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Mercy

Chapter 31: Part Thirty-One

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Lena took a steadying breath as she waited outside Kara’s apartment and took a moment to shake off her work persona and adopt her more personal one. She had barely knocked on the door when it was opened by a beaming Kara Danvers. Her traitorous heart fluttered at the smile on Kara’s face and danced as she saw the light blush grace her features. Clearly she remembered the last time they had met and Lena had kind-of kissed her on the cheek. Kara’s blush gave her strength and she smiled warmly in response.

“Lena! Hey!” One of her favourite things about Kara was her joy, the light she drew from the world and reflected ten-fold, whether it was to the mailman or to the cashier, or even to aggressive paparazzi.

“Hey,” she said softly and bit her lip a moment before offering Kara her bags. “It’s not home-made, I’m afraid,” she said apologetically as Kara took the bags of cheesecake and ice-cream and…

“Oooooh, are those donuts?” Kara’s eyes had zeroed in on the familiar brown paper bag from her favourite bakery.

Lena nodded. “Yes. I know they’re your favourites.” She lifted a bottle of wine as well.

Kara lifted her head and beamed at her and Lena felt her heart stumble at the warmth in her smile. Kara’s lips tilted even further, if that were even possible, as though she knew that Lena’s heart was pounding against the walls of her chest like some sort of mini King Kong.

Her eyes were warm and oh-so blue and bright, like the ocean on a beautiful day; varying shades of blue and glinting like gems.

“Are you going to invite your guest in? I raised you better than that, Kara Danvers!” A voice came from inside the loft and Lena started a moment before looking over Kara’s shoulder. For a moment she had forgotten that she and Kara weren’t alone, and by the way Kara was blushing, so had she.

An elder woman was standing in the kitchen and had just shut the door to a pale green fridge freezer and was arching a brow at Kara. She had long blonde hair, blues eyes, a soft chin and a quick smile.

“Um… right! Come in!” Kara gestured and stepped to the side to let Lena in and Lena smiled at her a moment before stepping into the apartment. She hadn’t been to Kara’s apartment very often and was always startled with how warm and homey it felt. Further inside two brown heads were close together on the couch and watching some campy looking television show. Kara took the chilled items and stored them in her fridge and returned for the wine. Lena handed it over as the woman, obviously Kara’s mother, finished stirring something and smiled over at her.

“Hello! I’m Eliza,” Eliza said as she came forward and with a tea-towel over her shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you!”

“Dr. Danvers,” Lena’s manners kicked in and she held her hand out to shake.

Eliza scoffed and took her hand happily. “None of that! A friend of Kara’s is a friend of the family’s,” she said and her shake conveyed the warmth in her eyes. “Eliza, please.”

“Lena,” Lena said quietly, feeling a smile cross her face almost unbidden and she wondered for a moment if this woman was where Kara got some of her strength from. She was warm and strong, whereas Lena was used to one or the other, usually combining into cold strength, like steel or even diamond.

“Kara’s told me a lot about you.”

Lena instantly felt a prickle of unease creep its way down her spine.

There was a loud screech and Lena quickly looked past Eliza and to the table where it looked like Kara had tripped over a chair and was sheepishly holding it and blushing. She was placing the wine on the table and fiddled with the cutlery a moment as she cast glances at Lena and her mother.

Eliza just sighed and then looked back at Lena.

“All good things, I promise,” she added and Lena felt her unease fade. It was hard not to feel at ease with the warmth in the apartment.

Smiling Lena looked over at the couch a moment before looking back at Eliza. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said politely, unsure of where to stand or what to do. “Can I help with anything?” She added, feeling stronger in her role. She could work, but she didn’t like to make idle conversation with strangers, not unless she wanted to tell Kara’s mother exactly how she felt about her daughter.

“No problem,” Eliza said cheerfully and walked back towards the small kitchen. “As I said, any friend of Kara’s is a friend of ours and always welcome. You don’t need to do anything, just sit until dinner is ready.”

She commanded the kitchen in the way that Lena did a boardroom and the CEO was impressed.

“Hey,” Kara said softly and Lena blinked to see her friend right in front of her.

“Hey,” she felt her own smile rising unbidden to her lips as it always did when she was around Kara.

“Hey Little Luthor!”

Lena tilted her head to see a familiar face peaking up from behind the sofa.

“Long time no see! You’re coming to this weeks game, right?”

“Hello Detective,” Lena said and strode further into the room. She at least knew Alex and Maggie as well as Kara, even if Kara had told her enough stories about her mother for her to almost know her. “And still with the nickname?”

Maggie beamed, dimples out in full force and slung her arm across the back of the sofa, hand near Alex’s head. “Course,” she beamed. “So, you’re coming to next week’s game, right?” Alex and her were almost snuggled together on the couch with an almost empty bowl of chips in front of them.

Lena sat on the corner of the second sofa and looked over at the detective and shrugged. “I’ll have to see if I can clear my schedule,” she replied neutrally and Maggie scoffed and lifted her beer to her mouth.

“See that you do! I want Jase to buy me another beer,” she said gleefully.

“Want anything to drink?” Kara asked as she hovered awkwardly between the kitchen and the couch, torn between joining her sister, her sisters girlfriend and her friend, or staying and helping her mum.

Lena shook her head softly.

“Yup,” Alex lifted her empty bottle above her head in silent request and Kara padded across the room to take the empty bottle.

“Maggie, you good?”

“Yup,” the detective said, popping the ‘p’ sound. “I’m good,” she said and shifted on the couch closer to Alex.

The Agent cast her a startled, pleased look and then sort of glanced around to make sure it were okay before leaning back into her girlfriend.

Kara trotted to the kitchen and returned a few moments later with another beer.

She passed it to Alex and then flopped down on the sofa next to Lena.

“How’s your week been? I haven’t seen you since we-um, yeah…since I saw you last….” Kara nervously adjusted her glasses and Lena caught her shy smile and smiled sweetly back.

“The usual,” Lena shrugged. “Death threats, masochist board members, new prototypes, oh I spoke with Supergirl.”

Kara, who had tensed at the ‘death threats’, adjusted her glasses again. “Did you? What-um, what did you talk about? You didn’t threaten her again, did you?” She asked with a smile.

Alex stiffened and shot Kara a glare as Lena shook her head fondly.

“No, our conversation was amicable. I promise… and I didn’t threaten her,” Lena corrected after a moment’s thought. “I just made her aware of my feelings on a matter and the consequences of it.” Lena blinked from her memory and smiled over at Kara. “We reached an agreement.”

Kara nodded and brushed some hair behind her ear. “So, um what did you talk about?”

“You know the cub we held? Elle?”

Kara nodded and Alex looked at her sharply but took a slow, steady sip of her beer, eyes piercing. Maggie had obviously sensed something but was keeping quiet, eyes watchful.

“Well… N.C. Zoo contacted me asking if I could contact Supergirl… they wanted to present the cub to her at their revealing ceremony tomorrow. She gave me her number once and I rang her and asked.”

“So… are you going?” Kara asked after a moments thought. “Naming her was your idea,” she held the ridge of her glasses a moment as though to move them again and wet her lips.

“Yes,” Lena said and tilted her head. “I thought she would have told you? Seeing as you were the reporter for the event. Isn’t Catco sending you to the ceremony?”

Kara nodded and smiled weakly. “R-ight. Yup, I am going to the ceremony. To report. Yeah…”

Lena tilted her head curiously at Kara and was going to respond, something about how she thought Kara would have already known all this, seeing as she talked to the hero and was the reporter for the birth.

“Dinner’s ready,” Eliza interrupted and there was a stampede towards the table. Alex and Maggie fighting each other playfully on the way. Alex nearly lost her beer. Kara was surprisingly first to the table, entering the squabble and coming out of it remarkably quickly and without any sign of struggle. Something pricked the back of Lena’s brain, just a thought, something about how wrestling Kara was always unfair because she won every time. Shaking it off she rose gracefully and walked calmly to the table as though to show the children how an adult aught act.

Eliza had done well. There was a roast steaming in the centre of the table on a wooden board. There was also tongs for the roast vegetables and a pitcher of gravy and a salad that admittedly looked amazing, and there was garlic bread being handed around the table. Alex had lost the fight to the table and as such had to get the drinks and brought over a bottle of juice and had to pop open the wine, for Lena and Eliza who wanted it. Kara had agreed to try some.

Maggie was already helping herself to the pork and was passing some more out to the plates offered her. Kara was at the other end spooning some salad onto a plate and that was how it went; plates being passed around and food being piled on to it.

“I’d forgotten how much you eat,” Eliza commented as she settled in for her meal and Lena glanced up and over at Kara’s plate. Instead of blushing, as she had caught a few times when Kara was ashamed of her appetite, she was smiling and poked her tongue out playfully at her mother.

“Better than a dog, this one,” Alex commented to Maggie and Kara scrunched her face at her sister as she smiled fondly at her. Maggie just laughed softly.

“I don’t know,” Lena commented, feeling like she ought to defend Kara, even though the jibe wasn’t said hurtfully. “Blonde, loyal, playful, happy….pouts when you leave… She’s definitely a puppy,” Kara blinked at her and Eliza paused with a potato part way to her mouth.

“Probably a lab,” Lena added as she saw that Kara had already devoured her two pieces of garlic bread and was working on her potatoes and carrot. “You have the appetite,” she smiled fondly, hoping to take any bite from her words. Kara just smiled across the table at her and continued to eat.

“Do you like dogs, Little Luthor?” Maggie asked and Lena tore her eyes from Kara’s to see a sly smile on Maggies features. She couldn’t quite place the ‘why’ of it, but knew it had something to do with her and Kara. For some reason a radar suddenly popped into her head, like one of those old ones you’d see in military boats, with the green lines and black empty space.

“Yes,” Lena replied after a moment. “Lex-“ she began and then halted and swallowed and glanced at the table a moment, silently cursing herself for reminding herself, and everyone at the table just who she was. There was a moment of silence and she rallied. She would not be ashamed. Her brothers crimes were not her own.

“We-ah, we had dogs growing up…” she trailed off awkwardly. “Albert was mine.” She would usually blush at her dogs name, she had been young when she had named him, and she may or may not have named him after Albert Einstein…. He had been a gift from Lex for her tenth birthday, and was a reward for her SAT scores being in the top percentile. She was a Luthor, intelligence was once synonymous with the name, instead of being crazy and evil, and the SAT tests had been a fun challenge for her at age ten. Lex had, of course scored higher than she had, but he had tutored her in the months leading up to her taking the tests and he had been so proud of her and had brought her a puppy as a present. Her mother couldn’t say no to that, not if it was her darling boy’s idea.

“We had this mutt,” Maggie said drawing Lena from her thoughts. “Called her Mavis. Was a runty thing. Would bark like crazy whenever anyone came up the street.” She shook her head fondly as she speared her piece of pork on her fork. “Did you have pets?” This was directed at Alex, and then at Kara.

“I had a cat,” Alex said and Kara shook her head.

The conversation was mostly light as the dinner progressed and compliments for the food were passed around and then Lena innocently enquired as to why Doctor Danvers was in town.

Alex, Kara, and Eliza stiffened, enough so that even Maggie, who was in the bathroom at the time, came back and noticed it.

“I had a, ah, work thing,” Eliza said eventually.

Lena took a sip of wine. “And you’re in the bio-engineering field, right? What made you choose that one?”

Eliza relaxed a little and started to explain her fascination with genetics and how they could be manipulated.

“What do you think about Meta-humans, I think they are called? Human’s with powers?” Lena asked as she lifted a carrot to her lips. “From a scientists point of view I find them fascinating.”

Eliza looked at her searchingly but nodded slowly. “Scientifically speaking it is incredible how the body changes itself to adapt, to develop extraordinary abilities…but there are dangers with it.”

Lena nodded in agreement. “Society needs to be careful of anyone with superhuman abilities,” she said and a familiar ‘s’ crest popped into her mind.

“What do you think about aliens?” Eliza asked and it was a loaded question. She knew exactly who was sitting at her daughters table.

Lena lowered her cutlery, aware of everyone’s eyes on her, especially a pair of blue ones.

“Alien’s or the Super’s?”

“Both,” Eliza said squarely. “And not a bullshit answer.”

Lena exhaled but tilted her head to the side as Alex shot her mother a wide-eyed warning look.

“I think that society has to view these…beings,” she said delicately, “as having the potential to be the threats that they can be. These be-“

“People,” Kara interrupted, and there was something hidden in her voice, something hurt. Lena looked at her a moment searching, trying to find what it was.

“People,” she said finally, keeping her eyes on Kara’s. “Have extraordinary abilities that place them on another tier to humans.” When she was always talking about this there was always a mantra running through the back of her mind ‘don’t sound like Lex, don’t sound like Lex’ even if what she was saying was reasonable. She was always afraid people would hear her but hear Lex’s words and intonation when she spoke. It was a subconscious fear, perhaps, but one that kept her from engaging in proper discussions with Kara and Supergirl about her fear of aliens, she didn’t want to come across as another ‘xenophobic Luthor.’

“I think we need to be able to protect ourselves, and contain these threats if they arise,” she finished and turned back to Eliza and lifted her brow. “There were reports of a man in Moscow that could walk through walls…and a girl in Egypt that can ‘see’ the future…. And I am not saying that they would or will use their gift’s for nefarious purposes but there is nothing to stop that man walking into a bank, or into someone’s home, and nothing to stop that girl from seeing economic trends or race winners or the lottery numbers.”

“They can’t help being what they are,” Kara said almost desperately and Lena felt a shiver of unease. Alex and Maggie had long stopped eating and were watching and Eliza’s eyes hadn’t left Lena since she first asked her question.

“I know,” Lena said strongly, hoping that her and Kara’s friendship was solid enough for her to speak without judgement and repercussion. “That’s why I’m not saying that they should be locked up or monitored or put on lists… at least not until after they have committed a crime. I don’t believe in pre-mature punishment.”

“What about the Kryptonian’s?” Eliza asked and if Lena weren’t so sure her greeting and offer of friendship were genuine she would have thought the woman was trying to sabotage her friendship with Kara, or expose her for her supposed anti-alien sentiments.

Knowing she had to step carefully she chose her words with caution. She knew Alex worked with Supergirl, and Kara spoke with her, and Eliza apparently knew her as well, at least in passing.

“What about them?” She asked, wanting Eliza to spell out exactly what sort of response she was expecting Lena to make. The young Luthor had practice at it, and had learnt early on that if you played dumb the other person would eventually word their question in such a way that the answer they expected from you was obvious.

“Do you think we should have weapons for them? Or prisons for them?”

Lena flicked a glance to Kara and then back to Eliza. The Dr. certainly wasn’t beating around the bush.

“Yes,” Lena said after a moment’s thought. Kara let out a soft little gasp and instantly drew Lena’s attention and she looked concernedly over at her friend. Alex shifted uncomfortably at the table and Eliza drew in on herself and Lena got the feeling she was closing down on her, turning her warmth back to polite distance. Lena found she missed it a little. It was nice.

“Don’t misunderstand me,” she said quickly to Kara, a soft plea to her voice. “I think that they don’t wish any harm on humans, at least for the moment, but they aren’t the only ones out there with their abilities. I’d only want to see weapons turned on them, on anyone,” she added and emphasised, “if there were no other choice.”

Kara fiddled with the table cloth and lowered her eyes. “Yeah… I guess…” No one else said anything and the silence grew until it was booming like thunder in the room. Lena wanted her cell to go off with an emergency so she could leave.

To her surprise it started to ring and she excused herself from the table and walked to the bathroom to answer it. “Sorry….. I have to take this….”

Inside the bathroom she saw the number and smiled and lifted it to her ear.

“Yes?”

We are ready,’ her caller responded and Lena smiled and saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked a little crazed if she were being honest with herself, a Luthor smile on her lips.

“Good. Move ahead with the plan.”

Okay. We’ll call when it’s done.’

Lena hung up and stared at her screen saver, the picture of her holding the cute cub, until it faded to black. She had work to do and the phone call was the perfect opportunity to leave what was becoming a stifling environment.

She slid her phone back into her pocket after calling David and wandered back into the lounge. Maggie was at the sink rinsing dishes while Alex was over having a hissed conversation with Eliza and Kara. They hushed and silenced as she got closer and she felt a prickle of ire, she would rather people told her what they thought about her to her face, but usually no one had the ovaries to do so.

“I’m sorry, it’s important… I have to go,” she said quietly and cast Kara a soft glance and when she didn’t move she walked over to the door, feeling her stomach churn and her heart feel heavy.

She gathered her bag in awkward silence and opened the door.

“See ya Little L!” Maggie called from the kitchen, not caring for the awkward silence any more.

Lena smiled genuinely over at the Detective. “Bye Detective.” She let her eyes cast over the other three. Eliza was watching her go with a blank expression and Alex was nudging her sister. Kara hadn’t looked at her since she’d looked down at her plate and Lena sighed softly.

Another friend lost. She should have just kept her mouth closed and agreed with everything Kara did. But then, a traitorous voice in her whispered, you wouldn’t be being true to yourself. It sounded suspiciously like Lex and she mentally swore at it to shut up.

She called goodbye over her shoulder as she left, years of charm groomed into her since adoption, and let the door close behind her. She would not cry, even as her throat went tight and her eyes turned glassy. She started to walk towards the exit, checking her phone to see David’s text telling her he was waiting outside.

“Um, hey.” Lena started and turned to see Kara sheepishly in the doorway. Her features were a mix of emotions; chastened, sheepish, apologetic, defiant, hurt, caring. It was very hard to determine which one was currently ruling the reporter’s heart.

“Um, sorry for back there…. Um,” Kara adjusted her glasses and then lowered her hands and found her fingers together, not looking at Lena.

“Um, Mum, um, she…she knows um, Superman?” Kara’s voice lifted at the end and Lena tilted her head to the side. “Um, they, um, Eliza and Jeremiah helped him learn about his, um, powers and stuff…. So she’s like, kinda protective of them so…..”

“So she doesn’t want a Luthor around her daughter?” Lena asked bitterly, jaw tight and finally Kara’s head shot up.

“No!” She said and shook her head, eyes wide with earnest. “No, not that! It’s just, um, she wanted to…” Kara trailed off, she couldn’t really justify what her mother had done. She had picked a fight, there was no better word for it, and Lena had rode into the battle with no choice. At least she had managed to convey her thoughts on the matter, but she didn’t think they were as eloquent as she would have liked.

“It’s okay, Kara,” she said quietly, savouring the way it felt saying Kara’s name and wondered if that would be the last time she’d be able to, if this was the end of their friendship. At least she was following her out, her old so-called ‘friends’ had just shut her out completely ignored her texts, walked away from her in person, until she realised they didn’t want her around.

“No, it’s not,” Kara said firmly and reached out hesitantly to wipe a tear from Lena’s cheek. She hadn’t even realised she’d started to cry. Kara meant a lot to her obviously, more than maybe she was willing to admit and the thought of not having her around or being around her made her feel heavy and sick.

Kara’s fingers were warm and gentle on her skin and lingered there a moment. She stepped closer and hesitantly lifted her arms. “You’re crying,” she said softly as though the thought were something unbearable.

“I’m just being silly,” Lena said and wiped her cheeks herself. “This isn’t the first friendship that’s ended because of my last name…”

Kara’s eyes widened and she blinked in surprise, the expression would have made Lena laugh, but her heart was too heavy for it.

“Wh-at? N-o, no! We aren’t breaking up!” She said strongly and then blushed and fiddled with the seam of her shirt. “I mean, we, um, we aren’t not being friends now? Um, we are still friends,” she said and then nodded firmly. “Right?” She added after a moments hesitation and looked beseechingly at Lena, all the Labrador puppy Lena had called her earlier in the evening.

“Yes, Kara,” Lena replied, warmth entering her heart. “We’re still frien-omhp!”

Kara stepped back from her impromptu hug with a sheepish smile and a blush to her cheeks. “Ooops, sorry,” she said and shifted on her feet nervously, looking at Lena from under her lashes.

“I don’t mind a hug, Kara,” Lena said and was pretty sure her heart was hammering. “Just some warning would be-omph,” she grunted as Kara hit her again and she felt her tense and move to pull away and grabbed her arms and held her there. After a moment she let her arms wind around Kara and let herself be held. “Warn me next time,” she said and there was laughter in her voice.

“Mhkay,” Kara murmured and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She could feel the blonde’s breath on her neck. She shivered and Kara pulled her tighter, nuzzled in further, and maybe she wasn’t a puppy, maybe she was a kitten. It was the best hug she had ever had. Kara was warm and soft and hard and smelt like sunshine and something fruity, her shampoo maybe? And Lena felt safe, oddly enough, in Kara’s embrace and her heart eventually settled, but thumped louder than before. She wondered if Kara could feel it, and the thought made her warm all over.

“I’m sorry for what my-Eliza said,” Kara said quietly and Lena rested her head on Kara’s shoulder. She was taller than her without her heels on, but she found she didn’t mind the height difference so much. Kara was perfect.

“I’m used to it,” Lena said softly. “I shouldn’t have risen to the bait.”

Kara’s arms tightened and she didn’t feel trapped, she felt safe. “You shouldn’t be,” her chin moved a little as she spoke and Lena pressed into the hug a little more. Kara was firmer than she thought and she wondered what kind of exercise routine the blonde did.

“Eliza still shouldn’t have said what she did,” Kara said and Lena felt her head tilt and her heart accelerated as she felt warm and soft lips resting against her pulse point. She was fairly certain Kara could hear it now, it was all Lena could hear anyway, the roaring of her blood in her veins as it tried to get closer to Kara.

“Don’t be mad at her, okay?” Lena requested and found she couldn’t feel anything but love and affection for the world while she was held in Kara’s light. “She’s right to be cautious… I would be.”

“But you’re not, though,” Kara said and her lips brushed Lena’s skin as she spoke and she swallowed harshly. “You’re kind and warm and gentle and sweet…. Nothing like, like…” she trailed off and sighed softly.

Lena didn’t want to argue, or bring up anything that could make Kara pull away so she bit her tongue.

Her phone vibrated again and she lifted it above Kara’s shoulders to read it. It was David, wondering if she was okay, and she could picture her driver reaching for the gun in his glove box and getting ready to storm the building looking for her.

“I have to go,” she said as she reluctantly moved away from Kara. Her hear swelled when Kara’s grip tightened and she moved with her.

“No,” the reporter groaned and the sound made Lena’s inside flip and a bolt of electricity shot through her body. “Stay,” she demanded and Lena could hear the pout in her voice.

“I can’t,” she said and pulled back and Kara let her go reluctantly and sure enough, there was a very impressive pout on her features when Lena glance up at her.

“Enjoy the rest of your time with your family,” she said sweetly and faltered. Kara’s eyes had been caught on her lips and Lena’s mouth went dry as they flicked from her lips to her eyes, danced across her face as though unable to meet them, and then went back to her lips. Lena’s breath hitched and she wet her lips. Kara’s eyes darkened. Lena’s pulse thundered in her ears.

Lena hesitated a moment, eyes searching Kara’s features for something and when the blonde finally looked up she saw her eyes and made a decision. She leant forward slowly, giving Kara plenty of warning, and kissed her gently, ever, ever so gently on the mouth. Kara’s eyes fluttered closed and she sighed, sighed like she had just sat down after a long day, sighed like she’d just had a warm drink after being in the snow, and sighed after stepping into a warm shower after the rain. Kara had sighed like she’d come home.

At least, that’s what she wanted to happen, and pictured happening later in her room before she went to sleep, but in reality Lena was a coward. Instead of kissing Kara as she so desperately wanted, she left a soft and gentle kiss to her cheek and lingered there a moment before pulling away and smiling softly.

Kara was blushing in the faint light in the hallway and her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt and she looked at Lena from under her lashes and through the thick lenses of her glasses.

“I’ll see you later, Kara,” Lena said softly and smiled sweetly before turning and walking away, cursing herself for her cowardice.

Kara deserved better.

 

 

Notes:

The muse has kicked in, so you get this one a little early. Also.... what, did you think it was a real kiss? O_o :D Not yet lovlies, not yet. It will be worth the wait. We are getting there. Enjoy!