I don't own these characters; DC does.
Special thanks to my beta, TheCrowDawg. I hope you guys enjoy this and come say hi to me on Facebook. I'm also on Tumblr.
A/N: the song being messed up was suggested by Joleen Z. and part of the messed up lyrics are thanks to Stephanie B. Shout out to everyone who came through with great answers on songs when I needed it. You helped make this chapter possible.
More Than Enough
1: Messed Up
The night was quiet as Alex lounged on the couch with Lena resting against her side with her head on Alex's bare shoulder. They were both in pajamas, camisoles and shorts, and the movie on the massive television watched them more than they watched it. The movie just gave them an excuse to cuddle on the couch and let their breathing and gentle touches lull them into a near sleep. Alex caressed Lena's bare arm and Lena stroked her knee. Alex rubbed her nose in the top of Lena's head, enjoying the smell of her sweet vanilla shampoo. It was a typical calm night until it was not.
The balcony doors burst open, warm air rushing in, and Alex grabbed a gun she had hidden in the couch and she jumped up. Lena was right behind her, gripping her own weapon, also from the couch. They had trained for a moment like this many times. Alex stepped forward, gun up and alert. Then, there was time for the second shock of the night. A figure stepped in.
"Kara?" Alex could hardly believe her eyes. Kara was dressed in blue Kryptonian robes, but beyond that she looked exactly the same.
"Alex!" Kara grinned as she stepped toward Alex and Lena.
Feeling Lena's breath on her neck kept Alex focused. She remained on guard, kept her gun up. Kara — if that was Kara — blinked and her face scrunched up, like a little lost puppy. She had some nerve looking like that, as if she had not abandoned the Earth, National City, and her sister!
"Uh… you wanna put the gun down?" Kara asked, holding up a finger like that would help the request go over smoother.
"Not until you prove you're Kara," Alex replied. While they had not dealt with a lookalike, she and Kara had discussed what to do should the situation arise.
Kara pursed her lips. "If I wasn't Kara, how would I know to follow your heartbeat to find you? And I'm also genuinely surprised you're at Lena's house."
Alex did not relax her gun, even though that was a good answer. How would an imposter know to follow her heartbeat or even to say that she followed Alex's heartbeat? "You still have to answer a question to prove you're you."
"Fair. What's the question?" They had never shared what the question would be. Kara felt it would be more authentic if the question was a surprise to her. Alex could also be able to gauge her reaction to assist in determining if she was the true Kara or not.
"Sing the lyrics to Purple Haze," Alex said. It was a song from their teen years that Kara picked up because her parents played it often around the house. Kara loved the song, but had no clue what the lyrics were after hearing it at least a hundred times. She made up her own lyrics every single time.
Kara groaned and stomped her foot. "No! I always mess them up!"
"I know. So, sing them."
Kara let out another unhappy sound and started singing. And just like always, she got to the point in the song where the lyrics were just garbled, inaudible nonsense. She did not even do the usual "excuse me while I kiss this guy" mess up like most people. It was just nothing, like she was speaking broken Kryptonian, but worse. Alex chuckled and lowered her gun. Lena laughed, too.
"What language was that? Did she say something about a llama?" Lena asked.
Fiery blue eyes glared at Alex. "You did that just to embarrass me!" Kara huffed and folded her arms across her chest.
"No, I promise you it was to make sure you're you," Alex replied and then smiled a little. "And maybe to make fun of you, a little." She was the big sister, after all. She had always planned to ask that question because it was basically her job to embarrass Kara in safe, harmless ways. For a moment, she got to feel light and joy and like things were like they used to be. But, Lena brought them back to the matter at hand.
"Next test," Lena said, gun still up. "What do you want to eat now?" That was also a good question and a great way to gauge Kara's reactions.
Kara pursed her lips for a second and then her eyes lit up. "Pot stickers!" She shook her head. "No, donuts!" She put her hands up. "No, no! Sticky bun!" Then, she gasped. "Thai food!"
"She's doing her greatest hits." Lena shrugged and lowered her gun.
"I have so much to catch up on," Kara said. "I definitely need a gyro oozing with white sauce." It would not be a surprise if she drooled.
"Not from that spot you like," Alex said.
Kara frowned. "What is going on? What happened to the place I like?"
"It closed."
Kara's frown lines dug into her face as the expression deepened. "Okay, really, what's going on? I went by my loft, but someone was living there and then I went to your apartment and someone was living there. All of our stuff was gone." She gasped, both hands over her mouth and blue eyes as wide as the sky. "Am I not on the right Earth?"
"You're on the right Earth, Kara, but I don't think you're on the right page." Alex motioned to the sofa. "Come sit down."
Kara nodded, her face all twisted up. Alex walked her to the couch while Lena made a dash for the kitchen, putting her gun down along the way. Kara went down with a grunt and her forehead was wrinkled, as if she was concentrating on something. With luck, she would not laser vision anything. Alex sat down next to her, putting a hand on Kara's knee.
"You okay?" Alex asked in a soft voice. Her heart squeezed into itself. It wanted to shatter and explode at the same time.
"I just don't understand why all my stuff was gone from my apartment. I mean, everything was gone. My couch, my TV, my paintings! Someone else was completely and totally living there, like I never existed!" Kara's chest puffed out as she bordered on hyperventilating. She shook her head, golden tresses flying every which way.
Alex moved, kneeling down next to Kara, both hands on her knees and rubbed a little. "Hey, calm down. Deep breaths."
Alex demonstrated how she wanted Kara to breath. Kara followed her lead, breathing as she balled her hands into tight, shaking fists as she tried to stay calm. Something was wrong. It was like Kara expected the world to pause while she was gone, which was very unlike Kara. Kara had long ago learned that life went on, even when hers seemed stuck.
"I just don't understand," Kara said, chin wobbling. "Why is everything gone? Why can't I keep anything? Why doesn't any place want me?"
"Kara, it's okay. Your stuff isn't gone," Alex replied. That was important. Kara probably could not take starting from scratch again. She could not take having her identity completely wiped away.
Kara let loose a dry sob and rubbed her eye with her fist like she was about to gouge her own eye out. "Yes, it is! I was there."
"Kara, breathe." Alex breathed with her again.
"Here. Have some tea," Lena said as she approached. She carefully placed a mug and saucer down on an end table next to Kara and then sat down near Alex, who was still in front of Kara.
Kara gave Lena a sad smile. "Thank you." She focused on Alex again, eyes lost and wet. "I just don't get it. Where's my stuff if it's not gone?"
"We put it in storage," Lena replied.
Kara's forehead wrinkled even more as she pursed her lips. "Why? Did you really think I'd be gone that long? Did you tell my landlord to give away my apartment, too?"
Alex frowned and Lena ran her hand through Alex's hair. Alex patted Kara's knee once again. "Sweetie, how long did you think your landlord would hold your apartment?"
Kara let out a breath, her face red, and threw her hands up. "I dunno. Longer than this, though!"
Alex nodded. "And how long do you think 'this' is?" She wanted to be upset with Kara for being gone so long without a word, but it seemed there was more to this and she could not be upset when Kara was visibly out of sorts.
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"How long do you think you've been gone?" Alex arched an eyebrow. It sounded like Kara had a different idea of "long" and that did not make any sense.
Kara's eyes squinted and searched the ceiling for a long moment. "A month."
Lena gasped and clutched Alex's shoulder. "Oh, dear."
Alex felt a lot less abandoned in that moment and took in air for the first time in a long time without noticing a void inside of her. "Kara," she said the name with more patience than she had exhibited in a long time. She squeezed Kara's knee. "It's been a year."
Kara flinched. "A year?" She searched Alex's face. "No, I…" She blew out a trembling breath, which went right with her quivers vibrating her entire body. "I…" She studied Alex's face more, as if it held the truth. With her powers, she could probably tell Alex was not the same age from the last time they saw each other.
Lena leaned forward. "Time probably passes differently on Argo City."
"No!" Kara hopped up, throwing Alex back. Kara yelped as Alex grunted. Kara held her hands up as she leaned, ready to catch Alex, but it was not necessary. "I'm so sorry! My powers are a little off."
"How long have you been back?" Alex asked, able to pick herself up, but Lena helped her up anyway. They sat on the couch.
Kara shrugged. "A few hours. When I came through the portal, I wasn't at the DEO. It was some weird building, but I didn't think anything of it, just like maybe there was a miscalculation, or it was a storage area or something. The sun was setting, but it was okay. I got my bearings and walked to my apartment. My key didn't work in the door, which I thought was weird, but not alarming enough yet. The sunlight I got from the setting sun and then also the sunlight reflected off the moon was enough to give me a charge to fly, so I ducked out of the building and flew to the windows. I saw all my stuff was gone and that's when I started to panic. I didn't know what was going on. I still don't know, but at least I found you. There were some scary hours when I couldn't find your heartbeat." She sniffled.
"It's okay, Kara." Alex grabbed Kara's hand and cradled it in both of hers. She rubbed the top of Kara's hand. It was awesome to touch her. Kara was here. Kara wanted to be back with her, on Earth. "It's okay." She said it again for both of them.
"It's not!" Kara wailed, mouth open wide with agony. "I was so scared that something happened to you! And then I got to your place and it was like mine and for a really scary moment I thought you were dead." Tears slid down Kara's face.
"Oh, Kara." All Alex could do was hug Kara. There had been times throughout the year that Alex feared Kara was dead and she would never be able to embrace her again. Even more times when she thought she lost Kara, but that would never compare to Kara's despair. When Kara lost people, that was a planet blowing up all over again. "I'm okay. Not dead. I'm okay."
Kara hugged her back to the point of pain. "I couldn't find you! I couldn't find you!" She sobbed, big, fat tears.
"It's okay. I'm here. I'm here." Alex squeezed her back. Once more, Alex's heart was in conflict. It broke and healed at the same time. This was so much.
"How did you find her, then?" Lena asked.
Kara sniffled and wiped her face with her forearm. "Eventually, I calmed down and did the breathing exercises the Danvers taught me when I first got here. Then, I could hear Alex's heartbeat and I flew here. I'm happy you're both together because I was definitely coming to see you next, Lena. But…" She blew out a breath, puffing out red cheeks, as she fell back into her seat, almost taking Alex down with her. She buried her face in her hands and scrubbed her face. "A year?"
"A year." Alex sat down next to her and Lena settled in next to Alex once more.
Kara shook her head. "I don't understand. The last time I went to Argo City time passed the same as it does on Earth."
Lena pressed herself against Alex's back and chimed in. "I had considered that might have been one of the reasons you were gone so long." It was a theory she had used to comfort Alex on many nights. Sometimes, Alex believed it and sometimes she spiraled further, but apparently, it was true. "From what Alex told me about Argo City, time would be hard to keep track if it's still fitting into a gravitational orbit around whatever it is orbiting. Time is going to be warped." It made sense.
Kara nodded with another sniff as there were more tears. "I didn't realize. I thought it was a month."
Alex gave her a trembling smile, holding back tears herself. "It's all right. You're here now and we're together. You're here now." She patted Kara's thigh. "I'm glad you're back." A tear escaped her eye and she quickly wiped it away. Keep it together. Everything's okay now. Kara's back.
Kara gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "You haven't heard from me for a year!" Her eyes went with terror.
Alex smiled even more. "I'm just happy you're back." And that was true. She had tried to be happy for Kara, thinking she was happy in Argo City and that was why she had not come back or reached out. That was better than considering the alternative. Both hurt, but neither was true. Kara was back and had not purposely abandoned her, abandoned them.
Kara wiped her eyes again and sniffed. "I'm happy I'm back, too, but a whole year?" She shook her head. "I can't…" Her cheeks puffed out as she blew out a breath, no superpowers included. "I just…" She fanned herself.
"Do you want something to eat?" Lena asked, which was probably a good idea. Food would probably help settle Kara. It would give them all time to adjust to this huge shift.
Kara nodded. "Um… can I take a shower, too?"
"Of course. We actually stored your clothes in the spare room. Alex can show you while I make some calls."
Kara nodded again and Alex climbed to her feet, holding a hand out for Kara. Kara looked at her hand for a long moment, like she was scared it would fade away, and eventually took it. Alex smiled and then Kara yanked her into a hug. She accepted and returned the embrace. It felt so good they both sighed at the same time.
"I missed you, Stitch," Alex said, closing her eyes, just enjoying the feel of her sister being back.
Kara chuckled. "I missed you enough to forgive you for calling me that."
Alex smiled once more and she was about to show Kara to the room when Kara stepped away. She went over to Lena and yanked her into a hug. Lena yelped in surprise, but hugged Kara back and just like that, Alex's happiness wilted a little.
Kara was back and had Lena in her arms. Lena was taking care of Kara already. They looked right, like a poster couple. Alex's chest burned. Yeah, things have to go back to normal now, fall back into place. I'm out of place.
"Okay, let me go, so you can get cleaned up," Lena said.
Kara grinned. "I'm just so happy to see you!" She released Lena, though.
Lena's eyes sparkled as she smiled at Kara. "I'm happy to see you as well. Now, go with Alex and get cleaned up."
Kara nodded like a happy puppy and took Alex's hand, grinning at Alex for no reason. It was impossible to feel the pain she knew was coming with Kara looking at her like that. Alex led her through to the stairs, taking them to the top floor of the penthouse where the bedrooms were. They had prepared just for this day, a room just for Kara. For a long time, Alex feared it would sit empty and become a quiet exhibit to the time she once had a sister. Kara's breath hitched as soon as they stepped into the room.
"It's my bedroom and my stuff," Kara said as she moved about the room. They had put much of her apartment in the room. It fit, as the room was huge, like everything else in the penthouse.
Alex shrugged. "We weren't sure if you were ever coming back and I couldn't afford to keep paying both of our rents. Lena offered to keep paying yours, but when months passed and we thought you weren't coming back, it seemed like a waste of money."
Kara's brow wrinkled. "But, this is okay. So much space." She touched her bed, ran her hand over her dresser's side, and went to the walk-in closet, but did not open the double doors. It was like it was too much to take in, even for Kara.
Alex motioned around the room. "Lena said she had the space and she was happy to do something. So, this room has its own bathroom right through there." She pointed to the door on the right. "All of your clothes are in your drawers and in the walk-in closet. We vacuum sealed everything, so your clothes should be all right."
Kara nodded. "She's a good friend."
"Yeah, friend." Alex put her hands on her hips and blew out a long breath. "We have a lot to talk about when you get settled in."
"Okay." Kara stepped away. Alex left the room, giving her privacy.
As soon as Alex was in the hallway, the gravity of the situation weighed completely on her and she could not hold it in, could not hold it together, could not hold herself up. She fell against the wall and put her hand over her mouth as a sob escaped her. Her sister was back! Kara had not abandoned her for Krypton. Kara was back!
And then her mind flashed to Kara hugging Lena and it was like a punch in the ribs. Kara was back. She was in Lena's life again and Lena welcomed it as much as Alex welcomed Kara into her life. Before her mind or emotions could piece together exactly what that meant, Lena was by her side, holding her close, brushing her short hair back into place.
"It's okay, dearest. It's okay," Lena said, her voice a quiet coo.
Alex wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Lena helped her downstairs and back to the sofa. They sat down. Lena held her close as Alex cried. She had only sobbed like this when her father "died" the first time. And, even that was different.
When her father "died," everything was raw and pure anguish. She had truly believed she lost her father and somehow it was her fault. Yes, this was raw and there was some anguish, but it was mostly relief. Kara was alive and well. Kara loved her enough to come back. It was so much. It was too much.
"Is Alex okay?" Kara's voice broke through her wailing.
Lena rubbed Alex's back. "She's just happy you're back. She's spent a lot of the last year worried over you."
And worried about why she was not enough, worried how she could have been a better sister, and worried over what she could have done to put humans over Kryptonians, Earth over Argo. What could she have done to keep Kara in her life? Beyond that, she worried over Kara being dead. Why could she not protect Kara better? If only she was more than a weak human. But, apparently, it was all for naught.
Kara joined in the hug. "I'm so sorry, Alex. I didn't know."
Alex twisted enough to see Kara and touch her cheek. "I know. It's okay. It's okay." Her voice trembled as she tried to regain control over her emotions. It was okay. Kara was back. It was okay.
Lena pulled Alex closer, knowing what Alex was doing. "Alex, don't just wave this off. You're hurt. You have to deal with it."
Alex sniffled. Yes, she had learned that much during the past year. "Well, yes, I'm hurt, but I'm relieved." She stared at Kara. "Shit, Kara, I thought you died. I thought you hated me or at least didn't love me enough to come back. I've been angry, scared, and lonely."
Kara hugged her again while Lena held her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put you through all of this. I didn't mean to be gone a year. I was always going to come back to you. I was always going to come back." She rested her cheek in Alex's hair.
Alex hiccuped at that news. She was enough to come back for. She was enough for a near-god to return to her primitive adopted home. A hollow space inside of her filled with the reaffirmation of her sister's love.
"I never meant to hurt you, Alex. I love you so much. You know that," Kara said. "For a long time, you were my only reason to live. I never meant to hurt you." She kissed the top of Alex's head.
"I know." Alex managed to take a breath.
"Why didn't you get in touch?" Lena asked.
Kara sucked her teeth. "I tried the first week, but there was always interference. For all our collective Kryptonian genius, I was thwarted because we couldn't get a signal." She snorted.
"It's not as easy as we'd like to believe," Lena said and then the doorbell sounded. "The food's arriving."
"Already?" Alex asked. Yeah, people made haste with Lena, but that could not be humanly possible. Lena just ordered. No, no. Because Kara's out of the shower and dressed. You lost track of time crying.
"Yes, darling, already. I'm going to leave you two to have a little Danvers midnight snack," Lena said.
"You don't have to leave," Alex replied. She knew Lena wanted to give her time with Kara, but Kara would want Lena around, too.
"Yeah, it's your house!" Kara said with a chirp at the end. Alex finally took the time to look at Kara, also dressed in pajamas. Her favorite grey sweatpants and a pink t-shirt, like it had only been a month for her. It was insane and Alex was not sure she wanted to think too much on it, even though it was such a comfort.
Lena climbed to her feet. "You two need to get your footing back before anything else. It's fine. I have work as always to keep me busy." The way she looked away did not suggest it was fine. This had to be a lot for her as well. Alex wanted to wrap her in the warm hug and never let go until her world was right, but sometimes, Lena needed alone time to gather her thoughts. She would give Lena that time.
"I hope you don't work too much still," Kara said.
Lena gave her a smile and then turned to Alex. "Save me some. You'll know what." She kissed the top of Alex's head and then walked off.
Kara watched Lena walk away and Alex could feel parts of her shatter and dissolve into a new abyss within her. Kara would want her life back, including her best friend. Before that got a chance to fester, Alex got up to get the food. At the door, she could see who was down at the front desk. She told the front desk to let him up. A guard would meet him on the lower floor and bring everything up to the private penthouse. Alex let them in, so they could put everything down.
"You guys having a late party?" Rich, one of Lena's bodyguards, asked with his hands full of pizza, which had boxes on top of it.
"Nah. Lena's just going overboard as usual," Alex replied as she took charge of the food.
He chuckled. "And you're just going to keep lying that you're not a kept woman?"
"I can still kick your ass, so not very kept." She had this back and forth with all of the guards, as they knew she worked for the government, which felt like a lifetime ago. Most assumed the FBI. They also thought she had some kind of military training after sparring with her early on. It was a good distraction, but Lena did not like her doing it. Apparently, it was bad for morale.
The pizza and other food was put down on the dining room, but Rich was back soon after with Chinese food. He arched an eyebrow at Alex, who shrugged. There was no real way to explain all of the food, but she did not have to explain herself to him.
"Who's the cute blond on the couch?" he asked.
"My sister." Her glare told him to choose his words carefully.
"Oh. cool. Uh… you should tell us when you have other people in here."
"Yeah, I should, but I got this. Have a good night, Rich."
He nodded and wisely made a swift getaway. Alex liked the guards there for Lena, but the lack of privacy was irksome. She would probably never get used to it and they would have to figure something out with Kara around now. Eventually, someone would figure out they rarely saw Kara get into the apartment, as she would more than likely keep up her habit of flying into familiar places.
"Come on, ET. All of this is for you. Except the crispy veggie spring rolls. Those are Lena's." Alex went to the dining room table to put the spring rolls to the side. Those were a comfort food for Lena.
Kara came to the table. "Since when does Lena eat spring rolls?" She popped open the pizza box and sighed at the sight of the meat lover's pizza. She leaned over the pizza and inhaled deeply while wafting the steam to her.
"She only likes them from this place. I bought them once by accident, but turned out to be a stroke of genius," Alex replied.
Kara picked up a slice and shoved almost half of it in her mouth. "So, what's up between you and Lena?"
"Huh?" Alex did not think they would dive head first into tough topics like that.
Kara chewed the large bit of pizza in her mouth. "You and Lena. You obviously live here and you guys were cuddling."
Alex took a deep breath. Just tell her. "We're dating." How long that would remain the case, she did not know. Please, don't hate me… or steal Lena from me.
Blue eyes went wide and a squeal escaped Kara, which turned into a cough. Apparently, she forgot she was eating pizza. She managed to swallow the giant lump of chewed pizza in her mouth. She let out a breath. "What? How did this happen? When? How long have you been together? I didn't know Lena was a lesbian."
Yeah, we're both oblivious like that. She sighed. "She's actually pan."
Kara nodded. "That makes sense. She always goes with how people are on the inside." She smiled, beaming. "I'm glad she sees the greatness in you. You're amazing."
Alex scoffed. "That's why you were going to stay away for a month?"
Kara waved that off. "I told you I'd be gone for, like, a month. I said that." She shoved the remainder of her pizza in her mouth.
That was true. Kara told her she wanted to get a feel for Argo City and re-familiarize herself with Kryptonian culture. No small order. That was one of the reasons Alex accepted her being gone for a year.
"So, how long have you been together?" Kara asked as she grabbed a new slice of pizza.
"Almost seven months. I only just moved in after my lease was up."
Kara nodded. "How did that happen?" She focused on Alex so much, she seemed to forget she had pizza in her hand.
Alex shrugged. "We just sorta orbited each other. I kept an eye on her while you were gone. It wasn't hard. I quit the DEO and she hired me."
Kara's eyes went wide once again. If she was not careful, she might lose them before the night was over. "You quit? But, you love it there!"
Alex shook her head. "It was such a mess over there. J'onn left and the president had the army babysitting us. I wasn't able to move how I wanted to move. It's fine. Lena hired me." It was a good thing, too. She had been in a very dark place. No sister, no job, no purpose.
"Okay. You probably kicked ass in her lab."
Alex winced. "She didn't hire me as a scientist. I was a bodyguard. She knew my résumé and we already had lunch together every day, so me being around wasn't awkward or weird. We actually spent more time together after she hired me."
"Aw, you're the Bodyguard!" Kara clutched her hands together, ready to gush and coo.
Alex pointed at her. "Do not start singing Whitney Houston."
Kara held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. You guys had lunch everyday?"
"Like I said, I kept an eye on her while you were gone." Lena was important to Kara and that made Lena important to Alex when Kara left. It was good for them both. She had not known at the time, but Lena was also keeping an eye on her for the same reason.
Kara took another bite of her pizza. "So, how did you start dating?"
"We had to science our way out of a life and death situation. It made us realize how well we work together and we had a lot in common. She kissed me and stuff happened."
Kara wiggled her eyebrows. "Stuff?"
Alex's face got hot and she shook her head. "Never mind that." That had been a mess. Lena had gotten to see what a mess Alex was when no one was around. Alex was a living, breathing mess and Lena accepted that. She had never felt quite so seen and appreciated, even with Maggie.
"You guys are cute, I bet."
Alex was not sure about that. Sometimes, people around them thought they were weird. They broke into science conversations at the drop of a hat. They made science out of things people swore had nothing to do with science. Alex took Lena on dates that made people cringe, like to a gun range or off-roading, but those people just did not know Lena. Of course, sometimes, even their friends were mortified by their dates, but they had fun together.
"So, you're okay with me and Lena?" Alex's stomach twisted and her heart sped up. What would she do if Kara had feelings for Lena? It always seemed that way before, but like she had not realized she had feelings… sort of like Alex with Lena.
Kara finished off her slice and she smiled. "It's okay. I'm glad you're both happy and taking care of each other. That's good."
Was it? Kara was back now, right? She would want her lunches with Lena, her time with Lena. How would Alex fit in as Kara repaired and rebuilt her relationship with Lena? Time would tell.
"So, are you here for a visit? Just letting us know you're alive?" Alex asked and Kara deflated right before her eyes. Alex's body tensed and she was ready for war, like when Kara was bullied in school. "Kara, what happened? Did someone do something? I will go to Argo City right now and kick their ass."
Kara smiled, but it was sorrowful. "And you would, wouldn't you?"
"Of course, I will. No matter what or where you're still my sister. Nobody picks on my sister." That would always be true.
Kara perked up. "And that's one of the reasons I'm back. I missed my sister."
Alex could not help throwing her shoulders back. "I missed you, too. So, what else happened?"
Kara sighed. "It was like being on Earth for the first time. I was weird, but this time everyone knew I was an alien. I've spent all my time here on Earth trying to keep up with my heritage only to find out I'm not Kryptonian enough anymore."
Alex frowned. "Who the hell said that?" She would punch every single Kryptonian in the mouth for such dirty lies.
"Pretty much everyone in Argo City. They whispered all the time. It was like everything I did was wrong, even if I did it exactly the way I remembered it. Some things, I fumbled and did them the way we'd do it here. A few people even asked me to do 'weird Earth things.' Like, what the hell does that even mean?" The swear expressed her fury more than anything else.
"That's awful. But, I'm not surprised they don't want to take responsibility or respect what you've gone through." Kryptonians like to pretend to be superior, but they sucked as much as any other life form. Who made fun of a survivor, a person who thought she was the last of her kind, because she screwed up cultural norms she had not put into practice for over thirty years? Assholes.
Kara twisted her mouth up and she sniffled. "Well, I was surprised."
Kara dropped her pizza as tears poured down her cheeks. Oh, god. Krypton rejected the Last Daughter of Krypton. What major assholes! Alex rushed Kara and hugged her like there was no tomorrow. Kara wailed so loudly Lena came back out to check on them. Alex waved her into the hug. Kara needed all the love she could get, needed to know she belonged somewhere. They sandwiched her and held her tight as she sobbed like the world ended.
"We're here for you. It's okay. We're here for you," Alex said.
"I don't fit in anywhere!" Kara bawled.
"Untrue," Lena replied.
"You fit in right here," Alex said. "You fit in right here." She kissed Kara's cheek.
They held Kara until she cried it all out. Kara took a deep breath and stepped out of their grip. They were silent for a long moment before Kara felt safe enough to go back to her pizza. Alex handed Lena her spring rolls. Lena sat down and ate her snack. Alex was not sure what to do with herself. Despite it all, this still seemed like so much, especially to know Kara had been rejected by her people. It sucked. It sucked so much.
"Maybe we should all go to bed. We can process and then regroup in the morning," Alex said. She really needed to process all of this. It was just surreal right now.
"That might be best," Lena replied.
"I can sleep in the room with all of my stuff?" Kara asked.
"Yes," Alex replied.
"That's your room, Kara. That's why all your stuff is there. Make yourself at home," Lena said.
Kara nodded. "And I can take all the food?"
Alex laughed. "Of course! Gorge yourself like it's been a year since you've had a pot sticker."
Kara gasped and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Technically, it has been a month! The horror."
They chuckled and broke. Alex and Lena retreated to their bedroom. They went through their nighttime rituals in silence and met up at the bed. Lena stared at Alex.
"Anything we should talk about?" Lena asked.
Beyond the fact that you're going to leave me for my sister? No. That conversation would have to wait for later. She could only handle so much for one night.
"This was enough for me. You want to talk? Your best friend just popped up again after a year," Alex said as they settled on their sides of the bed. Lena wrapped herself around Alex as usual. Her weight on Alex was a comfort. Someone was there. Lena clung to her for the same reason. Someone was there. Someone had not left her, forgotten her, discarded her. Alex would never leave, unless that was Lena's wish.
"I'm just happy she's back. I'm happy she didn't just leave us or forget about us." Lena blew out a long breath and her body relaxed. "For a long while, I was pissed at her on your behalf."
Alex twisted to look at Lena. "On my behalf? Why? You had just as much right to be pissed at her for yourself."
"She's your sister and I know you'd do anything for her. How dare she abandon you? But, she didn't and I'm glad." Lena smiled.
"Me, too," Alex replied honestly because she and Lena were honest with each other. It had been one of the best ways to help them both heal, but it also helped with Alex doing her job as a bodyguard.
Lena kissed her chin. "That is enough for tonight, though. Let's just be happy she's back."
"Yeah." Alex kissed the top of Lena's head. She would let go of her worries for now and just enjoy the fact that her sister was back. Kara was alive. A little worse for wear, but alive, so everything else could be pieced together.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Kara tries to get her life back while Alex wrestles with her emotions and Lena tries to hold Alex together.