625. Chapter 625
Kara flies out for a couple extra bottles of wine before Lena and Sam get there, telling her sister and her soon-to-be sister-in-law that she’ll be back in a flash.
She chuckles to herself as the pun sinks in, and she makes a note to tell Barry next time they chat using Cisco’s communicator.
By the time her chuckle is finished, she’s back with red and white and sparkling, and her sister is leaning back against the kitchen counter – her kitchen counter – with her hair askew and Maggie’s lips on her neck.
“Guys!” Kara squeals, hiding her eyes and nearly dropping the wine.
Alex squeaks and Maggie freezes in instinctive terror before Alex’s hand finds her waist, and she relaxes, because it’s only Kara, and she and Kara may have their differences, but god, would they die for each other.
“I was gone for like two minutes! Not even!”
“Listen, Little Danvers, your sister is very – “
“Lalalala, I know, I know! Alex, you’re beautiful, but that doesn’t mean – “
“Oh, Kara, were they making out in front of you again?” Lena’s voice in the open doorway behind her makes Kara blush deeply as she adjusts her glasses, her clothes, her hair.
“Lena! Hi!” She’s more breathless at the sound of Lena’s voice than she was at flying halfway to Metropolis just to get Maggie’s favorite kind of wine.
Maggie nudges Alex with her shoulder. Alex nudges back. They both try to hide their giggles.
Lena goes to hug Kara, and Alex’s eyes widen at her sister’s awkward, adorable rambling as she murmurs about being careful not to drop the wine, she traveled very far to get it and wine stains really are hard to get out of clothes and Lena your hair looks really beautiful down.
Sam arches an eyebrow behind Lena, and her eyes meet Alex’s over Lena and Kara’s shoulders. Alex raises her eyebrows twice at her, and Sam nearly laughs aloud.
Maggie tilts her head. “Sam and I also have a bet on when Lena and Kara are gonna realize they’re dating,” Alex murmurs, because she and Sam had found more to talk about than kids, after all.
Maggie snorts.
“Hey Lena,” she strides over, wanting to make sure Lena doesn’t think they’re being standoffish. Wanting to make sure Lena doesn’t think she’s on the outside looking in, even as she sits with all of them. Because she knows what that feels like – intimately – and she doesn’t want Lena, or anyone, to feel that way.
“Oh, and where are my manners?” Lena perks up as though it were her apartment, not her… not Kara’s. “Detective Maggie Sawyer, this is Samantha March, L-Corp’s new – “
“New Lena, right. I heard you’re doing a great job,” Maggie shakes her hand warmly as the Danvers sisters and Lena beam.
“Well, she has rather killer heels to fill, but – “
“Oh please, I’ve only ever used them to stab one or two white male executives,” Lena teases, grateful – for once in her life – to be in a room full of women where she can joke like that, as a woman, as a Luthor, without the people around her thinking her a murderer, thinking her a ticking time bomb, thinking her nothing more than her last name.
“Ugh,” Alex groans, gesturing for everyone to follow her to the sitting area as she helps Kara unload the wine from her arms. “I had to go on this stupid fake date once – before your time, babe – for work – Sam, I uh… I work at the FBI – and god I wished I could’ve stabbed the guy with those heels I had to wear.”
Light laughter fills the room as Kara jogs – at a human pace – toward her old CD player and flicks on the radio.
Background music to their joy. Background music to their bonding. Background music to the FaceTime call from Lucy Lane, bemoaning the fact that she couldn’t get into National City for the weekend but promising them all a whirlwind of stories and something harder than wine next time she’s in town.
Background music to Maggie cuddling into Alex’s arms, listening to her steady heartbeat and smiling, grateful and peaceful and loved, remembering a time when she couldn’t do anything like this, for fear of rejection and pain and loss and ugly, ugly accusations.
Background music to Alex laughing along with Lena and Sam, her arm around Maggie as Lena spins an old college story about an ex girlfriend who once walked in on her dancing by herself and lip syncing to ‘Nsync oldies in nothing but her college sweatshirt and ballet socks.
Background music to Kara turning bright red at the idea of Lena with a girlfriend, of Lena dancing and lip syncing, of Lena wearing nothing but her college sweatshirt and ballet socks, grateful no one other than her can hear heartbeats in this apartment, because if they could, they’d all hear hers beating only for Lena.
Background music to Sam easing into conversation with increasing comfort and increasing hope that maybe, this time, she’s found a solid, steadfast group of friends – family, even? – because it’s been so long since she’d had a night like this and god, she needs to do it more often.
Background music to Lena reaching for Kara’s hand as they laugh, her heart skipping several beats when Kara takes it and interlaces their fingers, her heart nearly stopping when Kara doesn’t let go, when suddenly they’re holding hands and Alex, Maggie, and Sam are all exchanging looks, but they’re excited and hopeful and giggly, not cruel and protective and judgmental.
“So Sam,” Alex wants to know after the laughter dies down, because they’re all several drinks in and it’s almost time for Truth or Drink (which is really another way to phrase Truth and Drink). “We’ve all been trying to figure it out, and we can’t – maybe you can help us?”
Sam raises her eyebrows and waits for Alex to finish. Maggie nudges her gently and kisses her cheek. “You’ve gotta get the words out of your brain for Sam to answer you, babe,” she teases, and Alex kisses her full on the mouth.
“Mmmmm, you’re right. Isn’t my fiancee such a damn genius? No seriously though, did you know there was this cold case – “
“Babe. Sam?” Maggie reminds her, bemused.
“Right! See? Keeps me on track, this one,” Alex beams, and Maggie couldn’t imagine anything better than being loved by this woman.
“Sam,” Alex starts again.
“Yes,” Sam leans forward and nods gamely. Kara and Lena lean in, too.
“We’ve been trying to figure out what it is about National City that makes us all come here for fresh starts. Like…” Alex looks around the room and nods, affirming her own thoughts. “All of us in this room came here to start again. From something or other. You did, too, I’m guessing, right? And none of us can figure it out. Why here? Do you have any ideas?”
Sam sits back and looks up as she nods slowly and takes a long sip of her wine.
Kara kisses Lena’s hand while she thinks no one is watching. Lena swoons.
Alex and Maggie barely hold in a yelp of victory.
“I think some places… some places just… call you. You know? Some places just… bring us together. Like… like geographical glue. God, that’s something Ruby would say. But really, I… sometimes I think the universe just needs certain people to find each other, you know? You and Maggie. Kara and Lena. Me, the ultimate third wheel – “
“Or third partner, hey,” Lena raises her glass, and they all clink them together with soft blushes and giggles.
“I just… this might sound really corny, but I just think some things are meant to be, you know? So maybe… maybe this city is where we were all meant to meet.”
She shrugs and hopes she didn’t just weird out her new potential friends. But Maggie is kissing Alex’s hand and Alex is leaning over to grab Kara’s free hand. Lena reaches out and tugs Sam onto the floor with her and Kara.
“I think we all know what this calls for,” Kara grins, and Alex nearly cackles.
“What – “ Lena looks confused, but Maggie’s been through this already, and she pretends to groan.
“Cuddle pile!” the Danvers girls shout as one, and the night plays out as the sleepover all of them grew up wanting but never quite had; corny pop music and long giggle fits and hand holding and some kissing and a lot of pillow tossing and wine and tears and life long bonds and eventually, when the sun starts to come up, sweet, sweet sleep in the warmth of the arms of chosen family.