WHO: Alex & Lena WHAT: Following up on Alex's talk with Kara WHERE: S.T.A.R. Labs WHEN: Backdated to April 26th WARNINGS: Brief talk of murder STATUS: Complete
The last thing Alex had expected after her talk with Kara was for her sister to flee. She got it — finding out the guy she was dating (was he her boyfriend? Alex wasn’t sure) was essentially a mass murderer was a Big Thing to take in, even without all the little details Alex hadn’t gotten to tell her. She couldn’t begrudge her taking some time to process on her own. She’d been going it alone here for a long time now.
So, Alex let her go. And instead of lingering and drinking her worries, she decided to go to work for a while. It had been days since she set foot in the lab, and she’d promised Lena an update when it was all done. Even better to do it in person than over the phone. She packed up about a fourth of the food she still had sitting out on the table (some Chinese, some Mexican, but the majority Big Belly Burger, given where she was going), put the alien-strength liquor away, and locked up Al’s, grabbing the Waypoint a block up to take her to the DOA.
S.T.A.R. Labs looked just the way she remembered it back home. In her old-world memories, she’d only been there once, during the Earth-X debacle, but she’d spent quite a bit more time there in her new-world memories. Superhero team-ups were a bit more of a regular deal on Earth-Prime, and she’d spent enough time in Central City to get the lay of the land. Working here was one of the few things in Vallo that made her feel at home and settled.
She knew better than to take food actually into the lab. She went straight to the lounge instead, laying her spread out on the coffee table in front of the curved couch. She took a seat, crossed her legs, and pulled out her phone to shoot Lena a text.
>> Update on the Kara situation. >> Brought lunch for you in the Lounge. >> Take a break and get out here.
It was entirely possible that Lena had been checking her phone quite a bit that day. Not that it distracted her from her duties - her focus was impressive, the specimen sample under the microscope she’d been studying was a fascinating subject but she was also worried. It had been tempting to reach out to Kara herself but she didn’t want to cross any sort of boundaries, not when Alex was on it and handling it.
Besides, she was happy to follow her lead in this whole mess - while she knew Kara and they had fallen back on amicable terms, there was admittedly still a degree of disconnect she felt. Perhaps it was really just her, stewing in guilt and being unable to forgive herself just yet for what she’d done. Lena could only hope that one day she’d get there.
But when her phone lit up with a candy-floss-sounding chime, the safety glasses were off and the lab coat was shed. Her heels carried her towards the exit with a hurried click-clack against the hard floors and soon, Alex was in her line of vision.
“Hey,” she greeted, the tension in her smile clearly giving away the anxiety and worry that riddled her posture. “This is a diverse spread. You really pulled the big guns out on her when it came to comfort food.” There was also a good bit leftover too, which seemed to imply that maybe Kara didn’t indulge in her impressive ability to inhale food under three seconds.
“This isn’t even half of it. She wasn’t in the mood to eat after that conversation,” Alex admitted, pulling open an unopened Big Belly Burger bag and reaching in to pull out the carton of fries. Most of the time, she’d be more concerned that her sister, notorious for her blackhole stomach, wasn’t interested in food, but in this case, she understood. What bothered her more was how quickly Kara had fled, but she’d decided not to dwell on that for now.
“Come on, sit. Have you eaten yet today?” Despite there being plenty of room on the couch for Lena already, she moved over a bit and patted the seat beside her. Someone better eat the food she had gone to all the trouble to order. She was used to putting a dent in her bank account with Kara’s appetite, but usually, it was inhaled in less time than she could blink. Lena, thankfully, was the perfect candidate, as someone who often needed reminding to eat — like Alex herself, when she got hyper-focused on a project.
Oh. Well, Lena did consider that as one of the possibilities - either the conversation was a complete appetite killer, or the distress would be the perfect reason to annihilate every single plate of food presented. The former was the more worrisome one in regards to Kara.
“No, I haven’t,” she confessed with a sigh and with Alex’s signaling, cozied herself into that spot next to her. The untouched Big Belly Burger bag was what she gravitated to instantly. “Got swallowed up by some research, then I’d keep checking my phone and - you have to spill, Alex. The suspense is killing me. How’s Kara?”
That was fair. Lena had listened to more than her share of Alex fretting about this very conversation. She had supported her from the wings when she wanted to tell Kara, then waited patiently to hear what happened. God, she really was beating around the bush today, wasn’t she? Even Kara had pushed her to get straight to the point.
“She’s upset,” Alex sighed, biting off half a fry. “She didn’t want to stick around. I don’t know if she went to confront him or - I don’t know. I have no idea what she’s thinking right now.” That was the most frustrating part of it all for her. Instead of talking to her, Kara had taken off. She didn’t know what she was planning to do next.
“I didn’t get to tell her much. I told her Klaus had a history of killing, and she - I could tell she was getting upset. But she said she hadn’t known any of that and she didn’t think he was like that now.” She shrugged and plucked another couple of fries out of the carton. “And then she wanted to leave, so I let her. I didn’t think forcing her to stay was going to do either of us any good.”
So she didn’t know. That confirmed their suspicions. It also caused this knot of anger to twist inside Lena, right in the depths of her stomach - because how dare he. Her knowledge of Klaus started and ended with what Alex knew and she wasn’t the least bit impressed, and if he had intended something serious with Kara, why not come clean?
Withholding the truth could sometimes be more damaging than the actual truth.
There was a sharp raise of one of her brows, a tilt of her head, and a tightening of her jaw that very well implied she wasn’t pleased with the news. Kara hurting wasn’t something she wanted, but it seemed inevitable. “So then - we wait? Should I reach out? You know what headspace she’s in best, I don’t know what to do in this scenario.”
She took a fry from the carton Alex held, just the one. Big Belly was her favorite but she found her appetite taking the plunge to non-existence too.
Alex considered that for a moment, munching on another fry. “I don’t think texting her could hurt,” she said at last. “She might not be ready to talk, but she’ll tell us when she is. I know she’ll appreciate you reaching out no matter what.”
Alex hadn’t gotten far enough into the conversation with Kara to tell her she had looped Lena in, but she doubted it would be a surprise. They’d been good friends at home, but she felt like they’d gotten closer in Vallo — maybe a byproduct of being from the same world and having that stick together mentality. But she had been the perfect lifeline to cling to when she was going through these ups and downs on what to do with the Klaus situation.
“I…kinda wanted to give her shit when she told me she hadn’t known,” she said a moment later. “But I guess I can’t really blame her. ‘Hey, have you murdered anyone lately?’ probably isn’t polite date conversation, right?”
Lena noted that. They were literally right down the hall from one another too - if she wanted comfort in person, she’d make herself available. But she knew space was probably the best bet right now, until Kara figured out what to do next and had that inevitable conversation. Part of her worried about her being alone with him for that, but.
Luckily she was Supergirl.
“It would have only made her feel worse,” she sighed, nudging her gently with an elbow. “I’d imagine if she didn’t know then this Klaus has mastered the art of impeccable bullshit. Or he’s a flat-out sociopath, using his charm to hide all of - that.”
There was that, too, of course. There was no one in any world Alex loved more than Kara, and she had made her feel bad enough in their younger years. She didn’t revel in the opportunity to do it again. The temptation was only out of concern — her sister was so good and sweet and could be too trusting and end up oblivious. Like now. She may be Supergirl, but being that easy to take advantage of made Alex worry constantly.
“I wouldn’t have done it. I just - sometimes, she doesn’t think and it scares me,” Alex admitted, meeting Lena’s eyes. There were very few people she’d say this to, but she trusted Lena. She had supported her through all of this, and despite the more recent bumps in the road, she knew Lena loved Kara and understood. “One day, the wrong person’s going to take advantage of how nice she is, and - I might not be able to protect her. I know she can take care of herself, but still.”
God, she remembered how burdened she’d felt by the responsibility of taking care of Kara for most of her teen years. She remembered them fixing their relationship after Kenny’s death in the old world, and she remembered it continuing to be strained in the new one, with Kenny alive and well and encouraging Kara’s super streak. Now it was the one responsibility that meant more to her than anything else. Keeping Kara safe was what she did and she was failing.
Alex was right. Sometimes Kara didn’t think, and she followed her heart more than she did any rationalities or logic - which while an endearing quality was also undoubtedly frustrating. Lena was always more similar to Alex in that regard. She didn’t trust people easily, not really. Having the charisma to charm and get along with others didn’t always equate to having a real, authentic relationship. Sometimes it was just - business.
“Your sister,” Lena sighed as she clasped a hand over Alex’s knee, “is always going to choose to follow her heart rather than her own head. But I think she also loves herself enough to know where to draw the line, to know when someone’s used her and that it’s time to back off.”
An actual, breathing example of that was Lena herself. With everything she had done, even Kara had held her responsible for her actions. It was only fair. But, sometimes, she felt that her best friend was also a little too lenient with her. “We’ll see what happens, okay? If she leaves him, great. If she doesn’t, then it’s for a reason - either because he’s actually changed and she wants to give him a chance or he’s full of it and for whatever reason she can’t see through it. And if she can’t, I’d like to run tests on her brain to ensure she’s not being manipulated, thank you.”
Alex’s hand slipped on top of Lena’s, fingers threading together to give her hand a proper, grateful squeeze as a chuckle slipped past her lips. “I won’t stop you if that’s the case,” she agreed. Hearing that vampires were capable of compelling people and altering their minds was unsettling, more so for herself and Lena and the standard humans in Vallo than for Kara. But just because Kara had a history of not responding to psychic brain probing with J’onn didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. Psi had proved that. Maybe Klaus was that powerful — she honestly didn’t know.
“Hey, if I haven’t said it recently, thank you. You’ve had my back through all of this and - I appreciate it. Having someone to vent all over has been a big help.” She gave Lena’s hand another squeeze. “And having an unofficial partner at the bar has been an even bigger help.”
If Alex needed her hand, Lena was happy to give it - and returned that squeeze in earnest, not bothering to make the effort of untangling their fingers. “I’m just invested as you are,” she assured her with a chuckle to match, leaning in to rub her nose into her shoulder. It was brief and playful. “You know I love Kara too, and I’m obviously no stranger to investing in a business I literally have no idea about. I bought CatCo, remember?”
It was an impulse buy (yes, she was that rich) and while she dove into it not knowing a damn thing, Lena did her research so she wouldn’t be totally clueless. And that was what she was doing, helping Alex with this bar venture - research. Financials, too. At least she knew business. “Let’s just be patient with her, though? Reasonably patient, I mean. Obviously, if she’s dragging her feet on this, we may need to pull an intervention, but she did literally find out the guy she’s seeing has sociopathic tendencies at a minimum. Lex might even get along with him.”
The imagery - it was repulsive.
Alex’s nose wrinkled in disgust. Her old-world memories had been a startling, unfortunate eye-opener when it came to Lena’s brother. New-world Lex was a hero, but she knew now what a farce that was and what he’d done not only to Lena and Kara but to the people of the world at large. It was probably fair to assume he’d get along with Klaus — there were similarities from what she’d heard, although she doubted Lex would ever dare to dirty his own hands.
“I’ll be patient,” she assured with a sigh, her thumb brushing back and forth over the side of Lena’s hand. It wasn’t a conscious movement, but it was a comfort in her still slightly stressed state. “You’re right, it’s a lot to have dropped on her. I don’t want to rush her through something like this.” She didn’t like Kara putting herself through all this alone instead of talking it out with one or both of them, but she would have to deal with it. She would come to them when she was ready.
She was quiet for a moment, her free hand dipping down to grab another fry out of the carton. “Hey, can I ask you - why did you buy CatCo?” She had always wondered. Lena herself had admitted she knew nothing about the news as a business. She had certainly tried to be an involved boss, but it wasn’t her arena. It was always possible that she saw it as just a lucrative investment at the time, but the way she’d sold it off to Andrea when she’d found out Kara’s secret made her think there might be something a little deeper behind it.
Not a question she was expecting, but considering that Lena herself had brought up that little nugget, well. She walked right into it.
That was when she did make the conscious decision to undo their laced fingers in a way to kind of - withdraw on herself, if you will. There was food nearby. She wanted to pick at it, occupy her hands, and unleash a bit of nervous energy. The fries were a good target. It was like she was sifting through the dozen left to find that one perfect one. “Obviously, I wanted to make sure someone like Morgan Edge didn’t have access to a media platform where he would elevate himself on a golden pedestal,” Lena began explaining. It was one of the reasons. “But it also meant a lot to your sister. Part of it was for her.” A big part. “You know what that job means to her.”
Oh. Alex hadn’t expected that and found herself a little disappointed to lose the contact. But she let her go and reached into the bag to pull out an actual burger and start to unwrap it. She was genuinely hungry and taking a bite would keep her occupied long enough for Lena to talk. And while her response wasn’t quite what she had been expecting, she accepted it. Morgan Edge was a dick in any reality; the last thing the world needed was his fingerprints all over CatCo.
“I know what it means to her,” Alex agreed. “That’s why I’m hoping she’ll get it up and going here. I think it would give her a better feeling of normalcy.” There — that was a relatively smooth way to change the course of conversation and let Lena relax a bit.
Lena had to carefully word her explanation in a way that didn’t totally scream ‘I bought CatCo because I fell kind of hard for your sister’ - god, that’d be kind of mortifying. Maybe she’d fess up on that some other time with the help of a little liquid courage to loosen up the knots of her nerves, but considering the context of everything at the moment? It didn’t feel right.
Or all that relevant.
“It’s her career - it’d be good for her to pick that up again,” she concurred, abandoning the fries to finally unwrap that burger. Maybe her appetite wasn’t murdered after all. Big Belly Burgers were notoriously messy, and that facade of well-kept together she always had up was about to slip. “We’ll help her figure it out if she needs some guidance. I can help? I just don’t have my bank account with me at the moment.”
Sometimes she wasn’t really sure what to do besides to, ah - throw money at it. Yes, she was aware she was privileged if that was her go-to solution.
“I’m sure we can find other investors,” Alex suggested with a shrug. She knew Lena didn’t have any interest in picking up CatCo again, although she was kind to offer to help and would probably follow through. She’d sold it for a reason, whatever it may be and they would respect that. She still wasn’t even sure if Kara had any interest in getting the magazine going or not. She’d seemed semi-interested in the idea, and Alex had mentioned it to Lois, but she hadn’t heard much about it since. And now didn’t seem like the ideal time to bring it up. This Klaus situation took major precedence.
But until then, there was no point in dwelling in it. “So, tell me what you’ve been working on today,” she prompted Lena, taking a big bite out of her burger straight afterward. If there was one topic they could easily talk about forever, it was science — the perfect distraction.