InsaneJournal

If Alex could have picked a time to show up in Vallo, this would have been her choice. Her birthday, then Kara’s birthday had passed, and while she didn’t count hers, she made sure to celebrate her sister. All Kara had wanted was a little family gathering, which meant bringing Catra, Adora, and Finn over to the penthouse for dinner-and-movie-night.

Boy, was it a hit.

Esme in particular had been fascinated by the little Magicat baby – Catra, too, but Finn was the big draw. She had seen plenty of aliens in her life, being one herself and coming for an Earth so blending with people from other worlds, but there weren’t any species quite like this back home – not that had made it to Earth, anyway. She’d been shy at first, but she’d asked to hold the baby and been permitted to sit between the girls and hold the infant carefully in her lap.

There had been a lot of pictures taken of that. An excessive amount, really, for photos they wouldn’t remember taking whenever they returned home. But Alex knew Lena and Kara would treasure them. That was enough.

Although Lena and Kara had been dedicating plenty of attention to Alex and Esme, eventually, they had to get back to a regular working schedule. Kara apologized easily a dozen times, and each time Alex had told her to shut up and get to work; life didn’t stop because they were here, and so far, they hadn’t disappeared. It was fine, and she stuck to that despite her sister’s biggest puppy dog eyes. Alex could entertain Esme and herself just fine after living here herself for so long.

Today, specifically, she had made plans with Catra while Adora and Kara were on patrol. The weather was cooling, so they were inside this time, sprawled out on the observation deck’s carpet with big drawing pads for each of them and tons of colorful utensils spread out. Alex’s was filled with… well, nothing better than stick figures. She was a scientist, not an artist, don’t judge.

“What’re you drawing?” she asked, peeking over at her daughter’s pad. Esme had her tongue stuck out, little brows furrowed in concentration while she colored, but she pulled back enough for her mother to see. Alex’s immediate reaction was a chuckle when she saw the little kid rendering on a minotaur and a bagel cart. “Wow, is that Glenn? He looks so great!”

Catra had blocked out about two hours for ART STUFF today, knowing she’d have actual company that could participate in the activities. Not that she didn’t do little art things with Finn, but there wasn’t much and it didn’t take up a lot of time - handprint and footprint art was easy, they had made some for Adora, Adam and Marlena. Having Esme around meant she could pull out more supplies, and that meant Alex was around to keep her company too.

“He looks awesome,” she chimed in with a grin, pressing a pretty large ziplock bag shut. There was a thin canvas in there, and blobs of paint were already added to it - pinks and purples, oranges and reds. Finn was in the cradle of her lap, sitting up against her with flailing arms, and that’s when Catra situated the bag in front of them.

They were absolutely fascinated, and started smacking their hands on it.

“And since it’s October,” she brought up. “I already bought some pumpkins if you guys feel like doing some early pumpkin carving. I’m gonna gut one and put holes in it so I sit Finn in it for pictures. Adora’s gonna put her fancy camera to use.”

Would they love it? Would they cry? Only time will tell.

Esme preened at the compliments, still carefully coloring Glenn’s shades of grey in. Despite the young kid style, it actually did look startlingly like their bagel cart friend. Alex wondered if she might end up doing something artistic. She’d always loved to draw, but she was still young enough that whether it was a true passion or not hadn’t been determined.

Alex set her pad aside and watched Finn go to town on Catra’s project, a fond little smile eternally existing on her lips. She was so glad she’d gotten to come back and witness this little miracle her sister had brought into the world. It felt like a piece she hadn’t known she’d been missing was filling in.

“I can help you do some pumpkin carving,” she offered. “I’m handier with a knife than colored pencils, as a rule.”

Finn was being a vocal little thing, and Catra had no choice but to lean down and kiss their perky little ears as they purred, and she purred, and fuck - why was this kid so cute? It took a few extra seconds for her to answer Alex. “Oh, I’ve noticed,” she grinned at her, keeping the baby steady while they just smooshed all that covered paint beneath their hands. “We can work on that in a bit. Esme’s busy being an artist. Can I please purchase this portrait of Glenn?”

Esme looked up and studied Catra as if she was seriously considering the offer. She’d never sold her artwork before. Most of it was either proudly displayed by her moms or given to the subject it was based on – typically her aunts and uncles and grandpa, maybe her kindergarten teacher a few times when she was five.

The idea of selling it was appealing, though. She tapped on her chin with one finger – she’d seen people do that in the movies – and asked, “How much are you offering?”

Alex stifled a surprised laugh behind a cough, bringing her fist up to her mouth to cover it.

“Ten dollars and fifty cents,” Catra responded immediately and seriously, as if this was some kind of genuine business transaction. “It’d be the perfect wall decor for the kitchen once we frame it. And I want it signed.”

Did she want a little piece of Esme around Darla? Yeah, she did. Esme was adorable and funny, and had the freedom to touch her ears whenever she wanted. Plus she got to see Alex in mom-mode, which was a treat - and something she knew her proxy-sister really wanted for herself.

They were having a nice time, a great time, but something in Catra told her that it was limited.

Alex was tempted to speak up and suggest Esme create something more custom for Catra and Adora – a drawing of their family, of Kara and Lena, of the pets, of Darla – but she didn’t interfere. It was sweet that Catra wanted a piece of Esme’s art, and Alex suspected it was out of a sense of sentimentality. She couldn’t step on that and feel good.

“You have a deal!” Esme declared, absolutely glowing with excitement at the prospect of ten dollars and fifty cents. She reached out her hand for a shake to seal the agreement, her smile wide and showing lots of teeth. “I’m gonna make you one of Finn, too!”

Catra gave her a firm handshake too, as if she’d half-ass this very serious business interaction. Pfft. “Can’t wait,” she told her, grinning. That was going to be framed too. She liked having Darla’s walls filled with eclectic art - she had some of her own up that Adora insisted on, and a few from when versions of Future Finn came to visit. A few from her little students (especially when she went on maternity leave, that had her feeling a lot of choked up fuzzy things).

So she was going to be very honored to add Esme’s work among them.

“I love her,” Catra sighed as Esme went back to work. “I can’t wait until Finn’s that age - but the baby chubs phase is to die for, too. You wanna supervise my spawn while I get us some drinks?”

Alex smiled down at her daughter, watching for another moment as she worked diligently on her crayon portrait. The excitement coming off her was palpable. Alex was sure by the end of today, Catra would have a whole line of Esme originals for her ten dollars and fifty cents’ worth. She’d already plastered Kara and Lena’s refrigerator with artwork – she was a drawing machine.

The two of them getting to meet made Alex so happy. A big part of her thought it would be the only time; she hadn’t felt like she was in this long-term since not long after her arrival, and she was okay with that. But this right here – Catra, Finn, these few people she had come to value as part of her family in Vallo – was the one thing that made her wish she would stay. She hated to think about forgetting them.

But that feeling had also rid her of hesitations or precautions after those first few days. She took advantage of every moment without worry, wanting to leave everyone with good memories, even if she couldn’t hold onto them herself. So the second Catra asked her to supervise Finn, she reached out for said baby chubs with grabby hands.

“Yes, gimme,” she replied, grinning at the smile Finn gave her. “I need some more Auntie time with my favorite little Magkitten.”

“Half Magikitten,” Catra corrected just to be obnoxious, standing up so her feet could pitter-patter towards the kitchen. “My genes did take over a lot, though, didn’t they?” The ears, the tail, the eyes; they were all very her.

There was apple juice she fetched for Esme and iced tea for her and Alex - she had to watch her own intake of caffeine since what she consumed went into breastmilk, but he could use the slight boost.

“So do you–” Catra sat back down with everything, fang nibbling into her lip. “Do you guys have any plans for Halloween?”

(Was she hoping that Alex would stay for that? And maybe also for her birthday?)

There was no doubt that Catra’s genes had won whatever biological battle was fought in the making of this baby, but Alex took the correction. Finn did have a human mother. Some kind of magical human, but human nonetheless. She could see some of Adora in them, too, but they were overwhelmingly Catra.

She accepted the iced tea with a grateful smile, taking a drink before reaching out to set it on the coffee table, keeping both hands at Finn’s side to help them keep themself upright. She looked at them another moment even after Catra asked her question, shrugging her first answer before raising her head.

“Not that I know of,” she settled on. “I’m trying not to plan too far ahead. Let what happens, happens.” She didn’t outright say she didn’t feel a sense of permanence here this time around, but she figured it was implied with that kind of response. “Kara mentioned something about going to some of the orphanages around here and visiting with the kids. I hear she’s been making sure they get funding from L-Corp.”

Let what happens, happens. Catra hummed as she sipped her drink, the cold tea helping the knot in her throat dissolve. She knew how to read between the lines. Sometimes she wished she didn’t. Indulging in the bliss found in ignorance was nice every now and again, but the cynic in her didn’t allow it.

“That’s annoyingly selfless,” she chuckled, clearing her throat to proceed this conversation like a normal person and not someone who just hurt her own feelings by the hypothetical (but likely) scenario of Alex poofing again. Finn stopped their uncoordinated smooshing of paint dallops and went to eat their fist - their favorite snack lately - and drool around it. “We’ll have to make a point to meet up sometime soon, yeah? We had Finn for Halloween last year, too. Future Finn, obviously. They were seven and showed us the good neighborhoods for candy.”

“Gotta love those timeslips,” Alex chuckled. She was a little disappointed to have missed another appearance of future Finn, but she didn’t dwell on it. There was a lot she’d have missed and even more she would in the future. It wasn’t something she liked, but it was something she had to accept to rest easy.

“I’m here whenever you want me, honestly. I’ve been letting Lena and Kara take care of things and just giving Esme a good time. So, call me and we’ll come by whenever you want. Or–” She smiled, nudging Catra’s shoulder gently with her own. “We can do a few you-and-me hangouts. Feel free to fight over me with Kara.”

“Not fair - I’d lose,” Catra drawled, rolling her eyes. She wouldn’t dare dream of hogging Alex. Kara had felt her absence like a wound; they grew up together, had history. She couldn’t compete with that. She didn’t plan to, and it wasn’t a competition anyway.

But there was this tenderness to this too, in a bruising sort of way that stung every time she pressed into certain thoughts. Their relationship began here and therefore only existed here. Alex wouldn’t remember her. Alex wouldn’t remember this moment, with Esme drawing close to them and Finn in her lap, content and kicking their legs.

“I do want more than a few you-and-me hangouts,” she admitted after a moment, turning her eyes to Esme’s paper. “Doesn’t have to be in here - we can go to the park,” Catra offered. “Visit the cubs again. Anything.”

Alex shrugged; she’d argue that Kara would give in more easily than Catra was giving her credit for. Her baby sister adored the third sister they’d taken in and had continued pulling her into her orbit even in Alex’s absence. And she recognized exactly what Alex suspected Catra was recognizing now – their relationship with Catra was here, in Vallo. If there was a way to find her back home, they didn’t know it yet. Kara, whether she remembered or not, had Alex at home.

“All of the above, please,” Alex replied without hesitation. “Show me all your favorite spots again, I want to feed you. Blame Kara, she’s turned feeding people into one of my love languages.”

Catra drew out a long, dramatic sigh for the fun of it. “I guess you can feed me,” she drawled, meeting her eyes again with more confidence. “I can’t remember if you were here when they popped up but the cat tavern’s cool. I’ve gotten an extra discount since Finn was born – we showed up with them once and let them hold him, they held them up in the air like our kid was their messiah.”

“The Canteen,” Alex confirmed. “I think it popped up around early 2022. I went a couple times. I remember the cats there being pretty amazing chefs. They still think you’re some kind of god, huh?” She dipped down to kiss the top of Finn’s little head. “I guess that makes you a demigod,” she sing-songed to them, grinning against the fluff of blonde hair.

Finn’s answer to that was a gurgle. Their art project was long-forgotten now, which meant it was safe for Catra to reach for it and open the bag. The canvas was just a smear of colors from their pride flag – and she had plans to put Finn’s handprints on it in white, but she was going to let it air dry first. “Don’t know about god,” she snickered, wiping a little bit of paint that got smeared onto her hands on her leggings. It’d come off in the wash. “But they’re good people, and I doubt you have anything like that back home. Is there anything you want to do? Anything you want to see while you’re around?”

The way she worded it made it sound like this whole thing was just a visit, and it wasn’t her intention either – just a slip of the tongue.

“I don’t think I’ve seen any little cat aliens at home, can’t argue there,” Alex agreed. They had a wide variety these days and were doing worlds better with acceptance, but she didn’t recall finding a species with any feline qualities. She knew better than to rule it out as impossible these days. Very little was anymore.

“You, Kara, and Lena are my top priorities. I visited with some old local friends, but everyone else I was close to… I’m pretty sure they were gone before I was.” Mobius came to mind, but she’d seen his name on the disappearance list herself. She remembered it all too vividly. She remembered wishing she’d gotten more time with him, and that was what she wanted to give Catra now: more time. As much as she could muster.

Catra splayed a hand over her chest, the gasp she let out so obviously fake. “I’m a top priority? I make the top three? I feel so officially adopted,” she grinned. “If I wasn’t already committed to the names Adora and I gave each other when we were kids, I’d join the Danvers clan. I’d just be your second adopted alien. Pass on the superhero name and getup, though.”

“You’re an honorary Danvers, with or without the name,” Alex declared. “No superhero getup necessary. I think you’d pull off a cape if you wanted, though.” She held up a hand and swiped it across the space between them. “I can see it now SuperCatra. You’d be a sensation on our Earth.”

Uncaring of their conversation, Esme held up her drawing pad, now completely filled in with color and presented it to Catra. “Done!” she announced. “Can you tear it off? I wanna do a Finn picture now!”

“That’s disgusting, SuperCatra is the lamest name and I would shred the cape,” Catra shot back with a look of disgust, but completely changed her tune when Esme showed her that masterpiece. Never a look of disgust for Esme - she lit up with enthusiasm instead, well-practiced thanks to her months of working with children. “And that’s awesome. I got it!”

She was very careful ripping out the page, not wanting to tear into what Esme made. “I’ll make Adora stop for frames before she comes home,” she grinned. “She’ll love this.”

Catra didn’t want to risk putting this on a fridge. She didn’t know if she’d ever see Esme again, and it was a little silly but fuck, she wanted in preserved in some way.

Esme was absolutely beaming, and though she wanted to get right back into her artwork, instead, she stood up and threw her arms around Catra to hug her. She liked how soft and warm Catra and Finn were and may have clung on a bit tightly.

“I’m really happy you like it!”

“Easy, sweetie,” Alex coaxed her daughter with a smile, but she didn’t get in the way. That little bond made her heart soar.

Catra didn’t mind. She had her fair share of children being clingy with her – and she couldn’t blame them. There was a softness to her that was unique, and they were often delighted when she purred for them so that’s exactly what she did. She purred for Esme, wrapping her arms around her tightly to drag her into her lap.

Made it easy for her tail to brush up over her face, tickling her nose.

“If you think drawing’s fun,” she grinned playfully at her, “wait until I break out the foam sensory paint. It’s really fun and super cool.”