Chapter Text
Lena twists her hands around in her lap as she watches her plane descending through the clouds. Flying has always made her anxious. But even more so today, given that she is landing at National City. She knows deep down that this is the right move for the foundation, that she needs a West Coast base operation for her company. Sam is right – Lena needs a fresh start after… after everything she lost.
But now that she is here, now that the tires of the plane are being lowered, she is seriously second guessing herself.
Sam sees Lena in contemplation and reaches over with her foot, nudging her slightly. “Are you ok?”
Lena gives her a forced smile. “Just ready to be on the ground,” she says.
Sam smirks, knowing exactly how Lena likes to evade actually talking about emotions. But Sam knows Lena. They have been best friends for just over a decade now. Confident in her assessment, she responds, “Lena, it’s been fifteen years.”
Lena doesn’t respond verbally, simply shrugs her shoulders as she looks out the window, her mind taking her back to that final, fateful day.
Despite Kara’s last real words to her, Lena wants to see her off, to say goodbye, to close this chapter of her life. Somehow, it feels more like the ending of a book than the ending of a chapter. As she stands outside the airport, she watches a taxi pull up. Kara gives her a sad smile, the exact one she has been giving Lena for weeks now, before she hops out and grabs her three suitcases from the trunk.
“You made it,” Kara says as she reaches Lena on the curb, setting her luggage down. “I’m glad.”
Lena once again offers Kara one of the Luthorcorp jets, so she doesn’t have to fly commercially. Kara being Kara, declines again, graciously. It takes everything in her not to make a snarky remark asking Kara why she just doesn’t fly herself home. She knows it wouldn’t help the situation. What’s done is done. Lena knows this. There is no undoing any of it. Instead, she fights back the urge to make the comment, instead giving Kara a small smile and replying, “I wanted to see you off properly.” Seeing all the luggage as Kara sets it on the curb, Lena admits to herself that all the luggage is probably why Kara isn’t flying herself. Maybe she doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself. That flying with all that luggage might make it difficult to control herself in the air. There were so many things that Lena still wondered about but knew she could never ask.
“Well, here I am,” Kara says as her head drops to her chest and her arms raise and open up slightly, a shy grin forming as she does this, inviting Lena in, just like she always does.
Lena can’t help herself. She knows it is the last Kara Zor El Danvers hug she will ever get. She practically falls into Kara’s arms, immediately feeling Kara wrap her up in her warmth.
“I don’t think words will ever express just how sorry I am about everything,” Kara says softly into Lena’s ear. It’s the same song and dance they have been having for weeks now. But more than that, Kara hopes that Lena knows she is trying to also apologize for what she said the last time they saw each other. Kara felt so much anger in the moment, for Lena and for Alex, and she lashed out harshly at Lena. She wanted to hurt Lena, and she knew that she did just that. Kara has been indulging in a pool of self-hate and self-pity since. If Alex hadn’t offered (or threatened, from Kara’s perspective) to come and help Kara fly back herself, Kara isn’t sure she would have ever left her couch again.
“I know, Kara. Me too,” Lena responds as she pulls Kara in just a little bit tighter. “I will always love you.”
“Me too,” Kara responds, a small sniffling sound coming from her as she tries to hold back the tears. She hates how hard this is. She knows they love each other. But apparently, it isn’t true what they say. Love does not concur all. Or maybe it is that whole “right person, wrong time,” thing Kara sees sometimes in those romantic comedy movies she likes to watch.
They stay like this, holding each other, neither of them wanting to pull away because they know once they do, this will be it. Kara will be gone. And Lena will truly be alone. Kara takes a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as she lets it out slowly. “My flight takes off in an hour.”
Lena understands the cue for what it is and finally releases Kara. She nods firmly. “Ok. Be safe, please.” Lena doesn’t just mean during her travels home. And Kara knows it. With Superman gone, Lena knows it is only a matter of time before Kara picks up the mantle herself. How could she not? Lena knows her too well. She is actually a little surprised it hasn’t already happened.
Kara gives her a reassuring nod and a gentle squeeze on the arms. “Always.”
Lena is the first to step back, finally breaking complete contact and giving Kara the space to move, to walk away, to finally be relieved of the burden and mess that their interwoven lives have become. She watches Kara walk into the airport. She stays there standing as Kara goes through security. And she stays there long after Kara’s flight departs. She would never admit it, but there was the smallest, tiniest part of her that thought Kara might change her mind and come back to her. Despite everything they had been through over the past few weeks, she thought that maybe, just maybe, their love would be enough to save them.
It would take Lena another year before she finally gave up that foolish notion.
Lena’s mind comes back to the present as she feels the force of the tires hitting the pavement. She swallows a gulp of air, readying herself as Sam gives her a supportive smile and nod.
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Meanwhile, across town, Kara is using her superspeed to get ready and get to work on time.
The night before, she had just gotten home when her sister paged her. Unfortunately, William had walked her home after their date. And of course, that is exactly when she got the alert. It took significant convincing for William to finally get the hint that Kara wasn’t interested in inviting him in for a “night cap.” It was their fifth date. Kara knew that William was ready to progress their relationship to something more physical, something beyond the chaste kisses they had been exchanging at the end of their dates. But she was avoiding it at all costs. There was just a part of her that wasn’t that invested in William. They only went out when he asked her to go. And he asked her out often. But between Supergirl duties and her family, Kara often had to decline. What single mom has time to date these days, anyway?
It isn’t that William is a bad guy, Kara knows. In fact, the thorough background check that Alex did when William first asked Kara out, curtesy of the DEO, showed just how much of a stand-up guy he is. He volunteers his spare time at a soup kitchen, always bringing his homemade baked goods. He donates money to various charities each year. And he is an all-around pleasant man to be around, always cheerful and supportive, though he can be a bit intense at times. Kara knows she should feel excited and happy that he is interested in her. And she thought she might get there, with time, but it’s been a month and still… nothing. She wonders if she will ever want to date again, let alone get married again. She wonders if she will ever feel comfortable enough with someone to let them truly in, to let them meet Astra and be a part of their lives.
Kara was so lost in thought about William when she showed up to stop the robbers, she nearly missed one of them and let him get away. She had to admit, even her Supergirl duties were becoming a bit of a drag lately. Truth be told, she just didn’t feel like she was doing that much to help anymore. Crime in National City was at an all-time low and had been for the past few years. She had written some of her best stories, finally having the time to really devote to them. This led to Cat Grant finally promoting her to Editor-in-Chief last year. And she even has time to focus on painting again. Anyone looking at her life from the outside would think Kara has it all. The dream job, the dream man, the balance in her life that she always wanted. But the truth is, Kara feels empty, like something is missing. And Kara doesn’t know or understand why she is feeling the way that she is, she just knows that she hates it. But instead of focusing on that, Kara focuses on Astra’s happiness. That is what really matters to her now. Her eight-year-old daughter is the most important person in the world to her, and her happiness is pertinent. Kara would sacrifice anything to make sure her daughter was happy. She has been through too much already, lost too much at such a young age.
As she walks quickly (for a human) to her office, she sighs, realizing she has only a few minutes before the staff meeting is set to start. A meeting that she is supposed to be leading. She shoots Nia a quick text, asking her to make some notes for an agenda for her, knowing that Nia always has her back. She gets a quick thumbs up in response. As she reaches her office, she quickly grabs her planner and makes her way over to the meeting, seeing everyone gathered around. She gives James and Nia a warm smile, catching their eyes, before she sees William sitting next to her usual spot at the head of the table. She internally groans at the assumption that he somehow has a special place now that they have been on a few dates.
She smiles at the group as Nia slides over the paper with the agenda on it. After she greets them, she starts going through the agenda items. They mostly relate to the upcoming issue of Catco Magazine, which is coming out the next day. But the last agenda item is for new stories, already starting to plan for the next magazine issue.
“Ok, finally, what are the story ideas that we have coming up for the next issue?” She asks the group.
She hears and approves of a few ideas from the various reporters before James raises his hand to speak. He clears his throat, clearly nervous about the topic, which is very unlike James. Kara’s head tilts slightly in curiosity and concern.
“Um… I have a story that someone will probably want to pursue.” Kara nods to him to continue. “We have a new company coming into town, they are set to open in two weeks.”
“Great,” Kara says, still unsure about why James is acting so strange. “New companies mean new jobs and new revenue for the city. What is the company?”
James clears his throat again. “The Lena Luthor Foundation.”
Kara’s ears fill with a ringing sound, her eyes go blurry, and her body numb. She hadn’t heard that name in many, many years. It takes her a moment, as the room falls into silence, confused about why exactly Kara is reacting the way she is.
“Um… Kara?” Nia asks, also confused.
Kara shakes her head, reminding herself she is the boss and needs to act like it. “Hm… right. Sorry. Um, thank you James for bringing this new story to our attention. Nia, I’d like you to cover it. Meet me in my office after this to discuss logistics.”
Nia nods, though she knows in that moment that something is very wrong. Kara stopped holding her hand with big stories ages ago. Kara quickly dismisses everyone, though James hangs back. He slowly approaches her. “Are you ok? I’m sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up before the meeting. I just… I found out a few minutes before the meeting.”
She gives him a fake smile. “It’s fine, James. It’s been fifteen years.”
“Kara. Are you sure we should cover this story? I mean, you and Lena have a lot of history,” he responds back, clearly concerned for her well-being. He wasn’t there when Clark died, but he saw all the after math. He is the one who kept Kara from completely falling apart, especially after Lena called things off for good.
“You covered Lex and Superman all the time at The Daily Planet, with Clark, I might add,” Kara clips back. She knows it is a low blow, but she doesn’t care. She does not need James trying to be the protective big brother right now. She already has a protective big sister. “So, I don’t see the difference.” Kara finishes, knowing that she is being a bit aggressive, but she can’t help it.
James gives her an understanding smile. “The difference is that none of us dated the other.”
Kara grits her teeth as her jaw tightens. “I’ll be fine, James.”
“If you say so…” James responds, clearly not believing her.
“Anything else, James?” When he shakes his head, she responds, “Good. Now, I need to go strategize with Nia.”
Kara walks away, leaving James standing there with a concerned look on his face. He knows it isn’t his place, but he also knows how closed off Kara is when it comes to talking about Lena Luthor. Gritting his teeth and coming to a decision, he pulls out his phone to make a call.
As Kara walks into her office, she spots Nia sitting on the couch, phone in one hand while she jots down notes with the other hand. Kara clears her throat to make Nia aware of her presence as she makes her way over to sit across from her on the other couch.
“Kara! Did you know that the Lena Luthor Foundation will have huge impacts on the number of women going into STEM fields? The foundation plans to fund 25 new women a year, all through their graduate training. AND she will sponsor 100 young women through their undergraduate training in STEM fields. She is amazing!”
Kara’s smile falters. “I know, Nia. She is one of the brightest, most brilliant, beautiful souls on this planet.”
The conviction of Kara’s statement clearly jolts Nia. “Wait. You know Lena Luthor?!”
Kara lets out a single, barking laugh. “I used to,” she says with sadness in her voice. “But not for a long time now.” Kara’s eyes seemingly get lost in memory.
Nia opens her mouth to ask more questions, clearly going from work mode to friend mode. “Kara, what happened between the two of you?”
A sigh escapes Kara as her eyes glaze off, looking into the distance outside the wall of windows. Her memories and emotions swirl in a mess as she tries to come up with an answer for Nia’s question. “We were in love,” she finally says, her statement coming out in barely a whisper.
Nia’s mouth practically falls to the floor. “Kara, I’ve known you for ten years, how have I not heard about this?”
Kara shrugs. “I don’t talk about it. People like Alex and James, who know what happened, also know not to bring her up.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Nia says without thinking as she gets up and relocates next to Kara, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a supportive hug.
Kara should care that all her employees can see in her office, at that moment. That they can all see her fighting back tears as Nia hugs her. But she can’t find it in herself to care. She hasn’t cried in years and for Kara, the fact that she can still cry is somewhat relieving, despite the reason why.
A few minutes of silence pass as Kara lets herself be held by her dear friend. As they finally break apart, Kara stands. “I’m going to go get some air,” Kara says. “Clear my head.”
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As Kara takes off into the air from the roof of Catco a minute later, she rises straight up at nearly full speed, eager to be high above the city. As she gets a few miles above the city, she lets herself slow down as she focuses on her breath and tries to enter a meditative state. It is how she has learned to calm down after all these years. From up here, she can drown out the sounds of the city, she can close her eyes and just be for a few moments. It’s something she has come to need from time to time over the past few years of raising Astra on her own.
She is in the air for over a half hour when she feels ready to return to the city. But as she floats slowly down, she feels herself being drawn to a different part of the city. Knowing every inch of her home, Kara is quickly able to locate the business district and the previously for sale buildings. How she had not realized one had been recently purchased, she isn’t sure. As editor-in-chief, she is always keeping herself informed on what is going on with the wealthy businesspeople of her city. She has done a good job over the years of chasing off those who are a bit shady or even outright corrupt… with Supergirl’s help, of course. Kara breathes a sigh of relief knowing that Lena will not be an issue… at least, not like that. She might be a Luthor, but she is nothing like her brother or her mother.
Kara is floating several stories above the skyline, but she is able to quickly spot the new signage currently being put on the outside of one of the buildings. She hovers above the new Lena Luthor Foundation headquarters, staring down. She can’t help but wonder exactly what prompted such a move. As she ponders the question, she can’t help but think back about the day that ruined everything.
Kara and Lena had just arrived at the Luthor estate to have lunch with Lex and Clark. It had been a while since they had all really seen each other in person. Even at the Daily Planet, Kara was always changing up who she was interning with, wanting to get experience with the various roles she could have one day. She had spent the last several weeks working with James, Clark’s best friend, with photography.
“Want to take a walk before we go inside?” Kara asks as she stands still, feeling the sun beaming into her body.
Lena gives her a gentle smile, “That sounds wonderful.”
As they take each other’s hand and make their way on one of the paths winding in and around the estate, they walk in silence, just enjoying being together. It was one of the things that Kara loved about being with Lena – they didn’t have to fill the silence. It was much of a reprieve compared to who she had dated in the past.
Today though, Kara is deep in thought about her relationship with Lena. She knows there is one big secret between them. One thing that keeps her from diving headfirst into fully committing with Lena. Not that she isn’t committed, but more so that she knows this could change how Lena feels about her… And, well, Kara is terrified of this. She is horrified at the idea of Lena rejecting any part of her identity. And now, time is ticking. She knows that she has to tell Lena this first, before she can ask Lena about potentially moving back West with her.
As they walk, Kara thinks she can do it, she even starts to practice in her mind how she will say it. They had just celebrated their 1.5-year anniversary a few short weeks ago. If she was going to tell her, now is the time. She sucks in a deep breath, ready to tell Lena everything about her past – the real truth about her identity.
Unfortunately, she never gets the chance.
As they wander towards the back of the house and Kara’s mouth opens to speak, they hear the back door open and see Lex and Clark come walking out.
“Hey, there you are!” Clark calls out joyfully.
“Where are you going?” Kara asks, disappointed by the interruption. She had finally worked herself up to be able to tell Lena, and now she will have to wait longer.
“I have a new project I want to show your cousin,” Lex chimes in, an odd smile on his face.
“Oh, cool,” Kara says, “We will meet you inside then?”
“You two are welcome to join us,” Lex says quickly. “I think you both will find this new project… very illuminating.” As Lex finishes, his eyes lock onto his sister, making her heart race as her anxiety spikes, her alarm bells going off. Kara senses this but knows that Lena has a bit of a rocky history with her brother and assumes it has something to do with that.
“Are you sure?” Lena asks Lex. “I know how protective you are when it comes to your science projects.”
Lex smiles widely. “Oh, no, I insist you both join us.” This time, his eyes flicker to Kara.
Kara looks to Lena for the lead; She has spoken to Lena enough to know that her relationship with Lex is quite complicated. Lena gives her a tentative smile before turning back to Lex, “Okay, sure.”
They all walk towards one of the large workrooms that Lionel had built on the property years ago. Once Lionel had figured out how brilliant his children were, he immediately had them enrolled in the most advanced private schools. Accelerating quickly, Lex and Lena soon began building their own creations and running their own tests. And Lionel wanted his children to have somewhere to work. A bonus for him was that they had somewhere that wouldn’t bother him. Somewhere away from his home office. Somewhere that wouldn’t disturb him when he was drinking in the evenings.
As they walk inside, Lex holds the door open and signals with his hand for the others to enter. As she passes, Lena eyes her brother. She can’t recall a time when he was ever nice enough to hold a door open for someone else. This only made her more anxious and concerned. She instinctively squeezes Kara’s hand. Kara looks at her, a questioning look in her eyes. Lena knows she can’t say anything in front of her brother, especially something that could incur his wrath. Instead, she gives Kara a small smile and tries to shake off the giant ball of anxiety growing in her stomach.
“So, Lex, where is this new project that is going to change the world?” Clark asks as he looks around the inside of the building.
“Just a moment!” Lex calls out as he makes his way across the giant open room and into a small closest.
Clark and Kara, with their superhearing, clearly hear a few clicks before Lex steps back out with some sort of hand-held device. “Clark, I forgot to tell you. I get it now.”
“Get what?” Clark asks, his forehead creased in confusion.
“Why you are such a staunch supporter of Superman.” Lex smirks as the statement brings an immediate silence to the workroom. Clark and Kara freeze, unsure of what is happening as they feel their own stomachs drop. Lena feels the shift in the room immediately.
“What do you mean?” Clark asks after too long of a pause. “Of course, I support him. He has done what he can to help Metropolis and the people of Earth.”
Lex lets out a cackling laugh. As he does, Lena takes the opportunity to look at Kara, eyes wide, trying to signal that something is really, really wrong with her brother.
“Whatever you say, Clark.” Lex finally says in response. “There is one thing I am curious about though.”
Clark’s jaw is locked as he tries to figure out what is going on. He is pretty sure Lex has figured out his other identity. He had wanted to tell him for years. When they first met years ago, they had hit it off. Lex is brilliant and capable. But Clark could tell there was something underneath all of that, some sort of darkness. But being the forever optimist he is, Clark thought he could stay friends and help Lex, to keep him from the darkness, to help him find a better path. Now though, he wonders if he failed at this mission. How had he not noticed that Lex had changed. Clark knows he has been spending a lot of time with Lois and the boys. But still, he tries to prioritize his friendships too. James and Lex are the closest friends he has.
“What’s that?” Clark asks slowly.
Lex looks at Clark first but shifts his eyes over to Kara as he speaks. “Are you really the only one? Or is Kara one too?”
At the mention of Kara, Lena glances at her girlfriend. She doesn’t understand what is going on. But she knows she absolutely despises that Lex is involving her girlfriend in whatever is unfolding. “Hey, that’s enough Lex,” she says firmly as she instinctively stands in front of Kara.
“Is it?” He asks in a wicked tone. “Because I think we are just getting started.”
With that, Lex takes one step forward, triggering a hidden button, causing lead-lined walls to come down in front of the normal walls, with a lead-lined door locking them in.
Clark looks at Kara, a mix of alertness, shock, and remorse in his eyes. He has loved having Kara here in Metropolis. He has loved spending time with his cousin finally. But he never thought he would be putting her in danger. Kara meets his gaze and gives him a swift nod. She hasn’t used most of her powers in years, but she knows she might have to do just that to make it out of this tenuous situation.
Before either of them can act, a massive, high-pitched sound pierces their ear drums, causing them to fall to the ground in pain.
“That’s what I thought,” he yells over the sound as Lena leans down next to Kara and tries to protect her.
“Stop it! You’re hurting her!” she yells towards her brother. She doesn’t understand why the sonic machine is only hurting Kara and Clark. Why is she unaffected? What is her brother doing?
“Oh, my dear sister, didn’t she tell you the truth about herself?” Lex says with a wicked smile. As the sound finally fades, Lex is holding some sort of weapon in his hands. And it is shining green. Lex takes aim at Clark first. “This world does not need aliens to protect it.”
With those words, he fires the beam of kryptonite, hitting Clark square in the chest.
Lena’s eyes are wide in shock. Kara pulls her face down so she can see her eye-to-eye, still wincing from the remnants of the sonic weapon Lex just used. “I… I am so sorry I didn’t tell you.” She says it all with so much sorrow in her voice. “I have to help him. You need to get to safety.”
“Kara, no, I’m not leaving you,” Lena says immediately in response, still not quite understanding what is happening. All she knows is that she must protect her girlfriend from her brother.
Kara gives herself just a second to smile at the response. Maybe they would be okay after all of this. “Just stay back and out of danger, okay?”
Lena nods, hearing how resolute and firm Kara’s voice is. Kara stands. The radiating power from the kryptonite beam causing some pain to hit her. She hasn’t used her powers in years. Hopefully they come back easily. She takes off in a run towards Lex. Kara has yet to really understand the full power of kryptonite or what it really means that Lex had created a weapon that utilizes it. Meanwhile, Clark is well aware of how vulnerable they both just became. Kara realizes quickly just how much trouble they are in when Lex turns towards her, the beam continually flowing and destroying parts of the building before it gets far enough to hit Kara right in the chest. Surprised by such a powerful hit, Kara goes flying backwards.
“No!” she hears her cousin yell out as he rushes over to her. “Get Lena and get out,” Clark says softly to her before standing up and flying straight at Lex. Kara’s eyes go wide as she sees Lex’s response. He is excited. This is exactly what he wants. Glancing down, she sees a green glow coming from the floor underneath Lex. Her heart skyrockets as she realizes Lex has more than just that kryptonite gun. Kara has just enough time to do one thing. She stands and turns quickly, trying to spot Lena behind her but starts to panic when she can’t see her. As she whips back around, she gasps as she sees Lena had snuck around to the back side of Lex in all the chaos. And she is holding a gun. Where Lena got the gun, Kara does not have time to consider. Instead, Kara reacts on instinct, she rushes to her, feeling her powers finally starting to respond to her desires as she gets a little bit further away from the green beam. As she speeds up, time seems to slow down. From her peripheral vision, she can see that more and more of the ground is starting to turn green, radiating out from where Lex stands. Underneath him though, is the most intense green. That’s when Kara realizes. She doesn’t want to believe it, but she knows for certain that it is a bomb. Seeing the giant green bomb starting to go off, Kara’s superspeed kicks in and she rushes to Lena to protect her. Right as she connects with Lena’s body, she hears the gunshot ring out. Kara quickly turns Lena away from the bomb as she pulls Lena into herself and slams her backside into the far wall. As soon as it gives, Kara shoots off into the sky, her only concern is getting Lena as far away as she possibly can. Lena is now in her arms, bridal style, and Kara vaguely notices the gun falling out of Lena’s hands and back towards the ground. They are only a few dozen feet in the air when the building explodes completely, the remaining kryptonite bombs going off mere milliseconds apart from each other. The blast sends kryptonite radiating into the air, causing Kara to immediately become dizzy and faint. She can feel her powers starting to fade.
Seeing the strain on Kara’s face, Lena is quick to take action. “Kara, Kara, listen to me, you need to fly away from here. As far and as fast as you can.”
Despite the pain, Kara listens and flies north. Once they are about a mile away, Kara slows down and sets them both on the ground. They are silent after they collapse, clearly overwhelmed by the last few minutes of their lives. When Lena finally sits up, she looks at Kara. As Kara follows her and sits up, she feels her heart clench. There is a distance in Lena’s eyes that was not there moments ago.
“You… you’re…” Lena stammers.
Kara’s head falls to her chest. “I am a Kryptonian, yes.”
“And Clark… he… he is Superman?” Lena surmises, but asks it as a question, just to be sure.
“Yes.” Kara’s mind is racing as she tries to figure out how to explain everything. How could this have happened? Is her cousin okay? In her hurry to save Lena, she lost track of him.
“Why… why didn’t you tell me?” Lena’s voice crackles, bringing tears to Kara’s eyes. She scoots closer but doesn’t touch Lena, unsure whether she would be okay with that in this moment.
“I… I wanted to.” Kara knows she sounds pathetic.
“But you didn’t.” Lena, whose voice was crackling moments ago, is now firm. She has pushed all her emotions down. Now is not the time for that.
“I know, I’m sorry.” The tears start to fall from Kara’s eyes. This is it. This secret is going to destroy everything she has been building with Lena.
Lena shakes her head as if shaking off a fly, locking her emotions down. “We don’t have time for this right now. We have to go back and see if Clark is okay.”
The reality of the situation settles back in on Kara. But she knows what she saw. And she knows that whatever they are going back to… Clark will be far from okay. Her mind flashes to Lois and the boys. Oh Rao, what if Clark didn’t make it out alive? Unable to keep a straight line of thought in her mind, she also remembers seeing the gun in Lena’s hands, hearing the sound of the gun ring out as she reached Lena, of the gun falling to the ground.
“You shot Lex,” Kara says, ignoring Lena’s previous comment.
Lena nods. “I wasn’t going to let him hurt you.” The statement comes out automatically. And both women flinch at the statement. Lena has always had difficulty with being emotionally vulnerable. But in the chaos of everything that had just happened, she forgot herself. She doesn’t regret saying it. She knows it is one thousand percent true. But saying it now, saying that she killed her brother for Kara, makes the situation even more real. And it makes Lena wonder exactly what kind of person she is, being capable of such an action.
Kara doesn’t know how to respond to such a bold statement, though. She nods and gives Lena a tentative smile instead, unsure of how to really interpret that statement. As she stands, Kara holds her hand out for Lena to take, a natural habit for her now. Lena pauses and looks at Kara’s hand for too long. Kara’s heart nearly stops as she realizes that there may be no coming back from this day. Finally, though, Lena takes her hand firmly and lets Kara help her up.
“I um… do you want me to fly us back?” Kara asks cautiously.
“You go ahead,” Lena says, her eyes refusing to meet Kara’s. “I will find my way back.”
“Lena…” Kara says so softly. “Please come back with me.” It’s meek. But Kara doesn’t care how pathetic she sounds anymore.
“I… I just need some time,” Lena says in response. “Clark might need your help,” she adds after a moment. “And I would just be in the way.” The truth is, Lena is terrified of what they are about to find back at the Luthor mansion. And she cannot even begin to process all the information she just learned about Kara and her family. It’s almost too much.
Kara lets her breath come out in a huff. She knows Lena is right. But that doesn’t mean she has to like it. “Okay… I’ll see you back there then?” Kara phrases it as a question, hopeful that Lena will confirm.
Lena smiles fleetingly and only nods a single time.
As Kara takes into the air, she finally lets the tears fall, knowing full well that whatever is about to happen over the next few minutes, hours, days, and even weeks, is going to be awful and terrible… and that her relationship with Lena probably won’t make it out alive.
Kara never knew, but Lena berated herself for years after everything that happened. When Lena looks back, she wishes she could have trusted her gut. She knew her brother had been acting weird for the past few months. But the truth is she had barely seen him, between her work with Jack and her relationship with Kara, so she didn’t give it much thought. She always knew that Lex was prone to mood swings. While Lena was hyper-controlled with her own emotions, Lex tended to let his emotions get the better of him sometimes.
Both women know that for them, that day when everything came crashing down, is forever cemented in their minds.
Kara is pulled from her reverie by her phone ringing. Reaching into her boot, she pulls it out and groans.
Putting on a cheery voice, she answers. “Hey Alex! What’s up?”
“Do not pretend like you are okay right now,” her sister responds harshly. “James told me everything.”
Kara had suspected as much. “Alex, I will be fine. It’s been 15 years.” Kara has a feeling that this statement is going to become a mantra for her over the next few weeks.
“Uh huh,” Alex says, unconvinced, “Well, if you do need to talk, Kelly would happily take Astra for the night. You know Esme loves it when she visits and stays the night.”
“I know…” Kara says slowly. “I um… I will let you know later, okay? I should get back to work.”
Alex agrees, though a bit reluctantly. As she hangs up, Kara looks again into the windows along the top story of the building. She sees two women now sitting at a table. And she knows, without a doubt, that the long, dark-haired woman facing away from her is Lena. Her heart drops into her stomach. And she wonders how exactly she ever thought she was over Lena. She came to National City and made a life for herself after everything that happened in Metropolis. She even managed to find love again, though it was a different kind of love than what she felt for Lena. Kara knows that Mon El will always have a special place in her heart. He was a good man. And for a short while, she was content, happy even. After losing Lena and Mon El, Kara had had enough of trying to find love. That’s why she has spent the last three years focusing so much on Astra. She wants to do right by her daughter. She knows the whole William thing really only happened because her friends and family have been suggesting that she start dating again. As they all kept reminding her, it has been three years since Mon El died. And she needed to start putting herself out there. Though Kara groaned internally about it all, she knew they were right. She had to try to move on, even if a part of her believed she might actually be cursed when it came to love. Kara stares one final moment at the back of Lena’s head, and lets out a deep, exhausted sigh, before flying off.
Meanwhile, in the building Kara is watching, Lena and Sam are conversing, discussing the upcoming opening ceremony. Lena’s neck tingles and she immediately sits up straight, suddenly feeling like she is being watched. She looks at Sam briefly before turning and looking out the window. She knows it is ridiculous, but she can’t help but feel like someone is watching her. As she looks out, Sam asks “What’s up?”
Lena doesn’t answer right away though, as she scans the skyline. Deciding she probably just wished, deep down, that a particular superhero was here to see her, she turns back to her friend and responds softly, “Oh, nothing.” Lena quickly redirects them back to the topic at hand – picking out food for the welcome gala they are having in a few days.