Chapter Text
Kara is so late. She’s never late, but the one day she actually needs to be on time, she’s late. And it’s not even a little late, it’s throw-on-the-nearest-shirt-and-pants-and-pray late. She’s supposed to meet her cousin Clark at CatCo Worldwide Media, her usual place of employment, and he’s going to take her to meet the Lena Luthor, CEO of Luthor-Corp for an interview.
She’s never conducted an official interview before, but it’s always something she’s been interested in. Her bus is, thankfully, on time and she makes it to the office only ten minutes late. Clark is standing outside and impatiently checking his watch. When Kara exits the bus, Clark grabs her arm and is immediately hailing a taxi for the both of them.
“I can’t believe you’re going to make me late,” Clark hisses under his breath while they climb into the taxi that stops in front of them. “You don’t show up late to an interview with Lena Luthor.”
“I’m sorry! My alarm didn’t go off. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Clark rolls his eyes and throws his head back in frustration at Kara’s naïveté. They continue to sit silently until the taxi pulls up to the monstrous tower of a building, probably the tallest in National City. Clark exits first and Kara afterwards as they walk briskly inside so that they can check in with reception. They’re escorted to the elevator by a security guard and stand behind him while the elevator ascends up higher and higher.
“Let me do the talking,” Clark warns, his voice barely a whisper. “And definitely do not admit to being late due to oversleeping. She’s only here for the summer, filling in for her brother while he’s on extended leave, so we need to make this count.”
Kara sighs and nods, staying quiet as she’s told. Once the elevator bell dings and the door slides open at the top floor, the security guard then walks them toward a desk.
“Clark Kent and Kara Danvers for Miss Luthor,” he says curtly. The assistant looks through her calendar and picks up her phone. The guard excuses himself and leaves the other two to fend for themselves.
“The reporters are here, Miss Luthor,” a pause, “Yes, ma’am.” She looks back up. “Miss Luthor will be right with you. Please take a seat.” Kara doesn’t say so, but she preens at being called a reporter. They sit down as instructed and Kara’s leg bounces nervously.
“If you don’t relax, you’re going to vibrate a hole into the carpet,” Clark says under his breath. Kara stills her nervous tic and the door to their right opens. A very attractive, incredibly elegant-looking woman walks out and Kara nearly swallows her entire tongue. She’s seen photographs of Miss Luthor, of course, but images on a computer screen pale in comparison to the woman standing there in the flesh.
“You must be Clark Kent and Kara Danvers. It’s nice to meet you,” she offers her hand to each of them before gesturing toward her office. Kara wipes off her clammy hands on her skirt before shaking it. They walk inside together and Kara’s eyes widen at the size of the office, which is nearly the same square footage of her own apartment. Lena walks behind her desk and sits down, placing her hands in her lap, watching the two of them like a hawk.
Clark sits down and clears his throat before rummaging through his bag.
“We’re sorry for being late,” Kara blurts out, trying to fill the silence with something, anything. “It was my fault. I was so excited about this interview that I spent too much time picking something out to wear that I missed my bus. Clark kicks her in the shin to get her to stop blabbering and she squeaks while Lena looks on, an amused look on her face.
“You chose well,” she says wryly and Kara nearly swallows her tongue a second time when she notices that Lena’s left eyebrow is lifted slightly higher than her right. Their interview goes well. She and Clark trade off on questions and by the end, they have enough material for a solid article with plenty of quotes. Lena walks them to the door and Clark thanks her for her time. There’s another woman, tall with red hair, waiting outside of the office now and she stands up, walking right into Lena’s office without an invitation.
“Hello, Mother,” Kara hears Lena say before she shuts the door.
Kara’s on a high for the rest of the day. Not only did she get to sit in on her first interview, Clark said she’ll also get credit on the byline with him. When she goes home later that evening, she can’t get Lena out of her mind, so she does what any normal person would do and Googles her, reading every article, watching every video, and gaining as much knowledge about this enigmatic woman that she possibly can.
During her research, she finds out that Lena had been traveling around the world before she was called in to take over for her brother Lex. She was harvesting various plants and minerals for her research on previously incurable diseases and was making it her life’s work to find cures for them. It’s nothing like the rumors Kara heard at CatCo from various people, stating that Lena was nothing more than a glorified pet project for her parents - to take in a little orphan girl from Ireland and raise her in their image, to become their greatest creation. Lena doesn’t seem cruel or cold-hearted like many of the forum comments state, but Kara was really only exposed to her for an hour. She likes to think she’s a good judge of character, though.
A few days later, Kara goes into work and sees a sealed envelope on her desk. She looks around, but she’s the first one there and no one else is at their desks yet. She uses a letter opener and slides it across the thick paper and lifts the card stock out of it. Her name is scrawled in really fancy calligraphy and it has that day’s date on it. She flips the card over and notices an “LL” stamped into it. It’s an invitation to a party, for what, Kara has no idea, but it’s Lena inviting her for whatever reason. She immediately calls Clark to ask him if he received one and he says he did, but he has to get back to Metropolis, so he won’t be able to make it.
Kara panics a little – okay, a lot. She has no idea how to dress for a party, let alone a party hosted by someone who’s running a multi-billion-dollar company. She calls her sister, Alex, and tries to get some pointers, but is promptly told that she’s never been to a ‘rich person’s party’ before, either, and Kara’s on her own. She lies her head on her desk when her boss slaps the wood next to her face and startles her.
“I don’t pay you to take naps,” Cat Grant says breezily as she heads into her office.
Kara finishes her day out and heads home, stressing about the party and what she’s going to wear. Honestly, who has a party on a Thursday night? She tears through her apartment and closet, looking for something appropriate, but most of her dresses are sun dresses, or something that she would wear to the local outdoor theatre, not something to wear in front of Lena Luthor. Tucked away, deep in the corner of her closet, she pulls out a navy blue dress that she’d forgotten about. She can’t remember why she bought it or what it was for, but it’ll do.
She quickly gets dressed and does her hair, pulling it up into a tight bun. The dress is sleeveless with a high neck and she thinks it accentuates her curves, not that she’s trying to. She digs through her closet in search of a clutch to take with her and lets out an ah-ha when she finds one buried beneath all of her shoes. When she’s done getting ready, she realizes she still has an hour to spare, but decides that being a little early won’t be that bad of an idea, even if it’s a little embarrassing. She’s sure she can find something to keep her occupied. It’s just to make up for being late to the interview. Yeah, that’s it.
After calling a taxi, it pulls up outside of her building and she gives the driver the address. He looks at her skeptically and asks if she’s sure, but Kara tells him, “Of course,” and wonders why it’s such a big deal. The venue is about a half hour away, well out of the busy city, and when the taxi pulls into the long and windy driveway, Kara understands why the driver didn’t think she belonged in a place like that, because the property is huge. It’s acres of greenery and a gigantic mansion stuck in the middle of it. Kara instantly regrets getting there early, because now she’ll be stuck in the courtyard of a mansion and the exit will be a mile away.
She pays the cab driver and watches him kick up dust with his tires as he drives away. Kara slowly turns around and takes everything in, unsure if she should knock on the front door or explore on her own. Her decision is made for her when a rather large man approaches her, looking unamused.
“Excuse me, miss, are you lost?”
“I—no, I’m a guest. I just got here a little early.” She fumbles through her clutch and pulls out the invitation, hands shaking. The man takes it and looks it over, speaking softly into his comm.
“Follow me,” he says as he turns around and walks toward the mansion. He opens both doors and Kara walks in, nearly slipping on her own feet when she looks at the entryway. There’s a gosh darn chandelier overhead with fancy vases and candelabras and whatever rich people use to decorate with. Kara hears heeled footsteps approaching and she nearly dives behind a full suit of armor, but her feet won’t move. Lena appears and smiles at her and it should be illegal for someone like her to wear something like that. It’s a deep maroon dress with a low hanging neck that shows off her collar and neck and freckles.
“Kara, you’re here early,” Lena says, not as an accusation, but more as an observation. Her smile shows off her perfectly-aligned teeth and Kara wills herself not to look below her neck, because she probably shouldn’t stare at Lena Luthor’s cleavage on her second meeting, but it’s right there. Instead, she takes a step forward and makes direct eye contact to give herself something else to focus on, which isn’t much better, because Lena’s eyes are just as beautiful and when did she become one of those people who fawns over someone she’s just met?
“Yeah, uh, I guess I read the time on the invitation wrong.”
“It’s no problem, let me get you something to drink,” Lena offers and walks down one of the hallways to a kitchen area where rows and rows of plates are set up. She grabs a flute of champagne for herself and Kara and hands one over. Kara takes the glass and swirls it around like wine, which amuses Lena. She takes a sip and her eyes light up, resisting the urge to chug the entire thing.
“This is delicious, and this one glass probably costs a week’s worth of wages.”
“Two, most likely,” Lena jokes. “I have a few more things to take care of before people start showing up. Please make yourself at home. The sitting room is right through there and there should be some finger foods set up already. Help yourself.”
Kara heads into the sitting room and grabs herself a small plate, dishing herself tiny quiches and smoked salmon and caviar and, she gasps, potstickers. She has no idea if Lena is married or not, but she’s about to run a mile out to the road and hitchhike somewhere to buy an engagement ring. She sits down on one of the couches and begins eating, looking around the room. It doesn’t seem like a place that Lena Luthor would stay, perhaps it’s a family home, or not someone’s home at all and only used for big parties like this. With her mouth full of food, people start filtering in and she bolts up and finishes chewing her food. They don’t pay her any mind and mingle amongst themselves.
A woman stands behind her and introduces herself. “Sam Arias. You look lost.”
“Everyone keeps telling me that,” Kara says, pouting.
She smiles gently, her eyes are kind but strong. “That’s because you’re wearing a dress from JC Penny and everyone here will be wearing designer, probably things they’ll only wear once. It’s not a critique, by the way. I actually hate going to things like this. Everything is so over-the-top and unnecessary.”
“Why do you come, then?” Kara asks.
Sam shrugs. “It’s expected of me. Plus, Lena’s a good friend and she’d give me an earful about leaving her alone to fend off the wolves by herself.”
“I’m not exactly sure why I was invited. I’ve only met Miss Luthor once.”
“You must have made quite an impression,” Sam winks. “Lena does everything for a reason.”
“I guess the article I wrote with my cousin did get a lot of clicks,” she supposes. “I’m new to the whole journalism thing.”
Kara and Sam continue talking. Sam introduces her to a few more big names, some in journalism, so she can start networking. Other people they steer clear of and Sam warns her about the playboys and the others she should keep her distance from. About an hour later, Lena walks through the large doors and the room falls to a hush. She’s holding another glass of champagne and servers walk around with trays, handing out glasses to everyone else. Lena and Sam take theirs and wait for Lena to say what she needs to say.
“I just want to welcome everyone here tonight, thank you for coming. As you know, my brother Lex had to take a leave of absence, which meant I was the one who had to come pick up the slack. So far, it’s been an easy transition and I invited you all here, because you helped make it easier on me. Think of it as a thank you. There’s plenty of food and drinks, so enjoy yourselves.” She raises her glass and the crowd does as well and they sip their champagne and continue their discussions.
Lena makes her way around the room and Kara keeps an eye on her, also trying to listen to whatever Sam is saying.
“… so that’s how I lost my arm to a tiger. Hey, Earth to Kara.”
Kara snaps out of her reverie and switches her attention to Sam. “Sorry, sorry. I’m listening.”
Sam looks in the direction that Kara was looking in and smirks. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Lena.”
“I’ve already been introduced to her.”
“Not by me,” she winks.
Lena notices them and steps away from her current conversation to greet the pair. “Sam, Kara, I’m glad you two could make it. I hope Sam here isn’t being too inappropriate.”
“Oh, no, she’s been a complete gentlewoman.”
“Really?” Lena drawls with a raised eyebrow.
Sam just shrugs. “I can behave when I want to.”
“Right,” Lena says with a smirk. “Well, I need to continue making my rounds, but I’ll come find you both when I’m finished.” Kara watches her leave and Sam watches Kara.
“She’s good at that,” Sam observes, taking a sip of her champagne.
“Good at what?” Kara asks.
“Making people fall in love with her.” She says that as though she has experience.
“What? I’m not—no, I don’t even know her.”
“Doesn’t matter. Lena has a way about her, keeping people at arm’s length, making them want more. It’s endlessly frustrating, but so satisfying when you can peel away one of the layers. And when she does that thing where she makes you feel important, like the only person who matters, whew. You’re done for.”
Kara believes her. She doesn’t know what it is about Lena, but she makes her want to get to know her, to really know her. It’s never happened to her before, with anyone. Sure, she’s liked people, dated a few, fell in love a couple times, but this is different. She doesn’t know a thing about Lena, but she wants to, is the thing. She and Sam explore the courtyard and walk to the back, where they find a massive pool and a firepit. They find a couple of seats in front of the fire and settle in. Kara learns that Sam is the CFO for Luthor-Corp and says she can get Kara more interviews with various people around the city should she want them.
“I’m not actually a journalist,” she admits. “I just did the interview with Lena, because my cousin let me tag along.”
“Well, like I said before, you must have made an impression. Lena’s very careful about who she allows around her. But anyway, I read that interview. It was really well done, so I think you’ve got a future in journalism. I know some people who could help you out.”
Kara sputters. “Oh, wow, really? Thank you, I—why are you being so nice to me?”
“I know what it’s like being where you are, trying to find my place in life, not knowing how to get started, never fitting in. Lena gave me a chance when no one else would. I told myself that if I could ever help someone, I would, so, that’s what I’m doing.”
“There you two are,” Lena says as she slumps down next to them. Sam takes the opportunity to continue being the best wingwoman in existence.
“I should be going, too. You and Kara can get to know one another. Oh, here’s my card, Kara. Call me if you need pointers or anything.”
She kisses Lena on the cheek and sets down her glass on the counter before taking her leave. Kara suddenly realizes that she’s alone with Lena with no buffer between them and she has no idea what she’s supposed to say.
“You want to get out of here?” Kara blurts out, not sure what she’s doing.
“Are you asking me to leave my own party?”
Kara looks around. “Most of the guests have already gone home and those who are still here are either waiting to sober up or will probably pass out, so I don’t think your services are needed. Come on.” She stands and offers her hand, which Lena takes. Kara leads them out through the house to the front courtyard, but is at a loss on where to go from there.
“I don’t suppose you have a car?”
Lena scoffs. “How do you think I got here? Hot air balloon?” She walks to the side of the building and opens the garage, door and sitting in there is a fire red Aston Martin Superleggera.
“Holy moly,” Kara breathes out.
“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Lena laughs. She takes her keys out of her shoulder bag and the alarm beeps, but Kara pauses.
“Have you been drinking?”
“I—yes,” Lena says cautiously. Kara holds her hand out expectantly, waiting for the keys to be placed in her palm.
“No. No way. This is a three hundred-thousand-dollar car.”
“Le—Miss Luthor. Either you drive and get a DUI, which I’m sure you can afford, but think of the scandal, or you let me drive. I’ll go slow, I promise. Lena begrudgingly surrenders the keys and climbs into the passenger seat while Kara jumps into the driver’s seat. She’s never even sat in a car this expensive before, let alone driven one. She’s nervous, to say the least, but she turns the ignition and the engine roars to life. Turning on the headlights, she puts the car in gear and starts driving down the road, very slowly.
“Kara, you can go faster than fifteen miles per hour. You won’t hurt it.”
“Oh, right.” Kara pushes the gas down a little harder and the car lurches forward. It takes her a little while to get used to how the car handles, but they’re finally out on the open road and Kara doesn’t exactly know where she’s going. She offered to take Lena away, but didn’t have the foresight to decide on a place first. Kara hides her uncertainty well and keeps driving until she finds the waterfront and a road she recognizes. A little further down, she turns into a dock and parks. There’s a long pier at one end and Kara leads the both of them out in that direction.
The sky is clear and the stars are shining up high, actually visible since they’re far enough out of the city. Kara sits on the edge of the pier and waits for Lena.
“Do you know how much this dress costs?”
“Sam says that you’ll probably only wear it once, anyway.”
“That little shit,” Lena laughs. “She’s not wrong, though.” Lena takes off her heels and sits down next to Kara.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to build my own boat, take it out to sea and just float out there.”
“Wouldn’t it be lonely?” Lena asks.
“Maybe not with the right company.”
Kara’s heart is thrumming being this close in vicinity to Lena, alone, and her hands are shaking. She puffs out a breath and watches the water ripple beneath their feet. If she extends her pinky out just an inch, she’ll be able to touch Lena’s hand, but she doesn’t know why she’d do that. This was their second meeting and the only things she knows about Lena are on public record on the Internet. She can’t blame the alcohol for what happens next, only her impulsive behavior and lack of filter that Alex continually chastises her for.
“I really like you,” she says, freezing after saying it. It’s silent, save for the water hitting the sides of the boats that are tethered nearby.
“Kara…” Lena starts saying, but Kara interrupts her.
“No, I’m sorry. We hardly know each other. I shouldn’t have said that. Alex – she’s my sister – says that I need to not say everything that’s on my mind, but sometimes I can’t help it, you know? I’ve always been the type to go after whatever I want and you, gosh, you’re incredible. I mean, I don’t know you, but I can tell. Twenty-four with three degrees, two of them in bio-engineering and immunology and the third in business. Who does that? And all of the research you’re funding and all of the cures you’re developing!”
Lena watches her with an entertained look as Kara spouts off her entire Wikipedia biography. “Well, thank you for all of that praise, though I’m not sure I deserve it.”
“Not sure you de—are you kidding? Of course you do. You’re out there making a difference. The things you’re doing are amazing.”
Lena ducks her head. “If only my mother held the same opinion. She says I’m not doing enough.”
Kara scoffs. “Well, maybe I should have a word with her. I can make a PowerPoint presentation of all of the good things you’re doing. I’ll change her mind, no problem.”
Lena laughs. “You’re sure are something, Kara Danvers.”
The air between them stills and Kara looks deep into Lena’s eyes. She leans in ever so slightly, licking her lips, eyes darting down to Lena’s own red ones. Her heart is beating out of her chest and she swears she sees Lena leaning in, too, before a flashlight shines on them.
“Hey! You two shouldn’t be out here.”
They stand up immediately. “Oh, sorry, we were just leaving,” Kara stumbles. The guard points the light in their faces and then turns around to look at the car and it dawns on him who he’s kicking out.
“Oh, Miss Luthor, I didn’t know it was you. Please accept my apology.”
Lena holds her hands out to calm him. “It’s quite all right. We didn’t realize we weren’t supposed to be out here at night.”
“We just get a lot of riffraff out here, is all. I wanted to make sure the two of you were safe.”
“What’s your name?” Lena asks.
“I, uh—Clifford, ma’am.”
“Clifford, give my office a call on Monday morning and leave a message with my assistant. Let her know I asked you to and she’ll take it from there.” She pats him on the shoulder, puts her heels back on her feet and walks toward the car.
Kara runs after her, unlocking the doors. “Why did you want him to call your office?”
“I’m going to put a good word in with his supervisor, make sure he gets a raise.”
“You can do that?” Kara asks incredulously.
“I’m a Luthor, I can do anything,” Lena says easily as she opens the door to the car and sits down. Kara lets out a breath and wonders how anyone can keep up with someone like Lena. They drive back to Kara’s place and she hands Lena back her keys.
“You’re sure you’re okay to drive?”
Lena smiles. “I’m fine, thank you. Completely sobered up.”
“Okay, good. Um, well, I had a nice night, thanks again for inviting me.”
“Thank you for the interview and the article. You made me look good.”
“Oh,” Kara snorts dismissively. “That was all Clark, and it doesn’t take a lot to make you look good.” Her comment makes Lena visibly flush and she tightens her grip on the steering wheel.
“Thank you for a nice evening, Kara. It could have been a lot worse if I didn’t have you and Sam to keep me entertained. My mother insists I host periodic parties like that to keep the investors happy.”
“What about what makes you happy?”
“Well, when you run a company, your happiness often gets pushed aside. Par for the course.”
“It’s only for the summer, though, right? Lex will be back, eventually.”
“Right,” Lena says, her smile not quite the same as before. “Anyway, I should let you get going. I’m sure you still have to go to work tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I do. I’ll also have a few phone numbers to call to see if I can get somewhere with this journalism thing. Sam directed me to a lot of people at the party.”
Lena hums. “Sam’s great, she’ll definitely take care of you. I’ll see you around, Miss Danvers.”
Kara waves as the car takes off, much too quickly for the residential street they’re on. She wonders if she was imagining things, but her voice changed when she talked about Sam and then she wonders if there’s some history there. Kara twirls around and heads into her building, texting Alex everything that happened that night and she receives a reply, reminding her of their rule of ‘unless it’s an emergency and there’s a house or a dog on fire, no texting after midnight’ and it was exactly twelve forty-two.
Kara can’t think of anything but their near-kiss and wonders if Lena would have pulled away or kissed her back. Part of her thinks that it’ll never happen, because she’s a glorified assistant pretending to be a journalist and Lena is, well, Lena. The other part of her is a hopeless romantic and thinks that if it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen. In any case, she’s excited to see where her networking will lead her and sets a reminder to call Sam in the morning. She goes to sleep with a good feeling that her life is heading in the right direction.