Chapter Text
Lena woke to a cold bed. The sun fell across the sheets where Kara should have been. A sunlit absence. But it wasn’t warm. It was cruel and emphasising. Like an annotation of a Shakespearean tragedy, gone over with a highlighter.
She stroked her fingers across the empty space. Her hand trailed under the pillow and she stopped when she touched something small and cold. She pulled out the ring from the barmbrack. Kara had been sleeping with it under her pillow.
Lena rolled onto her back and brought the cold metal to her lips, squeezing her eyes closed as tears trailed down into her hair.
———
Kara stared down into the murky reflection of the ceiling in her tea. She put the mug down on the bedside table and sighed. Why did she get Irish breakfast tea? It reminded her of Lena.
She flopped back onto the stiff white sheets. After waking up at 9:00 the night before, Kara had stuffed everything into her suitcase and called a taxi to take her to the airport, booking a room for the night on the way. Being so close to Lena when she felt so far out of reach was too painful and yet she wasn’t sure there was anywhere in the universe far enough away to let her forget the sound of Lena crying.
Kara clenched her jaw to try to stop her bottom lip from wobbling and rolled out of bed. She threw open the curtains and winced at the bright light. It was a cold morning and there were dark clouds looming on the horizon but the sun had decided to shine down on Kara anyway, as though it was mocking her.
She picked up her phone and dialed the only person who might be able to stop her from falling apart right now. She started pacing the small room and biting her thumb nail as it rang.
Alex picked up, sounding groggy. “Kara, it is too early here. Can this not wait a few hours until I see you?”
Kara bit her lip to stop the tears from falling but her voice still came out wobbly. “I- sorry.” She sniffed.
Alex suddenly sounded much more awake. “Whoa, Kara what’s going on?”
A voice that sounded like Kelly said something muffled in the background to which Alex replied away from the phone, “It’s Kara. I think something’s happened - she sounds like she’s been crying.”
Kara sniffed again. “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to wake you and Kelly up.”
“No, hey, don’t be silly - it’s fine.” There was some shuffling around on the other end of the line. “What happened?”
Kara twisted a hand in her hoodie. It was old and worn and too big but it was her comfort hoodie. Her voice was small when she spoke. “I love her.”
Alex was quiet as Kara explained everything that had happened and for a long time after.
“Alex.” Her voice broke and she sniffed. “She feels like home.”
She heard Alex’s inhale.
“Ever since I lost mom and dad I’ve felt so lost, Alex. And you helped me so so much. I am so grateful to have you. But, Alex… this is the first time I’ve felt like I truly belong somewhere in a long time.”
After a moment, Alex spoke. “Then maybe you should stay.”
Kara’s face crumpled in despair and she sat on the edge of the bed heavily. “Alex-”
“No, I’m serious, Kara.”
She frowned. “But- I- Everything is in National City.”
“Like what? That job that I know you don’t really like and are only doing because Clark got it for you? The crummy apartment that costs way too much? The noise level you can barely cope with some days?”
Kara got up and started pacing again. “But-”
“Kara.” She stopped and ran a hand through her hair. “These past two weeks you’ve sounded happier than I think I’ve ever heard you. You’ve got a fair amount of money from your parents in the bank, and the ability to give yourself the life you’ve always wanted. I know it's a massive leap and a terrifying prospect to just move halfway across the world but, Kara, if this is a chance for you to be truly happy…?”
Kara bit her lip. “But what about you?”
“Well…” Alex took a deep breath. “I mean, Kelly and I obviously have an awful lot to discuss first, but… we were thinking of moving out of the city to start a family anyway?”
Kara’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you’re going to start a family? Alex! That’s amazing! … Are you saying you might move to Ireland?”
Alex laughed. “I said we have an awful lot of talking to do. So don’t get your hopes up just yet. But Kara.” Kara stopped bouncing up and down and bit her lip. “What’s stopping you?”
She looked around at her things in the little hotel room; the sun falling across an empty bed and the memory of how beautiful Lena had looked the morning before. How it felt to wake up with her in her arms.
“Golly, Alex.” She put a hand over her mouth. “This is insane.”
Alex laughed. “It sure is.” Kara could feel her grin through the phone. “Now go get the girl.”
———
The storm clouds were coming in thick and fast and by the time they were on the other side of Dublin, the rain splashing against the windows in kaleidoscopic drops. Kara bounced her leg up and down with nervous energy, watching the trees blur past as water poured down on the roof of the taxi like horses stampeding.
The taxi pulled up at the end of Lena’s drive 20 minutes later and Kara was clambering out the door almost before it came to a stop. She ran up the drive as the rain began to soak through her clothes and pounded on the door.
It was opened by a mildly shocked looking Sam.
Kara opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Sam smiled gently. “I’ll go get her.”
She disappeared back inside and Kara walked back out into the rain, biting her thumb nail and trying to think of what to say to Lena as her heart hammered in her chest. Why didn’t she prepare some kind of dramatic, romantic speech on the way over?
“Kara?”
She turned and gulped, standing frozen in place with the rain pouring down around her.
Lena hesitantly limped out to her. She stopped just in front of her and one of her crutches clattered to the ground as she reached up a hand, running it along Kara’s jaw as if to make sure she was real.
Both of them were soaked, water dripping from the ends of their hair, their noses, their eyelashes.
Lena ran her thumb across Kara’s bottom lip, following with her stormy green eyes. She looked up at Kara and they stood staring at each other, unmoving.
“I’m staying in Ireland.”
Lena’s chest heaved and time came to a standstill.
All at once Lena was in her arms, the other crutch crashing down in the gravel, and they were kissing. Lena’s feet were off the ground, her hands cupping Kara’s cheeks as the rain ran down into their kiss. They kissed each other hard, like it would be their last, but giddy with the knowledge that it was in fact the first of many more to come.
Lena pulled back and rested their foreheads together. Her eyes were still closed as a brilliant smile spread across her face, crinkling up her eyes in the way Kara loved.
Kara couldn’t keep the smile off her own face and watched as Lena opened her eyes. Surely they were the most beautiful green in the whole of the Emerald Isle.
“So.” Kara bit her lip. “Is that job still available.”
Lena closed her eyes and started to shake with laughter. She dropped her head to Kara’s shoulder and Kara joined in. Soon they were both laughing hysterically, overwhelmed with happiness and spinning around in the middle of Lena’s drive in the rain.
The taxi engine was still idling, the back door still open. The rain was pelting down against Lena’s house, a little probably getting inside the open front door. But Kara was only aware of the woman in her arms, looking down at her with sparkling eyes, hair plastered to her face.
“I love you.”
Kara grinned and leaned up to kiss her again. “I love you too.”
And she let herself be enveloped by the feeling of finally being home.