Chapter Text
Hanover - 2066 AD
It was unseasonably cold as they drove through New Hampshire, the trees fiery shades of orange, yellow and red, swirling about them in a flurry as the wind caught them in its tempest. The sky was grey outside, the first flecks of rain dotting the windscreen, and the vents blasted hot air, making the rental car comfortably warm as they smoothly sped down the road. Lena stared out the window, a lump forming in her throat as she listened to her parents bicker in the front of the car.
“Make sure you wear your winter coat, it’s starting to get cold up here,” her mother fretted.
“Don’t fuss over her, Eliza,” her other mother, Lillian, tutted from the driver’s seat, “she’s off to college, she’ll have to look after herself.”
Scoffing, Eliza bristled slightly in the front seat, “well she’s still here, Lily, so I can fuss over her a little while longer before she’s gone.”
“Mom, I’m twenty-six,” Lena laughed, “this isn’t the first time I’ve gone to college.”
Softly sighing, Eliza turned around in her seat to give her a tender look, a faint smile on her lips as she reached through the gap and gently touched Lena’s knee. “I know, I know, but last time you were still in the state at least.”
“She’s getting her PhD, for Christ’s sake! You should be proud, darling,” Lillian soothingly said, reaching out to absentmindedly pat her wife’s hand.
“I am proud,” Eliza huffed, rolling her eyes as she smiled, “I’m just going to miss her.”
“I’ll miss you too, but it’s only until Thanksgiving,” Lena reminded her.
The conversation trailed off onto their plans for the holidays, with Lillian disapprovingly complaining about how two days wasn’t nearly long enough for a family holiday. Lena was just glad that she’d be able to fly home and see them; something to tide her over until Christmas. They were going to go skiing in the Swiss Alps, and Lena was looking forward to their annual trip, knowing that after a few months away from her family, she’d crave the time with them. Eliza would make them wear matching sweaters, Lena’s competitive streak would jump out when Lillian challenged her to a run down the the black diamond slope, and they’d spend hours in the cozy wooden ski lodge, drinking eggnog and whisky by the crackling fire. There were few things Lena loved more than the holidays, and although most people would say that being an only child was lonely, she’d always cherished how close it had made her with her mom’s. They did everything together, and now that she was getting older, she cherished those moments even more.
With a small smile on her face, she recalled the first time that she’d gone to college. She’d been accepted into Berkeley and her parents had driven her across state to campus, dropping her off at her dorm and saying a tearful goodbye. It had been one of those moments that had put things into perspective for her. She’d missed them terribly, but she’d been glad they had each other. Her childhood had been one full of so much love, and she’d seen her mother’s share that too, and it never failed to make her smile to watch how in love they were. At least with her away at college, they’d had each other.
This time, she was older, and had gone through it all before. But this time it was further away. Most people wouldn’t have let their parents come and help them get settled into a new apartment for their doctorate - as a freshman, yes, but not at twenty-six years old - but Lena didn’t care. She loved that they loved her so much, that they wanted to make sure she was okay and settled. She knew that Lillian would check all the windows and locks, complain if the heating system wasn’t up to standard, and have an emergency credit card waiting to be pressed into Lena’s unwilling hands when they left. Eliza, on the other hand, would spend her time unpacking photos of the three of them, reminders of her loving family, and make sure that Lena had the hand knitted blanket that she’d been given to go off to college with. They both showed their love in different, sometimes contrasting, ways, and Lena loved them for their differences. She was glad they were coming with her.
Still, the time went by quickly. They arrived at her new apartment, a modest size and within reasonable distance to the campus, and not too close to the old money buildings, where the rich students would live. Lena wanted to be comfortable, without people knowing too much about her wealthy upbringing, so that she could focus more on her work than worrying about what other people would think. It was going to be hard enough trying to get people to take her seriously as it was, being a woman in a scientific field. Engineering wasn’t typically seen as a female driven area, but Lena was good at it, she was smart and determined, and she had plans. She would prove them wrong by getting her doctorate on her own merits, without them thinking that her mother’s had bought the newest wing at the Berry library to bribe her way through admissions.
The apartment wasn’t shabby by any means though. It was a red bricked building, like most she’d seen passing through Hanover, with large arched windows letting in plenty of sunlight and old wooden floorboards, and beams in the rafters. It was on the top floor, mostly all open plan, and was already fully furnished with the furniture that she’d picked out and had delivered a few days before. The rest of her belongings were boxed up and collecting dust as they waited to be unpacked, having been packed onto a removal truck a couple of weeks ago and sent across the country to await her arrival at Dartmouth.
For three days, Lillian and Eliza helped her unpack, setting books on shelves, assembling the sturdy workbench for her projects, carefully unwrapping plates and bowls and setting them in cupboards. They lived off cream cheese bagels and chai lattes from a quaint coffee shop around the corner, ordering Chinese at night as they sat around her new dining table.
Eventually they had to leave though, and Lena hugged them goodbye, blinking back a stinging feeling in her eyes, holding them tightly and promising to call every night. Lillian had a penchant for handwritten letters too, and she promised she’d write once a week, while Eliza was placated with the promise of Facetiming once in a while so that she could see her face. Knowing that she didn’t need her mom’s to fuss over her anymore, but understanding that they needed to to make themselves feel better about living in a house empty of any children, she withstood the reminders and the fretting with a warm feeling of amusement kindling inside.
“I’m having your car sent over next week,” Lillian told her, “if you need us to rent you one until-”
“I can walk to campus,” Lena reasonably assured her.
“And here’s a credit card, in case of an emergency,” her mother told her, slipping a black plastic rectangle into her hand.
Biting back her protests, Lena nodded and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans, before wrapping her mother into a hug, feeling small as Lillian towered over her. Hugs from her had always made Lena feel safe, like a little kid again, as she was lovingly held close, and she breathed in the familiar perfume, dating back to her childhood, blinking quickly a few times, before pulling back and smiling up at her.
“I’ll see you for Thanksgiving,” Lena assured her.
“You’ll be great,” Lillian quietly assured her, giving her a small smile. Her mother was always stoic, and tried to remain aloof when an unwanted emotion threatened to overwhelm her, and Lena could see her resolve wavering slightly as she looked down at her. “I love you.”
Wrinkling her nose as she smiled, Lena reached up to touch Lillian’s arm, “love you too, mom.”
Turning to Eliza, she let out a soft sigh, taking in the woman already dabbing at her blue eyes. Letting out a self-deprecating laugh, Eliza shrugged as she gave Lena an exasperated look. Reaching out to cup her face in her hands, Eliza gave her a stern look. “Now make sure you look after yourself. I don’t want you coming home for Thanksgiving looking half-starved. Make sure you eat-”
“She knows how to feed herself, darling.”
“She’s inherited your worth ethic, Lily. I have to tear both of you away from those projects half of the time. If it wasn’t for me, you’d both starve to death trying to assemble something.”
Lena bit back a smile listening to them bicker, and threw her arms around her mother, holding her tight and feeling arms come up to wrap around her. Swaying side to side slightly, she let out a soft sigh and pulled back, letting Eliza kiss her on the cheek.
“I love you, mom,” Lena assured her, “I’ll call you once you’ve landed.”
“Love you too, sweetie. I’m so proud of you.”
She gave Eliza a wavering smile as she watched her mom’s blue eyes swim with tears, and gave her another quick hug, before she sternly told them that they had to leave before they missed their flight. It wasn’t much of a concern, given the fact that they could easily book tickets for the next one, but Lena didn’t want to drag out the goodbye for any longer than she had to. In a strange combination, she had Lillian’s stoic nature, but the facade was quicker to crack to reveal Eliza’s tender emotional side, and she could already feel a lump forming in her throat. Standing out on the sidewalk, rubbing her hands over her arms as her bottom lip quivered - with the cold, she assured herself - she watched both women climb into the car, and waved them off as they waved in return. She stood outside until the car disappeared from her sight, and wandered back inside to get on with things.
There was plenty to do as well, including making sure she had all of the books she’d been meaning to buy for her research, as well as a few knew tools to keep in her workspace, and meeting the faculty members she’d be working with. There were a lot of great professors at the Ivy League college, and she was relishing the thought of getting to work with them. The days leading up the start of the semester were spent with Lena meeting various people at the college, reading up on the curriculum and getting to know her way around campus. She found a cozy corner in the main library on campus, and she made frequent visits before the term started to take a look at the resources available to her.
Before she knew it, a week had gone by. She’d called her parents every day, as promised, and had mailed a letter off to Lillian that Sunday, detailing everything she’d done so far, including a few photos she had printed from her walks through Hanover and across the campus. On Wednesday, she’d met with her supervisor that morning, enjoying the bracing fresh air as she passed by trees with leaves curling up at the edges as they wilted and fell, taking in the swarm of students making their way towards campus for early morning classes, and made her way towards the red bricked building of the engineering school. She spent a few hours running over her thesis over coffee in the man’s office, before she wrapped up for the day.
With a few chores to run, she picked up some groceries, bought a new wrench, and then went back to her apartment to deal with the laundry that had started to pile up. Her building had a laundry room in the basement, and she carried the canvas bag of her dirty clothes into the elevator and down to the sub-level basement, by-passing the office of the apartment maintenance handyman, following the dingy lighting down the damp hallway and stepped into the brightly lit laundry room. The smell of fabric softener and heat hit her, and she realised that the room was already occupied.
A woman was sitting on top of one of the dryers in the basement, a kind look on her face as she softly whistled, her booted feet drumming a rhythm onto the metal as a load of clothes tumbled around inside. Lena slowly stepped into the room, her bag of laundry bundled up in her arms, and she studiously ignored the stranger as she pulled open the door to the washing machine and shoved in her own laundry. Turning it on, she leant back against the machine and busied herself with her phone, listening to the whistling of the woman. Casting a furtive glance up at her, Lena took in the professional attire, a pair of heels, slender legs crossed at the ankles, nimble fingers flipped a coin and caught it again.
When Lena met a pair of warm brown eyes, a jolt ran through her to find them steadily meeting her gaze. She felt like perhaps she should’ve been embarrassed, but the woman was giving her a friendly smile around the quiet tune she whistled, the shining flicker of the silver coin turning over and over again in her hand. Her hair was a soft brown, her skin lightly tanned, and she lounged on top of the dryer as if she didn’t have a care in the world, or anywhere better to be. Averting her gaze, Lena busied herself with checking her emails as she waited for her load to finish.
“Cold today, for this time of year,” the woman eventually said.
Looking back up, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, she met the woman’s eyes. “Is it? I haven’t been here long.”
“No? I could’ve sworn I’d seen you around before,” the woman said, giving Lena a smile that she could’ve sworn was bordering on flirting. She couldn’t have been much older than Lena was, and Lena had to admit that she was pretty.
Giving her a small smile, Lena shrugged slightly, unsure of what to say. The sound of the machines was too loud for them to make idle conversation without a purpose, but she could sense those brown eyes watching her closely as she messaged her roommate from when she was at Berkeley. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she crossed her arms over her chest, her lips pressed together as she quietly drummed her fingers on her coat sleeve.
Looking up at the woman again, she watched as she ran the coin across her knuckles and made it disappear from sight, giving Lena a quick wink when she caught her staring. Letting out a surprised laugh, Lena couldn’t help but smile, arching an eyebrow slightly.
“So, what’s your name, new girl?”
“Lena.”
“I’m Sam.”
Nodding politely in her direction in acknowledgement of the introduction, Lena turned to check the dial, taking in the minute movement it had made, and wishing that the wash was over. She was regretting not letting her mother’s cover the rent of the nicer, fully furnished apartment she’d been eyeing, with the laundry room and the large fireplace. She wouldn’t have had to wait around in the basement of her building, trying to make small talk with some neighbour she didn’t know. Sam seemed friendly enough, but Lena wasn’t quite so sure that they’d become friends. There was something about the woman that was at odds with her, and she knew it from the few minutes she’d been waiting with her. She wasn’t the kind of person Lena would be friends with, although she was pretty enough, and friendly. If she was flirting - and that was a big if, because Lena wasn’t sure if it was just friendliness - it was nothing more than playful fun.
“Heads or tails?”
Blinking a few times, Lena raised her eyebrows again, taking in the coin held between thumb and forefinger and the crooked smile on Sam’s lips. Pausing for a moment, she cocked her head to the side and stared at the coin. A soft smile touched her lips, and she shrugged.
“Tails.”
Giving her an appraising look, Sam smiled and flicked the coin, her brown eyes intense as she watched it flip end over end, completing its arc and dropping back down into her palm. With a quick movement, she flipped it over onto the back of her other hand, wincing in a playful manner as she slowly uncovered it. Her shoulders slumped slightly and she gave Lena a grim smile.
“Tails it is.”
The dryer she was sitting on came to a shuddering halt, followed by almost deafening silence, and Sam sighed as she hopped down off the top, pulling the door open and pulling out her dry clothes. Neatly folding them, she stacked it all in the basket sitting on the floor, and tucked it under one arm, holding it with ease as she turned back around.
“Well it was nice to meet you, Lena. Perhaps I’ll see you again.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
With a quick smile, she gave Lena an expectant look, holding the coin up for her.
“How about one last try?”
There was a wry twist to her lips as she smiled, her eyes burning brightly, and Lena had the funny feeling like she was missing something, as if Sam knew a joke that she didn’t. As if the outcome of this toss would mean something to her. Giving her a wary look, Lena let out a hesitant laugh as she shook her head. Gesturing for Sam to flip it, she watching the small silver coin flash in the air again, and Sam gave her an expectant look.
Chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, Lena shrugged. “Tails.”
Uncovering the coin again, Sam gave her a resigned smile, a flicker of something that Lena could’ve sworn was regret in her brown eyes, and she let out a wistful sigh. “Tails it is. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
There was an undercurrent of bitterness to her words, and Lena gave her a small smile as she watched the woman take the basket of laundry with her, a backwards glance over her shoulder being the last look of her that Lena got. Frowning slightly with confusion, feeling as if there was more to the interaction than she was aware of, she shook her head, pushing thoughts of the strange pretty woman from her mind as she waited for her load of washing to finish.
The sky was starting to turn grey around the edges by the time her laundry had finished, and she carried her neatly folded pile back up to her room, dumping it on her bed and sitting down in front of her laptop to Facetime her mom’s. Eliza answered first, her sunny smile lighting up the screen, and Lena felt a soft ache in her heart as she listened to her mom call for Lillian. Soon enough, both women were there, hurling question after question at her, quicker than she could answer them, and she felt a pang of homesickness. Still, she told them about her day, and listened to what was going on in their life, and by the time she was hanging up, dusk had started to descend.
Stomach rumbling, and a night at the library planned, Lena grabbed her coat and bag, before making her way to the little ramen place she’d found two blocks away. She ate her noodles in a quiet corner, savouring the spicy broth and picking at her tofu with chopsticks, a warmth taking the edge off the coldness of the evening as she ate. She lingered a little while after she’d finished eating, enjoying the aroma of the restaurant, and the pot of green tea she was steadily making her way through, but she left eventually, making the walk towards the library, passing by bars and cafes, small restaurants and art galleries, bookshops and boutiques. College students milled about, and she could hear the low bass of music rattling some nearby building. Still, it was a peaceful walk, the night full of so much potential, and Lena was ready to spend an hour or two fishing out long forgotten engineering papers and printing out a few articles she’d been meaning to glance over.
She arrived at the main library with a sense of comfort at the thought of so much knowledge and books present in one place, and walked towards the front door, intent on getting lost amongst the stacks. Unbeknownst to Lena, a few shadowy figures were watching from the rooftops, hidden amongst the vents and pipes, the old fashioned chimney stacks and perches on the eaves. There were four of them in total, a few of the ones who had decided to stay instead of being reborn. At first, it was just Kara and Lena, with Lena having suffered her punishment for long enough, and granted the mercy of a chance to live a full, human life with Kara. Shortly, a few others had clamoured for the same right. The ones who had also fallen in love, while others had decided to accept their fate on Earth.
As merciless as Rao was, he’d granted Lillian and Eliza the small gift of toying with time a bit, so that when Lena was born, it was to them, decades after she'd asked him to make her human. As selfish as he was, he hated to see his creations suffer as such, and in a small moment of tenderness, he gave them the greatest gift of a family. The same was said of Kara and Alex, born as sisters, just like they’d always been. Others who had gravitated towards each other in their past life had also found each other, as if there was some internal magnet that drew them together. Some of them had a family of their own already, but as if there were some leftover remnants of the curse clinging to Kara and Lena, they hadn’t met yet. Lena was twenty-six, the oldest she’d ever been, and her old friends who watched from afar were getting impatient. They’d been forbidden from tampering with fate, from forcing their paths to cross, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air as they watched from their various rooftop perches, the air heavy with anticipation. Tonight was the night; they could feel it as they patiently waited, the darkness of dusk keeping them hidden as the hours wore on.
Eventually a dark figure stepped out of the dark mouth of the library, a stack of papers held safely in her arms as her breath plumed white before her. It was a cold night, and the moon bathed everything white with its brightness. Sitting below the large clock on the tower’s front, Winn peered down eagerly, a smile on his face as he spotted the familiar form of Lena.
“This is it, this is it,” he excitedly whispered.
James was lounging at the other end of the building, leaning against a chimney at the edge of the green roof, and quietly chuckled. He glanced down at the form hurrying down the path edging to the left of the muddy green. Near-barren trees dotted with brown and orange leaves rustled in the dark, a quiet hissing sound disturbing the hushed quietness as crisp, fallen leaves blew along the grass, and Lena was alone with her thoughts as she carried her research with her. Bundled up in her coat and scarf, she was warm enough, but her cheeks were bitten by the cold, making them a rosy pink as she passed beneath the yellow lights illuminating the courtyard.
“Where is she?” Ruby asked, leaning precariously close to the edge of the roof as she leant over, a frown creasing her face. She was aging slowly thanks to her half-Kryptonian DNA, but she was no longer the excitable teenager that had been Lena’s roommate a few decades ago; now she was an excitable adult. She looked eerily like her mother. Yet she was with the rest of them, quietly cheering on the woman she’d considered a friend, as she waited for her to fall in love.
A hand grabbed her by the back of her jacket and pulled her back with an exasperated sigh. “I know you can fly, but now would be a bad time to fall. You might ruin their meeting.”
“Oh, come on, Jack,” Ruby laughed, “you’re always so serious.”
Still she scrambled back up the sloped roof, settling down like a roosting pigeon and watched the shadowy figure with an eager look on her face. Looking around expectantly, she waited for the blonde to enter the courtyard, her heart beating loudly in her chest as she waited for the inevitable moment. It had to be this moment. They were so close this time. Jack, sat beside her, wearing one of his impeccable suits, a look of happy resignation on his face, knowing that this was the way things were meant to be. For all his faults, he knew he wasn’t right for Lena, and he was there to wish her the best, a silent support hoping that she’d meet Kara.
From over on the clock tower rising from the top of the library, gritting his teeth, Winn gingerly leant forward, his whole body tense with the expectation of the meeting. He could feel it, and so could everyone else, all of them instinctively leaning forward. The unseen watchers had been waiting for this, hoping their old friends would be given this happiness, and there was a heaviness to the night, an important quality to it, as if it would be the night that things changed.
And then three figures stepped out into the the yellow glow of the courtyard, laughing as they walked down the path, taking a shortcut across the green as they made for the opposite side of the campus. Two of them were arm in arm, familiar figures with a clear air of love about them as they ducked their heads together, laughing and quietly chatting, bundled up against the cold and oblivious to their surroundings. The third dawdled a little, her hands buried in her coat pockets and her blonde hair ruffled by the wind as she followed after her sister and her girlfriend.
“There she is!” Ruby softly exclaimed, a bright smile splitting her face as she looked down.
Everyone scattered across the rooftops seemed to relax slightly, pleased smiles on their faces as they looked at one another, giving quick nods as if in congratulations, as if they’d been the ones to orchestrate this. Yet it was something to celebrate, something that they all hoped to have for themselves one day. It was an open-ended offer, to be reborn as a human if they fell in love, and they all felt a little more at ease to know that if they ever fell in love and decided to ask Rao for this gift, they would be able to find each other. Kara and Lena were proof of that, as were the others. As it was, Alex and Lucy were so clearly happily in love, and that was testament enough to the undeniable power that love could have on two people if they were destined to be. And Alex and Kara loved each other too, in a different way, and even that had brought them together again as sisters.
Despite his best efforts, Winn’s eyes prickled with tears as he softly smiled, a feeling of warm happiness welling up inside. This was it. This was the moment, and he was so happy he was there to witness them fall in love for the last time, after so many centuries of watching it begin and end so quickly. Here was a time when he could watch it and know, with certainty, that they were meant to be, and they would finally find the happiness they’d always wanted. Both of them were free from all their pain and heartache, the heaviness of grief and guilt, and he wished that he could be closer to it, right there with them as their friend, but he was content to watch, missing his friends from afar, even as he was filled with joy for them.
And then Kara passed by the junction of the path before Lena made it there, following after Alex and Lucy, lost in her own little world, oblivious to the small sounds of surprise from the rooftop guests as they watched the moment slip by. She didn’t see one of the dark figures push off from the green roof, landing lithely a ways to her left, right above where Lena was currently walking past one of the wings of the library, a wry smile on his lips as he gestured to his waiting kin.
“They just need a little help,” Jack softly said, his voice softer than the breeze as it carried to the Kryptonians sensitive ears.
Looking down at the woman he’d once thought he could love, he softly smiled, his dark eyes flickering over to Kara, who was oblivious to her. She wouldn’t be for long; no one could ignore Lena’s presence. There had been times he’d killed for the brunette, done anything to protect her and keep her safe, in the name of loving her, although he knew he was wrong in thinking that she was for him. And now, he would do anything to help her. Help her get that happiness that he’d tried to steal from her, the happiness that was about to slip right through her fingers. Rao be damned if he was going to sit by and watch them be separated a moment longer. For millennia he’d watched them be in love, and to think of them not in love with each other for even a moment longer just felt wrong. With a flicker of amusement, he thought it something against the natural laws of the world, as if the universe was out of balance if Kara and Lena weren’t together. It was far from how he would’ve thought even fifty years ago, but he knew that this was his moment to make amends for all of his mistakes. He could give his old friend this one selfless gift.
So he gently blew, using his superhuman breath to create a flurry of wind, which snatched at the papers and books in her arms, buffeting her as she slipped on a patch of mud and dropped her load as her arms windmilled to catch her balance. Paper scattered in the wind, pages ruffled as the wind forced books open, and a cry tore from Lena’s lips as she scrambled after them, her hands snatching out to try and save her research. It was all backed up on her laptop, of course, but she’d just spent an hour photocopying resources and printing documents to go over at her favourite coffee shop near campus, and now they were splattered with mud and being swept away with the wind.
Scrabbling for pages, shutting books, and trying to get everything into a solid stack to fight off the sudden breeze, she looked up as foot gingerly came down on the edge of the page she’d been reaching for. Looking up, she took in the soft look on the kind face, the gentle curve of the lips as the woman smiled, a flicker of some unreadable expression in her eyes as she looked down at Lena. She held a few lost pages in her hands, and shifted them all into one as she bent down and freed the one from beneath her boot, adding it to the pile and holding them out to Lena.
Speechless, partly because of how pretty the woman who’d come to her rescue was, and in part because she hadn’t expected a stranger to come to her aid, Lena silently took the pages, grateful that her cheeks were already a rosy pink from the cold as she felt herself blush slightly. Clearing her throat, she gathered up her belongings and climbed to her feet, the blonde woman rising with her, and she gave her a sheepish smile, looking up to meet the taller woman’s eyes.
“Thank you.”
Kara, who had heard the small cry of despair and had rushed over to the nearest scattered pages which had blown towards her, gave Lena an eye crinkling smile, showing perfect white teeth as she smiled and waved the thanks aside. Her nose crinkled in an endearing way, and Lena looked down at her feet, a nervous fluttering in her stomach for some unknown reason. There was almost a feeling of anticipation, as if she’d been been there before, and had expected it again. Yet that was impossible. Still, for some reason, they both stood there staring at each other, wrapped up in the moment as if waiting for something to happen. Lena felt like she could’ve stayed there all night, some instinctive pull keeping her rooted to the spot, as if she was enchanted by the mere presence of Kara. And Kara was likewise frozen, staring at her with unbridled curiosity, as if she was trying to understand Lena, her eyes so intensely blue in the yellow wall light that Lena would’ve sworn that Kara saw every bit of her.
“Kara?”
A shout broke them out of the hushed silence of the moment, and both of them jumped slightly, whatever fragile magic of the moment being shattered by the sound of the voice calling out. The blonde woman turned and raised a hand at the two figures stepping back into the courtyard, one of them raising her arms in a silent question.
Turning back to Lena, Kara gave her an apologetic look, “I, uh, I have to go.”
“Thanks for your help,” Lena gratefully said, giving her a soft smile as she lifted her sodden work in acknowledgement.
Giving her an easy smile, making her feel warm inside, Kara shrugged dismissively, “it’s no problem at all.”
Nodding, Lena wiped a few smudges of dirt off the pages, a grim look on her face as she resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to make do with the muddy papers for the time being, she waited for Kara to leave. But the blonde hesitated for a moment, a slight frown gracing her face as she gave Lena a bewildered look, biting her bottom lip as she paused, before letting out a shaky laugh. Rubbing the back of her neck, Kara ducked her head down, and Lena swore that she was blushing, making her stomach lurch slightly. Looking up again, Kara gave her a sheepish look, and Lena smiled in return, feeling intrigued by her, not wanting the moment to end for some reason.
“Sorry,” Kara eventually said, tilting her head to the side, “I just- have we met before?”
A small crease formed between Lena’s eyebrows as she shook her head, looking up at Kara. She would’ve remembered meeting her before, she was sure of it. There was something about her, some instinctive thing that made Lena want to know her, but she knew that they’d never met before. She shook her head and gave her a soft smile. “No, I don’t think we have.”
"You just- you look so familiar. I could have sworn we've met somewhere before."
A nagging thought tugged at Lena’s mind at her words, and she had the feeling that she knew her too. She wasn’t sure how, or why, but she felt like she knew Kara. There was some unfathomable reason, but she felt that flicker of familiarity too, even though she knew that she’d never laid eyes on her before. There was something about her eyes and her laugh, something that made Lena feel like she should’ve recognised them, like she’d looked into them before, and heard that laugh before. But she was sure that was impossible. She would’ve remembered; she was sure of it.
“Maybe in another life,” she said with a wry smile, eliciting a laugh from Kara.
“What’s your name?” Kara quietly asked, holding out her hand.
Eyeing it with interest, Lena juggled her work and reached out, taking hold of the outstretched hand and finding it surprisingly warm, despite the cold of the evening. Giving it a quick shake, she smiled, a genuine one, and Kara smiled down at her in return, both of the oblivious to the quiet cheers and encouragements coming from the Kryptonians sitting on the eaves of the library rooftop.
“Lena.”
“I’m Kara.”