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Kara had always hated hospitals.
She hated everything about them – the sterility, the scent of disinfectant filling her nose, despair and desperation almost tangible in the air. It was a reminder of humanity’s fragility, how breakable they were, how helpless, despite her powers, Kara could be to the ones who might need her the most.
In the ICU of George Washington University Hospital, Kara’s senses were flooded with the beeping of machines, the sound of hushed voices and someone sobbing nearby filling her ears. It took her only a second for her to locate the room she wanted, tilting down her glasses to do a cursory scan of the floor, and, destination assured, Kara took several shaky steps towards the door at the end of the hall.
The door was cracked open, a gangly teenager with a mop of blond curls sitting beside the bed, leaning over a table. Books on algebra and calculus were spread across it, a frown of concentration on his face as he chewed on the end of his pencil, studying the problem in-front of him as Kara studied him.
She hadn’t seen Carter for four years. He’d been twelve the last time she’d laid eyes on him, a few inches shorter than her with a cheeky smile and eyes the same shade of green as his mother. Now, at sixteen, she could tell he would tower over her when he stood, all skin and bones.
Kara rapped her knuckles on the door, not wanting to startle him, but Carter jumped anyway, his eyes widening as he realised who was standing there.
“Kara?” He looked confused to see her, and Kara supposed that she couldn’t really blame him – she did live on the other side of the country, after all. “What are you doing here?”
“I only just heard.” Kara’s eyes fell to the other occupant of the room, lying prone in the hospital bed, eyes closed and she’d look peaceful, if not for the wires snaking their way from beneath her gown, hooked up to various items of machinery. “I would’ve come sooner, if I knew.”
“She didn’t want anyone to know,” Carter said, his voice quiet. “You know how she is.”
“Yeah, I do.” There was another chair in the room, and Kara settled into it. “What happened?”
“Heart attack.”
Kara thought of the prescription for blood pressure medication that she’d had to fill when she’d been Cat’s assistant, thought of people in the office joking that she was one firing away from a coronary, and clenched her jaw tight.
“She just… collapsed.”
“You were with her?” Kara asked, aghast that he’d had to go through that.
“Yeah. But they said that if I hadn’t been there to call an ambulance, she definitely wouldn’t have made it, so.” Carter shrugged, his voice small, eyes haunted, and Kara’s heart ached for him. “That was a week ago, and she’s been here ever since. They don’t know when she’ll wake up. If she’ll wake up.”
“If I know anything about your Mom,” Kara said, her voice fierce as she held Carter’s gaze, “it’s that she’ll do whatever it takes to get back to you. She’s the strongest woman I know.”
“Stronger than Supergirl?”
“Stronger than Supergirl.”
Carter fell silent, attention turning back to his homework, and Kara glanced back towards Cat. It had been years since she’d set eyes on her face, in the flesh, but this wasn’t how she’d wanted to be re-united.
She looked frail, her face gaunt, and she’d always been thin but Kara was certain she’d lost weight, skin stretching over her bones. She tried to find comfort in the rise and fall of Cat’s chest, in the familiar thump of her heart, but it was hard to feel anything positive, seeing her like this.
“You can talk to her, if you want,” Carter said, and Kara found him watching her watch Cat. “The nurses tell me she can hear things. And I think she’d like to hear your voice.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“She would,” Carter said, sounding very certain. “She’s always liked you.”
“Are we talking about the same woman here?” Kara asked, smile pulling at the edges of her lips, remembering all the times she’d inspired Cat’s ire and fury over the years.
“You were the longest assistant she ever had, Kara. You think you’d have lasted if she didn’t? She’d be glad you were here."
“Hopefully she’ll wake up and tell me that herself.”
“Yeah. Hopefully.” But there wasn’t much hope to be found in Carter’s weary eyes, and Kara wondered how many hours he’d spent here, curled up at Cat’s bedside, wishing that she’d wake from her slumber.
“How have you been?” Kara asked, when the silence, punctuated only by the steady sound of Cat’s heart monitor, because too much to bear. “Aside from this, obviously. Do you like Washington?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I didn’t like it at first, but my school is better here. Smaller. And it’s been nice to explore somewhere new.”
“And your Mom? She’s happy here?”
“I think so. But then, she wouldn’t tell me if she wasn’t, not after we gave up so much to move here.”
Kara could imagine that, Cat being too stubborn to admit that she’d made a mistake by leaving National City behind. But from the speeches she’d caught (unable to help following Cat’s career, her meteoric rise to the forefront of politics, everyone waiting for her to make her move for the presidency itself), Cat seemed to have settled on the East coast just fine.
“How about you? How’s CatCo?”
“Not the same since your Mom left.” Sure, she’d gotten used to it, and sometimes the memories of her time as Cat’s assistant seemed distant, hazy, but she still thought of Cat often, wondered if she still kept up to date on the goings on, wondered what she thought about the way things were being run in her absence. “But it’s okay. I like being a reporter.”
“Mom said you won a Pulitzer,” Carter said, and Kara blinked at him, shocked that Cat would have followed her own career in the same way she’d followed Cat’s. “That’s really cool.”
“Oh, thanks.” It felt like aeons ago since that had happened, like she’d lived a thousand lives, and she was just relieved that after crisis, Cat had remained. “I channelled your Mom’s voice for that one.”
“She was really proud of you.”
Kara didn’t know how to process that, her eyes flicking back to Cat’s pale face. She hated seeing her like this, so lifeless when the woman she knew filled the room with her presence; Cat never stood still, was constantly on the move, and having her be so motionless was unsettling in a way that rooted deep inside her chest, a weight pressing down and making it hard to breathe.
Although it had been years since they’d last seen another, Cat had been a huge part of her life, had a huge influence on her life, and the thought that she might never wake up, that they might never have another conversation, that she might never call her ‘Kiera’ again… it was unimaginable.
A knock on the door tore her attention away from Cat, and she turned to find Carter’s father hovering in the doorway. He didn’t look especially comfortable to be there, but despite the tumultuous relationship that he and Cat had, Kara was glad that Carter didn’t have to go through this alone.
“Hey, buddy. You about ready to go?”
“Okay.” Carter began to pack up his things, and his father’s eyes landed on Kara, eyebrows creasing into a frown like he was trying to remember where he knew her from.
“Have we met?”
“Only a dozen or so times,” Kara said, and Carter ducked his head to hide a smile. “I’m Kara. Cat’s former assistant.”
“Oh, of course. I didn’t realise you’d moved out here.”
“I haven’t. I just came to visit.”
“From National City?” He looked perplexed, like he couldn’t imagine why she’d make that journey of her own free will. “Well, I suppose it’s nice for her to have a visitor.”
Kara’s heart ached at the thought of only Carter appearing at Cat’s bedside, vowed that she’d come back, to keep Carter company if nothing else.
“I’ll see you again soon?” Carter asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulders after climbing to his feet, and Kara had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
“Of course. Take care, Carter.”
“You too.”
With him gone, the room seemed too quiet, the silence oppressive, and Kara had a sudden, overwhelming instinct to flee. But she’d come all this way, and she hated the thought of Cat being alone, so she steeled herself and switched to the chair that Carter had just vacated, inching her way closer to Cat’s bedside.
She remembered Carter telling her to talk to her, but she couldn’t think of a thing to say.
She reached out and took her hand, instead. Physical contact with Cat wasn’t something she was necessarily used to – although sometimes, the memories of the hugs that they’d shared burned in her mind – but the feeling of her pulse, beating feather-light against her palm, brought her comfort.
“I miss you,” Kara admitted, her voice quiet. “I try not to dwell on the past too much, because we can’t change it, but… I do. I told you I didn’t like change, and I meant it. Don’t get me wrong, I like where I am now, and I like my job and that you gave me that chance, but some days I really miss fetching you a latte, or a salad with a cheeseburger on top. I miss your wisdom and your rants when something didn’t go your way. I miss being able to learn from you. I miss your inspiring speeches. I knew I could come to you when I was having difficulties, and you always knew exactly the right thing to say. There’s a few times I’ve needed that, lately.”
Those nights on Cat’s balcony, shrouded in her cape and feeling, for the first time, like they were on level footing, were moments that she’d always cherish, where Cat had been open and unguarded with her.
“I should’ve reached out to you more. Kept in touch. But I didn’t want to bother you, at first, and then weeks stretched into months into years and it seemed too little, too late. And now I don’t know if I’ll ever get to talk to you again.”
Kara’s voice cracked, and she clenched her jaw to try and stem the tears that threatened to fall, knowing that Cat detested such displays of emotion.
“You have to get through this,” she said, after taking a deep, steadying breath. “You have to, for Carter. He might be all grown up now, but he still needs his Mom. You’re too stubborn to let a heart attack take you down.” She swept a trembling thumb across the back of Cat’s knuckles, her skin cool to the touch. “I have faith in you, Ms Grant. Don’t let me down – you never have before.”
She stayed there for a few more minutes, before she decided that she should make her way back to National City, before anyone noticed she was gone. Pausing in the doorway, she cast one last look at Cat, drinking in the sight of her, and hoping that she wouldn’t look so lifeless the next time she laid eyes on her.
//
Kara tried to visit every few days, whenever her Supergirl duties allowed her a few precious hours of respite.
More often than not, Carter could be found doing his homework at his Mom’s bedside, and they’d talk anything and everything, from his day in school to his memories of National City. After reminiscing over Kara’s disastrous attempt at babysitting him, she picked up a cheap copy of Catan and started to take it with her.
He won almost every time, but Kara’s wounded pride was eased by the bright spark in his eyes and the smile on his mouth, a brief moment of happiness that let him escape his worries and fears about his Mom never waking up.
If Carter found it odd that she appeared to be making a five thousand mile round trip several times a week, he didn’t mention it, and Kara certainly wasn’t going to draw attention to it if she could help it.
But her disappearances didn’t go unnoticed from those in her life for long, as Kara discovered when she ducked through apartment window one night, exhaustion sitting heavy in bones, and yelped in surprise when she came face to face with her sister, who was waiting on her couch, arms folded across her chest.
“You scared me.” Kara pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart hammering beneath her ribcage. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” Alex’s eyes scrutinised her face, and Kara raised a bemused eyebrow, wondering what she was trying to find.
“Well, you found me. What’s up?”
“Are you seeing somebody?”
The question was so unexpected that Kara snorted, throwing herself down beside her sister and kicking up her boots onto her coffee table. “ What ? Of course I’m not. Why would you ask that?”
“Because you keep disappearing for hours at a time where you’re largely unreachable,” Alex said, and Kara supposed she’d been a little naïve, expecting that Alex wouldn’t notice. “What else am I supposed to think?”
“That maybe you don’t need to know where I am every hour of every day?” Kara shot back, her voice sharper than she intended, defensive, and Alex’s face fell. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”
“I just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to keep them a secret from me. If you and Lena - ”
“Wait, what ?! You think I’m secretly dating Lena ? First of all, she still doesn’t trust me, and second of all, you know we’re just friends.”
“Then who? William?”
“I’m not seeing anyone, Alex.”
“Then where are you going?”
In truth, Kara didn’t really know why she’d chosen to keep her visits to Washington a secret. Maybe because she didn’t want a lecture on how she could be at risk if she was spotted, maybe it was because telling people would feel like she was betraying Cat’s trust, considering she knew that Cat didn’t want people knowing what had happened to her.
Maybe it was because she liked the time she spent in that room, something private, something just for her, a moment where she didn’t have to think about being Supergirl, or Kara Danvers, a moment where she could just be a pillar of support for her mentor and her son.
But she knew she couldn’t keep it to herself any longer, knew she couldn’t lie outright to her sister like this.
“Cat’s in the hospital,” she said with a sigh. “So I’ve been visiting. She’s… she’s in a bad way. They don’t know if she’s ever going to wake up.”
She knew the hopes of the doctors and nurses dwindled with each passing day, and she knew that Carter was starting to lose faith, too, which was heart-breaking to see.
“I… I’m sorry, Kara.” It seemed to take Alex a minute to process, and Kara couldn’t blame her, considering she hadn’t mentioned Cat in almost four years. “I know she used to be important to you.”
“She still is.”
“Right.”
Kara knew that Alex didn’t understand, that she’d never liked Cat because of the way she’d treated Kara, that she couldn’t imagine being attached to a person like that.
“So, you’re flying to Washington three times a week to… visit your old boss in hospital.”
“You wanted to know,” Kara said, on the defensive again. “And if you’re about to tell me that I should stop, I swear to Rao, Alex - ”
“I’m not. Just… be careful, okay?”
“I’m always careful.”
Alex shot her a look that said she firmly disagreed with that statement, and Kara stuck her tongue out at her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Kara shifted, leaning her head on her sister’s shoulder. “It’s hard seeing her like that, though. I just want her to wake up, for Carter if nothing else.”
“How’s he holding up?”
“He’s starting to crack. It’s been six weeks, now, and they keep saying that even if she does wake up… she might not be the same.” The thought of a Cat Grant without her signature personality didn’t bear thinking about.
“She’s strong.”
“I know.” She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Carter that Cat was the strongest person she knew – she just hoped that she was strong enough to pull through.
“You want to watch something to take your mind off it?” Alex offered, and there was a part of Kara that was relieved that her secret was now out, that she could lean on her sister for support if she needed it.
“Okay.”
//
Cat’s eyes blinked open when everyone, even Kara, had accepted that it was unlikely to ever happen.
Three months after her first visit, Kara was sitting beside her, telling her about the latest article she was writing, hand cradled in her own like it always was when Carter had gone home, when Kara felt her fingers twitch.
Snapping her jaw shut, Kara stared down at Cat’s hand in shock. For a moment, she thought she’d imagined it, but then it happened again, the tiniest of movements, but more than Kara had ever seen before.
“Cat?” She whispered, as though speaking too loudly might scare her back into a coma. “Can you hear me?” Her eyes were trained on Cat’s face, desperately searching for a sign, and when Cat’s eyes opened, she forgot how to breathe. “Oh, my god.”
“Kara?” Cat’s voice was hoarse from misuse, her face scrunching up into a frown as her gaze tried to focus on Kara’s face, and Kara’s breath caught at hearing Cat say her name. “Am I dreaming?”
“N-no, you’re not dreaming.”
“Where am I?”
“You don’t remember what happened to you?”
Cat shook her head, and when she moved to try and sit up, Kara was quick to stop her, resting a gentle hand on her chest.
“Don’t move, not until someone’s checked you over.” She kept her hand where it was, Cat’s heart thudding beneath her palm, and turned her head towards the door. “Nurse! Nurse, we need some help in here!”
It took only a few moments for the sound of quick footsteps to reach Kara’s ears, a nurse that had always offered Kara a friendly smile and idle chit-chat whenever she’d come to see to Cat when she’d been visiting appearing in the doorway, her eyes widening when she realised that Cat was awake, a hand immediately reaching for her pager.
“Ms Grant, we’d almost given up on you.” She crossed to Cat’s bedside, starting to check her vitals, and Kara moved away, giving her and the doctor that appeared a few minutes later some room to work.
“I’m going to go and call Carter,” Kara said, meeting Cat’s gaze. “He’ll want to know you’re awake.” She stepped out into the hall to make the call, giving Cat some privacy, aware that, after so many years out of her life, she might not be comfortable with Kara seeing her so vulnerable. She dialled Carter’s number with shaking fingers, her heart beating double-time in her chest, barely able to believe what had just happened.
“Kara? What’s wrong? Is it my Mom?” His voice was anxious, no doubt assuming the worst, and Kara ached for him.
“She’s awake, buddy.”
“She… she is?”
“Yeah, she is.”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up without another word, and Kara knew it wouldn’t be long until he arrived, the apartment that Cat had bought only a few blocks away.
She chose to wait out in the hall, even though it was torture not to know what was happening in the room behind her. She knew that with her powers it would be easy to find out, but Cat’s comfort was more important than her feelings, so she waited, pacing up and down with such force that the ceiling on the floor below was probably shaking.
When Carter arrived, he rushed past her and into his Mom’s room, and through the open doorway, Kara watched their reunion, Carter flinging himself into Cat’s outstretched arms, tears pouring down both of their faces.
Feeling like she was intruding, Kara looked away, pressing her back against the wall beside the door. When Carter emerged, his cheeks were damp, but his eyes were bright, and when he pulled her into a hug Kara held him close.
“They’re going to take her for tests,” he said, his voice muffled against Kara’s shoulder, “and they said it’ll take months of rehabilitation for her to recover after being immobile for so long, but they’re hopeful that eventually she’ll make a full recovery.”
“That’s great news, Carter.” She was grateful for the update, for some good news after months where it was only bleak, knew that she shouldn’t have counted Cat out, that no matter the odds, she never should have doubted her.
“It’s going to be a while before they’re finished, so you don’t have to wait around if you don’t want to. They said I could stay here tonight so she’s not alone.”
“Okay.” It felt wrong for her to leave, after waiting so long for this moment, but she knew it made sense, that Cat probably wouldn’t even be up for visitors after being poked and prodded and Rao only knew what else. “Tell your Mom to look after herself, will you?”
“You can tell herself when you next come and visit.”
“I don’t know if she’ll want me to visit, Carter.”
“Are you kidding?” Carter looked at her in disbelief. “Of course she will.”
Kara didn’t know if she shared his certainty, but she knew she’d be back at least once, just to wish her well. “Alright, I’ll see you soon, then.”
“Bye, Kara.” He gave her one last quick hug, before disappearing back into Cat’s room.
Kara lingered for a moment, before walking down the hall, glancing around to check no-one was watching before ducking up the stairwell she’d found that led to the roof. Once she was outside in the cool night air, she took a moment to take in the city skyline, so different from the one she called home.
She thought of Cat, the knowledge that, even though there was a long road ahead of her, she was going to be okay filling her with elation. She let out her joy once she was in the air, flying high above the clouds and then somersaulting through the sky before flying home, a genuine smile on her mouth for the first time in months.
//
A rogue alien wreaking havoc across the city meant that it was a week before she could manage to slip away to Washington again.
Cat had been moved onto a different ward, and Kara followed the instructions that Carter had texted her, following the sound of his voice when she was nearby. Inside the room, she found them playing Catan, Cat sitting propped up with pillows, Carter on the end of her bed, cross-legged, the board just about fitting on the tray table that was lying between them.
She knocked on the door, Cat’s eyes lifting from the game, a weak smile crossing her lips when she saw Kara standing there. She looked exhausted, bags under her eyes, face still gaunt but at least there was some colour in her cheeks, at least she was awake, moving , and to Kara, that meant that she was best she’d ever looked.
“Kara!” Carter’s greeting was more enthusiastic, jumping off the bed to hug her, Cat’s eyes widening as his arms wrapped around Kara’s back. “I was beginning to think that you weren’t coming back.”
“Yeah, sorry. Things were a little hectic this week.”
“Carter tells me that you’ve been here quite a lot,” Cat said, and she might appear tired but her eyes were sharp, shrewd, when they settled on Kara’s face. “Tell me, how does a junior reporter manage to afford that kind of air fare? Don’t tell me that new woman has increased salaries.”
“It’s nice to see you back to your old self, Ms Grant,” Kara opted to reply, because that was what the two of them did, skirted around the elephant in the room. “You look well.”
“No I don’t,” Cat scoffed, wincing as she stretched out her legs into the space Carter had just vacated. “I look like shit. You don’t have to lie to me anymore Kara – you’re no longer my employee.”
A fact that Kara didn’t need to be reminded of.
“I tried to do her make-up the other day,” Carter said, looking more animated than Kara had ever seen him, and she was so glad to see it, almost as glad as she was to see Cat up and about. “It did not go well.”
“Not unless I was trying out for clown school, no. But I did appreciate the effort, sweetheart.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Extremely weak,” Cat sighed, and even lifting a hand to push some hair behind her ear looked like it took enormous effort. “I can’t wait to get my strength back – having to rely on someone to escort me to the bathroom is humiliating.” Cat was probably the worst person to be bed-ridden, and Kara could only imagine some of the insults she might have hurled at her nurses over the past week. “And don’t even get me started on how boring being stuck in this bed all day is. They won’t let me work.”
“Because you’re recovering from a serious medical condition,” Kara said in disbelief, but she couldn’t say she was surprised – Cat Grant was a workaholic, through and through. “What work could you do from in here, anyway?”
“I don’t know. Right now I’d take anything.”
“You wouldn’t do my English homework for me,” Carter pointed out, perching back on the end of the bed, cheeky grin on his face.
“Because you have to do it yourself.”
“And because it’s too difficult for you?”
Cat looked outraged, and Carter’s grin widened, and Kara was relieved to see the two of them bantering, relieved that Cat seemed to be her normal self.
“You’re lucky it’s not worth the effort to smack you upside the head,” Cat muttered. “And speaking of your English homework, did you ever actually get it done?”
Carter’s expression immediately turned sheepish. “One more game and then I’ll do it, I promise. Kara can play, too. It’s more fun with three people.”
For a moment, Kara thought that Cat was going to refuse, but eventually she nodded, and Carter quickly re-set the board as Kara settled into the chair beside the bed, shrugging out of her jacket and making herself comfortable.
All three of them were competitive, keeping their cards close to their chest. Carter ended up being the victor, counting up his points with glee, and cheerfully reminding Kara that she’d won only two games against him over the past several months.
“I’ll get you next time,” she said, even though she knew she probably wouldn’t.
“You keep telling yourself that.” He’d gotten more comfortable around her, over time, and Kara noticed Cat watching them interact with interest, probably unused to seeing her son so unguarded around someone other than her. “Okay, I guess I’ll go and get that work done now. Unless you want me to stay a little longer?”
“No, sweetheart. I’ll be fine here.”
“Okay.” He leant over to give his mother a quick hug goodbye. “I love you, Mom, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I love you too.”
“Bye, Kara.” He hugged her, too. “See you soon.”
“Bye, Carter.”
“You two have certainly gotten quite close,” Cat said, when he’d gone, eyes settling on Kara’s face, her gaze heavy and thoughtful, and Kara fought the urge to fidget beneath the weight of it.
“Oh, yeah, well we’ve spent quite a bit of time together the past few weeks.” To avoid having to look Cat in the eye, Kara busied herself with tidying away their game. “I think he was glad to have someone to talk to.”
“I’m glad, too. Sometimes he looks at me like he’s scared I’m about to drop dead. It’s a relief to know he didn’t have to go through it all alone.”
“We were pretty worried about you.”
“You didn’t doubt I’d pull through, did you?”
“I… may have started to, a little.”
“You disappoint me, Kara,” Cat tsked. “You should know by now to never bet against me.”
“It won’t happen again. Do you need anything?” She felt awkward, out of place, now that Cat was awake, didn’t like just sitting there, doing nothing. “Water? Tea?”
“You’re not my assistant anymore, Kara. You don’t have to look after me.”
“I know, but I don’t mind.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you?” Kara dared to ask, knowing that Cat would downplay any worries while her son was in the room.
“Well, I’ve certainly felt better, but I’m awake and still breathing.”
Kara may not have seen Cat for years, but she was still easy for her to read, and she could see the fear on her face, fear that she was desperately trying to hide, that she no doubt thought was a weakness, from being faced with her own mortality.
“I mostly feel betrayed by my own body,” Cat huffed, trying to hide behind annoyance. “A heart attack taking me down at fifty five? Disgusting.”
“You need to take better care of yourself. Maybe consider a slightly less stressful career.”
Cat looked at her like Kara had just told her to throw herself off of the roof, and she supposed she should’ve known better than to make that suggestion.
“Just… listen to the doctors. I know you don’t like being told what to do, but they know what’s best for you.”
“They want me to give up coffee and alcohol,” Cat said, nose wrinkled in distaste. “How on Earth am I supposed to survive in Washington without my vices?”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way. Although I fear for anyone who has to work in close quarters with you.”
Cat snorted. “You never know, maybe I’ve mellowed out since I left National City.”
“Working in the White House? No freaking way.”
“You’re right. I’m ten times worse.” Her lips curved into a smirk, and Kara wondered what terror she sowed, stalking down those halls. “I haven’t managed to keep an assistant for longer than six months, you know. You don’t feel like a change of scenery, do you?”
Kara briefly entertained the idea, and thinking of the look of horror that would be on Alex’s face if she made the suggestion had her smiling. “I’m afraid my heart lies in National City, Ms Grant.”
“It was worth a shot. Although I’d be loath to tear you aware from your career. It’s good to see you flourishing.”
Kara ducked her head, cheeks tinging pink at the praise. “Thank you. Though I wouldn’t have gotten there without you.”
“Please, you give me too much credit.” But Cat looked pleased by it, all the same. “Oh, look, here’s my favourite nurse,” Cat said, when a matronly woman strolled into the room.
“Psh, that’s not what you called me this morning,” she said, but the smile on her face seemed genuine. “I need to take some blood, I’m afraid.”
“All you do is take, take, take,” Cat complained, but it was good-natured, and Kara was glad that at least she had someone to chat to when visiting times were over.
“I think that’s my cue to leave.” Kara had never been good with needles – much to Alex’s glee – and she’d lingered longer than she usually did, knew that Alex would be expecting her back home. “I’ll come and see you again.”
“Goodnight, Kara.”
It still sent a thrill through her, hearing Cat say her name, and Kara wondered if that would ever change.
There was a smile on her face, and a bounce in her step as she made her way onto the roof, riding high from being able to talk to Cat again, and she vowed that although it had been a terrible event that had brought them back into one another’s orbit, she wasn’t going to waste the second chance that she’d been handed.
She wasn’t going to let Cat slip through her fingers again.
//
Over the next few weeks, Cat started the long and arduous recovery process.
Kara tried to visit as often as she could, and each time she did Cat seemed a little brighter, a little better, improving each and every time she saw her.
After a further month in hospital, she was discharged, and Kara was invited over to celebrate.
She knocked on the door of the penthouse apartment, smiling at Carter as he pulled it open and ushered her inside. The space was reminiscent of Cat’s former home in National City, a similar layout with floor-length windows offering a view of the city, and Kara felt a pang in her chest, wishing that they were back in National City, that Cat had never left, that things between them had never changed.
The woman herself was on the couch, colour in her cheeks, her hair perfectly styled. She looked almost back to her old self, and Kara was glad to see it, relived that she’d managed to escape her brush with death with very few complications.
(Too often, she’d had to bite back a remark about Cat having nine lives, doubting that even her invulnerability would save her from the deadliness of Cat’s glare).
“It’s good to see you out of a hospital bed, Ms Grant,” Kara said, shrugging out of her jacket and shoes before settling on the armchair beside the couch. “And who’s this?” There was a cat curled up in Cat’s lap, purring as Cat scratched behind a black ear.
“You’ve seen me on my deathbed, Kara, I think it’s time you called me Cat.” She looked more relaxed than she had the last few times Kara had seen her, and she thought that had everything to do with being back on home turf. “And this is Whiskers.”
“I didn’t think you were a cat person. Or an animal person, really.” She was too OCD, too much of a neat freak, and she’d always used to have a look of horror on her face whenever Kara had overheard Carter pestering her for a pet.
“It was her way of bribing me to come out here,” Carter said, voice cheerful as he threw himself down beside Cat, reaching out to give Whiskers a scratch on the top of her head. “She promised I could get a kitten if I stuck it out for six months. And then bonded with her more than I did.”
“Because she kept following me around.” But there was very little true complaint in Cat’s voice, a fondness in her eyes when she glanced down at the bundle of fur. “She is rather entertaining, though.”
“You’ve changed, Ms Grant.” At a sharp look from Cat, Kara quickly corrected to, “sorry. Cat.”
“Yes, well, it’s been what, four years since we last saw one another? I imagine quite a lot of things have changed since then.”
Kara thought of the world almost ending too many times to count, of a crisis that she hadn’t thought she’d make it out of alive, of friends falling or leaving, and had to agree.
“I’m sure you’ve changed, too,” Cat continued, seemingly oblivious to Kara losing herself in her memories.
“I don’t think so.” Certainly, around Cat she felt the same – young, unsure and timid, even though she held a positon of authority over her no longer. “I’m the same old me.”
“I think there’s a Pulitzer with your name on it that might disagree. Planning on following in my footsteps?”
“Oh, no, Ms Gr – Cat. I don’t think I have the makings of a CEO.”
“Hm, I don’t know.” Cat’s eyes settled on her face, and Kara felt frozen beneath the heavy weight of her gaze, that gaze that always saw so much more than Kara wanted to show. “I think you could do anything that you set your mind to.”
“Oh.” Kara ducked her head, her cheeks feeling warm, not used to being offered praise from the woman she so admired. “Thank you.”
“That’ll be dinner,” Carter said, when a buzzer rang through the apartment, making Kara jump. “We got pizza, I hope that’s okay with you?”
“Of course.”
“I told him it would be,” Cat said, as Carter hurried off to fetch it, pausing only to grab some notes from the kitchen counter. “If I remember correctly, you’ll eat obscene amounts of anything.”
“Guilty. But I can’t say I ever remember seeing you eating a slice of pizza.”
“Yes, well, until I can stand up for longer than half an hour without feeling woozy, I’m afraid I’m not much use in the kitchen.” Frustration was etched into her face, and Kara wondered what kind of toll this must be taking on a woman that was so independent. “But I’ll get there.”
“How is recovery going?”
“Slow,” Cat sighed, and when she pushed herself to her feet to go and fetch some plates after gently displacing Whiskers, Kara refrained from following close behind her, knowing that Cat wouldn’t appreciate it. “I’ve taken so many steps to stop myself from getting old, and now I’ve never felt more my age.”
“You’re hardly old.”
“Old enough.”
For what? Kara wanted to ask, but Carter returned before she got the chance.
They ate, and then Carter cracked out the games. They played for a few hours, Cat sipping from a glass of non-alcoholic wine (and the look on her face every time she drank was absolutely priceless), before Carter retired to his room to finish his homework, leaving Cat and Kara alone.
Kara wondered if she should slip away and leave Cat be, but Cat looked content, Whiskers having snuck back into her lap sometime during their second game of Scrabble, and Kara was enjoying just basking in her presence, in being close to the woman that had always meant the world to her.
Until Cat’s eyes flickered to her, expression turning thoughtful, and Kara felt like she was being scrutinised, sized up, and shifted in her seat, fingers tugging at the collar of her shirt because all of a sudden she felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“Why did you keep coming to visit me?”
“What?” The question caught her off guard, though honestly, it was a miracle she managed to say anything at all with Cat looking at her like that – all Kara could see was Cat Grant, reporter extraordinaire, and it was no wonder that she’d been able to weasel even the deepest and darkest of secrets from the people she’d used to interview.
She’d just never expected to have it aimed at her.
“We both know that you’re busier than the average junior reporter, and yet, Carter tells me you used to drop by a few times a week. Were there not better ways for Supergirl to be spending her time?”
“I’m not…” Kara trailed off, the lie sticking in her throat, and it felt wrong to continue to lie to her after she’d seen Cat so vulnerable, and besides, she was making it perfectly obvious that she already knew the truth, anyway.
For how long , Kara wasn’t yet sure, but knowing Cat the way she did, probably a while.
She’d probably never even doubted it, and just let Kara have it.
“I came whenever I could.” That was as close an admission as Cat was going to get, because somehow, the truth was hard to get out, too.
“Yes, but why ?” Cat probed, her gaze so intense that Kara had to look away.
“I… was worried about you. I know we haven’t spoken for a long time, but you were a huge influence on me. I still think about you, sometimes. Wonder what you’re doing. Wonder how much you’d tear my articles apart if you were the one approving them for publication.”
“Oh, there are a few that wouldn’t have made it.”
“You read them?” Interest piqued, Kara glanced back at Cat, and was there a blush on her face, or was she imagining it?
“I’ve… kept up with your career, yes. I wanted to see how well you were faring without me, but it’s like you never needed me at all.” Now, Cat looked sad, and Kara’s heart ached, because how could she think that?
“That’s not true. You taught me so much, Cat. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.”
“What did I teach you? I treated you terribly, horribly, and yet you still rushed to my side when no-one else did. Why?” Cat was frowning at her like she was trying to figure out, and Kara swore that her eyes were shiny. “God, look at me.” Cat swiped a hand at her eyes, huffing out a laugh that didn’t contain an ounce of humour. “I’m a wreck.”
“You’ve just had a near-death experience,” Kara murmured, shifting so that she was kneeling in-front of Cat, and it almost felt natural to take one of her hands in her own like she had so many times when Cat had been unconscious, but this time, Cat was awake, fingers twitching against Kara’s palm, pulse thrumming in her wrist. “You’re going to be a little shaky for a while.”
“I don’t like it.” Cat’s voice was almost petulant, and Kara tried not to smile, her lips perilously close to a pout.
“And as for what you taught me… well, I think a better question would be what didn’t you teach me? From you, I learned integrity, bravery, when to pick my battles or to stand down. You made me a stronger person, a better person, and I wouldn’t be the reporter I am today without you.”
“I think you hold too high an opinion of me.” Cat’s voice was quiet, and she was staring at Kara’s hand, wrapped around her own, and Kara kept waiting for her to pull away but she never did. “What did I do to inspire such loyalty? No-one else was rushing to my bedside. Only you.”
“I… I don’t know.” She couldn’t explain the hold that Cat had on her, the hold that she’d always had on her, the one that had led to her dropping everything once she’d heard the news. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“So it was pity, then.” With that, Cat retracted her hand from within Kara’s grip, her expression hardening, and Kara had no idea what she’d done wrong. “Well, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine now, so there’s no need for you to keep coming back.” If she’d been fully recovered, Kara had no doubt she’d be staring at Cat’s back as she retreated, but as it was, she just drew back, retreating inwards, instead.
“I don’t pity you.”
“ Please . Why else would you be here?”
Kara hadn’t missed Cat’s anger, the poison that she could inject into every word, and she’d always hated when it was directed it at her. It had used to send her skittering away, and maybe that was what Cat was hoping for.
But for all of Kara’s protests that she hadn’t changed, some things were different. She had more of a backbone than Cat remembered – which she was about to find out.
“It wasn’t pity that had me flying twenty thousand miles a week, Cat. Have you ever stopped to consider that I actually care about you?” Kara felt her voice rising, agitation getting the better of her, and Cat’s eyes flashed at her tone. “That maybe that’s why I’m here?”
She could see from the look on Cat’s face that she hadn’t considered it – or if she had, she hadn’t wanted to believe it. “I don’t deserve it.” Cat sounded so sure, and Kara’s heart ached, because how could she say that?
“Yes, you do.” Kara shifted closer, Cat’s wary eyes tracking her movements, and reached for her hands again, squeezing gently. “You deserve the world, Cat. There was a time where you thought that to.”
“You’re wrong.” Cat’s voice wavered, and when she curled a hand around Kara’s jaw, thumb stroking across her cheek, and she was glad that Cat wasn’t the one with superhearing because the way her heartbeat stuttered could be her secret alone. “I never believed that I deserved you.”
“I… what?” Kara’s eyebrows creased into a frown, and she felt like she was getting whiplash from how quickly the conversation kept turning. “What do you mean?”
“I - ”
A ringtone sounded through the apartment, and Kara cursed when she watched Cat’s mouth snap shut, watched her walls going back up, and whoever was calling her was going to be sorry because she desperately wanted to hear whatever Cat had been about to say.
“Not now, Alex,” she said when she answered, her voice sharp, and she could practically feel her sister bristling down the phone.
“Wow, okay, first of all, I’m going to need you to fix that attitude, and second of all, do you really think I’d be calling you if it wasn’t an emergency? We need Supergirl.”
“Can Nia or Brainy not handle it? Or can you not call Barry or Sara or someone?” This felt important, and what was the use in them all being on the same Earth if they couldn’t help each other out every once in a while?
“ Really Kara?” Alex did not sound impressed. “I think they’ve got their own problems going on without me adding to it. Are you really going to let whatever weird thing you have going on with Cat get in the way of your duties?”
“Ugh, fine .” Kara knew that she was right (and that Cat would probably smack her upside the head if she stayed when she was needed somewhere else). “I’ll be there soon.”
Sure she was about to get another lecture about her attitude, Kara hung up and shoved her phone back into her pocket, climbing to her feet with an air of reluctance. “I have to go, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise. Your city needs you.”
Don’t you need me ? Kara wanted to ask, but she bit back the words before she was stupid enough to say them out loud.
“We’ll finish this conversation another time?”
“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary,” Cat said, and Kara’s heart sank. “Stay safe, Supergirl.”
“Say goodbye to Carter for me.”
“I will.”
“I’ll just…” Kara gestured vaguely towards the balcony, feeling Cat’s eyes on her back as she pulled open the door.
She heard a gasp when her suit was revealed just before she flung herself into the air, all pretences between them well and truly gone, but there was a feeling of unease in Kara’s chest as she sped home, knowing that Cat’s unspoken words were going to haunt her for days to come.
//
“Kara.” Cat looked surprised when she opened the door two weeks later and found Kara standing on her doorstep, face creased into a puzzled frown. “What are you doing here?”
“I… Carter invited me.” She’d felt awkward, just dropping by now that Cat was out of the hospital, and feeling, after the way they’d left things, that she might not be welcome, so she’d stayed away until Carter had asked her if she wanted to come over for a games’ night.
“Carter’s not here.”
“What?” It was Kara’s turn to frown. “But he… he told me to come over. And bring games.” She lifted up the bag of them she’d brought, a few from her own collection and one or two new ones she’d heard Carter talking about that she’d bought for the occasion. “Will he be back soon?”
“No, he’s spending the night at his friend’s house.”
“But he even messaged me this morning to check I was coming, why would he…?” Kara trailed off, watching annoyance blossom on Cat’s face and wondering what she was missing. “I can show you the texts,” she said, reaching for her phone, just in-case Cat though she was making excuses. “Here - ”
“That won’t be necessary, Kara. I believe I know exactly what he was up to.”
“You do?”
“Mhm.” Cat didn’t look like she was inclined to elaborate, and Kara shifted her weight from foot to foot, wondering if she should take that as her cue to leave.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. I’m sorry to intrude on your evening.” Ducking her head, she spun on her heel and was halfway to the elevator at the end of the hall when Cat called out to her.
“Kara, wait.”
She turned back around, found Cat watching her with an expression that she couldn’t read.
“Seeing as you came all this way, you may as well come in,” she said, with a sigh. “I made enough lasagne for two, anyway.”
Without waiting for Kara’s response, Cat turned and retreated inside her apartment, leaving the door open behind her. After only a moment’s hesitation, Kara followed, closing it behind her and kicking off her shoes.
She followed the delicious smell of cooking into the kitchen, finding Cat pulling a lasagne out the oven.
“That looks amazing. I didn’t know you could cook.”
“I’m no Michelin starred chef, but I do okay.” There was already one plate set out on the counter, but Cat reached for another, putting a generous slice of lasagne on each. “Do you want any salad?”
Kara’s wrinkled nose answered for her, and Cat shook her head while she added some to her own plate.
“I wish I had an alien’s metabolism.”
“No, you don’t. I have to eat like, ten thousand calories a day. I’m always hungry.”
“And yet, you look like a runway model. Such a hardship.”
“It is .”
“Would you like a drink? I have a bottle of red. I can’t drink it myself, but I can live vicariously through you.”
“No, thank you.”
“Don’t want to drink and fly?” Cat smirked at her own joke, her tone teasing, and Kara almost asked if she was sure she hadn’t been drinking. “Does alcohol even affect you?”
“No.” Kara followed a step behind Cat as she led her to the dining table, a plate in either hand. “At least, not human alcohol. I can get drunk, but on stuff that would literally kill you. I didn’t like it though.”
Rao, that felt like an age away, drinking her troubles away in the alien bar with Mon-El, her speech growing more and more slurred, inhibitions lowering with each sip. Alex had forbidden her from ever getting that drunk again, and for once, Kara had been happy to listen to her.
“How is your wine and coffee detox?”
“Horrible,” Cat said, nose scrunched up in distaste. “But I’ll survive.”
They ate in companionable silence, the food tasting just as good as it smelled and Kara never would have guessed that Cat could put her to shame in the kitchen, but the one and only time she’d ever made a lasagne the pasta had been so hard that it had barely been edible.
“That was amazing, Cat, thank you.”
“You should thank my son,” Cat replied, her voice dry. “You don’t have to clear up,” she added, when Kara grabbed their plates and disappeared into the kitchen, following behind her.
“I don’t mind.”
“At least just rinse them and put them in the dishwasher.”
Relenting, Kara did just that, drying her hands on a towel that Cat offered her and bouncing on the balls of her feet, feeling out of place without something to do with her hands.
“You can still have your games’ night,” Cat suggested, no doubt noticing Kara’s restlessness. “I’m not as good as Carter, but I’m sure I can still put up a challenge.”
“You’d want to?”
“Why not?” Cat asked, shoulder lifting up in a shrug. “It’s not like I have anything else to do. They won’t let me go back to work for another few weeks, and I’ve been going stir crazy without it. It’s nice have someone to talk to.”
“Okay, then.” Kara grabbed her back and brought it to the couch where Cat was settling herself down, flicking through the channels on the TV. “I’m not sure you’ll want to play any of these, though.” Kara and Carter’s tastes were a little nerdier than the average casual gamer, but Cat looked like she was up to the challenge.
“Try me.”
To her credit, Cat threw herself into whatever Kara put in-front of her, and she at least looked like she was enjoying herself.
“That one was my favourite,” Cat said, after they’d played their first game of Clank, delighted that she’d managed to kill off Kara’s character before she could escape, securing herself a win.
“Why am I not surprised that you like the only one that’s actually competitive?” Kara asked, shaking her head as she quickly packed up the game. “You can pick the next one.”
“Catan? I’d like to kick your ass again.”
“We’ll see about that,” Kara muttered, game face on as she pulled it off the shelf. “You’re going down.”
Except she wasn’t, because Cat won, easily, and Kara glared at the board so hard it was a wonder she didn’t burn a hole in it.
“No-one likes a sore loser, Kara,” Cat said, her smirk smug, but Kara knew she’d be pouting if she was the one who lost. “Thank you for tonight. I… It’s been nice to have some company. To feel normal, even though nothing about you and I sitting here together playing board games is normal.”
“I guess you’re right.” Kara certainly could have never imagined doing this when Cat had been her boss, but she’d had fun, any remnants of awkwardness fading as they night had worn on. “But it’s been nice.”
“It has. I have to admit I was rather dreading the prospect of an evening alone. It always feels too quiet whenever Carter is gone for the night.”
“Is that why he wanted to get me to come over?” Kara asked, not having forgotten Cat’s earlier remark about him being up to something.
“Oh, no, I’m rather sure that he made sure you were coming before he made himself scarce.” Cat looked relaxed, reclining on the couch, Whiskers, who had appeared sometime during their first game, curled up in her lap.
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s got this ridiculous notion in his head.”
Kara raised her eyebrows, wanting to hear exactly what it was, and Cat heaved out a sigh.
“He seems to be under the impression that you and I are… I don’t know. In denial of how we feel, I think he said, I can’t remember the exact words.”
“Um, in denial of how we feel about what?”
“Each other.” Cat rolled her eyes, clearly thinking nothing of it, but Kara felt her eyes go wide, her brain short-circuiting, static sounding in her ears.
“Uh, what ?”
“I told you, it’s ridiculous.” Cat looked so casual, like she hadn’t just tipped Kara’s whole world off-kilter. “I think because you were the only one who came to visit, and because we worked so well together all that time ago, that he’s somehow decided that we would make the perfect couple. I did shut it down, but apparently he’s now at the age where he no longer listens to a word I say… Are you all right, Kara?” Cat’s voice was tinged with concern. “You’ve gone white.”
“I… I’m good.”
She wasn’t.
She was pretty sure she was having an internal breakdown.
An existential crisis, even.
Because… well, because she was pretty sure that Carter was right – at least about her – which was news to her, but hearing Cat say that… well.
Suddenly a lot of things made sense.
Like the way that she’d always been drawn to Cat, fascinated by her, how when she was wearing a particularly tight skirt or had an extra button undone it had always made it harder for Kara to concentrate on what she was doing.
Why she’d hated Cat’s ex-husband so fiercely, for daring to hurt her, why she’d despised every single date that she’d watched her with at various events and galas over the years, Kara never far from her side just in-case she’d needed something.
Why, when Cat had told her that she was leaving, she felt like she was drowning, not diving. She hadn’t wanted her to go, and she’d thought that it was because she didn’t like change, but oh, Rao, what if it had been more than that and she’d just been too dumb to realise it?
Why had she flown across the country at the drop of a hat to be by the side of a woman she hadn’t seen in years? There were other people she could put in that category, people that she’d been closer to – Lucy, Mon-El, Maggie, James – who she’d been closer (or at least friendlier) than she had been with Cat, and she didn’t know if she’d feel that same sense of sinking dread, that same relentless need to get to them and stay there until they woke up.
She’d thought it was just admiration, but that wasn’t deep enough for what she felt when she’d looked at Cat on that bed, for what she felt when she looked at her now, with fresh understanding, and it wasn’t the first time that she’d thought that Cat was beautiful, but oh, Rao, it was the first time that she was realising that that wasn’t a normal way to think of your former boss.
“Kara?”
She had no idea how long Cat had been calling her name, but from the look of deep concern on her face, it had probably been a while .
“Sorry. I, um, I don’t feel so good. I think I need to go.”
“Kara, wait.” Shaken as she was, it was easy enough for Cat to reach for her, a warm hand wrapping around her wrist and stopping her dead in her tracks. “What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing.”
“You always were a terrible liar. It’s a wonder the whole of the United States doesn’t know your real identity.”
“Rude.”
“What’s wrong? Is the thought of you and I together so horrifying that it’s made you ill?” Cat was trying to make light of the situation, but Kara wasn’t fooled. There was a vulnerability in those green eyes that she could drown in, and she hated that she was the one that had caused it.
“No, that’s not… quite the opposite,” she whispered, and she had absolutely no idea why those words chose to come out her mouth, but then, her brain had stopped fully functioning somewhere around ‘perfect couple’.
“What?” She watched Cat’s eyes widen, watched a flicker of understanding dawn on her face, and nope, she needed to go, now , couldn’t bear to see Cat’s expression morph to one of horror, or even disgust, when she realised the same thing that Kara just had.
“Nothing. I really do need to - ”
“Kara.” A simple word, a squeeze of her wrist, and Kara, the girl of steel, was frozen. “Talk to me.”
“I… what if Carter wasn’t wrong?” Cat’s eyes prized the truth out of her (or at least, that was what she was going to blame), and if she recoiled and told her to get the fuck out, then Kara would do just that and never come back. “You asked me why I kept coming out here and I told you it was because I cared about you, but I… now I think it might be more than that. That maybe I have been in denial all this time and too dumb to realise it. Rao, I’m such an idiot . All this time I…”
“You…?” Cat prompted, and she’d always been so easy for Kara to read, but now it was like looking at a blank slate, and she hated it.
“I think I might have had feelings for you.”
“Kara…”
“I know, it’s ridiculous, you said it yourself – what would someone like you want with someone like me? But you don’t have to worry about that, I’m just going to go, and I’m going to process this, and then I’m probably never going to be able to look you in the eye again because the mortification might kill me, so - ”
“ Kara .”
“Will you just let me go?” Kara asked, her voice turning pleading, because hadn’t she embarrassed herself enough? “ Please ?”
“I think we’re both well aware that if you really wanted to go, you could,” Cat murmured, but her hand was still wrapped around her wrist, and Kara was powerless to move away. Her skin felt aflame wherever they touched, and she could feel the beat of Cat’s heart in the fingertips pressed against her skin and once again, she was glad that Cat didn’t have superhearing so she couldn’t hear Kara’s heart pounding. “I don’t think it’s ridiculous.”
“You… you don’t?”
“No.” Cat shook her head, and when she took a half-step closer, Kara stopped breathing entirely. “Carter’s known how I’ve felt about you for years.”
Kara was pretty sure she’d forgotten all of the words in the English language, because there was no way she was hearing what she thought she was hearing, no way that Cat Grant felt any kind of way towards her.
“He thought that my near-death experience might encourage me to do something about it, and when I told him nothing had changed that must have been when he decided to take things into his own hands. If I ever thought for a second that you felt the same way, I… well, to be honest, I probably still wouldn’t have listened to him,” she said, lips quirking into a wry smile, “but it would have been nice to know, all the same.”
“You… are you messing with me?”
“No, Kara.” She’d waited so many years for Cat to say her name, and now it seemed like she couldn’t stop, each one sending a jolt through Kara’s chest. “You’re remarkable – how could I not fall for you?”
“Because you could have anyone you wanted.”
“Yes, well, the heart wants what it can’t have, doesn’t it? Like beautiful twenty-odd year old assistants with a heart of gold and a secret identity. I left CatCo because I knew I’d never get over you if you were still in my life. Turns out not even that was enough.”
“I had no idea.”
“Good. I never wanted you to.”
“And apparently I had no idea I felt the same way.” She thought back to the failed relationships, to the way her heart had just never quite been in it, remembered the way her heart had raced more when Cat had hugged her than it ever had with anyone else.
“Yes, well, no offence, darling, but you always were a little obtuse.” Cat’s smile was fond, but Kara barely saw it, too busy focusing on the way ‘darling’ rolled off Cat’s tongue and wrapped her in warmth. “Do you still want to run away?”
“No.” Kara didn’t ever want to leave Cat’s side again, although she knew several people who would frown upon that decision. “No, I want…” She trailed off, teeth worrying at her bottom lip, and Cat raised an eyebrow.
“You want…?”
“I want to kiss you.” Kara never would have imagined this would be the way her evening was going to go even as little as an hour ago, but Rao, she wasn’t complaining.
She’d never thought about kissing Cat Grant before, but now she’d never wanted anything more, her heart quickening, fingers trembling as they reached out to settle on Cat’s waist.
“Well, who am I to deny Supergirl what she wants?” Cat asked, and Kara heard Cat’s heartbeat tick upwards, anticipation making her breath shaky, and was she really going to do this? Had she fallen asleep during one of the games and started dreaming?
But no, Cat was really in her arms, was really leaning up on her toes, was really brushing her lips against Kara’s, and she might not have thought about kissing Cat before, but now she was never going to be able to think about anything else for the rest of her life.
It started off chaste but quickly turned heated, Kara’s lips parting for Cat’s searching tongue, and she used her grip on Cat’s hips to press her back against the couch, their hips slotting together and Cat’s hands tangling in her hair, a gentle tug drawing a groan from Kara’s mouth.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, when they parted, her breaths shaky against Cat’s lips, their foreheads pressed together.
“Honestly? Me either.” Cat’s thumb stroked across her cheek and then down over her jaw, and Kara shivered, the touch setting her aflame. “I know we have things to talk about, but… I wouldn’t be opposed to taking advantage of a child-free house for the night. Would you?”
And they did need to talk about it, Kara knew that, but her mind was hazy, high on Cat’s lips, need pulsing through her in slow waves, and if it meant Cat would kiss her again, Kara would agree to anything.
“No.” She slid her hands down to Cat’s thighs, lifting her into her arms effortlessly, swallowing the gasp of surprise with another kiss. “Wait,” she paused, halfway down the hall to what she hoped was Cat’s bedroom, listening to the frantic beat of her heart. “Is this in your treatment plan?”
Cat’s laugh was soft, and the sweetest sound that Kara had ever heard. “I didn’t ask, but there is research that suggests that sex after a heart attack increases the rate of recovery – I can show you the studies if you like.”
Satisfied, Kara continued her quest to find Cat’s room, trying not to let herself distracted by the open-mouthed kisses Cat was placing on her neck. “I’ll take your word for it.”