I walked home without using my powers. I hadn't taken a walk since I was attacked by Deirdre four months ago. It still blew my mind how much has happened in such a short while. I became a half vamtronian, got kidnapped by Lena, almost died protecting Kara, a crisis happened, I lost almost everyone I cared about, then we saved the day, and Kara and I ended up together.
That last thought brought a smile to my face. I had waited almost 14 years to tell her how I truly felt. For so long I kept it buried inside because I didn't want to lose her. For a long time being near her was enough, but that weight was hard to carry. Seeing her fall in love with all these boys who just left her in the end, broke my heart. Mon El was the worst.
Mon El leaving caused her to not get off the couch for months. Alex and I had to make sure she got her meals and got up to go to the bathroom. Seeing her go through all these relationships, pretending, even when she was happy, that it didn't bother me was a lot to handle. I loved Kara and finally I didn't have to hide it anymore.
When she told me she felt the same way, the weight on my shoulders lifted. I loved her so much and knowing she felt the same was a dream come true. She has always been this strong woman who saved the day no matter the odds. But I don't care, I'm gonna be there to protect her, even if she can handle it herself.
I approached the main door to my apartment complex and took the steps 4 floors up to mine. It wasn't a giant apartment, nowhere near as nice as Kara's, but it worked for what I needed. I entered the flat and saw a note on the counter. I set my purse and jacket on the table.
The note read. "The blood is in the fridge. Please, don't forget to eat. Also nice apartment, really cute. Love, Deirdre."
I smiled and placed the note back on the counter. I went to the fridge to find she put on all the blood in what used to be my cheese drawer; my cheese nowhere to be found. I couldn't actually eat it without vomiting, but still not cool to throw away my cheese without asking. I picked up a bag of blood, set it on the counter, and closed the fridge quickly.
I stared at the blood for a long while, considering putting it back, but I knew I had to do this. I popped the cap off the bag and brought the tube to my lips. When the blood hit my tongue, I actually gagged. The coldness of it was outright disgusting.
After choking down that awful sip, I poured the rest into my favorite mug (Kara got it for me on my birthday last year). I put the mug in the microwave and set it for about a minute. The beep caused me to jump, still not used to my heightened hearing. I grabbed the cup and tried to take another sip.
It was like a complete 180. Now it tasted like the best wine on a winter's night. Just nuking it to room temperature made a complete difference. It was good, but not as good as the real thing. Feeling skin in my teeth, a heartbeat syncing with mine, the moans...That's when I snapped out of it.
I couldn't act on those urges. I wouldn't let myself. I didn't want to be a monster and I wasn't going to let Lex's mockery make me one. I was going to get through this one step at a time. I sat down on my couch and sipped from the mug, searching for something on TV.
That is when my phone began to ring. I muted the TV and noticed Kara was the one calling. I brought my phone to my ear as I pressed talk. "Hey Kara, what's up?
"Are you busy tomorrow?"
I placed my mug on the coffee table in front of me. "No, I don't think so. Why?"
"Well, we've been running into trouble a lot lately. We haven't had time to slow down since the crisis and I think we should." She paused with nervousness. "Would you like to go on a date with me? A date with me...tomorrow?"
"Like an actual date?"
Kara laughed. "Yeah, an actual date. We haven't actually gone on our first date and I think we deserve some fun. Besides, I promised you a movie marathon before all this crisis crap happened. Can you come over to my house tomorrow night? I was thinking 6 pm, that way the sun won't be an issue."
I thought about it for a moment, but realized I already knew my answer, "I would love to."
The next day I approached Kara's apartment with more fear than I felt in quite awhile. I arrived at the door and knocked. There wasn't an answer so I used my key to let myself in. I was wearing a simple pink spring dress with a sweater over my arms and converse sneakers (I was terrible at dressing up). My outfit was a little cold for winter, but the cold didn't really bother me anymore, not as much as humans anyway.
"Kara?" I yelled
She peeked her head around the corner. "Give me a second, almost done."
I sat down on one of the stools at her counter. As my butt hit the seat she strolled out of her bedroom. I stood straight back up, my jaw almost hitting the floor. She was wearing a knee-length back dress that had no back with only one strap holding it over her chest and black heels to match. She looked like a goddess.
I could barely speak. "Y...you look gorgeous."
She smiled, looking me up and down, laughing playfully at my shoe choice. "You don't look half bad yourself. Are you ready to go?"
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. Once on the street we took a taxi toward downtown. Either of us using our abilities would have gotten us there faster, but Kara wanted to do this like humans would. We arrived in the middle of the city, a few minutes later we were at the fanciest restaurant in town, Sylvestors. The cheapest meal was almost twenty dollars.
I looked from the building toward Kara. "This place is kind of expensive, are you sure you wanna eat here?"
"Don't worry about the price." Kara said, pulling me toward the door. "Besides, they are the only place that serves steak bloody."
We entered the establishment and it was just as luxurious as I imagined. I had never been inside as I had never had the money to afford it, but I understood why people dined here. The walls were covered in velvet, the lightning dim, a classical band playing in the corner, and everyone was dressed in their best. I felt like a fish out of water in this place, but Kara assured me I was fine.
A waitress escorted us to a booth in the back of the restaurant. She gave us a moment to decide as we looked at our menus. Sadly, I couldn't eat any of the delicious food because the last time I tried I puked it back up instantly. Before Lena had kidnapped me I went back to my home and tried to eat a sandwich, that was a big mistake.
So I got a bloody rare steak while Kara got herself a caesar salad with french dressing and chicken. She also ordered a bottle of wine for the table. I hadn't tried wine since I was turned so I honestly had no idea how my body would react, but there is a first for everything. Once the waitress walked away with our menus we got to talking.
"How did you afford this place? Our food alone is going to cost you almost a hundred dollars." I asked with surprise.
She laughed. "I may be a mere reporter, but I have the money to enjoy some luxury sometimes. Besides, you mean a lot to me and I wanted to do something special for our first date. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No, of course not. It's just...I'm not used to people treating me to things like this."
Kara leaned forward and placed her hand on mine. "Don't worry, there will be more to come."
She smiled and I smiled right back. The waitress returned with our food and wine. She poured the wine in our glasses and left the bottle on the table. With a nod she was gone and we were on our own again. Kara lifted her glass as I did the same and we cheersed.
I brought the glass to my lips and took a baby sip, afraid I would puke it right back up, but nothing happened. With the sandwich it was instant, but with the wine I didn't feel anything. I moved the glass from my lips with a shocked expression, taking a bigger sip.
Kara noticed my surprise. "Vamtronians can drink alcohol, but can't eat food. You'll have to drink a lot to actually get you drunk, but it'll still give you a buzz."
"How do you know so much about vamtronians? I knew when I was first turned and asleep, I heard about the vamtronians attacking your planet once, but how do you know so much? You know more than I do and I am one." I said, setting my glass on the table.
"The attack happened before I was born and my parents would tell me the old stories. I wanted to be prepared for any situation so I did my research." She shoved a big forkful of salad into her mouth. "I know a lot on the topic, kind of an expert."
"Alright, tell me some of the things I can and cannot do as a half vamtronian. Deirdre explained a few things to me, but I don't know everything."
"Okay, let me think." Kara said, taking another sip of wine. "You cannot eat normal food without getting sick, but you can drink alcohol. If you become a full vamtronian you can fly, hypnotize, and are invincible to the sun. Also you can't ever get a tattoo because your heightened healing will just remove the ink in a day or two."
"Damn, I was really hoping to get that tramp stamp."
We both looked at each other and burst into laughter. Once our laughter died down I tried to eat some of the steak. I took a bit of meat and sucked the blood off it before spitting it into my napkin. Not a pretty sight, but Kara didn't seem phased.
That's when a question came to my mind. "Did your readings ever say anything about a cure?"
Kara shook her head. "As far as I can tell, there isn't one, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Once we get back on track, I can have Brainy look for something. Don't give up hope just yet." My face saddened so Kara tried to change the subject. "Do you remember the science fair in 9th grade?"
"Of course, I do." I smiled. "That was the fair I tried to make a baking soda volcano, but it didn't work. I was on the verge of tears because I spent so much time on it and I failed."
Kara continued the story. "I noticed how sad you were and wanted to help make you smile. So, I added a few more ingredients I knew would work, but I added too much. The volcano exploded causing Mrs. Lindell to be covered head to toe in the fake lava."
"I remember that. She was so angry, stormed off leaving a trail of red goop behind her. It was the best moment of my high school career. We might've been suspended for two days, but it was definitely worth it."
We laughed just as I consumed the last of the blood seeping from my meat and Kara with her salad. Kara asked for the bill and paid for the whole meal. I tried to help, but she refused. After everything was set, Kara pulled me out of the restaurant. I thought we would be heading back to her apartment, but instead of going into her apartment, we went to the roof.
She placed her hands over my eyes and led me up some stairs. She removed her hands to reveal a beautiful scene. On one of the walls she set up a projector with White Christmas waiting to be played with a comfortable couch and fuzzy blanket waiting for us. Candles surrounding the entire roof top, the only light there was.
She jumped with giddy excitement. "What do you think?"
"I love it." I said as happy tears came to my eyes. "This is amazing. Thank you."
"I'm glad you like it. Now let's get our movie marathon on. I have White Christmas, Home Alone, and Santa Clause." She pulled me onto the couch as she went to find the remote. "I even got some more wine, if you would like a drink while we watch."
"It's not Christmas time anymore." I pointed out with a smile.
She turned back to look at me. "I don't care." Kara said with a childish expression. "I promised you a movie marathon before Christmas and I plan to keep my promise. I don't care if it's not Christmas time anymore, we are gonna watch your favorite Christmas movie nonetheless."
Kara retrieved the remote and plopped down beside me. She covered us both with her favorite fuzzy blanket and pressed play. Halfway through White Christmas Kara had cuddled up beside me. Just her touch was electric to my skin, I could barely focus on the movie with her being so close. I eventually got past it and just enjoyed her presence while we continued to watch.
We watched White Christmas, Home Alone, and Santa Clause. When the credits rolled on Santa Clause, Kara had fallen asleep. I pushed the off button and the screen went dark. I tried to shake her arm to wake her up, but she was deep asleep. When she fell into a deep sleep there was no way anyone could wake her up.
I originally planned to leave her on the couch, but I decided she would be more comfortable on the bed. I picked her up bridal style, which before I was a vamtronian would never have been possible, and carried her down 4 floors to her apartment. With a little trouble getting the door open, I got her inside and laid her on the bed.
I went back up to the roof grabbing her blanket, projector, and wine. I didn't want anyone to steal her stuff while she was asleep. When I came back to the apartment I set her belongings on the counter and headed back into the bedroom to check on her. I covered her with the comforter strewn across the bed and made sure she was comfortable.
When she was covered, I began to leave when her hand shot out and grabbed mine. I turned back to see her eyes wide open staring up at me, "Don't leave, please."
"Kara, I…"
"I want you to stay. Please don't leave."
I couldn't move. This was like a dream come true, but my body didn't know if it was real. I stood there for a long time before I decided to take the leap. I got onto the bed and under the covers. Kara moved closer to me and cuddled against my chest.
My heart was racing like a jackhammer and I knew Kara could hear it. She smiled softly and closed her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her and almost started to cry. I was so happy I could barely stand it. I had dreamt of this moment for so long and I still couldn't believe it was happening.
