L-Gym

Chapter 8 - Ace

It was after 4:00 PM when Alex strode into the DEO. A jittery Supergirl, with an energy bar in each hand, was twirling in one of the chairs. At her sister's presence, she hurriedly finished one energy bar and joined the agent.

"Nothing?" Alex asked.

"I found some oily residue on a chair in an empty apartment in one of the buildings across from Luthor Corp. It's being tested, but I think it was gun oil. The chair was next to an open window."

"Probably to stabilize a sniper rifle. Any kryptonite?"

"I couldn't feel any. If it was there, all hint of it was gone before I showed up. It could have been in a lead-lined magazine, but I think we're just dealing with everyday ammunition."

"So you're safe, but Miss Luthor is still in danger. I like it better, but I still don't like it."

"Speaking of Miss Luthor," Supergirl looked left and right, "did she mention me again?"

"You? Oh, you." Alex nodded, her voice hushed. "Yeah, she asked about you. Apparently, you two are supposed to have dinner plans. She asked if it would be okay to have you brought to the safe house, so she didn't have to cancel."

"What did you say?"

"What should I have said? Do you want to have dinner with her?"

"If I say yes, am I in trouble?"

Alex squeezed Supergirl's forearm. "She's not her brother. Her life is going to be under constant scrutiny, and that's not her fault. Then again, her life is going to be under constant scrutiny. Involved with a Luthor isn't exactly life under the radar."

Supergirl nodded, sighing, "I think she's going to break up with me. Well, more like say our dating is a bad idea since we haven't even started to date yet."

"Why do you think that?"

"She told me we needed to talk."

Alex's face contorted as she sucked in air through her teeth. "Yeah, that's not good. I 'needed to talk' to a lot of guys when I was in college. Though to be fair, when I said it wasn't them it was me, it really was me."

"Even if we did date, would I ever be able to tell her who I really am? I mean, would the DEO sign off on that?"

"Hey, no one decides for you who you can date but you and the person you're interested in. The real question is, are you up for the challenges this particular relationship will bring? After what happened in Metropolis, a relationship between a Super and a Luthor won't be easy."

"You're right," Supergirl replied with a nod. "Maybe her ending this before it begins is for the best."

"That's not what I said. Being in the closet and playing straight was easier for me, but it wasn't better." Alex placed a hand on either of Supergirl's shoulders, a steadying force in uncertain seas. "Sometimes the hardest path is the best. You need to decide if it's worth the struggle."

Supergirl smiled and enveloped her sister in a gentle but unyielding hug. "You're the best sister in the galaxy, you know?"

"Just one galaxy?" Alex replied with a chuckle.

"Several. Your good advice almost makes me forgive you for making me go to the gym in the first place... almost."

Alex stepped back, a smile still on her face. "Hey, if this thing with you and Kara works out, you owe me. I expect—"

"Agent Danvers, Supergirl, my office," Director Henshaw called out with his ever-present half-scowl painting his face.

Alex nodded over at him and grabbed her sister's hand, stopping Supergirl's progress when the hero tried to head to the office. "Not a word to the director. Don't even think about Kara romantically when we go in there."