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Cat Grant would never admit to the besotted smile that graced her face as she turned back from her balcony and into the master bedroom in her apartment. Her girlfriend had done a ‘flyby’ as she called it and stopped on the balcony at her apartment for a few stolen moments. Well. Maybe a few more moments than could really be justified by a term like ‘flyby’. She sighed. She was using Kara’s ridiculous terms now. She’d resisted at first but they, like Kara herself, managed to work their way past her defenses until they became a part of her daily life. Kara was over at least three nights a week for dinner and her son was talking more than he ever had during the evening meal…or the following morning meal as more and more was becoming the case. It was starting to feel an awful lot like family, and as scary as that was—Kara had a way about her that made that seem like it wasn’t the worst thing that could be happening. It would be fine.
That smile was still there and she sighed as she caught a glimpse of herself. She leaned towards the mirror to see if she needed to schedule a Botox appointment to head off possible smile lines when she caught a glimpse of something else. Her son was standing in the doorway with an expression of vitriol that she hadn’t thought him to be capable of.
“Carter…?” She turned to face him slowly. The smile slowly fell from her face as her body tensed. This was a side of her son that she had never seen and she was fairly certain that she would not like.
“I saw you.” His fists clenched at his side. “They talk about you…in school, you know? They say that you aren’t…that you’re a…bitch.” He hesitated before using a swear word in the vicinity of his mother, but kept plowing forward. “I didn’t believe them before but you’re supposed to be with Kara. We have game night and she lets you win at Settlers of Catan because she knows that you think the only reason to play a game is to win and she just wants you to be happy.” Cat took a step towards her son as her world started to spin on it’s axis, “Carter. It isn’t what it looks like—” Carter’s eyes flashed and he cut his mother off.
“Kara stays the night! I’m almost 13 and I know what that means and it’s that you shouldn’t be kissing Supergirl like that.” He met his mother’s eyes, “You shouldn’t be kissing anyone else! We’re going to the action park next week for my birthday.” His eyes started to water, “Kara was going to make me a real homemade cake and ride the new roller coaster with me because you’re too scared.” He kicked the carpet in front of him, “Why do you have to ruin everything? You drove Dad away and now Kara…” He grit his teeth. “I hate you.” He swallowed. “And I hate Supergirl too. Just leave me alone!” He turned on his heels and headed to his room.
The sound of paper ripping reached the shell shocked Cat, but for once she was at a loss for words or a snappy plan of action to fix things. This had escalated very quickly and it wasn’t just the Supergirl thing. It was how strongly Carter felt about Kara herself. Her hand came up over her chest as she moved to sit on the edge of her bed. How had she allowed this to happen? Her stomach churned. She’d never let anyone she was seeing close to Carter for this reason. Well…not this reason exactly, but she hadn’t realized quite how attached her son had gotten to her girlfriend in such a sort amount of time. Maybe it only felt short to her. It had been over six months since that first awkward dinner when she’d told Carter that she was seeing her assistant. He’d been so accepting and they all got along so well together. She never considered how the relationship might affect Carter if it stopped going smoothly. Kara was so young. She had liked how it felt when they were together, but she’d always viewed it as a beautiful interlude.
Kara said that she loved her now, but she knew her own personality could be a bit harsh over time. She had always blamed Carter’s father for their split to anyone who would listen, but deep down she wondered if she had been too critical. Too demanding. To have Carter throw it back at her hurt more than she cared to admit and she fought hard against her eyes that had started to water. Her son hated her. She had worked so hard to avoid that. He wasn’t supposed to feel like she did about her own mother.
The ripping sound stopped and now there was a crashing. She had to pull it together. Carter came first and always would. Her hand went to her cell phone and a familiar number was dialed and Kara picked up almost immediately. “Hey Beautiful, what’s up?”
Cat clenched her jaw. “Carter saw you. Us. Earlier.”
There was a moment of silence before a soft, “Oh.” came through the line.
“Yes, ‘Oh’. He’s tearing up half of his room in what I’m guessing is the great Supergirl purge of 2016.”
“I…what do you need me to do?” Her voice was measured as Cat heard the whooshing stop. Kara was waiting.
“I need you to FIX the problem. I…this shouldn’t have happened. I’m not sure any of this should have happened.” The tears spilled down over her cheeks. She didn’t want this, but it would just be worse if it happened later.
“What do you mean?” There was an edge of panic in Kara’s voice and the whooshing sound started up again louder than before.
"I mean that I let this go too far. Carter...Supergirl is his hero and he is destroying everything related to her because he thinks she wronged YOU." Her voice echoed lightly back to her as Kara walked into the room from the balcony. Kara came around to Cat's front and took her hands, lowering herself slightly.
"And I'd do the same if someone wronged HIM. I love Carter. It's just a misunderstanding. I don't know where this is coming from." She squeezed the hands in hers.
Cat pulled them away, “He can’t…I have to give him stability. I’m his mother and I have to put him first. You’re 25, time in the phantom zone not withstanding. This—me and Carter that is—we’re a ready made family, but you’ll want your own eventually.” The same way Carter’s father had gotten a new one after they’d split. Her eyes refused to meet Kara’s.
“Stop it!” She reached out and grabbed Cat’s chin forcing her eyes up to look into her own. “I may be 25, but I am not a child. I stopped being a kid when I was Carter’s age and my entire world blew up killing everyone I loved!” She kept a gentle, but firm grip on Cat’s face, “Kryptonians don’t do casual dating and divorce is illegal. You aren’t some sort of experiment for me.” She relaxed her grip and tucked a bit of hair behind Cat’s ear. “I love you.” She leaned in and pressed her lips softly against Cat’s before pulling back and whispering. “Let me love you.”
Cat pushed forward and closed the gap again, drawing reassurances from the way they fit together so effortlessly. A part of her hated how easy it was to believe the hero when she spoke like this, all grand statements and flowing capes. Another part just believed. Supergirl was inspiring like that. She pulled back, “We still have to fix the issue with Carter.” Another crash punctuated her statement. “And we’ll have to talk more about us and what this all means later.”
Kara nodded and stood up, reaching her hand out for Cat to take. They walked together towards the disaster area that was Carter Grant’s room. Half Supergirl a poster fluttered and gave up it’s fight with the tape holding it to the wall falling slowly to the center of the room. A few Supergirl toys were pulled apart and he’d somehow managed to melt one of them. Kara’s face showed her disturbance at that and it set Cat into full mom mode.
“Carter Grant! You will stop destroying your room and we are going to have a talk. Sit.” She pointed to the chair that rested next to Carter’s desk.
There was a moment of hesitation, but Kara crossed her arms and he followed his mother’s wishes sitting in the chair. “What’s SHE doing here?” He glared at his one time hero.
Cat started to speak, but Kara cut her off. “No. This one’s my story to tell.” She bent so she was level with the young man that she was starting to see as a lot more than her girlfriend’s child. “Carter. I think that it’s time that I told you something. Can you keep a secret? Like REALLY keep a secret.”
Cat was a little surprised, knowing what she was going to do and feeling somehow safer. There was no way that Kara would be telling Carter this unless she planned to be with her for a long while. Carter for his part nodded. “I’m not a little kid.” Cat put her hand on Kara’s shoulder as she continued.
“I know that. I know you.” Carter looked confused at the statement and Kara smiled softly at him. “I know that you made your mom read you the first two Harry Potter books six times before you could keep going with the series yourself.” Carter cocked his head to the side as Kara kept going. “I know that you can’t stand broccoli and have an elaborate disposal system for whenever your mom gives it to you.” She leaned in. “And I know for a fact that told your mom that you’d be home right after school last Tuesday, but took a detour past the comic book store to buy that figurine that you just melted.”
He stared at Supergirls’s face, “But how?…Only Kara knew…?” She pulled out her glasses and slipped them on.
“I also know that you owe your mom and apology.” She pulled her hair back in a mock ponytail.
Carter’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He sputtered as he looked between Supergirl and his mother, “Kara? She’s? You’re.” Both of the women in the room nodded. “I’m so grounded.”
“For the rest of your natural born life.” Cat replied crossing her arms, though there was a minute uptick to the corner of her mouth.
Carter’s eyes met Kara’s before looking up at his mother. He stood up and walked over to where she was standing, “I’m sorry, Mom. I don’t hate you. I…I just got so mad.” He looked down.
“I know you got mad, but I love you and despite what people say about me I try to do my best by you. It wasn’t fair to rush to conclusions like that.” She smoothed his hair in a practiced motion, though he was getting closer to her own height than she cared to admit.
“I know. Stories without credible facts and sources, are lawsuits.” He repeated the practiced saying from his journalist mother. “I thought Kara was going to go away like Dad did. I didn’t like to play catch or any of that stuff. I never really thought him leaving was YOUR fault. I don’t have friends at school really and I thought that I had someone other than you that liked me. I love you, but you HAVE to like me.” He looked down and Cat looked stricken. “Carter…”
Kara walked over, “Hey now. You are smart, passionate, resourceful and I don’t just like you. I love you and nothing that happens with your mom will change that.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I know what it’s like to be different than the other kids.” Carter smiled shyly up at her and she pulled him into a hug. The embrace lingered for a moment before Carter pulled back and offered a hand to his mom to join them. Cat slid easily into the embrace and her body relaxed. It was one of those moments again where she could play the optimist.
Carter pulled back with a slight grin, “Does being grounded mean physically grounded cause…” He pointed out his window.
Cat rolled her eyes and chuckled slightly. “Just this once and then you’re coming back and cleaning up this mess.”
Carter knocked his mother off balance with the force of his hug, “Thank you! You’re the best. Like. You’re dating Supergirl. I think the guys at school would say that you have swag.” He half waggled his eyebrows.
Cat groaned and let her head fall backwards slightly, “Pursuant to your grounding, I never want to hear the word ‘swag’ pass your lips ever again. Agreed?”
Carter grinned and nodded. He walked over to Kara, “Can we fly now?” He was practically buzzing. Kara laughed and nodded. “Hold on.” She tossed her glasses aside, lowering herself so Carter could get on her back. She took off out the window as Cat waved them on wondering that if something felt this much like family, then that might be exactly what it was.