619. Chapter 619

It’s late and they’re exhausted, but Alex leaves the window open, because she has a feeling Kara will come by again.

She has a feeling, but Maggie? Maggie is shocked.

“Kara,” she calls out confusedly when Kara slips through the window, and Alex immediately tilts her head.

Not because she’s surprised Kara’s here.

But because she knows her sister better than anyone.

And she knows her sister’s just had it out with someone.

Someone human, not Martian.

“Kara?” she repeats her fiancee’s words, and Kara suddenly finds her shoes very interesting.

“Kara, what did you do?” Alex asks, and Maggie’s eyes flit between them, her heart sinking because it’s alright if this night becomes about Kara – of course it’s alright – but she’d also needed a night for… well, for her.

“I ran into your father, Maggie.”

“You – “

“It kind of… wasn’t an accident. I picked up James and Winn and J’onn, and we sort of… we had a few words with him. At the airport.”

“Is he… alright?” Alex asks, starting to beam as she holds her shocked fiancee in her arms.

“He has a very good sense of how many people love his daughter, I think,” Kara shrugs, and Maggie stands.

“Kara, you didn’t hurt him.”

Kara shakes her head. “I would’ve, but I didn’t think you’d want that. Also J’onn wouldn’t let me. Even though he looked like he wanted to land a punch himself, to be honest. Winn almost did. James stopped him, but you know, barely.”

“Why… what… why?”

Kara kneels in front of the bed, and Maggie sits back down. Kara hesitates before taking her hands until Maggie grants her consent.

“Because you are our family, Maggie. You… I get a new sister, now. I never really wanted one – I always kind of wanted Alex all to myself – but now that I have you in my life? Now that I know you? Maggie, you can go toe-to-toe with my sister and still have enough in you to negotiate an entire hostage situation and solve decades old cold cases by lunchtime. You have no superpowers but you can win a fight against a man twice your size with nothing but your bare hands. You… no, I was wrong before. You do have superpowers. Your heart, your brain. I’ve never met anyone who… who’s a match for Alex. She’s getting a wife, Maggie, and I’m getting another big sister. And sisters defend each other. Always.”

“But – “

“But nothing. Look, I… I idealize my parents, because I lost them. But I’ve learned that they… they weren’t perfect. I told J’onn today that I thought they’d be proud of me, if they could see me now, but honestly? I wonder sometimes. Because I think I would have sided with my aunt Astra, if I’d known what was going on, back on Krypton. What my parents were doing. Not how she did things, sure, but… but she wasn’t wrong. And my mother locked her away, and… my point, Maggie, is that sometimes I honestly don’t know if my parents would be proud of me. But I know Alex is. And I know J’onn is. Eliza. I know I’m proud of me. And we’re all proud of you. No matter what your parents think or say or do. We’re the always kind of family, okay? Stronger together.”

“Stronger together,” Alex and Maggie whisper at the same time.

None of them are quite sure when Kara crawls up into the bed with her sisters, snuggling herself in between their sleepy bodies, but they know that when they wake the next morning – to the scents and sounds of J’onn, M’yrnn, James, Eliza, and Winn making them breakfast – they’re entangled together even though, somehow, Kara has burritoed herself in the blankets between them.

And they know that they will never, ever lose the memory of waking up like this.

Waking up… perfect.