Archive of Our Own

Splash!

Alura Zor-El ignored the water quickly seeping in through her boots as she ran through the dark alleyways of Argo City. She kept her eyes forward, except for when she glanced back to make sure her daughter, Kara, was keeping up with her. She stepped in another puddle and her boots grew soggier.

“How much farther, Mother?” Kara asked, her voice pitched high with worry. Alura noticed that Kara wasn’t winded; she was only six and was already beginning to show signs of the Zor-El gifts.

“We will be there soon,” Alura assured her, though she was unsure of this. If they had taken a straight path from the Zor-El manor, they would have reached their destination in no time. But they would have also been killed immediately. Yes, going through the labyrinth of alleys was much safer.

It also meant, though, that Alura was less sure of their path. She had taken more than one wrong turn and ended up having to turn back every time. She watched as Kara’s trust in her wavered every time, and her heart broke to see it. If she could just reach the docks and get Kara to safety, then everything would be fine.

“Lights!” Kara called out excitedly.

Alura’s heart stopped, sure that the vampires had caught up to them. She glanced around wildly, searching for an escape route, but then noticed what Kara had been referring to. There, just a few yards ahead, the docks lit up the moonless night. A sudden burst of energy rushed through Alura’s body and she pulled Kara along for the final distance. They had made it.

“Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers?” Alura asked, trying to make out the faces under the shadows. She had met the couple a few times while they made these arrangements and she was certain the people standing before her were the very same. Still, in a city like this, she could never be too careful.

“Alura Zor-El?” Eliza asked, stepping further into the light. Her blonde hair matched Kara’s as it practically glowed under the lantern. Alura smiled; Kara would fit in nicely with this family. “Is this your daughter? Kara?”

Eliza smiled at Kara, reaching out a hand. Kara ducked behind Alura, already picking up on her family’s distrust of strangers. Alura reached for Kara’s hands and crouched down before her, trying to force herself to keep her composure in this moment.

“I need you to listen to me very carefully, Kara,” Alura whispered. “I’m going to send you away with Eliza and Jeremiah. They’re nice people. You can trust them. They’re not like the Luthors. They’re not—”

“Vampires?” Kara interrupted. Her eyes widened and she squeezed Alura’s hands harder. They were the thing she, along with the rest of her family, feared the most. But unlike the rest of her family, she never had a chance to learn how to fight back against them. And she never would, Alura realized with a heavy heart.

“No, sweetie, they’re not vampires.” Alura smiled and tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She smoothed down Kara’s golden hair as she regained her strength to finish the task. “They’re not like us either. They’re human. They’ll… keep you safe.”

“Where are we going?” Kara asked.

Alura looked away, unable to speak the words while looking into Kara’s bright, hopeful eyes. “Not ‘we,’ sweetie, just you.”

“Mother?”

Alura heard the waver in Kara’s voice and forced herself to look at her daughter’s face. There were tears running down her cheeks, and she looked so small and helpless that Alura nearly changed her mind about the whole plan.

Eliza sank down to her knees, ignoring the water seeping through her skirts. She smiled at Kara warmly, like a mother would. “Your mother must stay back and fight the vampires. She has to keep Argo City safe.”

Alura stared at Eliza, hope coursing through her veins. This woman would be a good mother, Kara would learn to love her easily. Though it made Alura happy that she chose such a wonderful family, she couldn’t stop the shot of jealousy that went straight to her heart. How long until Kara would forget her and think only of Eliza as her mother?

“I wanna stay here until you’ve defeated the vampires,” Kara insisted. She sat down stubbornly, the water splashing all around her. Though it wasn’t much louder than the waves crashing all around the docks, it was quite a different sound, one Eliza was sure the vampires would pick up on immediately.

“Kara, you must go, sweetie,” Alura told her, trying to make her stand back up. But at only six years old, Kara already had the Zor-El strength and was able to pull her arm out of her mother’s grip. “It’s not safe here.”

“Then it’s not safe for you either!” Kara’s voice started getting louder. Alura swore she heard footsteps approaching from yards away. “If you stay here, Mother, you’ll… you’ll…”

Poor Kara couldn’t even utter the words, yet she knew exactly what was about to happen to her mother. It was getting that much harder to leave Kara with every passing second. If she broke her daughter’s heart at such a young age, how could she ever learn to trust anyone?

Alura grasped Kara’s hands in her own and looked earnestly into her eyes. “You’re right, Kara, I might not make it. But if you leave now, you could.”

“I don’t wanna live if you’re not with me,” Kara cried. Alura tied to convince herself that the wetness running down Kara’s cheeks was from the rain. She failed.

“It’s important to me that you survive, my dear girl,” Alura said. “Can you be brave and do this for me?”

Alura knew Kara never liked to disappoint anyone, and after only a moment’s hesitation, Kara nodded. She twisted her face into steely determination, eager to please her mother. Alura wished she could be just as brave as her child.

“Eliza,” Jeremiah’s gruff voice called from the edge of the dock, “we have to leave now if we’re to be undetected.”

“Okay,” Eliza shouted back, nodding frantically. Alura could tell that Eliza was nervous, worried about the little girl they were about to take under their wing, but didn’t want to leave until she was certain Kara trusted them.

“Kara,” Alura said hurriedly, “you have to go with Eliza now. I’ll stay back and fight, and no matter what happens, you must remember to always be brave.”

“Be brave,” Kara whispered.

Alura took the necklace from around her neck, an heirloom of the Zor-El line. Her husband’s mother had given it to her, to gift her with the same powers the Zor-Els naturally possessed. Without the necklace, Alura would be rendered just as weak as any other human. But as she was a human most of her life, she knew better than anyone just how strong humans could be when it came to surviving.

Kara didn’t need the necklace to harness her physical powers, but Alura hoped that it would give her the emotional strength she needed to leave her mother’s side. At the very least, it would help her to remember the mother she would soon lose.

As Alura placed the necklace around Kara’s tiny neck, she choked back her own tears. She couldn’t let her daughter see her own weakness, not if she wanted Kara to be brave.

Kara fingered the crystal now hanging down her chest. Though she didn’t yet know the significance of the necklace—and there was no doubt in Alura’s mind that Kara would be angry once she discovered what Alura had done—Alura wondered if Kara could already feel the power emanating within it.

“What does it do?” Kara asked quietly.

“It will help you remember me,” Alura promised. Screams sounded from a nearby alley, followed closely by the sound of something being ripped to pieces. If Alura could hear it without her powers, that meant the vampires were too close for comfort.

“Eliza,” Jeremiah said again, his voice shaking.

“Alura,” Eliza whispered.

Alura pressed a final kiss to the top of Kara’s head. “Be brave, my darling.”

“You too, Mother,” Kara said.

Alura stood up and nodded at Eliza. Looking between the two of them, Kara hesitantly took Eliza’s hand in her small one.

“Keep her safe,” Alura told Eliza.

“I will,” Eliza promised, “as if she was my own daughter.”

Alura watched Eliza turn away, pulling Kara behind her quickly. Without her powers, it was harder for Alura to make out their figures through the rain and fog, but she heard the distinct sound of feet landing on wood as they jumped into the boat. A few moments later, the blurry shadow of the Danvers’ boat disappeared into the storm. Alura sighed in relief. Kara was safe.

“Alura Zor-El.”

The sneering voice had Alura whirling around, and she came face to face with Lillian Luthor, the matriarch of the Luthor vampire family. Blood dripped from her mouth, down her chin, and landing in a puddle at her feet. Alura wondered just how stained the ground would be tomorrow.

“Lillian,” Alura said, trying to mask the fear in her voice. “I see you’ve found me.”

“It was almost too easy,” Lillian hissed, coming closer. Alura tensed. She would fight as hard as she could, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. “Where’s that little girl of yours?”

Alura said nothing. Lillian’s face darkened and she kicked Alura in the stomach. Alura fell to the wet ground easily, but Lillian wasn’t done. Lillian reached down, wrapped her hand around Alura’s neck and hoisted her up above her. Lillian’s nails dug into Alura’s jugular as she tightened the airway. Suddenly, Lillian’s eyes dropped to Alura’s chest.

“Your necklace,” Lillian whispered, almost gleefully. “You don’t have your powers.”

Lillian loosened her grasp, letting Alura fall back down to the ground. Water splashed up into her face, and Alura choked on it as she tried to regain her breath. Lillian bent down to Alura’s level, her lips twisted in a grin that showed off her sharp fangs.

“I was going to draw it out, make you suffer, but without your powers…” Lillian placed a hand on Alura’s chest, pushing her flat to the ground with barely any force. Alura could say she struggled at least, but it was useless against the strength of one of the most powerful vampires in existence. “You’re not worth my time.”

“Do what you must to me,” Alura gasped. “But in the end, you won’t win.”

Lillian threw her head back cackled. “Oh you Zor-Els just don’t get it. We’ve already won.”

With no warning, Lillian set her teeth on Alura’s neck and ripped her skin apart. Alura screamed, tried to push Lillian off as she drained every last bit of her blood, but she was growing weaker and weaker by the second. The last thought she had before she breathed her last was that at least Kara was safe.

***

14 Years Later

The chain around Kara’s neck swung as she raced through the countryside on horseback, trying desperately to keep up with her sister, Alex. Let Kara race on foot, wrestle, or shoot archery and there was no doubt that she will win. On horseback though, Alex has always been faster. Maybe it’s the lack of control Kara has over the animal or Alex’s natural farmer instincts, but Kara can never seem to catch up.

Alex slowed down yards away at the edge of a pond. By the time Kara got there, Alex was already off her horse and stripping down to jump into the cool water. Kara jumped off her horse, smoothing down the mane.

“Be honest, Comet,” Kara whispered to the white beast, “you let her win, didn’t you?”

Comet shook her head with a huff, but Kara didn’t believe her for a second. Kara smiled and let Comet go exploring as she pulled her own clothes off to join her sister. She ran to edge of the dock and jumped, curling in on herself for a bigger impact. She sank down almost to the bottom of the pond, where the world was quiet and slow. Then she pressed her feet against the murky ground and pushed up, until she emerged above the water.

Alex frowned at her. “You splashed me.”

Kara laughed and splashed her again. Alex yelled and tried to avoid it, but Kara was simply too fast. “You’re already wet!”

“That doesn’t mean I like getting water in my face without warning,” Alex argued. She attempted to splash Kara back in retaliation, but Kara ducked underwater just in time. When she popped her head above the water again, Alex splashed in her direction again. This time, Kara got a face full of water.

“Yes!” Alex celebrated, slapping her palms down onto the surface of the water, nearly getting water in Kara’s face again. “I am victorious!”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Very clever. But now I know your tactics and you won’t get me again.”

“That’s fine,” Alex grinned as she floated on her back, “I just need to be able to use it against vampires once they come knocking on our door.”

Kara’s stomach tightened uncomfortably at the mention of vampires. It had been almost fourteen years since her mother had sacrificed herself to save Kara’s life in Argo City. Here in Midvale, the city had been effectively blocked off from the rising power of vampires. But with vampire numbers increasing every day, it had become a matter of when, not if, the vampires would attack.

Over the years, Kara had felt her gifts flowing through her veins, growing stronger every day. She wanted to join the resistance in major cities like Metropolis and Coast City, but Eliza and Jeremiah refused to let her leave Midvale under any circumstances. Eliza and Jeremiah weren’t very strict in other matters, but when it came to Kara’s safety, they wouldn’t budge an inch.

With the entire Zor-El line wiped out—and nearly the entire El line as well except for her young cousin, Kal—Kara was one of the few people who actually stood a chance against the vampires. The Danvers argued that that was exactly why she had to remain hidden. What was the point of protecting her powers, though, if she couldn’t use them?

“Kara?” Alex asked, moving herself upright again. “I’m guessing you don’t think it’s a good idea, if your silence is any indication.”

Kara pulled herself out of her mind once she realized Alex had been talking to her, and for quite some time if her annoyance was any indication. “Sorry,” Kara muttered, “I didn’t hear you.”

“You have super hearing,” Alex pointed out.

“Okay, fine,” Kara relented, “I was a little distracted thinking about vampires.”

“That was exactly what I was talking to you about,” Alex said. “I got an application to join the resistance and I’ve been taking vampire defense classes at the community center. I wanted to know your thoughts on it.”

Kara resisted the urge to get upset with her sister. But it just wasn’t fair. Here she was, with literal super powers, and she wasn’t allowed to join the resistance against the very creatures who killed her family. Yet, Alex gets to do whatever she wants even though she’s powerless. In what world did this make sense.

“You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

Kara realized her mind had wandered off again and she’d left Alex hanging, thinking she hated the idea. “No, I don’t,” Kara said quickly, “I think you’re brave. Of course you should join the resistance.”

“Then why do you have that look your face?” Alex demanded.

“What look?”

“The one you get when I’m annoying you but you don’t want to tell me to leave you alone.”

Kara hadn’t known that was a particular expression she wore frequently. “I’m just… jealous. I want to join the resistance, but Eliza and Jeremiah won’t let me.”

“You’re an adult,” Alex said. “If you really wanted to join the resistance, they couldn’t stop you.”

But they could. Because as much as Kara hated to admit it, they were right. Her bloodline was far too valuable for her to be rushing into the fray without a care for her life. There had to be a right way for Kara to go up against the vampires, but she didn’t want to stand her waiting for that time to arrive. How many lives would be lost while Kara waited for the right time?

“Should I get an application for you?” Alex asked when Kara didn’t respond immediately. “They have plenty at the community center. Maybe if we apply together they’ll assign us to the same place.”

If Kara joined the resistance, she could finally get the chance to use her powers against vampires the way they were always meant to be used. But the resistance had no idea she existed and certainly didn’t know how to train someone with powers like hers. And who’s to say what would happen once the resistance caught wind of her talents? Word could get around, get to the Luthors and—

If it weren’t for the Luthors, Kara’s family would still be alive. They could train her and the resistance wouldn’t even be needed. Kara wouldn’t be struggling with this question of how to do her part.

“Hold off on getting me an application,” Kara finally decided. She should talk to Eliza and Jeremiah again. This time, though, she’d be more stubborn about getting an answer for the right time to join the fight. She wouldn’t let them get away with repeating the same thing she’d been hearing for years: “You’re far too special to go in before you’re prepared. Just wait, Kara, just wait.”

After another hour in the pond, cooling themselves off and ignoring the impending vampire threat, Alex and Kara climbed out and dried themselves off. Kara and Alex hoisted themselves back onto their horses just as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. Comet was all too eager to get back home now that the moon was out and Kara wondered if she could sense the danger of vampires.

“Do you think there are vampire horses?” Kara thought out loud.

Alex snorted. “Dear God, I hope not. We’ve already got enough to contend with, we don’t need another type of monster running around.”

Kara shivered at the idea of what kind of abominations vampires could come up with. Everyone knew that vampires could reproduce with other vampires, but now there were rumors that they could reproduce with humans, resulting in some kind of hybrid that walked in the daytime. Luckily, those were unsound theories that religious extremists had come up with to scare people into joining their churches.

As the two of them got closer to Midvale proper, Kara’s gut twisted. It happened sometimes when she sensed something wrong or some trouble happening somewhere near her. It had helped when they found Jeremiah in a ditch outside Midvale after an attack by a rogue vampire. Without it, it was possible Kara never would’ve found that child that had wandered outside the city walls. She would be foolish to ignore the sensation now, especially since it felt much stronger than every other time.

“Alex,” Kara said. She stifled back a groan as the twisting got worse. “I think there’s something wrong.”

Alex knew all too well about these sensations. She slowed her horse and came close to Kara. “When did it start?”

“Just as we started approaching Midvale,” Kara said. The closer they got, the more intense the pain became until Kara could hardly breathe. It had never hurt her this much before. She worried what could possibly be happening that made her feel this way.

“Then we need to get to Midvale as soon as possible,” Alex decided. “Can you still ride?”

At this point, Kara was doubled over as she clutched her stomach. She didn’t know how much farther she could go. She tried to tell Alex as much, but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was a whimper.

That was all Alex needed to stop her horse, climb off, and jump onto Comet in front of Kara. Kara instinctively wrapped her arms around her sister. The comfort of having Alex here eased the pain a little, but not enough to make Kara feel entirely better.

“What about Misty?” Kara gasped, nodding at Alex’s black horse standing next to them.

“She’s smart,” Alex said as she kicked Comet into motion. “She’ll follow us.”

The speed at which Alex pushed Comet didn’t help Kara’s stomach any, but she wasn’t about to argue. Now that Alex was on her back, Comet was suddenly much faster than Misty and soon enough, the other horse was but a speck in the distance. Alex was right, though, they couldn’t worry about Misty finding her way home when something much worse might be happening in town.

Kara smelled the smoke before she saw the fire. Comet began to slow at the sight of the flames roaring through the streets of the town that had protected Kara after Argo City was destroyed. Alex was so stunned at the sight that she didn’t try to bother making Comet go faster. It was safer for them to keep their distance than to go rushing into fire.

They were pulled out of their reverie when they heard piercing screams tear through the air. Kara’s pain suddenly turned into determination as she slipped off the back of Comet, ready to run into the fire.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Alex cried, halting Comet.

“I have to help them,” Kara explained. “I’ll be okay. I can’t sit by when I have the power to help them. It’s why I even have these gifts in the first place.”

“Is one of your gifts being fireproof?” Alex asked in a shaky voice.

Kara stared at the blaze engulfing buildings holding people she’d grown up with. “I guess it’s time to find out. You go check the homestead, see if Eliza and Jeremiah are safe.”

Kara ignored Alex’s protests as she ran toward the city’s wall, through the gate, and into the fire. She barely felt the heat of the flames licking at her skin, but that didn’t stop the heavy smoke from infiltrating her lungs. She coughed and used her enhanced vision to see through the smoke and fire, searching for survivors. There was a girl a few feet away from her, the daughter of one of Eliza’s patients. Her leg was trapped under a wooden beam.

Using her super strength, Kara pushed the beam of the girl’s leg. She knelt down, examining her injuries. The leg looked broken, but the girl was still alive.

“You’re going to be okay,” Kara assured the girl. “I’m going to carry you to safety. Do you trust me?”

The girl nodded, whimpering. Kara scooped her up from the ground and flew up above the inferno and carried the girl outside the wall. She set her down on the ground gently, kneeling down and holding her hands for comfort.

“Did you see anyone else?” Kara asked.

“They’re all gone,” the girl cried. “Mama and Papa and Emily. They’re gone.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kara said, her heart breaking for the girl. She knew better than anyone the burden of being a survivor. “Wherever they are, they’re happy you’re still alive.”

The girl tried to smile, but her tears overtook her. Kara wanted to stay and comfort the poor child, but there was still a city to save. Luckily, Misty appeared at the top of the hill and swiftly made her way to Kara and the girl. The girl brightened at the sight of the horse and reached out a hand to pet her. Misty knelt down and nuzzled her hand.

“I’m going to go find more survivors,” Kara told the girl. “Misty here will keep you company until I come back. Okay?”

The girl was too distracted by her new friend to pay attention to Kara’s words. Kara pushed herself off the ground and flew back into the city. She was unsteady as she flew; it had been years since she was able to practice in the safety of her backyard back in Argo City. But it came back naturally to her as she flew in out of the town, picking up and dropping off survivors along the way.

As she raced through the city, it started to fall apart around her. She had no idea how much longer it would last, but so long as she could hear screams, she wouldn’t stop searching for people. She easily knocked walls that tried to fall on her out of the way as she made her way through the burning streets. She remembered her father could blow cold air out of his mouth and freeze anything in its path, but when she tried all that came out was smoke.

Other survivors who hadn’t been injured helped her as best as they could, but as the night went on, the smoke and flames were so suffocating that they couldn’t stay in the city. Kara thanked them for their help and sent them on their way as she stayed and picked her way through the streets. The smoke didn’t affect her as much as the others, but it was getting harder to breathe the longer she stayed out here. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she made her way back to the wall and out through the gate, too weak to fly. It was just as well, since the screams had ceased.

There were a little more than thirty survivors in all. They all stood in a little huddle, checking over and comforting one another. As Kara took in the small crowd her heart shattered. This small group was all that was left of Midvale.

Though the pain in her stomach had left, her stomach remained twisted. Kara wondered if that sense of wrongness would ever go away.

Alex made her way up the hill on Comet. They were both exhausted when they arrived, out of breath and covered in soot. Kara helped Alex down and for a moment they held each other. Kara didn’t need to ask her what happened to Eliza and Jeremiah. She knew as soon as she saw Alex’s lone figure atop Comet.

“What do we do now?” Kara asked in a quiet voice.

“I suppose you’re free to join the resistance now,” Alex said, trying to lighten the mood. But when Kara pulled back, she saw tears running down Alex’s cheeks.

That was when Kara finally let herself fall into her sister’s arms and cry.

***

Throughout Lena’s life, she had always been told to watch her back. Her father told her this when she was four and was brought home to meet her new half-brother, Lex, and adoptive mother, Lillian. Despite her young age, she knew all too well what her father was talking about. Having spent the first four years of her life as a dhampir in a human community, and the rest of her life as a dhampir in a vampire world, she’d always been aware of her differences.

Lena had never been enough for anyone, no matter where she was. She wasn’t human enough for her mother’s town. Whenever they showed up to the park or church or the doctor’s, fear lit up in everyone’s eyes. Lena was only a child, yet people were terrified she’d go on a rampage and kill them all.

But then when her mother died and the Luthor vampires adopted her, Lena had suddenly become too much of a human for them. Even though Lena could drink blood just as easily as them, they were disgusted at the human food she digested just as casually. When the Luthors were all fast asleep during the day, Lena could sneak out of the house and play with the kids across the street.

Of course, once the other kids realized just what house she’d come from, they stopped playing with her.

Now there were other reasons to watch her back. Lena had spent so much of her life looking out for vampires and humans alike that she didn’t realize there was another threat out there.

“I thought you killed all the Zor-Els,” Lena said as she stared at the thick file Lillian had slapped down in front of her. “Admitting that one of them might be alive seems like a weakness on your part.”

Lillian leaned forward across the desk and flashed Lena her fangs. Lena knew what that meant: be careful what you say or you’ll find yourself on the other end of these fangs. As a teenager, Lena hadn’t heeded that warning enough. She knew better now, and shrank into her chair.

“I killed all the ones that mattered at the time,” Lillian explained, relaxing again. “The girl, Kara, was only a child, she hadn’t even started training yet. And her cousin, Kal El, was a baby. He probably has no idea what he’s capable of. But the girl—”

“She was old enough to remember her family’s gifts,” Lena finished. She picked up the file folder and flipped through it. The Luthors had been after the Zor-Els and Els for generations. The folder was full of research they’d done over the past hundred years, the strengths and weaknesses of the families, every descendant, including half-children. Towards the end of the folder was a document confirming the deaths of every living relative—except for Kara Zor-El and Kal El.

“Our friends believe they’ve found her at last,” Lillian continued.

Ah yes, the Luthor’s friends. Lena had no idea who they were, but she knew what they were capable of. These friends were the ones that gave the Luthors the information that helped them finally eradicate the Zor-El and El families. And apparently they’d been searching for the last survivors these past fourteen years.

“Where is she?” Lena asked. She didn’t know anything about this new threat, and that terrified her. She’d always been told not to worry about this legendary bloodline, they were gone forever. But now there was one left, and Lena had no idea what she was capable of.

“Well there’s no confirmation,” Lillian said, sounding unsure of herself suddenly, which was unlike her. Lena guessed that Lillian was scared of what this girl could do to her, but she’d never make that obvious. “But our friends have been watching a small village for quite some time. It recently suffered an attack and they witnessed someone using the same powers the Zor-Els possessed. But after the attack, they lost her.”

“Okay,” Lena said slowly, “so what do you do now?”

“There’s evidence that she joined the resistance and was placed in National City,” Lillian explained. “It’s been difficult, but we’ve been coming up with a strategy to take the city for some time. But now with the Zor-El girl there… it’s complicated matters. We can’t have her fucking everything up for us. I’ve discussed it with our friends and they think the best play would be to send someone in to infiltrate the resistance and get confirmation that this girl is indeed Kara Zor-El. That, my dear, is where you come in.”

So that’s why Lillian had called Lena into her office. Lena should have known better than to think her mother wanted to warn her or fill her in on the situation at hand. Lena had always been left in the dark, too human to be trusted with vampire secrets. Now that her humanity was useful, suddenly her mother was willing to tell her what was happening.

“Our friends have arranged everything for you,” Lillian continued. She slid another file folder to Lena. “You will be Lena Mercer, an heiress sympathetic to the resistance. Due to your wealth and fortune, you have offered your home as a base for resistance fighters.”

Lena scanned the documents in her folder. Their friends had thought of everything. There were fake birth certificates, boarding school transcripts, even affidavits for the recent murders of her “parents.” They had been killed by vampires and this was apparently the reason Lena was suddenly willing to join the resistance. Their friends were thorough, she had to give them that. If anyone wanted proof that Lena wasn’t who she said she was, they’d have to work very hard to do so.

“Any questions?” Lillian asked, but Lena knew from the way she said that she didn’t have the time for questions.

Lena shook her head.

“Good,” Lillian said. “Someone will be here in the morning to take you to National City. I suggest you spend the time between now and then to study your new identity. We can’t afford any slip-ups.”

Lena nodded and left her mother’s office. When she returned to her room to study the files, she couldn’t concentrate on the words in front of her. She had never had so much pressure on her before. The Luthors’ existence, the rising of vampire power, everything was riding on her success. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking, What will happen to my family if I fail?

***

National City was nothing like Midvale. It reminded Kara a little of Argo City, with its bustling sidewalks and tall buildings. Kara hadn’t realized how much she missed being in a busy city until she saw it through the window as the train sped through it. Though she loved Midvale, she finally felt she was in a place she belonged when she exited the train.

Alex had never been to a city like this before, and it showed. She was usually so confident, always taking charge of whatever situation she and Kara found themselves in. But now her palms were sweaty when she grabbed Kara’s hand and followed the resistance leader through the streets to their new home.

“There are so many people,” Alex whispered. “How do they keep it so safe?”

Kara wondered the same thing. All the major cities across the country had been taken over by vampires despite the resistance’s best efforts. Outside of these cities, the resistance mainly aids humans hurt or trapped by vampires rather than fight them off. Here in National City, though, Kara and Alex would actually get to fight vampires. Because the resistance got here so early, they were able to successfully keep the vampires from taking over. They couldn’t keep them all out though, which was why the resistance was still needed.

“Stay close and don’t wander off!” the resistance leader of National City, Arias she’d introduced herself as, called to the small group. “Though vampires won’t come out in the daylight, they like to hide in the shadows of alleyways just waiting for humans to stumble in looking for a short-cut.”

Kara shivered and squeezed Alex’s hand. If these vampires were bold enough to actually be outside in the daylight, who knew what they would do when night fell.

Arias led the group through residential streets so as not to draw any attention to themselves. There were humans sympathetic to vampires here, hoping one day to be turned into a vampire themselves. More often than not, Arias explained, they’re killed trying to protect the vampires they so admire.

It was like a different world here in National City, Kara realized. Back in Midvale, they barely knew what was happening with vampires except when they managed to take a city. Here, though, Kara felt as if she was in the thick of the fight and even if she tried to, she wouldn’t be able to ignore vampires like she had back in Midvale.

“Here we are,” Arias said, leading them up to a grand estate in a wealthier part of town. “This is our newest camp. We have so many volunteers here in National City that our camps tend to fill up pretty quickly. Luckily, Ms. Mercer recently offered her house to our cause.”

“How do we know she’s not a vampire?” one of the volunteers asked.

The double doors opened dramatically just then, and out stepped a gorgeous woman with pale skin and long black hair falling over her shoulders. Her lips were red as blood as she smiled out over the group, her eyes catching on Kara’s. The woman held her gaze for a moment before she continued scanning the crowd. But Kara couldn’t look away from her.

“I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that,” the woman said, stepping out into the sunlight. She looked even more beautiful with the sun shining down on her skin. She seemed to glow in the light, as if it energized her and made her more ethereal than she already was.

“We do extensive research on all our volunteers and benefactors,” Arias explained. “If Ms. Mercer here was a vampire, we would know.”

The woman smiled at Arias. “Please, call me Lena. My home now belongs to you, I think we can be on more friendly terms.” She turned her attention to the small group standing on her steps. “Please, come in. Make yourselves at home. I’ve prepared lunch just for your arrival.”

Arias gestured to the group to follow her into the house. Lena stood to the side, smiling and greeting everyone who passed her. When Kara and Alex got to her, the smile on Lena’s face faltered slightly.

“Welcome,” Lena said, staring at Kara with wide eyes. This close, Kara could see they were a bright green and there was something behind them, something Kara couldn’t name. “Thank you for your service.”

“Thank you for lending your home to us,” Kara said, unable to move from her spot. The rest of the group moved around her, annoyed that she was blocking the way.

“It was the least I could do,” Lena said quietly, looking away suddenly as if she couldn’t bear to stare at Kara any longer than necessary.

Kara stumbled back into Alex, nodding awkwardly. Alex grabbed Kara’s hand and pulled her roughly into the house. They followed the crowd upstairs where Arias was assigning them to guest rooms. Kara and Alex were shuffled into a room with another girl named Nia and a boy named Winn. They chattered excitedly as they all unpacked, unable to contain themselves at the thought of fighting against vampires.

“I hope I get assigned to the defense unit,” Nia said, bouncing up and down on her bed. “I can’t wait to punch a vampire in the face!”

“I want to be part of the recon unit,” Winn said, fiddling with some piece of technology. “I’m not much of a fighter, but I’m good with tech.”

“What about you two?” Nia asked Kara and Alex. “Where do you want to be placed?”

Alex and Kara glanced at each other and shrugged. “We haven’t given it much thought,” Alex admitted. “I think I’ll be happy wherever I am, so long as I’m helping the cause.”

“So true,” Nia said, nodding.

Kara knew exactly where she’d be the most useful, but she couldn’t help and remember Eliza and Jeremiah’s warnings. If she fought, she might accidentally trigger her powers. And once she used them, there would be no going back. Not only would the resistance know about her, but the vampires would too. At least in Midvale, everyone she saved had been too distracted to notice her gifts, or they’d chalked it up to too much smoke inhalation.

Kara’s stomach growling saved her from having to answer Nia’s question. Winn and Nia laughed along with Alex.

“I don’t know about you guys,” Kara joked, “but I’m going to be placed by the food.”

“Yes!” Nia exclaimed, hopping off her bed. “I’m starving.”

Kara and Alex followed Nia and Winn out of their room and down to the dining room. Just as Lena had promised, there was a buffet with enough food to feed the entire city. Even as Kara piled on as much food as her plate could handle, she felt guilty at the amount of food that would be left behind.

“The leftovers will be donated to local homeless shelters for dinner tonight.”

Kara jumped at the sound of a silky smooth voice next to her ear. She hadn’t realized Lena was standing next to her, and her shock caused an apple to fall off her plate. An apology forming on her lips for the wasted vegetable, Kara watched as Lena, quick as a cat, caught the apple before it fell to the ground.

“You dropped this,” Lena said with a sly grin.

“I noticed,” Kara said, her apology dying in her throat. “Thank you.”

Lena placed the apple on top of Kara’s mountain of food, like a little cherry on top of a sundae. Kara nodded and headed over to the long table in the center of the room, ready to dig in to her meal. To her surprise, Lena sat down next to her, as if eager to continue the conversation Kara hadn’t realized they’d started.

“Do you know your assignment yet?” Lena asked. Kara stared awkwardly at her food, desperate to start eating, but not wanting to be rude to her hostess. Luckily, Lena noticed Kara’s struggle and waved at her dish. “Go ahead, I don’t mind.”

It was probably not the best manners for Kara to just start shoveling food into her mouth without thanking Lena, but that’s exactly what she did. Lena just laughed, waiting politely for Kara to finish swallowing before she answered her question. For someone who’d probably grown up rich, Lena was surprisingly easy-going.

“I’m not sure yet,” Kara said after she finished chewing. “I think they’re giving them to us after lunch.”

“Do you know where you want to be placed?”

Apparently the interest in where the volunteers would go wasn’t limited to themselves. Kara wondered why there was such a fascination with their future duties. She didn’t care where she would go, so long as she didn’t expose herself. But for other people, the resistance was probably all they’d thought about for their entire lives. They weren’t just here because they had no other place to go.

“I’m not sure,” Kara said honestly. “I haven’t given much thought to it. I don’t even really know what my choices are. Joining the resistance was kind of a surprise to me.”

Lena cocked her head and leaned in closer. Goosebumps rose on Kara’s arms, though she wasn’t sure why. “What do you mean?” Lena asked.

Kara didn’t know why, but she felt like she could trust Lena, like she could tell her every part of her tragic life story and Lena would be there to comfort her. But they hardly knew each other, and Kara didn’t understand this sudden desire to open up to this stranger beside her, so Kara only regaled Lena with her most recent tragedy.

When Kara finished telling Lena about the fire, conveniently leaving out the specifics of her own heroics, she found it difficult to look up into Lena’s eyes. What she found there was an emotion deeper than sympathy, something like admiration. And Kara felt her face grow hotter the longer Lena stared at her.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena said at last. “No one should have to go through that.”

No one should have to go through it twice, Kara thought to herself. Out loud, she responded, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“So the resistance,” Lena said, much to Kara’s relief. She didn’t know how much more she’d end up telling Lena if they kept talking about her past. “You joined it because you felt like you had to.”

“Well vampires attacked my village,” Kara said. “And my sister wanted to get revenge. Of course I had to go with her.”

Lena frowned. “Fire isn’t really vampires’ style. Are you absolutely certain they were behind the attack?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a sympathizer.” Kara laughed, meaning it as a joke, but Lena didn’t laugh with her. She smiled a little, but it seemed strained, as if it took all her effort to turn up the corners of her lips. Without meaning to, Kara heard Lena’s heartbeat speed up a little.

“I just know the way vampires work,” Lena said quietly. “And I know they don’t like to attack with fire. Once the flames are done with the victims, there’s not enough blood for the vampires to enjoy.”

Kara remained silent, staring at Lena’s expressionless face as she stared across the table. It sounded as if she was speaking from experience. Kara desperately wanted to know what this past of Lena’s was that she knew all this and could talk of it as if it barely bothered her. But Kara knew what it was like to have to hide a significant part of yourself, and if Lena wanted to share more with Kara, she wouldn’t have spoken so cryptically.

“I’m sorry,” Lena said, coming back to herself suddenly. “I lost my train of thought there for a second. Anyway, we were talking about your post. You said you don’t know what your choices are, but what is it you want to accomplish while you’re here with us?”

Kara felt like she was being interviewed again by the recruiter. But this time it felt less like she was trying to prove herself worthy, and more like she was sharing a part of herself with someone who understood what she was going through. She felt like she could be honest with Lena.

“Obviously I want the vampires gone,” Kara said. “But… for me it’s less about fighting the bad guys simply to get rid of a threat and more… I want them gone because of all the people they’ve hurt. I want them gone so the people here can be safe and live happy and free again. I want to help the innocents and the victims so they never have to fear for their lives again.”

Lena stared at her, surprise etched into her features. “That’s… I wasn’t expecting that,” Lena said, almost too quietly for Kara to hear. Kara was under the impression that she’d caught Lena off guard, that it was the first unfiltered thing Lena had said in a long time.

“I mean we’re all here to help, right?” Kara said, suddenly self-conscious under Lena’s heavy stare. “It doesn’t matter the reason, at the end of the day we all want to keep people safe.”

Lena nodded, slowly at first and then faster, so vigorous that Kara worried her head would fall off. “Of course,” Lena said. “It’s just… I didn’t expect that answer.”

“Really?” Kara asked. “What answer were you expecting?”

“It’s just…” Lena looked away from Kara again, staring off into space. “I was under the impression that most people who come here are in it for the honor and glory of being branded as a hero. I thought you’d be the same way. I never expected you to be so… selfless.”

“You didn’t even know I existed before today,” Kara pointed out. “How could you know what to expect?”

Lena froze with that same far-off expression still on her face. Kara never would have noticed her comment had affected the other woman if it wasn’t for her suddenly racing heart. Lena was hiding something, Kara was sure of it, but what was it? Lena seemed so genuine and open that Kara struggled to think of her as someone with a terrible secret.

Then again, Kara also hadn’t known who Lena was before today.

“True,” Lena finally said, carefully avoiding Kara’s eyes. “Thank you for being so honest with me.” She stood up abruptly and nodded to everyone at the table. “Enjoy your meal. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Kara watched Lena go, wondering why she felt so disappointed by Lena’s quick exit.

Winn laughed, completely unaware of what Kara was feeling. “Damn Kara, what did you say to her?”

Kara smiled, trying to enjoy the company she still had. Alex stared at her from across the table, a worried look on her face. Even Nia seemed to sense there was something wrong with Kara. But there shouldn’t be anything wrong with Kara. She wasn’t expecting to be friends with the woman who’d loaned her home to the volunteers, and she shouldn’t care that she’d ruined any chances of that happening.

Kara was so sure about Lena’s disapproval, that she was genuinely shocked when she was assigned as Lena’s assistant the next day.

***

Lena understood the saying “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” better than most people. After all, how many times had she heard it from Lillian and Lex’s lips over the years. They used it as an excuse for anything from doing business with a rival vampire family to draining the blood of their human servants to within an inch of their lives.

When Lillian had given Lena this mission, she’d been well aware that she’d have to get close to Kara in order to defeat her. What Lena hadn’t realized, though, was that she’d feel almost guilty doing it. The second she had noticed the familiar blonde hair and strong features in the crowd, she knew this mission would be much harder than she ever expected.

And then she made the mistake of having a conversation with the other woman. As Kara spoke so earnestly, she felt herself wanting to be just as honest with Kara. In fact, she was sure that if she had spent another second with Kara, she would’ve spilled exactly what she was.

So she not only felt guilty taking Kara—who just wanted to be a good person with no ulterior motives—in as her assistant just so she could discover her strengths and weaknesses, but she felt terrified. If was about to tell Kara the truth after one conversation, what would happen after spending weeks together?

But she didn’t have much of a choice. She had strict orders from her mother and she wasn’t in any position to disobey them. So she made Kara her assistant and spent the entire morning steeling herself and becoming the Luthor she was raised to be.

“Ms. Mercer?” Sam Arias’ voice called through her office door after a sharp knock. “The volunteers have finished their breakfast and are ready for you.”

Lena stood up, her head held high, and straightened her suit. She opened the door and faced Samantha Arias, commander of the National City resistance. Lena liked Sam. She reminded her a little of herself before she realized there was no way out from under Lillian’s thumb. Sam had hope and ambition to make this world a better place, and would not bend to anyone.

“Lead the way, Commander Arias,” Lena told her.

“Please, Ms. Mercer,” Sam said as she made her way through the halls, “I’ve told you multiple times to just call me Sam.”

“And I’ve told you to call me Lena,” she responded. “I’m only showing you the same respect you seem intent on showing me.”

Sam cracked a smile at that. That was another thing Lena had lost over the years, the ability to see the lightness in any situation. “So it seems.”

The recruits that had been assigned to Lena were waiting in the parlor for her. Aside from the chatter going on in that room, the house was completely silent. All the other volunteers had gone out on their own assignments all across the city. They would all be getting their hands dirty while the volunteers here got to sit safely in a nicely kept manor. Lena was sure there would be bitterness among the volunteers at that, maybe so much that they’d fall apart.

It was exactly what her mother hoped for Lena’s unit. So why did Lena’s stomach twist uncomfortably at the thought of it?

“Welcome,” Lena greeted the recruits, effectively stopping all conversation, “to your first official day in the resistance. You may think the post you’ve been assigned to is the easy one, but I assure you that is not the case. The work you’ll be doing in my lab affects the entire resistance. Without you, the resistance can’t happen. If I see anyone slacking or doing sub-par work, rest assured that I will not hesitate to get rid of you and replace you with someone competent. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am!” the volunteers shouted in sync.

Sam helped Lena explain the various jobs in the lab, from creating technology to studying vampires to find weaknesses, and then assign each volunteer a role. Mentors from other units across the city would be arriving soon to help train the newbies and once everyone knew what they were doing, Sam took them all down to the lab.

All, except for Lena’s new assistant.

Kara sat in her chair, waiting politely for her instructions. She was wearing the same gray jumpsuit the rest of the volunteers had on, but it wouldn’t work for what Lena had planned for her.

“Go upstairs and change into street clothes,” Lena told Kara.

“What?” Kara stared at her blankly.

“I can’t have you running around the city in the resistance uniform,” Lena explained. “Do you want to get targeted?”

“What are we doing?” Kara asked, standing up. “I thought I’d be staying here.”

“I have plans in the city,” Lena said. “And I need you with me. Now hurry up, I’m already late for a budget meeting.”

Kara still hesitated. “I don’t really have any other clothes. I knew I’d be wearing the same thing every day, so I didn’t plan…”

Lena knew what Lillian would think about the solution she came up with, but she didn’t care. When Lillian wasn’t here, Lena would do things her way. And if Kara didn’t have any street clothes of her own, Lillian just had to deal with Lena lending her some.

Kara followed closely behind her toward Lena’s room and into her walk-in closet. She turned off the voice in the back of her head telling her not to let the woman from a family of elite vampire hunters wear her clothes. She threw a pair of pants and a button-up shirt at Kara and ordered her to change quickly.

“Are you sure?” Kara asked, holding the clothes closely to her chest. Lena refused to think about how they would smell like Kara at the end of the day.

“Yes,” Lena said, swallowing thickly. She suddenly realized that she was about to see Kara wearing her clothes and she had no idea how the sight would affect her. “I’ll buy you more clothes today since we’ll be leaving the house often. Now hurry. Like I said, I’m running late.”

Lena waited outside while Kara got changed. She took deep breaths, reminding herself that Kara was the enemy. That she was only getting so close to her in order to destroy her.

It was a struggle to keep those walls up when Kara appeared again, ready to go. Under the baggy jumpsuit, Lena hadn’t noticed how big Kara’s arms were. But her muscles filled out the thin fabric of Lena’s shirt, and Lena felt her mouth go dry at the sight.

“Ms. Mercer?” Kara said. “You said we’re running late?”

Lena forced herself to look away. Now that she wasn’t staring at Kara’s defining features, she had more control of herself. “Right. Follow me.”

Growing up, Lena had been the only person in her family that could walk in the sunlight. Yet, as she stepped outside and headed down the street, she still reveled in its warmth. Since her family did most of their business at night, she rarely got to enjoy the sun. As much control as her mother had over her, Lena was grateful to do this mission for her so long as she got to enjoy the sunlight.

Lena wasn’t lying when she said she was running late to a budget meeting. It was just that her budget meeting was for a group of Luthor investors. She told Kara to wait outside during the meeting, assuring her that it was fine, she could take her own notes and it would be too boring for Kara to sit there listening to them talk about finances.

“Ms. Luthor,” Morgan Edge sneered as Lena made her way inside. “So nice of you to join us just as we were wrapping up.”

“I apologize,” Lena said as insincerely as she could. “I had important business matters I couldn’t get away from. I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Mr. Edge.”

Morgan frowned and went back to discussing the financial reports. Lena tried to pay attention, but it was hard knowing Kara was just outside, waiting for her. It was all strictly professional, yet Lena couldn’t stop her mind from spiraling down the gutter and imagining Kara waiting for her patiently in a… less professional setting.

“—Midvale, human towns have been increasing their security.”

Lena suddenly snapped back to attention upon hearing the name of Kara’s hometown. “I’m sorry, what was that?” she asked. She hated Morgan’s smug look at catching her off-guard.

“Not get enough beauty sleep, Ms. Luthor?” Morgan joked.

“Look who’s talking,” Lena retorted.

“Please,” Maxwell Lord said, clapping his hands together to turn everyone’s attention back to him, “can we get back to the matter at hand? Ms. Luthor, if you’d been paying attention, we were just discussing the recent attack on Midvale. It seems the resistance has gotten stronger since it happened.”

“It’s about time we get a good fight,” Andrea Rojas commented.

“But it wasn’t vampires that attacked Midvale,” Lena pointed out. “Do we even know who did it?”

“We have our guesses,” Andrea said, shuffling through her papers. “Likely the attack was made by humans wanting to earn the affection of vampires so they can become ones themselves. Little did they realize they just made our enemies stronger.”

Lena held back the comment that these CEOs were doing the exact same thing, investing in Luthor Corp to gain the power the Luthors possessed. The only difference was that they were afraid to get their hands really dirty. But Lena wasn’t about to make these remarks to her family’s friends. Lillian would kill her if they lost all of their investors because Lena couldn’t hold her tongue.

They finished up by setting up another meeting next week to talk about defensive maneuvers. Lena thanked them and hurried out, grabbing Kara’s arm before any of the investors could lay eyes on her. She had no idea why she suddenly felt so protective toward the other woman—especially since Kara could more than handle herself—but she just knew she couldn’t let the other CEOs know of her existence.

“Is everything okay?” Kara asked suddenly. “You seem tense.”

“What do you mean?” Lena looked down at where Kara was pointing. She was digging her fingers into Kara’s arm. Kara didn’t seem hurt by it—not that she even felt the pain—therefore was pointing it out to Lena for Lena’s sake rather than her own. Lena didn’t know what to do about that.

Lena tugged her hand away from Kara’s arm, muttering a quick apology. She refused to look into Kara’s eyes as she snapped at her new assistant to follow. She had to get a hold of herself before Lillian assigned someone new to her mission. Someone who wouldn’t be as kind to Kara as she was.

The fact that Lena was even worried about that meant she was fucked.

***

So that was Lena’s secret. She was a Luthor. And the Luthors would soon be planning some kind of defense against the resistance. On the bright side, this news meant that the resistance was actually doing something right. They had become a threat, one the Luthors were actually scared of.

On the other hand… Lena was a Luthor.

Kara hadn’t planned on listening in on Lena’s budget meeting. But then Lena told her to sit outside and that made Kara suspicious and she just… started listening. She only wanted to make sure nothing suspicious was happening behind those doors and then she’d tune them out again. But then she’d heard someone call Lena “Ms. Luthor” and she couldn’t stop.

She felt betrayed, which was ridiculous because she barely knew Lena. You can’t be betrayed by someone who you never fully trusted in the first place.

Even worse, though, was the fact that Kara had no idea what to do with this information. She couldn’t tell Arias, not without concrete evidence. She didn’t want to tell Alex and make her worry even more than she already did. And she definitely wasn’t about to confront Lena and have her set her vampire family on her.

That was the thing, though. How could Lena be a Luthor but not be a vampire? She sure was just as pale as one, but she walked around in the sun. She ate regular human food like the rest of the volunteers. As damning as the evidence Kara had heard in that meeting was, the evidence to the contrary was just as strong.

A potsticker flew at Kara’s face suddenly.

She turned her attention to her attacker, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t waste perfectly good potstickers like that, Alex.”

Alex laughed and stuffed a potsticker of her own into her mouth. “It landed back on the table. The only way it’ll be wasted is if you don’t eat it.”

“Of course I’m going to eat it,” Kara responded as she threw the offending food on top of the mountain of potstickers already on her plate. “I just think you should be more careful next time.”

“Sorry,” Alex said, though she really wasn’t. “You just weren’t eating. Which is weird, because you’re always eating, especially when there’s potstickers around. I’m worried about the fact that there’s any left on the table.”

“I’m just stressed,” Kara said. “It’s been a long few weeks.”

“Don’t I know it,” Winn said, stretching his arms above his head. “I swear I don’t even know what the sun looks like anymore. I might be turning into a vampire.”

“Oh please,” Nia said, rolling her eyes, “like you have anything to complain about. My legs are so sore I can barely walk anymore.”

Alex nodded in agreement with Nia. “All I can hear in my head is J’onzz yelling at us to go faster and pick up the pace.”

“I think we need a break,” James, a volunteer from Alex and Nia’s post, suggested. “My sister invited me to a club downtown tonight. I’m sure she wouldn’t you all tagging along. The more the merrier!”

“Yes please!” Nia cheered.

“I don’t know,” Querl Dox—from Winn’s post and whom he affectionately nicknamed “Brainy”—said hesitantly. “We need our sleep if we’re to be effective in our jobs.”

“Come on, Brainy,” Nia teased, grabbing his arm and pulling him up from the bench. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to let loose and have fun.”

She twisted Brainy’s arms, trying to make him dance with her. Everyone at the table started cheering him on until he couldn’t resist. He broke into a dance, moving his arms in a way that was totally unnatural to him. He took Nia’s hand and twirled into her arms. Nia laughed and shoved him away, a slight blush on her face.

“Are you going dancing tonight, then?” Lena asked.

Kara jumped at the sound of her voice. She hadn’t noticed Lena come up behind them and that scared her. She couldn’t let her guard down around the other woman, not even in a casual setting like this, knowing what she knew.

“Yes!” Winn shouted.

“There’s this club downtown we’re going to,” James explained. His eyes widened when he noticed Arias’ raised eyebrows. “That is, if Commander Arias gives us leave.”

Arias gave him a stern look for only a moment before breaking out into a smile. “Yes, of course you can go. You’ve been working hard these past few weeks, you deserve a break. In fact,” she raised her voice so everyone in the dining room could hear her, “I’m giving everyone tomorrow morning off so you can enjoy tonight. As a thanks for your service.”

Cheers and whoops sounded all around the dining room and Arias smiled at all of them, proud of her soldiers.

“Okay,” Alex said, quieting their friend group, “but here’s the real issue: what the hell are we going to wear?”

Nia beamed. “Leave that to me.”

-----

An hour later, Nia had transformed their casual street-clothes into something worthy of the club. Lena had even given them free reign of her closet if they didn’t have anything suitable; Nia almost fainted when Lena said so. As they walked into the club they were no longer resistance volunteers, they were just normal adults looking for a fun time.

The bass was almost too much for Kara to handle, but no one else seemed bothered by it. It seemed her super hearing never wanted to do what she wanted lately.

James and Winn offered to get the first round of drinks as they all found a booth in the corner that had just been vacated. But it seemed Nia didn’t need drinks to have fun. The second they sat down she popped back up and grabbed Brainy’s hands.

“Come on!” Nia cried as she dragged him onto the dance floor. “This is my favorite song!”

Kara and Alex grinned as they watched Nia dance around Brainy, trying to get him to loosen up. Kara suddenly realized this was the first time she’d been alone with Alex in awhile. And she couldn’t keep what she knew about Lena all to herself for much longer of she’d burst. It wasn’t the best setting, but it might be the only chance she had.

“Can I talk to you, Alex?” Kara asked. “It’s about Lena. And what happened in Midvale.”

Alex leaned forward, all lightness suddenly gone from her eyes. “What’s going on, Kara?”

“Look who we found!” Winn sang as he approached their table. James trailed behind him, talking animatedly to a woman with similar features to him. “Kara, Alex, this is James’ sister, Kelly. Kelly, Kara and Alex. They’re volunteers with the resistance too.”

Kara watched as Alex took in the gorgeous woman standing before them, her expression going blank. Kara sat back, frustrated. With the way Alex fawned over Kelly, Kara knew that she’d already forgotten what Kara had said. Maybe that was for the better. Tonight was about letting go and here Kara was about to burden Alex down even further.

She grabbed a drink from James and gulped it down in a matter of seconds. Everyone stared at her, impressed.

“Who wants to dance?” she said. She got up before getting an answer and found Nia in the thick crowd of people. Nia cheered when she saw Kara and pulled her into a dance that was more jumping than dancing.

Once Kara figured out how to turn off her mind—and super hearing—she actually began to have fun. She downed drink after drink until she lost count. She didn’t care, though. For the first time since she was six, she had completely forgotten about vampires, her family, the Luthors, and most importantly, Lena.

At some point, Nia brought her back up to the bar for shots. Kara laughed as she followed her, eager for more, but her feet decided she’d had enough. She tripped and nearly face-planted into the floor when someone easily caught her and straightened her into a standing position. Everything swayed and swirled around Kara so much that she could make out the face of her rescuer, just their dark hair and bright green eyes.

“Thanks,” Kara slurred.

“No problem,” her rescuer said. “I’ve got to make sure the resistance doesn’t get hurt.”

Kara froze when she recognized Lena’s voice. She tried to escape from Lena’s hold on her, but she didn’t have enough control over her body to do so effectively. She just ended up swaying from side to side, probably looking way drunker than she actually was.

She tried to meet Lena’s eyes so she could glare at her, but Lena’s face was moving around to much for her to hold a steady stare. Maybe Kara really was that drunk.

“Are you okay?” Lena asked, real concern and worry dripping in her voice. Kara didn’t want to fall for it, but she sounded so sincere.

“I’m fine,” Kara insisted. She successfully released herself from Lena’s grip, but she ended up tripping again. And again, Lena easily caught her. This time when Lena pulled Kara back up, Kara let herself fall into Lena’s chest. She reveled in the warmth and comfort of Lena’s body against hers before Lena inevitably killed her.

It struck her then, that Lena didn’t even feel like a vampire, so how could she be one?

“How are you so warm?” Kara mumbled against Lena’s shirt.

Lena pulled Kara away from herself, studying her carefully. Kara waited for her assessment, wanting nothing more than to be against Lena’s body again.

“Let’s get some air,” Lena finally decided. She started guiding Kara through the writhing crowd and towards the back door.

“I didn’t think you’d do it so soon,” Kara muttered to herself. “It’s smart, though. Get me so drunk I can’t defend myself. Do vampires get drunk? Will you get drunk when you drink my blood? That would be cool.”

Even in her drunken stupor, Kara noticed Lena looking pointedly away from her as she rambled on. It could’ve been that Lena hadn’t heard her over the noise. When they finally spilled outside into the back alley, though, Kara got a good look at Lena’s reddened cheeks and ashamed expression.

“Are you really a vampire?” Kara asked before she could stop herself.

Lena bit her lip, but remained silent. Kara ducked her head so she could see if she could find fangs in Lena’s mouth. She twisted herself around, lost her footing, and fell to the ground. This time, Lena wasn’t quick enough to catch her and immediately knelt down and reached for Kara’s hand.

“Are you okay?” Lena gasped.

Kara pulled her hand away and narrowed her eyes. She pushed herself against the brick wall, trying to get away from Lena.

“Don’t touch me,” Kara said sharply. At least, she wanted it to come out harsh and threatening, but in her drunkenness it came out more like a whine. “Don’t pretend like you care about me. You brought me out here to kill me.”

“That is not true, Kara,” Lena said, sounding frustrated. “I was just worried about you.”

“So do you deny that you’re a vampire?” Kara said.

Lena didn’t say anything for awhile. Kara was willing to wait, so long as she got her answer. And the longer Lena stayed quiet, the guiltier she seemed.

Finally, in a whisper, Lena admitted, “I’m not a vampire. I’m a dhampir.”

Kara was so drunk, she was sure that she misheard Lena. “A damp—a dom—a what?”

“A dhampir,” Lena repeated. “It means I’m half vampire.”

“So you are a vampire,” Kara clarified.

“I’m not,” Lena snapped. “I’m not… I’m not like them. I drink blood, yes, but I don’t need it to survive unless I’m hurt or dying. I can walk in the sunlight and I get winded when I run. I’m alive, but I’m also… not.”

Kara closed her eyes, trying to make sense of what Lena was telling her. She wished she wasn’t drunk for this conversation, but if she wasn’t drunk, she never would have confronted Lena so brazenly.

“How did you figure it out?” Lena asked quietly when Kara failed to respond. For the first time since Kara met her, Lena appeared nervous, suddenly unsure of herself. And how strange for a vampire—a dhampir, Kara reminded herself, even though she didn’t really understand the difference—to be scared of a human, especially one in such a vulnerable position.

“I overheard you in the meeting,” Kara said. “They called you ‘Ms. Luthor.’ And the Luthors are vampires. So you must be one too.”

“Again,” Lena said, “not a vampire. But yes, I am a Luthor… kind of. My father is Lionel Luthor but my mother was human.”

“How does that even work?” Kara asked. The cool air was beginning to affect her and she felt the influence of alcohol slip away slowly. “I know vampires can reproduce with each other, but how does it work with a human when their bodies are so different?”

Lena leaned against the wall and slid down so she was sitting next to Kara. Kara appreciated the gesture of Lena putting herself at the same level as Kara so she no longer felt so small.

“I don’t know,” Lena said, staring ahead at the night sky. “My family doesn’t really talk about what I am. They never acknowledge it unless they want to make me feel lesser than them. I just know that I don’t turn to ash when I walk outside during the day and that I don’t throw up human food.”

“How did you even figure out all the things you could do?” Kara said. She never imagined sitting next to Lena after confronting her and asking her all these questions, trying to figure out the other woman. But if Lena was going to kill Kara after this, at least Kara wouldn’t die confused.

“I grew up in a community of humans,” Lena said, opening her hands and staring down at them. “If I couldn’t go in the sun, I would have burned up in my mother’s arms as she carried me home from the hospital. But then… When my mother died and my father brought me to my new home, my brother liked to treat me as some kind of science experiment. As this unknown human-vampire hybrid, he wanted to know if I had the same strengths and weaknesses as vampires. He wanted to know if I bled, if I could feel pain like humans or if I was numb to it. It seemed every time he got his answer, he had a new question.”

Kara felt the urge to pull Lena into a tight embrace and try to shield her from the world that’s already hurt her so much. But Lena was with the vampires, she was Kara’s enemy. So Kara kept her hands to herself.

“Since you know what I am,” Lena continued, “it’s only fair that I let you know that I know who are you as well.”

Kara stiffened. Despite her vulnerability being drunk in a back alley, she felt like she held all the cards. Lena was the one who had been found out, Lena was the one who would be punished once the resistance discovered what she was. But now Kara was in the same exact position as Lena.

“How?” Kara asked, meeting Lena’s eyes.

“It’s why I’m here,” Lena responded, resolutely holding Kara’s stare. “My mother wanted me to finish the job she failed at.”

Kara swallowed thickly, looking down at the ground. It was cold and hard, a terrible place to die. But with where she and Lena stood now, there was no other outcome.

“So what happens now?” Lena said when the quiet became to heavy to bear. “Are you going to tell Commander Arias or just try to kill me yourself?”

“If I did,” Kara said, letting her head fall against the brick wall behind her, “you’d try to stop me. I’m dead no matter what I do.”

“I’m not going to kill you, Kara,” Lena said softly. When Kara glanced over at her, she was staring off into the distance, purposely not looking in Kara’s direction. “My mother would want me to, but… I can’t even think of it.”

“Why?” Kara shuffled closer to Lena until only an inch of space was between them. She stared at the back of Lena’s head, daring her to turn and look at her again. “I’m your enemy, I’m your family’s enemy. You should want me dead.”

“I told you,” Lena whispered. “I’m not like them. I don’t… thirst for blood or vengeance. I just want peace. I just want all this fighting to stop.”

Lena’s words made Kara feel painfully sober. She realized she wanted the same thing, that was why she joined the resistance. But Lena was a vampire—half a vampire, but still one of them—and wanted the same things she did. Kara wondered, if vampires and humans both had the same goal, was there a way they could reach some kind of agreement, a peace between the two groups?

For the first time in a long time, Kara felt the first tinglings of hope for a world different from the one she was used to.

“What if we—” Kara was about to share her thoughts with Lena, but was cut off by a piercing scream coming from inside the club.

Lena stepped in front of Kara, throwing out an arm to keep Kara back. “Stay here,” Lena told her. “It might not be safe.”

“I have superhuman abilities,” Kara reminded her. “I think I can handle myself.” Kara brushed past Lena and stepped back into the club. She was immediately hit with a spray of water. It was thick and warm as it dripped down her skin. She looked down at her fingers and noticed it was dark-colored.

No, not water. Blood.

“Fuck,” Lena whispered. When Kara looked back at her, she was doubled over, as if in pain. “I can’t—Kara.”

Kara reached for her and pushed her back into the alley. Under the dim streetlights, Kara could make out Lena’s blood-stained clothing and hair. Lena stared down at her hands, covered in blood, and breathed shallowly.

“Lena,” Kara said calmly despite the frantic beating of her heart. She had no idea what kind of bloodthirsty rage this blood rain would set off in Lena. They had just decided to trust each other, something like this could destroy all that. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Just go, Kara!” Lena hissed. “Find out what’s happening and put a stop to it.”

Kara took a step toward the door, then turned back. “I’ll come back for you.”

Lena looked up then, her pupils blown wide, irises turning completely black, as drops of blood traveled along her cheeks. She looked every bit the monster that haunted Kara’s nightmares, but underneath it all Kara could see the woman she’d become friends with. In that moment, Kara knew Lena wouldn’t hurt her.

“Thank you,” Lena whispered. The way she said it had Kara wondering if Lena had ever experienced such loyalty in her life.

Kara nodded and slipped through the door. The blood was coming down harder now, making it impossible to see through it. Kara used her heightened vision to make her way through it, searching for her friends. It seemed that most everyone in the club had made it out when the rain started, which was a relief. What wasn’t a relief, though, was the shadowy figure Kara could just make out standing at the other end of the dance floor. They didn’t appear to be struggling or trying to get away from the nightmare pouring down from the ceiling.

“Are you okay?” Kara called out. Her voice was nearly drowned out by the rain. “Do you need help?”

The figure started walking toward her, fast. Kara stumbled back, but the figure reached her quickly. The blood had become a red sheet and Kara couldn’t see the figure’s face until they were right in front of her. It wasn’t until they smiled widely, blood immediately coating their fangs, that Kara realized what they were.

“Look at this,” the vampire cooed, scraping their sharp fingernails scraping down Kara’s face. She was suddenly thankful for the blood so the vampire couldn’t see that she didn’t bleed, that she was something other than human. “It appears we missed one.”

Before Kara could escape, there was a presence pressing against her back. They wrapped their arm around Kara’s chest and pushed their face into her neck.

“I’m full,” the second vampire whined. “But maybe we should take her back for later.”

“Take her back?” the first vampire laughed. “This place belongs to us now. We don’t need to go anywhere. We don’t need to hide anymore!”

“What are you talking about?” Kara asked, trying—and failing—to keep the shaking out of her voice. “This place isn’t yours. The resistance will be here soon. They’ll—”

“—do nothing!” The first vampire cackled with glee. “Trust me, dear, we’ve taken care of the resistance. You’re all alone.”

“No she’s not.”

Just as quickly as the voice had come, the vampire behind her was snatched away. Kara could hear their cries and the most horrible ripping noises. The vampire in front of her started to back away, but this time Kara was able to come out of her shock quickly. She reached for the vampire’s neck and twisted it sharply. The crack was drowned out by the rain, but Kara felt it in her bones. She dropped the vampire’s body to the ground, staring down at her hands in pure horror.

She’d just killed someone.

“Kara!”

Kara barely heard the voice over the pounding of her own heart. Despite being born just for this purpose, she had never actually killed a vampire. And it had been so easy. She’d barely even thought about it. And now that she’d done it once, she could never go back.

“Kara!” There was a sharp tug on her arm. “We have to go!”

Kara came out of her stupor as Lena’s face swam in front of her. Lena reached up and held Kara’s face in her palms. Her eyes were bright red, practically glowing through the sheets of blood between them. Her fangs showed as she spoke and yet Kara still didn’t feel afraid. She felt safe, protected.

“Kara,” Lena whispered, her voice breaking. “Please.”

At that moment, Kara was hit with the sudden urge to kiss Lena. She nearly did, too, trying to close the small gap between them just as Lena pulled on her hand and forced her out of the club. She led the way back to the alley, out into the fresh, clear air. Once outside, Kara leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. Lena watched her, looking clearer than she had just minutes before.

Somewhere in the distance, Kara heard sirens and screams.

“Alex,” Kara breathed, standing back up and looking around wildly. “The other volunteers… I have to find them. I have to know—”

Lena placed a gentle hand on Kara’s arm. Her red eyes had changed back to green and her fangs were gone. “It’s too dangerous out there. We need to find a safe way back to the manor.”

“I need to help the other volunteers,” Kara protested.

“They’re smart,” Lena said, “and strong. I’m sure they found a way. And if you go out there, then you’re just putting yourself in danger and you won’t be able to help them. They would want you to be safe.”

“I can’t just abandon them,” Kara said softly.

Lena’s eyebrows knit together and she looked away from Kara. “Let’s go back to the manor and come up with a plan. Please.”

It was then that Kara realized Lena was scared. There must be something really terrible happening for Lena to be afraid of the vampires.

“What’s going on?” Kara asked.

Lena shook her head. “I’ll tell you when we get back to the manor.”

“Something like this wasn’t supposed to happen, was it?”

“It’s not safe to discuss it out here.”

“Is it safe anywhere?”

Through the quiet that reigned over them Kara could hear the cries and pleas of innocent humans being torn apart by vampires. The sirens had disappeared by now.

“I know a safe place,” Lena finally whispered. “It’s far from here and we’ll need to get cleaned up before we go. But we’ll be safe.”

“What about the other volunteers?” Kara asked.

Lena opened her mouth, then shut it. Her eyes softened.

“Then I’m not going,” Kara decided. “I won’t leave my sister or my friends.”

Kara started to turn away, go through the alley and search for her friends, but a sudden outburst from Lena stopped her.

“You’re too important.”

Kara stopped, but refused to look back at Lena. She had a feeling that the second she met her eyes, she’d cave. “Am I more important than the rest of the volunteers?”

“There’s a reason I was sent after you,” Lena said. Kara heard her coming closer, her voice getting more desperate with every step. “You’re the last Zor-El. The Luthors will not stop until you’re dead. And once you’re dead, it’s only a matter of time before vampires wipe out all of humanity.”

“I don’t want that responsibility,” Kara murmured. “It’s too much for one person to bear.”

“I know.” Kara was surprised at how close Lena sounded now. “That’s why I’m going to help you.”

Kara whirled around and found Lena’s face just inches from hers. For the first time since Kara met the other woman, her face was open and honest. Lena wasn’t hiding anything, fully willing to give Kara all of her trust. Kara got a twisting feeling in her stomach that Lena had never felt this way with anyone before.

“You’d help me?” Kara whispered. Her mind pushed her to doubt, but her heart was eager to accept Lena. “You’d turn your back against your family for me? Why?”

“I told you,” Lena said, taking Kara’s hands in hers, “I just want this all to stop. And Lillian will not let it stop until you and every human are gone. And I’m rather fond of humans. And you.”

Beneath the drying blood, Kara was aware of her cheeks heating up. Kara wondered if Lena’s were doing the same.

“But I can’t help you until we’re somewhere safe,” Lena continued, her soft gaze turning steely again. “Once Lillian discovers what I’ve done, I’ll have lost all immunity with her. So please, Kara, come with me.”

Kara wanted to say yes, but there was something she needed to know first. “The second we get to your safe house we work on a plan to save my friends.”

Lena nodded, relief washing over face. “Yes. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Kara smiled. It grew even larger when she saw Lena mirror it.

***

As soon as Lena and Kara cleaned themselves off in a nice—albeit brief—hot shower at the manor, they were on a train out of the city. It was packed full of humans trying to save themselves and the two of them barely made it on. If it weren’t for Lena’s bribe, they might not have made it out at all.

It was standing room only, but even through the crowd Lena could make out the carnage destroying National City beyond the windows. Kara watched too, her fingers playing with that strange necklace around her neck, until she had to look away. But no matter how awful it was, no matter how much Lena wanted it all to stop, she had to keep looking. She couldn’t help thinking this was all her fault.

This attack wasn’t meant to happen for another few months, not until Lena had successfully neutralized the threat Kara posed. But somehow Lillian had found out that Kara and her unit were getting the night off and decided now was the best time to strike. Lena just wished Lillian had warned her so she could have kept them all out of that nightclub.

Perhaps that was exactly why Lillian hadn’t told her.

After Lena would fail to report in to Lillian and she discovered that Lena had escaped with Kara, she would be enemy number one with the Luthors. About that, Lena had no doubt. But was there a possibility that Lillian had sensed her changing loyalties before tonight? Lena couldn’t imagine she had. After all, Lena hadn’t realized just how much she’d started to care about the resistance until Kara had asked if she was going to kill her.

Lena didn’t know how it happened, but at that moment all of Lena’s walls shattered. She thought of all the humans she’d come to know, their energy despite a losing situation, their hope for a better world despite the darkness. They were the first people who had ever made her feel welcome, even though they were staying in her home. They invited her to eat with them, talked to her like she was one of them, and even asked her to join them at game night.

And Kara had always been the kindest of them all.

The train was eerily silent as it passed through the wall of the city and out into the darkness. Lena ignored the urge to thank Kara for brightening her days, feeling as though it was wrong to bring any kind of optimism into this mourning crowd. She stayed quiet as the train rumbled along, looking everywhere but at Kara.

Slowly, the other passengers got off the train until Lena and Kara were able to sit. Every time they passed a station, Kara glanced at Lena. But every time, Lena remained still, and Kara sank back into her seat. Lena could tell Kara wanted to ask where they were going, but she always kept her mouth shut.

“Last stop, Somerton!” the conductor cried into their car. Lena and Kara were the only ones left, and he stared at them until they stood.

Lena grabbed Kara’s hand. She told herself that it was just so she felt safer, but it sounded unconvincing even to her own mind. But Kara didn’t pull her hand away, and squeezed it.

The train screeched to a halt and, wordlessly, Lena led Kara off the train. The station was dark and empty, and there were only a few lights sprinkled in the darkness. They were well and truly alone here.

“Is the safe house here in Somerton, then?” Kara asked.

“Not quite,” Lena responded, leading Kara past the station and through the winding streets. “But this is the closest we can get to it. We’ll have to take a boat the rest of the way.”

Lena felt Kara stiffen next to her and she suddenly realized just how suspicious this all was. She stopped and tried to find Kara’s eyes in the darkness.

“I promise I’m not going to kill you,” Lena swore.

“Really?” Kara said, laughing uncomfortably. “Because that’s exactly what it looks like.”

“Trust me,” Lena said, stepping closer to Kara, squeezing her hands between hers. “I’m full from the club.”

Kara’s eyes widened.

Lena grimaced. “Bad joke?”

“Maybe a little,” Kara said, then sighed. “Alex would kill me for being so trusting, but I wouldn’t have gone this far with you if I didn’t. So lead the way.”

Lena pulled Kara through the familiar winding streets of Somerton, thinking of the many times she passed these buildings holding her mother’s hand. It was such a small town that, despite living on the outskirts, everyone knew her name. She still recalled the last time she’d seen all their faces, giving her somber goodbyes as her father’s security escorted her to the train.

But in all her times walking through this town, she had never known it to be so quiet. Maybe it was the late hour, but she couldn’t help thinking her family was behind this quiet. She’d heard so many reports of towns being taken over by vampires throughout the years that it would have been easy for Somerton to get lost in the mix.

“Here we are,” Lena said as they came upon the dock. A few small rowboats bobbed against the water, and Lena muttered a quiet apology to whoever owned one of them as they stepped in. She let Kara get in first and then untied the rope and sent them on their way. As she started rowing, Kara stared at her in fascination.

“I never would’ve taken you for such an outdoorsy woman,” Kara remarked.

“I was on the rowing team in boarding school,” Lena said, raising an eyebrow.

Kara nodded and smiled. “That makes more sense.”

Though that was true, Lena had paddled across this lake to the small island in the middle of it countless times with her mother, and many more since she left when she was four. The path and the movements came to her as easily as a vampire taking blood from a human. She could tell Kara had more questions on her mind, but didn’t want to pry. For once, Lena wouldn’t have minded the questions.

The boat settled at the dock on the privately owned island. Lena jumped out and helped Kara. As Lena led the way up the steps to the mansion, she noticed Kara taking it all in. She supposed that if she wasn’t used to this sight, she would have been impressed too. The house had grown from the little shack she lived in with her mother ever since Lena bought the island two years ago. It was huge, much bigger than was warranted for one person using it as a vacation home. But Lena wanted to honor her mother in some way, and this was the only way she knew how.

“What is this place?” Kara breathed, unable to stop herself from asking one of her many questions. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I needed a place away from my family,” was all Lena would say by way of explanation. “Somewhere I couldn’t be disturbed.”

And that was the other beauty of this house. Not only did it remind Lena of her mother, but the Luthors didn’t know anything about it. She’d bought the island that had sat empty and dilapidated since her mother died as soon as she turned eighteen and had control of her own trust fund. It was the safest place for them at the moment. But how long would it be before Lillian discovered it?

Lena shook her head. She couldn’t think about all the what-ifs and dangers right now. All she needed was a good sleep.

When Lena let herself and Kara inside, she became hyper-aware of the other woman’s presence. Suddenly, her exhaustion crept away, replaced by a sudden wakefulness as she stared at Kara standing in the doorway of her Victorian-style mansion. Now that they were safe and completely alone, a hunger took over her mind, different from the one that had possessed her in the club.

Kara seemed aware of it too, and stepped closer to Lena, as if controlled by the same desire. Kara’s fingers trailed along Lena’s wrist, up along her arm, to her neck—

Lena stepped back. Kara pressing her finger against her neck made her remember just what she was. A monster that was neither human nor vampire. She’d spent her entire life working with people who wanted nothing more than to kill and subjugate humans. But then, just hours ago, she’d turned against those very same people by murdering their kind in cold blood. All to protect another human.

How could something like her deserve love from someone who has always known what side she’s on?

“I’ll show you up to your room,” Lena muttered, turning away from Kara’s burning gaze.

“Lena—”

Lena didn’t want to hear Kara try and persuade her otherwise. She was too weak for it. She would give in immediately and feel even worse afterward. No, denying her desire for Kara was the best choice.

“It’s been a long night,” Lena interrupted. “We’re both tired. Once we’ve gotten enough sleep then we’ll think clearer.”

Kara snapped her mouth shut, understanding what Lena didn’t say. This sudden want was only a side effect of their exhaustion, nothing more. As soon as they woke up again, they wouldn’t feel it.

Lena showed Kara into a guest room on the opposite end of the hallway of Lena’s room. But the distance didn’t stop Lena’s heightened senses from hearing Kara’s breathy moans and gasps. Lena had just been about to fall asleep, but the noise jerked her back awake. Was Kara—

“Oh fuck.”

And now Lena couldn’t help but imagine Kara lying in her bed, her fingers rhythmically pumping in and out of herself. Her forehead covered in sweat, her teeth biting down hard on her bottom lip. What was she thinking about as she played with herself? Was it Lena?

Lena’s own fingers found their way down to her cunt. She listened to Kara’s muffled groans as she pushed her fingers inside herself. She pictured Kara turning her face into her pillow, overwhelmed by the sensation. Lena pressed her fingers against her wet center and let out a gasp.

Kara’s noises paused for a moment, and Lena found herself stilling as well. But then they continued, growing with fervor as she pushed herself to a climax. Lena sped up her movements, moaning in tandem with Kara until they both broke off into quiet scream.

Lena fell asleep to the sound of Kara’s breath slowing down.

***

As Lena left the next morning to retrieve supplies from town, Kara couldn’t stop thinking about the noises she’d heard emanating from the other woman’s room. When Kara, too overcome by her desire for Lena to think about anything else, started playing with herself last night, she’d never expected Lena to do the same. She’d been so surprised by the sound of Lena’s desperate gasp that she’d nearly stopped, but she found that it had only turned her on more.

But now that it was the next day and she was more awake, Kara wished she hadn’t done it. Her mind was consumed by thoughts of Lena’s fingers in her cunt, maybe thinking of Kara as well. She wanted to talk to Lena about it—she was sure that with Lena had heard her as well with that dhampir hearing of hers—but Lena had made it clear that she only felt that way because of the circumstances of the night before.

Kara didn’t even have the privilege of finding out what happened last night to distract her from thoughts of Lena. They were well and truly out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing in the house to communicate with. A little voice in the back of Kara’s mind told her it was designed that way so Lena could hurt her and no one would ever know.

Kara brushed that idea aside. Lena had already proved herself to be against her family last night. And Kara had grown to know Lena over the past few weeks. She knew, deep down, that Lena couldn’t be like that.

The sound of the door creaking open broke the silence. Kara jumped from the couch, eager for something to do. Lena thanked her as she helped carry the groceries to the kitchen and started unloading them. As if Lena sensed the millions of questions running through Kara’s brain, she dropped a newspaper in front of Kara.

The headline screamed, “VAMPIRES TAKE NATIONAL CITY.”

So Kara’s worst fears about the outcome of the attack had come to light. The article told her that the nightclub hadn’t been the only place that had blood come pouring out of the ceiling. It was more than just a key strategy by blinding the humans under the downpour, it was a symbol of their new power. There was no statistics about deaths or survivors and definitely no mention of whether or not the Luthors were behind it.

“Is there any way we can contact my friends?” Kara asked quietly.

Lena stared at her for a second, considering. Kara knew that Lena had a way, but wasn’t sure if she should share it. Kara went back to putting away the groceries, positive that Lena wouldn’t tell her.

“As soon as we finish up in here,” Lena said, “I’ll show you.”

When Kara looked back at Lena, her face was soft with concern, maybe even something more. Kara’s gut twisted as she remembered how differently Lena had gazed at her last night, eager to taste her skin. Maybe Lena’s desire wasn’t as much a side effect of exhaustion as she would’ve liked to admit.

They finished with the groceries and then Lena led Kara up four sets of stairs to the attic. Thanks to both their abilities the trek wasn’t too arduous, but Kara’s heart beat faster nonetheless. Either Lena was about to kill her now or—

There, on a desk at the window, sat a radio.

“My family tends not to use such antiquated forms of communication,” Lena explained as she started clicking buttons to turn it on. “I really only have it for emergencies so there’s a better chance of staying hidden, but I suppose this counts.” She held the speaker out for Kara. “I have it set to broadcast anywhere within a hundred miles. If your friends or someone they know are near a radio, they’ll hear it.”

Kara understood just how much of a risk Lena was taking by letting Kara find her friends. If the Luthors were anywhere near National City, they might hear Kara’s message. They might be able to find them and Lena’s hideout wouldn’t remain hidden.

“Are you sure?” Kara asked, clutching the speaker tightly.

Lena studied Kara’s face, her eyes appearing more vulnerable than Kara had ever seen them before. She was giving something important up just to help Kara. She was letting Kara know that she could trust her. That was the moment Kara let all her defenses go and let Lena into her heart.

“Yes,” Lena said. “I want you to find your friends.”

Kara nodded and spoke into the speaker. She asked for anyone who knew the whereabouts of her friends, Alex, Nia, James, Brainy, even Kelly. She nearly added Commander Arias to the list, but didn’t want to put her in any danger since she held such a high position. Kara repeated her message over and over, losing more hope every time she said it. She gave one last, disheartened message before she admitted to herself that they were gone.

“Wait, Kara!”

Just as Kara was about to hang up the speaker, a painfully familiar voice sounded through the radio. Her hands shook as she tightened her hold on the speaker. “Winn, is that you?”

She heard a laugh on the line and her heart soared. “Alex, come here! It’s Kara, she’s safe!”

“Alex is there too?” Kara said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

“Kara?” Alex’s voice was warm, comforting, even through the crackle of the radio. “Where the hell are you?”

Kara glanced back at Lena, who watched her with a trusting gaze. After all that Lena had done for her, there was no way Kara could betray that trust.

“I can’t tell you that,” Kara said into the speaker, and noticed Lena’s shoulders sag in relief. “But I’m safe. What about you?”

“I’m at a safe house with Winn, James, Nia, Brainy and Kelly,” Alex paused. “And the surviving members of the resistance.”

Kara’s heart thumped violently in her chest. Surviving members. That meant… “Alex, how many of you are left?”

There was a moment where all Kara could hear was crackling static. Then, “Less than a hundred.”

Kara shut her eyes, thinking about how all they’d lost in such a short amount of time. How could the vampires have taken the city, stolen the lives in their resistance, so easily? It just didn’t make sense. Unless…

“Hold on one second, Alex,” Kara said, switching off the speaker. She turned to Lena. “You swear you had nothing to do with this?”

“I promise, Kara,” Lena said, her eyes wide with earnestness. Her heartbeat was steady below her skin. “It’s true, the Luthors had been planning an attack on National City and they wanted to eliminate you as a threat. But it wasn’t supposed to happen for months. We weren’t ready.”

Kara knew it would be difficult to explain her sudden trust in Lena to her friends—hell, she could hardly explain it to herself—but she found herself nodding, believing every word that came out of Lena’s mouth. She switched the speaker back on.

“Okay, I’m coming to you,” Kara decided. “I’m bringing a friend, but for their safety, I can’t name them. Just tell me, or give me a hint, where your location is.”

“Kara…” Alex sighed. “I think it’s best if you stay where you are.”

Kara froze. Ever since she was adopted by the Danvers, she and Alex had never been apart, especially not during something this huge. After Midvale had been attacked, they swore to each other that they wouldn’t separate under any circumstances. They were stronger together.

And now, at the point where they needed each other the most, Alex was pushing her away.

“Alex,” Kara whimpered, clutching the speaker close to her like it was a lifeline. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not leaving you alone. I can help protect you, you know I can—”

“That’s exactly why you should stay away,” Alex responded, barreling over Kara before she could change her mind. “There was strength in numbers when we were part of the resistance, but now… it’s too easy for you to be found out. If we just stay low for awhile, we can build up our strength again and then…”

Kara held back a sob as the idea of months going by without her sister flew through her mind. How could she bear it?

“I’m sorry, Kara,” Alex said, her voice sounding choked. “But it really is for the best.”

Kara tried to come up with some excuse, any excuse that could convince Alex otherwise. But even the Luthors already knew about Kara, and that just made her more vulnerable. And now there was no way Lena could show her face in National City without the Luthors bearing down on her and punishing her for her betrayal. No matter what reasoning Kara came up with, it was useless. She had no choice but to be apart from her sister.

Kara clutched the necklace around her neck. It was the only jewelry the resistance leaders let her wear, after Alex convinced them of its importance. Without Alex, she wouldn’t have the strength of her mother with her now.

“We’ll be together soon,” Kara promised. “And until that happens, I won’t stop fighting to make this world safer.”

Kara swore she heard Alex sob, but Alex would never admit it out loud. “I’ll be thinking of you the entire time. Stay safe, Kara.”

“You too,” Kara whispered.

Lena turned the radio off. For a moment, they sat there in silence, Kara staring at the radio wishing it was Alex and Lena watching her, wondering what to do.

“I’ve never,” Lena spoke slowly, as if testing whether it was okay for her to talk or not, “been that close with my brother. If something like this happened to us, I don’t know that he would be worried about me. In fact, I think he’d be grateful. I’d only slow him down.”

Kara’s chest twisted painfully at the thought of Lena being all alone in that house of vampires. She was already so different from them, and to make it worse she had no allies. There was no one who protected Lena or even listened. Kara couldn’t imagine what she would’ve done if she didn’t have Alex.

“What I’m trying to say,” Lena continued, “is that I don’t fully understand what you’re going through with Alex. But I will do my best to be there for you and listen when you’re missing her too much. If that’s okay with you.”

Kara stared at Lena as she kept her face ducked down, her cheeks burning bright red and her fingers twisting nervously. Lena wanted Kara to like her, to accept her in a way that she had never felt before.

Kara reached out and grabbed Lena’s hands, forcing them to still. Lena looked up, locking her eyes on Kara’s. She seemed to hold her breath as Kara tugged her closer by the hands. Her intention was to pull Lena into a hug, but as Lena’s face grew closer she wanted something different. Lena’s eyes fell to Kara’s lips, thinking the same thing.

Thump, thump, thump.

Loud, impatient knocks echoed through the house, causing Kara and Lena to jump away from each other. Kara remained frozen in place as Lena rushed to the window to see who dared interrupt them. Her face grew paler than it usually was.

“Stay here,” Lena ordered Kara, more aggressive than Kara had ever heard her before.

“What’s wrong?” Kara asked, her heartbeat growing to match Lena’s.

“It’s one of my mother’s associates,” Lena explained. “I don’t know how he found us, but I’m taking care of it. Just stay here and you should be safe.” Lena sounded as though she was trying to convince herself more than Kara.

Kara watched as Lena hurried out of the room, using a speed Kara had only ever seen vampires use. Kara brushed her fingers across her lips, still thinking about what Lena’s mouth might have tasted like.

***

Lena fumed as she raced to the door and greeted Morgan Edge. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Kara since she woke up this morning, and now that they had almost kissed, the desire had only grown. How dare Morgan come here, to the one place she thought she was safe, and stop her from kissing the most gorgeous woman in the world.

“Ah, Ms. Luthor,” Morgan said, a smile plastered on his face that read he’d won. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“It’s not surprise if you were expecting me,” Lena said, leaning against the doorway. She folded her arms across her chest, thankful that Morgan wasn’t a vampire so he couldn’t hear how fast her heart was beating. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Morgan asked, gesturing beyond the doorway.

“I’m hoping to keep this visit brief.”

Morgan smirked, and stepped towards Lena, too close for comfort. “You forget that I’m not a vampire and I don’t have to be invited in.”

“Then it appears as though vampires have better manners than you.” Lena stared him down, refusing to budge an inch. Morgan glared back, waiting for her to back down before realizing she wasn’t going to. He stepped back again, a frown replacing his smile.

“I’m here on behalf of your mother,” Morgan said, quick to the point now that Lena had dismissed all formalities. “She wants to know why you ran.”

“So she knows I’m here,” Lena said, her heart sinking. Seeing Morgan from the attic made her think that, but she hated having it confirmed. “Why doesn’t she come get me herself?”

“Actually,” Morgan said, his smile coming back, “she has no idea where you are. She sent the board out to find you since we have the advantage of daylight. I’m the only one who knew where to go though, since you went through my business to buy this house.”

Lena cursed herself for that mistake. But how could she have known, when she was eighteen, how much that decision would bite her in the ass?

“You think you can just come here and I’ll go willingly?” Lena asked.

“Not without a little incentive, of course.”

“And what would that be?”

Morgan crept closer. “If you come with me, I won’t have to tell your mother about your little hideout. It’s as simple as that.”

Lena’s blood froze. If Lillian discovered this place, then not only would her one sanctuary be gone, but Kara would be discovered as well. But she couldn’t go with Morgan either. She could lie to Morgan, make up some excuse as to why she ran, but she couldn’t do the same with Lillian.

“I changed my mind,” Lena said suddenly, turning to the side and gesturing inside the house. “Why don’t you come inside for a bit?”

Morgan narrowed his eyes. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I need time to think about this,” Lena said. “And I don’t want you growing hungry while I do so.”

Morgan continued to eye her suspiciously as he passed her. Lena glanced around, making sure none of Morgan’s bodyguards were just around the corner as she shut the door. The sun had started to set and everyone on the mainland would be shuttering their homes before vampires came out to play. No one would know if Morgan ever returned.

Lena showed Morgan to the dining room and went about making tea for the two of them. As Morgan chattered on about his business dealings Lena tried to come up with a plan. The only solution she could think of was killing him. But she had never killed a human before. Sure, she’d killed plenty of vampires, but it was always in self-defense. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to use her abilities against someone who could hardly hope to match her.

But she couldn’t very well just let him go. That would be even worse for her and Kara. And then she’d have to explain why she wouldn’t take him up on his very reasonable offer to go with him.

She set down a cup of tea in front of Morgan as he stared out the window. The last light of the sun peeked just above the horizon.

“I do hope you’re not planning on keeping me here for long,” Morgan said as he sipped at his tea. “Your mother will be expecting me back.”

“I wouldn’t be going into the village after dark anyway,” Lena said as she absentmindedly stirred her tea. “The vampires here aren’t affiliated with the Luthors and they don’t care what your name is. It might be best for you to spend the night.”

“Would it?” Morgan mused, still not put off by Lena’s words. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Lena’s gut clenched. There was something very wrong here. Why didn’t Morgan have any bodyguards with him, especially since he’d come so late in the evening?

Morgan sensed Lena picking up on something and his grin grew wider. “I suppose you’ve been wondering where my bodyguards are. Well, the fact of the matter is that they’re very sensitive to the sun. But look at that!” He pointed out the window, where night had sneaked upon them quickly. “Now they have nothing to worry about.”

Lena stood up so fast her chair fell. “They can’t come in, not if I don’t invite them.”

Morgan made his way to the door, that stupid, smug smile still in place. “Here’s the thing about that, Lena. Vampires don’t really care who owns the house, so long as a guest welcomes them inside.”

He opened the door.

Vampires swarmed Lena as they flooded into the house. They pushed her down, pinning her arms and legs to the floor. Lena squirmed, but they were stronger than her. Of course they were, Lena was only a dhampir. Even if she’d had warning, there was no way she could have stood against them.

“What are you doing, Morgan?” Lena demanded as a vampire dug their fingernails into her arm. She watched the vampire’s pupils dilate as blood welled up from the wound. They looked up at Morgan, as if asking him for permission. What kind of vampire took orders from a human?

“It’s true that your mother sent me to find you,” Morgan said. “But then I remembered: I am the second richest man in the country. What am I doing taking orders from someone who can’t even walk in the sun? I’ve been undermining your family’s authority for months, planning attacks to weed out the weakest of the humans so I can turn them into my own personal guard. Because the only thing better than a vampire is a human with an army.”

“I disagree.”

Kara appeared behind him so suddenly that Lena hadn’t even realized when she’d shown up. When Morgan turned to her with surprise, Kara threw a punch that knocked Morgan straight to the floor. The vampires holding Lena down glanced up at Kara and hissed. Their distraction gave Lena the advantage she needed and she threw them off her easily.

Lena grabbed Kara’s shoulders. “I thought I told you to stay in the attic!”

“And let you die down here?” Kara said, as if that was the craziest thing in the world. “No way in hell.”

The vampires got over their shock and swarmed them again. But this time Lena was ready—and she had a friend. She and Kara made a good team as they worked in tandem to get rid of the vampires. These ones were weaker than the ones Lena had worked with in the past, and it wasn’t hard to dispose of them. Morgan clearly cared more about quantity over quality.

“Lena!”

Kara’s scream of warning had the opposite of the desired effect. Lena whipped her head around toward her, terrified that one of them had hurt her, and felt a sharp pain in her back. Lena went down, watching Kara’s eyes flash with anger. The pain was too much for Lena to bear and she squeezed her eyes shut. But she heard the tell-tale crack of Kara killing the vampire that had stabbed Lena.

The thing about dhampirs is that, unlike vampires, they can get hurt. So there was no getting back to her feet as Lena bled out on the floor. She listened to Kara make quick work of the remaining vampires, wondering if she would still be alive by the time Kara was done.

“Look at that,” Lena heard Morgan say. She felt a rough, slimy hand against her face, and she used what remaining strength she had to pull it away from him. “I was going to offer you a sweet deal before resorting to having one of my vampires turn you, but it seems I have no choice.”

Lena opened her eyes a little, Morgan’s face blurry in front of hers. Behind him, Kara was still fighting off vampires, too busy to see what Morgan was doing to her.

“So that was your plan?” Lena tried to sound intimidating, but it was hard to get that kind of strength into her voice. “Get me on your side and help you take down the Luthors?”

“It seems ridiculous, I know,” Morgan laughed. “Which is why I had a plan B. Vampires are extremely loyal to those who have turned them. And since this particular vampire is loyal to me, the rest of them are. It will be so satisfying having you at my beck and call. I wonder what I will make you do first.”

“Keep thinking about it,” Kara said, just before knocking him unconscious. Morgan slumped over next to Lena’s prone body. Lena couldn’t help but give Morgan a kick with her tiny bit of strength.

Lena shut her eyes as soft fingers roamed over her face. She imagined they were in a different situation. Instead of dying, Lena might have felt more alive than ever as Kara’s fingers traveled lower along her body. Would they be gentle or rough? Would they be shy and tentative or desperate and needy?

Right now, they felt like the latter as Kara shook her. “Lena! What can I do? What do you need?”

“You,” Lena whispered. That was all she needed in her last moments.

But Kara interpreted it differently. She took her hands away, and Lena felt cold, so cold in their absence. And then she was being hauled up into a sitting position, leaning against Kara’s warm, solid body. Kara took her head in hands, being gentle even while she was so desperate, and pushed it into the curve of her neck.

“Drink,” Kara said in a rough voice. “Please, Lena. Drink from me.”

Lena’s eyes fluttered open a little and she took in Kara’s wide, terrified gaze. Was she scared for Lena’s life withering away before her, or to have a vampire drink from her. Lena closed her eyes and let her fangs come out. She could think about that later. Right now she only needed one thing.

There was a whimper from Kara as Lena sunk her fangs into her neck. She’d felt reluctant at first, taking blood from someone like Kara, but as soon as the syrupy liquid hit her tongue, she couldn’t stop. Kara tasted stronger, sweeter than any being Lena had ever drank from. The power surged through her fast, sewing up her wound and filling her veins until they were almost bursting. And even then, Lena couldn’t get enough.

“Lena,” Kara sighed, and it sounded like both a warning and a plea.

At the sound of her name, Lena pushed herself away from Kara. She felt such a rush, like she had drained Kara completely. Kara’s face was pale, but she still looked fine, alive. Not ashy or exhausted like anyone else Lena had ever drank.

“Thank you,” Lena said, wiping her mouth. Her hand came away bloody.

Kara pressed her fingers against the punctures in her neck, and winced. “You’re welcome. I’m just glad you’re alive. Here.” Kara stood and grabbed two hand towels from the kitchen. She handed one to Lena to wipe herself off and then held the other to her wound.

“So what do we do with them?” Lena asked, gesturing to the numerous bodies lining their floor. Morgan was still breathing at least, but the vampires were truly dead. “We can burn the vampires, just to make sure they don’t come back. But Morgan… We can’t let him go back to my mother.”

Kara nodded, her brows knitted as she tried to come up with a solution. “What are you saying? We should tie him up in the basement?”

Lena brightened. “That’s not a bad plan.”

“I don’t know,” Kara said, still frowning.

“We don’t have any better options,” Lena reasoned. “Come on, help me bring him down to the basement before he wakes up.”

Lena felt energized, more awake than she’d ever felt before as she and Kara carried Morgan’s body down to the basement. Lena tied him up, making sure the binds weren’t too tight to make Kara feel better. Then they went back up and got to work hauling the vampires’ corpses out to the backyard, where they made a fire to burn them.

Kara threw the last of the bodies into the fire, watching the flames grow higher for a moment. After the rush of what happened earlier, the night seemed too quiet now.

“I should thank you,” Lena said, “for saving my life earlier.”

Kara turned her head. Her eyes were bright in the light of the fire and Lena felt her heart skip a beat. “You’re welcome. You would’ve done the same for me.”

It hit Lena then that Kara was exactly right. She would have done the same for her, regardless of how much danger she put herself in. She already had saved Kara’s life, multiple times. First in the nightclub, then taking her out of National City, and then by refusing to go with Morgan just now. No matter what happened, Lena and Kara were in this together.

Lena didn’t know how it happened, but she suddenly found herself standing just inches away from Kara, reaching for her hand. Kara squeezed her hand, smiling at her.

“Is it weird that I feel so good right now?” Kara asked. “We just got attacked by vampires, we’re burning their bodies, and we have someone tied up in the basement. And yet… all I can think about is how great I feel with you standing next to me.”

Lena didn’t have an answer for her. So she answered her in the only way she could think of. She reached up, placed a palm on Kara’s cheek, and guided her face down to meet hers.

Kara’s lips tasted even better than her blood. They were hesitant, surprised in that first brush of contact. But as Lena pushed her body against Kara’s, they grew bolder, pushing against Lena’s insistently. And then they were lost in each other. Lena’s hands wandered down Kara’s back, trying to pull her even closer, meld their bodies together, as Kara pushed her tongue into Lena’s mouth hungrily.

Lena moved her mouth along Kara’s cheek, down her jaw, and to her neck where she’d bit it. She licked over the healing wound and a whimper caught in Kara’s throat. She roughly pulled Lena’s face back to hers and bruised her lips into Lena’s mouth.

“I heard you last night,” Kara sighed against Lena’s lips. “Could you hear me?”

Lena’s stomach tightened as she remembered Kara’s groans. “What were thinking about?”

“Do I really need to answer that?” Kara laughed.

“No,” Lena said, pulling away from Kara. She grabbed both her hands and started to lead her back to the house. “I want you to show me.”

Kara eagerly followed Lena up the steps, laughing and pulling Lena against her at intermittent intervals. It seemed Kara couldn’t go more than a few seconds without Lena’s lips on hers.

“Stop!” Lena giggled. “If you keep stopping me, we’ll never make it to the bed.”

“Who says we need a bed?” Kara said, pulling Lena’s hips flush to hers.

Lena couldn’t help but kiss Kara again. “I do. My back still hurts.”

Kara ran her hand along Lena’s back in gentle circles. “You poor baby. Do you need me to make you feel better?”

“Always.”

Now it was Kara who led the way straight to Lena’s bedroom. As soon as they got there, Lena pushed Kara against the wall, her lips on hers. She pushed her hands under Kara’s shirt, rubbing against the indents of her abs as she made her way up to her breasts. Kara gripped Lena’s hips, holding her tightly against her body.

“What happened,” Kara breathed heavily, “to needing a bed?”

Lena’s hands found the edge of Kara’s bra, and her fingers dug underneath the wiring. She slid them around to Kara’s back and unhooked it. “I can’t wait that long.”

Kara helped Lena tug her shirt over her and then quickly threw her bra off. Lena lowered her mouth to Kara’s breast, licking around the nipple before sucking it into her mouth. Kara let out a high-pitched whimper. She reached down and scraped at Lena’s back, trying to get her shirt off as well.

Lena couldn’t help but oblige, and once that was gone they couldn’t wait to tug the rest of their clothes off. Once they were fully naked, Kara knelt down, grabbed under Lena’s thighs, and lifted her. Lena laughed and wrapped her legs around Kara’s waist, kissing her deeply. She sneaked a hand down between their bodies and brushed it against the inside of Kara’s leg. Kara nearly dropped Lena at the feeling.

“Do you want to hurt yourself more?” Kara said roughly.

“Only if you ask nicely,” Lena teased.

Kara dropped Lena onto the bed and climbed on top of her. Their bodies pressed together as Kara kissed Lena messily, her desire too great for her to bother with precision. She kissed down her chin, then her neck, took a detour at her breasts, along her stomach, and finally between Lena’s thighs. Lena cried out when she felt Kara’s tongue brush against her clit.

“Yes,” Lena gasped, “oh fuck.”

Kara sucked Lena’s clit into her mouth, eliciting an embarrassingly desperate whimper from Lena’s throat. She clutched the sheets, nearly pulling them off as Kara pushed her tongue in deeper, licking all around Lena’s cunt.

“Please,” Lena muttered. “Kara.”

Kara grinned at Lena’s begging. She started to tease her mercilessly, licking quickly, lightly, giving everything except what she wanted. Lena reached down and gave Kara’s hair a gentle tug. Kara groaned and buried her face further into Lena’s thighs. Lena took the hint and pulled Kara’s hair harder as Kara licked fervently, bringing Lena closer and closer to the edge.

“Oh god,” Lena screamed, squeezing her thighs around Kara’s head. Her stomach clenched as Kara kept pushing her mouth into more aggressively. Finally, the pressure built until Lena released it with Kara’s name on her lips. Kara kissed her cunt through Lena’s orgasm until Lena sunk back into the bed.

Kara slid back up to Lena’s side and pulled her into a lazy kiss. Lena slid her hand down Kara’s chest, deciding to finish what she’d finished earlier. Lena swallowed the moan that came out of Kara’s mouth as she pushed her fingers into Kara’s cunt.

Kara’s head fell back against the pillow. “Oh, Lena.”

Lena took that as permission to push her fingers in deeper. She scissored them along the walls, causing Kara’s hips to buck up. She grabbed Lena’s hip and pulled her closer. She kissed Lena with a hot, open mouth as Lena fucked Kara faster, harder. She pressed against particular spot that had Kara dropping her head against Lena’s shoulder.

“Right there,” Kara mumbled. “Lena, there.”

Another time, Lena might have teased her, but Lena could feel Kara’s desperation vibrating within her own body. She pushed against that spot, making Kara’s pant and moan into her neck. When Kara came, it was with a bite into Lena’s shoulder as her muscles clenched around Lena’s fingers.

As Kara melted into the bed, Lena took her time licking her fingers off, tasting a different part of Kara on her tongue. Kara watched her with heavily lidded eyes and a satiated smile on her face.

“So that’s what it’s like to have sex with a vampire,” Kara joked.

“Not a vampire,” Lena corrected, throwing a leg over Kara’s body so she was straddling her. She planted her hands on Kara’s chest as she leaned down. “But dhampirs have the same stamina vampires do.”

“Does that mean you wanna go again?” Kara asked, bringing her hands to Lena’s hips.

Lena pulled Kara up into a conversation-ending kiss.

***

Sunlight streamed through the window, lighting Lena’s pale features. Asleep, Lena looked younger, more innocent, like she wasn’t constantly weighed upon by the horrors of her life. Kara reached forward and traced her lips, remembering the constant kisses they’d shared the night before. She smiled to herself, wondering if it was too selfish to wake Lena up so they can continue what they’d started last night.

Thump!

Kara heard the noise coming from downstairs and sighed. It was no doubt Morgan struggling to break free of his restraints. Kara still felt bad about tying him up and keeping him down there, but she’d heard Lena’s conversation with him. It was safer this way.

Kara swung her legs out of the comfortable bed reluctantly. She pulled on a sweatshirt from Lena’s closet, almost surprised that that was an option. Lena had never struck her as the kind of girl who enjoyed comfy sweats. She found jeans, tugged them on, and headed downstairs to deal with their little problem.

Morgan was lying on his side, still tied to the chair, when Kara found him. He glared at Kara, his cheeks red from embarrassment. Kara sighed and set him upright.

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice,” Kara said when Morgan just looked away, his face twisted up in anger.

“You’re the one who put me here in the first place!”

Kara rubbed her forehead, trying to think of something, anything, that could benefit all of them. But Kara was more of a “punch first, questions later” kind of woman. She should’ve woken Lena up and brought her down here for help.

“So what are you gonna do to me?” Morgan demanded. “If you were gonna kill me, you would’ve done it already.”

“I don’t like killing people,” Kara said. “Not when there’s another option.”

Morgan grinned, wincing a little as the motion tugged painfully at his split lip. “And what’s the other option? Let me go? You know I’m just going to run to Lillian Luthor and let her know about what you and Lena have been up to in here.”

Kara closed her eyes, trying not to think about Morgan being down here the entire time she and Lena were having sex upstairs. It tainted the whole affair, and that was the last thing Kara wanted.

“Or maybe I could be… persuaded to keep your secret,” Morgan suggested.

Kara opened her eyes again, scrutinizing Morgan, trying to figure out if this was some kind of trick. His heartbeat was slow and steady, his eyes meeting hers brazenly.

“I’m not going to negotiate with someone who wants to take over the world,” Kara stated. “Someone who would willingly attack human towns just to build a vampire army for his own protection.”

“That’s a sore spot, isn’t it?” Morgan cocked his head to the side. “Is it Blue Valley—no wait. Midvale.” His grin grew wider, and his lip started to bleed again.

Kara froze. When he mentioned attacking human towns, she had failed to put two and two together. He was the reason Eliza and Jeremiah and countless others were dead.

“Why?” Kara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I told you,” Morgan shrugged, like all these lost lives were nothing to him, “I wanted a vampire army. And tragedy makes people do things they’d never imagined. I watched you save people in Midvale, I was very impressed. I wanted to recruit you, but as it turns out, the Luthors were watching you at the same time. And they had dibs. But your sister…”

Heat flared under Kara’s skin and she took a step forward, warning him. “Don’t talk about her.”

“Oh trust me, Ms. Danvers,” Morgan laughed, “you’ll want to hear this. She showed immense strength and skill in Midvale. Not nearly as spectacular as yours, of course, but no human could compare. But Alex Danvers comes close.”

“But you didn’t recruit her to your undead army,” Kara pointed out, her breathing starting to steady itself. “She’s still safe, still human.”

“Is she? Perhaps you haven’t spoken to her since the attack on National City. Her safe house is with a Luthor ally, one who’s meticulously crafted his reputation as a savior of humanity. Perhaps you’ve heard of one Maxwell Lord?”

Kara had heard of Maxwell Lord. She never liked the look of his smarmy face in the newspapers, but she couldn’t deny that he’d done more than his fair share of assisting with the resistance. What Morgan was saying couldn’t be true… could it?

“You’re lying,” Kara said, because nothing else made sense.

“Am I?” Morgan laughed too hard and started coughing. Blood spittle came flying out of his mouth and dripped down his chin. He gained control of himself again and stared directly into Kara’s eyes, letting her know he was being honest. “Come on, Kara, you can’t think I’d be stupid enough to work against the Luthors alone? Of course I have friends, friends who have the same goals that I do. And Mr. Lord is looking very forward to having Alex Danvers join his army.”

Before Kara realized what she was doing, she was in Morgan’s space, shoving her arm against his neck, making him choke.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Kara hissed.

Morgan laughed and coughed again. “You said it yourself. You’re not a killer.”

“No she’s not,” Lena said, appearing suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. Kara had been so consumed by the thought of Alex’s safety that she hadn’t heard Lena coming down. “But I am.”

Kara looked away as Lena rushed up to Morgan. She heard the crunch of his bones as Lena killed him, not feeling guilty for allowing this to happen. He had orchestrated the murder of her adoptive parents, and planned to turn Alex into a vampire. He had given her no other option.

She felt soft hands at her back, and she leaned into Lena’s touch. She tried to calm herself, not wanting to let Lena know just how deeply Morgan had affected her. But Lena could hear just as well as she, and wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist, hugging her gently.

“Maxwell Lord has Alex,” Kara told Lena, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. “He’s going to turn her. Lena—”

Kara turned in Lena’s arms. Lena trailed her thumb down Kara’s face, wiping away tears Kara hadn’t realized were there. Lena’s face was calm, a grounding expression while Kara felt her world crumble around her.

“We’re going to get Alex,” Lena promised. Her hands came up to cup Kara’s cheeks. “We’re going to save her and the other resistance volunteers.”

“What about your mother?” Kara asked, unable to stop thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. “She’ll find us, she’ll punish you for your betrayal, she’ll—”

Lena kissed Kara. Kara welcomed the warmth of Lena’s lips, losing herself in the sweet taste and pretending like the rest of the world and her worries didn’t exist. All too quickly, Lena pulled away.

Lena rested her forehead against Kara’s. “We’re going to save your friends. And then we’ll deal with my mother.”

Kara couldn’t help it. She pulled Lena into another kiss. It wasn’t the deep, hungry kisses they’d shared the night before. This time, they were soft, comfortable, a reminder that they wouldn’t let go of each other, come what may. She had no idea how she got so lucky to have someone as smart, beautiful, and loyal as Lena in her life, but now that she had her, Kara refused to give her up.

“You’re wearing my mother’s sweatshirt,” Lena mumbled against her lips. Her fingers played with the edge of the material, tickling against Kara’s stomach.

Kara pulled away and started to take it off. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”

Lena’s hand stilled her. “Keep it. I only kept it around to remind me of her, but the truth is… it hurts too much to wear it. But seeing you in it… it doesn’t hurt as much.”

Kara held on to this moment, knowing it was important to Lena to let go of a piece of her mother like this. She gathered Lena in her arms again and kissed her lightly. She knew they couldn’t linger there, not while Alex was in danger, but she didn’t want to let go of Lena just yet.

They went about gathering supplies silently. They hadn’t unpacked the bags they’d hastily thrown together when they were escaping National City, so they didn’t have to worry about clothes. Lena threw some food into the bags, not knowing how long the journey back to National City would take. The word in town was that the train no longer stopped at stations in or surrounding the city, so they’d have to walk at least part of the way. If they wanted to remain completely inconspicuous, they’d have to walk the entire way.

Lena told Kara the tentative plan she’d come up with as they rowed across the lake. She knew where Lord resided in National City, so they’d check there first and if the resistance wasn’t there, Lena could hack into his account and find his other buildings. Then Lena would grab a two-way radio so she could communicate with Kara personally. After that, Kara would go into the safe house since she was still part of the resistance and meet up with Alex and the others while Lena waited to hear back. Finally, Kara would look for a way to sneak out of the safe house as quickly as possible and Lena would take them back to the house in Somerton to figure out how to take down the Luthors once and for all.

“It almost sounds too easy,” Kara said as she and Lena trekked to the train station. “We can really do this.”

“Stay vigilant, though,” Lena warned her. “Anything could go wrong, especially with plans this simple. We don’t know what kind of security Lord has or just how bad the situation in National City is. It won’t be as easy as it sounds.”

“Still,” Kara squeezed Lena’s hand, “I really think we can do this.”

Lena smiled back at her. “So do—”

She cut herself off as her eyes found something beyond Kara’s head. Kara whipped around to see what had grabbed Lena’s attention so suddenly and her heart sunk. There, on the door of the station, was a giant sign reading, “TRAIN NO LONGER IN SERVICE.”

“No,” Kara gasped, her hand slipping out of Lena’s as she ran up to the sign. She pounded on the door, but of course, no one came to help her.

Behind her, Lena found someone coming out of a telephone booth. She grabbed them, asking if they knew anything about this.

“Didn’t you hear?” they said. “There were reports of vampires last night. The town’s on lockdown. Nothing and nobody can get in or out.”

Lena stumbled backward, her face growing paler. The person watched her for a moment before shrugging and walking away. Kara pulled Lena to her.

“What are we going to do?” Lena asked. “We can’t leave the city.”

“We have to find a way,” Kara said. “We will find a way. Come on, let’s start walking.”

Kara wasn’t sure what kind of resistance they’d be met with as they left the city, but the last thing she’d expected were armed guards. The guns they carried were huge and threatening, and Kara suddenly found it hard to breathe.

She stopped Lena and tugged her into the safety of the trees. “They have guns. Why do they have guns? Guns can’t kill vampires.”

“Calm down, Kara,” Lena said, taking deep breaths and gesturing for Kara to copy her. Once Kara had control of her breathing, Lena continued. “They’re just trying to stop vampires from leaving. We’re not vampires. And if we want to leave the protection of the city, that’s our prerogative. Just follow my lead and I promise we’ll be okay.”

Kara nodded and let Lena tug her along. The guards gave them curious glances as they walked up to them confidently.

“How do you do?” Lena said.

“No one gets in or out,” one of the guards with short, choppy red hair grunted. “Turn around.”

“I’m afraid we have important business outside of town,” Lena said.

“I’m afraid,” the other guard, a muscular blond, sneered, “that you don’t have a choice.”

“Please,” Kara said, her voice shaking. She hadn’t even meant to speak, but her thoughts were running so wildly that some of them fell out.

“What could be so important that you need to leave the city?” Redhead demanded.

“My sister,” Kara blurted.

Lena latched on quickly. “My… wife and I were visiting my mother here over the weekend. We received a call this morning that her sister was very sick. She lives alone and has no one to take care of her.”

“Please,” Kara said. “She’s the only family I have left.”

The guards exchanged a glance with one another before leaning in to whisper. Kara’s grip on Lena’s hand tightened, wondering what they’d have to resort to if the guards tried to send them back.

Finally Redhead sighed. “If you leave town we can’t let you back in. Do you understand that?”

Lena nodded. “Yes, I’ve already discussed it with my mother and said my goodbyes.”

Muscles and Redhead turned to the side, gesturing to the wild woods behind them. “Go, be with your sister,” Muscles said. “It’s troubling times for all of us.”

Lena thanked them and together she and Kara disappeared into the forest.

***

The journey to National City was eerily silent. Lena had expected vampires lurking in the woods along their path, waiting for them to fall asleep so they could attack. But no matter how many branches snapping or leaves rustling she heard, it was never a vampire.

“Doesn’t it seem odd to you,” Lena said to Kara as they traveled along a desolate road just outside of the city, “that we weren’t attacked by vampires at all this entire time?”

“It’s weird,” Kara agreed, “but I’m not about to question it. So long as the vampires stay away, I’ll be grateful for their absence.”

Even as Kara said that though, Lena could sense that Kara felt just how wrong this whole situation is. Her mouth turned down into a grimace every so often, and she clutched her stomach. There were moments as they got closer to the city walls that Kara looked so pale that Lena was sure she would throw up. But then Kara would give her that sunny smile of hers and everything would seem okay again.

There was no warning for when they were coming upon the wall, it just appeared before them. Lena had waited for the sounds of traffic and people shouting to emanate from beyond the wall, but it remained quiet. Of course it did. Vampires had taken over the city, and they didn’t come out during day.

Lena hadn’t thought about this part. How were they supposed to get into the city? No doubt there were human guards working for the vampires barring any entry to anyone who wasn’t a vampire. And the wall was too steep to climb—

Or so she thought.

As Lena was thinking this, there was a loud bash from the wall. Lena looked up and found Kara punching the wall, making foot and hand holds as she scaled it. Lena laughed and shook her head as she watched Kara disappear into the sunlight. When thinking failed, punching was a good option.

“Are you coming?” Kara shouted down to Lena from atop the wall.

“You never cease to amaze me, Kara Zor-El,” Lena said as she started her climb. She silently thanked her parents for forcing her to do rock climbing as part of her training. She would never admit that gratefulness out loud, though. When she finally joined Kara at the top, they stared down at the silent city below them.

Now that there weren’t people crowding the city sidewalks, Lena realized just how grimy and dirty everything was. Despite all this, the modern buildings, the glass solar panels lining the walls and roofs, and the man-made parks made Lena nostalgic for a city she never knew. Vampires were so entranced with old, antiquated architecture and ways of life that they forgot the beauty that existed in modernity.

“How many humans do you think survived that night?” Kara whispered, as if she hardly dared to ask the question.

Lena took Kara’s hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. “Humans are more resilient than vampires tend to give them credit for.”

“Since when are you so hopeful?” Kara laughed.

“Since I met you.” Lena smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. After three long days of trekking through the woods, they had made it to National City. This was the last time before they began their fight that Lena had to just stop and marvel at the beauty of their journey, this city, this beautiful woman standing before her.

Standing on the wall, high above the city where they’d met, Lena kissed Kara for what felt like the first and last time.

Kara pulled away, a soft smile on her face. She looked down at the ground below them, small backyards spanning along the wall.

“Are you ready?” Kara said, gripping Lena’s hand tighter.

Ready for what? Ready to completely destroy any sense of safety she’d had for her entire life? Ready to risk her life for the friends of someone she’d only known for a short amount of time but she think she could love? Ready to even admit her feelings for Kara were that strong already? Ready for her life to change from this exact moment? Or just ready to jump?

And that was the same thing as everything else, wasn’t it?

Lena stared at Kara, noticing for the first time how her hair seemed to glow under the light of the sun. Her smile was almost as bright as she waited for Lena’s answer. That’s when Lena realized the answer was easier than she’d thought.

“I’m ready,” Lena said, giving Kara’s hand a squeeze. Together they stepped off the ledge and jumped.

They landed on their feet in the soft grass. As soon as their feet hit the ground, that moment at the top of the wall was gone. Everything they needed to do caught up with them all at once as they began to rush through the alleyways in the city. With vampires running the city, they would all be asleep at this time of day, but that didn’t mean they were safe. There were humans standing watch at every street corner, ready to report to their vampire superiors the second they saw anything suspicious.

Luckily for Lena and Kara, they both had superhuman speed and could pass a human guard before they even realized what they’d just seen. It also helped that they both had experience sticking to the shadows their entire lives.

Lena stopped them at the back entrance to Lord’s building and easily unlocked it with her fingerprint. She was actually surprised she was still allowed access considering her betrayal to the Luthors. But Lord wasn’t as close to the Luthors as she was made to believe, now was he?

“We probably have about half an hour before Lord is alerted that I just gained entry,” Lena whispered as she and Kara went up the stairs. “And probably an hour after that for him to reach my mother and for her to get here. Plenty of time to figure out where he’s keeping the resistance survivors.”

Kara nodded, then suddenly lost her footing and fell to the ground. Lena reached for her, trying to pull her back to her feet, but then noticed Kara was curled around herself, grabbing her stomach, her eyes screwed shut tightly as though in pain.

“Kara,” Lena said, dropping to her knees beside Kara. “What’s wrong?”

“It happens when I sense something wrong,” Kara explained through gritted teeth. She reached for Lena’s outstretched hand and tried to pull herself back up. But as she stood, her face twisted again and she fell again. “I start to feel sick to my stomach and it doesn’t go away until I’ve figure out what’s wrong. It hasn’t hurt this much since… since the attack on Midvale. And even that was tame in comparison to this.”

Anxiety zipped through Lena’s body as she looked to the top of the stairwell. They didn’t have far to go which meant that whatever this danger was that Kara was sensing, it waited for them at their destination.

“Stay here, Kara,” Lena said. “I’m going to listen and see if I can figure out what’s going on up there, see if it’s safe for us.”

“There’s no need for espionage, dear.”

Lena’s blood froze at the sound of her mother’s voice. She couldn’t bear to turn away from Kara’s shocked expression and face Lillian. She nearly convinced herself that if she didn’t look, Lillian wasn’t actually there.

“Grab them,” Lillian ordered someone, and a second later Lena was being wrenched away from Kara. Another vampire guard lifted Kara from the ground and carried her up the stairs behind Lena and her guard. Lena didn’t look at her mother until they were mere feet apart. Then she couldn’t help herself. She met Lillian’s eyes and glared at her, trying to burn her with her gaze. Lillian just smiled back, like nothing could hurt her.

Lena had wished many times when she was younger that she could just turn off her emotions the same way Lillian did. She wanted to stop caring that she didn’t belong when she was with the Luthors, she wanted the pain of Lex’s experiments to stop. If nothing could hurt her, Lena could be just as strong as the other Luthors.

But as she grew up she realized how much Lillian must be missing. She never felt any pain, but she also never experienced joy. And that joy Lena had when she invented something or basked in the warmth of the sun or saw Kara’s smile made all the pain hurt less.

Lena held onto those memories of joy as Lillian’s guards tied her and Kara to chairs in the center of Lord’s office. But then she made the mistake of glancing over at Kara, seeing her face twist up when the guards tied them tightly with unbreakable cords. Seeing Kara hurt was worse than any pain Lena’s family had ever inflicted upon her.

“Now I thought you were smarter than this, Lena,” Lillian said, leaning against the front of Lord’s desk. Lord himself was nowhere to be seen. “For you to fall into such an obvious trap… Love must have made you stupid.”

Lena winced as if Lillian had physically struck her.

“If realizing you care about others’ well-being makes you stupid,” Kara said, her voice stronger than it had been on the stairs, “then I’ll gladly be an idiot.”

Lillian threw her head back and laughed. “This is what you betrayed your family for? This optimistic neanderthal of a girl?”

“Don’t talk about her like that!” Lena said. She’d never raised her voice at her mother. She’d only ever been quiet and demure in her face. She didn’t quite understand what came over her. “This is between you and me, Mother. Let her go and I’ll go back willingly.”

Lillian shook her head and started to walk slowly across the room. Lena had twist around in her chair to watch her. “Again, Lena, your mind isn’t what it used to be. In fact, this little meaning is between Kara and me. I never meant for you to get caught in the crossfire, but then again, I never expected you to betray me.”

Me. Was Lillian being selfish or did she understand that Lena’s hatred of her family stemmed from the woman who never treated her as more than an inconvenience?

“Now Ms. Zor-El,” Lillian said, turning back around when she reached a door at the end of the room, “I’d like to propose an arrangement.” She gestured to her guards and a second later both Lena and Kara’s chairs were being turned to face Lillian. “I must admit, when I first discovered where you were after all these years, I wanted to get rid of you like I did to the rest of your family. You’re an annoyance, one that could bring about the destruction of my family. And I couldn’t have that happening, not after all the work I’ve done.

“But then I discovered this little plan Morgan Edge and Maxwell Lord cooked up. It was brilliant in its simplicity, they just went about it all wrong. Find the strongest humans and turn them into their own personal vampire army. Granted, burning human towns wasn’t the best way to find these extraordinary subjects. Why would it be, when we already had the perfect strategy in place?”

Lena and Kara were both entranced and terrified as they listened to Lillian. It was easy to defeat Edge and Lord when it was their plan; they were over-confident and never managed to fill in the holes of their plan. But Lillian was different. Lillian would think of everything.

“Who are the strongest among humans except for the resistance?” Lillian continued, her tone becoming gleeful. “And they already have a tendency to follow orders. Of course, there’s that little problem of their hatred for vampires, but as soon as they’re turned, that will no longer be an issue.”

“What exactly are you proposing?” Kara asked, her voice shaking. She’d become pale again, and even Lena felt sick. What was behind that door Lillian seemed eager to open?

“Join my army,” Lillian said, suddenly quick and to the point. “You won’t have to die and I get a Zor-El on my side.”

“No way in hell,” Kara spit.

Lillian just grinned and turned the doorknob. “I thought you might say that. So I have a sweetener.” Lillian swung open the door with a flourish.

Alex spilled out of the door, followed by a vampire guard who pushed her forward with the butt of a gun. Lena noticed Kara try to stand, but she was held back by her restraints. She struggled against them, needing to help her sister, who was bruised and bleeding all over her body.

Other vampires holding Kara’s friends—Nia, James, Winn, Brainy, and a woman Lena didn’t recognize but bore a striking resemblance to James—trailed behind Alex and her guard. The others were less battered, Lena figured they fought against their captors less than Alex.

“What did you do to them?” Kara demanded.

“Nothing… yet,” Lillian answered, looking over Kara’s friends like she was appraising an art collection. “All I did was transfer them from where Mr. Lord was keeping them. He actually had the audacity to stand up to me, the fool. Of course, I had no choice but to get him out of my way. The volunteers were horrified and they easily fell in line. Well, all except for your dear sister. She made quite the fuss. I could’ve killed her then and there, but I had a better use for her.”

“Whatever she wants, Kara,” Alex cried, “don’t fall for it.”

Lillian rolled her eyes. “I’m not like my son, I don’t play games. You know exactly what I want from you, and in return I will let your sister and your friends go. So long as they stay out of my affairs, they stay alive. It’s that simple, Kara.”

Lena glanced over at Kara, sure she would find the other woman glaring at Lillian, not even bothering to consider the offer. She was surprised to see that Kara was staring down at her lap, her eyebrows knitted together as she thought about Lillian’s deal.

“You can’t seriously be considering this?” Lena whispered. She knew everyone could hear it, but keeping her voice low tricked Lena’s mind into thinking this was a private conversation.

“What choice do I have?” Kara hissed. When she lifted her face, Lena noticed shiny tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She was struck again by how much she wished she understood what this was like. Giving up everything for someone you loved, someone who would do the same. “They’ll be safe. How can I say no to that?”

“I’m growing impatient,” Lillian interrupted. “If I don’t have an answer soon I’ll have to resort to my first plan. I really don’t want to do that.”

“What about Lena?” Kara blurted.

Lena’s heart constricted as she studied Kara’s hard gaze against Lillian. Lena hadn’t even thought about herself, just figured Lillian would lock her up in the Luthor manor until she figured out what to do with her wayward daughter. She’d never had someone else thinking about her well-being. It felt warm and terrifying at the same time.

Lillian smiled, meeting Lena’s eyes briefly as if to say, “I told you, love makes you stupid.” She turned back to Kara and responded, “What about her?”

Kara took a deep breath. “If you don’t force Lena to go back to you and you guarantee her safety, I’ll join your army.”

“Kara,” Lena said under her breath. Even Alex was surprised by Kara’s words.

“I knew it,” Nia whispered, though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Well,” Lillian said, putting her finger to her lips, “this makes things a bit complicated. You can’t really think I’ll just let my daughter go, never to return.”

The volunteers’ eyes widened behind Lillian. Lena had forgotten that her identity wasn’t exactly resistance knowledge. They’d just been hit with not just the fact that Kara had strong feelings for her, but also that she was a vampire.

“But,” Lillian continued, “I do love someone who tries to challenge me. Okay, Kara, I’ll give Lena the freedom to choose whatever path she wishes. And if she eventually tires of the path of most resistance and comes back to her family, you accept that. You don’t try to be her knight in shining army and save her or whatever romantic notion comes to mind. You understand that?”

Kara swallowed thickly and gazed into Lena’s eyes. Lena wanted to tell her no, that she wasn’t worth it, but she could tell that Kara had already made up her mind. Her eyes weren’t asking for permission, they were asking for forgiveness.

“I understand,” Kara said, looking at Lillian again.

“So it’s a deal?” Lillian said, practically bouncing on her feet like a little kid. “Your loyalty in exchange for the safety of Alex, Lena, and the rest of your friends?”

Kara nodded. “Yes, I agree.”

Lillian clapped her hands together as her grin took up her entire face. “Wonderful! Shall I bring out the champagne?”

“Let them go first,” Kara ordered.

“You’ll forgive me for not releasing them in here,” Lillian said as she went to Lord’s desk and found a bottle of scotch. “I don’t want them trying anything.”

“Then how will I know you’ve stuck to your end of the deal?” Kara asked. Lena felt a little swell of pride. Kara was smarter than Lillian gave her credit for.

Lillian sighed and set the bottle of scotch down. “I was hoping for a nice hot bath after this, but you never cease to make my life as frustrating as possible. Fine, Kara, we’ll have it your way. Gunther, get the cars ready.”

Moments later, Lena and the volunteers were wrestled into multiple cars with blacked out windows in the garage. Lena knew they were being spread out so they didn’t try anything on their way to Lillian’s destination, though it was an interesting choice for Lillian to keep both her and Kara in the same car as her.

“So Lena,” Lillian said, lounging against the leather seats, “how long before you think you’ll be back?”

Now that her restraints were gone, Lena had to resist the urge to reach across Lillian to take Kara’s hand. She played with her fingers instead. “How does ‘never’ sound to you?”

Lillian laughed and put a hand on Lena’s shoulder. Lena shrugged it off, glaring at her mother. Now that Kara had guaranteed her safety against her mother, Lena felt invincible against Lillian.

“We both know you better than that, dear,” Lillian teased. “You go through these little rebellious phases, but at the end of the night, you always come back to the people who have always been there for you.”

As much as Lena hated to admit it, Lillian was right. She’d run away from home more times than the average teenager, swearing each time that she would never come back. And yet she always found herself at the Luthors’ doorstep months, weeks, even mere days later.

But this time was different. This time she knew she would be back—to save Kara. And once Kara was safely in her arms again, Lena would walk out the door and never see her mother again.

She couldn’t let Lillian know about this little plan she was forming in the back of her mind right now, though. She had to play like all hope was lost, that Kara was well and truly gone from her. A few months ago, she really would’ve felt that. Now that Kara was in her life, though, she found herself feeling optimistic.

Lillian smiled, satisfied with Lena’s silence at her accusation. “I wonder what it is about Kara Zor-El that’s made you betray your family in this way. I’ve known all the women you’ve dated, Lena, all wonderful people who are very loyal to the Luthors. Veronica, Andrea… Kara is nothing like them. And yet, you seem more devoted to her than any of your previous girlfriends. Why? What does she have that the rest of them didn’t?”

“I don’t know,” Lena lied. The truth was that it was Kara’s difference from her other girlfriends that drew her attention. When she’d dated Veronica and Andrea, Lena always got the sense that they were hiding something from her, that they would stab her in the back the second the opportunity presented itself. Kara made Lena fell safe and comfortable, her presence an assurance that everything would be okay so long as they were together.

“Maybe some time apart will help you figure it out,” Lillian mused. Lena heard what she really meant under her words. Lillian hoped some time apart would make Lena realize what a horrible mistake she’d made giving her heart to Kara. “Ah! We’re here!”

The sun was still just above the horizon when they arrived at the wall. Lillian made them all stay put until the sun finally dipped down, casting them all in darkness. Lena could perfectly see the human guards changing shifts with vampire guards at the gate, but the volunteers squinted as they struggled to make out their surroundings. The only light came from the slim crescent of the moon above. The lights of the city remained dark as vampires just started getting out of their beds.

“I can only guarantee your safety outside of this city,” Lillian announced as the guards unbound Lena and the volunteers. “If you try to return I’ll have no choice but to assume you’re trying to meddle in my affairs. You’re welcome to go to Metropolis or some other vampire-run city, but not all vampires are under my jurisdiction in those places, so I wouldn’t recommend it. Safe travels!”

“Wait!” Kara cried as the vampire guards started push Lena and the volunteers through the gate. “You have to let me say goodbye!”

Lena noticed Lillian’s hand flex, like she was suppressing the urge to threaten Kara physically. “I don’t have to let you do anything, girl.”

“Please,” Lena heard Kara beg. “This might be the last time I ever see them. Your heart isn’t really as cold as that?”

Lena winced. Lillian didn’t care how cold she appeared to other people and Kara’s words would have no effect on her.

“Fine,” Lillian said, surprising Lena. “You have five minutes.”

Lena finally turned and watched Kara rush toward them all. She gathered all her friends in separate hugs, whispering to them reassurances that they would be okay and that she would be just fine. She spent longer with Alex, holding her like it was the end of the world. To them, Lena supposed, it must have felt like that.

“Take this,” Kara said when she pulled away from Alex. She carefully unhooked her necklace—the necklace Lena had never seen Kara take off in all the time she’d known her—and held it out to Alex. “It will give you strength while I’m gone.”

“Kara,” Alex whispered, trying to push Kara’s hands away from her, “I can’t take this. It was your mother’s—”

“And now it’s my sister’s,” Kara insisted. When Alex still refused to take it, Kara placed it around Alex’s neck herself. Alex gasped, like something had just occurred to her, and ran her fingers over the charm resting on her chest. She pulled Kara back into a hug.

“One more minute!” one of the vampire guards warned them.

Kara didn’t waste any of that minute. She pulled Lena into a kiss while everyone watched. Lena tried not to lose herself in it, knowing that it couldn’t last as long as she wanted it to. Their kiss turned salty as tears started to fall.

“I won’t forget you,” Kara promised when they came up for breath. She kept Lena close to her body, and Lena tried to memorize the way Kara felt against her. “I don’t care what she does, I’ll never stop thinking about you.”

“Kara,” Lena gasped, feeling a pressure in her chest. There was only one thing to relieve it. “Kara. I lo—”

“That’s enough!” Lillian announced.

Kara was suddenly ripped away from Lena’s hold, and she felt something break within her. She couldn’t find it in herself to move toward the gate of her own accord. Alex had to drag her past the gate. Just before it closed, Lena caught Kara mouthing a few words to her as she was pushed back into Lillian’s car. It might have been Lena’s imagination, but they looked like, “I love you, too.”

Alex led the volunteers away from the city in silence. Noises from the city had just started to grow, and then they faded again as they got farther and farther from it. Lena wondered where Lillian was taking Kara, what she would force her to do first. If Lillian would turn her sooner rather than later.

Alex stopped suddenly once the wall was out of their sights. She turned to face all of them, hands on her hips. Even battered and bruised, she had the confidence and command she’d held while in the resistance.

“So,” Alex said in a low voice, “what’s the plan to rescue Kara?”

Lena felt hope rise in her again.

***

Had it been weeks or months or even just days since Kara had last seen Lena? The only marker Kara had for the passage of time was when a vampire guard woke her up for training and experiments. Lillian was desperate to know what exactly Kara’s abilities were, and she tested her for eight grueling hours every day, though it felt like more to Kara.

She was just grateful she wasn’t being forced to kill innocent humans yet.

Every so often she found herself reaching for her mother’s necklace, only to discover her chest was bare. She was glad she gave it to Alex, gave her the Zor-El abilities that came naturally to Kara. But there was a part of her that still wanted that piece of her mother with her during this difficult time. At the very least she could sleep easily without having to worry about Alex and Lena’s safety.

“I hope you slept well.”

Kara heard Lillian’s voice through the door before it was opened and she stepped through. Kara had nearly forgotten what Lena’s mother looked like, she hadn’t seen her since that day Kara lost everything. But Kara knew Lillian was always there, watching her, taking notes. Never had she come to wake her up, though.

A vampire guard accompanying Lillian forced Kara up from her bed. “What are you doing here?” Kara asked as she was dragged through the door. Lillian followed closely behind them.

“I wanted to be here for your first assignment,” Lillian said. “It’s quite an exciting moment for the both of us.”

Kara felt that familiar twisting in her stomach. This was it, the moment Kara had been dreading since Lillian threw her into that cell. Either she killed an innocent or Lillian would kill her and the rest of her friends.

Kara stopped suddenly and threw up on the shiny white floors.

The vampire holding her jumped back. For someone who drank blood for a living, Kara never would have expected him to be so squeamish. She would have laughed if she wasn’t so busy puking her guts out.

Lillian, on the other hand, just stared at her in annoyance. “Are you about finished? I don’t have all day.”

Kara gagged as her stomach tried to pump out more vomit, but there was nothing left. She felt for a second that she would never figure out how to breathe again. The thought was almost a relief to her. If she stopped breathing right here and now then she would never have to kill an innocent.

But then her stomach stopped heaving and Kara gained back her breath. The second she was done, the guard was shoving her into a bathroom and ordering her to brush her teeth. Soon enough, they were back on their path, a vampire cleaning up the vomit on the floor behind them.

“That was very clever of you,” Lillian said as Kara was led through the maze of hallways. “Get sick so you don’t have to go on your mission. But I have a very strict policy on sick days.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Kara muttered, her voice still rough. “When I sense something wrong, I get stomach pains. I’ve never thrown up before.”

“Hm,” Lillian hummed. “If you can gain control of this ability this could be of use to us. You can sense whether a situation my soldiers are heading into is safe or not.”

Kara didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter what she said anyway, Lillian was too lost in her mind about the advantage of this unexpected power of Kara’s.

The guard steered Kara into the elevator and they sailed down. Kara watched the numbers tick down, expecting them to stop at the garage… but they kept going. She glanced around the elevator at Lillian and the guard, but she should have known they wouldn’t give her any answers. The doors opened two levels below the garage.

The corridor Kara was pushed into was dark with only a small overhead light. The hallway was stark and devoid of any life. As Kara stared down it, she had the feeling they would walk forever before they reached the end of it. Then she was suddenly thrown into what appeared to be a dressing room.

Lillian reached into the closet and held out a fancier version of Kara’s current training suit. In the corner of it was her family’s crest, a slap in the face to Kara.

“What’s going on?” Kara asked, glaring at the suit.

Lillian hung it up on the back of the door, smoothing it out. “I realized that you’re far too valuable to just throw out into the field with the rest of my army. And you’re so much more powerful than your enemies that simply executing them wouldn’t have been a good use of your abilities. And there are some enemies that have hurt us so much that most vampires wouldn’t be satisfied with a simple execution. They want something dramatic, something that feels like justice. They want a show.”

A couple of vampires came into the room and forced Kara into the chair in front of the vanity. The got to work on fixing up her her hair and doing her makeup. Kara just sat there, letting it happen, too confused to do anything about it.

“All I want from you, Kara,” Lillian continued, “is to give them that show. I know it’ll be easy for you to defeat your opponent, but at least give them the idea that they could win. It’ll be more satisfying for the audience if they think you might lose. But you must not, under any circumstances, lose. Do you understand that?”

Kara didn’t even understand what she was supposed to not lose at, but she nodded anyway. She doubted she’d get a good answer from Lillian if she questioned what was happening.

Lillian smiled. “I’ll see you out there. Good luck.”

Then Kara was left alone with her hair and makeup artists. They weren’t any different from the guards. They still had to wear the same black jumpsuits with the Luthor Corp logo in the corner and didn’t speak unless Lillian gave them permission. But Lillian wasn’t here, and she wouldn’t know if Kara had a simple conversation with them.

“I’m Kara,” Kara said as the makeup artist started on her eyes. “What are your names?”

The vampires exchanged nervous glances then got back to what they were doing. Kara slumped in her chair. Even absent, Lillian had an influence over her vampires.

The next hour was a rush of getting Kara out of her dressing room, down the hallway, and into a dark antechamber. Beyond the door, Kara heard clamoring, excited voices. Her heart started to beat faster, and her stomach twisted so sharply it felt like it was going to jump out of her body.

“Welcome!” a voice boomed over the crowd. They erupted into cheers for a long moment before quieting again. The voice continued, “I’m your host for the night, Veronica Sinclair. Thank you all for coming to the premiere night of the Arena, where we’ll have exciting shows every night of the week. Tonight we have a very special treat for you all. Making her debut is the most powerful human in the world, Kara Zor-El!”

Lights blinded Kara as she was pushed out of the antechamber and onto a runway. The cheering of the crowd overwhelmed her senses and she nearly tripped. She kept her footing and walked slowly the rest of the way, trying not to think about what Lillian would have done to her if she’d tripped.

Her eyes adjusted to the brightness and she made out a stage with ropes around it at the center of the room. Surrounding it were stands filled with thousands of vampires, all hooting and hollering her name. Behind her was a sign that had her name on it. That was when Kara finally understood what Lillian had planned for her.

A referee pulled up onto the stage and Kara turned in a full circle, taking in the pale faces all watching her intently. Whatever poor human she had to kill, she had to do it in front of all these vampires.

“Kara Zor-El!” a beautiful woman with tattoos announced. Kara figured she must have been the host, Veronica. “Welcome to the Arena. How are you feeling tonight?”

If Kara was being honest, she was confused and terrified as hell. But she met Lillian’s eyes in a box seat high above the crowd and knew that honesty was the last answer she wanted. “Excited,” Kara said, though her voice didn’t convey it.

“Do you want to know who your opponent is?” Veronica asked, placing a hand on Kara’s back. Kara wanted to pull herself away, but found she couldn’t move.

“Yes,” Kara said weakly.

“Then let’s bring her out,” Veronica said to more cheers. “From right here in National City, she has killed more vampires than any other resistance leader. When she led the resistance, she was a force to be reckoned with, but can she hold her own against Kara? We shall see! Everyone meet former commander, Samantha Arias!”

Kara went cold as she watched Sam Arias stumble down the runway. She had bruises and cuts lining her arms and legs, recent ones. She appeared just as terrified and confused as Kara felt and looked around wildly, trying to understand what was going on. Her eyes landed on Kara and she went from terrified to shocked.

The referee brought Sam onto the stage and for a moment, the noises of the crowd melted away. Kara stared at Sam, wanting nothing more than to apologize or to forfeit. Sam just stared at Kara, her thoughts turning in circles, probably trying to figure out how one of her former charges got here. Kara remembered how much she needed to hide who she was from her commander, and now it was about to be spilled out in front of her.

“There is only one rule for this match!” Veronica cried, gaining back the attention of the crowd. “Death is the only way to determine a winner. No tapping out, you must see it through. Other than that, nothing is off limits. Are you ready?”

Kara didn’t know if she was asking the crowd or the opponents, but the crowd answered. The ref asked the two of them quietly if they were ready and then didn’t wait for an answer before he called for the start.

Kara and Sam circled each other, neither wanting to make the first move. Kara felt the crowd holding their breath, waiting for the fighting to really begin. Kara glanced up and found Lillian glaring at her. It was obvious Sam wouldn’t do anything to someone she thought was so weak she assigned her to be an assistant, so it was up to Kara.

Kara tackled Sam, trying to keep her super strength under control so she didn’t kill Sam right then and there. Still, Sam went down hard, her head thumping against the hard stage floor. The crowd erupted and Kara pulled Sam back up to her feet.

“You have to fight,” Kara said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Sam responded.

Kara twisted Sam into a choke-hold, but didn’t press hard. “You won’t hurt me. Trust me. Just fight back.”

Sam hesitated for a moment as she looked at the crowd watching eagerly. She nodded, grabbed Kara’s arm, and flipped her. The ground barely hurt Kara as she hit it. Sam straddled her and started punching her lightly. The crowd couldn’t tell how light the pressure was, though, as they gasped in shock at the sudden turn of events.

“That’s not too hard, right?” Sam whispered.

Kara shook her head. “You could go even harder if you wanted.”

“You sure I won’t hurt you?” Sam asked.

“Do what you have to,” Kara said. She knew that at the end of this match, she couldn’t go as easy on Sam.

Sam lifted Kara up and threw her across the stage. Kara slid through the ropes and hit the bottom of the stands. Sam came up to her slowly and they wrestled for control. The eyes of the crowd slipped away as Kara tried to think up a plan so she wouldn’t have to kill Sam.

“Get her, Kara!” someone screamed above her.

Sam pushed Kara’s body against the side of the stage and pummeled her. Sam wasn’t holding back now, as it probably dawned on her that there was only one outcome. She jumped back onto the stage and dragged Kara to the center of it.

“I don’t want to kill you,” Sam admitted. “But they’ve got my daughter.”

Kara’s heart shattered and she let Sam push her into the ground again. It barely hurt, but Kara pretended it did. Maybe if she pretended to die—

No. Lillian would know. There was no getting out of this.

Kara turned her head to the side and found Lillian. She nodded, letting Kara know it was time to turn the tide.

Kara pushed herself up before she had time to regret it and slammed Sam to the ground. Sam lifted her head, dazed, and Kara noticed blood under it. She heard a sharp hiss through the crowd as the smell hit them, but everyone stayed calm. They were more interested in the entertainment than their own hunger.

Kara straddled Sam and looked down at her. She was so weak, so fragile. Kara could end it now if she wanted to.

“Do it,” Sam whispered. “It was gonna be me or you. Just take care of my daughter.”

Kara squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t kill Sam. But there was no way Sam would be able to kill her either. Her idea was rash and terrible, but she couldn’t think of a better way.

“I’m not going to kill you,” Kara swore. “But I can’t lose either.”

“The only way to win is to kill me,” Sam said. “So just do it.”

“No,” Kara hissed. “I—Do you think you could figure out a way to escape?”

“I was halfway to escaping when they got me in here,” Sam admitted. “Why?”

“I’m going to knock you out,” Kara said. “Make them think you’re dead.”

“But vampires can tell—”

“I’ll think of something,” Kara said quickly. She didn’t care if the plan was discovered. There was no way in hell she was killing Sam. She would get her back to her daughter no matter what. “Just trust me, okay?”

Sam nodded. “Okay. Just don’t put yourself in any danger.”

Kara couldn’t promise that, so she said nothing as she gave Sam a half-powered punch to the face.

The crowd went silent, waiting for Sam to get back up. They waited thirty seconds, a minute, two minutes before they finally burst into uproarious applause. Kara knelt by Sam, listened for her heartbeat, smiling to herself when she heard it faintly. Part one of the plan had worked.

Two vampires in white suits came onto the stage to check on Sam, and Kara panicked and threw herself over Sam’s body. She buried her face in Sam’s chest, pretending to be distraught over the death of her friend. The vampires hesitated, glancing at one another. There was a hand on Kara’s shoulder. Veronica stared at her, not quite sympathetic, but not quite indifferent either.

“You have to get up, Kara,” Veronica said in a low voice. “They have to take Samantha away.”

“No!” Kara shouted. “I—Please let me go with her. She needs a proper burial, she needs… she needs a friend with her.”

Veronica’s stare turned hard. “You have about five seconds before—”

“Let the girl go, Veronica,” Lillian said as she stepped onto the stage gracefully. “She won the match, she deserves a reward.”

“But the audience will want a victory speech,” Veronica gasped. “Do you have no sense of showmanship?”

“Do you have no sense of common decency?” Lillian spat back. She knelt beside Kara and placed a hand on her back. “Now be a good host and give your audience a proper goodbye. Unless you’re not showman enough for that.”

Veronica opened her mouth, but thought better of her retort. She swept away and addressed the audience. “How was that for a show? There’s more where that came from, but for now, our champion needs to rest. We hope to see you again in the future! For now, I’ve been your host for the evening, Veronica Sinclair. Good night!”

Lillian leaned down to whisper to Kara. “You need to get up so the assistants can carry Samantha down to the morgue.”

“No,” Kara insisted. “I… I want to carry her. She deserves to be held by a friend. Please?”

Kara wasn’t sure if hitting on Lillian’s sensitive side would work, but it was worth a try at least. Kara wasn’t sure what it was that made Lillian nod, if there was still some sense of humanity left in her or if it was the recent pain of losing her only daughter. Either way, Kara was relieved by her reaction.

Lillian followed closely behind Kara as she lifted Sam and carried her out of the arena. The assistants led them down even farther below the ground. Kara started getting more nervous. If they were so far underground, would Sam be able to get out?

The assistants brought them into a cold, bright white room. Kara laid Sam on top of a shiny metal slab. There was a moment of stillness where the assistants glanced at one another, the same thought running through their minds. Then Lillian spoke.

“I’m afraid I have other business to attend to,” Lillian said. “My assistants can handle everything from here?” She narrowed her eyes at the two assistants. Kara’s stomach twisted slightly. Then Lillian nodded and took her leave.

Once Lillian slipped out of the room, one of the assistants, a woman with a scar across her face, leaned down and pressed her hand against Sam’s chest. She straightened back up abruptly.

“I knew it!” she said. “She’s still alive.”

Sam shot up and hit Scarface, taking advantage of her shock to send her flailing backwards. The other assistant, a man with a his long, greasy hair pulled back into a ponytail, hissed and reached for Sam. But Kara grabbed him before he could touch her and sent him straight to the ground.

Sam jumped off the table just as Scarface regained her footing and went straight for her. Sam found a metal instrument and jabbed it into Scarface’s chest. Though it surprised her for a moment, it didn’t fully debilitate her. Of course it didn’t. Why would they keep anything that could actually hurt them in here?

Except Kara was in here.

As Scarface stumbled backward, Kara kicked her down to the ground, then gave her a fully-powered punch to the face. With both of them unconscious, Sam had a chance to get out. But Sam wasn’t moving. She was staring at Kara expectantly.

“What are you doing?” Kara demanded. “Go! Now’s your chance!”

“Aren’t you going to kill them?” Sam said.

“I don’t like to kill innocents.”

“They’re not innocent! They’re vampires!”

“Vampires who were just following orders.” Kara knelt beside Scarface and pulled off her white suit, throwing it at Sam. “Put this on, keep your eyes down, and leave.”

“I can’t leave you here,” Sam said, shaking her head. “You’re one of my soldiers. Commanders don’t leave their soldiers behind.”

“I was an assistant to Lena,” Kara said. “I’m also a Zor-El. I’ll be fine. Take care of yourself, find your other soldiers, rebuild the resistance.”

“You’re a—” Sam shook her head again, laughing. “This night just gets weirder and weirder.”

Kara watched the door as Sam threw on the suit. The hallway was still empty. The moment Kara opened the door, Sam would be on her own. She couldn’t help her anymore. It would all be okay, though, Kara knew as she placed a hand on her stomach. It was still.

“I’ll come back for you,” Sam promised. “I don’t care if you’re not really a soldier. You saved my life. I’ll do what I can to return the favor.”

“Just find your daughter,” Kara said, squeezing Sam’s hand.

Sam nodded, opened the door, and disappeared down the long hallway. Kara leaned against the wall, waiting for assistants to wake up. Once they did, they didn’t hesitate to call Lillian down there. They locked the door and kept a careful eye on Kara, not realizing that she didn’t want to try anything for fear of ruining Sam’s escape.

When Lillian arrived she was angrier than Kara had ever seen. She stalked across the room until she was inches away from Kara. “Samantha Arias is nowhere to be found.”

Kara smiled. In a flurry of quick movements, Lillian grabbed her and threw her across the room.

***

Tensions were uneasy in the small village where Lena and the volunteers had found refuge. The locals didn’t trust them at all, even after they’d proved they weren’t vampires. They were sure that the volunteers would cause some kind of trouble just by being there. Lena knew the humans would sell them out in a second if it came down to it. Lena wouldn’t have blamed them.

The volunteers themselves were also restless. Most of them had paired off—Alex and Kelly (James’ sister Lena learned), Nia and Brainy, James and Winn—and found ways to relieve their energy well into the night. But no matter how much they distracted themselves, they couldn’t stop thinking about Kara back in National City, trapped with Lillian Luthor.

Every rescue plan they came up with had some big flaw though. Whether it was underestimating the amount of vampires in the city or overestimating their own power, they couldn’t come up with anything solid. And then everyone would disappear into the rooms the motel let them stay in for free and Lena would be left alone with thoughts of Kara.

Everything changed, though, when Commander Samantha Arias and her daughter showed up.

Sam had bruises and scars all over her body and she was wearing a Luthor Corp white jumpsuit. At her appearance, the guards at the front of the village had immediately barred her entry, but Alex and Lena pleaded with them to let up. If there was any trouble that followed Sam, they’d take care of it themselves, leave if they had to.

Alex brought Sam and Ruby up to her and Kelly’s room and checked them over for serious injuries. Ruby was perfectly fine other than being a little shaken. Sam was worse off, but she kept insisting she was okay, that they didn’t have time for this.

“What happened to you?” Alex asked over and over again. But Sam kept shaking her head, refusing to say anything until they were out of earshot of Ruby.

Ruby fell asleep a couple hours after they arrived and Kelly promised to watch over her while Alex and Lena talked to Sam in Lena’s room. Alex and Lena sat on one bed, facing Sam on the other, waiting for her to talk when she was ready.

“We need to help Kara,” Sam started.

Lena nearly stood up, but Alex stopped her. “You saw Kara?” Lena nearly shouted. “Where is she? Is she okay? What did my mother do to her?”

Sam cocked her head to the side. “Your mother?”

“Right,” Alex said. “We should explain some things to you.” Alex and Lena delved into detail about who Lena was, with many assurances that she could be trusted and was firmly on their side.

Sam closed her eyes at the end of the explanation and pushed a hand against her forehead. “And I thought the Arena was crazy.”

“What arena?” Alex asked.

“Lillian Luthor—your mom,” Sam shook her head, still in shock from that news, “she made Kara and I go against each other in this fucked up fight to the death for an audience of vampires. It’s the newest source of entertainment in National City.”

“If it’s a fight to the death,” Lena said slowly, “and you’re here, and Kara isn’t—”

“Kara’s fine,” Sam insisted. “Or, she was fine the last time I saw her. She came up with this crazy plan to fake my death so I could escape. But she stayed behind to give me a chance to leave. I don’t know what happened to her after that. I’m sorry.”

Lena’s chest constricted and her head fell into her hands. She felt Alex’s hand rub soothing circles on her back, but it did little to ease her nerves. The second Lillian had learned what Kara had done… there was no way she’d go easy on her.

“I don’t think Lillian would kill her,” Sam said quickly. “The way Lillian talked about her… She’s like her pet, she’s far too valuable for Lillian to get rid of her.”

Lena nodded, but that didn’t make her feel much better. Lillian’s pet. The idea made her shiver. But Sam had clearly been through hell and looked so upset about leaving Kara behind that Lena didn’t want to make her feel worse.

“So this fight to the death,” Alex prompted.

“Right,” Sam nodded, getting back into her story. “It really only exists as entertainment, as this weird execution for people who have really grated on vampires’ nerves. Lillian wanted Kara to win, but make a show out of it so it was more satisfying for the audience.”

“And this audience is all vampires?” Alex asked.

“It looked like it,” Sam said. “But the host didn’t look like one. But she must’ve been, right?”

“Who was the host?” Lena asked.

“Veronica Sinclair.”

Lena almost laughed. Her ex certainly had a taste for fucked up sources of entertainment. But Sam was right, Veronica wasn’t a vampire. She wanted to be, though, so much so that she did all of the Luthors’ dirty work. She probably thought this gig would finally give her what she wanted. What she didn’t know was that Lillian had no intentions of turning her. She liked having her as a minion to do little favors for her. Why would she give that up?

But Lena wasn’t Lillian.

“I was hoping we could sneak in as guests,” Alex muttered. “But if they’re all vampires, it’ll be kind of hard to get in.”

“You forget that I’m on your side,” Lena said. “I can get in. I’ll tell Lillian that she was right, that I’m tired of rebelling against her.” She smiled. “There’s nothing my mother loves more than being proven right.”

-----

Everything was going according to plan. The second the vampire guards outside the city saw Lena they rushed toward her and grabbed her. Lena didn’t resist, and insisted she was here to make peace with her mother. She knew the vampires wouldn’t trust her though and they would take her straight to Lillian.

Lillian was still residing in Maxwell Lord’s former office. When Lena arrived in the guards’ hands, Lillian had her back to her, staring at the window high above her newest city. Lena was sure Lillian had the guards warn her when they were coming so that she could get into the most dramatic position possible.

Without turning around, Lillian waved a hand, sending the guards back where they came from. For a moment there was silence between mother and daughter. Finally Lillian turned and made her way to the desk. Lena remained standing, her arms crossed as she watched her mother through narrowed eyes.

“Why don’t you have a seat, Lena?” Lillian offered.

“I’d rather stand, thank you,” Lena said. The chairs in front of the desk were the same ones she and Kara had been tied to just a couple weeks before.

“Suit yourself.” Lillian relaxed in her chair. “What brings you back here?”

“I won’t say you were right,” Lena said. She couldn’t make it too obvious just how much she was trying to butter Lillian up. “But, the resistance is weak, yet extremely altruistic. They have no idea how to make plans that will actually win them their fight. I keep trying to help them, but they won’t listen to me. They think they can’t trust me because I’m half-vampire.” Lena lets out a bitter laugh. “Believe it or not, I felt more accepted in your home.”

Lillian stared at her, lips pursed. Lena held her breath, trying to gauge what her mother was thinking. She shouldn’t have relied so much on Lillian’s feelings or her love for her, that was a mistake. But she was hoping that Lillian would focus more on the fact that she was right.

Finally Lillian leaned forward, something like a smile taking over her face. “Are you saying you want to be part of the family business again?”

Lena nodded. She didn’t trust herself to say the words out loud.

“Isn’t this an interesting development,” Lillian laughed. “What makes you think I want you back?”

Lena swallowed hard. “I know you don’t love me. But you value me as an asset. I can do things you can’t, whether you like it or not. At the end of the day, as hard as it is for you to admit, you need me.”

Lillian’s eyes narrowed. Lena held her gaze, but inside her stomach was twisting around nervously. Had she been too bold? Assumed she knew her mother better than she actually did?

Finally, Lillian nodded. “Fine. You can have your place back. But don’t think I’m letting you off your leash just yet. You have a great deal to make up for. Gunther, will you make arrangements to send Lena back to Metropolis?”

“If you don’t mind, Mother,” Lena said quickly, “I’d like to stay in National City for now.”

Lillian raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“Because…” Lena faltered as her eyes met the muscled vampire in the corner of the room. “Because you just got National City and everything here is so new. I want to be a part of the businesses you’re beginning to start here. And maybe, one day, you’ll trust me enough to have a city of my own. Maybe even this city.”

It wasn’t Lena’s best lie, but she was panicking. She hadn’t thought of her mother sending her back home. If she left the city, the entire plan would fall apart. She didn’t care what it took, she would stay in National City.

Lillian stood up and rounded the desk. She took Lena’s hand in her chin and roughly turned it side to side. “Admit it.”

Lena’s eyes went wide and her heart stopped beating for a moment. “Admit what?”

“Admit that you missed your mother.” Lillian smiled, but tightened her grip on Lena’s chin. “It’s flattering, but I didn’t raise you to be weak, Lena.” She dug her nails into Lena’s chin before ripping her fingers away. “It’s the human part of you, the part I can’t control.”

Lena rubbed the tender bruising on her chin.

Lillian sighed and waved Gunther away. “Fine. You can stay for now. I’ll show you what I’m working on here. Actually, this is good. It gives me a chance to keep an even closer eye on you.” She went back to her desk and started looking through the files there, making it clear that she’d already moved on to her next task. “You’re dismissed.”

“I don’t know where to go,” Lena admitted.

“Where do you think?” Lillian said, annoyed. “I bought a house for you to stay in during your mission. We might as well use it.”

Lillian went back to her work. Lena left the office without another word and walked a familiar path back to the house she’d used months ago, before she’d fallen in love with Kara. It felt like years had passed since then, a whole lifetime. Yet, when she stepped through the front door, everything looked exactly as she’d left it.

She was finally alone, but she didn’t take advantage of that fact until hours later when the sun came up. She waited for her mother’s footsteps to come through the doorway, but they never arrived. She wondered where her mother was living while here, or if she just stayed in Lord’s building all the time. Why settle somewhere if this was all temporary anyway?

Lena went to the attic of the house and watched the sun rise. She wondered if Kara could see it wherever she was being kept, or if she was in a cell with no windows, no way to see what was happening in the world outside. She hoped that wherever Kara was, she was thinking of Lena too.

“I’m coming to save you,” Lena whispered to the sun. “I promise.”

She took out the small two-way radio she’d hidden in a deep pocket in her jacket and clicked it on. She said Alex’s name a few times before she got a response.

“Lena?” Alex’s voice was slightly muffled, the signal weak. “Were you successful?”

“My mother bought my story,” Lena reported. “But I still haven’t gotten a way into the match. I’ll meet up with Veronica in a few hours and let you know how it goes.”

“Thanks Lena,” Alex said. She paused. “Stay safe.”

“I will,” Lena said then hung up. It was better to keep these conversations brief in case Lillian caught on and tried to track the signal. Lena stared out the window again, the sun now lighting up every inch of the city. It was still early though, and Lena fell asleep soon after to the thought of Kara being back in her arms.

***

A new sensation in Kara’s stomach caught her attention, shaking her awake. She had no idea what time it was since there were no windows in her room. She missed waking up with the sun, feeling its warmth on her skin. But for all she knew, it was the middle of the night, or there were dark clouds covering the sun.

She put a hand on her stomach and it flipped. But it wasn’t painful or uncomfortable. It was more like… excitement. Like the feeling she got when Jeremiah had left town and was supposed to be returning that day. Like the night before her birthday. A sign that something in her life was going to change for the better.

She stayed up for a few hours, wondering if it was a sign that Lena were Alex were coming for her. Maybe Lillian was letting her go. She heard footsteps and she sat up straighter.

The door opened and a human guard appeared. “You’ve got another match tonight. Someone will be around to collect you as soon as the sun sets.” He closed the door again.

Kara’s heart sank. She hadn’t had another match since the one with Sam. She supposed it was only a matter of time until she’d be forced to kill another innocent.

But her stomach still didn’t hurt. Kara hoped that meant this match would go better than the last. She went back to sleep with that hope in her heart, picturing Lena bursting into her cell and rescuing her.

***

Lena couldn’t think of a time when she’d met Veronica and she didn’t look ready to kill a man. This time was no different. Her eyeliner was sharp and her red dress revealing as she sat across from Lena in her office. Had Lillian warned her that Lena was back in town, or did Veronica always dress like this?

“What a pleasant surprise,” Veronica said. “I thought you’d joined the resistance. Or, what remains of the resistance.”

“I did for a little while,” Lena said, smoothing down her own short skirt. Okay, so she was guilty of trying to catch Veronica’s attention as well. But she had an agenda and it would work better if Veronica wasn’t thinking straight. “But you know how I like to be on the winning team.”

“That I do,” Veronica said, leaning forward. “So what’s this meeting all about? Business or… pleasure?”

“Maybe a little of both,” Lena said, smiling slyly. “I heard there was a new source of entertainment around here. Something called the Arena?”

Veronica grinned. “Oh yes. Lillian and I are very excited about it. I’m the only human allowed entry to it. Well, except for the contestants, of course.”

“Do you feel vulnerable at all?” Lena asked. “Being the only human in a room filled with thousands of vampires?”

“I know Lillian is there to protect me.” Veronica’s eyes dropped to her wrist as she traced what looked like a new tattoo. “And I’m sure she’ll turn me soon enough. It’s only a matter of time.”

“That’s the thing, Veronica,” Lena said, trying to sound upset for her ex, “I’m not sure Lillian will turn you.”

“Of course she will.” Veronica’s tone turned angry. “You haven’t been here, Lena, you don’t understand.”

“What I understand,” Lena said, standing up and stalking closer to Veronica, “is that Lillian enjoys having you do her dirty work too much. Which you’re willing to do for the promise of the turn. But Lillian knows that the moment she turns you, that loyalty goes away. Now why would she risk that?”

Veronica stared at Lena, her mouth hanging open slightly. She closed it again quickly with a snap, hating to show any vulnerability. “What are you suggesting, Lena? That I just leave her? I’ve worked hard to get to where I am now. I’d rather believe in those empty promises than start over.”

“Well I may not be a full vampire,” Lena said, trailing her fingers down Veronica’s arms, “but I can still turn humans.”

Lena noticed Veronica take in a sharp breath at the feeling of Lena tracing her tattoos. “Will I turn into a full vampire or whatever the hell you are?”

“It’s strange,” Lena leaned down to whisper into Veronica’s ear, “the humans I’ve turned have all turned into full vampires. I would imagine the same thing would happen to you.”

Veronica’s breath hitched and reached up a hand to pull Lena’s head into her neck. Lena’s lips hovered just above a point, teasing Veronica.

“Well what are you waiting for, Lena?” Veronica sighed. “Do it.”

Lena pushed herself away and went to sit back down. She smiled at how flushed Veronica appeared, completely out of her element.

“What the fuck, Luthor?” Veronica demanded.

“Exactly,” Lena said, “I’m a Luthor. And we never do anything without getting something in return. I promise I won’t string you along like my mother, but I will need something from you first.”

“Anything,” Veronica said immediately.

Lena grinned, her fangs flashing.

***

Kara felt numb as the wardrobe and makeup vampires worked on her. The sun had set and nothing had changed. Lena was still gone, which Kara should have been happy about. She was safe. In fact, Lena should stay away. Kara wouldn’t want her putting herself in danger just to rescue her.

Kara’s stomach flipped.

She ignored the feeling. It clearly meant nothing. She was going out into the Arena again and she’d be forced to kill some other innocent human. And then the cycle would continue.

“Angela, David,” a familiar voice called into the room. It was Veronica, dressed as if she was the main entertainment tonight. The vampires followed her out of the room and Kara was left alone.

Maybe this was the change she’d been waiting for. Suddenly she was in a place with no one watching her, and all the security was focused on the audience coming in. She rushed to the door, swung it open, and walked right into a vampire.

No, not a vampire. A dhampir.

And there was only one dhampir that Kara knew. Lena pushed her back into the room, against the wall, and kissed her. They held each other closely as they kissed, making up for the weeks they’d lost because of Lillian. Kara’s stomach flipped over again and again as she ran her hands over Lena’s back, her arms, her waist, convincing herself that this was real. That Lena was here and they were kissing and everything was okay.

“What did she do to you?” Lena murmured when she pulled away and took in Kara’s face. There was still a faint bruise from when Lillian had punched her. Lena trailed her fingertips over it now, taking care not to press too hard in case it still hurt. “Oh Kara.”

“You’re here,” Kara said, leaning in to kiss her again. “You’re really here.” Then her mind caught up and she pushed Lena away gently. “What are you doing here? You’re not safe, your mother—”

“—knows I’m here,” Lena said. She took Kara’s hands and held them up to her lips. “Trust me. We have a plan to get you out of here.”

“We? Who’s we?”

“Who do you think?” Lena smiled and Kara’s heart skipped a beat. “Your sister and your friends. Veronica got them all in without my mother knowing.”

“Veronica? You mean—”

“Yes, our wonderful host for the evening.” Lena’s smile grew darker. “You’d be surprised what people will do to become vampires.”

“So she’s in on the plan?” Kara asked. She didn’t want to spend this entire reunion talking, but she needed to be caught up if they were doing something so risky.

“Not quite.” Lena explained that all Veronica knew was that Lena wanted to sneak some humans into National City for the match and she wanted to see Kara before it started.

“And she was okay with helping you do that?”

Lena’s cheeks turned red. “I may have… seduced her. But we didn’t do anything, I promise.” She kissed Kara, pressing her body against hers. “My heart belongs to you.”

Kara practically melted on the spot. She opted instead to pull Lena back into a passionate kiss that ended with Lena sitting on the vanity, her legs wrapped around Kara. Kara’s hands roamed over Lena’s legs and up under her skirt. Lena was dressed in the most beautiful silky blue dress that Kara wanted nothing more than to tear off of her.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Veronica’s voice came through the wood. “Are you almost done in there? The show’s about to begin!”

Kara stepped back as Lena hopped off the vanity and straightened her dress. She laughed as she examined Kara.

“You’ve got lipstick all over your face,” Lena said. She grabbed a towel and wiped it off. Kara almost told her not to, but knew she couldn’t walk around with imprints of Lena’s lips all on her face.

“What’s going to happen?” Kara asked quietly, aware of Veronica waiting just outside.

“Just do as you’re told,” Lena said. “We’ll take care of everything. Trust me.”

Kara nodded and leaned in to kiss Lena one last time. “Okay. I trust you.” She held back the other three words that flitted through her head.

When Veronica came in to collect Lena, she gave the two of them a suspicious look, as if she knew exactly what went on in there. Lena said nothing, but gave Kara one last smile before she left the room. The wardrobe and makeup vampires came back in to finish the job and Kara didn’t feel so numb anymore. She felt change about to happen.

She was ushered toward the stage quickly after that, but she barely paid attention to what was happening. To the vampires running around, shouting at one another that something was going on, they needed to hold the curtain. All she could think about was Lena’s mouth on hers as she was suddenly brought to a halt and the vampire escorting her was pulled aside to talk with another vampire in rushed whispers.

Suddenly Lillian’s face appeared and she was pulling Kara roughly down the hall. That was when Kara realized things were not business as usual. Kara tried to rip herself out of Lillian’s grip, but her nails dug in.

“What’s going on?” Kara asked.

“As if you don’t already know,” Lillian hissed. She jabbed at the buttons on the elevator. “I should’ve known I couldn’t trust Lena.”

The elevator arrived and Lillian dragged Kara into it. Somehow, Lillian had found out about Lena’s plan. Lena had been so confident, so sure that everything would go right. What could have happened that made everything go wrong?

“It was Gunther,” Lillian explained, as if she read Kara’s thoughts. “Just before he was brutally murdered, he told me it was your little resistance friends. I sent my guards after them, told them to call off the show.”

Kara stared at Lillian in horror. Her friends had risked everything to save her and now they would be torn to pieces.

“Don’t worry,” Lillian said with a sharp smile, “I told them not to kill your little friends. I’ll give you the pleasure of doing so in the Arena in the coming weeks. And don’t think you can pull that same stunt you did with Samantha Arias.”

They arrived at their floor, the garage. Kara desperately tried to twist out of Lillian’s strong grip as she was brought to a familiar vehicle. It was the same one she’d ridden in with Lena just before she’d said goodbye.

Suddenly Lillian cried out and let go of Kara. Kara whirled around and saw Alex holding what looked like a gun. But as Lillian struggled to stand up, Kara noticed it wasn’t a bullet that had pierced her, but a small wooden stake. But Alex had hit her in the shoulder, in a place that would hurt Lillian but not take her out completely.

Alex loaded her gun again and aimed.

Lillian grabbed Kara and held her in front of her body, shielding her from Alex’s weapon. She wrapped a hand around Kara’s throat and squeezed. Kara winced as she struggled to breathe.

“Put down your weapon,” Lillian warned.

Alex lowered it, but didn’t let it go.

“Very good,” Lillian said, shuffling her and Kara over to the car. “Foolish of you to come after me all alone. Especially when I can have my security here in a matter of minutes.”

“That would have been stupid of me,” Alex said. “Good thing I’m smarter than that.”

Lillian let go of Kara again, her body being thrown to the ground by Nia. She held a wooden stake and flung herself over Lillian, ready to strike her. But Lillian was fast, and she rolled to the side and sprang to her feet before Nia could stab her. She reached for Kara again, but was pulled backward by James, who also had a stake at the ready.

Lillian spun around in James’ arms and swiped her sharp nails across his face. He grunted and stumbled backward, dropping his stake. Alex shot her gun at Lillian again, but Lillian was ready for it and her hand batted the tiny stake away. When Alex got closer, she pulled out a larger stake, but Lillian grabbed her and threw her against a car, denting it.

Nia ran at Lillian, but Lillian caught her and slammed her against the ground. She grinned at the unconscious bodies all around her before her eyes met Kara’s.

“It will be all the more satisfying when I watch you kill them in the ring now,” Lillian said. “Now, I tire of this fight. Let’s be on our way.”

Kara noticed a flash of movement behind Lillian and her heart leaped into her throat. One moment Lillian was alone, and then she turned around and Lena was standing there, fire in her eyes and fangs out.

“The only place you’re going, Mother,” Lena said, grabbing the lapels of Lillian’s suit, “is Hell.”

Lena threw Lillian across the concrete. Before she could stand back up, Kara was there, punching her back down. Lillian reached up and grasped Kara’s throat. Her nails dug in and Kara saw stars as her body went weak and she fell against Lillian.

Then Lena was there, grabbing Lillian’s head between her hands and squeezing it. Lillian screamed and put her hands over Lena’s, trying to tear them off. Kara stood, struggling to hold her footing. She watched as Lena nearly twisted Lillian’s neck, but Lillian broke free at the last second.

“You really think you can kill me?” Lillian cried, struggling to catch her breath. She smacked Lena across the face, sending her flying. Kara looked around her and noticed Alex kick her wooden stake across the floor in her direction. Alex was sitting up straight now, no bruising to be seen. She put her hand to the necklace Kara had given her, Alura’s necklace, and smiled. “You think you’re that powerful?”

Kara walked backward slowly, trying not to catch Lillian’s attention. Lillian’s eyes were solely on Lena as she tried and failed to push herself back up.

“You think you’re as strong as we are,” Lillian said, grabbing Lena’s throat and holding her above her head. Lena’s legs kicked and her hands scrambled at her neck. Kara froze in place as she watched Lena struggle for breath, but she couldn’t be hasty, not now. “But you’re too human. You will never have a place in our world.”

Lena’s eyes met Kara’s just as they were starting to dim. Kara shook her head and found the stake.

“Is there really no fight left in you?” Lillian laughed. Kara held up the stake and nodded at Lena, making sure she was ready. “How disappointing. Then again, you’ve always been a disappointment.”

Kara threw the stake across the room and with the last bit of strength she had left, Lena caught it. Lillian had no time to react before Lena plunged the stake straight into Lillian’s heart. She dropped Lena and stumbled back, her fingers wrapped around the stake. She tried to pull it out, but her skin was already growing ashy and her hair turning to dust.

Kara rushed to Lena’s side and caught her just before she fell to her knees. They watched Lillian clutch at her heart in confusion, then anger, then despair as she realized what was happening to her.

“Lena,” she rasped. She looked more ghost than human now. “How could you do this to your mother?”

“Sorry for disappointing you,” Lena said.

Lillian’s mouth dropped open and then she was no more.

Lena fell against Kara, burying her head in Kara’s neck. Kara put her hands under Lena’s legs and lifted her off the ground, carrying her bridal style. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck, pressed a kiss against her cheek.

Kara went across the garage where her friends were lifting themselves off the ground. Alex started to say something, but was cut off by the crackling of static from her radio.

“Danvers?” Winn’s voice called. “You there? I never got your signal to kill the lights. Brainy and I are ready whenever you are.”

Alex laughed, then winced and grabbed her stomach. She put the radio to her mouth. “Plan’s changed. Get out of there. We’ll meet at the rendez-vous point.”

Alex ushered them into a car and drove them out of the garage silently. Lena remained curled up against Kara as they drove out of the city and into the woods. They ditched the car a couple miles outside of the city and walked to a hill just outside of a small town. There Winn and Brainy waited, a little more than put out that they didn’t get to help fight Lillian.

As Nia illustrated the fight to them with hand gestures, Kara carried Lena to a secluded place and set her down on the ground. She sank down beside Lena and watched the sun peek its head over the horizon.

“What happens now?” Lena asked. “Just because Lillian’s dead doesn’t mean it’s all over. There’s still vampires roaming all over National City and countless other cities. And the strongest resistance unit needs to be rebuilt. And—”

Kara kissed Lena, quieting her mind and worries. Lena sank into it, easily letting those worries go so she could enjoy the feeling of Kara’s lips against hers. Kara pulled away, but wrapped her arm around Lena’s body, pressing it against hers. Lena rested her head against Kara’s chest.

“Let’s just enjoy the sunrise for now,” Kara whispered.

Lena smiled as she watched the sun lift itself above the horizon. Behind them, their friends were shouting excitedly, planning for their next big battle. For now, though, Kara and Lena closed their eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on their skin.