#❝ when we walk through fire we’ll be fine. ❞ ( danvers sisters. )

[anagentinwriting]

Lifeline - Part 2

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: ~2900

Warnings: Elevators, Angst

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

Steve POV

“The 911 operator I was talking to had this great idea to use the hose to pull the little girl across the water to get her out of the pool,” Steve reminisced, sitting at the big island in the kitchen watching Sam cook.

“Dude, I was there, remember,” Sam replied.  “And hasn’t it been like a week since that happened?”

“Yeah, but it was such a clever idea. I didn’t even know they could see the whole house on their monitors.”

“Who cares! It’s probably some fancy technology not available on the market yet, but if I'm hearing this correctly, it sounds like she popped Stevie’s dispatcher cherry,” Bucky joked behind him.

Steve peeked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at Bucky. “My what cherry?”

“You know when you talk to a dispatcher on the phone while on scene. Danvers takes those calls most of the time, but every once in a blue moon, one of us takes it.” Bucky wiggled his eyebrows. “Who was the operator?”

“Um...YN.”

“Oh, my sister,” Thor announced in a deep voice, patting him on the shoulder and taking the stool next to him. “She is very intelligent.”

“Wait, you have a sister?” Steve asked, widening his eyes at him.

“I have two sisters, while one half-sister, but we don’t talk about her because she’s the worst,” Thor answered with pursed lips. “YN is the best though, I like to think she got the brains, I got the brawn, and well, I guess, that makes Loki the beaut of the family.” He nodded with a half shrug. 

“Are we still talking about how Rogers popped his dispatcher cherry,” Carol smirked, walking into the kitchen with Valkyrie. Steve felt his face heat up as he tried to say something, but she held her hand up. “It’s okay! Everyone remembers their first time,” She winked, forcing him to shake his head.

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Steve held up his hands in surrender, trying to hide the blush on his face.

_____________

You swiveled back and forth in your chair, waiting for the next call to come in. You had a half-hour left of your twelve-hour shift, and you needed a girls' night out. Living with your brother and Darryl was both a blessing and a curse. They offered you a place to stay, rent-free when you first moved here, but the amount of testosterone in that house was sometimes too much for you to handle. You tapped your fingers on your desk when your line started ringing. You sat up, letting out a deep breath, and pressed the spacebar.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello,” a male voice replied.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m making a turkey and was wondering what the internal temperature has to be?”

“You do know it’s against the law to call with a fake emergency, right?”

“Yes, but this is an emergency.”

“No, it’s not, so get off my line.” You hung up the line, shaking your head. Right away, another call came through, and you answered it. 

“911, what’s your emergency?” 

“Hi, hello. My friends are trapped in the elevator. The elevator must have snapped or something because there was this loud bang.”

“Where are you calling from?”

“The Natural History Museum. Please hurry!”

____________

Steve sat in his unassigned assigned spot at the dining table, eating a late lunch with the team. It was the cardinal rule at Station 107: Work as a team and eat as a family. Steve never thought he'd be able to find another firehouse he enjoyed working at, considering his previous teammates and friends at his old one. He hated leaving them behind, but he needed a fresh start, and so far, Station 107 was the best second home he could ask for. 

Everyone brought something to the team as every firehouse did.  Captain Danvers, or Ace as she preferred to be called in the field, brought her confidence and experience, which made for a great leader they could trust and rely on. Thor had his strength and his bravery, but he did have an ego. Sam was a great motivator and could keep everyone on task while still cracking jokes. It was no wonder Sam was the head EMT at this firehouse. Valkyrie was a badass and wasn’t afraid to put people in their place. As for Bucky, Steve knew he would always be there for him till the end of the line. 

The loud alarm blaring throughout the firehouse pulled Steve out of his stupor. Everyone knew what that sound meant, and they were ready to tackle whatever it might be. One after another, they slid down the firepole, pulled on their gear, and hopped in the truck, heading towards the scene. It wasn’t unusual to take calls that didn’t involve fire because whoever could get there the fastest was better than no one showing up at all. 

Thor hopped behind the driver's seat of the fire engine, pulling out of the garage. Carol sat beside him, giving him directions while speaking with the dispatcher through her headset. The sirens were wailing with Val and Sam behind them in the ambulance. 

“Alright, boys. We got an elevator crash at the Natural History Museum,” Carol said into her helmet mic after speaking with dispatch. “Dispatch says three students and their pregnant teacher are inside.”

“What’s the plan, Ace?” Steve asked into his helmet mic, concealing the siren blaring in the background. 

“I have contacted the museum's elevator technician, and he has already locked and tagged the power on the cars. The car sits near the basement level, so we will approach from the top in the lobby. I want Thor on the winch…”

“Ahh---what,” Thor interrupted her.

“Calm down, big guy, you can have the next one.” She gave him the side-eye, making the rest of the crew chuckle. “Steve and Bucky are going to do an immediate retrieval and approach from the top. Sam and Val will set a perimeter and then treat those who come up. Then, I will help with the retrieval, and Thor with the winch,” she stated with the last part dripping in sarcasm.

“It still hurts,” Thor added, taking a right at the intersection.

Once on-site, everyone grabbed their gear and took their positions.  Steve and Bucky strapped on their harnesses and helmets, switching on the flashlight. They started scaling down the elevator shaft from the lobby as Thor lowered them on the winch with the retrieving rope.

“How we looking, Steve?”

“Sexy, but not like we are trying too hard, but it’s more kind of effortless.” 

“Yeah, I mean, have you seen Steve’s ass in that harness. It could be American’s Ass or more like LA’s Finest Ass,” Sam commented with a whistle, echoing in the shaft. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Steve landed on the top of the elevator, unhooking himself while Bucky did the same.  “I’m down and unattached.”

“That’s what she said,” Carol responded with her head appearing in the shaft.

Thor chuckled, shaking his head. “Classic.”

Steve rolled his eyes and used his other flashlight to find the hatch on top of the elevator. He unclipped the lock, opening the hatch door, seeing the top of the lights. “I’m Fireman Rogers, please move towards the buttons. I’m going to kick the light out, so we can get you out of there.” It took a few kicks, but once it fell through, a few faces peeked up at him.  “How are we doing in there?”

“Oh my god, thank god, you’re here. I thought we were gonna die,” one of the kids replied, clutching his phone in his hand.

“Calm down, Flash. Everything is fine,” the pregnant woman reassured. “Right?” She looked up at Steve with worried filled eyes, and he nodded.

“Watch out, I'm coming down.” Steve crawled down into the hatch, and Bucky passed him the spare harness.  “Ma’am, you’re going up first, but first we need to get you strapped into this harness, then we’ll pull you up.” She nodded, trusting him, and allowing him to put the harness on her before Thor used the winch to pull her up.

“Okay, boys, who's going to go next?”

“I’m next,” the one they called Flash stated.

“Okay, then, how about you with the cool hat.”

“Thanks, it gives me confidence,” the kid smiled.

“And then, you,” Steve pointed to the kid wearing a Midtown School of Science and Technology shirt.

“Um...yeah--” he nodded a little too much. “--Yeah...I can go last. Get everyone else to safety first.”

“Perfect.” Steve clapped his hands together. “Let’s do this.”

___________

It turned out to be a quick rescue, and no one suffered any major injuries. Steve took some gear out to the truck and started repacking it when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around, noticing the kid in the Midtown School of Science and Technology shirt wrapped in an ambulance blanket. 

“What can I do for you, kid?”

“Peter. Peter Parker. I’m...I’m Peter Parker.” He held out his hand, and Steve shook it. “I just wanted to say thank you...thank you for saving my teacher and my friends back there. We’re on our school trip from New York, and this was an adrenaline rush experience.” Peter held up his hand, and Steve noticed it shaking.

He chuckled. “It will wear off.”

“It felt like that opening scene of that old action movie. Where John Wick saves those people that were trapped in the elevator after the bad guy tried to blow them up with a bomb. They don’t catch him obviously because it’s the opening scene, but later he puts the bomb on the bus, and that Bird Box lady has to keep driving like fifty-five miles an hour, or the bus will blow up.”

“I know the one. I think you’re thinking of Speed, but I don’t think it’s that old.” 

“Yeah, yeah, that one,” he chuckled, pointing his finger at him. “It’s kind of old, I mean you’re kind of old, so it’s kind of old to you, but to me, it’s kind of new because I’m not that old.” He rambled on, his eyes widening, realizing what he was saying. 

“Peter, come on. The museum is going to show us some never before seen stuff because we almost died,” the kid with the cool hat shouted from across the street. 

“Coming, Ned,” he yelled back. “Thanks again, Fireman Rogers, and sorry about calling you old. I didn’t...”

“It’s okay, kid, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Steve watched Peter run back over to his friends with a smile on his face. It was these moments when he loved his job, watching friends and families reunite after a tragedy. It was these moments where he felt like it could almost fix what he lost. 

______________

You sighed, taking a seat at your usual spot at the end of the bar in Happy’s Hydrant. Happy noticed you right away and smiled, giving you a bottle of beer. You thanked him with a nod, taking a sip, and scanning the crowd. It wasn’t unusual to spot a familiar face, considering this bar was created for the heroes of Los Angeles. It welcomed all those members who served or are currently serving as first responders, but civilians were welcome, too. It’s nice to have a place to go with people you could relate to and share similar experiences with after working a twelve or twenty-four-hour shift. They understand what we go through on a day to day basis. It was one of the many reasons Happy Hogan wanted to open this bar after he retired from his Fire Chief position at Station 12.

You swiveled back and forth on your bar stool until someone familiar on the other end of the bar caught your eye. You stopped moving, your eyes not wavering from the man. Your mouth went dry, hearing your heartbeat thumping in your ears. You gulped, feeling your palms start to tingle as the muscles in your legs start to tighten. Every nerve in your body was firing, telling you to run, but it felt like if you moved an inch, he would see you, and these past three months would’ve been for nothing. He glanced your way for a brief moment, and relief flooded your whole body. You relaxed, squeezing your eyes shut as you took a few deep breaths in and out. It wasn’t him. 

The weight of someone touching your shoulder makes you jump off your bar stool, and turn around to see one of the ladies you were waiting for.  “Hey, it’s only me.” Carol held up her hands in surrender, giving you a reassuring smile. “Sorry, I forgot how jumpy you can be.”

“It’s okay. Lost in my head again.” You nodded, returning to your barstool.

“Thanks for giving my transfer a chance to be the shining star of my squad last week.” She nudged your side, flagging down Happy for a drink.

“Your what...with what,” you asked, narrowing your eyes at her. 

“The pool, the hose, the little girl stranded on a floaty with the water electrified. Ringing any bells?”

“Ohhh, right. That one.” You took a sip of your beer. “Fireman Rhodes or was it Ronin?”

“Rogers. Steve Rogers.” You pointed the neck of your beer bottle at her and nodded. “You made quite an impression on him. He can’t stop talking about it, and it’s getting really annoying, but I guess you did pop his dispatcher cherry.” She nudged your side with an ever-growing smile on her face. You rolled your eyes at her, shaking your head. “And if single you is interested, I am sure he is willing to mingle. At least, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“I’m not ready to start dating. I’m still trying to find myself after going through a terrible six-year marriage.” You gave her a half shrug, eyeing the bar. “When I am ready to date again, all I want is a nice guy.”

“Steve’s nice.  Hey, you should swing by one day before your shift and meet him,” she winked, and you scoffed, rolling your eyes. 

“I haven’t even filed for divorce yet.”

“Wait--” she turned on her stool to face you “--hasn’t it been three months? Why not?”

“I don’t want him knowing where I am.”

“Doesn’t he know where Thor lives?”

“No,” you sighed, shaking your head. “Let's just say he didn’t take much interest in my life while we were together. Besides, I don’t think he'd think I’d go to Thor with how everything turned out the last time I went to him for help.

“What an asshole.” She rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her beer, and you nodded.  “Well, at least you know you have an admirer,” she added, making you scoff.

“Hey ladies, sorry I’m late,” Natasha greeted, taking the other stool next to you. “Clint and I checked out this noise complaint a neighbor called in. And it turns out this guy was serenading his ex-girlfriend with hopes to win her back. It was this whole thing, and we wanted to stick around to see what happened next.” 

“So what happened,” Carol asked with curious eyes, wearing a mischievous smirk on her face.

“It was crazy.” She shook her head, letting out a breathy chuckle. “She came down and punched him in the face. Apparently, this dude cheated on her with, wait for it--” she drummed her hands on the bar countertop “--her brother. It was a twist I didn’t see coming, but talk about drama on duty. Sometimes I think it would be easier fighting fires or answering phones all day.”

“Oh please, Nat, you wouldn’t last a day. You would miss seeing the excitement first hand. Over the phone, you don’t get much excitement,” you replied.

“Speak for yourself,” Carol added, taking a swig of her beer. “You would love my job, Nat. You get to boss men around.”

“I kind of do that already. Besides, I don’t think I could leave Clint. He’d be lost without me,” she smirked, signaling Happy to make her a martini.

Natasha oozed confidence, which came off as intimidating to most women. When she walked into a room, all eyes were on her, but it was attention she chose to ignore. When men would buy her drinks, she'd take it to another lovely lady. Nat was all about lifting and empowering women to feel confident in their own skin. She wasn’t afraid to tell people to back off or shut up. She was the role model you wish you had when you were with him, then maybe you would've had the confidence and courage to leave sooner. 

“Here you are, Nat?” Happy pushed the martini glass to her. “Are you ladies still good?” He asked, pointing to the drinks in front of you.  

“Yeah, we’re good. Thanks, Happy,” you smiled at him as he walked away, shooting you a thumbs up. 

“How is apartment hunting going, YN?” Nat asked, taking a sip of her martini.

“Good, I found this cute little condo a few blocks away from work. It has a modern feel to it, but I think it would be perfect for me,” you described. “I loved it when I saw the pictures. The landlord is out of town right now, but she told me it’s mine if I want it.”

“I’m so excited for you,” Nat squealed, squeezing your forearm. “You need to get out of that testosterone-filled house and get on your own two feet again.”

“Yes, you do,” Carol agreed. “What’s your softie older brother going to think of you leaving?”

“I’m going to have to break it to him slowly.”

__________

AN: Thanks for reading part 2! I hope you all are liking it so far! If you caught it there was a quote from Brooklyn 99 that I thought was too good not to put in! 😂 Also, Darryl Jacobson, if you don't remember him, he was Thor's roommate in those Marvel shorts. I thought he would be a fun and entertaining addition to this story! Also, any ideas as to why Steve left his old firehouse? Did you enjoy the little Peter Parker cameo? And what do you think Thor is going to think of her moving it? Comments always welcome, thanks again for reading! 

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

⛔️ This Chapter is pretty violent. *Torture/Canon Typical Violence/ Big Battle

Small Time Witch (30)

Battle preparations were in full swing. Most of the realms armies were to be positioned on the battlefield as frontline forces. Skrýmir the giant from Utgard would lead his armies along with Aesir forces. You warned them of the dog like creatures that came in hoards. At times they were absolutely overwhelming. For that, Thor and Ororo would flank the battlefield to take out as many as possible. You were able to reach Carol Danvers who will be accompanied by the Skrull. On the back end, the Vanir and your coven would maintain a protection spell that would debilitate some of the more simple minded soldiers in Thanos’ army and to shield from air strikes. The Avengers would be on the field as promised to help with the Black Order. The plan was falling in to place. You had the numbers. The problem was radio silence from Thanos.

You exhausted all avenues in the universe to find out his plan. Even Mobius hadn’t heard so much as a rumble from him. No one had disappeared mysteriously from Vanaheim. Nothing really changed except for one thing. Loki’s memories of his time with you were restored. He was a hybrid version of your Loki. Mobius told you he wasn’t the leak. You wanted to believe him but now you were deeply doubtful. You decided to confront him but you had to be as gentle as possible.

You took dinner in your chambers that night. You were noticeably quiet. “Pet, something on your mind?”

“If I say no will you believe me?” He shot you a look that told you he did not in fact believe you. “I have to ask you something. You’re going to be angry with me. We’ll fight about it.”

“Now I’m nervous.”

You sighed heavily, “You should be. Loki, before I healed you, were you still informing to Thanos?”

He looked away from you ashamed, “Yes. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He cowered at your touch. Did he think you would hurt him? He was afraid of you.

“Loki, look at me. I’m not mad. Loki, look at me.” You could see he was shaking. You stood up from the table and knelt in front of him, “Can he still hear you?” He nodded yes. “Can he hear me?” He nodded no. “Good. I’m going to free you, my love. But first I need you to do something for me. Go get him. Bring him to me.” You kissed his hands and didn’t say anything else. You finished your meal in silence. He could feel how angry you were.

You didn’t believe that Thanos couldn’t hear you or see you when you were in Loki’s presence so you opted not to speak about your plans any longer. Before you went to sleep you rested on his chest and held him tight. He was asleep. You stroked the fine dusting of hair on his belly and said aloud, “I’m going to rip you apart for this.”

——————————————————————

The next morning you were minding your p’s and q’s around Loki. When you had a strategy meeting with the Avengers and X-men you didn’t tell him. When you met with the coven you didn’t say a word. You made Thor promise to watch his mouth and not argue because obviously the man was in pain. You were the general of this army today. Anything that needed to be said to Loki needed to cross your ears first.

Your Avengers meeting was interesting. You knew so much about them and it made you giggle to yourself. Steve was not as soft as when you met him. He mostly looked lost. You wanted to just hug him tight but you knew that would be wildly inappropriate. You decided, to hasten your actual mission, to split up the team. You had a feeling Thanos would split the Black Order to do as much damage as possible. Steve and Nat would join the Warriors, Lady Sif and Heimdall on the Bifrost. Odin would command the rest of his troops from Asgard.

That evening everyone gathered for a feast. One of many feasts before battle. You found your way over to the Avengers table to hang with Thor.

“Princess, have a seat.” Steve pulled out a chair for you and you laughed out loud. You couldn’t tell him why.

“Why thank you, kind sir. I’m sure you’re accommodations are much nicer than an army encampment.”

He laughed, “Oh by far. So you’re from Earth? How did you get involved with and marry a Prince from Asgard?”

“Oh, honey. It is a long story. Another time maybe.”

“Of course. You wear the title well, Princess.”

“Thank you, Captain.” You winked at him and freshened his drink. “Enjoy your evening.”

You made your rounds saying good night. Promising to make good on invitations to visit realms. You finally made it over to the table with Odin, Frigga, your mother and aunts. “I’m going to get Loki prepared.” Frigga looked worried.

“Oh please don’t make that face, Allmother. I feel guilty enough as it is.”

“I just want him to come home safely.” she wiped tears from her cheeks.

“It’s what we all want.” You kissed them all goodnight and asked your mother to sit with Frigga for a while. Odin asked to walk you to your chambers.

“I’m sure I’m quite capable of walking myself, sire.”

“Give an old man the pleasure of seeing his daughter off to bed. Y/N, I’m curious. Has anyone asked why Thanos is trying to destroy the universe?”

You snorted (such a princess), “Does it matter?”

“It’s always good to know what drives an opponent. For instance, love can make people do irrational things. Your meticulous plans are laid before you and something can make any seasoned general snap and the whole thing goes up in flames.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Thanos is known as the Mad Titan not the Kind Titan. I’ll be shocked if Loki comes back alive. Whatever you see, what ever he does to Loki, you mustn’t waiver. You must stay composed and trust your plan. Do you understand? There will be time enough to mourn our losses.”

“I hope I have half the nerve that you do in the face of such evil.”

“I have to tell myself the same speech. He’s my son. I would move mountains to protect him. We have to hold steady. Sleep well.” He kissed you on the cheek and went to rejoin the party.

When you entered your chambers Loki was sitting in front of the fire. “Did you have a nice time?”

“I did. I missed you.”

“And I you. I’m ready to go.”

“Lok, why is he doing this? Why does he want to destroy so many lives?”

He smiled to himself, “For love. His mother and father were Eternals. They were terribly beautiful. When Thanos was born, he was not beautiful like his parents so his mother tried to kill him. She failed but ultimately treated him as though he were a ghost. He tortured her until she perished. He just wanted to be loved and accepted. Sound familiar? And then he fell in love with actual Death. Not Hela. This being is death and one of the creators of the stones. She has rebuked him. Denied his advances. So, this is his love letter to her.”

The parallels were obvious. The two of them understand each other on a very deep level. “But you see, darling, Thanos is jealous of me because I have my goddess. He will see our union destroyed.”

“Not a chance.” You pressed your forehead to his and slipped your bracelet on his wrist. With the tiny golden screwdriver you closed it tight. “For luck.”

He kissed you deeply and deeper than any kiss you’ve ever shared. “I love you.” Before you had a chance to say it back he slipped through the portal you opened.

——————————————————————

Thanos sat on his throne watching his daughters argue when Loki returned.

“Ah Loki. I thought you scurried away to the far reaches of the galaxy like the rat you are. What have you brought me?”

“She is alone on Vanaheim. Waiting for you.”

He laughed and looked at Nebula, “Tell me , daughter, do I look stupid?”

“No, father.”

“Do we believe the god of lies?”

“No, father.”

“Should we kill him?”

“No, father. We should torture him and drop him at his wife’s feet.”

Thanos laughed again as he rose from his throne. He grabbed Loki by the neck and brought him close, “You are lucky my daughter is merciful. Gamora!”

“Yes, father!” Gamora rushed to his side.

“Take the god to the dungeons. You and Nebula play nice.”

She cuffed him and stabbed in the side then dragged him behind her. “Please listen to me. He’s going to wipe out half the universe.” Loki croaked and groaned.

“Shut up! You lie!”

“No, I don’t. I can prove it.”

She dropped him on the ground at her feet, “Can you?”

“Sister, don’t listen to him. He is the god of lies.” Nebula grabbed his bonds to continue to the dungeon.

Gamora knelt down in front of him, “Prove it.”

Loki touched her forehead and shared with her the vision of the reality you escaped. He destroyed everything just like her own planet. She could not let that happen again. She also couldn’t betray her father. “It doesn’t matter. No one will ever beat him.” She grabbed him by the hair and took him to the dungeon where Corvus Glaive was waiting.

Gamora hung him to the wall using his bonds. Corvus pulled out his knife and dragged it up Loki’s chest. He used the blade to cut the straps of his armor. He stuck him between his ribs. Loki’s lung collapsed. He was unable to take deep breaths with his hands above his head. He would pass out soon.

[svpcrqirl-blog]

tag drop !!

[dimensiontripperhibiki]

Hold It Together (As we fall apart) - Chapter 5.

Thanks for the likes/reblogs/messages guys. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kara closed her eyes, basking in the warmth emanating from the sunlamps above her. They were soothing, she had to admit. Almost as soothing as the feeling of Lena’s hand holding onto her own. She wasn’t sure what was going on but she didn’t want to let go of Lena for a second. Lena suddenly cleared her throat. “What do you want me to tell your sister about what happened last night?” Kara turned her head, her brow furrowing as she looked at Lena. “I don’t know? Everything’s just a little fuzzy right now.” Lena sighed at the response though she wasn’t surprised that Kara wasn’t fully lucid. “Alright.” She said, giving the hand in her own a careful squeeze. “I’ll figure it out.” Kara managed a tiny smile. “Thank you, Lena.”

Lena was silent for a long moment as Kara’s eyes fluttered shut again. Part of her wanted to leave because she wasn’t sure she was ready   to forgive Kara. The other half refused to budge from Kara’s side. She let the silence settle between them as she mulled over what she should do. She didn’t want Kara to get the wrong idea but she wasn’t even sure what the wrong idea was. 

Hearing footsteps behind her she looked up to see Alex walk into the room, Brainy and Nia right behind her. “What’s wrong?” Lena asked, immediately noticing the looks on Alex and Nia’s faces. “What’s going on?” “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Alex gestured for Lena to come closer to her so they could speak in private. Lena hesitated, eyeing Alex warily before she nodded. She turned back to Kara, lightly stroking her free hand over soft blonde hair. A small smile tugged at Kara’s lips but she didn’t open her eyes. “I’ll be right back, Kara.” Kara whimpered as Lena’s hand disappeared from her own but she didn’t protest. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” Lena said when she reached Alex. “I’m staying until I know Supergirl is okay and then I’m leaving, okay? This doesn’t make us…” She paused, noticing the guilt on Alex’s face. “What’s happening?” “Go ahead, Brainy,” Alex said quietly as she stepped around Lena. Lena frowned as she turned to see what Alex was doing. She inhaled sharply in surprise as a barrier appeared around Kara, not dissimilar to the barrier she herself had used for Sam. “Director Danvers, what are you doing?” Kara pushed herself up on the table, her eyes wide. “Alex!” “I’m sorry, Kara.” Alex’s voice cracked as she spoke. She moved to the barrier as Kara pushed herself off her makeshift bed and stumbled toward it. “This is for your own good. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Kara pressed her hand against the barrier separating her from the others. “Y-You’re locking me up?” Alex pressed her hand against Kara’s, separated by the barrier. “You’re…” “Director Danvers!” Alex gritted her teeth and turned as one of her agents burst into the room. “Yes?” “We have a hit on the speedster.” The agent said breathlessly as he glanced between the imprisoned Kryptonian and Alex, clearly wondering what was going on. Alex sighed and turned back to Kara. “We’ll talk more when I get back.” “You’re going after him?!” Kara gaped at Alex. “Alex, you can’t, that’s crazy!” “I’ll be okay. Get some rest, Kara.” Alex touched her hand to the barrier once more before she forced herself to walk away. “Dreamer, with me. Lena, don’t even think about trying to get her out. I’ll explain everything when I get back.” “Alex!” Kara exclaimed as she watched her sister walk away from her. “You need me for this, you can’t go alone! At least take J’onn with you! ALEX!” She pounded her fist against the barrier as Alex and Nia left the room. “Damn it! DAMN IT!” She pressed her forehead to the barrier, her breathing heavy. Alex was going to die, all because Kara was trapped. Because she was weak. Lena hurried to the barrier, tentatively touching the glass-like surface. “Try to calm down, I-I’m going to find a way to get you out of there.” “I believe that’s precisely what the director asked you not to do.” Brainy piped up from behind them as he took a step closer. Lena glanced at him, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t take orders from Director Danvers.” “Lena.” Kara pressed her hand to the surface of the barrier, over Lena’s. Her fingers scraped against the glass like she was trying to grasp Lena’s hand. “Please let me out.” Lena’s breath hitched, her mind drifting back to a time when she’d locked Kara inside a smaller prison than this, back in the fortress of solitude. She hadn’t known then, that Kara was claustrophobic. She’d had no idea. Brainy cleared his throat. “Supergirl has none of her abilities at the present time. If you release her, she will go to join the fight alongside Director Danvers. By my calculations, there’s a 76 percent chance that she’ll be injured and an 18 percent chance that she’ll be killed.” Lena gritted her teeth. She knew it was the right call, as much as she didn’t want to be agreeing with Alex. “I’m sorry, Kara.” Kara’s lower lip trembled at the realization that she wasn’t going to get out. “Are you leaving?” Lena hesitated for a moment before she answered. “No. I should wait for your sister to get back. Save her storming into my office later to interrogate me.” “Right.” Kara breathed out, relieved that Lena wasn’t leaving at the very least. “I need to...sit…” She sat down on the floor, leaning against the pane of ‘glass’ she was stuck behind. Lena glanced at Brainy and he seemed to take that as his cue to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as we have news.” He called over his shoulder as he left the room. Lena felt herself relax, just a little as the pressure of having yet another person she was angry with in the same room as her lifted. She looked down at Kara, her brow furrowing as she tried to work out whether she was still angry at the blonde hero. She was, deep down, but her concern outweighed that. She carefully sat down on the other side of the barrier, leaning against where Kara was sitting on the other side of the barrier. “Alex is going to be fine.” Kara gave a tiny nod in response. “Thank you, Lena.” ----- “GODSPEED!”

Godspeed couldn’t help but let a small smirk creep onto his face at the sound of the DEO’s director calling his name, anger as clear as day in her voice. He had to admit that he was impressed by their dispatch time. They’d taken only four minutes to get to where he was since he first appeared in the middle of the road. “Director Danvers I assume?”

“Surround him.” Alex ordered, signaling for the group of DEO agents with her to circle around the speedster. She waited until all of her agents were in position before raising her pistol in unison with the agents raising their own. “You’re coming with us.”

“No. I’m not.” Godspeed turned around so he was finally facing the head of the DEO. He was surprised to find that J’onn J’onzz was with the humans as well as the costumed woman he only knew as Dreamer. He didn’t care about the costumed girl but he thought the Martian Manhunter would have been positioned at Supergirl’s side, acting as a bodyguard for the injured Kryptonian. 

“I’m only going to ask once more.” Alex's eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, the agents with her following her lead a moment after. J’onn moved too but stayed a few steps behind Alex, ready to react to any attack from the speedster. “Come with us peacefully or we will take you down.”

“Will you?” Godspeed asked, trying his best to keep himself from laughing but to no avail. Lex had told him that the Danvers sister would come after him with everything she had and it looked as if he was right. “Then come try it.”

“You’ll pay for what you did to Supergirl…” Nia barely got her words out before she Godspeed’s foot slammed hard into her gut with more than enough force to send her flying backward into the floor behind her, knocking her unconscious.

“Shhh. The adults are talking.” Godspeed smugly proclaimed before he turned his attention back to the head of the DEO. “My apologies. You were saying?”

“DREAMER!” Alex snarled, her gun pointed towards the speedster’s head. She had seen enough of the people she cared about getting hurt. “I gave you your chance.”

“And look where it got you. One down.” Godspeed smirked as she heard the DEO Director growl with anger. 

Alex took in a deep breath as she tried her best to keep her emotions in check. She knew full well that the speedster was trying to get under her skin. “Open fire!” She squeezed the trigger of her gun, firing at the man in front of her. Godspeed looked around at the circle of DEO agents surrounding him, white lightning crackling from his body. Alex blinked and in an instant, all of the DEO agents were on the ground, blood gushing from their throats. Nobody besides herself even had a chance to pull the trigger. “Damn it!” “You’re next, Director Danvers.” Godspeed studied his blood-covered hand before he looked at Alex again. He wasn’t surprised to see J’onn step in front of Alex as a guard. Lex also told him that the Director of the DEO and Supergirl were like family to the Green Martian, like daughters. “Wait your turn, Martian.”

Alex flinched as white lightning bolted past her, grabbing J’onn J’onzz and knocking her gun from her hand on the way past. “J’ONN!” Alex yelled, turning towards where the lightning lead. She tried to grab at it but only succeeded in grabbing at the air and stumbling forward. Again someone she cared about was hurt in front of her and she was powerless to stop it. Feeling a presence behind her, she spun around in time to see Godspeed standing next to her. “You wanted me. Here I am!”

Godspeed rolled his eyes, easily dodging the DEO director’s punch like it was moving at the speed of a statue. He slashed his phasing hand towards her neck in the same way he did with the other DEO agents but his eyes widened in shock as his hand was blasted away from her as soon as it made contact, sending him flying backward through the air. He landed hard on the ground but quickly scrambled back to his feet. “What the hell was that?”

“Protection. A gift from Star Labs.” Alex grinned as she watched Godspeed’s connection to the speed force fade away. It was the same gadget each of the DEO agents had as well as J’onn and Nia but they had the chance to activate theirs. Alex rushed forward, her fist colliding hard with the white speedsters masked face but it barely did anything. It looked as if he had been through some kind of training of his own.

Godspeed stepped to the side, flipping Alex over him before he started feeling his connection to the speed force return. He immediately backed away from the DEO Director, trying to think of a plan for her armor. He had never seen anything like it before. It meant that he couldn’t physically touch her until he figured out where the shield came from.

Alex threw punch after punch as Godspeed ran circled around her in the hope to catch him off guard again. She wished he was cut off from the speed force for longer than a few minutes but it was the best she had. “What did you do to J’onn?!”

Godspeed stopped a safe distance away from her, a smile on his face. “The Martian? I threw him into a wall of ice in the arctic at mach 6 speeds. I doubt he’s dead but he won’t be coming to your rescue for a while. Long enough for me to deal with you.”

Alex flinched as Godspeed started to run circles in front of her, throwing a white lightning bolt at her waist. She froze in horror as the shield protecting her faded away due to the damage it took from the lightning bolt. Alex barely had time to look up before Godspeed had hold of her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. She could feel her lungs being emptied of air with no way to refill them and she clawed at the speedster’s hands, trying to prise them from her throat.

“AGH!” Godspeed cried out in pain, dropping the almost asphyxiated Alex to the floor. Alex gasped for breath, her hands going to her throat. She stared at Godspeed who was too busy trying to find where he was attacked from to notice anything else. 

Alex’s confusion was quickly cleared up when the Green Arrow landed on the floor a short distance away from her and Godspeed, his bow immediately drawn and ready to fire. “Green Arrow, Run!”

“It’s too late for that!” Godspeed froze, forced to do a double-take as he fell forward instead of using his speed. He quickly caught himself and looked up in a state of panic. “W-what happened to me?”

“Upgraded nanites. Courtesy of Star Labs and my wife.” Oliver smiled as he lowered his bow, passing it to his other hand so he could fight with it instead of shooting with it. “You won’t be speeding around for a while.”

Godspeed quickly tried to start phasing his body but nothing happened. He remembered that was how the Reverse-Flash used to get foreign items out of his body but for some reason, it wasn’t working for him. “Damn it.”

“Phasing won’t work.” Oliver took a few steps to the side, crouching down beside the unconscious Nia to make sure she was still breathing. He let out a sigh of relief when he quickly found her pulse. “Give it up.”

“Never!” Godspeed growled in anger at the Emerald Archer. His plan was falling apart. All he was supposed to do was take out the head of the DEO but he’d wasted so much time. Dealing with Dreamer, The Martian Manhunter and The Green Arrow wasn’t part of the deal. He couldn’t even run away anymore. “Damn you.”

Godspeed lunged forward and swung his fist towards the Green Arrow, hitting nothing but air as Oliver stepped to the side, planting his knee into the speedster’s gut before he slammed his bow into Godspeed’s face with enough force to whirl the speedster around towards Alex who’d gotten to her feet.

Alex quickly took her chance and slammed her fist into Godspeed’s face, knocking him to the floor before Oliver fired an arrow at him that covered him in a net. “Thanks for the assist, Oliver...but what are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story. Are you okay?” Oliver asked as he noticed blood on Alex’s face and the choke marks on her neck. He had to admit that he had no idea just how good Alex Danvers was. He sure as hell wouldn’t have tried taking on a speedster by himself after the short fight he’d had with Barry.

Alex nodded slowly, wiping the blood from her face with her sleeve. She wasn’t even sure how it had gotten there. It wasn’t hers. “I’m fine, thanks. So why exactly are you on my earth?”

“I don’t know.” Oliver shrugged. He didn’t agree to come to Earth-38 in the first place but he was happy he was there. He knew almost everything about Barry and Barry knew almost everything about him but he knew barely anything about his other friend, something he wanted to fix while he was there. “The Monitor appeared in my house and teleported me here with my gear. Where’s Kara?”

“She’s at the DEO. She’s been hurt.” She could immediately tell that Oliver was taken aback by the news, probably assuming that Supergirl was indestructible. “Godspeed ran into the DEO and stabbed her with a Kryptonite blade. You should...come and see her.”

“Okay.” Oliver nodded before picking up the unconscious Nia. “I’m assuming she’s one of yours considering the way she’s dressed?”

Alex couldn’t help but feel guilty as soon as Oliver picked up her friend’s body. She was supposed to keep her and J’onn safe but she’d completely failed. She hoped J’onn was okay. “Yes. Her name is Dreamer.”

“Dreamer? Is that why she’s unconscious?” Oliver inquired with a puzzled smile, something that would have been rare to see on his face a year or two ago. He guessed Mia and William’s presence was good for him. Alex rolled her eyes. “It’s not her real name. Just…” She paused as she turned back to the bloody carnage behind her. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. “I have to make a call. I’ll meet you in the car. It’s along the road.” Oliver’s eyes followed Alex’s pointing finger to three SUV’s along the road. Assuming it didn’t matter which one he chose, he nodded and began carrying Nia to the car. Alex gritted her teeth as she stared at the bodies around her. She’d gone into the field with eight agents and she’d managed to protect none of them. Feeling her eyes prickle with tears she quickly ran a hand over her face and pulled her phone out. There would be time for that later. ----

“She should be here by now. Why isn’t she back?” Lena crossed her arms in front of her chest, watching Kara pacing back and forth in what Kara had deemed as her bubble. “I’m sure everything’s fine. She could be stuck in traffic.” “Alex doesn’t get stuck in traffic!” Kara snapped irritably. She stopped, her stomach sinking as she turned to Lena. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just...worried about Alex and I feel so helpless being stuck in here and…” “You don’t need to explain anything to me.” Lena interrupted before Kara could really start ranting. “I understand.” Kara sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I’m really screwing this up.” Lena raised an eyebrow in response. “Screwing what up exactly?” Kara stepped closer to the barrier separating them. “I mean...you seem to be talking to me again a-and I don’t want to make any assumptions but that has to be a good thing, right? I don’t expect you to forgive me or forget what I did to you but it makes me happy that you’re talking to me again.” She grimaced slightly at the way that sounded. “And now you probably feel pressured and...I’m moving too fast, right?” “I don’t think anything could be moving too fast after what we did last night.” Lena quipped, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, I...wait.” Kara’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” “What do you think I…?” Lena trailed off as Kara’s gaze drifted over her shoulder, her expression brightening. “Alex, you’re okay!” Kara’s voice was dripping with relief as she stepped slightly to the side so she wasn’t right in front of Lena. “Oliver? What are you doing here?” “Long story.” Oliver answered with a slight shake of his head. “Are you okay? Alex told me you were hurt.” “Oh…” Kara’s hand drifted to her stomach. “Yeah. I’m feeling better. I don’t know why I’m locked in this bubble.” Alex sighed at the pointed look Kara shot her. “Just a precaution. We’ve found out that you were stabbed with a fusion of kryptonite...a mixture of periwinkle kryptonite and silver kryptonite.” “Periwinkle?” Kara frowned in confusion. “According to Brainy it causes...a loss of inhibitions. Which explains your recent behavior.” Alex awkwardly cleared her throat. “I’d like to monitor you for at least the next 48 hours or until we’re sure the kryptonite is out of your system. It’s important Kara. Please.” Kara huffed in annoyance. “You know I hate the bubble…” “I know. It’s not for long, I promise.” Alex heard her phone beep and took it from her pocket, glancing at it. “Sorry, I...we lost some agents in the field. I need to notify their families.” “Wait, what happened to you neck?!” Kara exclaimed, noticing the bruises around Alex’s throat. “Did you get hurt? Where are J’onn and Nia?” “I just…” Alex was cut off by her phone ringing. “I really have to take this, Kara. Oliver will explain what he can and I’ll be back in an hour. I promise. Just...sit tight” She forced a smile before she turned and hurried from the room. Kara turned her focus to Oliver as he walked closer. “Are J’onn and Nia okay?” “Nia is...Dreamer?” Oliver asked. He waited for Kara to nod before he continued. “She’s fine. She took a hit to the head but she’ll be okay. J’onn...I’m not sure. Alex said Godspeed took him somewhere and...threw him into an ice wall?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Anyway, he’s alive.” “Right.” Kara sighed in relief though she couldn’t help but still feel troubled by the news. “It’s good to see you. I would hug you but…” She lightly rapped on the solid barrier and Oliver nodded in response. “Oh! Um...Oliver, this is Lena Luthor. Lena, this is Oliver Queen.” “Luthor?” Oliver frowned. “I see my reputation precedes me.” Lena observed. “Oh! Not that Luthor. The good Luthor.” Kara hastened to explain. She smiled broadly as Lena glanced at her in surprise. “The best Luthor. I told you about her, remember?” “Oh.” Oliver held out his hand to Lena. “Well in that case it’s nice to meet you, Miss Luthor.” “Likewise.” Lena shook his hand briefly before letting go. “I take it you’re a friend of Kara’s?” “You could say that.” “Hey!” Kara pouted at the remark. “I’m kidding, Kara. Of course we’re friends.” Oliver shook his head in amusement. “Even if we do live on different earths.” Lena did a double-take. “Sorry, you what?” “Long story. I’ll explain later.” Kara answered quickly. “So how long are you staying? You’re not leaving right away, are you? We have to catch up! And I have to show you around the city!” Lena watched the two, a sickening feeling of jealousy creeping up on her as she watched Oliver laugh at Kara’s questions. She remembered when Kara used to get that excited over seeing her. Or their lunch dates. She cleared her throat before Oliver could reply. “I should be getting to work. I have some things I need to take care of.” Kara’s face dropped at the comment. “You’re leaving? But what about Alex?” “I’ll come back later.” Lena replied, keeping her gaze fixed to Kara. She could feel the archer’s eyes on her, watching her closely. She knew why. He didn’t trust her. That much was obvious from his earlier comment. She watched Kara nervously bite her lip. “I’ll stop by. I’ll bring takeout for you, okay?” Kara sighed softly. “You won’t be able to get it in the bubble.” “Right…” Lena frowned at the barrier separating them. “I’ll figure something out. I will be back though, I promise.” Kara nodded. “I’ll see you later then.” Oliver watched as Lena walked quickly towards the door and out of the room. He turned his gaze back to Kara whose shoulders were slumped in defeat. “What’s going on there?” “It’s...a long story.” “Seems to be the theme of today.” Oliver said quietly. He watched Kara pout for a moment before he continued. “Did I tell you I met my daughter from the future?” “What?!” Kara’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wha…? How? You have a daughter? What’s her name? What is she like? You have to tell me everything!” Oliver gave a soft laugh at Kara’s response. He had expected as much. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Kara hesitated for a moment before she nodded and sat down on the floor, cross legged. She gestured to the floor on the other side of the bubble. “Pull up a chair.” ----- Alex looked up at the sound of a soft knock on the conference room door. Her brow furrowed slightly when she noticed Lena. She gestured for the CEO to enter the room and Lena did so, closing the door behind her. “What can I help you with?” “I figured you’d have some questions for me.” Lena answered simply as she stepped toward the table. She skimmed her fingers over the back of one of the chairs but she didn’t sit down. “About what happened with Kara.” “I don’t have any questions at the minute.” Alex answered, watching Lena closely. “Besides...maybe one.” “You want to know who, besides me, could create a kryptonite fusion.” Lena had known the question was coming but it still stung when Alex nodded her head. “And you want to know if I made the weapon she was stabbed with.” “I have to consider it.” Alex answered hesitantly. “You were angry enough at Kara to steal myriad. And to imprison her in kryptonite.” Lena scoffed at the comment. “I wanted to hurt Supergirl, not kill her. I told you that. Why would I want her dead? We both know what would happen to the city without her. Is that all you need to ask me?” “What are you doing with my sister?” Alex got to her feet for the first time since Lena had walked into the room. She watched surprise flit across Lena’s features. “It doesn’t take a genius to work out what happened between the two of you last night. What I want to know is why it happened.” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think?” “I think Kara was under the influence of kryptonite.” Alex answered bluntly. “I want to know why you did it. It’s not as though you like her like that...is it?” “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Lena managed to retort though she was still reeling at Alex’s accusation. “Are you suggesting that I took advantage?” Alex was silent, staring intently at Lena for a moment. “Did you?” “Of course I didn’t!” Lena exclaimed, anger seeping into her voice. She gripped the back of the seat, hard and glared at Alex. “I didn’t do anything Kara didn’t want me to do. I didn’t know she was drugged! If I’d known I wouldn’t have let it happen!” “Why did you? I don’t understand. Kara told me you hate her.” “I’ve never said tha…” Lena trailed off, recalling that she had said those exact words to Kara. She felt suddenly sick. Kara had believed her enough to tell Alex about it. “I don’t hate her.” Alex sighed and sat back down, leaning back in her chair. “There’s something else I have to tell you.” Lena briefly gritted her teeth. “What?” “I spoke to Kara earlier.” Alex began, watching Lena carefully. “About everything that’s happened. And why she’s in the bubble.” “And?” “I thought you would want to know…” Alex hesitated for a second before she continued. “Kara doesn’t remember what happened...last night.” “What?” Alex frowned as Lena stared at her, dumbfounded. “She doesn’t remember what happened between the two of you. I didn’t tell her. Obviously. I thought you would want to figure that out.” Lena nodded numbly. “I-I should be going. Tell Kara that I’ll come back tomorrow morning.” “If you want to see her now, I…” “I don’t!” Lena exclaimed, causing Alex to flinch slightly. “It’s not what you think. I just need to gather my thoughts about all of this. I’ll be back.” With that said, she turned and hurried out of the room. Alex watched her go, concern written across her face. Resigning herself to not being able to do anything, she got to her feet. She supposed she would have to give Kara the bad news that it was pointless to wait up for Lena. TBC.

[rosewilliams1736]

This I Promise You  Chapter 3

TW: PTSD/PANIC ATTACK DISCLAIMER: This chapter is a little bit more intense than the previous ones and depicts both a minor panic attack and a minor character death.

If you would like to avoid both of those elements, please start reading at the bolded sentence that is just over halfway through that chapter.

I will provide a summary of these sections on my tumblr that is free of the aforementioned elements for anyone who does not want to miss any of the main plot points.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

******************************************************************************************

Kara clenched her teeth and set down the box of old ship parts she was holding. Her sister came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

Kara nodded toward her sister. “I’ll be fine. I just can’t shake this headache.”

“I bet getting some actual food in you will help. Mom and I talked before we left, and it sounds like she’s planning a feast for when we get back.”

Kara grinned. “Are we going to make potstickers? Oh god Alex, it’s been years since I had a pot sticker.”

“If Dickwell Lord actually holds up his side of the bargain this time, we can all have some potstickers.” Alex shifted her own box so that she could pick up Kara’s as well.

“I’ve got it.” Kara tried to argue, but Alex rolled her eyes.

“I can carry two half-empty boxes of parts Kara.” Alex smirked. “Besides, now my hands are full so I couldn’t possibly negotiate with Lord right now.”

A pout sprang to Kara’s face, headache momentarily forgotten. “Ah come on Alex, it’s your turn!”

Alex shrugged and took off to where the rest of their group was beginning to gather with the remainder of their goods. The older girl had her back turned, but Kara stuck her tongue out at her anyway.

Kara was seconds away from stomping over to the group and pulling Alex back to take care of her duties when she felt someone bump into her shoulder. She turned in time to see Leslie Willis brush by her.

“Don’t fuck this up Danvers. I’m sick of that loser taking advantage of us.”

“Thanks for the confidence Leslie. I’ve got it handled.”

“You better.” Leslie snapped over her shoulder.

“What a lovely girl.” The hairs on the back of Kara’s neck stood up at the sound of a familiar smarmy voice.

Kara forced a bright smile onto her face. “Maxwell.”

His appearance perfectly emulated his slimy personality. His hair was slicked back with so much product that Kara was sure that she could run into it with her speeder at full throttle and it wouldn’t budge.

“Kara.” He said as he placed a palm on the small of her back and started leading them to the loot pile. “It’s been some time.”

Kara’s entire body tensed, and she quickly stepped out of his reach. “Well, I’m sure it’s tough to make time in your busy schedule to get over to this side of the galaxy.”

“When you say it that way, you make me sound like a bad business partner. I’ve always gone out of my way to help you all.” He wasn’t only talking to Kara this time, but the small group that she’d brought with her on this mission as well.

Barry, James, and Alex stood stoically, staring directly at him while Winn and a handful of other members seemed to be taking a great interest in the floor beneath them. Leslie scoffed and threw a box down at Maxwell’s feet.

“Alright then, where the hell have you been?” Leslie snarled. “We haven’t heard from you in months and none of us have had a full meal in longer than that.”

Maxwell did not look at Leslie and instead began inspecting the fingernails of his right hand. “I don’t see how any of that is my fault. If anything, it sounds like you have a rationing problem.”

“Leslie…” Kara warned.

If Leslie heard Kara, she certainly didn’t act like it. She stepped closer into Maxwell’s space and pushed a finger into his chest.

“You can deflect all you want, but you’re still just a rich asshole who takes advantage of us every chance he gets.”

“Why don’t I do you a favor then?”  Maxwell looked down at Leslie with a dangerous smile as his eyes briefly flashed yellow. “How about I make it so your people have one less mouth to worry about feeding?”

With a flick of Maxwell’s wrist, Leslie went flying across the room and into the far wall. Her body crumpled to the ground and Maxwell turned toward the rest of the group with a smile. He was met with twenty blasters pointed in his direction.

“Oh please, tell me that she didn’t deserve that.”

A tense silence followed.

Maxwell let out a humorless laugh. “Now, we can all play nice and do what we came here to do, or the only things that your families will get out of this deal will be your remains. What’s it going to be?”

A bright red bolt shot across the room and struck Maxwell in the shoulder. He whipped around to see Leslie lying prone with her blaster trained on him.

He ground his teeth together and pulled his saber from his belt. “Looks like your decision has been made for you. Guards!”

The room was suddenly tinted red as blaster bolts filled the air and the saber in Maxwell’s hands lit up.

Alex began targeting the guards who had previously been standing unseen around the room, while Barry and James ushered Winn and the others out of the line of fire. Maxwell dashed off toward Leslie at a speed that was just a little too quick to be human. Kara attempted to follow him, but between his apparent enhanced speed and having to avoid stray blaster fire she struggled to keep up.

As she got closer, she watched Maxwell raise his saber over his head and brought it down toward Leslie, who had yet to get back to her feet. Kara raised her blaster and attempted to fire, but just as she did, it was struck by another bolt and was sent skittering across the floor. Desperately Kara dove at Maxwell and just managed to grab him by his knees and pull him to the ground.

Maxwell fell on his side with a hiss, just managing to roll away from the crackling blade of his own saber.

Kara pushed herself back to her feet and stood in between Leslie and Maxwell. “Get out of here!” She shouted over her shoulder.

Her back was still turned to Maxwell when she felt something white hot strike her wrist. She didn’t even have time to see what happened before panic filled her body as an invisible hand secured itself around her neck and cut off her air supply. Kara glanced down at Maxwell, only to see him back on his feet with one hand reaching in front of him in a choke hold and the other twirling his saber.

While his eyes had only flashed yellow for a second before, they were burning amber now. Fury twisted his features and it felt as though he was glaring into her very soul.

Kara fell to her knees and attempted to bring her hands to her throat but found that only one responded. The left one was no longer there. “Please.” She croaked

Maxwell smirked and walked over to Kara. “You see? Those are the kinds of manners I was expecting from the group of people that I feed and protect, but no. No, instead they insulted me and my business.”

Kara’s vision began to grow black at the edges and her lungs screamed for air. She frantically surveyed the area, looking for something, anything to help break her out of this. For a second, she thought she saw someone move behind Maxwell, but when she blinked, they were gone.

“I wonder how your mother is going to feel when she gets word of what happened here?” Maxwell continued his monologue. “She never did like me. Maybe I should deliver you and your sister to her doorstep myself? I can’t imagine she gets many visitors.”

A small droid came barreling toward Maxwell and ran into his leg. It wasn’t much of an impact, but it was just enough to distract him for a second as a pipe flew up and struck him across the jaw. He lost his grip on Kara and she fell forward, having to suck in a few gasping breaths before her lungs started to work again.

Just as the feeling of Maxwell’s grip began to fade, she felt a new one wrap around her shoulder. Barry stepped out from behind Maxwell and drew his blaster.

“Looks like even your droids can’t stand you. What’s that like man? I can’t imagine it’s much fun.”

That was the last sentence Kara could make out before a hand landed on her shoulder and Alex pulled her out of earshot. “Alex, no. We have to go back! Barry…”

“I know, he wanted me to get you out of here. I’m going back for him.”

A cry of pain rang out over the sounds of battle. Kara broke out of Alex’s grip and sprinted back toward Barry. Maxwell was kneeling down next to Barry’s unmoving body breathing heavily with a handheld tightly to his side.

Maxwell slowly turned to face them and started to smile. His triumph was short lived though, because seconds later, a blue saber blade appeared through the center of his chest. Surprise briefly flashed over Maxwell’s face before he fell face forward into the ground.

Barry collapsed back to the ground behind him.

“Barry!”

Kara and Alex ran over to Barry and knelt down beside him just as Maxwell had done just a moment ago.

“You’re going to be okay, just hang on. We’ll hail Eliza as soon as we get back to the ship and… and…”

Barry lifted a hand up and put it on Kara’s knee. “I don’t think we’re going to be that lucky today Kara.”

Tears began to stream down Kara’s face. “Please don’t Barry, you’re going to be okay.”

“Always the optimist. Here, Kara, take this. I don’t want anyone else to find it and accidently lose an eye.” He pushed his saber over to her.

“I can’t take that Barry; it wasn’t meant for me.”

Barry smiled weakly. “All it ever really did for me was hang uselessly on my belt. I’m sure you’ll find a good use for it.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Good.” Barry’s eyes slid closed.

The sisters watched as his breathes grew increasingly shallow before stopping all together. Kara turned to Alex and felt her sister’s arms wrap around her. They sat that way for a moment before the other members of their team wandered over to see what had happened.

With the help of Alex, James and a few of the others, they managed to pick up Barry and carefully bring him back to the ship. Kara walked a few paces behind them, cradling her left arm and trying to process what just happened.

She had nearly made it onto the ship when she felt something gently bump into the side of her leg. Kara glanced down to see the droid who had distracted Maxwell looking up at her. The droid was rusted and dented in a few places, but still seemed to be functioning at full capacity.

“Hey there little buddy.”

The droid beeped a few times in question.

“Of course, you can come home with us, you saved me back there, I owe you one.”

The droid beeped excitedly.

Kara nodded toward the ship.

“After you.”

***

“Kara. Kara. Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. Can you hear me?”

The tail end of the dream faded, and Kara’s eyes snapped open to see a familiar cockpit and an only slightly familiar face kneeled down in front of her. Her heart was racing, and she could feel herself hyperventilating.

“There we are. Alright Kara, what do you need? Does touch make it better or worse?”

“Better.” Kara breathed.

Lena nodded and slid her hand slowly into Kara’s. She gave Kara’s hand the gentlest of squeezes and began rubbing the back of Kara’s hand with her thumb.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Kara felt herself slowly start to calm down. Lena sat there the whole time: murmuring reassurances and doing her best to keep Kara grounded.

As Kara returned to herself, she began to take notice of how weak she felt. She looked down at the hand that was still held in Lena’s and found that it was paler than it had been even before Lena had saved her.

“I had to stabilize you again, but we’re nearing Tatooine now.” She looked up at Lena and the other woman gave her a reassuring smile while giving her hand another squeeze.

Everything had been so hectic when they had first met that this was the first time that Kara actually got to sit down and get a good look at Lena. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were bloodshot and carried dark circles beneath them while her shoulders were slumped under the weight of the day. Even still, her striking green eyes were locked on Kara.

“How are you feeling now?”

“A lot better.” Kara felt heat start to creep up her neck and into her checks. “I know I’ve already said it today but thank you. I wouldn’t have made it out of there alive without you. My mom would have killed me if that happened. Well, not killed, you can’t really do that if someone is already dead but...” Kara cleared her throat to stop her ramble. “Thanks.”

Lena gave her a soft smile and Kara could have sworn she saw a red tint to her ears. “You’re welcome.”

Lena kept her gaze on Kara’s for a moment too long, and just as Kara was preparing herself to try and speak again, Krypto started beeping loudly next to them. The attention of both girls snapped to the droid and they pulled their own respective hands back to themselves.

Kara nodded along with the droid as they described the situation. “It’s okay Krypto. We can still get there; it’s just not going to be pretty.”

Lena glanced back at Kara, her eyes pulled together in curiosity. “My droid is a bit rusty, I’m afraid I only caught half of that.”

Kara sat up straighter in her chair and hissed as pain shot up her leg. “Krypto said that we are starting to lose the…”

The ship shook violently and the control panel in front of them began to flash rapidly.

“Engines. Got it.” Lena said.

Kara made another move to get up, but Lena beat her to it, sliding easily back into the captain’s chair. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I can handle this.”

“Alright, but you’re going to have to let me show off my very impressive pilot skills some other time.”

Lena rolled her eyes with a smirk and turned back to the controls. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Kara watched as Lena’s hands expertly flew over the buttons. Lena kept her cool even as the ship fell rapidly out of hyperdrive and began barreling unsteadily toward a fast approaching Tatooine.

“Kara darling, does this ship have a radio? It may be wise to warn anyone who might be down there. I don’t know how much control I’m going to have by the time we get there.”

Did this ship have a radio? There was definitely one in her helmet, but she’d discarded that hours ago.

“I-I don’t know.”

“It’s too late now. I’ll try and land her as gently as I can, but it’s going to hurt. Hang on.”

As the ship grew closer to the ground, it began shaking violently. Lena’s knuckles were white on the navigational levers as she fought to keep the ship from colliding with sand dunes beneath them.

“Shit.” She said through clenched teeth as a small collection of domed buildings came into view.

Kara let out a nervous laugh. “Oh look, we made it.”

Lena glanced over at Kara for a second. “I’m sorry about your ship Kara.”

“Wait, what are you...?”

Lena forced the levers down and the ship angled downward. It lurched as it struck a dune and then another and one more before coming to a halt.

The cockpit was silent as the ship settled into the sand.

“Lena?” Kara sounded winded.

“Mm m’okay.” Lena said as she cut off her safety belt.

She rolled unceremoniously onto the floor, barely managing to catch herself on her hands and knees as she tried to regain the breath that her belt had knocked out of her.

Kara looked down at her with concern, ignoring the pain her own restraint had caused her. “Are you sure?”

Lena picked herself up and wiped the dust from her knees.

“I’m great, you on the other hand…”

Kara put her right hand over her chest and feigned offence. “Are you this nice to all the girls who release you from carbonite?”

“Only the lucky ones.” Lena said as she cut Kara free.

“Well then I’m honored, truly.”

“You know, you have awfully good manners for a scavenger.”

Lena offered Kara a hand and pulled her to her feet before wrapping a hand around her waist and guiding her back into the cargo bay.

“Well, for a scavenger you really um….”

“That’s okay, take your time.”

Kara bumped her shoulder into Lena’s. “Hey! I lost a lot of blood today, thinking is about as easy as trying to see through a dust storm right now.”

“I’ll make sure to keep the witty banter to a minimum until you’re better then.” Lena said playfully.

“You’re too kind.”

Lena pressed the button that released the ramp and she adjusted her grip on Kara to one that was more secure for the trek through the sand.

The ramp was only about half of the way down before a pair of hands appeared on the edge of the platform.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Lena drew her knife in the hand that wasn’t around Kara. At the same time, she felt Kara draw her blaster weakly beside her.

A head popped over the edge of the door and Kara dropped her weapon. “Alex!”

“Kara!”

Alex pulled herself up and onto the door before sliding down the incline towards them. She was on her feet in an instant.

She gave Kara a once over and frowned before turning on Lena. “Who the fuck are you, and what the hell did you do to her?”

Lena dropped her knife and held up her hand in surrender.

“She’s not a threat Alex. Her name is Lena and she’s the only reason that I’m still breathing right now.”

Alex didn’t take her eyes off of Lena.

“It is a long story and I’ll tell you every word of what happened, but not until we get Kara to a healer.”

Kara nodded, sweat glistening on her brow. “Seeing mom would be really nice right about now.”

Alex stepped up so that she was toe to toe with Lena. “I’ve got it from here.”

Lena held her ground and stared Alex down for a moment before eventually relenting and carefully withdrawing from Kara. Alex quickly took her place and began guiding Kara out of the ship.

Lena started to follow, but then stopped herself. What the hell was she even doing here? Sure, Kara had essentially given Lena her life back and she felt like she owed it to the girl to get her home. That was absolutely the only reason that she found herself standing on a nearly abandoned planet right now. Right? It wasn’t connected to the curious hum that had started in the back of her mind the moment Kara woke her up, or the fact that it felt a little bit like destiny that Kara had stumbled upon her in a place that she was never supposed to be found.

Either way, it definitely had nothing to do with how much she had grown to like Kara’s smile.

Lena pushed aside her thoughts. Tatooine is clear on the other side of the galaxy to where she needed to be. She’d check on Kara to make sure she was alright and then she’d take the first ship out of this place. It’s better for everyone that way. The last thing any of them needed was for the Luthors to track her here and turn this planet into an asteroid field.

“Lena?” Kara’s voice came from a distance.

“I’m disconnecting your droid; I’ll be right there!” She yelled back.

“It’s just a few days.” She said quietly to herself. “Everything else can wait for just a few days.” 

[supergirlfics]

Can you do a Lucy x B!D?Where the reader is a badass DEO agent married to her. Reader goes alone on a mission to find out some intel and it all turns to shit.They torture the Reader ALMOST to death for info about Kara and Alex, but the Reader won’t break.Maybe Lucy is losing her shit because the Reader has not been back for hours When she finds they Reader, her sisters and Lucy takes care of the Reader afterwards.❤️💙❤️

You’d lost all strength. You couldn’t even find it in you to hold up your head, so it slumped hopelessly toward the ground. Your arms hung above you, holding up the rest of your body that swung several feet off the ground. 

This was it. This was the end. You were sure of it.

It had started out as a covert mission into Cadmus. You went in undercover and alone. Lucy Lane, your wife - the love of your life - had tried to come with you, but you didn’t let her. This was your mission. You weren’t going to allow Lucy to put herself in harm’s way for you.

The mission quickly went sideways. You still weren’t sure how, but they discovered your identity. As soon as they had, the fight was over. You tried to flee, but even as you ran, you knew the attempt was futile. Guards sat at every corner. Alarms blared in your ears. 

As you ducked around a corner, you could feel a bullet tear through your leg. The intense pain slowed you down immensely. You became confused, disoriented. Your gun had been lost somewhere in the fray.

“Leaving so soon?” A woman appeared from around a corner. You knew that woman - it was who you had been sent gather intel on, though you hadn’t laid eyes on her until that moment. Evangeline Turner. 

She straightened her black pantsuit, heels clicking against the stone floor as she stalked toward you. Her blond hair was pulled into a tight bun, a sneer formed against her bright red lipstick, and her green eyes pierced you with their icy glow. 

“Ah, Miss Turner,” You said, trying to sound nonchalant as you leaned against the wall for support. “I was wondering when you would turn up. I’ve been hoping to speak to you.”

You could hear several guards behind you preparing to fire. Evangeline held up a hand. “Hold your fire. This one’s mine.” She stood far too close. One crooked finger hooked under your chin, forcing you to look up at her. With a deep breath, you tried to turn away, but she held your head firmly. “You will be very useful indeed.”

You moved to punch Evangeline, but she was quicker than you’d expected. She grabbed your hand, spinning you around so your arm was pinned behind your back. You could feel your shoulder dislocate and cried out in pain. “I see you don’t learn. Guards, leave us. I need to get to know this Agent Y/L/N better.”

“What are you going to do?” You asked.

“Oh, nothing too terribly painful. Yet.”

Evangeline shoved you forward and you stumbled before settling on an agonizingly slow pace on your injured leg. 

You arrived in a small room. It was dark, lit by a single bulb that seemed to be burning out. If it weren’t for the single, metal armchair, the room would have been empty. Evangeline shoved you into the chair and metal cuffs shot from the arms and legs to hold you firmly in place. 

“I hear you know Supergirl,” Evangeline said. “And Director Danvers? Is that true?”

You laughed. You weren’t going to tell her anything. 

“Listen here, Agent Y/L/N.” Evangeline gripped your arms, putting her face way too close to yours again. What was with villains and personal space? “If you know what’s good for you, you will speak.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” You spat. “I’m no traitor.”

A fist connected with your cheekbone. It stung, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle.

“That all you got?” You asked.

Evangeline strode to a spot on the wall near the door, exposing a panel. You heard the loud click of a button and then pain spread through your entire body. It was both electric and intensely cold. But you weren’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing you in pain, so you gritted your teeth and waited for the pain to subside. 

Eventually, you lost time. Evangeline threw everything at you, but still you wouldn’t break. You were beaten, waterboarded, electrocuted, given nothing to eat or drink. Bags formed under your eyes. Your throat became so sore, you didn’t think you could talk even if you wanted to. Your stomach held a constant ache that turned into a vivid, searing pain.

“Tell me what I need to know,” Evangeline said. “And your suffering will end.”

“You mean you’ll kill me,” You croaked. “Might as well get it over with because if you haven’t broken me yet, you’re never going to.” You spat blood from your mouth.

“Your precious Supergirl is never coming for you.” Metallic knuckles sslammed against your face. Once, twice. Eventually, the lies started to make sense. They seemed to become true. You were nothing but a toy to ripped apart. You were only a shell of your former self.

Eventually, Evangeline seemed to give up on drawing information. It was only then that you were removed from the chair. You were forced to walk, though your legs didn’t seem to work, down a series of long hallways before coming to a room rigged with ropes on a pulley system.

The ropes were tied around your wrists and you were hoisted into the air. You didn’t try to struggle. There was no strength remaining. You would die hanging in the air like a human punching bag. If you could even call this hollow form human anymore.

“Y/N!” 

You must have been hallucinating. The voice sounds like your wife. But that wasn’t possible. You were alone.

The door burst open and you flinched instinctively. Three figures appeared in front of you. But they weren’t Evangeline. They weren’t Cadmus soldiers at all. Supergirl, Alex, and Lucy stood before you. 

“Oh my -” Lucy’s hands covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. 

“Y/N,” Alex said. “Supergirl.”

Alex hadn’t finished the word before Supergirl was in front of you. You could feel your sister’s arms wrapped around you. You were scared - scared of any kind of touch. Your mind screamed in protest, but your body hung numbly. 

“It’s okay,” Supergirl said. “I’m here. You’re going to be okay.” She tore through the rope with her head vision and lowered you onto the floor. You arms fell over Supergirl’s neck as if you were hugging her, but you still didn’t move. You just wanted the nightmare to end.

You could feel hands fiddling with the rope that burned through your skin. You grunted at the pain, glancing up to see Alex through your glazed eyes as she worked to untie the thick knots.  

Lucy still stood by the door, frozen in horror. But when your wrists were untied and Supergirl lay you on the floor, she shook herself out of her stupor, rushing to join your sisters around you.

“Y/N,” Alex said. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

“Sweetheart,” Lucy said. “Talk to us. It’s okay. You’re safe now. We’re all here.” Lucy grabbed your hand and gave it a squeeze.

“She’s not responding,” Kara said. “Alex, is she going to be okay?”

You could hear there voices, but it was as if you were underwater. When they spoke, it was muffled and difficult to understand. 

“We need to get her back to the DEO,” Lucy said. 

“I’ll take her,” Supergirl volunteered. “Can you two get out of here on your own?”

“We’ll be fine,” Alex said. “Just go. Hurry.”

Supergirl lifted you into her arms. You were never big, but you felt as small and fragile as a young child or an emaciated dog. 

When your eyes opened, the first thing you noticed was how bright the room was You hadn’t seem bright lights in so long it hurt your eyes. The next thing you noticed was the comfortable bed beneath you. For a moment, you were fine. For a moment everything was okay.

But then the memories flooded back. Your heart and mind began to race as you struggled to get up. You felt something pressing into your skin, reached over, and ripped it out. The IV needle fell to the floor as your hand began to drip blood. But you didn’t care. You had to get out of there.

Just before you could your feet touched the ground, strong arms wrapped around you, holding you firmly in place.

You screeched. Screams echoed from your lungs as you thrashed.

“Hey, hey, it’s me. It’s Kara. You’re safe now. You’re in the DEO.”

You barely heard her over the sound of your screams. But she continued to speak soothingly, holding you against her. 

“You’re okay.” Kara repeated the words over and over until your screams started to fade and your struggling slowed to an occasional spasm. You weren’t fighting because you didn’t want to - you’d run out of energy. You couldn’t keep fighting. 

Alex and Lucy appeared in the doorway, staring at you with deep concern and Kara ran a hand through your hair and over your cheek, still repeating those same words.

Tears spilled from your eyes as Kara held you. There was only a small part of you that still recognized the people you loved so much.

“Hey Kiddo,” Alex said. “It’s going to be okay. You’re in the DEO now. Nobody can hurt you anymore.”

“Sweetheart,” Lucy said, brushing a hand carefully over your swollen face. “I’m right here. I won’t leave you.”

As you stared into their faces, it seemed to click who these people were. They were your family. You allowed your head to roll back onto Kara’s shoulder.

“That’s right,” Kara said. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”

“I promise,” Lucy said. “I will never, ever let you get hurt again.”

You stared into Lucy’s eyes, trying to communicate without words. You couldn’t seem to form them, so you hoped she understood. Hoped she knew it wasn’t her fault. A shaking hand reached toward her and she took it, turning it over to see blood dripping from where the IV had been.

“I got it,” Alex said, placing a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. 

You allowed Alex to bandage your hand and when she was done, she perched herself on the edge of your bed, stretching an arm around both you and Kara. 

“Are you in pain?” Lucy asked. She hadn’t moved from the chair at the bedside, but kept one hand on yours and the other on your knee. “Can you talk to me, sweetheart?”

You opened your mouth, but no words came out. Your head turned away from Lucy in shame. You couldn’t do what she was asking for.

“Hey,” Lucy said, adjusting so both hands rested on yours. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. Just know that I’m here and I love you.”

[melody-fox]

i finally got a fully chapter finished for Supergirl: Into the Superverse finished, so here yah go (below the cut)

feedback is liked and appreciated, so let me know what you think

@butimaloneandfree @aqueenthatisfrozen

also on ao3

“We’ve got sisters’ night tomorrow night, don’t forget,” Alex’s voice filters through her comm, the wind whistling through her ears. “It’s been too many weeks. I miss you.”

Kara smiles, speeding through the air to the fire Alex had just alerted her to. It really has been too long. With Kara getting increasingly busier between Catco and Supergirl, and Alex fully taking command over at the DEO, sister time had taken a backseat to all their other tasks. “Of course, how could I forget that? You’ve been planning it all week, you’ve been reminding me about it since Tuesday, and this is only the fourth time today that-”

“Alright, you stinker, I get it. I’m harassing you, and it’s probably getting annoying. I’m sorry, I’m just stressed about everything right now.”

“You and Maggie-”

“- finally decided to adopt? Yes, and now there’s paperwork, and meeting potential birth parents and I just- I want everything to be perfect and there are too many variables for me to watch out for and-”

“Al, take a deep breath, you’ll be fine,” Kara laughs, Alex’s adorable worried face coming to mind. Alex and Maggie have been going back and forth on the kids idea for years, first juggling their jobs and their relationship, then the wedding plans, then they both got promotions, and finally, finally, they have both agreed that now was a good time to start growing their little family. “You and Maggie have weathered through four years, a wedding, and several other disasters. You’ll be just fine.”

Alex sighs audibly. “I don’t know how you always know what I need to hear. Thank you. Have I told you recently how much I love you?”

She grins. “Yeah, but I like hearing it. Say it again.”

“Cheeky. I like it. Okay, fine. I love you, Kara.”

“Love you too, Alex.”

“Now, stop the mushy stuff, you have a fire to put out.”

“Oh, right!”

The fire takes only a few minutes to put out, and Kara waves to the firefighters and paramedics as she flies off. They wave back with grateful smiles on their faces, cheering her on. It’s moments like these that make so much of what she does worth it. She’d still do it if no one noticed, but knowing they know, that they watch and care fills her heart with warmth.

Touching down at her apartment, Kara superspeeds into the outfit she picked out for this evening.

(Lena has told her several times that it looks best on her, that it’s her favorite to see on her).

Kara has the whole evening planned out. It’s going to be amazing. Dinner at Gino’s (Lena’s favorite), chocolates from the Sweet Shop (also Lena’s favorite) and then a romantic walk by the bay along the beach (another Lena Favorite™).

All things tonight will be Lena’s favorite. Everything has to be perfect.

In a moment of brief panic, Kara checks her coat pocket one more time, as though she hasn’t done it twelve times in the last thirty minutes and several times a day ever since she bought the damn thing. Finding her treasure, she sighs in relief.

Oh, thank Rao. Still there.  

A tiny box carrying a beautiful ring worth so much more than the price she paid for it.

Though, for Lena, she’d pay any price.

Tonight’s the night.

Kara flies out the window - grateful that she's quick enough no one will notice it's her - and speeds off to L-Corp. She touches down in the alley just around the corner and walks the rest of the way into the building, through security ("Hey, Kevin, how are the kids?" "Great, thanks for asking!") and into the elevator.

The ride to the top is a lot longer when she's not flying, she muses, and carefully checks her wool coat for stray hairs. There are far too many for her liking, but it gives her hands something to do while her nerves are beginning to go a bit wild.

The elevator comes to a stop at the floor to Lena’s office, and Kara takes one last deep breath before the doors open.

“Hey, Jess! Is she still working?” Kara sidles up to Jess’s desk, leaning over the top as she says hello.

“She’ll stop working when she’s dead, Kara, we both know this," comes the deadpan response.

Jess is, in Kara’s humble opinion, one of the best humans on this entire planet, and Kara had worked overtime to get in her good graces. Jess has always been extremely protective of her boss, and Kara’s early efforts had been met with suspicious glares and raised eyebrows.

The first time L-Corp was attacked after Kara and Lena had started dating had been the turning point. It was also the same time Jess learned Kara was Supergirl.

(“Everything about you just became unbelievably clear.”

“Is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Don’t test me, you’re still on my shit list.”

“And you still scare me, so shutting up now.”)

“We’ll get her to stop, one day; you and me. Two woman army against Lena Luthor.”

Jess just shakes her head in exasperation. Three years of Kara dating Lena had taught her a lot about both of them. “If she doesn’t listen to you, she’ll never listen to me. You have far more sway than I do.”

“I know, but she listened to you for years before she ever met me.”

“True,” Jess smirks, her ego sufficiently stroked. “Now,” she looks around the empty hallway conspiratorially. “Have you got it?” she whispers, even though there’s no one else there to listen.

Kara grins broadly, hoping her nervousness about the big moment doesn’t show as much as she feels it and pulls out the tiny box.

Jess ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ over the ring, she and Kara grinning giddily at each other. Jess gives it one more fond look before quickly shutting the box and handing it back to Kara. “Who’s taking the photos tonight?"

“James. He and Lucy are going to be hiding behind… oh, I don’t know, whatever James the Giant can fit behind and they’ll be recording and snapping photos for me.”

“Only the best photographer in National City for Lena Luthor.”

“Of course. She deserves the best of everything.”

“Okay, you romantic sap, get in there,” Jess laughs, waving Kara away. With a wink, she says, “I want to see all of the photos. Go make her day, Supergirl.”

Kara winks back at her and pushes open the office doors.

“Kara, darling, what are you doing here?” A tired smile lights up her face, and Lena Luthor stands up to give Kara a tight hug, all the work she’d previously been engrossed in completely forgotten on her desk.

“Well, I missed my favorite person, and suddenly I found myself here,” she says, giving Lena an affectionate squeeze.

Kara can feel Lena’s face heat up even before she pulls away. Never going to get tired of seeing that. Smiling, Kara says, “What about you? Why are you still here? Today's Friday. It' five o’clock! It’s the weekend.”

Lena sighs, gesturing to the paperwork on her desk. “A CEO never rests, though I think at this point I might kill someone to let me back into R&D. I never should have let Lex talk me into this job. He’s the talker, I’m the scientist. Why am I here signing every other damn paper that comes through the door and he’s off-”

Kara cuts off her rant by tugging her in and shutting her up with a kiss. Lena melts into it, and Kara smiles against her.

Pulling away, she says with mock confusion, “Sorry, what were you saying about Lex?”

“You play dirty, Danvers, that was not fair,” Lena replies breathlessly.

“Only for you.”

“I love you.”

Kara smiles softly. “I love you, too.”

Giving her another kiss, Lena asks, “So, what are you actually doing here? I planned to finish up in an hour, you’re early.”

Play it cool, Danvers. This is going to be a wonderful surprise if you can just play it cool.

“Well,” she starts, “you’ve had a long busy week, preceded by a long, busy month, and you’ve been stressed out of your mind working on this new campaign, so I thought I should take you out for a nice night, good food, pretty walk along the beach. Whadda you say?”

“Sounds like a wonderful idea,” she says, punctuating each word with a kiss.

“Hm. You agree?” Kara smiles blissfully.

“Absolutely. Let me get my coat and we can head right out.”

Oh. That was easy. Kara had expected Lena to put up a bit more of a fight. This project she’d been working on had been consuming most of her time for the last few months. “You gave up on working very easily. Easier than usual. Getting soft on me, are you, Luthor?”

Lena laughs, the melodic sound Kara fell in love with muffled as she’s reaching into her closet to pull out her coat. “Is that such a bad thing?”

Kara just smiles at her in response, and together they walk hand in hand out to the elevator, bidding a grinning Jess good night.

Kara’s hand has a tight grip on the box in her pocket, and she wills the universe to please please please let this night go right.

(The universe doesn’t tell her that Lena is doing the exact same thing.)

//

Three hours later, they’re walking along their favorite stretch of beach, hand intertwined and barefoot despite the early fall chill.

“Thank you so much for this, Kara,” Lena says, leaning into her warmth. “I really needed this today.”

“Anything for you, Lena. Always,” Kara murmurs.

They come to a stop at their favorite spot, one most people don’t know about. The sunlight reflects off the surface of the ocean, illuminating the green of Lena’s eyes.

Her phone buzzes quietly in her pocket. That better be James or Lucy letting her know they’re ready. Oh, they better be. Because she’s losing her nerve, her stomach is doing belly flops, and Lena’s eyes can only look so amazing in the light of the setting sun before she completely loses the ability to speak.

Rao, help her tongue remember the words she wants so desperately to say to this wonderful woman at her side.

“Something on your mind?”

Ever observant, Lena pulls her out of her reverie with a mildly worried expression on her face.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, um, there’s something I want to say to you.”

The worried expression only grows. “Yeah? What?”

Here she goes.

Swallowing hard, Kara turns and takes both of Lena’s hands in hers. Stroking her thumb along Lena’s knuckles, she takes a deep breath and begins.

“Lena, when my parents sent me away, when my planet, my people and my culture were all destroyed, I never thought I’d be happy again. I never thought I’d feel whole again. And, marriage was the last thing on my mind.”

Memories of high school, college, and every relationship she’s had outside of her close-knit groups of friends replay through her mind. The feelings of worthlessness, failure, and self-hatred were hard to overcome, but she got there eventually. Because of Alex, because of Winn, because of J’onn, because of James, Lucy, Maggie, Nia, and Brainy. And most of all, Lena.

Kara is nervous, her hands are shaking, and it feels like everything is coming out wrong, but Lena is smiling and looking at her the same way she always has, with love and adoration in her eyes. And she knows, she just knows that this is all worth it, that this is what she wants, Lena is what she wants. A life with her is all she could ever want right now.

“You changed all that.” There are tears in both of their eyes. Lena’s grip on her hands tightens, and she steps just a bit closer as Kara continues. “For the first time in over fifteen years, I feel perfectly at home. You made me feel like the most amazing person - me, Kara Danvers - without even knowing what I could do, where I was from, that I was Supergirl. You forgave me for hiding who I really was from you for years because I was too scared to risk losing you. And I never want to lose you. Ever.

“So, Lena Luthor,” she reaches into her coat pocket, pulling out the ring she’s been hiding for three weeks, and kneeling down in the sand, arm outstretched. “Would you marry me?”

Lena hides her broad, tearful grin behind her hands for one terrifyingly long moment before she pulls them away to take Kara’s hands again.

“Kara, can I tell you something you’ll find outrageously amusing?” she says, laughing through her tears.

“Only if it’s yes. Please, Rao, say yes.” She knows she sounds desperate, but hey, she's proposing to Lena Luthor.

Still laughing and crying, Lena reaches into her pocket and pulls out a ring box of her own. Dumbfounded, Kara stands, laughing right along with Lena. “Seems you beat me to it. I was going to ask you next week. I had a trip to Paris planned, a week in the city for the two of us and-”

For the second time that evening, Kara cuts Lena off with a kiss.

She can hear James and Lucy quietly whooping and squealing over the sandbank, just far enough away not to be noticed, but close enough to capture this moment in time.

Lena smiles against her as they pull apart from the kiss, foreheads still touching. “How can we be so in tune and yet so out of sync with each other at the same time?”

“I don’t know, but I’d rather be in tune and out of sync with you than with anyone else on this wonderful planet of yours.”

Lena laughs again, and Kara thinks she’d die happy if that was the last thing she heard. “Kara Zor-El Danvers, you’d better stop. You’ve already made me cry once this evening. My mascara can’t take any more.”

“So, is it a yes? You’ll marry me?”

“Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!”

“Oh, thank Rao, cause I don’t know what I’d do if you said no.”

“Stop joking, and let’s exchange rings already.”

“Good idea.”

Two rings and several kisses later, Kara turns away to call over her shoulder, “You guys can come out now!”

Lucy pops up immediately, giggling like a maniac. “I can’t believe you two idiots both got each other rings, that is so sappy and romantic!” she yells at them as she bounds over the sand, slipping wildly in her shoes.

James follows with a wide grin on his face, his camera slung over his shoulder. “Kara, the timing was just right. The light was incredible.”

“Oh, thank goodness, it’d be really dumb if we went to all this trouble and the photos turned out bad,” Kara laughs in relief.

“How long have you had this planned?”

“At least three years-” she deadpans before her phone starts ringing. Her work phone, not her regular phone.

“Hold on a minute, this is Alex." Into the phone, "Hey, Alex, where’s the fire?”

“We’ve had a development with Cadmus. I’m going to need you to come down to the DEO, we don’t have a lot of time.”

Kara sighs. Of course, she couldn’t have just one evening of peace. “I’ll be right there.”

James and Lucy are wearing sympathetic looks. Lena smiles sadly and gives her a soft kiss. “You go save the world, I’ll meet you back at the apartment, okay?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

//

Kara lands on the balcony of the DEO not two minutes later and makes a beeline for her sister. No time for chit chat today, she’s got a fiance to get back to.

“Alex, what have you got for me?”

Alex Danvers, direct as always, wastes no time getting straight to the point. One of the things that makes her so effective as Director and a quality Kara has always admired in her sister.

“We’ve intercepted intelligence that has helped us pinpoint a few possible locations for Cadmus facilities around National City. We’re going to send teams to raid all of them, and I’d like your help with one. Brainy will be joining another, and J’onn will be on the third. I want all of our bases covered.”

“Alright, which one-”

“-hold up a minute, I’ve got a little more information for you.” Alex sighs, looking down for a moment before meeting Kara’s eyes. “Supergirl, we will likely be finding prisoners and aliens in the facility, and I’d be surprised if any of them haven’t been experimented on. Be careful, and be ready. We don’t know what we’ll find there.”

With a single look, Alex is able to communicate to Kara everything she didn’t say. Meaning… Kal might be in there. Hope rises in her chest, but the tension in Alex’s face tells her to reign it in.

Don’t get your hopes up only to have them be dashed. It has been sixteen years since she landed here on Earth, and she’s never found Kal. Never seen another Kryptonian pod, and every rumor of powered beings has fizzled out into nothing.

But maybe… maybe her wait is coming to an end. Maybe Kal is alive.

It’s too many wonderful things at once. A fiance, and now possibly finding her long lost cousin after all these years. Kara takes a deep breath to steady herself.

But if he’s been in that facility, at the mercy of Cadmus this whole time... There will be hell to pay, and Kara will burn them all to the ground. Suddenly it’s a lot harder to reign in her strength, and Kara gives all the expensive technology in the room an extra foot of room. Heads are going to roll once she gets there, no one and nothing here at the DEO needs to suffer the consequences.

“Where do you want me?”

Alex types a few things into her tablet, calling up a site located in National City’s old and nearly unused docks on the monitors. “This building is most likely the facility with the greatest security and therefore the greatest potential threat. Given that you carry a bit more power than Brainy and J’onn, I’d like you on that team.”

“And where will you be?”

Alex grinned, “Right behind you, just like old times.”

Kara smiles back, though not as brightly. There are still too many thoughts rushing through her head.

Kal, Kal, Kal, Kal, Kal.

Even if he’s there, I’m still too late. I wasn’t there. He grew up without me.

And he won’t even know who I am-

“Kara.” She looks up, and her sister is there, hand on her shoulder, with support, and love in her eyes. “If he’s there, we’ll find him. We’ll bring him home.”

She nods, not trusting her voice right now. Alex pulls her in for a hug, and Kara holds her as tightly as she can without breaking her human sister. She takes a deep breath after Alex lets her go, and watches as Director Danvers moves on to direct the three teams to get ready to head out.

“You’ll meet us there?”

“Uh, yeah.” Kara starts backing out toward the balcony. “I think I’ll do some recon first, make sure it’s safe for you guys to move in.”

“Be careful. We’ve still got sisters’ night tomorrow.”

“Always am.”

“No, you’re not!”

“Ah, you know me so well."

"Hey," Alex says, stopping just before she heads off to coordinate the last of the preparations. Kara turns towards her. “I love you, Kara.”

Kara smiles. “I love you too, Alex. See you in a few.”

//

The sun is long gone when Kara lands outside the hidden Cadmus facility down by the docks. The cold doesn’t bother Kara, never has, but the dark has always been something she tries to be wary of.

It reminds her too much of the Phantom Zone. The years she spent there. The time lost. Astra... Those are never good memories to relive.

And it’s easier to blow out her powers at night. No sun to recharge with, as she has learned several times over.

Gotta be extra careful tonight. Too much to lose.

Using her x-ray vision, Kara scopes out the best door to use as an entrance. Hailing her sister on the comms, “Alex, I think the best entrance for your team will be on the Southwestern side. I’ll leave a mark for you.” She carves a star on the exterior brick with her heat vision.

“Thanks for the tip, Supergirl.”

The door opens will very little effort on the part of the Kryptonian, locks falling to the ground, ripped apart like they were made of butter.

It’s dark inside. And quiet. Eerily quiet.

Stepping into the facility, Kara keeps her ears open and her eyes moving. She passes several rooms that have no one in them but are filled with various pieces of tech and science equipment. She finds a large room that looks a bit like the command center at the DEO and quickly scans it with her x-ray vision. No one here.

But, there’s a computer that hasn’t been signed out of yet. Whoever was using it previously must have left in a hurry and forgot to close out.

She calls her sister again on the comms.

“Hey, Alex, it looks like there’s no one here. Someone must have tipped them off, or Cadmus actually believes in having a life outside of your job.”

“What? What do you mean no one is there?”

“I mean no one is here. This place looks empty.”

“Dammit. The whole point of a raid is to catch people by surprise,” Alex grumbles. “Okay, thanks for the heads up. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“Yeah, no problem, Al, take your time. There’s an open computer, I’m going to do some digging.”

“Alright, we’re twenty minutes out.”

“Really?” Kara chuckles a bit despite the situation. “Man, you guys are slow!”

“Hey, I had to get three squads ready. Not all of us can fly!”

Kara grins sheepishly, “Point taken. See you in a few.”

Alex signs off and Kara sits down to snoop through the Cadmus information. Honestly, it’s a bit too easy, finding a computer open like this, tonight of all nights. “Someone’s losing their job for irresponsibility,” she mutters darkly, moving the mouse around to find the cursor.

She pulls up the file browser and begins searching through their documents. Much of it doesn’t make sense to her, it’s all coded in a way she doesn’t understand, but something catches her eye.

It’s a large share file, hundreds of gigabytes of data contained in it, and the folder name is just two letters: Kr.

Kara had spent enough time with Alex memorizing the periodic table for their chemistry classes to know the atomic symbol for Krypton.

Could this be it?

Could this be Kal?

Her stomach twists and suddenly she doesn’t want to see, she doesn’t want to know, to know what they’ve done to her cousin, her baby cousin. She hasn’t seen him in over fifteen years, and oh Rao, he’d be a teenager now, he’s older than she was when she left Krypton and he has no idea, he has no idea who he is or where he came from.

A sudden panic comes over Kara, and she frantically clicks on the folder, skimming through the next batch of folders it opens up to:

52-001-KR-PRELIMINARY_TESTING

52-002-KR-GEMMINI_PROTOCOL

52-003-KR-SUBJECT_GROWTH

52-004-KR-OUTREACH_OPPORTUNITIES

52-005-KR-PROJECT_SUMMARY

Moving the cursor over each of them, she decides to start with the summary. Get the gist of everything, no matter how horrible it can be because she doesn’t have time.

There are several files in the summary folder, and so Kara just opens all of them and starts looking through the first one that loads.

There are photos. Many photos. That’s her pod- no, that’s Kal’s pod. Oh, Rao, they found him. When did they find him? When did he crash here?

The date on the photo of the pod tells her it’s been ten years since he landed and her heart skips a beat because it’s been ten years, but thank Rao it hadn’t been any longer than that. Her blood boils as she goes to look through the remaining photos, and one thought becomes especially prominent in her mind.

Everyone in this building is going to burn. If any of them are left, they are all going to burn for this.

The last few photos are extremely confusing. The boy shown in them looks like a much younger version of her Uncle Jor, but he looks a little too old to be the age Kal should be, based on the pod crash date. Could that be him? Is that him? Is that Kal-

A loud crash behind her takes her attention away from the computer, her ears tuning in to the rest of the building, trying to narrow down the location of the sound. She finds it in seconds, and her jaw sets as she curls her fingers into fists.

Whoever they are, they are going to pay for what they’ve done to Kal. They are going to pay. They are all going to pay.

[fangzeronos]

Supergirl No More

It’d been two weeks since Supergirl had stopped Lex. In the days since, Lena had been more and more distant, not answering Kara’s calls or texts, even turning her away at LCorp, as well as the sparse appearances in CatCo. Kara sighed softly as she felt her friendship with Lena crumbling, hoping she didn’t do anything wrong.

 Walking into the apartment after a long day at work and a quick dinner with Alex, Kelly, Nia, and Brainy, Kara set her bag on the counter and took her glasses off, rubbing her eyes softly before pulling her hair down and tossing her coat onto the rack. “Lena, what did I do wrong?” she asked the air, sinking into the chairs at the table, resting her head on her hands softly.

 “You lied,” Lena’s voice said, causing Kara to whip around and see the CEO standing on the balcony, arms crossed over her chest as a suit of armor receded from her body. “You lied to me, Kara.”

 “Lena,” Kara said, walking over and forgetting her glasses and that her hair was down. “Why…are you coming in through the balcony? Is that the Lexosuit?”

 “Yep,” Lena said, letting her arms fall. “I want the truth. Is this you?” She threw a tablet at Kara, the same video Lex showed her playing on the screen, showing Kara blowing Mercy’s agents down in the LCorp hallway, walking out of a fire, torching the Red Daughter’s cell in Kasnia with her heat vision. “Is that you? Answer me, Danvers.”

 Kara sighed softly, setting the tablet down and closing her eyes as she nodded softly. “Yes, Lena. I’m Supergirl,” she said. “I really wanted to tell you so many times. I tried on the way back from Kasnia that night. When you were saying I was the only person you could trust and who hadn’t lied. When I asked you to turn around? I…I was going to tell you right then.”

 Lena narrowed her eyes. “Three years you kept this from me. You never told me. I should have seen it, but I was too stupid to realize it. Maybe my mother’s right. Maybe I can’t trust anyone. Everyone eventually lies and leaves me anyway,” she said, turning her back to Kara before looking over her shoulder as the Lexosuit formed back around her body. “Lose my number, stop coming around LCorp. You won’t be fired from CatCo, but we’re not friends anymore, Kara. Go to hell.” The helmet closed and she walked off of the balcony, flying off into the darkening skies.

 Kara sank to the floor, her hands clenched in her skirt as she felt tears falling down her cheeks rapidly. “Ah!!” she screamed, lashing out and swinging her fist through the couch, anger and regret filling her heart. “Goddamn it!” She forced herself up after a few minutes, wiping her eyes before she went to her room and changed into sweats, sitting on her bed and drawing her knees up.

 Over the next couple of days, Kara was on autopilot, feeling like she’d lost the last “human” connection she had on Earth that didn’t work for the DEO. She responded to calls, met with Alex and told her what happened with Lena, though her sister seemed less interested then she normally would have, and went through the motions and went through life, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. Putting on her cape and tunic, it felt like she was wearing a thousand pounds of lead weights.

 The morning of the third day, Kara landed outside of J’onn’s office, walking in and sighing softly. “J’onn?” she asked, looking around.

 J’onn walked in from the back, smiling softly. “Kara. This is a surprise this early,” he said. “What can I do for you?” He looked at her bloodshot eyes, and he walked over to her, taking her hands. “Kara? What’s wrong?”

 Kara broke down again, telling J’onn everything that happened with Lena. She sat down and wiped her eyes, feeling J’onn sit beside her. “I don’t know what to do, J’onn. I don’t know how to deal with this. She hates me, and she’s got good reason, but…I didn’t want to lose her.”

 J’onn nodded, falling silent. “I can’t read your mind, Kara, but I know how you feel about Lena Luthor. Nothing any of us can say to her will change her mind about what’s happened, so the most we can do is just give her time and hope that she comes around eventually.”

 “Or snaps and kills me,” Kara said. She bit her lip, getting a bad idea before looking at J’onn. “Do you have any Kryptonite? Just a spare piece?”

 J’onn nodded. “I do.”

 “Can I have it, please?” Kara asked. “I’m not going to poison myself, if that’s what you’re thinking. I…I want to get rid of Supergirl. All she’s done for the city, I can’t do it anymore. As long as I have my powers, I’ll be tempted to use them and help people, and I don’t want that anymore.”

 J’onn sighed, looking at Kara before he got up and walked over to the bookshelf, pulling it back and opening a safe, pulling out a small lead box before handing it to Kara. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but please be safe and careful. I do not want to see you hurt, and I know what it would do to Alex.”

 Kara nodded softly, taking the box and holding it tight. “I’ll be fine. I’ll go talk to Alex, tell her I’m taking a bit of a break and then I’m going home where my breach device is. I need to go to Earth-1.”

 J’onn nodded, giving Kara a hug as she stood up. “Just promise me that you won’t do anything stupid.”

 Kara nodded softly, hugging J’onn back and closing her eyes. “I promise,” she said.

 She tucked the box into her pocket and walked out, making her way into the alley before taking off for the DEO. She landed and told Alex what was going on, saying she was taking a little vacation to Earth-1 and that she’d be back in a few days before flying off back to the apartment. She walked in and shut the door to the balcony, grabbing her journal. She packed a bag and tucked the box in it, grabbing her breach device before opening the portal and walking through to Earth-1, landing on the floor of S.T.A.R. Labs.

 Caitlin Snow, also known as Killer Frost, looked over as the camera caught the breach, jogging down to the Cortex and smiling softly. “Kara, hi.”

 “Hi, Caitlin,” Kara said with a soft smile. “You the only one here? I really need a favor, and…you guys are the only ones I trust right now to do this.” She took the box out of her bag and opened it up, the dull glow of the Kryptonite filling the room, a green tinge creeping up Kara’s neck as she did.

 Caitlin’s eyes got wide, reaching out and snagging the box from Kara’s hands and shutting it. “Are you allergic to this stuff?” she asked, panic in her voice. “Are you insane?”

 “Maybe a little,” Kara said. “And yeah, I am. But…I need you to make it Gold Kryptonite if you can. I—I want to take my powers away for good. I don’t want to be Supergirl anymore.”

 Caitlin bit her lip and nodded. “Ok. I won’t ask why, but I will be curious the entire time I’m working.” She glanced down and saw the bag in Kara’s hand, cocking an eyebrow. “Vacation?”

 Kara nodded. “I needed to get away from Earth-38. I don’t know where I’ll stay.”

 “With me. No questions asked and no saying no,” Caitlin said with a smile. “Superpowered girl time.”

 Kara nodded. “Yeah. Should be fun,” she said with a bit of a smile. She looked over as she heard footsteps, smiling when she saw Barry. “Hey, Barry.”

 “Kara!” Barry said, running over and hugging the Kryptonian. “What’re you doing here? Is everything alright?”

 Kara nodded, hugging Barry back. “Yeah. It’s fine. I just needed a break from my Earth. Personal stuff I don’t…really want to get into right now.”

 Barry nodded, smiling softly. “Got it,” he said. He knew Kara was hiding something and not telling him, but he knew better then to make her mad. “So…what’s going on?”

 Caitlin smiled. “Just going run some experiments on something Kara brought me,” she said. “See what I can discover.”

 Kara nodded. “I’m going to stay with Caitlin when I’m here. I don’t think Earth-38 money would be any good on Earth-1.”

 “Probably not,” Barry snickered. “I’m heading back up. Iris was on the phone with Joe and Cecile, maybe she’s off.”

 “We’ll come with you. I saw Kara on the camera so that’s why I was down here,” Caitlin said, tucking the small box into her hands and following Barry and Kara.

 Over the next few days, as Caitlin worked on the Kryptonite, Kara explored Central City since she’d never really been able to the last few times due to world ending crises. She knew in her head what she was doing was stupid, and she could feel the tugging on her heart to reconsider her plan, but she knew she’d never be happy with balancing Kara Danvers and Supergirl.

 “Kara Danvers is who I am,” she reasoned with herself in the reflection on the door on the fourth day she was in Central City. She walked into the Lab and yelped when Caitlin grabbed her arm and yanked her into the lab, huffing when she got pushed into the chair. “Good morning to you too, Caitlin.”

 “I think I might have it,” Caitlin said, turning her monitor. “Kryptonite is…difficult to get a reading on since it’s alien, but I managed it. I’ve got it processing right now, so it should be ready this afternoon.”

 Kara smiled a bit and nodded. “Alright. Thank you, Caitlin, really. I…I couldn’t ask my sister to do this, and Lena, well, the less said about Lena the better.” She sighed softly, rubbing her arms.

 “Honey talk to me. Please,” Caitlin said. “You wouldn’t ask me for something like this if you didn’t have a reasoning.”

 Kara sighed softly, telling Caitlin about having to hide being Supergirl from Lena, one of the women she trusted most in National City and how she finally found out the truth from Lex. After explaining about the confrontation and how Kara didn’t defend herself, the blonde sank into her chair and drew her knees up. “I can hear her heartbeat, Caitlin. I focus, and I can hear her no matter where she is on Earth. Lena was the one person that…made Kara Danvers feel like she meant something, and not just as a cover for Supergirl. To hear her say that I wasn’t her friend and that I could go to Hell? I wanted to get so drunk I passed out, but I’m an alien and most of Earth’s booze can’t touch me.”

 Caitlin nodded. “I don’t know if it’s the same, but…after Barry changed Time a couple of years ago and created Flashpoint, I got my Killer Frost powers. Well, I’d had them all along, but Flashpoint just unlocked them. That’s not the point. The point is, I hid them from Barry and Cisco for as long as I could, but she finally got control. Barry and Cisco never gave up on me. Personally, I don’t think taking your powers is a good idea, especially with the looming autumn get-together, but it’s your choice,” she said with a small smile, looking over as her computer beeped. “Oh. It’s done. That was quick.”

 Crossing the room and grabbing the Gold Kryptonite from the case it had formed in, Caitlin took it over to Kara. “Don’t know why it’s spiky like that, but aesthetic, I guess. Nothing can ever be normal for a Tuesday in Central City,” she said with a smile. “I will leave this with you. I’ll put it in the cabinet in the lead box until you’re ready.”

 Kara nodded softly. “Alright. Thank you, Caitlin. Really. I couldn’t take this to Alex because I knew she’d flip out on me, and I knew you wouldn’t ask too many questions,” she said, watching the cold scientist put the Kryptonite away. Waving goodbye to Caitlin who decided to do a lunch run, Kara got up and walked over to the cabinet, opening it and taking the lead box out and setting it on the desk. She opened it and looked down at the gold spiked ridges of the manufactured Kryptonite, and she picked it up softly, surprised by how light it was. She sighed and bit her lip, nodding. “Goodbye superpowers. Goodbye, Supergirl.”

 Taking a deep breath, Kara held the dagger tightly in both hands before stabbing it into her stomach, yelling as she hit the ground, curling up and shaking as she felt the Kryptonite coursing through her body. That was the last thing she remembered as her eyes fluttered shut, her hands falling off of the Gold Kryptonite and her world went black.

 Half an hour later, Barry walked into the Cortex, looking around before seeing the light on in Caitlin’s office. “Huh. She never leaves the light on,” he muttered, jogging over and nudging the door open. He walked over and shut the cabinet, turning and stopping when his foot nudged something on the floor. He looked down and felt his heart stop as his eyes got wide. “Kara!” He picked her up and zipped across the lab, laying her on a medical bed before he hit his phone and sent an alert. “Kara, talk to me!” He moved her hands and saw the Kryptonite, pulling it out slowly and grabbing a towel to stop the blood flow.

 Caitlin ran in, running over to Barry. “Kara!” she yelled. “Goddamn it, I shouldn’t have left her alone.”

 “Caitlin, I want an explanation,” Barry said, pushing Kara’s shirt out of the way as he started cleaning the wound. “Now!”

 Caitlin told Barry everything Kara had said, watching Barry’s eyes go from angry to sympathetic in a few seconds. “I didn’t know she was going to do this, Barry. I thought she’d just hold onto it and we’d test it to see if she still had her powers. I didn’t know she was going to try and kill herself!”

 As the next day crept along, Barry and Caitlin both stayed near Kara, Iris even checking on her once in a while. On the second morning after stabbing herself, Kara sighed as she slowly woke up, pressing her hand to her head and one to her stomach as she tensed up in pain, looking around softly.

 “Kara,” Iris said with a gentle smile as she looked up from her phone. “Thank God. What were you thinking?”

 “I was…getting rid of my powers,” Kara whispered. She strained to try and hear anything outside of the room, closing her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks softly. “They’re gone…I can’t hear anything out of the Lab.”

 “Of course, they’re gone,” Barry said as he walked in, sitting beside Iris and putting his hand on Kara’s arm. You almost died, Kara. If I hadn’t seen the light on in Caitlin’s lab, who knows when someone would have found you. Why would you be that reckless?”

 “Because…I am sick of my powers always costing me people I love, Barry,” Kara said, looking over at her friend. “You can’t tell me you’re not sick of it, too. H.R., your parents, Eddie. Everyone you’ve lost.”

 Barry nodded, sighing softly. “But I wouldn’t give up what gives me the ability to save the ones I can.”

 Kara opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped as pain surged through her. “Ow…fuck!” she groaned, doubling up and wincing. “Oh…I’m not used to this…”

 “You’ll get used to it,” Barry said, squeezing Kara’s hand softly. “Two more days in the bed, and then you can up and walk.”

 “Yes, Dr. Allen,” Kara said with a light salute.

 After being allowed to get up from the bed, Kara gathered her things from Caitlin’s and got ready to go home, deciding it was time since she’d been gone nearly two weeks. Standing in the middle of the lab, she hefted her bag over her shoulder softly, the portal device in her hand.

 “Be careful,” Barry said, hugging Kara tightly. “No powers means no running into burning buildings or trying to stop cars, Kara.”

 “Yes, sir,” Kara said, hugging Barry back. “I’ll be safe. I’m going home, going to call Alex and take the ass chewing I know is coming, and…hopefully going to be getting on with my life. My depowered life.” She hugged Iris and Joe, biting her lip as she looked at Caitlin. “Caitlin, I—”

 Caitlin hugged Kara, shaking her head softly. “It’s alright. You don’t have to explain to me,” she said, rubbing Kara’s back. “Just don’t be a stranger, alright?”

 Kara smiled softly and nodded. “Alright,” she said, stepping back and turning around. “Bye, guys.” She hit the portal and walked in, popping out back in her apartment. She walked over and unlocked the door, sighing softly before she turned her phone on and texted Alex to come over after work, saying they needed to talk.

 An hour later, Kara set her glass down as she heard the door, looking over and seeing Alex walking in with a pair of pizzas. “Hi, sweetie,” the older Danvers said, kissing Kara’s head and setting the pizzas down. “What’s so super important I had to rush over from the DEO?”

 Kara sighed, standing up and making her way into the kitchen before taking a knife. “Watch,” she said, holding her hand up and cutting her fingertip. She set the knife down and turned her hand, blood trickling down her finger.

 “What the hell!?” Alex yelled, jumping up and running into the kitchen. “Kara Danvers, what in the hell!?”

 Kara washed her hands and bandaged her finger, not meeting Alex’s eyes as she told her what she’d been doing on Earth-1. After finishing, she turned and looked at the lividity in Alex’s eyes, grunting as Alex lashed out and slapped her across the side of the face. She hit the counter, tears in her eyes.

 “Goddamn you,” Alex said. “How can you be so selfish!?”

 “ME?!” Kara screamed. “When I told you what Lena did, you didn’t even say anything! You just looked at me and said, “It’ll work itself out,” and left it at that! I came to my sister for support and advice, but you brushed me off because of Kelly fucking Olsen and the big date that night! If anyone was selfish, Alexandra, you were!” Her hands clenched, and she glared at Alex. “I didn’t want to be Supergirl anymore since I could always hear Lena’s heartbeat, Alex. I couldn’t live with that! Being just Kara Danvers…it’s the most freeing thing I’ve done!”

 “You’re a fucking dumbass,” Alex said, grabbing her bag and heading for the door. “You really are, Kara. When the city goes to hell in a handbasket, you’re going to regret taking your powers away.” She walked out and slammed the door, muttering under her breath. “Stupid fucking alien…”

 Kara screamed and stormed off, collapsing on her bed and shaking as she grabbed her pillow and screamed into it, tears burning her eyes as she did. She got up and changed clothes, storming out of the apartment and heading out, not caring where she ended up. Her feet took her straight to the one place she didn’t want, standing outside of Lena’s office at LCorp. “Fuck,” she said, running her hand in her hair as she turned her back to the door. “No. Just…no.” She started for the elevator, stopping when she heard the door open to Lena’s office.

 “Kara?” Lena’s voice asked, Kara closing her eyes as the familiar cadence filled her ears, her heart thundering against her chest. “Kara, look at me. Please?”

 Kara turned around softly, trying to hide her emotions. “Hi, Lena…” she said, wrapping her arms around herself softly.

 “Normally you come in the balcony. Why not this time?”

 “Because you told me to go to hell, remember? The night you flew into my apartment in your brothers battle armor and bit my head off for lying about being Supergirl,” Kara said, starting to lose her grip on her emotions. “And…I can’t fly anymore. Not after the last couple of weeks.”

 Lena sighed softly, nodding and dropping her hands. “Right…I remember,” she said. “What do you mean, you can’t fly anymore? Did you do a solar flare and use up your powers for a day?”

 “No. I…I went to Earth-1, asked my friend to make me Gold Kryptonite,” Kara said, walking into Lena’s office when she stepped out of the way. “I, um, I don’t have my powers anymore. I gave them up.”

 “I doubt it, Kara. You’d never give up your powers,” Lena said, smiling softly. “Never. Not in this lifetime or any other.”

 Kara rolled her eyes softly. “I gave up my powers!” she yelled, slamming her hand onto the top of Lena’s desk and wincing, leading Lena to start thinking she was telling the truth. “I went to Earth-1 and had my friend there make Gold Kryptonite, and I stabbed it into my stomach, Lena! I tried to kill myself with Kryptonite while taking my powers away because I hated what I did to you! I hated lying to you! I wanted to die so you wouldn’t have to look at me again! Do you have any idea how that feels?” She moved to sit but slipped and landed on the floor, wincing softly as tears fell down her cheeks fast. “I gave up Supergirl because…I don’t deserve those powers if I can’t tell the person I care for most the truth.”

 Lena walked over and knelt in front of Kara, taking her hands softly. “Kara…Kara, I am so sorry,” she whispered, tears filling her own eyes. “I…I can apologize until I’m blue in the face, but—”

 Kara shook her head. “Stop…stop, Lena. You had every right to get mad at me and cut me out of your life. I lied to you for years, after swearing I’d never lie to you and that I was always in your corner. I’m sorry…I’m sorry I let the lie go for so long, Lena…”

 Lena wrapped her arms tightly around Kara, the tears in her eyes spilling over as she held her best friend close. “It’s ok, honey. It’s ok…I know why you did. I’m so sorry…”

 Kara clung to Lena, burying her face in the CEO’s shoulder as she shook with silent sobs, everything she’d been feeling for the last weeks being allowed to finally break free. The two sat hugging each other for a while until Kara’s sobs finally subsided, taking a shuddering breath as she pulled away.

 “Better?” Lena asked, wiping Kara’s eyes softly. “Honey…I never meant to make you feel like you needed to take your powers away. I was just upset, and…”

 “And you had every right to be,” Kara said, brushing her hair out of her face softly. “I lied to you, Lena. After years of you telling me that I was the one person you could trust because I didn’t have an agenda or wasn’t lying and manipulating you, but that’s exactly what it was. I was refusing to tell you because…you were the first person in a long time to want to know Kara Danvers for who she was, not because she was secretly Supergirl. You were the only one that treated me like I was human, not an alien.”

 “Like you were the first person to treat me like I wasn’t a Luthor,” Lena said, sighing softly. “We both bungled this up, didn’t we?”

 “Yeah,” Kara nodded. “We’re both screwed up.”

 “That’s the truth,” Lena said, standing up and helping Kara up. “Something…you said before. “I don’t deserve those powers if I can’t tell the person I care for the most the truth.” Did you mean that?”

 Kara nodded softly. “Yeah,” she said. “I, uh…I’ve been grappling for a while about something, and…it’s always you. It’s always been you. All the time we’ve spent together, it got to be more then friendship to me. Being Supergirl, I could always hear your heartbeat, no matter where you were. When you said I wasn’t your friend anymore, that was when I decided to give up my powers. I didn’t want to hear your heart beating if you hated me.”

 Lena nodded, biting her lip and smiling softly. “Well, let me tell you something,” she said, stepping closer. She smiled as she watched the color in Kara’s cheeks rise, and she reached down and took Kara’s hands. “Close your eyes.” When Kara did, Lena took her chance. She leaned in and kissed her best friend, giggling when she heard Kara’s squeak of surprise before feeling her get into the kiss. She pulled back and smiled, looping her arms around Kara’s neck as the blonde opened her eyes. “I don’t hate you. I don’t. I never have, and that was just the anger talking. I’ll apologize for that until we’re old and grey. I love you, Kara Danvers, and I have for a long time.”

 Kara smiled, kissing Lena again and pulling her close. “I love you too,” she whispered, threading her hands into Lena’s hair and pulling her in for a third kiss.

 “Keep that up, Danvers, and we’ll have a problem,” Lena whispered against Kara’s lips. She nipped Kara’s lip, moving her arms down and snaking them around Kara’s hips.

 “Hm…it might be a good problem then,” Kara said. “You’ve got a bigger bed then I do, Lee.”

 “I do,” Lena said with a smirk. “And a closet full of toys that have never been used.”

 Kara smiled, taking Lena’s hands. “Well…it’ll be fun to finally use one and not break one with super pelvic muscles.”

 “Then let’s go,” Lena said, reluctantly pulling away from Kara and grabbing her things, shutting her computer off. The pair ran for the door, racing for the elevator. Lena hit the button first, Kara laughing.

 With the pain of betrayal behind the two, Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor knew that they’d always have each other’s backs no matter what happened.

[fanficimagery]

Imagine being the twin to Tyler Simms who was sent away to live with an aunt when the Sons of Ipswich first came into their Powers. But after many tears and hours of begging your parents to be able to attend your last year of school with your twin, it's time to go home and reunite with everyone you had left behind.

Author's Note: I'm pretty sure the whole fight with Chase happened their Senior year, but for the sake of this Imagine we'll say it happened at the end of their Junior Year. Sarah left because she couldn't quite handle everything that happened or deal with the weight of their secret, so she packed up and left.

This Imagine will take place a month before the start of their Senior Year at the Academy.

Caleb X Reader

Sitting in the rather dim lounge area of what used to be your childhood home, your right knee bounces in a restless manner while you scroll through tumblr on your phone. Your brother should be on his way home from Spencer Academy since your parents had left him a message to briefly return home since he chose to live in the Academy dorms, and you're looking forward to the look of surprise on his face.

You hear the distinct sound of the front door opening, followed by voices. Grinning, you toss aside your phone and push up to your feet.

"So what was the urgent matter that had your parents calling you home?" Someone asks. "They're not even here themselves."

"Shutup, Reid. They probably left a note somewhere."

Two individuals come to a sudden stop in the doorway of the lounge, one dark haired and the other blonde. Both, even though they've aged, are very familiar.

"Reid fuckin' Garwin. Oh how you've grown up."

"Y/N?"

"Hiya, twin," you then grin at Tyler. "Long time no see."

"Baby girl? Oh shit!" Reid laughs, both he and Tyler then rushing into the room. Tyler reaches you first, pulling you into a hug before Reid drags you into his own arms. You laugh as he picks you up, whirling you around. "When did you get here?"

"Yesterday," you tell them once you're settled on your own two feet. "Got settled in first before I let mom and dad call in Ty."

"You're back?" Your twin asks, surprised. "For good?"

"Yep. I couldn't exactly graduate from a school without my twin. Could I?"

"Yes!" Reid laughs. "You know what this calls for. Right?"

Tyler groans. "No. No party."

"Yes party!" You whoop. "Come on, Garwin, please let there be a party?"

"Oh, there's a party." You whoop again and Reid grins at you before looking to your twin. "See... this is why I always liked your sister, man. Even as kids she was the more adventurous one."

"Yeah? Well you're not the one who got weekly emails about her adventures in Salem. If we're partying, then you're babysitting."

Reid laughs. "Babysitting? How bad can Y/N be?" His gaze darts between you and Tyler, and both you and your twin simultaneously smirk. "You know what? Maybe we outta call in Pogue and Caleb. They like to party too."

You snort. "You just want more hands on deck in case you can't handle me. Aw, how cute."

"Jesus fuck. You really are the complete opposite of Baby boy."

"Oh... you have no idea."

For some reason Reid seemed to have the main driving privileges on Tyler's hummer, but you didn't even bother to question it as the two boys appeared to have some sort of system worked out where Tyler would complain about Reid demanding his keys before actually handing them over. You happily rode in the back seat to the beach and were looking forward to the party.

Stars litter the night sky and the beach is lit up with a couple of bonfires and tiki torches. The air is just crisp enough so it's not uncomfortable and the DJ stationed somewhere along the beach is playing the beats that's most popular with the crowd.

"I'm going to go find some drinks? Want one, Y/N?" Reid asks.

"Yes, please!"

Tyler refuses a drink and you smile at his innocence as Reid teases him. Three then turns into two.

"So when are Caleb and Pogue getting here?" You ask.

Tyler shrugs. "Caleb's running a little late and Pogue should be around here... somewhere," he says while glancing around.

You glance around, studying the party-goers to make sure you're not overlooking a grown-up Pogue. But soon enough, a voice coming from your left has you grinning from ear to ear. "Do my eyes deceive me or am I seeing little miss Y/N all grown up?"

Turning towards the voice, your eyes narrow as you study the guy's features. Tyler chuckles from beside you and when you realize just who it is that's spoken, you squeal and jump on him. As he catches you, your legs wrap around the his waist and you grasp his smiling face in your hands. "Pogue!" Your eyes dart all over his handsome face, your hands then grasping at his hair. "Look at your hair! You actually grew it out."

"What can I say, the ladies dig it." Someone clears their throat from your side. Pogue glances at her and sheepishly laughs. "Well... lady, at least."

Looking to the girl Pogue had glanced at, your smile widens. "Girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend," the mocha skinned girl confirms, lips pursed and expression completely annoyed at the fact you're wrapped around her boyfriend.

You punch Pogue's shoulder before dropping your legs and stepping away. "Way to go, Parry. She's a cutie." The girl's expression falters, her shoulders slightly slumping. "Y/N," you then introduce yourself to her. "Tyler's twin and long time friend of Pogue's. I'm totally not trying to encroach on him."

She finally chuckles. "Kate. And I didn't know Tyler had a twin."

"Yeah. I, uh, I moved away when I was thirteen. Now I'm back to finish out school with my brother and his idiot best friends."

"Oh... so you know the Sons?"

Her question is rather innocent, but the way her gaze darts to Pogue and the way she gulps give away her real meaning. "Yes. I know of the Sons. I was born into the Simms bloodline, after all. But the real question here, I think, is how you know?"

Pogue groans and drapes an arm around her shoulders, but before he can answer there's a red solo cup being thrust into your face and Reid smirking behind it. "Pogue and Caleb's girlfriends were kidnapped and cursed. They were brought in on our dirty little secret and then Caleb's girl split because she couldn't handle it."

You sigh and then laugh as you take your drink. "The Covenant of Silence means nothing to you boys, does it?"

Reid grins. "Don't look at me. It was all Boy Wonder and his Right Hand's fault."

"Shut up, Reid," Kate mutters, slapping Reid's bicep with the back of her hand.

You sidle up to Kate as the boys start bickering back and forth, you sharing your drink with her as you watch on in amusement. The both of you then end up perched on a piece of driftwood, side by side, chatting back and forth.

Three cups in and glancing across the fire you see a boy walking towards your group- dark hair cropped short, a small smile making a dimple appear, and a black peacoat hugging his form. Whistling lowly, you lean further into Kate. "So if I can't climb your boyfriend like a tree, can I climb him?" You mutter, gesturing towards the boy with your cup.

Kate snorts into her drink and Reid drops down on your other side. "Did you just ask if you could climb Caleb like a tree?"

"What?!" Your eyes widen and Kate cackles. "That's Caleb? Caleb Danvers?!" You whisper shout. Reid can only laugh hard in response, you then elbowing him. "Shut up, Garwin!"

"Oh man, I can't believe you want to jump Caleb."

"If you say anything, I will show everyone very unflattering pics of you when you were going through puberty! We're going to the same school now, Reid. Choose wisely."

"Fine... fine. I won't say anything."

"Y/N?" Glancing up, you find Caleb smiling down at you in awe. "Tyler didn't tell me you were gonna be here."

"Surprise..." you nervously cheer. Kate and Reid both snort, but it's Reid you push off the driftwood. Then quickly standing up you embrace Caleb in a more than cozy, welcoming hug. "It's so good to see you. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Apparently milk really does do the body good." The statement is muttered by Kate which then sends Reid into more peals of laughter.

"Alright, lightweight, I'm cutting you off." Pogue plucks the cup from his girlfriend's hand, he then passing it to Tyler who gets rid of it. Then pulling Kate to her feet, he gestures for Tyler to follow them while casting you a more than obvious wink.

Reid smirks at the both of you and you realize a little too late that you and Caleb are still wrapped around each other. Clearing your throat, you awkwardly untangle yourself from him and step back. The blonde then takes his leave with a muttered excuse which leaves you and Caleb shyly glancing at each other.

Tucking his hands into his jean pockets, Caleb makes a quick gesture with his head to follow. You do. "So how long are you in for?" He wonders.

"For good," you grin.

Caleb's eyes crinkle as he smiles. "How'd you manage that?"

"There may or may not have been some wonderfully fake tears. And some pouting with a whole lot of guilt tripping dad about distancing me from my twin."

"You always were the devious one," he chuckles.

"And don't you forget it." Hip checking Caleb only makes his smile all the more genuine.

"So what exactly have you been up to? Break many hearts in Salem?" He then teases.

Your nose wrinkles and you take a moment to answer as you sidestep some rowdy teens. "Believe it or not, I only dated once."

"And..?"

"And it wasn't what I thought it'd be," you shrug. "I knew the guy for a couple of months, we started dating, but it wasn't... I just wasn't feeling it. I felt uncomfortable and weird when things got a little.."

Caleb laughs, cutting you off as he steps in front of you and places his hands on your shoulders. Glancing down, his amused gaze meets yours. "I get it." You huff an embarrassed laugh, but he continues on. "Some people feel more comfortable dating someone they've known for years and trust completely before taking that next step. When it's right, you'll know."

"I guess. It's not really a priority. If it happens, it happens. If not, then I'm more than content to watch all the eye candy on Spencer's swim team."

"You know I'm on the swim team. Right?"

You waggle your eyebrows, laughing when you see Caleb blush thanks to the nearby fire lighting up his features. As the two of you fall silent, you watch as his expression slowly falls. His brow furrows and when he straightens up you see his eyes bleed black as a ring of fire erupts within. Gulping, you glance around to make sure no one is staring at the two of you.

"Caleb? What's going on?"

He breathes in deeply before his eyes return back to normal. "Someone's Used."

"Crap."

"Come on." His hand grasps yours and he tugs you along beside him as he stalks off in a certain direction.

You're well aware when his fingers tangle with yours, but you don't say anything. Not even when the warmth and roughness of his hand makes your heart beat wildly for someone you should not even be thinking of in a romantic way.

You glance up at him, but his attention is solely focused on finding out whoever is using their power. Others, however, have taken notice of Caleb Danvers holding hands with the new girl. The boys are almost discreet with their stares, but the girls are openly glaring and sizing you up.

"Reid!" Your attention snaps to the crowd gathering in front of you, Pogue struggling to hold back both Tyler and Reid- Reid being the most aggressive. "What the hell is going on here?" Caleb demands.

"Aaron heard about the new girl in town," Pogue shouts over the argument going on, his gaze briefly darting to you. "Said something about it not being long until... until he has her on her back underneath him."

Caleb tenses and your eyes narrow. "Which douchebag is Aaron?"

"Y/N, don't." Caleb says.

But you're not hearing him and you walk forward, you tugging your hand free of his. Pogue grins at you before muttering something to the other two Sons, they then backing off. "So who's the cocky asshole that's so sure he's going to get me on my back?"

"Oh, shit," Reid laughs. "You guys have done it now."

"If they hit her back, all bets are off," you hear your twin mutter.

Keeping your gaze forward, you seek out the one curly haired individual who's sporting a busted lip and grinning. "Who's asking, sweetheart?"

"I ain't your sweetheart, dick." You rear your right arm back, fisting your hand and swinging forward. Aaron curses as your fist connects with his nose, his buddies pushing you back as you shriek and shake out your now throbbing hand.

Pogue, Tyler and Reid all rage in your defense and you grunt as someone catches you. Hearing a chuckle, you crane your head up and find Caleb. "You done, baby girl? You're gonna start a riot, you know."

"Don't turn this on me, Danvers. I had to show these idiots that I won't take their shit lying down. Besides, I'm not the one who Used. Remember? Get after my idiot brother or Reid. We all know it was either one of them since Pogue follows in your footsteps and won't Use unless necessary."

"Mhm. Don't go far," Caleb muses, his gaze darting to the escalating drama unfolding just a few feet away. "As soon as I squash this fight, I'm taking you home to ice that hand."

You quirk an eyebrow at him, lips curling in a teasing smile. "Taking me home already, Danvers? You move fast."

He chuckles and steadies you on your own two feet, ready to go intervene. "You're gonna be trouble. Aren't you?"

"As if you’d have me any other way."

[sandstonesunspear]

Superwoman: An Interview With DEO Director Lucy Lane

Inspired by that article in Women’s Health Magazine with Jenna Dewan that came out this morning. 

Thanks to @nerdsbianhokie for letting me run with Dylan for this.

AO3

XX-XX-2020

A CatCo Exclusive by Kara Danvers

It’s been six months since the Daxamite Invasion and the public appearance of the DEO. In that time, no had been able to get an interview with the DEO Director. At least, that had been the case right up until last week.

First thing’s first: DEO Director Lucy Lane smells amazing. Hints of cinnamon with an underlying base made of jasmine and roses linger in the air as she walks into the room. I find out later that it’s a very exclusive scent. Only one bottle exists, and it was custom made by her 5-year-old son, Dylan, with the help of one of her partners. He also made a second bottle with a different scent and named both of them: Dinosaur Dreams and Fierce T. Rex, the latter of which she’s wearing right today.

Out of all the topics we discuss today, it’s talking about her son that makes Lucy beam. “He’s a great kid,” she says. “He’s one of my biggest motivators for the work that I do, both as the Director of the DEO and as a lawyer.” Dressed in a crisp black polo, black cargo pants tucked into polished black boots, everything about Lucy matches the perfume she’s wearing.

Her fierceness is only amplified by the extensive list of her accomplishments: top of her class at West Point, promoted below the zone twice before the age of 25, a Signal Officer turned JAG after  graduating top of her class from the prestigious Harvard School of Law, and now Director of a semi-clandestine federal agency. It’s only a fraction of Lucy Lane’s incredible pedigree. All of it is worthy of awe. Of course, express that to her and the woman who served two tours in Afghanistan blushes and waves compliments away. “I’m just a soldier,” she insists. A soldier who became well-renowned within the legal community, both civilian and military, for her prosecution of the Hector Alvarez, a former Army Captain who was, at one point, the top lieutenant of the Reynosa Cartel. Thanks to Lucy’s efforts, Alvarez is now serving multiple life sentences at Fort Leavenworth for a litany of charges that include felony drug possession with the intent to distribute and murder.

Extensive pedigree aside, Lucy herself was never a stranger to the life and burdens of being a soldier. The daughter of General Sam Lane, a man who has gained a great deal of infamy in recent years for his vocal and vehement anti-alien rhetoric, Lucy was ingrained with a sense of duty long before she ever assumed the position of DEO Director. That sense of duty has kept her humble and it shows, both in how quick she is to dismiss compliments and in her actions.

Halfway through our interview, an alarm goes off. An agent bursts in moments after to inform Lucy of an alien attack by the docks. She’s out of the office and in the command center seconds later, barking out orders and demanding visuals. When it becomes apparent that the squad at the docks needs backup, Lucy doesn’t hesitate to suit up and enter the fray herself. When she returns an hour later, it’s with all of her agents by her side. I stand against the wall as Lucy makes her way to medbay, checking on the wounded and waving away medical help for herself until all of her people have been taken care of.

“Sorry,” Lucy apologises as she settles back into her plush leather seat in her office. By now, her arm is in a sling and there’s a bandage on her forehead. On anyone else, it would be a sight for concern, but the warm grin sitting firmly on her lips ultimately puts me at ease. She’s happy to inform me that all of her people made it back in one piece. I assure her that it’s fine just as her phone chimes. It’s Dylan’s father, James Olsen, Editor-in-Chief of Catco Magazine and Lucy’s ex-boyfriend. They share custody of Dylan.  

When I ask if there’s any tension with that arrangement, Lucy just laughs. She fires off a quick text to James, letting him know that she’s fine and that she’ll be there tonight to pick Dylan up, before providing me with a more concrete response. “There’s no tension at all,” she assures me. “James and I live pretty close to each other, so even on the days where one of us doesn’t have custody of Dylan, chances are that we’ll still get to see him.”

“Do you think you and James would ever get married to take the custody arrangement out of the equation?” It’s a question that’s been floating around National City ever since news of Dylan’s parentage broke. To my surprise, Lucy shakes her head. “Nope. Jimmy’s a great guy, I wouldn’t have dated him if he hadn’t been, but he and I wanted different things,” she tells me. “We both love Dylan, but James and I being together isn’t what’s best for him. Besides, James’s been eyeing a lucky lady lately.” She gives me a wink, like she knows more than she’s going to let on. “And I have my partners.”

Partners. Plural, as in more than one. Rumours that Lucy was in a relationship with two women had been going around ever since she was seen attending various charity galas in the city with two different women.

I ask if she’s concerned with the backlash she might get by revealing that she’s in a polyamorous relationship. Being the daughter of a prominent military official and being a prominent lawyer herself, Lucy’s familiar with having public scrutiny aimed at her. But she’s not concerned. “I’m in a healthy, committed relationship,” she tells me. “I just happen to be in one with two women.”

Lucy tells me a little about the women she’s involved with. “They’re both incredibly smart and know their way around firearms. And they’re great with Dylan. He loves the both of them as well.” As to who exactly her partners are, she remains tight lipped. “A lawyer doesn’t kiss and tell,” she says, her grin turning cheeky.

It’s hard to believe that a woman of Lucy’s position and history could be so human, but that humanity is something she strives to exemplify for her son. “I don’t want my son to look at me and think that he has to be cruel or hard to get by in the world.” She wants Dylan to understand that kindness and warmth and being human aren’t weakness, they’re strengths. “I want him to see me and Jimmy and my partners and be like, ‘There’s nothing wrong with helping another person or with being kind.’” It’s a surprising admission, given her line of work, but it’s certainly not unwelcome. If anything, it makes her seem even more human. “Of course, you’ve got people who have very different opinions but,” She gives a casual shrug as best she can with one arm in a sling. “They’re not raising my son.”

I realise towards the end of our interview that neither of us has mentioned the elephant in the room: her last name. The nameplate on her desk is a stark reminder. DIRECTOR LUCY A. LANE. Lucy notices where my eyes are at. Her smile turns sardonic. She assures me that she received her job entirely based on merit and that she wholeheartedly does not support her father’s views. It sounds so rote, like she’s had to say it a thousand times, it makes my heart break for her.

It’s obvious that even with the power her last name carries, Lucy is very much a self-made woman. “I’ve fought tooth and nail to get where I am,” she says. The law degree on prominent display makes that much clear. “I’ve had to fight even harder to get seen as my own person and not as ‘General Lane’s daughter’ or ‘Lois’s little sister.’ I might’ve joined the army for my father, but I stayed for myself and I’ve done over the years has been to make a difference through my own effort.” I’m reminded of something that Lucy said earlier in the day, about why she decided to pursue law instead of staying in the Signal Corps. “Lois writes about the world’s problems and our father adds to the world’s problems, so I decided I wanted to fix the world’s problems,” she said, glancing out the window and towards the city her agency was tasked with protecting.

We end the day much like we started it: with Lucy gearing up for another confrontation, only this time it’s not a physical one, it’s a socio-political one. In two weeks time, Lucy will be on Capitol Hill testifying to the Senate on behalf of the aliens who fought alongside the DEO and NCPD during the Daximite Invasion six months ago. It’s stunning move for the head of an organisation that hadn’t been on friendly terms with the alien community. But in a way, given the kind of woman Lucy is, it makes sense. “I believe that everyone has the right to due process and justice regardless of species or homeplanet,” Lucy tells me as we wind down. Having gotten to know Lucy as well as I have over the course of a day, I can tell that it’s an earnest statement.

I ask if she’s worried about the upcoming Senate hearing. Lucy flashes me a smile. “Not at all. If anything, the Senate panel’s scared of me. I’m a powerful bisexual woman with a biracial son and two girlfriends, after all.” Her confidence and cheek is infectious and I find myself smiling right alongside her. Lucy Lane wears many hats: soldier, lawyer, leader, mother. But those hats only tell part of her story. The whole, overarching story behind Lucy can be summed up as thus: she’s an amazing woman. Simple as that.

[sapphicscholar]

Chapter Text:

“That’s the last of it,” Kara said, dropping a black duffel bag on top of the pile that had accumulated in the living room of Alex’s new apartment. The moving had been going…slowly at best until Kara came back from putting out a fire downtown, swooping in and carrying towering stacks of boxes up the stairs with ease. The boxes and bags all had a distinctly smoky scent to them now, but it was better than being forced to pay for an extra day with the U-Haul from dragging everything up at a human space.

“You’re a lifesaver.” Alex pulled Kara into a one-armed hug, already slipping her phone out of her back pocket to order takeout to repay her.

“And you’re the dummy that picked a walk-up apartment on the fourth floor.”

“Yes,” Alex conceded, dipping her head in acknowledgement. “But it’s got a big balcony, and I’ve got a sister that can fly.”

“No calling me just because you got drunk and don’t want to do stairs.”

“Oh my god, that was one time, Kara. One time!”

“It’s not like you’ve ever let me forget the first time I ever got drunk and knocked into your wall.”

“Because I had to pay a small fortune to repair the damage done to literal brick by the force of your alien butt!” Even if she’d been mildly horrified at the time, watching as exposed brick crumbled into dust, once she’d gotten over the shock of the repair bill, Alex had learned to laugh about it—and mock Kara for it at any opportunity.

Kara let out a dramatic huff before sinking down onto the couch—one of the only assembled pieces of furniture in the place.

“C’mon, no pouting. I’m buying you dinner for your help.”

“Really?”

“I’ll even make a second stop so you can get both pizza and potstickers if you’ll reassemble the furniture while I’m gone.”

“Double order of potstickers?” Kara held her hand out, waiting until Alex nodded in agreement before shaking on it. “It’ll be done by the time you’re back!”

By the time Alex got back from returning the rental truck and picking up both of their takeout orders, her apartment had started to look almost like someone lived there. The bookshelves, table, and entertainment unit had been put back together, a dresser set up in her bedroom, and her mattress settled onto the reassembled bedframe. Sure, all of her worldly possessions were still packed into cardboard boxes and littered across the apartment, but they felt more manageable now.

While Alex was busy looking around, Kara snagged the bag of potstickers from her hand, settling in on the couch and patting the spot next to her.

“Don’t you want a plate?” Alex wrinkled her nose in mock disgust as Kara began eating straight from the bag.

“Still packed,” Kara managed through a mouthful of food.

“You know, besides the fact that I remembered to label most of the boxes this time, you do have this nifty thing where you can see through the cardboard.”

“Takes too long.”

Alex sighed, grateful that the pizza place had at least given her a stack of napkins.

Over dinner, they chatted about the new neighborhood, and Alex listened as Kara listed out some decorating suggestions that she knew she’d never actually get around to trying. Besides, Kara’s tastes had always been a little brighter than her own, and no amount of her mother’s less-than-subtle comments about how “homey” Kara’s place felt were going to change her interior design choices.

Once they finished eating, Kara forced herself up and off the sofa. “I should probably go—gotta finish up a draft of my article on that new guy running for mayor.”

“Ugh, this the guy who thinks we should ban Supergirl?”

“That’d be the one.” Kara grimaced at the memory of her interview with him. She’d nearly crushed her phone in anger more than once during their conversation.

“And you got this article because…?”

“Because Snapper thinks it’ll ‘challenge you, ponytail!’” Kara answered, doing a rather poor imitation of his gruff voice, but making Alex laugh regardless.

Alex could only imagine the number of drafts that would be returned to Kara with, “TRY AGAIN,” scrawled across them in red pen. “I guess I should let you get to it then, huh?”

“Probably.”

With a hug goodbye and a glance around to check for anyone out who might see her, Kara kicked off from the balcony and soared into the night sky.

---

After a few late nights spent unpacking her things when she got back from work, Alex finally started to feel like the apartment was hers, rather than the place where she crashed at night. She’d gotten her books organized on the shelves the way she liked them and managed to get all of her clothing folded in her drawers or hung up in the closet, even if it meant ignoring a few rather wrinkly button-ups that probably could have used a good ironing. What mattered was that it was done.

Of course, instead of getting to enjoy it on Friday night, Alex got the order to assemble Alpha Team to be ready to intervene in a developing situation downtown. As her team loitered in the command center, she watched the live coverage on the monitors, chuckling to herself at the small CatCo logo in the bottom corner of the screen. Despite all the DEO’s best technology, somehow Cat Grant almost always managed to best them when it came to coverage.

Alex watched as the K’hund tossed a car that had been parked on the side of the road into oncoming traffic—Kara’s timely intervention the only thing that kept it from being a complete disaster. Over the comms, Alex listened as Kara yelled at the small clusters of pedestrians still dotting the sidewalks to flee before they got hurt. Her voice was tinged with desperation as she urged them to move faster, and Alex watched as Kara opted to block the fleeing citizens from flying debris instead of taking easy shots at the K’hund.

Alex hated the guilt that she’d seen flashing in Kara’s eyes when the news first broke, haunted as she still was by memories of letting him go once while under the influence of red K, then not being able to find him again after he escaped during Myriad. Apparently he was ready to make his presence known, though, and in a rather public way.

As Kara fought to subdue the K’hund, Alex called out to J’onn. “Are you sure we shouldn’t go down there? Do something?”

J’onn grimaced. “We’re dealing with some pushback from that new division at NCPD. They say small cases dealing with aliens should be left to them.”

“There’s nothing small about him!” Alex gestured at the screen where the beefy alien was taking blow after blow from Supergirl, tearing up bits of sidewalk as the force of the blows forced him backwards without taking him down.

“I’m aware, Agent Danvers,” J’onn sighed, “but there’s only so much we can do when we’re supposed to keep a low profile.” Sensing Alex’s objections, he held up a placating hand. “For now, it’s one alien that Supergirl has defeated before. She’s keeping property damage to a relative minimum, and NCPD has managed to clear the streets and set up traffic blockades. If the situation changes at all, Beta Team is already in position, and your team is ready if anything worse comes around.”

Alex couldn’t pretend to be happy with standing by and letting a bunch of local cops pretend to save the day, but she bit her tongue, trusting her sister to get the job done.

Sure enough, within minutes, Supergirl had the K’hund subdued and took off with him in the direction of the desert base. Alex squinted at one of the monitors, watching as a police officer chased after Kara, waving and yelling after her until Kara was up in the air and on her way back to the DEO.

Once Kara had the alien in containment for the second time, J’onn called her down for a debriefing, asking pointed questions about NCPD’s involvement and how they had handled the situation.

“They were, I don’t know, fine, I guess.” Kara glanced at Alex out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge her reaction.

“Would you say they prevented you from doing your job in any way?”

“No, no, nothing like that. One or two of them seemed to want to be in the thick of things, but I yelled at them to stay back.”

Alex nodded in agreement. No use in seeing more people getting injured because they had no idea what they were up against. “What about the cop who chased after you?”

“Oh.” Kara rubbed at the back of her neck, her gaze drifting down to the table. “She, uh, she was yelling to ask where I was taking him. Mentioned something about his rights. Wondered when his trial would be.” While Alex was busy grumbling under her breath about people who didn’t get that this K’hund had already attacked multiple times, inflicting large amounts of damage and even causing several casualties, Kara cleared her throat. “She might have also said something about the DEO.”

“Excuse me?”

Kara felt the weight of Alex’s gaze on her, and not for the first time, she wondered how it was that Alex sometimes seemed like the one with laser vision. “Somehow she knew about the DEO.”

“Fuck.”

J’onn rubbed at his forehead, wondering how some ragtag group at the NCPD had already managed to create such a headache for him. “Did the others know?”

“I don’t think so? I don’t really know. None of them said anything. Just her.”

“Alright, well, we’ll keep an eye on the situation.”

Kara nodded, taking off with muttered words about needing to write “yet another draft” of her article for Snapper. J’onn dismissed the few other agents who’d been in the room, looking wholly unsurprised when Alex stood her ground.

“Sir, we can’t just let—”

“I know, Alex,” J’onn sighed, sinking down into a seat and motioning for her to do the same. “But things like this—they aren’t missions where I can send in a team of well-trained agents to take care of a threat. It requires a level of finesse, finding out exactly how much this NCPD officer knows, figuring out whether or not she’s a threat to us or to Supergirl.”

Alex’s head popped up at that. “I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll find out what she knows.”

“You know that throwing her into a cell and interrogating her for hours isn’t something that facilitates cooperation, correct?”

“I…yes, fine.”

“If you would like to go serve as the liaison between our office of the ‘FBI’ and the NCPD’s Science Division while I’m in Washington this coming week, I will happily arrange a meeting for you.”

“Done.”

“I’m serious about maintaining friendly relations between the two offices.”

“I know, J’onn. But if she’s a threat to Supergirl—”

“Then we will deal with it together.”

Alex begrudgingly agreed, resolving to find out exactly what this woman knew and make sure it didn’t go any further than that.

[effie-trinket]

Supergirl Secret Santa 2017 Fic

Title: every day’s a holiday (when i’m near to you) Pairing: Sanvers Rating: G Summary: When Maggie was 15, she woke up on Christmas Day to an empty apartment. This year is a little different.

For AO3 user JaceRMontague

Read on AO3

When Maggie was 15, she woke up on Christmas Day to an empty apartment, because her aunt had to work a double to pay for the rent that month, and working the holiday would pay her time and a half so Maggie understood why she wasn’t going to be there. It didn’t make it hurt any less.The previous year at that time, she was enjoying a homemade breakfast by the fireplace with her mom and dad. There were presents under the tree. This year, she had a homemade card from her aunt and the promise of a filling meal at the end of the day for her gifts.

When Maggie was 18, she spent Christmas alone in her dorm room. Her roommate offered to take Maggie home for the winter break, but they were only really friends out of necessity, and Maggie knew the offer was more out of obligation than friendship. Maggie had take-out from the one Chinese restaurant nearby that was open.

At 21, Maggie was happily dating Emily, but they had only been going out for a couple of months, and Emily already had vacation plans with her parents that had been set in stone for nearly a year, so Maggie opened up the one small gift from her girlfriend by herself on Christmas morning. It was a simple necklace, and while it was definitely not something Maggie was likely to wear, she hadn’t been given a real gift in years, and the feeling of finally feeling wanted won over the lack of personal touch.

The next four Christmases weren’t too bad. She had Emily. She sort of got along with Emily’s parents. She had a couple nice coworkers at her station. But then Maggie went and fucked it all up, and then once again, as always, she was alone.

But now, now she finally had something. She worked a late shift on December 24, and as she crawled into bed late that night with an already sleeping Alex, she had visions of waking up next to her girlfriend and celebrating their first Christmas together, happy on the holiday for the first time in years.

What she didn’t expect was to be woken up by a loud, repetitive beeping.

“What the…?” She rubbed her eyes and looked around blearily, grabbing her phone to answer it before realizing the screen was blank. She looked over towards Alex’s side of the bed and noticed it was empty and her phone was missing. “Al..?” She glanced over at the kitchen and saw Alex bustling around, using the step stool she got for Maggie to rip something —ah, the fire alarm— off the wall.

Maggie half stumbled into the kitchen area. “What’s going on?”

Alex startled as she whipped around to face Maggie. “You weren’t supposed to wake up yet…” She sighed and walked over to the breakfast bar, showing Maggie the plate of rather crisp-looking pancakes. “I wanted to make you breakfast.”

Still half-asleep, Maggie gaped a little at Alex’s comment. “You…?” She looked back at the pancakes. “But you can’t cook!”

Alex looked affronted. “Yes I can!”

Looking pointedly at the object still in Alex’s hand, Maggie scoffed. “The fire alarm says otherwise.”

“Yeah, well…” Alex tossed the alarm onto the table and sat down dejectedly. “I just wanted to make our first Christmas together special.”

Maggie walked over and wrapped her arms around Alex from behind, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s the though that counts.” She turned Alex’s head towards her and gave her a deeper kiss. “And I appreciate the thought. Even though we’re supposed to have breakfast soon anyway with your sister.”

Alex hummed and rested her forehead against Maggie’s. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“It definitely wasn’t the best way I’ve been woken up by you,” Maggie said with a sly grin.

“Is that so?” Alex asked with a matching smile, leaning in for another kiss.

She savored it for all five seconds before there was a knock on the door. Maggie groaned and sighed as she pulled back.

“I’m sorry!” they heard from the other side of the door. “Not that I would… not that I would know what’s happening. How could I know what’s happening?” A familiar nervous laughter sounded.

Alex shook her head in amusement and walked over to the door, opening it up to see her smiling sister with a bag of gifts in her hand, and standing behind her—

“Lena!” Alex exclaimed. “What a… pleasant surprise!”

Lena looked uncomfortable at that. “Oh, did Kara not tell you…? I can go if you weren’t expecting me—”

“No, it’s fine!” Alex interrupted, opening up her door a little wider. “Really, we always have too much food anyway. Kara… likes to eat.”

“Who doesn’t?” Kara said as she waltzed into Alex’s kitchen, dropping off the bags by the door and giving Maggie a tight hug. “Merry Christmas!”

Maggie smiled and greeted her before taking a step back and letting the Danvers sisters arrange the presents under the small plastic tree that Maggie had forced Alex to purchase (“If you insist on not having a real tree, then at least get a fake one so I can pretend that it’s still Christmas”). She smiled at Lena, still unsure of what their relationship was after she arrested her that one time. That’s when Maggie noticed her sweater.

“Nice,” Maggie said with a nod towards the college sweatshirt Lena was wearing.

Lena met her gaze and raised an eyebrow. “Thanks.”

“Did you go to Mount Holyoke?”

“No,” Lena said with a tilt of her head. “I was visiting the area once in college and met some nice  people who went there.”

Maggie smirked. “I see.” She gave Lena a knowing look, causing Lena to give her a small smile in return.

“Mount Holyoke?” Kara asked from the other side of the room. “Where’s that, Lena? I thought you went to MIT.”

“I did,” Lena said. “Like I said, I just… went to see new places. Visit a… friend. It’s just a couple hours away from MIT, and it’s in a… good area.”

Maggie snorted. Lena tried not to smile. Alex and Kara both looked at them with confused faces.

“Good how? What was the college like?” Kara asked with a genuinely curious face.

“It was… it was good,” Lena said. “It was an all girls, liberal arts college—”

“All girls?” Kara asked, perplexed. Alex’s eyes shifted to Maggie, silently communicating a question that Maggie nodded to. “Well that must’ve been nice for your friend to be able to focus on her studies at school rather than getting distracted by cute boys.” She turned away and continued setting up presents.

Maggie hid a snort behind her hand.

“Yes, she was never distracted by boys there,” Lena said with a hidden grin.

“Were you ever distracted by cute boys in class at MIT? I know there must have been a lot of them, because of the gender inequality issues that they’ve dealt with in the past.” Kara cut herself off before she started to ramble too much.

Lena’s mouth quirked as she tried not to laugh. “I can’t say I was.” Kara smiled at her before turning back to the tree and asking Alex about something parent-related.

“She really can be oblivious sometimes,” Maggie said as she looked over at the sisters, making sure Kara was too engaged in the conversation to try and eavesdrop. Lena hummed in agreement. “I still think you’d guys would be cute.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Just saying.”

“Yeah,” Lena agreed as she looked over at the blonde in question. “I think we would be, too.”

Maggie tilted her head. “You know you could make it obvious to her.”

Lena gave her a look. “I sent dozens of bouquets of flowers to her. Honestly, how much more obvious could I be?”

“You could tell her.

The CEO sighed and nodded. “I could.”

“If it makes a difference,” Maggie said, “I think she likes you, too.”

Lena’s eyebrows quirked up, but before she could respond, Kara stood and clapped her hands together excitedly.

“We’re all set!” She turned to Maggie and Lena. “But before we get to the gifts— who’s ready for breakfast? I know I am!” She bustled over to the kitchen and took note of the dirtied dishes already strewn across the counter. “What… what are these?” She whirled around to her sister. “Alex— did you try to cook?”

Alex shrugged. “I thought I’d just make Maggie a little something before you got here—”

“But cooking, Alex? You know that’s a bad idea!”

“Sorry for trying to be romantic!” Alex said as she started grabbing the dishes and putting them in the sink.

Kara shook her head and began digging through cabinets for ingredients. “It’s fine, I can make us something edible and good.”

Maggie nudged Lena’s shoulder with her own. “I can help!” Lena piped up quickly, heading over to the younger Danvers sister.

Kara snorted, fiddling with her glasses. “Lena, haven’t you had most— if not all— of your meals cooked for you?”

Lena looked down. “I suppose that is true.” Maggie not-so-subtly coughed. “But—uh— it’s never too late to learn, is it?”

“I suppose that is true,” Kara echoed with a smile, a red tint tinging her cheeks as she handed a measuring cup over to her friend. “We’ll need six cups of flour—”

“Six? That seems like a lot…”

Kara fiddled with her glasses again in embarrassment. “Well… we need a lot of pancakes.”

“Like I said earlier, we always have too much food,” Alex said as she started to clean up the dishes from before.

As Maggie looked on at the scene in front of her, with the two flirts making breakfast together and her girlfriend cleaning up after everything, she realized that for the first time in years she had truly found peace of mind. This Christmas hadn’t begun like any of the others, and it certainly wasn’t going to end like any of them, but it was all for the better. While it hadn’t started like she had expected, she knew that regardless, she was going to remain elated, because she had finally found her happiness.

Alex finished the dishes and walked over to Maggie, circling her arms around her and pulling her into a hug. “Hey, babe.”

“Hey,” Maggie said with a grin, turning her head slightly to put a small kiss on Alex’s ear.

“What are you thinking about?” Alex asked, pulling back but keeping her arms around Maggie’s neck.

Maggie shrugged. “Not much. You?”

Alex grinned goofily. “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you.”

“That’s gay,” Maggie said with a snort.

“That’s kind of the intention,” Alex retorted. She kissed Maggie slowly. “Merry Christmas, Maggie.”

Maggie grinned and kissed her back. “Merry Christmas, Alex.”

[kelinswriter]

Less Than Perfect

Chapter Six: Seven Shots

Author note: This one has some violence - you’ve been warned. Also, M’gann is in it even though in canon she was in detention. Having her be locked up indefinitely ticked me off. 

The call came in around 4:30 on New Year’s Eve, just as Alex was getting ready to duck out of the DEO to get ready for her date with Maggie. An alert had come through about an Infernian they’d been tracking for months wandering the streets of National City, his hands bruised and bloody. J’onn had ordered two DEO strike teams be dispatched, one to take him down, the other to create a perimeter to contain him, with Alex in charge of the first team.

“Guess this means no New Year’s Eve for us,” Winn whined as everyone swung into action.

“Only if you consider saving your fellow citizens unworthy of celebration, Agent Schott,” J’onn said, quelling Winn with a glance. “Alex, have you talked to your contact at the NCPD?”

“Detective Sawyer?” Alex asked, her finger already hovering over Maggie’s contact in her phone. She wondered if the request was a coincidence or if J’onn had simply sensed that the detective was on her mind.

“Yes,” J’onn said, with a crisp nod that gave nothing away. “Our last update on the target indicates he has a girlfriend in National City. It’s possible she may know something about his motives or possible plans. Perhaps our friends at the NCPD could check it out?”

Alex nodded. “Winn, send me the info. I’ll call on the way.”

By the time she had geared up and climbed into the front seat of the SUV, Winn had uploaded the address to her phone. She dialed Maggie, bracing herself for the guilt she was about to feel over cancelling with such late notice.

“Danvers?” Maggie said, after picking up on the second ring. “Hey, I’m —“ She must have heard the sound of the SUV’s engine roaring through the phone, for she let out a sigh. “Shit. You’re out on a mission, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Alex clutched the handgrip just above the window, holding on for dear life as Vasquez weaved the vehicle through a slow-moving batch of cars. “I hate to do this to you, but we have a lead on the guy’s girlfriend. You think you could check it out for us?”

“Okay, but you’re buying after.” Maggie’s voice dropped low as she added, “Think you’ll be done by midnight?”

“God, I hope so.” Alex turned her face away from Vasquez, quietly saying, “Look, this guy’s an Infernian, so be careful, okay? We don’t think he’ll head back there, but just in case.”

“Got it. Text me the address and I’ll get over there right away.” Then, more softly, Maggie added, “And stay safe. Those bastards shoot fire from their hands, you know.”

“Yes, I remember. Talk soon.” Alex hung up and forwarded the information to Maggie’s phone.  A moment later, she received a text in reply:

Got it. My team is headed out now, followed by both the alien and the ray gun emoji.

And you call me a nerd, Alex texted back, chuckling under her breath.

Just then Winn called in over the comms, notifying her that the Infernian had entered a crowded movie theater. “He might be aiming for a mass casualty attack,” he said, his voice filled with panic. “That place is packed to the gills.”

“No way this bastard is messing with Rogue One before I get to see it,” Alex replied as Vasquez slammed the vehicle around a corner and jumped the sidewalk, heading straight for the multiplex’s front doors.

Her team deployed quickly, setting up a perimeter while Supergirl used her x-ray vision to locate the pissed off, flame-throwing alien. The next three hours were spent in a harried combination of hostage negotiation and all-out warfare that only ended when Supergirl knocked the Infernian through a movie screen.

“I liked the new part with Supergirl, but it was better the first time when we saw it in 3D,” Alex heard a kid chirp as she and Vasquez loaded their newly acquired prisoner into the back of the transport van.

Alex glanced over at Kara, chuckling. “Guess you gave that audience something to remember.”

“And earned free movie passes for a year!” Kara grinned, before glancing around at the wreckage of the theater complex. “Not that we’ll be able to use them.”

Alex was just about to point out how awkward it would be if Kara Danvers tried to use Supergirl’s movie passes when she heard Winn’s voice in her ear. “Hey, um, Alex? We have a situation.”

“What’s up?” Alex asked, gesturing for Vasquez to finish securing the Infernian. “Do we need to check out another location?”

“No, it’s about the girlfriend’s apartment. NCPD’s already cleared the scene, but they found two bodies — a woman and a young boy. The Infernian — he —“ Winn trailed off, swallowing so hard that Alex could hear it through the comm. “It’s bad.”

Alex felt her stomach drop, the blood draining from her face. She glanced at the Infernian, who was staring off into space, still dazed from when Supergirl had sent him flying. His hands were shackled, but she could see that the knuckles were raw, so raw that blood trickled from the edges of the wounds. And it wasn’t from the fighting, she realized. It was from —

 A woman and a little boy. And Maggie had been first on scene.

 Oh God.

“Is the NCPD team okay?” she barked, and heard Winn draw in a startled breath.

“They’re fine, but the photos from the scene are ugly. It looks like the woman was burned to death, and the little boy — his head was — “ Winn paused and made a noise that sounded a lot like retching. Eventually he came back online, and she heard cracks in his voice, as if he was no longer the funny, whiny IT nerd she knew and liked to torture, but a broken, scared little boy. “Alex, it looks like he put the kid’s head through a wall.”

 Fuck.

“Send me the pictures,” she said through gritted teeth, staring down the Infernian with such intensity that even Vasquez had the grace to look afraid. Her stomach churned as she heard the text alert go off, and she dropped her eyes, forcing herself to look at the images that popped up on her screen. First of the mother, then of the son.

And then she almost threw up.

“Get him the fuck out of here before I beat him to death,” she barked at Vasquez, then turned away, walking several yards until she found a space, far from the lights and the noise, where she could breathe. She sucked in lungful after lungful of the cold night air, hoping the scent of car exhaust and the mist drawn in from the ocean breeze would be enough to clear her head. When she felt like she could talk without screaming, she called Maggie.

It went to voicemail.

“Come on,” she whispered, and called again.

Before it could go through, she heard the whoosh that was Kara landing a few feet away. She turned toward her, seeing her sister’s forehead furrow, her cheeks tighten when she took in the worry Alex was unable to hide. “What’s wrong?”

“He…” Alex shot a hard look at the van pulling away from the scene. “I asked Maggie to follow up at his girlfriend’s apartment. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but they found…they found…” She choked in a breath, not wanting to reveal to Kara what Maggie had walked into without warning. “And now I can’t get ahold of her.”

“It’s okay,” Kara said, wrapping her arms around Alex’s shoulders and pulling her in close. The warmth of her, the strength, was grounding, and Alex felt the tension in her start to ease, the fear subside, ever so slightly, at the feel of Kara’s hands pressed against her back. “Alex, it’s not your fault.”

Alex nodded her head, trying to pull herself together so that she could finish her job, because the faster she did that, the faster she could track down Maggie. “I need to close out the scene.”

“What you need is to make sure that Maggie is okay,” Kara said, drawing Alex deeper into her warmth. “Vasquez and I can wrap this up. You go find her.”

Alex squeezed Kara tighter, so tight that even her steel-spined sister could feel it. “Thank you.”

Kara drew back, her eyes wet with tears. She gave Alex a reassuring nod, then backed up a few steps, taking off toward the sky. Alex didn’t even linger to watch her set down next to Vasquez; she just strode, as fast as she could, toward the nearest DEO SUV.

“Collins, I need to get back,” she called out, and the agent in question immediately jumped into the driver’s seat. Alex took shotgun, calling Maggie on repeat while they sped back to the DEO. After five minutes she got frustrated with repeatedly bouncing to voicemail and switched to texts.

 Hey, I saw the pictures. Are you okay?

 Maggie, I’m so sorry I put you in that position. If I had known you’d be heading into that I would have warned you.

 Would you please just let me know where you’re at?

She got no answer, and by the time she got back to the DEO, she was close to frantic. Making her way into the control room, she reported in to J’onn while he supervised the Infernian’s transfer into containment, then headed back to Winn’s station in the control room. He took one look at her and realized that his night was not yet over. “What’s up?”

“Have you see any reports come through on the NCPD activity at the murder scene?” Alex asked, hiding behind her calm, cool Agent Danvers persona in an attempt to disguise how close she was to panic.

“They wrapped up about 45 minutes ago,” Winn said, his fingers flying over the keys. “Preliminary report was filed by…” He paused, looking up at Alex. “Isn’t that’s your friend?”

“Yeah.” Alex skimmed over the paperwork, admiring the meticulous way that Maggie had catalogued both the scene and the available evidence pending the crime lab’s findings. In some ways, it was all for nothing, because the Infernian would never see inside a court of law — but at least it justified his indefinite detention.

Right now, however, she didn’t care about any of that — not even that niggling bit of doubt that always fluttered at the back of her mind when she really thought about how she spent the better part of her work life trampling on aliens’ civil rights —because she needed to find Maggie.

“Can you track a cellphone for me?” she asked, quickly rattling off the number.

“I’m on it,” Winn said, his hands once again moving at breakneck speed. His computer dinged within seconds, and he squinted at the map that had popped up on his screen. “Looks like it’s in a car on Locust, headed toward…”

“I know where it’s headed,” Alex said, not saying another word, simply walking straight to the arms locker to drop her gear. From there she made her way to the locker room, changing into the jeans and t-shirt she had worn into work that morning. She pulled on her jacket and tucked her Glock into the back of her jeans, then grabbed her motorcycle keys and headed out the door.

It only took a few minutes to get to the bar, and she parked deep in the alley, for she suspected she wouldn’t be picking her bike up until morning. Locking her helmet in place, she pocketed her keys and walked to the door, muttering the password through the grate. It was crowded inside; there was the usual group of regulars, but on top of that, there appeared to be an extra contingent of New Year’s revelers, all eager for a chance to meet an alien and get two for one wings before ten p.m. Alex peered through the haze, looking for a familiar sheen of dark hair, but she couldn’t spot it anywhere. Then she heard a voice calling her name.

“Hi,” she said, walking over the bar, where M’gann was serving out beers to frat boys as fast as she could pour. “Have you seen Maggie?”

“Her usual table.” M’gann pulled a bottle of water from beneath the bar and slid it toward Alex. “She’s not in a good place right now.”

Alex nodded, seeing something unsettling in M’gann’s eyes, as if the telepathic alien had been exposed to thoughts she wished she could unsee. “Do me a favor and call us a cab?”

M’gann nodded, her mouth quirking in a slight smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on your bike tonight.”

“Thank you,” Alex said, and turned, shouldering her way through the frat boys while they whined and complained. Weaving her way through the noisy, half-drunk crowd, she eventually reached the table where Maggie was most likely to hold court when she was in the mood to drink and brood. Sure enough, she was there, her black hair shimmering against the back of her gray Henley.

“There you are,” Alex said as she neared the table. “I was worried about —“

She broke off as Maggie’s face came into view — or at least what she could see of Maggie’s face, for her girlfriend was hunched over, her elbows propped against the table while she stared down at a line of shot glasses.

Seven of them, to be precise.

“Hey,” Alex said, stopping beside the table while she waited for Maggie to acknowledge her. When that didn’t happen, Alex settled onto the opposite barstool, setting the water bottle between them. “You having a party?”

“Party of one,” Maggie said, the thumb and forefinger of her left hand resting over the rim of the first shot glass. She glanced up at Alex, her dark eyes unfocused. “How’s it going, Danvers?”

“Caught the bad guy.” Alex leaned against the table, her instincts telling her that something was deeply wrong — something that went far deeper than an awful day at work. It wasn’t just the blank, barren expression in Maggie’s eyes or the withdrawn, almost sullen way she stared down at the table. It was her body language; the way her shoulders slumped, as if her vital, vibrant spirit had been beaten into submission. “What’s going on?”

“Found a couple of dead bodies,” Maggie said, and Alex heard it clearly then; the distinctive slur that said her girlfriend was either already drunk or well on the way to it. “Wasn’t pretty.”

“I know.” Alex watched Maggie slide the shot glass back and forth against the wood grain of the table, as if debating whether to lift it to her lips or send it skittering away like a hockey puck flying over ice. “That might be the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“Just two more people I got to too late.” Maggie waved her hand over the row of shots. “One shot for every year of that little boy’s life seems like a fair tribute, don’t you think?”

Oh, Alex thought, and leaned over the table, drawing closer so she could be heard over the din. “Why don’t we go get something to eat instead.”

“If I tried to eat right now I would throw up,” Maggie replied, her face tightening in revulsion. She stared down at the whisky in her shot glass before slowly lifting it, her hand more than a little unsteady. “Besides, who wants stale nachos when you have access to the Macallan that M’gann keeps behind the bar for special occasions?”

And Alex realized then that she had walked into some kind of ritual, one that had probably been enacted in this bar many times before. She remembered the day that Maggie had lost those three prisoners from Cadmus, for reasons that they still hadn’t quite been able to explain. There had been three shots in front of Maggie when Alex had found her that day. Today there were seven, in honor of the seven years that little boy had lived. And that meant —

 That I need to find a way to get Maggie out of here before she does something more self-destructive than anything I managed to do during my party days.

“We have just enough time to get in a food order before M’gann closes the kitchen,” Alex said, sensing that the battle would be lost the moment that first shot went down. “Or we could grab some takeout and head back to my place, or —“

“Alex.” Maggie stared daggers at her from across the table, the languor scrubbed from her voice, leaving only dark edges behind. “Last I checked you’re my girlfriend, not my babysitter.”

“I know that,” Alex said, swallowing down the urge to ask just how much Maggie had drunk before she even arrived at the bar. “But I know how awful walking into that crime scene must have been. So I’m here for you, whether you need to talk, or drink, or anything else. Just…” She reached across the table, holding out her hand. “Just let me be here for you, okay?”

Maggie nodded, something Alex couldn’t quite read flickering in her eyes. She looked down at the table, her attention focusing, once again, on the shot glass in her hand as she softly said, “The first thing was the smell. You don’t forget that, you know? The smell when someone’s been burned. I came through the door, and I saw her, and I tried not to throw up.” She closed her eyes, her head turning slightly to the side. “And then I saw that little boy.”

“There was no way to know,” Alex said, but Maggie seemed too lost in her own world to hear what she was saying. She touched the back of Maggie’s hand, feeling her flinch at the contact, and quietly said, “Maggie, please look at me.”

Maggie did then, and Alex saw horror in her eyes — a horror that she had sent Maggie into, without even a warning. She rocked back in her seat, the force of it landing like a blow.

And then Maggie brought the first shot to her lips and swallowed it down.

“His name was Manny, you know,” she said as she set the first glass down, her hand immediately reaching for the second. “Short for Manuel, of course. I don’t know what happened to his dad, but his mom must have loved him, because she had a whole shelf full of trophies and pictures and framed report cards right next to where we found her.”

Maggie drank the second shot while Alex watched, a plea for Maggie to slow down dying on her lips. But Maggie just shot her a quelling glance and reached for the third, lifting the glass to her nose and breathing in its scent as she said, “He had black, curly hair and brown eyes and his skin was just a little bit darker than mine. And his smile — God, his sweet little smile.”

She slammed back the third shot, swaying in her seat as the liquor went down, and Alex dared to hope that it would be enough, that Maggie would call it quits for the night. Instead, she squinted down at the fourth glass, raw determination in her eyes as she said, “I’m pretty sure his mom taught him how to read so that he’d have a head start when he got to school, because there were books all over the apartment. She must have really loved helping him read.”

She drank the fourth shot, then glanced up at Alex as if seeking her permission to go on. And Alex wanted to act then, to intervene by taking the rest of the shots away and finding Maggie some food and bundling her into the back of a cab. But she couldn’t seem to do that; couldn’t seem to do anything but stare, to try not to flinch at the agony she saw reflected in her girlfriend’s eyes.

And so Maggie picked up the next shot, holding it in front of her. “Fast forward to age five, and he’s started school, and he’s learning how to ride a bike. And somewhere in there, Mom gets a new boyfriend. A boyfriend who’s a little different, but hey, he treats her nice — or at least he does until the first time he beats the living shit out of both of them.”

“Maggie,” Alex said then, her voice cracking on the name.

But Maggie just shook her head and drank, her hand visibly shaking as she lowered the glass to the table. “So mom gets a restraining order, and that works for a while. But then he comes back, and there must be something about this dude, something she can’t quite let go of, because she lets him back in. She tells Manny it will be okay, that everything will be fine. That it’ll be different this time.”

Maggie picked up shot number six, staring at it for a long time, and for an instant, Alex held out hope that she would set it aside. Instead, Maggie sucked in a trembling breath and brought it to her lips, her throat visibly contracting as she swallowed the alcohol down. She put the glass back on the table and looked over at Alex, blinking. “And it is different for a while. It’s different until he gets mad over something — maybe Manny left his Legos on the floor or his mom forgot to buy the right beer. Or maybe this guy was just in the mood to hurt someone. So he burned Manny’s mom alive, and when Manny tried to run away, he grabbed him and slammed his head against the wall. Over —“ She tapped the shot glass on the table. “And over —“ She tapped it again. “And over.”

She reached for the final shot, but before her fumbling fingers could grasp it, Alex pulled it away. She downed it, feeling the warm, smooth burn that only good Scotch could create sliding down her throat. She looked up at Maggie, licking the last drop off her lower lip, and quietly said, “It’s time to go.”

Maggie frowned and pressed her hand against the table, struggling to get her weight beneath her as if intent on striking out in search of more booze. But her arms failed her, nearly spilling her face-forward onto the hard wooden surface. She shook her head, mumbling,  “Goddammit, Danvers. That was mine.”

“And you’ve had more than enough,” Alex said, walking around to Maggie’s side of the table and putting an arm around her shoulders. She guided Maggie away from the bar stool, holding her steady when her feet struggled to hit the ground, and pulled her jacket off the nearby chair. “Can you walk?”

“Of course. I’m…” Maggie tried to take a step, her knees wobbling, and nearly dropped to the ground. “Whoa.”

“’Whoa’ is right.” Alex threaded Maggie’s arms through her jacket and wrapped an arm around her waist, saying, “Just lean on me, okay?”

And then they were moving, Alex shunting aside the less observant revelers with an elbow to the side or a brusque, “Excuse me, coming through,” until she reached M’gann’s station.

“Your cab is outside,” M’gann said, nodding in thanks when Alex dropped some cash on the bar. Her eyes weren’t on Alex, however, but on Maggie as they departed, and once again, Alex wondered what the telepath was picking up from her girlfriend’s mind.

Then the cool, leaden night air hit them, and Maggie shook her head, rousing a little. “Where we goin’?”

“Someplace where you can sleep it off,” Alex said, grateful to see the cab’s taillights shimmering at the end of the alley. “Just a short walk first.”

“Iss cool, Danvers,” Maggie slurred, her feet not quite making solid contact with the pavement. “I got it, I do.”

“Sure you do,” Alex said as she led Maggie to the back of the cab. She guided Maggie into the backseat, slowly nudging her over until she could climb in too.

“Where to?” asked the driver, a middle-aged man with a thick Eastern European accent.

Alex took a long, hard look at him, making sure he looked safe and sober before she leaned over, shaking Maggie’s arm. “Maggie, what’s your address?”

Maggie didn’t respond — simply rolled into Alex’s shoulder, her hands curling into her chest. Alex drew her closer, brushing a lock of hair out of her face as she murmured, “All right. My place it is.”

She gave the driver her address, then leaned over and belted Maggie into the seat, cradling Maggie’s head against her shoulder as the cab lurched through the crowded streets. At one point Maggie jolted awake, and Alex tried to get her to drink some water, but Maggie then just mumbled something that sounded like “Voyager” and curled back into Alex’s chest.

At last they arrived outside Alex’s building. Alex tossed a twenty at the cabbie and roused Maggie, managing to get her back on her feet long enough to get out of the car. From there it was a stumbling walk into Alex’s building and up the elevator until, at last, they reached the eighth floor. Alex guided Maggie forward, propping her against the wall while she unlocked her apartment door.

“You hanging in?” she asked, noticing that Maggie’s skin, normally such a beautiful shade of olive-toned brown, had turned a sickly gray-green.

“I don’t feel so…” Maggie swallowed and lurched forward, sweat breaking out on her forehead. “Oh fuck.”

“Yeah, I hoped that was coming,” Alex muttered, barreling through the door. She dragged Maggie through and kicked it shut behind her, half carrying her girlfriend through the darkened apartment. They got to the bathroom just in time, Maggie dropping hard to her knees while Alex did her best to get her aimed toward the toilet bowl and silently thanked God that she had cleaned it sometime in the last week.

Things were very unpleasant for the next several minutes, as Maggie heaved a whole lot of expensive oak-aged Scotch straight into National City’s sewer system. Alex held Maggie’s hair and rubbed her back, pulling her jacket off during one brief respite and holding a damp washcloth to her forehead through another. “Just let it go,” she murmured, relieved that this was happening, if only to clear some of the alcohol from Maggie’s system. “I’ve got you.”

“Fuck,” Maggie moaned, resting her head against the toilet seat.

Alex drew her back and helped her sit against the wall, wiping the damp cloth over her face. “Think you’re done?”

“Dunno.” Maggie closed her eyes and tilted her head against the wall, mumbling, “He was only seven.”

“I know.” Alex guided the water bottle into Maggie’s hand, making sure she had a firm grip on it before she let go. “Do yourself a favor and drink that while I find something for you to sleep in.”

She climbed to her feet and went into the bedroom, sorting through her t-shirt drawer until she found something loose enough to be comfortable, yet not so large that Maggie would drown in it. She settled on an old t-shirt from some bio-ethics conference that she had attended a few years back and carried it into the bathroom. “You think you can change by yourself?”

“I got it,” Maggie said, her hand groping for the shirt. She’d drunk most of the bottle of water, which eased Alex’s worries about alcohol poisoning. Now, her big concern was how to mitigate the brutal hangover that Maggie was facing when she woke in the morning.

“You need something in your stomach,” Alex said, pressing a hand to Maggie’s cheek. “Crackers, maybe?”

“Crackers are good.” Maggie lolled her head against the wall, squinting at Alex. “You’re sweet, Danvers.”

“Yeah, just wait till tomorrow when I give you every kind of shit there is over this,” Alex replied, pressing a kiss to Maggie’s forehead. She tugged Maggie’s service revolver off her belt and got up again, saying, “Go on, get changed,” before standing up and heading into the outer room.

Her first stop was to drop Maggie’s gun beside her own near the door, her second to pour a glass of water for herself. She drank it down while she hunted through the cupboards for the Saltines she kept stashed for moments like this — though usually, her goal was to stave off her own hangover, not someone else’s. At last she located the box, and she carried it and more water to the bedside table, setting it there for when she got Maggie settled. Then she returned to the bathroom, knocking on the half-open door. “Maggie? You good?”

She heard what sounded like a whimper and ducked inside, expecting to find Maggie hunched over the toilet again. Instead, she found her huddled against the wall, barelegged and shivering with her knees tucked against her chest. She was mumbling in Spanish, the words so ragged and choked with tears that Alex, with only two years of the language under her belt, could barely understand them.

 “Ya no me haga más daño ‘apá, ¡por favor! Voy a ir. Voy a ir…”

“Maggie?” Alex said, dropping to her knees, but Maggie didn’t seem to notice she was there; she just kept repeating the words over and over, her shoulders shaking with the force of the tremors running through her frame. Her right hand was braced over the back of her thigh, as if guarding an injury from something — or someone.

“It’s okay,” Alex said, catching at Maggie’s hand and drawing it away. She saw two scars on Maggie’s right leg — the first the clear remnant of a knife wound that looked as if it had gone deep into the meat of her thigh — but the second one wasn’t from that, wasn’t from anything that looked like it had happened on the job. No weapon Alex could think of would leave a faint red horizontal line, perhaps five inches above the knee — except maybe for a belt, which would mean that  —

 Oh fuck no.

The thought pinged through her brain and was gone just as quickly, for Maggie was sobbing now, the words spilling out of her at a speed near close to hysteria, and Alex couldn’t bear to do anything but pull her into her arms and whisper soft, soothing words. “Hey, I’ve got you. I’m here.”

And with that she swung Maggie into her arms and carried her into the bedroom. It was easier than she had anticipated; for all her larger than life presence and wiry strength, Maggie was small, almost birdlike, and probably weighed barely more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. So it didn’t take much to get her to the half-made bed and slide her under the covers, to urge her over to the far side and roll her onto her stomach. After that Alex tucked her legs beneath her and simply sat, quietly stroking Maggie’s back and head until something let go, her trembling easing as she settled into the pillow and let out a soft, snuffling breath.

“Alex?” she asked, her face hidden beneath that curtain of dark hair.

“Just sleep,” Alex said, brushing Maggie’s hair back from her face. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to Maggie’s temple, and smoothed a hand across her forehead. “I’m right here.”

Maggie nodded, mumbling something that was lost in the depths of the pillow, and sank deeper into the mattress while her breathing evened out into the rhythm of sleep. Alex lingered a moment longer, then slipped away to brush her teeth, change into her own pajamas, and turn out the lights.  She crept back into her bedroom, which was dark now save for the faint glow coming from outside her window, and slid under the covers, settling onto her back. Maggie’s presence beside her tugged at her like a beacon as her mind spun, swirling together all the night’s events in one huge, brain-buzzing cauldron of overload: Taking down the Infernian, little Manny and his mother, the dead look in Maggie’s eyes as she downed that last shot of Scotch. The scar on Maggie’s leg, and what Alex feared it might mean.

And Maggie in her bed, Maggie in her bed, Maggie in her bed.

Alex felt overwhelmed with the desire to simply hold Maggie, to draw her into her arms and stroke her hair and whisper to her that everything would be all right. But much as she wanted to, it didn’t seem fair to touch her now, even in the most innocent and comforting of ways. Better to let her sleep it off, then figure out where things stood in the morning.

So she wasn’t exactly prepared when, sometime later, she felt Maggie slither across the bed and curl into her side, nuzzling against her for a moment as if drawn to her warmth. Maggie mumbled something that might have been “Danvers” before settling in face down atop Alex’s shoulder, her left arm stretched over Alex’s stomach while her leg curled over Alex’s knee. And Alex couldn’t help the desire that shot through her then, an electric current that pulsed through every single point of contact, leaving behind bliss like she had never dared imagine.

“Best New Year’s ever, and it’s not even midnight yet,” she whispered, nuzzling her cheek against the soft, tangled hair at the crown of Maggie’s head. She ran her right hand over Maggie’s arm, letting it rest just over her elbow, and closed her eyes, willing the pain and the horror of the day to disappear in this sweet, quiet warmth. Time enough to deal with the darkness tomorrow; for now, there was this.

She closed her eyes, took a breath, and drifted off to sleep.

------

When she woke in the morning, Maggie was gone, with only a note on the bedside table to confirm that she had actually been there.

 Danvers –

 Based on how I’m feeling, I guess I lost my cool last night. I don’t remember much, but I do know you were there for me. I’m sorry our plans got ruined again.

 I have to work this afternoon, but I’ll call you as soon as I have time to sleep this off and regroup a little bit. Thanks for taking care of me.

 Sawyer

 PS Sorry about the barf.

Alex laughed a little at the final line, though she couldn’t help worry when she knew Maggie was out on the job with what had to be a crushing hangover. She texted her to check in and got a Feel like shit but that’s what Advil is for in response. Two days later they met up for pool, and Alex spent most of their four rounds gently nibbling at the edges of Maggie’s meltdown, but Maggie simply glossed over it, saying, “I ramble like a motherfucker when I’m drunk, Danvers. Haven’t you figured that out by now?” before sinking the three in the corner pocket.

And Alex didn’t push, because Maggie was tired, and Maggie looked hot in her t-shirt, and Maggie might actually have a chance at beating her at pool, which was simply not acceptable. Besides, it seemed a little intrusive to ask about something Alex shouldn’t have actually seen — and maybe there was an innocent explanation for the mark on Maggie’s leg, or at least one that didn’t involve some form of domestic abuse.

So it took the better part of two months to put it together — until after the Valentine’s Day fiasco and Maggie’s ridiculously romantic recreation of the prom that neither of them had ever been able to enjoy as teenagers. Alex was at work a few days later when it hit her, and she stood up from her microscope, a quiet “Fuck me” slipping from her lips.

She brushed off her assistant’s worried look and made her way into the control room, where Vasquez was just coming on shift. “Could you translate something for me?” she asked, and repeated, to the best of her recollection, what Maggie had said that night.

And Vasquez, eyes troubled, had told her.

Alex tore around in a fury for the rest of the day, knocking so many agents flat during sparring that Vasquez had finally pulled her aside and said, “Ma’am, perhaps you should go shoot something instead.” So Alex had, heading off to the range for several hours of target practice with a foe that looked a lot like her mental picture of Maggie’s father. And with every shot, what echoed inside her ears was the sound of a fourteen year old Maggie Sawyer, bleeding from the sharp edge of her father’s own belt while she pleaded, “Don’t hurt me anymore, Papa. I’ll go. I’ll go.”

It took days to process it, days that Maggie spent looking at her sideways and asking, “What’s wrong?” until Alex made up some story about congressional oversight chapping her ass. She wanted to ask Maggie about it, but after all that had happened on Valentine’s Day she didn’t quite know how to do so. Did your dad beat you up when he threw you out? seemed needlessly cruel, even though Alex was learning that with Maggie, direct confrontation was often the only way to get any information out of her. Where this one was concerned, the wall just seemed too high to scale, at least for right now. Better to do it in stages.

So Alex thought and she considered, waiting for the right moment to broach the subject, for Maggie to trust her enough to tell her that part of the story. It took time, but eventually she realized that the only way to reach that place was love — the love that young, newly out Maggie Sawyer had been denied, that no one had wanted to give her because she quite didn’t fit their notions of who she should be.

And so Alex loved as hard as she could, lavishing attention on that marred skin with her hands and her mouth, making sure Maggie knew it was beautiful, because everything about Maggie Sawyer was beautiful. She told her with her sighs and her smiles, with slow morning kisses and soft whispers deep in the night, until one day, the right words dawned on her, and she pulled Vasquez aside again, asking her to translate another phrase; not from Spanish this time, but from English.  She practiced it for the rest of the day until she had it down cold, until J’onn looked at her and rumbled, “Alex, please think about something else, at least for one minute.”

That night, after Maggie had fallen asleep in her arms, Alex pulled her in close, seeing in her both the woman she now was and the girl she used to be. She kissed Maggie’s temple and pressed her mouth close to her ear, saying the words she had practiced, hoping that somehow, Maggie could find within them the strength to heal.

 “No voy a ir, Maggie Sawyer. Te juro que no voy a ir.”

[unicyclehippo]

Prompt: Kara and Alex dealing with her being on the spectrum (as adults).

“hey alex, there’s no need to freak out but im home from work early-”

“what’s wrong?”

kara groans for a long time, annoyed that alex picked up. well, not annoyed. just…she just wanted to say it and leave it all behind. go curl up on her couch and eat all the brownies out of the icecream and forget that she’d almost had a meltdown at work.

“kara,”

“it’s not a supergirl thing, i was just going to leave a message,”

“excuse me for a moment,” alex says in a way more formal tone and kara hears her boots echoing and sighs again, pulls the icecream out. a door whooshes open on alex’s end of the phone and alex is talking to her again. “talk to me. what’s wrong? is it that sleazy guy again?”

“no, no,” kara crinkles her nose. “well, he is still sleazy. but it’s not that. i just… hadabitofameltdownatworkandwantedtotellyoubeforejamesdoes.”

“okay, rewind,” alex chides her, but really softly and kara grabs at the duvet she’s been using as a cape - she likes the weight, and she likes that it’s so long it slides along the floor when she walks and makes the nicest shish shish shish sound - and she nods. “repeat all that but slower.”

“i had a meltdown at work,” she says. “and i’m calling you because i’m pretty sure james is going to call you soon to make sure i haven’t blown out my powers and i thought you should know. and, maybe,” kara picks at the raised loops sewing the patches of the duvet cover, “i wanted to see if you were busy.”

“you had a meltdown? what happened? you’re okay? i mean you’re talking so that’s a good sign,”

“yes,” kara nods emphatically, pushes her glasses up her nose when the move makes them slip down. “i’m okay. i stood in the sun, i did my breathing, james hugged me and cat gave me a pillow to hug.”

“that woman, honestly,”

“at least she didn’t fire me,” kara tells her, and damn it her voice wavers a little and alex - a literal spy and awesome secret agent - can’t not pick up on that. “no crying at work, remember?”

“you were crying?” alex asks very softly. “kara, i can be there in fifteen minutes.”

“no. no, you are working and i dealt with it and i am dealing with it and i want you to finish up your meeting.”

“you’re more important,”

“yeah but i’m also okay,” she insists. “please, i just wanted to let you know. i dealt with it, i did well. i’m not a kid anymore, alex, please don’t come over until you’re actually free.”

“fine.”

kara narrows her eyes. “i’ll know if you cut any meetings or whatever to come over.”

that makes alex laugh and she’s about to say something, probably along the lines of i was a DEO agent for years without you knowing, but the door whooshes open and a quiet voice asks for alex to join them again.

“i’ll be right in,” alex promises, and she waits for the door to close again. “i will be over the second my shift is over. save some icecream for me.”

“uh, no.”

“i will pick up some icecream,” alex amends, and kara lowers her head to the kitchen counter and listens to the fondness, the smile, her sister speaks with. “i’m really proud of you. and we can go through what happened to figure out why,”

“i know why, it’s okay. i just want to watch tv with you. but…on mute maybe?” she scratches at her arm. “it was all sounds and stuff today, i just.”

“mute is good.”

“okay.”

“okay.” alex lingers as long as she can, but, “i have to go back in there. my shift ends at seven, expect me at seven thirty. what’s your food today?”

“…brownies.”

“pick something else too.”

“just brownies.”

“kara,”

“i won’t eat anything else. not today.”

“fine! brownies then,” she grumbles, and her goodbye is hurried but sweet. “i love you, see you tonight.”

//

she doesn’t feel worse, exactly, when alex does show up. way more tired though so everything is a little harder to manage.

“hey kara,” alex says, and immediately shuts up when her little sister curls into an even littler sister shaped ball on the couch and tugs her duvet closed around her head.

alex makes her way around as quietly as she can. she toes her boots off at the door, pads to the fridge to put away the pizzas she picked up. it wasn’t on kara’s very short food list but it’s a danvers staple so she’ll want it eventually. the low whine of the fridge sounds especially loud and alex hunches her shoulders, moves as fast as she can to finish all the necessary steps. turns her phone on silent and do not disturb, shrugs off her jacket and picks up a blanket, grimaces through cracking open the brownie takeout box and the clink of cutlery when she pulls out a spoon for kara.

“are you done?” kara grumbles from her couch. if she concentrates, alex thinks she can make out a single, baleful eye.

“coming your way,” alex shoots back, and kara sobs once when she steps on a creaking floorboard and again when the couch springs shriek when she sits. “i’m sorry.”

“it’s okay.” kara doesn’t take the brownie box. alex sets it on the table. “it hurts,” she mutters, and alex eases her over so she can lay next to her sister and pulls her head to her chest.

“focus on my heartbeat,” she tells her, and wraps her arms tight even that even kara could feel it. she can’t hold that up for long, but a moment is enough.

kara knees her in the bladder and headbutts her chin, blind inside her cocoon, shifting around to find the most comfortable position and alex bears it with good grace though she’ll be cashing in her bruises for favours later, no doubt about that.

they doze off quickly, kara first, exhausted, and then alex once kara’s tears are mostly cried out. when they wake, it’s because of kara’s stomach. it grumbles and rumbles and kara floats them both over to the kitchen, putters around making their dinner - midnight meal, really - as quietly as possible.

“maybe you should tell your friends,” alex murmurs, trying to keep her voice smooth and low and even. “and maybe cat.”

kara shoves her pizza slice into her mouth and fetches her phone, squints at the brightness and turns it so alex can read the email.

“sick days are unfortunately a requirement by law. you have several. use them wisely.” alex rolls her eyes. “can she say anything without it sounding like a threat?”

“carter,” kara whispers.

“true.” she accepts kara back into a hug, despite the sauce on her chin. kara tucks her forehead into alex’s neck, brings her arms up to brace comfortably between their bodies. “sick day tomorrow? i have a date with maggie in the evening, maybe we can all hang out in the day?”

“maybe.”

“we’ll see how you feel. could be a danvers day only.” she feels kara smile and nod. “sounds good to me.”

they stand for a while longer. then kara sighs and pulls back. “i’m going to tell winn and james. they should know in case anything happens while they’re with me. like today. and i trust them. and cat already knows everything,” kara sucks in a deep breath, less to do with cat and more to do with the effort of saying so much at one time. “but i’m going to tell her too.”

“okay.”

“will you stay, when i tell the guys?”

“of course.”

kara blows out her cheeks and nods, relieved. “thank you.”

[catarinaelibeth]

Meet the Superfriends

Prompt

I'd like to see a fic where the superfriends just happen to be accepting of Lena right away and are nice to her. It confuses Kara at first, but Alex is like "bish she shot a man for me the first time we met," and Winn is like "I have a brain crush on her, mmkay," and space dad is like "I am the director of a secret government agency, I have access to reliable intelligence, and it says she's not evil," James is like "I got to know Lex pretty well when he and Kal were bezzie mates and I can tell she's nothing like that creepy megalomaniac, she cool," and Maggie is like "yeaaaah fellow gay, let's figure out how many ex's we have in common."

Kara fidgets with her hands as she paces in her apartment. She checks the time for the 12th time that minute. Letting out a groan, she throws a longing glance at the door. After pacing for a few more minutes, a familiar heartbeat reaches her eyes.

Appearing at the door instantly, she throws open the door and steps out to see Lena walking down the hall. When Lena sees her, she only gives her an amused smirk. “Impatient, are we?” Lena teases her.

“I’m never impatient,” Kara huffs from her doorway.

Lena raises an eyebrow as her eyes draw down to where Kara’s foot is tapping. “If you say so, Kara.”

Kara pouts and crosses her arms when she notices Lena slow her steps slightly. “You’re doing that on purpose.”

“Doing what, dear?” Lena finally reaches the door, but keeps a couple of feet of space between them.

Rolling her eyes, Kara reaches out to pull Lena close to her. Lena stumbles a little, and they end up flush against each other. “You know what.” She crashes her lips against Lena’s for an endless moment. “Hi,” she whispers when they pull apart from one another.

“Hello to you, too.” Lena steal another quick kiss. “Are you ready?” She whispers against Kara’s lips. Lena chuckles when Kara tries to chase her lips, but backs away a couple inches.

Kara pouts. “Can’t we just keep doing this instead?”

“Kara, dear.” Lena removes one arm from around Kara’s neck to run her fingers through the blonde hair.

Melting under the touch, Kara’s pout dissipates. “How are you so calm about this?”

“I lo… One of us has to be,” Lena says casually.

Kara lets out a sigh and lets her forehead fall to Lena’s shoulder. “Fine. Let’s go.” Lena has to give three more pep talks before they are finally standing in front of Alex’s door. Kara’s hand freezes before her knuckles can hit the door. “I-”

“Kara.” Lena’s voice is firm. Kara turns her best pout on Lena, but she turns away instantly and knocks on the door herself. Lena brings her hand back down and places it on Kara’s lower back in silent support. “Breath, Kara.”

The door opens to reveal Alex Danvers. Lena feels Kara stiffen, so she rubs Kara’s back in reassurance. “Hey, Alex,” Kara squeaks.

Alex raises an eyebrow in amusement and steps back to clear their entry into the apartment. “Come on in.” She waves them through the door. “Maggie got called in, so it’s just us.”

Kara hugs her on the way into the apartment, and Lena stands awkwardly just inside of the door. “Thanks for having us,” Kara whispers before pulling back from the hug. She steps back and places a hand on Lena’s lower back. “Alex…” Kara takes a deep breath, looking at Lena for confidence. “I know you know Lena, but this is Lena, my girlfriend… officially. So yeah. I want you to officially meet her as my girlfriend. Because we’re dating. We’re together. That’s thing. I really care about her. Please don’t-”

“Kara!” Alex finally manages to get Kara to stop rambling. She playfully rolls her eyes and shakes her head, stepping forward to pull Lena into a hug. Lena is too shocked to question it, so her arms awkwardly come up to return the hug. Alex gives her one squeeze before stepping back out of Lena’s space. “It’s so great to meet you as Kara’s girlfriend.” Her smile is genuine.

They both turn to look at Kara when they realize how silent and still she is. Kara is staring at them with her mouth hanging open. “Um… what?”

Alex puts a hand on each woman’s shoulder to push them toward the couch. “Don’t worry so much, Kara. Lena did save my life by shooting someone set on killing me.”

“Oh. Well… um… yeah…” Kara blinks in confusion, but slowly starts to relax because her sister doesn’t hate her girlfriend after all.

Maggie makes it up to Kara the next weekend. Alex and Maggie bring pizza to Kara’s apartment for a Danvers Sisters and Girlfriends Game Night. Kara is anxious again.

“She arrested you, Lena! How are you be so calm about this?”

“Kara, she was just doing her job.”

“Yeah, but-”

“And I think you would know already if she disapproved.”

“I don’t care about her disapproving.” Kara scrunches her face up when she thinks about what she said. “I mean… I do care about that, but that’s not what I’m worried about. I don’t want her to be rude to you. You don’t deserve that, Lena.”

“And that’s why I feel so lucky to be with you, Kara. I don’t feel much like I deserve someone that cares for me like you do, but here you are.” She smiles at Kara.

Kara hugs Lena. “I always tell everyone that I’m the lucky one.” They pull back from the hug, but stay close in each other’s arms with smiles on their faces.

“How about we just say we’re both lucky?” Lena whispers.

“You’re so smart,” Kara breathes out before swallowing thickly. She bites her lip. “Lena,” Kara whispers, “I lo-” Knocking on the door interrupts whatever Kara was going to say. With a sigh, Kara releases Lena to go answer the door with a welcoming smile. “Hi, Alex. Hi, Maggie.”

They say their greetings and settle in the living room. Just as they begin to get competitive, Kara and Alex are called into the DEO. Since the alien threat is small, and they only just began playing the game, Maggie suggests her and Lena just wait for Kara and Alex to get back. Kara immediately freezes, but Lena relaxes her by taking her hand and walking her to the kitchen. “We’ll be fine, Kara. You just worry about coming back to me, okay?” Lena keeps her voice low for only Kara to hear.

Kara nods. “I’ll be back soon.” She kisses Lena.

Lena smiles. “I lo-”

“Kara! Are you ready?” Alex calls from the open window that leads to the fire escape. “Suit.”

Turning back to Lena, Kara smiles and kisses her forehead. “I… I’ll be back.”

Maggie comfortably settles on the couch when the Danvers sisters disappear out of the window. Lena hesitates a few moments in the kitchen. “Do you know to get Netflix on her tv?” Maggie calls from the couch.

Lena walks over to the living room and settles on one of the chairs across from the couch. She picks up the remote from the coffee table. Of course she knows how to work Kara’s television. Last week, she snuck into Kara’s apartment to replace the old one with a smart tv. It only took a few kisses and a night of binge watching to get Kara to accept the gift.

“Do you have something in mind to watch?” Lena asks when she gets to the home screen of Netflix.

“I’m always good to go for Orange is the new Black. Only a few days til the new season.”

A small smiles plays at Lena’s lips. “Works for me. Any particular episode?” They agree on an episode in the fourth season.

After a few minutes, Maggie begins talking. “If the creators of this show made a modern version of The L Word , I would totally watch it.”

“Oh, absolutely. I would pay good money to see my generation’s version of Bette and Tina drama.” Lena agrees instantly, forgetting that she’s talking to someone she isn’t particularly close to.

Maggie smiles at the casualness of Lena’s tone. “Ah, Luthor… you are talking my language.” She laughs. “I love Alex and all, but she’s still catching up on all of the lesbian culture. It’s not like chasing down aliens leave much time for watching classic lesbian tv and film.”

“You have no idea how happy I was to finally have access to a tv when I went off to boarding school. I’m surprised I managed to get any homework done after discovering that world.”

Laughing, Maggie turns her attention from the show to Lena. “Hey, so would you ever consider a production company?”

30 minutes later, Alex and Kara walk through the front door. They immediately freeze inside of the apartment.

“Umm… Lena?” Kara asks with wide eyes.

Lena and Maggie turn to the front door. “Alice!” They both shout in unison.

The sisters turn to each other with wide eyes before looking back at Maggie and Lena laughing on the couch. “How long were we gone?” Alex asks.

“We were just talking about who’s who from The L Word. Come join us! We want to teach you about our chart!”

Kara now worries that Maggie and Lena may get along a little too well. If the look Lena and Maggie exchange are anything to go off of, she’s certain they have already begun to exchange embarrassing girlfriend stories. At least she can suffer with Alex.

She should be used to it by now. She really should be. That doesn’t stop Kara from staring at the scene in front of her with her jaw on the ground. Lena had surprised her with lunch at CatCo. She was talking to James in his office when it happened.

Winn had waltzed in with Lena trailing behind him. He had come to visit and run into Lena. “Um, that’s my girlfriend,” Kara had said in confusion.

“Yeah, I know, but it’s Lena Luthor… I mean… Come on, Kara.” Winn had waved his hands around in excitement. “What kind of tech wizard would I be if I didn’t steal a chance to talk to Lena Luthor? What scientist doesn’t have a brain crush on her?” His smile was huge.

“Um okay,” Kara had said.

Lena had walked up to her to place a kiss on Kara’s cheek. “You didn’t even have to plan this meeting or freak out over it,” she teases her girlfriend.

“I don’t freak out.” Kara crosses her arms.

“You do, but it’s okay.” Lena kisses her pouting lips. “It’s one of the things I lo-like most about you.” She kisses Kara again before Winn drags her attention away with questions about her latest engine idea.

James had smiled, causing Kara to look at him in shock. “I’m cool with her, Kara. I thought about it. I was around when Clark and Lex were best buds. She’s nothing like him. We’re cool,” James had explained to Kara before joining in on the conversation with Winn and Lena.

That is how Kara arrived to this moment. She’s watching James and Winn fight for Lena’s attention. James keeps trying to seek out CEO advice, and Winn is practically bribing Lena with top secret alien technology to get her to let him into her labs.

“Well alright then,” Kara says to herself.

Kara is terrified. Yes, she has said that before about these situations, but… she is really terrified now. She has pushed J’onn off long enough, and now he wants Lena to come in to sign an NDA today.

To say Kara is nervous would be an understatement.

She’s fidgeting in the back of Lena’s car. “Kara, dear.” Lena places a hand on Kara’s thigh. “Relax.”

“This is the first time you’re going to the DEO… and J’onn can be really gruff. I just don’t want him to be mean to you, Lena. I... care about you.”

Lena kisses Kara. “Everything will be fine, Kara.”

On their walk into the DEO, Lena feels the nervousness coming off of Kara. She squeezes Kara’s hand in reassurance when they see J’onn. He walks up to them with Pam close behind.

“Miss Luthor,” J’onn says when he stops across from them. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” He smiles at Lena, and Kara’s eyes go wide.

“And you as well, Director.” Lena returns the smile.

“Please, call me J’onn.” He motions to Pam. “This is Pam. We just need you to sign some standard NDAs. Well… more or less standard. I know you won’t say anything about Kara or the DEO, but it’s more for our records. Even I had to sign one.”

“Oh, I completely understand.”

“After you’ve signed the paperwork, would you like a tour?”

Lena’s face brightens, and Kara’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “I would love to,” Lena answers.

“Excellent. Several agents wanted to do the honors, but I thought it would be best if I did it. Who better to give an all access tour than the Director of the DEO, right?”

“Right,” Lena agrees.

“If you can just come with me, Miss Luthor.” Pam says with a smile and leads Lena over to a table off to the side.

J’onn turns to Kara to see her looking completely confused. “Kara?”

She turns to him. “You… What… Lena… How… You’re going to give Lena a tour? An all access tour? You trust her enough for that?”

Shrugging, J’onn places his hands on his hips. “Even if I wasn’t psychic, I am in charge of a top secret government agency with near unlimited resources. The background checks we can run are like nothing anyone else could imagine. There’s nothing in Miss Luthor’s history that shows we have anything to worry about. If last names or family connections were a true issue, we would be a much smaller organization.”

“Oh. Well… okay then.”

Kara is left out of the tour when she has to go put out a forest fire. She comes back to find Lena, Alex, and Winn hunkered over a table in Alex’s lab. None of them notice Kara’s presence, as they are in an intense conversation about the technology on the table. She clears her throat to get their attention, but it doesn’t work. With a huff, Kara walks up to Lena, placing a hand on her back.

“Oh! Hello, darling.” Lena smiles brightly before kissing Kara on the lips. “Are you okay?” She scans Kara for any signs of injury.

“All good.” Kara smiles. “I put it out before it got too out of hand.” The two smile adoringly at each other.

“Way to go, Supergirl.” Lena kisses her again.

“Everything okay here? How was your tour?”

“It was lovely, Kara.” She grabs Kara’s hand. “I was just asked for my input on a few things. I missed you though.”

They are too focused on each other to see Alex nudge Winn before leading him out of the lab. “I missed you, too.” Kara smiles shyly. “I’m so happy everyone has been so accepting of you. I just want everyone to see how amazing you are.”

“You flatter me.”

“I only speak the truth. You’re just the best. Anyone that gets to know you can see that, and then it’s impossible not to… care about you.”

Lena tucks a loose strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” She whispers.

“I ask myself that every day.”

Humming thoughtfully, Lena takes a step closer. “What would I do without you?”

“I don’t plan on letting you find out,” Kara says instinctively and instantly.

Lena’s breath catches in her throat. She lets out the breath slowly. “I love you, Kara.” Her voice is soft.

Kara’s eyes brighten and fill with tears. “I love you too, Lena.”

Grabbing the front of Kara’s cardigan, Lena pulls her into a kiss full of all of the love she has been too afraid to show.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11097060/chapters/24771825

[theragingthespian]

Superlane prompt! Lucy understands Kara had to save Alex, thats what the Danvers sisters do, save each other. But for christ's sake this is the second time she almost saw the love of her life be flung into outer space, this time as a hood ornament on the SSBigot. Safe to say when the sister make it back to the DEO they have one hell of dressing down coming their way, and from the look on Maggie's face she is gong to be right there with her.

 As a hood ornament on the SSBigot. I’m screaming. Thank you for that. Under the cut

“Of all the stupid things,” Lucy gives up on words, slams her hands on her dash. 

“You alright there?”

Lucy holds up her hand to Maggie. “I’m not sure what was going through your head either.”

Maggie frowns at her, one hand slowly raising to press hers down and point to the road. “Can you,” Lucy places her hands back on the wheel, “thank you.” She sighs. “I didn’t expect her to go try and blow up Cadmus by herself. I at least thought she’d get Kara before trying that.”

Lucy presses down on the gas pedal further. “Kara’s there too.”

“She is?”

“Yes.” Lucy holds up her phone, tapping the speaker button as she selects the voicemail.

Kara’s voice is crackly, wind whipping her voice away. “I’m going to be a little late tonight Luce. I think- oh, okay, so Alex is in a ship?” Kara pauses for a moment. “A spaceship. That makes more sense Winn. Anyway, I’m going-”

A beep cuts her off, and Lucy stares down at the phone in her hands before dropping it in the cupholder. 

“The Danvers sisters,” Maggie grins, and oh, Alex’s influence is in every inch of it, “they should come with a warning.”

When they pull up, they roll down their windows, both their mouths falling open.

“They’re going to need a warning once I’m done with them.”

By Alex is in a spaceship, Kara apparently meant Alex and a whole group of aliens are about to blast off through the galaxy unless she can push it down. 

It sounds like a stupid idea to her.

Maggie’s smirk had slowly fallen from her face the closer they got to the warehouse’s location. Fire remains in its place, ash floating down from a smoky sky. The ship is hard to miss even in the dark, dark sky, the engine whirring loudly as it groans under Kara’s force.

She wants to shout, to yell at Kara, because god, she can’t do this again. Can’t watch Kara shoot up in the sky without knowing if she’ll come back down.

(She knows there’s only two options. Kara saves everyone, or they all lose the sisters and everyone on that ship.

She knows that Kara wouldn’t stop pushing, won’t stop trying to save her sister. Knows there’s no way for Kara to hold on once that ship accelerates.

She knows that either the ship lands or she’s going to watch Kara fall powerless from the sky.)

The feed in her ear is a mess. Alex trying to keep calm despite the hoarseness of her voice as Winn yells over the comms. 

As his countdown continues, she wishes she could hear Kara.

The ship gets higher, higher, higher and Lucy realizes she can’t breathe right, a grip seizing her lungs, cutting off any air even though she’s gasping. A hand finds hers, Maggie’s eyes staying resolutely on the ship even as she squeezes their hands together.

(Lucy’s brought back to her father’s hand in her grip. Pain flaring in her head as they all watched Fort Rozz go up and up.

Kara didn’t come down.

But Alex went up.)

There’s a flash of white as the engines kick up and-

The ship levels out.

“Holy-” Maggie’s hand slips from hers as she drags her hands through her hair. 

She ignores Maggie’s I think I’m going to be sick in favor of tapping her earpiece. “Winn, what’s happening?”

“You mean besides them not blasting off again?”

“Winn.”

“Oh, okay, you’re-” She thinks she hears him say irritated and angry. “I’m just gonna tell you what you want to know.” He mumbles under his breath before, “Okay, so Alex is trying to figure out how to land it which is so much easier when you’re not on a time limit, you know?”

“And Kara?”

“Her comm is still broke, but Alex says she’s okay.” Lucy heaves out a breath. “They’re okay Lucy. Alex is figuring out the controls slowly but surely. I- oh, she says she’s doing it fast enough.”

After pushing herself to drive faster, faster, oh, she wasn’t going fast enough- having to watch the ship slowly descend is almost anticlimatic. When it lands, Alex is the first one sprinting out, running towards the front of the ship, and Lucy scrambles after her.

Alex shouts up, hands cupping around her mouth. “Kara, are you okay?”

Lucy squints- is that? Kara’s arm flops over the edge. It’s Kara. Lucy breathes, she knows that groan anywhere, hears it every morning they have to get up to go to work. “I’m,” she sounds out of breath, too many seconds passing before she finishes with, “okay. I think.”

“Can you get down?”

“Mm, yep.” They all jump in shock when Kara simply rolls off the awning, almost eating concrete before floating at the last second to ease the impact. “There we go.”

Lucy scrubs her hands over her face before pressing them over her chest. If Kara could stop giving her mini heartattacks, she’d appreciate it.

Alex pulls Kara into her arms, pressing her nose into her hair. “You did it. I knew you could.” Lucy’s nails sink into her palms when she sees how limp Kara is, chin falling to her chest and fingers slipping from a weak grip on Alex’s arms. 

She gives them a minute, Kara shifting only enough to duck her head under Alex’s chin and release a shaky breath. She drops to her knees then, wrapping her arms tightly around both of them.

“As a Director, I’m going to let J’onn handle your recklessness Alex. As your friend,” she hates how her voice breaks then, “I’m going to ask you to call me next time.” 

Kara laughs, hand grasping at her shoulders to pull her closer. “And have two people I love about to speed off? No thanks.” 

Maggie clears her throat, “Maybe next time, let’s have no one on the ship, okay?” Alex tips back her head to smile at Maggie, and oh, she thought Alex would be receiving stern glares and cold shoulders, but Maggie just gives her a relieved smile.

Lucy pulls Kara’s arm around her shoulder, Alex doing the same as they push upward to stand up. It’s a comforting weight, to have Kara leaning on her, solid and warm beside her.

She inhales deeply, breathing in Kara, a combination of smoke and ozone as Alex passes Kara to her to hug Maggie.

“I’m sorry,” Kara mumbles in her ear. 

Lucy eases Kara’s hair from her face. “I know.” Kara hunches over, her jaw pressed against her temple. Lucy closes her eyes, still feels Kara’s chest rising and falling, thinks she’s here.

(She holds onto Kara’s hand the entire time.

As they ride home, Maggie and Alex in the front seats and pressed close together. 

As they walk up the stairs together, for once Kara not skipping easily past her.

As she falls asleep, her hand gripping Kara’s tightly and she’s here, she’s still here.)

When she wakes up, she’s not.

There’s no warm, too warm body beside her or hand in hers. For a moment, the breath rushes out of her, fear feeling ice cold as it spreads through her body.

(Did she imagine it?

She’s too afraid to check her phone, to see reports of Supergirl going up in the sky with no return.

Not sure if it will be from last night or last year, but it terrifies her all the same.)

Until Kara peers out from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. “My hearing is funny right now, so is that your heart or-” Her words trail off, eyes widening as she sees her grasping their sheets. “Lucy? What’s-”

“I’m fine.”

Lucy groans when Kara’s head creases, knows she won’t be getting out of it. She throws herself back against the pillows, presses a hand down over her chest to try and ease its rapid pounding. Kara disappears, blinking of out sight for one second before appearing at the edge of the bed, Lucy’s hair whipping up at the speed. “That’s totally believable.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Again,” Kara says as she slips up the bed, hovering over her and smiling down, “not suspicious at all.” 

“I’m a trained agent, if I was lying, you’d never know.”

“Lucy,” Kara’s nose brushes hers, her hand cupping her face. “Tell me.”

“I thought you were gone,” she whispers, finds it coming more easily than she thought. “I woke up, and you weren’t here so I thought last night- that you-”

Kara shakes her head, the hand at her cheek trembling with the movement. “Oh Lucy, no. It’s- everything’s okay.”

“It almost wasn’t.”

“No,” Kara agrees, “but we got through it.” Lucy feels Kara’s smile spread across her face underneath her fingertips, “You and me?” Kara blinks, “and well everyone else too but, we’ll get through it. We always do. El mayarah.”

“El mayarah.”

(It’s more comforting coming from Kara, the dips and slopes of her language coming from Kara like only she can. 

Familiar in the way that Kara whispers Kryptonian to her right before they fall asleep or on the bright mornings where Kara’s fully awake with the sun.)

“Bring the space trips down to a minimum though, Supergirl.”

Kara presses her lips against hers, smile still in place, and oh, Lucy can’t help her own until they’re more laughing with each other than kissing.

“Is that an order?”

Lucy’s wraps her arms around Kara’s shoulders to keep her there, only pulling away to say, “It is now.”

(And if Kara pressing her down to kiss her again is any indication, she thinks Kara agrees.)