A/N: This is it! The end. For now. We'll see if there is anything exciting enough in Supergirl to bring her back. Thank you for reading. It's been a wild ride with Sam, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
The morning was bright. The sun was shining and if she could hear them, birds were sure to be chirping. Sam groaned and turned over, pulling the blanket up to her nose.
Lucy chuckled next to her. Sam reached the hand not clinging to the blankets out for Lucy. The bed was empty though. Sam opened her eyes. Lucy was kneeling next to the bed, folding clothes and putting them into Sam's old duffle.
"Time to get up," Lucy sing-songed. "I already let you sleep in."
Sam sighed and rolled onto her back. She pushed the blankets off her. Without them, it was chilly in Lucy's bedroom. Not Lucy's bedroom. Not anymore.
The airbed wobbled as Sam scooted over to stand up. The bare room felt odd. She ignored it as best she could as she headed for the bathroom. Lucy handed her a set of folded clothes as Sam walked by.
The bathroom was likewise empty. All of Lucy's things were packed away and loaded up for the drive to Miami. A heavy sadness solidified low in Sam's stomach. It consumed any excitement she had. As she brushed her teeth, Sam reminded herself that Miami was the right decision for her. It was going to be better for her happiness, and Lucy's, than National City. It wasn't forever. Just for now.
"Help me fold this up," Lucy said as Sam came out. Sam put her sleep clothes in the duffle and joined Lucy who was slowly rolling up the air mattress to get all the air out. When they finished, Lucy said, "Will you put this in the U-haul? I'm going do a walk through to make sure we aren't leaving anything. Do we need to head over to your place to do the same?"
"No," Sam said as she took the air mattress. "I did it before the party last night. Everything there now is Alex's or my mom's. My mom is going to pack it all up and get it to Alex's for me."
"Alright. I'll meet you outside then," Lucy said.
Sam walked slowly out of Lucy's house. It had not been a long time ago that she started spending time there but all that time was infinitely important to Sam. Once outside, she opened the back of the U-Haul and placed the air mattress in a nook that would keep it from moving around as they drove.
The drive was going to be long. 39 hours long to be specific. Sam was not looking forward to it but Lucy said they would stop enough times to make it fun. Like a road trip. Sam was not convinced.
They would drive through Joshua Tree and stop in Phoenix for the night. Then through Tucson and El Paso. They'd drive through and stop in Austin next. On through Houston to Baton Rouge. Lucy was most excited for this stop. Panama City was their next stop. Lucy promised they could stay two nights there to break up the journey a little more. Then it was down the entirety of Florida. On and forward until they hit Miami. A 39 hour drive broken up into a week.
Sam sat on the back end of the U-Haul truck, waiting for Lucy. She checked her watch. Alex, Kara, and their mom should be there by now. Lucy was also taking longer than it should to walk through her place. Sam got up and went back in.
Lucy was standing in the foyer, looking back into the house. Sam stood next to her and put her arm around Lucy's waist.
"I'm gonna miss this place," Lucy said. "This was the first home I've ever owned. A milestone come and gone."
Lucy sighed, long and sad. She turned and smiled at Sam when Sam pulled Lucy closer to her. "It's gonna be great in Miami though. A whole new start!" Lucy said.
"I'll follow you anywhere, Lucy." Sam said.
Their quiet moment was interrupted by Kara. She burst in the front door at her clumsy human-speed run. "I am SO sorry! We're totally late because of me. I overslept! I'm sorry!"
Sam jumped and Lucy laughed. They both turned to Sam's sister. "It's okay. There wasn't much to help with anyway."
"Are you sure?" Alex asked as her and their mom followed Kara in. Lucy nodded. "Well, alright then. Sorry anyway."
"This is it then," their mom said. She smiled and stepped up to Sam with her arms held out. Sam stepped into them. "Be sure to call often so we know you're safe."
"I will, Mom," Sam assured her.
"What? No," Kara started. "Let's get breakfast or something. It can't be time yet!"
Sam kissed her mom on the cheek as she disengaged from their embrace. She looked at Kara as Lucy gave their mom a hug as well. "We gotta get on the road. Lucy has us on a tight schedule so we can hit Joshua Tree for a hike and then get to Phoenix before too late."
Kara started to pout. Sam laughed. "I'm not ready for you to go yet," Kara said.
Sam rolled her eyes but pulled Kara into a hug. It was long and squeezy and Kara rocked them from side to side. Sam stayed in the embrace as long as Kara needed. Her sister needed the physical touch as the goodbye. Words weren't going to cut it for Kara.
"I'll miss you so much," Kara said. Words weren't enough but they were part of the deal too. "The other day I timed it. It's only takes me 2 hours to get to Miami if I really push myself."
Sam pulled away to look at Kara. She smiled. Of course, Kara timed the route. "How many times did you do it?" Sam asked.
Kara shrugged with her hands comically splayed out wide. "Just like…two or three times. I had to be sure what the best route was and how fast I could get there. Okay, maybe like five times."
They all laughed. Sam shook her head and pulled Kara into another, more brief hug. These were the kinds of things that drove Sam nuts but she loved. Only Kara.
"I don't know how much I'm really going to miss you, Kara." Sam said. Kara's face started to fall but Sam pushed on quickly. "I feel like you're going to be visiting more than you have here."
"Don't tempt her," Alex said as she stepped between Sam and Kara to hug Sam. "It will still take the rest of us the commercial flight time of four and a half hours." Alex smiled and bobbed her head side to side. "I checked too."
Sam hugged Alex. She had never felt so surrounded by pure love. There had been times, especially in the past year, that Sam was aware of how much she was loved. It was always tinged with something else though. Fear, concern, anger, stress. This was just love. Maybe a little sadness at having to leave but Sam only felt the love from her family.
The five women talked and dragged out the moment for as long as they could. It was Sam who hurried them along. There wasn't much more of this goodbye that she could take. It was a heavy moment. Happy and loving but heavy all the same.
Lucy climbed into the driver seat. The engine of the U-Haul rumbled to life. Sam rolled down the passenger side window. Alex, Kara, and their mom all stood on the sidewalk.
"I love you guys," Sam said.
"We love you too, Sam. And you too, Lucy!" Kara said. Their mom waved as she linked her other arm with Kara's.
Alex stood off just a step from the other two. She met Sam's eye with a sad smile and wave. If Sam was pushed to say, it looked like Alex's eyes were getting watery. Sam felt it too. She waved as Lucy took the truck out of park and they started to drive away. Sam leaned out the window for one last wave as Lucy put a hand out her side to wave.
Then, Sam sat back in the seat. She took a deep breath as the air came in through the open window. She looked at Lucy and smiled.
"On to the next chapter," she said.
Lucy glanced at her quickly. She flashed a smile. "On to the next, better chapter."
Sam nodded. This was it. Miami was the exact fresh start she needed. A solid relationship. A new, exciting job that pushed Sam to fulfill some of her potential. And, almost most importantly, space to cope.
Her life was still a storm, but it was starting to clear up. She was taking steps to be sure of that. Soon, she would find her calm. Lucy would help her. Alex and Kara too. They might be far but only in distance. Sam had never felt closer to them.