39. Kara's Training Montage

It was the day after the Harvest Festival and team Underdog, with their newly cemented members from the CatCo trio, had taken over the Fairham room at the crack of dawn to come up with a new strategy. Kara had made the introductions between her old and new friends; Nia had been instantly welcoming and gracious whilst Brainy eyed the new members with no small amount of suspicion. James immediately endeared himself to Nia with his usual suave and charm (further increasing the glint of wariness in Brainy’s eyes) whilst Winn remained close to Kara’s side, having always been shy around new people especially those that so clearly mattered to his friends.

The team settled around the conference table and an awkward silence fell as four sets of eyes all turned towards Kara.

The realisation that they were looking towards her to lead hit Kara with a start that had her barely resisting the urge to gulp.

Kara had never shied away from running her own projects and taking charge when needed but on those rather infrequent occasions it was for short-term activities that had a clearly defined goal. This was the first time she was faced with being a leader in a less than clear-cut set of circumstances and with a rather ambiguous start and end point. There was no previous example for her to follow and limited prior experiences in her life that she could draw upon for inspiration.

Growing up she had looked to Alex for direction.

Then it was Snapper.

Then James.

Then Nia and Sam.

Now she was on her own and everyone was looking to her for direction.

Admittedly, it wasn’t like she was going in blind to this. She had chosen to do this. To take on this responsibility just yesterday.

Lena, after Kara had spent the evening catching up with her two best friends that had surprised her, had explained to the blonde what needed to change and why. Lena trusted Kara to do what was right but if she was constantly looking over her shoulder or expecting someone else to step in she would never show Theonia who she really was. She would contort and twist to fit the needs of others. Therefore, the best thing to do in Lena’s opinion (because she would never make any drastic changes without Kara agreeing first and foremost) was to eliminate that as an option.

Kara could no longer be passive and led by others.

Kara was to take charge. Nia was her second-in-command, her main advisor but Kara was the one responsible for deciding the way forward and destination, Nia would direct the team and do everything in her remit to get her where she wanted to be. But it was Kara that would tell them to run into the abyss and hope she had a good enough reason for doing so.

(That does not mean that Kara was without a strong support system or a sturdy safety net. Lena had reminded her time and time again that she wasn’t alone and that there was support and guidance on hand if she needed it. Kara wasn’t being thrown into the deep end to see if she would sink or swim, Lena would never let that happen. Instead, Kara was simply being given the room to grow and flourish without others telling her exactly how to do so).

Kara took a deep breath and thought through what she needed to succeed. 

Lena had suggested over breakfast that morning, as Kara had been deep in thought, that Kara try to put whatever problem she was facing into a context she knew and figure out how she would approach it under those familiar set of circumstances. 

So that’s what Kara decided to do.

What would she do if this was an article she’d been given to write?

First, she would want to complete suitable background reading of the topic. Did she understand the audience? What were the current pre-conceptions of her target audience? Would they respond better to an interview with the aim of making the subject more engaging? Or was engagement already high and sheer facts were what was required? 

Kara could acknowledge that when it came to her role as the Queen’s future wife - Brainy, Nia and the rest of the people working at the palace had done an admirable job of answering those questions for Kara but she was still missing some crucial information. Kara assumed the main aim of keeping her in the dark with regards to certain aspects was to shield her from the negative views of a large proportion of the Theonian people and also partly because everyone was merely guessing at what information Kara would find useful. Now, though, Kara was in the driving seat and she knew that she needed information to get them to their destination. 

Second, she needed to know what she was working with. If this was an article, she would need to know the form it was being presented in (e.g. how many words was she limited to, was it a light and fluffy piece or an in-depth analysis), could she perform interviews with subject matter experts and was there data available for her to review. She needed to know what her limits were and what tools she had at her disposal.

Only once she had those two elements could Kara start to shape and plan out her article. She needed to complete those two actions first before everything else.

Her thoughts finally ordered, Kara took a deep breath and gave her first set of directions, “Brainy and Winn, can you work together to carry out market research by reviewing social media and news?” 

Brainy and Winn both shot each other assessing glances but nodded in agreement without complaint.

“Anything in particular you would like to know?” Winn inquired curiously as he started to pull his laptop free from his bag. 

“I want to know what opinions there are of me across different groups, as many as possible. The news media may present something different to what the majority of people think. Brainy might know best how to break it down and provide context of why people have different views. In other words I want to know how I’m doing against different demographics.”

“Oh! Like what I used to do for CatCo?” Winn exclaimed as Kara nodded in answer.

Brainy, meanwhile, still looked weary but willing as he suggested, “Maybe Winn and I should retire to a different room to work through this?”

Winn glanced from his laptop to Brainy to the single large table they were all sat at and quickly saw the reasonableness of the proposal, “Yeah, good shout.” Winn agreed, shoving his laptop back into his bag as him and Brainy both got to their feet. “I need to find somewhere with an ethernet cable for the internet, anyway.”

“Not anymore you don’t. The Palace now has its own wi-fi,” Kara revealed with a proud smile before adding in a secretive whisper, “her majesty really likes netflix. Brainy can get you access and help you find the most popular Theonian social media platforms.”

Brainy nodded once in acceptance of the task earning him a beaming grin and a muttered ‘awesome’ from the techno-geek that eased away any remaining suspicion from Briany’s eyes.

The two exited starting up an easy conversation, which alleviated Kara’s worries about the newly crafted team considerably and left Kara with James and Nia.

“And what about us?” James inquired curiously, folding his hands on the table as he waited with an encouraging smile.

Kara let out a nervous chuckle, “I need you guys to help me figure out what we’re working with.”

Two pairs of brows furrowed in confusion at the statement and both of them asked in unison, “What do you mean?”

Kara barely resisted calling out ‘jinx’ as she squared her shoulders and began her explanation of what she needed to know, “Well…”

James uncapped the red whiteboard pen and scrawled in the very centre of the board in all-caps, ‘KARA DANVERS’, he then drew an unintentionally crooked line down the middle to divide it into two somewhat equal sides. At the top of the left hand-side of the board he wrote ‘STRENGTHS’ and on the other side he wrote ‘IMPROVEMENTS’. 

Kara appreciated the subtle substitution of the term ‘weaknesses’ for something less confidence destroying. James, though, had simply rationalised that whilst there were certain skills Kara lacked, these were most likely due to a lack of experience/practice, therefore they weren’t weaknesses they were merely skills that had to be given time to develop.

James turned back to face Kara and Nia, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, looking almost as uncomfortable as Nia about the task required of them. Neither of them had outright disagreed with what was being asked but they were steadfastly loyal to Kara and didn’t like to think they were pointing out faults. Kara had to take the time to reassure them and then remind them why she needed their input. Whilst Kara was working on being better at self-reflection, she needed an outsider’s perspective who could point out things she might be blind to. 

It had to be James and Nia for this exercise.

Winn and Brainy would have struggled to engage with the activity - they were both too protective of Kara and wouldn’t point out areas that she needed to work on. (Brainy might criticise Kara’s history and etiquette knowledge but they could be taught easily to her; he would not have been able to point out character short-comings or her lack of skills that are less academic in nature - he was too rigid to societal customs, afraid of pushing against boundaries that he was deeply familiar with). 

James, however, had been Kara’s manager and been helping her with her development plan at CatCo, he knew her well and could articulate abstract concepts in a way Kara would understand. Likewise, Nia in her previous job role had to regularly give feedback and constructive criticism to her clients to benefit them, and Nia had seen Kara in her new role more than anyone. She knew what skills Kara would need and if she had them.

“Okay…” James breathed once Kara gave him another final nod of confirmation, “let’s have it.”

Nia cleared her throat, straightened up in her seat and gave the first response, “For strengths, empathy.” James didn’t disagree with the suggestion, and quickly scrawled it in the middle of the left-hand side of the board.

“Easily flustered.” Kara offered up, knowing she had to be the one to break the ice for the ‘improvements’ side. James paused for a second, before pursing his lips in acceptance and writing it on the right hand side of the board.

After that, Kara’s attributes and negatives flowed consistently from all three. Some underwent further discussion as they tried to give context and evidence of each to ensure the correct descriptor was selected and its place on the board warranted. 

“Science background.”

“Knowledge of the media.”

“Propensity to get lost in thought.”

With each descriptor going on the board, Kara was surprised to find her confidence growing rather than decreasing. 

Yes, there were a few words on there that disappointed her but... they were her. She couldn’t deny that. 

“Writer.”

“Strong moral compass.”

“Sense of humour.” 

“Hey! I think Nia meant for that to go in the strengths section!”

“No, she didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Altruistic.”

“People-pleaser.”

“Curious.”

“Public speaking.”

James made to write that last one down on the strengths side of the board, cutting in to explain as Kara inhaled sharply signaling her aim to disagree. “You are good with public speaking, Kara, just not in large crowds.” 

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Kara scoffed, unconvinced.

James shook his head slowly as he turned to look her directly in the eye, “No, you can make impassioned speeches to small groups. That’s still public speaking.” He pointed out, “It's just the size of the audience that needs improvement.” With that he wrote Public Speaking on both sides of the board one with an asterisk and one without before stepping back awaiting Nia and Kara’s seals of approval.

Kara opened and closed her mouth, unsure how to respond when Nia declared without hesitation, “Agreed.”

Kara bit her bottom lip, before sighing in resignation, “Keep it on the board.”

With every word, Kara found herself understanding herself in a way she never had before. She could finally see what other people could see when they looked at her. 

It was a liberating experience.

And Kara intended to make the most of what she had learned going forward.

Later that evening, Kara was sat at the kitchen table surrounded by an array of items; on her left was an empty bowl that had been previously filled with a stir fry that Lena had made up for her to eat in advance, knowing she had a late video conference with President Marsdin that meant they wouldn't be able to eat together as was their custom. Just off to her right was a propped up tablet showing a quickly snapped picture of the completed 'Kara Danvers' board, nearby was her laptop pushed back for easy viewing of the data Brainy and Winn had gathered whilst a heavily scribbled over notepad took centre stage.

Kara had been frowning down at her notes for the last twenty minutes when she was pulled out of her mental quandary by a pair of arms slipping around her waist and a soft pair of lips brushing against her cheek. Kara didn't even flinch at the sudden contact, the waft of lavender and the familiarity of Lena's body meant all her defenses lowered without hesitation and she sunk, willing and pliant, into the warmth of her fiancée's embrace.

“How did it go?” Lena asked gently, nuzzling into the side of Kara's head as her hands slipped under Kara's shirt and stroked softly up and down Kara's sides and stomach.

“Good… for the most part…” Kara breathed out, her eyes falling closed as she shivered at the first cool touch of Lena's fingers on her heated skin. “I have a much better idea of where I am but… no idea where to go next." Kara murmured in explanation, her voice deepening as she luxuriated in the feeling of being held by the woman she loved. Lena hummed in response before planting soft kisses along Kara's jaw that eventually enticed the blonde to open her eyes and turn her head to capture the other woman's lips in a deep kiss that left them both breathless.

Eventually, Lena pulled away but not before giving Kara a quick kiss and lightly running her fingers teasingly once more over Kara's abdominal muscles making them dance instinctively. The queen settled on the seat beside Kara, who in turn didn't hesitate to link their fingers knowing the other woman loved physical contact but was still only just starting to learn how to ask for it. 

Lena squeezed her hand in gratitude before glancing down at Kara's pile of notes, “Can I help?” Lena inquired her tone half shy and half eager causing Kara's heart to swell with even more affection than she thought possible. “I can be your sounding board or give advice? Whatever you need, my love.”

“That would be great actually.” Kara replied, fatigue just starting to make an appearance in her voice as the events of the day and being where she felt safest (with Lena in their kitchen) finally caught up with her.

“What have you got so far?” Lena inquired, as she looked over everything in front of Kara with an assessing gaze, a small smile of approval appearing as she glanced at the data gathered by Winn and Brainy only to be replaced by a deep frown at Kara’s list of ‘improvements’.

Kara immediately squeezed their joined hands to keep Lena from delivering yet another speech extolling her virtues. She quickly commenced a rambling summary that had the propensity to go off on odd tangents every now and again as she talked Lena through what she had set her team doing today and everything she had learned from it. She now knew what sort of events would better showcase her strengths and what triggers she needed to avoid.

She’d also learned that whilst the Theonian tabloids were starting to turn against her, the broadsheet newspapers were still somewhat undetermined on their stance towards her. Kara’s prior job as a highly reputable reporter (who many people had believed had been short-changed for not being nominated for a Pulitzer last year for her groundbreaking report on Theonia’s International Policy) had meant that those far more in the know with regards to the rest of the world (like the broadsheets) were hesitant to paint her as a full-fledged disaster when there was clear evidence in her past that showed off her true capabilities. 

With regards to the people themselves, the biggest surprise was how variable their view was of her. Whilst the harvest festival had no doubt had an impact, many people familiar with her ‘National City Heroes’ piece were cheering her on or waiting for more information and there were others still that were so steadfastly loyal to the Queen that they supported, without hesitation, the woman that had brought such obvious joy to their young monarch’s life.

In other words, the research showed it was still all to play for.

The Theonian people had not written her off and wanted to give her a chance to prove herself.

And Kara did not want to waste this chance.

“I mean I have ideas of things I can do but…” Kara trailed off and nibbled anxiously on her bottom lip as she flipped through her scribbled notes.

“But?” Lena prompted softly, her foot grazing Kara’s calf to encourage the blonde to look back towards her.

Kara, huffed out a dissatisfied breath as she turned to fully face her fiancée as she admitted, “I’m not going to make a big impact with really small events.”

Small events would suit Kara’s strengths perfectly, she worked well with small groups of people, even better one on one but she had significant doubts that she could get any substantial gains from a strategy that focused on only a few number of people at a time. If she was running for local council or prom queen at high school, maybe… but trying to win over a country…?.

And that’s why Kara had been stymied for the last two hours. 

Trying to find another solution that fitted all her requirements and skill-sets.

“Hmmm…. I disagree.” Lena muttered thoughtfully after a long minute of reflection.

Kara blinked rapidly, taken aback by the calmly delivered assertion, “You do?”

Lena pursed her lips and nodded, “Yes, but it wasn’t until you said that that I realised why. Maybe we’ve been thinking about this all wrong.” 

Kara’s brow furrowed, “How so?”

Lena tilted her head to the side as she appraised the data Kara had displayed on her laptop, “We’ve been approaching this using the tactics of the dominant force rather than the growing rebellion.” Lena remarked, earning her a noticeable eyebrow raise from the blonde that caused her cheeks to flush red as she replied with a dismissive roll of her eyes, “What? You use journalism, I use war. You use what you know…”

Kara’s amusement at the analogy vanished in a heart-beat at Lena’s response, her stomach twisting viciously as it always tended to whenever she was reminded of the pain and turmoil the love of her life had been forced to go through at such a young age.

Lena’s nonchalance evaporated as well upon seeing the effect her casual words had; her expression softened and she shot Kara an apologetic smile before adding sadly, “It used to be science and engineering, but… things change.”

Kara’s heart cracked at that, and she couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to the raven-haired woman’s forehead as she breathed out, “Lena...”

Lena exhaled shakily, allowing Kara to keep her lips pressed to her forehead, accepting the love and comfort freely provided for far longer than she once ever thought possible before pulling back. She flashed Kara a grateful smile to let her know that the action had been more than welcome, then she cleared her throat and returned to her previous point. 

The tender moment between them started to fade, but continued to hum in the background, an ever-present reminder that their relationship was solid and supportive at its heart. Nothing came before each other and they proved that time and time again.

“Anyway….” Lena began, her tone shifting away from quiet and vulnerable back to her more familiar thoughtful voice. “The techniques we have been using might not be best suited to our position.” Lena hesitated momentarily, reconsidering her sudden shift away from her past experiences as a less than subtle defense mechanism that she did not need when solely in her love’s company. 

Kara merely waited quietly and squeezed her hand to show she was happy with whatever Lena chose to do or not do next. 

“When… it all started…” Lena whispered slowly, her eyes dropping down and away from Kara’s as she lifted up the veil to her past traumas just the tiniest bit, “we didn’t have resources or members. No revolution starts like that. It starts with an idea, a small spark that spreads. It starts with a few good people that pass it onto others and so on and so forth.”

“Is that what happened?” Kara inquired, running her thumb over the back of Lena’s knuckles encouragingly and to help ground her, “Is that how the war started?”

“I guess you could say so.” The dark chuckle that Lena gave out alongside a twisted grimace made Kara hold Lena’s hand all the more tightly. She barely resisted shifting closer, wanting to act as a physical shield to whatever dark memories were stirring in Lena’s mind’s eye but the fear of disrupting Lena prevented her from doing so. “It started in Sam’s village, then it spread. Before that… you couldn’t really call it a war.” 

Lena shook her head bitterly, and Kara could only helplessly watch her fiancée’s jaw tighten as Lena ground her teeth together in a bid to push back against whatever images or thoughts trying to drag her down. 

Kara waited patiently, Her thumb continuing to stroke back and forth. Back and forth.

She was intent on being a calm port for Lena to reside in whilst whatever storm raged on.

Once enough tension had ebbed away, Lena continued on, her voice warming back up to something Kara was more familiar with as it tended to do when she spoke fondly of her people. “We never did big gatherings; it was too dangerous. For the first two-thirds of the war, it was small, impassioned conversations in people’s living rooms. Taking time. Treating them as individuals. Getting their input. Letting them be seen and heard.” Lena sighed, shuffling closer to Kara until their knees were pressed against one another, the further point of contact between them an additional boon to their souls. “What I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to do big crowds and events to succeed, my love.” Lena asserted, reaching out to cup Kara’s cheek, “In fact, it might be a detriment… not because of any lack of skill on your part but purely based on the message it sends.” Lena smiled warmly at her, as her hand dropped from Kara’s cheek to press against Kara’s chest, right above her heart. “You just need to speak from the heart to people that are willing to listen.”

“I love you.” Kara blurted out unable to stop herself, so overwhelmed by the sudden realisation of how… good her relationship with Lena was. Kara knew she loved and trusted and supported Lena. And that, likewise, Lena loved and trusted and supported her in return. But it took Kara until this moment. This quiet moment, filled with care, affection and respect for each other for her to see that this was the exact relationship she’d always wanted.

It was one of equals.

They both needed support for different things and both gave it to the other selflessly.

They listened to each other.

Cherished each other.

But they also gave each other space when it was needed.

Lena was giving Kara space to grow and develop on her own terms.

And Kara was giving Lena space to figure out how best to reconcile with her past.

“And I love our relationship.” Kara declared sincerely before adding regretfully, “I don’t think I say that enough.” 

“I love our relationship, too.” Lena agreed as her hand slipped from Kara’s chest down to cover their already joined hands before they both leaned forward to kiss softly. “Did that help, then?” Lena asked once they had pulled back.

Kara nodded, sure and certain in a way she never thought she would feel. “Yes, yes it did.”

Lena beamed at her as she got to her feet, “Souffle to celebrate?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Winn had quit his job. 

It had been a quick decision but not an easy one. When he first started at CatCo it was intended to be a stop-gap, a temporary step on his way to bigger things. Then it became a permanent safety blanket that he clung onto, afraid of taking a leap out into the unknown. 

It was a job. 

A decent paying one, without a doubt. 

And, most importantly, it was safe. 

It didn’t set his world on fire, didn’t make him spring out of bed but it paid the bills. So he stayed. Then, with Kara’s significant influence, it changed for the better. It wasn’t just a job to pay the bills. It was something that gave him purpose and a challenge in life. It was suddenly a reason to get out of bed in the morning without solely being about income. 

Then Kara had left (at his encouragement).

The job was still good. Still just as good.

He enjoyed his work and what he accomplished.

But now… after watching Kara take the leap into the unknown, ride off into the sunset in pursuit of bigger challenges and bigger joys, Winn had felt something stir inside of him.

Some might call it ambition but Winn merely viewed it as the desire for more .

More out of life, more out of his job and more for and from himself.

So when the Theonian Queen phoned him personally and offered him a role (dependent on Kara’s approval) to support his best friend and take on a completely new challenge… he had said yes without hesitation.

He was ready to take a risk. He had faith in his own capabilities and that of his best friend’s.

This was a risk he wanted to take.

He was finally ready and able to let go of his safety blanket.

James, however, was a different matter. 

He loved his job. Really loved it.  

And it was apparent to just about everyone at CatCo that Cat Grant had selected him to be her successor when the time eventually came. She was mentoring him and giving him a clear career path. He was an editor with the view of becoming a senior editor in the next two years, and a department head within five.

It wasn’t a quick nor an easy decision to make when Her Majesty made her offer to him.

But… a compromise was made and it was all thanks to Cat Grant.

She offered James a secondment. He could take the role with Kara’s team for a year and a half. It would allow him to develop his team-working skills, build up good contacts in a country no other international media really had access to yet and give him an interesting perspective by working on the other side of the media. Then at the end, he would return to his editor role for six months to show off his newly developed skills with the aim to promote to senior editor at the end. 

Whilst Cat made a good show of this offer being about growing talent but keeping it within CatCo, anyone who had been in the CatCo offices’ the day Kara’s interview announcing her as the Theonian Queen’s fiancée came out, knew differently. The media mogul had a soft spot for the blonde and wanted her to succeed. 

On that day, Snapper had gone round the offices loudly berating any reporter that got within his vicinity about their failure to get the scoop of the decade (especially since it had involved one of their own) whilst intermittently muttering proudly under his breath, ‘well done, blondie’. (No one commented on the fact that Snapper kept a copy of the Times with Kara’s front page interview in the top drawer of his desk from then on.) Cat, meanwhile, sat every CatCo employee down individually and told them in no uncertain terms that they were not to speak to other journalists, or themselves publish anything, about Kara’s history during her time at CatCo. 

(Cat claimed it was to protect corporate secrets but everyone knew it was to preserve Kara’s privacy as much as humanly possible.)

She had arranged the deal with James so that he didn’t feel guilty about supporting his friend and a previous employee that she, herself, was protective of.

Arrangements made, James and Winn boarded the private jet arranged by the Theonian Queen that same day. On the plane, the television was displaying Theonian news allowing James and Winn to watch the Harvest Festival debacle play out at least twenty times on a loop before they reached their destination. At least they both knew what they were now heading into and that they had made the right decision purely based on it meaning they could be there to provide support and comfort to their dear friend.

Upon arrival they were taken straight to the Palace, where the Queen (insistent that they call her Lena) greeted them with a grateful and welcoming smile. She personally showed them to their own set of rooms to call home before taking them to a room to wait whilst she fetched Kara.

The second the CatCo trio was reunited it was like no time had passed at all. They settled back into their friendship with no difficulty. Lena gave them an hour to themselves before returning with Alex in tow, their cheeks slightly ruddy from having started a bottle of wine together that Alex refused to share with the rest of them claiming it to be too good. 

Reminiscing was the theme of the night.

Kara clearly wanted an evening away from the reminders of the day and was so adorably eager to make Lena laugh with her past antics that James, Winn and Alex kept the stories coming until the room was so filled with warmth and laughter that the Harvest Festival was on none of their minds by the time they all adjourned to bed.

The day after Kara had made intel gathering the name of the game, they were all back in the conference room. Winn went out of his way to sit with Brainy since they had bonded over the activity from the previous day. Kara had also encouraged Winn to be friendly to the academic revealing that he was someone worth having in your corner but was somewhat shy when it came to making friends. Brainy greeted him with a flicker of a smile that reassured Winn’s worries about his own shyness about making friends (he wondered fleetingly if Kara had given Brainy the same encouragement about him - he wouldn’t have been surprised).

Kara shifted nervously from foot to foot as she stood in front of them, a stack of notes in front of her that she kept glancing down at for guidance whilst her thumb tapped against the band of her engagement ring for reassurance. She eventually took a deep breath, lifted her head and told them her plan.

It was elegant in its simplicity.

Small events supporting less covered issues and charities. Not big raucous events with swarming crowds that wouldn’t play to Kara’s strengths. Kara needed to prove she was learning about her new home and was willing to listen to the Theonian people - how could she show those things when she was making speeches to a large faceless crowd? 

Start small and build momentum.

Kara had even picked out, with Lena last night, a top ten list of charities and organisations she would like to get involved with. Nia and Brainy both confirmed that none of them were big or national in their scope. They were localised to different areas of Theonia, with modest resources and a dedicated personnel beyond passionate about making a difference to their community on a range of issues. 

James and Nia pressed for more details, drawing out the steps they would need to complete, and figuring out how best to implement Kara’s strategy; whilst Brainy and Winn, instantly got to work researching the charities and pulling out the background they would need in the long-term.

Winn knew then that Kara had it all under control. That she wasn’t just going to make it… that she would exceed .

She was about to do what she did best.

Inspire.

And he couldn’t wait to see it happen.

“Two charities for miners, Kara?” James checked, turning in the front seat so that Kara, Winn and Brainy could fully see the skeptical expression taking up his face. 

“Two different charities with two different focuses.” Kara reiterated, only glancing up fleetingly from the stack of documents that she was making her way through and annotating every now and again. Winn, who had drawn the short straw taking the middle seat, was struggling to type on his laptop as he was repeatedly jostled by the movement of the car. Brainy was on his other side, clearly regretting not insisting on accompanying Nia who had arrived at the charity headquarters ahead of them to make sure everything was ready since he was getting regularly jabbed in the side by Winn’s wandering elbow.

They were heading to the fifth charity on Kara’s original list. 

Among the first four organisations Kara had reached out to was a group, set-up by midwives at National City Hospital that carried out regular fundraisers so that they could provide new mothers with limited resources with a much needed starter kit to help them in the immediate days after childbirth. (Lena may or may not have kept Kara in bed for nearly twenty-four hours after having been spammed with photos of Kara cradling newborns - it was lucky that they didn’t have to worry about the potential of having a child out of wedlock at how dedicated Lena had been that weekend).

(Lena and Alex had also both insisted that Kara could not get involved with any animal welfare organisations until she could promise that she wouldn’t overfill the palace with a menagerie of creatures… Kara couldn’t…)  

Kara spoke to everyone involved at each charity and those that were being aided by it. Her visits did not have huge coverage by the media at Kara’s own insistence, she didn’t want to be in the spotlight for these events. They weren’t about that. Not to her, anyway (which was probably the biggest point of contention with those in team Underdog more studied in the political nature of the news). 

They were long days filled with conversation and learning. Kara built connections and nurtured them.

After each visit, Kara would write an insightful and heartfelt post for her social media (the Theonian equivalent to facebook and twitter was ‘Spark’ denoted by its lightning bolt icon) bringing light to the organisation she worked with and highlighting their hard-work and dedication. This was then reviewed and tweaked by James and Nia before being posted. Winn was the main person in charge of her social media, he wheedled through the thousands of comments making a highlight reel of those that he thought Kara should personally review and reply to, he responded to smaller comments and built buzz for her upcoming activities. 

Their strategy was not giving them massive gains but it was proving effective.

There was a lot more positivity around Kara now but it was a low buzz rather than an exuberant cheer.

Kara didn’t really seem to mind, she was counting victory differently to everyone else. She saw victory as a warm and welcoming smile from her new countrymen. She saw victory as waking up next to the love of her life who never forgot to tell her how proud she was of Kara’s work. She saw victory as learning something she didn’t know about her new home. She saw victory as giving time and attention to those that worked tirelessly for the benefit of others.

And by those standards, Kara was getting gold nearly everyday.

“That share the same interest group.” James pointed out.

Kara sighed and looked up from her reports with a neutral gaze as she stated simply, “You disagree.”

James flushed embarrassedly, “I don’t… disagree … per se.” He muttered, shrugging helplessly, “I just… it's not the best move we could make…”

“Good thing this isn’t a political move then.” Kara said simply flashing him a teasing smirk.

“I know that, but-”

“No buts.” Kara cut in, her gaze turning sharp for a passing second before softening, she knew James just wanted the best for her. Him and Nia were both of the same mind and had approached her separately and together about this particular issue purely because they cared, so she couldn’t hold it against either of them. “I’ve made my decision. This is important to me.”

James pursed his lips as he assessed her look of resolve, finally he nodded and smiled at her, “Okay then I’ve got your back all the way.”

“Thank you.” Kara smiled back in return.

Winn, who had kept his head down during the conversation, offered up a change of subject by asking a question that he already knew the answer to. “So what’s this one do that’s different from the last one?”

Kara eyed him knowingly but just couldn’t help herself from replying especially about causes she was passionate about. “The previous charity focused on providing medical aid and legal resources to miners that developed long term conditions due to the poor working conditions they were forced to operate in. This charity is about providing job support for out-of-work miners due to the closure of the majority of the mines. Most miners have struggled to find employment due to a lack of qualifications and training for other roles. This charity provides financial aid and career advice to help them find new employment.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Winn commented encouragingly.

“Exactly.” Kara agreed with a beaming grin.

“I’ll keep building up buzz on social media.” Winn said, as he returned to the task at hand, prepping posts in advance and going back to the posts related to the other miner charity to see if there were any comments he could pivot from to highlight their new endeavour. “Are you planning to release a statement afterwards?”

“Yeah. Nia and James will help me craft it.” Kara assured.

“What about me?” Brainy inquired, leaning forward in his seat, eager to get involved. Kara hadn’t given him much to do for this event and it was making him antsy. 

Kara tilted her head to the side and murmured slowly, “I have a couple of ideas that I'm hoping you can help me with but I want to talk to the charity heads first before I put them into action.”

Winn, James and Brainy all exchanged curious glances at that.

“What are you planning?” James questioned, his tone half-amused and half-suspicious.

Kara merely ducked her gaze back to her work and smirked, “To start actually doing something of use.”

They arrived at the charity headquarters less than ten minutes later, Dunn who was primed for their arrival having swept the area in advance was quick to return to Kara’s side and lead her into the building. There was a small smattering of local newspaper reporters that Kara waved to but didn’t pause to interact with. 

Once inside the building, Nia gave her a quick overview of the key members she would be meeting and some of the charities’ most recent activities. She was then handed over to a group of young volunteers that explained their supporting roles as they gave her a tour of the building before leading into a nearby meeting room where an older woman, dressed smartly, with auburn hair tinged with white streaks stood waiting whilst smiling widely at her. 

Nia, who had been accompanying Kara, as James disappeared off to snap some photos of the charity personnel at work, made to introduce them but was prevented from doing so when Kara stepped forward to shake hands with the older woman like she knew her already.

“Hello again.” Kara greeted warmly.

“My lady, I knew I would see you again.” The older woman replied, causing Nia, who was watching on, to blink rapidly in confusion.

“You did?” Kara asked, surprised but pleased.

“Hmm… just a gut feeling, my lady.” The older woman hummed sending a conspiratorial wink.

“Please, call me Kara.” Kara insisted.

“Only if you call me June.” June requested in return.

Nia continued to look between the two of them, waiting for some form of clarification.

“June it is.” Kara assured before quirking an eyebrow as she asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”

“Funnily enough I’m here because of you. Because of what you said to me all those months ago.” June revealed softly and gratefully.

Months and months ago, Kara had spent a handful of hours listening to June share story after story of her husband, who had passed away. Speaking to June had been the first time Kara had made a real connection with a Theonian on her own and outside of the palace. Her conversation with June had been the very reason why there were two charities on her list related to mining. June was the inspiration for her entire strategy.

“You encouraged me to reach out to others in my community. Other women… widowers… suffering the same loss so that I could offer back the same support you had given me.” June admitted, her fingers playing with the slightly tarnished gold ring on her finger, seeking comfort and strength. “I, along with them, realised that we had been living in the past and seeing only our own losses. We realised that there were people still suffering, people that we could help to prevent them experiencing the same hardships that we had been through.”

Kara eyes widened with realisation, “You started this charity?”

“Not on my own.” June revealed ruefully.

“Your grief support group?”

“Yes.” June declared proudly, glancing back over her shoulder where a group of women of varying ages stood. “We had a wide range of backgrounds and qualifications and figured we might be able to use that to help in some way.”

“That’s… that’s incredible.” Kara breathed out in awe.

“Thank you.” June murmured suddenly shy.

Kara’s entire face shone with joy and pride, and she cleared her throat as she asserted sincerely, “June, I would love to help out more if I can… More than just a short piece of publicity that is.”

June raised her eyebrows, “What did you have in mind?”

“Kara, lovely to see you again.” The science minister said, swiftly moving round his desk to shake Kara’s hand warmly, before gesturing for her to take a seat.

“And you, Jonah.” Kara returned with equal enthusiasm, before inquiring after his husband. “How is Kyle?”

“Splendid as usual,” The minister revealed, lighting up at the mention of his partner, “he’s rather enjoying being a stay-at-home dad. I think he loves the princess tea parties more than our daughter.”

“That’s wonderful.” Kara cheered, as Jonah settled back behind his desk.

Since moving to Theonia, Lena had been quick to introduce Kara to a number of allies that she could lean on for support. Jonah, the science minister, was one of Lena’s most trusted officials and friends, whilst Kara had worked with the minister previously as a reporter it had been enjoyable getting to know him on a personal level.

“What can I help you with today, my dear?” He asked, folding his hands expectantly in front of him.

Kara fiddled nervously with her glasses, “How do you know I’m not visiting just to catch-up?”

Jonah chuckled at the question, “Her majesty has gushed more than once about the look you get when you’ve set yourself a goal that you mean to accomplish.” He waved a hand towards her face, “And now I can see it with my own eyes.”

“Nothing gets by you, does it?” Kara sighed.

Jonah pursed his lips, his tone a smidge more serious than earlier. “I wouldn’t have made this far if it did.”

Kara, during her travels, had realised the war had left a mark on every Theonian, all of whom handled it differently. She did, however, find that those that had been in the thick of it (either leading or fighting) never directly referred to it. They all had the propensity to shy away, making small nods towards the events and its effect on them through darker expression and ambiguous wording. 

She recognised the same behaviour in Lena, Sam, Dunn and now, also Jonah.

Kara cleared her throat, a gentle attempt to pull the minister back to the present and his far more eager persona, “I was wondering if you would be interested in helping me with something.”

Jonah instantly shifted forward in his seat to better keep his focus on their conversation. “What would that be?”

Kara took a deep breath, running through what she knew and what she was about to suggest one more time before forging ahead, “From what I’ve researched the majority of your focus when it comes to education of STEM subjects have been on youths and diversifying institutions of higher education.”

“Correct.” Jonah accepted.

“Well, that's missing out a large chunk of the population, don’t you think?” Kara pushed earning her a thoughtful look from the minister that encouraged her to continue. “University is not accessible to older people that never received a strong education to begin with and their age excludes them from resources supplied to younger generations. There is a large number of older communities that face prolonged unemployment because they don’t have the skills necessary to compete with the education of others and since Theonian has shifted away from manual labour intensive jobs, they have limited options to turn to. The science and technology sector is one of the biggest employers in the country and these people have no way of accessing it.”

Kara fell silent as Jonah thought through what she had said. He tapped his chin as his gaze went distant and introspective before finally becoming sharp and assessing.

“What would you suggest?” He questioned.

Kara exhaled slowly, trying to slow her racing heart. This was so important to her and the people she had come to know and care for. Gathering her courage and confidence she declared, “I have a few ideas.”

Jonah grinned, pulling his keyboard towards him and readying himself to type, “I would love to hear them.”

Kara suggested a number of initiatives inspired by: her knowledge of other measures in place in other countries and her time with various Theonian people. The main thing she did, however, was get June and a number of her other co-founders a meeting with Jonah where they could put forward their own ideas alongside Kara’s suggestions.

One of the key suggestions was providing coding and programming lessons to out of work miners, providing them a new skill-set with which to seek out work. Jonah had given the concept his support and had worked to provide funding for a pilot program. With a tentative seal of approval, Kara gave Brainy the nod and he set to work, driving it forward, calling on all his links to various universities to get the program off the ground and be as big a success as possible. 

Kara had been running the show for over a month and team Underdog had found its groove. James and Nia worked seamlessly together, bouncing ideas off each other and instinctively leaning on each other’s strengths. James handled the big name media, knowing the ins and outs of how they worked to play them against each other whilst Nia had the stereotypical ‘I know a guy’ going for her; she had contacts in just about every town, company and division in Theonia. Winn was Kara’s everyman, her main ally that kept her head above water, and was always on hand to give her whatever she needed a minute before she needed it. Whereas Brainy was all big picture, she gave him a project and he ran with it, making it his own and giving it his all to make it a success.

They had just finished their team meeting, Kara was set to see her last two organisations from her originally selected ten over the next two weeks and the coding pilot program was set to kick off in a month. The team were filing out of the room, heading off to carry on with their own pet projects and workload. Kara needed to get ready to accompany Lena to an event at the National City museum, they were opening a new exhibit showcasing Theonia’s interactions with the wider world. It would serve as a testing of the water - if it did well, the museum was hoping to make links with international museums in the hope of reaching out to borrow some of their artifacts to ignite excitement for world history.

Kara, however, noted that Nia was lingering behind and casting her less than subtle glances so Kara slowed down her packing up.

Once everyone else had departed, Nia coughed awkwardly, “Hey, Kara… ummm… can we talk?”

“Of course, Nia. What’s up?” Kara moved round closer to Nia, and leaned against the table, waiting patiently for the chief-of-staff to say whatever was on her mind.

“I just…” Nia grimaced, her eyes darting to the door seeking an escape route before she waved a dismissive hand, “I’m sorry, you know what? It’s stupid, forget about it…”

Kara straightened up and reached out to place a reassuring hand on Nia’s shoulder, ducking her head slightly to make eye contact with her friend. “If something’s affecting you it is most definitely not stupid and I want to hear about it. No judgement. Anything you say stays between us.”

Nia opened and closed her mouth before inhaling sharply and blurting out, “I… I just wanted to check that you were happy with my performance as your chief of staff…?”

Kara blinked in shock at the tentative question and rushed to correct whatever misunderstanding must have occurred to prompt such a thought in her chief-of-staff. “Beyond happy! I couldn’t do this without you. Did you think I wasn’t? If that’s the case then I promise to give you more feedback so that you don’t doubt it in the future.”

“No! You’ve been wonderful.” Nia counter-reassured, her eyes wide and hands flapping in her exuberance. “Like the best person I’ve ever worked for. You always give positive feedback when I, or anyone on your team, have done something to be commended.”

Kara tilted her head to the side in confusion, “Then why would you think you weren’t doing a good job?”

Nia shook her head and tsked bitterly at herself, “It’s stupid.”

“It's not, especially if it's making you feel undervalued.” Kara insisted.

Nia hesitated for another handful of seconds clearly teetering on the edge of speaking for a while longer before slumping down to lean against the table beside Kara. Nia ducked her head, letting her dark hair form a protective shell to hide her blushing cheeks as she mumbled out her admission, “I love working with James and Winn, I really do. They add so much to the team.” Nia’s hands flexed as she whispered, “But…”

“But you feel like them being needed means what you were doing previously wasn’t good enough.” Kara supplied for her, saving her friend from having to force out the words herself.

“Yeah…” Nia acknowledged with a wince.

Kara pushed off the table and shifted until she stood directly in front of her chief-of-staff, “How many people work for Her Majesty?”

Nia looked up in surprise at the question, which was at least effective in yanking her out of her downward spiral. “Uh…”

“Just royal office staff.” Kara clarified.

“Oh… about thirty odd people.” Nia answered immediately.

Kara merely raised her eyebrows at the younger woman, waiting for the penny to drop.

 “Ah, I see where this is going.” Nia said softly.

“Good.” Kara’s lip twitched at the edge in amusement, “But let me say this so you don’t doubt it. You didn’t fail. You can’t expect to win a war when you are outnumbered ten to one, no matter how good your soldiers are.”

Nia chuckled, “One of the Queen’s analogies?”

Kara rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath, “That obvious, huh?”

“She gave you the same speech you’re giving to me?” Nia guessed, her gaze turning knowing.

“Eh… a variant of it. Hers was more about me finding my feet and taking the lead.” Kara explained whilst making a ‘so-so’ gesture, before asking seriously, “Did that help?”

“Yeah, it did. It was…” Nia reassured before taking a breath and stating earnestly, “I just really want to do this job well.”

“And you are.” Kara promised fervently. “You don’t have to prove anything to me. I trust you.”

“I think I was just… I was afraid I didn’t get this job for the right reasons, that I hadn’t really earned it.” Nia bit her lip as she struggled to rationalise her concerns.

“Imposter syndrome.” Kara commented.

“Huh?”

“Google will explain it better than I can.” Kara replied and Nia nodded once to herself making a mental note to look it up later. “Any particular reason why you thought you hadn’t earned this role? I mean I know we joke that you got it because of that fantastic pun, but that wasn’t why. You impressed me in the interview, your answers were well-thought out and you came across as passionate with a good head on your shoulders. You got this job because you were the best, I promise you.”

“So…” Nia dragged out the word, cringing the entire time, “it had nothing to do with my father?”

A crease instantly appeared between Kara’s eyebrows, “Huh? Your father?”

Nia looked up at her, shocked and wary, “You don’t know?”

“It’s not Darth Vader is it?” Kara guessed, adjusting her glasses as she did so.

Nia pursed her lips and frowned, “Who?”

“Star Wars joke… nevermind.” Kara coughed out. “What’s your father got to do with this?”

Nia shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as she hastily slung her handbag over her shoulder, primed to make a quick escape. “Oh… uh… well… he’s… ummm… maybe... your head of security?”

“My head of secur-” Kara started to repeat, not making the connection when suddenly, “Wait, a minute… Captain Dunn?! Your father is Captain Dunn!?”

“Oh, well… look at the time,” Nia lifted her wrist (bereft of a watch) and pretended to examine it closely as she practically bolted for the door, “we’re going to be late for the museum at this rate…”

“Hey Nia, wait!” Kara called out as her chief-of-staff made her break for freedom, “At least tell me his first name!”

“I’m so proud of you.” Lena breathed deliciously into Kara’s ear after she had kissed her way across Kara’s bare collarbones and up the column of her neck, utterly uncaring about how she was delaying them getting ready for the event at the museum.

“I barely did anything.” Kara mumbled, flushing a bright red from head to toe as she wrapped her arms around Lena’s shoulders, partly to be closer to her and partly for support as her legs started to feel weak.

“You and I both know that’s not true.” Lena nipped at Kara’s jaw before pulling back to reveal twinkling green eyes and Kara’s favourite smirk. “And I fully intend to show you just how impressed I am with you later…”

“Really?” Kara gulped, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Mmhmmm…”, Lena hummed before leaning forward to kiss Kara slow and seductively.

“Then yep, I did loads. Everything. It was all me.” Kara’s eyes remained closed even when Lena pulled back and squeezed her hips to indicate that she was about to step back. 

“Much better.” Lena said approvingly as she grabbed the blue dress that had been selected for Kara and passed it to her, promising sweetly as Kara accepted the offered clothing, “You’ll get plenty of praise tonight, I assure you.”

Kara for the second time in less than a minute blushed bright red, but she quickly got changed enjoying the way Lena perched on the edge of the bed and watched her with a heated gaze. Once dressed, she checked over her appearance in the mirror, applying make-up and adjusting her hair as Lena read-through a few last minute emails on her phone.

Gathering her nerve, Kara subtly cleared her throat. “Sooo…”

Her attempts at being casual were obviously not as well-honed as she thought they were because in the reflection of the mirror she could see Lena look up sharply, her green eyes assessing and her phone cast-away without hesitation to give Kara her full attention.

“Yes, my love?” Lena prompted. 

Kara licked her lips, hesitated for a beat before deciding to just rip the band-aid off. “Nia is Dunn’s daughter.”

“Yes… and?” Lena replied, her voice neutral and her expression carefully blank.

Kara bit her bottom lip and turned round to face her fiancée. “How come you didn’t tell me?”

There was a moment, and Kara could visibly see it happen where Lena had to force back her instinct to put on her Queenly facade and stop her standard non-answer answer from coming out. The mask receded and Kara was so proud when vulnerable green eyes met hers and revealed softly, “If you didn’t know there could be no case for nepotism or favouritism.”

“You wanted to hire Nia yourself, didn’t you?” Kara guessed as she moved to sit by Lena’s side and interlace their fingers.

“Yes, from the very start. She was smart as a whip and would have been a great addition. She would have probably have taken Marcus’ role.” Lena explained, her expression turning regretful and pained, “But… I had just taken the throne, the war had just ended… I had to be bulletproof. I promised reform and a leadership of impartiality, free from scandal. Whilst Nia would have been perfect for the job… anyone who knows me on any sort of personal level knows I have a soft spot for Dunn and Nia by extension. Even though I would have hired her for the right reasons... it wouldn’t have looked that way from the outside. Nia understood that, it saddened her but she understood. It would have dragged her into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. She deserved better than that.”

Kara nodded in understanding but her brow remained furrowed as she pointed out, “People could still draw the wrong conclusions from me hiring her…”

“Less so, now.” Lena corrected gently, “I am no longer the governing body. Merely a figurehead, I do not need to be as bulletproof as I once did. Also Sam made sure to spread it around the staff and other connections that you weren’t aware of the familial connection. The rumours and the whispers will still come but I care less about that now than I did before. There will always be lies and misgivings from people with too much negativity weighing them down. I don’t have to let them drag me down with them.” Lena shifted to rest her head on Kara’s shoulder and squeezed her hand, “Not when I have you lifting me up.”

Kara beamed at the sincere statement as she shook her head ruefully, “You think you’re so smooth, don’t you?”

“Am I not?” Lena questioned, shifting to rest her chin on Kara’s shoulder so that the blonde had the full effect of her coyly fluttering her eyelashes.

“Oh, you are.” Kara assured, leaning forward to delicately rub their noses together before smirking playfully, “But if your head gets any bigger, I fear they’ll have to resize your crown.”

Lena laughed loud and freely at that as Kara let go of Lena’s hand so she could wind an arm around her and pull the other woman tighter into her side. Once their laughter had subsided, Lena added, “I would have told you after but I figured it wasn’t my place. It was Nia and Dunn’s.”

“I can understand that.” Kara replied sincerely, pressing a quick kiss to Lena’s forehead before asking a question that had been weighing on her for a long time. “Why is Dunn so special to you?”

Lena instantly stiffened in her arms, “It’s… complicated.” 

“Okay?” Kara said slowly, shifting so that she could meet guarded green eyes.

“There are some stories that are better left unspoken.”