Thanksgiving doesn't happen in Midvale.
Nia gets a call early in the week from her father and is asked to come home for it, and Eliza comes with a massive assortment of groceries, and you put her up in your apartment instead of a hotel, for the next few days (after a very thorough scan to make sure Lex hasn't decided to once again litter it with his toys, of which you find only two, and you take great satisfaction in hammering them out with your heel after wishing him a 'Happy Thanksgiving'). Eliza is charmed by the private rooftop garden and after extending William and Andrea invitations to join you all, you decide to hold Thanksgiving dinner there as well, much like the past dinner party, hedging more on fancy and festive rather than comfortable, soothing and familiar.
Your family feels on edge. Kara is quieter around everyone else, her hold on you in the nights tighter, her confessions and declarations of love fervent, earnest and plentiful, ardently whispered at all moments of the waking day, and in the stark darkness of the still nights. J'onn is warm but often lost in thought, Brainy distant and absent, Alex pushing so hard to be upbeat and happy, Kelly often wide-eyed and wondering, confusion clear in her gaze.
Even Eliza senses it, feels it.
She sends you silent looks across the room, grips your hands and arms tightly when she walks by, refills your glass full to the brim with wine, even when it isn't near empty, and at some point Thanksgiving afternoon, literally pushes Kara into your arms and nudges Alex down on the couch with you and Kara as she ushers everyone, especially Kelly, up onto the rooftop.
You think maybe she feels as though things are slowly starting to unravel just as you do.
You know why Kara clings to you. You know what her declarations mean. She loves you. She needs you. She's chosen you. She's always going to choose you. You're her non-negotiable. Her one non-negotiable. You.
And you love her. All of her.
You know she's hurting because her sister is hurting, you know she's angry because she feels helpless, that she's afraid because she can't fix it. You know Kara's been waiting for Alex to tell her, respectful and unassuming, waiting, very patiently, waiting to be let in. She'd confessed to you one night that the only reason she hasn't pushed is because she trusts you. Trusts you wholly, absolutely, completely, to help and take care of her sister. It's the one reason she is still. Quiet, still and patient. But seeing Maggie again has shattered that, as you were afraid it would, and now she's running on fumes as Alex tries to further throw herself into her decisions, so buried under her own lies she refuses to try and find a way out.
You think it's time she tells Kara, time she properly faces it, time she makes a decision. You'll catch her as will Kara and her mother and J'onn. And you'll catch Kelly. You swear you'll be there to catch and help Kelly.
So you hold tightly onto Kara for only a moment, a long moment so her warmth can seep into your heart and keep your worries at bay, before you tell her to push.
You tell Alex it's time. You tell her to trust you and that it's time time time.
And you leave them, safe in each other's arms.
Thanksgiving dinner is mostly a pleasant affair, you try not to think about Kara and Alex downstairs in your apartment, silently reassuring Kelly and Eliza that they're fine, and you discuss business and science and the scrapes you'd all gotten into in your youth. Andrea and William are lovely, entertaining and comfortable and you feel a surge of fondness and love for your old friend, and you understand what drew Kara to William when his passion and tenacity come to the surface. You get to know Kelly outside of Alex and it bolsters your opinion that it's the correct decision, that now is the time. Kelly is strong. She's understanding, kind, intelligent, reasonable and loving. If they're meant to get through it, they will. If they want to get through it, they'll make it so.
Nia arrives well after dinner, she calls you from a nearby bus stop, throwing herself into your arms when you and Kelly walk over to pick her up. You hold her as she sobs into you, Kelly rubbing soothing circles on her back.
She asks you how long her sister is going to hate her for, asks you if you can't somehow siphon her abilities and just give it to her sister, asks you what she needs to do to be forgiven. You don't answer. You can't.
Eliza and J'onn are marvelous hosts and William and Andrea seem to enjoy themselves. They leave relatively early, seeming to sense and understand the undercurrents of heaviness of the night and despite the pleasant company you are glad for it. J'onn too takes his leave, with a tight hug and a whispered, "They'll get through it," as does Kelly after helping you put an exhausted Nia to sleep in your own bedroom as Kara and Alex are in the spare room their mother is staying in. Kelly seems only minutely worried about Alex, asking you to bring them something to eat soon, before she pulls you into a warm hug, thanks Eliza for dinner and also heads off for home.
You help Eliza put away the rest of the food, far too much as Kara and Alex hadn't partaken of any, but you fix plates for them as well as Nia, that you keep warm in the oven. You and Eliza move in comfortable silence, her mind likely on her daughters as are yours.
You feel for Kelly, at the difficulties she'll soon have to face and you wonder if she at all knows it's about her and Alex and not actually the sisters. You feel your heart clench and ache at trying to put yourself in her shoes, trying to imagine having to find out Kara isn't sure about you, having to hear and know that you're not enough to be her forever.
And it's searing. It's a searing, indescribable pain that almost makes you double over, taking everything in you not to call out for Kara so you can be reassured that she loves you and that you are hers. You remind yourself of her eyes, her touch, her kisses. You remind yourself of her words, her declarations and her promises. You remind yourself she loves you and you are hers. And it's a long long moment before it abates. You are Kara's. Hers, hers, hers.
You calm. She is yours and you are hers. And you calm.
At some point Eliza exchanges your wine for a cup of tea and you sit across from each other on the couch still in silence watching wood burn in the fireplace.
"I didn't think there was ever going to be anyone worthy of Kara." Eliza says quite late into the night.
Your eyes snap to look at her and her gaze is gentle and worried. You stay silent, you don't know what to say.
"You were always so important to her. As important as Alex, and with Kara, no one's ever been as important as Alex. But YOU were. And I was scared for a while because she would just talk about you all the time. Always 'Lena said this, Lena thinks that.' And I know what happened with your brother and with Superman. And for a little while, I was genuinely worried history would repeat itself. But then I met you... And sweetheart, you are nothing like your brother. And Kara is nothing like Clark. And the way she looked at you, and the way you looked at her... And you two just kept dancing around each other, like you were afraid to go near the truth, like it would break if either of you touched it, like it was something that would shatter if you even so much as acknowledged it."
You don't know why your eyes tear but they do and you fight not to let them fall.
"I was so worried when she threw herself into trying to love that boy. Kara is very good at that. Building walls so she doesn't get abandoned again, and you wouldn't think it because of that big, bright, beautiful smile on such an angelic face. But I assure you, she builds them, high and strong. Then of course, even he had to go. She'd mourned that loss for so long. She clung to it, building that wall higher and stronger because if he could hurt her... Well, you... you would destroy her. She was afraid to see you, know you. She was always so helpless when it came to you. And I think you were too when it came to her."
Eliza moves closer towards you, taking your hand in hers. "Losing you would destroy her, Lena. Truly, sweetheart. Without a doubt. Kara has lost so much of what she's loved, and I see how deeply she loves you. I know you're intelligent and brave and tough, I know that, I do. I know you can handle yourself. But if you want Kara to fight, if you need her to fight, you need to remember that she can do that best when she knows you are safe and secure. The number of times she's saved this world… doesn't she deserve to have her own home, her own world, whole?"
She pulls you into her arms and you bury your face in her chest as your body trembles at her words. "I don't know what he has planned." You confess, your heart clenching painfully. "I can't stop him if I don't know what he's planning. I tried to stay away from her, I tried to be angry, but - but... She's Kara. She's Kara and it's like she's all I've ever wanted. Like she's all that's been missing from my life for years. Like she's the sun and without her the world is cold and dark and empty. And I want to keep her safe. I tried to keep her safe. But Lex... He's despicable. And Kara is so bright, and warm and good. And she's lost so much. And she loves me. God, I don't know why but she does. And she makes me so happy... It's just sometimes I'm so scared I made the wrong choice. I should have been stronger. We should have waited. If I'd stayed away from her I'd know what Lex is planning. I could keep her safe. I can keep everyone safe."
"Oh, sweetheart, no." Eliza tells you, lifting your head up so she can look into your eyes. "You are not alone in this. You don't need to be the one to take all the risks, you're not responsible for your brother's actions. It was noble what you tried to do, what you did, using your wealth, power, your intelligence and vast resources to help this world, but it was never your obligation to right your family's wrongs. This world would be grateful for it if people could remember, I am grateful for it. But you don't have to do any of this alone anymore. You have Kara. You have all of us. Do not take unnecessary risks, not to your safety, not to your mental well-being. We are here for you. For Kara. For Alex. It will be difficult, things will be a mess and then they will be okay again, and then, likely, there'll be problems to fix yet again. And when you think you've got it all figured out something will come up to make you reevaluate everything. But as long as you remember what you're fighting for, what you're living for, you will always be on the right track. You must remember that you are not alone. We are your family and you will never have to do any of it alone ever again. Remember, Lena, we are stronger together. We're always stronger together. And you let no one keep you from your love."
"And you never again wonder why I love you."
Your eyes snap towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms and you see Kara's eyes flashing a dangerous fire. Eliza squeezes your hand and pulls you in to lay a kiss on your temple before she gets up from the couch. She walks towards Kara, giving her temple a light kiss as well before heading off to her bedroom.
Your tears continue to fall as you wait for Kara to make her way to you. You let her take you into her arms and you cling to her in a way you haven't ever before.
"Tell me you're not going to change your mind." You beg her. "Tell me we're not Kelly and Alex. Tell me what happened to Alex and Maggie isn't going to happen to us. Tell me it's really forever, Kara. Tell me."
"You're my forever, Lena Luthor. You and nobody else. I'm not going to change my mind. And you'd better not change yours because I refuse give you up. I will not let you go. Never. Never. Never."
"I don't want you to." You say, still sobbing against her. "I'm never going to want you to."
She holds you. That night. That morning. And then the next night and the next. She holds you each and every day and you let her love warm your heart, your soul, your bones, until your heart calms, your world stills and the sun and stars continue to promise you forever.