Chapter Text
Chapter One
Lena Luthor was not someone who was easily unnerved. But seeing the malevolence of Reign looking out from her friend Sam’s eyes was one of the most disturbing experiences of life. And that’s saying something for a woman whose brother is a sociopath who tries to kill her every six months. But then it had been Lex’s obsession with killing Superman that had allowed her access to a store of a powerful element that was helping her to control Reign; at least to an extent.
The Worldkiller was currently pushed deep down thanks to Lena’s Kryptonite enhanced tech, allowing Lena to keep working on her solution to help Sam. But the raven-haired genius knew time was her enemy. Even Kryptonite wasn’t enough to completely suppress the monster within her friend. Tapping frantically at the keys of her computer as she worked, she heard Sam let out a panicked sound. Her head whipped round and she saw Sam looking at her with a fear-stricken face.
“Sam?” she said cautiously as she stepped away from her workstation. “Lena… I… Something bad is happening.” She looked up at the ceiling as if even in her human state she could see through with X-Ray vision. “They’re coming.” Before Lena could ask anything more, she startled at a sound and movement behind her.
There in her lab, a red glow around them, had appeared four figures. The indistinct shapes quickly resolved into Supergirl, and three others; one being the Martian she had seen working with Supergirl a number of times before, one the Daxamite manchild Mon El and the other a beautiful brunette woman Lena had never seen before. Supergirl stumbled towards her, alarm evident across her face. “Lena the Worldkillers are on their way here!” Before Lena could respond, she saw the blonde superhero’s face falter. It was as if the world stood still as Supergirl registered the lab and the secure med bay and the woman inside.
“Lena, what is this? What’s going on here?” The blonde looked between Lena and Sam sitting on the bed, a curious look turning to one of understanding and then hurt. It was the most human that Lena had ever seen the other woman look. There was something too familiar about it that tickled at the back of Lena’s mind. Before she could respond, a loud crash sounded and two ominous figures were bursting through the secure door into the lab.
In the chaos that followed, the four heroes were bested, the two intruders had freed Sam and Reign had fully surfaced – revealing Sam’s duality to all. And still, it was the look that Supergirl gave her that she knew would keep her awake at night.
XXXXX
The cool of the internal concrete wall of the DEO helped Kara focus as she leaned her back against it. It had been a trying morning for the blonde hero and she was taking the opportunity of an ebb in activity to gather herself. The events of the previous evening as well as the difficult morning weighed on her mind. Arriving at Lena’s lab to find Sam ensconced in an experimental medical bubble, getting her butt handed to her by the Worldkillers again, discovering her best friend had been harbouring Reign for weeks; she knew she shouldn’t dwell. And yet.
Of course it was the Lena of it all. That her best friend could keep something like this from her had bothered her. But what made it worse was that it only reminded Kara what she was keeping from Lena. Additionally, the fact that she had begun to consider Lena as something more than a friend of late only made her discomfort at keeping the whole Supergirl thing from her more pronounced. That Lena had access to Kryptonite and used it to contain Reign only added to Kara’s inner turmoil.
Kara took in a deep breath and stood upright. A momentary indulgence away from the noise and bustle was all she could afford. She was Supergirl and she was needed. And she needed to talk to Lena.
Walking into the main atrium of the DEO she could see Lena out on the balcony on her ‘phone. Affording her friend the time to finish the call, she waited by the opening. She felt the moment Lena realised she was there, a slight roll of her shoulders and an awkward shuffle of her feet. Lena turned to see her and bobbed her head in acknowledgement but couldn’t keep the flicker of annoyance from crossing her face. Kara hated that look; a look that was all too often aimed at her when she was in the suit. She sighed. The CEO turned back to lean on the balcony, hunching over as if there was something she could do to hide her voice from Kryptonian hearing. Of course they both knew it was futile. But Kara took the hint and focused her hearing on the playlist Wynn was listening to while he worked to find a way to track the Worldkillers.
Soon enough Lena finished her call and turned back towards Kara, her face the epitome of her CEO persona. Cold, closed off. Kara hated this look too; at least when it was aimed at her. “Lena,” she began. The other woman held up her hand. “I don’t need any more lectures about Kryptonite or Worldkillers Supergirl. I was helping a friend. That’s all.” Kara nodded, doing everything to keep her stoic Supergirl demeanour. “I get it. But Lena, I’ve had your back so many times. Risked my reputation, defended you. Surely you can see how this might look to the DEO. To Alex… Agent Danvers.” Lena raised her eyebrow at Supergirl’s stumble over Alex’s name but schooled her face back to the stone-cold CEO. “One of the best things about being a billionaire and one’s own boss Supergirl, is that generally other people’s opinion of me matters very little.”
“I understand why you might feel that way Lena, but there are those of us here who do have a high opinion of you regardless. But I do have to ask… How much Kryptonite do you have?”
“That batch keeping Reign under control was the last of Lex’s cache.” Kara nodded, a trickle of relief surfacing, allowing her to bestow a small smile on her friend. Before she could continue, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she looked up to see the sky darkening. The sun was being eclipsed.
XXXXX
The plan to find the Worldkillers and bring back the sun was simple enough. Find Sam and wake her long enough to send a signal to them from her location. Except it involved psychic links, 31st century technology and a mystical valley that only existed in theory. It hadn’t come as much of a surprise to Kara that Lena had worked out where Sam was going when Reign took over, nor was the fact that she was willing to go there. That combination of intellect and loyalty driven bravery was such a defining trait of her best friend. Although who she thought she was kidding still thinking of the CEO as just a best friend was by now a joke she was playing only on herself.
Nevertheless, the plan to enter the dark valley of Juru via was set and Brainy was making preparations. Kara was taking a moment to rest under the sunlamps and charge up; she knew she would need as much strength as possible on their mystical journey. She heard a familiar voice calling her name. It was James. As someone who knew her well enough to know she could pick out her name even whispered a few corridors away, it wasn’t unusual for him to get her attention in this way. But considering the current world in peril circumstances, it still surprised her.
She got up off the medical bed and reached over to turn the sun lamps off. Stepping out into the corridor to find him she almost walked into him as he paced anxiously. “Everything okay James?”
“Can we talk alone for a minute?” Even in times of world crisis she would always have time for a friend. She nodded and followed him as he strode down the hallway. Coming to a quiet corner he turned back to her and leaned in, indicating she should come closer. “Lena told me about Sam.” She nodded. He must have been the call Lena was on earlier before she had passed out. “Yeah,” she said with a quiet sigh. “Everything is kind of a big mess. And this eclipse is them; the Worldkillers. We’re working on a way to find them and shut them down.”
“Is it dangerous? Can I help in any way?” She didn’t like the way his face looked when he asked that. He was too eager. It was a side of him she never did like. “It’s dangerous,” she said in answer. “Or so Brainy says. But I’ll have Alex with me. And Lena is coming, because of how well she knows Sam… And Reign.” That eager look crossed his face again. “So Lena will be with you?”
“Yes. James, what’s this about?” He looked behind her as if checking whether anyone could hear them. He stepped even closer, uncomfortably so. “Lena’s Kryptonite. While she is occupied with you, she’s out of the way. I can check her lab for you.” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I can break into her lab, check around her vault and see how much Kryptonite she has stored up.” Disgusted at his suggestion, she snatched her hand away from his grip. “She told me she’d used the last of Lex’s cache. Why wouldn’t you believe her?” His sneer told her everything she needed to know. “Come on, we’ve had this conversation before. She’s a Luthor. She’s been trying to get close to you since day one.” Her eyes widened in surprise. “Aren’t you dating her?” His only answer to that was to wave his hands dismissively. She ignored his dismissal and continued. “James, you’re right we have had this conversation before. And you’re still wrong. She is my best friend. This Sam business aside, she has come through for me every time I have needed her. And this was her coming through for Sam. She should not have to continually keep proving herself. That’s not real friendship James.”
“That’s great. You have a friend. Clark had a best friend other than me once too. They were like brothers. I just want confirmation. If she is what you believe her to be, then no worries, there won’t be anything in there. I can be in and out as Guardian…”
“I said No!” She had pulled herself up to her full height, channelling every part of her Kryptonian arrogance. She didn’t like having to ‘Supergirl’ her friends. But what James was suggesting was not what she wanted. And it felt like it would be a betrayal of Lena. It didn’t matter to Kara that Lena would never know. Kara herself would know. And after having her trust in Lena validated so many times, now was not the time to question it.
“If you want to be useful while we are occupied then you can do so as Editor in Chief of CatCo. Help to maintain calm. Counter misinformation. But stay away from Lena’s lab.”
“But what if…”
“I won’t ask again James.” And turning her back on him she walked back to where the Legion Cruiser was about to set off.
XXXXX
The Dark Valley was well named. When Supergirl had suggested this whole mind transference to find Sam, Lena had not hesitated to insert herself into the team. Now that she was here, she wasn’t quite as sure. It wasn’t even the valley itself that was giving her pause. It was her companions. Not so much Alex. She actually liked Kara’s sister. She liked her for Sam. It hadn’t escaped Lena how the two brunettes had been circling each other for the last few months since Alex’s former fiancé had left for Gotham. Nor had it escaped her that Alex seemed to not only be courting Sam, but in a way, Ruby too. And Lena was more than happy that Sam and Ruby had found a woman like Alex to be part of their lives; though it was for Alex and Sam to determine exactly the nature of how that would play out. That Sam was also Reign was undoubtedly a complication. But that too was for Alex and Sam to resolve between themselves.
So, no it wasn’t so much Alex who was giving her cause for her momentary regret in volunteering for this mystical expedition. No, it was the blonde superhero who was currently grousing about her vulnerability and tiredness from the strain of mentally carrying the two humans into the Kryptonian valley.
It was simply that the hero bothered her. It was that she could be equally insufferably pompous and inspiring; equally arrogant and encouraging; equally independent and welcoming. It was that she was so naïve in her black and white perspective of good and evil; an inflexible edifice of uncompromising morals. She was stubborn, condescending and controlling.
But Lena had to be truly honest with herself and admit it wasn’t really Supergirl’s flaws that bothered her. It was her own increasing attraction to the blonde in spite of these flaws. It was every way that Supergirl proved she really was the hero the world needed. It went without saying that she was brave. Add to that an almost unhealthy tendency for self-sacrifice, unfaltering kindness, her belief in the power of the human spirit and an uncanny ability to have Hope in the darkest of times and you have the perfect storm of allure for Lena. All this aside from the fact that she was the very image of Artemis or Athena, as if a Goddess herself had stepped direct from the pages of her childhood books.
None of which would really make her quite as bothered and confused in the normal run of events. It was all this on top of the fact that as well as such conflicting attraction and irritation at the Kryptonian, she was also head over heels with her best friend Kara Danvers. Where Supergirl was practically an Adonis in female form, Kara was handsome in a down to earth way. She was warm and bright and joyous and had an inexplicable but unwavering belief in Lena. It was confounding to the Luthor that she was so deeply attracted to two people simultaneously.
What had made things worse was the strange dream she had had a few months before when Morgan Edge had tried to kill her. The dream had dangerously intertwined the two women in her imagination, with dream Kara flying her across the skies just like Supergirl would. She remembers with vivid longing the warmth of Kara’s arms cradling her as they flew across the skies. The dream had felt so real to Lena. So real in fact, that she even remembered smells within the dream. And in the dream, Kara had had that same inimitable scent that usually distinguished Supergirl; a combination of Ozone, jasmine and a sweetness reminiscent of honey. Ever since, the scent of the two women had been both frustratingly indistinguishable and utterly addictive. This conundrum had led Lena to wonder whether Kara was actually dating the hero. But Kara told her everything and there was no reason to believe she would keep something like that from her. Lena herself certainly wouldn’t.
And yet, the thought of Kara and Supergirl as a couple settled itself in her mind. This thought of the two women in this imaginary relationship sparked a dangerous combination of envy and jealousy in Lena. A feeling that made her uncomfortable seeing as she should be happy for her friend. Of course, being brought up in the Luthor family had ill-equipped poor Lena for dealing with such a mountain of unfamiliar and conflicting emotions. Hence, she channelled it into a steady annoyance at one of the sources of those feelings. Figuring the Kryptonian could carry her ire better than the human labrador that was Kara, it was all directed towards Supergirl.
And so, Supergirl’s presence bothered her.
For Sam though, she would forbear and keep things as civil as she could.
With these thoughts still playing on her mind, she ventured deeper into the dark valley with her two companions.
The three women walked together in silence, with only Supergirl’s frustrated tutting every now and then. Just as they were walking through a particularly tangled thicket, Alex’s foot caught on a root and she would have fallen flat on her face. Instead, Supergirl was there. Even without her powers her arms wrapped around the agent, pulling her upright and placing her gently on her feet. Lena couldn’t help but smile at the annoyance that flashed across Alex’s face. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who found the Kryptonian’s inability to just let things go somewhat irritating.
Alex shrugged out of Supergirl’s grip and started walking again but paused. “You know Supergirl, a trip wouldn’t have been a massive tragedy. I don’t need you babysitting me.” Both women had their backs to Lena, but she didn’t have to see the blonde’s face to now the look of offense that would be there. “Alex,” Supergirl started gently. The agent turned this time, taking in both the blonde and Lena. “You don’t have to save everyone. You have to let people save you sometimes. That’s what I’m here for now. I’m the one here to help you this time, not the other way around. You need to be saving your strength.” Supergirl gave a wry smile. “I’m sorry Alex, you’re right. And Brainy did have a point. I feel more tired than I ever remember being.”
“Yeah, I guess carrying both of us in here can’t be fun for you.” The blonde gave a resigned shrug. “Maybe if we had known about Sam sooner we could have avoided this…” The jab at Lena was too much. “You can’t still be mad about that,” she parried back. Supergirl fixed her with those mesmerising blue eyes. “I’m pretty sure I am still mad about it.”
“I helped a friend the best way I knew how.”
“And being a Luthor the best way was to do it on your own without telling anyone else.” Lena knew Supergirl regretted the Luthor jibe the moment she said it just from the flushed look on her face. But the raven-haired woman had no capacity right now to soothe anyone’s regrets, especially Supergirl’s. “You don’t like secrets?” Supergirl threw back immediately. “No, I don’t.”
“Good. What’s your real name?”
She of course didn’t expect the answer. She expected an excuse, or another Luthor accusation. Instead Supergirl was silent for a moment. The hero glanced at Alex and seemed to relax her shoulders, the way she held her body becoming somehow smaller. It tickled something at the back of Lena’s memory that she couldn’t quite get hold of. The blonde stepped closer to her then. “Do you really want to know? Do you think you could hold that knowledge and keep the people I love safe by telling no-one else?” Lena was stunned. Was she about to learn Supergirl’s real identity. Did the hero really trust her that much? Despite the current animosity between them, they did make a good team when tackling villains and Supergirl had always come to save her when her life was really in danger. Before she could answer, Alex was tugging at Supergirl’s sleeve. “I don’t think this is the time for this.” Supergirl’s brow furrowed. She glanced back to Lena then took a grip on the stick in her hand and nodded to Alex in agreement. “You take point Agent Danvers.”
“The two of you need to pull yourselves together. Lena, stop baiting the tired Kryptonian. Supergirl, stop taking her bait. We’re here to find and help Sam.” So saying she set off again deeper into the valley. The two women behind her exchanged knowing looks and nodded, both agreeing that the mission was bigger than their imagined differences.
It was difficult to keep time in the valley, but all three women knew that in the real world outside, the sun was slowly disappearing. As such they each now walked through the valley with a sense of urgency, eyes scanning all directions for any sign of Sam. Alex was the one to see Sam first, a terrified and almost incoherent Julia beside her. The Agent and Lena rushed to the brunette’s side, Supergirl hanging back slightly. Lena appreciated Supergirl’s consideration. She didn’t know Sam; she didn’t really know any of them. It was herself Lena, along with Alex, who were Sam’s friends and were the ones who would get through to Sam. The two dark haired women both knelt close by Sam, speaking softly yet urgently. They reminded Sam who she was; comforting her; encouraging her. When she backed away, thinking they were visions of those she had harmed sent to torture her, it was all three women who reassured her they were all alive and unharmed and had in fact come to save and help her. It took the evocation of her daughter’s name to truly make her come to herself and as she stood, they could see her momentarily freeze as her consciousness returned to her body to help Brainy and J’onn find where the Worldkillers were.
Sam’s head lolled forward for a moment and then shot up, her eyes red. This wasn’t Sam anymore. It was Reign. The Worldkiller stood in one smooth movement, her hand shooting out to grasp Lena by the throat. Lena’s fingers scrabbled at the hand squeezing her vulnerable flesh. It was with mild surprise she heard Supergirl’s voice. “Let her go!” It was commanding, firm, uncompromising. Lena felt the hand around her throat tighten just a little. Reign turned her head to look at Supergirl. “You dare speak to me? I will break her neck!”
“No! Take me! Take me instead.” Reign’s lip curled into a snarl. “There is no ‘instead’, daughter of the House of El. There is first, then second, then third. And the best way to break you so I can beat you is to kill these two humans and make you watch.” Lena closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. She heard Supergirl shout another protest and felt the deadly fingers squeezing tighter. But then in a flash of light she felt the hand fall away, the dark valley falling away.
She woke to see Brainy pulling the psychic device from her head, followed by him waking Alex and then Supergirl. She breathed a sigh of relief. Their mission had worked it seemed. The heroes around her jumped into action and she was left to help Brainy on the ship. The fight to save the world was back on and the balance had tipped away from the Worldkillers. Now there was only the fight for her friend’s soul.