Flashbacks
Lena sat in her new boss' office, her hands folded in her lap so that she couldn't fidget with them, which was her worst nervous habit.
"You'll be working under Dr. Brooks today, per her request. She's waiting outside, and all I need is for you to sign this contract." The man stated, pushing the contract towards Lena. "It's just a promise of confidentiality from you."
"Before I sign this, what is your average pay for a man in my position?" Lena asked, raising an eyebrow.
"46,000 yearly." The man answered simply.
"And you're paying me half of that, and I have to work three other jobs and this one to afford to live in this city," Lena hissed, obviously outraged.
"Sweetheart, -" The man began, leaning forward in his seat. "Women do not belong in the workplace. I hade to hire you because I needed to hire one woman along with my ten men."
"That's fine, I guess." Lena shrugged, picking up the pen. "I'll just have to show you what doing things like this do to business. I'll be sending this to my lawyer before I sign." Lena dropped the pen and picked up the contract. She stood quickly, her chair making an abrupt, screeching noise as it slid against the wood.
"Ms. Luthor, it is rude to leave without excusing yourself," Dick announced. (Lena didn't actually know his first name, she just thought that Dick suited him.)
"It's doctor Luthor, and it's rude to diminish the value of a woman just to defend your weak masculinity." Lena huffed, turning on her heel and stepping out of the office, as quickly as possible without making it seem that she was afraid of being fired (which she was).
"There you are! That dick takes forever." Ange groaned.
"Walk. Walk fast." Lena whispered loudly.
"What?" The Latina doctor asked, staring at Lena with confused eyes.
"He can't fire me if he can't see me." Lena insisted, grabbing hold of her new friend's arm and pulling her towards the elevator. Ange laughed and allowed Lena to continue dragging her off. Lena pressed the elevator button a few times, (probably more like 100 times, but who's counting?) whispering, "Come on," under her breath repeatedly.
Finally, the elevator doors opened and Lena pulled Ange in. The older woman pressed a button for a floor as Lena leaned against the back wall of the elevator. Ange pulled a red knob, and the elevator screeched to a halt.
"What're you doing?" Lena asked, nerves thick in her voice.
"Stopping so that I can decide if I'm willing to help you get away," Ange smirked. "What'd you do?"
"I may have told my new boss off for being a sexist ass. He's paying me half of what he'd pay a man. I have three other jobs on top of this one because of him." Lena sighed.
"I like you more and more by the minute, Luthor." Angelica chuckled. Lena smiled as she slid down into a sitting position.
"Thanks, I guess." Lena giggled as Ange took a seat next to her.
"No problem." Ange was staring at Lena intently, and Lena couldn't help but stare back. Ange's eyes dropped to Lena's lips, and before the Luthor knew it, she was kissing her supervisor.
"Wait, wait, stop." Lena gasped, pulling away. She immediately wished she hadn't.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have..." Ange trailed off, running her fingers through her long, curly hair. (Spoiler alert, her hand got stuck.)
"No, it's not that I didn't like it. Because I did. I really, really did. But I mean, this...this can't happen." Lena sighed.
"Why not?" The older woman asked innocently, untangling her fingers from her curly locks.
"How old do you think I am?" Lena asked.
"Eighteen, maybe even twenty," Ange answered, confused.
"Yeah, twenty minus four. Do the math." Lena groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"Holy shit, you're only sixteen? Have you even been to college?" Ange shouted.
"Yes. I skipped practically all of elementary school. It took two years for me to finish all of high school, and by then, I was ten. I have three doctorates." Lena mumbled. She hated talking about her journey through school.
"In what exactly?" Ange questioned.
"Biological engineering, biochemical engineering, and European literature," Lena stated.
"European literature?" Ange laughed.
"I like to read!" Lena insisted.
"Okay, okay, sorry. And now you get a job instead of going to school?" Ange asked.
"No, I just got a job or four because I need to eat now that I'm emancipated." Lena shrugged.
"What are you studying now?" Ange asked.
"Chemistry and science overall. I just need those out of the way, because I'm supposed to wait until I'm eighteen to apply again to medical school, and then I can get a good job full time." Lena stated simply.
"Six doctorates. Lena the untouchable." Ange murmured.
"Hey, don't judge!" Lena exclaimed.
"I'm not, you're just a super-geek." Ange laughed.
"Mean." Lena stuck out her tongue at her new friend jokingly, a smirk on her lips. Ange let out a low chuckle as Lena stood to pace the length of the elevator.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Lena, hun, I'm home!" Ange called, knowing she would get no response. Lena wouldn't even hear her. She made her way to the office, where Lena practically lived when she wasn't at work.
"Hey." Ange murmured, peeking her head into the office. Lena wasn't there. "Lee?"
"In the kitchen!" Came the reply. Confused, Ange made her way into the kitchen, where Lena was attempting to make dinner and watch the news simultaneously.
"Who are you and what have you done with Lena Luthor?" Ange questioned.
"Ha, ha, very funny." Lena deadpanned. She offered her cheek for Ange to kiss, and she did, smiling at the mess of a kitchen Lena had left behind.
"Need help?" Ange asked, taking a wooden spoon from a drawer.
"Oh, that's where that is!" Lena exclaimed. She turned her attention back to the television just in time to see her father's face flash across the screen.
"Lionel Luthor passed away yesterday in his sleep. Officials report poison in his system, but investigations are still ongoing to rule out homicide. Wife, Lillian Luthor comments." A reporter announced.
"Lionel was a good man. He was the best man I knew. I will miss him terribly, as will our son, Lex." Lillian stated simply.
A loud clang broke the silence between the two women as Lena scrambled to find her phone. Ange picked up the pot Lena had dropped and began to mop up the spaghetti sauce that it once held.
"Mom?" Ange heard. "Mom, are you there? It's me. It's Lena."
"Lena, why are you calling? You are the reason for this. You are the reason your father is dead." Lillian hissed.
"What? Mom, what happened? What happened to Daddy?" Lena asked, tears clouding her vision.
"He killed himself because you left us. You killed your father." Lillian sneered.
"No, please, Mom, I didn't -" The line went dead as her mother hung up the phone, "- kill anyone." Lena sobbed.
"Lee, what's wrong?" Ange asked, kneeling next to her girlfriend.
"My father is dead, Ange, what do you think is wrong?" Lena shouted.
"Lee, he wasn't your father, Lillian wasn't your mother. They're horrible." Ange sighed, attempting to pull Lena closer.
"Yes, Ange, they were. They were my parents, adopted or not, awful, or not, they were family." Lena insisted, pushing her fiancée away.
"That's not family, hun. Family doesn't blame you for the death of your father. Family doesn't allow you to be emancipated, just to get rid of you." Ange placed a hand on Lena's cheek gently, running her thumb along Lena's cheekbone.
"They were my family! They loved me, I loved them, and until Lex went mad, we were fine. We were okay, but now, I'm the outcast." Lena insisted.
"Lena, those people are murderers! They are evil, sociopathic, xenophobic murderers who only care about themselves. If you're one of them, I can't marry you." Ange shouted.
"Then don't marry me. Leave." Lena stated calmly. Ange stood quickly, taking the keys to Lena's car.
"Hey, you leave in your own car!" Lena shouted after her, but Ange simply tossed her ring over her shoulder, and she was gone. Forever.