The girls spent the rest of the morning together, inseparable, both ignoring the missed messages and calls on their phones. By the time lunch rolled around, they found themselves in a hole-in-the-wall cafe. Lena ordered a salad, of course, and Kara ordered the large portion of chicken tenders. While Lena ate slowly, with graceful, dainty fingers, Kara dug in like a starved wolf, giddy from their adventures. Sure, it had only been a few hours, but so far? The day was perfect, as far as she was concerned.

"So, uh…" Kara said, upon finishing her meal and watching Lena pick at hers.

"Yeah?" Lena asked, lifting her gaze with a slight smile.

"What… What does this all mean?"

"What?"

"Like… what happened this morning."

"Oh. Ohhh. Well… I dunno. It means whatever you want it to mean. I guess, if you just want it to be a fling or just… you know… benefits… that's okay…"

Kara had to laugh at this as she shook her head disapprovingly.

"Do you really think I'm the type to have a fling?"

After a brief, thoughtful pause, Lena answered, "Well… No. I guess not."

"So, what does this mean?"

"Anything you want," the brunette repeated casually, shrugging her shoulders and trying to play it off like she had no preference.

After all, if she admitted to Kara - and herself - that she was crazy about her best friend and that she wanted so much more than friendship, that would make it real. And worse, it would make her vulnerable. It would mean taking a risk and potentially getting her heart broken if Kara didn't feel the same.

"Lena," Kara said, reaching out to lift Lena's chin. "What do you you really want?"

"Why do I have to answer first?" the girl whined, covering her face in her hands.

Kara chuckled and squeezed Lena's hand, saying, "I want all of you, Lena." Then, when the brunette lifted her gaze again, she added, "And I don't want to share."

Grinning broadly - and quite involuntarily - Lena leaned across the table and kissed Kara on the lips.

"You don't have to."

Returning her best friend's broad smile, Kara replied, "Good. Because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you, Kara…"

"I love you, too, goober."

"So, um… Does this… Does this make you my girlfriend?"

"If you want that, I'm game," Kara told her, smirking.

Lena nodded vigorously and gripped her partner's hand tightly.

"I guess we have to tell my family…" the blonde sighed, letting go of Lena to rub her temples.

"No, we don't," Lena asserted. "You don't owe them anything."

"Listen, I know my mom is overbearing… and I know my sister is kind of a turd… but they're my family, and I don't keep things from them. And besides, I want to share my joy with them, even if they don't approve."

"They don't like me," the star pointed out.

"They think you're using me…"

"For what?"

"They think I'm just a plaything to you."

"Well, you're not."

"I know, Lee. I know. But it's going to take some time for them to trust you. They're just trying to protect me."

With a sigh of reluctant understanding, Lena nodded her head.

After a moment of reflection, she offered, "Maybe I should just give them a chance to get to know me."

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't I make them dinner?"

Staring blankly, Kara asked, "You cook?"

Looking insulted, Lena shot back, "Of course I cook. I might have a chef at home, but that doesn't mean I don't make my own meals sometimes. Besides, it tastes better when I do it. I'm a great cook."

"Sorry," the blonde mumbled, looking down. "Didn't mean to offend."

"Nah, it's fine. Anyway, let me make them dinner! It'll be fun. Once they taste my turkey pot pie, I'll totally win them over."

The broad smile Lena was wearing made Kara smile too as she nodded her consent.

"So… We'll just… What? Surprise them tonight?"

"Mhmm. Sounds good to me."

"I'm nervous," Kara laughed. "What if—"

"Hush. I'm the one that should be nervous! They hate me."

"They don't hate you. They just don't know you."

"Fair enough."

With a shrug, Lena paid their bill - with much protest from her new girlfriend - and walked Kara back to the car.

After spending a ridiculous amount of time in the grocery store, they were finally ready to head back to Kara's place for the evening. On the drive from the store to the house, they both felt anxious, so Lena blasted her music and sang along until finally, it became so infectious that even Kara sang with her, laughing along and remaining playful the rest of the way.

When they arrived at the house, the two were nearly doubled over with laughter about one thing or another, howling loudly enough for Kara's sister to look up from her work in the tiny garden and see them together.

Sauntering over to the car, Alex asked, "What's she doing here?"

With a warm smile, Lena ignored Alex's sharp tone and answered, "I'm here to make you all dinner."

"You're what?" Kara's sister gaped.

"She said she's here to make us dinner. Get your ears checked," Kara shot back with a snarky inflection.

Mouth slightly agape from surprise - both at Lena's kindness and Kara's sarcasm - Alex stepped aside as Lena carried groceries towards the door. After they'd passed, she followed the girls inside in a stupor and watched as Lena unpacked the bags on the kitchen counter. When Eliza walked in, Lena looked up with a smile, pulling some lilies out of a bag and handing them to her.

"I heard you like flowers, and Kara told me lilies are your favorite, but that you don't have any."

"That's… That's true. And very kind of you," Eliza said softly, just as surprised as Alex was.

"They're my favorite flower, too," the brunette shared casually, as she set the turkey down on a cutting board.

"She's making us dinner," Kara explained, when she noticed her mother staring.

"Well… Thank you, Lena… that's… very kind…" Eliza told the girl, still in a slight daze as to just how this had happened.

Despite her lack of trust in Lena, this was, she had to admit, quite kind of the girl. And it surprised Eliza just as much as it had surprised Kara that Lena could cook. Seemed like something a spoiled star wouldn't need to master.

"Don't worry," Lena announced calmly, starting to chop up the vegetables. "I'm a good cook."

"Oh, I… I didn't think otherwise," Eliza assured her, her cheeks turning a light tint of pink.

But Kara and Lena knew this wasn't true. Her mother had doubts about pretty much everything to do with the celebrity, and that was made evident by her blank stare.

"What can I help with?" Kara's mother asked suddenly, looking as awkward as she felt standing aimlessly in the middle of the kitchen after putting the elegant flowers in a vase.

"Oh, I'm quite alright, Mrs. Danvers! Thank you very much, but you should just relax."

"Thank you, Lena… That's sweet of you. And thank you very much for the lovely flowers."

"Of course! It's truly my pleasure. Just wanted to brighten your day. You ladies have been through far too much recently, and anything I can do to put a smile on your faces is a win to me."

Regardless of her best efforts to hold it back, Eliza had to smile. Lena was being incredibly thoughtful, and to her surprise, the girl sounded quite genuine. This was unexpected, as she had absolutely no trust in the star whatsoever and fully expected her to be a bad influence on her daughter. Apparently, this might not have been the case. Her manners were impeccable.

When it was time to eat, Lena refused to let any of them do anything to assist, besides allowing Kara to set the table, since she didn't know where anything was in the kitchen. Instead, she ushered them to their seats at the tiny table, tucked in the corner of the ridiculously small kitchen.

"Thank you for cooking, Lena," Eliza told her, after taking the first bite. "This is fantastic."

"Glad you like it!" Lena said happily, a broad smile spreading over her lips. After a pause, the brunette continued, "Mrs. Danvers? Could I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"If you'd rather not discuss it, that is perfectly okay, but I was wondering… How did you and Jeremiah manage to have such a constructive, healthy marriage for so long? I hear wonderful things from Kara about how the two were together." Then, quickly, she added, "My parents' relationship is a wreck, and I just want to make sure I'm more like you than them."

Eliza's mouth hung open, followed by Kara and Alex's.

It was several moments before Kara's mother replied, during which time Lena turned a moderately bright shade of red.

"Communication," Eliza finally answered simply, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Communication, trust, and honesty. When something was bothering us, we cooled down enough to talk about it rationally and then brought it to the other's attention gently. We always made efforts to understand the others' point of view, despite feeling heated or hurt. And that almost always resulted in some kind of understanding. At the very least, we did our best to heal any emotional damage that was inadvertently caused. When one of us was feeling hurt, the other always expressed caring and concern, even through differing opinions."

Lena had to smile at this. What a beautiful answer. Their devotion to each other was admirable.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Danvers," the young brunette said softly. "And thank you very much for sharing that with me."

Blinking as she stared at the other girls, Alex blurted, "You guys are totally fucking."

"WHAT?!" Kara screamed, instantly rising from her seat. "Fuck you, Alex! You don't even know what you're talking about!"

Alex crossed her arms over her chest and mumbled, "Whatever. Just stating the obvious."

"We're not sleeping together," Lena gently asserted, her gaze catching Eliza's horrified expression.

"But we are together," Kara finished with a sigh, slowly sitting back down in her chair. "I had every intention of telling you tonight, Mom. Alex just fucking ruined it like she ruins everything else."

"Kara," their mother sighed, shaking her head. "I know Alex is hard on you, but it's just because she cares. What she said was inappropriate, but you don't have to talk that way about her and fuel the fire, alright? Please. Just try to get along. For my sake." When her daughter nodded, Eliza added, "And I already knew."

"How?!" the blonde gaped, shocked. "It just happened today!"

"The way you look at each other," her mother replied cooly.

"But—"

Turning to Lena, Eliza said firmly, "I may not know you well or trust you yet, Lena, but I can tell that you genuinely care for my daughter and that she absolutely adores you. As more than a celebrity. As a person."

Lena quickly told her, "I care about all of you. Anyone that matters to Kara matters to me. That's why I'm here. It's not to impress."

Eliza smiled at this, truly appreciating the sentiment the star had expressed.

"Ugh. Gross," Alex huffed.

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to bash your face in!" Kara barked, scowling at her sister as she started to stand up again.

This time, Lena grabbed her hand and gently tugged her back down.

"Easy," she whispered. "It's okay."

"Lena," Eliza cut in, too exhausted to address the aggressive behavior of both of her daughters. "I want to apologize for how things went at the funeral. A grieving widow doesn't always see or appreciate what's right in front of her. I'm still hurting, but I can see now that you are more than just a fling to my daughter. You're a meaningful part of her life."

The brunette waved off the comment and told the woman, "Grief is a brutal thing, and it doesn't go away. You never get over it. You just learn to move through it."

"Sounds like you know what you're talking about," Kara's mother gently pointed out, opening the metaphorical door for Lena to say more.

And she did.

"My biological mother died when I was very, very young. It still hurts."

Kara squeezed her partner's hand supportively and leaned a little closer, just to remind the girl of her proximity. Appreciating this, Lena squeezed back and offered her a half-hearted smile.

"Anyway," the brunette announced, turning her attention back to Kara's mother. "I'm grateful for the opportunities I've been presented with. I've just been very fortunate. And incredibly lucky."

The blonde smiled at this, loving that Lena had truly taken her words to heart. Her mother smiled too, and even Alex could appreciate that Lena was expressing gratitude for her privileges. It made them all feel better about the girl's fame. She was more down-to-Earth than any of them could have predicted or imagined.

"Thank you for letting me make you all dinner," Lena said, smile broadening as she changed the subject.

"It didn't seem like we had much of a choice," Eliza said, teasing the girl.

The playfulness of the comment surprised Kara, who had fully expected Eliza to be prickly and upset.

"You're welcome here any time, Lena," Eliza told the girl, returning her smile. "For as long as you treat my daughter like the treasure she is."

"I can do that forever," Lena replied, smile growing into a grin.

Kara's grin matched Lena's as she squeezed her hand again, this time feeling an entire Zoo of animals explode in her stomach. This girl was way too sweet and adorable.

"I'm glad to hear it," Kara's mother answered.

Even Alex was silent at her mother's welcoming statement, conflicted about her distrust of Lena and her mother's good judgment of others.

"Thanks, Mrs. Danvers," the young brunette said warmly.

"You can call me Eliza."

This wasn't something she usually said, especially not to people she didn't know very well, so her daughters were relatively shocked by the statement.

Lena was so appreciative that she barely managed to say anything.

"Okay… Eliza then. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear. Now, you take good care of my daughter. Or Alex will likely pummel you into a pulp and grind you into a jam."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at this, agreeing, "Totally."

Even she could see Lena's true colors shining through, so despite her doubts, she lightened up just slightly and felt happy for her sister in that moment.

When they finally finished the meal and started to stand up from the table to clear their plates, Alex leaned in and whispered in her sister's ear, "You're totally fucking."

Kara blushed and shoved Alex's shoulder, her scowl returning as she roughly grabbed Lena's plate off the table and stomped over to the sink.