Disclaimer: Supergirl and all DC affiliates belong to Warner. No profit made.
Note: I promised something regarding New Year, and I'm delivering.
Concept of Family
Just like the Danvers sisters had a Christmas tradition, it stood to reason that they would have one for New Year as well. Only, while Kara was adamant about their Christmas one, and had been the one to instigate it, this tradition was all on Alex. Yet, even if the older sibling wasn't serious about their Christmas, she wouldn't allow her baby sister to ditch her on their New Year one. The DEO didn't give anyone breaks, least of all to Alex, and there was a level of fear that an attack would happen. It would be too easy to do.
"Come on!" The brunette huffed over the phone. "Ever since that party, I haven't seen you! I could have asked, and still I'm sure you could have come over walking, and left flying for all that mattered. Really Kara, we have to speak and I want to see you!"
"You ditched me on Christmas!" The alien accused.
"Oh come on Kara," the tone was begging, and that was her undoing. "So what is it now, two wrongs make one right? And even if that the equation, it still means that there will always be half good deeds to counter all the bad ones; awful math! You know very well how bad that truly is!"
"Yeah, it sucks," she replied with a pout and a frown. "Okay Alex, party at my place."
"Yes!"
"Stop it, you sound like a kid!" Kara stated with a laugh; she weat back to the living room, stopping by the door frame.
Her sister's huff was all she heard before the line went dead. Now she had to go back to her apartment and leave her home; she pouted at the thought. She watched with amusement as Cat acted like a kid, making Carter act like one too, and they were both laughing. It was such a sweet sound, she sighed in defeat. Her human mother, Eliza whom she had trouble calling mom, only dropped by for Thanksgiving, and refused to accept calls during what she denoted 'consuming-holidays'. The only reason why they had allowed for Christmas back then, was to give Kara a fully human experience. When Jeremiah had died, his wife stopped with all the make-believe nonsense and dove straight into her science.
Those memories made others present themselves; her uncle's death, her cousin's flight, and her mother's question. Was she willing to follow her cousin, protect him, and keep him safe in a whole new world? Yes, she was. She knew she was sent after Kal-El, after the man who killed her uncle was condemned to the Phantom Zone, before the planet exploded. It pushed her into said zone, which had already been breaking.
"Love, where are you?" Cat inquired, smiling when she noticed her beloved's focus and decided to tease her. "Earth to Kara."
The younger woman couldn't control her giggles, taking the woman's waist and pulling her close. "Was it so obvious where I was?"
"This is the first time I see you so spaced out," the older woman replied with a shake of the head. "We'll discuss interviews for the New Year."
"Ah, I must return to my lair and get it ready for my sister arrival."
"I guess this means we'll go home?" Carter inquired with a pout. The venue Kara had selected for the Christmas party had a pent house they were currently occupying; it had given greater impact on Cat's costume, leaving the party at eight on the elevator to the penthouse, only she had her son and assistant with her. "You said we could spend New Year here."
"So you wouldn't come with me to spend it at my place?" It was Kara's turn to pout.
"Really, I can accept that from Carter, he's a child," he frowned and protested, "but you, are too old to be pouting."
"A pout doesn't have age restrictions," Kara countered.
"It's just unattractive." Now the alien was protesting. "Once again, you're too old to act like a child."
She opted for huffing. "Anyway! Give it some thought? I would like to spend New Year with my family, not just my extended one."
"Are your parents coming?" Cat inquired softly.
"Eliza, my foster mom, have spent New Years in her room alone ever since my foster father, Jeremiah, died," she whispered and cleared her throat, "and with all her science, she doesn't take kindly to being interrupted for sentimental reasons."
"Christmas is but a consumer's nightmare, and a consumerist's wet dream!"
"Carter!" The older woman cried in outrage while Kara laughed at the exchange.
"Dad says that!"
Cat sighed and shook her head. "Do you want to spend next Christmas instead of Thanksgiving with him?"
The boy wrinkled his nose, as though he was smelling something incredibly foul. "I won't repeat his words again."
"You better not." Cat's mom voice was scary enough on its own.
"Carter, you keep scrunching your nose that way, it'll stay that way," Kara advices against.
". . . ." He said nothing, just stared at her for a while, then turned to his mom. "So what are we doing for New Year?"
"Who is going to this shindig of yours?" Cat inquired.
"Winn, James, Lucy Lane and my sister, Alex."
"I thought you knew more people."
"As your assistant, I know plenty, like Maxwell Lord," she added for good measure, "but that doesn't mean I rub elbows with people like him like you do."
"Mom, she has your same problem, but that one is on you and not her," the boy added. "Having to socialize doesn't mean she gets to know others."
She stared at her son. "Fair enough." I guess this can be truly be attributed to her not being able to live as two different identities, and it being too hard to hide one from others, she thought, concluding thus that all those involved would likely know the truth. "Well, I suppose the pleasure of your company supersedes the boring that theirs would be."
"Come on my soul," Kara pouted again, earning herself a half smirk. "You don't know them."
"Don't care about Wilt, as long as he does his job and this isn't his job," she began listing, "James could prove some interesting company, if it wasn't because of that Lane woman," who might not know, "they are all droll by my record. Now your sister, Alex, is the only one I'm truly interested in meeting.
"Where does she work?"
"Do you have video games?" Carter figured that was the only thing that really interested him.
"There are plenty of games, Winn enjoys competing with James," she tried to explain; her beloved didn't call to attention her evasion of the question, "I don't even fully know myself the 'why' though."
"I can figure a few reasons," Cat muttered darkly, then waved her jealousy away, smiling at the ring and bracelet on her left finger and wrist; she, had the super girl. "For the record, I refuse to play."
"I'll play in your stead!" Carter exclaimed, eager to take her place for whatever reason, but she simply nodded. "Yes!
"Can we go with you right now, to get your place ready?"
"I, ummm —"
"It would be fun, right mom?"
"Right," Cat agreed, "sadly we must get ready for it ourselves."
"I don't want to go home," he declared with a pout.
"We had to leave at some point, Carter."
"Yeah but, mom, honestly, I'm scared," his blue eyes, so like Kara's, met her hazel's ones. "I'm scared that this will all end up being a dream, that Kara will stay at her own place, that I won't be able to see her again in the morning.
"I'm afraid that this will only last until we're here," he turned to look away, breathing hard and clearly, close to a panic attack.
"Carter, look at me," Kara went to his side, sitting besides him and made their eyes meet, holding a blue gaze between them that was what first made him believe she was amazing. Not even her glasses could hide the honesty behind the clear-as-the-sky blue of those eyes. It was like looking in a mirror. "I'm not going anywhere. I've already talked about this with your mom and these rings, they signify the level of both our commitments.
"Wherever you and your mom are, it'll be home for me." She proceeded to hug him, but he didn't cry, he just relished in the contact.
He didn't know how to ask for those anymore; after a while it was strange to be hugging everyone or to request hugs from others but his mother, and it turned into a forgotten practice and broken habit. It was why his mother had been so surprised by the impromptu hug he gave her assistant the day of the train.
"Thanks Kara."
She kissed his temple. "Any time kiddo."
"So, are you guys like married now?"
"He does present a valid point," Cat remarked with a mild sigh.
"We'll talk about it," the alien promised, but only received a smirk from her soulmate as an answer. "We will, right?"
"Of course soul," the easy replied made the younger woman swallow. "Come on Carter, we got to pack our essentials before the hotel packs our clothes."
"Wait, that isn't your closet?!"
"Of course not!" Cat sounded outraged by the prospect.
"Mom has about two rooms dedicated to her clothes; elegant dresses, for day and for night, work clothes, and then there's the casual house clothes mixed with the pajamas," Carter began spilling the secrets, but his mother didn't mind. "She only brought a partial section of those, along with sewing kits, another for repairs like the drawer of strings, and buttons of all sizes.
"And all those aren't counting the walls of shoes, purses, and accessories," he whispered, "which counts as a room all by itself."
"The closet and bathroom are well away from each other," Cat began, having clearly heard the whisper, which only made her son giggle, "I like my clothes isolated from anything that can harm them."
Kara shook her head, not fully understanding, but still impressed enough.
She was worried.
"Kara!" Alex greeted her, and the alien winced; she hadn't heard the keys. "You ready to drink everyone else under the table?!"
She winced again, having clearly forgotten that small new years' tradition. "Yeah, Winn is still going to be the first to lose."
"I don't know, James doesn't seem to be that hard to beat either."
Whatever else her sister had been about to say was stopped when the younger woman jumped over the couch and ran to the door, opening it just when the elevator dinged with Cat and Carter. She beamed at them, holding her arms open as the boy came crashing into her; she was home.
"Kara!" He cried with joy, laughing when she began tickling him. "Stop, stop!"
She released him and kissed the top of his head. "Welcome kiddo. Hey there, soul of mine."
"Is this how you want your sister to find out?" Cat asked, shaking her head as the door was closed behind them, even when the others were waiting for the elevator.
"There are worse ways, and once the others arrive I won't dare," she whispered, giving her lover a soft, seductive kiss, before turning to her sister, who was gawking. "Cat, Carter, this is my sister, Alex Danvers. Alex, this is my boss and soulmate, Cat Grant, and our son Carter."
"Do you really mean that, Kara?" The boy whispered, his eyes pleading, not for the answer he wanted but the truth.
"Yes," she replied with a resolute nod, and he ran back to them, took them into a tender embrace and raised them a bit above the ground before allowing them back on their feet. "Woah there, Carter!"
"So I guess that means that Alex is my aunt?" He was lost to them, not seeing the tender smiles on the women that were hugging or the bewildered expression of the brunette; his world was one he really liked. "Aunt Alex. I like the sound of it."
"Honey, I hope you realize that this delicate matter is private and only within the family." Cat began, nudging her son back to where Alex was and following behind. "No word of this outside."
"And strangers are coming, got it," he stated with a pout, the noticed the food. "Kara, can I check the food?"
"You better have an appetite for dinner," his mother remarked, before turning to the sister of her soulmate.
"Sure," she replied from the door, opening it and letting the others through. "I'll be with you soon."
"Kara, tell James that Cat Grant isn't here," Winn said, making the brunette give said woman a leveling gaze.
"Ignore him," Cat said with a roll of her eyes, "believe me, it's quite easy."
"Of course," Alex smirked, "now, what's so urgent on your mind?"
"Tell me if it's too soon, what Carter said," she requested in her most business tone, "it's perfectly understandable if you didn't like it and he'll understand as well, but I have to let him know to prevent it from turning into a habit."
"I'm sure you know what you're getting into, with my sister," she began, also ignoring the quiet hush that was broken by James' statement that Winn would be better off packing his desk once the holiday break was over.
"The term soulmate must be shared in order for it to fully work." Cat replied, speaking softly.
"What about Carter's father?"
"My best friend since childhood, the only one that ever was there before Kara," she said with complete honesty. "We were never married, and when he got sick he changed. Only with Carter does he seem to turn back, but he couldn't be with me again. I don't know why."
Alex raised her hand to stem further words. "I feel your honesty." There was an awkward pause. "It'll get some time getting used to, but I really don't mind him calling me aunt."
"Thank you," she whispered, grateful. "But I do hope you realize what this means."
"We're sisters-in-law, I know," the brunette replied, patting the other woman's hands.
"Their conversation isn't for any of you to hear," Kara whispered, sending Winn a very specific glare. "It's between them."
"Come on, it's not like —" Winn cleared his throat and yelped when he feels a degree of heat that could have been his imagination. "Okay, I'm gonna drop it."
"Finally!" Kara huffed while James only laughed, being used to their interactions.
"Like my sister says, you're like 'one of the guys'!" Lucy remarked, making the blonde freeze.
"Don't let Cat hear anything about your sister, please," she requested, making the other two sober up.
"Yeah, Cat's a bit sensitive when it comes to her." James agreed, pursing his lip in concern.
"Oh come on, it's not like this is her house —" Winn was once again interrupted by their host.
"She is a guest, my guest, and I want her to be treated accordingly," Kara whispered, sounding mean and to James' ear, possessive. It was a new experience for them. "Whenever I say this is your house, I mean it, just don't go around treating my guests like it isn't theirs."
With that, she turned around to search for the other one person who wouldn't really care about what the two women spoke about, or would at least give them their space. James could tell what was happening but, it was just a suspicion. Lucy looked bewildered, getting an idea of what was going on, but still not sure of what it was; hadn't Kara been the one interested in her Jimmy? While Winn suffered what every other resident of Metropolis and National City suffered off: OO (double O), Obvious- the most obvious conclusion made oblivious.
"You got the gun control?!" Carter cried, excited, when she came to his side by her tv and game set beneath.
"Yeah, there's the training course in which the best score is decided and the winner, can use it, along with the second best player," she stated, happy, "with you, Winn and James can finally dispute the controls."
"Your sis doesn't play?" He asked with a frown.
"She . . . has trouble with the gun control, she controls it better with the traditional ones."
"And you?" He became a bit puzzled. "You don't play?"
"SoC is different," she stated with a soft smile.
"Well, duh! I mean —" her chuckle made him stop looking for an excuse.
"Yeah, I don't have the best record on handling control remotes," she winced a bit, "sometimes I don't apply enough strength and at others, I break them."
"Hmmmm," he gave her a calculating look.
Soon, they were joined by others and the games began.
"It's fake," Alex complained, frowning at the toy gun.
"She works for the government," Kara supplied the boy, who was giving his new friend a sizing look.
"Can I try something?" He supplied, taking a place besides the brunette and placing his hand over hers, holding it loosely as it held the gun. "Fire again."
She did, a bit unnerved.
"Okay, it's clear that you're used to handling a real gun, so that's the problem," he stated without qualms, releasing his soft hold. "You're expecting the recoil, which hampers your aim."
Her eyes widened a bit. "Yeah, that makes sense. Come on guys, set me up again."
"Why?" Winn wasn't happy with the idea.
"Is he really that insecure?" Lucy asked.
"You got no idea," James stated under his breath, yet loud enough for everyone to hear. As the immature man complained, he decided to set things up. "There Alex, give it another try."
"Really, now she gets the highest score possible?" Winn whined. "Aw, and Carter got the other one, seeing as you both now tied in first place!"
"You would have come second this time," James remarked, chuckling at the groan.
"Boys," Lucy stated, huffing in good nature while her, Cat and Kara watched the other four devide by teams. "Isn't it one sided to have the two champions form one team?"
The other two looked at each other, grinned and shook their heads. "Nah!" They chorused.
"They'll regret it," Cat's words were laughed at, but she just shrugged.
Half an hour later, and everyone but Winn had their own personal cheerleader. Except, that Kara sometimes cheered for him, for her sister, and for Carter, but it was clear that she was cheering for Winn because he didn't have someone. It ended up being depressing and a really sad support call. Frustrated, he gave up, but at least he took defeat well, and wasn't acting like a sore loser. James took it all in good fun, while Cat praised her son for his abilities, and neither she or Carter were gloating about it either. Alex was simply smug, but happy and complimenting her nephew for his natural talent, and for helping her be comfortable handling the controller. It ended up being an amazing bonding experience for them.
"Nerf gun battle, or Settlers of Catan?" Carter asked, beaming at his mothers and aunt, evidently having a blast.
The table was littered with appetizers, little bites of home made goodies with veggies and cheese and meat. Debate over which was the next game sprang, and Winn stated that they should celebrate the end of the year and the start of the new one with SoC. So it developed into a debate of which teams and who would act as a referee once all the extra ammo was hidden around the living room and kitchen, seeing as the game would only end once everyone ran out of darts; points would later be tallied by Alex and the scores would depend on where they were shot. Everyone called to unfairness to having a badge wearer in their teams and it was Grant-Danvers vs Olsen-Lane-Schott.
"I'll bring some more drinks," Kara said, standing up.
"I'll help," Cat stated.
"If you guys need an extra pair —" Lucy began, but was quickly interrupted by Alex.
"I'll help," she replied, smiling, "you're a guest; those two can fend for themselves, and if anything, James should be the one fetching you your drink. So relax and let them handle it."
"Or you can call me," Carter said with a snicker, "I like doing that kind of stuff for my mom, but she really doesn't like it."
Their "quest" was sidetracked when Kara stole Cat's strawberry and ate it, just to offer one in return yet refused to do anything but feed the older woman. It left them sharing a brief kiss, before returning with the promised drinks. No one noticed, and Cat was too meticulous to have them return with any kind of evidence.
The Nerf battle was hard, and both teams were tied. After all the jumping and fooling around, that clearly Cat could handle, they were all, sans Kara and Alex, left exhausted. Right then, the brunette sister was called out to the field, and fortunately it was nothing that needed Supergirl's help. Or maybe she had an alarm ready, since she knew the next game wasn't one of her favorites, but her sister was too busy with the older blonde to really pay attention.
"Make way, for the game master," Winn stated.
"I thought Kara would be game master?" Carter asked. "She's pretty decent, which is why she isn't quite at mom's level."
"Winn is definitely a better game master than me." Kara admitted.
"Actually if you guys don't mind, this game isn't exactly my cup of tea," Lucy winced.
"Maybe we should just get going," James supplied.
Winn began to feel left out, mostly because even if he had fun with Carter, he had no idea how to behave with his boss around. Part of him hoped that he would be the last to stay, but something told him it wouldn't be him. This was confirmed when Kara offered her bed to mother and son, should things get too late, saying she would take Alex's usual spot if Winn wanted the couch. At the chance of staying, he grinned, but decided not to push it. He didn't live that far either.
Settlers of Catan, a role-playing game for all ages and with concise roles and premise, could be a great way of exploring a reality with fictional creatures and magic. Winn turned out to be a terrific game master, leading their party of explores through an unusual adventure and fun, which ended up being too late for the Grant family to leave, and Winn opted to leave.
"So when your sister is around, where does she sleep?" Cat asked, taking a loose shirt from Kara which seemed like a dress, while her lover took a white tank with black boxers.
Carter had changed into one of Alex's button down pajamas, and was completely out on the alien's rather big bed.
"The bed is this size so we can each take a side, but I was hoping we could spoon," she confessed, and at the hazel eyed wary look, she pressed on. "Really, I haven't been all over you, I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think I was strong enough to prevent myself from attacking you while our son is less the three feet from us."
"Who says I'm not afraid of my own control?"
"Cat, you're always in control," Kara remarked, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, I am."
"I also want to greet this next morning with you in my arms."
"Sounds good enough."
They kissed, and settled down.
"Good night my soul."
"Good night, heart dear."
