For @_lernjauregay_
The coffee shop was busy as usual this time of morning. Kara took another order, ringing it up with a friendly and bright smile. She turned, taking the to-go cup that was handed off to her, and read the name on it. That made her pause in her routine. It was several blinks and a swallow before she could pull herself away from the cup and call out to bring the customer forward to claim their beverage.
"Superman!?"
The woman scrolling through something on her phone looked up, cocking one perfect eyebrow a bit higher as her gaze locked with Kara's. She turned casually, flipping her brunette hair to the side and held eye contact while she sauntered up to the counter. Those green eyes, sometimes as green as emeralds, sometimes looking closer to a shade of seafoam, stared mercilessly though a small and gentle smile did touch the woman's lips.
As she reached the counter, she held out a hand, taking the coffee even as she slid her usual $50 tip into the cup. "Thank You."
Kara nodded much more than was necessary. As the woman walked away with cup in hand, Kara called out, "Superman!?"
The woman turned, that eyebrow held up quizzically this time.
"Um, thank you." Kara patted the top of the tip cup. "For the tip, thank you."
This time the woman's smile grew. She raised her cup toward Kara, then took a sip. It left crimson lipstick stains on the rim as she lowered it. Then she turned and left without uttering another word.
Kara's breath left her in a shuddering noise. Though the blonde had this time managed to speak to the mystery woman who only ordered her coffee with aliases and always paid cash, Kara hadn't managed to do more than muddle through a thank you. It was hardly a success. The woman hadn't reciprocated with more than a smile and a raised cup. Again, it was more than they'd managed in the months since the woman had appeared in the coffee shop in National City, but it was hardly something. In the way of flirtations, it sucked.
"Excuse me?"
Kara was pulled out of her daydream, and her attention returned to the next customer in line. "Oh, I'm so sorry! What can I get you?"
The rest of Kara's day was more of the same. She got coffee, tea, danishes, croissants, muffins, the usual mix for patrons that came through. The morning was busy and then slowed down. She made it through the lunch crowd and then was off to school. After school she headed back home to the apartment, she shared with her sister and her sister's live-in girlfriend Maggie. It had been a bit odd at first when Maggie moved in. The cop had taken a lot of Alex's time, but now Kara was seeing Maggie as additive.
A box of leftovers from the lunch crowd in hand, Kara walked into her apartment smiling at the smell of food cooking. "Mmmm, what's for dinner?"
"What's for breakfast?" Maggie countered from the stove.
"I have a few croissants, two muffins, and some cheese danishes."
"No doughnuts?" Alex asked as she walked into the living room wearing pajama pants and a tank top.
"Nope," Kara said with a grin.
"Amazing how that keeps happening," Maggie said, narrowing her eyes at Kara as she looked over her shoulder, but grinning.
"Life's a mystery," Kara agreed, smiling back. "So, dinner?"
"Pasta Primavera," Maggie said.
"Mmmm." Embracing Maggie from behind, Alex kissed the woman's temple. "Beautiful, sexy, and you cook. How did I get so lucky?"
"It's just sauce with vegetables, but you are a lucky woman."
"You two are gross." Kara wandered into the living room, grabbing the remote control from the table.
"You're just jealous," Alex called out to her sister.
"Hey, it's Tuesday," Maggie said.
"Oh, Tuesday. Hey, Kara! It's Tuesday!" Alex leaned over the kitchen Kara, staring at the back of her sister's head.
Turning to look at her sister with furrowed brows, Kara replied, "I'm pretty sure Monday night is the best night for TV. Do you want to watch something?"
Alex shook her head and walked around the counter into the living room. "Tuesdays and Thursdays your mystery woman shows up. Was she there today?"
Biting her lower lip, Kara turned until she was kneeling backward on the couch and nodded.
"Well, did you talk to her?"
Again, Kara nodded at her sister.
"Well!? What did you say? What did she say?"
"Well..." Looking down at her hands, Kara fumbled with them for a moment. Finally, she straightened her glasses, looking at her sister again. "She thanked me for the coffee, same as always. So, this time I thanked her for the tip. Then, she smiled and sort of..." Kara lifted her hand slightly.
"What? What was that?"
"What's she doing?" Maggie asked from the stove.
"Shhh." Alex waved at her girlfriend. "Kara, what happened exactly?"
Kara shrugged. "I thanked her for the tip, and she raised her coffee cup, took a sip, smiled, and left."
"And?!" Alex asked.
"Yeah, and!?" Maggie pushed up off the floor from the kitchen, leaning over the counter to be included.
"And she left same as always." Kara straightened. "That's it."
"Kara." Alex's voice held all the disappointment her face conveyed.
"What? I had other customers. What am I supposed to do?"
"Well...something. You've been mooning over this woman for months. You've got to do something."
"Yeah, I'm with your sister," Maggie said as she walked into the living room.
"Babe, don't let the food burn."
Maggie nodded. "I turned the heat all the way down to warm. We're good. Little Danvers, you've got to do something. You're well into 'piss or get off the pot' territory here."
"Ewww." Kara visibly recoiled.
"Look, if you like this girl and think maybe she's interested, just say something. What's it going to hurt?" Maggie asked.
"She tips crazy well. The whole crew will kill me if I chase her off," Kara pointed out.
"$50 every time she gets a cup of coffee?" Alex asked.
Kara nodded.
"And she's only showing up on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the mornings you work?" Maggie further clarified.
Eyes going back and forth between the other two women, Kara nodded again.
"Kara." Arms crossed, Alex just stood there.
"What?"
Maggie looked up at Alex and nodded.
Kara stood, her hands slapping against her legs. "What!?"
"Little Danvers, she's into you."
"But...but maybe she just...I mean she..."
"Kid, you don't just happen to show up on the two mornings you work every week and pay an extra $50 for a cup of coffee for the beverage or the atmosphere. Something else is drawing her in. I'm thinking you're the common denominator."
Mind racing, Kara bit her lower lip and took a deep breath. "You think?"
Both other women nodded.
"Why won't she just say anything?"
"Why won't you?" Maggie asked.
"Well I...I can't," Kara replied, puffing up her cheeks and blowing out air. "She's so pretty and refined. She's just so very..." The blonde shook her head back and forth.
"Hey." Alex smiled at her sister. "You're pretty very yourself."
"She's very very," Kara explained.
Maggie laughed. "What name did she give today?"
"Superman."
Nodding, Maggie said, "Well, she wants you to know they're aliases. She's gone through several superheroes, some actors, and a few politicians. If something doesn't break soon, I think she'll have to go into cartoon characters. She definitely wants you to know it isn't her real name, but she isn't ready to share it with you or maybe with everyone."
"Why?" Kara asked.
"Maybe you should ask her," Alex suggested.
Kara sighed. "That would require talking to her, wouldn't it?"
"That's generally part of the whole dating process," Alex replied.
"Argh." Turning and falling onto the couch, Kara flopped back. "Not my strong point. Can't I just be pathetic and long for her?"
Alex came and sat by her sister, pulling the blonde into a one-armed hug. "Kar, that's not good for you."
"It's good for my art. You should see the work I create from longing and loss. I'm doing so well in school."
Coming to stand behind the sisters, Maggie said, "Hey, maybe she'll reject you, and that will fill you with misery. Think of off the painting you'll get done then."
"Don't try and cheer me up." Kara pouted. Placing her hand on her stomach, she said, "Hunger isn't good for my art."
"Got it. You two grab dishes, I'll get food."
"You're the best, Maggie!" Kara called when the shorter woman left the room. Leaning into her sister, she whispered, "She really is the best."
"I know," Alex whispered back. "You deserve the best too, Kar. Don't be afraid to find it. Don't be afraid to try."
<><>
It was Thursday morning, and Kara was trying to keep an eye out for her mystery woman. It was busy in the café as usual on a morning. Still, Kara smiled at everyone and did her best to be efficient. She handed out two orders before she grabbed the next cup, her lungs feeling like cement when she saw the name scrawled across it in black letters.
Clearing her throat, Kara said, "Wonder Woman!?"
Sliding up to the counter, there she was. Her black hair was up today, and she wore a wine colored coat that hung to mid-calf. She smiled as her gaze and Kara's met and tipped her head slightly. Her hand reached into her coat pocket, pulling out the folded bill. She reached for the coffee cup with one hand, the tip cup with the other. "Thank—" The smile fell off her face as her hand met the blonde's that sat over the tip cup.
Kara swallowed hard. This had seemed so much easier in her mind. It had seemed casual and suave in her mind. Now it all felt as clunky as she did in person. There are stages kids go through where they're like a colt, all arms and legs with joints that seem just a little too big. Somehow Kara had gotten too good a look at herself at that stage, at that stage when her birth family had died and she'd gone to live with the Danvers, and that was the mental image she always had. That was more than half her life ago, and she'd grown up beautifully, but Kara Danvers always saw that awkward colt.
When the green-eyed stranger lifted one of those eyebrows at her, Kara remembered how to speak. "I'd rather have your number." Even as she said it, Kara's mouth opened and closed trying to reel the words back in. "No, I mean, if you want. You don't have to, but if you want to, I'd love to call you sometime. I just think getting to know you would be more valuable than, you know, anything else. It could be just as friends if you wanted."
"Just friends if I wanted," the stranger said.
Kara swallowed. "Yeah."
Head tilting to the side; the woman smiled slowly. "What if I didn't want, just friends I mean?"
"Oh, I...oh..." With a smile in return, Kara nodded.
Putting her coffee down on the counter, the woman reached into her purse. She pulled out a business card holder and took out one white card. After dropping the holder back into her purse, she made a shooing motion toward Kara's hand that still covered the tip cup. In one smooth motion, she slid both the card and the tip into the tip cup. Picking up her cup, she raised it to Kara, then took a sip. She smiled, wine-colored lipstick on the cup and her lips as she left.
Eyes wide, Kara stared after the woman's retreat only for a moment before ripping the plastic lid off the top of the cup and fumbling her way to getting the business card out. She stared at it for several seconds. It was blank on one side, and the other side was just a name and a cellphone number, It was an actual name, first and last, and not Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent. This was it. Kara had a name. She even had a phone number. This was it.
"Excuse me?"
"What!?" Kara blinked several times at the waiting customer. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. How can I help you?"
<><>
"I did it! I did it; I did it!"
There was a thud from the living room, and then Alex sat up on the couch, straightening her shirt. "Kara, you're home early."
From the floor, Maggie moaned.
"You okay, babe?" Alex whispered.
"You are softer than the floor," Maggie replied. "Give me a hand up?"
Alex stood, helping her girlfriend to stand.
"Alex, Maggie, I did it!" Kara bounced into the living room, ignoring whatever she had interrupted.
As the couple readjusted their clothing, Alex asked, "You did what, sweetie?"
Whipping out the business card, Kara held it maybe two inches from her sister's face and proudly said, "I got her digits!"
"Jeez, Kara!" Alex pushed her sister's arm away. "You got what?"
"I got the name and phone number for the mystery woman." Kara smiled broadly.
"Really?"
"Let me see." Maggie snatched the card from Kara.
"Hey, give it back!"
"Relax, I'm not going to..." Maggie's eyes went from the card to the blonde. "She gave this to you?"
Kara nodded, then said, "Well, I told her I'd rather have her phone number than a tip. I told her I thought getting to know her was more valuable."
"Smooth."
Kara smiled at her sister. "Thank you. I practiced for a whole day. Then she slipped it into the tip cup."
"Oh, very smooth and no practice," Alex commented.
Kara's brows furrowed. "That is smooth. She's going to be smoother than me. I can't call her. I'm going to screw this up. Oh, God. What did I do?"
"Kara, relax. You'll be fine."
Dropping the card on the table, Maggie said, "Yeah, let it go, kid. It's another alias."
"What?"
"How do you know that?" Alex asked.
"Did you see the name?" Maggie replied.
Alex shook her head. "She had it so close to my face it was in scratch-n-sniff distance. I couldn't read it."
"Lena Luthor."
"Oh." Alex nodded.
"What oh?" Kara looked back and forth between the two women. "What's going on? Who's Lena Luthor?"
A hand on her sister's shoulder, Alex explained, "Sweetie, Lena Luthor is a billionaire CEO. Her family is...dirty. They got into a lot of trouble and nearly wrecked the family business. As far as we in the FBI can tell, Lena is the white sheep of the family. She took over as CEO of the business after her brother Lex was arrested, and moved the whole company to National City. She's a genius, philanthropist, humanitarian...Maggie, am I missing anything?"
The cop shrugged, opening her laptop and firing it up. "No, she's squeaky clean. We've investigated her also and have found the same thing. She had divested herself of the family and was running a little start-up scientific company with a business partner, trying to cure cancer, before things went south for Luthor Corp. The board asked her to step in, and she did. She renamed the company L-Corp and has been on some crusade to make right all of her family's wrongs."
Dropping into a seat on the couch, Kara slumped forward, elbows on her knees. "I can't believe she played me like this. She seemed interested."
"Sweetie, I'm so sorry," Alex said, sitting next to her sister and wrapping an arm around her. "Maybe she's just...I...maybe she..."
"Lied to me? I don't get it. What did I do to make her pretend to be some old CEO?"
Maggie chuckled. "Lena Luthor's not old. She's actually damn hot. If this woman walked into your coffee shop, you'd know it, Little Danvers. Here. Here's her picture." Maggie tapped a few keys and turned the screen, showing an image of the L-Corp CEO in all her glory.
Eyes wide and mouth hanging open, Kara slowly drew in breath. She pointed at the screen as she pushed to her feet.
"Yeah, that's a pretty common reaction the first time seeing her," Maggie said, "I hear it's even worse in person."
"Oh, it is," Alex agreed.
"You've met her?" Maggie asked.
"Oh, uh..." Alex shrugged. "Briefly."
"When?"
"You know, just once."
"Just once when?"
"It was like six months ago when she first came to National City. It was no big deal. There was a chemical bomb issue at her apartment, apparently sent by her brother, and I got called in. I diffused it...actually, Miss Luthor helped which I've never had from a...It was no big deal. I just showed up and did my job. I spoke to her for like thirty seconds afterward. I doubt she'd even remember me," Alex said going for casual and almost making it.
Maggie pointed at Kara who was still staring and pointing. "Really? We were dating six months ago."
"Barely," Alex countered.
"Barely!?"
"That's her!" Kara finally regained her voice, interrupting the building argument.
The couple looked up.
"That, that woman, that's the coffee shop woman!" Kara's finger was jabbing into the air. "That's super wonder flash dr. who woman."
"This, this is her?" Maggie asked.
Falling back to a seated position, Kara nodded.
"Kar, are you sure?" Alex asked.
"Alex, I've seen her twice a week for months. I've spoken to her. Those eyes, you don't forget those eyes." Picking up the business card from the coffee table, Kara looked at it briefly, a smile forming on her lips before looking back at the image on the laptop again. "That's Lena Luthor. She's Lena Luthor."
"Holy fuck. I mean..." Alex shook her head. "No, I got it right."
"You got Lena Luthor's digits?" Maggie asked.
Kara held up the card.
"Well, is it like the secretary or a private cell number?"
"I..." Kara shrugged at Maggie's question.
"Call her!" Alex shoved her sister on the shoulder, making the blonde nearly topple from the couch.
"Hey, easy Alex. Watch your strength. Some of us are art students, not FBI agents."
"Just call her, Kara."
"I'm going to text her," Kara said, pulling her phone from her pocket.
"Chicken shit," Maggie mumbled.
"This way I can find out if it's a cell phone."
"Plus, you're chicken shit."
"Plus, you guys can help me if it's a cell phone. I hope it's a cell phone." Kara entered the name and number into her contacts, then sat with a blank message open. "Okay, what do I say?"
"Did you give her your number?" Alex asked.
Kara shook her head.
"You might want to start with letting her know who's texting her."
"Good idea."
Kara: "Hi. This is Kara. I wanted to say hi and make sure you had my number."
"How's that?" Kara asked, showing the message she'd just sent to her sister.
Maggie came over and looked also. "Does she know your name?"
"Well, she...probably not. Hold on."
Kara: "It's me again, Kara. I work at the coffee shop, and you gave me your number today. Hi again!"
"Better?" Kara asked.
Maggie held out her hand. "Just want to give me your phone, and I'll take care of this?"
Kara clutched her phone close to her person. "No. I've made the mistake of picking up Alex's phone when we thought it was a text from Eliza, and it was from you. Ewww, Maggie, ewww."
Maggie smiled. "Thanks. I try."
Together the trio sat around and looked at Kara's phone awaiting a response. Eventually, Kara put the phone down on the coffee table. There was fidgeting, toe and finger tapping, and loud sighs. The group made dinner and started a movie on Netflix still with no response. It was after 9:00 PM when Kara's phone chimed, and they all jumped with excitement.
Kara nearly flew over her sister, grabbing her phone off the table. "It's her! It's her!"
"Well, what does it say?" Alex asked.
The phone dinged a second time, signaling another incoming text.
"It's her again!"
"Damn it, just read us the texts, Little Danvers."
"Okay, okay." Kara opened the texts and read out loud.
Lena: "Kara, how lovely to hear from you. I apologize for being so tardy in responding, but I was in back-to-back meetings that only just ended. I fear my schedule can be a bit challenging."
Lena: "However, I have added you to my contacts. I shall endeavor to be more prompt in future responses. I do hope the rest of your day went well, and that I'm not communicating too late into the evening."
"Is that seriously what it says?" Maggie held out her hand. "Let me see that."
"I don't want you texting her," Kara replied, still grasping the phone tightly.
"I won't. I just want to see the texts."
Nodding, Kara hesitantly handed over the phone.
Maggie read Lena's texts, her eyebrows rising, then handed the phone back to Kara. "Didn't anyone ever teach that bitch how to text? Who says, 'I shall endeavor to be more prompt in future responses.'? How uptight is she?"
"Well, I think she has good manners," Kara replied, taking her phone back.
"Well, I think she needs to get laid," Maggie said, grinning wickedly.
"Well, I don't think I'm going to respond to that, but I am going to text Lena back. Lena...what a pretty name."
"Are you texting her that?" Alex asked, leaning over to see what her sister wrote.
"No, I'm just going to ask her about her work. She works late."
Kara: "Gosh, late night meetings for you, huh? It's not too late to text me."
Lena: "Con call with China. It's their morning. I'm just driving home now."
Kara: "Lena, don't text and drive."
Lena: "I'm not driving, Kara. I'm being driven."
Brows furrowed, Kara looked up from her phone. "She was on a call with China, and now someone else is driving her home."
Smiling, Alex nodded. "She has a driver."
"Like, a person whose job it is just to drive her?"
Alex nodded.
"Golly, must be nice."
"Hey, Little Danvers." When Kara met her gaze, Maggie said, "Marry her."
With an eye roll, Kara replied, "I just found out her name today."
"And that she's a billionaire philanthropist with a driver," Maggie added. "Marry her."
Shaking her head, Kara texted Lena again.
Kara: "I'm glad you're being safe. I had a nice dinner with my sister and her girlfriend, and we were just watching a movie."
Lena: "That must be lovely, having family. I won't keep you. Perhaps I'll see you on Tuesday."
"No, no, no!"
"What!? What!?" Alex asked.
"I don't want to spend time with you," Kara replied.
"Excuse me?" Hand to her chest, Alex leaned away slightly from her sister.
Head shaking, Kara said, "No, I do want to spend time with you but..." She held up her phone, letting her sister read the text from Lena.
"Ah." Alex nodded. "Go text the girl. I think Maggie and I should go to bed."
"We should?"
Standing, Alex held out her hand to her girlfriend. "Come on. Show me exactly what you meant by that last thing you texted me that Kara shouldn't have seen."
"Oh, we should." Maggie smiled broadly, taking Alex's hand and waving to Kara with her free one. "Good night, Little Danvers. Do lots of things I would do."
"Good night, you two. Try and keep it quiet, okay?"
Maggie chuckled. "No promises."
Turning back to her phone, Kara started to text again.
Kara: "Actually, my sister and her girlfriend have gone off to bed, so it's just me and you, now."
Kara waited several minutes before receiving a response.
Lena: "Well, good timing. I've just gotten home, so it's just you and me here too."
Squealing, Kara lay back on the couch and kicked her feet in the air. This was flirting. This was definitely flirting.
Kara: "No one else at home, not even a cat?"
Lena: "Sadly, no. I spend too much time at work to be a good companion for anyone. I think I'd even kill a houseplant."
A frown tugged at the corners of Kara's mouth at that thought.
Kara: "Maybe you need someone to drag you out of the office."
Lena: "I fear my job can be all-consuming. I'm a bit of a work-a-holic. I rarely leave the office."
Kara: "Maybe someone should come to your work."
Kara watched the bubbles of a text appear and disappear twice before a text was finally sent.
Lena: "Maybe someone should."
Kara: "I'm going to consider that an invitation although I don't know where your office is."
Kara: "I'll figure it out. I can bring coffee."
After hitting send, Kara sat curled in on herself, biting her lower lip. It was a long and agonizing minute and a half before Lena replied.
Lena: "Kara, haven't we shared enough coffee? Perhaps I could take you to dinner some night when you're free."
Kara: "I'm free tomorrow night."
Kara: "Sorry that was pushy."
Lena: "I should be done by 7:00. I can have a car pick you up."
"A car." Kara sighed. "How can you be so pretty and also be so..." Kara sighed again.
Kara: "Okay. Where? What do I wear?"
Lena: "Wear something comfortable. We could eat here if that's acceptable. I'm still getting a bit of press, and I'd prefer not to eat out unless you'd prefer otherwise. It's just the paparazzi. It's just me right now. It has nothing to do with you."
Lena: "If you wouldn't be comfortable eating here, I understand."
Kara: "I would be."
Kara: "I'd love to have dinner with you tomorrow at your place."
Lena: "Lovely. Send me your address, and I'll have a car pick you up at 7:30. Does that work?"
"AHHHHH!" Dropping her phone on the table and vaulting over the back of the couch, Kara ran to her sister's bedroom and pounded on the door. "I have a date!"
"What?"
"I have a DATE!!!"
Seconds later, holding her robe closed with one hand, Alex pulled open the door. "Did you just say you have a date?"
Kara nodded vigorously. "I have a date!"
"Woo Hoo! Go, Little Danvers," Maggie said from the bed.
"Thanks, I..." Kara looked around her sister, then withdrew. "Put on some clothes!"
"Hey, I'm wearing a bra, and this is our room. You're the one who just busted in here like you're doing my job and this was a raid."
Pushing outside the room and closing the door behind her, Alex tied her robe closed. "Kara, this is great, sweetie. When is your date?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Wow, that's fast. Where are you going?"
"Oh, we're going to her place."
"Really?" Alex raised her eyebrows.
Kara gave a small smile. "Apparently, she's having a problem with reporters or something. She said we didn't have to eat there, but she asked if we could."
"You're going to a stranger's apartment? Kara, that's not smart."
"But, Alex—"
"If she were a man, you wouldn't do that."
Kara opened her mouth to argue, then stopped and nodded. "You're right. You're right except that you'll have her name and address. I won't drink alcohol, and you and Maggie have both already done a background check on her. She's a decent person, a good person. You've both said it, right?"
"Well, yeah but—"
"She's been vetted by the police and the FBI. I'm not going to the apartment of some stranger. We know who she is and what she's like. Otherwise, you're right. Her gender isn't important. Her personality is what's important."
Slowly, Alex nodded. "Okay, I already have her address. It's nice. You'll be impressed. Still, no alcohol. This is a first date, and I expect you to behave—"
"Yes, Eliza."
"Ouch." Alex winced. "What time is your date?"
"Oh, she's sending a car to pick me up at 7:30 and..." Eyes wide, Kara turned and dashed back toward the living room. "I forgot to give her my address!" She tried to vault the couch again, but one of her feet caught and twisted between the hard joining of where the couch and loveseat met. She toppled, rolling onto the body of the couch and off the other end to land on the floor. "Erg."
"Kara, are you okay?" Alex asked as she hurried into the room.
Hand slapping around blindly, Kara said, "Phone." Finally, she found it and pulled it off the coffee table to her.
Kara: "Sorry for that delay. My sister needed something."
Kara sent Lena her address, then lay on the floor, nursing her ego and several body parts.
"Are you all right?" Alex asked again.
"Why didn't you stay in medical school?"
"What hurts?" Alex asked.
"Why am I such a klutz?"
"Kara, what hurts?"
Kara moaned. "My ankle. I twisted my ankle. I think I got it stuck between the cushions on my way over. Alex, why am I so breakable?"
"Let me see it," Alex said, taking her sister's proffered ankle as she sat down on the couch. "Okay, tell me what—"
"Ow! Ow!"
Patting Kara's knee, Alex said, "Okay, lay down on the couch while I get ice. We're going to treat for swelling and see how we do before we see if you need an emergency room. I'll get you a couple of Ibuprofen."
"Thanks, Alex." Kara slid her way up onto the couch. When her sister came back with an icepack, she asked, "I'll be okay by tomorrow night, right?"
Carefully lifting Kara's leg to put a pillow below it, Alex didn't meet her sister's gaze as she said, "Let's just ice it and see how you're feeling tomorrow, okay, Kara?"
Kara slumped down into the couch cushions, not responding.
<><>
"It's just a sprain," Kara said as she hobbled into the apartment on crutches the next afternoon.
"It's a bad sprain," Alex countered. "That's going to take at least six weeks to heal, but it could take months. You heard the doctor. Stay off your ankle, and keep the ankle brace on to protect your ligaments. If you're not careful, you could do permanent damage to yourself."
"But it's just a sprain," Kara argued again.
"Kara, we talked about this. Sprains can be worse than breaks. You need to go to the couch, lie down with your foot up, and just relax. Your plans for the weekend are with the TV and some ice cream. Now go relax."
Pouting, Kara shook her head.
"Hey!" Pointing at Kara's face, Alex shook her head. "You put that away. That pout is the nuclear option, and I will not be threatened. I didn't sprain your ankle. You did it to yourself. Now behave so you can heal. Do you hear me?"
Head down, Kara made her way over to the couch, sniffling quietly.
"Oh, don't cry, Kara. You know I cry when you cry."
"But...but I have a date with Lena."
"I know, sweetie, but Lena will understand that you need to reschedule."
"But can't I just..." When Kara lifted her face, she saw her sister shaking her head. "But, Alex—"
"If this was a week from now, not a problem. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours, Kara. You need to keep it up and get the swelling down. You're going to miss more school and work if you don't. Now go lay down. Doctor's orders."
"You're not a doctor," Kara said even as she sat on the couch and lifted her foot.
"I have a doctorate, so close enough. Anyway, it's what your doctor said to do, so listen to her. Have you texted Lena yet?"
Kara shook her head.
"Well, let her know you need to reschedule. She'll understand."
"What if she doesn't?"
"If she doesn't understand you're hurt and can't spend the night sitting up and at her place, then she isn't worth your time. It's good that you found that out now," Alex said. "What kind of ice cream do you want?"
"I don't."
"Okay, now you're just being obstinate. Kara, you love ice cream so much we'll be burying you with a pint of Ben & Jerry's."
Head shifting back and forth, Kara said, "They're the only good men in this world...except for Jeremiah."
"There are a few others, but you're mostly right." Alex opened the freezer, looking at options. "Okay, I've got Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and some weird Maggie thing with a picture of a panda on it. I don't think it's panda flavored...maybe bamboo?"
"No to panda or bamboo flavored vegan ice cream," Kara replied. "I'll go with the Chocolate Fudge Brownie, please."
"That's the sister I know." Alex grabbed the ice cream and a spoon, bringing both to Kara. "Need anything else?"
"Thanks. My phone, please? I'm going to call Lena."
Alex nodded, retrieving Kara's phone from the blonde's purse and handing it off. "Will this be a for real call?"
Swallowing the ice cream in her mouth, Kara put the container on the coffee table and took the phone. "Yeah. If I'm canceling, I'm not doing it via text. That's just awful. You can't hear tone in text, and I hate doing this. I want her to hear that I hate doing this."
"Good call." Alex kissed the top of Kara's head. "I'll give you some privacy."
As her sister disappeared into the bedroom, Kara made a call. She wasn't sure that it wouldn't just go to voicemail, but after two rings, Lena picked up.
"Hello?"
"Lena! Hi, this is Kara, Kara from the coffee shop."
"Hello, Kara from the coffee shop." There was a smile in Lena's voice. "Don't tell me you're calling to cancel." After a few moments of silence from the other end, Lena said, "Oh."
"I'm sooo sorry," Kara finally said. "I don't want to cancel. I'd do anything not to cancel, but I hurt my ankle, and the doctor, and my mean sister who isn't really mean but she's making me do what the doctor says, and that feels mean right now, they won't let me go out tonight. I didn't go to school today either, and I can't go to work this weekend or...Lena, I'm so, so sorry!"
"Kara, it's quite all right. These things happen. Look, why don't you just call or text me some other time when you're...better?"
"Lena, I really want to go out with you. You get that, right?"
"I...um...yes?"
"Because I do. I like you. I mean, I don't know you, but I want to know you." Kara slapped the couch with her free hand. "If I could get off this stupid couch and past the federal government I'd come see you tonight. I swear I would."
"I'm sorry. Did you say the federal government?"
Kara nodded even though Lena couldn't see her. "I swear they have me under house arrest."
Lena chuckled. "My, you do have an overprotective sister."
"You're not kidding. It's probably because I'm such a klutz. I'm always banging into things and bruising myself. If we break a glass in the kitchen, I'm the one who's going to end up with glass in my foot." Kara took a breath. "Sorry, was I rambling? I tend to ramble."
"No, you were fine."
"Okay, good. I don't want to scare you off before we even get to have dinner. So, we'll reschedule? I mean it. I want to. If we could do it tonight, if there were any way to do it tonight, I'd do it. I'm pretty much shackled to this couch. Tonight it will be just the three of us."
"The three of you?" Lena asked.
Again, Kara nodded. "Yup, me and the two men in my life, Ben & Jerry. My sister and her girlfriend are going out for a date. They do it once a month, and tonight's the night."
"Oh, well how lovely for them."
Sighing, Kara replied, "I know. I'm jealous."
"I have to admit to being a bit envious myself." Lena paused. "Well, I would love to speak more, but this is the middle of my work day and—"
"Oh, no, no. I get it. I just didn't want to text you that I couldn't make it. That wouldn't be right. I wouldn't want anyone to do that to me, so I wouldn't do that to anyone."
The smile returned to Lena's voice. "You're very sweet, Kara."
"Sometimes. Usually, I'm kind of a klutzy mess. Okay, well I'm going to let you go. Ben, Jerry and I are going to get Hawaiian pizza, and potstickers, and curl up with a good movie tonight. It won't be as good as your company, but we'll make do. Hey, feel free to call or text later when you're done with work. I mean, if you want."
"That sounds lovely. Have a good night, Kara."
"You too, Lena."
Holding the phone next to her, Kara smiled and closed her eyes as she lay back on the couch. Her thoughts wandered to eyes that shifted between shades of green depending on the weather, what color Lena was wearing, perhaps even the other woman's mood.
"How'd it go?"
"Ahh!" Kara yelped at the sound of her sister's voice. "Gosh darn, Alex. You startled me. Were you listening to my call?"
"No." Alex shook her head. "I could hear you talking, not what you were saying but just noise, and then you got quiet for a little while, so I came to check on you. So, how'd it go?"
With a little smile, Kara nodded. "It went okay. I think she may have been upset at first. Maybe she even thought I was dodging her, so I'm glad I called her. I think she might call me after work so we can talk."
"There you go." Alex rumpled her sister's hair. "Maybe you two can manage a virtual date or something. You'll make it work until you're on the mend."
"Well, no facetime or anything. I'm planning to wear my comfy PJs and snuggle up with my stuffed Labrador tonight."
"Right, and that's third date material."
Kara giggled. "Absolutely. Hey, want help picking out your outfit for tonight?"
"Actually, Maggie and I may have to reschedule. She caught a case."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Alex. But, hey, sister movie night?"
Alex smiled. "Sister movie night."
"Yeah!"
<><>
It was after seven when the front door opened. A haggard Maggie Sawyer staggered in, her jacket slung over her shoulder. "Hey, babe. I'm home."
"Hey, I wasn't sure if we'd be seeing you tonight," Alex replied. "You catch the guy?"
"Women, and yeah," Maggie said draping her jacket over the back of a chair near the counter. "It sucked, but we caught them."
"Female perps. How very progressive. You look beat. What do you need?" Alex asked.
"A shower and about twenty hours of sleep." Maggie wandered over, kissing Alex, then asked, "How's the ankle, Little Danvers?"
"Sore, but I'll heal. The good Doctorate here won't let me get off the couch."
"At all? Did she bring you a bedpan?"
"Just about," Kara replied.
"No, but I brought her food," Alex said. "Be nice, Kara."
"She made me cancel my date."
"Yeah, that's going around," Maggie said. "Sorry, babe."
Alex shrugged. "It happens. Reschedule for next Friday?"
"Sure. Let's hope we don't have another issue with aliens."
As Maggie walked away, Alex stood up and asked, "Wait, this was about illegal aliens? That's not a police matter. That's a federal issue. Why didn't we hear about it?"
Maggie shrugged. "I don't know, babe. Some ICE assholes showed up and took over a conference room. All I know is I got volunteered. The good news is we got the people who were being paid to take delivery of folks on this end, and coyotes are never good people."
"Wait. Wait." Alex waved her hands around. "Still, why you? You work in forensics. Were you tagging evidence or something?"
Maggie shook her head while she walked out of the room backward. "Soy joven, linda, y hablo español."
When Maggie was gone, Alex looked at Kara and asked, "What did she say?"
"She said she's young, cute and speaks Spanish."
"Oh."
As Alex sat back down, Kara added, "You should really learn to speak Spanish. You two have been together for a while. This is going to last, right?"
"Yeah, I...yeah." Alex smiled. "I love her, Kara."
Kara smiled back. "It shows. I'm happy for you. So?"
"So?"
"So, when are you going to...? You know."
"Well, not yet," Alex replied. "We both have such stressful jobs. Her family is a nightmare. We haven't even talked about kids yet."
"Wow, and you always say I'm a hot gay mess."
Alex shoved Kara playfully. "You are a hot gay mess."
"Hey, at least I didn't just up and kiss some girl in a pool hall."
"I didn't kiss Maggie in a pool hall!" Alex crossed her arms, staring daggers at Kara until she finally admitted, "It was a bar where we happened to play pool. Plus, she's really pretty. Have you seen her lips? How can you not kiss her lips?'
"I manage, thank you."
"Good. Thank you." Grabbing the remote, Alex started their show again. "Okay, so after this episode of Gilmore Girls, I'll order food?"
"You could order it now," Kara suggested.
"I could, but Maggie is in the shower. I want to wait until she's out. Anyway, it's done in like fifteen minutes. You'll survive. You've been eating all day."
"But I'm hungry."
Shooting her sister the stink eye, Alex asked, "How do you stay so skinny?"
"One of life's mysteries," Kara smirked.
Right as the show ended, the shower also stopped. Kara looked over at Alex, grinning.
"Yes, yes, I know. You're starving," Alex said.
As if on cue, Kara's stomach growled.
"Seriously? How!?"
Kara shrugged. "I have a high metabolism."
"High? It's not even in Earth's atmosphere." Patting her sister until Kara lifted her head off of Alex's lap, the redhead said, "Okay, I'll go see what Maggie wants."
"She wants vegetables and soy. Why do you even ask her?"
"Because I love her. One day you'll be in love, and you'll do all sorts of stupid and insipid things for them."
"Not if they're vegan," Kara mumbled.
There was a knock at the door, and Alex stopped in her tracks. She looked back at Kara. "Did you call in a food order?"
"I've been with you."
"Right. Oh, maybe Maggie did." Alex smiled. "She's the best." Opening the door, Alex froze.
Standing on the other side of the door with a paper bag with loop handles in one hand and two pizza boxes balanced on the other, stood Lena Luthor. Her smile fell from her face as she saw the woman on the other side of the door. She looked up at the number on the door again, put down the bag, pulled the phone from her purse, unlocked it, checked a text, and then furrowed her brows.
Clearing her throat, she said, "My apologies. I must have a wire crossed. I thought that—"
"Miss Luthor," Alex smiled kindly. "It's nice to see you again."
Lena shifted her head back, smiling slightly as she said, "I know you. You saved my life."
Alex extended her hand to Lena. "Special Agent Alex Danvers, FBI."
From the couch, Kara sat up. "Lena, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, well, I'm sorry to drop in on you but..." Lena's eyes shifted from Kara to Alex then back again.
Kara smiled. "Lena, this is my sister, Alex."
"Ah. The city's smaller than I thought." Lena nodded. "Well, I didn't mean to bother you, Kara. I didn't realize you had company and—"
Waving madly, Kara said, "No, come in. Come in. Alex, tell her to come in."
Stepping to the side and pulling the door open, Alex said, "Please do come in, Miss Luthor."
Dropping her phone back into her purse, Lena stopped to pick up the paper bag before stepping into the apartment. "Thank you. I truly didn't mean to impose. I only came by because I thought Kara would be alone and ... that sounds awful now that I've said it out loud. I only meant—"
"That you thought Kara could use someone to look after her tonight?" Alex guessed.
Lena smiled shyly.
Pulling herself up so that her elbows hung over the back of the couch, Kara grinned broadly.
"Well, now that I see your sister is here—"
"You're staying," Kara insisted. "Alex?"
"Oh, you're absolutely staying," Alex agreed, taking the pizza boxes. "You even got two pizzas. Apparently, you know how much my sister eats."
"Pardon?"
Putting the pizza on the kitchen counter, Alex smiled at Lena. "My sister could represent our country in the Olympics if eating was a sport."
"I'd medal too," Kara said.
"You'd take gold, Kara."
"Ah. Well, actually she said she ate Hawaiian pizza, so I bought her one. I don't eat ... that, so I bought myself something separate. I also purchased her potstickers, which are stuffed with pork. I wasn't familiar with them. I ordered from a local place, somewhere close to here, and when I placed my order, they asked if I wanted Pad Thai without egg and called it the 'Danvers Special' which makes sense now. I actually adore Pad Thai, so I said yes. They gave me a large Hawaiian and a double order of potstickers, which I wasn't expecting, but it's rather fortunate since you're here. I assume you'll eat some of Kara's pizza and the potstickers?"
"If she'll let me," Alex replied. "No, I eat what Kara eats. You don't?"
"No. I um ... I'm a bit picky."
"Really?" Alex gave Lena an appraising look. "Well, if you're going to be spending any time with my sister, you'll get quite the food education."
Opening the paper bag, Lena pulled out a silver bag from within it. "I bought ice cream. Freezer?"
"Ice cream?" Kara popped up from the couch again.
"It's for dessert!" Alex shook her head, then turned back to Lena. "Keep your eye on her always. She thinks ice cream is another word for appetizer."
Lena's small smile returned. "I'll do my best."
Alex took the silver bag to the freezer, opening it and pausing as she pulled out the contents. "Lena, if you didn't know Maggie would be here, why did you bring this over?"
Looking at the container in Alex's hand, Lena just asked, "Who's Maggie?"
"My girlfriend."
"Oh. Is she fond of that brand?"
"Well ..." Opening the freezer, Alex pulled out the mostly consumed pint of vegan ice cream with the panda on the container. It was identical to the new one that Lena had supplied.
"That is a coincidence," Lena said.
Putting away both frozen desserts, Alex flipped open the first pizza box, seeing it had ham and pineapple, then went to the second. He eyes widened as she recognized the cheese as being not quite cheese.
Turning to Lena, she asked, "Lena are you ...?"
"Am I what?"
"Are you a ...?" Alex grinned. "You are."
Brows furrowing, Lena frowned. "What?"
"This is good. No, this is great. Come with me. I want to be there when Kara finds out." Drawing Lena in front of the couch, Alex said, "Lena, tell her what you were going to tell me."
Lena's eyes shifted between the sisters. "What was I going to tell you?"
"You know." Alex smiled and waited. "Come on, we were looking at the ice cream and the pizza, and I found out that you're a ... Oh, come on. Just say it. I want to see Kara's face when you say it. You're a v-word."
Eyebrows high, Lena looked from Alex to Kara, then back again. "Excuse me?"
"Alex, I ..." A deep crease between her brows, Kara shook her head. "I don't think that's any of our business. That's definitely none of your business."
"What? Why? Why does it matter if she doesn't eat ...?" Eyes wide, Alex shook her head. "No, not that! I'm not talking about that. She's not a ... Well, I don't actually know if she's a ... No. Vegan, Lena's a vegan."
With a nervous laugh, Lena nodded. "Yes, yes I am."
Relaxing visibly, Kara smiled before the smile fell from her face. "You are?"
"Yes. Why? Does it matter?"
"Uh, no. It's great!" Kara plastered a smile on her face again. "Maggie, that's Alex's girlfriend, she's a vegan too, so that's great. Isn't that great, Alex?"
Alex's smile was just a bit too wide, her joy just a bit too obvious, as she looked at her sister. "Oh, I think it's great. I knew it would matter to you, and I'm just happy I'm here to see you find out about it."
Half-smiling and half-gritting her teeth, Kara replied, "Oh, I bet you are."
"Okay bitches!" Maggie walked into the living room, wearing pajama pants, a tank top, and a towel over her head as she rubbed vigorously at her hair. "I feel almost human now. Did you order food, yet? If not, we should do that because I plan to eat, drink, and pass out in Alex's lap, not necessarily in that ..." As she flipped the towel and her hair back, she found herself standing inches from Lena. "Santa Madre de Dios!"
"Hello," Lena replied.
"Uh ... hi." Maggie nodded. "Alex, sweetie, may I have a moment?"
"Sure thing, babe." Alex walked into the kitchen with her girlfriend. "What's up?"
"A little warning? That, she, should not happen to you by surprise."
Hands on her hips, Alex rocked back and forth. "What does that mean?"
"Don't, don't even try and play that. Don't pretend that the first time you saw her you didn't spill your cool so hard all over the floor that it became a trip hazard. I had a crap day at work. I'm wearing pajamas, no bra, and a hot billionaire is in my living room, and the first thing I do is call her a bitch. This is a perfect fucking day." Maggie sniffed. "Did you order from Lorenzo's?"
"No."
"Yes, you did." Maggie flipped back the top of the pizza box. "Okay, you got me my pizza. I forgive you."
"Actually, Lena picked that up. Apparently, she's vegan."
"She's vegan?"
Alex nodded.
Closing the lid, Maggie said, "Never mind. I just made an ass out of myself in front of an apparently perfect woman. I changed my mind on what I'm having for dinner. Lead is vegan. I'm eating my gun."
"Hey." Grabbing Maggie's arm, Alex chuckled as she pulled her girlfriend back and hugged her. "Are you really thinking of throwing me over for some young, hot, billionaire, vegan?"
"You're not?"
"Well ... I was until the vegan part." Alex squeezed Maggie tighter, then looked over at where Lena sat looking at pictures Kara was showing off on her phone. "They look cute together, don't they?"
"Yeah, they do. I take it this was a 'do drop in'."
Alex nodded. "Kara had told Miss Luthor we had a date, so she was worried Kara would be alone. She was coming by to take care of my little sister."
Leaning into Alex, Maggie said, "That's pretty sweet. She brought pizza?"
"And potstickers."
"Okay, I'm calling it right now. They're getting married."
Alex chuckled. "That seems a bit presumptive, don't you think? This is their first date, well, sort of a date."
"She runs a multi-billion dollar company and dropped in to take care of your sister with pizza and potstickers. They're getting married. I'll bet you $50."
"Really?"
Turning, Maggie held out her hand. "$50."
"Fine." Alex shook her girlfriend's hand. "If either of them starts dating anyone else, I win the bet, though."
"Fair."
"Hey, you guys want some food?" Alex called over toward the couch.
"Yes!" Kara replied with enthusiasm.
Alex sighed. "Let me try that again. Miss Luthor, our guest who brought us food tonight, would you like something to eat?"
"That would be lovely, Agent Danvers, thank you. Please, just call me Lena."
"Then just call me Alex."
Lena nodded once. "May I help with—?" When she tried to stand, Kara didn't let go of her hand.
"We've got it bi ... Lena." Maggie rolled her eyes at herself.
"Smooth," Alex whispered.
"Quit it. Drinks?" Maggie asked.
"Orange soda," Kara replied.
"What are my options?" Lena asked slowly.
"Are you driving tonight?" Alex asked in return.
"No. Well, my driver is picking me up."
"She has a driver," Maggie mumbled.
"Come here, sweetie," Alex said.
Kara pouted as Lena walked to the kitchen.
"This one only drinks beer." Alex pointed to Maggie. "And the other one hasn't yet figured out she's old enough to drink."
"Have too!"
"If you'd like an adult beverage, we have many options," Alex said, opening her cabinet with hard liquor and several bottles of wine.
Lena lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I love a good whiskey, but wine would probably go better with dinner."
A hand on Lena's shoulder, Alex said, "Sweetie, we're going to get along just fine."
Plates were loaded, and drinks were handed out. Alex and Maggie took the loveseat. Kara turned so that her foot was up on a pillow on the coffee table and she sat next to Lena. She smiled brightly over at the CEO who sipped wine and carefully ate her Pad Thai.
Sipping her beer, Maggie said, "So, Lena, Alex here tells us you and her met before."
"Oh, it wasn't all that interesting of a story," Alex said. "Do you guys want to put on a movie maybe?"
"Well, I thought it was interesting. You were quite brave, Agent...excuse me, Alex. Kara, your sister is quite brave."
"Yeah, she's awesome." Kara took a big bite of pizza.
Squinting at her girlfriend, Maggie turned and smiled at Lena. "Alex is also really shy. Tell us how you two met, won't you?"
"She saved my life."
"It was sort of a mutual life saving," Alex said.
"Your life wouldn't have been in danger if you hadn't shown up to save mine," Lena countered.
"Right, but that's my job. Let's just call it even." Grabbing the remote, Alex said. "So that movie?"
Taking the remote from Alex, Maggie said, "I feel like we're missing important details. Lena, fill us in."
"It's really not that interesting," Alex assure everyone.
"Oh, I bet it really is," Maggie said again. "Lena?"
Taking a sip of her wine, Lena put the glass down. "Well, I think it's interesting, awful, but interesting. I was just heading to bed late one night, technically early one morning, when I heard a click. I sat on the side of the bed, and there was this click noise. I knew what it was immediately."
"What was it?" Kara asked.
"The trigger for an explosive device. We'd been trained on them as children to recognize the noise. Those were all dummy devices, of course. I knew this wasn't. Something inside you wants to run, knowing you're sitting on a block of C4 or whatever. That's why the training is important. It gives you a different reflex and holds you in place until your brain can kick in and remind you that if you stand up, you die."
"Oh, my God." Reaching across Lena's lap, Kara took her hand. "You must have been terrified."
Laughing nervously, an odd smile formed on Lena's lips. "Is it odd that my first thought was of my brother, that he had sent it? In that moment I thought, 'Well, if I die at least I'll die thinking of Lex.' I'm sure it was some kind of self-defense mechanism in my mind, but that's what I thought." Lena shook her head. "Anyway, when I didn't die in the next few seconds, I called my security. Luckily I was still holding my cellphone. The thing is never out of reach."
Everyone looked over at Lena's phone that sat maybe three feet from her hand on the coffee table.
"Then what happened?" Maggie asked.
Lena shrugged. "My security showed up, then they backed out of the room and called the FBI. Then Alex showed up."
"Happy ending," Alex said with a smile. "So, Lena, how is business—?"
"Danvers, let the kid finish her story." Maggie nodded over to Lena. "What happened after my amazing but pushy girlfriend arrived?"
"Well, it was a happy ending. I'm still here, and with all my fingers and toes," Lena said with a chuckle.
Kara squeezed Lena's hand.
"See, nothing more to the story," Alex said.
"Alex was quite brave, though. When she pulled that bomb out from under my bed, and our eyes locked as we saw how little time there was left on the clock ..." Lena and Alex stared at each other again, and this time it was Alex who gave a shy smile. "Honestly, Alex, I told you that day, and I meant it; if you need anything, ever, just name it. I'm here today because of you."
"Well, it's mutual. I mean the being here today, not that I wouldn't do anything I could do for you because I totally would. I mean like buy you a cup of coffee or chase off some guy who was harassing you, or diffuse another bomb. You know, normal friend stuff, not that we're friends. I hardly know you. I'm just ..." Alex took another sip of her wine.
"Well, you have my number if you ever need anything," Lena reminded the redhead.
Alex nodded, into her glass then stood up. "I need more wine. Lena, more wine? I'll top you off."
When Alex turned in the kitchen with the bottle of wine in hand, she jumped back slightly to see Maggie there. "Damn, you startled me, Sawyer."
"You have her number?"
"Maybe. I don't know. Her business card might be in my briefcase."
"Business card, or card like she slipped your sister."
"Business card," Alex clarified, pouring herself more wine. "Maggie, nothing happened."
"What was she wearing?"
"Hmmm?"
"Damn, Danvers, that sounded guilty as hell. When you went to the girl's bedroom, what was she wearing?"
Alex shrug. "Pajamas."
"Like what Kara's wearing.
With a little eye roll, Alex grumbled. "No."
Leaning forward, Maggie kissed her girlfriend briefly. "How was the view?"
"Not so distracting that I blew us both up, but it was close." Shaking her head, Alex added, "Who wears freaking lingerie to bed by themselves? I mean seriously, who does that? It was like a red negligée thing, and one of the shoulder straps kept falling down. Don't tell Kara, okay?"
"Don't tell Little Danvers that you've seen her girl crush in a sexy bedtime outfit?" Maggie grinned. "You'll describe it to me in detail tonight?"
Alex scowled. "I don't know. If she's dating Kara, that's going to be weird. Don't you think that's going to be weird?"
"Eventually, yes, so describe it to me tonight before it gets weird, okay?"
"Deal, just don't tell—"
"Kara, I get it." Maggie elbowed Alex gently. "The hot girl is looking over at us. We should sit back down."
"Go ahead. I'm grabbing another bottle of wine." Alex pulled another bottle from the cabinet, uncorking it and carrying it to the coffee table. She refilled Lena's drink before sitting. "So, Lena actually knows quite a bit about bombs too."
"Really?" Maggie sat up a bit straighter. "I work in forensics, police science division. You're not a mad bomber, are you, Luthor?"
Looking down at her plate of food, Lena shook her head. "I'm an engineer by choice and a CEO by necessity. I have a degree in Mathematics and a Masters in Engineering. How things work, making them work better, has always been my passion. Even as a child I was always tinkering. My father made many enemies, and we had a security force on staff. They seemed to enjoy my curiosity and allowed me to explore things they thought would keep me safe."
"Like disarming bombs," Alex said. "That's came in handy once now."
"More than once."
"You're fucking kidding!" Alex looked around the room. "Sorry for the f-bomb."
"I think that was justified, babe."
Lena shrugged. "My brother and I had similar hobbies as children, but different paths as adults. I think green energy and ending world hunger seem like good life goals while my brother thinks the best route to a better future is putting bombs on planes and killing people to show that we're under threat from terrorist attack."
"Sure we are because he's a terrorist."
"Maggie." Frowning, Kara shook her head at the other woman.
"Kara, it's quite all right. Maggie's right. My brother killed hundreds of people. He's a terrorist. He used terror tactics to try and get this country to change their policies around immigration." A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "He was actually angry with me for not helping him, as if he'd forgotten I was adopted and not born in this country. He rails against immigrants coming to America while I am one. Somehow that's fine because I'm ... white because I speak English?" Lena took a sip of her wine, settling the glass back down on the table. "Well, I know how to ruin a perfectly good get-together, don't I?"
"I'm glad that you're here," Kara said brightly. "If I were left with these two they'd just snuggle up and be gross all night. You can insulate me from them."
A real smile formed on Lena's lips. "Plus, I brought food."
Kara nodded eagerly.
"Kara, she even bought you a pint of Chubby Hubby ice cream," Alex said.
Gasping, Kara hugged Lena. "You're perfect. Can I keep you?"
Lena was a bit stiff at first, but she quickly relaxed into the hug. "Well, I suppose. I don't have anywhere else to be."
"Here." Putting her stuffed Labrador on Lena's lap, Kara added, "Krypto will keep you company while we eat."
Maggie elbowed Alex and grinned, gesturing at the two younger women with her head.
Also smiling, Alex said, "Wow, Kara, I can't believe you're letting someone else hold Krypto. You're so protective over that mangy old thing."
Gasping, Kara covered the stuffed animal's ears with her hands. "Don't call Krypto mangy. He's very sensitive. He and I have been together for, like, always."
Petting the stuffie, Lena said, "Well, I think he's lovely. He has character, and he looks entirely loved. What better thing can be said about someone?"
Grinning Kara said, "So, Lena, maybe you can settle a debate Alex and I have been having for ages. It involves one of the greatest book series ever written."
"I'd be happy to try. I do love to read, and I'm fairly well read," Lena replied, looking back and forth between the sisters briefly.
Kara smiled and eagerly launched into her point of contention with great gusto. "Okay, so Alex thinks Gryffindor is the strongest house. She says they're brave, daring, and chivalrous. However, they can also be reckless and have bad tempers, bad tempers, Alex." Kara shook a finger at her sister. "Now, I say that Hufflepuff is the best house. They're kind and tolerant, patient, fair, hard-working, and loyal. You'll never have a better friend than a Hufflepuff. Maggie is incredibly biased, so she can't vote. You're an unbiased third party who barely knows any of us. I mean you and Alex had that little bomb run in, and we've vaguely met a few times at the café, so that's kind of equal maybe, right? Anyway, which house do you think is better?"
With a tiny laugh, Lena shook her head. "Oh, Kara, I really don't think I can be of any help here. You should probably ask someone else."
"Oh." Kara visibly deflated.
Lena took another sip of her wine and said, "After all, I'm just a Ravenclaw that was adopted into a house full of Slytherin."
Gasping, Kara's smile spread across her face.
"Oh, crap," Alex said.
Looking across at Alex, Lena asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Alex dropped her piece of pizza onto her plate and wiped at her face with her napkin. "I think you just cost me fifty bucks though."
<><>
Blushing brightly, Kara leaned to her left where Lena was when the other woman's hand slid over the blonde's.
Alex laughed, a flume of champagne in her hand as she stood to the right of her sister's seat. "And that is how my sister, Kara, the hot gay mess, had her first of many dates with her beautiful bride-to-be, my sister-n-law, Lena, who was also a hot gay mess. Kara, Lena, you were both hopeless messes from the day you met and for the months that followed where you couldn't speak to each other. In other words, you were perfect for each other. Every other woman in National City is sure glad you rescued them from you two."
There was some quiet chuckling from the people sitting
"Honestly though, you two really are perfect for each other. You've both lost so much and struggled so hard to be where you are, and I'm grateful that you've found your way here today. So please, everyone, join me in raising a glass to the sister that joined my family sixteen years ago and the sister that joined my family tonight. My family wouldn't be complete without both of you. You're two amazing and strong women, and my family and you both are stronger with you together. To Kara and Lena Luthor-Danvers...Stronger Together."
As everyone toasted, Alex took her seat again. A hand gripped hers and she turned to her right.
"Nice toast, babe. I can't believe you told the story of their first date. Your poor sister, she was crimson."
Alex grinned. "Yeah, it was awesome. Turnabout is fair play."
Leaning forward, Maggie kissed Alex's cheek and said, "I love you Mrs. Alex Sawyer-Danvers."
"Mmmm." Alex turned, kissing Maggie briefly, then replied, "Te amo Sra. Maggie Sawyer-Danvers." Pulling something from where she had it tucked into her cleavage, she handed it over to Maggie. "Here."
"What's...?" Maggie started laughing as she looked at it.
"Hey, a bet is a bet. Don't say I didn't make good."
Tucking the fifty dollar bill into her own cleavage, Maggie said, "You know, if you hadn't told the story tonight, I might have forgotten about that bet."
"No, you wouldn't have."
"No, I wouldn't have," Maggie agreed.