their mock groaning off. “Okay, obviously it’s ‘Free samples,’” Sara said with a smile as she held up the black card, waiting for someone to claim it.

“Really?” Ava asked excitedly. Sara turned to her, her smile broadening even further, if possible as she handed Ava the first black card of the night.

“Anything with food is basically guaranteed to be a cheat code for Sara,” Ray explained.

“But where do you put it all?” Ava asked in mock frustration at how Sara seemed to maintain a fantastic physique despite enjoying many guilty pleasures foodwise. Sara merely winked back at Ava with a cheeky smile.

“Eventually you’ll just learn to accept it as not fair, like the rest of us, I promise,” Laurel assured Ava. 

Ava laughed, loving getting to know more about Sara as well as her group of friends. “So, how do you all know each other?” she asked as she took a small sip of her drink, missing the brief look shared among the group.

“Ray, Spooner, and I work together, for the FBI,” Laurel answered.

“And, Mon-El is an alien,” Sara added.

“Really? I’m a little bit ashamed to admit it, but I think you might be the first alien that I’ve ever met,” Ava said softly. Again, she either missed or pretended not to see the knowing look shared among all of the other occupants at her admission.

“Well, that you know of,” Mon-El said, earning a glare from Laurel. “Yeah, I’m originally from Daxam, and I crashed to Earth a few weeks ago after fleeing its destruction,” Mon-El explained, feeling relieved he was able to be honest, at least relatively so, about who he was.

“Mon-El’s a refugee here, just like Supergirl. Laurel and I found his pod, and…well, we became fast friends,” Sara added.

“What was Daxam like?” Ava asked, realizing she had a ton of questions about his home world and how he got to Earth, but she didn’t want to overwhelm him.

“Well, I was a palace guard for the royal family. I don’t know…I guess it was kind of like Earth, just…different,” Mon-El fumbled a bit through his explanation, but felt he recovered enough not to betray his true identity to Sara or anyone else, although he did lock eyes with Spooner throughout his explanation.

“Well, I’m glad you made it here, Mon-El of Daxam,” Ava replied earnestly.

“Thank you,” Mon-El responded.

“Okay, let’s do the next round!” Laurel encouraged them, excited to see what would be up next. “‘Hey, baby,’” she began to read the card, her voice lowering a few octaves as she tried to keep a straight face while making her way through the whole prompt, “‘Come back to my place, and I’ll show you…’” 

Laurel waited a few beats for everyone to think through their cards and pass them over to her. Just as Sara had done, she shuffled them up and grinned excitedly as she began to reveal their responses. “Okay, let’s see what you all said. ‘One trillion dollars.’ Hmm, either someone has been holding out on me or Ava’s net worth is severely undervalued.” Ava let out a soft laugh, loving all of the constant joking around and how much fun everyone was having. “‘My ugly face and bad personality.’ Oh no. ‘Lumberjack fantasies.’ Hmmm. ‘Explosions.’ I mean, that should probably be a given. ‘The wifi password.’” Laurel couldn’t hold back an indignant snort as she caught what was written on the final white card in her hand. “‘Our dildo.’ Our ?! Wooo, these were…something. Honestly, though, I think I have to go with ‘The wifi password.’”

“No? Seriously?” Ava asked in complete shock. She figured she’d just gotten lucky with the first round, but here she was two for two.

“You, again? Damn, Ava, where have you been all our lives?” Laurel asked jokingly as she passed her the black card. 

They continued on like that for a few hours, joking, teasing each other, getting to know Ava and talking about each other and their adventures together. Sara found herself constantly smiling throughout the night, loving the fact that Ava seemed to fit in so seamlessly with her found family. 

Eventually, the party began to slow down, and before either of them realized it, Sara and Ava were the only two left. Ava let out a yawn as she stood up from the couch and began gathering up the glasses, plates, and utensils to help Sara tidy up from the evening.

“You don’t have to stay. Really, I’ve got this,” Sara insisted, touched by Ava’s willingness to stick around and help.

“Don’t be silly. Let me help you clean up,” Ava said as she stowed the unopened bottle of red wine on Sara’s wine rack.

“Thank you,” Sara said, suddenly feeling very unsure about what might happen next. She wasn’t unsure about what she wanted to happen, but Sara knew she needed to tread carefully around what happened between the two of them next.

“Thank you for inviting me. I had a blast. Your sister and your friends are great,” Ava explained as she turned around to face Sara, both women feeling satisfied at the level of clean-up for the evening once Sara had put the pizza and potsticker leftovers in the fridge.

“Mehhh, I’ve been trying to upgrade them, but no luck,” Sara joked, causing a small laugh to escape Ava’s lips. Sara didn’t think she’d ever get tired of that amazing sound. “Did it work?” Sara asked softly, desperately looking at Ava to know if she accomplished what she was hoping to that evening. When Ava only stared back in confusion, Sara added, “You know…the ground rules…keeping your mind off of everything?”

Ava nodded as understanding dawned on her. “It did,” Ava said softly. Sara had retrieved her coat from the nearby closet, and Ava was about to reach for it, but reconsidered at the last moment, needing to do something first. “Hey, Sara?” she asked softly. Once she felt the other woman lock eyes with her, Ava asked tentatively, “Can I…can I hug you?”

Sara felt her heart positively melt, much like the time she’d found Ava at the children’s hospital volunteering. This woman had to know the effect she had on her, right? “Yeah, of course,” Sara said, trying to keep her breathing even and voice calm, not wanting to get too excited at the prospect of having Ava in her arms.

Ava took a step forward to close the gap between them and slowly brought her arms around Sara. She curled her hands up on the upper part of Sara’s back as she squeezed the other woman gently, feeling so protected by Sara’s warm embrace. Sara, for her part, slid her arms around Ava’s lower back returning the slight pressure Ava put around her so they were both holding on with nearly the same force. Ava let out a contented sigh as she wondered to herself if being in Sara’s arms felt as good and right to Sara as it did to her. 

After a few beats passed, Ava slowly lowered her arms and said, “Okay, I’m going to take off. Thanks again, for everything.” She shrugged on her coat and grabbed her two tote bags as she softly closed the door to Sara’s loft behind her.

“Goodnight,” Sara whispered as her mind, stuck on cloud nine, wondered, if that’s what she felt like after a hug from Ava Luthor, what might she feel after a night of something more.

Chapter Text

Bishop sat at the lone table in the room designed to accommodate visitors within the prison. His hands were chained to the desk, and a separate set of shackles fixed his feet together. A sly smile spread across his face as he heard the guard fumbling with his keys before latching the door closed behind him. 

Ava let out a measured breath as her glance landed on her brother. It had been months since she’d seen him in person, and a part of her was seriously considering bowing out entirely and fetching the guard once again.

Before she could take too long to reconsider, her brother spoke up in a tone that was equal parts mock hurt and arrogance. It was a tone Ava had come to know all too well and detest beyond measure. “Well, if it isn’t my dear sister. Are you here to ease your conscience before testifying tomorrow?”

Ava swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She remained standing behind him, not wanting to waiver more than a foot or two from the door until she absolutely had to. She convinced herself that if all went as planned over the remainder of her brother’s trial, she wouldn’t have too many more opportunities to see him. It didn’t make their present circumstances any more pleasant. “I can just call the guard back and go,” she threatened, doing her best to keep her voice calm, yet firm, needing Bishop to buy her threat.

“No, I…” Bishop spoke up softly, changing his tone as easily as an actor slips between accents. He shut his eyes in frustration and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, trying a bit too hard, Ava thought. “I promised myself I would be better. Please sit,” he invited contritely.

Ava rolled her eyes, still not buying his act for one minute. “Old habits die hard,” she admitted as she slowly made her way around the table from behind her brother to take the seat directly opposite him. Ava took a minute to take in his appearance. Bishop’s typically well manicured bun and beard looked more disheveled than anytime Ava could remember. There were bags under his eyes, and for the most part he looked to be only a shell of the man she remembered. That was, until her gaze connected with his, and Ava looked into his eyes. They were as fierce and unrelenting as ever, and she did her best to stifle the chill she suddenly felt consume her body.

“I don’t want to fight. I asked you here because I wanted to let you know that I forgive you,” Bishop said simply as he stared across the table at his sister.

Ava crossed her arms over her chest in indignation at his incendiary remark. “ You forgive me ?” She asked rhetorically, hating how it’d only been a few minutes, and he’d already unsettled her. “That’s rich,” she muttered.

“You’re about to send me to prison for the rest of my life,” Bishop countered. “What did I ever do to you?” he asked, feigning innocence, seemingly unable to resist making such a comment.

That was it. Ava was internally kicking herself for thinking this was in any way a good idea. She pushed out her chair, stood up abruptly, and marched for the door. She made it within a step before her brother spoke up again, “Look, you’re right, okay?” He insisted, seemingly willing to say anything to keep her in the room with him. Ava wondered why, what was really behind all of it. Bishop was always one for playing multiple moves ahead of everyone else. He let out a sigh before confessing, “I guess, it’s just, with the imminent end of my days as a free man, I’ve just been questioning everything. You think I like being the most hated man in National City, nay the country?” he asked, straining his head to turn back towards her. “Well, I don’t,” he said softly. “There’s nothing like the loss of your freedom to remind you of everything you stand to lose. I still love you, sis,” Bishop added softly.

Ava scoffed before marching back around to stand on the opposite side of the table from Bishop. Her arms remained crossed over her chest as she stared daggers at him. “The only time you ever tell me you love me is when you need something from me,” Ava said softly, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her.

“I know I wasn’t the greatest brother, I mean god, look at our fucking parents. But I did the best that I could,” Bishop insisted, practically begging Ava to believe and trust him.

“By making me feel unwanted. Like an outsider,” Ava challenged him, looking down at him with nothing but an icy stare.

“You don’t want to believe it, but I always tried to protect you.” Ava thought she could hear the faint sound of his voice cracking, and the slightest hint of moisture welling up in his eyes. Bishop was always one for giving performances, and she didn’t buy any of his bravado or protesting than anything more than a man willing to say or do anything to avoid a life sentence.

“Protect me from what, exactly?” Ava asked coldly, slightly cocking her head to the side as if to invite her brother to try to say something plausible in response.

In response Bishop laughed slightly, which had its desired effect of unnerving Ava’s cold demeanor. “Everything. The affairs, the constant hounding press, the scandals,” Bishop explained. 

“I’m supposed to believe you ostracized me to…to what? To keep me from turning out just like you and mom and dad? Like some maniacal sociopath, hellbent on destroying the world?” Ava accused him, her patience running thin with whatever game it was he was playing.

“I want to save the world! You know that,” Bishop said emphatically, smacking both of his hands down on the table. The chain connecting his wrists to the table clanged with the movement.

“Right, but if you need to kill a few thousand or million aliens to do so…well, that’s just collateral damage, right? Same goes for whatever humans get in your way?” Ava challenged him snidely, her jaw clenching as she prepared for his rebuttal.

Bishop let out a sigh and nodded slightly as if to indicate he acknowledged her concerns. “We’re the only two Luthors left,” he said softly. “And we need to be there for each other.” Ava hated that he was right, at least about them being the only two left. What she wouldn’t give to shred the baggage that came with her godforsaken last name. “I want a second chance with you,” Bishop explained softly as he leaned forward, the chains rattling at his movement.

Ava let out the breath she’d been holding. “A second chance at what exactly? Fucking up my entire life even more than you already have? Or succeeding at preventing me from testifying tomorrow?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” her brother responded, feigning cluelessness.

Ava rolled her eyes at his obvious deceit. “Sure you don’t. And if you think this little stunt is going to get inside my head or do anything to make me reconsider my testimony tomorrow, you’ve got another thing coming. Your days as a free man are numbered, and well, I just hope I’m the one the jury remembers when they’re casting their votes to find you guilty!” Ava shouted as she stomped towards the exit, completely fed up with their conversation.

Bishop merely leaned back in his chair, smiling devilishly and not putting up an ounce of protest as his sister left.

Later that night at LCorp Ava let out a heavy sigh as she tried to refocus on everything she still had on her to-do list. But her interaction with her brother was still weighing heavily on her mind. Had she made a mistake in visiting him? What the hell did he want, summoning her like that only to have nothing new or noteworthy to say? Ava knew Bishop well enough to know that every move he made was carefully planned out, so there had to be a reason for it. She just wished she knew what it was.

Ava shrugged off her blue blazer and placed it down on one of the few corners of her desk not covered in paperwork. She felt her stomach grumble and frowned, realizing the last substantial thing she’d eaten was a quarter of her salad at lunch, more than eight hours ago. Suddenly, and for no good reason Ava thought, her mind darted to Sara and what she might be up to. She always managed to lift Ava’s mood and after the shitstorm her day had been, she’d give anything to see the other woman if only for a few minutes. 

Ava reached for her cell and dialed Sara’s number, a small, inadvertent smile slowly creeping across her face as she waited in anticipation for the other woman to answer.

Sara meanwhile was debriefing at the DEO with Laurel, Mon-El, Ray, and Spooner about the alien they’d just subdued and brought back for containment when she felt the buzzing in her pocket. She pulled up her phone, and upon seeing who was calling, Sara immediately blushed, a huge smile spreading across her face as well.

“Ava, hey…what um, what are you up to?” Sara asked, fumbling through her words as she eagerly awaited to hear from the woman who had come to capture all of her waking and sleeping thoughts, the good ones at least.

“Well, I hope I’m not bothering you,” Ava began.

“No, not at all,” Sara reassured her.

“I’m starving, and I may have forgotten to have dinner,” Ava admitted sheepishly. “Any chance I could tempt you to join me at LCorp? I’ve got that Ignition Tacos place on speed dial…” Ava explained, doing her best to tempt Sara, not realizing the promise of seeing her, not the tacos, was what mattered most to Sara.

But Ava never heard Sara’s response. A large hulking man entered Ava’s office without knocking, immediately setting off alarm bells in Ava’s head. The man was dressed in an all-black suit and quickly marched across the room, stopping only a few feet in front of her. Ava looked at him bewildered as she stood up with her back to the balcony, readying herself to fight this man, if it came to that.

“Ms. Luthor, your brother sends his regards,” the man said, his voice deep and raspy.

“My brother can keep his regards,” Ava spat back at him. “It’s a bit early for him to be giving up. I expected some eleventh hour hail mary from him.”

“He appreciated your visit,” the man all but snarled at her as Ava realized the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach was justified.

She quickly dropped her phone to the floor as she fumbled for the nearest makeshift weapon. There was a lamp on the corner of her desk closest to her. She grabbed it and smashed it against the man’s head, but it did little to slow his momentum. Ava threw a right hook at him, but he easily blocked her, inching ever closer to her.

“Ava? Ava!” Sara shouted from the other end, upon hearing their conversation and then the sounds of the lamp shattering and the struggle that broke out between them.

Ava continued backing away from him until the pair were out on her balcony. The man lunged for her, trying to get a solid grip around her neck, but Ava squirmed, refusing to make anything easy for him. Before either knew what was happening, Ava lost her footing and fell over the railing, letting out a terrified scream as she plunged toward the pavement below.

Ava was certain this was finally the end for her. She’d escaped death so many times, but knew that even cats only have nine lives. She’d lost count of how many she had. The single thought that ran through her mind as she fell was of Sara and how Ava would die never knowing if Sara felt the same way about her or that Sara would ever know how deep Ava’s feelings for her had grown already. 

Luthors don’t get happy endings.

Or so Ava thought. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly felt herself enveloped in warm, strong arms. Realizing she was not in fact dead, Ava opened her eyes, and her glance landed on Supergirl. They were slowly floating back up towards Ava’s balcony with one of Supergirl's arms under Ava’s legs, the other behind her back. Ava instinctively reached her arms around Supergirl’s neck, nuzzling softly against her as she adjusted herself to the feeling of flying.

Ava wasn’t sure if she’d ever felt anything quite like it before. She felt weightless, and a warm feeling settled within her, as if, here in Supergirl’s strong, protective arms, she was safe from everything the world had to throw at her. Ava knew it didn’t make any sense, her feeling that way, but she did know she never wanted to let go.

“Drop something?” Supergirl said menacingly to the man who stood shellshock on Ava’s balcony as they floated just above his eye level. Ava stared daggers at the man before Supergirl unleashed a powerful burst of freeze breath, knocking the man over and sending him tumbling across the balcony, groaning as he tried to recover.

Supergirl landed gently on the balcony before letting Ava go. Sara hated it. The sensation of holding Ava in her arms was beyond even her wildest expectations, and the moment it ended, Sara felt cold.

“How did you know?” Ava asked, confused, yet relieved, at how Supergirl could’ve known she was in trouble and showed up so quickly. 

Panicking for a minute, Supergirl fumbled through a flimsy explanation, “I was uh…getting…coffee with Sara Danvers when you called.” Sara crossed her arms over the crest on her chest, trying to hide how uncomfortable she felt, now that she was no longer holding Ava in her arms all the while having to lie to her.

“Well, that’s lucky,” Ava quipped, not fully buying the Super’s shoddy explanation, but who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth. “I can’t thank you enough for saving me.” There was something Ava couldn’t quite put her finger on as she stared into Supergirl’s beautiful blue eyes. For some reason they felt so…familiar. Ava studied the super for a few seconds, trying to figure out why being around her, not to mention being in her arms, felt so…right.

“No need. I’ll be seeing you Ms. Luthor,” Sara said, knowing she couldn’t stick around as Supergirl. She took one final look over at the man who’d dared to try to kill Ava, but he was gone. Good riddance , Sara thought to herself before flying off to a nearby alley-way. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and casual blouse before heading inside LCorp.

A few minutes later, as Ava was settling back down in her office, having cleaned up the debris from her earlier altercation, she nearly jumped at the sound of a soft knock on her door. “Who’s there?” she asked tentatively, having endured enough excitement for one evening.

“This is Sara, your delivery woman. I’ve got an order of tacos here for a Ms. Ava Luthor,” Sara said with a laugh as she slowly opened the door to reveal herself and the bag of food.

Ava’s face spread into a huge grin as she rushed over to Sara, throwing her arms around the other woman. Surprised by her reaction, Sara leaned into the hug with her hand that wasn’t holding the food. “Hey, are you okay? Did Supergirl get here in time?”

Ava let out a deep breath as she reluctantly let go of Sara. “Yeah, she did. Thank you for sending her.”

The next morning…

“Now, Ms. Luthor, you found files at LCorp – at the time, Luthor Corp – detailing Mr. Luthor’s plans for an alien virus, is that right?” National City’s assistant district attorney and leading member of the prosecution against Bishop Luthor asked Ava as she sat in the witness box at the front of the court.

“That’s correct,” Ava answered succinctly.

“And what did you do upon finding these files?” The ADA followed up. She had spent the past several months painstakingly building her case against Bishop. She and her team felt confident they had a winning hand against the sinister man, and the morning testimony from his own sister of all people should prove to be some of the most damning of the entire trial.

“I confronted him,” Ava responded. “I was worried that he was planning something terrible,” she added, hating having to recall that chapter of her life.

“What made you worry?”

“My brother, my whole family really, has always had a prejudice against aliens,” Ava said. Despite promising herself she wouldn’t, Ava looked over at her brother, surrounded by his cadre of high-priced lawyers. Just as he’d done every other day of his trial, he merely sat there, a blank stare on his face, seemingly unaware of the dire position in which he found himself.

“And when you confronted him about his plans for the virus, how did Mr. Luthor respond?” the assistant district attorney asked, glancing over at the jury to gauge their reaction to Ava’s testimony.

“I asked him what stage he was in with his research, and he told me he was in the clinical trials stage. When I asked what that meant he said he’d had some early failures, but that he’d recently seen some unexpected success. When I asked what he meant by that he said that he’d unleashed the virus on a popular alien hang out, killing over two dozen aliens while leaving another five in comas,” Ava answered, her voice soft as a sudden shiver ran up her spine thinking back to that day. There were a few muted gasps from the gallery in reaction to her explanation.

“And what did you do upon learning of this tragedy?” The prosecution pressed Ava to continue through her recollection of the events leading up to her brother’s arrest.

“I begged him to tell me he was lying, that he’d made the whole thing up,” Ava explained, reaching for the glass of water to her left. Her mouth felt dry, but she did her best to answer all of the questions as well as she could. Although if she were being honest with herself, she’d much rather be back in her office alone with Sara at the moment. Really, she’d be anywhere but in that courtroom. “I didn’t want to believe the worst about him. But then he showed me pictures and data he’d taken from their blood samples. I was horrified.”

“What did you do next?”

Ava took a deep breath and clenched her jaw before responding, “I told him if he wouldn’t turn himself into the authorities, I would.” Ava chanced another glance over in the direction of her brother. He continued to stare off into the nothingness in front of him, seemingly unfazed by everything that had transpired in the trial to date.

“And how did Mr. Luthor respond to that?” The ADA asked.

Ava felt her breath catch in her throat as the memory of her brother’s cruel words danced in her head. “He told me…he told me that I wouldn’t be a real Luthor until I’d betrayed a member of the family,” she said softly, feeling her eyes starting to brim with tears. Ava promised herself she wouldn’t let her emotions get the better of her, but there she was. “I left the building and called the police immediately.”

“And in the seven months since you called the police, how has that impacted your relationship with Mr. Bishop?”

Ava shook her head in confusion, unsure of where the prosecution was heading with this pivot. “I don’t know if I understand your question. We barely speak, if that’s what you’re getting at,” was all Ava offered.

“It’s more than that, isn’t it Ms. Luthor?” The ADA asked. Seeing Ava’s brow furrow further in confusion, the ADA crossed the courtroom to be closer to where the jury was seated. She wanted to see their reactions up close to judge how her presentation was unfolding. Without turning back to look at Ava, she asked, “Has your brother retaliated in any way or made any efforts to suppress your testimony here today?”

Bishop’s lead defense attorney rose to try to fend off the insinuation. “Objection, your honor. If the prosecution wants to charge my client with obstruction, they know the proper channels,” Thawne snipped condescendingly.

The judge gave it a moment of consideration before ruling in favor of the prosecution, wanting to know where she was going with this. “Overruled. Answer the question, Ms. Luthor.”

Ava tried her best to suppress a groan of frustration. She had made it clear to the ADA she didn’t want this subject brought up, because Ava felt it would detract from the crux of his crimes – murder. Ava wanted the trial to focus on what he did to those aliens and their families. The last thing she wanted was to become the story.

Ava took a deep breath as she searched the gallery for Sara. As her eyes landed on Sara’s baby blues, Ava felt the vice around her lungs loosen as the other woman stared back at her, seemingly sending her reserves of strength and support. “Yes,” Ava replied flatly.

“How many times?”

“Five.”

“Could you describe the nature of these retaliations?” The prosecution pressed, noticing the jurors perk up at Ava’s responses.

Ava pinched the bridge of her nose as she flashed back to each instance of her own brother sending his goons after her. A couple of times he came pretty close to getting exactly what he wanted, but Ava proved to be tougher than he gave her credit for. “Last month I held a renaming ceremony to officially rebrand Luthor Corp as LCorp. Otis Graves held me at gunpoint. He fired several rounds at me at point blank range. He would’ve killed me if Supergirl hadn’t shown up,” Ava explained quickly, not wanting to spend any more time than was absolutely necessary dwelling on the painful memories.

“And how did you know he was sent by your brother?” The prosecution asked.

Ava’s jaw clenched again as she recalled her interaction with Otis, “His exact words right before he pulled the trigger were ‘The big guy had strict instructions about you not living to testify at his trial.’”

Several members of the jury, particularly the female ones, placed their hands over their mouths in shock while others looked over at Bishop with obvious contempt. Bingo the ADA thought to herself. “Thank you, Ms. Luthor. Your witness,” she said confidently to Thawne as she resumed her seat.

Eobard Thawne, Bishop’s lead attorney, cleared his throat as he stood. He brought the sides of his blazer together, fastening the top button before slowly making his way towards Ava. Ava assumed he was stalling, wondering what on Earth he had in mind for his redirect. As he approached her in the witness box, Thawne held up a photograph and asked simply, “Ms. Luthor, do you recognize this man?”

“Yes. He threw me off the LCorp balcony last night,” Ava answered, supremely confused at the direction in which Thawne seemed to be heading.

“And yet, here you sit,” Thawne stated, clearly unconvinced, yet not surprised by Ava’s response.

“Supergirl saved me,” Ava answered his non-question flatly.

“Uh huh. And that’s your recollection of the events of last night at LCorp?” Thawne clarified, his voice raising an octave at the end.

Ava thought she could see the creases at the corner of his mouth just barely beginning to arch up in a crooked smile, but assumed she must’ve imagined it. “Yes,” she insisted, her brow furrowing at his puzzling remarks.

“Your honor,” Thawne began as he turned his attention away from Ava as he walked back towards the defense station. Grabbing an envelope, he approached the bench and explained, “I would like to present exhibit 4.2.7 to the court. It’s the security footage from Ms. Luthor’s office last night.”

“Objection your honor! My team and I have not seen this footage to vet its authenticity. That and it has no bearing on the facts of this case,” the ADA rose and protested emphatically.

“Counselor?” the judge asked Thawne, her patience clearly wearing down with his antics.

“It goes to the credibility of the witness, your honor. If she would lie about something so benign as what she was doing in the privacy of her own office last night, what makes any of her other testimony credible?” Thawne insisted, practically pleading with the judge.

The judge let out a deep sigh, thinking through the implications of her next decision. Finally she spoke up, instructing, “We will take a brief recess so that myself and both counsels may view the contents of the recording.”

“Your honor, this is beyond typical decorum. We have no idea about the validity of this tape,” the assistant district attorney tried to plead her case.

Her pleading was in vain as the judge responded, “The three of us will view the tape, and then I’ll make a determination about how to proceed, counselor.”

The ADA let out a deep, frustrated sigh, crossing her arms over her chest as the court recessed, and she and Thawne entered the judge’s chambers to watch the video’s contents together. 

Several minutes later, court reconvened. The jury was escorted back as was Ava and the gallery. “Play the video,” the judge instructed as Thawne inserted a flash drive into the computer set-up at the center between both sets of counsels. Ava looked to the prosecution for an explanation or indication of what was about to happen, but the ADA just looked back at her, disappointed, and shook her head. Ava’s heart dropped as she watched the video unfold and how the jury reacted to it.

‘Ms. Luthor, your brother sends his regards,’ Bishop’s goon sniggered as he entered Ava’s office at LCorp.

‘My brother can keep his regards. It’s a bit early for him to be giving up. I expected some eleventh hour hail mary from him,’ Ava quipped back.

‘He appreciated your visit,’ the man responded.

‘It was the least I could do. He is my brother after all. If only there were some way I could do more,’ Ava answered, her tone changing from one of frustration to one of wistful regret.

‘Such as?’ the man asked, clearly intrigued by the sudden change in her tone.

‘I don’t know. Get these ridiculous charges dropped for starters,’ Ava mused.

‘I have resources Ms. Luthor. Resources you may be interested in.’

‘Enough resources to get my brother out of prison?’

The video cut out as the jurors all looked at each other stunned, a million gasps flowing throughout the jurors’ section as well as the gallery. The judge called for order and as everyone picked their collective jaws off the floor, Thawne rose and said, “We reached out to the man in the video, Mr. Robert Baylor, for additional comment, but he was found dead in his hotel room this morning.” Turning to face Ava on the witness stand, Thawne looked at her, and this time, Ava knew he wasn’t hiding his crooked smile. “Ms. Luthor, I’ll ask you again, how do you know Mr. Baylor? And this time, I’ll remind you that you’re under oath.”

Ava sniffled, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check. “T-That video is a fake. I never said any of that,” she said softly, her voice trembling. Ava felt so…violated at seeing some bastardized version of herself on that feed.

“You’re already looking at possible perjury charges, Ms. Luthor. I urge you to come clean and admit the truth to the jury,” Thawne insisted sharply. When Ava merely sat there, frozen in disbelief at what had happened, Thawne added snidely, “Or perhaps you’d like to explain why you visited your brother in prison shortly before the events in the video.”

“Objection. Badgering the witness,” the ADA spoke up, still in disbelief that the judge would allow Thawne to pull a stunt like this.

“Sustained,” the judge responded.

“I have no further questions for this witness, your honor,” Thawne said, clearly proud of the work he had done.

For her part, all Ava could do was search the courtroom for Sara, tears stinging her eyes as her face grew red and blotchy. Ava tried to mouth ‘I never said that’ to Sara who could only nod in response, trying to do anything to let Ava know she believed her and supported her.

Later that afternoon at CatCo…

“For those of you just tuning in, our lead story this afternoon is the testimony given by Ava Luthor this morning in the trial of her brother, Bishop Luthor,” the news anchor summarized, teeing up the next segment in the broadcast. “Mr. Luthor stands accused of twenty-nine counts of murder, terrorism with a bio weapon, multiple counts of obstruction of justice, and a litany of other felonies. If convicted he would receive multiple life sentences with no possibility for parole and be forced to spend the rest of his life behind bars. The prosecution’s questioning of his sister, Ava Luthor, seemed to prove especially damning during the first part of court this morning. The jury clearly bought her credibility and seemed to empathize with her as she detailed how her brother has attempted to silence her while the trial has unfolded. But all of that changed when the defense began their cross-examination. They produced video evidence that not only contradicted Ms. Luthor’s own testimony, but also painted her as sympathetic to her brother’s crimes, running counter to any public statements she’s made.

“Earlier, one of our colleagues caught up with the lead prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney, Olivia Newsome,” the anchor prompted as footage began showing one of the network’s field reporters rushing through the halls of the courthouse to get a statement from the ADA.

“ADA Newsome, how is your team planning to respond to the brutal content presented by the defense via that video in court today?” the reporter, a short young man with sandy brown hair, asked.

“That video did nothing but show off the defense team’s editing skills,” Newsome responded matter-of-factly. “The jury, the gallery, hell, anyone watching this trial, knows it was nothing but a sham, a desperate attempt by the defense team which knows they have no case and will latch onto anything, even a forgery. I assure you, we will be bringing charges against Mr. Thawne and his team for manipulating the court in such a brazen manner,” Oliver added before hurrying down the upcoming hallway to get back to her office.

Ava let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as she reclined back in her desk chair. All of the dozen television screens in her office were running stories about her testimony that day, with half of them presenting a similar point of view as the ADA, that the video was an obvious fake, and half buying into the notion that she truly was just another Luthor. 

One such network was Signal Media, which was running a special episode of The Darhk Side . Damien Darhk and Ben Lockwood were having an absolute field day with the trial coverage. 

“Ben, am I off-base here, or is my read of the situation accurate?” Damien asked rhetorically. “I mean, at least with Bishop, you know where the guy stands. But his sister – she can’t decide, is he evil, and she condemns him wholeheartedly, or at the end of the day, he’s her brother, and she doesn’t care what his crimes are?”

“No, I think you’re absolutely right, Damien,” Lockwood agreed, perpetuating the echo chamber the two of them and their posse had so carefully cultivated. Lockwood then turned from Damien to look directly into the camera, the creases around his eyes deepening as he said, “Ava Luthor is nothing but a spoiled elite. She’s someone who wants to have it both ways: condemning her brother in public while privately doing anything within her considerable power to support him. Why do we keep pretending like she’s not just as cold and calculating as the rest of that godforsaken family?”

“I would take it a step further, Benjamin,” Damien added. “We are talking about a woman who runs one of the most influential companies in the entire world. She has complete creative and editorial control over what gets printed in her newspapers, her magazines, her online blogs and forums…how is it right that a woman like this, who can’t possibly have even a remote notion of objectivity in this case, be allowed to continue operating like that? How are we supposed to trust anything CatCo publishes after this?”

Ava couldn’t take any more as she reached for her phone and dialed a number she hadn’t in a long time. She quickly called the CatCo staff into her office for an emergency meeting. As Sara, Nate, and the rest of the reporter pool filed in, Ava averted her gaze to anywhere but Sara’s face. She couldn’t bear to look Sara in the eyes, knowing all she would see would be disappointment there. 

Ava switched off all of the monitors behind her desk except the largest one and made a couple of taps on her computer before pulling up a feed of a woman Sara didn’t recognize. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she looked at the stranger on-screen, then over at Ava, trying to figure out what was going on. 

Ava nervously cleared her throat before speaking up, “Okay, I know by now you’ve all seen the news, and you know about what happened in court this morning. I maintain that the video presented by the defense team wasn’t accurate,” Ava insisted, doing her best to keep her voice calm, despite feeling anything but. “But it would be irresponsible for me to remain as CEO of a news organization while I am the biggest story in the country right now. For that reason,” Ava began as she gestured towards the monitor behind her, “I am appointing an interim CEO, Astra Logue, to run things here at CatCo, preserving our objectivity. This move is temporary and designed to allow you to continue reporting and publishing stories without being criticized for bias. Any questions?” Ava asked. 

Sara wanted to speak up, tell Ava and the world that she knew this was unfair and wrong, but she couldn’t. As much as it had hurt when Cat left, the prospect that Ava wouldn’t be her boss, even temporarily, hit Sara deeply, like a punch to the gut. Sara grew more determined than ever to prove Ava’s innocence.

“Astra,” Ava spoke up when no one in the room raised any questions, “I trust my company is in your capable hands.” And with that, Ava strode out of CatCo, leaving her badge, computer, everything but her purse as she made a beeline for the elevator before heading across town to LCorp. Sara watched after her longingly, her reporting career the furthest thing from her mind.

Ava arrived at LCorp after a quick ride across town in her Rolls Royce. She paged Zari to have her meet her in her office. Ava tried to busy herself in upcoming product releases the LCorp teams were working on, but she couldn’t get Damien Darhk’s accusations against her out of her mind. It was like all the negative reactions to her testimony that morning were playing on a loop through her mind, and despite all of Ava’s best efforts, she wasn’t finding any way to stop it.

A few moments later Zari entered her office, and Ava went off, berating her top tech mind, “Do you want to explain to me how our supposedly impenetrable cyber security and firewalls were breached, resulting in the charade I had to endure in court today?” Ava’s heartbeat was racing, and she was breathing deeply as she unloaded on Zari.

Zari narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest in response, not wanting to engage Ava in a shouting match. She’d seen the news. She knew all about how awful Ava’s day must have been, first to be accused under oath of lying, and then to have practically the entire city judging her for it. Zari took a deep breath and explained as calmly as she could, “I can’t imagine how awful today has been for you. I’m doing everything I can to find out what happened to that footage and recover the real version.” Zari took a step towards her boss, mentor, and closest friend, and reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

But Ava shrugged her away, hating showing any kind of vulnerability. “Just fix it and soon. If we can’t get a response out in the next twenty-four hours, no one will remember the truth. They’ll just remember the sensationalized part, and I’ll be just another Luthor for the rest of my life,” Ava said bitterly.

Zari bit her tongue, wanting to say so many things in response at the moment. But she knew she needed to figure out what went wrong with their security first. There’d be plenty of time for Ava to make things up to her and apologize after they put all of this behind them. Zari left Ava’s office silently, as Ava tried unsuccessfully to bury herself in work.

Meanwhile, at the DEO…

Sara, dressed in her Supergirl suit, unleashed punch after punch after punch against the cement blocks set up in the DEO training room, letting go a grunt of exertion with each powerful blow. She’d been racking her brain for hours, trying to come up with a way to prove Ava was nothing like her brother, or any of the other Luthors. Of all of the people who wanted him behind bars, Ava was at the front of the line. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even hear Mon-El join her.

“Hey, how are you holding up? I know how close you two were getting,” Mon-El asked softly, trying to offer comfort to Sara.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sara asked, confused and a bit annoyed by Mon-El’s tone. She let out a deep huff as she stopped unloading on the cement block in front of her to stand and face the other alien, her hands coming to rest on her hips. On some level she knew he was just trying to be a good friend, but it was clear that he was completely buying all the bullshit about Ava.

Mon-El’s brow furrowed in confusion at Sara’s tone. Couldn’t she see that he was trying to look out for her and be a good friend? He thought to himself. “Just knowing it’s all been an act. That she’s been trying to find a way to break Bishop out of prison this whole time,” he elaborated, hoping to smooth things over. Sara was always telling him he needed to be more aware and considerate of other people’s feelings – why couldn’t she see that was what he was trying to do in this situation?

“Seriously?” Sara threw her hands up in frustration as she started marching out of the training room, and back towards the operations hub. “You don’t even know her,” she added with another heavy sigh as Mon-El followed after her.

“Sara, have you seen the video? Or are you letting a budding friendship or potentially more corrupt your judgment?” Laurel asked, joining the two of them as they stood around the main ops hub within the DEO. Laurel knew how fond her sister had grown of the youngest Luthor, but evidence had been stacking up against Ava being the upstanding citizen she’d claimed to be. With the history between Bishop and Superman, Laurel would take no chances with her sister’s safety. Sara couldn’t blame her for wanting to be cautious about Ava.

“You too?” an exasperated Sara asked, shaking her head in disbelief that her own sister would buy into the false narratives playing out about Ava. “She’s the one who turned him in in the first place. Plus I saved her last night at her office just like she said. But you know I can’t come forward with that,” Sara explained, frustrated that her sister and friend were so quick to pass judgment on Ava, who’d given none of them any reasons to distrust her prior to this point.

“Both things can be true. The video can be a fake, and Ava can still be pursuing extra-legal means to get her brother out of prison,” Ray added. He and Spooner joined Laurel, Sara, and Mon-El.

“I know she’s your friend Sara, and that you have a huge crush on her, but Ava is bad news,” Laurel insisted, refusing to back down or apologize for looking out for Sara.

“Why? Because she’s a Luthor?” Sara challenged, refusing to back down.

“No, because she lied to you, and everyone else,” Mon-El insisted, trying to convince himself the certainty he felt in that statement had nothing to do with the twinge of jealousy he felt that Sara harbored some sort of feelings for Ava.

“You sure about that?” came a new voice from behind the five of them

“Zari?” Sara asked, shocked to see Ava’s number two from LCorp standing in the operations center of the DEO. She narrowed her eyes at Zari, trying to discern if the other woman could tell who she truly was, but Zari didn’t give anything away.

“Um…what are you doing here?” Laurel demanded as several armed DEO agents surrounded Zari, their weapons aimed at her.

“Oh please, I could’ve hacked this server in high school,” Zari said, relatively nonchalantly for someone with several large guns pointed at her head. She raised her arms up in surrender as she tried to explain, “Look, there’s a lot to unpack here. Between Super Sara over here and this whole secret government organization thing. But right now I don’t care. Right now what’s important is that I found evidence that Ava was telling the truth about the video.”

“You did?” Sara asked, swallowing the lump in her throat about having her identity revealed to a woman she barely knew. Would she tell Ava? Of course she would tell Ava. How would that impact their relationship? 

Luckily Zari spoke up again to cut into Sara’s spiraling thoughts. “Yeah, this is what the unaltered version looks like. It’s exactly what she said happened,” Zari explained as she pulled up her laptop and projected it onto the main monitor display in the DEO operations center.

“I told you,” Sara scolded the rest of them as they all watched the video play out, precisely as both Sara and Ava had described. “Look, I know you don’t trust her,” Sara began, addressing her sister, Ray, Spooner, and Mon-El. “But she’s been honest about everything so far, and I think she at least deserves the benefit of the doubt.” Turning to Zari, Sara asked, “Have you told Ava yet?”

“No, that’s why I’m here,” Zari explained as she shook her head, earning confused looks from everyone else. “I was looking for you – for Sara – because I thought you’d want to break the story to clear Ava.” Zari’s partial explanation only added to everyone else’s confusion. “When I didn’t find you at CatCo or your apartment, I searched for you via facial recognition across local cameras. You popped on one a block from here, and it didn’t take long to find out what this place was,” Zari explained, with Ray realizing they’d need to seriously revisit their security protocols.

Suddenly an alarm started going off on one of the monitors in the control center.

“I think we might need to put the breaking news on hold because we’ve got trouble across town,” Ray explained as he investigated the root cause of the alarm.

“What’s going on?” Sara asked, feeling torn. She knew she needed to handle whatever was happening, but she wanted to be able to tell Ava the good news herself.

“Looks like someone has a bomb at National City International Airport,” Ray explained while he frantically typed on his keyboard trying to relay as much information to Sara as he could find.

Supergirl took off the moment she heard the word bomb and broke the sound barrier as she sped through National City towards the airport. Any thoughts of Zari finding out her secret identity or about the DEO were forgotten as her singular focus was now on stopping this maniac who dared threaten her city.

Sara used her x-ray vision to locate the bomb as she approached the airport from the sky. She groaned internally as she realized it was in the middle of a crowded terminal. Supergirl flew through one of the glass panes on the nearest gate and landed in front of a group of three armed men. They stood beside a bomb rigged to explode with the countdown showing just under three minutes left. Sara put her hands on her hips, exuding confidence and intimidation as she stared down the three terrorists. She observed hundreds of terrified travelers scattered throughout the terminal as she assessed her next best move to resolve the situation without any casualties.

“You need to let these people go,” Supergirl told the three men, wanting to prioritize evacuating as many people as possible in case she wasn’t able to diffuse the bomb before the timer hit zero.

The men seemed oddly unconcerned by Sara’s arrival which immediately set off her internal sense that perhaps she didn’t have the situation as well in hand as she initially thought. “Told ya she’d come, Johnny,” one of the men sniggered to the man standing closest to the bomb. As he spoke and she began to feel even more unnerved, Sara did her best not to show any crack in her resolve.

“Supergirl…we’ve been waiting for you,” the man whose associate had identified as ‘Johnny’ said menacingly as he opened a metal storage container Sara was only just now noticing. 

The impact was immediate as the fist-sized rock glowed green. Sara doubled over in pain as the radiation from the kryptonite hit her in full force. Johnny picked up the rock out of its container and walked towards Supergirl, a sadistic smile spread across his face as he reveled in being the man to finally bring down National City’s false god.

Sara tried to back away from him, but the pain from the kryptonite was paralyzing. Sweat began beading up on her forehead, while her breathing grew labored. Sara could taste bile in her mouth as her stomach churned violently. Johnny came to a stop not more than an arm’s reach in front of Supergirl who was devoting all of her energy just to stay upright, her eyes darting to the bomb’s countdown, which now ticked under two minutes.

Before Sara realized what was happening, Johnny’s arm that wasn’t holding the kryptonite snapped back, and his fist collided with her jaw. The force of the impact coupled with Sara’s weakened state was all it took for her knees to buckle, sending her crumbling to the ground. The corner of Johnny’s mouth curled up as he muttered, “Too easy,” under his breath. Sara’s world spun as she tried to blink through the dizziness and recover from his punch, but before she could, she felt his boot connect with her midsection, squeezing all of the air out of her lungs.

Some of the braver members of the crowd clearly wanted to intervene to do anything to save their fallen hero, but Johnny’s associates pointed their long guns at anyone who dared to approach them.

Sara coughed as she struggled to breathe, thinking the situation couldn’t get any worse. That was until Johnny leaned down and placed the kryptonite on the floor beside her head. 

Sara could barely keep her eyes open. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Worse still was the feeling of being completely powerless to stop these terrorists from killing all of the people around her. The sight of Supergirl writhing on the floor in pain, whimpering softly and fighting just to stay conscious was exactly what Johnny was hoping to accomplish, and feeling as though he’d won, he began to explain what he and his team were doing there. 

“You supers are all the same,” he mocked a barely conscious Sara. “You always leap before you look. The bomb was just a distraction to lure you here. Our real plan was to–”

But Johnny never got the opportunity to finish explaining as he heard one of his associates yelp in pain as he fell to the ground, holding his injured leg. A hush fell over the crowd as they realized the situation may not have been as dire as it seemed. Johnny turned away from Supergirl to see what had happened to his partner. In spite of how much pain she was feeling, Sara couldn’t hide the involuntary smile that spread across her face as she caught a glimpse of who had come to her rescue. With renewed hope, Sara redoubled her efforts to overcome the blinding pain coursing through her body from the kryptonite.

Before Johnny’s other associate could fire, Ava grabbed the rifle off of the man she’d incapacitated and swung it, connecting violently with the second man’s head. He joined his partner on the ground, out cold. Ava then looked at Johnny who quickly reached for the pistol tucked into the back of his pants. Before his hand even made contact Ava didn’t hesitate to shoot him in the arm, sending Johnny crumbling to the floor, gasping in pain. 

Ava didn’t waste any time knowing the bomb’s timer was rapidly ticking down to signal their collective destruction. With the three men incapacitated, Ava frantically searched the ground for the green rock before her eyes finally landed on it. Her heart ached at seeing Supergirl so weak and in so much pain that she could barely keep her eyes open. Ava quickly grabbed the rock and placed it back inside the container Johnny had it stored in. She closed the container and turned around, holding her breath, hoping she wasn’t too late.

The impact on Supergirl was nearly instantaneous as her breathing evened out, and the green glowing veins in her forehead disappeared. Her color returned, and she sat up slowly. Ava made her way over to the super and extended her hand, helping Supergirl to get back on her feet as the crowd clapped behind them.

“Are you okay?” Ava asked, still concerned about the woman in front of her. Ava knew it wasn’t logical, but there was something about this woman that just felt…like they were old friends or knew each other much more intimately than they did. Ava tried to shake the feeling off, convincing herself it was just her amazing baby blue eyes and the way she made everyone feel safe.

Realizing the bomb was still set, Sara grabbed Johnny by the collar of his jacket and demanded, “Tell me how to stop the bomb!” When the only response she got from him was a pained whimper at being manhandled, Sara yelled in frustration, “Tell me!” 

But Johnny’s eyes rolled back in his head as he fainted, causing Sara to let out a frustrated sigh. Though she felt better now that the kryptonite was properly stored in lead, she knew she wouldn’t be able to fly the bomb away from the airport. She frantically looked over to see how much time was left on the timer and paled as she saw Ava examining it, the timer reading only twenty seconds left.

“You need to get out of here,” Sara instructed frantically, trying not to freak out as Ava ignored her while she continued tinkering with the bomb. “Everyone! You need to get as far away from here as possible, now!” Supergirl urged the crowd desperately.

“Just…shut up and let me think,” Ava instructed as she continued to inspect the bomb. Sara was taken aback by Ava’s comment, secretly loving how full of surprises this woman was. “Do you think your laser eye power thing works?” Ava asked as she looked back at Supergirl hopefully. Sara quickly assessed her power and nodded, approaching Ava to see how she could help. “Can you use it to cut the white wire, here?” Ava asked, pointing to the wire on the bomb.

Sara looked incredulously at Ava. The timer was down to eight seconds though, and Sara realized they were out of alternatives. She looked back at Ava who seemed confident and determined that this would work. Sara took a deep breath and singed the wire in half, breathing a sigh of relief as the timer shutoff, the bomb having been successfully disarmed. 

A huge smile spread across both Ava and Supergirl’s faces, and the crowd erupted in applause, with people hugging and crying happily as they realized they were all going to be okay.

“That was pretty incredible,” Supergirl said as she and Ava stood up. “How did you know what to do?”

Ava let her shoulders slump slightly as she admitted, “Bishop always had an affinity for bombs. I may have taken a few of his apart. This one was like a carbon copy of one of his,” a hint of shame in her voice.

“Well, thanks for saving my life,” Sara said softly, wondering if there was anything Ava couldn’t do.

“I owed you one,” Ava replied with a small smile, thinking back to Supergirl saving her life at LCorp just the night before.

“How did you know?” Sara asked, suddenly wondering where Ava had even come from. She’d been so out of it as she was struggling from the kryptonite poisoning when she’d first caught sight of Ava that it wasn’t clear how she’d known to show up.

“I was on my way out of town. Trying to avoid drawing attention to myself,” Ava said with a soft laugh. “I guess that worked out well,” she added with a smirk as they both looked around at the crowd that if anything had only grown since they’d diffused the bomb.

Ava and Supergirl merely stood staring at each other, seemingly transfixed by the amazing abilities of the other woman, until the cavalry arrived. 

“Hi,” a perplexed Ava greeted Laurel and Spooner as they approached her and Supergirl. They were both sporting their FBI jackets as they came to a stop right in front of Ava.

Knowing how confused Ava was, Laurel showed her badge and explained, “We heard about the bomb threat and got here as soon as we could. We’ll take the kryptonite back to HQ.”

Later that night…

Zari had just walked up the stairs from the subway, having gotten off at the stop for her apartment a few moments prior. As she began the three block walk to her apartment from the station, she felt a gust of wind and suddenly realized she wasn’t as alone as she initially thought. Wrapping her jacket tighter around her shoulders, she shook her head and said with a smile, “You really suck at sneaking up on people.”

“I can be sneaky,” Sara insisted as she emerged from the shadows and came face-to-face with Zari.

“Hmmm.” Zari gave her a look which said she didn’t quite believe her, but she also didn’t want to initiate anything with the ‘Girl of Steel.’ “Look, I know why you’re here,” Zari began. She was exhausted and wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible. For her part, Sara just crossed her arms over her chest and looked expectantly at Zari as if to encourage her to continue. Zari let out a sigh before explaining, “It’s not my place to tell Ava, or anyone for that matter, your secret. You two clearly have more than just a boss-employee relationship, but I know you have your reasons for not revealing your secret identity. She won’t hear about it from me.”

Sara let go the breath she’d been holding as she was flooded with relief by Zari’s promise for discretion. Realizing it wasn’t just her secret that needed protecting, Sara pushed, “It’s not just about me. My sister and best friends…to the rest of the world, they work for the FBI. Due to its covert nature, the DEO’s existence needs to remain a closely held secret as well.”

“Honestly, I’m exhausted right now. Saving the world is hard work,” Zari joked as she stifled a yawn. “I won’t say anything about the DEO either, okay?” Zari acquiesced with a shrug.

“Thank you,” Sara said, gratitude not even coming close to how much she felt for Zari at the moment. 

“Can I go to bed now?” Zari asked as they lingered outside the entrance to her apartment.

Sara took a deep breath before nodding and saying, “I hate to put you in this position and ask you to lie for me. If there’s ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call.”

Zari smiled, appreciating the effort Sara was making. “Just publish a kick-ass article to clear my boss’ name, okay?”

Chapter Text

“I wanted to thank all of you for your tireless efforts in pursuing the truth at all costs,” Astra said during the morning CatCo editorial meeting, her face appearing on one of the large screens in Ava’s office. “Thanks to your hard work, Ms. Danvers in particular, my tenure as interim CEO will come to a close today.”

Astra made sure everyone had their assignments before closing out the morning staff meeting. Sara and Nate headed out into the bullpen where the morning anchors were discussing the developments from the prior night.

“If you are just joining us this morning we are breaking down all of the explosive developments that continue to unfold in the Bishop Luthor trial,” the channel four anchor said as footage from the courthouse began rolling. “Yesterday we broke down Ava Luthor’s powerful testimony against her brother. The defense team then presented video footage which completely undermined Ms. Luthor’s credibility and even resulted in her appointing an interim CEO to run CatCo. Because Ms. Luthor was revealed as the whistleblower who turned her brother into the police during her testimony, her credibility in the courtroom and especially in front of this jury is tantamount to the prosecution’s case.

“Well, as badly as the day ended yesterday for Ms. Luthor and the prosecution, that is how well it is starting today.” Sara and Nate watched transfixed as the latest developments were reported. “First, late last night there was a bomb threat at National City International Airport. Supergirl responded, but it was revealed to be a ploy just to lure her there, as the would-be bombers came with kryptonite.” The on-air coverage shifted to shaky, grainy footage of Supergirl’s confrontation with the bombers at the airport. “As you can see from this bystander-shot footage, they nearly succeeded in defeating the ‘Girl of Steel’ who was rendered powerless against them. But an unlikely hero stepped up when Ava Luthor, who can be seen in the video, came to Supergirl’s rescue.” Sara felt her heart melt as she watched Ava easily take down the three would-be bombers. “The two worked together to diffuse the bomb, saving the lives of the estimated twenty-two hundred people trapped within the terminal.”

Nate turned to Sara and asked softly, “Is it true she knew which wire to cut?”

Sara nodded, thinking about how good of a team she and Ava made. “We only had a few seconds left.”

“I still think my initial caution was warranted, but I am willing to concede that she has earned the benefit of the doubt,” Nate admitted reluctantly.

Sara gasped excitedly. “Look who’s coming around!”

As the two bantered a bit more, the television coverage continued. “Another top story we are following for you this morning is an article published by Sara Danvers on CatCo Worldwide Media’s digital edition. Danvers is the same reporter who interviewed President Marsdin last month about the Alien Amnesty Act. Due to the controversy caused by the defense’s video footage, Ava Luthor temporarily stepped down as CEO of CatCo. This story reinvigorates the prosecution’s case against Bishop Luthor while dealing a serious ethical blow to the defense team. The footage presented at trial yesterday was revealed as a complete sham with Ms. Danvers showcasing the original, unedited version of LCorp’s security cameras. That version aligned exactly with Ms. Luthor’s original account of the night’s events, and she is back in court this morning answering follow-up questions from the prosecution as they re-establish trust and credibility with the jury. Ms. Luthor is expected to be reinstated as the CatCo CEO later today.”

“I’m just glad the truth still matters,” Sara said softly as she let out a soft, contented sigh, admiring the way Ava looked in her suit in the courtroom coverage.

“Truth, justice, and the American way, right?” Nate teased, earning a playful scoff and eye roll from his best friend.

Meanwhile over at LCorp…

Zari popped into Ava’s office from the lab entrance, having received an alert from her that she was back from court. “Hey, I’m still working on those latest updates to the version 3.4 prototypes. I should have something for you later this afternoon,” Zari explained.

“Thank you. But that’s not why I wanted to speak with you,” Ava explained, causing Zari’s brow to furrow in confusion. She’d had to put off making some progress on the prototype development due to working on debunking the security footage, so Zari naturally assumed Ava had summoned her to make up for that lost time. Instead Ava let out the nervous breath she was holding, and looked Zari straight in the eyes, explaining, “I was out of line yesterday.”

Once understanding dawned on her, Zari threw up her hands as if to wave it off, quickly responding, “Ava, you don’t have to–”

“Yes, I do,” Ava insisted, not allowing Zari to let her inexcusable behavior go. “We’ve been working together for almost ten years now, and you’re the closest person I have to a friend. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I was angry and…” Ava paused, swallowing the lump in her throat as all of the horrible emotions from the prior day flooded through her. She let out a deep breath before continuing, “...hurt, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m sorry,” she apologized sincerely, hoping she hadn’t irrevocably ruined things between her and Zari. She extended her hand, hoping they could shake on it.

“Thank you,” Zari said, reaching out for Ava’s hand and shaking it firmly. Really she just wanted to get back to work. She appreciated the effort Ava was making, but she understood Ava’s reaction to everything that had happened. If presented with the same situation, Zari wasn’t sure how she might’ve responded.

Ava smiled as they both let their hands go, feeling more relieved that Zari seemed to forgive her. “Your holiday bonus will be bigger and should hit your account soon if it hasn’t already. I also wanted to let you know I’m promoting you to VP of new product development.”

Zari’s eyes tripled in size at Ava’s announcement. “Are you serious?” she asked in shock.

“You earned it a while ago. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to make it official,” Ava said, but no sooner had the words left her mouth did she find Zari’s arms wrapped firmly around her. Ava returned the hug, happy that they could continue their relationship without any lingering awkwardness. “There’s no one I trust more. What else can I do to make up for my unacceptable behavior?”

Zari was practically speechless. “This is um…wow, thank you,” she said softly, overcome with emotions.

Suddenly there was a knock on Ava’s office door. It opened slightly to reveal Sara, and Zari couldn’t help but smile to herself as they both began sporting the same goofy, lovestruck grin on their faces as Sara and Ava stared at each other, seemingly forgetting the rest of the world.

“Well, I’m going to finish those updates,” Zari said, breaking the pair out of their trance as she headed for the door.

“If you think of anything else, let me know, okay?” Ava asked, earning a nod from Zari before she closed the door behind her, leaving Sara and Ava alone.

“Well, you’re not my two o’clock,” Ava teased playfully as she leaned back against the corner of her desk, the smile never leaving her face as she looked at Sara.

The smile instantly dropped from Sara’s face as she realized that just popping in on Ava like she had done was probably silly. Of course she would have a ton on her plate after spending the morning in court. “Oh, I’m sorry. Of course your day is probably loaded with meetings. I can go,” Sara quickly apologized as she turned for the door.

“Don’t you dare!” Ava insisted, stopping Sara in her tracks before she could take more than a step. “Sit down. What brings you by?” Ava said invitingly, leading Sara over to her couch.

Sara took a seat next to Ava on the couch, her face turning into a smirk as she explained, “Well, my office is overflowing with flowers for one thing.”

“Really?” Ava asked with a wink, her brow furrowing in mock confusion as she pretended not to know what Sara was talking about.

“Yeah,” Sara replied, both of them laughing softly. “You didn’t have to do that,” Sara added softly.

“Yeah, I did,” Ava insisted. “My original idea was handles of tequila, but lucky for you – or maybe unlucky for you – my assistant suggested flowers instead.”

Sara couldn’t help but laugh. It was really something to see the turnaround in Ava’s mood over the past twenty-four hours. Sara let out a contented sigh before saying, “The flowers were…really lovely.”

“I didn’t, don’t, know how to thank you,” Ava said, growing serious again, loving how the blue of Sara’s eyes seemed to ground her and make her feel safe.

“Well, that’s what friends are for,” Sara replied with a smile and a shrug, telling herself she would’ve fought just as hard to defend Laurel, or Ray, or any of her other friends.

“I’ve never had friends like you before,” Ava admitted softly, bowing her head slightly. She so rarely allowed herself a moment of vulnerability, but Sara just had a way of making her feel like she could let down her walls, at least a little bit. “No one has ever stood up for me like that.”

“Well, now you have someone that will stand up for you. Always,” Sara said.

“Well, Supergirl and I may be competing for who can save whom more, but you, Sara Danvers, are my hero,” Ava said as the two of them leaned in close, wrapping their arms around each other. Sara’s heart melted at Ava’s kind words about her, and if she were being honest with herself, she was growing mighty fond of Ava’s hugs.

As they broke apart, Sara spoke up again, “Hey, um.” She paused to clear her throat, clearly a bit nervous about what she wanted to say next. “Thanksgiving is this week. If you don’t have anywhere to be, I’m having the whole game night crew over at my place.” Ava just looked at her expectantly until Sara added, “It’d be great to have you there.”

“Really?” Ava asked, a bit overwhelmed by Sara’s offer. It was one thing for Sara to invite her to game night, which Sara clearly held as a sacred weekly ritual. But Thanksgiving was a time to be with family. Was it possible that Sara felt something for her? Ava wondered to herself. She quickly shook the thought aside, deciding that Sara was just being polite after Ava’s ordeal over the past couple of days. “Wow, that’s…so generous. Umm, yeah I would really like that, actually.”

Sara’s face lit up when she heard Ava’s reply. “Great! Show up any time after three,” she said excitedly.

“After three?” Ava clarified.

“Well, Laurel and I always go visit our folks for breakfast in Midvale, so just in case there’s traffic or anything, that gives us plenty of time to get back and start cooking,” Sara explained.

“What can I bring? And don’t say nothing this time,” Ava insisted.

“Just yourself,” Sara replied with a coy smile.

“C’mon Sara!” Ava exclaimed, refusing to give in. “My cooking hasn’t been bad enough to kill anyone yet…that I know of,” she teased with a wink.

Sara rolled her eyes, loving this playful side of Ava. “Okay, we always struggle with vegetables. Candied yams don’t quite count,” she conceded.

“Candied yams?” Ava asked, immediately feeling her stomach rumble at the thought. “Yum! Okay, veggies it is!”

“Thank you,” Sara said.

As Ava was excitedly thinking about the next couple of days, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Hoping it wasn’t too much to ask, she hesitantly spoke up, “Um…I’m sorry. I hate to impose on your generous offer, but is there any chance I can bring a plus one?”

“A plus one?” Sara asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. She wasn’t sure why, but Sara suddenly felt a pit forming in her stomach as her mind immediately went to the worst case scenario. Was Ava’s ex, Sam, in town? Did she and Ava get back together?

Luckily Ava spoke up again to interrupt Sara’s spiraling thoughts. “Yeah…a friend of mine, she’s…she doesn’t have any family either, and I wanted to do something nice for her.”

It didn’t help. Sara felt more insecure than ever. The high of having Ava over to her place again, and for Thanksgiving no less, was suddenly replaced by the low of having to see her and Sam together. Sara swallowed the lump in her throat when she realized Ava was looking at her for an answer. Not wanting to be rude, Sara responded, “Oh, ummm…yeah! The more the merrier!”

Thanksgiving day shortly after three…

Clad in her red and black plaid apron, Sara zapped the turkey with her laser eyes, transforming it from raw to a perfect golden brown in a matter of minutes.

“I will never get tired of watching you do that!” Laurel gushed as she opened another bottle of wine.

Sara let out a nervous laugh as she wiped her hands on the skirt of her apron. Despite her best efforts, she’d been obsessing about Ava showing up with Sam, and she was beginning to wonder why she ever invited Ava in the first place. Sara let out the breath she’d been holding before responding, “Okay, I’m going to finish off the turkey in the oven.” She then started reviewing everything, just to make sure, for at least the fifth time, that they had enough food, “The mashed potatoes and candied yams are nearly done. Mon-El is bringing the stuffing. Ray brought cranberry sauce. Nate brought beer…”

Laurel comfortingly rubbed her shoulder and offered, “You’re really nervous about this aren’t you?”

“Only like a lot!” a flushed Sara exclaimed as the sisters continued to prep everything.

“Oooh, who’s playing in the base…base b-b-basketball game?” Ray stuttered, trying to remember which sport was on.

“Football, Ray,” Nate corrected as he patted the seat beside him on the couch and extended a beer to his best friend.

“Every time,” Spooner teased as she shook her head, referencing the fact that they’d been celebrating Thanksgiving together for the past several years.

“You taking Detroit straight up, against the spread, or do you like the over-under at forty-five?” Nate asked Spooner as he took a sip of his beer.

“Please,” Spooner scoffed as if he’d asked her something ridiculous. “The Bears might as well be a college team. Detroit has this in the bag easily.”

“How are you holding up, big guy?” Nate asked, looking over at Ray after a few minutes of quiet had settled among the trio.

Ray set his beer down on the coaster on the end table to his left before letting out a deep sigh. “It doesn’t quite feel like the holidays without Felicity,” he lamented softly. 

“Or Amaya,” Nate agreed.

“Or Oliver,” Laurel added as she joined the three of them on the couches.

Spooner took a sip of her mezcal before standing up in front of the television to let the others know she meant business. She loved her friends, but they were in need of a little tough love. “Look, I’m only going to say this once. Y’all are better off without those losers, and if I hear another one of their names mentioned, we are gonna start doing shots. Now, can we please get back to what this holiday is really about?” Spooner concluded as she sat down. She was not about to let them spend the day wallowing. “Football, and me making a ton of money off easy props and parlays,” Spooner added with a smirk, earning a soft laugh from Laurel, Ray, and Nate, as they resumed joking with each other and discussing more carefree topics.

Suddenly there was knocking on the door to Sara’s loft. She nearly jumped, but quickly composed herself, taking a deep breath and evening out the invisible wrinkles in her apron. Sara reached for her door and opened it but was surprised by who stood on the other side of the threshold.

“Jolly Thanksgiving!” Mon-El greeted her as he stepped inside.

“Thanks, thank you,” Sara said as she closed the door behind him. She felt the adrenaline leave her body as Mon-El stepped into her kitchen, the anticipation of Ava’s arrival briefly pushed to the side. Sara couldn’t help but laugh at Mon-El’s attempt to adopt Earth customs. “It’s Happy Thanksgiving,” she corrected with a small smile.

“All right, Happy Thanksgiving,” Mon-El said, handing Sara what appeared to be a pillowcase.

“What is this?” she asked, confused as she inspected his offering.

“Oh that? Well, you asked for stuffing so I ripped open my mattress and pulled…” Mon-El explained, but he began to trail off when he realized that he’d not fully understood the assignment.

“Oh, well that’s not quite what I meant,” Sara said as she discarded the stuffing. She was halfway through reviewing what having no stuffing to eat would do to their dinner plans when she heard more knocking on her door. Mon-El was about to say something else but stopped when he saw Sara reach for the door, deciding it could wait. Sara gulped as she tried to mentally prepare herself to come face to face with Sam. Memories of the news coverage of her and Ava flashed through her mind, causing Sara to grimace slightly and lose her appetite.

Sara let out a deep breath and plastered a forced smile on her face as she reached for the door. The moment she opened it and her gaze landed on Ava it was like the whole world stopped. Ava’s beautiful blonde hair was down in loose waves, perfectly framing her face. She was wearing a tight-fitting dark red turtle-neck sweater with tight black jeans that perfectly hugged all of her curves. 

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Ava said with a huge grin as she leaned in to hug Sara, seemingly unaware of the effect she had on the super.

Sara melted into her touch, returning the hug. “Oh, H-Happy Thanksgiving,” she stuttered slightly, loving the feeling of Ava in her arms.

The sensation felt so good that Sara nearly forgot about Ava’s ‘plus one.’ As they broke apart, Sara steeled herself, forcing another smile as she turned her attention behind Ava. “I think you two have informally met, but let me introduce you properly. Sara, this is Zari, my brilliant VP of new product development at LCorp,” Ava explained as she stepped further inside Sara’s loft, revealing Zari behind her in the threshold. “And Zari, this is Sara, my top reporter at CatCo.”

“Hey!” Nate shouted indignantly as he, Ray, Spooner, Laurel, and Mon-El join Sara, Ava, and Zari in the kitchen. He pretended to be offended by Ava referring to Sara as her ‘top’ reporter.

“Did I stutter?” Ava deadpanned, teasing Nate as the group convened in the kitchen.

Sara couldn’t help how relieved she felt to see Zari rather than Sam as she introduced her to the whole gang, all the while the two of them shared a knowing smile as Zari, Ray, Spooner, Laurel, and Mon-El pretended to be meeting for the first time.

“Hi,” Nate made eyes at Zari as he introduced himself and led her over to the couches to sit down.

“So, you’re CatCo’s second best reporter?” Zari asked, not missing a beat. Her comment earned a snort and laugh from Laurel, Ray, and Spooner.

“Sara and I each bring our own talents to the table,” Nate insisted.

“Mmmhmmm,” Zari hummed as she took in the football game on the television before turning to Spooner, “You take Detroit and Dallas in the Thanksgiving parlay? Where can I get in on that?”

Spooner’s eyebrow raised as she turned to her left to examine the newcomer. “Zari was it? I like you already” Spooner teased with a sly smile.

Back in the kitchen Ava began to unpack what she’d brought in her tote bag as she explained, “I hope we’re not too late. I know you said anytime after three, and it’s pushing nearly four. I was trying to wrap up some things at the office.”

“Not at all,” Sara reassured her softly, gently rubbing her shoulder. Sara didn’t even realize she had initiated the physical contact until she felt Ava relax under her touch. “I am still finishing up with a few things, so you are just in time,” she added with a smile.

“How was seeing your folks this morning?” Ava asked.

“Amazing! They did this awesome brunch spread with bacon, fruit, pastries, omelets. Ugh, it was so good!” Sara gushed as she recalled spending a great morning with her family.

“I’m noticing food is a big part of your life,” Ava commented with a wink and a soft laugh. “That must be why we get along so well,” she added, causing both her and Sara to laugh softly. “Your folks are good?”

“Yeah. It’s always so good to see them,” Sara answered, still feeling beyond relieved that she didn’t have the ghost of holidays past joining them in the form of Ava’s ex, Sam.

“Well, I brought a few options as far as veggies go,” Ava explained as she began setting out a few containers on the counter.

“Oooh, thank you!” Sara thanked her.

“First, we have a fall harvest salad complete with kale, butternut squash, walnuts, dried cranberries, and feta,” Ava said as she unwrapped the cover on her salad, and Sara handed her a pair of tongs.

“Yum! This looks delicious,” Sara said excitedly, her appetite having returned tenfold since discovering Sam wouldn’t be joining them.

“And I roasted some brussel sprouts with a balsamic glaze. These will need to be warmed up in the oven,” Ava informed her as she handed Sara the second, foil-covered container.

“Oh, I can take those. Thank you, this is great,” Sara replied as she placed the dish in her oven. “Can I get you anything?” Sara asked as she wiped her hands on her apron.

“She’ll have a shot!” came a friendly tease from Zari from the living room.

Ava laughed before looking playfully at Sara, her eyebrow raising slightly as if to challenge the other woman. “I’m game. How about you, Danvers?”

Sara loved this soft, loose side of Ava and rolled her eyes slightly at everyone’s carefree spirit. “Let me bust out the good tequila you brought on game night.”

“Ah, so that’s why you got invited back,” Zari teased Ava as everyone crowded around to prepare a round of shots. When Ava looked at her quizzically, Zari deadpanned in response, “You bribed them with high quality booze.”

“Obviously,” Spooner joked.

Sara and Ava laughed as Ava playfully rolled her eyes before grabbing a glass of ginger ale for Zari.

After everyone did a round of shots, Sara and Ava continued bantering playfully in the kitchen with Ava helping Sara put the finishing touches on everything.

Meanwhile in the living room, Zari spied Mon-El looking a bit longingly in Sara’s direction, and feeling bad for the guy, she spoke up. “Hey, I’m Zari,” she said, extending her hand as she introduced herself.

Mon-El cleared his throat before shaking her hand and offering his name, “Mon-El.”

“That’s uh…well, I thought Zari was unique,” Zari responded with a smile.

“I’m from Daxam,” Mon-El explained.

“You’re an alien?” Zari asked, musing to herself about the group having an alien in it.

“Guilty,” he responded with a shrug and a small smile, which Zari returned.

“So, Zari, how long have you been in National City?” Nate asked. He’d been unable to take his eyes off the woman and wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

Zari let out a deep breath as she recounted her relocation from Metropolis, “Well, I moved here when Ava moved the company, so almost two months now.”

“What’s your favorite thing about the city?” Nate asked as he took a sip of his beer, the football game blaring on the big screen in front of him all but forgotten.

Zari scrunched up her face as she considered she hadn’t gotten out much since moving.“I don’t know. I haven’t really had much of a chance to explore.” She smiled devilishly as she glanced back in the direction of the kitchen where Ava and Sara were laughing about something. “Someone has had me working nonstop.”

“Have you been down to pier 45?” Nate asked, to which Zari responded by shaking her head ‘no.’ “The arboretum?” Zari shook her head again. “The history museum?” Nate asked, feeling the desire to take this beautiful woman to all of those places.

“Woah, okay, we all know you’re Mr. History, but that’s not everyone’s jam,” Laurel teased Nate with a wink. “I mean at least take her to something fun like paintball or…the shooting range!”

“Okay, I am equal parts impressed and terrified of you,” Zari said in response to the last part as they all shared a laugh, continuing to discuss each of their favorite places to go in the city.

As they continued to banter, Ava stole a quick peak at Zari, loving how effortlessly she fit into the group before looking over at Sara. Ava couldn’t believe how lucky she was that Sara had invited her in to be part of her little world, first at game night, and now for Thanksgiving. For the first time since Ava could remember, she felt like she belonged somewhere, like she’d been able to meet real, genuine people who existed outside of the Luthor and corporate bubbles she so frequently found herself in. It felt incredible to be able to share a holiday with people she found herself trusting and caring about, and she let go a small contented sigh as she took in the moment.

“All right, I think we are ready,” Sara announced as she finished carving the turkey and admired the wonderful spread of food on the counter before her. “Hey everyone, dinner is served,” she invited them to join her and Ava as she discarded her apron over one of her barstools. 

The superfriends did not need to be told twice as everyone got up from their seats and joined Sara and Ava around the table, knowingly allowing the two of them to sit across from each other.

Sara took a deep breath before explaining, “So, before we start, I know it’s a little corny, but we Danvers have this family tradition where we all go around and say what we’re thankful for.”

Ava snorted before responding, “The Luthors have a family tradition of being emotionally unavailable.” The comment, half in jest, earned her a few snorts and chuckles. “I like this corny Danvers idea.” Sara looked across the table at her, and the two of them shared a smile as everyone began to go around, explaining what they were thankful for.

When it got to her turn, Ava stood up, took a deep breath, and explained, “I’ve never had anyone, let alone a table full of people, in my corner before. People who cared enough to defend me even when the world wanted to paint me as just another ruthless Luthor. I am truly and deeply grateful to each and everyone of you,” she explained as she held up her glass of wine to prompt everyone in a toast. “Well, especially Sara and Zari, for what you did for me. Thank you,” she added, locking eyes with Sara.

“Hear, hear,” Nate said.

Everyone dipped their glasses into the center of the table to cheers before digging in, and enjoying the feast.

Monday morning…

Ava let out a sigh as she continued to review various proposals and portfolios. The morning editorial meeting at CatCo had recently concluded, and she was trying to make a dent in her to-do list before spending the afternoon over at LCorp. Despite her best efforts to remain laser focused on work, her thoughts continued to drift back to Thanksgiving the prior week. Ava was so touched by how Sara had stood up for her and welcomed her into her close circle of family and friends. A knock on her office door suddenly brought Ava out of her fond memories of the recent holiday.

Ava did her best to hide her slight disappointment in realizing it was Nate at her door instead of Sara. “Oh, hey, Nate,” Ava greeted him as she looked up from her computer screen. “How is your latest article coming along?”

Nate closed the door behind him as he entered Ava’s office, taking a seat in one of the chairs just in front of her desk. He clearly had something on his mind, so he had to mentally context switch from that topic to remembering where he left off with progress of the current story he was in the middle of. “Uh…it’s, it’s good. I’ve got a few interviews set up for later today,” he informed Ava.

“When can I expect a draft?” Ava asked, wanting to make sure she could allocate time in her schedule for reviewing Nate’s progress.

Nate let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair as he considered what would make for a reasonable timetable. “I can have something ready for your review by four.”

Ava nodded, mentally reviewing what she had on her schedule for later that afternoon. Sensing Nate had something other than work on his mind, Ava added, “Was there something else on your mind?”

Nate nervously cleared his throat as he spoke up, “Um…your friend from Thanksgiving?” He asked tentatively.

“Zari?” Ava asked, her face lighting up once she realized what was happening. Ava knew Zari had been spending nearly all of her time at work since they relocated to National City, and she would love for her closest friend to start building some semblance of a social life.

“Yeah, Zari,” Nate said, as if he could’ve forgotten a name as lovely and unique as that. She was all he’d been thinking about since Thanksgiving, and after being so hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Amaya, Nate was surprised how quickly he found himself wanting to get to know Zari. “Is uh, is she seeing anyone?” Nate asked softly, hoping the answer was ‘no.’

Ava leaned back slightly in her desk chair, a huge grin spreading across her face as she recalled Nate and Zari chatting throughout Thanksgiving. “You two really hit it off, huh?”

Nate was clearly smitten as he tried to put his feelings into words. “She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Would you…could I…get her number?” he asked, assuming Ava’s light teasing meant that Zari wasn’t currently in a relationship.

Ava smirked as she quickly scribbled something down on a sticky note. “Well, she might have said something about your dimples being cute,” she replied, not missing the slight blush in Nate’s cheeks as she handed him the sticky with Zari’s phone number on it.

“Thank you,” Nate said, appreciatively. He turned around and took a step towards Ava’s office door before turning back around to face her. Realizing he had one other thing to discuss with her, he took a deep breath and added, “You know, I was wrong about you.” 

Ava only responded by narrowing her eyes as she stiffened in her chair, their playful banter regarding Zari all but forgotten. 

Nate quickly continued, “I um, it’s not that I didn’t believe you wanted to be different from all of the other Luthors. I just doubted whether you could actually follow through on it.” It wasn’t the easiest conversation to have with your boss, let alone someone as intimidating as Ava, but Nate knew he owed it to her. “I’m not like Sara. She…she always tries to see the best in people. I guess it’s the reporter in me. I need at least two sources before I believe anything,” he said with a nervous laugh, hoping he hadn’t done anything to ruin their still fledgling friendship.

Ava uncrossed her arms as she had been listening to Nate’s explanation feeling a bit defensive. She couldn’t blame him for being initially skeptical of her. Hell, she was still rather surprised how quickly her and Sara’s friendship had blossomed. It was tricky enough trying to balance friendships with working relationships, and add in the Luthor family’s baggage…well Ava likely would’ve felt similar to Nate if their positions were reversed. After a beat of her considering his comments, she asked, “What changed your mind?”

A huge grin spread across Nate’s face, and Ava wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him that happy before. “I have been celebrating Thanksgiving with the Danvers sisters ever since college, when I broke the news to my folks I wouldn’t ever be moving back east. I have never seen Sara as happy as she was on Thursday.”

Ava nodded slowly as understanding dawned on her. She stood up and made her way to stand just in front of Nate. “I meant what I said about having people in my corner. I’m beginning to realize, there’s no better person to have in my corner than Sara Danvers.”

A couple of days later, Nate held the door to Al’s Dive Bar open, prompting Zari to enter. “I’m still not really sure what we’re doing here. You know I don’t drink,” Zari protested as Nate led her to a table inside. She had been surprised when she’d received a text from Ava earlier in the week, giving her a heads-up that Nate had asked about her, and that she might be hearing from him. It had been a long time since she’d had any semblance of a personal life, and admittedly, Zari was still struggling to fit into a new role and a new city. But, she did have to admit to herself, Nate was rather cute, and he made her laugh.

Nate smiled as he and Zari each took a seat at their table. “I know. Trust me, okay. This is not your typical bar,” Nate tried to impress upon Zari, inviting her to look around and see for herself. He gently grasped her hand within his, rubbing the pad of his thumb soothingly across the inner side of her hand.

Zari obliged, letting her gaze wander as she looked around the bar. As she did she noticed a truly remarkable sight. The bar was full of both aliens and humans, and Zari couldn’t recall any other bars in National City, or any city she’d been to for that matter, where humans and aliens came together the way they did here. Part of her was in awe to see such a sight, especially in light of the protests that had begun rocking the city. But another part of her wondered why Nate had brought her there , specifically to a place full of aliens. He was a reporter after all; was it possible he knew more about her than he’d been letting on.

Zari tensed, quickly retrieving her hand back as she felt a shiver run up her spine. Realizing her reaction, Nate again reached for her hand and made a joke, trying to lighten the suddenly tense mood between them, “Don’t tell me you’re one of those anti-alien nut jobs.”

Thankfully Mon-El arrived and greeted the pair, “Oh, hey guys.”

“Mon-El? What are you doing here?” Zari asked, confused by his presence and still feeling slightly overwhelmed by the current situation.

“I work here. What can I get you?” Mon-El answered matter-of-factly. He looked expectantly at the two of them, waiting for either Nate or Zari to speak up.

“Uh, just a club soda for me, thanks,” Zari said softly.

A crafty smile spread across Nate’s face as he gestured for Mon-El to lean down towards him. Zari studied Nate curiously as he whispered into Mon-El’s ear. Mon-El smirked as he listened to Nate, ultimately patting him on the shoulder before giving him a nod as he headed back towards the bar.

“What the hell are you up to?” Zari demanded as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Nate, not trusting what she just witnessed between the two men.

“You’ll just have to stick around to find out,” Nate teased.

A few minutes later Mon-El arrived with two glasses and set them down on the table in front of Zari and Nate as he explained, “My good sir and lady, may I present your Aldebaran juice.”

“Alde what?” Zari asked, staring quizzically up at Mon-El.

“It’s a special brew some of the regulars really seem to like. There’s no alcohol in it, but…well, let’s just say it’s…an experience,” Mon-El trailed off, a devilish smile on his face as he headed back to the bar.

“An experience? What does that mean?” a flustered Zari asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

“I don’t know,” Nate shrugged as he inhaled the aroma of the mysterious concoction. It had a very tangy scent, and there was a bit of froth on the top of the juice. It reminded him of what he always imagined butter beer would look and smell like.

“You! You absolutely know!” Zari insisted.

“I swear! I don’t – I mean, I may have some theories, but…” Nate couldn’t help but laugh at Zari’s reaction. He had grown to be such a huge fan of seeing her smile and laugh, and he continued to be surprised by how easy it was to be around her and talk to her, like they had known each other in a previous life or something. “Okay, I have an idea,” Nate suggested, earning a curious glance from Zari. “I’m going to count to three. On three we each say one thing we really enjoy doing. Okay?”

Zari rolled her eyes, both secretly loving how hard Nate was trying but also genuinely finding that she enjoyed his company. It surely beat her typical post-work routine of ordering takeout, changing into sweats, and chilling on her couch. “Okay,” she relented.

“One…two…three!” Nate prompted them.

“Hiking,” Nate said. “Video games,” Zari said simultaneously.

“Hiking?” Video games?” they both asked together, clearly not expecting the other’s response.

“The closest I’ve gotten to nature in the past year is on the subway,” Zari explained with a laugh. When Nate gave her a questioning glance, Zari added, “There are mice and roaches down there. One time I even saw a squirrel!”

Nate just shook his head. “Would you ever consider coming on a hike with me?” he asked, hoping they could find some way to bond over a mutual interest.

“Ummm, I don’t know. When’s the last time you held a controller?” Zari asked.

Nate cleared his throat sheepishly. “Fair point. How about this?” he asked after taking a minute to think. When Zari just looked expectantly back at him he suggested, “We drink for it? Last one to finish their Alde whatever this is, has to do the other person’s thing?”

“Mmmm,” Zari hummed as she considered his proposal. Suddenly she took the glass in her hand and began downing it, finishing it off in a matter of a few seconds. Holding up her empty glass, she smirked and agreed, “Deal. Since you’re the last one with any of that stuff left, you owe me a night of video gaming.” 

“Whoa! Cheater!” Nate yelled back playfully as he began to drink the juice.

“Don’t blame me because you failed to set adequate parameters,” Zari teased him.

“Best two out of three? Mon-El!” Nate called his friend back over once he’d finished. It was surprisingly tasty.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Mon-El asked as he re-appeared in front of their table.

“We’ll do another round of that juice…stuff,” Nate explained eagerly.

Mon-El laughed to himself before quickly agreeing, “Coming right up.”

“Does your neck feel weird?” Zari asked Nate suddenly, her hands immediately going to rub along the sides of her neck.

“Woah, yeah, it’s all..tingly and…ooooh,” Nate agreed as he did the same.

“This is weird,” Zari said.

“A good weird?” Nate asked hopefully.

“Why did you bring me here ?” Zari asked suddenly. Her neck still felt tingly, but she needed to know.

“Because you’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met, and I can’t stop thinking about you,” Nate blurted out, realizing that in addition to the weird sensation in his neck, the juice must also have some sort of inhibition blocker, causing him to be so open about his feelings.

Zari blushed as she let out a soft laugh. “No, I meant, here . You mentioned the arboretum and the history museum at Thanksgiving, but you didn’t mention this place.”

Nate nodded as understanding dawned on him. “Oh, well, see that guy over at that table?” Nate asked as he pointed to the very large man sitting to the right of the bar at a table by himself. Zari nodded as she followed where Nate indicated. “That’s my neighbor, Al. He owns the place.” Zari continued to look at Nate expectantly, still not understanding. “I don’t know. Outside of my place and Sara’s, I guess it feels the most like home to me. I wanted to share that with you,” Nate admitted as he grasped Zari’s hand once more, both enjoying the sensing.

Zari took a deep breath and smiled before explaining, “For the record, you’re…” she paused, feeling the blush return to her cheeks again as she looked up into Nate’s big brown eyes. “You know, not terrible to look at, yourself,” she admitted softly.

“Your Aldebaran juice,” Mon-El explained as he deposited their next round on the table. Zari and Nate continued to banter and joke and have a really great time as the evening unfolded.

A while later a man came barging in through the main entrance door to the bar. The door clanged against the back wall, and the man stumbled, nearly losing his balance as he stepped inside. He braced himself on a stack of crates, knocking them over in the process. The ruckus drew Nate and Zari’s attention, breaking them out of the flow of their great conversation. It also drew the attention of Al, the owner, who stood up and began making his way towards the stranger.

As the man rose again and walked further inside the bar, it became obvious that his balance issues were due to him being extremely intoxicated. He glanced around the occupants of the bar, his eyes glazed over and gaze unfocused. He blinked a couple of times as he thought the horns, blue skin, and other tell-tale signs of aliens around him had to be in his imagination. “Shit, how much did I drink?” he slurred as he continued to make his way further inside the bar.

Everyone had grown quiet as all eyes and attention were on this stranger who clearly didn’t know where he was. As the man’s gaze landed on an alien at the table next to where he stood, he realized he wasn’t hallucinating and was really surrounded by aliens. “You’re one of those damn roaches,” he said, locking eyes with the patron, his voice growing loud and threatening. “It’s not enough that you’re stealing our jobs. You have to steal our bars too?”

The man was clearly agitated, and Nate, Zari, and Mon-El each considered approaching him in an attempt to get him to leave the bar before he hurt himself or anyone else. Luckily Al approached the man, who lost his balance as he tried to initiate an altercation. Having a significant size advantage over him and just about everyone else was a plus, as Al grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and dragged him outside, depositing him on the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, Nate and Zari had wandered over to the crates the stranger had knocked over when he’d initially stumbled inside the bar. As they were cleaning up the mess he’d made, they noticed something on the ground. It was a pile of flyers advertising a ‘Rally for Liberty’ in a couple of days. Nate grabbed the flyers and stuffed them into his pocket, thinking it could make for a good upcoming story.

The next day at CatCo…

Ava sighed as she glanced at her laptop screen. A new email arrived in her inbox reminding her that just when she thought she had a handle on everything, there was always another surprise right around the corner. It had been another long day of news coverage of her brother’s trial, not to mention an endless parade of meetings between both LCorp and CatCo. 

Ava pushed out her desk chair and strode across the room to stare out at the world below, needing something besides her virtual screens to stare at. The sun was low in the sky casting beautiful shades of oranges and purples across the view. She took a couple of deep breaths as her eyes found the mountain peaks followed by the gently crashing waves of the sea against the beach. Ava wished she could stare into Sara’s deep blue eyes instead, but she quickly shook the thought from her head. She wasn’t sure when the other woman had made her feel so safe and grounded; Ava smiled as she mused to herself that it was probably sometime around when Sara had relentlessly pushed to expose her brother’s lies about her.

Suddenly a soft knock on her office door shook Ava from her thoughts. She quickly turned around and nearly had to do a double-take, questioning if the form before her was real or just the manifestation of her desires. 

“I have the interview notes you wanted…on the protests outside the courthouse,” Sara explained softly as she closed the door behind her. She took the few remaining steps towards Ava’s desk and deposited the folder she’d been carrying. 

Ava’s jaw clenched as she took in the sight of Sara. Her hair was down in loose waves, and her sleeveless bright blue top made her eyes pop. It also displayed Sara’s immaculately toned arms, which Ava was somehow just now noticing. A thought flashed through Ava’s mind, and she wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed once it came and went. She was pushing Sara up against the glass windows behind her, her one hand running through Sara’s hair, the other pulling her ever closer toward Ava as their lips connected in an explosion of pent up desire.

“Thanks,” Ava said, offering Sara a small smile.

Sara got the distinct feeling she’d caught Ava at a bad time. She cleared her throat awkwardly before giving Ava a curt nod and pivoting to head for the door once again. She only made it a step before she heard Ava speak up again.

“Sara? Can I…can I ask you a favor?” Ava asked softly and hesitantly as she carefully considered the ramifications of what she was about to do. 

Sara immediately turned around and began walking towards Ava who met her halfway at the seats in front of her desk, inviting Sara to sit next to her. “Yeah, what’s going on?” Sara asked, curious about whatever was on Ava’s mind.

Ava shook her head, nervously chewing on the inside of her lip as she considered her words carefully. “You’ve done so much for me…game night, Thanksgiving…not to mention proving the footage of me was total bullshit,” Ava fumbled nervously through trying to explain what was on her mind to Sara. 

For her part Sara just sat patiently beside her, offering an encouraging glance and a warm smile. “I told you. That’s what friends are for.”

Friends , Ava thought, trying not to let it sound so…disappointing. “I’m still getting used to having friends like you,” Ava muttered with a small smile. “I um…do you have plans for Saturday night?” Ava blurted out, hoping she didn’t just ruin whatever it was that was blossoming between her and Sara.

Sara leaned back slightly, taken aback by Ava’s question. Of all the favors she could’ve asked, this was certainly not what she was expecting. Sara mentally reviewed her upcoming schedule and realized her current plans for Saturday night only included patrolling the city. “My sister and I are planning to check out that new ramen place on 5th for lunch, but after that, no plans.”

It wasn’t fair , Ava thought. How was she supposed to maintain a strictly professional relationship with Sara Danvers? Not only was she a brilliant journalist, but she was a loving sister and fiercely loyal friend. “The hospital is having this charity gala, and all of the board members are expected to attend,” Ava explained. She let out a deep breath adding, “With the trial still going on, the last thing I want is to be in the limelight right now, but we’re still a little short of our annual fundraising targets.”

Sara’s mouth curled into a smirk as she considered what Ava was asking her. “So, let me get this straight. You’re inviting me to get all dressed up and dance the night away with you at a fancy party?” Sara asked, taking the opportunity to tease Ava a bit, trying to ease the other woman’s clearly tense nerves.

Ava laughed slightly at Sara’s remark, loving how the other woman could calm her down so effortlessly. “Well, when you put it like that…yeah, I know it’s a tough job, but I think you’re the best person for it.,” Ava joked.

“Count me in,” Sara said. “Where should I meet you and what time?”

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” Ava responded. She smirked and paused a beat before arching her eyebrow and adding cheekily, “And remember, it’s for the kids, so wear something that will get me a lot of big checks.”

Chapter Text

“Nate, what do you have on tap for today?” Ava asked after moving on from Sara’s rundown of her in-flight articles. It was the CatCo morning editorial meeting, and Ava was keen to get a read on everyone, anything really to take her mind off of obsessing over the upcoming gala. Ever since Sara had agreed to go with her as her date, it was all Ava could think about. 

“Oh, well, I found a flier for this ‘Rally for Liberty’ that I wanted to check out,” Nate explained as he held up the piece of paper.

“You found a flier?” Ava asked skeptically, unsure if she should get the full story on how he knew about this rally.

“It’s…a long story,” Nate responded with a shrug as he passed her one of the fliers. Ava inspected it curiously, her eyebrow arching and mouth forming a frown as she looked it over. “Anyways, they’re this fringe anti-alien group. I figured I could attend the rally, interview some of the leaders. I know how much we are trying to present balance, and it’s important for our readers to understand that these groups exist and what their beliefs are,” Nate explained, thinking it all seemed plausible.

Ava let out a sigh as she considered his justification. Something about this group just didn’t sit well with her, but she couldn’t explain it. She let out a deep breath and relented, “Just tread carefully. I agree, we owe it to our readers to investigate and publish, but you promise me at the first sign of trouble you’re out of there,” she challenged Nate, looking at him expectantly. He gave her an incredulous look, but Ava didn’t back down. “I don’t want any of my reporters becoming the evening news.”

A short time later, Nate was making his way towards the subway to head to the rally when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out to see who it was, and a huge smile spread across his face as he realized Zari had texted him.

Lunch plans? I’m still detoxing from that juice we had the other day lol

They had texted sporadically since their first date at Al’s, but Nate often found himself thinking about Zari and wondering if she felt for him even a fraction of what he was starting to feel for her. Nate quickly dialed her number. Zari picked up on the second ring, and Nate answered, “I would love to do lunch, but I’ve got a story I’m working on.”

“Ouch. He calls to let me down easy,” Zari joked sarcastically.

“Woah woah. You know that’s not true,” Nate insisted, hating that Zari thought, even for a second, that he didn’t want to spend time with her.

“And yet, here we are,” Zari said as she let go a deep sigh.

Nate mulled over his next words carefully before saying, “Come with me.”

“What?” Zari asked, completely taken aback.

“I’m heading over to check out the rally that we saw those fliers for at Al’s. Come with me,” Nate insisted again.

“Ummm…” Zari considered if she could make it work with her schedule. She knew she could head out for a quick lunch nearby the office. Attending a rally across town was completely different.

“Who’s letting whom down easy now?” Nate challenged her back, a smirk dancing across his face as he waited, hoping he could convince Zari.

“Ugh fine! I think I can sneak away for a little while,” Zari finally relented, causing Nate to fist-pump in celebration.

The two of them met up on the subway when Zari hopped on at the stop closest to LCorp. Once they reached the Hastings Street stop about twenty minutes later, they both made their way up to street level. Nate pulled out his phone, and they walked another couple of blocks before entering what appeared to be a rec center gym.

As Nate and Zari entered, they found themselves surrounded by a few hundred people, all clapping with anticipation as whomever it was at the front near the stage was preparing to begin his remarks. They both looked around, noticing the crowd was made up of a rather diverse cross-section of National City’s population. There were parents there with their kids; elderly, men, women, and people of all skin tones. The one thing they seemingly all had in common: they were human.

“This is some crowd, isn’t it?” a bellowing voice echoed through the room. Nate and Zari tried to push past a few members of the surrounding people to get a better look at the man who was speaking while the people around them continued to clap their hands and cheer.

Nate did a double-take as he and Zari settled into an area where they had a full view of the stage on the opposite side of the room. The man who was speaking wore a gold mask that completely covered his head. The rest of his body was covered in paramilitary gear. He looked like a soldier, Nate found himself thinking. Chillingly, a large American flag could be seen on the stage behind him, and for the first time, Nate felt the distinct impression that they might’ve gotten more than he’d bargained for. “How many of you lost your jobs recently?” the masked man asked.

The hands of nearly every adult in the room shot up while several people responded, “I did.” They all looked around at each other, nodding solemnly as if feeling bonded by their shared loss.

“That’s a lot of hands,” the man in the gold mask lamented, his voice soft and deep. “I’m so sorry. And if I’m being honest, I’m right there with you. Let me ask you another question,” he paused for a minute before his tone shifted, from one of empathy to one of hostility, “How many of you have lost your home to an alien attack?”

Several members of the crowd raised their hands, causing Zari and Nate to share a knowing look. The mood in the room had abruptly changed from cautious and solemn to confrontational in a matter of seconds.

“How many of your children still have nightmares? How many of you have gone looking for a job? A job that you desperately need. But you don’t get that job. Why?” With each successive question, the man in the gold mask’s voice grew louder and more antagonistic. Nate’s jaw clenched at how vigorously and successfully he managed to rile up the crowd. “Because you don’t have super strength.”

Several people in the crowd considered his words carefully, studying their neighbors who began nodding their heads in agreement before the response grew into a thunderous confirmation.

“The law says, ‘no discrimination.’ But of course, it’s always ‘protect the aliens, protect the aliens,’” the man in the gold mask continued patronizingly. “Who’s going to protect us?” he asked rhetorically, continuing to inflame the crowd’s passion.

“Surely not the government. Who signed the Alien Amnesty Act!” he bellowed, causing a chill to run down Zari’s spine. She felt herself unconsciously squeeze Nate’s hand as everyone around them was clamoring in anger over a simple codification of the fact that aliens shouldn’t be persecuted simply because they weren’t born on Earth. Nate looked down at her, his brow furrowing in confusion as he searched Zari’s eyes. He wondered if they should leave, but the reporter in him wanted to stay, needing to get to the root of everything they were witnessing.

“Doesn’t that scare you?” the man at the front asked, earning a deafening ‘yeah!’ in response from the crowd.

“That’s weird that it should scare you because Supergirl says that you should have hope. That’s easy for her to say. She’s an alien.” Nate’s jaw clenched as he listened to this asshole mock his friend, the man’s voice dripping with condescension and disdain. “Do you know what I want you to feel? I want you to feel fear. It might energize you,” he added, punctuating each syllable carefully.

“Yeah!” The crowd agreed vigorously.

“Because when the highest office of this country can be infiltrated and influenced by aliens, none of us are safe!” 

The man in the mask continued to antagonize the crowd, who responded in turn with a boisterous, “No!”

“All of them have super powers. Which one of you alone is strong enough to protect yourself should an alien decide to attack? And they will! So what do we do? Because we can come together, and we can tear out this alien disease that threatens to poison our world, we can invite them to return to the planets that they came from, and we can restore health and vitality and security to this country. And I, as your Agent of Liberty, will stand with you as we dare to put Earth first!” He ended his monologue with that exclamation point, which caused both Nate and Zari’s stomachs to churn.

“Yeah!” The crowd erupted.

“Let me hear you say it,” the Agent of Liberty encouraged their anger and hatred.

“Earth first! Earth first! Earth first!” The crowd began chanting over and over.

Zari tried to hide it, but her emotions were betraying her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but it wouldn’t budge, as a sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. She thought she might be sick as she stared at the people around them not only buying this man’s hateful words, but enthusiastically endorsing them. Her cheeks started to feel flushed, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She felt tears stinging at her eyes, and she sniffled at a weak attempt to prevent the outpouring of emotions she knew she couldn’t hold back.

Before Nate realized it, Zari took off, pushing past the crowd and through the double-doors they’d entered. “Zari?” he asked, confused at first why she would take off so suddenly. “Zari! Wait!” Nate yelled after her as he too exited the rec center. He chased after her and finally caught up to her in the empty lot behind the next building. Her back was to him, but he could see her shoulders heaving as she tried to calm her breathing. Nate felt terrible, like he bore the responsibility for her feelings. He was just trying to include her in something; the last thing he wanted to cause her any pain. “Zari…look, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how…intense that was going to be,” Nate apologized as he approached her. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly as he gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

Nate was unprepared for Zari’s response as she quickly turned around and a tremendous gust of air flowed from her hands out across the lot, causing Nate to fall to the ground from the blast, his hair frazzled, and the buttons on his shirt all popping open. “No! I don’t fucking want to talk about it!” Zari shouted through tears.

“Holy shit,” was all Nate could mutter as he attempted to regain his composure. He tried to even out his hair and began re-buttoning his shirt, but he continued to stare in amazement at Zari. Being friends with Sara and Spooner, he was no stranger to extraterrestrial behavior, but the power he’d just witnessed was intense, and if possible, only amplified his feelings for the amazing woman before him. “You’re an…alien?” he asked, still shellshocked. 

Zari took a few calming breaths as the weight of her reveal finally hit her. She seemed frozen for a few beats, clearly trying to decide how much she wanted to divulge to Nate. Finally, she turned her gaze to lock eyes with him and began to explain who she was, “My home planet, Naruta, was destroyed twenty Earth years ago. Our sister world, Palo, accidentally caused the destruction of our shared moon. My mother and father sent myself and my little brother, Behrad, off in pods, hoping we’d reach someplace habitable. As my pod sped through the cosmos, I witnessed Naruta’s total destruction. That was the last time I ever saw any of them,” she added the last part softly, sniffling through another emotional wave.

Nate let out a sigh as he approached Zari, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he comforted her as she leaned into his broad shoulders, wondering why she felt so safe and comfortable opening up to him. “Your powers…?” Nate asked hesitantly as they continued to stand with their arms wrapped around each other. He was desperate to know anything and everything about Zari but knew he needed to tread carefully.

Zari took a deep breath before explaining, “My people harnessed the power of the air eons ago. It works slightly differently here than on Naruta, but it’s the same general idea.”

Nate looked down at her in wonder and smiled. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“For what?” Zari asked in confusion.

“Trusting me with your secret,” Nate explained, earning a soft smile from Zari, the first one Nate realized since they first met up on the subway earlier. “I’ve kept Sara’s secret for a long time. Yours is safe with me too,” he assured Zari as he rubbed her back comfortingly. Leaning down so their faces were only inches apart, Nate asked softly, “Can I…can I kiss you?”

Zari nodded, and before she realized it, their lips gently collided. Nate was surprisingly tender and soft.

Later that week…

“Okay, so we have been following all of the twists and turns in the trial of Bishop Luthor over the past several weeks. We know you don’t have all the time in the world to stay glued to your screens, so here on The Darhk Side , we do our best to present the facts to you so you can make up your own mind and decide your opinions for yourself,” Damien Darhk explained as he opened his show. 

“Earlier this week we detailed testimony from Ava Luthor, Bishop Luthor’s younger sister and, evidently the whistleblower who contacted the authorities upon learning of Mr. Luthor’s alleged crimes. Unlike some other networks and media outlets, here on this show we were quick to point out some of the blatant hypocrisy surrounding Ms. Luthor. For one thing, the only reason she is the CEO of two Fortune 500 companies is because of her brother’s arrest. Her net worth, not to mention the amount of positive press she’s received since moving to National City, has skyrocketed. The fact that no one wants to point out how much she’s benefitted from her brother’s demise should be a big story, but no one, least of all CatCo, wants to cover it. Well, we certainly do.

“As we outlined previously, during her cross-examination, Ms. Luthor was found to have perjured herself by explaining the details of what happened in her Luthor Corp office only to have the defense team present video evidence which proved how unreliable and untrustworthy she is. I mean I know Bishop Luthor is on trial for allegedly killing over two-dozen aliens, but we know for a fact this woman is a liar, obviously willing to say anything to sway public opinion to her side. Except this time she got caught.

“And instead of owning up to the fact that she’s exactly like any other rich elitist – saying one thing in public and another in private – this woman had the gall to double-down on her lies, insisting the video was a fake. And wouldn’t you know it, it was. Well, at least if you believe CatCo Worldwide Media. I know, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Wait a minute, doesn’t Ava Luthor own Catco? Why should I believe an article written by her company?’ Well, that’s exactly the question we’ve been asking here at The Darhk Side . It is awfully convenient that her own news outlet was the one to ‘prove’ her innocence. Ben, let me bring you in here. Is it me? Am I crazy? Or does this just stink to high heaven of a cover up or conspiracy or something nefarious?”

“Damien, you couldn’t be more on the nose about this. I really don’t understand. Either CatCo thinks their readers are too stupid to understand that they’re being lied to, or their entire editorial staff has just lost any semblance of impartiality, not to mention credibility–”

The incessant whining of National City’s two biggest mouthpieces was abruptly cut off when Laurel clicked the button on the remote to Sara’s television. It was Friday evening, and Sara had texted her out of the blue stating she was in desperate need of her help.

“Hey! I was watching that!” Sara shouted from her bedroom as she popped her head out from behind her door. In response Laurel just gave her a skeptical raised eyebrow. “Okay, I was listening to that!” Sara relented.

Laurel let out a deep sigh. Allowing herself to voice her considerable frustrations at her sister’s viewing habits, she huffed out, “I don’t know why you indulge that crap.” She hated how her sister gave those two idiots any attention at all, given how fringe and frankly batshit crazy their ideas were.

“Unfortunately there are people out there who buy into that crap , and it’s important for us to be able to stay in front of it and refute it when necessary,” Sara insisted, although somewhere in the back of her mind she was hoping, in vain, that someday she might get some validation from even Damien Darhk.

“You didn’t ask me here to debate the merits of trash tv,” Laurel responded as she made her way from Sara’s living room area to her bedroom. Laurel found her curiosity building at what could explain Sara’s reasoning for summoning her.

“You’re right! Ugh…I have nothing to wear,” Sara said in frustration as she collapsed against her bed.

Laurel cracked a smirk as she gave her sister a dramatic eye roll. “Ah, so by ‘SOS Emergency’ you meant…fashion emergency?” she asked, clarifying her role.

“Ava asked me to join her tomorrow at the children’s hospital gala,” Sara explained quickly. Laurel was the only person she’d told about it, and saying it out loud made it suddenly feel a whole lot more real. In just over twenty-four hours she’d be spending an amazing night with someone who had come to mean a great deal to her, and the last thing Sara wanted was to fuck up any potential relationship between the two of them before it could even start.

“She did?” Laurel asked softly, her mouth curling into a sweet smile as she looked at her younger sister.

“Yeah. She said with all of the media coverage from the trial going on she wanted someone she trusted by her side,” Sara explained.

“Awwww,” Laurel said, a hint of teasing in her tone. She was genuinely happy for her sister and was convinced the invite was proof that Sara’s feelings were returned by the Luthor. Her sister’s nervous energy suddenly made sense now that she had all the facts about why Sara had asked Laurel to come over.

“Not helping,” Sara responded hoping to change the subject back to the pressing matter at hand – what exactly she was going to wear the following night.

Laurel just smiled in return and took a seat on Sara’s reading chair in the corner of her room. “Okay, let’s see the contenders,” she prompted Sara.

Sara super sped into dress number one, a spaghetti strapped short red dress while Laurel chuckled to herself at how stressed her sister was and the pile of clothes covering her bed. Finally Sara returned to normal speed and stepped in front of Laurel to get her sister’s opinion.

Laurel narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow in concentration as she looked Sara over while Sara evened out the imaginary wrinkles in her dress. Sara examined herself critically in the mirror, carefully inspecting how every inch of fabric looked against her pale, freckled skin. After a few minutes, Sara finally let out a sigh and turned toward Laurel, eager to get her sister’s opinion.

“What’s wrong with this one?” Laurel asked the moment she felt Sara’s expectant eyes on her.

“I didn’t say anything!” Sara insisted as she held up her hands defensively.

“You didn’t have to! You clearly don’t think this one is right, otherwise you wouldn’t feel so self-conscious in it, which you clearly do,” Laurel assessed.

Sara narrowed her eyes and considered Laurel’s feedback for a beat before deciding her sister was right. “Let me try the next one,” Sara responded.

“Did Ava…say something?” Laurel asked as Sara began rifling through her closet, trying to decide which dress would fit the occasion. 

“What? Like what?” she asked Laurel, unsure of what her sister was getting at.

“I don’t know, like something to indicate she was looking for more than just a plus one to this thing?” Laurel clarified. She knew her sister’s crush on the Luthor had only deepened over the past few weeks, what with the trial and Thanksgiving and all. And Laurel could tell Ava felt something too. There was just something about the way she looked at her sister, like she was the only other person in the world.

Sara let out a frustrated huff in response, adding a disappointed, “No,” for good measure.

“Look I know how much you like her,” Laurel began but paused when she received a glare from Sara. “You can glare at me all you want, but you, oh girl of steel, have proven you have insides of mush,” Laurel teased as she stuck out her tongue at Sara. Sara had to admit, it was helping to have Laurel around for this. Their easy banter and teasing was helping to keep her stress level about the following night down a bit.

Sara again super sped into the second dress. This one was longer, more dramatic, and with a one-shoulder cut-out on Sara’s right shoulder, showed off the full extent of her immaculately toned left arm. There was also a slit traveling nearly the full length of Sara’s left leg. She took a minute to admire herself in the mirror, instantly feeling like she might have a winner. Sara turned to face her sister once more, hoping for her agreement.

“I haven’t seen this one for a while,” Laurel said as she carefully inspected both how Sara looked in the dress as well as her facial expression and feelings about the dress. “Put your right hand on your hip,” Laurel instructed as she narrowed her eyes at her sister. “And extend your left leg out a little,” she added.

After following Laurel’s instructions, Sara’s demeanor only grew more confident. “This is the one,” she said decisively.

“If Ava doesn’t already have a crush on you, she certainly will be feeling some things after seeing you in this, that’s for damn sure,” Laurel agreed as she stood up to wrap her arms around her sister.

“Thanks, Laurel,” Sara said as the two hugged for a few beats.

“For the record, if game night and Thanksgiving are any indication, I definitely think your crush is mutual,” Laurel nodded before suggesting they order take out.

Saturday night…

Sara let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding as she inspected herself in the full length mirror in her room one more time. Ava was due to pick her up for the gala any minute, and, while she felt confident she looked the part, she still wasn’t sure if she could pull off being Ava’s eye candy for the evening. Laurel’s pep talk the prior evening had helped, but Sara had spent the bulk of the day building up the courage to ask Ava to be, well…something more than whatever the heck they currently were to each other. 

Sara had lost count of how many people she’d brought home and spent an amazing night or two with. But Ava was the first person for whom Sara wondered if a lifetime together would be enough. 

Suddenly there was a knock at Sara’s door, dragging her out of her thoughts as the moment of truth had arrived. Sara knew regardless of what happened, things between her and Ava would never be the same after that night. She smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her dress as she reached for her clutch. Sara opened the door and immediately felt all of the air leave her lungs as she took in the sight of Ava on the other side of the threshold.

“Hi,” Ava said softly, a huge grin spreading across her face as she took in the sight of Sara before her. Ava wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen Sara with her hair up in a bun before, but between the handful of loose strands falling delicately around her face and the chiseled outline of her flawless arms, Ava couldn’t help the images that began flashing through her mind, each one involving Sara’s black dress on the floor of her car.

Sara was equally as transfixed as she took in the sight of the woman she’d found herself dreaming about more and more often. Sara knew she needed to say something or else she’d be liable to force Ava up against the nearest wall and begin tearing her immaculate designer dress off. “Wow. You look…” 

“Weird. I look weird, right?” Ava asked, her voice full of insecurity, causing Sara to wonder how on earth ‘weird’ was the first thing that came to the other woman’s mind. Ava knew they’d seen each other in casual wear and professional garb, but ball gowns were a whole new animal, and despite how many of these galas she’d attended, they were always her least favorite part of the gig. She’d much rather be in her Bowie t-shirt and jeans actually spending time with the hospital’s patients, rather than having to beg for more funding. She let out a light sigh as she shook her head to refocus on Sara’s beautiful form before her.

Sara couldn’t stop smiling as her eyes roamed across every inch of Ava. Her deep blue gown had silver accents. There were two cut-outs on either side of Ava’s midsection showing off her incredibly toned abs. The color of the dress seemed to match Ava’s eyes perfectly, Sara thought. Not wanting Ava to think for even a fraction of a second she thought she looked weird, Sara spoke up quickly, “Well, I was gonna say beautiful, but…”

A huge smile spread across Ava’s face as she listened to Sara. “Thank you. So do you. It’s—wow,” Ava couldn’t help how happy it made her to see Sara, and for the briefest of moments, she allowed herself a quick fantasy of forgetting the gala altogether and just bringing Sara back to her penthouse. Realizing that would have to remain a fantasy, Ava spoke up again, “Are you all set?”

“Yup, let me just lock up,” Sara replied as she grabbed her keys, and the two of them headed down to hop into Ava’s Rolls Royce. 

Ava’s driver John held the door for both women to slide into the back seat. Once they were settled and on the move, Sara spoke up, “So, what kind of haul do you need to bring in tonight?”

Ava took a deep breath as she mentally reviewed her notes for the evening and quickly shoved her fantasy of tearing Sara’s dress off deep down. “Well, I told the rest of the board I wanted us to cover every expense for any family who earns under $100,000,” she explained quickly, causing Sara’s heart to melt. “Once they finished laughing at me, they said we’d need to raise between three and three and a half million to offset the current budget,” Ava added.

“Three million dollars?” Sara asked, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious. She knew that she and Ava were from different worlds, in more ways than one, but she’d never felt so out of her element before. For her part Ava merely nodded and smiled, and Sara wondered if she had intentionally scooted a bit closer to her in the car. Their arms were nearly touching, and the perfume subtly wafting off of Ava only added to how intoxicating Sara found her. “What kind of a net from ticket sales are you expecting?” Sara asked, needing to focus on something other than how amazing Ava looked, or smelled.

Ava let out a sigh as she again mentally reviewed her notes on everything for the evening. “One point eight, two if we’re lucky,” she explained.

“So at least one million dollars? In one night?” Sara asked, her eyebrows raised as she took in the gravity of those words. Ava nodded and smiled in return as if it were no big deal. “Well, no pressure,” Sara joked nervously as she wondered what she’d gotten herself into.

“You wore the right dress for the occasion,” Ava purred into Sara’s ear, causing a shiver to run down Sara’s back and the sensation of butterflies in her stomach. “You’re a total knockout in that thing,” Ava added, eliciting a noticeable blush on Sara’s cheeks even in the low light of the backseat of the car.

Once she’d had a minute to recover, Sara spoke up again, “Do you have specific people you think we should talk to?”

“I love how into this you are. I’d be totally freaking out right now if you weren’t here,” Ava added the last part softly, and Sara could tell that she meant it. Sara realized that as much as the two of them led drastically different lives, it was the prospect of having the other by their side that evening that brought both of them a sense of comfort.

Sara inadvertently found her hand resting on top of Ava’s. Once she realized, she looked down and felt Ava intertwine their fingers before slowly resting her head on Sara’s shoulder. They settled into a comfortable silence, spending the remainder of the ride together just like that.

Several hours later Sara grabbed two glasses of champagne from the bar and stealthily made her way towards Ava. The other woman was wrapping up a conversation with an elderly couple, and as they walked away, Ava took a deep breath and stared in concentration. Sara assumed she was trying to do some mental math, and she couldn’t help the warm feeling spreading deep within her as she observed how adorable Ava looked.

Sara still couldn’t believe where she was. The gala was held at the historic Curtis Center, a pristine, marble-lined architectural masterpiece. There was a ginormous Christmas tree in the center of the atrium with garlands, wreaths, and other accents throughout. All of the city’s most prominent residents – the mayor, the district attorney, the police commissioner – were in attendance, along with the governor and several others. At one point in the night there was even a fireworks display over the river.

Sara and Ava hadn’t spent that much time together because they’d decided to split up and use their considerable charms to persuade all of the people on Ava’s list to donate. But they’d check-in after each of them managed to successfully secure more funds, and they’d celebrate the extra big wins with a toast. They’d mostly grazed on hors d’oeuvres, but as soon as Sara had wrapped up her most recent conversation she’d pulled a member of the waitstaff aside and practically begged for a plate of steak. It was easily the most indulgent and greatest thing she’d ever eaten.

Now that she was no longer starving, Sara was ready to properly celebrate the fruits of their labor with Ava. She approached the taller woman and gently nudged her back with her elbow. 

Startled, Ava whipped around and let out a relieved sigh as she caught sight of Sara. When she noticed her hands were full with two glasses of champagne, she asked, “What’s this?”

“I just spoke to the…Thomsons,” Sara began, making sure to get their names right. “And they agreed to add fifty-thousand. Each,” Sara explained, beaming with pride.

“Seriously?” Ava asked, her eyebrows raising as she hoped Sara wasn’t messing with her. Sara nodded excitedly in response. “That puts us up to…one point three!” Ava said with a huge smile as she mentally added that to their existing tally.

“Hence the bubbly,” Sara said with a smirk, her left eyebrow raised as she handed one of the glasses to Ava.

“Have I told you recently how amazing you are?” Ava said sweetly as she took the glass from Sara’s left hand.

“Well, not recently,” Sara joked with her, earning a huge smile from Ava in return.

They both clinked their glasses in celebration of an amazing night of work and enjoyed a sip of champagne. Ava looked up from her glass to Sara’s eyes, and a soft beat passed between them as they both seemed to lose themselves for a minute. Suddenly Ava spoke up as she deposited her glass on the table nearest the two of them. “Dance with me,” she said breathily, her voice soft and low. 

It wasn’t really a question, but Sara didn’t need to be invited twice. She put her glass down and allowed Ava to gently pull her out onto the dance floor. Sara rested her hands behind Ava’s neck while Ava brought hers to the small of Sara’s back. Sara had never before felt so self-conscious of their height difference as she did in that moment, but she refused to let a silly thing like that ruin such a beautiful moment. As the two of them stared into each other’s eyes and swayed to the soft piano music, the rest of the gala, nay the world, melted away, and they were the only two people left. 

Their faces had been inching closer towards each other, and they were so close now, only inches apart. So close, each woman could feel the breath of the other on their cheeks. Sara realized that was the moment to make her move and finally tell Ava about the feelings she’d been fighting. She sent a silent prayer to Rao that her declaration didn’t completely fuck up everything they’d built, but just as Sara was about to speak, someone beat her to it.

“Ava?” a beautiful voice that seemed to come out of nowhere asked. Sara thought she recognized it, but couldn’t immediately place who it was. She felt Ava tense in her arms as her eyes searched for the owner of that voice. Any hope that she’d just imagined it disappeared as  Ava’s arms abruptly lowered. A pit formed in Sara’s stomach as they were joined by none other than Sam, Ava’s ex-girlfriend. 

Sara felt like there suddenly wasn’t enough air in the room as she took in the sight of Sam. She was even more breathtaking in person than the day she’d seen her on the screens in Ava’s office. She looked like an angel dressed in a cream colored gown with her dark hair falling in loose waves over her right shoulder. 

A million thoughts ran through Sara’s mind as she tried to make sense of how she went from holding Ava in her arms, about to tell her how much she wanted a relationship with her, to being confronted by the only woman Ava ever loved. Did Ava know Sam would be here? Was this whole evening just a pretext for their reunion?

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ava asked, her voice a mixture of anger, frustration, and disappointment. Sam was the last person she was expecting to see that evening. 

“You wouldn’t answer my calls,” Sam explained flatly, like that somehow made her appearance there and then make sense.

Ava closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. She already missed the pure ecstasy of dancing in Sara’s arms, and a hollow feeling settled somewhere deep in her core as she realized her fairytale evening with Sara was over. Turning from Sam to face Sara, Ava said softly, “Sara, I’m so sorry. I need to talk to Sam. Alone,” she clarified softly, her voice just above a whisper. Ava was afraid she’d let her emotions get the better of her. She hated having to send Sara away, but the conversation she was about to have was going to be ugly and cruel, and Ava didn’t want Sara anywhere near that. “John’s parked by the entrance on Market Street. He can take you home,” Ava added.

“No,” Sara replied, earning a curious glance from Ava. “I’ll um…I’ll just grab a cab,” she fumbled through explaining. The last thing she wanted at that moment was Ava’s pity, plus she had more…efficient means of travel at her disposal. Sara quickly started walking down towards the street level, leaving Ava and Sam alone. Sara tried to mentally re-group, concentrating on anything other than how amazing Sam looked or the idea that she and Ava would never be anything more than friends, but it was in vain. 

Sara wasn’t sure why, but as she reached the doors to head out into the blustery cold evening, she stopped, one of her hands grasping the door handle. She turned back, and her eyes traveled up to the mezzanine level and landed on perhaps one of the most painful sights she’d ever seen. Sara had witnessed the death of Krypton as she escaped in her pod all those years ago. She’d been poisoned with kryptonite. Neither of those experiences compared to seeing Ava and Sam above her, Sam’s hands cupping Ava’s face as the two were locked in a passionate kiss.

Sara took a deep, shuddering breath as she felt bile rise in her throat and tears sting at her eyes. She knew nothing would be the same after that night; Sara just wished it had been because she was the one with her hands wrapped gently around Ava’s body and her lips pressed against hers. She quickly shoved the door open and took off into the night.

Ava roughly pulled away from Sam’s kiss, fuming from the other woman’s actions. She narrowed her eyes and glared daggers at Sam, waiting rather impatiently for an explanation.

Sam wiped at the residual moisture on her cheek from their kiss being interrupted so quickly. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“You have five minutes,” Ava seethed, crossing her arms over her chest, unable to hide her longing gaze from following after the direction in which Sara had left.

Sam followed her gaze and then looked back at Ava, puzzled. “Did I…interrupt something?” she asked in confusion.

“Four minutes and forty-five seconds,” Ava huffed out in frustration, taking a step back from Sam to put some physical distance between them.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Sam relented defensively, releasing a frustrated sigh herself. “I know that I screwed up. Every day since you left has been…awful,” she said softly as she slowly took a step towards Ava. She gently reached out her right hand to tuck a loose strand of Ava’s hair behind her ear, a familiar gesture she must’ve done at least a hundred times before.

“Don’t,” Ava said forcefully, grabbing Sam’s hand before it made contact with her. 

“Ava—” Sam tried to protest, but Ava cut her off before she had the chance.

“You don’t get to come here, show up out of the blue, and ruin my night,” Ava told her. She couldn’t get the look on Sara’s face out of her mind, and Ava hated how she had to send her away. Like every evening she’d been lucky enough to spend with Sara, she was having an incredible time, and she still couldn’t believe Sam had tracked her down and completely ruined her night. 

“I missed you,” Sam said softly, knowing she deserved Ava’s harshness. “I couldn’t stand being apart from you for another minute. I love you.” She said the last part so softly, it was barely a whisper.

Ava closed her eyes as she shook her head, tears starting to well up and sting at her eyelids. Finally she opened them and said, her voice hoarse, “You lied to me everyday for months. That’s not love.”

“You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you,” Sam insisted, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration at not being able to get through to the woman she loved. “Bishop wouldn’t let me. I hate how much I hurt you.”

“You’re only sorry because you got caught,” Ava lamented sadly, looking anywhere but in Sam’s eyes.

Sam was in shock at how seemingly easy Ava could move on from what they had. “Do you really think so little of me?” she asked, hurt that Ava insinuated such a thing.

“Twenty-nine people died!” Ava shouted, so desperately wishing she could escape this conversation and go back to dancing in Sara’s arms.

“Aliens, Ava. Not people,” Sam corrected her. It only earned her one of Ava’s patented icy glares. After a beat of silence passed, Sam let out a deep breath, not wanting to escalate their argument further. She’d come there to renew their relationship, not damage it beyond repair. “What can I do to prove to you how sorry I am? How do I make this right so we can go back to how we used to be?”

Ava just stood there silently, narrowing her eyes in response. She couldn’t believe Sam still thought they had a future together. She thought she made herself pretty clear when she left her and Metropolis. “There is no fucking going back. You can’t just show up here and pretend like the past doesn’t matter.”

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat at Ava’s harsh words. “Well, I’m not leaving National City until I win back your trust,” she insisted as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Hope you find a good realtor then,” Ava spat at her. She walked across the room, bumping Sam’s shoulder slightly, and headed for the coat check before finding John downstairs. Ava was going to need a very large glass of bourbon when she returned to her penthouse.

Meanwhile several blocks away at Verdant, Sara made a beeline for the bar and promptly garnered the attention of the bartender. She ordered a shot of tequila and downed it before quickly ordering another. After the second one, Sara closed her eyes and pinched her nose. She lamented the fact that alcohol didn’t affect her the way it did humans. How she would love at that moment to have her senses dulled, particularly the pain in her chest as the image of Ava and Sam kissing played over and over in a vicious loop inside her mind.

Alas she was not human and therefore remained damned to have to live through the heartbreak she felt without any assistance. Sara’s face scrunched up in agony once more as she saw Sam’s long, delicate fingers gently caressing Ava’s cheeks and neck, their bodies impossibly close. Sara wanted so desperately to forget what she’d seen, or better yet, completely turn off her feelings for Ava. Now that the two of them were on their way to a reunion, would Sam move to National City? Sara wondered. How on Earth could she live with that woman around all the time?

“Sara?” Luckily Sara’s spiraling thoughts were interrupted as a familiar voice shouted her name over the din of all of Verdant’s other occupants on a crowded and lively Saturday night.

Sara turned to her right, towards the voice that had called out to her. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she caught sight of the person to whom the voice belonged. “Mon-El?” she asked. It was the first time she’d ever run into anyone she knew at Verdant, so she was surprised to see him of all people there.

A broad smile spread across Mon-El’s face as he got an unobstructed look at Sara in her gown and updo. “You look…wow! I mean…wow!” he stuttered, clearly unable to take his eyes off of the gorgeous woman before him.

Sara felt her breath hitch as she locked eyes with him. She’d known for a long time that he fancied her or whatever the Daxamite equivalent was. Seeing the way he looked at her, the same way Sam looked at Ava back at the gala…Sara thought it was nice to feel desired. A feeling started to creep up, a warm feeling, deep within her core as Sara continued to look at Mon-El, deciding what she wanted to do next. “Do you wanna do a shot?” she asked, not knowing what else to say. Mon-El agreed, and Sara asked the bartender for a round of tequila for the two of them. They clinked their glasses together before downing the clear liquid.

Mon-El coughed slightly. It was nowhere near as smooth as what he’d had before, and he made a face as he did his best to get the terrible taste out of his mouth. “That was…not awe or some,” he said.

Sara snorted at his butchering of the saying. She leaned closer to him and whispered, “Yeah, I wish alcohol affected us.”

Mon-El scooted a bit closer to her and leaned into her ear, explaining, “Hey, it’s kinda loud in here. Could we go someplace a little quieter?” 

Sara looked at him as if she were both determining if he was asking what she thought he was asking and if she wanted to take him up on it. She could feel her heartbeat growing faster, and before she realized what she was doing, she grabbed his hand and guided him outside. The two of them made their way into the nearby alley where Sara pushed Mon-El forcefully up against the nearby wall. The force was so strong it slightly indented the brick behind them as Sara captured Mon-El’s lips in a fleeting, tender embrace.

After a beat she pulled back, almost unsure if she’d truly just done that or if she’d imagined it. Mon-El just looked back at her, a fire and wanting in his eyes as he breathed deeply. The next thing Sara knew they were back in her loft. She tore Mon-El’s shirt off and quickly undid his belt. Mon-El fumbled with the clasp and zipper on Sara’s gown, and after a few seconds of struggle, she thought to hell with it, and tore the garment in half, desperate for any respite from her painful memories of the evening as she and Mon-El fell onto her bed.

Chapter Text

“Mr. Luthor, as I indicated at the beginning of these proceedings, you have the right to make a statement, if you choose to. Would you like to do so at this time?” the judge presiding over Bishop Luthor’s trial explained. It was clear that she was doing her best to remain professional and impartial, but after the parade of family members and loved ones of the aliens killed in the Medusa virus attack, there were few dry eyes left in the courtroom, as their emotional pleas and statements tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.

Almost everyone’s. “No, ma’am,” Bishop responded flatly as he stared blankly ahead of him. He’d worn the same emotionless stare on his face for the entirety of the trial, never giving anyone even a hint of his real thoughts or feelings. He’d been found guilty and convicted on all twenty-nine counts of murder in the first degree at the prior proceedings earlier in the week. He’d faced the jury’s decision then the same way he faced the families now, cold and detached.

“The court has considered the arguments made by the attorneys, as well as the statements made by all of the victim’s families. The maliciousness of these crimes and the…willful disregard for life, human and alien alike, are beyond what I have seen in my thirteen years as a judicial officer. Anything less than the maximum allowable sentence under California state law would depreciate the gravity of the offenses you’ve committed.” 

As the judge spoke, Sara, who sat in the back of the court, trained her gaze on Ava, whom she could see from several rows back. She’d watched her throughout the proceedings, telling herself she was there to offer any moral support she might need. Ava had remained remarkably still throughout the day. It was clear she empathized with the victim’s families, as did everyone other than her lowlife brother, but, well, Sara wasn’t sure what else she had been expecting.

Ever since the gala, Sara had felt this distance begin to accumulate between the two of them. Gone was their easy banter and friendly smiles. They were replaced by cautious, measured pleasantries and professional courtesies. In the few weeks since the gala, Sara and Ava had only seen each other briefly at CatCo, interacting only when their professional duties required it. Ava spent any time she didn’t have to be at CatCo at LCorp. Sara had gotten the urge a couple of times to try to talk to Ava about everything, her guilt of sleeping with Mon-El always heavy on her mind. But each time she’d flown to LCorp or hovered outside of Ava’s penthouse, Sara found she wasn’t alone. Sam would be there, and Sara would hear Ava’s heartbeat quicken around her.

Any hope that her witnessing the two of them kissing at the gala had been a mistake or a moment of weakness on Ava’s part was dashed by the continued sight of Sam showing up again and again at LCorp and Ava’s penthouse. Sara knew it was only a matter of time before they made some sort of official statement, that their on-again, off-again epic romance was indeed on again. Sara felt guilty that that knowledge somehow gave her a slight comfort in regards to her actions with Mon-El. Ava wasn’t interested in her that way, and Sara had better move on.

Sara blinked and shook her head slightly, trying to bring herself back to the present and the trial, once again concentrating on the judge’s words as she continued the sentencing.

“So the court is going to sentence Mr. Luthor as follows: with regard to count one, murder in the first degree of M’gann M’orzz, this court is going to sentence you, sir, to a life sentence in the California Department of Corrections, with no possibility of parole. And that is going to run consecutively for each of the following counts…”

Ava didn’t hear the remainder of what the judge had to say. She knew her brother too well to think that the judgment passed on him today would stick long-term, but she took some solace in knowing the fact that the families who’d lost a loved one to his senseless violence and cruelty at least got a moment of justice and closure, even if ultimately it would be fleeting.

Before Ava realized it, the judge had concluded her reading of the sentencing and dismissed the court, one final time. It was over. This terrible ordeal she’d been living through for the past ten months had finally reached its conclusion. She should be ecstatic. She helped put away one of, if not the most, dangerous people in the entire world. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wouldn’t be rid of her brother so easily. A shiver ran through Ava as she stood, along with the rest of the attendees, to make her way for the exit.

It was a chilly February day in National City, and Ava buttoned the top button of her peacoat and slid on her gloves as the brisk, crisp air washed over her face. She let out the breath she’d been holding as she searched the crowded sidewalk for John and her car. Before she was able to locate them though, a familiar voice spoke up, capturing all of her attention.

“Hey,” Sara’s soft and sweet voice cut through the commotion of the rest of the courthouse filing out behind the two of them. 

Ava turned to face Sara and looked at her with a curious glance. She silently cursed herself as the familiar warm feeling settled in her core as she took in the sight of the other woman. She was wearing an adorably cute black beanie, and the icy blue of her eyes captured her attention like nothing else in the world could. Not knowing what else to say, Ava explained softly, “I didn’t realize you were here. I thought Kate was covering the trial.”

I’m sorry…

I didn’t know Sam was going to…

I shouldn’t have asked you to leave…

Ava had lost count of how many texts and handwritten letters she’d started and ultimately deleted or thrown away as she tried to communicate her thoughts about how royally she’d screwed up the last time the two of them were alone together. It ate her up inside every minute of every day since the night of the gala how she’d ruined what was otherwise a perfect night. 

Sam had been annoyingly persistent in her attempts to prove to Ava she was truly sorry and had changed, but Ava just wished she’d leave her alone and head back to Metropolis. She’d closed the door on that chapter of her life and wanted to be able to move forward with her new life in National City. With Sara. But Ava didn’t know how she could do that, not after she’d made a mess of things the night of the gala or with Sam still in town. So she avoided Sara, telling herself once Sam had left, she’d explain everything and hope that Sara would understand.

“I’m not here as a reporter, Ava. I came to support you,” Sara said softly, taking a hesitant step closer to the other woman. “I noticed you didn’t say anything in court today,” Sara added, not knowing what else to say.

“Today wasn’t about me. I asked the assistant district attorney not to pursue any charges against him on my behalf,” Ava explained.

“Why?” Sara asked, feeling incredibly defensive and protective of Ava. Yes, Bishop had done unspeakable things in his use of the Medusa virus, but he’d also tried to kill Ava several times and would have succeeded were it not for her interventions as Supergirl. Not to mention how his lawyers had attempted to smear and defame the good name she’d built within National City. 

“You saw what happened with my testimony,” Ava explained softly. “This trial was about getting justice for the families of all of the aliens my brother killed,” she added as she took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to do anything to detract from that. They got to confront him today.”

Sara gave Ava a half-smile in return, trying to take the cue from her about shifting to another topic, “Well at least he’ll be in jail for the rest of his life and won’t be able to hurt anyone else again, like he hurt them…and how he’s tried to hurt you.”

Ava scoffed at Sara’s sentiment. “You’re a fool if you believe that,” she said dryly, earning a  confused furrowed brow from Sara. “My brother has never been held accountable before in his life. Why should now be any different?”

“Maybe it is naive, but I still believe in justice and…hope,” Sara insisted. A thought suddenly occurred to her, realizing now might be the chance she felt they both needed to break through the fog their relationship had been stuck in. “This is a big day, cause for celebration. Why don’t you come over? I can get Ignition Tacos delivered. I’ve still got that bottle of tequila…” Sara trailed off, her face spreading into a huge grin as she looked at Ava expectantly for a response.

Ava swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as the thought of joining Sara back at her place, alone, made her heart melt, not to mention slightly ache with longing. She wanted nothing more than to accept. “That’s really sweet of you to offer, but I can’t,” she said softly as she looked down, unable to hold Sara’s gaze, knowing if she looked deeply into her baby blues, there wouldn’t be any way for her to refuse.

“Oh.” That’s right, Sara berated herself. Ava had to get home to Sam. They probably had their own celebration planned. Sara bit the inside of her cheek, anything to distract from how small she felt in that moment.

Ava could hear the disappointment in Sara’s barely louder than a whisper response. It ate her up inside, but it was the right thing to do. Goddamn her and her inability to let herself be happy, even for just this once. “Look, Sara, I’m sorry again for what happened at the hospital gala right before the holidays. I invited you and then ditched you,” Ava apologized, hating how much she managed to fuck up the best thing that had ever happened to her. “Anyways, I know things have been a little weird between us since then. I’m just, um,” Ava cleared her throat awkwardly as she searched for the right words. “I just don’t feel like celebrating.”

Later that night at LCorp…

Ava leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose. She’d spent the better part of the past hour reviewing Morgan Edge’s latest development proposal and to call it mind numbing would be putting it mildly. She’d lost track of time, and as usual her stomach was beginning to growl, reminding her that she hadn’t had anything reasonable to eat in quite some time.

Ava let out the breath she’d been holding in as she slowly massaged the stiff muscles around her neck. All the while she wondered to herself what she was still doing at the office so late. She’d sent her assistant and Zari home hours ago, but Ava had the lingering fear in the back of her mind that Sam might be waiting back at her penthouse for her, and she was the last person Ava wanted to see. Especially after having to see her brother at the trial earlier; the last thing she wanted was another painful reminder of her past life in Metropolis.

To any neutral observer, Sam’s arrival in National City probably seemed like a good thing for her. Ava struggled with the idea of what exactly ‘settling down with someone’ meant, but the only person whom she’d ever come even remotely close to feeling that way about had been Sam. At least until she met Sara. What the hell was she thinking? Ava thought, absentmindedly shaking her head. She and Sara barely knew each other, plus Ava was her superior at work. There were several reasons why any type of romantic relationship between the two of them was a supremely bad idea. 

Not to mention the fact that even if Sara felt anything for her, Ava had most assuredly fucked up any chance they had for a future together at the hospital gala. She had been so surprised by Sam’s appearance that she really didn’t know how to react in the moment. Ava was afraid of the ugly tenor her reunion with Sam ultimately took on, and she didn’t want Sara around to witness that. She’d fought so desperately to prove to the world that she wasn’t the same as the rest of her family, despite Ava knowing the truth being not quite that flattering. But the thought of Sara witnessing first hand an ugly moment from Ava was something she wanted to prolong for as long as possible.

Worse still, in the weeks since Sam had arrived in National City, rumors of her reunion with Ava swirled through all of the seedy press outlets with nothing better to do than gossip. Ava wished she would just leave and head back to Metropolis already. She’d not made her feelings a secret about Sam leaving National City, and she grew more and more frustrated with her ex each time she showed up unannounced at her LCorp office or penthouse. It was one of the reasons Ava had made herself scarce around CatCo. More than anything she hoped to avoid any type of additional confrontation between Sara and Sam.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door to Ava’s office, and she felt her heart leap at the hope that Sara might be on the other side. Before the gala they’d grown quite close, and the distance Ava had allowed to build up between them in the intervening weeks had caused her considerable anxiety and stress.

Ava felt her breath hitch as the door slowly opened, but her optimism soon turned to disappointment as she caught sight of Sam. Sam did her best to push past the look on Ava’s face; she had clearly been expecting or at least hoping for someone else. Sam closed the office door gently behind her and crossed the room to stand in front of Ava’s desk.

“What are you doing here?” Ava asked, her voice a mixture of frustration and weariness. She really didn’t have the energy to argue with Sam at the moment. If only she’d taken Sara up on her offer to hang out at her loft, Ava lamented to herself.

Sam rolled her eyes at Ava’s tone and held up the bag in her left hand, which Ava was just now noticing. “It’s after ten o’clock, and I knew you’d be hungry,” Sam responded as she pulled out the platter of tacos, placing it on the desk between her and Ava. Sam grabbed one of the tacos and began unwrapping it.

Ava let out a deep sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned back in her chair, putting as much distance between herself and Sam, who was seated just on the other side of her desk, as possible. “You can’t buy my forgiveness with tacos,” Ava chided her.

“Can’t I?” Sam challenged her, narrowing her eyes. “Well, I’ll just leave you alone then,” Sam said, calling Ava’s bluff as she lifted the food off of Ava’s desk and marched back towards the door to Ava’s office.

Ava’s stomach audibly growled again, causing her to let out a frustrated groan. She rolled her eyes, and before Sam could take another step, she spoke up softly, “Wait.”

Sam turned around and headed back towards Ava. Under different circumstances she might’ve laughed; some things just never changed. She re-deposited the food down between the two of them and eyed Ava carefully as she reached for the second taco and began unwrapping it. “You gonna start another timer for my explanation?” Sam asked her sharply after Ava had taken a bite.

Ava did her best to hide just how happy she was to enjoy a hot meal. She really needed to take better care of herself, but it just seemed like there weren’t enough hours in the day. Not appreciating Sam’s snippy remark, Ava put her taco down and wiped her hands off on one of the napkins. She glared back at Sam and told her pointedly, “Just say whatever you need to say.”

“Were you always this cruel or is this a new development?” Sam asked, her food forgotten as well. Ava merely narrowed her eyes, giving Sam the icy stare she normally reserved just for members of her family, and Morgan Edge on occasion. Sam threw up her hands in frustration, not understanding what more Ava expected of her. “I made a mistake, okay? I lied to you about Bishop,” she relented. “Ava, I feel terrible. I’m sorry,” Sam said softly, her eyes brimming with tears as the culmination of all of her attempts to apologize and make amends were failing. “Just tell me what to say to make things better between us.” 

“You can’t,” Ava whispered as she let go a shuddering breath. All of her memories of how their relationship had so abruptly and painfully ended, that she’d fought so hard to repress, raged to the surface and threatened to explode.

“That’s it?” Sam asked desperately, still not understanding how the person she’d spent the better part of the past five years with couldn’t accept her apology and find a way to move forward with her. “I apologize, bear my soul to you, and that’s all you have to say to me? After everything we’ve been through?”

Ava stood up suddenly, placing both her hands palm-down on her desk in an attempt to steady herself. She sniffled as tears began trailing down her cheeks. “What do you want from me? I told you we were over when I left Metropolis, that I couldn’t be with someone I don’t trust. That you hurt me more than anyone ever has.” Her heart was racing, and Ava tried to take a few deep breaths to calm herself, but it was no use. She hated letting herself be so vulnerable, but she just didn’t have the energy to pretend anymore. 

Once more, she locked eyes with Sam, and through her tears she continued to express the depths of pain Sam had caused her by her betrayal. “You can apologize and say that you’ve changed, and someday, I might be able to forgive you. But I will never forget how you made me feel. Like just another Luthor, like someone you could manipulate. Someone who doesn’t deserve to be loved.” Ava’s voice cracked, and she took another beat to try to collect herself, to catch her breath and make sure she was ready to explain the rest to Sam. “You didn’t just lie to me for three months, Sam. You made me question if I can truly ever trust or love anyone ever again. You stole a part of me, the best part of me that…wanted to believe in other people and that the world isn’t as cruel or unforgiving as so many damaged people believe it to be.” 

Sam had tears in her eyes as well as the extent of how much she’d hurt the one person she truly cared about started to resonate. A pit formed in her stomach as she listened to Ava, hating that she’d allowed herself to cause the other woman so much pain. She swallowed the impossibly large lump in her throat as Ava continued, her voice harsher than it had been, “Don’t you get it? There aren’t enough apologies in the world for how much you hurt me.”

Sam brought up a hand to wipe some of the tears flowing from her eyes as she digested everything Ava told her. She sniffled and took a deep breath, trying to decide what to say before finally settling on, “I’m not giving up on us.”

Ava closed her eyes as she sat back down at her desk. She pulled up the portfolio from Edge that she’d been absentmindedly reviewing earlier and studied it carefully before looking back up at Sam, doing her best to make it clear they were done for the evening. “Thanks for the tacos. I have a lot of work to do.”

Meanwhile, across town…

Sara quickly sped through the door to her loft and began changing out of her Supergirl costume. She’d spent the evening thwarting a bank robbery, preventing a helicopter crash, and saving the lives of three officers engaged in a deadly shootout with a local gang. Not bad for a night’s work as Supergirl, she thought to herself as she threw on a warm sweater and her favorite cozy pair of socks. 

Sara used her laser eyes to heat up a mug of earl gray tea before plopping down on her couch. She unfolded a nearby throw onto her lap as she curled up and began searching for something to watch as she unwound from the day. Before long she’d pulled up The Wizard of Oz , one of her favorite films, particularly when she’d had a rough or trying day. Unfortunately, as the movie began, Sara found that instead of being able to calm her super senses, she found her mind drifting to replaying her earlier conversation with Ava outside the courthouse.

Sara hated that she couldn’t stop obsessing over her earlier interaction with Ava and just enjoy one of her all-time favorite movies. She hated that Sam was still in National City, and Sara feared that each additional day she remained, the less hope there was for anything between her and Ava to ever develop. Sara hated how she let herself imagine what her place might be like if Ava had taken her up on her offer, and the two of them were cuddling on her couch. Instead she and Sam were probably off having a fancy, romantic dinner at one of National City’s most exclusive restaurants. As much as Sara had tried to ignore the newspapers and tabloid headlines, she felt like every time she turned on the news or stopped by a bodega, she was inundated with images of the two of them and speculation about their romantic reunion. It made Sara sick.

Not wanting to spend the remainder of her night on the couch mourning a relationship that never was, Sara threw her blanket to the side and slipped on her glasses, which had been sitting on the nearby coffee table. She slipped on a pair of warm boots and discretely made her way into the alley behind her apartment complex. Sara took a brief look around to ensure no one was watching her, and she shot into the night sky, flying quickly across National City before landing just outside an old industrial building.

Sara knocked on the metal door and gave the password to Al’s Dive Bar. She quickly strode inside and made a beeline for the bar. On her way towards it, she glanced around at the other patrons, hoping Laurel or one of her friends might be there to help settle the mess of emotions swirling around inside of her. Alas, there wasn’t a familiar face in sight, so she took a seat at one of the barstools and asked, “Excuse me?” Once she caught sight of a form rummaging around for more glassware, Sara added, “Oh, hi. Could I uh…could I have a margarita please?” she asked.

While Sara looked down to stow her purse, Mon-El shot up from where he had previously been kneeling. He’d immediately perked up at the familiar voice of Sara, and threw out his hands in happiness once he caught sight of her to confirm his suspicions were true. “Hey. Hi,” he said a bit bashfully as Sara looked up at him.

“Hi,” Sara responded, clearly startled at running into him. Her hand slapped down on the bar in surprise as she blinked a few times, wanting to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. “Do you work here?” she asked, still in disbelief at running into him.

“I do,” Mon-El told her. He leaned slightly onto the bar, closing the distance between them a bit as he explained further, “Al is Nate’s neighbor.” Sara nodded remembering. “And Nate was able to hook me up with a job.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Sara acknowledged him and began fidgeting with her glasses slightly.

“And you know, I like alcohol. I’ve been known to like alcohol. So I just really feel like this is gonna be a great job for me,” Mon-El added. He was so pleasantly surprised to see Sara show up that he couldn’t help the goofy smile that spread across his face. 

Sara let out a deep sigh as she continued to play with the brim of her glasses, “Well, I’m glad someone’s feeling like they fit in somewhere.”

“What do you mean?” Mon-El asked, realizing for the first time how stressed and down Sara seemed. His question only earned him a heavy sigh in return, and it only made him more determined to cheer her up. He quickly made up her margarita and placed it down on a coaster next to her hand and invited Sara to confide in him. “Come on, talk to me,” he insisted gently with a smile. He gestured to her drink and smirked saying, “I am a bartender now.”

Sara brought the glass to her lips and took a long sip of the cold, tangy beverage. The last thing she wanted was to discuss her conflicted feelings about Ava with him. But there was something Sara owed him. She took another long sip of her drink while Mon-El looked at her expectantly. Sara took a deep breath and explained, “Well, I guess there is something we should probably talk about.”

Mon-El cocked his head to the side as flashes of their night together danced through his mind. It was all he could think about since it happened, and he’d been trying to tow the line between letting Sara know he was interested in more without being pushy. “Does it have anything to do with our magical night together a few weeks ago?” he asked carefully as he looked hopefully at Sara for a clue if he was on the right track. When her only response was a furrowed brow, Mon-El felt his face fall, and he let out a deep breath. “And then you ignoring me for the past few weeks?”

“I’m sorry,” Sara whispered. “I shouldn’t have done that. Any of that.”

Mon-El narrowed his gaze, wondering what exactly Sara meant by that. Clarifying, he tried to ask if he had done something wrong or not adhered to some unspoken Earth custom. There were so many after all, “Was I…was it not…”

“No! No, nothing…shit,” Sara ran a frazzled hand through her hair as she tried to explain to Mon-El that he hadn’t done anything wrong. “You were…great,” she insisted as she grabbed his hand, gently rubbing her thumb across the back of his palm. Sara bit on the inside of her cheek as she considered her next words carefully, “I was in a bad place when we ran into each other at Verdant that night. I was upset, and you were…great. But I shouldn’t have brought you back to my place.”

“Is this the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing I’ve heard Nate and Ray mention?” Mon-El asked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. He felt some semblance of relief that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but he could tell Sara still felt conflicted, and it was growing more and more obvious that his crush on her was not reciprocated.

“Ugh, you’ve really gotta stop getting all of your life advice from those two. I mean, I love them, but…” Sara trailed off, shaking her head at the fact that they could be so clueless sometimes. Sara let out another deep breath as she brought her gaze up to Mon-El’s eyes, knowing she owed him that much if she were going to let him down easy. “I’m sorry if I took advantage of our friendship. You have truly become part of the team and part of our found family, and I’d hate it if I did anything to ruin that. Friends?” Sara asked, hoping they could put this whole thing behind them and move into a less awkward place. She extended her hand in hopes they could shake on it.

Mon-El was a bit disappointed, but Sara had been honest with him. Smiling, Mon-El extended his hand as well, clasping it around Sara’s, and they both shook on it as he agreed, “Friends.”

Sara smiled then, relieved to have something get resolved. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, are there any secret recipes or anything Al has introduced you to?”

Mon-El’s eyes lit up as a crafty smile spread across his face. He too was grateful for the change to a lighter subject. “Oh, just you wait. Prepare to have your mind blown!”

The next evening at LCorp…

“Ben, you and I have talked a lot on this program about the Luthor trial, right?” Damien Darhk asked his co-host, Ben Lockwood. Ava was in her office at LCorp, and after another day packed with meetings, she found herself reviewing the same page of design specs for their upcoming product releases at least four times and knew her mind needed a break. Like most nights recently, she’d sent Zari and her assistant home hours ago. Unlike most nights recently, she’d treated herself to a proper meal, having a salad sent up from Noonan’s just over an hour ago.

Against her better judgment, Ava had flicked on The Darhk Side , Signal Media’s unapologetic propaganda spectacle that merely masqueraded as a reputable news source to the less-informed. She told herself it was important to keep up with her competitors in the media landscape, but she also meant what she told Sara all those weeks ago about not getting into a race to the bottom with them. If they wanted to continue to peddle lies and conspiracy theories, she wouldn’t allow CatCo to stoop to their level. Ava wanted to believe that the overwhelming majority of viewers saw through Damien and Ben’s nightly barrage of lies, but their ratings unfortunately told a different story.

Ava let out a sigh as she listened to their insipid banter, hating how clever and cute they thought they sounded in their echo chamber. She brought a hand up to her temple and started massaging the incoming headache she could feel starting to creep in as the two men continued.

“Uh…what’s ‘a lot,’ Damien?” Ben asked, a cocky smirk dancing across his face. “Once or twice a day for over nine months? Yeah, you could say we’ve covered the trial a lot .”

“Has it only been nine months?” Damien asked somewhat rhetorically as he turned to face Ben. Lockwood simply nodded, prompting Damien to reply,  “Jeez, I feel like it’s been nine years.” Turning from Ben to the camera, Damien went on, “Well, to those of you who've stuck with us through it all, first of all, thank you. We wouldn’t be able to do this every night without your continued support. And second of all, unlike the ‘mainstream media’ outlets who are all hailing yesterday’s sentencing as a victory, on The Darhk Side we remain impartial. Unbiased.”

Ava was glad she finished her salad earlier. Otherwise she thought she might’ve choked at hearing Damien utter the word ‘unbiased.’ 

“Now, just so the record is clear, neither of us up here are defending Mr. Luthor. He was accused of serious and heinous crimes, and he was found guilty. But we know there have been questions about the prosecution’s case. The defense team has filed numerous appeals, and we’ve heard from a number of you out there watching us at home about your questions and doubts about this case,” Damien explained, his voice jumping to a higher octave as he went into full-blown conspiracy mode, his brow remaining furrowed in a perpetually disapproving scowl.

“Yeah, and to have those very reasonable questions and concerns and the calls for the appeals process to proceed as intended to be suppressed and reduced to conspiracy theories is just uncalled for,” Lockwood chimed in, his voice dripping with condescension. “It reeks of a very dictatorial sentiment of don’t ask questions, just blindly accept results. I mean it wasn’t all that long ago that people were warning about the dangers aliens could pose shortly before uh, I don’t know, a rogue alien went on a terraforming rampage that killed hundreds of people and caused millions of dollars in property damage.”

“And remind me, what was the reaction like to that alien’s trial?” Damien asked rhetorically, spewing an equal amount of immaturity as his co-host. “Because we’re a democracy, and we have the rule of law to hold people accountable. Oh right. The alien never had to face a trial.” 

“Well, and let’s not forget Damien, there were protests outside the courtroom both yesterday at the sentencing hearing as well as when the verdict was revealed last week. But you won’t hear about that from the establishment,” Lockwood continued to dig. 

Ava tried not to get too worked up or take that comment personally. She knew it wasn’t entirely CatCo that they were targeting with their childish insults, but Nate had in fact written an article about the small number of people who protested her brother’s sentencing. Ava had herself proofed the story and pushed for her team to cover it, knowing how important it was for them to cover all sides.

“Let’s come together or else, am I right?” Lockwood added on for good measure.

“You couldn’t be more right. And as folks out there have undoubtedly seen from the other networks, as professionals, it’s a bit stark to see them so gleefully celebrating both Mr. Luthor’s guilty verdict and his life in prison sentence. I mean, these people have the gall to call us biased? This part should scare you…” Damien warned as he looked straight into the camera again as the feed mercifully cut from his stupid face to a compilation of other anchors and reporters who expressed their relief at justice being served with Bishop’s guilty verdict and life sentence.

“Totally impervious to irony, these people,” Damien quipped once the cut was over. 

“The best part though Damien might have been Ava Luthor’s interview earlier today,” Lockwood added, causing a shiver to run down Ava’s spine. She was unfortunately no stranger to being the object of The Darhk Side ’s ire, but it didn’t make it any easier to know that every time she stepped in front of a microphone she was only giving these two repulsive men more ammunition. 

“Oh this is gold. Do we have that clip? Can we run that one?” Damien asked the production team. His crooked smile was all the confirmation Ava needed before she saw herself on the television. Ava swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat, but she couldn’t fight off the pit settling deep in her stomach as she began to regret having already eaten. The footage showed a reporter asking what Ava’s reaction to her brother’s sentence was, and she answered, directly and uncontroversially, or so Ava thought.

‘ Yesterday wasn’t about me. I’ve made it very clear, from the moment I told the prosecution the only way I’d agree to testify was if they limited their scope to getting justice for the twenty-nine families who had to endure this holiday season without a loved one. They were able to confront the man who took so much from them. That’s what this has always been about.’

“What a farce!” Damien shouted as soon as the camera panned back to him. “As we’ve covered on this show time and time again folks, no one, and I mean no one, has benefited more from her brother’s arrest, trial, and now conviction, than Ava Luthor. For her to stand there and pretend like she wasn’t throwing back glasses of champagne in celebration is insulting–”

Ava was seriously beginning to question why she even bothered with a television in her LCorp office in the first place. She hit the power button on her remote to silence the insufferable moaning Darhk and Lockwood tried to pass off as ‘news.’ She ran a frazzled hand through her hair as she stood up and made her way over to the drink cart in the corner of her office. She poured a small amount of her favorite bourbon into one of the glasses before bringing it to her lips. She inhaled the amber liquid, savoring its smoky sweetness before downing the glass’ contents.

Ava had been on edge all evening as she hoped to avoid yet another emotional confrontation with Sam. Luckily she hadn’t texted or shown up yet, because Ava didn’t have the energy to go another round with her. 

Ava was about to pour another glass of bourbon as she weighed how to spend the remainder of her evening but was stopped in her tracks when the glass began to shatter as she was surrounded by a hail of gunfire. Ava quickly kneeled down and crawled towards the small room just off her office. She managed to sneak inside and curl up, doing her best to keep her breathing calm and even. The last thing she needed was to panic. 

After nearly a minute of deafening gunfire shot through her office, it stopped just as suddenly as it started. Ava looked around for a weapon of some kind and grasped one of her free weights. She approached the door and held her breath, waiting for whomever it was to burst through her office door. She heard the click of it opening and then again of it closing letting her know they’d entered and were searching her out. 

Ava threw open the door from her private room and swung the weight in her right hand sharply, violently connecting with the burly stranger’s shoulder. He grunted in obvious pain and surprise from her attack, and Ava doubled down, not wanting to yield an inch to this man who meant her harm. 

Her second swing aimed for his head, but this time he saw her coming and was able to dodge out of the way at the last second. Before Ava could recover another attempt at him, his right arm flew in front of her, and she was suddenly aware of a stinging sensation in her gut. Ava involuntarily let out a yelp of pain, hating giving this man even a fleeting moment of superiority. She spun around and with all of her strength drove the weight directly into the man’s knee, causing it to buckle. She drove her knee into his stomach and then quickly swung the weight at his head a second time. He slumped forward onto the floor as her second attempt was successful in incapacitating the man. As he collapsed to the floor in a heap, a bloody knife fell from his right hand. 

Ava stood over him, her chest heaving from exertion and still holding the weight over her head for fear that he might attack her again. Before she realized what had happened, a gentle hand was on her shoulder and another traveled up the length of her arm to grasp the weight from it. Supergirl guided Ava’s hand that was holding the weight down to her side before relieving her of it, placing it down beside Ava’s couch. 

Ava blinked a couple of times and took deep breaths as she calmed herself, but tears stung at her eyes as she noticed the ruins this man had left her office in. Her desk, her chairs, her display of prototypes, even the drawing of Ireland, were entirely mangled. Her couch was all that remained of her once immaculate sanctuary. 

Supergirl leaned down to check the man’s pulse and let out a relieved breath when she felt the soft beating beneath her fingers. Sara’s heart beamed with pride over Ava’s ability to defend herself against someone with a considerable size and strength advantage over her. But she lamented the fact that Ava still had to deal with these thugs, even now that her brother had formally begun his solitary confinement. She flew the man to the police station, explained what had happened, and then returned to Ava’s office less than a minute later. 

Ava was collecting the torn and singed pieces of the charcoal map of Ireland along with the hand-drawn sketch Sara had noticed the first time she ever stepped foot in her office. Sara wondered if she would ever get to know the story behind both clearly meaningful objects and their significance to Ava. Hearing the rustling of wind and thump of Supergirl’s arrival, Ava quickly stood up, unable to suppress a whimper as the sudden movement aggravated her injury.

“Why did you come back?” Ava asked softly, her brow furrowed in confusion. Supergirl never came back. Ava had lived in the city long enough, not to mention she’d lived through enough encounters with the super, to know that once a threat had been neutralized, she left the scene. Off to the next emergency.

Sara’s eyes immediately went to the red spot on the right side of Ava’s abdomen, which starkly contrasted her crisp, cream-colored blouse. She quickly used her x-ray vision to assess Ava’s condition, confirming that was the only thing wrong. “You’re bleeding,” she said simply. Sara was thrown off when Ava’s expression didn’t soften at all as she continued to stare at Sara expectantly, awaiting a more suitable answer. “I wanted to make sure you were properly taken care of. Should I take you to the hospital?”

“For this?” Ava asked incredulously, like Supergirl had suggested something ludicrous like she shave off all of her hair. When the only response she received was a worried look from Supergirl, Ava rolled her eyes, insisting, “It’s a scratch.”

“You need stitches, disinfectant—” Supergirl was in the middle of rattling off everything she’d need to help treat Ava there when the other woman interrupted her.

“Check in what’s left of the bottom drawer of that cabinet,” Ava instructed as she pointed to the remnants of her office furniture.

“Make a habit out of getting stabbed at the office, do you, Ms. Luthor?” Supergirl teased as she looked where Ava had instructed and pulled out the supplies she needed. Sara mentally cursed herself for letting a comment like that go. She wasn’t Sara Danvers then, and she couldn’t allow snippy comments like that if she wanted to maintain her cover. 

“If I went to the hospital every time my brother sent someone to kill me, the twenty-four news cycle would never run out of material,” Ava responded stubbornly.

“Sit down,” Sara instructed as the two of them made their way over to Ava’s couch. Sara was about to grab a pair of scissors to begin cutting away Ava’s beautiful blouse so she could get a better idea of what she was dealing with when Ava abruptly pulled it over her head and discarded the bloodied garment on the floor, letting out a soft groan in response to the discomfort the movement caused. 

Sara forced herself to not react as she now found herself sitting face-to-face with a nearly topless Ava. She was thankfully successful at hiding a moan in response to the sight of Ava’s toned abs and honey skin. Her hand holding the gauze darted to the right side of Ava’s stomach, and Sara felt her breath hitch at the contact between the two of them.

Sara lamented that it took something like Ava’s life being threatened for the two of them to reconnect, even if it was happening with her dressed in the Supergirl suit. Being around Ava again, despite the circumstances, was as intoxicating and exhilarating as usual. Sara was desperate to know how Ava was doing, how things were going between her and Sam, and whether she’d completely destroyed any hopes of them having a future together by sleeping with Mon-El.

Ava closed her eyes and let out a soft hiss as the pressure from Supergirl’s hand against her skin exacerbated the pain she already felt in her side. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself before looking Supergirl in the eyes and said pointedly, “You didn’t answer my question. Why did you come back?” Supergirl’s only response was to remove her hand then rub the antiseptic against the cut in Ava’s side, causing her to release another pained whimper. Ava gritted her teeth as Supergirl proceeded to stitch her up. Ava let out the breath she’d been holding as Supergirl placed a bandage over her handiwork. As Supergirl looked up from Ava’s impossibly toned stomach to lock eyes with her once more, Ava clarified softly, “It’s out of character for you to stick around once you’ve completed your…Supergirling.”

“Supergirling, huh?” Sara asked with a smirk at Ava’s term. 

“Damnit,” Ava muttered as she relaxed against the back of her couch. 

“What?” Supergirl asked, concerned that something more serious was wrong. 

“Well, I’m not sure where I’m going to find kryptonite,” Ava deadpanned. 

“Excuse me?” Supergirl asked pointedly through a clenched jaw, her body immediately tensing at the mention of kryptonite. 

Ava smirked as she stood up, the pain in her side fading to more of a dull ache. She was enjoying being able to rib the other woman after Supergirl had had her in a vulnerable spot only moments before. “We’d gotten close to even in this little dance of ours, constantly saving each other,” Ava explained with a smile. “Now I owe you. And I hate being in debt. To anyone,” she emphasized. 

“Well, I don’t know that I saved you per se,” Sara joked, now that she knew Ava was just trying to get a rise out of her. “I think you had this pretty well in hand actually. I just uh…cleaned things up a little.”

Ava scoffed, clearly amused with herself for getting to the super. She was still wondering why Supergirl was still there, but as Ava looked around and finally realized the man who attacked her was gone, she asked, her tone turning serious yet again, “That man…that my brother sent. Where is he?”

“I took him to the police,” Supergirl answered matter-of-factly. 

“Why?” Ava asked, annoyed that the self-righteous woman before would do such a thing. 

“What do you mean ‘why’? He tried to kill you!” Supergirl responded indignantly. It was her job, to make sure dangerous criminals faced the consequences of their actions. Why did Ava have to fight her every step of the way? “Are you sure Bishop even sent him? Now that you’ve testified, what would be the point?”

Ava’s breath caught in her throat as her thoughts drifted to her brother. “To remind me,” she said softly as she released a shuddering breath. Supergirl just looked back at her puzzled. “That just because he’s down, he’s far from out. And I can’t forget that.”

Supergirl shook her head at the lengths Bishop was willing to go to in order to torment his sister. Sara wanted to explain how much she cared about Ava, how she would always be there to help her and protect her. Or better still she yearned to throw her arms around Ava and never let go. But she couldn’t so she settled on a more tactical response. “How do you even know your brother sent him?”

Ava scoffed and rolled her eyes at Supergirl’s skepticism. “Well, I was hoping to torture him into a confession, but then you showed up,” she quipped snidely. 

“You don’t mean that,” Supergirl said, knowing Ava was trying to lighten the mood, but hating that she resorted to threatening to add more violence to the situation. 

“You don’t know what I do or don’t mean,” Ava muttered under her breath. 

“What?” Which was a stupid question because Supergirl had superhearing. She’d heard Ava just fine, but didn’t understand her insinuation. 

“You’ve spent more time with me tonight than every other time I’ve ever seen you, combined. Tell me why. You must have other…Supergirling to do,” Ava insisted. “How did I get so lucky?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Lucky,” Supergirl mused with a soft laugh that died on her lips. Lucky wasn’t exactly the first word that came to her mind to describe what had just happened to Ava. Supergirl couldn’t let on to Ava how much she cared for her, or the fact that she spent many evenings keeping a watchful eye on her, just to make sure she was safe. Deciding to try a different tactic, to see if she could prod Ava just a bit about how things between her and Sam were going, Supergirl explained, “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You’ve been spending many late nights here. I figured after the trial concluded, you’d be celebrating.”

“What are you, spying on me now?” Ava challenged her, unsure of how she felt knowing Supergirl was keeping an eye on her. For tonight at least she felt relieved, but long-term she wondered if it was really a good thing for her to be capturing so much of a super’s time. Ava’s thoughts quickly drifted to Sara though, and she let out a deep sigh as she lamented, “Honestly, there’s not much in my life to celebrate at the moment. My brother’s actions tonight notwithstanding, I continue to be my own worst enemy.” Ava scrunched up her face as she mentally berated herself for allowing such an honest and vulnerable moment with the super. Despite their friendly banter that evening, she was still a stranger. “And here I am bearing my soul to Supergirl. What the hell is wrong with me?”

“Nothing,” Sara said softly. “Nothing is wrong with you,” she insisted, more firmly this time as she realized Ava didn’t quite believe her. “What did you mean by ‘your own worst enemy’?” Sara asked curiously. 

Ava let out a deep sigh as she ran a frazzled hand through her hair. She was beginning to feel exposed and not just because she was still walking around in just her bra. She ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to shake the self-conscious feeling that had suddenly washed over her. “You really wanna know?” she asked Supergirl who nodded with a friendly smile in return. “I thought I was on the verge of something really special with…someone who means a lot to me. But then I got another harsh reminder that…well, Luthors don’t get happy endings. Someone from my past showed up, and I feel like the person I’ve been trying to become here, she’s just a lie that I’ll never be able to live up to.”

“I don’t know. I mean I can’t speak for who you were back in Metropolis, but the Ava Luthor I know? She’s caring, independent, loyal, and incredibly stubborn,” Supergirl said encouragingly, a huge smile spreading across her face. There was something about her that Ava couldn’t quite place. A familiarity she’d felt in some of their earlier interactions. “I think, uh, maybe you’re a little too hard on yourself,” Supergirl added softly.

“This is why I wanted Sara to interview you,” Ava said. The super’s empathy, her obvious caring for other people. She was a compelling woman that Ava was desperate to get to know, and she knew she wasn’t the only one in National City who felt that way.

“What?” Supergirl asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“My top reporter, Sara Danvers…she’s a friend of yours?” Ava asked flatly, not surprised Sara hadn’t brought up the subject. “Despite being the most famous person on the planet, there’s still so much we don’t know about you. That, if tonight is any indication, the world is missing out on knowing.”

“I’m not the story, okay?” Supergirl responded defensively. Sara was pissed Ava couldn’t let this go, and if she needed to put her foot down as Supergirl, she would. “I just want to do my job and protect people. Not pose for selfies or give autographs,” she said dismissively. Supergirl wasn’t about the photo ops or the made for tv moments. She was a hero. She had a job to do, and she wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of her ability to do that job.

“Look, I get that you have your priorities,” Ava acknowledged. “But I also know that you’re aware of the anti-alien sentiment brewing among the circles that my brother runs in, along with Darhk and Lockwood. All I’m saying is that, especially now, it’s important for kids to see examples of prominent humans, as well as aliens, who are doing good things for the world. They need role models. Human and alien alike.”

Supergirl smiled, but it faded as her super-hearing picked up on a nearby attempted mugging. The last thing Sara wanted was to leave Ava, but she knew there was no reason for her to stay.  “Goodnight, Ms. Luthor,” she said politely as she took off into the night.

Chapter Text

“Sara,” Ava greeted the other woman happily as she took a seat in front of Ava’s desk. It had been a couple of days since she was attacked in her office at LCorp so Ava had been spending more time at CatCo while her contractors repaired all of the damage caused. She liked being back in the hustle and bustle of the media company after spending the past several weeks almost exclusively at LCorp. In particular Ava loved being so close to Sara again on a regular basis. As much as she wanted to protect Sara from Sam and their past, she had missed Sara terribly. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“You’re the boss,” Sara replied curtly as she sat on the edge of her seat, clearly antsy to conclude whatever this meeting was as quickly as possible.

Ava cleared her throat nervously, thrown off by Sara’s cold demeanor. She longed for their days of easy banter and comforting touches within that room. The realization that her behavior at the gala, turning down Sara’s offer of celebration after her brother’s sentencing, and general avoidance of her would explain Sara’s attitude finally dawned on Ava. She felt a pit forming in her stomach, and she swallowed the lump that had quickly formed in her throat. “I uh, I swung by Nocturnal Doughnuts this morning,” Ava said with a smile as she brought the paper bag to rest on her desk between the two of them. Ava was about to fish out one of the two doughnuts when Sara spoke up again.

“I…already ate, but thanks.” Sara desperately tried not to show how conflicted she felt. On the one hand, it was great to have Ava back at CatCo on a regular basis, but on the other, her guilt over sleeping with Mon-El continued to eat up Sara’s insides. Logically she knew it wasn’t really a betrayal; she and Ava weren’t dating or remotely in any kind of committed relationship. But still, Sara had given in to a moment of weakness and hated the distance she’d since felt build up between them. “What did you want to talk about?” she asked, wanting to keep this conversation strictly professional.

Ava tried to hide her disappointment at Sara’s tone, but Sara noticed. Ava took a beat before throwing her walls back up and employing her work-mode tone. “Well–” But Ava didn’t get the chance to explain because Morgan Edge burst into her office, fuming and panting heavily in anger and frustration.

“Are you out of your mind? Where the hell do you get off rejecting my development proposal?” Morgan seethed furiously as the glass door to Ava’s office clanged loudly behind him. He completely ignored Sara as he slammed his hands down on Ava’s desk, the color of his face turning a bright red.

Ava wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction as she allowed him to throw his temper tantrum. Once he stopped yelling at her, Ava looked over to a seated Sara and asked politely, “Sara, could you give us a few minutes?”

“I’m supposed to meet a source in an hour,” Sara reminded Ava, desperately hoping for some way to remove the knot in her stomach while being around the other woman.

“This won’t take long,” Ava assured her with a smile and a wink. Sara nodded and headed out into the bullpen, taking a seat at her desk while she waited.

“You’re lucky I even offered to cut you into the project. For you to just reject something that stands to make both of us a lot of money…” Morgan chastised Ava once they were alone in her office. He had calmed down only slightly from his earlier fuming. He threw up his hands in frustration at her continued silence. Ava for her part just sat back in her chair and let him rant. “You’re not the brilliant business woman you think you are,” Morgan added with a frustrated sigh.

“And you’re not a petulant child who throws a temper tantrum every time you don’t get your way,” Ava muttered as she stared up at Morgan with an icy glare. “Oh. Wait,” she added sharply, only further inflaming his mood.

“Please, I could run laps around you, sweetheart, and you know it,” Morgan spat out in return.

Ava continued to stare up at Morgan for another few beats before letting out the breath she’d been holding. She stood abruptly and tried not to enjoy her newfound height advantage…too much. “And yet, how many times have you stormed into one of my buildings demanding that I drop everything just to deal with the latest hit to your ego?” Ava asked him pointedly, taking care to keep her breathing even, despite how infuriated she was with him. “You can’t just come and go as you please, barging in while I’m in the middle of important meetings, Morgan. Not to mention the fact that there’s about twenty reasons why even a marginal stake in this latest fantasy project of yours is a bad idea,” Ava lectured him.

“You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first,” Morgan insisted childishly.

“You don’t have financing secured if you miss your incredibly naive and optimistic construction timelines. You’re severely overvaluing what the market indicates is fair value for those properties. The leadership team you’ve hand-selected has a…poor track record to put it mildly. Need I go on?” Ava asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, enumerating only a few of the several reasons why Edge’s latest project would be another abject failure she wouldn’t be caught dead wasting her money on. When he only responded by returning her glare, Ava continued, “That’s what I thought. Oh, and for the record, since I took over, LCorp and CatCo are outperforming even the strongest items in your portfolio by double-digits, so who’s lapping whom?” she challenged him, needing to put him in his place a bit more. “Now, get out of my office and my building before I have security throw you out.”

Like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs, Morgan decided he’d had enough for one day and wordlessly, mercifully Ava thought, left just as suddenly as he’d arrived. Ava let out the breath she’d been holding and ran a hand through her long, blonde locks. She looked over at Sara and gestured for her to rejoin her. Sara quickly made her way back into Ava’s office, but instead of resuming her seat, she remained standing, partially in an attempt to get their meeting over and done with more expeditiously.

“I’m sorry about that,” Ava apologized softly. “I should still be able to get you to your source on time.”

“What did you want to talk about?” Sara asked, getting straight back to business.

And just like that, Ava put her walls back up to match Sara. “The draft of your latest article, on the conclusion of Bishop’s trial,” Ava explained. When Sara just looked at her expectantly, she continued, “I think it was some of your best work this year. I don’t know if I could have remained as…impartial as you in reporting the facts and explaining everything to our readers in a way they’ll understand and appreciate.” Ava meant it. Despite whatever weirdness was between the two of them, Sara had come a long way in being able to produce excellent work without letting her personal feelings get in the way. And Ava was incredibly proud of her.

“Just doing my job,” Sara said quickly. Hearing the praise from Ava meant a great deal to her, but Sara’s stomach continued to contort in knots over the mess she’d made of their budding…whatever exactly it was between the two of them. She longed for nothing more than to tell Ava everything. About Mon-El, about her feelings for her, about how much she wanted her to finally be done with Sam. But she couldn’t. So she said the only thing there was left to say, “Was there anything else?” 

Those four words cut into Ava like the assassin's knife from two nights prior at LCorp. She couldn’t contain her walls any longer as she felt tears start to sting at her eyes. She couldn’t bear to have Sara look at her and talk to her like they were strangers. Like the past few months never happened. 

Feeling her guilt overwhelm her, Ava whispered, “I’m sorry.” Sara blinked a couple of times as she looked up at Ava, equally hating what had become of them. Feeling she owed Sara a deeper explanation of everything without wanting to revisit all of the nitty gritty details, Ava began, “It was incredibly rude of me to ditch you at the gala without any kind of explanation. And I’ve been avoiding you since then because Sam is still in town. It must sound strange, but…I was afraid that with her around, you’d see the version of me I thought I left in Metropolis. I’ve been trying so hard to be better here, but between my brother and Sam…it just feels like I’m fighting a losing battle,” Ava confessed, letting out a deep breath. She looked down at Sara, and she locked onto the woman’s gorgeous baby blues, she felt the universe’s equilibrium settle again. “That was um, probably much more than you needed to hear. Go, catch up with your source,” Ava encouraged, feeling slightly better now that she’d gotten that off her chest.

Who was Sara kidding? She was powerless to try to remain cold and indifferent forever. Ava had been chipping away the past few months, melting her heart of steel a bit more each day. “Look, I don't know the version of you from before we met,” Sara acknowledged softly. Ava gave her a small smile in return at Sara returning her a moment of vulnerability. “I never will. All I know is what I see every day. Ava, you’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.” Sara hated how much Ava felt she had been in the wrong, that this was her fault somehow. Sara knew she owed her at least as much to tell her she didn’t blame Ava, for anything. “Stop apologizing for the gala. You didn’t know she was going to show up.” A beat of silence passed between the two women, feeling like they’d come back to some sort of equilibrium between the two of them again. They shared a small smile, before Sara said softly, “All right, I really do have to go now.”

The following night…

“Ugh, okay, I am getting closer,” Mon-El said as he let out a slight groan as he massaged the back of his head. He’d landed extremely ungracefully on his back after he’d completely missed a punch sequence from Sara. She extended her hand to help him up, and they both resumed their training stances. The two of them had been in the DEO training room for the bulk of the evening, continuing to build on Mon-El’s combat abilities.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Sara teased him, rolling her eyes at the notion that he’d ever be any match for her. 

“That’s how I’m going to finally get you. Your overconfidence!” Mon-El joked right back, shuffling his feet a bit in an effort to mess with Sara. He’d been enjoying a rare evening alone with the super. As disappointed as he had been when she’d come to Al’s to explain to him about their night together being a one-time special, he still valued their friendship incredibly. He’d also be lying to himself if he didn’t admit to hoping, at least a tiny bit, that someday that friendship could blossom into something more. But if he ever hoped to have any chance of that, he needed to start taking their training seriously and prove to Sara he had what it took to be a hero alongside her. 

“I have the appropriate level of confidence, thank you very much. Now, quit whining and attack me,” Sara continued to egg him on, secretly enjoying having a partner who was at least somewhat of a challenge for her without the need for the kryptonite radiation emitters.

Mon-El was about to lunge forward when a booming voice filled the training room, capturing both aliens’ attention, “Supergirl. We have a situation.”

It was Laurel, and Sara knew it was serious. She and Mon-El promptly left the training room and arrived in the main operational hub a few seconds later. “What’s going on?” Sara asked as they reconvened with her sister, Ray, and Spooner.

“There have been several reports of an alien attacking protesters downtown,” Ray explained as he pulled up the traffic cameras.

“What type of alien?” Sara asked, her brow furrowing in confusion as she observed the grainy footage of what looked like lighting striking several people.

“Uhhh, not sure, but she appears to have the ability to control electricity,” Ray explained tentatively as he panned to another view that illuminated a young woman with white hair from whom the lightning seemed to be originating.

“Well, that’s new,” Mon-El observed.

“Last known location?” Sara asked as she began to head for the exit.

“Reed Street, just north of the marina,” Spooner shouted after her.

“Sara, wait!” Mon-El called out to her as he quickly ran to try to keep up with her. She looked expectantly at him, wondering what he was doing. “I want to come with you,” Mon-El explained softly, his eyes pleading with her.

“Absolutely not,” Sara said resolutely, crossing her arms over the glyph on her chest. She had no idea what they were dealing with, and she wasn’t about to risk his safety. A small part of her was impressed that he wanted to help, that he was willing to put himself in danger to help others with no obvious reward at stake. But that didn’t outweigh the fact that he wasn’t ready.

“You keep saying I need to be more of a hero. Use my powers for good. Here’s my chance,” Mon-El insisted.

Sara felt her resolve wavering as she let out a deep breath and let her arms fall to her side. “Really, you choose now to listen to me?” She asked.

“Is that a yes?” Mon-El asked hopefully.

Sara rolled her eyes, knowing they didn’t have time to keep arguing. “Ugh, only if you wear this,” she finally gave in, throwing a ski mask at him. Mon-El held the black face-covering in his hand, clearly confused by Sara’s meaning. “Can’t have you revealing your identity out there,” she clarified before turning back towards the exit.

“Sweet!” he said in excitement as he slipped on the mask so that only his eyes were visible.

“You coming?” Sara asked as she took off into the night. Mon-El leaped as fast as he could, trying to stay within sight of Sara as the two of them made their way across town before finally meeting up in front of a group of protesters. 

They stopped behind a dumpster so they could assess the situation and identify where their alien was, but as soon as Sara got a good look at the crowd, she felt a pit forming in her stomach. “Shit,” she muttered under her breath.

“Woah,” Mon-El added, for the first time really understanding why Sara had drilled him so much about being careful with who knew about their secrets.

Compared to some of the other protests that had rocked National City, this one certainly wasn’t the largest. But the tiki torches carried by several members of the crowd, along with the signs, which read sickening sentiments like, ‘Free Bishop’ and ‘Lock up the Terraforming bitch’ caused Sara to taste bile in her mouth. There were hundreds of citizens protesting in favor of the worst person she knew on the planet. They were on his side. They hated aliens. Sara took a calming breath as she tightened her grip on the dumpster to steady herself.

“What do you see, Supergirl?” Laurel asked, concerned by the initial response she’d heard from her sister over their comms.

Sara let out a deep breath before explaining softly, “You didn’t tell me these protesters were…protesting Bishop’s sentence.”

“Jesus,” was all Laurel could say. The poor quality of their traffic camera footage certainly didn’t convey that back to the team at the DEO.

“Any signs of Sparky?” Spooner asked, knowing they needed to concentrate on the immediate matter at hand. Subduing an extremely dangerous alien.

The dumpster Sara and Mon-El were hiding behind was suddenly thrown across the alley, crashing against the wall of a nearby building. “Supes! Thought you’d never show up,” the alien welcomed them with a cruel smile spread across her face. She launched a stream of electricity across the street to target the protesters, but Sara aimed her laser eyes at the beam, redirecting it away from them.

Sara stopped along with the alien after a few seconds. She was breathing heavily and sweat was beginning to bead up on her forehead. “You protect the protesters. I can handle her,” she instructed Mon-El as she ran forward towards the alien.

“What about you?” Mon-El asked, concerned for Sara’s well-being. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her ability to hold her own, but this alien was already proving to be more of a challenge than any he’d ever faced or seen Sara go up against before.

“Don’t worry about me. Just help them,” Sara insisted, drawing the alien’s attention away from the street so Mon-El could usher the protesters along out of the line of fire.

Sara ran towards the alien, lifting off the ground just a bit to try to attack her, but the alien let a burst of electricity go from her fingertips, and it connected with Sara’s side, hurling her into a nearby parked car. Sara let out a pained grunt as she slowly made her way to her feet, determined not to let this alien win. 

Sara quickly approached her and began throwing punch after punch against her, but she suddenly disappeared into a nearby electrical pole, sparks flying up and down the length of it. Sara stared in shock, completely bewildered by this creature. After a few seconds the alien re-materialized in front of her, a few stray sparks illuminating her outline in the otherwise blackness of the alley.

Suddenly, she whipped her arms around, generating momentum and creating two whip-like beams of electricity. The alien threw them in Sara’s direction, knocking her off her feet and straight into the side of the nearest building. Glass shattered, and the bricks around her crumbled as Sara lay in the rubble. She let out another pained grunt as she tried to make her way to her feet. But the alien was unrelenting as she wrapped her beams of electricity around Sara, squeezing her, sucking the air out of her.

“Why are you doing this?” Sara asked as she struggled to breathe, the pain from the prolonged electricity coursing through her body nearly as unbearable as the kryptonite poisoning she’d sustained at the airport.

The alien smirked and began to laugh as she released her grip on Sara, who crashed down to the pavement in a crumpled heap. “Why?” she asked cruelly. “Why do you fly?” Sara could only look up at her, desperately trying to figure out something she could do to subdue this alien but not having any luck. “Because I can!” the alien shouted back in glee as she balled up her fist and approached Sara. She unleashed a new round of electrical sparks onto Sara, who lay helplessly on the ground, panting and fighting to stay conscious. “I wonder if I have enough power to stop your heart.”

“Don’t do this!” Mon-El pleaded with the alien as he saw Sara struggling. He wanted so desperately to do something, anything to help her. As he was about to run towards them, consequences be damned, Sara suddenly punched her hand through the pavement. She brought her hand up and guided a water main pipe towards the alien, spraying her entirely with water. After a few seconds, the alien lay unconscious on the ground, and Mon-El made his way over to Sara.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his brow creased in worry as he extended his hand to help her to her feet.

Sara took it gratefully and held his hand for a few extra beats as she steadied herself on her feet. “Yeah,” she told him with a smile, secretly relieved he’d been there. “How about them?” Sara asked, gesturing towards the direction in which the protesters had fled.

“There’s police and paramedics on their way,” Mon-El explained, beyond relieved that Sara was okay.

“You did good,” Sara said with a smile as she picked up the alien and hoisted her over her shoulder.

“I guess we make a good team,” Mon-El agreed as the two of them made their way back to the DEO to debrief with Laurel, Ray, and Spooner.

Meanwhile, across town, Ava was enjoying a quiet evening alone in her penthouse. She was sipping on a glass of her favorite bourbon as she re-read the transcript from Sara’s interview with President Marsdin. She’d read it at least a dozen times before, but an article or something by Sara always seemed to bring her peace when she needed it the most. She had on a gray sweater and black yoga pants, savoring the quiet and warmth of her place.

The sprawling penthouse was a far cry from her townhouse in Metropolis she’d shared with Sam, but she relished having a safe haven all to herself, even if she did spend so little time there. She’d left the nearest wall of blinds up so she could look out at the view from eighty stories up, the snow capped mountain tops and the sea both glistening in the moonlight at that hour. Her fireplace was going steadily, and Ava had sunk into her ridiculously plush couch. She took yet another sip of her bourbon and let out a contented sigh as she savored the sweetness of its flavor.

Ava’s peace was cut short however, when she heard a knock on her door, cutting through the silence like a buzzsaw. Ava fleetingly thought if she didn’t answer it, whoever it was might take the hint she didn’t want to be disturbed and leave, but of course, she wasn’t that lucky. The incessant knocking continued, and Ava put her glass down before making her way over to her door. She opened it without looking to see who it could be and instantly regretted that decision as Sam came waltzing through the threshold.

Ava’s jaw clenched as she closed the door shut. “I thought I made myself clear at LCorp the other night,” she said, glaring at Sam as she crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you still doing here?” she asked, her tone a mixture of frustration and impatience.

Sam merely rolled her eyes, having grown exceptionally tired of this routine from Ava. “I told you. I’m not giving up on us,” Sam insisted, determined not to leave without coming to some sort of agreement that evening with Ava that they could move on and begin to repair their relationship.

“There is no us anymore, Sam,” Ava replied curtly. Sam felt a twinge in her chest at Ava’s tone and the way she emphasized the word ‘us.’ “There’s you. And then there’s me.”

That was it. Sam couldn’t stand another minute. She knew she’d hurt Ava and that she shouldn’t have lied to her, but how many damn times did she have to apologize? “Are you really willing to throw away everything that we meant to each other? Everything we’ve been through?” Sam pleaded, hoping she could somehow appeal to whatever part of Ava still held a candle for her.

“Don’t put this back on me. Your lies destroyed us,” Ava responded, pointing sharply at Sam, clearly unmoved by Sam’s emotional pleas.

Not knowing what else to do, Sam remembered their many conversations about their plans for the future. Realizing it was her best chance to remind Ava of what they meant to each other and what they hoped for in their lives together, she asked, “What about the future we always talked about?” Ava narrowed her eyes, her jaw clenching again. “That little cottage…in the Irish countryside,” Sam continued. Ava crossed the room, back to where she had been seated on her couch before and reached for the glass of bourbon, bringing it to her lips and taking a long, slow sip. “We were going to move there and leave the rest of the world behind.” Ava swallowed and exhaled before setting the glass down again. A smile danced across her face before she began to chuckle softly, bewildering Sam. “What the hell is so funny?”

Ava shook her head as she managed to stifle the sudden and unexpected laugh she’d let go. “I didn’t come straight to National City from Metropolis. I made a stop in Ireland, hoping to escape to that very cottage,” she explained, causing Sam’s face to contort in confusion and trepidation. “But like everything else in this godforsaken relationship, it too went up in flames,” Ava explained softly, taking another sip of her drink. Sam wiped at the tears forming along the corners of her eyes, but Ava continued, unmoved. “It burned down, almost a year ago now. All that’s left is rubble.”

Sam let out a shuddering breath as she begged, “Ava, please. I know that I hurt you, and I know that I royally screwed everything up.” She was close to sobbing by this point, but Ava just stood there. She’d spent too many nights of her own grieving the loss of their relationship, their future. She was all out of tears to cry over Sam. After only being met by Ava’s cruel silence, Sam asked softly. “Is there really nothing I can do to earn your forgiveness?”

“No,” Ava said flatly.

That caused something inside of Sam to snap. She hated that she was the only one feeling exposed and vulnerable. It wasn’t fair that she was doing everything in her power to save something she dearly cared for, while Ava seemed so unaffected by her pain. “Were you always this fucking cold, and I was just too blindly in love with you to see it? Or is this a new development?” Sam asked, her tone changing from one of despair to anger.

“You want cold?” Ava challenged harshly. “I’ll show you fucking cold,” Ava muttered as she walked over to a chest in the corner of the room. Sam couldn’t tell exactly what she retrieved from the middle drawer, but she could see it was small and black. “I bought a ring,” Ava whispered softly, silently cursing herself as she felt the sharp sting of tears in her eyes.

“You did?” Sam asked in disbelief. They’d never discussed marriage. Between her parents’ divorce and the rather unhappy union of the Luthors, it had always seemed to the two of them like something…beneath them and unnecessary.

“I don’t know why I kept this,” Ava said softly, trying to regain her composure. She took a deep breath, willing the tears to recede so she could maintain her icy exterior. “I think it was because I kept hoping that someday I’d be able to look at you again without it hurting so much,” Ava admitted. “I’m still waiting. So you might as well take it.” Ava handed the ring box to Sam, their fingers briefly grazing against each other’s

“This is…this is really it, isn’t it?” Sam said as the finality of their relationship began to sink in. She clasped the tiny box within her hands, desperate to open it, knowing whatever sat inside would be nothing less than stunning. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. There was no point anymore. “There’s nothing I can say, nothing I can do to change it.” It wasn’t really a question, more of an admission of something Sam had known for a while, but had been too reticent to admit, even to herself.

“Nothing,” Ava agreed softly.

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked Ava in the eyes, knowing it would be for the last time. She wanted to remember everything about her before she said goodbye forever. “I might not be the great love of your life, Ava…but you will always be the love of mine.” For her part, Ava just stood there, staring back at Sam, looking, if anything relieved, that Sam could finally admit they were through. “Goodbye,” she said softly before rushing out the door.

Ava stood there, alone, her eyes fixed to the spot where Sam had been standing only a moment before. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before resuming her spot on the couch.

The next evening…

Sara was cuddled up on her couch under her bright red blanket, enjoying her 100th rewatch of The Princess Bride , one of her all-time favorite movies. She had a mug of hot cocoa sitting on the coffee table, and every once in a while she’d bring it up to her lips, enjoying the warmth and sweetness it filled her with. She let out a contented sigh as she tried to quiet her mind over everything that was going on, but soft knocking on the door to her loft quickly captured her attention. 

Sara stood up, depositing the red blanket back down on the couch and crossed the room to her door. She felt butterflies in her stomach with anticipation of who might be on the other side. The most likely suspect was her sister, but Sara found herself hoping for a certain tall blonde. Of course with how Sara had behaved around Ava recently, Sara realized she was probably the last person Ava wanted to see. Not to mention the fact that Sam was still in town, and the two of them were probably off somewhere romantic trying to repair their fragmented relationship. 

Sara shook all of those thoughts to the side as she opened her door, revealing Mon-El. He certainly wasn’t whom Sara was expecting, and she did her best to cover any disappointment with a soft smile. “Hi,” she said as she held the door open for him, inviting him to join her inside.

“You look cozy and comfortable,” Mon-El said with a broad smile as he admired the dark green cardigan Sara wore on top of her cream colored shirt and dark gray lounge pants.

“Well, I am,” Sara said with a soft laugh at his remark, as the two of them walked slowly across her loft, back towards the couch.

“So are you still feeling betwixt and between?” Mon-El asked, remembering their recent conversation at Al’s. He knew Sara had made her feelings for him as only a friend crystal clear, but he still cared about her and wanted the best for her.

Sara let out a breath as she considered his question. Things with Ava had somehow only gotten more complicated, and that sinking feeling in her chest hadn’t subsided at all, despite Sara’s best efforts to convince herself that she and Ava could be just co-workers. “Um, it comes and it goes,” Sara said softly, not knowing how else to respond. “So, what brings you by?” she asked, desperate to change the conversation. Sara flicked off the movie and resumed her seat on the couch, pulling the blanket back up to cover her legs.

“Oh, you know, some shopping…A little evening stroll,” Mon-El said with a soft laugh as he took a seat on the other end of Sara’s couch. He began pulling the other end of the blanket up to cover his legs as well, and he settled into a comfortable position with his elbow resting at the backside of Sara’s couch, with his hand propping up his head so he could look directly at Sara. He took a deep breath, and Sara realized he seemed a bit nervous, not to mention serious for the first time in a while. Whatever it was that was on his mind was important, and Sara suddenly felt a warmth spread within her that he trusted her enough to come to her with whatever it was.

“No, I um, being out there with you yesterday…” Mon-El began to explain, Sara looking back at him expectantly, fidgeting with her glasses. “You made me realize that this is something I want to do. The way you defended those people who hate us, who hate aliens. I mean that takes real courage and selflessness, and…it was inspiring. Which is new for me. There wasn’t much to inspire me on Daxam,” he said the last part softly.

“What about the prince?” Sara asked in confusion.

“He wasn’t worth admiring,” Mon-El muttered with a scoff. “But I–I wanna be. So that’s the next thing. I want to be a superhero,” Mon-El explained. A huge grin spread across his face as relief filled him for finally being able to get the words out to his own personal superhero.

“Say what?” Sara asked, her eyebrow raising as she looked over Mon-El curiously, wondering if this was some kind of joke. 

“Like you. With a name and an outfit, maybe a cape,” Mon-El continued to explain, his voice full of optimism and excitement.

Sara narrowed her eyes playfully at him as she teased, “You want the suit.”

“No, No. I mean, yes, I want the suit,” MonEel joked back, earning a soft laugh from Sara in return. He knew she didn’t think of him the way he thought of her, like she was the only person in the world who mattered. That Sara would never know just how much a genuine smile or soft laugh could fill him with such warmth and fuzziness, making it seem like, despite his past, he could still be a good person.

Mon-El felt himself getting lost in Sara’s baby blue eyes and the brilliant curvature of her smile when the moment was interrupted by soft knocking on Sara’s door. Both of their eyes darted back to the door, and Mon-El asked through a furrowed brow, “Were you expecting anyone?”

“Nope,” Sara said softly as she stood up and made her way across the room.

Meanwhile, Ava had spent the past few minutes pacing in the hallway outside of Sara’s loft, internally debating with herself about what exactly she was doing there. She had woken up that morning feeling like the dark cloud over her had been lifted with Sam’s departure back to Metropolis. Ava had spent the day at LCorp now that her office had been completely refurbished, and for some reason, her thoughts kept drifting to Sara. She knew she had apologized to her before about the gala and Sam and being distant, but she felt she still had more work to do to try to restore their friendship.

Ava had spontaneously taken off from LCorp to head to Sara’s, hoping she’d catch her alone, and the two of them would be able to talk without the looming specter of Sam or work to complicate matters. She took a deep breath and walked over to Sara’s door. Summoning her courage, she knocked a couple of times, hoping she wasn’t about to overstep or make another royal mess of their fragile relationship.

Ava held her breath for what felt like hours until she heard the latch on the other side of the threshold, and the soft click of the door opening to reveal Sara standing on the other side. She was clearly in her happy place, wearing the most comfortable set of clothes Ava had ever seen on the other woman. God, she looks gorgeous even in pajamas , Ava thought to herself as she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about still being in her designer business suit.

 “Ava. Hi,” Sara said softly as a huge grin spread across her face. Sara thought she might be dreaming when she revealed Ava standing on the other side of her door. She’d been hoping for an opportunity for the two of them to chat, outside of the office, outside of all of the recent complications that had sprung up between them. And suddenly, here it was, but…if only they were alone. Sara tried to hide her disappointment that Mon-El was still there as she stepped back to allow Ava to enter her place.

“Hi,” Ava said softly, not wanting to tear her attention away from Sara for one minute. Part of her wanted to shove Sara up against her nearest wall and take her in her arms right there and then, but something across the room caught Ava’s attention, causing her fantasy to shatter into a thousand pieces. “Oh. Um…I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had company,” Ava said softly as her glance landed on Mon-El. He was sitting on Sara’s couch, the red blanket spread out across his lap. Ava had clearly interrupted something, and she tried hard to swallow the giant lump that had formed in her throat. Of course a beautiful woman like Sara wouldn’t just be alone in her apartment on any given night. Ava wanted to kick herself for being so stupid as she scrambled to think about how she could get out of there as quickly as possible.

“Is everything okay? Did you need to talk about something?” Sara asked, concerned that Bishop had sent another goon after her.

“No…um,” Ava cleared her throat, stumbling through trying to recover some type of explanation. She looked anywhere but at Mon-El and settled her glance back on Sara to keep herself from fully unraveling. “No, it’s not important. It can wait until CatCo tomorrow morning,” she added softly as Ava took a step back towards the door, needing to get the image of the two of them together out of her head as quickly as possible.

“Are you sure?” Sara asked, confused about Ava showing up so suddenly and then, just as suddenly, needing to leave again. Had she done something wrong? 

“Yeah, yeah, positive,” Ava insisted softly. “Sorry for interrupting your evening,” she added as she closed the door behind her. Ava took several deep breaths as she leaned against the back of Sara’s door. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she tried desperately to keep her emotions in check as her hand flew up to rest against her heart. She stood there like that for a few seconds, trying to breathe through the overwhelming sensation of seeing with her own two eyes Sara with someone else whom she obviously cared a great deal for.

For her part, Sara stood rooted to the spot as she honed her x-ray vision, desperate for a clue of what had brought Ava to her loft that evening. She could see Ava linger on the other side of the threshold, and with her superhearing, she heard a soft sniffle. Ava’s heartbeat, a sound Sara had grown intimately familiar with, ticked up a bit, and Sara found herself wishing she’d just throw open the door, wrap her arms around Ava, and never let her go.

But she didn’t. She just stood there frozen until she heard Ava walk down the hall and an emptiness settled within Sara’s chest.

“Should I go?” Mon-El asked softly, not wholly oblivious to the scene he’d just witnessed.

Sara let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding as she considered his question thoughtfully. Not wanting to spend another second in her loft, she replied, “Um…yeah, I think I’m going to go to the DEO. Get some extra training in.”

“You want some company?” Mon-El asked thoughtfully.

“No,” Sara responded definitively.

“Okay,” Mon-El said as he headed for the door.

“Hey, Mon-El?” Sara asked as he opened the door and was about to leave. He turned back to look at Sara, curious what more she had to say. “You did a good job out there yesterday.” They shared a small smile before heading their separate ways with Sara needing to take her frustrations out physically in the DEO training room.

Ava had John bring her promptly back to LCorp. She went from her car to her office in under five minutes flat. She closed the door behind her and gently leaned against it, letting out a couple of deep breaths as she struggled to get the sight of Mon-El, comfortably snuggled up on Sara’s couch, out of her mind. Her office was illuminated only by moonlight and the lights from surrounding buildings as she kept all of the lights off.

Ava shrugged off her overcoat, kicked off her boots, and quickly changed into her favorite pair of matching pink leggings and sports bra. She tied her long, flowing blonde locks up in a long ponytail. When she was ready, Ava placed her palm up against a portion of the wall partially obstructed by her couch, triggering the biolock to reveal her hidden room. It was the first time she’d been inside since Bishop’s latest attempt on her life, and Ava stifled a shiver that ran through her as she noticed the place where the weight she’d used to defend herself used to rest.

Normally, Ava started off with some light cardio to get her blood pumping and warm up her muscles after a stiff day of sitting through an endless parade of meetings. Tonight though, as the damn red blanket and the picture of contentment she’d interrupted continued to loop through her brain, Ava headed straight for her pair of gloves and launched an unbridled assault against her punching bag. 

For several minutes the only sounds in the room came from the impact of Ava’s punches and kicks against the bag, punctuated by her grunts of exertion. Ava couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid to assume Sara would be, what? Just waiting for her to get rid of Sam? She still wasn’t entirely sure she knew what she wanted to accomplish by visiting Sara at her loft that evening, but literally any outcome would have been better than seeing her clearly in the middle of spending a relaxing night with Mon-El. 

Ava hated that they made so much sense to her, as a suitable couple. He was conventionally attractive – tall, dark hair, mysterious dark eyes, and a goofy, yet charming smile. Not to mention the fact that he clearly adored Sara. That much was obvious from the little time Ava had spent around the man. A gorgeous woman like Sara Danvers was never going to be single for long, and Ava just had to face the facts that whatever chance there might’ve been for the two of them to develop…something was gone. Ava let go one more series of punches and kicks at her punching bag before her knees buckled, and she let go a bellowing scream as her muscles ached from her exertions. 

The dampeners on the room prevented the sound from carrying, and once Ava had recovered some of her composure, she wandered over to the desk in the corner and slipped a device into her right ear. “Z, any chance you’re still here?” Ava asked.

“What?! Did you sneak out of here early only to realize you forgot something?” Zari asked, surprised to be hearing from her boss at that hour.

Ava let out a sigh as she moved on from her punching bag to one of her training dummies. She pictured Mon-El’s face, drew back her arm, and twisted her hips as she sprang forward, unloading a ferocious blow. “Not exactly.”

“Should I venture a guess at what’s got you pounding the shit out of your training dummies a day after Sam left town?” Zari asked. She always worried whenever Ava would use her private training room for late night sessions, but she figured Sam’s departure should’ve lifted her spirits a bit. Zari knew how hard her betrayal had been on Ava, and how much she struggled with ending their relationship back in Metropolis.

“Tonight I was hoping to keep this conversation strictly business. How’s project 207 going?” Ava asked curtly, making it abundantly clear to Zari which topics were off the table that night.

Zari let out a sigh. Sometimes she wished she had a more normal life and that Ava would just talk to her like a normal person. But she was an alien from a faraway planet, and Ava was one of the wealthiest and most powerful humans on this planet, so Zari surmised they’d likely never live normal lives. “I hit a snag with the components that came in this morning. Waiting on replacements,” she reported dryly.

“315?” Ava asked between punches against her training dummy.

“Beta testing passed this afternoon. I’m lining up the A/B tests starting tomorrow.”

“423?”

“I reviewed the new set of code about an hour ago. We are pushing that branch overnight and should know tomorrow morning what that new programmer you hired last week fucked up,” Zari said, reviewing her notes on her tablet in front of her.

“Anything you need help with?” Ava asked, panting through her exertions, relieved that Zari was so on top of everything.

“Besides you only hiring tech people from Caltech and MIT?” Zari ribbed her, taking the opportunity to slowly crack Ava’s serious facade she’d tried to put up with her that night.

“I keep telling you, if you figure out how to clone yourself, I won’t need to hire anyone else,” Ava responded, cracking a small smile for the first time all night.

“How's the new office space treating you?” Zari asked, switching to a more sensitive subject, testing out how far Ava would let her push that night.

Ava bristled at the question, glaring through the walls of her training room. The room was designed so that you couldn’t see into it from her office, but once you were inside, you had a clear view of the rest of the office. Her glare landed on one spot in particular, and Ava let out a soft, “It’s fine,” which convinced neither herself nor Zari that it was.

“You haven’t been able to restore it, have you?” Zari asked softly, knowing Ava had a lot on her mind, besides just Sam. She heard the sniffle from the other end of their bluetooth communication devices as she waited for a response from Ava.

Ava closed her eyes, waiting for the emotional wave cresting within her to pass. She sniffled a few times, determined not to break and finally spoke up softly, “It was the last thing I had of hers…the only physical reminder that she wasn’t a dream.”

“You know I love our late night heart-to-hearts over the bluetooth system, but I could see you face-to-face, you know,” Zari offered, wanting Ava to know she was there for her if she wanted to have a real conversation about everything.

“Why are you still here? Don’t you have a boyfriend waiting for you at home?” Ava asked after a few beats of silence. She’d recovered her composure, her walls freshly rebuilt having decided she’d given in to her emotions enough for one night.

“Woah, we are not using the b-word yet. How dare you,” Zari teased, feeling herself blush slightly at the unexpected discussion of her relationship with Nate.

“Zari, go home, now! That’s an order!” Ava shouted playfully at her, thinking it was only right that one of them should enjoy a happy evening.

“All right, all right. I’m going. Please don’t sleep here again though. You’re out of clean clothes.”

Chapter Text

“In case you missed it last night, a violent alien attacked several hundred protesters in downtown National City. These protesters were exercising their first amendment right to peacefully protest against what they viewed was an unwarranted and unlawful verdict and sentence against Bishop Luthor, who was convicted last week of killing several aliens. He received numerous sequential life sentences, and the coverage of his trial dominated the headlines over the past several months, as you well know.”

Ava let out a deep sigh as she took in The Darhk Side ’s coverage of the prior night’s events. While the fact that so many people felt compelled to march in support of her brother, rather than the innocent aliens he killed still rattled her, she felt she’d done her duty as a responsible steward of CatCo to ensure they covered the protests and interviewed people who were there.

Ava couldn’t stand listening to the smug, snippy tone of Damien Darhk as he recounted the events though. It was no surprise he’d capitalize on it to push his and Signal Media’s growing intolerance of aliens, further indoctrinating their base. Ava absentmindedly continued reviewing the latest developments on LCorp’s upcoming product portfolio as Damien continued to spew his spiteful rhetoric in the background.

“The protests against these decisions have been steadily growing recently, and, for better or worse, no one can dispute the right that these people have to make their voices known. Of course, some of the other networks and publications prefer not to cover these protests or denounce them as misguided or malicious in some way. Not here. Here on The Darhk Side we celebrate the exercise of civil liberties, for that is the very basis upon which our society is founded and continues to thrive.

“And so, it should come as no surprise to you at home that this alien, this violent and deadly alien – who killed three of those protesters and injured dozens more – is being hailed today as a hero by some pundits. Are these people crazy? I mean, Bishop Luthor kills aliens, and he’s a menace to society, but this alien kills actual human beings and gets celebrated?” Damien asked rhetorically as a mash-up of clips of various other pundits played, downplaying the horrors of the alien.

“Personally I was surprised the carnage wasn’t worse, all things considered. Luckily, Supergirl proved her whole ‘truth, justice, and the American way’ bit by actually confronting this alien. That’s right. I was surprised too. But sometimes people, or should I say aliens, can surprise you. You know? I give her props, really I do. I mean, we’ve made no secret of detailing her connections to those who spew anti-human and alien-first agendas. She is an alien after all. But, hey she did the right thing.”

That was a step too far, Ava thought. She knew that was the closest Damien would ever come to praising Supergirl, but the mocking tone in his voice, the reluctance to call a spade a spade in terms of how much she did for the city was enough to inflame Ava’s temper on the super’s behalf. She shut off Darhk’s incessant droning and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to decompress after getting so worked up over the hate and lies Darhk was spewing. 

Ava was about to return to her litany of unopened emails when she heard knocking on her office door. She tensed, feeling her heartbeat tick up at the prospect of an unknown visitor. She’d now been attacked a few times at her office, thanks to her brother. The most recent one, having just occurred the prior week, still weighed heavily on her mind. Ava was used to being able to suppress any memories of feeling scared or weak, but the terror she felt when Bishop’s latest goon shot up her office overwhelmed her.

Ava placed a hand over heart and took a couple of deep breaths as she did her best to push past those awful memories and even out her breathing and racing pulse. Eventually she felt calm enough to answer and let out a soft, “Come in,” as she steeled herself for who could be on the other side of the door. Bishop’s henchmen never knocked, so she felt some relief that whomever it was probably didn’t mean her any harm.

The door opened and out poked a familiar, yet unexpected face. “Hi,” Ava greeted her visitor curiously as she stood up.

“Hey,” Laurel replied as she closed the door behind her and wandered further inside Ava’s office. The views of the city below were breathtaking, not to mention the mountains in the distance. 

“Is this a business or personal visit?” Ava asked as she leaned against the corner of her desk so she and Laurel were only a few feet apart.

“What?” Laurel asked, Ava’s question shaking her out of taking in the scene around her and all of the details within Ava’s office.

“I’m not like, under investigation by the feds, am I?” Ava joked, trying to make light of the situation because she didn’t know why Laurel would pay her a visit, and she was trying to diffuse some of the awkward tension that had seeped into the room.

“Oh!” Laurel said with a smile as she caught onto Ava’s insinuation. “No, no. Nothing like that,” Laurel assured Ava with a comforting smile, causing some of the tension in the room to dissipate. Laurel forgot she was still wearing her business suit from a briefing she’d had with the president earlier, realizing why Ava might’ve been confused.

“That’s a relief,” Ava said, returning Laurel’s smile. She gestured towards her couch and invited Laurel, “Come sit down. Can I get you anything?”

“What do you have?” Laurel asked as she considered whether she needed any liquid courage for this conversation. It was already a bit strange with it just being the two of them, but Laurel wasn’t about to lose her nerve. 

Ava walked over to her fully restored and restocked drink cart and reached for two whiskey glasses. “Old Forester 1910,” she informed Laurel as she looked back at the other woman for confirmation.

Laurel’s eyebrows shot up as she had only read about that bourbon. Everything she’d heard made it sound amazing, but her tastes, not to mention pocketbook, always veered more on the Jim Beam path. “Oh, yeah, yeah that would be great,” Laurel said gratefully as she took a seat on Ava’s couch. Ava poured an ounce into each glass and handed one to Laurel before taking a seat next to her. “Thank you.”

“So, what brings you by?” Ava asked after savoring a sip of the amber liquid. She crossed her right leg over her left as she sat next to Laurel, looking at her expectantly for some indication of what Sara’s sister was doing in her office at this hour.

Laurel took a large sip of the bourbon before letting out a deep sigh. Damn Ava had good taste , she thought. “Well, a couple of things,” she began to explain, earning a raised eyebrow from Ava. “First, I wanted to apologize,” Laurel said softly.

“For what?” Ava asked, confused.

Laurel let out another deep breath and set her glass down on the small table in front of Ava’s couch. She looked briefly at Ava then at the floor, feeling embarrassed about what she needed to confess. She knew she owed the woman before her the explanation she was about to give, but that didn’t make it any easier. “Before the holidays and everything…I had my doubts about you. When the fake video came out. I let myself get caught up in the narrative, and…I thought you were just like every other Luthor,” Laurel admitted, still a bit ashamed. 

“Why are you telling me this?” Ava asked, leaning slightly away from Laurel. Logically, it made sense. She and Laurel didn’t know each other all that well, and it was only natural for her to want to look out for her younger sister, or so Ava assumed, never having the benefit of such a thing herself. 

“Sara never lost faith in you. Despite my and many other people’s doubts and accusations, she never wavered,” Laurel admitted. Ava felt a warmth spread within her at Laurel’s mention of Sara, but it was quickly tempered by the memory of Mon-El in her apartment. Laurel continued, “And then you saved Supergirl at the airport. I realized how stupid I was.” Ava narrowed her eyes at Laurel as she listened intently to the rest of her explanation. “My sister cares a lot about you. She may be too…I don’t know, whatever, to admit just how much. Anyways, I’m sorry. I felt I owed you that, in person.”

Ava took another sip of her bourbon as she considered Laurel’s words thoughtfully. “Well, I’m not sure that you did. We don’t know each other that well, and I can’t blame you for wanting to protect your sister. I wish I knew how that felt, what it’s like to have a sibling care enough about me as you clearly do for Sara,” Ava admitted with a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“That brings me to the second thing,” Laurel began tentatively. “What the hell is going on between you two?” She asked, her tone changing from soft and unsure to serious and firm in a split second. 

“Did Sara send you?” Ava asked, her brow furrowing in confusion at what Laurel was getting at. 

“She has no idea I’m here, and I prefer it stay that way,” Laurel insisted before swallowing the remainder of her drink. 

“Fair enough,” Ava said with a nod as she continued to study Laurel curiously. The last thing Ava wanted was an extended conversation about her feelings, least of all with Sara’s sister. 

“So what gives?” Laurel asked, not taking Ava’s unwillingness to divulge anything as a hindrance. “I thought you were settling into our little found family, but you’ve missed each of the past two game nights, and Sara’s been…well, off. Did something happen at that fancy party before the holidays?”

Ava immediately perked up at Laurel’s comment, dropping her walls at the notion that something might be wrong with Sara. “What do you mean ‘Sara’s been off’? Is she okay?”

Laurel couldn’t hold back an eyeroll. Did these two seriously not see how much they cared for each other? “Stop deflecting,” she insisted as she looked expectantly at Ava. 

Ava threw up her hands and let out a sigh of frustration. “Look, I don’t know what you want me to say. I…have also felt this weirdness between the two of us. That’s why I went to visit her a few days ago,” Ava found herself confessing, internally chiding herself for letting yet another Danvers woman get to her. 

“You did?” Laurel asked in surprise wondering why Sara hadn’t told her about it. 

“Yeah, and she and Mon-El were quite cozy at her place. I clearly interrupted something, so I’m not really sure what you’re asking me here, Laurel,” Ava explained, hating having to picture the two of them together again. 

“Sara and Mon-El? I don’t know what you saw, but I can promise you it wasn’t what you thought. The two of them are just friends,” Laurel insisted. 

“It’s none of my business whether they are or aren’t,” Ava said rather unconvincingly. 

Laurel let out a sigh in response, realizing these two needed more help than she could provide. “I didn’t think it was possible for two people to be so stubborn,” she blurted out, blushing a little once she realized she’d said those words out loud. Ava glared at her in response, though it quickly faded once she saw Laurel’s smile. “Just…talk to her, for me? Please?”

Ava set her empty glass down on the table before standing up, clearly done with this conversation. “Was there anything else?” She asked. Laurel thought she sounded exhausted and realized there was no point in overstaying her welcome. 

“You’ve got impeccable taste in bourbon.”

The next morning…

The morning sun bathed the city in a glow and warmth it desperately needed after so many days and nights of rain and bitter cold. It was like getting an early taste of spring, and Zari wasn’t about to waste such a beautiful morning. She poked around the kitchen, searching for two mugs. When she finally found them, on the opposite side of the kitchen from the coffee maker, she filed away a mental note about that poor excuse for organization later. She poured the freshly brewed coffee into the two mugs and added a dash of milk to hers, before bringing it to her lips. She loved the sense of warmth and comfort the first sip of morning coffee always brought her. As she set the mug down and let out a contented sigh, another figure emerged from the bathroom.

“You’re wearing my t-shirt,” a shirtless Nate commented as he wiped the lingering tiredness from his eyes, letting go an involuntary yawn.

Zari smirked as she looked down at herself, forgetting she’d thrown on whatever she found that morning before making her way out into the kitchen of his apartment. It was a dark green James Taylor t-shirt that smelled like Nate and fell to her mid-thigh. “Yeah, is that okay?”

“That’s amazing,” Nate insisted as a huge grin spread across his face, earning a soft chuckle from Zari at how excited he was to have her there. “I mean, like, you’re in my apartment, and it’s morning and you slept in my apartment, and now you’re wearing my t-shirt and making coffee, and I can’t believe this is happening, and everything coming out of my mouth is very cliched,” Nate continued to ramble as he approached the center island of his kitchen, leaning in close so he and Zari were only inches apart. The glow of the morning sun, the incredibly beautiful, not to mention brilliant, woman standing in his kitchen…Nate couldn’t remember a time he felt more at peace.

Zari returned his smile as she said softly, “It’s called being happy. Get used to it, Nate.” She leaned in, closing the gap between them, and their lips met in a tender kiss.

“I think I am getting used to it,” Nate said with another soft smile as they reluctantly separated. He reached for the mug of black coffee and took a couple of sips, his eyes never leaving Zari as he hoped this wasn’t some dream he was about to wake up from.

Knowing their fairytale night and morning couldn’t last forever, Zari looked over at the clock on Nate’s wall and let out a frustrated sigh. “Ugh, we’re late for work,” she muttered, not realizing how late it had gotten.

“I don’t care if I ever go to work again,” Nate insisted, earning a disbelieving laugh from Zari. “I mean, can’t we just quit? And stay here in this apartment forever?”

“Ava might have something to say about that,” Zari muttered, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the day with Nate at his place. Despite his poor organization choices, she did really like his place, and after spending several nights there, she definitely felt like she could get used to waking up with him.

“Ava, schm-Ava,” Nate said, throwing his hand in the air as if to wave off Zari’s concern.

“Well, I don’t know about forever, but maybe we can just settle for the morning?” Zari offered with a cheeky grin.

“We could call in sick,” Nate suggested, starting to mock cough as Zari approached him. Nate hoisted her into his arms, and Zari’s legs curled around his waist as their lips found each other’s again.

“Maybe,” Zari whispered between kisses as Nate slowly walked them back towards his bedroom.

Meanwhile, across town…

It was barely nine o’clock, and Ava was already on her third cup of coffee of the morning. It was an unusually quiet morning, with Sara, Nate, and Zari all busy in their work, which actually came as a relief to Ava because it meant she could devote some much needed time to some of her neglected projects. She had all but one of the monitors in her CatCo office muted so she could absent-mindedly listen in to the local news, but the anchor’s tone suddenly shifted, causing Ava to perk up.

“I’m hearing we have some breaking news coming out of the warehouse district. Let’s go to our correspondent on the scene,” the anchor responded, interrupting the weather report as the footage shifted from the in-studio anchor to a beat reporter.

“That’s right, Chris,” the reporter responded as she stepped aside to reveal a camera shot of the neighborhood of rowhomes ablaze as a large fire raged through it. Smoke was billowing, and there were dozens of people standing around outside, surrounded by emergency crews. “A fire broke out early this morning in the eight hundred block of this neighborhood, and you can see firefighters struggling to contain the blaze. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Supergirl arrived quickly on the scene and has been evacuating as many tenants as possible,” the reporter continued to explain.

Supergirl had just helped a father and son escape the inferno with their lives, and she ensured they were checked out by one of the emergency medical services teams in the area. Once satisfied they were in good hands, she turned her attention back to the row of homes, using her x-ray vision to search for any more survivors.

Sara had heard the screams earlier that morning and had raced to help as many people escape to safety as possible. She was covered in soot and ash and was about to start her freeze breath in order to help the firefighters tame the blaze when she heard a frantic mother desperately crying. Concerned, Sara walked over to her and asked, “Ma’am, are you hurt?”

The woman tried to compose herself, but she was clearly terrified about something. “No, my daughter is still inside,” she explained through tears as she begged Supergirl to save her. Sara swallowed the lump in her throat as she trained her x-ray vision on the area where the woman had pointed. The millisecond Sara located the girl, she took off, nearly knocking the woman over.

Ava couldn’t believe the news broadcast was capturing all of this live. Selfishly she wished Sara or another member of the CatCo team were onsite to capture the unfolding drama, but her primary concern was for the safety of all of the families impacted. She made a couple of quick phone calls, her eyes remaining glued to the television as she eagerly waited for Supergirl to emerge from the structure that looked like it might collapse at any second.

Suddenly Supergirl emerged from the black smoke holding a young girl in her arms. Ava felt herself breathe a sigh of relief as the building began to collapse right behind them. Supergirl shifted the girl in her arms and held up her cape to shield her from any of the smoke or debris that headed their way. She quickly made her way over to the girl’s mother, who was openly sobbing with relief.

“Momma!” the girl shouted as she raced into her mother’s arms.

“Abigail!” the woman shouted back as she ran her hands over her daughter as if to check if she was all right.

After giving the pair a minute to reunite, Sara spoke up as she gestured towards the awaiting ambulance and EMS team, “We need to get you both to the hospital to get you checked out.”

The little girl looked hesitantly at the ambulance and then at her mother. “I’m scared,” she whispered as she let out a cough. “Supergirl, will you come too?” she asked softly as she looked back at the super.

“Oh, um…” Sara didn’t know what to do. She took one last look through the building with her x-ray vision to make sure she’d gotten all of the residents out and let out a relieved breath that she didn’t see anyone else. She knew she should stay behind and help the firefighters put the blaze out, but the little girl looked so sweet, wanting nothing more than for her savior, Supergirl, to come with her because she made her feel safe. Ava’s words suddenly rang through her mind as Sara considered her advice about counteracting the bad examples of aliens that had recently been in the headlines. She looked towards the driver and asked, “Do you have room in there for one more?”

He offered her a gentle smile and said, “We always have room for you, Supergirl.”

Sara smiled and hopped up into the back of the ambulance. The young girl curled her hand around Sara’s as the EMS team began examining her and her mother. 

A huge grin spread across Ava’s face as she watched the scene unfold. Knowing they’d be heading to Luthor Children’s Hospital, she gathered her things and quickly made her way downstairs.

Once they arrived at the hospital, the mom and daughter were brought in for observation. Supergirl took advantage of their time with the doctor to super-speed back to the blaze to assist the firefighters with putting it out. She unleashed a mammoth amount of her freeze breath, easily taming the fire and allowing the firefighters to finish from there. Before leaving the scene, Supergirl flew into the remnants of Abigail’s room, searching for anything that might not be completely charred. She spied a plush bunny rabbit laying on the girl’s pillow. It was well-worn but seemed no worse for wear from the fire. 

Supergirl then flew back to the hospital and quickly located the little girl and her mother. They were resting in one of the exam rooms. Supergirl gently knocked on the door as she opened it, garnering a huge smile on Abigail’s face as her eyes landed on her hero. “Abigail, I thought you might want this,” Supergirl said as she extended the hand she had been holding behind her back. Upon seeing it was her favorite toy, Abigail reached for it excitedly, hugging it to her chest.

“Supergirl, we can’t thank you enough,” the girl’s mother said, delighted to see her daughter doing so well despite the traumatic event they’d both just survived.

“I’m just happy you’re both okay,” Supergirl said with a smile. She lingered a few seconds more before taking a step back. She only made it a step towards the door before a familiar, yet unexpected face entered her vision. “Ms. Luthor,” Supergirl greeted her with a polite smile.

“Supergirl,” Ava said with a nod to the super. She quickly turned to face the mother and daughter as she took a few more steps further into the room. “Ms. Parker, I wanted to express how sorry I am about the damage done to your home. I wanted to give you this,” Ava explained as she extended her right hand, which contained a business card. The mother turned the card over in her hands, examining it carefully. She looked expectantly back up at Ava, wondering what it meant. “We have a department within LCorp setup to help you and anyone else impacted, to help you navigate new lodging options, working with insurance, and anything else you may need help with.”

“Thank you,” the woman said, truly meaning it. “Both of you,” she added softly as she looked between Supergirl and Ava Luthor.

“Why don’t we give you two some time alone to process everything you’ve been through,” Ava suggested as she and Supergirl headed out into the hallway.

Sara crossed her arms over the crest on her chest as the two of them wandered through the hospital’s corridors. She was flooded with memories of the day she’d found Ava there volunteering and couldn’t help the smile that inadvertently formed across her face. 

Ava noticed, and misinterpreting the meaning behind it, she smirked and took the opportunity to gently tease the super, “It’s nice to stick around, isn’t it?” she asked as they took the elevator down to the first floor.

“Are you seriously here to gloat?” Sara asked as she turned towards Ava. Her deep purple vest and slacks combination was just as flattering as every other piece of clothing she owned, and Sara did her best not to stare. She put her hand on her hip and glared at Ava, who just stood there defiantly, daring Supergirl to convince her otherwise. The doors opened and Sara paused a second to see if the distraction would break the spell between them. When Ava just continued to stare back, seemingly ignoring the elevator, Sara threw her hands in the air and let out a sigh in mock frustration. “Fine, I took your advice,” she admitted as she led the way down the next hallway.

“And?” Ava asked, allowing herself a small smirk in victory at getting Supergirl to admit she was right.

“And…it feels pretty good to stick around,” Sara said reluctantly.

“It’s almost like I know what I’m talking about,” Ava continued to rib the super.

“Wow, someone is really pleased with herself,” Supergirl acknowledged as she crossed her arms again.

Ava was about to respond with some witty retort when she realized they were in front of a coffee station. Realizing it was definitely going to be one of those days when she’d need at least another cup and hoping to use the time to work Supergirl over a little more, she asked, “Do you drink coffee? Can I get you to stick around for a few more minutes?”

Supergirl narrowed her eyes in response, feeling a little whiplash from the non sequitur. Following Ava’s gaze, Supergirl turned around and realized there was coffee behind them, causing her to nod as understanding dawned on her. Turning back to face Ava, she let out a soft smile and responded, “Yes, I drink coffee.”

Ava ordered a freshly made cup of the dark roast with just a splash of cream while Supergirl ordered a vanilla latte. The employees who worked there were equally stunned to see both Ava and Supergirl ordering coffee, and they giggled and whispered amongst each other. 

Once they had their coffees, Ava invited Supergirl to walk outside with her as she began to make her pitch, “Look, I know how much you value your privacy. But you can’t be immune to some of the conversations going on right now, particularly the lies and misinformation being peddled by The Darhk Side and other outlets,” she began, hoping she could get through to the super.

“What are you suggesting, Ms. Luthor?” Supergirl asked as she took a sip of her latte and looked at Ava curiously.

“We need something to counteract their narrative. Today’s coverage is a great start, but if we don’t capitalize on it, it’ll quickly be drowned out by their next perceived affront to human rights in favor of aliens,” Ava explained.

“Is that all I am to you? A way to one-up your competition?” Supergirl asked, not loving the fact that Ava’s interest in her seemed to be purely transactional.

Ava clenched her jaw, not appreciating the accusation Supergirl was making about her. She took another sip of her coffee and let out a long, deep sigh. Trying a slightly different approach, she clarified, “Whether you want them to or not, people in this city look up to you. That little girl idolizes you. More people need to understand who you are, under the crest and cape, if there is going to be any chance at finding some sort of peace in creating space for aliens and humans to coexist.”

“You’re talking about an interview?” Supergirl asked, not wanting to give Ava the satisfaction of being right again. She did make an excellent point, and Sara began thinking through the implications in her head, if there were some other way she could accomplish what Ava was talking about without leaving herself open to exposure. 

Ava sensed an opening and ever the persistent business woman, she added, “One interview. Give CatCo a chance to…humanize you a bit. Show the world you’re more than just a stranger from a far off alien world. Let them connect with you.”

“You don’t give up easily do you?” Supergirl asked, a small smile forming across her face as she realized saying no to Ava was proving to be an especially difficult proposition, as Sara or Supergirl.

“You’re just figuring this out?” Ava teased. “Also, quit stalling by answering all of my questions with a question.”

“Just giving you a taste of what interviewing me would be like,” Supergirl teased right back. She considered what her agreement would mean and after a few beats let out a deep sigh. Ava raised one of her eyebrows as if to challenge Supergirl, letting her know she wouldn’t stop pressing until Supergirl gave in. “Fine,” Supergirl relented, earning a huge celebratory smile from Ava. “But on two conditions,” she added, causing Ava to furrow her brow at what Supergirl might ask from her. “First, my real name and identity are off limits.”

Ava rolled her eyes. She’d build up to that in future interviews. “I can live with that. And the second?”

“You do the interview.”

A few days later…

“Okay, that’s it for today. Great job, everyone,” Laurel commended the newest additions to the DEO tactical teams on the progress of their training. One of her favorite aspects about her role as director was helping to lead new recruits, and she took such satisfaction in seeing them grow and hone their skills. As she made her way towards the main operations hub, Laurel met up with Spooner and asked, “You ready for ladies night?”

Before Spooner could respond, Ray jumped in excitedly and called out for Laurel’s attention, “Hey, hey Laurel.”

“I am about to go grab drinks with Spooner,” Laurel said, anxious to call it a day and enjoy some time away from the DEO. She and Spooner had started their little tradition of getting together just the two of them once a week or so several years ago, and Laurel loved it. It was virtually the only time they got to spend together, just the two of them, and Laurel so appreciated Spooner’s humor, not to mention her empathy and what a good listener she was.

“Listen, this is worth the wait,” Ray said, unable to contain his excitement.

“It better be, jefe,” Spooner chimed in, equally as anxious as Laurel to leave the DEO and spend time with one of her favorite people.

“Okay,” Laurel relented with a heavy sigh.

Ray walked towards a briefcase he had nestled on his desk as he began to explain what was so important, “I’ve always thought it was like, super unfair, you know. Spooner can read minds. Then you got Supergirl, she can laser-vision, you know. Freeze-breath, she’s massively strong…And then there’s Mon-El–”

“Ray, is there a part of this where I don’t feel super inadequate about myself?” Laurel cut him off, wishing he’d just get to what he wanted to say. The reminders of everything she couldn’t do were not what she needed after a long day at work, and she was growing tired of him standing between her and a wonderful evening hanging out with Spooner. 

“Exactly, Exactly! So, I’m thinking, ‘What does the best, most badass DEO agent need to take her battle-readiness up a notch?’” Ray asked with a huge smile spread across his face as he opened the briefcase and pulled out a black suit.

“You didn’t,” Laurel said softly, her frustration with him melting away into admiration. Laurel couldn’t believe that Ray went to all that trouble to create a suit especially designed for her. Not to mention the brief, yet unmistakable warmth she felt at him calling her ‘badass.’ 

“Oh, I did, and then some,” Ray said with a warm smile as he handed the suit to Laurel, and she couldn’t contain her excitement at being able to test it out. “I’ve been developing this prototype for the past few months, and well, I wanted you to test it out and let me know what you think. Oh, and what would you think if I told you the future is magnets?” Ray asked as he held up one of the hand grips that went with the suit.

As he did, Spooner gestured wildly as the ring that always rested on her right ring finger flew off and stuck to the material in Ray’s hands. Laurel’s eyes went wide with the power of the fabric and Ray’s ingenuity.

Spooner glared at him as she approached the two of them. “That ring is…the most important thing I own,” she shouted as she pried it from Ray’s hands and set it back against her skin. She rubbed comfortingly for a few seconds before adding, “Also, that hurt.”

Laurel still couldn’t contain her excitement. She’d put a lot of effort and time into honing her fighting skills, but knowing she’d never be a match for a kryptonian or some of the more dangerous aliens they faced always left her feeling a bit lacking. Now, she’d stand a fighting chance with this amazing gift from Ray. 

“And wait until you see the bullets,” Ray said with another broad grin as he held up Laurel’s gun before placing it on top of the suit resting in her hands.

She beamed up at him and said, “I’m gonna go change now.”

“What about ladies’ night?” Spooner asked as Laurel turned to head down the nearest corridor.

“Um…” Laurel floundered for a second, knowing she still wanted to go out with Spooner, but needing at least a few minutes to try on and test the suit. “Give me ten…and I’ll buy the first round?” she offered.

“Make it the first two, chica,” Spooner insisted.

“Oh, the bathroom’s that way,” Ray corrected as he noticed Laurel rushing off into the wrong direction. He chuckled slightly to himself loving how happy he’d made Laurel.

“Right. That…yeah,” Laurel scolded herself for knowing better and being too distracted by how giddy Ray had made her.

While Laurel was happily testing out the new suit Ray had made for her, Ava was meanwhile up to her eyeballs in unread emails, product specifications, and various proposals. She’d sent Zari home a few hours ago and had changed into her casual attire of yoga pants and a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt. She’d had her assistant replenish her supply of garments at the office after her chat with Zari the prior week. Ava was hoping to at least get through a couple of the items on her to-do list. Alas, it seemed that list was only getting longer.

Luckily Ava heard the familiar burst of Supergirl breaking the sound barrier and landing on the balcony outside her office. She stood up and headed for the door, opening it to allow Supergirl inside. She poured herself a glass of bourbon before looking curiously at Supergirl, “Do you…can you…I know you like coffee, but alcohol?” she asked, torn between wanting to make sure the super was comfortable and not knowing what Kryptonians could or liked to drink. The last thing Ava wanted was for Supergirl to back out of their deal.

“Oh, um, I’ll take a glass of water, if you don’t mind,” Sara said. She’d never liked the taste of bourbon or understood how anyone could, but she didn’t want to be rude. Ava quickly pulled out a carafe from her mini-fridge and poured a glass, handing it to Supergirl. “Thank you.” They both wandered over to Ava’s couch, and Sara felt goosebumps forming at the memory of some amazing moments they’d shared on that couch. Realizing it was her first time back at LCorp since Ava was attacked and Sara got an eyeful of what was currently under Ava’s loose-fitting top, she spoke up again, “The renovations on the office look great.”

Ava took a sip of her bourbon and let out a deep breath as she swallowed, looking around rather glumly at the spot where the portrait and map of Ireland used to be. “Yeah,” Ava agreed softly, not wanting to show too much of her emotions. “The contractors did a great job in getting it restored quickly.”

Sara didn’t know what to say. She knew the portrait and drawing meant a lot to Ava, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her and reassure her that she could let her walls down with her. But Sara realized that as neither Supergirl nor as Sara had she earned that privilege, or in the case of her alter-ego, earned it back. She had to remain detached. “Have you heard anything more from Bishop?” Sara asked, not knowing what else to say.

Ava took another sip of her bourbon, shaking her head and answering, “No. He’s been silent, and I haven’t had any more…visitors since you were last here.” Ava shook her head not wanting to dwell on her brother or give him even another moment’s worth of thought. Switching gears, Ava responded cheekily, “I think this is twice in a row now I’ve seen you outside of a life or death situation. It’s kind of nice.”

“I’m just glad you dropped any notions of forcing one of those situations on me just to make us even,” Supergirl said, returning Ava’s smile. 

“What can I say? I’m competitive,” Ava teased.

“Well, hopefully neither of us will need saving any time soon,” Supergirl acknowledged as she took another sip of her water. On the one hand, Sara loved getting to spend this time alone with Ava. Their banter flowed so freely, and the smile on Ava’s face warmed Sara’s heart. But she hated lying to her, both about her identity and about Mon-El. It seemed the more time they spent together, the stronger Ava’s hold on Sara’s heart became. Sara just hoped there was a way forward for the two of them somehow.

“Hope is not a strategy, Supergirl,” Ava said reflexively, so used to busting that line out whenever her employees or lesser business rivals fell back on hope for a solution to their problems.

“Isn’t it?” Supergirl challenged with a raised eyebrow. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re trying to sell with this interview?”

“‘Sell’?” Ava asked, her brow furrowing at the notion that this interview was about selling something. She paused a minute to consider her next words before explaining, “I was thinking it was more about connection.”

“What do you mean?” Supergirl asked.

Ava finished her glass of bourbon before setting it down on the table in front of them. She ran a hand through her long blonde locks and let go a deep breath before turning back to look at Supergirl. “Look, I know better than most, just because people can do the right thing doesn’t mean they always choose to.” Supergirl’s brow furrowed as she continued to listen to Ava’s explanation. “While, as far as I know, you’re the only one in National City who can fly, who’s faster than a speeding bullet…there are a lot of people out there who could do some good with their time and choose not to.” Understanding began to dawn on Sara as she took in what Ava was saying. “I want to know why you do what you do,” Ava added softly.

“I don’t know if I should be flattered that you think I’m that complex or what, but I hate to disappoint you,” Sara said with a smile. To be honest Sara hadn’t done much reflection on the decision to become Supergirl. Laurel had been in danger, and she was the only one who could save her. To Sara the decision was simple. Knowing so many other people in the city faced the same long odds without her intervention…to Sara, having the ability to save people meant bearing the responsibility of saving people. It was as simple as that.

“You haven’t yet,” Ava let the comment slip out, not expecting such an honest moment from herself. But she meant it. Supergirl had saved her life several times already, and she was willing to agree to do the interview with her. Ava wasn’t sure if there was anything the super couldn’t do. She shifted slightly as a thought occurred to her, “You want to know something I don’t admit to many people?” Supergirl definitely perked up at that question, wanting to know anything and everything about the mysterious and guarded woman before her. “I used to hold a pretty low opinion of aliens. I mean, not like Bishop. But, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be lining up to have them over for a late night chat or offering them my favorite bourbon.”

Supergirl let go a soft chuckle at Ava’s last comment. “What changed?” she asked, loving that Ava was full of surprises, not to mention willing to admit when she’d made mistakes.

“Getting to know you,” Ava responded softly. “The way that you stand up for what you believe in and don’t back down. The way that you haven’t judged me, when, more than anyone, you have every right in the world to.” Ava paused for a moment, getting lost in the super’s baby blue eyes. “Why did you ask me to do the interview? I’m a businesswoman, not a reporter. In fact I have a brilliant reporter I’d love to do this instead of me,” Ava said.

“What better way to show National City that, if a Luthor and a super can come together, what’s holding everyone else back?”

Chapter Text

“Can I get you anything? Water? Vanilla latte?” Ava asked with a smile as she adjusted the microphone on the lapel of her deep green blazer. She had had a team prepare her office as a set so they could film the interview. There were several bright lights set up just out of frame to perfectly illuminate her and Supergirl in the fading light of the evening. Ava tried not to notice the extra pop of blue in Supergirl’s eyes and suit that the light added.

Sara let out a soft chuckle at Ava’s offer and responded, “Thanks, but I’m good.” She tried not to stare at the way the light hit Ava’s long, flowing blonde hair or how damn good she smelled or how the green in her blazer seemed to sharpen the blue in her eyes. Sara took a deep breath and blinked a few times to settle herself, silently reminding herself that she needed to maintain her Supergirl alter ego for the duration of the night.

Ava evened out the invisible wrinkles in her pants as she looked to her assistant who was set-up behind the cameras. She gave Ava a thumbs up, and Ava looked at Supergirl to confirm she was ready. The super nodded, and Ava looked back at her assistant who counted them down from five before starting the tape.

“This is Ava Luthor, CEO of LCorp and CatCo Worldwide Media. I’m sitting down tonight with none other than Supergirl, who has graciously accepted my repeated offers for an in-depth interview, showcasing National City’s biggest hero in ways no one has seen before,” Ava explained, setting the scene for what was about to unfold. Turning from the camera to look at Supergirl, a cheeky smile spread across her face as Ava began, “Okay, let’s start off with something easy. You’ve turned down countless interview requests over the years. Why accept my offer? Why now, after all this time?”

Sara took a deep breath as she thought through what she wanted to say. She couldn’t very well admit to being the girl of mush where Ava was concerned. “Well, CatCo has always been a very reputable news organization, first under Cat Grant, and now under your leadership–”

Ava cut in to clarify, “Ms. Grant must’ve asked you every other day for an interview.” She still wasn’t sure Supergirl’s faith in her as an interviewer was warranted, but she planned on challenging the super when she needed to, ensuring she represented CatCo in the best light possible. For a brief second Ava wondered if Sara would see the interview, and the feeling of not wanting to disappoint her flashed through her mind.

“More like every day,” Supergirl agreed with a soft laugh, interrupting Ava’s thoughts of Sara.  Supergirl paused a moment then spoke up, continuing her explanation, “Things seemed…more simple then. I didn’t think National City needed to see me as anything more than someone who could help when it didn’t seem like there were any other options.”

“And now?” Ava asked.

“There’s so much fear in the world today. About the other. About the unknown. And I get it, I mean Reign was just awful, and there are plenty of examples of aliens out there who do mean to do harm, but…that’s why I felt the need to step forward and do what I can to help. It’s my hope that by pulling back the curtain just a tad and opening up to everyone out there that this can serve as a first step towards bridging the alien-human divide,” Supergirl explained. Ava couldn’t help the smile that formed across her face as she listened to Supergirl, knowing the type of reaction the interview was bound to generate once it hit the airwaves. 

“How long have you been on Earth?” Ava asked, pivoting to another set of questions.

“I arrived here when I was a child. And let me tell you, if you think puberty was tough as a human, imagine adding super powers onto all of that,” Supergirl said with a laugh as she recalled several difficult and awkward moments adjusting to life on Earth as a seventh grader.

Ava let out a soft chuckle at that response. Supergirl had conveniently left out that little tidbit when the two had met previously to review potential questions. For her part Sara did her best not to show just how much she enjoyed Ava’s laugh and how she thought it was one of the greatest sounds in the world. “Do you have a family?” Ava asked.

“Well, Superman is my cousin, and we’re the last two from Krypton,” Supergirl explained, not realizing she’d revealed previously unconfirmed intel. Ava raised her eyebrow at the knowledge that both supers were cousins. It had long been rumored they were related in some way with the most common theory being that Superman was Supergirl’s uncle. The fact that Ava had been the one to uncover the truth only made her more excited about the interview. “I was adopted when I arrived here, and my Earth family is wonderful. I think you’ll understand why I’ve chosen and continue to choose to protect their identity,” Supergirl added, not wanting to say too much more about Laurel, her parents, or her found family for fear of Ava putting any pieces together.

Realizing Supergirl left out something that Ava had seen questioned in several of CatCo’s social media pages, she narrowed her eyes and began a little hesitantly, “Is there any um,” she paused to clear her throat awkwardly before clarifying, “Is there a Mr. or Mrs. Supergirl, out there?”

“Woah, that wasn’t on the pre-approved questions we discussed,” Supergirl teased as a broad grin spread across her face as her gaze darted from the camera to Ava to lock eyes with the CEO. She looked at Ava curiously as if to ask, Are you fucking serious right now?

Ava returned Supergirl’s grin, loving the opportunity to catch the super in an off-script moment. “I’m just trying to give the people out there what they want,” she said, defending her choice of personal question. That earned a conflicted scrunched up face from Supergirl, who was clearly deep in thought about how she wanted to answer. The fact that her response wasn’t a simple ‘no’ told Ava everything she needed to know. She gasped and said softly, “There is someone.”

Sara couldn’t hide the blush that formed on her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to fly away and conclude the interview right then and there, but she knew she couldn’t. She took a deep breath and did her best to resume her typical confident and easy-going demeanor.  “Um…it’s tough,” she finally spoke up, her voice soft. Ava just narrowed her eyes back at Supergirl, waiting for her to continue. “It’s not quite as simple as asking someone out, you know?”

“But there is someone,” Ava pressed.

Sara let out a soft chuckle as she searched for some way to change the subject. “You know, for someone who isn’t a reporter, you’re remarkably persistent. And you ask all the tough questions.”

Ava couldn’t help the smirk on her face at Supergirl’s cleverness with dancing around her rather pointed questions. Taking the opportunity to rib her, Ava responded, “And for someone who doesn’t do interviews, you’re remarkably good at stalling and pivoting away when you don’t feel like answering.” Supergirl just stared back at Ava, refusing to give in. Realizing she needed to move on, that she wasn’t going to get any more out of Supergirl, Ava pivoted once again, “Tell me this much at least, are aliens capable of falling in love?”

Supergirl let out a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to admit to herself that what she felt for Ava was love, but it was important that people who ended up watching the interview understood just how similar aliens and humans truly were. “Oh yes. Many of the emotions you’d associate with being purely human – love, fear, guilt – we are capable of all of them. I guess in that way, aliens and humans really aren’t all that different.”

“Okay, you’ve been a good sport. Let me hopefully spin this back to another softball,” Ava said as she took in Supergirl’s words about them not being so different. “Why did you reveal yourself to the world when you did? It’s been almost seven years now. Was it something you were waiting for? Did something happen to force your hand?”

Supergirl paused for a moment as she considered her response carefully. “Well, I had been wrestling with it for a while. Obviously I’d seen how my cousin had revealed himself, and I always just kind of wondered if there was room for the two of us to coexist as superheroes. If the world needed two supers.” Sara briefly flashed back to that fateful day when Laurel’s plane was about to go down and how determined she felt not to let anything happen to her. Realizing Ava was looking at her for the rest of her explanation, Sara continued, “But then someone I love very much was in danger, and the only way I saw to make sure they would be okay was to save them.”

“They were on the plane,” Ava said softly, again trying not to show too much enthusiasm for confirming yet another rumor about Supergirl. It had long been assumed someone on the plane was a relative of Supergirl, but no records of the manifest were ever found. Supergirl simply nodded at Ava’s assertion. “You know the conspiracy theorists are going to go nuts, trying to track down that manifest,” she teased.

“Let them try,” Supergirl said slyly, knowing with absolute certainty no one would ever find it.

Ava let out a sigh as her assistant signaled her that they’d covered everything and were running short on time. Ava knew if they continued for much longer they’d risk losing Supergirl to being needed somewhere in the city. “Well, I think that’s the extent of the questions I had. Is there anything you have left you want to say before we wrap things up?” she asked, trying to conceal her feelings of disappointment that their time together was nearly up.

“Actually, I do,” Supergirl said, earning a curious look from Ava. She’d only asked as a courtesy and wasn’t expecting Supergirl to have anything else, but she gladly looked to her to continue.  “You asked me at the beginning why I’m here tonight, doing this interview. I know people out there are scared. I know it seems like there’s a lot out there that divides us. But, I mean just look at the two of us, a super and a Luthor,” Supergirl said with a smile, gesturing between the two of them. “If we can find a way to get along and respect each other’s differences, I don’t think it’s too much to ask of everyone out there watching us to try to do the same. You might be…surprised what happens when you hope for the best,” Supergirl added with a subtle wink at Ava who couldn’t help a smirk in response as their interview concluded.

The next evening…

Clad in her favorite black leather jacket, Sara stood at the bar at Al’s waiting for their beers and wings. Her mind was still a dizzying array of emotions as she reflected on the complete cluster she’d made of her personal life. Working with Ava over the past few nights as Supergirl had been like a dream. But Sara didn’t know if she should be relieved that at least her relationship with Supergirl still seemed positive or even more frustrated by how poorly things were between them when Sara was herself. The image of Ava standing behind Sara’s closed door after finding her alone with Mon-El in her loft still haunted Sara, and she just hated the way the two of them couldn’t seem to just take a minute and resolve all of the miscommunication that had settled between them. 

All of a sudden, Sara was shaken out of her thoughts by a hand ramming into her shoulder. “Ow!” she yelped in mock hurt as she looked to her left for the source of who had knocked into her. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she locked eyes with none other than her sister. “What the hell was that for?” Sara asked as their beers were placed on the bar in front of Sara.

For you royally screwing things up with Ava , is what Laurel wanted to say as she crossed her arms over her chest. “For us being long overdue for a sister night,” Laurel settled on as she let out a deep sigh. That earned a pointed glare from Sara who still seemed indignant at her sister’s less than cordial greeting. “Okay, for you not telling me about this interview or what the hell is going on between you and Ava or you and Mon-El for that matter,” Laurel added.

“Nothing is going on with me and Mon-El,” Sara responded, still confused by her sister’s behavior. She took a quick glance over her left shoulder back towards their table where Mon-El, Spooner, and Ray were chit-chatting. Ray had suggested they spend a night at Al’s to unwind and catch up while they watched the Supergirl interview air.

Laurel scoffed at her sister’s unconvincing insistence. “Oh yeah?” she asked skeptically.

“I swear. I spoke to him a few weeks ago to make sure there was no awkwardness about last year,” Sara insisted, her brow furrowing in confusion at her sister’s insinuation. “Did…did he say something to you?” Sara wondered hesitantly, curious to know where this conversation was coming from.

Their conversation was put on hold though as the commercial ended, and the news coverage switched to zero in on the much-anticipated airing of Ava’s interview with Supergirl. All of the news outlets had been bending over backwards in order to try to score such an exclusive with the girl of steel since she’d revealed herself to the world. Now that someone actually had followed through on it, it was the biggest story in the country.

“Coming up in primetime we’ll be airing the full, exclusive interview between CatCo and LCorp CEO, Ava Luthor, and Supergirl. Anticipation of the interview has led to increases for both companies’ stock this morning, with the Daily Planet heralding it as an early contender for interview of the year. Of course not everyone is as enamored with the early pre-release as The Darhk Side is already preparing to pre-but it during their show. Signal Media is the only network not carrying the interview tonight,” the nightly news anchor explained as she set the scene for the upcoming airing.

“They’re really hyping up this interview,” Laurel muttered.

“I know what you’re thinking, and don’t worry,” Sara explained, wanting to escape a lecture from her older sister. “I didn’t reveal anything that could lead back to my identity or you or Mom and Dad. I promise,” Sara insisted. Realizing there was still some lingering weirdness between her and Laurel, Sara added, “Why don’t you come over tomorrow, and we can talk about everything?”

“Fine,” Laurel agreed with a sigh as the bartender placed their wings on the bar. Laurel didn’t want to ruin the lightness of the night, but she was worried Sara was inadvertently ruining her potential romance with Ava because of her issues with commitment and fear of allowing anyone to get too close to her. More than anything she just wanted her baby sister to be happy, and it was so obvious, to everyone but Sara and Ava apparently, just how much they cared for each other and how happy they made each other. The two sisters grabbed their food and drinks and headed over to join the rest of their crew.

“Wings! These might be my favorite things about Earth,” Mon-El said with a goofy grin as he took a large sip of his beer and reached for several wings to add to his plate.

“Are these the honey barbeque?” Ray asked Laurel when she placed a smaller basket down next to him. 

“Yes, and I double-checked, they have absolutely zero spice in them–” Laurel was in the middle of reassuring Ray they’d be fine for him to eat when Spooner cut in to jab at his food preferences.

“AKA, they have zero flavor in them,” Spooner teased as she took a sip of her beer and grabbed a couple of the hot wings to put on her plate.

“Hey, I have a sensitive palette that gets overwhelmed easily by too much spice,” Ray defended himself with a smile, knowing Spooner was just having some fun.

They all fell into playful banter as they dug into their food and eagerly kept their eyes on the televisions in the bar for the upcoming interview. After a few minutes however, there was suddenly a loud explosion that shook the entire block. All of the windows in Al’s bar were blown in and shattered glass flew everywhere. Everyone in the bar immediately took cover below the tables while Sara, Mon-El, Spooner, and Laurel charged into action, changing into their suits in record time and racing outside to locate the source of the disturbance. Ray remained inside, flipping over their table for cover, slipping a bluetooth device into his ear, and flipping open his laptop so he could support the tactical team.

Supergirl and Mon-El rushed outside and were immediately confronted by an alien who flung one of the nearby cars straight at them. They both dove out of the way, barely avoiding getting hit. It took Mon-El a second longer to recover his bearings, and in the meantime Supergirl engaged the alien. The alien’s strength was nearly overwhelming. Supergirl charged him, but a split second before she was about to unload a powerful punch, the alien grabbed her by the cape and threw her up into the air. Supergirl landed in a heap several yards away, letting out a painful groan as she hit the ground. 

“Supergirl!” Laurel yelled out before sprinting towards the alien at full speed. She fired her gun directly at the alien, and the fireball blast was a direct hit. Supergirl and Mon-El raced over to the stunned alien, and Supergirl unleashed a powerful punch, rendering the alien unconscious. Mon-El threw him over his shoulder, and they reconvened with Spooner and Ray.

“Badass,” Laurel muttered under her breath, unable to contain her excitement at the suit Ray had engineered for her. “Ray, this suit is the shit,” she told him as the five of them made their way back to the DEO with the rogue alien in tow.

“But when do I get a fancy new suit?” Spooner mused, earning a playful eye roll from Laurel.

Meanwhile, on the other side of National City, the microwave dinged, signaling their popcorn was ready. Zari grabbed the bag and dumped the piping hot contents into a large bowl as she cuddled up on the couch beside Nate. They were both dressed in their pjs, fuzzy socks and all, and Zari popped a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth.

Nate slid his arm around Zari as she hand fed him a few bites before the contents on the television screen before them began to capture all of their attention. The highly anticipated interview of Supergirl began with Ava introducing herself and setting the scene for their conversation. After a few minutes of watching, Zari began laughing. First it was just a small chuckle to herself, but before long she lost control and had to slide the popcorn bowl over to Nate’s lap out of fear she might choke from laughing so hard.

“What?” Nate asked, equal parts amused and confused by her outburst. 

Zari took a few deep breaths to calm down, but the smile never left her face as she continued to watch the two dorks in front of her who were clearly head over heels for each other. “How can they be both two of the smartest people I know and at the same time, two of the dumbest?” she asked, wondering how long it would take Ava and Sara to sort out their feelings for each other. The way they looked at each other, even on screen…their chemistry was palpable.

Nate shrugged, “I don’t know.” He leaned over and shared a soft kiss with Zari. “It’s kind of refreshing,” he said softly, earning a very confused expression from Zari. Nate clarified, “That they have faults. That they’re human…I-I mean, you know what I mean. It’s nice to know they aren’t perfect at everything.”

“I guess,” Zari acknowledged. There was something comforting in knowing that even Supergirl didn’t have her shit together all the time. “Sometimes I just want to shout at them though, get them to see what’s so obvious to the rest of us.”

Nate stared at Zari for a beat, taking in how happy he truly felt and thinking he hadn’t felt so at peace in a long time, if ever. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he spoke up again, “Hey, I’ve been thinking…”

Zari couldn’t resist the urge to joke with him so she cut in, “Uh oh. I thought I warned you about that.”

“Very funny,” Nate said as he leaned in for another kiss. Turning serious again he asked tentatively, “Um, is there anything that you used to do with your family that we could start doing? I can’t imagine what it’s like for you, not to have any family, and if there’s anything I can do, or we can do together to bring a little slice of Naruta here, well, I’d love to hear about it.”

“Really?” Zari asked, touched by how much Nate cared for her. It still hadn’t quite sunk in for her yet that she had someone who knew her secret and made her feel so loved. She’d been searching for a found family for a while and despite only knowing Nate a short time and things getting serious between them so quickly, the fact that he was asking about her home and her family just made her heart absolutely melt.

“Absolutely,” Nate assured her.

“Wow. Well, we’ve already established that video games are out,” Zari said with a slight smirk, reverting to humor as always.

“Hey! I’m getting better!” Nate insisted, but Zari arched a skeptical eyebrow at him. “It took you almost seven minutes to beat me this week.”

Zari scoffed at how adorable he was before seriously thinking about what she missed most about her home. “I guess, every once in a while I find myself craving abgoosht, although it’s been at least twenty years since I’ve had it,” she explained as a small smile crept across her face as she reminisced about her favorite meal her mother would cook. “I wonder if I would even still know how to make it,” Zari added softly.

“Gabagool?” Nate asked not having any confidence at all that he could even come close to pronouncing what Zari had just said. He filed it away for later in case he wanted to surprise her, knowing if he joked about it now, she’d be less likely to suspect him of attempting to make it later.

Zari shook her head and threw a few pieces of popcorn at Nate’s butchering of her favorite meal. “You’re the worst,” she said playfully, teasing him.

“Okay, I’m gonna file that one away. You know my culinary talents are limited to pasta and takeout,” Nate said.

“True,” Zari agreed, a little too quickly for Nate’s liking.

“What else?” Nate asked, hoping to get at least one more idea.

Suddenly Zari’s eyes lit up as she whispered, “The violin.” Nate looked at her expectantly to explain more. “My mom taught me how to play, and it was always something I thought I’d be able to teach Behrad,” Zari explained, swallowing the sudden lump that formed in her throat at the memory of her dear brother. “Do you play any instruments?” Zari asked, needing to divert her thoughts away to something else.

“Me? Oh, I’m a huge oboe guy,” Nate deadpanned.

Zari scoffed, throwing even more popcorn at him. “You are not,” she said.

“No, no I’m not. Not even a little,” Nate agreed with a smirk. “But I can tambourine with the best of ‘em,” earning a soft laugh from Zari.

“It’s a good thing you’re cute,” Zari whispered before moving the popcorn bowl and leaning in to kiss Nate again.

The next morning…

“Your interview is getting a lot of good buzz,” Zari said as she entered Ava’s LCorp office. Sure, she and Nate had only seen a portion of it the prior evening as they found some other ways to spend their time on Zari’s couch. But from what she had seen and then read that morning, it seemed like just about every outlet was praising it. 

Ava too had been perusing the overnight headlines to gauge the reaction to the interview. She’d had a great feeling about it as she and Supergirl were filming, and that was reinforced when she sat down with their editor to put on the finishing touches. But the external praise and validation helped to further cement Ava’s confidence as the leader of one of the world’s foremost media brands. Ava allowed herself a moment to question if Cat would be proud of her. 

Ava shook her head, not wanting to dwell too much on it. “You mean Supergirl’s interview,” she corrected, wanting to keep the story and focus on her subject and not herself. “All I did was ask questions. Well, I guess I did try to get under her skin too, but…” Ava trailed off as she shrugged. “We did get a few exclusive sound bites,” she added softly. 

Zari did her best to stifle any kind of smile as she thought back to what she did see of the interview and how Ava and Supergirl looked at each other throughout. Zari knew she promised Sara not to say anything to Ava about her secret identity, but part of her felt guilty for lying to her best friend for so long. Zari wished the two of them could just work through whatever weirdness was lingering between them and just admit how they felt. “I don’t know. I think you might’ve missed your calling,” Zari ribbed with a smirk, earning a curious glance from Ava. “As a reporter,” Zari clarified with a wink. 

“What can I say? I have a special talent for grilling people,” Ava scoffed at Zari’s silliness. A ping went off on Ava’s laptop signaling a new email. She looked away from Zari for a second to check it and realized just how much she still had to do that morning. She let out a deep breath and began to explain to Zari, “Anyway, I know we are due for a chat on those specs you sent me, but with the interview and everything recently, I haven’t had a chance to review them.”

“That’s okay,” Zari said quickly. She had something else, something non-work related that had been on her mind for a while, that she wanted to discuss. After all, Zari hadn’t only been keeping Sara’s secret from Ava. She’d also been keeping her own. And as much as Zari had seen Ava’s tolerance and even acceptance of aliens grow over the past several months, she was still incredibly nervous about coming clean about who she really was. Zari took a deep breath, finally having worked up the courage and said, “I actually wanted to talk to you about something else anyways.”

Ava’s brow furrowed at Zari’s unexpectedly serious tone. She closed her laptop and stood up, making her way around her desk to stand in front of her friend. “Yeah, what’s up?” she asked, suddenly concerned something might be wrong.

Zari stared up into Ava’s deep blue eyes and swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. Now that the moment of truth had arrived, she was having second thoughts. “Um…I…” Zari started, trying to explain, but found that she’d lost her nerve. She didn’t want to see the look on Ava’s face when she told her she’d been lying to her for years. She broke eye contact and looked down at her feet. Zari cleared her throat awkwardly and instead shifted to another sensitive, though less personally difficult topic, “Um, I’ve been thinking a lot about the alien detection devices.”

Ava closed her eyes as she let out a deep sigh. She was caught a bit off-guard by Zari’s comment, expecting her to say something else. “I have too,” Ava admitted softly once she had a beat to reflect on how their device had contributed to some of the current hostility brewing between aliens and humans that Damien Darhk and Ben Lockwood were taking advantage of. Not expecting her to respond that way, Zari looked at Ava curiously. “You go first,” Ava said, knowing that Zari brought it up and wanting to give her the space to explain her reasoning before she jumped in.

Zari considered her words carefully before speaking up, “I think…they were wrong. I know we didn’t intend for them to be weaponized as a way to out aliens, but well, I know you’ve seen the stories about it,” Zari explained softly, referencing how more and more companies were requiring the devices to be used during interviews and even some event venues requiring it upon entry.

Ava ran a hand through her hair, clearly frustrated by the situation. They’d spent a ton of time, not to mention money on development, plus the fact that it was extremely painful for her to admit, personally, that one of her company’s most successful products was a failure. “I’ve been feeling the same way for a while, but I wanted you to be the one to bring it up,” Ava agreed.

“Why?” Zari asked, both relieved and a little confused by Ava’s reasoning.

“I know they were my concept, and I take full ownership that they were wrong. I failed to imagine how people might abuse them,” Ava said softly. “But you worked so hard on them. We went through so many late nights and reviews and, I didn’t want you to feel like I didn’t believe in you,” Ava explained, hating to admit that all of their time and energy spent on the devices were wasted.

Zari couldn’t help herself. Memories of all of those late nights suddenly rushed through her head, and all she could remember was how much she didn’t believe in the product and how she feared they might be used inappropriately. Feeling some of the adrenaline leave her body as she had built up this conversation about her being an alien so much, Zari felt herself start to break into uncontrollable laughter.

“Are you laughing at me?” Ava asked, confused by Zari’s outburst. She crossed her arms over her chest feeling a little defensive.

Zari took a few breaths to calm down, not meaning to make Ava feel uncomfortable. “I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want to let you down or make you feel like I didn’t believe in the product or you either,” Zari explained, causing Ava to relax a bit and some of the tension between them to dissipate.

Ava wasn’t sure how she felt about the fact that neither of them felt secure enough to be honest with the other, but she knew she didn’t want to have another situation like that happen again. She let out the breath she’d been holding and began, “All right, new ground rule.” Zari arched an eyebrow at her in response while Ava crossed the room to grab two whiskey glasses and a bottle of gingerale from her fridge. She poured out some of the gingerale between the two glasses and handed one to Zari. “Starting today, we are going to be honest with each other. No holding back when it comes to business decisions,” Ava said, holding up her glass to prompt Zari to cement their agreement.

“Deal,” Zari agreed and extended her glass to cheers with Ava, each of them taking a sip.

Ava set her glass down and turned to Zari to ask, “Do you think there is any way to improve them or should we just do a full-blown recall?”

Zari hummed as she considered the best path forward on a product she and Ava had spent considerable time, not to mention, in Ava’s case money, on. “I don’t know. I feel like anything short of a recall isn’t going to cut it,” she said finally, deciding just to be honest.

Ava nodded and let out a deep sigh, resigning herself. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Okay, I’ll get things moving on that today,” she said as she assessed the rest of her day and the best way to tackle the ensuing fallout.

Zari nodded and began to leave, but sensing there was more on her mind, Ava spoke up before Zari made it more than a few steps towards her office door, “Was there anything else on your mind, Zari?”

Zari turned back to face Ava and shook her head, “No, that was it.”

A devious smirk crossed Ava’s face, causing Zari to look at her, her face a mix of confusion and curiosity at what was going on inside Ava’s head. “Well, can I pry a little about how things are with Nate?” Ava asked, needing something fun and upbeat to focus on for a few minutes. She knew things were really starting to get serious between the two of them, and she was so happy for Zari, not to mention Nate. “You seem really happy,” Ava said with a smile.

Zari tried to hide the blush that instantly spread across her face, but it was no use. A huge smile spread across her face, and there was no point in hiding just how much joy their relationship had brought to her life. After a minute of smiling like a lovestruck teenager, Zari awkwardly cleared her throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure. “Um, things are good. Really good,” she said, but Ava kept looking at her expectantly. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy before,” Zari said softly, meaning every word.

“I’m glad you two found each other,” Ava said. “And if Nate ever gets out of line, be sure to let me know!” she joked, earning another big smile from Zari.

“I definitely will,” Zari said through a soft chuckle. They both looked at each other for a beat when a thought occurred to Zari. She didn’t have all the details, but she knew that things were complicated. Tentatively she spoke up, “You know…not to overstep or anything, but…” Ava looked at her curiously, arching an eyebrow as she wondered where Zari was going. “I thought maybe I was picking up on something between you and Sara,” Zari said softly, hoping she wasn’t out of line.

Ava had been trying not to think about Sara, but the image of Mon-El on her couch, under her red blanket, was seared into her brain. It haunted her more than Ava would admit to anyone. She blamed herself for not realizing or making her feelings for Sara known sooner. “Sara and I are just friends,” Ava whispered, hating the tears she felt starting to well up in her eyes. She let out a deep, shuddering breath, and after taking a minute to think through the current state of their relationship, or lack thereof, she added softly, “Honestly I’m not even sure if that’s true anymore.” Hating how vulnerable she suddenly felt, Ava awkwardly cleared her throat and changed the subject, “I have to prep for the afternoon board meeting. Was there anything else?”

“No. Let me know if you need anything,” Zari said as she left Ava alone.

Meanwhile, across town, Laurel knocked on the door to Sara’s loft and waited the couple of seconds it took her sister to open the door. 

“Thank Rao, you’re here! I’m starving!” Sara said excitedly as she held the door open for her sister. Laurel quickly passed her a container of potstickers before shrugging off her overcoat. Sara opened the lid and immediately popped one of the snacks into her mouth, relishing the savory taste. Her brow quickly furrowed though as she realized there were fewer potstickers than usual. Turning back to face her sister, Sara closed the door and put her hand on her hip. “Where’s the rest?”

Laurel rolled her eyes at how one-track-mind her sister could be about food. She quickly helped herself to a glass of Sara’s red wine and plopped down on her couch with the takeout carton of fried rice. “You get the second batch when you spill the beans about what the heck is going on between you and Ava,” Laurel explained between bites. 

Sara let out a deep sigh and placed the potstickers on the table in front of her couch. “I think I just lost my appetite,” she mumbled softly. 

“Sara, what’s going on?” Laurel asked, clearly frustrated. She put her glass of wine and the carton of fried rice down and turned to face her sister, scrutinizing her intensely to understand what she was thinking. “You’ve barely told me a thing since the gala, and that was over two months ago! Ava hasn’t been to a game night here or our Mardi Gras party or anything, and you’ve been…well, frankly less than your usual charming self,” Laurel added the last part softly. 

Sara swallowed the current bite she’d been chewing as she listened to her sister, knowing she was right. Sara looked down, not wanting to look Laurel in the eyes when she came clean. “I slept with Mon-El,” she whispered, her voice full of shame. 

“What?!” Laurel asked, not sure if she heard Sara correctly at first. “I thought you didn’t feel that way about him.”

“I don’t,” Sara said softly with a shake of her head. 

“Um, okay, I'm, if possible, more confused now. When did this happen?” Laurel asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“The night of the gala,” Sara admitted softly, still not wanting to look her sister in the eye.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Laurel asked, putting her hand on Sara’s shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze. Laurel always felt like the two of them had been able to build and maintain such a great relationship as they navigated through the awkward teen years and into adulthood. For a second she found herself second guessing whether they were as close as she thought, and Laurel wondered if she had done something to make Sara feel like she couldn’t confide in her.

Sara leaned into Laurel’s comforting touch and rested her head on her sister’s shoulder. The two of them sat like that, with Laurel gently stroking Sara’s arm, and Sara enjoying the comfort and warmth of her big sister. Finally, Sara took a deep breath and explained, shifting slightly so she could finally look Laurel in the eyes, “I thought…I thought you’d be disappointed in me. I’m disappointed in myself. I ruined any chance for Ava and me to build any type of relationship and—“

“I’m not disappointed in you,” Laurel said quickly, cutting Sara off before she could say much more. 

“You’re not?” Sara asked as her brows knitted together in confusion.

“No,” Laurel insisted. “I’m a little disappointed that when I asked you about the gala afterwards none of this came up, but let’s talk about it. What happened?” Laurel asked, wanting Sara to feel like she could say anything that was on her mind.

Sara closed her eyes, and for a brief, fleeting moment she was transported back to the moment Ava came to her door to pick her up for the gala. She fondly recalled the ride in Ava’s car, the two of them holding hands, Ava’s head resting against her shoulder. It was like a fairytale. Until it wasn’t. Sara took another deep breath as she opened her eyes and explained softly, “What I told you before…how beautiful she looked in her dress, how amazing our night was…all of that was true.” Laurel looked at Sara expectantly, waiting for new information since they had initially discussed the evening. “We danced. Laurel it was…” Sara trailed off, the smile on her face saying much more than words ever could.

“Yeah?” Laurel asked cheekily with a slight smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

“Sam showed up,” Sara whispered as she relived the painful moment the fairytale abruptly ended.

“Sam…her ex, Sam? That Sam?!” Laurel asked as she processed what Sara was telling her. Sara just nodded in response. “Fuck,” Laurel muttered. It was starting to make sense now. Why a night that had such promise and potential initially for her sister now clearly left a bad taste in her mouth. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Sara said as she reached for her own glass of wine, needing some liquid courage for what was to come next in their conversation. “Ava asked me to leave,” Sara continued to explain softly. “She said she needed time alone to talk to Sam.”

Laurel’s face fell as she listened to her sister explain what had gone wrong. She leaned in again to put her arms around her sister and whispered, “Shit. I’m sorry, Sara.”

“There’s more,” Sara said after disentangling herself from Laurel’s embrace. She took another sip of her wine while Laurel looked at her with an expectant glance. “When I was about to leave, I was walking out the door, and I caught sight of them. Kissing. Like passionately, pent-up longing emotions, kissing.”

“So what does that mean? Are they back together?” Laurel asked, knowing that had to have been a painful experience for her sister. Laurel unfortunately knew all too well what it felt like to watch the person that you care for most find happiness with someone else.

“You’ve seen the tabloids. I can’t pick up a newspaper or go more than five minutes without being bombarded by notifications or pictures of them,” Sara explained, hating the whiny, high-pitched tone her voice took on.

“Well, what did Ava say when you talked to her about it?” Laurel asked, thinking there might still be hope. Thinking back to the conversation she’d had with the other woman in her office recently, Laurel realized she definitely wasn’t someone who was in a happy and committed relationship. When Sara’s only acknowledgement that she’d even heard her sister was a clenched jaw, Laurel realized, “You haven’t talked to her?”

“What am I supposed to say?” Sara asked, throwing her hands up in clear frustration. “We don’t owe each other anything. We weren’t together. And before you say anything, I already talked to Mon-El. I apologized and told him I don’t feel that way about him,” Sara explained defensively..

“What if…they’re not back together?” Laurel asked tentatively. 

“What are you talking about?” Sara asked. Of course they got back together, otherwise why would Sam have stuck around so long. Plus that kiss. Ava and Sam’s feelings were obvious for each other based on Sara witnessing that kiss. 

“What if Ava has been trying to convince Sam to return to Metropolis? What if Ava moved on, but Sam wasn’t ready?” Laurel asked, trying to inject some amount of hope into Sara. Laurel knew how much her sister cared for Ava, and based on everything she’d seen being around the Luthor, Laurel knew the feeling was mutual. She just hated to see two people unhappy for no reason. 

“Still doesn’t explain the kiss,” Sara muttered dismissively with a shrug. She wasn’t about to let herself hope for something that would never happen, especially after what happened the last time Ava came to her loft. 

Laurel let out a deep breath, knowing how much it had to hurt Sara to see the two of them together in an intimate moment. Wanting to impart some sisterly wisdom, she advised, “Just…it might be worth trying to talk to her. You know, give her the benefit of the doubt rather than just blindly trusting the tabloids.”

Sara shut her eyes and pinched her nose, trying to hold back her shame. She knew Laurel was right, but the memory of Ava standing behind the door to her loft after finding her with Mon-El was etched into her brain. “Ugh, there’s more,” Sara whispered. 

“How have you kept me so out of the loop on this?” Laurel asked incredulously as she gently slapped Sara on the shoulder. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever…” Sara trailed off, still struggling with putting her feelings into words. Laurel just looked at her sister expectantly, waiting for an explanation. “…Ever wanted something with someone before. I’m out of my element, okay?”

“What happened?” Laurel asked pointedly. 

“Ava came here to talk, last week,” Sara began to explain hesitantly. 

“And?” Laurel asked impatiently, hating that Sara was drawing it out. 

“And Mon-El was here,” Sara whispered, earning a gasp from her sister. “He was just…we were just talking. I swear!” Sara insisted. “But she got the wrong idea, and I think she thinks we’re an item now.”

“What did she want to talk about?” Laurel asked, having a sneaking suspicion she knew. Ava’s reaction from earlier was beginning to make more sense now. 

“She didn’t say. She couldn’t get out of here fast enough once she realized he was here. How is it possible that I managed to screw this up before it ever even started?” Sara asked as she leaned into Laurel needing more comfort and reassurance from her sister. 

“Hey, only one of us has been dumped by their fiance, remember?” Laurel said, trying to cheer her sister up a bit. 

“Ugh, sorry Laurel,” Sara said, realizing they both had faced some tough times romantically. 

“It’s okay. I’ve made peace with it,” Laurel reassured her as she comfortingly rubbed Sara’s shoulder. 

“Yeah? A certain tall, dark, and handsome partner of yours helping you make peace with it?” Sara teased, not missing an opportunity to shift the mood to something a bit more lighthearted. 

“We are figuring things out.”

Friday night at Sara’s loft…

“Is the gabagool ready yet?” Nate asked as he slid a tray of freshly baked naan bread out of the oven. He let it cool for a minute before transferring it to a plate on the dining room table. He laid a towel over the plate to help keep in some moisture and warmth. He took one last look down at the table and smiled to himself at the spread of pickles, radishes, and fresh herbs to go along with the naan. I really hope Zari likes this , he thought to himself as he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

Sara dipped a spoon into the pot to taste the broth and loved the warmth that radiated within her from the rich flavor. She rolled her eyes at Nate’s intentional mispronunciation and playfully glared at him. “Are you ever going to learn how to pronounce it?” She chided.

“Okay smarty pants, while I appreciate you working on this all afternoon with me, let’s keep the snark to a minimum,” Nate teased her right back. 

“Never,” Sara said with a smile as she removed the pot from the heat and brought it over to rest on a pad on the table. Laurel had thankfully brought over a pizza just in case this culinary endeavor of hers and Nate’s didn’t work out the way they wanted it to. When Nate had called Sara earlier in the week explaining he wanted to surprise Zari with her favorite meal, Sara had jumped at the opportunity. She hadn’t seen him so happy or head over heels since Amaya, and despite Zari knowing way too much about her, Sara found herself trusting her and being thankful she was becoming part of their found family.

“With friends like you…” Nate teased again as he picked up his glass of red wine and extended it towards Sara to clink with her. Sara obliged, rolling her eyes at him again. Nate took one last look at everything and let go a contented sigh. He looked at his watch for the umpteenth time that day wondering when Zari would finally get there. Not being able to resist, Nate grabbed a small spoon and dipped it in the broth himself, curious to assess how their latest iteration came out.

“How’s it taste?” Sara asked, curious for his opinion after some of the faces he’d made during their earlier trials in the week.

“It’s good,” Nate assured her.

“You’re welcome,” Sara said with a smile, loving how happy Nate was. They had tried out a few different versions of recipes to understand the best combination of spices and how long to cook everything for, and she felt confident this batch was the best. Sara just hoped Zari liked it. Sara took a beat to look down at the table, feeling her stomach grumble a bit at all of the amazing food. Before she even realized what she was doing, Sara counted the place settings and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at the eighth chair that was sitting off to the side, unneeded for the evening. Sara took another long, slow sip of her wine as she reminded herself she wasn’t going to dwell on her feelings for Ava that night. They were there to have fun, and she wasn’t going to let her stupid mistakes and insecurities get in the way of that.

All of a sudden there was soft knocking on the door to her loft, bringing Sara out of her longing thoughts and back to the present. Nate rushed over and opened the door, but escorted Zari inside in such a way to obstruct the table so as not to ruin the big surprise he had planned.

“Hey, Z,” Nate said happily with a huge smile.

“Sorry about being so late. One of the new engineers totally screwed up my idiot-proof design, and I had to spend the past two hours completely re-doing it,” Zari explained as she closed the door behind them and began to shrug off her coat.

“You’re right on time,” Nate reassured her as he leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. “But I do need you to close your eyes,” Nate added with a wink, instantly cuing Zari that he was up to something.

“Why?” she asked skeptically, placing both of her hands on her hips.

“I might have a surprise for you,” Nate said softly, unable to keep the huge grin from spreading across his face as he said a silent prayer Zari enjoyed his surprise.

All of a sudden Zari began to get a whiff of what he and Sara had been preparing. Straining her neck to take a closer look at the kitchen, Zari began to ask, “Do I smell–”

Nate quickly placed his index finger to lips. “Hold that thought and close your eyes,” he instructed, making it clear to Zari he wasn’t backing down. Deciding to just give in to him after a long and stressful work week, Zari rolled her eyes and finally closed her eyes, playing along with whatever goofy thing Nate had planned. “That’s right, just take my hand and walk over to the table,” Nate explained softly as he grabbed Zari’s right hand and began leading her the ten steps or so to the table.

“When did you get so sneaky?” Zari asked.

“Gotta keep you guessing,” Nate said as he pulled out the chair for her and helped Zari to sit down. He stood behind her and put his hands over her eyes, wanting to make sure she couldn’t peek. Nate looked around at everyone else, his eyes finding Sara who smiled encouragingly back at him. Nate took a deep breath and instructed Zari, “Okay, I want you to take a deep breath in, and tell me what you smell.”

“Are you sure we should be doing this around Sara and everyone else?” Zari teased.

“Just tell me what you smell,” Nate insisted as he leaned in to place a gentle peck on her cheek.

“Hmmm,” Zari said as she decided to play along and took a deep inhale to see what she could pick up on. “Lamb. Pickles,” she began to list out before a light bulb went off in her mind. Zari gasped excitedly as she remembered their conversation from earlier in the week. “You did not!” she gushed as she pushed Nate’s hands away. Zari opened her eyes as she took in the spread of food laid out expertly on the table before her. She inhaled sharply as she felt herself getting choked up. The last time she had a table that looked like that, she was home. Feeling her eyes begin to mist, Zari quickly brought her hand up to wipe away any stray tears before taking a beat to compose herself. She looked over at Nate lovingly and whispered, “Thank you,” as he leaned in to kiss her again.

“You might want to taste it before you thank him,” Spooner joked, trying to add a bit of lightness to the mood.

“Sara did most of the cooking honestly. If it’s terrible, I totally blame Sara,” Nate explained as Sara looked at him incredulously. She grabbed a nearby towel and hit him softly with it, causing everyone to laugh. Everyone sat down and began to eat, deciding that Nate and Sara had done a fantastic job, and they wouldn’t need to use the emergency back-up pizza after all. Once they were all stuffed, everyone moved over to the couches. Zari snuggled up with Nate, still in awe of how she met such a wonderful person.

Laurel, Sara, Ray, Spooner, and Mon-El began to play a few rounds of Exploding Kittens, which Laurel dominated, resulting in Sara’s competitiveness coming out.

“Attack card,” Sara said, sure that this time she had the right cards to beat her sister. It had been down to just the two of them for the past few minutes as Ray, Mon-El, and Spooner were eagerly watching the two of them to see who would prevail this time.

A smirk formed across Laurel’s lips as she whipped out her card and placed it down on top of the one Sara had just played. “Nope!”

“No! That’s the fifth time!” Sara whined playfully as she threw her cards down.

Laurel laughed triumphantly, again, exclaiming, “And that means…I win!”

“Ugh,” Sara muttered as she reached for her empty wine glass and headed for the kitchen for a refill.

“Yes!” Laurel said excitedly, throwing her arms up and relishing her victory.

In the kitchen Sara met up with Spooner who was also grabbing a refill. Spooner looked through Sara’s usual booze cabinets but came up empty in her search. “Hey, Sara, I finished off the Espolon. Do you have any more tequila?” she asked, wondering if Sara had found a new hiding spot. Sara was about to respond when Spooner added, “And I don’t mean that cheap stuff you think is tequila. I don’t know how many times we have to have that conversation.”

“Nope, that was the last of it,” Sara said with a sigh as one of the last remnants of Ava ever stepping foot in her loft was now gone. 

“Damn,” Spooner muttered in disappointment. “Why couldn’t Ava make it tonight?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah, she hasn’t been here the last several times,” Ray chimed in, neither of them caught up on everything that had happened between Ava and Sara since Thanksgiving.

Laurel looked expectantly at Sara, curious for what kind of response she’d give the group to explain Ava’s absence. Sara froze and paled at Spooner and Ray’s comments. The last thing she wanted was to rehash everything here and now in front of everyone. Sara looked over at Zari, silently hoping the other woman might be able to say something about Ava having to work late at LCorp. Unfortunately Zari just shrugged, forcing Sara to think of something.

“She’s been busy,” Sara said finally, her voice soft and tentative. When everyone continued to look at her expectantly, clearly unsatisfied with that justification, Sara added, “Her ex is in town. They…have a lot to talk about.”

“Well, actually–” Zari began to speak up, but was cut off by a strange broadcast across the television.

A distorted voice began to speak as grainy black and white pixels covered the screen, “To his captors…We demand you turn over Mon-El of Daxam. We know where he is harbored. If you do not relinquish him by dawn, we will take him with force.”

“What the hell?” Spooner asked once the broadcast had finished and the television returned to normal.

“Mon-El, do you know who they are or what they want with you?” Sara asked, looking at him in confusion and slight concern that he could be in trouble.

Mon-El let the breath he’d been holding go as a sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. “Yeah, I uh…I think I do,” he admitted softly. “Ray, do you think you can open up a communication channel with them?” Mon-El asked.

“If we head back to the DEO, yeah, I think we can do that,” Ray responded optimistically.

“I guess our night’s over,” Nate said, disappointed, as he and Zari sat up and disentangled themselves from Sara’s couch.

“You two should stay,” Sara insisted, not wanting their night to be over so quickly. Sara knew how hard Nate had worked to prepare everything for Zari, and the rest of them could handle things at the DEO well enough.

“Like Ray really knows what he’s doing,” Zari teased the taller man with a wink, insisting they all go together to figure out whatever was going on.

“I heard that.”

Chapter Text

“Okay, you need to tell me exactly what is going on. Who is that and what do they want with you?” Sara demanded as she, Mon-El, Laurel, Ray, Spooner, Nate, and Zari strode into the operations center of the DEO. Everyone was on edge after witnessing the cryptic broadcast on the television, and Ray and Zari immediately began trying to research the origin and tap into any signals or diagnostics on the ship it originated from.

Sara had changed into her Supergirl suit and had her hands on her hips as she stared up expectantly at Mon-El, impatiently awaiting his response. Mon-El took a deep breath and ran a frazzled hand through his hair. “I think it’s my mother,” he admitted softly, earning confused looks from everyone. Not bearing to see what type of expression Sara wore on her face, Mon-El turned to face the wall of monitors and asked, “Ray, Zari, how’s that comms channel coming along?”

“It’s nearly ready,” Zari and Ray responded simultaneously, seemingly trying to one-up the other.  Ray typed on his computer for a few more seconds before explaining, “Okay, they should be able to hear you.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Sara muttered under her breath as she watched Mon-El intensely. She was getting a sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong, that he was about to walk into a trap. She may not have returned his romantic interest, but he had grown to become part of their team and found family, and she would never forgive herself if anything happened to him.

“This is Mon-El of Daxam. To the invaders, I will relinquish myself,” Mon-El explained solemnly, not wanting to leave Sara or any of the Superfriends, but knowing he had to do so in order to protect them all from any ill his mother planned to inflict.

“What? No! What the hell are you doing?” Sara demanded. Even if it was Mon-El’s family up on that ship, him going up there alone was most definitely in the category of stupid Sara was referring to earlier. She grabbed his arm, knowing if she needed to stop him by force she could, but hoping it didn’t come to that.

“I’m going up there,” Mon-El insisted defiantly, shaking away Sara’s hand.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to confront her alone,” Sara replied adamantly.

“This is not open for discussion, Sara,” he threw back at her, his determined tone throwing her off a bit.

Laurel approached the two of them, hoping to break up any potential arguments. “Hey, we–” she began to explain, but Zari loudly cleared her throat behind her, earning an eye roll from Laurel who promptly corrected herself, “ Zari picked up a honing signal on a teleportation beam.”

“The ship is locking onto our coordinates now. We’ll have back up ready if you need us,” Ray explained, doing his best to reassure Mon-El and Sara that they were prepared should his effort to talk down the Daxamite invaders go sideways.

Sara nodded, acknowledging her gratitude for the team’s efforts. She turned back to face Mon-El and asked softly, “Are you sure about this?”

Mon-El took a couple of deep breaths as he weighed the consequences of what he was about to do. He feared his mother might do something to try to hurt Sara or attack Earth, and he knew talking with her and trying to reason with her was their best play. But as Mon-El stood there, locking eyes with Sara and her mesmerizing baby blues, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and kiss her. He took one more steadying breath to shove down those feelings and mustered as much courage as he could, whispering, “Yeah.”

Mon-El took a couple of steps back from Sara towards where the portal was set up to take him up to the Daxamite ship. He looked down as he felt the portal begin to transport him, not wanting to look at Sara or any of the other friends he’d made on Earth, scared it could be the last time he saw any of them. 

Sara knew he told her he would be okay, and that he could handle this, but she’d never forgive herself if something happened to him. If any one of her friends proposed such a thing, to venture alone onto an alien spaceship, even one from their home planet, she’d never let them do it alone, despite their protests. Just as the portal was about to whisk Mon-El away, for good, Sara feared, she super-sped towards him, crashing into his strong arms and disappearing along with him.

“Sara!” Laurel yelled after her.

Sara gasped as the two of them re-materialized on the Daxamite ship a few seconds later. The teleportation portal they’d traveled through was an unnerving experience, and it took her a few seconds to adjust. “Why did you follow me?” Mon-El asked in slight annoyance once he realized what Sara had done.

“I didn’t want you to come up here by yourself,” Sara responded, indignant at his less-than grateful attitude.

“Well, maybe I wanted to come up here by myself,” he shot back at her, only adding to Sara’s confusion about this situation. She was beginning to get the feeling that Mon-El might have been less than truthful with her about what was happening, and Sara hated the suspicious feeling that settled into her bones.

“What are you talking about?” Sara asked pointedly. Before she could question him further, she noticed several Daxamites had surrounded them. But as Sara prepared to fight them, they all began to kneel with their heads bowed. “Uh, are they bowing…to us?” Sara asked softly, turning back to face Mon-El, even more confused.

Before Mon-El could respond, a familiar voice called out, “Mon-El?”

Mon-El and Sara, both startled by the appearance of someone else, turned around to face the origin of the voice. Before Mon-El stood someone he thought he’d never see again. She looked very much the same as he remembered, but still, coming face-to-face with her after so long, he asked softly in disbelief, “Mother?”

“My son. I finally found you,” Rhea said, overcome with emotions at being reunited with her one and only child. She quickly crossed the room and threw her arms around Mon-El, wrapping him up in a hug.

Mon-El was less enthused at their reunion and barely brought his arms up to embrace his mother. “I thought you were dead,” he said softly.

“I am very much alive, my son,” Rhea told him as she relinquished her hold on him and took a step back to inspect the state he was in.

“Father?” Mon-El asked, confused why only his mother stood before him.

“He, unfortunately wasn’t as lucky to escape Daxam,” Rhea explained, bowing her head slightly to ward off the grief of having to relive the painful memories of losing her husband. She momentarily averted her gaze to glare at Supergirl, adding sharply, “Just another in a long line of abuses our family and planet have suffered at the hands of Krypton.”

Hoping to stave off any conflict between his mother and Sara, Mon-El quickly jumped in to explain, “Mother, this is Sara Zor-El. Hero of Earth.” Rhea and Supergirl shared a glance, each of them seemingly, stealthily sizing the other up to see just how much they cared for Mon-El. Mon-El stood beside Sara and let out a deep breath as he knew what he was about to say next would irrevocably change their relationship forever, “And Sara, this is my mother, Queen Rhea of Daxam.”

Sara inhaled sharply as the weight of his words settled. Her brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and anger as she turned to him, whispering softly, “Which makes you…” she trailed off, unable to say the words.

“The Prince,” Mon-El finished for her softly, hating the way she looked at him. It was for that reason that he’d hid who he was from her all that time. It was like all of the progress he’d made towards becoming a better person, thanks to Sara, was gone in an instant, and she bore the same cold expression from when she first found out where he was from.

“Our prince. Thank the gods you’re alive and returned to us at last,” Rhea explained, placing a hand on each of Mon-El’s cheeks, unable to contain her happiness at seeing her son alive and well again. “We must feast. To celebrate this joyous occasion.”

Mon-El gently wiggled out of her tender grasp in order to turn around and face Sara again, desperately hoping he hadn’t completely ruined everything they’d built between the two of them. But Sara could barely look at him. She was clearly uncomfortable and looked ready to bolt right off the ship. “Oh, oh, I can’t stay. I’m also a hero. Well, trying to be with Sara’s help and…anyway, we have to get…”

“Son, you can’t leave. I’ve searched the stars to find you,” Rhea explained, placing a hand on his forearm to keep him within reach. Rhea turned towards Sara and mustered a fake smile before adding, “And I would love to get to know Sara.”

Sara chuckled a bit at the insanity of their current predicament and responded through clenched teeth, “And I would love to know more about you.”

Not long after their strained reunion with his mother, Sara and Mon-El sat with her at a large dining table in one of the other rooms on the Daxamite ship. It was similar to the rest, Sara thought, with its low lighting, complete with deep blue accents, all the hallmarks of an alien vessel. What really ate at her though were the cloaked servants who attended to Rhea and Mon-El’s every whim. Sara was keenly aware of the Daxamite practices for abducting their would-be slaves from their families and forcing them into a life of forced servitude. The whole display made her sick, but she needed to get the truth from Mon-El about who he really was.

Mon-El for his part was visibly upset with how he’d spent so long lying to Sara. He picked at the food on his plate, wanting nothing more than to pull Sara aside and try to explain everything to her. Anything to get her to look at him without contempt in her eyes. 

“Where’s that appetite of yours? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Rhea asked, her son’s discomfort not lost on her. Glaring briefly at Sara, she added sharply, “Or have you been distracted by Kryptonians in capes since you fled Daxam?”

Mon-El wanted to tell her to leave Sara alone. That no matter how much his mother may want to keep the feud between their two worlds alive, she’d have to let it go and move on. But Mon-El knew Sara didn’t need him to fight her battles for her, so he opted for a change in subjects to something less controversial. “How did you find me?”

“We heard your beacon. The transmission was incomplete. It brought us to this galaxy. Then it was just a matter of gathering the bread crumbs,” Rhea explained. “We had our greatest success at Slavers’ Moon. We heard from one of our Dominator ambassadors that you’ve been freeing slaves. Imagine my surprise at your heroics,” she added snidely, glancing over at Sara. Unable to help herself, Rhea piled on, “Your influence, I’m sure.”

“I’m not going to apologize for freeing people from slavery,” Sara responded, determined not to let Rhea get to her.

“There’s that famous Kryptonian condescension,” Rhea snipped back.

“How did you escape the blasts? I thought you were dead,” Mon-El asked, desperately wanting to diffuse the situation before tensions were further inflamed.

“When Krypton exploded the Kryptonite rained down, killing everything, including your father. Now that the atmosphere is hospitable, and I’ve found you, I thought we might return. To make Daxam great again,” Rhea insisted, gently reaching for Mon-El’s hand.

“Daxam was never great,” Mon-El muttered, ignoring her attempt at physical contact.

“Look at me. Darling, you know I can’t keep myself from stirring things up. Why don’t you tell me about how you managed to escape,” Rhea prompted him, trying not to take Mon-El’s thinly veiled hostility too personally.

“Yes. I would love to hear about that,” Sara added, glaring at Mon-El with a devious smile on her face.

“I’d rather not,” Mon-El responded softly.

“No, no, Prince , by all means. Please tell us of your heroic escape,” Sara insisted, her voice dripping with sarcasm and disdain.

Mon-El looked at her, pleading with her not to have to verbalize all of the shame he’d been carrying with him ever since Sara had opened his eyes to the pitiful life he’d led before he met her. Sara’s glare never wavered though, and Mon-El took a shuddering breath before offering the full explanation of how he escaped, including how he stole the ship of a Kryptonian emissary he’d left to die on Daxam.

“My son, you were so brave. Hail Mon-El, Prince of Daxam,” Rhea said joyously as she raised her glass of wine in celebration of his triumph. The servants behind them bowed, and it was the final nail in the coffin for Sara who couldn’t bare another second of this torture.

Sara threw down her napkin and stood up abruptly, bitterly explaining, “I seem to have lost my appetite. Excuse me, I have to return to Earth.”

Mon-El stood up right behind her as Sara rushed out of the room, offering a rushed explanation, “Excuse me. I um…I must go as well.”

The two of them portaled back into the DEO, and Sara couldn’t get away from Mon-El fast enough. She marched down the stairs quickly, but Mon-El couldn’t take her obvious hints, and tried to make light of the tense situation, “So, you survived the first dinner with the fam…”

He trailed off as they were joined by Ray, Spooner, and Laurel, the latter of whom noticed the perturbed look on her sister and asked, her voice full of concern, “Sara, are you okay?”

“What happened up there?” Ray asked, also realizing something had dramatically shifted since Sara and Mon-El had left earlier.

Sara shook her head as she looked back at Mon-El and then at her sister and friends. “I…can’t do this anymore,” she said softly as she turned to leave him behind.

Unable to let her go, Mon-El reached out his arm to do anything to keep her from walking away from him. “I’m sorry, okay?” he tried to plead with her.

“You two aren’t making any sense. What the hell is going on?” Laurel demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sara’s jaw clenched as she shook out of Mon-El’s grasp. “He’s not a guard for the royal family. He’s the crown prince of Daxam,” she explained bitterly.

Knowing this would eventually blow up in all of their faces, Spooner quickly walked away somewhat conspicuously, not wanting to be there for the ensuing fireworks. Her strange behavior caught the eye of Laurel who cocked an eyebrow at her friend, deciding she’d confront her later.

“Can you really blame me for wanting to just be Mon-El, a regular guy from Daxam?” Mon-El insisted, knowing that if he’d told Sara the truth at the outset, there was no way she would’ve ever given him a chance.

“You’ve been lying to all of us, this whole time?” Ray asked, feeling more hurt and betrayed than he’d expected to. He thought he, Nate, and Mon-El had formed a pretty tight bond among the three of them. Learning that was all built on a lie hurt Ray more than he was expecting it to.

“I didn’t think you’d give me a chance, considering the history between our two planets,” Mon-El insisted, trying to find some way to explain to Sara and the rest of them why he did what he did.

“I trusted you. I thought we were friends,” Sara said softly, not trusting herself to say much more.

“We are friends, Sara. I never would’ve been able to…exist on this planet with you,” Mon-El added, truly meaning it. He’d be lost in more ways than one if it weren’t for her.

“And this is the thanks we get, for helping you?” Laurel asked, knowing how much this deceit hurt her sister.

“Oh, right because you guys never lie. About anything, right?” Mon-El asked pointedly, growing tired of all of them ganging up on him. Yes, he lied about who he really was, but he felt he had a good reason for doing so. The conversation Sara had had with him about lying to Ava several months before replayed in his head as he felt the need to remind them they weren’t as innocent as they claimed. “The entire world knows who you are and your secret identity, right?” Mon-El challenged Sara.

“The people that I trust and consider my family know the truth,” Sara said softly, realizing there was a nugget of truth in his accusations. “I just wish you’d trusted me,” she whispered before running off, not bearing to spend another minute around him.

The next day…

“Madam President,” Ray and Laurel both greeted the president as their direct feed to the White House displayed her form on the monitor in the DEO’s briefing room. They both took their seats, sitting directly across from each other at the long, rectangular table in the middle of the room. Moments like these were a stark reminder for each of them of the weight their jobs carried.

“Directors Danvers and Palmer,” the president greeted them with a polite smile. “I saw Supergirl had another encounter with a hostile alien this morning.”

“Yes, it seems to be another one-off incident. It’s under control,” Laurel spoke up confidently, reassuring the president that Sara’s earlier run-in with a rogue alien with the ability to shapeshift into different animals wasn’t cause for concern.

“Is that why you called?” Ray asked, curious why they’d received a notification a few minutes earlier about their briefing with the most powerful woman in the world. Well, one of them. 

“No, actually. I called to get an update on the Daxamite ship,” the president explained.

“At the moment it seems to be in low orbit. No communication or signs of activity since yesterday,” Ray explained. He and his team had been monitoring the ship ever since Mon-El and Sara had returned the previous day, taking any and all precautions.

“But according to Mon-El, the Daxamite we’ve been working with, they could be dangerous,” Laurel added, wanting to be sure the president was aware of the exact nature of the situation they were dealing with.

“I was afraid of that,” the president said, releasing a deep breath as she considered their best options moving forward.

“How would you like to proceed?” Laurel asked, wanting to make sure the three of them were clear on next steps.

“I’m concerned that if we make any moves, we could end up in a major intergalactic conflict,” the president explained carefully.

Laurel and Ray both looked at each other and nodded, silently coming to the same conclusion. “We don’t disagree,” Ray said, verbalizing what was on both his and Laurel’s mind.

“Directors, I have to ask you to refrain from engaging with their ship,” President Marsdin told both of them.

Laurel leaned forward in her seat, getting closer to the monitor. Fearing that things could easily escalate and not wanting to have their hands tied, she spoke up, careful not to pick a fight with the president, “With all due respect, Madam President, if they present a threat we must–”

But President Marsdin didn’t let her finish. She knew Laurel and Ray had their doubts, but the last thing she needed was more civilian casualties or another terrible event like the terraforming from the prior year. “We must be smart about it. My office will gather more intel. Until then, err on the side of caution,” she explained.

Laurel and Ray again looked at each other, neither particularly liking the president’s orders but realizing they needed to obey. “We understand,” they confirmed.

“I’ll be in touch.”

Meanwhile, on that evening’s episode of The Darhk Side , Damien and Ben were discussing the Daxamite broadcast, and what they feared it meant for Earth’s human population. 

“Hey, Ben. Did you catch that broadcast last night? That weird distorted voice, and the flickering of the pixels on the television screen?” Damien asked. As usual his brow was furrowed and his mouth seemed to form a perpetual scowl.

“I did Damien, and I’ve gotta tell you. It gave me mad Reign and terraforming vibes,” Ben Lockwood responded, the corners of his eyes pinching in as he looked straight at the camera.

“Thank you. I have been going crazy all day thinking I was the only one feeling that way. Anybody else out there who saw and heard that last night feeling the same?” Damien asked rhetorically as he too looked into the camera. “I mean, who is this ‘Mon-El’? How long has he been here?” Damien piled on in his high-pitched, squeaky voice he used whenever he was trying to drive home a point.

“Has he been studying us this whole time? Preparing for the rest of his people to arrive?” Lockwood added on, the two of them doing their best to stoke anti-alien fear and unrest.

“The White House has certainly been quiet today considering that an alien warship is parked in our atmosphere, hovering just above National City. Now, I’m no national security expert or anything, but you would think, just having like two brain cells, that these Daxamites, whoever the hell they are, pose a serious threat to our country and citizens’ safety. What is President Marsdin doing to keep us safe from them?” Damien asked to seemingly no one as a compilation of clips of the president’s briefings and speaking appearances over the past day played, not a single one mentioning the Daxamites.

“Especially after, like you referenced earlier, what happened just last year with Reign. All of the death and destruction she caused. You would think after a screw up like that, Washington would be all over these new invaders, trying to prevent another catastrophe, but no no no. Instead they are probably bending over backwards to be polite and welcoming to these…terrorists,” Ben said the last word after a lengthy pause, wanting its gravity to really sink in with their audience.

Sara let out a deep breath as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She had hoped The Darhk Side might provide a nice distraction from everything she was dealing with in the wake of Mon-El’s lies being exposed. She’d spent the better part of her afternoon pounding against the DEO’s assortment of steel and concrete in her specially designed training room, but it did little to quell the storm raging inside of her.

After being frustrated by the lack of reprieve she’d gotten from physical exertion, Sara returned home and tried a new approach. She went through all of her favorite comfort films – The Wizard of Oz , The Princess Bride , even Legally Blonde – but none of them seemed to help either. She’d changed into a pair of yoga pants and her softest cashmere sweater. She’d poured herself a large mug of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, but none of it worked. 

Sara kept beating herself up for trusting in Mon-El, for welcoming him into their found family with open arms, all the while ignorant of his past as the spoiled ruler-in-waiting of a cruel and oppressive world. Sara wondered if anything she’d witnessed while spending the past several months with him were true or if it was all an act. Was any of the growth he’d undergone real or just another lie she’d so easily believed? Sara pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she tried to let the noise from her television drown out her dizzying thoughts.

Outside in the hallway Rhea was making her way towards Sara’s door. It was obvious how much the Kryptonian had corrupted her son, and Rhea needed to confront her. But she couldn’t come on too strong or hurt Sara in any way. Mon-El obviously cared a great deal for her and would never forgive her if something were to happen to the Kryptonian. No, instead she had to find some other way to appeal to Sara to talk to Mon-El for her, convince her to convince him that returning to Daxam was what was best for him.

But how? Rhea thought to herself as she paced outside of Sara’s door, racking her brain to think of something. Suddenly she heard something – the footsteps of someone else in the hallway – also making their way towards Sara’s door. Rhea quickly moved out of sight of the approaching stranger and studied her carefully from her hiding spot. She was beautiful. Tall, blonde, and with eyes bluer than the sea that used to surround the royal palace on Daxam. 

“Well, and back to your earlier point about who this Mon-El fellow is and why they want him, clearly the president has been in contact with these Daxamites and turned him over, because they haven’t stormed National City to ‘take him by force.’ Yet,” Lockwood warned ominously.

“The whole thing just reeks of false promises after what happened last year. Where’s the leadership from the president? Where are the reassurances that they are doing everything possible to protect human American lives?” Damien punctuated each of the last syllables to emphasize the ‘human’ and ‘American’ in his statement. Sara just rolled her eyes, not even really listening to them anymore.

“She’s obviously too busy trying to appease and placate these aliens. Otherwise she’d look like a hypocrite after the Alien Amnesty Act…”

Suddenly a knock on Sara’s door tore her attention away from Damien and Ben’s incessant whining. Sara had never been happier for a distraction. She just hoped it wasn’t Mon-El. Sara let out a sigh and clicked off her television, as she crossed the room to her door. She opened it and nearly did a double-take when she saw who was standing on the other side of her threshold. 

“Ava,” Sara practically gasped out when she locked eyes with the other woman. Sara blinked a few times, hoping she wasn’t imagining Ava standing before her on her doorstep. 

“Hi,” Ava said softly as Sara ushered her inside, closing the door behind her. “Sorry to just show up unannounced like this,” Ava apologized. She had been nervous about going to Sara’s that evening at all, but her recent conversation with Laurel had been weighing heavily on her mind. And, despite what happened the last time she showed up unannounced, Ava knew the two of them were long overdue for a chat. 

“No, no. I’m glad you did,” Sara reassured Ava as she took her coat. Ava was wearing her red and black plaid shirt, the same one from her very first game night, and Sara felt a warmth and peace spread within her at the other woman’s company. 

“Are you okay?” Ava asked. Her brow furrowed in concern as she carefully studied Sara. There was something about Sara that seemed…well, Ava couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but off. Any feelings that she shouldn’t have come were quickly pushed to the side as Ava’s sole focus shifted to wanting to comfort and support Sara. 

Sara could no longer contain the emotions that had been building up inside her ever since she stepped foot on the Daxamite ship. She inhaled sharply as she felt tears start to brim in her eyes. Ava closed any remaining distance between them as Sara threw her arms around her. Ava smelled amazing, like honey and sunshine. And her strong arms offered a warmth and comfort Sara had been missing since they danced together at the gala. 

The two of them stood there like that, both arms wrapped firmly around the other, for what felt like an eternity. Both women found a relief and outlet for their bottled up emotions they didn't know how desperately they needed until that moment. “Not even close,” Sara whispered, burying her face in Ava’s shoulder. 

Ava rubbed gentle circles across Sara’s back when she heard the other woman, her heart aching for her. Sara felt her emotions start to ebb thanks to Ava’s soft and caring touch. She slowly lowered her arms as she looked up into Ava’s beautiful gray blue eyes. They were so close, and Sara wanted nothing more than to lean up and plant a gentle kiss on Ava’s lips. It would be so easy. Ava still had her arms draped around Sara, seemingly not wanting to let her go.

But Sara knew she was still too raw from everything that had happened with Mon-El. As much as she wanted to kiss Ava, to take her in her arms and never let her go, she knew if she did it then, it wouldn’t be for the right reasons. Sara sniffled and offered Ava a soft smile as if to say she’d recovered her composure. 

Ava hated breaking their physical contact, but she understood what Sara was trying to tell her. She slowly lowered her arms and took a step back from Sara, who asked softly, her voice still hoarse and raw, “Can I get you anything?”

Ava spied a mug on one of Sara’s coffee tables and said with a small smile, “Um, I’ll have whatever you’re drinking.”

That was all it took for the sparkle to return to Sara’s face. “One hot chocolate coming right up,” she explained as she headed to her kitchen. 

“H-hot chocolate?” Ava stuttered. That was the last thing she expected Sara to be drinking. Ava debated if she might need something stronger for this conversation, but ultimately decided against it. “Oh gosh. I don’t think I’ve had one of those since I was twelve,” she added with a soft laugh. 

“Well, I bet it’s better than you remember,” Sara insisted as she stirred in some milk with the powder and steaming water. “How many marshmallows?” She asked, looking back at Ava as she grabbed the bag of mini marshmallows. 

Ava joined Sara in the kitchen, stopping directly in front of the other woman. She studied Sara’s face for a moment, wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss her. Ava thought better of it though. She let another huge smile spread across her face, prompting one from Sara as well. “Hmmm. Two,” Ava said, earning a curious look from Sara. “One for each of your dimples.”

Sara tried to hide the blush she knew was forming across her cheeks. Damn had she missed this. As instructed she placed two mini marshmallows in the mug and handed it to Ava, their hands briefly touching, igniting that all too familiar electricity between them. Ava took the mug and brought it to her lips, taking a small sip of the sweet liquid. “Well?” Sara asked.

“Oh yeah,” Ava moaned slightly, another huge smile spreading across her face. It had been months since she’d smiled this much in one night. Not since the gala. “So good,” Ava added as Sara led her over the couch.

Ava took a seat close to Sara, and Sara looked up at her and asked, “So what brings you by?”

“You clearly have a lot going on. Why don’t you tell me about it?” Ava encouraged her, wanting to help Sara work through the inner turmoil she could tell the other woman was facing.

“Ugh,” Sara muttered. She knew she needed to tread carefully with her explanation. She wasn’t sure how much about Mon-El she wanted to divulge to Ava just yet. Despite how things were going that evening, Ava still had a girlfriend in town, and Sara didn’t want to do anything that could lead to another rejection. She let out a deep breath before explaining, “I just found out that someone that I really trusted has been lying to me, basically since the day we met.”

“Ouch,” Ava said, her brow once again crinkling with concern over Sara’s well-being. She reached out her right hand, the one that wasn’t holding her mug, and gently stroked Sara’s shoulder, doing anything she could to offer her comfort and support.

Sara closed her eyes for a moment, loving the feel of Ava’s hand against her. “And I just feel like my whole world has been…up-ended, you know?” Sara continued, trying to put her feelings into words.

“I’m sorry,” Ava said softly. Her heart broke for Sara, and she resolved then and there to confront whomever had had the nerve to hurt her so deeply. “I do know. That’s…ugh, that’s what I’ve been dealing with with Sam ever since the gala,” Ava added. She’d been debating how to bring Sam up, and she thought it might help Sara process everything if she told her about Sam.

“What?” Sara asked. That was the last thing she was expecting to hear from Ava. She thought everything between her and Sam was at least on the mend if not outright hunkydory. Sara steeled herself for what Ava had to say next, realizing they were about to have the conversation they’d needed to ever since the night of the gala.

“Look, Sara, I know that I apologized and you said you forgive me, but…what happened that night, her showing up…it’s been eating me up inside ever since it happened. And there’s been a distance between us ever since,” Ava explained, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check. She could feel the moisture welling up in her eyes, but she fought hard to suppress her tears, not wanting to lose any of her nerve in getting through her full explanation. She took a deep shuddering breath and, without thinking, Ava moved her right hand from Sara’s shoulder up to cup her cheek. Sara inhaled sharply at the contact and instinctually put her hand over Ava’s. “I miss…being close to you,” Ava whispered, hating being so vulnerable, but knowing she owed Sara the truth.

“You do?” Sara asked, saying a silent prayer she wasn’t in the middle of another dream.

“Yeah. And, I know I’m probably breaking a ton of work boundaries by saying this, but Sara, from the moment I saw you in that…killer black dress to us dancing at that gala. It was, maybe the best night of my life,” Ava admitted softly, hoping she hadn’t just crossed a rubicon.

Sara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Everything that she’d felt that night, Ava had felt it too. A smile crept across Sara’s face as the memory of the two of them dancing consumed her thoughts, and she let out a gentle, “Me too.”

Rhea tried to contain the gasp that escaped her lips as she listened intently to the conversation between these two women. She was pressed up against the door to Sara’s loft, doing everything she could to be discreet and not give herself away. But the nerve this Kryptonian had, turning her son against her and his own kind? He was clearly smitten with her and unable to see through her feminine wiles. But to do it all while Sara and this human were clearly in love, that was enough to make Rhea’s blood boil as she continued to listen to their conversation

“Really?” Ava asked, thankful and relieved that she hadn’t crossed a line, and what she was feeling for the other woman seemed mutual. Sara nodded reassuring her even further, and Ava blurted out in frustration, “Fuck, now I feel even worse for asking you to leave.”

Sara chuckled softly, thinking there was no getting enough of Ava Luthor. Suddenly her thoughts shifted to later in the evening, and a pit started to form in Sara’s stomach. “No, it…wait, I’m confused,” she started to say, shaking out of Ava’s tender touch against her cheek. “I…saw you. And Sam. After I left,” Sara explained, causing Ava’s brow to furrow in confusion. “Kissing. Between that and all the fucking tabloids I assumed–”

Ava cut Sara off before she could say any more. “Oh god, you thought we got back together?” Suddenly it all made sense. Why Sara was short with her. Why things had been so awkward between them the past couple of months. Ava felt terrible that Sara had assumed the worst, and Ava was internally kicking herself for allowing things to get so bad between them.

“What was I supposed to think?” Sara asked softly.

Ava let out a sigh and explained, “Sam lied to me. She knew about my brother and what he was doing and planning with the Medusa virus, and she kept it from me for weeks.” It was just like Mon-El , Sara thought. With how much she was hurting from his betrayal, she could only imagine how what Sam did could’ve impacted Ava. Sara felt her stomach start to churn at the realization that, while Ava was dealing with the same situation Sara now found herself in, instead of being there to support her, Sara had pushed her away. “When I left Metropolis, I made it clear to her that we were over. That there was no future for us. Apparently she didn’t get the message,” Ava continued.

“So, what did happen?” Sara asked as she reached out her hand for Ava again, wanting to regain their physical contact.

“I reiterated my position. That we were over, that I couldn’t be with someone I didn’t trust,” Ava explained, hating having to relive all of their painful conversations over the past couple of months. Sara looked at her expectantly as she gently ran her thumb over the back of Ava’s hand. “And it took a little while, but she finally got the message. She left town a couple of weeks ago.”

“Was that when you came here before?” Sara asked, suddenly remembering Ava’s last trip to her loft. When she saw her with Mon-El.

Ava let out another deep sigh, hating the pictures of Sara and Mon-El that suddenly came to her mind. “Ugh, yeah. I knew at that point things had been weird between us, and once she was gone, I just…wanted to tell you. I finally felt free, you know?” Ava slipped out of Sara’s grasp, realizing that she’d likely crossed some sort of line with how…intimate they’d been that evening. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. You and Mon-El are obviously very happy together and–” Ava made a move to stand up suddenly questioning what she was doing at Sara’s place at all any more.

“Mon-El and I aren’t together,” Sara said firmly, halting Ava in her tracks.

“What?” she asked, extremely confused. “But when I came here before…?” Ava trailed off, not understanding what she was missing.

Then it was Sara’s turn to let out a deep sigh. Not knowing how to explain the clusterfuck that was her relationship with Mon-El, Sara settled on, “He…is a very good friend. That I may have slept with the night of the gala,” Sara added the last part softly, grimacing as the words left her mouth. She knew she owed Ava the truth, but she hated the look of hurt on the other woman’s face.

“What?” Ava asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Ava had assumed as much, that Sara and Mon-El had been sleeping together for a while, but hearing it was a whole new level of…pain. Sara’s words were like a punch to Ava’s gut. And the worst part was that she didn’t have any right to feel hurt by it. She and Sara weren’t together. They were both free to be with whomever they chose. Those facts did little to help the pain Ava felt.

“That look right there, that’s why I was avoiding you afterwards. I didn’t think I could handle seeing that look on your face,” Sara said, hating that she was responsible for causing Ava any ounce of hurt.

“I think I’m even more confused now,” Ava said, still trying to make sense of all of their honesty and revelations that night.

Sara leaned forward, closing the gap between the two of them and reaching for Ava’s hand yet again. She felt immense comfort, not to mention strength from the other woman’s touch. Sara took a deep breath and looked Ava in the eyes as she explained exactly what happened after she left the gala, “I got the wrong idea about you and Sam after I saw you two kissing. I went to Verdant, and I ran into him there. One thing led to another and…he’s just a friend, Ava. And he and I talked about it, and he knows that,” Sara insisted, searching Ava’s eyes for her reaction to all of it. “At least, I thought he was a friend,” Sara added softly, bowing her head at the memories of finding out the truth about him.

Ava took a minute to digest everything Sara had told her. But the last part stuck out the most, and it finally clicked what Sara meant. “He’s the one who lied to you?” Ava asked, seeing red at the thought of Mon-El hurting Sara. She’d deal with him soon enough.

“You saw the broadcast last night?” Sara asked.

“Yeah,” Ava said, remembering she’d asked one of her reporters to find out its origin.

“Turns out he’s the crown prince of Daxam. And his family wants him to come back and rule with them,” Sara explained softly.

“Shit,” Ava said. She re-positioned herself on the couch and placed both her and Sara’s mugs down on the coffee table in front of them. Ava brought her hand behind Sara’s head and pulled her in close to her so that Sara’s head was resting against her shoulder. Ava gently rubbed Sara’s arm in a comforting motion offering, “Sara, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

Sara closed her eyes and let herself melt into Ava’s comforting touch. “You’re doing it,” she whispered. “I’ve missed this so much, Ava. I’ve missed you.”

“Me too,” Ava said softly as she nuzzled her head against Sara’s. The two of them sat there like that for what felt like hours, enjoying the feeling of being back in each other’s arms and relieved by the honest, yet difficult conversations they’d had that evening. It seemed like the awkwardness and misunderstandings of the prior couple of months were behind them, and they could hopefully resume where they thought they were headed until Sam showed up and crashed their fairytale. 

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end, and a buzzing sound from Ava’s pocket interrupted them. Ava tried to ignore it, but when the buzzing didn’t stop, she let out a frustrated huff and slid her phone out of her pocket. She quickly flicked through her notifications and muttered, “Shit.”

“What is it?” Sara asked as she sat up, instantly hating that decision.

Ava let out a frustrated sigh and explained, “There’s a manufacturing issue with one of our subcontractors in Asia. I’m sure I can find someone to handle it,” she insisted, mentally reviewing who her first four phone calls would be to in order to get this resolved immediately.

Sara wanted nothing more than to keep Ava in her apartment all night and never let her go. But she knew she couldn’t do that. Not wanting to keep her from urgent matters, she insisted, “Don’t be silly. Go be Superwoman and take care of it.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ava asked, reluctant to leave Sara considering the emotional state she’d found her in when she first arrived.

“Better than I have been in a long time,” Sara said with a smile, trying to reassure Ava she should go.

That did the trick, and Ava stood up with Sara right behind her. Sara helped her slide on her coat, and Ava turned back around to face Sara, insisting, “Okay, let me know if you need anything.”

“Bye,” Sara said with a soft wave as she watched Ava walk out of her apartment. Sara looked after her longingly for a beat before closing her door, slumping slightly against it as her head began swimming, trying to process everything they’d shared that evening. 

Suddenly, Sara was shaken from her thoughts of Ava as she heard knocking on her door yet again. Sara opened it, revealing none other than Rhea. Sara’s brow furrowed in confusion at the appearance of the Daxamite queen, and she stepped aside to allow her to enter. 

Rhea walked over to the window on the far side of Sara’s loft and looked out at the bright lights of the city in awe. “Your new world is quite stunning. Like Daxam used to be,” she said, a hint of longing in her voice. Rhea turned back to face Sara and explained. “I didn’t thank you earlier for looking after my son. A Kryptonian taking care of a Daxamite. And I thought I’d seen it all.”

Sara crossed her arms over her chest, hating the shiver that ran down her spine at having the Daxamite queen in her loft. She got the feeling if she weren’t careful, this conversation could go south, quickly. “But you didn’t come here all this way just to thank me,” Sara said, trying to get Rhea to divulge her true intentions.

“No, I didn’t. I need your help,” Rhea began to explain. Sara’s eyebrow raised as she was skeptical of the other woman’s plea for help. “Daxam is a wasteland. We need to bring our people home and rebuild what your people destroyed,” Rhea said as Sara hung her head in shame. “I don’t say it to offend,” Rhea quickly added.

“No, no. You’re right. Krypton made horrible mistakes. I can admit it,” Sara agreed. More than anything she just wanted to get this conversation over with.

“Well, that’s more than I expected,” Rhea said, genuinely surprised that a Kryptonian could admit as much.

“What do you want from me?” Sara asked, exhausted from the toll the past couple of days had taken on her, mentally and physically.

“Our planet died on my and my husband’s watch. For our people to rise again, they need a future. Mon-El is young. He can be the face of that future,” Rhea explained.

“You want to take Mon-El back to Daxam?” Sara asked. She was upset with him, of course, but the prospect of having him leave and her never seeing him again seemed like too extreme a step to take, especially if it was only because it was what his mother wanted.

“Would you rather he stay here and learn by degrees that he’s not good enough for you?” Rhea challenged Sara.

“You don’t know me,” Sara shot back defensively.

“I know your kind,” Rhea insisted sharply. Not wanting things to get too heated, she did need Sara after all, Rhea took a deep breath to calm herself before prompting Sara, “Do what’s best for him. Tell him to speak to me. The person who loves him most.”

“And what makes you think he’ll listen to me?” Sara asked, confused by Rhea’s insinuation that her mere suggestion would drive Mon-El back to his mother if it wasn’t something he wanted himself.