The Gift

Chapter 8

Kara jerks awake when she feels a small, gentle hand tapping against her shoulder. She winces against the bright early morning light, startled by the little face mere inches from her own. Her nose wrinkles, catching a hint of chocolate milk on Lena's breath. Kara glances around at the otherwise empty bedroom, realizing she must have crawled into the bed at some point during the night. She frowns, sighing deeply through her nose.

"You snored last night," Lena states, the little one looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Andy said I couldn't wake you, though." Despite everything, Kara chuckles. The little furrowed brow, and the intense scowl, has Kara convinced that she could dress Lena in a suit and the board members at L-Corp would never know the difference.

"I'm sorry about that," Kara murmurs. Her voice is thick, scratchy from sleep, and it takes a few seconds for her to wake up properly.

"You were mean last night." Lena folds her arms across her chest, her bottom lip sticking out so far that Kara is worried Lena might actually trip over it.

"I'm sorry about that, too." Truly, she is. The last thing Kara ever wants to do is upset Lena, no matter what age she is, and she doesn't think she'll ever forget the look of betrayal on her little features last night. The apology seems to be enough for Lena and she slumps down next to her, using Kara's head as a pillow.

"Eliza is bringing cookies home," Lena states, fiddling with a loose thread on Kara's shirt.

"Oh yeah? Where did she go?" Kara asks.

"To buy cookies," Lena states, the duh very much implied. Kara laughs, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "Andy's here and said you were lazy," Lena adds. Small shoulders guiltily hike upwards when Andrea clears her throat from the doorway.

"I also sent you to get Kara out of bed," Andrea teases. She shoots Kara an awkward nod, "There's pancakes if you're hungry. Come on," she adds, turning back to Lena, "Your food will get cold." Lena grumbles, clearly comfortable and unwilling to move. Andrea and Kara share an amused glance. "Okay," Andrea sighs dramatically, "But I guess that means you can't eat any of the cookies."

Lena lifts her head, eyes wide with horror as she scrambles to get off of the bed and follow Andrea towards the kitchen. Kara listens as the little one promises Andrea the world in exchange for cookies, something tugging in her chest that she can't quite make sense of.

She grabs the first sweatshirt she can find and throws it on, yawning loudly as she makes her way out of the bedroom. Kara smiles softly as she watches Andrea cut Lena's pancakes into bite size pieces for her, Lena's little legs swinging idly as she perches on one of the stools at the breakfast table.

Kara sits next to Lena, quietly thanking Andrea for making food. Their newfound friendship, or whatever it is, is a little awkward, but Kara's relieved to at least have someone else in their corner. Even if it is her new boss. They eat in silence, Andrea seated opposite them, and Kara is happy to just have a quiet moment during an otherwise stressful week. Sharing an apartment with an excited five year old has proven to be a test of patience for the one with super sensitive hearing.

"What happened to the lady?" Lena asks around a mouthful of pancakes.

"What lady?" Kara glances at her distractedly, taking an uncomfortably long moment to realize what Lena is asking them.

"The lady in the story. Is she still sad?" Lena stares up at her, little brows furrowed and green eyes wide. Kara winces as she swallows too much food at once, glancing across at Andrea who seems just as wary to answer as she is. "Is she happy now?" Kara chews on her lip, blinking away sudden tears.

"She's very, very loved," Andrea murmurs, saving Kara from her attempts to form a coherent sentence. "She has a lot of people who care deeply for her, and will do anything to ensure she's happy." Her throat bobs as Andrea struggles to rein in her emotions, blinking a little more than usual. "Sometimes bad things happen to good people who don't deserve it, but I promise you that the lady has people who will always help her through it."