The sun had long set on National City, the infinite black of the nights sky plunging the world into darkness. The sparkling lights of the buildings outside reflected off the floor length windows of Lena's office. The young CEO was working late into the evening, too busy with the piles of paperwork cluttering her desk and the mountains of unread emails in her inbox to notice the hours quickly ticking away.

The past week of working with Alex Danvers and Supergirl had taken its toll, leaving her with little time to manage the billion dollar company she had inherited and feeling more stressed than she had ever felt in her entire life.

L-Corp's stocks had taken a hit since Lex's escape, her shareholders had become skittish and on edge, seemingly waiting for her to show her inner Luthor and join her brother on his vengeful crusade, despite her reassurances to the contrary. James had taken a sabbatical from CatCo, at his sisters insistence, to deal with the trauma of Lex's recent attack on him, leaving her alone to run two major corporations. And to add insult to injury, they were still no closer to finding Lex. Her illusive brother had proven to consistently be one step ahead of them at every turn.

She had taken the day as a break from the search, to allow her to catch up with the work she had missed in her absence, leaving Alex and the Super to follow up on leads without her. The day had proven long and tiresome, and she had realised after her 8am meeting with the board that she would most likely be here all night.

The clock on her computer ticked over to midnight as Lena finished reading the contract laid out before her, adding her signature at the bottom in her usual neat, elegant cursive. She placed her pen gently on the surface of the desk and let her hand reach up to the back of her neck, fingers kneading the surrounding muscles in an attempt to ease the tight knots that had formed there.

Letting out a tired sigh, she closed her eyes and wished she could go home and sink into the voluminous pillows of her California King bed. Perhaps she could allow herself five short minutes to close her eyes and replenish her quickly depleting energy.

She rested her head back against the thickly cushioned support of her desk chair, sliding her eyelids closed and blocking out the dimmed lighting of her office. She immediately felt the strong pull of slumber on her consciousness and allowed herself to drift towards it. Blissful oblivion had almost claimed her when she was rudely awoken by the shrill ring of her phone. She groaned out her feeling of discontent as she reached for the offending object vibrating on her desk, sliding to answer without looking at the call display.

"Hello, this is Lena Luthor." She said with as much authority as she could muster at this late hour.

"My dearest sister, I heard you've been looking for me despite my warnings against doing so." Lena froze at the sound of that voice. Of course Lex would choose tonight of all nights to show himself, he always seemed to have a sixth sense for whenever Lena was at her most fragile.

"I warned you it would not be pleasant for you if you came searching for me but, being the stubborn child you've always been, I knew you wouldn't listen. Although I must say, it's been thoroughly amusing to watch from the sidelines as you failed over and over again in your pointless quest for justice. I can't say I'm surprised that you would choose to side with a Super over your own family, but honestly Lena, I expected more integrity from you. Watching you fawn over that disgusting Kryptonian, it's pathetic." The disdain dripping from Lex's words was palpable.

Lena swallowed against the thickness in her throat, trying to keep her voice steady and even.

"What do you want, Lex?" Lena detested the evident tremble in her voice as she spoke, she hoped Lex wouldn't notice but knew deep down that he would.

"I think it's time we both sat down for a little talk, put our cards on the table." Lex declared.

"And what makes you think that I would want to sit down to talk with you after what you did to me? I have nothing to say to you." Lena could hear the venom in her tone.

"Well, let's just say it wasn't a request. Miss Teschmacher is awaiting my instruction, her sights firmly set on Jimmy Olsen. No one will be there to save him this time. So how about we move this along? I'll send you an address, be here within the next hour, alone, or Mr Olsen will finally get his comeuppance." Lex stated his intentions and Lena knew from the cold dismissiveness of his tone that he wasn't bluffing.

The phone went dead and her text tone immediately alerted her to the new message waiting in her inbox. With a shaky breath, she opened the message from a blocked number and recognised the address of a long abandoned LuthorCorp warehouse on the outskirts of National City.

She knew she had no choice. She may no longer be with James, but she still cared and she refused to let her brother take his life and destroy so many others in the process. James had family, friends, who loved him. Kara, loved him like family and she didn't deserve to suffer that loss.

Lena sighed, elbow resting against her desk, fingers massaging her temples. She was getting a migraine and this talk with Lex would do nothing but exacerbate it. He was a constant migraine on her life.

She reached over to the draw nestled at the top of her desk and pulled it open. The signal watch Supergirl had given to Alex Danvers rested on top of the stationary she had placed in there. Alex had given it to her for the day in case she needed to get in contact with them urgently. Lena knew she couldn't call them to help her with this, she needed to go alone, like Lex had stated, or James was dead. That didn't mean she couldn't take it with her though. She picked it up gently and slid it onto her left wrist, hoping and praying that Lex wouldn't notice it as anything other than a regular watch.

She called her driver and told him to head home, informing him that she would be staying all night at her office. He accepted her explanation without question, and Lena knew it was because it wouldn't be the first time she had pulled an all nighter at work.

She pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote a quick note, outlining the address she was headed to and why. Folding it and placing it inside an envelope she left it leaning against her computer screen, a small piece of insurance incase the conversation with Lex took an unexpected turn.

Her heart pounded as she stood inside the elevator, slowing descending to the parking level. She was thankful that she always kept a car here for her personal use, just incase she ever wanted to drive by herself or get away from the madness for a short period.

She located the black, 1964 Mustang Fastback with ease. Sitting parked in the CEO's designated parking spot, the only car left in the empty lot. The car had been a gift from her father on her 16th birthday, a way for her to escape the constant barrage of her mothers scathing jibes. Over the years she had upgraded it, and as she had taken on the heavy mantle of CEO and moved away from the R&D side of the company, it had provided her an outlet for her constant need to tinker.

Lena eased into the driving seat and programmed the address Lex had sent her into the navigation system. She felt the low rumble of the engine as she peeled out of the parking garage and headed off into the night.

The site was easy to locate and she pulled her car onto the loose gravel surrounding the imposing building. With a deep breath she opened the car door and slowly wandered towards the loading bay entrance.

Lena walked through the abandoned warehouse, her heart pounding as her eyes darted around the surroundings. Lex really needed to stop being so cliché. Couldn't they have had this meeting somewhere that didn't look close to demolition? Maybe talk over a chilled glass of expensive scotch, like their alcohol dependant father had taught them?

She saw light leaching through the gap of a closed doorway ahead of her and made her way over, hand pressing firmly against the door handle as she took a deep breath to steady herself. The sight she was met with was one from her darkest nightmares and she froze in place, all air leaving her body in a ragged exhale.

Kara Danvers, bound and gagged against a steel support beam, her body slumped forward in clear unconsciousness. Lex stood to Kara's left side, a jet black, 9mm handgun pointed firmly towards her bowed head.

"Hi there sis, I'm glad you finally decided to join us." Lex spoke, with the same air of teasing he had used when they were children.

Lena met his hard stare, eyes drifting between him and Kara's collapsed form. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, feel the heavy thump in her chest.

"Lex, what is this? What have you done?" Her voice no more than a whisper, fear colouring her tone.

Lex scoffed at her, a smirk pulling at his mouth, "On the contrary dear sister, I haven't done anything. Not yet at least."

Lena held back the bile rising in her throat, clenching her jaw to stop the flow of an angry retort from passing her lips. She knew deep down how desperately Lex would be itching to share his plan with her, knew that he would be waiting for her to beg him to let her in on his madness. So she held it back, hardening her cold exterior to a look of apathy. She wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of knowing how much this was killing her on the inside. No, he had played her too many times and Lena was determined that he wouldn't win this time. She would no longer be a pawn in his sadistic game of chess.

"Oh Lena, simmer down. There's no need for this animosity between us. You'll understand soon that I'm helping you. A small favour between siblings." Lex pronounced with the calm indifference of a madman, and if she closed her eyes to the horrific scene in front of her, she could imagine that they were having a simple discussion over brunch.

"How is kidnapping and hurting my best friend helping me?" Lena asked exasperatedly, gesturing towards Kara's unmoving body.

"You see, you always did put the cart before the horse, it's one of your most disappointing flaws. One thing at a time Lena, all will be revealed soon enough. Now, why don't we start with you pressing that signal button on your wrist so we can get this show on the road?" Lex tilted his head towards the signal watch strapped to her left wrist. How did he know about that?

Lena eyed him with suspicious confusion, mind racing to fit the pieces of his plan together but ultimately falling short. Her brother hated all aliens, that much she knew was true, but he held a special kind of hatred for Kryptonians, unmatched by any other evil she had ever known. If her brother wanted Supergirl here that meant he had a plan and calling the hero to her would only lead to her demise. She might as well sign Supergirl's death warrant now and be done with it.

"You asked me to come here alone and I did. No one knows I'm here, no one will interrupt us. So why don't we just talk this through like adults, you let me take Kara home and I promise that I'll stop looking for you. No one needs to get hurt in this Lex. Please. Whatever your endgame is here, Kara has nothing to do with any of this. Please, just, let her go. Let her go and I'll do whatever you ask." Lena could hear the pleading desperation in her own voice, but she couldn't find it within herself to care. Kara Danvers was the best person she had ever known and if she got hurt as a result of all of this Lena would never forgive herself.

"Oh Lena, the fact that you think you have any say in this is sad and pathetic. I can assure you that Miss Danvers has everything to do with this. Now, are you going to push that button or do I need to remind you of the gun I'm pointing at Miss Danvers' head?" Lex spat, his calm composure cracking slightly with the need to get his own way. He pressed the barrel of the gun firmly against Kara's head for emphasis.

Lena took a quick step forward, wishing she could just reach Kara, pull her away from all of this. She raised her hands in a placating manner; "Okay, Alright. I'll do it. Just-please, don't hurt her."

Her hands were shaking in front of her as she reached her right hand over to the watch on her left wrist. Flicking the face upwards with her thumb, she took a deep breath as she pressed firmly on the crest shaped button.

She closed her eyes, knowing it wouldn't take more than a few seconds for the Kryptonian to respond. She sent a silent prayer up to whatever deity might be listening, that they would find a way out of this, that they would get out of this alive, that Kara would be safe.

She felt the familiar whoosh of air and heard the telltale thud of boots hitting the concrete floor. A hand was gently grasping her arm as she opened her eyes and was met with the concerned gaze of Supergirl.

"Lena, are you okay? I came as quickly as I could…what…?" Supergirl's eyes hadn't left her face, worry etched into the oddly familiar crinkle between her brows.

Lena swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes watering at the unknown future of this situation. Supergirl's concern grew as she took a step closer to Lena, still utterly oblivious to their surroundings.

"I'm sorry…He…He has Kara, and I-I didn't know what else to do… I'm so sorry." Lena felt her lips tremble, her voice thick with emotion.

She watched the confusion settle onto Supergirl's face as she took in Lena's words. Her head turned to take in her surroundings and Lena saw as her eyes widened at the sight of Lex holding a gun against Kara's unresponsive head.

Supergirl froze. Her dumbfounded expression deepening with the shock of the situation.

"What…? I-I…I don't understand." The hero was floundering. Lena had never seen her like this, couldn't understand this response.

"In case you were wondering, dear sister, that is the look of utter bewilderment on our darling Kryptonians face." Lex sounded a little too proud of himself, the joy and amusement in his tone unnerving. Like he had expected this reaction.

Lena watched the colour drain from Supergirl's face. She didn't even know that was possible for the alien and the sight of it left her with a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"What is this?" Supergirl gasped out, the usual confidence and strength gone from her voice.

She didn't look like the worlds most powerful being right now. She looked like a scared child, about to have their whole world ripped from underneath them. It terrified Lena and for the first time since she had stepped into this warehouse, she felt completely hopeless. It chilled her to her core and the unease she felt only doubled as she took in the satisfaction painted on Lex's face.

Lex tutted and shook his head slowly, the condescension dripping from every part of him. "Come now Supergirl, I think you know exactly what this is. My ignorant sister may fall for that doe eyed innocence you like to portray but, I can see through your lies and deception. You're no better than that dithering fool you call cousin…"

Lena watched the muscles in Supergirl's jaw tense, a look of intense hatred being directed at her brother and she wondered if she was imagining the reddish glow surrounding the hero's eyes.

"…Kal-El. No, my mistake, he prefers the name Clark. Or is it Mr Kent?" Lex smirked like he had just revealed his winning hand in a game of poker.

The red around Supergirl's eyes faded into a look of horror and she quickly turned to Lena, mouth agape as she struggled to find words.

Lena was undergoing her own internal struggle and she knew the shock of what her brother had just said was evident on her face. She had grown up around Clark Kent, he was Lex's best friend for most of his teenage years and now the sudden disconnect of their friendship made sense. Clark Kent was Superman. Lena was perplexed to say the least. Clark was just so, ordinary. He was awkward and clumsy and entirely unnoticeable. But then she realised that that was exactly what his disguise was intended to do, it wasn't just glasses and a questionable wardrobe, it was an entire persona. Carefully crafted to fool just about everyone he came into contact with.

"That's right baby sis, the Kryptonian pretender weaselled his way into our lives and fooled us both. Years of so called friendship, all of it a ruse to manipulate me and keep a watchful eye on our family." Lex sneered, the anger in his eyes burning as he remembered the past.

"That's not true! Kal…Clark, was your friend. He valued your friendship and he cared, that's why he fought to help you for so long." Supergirl was trying to reason with Lex and Lena wished she could tell her that it was a fruitless endeavour. Lex never saw reason when it came to Superman.

"Help me?! Help me? Superman is a plague on this planet. He's never helped anyone but himself. He is a menace to society who takes what he wants and cares not for the destruction left in his wake. But, of course you would defend him. You, who has learnt all of his tricks. Perhaps deception and lies is truly what that symbol on your chest stands for. The machiavellian House of El." Lex's voice boomed around the cavernous room, his calm demeanour vanishing at the mention of his arch nemesis.

Supergirl bristled beside Lena at the insults to her family. Jaw clenched, her whole body rigid as stone with the control it was taking for her to not lash out at Lex. Lena had to admit that she admired that about the Kryptonian. The sheer power she possessed, all the ways she could snuff out the life in someone like Lex and yet she chose not to. It would be so easy in a situation like this and Lena isn't sure she would be able to exercise that same restraint if it were her in the aliens shoes.

Lena watched as the blonde tensed her fists at her sides, saw the conflicting emotions swim across her face and a small part of her wished the Girl of Steel would act on her base instincts. Lex might be her brother, but he was also a homicidal sociopath with a propensity for being a huge pain in her ass. But, she reasoned, that would only serve to prove her brothers hateful rhetoric towards the Kryptonians correct.

"Hey, look at me…" Lena spoke softly to the woman beside her, placing a soothing hand on her tense forearm, waiting for familiar blue eyes to meet her own, "…He's not worth it." The blonde noticeably relaxed at her touch and let out a heavy breath as she returned to her usual strong and collected pose, nodding once toward Lena in understanding.

"Well, isn't that touching." Lex scoffed from beside them, the disgust on his face palpable. "As much as I would love to stand here and watch my sister make a complete fool of herself, we have more pressing matters to attend to. So, let's begin shall we?"

Lena sent him a hard glare, tired of his constant mind games. She was just about to give him a piece of her mind, refuse to play along with whatever this was, when Lex twisted the dial of the watch on his wrist. The room was immediately bathed in a sickly green glow and before she could react Supergirl let out a piercing cry, falling to her knees in pain. Lena watched in horror as luminescent, green track marks crept along the hero's face.

She had never forgotten the way the blonde had described the feeling of Kryptonite poisoning to her, like skin being seared from your bones or nails running through your blood. At the time, she had acted indifferent, but it had stuck with her, a dark memory she couldn't shake. It had haunted her dreams, nightmares of her own family hurting the young woman like that. Of her own experimental work with Kryptonite somehow being used to harm the hero, manipulated for evil like so many of her other projects had been. It was what had prompted her to make the Kryptonite resistant suit, a safety net for times of crisis. Lena only wished she had that suit with her now, that she had some way to ease the look of agony and terror on the aliens face.

Lena snapped out of her thoughts and rushed to Supergirl's side, crouching beside her and placing her hand on top of the thick red cape covering the girl's back. She looked around her for any way to stop what was happening, knowing it was pointless, but unable to stand back and do nothing.

She looked up towards her brother, searching for his humanity, imploring him to do the right thing for once. "Please Lex, stop this. I get it now, okay? I know Clark hurt you, that you feel betrayed…but she's not him. This won't fix anything."

Any hope she had for his morality was dashed as he laughed in her face, a look of pity directed towards her. "Oh Lena, so naive. You still haven't grasped what all of this is about. You still refuse to see what is right in front of you. I promise, you'll understand soon that we aren't so different. Now, stand up."

He pointed his gun directly at her, following her movements and gesturing for her to move away from the injured Super, beckoning her towards himself. Lena obliged, moving slow and steady towards her brother and stopping before him as he reached behind his back to pull out a 2nd gun. He thrust it towards her, keeping his gaze steadily upon her and silently warning her not to try anything.

Lena looked down at the solid metal firearm resting in her shaking palms, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she sent a questioning look towards Lex. She couldn't shake the ill feeling that had settled within her. Lex had taught her how to shoot when she was a teenager, it had made her feel safe, given her the confidence that she could protect herself. Now all she felt was dread, a heightened sense of something terrible on the horizon. She didn't feel in control, she felt the foreshadowing of something life changing that she was utterly powerless to stop.

"This is where I give you a choice Lena, so pay attention and don't squander it. That gun in your hands has one bullet, you get to decide how to use it. You have two options; You can shoot the alien that doesn't belong here and save Miss Danvers, proving to the world that you truly are just another Luthor, or, you can shoot Miss Danvers and save the Kryptonian abomination. Let me be clear, there is no third option, that gun is programmed to be unusable against me." Lex's voice had returned to that cold, calm indifference.

Lena's hands shook as she continued to stare down at the weapon. Her mind refusing to process the information she had just been given. "And if I refuse to go along with any of this?" Lena questioned, knowing this wasn't a decision she could make.

"Then I'll shoot them both and give the signal to Miss Teschmacher to shoot Jimmy. Like I said Lena, there is no third option." The pleased smile on Lex's face made her nauseous, how had he become this heartless monster?

Her heart pounded in her chest, the rapid pace of it making her head spin. She tried to calm her breathing but it was pointless, her whole body was trying to reject the decisions laid out before her. She felt her eyes sting with tears, the sounds of Supergirl's agonising cries still reaching her ears.

Lena looked over to the Super, could see her still huddled on the floor, her hands clutching at her own body trying to suppress the pain of the Kryptonite. Blue eyes opened and connected with her own, pain evident in them but also understanding. She knew then that Supergirl had heard everything Lex had said, knew that she understood the decision now weighting heavily on Lena's chest. She was trying to offer Lena comfort even though she was in great pain herself. That was who Supergirl was, a beacon of hope in even the darkest hours. She was selfless and kind and unwavering. She was the calm in the middle of a storm. She wasn't a superior being with a God complex, Lena knew that now. Working with the Super over the past week had only strengthened Lena's trust in her. She had supported Lena, been a shoulder to lean on when the day became too tough to handle. They had grown closer, could even be considered friends. Lena respected her and that wasn't something she offered freely. But, Supergirl had earned it and with that respect, came affection. Lena had grown to care for the Kryptonian more than she thought possible and more than she would like to admit to herself. It was a feeling that had seemingly grown from nothing but now bloomed bright within her. She absolutely refused to label it, but it was there, she could acknowledge that much.

Lena let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, no longer able to accept the solace Supergirl was attempting to provide. She looked towards Kara, still unconscious in her position, and Lena was at least thankful that the reporter wasn't having to witness any of this, that she wouldn't be able to meet Lena's gaze with her own. Looking at the Super to her left was difficult, but Kara was on an entirely different level. One look from her right now and Lena would crumble. Kara always looked at her in a way no one else ever had. Like she was important. Like she was special. Like she was good. And Lena was powerless against it, she had been ever since that first meeting after the Venture explosion. Kara had been the only person to break past all of her defences, to see past the public facade and to have an unwavering belief in her no matter the situation. Lena couldn't lose that, couldn't lose her.

She was at an impasse. No decision seemed like the right one. Every option felt horribly wrong and she was left with a bitter taste in her mouth as she considered, maybe there was a third option. One that she could more willingly accept, one that would keep both of the women before her safe, one that her brother may not have anticipated.

She looked down again at the gun in her hand, her eyes briefly flicking over to Supergirl. The blonde seemed able to read her mind and her eyes widened as she shook her head at Lena.

Lena broke the gaze, taking a breath as she raised the gun underneath her own chin. She caught the look of shock on Lex's face before he could conceal it and she smiled to herself.

Checkmate brother.