Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lex Luthor, On Cusp Of Nobel Prize, Dies At 44

Kara swallowed nervously as she reread the paper’s headline, glancing up at the chaos ensuing around Catco. The headline was the least of her worries - more of a relief than anything, if she were honest - but the new world was bizarre.

Lex was going to receive the Nobel?, Kara thought, glancing to her right as Nia blew her nose into a tissue, trying to clear the tears streaming down her eyes. What on Earth is going on with everyone?

Even Alex had been affected, waking Kara that morning with a deeply mournful expression, momentarily scaring Kara as she wondered who had died. Kara hadn’t known how to respond to Alex’s sorrowful stoicism - how the agent vowed to continue her work at the DEO in a way that would make Lex Luthor proud - and Kara had briefly wondered if she were in a dream.

Until scant memories of Lex falling at the Dawn of Time came back to her.

Lex died, the Crisis is over, this is a new Earth, Kara thought to herself, working through her confusion, suddenly feeling profoundly lonely in the sea of people. Am I the only one who remembered what happened?

Lena’s jaw tensed as she watched the headline on TV. A Nobel? Really?

With her raging migraine, she hadn’t quite understood what was happening when she woke. Bewildered, she found a few bouquets of flowers on her living room table. The first card she grabbed had led to everything slamming back into her.

Our condolences for your loss. Lex Luthor was a great man, and will be missed dearly.
-Alexandra Danvers, DEO Director, on behalf of the DEO.

That’s when Lena knew something wasn’t right.

The crisis that had unfolded felt like a dream - a nightmare. She remembered working with Alex on the portal. She remembered rushing people towards alien ships. She remembered boarding the last one, hurling through the portal to Earth-1.

She remembered waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

She remembered being alone, as Alex left to coordinate supplies from Earth 1 to the other ships. There was nothing else to do but sit and wait in the hopes that a man called “the Monitor” and his chosen “paragons” could save them. She knew Kara was among them, but she didn’t know what would happen in the aftermath.

Then the wave came, and she was gone.

I guess they succeeded, Lena thought again, her eyes flickering to the screen, which showed footage of a smiling Supergirl - apparently from three days ago - carrying Neville the Rhino back to the National City Zoo he had escaped from.

Does she remember?, Lena thought, watching the shaky cell phone footage of the smiling blonde as she set down the nervous baby rhino back in his enclosure. Why do I remember my Earth, but not everyone else?

Lena looked down at Alex’s card, and tore it in half.

“Hey Supergirl,” Alex said tiredly as Kara landed inside the DEO.

“Anything going on?” Kara asked.

“Quiet morning,” Alex said. “We’re monitoring a string of bank robberies in Los Angeles, but-”

An alert popped up on a screen, a red dot appearing on a map three miles away, with an alert reading FIRE. Alex frowned. “Looks like a warehouse fire-”

“On it,” Kara said, before turning on her heel to fly away.

“We’re working on your speech for Lex Luthor’s funeral,” Alex shouted behind her, “I’ll give you the draft when you get back.”

Rao, help me, Kara thought, as she gritted her jaw and left.

Lena couldn’t be sure of why Lex only died recently on this Earth, when she had killed her brother long ago, but it did give her an advantage. As the world expected her to grieve, she had the time to try to find her bearings.

At least most of my passwords are the same, Lena thought, idly checking her bank account after wasting hours reading articles. How Lex and Supergirl had stopped the Children of Liberty. How Supergirl had given a wonderful speech at Lena’s charity gala. How the partnership between a super and the Luthors was going to bring about world peace.

She found that Kara Danvers was still a reporter at Catco, but there was no sign of the blonde in her personal life. She never needed to write an article on Notorious Lex Luthor’s little sister, Lena thought, as she had searched her text messages for goofy game night photos or a froyo trip selfie or a cute bird Kara had noticed. There was nothing.

Did Supergirl ever save me here?, Lena thought, feeling a pit in her gut as she remembered the sensation of her helicopter falling out of the air. Do we know each other outside of DEO business at all?

But her musings were cut short by a familiar double-tap on her balcony.

Lena turned, noting the blonde’s stiff position, as the sunset cast shadows in front of her. What is our relationship here?, Lena thought, as she rose to her feet to meet Kara out on her balcony. Lena tried not to think of the other question that loomed over her. What relationship do I want with her here?

“I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Luthor,” Kara said to her as Lena stepped out on the balcony.

“Thank you,” Lena said.

She was expecting more. Not that she wanted it - but given how the media was bubbling over in accolades for Lex, she thought Supergirl might be the same. But Kara stood silently, seeming to examine Lena, perhaps trying not to overstep given their professional relationship.

What could we be, if we started over?, Lena thought to herself. Do I even want that?

Kara eyed Lena for a moment, before reaching into a hidden compartment of her suit. “I’d… like you to have this,” she said, holding out a familiar watch.

Lena couldn’t help but stare for a moment. What I would give for you to remember that this has happened before, she thought to herself. “What is it?” she asked softly.

“It’s a signal watch,” Kara said, popping open the cover. “One click for an emergency. Two clicks if it’s a trap. Three clicks if it’s not an emergency.”

Lena smiled shakily, reaching out to take the watch.

“If you ever need me,” Kara said, “All you have to do is call.”

“Thank you, Supergirl.”

“Goodnight, Miss Luthor.”

Kara collapsed on her bed.

She wasn’t tired - not physically, that rarely happened on Earth. But emotionally, she was wiped. How did this happen?, she thought to herself. Why wouldn’t I remember?

This Earth continued to be… strange. She couldn’t find any indication that Kara Danvers ever knew Lena Luthor. Her articles on Lex Luthor were like looking into a funhouse mirror, full of praise for the dead psychopath. And Rao, the media’s praise for the relationship between Supergirl and the Luthors couldn’t be brighter. Between Lex’s paparazzi and her crime-junkie followers, there was a plethora of photos and cell phone footage posted everywhere of them both, and the media seemed to go especially nuts with praise whenever they ended up in the same place together.

The only part of the picture that wasn’t squeaky-clean was the occasional insinuation that something more might be going on between Supergirl and Lex’s younger sister. There’s no Earth where that can ever happen, Kara thought wistfully.

A knock came at the door, causing Kara to turn and squint. J’onn, she thought, before floating across the room to open the door. She smiled tiredly in greeting, “Come in.”

“I assume you have your memories?” he said as she closed the door.

Kara whipped around. “You too?” she said, with palpable relief. “You remember the Crisis? The multiverse ending?”

“All of it,” J’onn said with a nod. “Though it seems only the paragons do. I spoke to Barry and Kate earlier today.”

The paragons, Kara realized, eyes wide with understanding, they’re here too. She imagined Sara was off time traveling. Barry and Kate were from Earth-1. She couldn’t remember what Earth Ryan was from, but she supposed it wasn’t Earth-38. Lex had replaced Kal from Earth-96, and now Lex was dead.

J’onn and I are the only people on the planet who remember our Earth, she realized. “Can you- can you wake everyone up?” Kara asked.

“I believe I could,” J’onn said, “But I’m not sure I should.”

“What do you mean?”

J’onn sighed. “Anyone I wake up will struggle with their current reality. If there’s a threat that requires it, I can do it. But I’m not sure what would be gained for them otherwise.”

Lex is dead, Kara thought, remembering again how he had fallen at the Dawn of Time. “Leviathan,” Kara said, “Any sign of them?”

“None,” J’onn said. 

Kara slowly sank into her couch. “So we’re alone.”

“We’re here,” J’onn said. “At least we’re all alive.”

Some part of her knew that this was a questionable plan. At the same time, she couldn’t handle watching Kara do anything else. One click for help, two clicks for warning, three clicks for nonurgent, Lena mulled. She opened up the watch’s face, and clicked three times.

“Good evening, Miss Luthor,” Kara said shortly after, as she landed on Lena’s balcony.

“Thank you for coming,” Lena said. “I’d like to talk to you about my brother’s funeral.”

Kara nodded sympathetically. “Is the planning going okay?”

“Yeah,” Lena said, shrugging. “Most of it is finished. Casket, flowers, that sort of thing. I’m just working on the eulogy list now.” 

“Ah,” Kara said, glancing to the floor. “I’m prepared to make a eulogy.”

“I… was hoping we could make a joint eulogy.”

“What do you mean?” Kara asked.

I can’t stand the idea of you praising Lex, Lena thought, If only you could remember… “I thought, in lieu of a speech, you and I could stand together. I could give the speech on both of our behalf.”

Kara tilted her head. “Of course,” she said, her face turning slightly pink. “Whatever you prefer, Miss Luthor.”

Lena watched the kryptonian for a moment, relieved that Kara had agreed to not speak - though Lena felt bad about the blush. “You don’t have to do this, Supergirl. If you’re not comfortable with the rumors.”

Kara shook her head. “The media will create rumors no matter what,” she said, her gaze intense. “This is far more important.”

Lena smiled, though somewhere the back of her mind ticked. She’s talking about Lex, she thought forlornly, not me. “I hope your real partner isn’t too jealous, if you have one,” she murmured, knowing her curiosity was leading her down a dangerous path - one that she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to.

Kara smiled, perhaps a tinge wistful. “I’m not the sort of person who should be in a relationship,” she said.

What does that mean?, Lena wondered, taken aback by the answer. Is it just the cape?

Kara bit at her lip, and Lena got the sense that she regretted saying that thought out loud. “Would you like me to help write your speech?” Kara asked.

Lena paused, before shaking her head. “I won’t need help,” she said. “Thank you for coming.”

“Everyone is safe from the stuck elevator,” Kara said as she floated back into the DEO. “Anything else going on?”

“It’s a quiet night,” Alex said. “San Francisco’s mayor may request your help on a car robbery ring, and we’re still monitoring the robberies in Los Angeles, but other than that- did you read over the eulogy draft?”

“Actually,” Kara said, “Lena would prefer we deliver a joint eulogy.”

Alex tilted her head curiously. “After all these years, you choose now to throw your shot?”

“What?!” Kara responded.

“Just a weird choice, sis, cozying up to her now. Let her mourn her brother before you ask her out-”

“I’m not-” Kara stuttered, alarmed. “That wasn’t the plan-”

“Yeah, sure,” Alex said, rolling her eyes. “I see how you two flirt at every damn gala. I’m just saying, don’t push too fast.”

“I’m- I’m not going after her, Alex,” Kara said adamantly.

“Sure sis.”

“Alex!”

THIS ISN’T YOU!, she wanted to scream.

Lena swallowed down her rage, her confusion, the odd sense of panic. She wasn’t nervous in front of crowds - she had long gotten over fears of public speaking, and knew Supergirl would be able to stop any would-be assassins - but she couldn’t stand the sadness on everyone’s faces.

She could spot Alex in the crowd, eulogy to be given after hers. She could spot Nia in the journalist corral, softly crying. Even James had shown up. The sea of people in front of her, all thinking that Lex had been good and kind, the public completely controlled by a narrative Lena couldn’t make sense of.

As she delivered her eulogy - going through motions for a man she had grieved long before - she was grateful that Kara was behind her. She couldn’t stand a look of mourning on the kryptonian’s face.

Non nocere was a mistake, she thought, looking out onto the swaths of people, These people have been robbed of who they are…

Lena struggled with her words, hating herself for the realization that the media would see any hints of her despair as the mourning of a grief-stricken sister. And she was grieving. Her planet was gone, replaced with a mockery of it - everyone she had ever cared about only knew illusions and lies.

I lost you, Lena thought to herself, avoiding looking at the kryptonian next to her. Kara Danvers, her best friend, was gone. Kara Danvers, the woman who betrayed her, was gone. And all that was left was this - a solemn kryptonian stranger who could never remember what they were to each other.

Ironic, she supposed, that she was standing next to the only other being in the world who could understand what she was going through. Is this how Kara felt?, Lena wondered. How did she survive being this alone?

The fleeting temptation passed through her mind again. If she told Kara everything… could she build a new life, cling to the scraps of normalcy that she could find? Would Kara understand? Be angry? Would Kara love her…

Lena swallowed down the thoughts, and finished her eulogy - not to Lex, but to a dead world.

Kara knew Alex could sense it.

Every punch was a little too hard. Every suggestion for another game night was shrugged off. But Kara didn’t know what to do. Her Lena wasn’t her Lena. Her Alex, her Eliza, even Nia and Brainy - everyone was a stranger to her. The shared history was gone, and all that was left was a cruel simulation.

She found herself spending more and more hours in the Catco office. In a world where Lex Luthor and Supergirl used to work together, she found that National City’s crime was down, giving her plenty of room to dive into journalism.

Alone.

The people around her could feel the distance, but not as acutely as she did.

Board meetings and investor calls.

That’s what her life had been since the crisis. No brother to watch, no super to help. Just the quiet churn of running a large company and receiving distant condolences from strangers.

She tried to get a hobby. She had investigated Leviathan - trying to find what the new DEO may have missed - and was amassing a growing amount of evidence that they were still active after the crisis. Which she would take to the DEO soon. 

But that investigation hardly filled the emotional void inside her. Truth was, she was spending far too much time finding Supergirl clips in the news - watching the blonde fight fires or rescue cats. Some teenage boy even livestreamed her rescuing him and others from a stuck elevator. Lena couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a curse that the public on this new Earth seemed even more obsessed with pointing a cell phone camera at her at every opportunity, but she couldn’t stop trying to find hints of the super when she could.

So this is loneliness, Lena thought, tilting her scotch glass to her lips as the sun began to set. Somehow, there had always seemed to be someone - Lex, or Andrea, or Jack, or Kara. Even after Lex snapped, Lena still had him - knew he was locked away in a cell, ready for a friendly game of chess should she ever actually show up. But all that was gone now.

No one knows who I am, Lena thought, dropping her glass to her knee and staring at the amber liquid. I can’t even have a real conversation.

Lena glanced to her side, eyeing the superwatch that lay on her coffee table.

She thought of the soft pink that crossed Kara’s face as she talked about the media concerns. She didn’t say she wasn’t interested, Lena thought, and wondered how similar this Kara was to her Kara. Whether the crackling tension she had felt with the super in that past life carried over into this one. There was only one way to find out.

Picking up the watch, clicking at the hidden button three times, Lena waited. She was unsurprised to not have waited long, hearing the double-taps on her balcony a minute later, waving the kryptonian inside.

“Are you alright, Miss Luthor?” Kara asked.

“Why shouldn’t you be in a relationship?” Lena asked bluntly.

Kara’s eyes widened as she stilled.

“You don’t have to answer,” Lena said, swirling her drink from her seat on the couch. “It was a presumptive question in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

Lena bit at her lip. “I shouldn’t assume you’re interested in me,” she murmured.

“I’m- I-” Kara paused, swallowing. “I shouldn’t, Miss Luthor.”

That’s not a denial, Lena thought, feeling the smallest flare of hope. She set her glass down, standing from the couch and walking over to Kara. Kara watched her in silence - curious, hesitant - until Lena’s hand drifted up to Kara’s face. “But are you?” Lena asked.

Kara’s eyes flickered between Lena’s, though the blonde didn’t pull away from the hand on her cheek. “I’ll only hurt you, Lena,” Kara murmured.

“What if I want to be hurt?” Lena asked. What if I just want to feel something again?

Kara’s eyes drifted to Lena’s lips, and Lena watched an ancient flicker in her gaze, something between want and wistfulness. Does she feel the emptiness?, Lena wondered, mulling again over how lost the kryptonian would’ve felt after the loss of her own planet, how Kara on this Earth seemed unwilling - or unable - to connect with anyone around her.

But the thought drifted away as Lena’s thumb teased over Kara’s lower lip, her body craving action over thought, wanting to chase away introspection in favor of something more base. “Please,” Lena whimpered, tilting her head imperceptibly closer. 

To her heartstopping relief, the kryptonian returned the motion, a whispered Lena falling from her lips before pressing them against Lena’s own.

Lena sank into the kiss, heart pounding as she tugged at Kara’s side, Kara seemingly unable to hold back from enveloping Lena in her arms. Lena marveled at how perfectly her body slotted against Kara’s, feeling the tingling wave of awareness of Kara pressing against her, Lena finding herself pushed backwards into the wall behind her.

Tension raged over her body as her hands started to roam, her mind briefly pondering how to disable a nanobot supersuit before being distracted by Kara’s knee slipping between her legs. Kara’s lips began to make their way down Lena’s neck, causing a small moan to escape her lips, as her hands crawled up to tangle in Kara’s hair-

“No,” Kara said suddenly, stumbling backwards in a small hover as she pulled away. “I can’t, I- I’m sorry Lena. I can’t.”

“Why?” Lena asked, panting heavily. “What’s stopping you?”

Kara looked over Lena reluctantly, body tense with turmoil, voice breathless. “If you knew everything about me,” she said, “I wouldn’t be enough for you.”

“Wouldn’t be enough-”

“I’m sorry,” Kara said again, backing away to leave. “I’m sorry, Lena.” She moved far too quickly, a few steps and a snap of a cape leaving Lena alone in her condo again.

Lena stood, chest still heaving, trying to get control of her racing heart. “I wouldn’t be enough for you,” her mind replayed. Is that what Kara thinks? That I’d never date a reporter?

Did my Kara ever feel that way at all?

The thought ripped another aching chasm in her chest, more rage at being trapped in this timeline. Of what she couldn’t have, of answers she’d never get. And maybe it wasn’t wise, to try to seek this Kara out. What if I told her everything?, Lena wondered. Maybe she would hate me for once…

Lena slid to the floor, tilting her head back against the wall, and fought the tears that were beginning to break through.

The unfortunate thing about this new Earth is that the sun continued to rise every day.

Lena woke to a blaring alarm, more than a little hung over, prepping her morning coffee in desperation. She tried to push out thoughts of Kara, clicking on the television to watch the morning news, mentally reviewing her list of LuthorCorp meetings that day, reminding herself to visit the DEO to appraise them of her findings on Leviathan-

But the story on the screen caught her eye.

“We are told this livestream is coming from one of the hostages in the bank-”

“It appears that these robbers have no weapons-”

Lena’s brow furrowed as she watched an unfamiliar blonde waltz into the bank. No weapons?, she thought, her eyes trained on the shaky phone feed in front of her. What type of robber is this?

“The DEO has signaled that Supergirl is on the way-”

Kara soared across the skies, rapidly approaching the downtown bank, as Alex fed more information into her ear. “We think these are the LA robbers,” Alex said. “The reports say she walks right in the front door, no weapons-”

“No weapons?” Kara asked, her flight stuttering as her eyes grew wide. She? “Has- has anyone talked to the witnesses?” Kara asked, pushing forward again.

“Brainy is getting the reports. ETA?”

“I’m almost there,” Kara said, continuing. “Alex? I think we’ll need J’onn for this one.”

“J’onn? Why-”

“Just call him. Please.” Kara didn’t wait for a response before clicking the earpiece off. I don’t want her to hear any of this, Kara thought, steeling herself for whatever nightmares might get thrown at her. Because she knew who she was about to face.

Psi.

Thoughts shot around her mind, frantic and confused as she landed at the bank entrance. I should wait for J’onn, she thought, but I can’t leave those people helpless… She stepped into the building, telling herself that the nightmares Psi had used against her on Earth-38 were no longer real. 

But she knew there were other nightmares.

There’s some good in her, Kara reasoned, making her way to the vault in the back, thinking back to how Psi had helped them on Fort Rozz. I can talk to her.

She finally came up to the familiar blonde. “You don’t have to do this,” Kara said quietly. “You’re more noble than you think.”

“An interesting tactic,” Psi said, smirking as she turned.

There was a familiar sinking feeling, as Psi’s powers kicked in, as the blackness of space began to envelope her. I can push through this, Kara thought, arms flailing out to grasp at a wall or a chair. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, Alex talked me through this last time-

Alex. The sister who no longer remembered.

Kara choked on her breath as she watched a planet appear before her - not bathed in red sunlight, but a familiar blue and green marble doused in yellow sun. Before it was swallowed by a wave, fading from existence.

My planet died, Kara wanted to scream, her heart pounding in fear and rage, they’re all gone.

You have to fight it, she thought to herself, distantly aware of the cold floor against her hands, trying to push herself up, trying to push away the images of Lena that were suddenly screaming in her head - of that first day in her office, of that night at the Pulitzer, of that betrayal in the Fortress. This wasn’t like last time - she wasn’t worried about what happened to someone she cared about. She already knew. 

“She died hating me,” Kara sobbed.

“That’s interesting,” came Psi’s voice, cutting through the fog of Kara’s panic. Kara tilted her head up, Lena’s face replaced by the psychotic blonde, looking down on her. “Who could bring the Girl of Steel to her knees?”

“I love her,” Kara whimpered, “And now she’ll never know.”

“Who?” Psi asked.

“She doesn’t remember me,” Kara sobbed, overwhelmed with grief.

The last thing she saw was Psi tilting her head, before everything faded to black.

“Where is she?” Lena said, running through the DEO. “Where’s Supergirl?”

“Miss Luthor?” came a concerned agent’s voice. “I’m Agent Vasquez. Supergirl is in recovery. Is there something you need?”

“I need to see her,” Lena begged. “Please.”

Vasquez nodded - perhaps confused, but not about to dissuade the Luthor - and gestured for Lena to follow her down a long hallway. Lena followed gratefully, fighting the memories of the shaky video feed that terrified her.

She’s fine, Lena thought, pushing out the memory of Kara’s face, knowing that the agent wouldn’t be leading her down the hallway if Kara was seriously hurt. She’s alive, she’s alive…

And, of course, the other bit that had become obvious. She remembers…

As Lena rounded the corner, she felt immediate relief - and a tinge of uncertainty. Kara was sitting up on her sunbed, looking no worse for wear, curiously watching Lena and the agent as they entered.

“Miss Luthor would like to speak to you,” Agent Vasquez said.

Kara’s eyes darted to Lena’s. “Thank you, Agent Vasquez. I can escort her out.”

The agent nodded, and made her exit. Lena stared back, clenching her hands together with nerves and awkwardness. “I just- I just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m- I’m fine,” Kara said, scooting off the sunbed to stand. “Just needed some time under the sunlamp. I’m good as new. We think we may have a plan to take down the robbers the next time they strike, too.”

Lena nodded, biting her lip as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She remembers me, Lena thought, watching as Kara’s gaze shifted from confused to concerned. She’s trying to stay away, trying not to hurt me…

“Miss Luthor,” Kara said, “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Kara…” Lena whispered.

Kara froze. “I-” Kara swallowed nervously, before giving a small laugh. “I guess it was only a matter of time before you figured out my real name?”

Lena stood silently, trying to find her words. The relief of finding Kara alive, the uncertainty of telling Kara who she really was. But all Lena could do was gaze on the kryptonian.

She could see the thoughts flicker across Kara’s eyes as the kryptonian tilted her head, taking in Lena’s expression. Lena watched as slow recognition bloomed across Kara’s face, wonder and hope as the kryptonian’s eyes widened. “You remember,” Kara realized.

“Yes.”

“Another Earth? Another life?”

“Our life.”

“It might not be ours,” Kara said, borderline pleading as Lena stepped closer. “On my Earth, I hurt you, Lena.”

“Lied to me, spied on me,” Lena whispered, “And then I hurt you too.”

Kara lifted her hand, ghosting it across Lena’s cheek before cupping her jaw. Lena smiled softly, stepping closer to wrap her hands around Kara’s waist. Kara tilted her head down, forehead lightly resting against Lena’s as they took each other in. “You kissed me earlier,” Kara said, her voice cracking. “I don’t think my Lena ever wanted to kiss me.”

“Every day,” Lena murmured back. “How many times did I need to fill your office with flowers for that to be obvious?”

Lena felt a small huff of breath ghost her lips. “I missed you, Lena.”

Lena tilted her head forward, brushing her lips to the kryptonian’s again. Kara didn’t hesitate to return the gesture - the kiss moving from gentle and sweet, to desperate and exhilarated. Lena tugged Kara in, reveling in how the kryptonian pulled at her waist to deepen the kiss, reveling at her warmth and the strong arms around her, the two eager in the aftermath.

And when Lena broke away, she whimpered through laughter and tears. “I missed you too.”

After reviewing Lena’s data on Leviathan surviving the Crisis, J’onn finally agreed to wake up the superfriends. Kara was surprised, and relieved, to find that the path to trusting Lena again ended up not being too rocky for the team. While there was still tension in the wake of her betrayal in the Fortress, there was a tentative trust after the Crisis and with Lena’s work on Leviathan.

Though some mysteries remained. “I just can’t figure out why I have my memories,” Lena said, mulling on Kara’s couch after a game night. “I’m not a paragon.”

Kara tilted her head, as she took a seat next to Lena. “I think it might’ve been your brother.”

“My brother?” Lena asked. “How?”

“The Monitor brought him back, for the Crisis,” Kara said. “He died in the battle. But before that, maybe he did something.”

Lena hesitated as she thought. “That’s oddly generous. I’d be easier to manipulate without my memories.”

“But it wouldn’t be you,” Kara said gently. 

Lena’s heart twinged - appreciative of the space Kara was giving her to try to understand her brother, without pushing. Maybe he did love me, on some level, she thought. “Would it be strange,” she asked, “If I visited his grave?”

“He was your brother, Lena,” Kara responded.

Lena smiled softly, curling up against Kara again.

Lena Luthor Dating Star CatCo Reporter

Kara swallowed nervously as she reread the magazine’s cover, glancing up at the chaos ensuing around Catco. The idea of being so front-and-center with her relationship was a bit nervewracking - but then, she was surprised that she and Lena had been undiscovered by the public for so long. 

Nia waved as she passed, and Kara smiled back - the younger brunette had gotten her name on the byline, since Kara was unable to report on herself. Kara sat back in her chair, hearing the buzz of the office all around her, stories flying by as everyone threw themselves into whatever events would make it into the next news cycle. There was never any rest in the reporting world.

Kara’s brow crinkled as she heard a familiar heartbeat coming up the elevator, and she soon turned to find Lena walking into Catco. Kara smiled widely, standing to give the Luthor a peck on the cheek. “What are you doing here?” Kara asked.

“I figured we could get an early lunch together,” Lena said, lacing her fingers with Kara’s. “Since we’re not hiding anymore.”

Kara grinned back.

When Leviathan fell, the team found themselves in an odd flow of calm. There would always be crime and natural disasters to help with, but the balance in their lives became a little easier. Kara moved into Lena’s condo, Alex and Kelly got engaged and adopted a young alien named Esme, Brainy asked Lena to accompany him during a shopping trip for a ring for a certain naltorian.

The world continued to turn, and Lena found herself waking up every morning next to a warm body, content in sharing her home with a kryptonian. 

But in the aftermath, there was still one question that lingered on her mind. “You said you weren’t enough for me,” Lena murmured one morning, her arms wrapping around Kara tighter from where they lay in bed.

“I…” Kara turned to her, flushing shyly. “Well, I thought you wanted Supergirl, not me. And I needed to get it right this time - if I could keep you safe as Supergirl, that would be enough.”

“So you gave me the watch,” Lena said.

To Lena’s surprise, Kara shook her head. “I’ve been listening to your heartbeat for a while,” Kara confessed. “The watch was so that you would know that Lex wasn’t the only Luthor who mattered. That I would be there if you needed help. I was going to get it right this time.”

“Our friendship?”

“There wasn’t going to be a friendship,” Kara said wistfully. “I meant what I said. I didn’t want to hurt you again.”

Something tugged at Lena’s heart - a painful what-if, imagining Kara alone in a new universe. A harsh memory of when Lena thought she was just as alone. Overwhelmed, Lena leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Kara’s lips. “Let’s show the world what a super and a Luthor can really do. Together.” she whispered.

Kara smiled, dipping her head into the crook of Lena’s neck, with a contented sigh. “Together.”