This update took a while to write but it's finally ready! I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Lena could tell that something was wrong with Kara the moment she walked into the restaurant. Sure, she was dressed in her usual cute preppy dress with flats and a cardigan, her wavy blonde hair pulled back into a neat braid, but Lena could see that her shoulders were slumped just a little and her walk lacked its usual purpose and confidence.

At first, Lena had decided not to question Kara about it, figuring that if her friend wanted to talk about whatever was clearly bothering her – at least, it was clear to Lena – she would, in her own time.

So Lena kept the topic of conversation light; they talked about the movies they had watched the night before and how busy Lena's schedule was and how that big circle of work was still piled high on her office floor. Or rather, Lena talked and Kara bobbed her head and occasionally hummed in agreement or acknowledgement, rarely even stringing a few words together.

It was the total opposite of how Kara had been the night before at their celebration-slash-movie night. When Kara had arrived home from working later than she expected at CatCo, she had been so lost in her own thoughts and excitement at spending the evening with Lena that she hadn't heard the hushed voices and giggles coming from her apartment, even as she slipped her key into her door. A huge smile lit up her entire face when she heard the off-key symphony of party blowers squealing hilariously out of time with one another, accompanied by a series of pops as blue and yellow and green streamers surged through the air, creating a beautiful paper rainbow before the streaks that didn't land on her fluttered to the floor.

"CONGRATULATIONS KARA!" Alex, Maggie and Lena shouted in unison before she found herself engulfed by hugs. Between the three of them, they actually managed to squash her just enough that she understood how they felt when she hugged them a little too over-enthusiastically.

"You guys!" Kara squeaked as she looked at the table full of her favourite foods; pizza, potstickers, chocolate cake, tiramisu – that was obviously Maggie's doing – and stack after stack of the biggest assortment of doughnuts she'd ever seen. For once, she was almost speechless. "Thank you!"

"Hey, don't thank us," Alex said, pointing between her and Maggie, who nodded in agreement with her wife. "This was all Lena."

"And it would seem that Little Luthor knows you well," Maggie added, gesturing to the food.

Kara's sky blue eyes sought out Lena's striking jade ones. When they finally fixed on to each other, Kara couldn't help but smile even wider. She had felt her heart flutter a little, something she had put down to getting swept up in the excitement of the moment because she wasn't expecting any of this. She immediately held her arms out to her best friend and Lena responded by walking into them and wrapping her own around Kara's back. Kara's heart thrummed even harder as Lena's raven hair tickled her face and her expensive floral perfume floated in the air around them, leaving the happiness growing in Kara's stomach feeling even sweeter.

After Alex set some music playing in the background, everyone grabbed some food and a glass of wine. Maggie cut herself a slice of tiramisu so big even Kara wasn't sure she'd have managed it. They all lounged around on Kara's couch, each of them wearing a pointy party hat despite Maggie's initial protests when Alex pinged the elastic under her chin, and soon found themselves chuckling along to The Heat.

Kara, being Kara, laughed so hard when Melissa McCarthy's character threw the box of Tic Tacs at her Captain's head that she snorted, prematurely swallowed the potsticker she was happily munching on, started to splutter and then choke. Alex had to smack her back so hard to get it to come back up she almost broke her fingers every time they came into violent contact with Kara's virtually unbreakable body. After taking a few gasping breaths to steady herself, Kara only began to laugh more until she couldn't even stand. Lena and Maggie had watched the whole thing, completely shocked, and Lena was actually starting to panic for her friend, but watching her literally roll around on the floor in fits of laughter, she felt her worry begin to ebb away and couldn't help but laugh herself. Kara's adorable giggle was way too contagious so she didn't even try to stop; she'd found out herself the hard way that it was borderline impossible.

Of course, Alex and Maggie couldn't help but make cheeky remarks aimed at one another about the feds and the cops for the whole duration of the movie, which left Kara and Lena in stitches as their insults got less serious, more hilarious and outright ridiculous. That was, until Sandra Bullock took a knife to her thigh. Then they turned soppy. Briefly.

"I'd take a knife to the thigh for you any day, babe," Alex had said softly, seriously to Maggie.

Maggie felt her cheeks redden a little. "Aww, babe," she cooed, tilting her head, her dimples taking over her face as she smiled genuinely. "I know you would."

At that point, Kara had turned to Lena, a naughty glint in her eye, and begun to make vomit noises, which prompted giggles from a slightly tipsy Lena and a push in the back from Maggie.

"You know I would?" Alex spluttered, ignoring Kara and Lena, instead raising her eyebrows at the detective. "I'm your wife! That's where you're supposed to say, 'I'd take one for you too.' What the hell happened to 'ride or die'?" She folded her arms in a mock huff and slumped into the couch, but not before she yanked at Maggie's yellow party hat, its elastic strap pinging it forcefully straight back onto her head and ruffling her long hair.

"Listen, Danvers," Maggie said warningly, tugging Alex's blue hat and smirking as it flung back to the middle of her forehead. "I can't afford to take a knife to my leg. They're little enough as it is." She stretched them out as if to demonstrate and neither Alex, Kara nor Lena could stop themselves from chuckling when her tiptoes just about brushed the edge of Kara's coffee table as she wiggled them.

"True," Alex agreed with a shrug before pulling Maggie into her side and placing a kiss in her hair.

Kara offered Lena a huge grin to show her what a good night she was having, how much she valued spending time laughing and joking with her and Alex and Maggie before pulling her in for their third big hug of the night.

By the time Alex and Maggie decided to call it a night, it hurt Kara to laugh. Although it felt like the weight of her daily life – saving the city, making sure she transferred all her stuff from her desk outside Cat's office to her own and talking her best friend round – had been lifted from her shoulders, it still felt like something was squeezing her chest every time she inhaled just a little too sharply. Still, it was a great feeling, even if did get worse as she tried not to giggle at Alex and Maggie's continued bickering as they made their way back to their apartment.

Lena had liked the way that Kara's face would light up randomly as if she were remembering something, thought it was cute, and she was happy that her friend was happy. She almost missed the target as she poured another glass of wine when a shocked 'Oh my Rao' yelled from the couch caught her off guard.

"What is it?" Lena had asked, setting the bottle back on the counter.

"Oh, it's, uh… Sun Dogs is out on Netflix and I just… I just remembered," Kara bumbled, glad that she couldn't blush in embarrassment. Although she was genuinely pleased that the movie was out – she'd been looking forward to it for ages – she had been listening to Alex and Maggie as they returned to their apartment when the door slammed closed and their teasing turned into… Something else. Something she really didn't want or need to hear.

Lena accepted Kara's explanation and handed her a plate full of doughnuts for them to share. Kara felt her heart sink at lying to Lena but the CEO started talking to her before she could dwell on it too much.

"So, your office," Lena had begun before taking a sip of her wine, her right eyebrow rising questioningly. "What's it like?"

Kara chewed away at her doughnut and gestured at Lena that her mouth was too full to answer. She eventually gulped down the last of it and threw her arms out like she didn't really know what to say. "It's pretty small… Like, tiny, really tiny. It doesn't have a window and I'm pretty sure it's right next to the bathroom... It's a shoebox. I'm gonna be working in a shoe box. It's basically the exact opposite of your office." Kara paused for a moment, completely lost in her own thoughts until she smiled brightly at Lena. "But it's mine and I'll make it mine and I love it."

Kara's rambling response made a smile dance across Lena's face. She studied the blonde with intense green eyes and saw that she was proud of her 'shoebox', as she called it, and so she should be. Lena was proud of her too. "Pfft, windows are so overrated," she muttered, her eyes widening to emphasise the exaggeration of her words. "You've had half your Working Girl moment. If you prove yourself as I journalist the way I know you will, you'll have that window in no time."

Kara smiled genuinely and tore her sparkling blue eyes away from Lena, casting them to the ground and adjusting her glasses. She had suddenly felt self-conscious, though not in a bad way. It could never be in a bad way with Lena because the CEO was always so kind and complimentary about her. "Y'know, for someone who doesn't have enough belief in herself, you're pretty good at dishing it out to others."

Lena bit her lip the way Kara knew she would. There was something about the way she did it that made Kara feel like she was being teased, even if that wasn't Lena's intention. And those eyebrows… Rao, those eyebrows had a mind of their own. To Kara, it was like they were toying with her, messing with her to see how she would react. Whether they were sneaking up Lena's forehead or creasing impossibly close together, it didn't matter because they always made her breath catch in her throat and her heart skip a beat.

The air between them had suddenly changed; both women could sense it. Neither of them knew what it was and could only directly put it down to not being able to accept compliments, but something told both of them that there was someth ing else to it, something more. It felt like the longer they tried to figure it out in their own minds, the further they got from the answer.

Kara was the first to break the silence, unable to stand it any longer. "Wanna bury ourselves under cushions and pillows?" It was the first thing that popped into her head and the words flew out of her mouth faster than she could even think about stopping them. Still, it was less awkward than the silence they were drowning under.

Lena nodded like it was the best idea she'd ever heard. "I'll get the popcorn."

Surrounded by a mass of fluffy pillows, Kara and Lena settled in to watch Sun Dogs. A little over half an hour in, Kara could feel the stress-turned-excitement of the day creeping up on her. She shifted a pillow that was wedged under her arm so that it rested against Lena's side. The CEO did a double take when she felt the pillow being pushed against her, swiftly followed by an unexpected weight bearing down on her arm.

Kara didn't think anything of her actions; she was so used to cuddling up to Alex and Maggie during movie nights that it was normal to her. She liked burrowing into Alex's side when she was tired because it was something she'd always done since she's arrived on Earth; Alex was her constant, her safe place, her favourite person.

Kara cuddling up to Lena meant that she had become more comfortable around her friend than she'd ever realised; it didn't feel unusual or weird to her. She had shuffled around on the couch out of habit; it was almost her routine, just a normal, small thing she always did.

But not with Lena.

It was so ordinary to Kara that she never even broke her attention from the TV screen. She was so engrossed in the movie that she was completely oblivious to the inner struggle Lena was having with herself, the conflict of emotions Kara herself had caused just from that small act.

Though Kara couldn't see her, Lena had found herself smiling inadvertently at the mass of blonde hair beside her. The more she watched Kara wriggle and make herself comfortable, though, the faster Lena's heart began to thump in her chest and the smaller her smile became until a slight frown tugged at her eyebrows. She felt her whole body tense, but if Kara noticed, she didn't say anything.

She doesn't know exactly why she reacted that way; none of it was deliberate and it certainly wasn't because Kara had done something wrong. She let out a deep breath she didn't even realise she was holding to steady herself.

As much as she tried to focus on the film, which she had been really enjoying but had now missed too much of to fully follow anyway, she couldn't suppress the whirlwind of thoughts that circled like vultures in her mind.

She's getting comfortable, what's wrong with you?

You were just grinning at the back of her head like a crazy person, you know that, right?

Her hair is so soft and wavy, though. It always looks so pretty no matter how she wears it.

And she smells amazing.

You're doing it again. It's a good job she can't see you.

Relax, Lena.

Focus on the film.

It's just Kara…

But was she 'just' Kara?

Lena's leg burned where Kara's hair tickled it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't smother that light tingly feeling that had taken residence in her stomach. She felt her cheeks flush even though Kara was completely oblivious to the flurry of emotions that were flooding her body. She couldn't stop herself from chewing lightly on her lip as she pondered the question.

It wasn't the first time Lena had felt like this.

That was the feeling she got when she liked someone. Liked them, liked them. She'd only felt this twice before, once for a woman, but she knew exactly what it meant the previous two times.

Did she like Kara?

Maybe she had all those feelings because she's never had a friend like her before. She'd never really had a true friend, period.

Maybe it was the wine. She certainly wasn't drunk, but she did feel a little floaty.

Maybe it was that she's not 'just Kara', nor will she ever be.

A sudden movement out of the corner of her eyes snatches Lena's attention and she shakes away her thoughts, putting them down to nothing more than wine and high spirits. Kara's arm shots upright and her hand did that grabby thing little kids do when they want something.

Popcorn! She wants the popcorn!

Lena handed it over without saying a word, afraid that her voice would give away the silent conversation she'd been having.

When the film finished, Lena excused herself to go to the bathroom. She laughed when Kara moaned about being comfy and found herself smiling again when she glanced back at the couch and found that she could barely see her under the pillows and cushions.

Still, Lena was calm by the time she closed the bathroom door behind her.

When she emerged shortly after, she plopped back down on the couch and was once again swallowed whole by pillows. For the rest of the night and into the early hours of the morning, Kara and Lena talked and talked and talked. Lena realised again that this must be what having a best friend was like, what having a sleepover was like, even though she technically wasn't doing the sleeping part. Sure, she had been to boarding school but it wasn't the same, not even close.

Kara did nothing but smile the whole time, whether she was talking animatedly about work or food or puppies or food or movies or food, or was listening intently to Lena. It was so bright, so sweet, so warm, so genuine. When Lena called it a night – begrudgingly because she never wanted it to end and had actually been dreading it coming so much that she'd stayed longer than planned, something she'd never done before – she carried Kara's smile home with her. Seeing someone so genuinely happy made Lena happy, but Kara had been especially puppy-like from the moment she stepped into her apartment and seeing her especially like that made Lena feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. For the whole journey back to her penthouse and even as she slipped into bed, Kara's smile was at the forefront of Lena's mind; every train of thought lead back to Kara.

Though looking at her now, Lena thinks that maybe she did actually take it with her. The softness of Kara's features has vanished; her crinkle seems to have been softly creased into her forehead, her lips turn down just a little at the corners and her sky blue eyes lack their usual sparkle and focus.

Lena was only partly right when she thought that this was the total opposite of how Kara had been before, because now she realises that this is the total opposite of how Kara has been, ever.

By far the biggest sign of all that something was bothering Kara was the way that she pushed her food around her plate with her fork.

Kara was not a pusher. She was never one to play with her food. Lena hadn't known her all that long but that was something she learned almost immediately. Kara inhaled it far too quickly for it to even have had the opportunity to cool down.

Watching Kara toy with her food was like losing to Lex at Chess; incredibly rare and quite disconcerting. (Once Lena learned to play, she barely ever lost a game against her brother and it came as a surprise whenever she did).

"Y'know, you're gonna make that pasta dizzy if you keep swirling it around like that," Lena mutters after a long silence. "Isn't that how black holes start?"

It wasn't a particularly funny joke – it wasn't funny at all but Lena couldn't think of anything else to say – but Kara was always polite enough to laugh. Kara's downturned lips managed to form the smallest of smiles, but when it didn't meet her eyes like it always did, Lena knew she had to ask her what was going on.

Fuck giving her time, something was glaringly wrong with her and Lena wanted to help. And she's sure that Kara wouldn't feel like she was meddling. Kara had forced her to talk when she felt down and she found herself grateful for it, so she's pretty sure Kara would too.

"Penny for your thoughts," Lena says softly, her eyes searching Kara's. They're the purest blue she thinks she's ever seen. Beautiful. Captivating.

Kara drops her gaze as she lets out a long sigh. She shakes her head and her shoulders rise as she opens her mouth to answer, realising that she's barely said a word all lunch. "Miss Grant is selling CatCo and I guess… I guess everything's changing so fast." It feels good to finally get it off her chest; she hadn't realised how heavy it was weighing down on her. "I do not do well with change."

Lena rests the palm of her hand atop Kara's without hesitation. She's never been big on affection but she knows that Kara is, so she thinks it seems right to offer her reassurance in the way she finds most comforting, and this feels natural too. Kara's hand is warm beneath hers as she holds it firmly, but not too tight. "It's perfectly normal to feel that way and it's okay for you to take a deep breath to give everything time to sink in and become your new normal." Lena was talking figuratively, of course, but she didn't know that Kara's life had been anything but normal. She has a burning secret that she's been desperate to tell Kara for a few days but she knows she can't say anything just yet, hard as it is.

Kara nods slowly, biting her lip. "I know you're right, but I'm still going to miss Miss Grant. I mean, yeah, she could be bossy and rude and short and so demanding you would not believe, but beneath that prickly exterior, she was the best boss I could have asked for. I really can't imagine being there without her."

The general hum of the restaurant carries around them as neither woman speaks for a moment. Lena realises that her hand is still over Kara's and quickly retracts it, unsure of what to do with it at first before consciously picking up her fork for want of a better thing to do. She knows that their conversation is more important than food, though, and puts her cutlery down to show that she's finished eating but is ready to listen to Kara.

Kara feels cool air tickle her hand where Lena was just holding it. The particularly warm patch of skin tingles and she can feel the place where Lena was stroking it softly with her thumb. They've never done anything beyond hug before, but this… This was different to a hug. Good different-

"I completely understand you not liking change; I often don't either, but don't you think that this could be a really good thing for CatCo and for you?" Lena's voice is gentle, though it's the only one Kara chooses to hear, and she's completely lost her train of thought now. "Whoever buys the business could come in and do a good job. I'm sure they'll be no Cat, especially not at first, but with the right support, CatCo will likely go from strength."

Lena can see that Kara isn't picking up on any of the subtle hints she's dropping. She's trying to sow the seed but it doesn't seem to be growing in Kara's clouded mind.

Lena is buying CatCo.

She wants to be the one to do all the things she just promised Kara. She wants to take CatCo to new heights and she certainly doesn't want that slime ball Morgan Edge getting his filthy hands on it.

Despite what the media are sure to say when the news breaks, she doesn't want to be the next Cat Grant. She wants to be her own 'Queen of all media', to do things her way, to prove to everyone that she's more than just a girl who happened to be born into a wealthy family, that she is a capable businesswoman who is worth taking seriously.

She's incredibly excited to be taking that step and even more excited at the thought of getting to see her best friend every day. Kara is a good person to have on her side and it'll be nice to know someone at CatCo when she eventually starts working there, which shouldn't be too long.

"Did you find a replacement?" She asks.

"For Cat?" Kara's eyes widen a little at the thought of her being allowed to choose her boss' replacement. She couldn't even choose between two puppies at the shelter, never mind the next face of all media.

"No, silly," Lena says lightly, "for you! The new boss is definitely going to need someone as good as you to ease them in."

Kara brightens a little at that, Lena's kind words breaking through the disappointment and the sense of loss she feels for Cat's departure. "Yes. Eve is lovely, very sweet, although Miss Grant was not impressed when she didn't get her coffee order right this morning." Kara pulls her face to imply just how badly it had gone and it lifts Lena to see Kara finding her voice again. "I just hope she makes it to the end of the day."

Lena chuckles, knowing exactly how Cat can be despite only having met her on a handful of occasions. The woman immediately left a strong impression on Lena. The young CEO admires her aptitude for business, the way she speaks her mind and allows her magazine to do the same. The air changes when she walks into a room – not in a sour, 'look, it's a Luthor' way like when Lena walks into a room, although that thankfully seems to be getting better recently – and she commands attention and respect and is clearly incredibly powerful.

Lena wants to harness the power she has, the power she is sure to have when she buys CatCo, and use it for good, to provide the world with honest, unbiased and relevant news. And to do that, she'll need CatCo's newest reporter on her side.

"So, do you know who's taking over CatCo?" Lena probes half innocently. She puts on her best nonchalant face, at least she thinks she does, but her burning green eyes give her away. Well, they would if Kara was paying enough attention.

"James is going to be running it for now. I've heard a few names being tossed around but none of them seem to stick. None of them are Cat."

Lena feels her heart sink at Kara's disappointment. She doesn't want to be a disappointment. She's spent far too long feeling like she's not good enough in her own family, although she'd rather be a disappointment than a murderer. Kara doesn't add anything else, which tells Lena her name isn't one of those that's been thrown in the mix. And that's just how she wants it.

The waitress clears their plates and Lena orders two coffees, an extra shot of espresso in each.

"I just hope that whoever comes along knows what they're doing."

So do I, Lena thinks taking a sip of her coffee the second the waitress places it in front of her.

"Anyway, how are you doing with all that paperwork on your floor?" Kara asks, turning the conversation away from CatCo. At least she thinks she is.

She doesn't hear Lena's response, though. The sound of sirens shrieking across the other side of the city has all her attention until her phone rings in her bag.

"It's Alex," she says by way of explanation and Lena nods her understanding. "Okay, I'm on my way," she tells her sister before immediately hanging up the call.

Kara flashes Lena her best apologetic smile as she stuffs her phone back into her bag. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she says quickly, scooping up her cardigan and searching through her bag for her purse.

"Of course." Lena can't hide her disappointment, can't stop it from falling over her face. She suddenly feels selfish when she realises that something serious must be happening for her to react like this. "Is Alex okay? And Maggie?"

"Oh," Kara begins. She hadn't realised how strange it must seem to Lena for her to be rushing away so suddenly without so much as an explanation. She's quick to reassure her. "They're fine. I just- I have to go." Kara finds her purse and fumbles to pull it out from under her notebook and keys and all the other stuff that clutters her bag.

Lena watches, still a little taken aback by the whole situation. "Don't worry about the money, Kara."

"But-" Kara's protests are cut short.

"No." Lena's voice is firm. She's had enough practice using it at L-Corp and she's sure she'll need it even more at CatCo. "Go."

Kara reluctantly drops her purse back into her bag. "Thank you. I'm sorry again. Text you later," she rambles.

Lena offers her a sincere smile, which drops slowly from her face as she watches her friend walk away. Her eyes stay fixed on the door and her mind wanders, ruminating over what Alex could possibly need her for so urgently. She's so lost in her own little world that she almost doesn't hear the gasps and mutterings coming from almost every table around her.

"Look, it's Supergirl!" A little kid a few tables away shouts.

Anyone who hadn't noticed certainly did now, Lena included. She looks out of the window to her left and sees a blur of blue and red before it zips quickly out of view.

Like everyone else in the restaurant, she smiles.

/

Alex watches her sister stroll into the DEO only twenty minutes after she called her. "That has to be some kind of record." When Kara doesn't react in her usual bubbly way, Alex knows immediately that something is bothering her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Kara frowns as she leans against the central table. She knows that Alex isn't talking about the fire that had broken out in a building downtown anymore. She rests her chin in her open palm and lets out a long sigh, looking a bit forlorn.

"I just feel like so much is happening right now and I'm scared of getting left behind." She hesitates for a moment as she collects her thoughts, Alex's comforting brown eyes looking into her own. "I know I've got my new job but it turns out I might not be any good at it because Snapper keeps yelling at me, Cat's leaving and I have no idea who's replacing her and I've just abandoned Lena in a restaurant on her own without being able to offer her an explanation. What am I gonna tell her?"

Alex makes her way around the table and puts a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder. While Kara is by far the more open of the two of them, Alex knows that she still sometimes bottles things up and lets them eat away at her. What she isn't good at is hiding it and Alex always makes her talk about it because that's exactly what Kara does for her, even if she doesn't want it at the time. There's more to being sisters than having each other's backs when they're saving the world.

"Okay, let's take this one thing at a time. Snapper sounds like an ass." This draws a chuckle from Kara, who enjoys her older sister's blunt truthfulness and had grumbled about her new boss at lunch on her first day as a reporter. "But I don't think he'd yell if he didn't care. Him shouting probably just means that he wants you to do better because he knows you're capable of it and wants to see you succeed. It's just his funny way of showing it. And as for Cat… You don't like Cat." Alex is very matter-of-fact in her statement.

"I do like Cat!" Kara insists, straightening up but still leaning against the table. "She's just… An acquired taste."

Alex raises her left eyebrow half sceptically, half in amusement. She's listened to Kara moan about her former boss on more occasions than she'll ever be able to count, but she does know how much she valued working for and learning from her. "Cat knows what she's doing. She wouldn't sell everything she's worked so hard to build to just anyone. And who knows… It could be a good thing."

Kara sees the sense in Alex's logic and finds that it puts that part of her mind at ease, just like Lena did. Cat certainly won't want to see her empire fall, even if she isn't at the helm.

"That's exactly what Lena said."

"And Lena is a very smart woman. You'd do well to listen to her. And I'm always right, so you should listen to me too." Alex bobs her shoulders and then throws her arms out to exaggerate her point.

"Oh yeah?" Kara jibes back. Her face erupts into a grin at her sister's mock-conceited attitude.

"Yeah," she jokes, her tone making it sound like she's saying 'duh!'. Of the three problems that are bothering Kara, Alex is pretty sure that the third one is the one that's playing on her mind the most. She sensed the unasked question in the last part of her admission and makes sure she addresses it properly. "You should tell Lena whatever you're ready to tell her. She's your friend, it's your secret and, yes, you always need to be careful about revealing it, but what you do with it is ultimately your decision."

Kara doesn't know what to say to that. She doesn't know whether Alex's answer was what she wanted – or needed – to hear or exactly what she's going to tell Lena, so she opts to just stay quiet.

/

Kara doesn't notice James as she walks past the horde of desks that sit outside Cat's – soon to be James' – office, completely engrossed in her notes in her notebook as she makes her way to Snapper's office. She crashes into him and immediately issues her apologies.

"No sweat," he says with a kind smile. "What's got you so gripped?"

Kara shrugs with a smile of her own. She smoothes out the now-crumpled sheets. "Just some stuff for a small feature Snapper begrudgingly gave me. What're you still doing here?" It's pretty late but there are of course a few people dotted around the office and Cat sits proudly in hers because, as she always says, the news never sleeps and she's not out of the door just yet.

"Uh, just waiting to meet the new boss. I'll be running things for a couple of weeks from Monday and then it'll all be handed over to her."

Kara detects the hint of distaste and something that almost sounds like disapproval laced in his voice. She's shocked and can't help but think that it's because they're going to have another woman running the show. She's never had James pegged as a sexist and it doesn't make any sense anyway because CatCo has always been run by a woman for whom he has a lot of respect. "Her?"

James nods but doesn't offer anything else so Kara awkwardly makes her excuses about getting her article to Snapper and starts to stride towards his office once again. All her focus back on her notebook as she flips through the pages, she barely makes it five steps before she just about manages to stop herself from smacking into somebody else.

"Excuse me," she mumbles half in apology and half in embarrassment at almost having done the same thing twice in two minutes, not that this person would know that. It's only as she takes a small step backwards that she glances up and does a double take when she sees familiar raven hair scraped back into a tidy bun and remarkable green eyes looking back at her.

"Lena?" Kara can't keep the smile from taking over her face, replacing the frown of focus that had found its way back there.

"She says with surprise in her voice for some reason?" Lena mock frowns but the light creases of amusement at the corners of her eyes give her away.

Kara wants to speak but, as she takes in Lena, she suddenly finds that the words get stuck in her throat and are suppressed deeper and deeper from the surface by a jittery feeling that overwhelms her.

The CEO exudes power in her magenta coat that sits open, revealing her likely expensive black suit underneath. Her lipstick is a softer shade of pink than her coat but compliments it perfectly, making her already-full lips pop out even more against her pale skin. But her eyes… Lena's eyes never break contact with hers as she waits for Kara to say something, an intensity Kara's never seen before burning deep within them.

"Surprise visit to CatCo?" The reporter manages, the words leaving her mouth before she can even give them too much thought. Her mind isn't working properly anymore, anyway, as much as she wishes it would.

"I guess you could say that," comes Lena's wry response.

It's at that moment that Kara realises she hasn't messaged Lena like she promised she would and she feels a stab of guilt slice through her for the second time that day. "Ooooh, my… God, I was supposed to text you! I'm so sorry! There's just a lot going on." An understatement, Kara knows, and the crappiest excuse of an apology ever, but she still hasn't figured out what she's going to tell Lena. "Alex and Maggie are honestly fine and-"

The brunette waves away Kara's apology. "There's no need to explain. I'm glad everything's okay."

Kara knows that there really is a need to explain, but an interruption stops her and the moment passes.

"Miss Luthor."

The sound of James' voice catches Kara off guard. She twists to look at him as he approaches and notes that his face has hardened into an unreadable expression.

"Mr Olsen," Lena replies, offering her hand to him. He returns the gesture, as much as he doesn't want to.

"Miss Grant will be ready for you in a moment," he states.

"Thank you. My colleague will be with us shortly."

Kara feels like she's intruding on a private conversation, stuck between the both of them, her head pinging back and forth whenever one of them speaks. Kara can't help but wonder what she's missing, what information she's not privy to, not that it's any of her business. Still, she can't contain her desire to ask.

"You're meeting Miss Grant?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you-"

It suddenly makes sense to Kara. All the positive stuff Lena was saying about CatCo's new owner, her obvious increase in interest in the company that Kara had picked up on over the last couple of weeks and the fact that there was always the latest copy of the magazine sitting on her coffee table in her L-Corp office. James' tone makes sense now too, at least somewhat. He didn't have an issue with the new chief being a woman at all; after his history with Clark and Lex, he borderline despises the Luthors. Kara can't help but feel a twinge of irritation at the thought of James disliking Lena because of her surname. He's making assumptions that are unjustified and unfair because Lena is nothing like her family. Kara makes sure to tell any doubters that, because it's true.

She doesn't let that detract from the realisation – the amazing one – that she's just come to.

Her mouths opens and closes like a goldfish, initially too shocked to speak, until the words finally come out. "You're buying CatCo?"

"Yeah!" Lena tries to deduce Kara's feelings about it from her face but can't. "Is that okay?"

"What?" Kara's surprise continues to grow by the second. Lena Luthor – her best friend – is buying CatCo and is genuinely asking her whether it's okay. "Of course! Why wouldn't it be okay? It's so exciting! How long have you known? And what about L-Corp?" Kara squeals as she rambles excitedly.

The relief coupled with Kara's adorable reaction settles the nerves that have been rippling through Lena for the last week or so. She knew that Cat was leaving before Kara did but couldn't say anything and had agreed most of the deal already; tonight is the finalisation of the takeover before it's officially announced tomorrow.

"We agreed terms a couple of days ago. That forest in my office yesterday… That was all CatCo stuff. There are just a couple of details left to sort out."

"And then all this is yours!" Kara finishes Lena's sentence for her, although she probably wouldn't have put it that way.

The reporter throws her arms around her new boss and squeezes tightly – too tightly. "Sorry, sorry!" She apologises, letting go of Lena who couldn't help the little grumble that escaped her lips as Kara's grip tightened around her. "I'm just so thrilled!"

"Lena!"

Kara releases Lena.

The sudden interruption is followed by the appearance of a tall woman who offers Lena a warm greeting. Her long brown hair is left down and she quickly places it behind her ear, allowing Kara to fully see her face. She's effortlessly beautiful; the symmetry of her eyebrows and her coffee-brown eyes that look warm and kind and her legs… Her legs go on forever.

An involuntary stab of jealousy blindsides Kara as the beautiful woman holds Lena's attention, and she hopes it doesn't show. It's as though Lena senses it because she turns back to Kara and offers her the most beautiful smile she thinks she's ever seen, which is more than enough to shake the green envy from her system.

"Sam, this is Kara Danvers."

Kara feels like she's heard Lena mention a Sam before. Maybe an old friend?

"Kara! It's lovely to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you from this one." Sam jabs a thumb in Lena's direction and flashes Kara a wide smile – revealing teeth that are equally as perfect as the rest of her – though Kara doesn't think it's as nice as Lena's. She offers Kara her hand, which she shakes and finds that it's as warm as hers. And that might just be the firmest handshake she's ever received.

"Kara," Lena continues, and the reporter's attention is immediately back on her friend. "This is Samantha Arias, the lovely lady who'll be running L-Corp for me."