Chapter 4
The interview had led to nothing substantial. The idiot just wanted to negotiate to be released without any real way of leading them to Lex. Alex had to come and go as the DEO needed her on some things, but Lena stayed right by Kara’s side. Four days had already passed, and everyone’s anxiety was rising as Kara showed no signs of waking.
Lena just finishes changing Kara’s bandages as Alex comes in. “Anything?”
Lena shakes her head morosely. “Nothing. I’ve looked over her blood work and everything seems normal.”
“Maybe she just needs more time under the sun lamps,” Alex suggests.
Lena checks on the battery level of the drone. She discovered that it could last 2 full days on a single charge to hover and provide sunlight. “I’ve increased the radiation. It should have sped up her recovery and healing, but her wounds look just the same. She’s healing at the human rate.”
“Well, we know that without her powers, she can’t absorb as much. The doctor isn’t worried yet, so we shouldn’t be either.”
Lena rolls her eyes.
“I know, I know. You’re going to worry anyways,” Alex sighs. “To be honest, so will I. This is the most damage she has sustained in a long time, and who knows how long she was in the room with Kryptonite.”
“There’s something else, too,” Lena whispers. “I thought I was just imagining it, but I pulled the security footage after the second time.”
“What is it?” Alex moves to Lena’s side to watch the tablet.
It shows Lena going about her business of checking the IV bags and looking at the bandages. It’s only for a split second, but it’s clear when the footage is slowed. Kara’s veins flash bright red.
“Oh no…” Alex mutters while pulling Lena away from the gurney. “Oh no. Shit.”
“What?” Lena says worriedly. “What is it?”
“That’s- that’s Red Kryptonite,” Alex says lowly. “We need to secure her.”
“What? She’s injured, Alex.”
Alex grips Lena’s arms firmly, keeping her away from Supergirl. “It doesn’t matter because the moment she wakes up, she’s not going to be the same person, Lena. We need to secure her, now.” Alex tugs on her with her last word.
In the blink of an eye, Alex is being held in the air by the back of her shirt. “Don’t you dare touch her.”
Alex’s eyes widen as Lena has to shake herself out of her stupor. She is quick to reach out for Kara’s free arm. “I’m alright, darling. Put her down.”
“Did she hurt you?” Kara grits out as she continues to stare down Alex.
“No, no, Kara. Not at all. See? Look at me. I’m fine. Come on, darling. Just put her down so I can look you over. You’ve been out for days and had us all worried.”
“It’s not her, Lena,” Alex gasps out. While Supergirl was only gripping her by the back of her shirt. The front it is digging into her neck.
Kara raises her sister higher in the air. Lena is quick to intercede. “Just let her down, and she can leave us be. I really, really want to check on your wounds. It would make me feel infinitely better if you would let me do that.”
Kara takes a moment to think about it before slowly lowering her sister to the ground. “Leave and don’t let anyone interrupt us.”
Alex eyes Lena warily, but Lena just nods her head. Alex stares at her sister, “Promise me you won’t hurt her.”
Kara scoffs. Her veins light up red again. “Of course, you would think that I would want to hurt Lee. You never believed in her like I do. You always warned me against her.”
“It’s alright, Alex. Go on. I’ll make sure she’s alright,” Lena interjects.
Kara adds one last sting as Alex exits the room, “You’re lucky she forgave you, Alex. Because if I had to choose, I choose her.”
Lena sighs and gives Kara a disapproving look for a long moment. Kara’s face drops from a smug satisfaction to one of exasperation.
“What? It’s the truth.”
“One we’ve been long past. Now- hop up on the table.”
As Kara moves back to the gurney, she then notices a buzzing little shadow following her. She would have shot it down, but it was following her with a bright beam of yellow sun. “Yours?”
“Just a prototype. No where near its final form.” Lena points to the gurney to get the Kryptonian moving again. Lena had known about Kara’s previous experience with Red Kryptonite (another topic of late-night conversations). From how Kara described it, this isn’t quite what Lena expected. Kara described it as every nasty thought she ever had coming to the surface. To be honest, Lena expected Kara to lash out at her, not listen to her. Lena is in uncharted territory and knows that she needs to tread carefully.
Kara sits on the gurney much like a child. Her legs swing carelessly from the edge, leaning against her hands behind her. “I’m fine, Lena. I promise. I feel better than ever.”
That charming smile on that gorgeous face has Lena suspicious. All the other times Kara has woken up after a battle, she is nursing wounds and pretty much bedridden. She shouldn’t be recovered this fast. With her hands posed at the zipper of Kara’s sweatshirt, Lena asks gently, “May I?”
Kara’s expression turns soft. A hand comes up to softly squeeze Lena’s in comfort. “You always have permission. Always.”
Lena smiles at the sentiment. “Never hurts to check in.” Lena carefully pulls the zipper down. She pushes the fabric back slowly to avoid grazing any stitches or bandages. Lena’s brows furrow. Her smile fades into a frown. “You just used speed and strength on your sister, yes?”
“Yes,” Kara confirms quietly.
“You should be healed…” Lena mutters.
Kara’s hands pull Lena’s away from her body. “I’m fine, Lee. Promise.”
Green eyes shoot up to Kara’s blues. They tinge red for just a moment. “I beg to differ. I need to run some tests.”
“If I agree, can we go home? Use your home lab?”
Lena rubs her brow line as she sighs and thinks about it. Keeping her in the DEO would be safer for Kara, but Lena doesn’t know what would be safer for everyone else.
“Please, Lee?”
Kara breaks out the puppy dog look, and Lena knows that she’s doomed. “Fine, but you have to promise me that you will stay with me until we figure out what’s going on with your powers. And you don’t say a word to Alex as we are leaving. I will tell her the plan. Agreed?”
Kara smiles brightly. “Agreed.”
“Don’t make me regret this,” Lena mumbles as she loops around an arm around Kara to walk out of the med bay.
Right as they turn a corner, Alex pushes herself up from leaning on the wall. “And just where do you two think you are going?”
“Alex!” Lena says with some surprise. “We are just- uh- just going to recover at home. I think it would be best for everyone. I’ll run some tests and keep her under the sunlamps.”
Alex doesn’t miss the underlying message Lena is relaying. She crosses her arms and shifts her weight from foot to foot. She doesn’t like it. It leaves Lena defenseless if Kara turns on her. Kara must have had some thoughts about Lena when they initially suspected her of working with her mother on the Medusa virus or when Lex did this to Kara.
“We’ll be okay. I’ll keep in touch and give you a call if anything is not alright. I promise.”
Alex huffs. “Alright. I’m going to hold you to that. Be safe.”
Alex watches as they walk off together. She scoffs when she spots Kara giving her the middle finger with the hand wrapped across Lena’s back.
“Shall I fly us?” Kara asks once they are outside the DEO.
“I rather we didn’t. We don’t know which powers are functioning and which aren’t. We also don’t know if they will falter with extended use. I already texted Frank to meet us. He’s just around the corner.”
Kara’s smiley and carefree demeanor is unsettling to Lena. This isn’t how it goes, ever. She scrutinizes the woman next to her. It’s definitely Kara at her peak golden retriever version of herself. The heroine is snuggling close to her as they walk. She’s humming to herself as if absolutely nothing is wrong. This is not what was described to Lena about Red K.
After they return to their penthouse, Kara listens to Lena’s instructions about running her extra tests. She sits patiently as Lena runs a whole gambit of them. She answers all of Lena’s questions without reproach. After some point, Lena clearly runs out of ideas because she is leaned over one of her work benches with a look of frustration.
“Do you believe me now?” Kara asks gently. “I’m okay, Lee. Really.”
“Forgive me, Kara, but you are clearly not okay. You still have serious injuries despite all the tests saying you should be back to your full powered self. I can only assume it’s a byproduct of Lex exposing you to Red Kryptonite that likely is just as impure as his janky ass Green Kryptonite.”
Kara’s crinkle deepens as she hears the tone Lena uses. It's self-deprecating and filled with self-hatred. She can tell that the CEO is blaming herself for her brother’s actions.
“You do that too much,” Kara states harshly.
Lena tenses. She swings around on Kara with her mouth ready to fire, but Kara interrupts before she can even start. “No. You always blame yourself for the actions of your family. You are not them, Lee. You. Are not. Them.”
“Kara, my brother did this to you! My brother! And no doubt that my mother helped him!” Lena stares her down even though the look Kara is giving her is worrying. Kara looks furious.
“If you believe that makes you responsible, then you must believe that I am just as responsible for the destruction of my own fucking planet. If the sins of the family are passed down, then it applies equally to me! Do you think so little of me?! So terribly?! Do you hold me responsible for the death of my people?!”
Lena is stunned into silence. Kara’s veins turn red, especially around her eyes as Lena witnesses Kara’s transformation into a vengeful Supergirl. Lena forces herself to keep eye contact through the entire speech, even though she wants to look away… look away and run. She hadn’t realized how much damage this has done to Kara, all her self-doubt and self-deprecating musings. Hot tears rush down Lena’s face. All that hurt and anger is directed at herself.
Kara is seething at this point. She doesn’t realize it, but she began floating about halfway through her lecture. “Out of all the people in this universe, I believe in you. I always have! You are not your brother. You are not responsible for his actions. You have always been treated as if you are a villain, and I think you just accept what everyone else has to say about you! Is my word worth so much less than the people who barely know you?! Does my love for you count for absolutely nothing?! You tell me all the time to not accept criticism from those I would not take advice from. A bit hypocritical of you if you ask me since you line up for everyone else’s opinion!”
Lena doesn’t understand how she could have missed this, how she hurt her girlfriend so much without realizing it. She can only note the irony of how she wants nothing more than to wrap Kara up in a hug to sooth herself. For all the positive changes that Kara has gifted her, Lena has only caused further damage.