Be My Romeo

Till death do us part

Lena and Andrea saw the gates of Verona come into view a few hours later. They came to a slow stop before they reached them.

"I'll go in first." Andrea went back over their plan, "Once I'm in, I'll confirm Kara's whereabouts and signal you if she is in the House of El tomb. Wait until the guards are in the middle of their shift change to slip through the gates. If you don't see the signal before the next guards change their next shift, then you need to go back to Mantua and you'll know that she is alive and well. We can't take any unnecessary risks, understood?"

Lena took a deep breath and nodded.

"Promise me you won't make any reckless decisions?" Andrea took hold of Lena's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Promise." Lena squeezed her hand in return.

"See you on the other side, Luthor." Andrea winked and brought her horse back into a trott as she headed towards and through the gates.

Lena watched her silhouette disappear. She was antsy with worry. Her hand slipped into her cloak pocket and she grabbed a little green vial that she had packed earlier. She examined the intricate patterns that had been carved into the glass.

"I'm sorry, Andrea. I'm going to have to break my promise."

She knew that Kara was dead. No one would be spreading rumours, if she weren't. That was something she would just have to come to terms with.

She waited patiently for Andrea's signal and half an hour later, there it was. A torch was being waved in the distance. Then the current guards walked back through the gates, leaving the gates unguarded. Lena cautiously trotted back into Verona on her horse, trying to be as quiet as possible before galloping at full speed to the House of El manor.

The sun had set and she was able to hide under the cover of darkness.

She got off her horse shortly before the garden wall and tied his reins to a nearby tree. Then, she hopped over the wall and snuck across the estate grounds. According to Andrea, the House of El tomb was under the cellar so she searched for an outdoor staircase, leading down below.

After 10 minutes of searching, she found a small staircase, leading under the manor. She had to use all of her strength to break open the door's lock and quickly went inside. It was a small, cold, dark room. The only source of light was coming from a candelabra on her left. In front of her was a stone staircase that went even further underground. Lena took hold of the candelabra and a deep breath before descending down the steps.

A chill ran down her spine, and she pulled her cloak closer around her torso. It was getting colder by the minute.

That's when she saw her. Kara. She was lying on a large stone tablet to her right. Lena's steps quickened as she made her way over to Kara. Her blonde hair was parted over her shoulders and her eyes were closed. Lena couldn't believe it. She really was dead. She had hoped that by some miracle, Andrea had been wrong. Lena fell to her knees next to Kara and stroked her hair. She tried to choke down her tears, a useless effort. She felt warm tears run down her face, a strange pleasantry, given how cold the room was. Kara's skin looked sickly pale and her hands were freezing.

"Why did you do it, Kara?" Lena whispered, resting her head on Kara's arm, "What happened to us?"

She sat in silence, mourning her wife for a few minutes before pulling the little green vial out of her pocket, almost robot-like. She pulled the cork out of the top and took a deep breath,

"This life wasn't kind to us, but hopefully our next one will be." She smiled weakly and gave Kara one last kiss.

She brought the vial to her lips and poured the poisonous liquid down her throat. It burned as she swallowed and she coughed violently. A sour taste lingered on the back of her tongue and she tried to swallow her saliva. She could feel the heat of the liquid in her stomach. A wave of nausea hit her and she clutched her stomach. Her breaths became shallow and she felt dizzy. The room was spinning, giving her a headache and she could hear her heartbeat ringing in her ears. Lena tried to grab Kara's hand but she could feel the strength leaving her body so all she could do was slump over Kara's body.

"I'll see you on the other side, my love..." Her raspy breaths echoed in the small room until her heart gave out and she laid still.

Silence filled the room until all that could be heard was the faint dripping of a leak in the ceiling.

***

Kara awoke with a start a few hours later. She blinked, trying to adjust to the dim light around her. It was cold. So cold that she could see clouds of her breath forming in her face as she exhaled. She tried to sit up but she was being weighed down by something. She readjusted her eyes again and looked down at her lap. Her breathing stopped for a moment as she realised what, or rather who was weighing her down,

"Lena?" Her voice was shaky, "No, please tell me this is a joke..."

She gently ran her cold hand through Lena's dark hair. This had to be a mistake. Lena can't be here, she was in Mantua. She was supposed to have received the message that she and Friar J'onn had agreed upon. Right?

That's when she smelled the faint smell of poison on Lena's lips. No... Kara cried quietly,

"If only you had waited a little longer! Lena, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." She spoke softly, "Perhaps there is still a way for this misunderstanding to have not been in vain..."

She looked down at Lena's face and kissed her passionately, over and over, in hopes that there would be enough poison left on her lips to kill her too. She pulled back, breathing heavily. It was no use.

All of a sudden, she noticed something gleaming in the light of the candelabra. It was attached to Lena's belt. Kara carefully moved Lena's cloak. A dagger. She slowly grabbed hold of the dagger and weighed it in her hands. It was strong. She moved her hand along the edge of the blade, watching as her warm blood trickled down her finger. It was sharp. She held it up to the light. It was perfect.

"Let me do what you did for me, let me repay the favour. I'm sorry that this is how we must spend eternity together, my love, but trust me, it will be worth it." She gently pressed one last kiss onto Lena's soft lips.

She aimed the tip of the blade over her heart and pushed with all her strength. Her screams pierced the silent air and echoed across the stone walls.