The silence was unbearable.

The once calming pull and roll of the ocean waves seemed to only thicken the dreadfully tense quiet.

Kara couldn't speak. She wasn't able to muster up any words that would justify jeopardizing Lena's life.

"I should have known."

"Huh?" Kara startled.

"I knew I recognized Diana Prince, she's Wonder Woman, oh my fucking god she's married to… Oh fuck, Shayera is… How does she hide her wings?!"

"Well," Kara could be informative, she owed Lena that much, "Clark and I collaborated on a device that would allow her to have a civilian aliases with Diana-"

"Clark is your cousin." Lena stated, the gears in her mind slotting ever odd sight into place.

Kara nodded.

"Clark dated my brother."

Kara nodded again.

"My brother has an unnecessary vendetta against Superman."

Kara could watch as Lena started to pace. She normally found solace in seeing Lena in this state of utmost concentration. Though it pained her to know this familiarity would soon fade, leaving her with only bittersweet memories.

"My brother dated Superman!" Lena chortled as she shook her head. "I'm dating Superman's cousin, I'm dating a Super."

"You're still…" Kara asked tentatively, hope pouring into her words. "We're still dating?"

"My in-laws are Supers, wait is that why we couldn't have any of Diana's top shelf liqueur?!"

"I think I broke a bottle of god's ichor… that stuff burns and intoxicates even me."

Lena paused and stalled her pacing to focus on Kara, "wait, what do you mean 'we're still dating?' why would you ask that?"

"I just… I thought… wait… 'in-laws'?"

"Did you… am I…oh. I'm just part of your cover," there's instant resignation in Lena's voice; she has had a lifetime of training to assume she wasn't enough, "aren't I?"

Kara was speechless.

Lena frowned, lip tight as she tried to hold in her tears. She read Kara's silence as confirmation. Why in the world would a professor of Kara's standing jeopardize herself to return a Luthor's affection? Why would a living god do anything, but use a Luthor… it made sense in a manner. "Karma… poetic even."

"No, Lena, oh my, no." Kara enveloped Lena into her arms, but the other woman was passive in her embrace. "I haven't ever and I wouldn't ever use anyone as just a cover, I have my own cover, well it wasn't a cover, it is the life I have chosen, a normal… I mean… a relatively normal life to live."

"It's alright, you don't have to do any damage control…" Lena placed her hands lightly on Kara's shoulder, neither pushing away nor holding on. "You have my word that I won't tell anyone." She took a deep breath, attempting to stave off the panic that was tightening in her chest. "Oh my fucking god, all that nonsense from Lex and he could have ended Clark from the start if he just gave up his secret identity… just… wow… god, can I at least tell Jess, I need someone to make fun of my brother with for his next level gay drama."

"Lena… No, I swear…"

"For fuck sake, I have my own next level gay drama," Lena's self-loathing came into full being, "it's not even drama since you didn't actually want me-"

Kara kissed Lena to put a stop to the unbearable lies. She tilted into her love, tried to instill every last bit of feeling this astonishingly complicated, intelligent and beautiful woman made her feel.

Lena had so much vigor, the essence of life itself, aloof and strong in the face of adversity, someone that cherished her loved ones with every fibre of her being. Someone so gentle and loving, someone that reached into Kara's heart to fill up a space she thought would remain desolate in this alien world.

Someone she saw as a partner, as a spouse.

Lena to her was the very embodiment of what was worth protecting in this chaotic Earth.

In her want to show her passion, Kara lifted them lightly into the air. Lena returned the kiss, arms wrapping around Kara's neck. Her grip tightened as she realized they were floating.

"Lena, I swear it that I want you… I want you badly."

"Did you just quote that song Kathy has been bombarding Jess with?"

"I would sing it to you now if it would make you believe me."

"Do you…" Lena sighed, "do you think I'm the type of person to break things?"

"No." Kara lowered their height, gently bringing them to a float just above the ground. "I'm not about to stand by and let you ever think I wasn't crazy into you, cause I am, Lena. Wildly so. I… I love you."

"Kara…"

"I mean it, if you okay with being with someone that is idle and bad… then I hope you'll be with me forever."

Lena was stymied for a moment, then incredulously, "Kara, why in the world would you think you're bad?"

"With great power comes great responsibility," Kara half laughs and half tears up, "and I do help, but I don't want to be seen… I fail to be the beacon of hope that Clark wants me to represent with him."

"You're under no obligation to live in the spotlight and you never needed to use those powers in the first place, but you do, even if you don't let everyone see you save the world." Leave it to Lena to come so easily to terms on something Kara had always struggled with whenever she tried to live by Clark's example. "I mean, Kara, you willingly saved someone like me."

"Someone… like…you?" Kara sounded absolutely dumbfounded, "Lena, don't you get it," Kara weaved her fingers into Lena's wind tussled hair, "I saved the world today," Kara said, her words full of every single atom of affection she felt for Lena, "you are my world."