An Escape

Noodle Incident

"Lena! Hi!" Ruby's face lit up like the sun the moment she walked in through the door and saw her mother sitting side by side on the couch with one of her many Cool Aunts. Lena and Sam had turned around to greet Ruby and Lena's own face split into a grin as Ruby came closer.

"You're getting big!" Lena smiled in delight, tilting her head fondly as Ruby raced over to the couch.

"Isn't she?" Sam grinned proudly, then she got up first as Ruby raced into her arms for a bear hug. Lena was next up, Ruby racing around the couch to wrap her arms tightly around the Luthor.

"Oof!" Lena gasped. Sam wasn't the only one who was stronger than she looked. Sam, meanwhile, laughed. Watching Lena Luthor receive a hug was perhaps the cutest and saddest thing she'd ever seen, because the poor woman always looked so genuinely surprised when it happened (seriously, just how touch-starved was she?) but once she got over her initial shock, she was always very quick to start smiling and return the hug with the same verve with which it was given to her.

Once Ruby finally pulled away, she began to inspect Lena.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, tilting her head and looking at Lena intently.

"Yes, I'm fine," Lena smiled gently, then she turned to look up at Sam with grateful eyes. "Your mother has been a huge help."

"Glad to hear it," Ruby grinned up at her mother as well, who winked back at her.

"She'll be staying for dinner!" the older Arias declared proudly.

"Really? Awesome!" Ruby turned her excited gaze back onto Lena. Time and tragedy had taken nothing from her bright, happy spirit. If anything, she seemed even more lively now than she had last year, and it was as if time had changed nothing about her (except her height, which had increased just a little). Lena found Ruby's smile and positive energy infectious.

"It's so good to see you again," the Luthor told the younger Arias.

"And you as well!" Ruby promised sincerely. "It's been so long!"

"Too long, in fact," Sam chimed in, crossing her arms and smirking a little.

"That's accurate," Ruby nodded, still grinning broadly, and Lena gave a little laugh.

"How could I possibly go without first saying hi to my "niece"?" she asked and Ruby straightened her back, eyes filling with pride that Lena considered her a niece. To Ruby, it was more than just a cute or friendly remark, it was a sign of mutual respect and admiration. Ruby honestly did see Lena as something of an aunt, so to hear that Lena saw her as something of a niece was way cool.

"By the way, do you like my shirt?" Ruby asked playfully. It was a plain gray tee, but taped onto the front was a photo of the L-Corp logo.

"Oh my god," Sam embarrassedly hid her face in her hand.

"Well I had to wear it today!" Ruby defended playfully. "I had to show off a bit of my Luthor pride!"

"Your Luthor pride, eh? Is that what they're calling it these days?" Lena asked dryly, but she secretly found Ruby's shirt to be adorable. In her opinion, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, though Sam seemed to think otherwise.

"Just go get your homework finished, then you can start helping us make dinner," Sam sighed with an affectionate smile.

"Ok!" Ruby nodded a quick farewell to her mother and her "aunt" before scampering away to her bedroom.

"Well, she's lively as ever," Lena smiled as she watched the girl run off. She was so cute and sweet and kind!

"No kidding," Sam rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She was clearly surprised, and maybe even a little impressed, at the fact that Ruby had decided to show Lena a warm welcome not just by hugging her, but also by wearing an L-Corp shirt. It was then that both women briefly wondered if creating officially licensed L-Corp shirts would actually work. Would anyone wear them? Would it be possible to make a dress code around it? Probably so, but it would be a silly endeavor, so both Sam and Lena quickly put it out of their minds, but it was still an entertaining idea.