Chapter Text
As expected, the false alarm was the number one topic at the bureau. Kara had to endure comments from her colleagues, including a new nickname that she was not at all happy about. Her colleagues whispered behind their hands, pointed at her and murmured:"That's the new girl who set off the fire alarm in the training hall. She stepped off the mat. The fire expert." Kara tried to ignore the remarks and let them roll off her. She knew that if she let it get under her skin, she'd break. She'd walk out and never come back. So she told herself it only made her stronger.
At least the weekend was approaching, and Kara hoped that by then, her colleagues would have other things on their minds. And she would finally talk to her sister. She had been putting it off out of shame for her mistake. She'd only responded to Alex's messages with short replies, ignored her calls—but today, she would talk to her. Even if it was difficult, Kara knew it would help. With that thought, she ended her shift on Friday afternoon and said goodbye to the few remaining agents. "Have a nice weekend," she called as she exited the building with a deep sigh of relief.
She unlocked her bike and set off toward Alex's neighborhood. As she rode through the streets, Kara tried to shake off the negativity. The wind rushing past her ears made her feel alive again. And of course, no matter how fast she pedaled, her thoughts kept drifting back to one person. Agent Luthor. That conversation. Had it gone well? Or had she completely screwed it up? She needed to talk to someone who understood what she was dealing with—someone like Alex.
The buzzer buzzed gently as Kara rang downstairs, then jogged up the familiar stairs to Alex's apartment. Alex lived alone in a warm, lived-in space that always smelled faintly of coffee and old books—comfort in its purest form. But the real welcome committee was already waiting at the door.
Ranger, Alex's black cat with neat little white socks, sat right behind the cracked-open door like a tiny sentry. As soon as Kara nudged it open, he meowed softly and padded up to her with a flick of his tail.
Kara smiled, crouching down to greet him before even stepping inside.
"Hey, buddy. Miss me?" she cooed, scratching gently behind his ears. Ranger purred the moment she touched him, leaning into her touch like he'd been waiting for her all day.
She slipped off her sneakers and set them quietly by the wall, still petting the cat with one hand. "You're the best part of my day, you know that?" she whispered, and Ranger let out a slow blink of approval.
"Alex, I'm here," Kara called into the hallway as she closed the door behind her.
"My favorite sister finally graces me with her presence," Alex teased, hands on her hips.
"I'm so sorry," Kara whispered, her voice already breaking.
Alex's teasing vanished instantly. "How are you?" she asked, her face softening with worry as she stepped closer.
"Awful," Kara muttered, the word falling from her lips like a truth too heavy to carry alone. She collapsed into her sister's arms, clinging on as though drowning were the only other option.
Alex held her without hesitation, grounding her. One hand rubbed slow circles across Kara's back, calm, steady and familiar. But the comfort pierced deeper than expected. Something inside Kara gave way. Her breath hitched. A sob threatened, barely stifled.
"Hey now. Was it really that bad? I heard something, but nobody told me the full story while I was out on assignment."
"Worse," Kara said. She needed the drama right now. She took a deep breath, and then everything came pouring out.
They sat in the living room, on the cozy green couch. Ranger had settled between them, his body warm and still, and Kara stroked his soft fur from time to time. Alex poured two cups of coffee, hers black and strong, Kara’s loaded with sugar just the way she liked it. She added a generous slice of homemade lemon cake to each plate, the simple kind Kara had loved since childhood. In the familiar warmth of the apartment, Kara told her everything, exactly as it had happened.
Alex knew the FBI world. She had worked in cybercrime for several years. Kara had once vaguely considered whether that might be a path for her too, but it wasn't until Agent Luthor came into the picture that she made her final decision.
Alex was good with computers and a bit of a tech nerd, though you wouldn’t know it at first glance. Her soft red hair was always freshly cut—short, clean lines, no nonsense. She didn’t wear makeup, but her smartwatches, noise-cancelling headphones, and meticulously labeled cable organizer told you everything you needed to know. To the outside world, she looked like a badass—efficient, cool, maybe a little intimidating. But here, with Kara, she was just her sister.
Alex listened without interrupting as Kara recounted everything. When she finished, Alex shook her head.
"Kara, you're usually not the clumsy type. Just imagine if this hadn't been reported right away and the fire department had shown up. Can you picture the chaos? The cost and everything."
Kara's eyes widened. She hadn't even thought about that. It almost felt like she'd gotten lucky, sort of.
"It was an accident, Alex. A stupid, silly accident, just one of those random things."
"Words the FBI doesn't like to hear," Alex replied in a mock-stern voice.
"I know. I already got my lecture. From Agent Luthor of all people," Kara sighed. That part was still bothering her the most. Why did Director Trimmer have to be on vacation now of all times? Wasn't that illegal or something? With how strict everything was at the Bureau, Kara wouldn't be surprised.
"I'm surprised she let you leave that easily," Alex commented, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Oh no, I haven't even told you the best part," Kara added. Now she was really curious how her sister would react. She was still confused by the arrangement she now had with Agent Luthor. Should she be excited? Or terrified of the training ahead? Probably both. The agent was strict, but that wasn't exactly news.
"She didn't just let me go. At the end of the conversation, she said she wants to personally make sure I'm in the right place at the FBI. She ordered us to train together. Twice a week."
Alex blinked. "Agent Luthor is training with you? That's practically a knighthood."
Kara nodded, still a little impressed, then grimaced. "Yeah. I guess she wants to make sure something like this never happens again. Or maybe I'm on probation now, and if she's not satisfied with me, she'll throw me out."
Alex tilted her head, thoughtful. "Still. That doesn't sound like her at all, not to train someone herself. She's usually off taking down high-level threats, coordinating multi-agency task forces, solving global crises before breakfast..." She trailed off, watching Kara closely.
"What?" Kara asked, trying to sound casual. Too casual.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. Just interesting, that's all."
Kara looked away, suddenly very focused on her coffee. Ranger huffed softly between them, sensing the shift.
"I think I challenged her," Kara murmured. "I went to her lecture on crime prevention in your place."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Wait, seriously? You went to that lecture? I remember how much that meant to you."
"Of course I did. And thanks again, by the way, for letting me take your spot."
"Sure. But keep going."
"So, the lecture happened before the fire alarm. I sat all the way in the back with your name tag," Kara said. "But something felt off. Agent Luthor noticed me and gave me this really focused look. I swear, she knew right away I'd snuck in."
Kara remembered how that moment had seemed to last forever, how her eyes had locked with Agent Luthor's, and how quickly Kara'd looked away.
"But that's impossible. She doesn't know either of us. I mean, of course I know her name, she's basically a superstar, everyone knows her. I've seen her from a distance plenty of times, but we've never worked together. I've never dealt with her directly," Alex said.
"Still," Kara went on, "after lunch I was too nervous to go back to the lecture. So I went to the training hall instead. Which I probably should've skipped too," she sighed. "Anyway, the point is, when I had to go to her office later, my personnel file was on her desk. So yeah. Of course she already knew I wasn't Alex Danvers."
Alex narrowed her eyes. "How did she react?"
Kara thought for a second, then straightened her shoulders and imitated Agent Luthor's voice, low, sharp, and just the right amount of cold.
"I see, Ms Danvers. So you skipped the training session you clearly needed in order to attend my lecture. Because you thought that would be more important."
Alex burst out laughing. "That's exactly what she'd say."
Kara joined in, unable to help herself, but her smile faded almost as quickly as it came.
"She seemed kind of... disappointed that I snuck in using your name," she said quietly. "I really want to make that up to her. She's still my idol. That hasn't changed."
For a moment, Kara stared into her cup, the steam curling toward her face. She let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh.
"The training is going to be brutal. She's going to go hard on me, and I'll probably suffer like hell," she added, shoulders slumping.
But deep down, she couldn't deny it, something about it excited her. The thought of being alone with Agent Luthor, week after week, learning from her, facing her... it terrified her. And yet she almost couldn't wait.
Alex reached over and gently squeezed Kara's hand. "It will be tough. She's known for being intense and never doing things halfway. But see it as an opportunity. People say she's one of the best in her field. Even the guys have to give it their all when they train with her. She must see something in you, otherwise she wouldn't be doing this."
Kara looked up, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "You really think so?"
"Absolutely," Alex said without hesitation. "And I believe in you, Kara. You've got this."
Kara leaned her head against Alex's shoulder. In that moment, she felt so thankful to have her. After everything, it was Alex who had stayed.
Their adoptive mom, Eliza, still cared in her own way, Kara knew that, but she was busy, always caught up in work or community responsibilities, and since the separation from their stepfather, she had become even more distant. Calls grew shorter, visits less frequent. Eliza just wasn't really present anymore.
Kara didn't blame her. Not exactly. But it still hurt.
That was part of why she and Alex had left their hometown behind. A fresh start, a new city, something that felt like their own. Most days, Kara still felt like she was figuring it all out.
But with Alex beside her, it didn't feel so overwhelming. Alex was her anchor, her constant, her real family.
"Thanks, Alex. I'm going to give it everything I've got. I want to improve."
Alex smiled and placed a supportive hand on Kara's shoulder. "That's the spirit. Make the most of this. And remember, you can always count on me. Now, let's talk about something else for a bit. Any updates on the love front? Anyone interesting? Guy or girl?" she asked teasingly.
Kara had signed up for a dating app a few months ago, still searching for the right connection. Being bisexual, she figured her chances were technically doubled. She dreamed of a real relationship, something meaningful, so she'd given online dating a try. But so far, aside from a few pleasant-enough dates, nothing had really clicked.
She shook her head. "I haven't been online in a while. Ever since I joined the FBI, I barely have time to breathe, let alone date," she said.
And without even meaning to, her thoughts drifted once again to Agent Luthor. For no clear reason at all.
Lena stepped out of the DEO locker room, skin still warm from training, muscles humming with leftover tension. After the mess of the past week, the sharp ache in her body felt like the only thing that made sense. She'd pushed hard through every drill, chasing focus with each punch, each breath, each clean strike.
She slipped out of her tactical jacket and into her coat, her fingers moving on autopilot. She was ready to leave. But she didn't. Rest wouldn't help. What she needed wasn't sleep, it was focus. Something to anchor her. A case complicated enough to swallow her whole.
Without hesitation, she turned and headed back into the DEO building. The task force room was exactly as she'd left it: dark, silent, waiting. She flicked on the lights. Fluorescents buzzed to life overhead, casting a cold, sterile glow across the steel desks and untouched files. She ignored them.
The evidence board loomed in front of her—their current case: a high-profile art theft that had left the FBI scrambling for answers and a security guard dead. Several priceless paintings were stolen from a private exhibition in National City, each one insured in the tens of millions. It wasn’t just about the money. These weren’t random pieces. Someone had known exactly what they were looking for.
The stolen paintings stared back at her like a silent challenge, pieced together on the corkboard in a jigsaw of unanswered questions. Each painting told a story, and somewhere in those stories was a trace of the culprit. She was determined to find it.
Lena shrugged off her coat and draped it over a chair, wanting to move freely. She took a breath, deep and slow, and let her eyes roam over the notes, photos, and scribbled connections pinned to the board. The tension of the day still clung to her, and the silence only sharpened her thoughts.
"This can't be everything," she murmured, scanning the sparse background they had on the victim.
They knew next to nothing about the man. Aside from the name on his job application – Johannes Weber – he was a ghost. No next of kin. No digital footprint. No official records. Nothing.
It bothered her. People like that didn’t just exist out of nowhere. Not in this city. Not in a high-security gallery. Either someone had wiped his history clean, or it had never been real to begin with.
"There has to be more," she said firmly, almost to herself. Something about the whole thing felt off. And Lena Luthor hated unsolved puzzles
She picked up a pen and began scribbling thoughts across a legal pad. Time slipped past her. The ticking of the wall clock grew louder in the quiet, her focus slowly beginning to wane. After a while, she rubbed at her temples, eyes blurring over the notes. Fatigue crept into her bones.
Enough for today.
With a soft sigh, Lena dropped the pen and straightened. Her stomach growled in protest, loud and unmistakable. She blinked, mildly surprised. She'd completely forgotten to eat. The entire day had been powered by caffeine and adrenaline.
She sighed again, quieter this time, laced with quiet exasperation. Going home felt like a hollow victory. She considered swinging by her favorite Vietnamese place, but it was Friday night, and the thought of wading through cheerful crowds and clinking glasses made her skin crawl.
After a brief pause, she settled on the only option that didn't involve eye contact or waiting: Big Belly Burger. Drive-thru. Greasy. Anonymous. Perfect.
Lena grabbed her things, slipped her coat back on, and turned off the lights. The hum of the building faded behind her as she stepped out into the night, alone, exhausted, and already picturing the fries, as she finally called it a night.