Chapter Text
Kara’s eyes open on a world not her own. It takes time for her to realize as much, given that she lives in her same apartment and Alex is just as present in her life, largely herself save for the lack of memory from the world that was. Noonan’s is still there, and while her usual baristas are absent, the ones who are there still know her by name. Her first true beat of alarm comes when she scans her ID at CatCo and receives a red flashing light in return. She swipes it again, and the scanner whoops a brief alarm that brings security to investigate.
“Having some trouble this morning, ma’am?” the man says, resting his hands on his belt.
“Um… yeah. The machine isn’t working right…”
The guard smiles, not unkindly. “The machine is fine, ma’am. It’s the badge that’s not working.”
Kara blinks. “What?”
He nods towards her lanyard. “That’s not a CatCo badge.”
Kara’s gaze lances towards her badge, and her blood freezes when she sees the logo printed on it. LuthorCorp.
Oh shit.
“R-right,” she stammers, offering the guard a grin that’s more of a grimace. “Sorry.”
“That’s alright ma’am. We’ve all had those mornings.”
Right.
Kara’s feet feel leaden, but she forces herself to hurry down to the financial district, the ticking of the hour pressing her forward. She was barely on time to CatCo, and being late to LuthorCorp wouldn’t exactly keep her under the radar as she wishes.
At least once she gets there, Kara is quickly waved through, this time the security guards recognizing her on sight and helping her move through the crowd towards the elevator. “Thanks… Ron,” Kara reads from his name tag.
“Of course, Miss Danvers.” he says, before frowning. “Did you forget Miss Luthor’s coffee?”
The name makes Kara’s heart stuttered. “Huh?”
“She came in quite early this morning,” Ron continues. “I’m sure she’s needing a bit of caffeine by now.”
The elevator dings, and when the door opens Kara enters it automatically. She forces herself to blink and smile at Ron once more. “Don’t worry,” she says. She hopes her voice sounds hollow only to herself. “I’ve got it covered.”
Ron nods. “I shouldn’t have doubted,” he returns. “You take good care of her… even if you’re not always happy about it.”
Before Kara can question further, the door slides shut between them, and the car starts to lift. Though others boarded with her, they all exit before Kara, leaving her alone to finally push the button for Lena’s usual floor.
“Rao help me.”
—
The sight of her name on the assistant’s desk outside Lena’s office kicks Kara in the chest, leaving her almost breathless. She doesn’t see any personal items on her desk like they would be at CatCo, but her top drawer contains her favorite snacks and her handwriting covers every page in the paper calendar next to her phone.
As she settles into her chair, Kara takes a quaking breath. With a shaking finger, she presses the intercom. “Miss Luthor?”
No response comes. Kara glances at her calendar, and sees that a meeting is marked for this morning, wrapping up just about now. She can only hope she wasn’t expected to be there.
Ron hadn’t conveyed any resentment or fear when mentioning Lena, which tells Kara that Lena hasn’t developed a reputation for being nasty. But when Lena exits the elevator and strides towards her office, the look she gives Kara is frosty and sparing. It glosses right over her, and locks Kara’s throat in a stranglehold that only releases when the door closes behind her boss.
Her boss.
Lex truly is cruel.
She tries to settle in, but it’s barely a minute later when the intercom buzzes. “Yes, Miss Luthor?”
“Get me some coffee.”
Only Lena could make an order sound conversational, and yet still communicate her disappointment. Kara’s already gathering her purse. “Yes, Miss Luthor.”
She stops at the corner coffee shop she knows Lena likes– at least she did in the previous reality. As she waits, she swipes furiously through her chat history with Alex, certain that if she had any opinions about her boss, it would be there. Sure enough, there it is. Text after text of her complaining about her boss, her frustration and disdain plain to read. Strangely enough, there’s no mention of Lena being explicitly rude. Just– teasing responses from Alex that confirms Kara’s displeasure at being Lena’s assistant, and the occasional blunt request for sister’s night, clearly intending to gripe the whole night.
Kara swallows thickly. So, she works for Lena. She only works for Lena, and begrudgingly at that. More than one comment refers to Kara’s considerable pay, implying it was the core reason Kara put up with her lot in life. As much as it breaks her heart, Kara isn’t surprised. Lex would never create a world where Kara and Lena existed so closely together AND let them enjoy each other’s presence.
Well. Fine. Lex may have created this world, and Kara is one of the billions who has to live in it, but that doesn’t mean Kara has to play by the rules he created. This is her world now.
Stepping up to the counter, Kara makes her decision in a split second. “One large dark chocolate mocha with two pumps hazelnut, please.”
—
When she returns to LuthorCorp, she lifts the cup in Ron’s direction with a sheepish smile. He grins, chuckling as he waves back. She marches into Lena’s office with a brusque knock, and deposits her prize on her boss’ desk in quiet triumph.
“Anything else I can get you, Miss Luthor?” she says.
“That’s all,” Lena returns, not lifting her gaze from her computer. She reaches blindly for the coffee, and lifts it smoothly to her lips. Kara sees the moment Lena registers the taste, and the blink of surprise that follows. Green eyes meet hers. “This isn’t my usual.”
“No,” Kara confirms. Lena’s usual was black with two sugars, but it wasn’t her favorite. “Did I get it right?”
Lena eyes her suspiciously. In the end, she doesn’t acknowledge it further. “Get me the minutes from last month’s investors meeting, would you?”
Kara nods briskly. “Of course.”
She turns on her heel and returns to her desk, delving into the depths of her computer to locate the files in question. Muscle memory aids her, and it doesn’t take long. She forwards them to Lena’s email, and takes a moment to lean back in her chair and smile.
Lex has set the board for this reality. But Kara can still win.