Chapter Text
Kara drove into Lena in hard thrusts, her hips pistoning as she buried the newly purchased strap inside of her. Lena’s hands gripped her muscular back and her fingers dug into the corded muscles under her palms.
“Please,” Lena gasped, her hair clinging to her forehead with sweat, “please don’t stop, don’t stop!”
Kara couldn’t imagine why the hell she would stop when it had taken so long to get to this point, but she was quick to reassure her lover that she had nothing to worry about with a well-place bite to her pulse point and a slow press of her clit that had Lena crying out as she spilled over the edge.
As their breathing slowed, Kara undid the buckles on the harness and let the toy fall to the floor beside the bed as she wrapped Lena in her arms. It had been three days since the events with William and she still hadn’t quite wrapped her head around the fact that this was real.
The train clattered down the tracks, shaking their bodies as they crossed the south of France. They had moved on from their hotel room in Paris to avoid being brought back to National City by General Haley or the CIA. They needed some time together to talk, to figure things out, hash out their past issues….but also to fuck endlessly, which is how they had spent the past three days in their compartment.
“God, I love you,” she breathed, pulling Lena’s face further into her neck and tightening her hold on the woman. A sniffle was all she received in return from her lover and she tilted her chin up with her finger, her brow crinkling when she took in the tear-filled eyes and pink-tipped nose.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” She kissed the tears from Lena’s pale cheeks and cupped her jaw as she waited for Lena to speak.
“I’m sorry, Kara,” Lena replied, sniffling and averting her eyes. “I’m just so sorry.”
Kara felt alarm wash over her. What was she sorry for? Was she about to say she didn’t want to be with her? Was this all over before it had even begun?
“What do you have to be sorry for?” She asked cautiously, her heart on guard.
Lena wiped her nose and shook her head. “I was so stupid, so hypocritical about your Red Test. I just...I didn’t want you to have to do something like that. I didn’t want it to change you. You’re such a magical person, so unerringly good, and I didn’t want you to lose that. Taking a life changes you, no matter who you are, and I didn’t want you to go through that. I didn’t want to watch it happen.”
She paused, furrowing her brow as she stared down at her twisting fingers, before continuing.
“And I think maybe I was still hurt because of Prague. I think I was looking for an excuse not to let you back in. I was so scared you would hurt me again -- that I’d let you in and you’d realise I wasn’t what you actually wanted. So instead, I did what I always do when people hurt me: I built a wall and suffocated behind it. And the Red Test was a perfect catalyst for that.”
Kara listened quietly, taking in Lena’s words, and then pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Lena, I don’t hold it against you. I understand. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Prague. I never wanted to hurt you. I...I just wanted to be someone worthy of you, you know? A hero. I thought if I could be the perfect spy -- the perfect Intersect -- if I could help people, make use of all of this knowledge that was given to me, maybe it would be enough. Maybe I would be good enough for you.”
Lena gently grabbed Kara’s face and fixed her with a hard stare full of fire and love.
“Kara, you were always good enough. You were always worthy of my love. You didn’t need to be the Intersect for that. The Intersect might have helped you save my life, but Kara Danvers, you are my hero. You always have been.”
She pressed a kiss to the blondes’ lips as a tear slipped down her freckled cheek. A knock rang out against the door and it jolted them apart. Lena climbed out of the bed and wrapped her robe around herself as she pulled the door open.
“Compartment service, mademoiselle,” said the gentleman at the door, pushing the cart covered in pastries, fruit, champagne coffee and truffles. “Good afternoon, yet again.”
Lena couldn’t help but smile at the exasperation in his tone. They had been ordering compartment service at least four times a day for the past three days, and they were no doubt running the man ragged on his feet, but it wasn’t their fault. Kara ate a lot as it was, and they had certainly been working up an appetite.
“Thank you so much,” she replied with a bright grin, taking the tray from his hands and setting it on the bed next to a blushing Kara, hiding her naked form under the sheets.
“You do know we have a full dining car at the rear of the train, yes?” The waiter asked in exasperation.
Lena chuckled. “Yes, but we, ah…” She looked over at Kara and shot her a seductive smirk. “...we quite like it in here.”
The man sighed, but smiled when Lena tipped him, closing the door behind himself.
When Lena returned to the bed, Kara was already helping herself to pastries and coffee and she offered a strawberry to Lena, who let Kara feed it to her.
“Okay so,” Kara began, clapping her hands together, “today’s topic: music.”
Lena rolled her eyes. Kara had been suggesting topics everyday as a way to get to know each other better. Favourite foods, favourite films, colours, books, etc. It was sweet, but Lena also felt like it had to be a bit of a letdown for Kara. She hadn’t had a normal childhood and then after high school she had gone straight into the CIA. She hadn’t seen most of the movies that Kara talked about -- even the mainstream blockbusters -- and she didn’t eat food like it was a gateway to Mount Olympus the way Kara did.
Kara did everything with passion and verve, whereas Lena, up until this point, had mostly just been surviving. Her lack of answers had to be disappointing for Kara, and knowing today’s topic would produce the same results, she was worried how much more Kara would put up with.
“Favourite song?” Kara asked, pouring her a cup of coffee.
She grimaced sheepishly. “I don’t really have one.”
Kara looked at her, bewildered. “No favourite song? Okay, okay, sometimes it can be hard to pin one down. How about a favourite band? Everyone’s got a favourite band, right? What’s your favourite live show? We’ll start there.”
Lena shook her head with a grin. “Music hasn’t exactly been at the top of my list, darling.”
She pulled Kara down into a hot kiss, parting her lips with her tongue and tasting the chocolate truffle and coffee that Kara had been consuming. Kara always tasted of something sweet and it was Lena’s new favourite flavour.
As they broke apart, Kara sighed dreamily. “Okay, so music. That’s something we can work on. I’ll educate you!”
Then she snickered, adding, “Although, that would require us to leave this compartment and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
Lena wrinkled her nose and smiled, “Nah…”
And then, pushing Kara down onto her back, she straddled her body and got to work on showing Kara exactly how much she enjoyed staying in the compartment.
***
Kara’s phone ringing pulled them out of their sex-ridden stupor a few hours later, their pastries and champagne long since forgotten.
“Why?” Kara whined, twisting out of Lena’s naked grip to grab the offending device. The caller ID registered an encrypted call from General Haley, and she frowned at the screen.
“Ugh,” she groaned, silencing the device.
“Haley expected us back in National City yesterday,” Lena sighed. “So did Alex and Kelly and Winn and Hank. We can’t just run away like this.”
Kara stared off into space. “Why not?”
She turned to look at Lena, a spark lighting an idea in her heart.
Lena tilted her head and gave her a sympathetic half-smile. “Kara...”
“No listen! Hank has been reinstated, Alex and Kelly are getting married, everyone else is moving forward with their lives!”
She grabbed Lena’s hands and squeezed gently. “Lena, for the first time since I’ve known you, nothing is holding us back. And if Haley finds out about us, she could stop all of this. Us. I can’t risk that. I won’t.”
Lena sat in thought for a moment before swallowing. “You’re right. I can’t go back to the way it was before. Before this, before you.”
Kara nodded, smiling, her eyes glittering in the early evening sun.
“We should do what I should have done in Prague. We should run.”
Lena sat up straight, taking Kara’s hands in her own. “But Kara, is that what you really want?”
“I want you,” Kara replied immediately. “And I don’t want anything to get in the way of us.”
Lena’s heart pounded in delight and excitement. Were they really doing this?
“Lena Luthor, do you agree to quit the spy life with me?”
Lena took a deep breath and smiled. “I do. Kara Danvers, do you agree to quit the spy life with me?”
“I do,” Kara said with a grin as her phone rang again, showing Haley on the screen. Lena giggled and grabbed the device, pulling open the compartment window and tossing it out into the cool mountain air.
“I mean I was just gonna silence it, but that works too,” Kara joked as Lena pulled her back down on top of her, wrapping her legs around her back.
Lena shrugged and arched up into a bruising kiss, biting down hard on her lip. A sudden thought had her pulling away quickly, causing Kara to whine in frustration at the sudden loss.
“Oh my God, what about your sister’s wedding?”
Kara went pale and went to grab her phone to check the date, only to realise Lena had dumped it out the window. Lena grabbed hers and handed it to her.
“Oh thank god, it’s not until the day after tomorrow. With everything with Leviathan and William and us, it just slipped my mind.”
Lena bit her lip. “You can’t miss it, Kara. We have to go back.”
Kara sighed. “But if we go back, Hank and Haley will know. We won’t be able to run. What if she splits us up? Sends you to DC like she was going to before?”
Lena shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. You’re not going to miss Alex’s wedding. Especially not because of me. Alex would kill me and Kelly wouldn’t be my friend anymore and I have precious few of those, so…”
Kara grinned, pulling her into a kiss. “Well, I guess we better figure out the closest airport.”
She sat up and looked out the window at the snow capped mountains surrounding their compartment.
She frowned.
“Where are we, anyway?”
***
Alex sifted through the dozen or so books that Kelly had packed in their suitcases and huffed out a sigh.
“Kelly, what are all of these?”
Kelly looked up from her place on the couch and muted the news coverage of yet another California wildfire. When she saw the stack of books in her fiancée’s hands she smiled sheepishly.
“Just some beach reads?”
Alex set the books down and crossed her arms. "Did I or did I not buy you an e-reader for your birthday?"
Kelly's shoulders slumped and her lips curled down into a very convincing pout.
"It's just not the same as having a book in my hands, you know? I need to feel the pages!"
Alex rolled her eyes. “Alright well you can’t bring all of them to Aruba with us. There’s no room for my clothes!”
Kelly pouted and Alex looked away, lest she be swayed into giving up her valuable packing space. Glancing down the hall, she gazed toward Kara’s door, which had stayed closed for the past week. Where was she? She had promised she wouldn’t miss the wedding but time was running out.
As if reading her thoughts, Kelly rose from the couch and stood behind her, running her hands up and down Alex’s arms, planting a kiss to the back of her head.
“Don’t worry baby, I’m sure she'll be at the rehearsal dinner. She wouldn’t miss the wedding.”
Alex just shrugged dejectedly. “It’s fine. If she shows up, she shows up. If she doesn’t…"
She sighed and closed her eyes, pushing down her disappointment.
"...I’m sure whatever she’s doing is important for the country.”
She shrugged Kelly off and walked back to their room, leaving her wife-to-be shooting daggers in the direction of Kara’s closed bedroom door.
Kelly dialed Kara’s number and frowned when it went straight to voicemail.
Where was she?
***
By the time they had tracked down a member of the staff, they had passed the last stop in France and were steadily chugging their way through the Swiss Alps, further and further away from where they needed to be.
Kara sat at the breakfast table fidgeting with her glasses as she studied the map and searched for flights on Lena’s phone, stressing over how long it would take them to get back to National City.
“Okay, so we get off in Geneva which is about two hours away, then we catch a flight back to New York, where there is a six hour layover, and then a connecting flight to National City International.”
Lena sat sipping her coffee and watching the mountains pass as Kara spoke. She glanced over as Kara furrowed her brow, quickly calculating in her head how long all of this would take.
“Crap. This doesn’t leave us very much wiggle room. What if the flight is delayed? What if there’s a mechanical issue? Or inclement weather? What if there’s--”
“Kara,” she interrupted, squeezing her hand and stopping the collision course the blonde was on before she devolved completely. “It’ll be okay, darling. We’ll make it back in time for the rehearsal dinner, I promise.”
Kara sighed, squeezing the agent’s hand in return. “I know, I know, you’re right. I just can’t believe I forgot! I’m such a horrible person. I was so wrapped up in taking down William and getting you back and making sure that you were safe that everything else just got pushed to the back of my mind.”
“Kara, you’re not a horrible person. For God’s sake, you saved my life!”
“But I’m letting Alex down,” she breathed out, eyes filling with tears. “Alex has been there for me every day of my life since Mom and Dad died. I can’t disappoint her, Lena. I can’t do that to her. She needs me there and I can’t let her down.”
“You won’t,” Lena insisted, caressing Kara’s hand with her thumb. A lightbulb went off in her head and she glanced over at Kara. It wasn’t their plan, but it would get them home faster.
“Actually...I have an idea.”
Kara looked up at her, wiping the tip of her pink nose, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.
Lena gave her a smile that was more a grimace.
“I think it’s time we turned ourselves in.”
***
Hank stood in the command center of The Tower, arms folded tightly across his chest as he received his briefing from General Haley from the monitor.
“Agents Luthor and Danvers haven’t checked in since the Paris incident. They were to report back here at 0800 today. As far as the U.S. government is concerned, they’re AWOL.”
Hank nodded curtly, setting his jaw as he got straight to business.
“Well, we’ll need access to Interpol SAT imaging. Our uplink has been--”
“We’ve been down that path, Colonel,” Haley interrupted tiredly. “I”m coming to you because you have access to...a unique resource.”
A picture of Winn posing with a nerf gun popped up on the screen and Hank rolled his eyes at the secret agent pose he was making.
“The Intersect and Mr. Schott share an...oddly codependent relationship,” Haley continued. “I need to know if they’re in communication. Use him to find Kara.”
Hank nodded and signed off, heading up to the Nerd Herd in search of a nerd of his own.
He found said nerd among the video games, sifting through the new stock for anything he might want.
“Hey, dingus,” Hank called, approaching the shorter man. “Where’s Kara?”
Winn shrugged, continuing his perusal of the games. “Dunno. Haven’t heard from her since Paris. Why?”
Hank turned him abruptly, pinning him against the rack.
“This is serious, idiot. Have you talked to her?”
“Dude, I’m telling you! I haven’t heard from Kara, and she hasn’t Instagrammed a single potsticker or dog in over a week! Which I can only assume means that whatever she’s doing, it’s probably something pretty important, right? So, let’s cut her some slack. She’s got the fate of the world resting in her hands.”
Hank sneered. “Oh I’d say she’s got something else resting in her hands.”
Winn frowned, clearly confused. “What do you mean?”
Hank rolled his eyes. “Kara’s off the grid with Luthor. Do the math, Frodo.”
Realisation dawned on Winn and his face lit up. “Oh! Well, good for Kara! In that case, it shouldn’t be too hard to find them. And yes, I will assist you, since I happen to be the Intersect of Kara.”
Before Hank could groan or grimace at the thought of working with Winn, Kelly came through the doors of the store and made a beeline for the pair.
“Hey, have you seen Kara,” Hank asked quickly, wondering if perhaps the blonde had checked in with her sister.
“I was just going to ask you the same question,” Kelly replied with a frown.
Hank grunted and brushed past the woman and out of the store, as she turned to Winn.
“So, you know Kara better than anyone. Where is she?”
Winn turned back to sorting the video games. “You are on a need-to-know basis.”
Kelly grabbed his arm tightly, no longer having the capacity for his foolishness. This was for Alex. She needed to bring her sister back for her.
“Winn!”
“Okay, okay! Luckily for you, I have been tasked with bringing her back.”
“Back?” Kelly replied in confusion. “Back from where?”
Winn grimaced. “It’s probably better if you don’t know.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Whatever. But our rehearsal dinner is tomorrow night, and no matter what Alex says, it will kill her if Kara’s not there.”
She gripped the front of Winn’s shirt and pulled him face to face with her, offering him a menacing glare.
“So make it happen,” she growled, “or so help me, I will pluck every hair from your body, starting with the short and curlies!”
Winn gulped and nodded quickly, and Kelly released his shirt, turning quickly and leaving the store before she lost her nerve.
Winn smoothed the front of his polo and cleared his throat, looking around quickly to make sure no one had seen the confrontation.
“Women,” he uttered as he made his way to one of the Nerd Herders.
He needed to find Kara before the women in his life ended his.
***
Kara lingered in the stone archway of the train station in Geneva. The plan was relatively simple, but she couldn’t help but think it was all riding on a lot of contingent circumstances.
What if Lena was wrong? What if Hank didn’t investigate the way she did? What if Haley sent entirely different agents after them? What if--
“Okay, I scouted the station,” said Lena, appearing by her side and sliding a hand into hers. Kara couldn’t help but smile as their fingers intertwined. She could feel the aforementioned anxieties slipping away. What was she so worried about? Lena was always right.
“There’s a camera in the northwest corner that catches the magazine stand. That’s the one you’ll need to face.”
Kara nodded. “Roger that.”
Bringing their intertwined hands up, she pressed a kiss to the back of Lena’s before withdrawing hers, watching as a light dusting of pink settled in the agent’s pale cheeks. She really was inhumanly beautiful.
Grasping her ticket firmly in her hand, she headed toward the magazine stand and quickly purchased a copy of the new Justice League comic, before turning to face the northwest corner of the station as she flipped to the first page and pretended to read.
Two minutes later, Lena appeared at her side and linked arms with her, as they headed toward their platform.
Hopefully it would be enough.
***
Winn paced back and forth behind Hank as the latter typed away on the computer. He had done his due diligence and was ready to help.
“So let me make sure I have this right, you haven’t seen Kara since Paris?”
Hank grunted, clearly not interested in Winn’s line of questioning or his help.
“Hank, listen, you’re looking for a needle in a haystack made of needles! You need to create an advantage, and that’s me. I’ve been studying this particular subject -- Kara -- for over a decade. I know a thing or two!”
Hank sighed and resigned himself to accepting the nerd’s help. He stood up and gestured to the keyboard. Winn smiled and quickly sat down at the desk, as Henshaw crossed his arms and waited for him to continue.
“I checked out Kara’s place and I noticed that she left behind her glasses, and I know she was low on contact lenses, so she would need a refill, which she needs a prescription for.”
He quickly typed away, using the NSA’s vast resources to hack into Kara’s eye doctor’s files.
“Her doctor would have had to transfer her prescription to a pharmacy internationally…” He continued typing. “....like this one.”
Hank looked up in surprise. “Geneva. Near the train station.”
Winn squinted at the screen as he scrolled through the information. “Okay, she picked it up on the 12th. So if we cross-reference that date with the surveillance cameras from the train station…”
He quickly pulled up the cameras and paled.
There were so many cameras. So many people. So many trains. How the hell would they find Kara and Lena in all of that?!
“Shit. Facial recognition could take days to run through all of this,” Hank groaned.
Some sort of super speed would be super helpful right about now, Winn thought to himself. A lightbulb went off in his head and he snapped his fingers.
“Wait! Kara’s a hardcore DC comics girl, and Lena -- she loves Kara -- I know she won’t let Kara leave the city without picking up the latest issue of Justice League.”
He began to type excitedly as Hank grimaced at him.
“...now where is the nearest magazine stand…”
A minute later, Hank pointed at the screen, “There!”
Winn paused the footage and stared up at the figure, who was clearly Kara, facing the camera and reading the comic book, clearly trying and failing to look inconspicuous in a baseball cap and sunglasses.
“There she is. There’s our girl.” Winn squinted at her hands and noticed the ticket covering the front of the comic. “Now, if we can just zoom in on the ticket….”
He highlighted the cover of the book and enhanced the image, the blurry lettering giving way to a crisp word: Zurich.
“They’re en route to Zurich,” said Hank, slightly stunned that Winn had found them so quickly. He clapped the shorter man on the back.
“Make sure your passport’s up to date. And pack light.”
***
Lena sipped her espresso and stared out the window of the dining car, watching as the mountains whipped past. It really was so beautiful out here. She’d been to Switzerland many times on missions, but she hadn’t really taken in her surroundings those times, too busy reading briefings, surveilling suspects, or catching a wink of sleep before a big job. But here with Kara, suddenly the agent could see the beauty in everything.
It was like she had spent her life in the dark and now Kara had thrown open the curtains, filling every part of her world with sunlight. And Lena was keen to soak up every warm ray that grazed her skin. She would gladly be Icarus, even knowing how that could end. It would be worth it.
She glanced to her right, to the woman in question, and found her anxiously shoveling fries into her face, a crinkle in her brow as she stared into space. Lena was coming to learn that no matter what mood the blonde was in, food was the obvious remedy. Kara ate her feelings -- happy, sad, and everything in between.
“Hey, you might want to slow down there. Don’t want you to choke,” she joked, gently laying a hand on the back of Kara’s.
Kara’s eyes came back into focus as she glanced down to where their hands touched, a touch of pink jumping to her cheeks.
“Oh, sorry,” she replied sheepishly, nervously wiping her hand on her pants. “I’m just anxious. Do you think they’ll follow the clues? I mean, are we sure Hank will ask Winn to help?”
Lena shrugged. “It’s what I would do. Hank knows how to think like me and Winn knows how to think like you. If the roles were reversed, this would be the obvious conclusion for me.”
The train began to slow as they pulled into the station. They were still a few stops away from Zurich, which Kara was grateful for. She had one more lingering thought that was giving her quite a bit of grief.
“Lena…” she began hesitantly, gripping the agent’s hand with both of hers.
Lena cocked her head in concern, her eyes searching the blonde’s face as the train pulled to a stop.
“Lena, what’s going to happen to us when we go back? I mean, we ran off on the job! Haley had to send a team to bring us in! Won’t there be consequences? What if she separates us? I just got you back, I can’t lose you again!”
Lena reached up and cupped Kara’s cheek, pulling her distressed face towards her.
“Hey,” she said quietly, following Kara’s eyes to maintain contact, “it’s going to be okay. I will talk to Haley. I’ll protect you.”
“But what if she sends you to D.C. like before? What will we do?”
Lena gave her a soft smile, pulling her down for a quick kiss.
“One mission at a time, Kara, remember?”
Kara nodded. They had been on the run the last time Lena had told her that too. Going AWOL seemed to be their thing.
Their thing. They had a thing. The thought filled Kara with happiness that had her reaching out and pulling Lena in for a deeper kiss, slotting their lips together, the fries on her plate long since forgotten.
Who knew what would happen once they got back to National City? Life was so uncertain, but right here, right now, until this train stopped in Zurich they were together. They were the only two people on this train, as far as Kara was concerned. She would make the most of the time they had left.
A moan escaped from Lena’s mouth and into hers as their tongues brushed, and Kara took the opportunity to slide her hand up the back of Lena’s neck and into her hair as she deepened the kiss.
God, she was exquisite. She tasted of espresso and strawberries. It was better than potstickers, better than pizza, better than--
“Ugh.”
Kara’s eyes shot open wide at the familiar noise and snapped her head toward the opposite side of their dining table.
There, looking disgusted (if not unsurprised) was Hank, and to his right, a fiendishly happy Winn, who could not have looked more thrilled by this turn of events.
“No,” Kara breathed in horror. “No no no no…”
They weren’t supposed to be here yet! They weren’t supposed to catch them until Zurich. She was supposed to have more time with Lena!
“Nice to see you too, buddy.” Winn chuckled, but Kara thought she detected just a flash of hurt in his eyes.
“What are you guys doing here?” She asked in exasperation.
“Putting to rest any stupid ideas you two might have about turning this into a permanent vacation,” Hank growled.
Kara chanced a glance over to Lena, who had been silent up to this point, and felt a burst of pleasure at the fact that she looked just as disappointed at the appearance of their friends as Kara felt.
“Well, you caught us,” Lena replied glumly. “So what now?”
“Now, we take you two back to National City so Haley can decide what she wants to do about the two of you going AWOL.”
“Wait, no! You can’t do that, Hank!” Kara cried. “Please man, I just got her back. If you take us back to Haley, she’ll split us up, she’ll throw me in a think tank, she’ll court martial Lena!”
Hank shifted in his seat as Winn looked back and forth between the three of them.
“It’s not my call,” Hank replied quietly. “I have orders to bring you back, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Kara opened her mouth to protest, but Lena spoke first.
“But surely it won’t matter when you bring us in, just as long as you do, right?”
Hank looked at her in puzzlement. Kara’s heart was beating a mile a minute. This was the moment of truth. If they couldn’t convince him…
“What do you mean?”
Lena took a deep breath. “Alex and Kelly’s wedding is this weekend. If Kara is going to be punished for being pressured into my lapse in judgement, I only ask that she at least get to go to her sister’s wedding first. After that, we’ll come with you quietly. But I can’t take that away from her too.”
Kara stared at her in shock. This wasn’t what they agreed to at all when they had cooked up this scheme. Equal blame is what they had talked about. Now Lena was taking the full share and acting like she had made Kara run away with her?
She opened her mouth to fix this, to show Lena that she wasn’t going to let her take the rap for this, that they were in this together -- fully. Strong fingers clenched around her thigh under the table and dug in, causing her to wince in pain.
She looked up into Lena’s eyes and saw a very clear message there:
Don’t you dare.
She looked across the table to Hank, who seemed to be wrestling with the idea.
Finally, Winn -- who seemed to be bursting with the urge to say something -- spoke up, making up his mind for him.
“I think that’s pretty reasonable! We can do that, right Hank?”
Hank shot him a glare, but quickly softened as he turned back to the pair.
“Fine. I bring you in after the wedding. But you two don’t leave my sight until then.”
Lena nodded stiffly. “Agreed.”
Kara nodded too. “Thanks.”
Hank sighed as Winn beamed.
“Don’t make me regret this.”
***
Alex sat on the couch, a glass of scotch in her hand, staring at the front door. She prayed it would open, that her sister would come rushing through the door in a whirlwind of rambling apologies and blonde hair, that she wouldn’t miss the biggest day of Alex’s life. But the door remained closed.
The clacking of heels on the hardwood pulled her out of her thoughts, as Kelly came down the hall shoving an earring into her ear and gathering her clutch.
“Babe, we are so late, we have to go,” Kelly called as she shoved her phone into her bag.
“I can’t,” Alex said quietly, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat.
Kelly turned to her in surprise as she grabbed her keys.
“Honey, we have a whole rehearsal dinner full of people waiting for us --”
“I can’t, Kelly,” Alex interrupted, her voice breaking. “Not without Kara. I didn’t think that she would disappoint me like this.”
Kelly tilted her head and gazed at her fiancée in sympathy before dropping her keys back into the dish and kneeling down in front of where Alex sat slumped on the couch.
“Alex...I know it’s difficult without Kara. I know how close you are, how much you love her, how much you depend on having her around...but Kara wants to be here. I know she does! I think maybe her falling out with Lena shook her up worse than she wanted to admit to either of us. But baby, she’ll be back.”
She stood up, reaching out a hand to Alex with a soft smile.
“Trust me, baby. Kara loves you. And so do I.”
Alex gazed up at her in adoration, even if she was still sad. Kelly really was so very wonderful. She took her hand, warm in her own and slowly rose from her seat, still not ready to take on the rehearsal dinner without her sister, but more prepared for it now that Kelly was holding her hand.
The door to the apartment opened and Kara ran in quickly, dropping her keys into the dish as she headed to her room to change, not even noticing the couple in the living room.
Alex stared at her in shock before crossing the room and pulling her into a tight hug, relief filling her body. Kara jumped in surprise but quickly returned the grip. As Alex pulled away from the hug, she smacked the blonde’s arm hard.
“Kara! Where have you been?!”
“Ow!” Kara winced and gripped her bicep. “I had a...a thing. And I needed to get my plus one.”
She gestured toward the front door, where Lena was standing shyly, hands clasped in front of her, fingers fidgeting nervously.
Alex’s eyes widened in surprise. “Lena?”
Lena gave her an awkward half smile and wave. “Hi.”
Alex turned back to Kara. “So you guys are…you’re back together?”
Kara smiled softly, but her eyes crinkled like she was beaming.
“Yeah. For good this time.”
Kelly walked up behind Alex and placed her hands on her waist, a reminder that they needed to be leaving.
“And you...you’re staying?”
Kara pulled them both into a hug, her head tucked between theirs.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
***
The ballroom at the Grant Hotel was dimly lit with mood lighting, much to Kara’s chagrin. It was so hard to see the buffet table, she mused to herself as she piled her plate high, happy to see that Alex had still opted for potstickers even in her absence. Her sister was the best.
“You can thank Kelly for the potstickers,” a lilting voice called softly from over her shoulder.
Kara turned to find Lena in a black bodycon dress, hair loose and straight, and makeup dark and seductive. She nearly dropped her plate.
“Hhugh?” She gurgled intelligently, her jaw dropping open.
Lena smirked and pressed it closed with a touch of her finger before moving around her to fix herself a plate.
“Alex was going to nix the potstickers due to your absence, but Kelly was so sure you would come back that she made Alex keep them on the menu,” she explained as she added a few hors d’oerves to her plate.
Kara pulled her eyes away from where the tight dress gripped the agent’s curves and shook her head to clear it.
“I knew Kelly was a good one,” she murmured, sidling up to Lena. “Can’t believe Alex would betray me like that.”
Lena turned to her, the dim lighting casting shadows across her already smoky features.
“Well thank goodness that the threat was neutralised,” she smirked, squeezing Kara’s bicep as she swept past her toward their table.
Kara gulped. This woman was going to be the death of her.
***
The group of gathered family and friends settled down as Kara tapped her champagne flute with her knife. All eyes turned to her and she felt her stomach drop to her butt as she set the knife down on the table and cleared her throat. She hated speeches. Her heart began to race and she tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. Sweat pricked the back of her neck under her collar.
“Um, h-hi,” she stammered, fiddling with her glasses. Why had she stood up? She should have let someone else go first. Maybe she should just sit back down. Maybe she should just --
A warm hand slid into her own and squeezed gently. She look down to see Lena threading their fingers together as she gave her a soft, encouraging smile.
She could do this. Clearing her throat, she started again.
“So, as you all probably know, Alex and I have been on our own for a long time. She’s taken care of me since I was a teenager after our parents passed, and she did a fantastic job, if I do say so myself.”
A laugh rippled through the crowd and it spurred her to keep going.
“We were always our own little unit, which sometimes took in strays,” she gave Winn a pointed look, “but we were always enough for each other, stronger together.”
“And then Kelly came along,” she paused to smile at the gorgeous and kind woman seated next to her sister. “And it was so clear that our little unit was desperately missing something. Alex had spent so long taking care of me, that she forgot that it’s okay sometimes to let someone take care of her. Kelly came into our lives and immediately pulled the rest of the pieces of the puzzle together. She became an indispensable member of this family, and we’re so lucky to have her.”
She raised her glass. “To Alex and Kelly, may you keep each other safe and whole, and always remember that you are stronger together.”
The crowd murmured the toast and Kara smiled down the table to where her sister and Kelly sat, smiling back at her, tears in their eyes. Alex rose from her spot and pulled the blonde into a crushing hug.
“Stronger together, little Danvers,” she whispered. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sis.”
***
Kara sat next to Winn as he gulped down hunks of bread covered in the Swiss butter that he had taken from the train. Apparently whatever butter Alex and Kelly’s catering company had sprung for didn’t compare.
“Oh god,” he moaned as he bit into a roll, “It’s like this butter was shot directly from a Swiss cow into my mouth.”
Kara winced at the comparison. Winn glanced over at her and caught her grimace, and set his bread down, wiping his hands.
“And yet, I can’t enjoy it,” he continued, slumping back in his seat. “I can’t believe you’re just quitting. Walking away from everything.”
Kara shook her head. “I’m not walking away from anything. I’m...I’m walking toward something.”
She gazed across the room toward the bar where Kelly and Lena were laughing together. It warmed her to see how easily Lena fit into her family, and how close she had become with Kelly.
“I can’t believe you were just gonna leave without saying goodbye -- to me, to Alex! If Alex wasn’t getting married, would we ever have seen you guys again?”
Kara shifted in her seat. “Of course you would have! You know I wouldn’t be able to stay away from you guys. But the truth is, Alex is moving on with her life. She doesn’t need me around like she did when we were younger.”
The words felt hollow even as they left her mouth. Alex had clearly not been okay without Kara, had not handled Kara’s potential absence from the rehearsal dinner well, and judging by the look on Winn’s face, he agreed.
Winn shook his head. “Well, I don’t really buy that, but dude: you’re a spy! I mean, this is the coolest thing that has ever happened to us. I thought this was everything that you ever wanted?!”
Kara hesitated. It was what she wanted. To be a spy. To be of service. To help people. But she wanted to do it all with Lena. She wanted Lena more than anything. And she couldn’t have both.
“It...it is,” she replied hesitantly, “But I want Lena more. So if -- if i have to choose between the two, I choose Lena. Every time.”
Winn sat back and picked up his roll, taking a thoughtful bite.
“Does it have to be a choice?”
Kara furrowed her brow in confusion.
“I don’t -- I don’t know. I thought so…”
Winn cocked his head and gestured for her to continue.
She sighed, looking around the room as if it would provide her with answers. Hank nodded to her as he passed by their table on the way to the bar and she returned the gesture.
“I don’t know, man. I don’t know how Haley will react, if she’ll separate us or what. All I know is that Lena has been a spy her whole life. And now she’s willing to give up everything she has ever known to be with me. Me. And if this is what she wants...then I’m not going to risk losing her again. I won’t.”
Winn studied her for a moment in silence before rapping his knuckles on the table and standing up, buttoning his jacket.
“Okay. Fine. Just do me this one favour? Before you quit, make damn sure that quitting is what she really wants.”
He grabbed his bread and headed out to the dancefloor, leaving Kara staring after him, more confused than ever.
***
“I’m telling you, Aruba is lovely. You guys are going to have so much fun. Well, you will if you actually have time to hit the beach and aren’t stuck on a rooftop with a sniper rifle waiting for a target all day.”
Kelly laughed incredulously at that and Lena felt a burst of warmth in her chest.
“God, I forget sometimes that that’s what you do! You’d never know it. You always look like a CEO or a model and there's no in between.”
Lena blushed at that. “Maybe in another life I would have been Lena Luthor, CEO of LuthorCorp.”
“Or Lena Luthor, model for Catco Magazine.”
Lena laughed.
“That’s sweet of you to say, but only one of us could pull that dress off,” she replied, gesturing to the cocktail dress Kelly was wearing.
Kelly’s eyes crinkled as she smiled and she reached down and took Lena’s hand.
“I’m so happy that you and Kara worked things out. You guys are so perfect for each other.”
Lena glanced across the room where Kara was in deep conversation with Winn and smiled softly.
“Yeah she’s...she’s pretty amazing.”
Kelly smirked in understanding before leaning in. “Maybe you guys will be next.”
Lena flushed red. “Oh god, I -- I don’t know about all that. I mean, it’s still really early. We just started dating and I’m -- I’m not -- I mean--”
Kelly took mercy on her and grabbed her shoulders, laughing as she told her to breathe.
“No one’s saying you have to get married tomorrow -- in fact, you better not show me up on my day -- but you know, it doesn’t hurt to think about the future. That’s all I was saying. Relax, Lena.”
Lena felt herself calming under her tender gaze and winced at her mini freakout.
“Ugh, I’m sorry. It’s just -- this is kind of my first real relationship. I don’t really know how this stuff works. What’s expected. How long dating usually lasts before an engagement. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be ready for that. It just threw me off.”
Kelly nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry for freaking you out. And it’s okay to not be ready. If I know Kara, I know she’ll take things at whatever pace you need to. I was just teasing...mostly.”
With that, she winked and headed off to find Alex, leaving Lena to anxiously down the rest of her scotch and contemplate the institution of marriage and whether or not she would ever be ready for it.
She needed another scotch for this.
No sooner had the bartender placed one in front of her than Hank settled onto the stool next to her with a scotch of his own.
“So that’s it then? You’re throwing away your life for Kara?” He sneered.
Lena rolled her eyes as she sipped her drink.
“I’m not throwing away my life, I’m making a life. Kara is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I want to be with her, no matter what.”
Hank contemplated her answer for a moment as they sat in silence. Finally he spoke.
“I know what it means to make a choice like this. So, I won’t stop you.”
“Thank you.”
“...Unless you want me to.”
Lena looked up at him in surprise. He was studying her face and she quickly schooled her features to give nothing away. It seemed in doing so that she had given him the exact answer he wanted, if his sneer was anything to go by.
She sighed. “Look, no matter how much I want to be a spy, I want Kara more.”
Hank turned to face the bar, lifting his drink to his lips.
“Doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”
Lena shook her head vigorously. “No! I can’t risk it! This is what she wants.”
Hank turned back to her, eyebrow cocked.
“Are you sure about that? Because from what I’m hearing from you both, it’s not what either of you really want.”
Lena snapped her head toward him in shock.
“What?”
Hank downed the rest of his drink and stood up.
“You know you’re a bad communicator when even I’m better at relationships. Talk to her, Luthor.”
He stalked off to the balcony to smoke a cigar leaving Lena in shock.
Lena stood still for just a moment before tossing back the rest of her scotch and marching briskly over to where Kara sat alone, stirring her drink with her straw, deep in thought, before she lost her nerve.
“Is it true,” she gasped out, causing Kara to look up at her in surprise.
“Huh?”
“Do you not want to quit?”
Kara gaped for a moment, her mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out. Finally, she found her voice.
“I...I thought that’s what you wanted.”
Lena threw her head back in exasperation and dropped into the seat next to the blonde, scooting close and grasping her hands.
“Kara, I don’t want you to choose me over something that you want for yourself!”
Kara shook her head quickly.
“I want you. I want us.”
Lena smiled softly at her big dumb genius lover. How had they both managed to come to the same stupid conclusion?
Kara licked her lips and took a deep breath, clasping Lena’s hands tighter.
“Do you think if we talked to Haley, and we told her the honest to god absolute truth...do you think we’d really have a shot at having it all?”
Lena felt her heart soar. There was literally nothing she could think of that would make her happier than having Kara -- being with her -- and saving the world with her, side by side. She beamed brightly and pulled her in for a searing kiss, releasing her hold on Kara’s hands and gripping her face to pull her in closer.
As they pulled apart, she grinned and pressed their foreheads together.
“Kara Danvers, do you agree to not quit the spy life and be with me?”
Kara smiled that radiant megawatt sunshine smile of hers.
“I do,” she replied brightly, “and do you, Lena Luthor, agree--”
“I do,” Lena cut her off, already pulling her back in for another hot kiss.
Could they do it? Could they really have it all? It felt wrong to hope, and yet in Kara’s arms, Lena felt like the possibilities really were endless. That was just Kara’s effect on her. Come what may, she knew that whatever trajectory her life ended up on -- spy life or no spy life -- Kara would always be a part of it. Now it was just a matter of convincing General Haley of that fact.
***
Alex awoke to the incessant buzzing of her phone and the persistent throbbing of her head. Champagne really was a bitch the next morning. Reaching blindly, she grabbed her phone and answered it.
“Hullo,” she grunted.
“Babe, wake up, we have a problem.”
Alex shot up in bed at the sound of the upset in Kelly’s tone. They had agreed that Kelly should stay with her mom, to preserve the tradition of not seeing each other until the wedding, but Alex was severely regretting that decision at this particular moment.
“Babe? What’s wrong? What happened? Are you alright?”
Images of worst case scenarios, cold feet, ill-fitting dresses, and last minute cancellations shot through her mind.
“I’m fine, everyone is fine, but...baby the church...it -- it --”
“What about the church?”
“There was a fire. All of those wildfires lately…one of them hit the church. We can’t -- we can’t get married there today.”
Kelly’s voice broke at the end of the sentence and Alex’s heart dropped.
We can’t get married today.
We can’t get married today.
We can’t get married today.
The words rang in her mind over and over again. No. This couldn’t be happening. She had pushed through not having Kara there to help her plan all of this. She hadn’t handled the stress of all of Mrs. Olsen’s decrees just for it all to fall apart in the end. This could not be happening. They were ready! Kara was back!
“It’s -- it’s okay, baby. We’ll...we’ll figure something out,” Alex replied, her voice shaking. “It doesn’t have to be today. The day doesn’t matter, just us.”
She could hear Kelly sniffling on the other end of the line and she desperately wanted to be there with her to hold her. She supposed it didn’t much matter at this point if they saw each other.
“Want me to come over there?” She asked softly.
“We’re not supposed to see each other today,” Kelly replied automatically. “It’s bad luck.”
Alex sighed. “I don’t really think our luck could get much worse at this point, do you?”
***
Kara woke with Lena in her arms and a full bladder. She carefully extricated herself to go to the bathroom, only to find it locked.
“Alex,” she called, knocking at the door. “Lemme in, I gotta pee. You can’t commandeer the bathroom all day!”
“Kara, just please go away.”
Kara stared at the closed door with a furrowed brow. She had never heard her sister sound so dejected.
“Alex, are you alright?”
She was met with silence, though she did hear a bottle clinking against what sounded like the tub. Heading back to her room, she found Lena sitting on the side of the bed, checking her phone. She turned to Kara with a soft grin.
“Hey handsome,” she said with a smile, which dropped when she saw the frown on Kara’s face. “Is everything okay?”
“Can I borrow your lockpicking skills?” Kara asked, as she leaned over the bed to drop a kiss on her lips.
Lena quickly retrieved her pick and followed Kara to the bathroom, where she jimmied the door open in seconds flat. A huff was heard from inside the bathroom at the sound of the door opening.
“Take care of your sister,” Lena said, pressing a kiss to her temple and leaving the two of them alone.
Kara entered the bathroom and found quite a scene. Alex sat in the bathtub, fully made up in her wedding gown, a bottle of scotch dangling from her hand, tears streaking down her face.
Kara ran to the side of the tub, pulling the bottle out of her hands and setting it out of reach.
“Alex, what is going on?”
Alex flopped her head back against the edge of the tub and made a motorboat noise with her lips.
“It’s ruined,” she shrugged, “The most important day of my life is ruined, and I can’t even blame it on you because you’re actually here!”
She rolled her head toward her sister and stared at her with glazed eyes.
“I didn’t think you were gonna show. But now, it doesn’t even matter, ‘cause we can’t even get married!”
Kara stared at her in perplexity. “Alex, what do you mean? Why can’t you get married?”
“Church burned down.”
Kara gaped at her. “What?!”
Alex nodded tipsily. “Yep,” she replied, popping the ‘p’.
“We didn’t even want to get married in that stupid church, but we did want to get married, you know?”
This set off a fresh wave of tears as Alex grappled with the side of the bathtub, reaching for the scotch. Kara just moved it further out of her reach and pushed her back into the empty tub.
“Alex, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry that your day is ruined and -- and that I haven’t been here for you. But I’m going to fix this!”
Alex rolled her eyes and scoffed. “How? You can’t tranq dart a wildfire, Kara.”
Kara smiled.
“You’ll see. Just, please -- here, take these --” she handed her sister the wedding bands she had been tasked with holding onto, “and I’ll take care of the rest. I promise.”
After finally peeing (and grabbing the bottle of scotch away from Alex's grabby hands), she headed back to her room and sat next to Lena on her bed, relaying the situation.
“This is officially a disaster,” she finished, flopping onto her back.
Lena scooted closer and began stroking her hair.
“So, you said you’d fix it….what do you have in mind?”
Kara ran her hands down her face and groaned. “Ugh, I have no idea! I mean, if I could give her anything in the world I would -- I would give her the wedding of her dreams….”
She shot up in bed, causing Lena to yank her hand away from its place in her hair. Kara turned to her, eyes bright, goofy smile in place.
“How do you feel about one more mission?”
Lena grinned up at her.
***
Kara entered the command center of The Tower to find complete chaos. Lena had gone ahead while Kara had helped Alex get out of the tub and into some coffee, and apparently the two agents had quickly made progress in her absence, even roping in a few more CIA agents to help.
Orders were being shouted across the room, phone calls were being made, rolls of fabric were being compared, and there were satellite images of Astra Cove on National City Beach -- Alex’s favourite spot -- up on the screen in front of her.
She gaped at the scene before her as she caught snatches of conversation.
“Sir, how do you spell ‘begonia’?” An agent called to Hank, covering the microphone of his headset with his hand.
“Sound it out!” Hank barked back, before returning to the agent showing him swatches of fabric. “No no, that clashes with the bunting!”
“Yes ma’am, I appreciate that you require extra time to permit the area, but as I have already noted, this is a matter of national security,” Lena marched by, not even noticing Kara, too engrossed in her phone call and the tablet in her hand, on which she was furiously tapping. “Ma’am, I don’t want to pull rank on this, but I have authorization from both the CIA and the NSA for this, now please clear the area this afternoon!”
Winn was piling coils of twinkle lights into the arms of another agent. “Now don’t be stingy with these, we need that courtyard looking magical. Magical!”
Kara grinned. Her friends were incredible. She dove in, calling the caterers and the bakery and other various vendors to let them know of the change in address.
Whatever it took, Alex and Kelly were worth it.
***
The sun was setting in pinks and oranges as Kara walked arm and arm with Alex across the sand. Roseform peach and pink begonias padded the ground in their own little red carpet. The cliffs overlooking the deep blue of the Pacific provided the perfect cover against the Santa Ana winds that whipped the air further down the beach -- Lena really had found the perfect spot.
Kara squeezed her sister’s arm as they slowly walked down the aisle, the string quartet that Hank had strong-armed into playing providing the perfect soundtrack for the moment. As they reached the teak arbor wrapped in alphinias and birds of paradise (confiscated by the ATF from a grow house), Kara leaned in, pulling Alex into a tight hug.
“You look so beautiful,” she whispered with a smile.
Alex blushed and returned the smile, eyes bright and barely holding in her tears.
“I can’t believe you pulled this off.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Kara replied, leading her to her spot under the arbor.
Alex gripped her arm tightly as the bridal march began to play, announcing Kelly’s entrance.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered.
Kara took her place behind Alex and glanced over to where Lena stood on Kelly’s side. Seeing Lena integrate so seamlessly into her family, even standing in this ceremony as one of Kelly’s bridesmaid’s made her heart feel so full, she thought it might explode.
As the music swelled, she turned her attention to the aisle, where the bride in question had appeared. She was stunning. Kara felt tears prick at her eyes as she turned back to Alex. Her sister was standing, slack jawed, heart eyed, completely frozen in the moment as she watched her future wife make her way down the aisle to her. Lena stepped forward to take the bouquet from Kelly, and as she stepped back into place, Kara saw her quickly wipe a tear from her eye.
As the officiant began his speech, Kara hoped that the photographer was capturing the love struck looks on the brides’ faces in that moment. They really were perfect for each other. She was so happy that Alex had found Kelly.
A movement caught her eye and she looked up to find Lena wiping away more tears. She smiled and Lena rolled her eyes in faux annoyance.
When the time came, Kara handed over the rings and the newlyweds kissed, photographs were taken, and soon it was time to head back to the courtyard where the team had set up for the reception.
As they stepped into the archway, Kara’s breath caught. Winn and the CIA agents had really outdone themselves. Magical was certainly one word for it.
Twinkling lights dangled from every balcony and shrub in the area. Flowers and candles floated in the fountain at the center, and soft jazz played as waiters circled the courtyard, filling drinks and bringing hors d’oeurves to the guests as they arrived.
Kara stood on the outskirts, watching everyone mingle with a smile. Winn had engaged Lena in conversation about the realism of Call of Duty and Lena was only more than happy to discuss.
“Hey you.”
Kara turned and saw Alex sidle up to her. “Hey.”
“Thank you.”
Kara turned to her, puzzled.
“For what?”
Alex scoffed. “For what?! For this! All of this!” She gestured at the courtyard.
“This is amazing, Kara. I don’t know how you did it, but it’s the best wedding present you could give me.”
“Well, I mean, I can’t really take all the credit. Lena and Winn and -- and even Hank -- they all helped.”
Alex smiled and pulled two flutes of champagne off a passing waiter’s tray, handing one to her sister.
“Well, first the beach and now this? I don’t know. You’re pretty amazing, little Danvers. Sometimes I think you have superpowers.”
Kara laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. It felt good to not be fighting with her sister anymore.
“I wish.”
“Oh, I’m aware,” Alex teased
Kelly appeared at Alex’s side then, all smiles.
“Kara, you saved the day. Looks like you’re the big hero again.”
She turned to Alex. “Hey, Mom wants to talk to us.”
They headed back into the throng, just as a slow song began to play over the speakers, urging couples to the dancefloor.
Kara turned to where Lena had been in conversation with Winn, wondering if she should ask her to dance, but she wasn’t there. Frowning, she looked around the courtyard. Had Hank taken her in? A thread of panic began to pull at her heart.
“Hey handsome.”
The panic subsided as two arms snaked around her waist and Lena’s chin pressed into her shoulder.
“Hey you,” she replied, turning around in the agent’s arms. She nodded toward the makeshift dancefloor. “Care to join me for a dance?”
Lena smiled, taking her hand, as the blonde led her to the floor. Kara pulled her close to her chest, one hand settling on her lower back, the other grasping her hand right over her heart.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve had the chance to tell you yet how dashing you look in that suit,” Lena offered with a seductive smirk.
Kara glanced down at the black designer suit the CIA had proffered her, and grinned goofily. She always felt cooler, taller, more suave in a suit, and it made her grin like an idiot knowing that Lena thought so too.
“You think so?”
“Definitely,” Lena replied, licking her lips. Kara’s eyes dropped to watch the movement. “It’s making it very difficult for me to not take you inside and unwrap you right this minute.”
Kara blushed, her cheeks heating up. “Well, I -- uh --”
She stammered, unable to bring a coherent thought forward with the way Lena’s eyes were trailing over her, leaving trails of fire on her skin in their wake. Lena took pity on her and pulled her down in to a searing kiss, her palm on Kara’s cheek, the other playing with the small hairs at the nape of her neck.
Kara let out a breath as they broke apart, eyes still closed. As she slowly opened them, she felt her breath leave her as she saw the way the agent’s blue-green eyes were looking at her -- as if she were the most beautiful thing in the world.
“I love you, Lena.” She offered softly, hoping she could feel the weight of her words and how much she meant it.
Lena kissed her softly, pressing their foreheads together. “I love you too, my darling.”
The sound of a throat clearing pulled them out of their revery.
Hank.
“Hate to break up this nice moment, but it’s time.”
Kara turned to Lena and their eyes met in one worried, fleeting moment.
It was time to face the consequences -- whatever they were.
***
“Thank you Colonel Henshaw,” General Haley commended from the monitor as he presented Kara and Lena to her. “Once again, you’ve proven that reinstating you was the right decision. And be sure to convey my gratitude to Mr. Schott. You’re dismissed.”
Hank saluted to the screen and shot the pair a smirk as he left the command center.
General Haley sighed and removed her glasses.
“Do either of you have any type of explanation for your extemporaneous holiday?”
“It was my fault,” both women spoke up at the same time.
Kara looked at Lena in surprise and quickly continued before Lena could incriminate herself further.
“General, I insisted Agent Luthor convalesce in Paris instead of returning--”
“Actually General,” Lena cut in, “I chose to stay of my own accord and Kara was simply being a good partner, accompanying me.”
Kara opened her mouth to refute the claim when Haley spoke up harshly.
“Do you both think me an idiot?!”
“No ma’am,” they said together.
“Then don’t lie to me,” the general replied.
Kara looked to Lena, trying to see if the agent still felt the same about telling the God’s honest truth. The blue-green eyes she found gazing back to her with a soft, albeit tentative, smile told her all she needed to know.
“General,” Kara began, taking a deep breath, “I think it’s important for you to know that Lena and I -- we --”
She gently took Lena’s hand.
“We are --”
“Stop right there!” Haley slapped her hand on the desk. “Release Agent Luthor! I didn’t ask. I don’t need to know all of the details --”
“But I thought you said no more lies,” Kara asked in confusion as she quickly dropped Lena’s hand, “and we want to tell you the truth!”
“NO,” Haley denied flatly.
“General, Kara and I are dating,” Lena replied defiantly before the general could hurl another denial out.
She reached out to take Kara’s hand and smiled at the dopey grin on the blonde’s face.
“Exclusively,” she finished, her own smile widening as she watched the lopsided smile on Kara’s face grow larger and brighter. God, she loved that smile.
Haley glared at the pair for a moment, then rolled her eyes before letting them fall closed. Taking a deep breath, she opened them and fixed the pair with a stern look.
“I must caution you that allowing your private life to interfere with your professional one can be dangerous.”
Lena and Kara nodded quickly. They knew the risks.
Haley looked between the two of them, her expression softening minutely.
“But off the record?” She continued, the hint of a smile in her eyes.
“It’s about damn time.”
***
Kara stripped off her suit and tie, hardly believing their luck. Haley hadn’t court-martialed them, she hadn’t sent her to an underground think tank, nor had she sent Lena to D.C. They were going to be able to have it all. They were going to save the world together.
As she pulled on her boxers and a t-shirt, the door to her bedroom opened and Lena entered, her frame huddled under Kara’s NCU sweatshirt, it’s sleeves too long for her, and a pair of Kara’s boxers. Kara’s breath left her in a hurry. She was exquisite.
“Can’t believe Haley didn’t fire me,” said Lena, pulling back the covers.
“Yeah, I’m not sure how we managed to get out of that,” Kara replied, sitting down on the bed. “But I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so…”
“I think she has a soft spot for you,” Lena replied with a grin and dropped a kiss onto her lips that quickly deepened.
Kara pulled out of the kiss abruptly, earning her a surprised look from her lover.
She stood up and headed over to her record collection, her back to Lena.
“I believe,” she started, as she pulled out an album and set the needle down, “that we have a dance to finish.”
Soft piano music filled the room as Kara offered her hand to Lena. A soft smile crept across the agent’s face as she rose from her place on the bed, taking the outstretched palm and letting it guide her to her place against the blonde’s chest.
As the singer began to croon about offering a warm embrace to shelter her love from the world, Lena tucked her head into Kara’s neck, finding her own shelter in that warm spot.
They swayed in place slowly, with Kara softly uttering the lyrics into her ear, filling her with words of what she would do to make Lena feel her love.
“I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love.”
Lena thought back to the events of the last week, thought about what Kara had done for her, what she had been willing to give up just because she thought it was what Lena wanted. Tears welled up in her eyes and she pressed soft kisses against the blonde’s neck.
“Hey Kara,” she whispered.
“Yeah baby?”
Lena smiled at the term of endearment before whispering into her ear.
“This is my favourite song.”