Find Me a Find, Catch Me a Catch

Chapter 14 - Midvale

Stomach growling, Kara smiled when Lena looked over at her. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. You made do with the food we packed for the trip and barely whimpered when we passed those diners. I'm sure you're starving."

"I actually am. I just wanted to make sure you'd be safe, and stopping didn't seem safe. There is a great little diner in town, though."

"Lead on, Miss Danvers. I trust this is a greasy spoon with horrific food choices?"

"Oh, yeah, it's great," Kara said, beaming.

"Ugh. Tell me they at least serve a decent salad."

"No idea." Kara's smile never faltered.

"Small towns," Lena mumbled, rubbing at the back of her neck. Lifting her head, she smiled. "Take me to your diner."

"You're going to love it." Kara held out her hand.

Lena took the proffered hand. "Debatable...but the company will be good."

Pausing, Kara's smile grew as she nodded. "Yeah. Come one."

<><>

In Midvale, Pops' Diner was where all of the high school kids congregated on any given Friday or Saturday after a football game, or when they weren't at the movies. The burgers were thick, the cheese real, the fries a bit greasy, but that was part of their charm, and the extra-thick shakes lived up to their name. All of Pops' desserts were homemade, and he had a chocolate cake shake which was made with, you guessed it, a piece of chocolate cake. It was served with an extra-wide metal straw, but really, you just ate it with a spoon. It was nearly impossible to suck that decadent thickness through a straw unless you were some kind of alien or something.

As Kara and Lena entered Pops, the place was fairly busy. It was winter vacation, and both high school kids and those home from college were in attendance. Given the lack of much of anything else to do in Midvale, this location got a lot of traffic. While Kara unwound her scarf and smiled broadly at the familiar setting, Lena shoved gloves into her pocket and pushed up on her toes, trying to look over the excited, bouncing heads of locals for seating.

"Kara, that group is just paying their bill. It looks like that table is about to open."

As Lena took her hand, Kara held fast and shook her head. "What? No, this is a diner. You can't get a booth. Look, there are seats at the counter."

"There are what?"

With a smile, Kara took a few long strides and made her way to the counter, never letting go of Lena's hand. The other woman followed in her wake whether by choice or not. They each grabbed a stool, and Kara grinned even more broadly as she handed over a menu, plastic covered with only a front, back, and the two interior pages, and a bit sticky.

"This place is great. You're going to love it, Lena."

"Yes, the atmosphere is...unique." Lena peeled open her menu, an eyebrow arching at the motion.

"Everything is good, so you can't go wrong. Get whatever you want, my treat." Kara's smile never dimmed as she looked over a menu that had barely changed since she'd landed on this world, a familiar and steadying presence in her life.

Her eyes covering the same words as Kara's, Lena shuddered. "Ugh."

Kara looked up from the menu. "What's wrong?"

Finger running along the yellowed plastic covering the words trapped below, Lena replied, "Listen to this. They have something here called the KD Special. It's two one-pound burger patties with double cheese and three slices of bacon on each patty. It comes with a double serving of chili cheese fries and a...Am I reading this wrong? It says a chocolate cake shake. I wonder what that means." Snapping the menu shut, Lena turned her head to Kara. "All it's missing is a defibrillator for the imminent cardiac arrest it no doubt includes."