#found another parallel

"Come to warn me away?" she drawls, left eyebrow lifting archly. "If I hurt her you'll make sure I regret it?"

James tucks his hand into his pocket. "It's not Kara I'm worried about."

That takes her by surprise. She doesn't look up, but falls still with her gaze unseeing at the report in front of her.

"Come on," he urges gently, dipping his head towards the privacy of her empty balcony. When she makes no move to rise, he pushes just a little harder. "Let's talk."

"This is not a conversation I want to have with you."

James blinks. A flash of hurt lances through his chest. "Wow."

To his surprise, Lena softens a fraction. "I just mean--"

"Come on," he says again, this time propping the balcony door door with one arm. "Let's talk outside."

The softness hardens back into reproach that stares at him balefully. James receives it unflinchingly, and when he doesn't budge she finally sweeps from her desk and stalks under his arm onto the balcony.

Once the door closes behind them, James takes a moment to tuck his hands into his pockets once more.

"Look, I get it," he starts, shrugging. "I'm not that person for you anymore. I understand. But Lena-- if you don't want to have this conversation with me, you have to have it with Kara."

"James--"

"She's walking on air because she thinks you forgave her, lock stock and barrel. She deserves to know how you really feel so she can try to fix it, and you deserve to have your feelings heard--"

"Oh, please!" Lena scoffs. She pivots sharply away from the rail, pinning him with a glare that tugs her lips into a sneer. "No one was so concerned about my feelings until now, were they? They were more than happy to let Kara continue her charade as long as she wanted, feelings be damned--!"

"You know it wasn't our secret to tell," James says softly.

Lena blinks, and suddenly they're bright with tears. "And YOU--" her voice cracks, and she inhales a shuddering breath. "When you told me Supergirl asked you to break into my vault, you didn't say it was Kara--!"

"It wasn't--"

"I went to her, as a friend, and told her everything! Like a--" Lena breaks off with a damp scoff, eyes pinching closed in shame. "I'm such an idiot."

All James wants to do is fold his arms around Lena and hold her close. To give her a refuge in which to cry, to hide her hurt and grief from the world without having to bottle it up inside.

She turns away from him, straight-backed and rigid against the rail as she turns her face to city nightscape before them. After a moment, James moves to join her at the rail.

"Then I am too," he admits in a low voice. "You know, when I found out Clark was Superman, I-- I was floored, to say the least. It was months after I got the Pulitzer, for the photo I literally took of him, and I just..."

Lena says nothing.

"I was friends with Superman at that point, but Clark-- he was my best friend. I think the hardest thing about finding out was that... it made me realize I wasn't his. And that hurt. Because he was important to me."

From the corner of his eye, he sees the minute slump of Lena's shoulders.

"What I didn't realize until that moment, is that because he's Superman, Clark doesn't have best friends. He has Lois, and that's about it. He cares about people, and he might care more about me more than others, but there's something between him and the world that keeps him from really.... connecting."

When his thoughts turn to Clark's cousin, and the shy, frazzled assistant who'd bumbled into his office his first day, James finds himself smiling. "Kara's different."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't Clark's best friend," he returns simply, "but you are Kara's. And she was terrified of losing you. I haven't seen her so torn up since Myriad, when Winn and I pitched ourselves off the CatCo balcony."

Green eyes flash in surprise.

"Clark stands apart. Always has. But Kara pulls her strength from those around her. Those ties keep her grounded, and she needs them to do what she does. You are a big part of that."

Lena turns away-- it's a little too much for her accept at this point. But she doesn't shut down either. She studies her hands, where her fingers worry each with white-knuckled focus.

"You forgave him?" she asks softly.

James nods. "Yeah. I had to. I didn't have it in me not to. But I'm not sure he would have minded if I never spoke to him again. I mean, I've barely seen him once since I came to National City, so..."

A few years ago, it would have hurt to say it aloud. But now, a country and so many friends later, it's okay. He inhales deeply, letting the cool night air fill his lungs to hide the fact that if he had to choose a distance that hurt more, it'd be the one that separated them here on this balcony.

When he turns to regard Lena, he finds her chin low, her gaze studying her hands, folded together atop the rail.

With one hand he reaches over and gently covers one of hers in his. Her palm turns to meet his, fingers lacing in a familiar, gentle grip.

"It's okay to not be okay," James says quietly. "And it's okay to feel like you need to keep that to yourself. But she can't make it right if you won't let her."

"What if I don't want her to?" Lena asks.

He inhales quietly. "Then that's your call. But don't let her believe it's cool when it's not. It's a discredit to you and to her, and everything you've meant to each other."

Lena scoffs almost imperceptibly, and James tightens his squeeze.

"She loves you, Lena. Your friendship has pulled her through when nothing else could. She relies on you, and your heart, even when you don't agree. Especially when you don't agree."

He only wishes he'd had that with Clark. The quiet night curls around them, unbroken by further words until the air grew chill and Lena finally turns to face him, leaning against the rail.

"I hear you left CatCo," she says, officially ending the Supergirl conversation.

James grins. "Yeah. I did. Turns out not all bosses are created equal. But I'm okay with that. It's time for a change. Been time."

This time, Lena's gaze is softer, almost a smile. "Then I'm glad," she offers quietly. Then a smile does curl her lips, even if her heart isn't quite in it. "You deserve to happy."

James looks over at her, and this time, she meets his gaze with no anger, no mask. Just Lena.