#alt s5b

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Aw, man, you know what would have been an excellent 5b arc? Instead of Lex immediately luring Lena in with promises to help with Non Nocere, Lena promptly abandons Non Nocere in favor of getting Lex out of power.

In Lena's office, she confronts him.

"I don't know what you're planning, but I swear I won't let you get away with it--"

But instead of looking concerned, Lex simply lifts his finger as though remembering something.

"Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to mention..."

As if on cue, Jack Spheer walks into Lena's office, his smile bright and ecstatic to see her. Lena's breath catches in her throat, and for a moment she forgets to breathe.

"Jack..."

"Morning, sweetheart," he greets her with a kiss and a hug. Lena's come up to wrap around him on instinct, but her hands soon press against his back as though to affirm he's really there. After a moment, Jack leans back to offer Lex a brisk handshake.

"Congratulations," Jack says, without a hint of disgust. His smile remains genuine and warm, and in her heart Lena knows that he is as innocent to Lex's machinations as the rest of this new reality. "Great speech, as always."

"Well, I can't take all the credit for that," Lex brushes off with a charming smile. "I'd be helpless without my speechwriter here."

He gestures to Lena, and Jack's arm squeezes her shoulders affectionately. Lena blinks against the burn of tears.

"I'm sorry I can't stay long," Jack explains, turning to face Lena. "I just wanted to stop by and say hi. We're still on for dinner tonight?"

"Y-yes," Lena stammers breathlessly. "Of course."

Jack smiles and kisses her again. "Excellent. I'll see you then."

When he leaves, Lena can only stare after him for a long moment before she turns her gaze to Lex in horror.

"What have you done?"

"I gave you both a second chance at happiness," Lex replies. In an instant, he steps in close, gripping Lena by the side of the neck as his gaze darkens dangerously. Lena freezes, every muscle in her body locking in fear.

"And if either of you try reaching out to Supergirl, or any of her friends... I'll put a bullet in his head faster than you can say Jimmy Olsen."

Lena feels the breath of his menace against her skin, and she knows he'll follow through. Either she helped him, toeing the Luthor party line, or she loses Jack all over again. She was his.

Accepting her wordless defeat, Lex releases her, his features brightening into a smile. "Don't say I never do anything for you!"

Lena watches him go with a bounce in his step, legs beginning to shake as soon as he disappeared out the door. All she can do is brace herself against her desk, struggling to pull one trembling breath into her lungs after another as the real truth of Lex's reality sets in.

She was trapped.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Alt S5b Plot Bunny, Pt 2

When Supergirl visits, desperate to clear the air between them, Lena's heart lodges in her throat. Will Jack die anyway?

All she can do is send Supergirl away and hope that if Lex is watching, she can prove that she's willing to play ball.

"Your brother--"

"Save your breath," Lena replies coldly. She rises from her seat, pulling herself to her full height. "I remember everything."

"Y-you do?"

Kara can't quite hide her disappointment, as if she'd actually hoped they might get a do-over. The realization curdles in Lena's stomach, and the chill that edges into her voice isn't entirely fake.

"Lex may be a lot of things," she purrs, "but he's not one to let me forget how my best friend lied to me for four years."

"Lena--"

"Leave, Supergirl." Lena glares at her. "There is nothing for you here. It was foolish to believe there ever was."

Supergirl leaves with tears in her eyes, and when she vanishes so does Lena's anger. She sinks heavily into her chair, trembling in the aftermath of the confrontation. It's less than a minute before her phone buzzes with an incoming text.

It's from Lex.

Well done.

Hopelessness swells in Lena's chest. She buries her face in her hands, fighting the urge to sob.

---

And so Lena works with Lex. She writes his speeches, stands at his side during press releases, and though Kara is disappointed and hurt, she leaves Lena to her choice. Lex doesn't utilize Lena in any of his real plans-- he leaves her with LuthorCorp, where she can be monitored without any risk of sabotage.

It eats away at her, slowly but surely. As the weeks pass, she loses weight and sleep from the stress, and though she pretends everything is fine, it's not long before Jack confronts her.

"You're not happy," he says one night, having waited in the living room until late in the night, when Lena finally returns home. He stands with his hands in his pockets, eyes concerned but shoulders hitched defensively.

"Of course I am," Lena starts, only for Jack to take her by the wrists and gently look her in the eye.

"Give me some credit, all right?" he says softly. "I know you've been avoiding me--"

"I haven't--"

"You have." Not accusing, not outraged-- just concerned. His thumbs trace soft circles against her wrists. "Ever since Lex's Nobel ceremony, you've been different. You've pulled away from me."

"Jack." Tears burn at Lena's eyes, and she ducks her chin to hide them. But Jack lifts her chin again with a gentle touch.

"I love you, Lena. I don't want to be the cause of your unhappiness."

Lena blinks, and her tears spill over. She grips his hands tightly, even as she shakes her head. "No," she whispers hoarsely. "It's not you--"

"But it is something." Lena's only response is a shuddering sob, and then his arms wrap around her, holding her close. "Tell me."

And she does.

Lena tells him everything-- about the change in realities, how he didn't follow her to National City until it was too late, and how he died. How Lena killed her brother, but even that wasn't enough-- how Lex was resurrected and now has her under his thumb. How she's afraid, every moment of every day, of losing Jack all over again.

When she finishes, Jack simply stares at her for a long moment. Then, wordlessly, he takes her in his arms again, hugging her tight.

"We'll stop him," Jack promises quietly. "Together."

For the first time since waking up in this new reality, Lena feels the tension bleed out of her. They aren't in the clear yet, and there's no guarantee they'll succeed. But one thing has changed.

She's no longer alone.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Alt S5b Plot Bunny, Denouement Pt 2

In the months that follow, Lena makes a complete recovery, and resumes her rightful place at LuthorCorp. This time, the rebranding process is punctuated not by restless nights spent alone in her office, but curled up on the couch with Jack. He remains a stolid presence at her side, with Spheerical Industries among the first to partner with the newly branded L-Corp. Together, they help rebuild the city alongside its heroes.

Six months later Lena is honored by the city, with a charity gala thrown in her name to benefit an organization of her choice. Cameras flash when Jack helps Lena exit the limosine.

Together they make a striking couple, he in a dapper brocade tux and she in a dress that hangs long and fluid against her skin. She still bears the scars of her fight with Lex, both visible and not, but all anyone can see-- all Kara can see-- is her radiant happiness as she smiles and greets the crowd.

When Supergirl drops in to make an appearance, Lena's smile somehow broadens. She sweeps Kara into a hug, eschewing any professional boundaries they'd previously maintained in the public eye.

"Congratulations," Kara murmurs. She pulls back to look Lena in the eye. "You deserve this."

"I couldn't have done it-- any of it-- without you," Lena counters. Her hands grasp Kara's gently. "You believed in me from the very beginning."

Kara nods. It's taken a long time to heal from the fallout of her secret, and longer still for Lena to believe that their friendship until then hadn't been a ruse. But they've come back together, both publicly and privately, and Kara knows she'll never take their friendship for granted again.

"Always," she promises. She looks to Jack, meeting his gaze with a solemn nod. "Both of you."

"You still on for dinner on Friday?" Jack asks. "I've got a new recipe I've been keeping in reserve I think you'll like."

The fact Jack could cook had come as a surprise. Kara had assumed he would be as preoccupied as Lena, too busy to do anything more than order take out from the swanky restaurants around the city. But having already experienced the spoils of his labor, Kara beams with anticipation.

"Wouldn't miss it," she promises. "And game night next week?"

"We'll be there," Jack confirms.

They'd both seamlessly integrated into the Superfriends game nights. Jack proved to be personable with everyone he met, and it wasn't long before he and Brainy had struck an unlikely bond. And Lena... Lena should have been included long ago, Kara now realizes. She belonged with them, in every way that matters.

"Have a good time tonight," Kara told them both. She looks to Lena. "Save me a dance?"

"Sorry, Supergirl, I'm afraid my dance card is already quite full," Jack quips with a grin, earning a light smack on the arm from Lena.

"Don't be a stranger, Supergirl," she says warmly. "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

"Tonight is your night," Kara reminds her. "Embrace it."

Lena smiles, leaning into Jack with a happy, exasperated sigh. Jack wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"Congratulations, Lena. I mean it."

Lena's smile softens. "Thank you," she says quietly.

When Supergirl launches back into the air, her heart is full. She has her friend, her family. Lena has Jack in her life, a continuous source of love and adoration. For all that they had been through, all it had taken to get them to here...

Kara wouldn't change it for the world.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Alt S5b Plot Bunny, Pt 5

When a knock comes on Kara's front door, the person she expects to see on the other side is Lena.

"Lena?" Kara tugs her inside, checking the hallway to see if she'd been followed. Lena moves stiffly under her hands, visibly uncomfortable. "I thought-- where's Jack?"

"Gone," Lena says. Her eyes scan the room, taking in the sight of the rest of the Superfriends sitting around the coffee table, clearly in the midst of a game night. She turns back to Kara. "It was too much of a risk for him to stay, so-- I sent him away."

"But he's safe?" Kara insists.

"As far as I'm aware."

"That--" Kara stammers slightly, pushing her glasses up on her nose before squaring her shoulders, Supergirl taking over. "That's good."

"What are you doing here?" Alex demands. She's on her feet already, distrust written clearly across her features despite Kara's warning glare.

"I have information regarding Lex's plans," Lena intones. "Together, we might be able to stop him."

Alex stares at her, not quite buying it. But Kara takes Lena's hand eagerly. "We will stop him. We can talk--"

"Not here," Lena cuts in swiftly. She extricates her hand from Kara's, who understands the message loud and clear. They're not friends.

Kara swallows thickly. "We'll go to the Tower."

Once there, Lena explains what she knows. "I traced Lex's money trail to a warehouse in the desert, part of the old DEO facility. I believe he's building a weapon."

"Do you know where this facility is?" J'onn asks.

Lena nods. "I can give you the exact coordinates."

"We can go there and interrupt their operations. If there is a weapon there, we'll find it and destroy it."

"Not you," Lena bites out. When the others stare at her in surprise, she continues, softening. "Lex has numerous kryptonite traps at his disposal. You won't be able to get anywhere close to it. They'll have better success if you stay here."

"How do you know that?" Alex asks.

Lena looks her in the eye. "Because I helped build them."

There's no trace of guilt anywhere in Lena's countenance, but Kara finds herself reaching out to her anyway. "It wasn't your fault..."

"You'll stay here too," Alex declares, holding Lena's gaze. "We don't need any loose cannons out there."

Lena nods. "Of course."

Though she's effectively grounded, Kara can't help but feel a sense of relief to finally have some time alone with Lena. Maybe, finally, they could really talk.

The rest of the group prepares and heads out, leaving Kara and Lena alone in the tower. After a few awkward minutes of silence, Kara clears her throat.

"Lena, I-- I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am. You're my best friend, and I lied to you. I know--"

She turns away, starting to pace.

"I knew it would hurt you, to learn the truth, but every time I tried to come clean, I was just so scared--"

"Kara!"

The sharp panicked shout from behind her whirls Kara around, just in time to lift her arms against the blow from Lena's kryptonite blade. The slash lacerates both of Kara's forearms, burning and searing upon contact. The familiar agony swiftly spreads to engulf her whole body, but it's the rage in Lena's eyes that hurts more.

"Lena, what--"

Lena slashes again, this time pressing forward as Kara scrambles to put distance between them. Her surprise makes her clumsy, and Lena is swift in her determination, slipping under Kara's guard to slip the blade between her ribs.

Kara chokes, tripping away from the blade. She goes down hard, and in an instant Lena is on top of her, straddling her chest as she draws the knife over her head and plunges the blade down towards Kara's throat.

Kara blindly reaches for Lena's wrists, catching just before the blade touches her skin. She can feel the proximity of the kryptonite, the heat of it burning against her skin. She pushes through the pain to look Lena in the eye, only to see a stranger glaring down at her.

"Lena... what are you doing?"

"Ridding the world of you once and for all," Lena snarls, her face a mask of murderous rage.

"Lena, please..."

"Hold still, and I'll make it quick."

Lena presses more of her weight against the hilt. Her energy quickly sapped by the kryptonite and her wounds, Kara's arms tremble to keep the blade from plunging down. But as Lena continues to push, Kara feels her center of balance shift, and in a move that would put even Alex to shame Kara rolls them both.

Lena smacks bodily into the floor, her head bouncing against the concrete upon impact, dazing her. Kara quickly moves to pin her, trapping one hand above Lena's head. Lena's other hand tangles in the collar of Kara's suit, but Kara barely notices in the split second before she sees the expression in Lena's eyes-- fear.

"Lena?"

Panting for breath, Lena's gaze darts wildly about, before landing on the blade in her hand. "Stop me," she gasps.

Kara doesn't hesitate. In the instant it takes Kara to cock back one fist, Lena's face twists back into a mask of rage, her hand tightening on Kara's collar as Lena snarls. In the next moment, Kara snaps her fist out, exerting just enough force to knock Lena unconscious.

When her friend goes limp beneath her, Kara sags. Laboriously, she flings the kryptonite away and incinerates it with a blast of heat vision. Rolling onto the floor beside Lena, Kara stares up at the ceiling, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do next.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Alt S5b Plot Bunny, Pt 3

What if Lena was in the DEO when it collapsed? Lena's working deep in the building, on a secret project for Lex (ie, trying to sabotage it per her and Jack's secret plan to undermine Lex) and none of the Superfriends know so when the building implodes they think everyone made it out.

Until Jack comes on the scene, out of his mind with panic as he shouts for Lena. Supergirl intercepts him, her own panic tugging at her ribs.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," she says, trying to calm him down. "What's wrong?"

"Lena! She was--"

"Lena was here?" Kara's panic grows because she knows she didn't see Lena leave the building.

"She's been working on a project for Lex, and--" Jack's eyes flick to the pile of rubble that was once the DEO, and tears spill down his cheeks. "Oh my god."

"I'll find her--" Kara stammers, heart now thundering in her chest. "I'll find her!"

She leaves Jack with a silent please on his lips, as Alex comes to escort him away from the site. He resists, and ultimately she moves on, after he promises not to move any closer. Supergirl sifts through the rubble, eventually finding a stairway to the underground levels partially intact. She goes in alone, and eventually finds Lena sheltered in one of the labs, injured and barely conscious, but breathing.

Kara skids to her knees beside Lena, scanning her for injuries. The power is out, the room is dark, and in the shadows Lena takes the only opportunity she's ever going to get.

"He threatened to kill Jack if I came to you," she says faintly. "I'm so sorry, Kara. I couldn't risk losing him again--"

Kara understands in an instant, and issues a quaking sigh of relief. "I promise we'll stop him. But right now, I need to get you somewhere safe."

Scooping Lena up in her arms, Supergirl brings her friend to the surface. Lena falls unconscious by the time they get there, just in time for Lex to arrive and stand witness. As Kara lays her on a waiting gurney, Lex shoves her out of the way.

"Don't touch her!" he snarls. "You did this! If she dies her blood will be on your hands!"

But as the medics wheel Lena towards the ambulance, Jack offers Supergirl a nod of gratitude.

Kara watches them go, her features inscrutable. When Alex approaches a moment later, she does so hesitantly, as though she can sense the storm brewing in her sister.

"What was all that about?" Alex asks.

Kara scowls, eyes flinty as she watches the ambulance pull away.

"We have a new problem."

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Alt S5b Plot Bunny, Pt 4

Jack doesn't leave Lena's side for a moment. She recovers quickly, and when she finally retuens home, she quietly confirms that Supergirl knows the truth. It's small comfort though, as they still can't speak with their new allies, or know of any plan that may be brewing across the divide. Lex doesn't suspect a thing, especially when Lena suggests that they issue a press release condemning the vigilantes that run amok in their city.

Lena herself makes several appearances to address the images printed in the newspapers-- of Supergirl lifting her from the rubble like an ascendant god.

"Supergirl saved my life that day," Lena responds when one interviewer asks, "but thw fact remains that I wouldn't have been in danger at all if it weren't for her. The DEO has done its best in recent years to curb the worst of her carelessness, but I fear it only made the situation worse. These vigilantes can no longer act with impunity."

It divides the city, and to Lena's surprise and delight, a quiet majority supports the heroes. LuthorCorp's stocks dip, and Lex grows more and more livid with every day that passes. With his focus on the Superfriends, Lena and Jack finally have room to make a move.

"I don't feel right about this," Jack says. Lena is helping him pack, but she pauses at his heavy tone. Setting her shirts aside, she steps up to meet him, resting her hands against his chest.

"This is the only way," she reminds him quietly. She reaches up to press a kiss to his lips. "I have to keep you safe."

Resting one hand on her hip, Jack cups her cheek with the other, holding her close. "At least come with me."

Lena shakes her head. "You know I can't."

"This isn't your fight, Lena. Let Supergirl and her friends go at him--"

"It is my fight." Lena's voice is sure and firm. She knows what she needs to do. "It always has been."

Pulling the trigger all those months ago only sealed her fate-- she would always stand between Lex and the world. She's the only one who can.

"Please be careful," Jack breathes, wrapping her in a hug. "Promise me."

Lena sighs into the embrace, resting her head againsthis shoulder.

"I promise."

---

Jack leaves the following morning before the sun rises, paying cash for a flight to a location Lena doesn't know. The apartment feels cold without him, but Lena warms herself with the knowledge that he is safely out of the line of fire. Now, she can get to work.

It doesn't take long for Lex to corner her in her lab one night, entering on silent feet to smack Lena across the cheek when she turns around, so hard that she staggers and falls. Lex is on her in an instant.

"Where is he?" he snarls, hand gripping her hair to force her to look at him. Though his assault had been unexpected, Lena is no longer afraid.

"Out of your reach," she says, spitting blood in his face.

Lex releases her with a shove, pacing furiously as he seethes. Lena carefully withdraws the pistol she's kept in the pocket of her labcoat.

"And now it's over--"

Before she can pull the trigger, Lex presses a button on his watch. Electricity courses through Lena's body, searing pain and fire across her senses. She drops the gun as her muscles spasm, for long painful moments until Lex releases the button and the current stops.

As Lena gasps for breath, Lex leans over her with a smirk.

"Fool me once, shame on you," he says, "fool me twice... You didn't really think I'd let you live without having a failsafe, did you?"

He kicks the gun away from her sluggish, grasping fingers. "It was simple, really. Subcutaneous control device, adminstered by a single injection before you woke up."

Lex sets his foot against Lena's chest, slowly pressing. Lena whimpers under the building pressure, struggling to breathe. So this was how it ended.

"Oh, no, Lena," Lex delivers, seeing the defeat in her eyes. "We're not finished yet."

As Lena's vision starts to dim, rapidly losing consciousness, Lex's voice is the last thing she hears.

"We're only just getting started."