"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."
They fall back into a comfortable rhythm. Sam's mood has greatly improved as she lights up, talking about all the things she wants to show Alex in Metropolis. Occasionally, Lena weighs in with her own recommendations, and she only has to fight a little bit to get them to agree to take the L-Corp jet. The CEO watches her girlfriend carefully throughout the rest of their meal, ensuring that she is alright with her sister leaving for a bit.
"Sometime, Lena and I will have to come visit, too. Although, I have to warn you. My tour of Metropolis should be more food based," Kara jokes as she squeezes Lena's thigh.
Sam smiles softly at the blonde. Her eyes flick between the two, trying to gauge their feelings. Alex is the one that responds with a lazy grin, "We'll have to all go together in the future. Maybe when Ruby graduates?"
Sam's jaw drops. Lena's brow arches knowingly. Kara bounces in her seat excitedly, "Yes, yes, yes! That's a great idea!"
Kara's excitement drops when she realizes that Sam looks entirely shocked. She looks over at Lena in a panic that she did something wrong. Her crinkle becomes pronounced at the smug and pleased look on her girlfriend's face. She slumps back into her seat with a slight huff. She feels like she's out of the loop.
"Oh no.. Again? I really need to stop making you cry." Alex mutters to Sam after looking over at the woman. She tenses her fists on top of the dinner table and starts to shift her weight in her chair.
Sam sniffles slightly before clasping her hand over one of Alex's white knuckled fists. "Don't you dare stop giving me happy tears. I would love to have you come to Ruby's graduation." When Sam looks up at Kara and Lena, she just rolls her eyes at Lena's expression before continuing, "I would love to have you all."
Lena smirks and drawls out suggestively, "I'll be sure to get Kara and I a hotel room. And I'm sure that Ruby will want to celebrate that night with her friends."
Alex's face turns beet red. Kara jolts in her seat. Sam and Lena just have a stare down before Sam teases right back, "You better make sure to rent out the whole floor if you don't want to be thrown out for noise complaints."
Lena lets out a boisterous laugh as Kara squeaks at the statement. Alex just groans as she rests her face in her palms.
"Oh, come on. We are all adults," Lena chides.
"We are sisters," Alex mumbles out.
"So swinging is off the table then?" Lena asks between laughs.
Sam roars and doubles over in her own fit of laughter as Alex groans and lets her head thud against the table. Kara's eyes bulge, and she rapidly stands up from the table. Lena is quick to pull on her arm to try to coax her back down.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop. I promise."
Kara grumbles before plopping back into her seat, muttering under her breath.
"We just needed a good laugh," Sam struggles to get out.
"Apparently at our expense," Kara mumbles out.
Lena leans over and places a chaste kiss on Kara's cheek in apology, but she is still suppressing giggles. Kara's mock glare does nothing to calm her chuckles down. "I'm sorry, darling."
"We'll make it up to the two of you," Sam adds between her own suppressed giggles.
The younger Danvers lets out a huff. She mulls it over before poking the bear. "I don't know if simply 'making it up to me' will be enough. What do you think, Alex?"
Alex's head shoots off the table and looks at her sister with confusion written all over her face. After one meaningful look from her sister, Alex smirks. "I think you are right, Kara. We've been put through a lot of horrendous and wildly inappropriate teasing."
"It's a shame that our girlfriends don't treat us better," Kara continues. Neither sister breaks their eye contact with each other, but Lena rolls her eyes and Sam looks offended.
Alex struggles to suppress a smirk, "I know, right? Because everyone knows that the Danvers sisters take such great care of their partners if they treat us well."
"Such a shame," Kara sighs out. In her mind, she knows that they are nowhere near the level Sam and Lena teases, but she feels a little jolt of pleasure that they can dish it back out.
"Oh, such dramatics," Lena says heavily with a heavy Irish lilt.
Sam pouts towards Alex and lets her eyes water. She nearly whines, "Babygirl..."
Alex immediately crumbles under those doe eyes and looks of sadness. "I didn't mean it, Sammy."
Sam's face lights up at the admission. Alex looks briefly confused before she lets out a huff, "Not fair."
"How did you fall for that one, Alex," Kara admonishes.
Lena winks at Sam briefly before turning in her chair to face Kara. She lets out the biggest pout she can muster with those green eyes getting misty. She lets out a tiny, tiny whimper as she laces her fingers into those fine hairs at the nape of her girlfriend's neck.
Kara does her best to not look directly at the CEO, resisting the manipulation she is being put under. The moment that she hears the little whine, she immediately holds Lena's face in her hands and rests her forehead against Lena's, whispering apologies.
Lena's eyes turn dangerous with a victorious smirk. She places a tiny peck on her girlfriend's lips. "See, darling? It's hard to resist our wiles."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kara sighs out.
Alex awkwardly clears her throat as she watches her baby sister eye Lena's lips. The intrusion has the couple break apart but still hold hands.
"So, what should we do today?" Sam asks hesitantly. It seems as though the group naturally moved away from the heavy topics, but she didn't not want to make assumptions. Afterall, she may be the only one feeling better since Alex decided to come back to Metropolis with her.
Everyone looks at each other for a moment. Lena breaks the silence, "Maybe we should go out for the day? Go for a motorcycle ride and make whatever stops we feel like?"
"Can we go to the beach?" Kara asks quietly.
Alex nods her head as she looks at Sam. Sam looks over and Lena as they nod towards each other. "Yeah, darling, we can. Sammy, you can borrow one of my swim suits. Alex, do you need one as well?"
Alex shakes her head. "No, thank you though. I should be fine in my bra and underwear."
"Kara?"
"I'll be fine in my underwear, too. Thanks, Lee."
"Alright, come on, Sammy. Let's see which ones might fit." Lena and Sam get up and head back to the master bedroom.
Lena shuts the door, just to ensure they aren't overheard. "So, Sammy. Alex seems to be going above and beyond."
Sam lets out a dreamy sigh. "I didn't even do any pushing or coaching. I didn't even talk about having anyone come to Ruby's graduation. I never suggested she come to Metropolis with me either. She's been so attentive."
The CEO pulls her best friend into a tender hug. "I'm so happy for you. I know it's early, but still. I'm so happy."
Sam returns the hug. "Thank you, Lee. I just hope she doesn't get in trouble for taking more time off from her work."
Lena pulls back and looks Sam in the eye. "About that..."
***************************
"So, you're going to go with Sam?" Kara asks quietly.
"I'm sorry for not talking about it with you first, but honestly, I hadn't even thought about it before now. Is- are you okay with it? With me going?"
"Of course, Alex. I meant what I said earlier. I know Eliza made you believe differently, but you don't have to spend your life taking care of me. I'll be alright. I want you to be happy, too, and clearly Sam makes you happy."
"Thank you," Alex sniffles slightly.
"Aw, don't go making this all sentimental. If you start crying, I'll start crying, and we need to drive."
"Yeah, yeah." Alex pauses for a moment before asking a burning question, "Any particular reason you want to go to the ocean?"
Kara avoids making eye contact. She worries her lip as she fiddles with her
fingers. She doesn't have to answer because the other two women come back out in a change of clothes. The blonde is quick to join Lena at her side and slip her hand under the loose fitting shirt to rest against warm, smooth skin. Lena immediately picks up on it and is quick to subtly reassure the woman without drawing attention.
"Ready to go?" Sam asks cheerfully.
Alex relents without pressing her sister any further. "Yeah, let's head out. Maybe we could stop for takeout on the way."
"Great idea," Lena adds as she slips on the leather jacket.
The four women head out with some spare towels. Kara and Alex quickly stash them in the saddle bags before they straddle their bikes. Lena and Sam are quick to hop on behind their girlfriends and hold on tight. The two couples quickly make it out of the city limits before they speed up on the back country roads to head towards the coast. On the way out to the beach, they make a quick pit stop at a local deli to put together a makeshift picnic. All four women feel a weight lifted from their shoulders as they enjoy the fresh air and good company.