ROGUE Series

Disclaimer: Check chapter one

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are two writers to this story, myself and Wally Boswell, writer of the compelling and wonderful 'Abandoned, The Fortress Aftermath'. Please, check him out if you haven't already.

Chapter Four

Obsidian North Headquarters,

Tired of not getting answers, Kelly snatched her bag from a close by chair, quickly striding to her desk to get the rest of her belongings. She was going to get answers, and now!

She was about to turn off the TV when the name Kara Danvers popped on the screen. Turning up the volume, she listened intently as the anchor talked about Kara.

"President Lex Luthor just announced that CatCo's ace reporter, Kara Danvers is now considered an enemy of the state for affiliating with Supergirl and helping her escape authorities. It's not yet clear whether or not Kara Danvers was injured in the shooting at CatCo and her role in it, but the FBI has confirmed that she's now considered a wanted fugitive." A photo of Kara flashed on the right side of the screen. "If you have any information regarding…"

The reporter kept on talking but Kelly wasn't listening anymore. "What is going on?" Kelly unlocked her phone and tried Alex again. It rang this time, twice, before the call was disconnected. "What the hell, Alex?"

Kelly was on the verge of throwing her phone against the nearest wall when the notification for a text message beeped and she hurried to open the app.

Can't talk now. Call you back as soon as possible.

Kelly frowned at her phone and texted back. What's going on? Are you ok? Why is James arrested? And what's going on with Kara? But the phone remained ominously silent. "Arrggg! I hate it when you that!"

Tossing her phone inside her bag, the psychiatrist glared at the TV before stomping out of her office. She hated not knowing what was happening.

She really did.

##

LCorp's Headquarters,

Sam's tiny wave didn't even register in Alex's mind as she found herself rooted to the ground, staring blankly at the beautiful woman on the gurney next to her sister's. Her heart was pounding so loud in her chest, she was sure everyone in the lab could hear it, but that was impossible, right? That… Oh shit, she's Kryptonian, she has super hearing! Shit, what do I do? I—

"Sweetie, it's rude to stare…" Her mother's smooth and somewhat amused voice sounded in her ear, almost making her jump off her skin. Alex cleared her throat, embarrassed.

Glaring at her mother for a second before forcing herself to move, Alex blatantly ignored her mother's knowing smirk and Lena's raised eyebrow, and made her way to the apprehensive looking brunette, a smile coming unbidden to her lips. "Hey…"

Sam visibly relaxed when Alex smiled down at her and hugged as best as she could, given that she was on a gurney with a needle and a tube attached to her arm. Sam's warm hand on her back sent chills down her spine, again. She had forgotten how good that always felt. Not good, Danvers, not good…

"It's so good to see you…" Sam whispered close to her ear, hesitantly holding her closer.

Alex smiled and was about to answer when her phone rang. Scowling, she mumbled an apology and snatched her phone from her back pocket, cursing under her breath. Glaring at the offending gadget, she blinked, almost as if she was suddenly aware, forced into reality by the name displaying on the screen.

Kelly… Alex swallowed, letting it ring one more time before she made a quick decision and dragged her thumb up, pulling up the quick reply option. Selecting a predefined message, Alex locked her phone and put it back safely in the back pocket of her black jeans.

Looking down, she smiled at the beautiful hazel eyes eagerly gazing up at her. Why she hadn't answered Kelly's call she didn't know, but right now, it didn't seem important.

##

Lena caught from the corner of her eyes as Eliza shook her head ever so slightly, smirking at her oldest daughter, almost as if she knew something Alex didn't.

Her eyes returned to the nasty burn on Kara's muscular thigh. Eliza, being the efficient and experienced doctor that she was, had already cut the Kryptonian's jeans away, leaving her perfectly shaped legs exposed. Fortunately, her legs hadn't sustained as much damage as her torso, but she still had some serious looking burns that needed immediate attention.

An amused smile slipped, unbidden: Kara might kill the one behind her attack just because of her jeans. It was her favorite pair and she was always so careful with it.

"Do you have the Kryptonite scan report close by, Lena?" Eliza's low voice interrupted her thoughts.

Lena glanced her way, a little startled. "Let me finish this and I'll give you the tablet." Lena liberally applied the lotion over the burn. "I'll give you access to her stats and the equipment."

"Thank you, Lena."

Lena didn't look up from her task, but she could hear the smile on the older woman's voice, just like she did so many times before with Kara. She wondered if Kara was even aware of how much she and Eliza were alike. "Is there something wrong?"

Eliza sighed. "The Kryptonite should be clearing her system now that the bullet was removed, but it doesn't look like it."

Lena frowned and looked up from the wound. "I know I checked the result thoroughly, but…"

"We both did, Lena." Eliza was quick to reassure her. "But we were too focused on the bullet wound. Maybe there's something we missed."

Lena's frown deepened. "What are the odds of both of us missing something on that scan?"

Eliza smirked. "Very slim."

Lena hurried to dress the wound and rushed to where the main server was, removing her gloves on her way there. Typing rapid commands on the keyboard, Lena granted Alex and Eliza access to the lab's health system. They would need full access in order to monitor Kara.

Making sure that all the data was transferred to the tablet on her hands, Lena quickly scanned the results once more, finding nothing different from her previous assessment. Maybe they should scan her again.

Slowly walking towards the gurney, Lena looked up from her tablet, swallowing hard at the breathtaking sight of Kara's athletic body. God, she was beautiful and perfect, and…

And.

##

Realizing that she was staring once more, Alex shook her head just a little, a chuckle escaping. What the hell was wrong with her today? Glancing to the side, she watched her sister's inert form for a moment. That's where she should be, taking care of Kara, not here, staring at her friend as she had never seen anyone like her before.

"Alex…"

The soft voice pierced her mind like a spell, and she was helpless to escape its gentle tug. She needed to go to Kara's side before she would do something stupid because she had the feeling that she would. She needed to go. Now.

"I'm sorry… I should have called you, to tell you about what was happening, but we weren't sure and—"

Alex's hand moved out of its own accord, resting on Sam's arm. "Don't, please," Alex said softly, not missing the goosebumps erupting on the woman's skin at her touch. Biting her lip slightly, she said, "we can talk about this later if you want, but… You have nothing to apologize for."

Sam nodded, gratitude shining in her hazel eyes. "I want to." The Kryptonian blinked up at her. "Talk about it, I mean. Later." She lowered her eyes. "I've been wanting to call you…"

Alex's thumb traced the fine hairs on the taller woman's arm, distracting herself for a second with how smooth her skin was. "Why didn't you?"

Sam swallowed visibly. "I—I was afraid that I was overstepping a—and…" Her stutter was interrupted by a grimace, her hand going to her face.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, her brows knitting in concern.

Sam rubbed her eyes forcibly. "It's nothing…" Sam shook her head and offered her a tentative smile, her lip upper lip contorting slightly.

"Sam…" Alex gasped, her eyes going wide at the sight of green tainted veins in Sam's hand, neck, and face. Sam's head dug forcibly into the pillow under her head, her body becoming rigid. The Kryptonian's hazel eyes rolled to the back of her head as her arms and legs convulsed out of her control. "Sam!"

##

FBI's Headquarters,

Agent McKenna smirked as James took his seat in front of the sparse desk in the interrogation room, only a microphone sitting in the middle of it.

"Now, you're on my turf, Mr. CEO," the agent said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Leaning back on the uncomfortable chair, James crossed his arms in front of him, his hands no longer confined by the cold metal of the handcuffs around his thick wrists.

"I'm guessing that you're not recording this yet."

McKenna raised an eyebrow, pulling his chair away from the desk and turning it backward, so he could sit and rest his arms on the back of it. "Is there something you need to tell me before I turn this on, Mr. CEO?"

James inhaled. The irritating man was getting on his nerves. "Just a question."

Both eyebrows were now raised in surprise. "A question?" The agent indicated the room with his arm raised. "I ask questions here, Mr. CEO, not you."

James shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'm not answering any questions without my lawyer."

McKenna nodded. "You realize that only makes you look even more suspicious, that your little stunt with the reporters outside your trashy magazine only made it worse for you?" He shook his head, almost looking disappointed. "I thought you were smarter than that. If you want any help from me—"

"I don't need your help, agent, especially when I'm innocent of whatever foolish charge you have against me." James smiled at him. "And I didn't call the media, agent. The perks of running a successful magazine such as CatCo is that we're a close bunch. We protect each other. Any of my staff could've tipped the media."

McKenna nodded once more, a patronizing look on his pale face. "Like you protected Kara Danvers when she ran away?"

"I told you before; if Kara Danvers was at the building at that time, I was not aware of it." James shifted in his chair, uncrossing his arms quickly and resting them over the cold table, leaning over it, towards the FBI Agent. "Now, you've been harassing my staff on unfounded grounds, shooting the people I work with and damaging Miss Luthor's property. I'm guessing her lawyers are already preparing the lawsuit." James smirked at the throbbing vein on the man's pale forehead. "Amazing how fast the Luthor's legal team works, isn't it?"

"Lena Luthor, your… girlfriend, right?"

Girlfriend? Was that what she was? He wasn't sure they had ever been a real couple, to begin with. Somehow, having people call Lena his girlfriend didn't sound right anymore. James leaned back on his chair again. "My personal relationship with Miss Luthor is none of your concern, agent."

McKenna chuckled, amused, and shook a knowing finger at him. "Now, that's where you have it wrong, Mr. CEO. From now on, everything that concerns your life, concerns me."

A knock sounded inside the small room and the metal door opened, a young agent poking his head inside.

"Agent McKenna?"

"What?" McKenna spat, looking up sharply.

The man gave him an apologetic look. "Mr. Olsen's lawyers are here. We have to release him."

James slowly rose to his full height, his smile never reaching his eyes. "Have a nice day, agent McKenna. I'll be sure to mention to my lawyers about your little… harassment game."

"You're not going anywhere until I tell you to, Olsen!" McKenna snarled, practically jumping off his chair.

"My client won't stay here a minute longer, agent." A tall, sleek-looking man walked inside the interrogation room, leather briefcase in one hand and a thick envelope in the other one. Dropping it on the table unceremoniously, the lawyer stood fearless between McKenna and James. "Have a nice day, agent. You'll be hearing from us soon."

James was now sure the vein in his forehead was about to burst open. He winked and followed his lawyer outside the interrogation room, hearing one of the chairs being kicked against something metallic once they left. "Temper…"

##

LCorp's Headquarters,

"Son of…" Alex's brain froze for a moment before her medical training took over and she held the convulsing woman down by her shoulders. "Mom!"

Eliza looked up from her task, her eyes widening in shock. Dropping the piece of gauze in her hand, the older Danvers rushed over.

Lena looked over from her tablet and ran to Sam's side, stunned. "Sam…"

Eliza rushed to Sam's side and held down the arm where the needle was stuck, quickly snatching a piece of gauze and bandage. Calling out to Lena to hold Sam's arm steady, the older Danvers' expertly pulled out the needle from the Kryptonian's vein, being careful about pressing the gauze down on the bleeding puncture. "Hold on to this for a bit, Lena. I need to secure the blood in this bag."

Lena nodded quietly, her emerald eyes gawking in concern at green veins in her friend's neck.

Alex was only half paying attention to what her mother was doing, though she was fairly sure she was removing the needle from Sam's arm to prevent injury. Sam's hands clenched, her neck extending and becoming rigid, small grunts escaping her contracted lips.

"I thought she was immune to kryptonite!"

Eliza's voice broke her concentration. "She is! Or was! I don't know anymore!" Alex was just as baffled.

"This is not possible…" Lena mumbled, still uncomprehending. "She's immune to Kryptonite! The residual World Killer DNA protects her still!"

"Maybe it's all gone now. Maybe—"

"It's not," Lena interrupted, giving Alex a knowing look. "You know it will never fully go away."

"It's damaged and inert, Lena!"

"But not gone!"

"If you two are done arguing, I think it's best if we just keep Sam away from Kara for the time being. Her seizure is not slowing down and I'm guessing the kryptonite in Kara's body is to blame." Eliza gently pushed Lena's hand away from the bleeding puncture and quickly wrapped Sam's arm.

"But this shouldn't be happening. She's not in direct contact with kryptonite!"

"But Kara is emanating it and it's not leaving her system." Eliza gave them a meaningful look. "Sam needs to leave this room, now!"

Acting more on Eliza's commanding voice than anything else, Alex jumped on the gurney, holding down Sam as best as she could. "Where can we take her, Lena?" Alex asked, urgency in her voice.

"This way!" Lena pushed the gurney towards the inner door. "Hope, unlock the door to the quarters."

"Yes, Miss Luthor. The door is unlocked," Hope replied.

"Good thing I'm still wearing the exoskeleton…" Lena grumbled.

Alex held on to the still convulsing woman, worry marring her features.

##

FBI's Headquarters – Outside,

James stepped outside the imposing building, walking side by side with his lawyer. Several reporters waiting outside spotted James and rushed over.

"Mr. Olsen!"

James sighed as his phone went off.

"I can send them away, Mr. Olsen," his lawyer said, watching the approaching reporters. "Just say the word."

James looked down at his ringing phone. "No, just… I just need to take this first."

"Sure, I'll stall them for you."

James gave him a grateful smile and answered the phone. "Hey, Kelly. I—"

"What the hell is going on, James?" Kelly all but yelled on the other side of the phone.

"Kelly—"

"Alex is not answering the phone and Kara is a wanted fugitive! What the—"

"Kelly!" James raised his voice to get her attention. He was having a very aggravating day and having Kelly yell at him on the phone was not helping. "I don't know what's going on with Alex. Meet me at CatCo in thirty."

Disconnecting the call before she could complain, James turned around and proceeded to stand by his lawyer. Kelly would be fuming now, but he would worry about her reaction later. His sister was difficult to handle sometimes, and her temper tended to flare at the worst possible moments. Dr. Kelly Olsen was not as collected as everyone thought her to be and he had a feeling Alex had yet to find that out.

"Mr. Olsen! Why were you taken by the FBI? Are you being charged with anything?"

"Can you tell us what happened at CatCo?"

"Is Kara Danvers on the run?"

"Is she hurt?"

James raised his hand to try and silence them. So, this was what it was like to be on the other side… "This, ladies and gentlemen," James pointed to the building behind him, "is just the beginning of the President's ridiculous witch hunt." He smirked at the camera in front of him, knowing Lex would see this; knowing he was only making it worse for himself, but he didn't care.

Lex Luthor was a lunatic and had to be stopped, one way or another.

##

LCorp's Headquarters,

The door closed behind them with a thud and just as quickly as it started, Sam's seizure subsided.

"It's working!" Alex exclaimed, relief in her voice.

Lena frowned, still pushing the gurney as far away from Kara as possible, even if she knew the lab became isolated the moment the door closed behind them. "But she shouldn't be affected by it!" She insisted stubbornly. "I tested her again just two weeks ago!" Lena stopped in front of a closed door and rushed to open it. "It makes absolutely no sense, Alex! We're missing something!"

Now that Sam was no longer convulsing, her breathing coming in short, rapid intakes of air, Alex jumped off the gurney, helping Lena push it inside the medium-sized room, that she quickly realized was to be used as a kitchen and living room.

"Not now, Lena," Alex hissed, her eyes focused on the slowly regaining conscious Kryptonian.

Sam groaned softly, cracking her eyes open. "Alex…"

"I'm here. You're all right." Alex smiled down at the brunette, taking her hand and pressing it against her chest.

Lena watched them quietly for a moment, scowling. Something was not right, and she suspected it had something to do with the Kryptonite in Kara's body. The sickly green on Sam's neck and face was fading quickly, exactly how it was supposed to happen when she was away from it, but Kara's Kryptonite was not fading, and Sam wasn't supposed to be affected by it! She had to go over that scan again and quickly.

"There's water and food in that fridge. You should help her drink some," Lena said quietly. "I need to go back to the lab."

Alex nodded absentmindedly, without ever looking back at her. Her focus was solely on Sam and if Lena was a betting woman, which she was, she would bet Alex Danvers had a healthy crush on her CFO. In fact, she was absolutely sure if Sam hadn't left for Metropolis, something might have happened between them, with or without Maggie Sawyer in the picture.

##

Back at the lab, Lena went over the first test results with Eliza's help, reading every single piece of information thoroughly - twice.

"I find nothing different, Eliza," Lena said, rubbing her eyes, frustrated. If she kept this up, she would have to get her glasses soon. Kara would like that. She always had a goofy smile on her face when she saw her wearing her glasses.

"It looks cute on you!" Kara exclaimed, blushing slightly.

"My dorky glasses?" Lena chuckled, amused at her best friend's reaction. Kara always managed to make her feel good about herself, even when she was wearing her dorky glasses, with no makeup on and her hair up in a messy bun. She looked absolutely horrid, but for some reason, she felt beautiful. "I look like a nerd, Kara!"

Kara stifled a snort, giving her goofy look. "Lena Luthor is a nerd. I'm shocked."

Lena grinned, going back to her reading while supporting her head on her head, but the soft sound of shutter going off caught her attention and her head snapped back up, seeing Kara holding up her phone with a mischievous grin on her full lips. "Kara, did you just—"

"This one is going to my album." Kara kept grinning.

"Nonono, you have to delete that." Lena sat up straight, gauging the distance between her and the adorable blonde. "Kara…"

Lena lunged over the table, trying to snatch the phone from the blonde's hand, but Kara was damn fast and ran off, cackling. "Already uploaded to my cloud, Lena, and its DEO issued, you can't hack it without Alex breathing down your neck!"

Lena laughed quietly at the silly woman that was her best friend. She was so amused with Kara's goofiness, she never once stopped to consider why a CatCo reporter needed a cloud with DEO encryption.

Who would have thought sweet Kara Danvers was such a brat.

Eliza sighed, finally dressing the last of the largest and nastier burns on her daughter's skin. Now, there were only minor cuts and burns. It would be faster now. "Me neither, but something's not right, Lena. The Kryptonite levels are not going down and it's probably affecting your friend too."

Lena nodded, doing her best not to look at the half-naked, unconscious woman on the gurney or the screen displaying the erratic rate of her heartbeat and uneven breathing. Kara was still in danger, she could still die.

"We should scan her again, Lena, now that the bullet is out. Maybe we'll get different results this time."

Lena nodded. "I agree. I'll take care of it."

Eliza smiled, reaching out to touch Lena's arm. "Thank you, Lena. You have no idea how much I appreciate everything that you're doing for her."

Lena glanced down at the hand on her arm and blushed, mumbling a strangled 'thank you'. Her usual cockiness was gone, and she felt completely unbalanced. If she had to be honest with herself, she was feeling unbalanced ever since Kara told her the truth about her identity, but today… Today had changed everything. Again, and she was tired of change.

Keeping her eyes glued on her tablet, Lena hurried to the server to start the second scan. She didn't want to fall apart in front of Eliza Danvers again. What would the woman think of her?

##

"God… What happened?" Sam groaned, her free hand covering her eyes and forehead.

"We're not sure yet, but… it seems the Green K in Kara's body affected you," Alex replied softly.

Sam peeked from between the fingers covering her eyes. "That's impossible," she said, the hand falling from her face to reveal a deep frown. "Lena tested me again only a few weeks ago and—"

"I know, she just told me," Alex interrupted, fighting the urge to smooth the offending frown out of the Kryptonian's forehead. "She's on it, don't worry, ok?"

Sam's hazel eyes softened.

"Thank you for doing this, Sam, for helping Kara," Alex's brown eyes shone with undisguised gratitude.

"Of course. I—" Sam looked away, her eyes troubled. "I'm sorry, Alex… I didn't know. What I did to Kara… I—"

"Sam, no one is blaming you for that, especially not Kara. What happened to Kara was Reign's doing, not yours." Alex gave up and just stopped fighting herself. Touching the Kryptonian's cheek, she brushed her fingers over the smooth skin, catching Sam's barely disguised swallow. Glad it's not just me. "She will kick your ass if you keep apologizing."

Sam choked out a laugh, a tear rolling down, but Alex caught it with her finger before it touched her cheek. "I'm guessing she's going to be out of commission for a while. Please, don't make her exert herself to set the record straight. Because she will try and then mom is going to yell at her, and it's not going to be pretty."

Sam chuckled and nodded, her trembling fingers squeezing the hand holding onto hers.

"Good," Alex smiled down at the Kryptonian, her heart skipping a beat when she felt those long fingers pressing against hers. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. "How's Ruby?"

Sam smirked, clearly relieved for the change of subject. "Your typical teenage self. She enjoys scaring her friends with The Shining."

Alex chuckled. "Good girl!"

"Not 'good girl', Alex. I have parents calling me to ask what the hell is wrong with me for allowing my teenage daughter to watch something like that."

Alex bit her lip to keep quiet, but she could tell Sam was not upset. "And what do you say?"

Sam's eyes glinted with mischief. "Her favorite babysitter is an FBI agent and approves of her movie choices."

Alex barked out a laugh. "That she does. Where is she?"

"At a friend's house, one that's not scared of the movie," Sam replied, blinking tiredly.

"Good," Alex smiled down at her. "But you should consider bringing her over, Sam. Soon. If Lex gets wind that there's more Kryptonians in the US, he will hunt you down. We should consider a long-term solution, but Ruby should be close."

Sam looked worried. "This is serious, isn't it?"

Alex nodded, caressing her facing in a soothing motion, reveling in how right it felt to do so. She was in trouble and she knew it. "I was suspended today from the DEO for affiliation with Kryptonians and I'm sure Lex Luthor is behind whatever happened to Kara. Dark times are coming, Sam, and we need to stay close."

"El mayarah…" Sam mumbled with a smile, closing her eyes.

"El mayarah…" Alex smiled, feeling butterflies in her stomach when Sam's fingers entwined with her own. "I need to go check on Kara and you need to rest for a bit. Kryptonite drains your energy. Even Kara, after all this time, still feels depleted."

Sam nodded sleepy, her eyes closing.

"Sleep…" Alex whispered, keeping her soothing caress until she was sure Sam was asleep.

Feeling very out of sorts, Alex left the room, worry marring her features. What was she doing?

##

CatCo's Headquarters,

James stepped outside the elevator the moment the doors opened and stopped in his tracks, too stunned to move at the standing ovation he was getting from his staff.

He smiled, his heart swelling with pride at his staff, at himself. Finally, it seemed like he was doing something right, like he was finding his way.

"Thank you!" He couldn't stop smiling as he trod over to his office, shaking the outstretched hands of his staff. Damn, that felt good!

"Mr. Olsen," someone called out to him and he turned around. "Is it true what they're saying about Kara, that she was shot by the FBI? That she might be dead?"

His heart clenched at the thought of his dear friend being hurt. "I don't know, Roger, but I intend to find out. Now, please, go back to your desks. We have a special issue coming out tomorrow. What happened here today will not go untold."

Another round of applause and whistles greeted his words and he grinned, but his smile dropped the moment he saw his sister inside his office, sitting in his chair and looking furious. "Kelly.".

"What the hell, James!" Kelly rose from his chair in one smooth motion. "No one is talking to me and I want answers, and I want them now!

James sighed tiredly, closing the door behind him with a click. He felt somewhat relieved. If Alex was not answering the phone, that meant she was probably with Kara and whatever injuries the alien might have sustained were being taken care of.

Dropping his jacket on the couch, he walked over to his desk and grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling the words 'it's not safe'. "I've told you before, I don't know why Alex is not answering the phone, Kelly." He handed her the paper and kept on talking. "And I don't know what's going on with Kara either. Some say she was shot, others that she's on the run…" He raised his hand only to let it drop heavily, hoping Kelly would play along and not give him any trouble. "All I know is that the FBI and SWAT invaded my magazine and were using my staff for pot shot practice, and then had the audacity to arrest me under false pretenses. I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and they're not going to like it."

Kelly dropped the note on the desk, her big brown eyes still glaring at him. "Something is happening, James, and I have a bad feeling about this."

James nodded. "You're not the only one." Grabbing his jacket from the couch, he motioned to the door with his head. "Come on, let's go get a bite. I'm starving and I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."

Kelly stomped past him, heading out. James exhaled. "And a long dinner too. Should've just ordered takeout."

Shaking his head, he followed his furious sister to the elevator.

##

LCorp's Headquarters,

Lena was looking intently at the screen in front of her, carefully analyzing every bit of information the machine scanning Kara's body was sending to her feed. There had to be something they were missing, something that was stopping the Kryptonite from leaving Kara's body.

Lena pulled another screen, checking Kara's vitals for the third time in twenty minutes. There was no change. Her vitals were still erratic and unstable, and Eliza had just set up the second unit of blood. They would need to get another transfusion from Sam soon, but what if it wasn't enough? Could Alex get what was stored at the DEO?

She was fretting in silence, something that had never happened before today when she caught sight of Alex standing by Kara's side. The redhead kissed her sister's head, tenderly touching her cheek, careful about the oxygen mask on her face. Whispering to her, Alex cleaned a tear rolling down her face while taking Kara's hand in her own and kissing her knuckles.

Lena felt like she was interrupting a very private moment. She envied that, their close relationship, their friendship, their connection. She didn't before when she believed she shared a similar bond with Kara, a bond that nothing could destroy. How delusional she had been. She would never have that kind of bond with anyone, ever. She wasn't worthy of it and life had no qualms about reminding her of it.

Lena pulled back the screen, forcing herself to focus on the data scrolling up for the ongoing scan. It would take a while still to get the result, but maybe she could spot something before it was done. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Lena?"

Lena jumped a little, not expecting someone to call her name from so close by. Turning around, she was faced with a frowning Alex, just a foot away from her. Thinking that Alex was about to accuse her of something, Lena let her hard mask fall in place. She was in cold CEO mode and there was no getting to her now.

"What happened to you?" Alex's frown deepened as she gestured to Lena's figure.

Lena looked down at herself, at the ruined skirt and exoskeleton and blinked, completely caught off guard for the second time that day. Why wasn't she yelling at her?

"She hum… She passed out on her way here and I'm not strong enough to carry her, so I—"

Alex's warm hand touching her arm stopped her rambling at once. Lena looked up from the hand on her arm, seeing brown eyes full of understanding and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Neither am I. She's heavy as hell, but don't tell her that. She's very self-conscious about her weight."

Lena tried to stifle a smile at the silliness of Kara, a Kryptonian, worrying about something mundane like that, but she really couldn't. She wanted to stay mad at them, damn it! At her! But no one was making it easy for her. The smile dropped her face when strong arms pulled her into a warm hug.

"Thank you for saving her, Lena." Alex pulled her closer, burying her face on her shoulder. "She trusted you and you didn't let her down. You never do." Alex pulled away before Lena could react, her brown eyes full of tears. "Please, take care of yourself, Lena. You've lost too much weight." Alex smiled. "She's going to freak out when she sees you. You know how she gets." Kissing her cheek, Alex walked away.

Lena stared at the retreating agent, rattled. Why did they keep doing that? Treating her like they cared; like she mattered? Couldn't they understand that she was angry at them? She wanted them to stay away from her! So why did they keep staying around?

Her eyes fell on Kara and her greenish face, and her stomach lurched. Alex and Eliza were talking by her side in hushed tones, but she caught on some of it. Alex was warning Eliza about the possibility of Kara having a seizure because of the Kryptonite, and how in her current state, with the blood loss and the gravity of her injuries, it could be too much for her to take. Right now, the Kryptonite in her body was her biggest enemy and the next 24h were vital.

It was too much to take, too much to handle. Her stomach churned again, and she felt the bile rise in her throat. Mumbling an excuse, Lena rushed out of the lab, running to her room as fast as she could and going straight to the small restroom there. Dropping heavily to her knees, Lena leaned over the toilet, throwing up.

##

White House, Oval Office,

Lex Luthor, President of the United States of America looked away from his phone. He had just read James Olsen's tweet about the presidential witch hunt on aliens.

Reclining in his big, comfy chair, he took the glass of whiskey from his desk and spun around, so he could look outside the window behind him and enjoy the setting sun peacefully.

"Well played, Jimmy, well played. Didn't think you had it in you." Releasing a deep, cleansing breath, he saluted James with his glass. "Guess I'll have to adjust my plan for you."

Satisfied, Lex sipped from his glass, a smile playing his lips.

###

TBC

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