My baby, my baby
You're my baby, say it to me...

The Fortress of Solitude was cold, but Kara felt colder inside. Her cape fluttered slightly in the draft, but her focus remained locked on Lena.

“I didn’t come here to fight, Lena,” Kara said, her voice trembling.

“But you lied to me,” Lena retorted, pacing angrily. “You used Myriad behind my back, knowing how I felt about it. How am I supposed to trust you?”

Kara clenched her fists, struggling to maintain composure. She had apologized countless times. She had laid herself bare, her guilt and love for Lena spilling out over and over, yet it was never enough.

“Myriad isn’t a weapon,” Kara argued, her voice rising. “It’s a tool—a last resort to save lives. You know that. I had to act—”

“Without telling me? Without consulting me?” Lena snapped, cutting her off. Her emerald eyes burned with betrayal.

Something inside Kara snapped. The weight of Lena’s accusations, her constant judgment, became too much to bear.

“You don’t get to do this!” Kara yelled, her voice echoing through the crystalline walls. Lena stopped in her tracks, startled by the outburst.

“What—?”

“You don’t get to stand here and tell me what I can and can’t do with Myriad or the Fortress or anything that belonged to my people!” Kara’s voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. “This place—this technology—it’s all I have left of Krypton. My family. My culture. And you have no right to even be here, Lena!”

Lena flinched as if struck.

“I let you in,” Kara continued, her voice breaking. “I trusted you with my greatest secret, my greatest vulnerability, because I believed in us. But all you’ve done since then is tear me down. Make me feel like I’m not enough. Like I have to keep paying for my mistakes over and over again. When is it enough, Lena?”

Kara’s chest heaved, tears streaming freely now. “You act like you’re the only one who’s been hurt. Like I don’t have scars too. But this isn’t your legacy, Lena. It’s mine. And you don’t get to come here and weaponize my guilt against me.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Lena’s face softened, guilt flashing across her features. “Kara, I—”

“No,” Kara interrupted, wiping her tears. Her voice was steadier now, firmer. “If you can’t forgive me, fine. If you can’t trust me, fine. But you don’t get to stand here and pretend like this is all my fault. You made choices too, Lena. You hurt me too.”

For a moment, Lena was speechless. The weight of Kara’s words hung heavy between them.

“I—” Lena began again but stopped. She didn’t know what to say.

Kara shook her head, turning away. “You should go.”

“Kara—”

“Go, Lena.”

The Fortress doors opened with a soft hum, the cold wind rushing in. Lena hesitated for a moment, but then she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing in the quiet.

Kara collapsed to her knees, the weight of everything finally crashing down on her. For the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to feel it all—the love, the pain, the loss.

This was her legacy. Hers to protect, hers to mourn.

As the Fortress doors began to close behind Lena, Kara’s voice broke through the quiet, sharp and raw.

“Wait.”

Lena stopped, her back still to Kara. She hesitated, her fingers curling into fists before turning slowly to face her.

Kara rose from her knees, her eyes red and glistening with unshed tears. But her voice was steady, cutting through the icy air like a blade.

“You know,” Kara began, her tone low and trembling with restrained emotion, “I’ve been trying to understand why. Why you would do the things you did to me. Why you thought I deserved it.”

Lena opened her mouth, but Kara held up a hand, silencing her.

“No, you’re going to listen,” Kara snapped, her voice breaking with fury and hurt. “You want to talk about betrayal? About trust? Let’s talk about what you did to me, Lena. You trapped me in a crystal cell—a small cell, filled with kryptonite, knowing I’m claustrophobic. Knowing how it would feel.”

Lena’s lips parted, guilt flashing in her eyes, but Kara didn’t stop.

“You didn’t just use my weakness against me—you weaponized my fears,” Kara continued, her voice rising with each word. “You left me alone in there, choking on pain, suffocating, thinking—” Her voice cracked, and she looked away briefly, swallowing hard. “Thinking I had lost you for good.”

“Kara, I—” Lena began softly, but Kara cut her off again.

“You want to talk about abandonment?” Kara’s voice rose, sharp and cutting. “You left me there to die—not physically, maybe, but emotionally. You stripped away everything that made me feel safe, made me feel loved, and you watched me break, Lena.”

Tears streamed down her face now, but she didn’t stop. “Do you even understand what that did to me? I trusted you. I loved you. And you turned my deepest fears into weapons to punish me for a lie I told to protect you.”

Lena’s face crumpled as tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t interrupt this time.

Kara took a shuddering breath, her voice softer but no less filled with pain. “I can forgive mistakes, Lena. I can forgive anger, even betrayal. But what you did—it wasn’t just about Myriad, or me being Supergirl. It was about breaking me. You wanted to break me, didn’t you?”

Lena shook her head vehemently. “No, Kara, that’s not—”

“Then what was it, Lena?” Kara demanded, stepping closer. “Because it felt like you wanted me to suffer. Like you wanted me to feel every ounce of your pain and more. And I don’t know how to forgive that.”

Lena’s tears spilled over as she looked down, shame written all over her face. “I was angry,” she whispered. “I was hurt. And I—” She took a shaky breath. “I wasn’t thinking about what it would do to you. I just... wanted to make you feel what I felt.”

Kara let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “You succeeded.”

Baby, my baby
Tell your baby that I'm your baby...

The weight of her words hung in the air, suffocating them both. Kara wiped her face, her expression hardening.

“You’ve hurt me in ways I never thought you could,” Kara said quietly. “And maybe I deserved some of it. But not all of it. And until you can really see that, until you can own up to it, we have nothing left to say to each other.”

Lena nodded slowly, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Kara. For everything. I just—I didn’t know how to handle it.”

Kara’s voice was a whisper now, filled with exhaustion. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have handled it at all.”

“You said I used your Achilles’ heel against you,” Kara said, her tone trembling with suppressed anger and hurt. She took a step forward, her cape trailing behind her. “That I exploited your trust to protect my secret. But what about you, Lena?”

Lena’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t interrupt.

“You did the exact same thing to me,” Kara continued, her voice rising with emotion. “You used my weaknesses—my fears, my vulnerabilities—against me. You trapped me in that cell knowing it would break me, and then you stood there and told yourself it was justified because I lied to you.”

Lena looked away, guilt flashing across her face, but Kara didn’t stop.

“You don’t get to stand here and claim the moral high ground, Lena,” Kara spat. “You don’t get to act like you’re better than me when you’ve done the same thing. Worse, even. I lied to protect you—to protect everyone I love—but you? You hurt me because you were angry, because you wanted to make me suffer. And then you had the guts to walk all over me, like somehow making me feel smaller made you feel better about yourself.”

“Kara, that’s not—” Lena started, but Kara’s sharp glare silenced her.

“Don’t,” Kara snapped, her voice cracking. “Don’t you dare try to deny it. You wanted me to feel as helpless and broken as you did, and you didn’t care what it cost me. Do you know what that makes you, Lena? A hypocrite. The very thing you hate about me, you became.”

Lena’s shoulders sagged, her expression crumpling under the weight of Kara’s words.

“I didn’t realize,” Lena whispered, her voice barely audible. “I didn’t think—”

“No, you didn’t,” Kara cut her off, her voice trembling. “You didn’t think about me. You didn’t think about the scars you’d leave. You just wanted me to hurt. And now you’re here, lecturing me about trust and betrayal? Do you even hear yourself?”

Lena wiped at her face, her tears falling freely now. “I was angry,” she said softly. “I was hurt, and I—” She shook her head, unable to finish.

Kara let out a bitter laugh, wiping her own tears. “Yeah, well, congratulations. You made your point. I get it. I hurt you. I betrayed you. And now you’ve done the same to me. So what now, Lena? Are we even? Or do you need more blood to feel satisfied?”

The weight of Kara’s words hung heavy in the air, suffocating them both.

“I’m sorry,” Lena whispered, her voice trembling. “I know it’s not enough, but I am. I never wanted this.”

Kara stepped closer, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. This time, her voice was quiet, but it was laced with a pain so deep it felt like it could crack the Fortress walls.

“You know what’s worse than everything else you’ve done?” Kara asked, her voice trembling. “It’s not the cell, or the kryptonite, or even how you abandoned me. It’s how you pretended to be my friend after you found out I was Supergirl. How you smiled at me. Ate lunch with me. Talked to me like nothing had changed—like you didn’t already know you were planning to destroy me.”

Lena’s face crumpled, her mouth opening to respond, but no words came.

Kara didn’t let her speak. “You didn’t just lash out in anger or grief. You planned it. You calculated how to hurt me, how to make me feel small, how to make me suffer.” Her voice broke, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Do you know what it feels like to look back at those weeks and realize it was all a lie? That every smile, every kind word, was just you setting me up to fall harder when you finally revealed the truth?”

Lena shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “Kara, I—”

“No,” Kara cut her off, her voice rising, her pain spilling over. “You were cruel, Lena. Not just angry or hurt—cruel. You enjoyed it, didn’t you? Watching me squirm, watching me try so hard to fix things without knowing you’d already decided I wasn’t worth it. And that’s what I can’t forgive.”

Kara took another step forward, her eyes blazing now. “I’ve faced a lot of people who’ve tried to hurt me. People who were angry, vengeful, or just scared. But cruelty? The kind of cruelty you showed me? That’s something else entirely. And you know what, Lena? I hate cruelty. I hate cruel people. Because no matter what their excuses are, no matter how justified they think they are, they’re the ones who make the world worse. And you—” Her voice cracked. “You became one of them.”

Lena’s shoulders shook as she sobbed silently, unable to meet Kara’s gaze.

“And I don’t know how to forgive that,” Kara continued, her voice softer now, but no less filled with anguish. “I don’t know how to forgive someone who could look me in the eye, pretend to love me, and plan to destroy me all at the same time. How am I supposed to look at you and not see that cruelty, Lena? How?”

Lena finally looked up, her face streaked with tears. “I was wrong,” she whispered. “I know I was wrong, Kara. I don’t have an excuse. I just—” She paused, her voice trembling. “I hated you so much for what I thought you did to me, and I let it consume me. But I never wanted to become that person. I never wanted to be cruel.”

Kara shook her head, her tears falling freely now. “But you were. And it’s not something you can take back with an apology, Lena. You made me feel like I was nothing. Like all the good we had meant nothing. And now I don’t know if we can ever fix that.”

The air between them was heavy, suffocating. Lena’s sobs were the only sound in the Fortress.

As the silence stretched between them, Kara's heart raced, tangled in a web of anger and heartbreak. She felt a deep, gnawing pain that had burrowed into her chest, and as she looked at Lena, the memories of their time together twisted into something unbearable.

“You know what else I hate?” Kara said, her voice trembling with intensity. “I hate that I can’t hate you the way you hate me. You have this ability to turn your pain into a weapon, to lash out at the people you claim to love, and I can’t do that. I can’t be that cruel. But you?” Kara stepped closer, fury and hurt mixing in her eyes. “You’ve turned my love into your punching bag.”

Lena flinched at Kara's words, her own heart breaking further. She opened her mouth to respond, but Kara continued, her voice rising in desperation.

Lena flinched at Kara's words, her own heart breaking further. She opened her mouth to respond, but Kara continued, her voice rising in desperation.

“You act like I’m the monster here,” Kara spat, her emotions raw. “You let your anger and jealousy turn you into something I barely recognize. And all the while, I’m here, torn between the love I still feel for you and the hurt you’ve inflicted. I can’t just turn off my feelings, Lena. I wish I could, but I can’t. And it makes me hate myself for caring about someone who revels in cruelty.”

Kara's voice softened, but the pain remained. “You hate me for what I did, but you can’t see that I would never hurt you the way you’ve hurt me. You played with my heart, pretending to be my friend while planning my downfall. It’s humiliating.”

“You thought you could punish me for my mistakes,” Kara interrupted, her voice trembling with emotion. “But you don’t get to decide how I feel about myself. You don’t get to take my love and twist it into something ugly. I hate that I can’t just walk away from you, that despite everything, a part of me still longs for what we had.”

Kara’s breath hitched, the vulnerability spilling out. “You’ve made me question everything about our relationship. I want to hate you, to be free of this pain, but I can’t. I can’t because I still see the girl I fell in love with underneath all the hurt. And that makes this so much worse.”

“You made me feel like I didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you, Lena.” Her voice cracked, but her resolve didn’t falter. “You looked at me like I was dirt under your shoe, like every moment we spent together meant nothing. And yet, you dare to come here.”

Lena’s breath hitched, her tears still falling, but Kara didn’t stop.

“You stand here, in the Fortress my people built—the last remnant of their existence—and you lecture me about morality and trust?” Kara’s tone sharpened, cutting like ice. “You have no right, Lena. No right to walk into this place, into my life, and act like you’re the victim.”

I bet on losing dogs
I know they're losing and I'll pay for my place by the ring...

“Do you know what it felt like, Lena? To look into your eyes and see nothing but disdain? To feel like every word I said, every breath I took, was beneath you?” Kara’s voice broke, tears streaming down her face. “You made me feel like I was less than nothing. And yet, here you are, expecting me to listen, to care, to forgive. How do you even have the nerve to stand here?”

Lena opened her mouth, but no words came out. Kara shook her head, her laugh bitter and hollow.

“Did it make you feel better?” Kara asked, her voice soft but laced with venom. “Did humiliating me, breaking me, make you feel powerful? Did it make you feel like you’d won?”

Lena shook her head, her tears falling faster. “No, Kara. I—I was angry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I—”

“Stop,” Kara snapped, her voice sharp. “Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking. You knew exactly what you were doing. You calculated every move, every word, every glance, to hurt me as much as possible. And you succeeded.”

Kara’s breath hitched, and she wiped at her face, her anger giving way to exhaustion. “I don’t know how to forgive someone who made me feel like I wasn’t even worthy of existing. Someone who enjoyed seeing me in pain.”

Lena’s voice trembled as she spoke, her desperation cutting through the tense air. “Kara, I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. I wasn’t trying to—”

“To what, Lena?” Kara interrupted sharply, her voice louder now, cracking with the weight of her emotions. “To make me feel like less than nothing? Like I didn’t deserve to exist? Because that’s exactly what you did.”

Lena flinched, but Kara pressed on.

“I get it, okay? I lied to you. I hurt you. But I didn’t enjoy it, Lena. I didn’t plan it out, day after day, waiting for the perfect moment to make you suffer. That’s the difference between us.”

“I was hurt!” Lena cried, her voice rising. “I was angry and confused, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I wasn’t thinking—” Lena kept repeating the same thing over and over again.

Kara’s laugh was cold, bitter. “Oh, you were thinking, Lena. You were thinking every single second you spent pretending to be my friend. You were thinking when you smiled at me over lunch, knowing you’d already decided I wasn’t worth your forgiveness. You were thinking when you activated that cell, lined it with kryptonite, and locked me in it.”

Lena’s breath hitched, her tears falling faster, but Kara’s voice was relentless.

“You knew exactly what you were doing,” Kara continued, her tone trembling with fury and heartbreak. “You wanted me to feel the worst pain imaginable. And you succeeded, Lena. You broke me. And now, what? You want me to believe it was just some mistake? That it wasn’t as bad as I think it was?”

Lena’s hands balled into fists at her sides as Kara’s words tore into her. Her tears mixed with frustration now, her voice rising, raw and unrestrained.

“You think I wanted to become this person?” Lena snapped, her sobs giving way to anger. “You think I wanted to hurt you? You made me feel like I was nothing too, Kara! You lied to me, the one thing I told you I couldn’t stand, the one thing I begged you never to do!”

Kara flinched at the accusation but said nothing, her jaw tightening as Lena took a shaky step forward.

Kara flinched at the accusation but said nothing, her jaw tightening as Lena took a shaky step forward.

“All my life,” Lena continued, her voice breaking, “I’ve been lied to, used, betrayed. And I thought you were different. You were supposed to be different. But you weren’t. You looked me in the eye for years, Kara, and lied to me—about who you are, about everything. And you expect me to just...what? Forgive that? Pretend it didn’t cut me open?”

Lena’s breath hitched as her anger turned to anguish, her tears falling freely again. “You don’t get to stand there and judge me like I’m the only one who did something unforgivable. You lied to me, Kara. The one thing I told you I hated, the one thing I forbid you to do. And you still did it. So don’t act like you’re innocent in all of this.”

Kara’s face crumpled, her tears spilling over as she shook her head. “I know I lied, Lena. And I know I hurt you. But I didn’t lie to hurt you—I lied to protect you. To protect everyone. I was trying to do the right thing, even if it was the wrong choice.”

Lena let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head. “You always have an excuse, don’t you? Always a reason why your choices are justified, why your lies are somehow different from everyone else’s. But they’re not, Kara. You lied to me. You betrayed me. And you don’t get to stand there and act like my pain isn’t valid just because you think your reasons were noble.”

Kara took a deep, shuddering breath, her voice soft but resolute. “I never said your pain wasn’t valid, Lena. I know I hurt you, and I’ll never stop being sorry for that. But what you did? That wasn’t just anger. It wasn’t just pain. It was calculated, deliberate cruelty. And you can justify it all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you became the very thing you hate.”

Lena’s face twisted with anguish, her voice trembling with rage. “I hated you, Kara,” she admitted, the words spilling out before she could stop them. “For lying to me, for making me feel like a fool, for betraying my trust. I hated you because I loved you, and you threw that love in my face every time you lied to me. You were supposed to be my friend—my family—and you broke me. So yes, I wanted you to feel what I felt. I wanted you to understand how much it hurt. But don’t you dare stand there and act like you’re some innocent victim in all of this.”

Will you let me, baby, lose on losing dogs?
I know they're losing and I'll pay for my place...

Kara’s tears fell faster, her voice trembling as she spoke. “I know I’m not innocent, Lena. I know I made mistakes. But I didn’t destroy you. I didn’t revel in your pain. I didn’t lock you in a cell filled with kryptonite or humiliate you in front of the people you care about. I didn’t become someone else just to make you feel small.”

Lena’s anger faltered, her shoulders slumping as her tears consumed her. “I was angry, Kara,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I was hurt. And I didn’t know how else to make it stop.”

Kara stepped back, her eyes filled with sadness and exhaustion. “That’s the problem, Lena. You didn’t want to make it stop. You wanted to make me suffer. And I can’t forgive that. Not now. Maybe not ever.”

The words hung heavy in the air, and Lena let out a broken sob, covering her face with her hands.

“I didn’t want to become this,” Lena choked out, her voice muffled. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I just...I didn’t know what else to do.”

Kara stood there for a moment longer, watching the woman she once called her best friend fall apart. Her heart ached, but she couldn’t bring herself to move, to comfort her, to fix what had been broken.

Because some things couldn’t be fixed.

With a heavy heart, Kara turned and walked away, leaving Lena alone in the silence of the Fortress, the echoes of their shattered relationship lingering in the air.

Where I'll be looking in their eyes when they're down
I'll be there on their side
I'm losing by their side...

The sterile, metallic walls of the DEO conference room hummed with tension. Kara sat stiffly in her chair, her eyes fixed on the table in front of her, doing everything she could to avoid looking at Lena. Weeks had passed since that night in the Fortress, but the wound still felt fresh, raw, like an open nerve.

Across the table, Lena sat with her arms crossed, her face carefully blank. Her mother, Lillian, sat beside her, wearing a smug smile that Kara wanted to wipe off her face with one well-aimed punch.

“Thank you all for gathering,” Lex’s voice boomed as he strode into the room, his presence commanding attention. He wore his signature smirk, as if the very air in the room belonged to him now.

Alex, sitting to Kara’s left, stiffened. Her eyes darted between Kara and Lena, her jaw tightening at the obvious discomfort radiating off her sister.

“As you all know,” Lex began, pacing the room like a predator circling its prey, “the DEO is under new management. My management.” He paused, looking pointedly at Kara. “And I expect all of you to fall in line.”

Kara’s fists clenched under the table, but she didn’t speak. She wouldn’t give Lex the satisfaction.

“Now,” Lex continued, his tone almost playful, “we have a delicate situation that requires all hands on deck. Even those who may not...like each other.”

His gaze flicked between Kara and Lena, his smirk widening as if he were enjoying the tension between them.

Lillian chuckled softly, her voice dripping with condescension. “Oh, Lex, I’m sure they’ll manage. After all, they’re professionals. Aren’t you, Kara?”

Kara’s head snapped up, her eyes locking with Lillian’s. “I’m here to do my job, Mrs. Luthor. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Alex reached out, placing a calming hand on Kara’s arm. “Kara,” she whispered, her tone warning.

But it was too late. Lillian’s smirk deepened, and Lena finally broke her silence.

“That’s rich,” Lena said, her voice low and icy. “Considering your definition of ‘doing your job’ includes lying to the people closest to you.”

The words hit Kara like a physical blow, but she refused to flinch. Instead, she looked Lena directly in the eye, her voice steady.

“I don’t have time for your personal attacks, Lena. Not here. Not now.”

Lex clapped his hands together, his laughter filling the room. “Oh, this is better than I imagined! Such passion, such unresolved tension. Truly, you two should consider couples therapy.”

“Shut up, Lex,” Alex snapped, her glare cutting through the room like a blade.

Lex was in his element, pacing the room like a ringmaster in a circus, weaving his words with the precision of a scalpel. He smirked, glancing between Kara and Lena, clearly relishing the palpable tension.

“You know,” Lex drawled, feigning thoughtfulness, “it’s truly fascinating how personal grievances can get in the way of professional collaboration. Kara, Lena, you’re practically a case study in dysfunction. Have you considered the possibility that this entire...fallout was inevitable? After all, secrets, lies—they tend to destroy even the strongest foundations. Isn’t that right, Supergirl?”

Kara’s hands clenched into fists so tight her knuckles turned white. She felt Alex shift beside her, her sister clearly sensing the storm brewing.

“Lex,” Alex warned, her voice low, but Lex ignored her, his grin widening as he turned to Lena.

“And Lena, dear sister, you played your part beautifully. Using Supergirl’s trust, her vulnerabilities, her Achilles’ heel—well, it was almost poetic. But alas, even you couldn’t stick the landing, could you? Because deep down, you—”

“That’s enough!”

The room fell silent as Kara’s voice cut through like a thunderclap. She shot to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury.

Lex turned to her, his grin unwavering. “Oh, have I struck a nerve? My apologies, I didn’t realize we were treading on sensitive ground.”

Kara’s chair screeched against the floor as she stood abruptly, her movements slow and deliberate. The entire room tensed as she stalked toward Lex, her cape trailing behind her like the mantle of a queen delivering judgment.

Lex laughed, his voice oozing arrogance. “What’s the matter, Supergirl? You don’t like it when someone points out your flaws? Or is it that deep down, you know I’m right? About you. About Lena. About everything.”

“You think you’re untouchable, don’t you?” Kara’s voice was low and deadly, a sharp contrast to her usual warmth. “You think your brilliance, your cunning, your precious brain, makes you immune. That somehow, your schemes and words will always keep you safe.”

Lex smirked, his arms spreading theatrically. “Well, haven’t they so far? Face it, Supergirl, you can’t touch me. You won’t. That’s not who you are.”

Kara was in front of him in a heartbeat, faster than anyone could react. She grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. Lex gasped, his eyes wide as his hands clawed at hers, but her grip was unyielding.

The force rattled the room, and everyone froze. Even Lillian’s smirk faltered as she watched Kara’s expression—cold, controlled rage.

“You think I won’t?” Kara growled, her voice shaking with barely controlled rage. She slammed him against the wall, the impact cracking the reinforced concrete. “You love to talk, don’t you?” Kara hissed, her voice low and dangerous. “Always so smug, always so sure you’re the smartest person in the room. But let me tell you something, Lex. You don’t know the first thing about strength.”

“Kara!” Alex shouted, standing, but one look from Kara froze her in place.

Kara’s eyes glowed red, the heat of her rage radiating through the room. “You don’t know me as well as you think, Lex. If you ever—ever—cross me again, if you even think about hurting the people I care about...” Her voice dropped to a whisper, more chilling than any shout. “I will break every single bone in your body.”

Lex struggled in her grasp, his usual smugness replaced by genuine fear.

“I’ll tear you apart piece by piece,” Kara continued, her tone like ice. “I’ll burn your plans, your empire, your very existence to ash. Not your genius, not your name, not even your pathetic little brain will save you from me.”

Her hand tightened around his throat, making him gasp. “Nothing will be able to stop me. Not your money. Not your power. Not even the law. If you push me far enough, Lex, I’ll end you. And no one will mourn you.”

Lillian rose from her seat, her expression unreadable. “Supergirl, I suggest you release him. For your sake, not his.”

Kara didn’t even glance at her. “Stay out of this, Lillian,” she warned, her voice like steel.

For a moment, no one moved. The room was charged with an almost unbearable tension, the air thick with unspoken threats.

“You think you’re untouchable because you own this place now? Because you’ve got power and money and a name that makes people afraid? Let me make one thing very clear, Lex: you are nothing to me. Nothing. And if you ever cross me, or my sister, or Lena again, I will remind you just how insignificant you really are.”

Then, slowly, Kara let Lex go. He crumpled to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, his hands clutching his throat.

She leaned down, her face inches from his. “Do you understand me, Lex?” she asked, her voice calm now but no less terrifying. “Because if you don’t, I’ll make it crystal clear next time.”

Lex didn’t respond, his usual bravado utterly shattered.

Kara straightened, turning her back on him without a second glance. She met Lillian’s gaze, and for the first time, saw something almost like respect in the woman’s eyes.

“Well,” Lillian said, her voice tinged with amusement. “Perhaps you’re not as soft as I thought.”

Kara didn’t respond. She simply walked back to her seat, sitting down as though nothing had happened.

The room was silent as Lex struggled to his feet, his face pale. No one dared to speak, not even Alex.

Kara looked at the table in front of her, her hands trembling slightly under the surface. She wasn’t proud of what she’d done. But in that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it either.

For the first time, Lex Luthor had truly felt fear. And that was a victory Kara was willing to claim.

By the ring
Where I'll be looking in their eyes when they're down
I wanna feel it...

Kara stormed down the hallway, her cape trailing behind her like a banner of defiance. She needed space, air—anything to escape the weight of the chaos swirling inside her.

“Kara!” Lena’s voice sliced through the tension, sharp and urgent.

Kara didn’t stop. She quickened her pace, fists clenching at her sides.

“Kara, please!”

Before she could take another step, Lena’s hand shot out, gripping the fabric of Kara’s cape and pulling her back sharply. The sudden force spun Kara around, and for a moment, all she could see was Lena’s intense gaze, filled with desperation.

“Don’t,” Lena pleaded, her voice trembling as she held onto the cape like it was the only thing keeping her anchored.

Kara’s heart raced, a mix of anger and confusion flooding her. “Why shouldn’t I?” she snapped, eyes flashing. “What do you want from me, Lena?”

“Just don’t walk away from me,” Lena said, stepping closer until their bodies almost touched. “Not again.”

Kara glared, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her expression. “Why?” she asked, her voice low. “You made it clear how little I mean to you.”

“That’s not true,” Lena insisted, shaking her head. “You mean everything to me, Kara. I was angry and hurt, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. But I never stopped caring about you.”

Kara’s breath caught in her throat, the heat of Lena’s body drawing her in. “You cared?” she echoed, disbelief lacing her words. “You used my fears against me, Lena. You pretended to be my friend just to stab me in the back when it suited you.”

Lena’s grip tightened, desperation seeping into her voice. “I was cruel, and I hate myself for it. But I can’t lose you. I can’t let my mistakes define us.”

Kara felt the weight of Lena’s words, the honesty behind them. She could see the pain etched into Lena’s features, and it broke through the walls she had built around her heart.

“I don’t know how to forgive you,” Kara admitted, her voice trembling. “You made me feel like I didn’t deserve to exist. And yet...here you are.”

“I know I have to earn that forgiveness,” Lena said, her voice softening. “But I want to try, Kara. Please, just tell me how.”

Kara felt a pang of longing mixed with deep hurt. “I don’t know if I can,” she whispered, feeling tears pricking at her eyes.

But in that moment, Lena took a small step forward, closing the gap between them. “Then let me show you,” she said, her voice low and steady.

They stood so close that Kara could feel Lena’s breath against her skin, the intensity of their connection undeniable. “I need you to know that I’m sorry, too,” Kara said, her voice breaking slightly. “I’m sorry for how I reacted, for pushing you away. I was scared and hurt, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.”

Lena’s eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her features. “You’re sorry?”

Kara nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes. I should have trusted you more, should have communicated better instead of shutting down. I j-just love you so m-much...”

Lena’s expression softened, tears glistening in her eyes. “I never wanted to hurt you, Kara. I just wanted to protect myself.”

Kara took a shaky breath, feeling the tension in the air shift. “And I wanted to protect you. I just... I don’t know how we move forward from this.”

Lena’s gaze held Kara’s, unyielding and earnest. “We take it one step at a time. Together.”

Kara felt a warmth spread through her chest, a flicker of hope igniting amidst the pain. “I want to try,” she admitted quietly. “But it’s going to take time. I can’t just forget everything that’s happened.”

“Neither can I,” Lena said softly, her voice trembling with emotion. “But I’m willing to put in the work if you are.”

For a moment, they stood there, foreheads nearly touching, the silence between them heavy with unspoken promises. Then, slowly, Kara stepped back, creating just enough space to breathe but keeping their connection alive.

“I’ll think about it,” Kara said softly, her heart aching with the weight of the moment.

Lena nodded, her hand slipping from Kara’s cape but lingering in the air for a heartbeat longer. “That’s all I ask.”

As Kara turned to walk away, she felt a strange sense of calm. This wasn’t the end, nor was it a definitive beginning. It was a fragile truce, a space to breathe, to heal.

And for the first time in a long while, there was hope.

At least, that's what they thought.

I bet on losing dogs
I always want you when I'm finally fine