Archive of Our Own

Ever since she’d arrived on Earth, Kara had learned a lot about time periods. Whether it was in theological terms—B.C. Before Christ; A.D. After Death. Geological terms—Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cretaceous, etc. Or Hollywood eras—Silent Age, Talkies, Golden Age, etc. It seemed humans wanted to (and did) classify every event, every thing in a very specific way. Compartmentalization. Neat, tidy, easily referenced (if or when necessary).

After returning from the Phantom Zone for the second time, Kara found herself struggling to return to the swing of things. She had to remember and even write down her normal routines to make sure she wouldn’t forget anything. Most days she struggled to remind herself that she was far less likely to be attacked leaving the safety of her apartment than she was in the PZ. Her clothes were just a bit looser from the weight she’d lost during those months. She just felt…off. As though she was a square peg trying to fit in the round hole that was her BPZ2—Before the Phantom Zone 2.0—life.

It wasn’t everything that felt out of place, thankfully. Things with Alex always fell back into step quickly, and Kelly had become such a calming and levelheaded fixture in all their lives that Kara was positive things could only feel off-kilter with her if she and Alex parted ways. J’onn was the ever-steady father figure and guiding light. Nia and Brainy were reliable comic relief, even if they did it unintentionally, and wonderful confidantes. And then there was…Lena.

Lena was… What could Kara say? Lena was Lena. Her best friend. The person she would go to the ends of the Earth for. The person she had missed so dearly, not just for all those months in the PZ, but before that—during their Dark Ages. That’s how Kara had decided to refer to their estrangement. It even included a plague called Lex, who tried to consume and destroy not just Kara, but more importantly, Lena.

When Kara saw her on the ship after the rescue mission, her chest constricted so tightly, she couldn’t breathe. Then she hugged Lena so tightly that Lena couldn’t breathe—Kara had almost broken her ribs, she’d squeezed so hard. She breathed Lena in, instantly warming from the cold that was the Phantom Zone.

When they pulled back, Kara just stared at her, taking in each detail: the crinkles by her eyes as she smiled; the dimples in her cheeks; how one eye was a slightly different (but no less brilliantly beautiful) shade than the other; the way she glanced down at the floor before looking Kara in the eyes, a blush creeping onto her cheeks and tears pooling in her own.

As they fell silently down her face, Kara gently wiped them away with a swipe of her thumb before pulling her into another hug—still powerful, but less chance for broken ribs. She let out a sigh of contentment.

Now, she supposed, they were entering the Age of Enlightenment. No more secrets, no more lies. If only Kara could just figure out how to get things to shift back into place.

She was glad they had made a pitstop back to Argo to reunite Zor-El with Alura—not sure she could handle having to essentially babysit her father on Earth while also trying to reacclimate. But her parents had made a promise to make the journey to Earth at some point.

---

On her first day back to CatCo, Kara fidgeted with just about everything—her glasses, her ID lanyard, her sweater, the pen she always had at the ready. She wasn’t actually sure if she was ready to go back into the office, but there was the matter of rent and bills. That’s how she found herself in the elevator with Nia, making the slow ascent to the news division.

Nia had briefed her on the story she’d given to Andrea to cover for Kara’s sudden disappearance, and she prayed to Rao (and any other deity that happened to be listening) that Andrea wouldn’t swoop down on her asking for any sort of piece—finished or otherwise—to be looked at.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, she took a deep breath and stepped out into the bullpen. The smell of coffee from the breakroom, the hum of copiers and printers and the various ringtones of cellphones and desk phones greeted her from all angles. She smiled briefly, closing her eyes to take it all in.

“Kara!” a booming voice, male, ruined the moment for her.

“Oh, right. William…” Kara sighed. She’d honestly forgotten about him. Not intentionally, but…still.

Nia gave her a tight smile, squeezed her shoulder and headed toward her desk. Extricating herself from what Nia was sure would be a painfully awkward conversation.

Kara almost reached out to snag her back, to act as a buffer of sorts, but she wasn’t quick enough to react before William had her wrapped in an embrace.

“Oh, Kara, I’ve missed you!” he said, giddily.

“Uh, William. Hi,” Kara replied, uncomfortable to say the least. Even before she’d disappeared, they weren’t exactly on hugging terms. It didn’t help matters that he seemed to have bathed in his cologne, too, as it assaulted her nose and almost activated her gag reflex.

He finally let her go and pulled back, a large smile on his face. She gave him a small smile in return.

“How was your trip? What is this big story you and Cat have been working on? When can I read it? Where did you end up going?”

“Miss Grant,” Kara began, pointedly. The gall, the level of disrespect this man had to refer to her by her first name. As if they were old friends.

“I can’t believe you just took off like that, without even telling me! I was so upset with you when Nia announced you’d gone during that first morning meeting.”

Kara felt her face scrunch in disbelief at William. Who does this guy- she thought before he cut her off again.

“Everyone who needed to know was informed,” Kara brusquely replied, quirking her eyebrow and crossing her arms.

He looked put off by her tone momentarily, then shook his head as if he were brushing it off.

“Anyway, I’ll let you make it up to me. We’ll go out for dinner.”

Kara really couldn’t believe what she was hearing. As if she had something to apologize for or owed him any sort of explanation. They had gone on literally one date and…what? Suddenly they were in a committed relationship? No, absolutely not. Had he been this pushy and weirdly, borderline possessive the whole time?

She squinted at him and shook her head. “Actually, William. Having just gotten back into town, I have a lot to catch up on, so that’s not going to work.”

“Oh, right. Of course,” he seemed to have the sense to look somewhat sheepish, then. Mercifully his phone rang and he indicated he needed to take the call. “We’ll talk later, yeah?” he said, walking away.

Kara merely nodded, hoping that he’d forget to find her again. She headed to her desk and garnered a sympathetic look from Nia before opening her laptop, finding an email from Cat Grant with an exposé about Lex’s blackmail and firings in the National City’s District Attorney office, as well as his ties to Leviathan, with a shared byline that included her name.

“Thank Rao for Cat Grant,” she whispered, leaning back in her chair with her hand to her chest like she was out of breath.

She sent off a quick thank you text to her mentor. Her phone chimed shortly after.

Don’t just thank me; thank Miss Luthor. She was invaluable to this piece.

Kara smiled widely. Of course she was, she thought.

Her phone sounded once more and she felt tears well in her eyes before they blurred her vision.

I’m glad you made it back safely, Kara. I look forward to seeing you soon.

She opened the file and began reading, making notes of potential stylistic changes she wanted to make, just so the piece read more like it was a true collaboration. The longer she worked, the more comfortable she started to feel; as though a small puzzle piece of her life was clicking back into its rightful place.

---

Kara stared at the ceiling above her bed. It was late-ish; probably around 11:30, or so. Mentally she was exhausted after a full day of work—not to mention the awkward William encounter—yet there she was, wide awake. Mind running wild, body completely restless.

She huffed a heavy sigh before rolling out of bed and changing into a pair of athletic shorts and her running shoes. If her brain wouldn’t shut up, she’d just go for a run. She threw on her National City University hoodie before grabbing her phone, headphones, and keys and headed out into the night.

She kept her pace relatively slow but steady, her body still not fully back in shape from her time away. She didn’t want to strain or possibly injure anything—they still weren’t sure how Kara’s body and physiology may have changed (other than the weight loss) in the atmospheric exposure she’d had in the Phantom Zone. Considering the first time she was there she had been completely protected by her pod, there was no telling at that point if there were any side effects.

Kara hadn’t really paid attention to where she was running—she was too consumed with the running playlist and her racing thoughts that crept in every other song. It wasn’t until about an hour later when she found herself outside of Lena’s apartment building.

Under the guise of stretching her limbs, she casually glanced up to an ever-familiar balcony and noticed a light shining through Lena’s window.

“She’s awake,” Kara breathed lightly.

Alex and Nia had mentioned Lena’s more frequent night owl tendencies after Kara had disappeared and Kara may have noticed the slightly dark circles under Lena’s eyes when they reunited. Concerned, Kara headed inside.

It had been a long while since she’d taken the elevator to Lena’s place—more recently she had been using the balcony, as there was no longer a need to hide her ability to fly. It felt strange. Almost wrong. Thankfully, the elevator opened before she could overthink it.

She made the quick walk to Lena’s door and her hand hovered in the air, as if unsure of what to do next. Like she’d never knocked on a door, let alone Lena’s, before.

Kara bounced up and down a couple of times, cracked her knuckles and shook out her arms. It was no big deal; she was just visiting her friend.

She rapped her knuckles on the thick wood door a few times and waited. Her ears picked up Lena shuffling to the door and her steady heartbeat before a brief pause. Then, several locks were quickly unfastened and Kara was greeted with a breathtaking sight—Lena, clad in navy silk pajamas and a pair of dark rimmed glasses, her hair thrown up into a messy bun.

Rao… She really never looks bad, does she?

“Kara?” Lena questioned with her eyebrow raised. “What are you-” she glanced behind her, to the left, almost sadly. Kara followed her glance and noticed the balcony door ajar, as if waiting for something…maybe someone.

She imagined slapping her own forehead. Duh…of course Lena would expect her to drop in via her balcony. That was their thing.

You’re a freakin’ idiot, Danvers, Kara mentally chided herself. Just another check in the “Things That Are Off” column.

“Hey,” she started. “I’m sorry, I know it’s late, but-”

Lena shook her head, “No, no, you’re fine. Come inside.” She waved her in and resecured the door behind them. “Is everything ok?” Concern dripped heavily from Lena’s voice.

Kara noticed the numerous locks of various varieties on Lena’s door. “I feel like I should be asking you that,” she nodded her head toward the security measures in question.

Lena blushed slightly, “Never can be too careful, these days.”

“Is that why you’ve got your balcony door wide open?” Kara replied, sticking her tongue out.

“Touché,” Lena chuckled. “Though, I find the handful or slightly more of people I know that could access that balcony without a very tall ladder to be trustworthy enough. Which brings me to my original question of, ‘What are you doing outside my front door?’”

Kara looked down and tugged anxiously at her hoodie’s front pocket, unsure of what to do with her hands.

“I’m not feeling quite like myself, I guess…” she nibbled on her lip and sadly raised her gaze to her best friend.

Lena nodded, solemnly. Her jaw was clenched. “That makes sense, you’ve been gone a while and you…” she swallowed heavily, “experienced some things. It’ll take some time to get back to any semblance of normalcy.”

Kara nodded and whispered a small yeah in return. She felt her heart speed up slightly at even the hint of what had happened in the Phantom Zone. Lena knew without actually knowing.

They stood there a moment, quietly appraising one another. They were both somewhat unsure if the other was actually there; if this was really happening.

“Why don’t you come in and sit down? I’ll get you some water.” Lena was the first to break the silence.

Kara made her way to the living room, taking notice of the discarded book and a half full mug of tea on the coffee table, as well as the disheveled throw at the near end of the sofa. She sat down softly on the plush cushion, sinking slightly, and let out a relaxed sigh as she leaned back.

“Your couch really is the best couch,” Kara said, casually. She heard Lena’s soft laugh carry from the kitchen.

“I’m glad you like it, darling. Perhaps I’ll get you one just like it for Christmas to replace your own.”

“You wouldn’t dare. Bessie has character and history.”

“The fact that you named your secondhand couch is…”

“Charming? Yes, I know,” Kara joked. At Lena’s scoff, she continued. “Besides, if you got me a couch like yours, it minorly ruins my incentive for coming over here.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” the smirk evident in her voice.

Kara felt her heart speed up again. It was her turn to swallow thickly.

What the heck?

Lena returned to the living room with a glass of ice water, handing it to Kara before taking a seat next to her on the couch, tucking one leg under herself and propping her elbow on the back, her head leaning against her hand as she took in Kara’s profile.

Feeling Lena’s eyes burning into her head, Kara took a long drink, unaware of just how parched she was.

“So, whatcha been up to these last couple months? Anything interesting?” Kara grinned cheekily at Lena, who returned it with a toothy grin, a small laugh and a light shake of her head.

They talked for a while, Kara’s eyes starting to feel heavier and heavier as she relaxed further into the sofa. Lena caught her up on having left Luthor Corp for good, and how she and Alex had finally come to a solid, trusting place in their friendship. Kara carefully broached the subject of the absence of a normal sleep schedule. Lena demurred, insisting she could catch up now that Kara was finally back.

Kara tenderly squeezed Lena’s hand as she described the intense and massive amount of guilt she had over Kara being sent back to the Phantom Zone, even though Kara insisted to her that she would have died if Lena hadn’t initiated her protocol at the Fortress, in the first place; that Lex, in all likelihood, would have killed Alex and J’onn and all their friends, possibly even Lena herself, and taken over the world, were it not for Lena’s quick thinking.

Kara’s eyes strayed several times from Lena’s down her face—tracing her cheekbones and nose down to her lips, noticing the blush that crawled up her neck each time it happened, and how Lena would readjust her body or start to pick at the couch fabric with those long, lithe fingers—and once from Lena’s eyes to the clock on the wall, noticing it was almost 2 a.m.

“I should get going,” she said, covering a yawn. “I’ve overstayed-” Kara tried to get up, but Lena’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“You could never overstay. Stay the night, please,” Lena pleaded in a hushed tone. “I don’t want you trying to run or fly home like this.”

Kara nodded, acquiescing immediately. The couch really was so comfy.

Lena rose from her seat, allowing Kara to fully stretch out and cuddle up with the throw pillow, her eyes closing in an instant. She covered her with the blanket she’d been using before Kara arrived. She leaned down and gingerly kissed Kara’s temple. Before Lena could walk away, Kara caught her hand and ran her thumb sweetly over the back.

“I really missed you when I was…away,” Kara whispered, bleary eyes on Lena once more, before shutting completely.

Lena said nothing. Instead, she made her way to the balcony door, making sure it was fully closed and locked before heading toward her bedroom before she paused for a second.

Her head was only partially turned back toward the living room as she spoke, barely audible. “You have no idea how much I missed you, Kara.” She walked into her bedroom and settled in for the night.

Well, barely audible for someone without superhearing.

A small smile played on Kara’s lips as she heard the bedroom door click shut. Another of life’s puzzle pieces slid back into place and Kara quickly fell into a restful night’s sleep.

---

“You know what you need?” Nia asked as they stepped off the elevator after lunch later that week.

“What’s that?” Kara responded, fully absorbed with her dish of ice cream they’d each brought back with them.

“Karaoke Night. You’re not really back until both Game Night and Karaoke Night happen.”

Kara contemplated while taking in another spoonful of her vanilla soft serve. “You know, you’re absolutely right.” She pointed her spoon at Nia and continued, “Send out the group text. We’ll do it tonight!”

“Yes!” Nia fist pumped and whipped out her phone.

The replies came flying in, featuring various emojis and exclamation points.

Kara glanced at her phone as they approached their desks.

“Wait,” she said noticing a particular name. “You invited William?”

“Oh, should I not have?” Nia replied, seemingly confused. “It’s just- Well, before your…absence, you guys were kind of starting something, right? I thought you-”

“No, it’s…fine.” Kara wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea. The guy had been acting so clingy and bizarre all week. She really started wondering what she had originally found attractive about the guy. “The more the merrier!”

She gave Nia a smile that didn’t feel entirely genuine and headed to her desk. Nia silently laughed to herself. She wasn’t daft, dumb or blind. She could tell Kara was no longer into William—wondered if she ever really was—but she also knew Kara wouldn’t break it off with him unless she was nudged just enough. He was making it relatively easy as it was with his off-putting behavior.

Yes, it was all going to work out as it should. Now all she had to do was figure out what songs she was going to do and call dibs on them before Alex and Kelly tried to.

That night…

By the time Kara arrived at Al’s, the place was in full swing. There was a couple already on the stage doing a wonderfully terrible rendition of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” while various audience members cheered and jeered, drunkenly. It was nice to know that some things hadn’t changed while she was away.

She glanced around and spotted the group and their usual tables and made a beeline for them.

“Hey, guys!” she greeted happily and gave a side hug to Alex. Brainy was pouring over the song book, looking for just the right number to impress Nia.

“Kara, great. You can settle a debate-” Kelly started, but she was quickly cut off by Nia.

“Uh uh, Olsen. You don’t get to sneak out of this one by having Kara take your side before she’s even taken her coat off!”

Kara chuckled as they continued to argue, apparently about who had the right voice for the Michelle Branch song they both wanted to perform, and looked to her sister.

“How are you holding up? Still feeling out of sorts?” Alex asked, bumping her lightly with her shoulder.

Kara nodded and shrugged off her coat. “Yeah, but I think it’s getting a little better every day. I can feel things starting to fall back into place.” She glanced around, noticing a few missing people. “Where’s J’onn?”

Alex, who’d been in the midst of taking a sip of her beer, tilted her head back toward the bar. “He’s getting drinks with William.” She noticed the twitch in Kara’s face at the mere mention of his name and snorted. Nia was right, but she wasn’t about to say anything. This was Kara’s issue to deal with.

“Oh, right…” Kara’s head went on swivel again. “And where’s-” She cut herself off at the sound of the door opening. “Lena,” she said breathless as a luminous grin spread across her lips. Kara abandoned her spot next to Alex in favor of being the first to welcome her.

“There you are!” Kara exclaimed and drew Lena into a hug.

She always smells so good.

Pulling back, Lena had on an equally bright smile. She shirked off her coat, looking around to spot the others. “I’m not late, am I? I haven’t missed Kelly and Nia fighting over who gets to do Britney?”

“No,” Kara laughed. “You’re just in time, actually.”

“Great. I swear, some week one of us should just go up before either of them and do some “Baby, One More Time” or “Toxic” or something.”

“Gosh, could you imagine? They’d kill us! Unless…”

They exchanged a look and both shouted “Brainy!” at the same time, dissolving into a fit of laughter.

“That would be perfect. They’d never see it coming.” Lena began plotting.

“Yes!” Kara whispered conspiratorially in return. “Imagine him doing a super soulful version of “Everytime.” Oh, gosh. I need it. Now!”

They smiled (some would say dopily) at each other for a long minute. Just lost in each other’s presence.

Lena was the first to snap out of the daze and gripped her coat a little tighter, but never lost her grin. “So, can I get you a drink?”

Kara, if it were possible, smiled even wider. “Actually, that would be g-”

“Kara, love, there you are!” William’s voice was unnecessarily loud, considering they were in between performers and there was only a quiet hum of conversations. He was entirely clueless that he’d interrupted something. “Here,” he tried to hand her a martini glass. “I bought you a Manhattan.” It was only then that he noticed she was standing with someone. “Oh, hello, Lena. Didn’t see you there.” He gave what Lena was sure he thought was a charming smile.

She pursed her lips and only gave him a minimal hum of acknowledgement. She’d spoken to him maybe all of three times, mostly in passing. The only thing she knew of that they had in common was they both hated Lex. While on a normal day that might be enough to at least make her try to make an attempt at polite conversation, the way he carried himself had such an air of…arrogance and smarm. She’d met and known plenty of guys like him over the years.

Kara and Lena both looked at the dark drink quizzically before they exchanged a look and an imperceptible nod toward the bathroom.

“Uh, thanks. Could you just take it to the table? Lena and I need to use the restroom.” Kara reached for Lena’s hand, which she gave happily, and allowed herself to be pulled to the back of the bar before William could say another word.

Huh… Kara thought to herself as she gave a passing glance down to their clasped hands. Perfect fit.

As it turned out, Kara actually did have to pee. She left Lena at the bar and made it a quick trip to the ladies’ room. When she returned, freshened and ready for the evening, Lena held out a rocks glass with a shy smile.

“I took the liberty of ordering you a gin and tonic. Didn’t want you to have to suffer through your distaste of dark liquor.”

Kara gratefully took the glass. She was just about to ask for a water back when the bartender dropped two glasses of ice water next to Lena’s scotch and soda.

“You know me so well!” Kara beamed and took her glass of water, as well.

“Indeed, I do,” Lena replied softly before following Kara to their table. J’onn and Brainy had gone to the dart board for a quick match.

“Sprock!” Brainy grumbled loudly, frustrated as his dart sailed wide when another bar patron had accidentally bumped him on their way to the stage.

“Kara, let’s pick a song.” William barely gave Kara time to set her drinks down before he reached across the table and pulled her around to his side where he was perusing the song book. “You still owe me for leaving without notice!”

Lena barely contained her eye roll behind her drink glass as she took a big gulp.

“Did he really just say that?” Alex wondered aloud, glancing between Kelly, Nia and Lena.

“He has been making comments like that all. Week,” Nia replied quietly. “It’s really getting annoying.”

They all glanced over to Kara and William as he babbled nonstop while flipping through the pages, barely letting Kara get a word in edgewise. Lena felt her jaw clench slightly before she took another quick sip of her scotch and soda. She set the glass down, a little roughly, before heading over to the karaoke jockey’s booth.

Kara noticed Lena’s quick stride away from the table and was about to go after her when a waitress arrived with a towering plate of food. Kara’s eyes widened, not having realized just how famished she was.

“Nachos!” she squealed joyously. “Are you part psychic?!”

“Your friend placed the order when she got the drinks,” the waitress smiled and pointed to Lena, then cleared some of their empties from the table.

“She is the best!” Kara cried out, fists raised triumphantly, before grabbing several chips covered with cheese and jalapeños and Pico de Gallo, among numerous other delicious toppings.

“Kara!” Alex cackled. “Save some for the rest of us, maybe?”

“Wha-?” Kara replied naively, smiling around her mouth full of tortilla chips. “If all the chipsh are connected, then it countsh ash one nasho,” she attempted to explain while being as polite as she could with a mouth full of food.

She usually had outstanding table manners, but when it came to nachos? All bets and etiquette were off.

“Um, Kara. We were in the middle of something?” William whined, a slightly disgusted look on his face as Kara finished her bite.

“But…but the nachos, William,” her eyebrows drew closer together in disbelief and frustration as she pointed to the heaping stack of bar food excellence before them; that should have been enough explanation. Literally everyone else at the table seemed to understand the situation: nothing comes before or between Kara and her food.

“Yes, I see them. But you and I-”

“The song book isn’t going anywhere, William. Geez, a girl has to eat, you know? And I never actually agreed to sing with you!”

Kara had one hand on her hip and the other was gesticulating, somewhat wildly, between her, the nachos, and William’s obtuse self. It was a sure tell that someone was about to get their feelings (or their body) hurt.

“Oh, look! Lena’s up,” Nia jumped in before the situation turned uglier than it needed to.

Kara huffed, exasperated. She stomped over to the KJ booth and put in a song request. She had had more than enough of William’s bossiness and rude behavior. She had to end it, and what better way to do that than through song?

She was in the middle of writing down her name and almost missed Lena’s opening.

“I won’t lie to you. I know he’s just not right for you.
And you can tell me if I’m off,
But I can see it on your face
When you say that he’s the one that you want.
And you’re spending all your time
In this wrong situation
And anytime that you want it to stop…”

Kara was mesmerized. Lena usually went for current or 90s rock songs or sometimes bluesy, oldies type songs, so the selection of Shawn Mendes was a little out of left field. She was nailing it, though.

“I know I can treat you better…than he can.
And any girl like you deserves a…gentleman.
Tell me why are we wasting time
On all your wasted crying
When you should be with me instead?”

Lena had the crowd completely enamored, as well. They raucously cheered as she added a little rasp here and there on the “better than he can” lines.

She can literally do anything was the only thought running through Kara’s mind.

Their eyes found each other across the room.

“Give me a sign
Take my hand, we’ll be fine;
Promise I won’t let you down…
Just know that you don’t
Have to do this alone.
Promise I’ll never let you down.”

Lena’s voice got lighter, softer as she neared the end. She didn’t even blink.

“Cause I know I can treat you better…than he can.
And any girl like you deserves a…gentleman.
Tell me why are we wasting time
On all your wasted crying
When you should be with me instead?

I know I can treat you better…”

Lena took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her brow knitting together in a mix of anger and angst, releasing a powerful rasp to finish the song.

“Better than he can!”

Kara couldn’t breathe. It was like the air had been sucked from the room. The crowd thundered with cheers and applause. She nearly tripped over herself to get back to the table to congratulate Lena. The others, minus William (who was still sulking), were already piling on praise.

Lena rejoined her on the other side of the table as Kara took a quick sip of her water.

“So,” she began timidly, a stark contrast to the woman who had just been on stage. “What did you think?”

“Lena,” Kara shook her head still in disbelief. She gently squeezed Lena’s arm. “You were incredible.”

Lena beamed, “Really? You know I-”

“Kara, good. Maybe we can finish our conversation now.”

Lena’s eyes almost rolled out of her head as William interrupted their conversation, yet again. The karaoke gods seemed to smile down on them, though, as the KJ got on his microphone.

“And next up, Kara Danvers with a Kelly Clarkson bop!”

Kara looked apologetically at Lena and shrugged at William as though there was nothing she could do and headed onto the stage.

She grabbed hold of the microphone, keeping it in the stand, and bobbed her head in time with the opening notes from the electric guitar and piano.

“Mr. Know-It-All
Well ya, think you know it all
But ya…don’t know a thing at all”

“Oww!” Alex and Nia catcalled and clapped from the audience, causing Kara to smirk.

“Ain’t it somethin’, y’all?
When somebody tells you somethin’ ‘bout you;
Think that they know you more than you do.
So, you take it down, another pill to swallow…”

Kara’s face twisted up in annoyance, thinking about all the times William had belittled her when they first met. How condescending and dismissive he had been.

“Mr. Bring-Me-Down
Well ya, ya like to bring me down, don’t you?
But I ain’t layin’ down, baby. I ain’t goin’ down.
Can’t nobody tell me how it’s gonna be.
Nobody gonna make a fool outta me.
Baby, you should know that I lead, not follow.  

Oh, you think that you know me, know me.
That’s why I’m leavin’ you lonely, lonely…
‘cause, baby, you don’t know a thing about me…
You don’t know a thing about me.”

She clenched her jaw as she looked around the room. The crowd was into it, not as much as they were during Lena’s performance, but they weren’t actively booing her.

She brought her hands together over her head to clap and repeated the motion until she’d encouraged them to join her before she moved into the hook.

“You ain’t got the right to tell me
When and where to go, no right to tell me
Actin’ like you own me lately
Yeah, baby, you don’t know a thing about me”

The crowd continued the rhythm of the clap as she continued through the song. She knew she needed to make a big spectacle during one of the upcoming lines, just to drive her point home, so she made sure William was looking right at her as she sang.

“’cause I’m livin’ my truth without your lies
Let’s be clear, baby, this is goodbye
I ain’t comin’ back tomorrow”

Kara heard Alex and Nia whoop loudly from the table and she continued through to the end. The crowd gave her a polite applause with a couple of whistles from J’onn and Brainy, who’d finally returned to the table. Kara noted Lena was nowhere to be seen. She sent a questioning look to the three ladies, who just tapped their drinks to indicate Lena had gone to get a refill. Kara’s relief was short-lived, though, as William invaded her space with his large frame.

“That was awesome, Kara. A little flat in places, and I didn’t really get the clapping thing, but otherwise it was nice. Can’t say I would have picked that song, though, ha ha.”

“Ohhh, brother…” Nia expressed before taking a big pull of her beer—a very Alex type move—turning away from the absolute clueless dolt seated with them. She took Brainy’s hand and hauled him away. “C’mon, B. Let’s go sign up for our duet…”

“Hey,” Alex said, grabbing Kelly and dragging her after them. “Wait for us!” She wanted no part in the uncomfortable situation that was about to spill over.

Kara looked at J’onn who could only throw his hands up in an “I don’t know” gesture. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to figure out what exactly to say. She hadn’t been at all subtle and yet… So, instead, she threw her own hands up in exasperation and walked away muttering something about oblivious idiots.

William, a confused expression plastered all over his face, turned to J’onn who gave him a look of pity and a shake of his head before clapping him on the shoulder (a little roughly) as he walked over to the KJ booth. William shrugged a shoulder and took another sip of his drink as he continued to flip through the song catalog.

A while later…

The night progressed without much more in the way of drama between William and Kara. He’d finally taken a hint and backed off talking to Kara, instead attempting conversations with Brainy, J’onn, Kelly and Nia.

Nia and Brainy did a fun and adorable couple’s version of “9 to 5” while Alex and Kelly hit the nostalgia pop era with their rendition of B*Witched’s “C’est La Vie.” J’onn’s surprising version of DMX’s “Party Up (Up in Here)” got the drunken crowd out of their seats and jumping. Brainy ended up on stage solo at one point, performing a very poignant interpretation of “Mr. Roboto” by Styx that garnered a standing ovation and moved several audience members to tears. Nia and Kelly finally settled their earlier disagreement by duetting Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere.”

All the while, Kara flipped through the song book until she found a number she’d completely forgotten about, but remembered loving growing up. She quickly made her way to the KJ booth to get on the list before they closed.

As she made it back to the table, Lena had just returned from the bathroom. A drunken singer was on stage attempting to belt out Paris Hilton’s classic, “Stars are Blind.”

“I’m really glad you made it out tonight, Lena.”

“Yeah, me too. It’s been nice to just get together with everyone and not have it be because of some life-or-death crisis.”

“Oh, you mean like regular people?” Kara teased.

Lena snickered, “Exactly. We probably shouldn’t let ourselves get too used to it, huh?”

“Probably not. We’d be tempting the fates with that,” she responded with a wink.

Lena had a soft smile playing on her lips as she looked down at the table for a moment.

“Did I get a chance to thank you for the nachos? They were delicious,” Kara said, resting her hand on Lena’s forearm.

“Well, I had a feeling you wouldn’t have a chance to have dinner after work, so I wanted to make sure you had something in your stomach. Can’t properly do karaoke without at least one plate of bar food.”

“See, you get it! Everyone else gets it, except-”

“Yes, well…” Lena paused, mulling over her words carefully, so as not to potentially offend Kara. “He’s new. Give him time, maybe he’ll figure it out.”

“I doubt it,” Kara grumbled, mostly to herself.

As the evening drew to a close, Kara was called one last time to the stage. The group hooted and hollered for her as she wove her way through the tables. She took hold of the microphone stand and readjusted it to the proper height as the music started. For some reason, her heart started to speed up. Her eyes closed as her voice took a hushed tone for the first verse of Daniel Bedingfield’s “If You’re Not the One.”

“If you’re not the one, then why does my soul feel glad…today?
If you’re not the one, then why does my hand fit yours…this way?
If you are not mine, then why does your heart return…my call?
If you are not mine, would I have the strength to stand…at all?”

She opened her eyes. The spotlight was bright, but she managed to find Lena’s eyes and felt her heart skip a beat.

“I never know what the future brings
But I know you’re here with me now
We’ll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with…”

Lena’s stare never wavered, but Kara found herself having to look at strangers in the audience, having some trouble catching her breath.

“I don’t wanna run away, but I can’t take it; I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I could stay…in your arms?”

Kara hit a lovely falsetto that prompted several audience members to “woo” boisterously.

“If I don’t need you then why am I crying on…my bed?
If I don’t need you then why does your name resound…in my head?
If you’re not for me then why does this distance maim…my life?
If you’re not for me then why do I dream of you…as my wife?”

Kara’s heart stopped after that verse as she was slapped in the face with a cold, hard realization: this song had significant parallels to her and her situation and feelings towards Lena.

Oh, man… she thought, her eyes going a little wide. That whole second verse was me when we were fighting and I didn’t even— OH, man!

Kara started to feel a little nauseous, but she quickly recovered to continue the song.

“I don’t know why you’re so far away
But I know that this much is true
We’ll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with
And I wish that you could be the one I die with
And I’m praying you’re the one I build my home with”

She caught Lena’s eyes again, could swear she saw tears pooling in them, and fleetingly noticed that William had a rather large smile plastered on his face.

“I hope I love you all my life.  

I don’t wanna run away, but I can’t take it; I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I could stay…in your arms?”

Kara felt tears brimming in her eyes and tried to muster everything in her to not start bawling on the stage. Her hands tightened on the microphone and stand, nearly to the point of crushing both.

“’cause I miss you…body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away.
And I breathe you…into my heart and I pray for the strength to stand today.
‘cause I love you…whether it’s wrong or right
And though I can’t be with you tonight
You know my heart is by your side.  

I don’t wanna run away, but I can’t take it; I don’t understand.
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I could stay…in your arms?”

As the song’s last notes faded out and the crowd cheered, Kara felt the bile rising in her throat. She quickly covered her mouth and ran off the stage and to the bathroom where she expelled the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

Those wonderful, delicious nachos, she thought with sadness.

The door creaked open slightly and Kara prayed that it wasn’t Lena. She couldn’t let her see her like this.

“Kara?”

It was Alex. Kara looked up and sent a silent ‘thank you’ to any and all higher powers that existed.

“Are you alone?” she worriedly answered.

At Alex’s answer in the affirmative, Kara flushed the vomit and exited the stall, immediately washing her hands and rinsing her mouth.

Alex’s face was covered with concern when she asked, “You want to tell me what’s going on or are you going to try and say your stomach of steel couldn’t handle the nachos?”

Kara gave her an exhausted but withering look; Alex really knew her too well.

“I realized something while I was singing,” she said as she leaned tiredly against the sink and crossed her arms. She scuffed the toe of her shoe on the dingy floor to avoid her sister’s questioning eyes. “I like Lena… Like, like like.”

“I see,” was all Alex said.

Kara’s head whipped up with an incredulous look until she noticed Alex’s smirk.

“You knew?” she whined.

“It’s not like you’ve been hiding it all these years,” Alex laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m the only one who knows. Or, well, Kelly might. We’ve never discussed it, but she’s scary good at reading people.”

Kara nodded, “Probably comes with the territory of her work… I have to get out of here, Alex. I can’t face her, yet. I’d probably say something dumb and scare her off and we only just got back to a good place.”

It was then that Kara noticed Alex was holding out her coat and purse.

“You’re forgetting that I’ve known you practically your whole life, kid.”

“You are the best sister on the planet!”

“Yeah, yeah. Go now before the others come looking,” Alex rolled her eyes and smiled.

The whoosh from Kara’s superspeed blew up Alex’s hair.

When she exited the bathroom and returned to the table, the others were still waiting.

“Alex, is she ok?” Lena said, clearly worried.

“Uh yes and no. She said she just needed to go home and rest. Probably a stomach bug or something,” Alex replied. She knew the majority of the table would know not to push the story since William was still unaware of Kara’s abilities.

“I should make sure she gets home alright. Maybe bring her some soup,” he said gathering his things hurriedly.

“She’ll be fine,” Lena sniped, but quickly caught herself. “I mean, I’m sure Alex got her in a Lyft and she’ll let her know when she gets home.”

“Right…” William replied warily. “Well, I guess I’ll see you all later then. Fun karaoke night!”

The group murmured halfhearted goodbyes to him as he walked away.

With assurances from Alex that Kara was, in fact, alright, the others headed home as well.

As Alex opened the door to the car, Kelly asked, “So, do I get to know what’s going on or is this a wait and see thing?”

“Definitely a wait and see thing,” Alex laughed and winked.

---

The next week passed by slowly, but surely. Kara seemed to find small gifts waiting for her every day—a flower arrangement with “get well soon - w” on the card and a cup of chicken soup from the cafeteria in the building on Monday, a small teddy bear holding a heart with “be mine” embroidered on it on Tuesday, a necklace with a heart pendant on Wednesday, etcetera.

Every day these items would appear and every day Kara rolled her eyes. She accepted the flowers and the soup with a genuine thank you, but when the stuffed animals and jewelry appeared, she politely returned them; insisted they were not necessary and she couldn’t accept them.

Still, every day, without fail, something new appeared. William promised to hold onto everything, insisting she would give in eventually and ask for the items back.

“You know, Kara. I’m quite the catch. If you don’t act quickly, someone else will snatch me up and then what’ll you do?” He’d told more than asked her.

When Nia sent out the group text later in the week asking about karaoke night, Kara noticed she failed to remove William’s name from the chain.

“Nia, why are you so intent on torturing me?”

Nia glanced up from her computer acting innocent. “Why Kara, whatever do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Nal,” Kara responded, an accusatory finger pointed directly in Nia’s face. “You invited him again.”

Nia’s light laugh trickled out of her. “I don’t see why not. He clearly seems to think there’s still something between you. You could have saved yourself a whole heap of trouble if you had just talked to him last week, like you should have.”

“I don’t know how I could have been any clearer with him,” Kara growled. “Like, what else could that song have meant?” She knew she was sounding petulant, but come on. How imperceptive could he be?

“You’re a grown up, Kara. It’s time to use your big girl words.” Nia patted Kara’s leg before giving her a soft push. “Now shoo, I’ve got to finish this before we leave.”

She received a “hmph” in return as Kara pouted her way back to her own desk.

Kara knew Nia was right, she needed to have an actual conversation with William, but she hated confrontation like that. She didn’t have much experience being the dumper.

Her phone chimed, indicating she had received a message. It was a text from William.

You still owe me that duet ;-)

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily before flipping her phone over for the remainder of the afternoon. She supposed she could and would get over the confrontation thing, just this once.

That night…

Kara arrived slightly earlier than the planned time, intent on getting herself on the list early enough in the lineup that she could take care of the William situation and still be able to enjoy the night.

Just as she was finishing writing her information down at the KJ booth, she noticed the group spill through the door. William seemed to be in the middle of a story that the rest of the group wasn’t thrilled in hearing. She smiled cautiously and waved and met them at their usual tables. Unfortunately, she caught the tail end of his anecdote.

“So, I said, ‘Kara, if you’re not careful, someone else will snatch me up!’ We’d make such a great looking couple, right?”

“William,” Lena ignored his question. “I really can’t imagine how you’ve stayed single as long as you have. You’re just so…”

He grinned and didn’t bother to let her finish before agreeing. “Thank you, Lena. You’re so right.”

It was quite obvious to everyone except him that Lena wasn’t trying to compliment him. She gave him a sardonic smile and turned to Alex.

“Drinks? Now?”

“Yes, please,” Alex begged, hooking her arm through Lena’s and heading to the bar.

Kelly and Nia’s argument this time was about Lady Gaga and Kara knew better than to get involved in that mess. Instead, she turned to Brainy and J’onn.

“So, what songs are you guys going with tonight?” Kara enthused.

“I’m not quite sure yet. Nia mentioned wanting to possibly perform something together from Jordin Sparks’ oeuvre. As for a solo number, I thought, perhaps, something by Weird Al Yankovic,” Brainy shared.

Kara’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She grasped his shoulders and shook him with delight.

“That is perfect! Oh my gosh, pleasepleaseplease do ‘Amish Paradise.’ Brainy, please.”

He grabbed her upper arms in return and replied, “I will if you stop shaking me. I’m starting to get motion sickness.”

Kara immediately released him and scratched the back of her neck, somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry. It was just such an exciting thought.”

J’onn’s deep-timbred laugh bubbled up and carried across the room.

“Kara, I have to ask,” J’onn suddenly became very serious and quieted his voice. “What is going on between you and…” He glanced covertly at William who, yet again, was pouring over the song book.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Absolutely nothing,” she whispered, anger tinging her tone.

“He doesn’t seem to be aware of that,” Brainy noted, looking at William and appraising the situation. “In fact, even with your powerful performance last week, I’d say there’s a 99.997% chance that he still thinks you two are on your way to becoming a romantic pairing.”

“And there’s a 100% chance that we are not,” Kara shot back.

J’onn and Brainy looked at her, skeptical.

Kara stood her ground. “I’m handling it. It’s handled.”

“Well, if you find you need help, we’re always here,” J’onn told her with a fatherly smile.

She considered how last week’s attempt at ending it went and replied, “I may just take you up on that, depending how it goes tonight…”

It was then that Lena and Alex returned from the bar with the first round: beers for everyone. Kara didn’t get the chance to take a sip of hers, though, as she was the first one to perform.

“Alright, alright, alright! Let’s give it up for our lucky first performer tonight, Kara Danvers! With a little early aughts banger.”

She hopped up on the stage, ready to get this over with. She grabbed the microphone out of the stand and prefaced her performance.

“This is for a certain someone who needs a reality check.”

The opening electronically produced instrumentations of “Get Over Yourself” by Eden’s Crush danced out of the speakers and Kara looked directly at William. Much to her dismay, he was just drinking his beer and had his attention split between his phone and the song book. So, Kara decided to try to entice him by swaying her hips.

“Yeah, I was right there, like a little wife
I was everything that you need, always in line
I was givin’ you, lovin’ you, fillin’ your desires
But that was then, this is now; look me in the eye and-
Ohh oh, if love could choose sides
Ohh oh, it’s takin’ mine, so  

Get over yourself, goodbye.
It must be hard to be you, yeah
Livin’ in your life
I was always the one to cry
Now everything, everything, everything is alright
Get over yourself, know why
Cuz without you, see I do anything I like
Sometimes I stay out all night
And everything, everything, everything is alright!”

William glanced up and watched for all of three seconds and returned to the song book. Kara couldn’t believe it. It shouldn’t have surprised her, yet there she was, giving her best early 2000s pop girl group dance moves and he couldn’t seem to care less. At least the rest of the crowd seemed to be digging it, based on their cheers and whistles.

“I was givin’ out, givin’ in
Givin’ away my dreams
You put it in, put me down
Now I got my self-esteem  

Ohh oh, won’t get me back
Ohh oh, you think I overreact”

Kara noticed the annoyed look on Lena’s face as she whispered to Alex and then took off toward the back of Al’s.

Oh, crap… she thought as the song continued. Alex whispered something to Kelly, who nodded, and then walked over to the KJ booth and scribbled something down on the performance list before returning to the table.

Mercifully, the song (and Kara’s apparently fruitless exercise) came to an end. Not only had she embarrassed herself by adding the dance moves to try and get William’s attention so maybe he’d get the point, but it seemed she also made Lena upset about something.

As she returned to the table, another performer was being called to the stage and the waitress was bringing two piping hot pizzas to their group.

Lena.

“How does she always know?!” Kara wondered aloud as she grabbed a slice of the pepperoni pie.

Alex snickered and shook her head good naturedly as she grabbed two slices of the veggie pie for Kelly and herself.

“Kara?” William finally was looking at her.

“Hmm?” she replied distractedly; she was shoving half the slice in her mouth.

His nose wrinkled distastefully as he looked at the greasy slice and then back to her.

“I just wanted to say you did everything you could with that song. Again, I definitely wouldn’t have picked it—a tad redundant and negative, in my opinion. But good try!”

The group gaped at his critique.

“How would you even know?” Nia said under her breath.

“What was that, Nia? I couldn’t hear you over the dying cat on stage right now,” William shouted.

Nia plastered a fake smile on her face and responded, “I said I’m going to go find Lena. Brainy? Will you please go put our song down on the list?”

The couple took off in different directions as the discomfort seeped out across their tables. Kara was going to get indigestion if she didn’t put a stop to it then and there. She set her slice down on her plate and wiped off her hands on a napkin.

“William, we need to talk.”

She rounded the table and grabbed his bicep (a tad harshly), dragging him a few tables away, his back to the stage. He seemed to perk up at the opportunity to spend some alone time.

“Our next performer is…Lena L. with a little rock ditty from the mid-2000s!” the KJ announced from his booth.

“I knew it,” William started before she had the chance.

“You knew what?” she said, irritation evident in her tone and on her face. She saw Lena’s figure make its way through the crowd and up onto the stage.

Rao, she looks great.

And she did. It was a more casual look than what Kara was used to seeing Lena in—tight, dark blue denim, grey Timberland boots, a loose-fitting scarlet blouse and her hair in a lower, looser ponytail.

The drum beats opened Cartel’s “If You Do, If You Don’t.”

“I knew you’d wise up sooner rather than later and finally take your chance with me,” he replied smugly. “Certainly took you long enough. Don’t get me wrong, I like when a girl plays hard to get, but honestly-”

“Let’s get out- let’s get out of here
I’ll go it alone if I have to
But I need you there
And I’m honest with…nobody else
Whether or not I make it there is will itself
And I’m honest with…only myself
How I can’t afford to lose you now; not in this hell
But I’ll stay…with…you”

Lena had hit another wonderful falsetto on “hell” and Kara couldn’t help but be distracted for a moment, glancing around William’s hulking frame.

He waved his hand in her face to regain her attention.

“Kara, that’s extremely rude. We were talking.”

Kara’s mouth dropped open at the irony. She closed her eyes took a breath to try and calm herself, lest she start screaming at him and caused a massive scene.

“Tell me you’re not serious…” she felt her fists clench briefly and wished for them to stay at her sides rather than raising up to connect with his jaw.

“I’m deathly serious. I won’t tolerate that from anyone, let alone my girlfriend!”

Kara’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my go- I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be your girlfriend!”

“Well, not with that terrible attitude. But we can work on it. I’m willing to give you that-”

“William, listen to me very carefully. Are you listening? You’re not a catch. You’re a jerk. I don’t know why I ever gave you a chance in the first place, but I won’t make that mistake again. Whatever this was, it’s done. We’re done.”

Lena’s voice called out again.

“I’m a mess; a total wreck
A poor excuse without you near to keep me in check
So, take me out and take me anywhere
I’m out of touch with everything and I don’t care
So, I must be…out of my mind
And all that I have to give to you is all my time
So, I’ll stay…with…you  

We sing over and over
And, baby, I’m a waste of time”

“What are you saying, exactly?”

Kara couldn’t believe it. The guy really was the most clueless moron on the planet.

She threw her hands up with a terse “I can’t,” and headed to the bathroom to text Brainy.

Lena finished the song with a powerful wail on the last “waste of time” and received an ecstatic ovation from the crowd. She gave a cute bow and returned to the table, noticing Brainy had slipped behind J’onn and Nia and was quickly typing into his phone.

She looked around, only seeing William looking perplexed and heading back to their group and unable to find Kara. Lena sent a questioning look toward Kelly and Alex. They pointed behind them, toward the restroom and Lena’s face contorted in mild concern. They hadn’t even really spoken all night.

She wondered off-hand if she’d done something wrong. Maybe Kara didn’t enjoy the song…

Lena grabbed her empty beer bottle and headed toward the bar. She contemplated whether to go into the bathroom to check on Kara or whether to wait for her to exit. She went with the latter, not wanting to seem weird or pushy. It was entirely possible there wasn’t anything wrong between them at all and she was just being oversensitive. She ordered another beer to kill some time.

Upon his return to the table, William glanced at his phone and noticed he had a voicemail. He put the phone to his ear and his eyes widened the longer he listened before he ultimately grabbed his coat and ran out of Al’s; not a word to anyone.

Lena saw him rush off and jokingly called out, “Oh, William. Too bad!” She even added a little sarcastic wave for good measure.

It was only then that Kara emerged from the safe haven of the restroom, phone in hand and a smirk on her face as she sent a thumbs up over to Brainy.

“Now what are you two up to?” Lena inquired from her spot at the bar. Totally chill. Absolutely nonchalant.

A side of Kara’s mouth quirked up mischievously as she sauntered over. “Can you keep a secret?”

Lena’s eyebrow raised along with a corner of her mouth. “Of course, darling.”

Kara got right next to her ear, her voice dropping down low, “So can I.”

Lena attempted to shove her back as Kara cackled at her dumb joke and Lena couldn’t help but shake her head and smile like Winnie Cooper. Kara could be an idiot, but she was a cute idiot.

“Come on, seriously now. Is everything alright?”

Kara smiled, warmed by Lena’s concern. “Yes, everything’s ok. Just tying up some loose ends. Now let’s go see if there’s any pizza left!” Kara threw her arm around Lena’s shoulder and led them back to the tables. “Thank you for that, by the way. I don’t know how you always know what I’m going to be in the mood for. Are you sure you didn’t syphon some of J’onn’s psychic abilities while I was away?”

“If that were the case, I feel my personal and professional life would be a lot easier.”

Lena missed the look Kara gave her when they returned to the table, too distracted by the aforementioned pizza.

As the night wound down…

It was getting late, but Kara insisted on one last song. The opening notes of Samantha Mumba’s “Gotta Tell You” blared from the speakers and she was feeling the beat in a much more fun and sincere way than what she’d done earlier in the night. The group shrieked their support over what was left of the drunken crowd.

“Your love for me came like a waterfall
Flowin’ inside me like never before
Your love for me- somethin’ I didn’t see
But, baby, I know better now”

Kara’s hips swayed to the rhythm and she decided to take the show through the room. She hopped down from the stage and started dancing with several of the bar patrons—a shoulder shimmy here, a hip bump there.

“When you walk in the room that very night
A special feelin’ just burst inside
It was only you; nobody else
But, baby, I know better now

Don’t wanna love you if you don’t love me
Don’t wanna need you if you won’t need me, too
Don’t wanna tell you this now, but it wouldn’t be right
If I…didn’t tell you this tonight”

She continued to weave her way around the room, stopping by a table that appeared to be hosting a bachelorette party and allowed the guest of honor to sing the “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahs” with her.

If Kara noticed that Lena’s eyes never left her the entire time, Kara would never let on. (She did notice. In a big way.)

“And now you’re back inside my house again
I’m tryin’ deeper to explain
‘cause, baby, I…wanna get it on
And, baby, you’re the one for me  

But now that I have got you all alone
After all this talkin’ on the phone
I should be strong, there’s nothin’ wrong
I should tell you this is where you belong, where you belong”

She made her way over to her table and allowed Kelly, Alex and Nia get in on the chorus, despite the fact that they laughed at each other the whole time through. She felt Alex covertly squeeze her free hand for the upcoming verse. Kara slowly moved over to Lena and felt her heart speed up again as the music faded a little.

“It was just somethin’ in your eyes
That made me realize
But now I hear voices deep inside
Tellin’ me… tellin’ me
It’s you and I”

Kara belted the last line to perfection and earned an uproar of cheers from the rest of the bar, including the KJ.

She made her way back to the stage as the chorus repeated a couple of times and waved as a thank you to the audience.

After Kara’s big number, it was time to head home. Everyone said their goodbyes outside the bar and promised to text that they arrived home safely.

Before Lena slipped away, though, Kara pulled her back deeper into the darkened alley.

“Can I give you a lift home?” Kara asked coyly.

“That would be nice. But did you drive tonight?” Lena asked, a little confused as she carefully assessed their location.

“Umm,” Kara said in a childlike voice, but that same devious smirk from earlier danced on her lips. “Not exactly.”

The next thing Lena knew she was being picked up in a bridal carry and felt a rush of wind. Gravity had no meaning as she and Kara shot up into the air.

“Kara!” she squealed, laughter pouring out of her as she tucked her head into the crook of Kara’s neck.

It felt like forever and no time at all before the wind stopped. She knew they weren’t back on solid ground, could feel the bobbing of Kara’s body as she hovered in the sky.

“Lena, look down,” Kara murmured.

As terrified as she was of heights, she trusted Kara completely. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find National City and its coastline illuminated below.

“It’s breathtaking,” she answered faintly.

“I just wanted you to see the city from a different perspective; how I get to see it, most days. When it’s peaceful. Content.”

Kara gave her but a moment to take it all in before they were off again, headed to Lena’s high-rise.

Lena felt gravity return as Kara gently set her down on her balcony before she took a moment to listen intently to the inside of the dark penthouse.

“Sorry,” Kara said sheepishly, noticing Lena’s quizzical glance. “Just making sure no one was lying in wait.”

Lena looked down and smiled, feeling a warm burst in her chest, “It’s appreciated.”

Kara returned the smile but then her brow wrinkled as noticed a few strands of hair had escaped Lena’s ponytail. Before she knew what she was doing, she carefully tucked them behind Lena’s ear and cupped her cheek. Lena instinctually leaned into the touch and closed her eyes.

When her brain stem reconnected to her brain and realized what’d happened Kara tried her best not to panic. She all but ripped her hand away from Lena’s face, cleared her throat, gave her a quick hug and a “have a good night,” and took off back into the night sky.

She left behind a bewildered Lena, who stared at the sky for a while before retiring to her bedroom, to dreams of flying above the clouds and amongst the stars.

Lena didn’t hear her phone chime with Kara’s message:

Made it home safe. Sweet dreams :-)

---

Over the next few weeks at karaoke, the same ritual unfolded:

The group would show up (sans William, much to Kara’s relief), they’d get drinks and argue over who got to sing what songs, some sort of bar food appeared (thanks to Lena, of course) and then, inevitably, Kara and Lena would sing…

The first week after the balcony moment, Lena sang Fastball’s “Out of My Head.” Alex noticed she pointedly looked at Kara during the line “You know there’s always more than one way to say exactly what you need to say.”

Alex also noticed that Kara, who would unconsciously track Lena in any and every room they were in, avoided eye contact and looked overly interested in the buffalo wings sitting on their table.

Later that night, Kara sang Alanis Morissette’s “Head Over Feet”—a bit on the nose, in Alex’s opinion. She noticed Kara seemed to get especially choked up near the end as her sister sang “You’re the best listener that I’ve ever met. You’re my best friend…best friend with benefits. What took me so long?” and “I’ve never felt this healthy before. I’ve never wanted something rational. I am aware now… I am aware now…”

And yet, they left Al’s as if nothing had happened. As if they hadn’t just asked about or told one another of their feelings. Alex kissed Kelly a few seconds longer in silent appreciation that they weren’t dancing around each other—quite literally sometimes, in Kara’s case—like high schoolers.

The week after that, Kara sang first. She chose “King of My Heart” by Taylor Swift. Again, she danced around on stage and through the crowd, weaving her way to their tables at the line, “Late in the night, the city’s asleep; your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep. Change my…priorities; the taste of your lips is my idea of luxury.” That time it was Lena’s turn to become preoccupied with something on the table. She was just fascinated by the napkin dispenser.

When it was Lena’s turn, she downed the rest of her red wine and let down her hair, literally, from its ponytail, shaking free the wavy strands and sang Holly Miranda’s “All I Want is to Be Your Girl.” The music lent itself to the bouncing and hair flipping Lena chose to do. At one point, she closed her eyes and sang “Well there’s ghosts in the night and ghosts in my mind, and if we quit changing we’ll be left behind. But I won’t take another chance of screwing it up, so I stay where I am. But I just want to be your girl…”

Once again, Alex noticed Kara’s reaction: tearing napkin after napkin into confetti sized bits.

The night ended and they hugged goodbye again as if nothing had happened. Alex was exhausted by (and for) them.

By the next week, Alex had decided that if Kara and Lena didn’t talk to each other by the end of night, she’d force the issue. She would put everyone out of their misery.

She noticed her sister and Lena were being weirder than usual. They had barely spoken all evening, and when they did, it was full of awkward laughter and long pauses. Not exactly ideal for girl’s night out.

When Kara took to the stage, looking lovely in medium hued jeans and a violet gingham print button down, and the synth-pop drum and keyboard opening of Aly & AJ’s “Take Me Out” started, Alex had higher hopes. This was a very direct song with a very direct message. And Lena definitely wasn’t William when it came to obvious meanings.

“I’ve been spending my attention on you, on you
I don’t wait long ‘cause I’ve got better things to do

When you gonna take me out?
Make a move and make it now.
When you gonna take me out?!
When you gonna take me out?!”

Kara grabbed the microphone out of the stand and hopped off the stage. She had her eyes set on Lena. She wasn’t going to play around with the audience that night.

“So much talking, swear that’s all you ever do
Show me something before I show something to you

When you gonna take me out?
Make a move and make it now.”

This time, the crowd joined Kara in screaming “When you gonna take me out?!”

As Kara approached the table, Alex noticed Lena take a deep breath and brace her hands on the table. Kara leaned close to her and continued the song.

“I know that you would want it…
If I could sink my teeth into you
I know that you would want it…
If I could sink my teeth into you
First you gotta ask me out…”

Kara lingered for a moment, eyeing Lena up, before she headed back to the stage.

“I’ve been spending my attention on you
I don’t wait long ‘cause I got better things to do”

The audience joined in again on the “When you gonna take me out” lines and Kara even invited them to do a call and response on the last “if I could sink my teeth into you” lines.

Kara enjoyed some high fives on her way back to the table. She casually stood next to Lena and sipped her highball mojito, a shit-eating grin firmly affixed to her face.

“So,” she started. “What song are you going to sing?”

It was then that Alex noticed the blush creeping up Lena’s neck and the flare of her nostrils as she squinted her eyes dangerously at Kara. She nearly ripped off her blazer, only a black tank top underneath matching the black jeans she had on, and draped it over the stool.

This will end well, Alex thought.

Lena all but stomped away as she headed for the KJ booth. Kara hesitated slightly, unsure if Lena was actually mad at her. Eventually she headed in the same direction, but Lena was already cutting in front of the next scheduled performer, having tipped the KJ for the privilege. The girl who was being cut in front of almost complained, but one look at Lena’s face and she kept her mouth shut. It was karaoke—nothing worth dying over.

The opening notes to “Body Say” by Demi Lovato started and Kara halted instantaneously. Lena’s hips began to sway to the beat and she was hypnotized.

“If I had it my way, I would take you down
If I had it my way, I would turn you out
And if my body had a say, I would come again
Scared of what I might say, ‘cause I’m at the edge
And our eyes are crossing paths across the room
And there’s only one thing left for us to do…”

Kara had no idea she was slowly moving closer to the stage; all she knew is she needed to be as close to Lena as possible.

“You can touch me with…slow hands
Speed it up, baby, make me sweat
Dreamland
Take me there, ‘cause I want your sex-
If my body had a say, I wouldn’t turn away
Touch, make love, taste you
If my body told the truth
Baby, I would do…just what I want to”

Alex took a giant gulp of her beer at the mention of sex. She really didn’t need to know the intimate details of her sister’s bedroom life. And unfortunately, she (along with the rest of the patrons at Al’s) was getting a preview of the foreplay.

Thank God J’onn and Brainy aren’t here…

“So, uh, have you guys noticed that those two have basically been declaring their love through song the past few weeks?” Nia mused aloud. She took a sip of her rum and coke then finished with, “Very Lorelai Gilmore of them.”

Kelly nearly did a spit take with her water at Nia’s comparison.

“If we hadn’t noticed before, they’re definitely not being subtle about it now,” she replied, dabbing at her lips with a napkin and struggling to contain her laughter while watching as Kara wrestled to stop herself from hopping on stage.

When the song finished (to loud, eardrum rupturing cheers and wolf whistles) Kara beckoned Lena to the edge of the stage where, when Lena obliged, Kara threw her over her shoulder and booked it for the exit in as human a way as she could muster, pausing only to grab their personal effects.

(It was less than effective, if the large updraft were any indication.)

“Finally!” Alex called out after them which earned her an elbow to the side from Kelly.

As soon as they were safely outside, Kara adjusted her hold on Lena before superspeeding to her apartment’s rooftop.

Knowing there would be some possible motion sickness, she made sure to gently set Lena in one of the lawn chairs before she frantically started pacing. A thunderclap rolled ominously overhead.

“Kara?” Lena watched her go back and forth several times. It was making her motion sickness flare up again. “You’re going to wear a hole in your roof, and by the look of those clouds, that’s the last thing you want to do tonight.”

Kara stopped and glanced up, glaring at the storm brewing and then looked back to Lena.

“So, let me get this straight…”

“Well, not exactly straight, darling,” Lena grinned cheekily, but quickly fixed her face when she saw Kara’s unamused glower. “Ok, sorry. You’re right. This is serious.”

Kara gave her a curt, affirmative nod, taking a step forward so she could kneel down in front of Lena. She timidly placed her hands on Lena’s knees, brushing her thumbs over the top before peeking up. Lena looked at her with such a tiny, fond smile; her eyes shone as brightly as the skyline those few weeks ago.

“How- When-” Kara paused, fumbling over her wording. The look of frustration on her face caused warmth to spread from Lena’s heart throughout her body. There was such a childlike quality about it, in the best possible way. “How long have you felt this way? When did you know?”

Another thunderclap, larger this time, boomed overhead. The storm was closing in quickly.

Lena carefully traced Kara’s face with her eyes, being sure to take in every minute detail. She wanted to savor this moment; it would only happen once. She placed her hands over Kara’s.

“I think I’ve felt this way since you said you flew to my office…on a bus,” Lena laughed, loving the embarrassment tinging Kara’s face.

“Wow, I was such an idiot… I can’t believe that’s what caused you to start to like me. That’s awful! I don’t know how you didn’t figure out I was Supergirl before you did. I’m like…really bad at hiding it.”

Lena leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to Kara’s forehead. “Don’t get me wrong, I was smitten that first day you showed up in my office with Clark. I didn’t even realize I flirted with you until weeks later. But your quirks are quite charming. Sadly, it wasn’t until our ill-fated plane ride to Kaznia, when the plane was going down and I thought we might crash and… I realized that I might never get the opportunity to kiss you. And how tragic that would be.”

More thunder reverberated overhead, so rough that that Lena felt the vibration in the chair. A few raindrops began to fall around them; the clouds about to tear open.

Kara removed her glasses and put them in her coat pocket and rose from the ground.

“I need you to stand up,” she said somberly, holding out a hand.

Lena looked thoughtfully at the hand for only a second before she took it, rising to her feet.

The sky broke and the downpour was on, but Kara paid it no mind. When Lena was fully upright, she pulled her body (gently, of course) so they were chest to chest and wrapped an arm around Lena’s back to make sure she was secure before soaring into the sky.

As they floated above the rooftop, rain drenching them, Kara carefully wiped the locks of hair sticking to Lena’s face, tucking them behind her ear. She softly cupped her cheek and ran a thumb over Lena’s bottom lip, not realizing she was just barely biting her own. Lena’s eyes drifted shut of their own accord at the feeling, and Kara finally leaned in.

They melted into one another, Kara’s hold on Lena never wavering, and spun around slowly in the rain. Their lips slid easily together and soon their tongues joined in the dance. They savored every sound, every taste, every feeling.

Another perfect fit, Kara mused to herself.

Lena wasn’t sure how long it lasted—could have been hours, could have been mere seconds—before they were back on the rooftop, but she knew she never wanted it to stop; would happily do it all day, every day for the rest of her life.

It was the most perfect first kiss either of them had ever had.

Their eyes were still closed as they listened to and felt the rain falling around their embrace.

“I can’t believe it took me this long,” Kara whispered, her eyes opening slightly.

“For the fastest woman on Earth, you sure were slow about this,” Lena replied in jest, a brilliant smile adorning her features.

At the sight of Kara’s pout, Lena stood on her tiptoes and gave her a peck on the nose. Kara immediately caved.

“I guess it’s a good thing we’ve got plenty of time to make up for it.”

Lena shivered, both at the chill from the rain and the inference of Kara’s words.

Kara motioned with her head toward the roof access door and they headed inside, hands firmly clasped.

---

A full month after the balcony moment, Kara and Lena showed up separately to karaoke. As far as Alex knew they were fine. Kara had told her that she and Lena had talked, but nothing had really changed.

At least they aren’t acting weird anymore, she thought.

It wasn’t until they both went up on the stage and the acoustic guitar riff of Taylor Swift’s “Everything Has Changed” started that Alex knew she’d been duped.

“That little jerk lied to me!” she grumbled through gritted teeth. “She is dead!”

“Alex,” Kelly chided softly, pressing a finger to her girlfriend’s lips. “Be happy for your little sister.”

“Shhh!” Nia hushed, waving a hand in Alex’s general direction. “They’re in love and being cute!” She was loving every second of this melodrama. It was way better than any 90s teen drama on the WB.

Kara and Lena may have been on stage in front of a large crowd, but once they started singing, they were lost in one another; in perfect harmony. Kara started the song softly.

“All I knew this mornin’ when I woke
Is I know somethin’ now- know somethin’ now that I didn’t before…
And all I’ve seen, since eighteen hours ago
Is green eyes and freckles and your smile
In the back of my mind, makin’ me feel like…

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now”

Lena joined in then-

“I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you  

‘cause all I know is we said, ‘Hello’
And your eyes look like comin’ home
All I know is a simple name
And everything…has changed
All I know is you held the door
You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours
All I know since yesterday
Is everything…has changed”

Lena took over alone for the first part of the next verse.

“And all my walls stood tall, painted blue
But I’ll take ‘em down, take ‘em down
And open up the door for you”

Kara stepped back in on the back half.

“And all I feel…
In my stomach is butterflies
The beautiful kind, makin’ up for lost time;
Takin’ flight, makin’ me feel like…”

They both started again.

“I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you

‘cause all I know is we said, ‘Hello’
And your eyes look like comin’ home
All I know is a simple name
And everything…has changed
All I know is you held the door
And you’ll be mine and I’ll be yours
All I know since yesterday
Is everything…has changed  

Come back and tell me why
I’m feelin’ like I’ve missed you all this time
And meet me there tonight
And let me know that it’s not…all in my mind”

Alex could see tear tracks running down Kara’s cheeks and the ones threatening to spill over in Lena’s eyes. Kara’s voice went airy and high on the next couple of lines before coming back down, stronger, and Lena rejoined her on a repeat of the chorus.

“I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you…”

“All I know is we said, ‘Hello’
Your eyes look like comin’ home
All I know is a simple name
And everything…has changed
All I know is you held the door
You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours
All I know since yesterday
Is everything…has changed”

Kara finished out the song, with Lena only jumping in on certain words.

“All I know is we said, ‘Hello’
So, dust off your highest hopes
All I know is pourin’ rain
And everything…has changed
All I know is a new found grace
All my days, I’ll know your face
All I know since yesterday
Is everything…has changed”

Kara and Lena leaned into one another, resting their foreheads together. If they heard the thunderous applause and the hoots and hollers coming from a certain set of tables near the middle of Al’s, they didn’t let on.

They were too busy soaking in a [not so] private moment. They gave each other a quick kiss before heading back to the group.

Kelly leaned over and kissed Alex’s cheek sweetly.

“What was that for?”

“You were right, it was definitely a ‘wait and see’ thing.”

Alex simply smiled in return, daydreams of raiding Lena’s scotch collection dancing in her head.

The End