When Kara moved to National City, it had been late autumn. Aka, it was wet as hell and dark to boot. Being a vampire couldn't have been easier…until spring came. Then the sun started shining more, and then summer.
Well, let's just say, Kara worked in Noonan's back kitchen as a dishwasher and out front as a waitress – after sundown – for a long time.
As a vampire, Kara, of course, had needs. Such needs were the lack of sunlight, human blood once year – at least fourteen pints, unfortunately, to account for her alien-ness under the vampirism – and lead ear-plugs. Because cities were loud, she was a Kryptonian on earth with superhearing, and her vampire existence included even more expansion on the super-senses, strength and speed side of things. She couldn't defy gravity anymore, though other abilities she had included walking on walls, flying through the shadows (both of which totally made up for not being able to fly anymore), and compulsion…which Kara didn't like to use.
Mind-control was evil, after all.
"Kara?" The blonde turned at the familiar voice, smiling slightly.
"Hey mama."
Alura smiled at her daughter, before holding out a newspaper. Kara took it, peering down at the red, circled advert.
"'Archivist wanted at CatCo, pronto'," Kara read aloud, quirking her eyebrow. "This is dated last week. The job will be gone."
"I have understood, from my research, that the job is rarely kept very long due to the long hours and placement within CatCo's main building," Alura spoke in Kryptonese, before bringing up a blueprint for Kara to see, watching her daughter's eyes rove over it, sucking in a breath.
"It's in the basement. No windows." Kara knew what this might mean – she'd been looking for a job like this all over the city, but they either didn't want a 'frail blonde chick', or she was simply overqualified and soon got bumped up on the totem pole to somewhere with a large window, with the sun shining down onto her desk. "Archivist. Sounds like something from home."
"Yes, beloved mine," Alura murmured, before setting the blueprint down carefully, coming to hug Kara lightly. "Now, you hand in your two weeks notice to Noonans. You're going to use that Earth degree for something worthwhile."
"Thank-you, mama."
"It's nothing, Kara, nothing at all."
She got the job, and she enjoyed it. Being an archivist was hard, long work, but Kara didn't need to sleep – or eat, technically, though she could do both when the mood struck her. Filing, organising, making her own system out of the mess that all her predecessors had left, it left Kara buzzing. She even worked long-enough hours in the first week that, Viola, her supervisor called her up to her office on the first floor at five am – right before the sun rose – to tell her to get home now, because otherwise this is slave labour and we are going to get sued.
Alura said she was just like her father at that story, as she came home from her nightshift at the fire-station, where she volunteered. Being a fireproof alien came in handy.
Of course, Kara eventually found something, as archivists were wont to – a mistake, an error that needed to be rectified now, and it was big enough she couldn't go to Viola. I'm going to have to go up to the top, Kara realised, looking upwards, x-ray vision pinpointing the infamous Ms Grant with ease. But she knew that the sun wasn't down, and that every floor had giant panes of glass up three sides of it – the fourth was a cascade.
"This is important though," the El looked down at the file, clutching it in a tense, but light grip, wary of her own strength. Inside, the file detailed the paperwork, technology and monetary transactions between three board members and the National City Gazette's prize reporters, Jeanette Hawkins and Adria Leiden. "I'm going to end up being pulled into a court-case," she cringed, unable to even think of the result of what the light that shone across City Hall would do to her without wanting to curl up and die. But I have to do this. This is treachery, and- and massively illegal.
If there was one thing her mother hadn't lost, it was her ability to understand the law of the land – and she made sure Kara understood it too.
Just in case.
Swallowing, Kara straightened, before grabbing her hoodie and zipping it, pulling up the large hood and pulling on her black leather gloves – more suited to the night than what awaited above. Everything but her face was covered, and even then it was heavily shadowed. Tucking her phone in her pocket and displaying her CatCo badge clearly on her pocket, in case someone tried to stop her, biting her lip at the large, smiley face the ID photo showed – one she usually matched. But not today.
Today, she risked her life for another woman's empire.
Heading to the elevator, Kara pressed the button, tapping her foot as she waited for it to come down, stepping inside and then waiting the tense ten minutes it took to get to the top floor, as the elevator stopped multiple times all the way up the building, dozens of people going in and out and in and out – hardly sparing her a second glance.
Upon reaching the final floor, Kara stepped out and breathed through her nose, immediately sneezing, to her own surprise. Putting a hand to her nose, she wrinkled it at the smell of…dog? But I love dogs. She even had her own, a white golden retriever called Krypto, and a cat too – though Streaky was more Alura's cat than hers. Breathing through her mouth made it better to handle, and she didn't sneeze again, but she did get a tickling in her throat. Without realising it, she tensed as her instincts heightened, compelling her to case the room for threats.
Just find Ms Grant, show her the file, and get out of there, Kara told herself, taking a step forwards and immediately banging into a man who smelt like sulphur and rain.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologised, eyes wide as he stared at her, Kara hurrying to fix her hood from where it'd fallen, paranoid. "I've- I've never seen you around before…" he looked at her badge, "Kara. Oh. Archiving Department. Oh…you know that you're famous?"
"Famous?" Kara frowned briefly, "How?"
"Well," the man gestured at her, laughing slightly, "you're sort of still here. No-one likes archiving. No windows, or bathroom, or staff room, or basically anything – it's all upstairs."
"Uh, yeah, I don't mind," Kara bit her lip, clutching the file to her chest tightly. "Um, sorry, but who-"
"Winn," he held out his hand, "Winn Schott. Junior. Winn Schott Junior."
"Hi, Winn Schott Junior. I'm Kara, Kara El."
"Kind of a tongue-twister, eh?" Winn smiled slightly, before changing the subject, walking her further into the floor. "So, what are you doing up here? It's pretty unusual for archivists to go up past the first floor – not that you're not welcome, I mean, come right in."
Kara shrugged at his question, immediately feeling lighter with his acceptance onto the floor, which it in itself was strange – usually, she only needed invitations into homes, not workplaces. Though, she looked around at the occupants, they certainly seem more at ease here than the other baristas had at Noonans.
"I need to speak to Ms Grant, urgently, actually – do you know where to find her?"
Winn winced, "Just follow the sound of shouting." He glanced back, as if on que as a woman started to loudly berate and subsequently fire what must have been her assistant – who immediately came crying, running towards and then passed them. Kara felt the urge to sneeze grow stronger, but clamped it down, tugging at her hood as a window came into range, wincing automatically as her boot crossed a shadow into the light. Winn seemed to notice her unease.
"Ms Grant can be intimidating. I'm sort of, kind of, on her good side – I could speak to her instead." They walked across the beam of light, and Kara could feel the skin of her cheeks drying out every step they took towards the office.
"No," Kara tugged her hood almost to chin-level, "This really is urgent. Emergency urgent. And I'm not intimidated by Ms Grant."
"Oh really?" A new voice, or rather, the voice, challenged. "Of course, it's not strange, if you follow the stereotype of an emotional goth child despite your obvious competency, which I am questioning despite your employment in my company."
Kara swallowed, and looked up, meeting the eyes of Cat Grant across her desk. "I'm not intimidated by my boss, no – I'm just photosensitive to light. It's why I'm terrified to come up here. You have so many windows." Kara tugged down her hood again, holding it this time as she winced, other hand going to her collar to pull her jumper up over her chin, file under her arm. Luckily, she could see through the fabric at her boss – which was probably not so good, as it meant light could pass through, but Kara could feel her superhealing working against it, what little amounts of sun that burnt her healing her too.
Ms Grant raised an eyebrow, before moving over to a door in the corner, opening it. "I will be talking to your supervisor about sending you up here with your condition. Get it."
Kara nodded, hurrying over as fast as she could without running, tucking herself into the corner beside the door, letting her clothes go and holding the file, taking a needed breath, not even bothering to care about the sudden leap in her instincts, warning radiating from her heart. Kara couldn't care – she couldn't, not when this woman had offered her sanctuary without even bothering to ask her for proof.
But Ms Grant kept the door open, and it provided enough light into what Kara now recognised as a bathroom, that Kara only now realised she'd trapped herself.
"Why are you up here?" Ms Grant questioned, standing just inside the door, facing her and – Kara assumed – in view of another being, most likely Winn, as he was the closest. "And what is that?"
"It's important, Ms Grant. My name is Kara El – I'm your, apparently, very famous archiver." Kara flashed a slight grin, hood slipping. Ms Grant raised her other eyebrow.
"Oh? I suppose the working conditions down there are worth your life, then, unlike others."
Kara shrugged, before taking her phone out of her pocket, using the camera app to look into the office. "Great. No-one but Winn," she muttered, before tucking it back in her pocket, making sure Ms Grant didn't get to see how she wasn't reflected in it. "Ms Grant, this file implicates members of your board doing very, very many illegal things that both betray you and your company."
If Ms Grant's eyes flashed amber, Kara wasn't looking to see.
When Kara signed off for the week, having spent her allowance of hours – which were carefully noted and observed by Viola – she didn't expect to come back to a newly-refurbished archive, made especially for those with photosensitivity and others with light issues. One of the old storerooms, packed with office furniture, was redesigned as a meeting room slash staff room, with a table and chairs at one end, and a sofa and mini kitchenspace at the other. Another of the unused rooms – utility this time – was a bathroom.
Her files were not rearranged, or touched – simply left where they were so Kara could place them in the new storage spaces, so when the old ones were empty, they would be taken away.
It was unbelievable.
She even got an office.
"If you picked up the paper during your days off," Ms Grant began after Kara finished gaping, "then you'll know that I have encouraged other business' like my own, with basement archives, to consider those with conditions such as your own, and indeed, spread the word that those with your medical issues will have safe places to work and have more standard lives – at least in CatCo." Ms Grant pursed her lips. "Personally, I'm disappointed in myself that I hadn't thought of something like this before for my company. Many disabled workers don't have the right conditions to work in, and photosensitivity – while rarer – should be taken into account too, especially when I have a worker with such a disease."
The short woman beside her added, "We've had it all inspected, in case we missed anything, and we passed the tests."
Kara didn't quite know what to say, but soon the conversations turned to the file, which Major Lane – or Lucy, as she insisted upon being called – was investigating quietly. It might take a few days, or it might take a few months before they had a solid case, but Kara's contribution sped things along. They at first worked in the new meeting room/staff room, Ms Grant occasionally popping in – and oddly enough, bringing Kara's an urge to sneeze before it faded after about a week – but soon enough Kara moved the sofa and a table into the main archive, so she could work and contribute at the same time.
"It's good you're making friends. I'll have to meet her one day, and this Winn-boy," Alura noted as they cleaned dishes together, as much a strength exercise as it was bonding time. "On the subject of your Lucy though, I have my own."
Kara nearly dropped her plate, "You what?"
"I am dating a human woman by the name of Lucy."
Kara stared at her mother. "What- when did that happen?"
"Several months ago," Alura frowned lightly, "I told her I had a daughter. She wants to meet you, but I have been…procrastinating."
The younger Kryptonian continued to stare at her mother for a few more seconds before speaking again, switching to English. "You are dating. You are dating a woman. Her name is Lucy. I- I thought you were straight? What about dad?"
"Straight?"
Kara didn't blink at her confusion, "Heterosexual."
"Oh…" Alura frowned, "No. Your father and I's marriage was arranged. We had no choice in the matter, though we did love each other deeply." She paused, drying a plate while she thought out her words. "Without him, it feels like a part of my heart has been skewered. Lucy is helping that heal, though it always aches just as painfully, if not as deeply. Zor-El was my life partner, but he is gone, and I am not. He would want me to move on, even if we were still on Krypton, and the choices were…less than stellar."
Kara snorted, "You can say that again. What did you once equate our status on Krypton to on earth? Certainly aristocracy, if not higher, with the government controlling out people…"
Alura smiled a little, brushing her hand over Kara's dark blonde hair, kissing her forehead. "Shush, and finish up – I've run out of dishes to dry."
Kara rolled her eyes, but tucked herself in under her mother's arm, washing more dishes.
The night after Dirk Armstrong and his compatriots were arrested on live TV, Kara came up to the top floor of CatCo to give her congratulations to Ms Grant, making sure to act like lightbulbs were the sun.
"You won," Kara knocked on the glass of Ms Grant's office. The woman snapped out of whatever little bubble she had just been in, looking up, scolding.
"Kara, just go straight to the bathroom – I don't want you getting hurt on my watch." Cat stood, Kara smiling slightly as she went over to the dark bathroom as per usual, sliding into her corner, leaning against the wall on one shoulder, waiting for Cat to appear.
"Hi."
"You're so silly, Kara," Ms Grant shook her head kindly, smiling slightly. "And yes, I won. Thanks to you."
"I did nothing, Ms Grant," Kara said bashfully, before her phone pinged. Taking it out, she read the text from her mother – Lucy wants to meet you, and I accidentally said you'd said you'd meet her on Halloween – before rolling her eyes disinterestedly and putting it away.
"Boyfriend?" Ms Grant guessed. "Annoying little brother?"
"Hardly, though she acts like it." Kara shrugged, "My mother. She's dating this woman and only told me a few weeks ago. They've been together since, like, Christmas. And I'm an adult, so its okay, but as we live together and well, she's my mother, it's a bit depressing that she didn't tell me – and I'm rambling, Rao, sorry, you don't need my baggage."
Ms Grant shrugged herself, taking out her own phone and tapping away, speaking, "If we're sharing, my ex-husband is trying to get full custody of my son. He's too busy running four-" she paused, glancing at Kara, "hotel chains, to spend time with his son, let alone have full custody. And his wife is a weak little bitch, despite his reputation. Gold digger." The CEO rolled her eyes, before turning the phone around so Kara could see a picture of a young boy in what looked like a Halloween costume of a vampire-werewolf hybrid, with red eyes and wolf fangs.
Kara wondered if werewolves were a thing too, like vampires. Maybe they hide in plain sight, like me. It's not like they – probably – had to deal with anything other than full moon.
"He looks wonderful," Kara eventually replied softly, "Looks like you."
"Mmm, well, I pride myself on making wonderful things in my image," it was probably supposed to sound haughty, but as she looked at the phone herself, it was fond and adoring instead.
A silence passed for a while, comfortable in its existence, before Kara's phone pinged again. Snapping out of the moment, Kara looked, and immediately did a double-take.
"Holy smokes!" She brought the phone close to her eyes, staring at the picture her mother had sent of her on a date, with the infamous Lucy by her side. "That's not just a Lucy, that's Lucy, mama!" Kara immediately dialled her mother's phone, looking up at the ceiling as she waited for her to pick up.
"Kara-" Alura began happily, Kryptonian accent tinging her speech in preparation for what was probably a long speech about Lucy freaking Lane, but Kara interrupted her before she could even get passed her name.
"Mama, your Lucy and my Lucy are the same Lucy and you're dating Lucy Lane and my friend is Lucy Lane. I already know her! She's my best friend, mama! You're dating someone who's only a couple years older than me!"
There was a long pause, before Alura replied unsurely, still in Kryptonese. "To be quite accurate, you're closer to fifty than you are twenty-seven."
"And you're closer to eighty! What are you going to tell her?" Kara's tone was of begging as she faced away from Ms Grant, who watched her like a hawk. "Are you going to tell her you're an alien? Are you going to tell her about me? Because then my façade goes up in flames as she wants to know why I'm photosensitive when it's supposed to heal me. Mama…"
"I…I don't know, Kara, just…I'll figure something out, okay? I swear, I-"
Kara hung up, feeling guilt instantly but not going back on her decision as she sunk to the ground and turned her phone off, face blank.
"Kara? What happened?" Ms Grant asked carefully, crouching down beside her. Kara glanced sideways, and immediately blushed at the full sight of her cleavage, and the dark blue lace of her bra that before had only been an outline through her block white shirt. Ms Grant either didn't notice or didn't care as she brought her hand up to her shoulder, hesitating before actually touching her.
Kara reached up, taking her hand, and immediately she gasped, because there was so much power suddenly coursing through her. Ms Grant similarly reacted, gripping her hand tightly – too tightly for any human to grip it.
The power continued to course through them, until finally – finally, no, yes, finally – began to slow, and when it was barely a dredge of the river it was before, Ms Grant spoke.
"The vampire in the basement. It's like something out of a supernatural romance novel."
Kara jerked at her words, "What?"
Ms Grant breathed deeply, holding her hand tightly, the other reaching to tip her hood back. "You're a vampire. One who was obviously never given a daylight ring. I'll secure one for you – I've got hundreds stored in my spoils vault, unfortunately. They get passed down, clan leader to clan leader."
"What? Clan- clan leader? Daylight ring?"
Ms Grant pulled her to her feet, hand going to her cheek, thumb tracing her lips, over where sharp canines rested. "I'm the clan leader for the state's werewolf pack, Kara, and you've a lone vampire without a coven to claim you. Bad thinking on their part – you're strong, and obviously had a gift that only woke up with your turning. It's been confusing me for so long – this is the first time we've touched, ever."-
"Ms- Ms Grant-"
"Call me Cat," Ms Grant- Cat, ordered her, eyes suddenly a dark amber that had Kara's blood pumping, "You deserve at least that when we share this kind of connection."
"Co- connection?"
Cat smiled at her amusedly, "You have so much to learn." And then she stepped back, dropping all contact with her, and Kara let out a keen without thinking, reaching out and wrapping her arms around her boss. Immediately she flushed, terribly embarrassed, but she didn't let go, looking down at Cat.
"Oh, you really are alone, aren't you?" Cat wasn't happy now – now, now she was furious, voice and eyes not even showing the full extent of her anger. "You're lucky you've survived this long on your own. Photosensitivity to light is a good excuse to stay out of sunlight and light in general. Clever."
"My mama read all the laws, all of them. We-" Kara stopped herself from revealing what must have been the last of her secrets, that she was an alien from outer-space. "We wanted to be prepared. For every eventuality. We're not from around here."
"I figured, from the unidentifiable language. I've been around two hundred years. I plan to make four hundred at the very least before I hit the bucket. I know many things, and that language isn't one of them. You had to learn the laws, back to front – refugee?"
"Yes," Kara swallowed, looking further down, away from Cat's face, and then immediately looking up with pinked cheeks. "My mama was a high judge. I was- I was a child. Can we change the subject?"
"Of course. Take my hand," Cat directed, before Kara did as she was told, silent as Cat fixed her hoodie, leading her out of the bathroom into her office. She itched to be closer, the force between them humming in her veins, but she kept her distance, holding on to her boss' hand with no intention of letting go yet.
"What's happening?" She asked quietly, wondering if werewolves had superhearing too.
"Basic mating connection," Cat replied instantly, scrolling through her emails on the laptop on her desk before rolling her eyes and shutting it, leading them to the elevator as Kara panicked. "Don't worry, we do have a choice in it – it's just giving us an incentive to be together. It gets a lot better during sex – I should know."
"How?"
Cat sent her an amused glance, "How do you think? Carter's not a hybrid for nothing." Oh, was Kara's only thought as they entered the elevator. "It happens between vampires and werewolves, usually. It specialises in cross-species relations, though until the last few decades, that didn't happen often. Too much dissent, too much infighting. They got torn to shreds. Quite literally."
"We're pretty strong," Kara agreed quietly, staring at their entwined hands.
Cat hummed, "Very. You're stronger than most. I became clan leader in the nineties, and I wasn't as nearly as strong even after my Ascension. Clan leaders get chosen, unlike coven leaders – you vampires prefer domination to democracy, though you're rather lazy creatures, due to the immortality thing. It's why my ex-husband was able to take control of four states so easily. No-one wants to organise a bunch of lazy so-and-so's who'd rather play video games in the dark twenty-four seven, or make millions and spend it by taking world-tours, despite how the witches try and fail to bind you to one location."
"Witches? Binding?" The elevator stopped, and they stepped out, Cat leading her to a limo.
"I have a lot of books. You can read them – you have time, I believe, and lots of it." Cat gave an amused smile, before speaking through the intercom to her driver. "Take us to the mansion today."
"Sorry ma'am, but young Lord Carter called. The Duke dropped him off on his way to Mississippi, and he's waiting at the apartment."
Immediately, Cat was glowing with anticipation. "Of course. The apartment." She turned the intercom off, squeezing Kara's hand before speaking in a calm but warning voice. "Carter's wary of strangers, especially vampires. He has bad experiences with them regularly."
Kara hesitated before speaking, "It sounds like his father is…neglectful."
"Very. Don't be afraid to say it – you aren't afraid to say you're more afraid of a star than you are of me, so lose…" Cat waved up and down at her, unblinking, "This. Whatever this is that has you acting so meek."
Kara glared, "Hey, I'm out of my depth here."
"Out of your depth, well, here's a tip for you – dive," Cat glared right back, "You won't get anywhere by drowning. Just because you're in deeper than you've ever been before doesn't mean you lose yourself, that just makes everything harder."
Kara glared harder at that, feeling the tell-tale heat of her laser-vision reddening the veins around her eyes. Cat's eyes widened, and Kara felt vaguely satisfied, leaning back and gripping her hand tightly.
"What the hell was that?"
"None of your business."
When they got to Cat's apartment, Kara's anger had subsided, and now she felt fearful – but at least she didn't feel like she wasn't safe in her own skin anymore. The shock of everything – of her mother and Lucy, of Cat being a werewolf- werewolf queen, and that she'd apparently been abandoned with a lot more than just the curse of vampirism – it put her out of sync and lashing out had only helped for about a minute before she felt guilty.
At the door, Cat stopped her, raising a finger to her lips. Kara glanced at the door, only when concentrating past her lead earplugs realising that there was…working soundproofing around the apartment.
Surprise him? She mouthed, getting a cheeky grin from Cat before she opened the door. Kara pinpointed Carter instantly – sitting on the couch with earphones in. Without thinking of her passenger, she slipped into the shadows of the sofa, creeping up behind him instantly before materialising, letting Cat grab his shoulders, getting him to let out a high-pitched scream out of him.
"Hi honey, mommy's home," Cat grinned, kissing his cheek before he whipped around.
"How did you do that? I've been practicing and-" his words died at the sight of Kara.
"Carter," Cat began introductions, "this is Kara. She's the one I told you about."
Carter frowned, not looking away from her, "The one you say is a God-given gift for this earth?" Kara flushed, glancing at Cat, whose own cheeks had certainly coloured.
"Now, Carter – have you had dinner?"
"Yeah," he replied, looking away from Kara, "Dad gave me vegetarian before dropping me off. And steak to go with it."
"Good. He's finally learned not leave out one of your main sources of food," Cat muttered darkly, before looking to Kara. "Do you need anything, dear?"
Kara blinked in surprise at the pet name, "Uh, no?" She thought on it briefly, before realising she was coming quite close to when she needed to eat, actually. I'll have to go around a couple of different humans in one night if I don't pace myself. The thought made her grimace. "Actually, yeah. What have you got?"
"Blood bags."
Kara quirked her eyebrow. If it's anything like it sounds, then either it's a commodity, or I'm still vastly ignorant of what humans do with blood.
"Can you spare three?"
Cat's eyebrow arched, "Now this is getting ridiculous. You have special powers, the mating bond was like a lightning rod, and you need three blood bags? No, you are not getting anything till you explain."
Kara winced, "I'll live. I've got a couple of weeks until I completely keel over."
Carter looked at her in horror, "A couple of weeks? How are you not keeling over?"
Kara frowned at him, "It takes me a year to run out of juice. Blood. Fourteen pints a year. Usually, I pace myself, but I, uh…" she glanced at Cat, "well, I got a job that I really like. I've been putting it off."
"Oh my god," Carter muttered, before rushing towards the kitchen. Kara twisted, keeping Cat's hand in her own as she watched Carter press a few buttons on the bridge, causing a hidden compartment in the door to twist into view, blood-bags stored up inside. "Have you eaten in a while? How many pints left have you got to drink?"
"Uh…" overwhelmed. I'm definitely overwhelmed. "I haven't had anyone to drink in nearly a year." Carter made a noise of indeterminable expression, before using superspeed and grabbing blood-bags, placing them on the counter, Kara counting out sixteen. He must be having them.
"Let's go over," Cat muttered, sounding peeved, though at what, Kara had no idea. They walked over, sitting on the bar stools at the island table, watching Carter in silence as he expertly poured a blood-bags into a jug, warming it in the microwave before pouring it into a giant mug, pushing it over. Kara picked it up hesitantly, but the aroma soon got her, and by the time Carter came back over with a new jug, she'd finished.
After the fourteenth blood-bag, Kara felt the beginnings of what she classed as 'sleep', and let go of Cat's hand to cross her arms, softly ignoring the pang in her chest as her mind rested, eyes fluttering shut as her head rested on her folded arms.
When she awoke, it was with a whimper, before she screamed, rushing to hide in the shadows of the sofa, crying out in pain at the blistering on the back of her neck and cheek, back tender.
Two doors banged open, Cat and Carter rushing out to find the source of the scream. Upon seeing her, Carter gasped.
"Where's your daylight ring?"
Cat, who had rushed over to Kara's side, kneeling beside her as she curled up in the shadow, replied in a rush. "She doesn't have one."
"How?"
"Carter-"
"Shouldn't her sire have given her one?"
"Carter!" Cat snapped, growling with more than just human vocal chords backing her up, voice layered in a way Kara had only heard at the wolf enclosures at the zoo. "Get her some blood-bags, now!" Carter, pale, nodded and tripped over his shoes trying to get to the fridge.
Kara, who had only ever suffered burns worse than this once, knew it would take a long time to heal, even with the blood – the only way to speed it up was for her to drink some of her mothers blood, and that, well, that took something. Alura had to spend lots of time in the dark, using up her powers until she was drained.
"I just can't believe it," Cat muttered, sounding angrier than even the night before, "I can't believe someone got away with this. Every time – every time a human is turned without authorisation in the USA, the witches inform the Grand Council. You should have been cared for, taught about your culture, species-" she continued on, quietly, caustically cursing whoever Kara's sire was, but something in that sentence clicked, to Kara.
Every time a human is turned.
This was going to be a hard one.
"Here," Carter finally interrupted with a warmed blood-bag in a cup, with a curly straw that he directed to Kara's hands, so she could drink as he held the cup. "Mom, I'll give her my daylight ring – she's too hurt to heal from this right away."
"Carter, no, you need it too-"
"Not as much as a normal vampire," Carter opposed his mother, face set. "We'll give her a lot of blood, and then you'll take a few days off work and take her to the Grand Council of America. You can get the location from dad – they changed location again. The witches can help her, and the Vampire Queens can track down her sire. Before you leave, I'll give her my daylight ring and have Saiad take me to the mansion at night for another one."
"It's a good plan," Cat admitted after a moment, before Kara finished her mug and went for her phone, wincing as she turned it on to a hoard of blips and beeps. "Is that-"
"Mama, and Lucy too. She told her who I am, apparently," she rasped, reading the texts quickly. "Lucy's worried about me. She…oh. She says she's a witch."
"Yes," Cat nodded, "She moved into the city and as the local clan leader, she needed to be under my supervision until I deemed her safe. Not all witches are good – and while not all werewolves or vampires are good, either, witches have a history, and have since accepted to be under probation by their local clan or coven leader. Even the Witch Queens get probationary officers."
"She's worried about m- oh, Rao, no," Kara let out a more dramatic whimper than pained, looking up at Cat, "She made a mom joke. She's going to be my stepmother, eventually, she says. She called me her child."
"God forbid another Lane enter the world though, so you'll have to do," Cat smiled briefly at her, before Kara winced again, accepting the new mug Carter had prepared.
"So, you're a vampire with a human mom and witch mom, a faery best friend and potentially a werewolf girlfriend?"
Kara choked on her drink, very nearly failing in keeping it all in as she cringed, her burns twisting. "I'm far from being your mom's girlfriend, Carter."
Carter didn't look like he believed her.
Later, when Kara was packed into the back of Cat's vampire-friendly Mercedes, she'd out-loud wonder what Carter meant by 'faery best friend'.
Apparently, Winn had some explaining to do, too.
A day after facing the Grand Council, minus one of the Vampire Queens, Maxwell Lord was brought to the stand and – after a short trial and some ominous last words – beheaded for illegally turning and then abandoning his charge. Kara felt like she'd been stabbed when his head came rolling off, as did the fair few dozen others in attendance sitting with Cat and Carter, all summoned alongside their sire to meet their sire-sister, and teach her.
Kara declined, politely, at the last bit, not wishing to uproot their lives. They thanked her and she got several new phone-numbers and emails in return, as well as one postal address.
"Who will teach you, then?" Asked the singular Vampire Queen, eyeing her strangely from her place beside the Faery Queen, a short-haired smiley woman who looked warm in comparison to the Vampire Queen, whose face was all cheekbones and cold.
Kara looked at Cat hesitantly at her words, who nodded, before standing. "Your Majesties," Cat began, "my name is Catherine Grant, Alpha Prime of the werewolf clans. I was the one to discover and bring Kara El to the Grand Council, and I would instruct her on the intricacies of our world."
"That sounds fine to me," said the Faery Queen, who raised her eyes at the Vampire Queen – she, who, ultimately, controlled Kara's fate as her Queen. Cat didn't even look at her mother, sitting all proud and disinterested on the Werewolf Queen's throne, partner-monarch absent since Cat's father's death.
Rightfully, Cat should sit there.
At least, that's what Cat told Kara on the way there.
The Vampire Queen was quiet for a long time, long enough that the other monarchs on the Grand Council began to get restless. Then, finally, she quietly spoke. She said something completely unexpected.
"Shouldn't it be 'Zor-El'?"
Kara immediately stepped forwards, walking up to the throne, ignoring the guards who tried to stop her. "What do you know of those matters?"
The Vampire Queen stared at her, before taking her phone out of her pocket and dialling someone, eyes not leaving Kara. When the phone picked up, the call-ee was audible.
"Alex? What is it? I'm busy-"
"Kara's here. Right in front of me. She's here, she's a vampire, and she is right in front of me."
Kara didn't understand, and made her confusion known, "Who are you talking to? How do you know me?"
The voice over the phone increased in volume. "Kara? Is that really you?" And there was something nagging at Kara, because that voice-
Doors slammed open, and everyone turned, even Kara – who was speechless as Astra made her way towards her niece.
"Kara…"
"Aunt Astra," Kara leapt forwards, away from the Vampire Queen, arms wrapping around Astra's neck. "We thought you were dead! We saw Fort Rozz crash, and the humans carting out bodies-"
"No, no, I'm not dead, I'm here, Kara- wait, 'we'? Who else made it out?" Astra pulled back slightly, drinking Kara in as she grinned tearfully at her long-lost aunt.
"Mama made it out. Alura, mama made it out with me, Aunt Astra-"
Astra seemed to explode with happiness, gasping and crying and hugging Kara tightly. "I can't believe it, you're both here on earth-"
"And I'm a vampire!"
"So am I!"
Kara paused, "Wait, what?"
So, apparently Astra was the missing Vampire Queen, and the other Vampire Queen was her wife, Alexandra, or rather, 'Aunt Alex', because if I'm married to your aunt, I am definitely your aunt too. The Witch Queen's – two women who contrasted each other like night and day, black and blonde hair, and gold and purple magic weaving and intertwining – healed Kara's burns in barely an instant, before the Grand Council disbanded, the Faery Queen making a point to ask Kara to tell her brother that if he didn't come visit her soon, he was in for it.
Because Winn was apparently some kind of Faery Prince, called Winslow, and his sister, Vasquez, sat on the Grand Council with the other Faery Queen, who was Alex's mother…?
So, basically, Kara's alien and supernatural family-and-friend tree was strange af, and it got even more strange when she married Cat.