50. Walking the Tightrope

Kara's eyes went wide at the sight of her coach, leaning with a smirk against the sink of the restroom.

"Good evening, ladies. Enjoying your 'quick hello'?"

"Coach, hi!" Kara started her nervous ramble. "We uhhh. Lena lost her earring and I was just trying to..."

"You have to the count of five, Danvers. Then I want you out of my sight."

Kara snapped her mouth closed, gave Lena an apologetic look and squeeze of her hand, then darted from the room.

Lena watched her go and then turned with what she hoped was a charming smile back towards to face the coach.

"Sara, sorry for the misunderstanding, I assure you that..."

"Lena, please." Sara put up her hand as if to shield herself from the bullshit. "Spare me."

"OK, then allow me to apologize. Whatever you're about to say - you're absolutely right."

"Great, then you agree that..."

"Absolutely! Kara and I cannot possibly be seen together..."

"It's not just about what people see..."

"And as I was saying, we can't be seen together...or BE together..."

"Right, but that's not all..."

"Of course. Because we need to keep at a safe distance, so as not to distract her, or slow her recovery in anyway..."

"Yes, exactly. The stakes are too high!" Sara broke in, seeming determined to gain control of the conversation.

"I agree with you Sara. One-hundred percent."

"Not to mention the repercussions that could come to you from your own Board, if it comes out that you're together. We don't want to jeopardize future sponsor support..."

"Sara, truly. I appreciate your concern, but I can handle my own Board." In a flash Lena's tone had turned from accommodating and conciliatory, to ice cold and not giving an inch.

"Of course. I don't mean to..."

"Of course not." Lena broke in to spare Sara her scrambling. "Now, as it turns out I have no engagements tonight. May I buy you a drink?"

"And there it is. That Luthor charm I always hear so much about." Sara said with a reluctant grin.

"From what I hear, it is hard to resist." Lena chuckled.

"Then why would I even try?" Sara smirked. "You know, Australian Whiskey is not half bad. And not cheap either, so, if you're buying..."

"Lead the way, Ms. Lance." Lena gestured broadly.

"It would be my pleasure." Sara winked at Lena and offered her arm.

***

"Lucy, how could you?"

"Kara, I promise - I didn't say anything!" Lucy pleaded. "I just...Coach came down to the bar for a drink. She asked me where you were and just...looked into my eyes. She...she read my mind!"

"Lucy, give me a break!"

"It's true. Of course I didn't tell her where you were! She asked if Lena had landed, and whether she'd come to the bar - I couldn't lie about that! All I admitted was that she had. When Coach asked where she was I just clammed up. I guess when she couldn't see you or her she made the reasonable deduction that you two were together...somewhere..."

"Ugh, just...never mind! We should get some sleep." Kara said, exasperated.

"We should." Lucy agreed.

Kara lay silent for several minutes. "It's just...how am I supposed to sleep after...that?"

"Do you mean...after whatever you and Lena did in the bathroom?"

"Lucy, we didn't do anything in the bathroom!"

"Right. So... you shouldn't have any trouble sleeping, right?"

"Right." Kara agreed, reluctantly. She knew she'd been tricked, but she was too distracted to worry about it.

"Great. Then, good-night Kara."

"G'night, Lucy." Kara harrumphed.

***

The next morning Kara had called Lena in the morning, waking her out of a jet-lag coma.

"Kara..." She said groggily. "Is everything OK? What time is it?"

"I'm sorry, Lena. I just thought...well, we're in the same time zone now..."

"Though not on the same...schedule." Lena interrupted. "But it's wonderful to hear your voice."

Kara smiled to herself. "Yours too."

"Sorry about last night." Lena offered.

"If you're talking about kissing me, please don't apologize."

"Well, your coach was not too happy."

"She'll be fine. I'm supposed to be back in action at practice today, so..."

"I see. So you're going to dazzle her to the point that she can't remember finding us together in the loo last evening?"

"Ha, well, something like that." Kara chuckled.

"Well, I don't doubt it, Supergirl."

"What are you doing in Sydney today?"

"Sam and I are going to see some sights. While our girlfriends are slaving away at work."

"I like the way you say 'girlfriend'." Kara said with a smile in her voice.

"I like saying it." Lena said. "It sounds very...right."

"It does indeed." Kara said wistfully. "Well, I gotta run. Enjoy the sights today."

"Oh, I definitely will."

***

Lena's claim that they were 'seeing the sights' gave Kara the impression they would be sightseeing, but the women spent their time coordinating with Lena's security team, following up leads from Mr. Dox, and visiting the stadium to assess possible weaknesses. Lena had decided to concentrate on understanding and reducing risks to the stadium, particularly during the final matches of the Cup. There was no specific evidence to support the idea, but Lena had a feeling in her gut, and nothing could convince her otherwise. Lex always went for the biggest, most dramatic results, and would want the greatest damage to Lena. So, what could be bigger than a disaster during the finals of the World Cup? And if her hunch was correct, then he would plan the attack around the championship game, where there would be the maximum attendance and global attention. Lena was sure he couldn't resist the appeal of that spectacle.

Still, she let her security team continue as they normally would, and took on investigating the stadium security herself. She wanted all bases covered, and worried that her history with her brother might unduly influence her perspective.

Lena had connections all over the world, including Sydney, and she pulled out all stops in her investigations. She had the chief of police and his top officers, the mayor's chief of staff, and several DEO agents based in Sydney all read into her suspicions. Still, they weren't able to find something substantial to pin on Lex, and since no one could find him, there was only so much they could do.

On the night of the semi-final match Lena still had nothing substantial to go on. She decided the only thing to do was go to the match as planned and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. She didn't dare do anything to disrupt Kara's chances to play in the World Cup, and she definitely didn't want her knowing anything about the threats. The last thing she wanted was to provide further distraction to fulfilling her dreams.

So Lena decided she just had to have faith that if something was going to happen that night she would have found some clue. She'd had Mr. Dox do a comprehensive evaluation of the stadium's security system. He was hacked into to the security cameras and he and his assistant were watching everything from a suite in the same hotel where Lena was staying.

Lena had also tripled her private security force and they were scattered in key locations throughout the stadium, disguised as fans. They were all in close communication. Lena also had an ear device so that she could hear their communications, but had the volume turned completely down so that she could focus on the game. Mr. Dox had promised to alert her by phone if there was any sign of trouble so that she could turn it up and quickly be connected with the team.

So there was nothing to do but try to enjoy, or at least observe the game. She met Sam along with a few L-Corp staff and guests of the company in a VIP box for major sponsors that had an excellent view of the field. As Lena made the usual rounds to charm the other VIPs, she knew she appeared completely cool and collected, but inside her heart was racing. She felt so nervous for Kara and the team. Eventually she grabbed some champagne to calm her nerves and made her way over to Sam, the one person who would likely understand how she was feeling.

"Any news from Alex?" She said, handing Sam a glass.

"Just got a text. She said she's released Kara to play, but that Sara has decided not to start her."

Lena's heart sunk at the thought of how disappointed Kara would be.

"Maybe it's for the best. Sara is probably hoping to save her for the final game." Sam offered after seeing Lena's disappointment.

"I'm sure she's right." Lena said, in contrast to how she actually felt. "As long as they make it to that game."

Sam gave her a look and they turned at the sound of the crowd cheering loudly. The players were coming on to the field. Lena immediately spotted Kara. Her beautiful hair was easy to spot and her heart jumped at the sight of her. She could see Kara didn't have her usual happy, determined game face on and knew she must be so disappointed not to be starting. She knew Kara was a generous player who always wanted to give others a chance, but when it came to the finals she would want to be out there, and she must be hating the fact that her ankle was slowing her down.

"What do you know about the Brits?" Sam asked, eyeing England's team as they lined up.

"They were nearly undefeated this year. And were ranked higher than the US team going into the tournament."

The two women looked at each other warily and downed their glasses.

"It's going to be a long night."

***

Kara met England's team captain in the center of the field for the coin toss. The other team won the toss and decided they would be first to kick-off. Kara ran towards her team.

"OK, everyone, we've got this! This is what we've trained for - this is it! Go out there and make me proud." The players huddled up for a quick cheer and Kara headed to the sidelines. She swallowed down her disappointment about leaving the field and got ready to cheer on the team.

Despite screaming herself hoarse, both teams stayed almost scoreless throughout the first half. Kara held her breath and watched the ball zig and zag across the field, back and forth between the goals. The US team was on offense more of the time, and had many close calls where they barely missed scoring. Every time Kara was on her feet, screaming with excitement, only to be disappointed when the ball missed or glanced off the goal. Every time she jumped to her feet, Alex was there, reprimanding her to be careful about her ankle.

But with just 3 minutes left in the half, England's captain managed to bend a beautiful kick over the heads of the defenders and barely caught the upper left corner of the goal, just out of reach of Ava, who had made a full-body sidelong jump, extending her long arms to no avail.

Kara watched in shock as the other team leaped and hugged each other. The US team also seemed to be in shock, and by the time they pulled it together the time had ticked to less than a minute remaining in the half. Kara kept a positive expression, but inside felt utterly responsible for not being out there to help. When the buzzer sounded for half time, Kara sat for a minute trying to pull herself together, to create a positive spirit before heading into the locker room. The rest of the team was already at a trot off the field.

Just as Kara stood, her coach walked in front of her and looked her in the eye.

"If you're going to jump and down on that ankle from the sidelines, you might as well get out there."

"Really?"

"Should I re-think the decision?"

"No, Coach!" Kara started to run towards the locker rooms.

"Thanks. I won't let you down." She called as she disappeared to catch up with the team.

***

In the VIP box, Sam received a text from Alex. Lena happened to be looking at her from across the room when she got the text and her eyes went wide. She was in the middle of a vapid conversation with Sydney's mayor, and instead of excusing herself she simply walked off while he was in the middle of a sentence.

"What is it?" She demanded from Sam.

"Lena! You just about bowled over the Mayor of Sydney!"

"Come on, Sam. I could buy and sell that mayor 10 times if need be. What did you just find out that made your eyes bug out?"

"Kara's going in during the second half."

Lena's heart jumped to her throat. She felt equal parts joyous for Kara and afraid for her to get hurt.

"Oh fuck." She muttered under her breath. Just then a L-Corp board member appeared next to them.

"Lena, so good to see you."

"Thank you, Mr. Kote. Wonderful to see you. I never imagined you would come all this way for soccer games."

"Well, it's not just any game now, is it?" They said, eyeing Lena more closely. "Also, I managed to squeeze in some business meetings. I'm starting a new company that will be based in Sydney."

"Mixing business and pleasure, then."

"Isn't that the only way to do it?"

"Certainly. " Lena said. "By the way, thank you for making the right decision at the last Board meeting. I truly appreciate the support."

"Oh, that was truly a business decision. And my decision was based on the fact that you are the most reliable and winning Luthor."

"Well, don't let my mother hear you say that."

"Try not to be too upset with Lillian. You know deep down she loves and wants what's best for her children.

Lena fought back the urge to vomit. "Of course. And then again, she also knows where all the bodies are buried."

The L-Corp VIP chuckled deeply. "Very true."

Just then it occurred to Lena that the solution could be right in front of her. "Mr. Kote, will you please excuse me? I have some family business to attend to."

"Of course."

Lena looked at Sam and moved her jerked her head to tell her to follow. They made their way to a more private part of the room.

"What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." Sam asked, looking concerned.

"Lillian! I need to talk to Lillian. If anyone else in the world knows of Lex's plans, then it's Lillian."

"What? You mean..." Sam broke in, but before Lena could answer she continued. "Even if that is true, do you really think she would help you? After all you've done to eliminate her influence at L-Corp?"

"Well, Lillian may hate me for having her golden son locked up." Lena mused. "But she's not insane. At least not criminally. And she very much enjoys the perqs of L-Corp's success, even though she has been sidelined. The last thing she wants is for it to go under. And if I explain how close I am to shutting down the entire company permanently, well, maybe she will consider helping me."

"But what about the aforementioned golden boy?"

"She may prefer Lex, but Lillian has always come first in Lillian's heart. I just need to make a persuasive case."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again - you're brilliant, Lena. And if anyone can do it, you can."

"Thank you for noticing." Lena said sardonically. "And anyway, it has to work. We're running out of time."

Just then they heard the end of half-time sound.

"In the meantime, let's go see your girl kick some butt."

"I thought you'd never ask."

***

Kara came out on the field ready to make up for lost time and get her team out of the 1-point deficit.

"Welcome back, Cap!" Kate held up her hand for a slap as she ran in front of Kara. She couldn't help but chuckle at how much Kate's attitude had changed. At one point she'd been ready to write off any hope that they could do anything but tolerate each other. But it seemed Kara's positive approach had worn her down.

From the moment the half began she was like a woman on fire, everywhere on offense and making things happen. She was coming in fresh against players who'd already been at it for 45 minutes so she was at an advantage, and psychologically it was a huge breakthrough for the team. Kara could see it lit a spark under them.

The US team was on offense twice as much time as England. Even so, it took quite a while before they were able to score. And despite all Kara's efforts, it was Lucy who made a fantastic pass to Imra just to the left of the goal. Imra had to slide to reach it, but managed to toe it in to tie the game.

The crowd erupted, and Kara sprinted across the field to wrap Lucy in her arms and lift her in the air before the rest of the team engulfed them. After a few moments Kara pulled herself together to lead the team on.

"OK mates, tie game! Now let's show them who's boss."

They women whooped and ran towards their positions. They had 20 minutes on the clock to score while also keeping England from scoring. The game was far from over.

Lucy and Imra had a great run that had the crowd on their feet. But as Kara moved into position to help her heart dropped as the other team stole the ball and booted it back down the field. England had a phenomenal set of runs at goal, one barely stopped by Selina, who managed to block a direct kick with her body while Ava was still down from a diving block. Kara watched with her heart in her throat from the offensive line.

After many frustrating back and forths, it was Kate that ultimately made a break away play with just 4 minutes left, stealing from their midfielder and charging up the field back towards the opposing goal, where Kara and Lucy were ready. The three spread out across the field and managed to keep the ball moving as they made several short, fast passes, edging steadily forward.

As Lucy fought to get closer, a defender slid to block her, attempting to take the ball but catching her feet. Lucy went down hard but still managed to get a pass off to Kate, who immediately fired it to Kara at the top of the penalty area.

Kara could see the ball was coming just behind her, on the wrong side for scoring. With no time to back up, she pivoted and instinctively threw both feet into the air, arching up into a bicycle kick, launching the ball over her own head at top speed.

Kara landed hard, face first on the ground. Since she'd had been facing away from the goal, the defense was completely off guard and she knew it would be impossible to defend against if it was an accurate kick. As she scrambled to get up, she heard the crowd erupt and moments later was nearly tackled by Lucy as she wrapped her in a hug.

"That was fucking fantastic!" She screamed at Kara.

Kate was there a moment later "Un-fucking-believable!"

They were soon followed by half the team who were on that end of the field, whooping and hugging Kara.

"Hey, ladies, 2 minutes left - get your asses into position!" Suddenly they became aware that their coach was screaming from the sidelines. They laughed and sprinted back into their places.

England scrambled in the time remaining, but the defense kept close and they weren't able to get close to the goal for a good shot. As the time ticked away one of the players booted it from a distance and Ava easily caught the ball. She held it for a few seconds as time ran out and then threw the ball into the air and sprinted towards her teammates. The crowd stayed on it's feet, stomping and cheering as the women huddled in the center of the field.

Alex sprinted on to the field and tried to extract Kara from the melee. "Kara, watch your ankle!"

Kara wrapped Alex in a tight hug and screamed above the noise, with near disbelief. "The World Cup, Sis! We're playing for the Cup."

"You bet we are." Alex said, giving up her doctor role for a moment to squeeze her sister tight.

***

Up in the VIP room, after the score Lena and Sam had thrown all etiquette aside to wrap their arms around each other and squealed, all semblance of composure thrown to the wind. The rest of the room had erupted in cheers, and no one was paying too close attention to them anyway.

"Oh, thank god." Lena said as she caught her breath. Then she shifted away from Sam with wide eyes. "I hope Kara didn't get hurt with that last kick. She went down pretty hard."

"She looks pretty healthy to me." They looked out over the field to where the team was celebrating.

"Yes. Jesus Sam, have you ever seen anything like that kick?" Lena said with amazement. "My girlfriend is a baddass."

"Damn, Luthor, you have it bad!" Sam laughed. "I have really never seen you like this."

"That's because I've never felt like this." She said, looking out and longing to go to Kara. "Wish I could be down there."

"You'll be together very soon."

"Not soon enough." She was having such a mix of emotions, joy, pride, and longing, mixed with the anxiety of trying to remain on alert for any signs of Lex.

Just then there was a murmur among the people in the room. Lena and Sam turned towards the entrance to see what was causing the stir. Lena's mouth dropped open at the sight. It was her mother, breezing through the door like she owned the place and smiling broadly at everyone.

Lena and Sam looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Oh. Fuck."