(Untitled)

[frakkup]

There was no morbid curiousity in Kara after the sandcastles, no desire in her at all to run towards the danger and the flying explosives as Hartford's rampage continued. There might have been at another time, but not today, with Calliope's tears still drying on her cheeks. Today Kara scooped up her child and went in the opposite direction,

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[little_moons]

What the fuck?

Standing on shore, I see the blond hair first, a jolt of adrenaline leaping in my chest, because even though I know the girls are safe at home with Mike and Tom, I see the blond head out there in the water and instinctively I prepare for the worst. I should be at home, I know that, but when things started to die down there were too many people to check on. Too many people left out there to worry about. And standing out on the edge of the water, I'm grateful I came.

"Kara?" I call out over the crash of waves, kicking off my shoes and wading into the water before I even realize what the other splotch of blond is. Calliope. She's got Calliope with her. ... And somebody else. Somebody not moving.

[frakkup]

Ears straining for any sign of help or hope, Kara heard him and struggled towards his voice, willing Neil closer through dips in the waves. "Take her," she gasped, tugging on Calliope's arm the moment he was within reach. "Baby, let go now."

[little_moons]

With my feet on the bottom, the water's almost up over my shoulders by the time I make it out to her, pushing out through the waves as hard as I can, swept up off the bottom with each surge.

"I got her," I sputter, hooking an arm around her waist, waiting for her to let go of her mother before I draw her tight against me.

[frakkup]

Kara actually gasped with relief. Calliope weighed less than half her usual weight in the water, but Kara'd been carrying her for a long time, and now she knew Calliope was safe.

"Thank you," she exhaled, and in the next moment, "Don't let her look." Calliope held tight to Neil, but her eyes kept darting towards the woman Kara was now gathering in her arms. "Can you talk to her?"

[dickgout]

Everything was fucking nuts again, and really, Jason had just been going out to secure his little boat. Yeah, he was no slouch in a fight, especially not when he had his ass-kicking chain from his truck, but Sookie'd gone and lost it on the Ratcliffes and he didn't have a replacement here.

Plus, this was some superhero shit, all right.

He spotted Kara, through, and the all-consuming desire to get the fuck outta dodge left him. Instead (again with a thought to his sister, who'd never met a stupid idea she didn't love), he began to splash out towards her. "Kara?"

[frakkup]

"Jason?" Kara heard him before she saw him, tiny snatches of blond hair getting closer each time the waves rose and fell. Her throat worked against the words, but Calliope's arms were quivering around her. There was nothing else for it. "Help me! I need you to take - " She shut her mouth against a wave. "Take Calliope!"

[dickgout]

"Motherfucking Jesus Christ," Jason swore, but mostly under his breath because his shit luck meant the kid would pick it up. Then he swore some more, because that was a fucking corpse, some pretty dead woman with dark hair.

Amyfucksosorry.

But then there was Calliope to take. "Okay," he yelled, holding out his hands. "It'll be okay."

[frakkup]

"Baby, go to Jason now," Kara murmured, pressing her lips to Calliope's wet hair. "You can let go." She helped to pry Calliope's stiff hold away, keeping a hand fisted in her shirt until Jason had hold of her.

The relief was immediate. "Gods, thank you," Kara exhaled, now faced with the grim task of gathering Kendra's broken body in her arms. "Can you get her to shore?"

[heartless_sob]

Castiel had seen the destruction, heart beating too hard in his chest, consuming him. He had grown fond of the island and the small, eclectic group of people who were trapped here as he was. But he couldn't do anything. He was as fragile and powerless as all of them, all but the one who had caused all this in the first place.

He saw the woman fall from the sky at a distance, and ran toward her. From that height, he didn't think she could survive it, but maybe, maybe.

When he got near enough all he saw was Kara in the water, her daughter in her arms. "Did she fall!" he called, panting. Stupid vessel, stupid mortality.

He swallowed a prayer and pushed through the water to get to them.

[frakkup]

Kara didn't answer him. It was too hard to breathe around the burning in her lungs and the water seeking inward, and more than that Kara didn't want to say it yet. That Kendra fell. That she was dead.

She concentrated on pushing her legs against the tug of the water, murmuring to the top of Calliope's head until Castiel was close. "Can you take her? My little girl?"

[heartless_sob]

Castiel couldn't swim. He'd forgotten that bit of information and he was already out to Kara, doing his best to stay afloat. He nearly swallowed a mouthful of water when he saw the body she was dragging. His eyes flashed up to her, to Calliope, and he nodded.

He braced himself against the waves and reached his arms out. "I'll take her."

[frakkup]

"Hold her tight," said Kara, "she's scared." She pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter's head, murmuring for Calliope to let go. Calliope did, unlocking her stiff little arms and falling back against Castiel when he moved to take her.

"Thank you," Kara whispered. Gods, she didn't know how much longer she could have carried them both. She'd been stupid, bringing Calliope out here with her, but she couldn't leave Kendra any more than she could leave Calliope alone on shore.

[vat_69]

Of course Kara is in the middle of the fucking ocean. Of course. The unflinching will that Lew often praises in her absence he is cursing right now, and maybe it makes him selfish, maybe it means he's made of lesser stuff. That's just fine with him, as long as that stubborn woman and her little girl stay safe.

He hesitates only long enough to shuck off his shoes and then plunges into the water after them, bracing himself against the onslaught on incoming waves with the dim regret that he'd not done more swimming in his time on the island. He'd used to swim at home all the time; fat lot of good it did him now.

The closer he approaches, the more certain he is that Kendra is dead, although there hadn't been much hope when she'd fallen. "Kara," he calls, when he's loud enough to be properly heard. "Kara, give her to me," he insists, panting and sputtering seawater as he motions to the body. "Take Calliope and give Kendra to me."

[frakkup]

Kara shook her head, expression for an instant as young and as willful as the toddler slung around her neck. "Take Calliope," she shouted, turning her head against the wave that crashed between them. "She's too tired, and I'm - " Frak, but she hated to say it. "I'm tired. Please."

[vat_69]

You don't take a child from her mother unless you've got permission. That's just how it works. But if that's what Kara wants him to do, Lew won't hesitate. Whatever gets them both back to shore.

Fucking ocean. Coughing against the salt water that had just forced its way up his nose, Lew holds out both hands toward Calliope. "Come on, sweetheart," he calls, and tucks her in close against him to try and shield her from the waves, a hand curved against the back of her head.

He wants to offer help to Kara, to hold a hand out to her, but he knows what she'll say.

[frakkup]

Kara watched Calliope press her wet cheek against Nixon's own, holding tight to him with her eyes scrunched tight against the waves. "Thank you," Kara breathed.

With Calliope in safe hands, Kara let herself sag for a moment, floating with her fingers loose in Kendra's shirt. But the waves were still coming, still tugging Kendra away from her in inches, and the only thing to do was to keep moving forward. "Do you know if there were other casualties?"

[not_a_quaker]

The second I see Kara far out on the sandbar, I spring into action, prying off my shoes as fast as I can before practically sprinting into the water, mentally thankful for all the swimming I've been doing here on the island. I can see Calliope's little blond head, and the limp form in Kara's other arm surges me forward even more emphatically.

"Kara!" I call, and now that I'm closer I can see the body is Kendra, clearly dead. I want to shield them, shield both of them from the sight, even though I know Kara is a soldier just like me. We've both seen death.

The second I'm close enough I sweep Calliope into my arms, knowing Kara trusts me to take her. "I've got you, sweetheart," I say to her, calm and soothing. "Hold on to me."

[frakkup]

"Gods," Kara exhaled. With one burden lifted the urge to stop was strong, but Kara made herself pull Kendra more firmly into her arms and press forward. "Thank you, Major." The word stung a little, for Kendra had been a Major too, and now she'd only exist in this place for as long as there were people to remember her. Gods only knew how long that would be in a place like the island.

"He just dropped her," she said, almost wishing the waves would swallow up her words before Calliope heard them. "The frakker dropped her."

[not_a_quaker]

"Dear God." If only I'd gotten there a few minutes sooner, I could have retrieved Kendra's body and spared Kara and her daughter the trip out into the water. I keep a tight hold on Calliope, making sure her head stays safely above the waves as we make our way back towards the shore.

[frakkup]

"What's happening out there?" Kara asked. She'd seen that metal frakker flying for the second island, but gods only knew what else he'd done to this one. "How many injured?"