Earth 40

Kara observed Lena for a few moments during which the young CEO was unable to bat her eyes. She had never seen her display that behavior nor that look. Suddenly, Kara leaned towards her and closed her eyes. Lena’s were fully open; she was paralyzed by the Kyptonian’s outburst. The first thing she felt was the heat emanating from her body and then how Kara’s arm gripped her a little tighter to shorten the distance between them. Finally, she felt soft, warm lips grazing her own and she too closed her green eyes.

What if Kara’s words were true and things never got better? What if the broken Extrapolator was a sign…? They had met by happenstance, but, could they be destined to be together?

Kara kissed her intensely, gripping her frame as if she were the only thing that could save her from the darkness looming over her spirits. Lena returned her kisses and her hands stopped being empty to hold Kara’s strong shoulders. The Kryptonian pulled a little more at her waist and, using her strength, was able to lift her evenly in the air to place her on the couch and lay over her. Her hands glided over Lena’s arms until they immobilized her wrists, carefully so as to not hurt her. She could feel her all over her body, from their entwined legs to their breasts, though their joined hips. Kara leaned over Lena, once more searching for her mouth, and she found it. They kissed again. She freed her wrists and leaned on a hand on the couch to be able to caress her face with the other.

But then, the memory of a different kiss, that which her Kara gave her more than a year ago, assaulted the mind of the young Luthor. Her lips stopped responding to the Kryptonian’s.

“Kara, no…” she whispered against her mouth while she placed her hands against her chest, fully knowing she couldn’t push her away an inch but trying to make her see that that couldn’t be.

Kara incorporated a little, placing her hands over either side of Lena’s head. She looked at her; she was breathing with difficulty, just like her. Her cheeks were flushed, she looked incredibly beautiful…And immobilized under her superhuman weight and strength of her body, to her mercy, pleading with her eyes to be freed from her. The guild consumed her. She jumped from her, freeing Lena and leaving the couch, trembling with glassy eyes.

“Oh Rao, what have I done?” she cried.

“Kara…” Lena called, getting up from the couch.

“Please, forgive me,” Kara begged her, “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Kara, calm down…” Lena pleaded in a soft voice.

“I just took you for granted! You had way more reasons that I do to cross the line over multiple past occasions yet you always held yourself in check. And what do I do? The first moment I feel down I take advantage of you! I’m a disgrace!”

“Kara, stop now!” Lena exclaimed to interrupt the Kryptonian’s confusing spiel, “You didn’t take advantage…I let you kiss me. This is on both of us.”

“But…I started it…And you… you had to stop me…” Kara insisted in a tiny voice, refusing to look at her.

Lena approached her with the idea to soothe her in mind, but the moment Kara sensed she wanted to touch her she stepped back, rejecting her.

“No…” she turned on her heels and started walking to the main door.

“Kara, wait…”

Her plea went unheard and Lena was left alone and confused about what had just taken place. However, she didn’t want to overthink the kisses they had shared: repairing the Extrapolator was top priority so that Kara could go back to her world, and she would do everything she could to achieve that goal.

Kara felt broken. Just a few minutes before she was laying atop Lena, Kissing her with desire, but the truth was that she felt defeated and without any exit in sight. To make things worse, crossing the line like she had done made her feel terribly guilty. For the first time since arriving to Earth-40, Kara slept in tears when the exhaustion finally overcame her.

On Saturday morning, Lena woke up earlier than usual, but Kara had already left the apartment. She thought that maybe somebody needed Supergirl’s help, but it wasn’t the case. Kara didn’t want to meet her because she didn’t know how to even look at her after what had happened; she was ashamed of her behavior.

“Kara, are you OK?” Alex suddenly asked. The Kryptonian looked at her and forced a smile.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” she lied.

“Because you are being too quiet to be you,” Alex sentenced, “Is it because the Extrapolator isn’t still working?”

“Yes, that’s the reason,” Kara assured.

“Winn and Lena are really exerting themselves; I’m sure they’ll repair it.”

“I’m sure they will…”

“Lena is doing everything humanly possible,” Alex informed, “She has even put L-Corp’s resources at the disposition of the repair process, her own employees and everything.”

Kara remained silent with an absent gaze.

“Hi there, Little Danvers!” Maggie greeted when she reached them.

“Hi, Maggie,” another forced smile. The detective frowned.

“Somebody didn’t sleep well tonight, uh?” she suggested when she saw the absence of any light on Supergirl’s features. But Kara didn’t reply.

“There’s a fire in a National City’s skyscraper, Supergirl!” Agent Vasquez exclaimed.

“On my way,” Alex nodded at her words and Kara flied towards the city.

“Something’s bothering Kara,” Alex said.

“Well, that you can become trapped in a world that’s not your own is something, that’s for sure.”

“No, Maggie, I mean something else…” Alex pointed out, “When I mentioned Lena, she stopped talking; she couldn’t even look at me. What if something happened between them?”

“Something like what?” the detective inquired, “Something that shouldn’t happen?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to ask Kara. You just saw how she’s acting today.”

Alex gave Lena a call to her personal phone: she needed to know why Kara was behaving that way. Lena wasn’t completely honest. She told her that they both had some little disagreement over Kara’s situation about being unable to return to Earth-38, but she kept to herself the intimacy they had shared for their own good. She didn’t want to cause Kara any harm and she knew that if somebody found out the guilt would be too much for her to bear. She also didn’t know Alex to have a bad opinion of her; after all, she still was her girlfriend’s sister and she might never understand her moment of weakness.

It was obvious that things couldn’t go on like this. Kara had spent all Saturday outside, excusing herself with Supergirls’ missions and only came to the apartment to sleep past three in the morning, thinking that Lena would already be asleep. She was wrong.

“Kara…” her voice was heard in a whisper when the Krypyonian crossed the glass door of the rooftop terrace.

“Still awake?” Kara questioned avoiding her gaze, “I’m going to bed, I’m tired.”

“Wait,” Lena walked to her, “We need to talk, we can’t go on like this.”

“Like what?” Kara echoed, feigning confusion.

“You are avoiding me and Alex remarked that. She gave me a call.”

“You told her what happened?” she exclaimed with worry.

“Of course I didn’t…” Lena reassured her, “It’s something that concerns just the two of us,” Kara gave a sigh of relief. Lena walked closer and took her hands, “Please, don’t punish yourself about what happened. Even though you come from Krypton, you are just as human as I am when your emotions overcome you. You weren’t all right…We all make mistakes,” she added averting her eyes.

“Kissing you wasn’t a mistake, I wanted to do it…” Kara assured seriously, piercing Lena with her blue eyes, something that made her a little nervous, “When you are so close I forget who you really are and I just can think of one thing…Kissing you,” she revealed.

“Because you like the Lena Luthor of your world,” the young CEO pointed out.

“I guess…” Kara answered with a sad look, “My mind just clouded and I did the wrong thing, thank you for stopping me…” Kara stopped looking at her, “Such superheroine I am, unable to control my own impulses,” she lamented. Then, she felt a soft squeeze on her hands and turned her attention back to Lena.

“Kara, our circumstances are complicated and, sometimes, desperation makes us do things that we regret afterwards.”

“I shouldn’t have kissed you back,” Lena reproached herself internally, “What was I thinking?”

“This whole thing is a damn nightmare,” Kara babbled while she slumped down over her cape on the couch. Lena sat beside her.

“I would like to talk whenever something happens, I don’t want misunderstandings between us,” she assured.

“You are right,” Kara acquiesced, “I’m sorry, I was overwhelmed and I didn’t know how to talk to you.”

“Everything’s forgotten now,” she lied. Her mind still replayed the kisses they had shared last night, “And now we should go to sleep, I need it too.”

“Thanks, Lena,” Kara said with a smile, “Honestly, you really make things easy,” Too easy, she thought, getting lost in her eyes.

At that very moment, she felt the temptation to kiss her once more. She was so close. She was in thrall to her green eyes, and her mouth seemed to be calling her. Lena began to get nervous; she knew it by the accelerated cadence of her heart. Was she making her uneasy or did she share her same forbidden need? Suddenly, a known voice sounded in her mind: “I miss you,” and the image of Lena Luthor smiling excitedly while holding a bouquet of plumerias erased everything else. Kara shaked her head and got away from the woman that sat beside her on the couch. She was Lena, yet she wasn’t her Lena.

“Good night,” she said as she stood up.

“Good night, Kara,”

First thing in the morning on Monday, Supergirl rescued several people from landslide near National City and then came back to the DEO, where Lena and Winn were waiting for her to tell her the latest news.

“I can’t believe it! Is it really fixed?!” Kara excitedly exclaimed.

Winn and Lena both nodded, smiling. Kara approached her.

“Was this the reason you spend the whole Sunday outside the apartment?” she asked in a low voice so that only Lena could hear her.

“Yes, that was the reason,” she answered. She wasn’t quite lying, but there was another reason: thus she had kept herself at bay from Kara. She needed it after what had transpired on Friday night.

“Thanks a lot, Lena, really,” Kara hugged her enthusiastically, making her blush a little, “You don’t know just how much this means to me.”

“I do know…” she whispered while Kara looked at the little artifact she was holding in her hands, “Would you like to try it now?”
“Can I?” Kara asked like a little girl about to open her birthday present.

“Of course, this is all about it: we need to know whether it works or not.”

Kara gave a call to Cat Grant to inform her that she needed to travel to Earth-38 now that they had succeeded in helping her, and that she wouldn’t be able to go to the office that day. Cat understood perfectly and reassured her that she would fabricate some excuse to cover her before Snapper Carr. Kara thanked her for that. Then, she proceeded to say goodbye to everyone present and activated the artifact, which generated a portal that she crossed without hesitation.

EARTH-38

The first thing Kara did when she finally appeared in her world was to go to the DEO premises. There, she was greeted with smiles and hugs filled with affection by everybody, specially Winn, J’onn and Alex. A while later, she accompanied her sister to her laboratory.

“Oh Rao, you just don’t know how much I wanted to give you a hug!” Kara exclaimed while she took her sister into her arms.

“Ouch!” Alex complained, making the Kryptonian relax her arms, “That’s what I call enthusiasm!”

If you only knew I almost couldn’t make it here.

“Are you here to stay?” Alex asked, hopeful.

“Afraid not, just for today,” Kara gravely admitted, “I’m still needed at Earth-40.”

“Well, that’s disappointing,” her sister retorted while she pursed her lips, “And not just for me. Do you know who came to my apartment asking about you the other night?” Kara frowned, “That’s right: Lena Luthor in the flesh.”

“I need to call her, I need to tell that I’m here, I need to see her,” Kara enumerated in a hurry. Alex looked at her containing her laughter.

“Kara, take a little breather. How about you message her first?” she suggested, “If you give her a call in that state you will give her a scare,” she mocked her sister.

“You idiot…” Kara muttered.

She ended up taking her sister’s advice, and Lena’s message arrived scarcely five minutes after her own. She told her that she was really happy to know that Kara was finally back and that they could meet on some event that would be held downtown in National City that evening.

Her return to CatCo wasn’t really as nice. She spent some time with James to fabricate the excuses for past absences and those to come. However, after that, Snapper Carr severely reprimanded her for her lack of professionalism, adding insult to injury considering she had just started her career as a reporter. Kara mustered all of her temperance to bear the man’s spiel. Fortunately, she charged her to cover that evening’s event, so she’ll have the perfect excuse to assist and finally see Lena.

She wanted to see James and speak with him again, so she went to the main office, only to find another person there.

“Miss Grant, you’re back!” she exclaimed with surprise.

“Well, of course I am,” Car retorted, “It’s clear as day that CatCo is going down the drain without me. I don’t know what I was thinking when I chose Olsen to replace me. What has that man just been doing these past weeks?”

“Are you going to remain in National City, then?”

“Naturally,” she assured her, “Has Snapper already charged you to cover today’s event?”

“He did.”

“Then I will meet you there, I have been invited to attend.”

“That’s fantastic,” Kara answered with a smile.

“Why are you still standing there, Kara? Go to work,” she ordered, “Do not thing that just because I’m back you will be able to relax.”

“I would never think anything like that. I will see you this evening, Miss Grant.”

She exited James’ office with a smile plastered on her face. She had really missed her.

When Kara saw Lena in the distance, her heart began beating faster than the already accelerated rhythm it had that day. She had done her hair in a bun with a few black locks graciously falling about, and she wore a bottle-green dress with a cut that showed her leg and a flattering cleavage. She took a deep breath and advanced towards her.

“Hi, Lena,” she greeted, trying to appear calm.

The young Luthor immediately turned towards the origin of that voice she longed for so, and her lips curved into a smile.

“Kara!”

She excused herself to her entourage and accompanied Kara a few feet away.

“How have you been in Europe? And how is that story going?” she asked, agitated.
It was more than evident that she was really happy to see her, and Kara couldn’t stop smiling: she felt the same. She had missed her so. That evening, Lena looked gorgeous and exuding happiness.

“Very well, to tell the truth, but I have a lot of work,” Kara answered while she remembered all the problems she faced on Earth-40, “In fact, I still am not finished with that.”

“Still? Oh, well…” Lena expressed with disappointment, “Will it take you much longer?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. But that’s why I’m here, that’s what matters.”

“Of course…I really wanted to see you, Kara, “ Lena confessed her, “I was a little worried when you disappeared so suddenly; I thought you maybe didn’t want to keep our friendship any longer,” she added in a soft voice.

“What? Of course not!” Kara immediately exclaimed. Lena frowned, “I mean, I would never think of ending our friendship, I mean…We are friends, and…” she reached for her glasses.

“Thanks, Kara,” Lena said, finding her troubled state amusing.

“No, thank you, Lena. For everything you did to stop the Medusa Virus and Cadmus,” she looked at her with admiration, “I didn’t have the chance to tell you before, and I wanted you to know that I consider you to be a very brave and honest woman.”

“Please stop, you will make me blush…” Lena whispered averting her eyes.

“Oh, I would love that…” Kara thought to herself.

“I’m just saying what I really think,” Lena looked at her against with those beautiful green eyes.

“I missed my only friend in National City.”

Lena took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. They both dedicated each other sincere smiles.

“Kara, you’re here,” Cat grant exclaimed approaching her, “I don’t think I’ll bear with this any longer, I don’t like this kind of events.”

“I am really sorry that my party isn’t to your liking,” Lena declared. Cat finally remarked her presence.

“Oh, Miss Grant, I would like to introduce you to the person hosting this event,” Kara intervened to mediate between the two most powerful women in National City, “My friend, Lena Luthor,” she added with a soft smile.
Lena smiled without realizing it when she felt the affection with which Kara had said those words. However, Cat looked at her narrowing her eyes.

“I see that you have made interesting friends in my absence,” Kara frowned lightly, she thought she perceived some annoyance in her words, “So you are the sister of the…Famous Lex Luthor.”

“My family name precedes me wherever I go,” Lena tried to appear indifferent to Cat’s subtle scorn.

Despite their forced smiles and polite words, the tension between both women was tangible. Kara felt uneasy and disappointed. She wished they got along; the both of them were very important to her. But the meeting didn’t extend much more. When she had the chance, Lena bid them farewell to attend other guests.

“I am really happy to see you again, and I hope we meet each other soon, Kara,” she came closer and kissed her on the cheek, “Until then, please take care of yourself.”

Lena moved away from them and Kara followed her steps with her gaze until she disappeared from her sight.

“You seem to be good friends,” Cat observed. Kara turned to her.

“We are…And you have been a little rude with her,” Kara accused her, “Lena is not like her family. She has been making that clear since she arrived to National City, especially with the Medusa Virus crisis.”

Cat found curious the conviction with which Kara defended Lena Luthor; she had evidently earned her trust.

“I wouldn’t trust her Kara: she is a Luthor after all,” those words made Lana scrunch her nose: she hated hearing the same argument time and time again, “Her brother also started being a good citizen and a great friend of Superman, and look what he became in the end.”

Cat knew too well what had transpired between Lex Luthor and Superman, so she feared the same would happen to Supergirl, to her Kara. She wanted to protect her, even if that meant showing a rigid demeanor and a little brusqueness.

“In reality, she was adopted by them when she was four years old,” Kara informed.

“What a coincidence! Just like you, Kara,” she retorted, annoyed, “And that made you like her all the more?” she inquired, “Do you identify with her?”

“Yes,” Kara admitted, remembering the first meeting she had with Lena while she accompanied Clark.

It was true: she felt empathy with her due the fact of the both of them being adopted, even more for being a woman trying to make her way separate from her family. However, that first positive impression had been strongly reinforced thanks to Lena’s actions, who merited all of her support.

When the party ended, Kara looked for Lena amongst the crowd but couldn’t find her. She asked Jess, her secretary, and she told her that her boss had returned to L-Corp to finish some things from work.

“That sounds so like you,” Kara thought, “I don’t want to go without seeing you again.”

Kara, dressed as Supergirl, flew to L-Corp’s building. The lights of Lena’s office were on. She descended to the balcony and saw her though the glass doors. She was sitting on her desk, revising some archives in her laptop. She could just enter, but she decided to knock softly. Lena jumped a little and turned her gaze to the balcony. Her expression of surprise turned quickly into one of intense happiness.

“Supergirl!” she exclaimed; then, she walked to the glass door and opened it, inviting her to enter.

“Good night…Lena,” it took her a few moments to use her first name, it was still a little difficult to do it while she was in her Supergirl persona, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Not at all!” she vehemently assured. She hadn’t ceased to openly smile for a moment. Lena didn’t expect the chance to see Kara twice that same day.

The Kryptonian quickly looked at her from head to toe, she couldn’t help it. She was still wearing the same green dress she wore on that evening’s party, with the same beautiful cleavage and a leg subtly exposed and…Was she also barefoot?

“Lena…” the aforementioned raised her left eyebrow, feeling attractive due Kara’s appraisal.

“Where are your shoes?” she asked, frowning. Lena blushed instantly.

“Oh…I took them off the moment I came here,” she admitted, averting her gaze, “The pain was killing me.”

“Oh, I understand you,” Kara replied laughing.

“You do? I thought your boots were comfortable, since you must fight in them and all that,” Lena couldn’t help herself: she knew it was Kara and not Supergirl who had answered her.

“Uh, well, yes, they are comfortable…” Lena sensed her discomfort and decided to save her.

“So, did you just come back from Earth-40? Could you cure the other Kara?” she asked to change topics.

“I’m afraid I didn’t, she’s still sick,” Kara dejectedly informed, “I just came to visit, to see my people.”

“Well, I am really thankful that Supergirl considers me one of her people,” Lena admitted.

“You are my friend,” Kara affirmed.

“You’ll see…Friends tell each other when they are going to be away for some time,” Lena said while raising an eyebrow again, “Please, don’t go away without saying goodbye again,” she begged with her features softened.

“I won’t,” Kara promised with a smile, “Kara Danvers is also back in the city.”

“I know, I met her this evening. To tell the truth, I missed her,” Lena said, “But she needs to go again, just like you,” she added, giving her a meaning look with her green eyes. Kara laughed and cleared her throat.

“There is something I need to tell you, Lena.”

“Do tell,” the young Luthor tensed a little. What needed Kara to tell her? Various possibilities crossed her mind, each one more exciting than the other, so she eventually decided to cast them aside and wait.

“Can you close your eyes for a moment?” Kara requested. Lena frowned, “Trust me,” Lena did, completely, and she closed them.

Kara observed her, now that her desire was safe from being discovered. She looked so beautiful. She felt the urge to kiss her red lips, but everything needed to happen in due time. The moment to share her secret with her had arrived. A few seconds went by, Lena felt a gush of hair nearby but she still kept her eyes closed, even when her heart was beating faster than it normally would: she couldn’t contain her excitement. Kara smiled when she perceived her heartbeat and decided not to make her suffer any longer.

“Open your eyes, Lena.”

When Lena did, she found Kara’s blue orbs behind her glasses. The Kryptonian was also wearing her usual Kara Danvers attire: a checkered shirt and a pair of jeans.

“Kara…” she whispered.

“Yes,” Kara nodded while she adjusted her glasses and wore her typical shy smile.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but…I didn’t want you to be in a predicament because of me,” she admitted, returning her smile.

“So, you knew,” she remembered what Lena-40 had told her. Lena raised an eyebrow and Kara smiled at her expression.

“You gave me some clues, and I am very observant,” when someone interests me, she added internally, “and there was this simultaneous absence between the two of you. But what really gave you away was the beautiful bouquet of plumerias,” Lena revealed, “Only Kara Danvers knew how much I like those flowers.”

Kara laughed and lowered her eyes for a moment, realizing her evident mistake. She then looked at Lena once more.

“Thank you again for respecting my time, Lena…I wanted to tell you myself,” she said, “I wanted to share with you this part of my life that is so important to me.”

“Thank you, Kara! With all my heart!” Lena exclaimed with her eyes shining with emotion.

She made a move to come closer to Kara, but she suddenly stopped, thinking that maybe it supposed taking too many liberties with her. After all, they had never hugged before. Kara noticed, and she smiled to tell her it was all right. Lena stopped considering, she jumped at her and stood on her tiptoes to embrace her neck because Kara was notably taller since she wasn’t wearing her heels.

The Kryptonian returned the hug. It was a familiar sensation, feeling her body again yet feeling it for the same time. She hugged her a little tighter; she didn’t want to let her go when she had come clear to her. Lena was still hugging her neck.

“Thank you for sharing your biggest secret…You don’t know what your trust means to me,” Lena sobbed against her shoulder. Kara took her by her arms and separated a little from her so she could see her face.

“Lena, please, don’t cry…” she dried a teardrop with her thumb.

“Sorry, it’s just…I had never felt so close to anyone in my whole life,” Lena bit her lower lip and dropped her gaze; she felt a bit embarrassed about everything she was confiding to Kara, who was looking tenderly at her, “You are very especial to me.”

A fluttering feeling came alive in Kara’s stomach. The young Luthor wasn’t the only one who was moved.

“You also matter a lot to me, Lena.”

TO BE CONTINUED