It was after midnight by the time Alex, Sam and Ruby left. They were both exhausted despite how much fun they'd had with their family. It was a strange feeling for Lena, having a family. The only family she had growing up was Lex and Lillian and they were terrible. Lillian hated her and while her relationship with Lex had been okay as a child, they were never close. This was the first time she could remember where people had liked her for her, and not for her money or name.
"You should go take a bath," Kara suggested. She had watched Lena stare at her glass of wine for the last five minutes. She could see how tired Lena was. The glass slipped from Lena's fingers and Kara caught it before it could spill. Kara sat the glass down and turned to her girlfriend. It looked as if she fell asleep standing up. "Lena," Kara said gently touching her arm.
Lena jerked at the touch. She frowned when she realized she wasn't holding her glass anymore. "I'm fine," Lena said automatically.
Kara pulled Lena into her arms. "You're exhausted Lena," Kara muttered. "Go take a bath and relax. I can clean up here."
"Will you join me?" Lena questioned. Kara's eyes met hers. "It doesn't have to mean anything. I mean… not for sex. I fear once I'm in the bathtub I may drown."
"Okay," Kara agreed. "Go, get it ready and I'll clean up here."
Lena headed down the hall while Kara sped through the penthouse. In a few short minutes the entire penthouse was spotless. Kara tossed the dirty towels into the laundry area before heading to the bedroom.
Kara peaked into the bathroom and found Lena was still filling up the tub and adding something, Kara had no idea what, but she could smell lavender. She went back to the bedroom and stripped off her clothes before grabbing a robe. It was too strange to walking around naked. She tidied up the bedroom a bit, including laying out pajamas for herself and Lena.
She walked back to the bathroom and found Lena in the tub with her eyes closed. Her body was covered by the bubbles. Kara wondered if that was on purpose, to make her feel more comfortable. Kara took off her robe and made sure to rattle the door as she hung it up. She didn't want to startle Lena with her presence.
Lena didn't open her eyes at Kara's presence. Instead, she shifted forward so Kara could climb into the bathtub behind her. Once Kara was settled she leaned back and sighed in contentment. "It's been a long day," Lena muttered.
"Do you regret letting Sam, Alex and Ruby come over?" Kara asked. She wasn't sure what to do with her hands so she left them on the sides of the bathtub. It didn't feel appropriate to touch Lena without her consent, even if they were both naked.
Lena sensed Kara's hesitation. Lena grabbed Kara's hands and placed them on her thighs. "It's okay to touch me Kara," she said softy. Lena leaned back and laid her head against Kara's shoulder. "But to answer your question, no. I don't regret having them over. It was fun, just tiring."
"I don't experience tired the same way you do," Kara said with a small frown. "I get physically exhausted when I overdo it… but other than that… nothing."
"It's not your fault I'm tired," Lena said. She put her hands over Kara's and squeezed. "There's a lot going on and with Cadmus on top of that…"
"I'm sorry," Kara said automatically.
Lena sighed. If there was one thing she could change about Kara… it would be her intense feelings of guilt every time something went wrong. It didn't matter if Kara was to blame or not, she always blamed herself. It was endearing and infuriating at the same time.
"Kara, you have nothing to apologize for," Lena said firmly. "Cadmus hates me just as much as they hate you. Even if we weren't involved, they would still be trying to kill me."
"You're certain it's Lex then?" Kara asked. She wrapped her arms around Lena's waist.
"Not completely certain but it is likely," Lena said. "It's possible my mother is also involved. I wouldn't be surprised if either one was trying to kill me."
"You know, years ago, when I learned about Kal's falling out with Lex…I wondered how Kal could give up on a friend like that. It made no sense to me. I would never give up on a friend like that," Kara said fiercely. "But then I learned about what Lex had done to you and how he wants to hurt you and it makes sense. I'll never forgive him for wanting to hurt you. He's the first person I've ever wanted to kill," Kara confessed.
Lena pulled away so she could turn and face Kara. She gently touched her cheek. "You're not going to kill Lex," Lena told her. "It would destroy you to kill someone, even if Lex deserves it. You're not going to kill him," Lena repeated. "Because I am."
"Lena," Kara started to protest.
"Kara, you can't change my mind about this," Lena said firmly. "Lex must be stopped and we've already seen that a prison won't hold him. He has to die and I won't put that on your conscience."
They sat in silence for a while. It had come to the point where they simply had to agree to disagree on how to best handle Lex. It wasn't the best scenario but the last thing Lena wanted to do was fight with her girlfriend over someone like Lex.
"We need to talk about your birthday," Lena said after a while.
Kara shook her head. "We don't have to do anything," Kara said quickly. "There's too much going on to worry about a birthday."
Lena sighed. "It was going to be a surprise but I can see now a surprise isn't the best with everything going on," Lena said.
"I don't understand," Kara admitted. "What are you planning?"
"A party, for your birthday," Lena answered. "As much as I wanted it to be a surprise, this may be better. I wasn't sure if you would prefer and small or large party."
"I haven't had a party since I came to Earth," Kara said thoughtfully.
"Why not?" Lena asked. It didn't make much sense to her. She couldn't see Eliza refusing to throw her a party. She'd never met Eliza but she could tell how much the woman loved Kara.
"Eliza threw a party for me for my first Earth birthday. No one showed up other than some of Alex's friends. I wasn't popular, I struggled with my powers and everyone saw me as the weird kid, which was true to an extent," Kara said. "Anyway, after that I begged Eliza to throw anymore parties."
Lena squeezed Kara's hands. "I'm so sorry Kara," she said. She wished she could go back and smack all the kids that made fun of Kara.
"It's okay," Kara said. "Back then, parties weren't a good idea. I couldn't control my hearing and the noise was painful."
"Would you rather have a small gathering?" Lena questioned. She was really glad she hadn't made the arrangements for a large party yet.
"Yeah, I think I would like that. Just you, me, Alex and Eliza, maybe Kal too if he isn't too busy," Kara said thoughtfully.
Lena nodded. "I'll get the invitations ready," she said. "Is there anything in particular you want to do?"
Kara shook her head. "Anything is fine, as long as there is a lot of potstickers."
Lena laughed. "I will make sure there's plenty of potstickers for you," Lena promised.
Kara beamed as Lena shivered. The water had turned cold. "You need to get out of the bath," Kara said with a small frown. "It's much too cold for you."
"You're probably right," Lena said. "I'm getting tired."
Kara got out of the bathtub at super speed. She quickly dried off and covered herself in a robe. She grabbed Lena and pulled her out of the tub before she realized what was going on. She was wrapped in a towel to warm up. Lena dried herself off and took the robe Kara held out for her.
The two women made their way back to Lena's bedroom. Kara used her speed to get dressed. She turned the TV on and put a cartoon on for background noise. She liked having something to direct her hearing toward. Between Lena's heartbeat and the TV, she would fine.
Lena took longer to dress. She was exhausted and part of her was ready to climb into bed naked. But she wouldn't. Not until they discussed sex and Kara's boundaries. Her boundaries were far less important because when it came to Kara, she really didn't have any. Whatever Kara was comfortable with regarding physical intimacy was good enough for her.
Lena climbed into the bed beside Kara. Her eyelids were heavy and it wouldn't take long for her to fall asleep. Kara shifted so she could pull Lena into her arms. As soon as Lena was situated in Kara's arms, she was fast asleep.
Kara didn't go to sleep right away. As much as she wanted to, her mind just wouldn't shut off. She spent some time watching cartoons, something she hadn't done in a while because she never had the time. She also listened to Lena's heartbeat, knowing how comforting it was for her. Sometimes she needed real proof that Lena was alive and well. After an hour of watching cartoons, Kara relaxed enough to fall asleep.
Despite going to bed after one in the morning, Lena was up at six am. She was surprisingly well rested. She glanced at Kara and found her sleeping peacefully. Lena carefully pulled herself out of Kara's arms. She didn't want to wake her. Kara rolled over once she didn't have Lena to hold onto.
Lena left the bedroom and went straight to her coffee pot. The only thing she loved more than her coffee was Kara. She sighed in relief when she smelled the bitter aroma of coffee.
She grabbed her phone and headed out of the balcony. She dialed Alex's number, not realizing just how early it was. "Lena you better have a good reason for calling me at six in the morning," Alex growled into the phone.
Lena winced. "Sorry Alex," she said.
"It's fine," Alex said. Lena heard the familiar sounds of a coffee pot. "You owe me though. What's going on?"
"It's nothing really," Lena replied. "I told Kara about my plans for her birthday."
"You told her about the surprise party?" Alex asked. "I know the Luthor's were terrible, but the point of a surprise party is to be a surprise."
Lena laughed. "You're right but it's Kara's birthday. It didn't seem right to plan a party for her when I wasn't sure that was what she wanted. Turns out, I was right. She doesn't want a big party. Just us and your mother. She suggested Clark too, if he was available."
"I'll make sure Clark is available," Alex said firmly. "He's missed too many of Kara's birthdays."
"I have the kryptonite if you plan on threatening him," Lena offered. She was only partly joking.
"I'll take care of Clark," Alex repeated. "Just let me know when you have a date and place set."
"I will," Lena promised. "I'm going to call that alien bar later and see if they'll let me rent it out for the evening." She frowned. That had been her original plan when she started planning the party. But Kara didn't want a party. She wanted her family… and potstickers. "Actually no, I have a better idea. I'll call you this afternoon when I have everything settled. Bye Alex."
She hung up the phone after hearing Alex's confused goodbye.
She scrolled through her numerous contacts until she found the one she wanted.
"Hello," the voice on the other line greeted.
"Evelyn, it's Lena Luthor," Lena said.
"Lena," Evelyn exclaimed. "It's been a long time. I expected to hear from you a while ago."
"Do you remember when you said you owed me a favor?" Lena questioned. She didn't wait for an answer. "I'm ready to cash in."
"Now I am intrigued," Evelyn said. "Alright Lena, what is it you want?"
"I want to book your restaurant for an entire night," Lena told her. "I'll pay for all food and drinks, I just want the restaurant closed to the public."
"The closure of my restaurant," Evelyn repeated. "Interesting. The occasion must be a big one if you want to rent out my restaurant." She paused. "Who is the girl Lena?"
Lena blushed. She was predictable. She only did large gestures for those she loved, never for herself. "Her name is Kara. Her birthday is the 22nd."
"Okay Lena. The restaurant is yours from 4pm to closing. Email me a menu and how many people you expect," Evelyn said.
Lena sighed in relief. "Thank you," Lena said gratefully. "Send me an invoice. I'll see you on the 22nd."
The slider opened just as Lena hung up the phone. "Lena," Kara called. Lena spun around to see her girlfriend standing there with a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hear. You weren't in bed when I woke up and I was looking for you."
"How much did you hear?" Lena questioned. She wasn't mad. Kara's powers were instinctual and while she tried her hardest to maintain others privacy, it wasn't always effective. The fact that she was able to hide this from Kara for so long was impressive.
"Just the last bit about a menu and people," Kara said. She blushed. "And the mention of my birthday."
Lena sighed. "I was planning a surprise for your birthday. I should have known better," she muttered to herself. "The owner of Canton Dragon owedsme a favor, so I rented it out for the night of your birthday."
"Canton Dragon, as in the best and most expensive Chinese restaurant on the west coast?" Kara asked in disbelief.
Lena nodded. "Once I send in the menu, you will have all the potstickers you can eat, among other things," Lena told her.
Kara sped to Lena's side and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "Thank you Lena. This is a great surprise."
Lena laughed and hugged Kara. "I'm glad you're okay with this. I will be spending invitations out today to your mom, Clark and Alex. Are you sure those are the only people you want to celebrate with?"
"Ever since I came to Earth, I've only celebrated with Alex, Eliza and Jeremiah when he was alive. My friends don't even know when my birthday is," Kara admitted.
"Okay, just those," Lena promised. She pulled away from Kara. "One year, I will surprise you," Lena swore.
Kara grinned. "So you think. Eliza has been trying for years." Lena groaned. "I want to go by my apartment today," Kara said after a minute. "I want to start packing some stuff."
Lena's eyes lit up. "Really?" she questioned. She'd almost forgotten about their conversation the day before. "You still want to move in?"
"Of course I do," Kara exclaimed. "You still want me to right?"
"Yes," Lena exclaimed loudly. She frowned. "Are you sure you want to pack? I could hire someone to have your apartment emptied and cleaned today."
"I can pack far quicker than anyone you can hire," Kara reminded her. "And yes, I want to do it myself. I'm sure I'll get rid of most of my stuff and this will give me a chance to go through everything. I can donate a lot of what I have."
Lena nodded. "Well, let me change into some workout clothes and I can help you," she said.
"Wait, you want to help go through my apartment?" Kara asked surprised.
"Why not?" Lena asked. "I know you can do it faster on your own but I think it would be fun. Besides, it's not like you're going to let me stay here." She raised an eyebrow at Kara, daring her to disagree.
Kara didn't argue. Lena was right. She wasn't going to leave her here alone. "Okay," she agreed. "Go ahead and get ready. I can get ready after."
Lena didn't bother to shower. She assumed by the time they were done she would need to shower. She quickly dressed in some work out clothes. She checked her emails while Kara got dressed.
"Ready," Kara announced, exactly one minute after Lena loaded her emails.
"Give me one minute," Lena requested. "I just need to look through these emails and make sure there is nothing important." Lena scanned the emails and found nothing that needed to be dealt with right away. Later today she would need to hop onto her computer and answer some email but for now it could wait a few hours. "Alright, I'm ready." She looked up and eyed Kara's outfit. "Are we flying or driving?"
"Driving," Kara answered. "I can't fly with you and a bunch of boxes."
Lena snorted at the mental imagine. "Well, let's go."
They left the penthouse and headed for the parking garage. They got into Lena's car and they were off.
The drive to Kara's apartment was quiet, for Lena at least. Kara was busy listening to everything around them. She wanted Lena to be safe and she would do anything necessary to make that happen.
Lena pulled in front of Kara's building and they left the car. There was only street parking available. Lena wasn't a fan of leaving her car so vulnerable but at the end of the day, it was just a car.
They got out and they took the elevator to the fourth floor where Kara's apartment was located. Kara dug out her key when they got to the door. She unlocked the door and pushed open the door.
She heard a click when the door opened. Time stood still for her. She knew what the click was. She grabbed Lena into her arms and sped down the hallway just as the bomb went off.