Contributions to society extended cut edition

chapter 4: merry christmas?

Date: Christmas 2019 5pm-7:30pm

There was still no sign of Supergirl or her reporter friend, Kara Danvers. There wasn’t even the tiniest of hints to suggest where either of them had been before the time of their disappearance. As such, by the time Christmas rolled around in National City, it was a very cold day indeed. And it was the hardest Christmas Alex had ever been forced to endure. Even though Cat threw a private party in her fancy house just a few miles from the city, the only guests being those who had known Kara well, Alex still found it hard to see a Christmas without her precious baby sister there with her. Without Kara there, was it really a merry Christmas?
“Cheer up, Alex, it’s Christmas!” Winn murmured to her as she and Eliza arrived at Cat’s house. He, James, Lena, J’onn, Maggie (Alex’s new girlfriend) and Lyra (Winn’s new girlfriend) were the other attendees.
“I’ll try,” she muttered, not sounding very excited. She trudged sadly, slowly, into Cat’s house. The first thing she was aware of was not the smell of a roast or a ham or even a turkey, but of-
“Burgers?” Alex let out a bark of laughter despite her grief.
“It’s a Christmas charity,” James explained to her. “Universe Food was doing some sort of Christmas thing where, for every burger bought, they donate some money and a batch of Christmas cookies to various pro-alien charities…” but Alex still couldn’t stop a laugh at the humor of seeing a beautiful table covered in gorgeous decor surrounded by all sorts of Christmas treats only for the centerpiece to be a giant silver tray of burgers.
“They have a Christmas line,” Cat frowned as Alex continued to snicker at the comical sight of fast food on a silver platter. Then she pointed to the tray of meat pies. Those looked a bit fancier and nicer, and as Alex would soon find out, they really were holiday themed, so to speak. While the burgers were just burger, like always, the meat pies came in more creative flavors, reminiscent of chicken, turkey, ham, roast and all the other things people normally ate on Christmas.
For almost an hour, the small family gathered around Cat’s fancy mahogany table to eat, drink and be merry (or at least, as merry as possible). While they dined upon ever meaty delicacy Universe Food had to offer, they traded memories about Kara and tried to bring her good cheer into their hearts again so that this Christmas could still be a merry one after all.
“She was always such a stupid, foolish girl!” Cat shook her head as she ate a Double Meat Burger. “She had so much promise and potential, yet she never seemed to see it herself, always lowering herself to standards she was already so much higher than!”
“I never knew her that well, but I know that Winn was fond of her, and I myself hold her in great esteem. She seemed like a good and kind person,” Lyra nodded as she munched absentmindedly on a turkey-flavored meat pie. “And Supergirl was, cliche though it may be to say it, my hero. I held so much respect and admiration for her. She was definitely a great loss for this country…”
“And Supergirl was so much like her cousin,” James agreed as he moved onto his third burger. “I know Supergirl hated to be compared to him, but she had all the strength, courage, honor and heart that he did, I am honored to say that I was her friend. And I am just as honored to call Kara a friend as Supergirl.”
“Same,” a bittersweet smile spread across Winn’s face as he played with his meat pie sadly. “Kara never failed to make me laugh. She was just the sweetest girl! And my favorite memory of Supergirl was when she saved me from myself, and from Myriad…” Winn paused as his bittersweet smile became even more bitter at this memory. It was only thanks to her strength that he’d been able to overcome Myriad’s brainwashing. It was now his greatest regret that he had failed to save her, even though she had saved him...
“She was like a daughter to me,” J’onn said next once Winn finished sharing his memory of Kara. “I was so proud to have known her and it will always be my greatest pride, getting to serve with her,” he murmured as he slowly at his meat pie.
“And Kara was my daughter,” Eliza agreed as she ate her own burger. “Not by blood, but she was just as much my child as Alex is…” she turned to her surviving daughter with a pained look and Alex began to cry, unable to share her own memory because of the grief it caused her. Maggie held Alex gently, kissing and caressing her before talking about how much Kara had meant to her as well.
“She was so welcoming of me, Kara was,” Maggie said. “She was over the moon when she found out Alex and I were dating, and I have never received such a warm reception before in my life! I will never forget that… or her.”
“Kara was my best friend,” now it was Lena’s turn. “I loved her more than anything, more than words can ever say. She trusted and welcomed me when no one else would. Her spirit and her faith are the things I will remember and miss most about her. I was so lucky to have met someone as kind and trusting as she… And Supergirl, herself, has saved me several times as well, thanks to Kara’s faith in me, prompting Supergirl to feel the same. I would do anything to bring them back!”
And the group continued to speak on behalf of Kara’s memory, continuing to eat their burgers and meat pies throughout the entire conversation.
Lyra chuckled as she sank her teeth into her Double Meat MeatPie. It was warm and fresh and flavorful and delicious. The gravy was like nectar and the meat was nice and chewy and salty and warm. The crust was fresh and crispy, the filling was rich, what more could she have possibly wanted?!
Cat, as she sank her teeth into the first of her Double Meat Burgers, said “Delicious!” Her burger, like Lyra’s, was warm and fresh, bursting with goodness. The Sauce was like sweet and the meat was nice and juicy. The salty sweetness was a perfect combination!
Lena slurped up some of the gravy from her meat pie, looking content for the first time in months. The food sat richly in her stomach, warm, and she couldn’t stop a smile as she reached for another meat pie.
“I should stop,” she told herself, but she didn’t. Instead, she indulged, and with Kara’s face in her mind, she continued to chow down on the warm, salty, meaty goodness sitting on her plate before her. Kara would’ve devoured an entire plate in mere seconds, so tonight, in her honor and memory, Lena was going to let loose and do the same and eat as much as she wanted to, no regrets, just indulgence.
Winn, James and Maggie were experimenting with the sauces and gravy, slathering on the meaty goodness and trading flavors. It was enough to even make Alex and Eliza laugh as their friends invented “new” flavors, by mashing everything up together and calling it a meal.
“That’s what we call a stir fry,” J’onn teased them, but he stole some of the strange mash Winn, James and Maggie had made and seemed quite pleased with the taste. Alex stole a bit of it next, snatching it right out of Maggie’s hand playfully.
“Hmmm,” she murmured as she licked her fingers clean. “Not entirely terrible!” and for the first time in a long time, the guests of the table began to laugh. It was still freezing cold outside, but the temperature inside was starting to warm up once again. Maybe it really could be a Merry Christmas after all…