CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: 'The Truth'

KARA MUTTERED TO HERSELF, now back at her apartment, connecting the dots she didn't see before.

"It wasn't a mountain lion, it was some goddamn alien!" She shrieked to herself, and no one in particular.

She beamed with pride because it felt so long since she felt this much adrenaline. And she now remembered why she loved reporting so much.

"Or some supernatural thing." She added. "But… what?"

"I think I can answer that."

Kara instinctively tried to cover her report board, but failed miserably. She stood in a starting star jump position, arms and legs spread awkwardly and not covering much at all.

"Lena." Kara sighed, half relieved and half frustrated at the sight of the girl. She remembered their predicament and folded her arms together. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "How'd you get into my apartment?"

Lena looked at the floor, feeling guilty and Kara's heart aches at the sight. "I'm sorry. But I really needed to see you."

"Well… you've seen me." Kara said awkwardly, "And I'm really busy, so..." she trailed off, not wanting to result to verbally kicking Lena out.

"I can help."

Kara furrowed her brows. "With this?" She gestured to the board behind her. "Trust me, if you didn't know anything about Midvale and Metropolis before you got here, you won't be offering much to me." That one kinda hurt.

Kara pushed past her and entered her living room, in the case of actually kicking Lena out.

"Kara, I need to explain everything to you. But not here." The vampire trailed behind her.

"Explain what?"

Lena sighed deeply. "The supernatural, the DEO. I'm sorry I've been lying to you but I know much more than you think." I know how your parents died.

"Why would I believe anything you say, when I can get answers from Alex?"

That's what hit Lena the most. Despite the two of them lying to Kara, she'd still love her sister no matter what.

Lena looked around her kitchen counter. "When's the last time you had vervain?"

"I don't know like, two weeks ago?"

It was out of her system by now. Which meant that Lena could compel her to remember, a route Lena decided she'd take rather than bombing Kara with the truth.

The vampire stood closely to the reporter, who missed the raven haired girl's presence so much. Green eyes met blue. "Kara, I want you to remember what happened after the accident on Oxford."

Kara's eyes hooded and bits and pieces of that afternoon flashed through her mind like a movie.

Lena getting them to the other side of the road so fast.

Then she remembered how inhuman Lena was.

Lena cutting her hand and healing.

Lena knowing when the pizza will come.

Lena's eyes changing colour all the time.

Lena admitting she was a—

"Vampire?" Kara said softly, she looked up at the sad, green eyes that was searching her face for any type of reaction. "B—but they… don't exist. I was right? I knew? I figured it out, and you took those memories from me?" The blonde asked, her heartbeat rising with anger. Betrayal.

"You were always a good reporter, Kara." Lena murmured. The vampire stepped back from the blonde, the feeling of guilt and hurt washing over her. "I did it to protect you."

Cat's voice echoed in Kara's mind, but she was too mad to see both sides. "That wasn't your call to make, Lena." Kara said sternly. "You lied to me. You let me believe those lies."

"Kara you're in a very dangerous position. You're a liability if anything happened to you. I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

"To whom?" Kara demanded. "Unless you want to take my memories again, I can decide whether I can handle myself or not."

"Please just, come with me and I'll explain everything." Lena said. "Alex will be there too. At the DEO."

Kara scoffed. "I can't believe this." She muttered, but she wanted to know. She needed to. And she hated that she had to follow Lena.

Lena drove in silence, despite the fact that she can literally run there. Kara sat in the back seat, too grumpy and stubborn to be within a thirty centimetre proximity of the vampire.

But mostly she spent the drive really trying to understand. To prepare herself for the worst. Was Jeremiah alive this whole time? Who would want to go after her? What did this mean for Kara and Lena?

She looked at the vampire, the girl she'd fallen in love with, with a new set of eyes. She studied Lena's forest green eyes that was scanning the road, her regal jawline that showed when she did a head check from left to right.

Sometimes her eyes would meet Kara's through the rearview mirror and the human quickly refocused on the scenery outside the window as if she wasn't staring.

She was still Lena. Lena, before and after Kara knew of her vampirism was still one and the same. She was the same Lena that teased her when they first met. The same Lena who loved books and collected music across the decades. That explained it. She lived through it all.

She was still mad at Lena, but the silent car ride gave her time to calm down. To think. But she wasn't sure how long the feeling would last.

"You're staring." Lena spoke.

"I'm thinking."

"Of?"

"I don't know, can't you read my mind?"

Lena scoffed, "I'm a vampire, not telepathic."

"You still control people. Like Snapper." She paused,"me."

Lena winced."Would you rather him treat you like the bottom of his shoe?" Lena asked, and Kara grumbled. She folded her arms and faced the window again.

Lena couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. She couldn't help it. Kara was adorable.

Lena parked the car in the middle of nowhere. "Let's go."

"There's nothing here."

"The DEO doesn't exactly have staff parking." Lena replied sarcastically and Kara rolled her eyes.

"How will we get there?"

Lena smirked. "Hop on my back."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't be stubborn." Lena said, growing irritated.

"I'm not." Kara defended. "I can walk just fine."

Lena let out an irritated huff. "Dammit Kara. We're not walking. We're…" Lena tried to find the right words for her… abilities. "I don't know we're... speed walking."

"For Christ's sake." Kara threw her hands up and started walking off in the wrong direction.

"Not that way."

Kara turned around and began walking.

"Wrong way."

She turned North this time to walk off, only for Lena to say—

"Not there either."

Kara walked up to Lena with a crinkle on her forehead. The vampire stared at her, amused with arms folded across her chest.

"Well? Turn around." Kara said, hating this already.

Lena let out a little laugh, which earned her a small slap on the shoulder. Kara hoisted herself onto Lena's back, her arms circling Lena's chest, bringing her closer to her lavender scented hair.

She'd be lying if she didn't love this. The banter. It was still there. Their chemistry.

"Hang on tight."

"Whatever, Twilight." Kara said, but Lena can feel her smile against her neck and heart skip a beat.

Within seconds, a gush of wind met Kara's face. All she saw around her was the blur of brown and blue from the dirt and sky. Lena carried her to the DEO, safely, using her vampiristic speed had its perks.

They reached the front door. Large and metallic, and all too intimidating for Kara. Lena punched in the respective code and the door opened.

Lena stormed through the bustling department, trying to find Alex. Agents walking about, working on their independent tasks; too busy to notice Lena and Kara's presence.

"What the hell?" Lena could hear Alex's muttered voice before she could spot her.

She was in the medical bay, where she hung her stethoscope around her neck and made a beeline towards the pair. (After giving the medical team instructions first, of course.)

"Alex—"

"Do you have any idea what you've exposed her to?" The redhead seethed.

"We agreed we'd tell her!" Lena hissed back, and Kara's anger from earlier resurfaced immediately.

"Not now."

"Guys!" Both heads turned towards the girl. "I am my own person. That means I make my own decisions. And I'm standing right here!"

Alex sighed, knowing her sister is right. "Kara—"

"Don't think I'm not mad at you either, Alex."

"Kara." Lena tried, tone much softer now. "Ask all the questions you have and we'll answer them. That's the least we owe you."

"Agent Danvers." Three heads turned towards Hank, who stood on the centre of the control panels. "I believe we discussed Kara's… visit to be sooner."

Lena rolled her eyes at the word 'sooner.' Sam emerged from the corridors, although Lena wasn't surprised that she'd figured out Lena would end up here. Alex, not so much.

"Sir, Lena decided to bring her here herself. I had nothing to do with it. I can escort her out until—"

Lena and Kara made signs of objecting when Hank held his hand up to stop them. "That's unnecessary now." Hank looked at the Danvers sisters as if they were his own daughters.

Kara may not know it, but he watched over her, as he did with Alex. "I trust Kara is given the whole truth. And nothing but the truth. You know the protocol." Hank said, before dismissing Agent Vasquez, so he can monitor the questioning.

Kara sighed, thankful for Hank. She turned to face her sister. "I want to talk to you first." Her seriousness restored. She then turned to face Lena. "Then you."

The Danvers sisters walked down the corridor and disappeared, leaving Lena in anxiousness.

"Calm down."

"I'm calm."

"No, you're not."

Lena narrowed her eyes, "since when did you start working here anyways?"

Winn huffed. "About a month ago. Look, I lied to Kara too, and your knee bobbing and nail biting isn't making me feel any better."

"At least you're human." Lena muttered.

"Winn's right, Lena." Sam chimed in. "We're all at fault here."

"I know she's not going to forgive me just like that," Lena snapped her fingers. "She was… joking around. I wouldn't say happy," Lena paused, "but it wasn't like she was hating me." It gave her hope, she wanted to say.

"Kara's…" Winn sighed, "it's her natural instinct to understand. Forgive. Be compassionate. It's one of her many traits and weaknesses." He continued, "she'll treat things like a joke. Brush it off at first...but in the end, when it settles in, she does hurt."

"I know." Lena mumbled. "Everyone hurts."

"Even you?" Winn said with an arched brow, assuming the vampire was indestructible.

"Even me." Lena confirmed. "Our emotions heighten." She elaborated, roping in Sam and Winn's interest. "When we feel something, we feel it ten times harder. It's more intense. Our traits as humans are magnified when we're vampires."

"That's so cool." Winn said dorkingly.

"You think that's cool?" Sam asked with an arched brow, "you should see her fighting." She said brightening the mood.

Kara and Alex exited the interrogation room. The atmosphere growing more tense, as the two sisters looked sullen. "Lena?"

Lena nodded curtly and followed Kara in silence. Hank stood behind a double mirror; although Lena could tell he was standing behind it. She knew Alex was behind it as well, wanting to listen to Lena's side as well.

"So," Kara began.

"So," Lena replied awkwardly.

"You're actually a—" Kara stuttered.

Lena lowered her chin to encourage the word, nodding slowly, but Kara couldn't say it. It was all too real for her now.

"Vampire." Lena helped the girl, who held a steely gaze.

"Yeah. Vampire." Kara said, as if she was testing the word coming out of her mouth for the first time. "What are you doing here in National City?" She asked. "You're not behind the killings, are you?"

Lena scoffed at Kara for actually thinking Lena would do that. Although she was capable of it, she couldn't blame her.

The blonde bit back her anger that she managed to suppress. "Don't blame me for assuming that." Kara snapped. "You show up and the killings start again."

Lena tutted her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "That," She began, "would be my brother's doing."

"Lex?"

"The one and only."

Kara's face turned into disgust, "but he kissed my hand." She muttered.

"I am quite surprised your using humour to deflect this big turning point in—"

"Our relationship?" Kara said.

Lena mused, "your beliefs." She said coolly, causing Kara to deflate upon her assumption. "Or your faith, call it what you will."

"Don't think you have the upper hand here, Lena. Or do you prefer Lutessa?"

Lena shrugged, her own deflective method of sarcasm seeping through. She hated it. "Either is fine."

Kara sighed, "you didn't answer my first question."

"A fresh start, away from the Luthor name. Honestly, hasn't Alex told you all this already?" Lena looked through the double mirror, straight at Alex who shivered at the vampires accuracy.

"She has. I just want to hear it from you."

"Fine." Lena clasped her hands together. "I moved here to get away from my clan. My brother Lex, mostly. I've been friends with Sam for about four years, and as of recently she's been under my protection. I train her to fight, and the DEO enlisted Sam and myself to work for them a few weeks ago."

"Okay." Kara said, believing the vampire. Kara thought of her next question, "when you compelled me, was that the only time?"

"Yes."

"Wait. You said Sam's been under your protection."

"That's correct."

"Why'd you let a vampire bite her then?" Kara asked, and Lena tensed. It was the first time Kara caught her off guard.

"That, was my doing." Lena admitted softly, guilt in her voice. Her hair cascaded her face like a mask, afraid to admit and see Kara's reaction. "She," Lena struggled. "She's been helping me."

"So she's your human blood bag?" The reporter asked through gritted teeth. Although she was hurt Sam lied to her as well, Kara still cared for her safety.

"Was." Lena corrected. "I— I never meant to hurt her." Her voice was soft, scared and fearful. "She offered me. When I was weak. That night we met; Mike cut his hand and I disappeared… I was feeding off of her." Lena composed herself. Luthor women do not cry. "God, if I didn't, who knows who I would have attacked in that bar instead? I put her on vervain. Her blood is acid to me now."

"So… how do you survive?"

"Animal blood." Kara winced. "Alex didn't tell you that either?"

"She said it wasn't her place to say." The blonde said, and Alex internally thanked the girl. It gave Kara a chance to see Lena's remorse. To make her understand. To make her see that she's not just a crazy blood sucking vampire. "I don't know anything about you." She stated. "Alex said only you can answer those questions."

"She's right." Lena said. "So, fire away."

And so Kara did. They spoke about Lena's abilities, her heightened senses and emotions. Her biological makeup, (no doubt, Alex was scribbling everything down on a notepad in the other room) her weaknesses and her diet.

It was all done professionally. Kara asked the questions and Lena answered obediently. It wasn't until Kara started asking about her brother, when things took a drastic turn.

"Is Lex who you're worried about?"

"Everyone should be worried about him."

"No I mean," Kara fiddled with her fingers, "you said I was a liability. I'm in danger. Lex coming after me… that's what you're scared of?"

"Yes." Lena admitted, "Kara, my brother's motives of going after you may very well just be because you're someone important to me. I've explained to you about me going undercover." Kara tsked at that.

It made Lena smile, knowing that Kara still cared. Even though she called her 'an idiot! You can't just work for a murderer!'

But alas, the vampire looked at her love with serious eyes."If he found out about this, I know he'd come after you."

AN: hi guys, im so sorry i've been so neglectful of my stories. hope you all stick around. i WILL finish this story, before i start another one. jk haha... unless? also, bless season 5, honestly. its what we deserve. the gays stay winning. i also have like a stockpile of stories in my drafts so i'll be posting those, as one shots maybe? who knows. if it happens, it happens