Build your expectations Saturated and Inflated ('Cause I was born to be your Favorite) - Chapter 1 - BottomByKatieMcgrath (2024)

Chapter Text

Lena never had her life planned out, for her plans always went terribly wrong. Her first memory was of how she once waited all afternoon for her mother to take her to the botanical greenhouse but her mother ended up getting drunk on cheap whiskey instead. Whenever her mother promised something, she never delivered. So Lena didn't make her promise anything anymore.

Lena learned at a very young age that the only things she could analyze were the patterns of how the people around her behaved, and so she trained herself to expect nothing from anyone.

Her mother rarely survived the day sober, so young Lena often ended up wandering around the apartments in her building, where she was always welcomed by the other girls and women who resided there, or on the streets, where she got to know every homeless person and neighbor outside her building. Most of all, she learned to stay out of the way when her mother brought her 'friends' over.

The girls in F12 were her favorite. They loved to bathe her, dress her and do her hair as if she were another member of their family. Her happiest days were when they would braid her hair and share their bread and milk while gossiping about the other tenants in the building.

Lena completely avoided the male visitors, the ones who smelled like her mother and who were the complete opposite of what Olga, the oldest tenant in the building, called decent people in her eyes.

Analyzing people's behavior carried over even to her best friends, whom she met later: Andrea, always trying to control everything (like Lena herself, that's why they got along so well), but pretending to be the most carefree in the world. Armando, always as energetic as a puppy, but at the same time he can also be the person with whom you can trust any secret because you know he will take it to the grave. Santiago, the serious one, almost like a father to the group. And Jack, a hopeless romantic, yet having to pretend to be straight despite his love for men as gay as Elton John on a unicorn.

But Kara... she was always very different. She was the exception to almost every self-imposed rule Lena had for herself, and yet Lena was willing to leave her tiny little world in Kara's hands like a snow globe ready for her to destroy at her will if Kara wanted it so.

But that's getting to the end too soon. Here's the beginning of the story:

One of Lena's strongest memories is the day she found a copy of The Sound of Music that one of her mother's ex-boyfriends had left behind. After days of Lena begging to watch the tape, her mother moved the old TV set she never used from the living room into Lena's small room. A VHS player previously owned by the neighbor followed, and her mother taught her how to play the movie on the machine.

That's how Lena fell in love with Julie Andrews — her singing and especially her acting.

Part of her schedule was to take the laundry to the laundromat near the old apartment building she called home. She picked up the bottles her mother left lying around, then walked around her neighborhood to pick up more bottles and cans to trade for a couple of dollars. Then she would go to the library to get teaching instructions from Miss Dickens on what to read or write that day. They couldn't lend a book to a seven-year-old girl without her father or mother taking out a library card, but the young girl with bright green eyes was willing to learn.

At the end of the day, she would return home to lock herself in her room, wedging a chair under the doorknob to prevent it from being turned completely. And there in complete solitude and darkness she would religiously watch the movie of the beautiful woman who sang along with the children and the Captain's heart to the point of reminding him to take care of his family.

Lena knew all the dialogue by heart, and every song she sang with all her heart. She did the voices of each of the characters, and she loved how everything in the movie made her feel like a character in the plot, and at times she wanted to be Maria Rainer more than she wanted to be herself.

That was Lena's happiness, while her mother got drunk and let the man on duty do whatever it is adults do completely naked in the middle of the living room every night.

Sometimes the man would still be there the next morning when she left for the library. As she grew older, Lena learned to tell the men to go to hell, curse like a sailor to shut them up and ignore them in front of them so as not to give them the satisfaction of their insults hurting her. She only acted that way with those idiots and when her mother behaved very badly with her.

It almost never happened that things went beyond words, as a girl was not worth it. Until, at the age of eleven, Lena ended up being cornered against a wall by one of the men, who got offended when Lena insulted his private parts and her mother laughed her head off in response.

Lena couldn't escape the big, greasy hands holding her by the arms. She screamed. She saw how the man's face was stained by what looked like the remains of some kind of food that ended up being smeared on both of them.

She started when she heard the loud thud of something metal hitting the pavement.

"Let go of the girl, you f*cking bastard!" growled a female voice.

The man's furious features turned afraid before he threw the girl — who Lena would later learn was thirteen, despite her short stature — to the ground hard and ran away. Lena heard the metal hit the ground as gentle hands helped her up. Lena focused on the cerulean eyes of the girl, who didn't look more than a couple of years older than her. She had slightly tanned skin, light brown hair, and wore a t-shirt with text that was burned into Lena's mind from that point forward: " Partly, I like a bad reputation. But I also want a reputation of being a good person ." She was very pretty.

"Are you okay?" another voice asked. Lena looked up to find two older boys. The one who had asked the question had hair as long as the girl's and wore a leather jacket and a t-shirt from one of those bands her mother said were satanic. The other boy had a jean jacket and a bandana covering his short hair. Physically, the two were like clones with different clothes.

"I think so," Lena said softly. Suddenly she felt incredibly shy.

Of course, the older girl alone couldn't have scared off that big bear of a man, but the pair of kids looking like what the news might call troublemakers made a feasible enough deterrent.

"Hey, I'm Andrea," the older girl said. "And these two are Armando and Santiago." The one with the long hair was Armando, and the one with the bandana was Santiago. "My older brothers."

"I'm Lena, it's a pleasure." She reached out to shake Andrea's hand.

"Aww, look at her, she's so smooth and mannerly," Santiago said.

"Do you want us to walk you home?" asked Armando, looking worried.

Lena didn't want to be separated from the other girl. This was the first time she had talked to someone so close to her age, and she didn't want it to end. So she just shook her head.

"Let's take her home," Santiago proposed. "That way she can relax for a while with Andy, have dinner and then we'll take her in Dad's car." To Lena, he added, "We live near the library."

"It's okay with me if it's okay with you." Andrea said with a smile after picking up the metal baseball bat she had apparently dropped when she helped Lena.

Lena couldn't help a small smile as she nodded.

To the girl's surprise, the home of the three Latinos was on the second floor of a house that was set up to be a workshop. Lena's ears filled with the sound of parts clanging and moving. But that didn't last long, as she was soon led to Andrea's room. Andrea yelled a greeting to her father, who was coming home from softball practice, and smiled at him as she closed the door. Then she went to her closet, pulled a disc out of a box, and gave it to Lena. It had a beautiful blonde woman dressed in black with shiny details and a microphone that said in big red letters "THE RUNAWAYS."

Andrea put on the record, and a guitar sounded along with a drum kit as a woman sang about being a blonde bombshell and a rebellious queen who is going to hell.

Lena was surprised because it was the first time she had heard anything outside of what her mother normally played on the radio when she was in a good mood or songs from The Sound of Music . Andrea jumped around erratically, bobbing her head to the rhythm of the woman singing about her rebellious nature. Lena watched, enraptured, as Andrea screamed along with the singer and laughed at the end of the song.

"Cool, right? Dad says girls are awesome at rock and metal. That they can rule the world with their music."

"She's super pretty," Lena said, lifting up the record case.

"It's Cherie Currie, she's gorgeous!" Andrea said. "I want to be like them, or like Penadas por la Ley, or like the band Guns N' Roses that my brothers like so much." She jumped to the beat of the music still playing. "Santiago on guitar, Armando on drums and me on bass while singing and dancing."

"Do you have all the instruments?" asked Lena curiously.

"Not yet, but we will be great. I know we will. We just have to work hard until we can buy them, then record a little bit so the radio will play our songs, and we'll be famous like Joan Jett." Andrea said with a huge smile. "How about you?"

"Me?" Lena looked at her in confusion for a few seconds. She was never asked questions. Lena only answered things about how and where her mother was, or if she had finished reading or writing whatever the other girls in her building asked her about. But suddenly she remembered all that information Miss Dickens gave her when Lena told her about her favorite movie. She had told her that Lena also liked Julie Andrews very much. Lena didn't understand much about it, but Miss Dickens had explained about acting and making movies. About how you learn dialogues like in the traveling theater she once saw in passing when she was walking in the park, which consisted of learning the words and expressing the feelings that the director asked for in front of a camera and microphones.

Something inside Lena told her that maybe since Andrea wanted to be just like the blonde on the record box, Lena too could shoot movies like Julie Andrews.

So Lena smiled at Andrea determinedly. "I want to be a great actress."

Of course, that statement made Andrea happy. "Fantastic! When we grow up we'll go to Los Angeles and rule the world!"

Lena nodded enthusiastically. Of course that conversation was the beginning of something greater than she could've imagined.

So that was Lena's new routine. She would collect a few dollars that, instead of being stolen by her mother to buy more alcohol, would go into Andrea's jar for her future instruments, where Andrea and the boys also chipped in. The twins made money through Mr. Rojas' mechanic shop, while Andrea worked as a babysitter in the neighborhood after finishing her schoolwork. Lena could now check out books from the library and devour them left and right because Armando now accompanied her with his own card to borrow comics along with Lena's books. Armando was surprised that Lena did not go to school like his little sister. But he was content when he saw Lena reading and filling out exercises given by the woman from the library.

Armando took her with him to the Rojas' house every evening after picking her up for the family dinner. On the way there, the boy would always tell her about the adventures of the superhero of the day. His favorites were Batman and Superman.

Lena's attention was drawn to the villain Lex Luthor.

The name Luthor sounded so intimidating and strong.

So she said that when she could, she would take that name.

Armando laughed, but Andrea said it was perfect for her now best friend.

Andrea helped Lena with learning plays that she called general culture to help Lena learn how to act. Plus, the Rojases had cable television, so they could watch shows and movies together for Lena to absorb and learn about different types of acting. Bernardo Rojas, the patriarch of the family, always complimented Lena's ability to learn the dialogues by heart and perfectly imitate the actors' expressions. She even learned to cry at will. Too bad singing was not on her list of skills. Lena could not sing in tune as beautifully as Andrea or Santiago, but she tried her best to have fun.

Santiago sometimes took them to the movies or to the nearest record store, where they allowed themselves to splurge a little. While they browsed records, Andrea spoke to herself about buying the mighty guitar on display one day.

Lena spent less and less time at home (which Santiago once accidentally but accurately called a brothel), and the few days she returned were only to find out if her mother was still alive. As the days and weeks and years went by, her mother looked for any excuse to argue, to the point where she, completely annoyed, threw a bottle of her treasured whiskey at the wall right over Lena's head. Lena ended up with a pretty deep cut on her cheek, and she felt all the anger, sadness, and frustration of her thirteen-year life pour out of her. So she walked out the door of her mother's now lonely apartment without looking back, ignoring the whimpering apologies and pleas for her return from the woman who gave her life but was never a mother.

And even though she repeated that sentence to herself several times... Lena wouldn't deny that she cried thinking and reminiscing how many times her mother only thought about herself, leaving Lena all alone most of the time. How her innocence was never a real thing considering where she came from... but Lena didn't want to think about sad things anymore...

The Rojas family welcomed her with open arms, because in the end the family is not the one that creates you but the one that takes you in their arms to take care of you and support you.

From that point on, Lena went by the name Lena Kieran Luthor. She had a new name, a new future and a new path forged by herself.

...

Andrea, Armando, and Santiago started their own Gothic Glam Rock band called 'Hades from Lesbos,' a name made by Andrea after studying Greek dramas with Lena. Lena never asked, but she knew that Andrea had some hidden meaning behind that name. Lena accompanied them as they toured the United States in the Rojas twins' old van to hand out flyers, play in sleazy bars and sleep anywhere that would give them a cheap room. Eventually, they got enough fans who wanted their EP, which they recorded in a sleazy studio that charged them one hundred and fifty dollars to record their first six original songs and two covers. One cover was of 'Dead End Justice' by The Runaways, and the other was of Soda Stereo's 'Persiana Americana' in honor of the Rojas' patriarch, all before Andrea turned 18. They supported themselves almost living between hotel rooms and the van itself along with $1 junk food and canned food.

And so it went, until they finally arrived in Los Angeles, on the famous Sunset Boulevard. The boys were jumping with happiness seeing the same places that Axl Rose, Slash, and the rest of Guns N' Roses walked before they became who they are today. Of course, they did their sight-seeing at night, while by day they worked anywhere that needed part-time employees or helped in the search for a leading role or any acting role available for Lena.

While the others were celebrating their first song on the radio, Andrea helped Lena practice her lines for her first acting opportunity — a commercial for an anti-acne cream.

The audience was enchanted by Andrea's raspy, feminine voice singing dark lyrics with a lively beat and an almost-gothic rhythm that would remind someone of bands like The Cure, but taking advantage of the sensuality that she possessed.

Their first viral video clip of the band was from their song "Mrs. Infamous (My Sweetness)," which was about infidelity. Lena co-starred with Andrea in the clip, which had a dark humor based on Gomez and Morticia Addams' marriage.

Then came "Death Dance," where Andrea, while she sang, played the role of a stripper who blew away most of the men who wanted a dance from her. It was meant to opposeGlam music videos in which girls were only featured for their appearances while the vocalist tried to look macho by taking them to bed. In this video, none of them came close to the heels of Andrea playing the dancer was completely unattainable.

Hades from Lesbos became the talk of the town when they signed with Geffen Records and released their first two albums Boom Boom Room Side A and B.

Meanwhile, Lena started co-starring in a series with the teen actor of the moment, Jack Spheer. It was a medical drama, and Lena played Saskia, a reckless young resident who looked for unusual ways to help her patients.

For appearances, they pretended to date. Jack had become a good friend to Lena and Andrea — a cool head to counterbalance the best friends who got into trouble almost every night. Andrea followed the nonsense that all the gang members did at their parties all the time, trying to keep up with their peers in the music scene, and Lena ended up flirting with several girls — although she almost never took them home with her, to avoid the rumors that Jack talked so much about and to keep her on-the-rise career from falling. People were not friendly to gay actors, Lena learned when a friend of a friend told her about all the torture David Yost endured during breaks from filming Power Rangers.

Andrea said that to love was not a sin and that it was unfair to have to hide it, so she never did. The Latina was a proud representation of bisexuality... but Lena couldn't afford to reveal herself as her best friend. The rock and metal scenes were completely open to everything that society considered immoral because that's what they represented, but to get ahead in Hollywood and more while being a woman was to survive age, sexual harassment, and to avoid being labeled as ‘the sweet lover’ or ‘the evil snake’ in the movies. Being typecast was Lena's worst fear, but also to survive to make ends meet she had to accept a few roles in romantic comedies and dramas.

If Lena was lucky, she would sometimes go to visit brothels to exchange chats while sharing a drink or cigarette with the women who share her mother's trade. They were always sincere and raw when it came to talking, although Lena wouldn't lie when she said it was fascinating when one of them happened to have an interesting anecdote about someone on the A-List.

Because the world is a f*cking handkerchief.

Sometimes she could have a little fun being a guest star in series like Friends, where she played an old friend of Rachel and ended up exchanging a kiss with Jennifer Anniston on national television, or lending her face to campaigns against child abuse and addictions.

By the time she realized the clock was ticking, Andrea had already toured the world twice and after a year off was ready to give a performance in National City to begin showcasing her new album, The Bastards.

Meanwhile, Lena was set to play Janis White, a private detective who solved murder crimes with the help of her ability to talk to the dead. It was an engaging, episodic series produced for CATCOtv, a TV station as big as Disney and BBC that was more known for rebroadcasting other networks' shows than creating its own products — so this was a leap into the void. It was Lena's first starring role in a serious series after a few dramatic films where she starred alongside Bruce Wayne.

Bruce was one of the few A-list actors that Lena actually called a friend, as he was always a gentleman to her, as well as faking a couple of dates to promote the movie saga in which they both starred. Apparently Bruce's status had helped Lena with her entry into show business. While Lena might not be so keen on the idea the audience loved it when the chemistry from the big screen carried over into real life, but as Felicity (Lena and Andrea's agent) said, "It's a mutual favor, he helps you up a couple of notches and you remind the audience why Bruce is their favorite. It's a win-win."

Felicity was right, and Lena was unaffected by a couple of dinners with Bruce, Jack, or whoever the hottie of the moment was in order to get the mainstream press talking about them to promote the project at hand.

So, Lena was taking advantage of everything on offer. She had made her first million dollars by twenty-five and was now moving to a city much more natural and mellow than the epicenter of toxicity that is Los Angeles.

In the meantime, her best friend was beginning a new era on the music stage. Lena loved Andrea's plan to start wearing Victorian style three-piece suits and exaggerated makeup. She was going to paint dark black circles under her eyes and an exaggerated red blush on her cheeks, while her hair would be combed back with hairspray.

Armando and Santiago had started to wear costumes copying the aesthetics of the Phantom of the Opera movie, with a white mask that occupied one side of their face, or a black and red gas mask. Like good brothers, they followed their sister to the end.

From what Lena had heard from their rehearsals, the new album would be more in line with current grunge than the Glam style of their previous albums, and they would mix it with their already adopted gothic style.

It was quite endearing.

Andrea had become much more committed to creating concept albums after she accompanied Lena to Broadway to see some shows where Jack had performed, plus some others where it was just the two of them for fun.

Lena put aside the script she was memorizing when Andrea slammed the door to her dressing room.

The Luthor only had to raise one of her perfect eyebrows for Andrea to spill the beans.

"Felicity got us another interview," Andrea grunted in disgust.

"Is it some misogynistic idiot who thinks women can't rock?" Lena asked, amused.

"I don't know, I hope not..."

"All right, sis?" Santiago said as he entered the dressing room along with his twin.

"Felicity got another interview. I swear, if one of them calls me 'Female Marilyn Manson' or 'Representation of Mother Trouble' again, I'll run them over with the tour bus," Andrea growled.

And that was Andrea's problem, not only people trying to twist the message she tries to give as any band of her genre, or tell her that if she had started earlier in her career maybe some of her songs would be in the dirty fifteen, but also them always comparing her to her male counterparts yet belittling her and waiting to compare her to any other male artist just as transgressive as her.

"Don't worry, Andy. If we're lucky it's someone nice who's willing to listen to you and would love to have exclusivity on the new stuff coming with The Bastards." Armando smiled positively.

"Yeah, otherwise we'll have to hold you back to prevent you from cutting their head off for comparing our aesthetic to the church burner." Santiago grimaced, though his body remained relaxed. That was a man completely resigned to the worst sh*t.

"Or they can have your relationship terminated." Jack entered, displaying a sad countenance and a not-at-all-manicured beard. The Rojas twins hugged him in support.

"What?!" Andrea almost screamed. "What happened to Ricky?" she asked worriedly, forgetting her annoyance.

Jack separated from the Rojases to sit on the couch with Lena, Andrea settled on the other side so they could both hug their friend.

"Apparently some paparazzi caught us. Ricky said they were pictures with his trainer and completely denied any allegations of gay dating… and, well, his agent called mine."

Lena was offended almost instantly. "How on earth does someone dating you for almost a year break up with you through his agent and not by talking directly to you?"

This was another thing that Lena disliked very much: Hollywood relationships — or anyone with a face recognizable to the public spending time with a peer — were always the subject of public scrutiny. Always either heavily supported or heavily hated, as if everyone else cared who someone married or slept with. It was so annoying. That's why Lena was fine on her own.... perfectly, wonderfully, awfully, beautifully… alone.

"Forget it, Jackie, he's not worth it. He's a pop singer. Don't expect much from them," Andrea said with disgust, being on the same page as Lena regarding relationships.

"Hey! Pop is not a bad word," said Armando. "Plus, he's a Latin brother."

"Don't talk, Andrea. You never know what turns life can take," Santiago said solemnly, looking at his younger sister.

Andrea laughed loudly. "Oh come on!! Me doing pop or dating some singer in the same genre we fought so hard to break away from?"

"Dad says: Nunca digas nunca ," Santiago said getting up with a fake groan mimicking older men. "Let's start with sound check. Jack, I'm so sorry about your breakup, but tonight you're going to rock and drink till you forget."

"Yes!! And Andrea will drive us home as designated driver." Armando jumped up, happily grabbing his drumsticks.

"Forever and Ever!" shouted Santiago.

Armando, Andrea and Lena repeated the cry almost like a mantra. "Forever and Ever!"

Jack just nodded in acceptance of his friends' distraction.

...

Soundchecks for Hades from Lesbos were the most fun part for Lena. Andrea sang, danced and acted as she always did at her concerts, but there was this air of privacy and intimacy that made Lena feel like she was a kid again and that her only concern was getting back to the Rojas' house in time for dinner and filling a jar with one-dollar bills.

The backing musicians — a bass player, a keyboard player and another guitarist — were already part of the band's private team even though they were not official members, and they knew every song, as well as completing any of Andrea's onstage witticisms.

The first song rehearsed was Mr. Doctor Man, a song dedicated to Andrea's dear friend and protector: Nikki Sixx, the Mötley Crüe vocalist who had an overdose that stopped his heart. The man's own band did a couple of songs about it, but Andrea's song was much darker and deeper because, while Vince sings amusingly on "Dr. Feelgood" and "Kickstart my Heart," Andrea instead sings as a warning about hard drugs.

Because that was the difference between the other Glam bands full of excesses and Hades from Lesbos. Andrea is Straight Edge, which is a subculture of Hardcore Punk that Andrea loved because it was a lifestyle where you don't do drugs, alcohol and tobacco — because life is hard enough without f*cking it up more by doing those things.

When Andrea sang "Lost his mind, but is clinically fine. He found a way to cope, needle in his throat," full of raw feeling, it made Lena's body shake along with her best friend's deep voice. It sounded spectacular. The acoustics of the place was filled with the music of her friends, and all the lyrics were fantastic.

But then, at the end of the song, Andrea raised her hand as she always did to indicate with her fingers the number of the next song they would rehearse. This time she signed a zero along with a three which was to name one of her unreleased songs. It was called Desire.

Lena watched as her friend sang about fulfilling her greatest desire with that same old power, but her concentration wandered to the other side of the stage when she noticed the figure of another woman in the distance but couldn't make out who it was or why she was there.

Andrea was singing and dancing much deeper and more determined than usual, clearly a proposition about wanting to be with whoever was on the other side of the stage. But after she finished singing the song, Andrea huffed in disappointment. The girl in the background was gone.

Lena signaled a song that could always cheer up her dear friend: "Lola" by The Kinks. Andrea laughed out loud, but began to sing along with Lena, Santiago and Jack.

Now Andrea's eyes were on Lena, who had begun to dance softly to the rhythm of the seventies song. Lena didn't notice Jack and the other two spectators behind her who were also enjoying the private show.

Lena turned to find a tall blonde with a tan complexion and glasses next to a slightly taller boy with long, straight, dark brown hair and tan skin.

"This is a private sound check," Lena said to them.

The blonde smiled a little nervously and adjusted her glasses before saying, "Hi, I'm reporter Kara Danvers and this is my photographer partner, Brainy Dox. We're from Rolling Stone, and we're here for the interview."

"Oh!" Jack spoke up. "They haven't finished sound check yet, but you can come with me to set up the dressing room for the pictures." he pointed to where the reporters should go.

But only Brainy followed Jack. Kara stayed by Lena's side, watching as the guys started with a cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. This time Andrea didn't take her eyes off Lena as she sang, asking with her eyes who the blonde was.

"You seem to be very close to Andrea Rojas," Kara said curiously. So far Lena had noticed that she brought with her a tape recorder, a notebook and a pen that she clicked over and over again. Apparently she was nervous.

Lena swallowed dryly, somewhat alarmed at the prospect of being outed by the reporter.

"We are best friends, almost sisters."

"Really?" Kara asked with genuine interest.

"Unofficially speaking, she and I grew up together. It was, you know, that damn found family trope." Lena hugged herself.

For fun, or perhaps to extend the time and avoid the interview, the band had started playing God Save the Queen. Because of course Andrea loved the Sex Pistols, although Lena found them a guilty pleasure since most of their songs were one-liner tracks that were all pretty similar. It was more the message than the demonstration of musical mastery. And now the simplicity was helping with Lena's nerves.

"Oh, right, I'm not going to publish this conversation," Kara said, shaking her head a little along with Armando's rhythm. "It's interesting to know a little more about the anti-establishment singer that Andrea is, I think it's good to know that inside she's also as cool as a few people say."

"Too few?" Lena smiled, amused for the first time while also moving to the Pistols' beat.

"Well... people talk and..."

"It's not her fault that Lars Ulrich insulted her by calling her Escort when Andrea was accompanying other Glam boys in a crowded bar," Lena defended, raising one of her eyebrows in amusem*nt.

Kara blushed slightly. "Andrea slammed her bass into his back."

Lena moved in closer to the blonde to whisper to her with light sensuality, "Welcome to the Jungle, baby!"

Kara flushed from her ears to her neck while Lena smiled in pleasure at having an effect on the beautiful blonde —who was apparently hiding substantial muscles under the beige cardigan she was wearing, Lena felt when she gave Kara an amused squeeze to make her more nervous. .

"And you are?" Andrea asked as she appeared and put an arm around Lena's shoulders, glaring at the stranger.

" Rolling Stone 's Kara Danvers. Felicity Smoak scheduled an interview for before the show and the exclusive first concert to open the Bastards Era." Kara extended her hand.

Andrea shook her hand, eyeing her suspiciously. She did not let go of Lena.

"Behave yourself if you don't want a bass as a new spine, honey." Lena said amused trying to lighten the mood.

Armando laughed out loud, remembering Lars Ulrich's look when Andrea had done that, while drying his sweat with a towel. Santiago looked at Kara with silent curiosity.

"Let's go inside," said the eldest Rojas.

..

"To begin, I want to congratulate you on the success of your first two albums and now with the release of your third album," Kara said.

"Thank you." Andrea said dryly. Lena and Jack were still off to the side while Kara sat across from the three siblings, with Brainy who had taken a couple of pictures of them during sound check and after they had cooled off a bit.

"Hades from Lesbos classifies itself as Glam, but at the same time you have such a dark aesthetic in your music and clothing, almost drawn from Post Punk and English Gothic Rock. During your entire first tour, you only wore an all-black wedding dress, and the guys would put makeup under their eyes like Corpse Paint but without going to the extremes of Black or War Metal — it was still aesthetic without going to the level of androgyny of other Glam bands. Can you tell me about those choices?"

Lena was surprised to see how the blonde hit the mark, of course that also encouraged Andrea to open up. Kara was going to give her the real questions Andrea had been waiting so long to answer.

"Well, a concert is not just about getting on stage but also putting on a show," Andrea replied. "I have accompanied my friend Lena to so many plays and musicals that I wanted to adopt something from those, although I didn't know what... until I saw Alice Cooper live. He was the answer, along with some of the listless essence of Joy Division's life and the drama of The Cure. But the trick is not to copy, no. I'm whimsical, and I want something that sets me apart. That's where the dark literature of Edgar Allan Poe, the drama of Federico Garcia Lorca, and a bit of Ruben Dario's suicidal sarcasm comes in."

"Thank you. I've listened to The Bastards album, and I found a very noticeable difference to your previous two albums: despite its darkness, we can have cuts of Glam, but now it feels much more Grunge. Have you taken inspiration from the big boom in popularity that bands like Nirvana have had?" asked Kara, looking more confident now.

"Yes, and I don't see it as criminal," Armando began with a laugh. "Nothing is unique in music, and that's what's fantastic. Everything can feed off of everything, especially music. That's what our older counterparts don't even want to try, since barriers and dislikes are created just because X or Y genre starts to sound more… just like us." He gestured, full of excitement. "Nirvana and other Grunge bands are great, so I see no harm in their popularity. I feel sorry for Glam, I love it very much... but fashions simply change because we all grow up. We were late to the wave and so we can adapt more quickly than they can to these evolutions in music. We are three very different people and therefore we have different tastes that inspire us to create our art."

"That's a very interesting and mature view," Kara replied, nodding her head and jotting in her notebook. "Something I found interesting about the album is not only the social critique in songs like "Massacre," "The New American Dream," and "Black Sheep," but also the pessimistic, yet open air to talk about mental health issues like in "Lonely," "Nervous Breakdown," "Anxiety," and "Doom." Would you like to talk about that?"

"The current problem is that we have to talk in metaphor about the problems just to maybe give an understanding of them by pretending everyone gets the message or else too bad." Andrea shook her head. "No. We have to get to the root of the problem and call it out."

"Parents are going to be scandalized, they are going to ban us and say that we are creating these problems for their children when maybe the song is what helped them to materialize and express those unknown feelings that were coming up for them. It seems silly to me to demonize music and not mental health issues," Santiago added seriously.

"It's more horrible to think you're crazy for seeking psychiatric help and not asking how to help if a person needs it," Andrea finishes.

"Speaking of which, do you think music may be the cause of the most recent wave of youth violence?"

"No,” Armando answered. "Violence is a socio-environmental factor that has many factors. I don't doubt that some sick person could get inspiration from a song, but people say the same thing about other genres of music like rap, and Elvis when he danced, allegedly seducing young girls. I think most of our listeners don't even get into half the trouble that the glam guys did in their time because they loved to loved to vandalize everything from hotel rooms to their own bodies, but generally not other people," he said loosely. "Sorry, parents, your kids don't get violent listening to my sister talk about an ex-girlfriend who cheated on her," he joked.

Lena laughed along with Andrea and Kara.

"That leads into my next question: how does it feel to be such an inspiration to so many young girls and young women with your music?"

"I feel like I'm the Madonna of glam rock, because I'm the reason some girl feels understood or happy, and maybe I'm also the reason why maybe she knew she was gay, trans or bi by identifying with the representation. And that is the best gift in the universe." Andrea was grinning from ear to ear. "My dream was to reach out to everyone in such a way that reading at concerts their "You Saved My Life" posters would feel real. And it's such a joy that maybe I'll inspire another generation of singers like Joan Jett did for me when I was a kid."

The twins gave a squeeze on each shoulder in response to their sister's sentimentality.

"Okay, last question for Andrea." Kara said.

"Are you going to ask about the name of the band?" Andrea asked, amused.

"No, you always refuse to talk about that." Kara laughs along with Andrea. "My question is more, are you okay, do you need a hug? Several of the songs are pretty dark on an emotional and psychological level, so..."

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking," Andrea said softly. "These are all feelings that have been going on over the years, and not just mine. I just embody them, and maybe there will be some of these feelings on the next album.... but yes, I'm fine... and if I'm ever not, I know I have the full support of my family to get there," Andrea replied solemnly with a sincere smile. Of course she would never reveal that most of the negative feelings in her songs along with depression and anxiety with panic attacks were from Lena and her rough road to overcome them. "Thank you for giving us a real interview, Ms. Danvers."

"And to you, for showing how badass women can be in metal and rock, in the words of my sister, Alex." Kara laughed nervously.

"Apparently, she's a woman with good taste," Armando said, amused.

..

After that, a couple more pictures were taken of them posing. With Andrea in the center holding a Hamlet style skull her clothing is highlighted by the use of a black high top hat with dark wine-red slashes on the front and looking to the right while the Twins looked seriously at the camera holding gas masks, it was an epic image for the cover of the magazine. With Kara's promise to stay for the concert and have many more pictures taken for the article after, they were done with the quick photo shoot.

“Hey, Danvers. That was a great interview." Lena smiled sincerely at the blonde.

"I think if there is a woman fronting a popular band you need to promote it and shower it with praise as much as you would a band fronted by a man." Kara shrugged.

"I wish I'd get an interviewer like you and not the kind that asks me what it's like to kiss Bruce Wayne or if I need to lose weight to play Queen Elizabeth I." Lena rolled her eyes as she guided Kara through the VIP box of the venue.

"That sounds like pure crap," Kara replied, grimacing.

"Occupational hazard." Lena shrugged.

"Any new projects in mind?" Kara asked.

"I'm in this new CATCOtv production..." Lena said, not wanting to reveal much about it.

The openers had begun — was that the woman from earlier that Andrea had sung to? Why did her voice sound so much softer than the other openers, almost like symphonic rock? The mystery woman — Samantha Arias, Lena now saw her name was — seemed to be a puzzle that Lena didn't understand, but Andrea did.

"Really?" Kara asked excitedly. Lena only nodded. "I live close to the studio...well not as close as if I lived next door, but I know the area and I know it's close to my new home so in case you don't have anyone to talk to, you know, we can meet if you like." Kara practically glowed.

From her reaction, Lena thought that perhaps Kara was new to the city because of her job and that maybe she hadn't had time to socialize yet. From her slight accent, Lena thought it was kind of obvious she wasn't from the city and, well, Lena herself was also a new resident.

Lena smiled at her.

Or maybe that the blonde was excited to sneak into Lena's little world.

The question is whether it was personal or professional interest. Why did she have to wonder if every little thing might be a trap?

But the heavy days of repeating scenes, rehearsing the same dialogues thousands of times, maybe risking her life in some scenes, and kissing two to three people made Lena definitely not girlfriend material. Not to mention the constant fear of abandonment that filled her whenever her mind finds itself idle of what to distract herself with.

She knew that it would be very difficult to have a formal relationship with a woman, and even more so in the public eye. Of course Lena wanted love, she would so much like to be that Rebel Bride that with just the goodness of her heart falls in love with the grumpy Army Man who is the father of adorable children... but at the same time she remembered that eventually people get bored and leave her. (At the end of the day, she was only the daughter of an addict, she should remember that. Don't expect more than you are given, she told herself.)

That had been a constant in her life that only the Rojases and Jack have broken. She doubts very much that someone as brilliant as Kara is able to become a new constant for Lena and not rot in the attempt like everything else Hollywood touches.

Even so, a small part of Lena just wanted to see how long it would take to get to know each and every pattern of her new acquaintance until she made Kara a part of her life completely. Their routines, hobbies, likes, dislikes. To have a bit of control to know how to react to any mishap that arose. Because everyone could be timed and calendared in Lena's eyes.

But still, something about Kara made Lena feel like a moth drawn to the light of the flame that made her respond:

"As you wish, Miss Danvers. The truth is, with my best friend back on national tour, I could use someone to rehearse my dialogue with." Lena shrugged, feigning indifference and equally somewhat surprised at herself for opening up about her personal and work plans with a stranger, who was also a reporter, who seemed as committed as Lena herself to getting to know each other better.

It was scary to go so fast, but it was also like that with Andrea.

"That sounds fantastic!" Kara smiled brightly, but in her eyes shone this almost completely genuine interest in her. It seemed to Lena that Kara was beyond curious about meeting one of the actresses of the moment who would be starting a new television series.

Maybe her mind was pessimistic, reminding her of her cruel reality. And yet Lena felt a little hopeful at least to be friends with this eccentric, but beautiful blonde reporter who exuded positivity.

......

Lena couldn't help herself. It was almost automatic when both her hands pushed the body of the man holding her in his arms, separating them instantly.

James, her co-star playing Johan Johnson, looked at Lena quizzically. Lena expected Laurel to scream cut instantly, but the scene remained on film.

"What's going on?" said James quizzically, but without getting out of character. "I thought you were okay with this." It was more James than the character talking.

"I..." Lena paused without taking her gaze from the portly man's quizzical face. But her mind lit up. Lena ducked her gaze before saying, "I thought I was ready, but I think I still love him."

"What?"

Lena hoped this improvisation would be enough, or buy her enough time to figure out how the heck not to have to kiss the man in front of her again. Lena had endured kissing Jack, Bruce and a couple of other guys, making it work somehow during other scenes. And now there was this man, who apparently had never been told he should eat a couple of mints and exercise his lips so he could give a good kiss.

Lena was disgusted and didn't blame her body for rejecting the man already on his fifth take.

"Cut!" shouted Laurel Lance, the director, at last. "That was a very interesting way to save the scene."

Lena and James' characters were supposed to end up being a couple, and now Lena was ruining it.

"I think we can implement a much newer plot for Janis White," said Lucy Lane, the screenwriter, with a smirk on her face. "Of course! Janis has been moved to this new town because her husband has been kidnapped and murdered."

"He was her high school sweetheart and so Janis had never considered loving anyone other than this man...until now." Laurel nodded her head happily at the idea.

"Janis may also be seeking revenge." Lucy completed.

"Let's leave this as is. The audience will be shocked at first to learn that our leads won't be a couple… but it's more than obvious that James and Lena have more friend chemistry than lover chemistry," Laurel said simply, noting and crossing out a couple of things in her notebook.

Lena just nodded. She had never been on a TV series project before, so she was surprised about the change on the fly. Although it was a very comfortable change for her, Lena could see James' expression darken.

"Okay, you can take a break before we do the fight scenes against the criminal on duty." Laurel said.

"Thank you," Lena said. She was sure that if she spent more time under the set lights she was going to get a tan.

Lena was walking to the rest area when she was pulled aside by James himself.

"Hey, newbie! Next time you regret cheating on your precious English boyfriend you'd better reconsider your job!"

She frowned. Did everyone assume she was in a relationship with Jack? She didn't care, but she also didn't like the idea of being belittled this way.

"I think only when you learn to eat a couple of mints or brush your teeth then you should start considering being the show's beau," Lena replied seriously.

"Hey, guys!" Caitlin called from across the set. "James, I need to borrow Lena,"she said with a soft smile. Caitlin Snow played a fellow detective on the show. "Are you okay?"

"Yes..." Lena said in an unsure tone. "He should learn to control his temper."

"James has been CATCOtv's golden boy for a long time, I think you've hurt his pride since he always ends up dating all his co-stars," Caitlin explained as she passed a cereal bar to Lena.

"Thank you." Lena bit into the food. "No matter how many programs I've been in, it's no excuse for behaving like a lout."

"Sure, Bruce Wayne isn't like that," Caitlin said with a confident smile.

Lena only nodded slowly before saying, "There's also no need to always have to think of my previous co-stars when people name me or talk to me."

"I'm sorry. The truth is you're apparently the new big league bet." Caitlin spoke as if telling an open secret. "Normally, several of us come from small plays or last minute castings. Well, James is from a family of actors... but you've been in big movies and now you're here."

Lena smiled softly at the girl. "This is my first drama lead. Compared to a typical Hollywood romantic comedy or romance, it feels good to explore other nuances. This opportunity is something I'm really, really interested in," she said candidly.

......

Lena Luthor is a woman who likes order, and what better way to order her priorities than to have rules?

One thing she was learning as she rose to fame was how people were not as honest and straightforward as herself or her family.

That's why Lena doesn't commit herself sentimentally, and not least after Veronica asked her for an inhuman amount of money in exchange for not bringing her out of the closet and not revealing Lena's real origins.

1. Never talk about your past.

In life she will ever again risk being threatened or exposed. Lena has created a perfect image of herself with the perfect amount of mystery, sweetness, mischief, and rehearsed smiles for someone to make more money at her expense in the gossip magazines.

2. Do not break your schedule or habits.

She hates with all her heart irresponsibility and not fulfilling her duties. Obviously work will come first before anything else. Only an emergency on behalf of her family is a priority for her, and a relationship that will last a couple of weeks at most will not change her plans.

3. Do not seek out anyone if you are in trouble or feeling bad.

Stronger bonds are created when people go through difficult times together... but it also means being vulnerable with another person. Lena doesn't have time for that. She needs to learn her lines, study acting methods, and look good enough for magazines and red carpets. She doesn't have time to worry about feelings she'll only bring up during therapy... if Andrea can get her out of her grumbling to go to her therapist's appointment.

4. Do not share more than you appear publicly.

Closely related to her previous points, people are flowers of many petals. Letting them look beyond what Lena wants to show will only affect her after the required time. No one needs to see their favorite actress in a nervous breakdown after having a nightmare about her mother or upset because something went wrong on set. People love to see those they admire as unattainable gods, and bursting that bubble will only take her out of being part of the A-List. Everything is so coldly calculated that Lena is afraid of falling into the trap of those who pretend to be her set mates and friends. Anyone can pretend to be her friend, why not lover too? Lena won't be fooled... not again.

5. Do not lend any of your property.

If Lena will lend any article of clothing or even a mug she is sure it will end up being auctioned on this new online page named Ebay just as it happened to Andrea's first guitar — or, worse, share something with which the other person becomes attached to Lena. Getting attached leads to so many feelings that end in pain. Lena doesn't want to suffer anymore.

6. Do not contact anyone new while you are going through a difficult time.

People take advantage when you are going through hard times and at other times when you are feeling the need to get attached to a person. If Lena is suffering, she will cry with her siblings; she does not need to put more than necessary on someone who may end up telling others why she is suffering or, in the worst case, use it against her when she least expects it.

7. Do not seek out a person twice in a row.

Lena may suffer from a need for attention and affection, but it's not like she wants to beg for it either. That will paint her as the fragile and manipulative one in the relationship, something she learned when her mother called her asking for money promising love and forgiveness... but it only ended in tears and screaming on Lena's part. If someone is so needy for Lena's attention, then let her seek it out and she will think about whether or not she will answer the call.

Easy to say. It's easy to enumerate. It's incredibly comforting to sit in the confinement of your walls that you call a safe place.

The truth was that outside of film scenes and the trust of old friendships, Lena used to spend more time in her musings than in conversation, and that was also another factor that bored people. That's why Lena wasn't afraid to push people away — they would push themselves away; it was just a matter of time. There were never any exceptions... Even though sometimes, just for short, fleeting moments, she wished someone would stay by her side.

But she pretended she didn't feel that way; she played pretend. It was her best role so far.

So that's why Lena surprises herself when she's been listening for more than twenty seconds to the phone ringing on the other end of the line from Kara's number during her third night without Andrea in the apartment they shared.

Andrea was on tour, so maybe it wouldn't bother her to see her sitting on the living room floor waiting for the blonde with the bright smile to answer her call. The latest-model Nokia in her hand in one hand and the new script in the other along with the new news of the plot change in the program on the tip of her tongue. Lena was excited to tell Kara about the new plot and maybe about her little argument with James.

Her last twelve nights talking to Kara had been quite interesting. The calls had more texture and personality than the text messages in Lena's eyes, plus getting to know Kara was strangely informative and interesting.

Their talks were genuine, spontaneous topics and Lena always felt very relaxed and happy after each of these interactions. It was her new favorite time of the day. And it didn't break anything in her perfectly planned schedule.

The blonde was always the star student in her classes, and she managed to get a scholarship to study at National City University. She volunteered at a pet shelter, and her favorite hobby was enjoying all kinds of exotic foods and desserts. She also had a huge collection of records, vinyls, and cassettes that made Andrea's collection pale by comparison — Lena wanted with all her might an invitation to Kara's house to see it and take pictures with the old instant camera that Bernardo Rojas gave her for her first Christmas with the family. Kara was curious and sincere, and she looked at the world with a colorful and positive lens that Lena had never seen before.

Lena suddenly found herself wondering: How can I be a black hole and your favorite constellation?

She repeated in response: I'll divide my time between me, myself, and I and all my expectations.

Anyway, currently due to both of their work they had only had time for calls the last few nights.

"Hello!" answered Kara on the other end. It was refreshing to hear the blonde's voice after such a heavy day.

Lena looked down at the floor with a genuine smile as she flexed her toes on the expensive rug Andrea had bought last winter.

"How is Miss 'Like a dozen Hotdogs in one sitting'?" Lena teased, referencing Kara's last article with Anthony Kiedis, which ended up getting several laughs out of her due to how jovial and unserious the interview with the vocalist had been.

Kara laughed in response. "Have you read it yet?" she asked, amused.

"I think your articles are the new way for me to de-stress before doing fight choreography with my set mates," Lena said.

"Oh, an exclusive! Are you a ninja in the new series?"

"No comment," Lena said teasingly. As much as she tried to keep it confidential later that night, she would end up rehearsing her lines with the blonde well into the wee hours of the morning. "Turns out a much more serious subplot has been created after discovering that my co-star needs a tutorial on toothbrushing."

"That sucks!"

"Coffee is good to take the bad taste out of your mouth."

"Would it be too obvious to send a Colgate kit to the set?" Kara joked.

Lena laughed. "I'm begging you on my knees."

"I didn't know I had to floss to get you on your knees," Kara said flirtatiously.

Lena bit her lower lip. It was great to play these kinds of games over the phone without having to show her flushed face or excited features to even the playing field. Of course, it was Lena who started with flirting and word play, but that didn't mean that Kara didn't respond in kind, or louder. Kara's compliments and flirtations were far more stimulating than any Lena had ever had with another woman.

"You're being very cheeky, Miss Danvers," Lena spoke in the huskiest, deepest voice she could — she knew full well how much it affected Kara.

"Oh, sh*t... Andrea will kill me when she finds out," Kara muttered.

"Andy?" Lena asked. They might have shared phone plans, but Lena was paying her share of the bill and Andrea didn't have to care who or what she spent her minutes on. "Andy has no reason to hurt you."

"I've been flirting with your wife for almost half a week now, I think it's obvious."

"What!" Lena said in shock. "Andrea and I aren't..."

"Lena, for God's sake. You're two famous and supposedly single attractive women living together, with inside jokes and songs dedicated to each other... between us, it's easy to jump to conclusions after watching you two interact... I know I've played along with you these days, but I'm a woman who likes fair play."

If it were anyone else, Lena would laugh in her face before hanging up on her and blocking her number, but this was Kara. And suddenly Lena was overcome with anxiety and despair at the thought of stopping talking to her new friend... a friend she was flirting with.

"Kara, when we introduced ourselves and I told you that Andy and I are friends, almost sisters, I was serious. Very serious." The idea of kissing Andrea was the definition of incest for Lena, and incest was only 'A Song of Ice and Fire' material.

"Of course you would say that to any stranger..."

"I only like blondes," Lena interrupted her without hesitation. "Besides loving Andrea as my big sister and vice versa, I'm a woman with a fixed taste toward women with blonde hair."

"Oh!" Lena could imagine the blonde completely flushed from ears to neck from not only Lena's true confirmation toward her taste in women but also the direct shot at Kara herself.

Although, if Kara were a brunette or a redhead, Lena wouldn't care. Kara is such a wonderful woman that any hair color would drive Lena crazy. But she wouldn't say that to her face. Maybe she was giving Kara pieces to confirm her attraction, but that doesn't mean Lena was going to give her every advantage.

Lena hated to lose.

"Yes, 'oh!'" Lena smirked.

...

"You smashed the windshield of that guy's car with a guitar?" Lena asked nervously when Andrea finally answered the call. Lena was on her way home from the demonstration of the pilot episode of the series that had officially been named: Flawless Execution . The car in question was driven by a chauffeur assigned by the security agency Felicity hired.

Andrea snorted on the other end of the line. "That's what's important?" she said, giving the matter zero importance.

"It could become a legal matter."

"Yeah, but he deserved it, that damn guy," Andrea grunted.

Lena had never heard her best friend so angry since the time some idiot had tried to hit on her when she was drunk a few years ago.

"He's Sam's ex. He thinks he can take Ruby. So I set him straight."

"Sam? Samantha Arias? Your opening act? Who's Ruby?"

"Yes."

Lena kept silent. Andrea wasn't the type to do things for people she barely knew, let alone someone who was apparently a pop princess from what Lena researched. Before the new album, Samantha Arias was a child actress and was part of a girl band called Stargirls United. The group was quite popular according to magazines and newspapers, but they ended up kicking Sam out of the band. That was all six years ago, and now Sam is back but completely removed from the Disney girl image she once had.

"Ruby is Sam's daughter. She's practically her reason for being. I can't let that idiot take little Princess Arias," Andrea explained in a soft tone, completely vulnerable. "Sam has been through so much, and she doesn't deserve to keep suffering just when she's resurfacing. And Ruby deserves only good things."

Now Lena understood, of course family problems would strike a chord with Andrea.

"He says I'm goddamn Satan. That Ruby deserves to grow up in a proper family environment... not with a lesbian..." Andrea swallowed dryly.

"You are not Satan, you..." That's when Lena recalled that discarded song from the band's last album, and she began to sing: " You're my only light. It's me against the devil, I'm ready to fight... "

" Through faith and fire. Through faith and fire I'll be by your side. The devil's a liar, The devil's a liar but my love will never die ," Andrea sang back, bringing out the pain in the song. Lena wasn't sure how much that man had said to her dear friend or why she was so affected after that fight, but what she did know was how to cheer her up in those moments.

For all her tough looks full of couture black clothes, unconventional makeup, and sharp tongue, Andrea was actually a soft marshmallow who could get hurt at any moment.

"Today sing 'Me Against the Devil' dressed entirely in white, tell one of your dancers to dress in leather pants, fake horns and wings and lots of red tinsel garlands. He'll be the real Satan and you will kill him in front of the audience. For you and the boys are not evil; you are freedom for thousands of boys and girls."

Andrea laughed a little, but didn't dismiss the idea. "What about Sam's problem?"

"I'm not one to talk about custody or whatever — Sam has to discuss that with her idiot ex — but I think Felicity could recommend a good family lawyer."

"Thank you." Andrea sighs. "I needed you...I always need you when things get tough. You're my voice of reason."

"And you are my irrationality." Lena smiled, playing with the hem of her blouse.

"You're my good almost-twin," she teased back.

Lena laughed. "I hope you remember that when you absolutely hate the pilot episode."

"Are you kidding? It premieres on our day off; I've got to see you as Badass Detective Janis White."

"I'm very nervous about it," Lena vented. "What if no one watches it? What if they don't like me?"

"Can you stop saying stupid sh*t? You're Lena f*cking Luthor, if they don't like you they're nearsighted... or with astigmatism, I don't know how people watch TV now. Plus, I've seen posters with your face and your castmates on them in three cities already. This sh*t will blow up like no other."

"And if not?"

"You'll have to move under a bridge and cry because your low regard for your talent will give me ulcers." Lena could imagine Andrea rolling her eyes. "I am a woman who knows how to see potential when it's right in front of me, and you, Lena, are not a diamond in the rough — you're the whole f*cking bling. Stop pitying yourself when we have fought together to get to where we are. I can't have you letting in the stupid possible negative reviews from random types unless you take them and use them to better yourself as an actress instead of using them to hurt yourself like they want you to."

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be cheering you on." Lena couldn't help but hug herself, holding back the tears she didn't want to let flow.

"Well, your evil almost-twin has to remind you of your path to success."

"I need your courage."

"And I need your good sense so I don't get in trouble every five minutes for not thinking about the consequences in time."

"You also need to stop using musical instruments as weapons." Lena scoffed.

"Don't take the fun out of life," laughed Andrea. "I'll see you on national television in a few days, and it will be fantastic. You're not going to self-sabotage; I won't allow it."

Warmth filled Lena's heart. A family is one that protects you, even if it is from yourself.

...

"This doesn't make sense." Kara frowned as she read the copy of the script Lena gave her.

It was the first time Kara had been in Lena's apartment — it was the most private place she knew, and it made her feel comfortable enough to rehearse her dialogue without interruption. Kara's presence was only to avoid having to talk alone and to give shape to the emotional side of the other characters interacting with Janis.

And Lena making her homemade ravioli was just common hostess etiquette and manners, not that she was trying to impress Kara. Not at all. But she was very happy that her script companion praised the dish.

They had given Lena the script for the next episode, as Cat Grant, owner of CATCOtv, was very sure that the series would be a resounding success.

"What doesn't make sense?" Lena scanned the script, looking for what was bothering Kara.

"The security cameras have only one type of quality — blurry, and very few are color. There is no way to take screenshots of the footage and enhance their quality to find a criminal like this."

"You mean because of your photographer friend?"

"No, Alex is a real detective, and from what she's told me they almost never use the security cameras unless it's only to confirm the suspect's presence when they've already caught him since you can't see facial features through these cameras." Kara tapped the paper with two fingers.

"Well, I'll talk to Lucy about it. We do want to make some sense of the program."

"You don't have to, just..."

"You just revealed how ridiculous it can be to pretend that current technology can give that kind of help to the police. It will be fun to see who on Lane's team came up with that ridiculous idea."

Kara just looked at Lena with a small smile in conjunction with the soft blush on her cheeks. "So, Janis is a widow?" Kara turned her attention back to the script.

"Apparently my dislike for James Olsen is strong enough to inspire a better subplot than a cop romance." Lena tried to sound amused, but she was very relieved that she didn't have to pretend to be in love with the network's golden boy. "I think they'll get Iris West to be his love interest since Janis has apparently discovered she still loves her late husband."

"Sounds a lot better. I think a female lead doesn't always need to have a romantic interest to prove how cool she is... you know, like Ellen Ripley," Kara said excitedly. "You know, you should have, I don't know, some representative thing."

"Representative?" Lena frowned uncomprehendingly.

"Every main character or series has something that makes you think of that show. You know, like the phone booth in Doctor Who or... the turkey with glasses in Friends !"

"Something that represents me..."

"We'll figure something out."

...

Both Andrea and Cat Grant had been right; Flawless Execution was a hit. Apparently scheduling the series in prime time plus the promos were eye-catching enough to get viewers to tune in to CATCOtv for the episode's 50 minutes, not counting commercial breaks.

Lena was surprised not only by the reception but also that Kara called her excitedly right after finishing the first episode to shower her with praise and confirm her eagerness to see more of the series since it was one thing to rehearse alongside her and another thing to see it as a real product edited and produced.

Then came Andrea's call to say a powerful "I told you" so in conjunction with questions about what will happen in the next episode, but Lena just thanked her since she already had a partner to rehearse her dialogue with.

Then there were the quick texts from Caitlin and other set mates who were just as excited as she that the show was a success. To Lena's relief, none were from James.

"There you are!" Kara entered the trailer that had been assigned to Lena as her personal dressing room.

"Kara?" Lena looked at her in confusion. She was more surprised when the blonde gave her a tight hug as a greeting. Lena didn't hesitate to sigh at the warm touch; maybe she needed more of those in the future. Kara was an excellent hugger.

"Fate wants us together!" Kara smiled, sitting down next to Lena as she dropped a paper bag from a clothing store in her lap.

"Why does fate dictate anything we do?" Lena asked, but still smiled warmly at the surprise visit. Kara was wearing a light blue long-sleeved turtleneck blouse paired with cloth pants.

"I just got out of interviewing Barry Allen, who made an appearance for one of those gossip shows here, so I thought it would be a good time to say hello to you and give you a well-deserved present."

"Kara, you didn't have to bring me anything." Lena felt a slight warmth in her cheeks.

Outside of the Rojas brothers, almost no one has given Lena a gift outside of a commitment to return the favor of a gift given by her first.

"Nonsense! Do you remember what we talked about — something representing you?" Kara asked excitedly.

"Yes." Lena looked at the woman in front of her who was brimming with excitement.

"I was thinking, after watching the replay of the show. Janis is a woman who has been through a lot, and yet she represents faith as well as purity without taking away the roughness at all..." Kara passed her the paper bag with a small smile.

Lena grabbed it to pull out a beautiful white leather jacket. It may have been a few sizes larger than she wore, but that didn't take away from the beauty of the garment.

"Kara, this is so beautiful!" Lena got up to put on the jacket.

"It looks spectacular on you." Kara confirmed.

"Now I have to talk to production to add the jacket."

"No, I love it." Lucy Lane entered the dressing room nodding approvingly. She turned to Kara. "And you are?"

"Kara. She's my assistant." Lena said quickly as an excuse. She wasn't sure how well the production would receive a reporter.

"Assistant?" The woman looked at Kara for a few seconds before nodding. "Would you want to be an extra on the show?"

"Excuse me?" Lena asked.

"Yeah!" Lucy smiled at them both. "Kara can play Janis' apartment mate in what gets her a real home when she's been paid enough." Lucy spoke more to herself than to the other two women. "So, she can give you this jacket. Even if her character doesn't come out, Janis will still wear the jacket in every episode." She nodded her head. "We'll set a new trend — have you seen the paper? The critics loved Flawless Execution . Obviously, we have to capitalize on all this. What store did you get this from?"

"I... I found it at a thrift store." Kara said, a little embarrassed.

"Cute, that'll give her character." Lucy turned her attention back to Lena. "What I was coming to ask was, what do you think about handling firearms? We need to teach you."

Lena just nodded, still processing what had just happened. Kara would be part of the program and not only that, but she would be close to Janis.

Lena could barely pretend she didn't feel the butterflies in her stomach going through the French revolution, but now not only the set would witness them, but thousands of people as well. This wasn't a quick kiss with Jenifer Aniston, this was going to be a new level of compartmentalizing her emotions.

...

"Are you upset?" Kara asked. They were in the car on their way to Lena's house, where they would have a sleepover. The excuse was to rehearse the new lines Kara would have since she would be the only character who wasn't going to be interacting with the show's detectives or fake police personnel. But they both knew they were too tired to do anything more than cuddle on Lena's couch while eating Chinese food from the stand a few blocks from the building where she lived.

"No. Just in shock," Lena admitted, playing a little with the sleeve of the white jacket. "I never thought Lucy and Laurel would be interested in recruiting you as a recurring character for the show."

"If it gives me more time with you, I don't see the problem, but if it bothers you I can..."

"I don't mind." She sighed after repeating her answer. "I still don't understand what the heck is going on between us. I've tried and worked hard to hide my real feelings in front of all those fake people, but now I can't help but think about how I'd react to you outside of our weird normalcy."

And there Lena was breaking one of her rules, a first of many.

Kara only took her hand, intertwining her fingers with Lena's before lifting them and placing a soft kiss on the green-eyed woman's knuckles.

"I guess we'll have to find out what the heck is going on between us during both the public and private process." Kara looked at her, full of feeling.

Lena bit her lower lip before leaning back against Kara's shoulder with a soft sigh.

"I pray to the gods I don't believe in that this won't be ruined," Lena whispered against the other woman's throat.

Kara tightened her grip on her hand. "Me too, my dear."

......

"I thought they had casting calls for that kind of sh*t." Andrea scoffed from the other side.

"You don't always know. Sometimes they look at people on set or around who are too beautiful and should be on screen. And we're saying that she's simply going to be an extra." Lena rolled a lock of hair between her fingers as she spoke.

"Well, Kara isn't ugly to look at. Although to me she'd look more like a model or athlete who models underwear than an actress."

"It's not acting if she comes on stage for four minutes reciting or improvising random dialogue as a roommate."

"You say that as if it relieves you." Of course, Andrea could see beyond what Lena said.

"Kara loves her job, and I wouldn't want her not knowing how to say no to be forced to sit through intense hours of filming while she has something to do."

"She's a music reporter, Lena!" Andrea chides her. "Of course she has things to do, but the great thing about writing is that you can take your drafts and proofread while you're sitting in the most secluded part of a room. It's just like composing."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It's not... What the f*ck am I doing defending a reporter? Just because she's your ‘ not-girlfriend ’ doesn't make her pass even my filter!"

Lena couldn't help but laugh at her best friend. "I thought you liked her."

"Just because her sister has good taste in music and she's given me the only real interview I've had in a long time doesn't bring her into the family."

"Shut up," Lena said with a huge smile.

......

"Lena, you need to turn to the right with minimal lean and you'll avoid the hit, but on camera it will look like I hit you. I need you to fall to the ground, roll, stand up, and, finally, tackle using all your weight against Wally's stomach." Oliver Queen, the show's action director, led the choreography. "Action!"

It was already their fifth run-through, but little by little Lena was managing to adapt to speeding up the rehearsed movements of the fight.

Even though Lena had just been hit hard in the middle of the chest, it didn't stop her from continuing with the fight scene. She had to get the shot, so even though the wind had been knocked out of her, she managed to drop and roll as requested before getting her partner's weight used against her. Lena placed the back of her arm against Wally's neck and then pulled out the prop gun.

"Stop!" Lena growled before James arrived.

James lifted Wally up to handcuff him to the wall.

"You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent," James recited in a serious tone. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present, you have the right to stop answering at any time."

Lena was trying to regain the air she lost after the blow by using James' shoulder to support herself. He smiled sideways at her, that smile that Lena would bet her salary he used to pick up other girls. Thank God for making her a lesbian. She just gave him a serious look.

"Cut!"

...

"What is this?" Lena looked at the jacket as if it were a foreign object. Lena's wardrobe was always feminine three-piece suits in dark colors, so the white jacket would be an interesting addition to her character.

"A white jacket!" Kara said with a sweet smile in her portrayal of Claire, a kindergarten teacher and roommate of Janis. "I know you're new in town, and how hard it must be to have a social life with the homicide detective schedule... so this is a token that you have a warm, peaceful place to come back to after the hard work schedule here. I want to be your friend, Janis." Kara said with complete ease, softness and friendliness as if there weren't five cameras, several spotlights and microphones pointed at them.

Lena couldn't help but blush before inadvertently pulling the jacket up against her chest as she looked down at the floor. She swallowed dryly with a soft nod.

"Tha... thanks." She managed to utter with the lump in her throat forming. "It means a lot to me, Claire." Lena looked up, meeting Kara's longing gaze.

"Cut!" shouted Laurel. "That was wonderful."

The cameramen started to move the equipment along with the light and microphone guys.

"Are you kidding? It looked like the blonde over there was practically going to kiss Lena," James said, annoyed, from his seat.

Lena frowned.

"Wow, Olsen. Are you jealous that an extra has more chemistry than you do with your co-star?" Lucy teased. She possessed that intelligent look of hers that showed she knew more than she was saying.

"Nonsense. Iris and I work much better together in that regard than Lena does with me." He folded his arms.

Lena was about to speak, but felt Kara's hand on her shoulder. The blonde was smirking, Lena raised an eyebrow waiting for Kara to reveal whatever it was she was hiding.

"James tried to ask me out, but I ended up giving him mouthwash." Kara said in a whisper.

Lena couldn't help but laugh. "So, he's upset because he's been rejected by both of us."

"Poor him." Kara laughed a little before offering her arm and leading Lena back to her dressing room.

...

"A picnic?" Kara looked around curiously as she handed a bouquet of flowers to Lena. It was the terrace of the building where Lena lived, an extremely private place and perfect because it was a garden and vegetable garden for the older tenants who liked their food organic.

"Yeah, if you can't see it as dinner in the park to celebrate your interview with Justine Timberlake…" Lena couldn't help but smile at the blonde's blush.

"You didn't have to do this." Kara sat on the blanket.

Lena unpacked Kara's favorite sandwiches, cookies, and soda. "Your accomplishments are worth celebrating." She shrugged.

"Right, because it's not an accomplishment to make your TV series America's new favorite." Kara picked up a cookie and ate it. "This is delicious!"

"Thank you." Lena adjusted her white jacket.

"No! Did you make them?"

"Yeah. Spending time learning the different tastes of my siblings accomplished that." Lena shrugged, downplaying it.

"Was it always your turn to cook for Andrea, Armando and Santiago?"

"Not always, but it's good to contribute when they spend a whole day between part-time jobs and songwriting," Lena unintentionally began to tell. "They used to help me a lot with my auditions too; it was always a mutual support." Lena set aside her drink to pick up the bouquet of flowers Kara had given her earlier, tangling the flowers together carefully.

"That sounds beautiful." Kara took another cookie. But she hugged herself before she even bit into it. Lena took off her jacket to tend to Kara.

"I can't, you'll be cold."

"I've been to places with colder climates." She didn't even have heating until well into her teens; a little California air won't do anything to her.

"If you get cold..."

"You can hug me," Lena said matter-of-factly, opening a can of soda and ignoring that she could find any sweater or coat she needed one elevator ride away. And also that she was breaking another rule.

"I've seen on forums that people are comparing us to Xena and Gabrielle."

"How?" Lena frowned.

"You know, on the internet."

"Oh... I don't usually... how do you say? Surf around a lot."

"People watch the series and tend to do this thing called shipping."

"Like with boats?" Lena was more focused on what she was forming with the flowers.

"Yes! People see how much chemistry certain characters have and share what they think their dynamic would be like as a couple." Kara smiled sideways as she explained. She grabbed a sandwich.

"They think we look good enough to be a couple." Lena can't help but feel the heat rise in her cheeks and ears.

"They say that Claire is the light of the dark Janis, that Janis is Claire's protector, and that they can see that implied love just by seeing how we look at each other." The more Kara spoke, the closer she got.

Lena felt her heart beating a mile a minute. She'd been attracted to other people before, but now... This was all beyond different from anything she'd ever experienced before, and it wasn't at all uncomfortable for her. And Kara knew it. She looked at Lena as if she were the greatest wonder of the universe.

Kara moved closer, but in her nerves, Lena ended up putting what was now a wreath of pink flowers between them. Kara looked at her in surprise.

"Put it on." Lena asked softly almost as a whisper with her heart racing. Kara smiled sideways, taking Lena's hands gently and guiding her to place the crown on her head.

It was a beautiful sight, Kara dressed in a formal peach-colored blouse with her black framed glasses, white jacket, and flower crown. Lena couldn't help but move closer until her lips touched softly against Kara's. Lena stood still, feeling her feelings explode during that soft and beautiful exchange, and she reached down to hold Kara's face as Kara moved her hands to Lena's waist.

Kara began to guide the kiss, eliciting a soft moan from Lena. Lena didn't know when, but somehow she had ended up below Kara, lying against the picnic blanket as they continued to kiss, Kara's hands roaming from her waist to her ass and thighs.

Lena had kissed many people in her life, but never before in her life had she felt that burning fire inside her that demanded to be extinguished under another person's touch. Those touches, that desire, that feeling of passion... all of it began to fill her with guilt and worry.

What if Kara leaves later? What if it was just a game? What if she's actually just like Veronica? What if Kara starts out as a blue princess and ends up being like all the men her mother was with? The same men who cursed Lena? What if Lena ends up being like her mother?

"Lena..." Lena hadn't even realized she had started to cry.

"I'm sorry," Lena said in the softest tone of voice she could.

Kara looked at her worriedly. "Did I go too far? Did I hurt you?" She sat up and helped Lena reposition herself as she hugged herself.

"No, I..." Lena closed her eyes. "I don't feel ready for sex," she admitted.

It was a risk to say it out loud, but Lena knew full well that it was better to push Kara away before she fell deeper in love with her.

That was Lena's problem. A great actress who could kiss so many people in front of the cameras and people like it was nothing, but when someone she wanted to date touched her directly under her clothes, she felt so dirty and horrible, as if she didn't deserve the love she sold so much with her movies. And now, Lena felt like the dam that guarded all her feelings deep in her mind and heart broke.

"Okay, I understand."

"No. You don't, Kara." Lena said in a raw voice. She stood up, frustrated with herself for screwing things up again. Kara deserved so much better than a girl full of sh*tty problems. "Goddamn it, can't I just be normal? Every f*cking day, having to live with my walls up and be worried about becoming a reflection of my mother… because what I'd hate most is to end up a f*cking addict who's only remaining choice is to sell her body to keep paying for her f*cking vice." Lena paced in circles as she spat out the words. "Everyone talks about how great sex can be, but I'm the stupid one who lives in constant fear of only being used and discarded like happened so many times to her." There was Lena talking more and more about herself, her past, her feelings, and breaking more rules.

"Lena."

"No, Kara!" cried Lena tearfully. "I hate having to look at my reflection and think that one day I will look just like her or that one of her past clients will recognize me. That she'll find me again to ask me for money and manipulate me because I need attention and love."

Kara stopped Lena and held her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes, emotions bared. "Can you not talk about my girlfriend that way?" Kara said kindly. Lena paused to listen to Kara's words. "You are amazing, wonderful, talented, beautiful, intelligent, sincere, and half a million other good things."

"Kara..." Lena cried.

"I know it's a lot of work to have to see yourself in a different light from those cruel voices in your head... but from experience, sometimes you don't always have to overthink or imagine that the people around you are going to go for your jugular just for letting them get close to you... And I know not everyone does, but if you seek help, I will support you."

"You're not going to say I'm crazy?" Lena sobbed with a small smile.

Kara bit her lower lip and shook her head before speaking again, "I... I've been through therapy. When I was a teenager, I lost my family in a car accident right after leaving one of my boxing competitions. I was so angry with the world that... at the slightest provocation I ended up fighting with so many people that I even got kicked out of the gym where I trained. Because a professional Olympic boxer has to keep a cool head and not want to really hurt their opponents or other people — a trained person is much more dangerous in a fight than anyone else, and violence is not the solution to anything," Kara said seriously. "The Danvers took me in and supported me with therapy before I became someone I never wanted to be." She smiled softly. "You may feel like you're in a bottomless hole now, sunk in the deep end with no real cause whatsoever... but you're a wonderful woman, Lena, and to be honest you've fought too hard to let yourself fall now because someone is starting to love you."

The explosion of all those truths hit Lena like cold water.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Kara." Lena broke down. "I wanted to be someone special to you, but the truth is, the only love I ever think I deserve is so twisted that I ended up accepting more pain than love."

"Then let me love you as no one ever has, my dear." Kara spoke solemnly, like a promise made to whatever god she believed in. "We will go at whatever pace you decide as long as you allow me to stay by your side, whether as friend or girlfriend. I'll accept however you want us to be."

Lena couldn't help but cry, hugging Kara tightly. Kara held her and comforted her like no one ever has, fulfilling her new promise.

..

Lena didn't even notice when she was carried to bed and stripped of her shoes. Kara lay asleep next to her, still hugging her against her muscular body. Lena only needed to move her head slightly to see the nightstand in her room with the flower crown and Kara's glasses on it.

Kara still had her white jacket on and slept with infinite peace.

"Can't you for once not be perfect?" whispered Lena, hugging Kara around the waist.

It felt so good to touch her like this. Maybe, just maybe she could get used to the contact and not associate Kara with all the women before her who were looking for quick sex rather than real connection. She sank into the space between Kara's neck and shoulder, seeking more of her warmth.

I have to go back to therapy , Lena thought.

She wasn't going to do it for Kara. She just wanted to be happy.

......

Lena walked into her apartment after a full day of shooting tired, and all she wanted to do was reheat one of the soups she left in the fridge and catch up with Friends before calling Kara and going to bed.

Of course, her plans were hindered by a little girl, no more than six or seven years old, looking at her with big brown eyes and dressed in a pretty blue dress.

If it wasn't for Andrea's punk decor surrounding them, you'd think you were in the wrong apartment.

"Hello?" Lena asked the unknown girl.

"Hello! You're so pretty! Much prettier than on TV!"

"Ruby!" a brunette woman chastised as she appeared and took the little girl in her arms.

"Samantha Arias..." Lena recognized the opening act for Hades from Lesbos. "She must be your daughter," she said when she was finally able to get past the front door and into her living room.

"How did... Did Andrea tell you?" The woman spoke distrustfully, seeming displeased to see Lena in her own home.

Lena was unable to respond because she was quickly encircled by Andrea's arms, which lifted her up and spun her around Andrea's axis. She seemed very happy to see Lena. And Lena couldn't help but smile and reciprocate the affection given.

"Andy!" Lena said when she let go of her.

"Leni-boo!" Andrea answered in kind.

"It's good to know that you've chosen to come see me for your break." Lena smiled.

"Oh, shut up, woman! The boys went to buy dinner," Andrea reported. "I hope you don't mind that I'm inviting Sam."

Lena shook her head despite the withering look from the brunette woman.

"You're just as pretty as Drea said," Ruby complimented again.

"Andrea Rojas is talking about me?" Lena asked curiously without taking her eyes off the girl.

"Always!" Ruby said happily. "Drea always talks about her very talented younger sister!"

Andrea farts with her mouth, upset at being caught red-handed like the good- hearted girl she is.

It did not go unnoticed to Lena when Samantha's gaze on her softened quite a bit. "I'm almost her good twin," joked Lena with a smile, confirming the girl's words.

Ruby laughed. "But you don't look alike!"

"How?" Andrea responded in exaggerated confusion. "We're the same!"

"NO," Ruby continued with her logic.

"We'll have to talk to Dad," Lena replied, feigning pity. "I think you're adopted."

Andrea feigned indignation. "No!"

Ruby began to laugh at their antics, and Andrea took her in her arms to tickle her. Lena turned her gaze to Sam, who was absorbed in watching Andrea with her daughter.

That's when Lena understood Sam's dislike. It was jealousy.

She couldn't say anything about it, as she was soon run over by the two newly arrived Rojas twins. Somehow Lena ended up being lifted as they showered her with praise for her performance.

Yes, it was amazing to have her family with her. Her family that expressed real pride when Lena told them that she would be looking to be more consistent in her therapy and that maybe she was really falling in love with this one blonde girl they knew.

......

"What color do you think you are?" Kara asked. They were on their way to her house after a full day of filming. Kara had accompanied Lena on the set even though she didn't have any scenes to film. She just wanted to be with Lena, and that completely filled Lena's heart.

"Green. You know, radioactive," Lena pretended to joke in her self-criticism.

"I think you're more of a rather soft light green, representing nature." Kara, as always, took something positive out of Lena's acidic words.

Lena gave it some thought before intertwining her fingers with Kara's. "You're blue."

"Really?"

"Yes. You know, I always thought blue was cold and sad, but with you it feels hopeful and homey," Lena said, looking out the window and pretending she wasn't blushing at the praise she blurted out.

But Kara took Lena's chin with two fingers and turned her face before giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Let me be your hope."

"You are so much more than hope." Lena said, resting her forehead on Kara's before kissing her again.

Oh, sh*t.

If this wasn't love, Lena didn't know what the f*ck was.

This was Lena's first time at Kara's home. It was in a much less upscale area than the one she now called home, but it wasn't a rat hole like the neighborhood where she was born either, so it was fine.

Lena didn't hide her happiness when Kara pulled out several VHS tapes of musicals, but when she saw The Sound of Music , of course she ended up practically jumping up to put the movie on.

It was a first for Lena, watching the movie and singing her heart out with someone other than Andrea, Santiago, or Armando. That's where, halfway through the movie, she found Kara smiling at her with such sweetness and love that Lena thought she actually felt very comfortable next to the blonde. Lena went over to steal a quick kiss from her, which turned into a real make out session amidst laughter and Julie Andrews' voice in the background.

Lena could get used to it.

..

Kara had lent her clothes even though that night they didn't just fall asleep and kiss. Lena guided Kara's hands where she felt most comfortable, helping Kara discover her body. Kara also let Lena touch her and get to know her body like a Braille book.

Kara didn't hesitate to say that her favorite part was Lena's breasts, while Lena was at a crossroads between choosing Kara's abs or her perfectly built biceps.

When she woke up in Kara's bed, she was a little startled to hear Sesame Street in the background. Lena got up and walked over to the dining room when she heard it.

"A mi me gusta mucho Mago de Oz, " Kara said in slightly stilted Spanish.

"¡Ja! Qué poser, ese no es metal de verdad," Lena replied automatically with a smirk, thinking about how Santiago would be proud of her joke.

"What?" Kara turned to her. "Since when do you speak Spanish?"

Lena shrugged. "I've been learning since I was fourteen or fifteen." The boys taught her their native language; Bernardo was never going to let one of his daughters go without knowing something as natural to them as speaking Spanish.

"What did you mean by Poser? I really like The Wizard of Oz ." Kara pouts in confusion.

"There's a Spanish band called 'Mago de Oz.' They have quite a peculiar mix of sounds, and Latin metalheads think it's not real metal because of that," Lena explains. "It has nothing to do with Dorothy and her friends."

That's when Lena saw the small brown girl looking curiously at her, sitting at the dining room table with a book open alongside a notebook with homework with Kara sitting next to her.

"Hi, I'm Esme," said the girl with a smile. She was dressed in beautiful blue pajamas and had a package of cookies near her crayon- and marker-filled pencil case.

Why was everyone surprising her with kids coming out of nowhere? "Lena Luthor," she introduced herself as she walked over to Kara's coffee machine.

"Esme is my sister Alex's daughter," Kara said. "And Lena is my super friend."

Lena didn't hesitate to raise an eyebrow as she smiled sideways. It was funny to be introduced with the word super when she had the last name of Superman's number one enemy.

"Mom told me she was your girlfriend."

Lena laughed.

"And here I thought we'd be saved from not having to force Lena into Thanksgiving torture with my very loud family and friends." Kara made a funny grimace.

"Is it because Nana 'Liza always wants to talk about your pictures as a little girl?" Esme looked at her curiously.

"I'm interested in that." Lena smiled as she sat down next to the girl.

"Eliza was my mother's best friend, so she keeps a variety of photo albums and embarrassing stories about me and Alex." Kara scratched the back of her neck.

"That must be really nice." Lena smiled. "I don't think I've ever really celebrated Thanksgiving for real."

"Why not?" Esme asks curiously.

"I was adopted too, but my family is not 100% American so to speak. So, despite taking the holidays as a break, we only celebrate the holidays of their country of origin." Lena smiled fondly, remembering. "Although sometimes when we get creative, we buy a rotisserie chicken from Walmart, make salsa gravy, and make mashed potatoes out of McDonalds fries, pretending we're an average white American family with everything, and we make up stories like we are in The Wonder Years ."

"That sounds fun." Esme smiles at Lena. "What's ‘The Wonder Years’?"

"It's a TV series, I think. If I ever catch it on broadcast, I'll show you," Kara promises.

"Yay!" Esme practically jumps up. "Will you help me with my homework?"

"It would be my pleasure, Esme."

There was Lena breaking another rule, but the truth is, she didn't feel the need to count them anymore. f*ck them.

"Lena and I are now best friends." Esme happily declared.

Kara didn't wait to go get her camera and snap a couple of pictures of her favorite girls.

......

"Is this when you prescribe me Ritalin to fix all my problems?" Lena jokes.

"Psychologists don't prescribe medication; that's only done by psychiatrists," Harleen, Lena's new therapist, responds.

"Oh!" Lena settles better in her seat. "That's good. Andrea has read all the side effects of that type of medication, and I think I already know them by heart."

"What brings you to me, Lena?"

"For you to teach me to love myself." Lena can't help but smile cynically at the idea of a stranger telling her how to do that.

"I am here to suggest tools so that you can take the right path for your improvement. You must decide whether to take them or not. It is not something I can teach you or impose on you."

"Then you're not going to ask me about the problems with my mother and force me to call her to fix things?" Lena was thrilled.

"No... If you don't feel it necessary." Harleen looked at Lena a moment before saying, "Is that what previous therapists have recommended to you?"

"Yeah. It sucks when you want to work on yourself, but they think you can only heal by making peace with someone who only did, does and will hurt you." Lena puts aside her mask. "I don't want to hear from her anymore; why is it necessary for me to forgive her or talk in order to heal?"

"Some types of psychological treatment promote healing through overcoming traumatic moments in the patient's life, while others seek to find the necessary tools so that your current and future self can have the healing and peace they so desperately need. Some work for some people and some work for others, but not many people may be aware of the options they have, and if therapy doesn't work for them they tend to label it as negative rather than seek help from someone else," Harleen explained.

"Simply put, there are bad therapists and good therapists," Lena tries to joke.

"I'm not here to rate other fellow professionals, but yes."

"You try to be unbiased, but I see now that we're on the same page."

"Let's focus on you now. When was the last time you accepted a compliment or patted yourself on the back for doing a good job?"

"And here I thought we could talk about bad therapists for the rest of the hour!" Lena pretended to groan. "Well... I think... I don't remember when it was."

This was going to be a very long hour.

......

Lena was trying to concentrate, but Kara dressed in that tank top was making it difficult. She was only human, and she couldn't help but move closer until her lips softly kissed Kara's, silencing her and changing the course of the conversation.

The problem wasn't kissing her; the problem was having done it in front of the entire set during filming. Lena belatedly realized it before Kara rejoined their lips and parted again with that beautiful, goofy, lovelorn smile she always put on every time they kissed.

"Cut!" Laurel yelled. "That was fantastic! It stays in the final cut!"

"Oh sh*t! Sorry, Kara," Lena said, full of guilt.

"Are you kidding? You just gave the people something not many fandoms can have." Kara smiled at Lena warmly.

...

Kara took her to a bar near the set, a place with live music. It had been a while since Lena had had a nice Guinness and a cigarette after a day's work. It was an odd time to interrupt Lena's personal schedule, but Kara could convince her with just one of her lethal pouts. Lena had stopped counting how many of her personal rules she was breaking for Kara and this newfound happiness she was bringing her.

Lena felt lighter after drinking her third large glass of beer, so she took Kara's hand as the band played a punk rock cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police." It was stupid for Lena to try to waltz to a song like that, but Kara followed suit and even hugged Lena tighter against her as Lena concentrated on singing the chorus about a person getting what they deserve from the Karma Police. It was stupid, ridiculous and strangely amusing to both women, but also very funny.

"I lost myself!!!" Lena sang at the top of her lungs and emoted even while being held.

Kara was smiling at her in such a tender way that Lena didn't hesitate to pull her close again for a good kiss.

"Let's go get some air!" Kara offered.

Lena nodded and let herself be led by the blonde to the alley outside the bar.

Lena took a breath of the cold air as Kara looked at her leaning against the wall. "Lena?" asked a girl also walking out the exit.

"Zatanna!" Lena smiled at the black-haired girl who didn't hesitate to hug her.

"It's been a while," Zatanna said. "I've missed seeing you around the Sunset."

"No, you've missed exchanging A-list gossip," Lena teased. "And maybe the overpaid dances."

Zatanna laughed with a nod. "I think we all come to miss the over-the-top luxury once we're out of it."

"But it's better to miss it than to sink into their misery," Lena said seriously as she reached for the pack of cigarettes she obviously didn't have since she hadn't bought or smoked any since she had met Kara. "Oh, right! Zatanna, this is Kara. She's my girlfriend. Kara, this is Zatanna. An old friend."

"A pleasure?" Kara said, a little wary. So far, she hadn't met anyone from Lena's life outside of the interview she gave Andrea and the boys. Nor had Lena met anyone from Kara's life, excluding Esme. It was as if they were both kept in a strange private bubble.

"The pleasure is mine. You're very pretty." Zatanna smiled sideways. "Lena, my dear, I'll leave you to it. My boyfriend must be looking for me in there." With that said, she pulled out a cigarette with a box of matches to pass to Lena. "Enjoy your evening."

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Lena asked.

"Yeah, I don't like tobacco." Kara frowned. "She doesn't seem like the kind of person you'd be friends with."

"Really?" Lena frowned as she put the cigarette away and leaned back against the wall.

"I, I've seen you in... you know, magazines and interviews with Jack or Andrea..."

"While Jack is indeed a privileged rich kid, Andrea is as much of a tramp as I once was." Lena scoffed at the idea of sounding like an upper-class girl. "My mother was a prostitute, Kara. Spending time swapping anecdotes with strippers helps me get through the days where I feel more nostalgic, and for them it's sometimes quite nice to have a friendly chat with someone who doesn't want to see them as a mere object of pleasure," she explained neutrally.

"Do you pay them to chat?"

"When you have money to spare, sometimes you can afford certain luxuries," tLena teases as she lights a match to watch it burn out. "I know it seems strange, but most of them don't choose to be what they are now, and sometimes it's great to just externalize how you feel, like when you go to therapy..." She sighs. "If you were someone else, I'd be really, really offended by that weird, judgemental look of yours."

"It's not judgment, it's just...surprise?" Kara shrugs. "I'll give you the point about them being people who deserve respect too, but I don't know how another person or even a reporter might react to seeing you, Lena Luthor, big TV and movie star, cohabitating among strippers."

"I kissed you on national television; I don't think my image matters anymore." Lena said cynically, recalling the significance and reprisals that can come from a television network airing a same-sex kiss.

"Jennifer Aniston did, too, and I don't see that anyone has been harmed by that."

"You have to wait to see the reviews in the newspaper, radio, television, and on those internet forums you look at so much to see what they think about us."

"No, they're going to weigh in on our characters."

"They will opine about us maybe being immoral or about CATCOtv being more immoral." Now Lena took the issue seriously. "The kiss with Jennifer was a stupid joke in a sitcom that may not be repeated, but Janis and Claire are characters in a cop show that so far has been serious about every topic it has touched on... I don't know what will happen after the episode airs or if they might want one of us to leave the show after criticism from conservative families and possibly harassment from people on the street."

Kara took Lena's hand. "Whatever happens, I'm going to stay by your side."

"I don't like uncertainty." Lena frowned, squeezing Kara's hand.

"I don't like seeing you in a bad mood."

"What are you going to do about my bad mood, Danvers?" Lena challenged her.

So Kara started tickling Lena until she couldn't stand up without holding tightly to Kara's shoulders. Who knew such a serious conversation would end in laughter in the alley outside a bar?

......

"Is that why Lena and I got separated? To make a disgusting lesbian scene possible?" James almost shouts in complete disgust.

Lena looked at him without expressing the urge she had to kick his shin or ask her brothers to fly in and give him a good thrashing for his hom*ophobia. Completely sober and expressionless, she stood there trying to reciprocate his attacks.

Lucy was unfazed by the man's tantrum. "Everyone agrees that there is spectacular chemistry between Janis and Claire, and people think that Lena's character is finally given the chance to love after catching the killer of her first love."

"Are you kidding? We're going to get sanctioned for indecency!" James complained louder.

"It's the nineties, you know?" Laurel smiles at him. "The more you forbid people to do or watch something, the more young people give their attention to that thing."

"As with the Dirty Fifteen." Lena smiled wickedly.

"Exactly!" Lucy replies. "Besides, there are few strong women who haven't been overshadowed in their own series because they only focus on romance. We have our 'A' plot: the police mystery cases, 'B' plot: Janis and Claire, and 'C' plot: your story with Iris." Lucy explains. "We're perfectly balanced.

"I highly doubt Cat Grant would agree to this," James said, still looking for ways to win.

Lena watched as Laurel and Lucy frowned, because it was more than obvious that Cat Grant was a big bisexual figure in the media. She was a promoter of LGBT rights and the one who started a blood donor foundation for HIV/AIDS victims in the community, as well as being the tough representative of a TV station that did not go along with the norms of society.

"Cat Grant is a woman who loves to be talked about. I think we're giving her something to entertain herself with instead of judging the wrinkled asses of useless politicians," Lucy replied matter-of-factly.

"It's not my role to talk about what my boss will or won't do, but I highly doubt she wants to cancel the show until she sees the ratings stop being in the billions," Laurel defended. "If you don't like the vision of the show anymore, it's okay to not renew your contract with us."

James frowns. "When they are singled out as obnoxious and never work on anything of quality again, don't look for me."

"I promise you that when I win an Emmy or Oscar, I will dedicate it to the LGBT community." Lena smiled.

"Go to hell, Luthor!" James stormed out.

"Thanks, I haven't been home in a while!" Lena joked.

The other two women laughed. Lucy shook her head while Laurel looked for something on her phone.

"Lena, if Kara or you are uncomfortable with the kissing scene being broadcast, you can say so. It can still be cut."

"I for one don't mind, but if you like you can ask Kara... Although she'll be available after four o'clock this afternoon due to work."

"I'll call her." Lucy said, jotting in her notebook. "And thank you, Lena."

"For kissing the woman I'm in love with?" Lena raised an amused eyebrow.

"For being so brave."

Lena swallowed dryly, nodding. She didn't feel brave, but to be honest she never got to see girls kissing other girls on open television. Just a distant longing that took hold of the imagination, as they said on the internet forums Kara visited, but never anything as real as seeing it on prime-time television. The less than 20-second kiss was going to be something beyond what she thought at first.

And even though that made her a little apprehensive, she still didn't want to back out because of what those 20 seconds were going to represent.

Thousands of people would see her kissing the woman she loves so much.

And yes, of course Lena Luthor loved Kara Danvers dearly. Now she just had to figure out how the heck to express it without ruining it in the attempt.

......

"And all this?" asked Lena, taking off her blindfold.

Kara had led her to what appeared to be a cabin. In front of Lena was a beautifully decorated table. Kara just smiled at her, leading Lena to the first seat and doing the whole gentlemanly chair pantomime, which made her laugh a little as Kara was given to imitating an English accent.

"I wanted to make something special for us." Kara went to the kitchen and brought out plates of perfectly prepared meat, mashed potatoes, and bacon-wrapped asparagus. It all smelled spectacular. "You've worked so hard, and half the season of the show has already been taped. I think you deserve a special moment."

"Me? Kara, every two weeks you not only interview important personalities of our culture but you also write really interesting and amazing articles about them. You deserve to be celebrated too." Lena took Kara's hand, leaving a soft kiss on Kara's knuckles.

"We should both be celebrated then."

"You're too pretty to say no to."

"It would be your own I Dream of Jeannie, " Kara joked.

"And you'd have me Bewitched, " agreed Lena, wrinkling her nose graciously.

"Look at this," Kara said, excitedly pulling a small remote control out of her pocket. She clicked it and the soundtrack to The Little Mermaid began to play.

Kara blushed as Lena laughed.

"Great choice, Miss Danvers," Lena said flirtatiously, pouring some wine into her glass.

Kara pushed some buttons before she got up, mumbling some loose words before she returned to the table. "Somebody to Love" by Queen started playing.

"I was sure I left the right disk in." She grunted for a few seconds before opening her eyes comically and uttering, "Alex."

Lena passed an already poured cup to Kara, as a peace offering for her one-person war.

"My sister came with me earlier to help me prepare this dinner, and of course she had to mix the records," Kara said with a frown as she cut into her meat.

"I promise you that The Little Mermaid soundtrack can also be perfect for a romantic date," Lena said fondly. "Plus, the food is spectacular."

Kara blushed. "Thanks, I just... I wanted this to be perfect."

"In my opinion, anything is perfect as long as you're with me," Lena promised.

Kara seemed to melt from how touched she was. "You have me at your feet, Miss Luthor."

"Be careful what you say, suddenly I'll be hunting Kryptonians." Lena joked.

"I wish I was Kryptonean so you could catch me in your nets," Kara said flirtatiously.

"Don't push your luck; a Luthor doesn't back down from threats."

Kara bit her lower lip. "It's rude to want dessert when you've barely touched your food."

"We meanies never respect the rules." Lena raised her eyebrow provocatively.

Kara could no longer stand to pretend to have a straight face so she started laughing. "I'm sorry, but I don't see you as a villain."

"Yet."

"Yet." Kara sighed with a faint smile.

They continued to have dinner while other romantic songs were playing. Of course Kara mixed a record for her. It was the sweetest thing Lena had ever experienced. Kara went looking for soft rock songs that they could both feel comfortable with while they ate dinner.

That's when "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls started, and Lena couldn't help but stand up and ask Kara for her hand. That intimate back and forth with one of the songs that Lena considered the most romantic of its time… Lena felt her heart about to explode, so she just followed the soft rhythm and Johnny Rzeznik's voice that expressed love with such passion.

At the moment when the instruments joined in the bridge of the song, she didn't hesitate to take Kara's face in her hands and kiss her, trying to convey her confused and still unspoken feelings with actions.

With Kara's hands leading, the kisses were no longer enough to express it all and hands began to explore under clothes, but this time Lena was not uncomfortable. No. She was eager and eager for more.

Lena trusted Kara with all her heart, and so she let her lead her into the bedroom, where they were finally able to strip off their clothes one by one without being able to keep their hands off each other. Somehow, Kara knew certain secrets about Lena's body that she herself had yet to discover, as she had her panting at her complete mercy. Uttering Kara's name or begging God for mercy was no longer enough, with Lena's shorn breath asking for more and more as Kara gave it to her. It was a supremely selfish act created by Eros himself... but still it was the product of all the love both women were feeling.

Kara's hands, mouth, and tongue were not enough for Lena, who demanded her lover's full attention, as well as returning every favor given that night so that Kara would feel all the wonders that Lena was experiencing for the first time in her life.

It was strange because Lena's life had been completely fine before having this ambrosia, but now she doubted she could live without it. The night was not enough for the young lovers who were willing to enjoy each other completely without any limits or distractions for as long as their bodies would hold out.

Without realizing it, Lena put into words all her love in the culmination of the act, leaving Kara more than satisfied and in love again as she saw her feelings reciprocated by the woman in her arms.

Lena didn't realize she had said she loved Kara, but Kara promised herself to keep that precious moment in her mind and have the patience to wait for Lena to be ready to bare her soul again.

" Nobody loves you like I love you. Oh, my dear, " Kara sang quietly as she kissed the head of her exhausted lover.

......

Kara went to buy food for dinner while Lena stayed at her apartment to help her clean up the place a bit, so she started sorting through trash, recyclables, and stuff from Kara's work.

There were so many papers torn out of notebooks and notebooks full of information about so many singers and actors that Lena feared she had learned someone else's secrets that she shouldn't have known. Of course, Kara is a woman of impeccable character who would not let artists' personal secrets leak out when they accidentally ended up revealing things to her during interviews.

That spoke so well of her girlfriend. Lena couldn't help but imagine Kara trying to rewrite parts of interviews or articles so as not to mention Mick Jagger's slip of the tongue or some black humor joke made by Kate Kane in the heat of the moment.

Lena heard the front door open as she finished putting all the papers in a box.

"I've tidied up most of the place; now all that's left to do is separate the laundry," Lena said with a smile as she walked out of Kara's room, only instead of Kara she found a shorter, red-haired woman dressed in dark clothing with Esme in her arms.

"Oh my god! You're—!" The woman looked at her with wide eyes.

"Lena!" Esme shouted.

"Hi, Cookie Monster." Lena greeted casually with a wave.

"This has got to be a joke." The woman put down the little girl, who didn't hesitate to go over and hug Lena. "First you kiss on national television and then you show up at my sister's apartment."

"You must be Alex," Lena said as she gathered Esme into her arms.

"How do you know my daughter so well?" Alex crossed her arms.

"Lena helped me with my Spanish homework, and she's my best friend," Esme explained.

"Occupational hazard." Lena shrugs.

"What kind of relationship do you have with my sister?"

"Super friends!" Esme answered for Lena. "Super friends who kiss."

"Well, Cookie Monster has a point here." Lena smiled nervously at the serious look on the red-haired woman's face. Could Lena say she was Kara's girlfriend, or did she have to wait for her permission?

Alex frowned and crossed her arms.

"Lena, sorry I'm late!" Kara walked in the door. "Oh, hi, Alex!"

"Hi, Kara. Your 'super friend' and I were just catching up," Alex said in a serious tone.

"Actually, Lena is my girlfriend," Kara corrected, placing the shopping bags on the coffee table. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yes!" Esme said. "Would you please put me down? I want to go wash my hands," the girl asked in a kind tone. Lena set her down carefully on the floor, and Esme ran to the main bathroom.

"When you said you'd be an extra in a crime series, I was surprised and supportive, but you never told me you'd be the love interest of the leading lady. Do you know you could become the new focal point for every hom*ophobic association in the country?" Alex got straight to the point without hiding her concern.

"It's a very innocent kiss." Kara shrugged. "You may not believe it, but this could be something very big down the road."

"I don't want anyone on the street to recognize you and want to find a reason to attack you or Lena just because they don't agree with us."

"Are you also part of the community?" Lena asks.

"Yes, I'm a lesbian too," Alex reveals. "Although at my job I'm allowed to keep it hidden."

"In mine, just the same..." Lena looks at Kara for a few seconds. "Until I no longer had control of my body because of your sister's beauty," she admits.

"Me? Look at you, Luthor!" Kara praised with a huge grin.

"You two must have been so obvious on set that now I think they took too long to greenlight your kiss."

"No, you're wrong. The kiss wasn't planned," Kara said innocently.

"You're a basket case, sis." Alex finally smiled, a little amused by the situation. "And you, Luthor — I'm a real police officer, so you know that if you hurt my little sister I won't hesitate to come after you one way or another."

"I don't think you should threaten Lena," Kara warned in a serious voice.

"Why?"

"She has a sister and two very Argentinian older brothers ready to attack anyone on her behalf."

"I don't understand."

"I met Lena during the interview I did with Hades from Lesbos," Kara said in a knowing tone. "You know, the band you taught me about in the first place?"

Alex shifted her gaze from Kara to Lena a couple of times. "No."

"Yes," Lena confirmed Alex's thought.

"Not... Oh, hell!" Alex gesticulated comically, self-censoring due to the presence of her daughter who had returned after washing her hands.

"What happened, Mommy?"

"Kara's super friend is the younger sister of my favorite band." Alex grimaced.

"And my super friend's sister has the job I impersonate on TV," scoffed Lena. She had just survived the famous shovel talk. That was a new achievement unlocked for her.

Kara laughed lightly in response.

..

"Are you going to Thanksgiving?" Alex asked curiously.

"Should I go?" Lena replied.

"It would be nice to have you with us for dinner," Kara encouraged.

Lena bit her lower lip thoughtfully before pulling out her cell phone and dialing Armando and putting the call on speaker.

"Leni-Boo!" he answered excitedly. "How can I be of service to America's #1 bisexual detective?"

Alex looked at Lena with wide eyes full of surprise.

Lena laughed, a little embarrassed. "What are we doing for Thanksgiving?"

"Oh... I don't know, what do you want to do?" he asked. Lena could feel the gazes of the two women and the girl on her.

"Kara and her sister have invited me to spend the holiday with their family..."

"Great! We'll maybe do something with Sam and Ruby... You know, pretend we're the average white American family," he said with some derision.

Lena couldn't help but pout. "Walmart Chicken, salsa gravy and McMashed?"

"Oh yeah! We're still on tour anyway, and now Dad's seeing a woman he met at church — he obviously wants privacy."

A weird feeling came over Lena. It was strange for her to think that someone else would be with her siblings for those kinds of activities instead of her. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to be able to spend more time with Kara, Esme, and now Alex, but it was weird to see how family could be separated so quickly. At least it wasn't Christmas or New Year's.

"Well, I'm going to guess it's okay to go with the Danvers sisters." Lena faked a smile.

"I hope they take good care of you, otherwise Andy will hunt Kara down to teach her Rojas-style manners," Armando joked.

Kara turned pale, and Lena actually laughed this time.

"She heard that loud and clear." Lena laid her head on Kara's shoulder, leaving a kiss on her cheek.

The changes were strange, but Lena wanted to think that maybe they weren't as painful as she thought they were.

The rest of the dinner was much calmer, with Alex listing the things Flawless Execution got right and wrong about the police as if Lena could make them change things they'd already recorded and now use as recurring items on the set. Esme asked random stuff about how movies and TV series are made, and Lena happily responded while lying on top of Kara on the couch while Kara played with her hair, relaxing her.

Okay, Lena was a little jealous of Samantha for spending more time with her siblings lately. But Lena was also strangely at home in Kara's arms, making acid jokes with Alex and answering every curious question from Esme, because the Rojas were her home, but the Danvers could also be a safe second place that maybe in time she'd get used to if all went well.

There was no better place to lie down and listen to Kara's rhythmic heartbeat until she fell completely asleep.

......

"Maybe it wasn't what you planned, that it was a simple joke..." Lena said in a serious tone.

"Yes! I swear, ma'am!" said the handcuffed boy on the table in the fake interrogation office.

"But your classmate has died due to an allergic reaction," Lena continued as if nothing had happened, undeterred when the teenager began to cry.

"We never meant to do that!" he shouted in despair.

Lena squared her jaw in annoyance. Without a hint of remorse, she pulled out photos of the corpse of the aforementioned boy from a folder.

"Cry all you want, but witnesses have informed us that you and your group have been harassing their classmates for two years now, always getting away with it thanks to donations from your parents. But this is very different, and now I want all the names. Because while the others aren't hesitating to point fingers at you to wash their hands of the situation, you're covering for them," Lena said threateningly. "Give young Spike justice," she whispered, knowing the microphone could still pick it up.

The boy was a sea of tears, snot and gasps showing a pitiful and unstable image as he nodded. Lena was going to praise his talent when the scene was over.

The camera zoomed in one last time on the boy and then on Lena for about thirty seconds before zooming out completely, framing them both. That was going to be the season finale.

"Cut!" Laurel shouted. "That was wonderful!"

Lena patted the boy after he wiped his face with a towel passed to him by the set assistants.

Lena rearranged her white jacket before exiting the set space, looking around for Kara. She was left in complete paralyzing shock as a familiar, aging face approached her.

"My sweet Helena!" Cried the graying black-haired woman approaching.

"What the f*ck!" Lena shouted in response pulling away as far as she could, but the woman was quicker to wrap her arms around her.

The smell of cheap perfume and sweat flooded Lena, making her nauseous, evoking painful memories of her childhood.

"Who are you?" Laurel asks curiously as the woman let go of Lena.

"I am..."

"No one," Lena instantly silenced the woman, who looked at her, offended. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Your friend James contacted me. He was kind enough to pay for my one-way ticket here just to see you after all this time..." The woman looked at Lena as if she were a treasure.

Lena tensed her jaw, this time with a real fury on the verge of exploding. She could hear some people starting to talk even though Laurel was trying to keep them at bay. Lena didn't think long before grabbing the woman's arm and leading her towards the exit.

"Helena!" she shouted in surprise.

f*ck.

"My name is LENA!" she shouted angrily, releasing her now that they were a little further apart.

"That's not what I named you; it was just a stupid nickname. Now you're a grown woman who should learn to use her full name." She spoke in an acidic voice, dropping the act of the sweet woman coming to visit her daughter.

"Who the f*ck cares about the name you gave me? Only the name I gave myself and built after so many years of struggle matters now," Lena replied in annoyance. She felt her ears ringing with anger and I could almost tell she was looking red in the face. "I am not yours, and you are nothing of mine, and it's been that way for so many years. You should leave." She points to the exit.

"And what am I going to gain by leaving?"

The air rushed in and out of Lena, feeling completely warm.

"Lena..." Kara said, coming closer. She was holding Lena's purse in one of her arms.

Lena thought nothing of it before quickly grabbing her wallet, pulling out her checkbook and furiously jotting down four figures on the paper and stamping it against the woman's chest.

"You come near me again and I swear..."

"What, Helena, that your tomboy over there is going to hit me?" The woman asked viciously. Lena practically jumped up to attack, but Kara was much quicker to grab her and lift her off the ground.

"Lena!" Kara was trying to reason with her, but Lena growled and whined, wanting to at least scratch the stupidly made-up face of the sneering addict in front of her.

"There's paparazzi out there!" shouted Kara.

Lena reasoned, looking at the woman with surprise. She only shrugged with a smile that Lena was disgusted to have inherited. It wasn't long before she was out the door, ands Lena felt everything in slow motion. Kara carefully lowered her to the floor, but Lena practically fell to her knees starting to cry, feeling completely humiliated.

Kara hugged her tightly.

"Get me out of here!" begged Lena, trying to hide her face.

Kara didn't say anything, but she took her to the dressing room before making a quick phone call. Lena couldn't stop crying; she felt so vulnerable. She wasn't surprised when Alex along with a large fatherly looking man came in and offered to escort them out of the CATCOtv facility. Alex and the man — who introduced himself as J'onn — covered them from the paparazzi who photographed them and showered them with cruel and savage questions.

Of course, they wanted to know how the enigmatic and mysterious Lena Luthor that the public loved had never spoken of her humble origins or her birth family. Perhaps her mother had spoken to them before coming in.

Lena felt so on autopilot that when Kara hugged her inside the cab, she ended up sleeping — she was exhausted both mentally and emotionally.

Only Lena wasn't taken to her or Kara's apartment; she was surprised to wake up at the National City airport.

"Kara?"

"Right now you must feel so bad and just need support, but the truth is, you need more than I can provide... You need the support of your family." Kara smiled warmly at her.

Lena felt loving warmth fill her completely.

"Shall we go?"

"Let's go to Gotham to the Hades from Lesbos concert so you can hug your brothers like you need to and forget about that leech James brought here." Kara helped guide her through the airport.

"I didn't even pack." Lena looked at her in confusion.

"Jack will catch up with you, you don't have to worry about anything, my dear," Kara said in that completely self-assured voice of hers. Jack? Wasn't he filming in London or at one of those weird, incommunicado, spiritual retreats he always went to?

Lena felt the tears welling up again. She felt so on edge with all these conflicting feelings and emotions, but one thing Lena had discovered is that the disgust, dislike and even hatred she feels for her mother was turning into an absolute nothingness as it completed against the love that she had germinated and nurtured all this time, which was hatching in such a beautiful and wonderful way that nothing else mattered anymore. As long as she just had Kara holding her hand or hugging her, it was absolutely nothing. No negative feeling could ever compete with the love she feels for Kara.

And absolutely no one can ruin that.

"I love you, I love you so much, Kara Danvers. I love you so much that I think it starts to hurt if I don't say it out loud." Lena didn't even mind that she was a celebrity and that the whole airport could hear them or photograph them at that moment.

The more people who knew how much she loved Kara, the better.

"Lena!" Kara blushed all over. "I love you too," she responded.

Lena may have been born in a f*cking rat's nest without knowing what love is, but now she could sleep with the certainty that when she woke, she would have someone to tell that she loves them in the purest possible way, and have that reciprocated completely, if not more.

They boarded the first Gotham-bound plane they could find with nothing on their minds but to forget the world around them and enjoy how much they love and will love each other.

Lena no longer felt she needed the control that she thought made her life better, but she also didn't need to lock herself in her shell to feel safe. Now she just needed to see Kara's smile and she'd know that everything would work out, no matter how planned or unplanned their future was.

It was like freeing herself from chains that she never knew were holding her down until they were no longer there. It wasn't that Kara had the key, but that she led her to it, so that Lena could find it and free herself. And that was completely wonderful.

They were, are, and will always be wonderful together.