Still blows my mind this was supposed to be a one-shot and now has a mind of its own.
Lena and Kara Have Rules:
Rule Number One: Don't Go To Bed Angry With Each Other.
Rule Number Two: Always Communicate.
Rule Number Three: All Jokes Are Allowed EXCEPT The Ones About Divorce.
Rule Number Four: Say I Love You Whenever Possible.
Lex escaped.
Kara hovered over the sand cross-legged as Lena stood in the waves with her head down. Her shoulders jerked now and then, telling Kara that the tears hadn't stopped flowing yet. Kara couldn't deny that it wasn't expected. She'd warned Diana and Bruce that Lillian's warning shots were always distractions for something bigger. So when the alarms went off at the DEO the morning of their anniversary party, Kara shut everything down. Lena and Kara were bringing in their fifth year of marriage with Lex and Lillian as threats once again. Lena's penthouse and Kara's apartment were emptied. Sam flew back to Metropolis to put her house up for sale and move their belongings to National City. And Bruce took an indefinite leave from Wayne Enterprises until the situation was resolved. Diana was tight-lipped about why she could stay in National City for much longer than she intended, and Kara didn't push. Jack politely pointed out that he was the CEO of his company and could "bloody well do what he pleased." But their trip to the beach wasn't just for Lena. It was for Kara too. She twitched with an undeniable desire to end it all without waiting for the DEO or her family's permission. Lex and Lillian wouldn't get the opportunity to hurt Lena again, and Kara would do anything to ensure they were removed from the equation.
Even if that meant permanently.
There was no doubt in Kara's mind that if she had the opportunity to put them both down, she would take it. Damn the consequences. Kara twitched again and re-focused her attention on Lena. Her wife was angry that Lex escaped and she'd been looking forward to the party. It was Lena's chance to celebrate their marriage and officially merge their dysfunctional and mismatched family. With it temporarily placed on hold, Lena reverted to the days when she felt like nothing good ever lasted in her life. That was when Kara decided they needed a break. Unbeknownst to Alex and practically anyone who wasn't Sam or Jack, Kara and Lena had a cottage on a private beach outside National City. Kara built it by hand with the intent of it being their haven when things got tough.
"Kara?"
Lena's voice carried across the wind, and Kara dropped down to the sand. She walked barefoot to where her wife stood, and Lena turned around. She tugged at her hoodie, and Kara shook her head.
"No. You never gave me back the last one."
"We're married, Kara. What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine."
"I'm 99.9 percent sure that's not the saying."
"You want me to die of hypothermia?"
"That's dramatic, even for you."
"Kara," she whined. "It's cold."
"I know."
Lena tugged harder, and Kara gave in. She took off the hoodie and slipped it over Lena's head, working her arms through the sleeves. It was too big, and Lena was practically swallowed by it.
"These are moments where I remember why I'm with you."
"Your hoodies are the only reason I married you," she said.
"And here I thought it was the free transportation services."
"Fun fact, I hate flying with you," Lena said.
"Really? Wow. That's disappointing because I thought that was my best quality."
"Nope. If it were, I would've married Sam."
"Making a joke about another woman on our anniversary is in the top five of the most disrespectful things you've done throughout our relationship."
"How long is the list?"
"Five."
Lena laughed and hopped up, wrapping her legs around Kara's waist. She winced, and they both looked down to make sure she hadn't messed up her bandaging. Satisfied that she was alright, Kara rose back into her cross-legged position and adjusted Lena until they were comfortable.
"What are the other four things?" she asked.
"Let's see." Kara lightly massaged Lena's back out of habit, avoiding her hip, and pulled her closer. "Number four was when you washed my favorite suit when you knew it was dry cleaning only," she said.
"I told you that was an accident."
"And you just so happened to do it on the day that I was supposed to wear it on a charity date with Veronica Sinclair."
Lena gave her a blank stare, and Kara kissed her nose.
"If it makes you feel better," she said, "Veronica got arrested for racketeering on our date."
"Who do you think called it in?" Lena said wryly.
"You had my date arrested?"
"She burned my favorite book when we were in school," Lena said. "Having her sent to prison for sixty years was child's play compared to what I should have and could have done."
"Moving on to number three, you watched the rest of Once Upon A Time without me."
"You ended up hating it anyway."
"That doesn't change the fact we were supposed to finish it together."
"I got bored waiting on you to come back to Metropolis. By the time I realized what I'd done, I was at the end of season 6. I only had one left, so I just finished it."
"You sound as if it were a chore."
"It was! The Dark Swan arc wasn't as exciting as they made it seem, and there were so many plot holes that they never fixed!"
"Weren't you writing a paper-
"I deleted it," Lena said quickly. "I realized by page four that writing a makeshift dissertation about the inadequacies of a television show meant I needed to get out more."
"A fair and noble point."
"Shut up. What's number two?"
"When you purposely cooked a batch of cookies with salt instead of sugar."
"It was punishment for you eating the first batch even after I told you they were for Ruby's class!"
Kara ignored her and said, "This brings me to the most disrespectful thing you've ever done. Two weeks ago, I came home with a container from my favorite bakery in Italy."
"Oh, my God."
"You ate the entire slice!" Lena groaned and laid her head on Kara's shoulder. "It was a perfectly balanced mixture of cake and icing with three different types of chocolate inside. It was the last slice from the bakery, and I left for five minutes to get you that damned coffee you wanted so bad. I get back, and you've eaten the entire thing. When I got upset, do you remember what you said?"
"Go get another one," Lena sighed.
"And do you know what I did?"
"You flew out of the apartment and came back ten minutes later in tears because the bakery burned down. It was a family-owned business, the only one in existence, and the slice you had was the last one ever made."
"Exactly. Honestly, I was thinking about divorcing you."
The words were out before Kara could stop them, and a hurt look crossed Lena's face before it was gone. Lena took out her phone and pressed the first contact, and she didn't have long to wait before Sam answered.
"Hey-
"Do you remember that thing we talked about yesterday?"
"Now?"
"Yes."
"Um, okay. Where?"
"The cottage."
"Sure. Lena, are you-
Lena hung up before Sam could finish.
"Down, please," she said to Kara.
"Lena-
"Put me down, Kara."
Kara did as she was asked, and Lena pulled away from her.
"Wait, Lena, I didn't mean-
"Don't." Lena took off the hoodie and handed it back. "I'm going to get another jacket from the house."
When Sam arrived a few seconds later, Lena had just walked into the cottage and let the door slam behind her. Kara turned and couldn't muster enough excitement to be happy. Sam was there, of course, carrying whatever Lena wanted. But behind her, there was Jack, Raven, Ruby, and Jinx with a cooler and blankets. Something must've shown on Kara's face because Jack put down the cooler and pointed to the cottage. Kara gave a short nod, and he walked off. Ruby, Raven, and Jinx took the hint and started putting down the blankets. Sam stepped up and cocked her head.
"What happened?"
"I made a shitty joke about divorcing Lena."
"Ah. Rule number three-
"Never joke about divorce, yeah, I know. I wasn't thinking when I said it. And with everything going on-
"It hits a little harder," Sam finished. "You know, ever since Lena got shot, you two were doing that thing where you pretend like everything's okay and overcompensate with the jokes and the teasing."
"But there was always a line," Kara said. "And I crossed it. I'm distracted, you know? I don't like inaction. I know Diana and Alex are working to find Lex and Lillian, and I know Bruce has his resources. But the waiting part is what bothers me. Lena's happiness shouldn't be a fucking game to Lex and Lillian. I want to show them that the prize at the end isn't a slap on the wrist anymore. The next time I see them-
Kara stopped when she saw that red haze in her peripheral, and she rubbed her eyes. Her anger simmered to mild annoyance, and she shoved her thoughts back down.
"Do you want to-
"No," Kara said, shaking off the moment. "I'm fine. What's in the box?"
Sam didn't believe her but gave her the box, and Kara peeled off the top with ease and froze. Inside, with the words "For Kara Only" written in icing across the top, was a cake from her favorite bakery that had burned down. There was a note attached near the opening.
Kara,
I know you never forgave me for eating the slice, so I figured the best way to make up for it was to get you an entire cake. I found the owner and told her what happened, and she happily made this for me with a promise that you'd visit her new place in Sicily. Flying to Italy and back when you were with Jack that afternoon was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But Diana is much faster than a jet. The new place is called 'Bellezza,' and I hope you love it as much as I did.
With all of my love,
Lena.
Kara's vision blurred, and she started laughing.
"Why would I ever want to divorce her when she-
A thought struck her, and Kara gave the cake back to Sam.
"Do not eat that," she warned, swiping at her eyes. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Wait, Kara-
"I promise!"
Kara shot into the air and broke the sound barrier to get where she needed to be.
Lena sat down with her head in her hands and wasn't surprised when the bed dipped beside her. The cologne told her who it was, and she didn't bother hiding the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"She broke rule number three," she explained.
"Divorce joke?"
"I know Kara didn't mean it. But after the last day or so, it wasn't the best."
"And you know that woman out there loves you more than anything."
"I do," Lena said. "But Kara being apologetic and remorseful wasn't what I wanted. She lets me feel my emotions in waves, but moments like that are when she scrambles to make up for it, and I didn't want that. I wanted to be angry and hurt at the idea of Kara divorcing me because that pain is considerably better than the fear of knowing that Lex and Lillian are out there. They're waiting for me to slip up long enough for them to kill me or take me from Kara, and those are not thoughts that I want to have in my mind. So I would rather have my heartbroken at the possibility of Kara and me getting a divorce, no matter how minuscule or non-existent it might be. I can control that."
Jack put his arm around her and said, "You know we're not going to let you get hurt. Lex and Lillian are persona non grata right now, and they have a lot of scary people looking for them. Including your friends, both questionable and otherwise, in Gotham. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Cat had some contacts of her own looking through the underground channels."
"Not to mention your mysterious and powerful boyfriend," Lena teased.
"I haven't told him yet," Jack said. "I know what he does when the people he cares about are in danger, and if I tell him that my best friend's life is being threatened, he'll cross a lot of lines to ensure you remain alive. He's more of a last resort. But my point is you are the most priceless thing in our lives, and we'll all die before we ever let them get their hands on you. I know that's not something you want to hear, but it's the truth. And Kara – sweetheart, if it hasn't hit you yet that Kara would probably tear their heads from their shoulders without hesitation, you aren't paying attention. This is a Kryptonian we're talking about. Not the Superman kind, but the one that grew up knowing that protecting her family meant bloodshed and violence. That woman might've been trained to be a scientist, but I'll put my money on her any day. Kryptonite or not, Kara will win that fight if it means keeping you alive. She made a poor joke, possibly out of stress, and we both know it'll never happen again. So stop dwelling on what-ifs and theories, woman. Get back out there and makeup with your puppy-dog wife so we can have our picnic. I have this smoked prosciutto made fresh from-
Lena and Jack winced when a loud boom reached their ears, and Lena got up from the bed. She looked out the window and saw everyone but Kara still on the beach. Her shoulders fell.
"What's wrong?"
"Kara's gone. So I'm not sure us making up is in the cards right now." Lena shook her head and stood up. "Come on, let's go try this prosciutto," she said.
"Lena-
"I'm fine, Jack. We have a picnic to enjoy."
Kara lost her balance as she stumbled into the DEO, and she rushed to the control center, where she found Diana and Alex.
"What are you doing here?" Alex hissed. "You're supposed to be off the grid."
"Come with me," she said.
"What?"
"You and Diana, come with me. I'll have J'onn meet us there."
"Have you forgotten that-
"No. But this is important, please?"
Alex narrowed her eyes and said, "Fine."
"Great. Oh, wait, where's-
"Behind you."
Kara stiffened and twisted around, glaring at Bruce.
"I hate when you do that," she said.
"Then stop letting me do it. What's wrong? Where's Lena?"
"I messed up, and I need you guys to come with me. She's – Rao, calm down! She's with Sam. I can carry you –
"I'll drive," Bruce interrupted. "Just tell me where to go."
"You're going to have to break like a lot of – never mind. I forgot who I was talking to. I'll text you the coordinates."
"Can I ride with you?" Alex asked Bruce. "When Kara gets like this, she forgets I'm human and almost always pops my eardrums."
"Hey!"
Bruce shrugged and walked off, and Alex hurried after him.
"Alright, young one. Ready whenever you are," Diana said.
"No, wait. I," Kara paused and swallowed, "There is one more thing," she said.
Lena was mid-bite when she heard someone calling her name. She turned and saw Bruce walking with Alex down the beach.
"What are they doing here?" Jack asked.
"I guess we're making this a family picnic?" Sam said.
"We don't have that much food," Ruby huffed.
"You realize you can just fly and get more, right?" Jinx asked.
"Oh."
Bruce and Alex came up to their blankets and looked around.
"Where's Kara? I thought for sure she'd beat us," Alex said.
"I have no idea," Lena responded.
"Incoming," Sam said, jerking her head.
The group turned to see J'onn, Diana, and Kara land in unison. Kara whispered something to Diana before approaching the group. Kara held out her hand to Lena, who took it and allowed Kara to pull her to her feet. Diana waved at the group, and they put down their food and drinks to stand and surround Lena and Kara.
"Kara, what-
"Trust me," she said. "Please?"
Lena nodded, and Kara swallowed before getting on one knee. Lena stopped breathing, and someone gasped. Kara ignored them and focused her attention solely on Lena.
"First, I want to say I am sorry. I made a stupid joke in poor taste, and it will never happen again. I am honored to be in this relationship with you, and the idea of ending it never and will never cross my mind." Kara took a deep breath and released it. "Now, the first time I did something like this, you were eating stew that I burned and pretending it was the greatest thing you'd ever tasted. I had never been more in love with you than that moment, and I shouted my proposal while you were mid-bite. You started choking, and I panicked. I broke the table trying to get to you, and there was food and wine everywhere. Once you caught your breath, you started laughing and told me only I could turn a proposal into a disaster. But you said yes, and that was all that mattered. I was getting married to the woman who changed my life for the better, and it was the happiest I'd ever been. And then we got married, and I thought, no, this is the happiest I've been. But each day we were together, a new moment arose where I thought this was when Lena's made me happier than the last time. For the last five years, all I have been doing is keeping a tally of how you've made me smile or laugh so hard that I cry. I catalog every look you give me when you think I'm not watching. I remember every kiss. And I have loved every morning when you turn off your alarm and roll back over for a few more minutes together. And today, even after I hurt you, you went out of your way to give me something I enjoyed. I realized that there is no one moment where you have made me happiest. Happiness is defined as a state of well-being and contentment. But to me, happiness is defined as my life when I'm with you. So every second, minute, and day that I am yours is a good reason to be happy. I have never been more thankful to Rao, God, the universe, and every deity in existence for allowing our paths to cross."
Kara shifted a little and pulled a box from her pocket.
"I want to experience life with you in every way possible until my dying breath. I look forward to everything Fate has planned for us. And that includes the good, the bad, and the chaotic because I love knowing you're by my side. I could lose it all and not bat an eye. But if I lose you, I have nothing left. I've said this before, and I mean it each time, but I would watch Krypton explode on repeat before I ever try to imagine a life without you in it. Krypton was my home, yes. But you are my life force." Kara opened the box to reveal a ring with an Alexandrite gem wrapped in silver. "I made this when I was living with Diana. I didn't know who it would be for, but I knew I wanted my partner to have it. This gem is rare, just like you. And this ring is the only one in its existence, just like you. Unfortunately, I didn't have it the first time for complicated reasons, and I've been holding onto it for our tenth anniversary. But everything in our life was done in secrecy for the first five years, and I know that was 99% my fault. No matter how much you try and tell me otherwise, I know you weren't satisfied with how wedding. This is why surrounded by our friends and family, I have to do something impulsive to keep up with tradition. So, instead of an anniversary party, let's start the next five years off with a new standard. Lena Kieran Wayne, will you marry me?"
The only sound for a long time was the waves crashing against the shore and the ugly sobbing of Sam, Jack, and Lena. Alex was steadfastly pretending like she didn't have tears streaming down her face, and Bruce refused to acknowledge the misty-eyed look on his face either. Diana and J'onn wore matching smiles, and Ruby recorded the entire thing. Raven reached out and grabbed Jinx's hand, and Jinx laid her head on her shoulder. Eventually, Lena groaned and wiped her face.
"You're proposing to me again because I got you that cake, aren't you?"
"I mean, not completely."
Lena shook her head. "Only you would turn an apology into a proposal," she murmured.
"Is that a yes?"
"It will always be a yes."
"Can I put it on your finger now?"
Lena held out her hand, and Kara took the first ring off and switched it to Lena's index finger. She put the new one in its place and let out a shaky exhale.
"Alright, now for the hard part all over again."
"Which is?"
"Planning our wedding," Kara snorted. "You seem like you will be a real bridezilla."
"You haven't seen anything yet," Lena teased. "I plan on having everything I didn't have the first time. But," she leaned in and whispered, "We are not walking down the aisle until Lex and Lillian's bodies are in someone's morgue. Deal?"
"That is a promise I will gladly keep."
"Good. I love you."
"I love you too." Kara kissed her quick and added, "Can I-
"Yes," she said in exasperation. "Go eat your cake."