The one where Lena Luthor saved Christmas

Chapter 2

'Lena dear, I'm so glad you could make it! Kara has told me all about you. Come in, come in. Take off your jacket, it's too warm in this apartment but Alex hates the cold, always has. Come and have a drink, Kara is just in the process of getting changed again. Bit of an accident with the pasta sauce, unsurprisingly.' Eliza buzzed, incredibly similar to Kara's rambling, Lena noted. The commonalities between the older woman and her adopted daughter were astounding, almost as though Kara were the biological daughter and not Alex. Similar blonde hair, kind eyes, very similar mannerisms. Lena rarely made instant decisions about a person, preferring instead to get to know them gradually as more evidence was provided, so contrary to the way in which she herself was often judged. But it was clear that the older Danvers was a warm and kind person, and Lena felt confident that she'd end up enjoying her company immensely.

'Thank you so much for letting me join in, here, I brought some wine, I know Kara said not to bring anything, but I've been saving these for a special occasion and I'm aware that drinking is a traditional part of Christmas!' Lena responded, a little overwhelmed at the enthusiasm of Eliza's greeting. It wasn't often someone was so keen to meet a Luthor. She'd had a few bottles tucked away, too rare to finish off on a late night at the office. Better to share them with friends. Friends were a novel concept to Lena, her life had been mostly devoid of anything other than business contacts. Kara had been a refreshing change, and gradually she'd come to know more of the girl's inner circle. Supergirl counted too, she supposed, although she didn't imagine the caped crusader would be stopping in for drinks, regardless of how close she and Kara seemed.

'Oh how lovely. Red and White both, you really shouldn't have. I suppose I shouldn't know what this cost, I'll be too nervous to drink any of it!' Eliza mused, while Lena blushed delicately, unconsciously confirming her suspicions. Eliza had heard a lot about Lena from Kara, mostly about how kind and generous the woman was, so it was no surprise that she would want to bring something to the celebration. While she would have been welcome regardless, the woman was a billionaire, and if she wanted to share some expensive drinks with a group of people who couldn't tell a $10 bottle from a $1000 bottle, that was her choice to make.

'Well I didn't know what you preferred, although I know by now that it never really seems to hit Kara!' Lena said by way of explanation, knowing she had perhaps gone a little overboard, and wanting to deflect attention. It never failed to frustrate her that on their nights in, Lena always managed to get tipsy and perhaps compliment Kara a little too frequently and become a little cuddly, while Kara always seemed entirely unimpaired.

'Ah yes, she doesn't process it, does nothing for her. At least I only had Alex to worry about during nights out at college!' Eliza laughed, guiding Lena into the apartment.

'Although given Kara's general clumsiness, I'm sure she caused her fair share of worry herself' Lena replied, chuckling to herself. It was amazing that the woman wasn't constantly covered in bruises, but astonishingly, her perfect skin was never marked after an encounter with her desk, the door, the table…

'Hey Lena, Eliza are you getting Lena to gang up on me already? There's plenty of time for that later.' Kara called through from the bedroom.

'Just getting in early sweetheart! I'll leave you two to it Lena, I need to salvage the rest of the dessert before Alex manages to put salt in it again instead of sugar.' Eliza responded to her daughter, before addressing Lena conspiratorially.

'One time Mom! That happened one time, I was 12, and I haven't done it since!' Alex replied, indignant. It had been an accident, she was a child, and she was never going to live it down.

Kara chose this moment to leave her room, and her appearance made Lena lose her train of thought. She was wearing a fitted, low cut, black dress, much more suited to a nightclub than a quiet few hours with family and friends. Lena noted with dismay that the woman held an oversized holiday jumper in her other hand.

'Yeah, so as Eliza said, I managed to spill sauce all over me. The cookies were behind the pan and I kind of just tipped it over trying to get some off the cooling rack. This dress isn't exactly night in material, but I had this sweater I was dying to wear so it should make it okay.'

'Won't.. won't you be too warm' Lena mumbled, idly staring at Kara's collarbone, trying to imagine how it would feel under her lips.

'I'm pretty comfortable however to be honest, don't get very warm or cold.' Kara responded, not noticing Lena's loss of attention.

'Lucky for some, I have a tiny window of comfort temperature wise. Luckily, my office, home and car are all temperature controlled!' Lena responded, a little unnecessarily but her comment made sense in the context, and sensible sentences were important in the absence of any real willpower or desire to stop daydreaming about her friend.

Kara laughed, before putting her arm around Lena and leading her over to the sofa.

'So, no Supergirl popping in for an appearance then?' Lena asked, smiling. Smile faltering slightly when the question seemed to cause a momentary panic in the room.

'No, er, no. She's far too busy patrolling to have time for things like Family. Not that I would know.' Kara rambled in response, avoiding the looks from several around the table. The ranged from mild confusion from Eliza (who thought Kara should have told Lena ages ago) to Winn (anxious as always) to Alex (stone faced and urging Kara to somehow develop a decent poker face).

They'd shared a lovely late lunch, a buffet of all of Kara's favourite foods, as well as home cooked pasta, cookies and cake. Lena had had a full plate, at Kara's urging. She'd have to spend a little longer at the gym over the weekend, but it was worth it to enjoy both Kara's approval, and her prodding while sitting tightly against her. Quite unnecessary given the potential space between their chairs, but Lena wasn't about to complain.

Lena was saved from any further questions by the simultaneous ringing of Alex and Winn's phones, with Kara jumping from her chair.

'Sorry, gotta go, urgent Supergirl story. I'll be back soon okay?' Kara blurted as the other two checked their phones before rising themselves.

'So an FBI agent and an IT technician also have to cover the Supergirl story?' Lena questioned, perplexed. Winn had worked for Catco until recently, she wasn't really sure what he did now. And Alex was FBI, she'd seen that badge enough to know that.

'Yeah, well the thing about that is, well' Winn started, before trailing off.

'Winn works with me, and trouble big enough to bring in Supergirl means double time for us. Just because there's a super on the case doesn't mean us regular people haven't got to earn our paychecks.' Alex stated, confidently.

'But Kara, your phone didn't ring?' Lena asked, puzzled.

'Well er' Kara stuttered, unsure how to proceed.

'Kara knows by now that if it's big enough to call us out, that she's going to have something worth reporting on. I promise Lena, we'll be back as soon as we can. Kara probably sooner than either of us actually, she'll be all over the place so she should be able to drop in' Alex covered, pointedly looking at her sister. Really, she was carrying this team. 'Just stay here with Mom, have a drink, watch some holiday movies, we'll be back soon'

Lena was reluctant to stay in the apartment, but if Kara really was going to be back, it might be okay. Better than going back to an apartment alone after being promised a good time with friends. She bid them goodbye, hugging Kara, before the three hurried out of the apartment.

She refilled hers and Eliza's glasses, before turning on the TV. Nearly dropping the wine when she saw the image on the screen.

Was that Supergirl fighting Santa Claus?!