"Astra, you really need to stop making food in the middle of the night," Alex grumbles, rubbing her eyes as she blindly opens the bedroom door, squinting into the bright living room. But to her surprise, Astra isn't there and through the open door to her kitchen, Alex can see…is that E'hlan? In the living room, sat down on the sofa is Susie, looking nervous as Astra hugs two people tightly.
Wait, what? Alex rubs her eyes again, trying to understand what she's seeing in front of her. "I must be having a really weird dream."
"Hey Alex," Susie waves a little as the trio break apart, the two Astra's and the blonde all looking her way with the exact same face – but in a moment, Alex can pick out Astra and not just because of the white streak that differentiates her from her doppelganger. Her eyes brighten, edges thinning as her lips widen into a smile, her doppelganger instead looking at her curiously.
"Brave one, my sister and niece are both alive!" Astra proclaims and Alex doesn't find fault in how long it takes her to process that, still feeling emotionally numb from having just woken. Glancing at the clock, which she reads as two twenty – in what is presumably the morning – Alex looks to E'hlan in the kitchen, cooking up some form of stew that Alex had no idea they even had the ingredients for.
"Why?" She mutters, however, questioning the need for food before walking over to Astra and hugging her tightly. "Awesome, Astra, but it's sort of the middle of the night."
"Apologies, my love. Please let me introduce you to them if you want to return to bed, though."
"No, its okay, honey, I'll stay up. Just give me a second." Alex rests her forehead briefly on Astra's shoulder, breathing in deeply before kissing her lightly, stepping back. At Susie's cough and slight Look, Alex realises she's walked out of her room half-naked, only boxers and a t-shirt of Astra's – her Finding Nemo t-shirt they got in Disney the past spring – preserving her modesty. Grabbing a blanket from the sofa to wrap around herself, Alex properly looks to their uninvited guests.
"Hi. I'm Alex. You must be Alura and Kara."
Alura and Kara both nod, Alura glancing to her daughter before the older – ? – woman quietly murmurs in Kryptonian. "No, you go first. You're my elder."
"I'm really not," Alura replies, but turns to Alex, smiling warmly and honestly as she reaches out, resting her hands over Alex's as they hold the blanket around her shoulders. "It's an honour to meet you, Alexandra of Danvers."
You've been talking to Susie, Alex nearly replies, before trying to remember what Astra had told her about greetings, should this very situation happen. "Likewise, it's an honour to meet you, Alura of Ze."
Alura beams, glancing at Astra before wrapping her arms around Alex gently. Alex reciprocates, inadvertently wrapping Alura in the blanket as well as she keeps a hold of it. Susie can't conceal a little smile – or maybe she can, Alex knows she's different nowadays, training – and Alex lets Alura go, looking to Kara as Alura motions to her.
"Alexandra, my daughter, Kara Zor-El."
"Nice to meet you," Kara sticks out her hand, an Earth mannerism that Alex is far more familiar with. Grasping it, Alex can see the soft greys blemishing her fingers and wrist in particular and when she's shook it and taken her hand back, she finds that her hand has soft brushes of blue pastel chalk on her palm. "Oh! Sorry about that, so sorry. We've known for about a week that you guys lived together here on Earth, well, my mom's only known for a couple of days but anyway, I was working on a project before Susie gave us the final go-ahead to come over."
Alex shrugs, rubbing it onto the blanket, to Astra's obvious annoyance. "This needs a wash anyway, stargirl, don't worry about me staining anything else."
Astra huffs, before speeding away, returning shortly with a pair of flannel pyjama trousers that Alex knows she'll want later, if not now. Sighing, Alex swaps, looking to the kitchen as she changes, Astra dumping the blanket in front of the washing machine for the next load.
"Hey, E'hlan. How've you been?"
"Fine and dandy – I missed the take-over of National City, though. I wanted to help out."
In a moment, Alex looks to Susie, "You were there?"
"Mom had some experimental tech. I was fine. It all worked out," Susie comforts her, reassuring Alex of her worries, even though adrenaline still keeps her moderately tense. "Everything's a bit classified, but it led me to these guys."
"They fought the prisoners of Fort Rozz," Alura says, immediately rendering any happier feelings Alex felt moot. Heart thudding in her throat, Alex covertly looks to Astra, who has frozen, looking at Alura like a deer in the headlights. "Non was incapacitated and Myriad disabled. Brainiac Eight was imprisoned once more."
"Oh," Astra says softly, voice echoing briefly before E'hlan clears her throat.
"Uh, hungry Kryptonians to the kitchen? I've got barmussian soup."
Kara, for one, is quick to disappear into the kitchen, Susie slipping away. The door to the kitchen shuts, leaving Alex with the twins – which, frankly, even at this most awkward of moments, makes her blush.
"We're not here to hurt you, or betray you, Astra," Alura breaks the silence. "I- I do not regret imprisoning you, sister. If I had not, you would not be here today, living with someone you love."
"Thanks," Alex says in a high-pitched voice, quickly becoming embarrassed. Alura gives her a slight smile, amusement wafting across her features before she looks to Astra again, a different emotion taking over her face.
"Astra, I'd like to inform you, personally, that Lara of Van survived the explosion of Krypton."
Alex, who likes to thinks she's an expert in Astra's Faces, can decipher Astra's present face to include moderate amounts of shock, confusion, disbelief and angry, are you fucking with me?
"What? How? And for that matter, how did you all get off of Krypton?"
"Jor-El and Zor-El," Alura replies and Alex then sees that her knowledge of Astra's Faces also chances as knowledge of Alura's Faces. Small quivers at the sides of her mouth and rapid blinking, with short pauses – grief. "They knew what was coming. Jor-El did, at least. He and Zor-El activated a five-part fleet, directing them to Earth. Kal-El was in the first, Kara in the second and I and Lara in the fourth and fifth."
"And the third?" Astra questions, after a long moment.
"The ambassador was on a trip to Daxam. In what can only be described as a single moment of clarity, realising their imminent demise, Prince Mon-El tricked his younger brother, Rhu-El, into getting into the pod. Rhu-El landed in France and I was his first greeter. He was very confused, as we all were, but I delivered him to Lara and her wife, Lillian."
"She remarried?" Astra gasps, taking a few steps forwards. Alex, attentive and wanting to know more, sits on the end of the sofa, looking back and forth between the twins.
"Yes. Lara is now known as Lara Van-Elliot, married to Lillian Van-Elliot. Rhu-El is their son, however, he does not wish to be known as Rhu-El and has not been called Rhu-El for a long time – instead, he is known as Noel. As well, Kal-El is grown but still, Noel and he are close, brothers. There are difficult circumstances and troubles regarding how Kal-El was brought up by Kara, but it has been several years and both Noel and Lillian's daughter, Lena, have brought our families all together."
"It is…it is good to know she has a new life for herself, that she has found her path and surrounded herself with those she cares for. That you all have." Astra frowns then, looking at Alura sharply. "Why did you not know as soon as the others did, that I was alive? Did you not fight at Fort Rozz?"
Alura flinches.
"What happened?" Alex pushes, gaining Alura's attention. "You said you found this Noel kid in Paris – do you live in France?"
"I do, though recent events…my house has burned down, unfortunately, due to no fault but my own. I am in the process of officially returning to the United States, now knowing that my sister is alive and…and that my Lucy wants me to stay, even after my lies."
"Lucy?" Astra questions as Alex raises an eyebrow.
"Wow. Is bisexuality a genetic trait in your family?"
Alura flushes slightly, clearing her throat. "She is my soulmate."
Alex…doesn't take too long to figure it out. Suddenly vaguely angry, her voice flattens. "You lied about seeing colours, didn't you?"
"In a fashion," Alura mutters, sounding ashamed. She should be ashamed, Alex thinks, before forcibly calming herself down as E'hlan pushes a stray thought into her head. Leave Alura be. She has gone through a lot in the past few weeks.Alex wonders why E'hlan thinks Alex should leave her alone, but E'hlan is family and Alex'll heed her words – for now.
"You did not answer my questions," Astra says, clearly impatient. "Sister, what happened?"
"I…had a meltdown, quite shortly after Lucy discovered my lies over Skype. According to Mr Alfred, it was mostly a long time coming. I was deemed missing up until this past Wednesday, when Lady Diana returned from Themyscira with Lara after a period of healing-"
"Period of healing?" Astra interrupts, "What happened to Lara? Where is she now?"
Alura glares at her sister then, impressively hard. "Let me finish." Alura waits a moment, before letting up on her glare, breathing in calmly. "When the Lady Diana returned from Themyscira with Lara, after a period of healing after losing her powers during the battle against Non, she helped me return to my family. To answer your latter question regarding Lara, she is at the Alien Ranch."
"Alien Ranch?" Alex grins, "Sounds fun."
"It is Lara and Lillian's home," Alura explains patiently, but with an edge of humour to her voice. "Which, I might add, is where this years' winter holiday party will be held. You are both invited, obviously, as are Susie and E'hlan and your parents and brother, Alexandra."
"Woah, well, okay, that was out of the blue," Alex blinks, glancing at Astra. "We were planning to go to Midvale at Hanukah. I'm still in med school and I don't get out in time for Thanksgiving."
"Well, you may find you will be instead invited to join us at the Ranch by your parents, too, as they have already agreed to attend our celebration."
The kitchen door opens then and Alex shifts, tugging at the seam of her trousers so they'd stop itching her as she sits on them. Kara sticks her head out of the door, blonde hair swishing over her shoulder.
"Are you coming to have some-"
This is the moment where Alex realises something very important and sort of stops listening, focusing on the way Kara smiles as bright as the sun.
-the greatest lesbian love-story in America – except mine and Portia's, of course! If everyone could stand up and give a big old cheer for the proud partners and successful women in this heteronormative world…
"Holy macaroni on a swizzle stick, you're Cat Grant's wife," Alex stares, mind flipping back to the old, old rerun of the Ellen Degeneres Show she's watched again just yesterday.
Kara, artist extraordinaire and Cat Grant, Queen of All Media!
However, Kara's grin doesn't fade as she instead rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "And you're soulmates to an alien!"
"But you guys are the couple that made me realise I was gay," Alex stumbles to her feet, arms clutching around her. "I've watched the episode of Ellen when you come on holding hands and she calls you the greatest lesbian love-story in America hundreds of times and oh my god this is so embarrassing! Astra, stop me from speaking, please!"
Alex feels like crying, she's so highly strung in that moment. One of her all-time heroes is in her kitchen eating alien soup and all she really wants to ask for is a hug. Luckily, E'hlan comes to the rescue, rolling her eyes as Astra panics, wrapping Alex in a giant Martian hug. Alex hugs her back, still feeling as if she's about to cry as Kara – Kara Grant! – comes over and puts her hand on Alex's shoulder.
Okay, maybe she actually cries at that.
"Winn is going to be so bummed he missed this," she hears her sister say and Alex so wants to throw a shoe at Susie right now.
"This is the biggest moment of my life!" Alex says in a half-shout, half-whisper, knowing that with everyone in her apartment sans Susie each being an alien, everyone can hear her anyway.
Susie lets out her familiar laugh. "Yeah, totally, Alex."