Author's Note: This is a gift for DearDead as part of the Secret Kalex Santa 2019 exchange over on AO3

Prompt: "Kara didn't think she was one to be jealous, especially not for her sister, but she has to face the truth — she's very much jealous of Alex's relationship with [new barista at Noonan's ? Maggie ? Kelly ? Lena ? A new friend ? I'm not picky]."

Kara checked her appearance in the mirror one last time before she headed for the door. The limo Lena had insisted on sending for her was set to arrive in a couple of minutes, and as annoyed as she was by it, she hadn't figured out a way to talk Lena out of it. The Rebuilder's Gala was a big affair, and Lena wanted all of the official representatives of the various LCorp subsidiaries to arrive in style. If Kara had her way, she wouldn't have gone at all. She knew the whole thing was supposed to raise money for people who had lost their homes during Reign's attempt to Kryptoform Earth a couple of months earlier, but Lena had been acting weird ever since she and James had split up, and Kara wasn't really looking forward to another night spent trying to decode whatever it was Lena was hinting at.

The only real bright spot was that Alex had agreed to go with her, but even that was soured by the fact that what Kara really wanted was to stay in with Alex. They'd been spending a lot of time together after things with Maggie had fallen apart, but since Alex had started dating again, Kara didn't get nearly as much time with Alex as she wanted. She felt a little guilty over how greedy she was when it came to Alex, but she knew Alex would eventually find someone who would be perfect for her, and Kara knew that when that happened, she would never get as much time with Alex as she wanted. Not that she did now. Not that she really had since they were in high school.

It was honestly one of the things that made her so uncomfortable on Earth. The obsession with having your own house or apartment. Back on Krypton, it wasn't uncommon to have hundreds of members of your House living in the same building as you. The House of El Citadel in Argo had almost a thousand individual residences, each of them filled with various cousins and members of the House. If they were back home, Alex would never be more than a few minutes' walk away. Not that she was more than that now, but it was different. Kara had to maintain her cover, had to conceal her powers, so just popping in any time she wanted was out of the question.

Of course, she wouldn't be happy with Alex just being in the same building either. She missed sharing a room with Alex. She lived for the nights Alex crashed at her place, which happened a lot after the breakup, but which were vanishing the more Alex dated. She wanted to say something, to tell Alex how much she missed all the time they were spending together, but she wanted more than anything for her sister to be happy, so she'd kept her mouth shut, and as much as it killed her, that was what she was going to continue to do.

Her phone beeped at her, letting her know the limo was downstairs, so Kara grabbed her purse, and headed for the door, trying to push down her mood, and put on a smile on her face. She got to spend the night with Alex, and that would have to be enough, even if she did have to share their precious time together with a room full of people.

"Hey," Alex said as she slid into the limo, and Kara felt her earlier mood lighten up the way it always did when Alex was around.

"Hey. You look great," Kara said, because it was true. Alex was wearing a black crushed velvet tuxedo over a strapless black corset with gold closures on the front that left a thin line of skin visible down her torso between the two sides of the corset.

"Thanks. The girls at the DEO can work miracles with Kevlar and polymer composite."

"So, how many guns do you have?" Kara asked.

"Just one," Alex said.

"So three?" Kara asked.

Alex stuck her tongue out, and Kara laughed as she reached up and touched the intercom. "We're ready."

The limo started moving as Kara leaned against Alex. Alex frowned slightly and put an arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"I don't want to go tonight," Kara said. "Are you sure we can't just go back to my place and watch The Great British Bakeoff?"

Alex pressed a kiss to her temple. "Lena made me promise I would deliver you to the party."

Kara burrowed against Alex's and laid her head on Alex's shoulder. "She's still mad at me."

"She's mad at Supergirl," Alex said. "I'm pretty sure she *really* likes Kara Danvers."

"She's been acting weird ever since she and James broke up."

Alex snorted. "I wonder why?" she asked in a dry tone.

"You think she's figured out I'm Supergirl?"

"No," Alex said. "I don't think that's it."

"What do you think it is?" Kara asked.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Alex said, and Kara wasn't sure, but for whatever reason, she thought Alex sounded just a little bit sad about it. Before Kara could ask though, Alex rubbed her shoulder, and said, "Tell me about this new story you're working on."

Kara smiled and started talking, all thoughts of Lena pushed out of her head as she focused on telling Alex about the exposé she was working on.

Lena checked her smartwatch and smiled as she got the text from the limo service that Kara was less than five minutes from the venue and headed for the lady's room to touch up her makeup. Tonight was a big night for her. Not only was she hosting a charity Gala that was sure to bring a lot of much-needed exposure to LCorp's philanthropic efforts and hopefully wash away that last bit of taint to her reputation left by the Daxamite invasion, but it was the night she planned on finally getting what she'd wanted for a long time.

Lena had been taken with Kara pretty much the moment they met, but had shelved those feelings and done her best to settle for friendship because she'd always thought Kara was straight. It was a notion she'd been disabused of not so long ago. They had been having lunch, and the topic of crushes had come up, and Kara had casually mentioned that her first crush had been on her dance instructor. A small blonde woman who Kara had spent a good ten minutes rambling about, talking about how graceful and elegant she was without a moment's hesitation or awkwardness.

Lena had ended things with James the next day, because while she did care for him, even the possibility of Kara was more thrilling than what she felt for him. Since then, Lena had done everything she could think of to test the waters. She'd let drop that she'd dated a girl through most of boarding school. She'd dropped hints that she would be open to a relationship. She'd made a deliberate effort to seek out the physical contact that she'd often avoided in the past because she'd thought there was no chance of a relationship with Kara.

All of it seemed to have gone right over Kara's head, which wasn't entirely surprising. Kara was brilliant and funny and kind and beautiful, but one of the first things Lena had noticed about her was that she often missed some fairly obvious social cues. Or, at least, social cues Lena thought were obvious. Lena wondered how much of that might be her more refined social training, and how much of it was just Kara.

It didn't really matter much, Lena supposed, because she was sure she'd found the key to getting what she wanted. One thing Lena knew beyond doubt was that Kara was the jealous type. All anyone had to do to find that out was mention the name Siobhan Smythe in her presence. It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. The night the name had come up, Maggie had mentioned that she was pulling extra hours because Siobhan was being transferred to a new Metahuman women's prison, and she was supervising the prisoner transfer. Kara had spent almost fifteen minutes going on at length about how terrible Siobhan was. By the end, Maggie has quietly joked that she might need to help Siobhan get a restraining order against Kara. Something which had earned her a glare from Kara, and an elbow to the ribs from Alex.

Lena was planning on using that to her advantage tonight. Just a bit of flirting, blatant enough that Kara couldn't miss it, and directed at someone Kara knew for certain would be receptive to female attention, and it should provoke the desired reaction. And Lena had the perfect target in mind. Someone Kara always paid attention to.

Alex forced herself to smile as she led Kara into the Gala. She would rather be anywhere else in the world right now, because she had a pretty good idea what Lena had planned for the evening. The woman hadn't exactly been subtle about her interest in Kara. At first, Alex had thought she was seeing things because she was just out of the closet, and her own gaydar wasn't really especially well-tuned, but one night, not long before the whole Daxamite invasion, Maggie had turned to her and asked, "You do realize Lena wants to do unspeakable things to your sister, right?"

Alex had admitted that she had picked up on it but was afraid she was imagining it. Maggie had assured her she wasn't. After that, Alex had kept a much sharper eye on Lena. She'd breathed a sigh of relief when Lena and James had become an item, just because it meant that Kara was safe.

She'd thought, at the time, it was because there was some lingering caution over Lena being a Luthor, but she knew better now. It had taken her a long time to figure it out. Not as long as it had taken her to put together her own sexuality, but longer than it should have.

It was the adoption portfolio that had clued her in. She'd spent hours and hours poring over it, picturing herself with a child, picturing herself as a mom. Kara was always there, helping her, because Alex didn't even want a future where Kara wasn't in the picture. But one night, she'd been sitting at her desk, thinking about it. Thinking about her daughter's first soccer game. She pictured the little girl scoring a goal, pictured herself and Kara both jumping up and down in excitement. She hadn't even thought about it when she imagined turning and kissing Kara in celebration.

The freak out that had followed had been surprisingly mild, but once she'd realized she had feelings for Kara, she'd started dating again, because she knew that letting those feelings stew would lead nowhere good. Kara wasn't interested in her. Why would she be? Kara could have anyone she wanted, and Alex couldn't exactly compete with a billionaire who could give Kara anything she wanted.

And over the last few weeks, Alex had watched as Lena made it very clear that she wanted Kara. Alex wasn't sure what it was that had precipitated the change in Lena. All she knew is that Kara and Lena had gone out for lunch, and the next day, James was history, and Lena was acting like a cat in heat every time Kara was around.

Thus far, Kara had mostly just frowned at the flirting, and Alex had managed to force herself not to laugh at the frustration in Lena's eyes every time one of her come-ons sailed entirely over Kara's head. She'd taken a certain perverse satisfaction in how off the mark Lena was every time she tried to catch Kara's attention.

Lena was trying to woo Kara with expensive meals, shows of power and wealth, titillating innuendos and a bit of well-displayed flesh. If Lena had asked, Alex would have told her that was the wrong approach. If you wanted to get Kara to fall in love with you, you needed to understand that Kryptonians built relationships on different things than humans did. They valued comfort, security, companionship, partnership, and above all, intimacy. Not physical intimacy, but emotional intimacy. The sharing of thoughts and feelings without barrier. Lena could have saved herself a lot of money if she'd realized the way to Kara's heart involved a night on the couch in a dim room with potstickers, chocolate chip cookie dough, and long conversations about all the messy, painful parts of life.

Of course, Alex's insider knowledge would be useless once Kara actually realized her best friend was interested in her. Kara had a way of getting what she wanted and what she needed out of people, and once she realized Lena was an option, Alex knew she'd have no problems steering her in the right direction. And Alex was sure Lena had some plan concocted for tonight to get Kara's attention.

Kara felt a strange tension radiating from Alex as they made their way across the ballroom, and glanced over at her, wondering what was wrong.

"You okay?" Kara asked.

"You know me. Not a big fan of fancy parties and hanging out around bazillionaires," Alex said.

"Well, I'm glad I'm only a billionaire then," Lena said from behind them.

Kara turned to see Lena standing there in a royal blue off-the-shoulder evening gown with a sweetheart neckline, a slit up one side and an impressive amount of cleavage on display. It was the kind of dress Cat had always called a hunting outfit, and Kara wondered, briefly, who Lena was after that night.

"Hello, Lena," Alex said.

"Hello, Alex," Lena said, flashing a huge smile as she did. "Kara," she added in an almost distracted voice, her eyes never leaving Alex.

"You're right on time," Lena said. "The band is just about to start playing, and as tonight's host, I'm expected to dance the first dance."

"Oh," Alex said. "I'm glad we didn't miss that."

"So am I. Since James and I split up, I don't have a partner, so you being here is going to save me from having to get pawed by some bazillionaire with wandering hands."

"What?" Alex asked, confusion in her voice.

Lena reached out, her hand closing lightly around Alex's arm. "Come dance with me," Lena said in a soft voice. Kara frowned, because it almost sounded like Lena was flirting with Alex.

"Um… I don't dance," Alex said, a slight panic in her voice.

"I'll lead," Lena said. "Come on."

Alex looked over at Kara, slightly panicked.

"Lena, if you need a dance partner, I'll do it," Kara said.

"Nonsense," Lena said. "I know you always want to make a quick pass at the buffet when you first arrive. And honestly, it would be a crime if I didn't get at least one dance with such a gorgeous woman."

Kara stared at Lena, dumbstruck by what she'd just said. It wasn't that Lena was wrong, Alex was pretty much always the most beautiful woman in the room wherever they went, but Kara had never seen Lena be so brazen before. The sheer shock kept her from saying anything as Lena practically dragged a panicked Alex away from her and out onto the dance floor.

She watched as Lena took one of Alex's hands and guided it to her shoulder, then rested her own hand on the swell of Alex's hip before taking her other hand. The band seemed to take this as their cue and started to play a waltz, and Kara stood there, completely baffled as she watched Lena start to lead Alex around the dance floor.

"What's going on here?" Alex asked as Lena led her around the dance floor.

"I would have thought that was obvious," Lena said. "I'm dancing with a beautiful woman."

"Um… Thank you," Alex said. "But why?"

"Why not?" Lena asked. "We're both single, both available, but healthy adults with certain needs."

"Lena…"

"You're smart, you're beautiful, you're strong, your eyes don't glaze over when I talk about science, you get along with all my friends. Is it really that hard to believe I'd be interested?"

"Considering the way you've been chasing after Kara the last few weeks, yes."

"She's made it very clear that she's not interested," Lena said.

"So, what? I'm your consolation prize?"

"Not at all," Lena said. "The fact is, I like both of you. I thought Kara might be more receptive, given how close you are to Supergirl, but since she isn't, I thought I'd try my luck with you. And if you're not interested, well, it's just a dance, after all."

Alex stared at Lena as Lena led them through another turn. What Lena was saying made sense, in a weird sort of way. If she really thought Kara was deliberately ignoring her advances, then she could understand Lena deciding to move on, but Alex couldn't help but feel like Lena wasn't being completely straight with her.

Lena smiled at the latest turn in the dance let her get a good look at Kara's face. Her plan was working. There was a look on Kara's face that was almost pure rage. In fact, if Lena didn't know better, she'd swear Kara's eyes wear glowing. Now, Kara just needed a little push.

Lena leaned in, letting her body press against Alex. "You are so beautiful," she whispered into Alex's ear.

It did the trick. Kara started right towards them.

Kara watched helplessly as Lena dragged Alex away. She wanted to stamp her foot and yell, because the only reason she was even here tonight was because Alex had agreed to stay with her the whole night, and Lena was taking away her Alex time for some stupid dance. It wasn't fair.

Lena stopped them in the middle of the floor, and Kara felt a sickening knot settle into her stomach as she watched Lena's hand settle on the swell of Alex's hip. It felt familiar somehow. She couldn't quite place it, but it came with a nasty impulse to march out onto the dance floor and shove Lena away from Alex.

When Alex started talking, Kara couldn't help herself. She had to listen, to know what was going on.

"I would have thought that was obvious," Lena said. "I'm dancing with a beautiful woman."

The knot in Kara's stomach tightened a bit, and she felt nauseous. Lena was flirting with Alex.

"Um… Thank you," Alex said. "But why?"

"Why not?" Lena asked. "We're both single, both available, but healthy adults with certain needs."

Kara curled her hands into fists, barely able to control her anger. Alex wasn't some piece of meat who was just there to satisfy Lena's needs. Alex was… Alex.

"Lena…"

"You're smart, you're beautiful, you're strong, your eyes don't glaze over when I talk about science, you get along with all my friends. Is it really that hard to believe I'd be interested?"

Kara growled at the way Lena was so dismissive of Alex. Lena might be a generous, and she might be a fantastic engineer, but Alex could run circles around her in the life sciences, Alex was a tactical generous, and absolutely deadly in hand-to-hand combat. Alex was… She was Alex. She was amazing.

"Considering the way you've been chasing after Kara the last few weeks, yes."

"She's made it very clear that she's not interested," Lena said.

"So, what? I'm your consolation prize?"

"Not at all," Lena said. "The fact is, I like both of you. I thought Kara might be more receptive, given how close you are to Supergirl, but since she isn't, I thought I'd try my luck with you. And if you're not interested, well, it's just a dance, after all."

Kara's eyes narrowed as she realized why Lena had been acting so weird lately, but the fact that Lena was interested in her barely registered past her anger. How could anyone treat Alex like she was a fallback plan? Alex was wonderful and beautiful, and if she had the chance, she'd pick Alex over anyone, and she'd make sure Alex knew that, every day. She'd never stop telling her how special she was, and she'd kiss her at every…

Kara's eyes went wide as she realized what she'd just been thinking, but now that she had thought about it, she couldn't stop picturing herself out there on the dance floor with Alex, pulling her in close, leaning down and kissing her as their bodies pressed together. Or curled up on the couch at home, her head on Alex's shoulder, looking up at her just as Alex looked down, and on impulse rising up to kiss her. Or waking up to find Alex making blueberry pancakes, poached eggs, bacon and whipped cream, and kissing her in the kitchen.

She wanted to kiss Alex. She wanted to kiss Alex so much that the feeling was overpowering. She wanted to kiss Alex so much it was all she could do not to march out onto the dance floor and do it right then.

The knot in her stomach suddenly made sense too. It was the same knot she used to get when she saw James and Lucy together, or when Cat called Siobhan 'Assistant Number One'. It was the same knot she'd gotten in her stomach the first time she watched Alex and Maggie work a scene together, and the same one she got the day Alex had come out to her. The same one she got every time Alex mentioned some new date.

She was jealous, because she loved Alex, because she wanted Alex for herself.

How could she have missed it? How long had it been going on? Kara closer her eyes and thought about it, about every moment she'd ever gotten upset about Alex spending time with someone else. She thought back to the moment Alex had stopped talking to Vicki, and how relieved she'd felt, and realized that she'd felt this way for a long, long time.

Kara focused on Alex and Lena again, watched them as Lena led Alex through another turn, and she felt the first hint of heat behind her eyes as Lena's hand slipped a little lower. Lena leaned in and whispered, "You are so beautiful."

Kara was moving before she even realized it, her hands balled into fists, fighting down the burning behind her eyes.

Alex saw a smile spread across Lena's face and she glanced back, to see what she was smiling about, and saw Kara marching towards them with murder in her eyes. The moment she saw Kara's demeanor, everything suddenly clicked into place. Lena wasn't interested in her at all. She'd just been trying to make Kara jealous. It was kind of a relief because she had pretty much zero interest in Lena, but she still felt a little used, and more than a little angry at Lena.

She pulled back, breaking away from Lena.

"That was low, Lena," Alex said.

"I don't know what you mean," Lena said.

Alex rolled her eyes and turned around, hoping to smooth things over with Kara, and angry that she'd let herself be played so easily. Angry that Lena was careless enough to do something that might drive a wedge between her and Kara.

"Kara…" Alex said, but before she could say another word, Kara grabbed her hand, and started towards the door.

"We're leaving," Kara growled.

"Kara, wait," Lena said.

Kara spun around, and Alex found herself pressed against Kara's side, with Kara's arm tightly wrapped around her waist. "Find someone else!" Kara snapped, and Lena flinched away from the absolute fury in Kara's voice.

Kara spun them around again, and Alex found herself being practically carried towards the exit. It took her a couple of steps to get her feet under her, and she reached for her phone, pulling it out and calling the driver.

"Yes?" The driver asked.

"This is Alex Danvers. Kara and I are leaving. Meet us at the front of the venue."

"They're still unloading there ma'am. Pick ups are only allowed at the side entrance."

"Understood, meet us there."

Alex hung up and turned to Kara. "The limo's at the side entrance."

Kara didn't say a word as she turned and headed for the side door.

The limo ride back to her apartment was probably the most awkward time Kara had ever spent with Alex. Alex kept looking over at her, and Kara kept staring straight ahead, even after Alex took Kara's hand and laced their fingers together.

"You want to talk about it?" Alex asked.

"Can we wait until we get home?" Kara asked.

"Sure."

After that, Kara had been able to relax a little, knowing Alex wouldn't push until they got to the apartment, but she kept turning the whole thing over in her head. How was she going to explain this? How was she going to tell Alex why she'd gotten so angry without losing her?

"Whatever it is, it will be okay," Alex said.

Kara turned and looked at Alex for the first time since they got in the limo. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Kara, I love you, no matter what."

Kara gave Alex's hand a small squeeze and settled back as they turned the last corner before they reached Kara's apartment.

Alex closed the door, and carefully set the locks once they were inside Kara's apartment. She wasn't sure what was going on, though there was a small voice in the back of her head whispering things that were nothing but false hope and wishful thinking. Kara's reaction at the Gala had been strange, the way she'd pulled Alex against her side and told Lena to find someone else. It was almost enough to make Alex think Kara had been jealous of Lena. Which was ridiculous, honestly. But the part of her that longed for Kara, the part that ached for her, had latched on to the idea.

She turned around and saw that Kara was already curled up on the couch, and she sighed. This was going to be rough. Kara was even more upset than usual if she didn't stop long enough to get out the ice cream.

Alex headed over and sat down next to Kara, pulling her into a hug. Kara's arms slid around her waist and Kara's head rested on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Kara said.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"I got jealous," Kara said. "I saw you out there with Lena, and I got *so* jealous I just couldn't stand it."

Alex felt her heart sink a little. She wasn't surprised, not really, and she knew she shouldn't be disappointed. She'd been expecting this for a long time.

"I'm not interested in Lena, you know," Alex said. "If you want her, she's all yours."

"I don't want her," Kara said.

"What? I don't understand. You said…"

"I said I got jealous. I know I shouldn't have. Lena's my friend. But watching her touch you, watching her tell you she wanted you, tell you how beautiful you are. I hated it. I wanted to throw her into space."

"Why?"

Kara reached up and gripped one of the lapels of Alex's coat in her hand. "Because I'm always jealous of anyone who gets close to you," Kara said. "I didn't understand why, before. Not until tonight. But watching the way she was all over you, it made me realize…"

Kara stopped and buried her face against Alex's chest.

"Kara," Alex said as she reached up and tilted Kara's head back so she could look her in the eye. "What did it make you realize?"

"That I wanted it to be me," Kara said. "I wanted to be the one out there with you. I love you."

"You love me?" Alex asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"I know you don't feel the same way," Kara said. "And I promise I won't get in the way if you find someone. I just can't help it. You've always been there for me, and when I realized it, when I realized what was happening, I just lost control. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Alex said.

"What?" Kara asked. "Alex, I took you away from-"

"From a situation I didn't want to be in," Alex said. "Lena wasn't interested in me, Kara. She was interested in you. She was trying to make you jealous."

"Well, she did," Kara said.

"Yeah, but not the way she thought she would," Alex said. "For a genius, she's kind of dumb."

Kara laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, or a long one, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a genuine smile. "You're not mad?"

"No, Kara," Alex said. "In fact, I'm really, really happy."

Kara frowned. "Why?"

"Because now that I know you like me, I'm pretty sure you won't be mad at me if I do this."

Alex leaned forward and covered Kara's lips with her own in a soft, slow, gentle kiss. For a moment, Kara froze, and Alex wondered if she'd made a mistake, but then Kara responded. Her grip tightened on the lapel of Alex's coat and she deepened the kiss, leaning into it as her lips parted. Alex took that as an invitation and let her tongue slip into Kara's mouth. A moan filled the room. Alex wasn't sure if it was hers or Kara's, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered other than Kara and the kiss. It was everything she'd ever imagined it was would be and more. It felt like freedom, and it felt like home. It felt like every expectation, every demand that had ever been placed on her went away, and for that one beautiful moment, she could just be.

Alex was kissing her. Alex was kissing her, and Kara wasn't sure how that had happened, but she never wanted it to end. Alex was kissing her, and for a moment, the world went away. The screaming noise, the calls for help, the sirens, the people laughing and crying. For one blessed moment, there was nothing but silence and the sound of Alex's racing heart. For a moment, Kara felt nothing but peace.

When Alex pulled away, Kara chased her lips, not ready for the moment to be over, the illusion to be shattered. Not ready for the pain that inevitably followed any moment of happiness she found. Alex reached up and stopped her with a hand pressed against her chest, and Kara finally opened her eyes, to see Alex looking at her with her serious face.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked, terrified of the answer.

"I need to know where you want this to go," Alex said. "Kara, I… This can't be something impulsive or casual. I… When I lost Maggie, it nearly killed me. I got sloppy, I got stupid, I got reckless. For a while, I wasn't even sure I wanted to live. I don't think I would survive losing you. If this is just something you're feeling right now because you're lonely, or because you just lost Mon-El again, or-"

"NO!" Kara said, shaking her head furiously. "No. Alex, I didn't I realize it until tonight but thinking back, I've felt like this for a long time."

"How long?" Alex asked.

"I used to daydream about tossing Vicki Donahue into orbit," Kara said.

Alex laughed. "That long?"

"Longer, maybe," Kara said. "Maybe since the day we met. I remember looking up at you, staring down out of that window, and the whole world went away. But there are so many moments I could talk about when I only felt safe, only felt like I had any place here, because of you. You're my home, Alex. And it's just taken me this long to realize, I don't just want part of you. I want all of you, forever."

Alex stared at her tears welling in her eyes, and Kara could see the intensity of her own feelings reflected back at her.

"Can I kiss you again?" Kara asked.

Alex nodded, and Kara did, again and again.

Alex grumbled as Kara's phone rang again. Kara rolled away from where she'd been snuggled in against Alex's side and picked the phone up, sending the call to voice mail.

"You know she's just going to keep calling, right?"

"Don't care," Kara said as she rolled back over and curled up against Alex's side again, her hands tangling in Alex's pajamas.

They hadn't really done much more than kiss. Well, a feel or five may have been copped, but Alex hadn't really let it progress past the making out and groping stage. Not because she didn't want too, and not because Kara had been anything less than eager, but because there were things that needed to be said before they moved forward. Things that Alex didn't want to say, because they might destroy the happy little bubble that she and Kara had existed in for the few hours. At some point during those hours, they'd changed into pajamas, and curled up on Kara's bed.

It was been peaceful enough, until the phone calls started. Lena trying to undo her mistake. Kara wasn't having any of it, which made Alex smile, because Kara was adorable when she was being petty, but it also reminded Alex of how little time they had before reality interrupted.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked.

"I'm just worried," Alex said.

"You? Worried? That's never happened before," Kara said, a teasing smile on her face.

"Brat," Alex said.

"Your brat," Kara said.

Alex leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Kara's forehead. "Are you sure you're ready for everything that comes with that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean some people aren't going to be accepting," Alex said.

"I don't care," Kara said.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked. "Because-"

Kara pressed a finger to Alex's lips, effectively silencing her.

"I know, Alex. Foster sisters. A reporter and an FBI agent. An alien and the director of the DEO. I can think of a ton of reasons people will have a problem with us, and I don't care. I don't. I said it earlier. You are my home, Alex. If I get to have you, have a family with you, get to spend my life with you, then I don't care what anyone else says. I'll be happy, as long as I'm with you. I love you."

"I love you too," Alex said.

"Then promise me you won't let anyone take this from us," Kara said. "No matter who it is, no matter what they say. Promise me."

Alex looked into Kara's eyes and saw the hope and the trust there and did the only thing she could do. "I promise."

"Good," Kara said, as she lay back down, and snuggled in against Alex's side. "You get to tell Eliza."

"You know that will involve me waiting until Thanksgiving, then getting hammered, only to have the big reveal interrupted by a supervillain attack, only for mom to tell me she already knows the next afternoon."

"Your coming out was actually interrupted by a superhero."

"You're missing the point."

"And we didn't have a single supervillain attack this Thanksgiving."

"You say that like you getting knocked into a coma for Christmas was a better option."

"No, I didn't like that part."

"I didn't like that part either," Alex said.

Kara's phone started ringing again, and Kara let out a groan as she rolled over and picked it up.

"God, she's persistent," Alex said.

Kara sent the call to voice mail again.

"She's just going to keep calling."

"I could throw my phone into orbit," Kara said.

"You'd just have to replace it," Alex said.

"You never let me have any fun," Kara grumped.

Alex opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Kara's phone rang again.

Kara sighed and sent it to voice mail.

Alex plucked the phone out of her hand and typed out a text. "Please stop calling. I'm upset. I don't want to talk. I'll text you later." She held it up so Kara could read it. Kara gave a small nod, and Alex hit the send button, then tossed the phone on the bedside table.

"You know you don't have to be jealous, right?"

"She could give you things I can't. If we were on Krypton it would be different. The House of El and strong. Powerful. An El was always considered a good match. Here, I don't have anything to offer. Pretty much everything I have, your family gave me." Kara looked away. "I want this, I want you, but I know you could find a better match."

"No, I couldn't," Alex said. "You said earlier that I was your home. That goes both ways. You're my home too."

Kara turned so she was looking at Alex. "You really mean that?"

"I do."

"Will you get a 'Property of Kara Danvers' tattoo?" Kara asked.

"No," Alex said. "But if you really want, I'll get your crest."

"Can I pick the spot?" Kara asked.

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

"You tell Alura."

Kara smiled. "Done."

"That was too easy."

"She's five light years away, and the connection is spotty at best. You're going to have to drive up to Midvale."

"Oh. That's how it's going to be, huh?"

"Yeah. That's definitely how it's going to be."

"You're lucky I love you."

"I am. I really, really am."