Chapter Text
“Marine One clear for landing.”
Kara stood stock-still on the edge of the landing pad as the aircraft’s communication came crackling into her earpiece now that it was in range. Unlike the other agents positioned in advance of the president’s arrival, she’d been listening closely to the beating of the blades for quite some time, now. Along with every sound in the building below. And the streets beyond.
She’d been here in National City for two days, now. She hadn’t slept. She didn’t need to. The polls had been predicted easily. The codenames had been assigned. And just like that - Kara Danvers was the head of the president’s security detail. She was here for one reason and one reason alone.
“Halcyon has landed.”
“Copy that. All clear. We’ll take her from here, Marine One.” Kara’s voice came over their earpieces with steely confidence and firm resolve as her hands stayed clasped lightly just in front of her belt. She could draw her weapon before any possible threat would even be able to think to act. She was, under no circumstances, to blow her cover. No circumstance except one. And it was her job to prevent such a situation from ever happening. Her Kryptonian abilities were a failsafe and nothing more.
The thumping of the rotors was almost deafening - especially taking into consideration just how carefully Kara was listening. But it was over soon enough, and she turned as the residual wind tugged and pulled at the jacket of her suit. Her eyes scanned the rooftop behind the protection of the tinted lenses that hid them.
It was difficult not to smile when the door of the craft began to open and her charge finally came into view. Dressed impeccably in a black dress and an ankle-length burgundy pea coat with a high, upturned collar, complete with a little flag pinned to its lapel. She'd done it. She’d won. Kara had been with her - always on the outskirts - for most of her campaign. They’d never even spoken. They would now, of course...but Kara had followed her every move for six months, now - and she couldn’t help the slight flutter of pride she felt in her chest.
This woman was brilliant. Daring. So competent and genuine that she'd won the hearts of an entire nation of people that desperately needed change. Change that Lena had always wanted to bring about. Change she'd dreamt of since she was a young girl.
But Kara had a job to do and her face was a mask of stoicism as the presidential liaison approached the woman currently pulling her jacket more tightly around herself against the chill of the air.
“Madam President.”
President-Elect. Lena Luthor.
“Not quite.” Lena reached out to take the liaison's hand in a firm grip as she smiled despite the ache in her cheeks and the fatigue she was hiding expertly behind her eyes.
“President-Elect, then. I think it’s time you finally met your detail. Unofficially, of course. You’ll have formal meetings after your speech this evening if you’re up for it.”
Lena was absolutely not up for it. But she sure was used to putting on a brave face by now. Then again, that hadn't really been an offer or a choice. It had just been...politely worded.
She made her rounds as she was introduced, for the first time, to the agents that would make up her personal detail for the duration of her presidency. One by one, she shook hands and offered grateful smiles until she was finally standing in front of Kara.
It was only then that Lena realized she’d seen this woman before. She’d seen this tall, clearly capable woman in the corners of rooms, at the ends of hallways, and even in her hotels.
The only difference was - this time - the sunglasses came off. And she got a name.
“This is Special Agent Kara Danvers. She’ll be the one heading up your detail. You’re in good hands, I assure you.”
Lena noted that only one hand moved from in front of that belt. One hand that took her own gloved one in a gentle, yet solid grasp.
“It feels like we’ve met before, Agent Danvers.” Lena countered with a slight lift of her brow.
A lift that Kara returned with only a slight curve of her lips in the faintest hint of a smile. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Are you sure? I never forget a nondescript pair of sunglasses.”
Kara might have laughed, but Lena couldn’t be sure. It had been a low, subdued sound that ended before it could really be given voice as those sunglasses were placed back in their usual spot covering surprisingly blue eyes. “Congratulations, Madam President. I was rooting for you.”
Lena didn’t mind the ‘Madam President’ thing right then. She was already starting to get used to the way it sounded. Or maybe it was just the way it had been said. Strange, how a woman that she’d never even met - who had just been hovering around her for months - suddenly felt familiar in this sea of strangeness that had suddenly - almost violently - become Lena’s reality.
Madam President.
She was...the president. And this was her Secret Service detail. And she’d just stepped off of Marine One. So that she could give her victory speech to the record-breaking crowd that had already gathered to hear it.
She gathered herself along with a quick, sharp inhale as they made their way inside. At least she would be warm until they got downstairs to the motorcade.
Over the past months, she'd grown more used to people touching her. Handshakes, touches guiding her into vehicles, and a million other little things she'd never thought of before her campaign had begun. But, as Kara moved to stand between her and the crowd across the street to create a barrier between herself and the open door of the limousine she was stepping into, she was actually grateful for it for once. Or at least the way Kara approached it. With just the slightest brush against her back as she stepped in, and an almost inaudible ‘Ma’am.’
Then, they were alone together. Just her and Kara, who was seated across from her in the blissfully dimly lit, spacious interior. The glasses were gone, and Kara’s eyes were on her, though her attention was clearly on, well, everything. Just something about the slight tilt of her head towards the far bulletproof windows so that she could better hear. Something about the hand that always seemed to hover at the edge of her jacket.
“Agent Danvers, as strange as this might sound, I'm going to have to count you as a friendly face from now on if that's alright.” Lena leaned back in her seat and tried to ease some of the tension she felt in her shoulders to no avail.
“I don't mind at all, ma’am. That's what I'm here for. You're the first president-elect to make this ride alone. I'm glad to share it with you.”
Lena smiled softly and thought, for a moment, about that word. ‘Alone.’ It was true enough. She had no wife or husband to celebrate this night with. No children...no dog, though she knew that would have to change soon enough. And that was fine. She'd made sacrifices to get here, and they were sacrifices she didn't regret in the least. “That's a relief.” Lena finally responded as she turned her head to glance out the window at the people lining the streets along their route. The windows were tinted too dark for them to see her or even pick out which vehicle she was in. There was no such thing as too careful in regards to Lena. She hadn't only made friends along the course of the election. Not everyone welcomed change, after all. “I'd hate to think you're only here because of a sense of duty or something equally ridiculous.”
Kara’s eyes widened slightly. Just enough for Lena to notice the change in expression in the corner of her vision. “Caught you. I'd begun to think you were some sort of robot.”
The smile this earned Lena was good. Excellent, in fact. Something to distract herself from the speech she was about to make. From how tired she was. From how...utterly terrified she was. She’d made so many promises. So very many promises...that she had every intention of keeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“How many, Jess?” Lena asked the aid that was currently touching up the powder on her face that would keep the lights from glinting off of her pale skin - a difficulty they had faced more than once, and, thankfully - learned how to deal with.
“Over three hundred thousand.” The young woman said evenly - careful to keep her voice steady despite the fact that she was nervous for Lena.
Lena drew in a slow breath and nodded as she looked around quickly - hidden as she was by the wall of curtains that would be her backdrop for the next twenty or so minutes. The team she’d only just met was already gone - lining the stage in front of the momentous crowd that had gathered to celebrate their victory. Because this didn’t belong to Lena. It never had. This belonged to them.
And she desperately needed this to be perfect as a result. Starting with this speech...and every speech after. Every decision. All of it. She couldn’t afford to mess this up. And neither could they afford for her to mess it up for them. There were only two agents left that would be sharing the stage with her - just on the outskirts, out of range of most of the cameras and out of the minds of the people that wouldn’t be focused on anyone but her.
Lena was oddly glad that Kara was one of them. Maybe it had something to do with how steady she looked. Like a seawall against a raging storm. She didn’t look nervous. She made Lena feel like her own safety, at least, was something she actually didn’t have to worry about.
Oh, but Kara was nervous. Her blood was boiling through her veins as she listened intently to a hundred threads of conversation - spreading her hearing out past the curtain to the gathered crowd and beyond. Ready to act on any suspicion, no matter how slight. She was like a hair-trigger, every sense she had at her disposal hyper-focused on every single detail.
“Friends, family, citizens of National City!”
The next time Lena looked over, Kara was gone. The curtain she’d slipped through to gain access to the edge of the stage wasn’t even moving in response to her sudden, silent departure.
“The next President of the United States of America!”
From the moment Lena stepped out onto the stage and made her way towards the runway in front of the podium she would be speaking at, the crowd didn’t stop erupting in cheers and applause and shouts of support and utter, unbridled joy.
Lena, in turn, waved and smiled and dipped her head slightly a few times when she became overwhelmed. Even so, the burning in her eyes was something she kept a tight rein on. Though she couldn’t really stop the way the unshed tears that were there glistened in the multitude of lights that were focused on her.
A few moments later, she was resting her hands on the edge of the podium. There were no notes - no teleprompters. She didn’t need them. She was ready for this. Nervous, sure. But so incredibly ready.
“Good evening, National City!”
Kara felt that slight swell of pride in her chest, again, as Lena’s voice rang out over the crowd - clear, concise, and confident as ever. She couldn’t look at her, though. She couldn’t even risk a quick glance. She also couldn’t afford to catch more than a few words here and there, of her speech.
“This is the part where I thank a lot of people.” The crowd laughed. Kara’s vision sharpened - honed in on a sudden, unexpected movement in the crowd that turned out to be nothing.
“And above all, I thank you. I thank you for getting me here. For securing this for not just me - for all of us.
Because this victory doesn’t belong to me. This hard work wasn’t just mine. These dreams aren’t. Just. Mine. They are the dreams of an entire nation. We’ve proven that, tonight. And now, they don’t have to be just dreams. Now, it’s my turn to work for you to make them a reality.”
The sleeves of Kara’s suit jacket and dress shirt hid the fact that there were likely chill bumps along her skin. She wondered if she would ever get used to how this woman could command a crowd. How effortless it seemed. How easy it was to believe her - to feel for her. And Kara wasn’t even under the full effect like those that were actually facing her were. She couldn’t see that radiant smile or the passion that burned in her eyes so fiercely there was simply no avoiding it.
Again, Kara reached further into the crowd - the sunglasses she wore hiding the way her eyes darted from face to face, and the stillness of her stance combining in a way that made her almost statuesque. Invisible. At least, to anyone who wasn’t a threat.
“Again, I thank you. This campaign and everyone involved in it thanks you. This nation thanks you. This was your election. Now let’s start our presidency.”
The next moments were some of the most euphoric for Lena, as she walked the edges of the stage and waved and pointed and acknowledged as many people as she could.
They were some of the worst for Kara. Lena would be an easier target, now, for anyone who had been waiting for her to walk back and forth past the large sheets of bulletproof glass that had largely been protecting her from any possible long-range attack.
The following security briefing was little more than something to be endured. She knew the rules, by now. The implications. She would have scarcely a moment of privacy over at least the next four years. She would even sleep in a bedroom with unlocked doors so that the agents posted outside her rooms would have easy access.
She wondered what that must have been like for past presidents and their wives, but upon further thought - she didn't actually want to know. Maybe she was just getting delirious. When was the last time she slept?
“Of course, as your head of security, Agent Danvers will be closest to you for the largest portion of your time in office. That will even trickle down into your hobbies. She's an excellent golfer, of course.”
“Golf?” Lena asked with a lift of one of her perfectly manicured brows as her fingertips drummed lightly at the little makeshift conference table they were all seated around. Her attention shifted to Kara. “I'm afraid we won't be doing much golfing. It's a terrible waste of resources at best, and we won't even get into the colonial attitude surrounding it. I'm not in the business of propagating things of that nature.”
Kara wasn't surprised. In fact, she'd suggested that likely wasn't Lena’s first choice for what to do with her free time. “What is it that you like to do, then?”
The liaison looked on curiously at their exchange while still trying to come to terms with the fact that they had a president who didn't like golf.
“Fencing,” Lena replied simply. “That's how I prefer to get my exercise in. And let off steam…”
“I can't tell you how much of a relief that is. But you'll have to deal with me fumbling through the learning curve.” Kara almost laughed again as she spoke. Almost. Just not quite.
Somewhere in Lena’s fatigue-addled brain, an errant thought floated around - illogical, yet...she would like to make Kara laugh. She'd like to know if she was always this serious. This tense. Well, perhaps not tense. Ready? Yes, that seemed more accurate. “That won't be a problem.”
Thankfully, though, they were huddling together into Marine One soon enough. The security briefing had gone by in a blur. For Lena, anyway, who was beyond exhausted, now.
Kara could see it plain as day in her eyes as the aircraft took off and she slumped somewhat in her seat.
“Ma’am, your coat,” Kara said as she approached, removed her glasses and moved to kneel in front of Lena’s seat to help her off with it. “We're leveled off now. You should move to the bench and rest.”
Lena couldn't believe her ears at first. Was Kara really offering to let her sleep? Was she finally going to be able to shut her eyes for longer than the span of a car ride?
“Are you sure?”
Kara noted that despite the question being asked, Lena was already handing her coat over. “Yes, ma’am.” She answered simply, offering an encouraging smile that Lena found both infectious and soothing.
Kara followed her the short distance to the other side of the surprisingly large, quiet space that made up the cabin and reached above her into the storage compartments to produce a small pillow that she placed at the head of the bench seat. A seat that was surprisingly comfortable, in Lena’s opinion. Then again, anything would have been comfortable right then.
“I never would have guessed a Secret Service agent would have such good bedside manner,” Lena remarked as Kara draped her coat over her carefully.
“Your well-being is my main concern. I can’t have you collapsing on me.” Kara explained as she moved back across the little walkway. Before she sat, she removed her suit jacket and rested it over the back of her chair as Lena watched the way the leather holster that crisscrossed Kara’s back shifted over the crisp material of her dress shirt.
When Kara sat down, she crossed one of her legs over the other and adjusted her holster so that it wasn’t pulling against her belt quite so awkwardly - though she left it on. She looked a little more relaxed. Whether or not she actually was, Lena couldn’t tell. “I’ll wake you up in plenty of time before we land, don’t worry. Just enjoy your first presidential nap.”
Any other time, Lena might have protested. She had more things to prepare for than she could count. More speeches to memorize than she ever had before. More...everything. But, right now, as Kara reached behind herself to dim the lights in the cabin to a soft, soothing glow - protesting was the last thing on her mind.
Kara had always had a sense of duty that far outweighed anything else. She’d performed her job to the best of her ability, no matter what the assignment happened to be. No matter who she was assigned to. But as Lena’s eyes shut and, for now, didn’t open again - Kara realized she’d never felt more protective in her life. Not just because Lena was, arguably, the most important person in the free world. Not just because she’d collected more enemies in her campaign than many people did over the course of their entire presidency. But because Kara genuinely believed that she was good. That she was, on every level, worth protecting.