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She’s at home when she sees it. It’s been a long day and the ritual of watching the news just before bed is an old one. If Lena thinks about it, it had started when her brother began to make news as a brilliant business man. She was so proud then, so determined to follow his example.
(Before Superman and the late night arguments about aliens, before California and the trial.)
“-eading story tonight is an incident developing in the Warehouse district where Supergirl appears to have fought several armed individuals. While the suspects have been arrested, multiple sources are confirming that Supergirl collapsed after being hit with a beam of light. Sources go on to say that after Supergirl collapsed, it was the Martian Manhunter, an ally of Supergirl’s went on to subdue the threat. Supergirl was taken from the scene in an unmarked SUV and we have yet to receive a comment from the FBI about her condition. We’ll cut to our-”
There is ice in her veins and she hears the newscaster’s voice echo around and around in her head.
Supergirl hit by a beam of light,
Supergirl collapsed,
Supergirl taken from the scene.
Condition unknown.
Kara is hurt. Kara is hurt and Lena has no idea where she is or how to find her. She watches as they keep replaying the footage: Kara landing. Kara fighting. Kara falling and not getting back up as the threat had been neutralised by a green man in blue and red. The footage is replayed over and over while the anchor had dissected every minute detail of the fight and speculated on the health and whereabouts of Supergirl.
Her heart hammers in her chest and the news is muted by a rushing in her ears. Kara is injured, Lena doesn’t know where she is and she can’t breathe. From far away, she can hear the intercom ringing and forces herself to breathe, forces herself to calm down. She presses the intercom button and Alex in tactical gear appears on the screen. Kara is slumped against her, unconscious.
“Lena, let us in.”
She buzzes them in and rushes to the front door to meet them. Taking an arm, she helps to carry Kara inside and into her bedroom. The tv drones on in the background and the subject of the unfolding news coverage is pale and unusually small in Lena’s bed.
Lena looks up and stares at Alex.
“I just saw it on the news. What happened?”
Alex is unusually grim.
“Cadmus infiltrated the DEO. We don’t know how, or how deep it goes, but they hit Kara with something and it blew out her powers, I don’t know what it was or how it works, but as far as I can tell she’s fine. She's fine.”
Her voice wavers and Lena wonders who she's trying to convince.
Alex pauses for a moment and checks her sidearm before her gaze flicks first to Kara and then to her.
“I need you to keep her here. I need you to keep her safe, because I have to go back to the DEO and help J’onn clean house and I can’t do that if I’m wondering if she’s going to-”
The words stick in Alex’s throat and she lets out a shuddered breath. She looks back at Kara and Lena can see the heartache in her eyes at not being able to protect her sister.
“Do not tell anyone she is here. No one can know where she is, not now, and especially not like this.”
“She’ll be safe. I won't let anyone touch her.”
Alex nods and Lena walks her out.
“She’s stable right now, but if anything changes, if she gets worse-”
“I'll call you.”
“No. No, call Maggie Sawyer at the NCPD. She's a detective, it's safer to call her. There’ll be less people watching. And when Kara wakes up, make sure she stays here. She’ll want to come help, but we don’t know what else they have. She needs to stay.”
Lena nods, and with one last squeeze of her arm Alex leaves. Lena closes the door behind her, locks the deadbolt it and then pads back to the bedroom. Kara is so small and so still and it terrifies Lena. She’s usually so full of life and here, in the bed, she’s so quiet and so pale.
Lena turns off the TV and climbs in next to Kara, watching her chest rise and fall with every breath. She sends off a quick email to Jess, cancelling all of her appointments for the next week, feigning illness before sliding under the covers.
Lena brushes the hair away from Kara’s eyes, taking a moment to just look at her before pressing a kiss to Kara’s forehead.
“You’ll be safe here. I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”
She takes a gun from the drawer in her bedside table and stuffs it under her pillow, the muzzle pointing squarely at the door and the cold metal comforting in her grasp.
It's not loaded. Lena wonders if she should load it, just in case.
Sleep is a long time coming.
****
She wakes to her phone going off. After checking on Kara, no change, she answers.
"Lena Luthor."
“Lena, this is Maggie Sawyer. We have a mutual friend in common.”
Lena sits upright and takes the gun with her. She takes a breath and places it on the night stand.
“Is our friend alright?”
“She’s fine, she wanted you to know that there are still some problems that she needs to take care of. She told me to tell you that she’ll have to see you another time, and asked if you’d be able to take care of her cactus. She said that it needs a lot of sun and to keep it inside. Something about the outdoors and low light being bad for the root system.”
Kara is still in danger. Don’t let her out of your sight.
“Tell her I’ll keep an eye on it. I’ve put it in my bedroom, it gets direct sunlight throughout the day. I’m sick at the moment and have taken a few days off to recuperate, so it’s a nice addition. It really brightens up the room. Could you tell her to contact me? I’m worried it might need to be repotted, the vessel it’s currently in doesn’t seem to have enough drainage.”
She's safe, she’s in bed but I don't know how long for. She still hasn't woken up.
“I will. Look after yourself, Luthor, and the plant.”
Look after her.
“I always do, Detective.”
The call ends and Lena reflexively checks her emails: spam, spam, email chain, financial report, confirmation from Jess that her appointments have been cancelled, a follow up email asking if she wants a doctor, spam.
She exhales noisily and places the phone back onto the bedside table, curling up next to Kara’s still form. She’s still breathing and the sunlight is streaming through the open curtains. She should get enough sun where she is and the windows are tinted, the bed out of sight. She's safe.
(Alex said she’d be fine.)
(Alex wasn't sure.)
(Alex said to stay put.)
Kara is still in her suit and her face is streaked with dirt and soot from the fight. She looks a mess. Lena goes to the bathroom and wets a hand towel and gently wipes away the blood and streaked soot on Kara’s face and neck. It'll have to do, it’s the best she can manage short of stripping her down to her underwear and that can wait until Kara wakes up.
She makes herself a cup of coffee and spends the day reading reports and financial statements in bed. Kara sleeps next to her, unmoving.
****
“Detective, I’m sorry for calling at this hour but I need you to contact our mutual friend. It’s about the cactus that she left with me. I've been keeping an eye on it but it looks like it’s wilting.”
“Have you tried giving it some sun?”
“Daily. There's no change.”
“I'll ask and call you back. You know you could always use google?”
“I know. But it’s all generic and our mutual friend has been looking after cacti for over a decade. She knows what she’s talking about.”
“I'll let her know. And you can call me Maggie, you know.”
“Thank you, Detective.”
****
It's been five days and Kara hasn't moved. If not for the steady rise and fall of her chest, Lena would fear the worst. Still, she doesn't know how long Kara can stay like this without eating or drinking. Her skin is impenetrable so hooking her up to an IV is not an option.
Lena carries the gun around the house now, holstered to her ankle. It's been five days and the cool metal against her skin has become a comfort in the last five days. She almost feels bulletproof. Almost.
There's been no word of Alex since she'd appeared on her doorstep five days ago exhausted and terrified for her sister. Lena’s spoken sporadically to Maggie Sawyer and knows that Alex is alive. She knows that Alex has no idea when Kara will wake up, except that it will probably be in her own time.
“Probably?” Lena asked, clarify she had heard correctly.
“Probably” Maggie repeats.
Probably.
Lena doesn't know what they’ll do with an unconscious superhero. The medical field is woefully unequipped. If Alex doesn't know then few others will.
She's been running on less sleep than she should - two hours a night and the rest spent staring at the still form beside her or working in the armchair opposite the bed.
When she dreams, she sees Kara fighting and falling. Lena wakes panicked, gasping and frantically checking for the quiet inhale and exhale of breath. She’s spent the better part of a week terrified. She doesn’t know what she’d do if Kara died. Kara is home to Lena. She’s spent so many years looking for family and home only to find it and Lena doesn’t know if she can survive losing this, losing her.
****
Kara wakes up near midnight on the seventh day. Lena’s grown accustomed to working quietly next to the blonde that the movement and the quiet groan has her throwing her tablet half across the room in shock.
She’s alive. She’s awake.
“Kara, Kara can you hear me?”
She receives the tiniest of nods and nearly crumples with relief.
When Kara does speak, the words come half-slurred and slow.
“Time s’it.”
The constant pressure in her chest, present for the last week, eases and Lena feels like she can breathe comfortably.
“It’s midnight, darling. You’re in my bed and you’re safe.”
Kara opens her eyes slowly, blinking dazedly up at her in the low light.
“How long s’I ‘sleep?”
She bites her lip, it’s a question she can answer but she knows what Kara will do after she does.
“A week. You had us worried.”
Kara makes several abortive attempts to sit up before flopping back huffing and exhausted.
“Slowly. You took a serious hit and Alex said that you’ve probably blown out your powers.”
Kara blinks confusedly and glances around, her brow furrowing.
“s’Alex?”
This is the question she didn't want, the one she's been dreading because Lena doesn’t know. All she can do is deflect and hope that Kara isn’t lucid enough to demand an answer.
“Later, love.We’ll talk about it later. Do you want something to eat or drink?”
She watches the shift from drowsy confusion to alarm as Kara sits up, wincing.
“Lena, where’s Alex.”
“Safe, she’s safe. I think. I haven’t spoken to her since she brought you here.”
“Why would she bring me here, the DEO-”
“-has been infiltrated by Cadmus. She went to clean house with J’onn and this was the safest place for you on short notice.”
“You're not safe with me here.”
“No one would ever suspect a Super to stay with a Luthor and James is covering for you at CatCo. Kara Danvers has an extremely contagious virus and is being looked after by her billionaire girlfriend while Supergirl, as far as everyone else knows, has been taken to a military facility for medical treatment. Your cover is intact and you’re safe.”
“I have to go. I have to help.”
“You need to stay put.” Lena says firmly. “You’ve blown out your powers. If you make an appearance now, they’ll kill you.”
“I have to-”
“You can’t get out of bed let alone face down a shady organisation with weapons that could kill you. You have to stay here. You have to rest. Let Alex take care of it, she has J’onn helping.”
“Lena-”
“No. A week, Kara. A week of panic because the only sign of life was your breathing. You’re staying here. I-we almost lost you.”
Lena shudders. It's an effort to keep everything together. It's been a week and she's so tired. Kara had been so unresponsive for a week.
She wraps her arms tighter around her waist and takes a deep breath.
“I was alone with you all week. Alex has been in hiding. I've been by myself making cryptic calls to a detective I barely know and the first thing, the first thing you want to do after you wake up is charge into a fight you might never come back from.”
She's trembling, she knows she is but she can't stop.
“You're staying Kara. You don't have powers and I can't take another week like this. I can't see you like this alone. Please. ”
The fight leaves Kara as she curls into herself and nods slowly.
“Okay, Okay. I’ll stay.”
They order potstickers and pizza. Kara drinks a little and eats a lot. Four large orders of potstickers and a family sized pizza later and Kara looks revitalised.
(Afterwards, when they’re in bed and Kara’s arm has curled around her waist, for the first time in a week, Lena sleeps soundly.)
****
One of the perks of a virtually indestructible girlfriend is that when faced with stepping on glass or touching a hot pan, she doesn't get hurt.
Kara has been awake for It's been a day and, so far, has burnt herself, stepped on broken glass, tripped on nothing, stubbed her toe, knocked her knee against sharp corners, cut herself while cooking and, in one memorable instance, walked into a door. Her girlfriend is clumsy when powerless.
When she asks, Kara rubs the back of her neck sheepishly.
“I don’t have to be so careful. I can’t look out for everything, not with my senses dulled like this.”
It’d almost be endearing if it weren’t for the possibility that Kara may kill herself before Cadmus ever gets the chance. She needs her powers back and soon.
****
“How did you get them back last time?”
“An adrenaline rush.”
“That's it?”
“You said that I have to stay indoors.”
“Kara, there are ways other than life endangerment to achieve an adrenaline rush.”
“Like wh- Oh.”
****
They don't get a chance to test whether or not an orgasm will grant Kara back her abilities. She gets them back at approximately three am in the morning.
****
It's late and Kara is hungry.
(She hasn't eaten in a week. She has some serious catching up to do.)
She carefully pulls her arm away from Lena’s waist and leaves her sprawled out and drooling on a pillow and wanders into the kitchen in search of food.
(Lena is adamant that she's never drooled in her sleep, ever. Luthors don't drool.)
(Kara knows better.)
She opens the fridge door and squats down to explore the deeper recesses of the crisper. She's contemplating whether or not to double or triple decker her sandwich when the front door crashes onto the floor and mayhem breaks out.
There are goons in black body armour yelling and their guns are trained on her. She hears a thud and a curse and Lena comes skidding into the kitchen half naked with a gun in her hand that Kara didn't know she had. Her expression is cold and she's placed herself squarely in front of Kara.
(In the confusion, none of them notice the fridge door in Kara’s hands.)
(She's ripped it clean off it's hinges.)
“Give us the alien.”
Lena smiles and for a moment, Kara can see the family resemblance. The bloody minded determination, the brilliance and the unwavering look of someone who thinks they're about to do good. For a moment, Kara sees a Luthor.
Lena raises her gun, the smile fixed to her face as she says “No.”
She fires at them.
Lena, clad in her pajamas, facing off against armoured goons for Kara.
(They fire back.)
Kara reacts before she thinks. She hears the bullets discharging from the automatics, sees everything in slow motion, sees the projectiles headed towards Lena. She plucks them out of the air as easily as catching a ball. She rushes towards the goon squad, fridge door still firmly in her hand as she turns to the first and swings, knocking him down and out and leaving a dent in the fridge door.
She uses it knock the others out before dropping it to the ground.
The fight is over before it’s really begun, but it's three am and Kara is afraid to turn around, terrified that she missed one, that she'll turn and see Lena bleeding out.
And then the hand on her shoulder reassures her, the breath leaves her lungs in a shaky sob as she turns and clings to Lena.
Safe. They're both safe.
(The gun is still in Lena’s hands.)
****
After, when Kara is sure that their guests are secure and awaiting arrest, Lena contacts Maggie Sawyer. The NCPD, J’onn and Alex turn up on her doorstep fifteen minutes later and Maggie takes the unconscious men away - first to the hospital and then to process them. J’onn and Kara are talking quietly near her building. Lena spots Alex leaning against a black SUV, watching them and moves forward. Alex is here. Lena feels relieved and so very tired but she needs to have this conversation.
(Lena needs to be sure.)
She stands next to Alex, watching Kara re-enact her take down with wnthusiasm whilst J’onn stands, arms crossed over his chest, by the door.
“Is she- are we safe now?”
Alex nods. In the background, Lena can hear Kara laughing at something J’onn said.
“That was the last of them. We’ve been looking for them for days. They hid well.”
Lena takes a breath before she asks. She wants to know who told. She needs to know.
(If they aren't in custody, Lena will destroy them.)
“How did they find her? We were so careful.”
Alex frowns, her jaw clenching.
“They tapped Maggie’s phone. They were trying to find me, we’ve been dismantling their operation. They were on their last legs when they found you. They must've thought they hit the jackpot.”
“She could've died."
“No. She was fine.”
“She didn't have her powers until-”
“She had you.”
Lena nearly laughs in spite of the pit in her stomach. Kara nearly died, Lena nearly died and Alex is so blasé about it.
“I can barely fire a pistol, Agent Danvers.”
“I've been looking after Kara since I was fourteen. I take her safety seriously. Outside of J’onn and myself, there's no one else I'd trust with her more than you.”
“Why?”
Alex snorts.
“Because you look at her like she's home and I don't think you've had that in a person before. I think you'd bleed out before you'd let someone take that away from you.”
Lena grimaces. They haven't talked about this yet. They haven't had this discussion and this isn't how she wants Kara to find out.
(Kara already knows.)
“She can hear us.”
Alex laughs and turns toward Lena, smiling.
“Oh, I know. I don't understand how you can't see it - my sister has a terrible poker face.”
“See what?”
Alex gestures towards Kara coming towards them. The smile on her face is infectious and Lena feels giddy. She meets her halfway, arms wrapping around Kara's waist and resting her forehead against the blonde’s.
Lena hears Alex call from behind them “She looks at you the same way.”
She smiles in a way that has felt unfamiliar for such a long time - wide and beaming with teeth and buries her face in the crook of Kara's neck and breathes. Safe, they're both safe and Lena will be damned if she lets anyone hurt Kara again.