"Sanvers with a Big S and Sanvers with a little s," the barista in the coffee shop said as she held up a take-out cup in each hand.
"Those are mine," Alex said as she stuffed a dollar into the tip jar and took the cups, "Thanks so much."
"Thank you," the barista replied.
As Alex turned, Maggie was just inches away, her eyes narrowed. "Really, Danvers? Little s?"
With a smirk, Alex held out one cup to her fiancée. "Sure, because you're little."
Maggie grumbled, hesitating, but taking the cup. "If I wasn't thirsty and tired, I'd make you get me a new coffee with my actual name on it."
"Awww, you're so cute when you're grumpy," Alex cooed, trying to pinch Maggie's cheek.
"Quit it," Maggie said, slapping the hand away.
"Sam!"
"Right here!" A woman responded to the barista.
Alex and Maggie both turned at the sound of the familiar voice, seeing Sam Arias taking her coffee, a tip given with a smile, and then turning to walk past them.
"Hey, Sam," Maggie said.
Sam stopped, slightly startled before a smile returned to her face. "Maggie, Alex. I didn't even see you two here. How are you?"
"I'm a little s," Maggie explained as she took a sip of her coffee and pointed at Alex. "She's a big S."
"I...I'm sorry, what did I miss?"
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Alex explained. "We're doing well. Wedding planning is making us a bit nuts. How's Ruby?"
"She's making me a bit nuts," Sam replied with a laugh. "Kids. Hey, um...how's your sister?"
"Kara?" Alex shrugged. "She's good."
"Okay." Frowning, Sam took a sip of her coffee.
"Something wrong?" Maggie asked.
"It's nothing," Sam replied. "It's just that...It's nothing."
"It doesn't look like nothing."
Shaking her head at Maggie, Sam said, "I'm being silly. Maybe it's just my imagination but...hmmm"
Maggie and Alex exchanged glances, and the redhead leaned in a bit closer to the CFO and asked, "Your imagination about...Kara?"
Sam shrugged. "I mean, I don't know her that well. She and I worked together when Edge was trying to frame Lena for poisoning those kids, and we talked quite a bit. I got to observe her quite a bit. Oh, not in a creepy way. I'm a mom, so I need to know when my kid is trying to keep something from me. With Kara, I could tell she was hiding something, and I didn't try and pry, but she is not a good liar."
"Uhhhh…" Maggie took a quick sip of her coffee. "You know, Kara is pretty much an open book. She loves pop music, puppies, doughnuts, and reporting is her life. Yup, that's Kara Danvers in a nutshell. Nothing else to tell."
When Maggie elbowed her, Alex nodded. "Also she can't bake, she's a lousy driver, and a great singer. There, now you know everything there is to know about Kara. You can get an A+ in Kara Danvers 101."
"Well, that's not exactly everything, now is it ladies." Sam grinned.
"I...yes it is," Alex assured.
"So, you're saying it's my imagination?"
"Yes," Alex and Maggie said in unison.
Sam looked back and forth between the other two women and took another sip of coffee. "O-kay, if you say so. It's just...well, I guess if anyone would know, you would know, right Alex?"
"I...would definitely know because I'm her sister. I mean, there isn't anything to know, so I don't know anything."
"Hmmm. I guess. I was just so certain that Kara was…" Sam's phone buzzed in her purse, and she pulled it out. "Excuse me." She checked it briefly, sighing. "It's work. It's alway work lately. I have to get going. It was great seeing you both. We'll have to catch up soon."
"Sounds good," Maggie said with a wave.
"Yeah, maybe over the weekend," Alex said, trailing slightly after Sam so she could keep chatting a bit. "You can bring Ruby. We'll see if Kara is free, nice, normal, boring Kara who has no secrets."
Sam laughed, stopping with her back pressed against the door. "I'm still not so sure about that. I tell you what though. I'm meeting Lena for lunch to go over some final details for a contract. I'm going to pry a little bit and see if I can't get this secret out of her. Later!" With a wave and a push of her back against the door, Sam disappeared outside.
With a gasp, Alex spun to stare at Maggie who was just a few feet behind her and looking just as alarmed. "Fuck!"
"Go! Go!" Maggie said, nearly bowling Alex down as she made her way to the door. "Come on. We can't let her out Kara to Lena."
"So, what do we do?"
"Right now I'm panicking," Maggie replied, hurrying down the street as she saw the CFO. "Hey, Sam, wait up!"
Turning, Sam paused with a small smile. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Uh...don't talk to Lena."
"Why not, Maggie?"
"She, uh...she...Alex, why not?"
"Fuck," Alex mumbled. "Look, Sam, whatever you think is going on isn't going on, but you'll make things complicated for Kara if you tell Lena you think something is going on that isn't going on so just don't tell Lena what you think is going on is going on...because it isn't. Okay?"
After blinking several times, Sam replied, "I have no idea what you just said."
"Yeah, me neither," Maggie admitted. "Are we still discussing the same thing?"
"Stop helping, Sawyer," Alex grumbled. "Sam, Kara and Lena are really good friends. Kara cares about her, but things are just...complicated, okay? Just let this go. Can you let this go?"
"Really good friends, huh?" Sam sipped her coffee, her jaw working back and forth and her eyes narrowing. "Does this have anything to do with Lena's last name?"
"Kara does not care about that."
"Do you?" Sam asked.
"I trust Kara's judgment," Alex replied immediately. "Anyway, Lena has done more good for this city, for the world, than the rest of the Luthors have done harm. If people were really judging the name Luthor accurately, they're in the positives from all of the good Lena has done."
Squeezing Alex's arm, Maggie said, "That was really sweet, babe. We're still arresting Lillian when we catch her though."
"Federal max as soon as we catch her slippery ass."
Relaxing a bit, Sam nodded. "So, you're fine with Lena."
Alex nodded.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Maggie asked.
"No reason. Well, no reasonable reason," Sam replied. "Kara seems super."
Alex laughed nervously and took another sip of her coffee, mumbling into the cup, "Fuck."
"Kara's great!" Maggie said with a bit too much enthusiasm.
Brows furrowed and nodding at the detective, Sam gave a small smile. "Anyway, if everyone isn't opposed to Lena, and Kara is obviously...well, it's obvious, right?"
"No, it's not!" Alex and Maggie said at the same time.
"Guys, come on. The only thing more suspicious than Kara is the way you're acting right now. Don't you think we should just let the cat out of the bag? I don't think this secret is helping anyone."
"Sam, there's no secret. It's just...Kara is awkward and...words," Alex said.
"Words?" Maggie blinked several times. "Did you just say, words?"
"I...I mean Kara is awkward with words."
Maggie shook her head. "Apparently that runs in the family, Danvers."
"Look, are you really worried about me talking to Lena about this?" Sam asked.
"Yes, it would just be...awkward," Alex responded. "Please don't."
"Okay. How about I talk to Kara and convince her to talk to Lena? Better?"
"Ahhh...Maggie?" Alex's voice rose up an octave.
"Maybe we should call J'onn. Can we call J'onn? Can he fix this?"
Alex exhaled heavily. "I have no idea."
"Who's John?" Checking her watch, Sam said, "Guys, I really have to get to work. Lena has this expectation that I show up and help run the company she's paying me exorbitantly to help run so...talk later?"
"Sam, Sam wait." Alex swallowed hard. "Just...just don't say anything to Lena today, okay? Maybe you and I can talk tonight? Maybe we can clear this up, okay?"
"Fine," Sam agreed. "I think Lena sort of knows already and is ignoring it and being all Luthor self-loathing about it or something. That girl has a serious case of poor self-esteem. I mean, how do you spend any real time with Kara and not notice that Kara is…" Sam smiled, pausing slightly as the other women hung on her words. "...totally into Lena."
"No, she…!" Maggie paused in her denial.
Stumbling a half-step forward as she was literally hanging on Sam's words, Alex laughed. "Oh, my God. You're so right. She so is. Maggie, babe, isn't she? Weren't we just talking about that?"
"I uh, yeah, actually, we were just discussing that. You said if your sister were any denser, bullets would bounce off her skull." Maggie sipped her coffee, mumbling, "Or something like that."
"Yup, that's my Kara!" Alex smiled proudly. "She's dense and totally into Lena Luthor. What an idiot! I'm sure she'll figure it out soon."
"Not likely," Sam replied. "After Lena's latest near-death incident, and what is it with this city? It has got to be one of the least safe places in the country to live. Anyway, Lena was saying how lucky she was, and Kara just hugged Lena and called herself Lena's sister."
Choking on her coffee, Alex sputtered unable to speak.
"Wait, Kara sisterzoned, Lena?" Maggie asked.
"That's a thing?" Alex asked between attempts at clearing her windpipe.
"From your sister, apparently it is. How did Lena take it?"
"Uh...oddly well. I kind of went with it, but I wanted to smack them both in the back of their heads. I mean, they both have it so obviously badly for each other that—"
"Wait, wait." Alex coughed once more. "Lena too? Lena is into Kara?"
"Lena is totally into Kara," Sam assured. "Anything, any conversation, she can bring it back around to Kara. At first, it was cute. Then it became adorable. Now it's gone through annoying and into obnoxious. Every time I bring up Kara, and the word 'friend' explodes from Lena's mouth over and over..." Sam sighed. "I swear, I think lasers are going to shoot from my eyes."
"Okay, well this changes things, doesn't it, babe?" Maggie asked.
Sipping her coffee, Alex didn't reply. She just nodded ever so slightly.
"Sam, if Kara told Lena how she felt, do you think Lena would respond the same way?" Maggie asked.
Sam smiled, opening her mouth and then closing it. The smile fell off her face and then she said, "I'm not sure she would. Lena is really worried about collateral damage. Like I said, she almost dies a lot. Her family is a disaster. Lena used to avoid friendships just because of the Luthor name. It's amazing she's even letting people get that close now. I think she'd be too worried for Kara's safety to date her." Checking her watch, Sam added, "Okay, I'm running really late now. There is no way I'm going to make it to work on time."
"I'm really sorry, Sam. We shouldn't have—"
"It was for a good cause," Sam replied with an easy smile. "Unfortunately, I can't just work through lunch today because I already have a working lunch. I just wish I was Supergirl and could fly because it's the only way I'm going to make it on time. I've got to run...literally. Bye!"
"Bye Sam!"
"Lunch with Ruby this weekend!" Alex called as Sam waved over her shoulder and ran off. "Okay, that was much less terrifying and much more informative than I thought. Hmmm."
"I've seen that glint in your eye before, Danvers. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking my sister may be able to face down giant, fire-breathing aliens, but when it comes to her own feelings, she's a big old chicken. Lena Luthor is the most self-sacrificing idiot on this planet. If they're going to get together, they're going to need an intervention."
"And we're intervening?"
Alex nodded. "Call the team. Operation Kena is on."
"What did you just say?"
"We are getting my sister and Lena together in time for our wedding. It's not optional."
Maggie nodded. "No, no. I get that, and I'm on board. What did you call it?"
"Um...Operation Kena?"
Scrunching up her face in obvious distaste, Maggie shook her head.
"Okay. Well, how about Lara?"
"Better," Maggie admitted. "It just doesn't sound...epic enough for them. I mean this is the last daughter of Krypton and the last free Luthor. This is one of the greatest heroes on the planet, and a billionaire, heiress, genius, CEO of two Fortune 500 companies. This is like...Luthor...El...Kryp...Luth...Super...CEO...Corpor...Corp...CorpKryp...KrypCorp...Super...SuperCorp!" Maggie smiled victoriously at the chosen naming convention.
"SuperCorp?" Alex held Maggie's hopeful gaze for several moments then looked away, pulling her phone from her pocket. "I don't like it. It will never catch on. Let's call the team and get this party started."