Alex gets settled in Kara's apartment. She pulls out some emergency ice cream and changes into some sweats and a sports bra. She sits cross legged on the couch and eats the rocky road straight out of the tub. She doesn't turn on the TV or the radio; she just sits in silence. There hasn't been much time for her to process everything on her own. She looks at her forearms; everything has healed nicely. There are hardly any scars. She was mad at Kara at the time, but she was fortunate that her little sister rushed towards the chemicals that caused the explosion. Kara blocked most of the blow. The only reason Alex's arms were even injured was because she tried to pull her sister back.
Alex takes another giant spoonful of ice cream. She takes a deep breath and lets the guilt go. It takes several minutes to let it die down inside her. It's difficult for her to let her little sister save her instead of the other way around. However, it doesn't take long for a raging fire of anger filling the space that guilt previously held. It fills her to the brim as she thinks of Mike Matthews. That manchild had done a lot of serious damage to her sister, and she knows she doesn't know the full picture. There are things Kara will never tell her; she knows it. Alex wants nothing more than to throttle him. When she first found out about his abusive tendencies, she dreamt up ways to kill him and make it look like an accident. She was going to cook something up in the lab and slip it to him. That was her favorite fantasy. A little smile plays at the corners of her mouth thinking of the moment that Mike would no longer be an issue if she had actually intended to act on the fantasy. She lets the feelings wash over her as she shifts her attention to Kara.
Another spoonful of rocky road, and Alex feels horrible for her sister. She's gone through a lot in her life. Between the death of her parents, adoption to the Danvers, coming into her sexuality, Mike (repeatedly) abusing and manipulating her, and Lena leaving temporarily, Kara's been through the ringer. She's such an amazing sister, and Alex does try to make sure she is there for her as much as possible. However, she feels like she's failed. She initially failed as a sister when she first came into the Danvers' home. She failed to protect her from Mike. She failed to notice the signs initially, then when he kept coming back, she couldn't do anything about it. She has a mix of joy and shame that Lena was the one to stop him. She can't help but feel it should have been her to stop him.
Turning her thoughts to Lena, she lets out a sigh. She has such mixed feelings. Lena has been great to her sister - when she's been there. Alex is nervous that she will leave at the drop of a hat again. She thinks it makes her so nervous because of the power Lena wields. She has the power to absolutely destroy her little sister. Alex eats another scoop as she mulls over her concerns. Kara was so quick to let her in and give her such a big piece of her. While a small part of her thinks it's foolish for Kara to get in so deep so quickly, she's a little bit jealous of it. She just really hopes that Lena will do right by her. She hopes that her sister can finally get some peace.
Alex sits in silence for quite a while thinking through the recent events. Before she knows it, she manages to eat her way through the entire pint of rocky road. She is broken out of her stupor by her phone ringing. This time she takes the time to check the caller ID.
"Hey, Sammy," she says with a smile.
"Hey, sugarbabe."
"Ready to talk?"
"Uhhh.... yeah, about that..."
"Sam? What is it?" Alex asks concerned.
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm at my sister's place. Why?"
"I- I just landed in National City. I'm here."
Alex's eyes practically pop out of her skull. "What?"
"Can- can I see you?"
"O-of course! What are you doing here?"
"I'd rather talk about it face to face, if that's okay... I can be there soon..."
"Yeah, yeah. Please come over."
"Thanks, Alex," Sam says softly.
"See you soon."
Alex quickly tries to clean up everything and dispose of the ice cream evidence. While it isn't even her apartment, she does want everything to be presentable. It doesn't take long for Sam to get there; she must have already been on her way downtown. When Alex hears the knocking, she rushes to the door to let her in. She rushes so much, she forgot to throw on a shirt.
"Damn, babygirl," Sam says breathlessly with a little smirk on her face. "All of this for little ole me?"
Alex blushes profusely and tries to cover herself up.
"Oh, Al. Don't be embarrassed. If you got it, flaunt it." Sam not so subtly rakes her eyes all over Alex's exposed skin. "No need to play shy with your girlfriend."
Alex knows that Sam is just trying to rile her up, and clearly, it's working. After taking a deep breath, Alex decides to turn the tables. She puts her hands on her hips and flexes her abs. Hearing that little whimper from the tall goddess makes all the embarrassment worth it. She smirks before grabbing a shirt to throw on. Sam just trails in after her with the image of Alex's abs burned into her mind. She definitely wants to touch.
"So, what's got you in National City so fast?" Alex tries to get them back on track.
"Well forevermore, it'll be that image of you in sweatpants that will get me here." Sam tries to play it off as nonchalant, but it's mostly nervous energy laced into her words.
"Sammy, come on." Alex leads her to the couch and sits them down together.
Sam lets out a heavy sigh. She supposes she can't avoid it since it's the entire reason she rearranged everything to fly into town. "I- I just felt so helpless in Metropolis. I couldn't be here for Lena. Or you and your sister. Ruby and I got into a bit of an argument, and I really messed up the budget projection for LCorp. I literally can't do anything right."
"Hey, hey..."
"No, don't," Sam interrupts.
"Don't what?" Alex asks gently.
"Don't tell me that I'm a good friend and parent and CFO. We barely know each other, Alex. You've seen me with Ruby a total of one time." Alex's brows furrow, and she lets Sam continue her train of thought. "I'm getting pulled into a million different directions, and I can't keep up with everything. I'm trying to be everywhere at once, but there isn't enough of me to go around."
Alex makes sure to hold both of Sam's hands in her own. "Sam, I get it. I've felt helpless lately, too. We are all doing the best that we can, and sometimes it isn't going to be perfect or pretty or even close to covering all the gaps. No one expects you to be perfect. And I know you don't want me to say it, but I'm going to anyway. From what I've seen and heard, you are an amazing mother. You raised Ruby on your own, put yourself through college, and now work at a Fortune 500 company. You are so sharp and witty and intelligent. And Lena is no fool either. She wouldn't have hired you as her CFO if you couldn't do the job. Grant yourself some leeway."
Sam has tears in her eyes. She squeezes Alex's hands as she leans forward to rest her forehead against Alex's shoulder. She mutters, "Since when did you get so wise?"
"I know I don't seem like it around you, but I'm actually pretty damn smart."
Sam chuckles lightly. "I know you are. You are just too fun to tease into a flustered mess."
Alex breaks out in goosebumps as Sam nuzzles her nose into her neck. Alex slips her hands around Sam's waist and hugs her. "In all seriousness, you are an amazing woman. If you ever doubt that, just come to me, and we can talk it out. Okay?"
"Okay," Sam mumbles. "You're really good at this."
"Good at what?"
"Good at calming me down and comforting me."
Alex blushes furiously again. "I- I'm glad I could help."
"Awww, now we are back to shy Ally. Cute," Sam teases.
Alex's face gets even more red and heated at the new nickname. She stutters. "I- you- we- ugh!"
Sam kisses her cheek and cups Alex's face with one of her hands. "You fluster so easily, babe."
"Well, y- you are just... sexy and confident."
Sam smirks. "Thanks, hun. You're pretty sexy, too."
"Thanks," Alex smiles softly. "By the way, I didn't say it before, but I'm so happy you are here."
"I'm happy I'm here, too. I really needed this. I really needed to be here with you guys." Sam keeps cuddling into the redhead.
"Did Ruby tag along?"
"Ruby is with her friend again," Sam explains.
Alex smiles as she rubs her girlfriend's back gently. She rests her cheek against soft brunette hair. "Do you want to talk about your little spat with her?"
Sam lets out another sigh that turns into a groan. "Noooo... I mean yes, but not right now."
"Well, you know I'm here whenever you are ready to."
"God, you are just too much."
"I really hope that's a good thing."
"Oh, it is, babygirl. Enough about me. How are you holding up?"
"I'm doing better now that you are here, but it's been rough. It's been a lot to process."
Sam leans back to study Alex's face. "Why don't you tell me about it?"
"We don't have to, Sammy."
"Please, Al," Sam says softly. "I want to be here for you, too."
Alex takes the time to explain everything she was thinking about this morning. She talks bluntly and candidly about her concerns with Lena, and Sam reassures her that she won't say a thing to her best friend about it. After all, Sam understands her hesitancy. For the first time since this all started, Alex breaks down in tears at the end of it. Sam holds her and comforts as best as she can. They fall asleep cuddled on the couch as they whisper comforting things to each other.
*****************************
Lena huffs in annoyance about becoming conscious again. She slept so well that she didn't want to wake. She curls up tighter and and nuzzles her face farther away from the light trickling through the window. She lets out a deep moan, trying to will herself back to sleep. It's been so long since Lena's had a good night's sleep. She can feel light movements across her skin, lulling her back into slumber.
Kara smiles softly at the woman on top of her. She's been up for a while, enjoying the peaceful bubble they are in. She has to suppress a giggle at Lena's antics. Her face is buried in the blonde's neck. She's curled up on top of her girlfriend with black hair all over. Kara sighs in contentment as she holds on tightly to the young CEO. Her hands wander all over that bare, silky smooth skin. She's giddy from the night's activities. It was everything she was hoping it would be and more.
When Lena finally squints open an eye, she smiles to herself. She can't help but think to herself that her view is one that she would love to wake up to every day. She's curled up so much and her line of sight is straight down that toned, muscular body. She loves the image of her pale, supple form pressed into hard, tanned muscle. She lets one of her hands trail down to play with that pretty pink nipple. She glides her thumb pad back and forth as it quickly stands at attention under her ministrations.
Kara can't tell if the woman is doing this in her sleep or if she is just teasing her for fun. She has to bite her lip to hold back any sounds she might make. She can't believe that Lena is able to work her up so easily and effortlessly. She drifts her hands to Lena's waist and squeezes lightly. Her mind flashes to images from the night before. Lena's face when she comes undone is now at the top of her favorite things to see. Then, that little blissed out smile was a sight to behold. Kara can't wait to see it again and again and again.
Lena sighs out of contentment before she presses her lips to Kara's neck. She husks out in her morning voice, "Goo' mor'n."
"It's a very good morning," Kara whispers back.
Lena hums teasingly, "Any particular reason for this especially good morning?"
"Yeah, you're naked and on top of me. Let's just live like this from now on."
The CEO lets out a little breathy chuckle. "Awfully tempting, darling. But sometimes I will want you on top of me."
"I'm sure that can be arranged."
Lena can hear that little smirk planted on the blonde's face without even looking. She continues to run her thumb over Kara's breast. "We should probably get up and shower."
"Probably," Kara responds, but neither woman moves from their spots. They enjoy a few more minutes laying together. Lena randomly places light kisses around the skin she can reach. Kara's hands trail up and down Lena's bare back. The only thing that pulls them from their comfort is the blonde's phone dinging.
When Kara leans to grab it, Lena moans in disagreement. The blonde lets out a sigh after reading the text. "Alex and Sam want to come over here."
"Sam?"
"Yeah, apparently she flew in last night, which means we should probably get ready."
Lena lets out a groan in complaint, "Fine. Tell them to bring Noonan's and give us a half an hour."
Kara is quick to respond as Lena pushes herself up and out of bed. "When you are done with that, come join me in the shower."
The blonde practically jumps out of bed and sprints into the bathroom like an overeager puppy. She decides to keep a little fact to herself that she actually asked for an hour before Alex and Sam head over.