Just Lena Is Fine

“Um… no, no I’m alright, but thank you,”

It was a testimant to just how much Lena was impacted by the incident that even falling back on her autopilot responses of politeness and professionalism was getting difficult, she could probably walk through a hurricane and still maintain the strict demeanor of a Luthor, but this….

This wasn’t a hurricane, it was…. a tragedy….

“I see…” she noted a beat later, arms crossing uncomfortably over her chest, her eyes falling-… and… catching on the badge the stranger wore….

“You’re with the forensics unit? I… didn’t know Echo Springs had one of those, are you from a neighboring city?”

That had to be it, the murders must have caused the local police to call in outside help, Lena had never been to the police department in town before but she knew it wasn’t very big, and what would a little sleepy town like Echo Springs need with a forensics unit anyway? It’s not like they were some crime-ridden metropolis of a place, it was hard for Lena to imagine such a specialized team was needed nine times out of ten…

~*~

Dexter didn’t know what to do. How do you offer comfort to someone when you’ve never had any emotions? He might as well have been a mannequin for all the good he was in this situation. (Though if he could just figure out who was behind these deaths… Then he could really be some use. He was an excellent custodian, very adept at taking out the trash.)

“I’m new,” he explained. “I transferred in from a nearby city about a month ago. Echo Springs decided they needed to expand into a forensics unit after…” He trailed off. It was easy enough to put together. “Dexter Morgan,” he said, sticking his camera under his arm and extending his hand. “Blood Spatter Analyst.” 

“Lena,” she introduced, following up a second later with “McKenna,” and giving his hand a shake

She had gotten pretty used to going back to her maiden name when introducing herself, the pause was.... unlike her, but atleast she could use the clear difficulty of the situation as a good excuse for her blunder, if it were to come up

Hopefully it wouldn’t

“That’s a pretty unique position, I guess Echo Springs really isn’t taking this lightly, wich is a good thing, I just... wish it wasn’t necessary,”

Something about the entire situation seemed so odd though, the timing of it to strike such a previously quiet town not long after she moved here... and some tiny part of her couldn’t stop screaming that she needed to know more, just in case, just to confirm that this had nothing to do with anybody named Luthor, just in case...

“You seem pretty confident that the Lena you know is the real one, and not just… a mask, put on to protect herself or… depending on who you talk to, to trick people,”

Lena had been accused of just about everything at this point, no one ever took her at face value anymore, even when she was at her most genuine

…Except for Kara, but then, Kara seemed to be different in every way imaginable….

She had to admit, the suggestion certainly caught her off guard, here she had thought that she’d be having to convince Kara not to have her sentenced to death by court of public opinion, and yet somehow instead she was being invited to movie night….

When had she even last watched a movie with someone else?

“That….. sounds absolutely lovely,” she promised

“I’m good with anything you decide, wherever you’re most comfortable, if you want to go out though, then I insist on atleast buying you dinner, in leiu of the copious amounts of pizza we’d be missing out on, do you… have a genre in mind..?”

***

“Call it a reporter’s intuition,” Kara replied with a smile. She could tell that Lena was hurting and that putting up this front was a way of coping, but she wanted the brunette to know that she was seen for more than just the mask she put on in front of the world.

“You might regret offering to pay for pizza, because I can eat more pizza than a growing teenage boy,” Kara joked. It was true. People didn’t understand how she could pack away so much food, but it was like she had boundless energy that just absorbed all the calories like her skin absorbed the sun’s rays. “Well, I have a weakness for musicals, but I know that’s not everyone’s thing. Just… no horror movies, please.”

“Well if that’s the case then I guess reporters have better intuition than everyone else, you’d be the first who believes me to be genuine,”

She really had thought that ditching the Luthor name would improve that track record a little bit, but so far it hadn’t done her much good, it was as though bad luck followed her like some sort of storm cloud hanging over her head, only Kara seemed to be able to clear that away with her bright, sunshiney personality

“Oh I have lived with a growing teenage boy, I know exactly what you’re warning me about, but trust me, your appetite doesn’t scare me, you know my hometown had this pizza buffet at this... party place for kids, kind of like Chuck E. Cheese but not quite as germy and with better food, they must have had over a dozen types of pizza... I would just love to set you loose in there and see what happens,”

Lena had kind of always wanted to go there but ofcourse Lillian had thought it unbecoming of the Luthor name so she never had the chance as a child, and as an adult she’d thought it was too far below her pay grade too, but... Kara might just convince her otherwise.... if they ever had the opportunity to go to Metropolis that is

Murder

Now that was something Lena hadn’t expected out of this place

Echo Springs was so… suburban…. in all of the worst and the best ways, yes there were no museums in walking distance, and the biggest book store was only one floor and she had to get much more used to driving than before…

But there were also no sounds of traffic keeping her up at night, no unfamiliar neighbors moving in and out more times than she could count, no news channels that were so flooded with violent crime reports that it was all they talked about…

And yet, now….

And Lena was hardly stupid, there were plenty of things going on in this place- sure, hell just the gangsters alone had some presidence in her mind, a warning to stay away from them if nothing else, but cold-blooded murder… she had really thought she’d get away from that for atleast a few months…

“Oh… I’m sorry,” she mumbled, pulled out of her slight daze and moving away from the car, she hadn’t even realized she had been leaning on it…

“Do you… do you know if this was the same killer as last time? The… woman from a few days ago?”

~*~

Dexter had worked crime scenes long enough to know the type of people that usually showed up. The looky-loos, the gossipers, the rubber-necked middle-aged people who somehow always found a way to warp the tragedy to fit their particular brand of politics. Teenagers dared by their friends and looking cocky until they got an eyeful – then they just looked green. Moms with strollers who wanted their concern noted, very loudly. 

This woman was different. Dexter wondered for a moment if she was part of the press, since she looked so professional, but no. No she was too sincere. That was the only word for it. She was everything Dexter wasn’t, so genuinely moved by what had happened she looked dizzy. “No problem,” he said. “Hey, uh, do you want to sit down?” he asked, reaching out a hand. It felt like the sort of thing a person would ask, and Dexter was good at pretending anyway. 

“It’s hard to say for sure. We’re still in the preliminary stages of the investigation,” he said, in that calm, measured tone he used when he wasn’t sure how else to sound. “But off the record? It’s… strikingly similar.”

“Um... no, no I’m alright, but thank you,”

It was a testimant to just how much Lena was impacted by the incident that even falling back on her autopilot responses of politeness and professionalism was getting difficult, she could probably walk through a hurricane and still maintain the strict demeanor of a Luthor, but this....

This wasn’t a hurricane, it was.... a tragedy....

“I see...” she noted a beat later, arms crossing uncomfortably over her chest, her eyes falling-... and... catching on the badge the stranger wore....

“You’re with the forensics unit? I... didn’t know Echo Springs had one of those, are you from a neighboring city?”

The air was thick with the smell of pine. October sun beat down through the trees, casting shadows on the pine needles. Glinting off the pools of blood. They weren’t the problem. He was used to seeing blood, it was in his job description. Dexter Morgan, forensic expert, specializing in blood spatter analysis. He was no stranger to crime scenes. This body wasn’t a particularly bad one. He had seen worse, certainly. The woman half-buried in the pine needles, looked almost peaceful. 

But she was number five in six weeks. That was too many, too fast, even by his standards. And that was the real problem – this wasn’t his work. He had nothing to do with this, or the other four bodies he’d worked. There was a serial killer in Echo Springs. Another one. 

He snapped another picture with his camera. “She bled out from a single wound to the head,” he pointed out. “But she wasn’t bludgeoned. No, she was… pushed,” he said slowly, making a sweeping motion with his hand. “The killer shoved her to the ground with enough force to crack open her skull.” Which should’ve been impossible given the surrounding area. It was as if she’d fallen out of the sky. The detectives clearly shared his thoughts, and they started to murmur between themselves. 

Murder

Now that was something Lena hadn’t expected out of this place

Echo Springs was so... suburban.... in all of the worst and the best ways, yes there were no museums in walking distance, and the biggest book store was only one floor and she had to get much more used to driving than before...

But there were also no sounds of traffic keeping her up at night, no unfamiliar neighbors moving in and out more times than she could count, no news channels that were so flooded with violent crime reports that it was all they talked about...

And yet, now....

And Lena was hardly stupid, there were plenty of things going on in this place- sure, hell just the gangsters alone had some presidence in her mind, a warning to stay away from them if nothing else, but cold-blooded murder... she had really thought she’d get away from that for atleast a few months...

“Oh... I’m sorry,” she mumbled, pulled out of her slight daze and moving away from the car, she hadn’t even realized she had been leaning on it...

“I’m sorry,” Lena said quietly, unable to look up and look into Kara’s beautifull blue eyes

“I… I know you’re not that type of person, it’s just… the person who started those rumors was my friend, or so I thought…”

She carefully left out the word “only” in that sentence, Lena’s only true friend…. so she had thought

“I just… feel like there’s something wrong with me, every single person in my life has used me or betrayed me in some horrible way… well, every person I ever let get close to me, I suppose acquaintances don’t count,”

She paused, carefully pushing herself off of the couch and moving closer to Kara, though it was hesitant and a little unsure, like a mouse moving towards a cat

“I didn’t… mean to imply that you would… just come here for the story, it’s just… the last time I let myself have a friend she stole my royalties and then accused me of plagiarism when I found out, so… my track record isn’t great,”

***

“Well, the Lena I know is pretty cool, so I’m pretty sure there’s nothing wrong with her,” Kara said with a small smile of encouragement and a tilt of her head, wanting to do anything to lift the other woman’s spirits. She glanced around the apartment for the first time, taking in the space that the author lived in. Kara wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting.

“You know what this calls for? Movie night,” she declared with a sense of finality that was impossible to argue with. “Whenever I was upset my… parents would order more pizza than they could eat and we would put on a movie.” Maybe she shouldn’t have just invited herself to a movie night at an almost-stranger’s place. “I mean – we could go back to my apartment and watch one. Or I’m sure there’s something in the theaters! Or we could do something else. It was just a random idea anyways.”

“You seem pretty confident that the Lena you know is the real one, and not just... a mask, put on to protect herself or... depending on who you talk to, to trick people,”

Lena had been accused of just about everything at this point, no one ever took her at face value anymore, even when she was at her most genuine

...Except for Kara, but then, Kara seemed to be different in every way imaginable....

She had to admit, the suggestion certainly caught her off guard, here she had thought that she’d be having to convince Kara not to have her sentenced to death by court of public opinion, and yet somehow instead she was being invited to movie night....

When had she even last watched a movie with someone else?

“That..... sounds absolutely lovely,” she promised

Kara

Part of Lena wanted to rush to her, Kara was like a little beacon of light, a little living ball of sunshine, and Lena- and her never ending darkness of a life- was drawn to it like a moth to a flame, like an addict to a drink, but she had to fight against the enthusiasm, it was “freindship” that had gotten her in this mess to begin with after all

“That’s a bit of a loaded question,” she confessed

Don’t get too close, don’t get too close….

“I’m… sure you want a story,” she said with a sigh, forcing herself to sit up a little straighter, resisting the urge to rub any remaining tears out of her eyes

“Completely on the record, I didn’t plagiarize anyone, you’re welcome to print that in any format you wish,”

Don’t get too close, don’t get too close….

“I’m… being rude though, can I get you anything to drink?”

Don’t, don’t, don’t….

***

The Lena in front of her was so different from the woman that had gotten dinner with her. This Lena was so – tired, sad, defeated. Kara had to resist the urge to reach out and pull the woman into a hug, watching as the woman shifted into ‘business’ mode at the drop of a hat.

Kara’s shoulders drooped slightly and a frown clouded her face. “Lena… I’m not here for an interview,” she said. Maybe it was too much of an assumption to make that they might be friends, but she didn’t want Lena to think that all she cared about was the latest scoop. “On and off the record, I don’t believe the things they’re saying about you.” She paused and crossed her arms to stop herself from stepping into Lena’s personal space. “I’m here because I thought you could use a friend.”

“I’m sorry,” Lena said quietly, unable to look up and look into Kara’s beautifull blue eyes

“I... I know you’re not that type of person, it’s just... the person who started those rumors was my freind, or so I thought...”

She carefully left out the word “only” in that sentence, Lena’s only true freind.... so she had thought

“I just... feel like there’s something wrong with me, every single person in my life has used me or betrayed me in some horrible way... well, every person I ever let get close to me, I suppose acquaintances don’t count,”

She paused, carefully pushing herself off of the couch and moving closer to Kara, though it was hesitant and a little unsure, like a mouse moving towards a cat

This is why you should never get close to anyone

It doesn’t matter how genuine they seem, it doesn’t matter how freindly they may be, they’re always only going to be out for themselves and you are never going to be anything to them but a means to an end

Was it even worth trying to rebuild her reputation at this point? Amanda had done such a great job of ruining it that just a few tweets had turned her name- her new name, her reclaimed, spotless name- into mud over night

And people didn’t listen, really

They just kept their ears open for gossip and scandals, but they didn’t listen, so what would be the use in trying to talk over them and get their attention?

She could certainly never go back to social media- not that that, in it’s self, was a big loss- and no one would want her working in an industry where they thought she was a plagiarist, so was it even worth trying again? Maybe she should just let this be the thing that finally destroys her

She was so wrapped up in her own self-pity and depression that she didn’t even hear the door open, her mind completely tuned out of reality and her focus wrapped up in a digital world that had somehow gained control over the real world outside of it, enough to ruin a woman’s career with a few false claims in under five hundred words

@karazoreldanvers​

***

After the interview had gone so well, Lena had given Kara her address ‘in case she had any more questions’ and an invitation that had seemed so genuine that Kara actually felt like she might take her up on it one day. This wasn’t how she’d planned on showing up at the other woman’s (penthouse) apartment.

“Lena?” Kara asked hesitantly, inching the door open after her knock got no response and she realized that the door was already slightly open. Kara had seen the news. She didn’t want to believe it. She wouldn’t believe it. There was no way that the Lena she’d interviewed would do something as slimy as plagiarizing another’s work. The dark haired woman had been so genuine at dinner that the thought didn’t even fit well in her mental image of Lena. “Hey, it’s Kara. Kara Danvers? You said to stop by anytime. I – I saw the news. Are you okay?”

Kara

Part of Lena wanted to rush to her, Kara was like a little beacon of light, a little living ball of sunshine, and Lena- and her never ending darkness of a life- was drawn to it like a moth to a flame, like an addict to a drink, but she had to fight against the enthusiasm, it was “freindship” that had gotten her in this mess to begin with after all

“That’s a bit of a loaded question,” she confessed

Don’t get too close, don’t get too close....

“I’m... sure you want a story,” she said with a sigh, forcing herself to sit up a little straighter, resisting the urge to rub any remaining tears out of her eyes

“Completely on the record, I didn’t plagiarize anyone, you’re welcome to print that in any format you wish,”

Don’t get too close, don’t get too close....

“I’m... being rude though, can I get you anything to drink?”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly agree with you more,”

Lex immediately popped into her mind, the years of torment he wrought upon her, the things he manipulated her into doing, she felt disgusted at herself on a near daily basis for how many fear responses he had instilled in her, how many times he had overwritten her natural Fight response to Flight or Freeze

Freeze was the worst

It had taken alot of self-help guides and a few casual conversations with counselors for her to accept that she had never “let” herself be manipulated, that Lex brought a poison with him that Lena wouldn’t have been able to avoid being infected by no matter how hard she had tried, but she was finally starting to accept it and grow as a person from it

And more importantly- grow as a woman

“Have you ever heard the Mitochondrial Eve theory? That originally the human race was entirely female and, eventually, it will be again? Some men definitely make me wish those days were now,”

***

The way she spoke of men that deserved whatever punishment was coming for them. Yennefer knew that somehow Lena had a very specific person in mind, but she didn’t care to inquire further – yet. Sure, the woman had piqued Yennefer’s interest, but she wasn’t sure how deep the interest would go.

“I think I rather like this theory of yours,” Yennefer replied with a hint of a smile. “Men are rather useless in most regards. Perhaps we would do better without them.”

Lena chuckled a little at that, it was such a rare but extremely pleasing experience to hear someone agree with her, to be able to vent about her frustrations with the male race without having to worry that she would pay for it later

She may not know Yennefer well enough yet to call her a freind or anything, but it was hard to fake this kind of easy acceptance, so she doubted Yennefer was just putting on a facade for her

“Did you know some species have evolved past needing men already? Reptiles and fish mostly but it’s still almost... comforting, to know that asexual reproduction is something that actually exists, and science has come to a place of being able to turn eggs into sperm.... who knows, maybe one day women will be able to continue humanity all on our own,”

And it didn’t seem that Yennefer was turned off by science talk either- another plus