#red K Kara

[misandriste]

ಠ_ಠ ಠಿ_ಠ ಠಗಠ

[marinawolf]

Always You (Supercorp)- Chapter 4

by marinawolf

Lena tries to bring Kara back but gives in to Kara's advances. (warning: redk!kara smut. 18+)

Lena Luthor sat nervously in her office, her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced at the clock on her desk, waiting for the moment that could either save or destroy everything she held dear. The plan she had devised with Alex was risky, but it was their only hope of bringing Kara back from the darkness that had consumed her.

The last time Lena had seen Kara, she had been under the influence of Red Kryptonite, her once bright and compassionate nature replaced by cold calculation and selfishness. Lena couldn't forget the fiery encounter they had shared, the moment when Kara's lips had met hers, filling her with a passion she had never known before. But Lena had stopped it, refusing to let their connection be tainted by the effects of the Red Kryptonite. She had rejected Kara, and had hurt her in the process. And only when she lost Kara had Lena realised that she was desperately and hopelessly in love with her best friend.

Now, as Lena awaited Kara's arrival, she couldn't help but feel a mix of anticipation and trepidation. The familiar gust swept through the office as Kara landed on her balcony, making Lena's heart leap. Kara was early. Too early.

Lena had been prepared for the worst, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted her when Kara stepped into her office.

The redness in Kara's eyes and veins was unmistakable. Lena's heart sank, knowing that she was facing a version of Kara who was lost to the darkness. But she knew that she had to stay strong, keep her focus on the plan. She couldn't let herself be swayed by the seductive allure that radiated from the woman before her.

"Hello, Lena," Kara smiled, her voice dripping with a calculated charm that sent shivers down Lena's spine. "You called?"

Lena clenched her fists, trying to push down the surge of desire that threatened to consume her. She knew it wasn't the real Kara standing in front of her, but the memories of their shared passion still lingered, haunting her every thought. She had to resist.

"Kara, you came," Lena managed to say, her voice quivering slightly. "I hate how things ended the last time. I wanted to talk."

Kara raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, I think I can think of something much more interesting to do than talking, Lena."

Lena's heart raced as Red Kryptonite-affected Kara closed the door behind her, her eyes gleaming with a mix of mischief and desire. The air in Lena's office seemed to grow thick with anticipation, and Lena couldn't tear her gaze away from Kara's alluring form.

Kara leaned against the edge of Lena's desk, her body language oozing confidence and power. Lena swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper, "Kara, please... You have to fight this. You have to come back."

Kara took a step closer, her gaze piercing through Lena's defenses. She reached out and traced a finger along Lena's jawline, sending shivers down her spine.

"I'm right here, Lena. But why would I want to fight this? Don't you feel it too? This pull between us? I couldn't bring myself to act on it before."

Lena's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, fighting against the desires that threatened to consume her. Kara placed her hands on Lena's neck, tracing her pulse point with the tips of her fingers.

"This isn't who we are, Kara." she choked out, "We can't let the Red Kryptonite dictate our actions, our feelings. This isn't you."

"Maybe it's not about the Red Kryptonite, Lena." Kara whispered, her lips painfully close to Lena's. "Maybe it's about being able to surrender to this. To us."

Lena's resistance wavered, the pull of her own desires growing stronger with every passing second, her heart conflicting with her mind. She knew she had to keep Kara distracted until the DEO arrived, but the temptation was too great. She met Kara's gaze, her voice a mixture of longing and hesitation and silently prayed that Alex would arrive in time. Before she couldn't stop herself anymore. Before she let her desires consume her.

Kara leaned in, her breath ghosting over Lena's lips, sending a surge of electricity through Lena's body.

"Tell me, Lena..." Kara whispered, her lips softly ghosting over Lena's. "Can you honestly say you don't want this?"

Lena's resolve crumbled, the weight of her desire too heavy to bear. She closed the remaining distance between them, her lips meeting Kara's in a fiery, desperate kiss. The world around them faded away as they surrendered to the tumultuous wave of passion that had been building for far too long.

As their kiss deepened, Lena felt Kara's strong arms wrap around her, pulling her closer, their bodies pressing against each other. The warmth and softness of Kara's curves against her own sent shockwaves of pleasure through Lena, causing her to gasp into the kiss.

Their hands moved with a desperate hunger, seeking the heat and connection that only they could provide for one another. Lena's fingers tangled in Kara's hair, pulling her closer as they sought to merge their bodies and souls together. When she saw Kara's eyes flash red, she closed her own eyes, ignoring the reason behind this passion. All she wanted was Kara and she couldn't bring herself to deny it anymore.

Lost in the heat of the moment, they stumbled backward, finding support against the wall. The coolness of the surface against Lena's back was a stark contrast to the blazing desire coursing through her veins.

Kara reached behind Lena and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor. Lena's breath hitched as she felt Kara's searing fingers on her back once more, unhooking her bra and throwing it across the room. Kara's hands began to explore Lena's body, tracing the curves of her back, leaving trails of fire in their wake. Lena moaned softly, the sound lost in the passionate exchange of breaths and the intoxicating taste of Kara's lips.

Kara's lips left a trail of heat down Lena's neck and every coherent thought in Lena's mind was decimated as Kara lowered her head, capturing a pink bud between her lips, flicking her tongue over it. Lena let out moan and Kara switched to the other breast, softly licking and biting, causing fireworks to erupt behind Lena's eyelids. When she stopped after a few minutes, Lena almost whimpered, but was appeased when Kara brought her lips to her body once again. Kara kissed below Lena's breast, down her stomach and on the insides of her thighs, getting on her knees before Lena. Despite everything, Lena found some satisfaction in that- who knew that this was how one could bring the girl of steel to her knees? Kara's deft hands found Lena's underwear and slowly pulled them down her legs.

She felt Kara's breath on her most intimate parts and held her own breath, her pulse quickening. She let out a gasp the second Kara's mouth, hot and wet, pressed into her and moaned as Kara's tongue slid along the length of her centre. Her hands tangled in Kara's hair and although she tried to stop herself, Kara's name tumbled out of her mouth in desperate, breathless whispers. Her tongue teased Lena's entrance. She swept her tongue upwards, across the bundle of nerves and Lena moaned, loudly.

Kara closed her lips around the bundle and mercilessly licked it, turning Lena into an incoherent mess. She couldn't focus on anything- not the plan, not even the fact that the DEO could barge in at any moment. Kara brought a finger to Lena's entrance and paused, looking up at her, her eyes tinged with red, hiding the beautiful blue that Lena was so infatuated with. Tears fell from Lena's eyes, tears of pain and desire.

Lena wanted to beg Kara to continue but didn't need to. Kara registered her desperation and smiled, immediately plunging a finger into Lena. She began to pump hard and fast. Lena was once again lost all thought and the only discernible word she uttered was Kara's name, which fell from her lips like a prayer.

Kara stood up and added another finger, increasing her efforts and Lena's hips bucked.

"Let go for me." She whispered, before crashing her mouth against Lena's, continuing her ministrations. Lena could taste herself on Kara's lips.

Almost as if asceding to Kara's demands, Lena reached her highest point with a gasp. Her back arched and she clenched around Kara's fingers, coming undone in a way she never felt before. Pleasure caused her body to shake and her mind to rid itself of everything except one word. Kara. Kara. Kara. Over and over again until she slowly came back.

Lena slumped against Kara, unable to stand up on her own. Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions as she stood there, in Kara's arms after their intense encounter. The weight of guilt settled heavily upon her heart, and regret clawed at her from within.

As the initial rush of passion subsided, Lena's clarity returned, and she became acutely aware of the consequences of their impulsive actions. She gently extricated herself from Kara's embrace, her heart aching with a mix of longing and remorse.

Silent tears welled up in Lena's eyes as she surveyed the disheveled state of her office, a poignant reflection of the chaos that had unfolded between them.

Just then, Kara's eyes widened, anger flaring in them as she heard something that Lena couldn't.

"Who is that? Coming up? Is it the DEO?"

Lena scrambled for her dress, quickly slipping it on as tears fell from her eyes.

"Kara- I need you back. I'm trying to help you!"

"You planned this, didn't you?" Kara whispered, her voice raw with betrayal. "I thought you wanted me."

Lena's heart clenched as she saw the hurt in Kara's eyes. She wanted to beg for her forgiveness right then and there, but she couldn't. Instead, Lena quickly grabbed the back up antidote vial from her desk and held it out to Kara.

"I do want you, Kara but I didn't want it to be like this. I want you but not this version of you," she choked out, feeling as if her heart had been wrenched out of her chest.

"Kara, please, if you're going to leave, just take the vial." She pleaded, her voice laced with desperation. "It's our only chance to bring you back."

She saw Kara's rage burned brighter than ever. She pushed Lena against the wall, trapping her and glaring at her.

"You think you can bring me back now? I'm done, Lena. You've lost me."

“Kara, please” Lena begged, “I’m sorry. I love you. Please.” 

Lena hadn’t planned on telling Kara. Not like this. But she saw something soften in Kara’s eyes. Just for a split second, before the red took over again.

Kara pushed off from the wall, releasing Lena. 

Lena watched in despair as Kara stormed out of her office, anger radiating from every fiber of her being, once again taking a piece of Lena's heart with her.

Waves of guilt crashed against the shores of Lena's conscience, leaving her stranded in a sea of regret. The weight of her actions bore down on her, gnawing at her soul with unforgiving persistence. 

The plan she had devised with the DEO had seemed necessary at the time, a means to expose Kara to the cure for red Kryptonite and save her from the destructive path she had embarked upon. But now, as tears welled up in Lena's eyes, regret washed over her like a tidal wave. She had let her desires cloud her judgment, allowing herself to be swept away in a moment of weakness. For so long, Lena had strived to uphold her principles, to be a beacon of righteousness in a world tainted by darkness. Yet, in a moment of weakness, she had faltered, betraying her own values. The fact that it happened with Kara, the person she cherished most, twisted the knife of remorse deeper into her heart. 

The tears she tried to hold back fell down Lena's cheeks, each droplet a testament to the visceral pain consuming her. It was not just the guilt that haunted her, but also the knowledge that she had hurt Kara and may have lost her forever. The ache within her was more profound than any physical hurt, a raw wound that bled remorse and longing.

The weight of her betrayal hung heavily upon her, a burden that threatened to consume her entirely. Lena despised herself for being complicit in the plan to trap Kara, using her vulnerabilities against her, even though she knew that it was the only way to help Kara. She understood the magnitude of her actions and the irreparable damage that she had caused to their relationship.

Self loathing consumed Lena and she grappled with the guilt of giving in to Kara's advances, to allowing their relationship be tainted by the red kryptonite. Crying softly, Lena found solace in her tears, a release for the anguish that consumed her. She despised the person she had become. The desire for redemption burned within her. She needed Kara back, but how could she face her after what she had done? After what she had let happen? There was no way for Lena to come back from this- to find any redemption. Maybe being a Luthor wasn't just a name- maybe she was tainted by the darkness too. How else could she explain her actions? She had caused this. It was her fault that Kara entered that pod, it was her fault that Kara felt betrayed. If she hadn't stopped talking to Kara, if she had only listened and forgiven Kara for keeping the secret from her, Lex would not have been able to manipulate the situation. They would have been together. They would have stopped him before he could successfully execute his plan. But Lena had let Kara go out of anger. It was all her fault. Luthors carried a darkness, and she had let her darkness taint the pureness of Kara Danvers. How pathetic was she to believe that she could ever be a good person?

Despite the guilt and anguish, Lena couldn't let go of a glimmer of hope. Hope because when Lena looked at her hand, the vial wasn't there. Kara had taken the vial, and now it was up to her to make the choice. To come back to herself. To Lena. 

Lena was snapped back to reality by the sound of heavy footsteps outside her office door. She hurriedly gathered her underwear from the floor and shoved it into her desk drawer.

Moments later, Alex burst into the room, a small device in her hands that would expose Kara to the antidote. She looked at Lena, her eyes filled with determination.

"Where is she?" Alex demanded, her voice urgent.

Lena's gaze fell to the empty doorway. "She's gone. But she took the vial, Alex. Let's hope she finds her way back."

[lesbad-unicorn]

Here's my submission for this year's @supercorpbb! I worked with @shallow-seas-we-sail on her take on the alternative dimension Metallo Lena that you can read here. Make sure to go check it out!!

[cuaviaaceves1]

The wrath of krypton

[innamorament0]

"Whoah, someone knocked Lex Luthor's sister up! Didn't know they had an ability of human procreation." Alex chuckled, turning the page of the newest CatCo magazine. "I wish your name would be on a byline, Kara. It's your first interview, after all. I get that your involvement is unofficial, but the text is so well written."

"Alex… It was me." Kara unclutched her head and looked at her sister with an expression so miserable that Alex put down the magazine and squinted, watching the Kryptonian squirm under her scrutinising gaze.

"What do you mean it was you?" Now, all Alex's attention was on Kara.

"I made Lena Luthor pregnant!" Kara blurted out.

Rated E!

[shallow-seas-we-sail]

Catco suddenly feels like a labyrinth as Kara touches down; sharp corners that lead down darkened corridors to empty cubicles, all bathed in an otherworldly crimson that vaguely reminds Kara of a home that is no longer hers.

An icy feeling sinks deep in her stomach, because she is acutely aware that this doesn’t feel like home either. Each version Mxy has sent her to has felt tilted on its axis, however subtle, but here, Kara feels the uncanniness of it; how truly off it all feels, as though reality is bending at, waning at the seams. It all feels so terribly abstract; mismatched pieces of reality being forced together into something coherent.

“Lena? It’s me. It’s Supergirl,” Kara says, trying to tamp down the quiver in her voice, “It’s Kara.”

She can hear the creak of a chair turning, and as she comes into the open bullpen, she can see Lena, silhouetted in red light from the computer screen behind her.

“Who’s Kara?”

“Just a friend,” Kara says as Lena stands. “You don’t know me. Not really, but you and I want the same thing, to do no harm.”

Lena’s eyes are predatory and Kara slows her steps, giving Lena, this Lena a wide berth. She doesn’t feel as though she is being seen, but instead, being stalked. Kara can feel beads of sweat begin to gather along her hairline, and her stomach twists, a wave of nausea roiling over inside of her.

“Supergirl wants a world without harm. That’s rich.” Lena’s eyes are wide and unblinking as they coldly bore into Kara. “Where were you when my brother blew my helicopter out of the sky? When my mother dragged my broken body to a laboratory and experimented on me instead of fixing me? Where were you when this world was ripped apart at the seams? Where were you ?”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when it mattered,” Kara says quietly, but resolutely. 

And god, she is sorry. To this Lena and every version of her across this goddamn multiverse. And Kara knows her contrition will win out; her need to lie down and let Lena fill her days with ruin if that is what she needs; to seek penitence in her shadow for all of her remaining days. Kara will do what it takes. Whatever it takes to have Lena back in her orbit and nestled against her heart, safe within the cage of her ribs where she will be protected and loved.

‘Whatever it takes’

Lena’s eyes flutter, and she blinks slowly, keeping the tears glassing over her eyes at bay. “So am I.”

The nausea in Kara’s stomach builds into a tidal wave as Lena’s hand moves to the lapel of her coat and pulls it open, exposing the sickly green of her kryptonite heart and a guttural scream erupts from the back of Kara’s throat as a concentrated beam hits her, sending her into a crumpled heap on the ground. Lena steps forward, and the surge from the kryptonite beam intensifies, lifting Kara and sending her hurtling through the air and through the glass pane at the back of the bullpen. Shards of glass rip through her suit, cutting deeply at her back and arms, embedding into her skin and leaving the coppery smell of blood caught in the back of her throat between desperate gasps for air.

“You don’t know the first thing about pain,” Lena says cooly, kneeling down beside Kara. “But I do. I can show you; make you feel what I feel.”

Kara pushes a hand into the ground, mustering what little energy she has left to slide her arm beneath her and hoist herself up. Glass cuts and grinds in her palm, and the pain in her body amplifies; searing and hot as Lena's proximity becomes dangerously close.

“I won’t fight you, Lena.”

“Then you’ll die screaming.”

The comm in Kara’s ear crackles to life and she can hear her sister's voice as Lena reaches out and pulls it free, the sticky sound of it coming loose echoing in Kara’s head.

“Supergirl, Reign and Brainy have escaped with Mxy. We nee-”

“Pathetic,” Lena snarls as she stands, crushing the comm in her hand as the reactor in her chest flickers, charging up to deliver another punishing blow. “There won’t be anything left when they come looking for you, Supergirl. Just ash.”

“Reign. Brainy. They have the imp,” Kara chokes out, the muscles straining in her neck as wave after wave of pain crashes through her body, white hot in her veins. “Take me, too.”

And for a fleeting moment, hesitation flickers across Lena’s features. “And why would I do that?”

“Because, I can give you what you want,” Kara says in a shaky voice, the edges of her vision beginning to blur. Her strength begins to waver, and the arm beneath her slips, sending Kara to the floor. The collision causes blood to erupt in her mouth. She can feel it, slick and warm as it wets her lips and seeps in between her teeth. Coppery, like rolling a penny over her tongue.

“And what could the girl of steel possibly give me?” Lena asks cooly as she kneels down again and grabs a fistful of blonde hair, pulling Kara’s head back with a violent tug.

Blackness swarms behind Kara’s eyelids as they droop, falling shut, and somewhere between consciousness, she coughs out the words through a mouthful of blood.

“The world."

---

My contribution to the @supercorpbb this year. Continue reading on ao3 and please check out the spicy art work that @lesbad-unicorn made for this fic!!

[captaindanvers89]

You guys have no idea how obsessed I am with this fic. I’ve always loved red K Kara and this is the best fic that’s been written about it. So please, everyone, read it.

But read the warnings and tags first.

[labellewolf13]

[sazernac]

WIP Wednesday tag

But on Sunday because I’m late AF…

First, the greatest thanks to @inkedroplets for the tag. You are one of my favorite mutuals and an amazing fellow writer.

Please enjoy the below preview for the last chapter of Crimson.

-

The searing pain of J’onn’s burn wounds pulled him from the dark bliss of unconsciousness, thrusting him back into his hellish reality. He tried to take a look at his surroundings but found himself too weak to move. He knew he was on a bed, probably in a hospital of some sort, if the clinical sounds around him were anything to go by and somehow, through the blessed mercy of H’roonmeer, he was still alive.

For now.

“Superman, strong, revered and almost mythical in the eyes of humans, returns to defeat his wayward, depraved cousin and saves the world again from the clutches of evil…” The dark, smooth voice of his captor stated mockingly before continuing. “Was this the headline you were hoping for J’onn?”

J’onn struggled to turn his head, finding the powerful blonde watching him from the corner of the room. Eyes sharp as the tip of a double-edged sword met his and he felt her piercing gaze like the plunge of a hot blade into his belly.

“Kara.” He said wearily, pain shooting through his body with each of his movements.

“Tell me Martian, how could one so intelligent be so stupid?”

“You left me with no fucking choice!” He managed to yell against the trembling of his muscles mixed with the agony of his wounds.

“You are the one who keeps refusing me J’onn.” She replied cooly. “I asked you to fight for me, to defeat the forces that would have annihilated first us and then themselves had I not intervened-.”

“This world is not ours Kara! And you have no right to manipulate the alien race into doing what you feel is right!”

Crimison threaded through the blonde’s golden skin in angry, bloody rivulets, streaking across her face like a lash from from a whip before receding. “This world is mine J’onn.” Kara told him calmly, despite the deadly storm churning in her eyes. “And I was given a divine right to rule it how I see fit. The sun is the gift to Kryptonians for a new start on a world needing governance and order. Not the sickening pandemonium humans have driven themselves into by dominating themselves then moving on to our kind. Now, we are the superior beings, no longer living in fear or constraints but free to do what we were meant to.”

“Kara, we came here as refugees to live amongst humans in a less hostile environment than what we came from. We were never meant to interfere with their government and politics. We were supposed to survive and keep the Earth safe so it does not suffer the same fates as the worlds we came from.”

“You and my sister…” She spat the word out like a bad taste. “Always sought to control me. Stopping me constantly from reaching my true potential. The Earth has been screaming to be saved from its own fate for ages J’onn. You just never truly listened because of your own ambitions and obsession with being discovered. You wanted to live in the shadows for the rest of your life, content to do as you pleased but never allowing others to do so…”

“That’s not true Kara!”

“It is!” She asserted defiantly. “The earth thrives in my grasp and will continue to under the restoration of the house of El.” She told him, slowly closing the distance between them. “Nothing and no one will prevail against me J’onn, not even you”

[dalekofchaos]

Imagine if Red K!Kara had a power suit. Looks like the Anti-Kryptonite suit, but instead it empowers her with Red Kryptonite and the mask is like Bane's mask that injects her with Red Kryptonite

[ekingston]

Kryptonite for the WiP word ask?

for a red k kara AU that will very likely never see the light of day:

[misandriste]

melissa benoist as red k kara supergirl ✰ 1.16, “falling”

[marinawolf]

So part 4 of my angsty Red K Kara, Supercorp fic is up! 

Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Supergirl (TV 2015) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Supergirl/Lena Luthor, Supercorp - Relationship Characters: Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers, Lex Luthor Additional Tags: Femslash, Angst, Betrayal, First Kiss, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Kara Danvers Needs a Hug, Protective Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor Doesn't Know Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Angry Kissing, Friends to Lovers, Best Friends, Denial of Feelings, Angst and Feels, SuperCorp, Red Kryptonite Kara Danvers Summary:

Lena finds out that Kara is Supergirl.

Very sweet and angsty. First kiss.

[fishyupmywishy]

I neeeeeed to find fics like this😭

Feel free to send me all the Red K Kara x Lena fics

:)

[itsarandomblog]

so like, is there a metallo lena x red k kara fic out there? i don't know. i kinda need it today

[natalievoncatte]

“Lena, you’re coming with us.”

She looked up sharply as Alex stormed into her office, followed by a dozen DEO goons and a flustered, apologetic Jess as she flipped rapidly between apologizing to Lena for permitting the intrusion and shouting at Alex to get out, only to be ignored.

“Jess, it’s fine,” Lena said, calmly, though her heart was racing. “I’ll hear what they have to say.”

“Cover the entrances,” Alex told her men.

Even when balaclavas over their faces and goggles, Lena could sense their unease. The one who was unmasked -Lena vaguely remembered she was named Vazquez- gave Alex a plaintive, pained look before stepping out. The doors hissed shut behind them, and Alex was alone with her.

“We don’t have time for you to be argumentative.”

“What horrific crime did I commit this time?

“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m taking you into protective custody.”

Lena put down her phone.

“What?”

Alex produced a tablet from the bag on her thigh and stormed over, hitting play on a video.

It was Lex. Lena’s stomach dropped.

“Hello, Director Danvers,” said Lex. “I hope this message finds you well, because none of you are going to be well much longer.”

A thought hit Lena like a freight train: If I’m in danger, where’s Kara? Even now Kara would drop everything, risk everything, to keep her from harm.

Lex opened a velvet box and drew out a small device. Lena recognized it and felt her gorge rising. It was another disperser, but something was wrong. The crystal within glowed a deep, scintillating red, like a hot coal drawn from a fire.

“Remember this?” said Lex. “You and the rest of this world are about to learn what happens when you trust an alien.”

“What the fuck?” Lena blurted. “He can’t be alive.”

Alex shook her head.

Lex slammed his fist down, and Alex turned it off.

“Well worry about your brother later. He spread red kryptonite into the atmosphere. We can’t find Kara and she’s not responding to our hails. We have to take anyone she might come after into secure custody where she can’t sense you and we have to go now.”

“But…”

“This shit drives her insane,” Alex snapped, seizing Lena’s shoulders. “The last time she was exposed she threw Cat Grant off a building. She almost killed me. ME, Lena.”

A cold flush ran down her limbs, as if she’d been thrown into the cold sea, and panic surged from deep down inside. The last time Lena had seen Kara it had been through Kryptonite-frosted crystal before she abandoned her in the fortress of solitude.

“Part of me wants to leave you here and let you get what you deserve,” Alex said, coldly, “but we are going to fix her and when we do she’d never forgive me for letting you get hurt. Even now she won’t let go of her feelings for you. She keeps talking about saving you.”

Lena swallowed hard. “Her what?”

“Lena, get up. For once in your life just cooperate and do what you’re fucking told before…”

Boot heels thudded on the balcony and dread could tight in Lena’s gut. It was a futile gesture but she stood anyway as Alex stepped between them.

The door was locked, but Kara didn’t care. She threw the door open, sending the lock mechanism flying across the room and cracking the bomb-proof glass on the process. Alex pulled her alien pistol and aimed it at Kara’s head.

“Don’t make me hurt you, Kara. I won’t let you do something you regret.”

Kara stared at her with bloodshot eyes, the ocean blue irises turned a bruise purple as red flashes danced across the whites, like the setting sun chasing across frosted snow. She moved with a languid, inhuman grace, at once casual and as menacing as a predator stalking prey that had no means of escape.

“Hello, Lena.”

“Kara,” Alex warned. “I know you’re in there. Come back with me.”

Kara ignored her, sweeping her aside with an outstretched arm. Alex went flying, crashing into the doors with a grunt, rolling to the ground unmoving.

“Kara,” Lena said calmly, backing away. “You hurt Alex.”

“I know.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Kara smiled at her, but there was none of her usual joy, her usual mirth, only a cold, vicious baring of teeth. Lena thumped against her bookcase and a model of the HMS victory that Lex gave her after he finished it toppled from the self.

Kara caught it and returned it to its place. She thrust her hands out, bracketing Lena as she leaned in, trapping her. Lena’s heart was pounding.

“You’re scared,” Kara said, “I can taste it in your pheromones. Did you know I can do that? I can sense your skin’s electrical impedance and see the heat bloom in your flesh and hear your heartbeat. If I focus very very hard I can hear brainwaves.”

“I didn’t know that,” Lena said, shocked at the smooth calm in her own voice.

“I knew it was a lie the whole time. I knew it was a lie from the night at the Pullitzer gala, when you really started loathing me.”

“Then why did you-“

“I didn’t want it to be a lie!” Kara snapped, jolting Lena as she pressed into the bookcase. “I wanted it to be real. I wanted finally be free of the pain of hiding myself from you.”

Behind them, Alex groaned as she sat up, staring at them with a thin trickle of blood running from her nose.

“Kara,” Lena said, very softly. “I can see that you’re sick . Let me help you. I can purge the red Kryptonite from your system in my lab.”

“Why would I want to purge it?”

“You hurt Alex. You love Alex.”

“Do I?”

“Yes,” said Lena. “You’re good, Kara. You’re so good. You’re the kindest, most merciful-“

“I’m tired of being kind!” Kara shouted, stinging her ears. “I’m tired of being nice. I’m tired of taking bullets for people! Just because they don’t inure me doesn’t mean they don’t hurt!”

“I didn’t know that either,” Lena whispered. “I thought…”

“You thought nothing hurts me,” Kara said, leaning in close, so close her breath tickled Lena’s lips. “But you hurt me. You hurt more than anything. More than your brother, more than Reign, more than the clone. Dying don’t hurt as much as you hurt me.”

Lena spared Alex a glance. She was lying against the doors, holding her belly. She met Lena’s gaze levelly and Lena knew in an instant the danger she was in and the terrible truth.

She was the only one who could stop Kara.

“I know,” said Lena. “I know I did and it felt good when I was doing it.”

“Lena!” Alex gasped, “are you fucking crazy?”

“It felt good,” Lena said, trying to force the trembling out of her voice and failing. “It felt so good to lash out. I wanted to hurt someone. I want to hurt everyone. I wanted everyone to feel what I’m feeling. Especially you. I bet it felt a lot like what you’re feeling now.”

Kara’s eyes were wild with fury, moments from kindling the red-sun fire that would wipe Lena from existence.

“I never stopped believing in you,” said Kara. “I’m the only reason you’re not in a cell beneath a secret desert compound. All this time I’ve defended you and believed in you and protected you.”

“All this time?” Lena snapped back, fury kindling behind the terror, chasing it back as a fire’s light chases the dark.

She was Lena Luthor. She wasn’t going to die afraid.

“You mean all this time when you accused me of conspiring against you? When you suddenly turned cold to me after telling me how you believed in me? When you made my boyfriend spy on me and destroyed my relationship?”

Lena’s hands released the shelves she’d been strangling in twin death grips.

“I… I…”

“How was I supposed to react to learning that you were both people? After what you did? You should punish me, Kara. I’m a murderer.”

Alex gasped, eyes darting from Kara to Lena.

“I killed my brother for you,” Lena said, very softly. “I killed him because I had to. Because you never would. I’m not a hero like you. I’d do it again. I’d do it all again for you. Now I find out he’s still alive. I may have to. I will. I’ll make sure he’s dead this time!”

Kara blinked, her eyes steaming from the heat inside her as tears ran down her cheeks.

“It hurts,” Kara whispered. “It hurts seeing the truth. It hurts to know what I did.”

“I know how much it hurts,” Lean said, bringing her hands to cup Kara’s face lightly. She was shaking, feverish, her skin almost uncomfortably hot. Lena felt a touch of rising panic and forced it down.

“It hurts knowing that I broke up you and James on purpose. It hurts knowing why. It hurts that even now I can’t say it, I’m too scared.”

“I’m supposed to want you and not him,” Lena said.

Kara jerked back slightly, her eyes going wide. It was an admission without words, a confession to a crime she’d already admitted. She pressed her eyes shut and the tears flowed anyway.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know,” said Lena. “It hurts, doesn’t it? The anger.”

“Yes,” said Kara. “It burns. It’s burning me up. I can feel it in my chest, like it’s turning my ribs to cinders.”

Lena nodded. “I came back for you.”

“What?”

“I came back for you. I went back to the Fortress. I was as going to let you out, accept the consequences of what I’d done, but Alex must have already found you.”

“She did.”

“She always takes care of you, doesn’t she?”

Kara blinked. “Yes.”

“It hurt the most then,” said Lena, “knowing that I’d made my choice and I couldn’t take it back. I planned it all for months. I lost myself in how good it would feel to make you suffer like I’m suffering. Then when I did it there was nothing. No joy. No catharsis. I just felt hollow.”

Lena sighed. “I fucked up. I ruined my life.”

She flinched as Kara’s too-warm hand brushed her cheek, her thumb grazing lightly over her chin.

“I would forgive you any trespass. I would never hurt you,” she said, even as she trembled with rage.

“I know,” said Lena.

“Part of me wants to.”

“I know. Kara, let me help you. Please. You’re sick.”

Kara looked at her and Lena wondered what was going through her head. Did she think it was all a manipulation, a ploy? Would she lose it and snap Lena’s neck, or whip her head with a burst of heat vision and burn them all?

“Okay,” Kara breathed.

Lena reached over and pulled the book on her shelf that opened with direct elevator to her private lab. It was a touch melodramatic, but hell, it was he office.

She gave Alex a glance, waiting for the nod before she stepped inside with Lena.

They rode down in silence. Kara fell back on Lena’s exam table and closed her eyes as Lena placed the device on Kara’s chest. The House of El rune on the machine glowed as it recalibrated itself and began purging the radiation from her system.

Lena knew it was working when Kara began to weep, her face twisting in a grimace of towering grief. When it was done, Lena carefully removed the device and brushed loose strands of hair from Kara’s eyes and gently wrapped her arms around her. Kara buried her face in Lena’s neck and sobbed, shaking the table with the fury of her sorrow.

“I didn’t mean it,” she whimpered.

“I know,” Lena whispered, smoothing a hand over her head. “I know.”

“Is Alex…”

“She’ll be fine, her people have already taken her to the L-Corp infirmary. She’s fine.”

Kara’s voice was almost childlike. “Did I hurt you?”

Lena closed her eyes. “Yeah. You hurt me. It’s okay, darling. It’s going to be okay.”

Kara’s arms looped around her, tentatively. When Lena didn’t push her back, Kara relaxed into the hug.

“I’m sorry, Lena. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Shhh, I know. I know. I’m sorry too. I forgive you.”

“You can’t,” Kara whimpered. “You can’t just do that.”

“Yes I can. I’m so rich I can do whatever I want. Here.”

Without letting Kara go, she reached over and took Myriad, placing it in Kara’s hands.

“It’s going to be okay,” Lena whispered, as Kara hugged her tighter.