The warmth of Lena's cheek pressed against her chin, the feeling of her breath tickling her ear, and the rhythm of their bodies swaying together in time was Kara's happy thought. Whenever the world was getting her down, whenever she laid awake in bed at night, worried about how she would defeat a villain, Lena would turn on a romantic song and they would dance until all the demons left Kara's mind. Her home was in Lena.
The third night of Hanukkah somehow seemed more magical to the women celebrating in the Danvers household. Maybe it was the globe lights that Alex and Ruby hung around the inside of the house that twinkled brightly, or maybe it was the soft music that Kara had chosen for their dance. All Kara knew was that she had never felt more content in all her life.
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", played through the home.
Kara pulled Lena in tighter and kissed her head. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's neck and stared deep into her eyes.
"If I had to take a snapshot in time of my happiest moment, it would be right here, right now," Lena whispered softly in Kara's ear.
Kara moved her hand to Lena's cheek and smiled sweetly.
"I couldn't agree more, Malkati."
"Hey, I still want a nickname for you in Hebrew."
"I still haven't figured out how to say potsticker in Hebrew," Kara said with an adorable chuckle and a little snort.
"You're my beloved."
"Ahuvati," Kara said. "My love."
Lena beamed. She gently stroked Kara's cheek with her fingertips.
"That's perfect. Ahuvati and Malkati. I love us, baby."
Lena grabbed Kara's face in her hands and kissed her lips tenderly.
"I love you, my queen."
Lena looked around, but there was no sign of Eliza, Ruby, Alex, or Sam.
"Hey, where is everybody?"
"They're helping me with something special."
"Oh, really? God, I love you and I love Hanukkah."
"You are so cute," Kara said.
Kara tickled Lena, and she squealed with delight.
"Okay, you two. Try to keep it together. They're children present," Alex said, walking in on their tender moment. She gave Lena a playful wink.
Eliza, Ruby and Sam all walked in behind Alex. Eliza handed a beautiful gold box to Kara and kissed her cheek.
"Everything is ready, my love," Eliza said to Kara.
Kara turned around and handed the box to Lena with a soft kiss on the lips.
"Malkati," Kara said, handing the box to Lena.
"Thank you, Ahuvati," Lena said.
"You two are adorable," Eliza said. "Come on. Time for presents."
***
"Time for the last gift," Ruby said.
Lena removed the lid from the box. The family surrounded her on the couch.
She pulled out four envelopes, a framed photo, and a small silver box.
Each envelope was numbered one through four. She looked up at Kara and grinned.
"Should I start with number one?"
"Perfect," Kara said.
Lena cleared her throat.
"Night three. Malkati, on this third night of Hanukkah, I am reminded of all the things that are most precious to me. You know how precious my family is to me. When you and I first met, your family had broken your heart so many times you were numb. You couldn't imagine a world where a family could love and support you unconditionally. Who could blame you? I remember the first year we met, I wanted so desperately to invite you to our holidays, but I worried you were too high above me. You were so classy and sophisticated and I'm just me."
Lena stopped and looked over at Kara. She shook her head and kissed Kara's nose.
"Really? High above you? You have always been so high above me. I love how wrong you are."
Kara leaned in and kissed Lena's neck. Lena giggled and continued to read.
"When I think back on our relationship from the beginning, the thing that has amazed me the most is the way you love my family and the way they love you. You and Alex were not always as close as you are now, but over the course of our relationship, you've found your bond to each other and that means more to me than you'll ever know. Understanding the pain your family inflicted on you made me want to share my family and all the love that they bring with them.
On this third night of Hanukkah, I present you with a picture of our family, letters from each of them, and a special gift from Mom to show you just how much you mean to us. Lena, you don't just mean the world to me. You mean the world to all of us and we love you with all of our hearts."
Lena's eyes filled with tears. She set the letter down on her lap and grabbed Kara's face. She kissed her lips lovingly, her cheeks were wet and flushed.
"I'm speechless," Lena just barely managed through her tears. "I am so touched."
Lena pulled out the photo. It was the picture they had taken that year for Thanksgiving. Eliza, Lena, Alex, Sam, Ruby and Kara stood together in Kara's apartment, holding each other close. It was the perfect photo of their new family. Lena placed her hand over the picture and her other hand over her heart.
"I love this so much."
Lena bit her lip to hold back her tears.
"Read the letters," Ruby said. "Number two is from me."
Lena put her hands out to Ruby. The cherub cheeked teen ran to Lena and sat down between her legs on the floor.
Lena opened envelope number two and cleared her throat.
"Auntie Lena, thank you for giving Mom the job at L-Corp and changing our lives forever. You are always there for us and we love you so much. Thank you for helping me with my homework and taking me to the best movies. When Mom was hurting, you were there. When we moved to Metropolis, we missed you so much, but now it finally feels like our family is complete. I hope you have the best Hanukkah. Now that you and Auntie Kara are together, we will have many more. Let me know if you need help with your Hebrew. I'm getting pretty good. I love you. Ruby."
Lena pressed the letter to her chest and beamed through her tears. She grabbed Ruby close and kissed the top of her head. She gave her another big squeeze.
"That was beautiful, Ruby. Thank you so much."
Lena pressed her hand to Kara's cheek.
"Time to open envelope number three," Kara said.
"That's us," Sam said.
Lena grabbed envelope number three and opened it. She pulled out the letter and read it aloud.
