28. Going the Distance

Week 1

Kara let out what was probably the eighteenth sigh since she started the journey back from Theonia. Leaving Lena was easier this time in some ways because of the promise of return and continued contact.

She wasn’t leaving Lena this time around. She wasn’t saying ‘goodbye’ but ‘see you soon’.

It softened the pain of departure, but it didn’t remove it completely. She still had to walk away from the woman she loved, still had to put mile after mile between them, still had to come home to her apartment which would now feel empty, still had to reconcile that her bed would be colder than she wished.

It was these thoughts that made her linger outside her apartment door, her keys waiting primed in her hand, before fully returning to the life she had taken a vacation from. Her bag was sat by her feet, her clothes inside clean and pressed thanks to the Palace staff, and her free hand was playing intermittently with the new, sleek phone in her coat pocket.

The phone had been given to her as she left. Lena explained it was top of the line, prompting Kara to try and refuse it but she was talked around to accepting it when Lena revealed its level of encryption would allow them to communicate without Lena’s head of security having a breakdown. Kara’s laptop similarly was installed with Theonia’s latest anti-spyware and a communication app (designed to look like Skype) that would enable them to video call.

Kara shook her head, pushing the longing that was already growing within her chest to one side and headed into her dark apartment. She deposited her bag next to the door, and went over to the fridge, in the mood for a snack before bed.

Finding nothing suitably high sugar enough, Kara pouted before jolting suddenly as the light in the living room clicked on.

Kara whirled around, her heart jumping out of her ribcage upon seeing a figure sat comfortably on her sofa.

“Uhh… hey, Alex…” Kara greeted, her hand pressed to her chest, feeling her heartbeat steadily return to normal as she recognised her sister, who was watching her with the assessing gaze she tended to reserve for criminals (or errant little sisters). “You’re here… in my apartment… waiting for me… in the dark… not creepy at all.” Kara winced, shrinking under the piercing gaze, and timidly tiptoeing forward.

Alex crossed her arms and raised an accusing eyebrow, “Well, I wouldn’t be if I felt like my sister wasn’t trying to avoid me.”

Kara’s step faltered and her stomach sank upon seeing the hurt hidden in the depths of her sister’s brown eyes.

“Never.” Kara declared, rushing to sit beside her sister and sweep her up into a tight hug that the hardened detective sank into without hesitation. “Alex, you mean the world to me.” Kara promised before kissing Alex’s forehead to emphasise the sincerity of her words.

“Ditto.” Alex huffed in a gruff tone that was undercut by how she squeezed Kara closer to her. “And I’m sorry.” She murmured as she leaned back, her gaze downcast and guilty.

Kara easily dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand.

Kara had set up shop in Alex’s house numerous times over the years, usually for anniversaries of certain losses and when Alex was on a particularly dangerous case. Not once had Alex ever sent her away when Kara needed her and Kara, in turn, would never do so either.

“I’m just…”, Alex began, her hand running through her short red hair indicating her nervousness, “worried about you. You left without a word and then were really secretive whilst you were away.”

Kara’s insides twisted with guilt. She’d spoken with Alex a number of times over the week she was away. During those conversations, she was open about feeling better and being in a good mood but closed off about why, where and how.

Lena had spoken to her over the first couple of days and made it explicitly clear that she had no issues with Kara sharing her identity with her sister. In fact, Lena openly encouraged it having never wanted to be the cause for any rift in Kara’s relationship with her sister.

Even with the go ahead to be honest, Kara found herself still wishing to keep the reality of her relationship a secret. During her first stay at the Palace, as a journalist, it felt inherently wrong to tell anyone about her budding friendship with the Queen. At the time, she put it down to wanting to prove herself as worthy of Lena’s secrets, wanting to be better than all those who’d hurt Lena previously. It felt right to keep whatever was happening between them to themselves as a way to build trust.

After leaving Theonia, Kara’s reason for keeping it a secret shifted. It was no longer about preserving something for Lena, but preserving something for herself. With no hope of them reuniting, Kara had felt like she had lost Lena forever, the only thing she truly had left of their time together was the memories, the shared moments that only the two of them had.

Telling Alex (telling anyone) the truth about Lena, about how they came to know one another, like one another, care for one another… love one another… it would be like losing Lena all over again. Sharing so much as one of those memories by revealing the truth about Lena would take something that solely belonged to her and Lena and give it someone else. Kara hadn’t wanted that, so she dodged the questions and kept her lips sealed.

Now, though?

Now, Kara was unsure why she was still hiding the truth.

It was no longer for the sake of Lena’s trust.

It was no longer to protect a few precious memories that she had originally believed would never be added to.

It was unnecessary to hide it any longer, but still…

Kara found the truth wouldn’t come. Admitting who Lena was would change things, would change her life irrevocably forever and Kara… wasn’t ready to face that.

Yes, she had spent a week in a Palace. A Palace she’d been flown to and from on the Queen’s private jet. A Palace that was guarded by armed military soldiers.

In all honesty, though, Kara barely even registered any of that. All that mattered was Lena. Not the crown, land, money or power.

Just the girl.

And Kara only wanted the girl. Adding all the other stuff to the story… complicated things and Kara selfishly didn’t want that.

She was in love with the most amazing woman in the world, why should a title and golden crown change any of that?

“You’re allowed your secrets, Kara,” Alex insisted sincerely, patting Kara’s leg comfortingly, “and you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to but…” Alex sighed, biting her lip as she struggled to find the right words, “you’re not acting like yourself… I just want to make sure everything is alright. I could never forgive myself if I wasn’t there when you needed me.”

Alex’s brown eyes were soft and welcoming, as they always were when Kara needed her big sister.

Kara grabbed Alex’s hand and squeezed it tightly, “You’re always there when I need you. Always.” Kara repeated, hoping that Alex could see the love and loyalty shining in her eyes, before taking a deep breath and forcing herself to brave. “Theonia. I was in Theonia.”

Alex didn’t say anything for a long minute, her expression incredulous as she looked for a sign Kara was lying or joking.

“With the chef?” Alex eventually guessed, the disbelief now permanently settled on her face.

“Yeah, about that-”, Kara winced, readying herself to be honest even though her mind was begging her to keep it to herself, to let her stay in the safe little bubble of twisted reality she had created.

“How?” Alex cut in, unable to keep the question back a moment longer. “I thought the borders were locked down tight.” Alex’s free hand moved through a whirlwind of actions as she struggled to rationalise what her sister had managed to accomplish. “Please don’t tell me you smuggled yourself there. I mean I will take on the feds if you broke the law”, Alex declared, and Kara was pleased to find she didn’t doubt the assertion for even a second, “and will go on the run with you in a heartbeat, but… how?!”

Kara chuckled at the mixture of shock, bewilderment and pride currently displayed on her sister’s face, “Sam - the Queen’s chief of staff - organised it all.” Kara explained, “She’s best friends with uh… the chef…”

“Good friend.” Alex muttered with a begrudging tone of respect.

“Sam’s one of the best.” Kara agreed before adding after a moment’s reflection, “You’d really like her.”

“I’m sure I would if she managed to arrange all that for you two.” Alex admitted, her mouth quirking up on one side before she let out a long breath, “Wow… so you spent a whole week with her?”

“Yeah.” Kara breathed, happy and willing to now share this part of her time with her big sister.

“Was it… good?” Alex asked, even though it was obvious from her tone and the warm glint in her eye that she already knew the answer.

“The best.” Kara replied genuinely.

“I can tell.” Alex smiled softly causing Kara to blush and grin.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy before.” Alex confessed, reaching out to fondly tap Kara’s flushed cheeks which were stretched to capacity at trying to contain her smile.

“I love her.” Kara whispered.

“Holy shit.” Alex whistled in amazement.

“Language.” Kara reprimanded, lightly slapping her sister’s bicep.

Alex rolled her eyes at the admonishment before asking seriously, “Want to tell me all about her?”

“More than anything.” Kara sighed out dreamily, settling back into the cushions of the sofa as Alex did the same, their positions intermingling reflections of one another. Swallowing the minor lump in her throat and overcoming the hammering sound of her heart, Kara revealed with a strong and steady voice, “Her name is Lena by the way.”

Kara then waited.

Waited for Alex’s eyes to light up in recognition.

Waited for Alex’s sharp and nimble mind to figure it out.

Waited for reality.

“Lena, huh… Nice name.” Alex commented nonchalantly.

Kara tilted her head to the side in confusion, Alex blinked back expectantly in response, clearly unsure why Kara was pausing before sharing the rest of the details. “Yeah.” Kara awkwardly muttered in agreement, relief mixed with slight disappointment washing over her as she licked her lips and began to tell Alex about the woman who had stolen her heart. “It's… um... a pretty common name in Theonia.”

Week 3

[Kara] Hey! How did the meeting go? :) :) xx

[Lena] Not well, there are legitimate concerns from farmers regarding importation of food following Theonia’s new stance on trade.

[Lena] I have just spent hours listening to how scared people in my country are of being unable to make ends meet if new competition is brought in.

[Kara] Lena, that’s not your fault.

[Lena] I’m the one who rallied for this country to change its stance.

[Lena] I knew the fallout and the potential impact. It just doesn’t make it any easier.

[Kara] I wish I was there with you xx

[Lena] Me too.

[Kara] Oh! I know what will cheer you up! Xx

[Kara] What do you call an alligator detective?

[Lena] Uh… I don’t understand what’s happening here...

[Kara] An investi-gator!

[Lena] Oh, it’s a joke… I see.

[Kara] Tough crowd…

[Kara] Guess I’ll just have to try harder then… ;P

[Lena] I don’t think that’s necessary.

[Kara] What do you call fake spaghetti?

[Lena] Very well, it seems you're intent on trying regardless. I don’t know, what do you call fake spaghetti?

[Kara] An impasta.

[Lena] Okay, I’ll give you that one. That was quite good.

[Kara] Thank you ;) xx

[Kara] What do you call a pig that does karate?

[Lena] I don’t know… Ham-fisted?

[Kara] Pork chop! :D xx

[Lena] Cute.

[Lena] By the way, what is with the random punctuation and letters at the end of some of your messages?

[Kara] You don’t know what emojis are?!!!

[Lena] I get the impression that I’m about to find out…

[Kara] You bet your crown you are! :P xxx

Week 6

“Harvey?”

“No.”

“Drake?”

“No.”

“Albert?”

“No.”

“Jebediah?” Kara guessed, her internal name generator starting to falter around the fiftieth suggestion.

Captain Dunn sighed heavily, practically proclaiming ‘woe is me’, as he eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror and made contact with Kara’s hopeful blue ones. “No.” He answered as despondently as he had for all the other guesses.

Kara pouted, slumping back in the backseat of the black SUV that Dunn had picked her up from the airport in. Kara chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, leaning forward into the gap between the two front seats as she asked in a low, but serious voice, “It’s not… Frank, is it?”

The corner of Dunn’s mouth upticked for half a second into a rare smirk, replying with a tone that close friend’s of his would recognise as amusement, “No, Miss Danvers.”

“Okay, phew…” Kara breathed out in relief, “mildly worried there.”

Kara proceeded to fall silent for a few minutes, simply enjoying the Theonian views and the safe, reassuring company of the old soldier. Kara had been home for just over a month when she found herself missing Lena unbearably so, the regular video chats and constant text messages couldn’t replace actually having the other woman in her arms. Kara was grateful for how quickly her second impromptu trip to Theonia came together (it made the distance between them appear smaller and less intimidating). Kara rearranged for a Friday and Monday off from work to have a long weekend whilst Lena arranged the plane and Sam cleared the Queen’s schedule as much as possible.

Lena had wanted to be there to pick Kara up from the airport but her security and Sam suggested it would be best if they reduced the chance of any attention being brought to Kara’s arrival. Lena had pouted and complained, the only thing that quietened her down was whispered reassurances and sweet words from Kara. To make up for her lack of presence, however, Lena did send Captain Dunn in her stead.

The Captain had smiled warmly when Kara had bounded over to him after the plane had landed, indulging the blonde’s bright smile by squeezing her shoulder welcomingly. (Kara was determined to one day earn a willing hug from the old soldier).

The car journey had passed for the most part with Kara trying to guess the Captain’s first name, having realised that she had absolutely no idea what it was during their time apart. Lena had refused to tell her when she asked (mostly to annoy and frustrate the reporter).

“You will at least tell me if I get it right… right?” Kara checked pleadingly.

“I will…” The Captain hesitated, his eyebrow twitching contemplatively before tacking onto the end of his hanging sentence, “consider it.”

Kara huffed in annoyance as she assessed the profile of the Captain, “What if I got Le- uh, her majesty, to bake some of her guilt cupcakes for you?”

Dunn pursed his lips, his steel eyes glancing sideways at her as he asked in a low voice, “Are you trying to bribe me?”

“No…” Kara gasped, her hands flapping dramatically, panic rising in her chest until she spotted the barely visible smirk on the soldier’s face. “Unless it’s working…”, Kara murmured slyly.

Dunn hummed, “I’m more partial to her brownies…”

“Oh, really?” Kara beamed victoriously, only just able to resist pumping her arm in celebration. “Consider it done…”

A low, previously unheard of before chuckle escaped the Captain, “This doesn’t mean I will tell you my name, Miss Danvers. It just inclines me to be more honest if you do guess it correctly.”

Kara shook her head, trying to free herself from the shock of getting an honest to God chuckle from the blank-faced, somewhat emotionless man. “I know.” Kara said earnestly, “I have faith, though, that I’ll get it eventually.” Kara leant back properly into the back seat, the seat belt tightening back around her upper body, as she added quietly, “We have time.”

Dunn was silent for a couple of beats before murmuring with a soft tone that was reserved for only a special few. “That we do, Miss Danvers.”

Week 8

“Leeeennnnaaa?” Kara called out in greeting, stretching the name out to make it last, as she laid face down on the wooden floor of her dark apartment that was only illuminated by the light coming from her laptop which was open on the kitchen island above her.

“Uhhh… Kara?” A confused voice that sounded a lot like Lena, apart from mild electronic distortion, rang out. “Where are you?”

“On the floor, silly.” Kara tsked as if the answer should have been obvious.

Lena wouldn’t have had to have asked. Lena knew her so well she would probably just know where Kara was. Lena was very good like that.

Therefore… therefore… Kara thought carefully trying to clear the heavy fog weighing down her mind and limbs to make the correct logical leap… therefore… the voice wasn’t Lena.

It just sounded like Lena.

Kara sighed happily, pleased to have figured it out so quickly and knowing Lena would be proud of her… even Alex would be impressed. Maybe she should be a detective instead. She’s clearly very skilled at it. Maybe she-

Oh, wait… there goes the floor again.

Kara squeezed her eyes closed and focused on stretching her arms and legs that little bit further to ensure she was covering as much of the floor as possible which was impressive considering she was already spread eagle and taking up a rather considerable portion of the kitchen space.

“The ceiling and ground keep switching…” Kara murmured in explanation, her frustrated tone somewhat stifled by her rubbing her heated features against the cold floor to seek out minor relief.

There was a thoughtful pause from the disembodied voice that sounded a lot like Lena.

“They do, huh?”, ‘Sounds-like-Lena’ prompted, mildly amused.

Kara huffed out a disgruntled breath at the apparent amusement.

This was a serious issue. The floor and ceiling weren’t supposed to switch. They should stay in their respective places, like… like… well… the ceiling and the floor… Kara reasoned.

It should just be expected.

‘Sounds-Like-Lena’ clearly didn’t appreciate the predicament she was currently in.

“Mmhmm…” Kara hummed, “but I made them stop by hugging the floor really tightly so it can't move.”

“Right…” ‘Sounds-Like-Lena’ replied with a chuckle that was so beautiful Kara began to think her early assessment was wrong. Only ‘Real Lena’ could chuckle that beautifully. “So…” ‘Sounds-Like-Lena-But-Could-Also-Be-Real-Lena’ began carefully with a click of her tongue that Kara just knew ‘Real Lena’ would accompany with an arched eyebrow that always made Kara blush. Instinctively Kara lifted her head, the desire to see one of her favourite Lena expressions giving her the strength and balance she needed to handle the unreliable floor and ceiling. “Celebration drinks earlier went well, then?”

That was further evidence that ‘Sounds-Like-Lena’ was in fact ‘Real Lena’. She had phoned ‘Real Lena’ earlier that day to let her know that Cat Grant had given her and Winn the go ahead to work on their ‘Women in Science’ series and that they would be featured in the first few pages of CatCo magazine. Lena had, of course, been beyond proud of her girlfriend’s achievement and had already demanded at least three copies of the published article for various locations around the Palace.

Kara and Winn, with the full support of James (the newly cemented manager of the duo) who had finally been granted the promotion to editor he had been working so hard for, had spent the early evening ‘strategizing’ in their local bar. Alex joined a few drinks in and happily rushed to catch up on the missed out units, supplying the next couple of rounds.

Tequila shots resulted in a midnight run to a karaoke bar where the CatCo trio sang ‘We are the Champions’ loudly and very out of tune, followed by all four of them singing ‘We are Family’ and Kara ending out the night with a cheesy love song that she dedicated to the best girlfriend of all time.  

“Yes!” Kara yelled excitedly, trying to get unsteadily to her feet, “How could you tell?” She asked punctuating the end of the question with a hiccup.

“Educated guess.” ‘Probably-Lena’ replied drily.

“See…”, Kara sighed dreamily, “you're so smart. So, so smart.” She repeated sincerely, her fingers reaching out to grip the edge of the counter to hoist herself up. “I still can't believe someone as smart as you wants to be with me.”

There was heavy pause following Kara’s sincere declaration, and Lena’s voice was affectionate yet firm, Kara even in her drunk state knew that meant Lena was about to compliment her until she wouldn’t dare try to imply so much as was one negative thing about herself. “Kara, my love-”

Kara had resigned herself to becoming a shy, blushing mess under a barrage of heartfelt sentiments when she finally steadied and garnered herself a clear view of the bright laptop screen open in front of her.

God, she was right first time… Lena was an angel in every sense.

It was still bright where Lena was and Kara immediately recognised the surroundings as the living room that they had spent a large portion of their time together in. Lena must have only just finished working as she was still in her business attire, having obviously decided to answer Kara’s call over taking the time to change into more comfortable clothing. Lena’s long straight hair was gathered up and resting on one shoulder, she was wearing a red dress and black blazer. Her green eyes were soft and she was smiling tenderly at Kara.

“And pretty.” Kara interrupted, unable to stop herself, “So, so pretty. Not that I wouldn't love you if you weren't…” Kara rushed to reassure, not wanting Lena to ever think that Kara’s love was dependent on her looks. “But you are so pretty. Your eyes… I mean… it's like there is an entire forest in your eyes. And your smile… it's… it's…”, Kara’s brow furrowed as she tried desperately to identify the absolute perfect adjective to fully encapsulate just how wonderful and miraculous a sight Lena’s smile was and settled on, “smiley.”

Kara beamed and patted herself on the back when she was gifted with a smiley one-dimpled smile and chuckle from the brunette for her efforts.

“Good to know your mastery of the language doesn't desert you after you've been drinking.”

“I know, right?!” Kara exclaimed joyfully, swaying heavily on the spot, completely oblivious to the teasing smirk on Lena’s face as she was fully distracted by a new train of thought. “I’m so good with words. Especially big words!” Kara pushed herself away from the counter to hold her hands wide apart to visibly illustrate her point. “Like… like…”, Kara clicked her fingers together, before her eyes alighted with inspiration, “flamboyant! I love that word. Not as much as I love you, obviously. Ooh… I also like: flair, pellucid, opulence...”

“So we are now saying random words we like…”, Lena muttered, shaking her head, somewhere in the periphery of Kara’s awareness, “I should have known you'd be a rambling drunk.”

“Symbiosis!” Kara yelled out victoriously.

“That’s a good one, my love.” Lena complimented, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she stared lovingly at Kara, who was currently bowing dramatically as if to receive applause.

“Why, thank you.” Kara accepted, as she leant heavily forward onto the countertop staring longingly at Lena (‘Real-Lena’, Kara was certain now since no one else looked at her the way ‘Real-Lena’ did).  

‘Real-Lena’ looked at her as if she was a superhero, or a light in the dark, or well, simply as if she truly and wholeheartedly loved her.

Kara’s hand reached out jerkily towards the screen, her fingertips tracing the pixels depicting Lena’s pink tinged cheek. She wanted Lena here with right then and there. She wanted to wrap her up in a tight hug, bury her nose in Lena’s neck and breathe in that comforting lavender scent. She wanted to kiss away the weary lines marking Lena’s forehead after a day of meetings with people uninterested in actually having a discussion. She wanted to make Lena’s breath hitch by squeezing her hips and sucking ever so lightly on Lena’s earlobe.

She wanted to feel, touch, kiss, taste-

“Ha!” Kara shouted out, breaking the appreciative quiet that had settled as both women had merely stared and admired one another whilst they had the chance. “I just remembered why I skyped you!”

“There was actually a reason?” Lena arched an eyebrow in surprise.

“Duh!” Kara said, with a dramatic roll of the eyes before leaning forward to announce, “I missed you.”

The confusion disappeared from Lena’s expression to be replaced with a light blush and a guilty downcastedness to Lena’s eyes, “I miss you too, my love. And I can free up more time so we can talk more if-” Lena quickly started to offer, willing to make any and all sacrifices necessary if Kara needed or wanted to see her more often.

“No, not like that.” Kara cut in, waving her hands rapidly to prevent the worried spiral that she knew Lena would go down even in her state of inebriation. “Well, like that too.” Kara added trying to find the correct balance of not making Lena panic and also not making it sound like she didn’t want to see more of Lena if she could. “I miss you, like…” Kara coughed, glancing furtively around her darkened apartment as if someone had broken in merely to overhear this particular confession before hurriedly departing, “ intimately…” Kara whispered, raising her eyebrows up and down just in case Lena didn’t quite understand what she was trying to say. “ Ooh, intimately... that's another good word.”

Kara was so caught up in her highly impressive lexicon that she failed to see Lena turning a never before seen shade of red and struggling to decide how to react, her jaw opening and closing as her hands twitched in her lap.

“Oh, well… um… we could… umm…”, Lena stuttered, rather unintelligibly.

“Don’t worry, my Queen,” Kara assured, pushing herself away from the counter and drawing herself up to her full height. “I already have a brilliant… no, superlative idea… watch!”

With that final command, Kara attempted to wink seductively (she more or less blinked out SOS, but Lena gave her an A for effort), and then proceeded to take off the red jacket she’d been wearing and threw it in the general direction of the living room. Lena tilted her head to the side, obviously not sure where Kara was going with all this.

Deciding to make her intentions abundantly clear, Kara danced on the spot again trying to be seductive, unfortunately the only dance she was capable of when drunk was the macarena which kind of worked in opposition to the sexiness she was trying so desperately to convey.

“Kara, what are you-” Lena began to question, unfamiliar with the macarena, and beginning to think Kara was acting out some ritualistic/pagan ceremony when Kara managed to strip off her shirt in a single coordinated move that was remarkable considering she couldn’t stand still without nearly falling over. Lena’s eyes bulged and she swallowed thickly having finally worked out exactly what Kara was trying to initiate, “Err… Kara, I'm not sure now is the best time to be trying this out-”

“And now for the pants-” Kara continued, completely unaware of Lena’s gentle attempt at reining her in. Kara bent forward, her fingers struggling with the button and zip, frustration at being slowed down, she tried to forcefully shove her pants down only for-

“Oof…” Kara yelped, the air rushing out of her lungs as she landed hard on her back and ass.

“Kara?!” Lena’s worried voice called out from above the now horizontal blonde. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Kara groaned, “the floor moved again… I forgot to keep hold of it…”

“Kara, why don't you get some sleep and we can talk more in the morning?” Lena encouraged sweetly.

“See,” Kara replied, her eyes already feeling heavy at Lena’s suggestion, “this is why you're so smart… such good ideas…”, Kara yawned, carefully dragging herself towards her bedroom, the light from the laptop illuminating the way and watching over her, “Night, night.”

“Night, my love.” Lena murmured, disconnecting the call once she was sure Kara had made it to bed safe and sound.

Week 10

“It’s not funny, Lena!” Kara squawked indignantly, pacing back and forth in front of the laptop screen on which Lena was cackling cruelly away.

“Oh my love, you have to admit…” Lena replied, resting a hand on her chest to control the laughter causing her entire body to shake. “It’s a little bit funny.”

“How is this funny?” Kara demanded, childishly stamping her foot which only restarted Lena’s fits of laughter.

“Well, from an outsider’s perspective…”, Lena defended with a helpless shrug once she regained control of herself.

“Exactly!” Kara agreed, pointing an accusatory finger at her girlfriend who was trying so hard to keep a straight face. “An outsider’s perspective. It was not funny from my perspective. I was trying to do something nice! You should have seen the look on Snapper’s face...”

Lena snorted, “I wish I had, my imagination isn’t doing any of this justice.”

“LENA!” Kara reprimanded, crossing her arms and pouting heavily.

She’d wanted sympathy and had first tried talking to her sister only for Alex to literally end up laughing so hard she couldn’t speak… Kara had promptly hung up on her sister and headed home hoping that the love of her life would react far more maturely.

This hope had been clearly misplaced.

“I’m sorry, my love.” Lena apologised sincerely, her green eyes shining with care and concern though her amused smile remained firmly in place. “But seriously? You set his desk on fire and pushed him face first into the cake.” Lena tilted her head to the side and murmured in amazement, “That’s almost magical levels of disaster.”

“Who doesn’t like a surprise birthday cake?” Kara muttered shyly.

“I’m guessing Snapper now…”, Lena said under her breath.

Kara sighed, moving to sit on the stool at the kitchen counter in front of the laptop, and melodramatically collapsed forward with a despairing whine of, “Why am I like this?”

“I don’t know…” Lena remarked thoughtfully, before pausing and adding in an utterly serious voice, “but I love it. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

Kara lifted her head up a fraction and eyed Lena with mild suspicion, “You wouldn’t?”

“No, never.” Lena replied simply, no hint of teasing or humour present in the two words. Kara blushed at the affirmation, the embarrassment from her earlier disaster receding away under Lena’s loving gaze.

Kara’s expression shone with adoration, and Lena blushed, ducking her head shyly.

“I… um… wanted to talk to you about something…”, Lena revealed nervously.

Kara’s brow furrowed in response to Lena’s rare show of discomfort and awkwardness, “What about?”

Lena cleared her throat, and bit her lip, “It was something you brought up a couple of weeks ago…”

“Really?” Kara prompted, wracking her brain for what that could possibly be and nothing coming to mind other than them continuing their cooking lessons over Skype.

“Yeah…” Lena said slowly, arching a suggestive eyebrow, “and I was thinking… I… er… would be open to… it .”

Kara frowned, “I’m not following.”

“Why…”, Lena began tentatively before taking a deep breath which seemed to give her a necessary confidence boost to lift her chin and offer directly, “why don’t I show you…?”

Kara blinked repeatedly, pushing her glasses so they sat further back on her nose as if this would help add clarity to what Lena was talking about. “Uh… sure.”

Lena winked and blew a kiss, her gentle command coming out in a deeply familiar gravelly tone that instantly sent a shiver down Kara’s spine. “Give me a minute.”

“Okay.” Kara dumbly replied, watching Lena disappear off-screen momentarily.

Kara waited impatiently, straining her ears to detect through her laptop speakers any sign of what Lena was upto. It was about thirty seconds into Lena’s disappearance act that Kara heard a clear knock-knock on the door before it was slowly unlocked and pushed open by the one person who had a key.

Alex’s face appeared in the small gap she had created between the door and the doorway, “Kara?” Alex called out in hopeful greeting.

Kara quickly stood up, walking forwards so that Alex had a clearer view of her. “Hey, Alex, what’s up?” Kara inquired with a friendly smile, gesturing with a wave of her hand for Alex to come in properly.

The red-head strode inside and pulled Kara into a swift, yet warm hug before stepping back and peering around the apartment, “Did I leave my gym bag here, yesterday? I was going to go after work when I realised it wasn’t in my locker.”

“Yeah.” Kara reassured with a simple nod, remembering stashing the bag out of the way during games night yesterday when Alex had first arrived. “I’ll grab it for you now.”

“Thanks.” Alex said gratefully, as Kara turned on the spot and headed towards her bedroom.

She’d just opened her closet and was moving the game boxes she’d stacked in there aside to reach for Alex’s gym bag when she heard Alex yelling out to her with a teasing tone.

“Hey, Kara, are you- OH MY GOD!”

The sudden shout of shock had Kara racing back towards her sister, the gym bag thrown over her shoulder to wield as a weapon against whatever god-awful thing had hurt her sister. Kara imagined ninjas, or spies, or spy ninjas or… or… Frank on an international mission or Frank just on a holiday.

“Eeep!”

It was the small shriek of surprise that slowed Kara’s sprint, it almost sounded like Lena but Kara couldn’t imagine any circumstances in which her ever in control girlfriend would make such an inelegant a noise as ‘eeep’.

“What?! What’s wrong?” Kara demanded the second she was back in the kitchen.

Alex was a few feet away from the kitchen counter, her back to the computer screen, hunched over as she rubbed at her eyes vigorously.

“I just saw a lot more of your girlfriend than I ever wanted to see…”, Alex muttered mournfully, still refusing to turn around even as Kara moved to be a physical barrier between her sister and the computer screen.

“What?” Kara squeaked in confusion.

“I’m so sorry.” Lena said despondently; Kara immediately turned to face the computer screen only to see Lena’s empty bedroom on the other side, her girlfriend’s hand waving into view but the rest of her notably absent.

“I’m going to go.” Alex declared, reaching a hand blindly backwards for her gym bag that Kara passed to her without hesitation. “Lena it was nice seeing you-” Alex called over her shoulder as she made her way to the door, pausing to momentarily wince at her choice of words. “I mean it was… yeah… let’s not mention this ever, okay?”

“I would really like that. Thank you.” Lena replied, sounding extremely grateful.

“Hurt my sister and I’ll hurt you!” Alex shouted over her shoulder as she rushed through the doorway.

“Understood!” Lena replied, the sincerity of her statement emphasised by the door slamming shut behind Alex.

“Bye…”, Kara muttered, with a sarcastic roll of her eyes, in the wake of her sister’s abrupt departure. “Lena, what hap-” Kara began, turning back to the computer screen, the question dying in her throat as Lena stepped slowly back into view. “Oh…”

“Surprise…?” Lena smirked whilst glancing somewhat nervously down her rather bare body.

Kara gulped, and fiddled with her glasses as she took in the wondrous sight before her, “Who knew drunk me could have such good ideas...”

Week 12

[Kara] Lena! Help!

[Lena] Where are you? I can get soldiers there in five minutes or there will be war.

[Kara] Nooooo!!!

[Kara] Overkill, overkill!!

[Kara] I am fine and in no physical danger whatsoever!!

[Lena] Okay, lead with that next time. I need to cancel a few things…

[Kara] You’re as bad as Alex.

[Lena] I love you and I protect what I love. Xxx

[Kara] Aww, you’re adorable. [3 xxx

[Lena] Don’t spread that around. I have a reputation to protect.

[Lena] So, what was it you needed help with?

[Kara] This is kind of embarrassing…

[Lena] Unsurprising… ;)

[Kara] Harsh… but fair…

[Kara] You know that scientist I told you I was interviewing today?

[Lena] Of course. Dr Johansson for your women in science series.

[Lena] She revolutionised our understanding of dark matter.

[Kara] Yep, that one.

[Lena] How did the interview go?

[Kara] Not… great.

[Lena] How come? You said she seemed really enthusiastic about the interview before?

[Kara] She kind of fell asleep mid-way through it.

[Lena] Well, considering her age, I wouldn’t take it personally.

[Kara] Then she died.

[Lena] Oh

[Kara] And now I don’t know what to do…

[Lena] Why do these things always happen to you?

[Kara] I don’t know :(

Week 14

“I would so not be in Slytherin!”

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a Slytherin-”, Lena replied conversationally, hiding her smirk behind the cup of tea she was lifting to her lips.

Kara, Sam, Lena and Ruby were seated around the kitchen table on that particular Saturday morning. Kara had arrived yesterday and spent much of the previous day and night solely in Lena’s company. The excitement of being reunited, the jet-lag and not wanting to waste a second of her time with Lena by sleeping meant the couple were still dressed in pyjamas and only just finishing up breakfast when Sam and Ruby had appeared. The Arias girls had insisted on visiting, both having warmed to Kara considerably and enjoying the sight of Lena looking so happy.

The four them had settled into the kitchen, Kara drinking a coffee, Ruby drinking water, Sam and Lena drinking tea. The conversation had been happy and rather light, a large portion focusing on Kara as Sam and Ruby asked about what she’d been upto since her last visit. It had then proceeded to take an unexpected turn for the worse when Kara mentioned that her and Winn had attended an Harry Potter conference just last week.

“They’re the bad guys!” Sam declared indignantly, her nostrils flaring at the sheer audacity of Lena suggesting that she, (Chief Meddler), would be a Slytherin.

“Just because all elephants are grey things, does not mean all grey things are elephants.” Lena singsonged, arching an eyebrow coolly at her best friend who immediately threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

“Your philosophical Queen bullshit isn’t going to work on me!” Sam shot back, reaching out to cover Ruby’s ears as she swore loudly causing the teenager to roll her eyes and Kara to stifle a giggle.

Lena’s green eyes merely twinkled with mischief in response, and the two best friends descended into good-natured bickering, more or less ignoring the two other people sat beside them at the table.

“You’ve started reading Harry Potter, huh?” Kara whispered to Ruby, who was watching her mother and Lena argue with a disinterest that highlighted just how often these little spats happened.

Ruby glanced over at Kara and nodded her head emphatically, “Yeah, me and mum love it.”

“How long have they been arguing about houses for?” Kara asked, jerking her thumb in the direction of the other pair.

“Oh,” Ruby frowned thoughtfully, “ever since Mum suggested Lena would be in Hufflepuff.”

Kara quirked a smile at that revelation, already guessing how well that went down, “And then Lena retaliated by saying Sam would be in Slytherin?”

“Pretty much…” Ruby confirmed with a click of her tongue, before leaning forward to murmur quietly to Kara, “though secretly I agree with the houses they’ve suggested.”

Kara looked furtively left and right, then breathed out secretively, “Me too.” Ruby’s face lit up with a bright smile as Kara advised, “But it doesn’t pay to get in the middle of it.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Ruby agreed with a chuckle.

Kara glanced back over at Sam and Lena who were still arguing about each other’s attributes and which house that meant they best fit into; it showed no sign of letting up. Kara decisively knocked back the last mouthful of her coffee before offering to the young girl, “Do you want to go watch a Disney film whilst they argue?”

“Sure.” Ruby agreed with an easy-going shrug, the two of them getting to their feet and heading towards the stairs. “Hey, what’s Disney?” Ruby inquired, her brow furrowing as she looked up at the blonde walking beside her.

Kara grinned instantly and reached out to wrap an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Oh, Ruby, you are in for a treat.”

Week 16

[Kara] We need to talk.

[Lena] No smiley faces? No how are you? This is bad.

[Lena] What is wrong, my love?

[Kara] I’m not falling for any of that ‘my love’ stuff this time!

[Kara] I have never felt so betrayed.

[Lena] I think I know what this is about and I am so sorry.

[Lena] It was a one-time thing, I swear!

[Kara] I didn’t think you were capable of hurting me like this.

[Kara] How could you?!

[Lena] Honestly? I didn’t think you’d find out…

[Kara] DIDN’T THINK I’D FIND OUT?!

[Lena] I just couldn’t help myself…

[Kara] You watched the last episode of The Umbrella Academy without me!!

[Lena] I’ll watch it again with you, my love. Xxx

[Kara] It won’t be the same… :’(

[Lena] I’m so sorry, Kara.

[Lena] Kara? Are you still there?

[Lena] My love?

[Lena] Light of my life?

[Lena] The Sun to my Moon?

[Lena] How long are you going to be mad at me for? :(

[Kara] Five more minutes.

Week 18

It was late Sunday morning and Kara was propped up in bed, still in her pyjamas and snuggled under the duvet with her laptop balanced on her legs. It was late into the night on the other side of the screen, Lena was in their kitchen sipping a cup of a tea before bed, her green eyes soft and affectionate as she looked over Kara’s sleepy figure.

“What were you baking tonight?” Kara asked after allowing herself to merely drink in the sight of Lena for a long minute.

“Hmm… scones.” Lena answered, a small smile appearing as she remembered the events of the day, “Sam, Ruby and I enjoyed the last of the summer sun with afternoon tea.”

“Nice.” Kara murmured, though her stomach dropped a little at having missed it. At having missed out on warm weekends spent with Lena curled up in bed or having lunch out in the garden or riding the horses to the lake for a picnic and swim. It was not like when she had said goodbye to Lena for the first time, back then it had hurt terribly thinking about all the things she was going to miss out on, things she would never get to experience with Lena.

Now, she could experience all those things with her. When she missed out on all those little moments, Kara always felt a sharp pang when she remembered that… she could have been there. Could have it all.

“How did you know I’d been baking?” Lena asked, raising an interested eyebrow, and pulling Kara from her train of thought.

“You’ve got flour in your hair.” Kara said with a light chuckle, pointing to a lock of Lena’s hair that was decidedly whiter than it usually was.

“Oh.” Lena muttered, quickly brushing her fingers through her hair to remove the traces of white powder. Kara’s hands twitched and flexed with the desire to take the place of Lena’s hands.

If Kara had been there, she had no doubt that she would have reached out and tangled her fingers in Lena’s dark hair, Lena would then have smiled dreamily and leaned into the touch, Kara would have kissed her and...

“No souffles, then?” Kara said, clearing her throat and changing the subject to pull her out of the daydream she could feel herself succumbing to.

Lena’s expression lost some of its brightness, “No… I’m not in the mood for them.”

Kara tilted her head to the side and observed her girlfriend closely as she said curiously, “Really? You always seem to be baking them when I’m around.”

“Yes.” Lena replied immediately, her face resolutely blank and giving away nothing.

Realising she had accidentally stepped into one of those topics Lena wasn’t quite comfortable talking about, Kara opened her mouth to move past the awkwardness when-

“Lex taught me to make souffles when I was younger.” Lena confessed in an overly neutral tone, her gaze focused intently on the mug in her hands.

Kara licked her lips, unsure whether to try and change the subject like she had originally been planning to and as Lena always did when her family came up in conversation. But… Lena had initiated this, has been the one to say his name and had made no move to flash a flirty smile and shift the focus back to Kara.

“He did?” Kara prompted gently, wishing she could be there to put a comforting hand on Lena’s back or squeeze her hand; maybe, though it was for the best she wasn’t physically there. Being alone but not alone, might be just what was giving Lena the courage to share.

“Yeah,” Lena answered, sounding far younger than Kara had ever heard her sound before.

Kara knew she was being trusted with something that no one else had probably ever been allowed to see before. The strong Queen of Theonia willingly being vulnerable. Opening herself up and showing what has hidden behind the steel armour and sharp mind.

Lena’s shoulders curled in on herself, as if she was trying to shrink back into her younger self’s skin. Green eyes were unable to meet Kara’s consistently but when they did they were searching, looking for something. Kara hoped her gaze shone with all the love she had for Lena, hoped they erased whatever doubts were swirling in Lena’s head.

Kara needn’t have worried, the amount of love pouring from her was abundantly apparent and gave Lena the comfort and security she needed to talk of things she hadn’t allowed herself to for years.

“It was the only thing he knew how to bake and he only ever baked them when he was in a really good mood, which usually meant father was away.” Lena explained with a melancholic tone. “Some of my happiest childhood memories are of Lex giving me instructions on baking souffles whilst my mother watched us, intermittently rolling her eyes at us and our antics.” Lena smiled gently at the memory.

Kara had heard occasional comments about Lena’s mother and she couldn’t help finding the matriarch to be a complex woman, intimidating at times but redeemed by her love for her children. Kara wondered if former Queen Lillian Luthor would have liked her. Kara assumed that she wouldn’t at first but was convinced she could have won Lillian over once she saw how deeply Kara cared for her daughter.

“I got really good at them. Five star restaurant level.” Lena remarked, trying to inject some of her familiar confidence to lighten the mood.

“Of course.” Kara agreed, rolling her eyes mockingly to pull a small chuckle from Lena that dissipated far faster than Kara would have liked.

“Then…” Lena continued, straightening up in her seat and drawing on her Queen persona to provide a necessary confidence boost. “We grew up… those days became fewer and further apart… Then mother died…”, Kara’s heart constricted sympathetically at the emotionless way Lena shared this, “and Lex… he was never the same. I remember the palace becoming colder… darker…” Lena’s brow furrowed and she frowned harshly; Kara couldn’t help but think the shadows around Lena grew darker, and she wished yet again that she was there to curl herself protectively around the raven haired woman. “I remember thinking that this place was no longer my home.” Lena confessed, “It didn’t feel right to make souffles anymore after that…”

“But you’ve started making them again...”, Kara reminded her gently.

Lena sighed, and tapped her fingers against her cup, the ring she was wearing making an arrhythmic ‘clicking’ noise that punctuated every other word or so. “I tried making them for the first time in a long time after living with Sam and Ruby for nearly a year.” Lena’s smiled appeared for a flickering second, “I was always burning them, though… still am, I guess.”

“You’re getting better.” Kara encouraged, her arms wrapping around her laptop as if she were hugging it, pretending it was the same as actually hugging Lena.

“Yes, I am.” Lena agreed, a fond expression appearing as she made eye contact with Kara. “I lost interest again when I moved back into the palace. The night after meeting you…” Lena swallowed noticeably, turning shy as she admitted, “that was the first time I tried to bake a souffle in the Palace since my mother died.”

Kara’s heart juddered with love in her chest, and her throat clenched instinctively, no reply could be a worthy response to what Lena had just shared. “Lena.” Kara breathed out, the adoration and longing palpable in those two syllables.

“Can we… can we talk about something else?” Lena requested.

“Yeah…” Kara acquiesced immediately, determined to return Lena’s vulnerability in kind, “there’s actually something I’ve been meaning to show you…” Lena raised a curious eyebrow but didn’t seem disinclined. “Be right back.” Kara promised, moving the laptop off her legs and hurriedly freeing herself from the duvet before dashing to her closet and rummaging around for what she was searching for.

Her hands located the wooden box without much difficulty and she returned back to her previous spot, juggling the laptop and her retrieved item with her usual grace. After settling, Kara held up the wooden box for Lena to inspect.

The box was pretty simple, the wood was dark and lacquered giving it a shine with little upkeep required. The sides of the boxes depicted a woodland and engraved on the top was a large blossoming rose.   

“That’s a beautiful box.” Lena complimented sincerely, her eyes tracing the shapes and images with an assessing gaze.

“Thanks.” Kara replied, “Jeremiah made it for me when I came to live with the Danvers. He wanted me to have something to store my keepsakes in.”

“That was really thoughtful of him.” Lena said sweetly.

“Yeah, he was…” Kara agreed, her fingers tracing out the petals of the rose he had painstakingly carved for her, “he was a really thoughtful man.” Kara smiled sadly at Lena who understood exactly how she was feeling without a single word. Kara lifted the lip and moved aside the small items inside until she found the photograph she was looking for. “This is him, by the way.” Kara explained, holding up the picture that featured a younger beaming Kara, a brooding teenager Alex who was actually displaying a rare smile as she side-hugged Kara. Eliza was stood on the other side of Kara, teary-eyed yet joyful; behind them stood Jeremiah, looming over them like a protective giant, his arms spread wide to encircle his entire family. The four of them were stood on the stairs of the Midvale Courthouse, the sun was shining brightly above them causing them all to squint whilst the photo was being taken by a random passerby.

“This is the day, the Danvers formally adopted me.” Kara revealed, “We went out for ice cream sundaes straight after. Alex and I raced to finish our sundaes. We both got brain freezes and stomach aches for the rest of the day.”

Lena chuckled, shaking her head in unsurprised amusement, “Who won?”

“I did, of course.” Kara declared smugly. “Though, Alex says I cheated because mine arrived a minute before hers.”

“Uh huh.” Lena hummed.

Kara placed the photograph to one side, picking up a rather worn out band that alternated between red, blue and yellow.

“This is the friendship bracelet Alex made for me.” Kara held it up for Lena to see. “We… uh… didn’t get along very well at the start.” Kara confessed causing a flicker of shock to cross Lena’s face. “As we became friends, I made her a bracelet...”

The bracelet had been suggested to her by some less than pleasant girls at school, who had encouraged Kara to make it purely to mock her efforts and tell her how uncool and lame she was. Kara had spent hours making a bracelet that she thought Alex would like, the end result had been black and blue with ‘Best Sister’ labelled on it. Kara had given it to Alex just before school one day, and Alex had immediately put it on and worn it with pride, even going so far as to put the girls who then tried to insult and belittle Kara in their place.

“And then Alex made me one too, despite thinking they were stupid and childish.” Kara smiled fondly at the memory, remembering how touched she’d been when Alex had slid the bracelet over to her at breakfast one morning like it was no big deal. Kara also knew Alex still had that first bracelet she’d made for her stashed away in her own keepsake box.

“I can’t imagine you two not getting along.” Lena remarked

“It was rocky to begin with but…” Kara reasoned, frowning as she remembered those shaky first few months in the Danvers’ house. “Even during our worst times we were always there for one another.”

Lena’s expression turned reflective, and Kara felt a flash of guilt for highlighting how stable and reliable her relationship was with Alex when Lena probably would have given everything to have that with Lex.

“Like you, Sam and Lucy.” Kara pointed out quietly, wanting Lena to see that she did have what Kara and Alex had, that the family you chose was just as important as the family you were given.

“You’re right.” Lena murmured, her expression fond and almost proud (which she should be Kara thought, Lena had found two friends that would literally go to hell and back for her and that was most definitely something to be proud of).

Kara waited a couple of beats before lifting up another treasured belonging.

“This is a copy of the first ever article I wrote for CatCo.” Kara announced, holding up the cut out scrap of paper that was barely a couple of hundred words about the opening of a small community centre a few blocks away from CatCo.

The smile on Lena’s face appeared in less than a second, and the gleam of pride intensified enormously. “I know. I’ve read that one.” Lena declared

Kara blinked rapidly in surprise, a crease appearing between her eyebrows, “You have?”

Lena nodded fervently, “I’ve read every article you’ve written.”

“Oh.” The noise slipped out of Kara’s mouth without any thought.

Lena had read every article she’d ever written. Kara didn’t doubt the truth of this; Lena would never to lie to her, especially not about something like this.

Lena had read every inane piece of news, every crappy write-up, every random interview… Kara blushed with embarrassment as she remembered some of her terrible earlier articles that had somehow got published (Kara may not get along with Snapper but he had certainly brought up the quality level in recent years).

The embarrassment died away rather quickly, as Kara fully appreciated what Lena had done and what it meant. It was probably the most considerate thing anyone had ever done for Kara. Combing through the backlog to read all of Kara’s work, something only Alex had ever accomplished (and that was because Alex was more or less expected to read them as the articles came out).

If Kara had any doubt that Lena wasn’t proud of her or her work, this revelation would have eliminated it.

Kara exhaled a shaky breath, the desire to say ‘I love you’ was potent but she wanted to show it, in the same way Lena had shown it by using up her already scarce time to read the presumably hundreds of articles Kara had been involved with. Blue eyes alighted on another piece of paper, and Kara hoped this would at least give Lena an indication of the depth of her love.

“This is… um… my plane ticket to Theonia.” Kara stuttered, holding it up like it was a check for a million dollars (if Kara had to choose between a check or this old, slightly bent plane ticket… Kara would grab the ticket without regrets).

Lena inhaled sharply, her eyes going wide, as trembling fingertips touched her lips, she kissed them and moved them to the screen which was like a physical barrier between the two of them. The action Lena had just carried out was the exact routine Kara had taken to performing when saying farewell over video chat. Kara always said it was because if she was really there, there would be no way she would leave Lena without kissing her goodbye.

Kara smiled dopely in return as her fingers closed around the next object, a worn blue velvet box, “This is…” Kara announced, only realising the implications of what she was about to show as she was about to do so, “this is my mother’s engagement ring.” Kara flicked the lid open with practiced ease, and revealed a simple silvery band with a modest solitaire diamond. Kara chewed her bottom lip unable to stop herself comparing it to all of the expensive and striking pieces of jewellery Lena owned and wore regularly. “It’s not that impressive.”

“It’s beautiful.” Lena declared sincerely and with total conviction. When Kara looked up to see Lena’s reaction, it was to find mesmerised green eyes fixed on the glimmering ring being offered up in the palm of Kara’s hand.

“My dad sold his first car to be able to afford this ring.” Kara explained softly, eager for Lena to know the story behind this ring and its true value. “Dad said it had been falling to pieces and was probably worth more as scrap but Mum told me he how much he really loved it. He gave it up and took the bus for years without complaint just to afford… this…” Kara glanced down at the ring, remembering the way her father would light up whenever he caught her Mum admiring the simple ring. “He always said this ring was the most valuable object in the house and not because of its cost, I’m pretty sure the tv we had was more expensive than the ring, but because of its value.”

By the time Kara was born her parents were no longer struggling to meet ends meet, her mother was rapidly moving up the ladder at the firm she was working at and her father had quickly become a favourite at the school he taught at. They were moving up in the world and could afford far better than they could before.

“It was proof that Mum chose him just like he had chosen her,” Kara continued, her voice cracking slightly as she remembered how her parents only ever seemed to love each other more with each passing day together, “and she loved him just as much as he loved her. He said nothing else he owned came close to being that precious.”

“Your Dad sounds like a wonderful man.” Lena whispered honestly.

“He was the hopeless romantic one out of my parents.” Kara revealed with an amused shake of her head. “Mum was practical and logical, but she would always melt when it came to my Dad.” Kara swallowed as she carefully closed the lid of the velvet box, set it to one side and pulled out another photograph, “This is them…”

Lena was silent for a long moment, her green eyes intense and captivated as she studied the wedding picture. “Wow… you look just like your mum…”, Lena muttered in sheer wonderment.

“You think so?” Kara inquired glancing at the picture she’d looked at so many times she had it forever ingrained in her mind.

Her mother had darker hair than Kara and lighter blue eyes but the shape of the face, nose and mouth were strikingly similar. Her mother was staring straight into the camera, and though her smile was small it could only be described as full of love. She was dressed in a white mermaid style dress with white lace arms and bodice, though her shoulders were bare. It would be seen as old-fashioned nowadays, but there was an undeniable elegance and beauty in its simplicity.  

Her father was dressed in a grey suit and blue tie, in his breast pocket was a baby blue hydrangea and white calla lily to match her mother’s bouquet. Unlike Kara’s Mum, however, her Dad wasn’t looking at the camera, his eyes were instead only focused on his new wife. His smile the brightest and biggest one you would ever see.

“Yes, without a doubt.” Lena replied, “Though, you definitely have your father’s bright smile and blue eyes.” Kara flashed Lena the exact smile depicted in the photograph without realising, her eyes crinkling just like her father’s. “Thank you, for showing me them.” Lena said, leaning forward with the need to be closer to Kara, “I would love to hear more about them, if you wouldn’t mind telling me...”, Lena trailed off hopefully but not forcefully, leaving the choice of now, later or never with the blonde.

“I’d like that…”, Kara assured, and just like that a small part of her that had always been hidden away with all the memories about her parents she’d never shared was finally set free.

Week 20

“My girls!” Eliza shouted jubilantly as the crowd parted, giving Kara and Alex a clear view of their mother. Even after travelling for nearly two full days, Kara was still blown away by how put together and effortlessly professional the older blonde looked; there was very little indication of fatigue and her clothes seemed positively crease resistant (Kara had said many times that her and Alex should figure out how Eliza did it and sell it for millions).  

“Mum!” Alex replied, the tension that had set into her posture whilst they waited for Eliza’s flight to land safely eeking away to be replaced with a giddy young girl excited to see her mother after a long separation.

“Eliza!” Kara called out, waving exuberantly as the sisters rushed forward to hug the doctor and help with her luggage.

Eliza unceremoniously, and without hesitation, dumped her hand luggage onto the floor and opened her arms wide enough to encompass both of her daughters.

“Look at the two of you.” Eliza cooed, wrapping her arms tightly around Kara and Alex, before pressing a kiss to their foreheads in turn. “I’m so proud of you both.”

“Geez, Mum…”, Alex said, pulling away slowly from the embrace, attempting a little bit too hard to seem tough.

Eliza smirked and shared a knowing look with Kara who chuckled in return, her chest close to bursting with joy at the reunion of her family.

“I want to know everything.” Eliza declared as Alex scooped up her big bag whilst Kara slung the hand luggage over her shoulder. The three of them steadily made their way out of the airport to the car that Alex had parked right out front, willingly abusing the power of her badge when it benefited her family. “How’s work going?” Eliza questioned rapid fire, “How’s James and Winn? Are you both eating healthily? And Kara…”, Eliza said firmly and with a directness that made it impossible for Kara not to make eye contact. “I want to hear all about your girlfriend.”

“Uhh…” Kara’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

“Come on, Mum,” Alex cut in, taking Eliza’s arm and speeding her up towards the car that she promptly opened the door for her to get in, “let’s get you home and settled. We have plenty of time to talk through all that; we want to hear all about your work as well.” With that final sentiment and Eliza settled in the car, Alex more or less slammed the car door closed, took a deep, shaky breath and turned back to face Kara with a nervous and slightly regretful smile in place.

“You told her?!” Kara squawked, trying to keep her volume low enough so that Eliza wouldn’t hear.

“Maybe a little bit.” Alex admitted with a wince.

“Alex!” Kara reprimanded, barely resisting stamping her foot in a display of childish outrage.

“Look…” Alex started, weakly trying to justify her betrayal, “You know what Mum’s like. She has that look which just makes you instantly spill all your secrets.”

Kara sighed and shook her head in disappointment, “I can’t believe I used to think you were strong-willed.”

Alex rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath before they finished loading up the car and got in, ready to drive back to their childhood home in Midvale for a long weekend together.

“Alex tells me it’s serious.”

Eliza had been home for two days when she finally brought up the elephant in the room. Alex had gone for an early evening run before their pizza order arrived, leaving Eliza and Kara properly alone for the first time that weekend. Eliza was sat in her usual armchair, a glass of wine held steadily in one hand, a blanket draped over her legs and her calm, inscrutable gaze firmly in place.

Yeah, that was the look Alex was talking about… it had definitely made Kara admit to more than she thought possible growing up and its effect had only increased as she got older.

“Well… umm…”, Kara blushed, fiddling with the arm of her glasses and ducking her head to avoid that penetrating glare.

“That you love her?” Eliza prompted gently.

Kara swallowed thickly, unable to ever deny that fact. “I do.”

“Hmmm…” Kara expected another question, but Eliza remained quiet knowing that silence would be effective in getting Kara to open up.

“She’s amazing, Eliza.” Kara announced, wringing her hands in her lap as her love for Lena came spilling out in a rambling mess, desperate for Eliza to understand just how… incredible Lena was.

How incredible it was that Lena loved her.

That she had never known love, never known it could feel so wonderful until she had met Lena.

“Like… she’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, but she never makes anyone else feel slow or stupid for not being at the same level as her. She’s brave, and always does what’s right even when it hurts her.” Kara looked pleadingly at Eliza, who was watching her curiously, “She’s selfless and kind beyond measure. She’s also unbelievably patient and encouraging, she’s… she’s even been teaching me to cook. And she’s-”

“Kara, she sounds wonderful.” Eliza interrupted, shifting in her seat so that she could reach forward and pat Kara’s knee.

“She is.” Kara assured confidently.

Eliza pursed her lips in the same way she would when trying to solve a particularly troublesome crossword puzzle, “Then what’s the problem?”

Kara frowned in confusion, “There is no problem.”

Eliza smiled sadly in return, “Then why are you acting like this isn’t long-term?”

Kara’s stomach twisted as if someone had come along and tried to win the International Knot Competition using her insides… maybe Frank had picked up knot tying as hobby, Kara thought morosely.

“I am. This is…” Kara rebutted, sounding far more uncertain than she would have liked. She cleared her throat trying to instill some conviction into her words, “I love her.”

Eliza nodded acceptingly, not doubting for a second that Kara, who shone far brighter than she ever had before when speaking of Lena, was very much in love with her girlfriend. She wanted Kara to be happy, to have everything she ever wanted but Eliza couldn’t do that if Kara herself wasn’t sure what that was in the first place.

Normally, Eliza would encourage, suggest and indirectly hint when trying to help either of her daughters make a decision or think something through for themselves. This time, however, she was limited by time and couldn’t really play the long game if she wanted to see any results within the next decade, therefore Eliza chose to be blunt.

“What do you want next?” Eliza asked.

Kara’s jaw moved up and down in shock, taken aback by the directness of the question, “I- I-...”

Eliza squeezed Kara’s knee stopping her from spiralling dangerously off into multiple tangents and scenarios in her imagination. “I’m not expecting you to answer. I just…” Eliza paused, checking she had Kara’s full attention, “want you to think about it. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy, and it seems like this one does…”

“She does.” Kara rushed to confirm, “I want…” Kara bit her bottom lip, a blush spreading across her cheeks and down her neck as she admitted shyly, “to be with her forever.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

Week 24

“Good night?” Kara asked, rather distracted by the sight of Lena in her sinfully good looking red dress with her black hair pulled up with a golden clip, leaving her long neck bare for Kara to stare longingly at.

“Yes,” Lena chuckled seductively, able to recognise all the dirty thoughts currently running through Kara’s mind despite the slightly fuzzy computer screen, “I just had dinner with Jonah and his husband.”

Kara’s eyes lit up immediately at the name, remembering the quirky Science and Technology minister fondly. “He was by far my favourite minister.”

Lena smiled at the declaration, as she reclined against the pillows on her bed after having removed the killer high heels she loved so dearly, “I’m not surprised considering how much CatCo worked with him during your stay here. You three made a really good impression on him,” Lena replied thoughtfully, “he’s actually now one of the most vocal about speeding up our integration plans.”

“Really?” Kara beamed, pleased to think that her, James and Winn had fulfilled their secondary intention of being good ambassadors during their trip.

“Mmhmm,” Lena hummed, as she carefully begun to free her hair from its updo, “he’s requested to attend an international science conference where we can show off our advancements in solar energy.”

“That’d be awesome.” Kara said excitedly, already planning on how she could convince Cat to let her and Winn attend to reunite with their new friend and write a pretty interesting piece. Kara’s mind settled down and she watched utterly captivated as Lena carefully readied herself for bed.  “Hey… can I ask you something?”

Lena quirked an amused eyebrow as she smiled coyly, “Anything.”

Kara nervously played with her glasses as she tried to find the best way to broach a topic that had been on her mind for the last couple of months, “Is his marriage… um… accepted?”

Lena frowned, her eyebrows coming together in confusion, “I don’t understand the question…”

“You know…” Kara muttered awkwardly, her hands moving in the air but not making any recognisable gesture. Lena’s expression remained unchanged at Kara’s lack of clarity. Kara huffed out a disgruntled breath and inquired with only a minor wince and blush, “What’s Theonia’s stance on gay marriage?”

“Oh.” Confused green eyes disappeared to be replaced by something sharper with a hint of reflection and surprise, “I sometimes forget, since Theonia has always been so isolated that other countries have different views on things to us.” Lena admitted, running a hand through her now loose hair (Kara forced herself not to be distracted by the action and listen to Lena with her full attention).

“We’ve been accepting of it for years.” Lena explained, shrugging slightly to show how little of a big deal that was. “It’s well documented that William Luthor’s first love was his closest friend Henry.” Kara’s fingers twitched with the automatic desire to make notes whenever Lena shared some of her country’s history with her. “Their relationship, though, was heavily protested and disparaged by the people. Things changed, however, when Henry died protecting a coastal Theonian town from invasion.” A flash of sadness flickered across Lena’s face due to the Queen’s empathetic nature. “The town was renamed in his honour and the people stepped up to support William, mourning alongside him. He eventually fell in love with a woman called Olivia, but he and the rest of Theonia never forgot Henry. The law was officially changed when Isaac Luthor, a couple of generations later, came to the throne, his son was gay and wished to marry another man. Isaac Luthor changed the law to show his son that he would always be loved and whoever he wished to marry would be welcome in the family.”

“Wow…” Kara breathed in mild surprise and relief, “You never had religious opposition?”

Lena immediately shook her head, her long fingers tracing patterns across the bedspread, “Theonia, is unique in that it’s people kind of abide by two religions simultaneously.” Lena revealed, knowing how Kara would appreciate the background behind her answer, more than just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on it’s own. “When the first settlers arrived they, like a lot of those that landed in America, were puritans… over time however they developed…” Lena bit her lip, trying to select the right word, “We have… what some would call pagan beliefs…” Kara raised an intrigued eyebrow at that, “which involves certain festivals and customs… These are more part of our culture and tradition than an actual religion but… They’ve always gone hand in hand, working together not against each other. I think having to be open to something that is drastically different and seemingly opposed to what is the core of both religions allowed them to grow with each other. In other words,” Lena summed up, “our religion is open to change and growth which is kind of ironic in some ways as the country itself seems so opposed.”

“That’s so interesting.” Kara breathed out, the desire to read any available essays or textbooks on the subject burning intensely already.

“Your eyes have taken on their research gleam.” Lena pointed out with an easy-going smile.

“I have a research gleam?” Kara questioned, though she knew it was probably true.

“Mmhmm…”, Lena confirmed with a hum.

“So…” Kara blushed heavily, her heart rate increasing significantly as the question she’d really wanted to ask took centre stage, “no one would mind you wanting to marry a woman?”

Lena’s mouth opened slightly in surprise and she looked on the edge of saying something before she flicked a lock of hair out of face, using the time delay the action gave her to school features and move past what she was originally going to say. “They wouldn’t mind , per se…” Lena said after deliberating, though she cringed a little as she admitted reluctantly, “but there would be a preference for me to marry a man… purely due to…” Lena coughed, a faint pink hue appearing on her cheeks, “inheritance concerns.”

“Inheritance concerns?” Kara repeated dumbly.

Lena bit her lip and clarified, “An heir.”

“Oh.” Kara murmured as an unpleasant understanding dawned.

“It shouldn’t be an issue.” Lena reassured with a wave of her hand, “With the government in place, it’s not as a big of a deal as it once was, but the nobles will try to stir up as much trouble as possible if whoever is destined to inherit is not a blood relation.” Kara pursed her lips as she tried to understand the politics going on behind the scenes. “They would see it as their chance to contest for the throne.” Lena summarised, her jaw clenching as she lifted her chin up as if to prepare for battle, “They won’t win, obviously, but…”

“It will still be another fight.” Kara filled in sadly, half-formed plans starting to disintegrate.

“Yes.” Lena agreed, waiting until blue eyes met impassioned green ones, “But another one worth fighting.”

And just like that Kara’s plans for the future stabilised.

Week 26

Kara’s thumb stroked back and forth over the velvet box she had taken to keeping on her person at all times. She wasn’t even in Theonia, so it’s not like she had any chance or reason to bring the ring out into the open, it was just… it was a promise.

A physical promise of forever and it provided Kara with more strength and hope than anything else.

It was early evening, Kara had just gotten home from work when she received a message from Lena asking if she was available to video chat. Immediately intrigued since it was halfway through the workday for Lena, Kara rushed to set-up her computer even delaying cooking herself dinner (Kara’s culinary skills had improved so dramatically over the last few months, that Winn, James and Alex now regularly demanded that she cook dinner for them ahead of games nights).

“Hey, so what’s the big news?” Kara asked the second Lena’s beautiful smile illuminated her screen.

“Well, my love,” Lena beamed, quirking a teasing eyebrow, “guess who might be coming to visit you?”