337. Chapter 337

Alex hasn’t been dating her long.

And Kara is still adjusting, is still stiff about it.

Not around Alex – around Alex, she’s all heart eyes and thrilled that she’s with Maggie, that she’s happy.

Because she is happy that she’s happy.

But around Maggie?

Kara’s still stiff, still distant.

And Alex knows her sister. And Alex knows her girlfriend.

So one night, she does one of the things she does best: covert operations.

And they both show up at Alex’s door at the same moment.

Kara, through one of the hallway windows; Maggie, up the staircase.

Kara, bearing ice cream and potstickers; Maggie, with pizza and root beer.

“What are you – “

“Why are you – “

“She had a rough day – “

“She texted me – “

“I just thought she’d want some – “

“I wanted to bring her – “

“Sorry, you go ahead – “

“Sorry, I keep interrupting – “

“Ahh!”

“Okay.”

“Hi Kara.”

“Hi Maggie.”

“So your sister had a rough day.”

“She did.”

Kara’s voice is just a little more tense than it usually is.

Just a little more prim than it usually is. A little more reserved, a little more… maybe… angry?

Maggie’s heart tears.

She doesn’t exactly have a good history with the families of girls she likes.

And Kara’s always nice to her, she’s always… cordial. But there’s a distance, a nervousness, maybe. A protectiveness. And Maggie gets it. She does. But it still scares her. It still hurts.

Both of their phones buzz at the same time. They have an identical novel of a text.

Kara, Maggie – my day was fine. I just didn’t know how else to get you two alone together. To bond. And I want you to bond. Because you’re the most important women in my life. Kara, I know you’re not used to sharing me, and Maggie, I know you feel like you don’t fit in with my family. So… surprise? I’m with James and Winn for the night – use my apartment, have at it. Kara, just don’t make her watch old musicals. She’ll probably like them, and then I’ll have to hear random bursts of corny old songs from both of you.

Kara finishes reading first, and she gulps a rough gulp and studies Maggie while she finishes reading. While she tries not to shake. Kara knows, because Kara can hear her heartbeat. She tries to pretend she can’t. She adjusts her glasses and waits. Watching.

Maggie gulps, too, and glances up nervously.

“So I guess she thinks we’re not sufficiently bonded, huh?”

“Well, you did break her heart. And she is my sister. I’m going to be protective.”

To Kara’s surprise, Maggie smiles.

“I like that you’re protective of her. She deserves that. Someone to fight for her like you do.”

Kara adjusts her glasses and stares.

“And you want to fight for her, too?”

“I never want to stop.”

“Why?”

“Are you finally giving me the shovel talk?”

“Why do you want to fight for her, Maggie? Because you didn’t, when she left that bar hysterically crying, trying to convince herself she wasn’t even a lesbian to make the pain go away. The rejection.”

Kara startles at the intensity of the hurt that flashes across Maggie’s face, and she regrets her uncharacteristically harsh words immediately.

Maggie swallows and nods for Kara to open Alex’s apartment door and follows her inside, putting the pizza and root beer on the counter and pacing immediately, left hand settled below her lips.

“You know Alex. She’s… she’s quick, and she’s brave, and she’s… she’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, but not just on the outside. Your sister… she didn’t give up on me. Not when I was kidnapped, not when I was being stupid and thinking that she’d be better off… I didn’t want her coming out to be about me, Kara, I was… I know it’s screwed up, but I was trying to protect her. I was trying… I was trying to be good enough for her. And I know I never can be, but I want to try. Every day. I want to try to be good enough, because Alex deserves that. You… you know what I mean?”

Kara stares and Kara thinks and Kara thinks about that goofy grin Alex has developed in the last week or so, that distant look in her eyes that means she’s daydreaming about Maggie, about this girl who makes her smile, who makes her giggle, who makes her laugh like Kara’s never seen her laugh before.

“More than you know,” she answers softly, and then her face splits into a grin.

“I know you have a thing for vegan ice cream – and I agree with Alex, gross – but how do you feel about potstickers?”

“That all depends, Little Danvers – how do you feel about pizza and root beer?”

“Like you’d better be ready to give me most of it.”

“Done.”

When Alex gets home late that night, she doesn’t expect Maggie to still be there.

But she’s pleasantly surprised.

Because it might be midnight, but the two women that mean most to her – that she… loves… – are still awake, still there, surrounded by empty root beer bottles and pizza and potsticker boxes and pints of ice cream.

And her apartment is full of 90s boy band music and raucous laughter and deliberately off-key singing.

She’s not sure what she’s started by giving her sister and her girlfriend a compulsory bonding night, but she’s sure of one thing: she loves it, she loves it, she loves it.