Chapter Text
The first thing Lena notices when she arrives in Midvale is that it’s cold. Not the light breeze that provides small relief on a hot day. No, it’s bitter cold. Like, standing outside too long is a surefire way to get sick, cold.
She really doesn’t know why she agreed to spend the summer with Sam anyway—well, no, that’s a lie. She decided to spend the summer in Bumfuck Nowhere, Maine so she could spend quality time with her best friend and her best friend’s daughter. Sam and Ruby have been going to their cabin up in Midvale every summer since Ruby was born, and they finally managed to convince Lena to join them this time around.
In hindsight, she would’ve flown out with them so it would be easier to navigate Midvale’s winding roads and dense forests. She chose to stay an extra week at the office, though, claiming she needed to prepare L-Corp for her three month absence. (Sam called her on her bullshit to her face then and there, knowing Lena was just setting up so she could work remotely from the cabin.)
After her flight touched down in Maine, Lena picked up the keys to her rental car and set off on her drive to the cabin. It seemed like every turn she took led her right back on the same road she was before, but Lena kept following Sam’s detailed directions on the map she gave her, trusting her friend to not lead her in the wrong direction.
Miraculously, Lena makes it to the cabin in one piece, just before nightfall. Sam and Ruby greet her happily at the door and help her carry her luggage inside. Ruby gives her a tour of the cabin, the ten-year-old practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of spending the whole summer with her godmother.
It’s a nice cabin, Lena has to admit. Spacious, yet homey and comfortable. The backyard has an elevated wraparound deck that spans from one side of the cabin to the other. It catches her eye from the moment she arrives, so after she’s set up camp in the guest room and taken a quick shower, she goes to check it out.
Bundled up in her matching silk pajama set, a pair of Baby Yoda novelty slippers Ruby gave her for her last birthday, and a scarf, Lena slides open the glass door that leads to the deck. The patio furniture has been covered up with tarps to protect them from the weather. Lena peers around the corner where the deck continues around and spots a hot tub that casts a warmth over her body just from her imagining how good it would feel to take a dip.
Lena walks forward and rests her forearms on the railing as she takes in the view. The deck overlooks the sizable backyard, still covered in a light dusting of melting snow. The trees surrounding the yard add to the serenity of the place, with the snow weighing down their branches and icicles making themselves at home on the twigs.
Not too far in the distance, but enough for adequate privacy, Lena spots another cabin. It’s around the same size as Sam’s, maybe a bit bigger, and there's what looks to be a frozen pond in it’s backyard. She can tell that someone is staying there because she can see the lights are on inside.
Sam never mentioned any neighbors.
“Lena, come inside. It’s cold as balls out here.”
Speak of the devil.
“This place is beautiful,” Lena says, not bothering to turn and face Sam. It doesn’t matter, anyway, because a moment later she feels Sam step up next to her, mirroring her position of leaning on the railing.
“Now you know why we’ve been begging you to come up here for so long,” Sam retorts, but Lena can hear the smile in her voice.
She would agree now that she shouldn’t have pushed off coming to Midvale for so long, but the weather was a killer. It’s supposed to be a summer vacation and there’s snow on the ground for Christ’s sake.
A sudden chill cuts through the air and has Lena wrapping her arms around herself. “God, does it stay cold like this the whole summer?” She asks. “Because if you say yes, I will hop on the first flight back to National City.”
Her complaints cause Sam to laugh and Lena finally turns to look at her best friend. “Don’t laugh at me. I’m not joking.” And like, she is , but she absolutely isn’t.
“I know you would,” Sam agrees and drapes her arm over Lena’s shoulders. Lena leans into the touch and rests her head on Sam’s shoulder. “They think this one was the last snowfall of the season. It’s already starting to melt, so it’ll warm up soon. You’ll see. Two weeks from now, everyone will be in shorts.”
Lena clicks her tongue and finds her eyes drifting towards the other cabin again. “Who lives there?” She asks, nodding her head in its direction.
Sam follows her gaze, “That’s Kara Danvers’ cabin. She stays here for the summer, like us.”
Lena frowns. Kara Danvers. The name sounded familiar but she couldn’t seem to place where she’d heard it. She racks her brain for a second, but resorts to asking Sam when she comes up short.
“Oh, Kara’s a reporter in National City,” Sam supplies. “She works for CatCo.”
It’s like a switch flips in Lena’s mind. She recalls reading CatCo articles from time to time and seeing Kara’s name on the byline. She thinks she’s even seen her on TV once or twice hosting a CatCo special report. Lena can’t remember her face entirely, from what she can picture in her head, Kara was a decently attractive person.
“What are the odds, huh? Three people from the same major city all the way across the country ending up in the same small town in the middle of nowhere.” Lena chuckles at the oddity of it.
“Pretty high, I’d guess, considering this is Kara’s hometown.”
“You’re friends with her?” Lena asks, her voice rising in pitch. She doesn't know why that particular idea interests her.
Sam shrugs, “We’re acquainted. You kind of have to get to know people around here in order to not go insane.”
Lena can understand that. Midvale is an extremely small town. The population was 1,260 when she looked it up last week, though that statistic was from the 2010 Census.
“Kara’s been bringing her niece out here for a few weeks for the past couple summers. She’s a little younger than Ruby, but they like to hang out when they can.”
Lena smiles at that. She’s glad Ruby has got someone to spend time with while out here. Midvale looked like a little kid’s dream with all the snow and the trees and… whatever the fuck drew Sam into buying a cabin here, but she’s sure it can get lonely.
They stand in a peaceful silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Sam pulls away from her with a start after a moment.
“Shit, I almost forgot,” she says, and Lena looks at her in concern. “Nothing bad,” Sam waves her off, “I just need you to do a favor for me.”
“Anything,” Lena nods.
“It completely slipped my mind that Kara and I set up a playdate for her niece and Ruby tomorrow morning. I need to stock up on groceries at the market before everyone takes everything, though, so do you think you can walk Ruby over to her cabin?” Seeing the apprehension on Lena’s face, Sam adds, “You don’t have to stay or anything! Kara’s really great with the girls, I trust her. You just need to get Ruby there and I’ll be back in time to pick her up.”
“Sam, I don’t mind taking Ruby to Kara’s,” Lena says, then grimaces. “But walking , really? Can we drive instead?”
Sam rolls her eyes and lets out a fond laugh. “Sure, Lena, drive the hundred yards it takes to get to Kara’s cabin. Look like a buffoon, I don’t care. Just get Ruby there by 9:30.” Sam grabs one of Lena’s hands and pulls her towards the sliding door. “And think of something for dinner. You need to eat.”
Lena locks the door behind her once they make it back inside. The heat inside the cabin feels like absolute heaven and Lena hums contentedly at the feeling.
“Oh, and before you think too hard about what you want,” Sam calls from where she has flopped onto the couch in the living room, “know that we only have Chef Boyardee.”
Lena groans as she unwraps the scarf she had thrown on. “I guess I’ll have the chicken parmesan kind—”
“—And we only have spaghetti and meatballs!”
“Fine, I’ll take that—”
“—And it’s three days old!”
Lena just huffs.
“Why do you think I need to go to the market?”
Okay, Lena will admit, driving to Kara’s cabin was a bit unnecessary. She feels awkward when she pulls up into the driveway the next morning at 9:27am, but she’s already there and can’t change what she did. She and Ruby walk up to the front door hand-in-hand. Lena claims it’s so Ruby doesn’t slip on the ice, but truthfully, she relied on the ten-year-old as much as Ruby did her.
“I can’t wait to see Raptor,” Ruby shouts excitedly when Lena knocks on the door.
Raptor ? Weird name for a kid.
Then she hears it. Or him , rather.
Heavy footsteps racing towards the front door right as it’s flung open. A black blur shoots out of the house and past Lena before she can even get a proper look. A woman—Kara, she presumes—rushes out the house after it.
“Raptor! Raptor, come back, buddy!”
Lena turns around just in time to see Kara wrestle Raptor up in her arms before he can run off any further. Kara leads the black dog back up onto the porch by his collar, apologizing profusely for the whole scene.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m so sorry about him,” Kara says as the pair make it to the porch. “This is not the first impression I wanted to make for myself or Raptor,” she chuckles.
It takes Lena a second to realize Kara is holding out a hand for her to shake, too shocked by the chaos that just erupted. She shakes herself out of her stupor just in time for it not to be too awkward and grasps Kara’s hand.
Kara’s grip is firm and her hand is a bit rough with callouses, but Lena can’t find it within herself to mind. She’s stuck on the way Kara looks. She’s dressed in a charcoal gray long-sleeved Henley, loose-fit jeans, and a pair of Birkenstocks on her feet (with socks). Her dirty blonde hair is tied back in a French braid and she dons a set of eyeglasses, perched on top of her head.
There’s nothing particularly special about Kara’s outfit. It’s casual and comfortable, safe for the privacy of her own home. But there’s something about Kara wearing it that makes Lena’s heart flutter in her chest. Kara looks… well, damn good, if she’s being honest with herself. She curses herself for ever reducing Kara down to just “decently attractive.”
Kara’s hot.
Fuck .
Oh, her lips are moving. Shit.
“—told me you were dropping Ruby off.”
Lena has to physically shake her head to knock herself out of whatever trance Kara Danvers just put her in. “Oh, um, I’m sorry. I was a bit distracted. What did you say?”
Kara smiles, a beautiful, beaming smile. It makes Lena want to be mad at her, that’s how perfect her smile is. “I said, you’re Lena, right? Sam texted me last night and said you were going to be dropping Ruby off.”
“Yeah, yeah, right. I’m Lena,” Lena nods and lets out a forced laugh. What kind of hold did Kara have on her? Lena’s a businesswoman, a fucking CEO, for crying out loud. She commanded every room she walked into. She made grown men cry just by glaring at them. Then, she meets Kara Danvers and suddenly she’s a stuttering, bumbling mess?
Kara smiles again, then it looks like a thought crosses her mind and she winces. “God, I’m so dumb. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Kara Danvers,” she gestures to herself. “That little demon that ran out here is my dog Raptor, and you just saw Esme run off with Ruby.”
Lena did not, in fact, see Ruby or Esme run inside the house. She glances to where Ruby was last standing and, sure enough, she’s gone. Raptor, too. Geez , how long was she standing here staring at Kara?
“Would you like to come inside?” Kara asks out of nowhere. “You don’t have to, but I have some tea brewing on the stove. You could have some, if you’d like?”
“Does Sam usually stay?” Lena asks in return. She doesn’t know why she’s trying to seem like she’s weighing the decision in her mind. She didn’t plan on it earlier but she can’t not take Kara up on the offer. She likes tea. (And that is the only reason why she wants to stay.)
“Sometimes. Depends on if she’s busy or not,” Kara shrugs. “You’re not obligated to stay. Sorry, if I made it seem that way. I just thought I’d offer-”
No, no, no. Lena cannot have that. She quickly interrupts Kara’s rambling. “I’ll stay,” she agrees. She tries (and fails) to keep her voice from rising an octave.
Kara’s entire face lights up and it makes Lena’s stomach feel all bubbly. “Really? Okay, uh, come on in!”
Kara waits for Lena to walk in first, coming in after her and shutting the door. Kara’s cabin has a similar layout to Sam’s, just more spacious and airy. Instead of the wall separating the kitchen and living room in Sam’s cabin, Kara’s living room and kitchen flow into one another, creating an open floor plan. Kara’s cabin is definitely more lived-in than Sam’s. She had family photos covering up any free surface available. There were even a few certificates hung up covering the mahogany walls.
Lena spots a bigger, dual frame pinned to the wall beside the staircase to the left of the front entrance. She didn’t want to seem nosy, but her curiosity got the better of her and she took a step toward the frame to get a closer look.
The left section of the frame holds a certificate that reads:
Columbia University
Know that all persons by these presents that
Kara Danvers
Has been awarded
The Pulitzer Prize in Journalism
For Investigative Reporting
The right side has a photo of Kara dressed to the nines with her arms around two women—an older blonde to one side and a woman closer to Kara’s age with a half-shaved-half-bob hairstyle. The photo brings a smile to Lena’s face for a reason unknown to her. She supposes it has something to do with seeing someone with a support system to celebrate achievements with because she never had that growing up. Though that usually made her envious, not happy.
(She makes a mental note to revisit the thought later, perhaps accompanied by a nice glass of scotch.)
"So, tea?" Kara questions. "Or something else? I've got water, soda, apple juice. Some beer, if you're into that?"
Lena turns her head in the direction where she heard Kara’s voice, which happens to be the kitchen. Kara stares at her as she stands next to the fridge, awaiting her answer.
“Beer? It’s not even noon yet,” Lena mentions as she crosses the living room to the kitchen.
“Hey, I don’t know your drinking habits,” Kara says with an amused shrug.
Lena finds herself smiling once again at Kara’s exuberant personality. She doesn’t see a lot of those in her line of work, so it’s refreshing to see it in Kara.
“Tea is fine.”
“Great! I've already got it brewing.” Kara motions to a tea kettle shaped like a turtle on her stove. Lena can’t help the snort that escapes her at the sight. Kara turns to her with a pout. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, it’s just…” Lena lets out a short laugh, “Nice kettle.” She has to suppress the grin that threatens to spread across her face.
Kara sets her shoulders and stands tall. There’s a determined crease between her eyebrows that makes Lena’s stomach flip for some indescribable reason. “Well, Lena, the joke’s on you because I’m just going to take that as a compliment instead of the sarcasm you were intending it to be.”
“Who says it was sarcasm?” Lena rests her hands on the kitchen island in front of her. She leans against it. “I actually really like your turtle kettle,” she smirks.
Kara lets out a laugh and shakes her head, “It’s okay, I know it’s a little silly. It was a Christmas gift from Esme.”
“Your niece, right?”
“Mhm. Oh, that reminds me, actually…” Kara goes over to the staircase and yells up, “Esme, Ruby, come down here for a sec!”
It doesn’t take long for the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps to come rushing down the stairs. Esme makes it down first, jumping into Kara’s outstretched arms when she reaches the third step from the bottom. Ruby follows after her, and Kara walks back into the kitchen holding both girls on either hip. The casual display of strength causes a wave of heat to wash over Lena. She quickly looks away, lest her thoughts begin to wander elsewhere.
Kara deposits Esme and Ruby on the island, both girls swinging their dangling legs off the edge excitedly. They immediately start chattering about some game they were playing upstairs in Esme’s room, but in the chaotic mix of their voices clashing against each other, Lena only manages to pick up on the words train , pomegranate , and Supergirl .
“Esme,” Kara starts, gaining the child’s attention, “I think you forgot to introduce yourself to our new friend here.”
Esme pouts, and it looks achingly similar to Kara’s. “Sorry. I’m Esme! Esme Olsen-Danvers.” She holds out a small hand for Lena to shake.
Lena shakes her hand and grins at her. “It’s very nice to meet you, Esme. My name is Lena.”
“You’re very pretty,” Esme adds with a toothy smile.
And, oh , Lena’s heart absolutely melts. “Thank you. You’re very pretty, as well.”
Esme’s smile turns into a frown and Lena worries that she’s already said something wrong. She was never really good with kids. The fact that Sam made her Ruby’s godmother still baffles her to this day. She goes to apologize (for what, she doesn’t know, but apologize, nonetheless) to Esme, when the girl pipes up again.
“You talk funny,” she notes. “You say some words weird.”
“Hey, Esme, that’s rude,” Kara admonishes.
“No, no, it’s alright,” Lena says to Kara. She places a hand on Kara’s shoulder but draws it back immediately when Kara stiffens under her touch. She tries to shake off the sinking feeling that forms in her stomach at the action and turns to Esme instead. “You’re right, I do say some things a little weirdly. That’s my accent. I was born in a country called Ireland all the way in Europe.”
Esme’s face lights up. “Europe! Isn’t that where you’re from, Aunt Kara?”
“Not quite, bud. I was born in Canada, remember?”
“Oh, right. With all of the stick soccer!”
“If you mean hockey , then yes,” Kara chuckles. Lena watches the interaction with amusement, finding herself already very enamored with the child. “Okay, I called you down here to see if Ruby had breakfast yet? I can whip up some pancakes?”
Ruby shakes her head, “Me and Aunt Lena already ate.”
“Alright, well, I could make some hot chocolate for you two,” Kara offers instead. She looks at Lena, “Of course, only if it’s alright with you, Aunt Lena?”
Lena locks her eyes with Ruby and holds out her pinkie finger. “Promise not to tell your mom?”
Locking her finger with Lena’s, Ruby nods, “Promise.”
“Okay, then, it’s settled,” Kara says and the girls cheer happily. She helps them off the countertop and onto the floor. “You two head back upstairs and I’ll call you down when the hot chocolate is ready.”
Esme and Ruby race up the stairs, giggling the whole way there. It leaves Kara and Lena in a stagnant, but not unwelcome silence. Kara speaks up a moment later. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the living room and I’ll bring the drinks out when everything is ready?”
“Okay," Lena agrees and sets off towards the couch.
Lena carefully took a sip of her still steaming tea. She and Kara were settled on opposite ends of the couch while the girls were stationed at the dining room table, scarfing down their hot chocolate like the heat was nonexistent.
“So, which part of Ireland are you from?” Kara asks what Lena assumes is some sort of icebreaker.
She swallows the sip she had just taken, then answers, “Ashford. It’s a pretty small town a little ways south of Dublin.”
“I’ve been to Ireland before, with my sister. It was the summer before my freshman year of college. I don’t really remember much of the trip, though. I’d say I was drunk eighty percent of the time we were there,” Kara grimaces. “I’d love to go back one day to actually appreciate it.”
Lena laughs and shakes her head, “I haven’t been back there in maybe... five or six years now.”
“Do you have family there?”
“If I do, I don’t know them.” Lena takes in a shaky breath. “I only lived there until I was four, and then my mother died. After her death, my estranged, biological father finally decided to show up and he took me to the States to live with him and his family.”
It’s been over twenty years since her mother died so talking about her became easier over the years, but it still cast a cloud of sadness over her whenever she brought her up. Lena would give anything just to be able to have a conversation with her mother— just to see if she was proud of her.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Kara says after a moment. She keeps her gaze low, focusing on the mug in her lap instead of looking up at Lena. “Losing a parent at such a young age is hard. I lost mine at thirteen.”
Lena stays quiet, sensing that Kara wasn’t finished speaking.
“They died in a fire. My mom managed to get me out of the house, but then she ran back in for my dad. The rest is a bit self-explanatory…” Kara trails off.
Lena goes to reach for Kara’s hand that’s gripping the fabric of the couch tightly, but she stops herself halfway, remembering how Kara reacted when she rested her hand on her shoulder earlier. She begins to draw her hand back, but Kara’s darts out and captures hers before she can get too far. Kara finally looks up at her and smiles weakly. Lena squeezes her hand.
“My dad knew my adoptive father through a mutual friend, and one thing led to another. The Danverses thought it would be a good environment for me, considering they had a daughter around my age, my older sister Alex. It was difficult to adjust to at first because Alex and I didn’t really get along for the first couple months. But now it’s like I’ve always been a part of their family,” Kara explains.
She told Lena about arguably the most traumatic event that’s happened in her life with a surprising amount of candidness. Lena gently runs her thumb over the back of her hand in hopes that the gesture will be soothing to Kara.
Lena knew how lingering on the subject of dead parents could be draining, so she decided to switch up the direction of the conversation. “You said you were born in Canada?”
From the grateful expression on Kara’s face, Lena must’ve chosen the right path. “Yeah, New Brunswick,” Kara says.”
“New Brunswick,” Lena drawls with a sly grin. “So I take it, you know some French, then?”
Kara nods her head, “I’m fluent, actually.”
Lena raises an eyebrow, “Oh? Well now you’re pretty much obligated to say something in French.”
Fondly rolling her eyes, Kara asks, “Like what?”
“Anything," Lena shrugs.
Kara takes a second to rack her brain for something to say. After a moment, she says, “Okay, tu es très, très belle .”
Lena rests her elbow on the back of the couch and uses her head to prop her head up. “Ooh, what does that mean?”
Kara’s eyes bug out as she begins to ramble. “Oh, uh, you know- well, you don’t know, but still, you know… it- it means-”
“She said that you’re very, very beautiful.”
Both Lena and Kara turn their heads to where Esme is slurping down the remnants of her hot chocolate. She sits with a satisfied smirk on her face, clearly knowing the implications of what she just did.
“And here I thought you weren’t paying attention to my French lessons,” Kara says through her teeth.
“I pay attention a lot, Aunt Kara,” Esme smiles crookedly.
Lena flushes crimson but she doesn’t pass up the chance to return the favor to Kara. “Hey, Esme? How would you say “I think you’re beautiful, too” in French?”
Kara ducks her head bashfully, her face a bright shade of red.
Esme doesn’t miss a beat. “ Je pense que tu es belle, aussi. ”
Lena smiles, “What she said.”
“I only thought she knew her numbers and colors,” Kara mutters under her breath. There’s no mistaking the beaming smile that spreads across her face, though.
Now, this was the reason why she should’ve come to Midvale earlier.