"So," Lucy said casually as she knelt down beside Kara to help her put away Machi Koro, "I think your sister has a thing for Supergirl."
Kara jerked next to her. "What?" she yelped, her knee slamming up into the coffee table and sending cards fluttering across the room.
Lucy looked at the other woman with concern. That coffee table was heavy. She rested a hand on Kara's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Kara jolted back from Lucy's touch like she'd been scalded. "Okay? Ha, why, why wouldn't I be okay?" She reached up to touch her glasses. "I obviously don't know anything about Supergirl, I mean, besides what Ms. Grant writes, but I don't know how much of that we should trust anyway—" Lucy laid a hand over Kara's to cut her off.
"I meant your knee," Lucy said slowly. "Is your knee okay? You banged it pretty hard."
"Oh," Kara laughed nervously, "yeah, yeah, it's fine." As if to prove how fine it was, she turned from Lucy and crawled around the table and began picking up the scattered cards.
"So Alex and Supergirl," Lucy began, as she crouched near Kara, and reached for some cards.
Kara's head whipped up so fast her glasses slipped down her face. "Shh!" Kara whispered glancing into the kitchen. "She'll hear you."
Lucy twisted her head and found Special Agent Alex Danvers staring into the living room with a raised eyebrow. Whatever response she received from Kara must've been enough because she nodded and returned to her conversation with James and Winn. "Told you," Lucy heard Kara mutter behind her. Lucy turned back to see a fond smile on Kara's face as she gazed at her sister.
Lucy rolled her eyes, but lowered her volume. "She'd have to have super-hearing, and I know for a fact that she's not Supergirl."
"Of course she's not," Kara chuckled, pushing her glasses up on her nose. "No one here is Supergirl."
"Obviously," Lucy scoffed, "because if Supergirl was here Alex would be all over her."
"She does not have a, a thing for Supergirl!" Kara squeaked out. She cleared her throat. "Besides, Alex doesn't even like—"
"Aliens?"
"Girls! Women," Kara amended. "Alex doesn't like women."
Lucy snorted indelicately as she stacked the cards in her hands. "Pretending that's even true, it still doesn't take away from what I saw. Alex looked at Supergirl like she hung the moon and the stars. And you know what?"
"What?" Kara asked, hands trembling, cards forgotten on the floor.
"Supergirl looked at Alex the same way."
Lucy hugged her dad tighter as the Myriad signal grew stronger. She could barely concentrate on the countdown as the pain in her head reached unbearable levels. Faintly, she heard someone say something. Lucy sluggishly lifted her head and cracked open an eye. She watched Alex stagger over to a control table. Lucy pushed herself to her feet, only to collapse after the first step. She settled for slowly pulling herself across the floor on her hands and knees. She was almost close enough to touch Alex when another pulse came through and flattened her to the ground. Lucy stayed down, taking in measured breaths and focusing on Alex's voice.
"Supergirl, what's going on, the Myriad signal's still escalating."
Lucy breathed in for a count of four, out for four. It was impressive that Alex was still standing.
"That is not an option, Kara," Alex said fiercely, hands gripping the edge of the table. "Once you're in space there's no atmosphere, there's no gravity. You wouldn't be able to generate thrust, you wouldn't be able to breathe." Alex took a soft, hiccupping breath. "You wouldn't be able to get back."
Lucy turned on her side, her hand stretching out, reaching for Alex to offer some comfort when another Myriad wave wracked through her body, curling her into a ball. When Lucy was able to breathe and focus on Alex again, she almost wished for the oblivion of another pulse. Lucy could feel the anguish and pain rolling off of Alex nearly as strongly as the Myriad signal surging through the compound.
"No, I can—I can have Max—I—"
A tear trickled down Lucy's cheek.
"Kara, listen to me—" Alex was pleading now. Lucy tried to turn away, to give them a moment together, but her body refused to obey her. She looked up at Alex, who was leaning down on her elbows now, eyes shining wetly.
"You taught me, Kara," Alex replied, shaking her head.
Even through the wrenching pain in her head, Lucy felt a swell of compassion, and pity, and jealousy wash through her as she watched Alex say goodbye to Kara. Lucy wasn't sure she'd ever loved anyone else like that, so totally and consumingly.
"Kara—I can't," Alex cried brokenly as she hunched over the table.
Lucy opened her mouth to say something, anything, but all she managed to do was choke on air. She watched Alex curl her hands into fists.
"I promise," the older Danvers choked out, turning her head to the side, eyes tightly squeezed shut. "Listen," Alex said raggedly, opening her eyes. She paused for a moment, eyes sharpening on something behind Lucy. "I love you, Kara," she murmured resolutely. "Kara—Kara?" Alex took a deep breath then removed the earpiece and laid it on the console. She turned and didn't seem all that surprised to see Lucy on the floor next to her. Alex started to crouch, but appeared to think better of it when she swayed on her feet. "You okay?"
Lucy lifted her right hand and waggled it gently. "So-so," she managed to push out.
Alex let out a breath. "Then, Director, do I have your permission to requisition some supplies in order to aid Supergirl?"
Lucy felt the corner of her mouth lift in what might have been a grin. She waved her hand weakly. "Go get your girl."
Lucy can't even be angry (really, can't be anything other than awed, and, maybe, a little turned on) that Alex took Supergirl's freaking spaceship and flew it into space to save Kara (and, did anyone else even know that that thing was still operational?). Everyone was mostly up and staggering around when Alex landed the pod back inside the compound. Hank carried Kara to the med bay with Alex trailing closely behind. Lucy wanted to follow, make sure they were all going to be okay, but there were still so many of her people to check on, so she resolutely turned back to her command.
Some time later, Hank (J'onn, she reminded herself) stepped into the room, clearing his throat. "Supergirl's awake," he announced. Around her Lucy could hear people exclaiming and high-fiving, and she let out a breath it felt like she'd been holding since the last Myriad wave pushed down on her. She moved forward, towards the hallway, but was paused by a gentle hand on her arm. "They'll be out in a few minutes," J'onn said, patting her shoulder. "Alex is talking to her now."
Lucy nodded sharply and turned to stand beside J'onn, mirroring his pose as they waited. True to his word, Lucy soon saw Kara and Alex walking down the hallway to the control room, fingers linked. Their hands broke apart before they reached the command center, but they still strode in, shoulder to shoulder, like the heroes they were. Lucy stepped forward and hugged Kara, standing on tip-toes to reach around Kara's neck. They broke apart so Kara could hug J'onn. Lucy looked past the two aliens at Alex, who gave Lucy a tight nod and a relieved smile before they were all surrounded by cheering and whistling agents.
Later, when J'onn had been pardoned, and the injured taken care of, and everyone non-essential sent home, Lucy wandered the corridors of the DEO. Her father was gone, and she had stacks of paperwork to fill out, but her most pressing need was to find something to eat. She turned down the hallway to Alex's lab. Alex always kept a small refrigerator and cabinet stocked with all sorts of sugary snacks for Kara. Lucy had raided it twice before, but had stopped when Kara began giving her suspicious looks every time Lucy walked into the lab. Lucy paused outside the open door, debating the risk, when she heard the low murmur of voices from inside. She slowly stepped forward and peeked inside. Kara, still in her Supergirl uniform, was perched on one of the lab tables, hands gripping the edge. Alex stood between her legs, a hand resting on each of Kara's thighs.
"—so scared," Lucy heard Alex whisper as she dropped her forehead down on Kara's shoulder.
Kara wrapped her right arm around Alex and brought her left hand up to cradle the back of Alex's head. "Me too," she answered softly, kissing Alex's temple. "But you saved me," Kara breathed reverently.
Alex lifted her head. "I'll always save you," she vowed thickly, her hands tightening on Kara's legs.
Lucy felt her heart clench as Kara smiled tremulously and leaned down to rest her forehead against Alex's. "I love you," Kara whispered.
Alex let out a great shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "I love you too," she choked out. They stayed like that for several minutes, eyes closed, Kara gently rubbing Alex's back as Alex's breath slowly evened out.
Lucy had just decided that it was time for her getaway when her stomach rumbled loudly. Alex jerked like she'd been shocked, pulling out of Kara's embrace and taking a step back.
"It's okay, Alex," Kara soothed, hopping off the table and reaching for Alex's hand. "It's just Lucy."
"Yep, just me," Lucy said, stepping fully into the room and offering a little half-wave. "No worries," she added, stepping over to the cabinet and opening it. "I'm just here to steal some food." Lucy stood up, doughnuts in hand, and waved them at Alex.
Alex blushed and pulled away from Kara. Kara rolled her eyes affectionately, and Lucy had to stop herself from doing the same (because really, a little hand-holding was nothing Lucy hadn't seen from them before. Many times.). "Lucy knows," Kara said, grabbing Alex's hand and tugging her closer.
"Knows what?"
"That you are totally in love with Supergirl," Lucy said nonchalantly, tearing open the package of powdered donuts and offering it to the other two women. Kara excitedly grabbed one while Alex just stared at Lucy. Lucy shrugged and took a bite of her own. "And," Lucy said as she finished her donut in two bites, "I know that Supergirl is totally in love with you."
Kara smiled, white powder dusted across her chin, as she reached for another donut with her free hand. "Guilty," she sighed, eating the donut in one large bite.
"Of course," Lucy said, licking her fingers, "things made a lot more sense once I found out that Kara was Supergirl."
Alex shook her head, a tender smile creeping across her face as she cupped Kara's chin and brushed the powder off with her thumb. She turned to Lucy. "How—?"
"Long have I known?" Lucy finished for her. She popped the last of her pastry in her mouth. "Pretty much from the first time I saw you two puppies together." She swallowed. "I mean, you seemed way closer than a handler and asset should be, and you," she said, offering the last donut to Alex, who took it grudgingly, "were so growly towards anyone who said anything mean about Supergirl, and you were always the first one to her when a test was finished." Lucy shrugged and tossed the empty package in the nearby trash. She leaned back against Alex's desk. "I thought it was just misplaced hero worship at first, but then I started watching Supergirl, the way she always looked to you first, no matter what, and that's when I realized it."
"Realized what?" Alex asked. Her tone was still a little sharp, but when Kara wrapped an arm around Alex and tucked her into her side, Alex's eyes softened.
Lucy's heart swelled with affection as she watched the ease and love in the two women in front of her. Moisture welled in the corners of her eyes as she gave them a fond smile. "Realized that the two of you belonged to each other."