The Rescue

Chapter 31

"Can we at least dig into breakfast before we bare our souls?" Kara asks shyly. She shrinks a bit behind Lena. In truth, she could use a reprieve from all the attention.

"Of course, darling."

Sam and Alex make brief eye contact as they stand together and go to get everything set up. As Lena moves to get off the blonde's lap, Kara grips onto her waist tightly and kisses her cheek.

"Is this okay?" Lena asks quietly. "We can stop talking about it if you want."

"No, it's alright. It's just a lot. And a lot of attention. I don't like being fussed over this much."

"Well if it gets to be too much, just say so, and I'll shut it down."

Kara smiles softly at the woman in her arms. "Thank you, Lee. Not- not just for that. For everything."

Lena kisses Kara's temple before whispering, "I'm far from perfect, but I promise you that I will stay by your side and do whatever I can for as long as I can." Lena doesn't miss the little whimper or pressure from Kara's nails on her skin. She knows she still needs to add to the reassurances that she isn't going to disappear again.

"Everything is ready," Alex says softly while poking her head back into the living room.

At that, Lena stands up and interlaces her fingers with her girlfriend's as they head out to the dining room. A heavy but comfortable silence fills the air as they all settle around the table. They eat in silence; each ruminating in their own thoughts and feelings about everything that has been revealed.

"How long do you think you will stay in National City?" Kara asks quietly.

Sam eyes each of the women. She honestly hadn't thought about how long she would stay. She knows she needs to spend time with Ruby before she moves off to college, but this feels just as important. "I- I'm not sure."

"Sammy, you can work from here for as long as you want. I know you want to get back to Ruby, but I'm sure she would be fine with taking some time off from school to spend time here instead."

Sam shakes her head as she bites her lip anxiously, "I can't pull Ruby from school in her senior year."

"Wh- what if I go to Metropolis with you?"

A deafening silence stills the air. Three sets of eyes bore into Alex. She stammers under the pressure before clicking her jaw shut and staring at her plate.

"What?" Sam asks softly. "Y-you'd really do that? You'd come to Metropolis with me?"

Without looking up, Alex mumbles a very quiet, "Yes."

"But what about your job? Your sister?" Sam rests her hand on Alex's arm, trying to get her to look up. Kara and Lena are frozen to the spot, staring at Alex
"I could take a couple more weeks off without an issue - at least I think. And it's not like Kara is alone." Alex finally looks up and makes eye contact with her sister before looking over at Sam. "Oh damn it. I'm making you cry again."

Sam tightens her grip. "Happy tears, babygirl. Happy tears. If you're serious... I would appreciate you coming back to Metropolis with me. Even if it was just a few days."

Lena dutifully watches both Sam and Kara carefully, gauging their reactions. Once she knows that Sammy is in agreement, she focuses on her girlfriend. She immediately notices the tiny uptick at the corner of her mouth. The CEO relaxes a bit; at least Kara looks happy with the revelation. She's quick to scoop up Kara's hand in her own and squeeze it comfortingly.

Sam turns to the blonde, with just a hint of trepidation on her face. "Is- would it be okay with you if I stole your sister for a bit?"

"Of course, Sam. As Alex likes to remind me, she's the big sister. She can make her own decisions." Kara kisses the back of Lena's hand before continuing, "And as she said, I'm not alone."