#itll be just her with the occasional adult guest

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

A Chance for Christmas AU

Kara is a family blogger. The world believes her to be married with one daughter. What the world doesn't know is that her husband is actually her friend James, and her daughter Esme is actually her niece.

Kara lives in her sister's house, making the kitchen and family room her domain to film. But for all the public knows, it's Kara's house and Kara's family.

Alex loves her sister to the point of letting Esme participate, initially because Esme also loves it. But eventually it becomes less about spending time with Esme and more about the views and likes.

Just before Christmas, Kara finds out that one of the top brands in the world (Luthor Industries) is interested in sponsoring her. Turns out, Lena Luthor is a fan of Kara's blog, and has convinced her brother (her boss), that Kara would be the perfect fit.

Lex is doubtful, and so sets a seemingly impossible challenge-- he will give Kara Danvers control of the company's social media feeds on Christmas Eve. If Kara gets 2 million views, he'll give her the sponsorship. If she doesn't, well... Lena will take the fall.

Things in Kara's life are starting to unravel under the pressure of trying to get the sponsorship deal with the Luthor brand. Her family is losing patience, fully disenchanted with the vlog thing. So by the time Lena shows up to monitor the live takeover of the Luthor social media feeds, Kara is at her wit's end.

She mistakes Lena for the assistant producer she hired for the day (who never actually shows up) and pulls her inside and starts barking orders. Thus Lena is treated to a first hand look at the chaos that is behind the scenes of Kara's perfect-family schtick. When she learns the truth of Kara and James' relationship, and the fact Esme isn't even Kara's daughter, Lena nearly panics.

But in the end, she rolls with it. After all, if this test of Kara's (to get 2 million views on Christmas Eve) doesn't succeed, Lena will lose all credibility with her family, and THAT Lena will not allow.

They work together to put together a... mediocre product. They only get halfway to their viewer goal, and when their rental Santa (actually the real santa), Kara wishes aloud that she wishes to do the whole day over again. Which of course Santa makes happen.

What follows is christmas groundhog day, giving Lena and Kara (the only two who remember that Christmas Eve has already happened) the opportunity to do the day over and over again until they get it right. But no matter what they do, they always seem to fall short of the 2mil views.

Some days are better than others, some are straight disasters, but little by little, each day gets them closer to their goal, and closer to each other. They're both charming after all, and beautiful. How could they ignore the chemistry between them?

Lena also bonds with Esme. While coloring one day between shoots, Lena asks Esme if she even likes filming. Esme responds that at first she did, because it was an excuse to spend time with her favorite aunt, but now it feels like it wouldn't really matter if Esme were even in the clip at all. They don't ever really do anything together. Kara does it all herself, and brings Esme in just to get a couple takes in.

Lena also learns that James has/had a thing for Kara, but that Kara never felt the same way. He'd thought that pretending to be married on camera would bring them closer, but in the end it only pushed them farther apart, to the point that he's not even sure they're friends anymore.

Finally, FINALLY, Kara and Lena put together the perfect day. Professional decorators make the house perfect, everyone puts on their best performances, and the livestream officially hits more than 2 million views.

But the success comes at a cost. Having excluded the rest of her friends and family, they all leave the house bitterly. Even Alex, whose house Kara lives and films in, takes her family to in-law's house to spend the night.

"When we come back," Alex hisses on her way out the door, "I want you gone."

Heartbroken, Kara finally realizes what her fervor for success has cost her. Her family, the people she cherishes most in the world-- she lost sight of them. And now, having met their goal, Kara knows the day won't reset. This is the reality she will have to face tomorrow.

Or is it.

When she wakes the next morning, it's Christmas Eve again. But this time, she refuses to film she spends the day with Alex, Kelly, Esme and James. Though there's no filming, Lena comes over anyway to join them. Upon seeing this new (true) Kara, Lena surreptitiously begins to film from her phone as the family plays board games, bakes cookies, and just acts like a normal messy family.

But when Lena reveals that the feed got them the 2mil views again, Kara explodes. She feels exploited, betrayed, and doesn't listen when Lena tries to explain that the world deserves to see Kara as she truly is-- a kind soul who loves her family. She throws Lena out, and stews until Alex comes in to chat.

"It's been a long time since we've spent time like this together," Alex says quietly. "Recently, it's felt like the vlog was all you cared about-- and what really hurt the most was that it was fake. But what Lena streamed today... that was real."

Thus, now armed with her sister's blessing, Kara starts a new livestream. She bares all her secrets, tells her truth. She also vows to return to what her channel was always meant to be about.

"I stumbled into family blogging by accident, and when I did I tried to give you what you seemed to want. But the truth is, all I wanted to do was share my love of baking, cooking, and making things for my family. To share the joy of showing love. And that's what I'll be doing from now on. Just... me."

She also asks that Lena-- if she's watching-- please know that she's truly, deeply sorry.

"Please," Kara pleads to the camera. "Don't go."

She's tried calling Lena, of course, but Lena's turned her phone to do not disturb. The only call allowed to come through is her brother's, who reaches out to congratulate her.

"And don't worry," he says, "we'll be able to work with the brand change."

"What?"

"You mean you haven't seen Kara's latest video? You should. Trust me. You can thank me later."

So Lena does, and then immediately drops everything to rush back to the Danvers' home. Kara rushes out at the sound of Lena honking the horn as she pulls into the driveway, and there in her slippers she rushes into Lena's arms and plants a fervent kiss on her lips.

"I'm sorry--" Lena murmurs, eye closed as their foreheads touch.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bitten your head off, I know you were just trying to help--"

"I love you."

Kara looks up with a tearful smile, her eyes sparkling with christmas lights.

"I love you too."