I don't own these characters; DC does.
A/N: Hi, everyone. This is a sequel to my story Going Through Changes. It's omegaverse with teenage Alex worrying over her rut. I would suggest you read Going Through Changes before this.
Public Service announcement: this story contains underage/teenage sex, A/B/O dynamics, and some G!P/futa. If you don't like those things, then this might not be the story for you. I also haven't had this beta'ed, so there will be typos (it's just a thing with me, as you probably know). If you don't mind those things, continue reading. (And if anyone is interested in betaing for me, let me know.)
Come say hi to me on Facebook for information on this and other stories. There is a link on my profile.
Meant To Be
1: Star-Crossed
Being the alpha child of two beta parents was about as annoying as Alex thought it would be right after she presented. The thought crossed her mind constantly when her parents were around, watching her, waiting for something to go wrong. She could not even sit on the damn living room floor with Kara near her without feeling her parents' worry radiating off of them as they set up on the couch, ready to have a family movie night.
Alex knew being an alpha would affect her relationship with her mother, but not the amount that it was. Her mother watched her suspiciously every moment, especially when she was with Kara, waiting for her to make one false move. It gave Alex knots in her stomach.
Her mother did not trust her, not that she ever felt like her mother really trusted her. But, this cut deep. Being an alpha was so bad that Eliza practically stalked Alex's time with Kara to make sure nothing happened. But, she's not wrong since something happened. It was not that bad, though. It was not like she harmed Kara. Oh, really?
She had not done the right thing and it was because she was an alpha. Her body craved and she took from Kara. It wasn't like that, though. At least her heart tried to make her believe that. Her brain was certain it was like that. After all, look at how her parents acted. The alpha inside of her was a beast, a beast that took advantage of Kara and remnants of her culture that Kara struggled to hold onto.
Kara clutched onto the idea that Alex was her bond mate and that was probably why she so willingly gave herself to Alex. Alex should not have taken advantage of that. If her mother knew, she would probably send Alex to some boot camp for delinquent alpha teens. One far, far away, like in central Europe. That was probably as far as from California without actually coming back.
Her father was not much better than her mother. Usually, she could count on Jeremiah to be there for her, to understand her, but even he seemed at a loss. He kept telling her to make sure she had a condom on at all times, "just in case." He did not know what else to say to her. He started and stopped so many different sex talks it was embarrassing for both of them at this point. He never looked her in the eye for those moments, either. It made her feel squirmy inside.
She was starting to think her parents knew what she and Kara had done not too long ago when they left for a conference. Their eyes seemed to burn into her, judging her. They just did not want to outright say anything.
Of course, Alex was not helping in keeping it a secret. Yes, she tended to be glued to Kara to make sure she was all right, but in the past month, she had practically sown their shadows together to never be apart. She was not sure if the alpha in her was stacking a claim or it was a normal reaction after being intimate, but it did not seem normal to her. It was nice, but she could not believe it was normal. Kara did not complain. In fact, Kara almost always made it worse.
"Kara, you're going to crush poor Alex," Eliza said with an anxious glint in her eyes as they all settled in the living room for movie night. They were all dressed in comfy pajamas with snacks next to them. There was a pretense of normalcy throughout the house, but a tension that never left.
Kara rested on Alex's back since Alex had settled onto her stomach. Kara put her chin on Alex's shoulder and Alex tried to ignore the weight and smell of Kara, but it was impossible. They were wrapped up in a single blanket, as always, so it was like being surrounded by Kara. Eliza leaned forward, like she was about to get off of the couch and force the girls apart.
"It's fine," Alex replied. "It's better than her stealing the blanket." That was very annoying, but this also let her feel Kara's weight on her and helped hide any boner that might occur from the feel or scent of Kara.
Eliza opened her mouth, but did not say anything else as Jeremiah pulled her back to the couch. Alex smiled at her dad and then focused on the television. Kara nuzzled her neck and Alex had to swallow down a groan. It did not help that Kara smelled like sweet flowers and filled Alex with every inhale. She might not make it through the whole movie. She would definitely have to wrap the blanket around her when she got up.
"Are you sure? Kara knows she's heavier than the average person her height," Eliza said.
Alex snorted. "You're saying that as if Kara cares. She's also hotter than the average person, but still steals the blanket."
"It's comfortable!" Kara clutched the blanket.
"It's also big enough for the both of us, but somehow you always get it." Mostly because Alex did not actually mind, but still. "At least this way I get some blanket."
"I'm starting the movie!" The announcement from Jeremiah was meant to quiet them down. It worked.
It was hard for Alex to focus on the movie. Kara kept whispering things in her ear. What? She had no idea. All she noticed was the soft breath against her skin and how close Kara's lips were. If Kara wanted, she could kiss Alex's ear and no one would be the wiser, but she did not. Thank god for that.
Regardless, Alex's blood was buzzed and the world was fuzzy beyond Kara. Or maybe Kara was the world. Alex wanted to take Kara in her arms, kiss her until they were both out of breath, and love her forever and always. You can't do that! So, stop thinking about it before you get thrown out of the house.
"That was a good one," Jeremiah said as the movie wrapped up. Yawning, he stood up and stretched his arms to the ceiling. His joints popped and he winced.
"You sound like you're coming apart at the seams, Dad," Alex said with a chuckle. She had no idea what the movie was about, so she could not say if it was what her father claimed. Maybe Kara would fill her in later if it was actually good.
Her father playfully shook a fist at her. "Hey, you keep picking on me and I'll step on you while you're down there."
Alex scoffed. "You can try, but I've got a steel shield on my back right now." She tried to wiggle, but Kara's weight made that impossible.
Jeremiah snickered. "You got me there. That's probably a good way to break my foot. Well, I've got some work to get to before I go to bed. Have a good night, girls."
"Night, Dad," Alex said.
"Night, Jeremiah," Kara said right after.
"Are you girls heading to your rooms?" Eliza asked. It seemed like the word "rooms" was stressed more than the others, but it could have also been Alex being paranoid. She thought almost everything that came out of her mother's mouth when directed at her and Kara hinted that her mother knew what they did not too long ago.
Alex twisted a little to try to look at Kara. "You want to watch one more movie?"
"Can it be Disney?" Kara practically squealed.
Alex had watched more Disney movies with Kara than she had in her entire childhood. It was a tricky thing to navigate as she tried to avoid the ones with dead parents. Of course, it being Disney, that was damn near impossible. Kara did not seem to mind, as long as the parent did not die on screen. So, no Bambi and no Lion King.
"I guess we're watching a Disney movie, Mom." Alex wanted to see if her mother would volunteer to stick around, as she had a couple of times when Alex and Kara planned to watch a movie with just the two of them ever since Alex presented.
Eliza made a noise, but did not make a move to exit the living room. If she wanted to make this a thing, Alex would take it a step further. They both had televisions in their rooms. They could go there, with a closed door. Her mother would probably stay up all night, standing in the hall, waiting for one of them to leave the room.
"I have some notes I need to sort through, but don't stay up too late. You have a doctor's appointment tomorrow," Eliza replied.
Alex groaned. "I don't see why I couldn't go during school."
"Because you'd miss school."
Alex could not argue that. She could not miss school because her parents did not trust Kara to go to school on her own, even though she had been on Earth for well over a year. She knew how school worked, but they were still paranoid. Kara probably felt the same, but it was more from the bullying than anything.
Of course, Kara could protect herself, but she would probably never forgive herself if she hurt a classmate, even if they deserved it. Kara was too sweet for this world really. It would bring too much attention to her, anyway, and they were trying to avoid that. So, that left Alex to stand up to her bullies and she did not care if she hurt a classmate or it brought attention to her. If they bothered Kara, they deserved to be hurt and she never did anything that was beyond what a human could do.
While Kara figured out what Disney movie she wanted to see, Alex went to grab more snacks. They moved to the couch, but Kara still practically laid against her. Kara had a thing for Tangled. Alex liked to tease her about it being because the main character was blond, but it was probably deeper than that. Kara probably liked Tangled because Rapunzel got to reunite with her parents. Alex tried not to think about it, as it was heartbreaking, so she distracted herself from those thoughts.
Alex glanced at her mother every now and then, sitting in the dining room in the seat that was perfectly situated to see the sofa. She stayed for almost the whole movie, leaving toward the end when it was obvious they were just watching a movie.
"You smell real nice," Kara mumbled against Alex's shoulder.
"You do, too," Alex replied before she could think. It was like Kara had invaded her brain.
"I wanna do it again." Kara rubbed her nose against Alex.
Alex did not want to hope. "Do what again?"
"You know. I want them to go away again and I want us to do it again. I want to be close to you. And, I want to kiss you and hug you and hold you."
"You do those things."
Kara leaned in even closer, kissing Alex's neck. "Not how I want to." Kara gave her puppy eyes and pouted at her.
"Kara, I told you, we can't." Alex wanted to pull away, but she could not. She wanted to be close to Kara, but she wanted to be responsible. She wanted to take care of Kara.
"Why not?" Kara let out a low whine. "We're practically bond-mates."
Alex cupped Kara's cheeks. "We're not. I shouldn't have done that to you."
Kara frowned. "You didn't do anything to me. We did something together and it was beautiful and you're getting lost in your own head again."
"We're foster sisters, Kara. I'm responsible for you. If any other person had done to you what I did, I'd kick their ass." But, as a sister or as a bond-mate? Mentally, Alex groaned. Can you shut up, brain? I'm trying to do the right thing here.
Kara's eyes twinkled as her frown flipped into a smile. "I wouldn't let anyone do it because anyone isn't my bond-mate. Alex, you know how I feel about you."
Alex grabbed Kara into a hug and held her close. "You feel that way because you're not close to anyone else. Give it time." One day, Kara would meet the perfect mate and it would all make sense to her and she would not have to worry about her horrible alpha, foster sister taking advantage of her.
Kara pressed against her with just enough pressure to let on that Kara was more than human. "I'm not gonna be close to anyone else like you. I can feel it." Kara looked her deep in the eyes. "You're it. You're special."
Alex could feel the blush burn her cheeks. Kara had taken to saying things like that since they slept together, which Alex tried so hard to convince herself was wrong, but nothing inside of her believed that. Kara proclaiming them bond-mates did not help, even as Alex tried to convince herself that she took advantage of that belief. She felt things for Kara she had not known were possible. Nah, you're just letting the alpha in you do the thinking.
Alex ran her hand through Kara's hair. "Look, Sunshine, you have so much life ahead of you. Don't glomp onto me just yet."
Kara did just that, knocking Alex down to the cushions. "But, I like glomping onto you and you like my squish."
That was true enough, but still not right. "Kara, I'm supposed to take care of you."
Kara purred and nuzzled her hair. "You do. That was taking care of me, too, like a good mate."
Alex groaned, blood rushing to her groin. No, no, no. You stay down. She was supposed to take care of Kara, and not in that way. Be a good person, be a good protector, be a good sister. It was so hard with Kara lying on her, though. Kara was everywhere and it made her itch.
"Why don't you want to be my mate?" Kara asked as she eased off of Alex a little bit.
Alex inhaled sharply and turned to look Kara dead in the face. She cupped Kara's face with both hands once again. It took every fiber in her being to not kiss Kara's amazing lips.
"I just… I just… I just want to do right by you, Sunshine. Why won't you let me?" Alex fought off a pout. She hoped the little nickname would get Kara to see her side.
Kara sighed, her entire body dropping a little. "You do. It's one of the things I love about you."
"I love you, too."
"We should go to bed. You have the doctor's appointment. It's early and you hate going."
That seemed too easy, but it was also true. She disliked going to the doctor, but it was more because it was treated like a family field trip than anything else. Both parents had to come for some reason, which meant Kara had to come because they would never leave her alone. It made Alex feel sort of like a freak.
"Now, you're sad," Kara said.
Alex shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Come on, let's go to bed." Kara eased off of her and they made their way upstairs. Kara's room came first and they lingered in the doorway a little. Alex turned away first and went to her room. Be a good person. Be good for Kara.
-8-8-8-8-
Alex sat slouched on the examination table in the small, sterile room. She tried to focus on the dull cream walls, but could not help looking over at the doctor. Doctor Blue sat at the desk and filled in Alex's chart. She made a lot of low grunt noises and Alex was not sure if they were good noises.
"Am I dying?" Alex asked, squirming in her seat. The examination table was uncomfortable to both lie and sit on. Maybe it was designed that way to keep alphas fixated on that rather than any bad news the doctor might deliver.
Doctor Blue's turned her mouth up. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because you're not saying anything and I've been sitting here in silence for almost a full minute." That could not be good, right?
Doctor Blue looked up over her glasses. "I'm trying to be your doctor right now and as your doctor, I'm curious about your hormone levels and trying to figure out why they are the way they are."
"So, I am dying?" And her hormones would be the thing to kill her. Of course. Being an alpha was the gift that kept on giving.
Doctor Blue looked at her like she was insane. "No, you're not dying. But, it looks like you're going to go into your rut soon if your hormone levels mean anything."
Alex squinted as she processed that information. "Wait, what? I should have like a year before that happens."
"No, from what I'm seeing, it'll hit you quite soon."
Alex frowned. That was bad. She would lose her cool, lose control around Kara, around her parents. She did not want to think about what would happen after that, but it would not be good. Her parents might actually send her away to save Kara from her and she would not blame them. Hello, boot camp.
"Can I stop it?" Alex asked. That's a stupid question, Alex.
Doctor Blue arched an eyebrow. "I'll prescribe you some suppressants. They should help, but I'm assuming if you're going into rut earlier than expected then someone around you triggered the reaction."
Alex frowned and looked away. "The suppressants will keep me from… you know… acting crazy."
The doctor frowned, too. "Crazy how? Your rut is a natural biological response. It's not crazy."
Alex's top lip curled. "Alphas in rut go sniffing after omegas who don't want the attention."
Doctor Blue's face fell and she rolled her chair closer to Alex. "Oh, Alex. Have you read any of the pamphlets I gave you?"
"Of course I have and I did my own research. But, we both know how alphas are." No amount of pamphlets or peer reviewed papers would make her forget the way her parents looked at her.
Doctor Blue scoffed. "Do we? Because I feel like despite all of your research, you're going by what rumors and stereotypes have told you and that's a little disappointing. You're a scientist, Alex. You trust science in everything but yourself."
Alex did not have a response for that. She glanced at the door. Her parents were out there. They were scientists, too, much better than she was. They were well respected scientists, asked to give lectures and they had research grants dumped at their feet. They had awards on top of awards and even Superman trusted them to take care of his cousin. They did not back up the science when it came to alphas. Why should she believe the science if they did not?
"Alex, I need you to talk to me, as your doctor. You know everything you say in here is confidential." Doctor Blue motioned around the room.
Alex opened her mouth, but closed it. She could not tell anyone, especially her damn doctor, why her rut was coming earlier than it should. Her doctor would probably call the police or child protective services or whatever and have Kara removed for their home. Her parents would hate her if they lost Kara because of her and they would disown her if they find out what happened. Hell, Superman would kill her! He would squash her like a grape. She could not chance that.
Doctor Blue sighed. "Alex, I need you to talk to me. Why do you think you're going to lose control? Why do you believe the stereotypes?"
Alex blew out a breath. "My parents…" she said before she realized what she was saying.
Doctor Blue nodded. "Okay. So, I'll prescribe you some suppressants. I need you to stay in touch with me when you start the suppressants."
"When should I start them?"
"I would suggest in about a week or so. Your body will let you know when your rut is on the way, but don't be scared. Smells would stand out more, you'll definitely sweat more, and possibly be more aggressive."
Alex threw her hands out. "See!"
The doctor sighed and adjusted her glasses on her nose. "In the sense that you'll be irritable. You're not going to be forcing yourself on anyone, Alex. If that was the case, every unmated alpha would be a rapist. Do you honestly think every unmated alpha is a rapist? Especially the ones your age?"
That seemed highly unlikely. "I'm not worried about every unmated alpha. I'm worried about me."
Doctor Blue shook her head, much like a disappointed parent, a move Alex was very familiar with. "Oh, Alex. Do you really think you're capable of that?" She moved her chair even closer until she was right in front of Alex. "Alex, look at me."
Alex scrunched up her shoulders, glanced at the ceiling, and then at the doctor. Doctor Blue stared back and Alex had to fight off tears. She hated how Doctor Blue looked like she understood, like she got Alex. But, nobody got Alex.
"You're no different now than you used to be before you presented. Being an alpha doesn't make you a bad person. Being attracted to someone doesn't mean you're going to ravage them. And, it's not bad to be attracted to someone," Doctor Blue said.
Alex scowled, but more to keep her tears at bay than anything else. It was bad. So bad. She just wanted to take care of Kara. She just wanted to be good for Kara.
"Alex, I don't usually do this, but…" The doctor went back to her desk and wrote something on a small piece of paper. She wheeled herself back. "This is my personal cell. I want you to call me if you're bothered by any bit of your biology. I want you to call me if you do research and you have questions. I want you to call me if you feel out of sorts. I want you to call me if you're confused or worried. I just… I want you to call me. Okay?"
Alex nodded and accepted the paper, even though she had no intentions to call her doctor. Doctor Blue would say anything to make her feel better, but they both knew the truth. Beyond that, how pathetic was it for her doctor to be pleading with her? She had to be strong, so she could not use Doctor Blue as a crutch through this mess. Doctor Blue would not always be there and probably just wanted to make sure she dotted all of her i's and crossed all of her t's with Alex if something happened.
Alex took her prescription for suppressants, pocketed it with the doctor's phone number, and left the examination room. Doctor Blue walked with her to the reception area, which was not normal, but Alex did not think anything of it.
Kara bounded right over to Alex, as she always did after these appointments, like she wanted to lift Alex's spirits. She stopped just short of hugging Alex and gave her a shy smile. Alex, still raw from the doctor's attention, rubbed her eye and looked away. It was then she noticed Doctor Blue waving her parents over. What the hell was going on? She did not get a chance to find out as they disappeared down the hall to the doctor's office.
"What's going on?" Kara asked, tilting her head to look down the hall.
"I dunno." Alex also did not like it. "Think you could…?" Alex nodded her head in their direction.
Kara's eyes went wide. "You want me to…?"
"I just… I just want to make sure Doctor Blue isn't selling me out. Things got a little, I dunno, out of hand in there. I just…" Alex gnawed the corner of her mouth.
Kara nodded and they went to sit down. Alex handed Kara a magazine, so she could pretend she was reading rather than eavesdropping on a conversation several yards and rooms away. Alex picked up her own magazine, but watched Kara's face. There were a couple of twitches and a scowl.
"Uh… I think she's scolding them," Kara said.
"Scolding them?" Alex could not figure out why her doctor would want to scold her parents.
Kara nodded. "About how they're making you feel and they should know better and what they're doing could be very damaging, not just to you, but your relationship with them."
Alex had not expected that. "Anything else?"
"How they can't be scared of you because it's making you scared of you and there's no reason to be scared." Kara twisted her mouth up in that cute way she did. "I think she's handing them stuff, but I'd have to take my glasses off to check."
"No, no, no. It's fine. I just… I wanted to be sure she wasn't telling them something bad about me." She should be relieved, but her stomach hurt now. She did not know how her parents would take Doctor Blue telling them off, especially on her behalf.
Kara turned to look at her. "Something bad? Why would she tell them something bad? What bad thing could she tell them?"
Alex shook her head. It was not like she told Doctor Blue she had the hots for her foster sister, so the doctor could not tell her parents. Or could she? Maybe Doctor Blue figured out why her rut was coming much faster than it should. But, then Kara's face scrunched up.
"What happened? What'd she say?" Alex asked.
"She told them they should talk to you, scientist to scientist, especially since you're probably already close to your mate," Kara answered.
"My mate?" Alex was confused for a second and then she glanced at Kara. She yelped as a blush burned her face. She had to look away. What the hell was Doctor Blue trying to pull? Why would she say that? I'm so dead! Disowned and dead!
"Your mate." The grin was so evident in Kara's voice, even though Alex was not looking at her.
Alex jumped up, not sure what she was about to do. Part of her wanted to run into the doctor's office and scream at every adult there, but another part of her wanted to run out of the building and never stop. The latter part won, somewhat anyway. Alex marched outside, huffing and puffing, pacing in front of the little office building, and wanting to rip her hair out.
"Alex!" Kara was suddenly in front of her. Alex almost plowed into her, but jumped back just in time.
Alex shook her head. "Kara."
"What's wrong? Why are you so…?" Kara just motioned to her.
Alex could not explain. She felt exposed, raw. She did not know what was happening. Before she could figure out what to say, her parents came out. They had tons of pamphlets in their hands and worry lines marred their faces.
"Uh… Mom? Dad?" Alex's voice trembled.
"We should get home. We should… we should definitely go home," Jeremiah replied. He sounded haunted and the way Eliza looked at her made Alex's stomach flip.
The ride home was quiet, like a cemetery at night. Well, Kara could probably hear how Alex's heart was trying to escape her chest. No, there was no "probably" about it from the way Kara kept glancing at her. She could not calm down, not with the way her mother eyed them both in the rearview mirror. When they got home, Alex wanted to run to her room, but that was not meant to be. Definitely disowned and dead.
"Alex, can we talk to you for a second?" Her father pointed to the living room.
Alex gulped. What was there to talk about? Were they going to send her away to protect Kara? Kara was so important to them. They could not risk Kara. She had gotten to the point where she did not want to risk Kara either, but she did not want to leave. This was her home. She walked toward the living room with Kara practically on her back, but that did not last long.
"Kara, can you go to your room? Please, don't listen to this," Eliza said.
Alex gulped again while Kara looked at her with big, wet eyes, silently begging her. But, she did not have the power to grant Kara permission to stay. Besides, she did not want Kara to be there when her parents told her to pack. She would probably ugly-cry, which would lose her cool points. So, she nodded toward the stairs. Kara whimpered, but made her way upstairs with slumped shoulders. Alex went into the living room with her parents right behind her.
Alex exhaled before she turned to face her parents. She would be strong. She was strong. She could take care of this. But, her eyes still burned with tears, so she stared at the floor with the hope of getting a chance to fix her face.
"Alex, are you all right?" Jeremiah asked.
Alex gulped before she attempted to talk. "I'm fine."
"Doctor Blue said she gave you a prescription," Eliza said.
Alex shrugged. "Yeah, it's in my pocket. I'll fill it tomorrow after school."
"She said it'll help you with your rut, which she suspects will happen soon," Jeremiah said.
Alex's face burned. She did not want to discuss her rut, especially with her parents. But, she needed to assure them she had things under control and Kara was safe. She was not sure what would happen when her rut hit, but she would think of something if the suppressants were not enough. She just needed time.
"Yeah, but it'll be fine. She gave me the prescription and it should keep me normal," Alex replied. Was that not the whole point of suppressants? Although, I've read sometimes they don't work and what then? She shook the thought away. She would think of something if they did not work.
Both of her parents winced. Well, that was not a good sign and Alex's gut shook. They were going to send her away. At least they didn't kill you. No, they would probably leave that honor to Superman if he ever figured out what she did with Kara.
"Doctor Blue explained to us that it's possible your suppressants might not be enough to keep away the discomfort you'll feel during your rut," Jeremiah said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked as uncomfortable as Alex felt.
Alex scoffed, doing her best to seem nonchalant. "I'll be fine." So, don't disown me, okay?
"You won't!" her mother said sharply and they all flinched. Eliza cleared her throat. "Sorry. She said it's very likely you won't be fine."
Alex swallowed and her stomach fluttered so much worse. It was harder than ever to keep her tears at bay. She had to take a deep breath through her nose to keep from throwing up.
"She told us we have to be there for you and she's not wrong." Jeremiah's hand went from his neck to his head, ruffling his hair. "It's actually a little insulting someone had to tell us."
Alex flinched, her entire body tense. "Be there for me?"
Eliza stepped closer and put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "She…" Eliza had to take a breath. "She read us the riot act before shoving a bunch of pamphlets in our hands."
Alex's mouth twitched to the side. "Yeah, she loves her pamphlets." She had a huge collection of them in a drawer in her bedroom. She read all of them, but they never made her feel better.
"She told us we need to work from facts rather than emotion, like scientists do. And, she's right," Jeremiah said.
Alex frowned. "It's a bad habit of hers." She folded her arms across her chest, wanting to be angry, but feeling more exposed than anything else. While her stomach settled a bit, her nerves felt ready to shoot out of her skin.
Eliza gave her a painful smile. "She was right. We never bothered to do any actual research on alphas. We panicked and did everything wrong. We're just going off of anecdotal evidence and we never really sat down to talk to you about what happened. We just… we just jumped right into what we're going to do with Kara."
"No, you…" Alex could not figure out what to say. They had not really talked to her. There was just the acknowledgment that she had a penis now and it probably would not be the best idea for her to share a room with Kara. Then, they all focused on making Kara comfortable with the change. Never mind Alex's body had just upended itself. "But, it wasn't just you. I went alone with it."
Jeremiah waved off her words. "We're the adults here. We're the parents. We didn't do this right. We didn't know how to do this and we mucked it up. But, there's still time to do this right. First things first, you shouldn't be scared of yourself."
Alex frowned. "But…" She glanced between them. They treated her like she should be afraid, like she was something frightful, like she might try to do something to Kara.
"No, buts." Jeremiah put his hand up and stepped closer. "It's biology. We all have a background in biology. We shouldn't be acting like this is a curse when it's natural. What you're going through is natural."
Alex knew that, but it felt comforting to hear, especially from her father. A knot in her stomach that had existed since she presented months ago eased itself a little. Still, her nerves trembled, fearful this whole thing might lead to her being thrown out.
"We have to do some reading obviously, but we're going to be ready to talk about this as soon as possible. What we really need to be prepared for is your first rut, which is coming early apparently," Eliza said.
"Did she… did she tell you why?" Alex asked and she had to sniffle. They were going to throw her out for this and she deserved it. Boot camp if I'm lucky.
Both of her parents looked away. Jeremiah blew out a long breath. "You're probably in close contact with your mate."
Alex's chest felt like it might explode. "I won't do anything to her!" She made two fists as her chest heaved. She could not breathe.
"Whoa!" Jeremiah put his hands up in surrender.
Eliza offered a small smile and touched her shoulder. Somehow, it helped Alex breathe enough for her chest to stop hurting. "We didn't say you will. But, this isn't something we can just hope away. We have to face that and act appropriately."
"It'll help us figure out what's best for our family," Jeremiah said.
Alex threw hands up. She did not want to have this conversation. Her body was not a family decision. "Look, I've got the stupid prescription. I'll take the suppressants and everything'll be fine. This mate thing will pass, too. My body's probably just being weird because it's still trying to adjust to new chemicals and stuff."
"Look, we still have some studying to do about the whole thing, but, please, don't be so defensive, Alex. We're here for you," Jeremiah said.
Alex nibbled the corner of her mouth for a second. She did not believe them. If they knew what she had done with Kara, they would throw her out.
"Alex, we're here for you." Eliza grabbed her hand. "You believe that, right?" She gave Alex's hand a little squeeze.
"Uh…" Alex did not want to outright lie there.
"Oh, Alex." Jeremiah engulfed her in a hug. Eliza cooed and joined in.
Alex could not stop herself. The tears she had been holding back for so long finally fell. Her parents held her tight and she fell apart against them. Surprisingly enough, they held her up and held her together. Maybe things would be all right.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Alex's rut.