lanalucy | Fic: Sacrifice, Kara, Kacey, references to canon child abuse

Written for

wishlist_fic's 2014 fanfic fest.

Summary: Promises made to herself might be more important than any other kind.
Prompt/Prompter: A Kara, Kacey moment where Kara differentiates herself from Socrata as a maternal figure. (Not sure if that makes sense -- basically she mothers in a much more healthy way.) Maybe she realizes it consciously; maybe she doesn't.

laura_mayfair
Rating: PG
Warnings: references to canon child abuse
Disclaimer: RDM said we could.
Notes: Thanks to

newnumbertwo and

laura_mayfair for beta duties and title brainstorming.

Kara stared, hoping the horror wasn’t showing on her face. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d finally gotten to her. She looked harder at the child, searching for something of herself in it. Kacey was blonde, like she’d always been, but she had nothing else to go on. Socrata had never been one for pictures or photo albums or sharing memories. Just suffering and sacrifice.

Something in her solidified with that thought, and she mentally stood up straighter. She’d frak it up, for sure, but she’d do her best to frak up this kid less than her mother had frakked her up.

Hours later, her resolve weakened when she couldn’t escape Kacey. She was full of energy and smiles, even if she didn’t talk at all, and she made the surrounding silence unbearable. Kara swung her up and all but tossed her on the couch, then stalked away, cursing herself for her mistake. She shut herself in the head, hoping the door between them would keep her from hitting Kacey.

Kacey hadn’t even done anything wrong, but Kara was angry at her for tying her to this hell. Now, when she figured out a way to escape, that plan had to include the child, too. She might not be sure the kid was half hers, but she wouldn’t frakking leave it here to suffer from whatever torture the Leoben came up with. He seemed nicer around the child, but then he always seemed nice around her until he wasn’t. She couldn’t trust he’d take care of Kacey.

When she heard Kacey cry out, she rushed out of the head, and was horrified at the sight of blood on the landing. Promise broken already. She hadn’t done it intentionally like her mother had, but knowing that wasn’t any comfort.

The doctor checked Kacey out and released her, and Kara and Leoben took her home. She tucked Kacey in, and when she tried to leave, Kacey grabbed her finger. Kara looked at her for a long moment, then climbed onto the bed with Kacey. Kacey settled into her, the blonde curls tickling Kara’s chest and chin, and Kara held her tighter, somehow relaxed and alert at the same time.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to keep her promise.

Also posted at AO3.