Kara quickly realized that she hated when Lena was busy. In fact, she spent the rest of the week feeling the crushing weight of anxiety mixed with sad, intense longing… leading to overwhelming nausea. Sitting in class was excruciating, especially when she knew it would just be a few more days before she got on a plane. Which she'd never been on before. Which was totally fine. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to see here. Who's panicking? Kara's not panicking. Nope. Not at all.

When Friday morning finally rolled around and Kara found herself standing in the kitchen with her mother, she couldn't help but whine, "Mom, can I please just stay home? I'm so nervous, and I still have a little packing to do, and I—"

"Absolutely not," Eliza stopped her. "You know full well that you've been packed for days. All you have left to put in that suitcase is toothpaste you'll be using tonight before you leave. And you're already missing school on Monday. Besides, you have nothing to worry about, Kara. You're going to be fine, and as you know, Lena's done this… well… countless times. She'll be right there with you to hold your hand."

Kara paused thoughtfully, a slight smile creeping over her lips. Her mother was right. Moreover, it was incredibly sweet that she was so supportive and trusting of Lena, particularly when she'd been so apprehensive in the beginning. It just went to show that Lena had showed her true colors and that those particular colors - amazingly - lived up to her mother' standards.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear."

"Why did you say yes?"

"Why did I say yes to what?"

"Why'd you say I could go? It's across the word and you won't be there."

"Because… you're graduating soon… and I can't keep you cooped up forever. I can't protect you from things anymore. I can guide you and set limits and boundaries, but you also need your autonomy. And honestly… although there are some things I'm somewhat wary of with Lena's lifestyle… There is an element of trust there. If there's anything I know, it's that she cares about you deeply and wouldn't let you get hurt. I'm sure she's not perfect, and I know you two argue at times, but that's part of growing a relationship. You two have successfully communicated through all of the bumps in the road, and that gives me hope that you two can grow together as you get older, rather than growing apart."

Smile growing into a broad grin, Kara threw her arms around her mother, saying, "Thank you, Ma. I love you."

"But you stay out of trouble, you hear? No alcohol, no—"

"I will, Mom," the blonde laughed, releasing her mother from the embrace.

With a soft sigh and a gentle smile, Eliza mused, "You grew up too fast, you know that? You and your sister."

Kara nodded and chuckled, "Big agree."

"Alright, kiddo. Get to school. I'll be here to go through your checklist one more time when you get home."

With a huff and a nod, Kara mumbled, "Fineee," and grabbed her backpack before heading out the door.

~!~!~

Packing the last of her things went fine, except that Kara's blood pressure was through the roof by the time her suitcase was completely packed and zipped shut, complete with TSA-compliant luggage locks.

When Lena arrived with an excited grin, Kara felt her stomach drop. Looking at her mother apprehensively and receiving an encouraging nudge in response, she shuffled out the door.

"Hey, babe!" Lena said cheerfully, upon Kara throwing her suitcase in the trunk. "Ready to see the world?"

Stomach turning several times over, the blonde gave a weak nod and slipped into the car. She attempted to close the door, but with such little force that it didn't latch and she had to try again.

"You okay?" the star asked, brow furrowing with concern.

When Kara remained non-verbal and gave a single nod in response, Lena took her hand and asked, "What's wrong, baby?"

"Scared," was all Kara could manage to say.

Offering her partner a warm smile, Lena squeezed her hand and assured her, "It's gonna be fine. I've got you. Takeoff and landing are the worst, but in a private jet, it's a lot better."

"Wait, what?"

"Did you think we'd fly commercial?" Lena laughed. "Hell no. My private jet is waiting for us. Lots of champagne and comfy seats."

"Lena, you know I'm not going to drink."

"I was just saying," the brunette fussed, putting her hands on the wheel and heading out.

"Are we seriously flying in a private jet?" Kara asked in disbelief, picturing the luxurious flights she'd seen briefly on television.

"The only way to fly," Lena said with a proud smirk. "Besides, you think I'd let you fly in some dirty, nasty, crowded 747 with people packed in like sardines and a bathroom that smells like vomit and toilet cleaner?"

Again, Kara's stomach turned, nausea intensifying and she muttered, "Gross."

"Exactly."

Staying silent the whole way was easy for the younger girl, because had she opened her mouth, she likely would have technicolor-yawned all over Lena's freshly detailed car.

They arrived at the airport shortly after, and before Kara could manage to change her mind about getting on a plane - she'd been considering it - they were seated in the most comfortable recliners she could have imagined. She couldn't help but blush and melt a little as Lena leaned over with a smile and buckled her seatbelt for her.

"Tight across the waist," Lena whispered sweetly. "I got you, baby."

This helped Kara's nerves little, but ultimately, Lena had to hand her a barf bag as the jet rolled down the runway and prepared for takeoff. By the time they took off and reached altitude, Kara couldn't hold it in anymore and hucked up her peanut butter and jelly sandwich from lunch - thankfully entirely in the bag.

To her surprise, when she looked over at Lena with an expression of horror on her face, Lena was giving her a sweet smile, wrapping her arm around her shoulder, and handing her a soft towel with her free hand. Kara, embarrassed to no end, immediately wiped her mouth.

"Gum?" she whimpered.

Although Lena had secretly brought a toothbrush for her partner for this exact reason, she knew Kara would likely get sick again if she tried to stand to walk to the bathroom, despite the fact that the plane was fling with zero turbulence. So, without hesitation, she handed Kara the backup plan of an entire pack of spearmint gum.

"Oh, thank God," Kara breathed, gratefully grabbing the pack of gum and stuffing two whole pieces into her mouth. Having chewed it into its intended form, she mumbled, "So sorry, Lee."

"Oh, Jesus, Kara!" Lena cried, startling the girl to the point of jumping slightly in her seat. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's your first time flying, and you've been really nervous. It's perfectly okay. I barfed my first time, too."

"You did?!" the blonde gaped, shocked.

Lena seemed like the type of girl who was way too dignified to experience anything as embarrassing as puking on a plane in front of someone else.

"Totally," the older girl confirmed with an encouraging smile as she squeezed her partner's hand. "It's really fine." After waving down her butler and ordering a soda for the anxious blonde, Lena turned to Kara and said, "Have some ginger ale. It'll settle your stomach."

Hesitantly, Kara took the glass and sipped from it, apprehensive about putting anything in her stomach at all. But Lena's hand on her shoulder made her feel a little braver, so she did as she was told. After taking several slow, steady drinks from the glass, her stomach did, in fact, settle quite a bit, to the point where even her muscles relaxed, and she was able to lean back in the seat.

"Better?" Lena asked gently, kissing Kara's cheek.

Once she'd spit out her gum onto the nearest napkin, the blonde answered, "Decently so. Heart's still racing, but… you know."

After pausing for a moment to consider her next course of action, the brunette pulled out a small pill bottle from her pocket and asked, "Do you want something for your nerves?"

Biting her lip as she was tempted by the offer, Kara reluctantly declined, saying, "No, thank you."

With a half-smile of understanding and admiration, Lena told her, "You're a good girl, Kara. You really are."

With a shrug, Kara finally turned away and dared to look out the window for the first time.

After a moment of silent awe, she commented, "It's actually beautiful up here."

"Of course it is, silly," Lena said softly, carefully cupping Kara's chin and turning her head to face her. "You're here."

"Gay," Kara laughed, making the joke to take some attention away rom her burning cheeks.

"You're beautiful, darling," Lena whispered, leaning in and kissing Kara's lips.

When the brunette tried to pull away after a brief moment, Kara cupped the back of er neck to pull her closer and continued the kiss.

As Lena tried to pull away again, not wanting to invade her partner's space while she was nauseous, Kara mumbled, "Distract me."

This earned a smirk from Lena, who welcomed the invitation and continued the kiss with slightly more force and passion, until Kara - quite accidentally - moaned into her mouth.

Horrified by the sound, it was Kara's turn to pull away, but Lena held her still and kept kissing her. Kara could feel the smile on her lips as they kissed, which told her that the girl had enjoyed the noise she'd made. This comforted her a great deal and subdued some of the embarrassment she was feeling, which was highly convenient, because otherwise, she might've died from it.

The landing at the end of the flight was virtually perfect, though bumpier than Kara would've liked. She was immensely grateful when the plane finally slowed to a stop.

"See?" Lena asked gently. "Not so bad, right?"

"I threw up!" Kara cried, unbuckling and grabbing her bag.

"Yes, but you had some ginger ale and felt better and made it through the flight. You even made out with me."

Kara blushed as Lena winked at her, feeling warmth spread outwards from her core. Luckily for her, as her wobbly, Jell-O-like legs carried her out of the plane and down the steep steps to solid ground, Lena held her hand to steady her.

Stepping on the pavement was the biggest wave of relief Kara had ever felt, and she nearly dropped to her knees and kissed the ground. Lena's hand was the only thing that kept her upright.

The second thing she noticed - other than the fact that she was now safely standing on the Earth again - was just how amazing the weather was. Warm and comforting, if not a little bit humid, Kara felt a sensation of awe.

Kara was torn from her stupor as Lena said, "Alright, kiddo. Time to take the limo to the hotel."

"Driving?" the blonde whined. "Can't we walk?"

Lena just laughed, kissed Kara's cheek, and led her to the limousine.

"I've got you, baby," she said softly, squeezing her hand. "It's not a super long drive, and I have another bag just in case.

Kara nodded, clinging to Lena's hand as Lena's butler loaded their suitcases into the trunk while they slipped into the limo.

Of course, as soon as they were inside with the doors closed - out of the public's eye - Lena grabbed Kara's face and kissed her hard, knowing the girl needed a relatively immediate distraction to keep her stomach from flipping.

"I love you," Lena whispered, kissing her partner over and over.

Once again feeling grateful, Kara returned the kiss with enthusiasm and felt relieved for the diversion from her nausea.