Sister, Sister: After the End
When Eliza invites the entire family to Midvale over Easter weekend, none of them offer a single squeak of protest. It's been a long few weeks of working on their own endeavors, with only infrequent, hectic teamups between them.
It's nice, Lena decides after dinner the first night. The warmth, the easy familiarity that sinks in as though it never left. But even so, she's grateful for a spare moment to snag a blanket and go out to the dunes, where waves crash steadily against the quiet of darkness.
She spreads the blanket out and lays back, folding her hands over her ribcage. Her magic fills her these days, and she can feel the power of the ocean tugging at her, as though inviting her to join its current. She can also feel the shifting energy of the sand beneath the blanket, and the sway of the reeds that obscure her from the view of the house.
She's not too difficult to find though, as footsteps whisper through the sand towards her. Lena closes her eyes, biting the smidge of irritation that creeps up on her unexpectedly.
"I'm fine," she issues pre-emptively. Kara settles down on the blanket next to her.
"Didn't think you weren't."
Lena's eyes snap open as her head whips towards Nia's voice. Not Kara.
She huffs a laugh. "Sorry," she offers readily. "Thought you were someone else."
"Mhmm," Nia returns. "Considering she's the only one able to get hold of you these days."
Lena grimaces. "I know, I'm sorry--"
"Me too," Nia assures her of no hard feelings. "I could have done more to make it happen. It's just been..."
"Busy."
"Yeah. It's a little crazy to think about, you know? I'm doing more as Dreamer for the foundation than I am as a crime fighter or whatever. And you're back to being on top--"
Lena scoffs a laugh that turns into a giggle as she turns her head to look at Nia. It takes a moment to click.
"Oh--! Lena! You know that's not what I meant!"
The light smack to Lena's ribcage only earns a throatier laugh. Nia joins in with a giggle of her own, and they laugh for a long moment before calming.
"I know what you mean," Lena concedes after a heavy sigh, returning to the moment. "The foundation is everything I hoped it would be, but--"
"It's different." Nia turns her head, and Lena echoes the movement to meet her gaze.
She nods. "Yeah. As much as I don't miss the entire world being in peril..."
"You miss how it was." Nia's voice is quiet. "Even if it's better now."
"Yeah."
They stare up at the stars for a long quiet moment. The sky is clear tonight, and the Milky Way spreads out before them in a wide, untouchable ribbon. A wave of nostalgia overwhelms Lena, and not just for the good old days. Sudden tears burn at her eyes.
"I miss my mom," she whispers.
Nia doesn't turn, but pats across Lena's hip until Lena reaches down to clasp the questing hand.
"Me too," Nia returns softly. Her next words curl with a gentle smile. "They'd be so proud of us though."
Lena chokes out a bit of a chuckle, which mostly sounds like she's being strangled. "Yeah." She squeezes Nia's hand. "She would have really liked you."
"Oh my gosh, are you kidding?!" Nia's voice lifts. "My mom would have gushed over you! Especially now with the whole earthy, witchy vibe you have going on these days. She'd love that."
Lena grins. "Could you imagine if they'd had the chance to meet?"
"Oh god." Nia covers her eyes with her free hand. "Inseparable. No embarassing childhood memory would be safe..."
Lena laughs, truly, as though she actually had memories with her mother to be embarassed by. In this fictional world they've created, she would.
"Hey." Lena catches Nia's gaze, and offers a wide smile. "I'm proud of you too."
Nia's lips pinch tight, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. All she can manage is a trembling nod, and a firm squeeze on Lena's fingers to reciprocate the sentiment.
Neither of them keeps track of how long they stay out there on the shallow dunes. They simply lay there, hands clasped, as the galaxy slowly swirls above them.
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Alex: *proudly* "I'm here to report that 'Operation: Lena-napping' has been carried out successfully! 😌"
Kara: "Oh that's great! She always works too hard and forgets to maintain a healthy sleep-schedule and she can be so stubborn when I try to ask her to take a break. So how did you and Nia manage to finally convince her to take a nap?"
Alex: "🤨"
Alex: "🤔"
Alex: "😳"
Alex: *dashes out the door without another word*
[Meanwhile]
Nia: *whistling happily as she drives around with a bound and gagged Lena in the back of her van* "Kara's gonna be so happy when she finds out we 'napped you!"
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