Kara reached for the phone but Eliza swung it out of reach. With a confused look, the blonde held her hand out, the cold fury reawakening itself at the thought of Lillian trying to reach her daughter and using Kara to do it.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Kara hissed, trying to grab the phone again.

Eliza shot her a look. "It's muted. I don't think you should talk to her, honey."

"I should definitely talk to her. I have words for Lillian Luthor and I intend to say them."

"That's exactly why I don't think you should talk to her," Eliza said pointedly.

"If you think I'm going to sit back and let her treat Lena like that, then you—"

"Enough."

It was a single word, quietly spoken in Lena's low voice. As if in a dream, Lena saw herself take the phone out of Eliza's hand and stare at the caller ID.

Unknown number.

Wordlessly, she hung up the phone. Kara made a small sputtering sound and she was aware that Eliza was saying something, but she straightened her spine and gave the phone back.

"No one is talking to her. I don't want anything to happen to my mother," Lena said in a firm voice, "And I'm not going to repeat myself. I'm tired of courtrooms and lawyers and a scandal like this will only bring on more stress."

"Lena, I really think—"

"Please, Kara." Lena kept her eyes on Eliza. If she had turned, she would have seen Kara on the verge of tears, her blue eyes wide and pleading. She could live with hating herself more than she could live with denying Kara, when she clearly had Lena's best interests at heart.

Something passed between Eliza and Lena, and then Eliza was putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder and giving her a small smile. "Honey, could you go down and start the next batch of muffins?" It was a clear dismissal.

"But..." Kara fell silent at the look on her mom's face. Glancing between her and Lena, she took a deep breath and shook her head angrily. "Fine. I'll be downstairs."

When Kara's footsteps faded away, Eliza closed the bedroom door. "I'm sorry," she said after a time. "Kara's always been a bit headstrong."

The corner of Lena's mouth twitched up in a smile. "It's one of the things I love about her."

"Sometimes it can be annoying," Eliza said lightly, waiting for Lena to speak her mind.

"Yes," Lena said uncertainly. "I just wish she'd drop this thing with my mother. I'm..." She sat on the bed, putting her head in her hands. "I'm just tired," she admitted. "I know, logically, that what my mother did was...wrong. But that's how I was raised. I knew I was breaking the rules, so it's not like it was something unexpected." She shifted on Kara's mattress, smiling sadly at the penguin sheets.

"Being true to who you are is not breaking any rules." Eliza took a seat next to Lena and her voice was gentle. "I think you should know, I have half a mind to call someone myself. I don't think it's right, what your mother's been doing to you for years. But I'm not going to," she said hastily as Lena turned a frightened look on her. "I won't, I promise. I think that's a decision you need to make yourself."

"Thank you," Lena said genuinely. Her mind strayed to her mother, all alone in the Luthor mansion, and she bit her lip.

Mistaking it for a sign of pain, Eliza's eyes widened. "Would you mind if I took a look at your back? From what Kara said, I think I could help you."

"No I—." At the earnest expression on Eliza's face, Lena found herself slowly, reluctantly opening up. "Maybe," she gave in. "It stings," she admitted, staring down at her feet in shame.

"I have something for that," the older woman said easily. "Give me a moment." She patted Lena's knee and kissed her forehead, disappearing out of the room. When she returned a few minutes later she had a small bag in her hands.

Lena shied away from her and Eliza held her hands out, setting the bag down on the bed. "It's okay. We can go at your pace," she said quietly. Clearly, she knew what she was doing, and Lena took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn't so bad, being taken care of. Not that she would know.

She turned away and her fingers grasped the hem of her shirt. She tugged it over her head slowly, remembering the night Kara had burst into her dorm room, ripping her shirt of in front of Lena's disbelieving eyes. Since then, she'd seen a lot more of Kara without a shirt on, and now she knew better than to think it was coincidence.

Her arms crossed over her chest self-consciously and Eliza sat down on the bed behind her. "I'm sure Kara has a bra you can borrow when we're done," the older woman said, inspecting the three, long red marks on Lena's back.

Despite herself, Lena laughed quietly. "I don't think any bra of Kara's is going to fit me."

"You're probably right," Eliza chuckled. Lena heard the snap of rubber gloves and her shoulders jumped up, but she forced them down, inhaling deeply.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I just...I'm not used to people seeing..."

"That's alright," Eliza soothed.

"And Kara has a target on her back now, since she's the one who stopped my mother from...I just can't believe she was there," Lena rambled, trying not to flinch as Eliza wiped her back with an alcohol swab. Lillian's whipping hadn't made her bleed—this time—but the skin had broken and it stung.

"Don't worry about Kara, she can handle herself." Even as she said it, Eliza worried about her daughter. Kara always tended to rush into situations, thinking with her heart and not her head. She had broken up with Mike after two years of dating, and while Eliza was glad her daughter was with someone that made her happy, it seemed like there was a better way to go about it.

They both fell silent while she smeared some antibiotic ointment down the length of the marks. Behind Lena's back, Eliza felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight of old scars and she tried to be as gentle as possible. Not only had Lena been abused for god knew how long, it had been her mother who wielded the weapons, and it made her heart hurt.

"Okay, you're all cleaned up." Her voice shook slightly and she smiled to cover it up when Lena glanced back at her. "I'm going to put a numbing cream on, then cover it up with gauze, alright?"

Lena nodded gratefully, gasping when the cool gel touched her skin. By the time Eliza taped the bandages in place, her back was pleasantly warm and numb, and she barely felt Kara's t-shirt as she slipped it over her head. The sheer exhaustion, emotional and physical, of the last 24 hours, was catching up to her.

Eliza seemed to sense it, pulling back Kara's sheets. "I can tell Kara to stay downstairs, if you like." She seemed to take it for granted that Lena was staying, and the girl hesitated.

"I should be getting home soon, there's a dinner I said I'd go to tonight." Her voice was meek, the words forced out of her.

Her expression had been gentle the entire time she was taking care of Lena, but now Eliza's lips pursed into a thin line and her eyes hardened. "I can't let you do that," she said, almost apologetically.

"But I—"

"I'm sorry, Lena." She shook her head. "I understand you're in a difficult situation and you feel you have to go back. But I can't in good conscience let you go home if you're going to be in danger."

"I'm not—" Lena swallowed, the words sticking in her throat. "I'm not in danger."

"I think the best course of action is to let your mother cool off, call her in a few hours or maybe tomorrow—"

Lena's eyes were wide with fear, the whites of her eyes showing. "No!" She lowered her voice at the look of alarm Eliza shot her, certain that Kara's steps on the stairs would be quick to follow. "No. You don't understand, my mother doesn't cool off, it's not an option that I'm not there for the dinner—"

"I'm sure she'll understand," Eliza soothed, packing up her bag.

"No," Lena said again, vehemently, her voice rising. "She won't. You don't know her, I have to be there or she'll—"

"I'm sorry," Eliza said firmly. "I've done my best. If you like, I'll drive you over myself, tomorrow. But right now you need to rest. Doctor's orders."

Lena was panicking, anxiety coiling like a snake and settling in her stomach. "I can't, I have to get there. Where are my things, where's my bag?" She looked around frantically for her purse, not even sure she had enough money to pay a cab to take her all the way to New York. "I need to get back, I—"

Her voice died in her throat. Kara had opened the door to see what the commotion was, and the concern in her eyes pulled at Lena's heart even as her breathing picked up, stress flowing through her and tightening her muscles.

"What's wrong? What did you say to her?" Kara rushed over, carefully placing a steaming mug on the nightstand and kneeling by Lena, all blue-eyed and concerned, and Lena appealed to her better nature.

"I need you to help me," she begged, not looking at Eliza.

"Of course," Kara said readily, her hands resting on Lena's legs. They were warm and comforting, and quelled the nervous energy that was emanating through her body somehow, like Kara was sucking the anxiety out of her chest and taking it on as her own simply by touching her.

Now came the hard part. "I need you to take me home."

She expected Kara to jerk away, to be offended that Lena wasn't going to take her up on her offer of staying the night—or nights—but Kara didn't do either of those things. Instead, she turned to look at Eliza and something passed between the two of them that Lena couldn't understand. Lena, with all her training of how to manipulate and read peoples' expressions, couldn't decipher the look in Kara's eyes.

"I'll take you," Kara said in a low voice, turning away from her mother.

"Oh, thank god," Lena huffed, her shoulders sinking down.

"Kara," Eliza warned. "I don't think—"

"I'll take you, but you have to do something for me." Kara's eyes sparkled and Lena raised an eyebrow, agreeing hesitantly.

"Anything."

Kara broke into a grin. "Drink this cup of tea and finish my muffin."

Lena sighed in relief, reaching for the mug. She gulped it down, practically burning her tongue in the process, and almost swallowed the half-muffin whole. "Now can we go?" she asked, chewing.

Kara rolled her eyes. "We're not gonna be late. Don't choke, and lie down for a second."

"No, we gotta go—"

"Mom, can you give us a second?"

Eliza narrowed her eyes at her daughter but left the room without protest, shooting Lena one last concerned glance. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The wink that Kara gave her was enough to make her wonder.

"Now." Kara turned back to her friend. "Lie down. We're taking a nap, because I'm tired and I need sleep if I'm going to drive you back tonight."

"Are you absolutely sure you can get us back in time?"

Kara nodded resolutely, sliding under her blankets behind Lena and patting the empty mattress. "Come cuddle."

"Set an alarm on your phone," Lena demanded, still not convinced.

Rolling her eyes, Kara handed her the phone. "You set it. Then come take a nap, or I'll drug you." She faced the wall, stripping down to a tee shirt and her underwear. It was an unspoken thing between them, after however few nights they'd spent together.

Lena set the alarm a half hour earlier than necessary and matched her wardrobe to Kara's, finally lying down. "I shouldn't have hung up on her," she mused.

"Shh." Kara was already half asleep and she pulled Lena closer, her arms wrapping around the brunette's torso. Her breath hit the back of Lena's neck and she shivered. "Are you cold?"

"I'm always cold," Lena said halfheartedly. She almost laughed when, a second later, Kara's tee shirt flew from behind her to land on Alex's bed and the other girl pressed her bare torso to Lena's back, the heat of it immediately warming her as effectively as a electric blanket. "Jesus, Kara, your mother is here," she hissed, but she enjoyed the warmth.

"Hm." The noncommittal grunt she got in response told her that Kara didn't care, and a few minutes later Lena felt her own eyes slipping shut. The heat coming off of Kara's skin, the familiar scent of vanilla and shampoo, the quiet snores; it was putting her to sleep and she breathed in deep before succumbing to the darkness.

When she jerked awake, she knew without a doubt that she had slept through the alarm.

She also knew that Kara was no longer sleeping behind her. Just to check, she reached an arm back, but wasn't surprised when it met nothing but air.

Shit.

Scrambling out of bed and into the first pair of sweatpants she saw, she almost ran into the door on her way downstairs.

"What time is it?" She was out of breath by the time she reached the kitchen.

Kara turned, one of the last muffins in her hand. "Almost eight," she said nonchalantly. "That Benadryl really knocked you out, huh."

"Eight?! I—Wait, what?" Lena stared at her in disbelief. "You actually did drug me?"

Kara shrugged. "I made you some pasta," she said, pointing at a pot on the stove top.

"Kara, what—" Searching desperately for a clock, her heart skipped a beat.

7:50

"I also have sauce." The blonde held up a bottle of Ragu casually, as though Lena wasn't freaking out a few feet away.

"Kara! I told you, I told you! I have to be at a dinner right now! Your mother didn't want me to go, but I thought you would at least—"

"At least what, Lee?" Kara stood up, setting the bottle of tomato sauce down with an angry thud. "Did you seriously think I would take you back there? You don't know me very well if you did."

"I hoped you would," Lena whispered, frozen in place. Should she try to rush to the city, buy a dress on the way there? There was no way she could miss this dinner. She couldn't even remember what it was for, all she could think about were the few times in her life when she hadn't shown up when expected, and what her mother had done afterwards.

"Lena, sit down," Kara said, exasperated. "Have some dinner. Accept the fact that you are never going to make it on time."

"No, I can't, I—maybe if I—"

"What? Walk? Run? Fly?" Kara snorted. "Did that Benadryl make you hallucinate, too?"

For a long second, Lena met her friend's gaze, her heart thudding painfully in her chest.

"You let me down," she said in a hoarse voice, sounding surprised to hear the words apply to Kara. "You let me down," she repeated emptily. "You're just like everyone else."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

That was stupid, she thought as she reached the foot of the stairs. She didn't really have anywhere else to go, and even as it was settling it she knew she wasn't going to make it to the dinner. Her imagination was running wild, inventing new and colorful punishments that Lillian would have waiting for her when she returned to the Luthor mansion.

Slowly making her way upstairs, her legs felt ten times heavier and the sheer helplessness of the situation brought tears to her eyes.

How did I get myself into this?

Footsteps coming up the stairs behind her made her heart clench and she slowed, waiting for Kara to get within earshot.

"Leave me alone, Kara," she said quietly.

Kara ignored her. "I'm really sorry. But there was nothing you could've done, Lee," she said softly.

"Yes, there was! I could've stayed at home, I could've not gone on some wild runaway with you." Letting out a sharp breath, she shook her head. "Just leave me alone."

Kara reached out and took her hand, pulling her up the last step. "I know that's your way of asking me to stay," she said confidently, "so I'm gonna stay. Eliza's gone in your place and you'll just have to deal with it." She kissed Lena's forehead but the brunette was too shocked to respond.

"What?"

"Yeah. My mom went over to talk to your mom." Kara pushed her door open with a foot and Lena let her pull her back down onto the bed, too exhausted to fight it. They sat with their backs to the wall, Lena's head against her shoulder.

"Imagine that." Letting out a bleak laugh, Lena shuffled around as Kara pulled her duvet around them. Always careful, Kara maneuvered it so her friend didn't have to move.

"I know you're afraid," Kara said earnestly, fumbling for the right words. "I know that your mom doesn't seem to care about you and that you don't know what to do right now, but I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"My mother does care," Lena whispered in the dark, "but the only emotion she's capable of expressing is anger. She wants me to do better? She yells. She feels bad for me? We fight. She wanted me to have a...normal life..."

"And she hits you," Kara finished for her, the words standing out against the inky darkness of her room.

"I just don't want to end up like her."

"You won't," Kara insisted, kissing her lightly. "You are nothing like your mother. Everything is going to be okay. You'll see."

The kiss deepened and Lena, her heart in turmoil, let herself get carried away. Soon enough they were panting and Kara was straddling her, blonde hair falling into Lena's face.

"Kara," Lena breathed, wide-eyed, the pressure of Kara's body against hers feeling more intimate than when they'd just slept next to each other. It was intoxicating and overwhelming and she tried to slow down time, savor the moment. "Is this a good idea? You just—Mike, I mean—"

"I've wanted this for months, Lena," Kara mumbled into her neck. "And after I saw you in the hotel room..." She broke off, looking back at her. "Is this what you want?"

"I don't know," Lena admitted. "I think so, but everything is so confusing and stressful and I—"

"It's okay." Kara silenced her with a kiss and lay down next to her. "It's okay. Take your time."

The blonde fell asleep quickly and Lena listened to her breathing slow for almost an hour before she couldn't stop herself anymore. Something hot and heavy had settled between her legs and, god dammit if Kara was the only one that could tell her what it was.

She leaned over and kissed her, Kara's eyes blinking open in pleased surprise.

"I take it you changed your mind?" she whispered. The delicate up and down of Lena's throat as she swallowed pulled Kara's eyes and she longed to bite the pale skin and that freckle that she had always been obsessed with.

"I did," Lena said hoarsely. Her usually carefully stoic expression—stoic around everyone but Kara—had melted into something like awe as her gaze roamed Kara's abs, her fingers tracing patterns across the other girl's ribs.

Kara's body lifted off the bed in an almost visceral response to the sensation and she let her lips close around the freckle, sucking gently, then not so gently, running her tongue across the skin.

Suddenly nervous, Lena pulled back. Kara was looking at her, starry-eyed, pupils blown out. "I don't...I've never..."

"I'll show you," Kara said in a low voice. Someone had show her. But that was in the past, long ago, and nothing mattered but Lena, in front of her, on top of her, eagerly watching her every move.

"Okay."

Flipping them around, Kara pressed her friend—no, they wouldn't be just friends, not after tonight—into her mattress. It didn't matter that her sheets had penguins on them from her childhood obsession with Happy Feet. It didn't matter that Lena thought she didn't deserve anything, because Kara was determined to show her how wrong she was.

"Are you sure?"

Lena just nodded eagerly, her lips parting and her hands reaching for Kara's shirt.

Eliza knocked on the door the next morning with a glass of water for the girls to share.

"Good news!" she called through the door in a bright voice. "Lillian has agreed to let Lena stay here, and for the summer too! I'm not really sure why, but we can figure it out as we—"

"Jesus, Kara—"

"Mom!"

Kara fell onto the floor with a thud and cursed loudly, grabbing the nearest object and holding it in front of her while one arm crossed her chest. "Turn around!" she said frantically. Something—Lena—wriggled under the blanket on her bed.

Eliza had already whipped around with a startled "Oh!" The glass of water hit the carpet and spilled everywhere.

"I'm so sorry! Do you want me to come back later?"

"No, now's perfect," Kara said in a voice that dripped sarcasm. When Eliza had gone, she nudged Lena's prone figure. "Lee, you can come out now."

"I don't have much of a choice," Lena said, not emerging from the blanket burrito.

"I didn't mean it like that," Kara snorted. "We have to get dressed. My mom's waiting."

A red face peeked out from the edge of the blanket. "If I didn't have absolutely nowhere else to go, I'd say that this was the last place on earth I could stay. I still may take my mother over facing yours right now."

"Ha ha," Kara said dryly. "Relax. She doesn't have to know we slept together."

With a squeak, Lena disappeared back under the blanket.

"They slept together!"

"Oh, gross, mom. Don't tell me that!" Alex complained. "I wish you would stop calling me to update me on Kara's sex life."

"I just can't believe it, Lena Luthor stays here for one night and already your sister got her to—"

"Don't finish that sentence. I have to go to work, can you handle...whatever that is? And are you sure you want her staying at the house?"

"Don't worry about me, honey. Just, you know. Maybe give your sister the talk. I don't really know how these things go. Not with two girls. I'm old fashioned." Eliza grinned as Alex fake-barfed into the phone.

"I'm hanging up now. Bye."

"Hey, mom." Kara tried for a casual tone, plopping down on a bar stool and reaching for a strip of bacon.

"Hi, honey." Eliza couldn't hide the grin on her face. "How was your night?"

Kara shook her head. "Nope. We are not doing this. What happened with Lillian?"

The smile dropped from Eliza's face. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. She doesn't seem to care which way Lena goes, and I talked to her for a long time. She seems very polite, though I know that's just a show." She bit her lip, sipping a mug of coffee.

"So what did she say?"

"She said she would be financially responsible for Lena but that she could stay with us for the break. And the summer, until Lillian found her an appropriate place to stay."

Kara raised an eyebrow, leaning on her elbows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I asked her that too, and she said she was in the process of buying an apartment near the school. She doesn't seem to be short for money but I didn't get the impression she cared either way what happens to Lena."

"Makes sense," Kara reasoned, starting in on a bagel, trying hard not to remember what Lena looked like lying naked on her bed...

"Kara, honey?"

"Mmm?"

"You're drooling a bit."

Wiping at the side of her mouth, Kara nearly shoved the bagel down her throat when Lena appeared in the doorway. She was wearing an over sized jumper like it would protect her from the conversation to come, and wouldn't look up from the ground.

"Hi, Ms. Danvers." She still looked embarrassed, her hands fidgeting in her pockets.

"Call me Eliza."

"Um. Okay." Lena slid into the seat across Kara and Kara flashed her a smile.

"So you're getting an apartment, apparently, courtesy of your mother."

The bagel paused halfway to her mouth. "That can't be good."

"Why not?" Kara's impulsive smile grew wider and she leaned forward, poking Lena's arm with a playful finger.

"Nothing ever comes from my mother without strings attached."

"I think it's good to be careful," Eliza agreed. "But honestly? She seems to just...want you out of her life." Her tone was sad, as was her smile as she rubbed Lena's shoulder. "You're welcome here for as long as you need to stay. I'm sure Kara would love the company." She shot her daughter a knowing look and winked.

Kara choked on her bagel and bent over the counter, coughing, as Lena flushed and pulled away from Eliza's hand.

"I forgot something upstairs," Lena muttered, flitting away like a fairy and disappearing into Kara's room again.

"I—uh, I don't—if you—that's the door!" Kara shot out of her chair, dropping the remainder of the bagel. Eager to never return to that conversation, she wrenched the door open without looking through the window.

Her eyes went wide. "Mike?"

"Hey, baby." He gave her a smile and had his arms wrapped around her before she could react. "You never called."

"I—what are you doing here?" She cleared her throat, completely stunned by his sudden appearance.

He stepped back, frowning. "Your mom said you were home."

"Yeah. I am." Her answer was short, succinct, and she blinked at him like he would go away if she blinked hard enough.

"Who is it?" Eliza called from the kitchen.

"Hi, Ms. Danvers!" Mike pushed his way in before Kara could answer and headed for the kitchen.

"Oh, Michael. How—how are you?" If he heard the catch in her voice as she met Lena's eyes, he didn't indicate it, barreling his way forwards.

Kara stepped directly in his path, putting a hand on his chest. "Mike, wait. What are you doing here?"

"I came to make up after our fight." Thankfully, Eliza made her way out to join them and he paused in the living room. "You never called."

"My fault," Eliza covered up smoothly, taking up enough of Mike's attention that Kara could shoot a glance into the kitchen. Lena was staring back at her nervously, looking like a deer in headlights—unsure of whether to make herself known or run. "I kept her up late talking and she didn't have time to call."

"No worries," Mike said cheerfully. He put an arm around Kara's shoulders and Eliza raised her eyebrows. "Ready to go?"

"Go? Go where?" Kara shrugged his arm off and stood by her mother, her

At that, his brow furrowed. "That camping trip. We've been planning it for weeks; you, me, Thomas, Sophie. Bonfires, canoes, fishing?"

"I never agreed to go on that camping trip," Kara said with a hint of frustration, shaking her head. "I don't like bonfires."

His act disappeared like fog on a windy day. "Oh, right. Because of the whole car crash thing. You really should face your fears, Kara." He rolled his eyes at Eliza as if to say, 'this silly little phobia'.

Just as quickly, Eliza's expression hardened. "I'm not sure what you've heard, but I think you should trust Kara if she says she doesn't like something. Perhaps you should come back another time."

"I was just kidding," he said quickly, leaning forward to kiss her. She put a hand on his chest and he paused instinctively, his eyes opening. "What's wrong?" His lips were open in surprise, still half-puckered, and she bit her lip.

"I meant it, Mike. We're done." She squared her shoulders, waiting for his reaction.

It was more violent than she expected, made worse with Lena's appearance at the top of the stairs in Kara's jumper.

"Kara?" Her voice was soft, curious, and Kara looked up at her with adoration that even someone as dense as Mike couldn't miss.

He slammed a hand into the wall and Kara winced.

"Michael!" Eliza admonished, shaking a finger at him. "You're old enough to know that's not how you act," she said harshly.

The sound was enough to draw Lena partway down the stairs and when she saw Mike standing angrily in front of the two Danvers, she flashed down to the last step and stood there, at a loss for words.

Mike just stared at her, at the sleeves that were too long for her, the way the cloth pulled at the front because it was bought for someone with a smaller chest, the way it said "Midvale Prep Soccer".

He started to take a menacing step towards Lena and she flinched back, her arms crossing protectively over her chest, and that same surge of protectiveness came over Kara.

"Hey. You should leave," she said in a surprisingly calm tone. The unspoken was that they would talk later, she would call. "Now isn't a good time."

He was shaking his head, looking disbelieving between Kara and Lena, completely ignoring Eliza. "You're going to be sorry," he said viciously, stabbing a finger in Lena's face.

The brunette clenched her jaw, swallowing past the lump in her throat. Normally she wouldn't stand for this, wouldn't let him threaten her like this, but with Lillian's fury still fresh in her mind, her mind was a blank. She braced herself for a blow that would never come, because Kara was there, stepping between the two of them.

"Mike." She reached around him to open the door. "I mean it. You need to go."

"I'm gonna make your life miserable," he snarled in Lena's face before twisting around and leaving in a huff. He didn't seem to care that Eliza was watching him disapprovingly, the house phone in her hand. With a screech of tires, he sped off down the road, blasting angry rock music.

"I shouldn't be here," Lena realized out loud, crashing back to earth as her adrenaline ebbed.

"Hey, no. None of that." Kara cupped her face in her hands gently, trying to massage away the fear in the bright green eyes. "You should stay."

Lena nodded, looking entirely unconvinced, and Kara tried again.

"I want you to stay."

One more nod, shorter than the first one. And suddenly Kara didn't care that Eliza was right there, that Mike had just barged in and all but threatened her. She leaned forward and kissed Lena, and smiled into the kiss.

When she pulled back Lena was a little breathless, her eyes shiny and wide. "Okay."

i rly don't have a plan to get rid of mike. like i'm going to? but i think the character's too far to make him a suddenly Good Man, so I'm gonna do something lame and just have him Move Away unless I can think of something better.