A/N: I got the idea for my first SuperCat fic whilst rewatching How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Maybe it's because Andie Anderson is a journalist in the film, but I could just really envision Kara and Cat whilst I was watching, so... this is what happened.
This is inspired by the film and will have some of the events of the film in it, but I am going to put my own SuperCat twist on it. Hope you enjoy.
If Cat Grant knows her mother as well as she thinks she does, then there is an ulterior motive behind this phone call.
See, Katherine Grant doesn't just call her daughter out of the blue. Not for a catch-up, not to check that Cat and Carter are OK, sometimes not even to wish them a happy birthday at the appropriate time of year. It just doesn't happen. There's always a self-serving purpose hidden somewhere, which is why, when Katherine calls late one Monday morning, Cat can practically count down the seconds until that purpose comes to light.
Pleasantries are exchanged and then...
3, 2, 1.
"Now, Kitty, please tell me that you're bringing a date to my wedding."
There it is.
Despite knowing exactly what her mother means by 'date', Cat answers, "Yes, mother, of course I am. A dashing young man with gorgeous brown curls and-"
"Not your son," Katherine interrupts. Cat sighs heavily as the inevitable denouncing begins. "Honestly, Kitty, it's embarrassing that every time I hold a social event you either come alone, or with your child. When was the last time you brought an actual date to one of these things?"
"Need I remind you that I brought Colin Firth to your book launch?"
"That was three years ago."
OK, so Cat hadn't realised that it had been quite so long, but still.
It's not like she never goes on dates; she goes on plenty. But she can't bring just anyone home to meet Carter for fear he will get attached to them and become collateral damage if (when) things end badly. Because that's what will happen: any relationship Cat creates will crash and burn. The passion will die, they'll fall out of love, she'll come home to find him in bed with the nanny...
And this is why Cat hates it when her mother calls: she's reminded of all the miserable periods of her life.
Cat looks through the glass doors to her office, trying to make eye contact with her personal assistant, Eve Teschmacher, to signal her need for Lexapro. Stat. Of course, in an ideal world, Cat's assistant would know as soon as she forwarded a call from Cat's mother through to her boss that the CEO would be in need of a pill or two soon. But, alas, this is not the case. Eve is obliviously typing away at her computer and doesn't look up to see her boss' silent plea.
Cat lets her head fall against the back of her chair and spins so she's facing her balcony.
"I just don't understand how you've turned out this way, Kitty. The children of all of my friends are now happily married with children, whereas you're a fifty-year-old single mother with four ex-husbands under your belt."
"Well, isn't this the pot calling the kettle black? You're a single mother with seven ex-husbands under you're belt. Soon to be eight."
"Don't be silly. Kevin is The One, I can feel it." Cat rolls her eyes, knowing Katherine said the same thing about the other poor, unfortunate souls she somehow fooled into marrying her. "Besides, at least I've never given up trying to find happiness. I've persisted, and now look at me: I'm marrying the love of my life at the age of seventy-two."
"I haven't given up, mother," Cat says through gritted teeth. "I go on dates, though things never get far enough for me to even consider introducing them to my son."
"You're just not trying hard enough. You're too intolerant of other peoples' flaws."
Cat shakes her head incredulously, finally asking. "Why, pray tell, does it even matter to you who I'm dating? I'm perfectly happy the way I am. Shouldn't that be enough for you?"
"It would be, except my friends, all of whom are socialites and whose respect you should desire, are going to start thinking that you're some sort of unlovable creature, Kitty, and what does that say about my parenting skills? They're going to start wondering where I went wrong, when in actual fact, I was a good mother! I'm not going to let them think poorly of me just because you have a heart of stone."
Cat almost snorts. The fact that her mother thinks that she did nothing wrong as a parent is frankly laughable. If not for her father, Cat would have practically raised herself seeing as her mother was absent for most of her childhood. There was always something more pressing than Cat's first day of school, or Cat's dance recital, or Cat's high school graduation.
Screw the Lexapro, Cat needs some scotch.
"I don't have a heart of stone, mother. Just because I prioritise my work and my son-"
"Well, that's what's going to make you die alone, Kitty."
Cat rears back, shocked at the blunt statement that just came from her own mother's mouth. "I'm not going to die alone-"
"Aren't you?"
"No! Even if I never remarry, I have Adam and Carter. They're all I need."
"Ah yes, the son who lives at the other side of the country, and the son who is going to grow up, make a family of his own and realise he doesn't need his workaholic mother who always cared more about her job than providing a stable home for him."
More hypocrisy, but Cat ignores it, too vexed at her mother's words regarding her priorities. "That is not true! How dare you say that? The reason that I haven't brought anyone home to meet Carter is not because I don't want him to be in a stable home; it's because I will settle for nothing but the best for my boy."
"So you are the problem then? Honestly, dear, you're never going to find someone if you keep acting this way. Your standards are impossibly high, especially for someone like you. You spend all of your time in your office, running your so-called 'media empire'; you think you're better than everyone else because of the power you hold in your occupation, which puts off any potential suitors; you scare away anyone who does manage to get even a little bit close to you by being bossy and domineering. I hate to say it, but I fear you may be unlovable outside of the unconditional love your family give you."
Cat clenches her jaw, equal parts hurt and annoyed at her mother's words. "I could make someone fall in love with me," she says confidently. "Just because I push away the people who I don't think are good enough for me or my son, it doesn't mean that I couldn't make them love me."
"Then why don't you prove it? If it's so easy, then make someone fall in love with you and bring them as a date to my wedding in 10 days. It doesn't have to last any longer than that; you can end it if you don't think they're worthy of the great Catherine Grant," Cat can hear her mother's eye roll. "But help to reassure me that there is still hope for you."
"Fine," Cat (stupidly) agrees. "I'll see you in 10 days, with a date. Now, is that all you wanted? I have a media empire to get back to."
Cat barely waits for her mother to say goodbye before she slams her phone down. She takes a moment to close her eyes and take a breath, wondering what on earth she's agreed to. Why, after all this time and after everything she's achieved, she's still so desperate for her mother's approval is beyond her.
Yet she wants to prove her mother wrong; wants to prove that she is capable of being loved. And she has ten days to do it. But first, "Teschmacher! I need Advil!"
Kara bites the edge of her thumbnail as she waits for her sister to finish reading through the sheets of paper. They're in Noonan's which is just starting to quiet down as they reach the end of rush hour, but Kara doesn't pay any notice to the movement around her. She doesn't look up when the couple at the next table stand and leave, she doesn't look up when a waiter places plates of food on the table behind Alex, she barely even glances when that same waiter knocks over a glass of water onto the lap of a patron.
She watches only her sister, anxiously awaiting Alex's reaction.
She moves her hand away from her mouth when Alex finishes reading. "This is great," Alex says in that voice that tells Kara there's a 'but' coming. Kara's heart sinks prematurely, before her sister even has the chance to add, "But you know Lena is never going to let you publish this."
Kara groans as her sister drops the printed copy of an article headlined 'Why The People Of Bhutan Are The Happiest In The World' and bylined 'Kara Danvers' onto the table in front of her. She'd put so much work into the article, had garnished it with facts and figures and reliable sources, only to be told what she knew all along: that her boss, Lena Luthor, won't publish anything that isn't about fashion, trends, diets, cosmetic surgeries, or salacious gossip.
"I've worked so hard," Kara whines, resting her head in her hands, elbows on the table. "I went to college, I went to grad school. When I got a job at Composure, one of the best magazines in National City, I thought I'd made it. But now I'm a 'how to...' girl. The last column I had published was 'How to tell your best friend you're in love with them'. Before that, it was 'How to tell if he really likes you'. It's all so shallow and unimportant. I want to write about things that matter, like politics, foreign affairs, the environment. Is that too much to ask?"
Alex looks at her with soft, sympathetic eyes. "Keep working hard," she instructs. "Keep writing the best articles possible with the crappy topics that Lena gives to you, and eventually it will all pay off. You'll get your promotion and be able to write about whatever you want, including why the people of Bhutan are so damn happy."
Kara smiles weakly, grateful for her sister's advice but still fed up. She's wanted to be an award-winning journalist since joined the school's newspaper when she was fifteen; has wanted to be someone who influences people and makes a difference. Not someone who tells middle-aged women how to get a boy toy like Madonna. It can be disheartening to be so close yet so far away from your dream, but Kara tries to be optimistic and tells herself that many successful people have had to start at the bottom and work their way up. She will just have to be one of those people.
Besides, it's not like she isn't making a difference in other areas of her life. She is Supergirl, after all.
"Where's Winn?" Alex asks, glancing at her watch. "He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."
Kara lifts her head and looks around the room. Now that Alex has mentioned it, it is strange that Winn isn't here yet.
She frowns and reaches for her phone. "I'll call-"
As if on cue, the door to Noonan's opens and Winn enters, though something's wrong. He's pouting, looking downtrodden in a way that isn't dissimilar to the way Kara looked after Alex told her her article wouldn't get published. He glances around until he spots Alex and Kara, looks down and wordlessly crosses the room, then slumps down in the spot next to Kara
The sisters share a worried glance before Kara asks gently, "Everything OK, Winn?"
Winn shakes his head, blinking rapidly as though trying not to cry. "Lyra broke up with me."
"What?" Kara asks in surprise. Winn had been so excited about his new girlfriend that he had barely stopped talking about her all week. He had texted her all day every day, had left work early to visit her, had bought her gifts, had said she was The One, had... oh.
He's done it again, Kara thinks. Scared away another one.
"I don't get it," Winn says, mystified. "Things were going so well, and then she stopped answering my texts, she didn't return my calls. I left her eleven voicemails - eleven - but she never got back to me. I went over to her apartment this morning, and that's when she told me that she wanted-" Winn pauses, covering his mouth with his hand and swallowing thickly. "To end things," he finally finishes, voice breaking.
It breaks Kara's heart to see her friend get hurt over and over again, but Winn just gets overexcited when he starts new relationships and can be a little full on without realising.
"Oh, Winn, I'm so sorry." Kara rubs his arm soothingly.
"I loved her!" Winn states. "I told her so yesterday. How could she do this when she knows that I love her?"
"Weren't you only dating for, like, a week?" Alex asks awkwardly.
"Ten days," Winn corrects, as if it makes a world of difference. "And it might seem fast to some people, but Lyra and I connected. Not just mentally or emotionally; on a physical level too. I mean, the first time we slept together, I cried."
"You cried?" Kara echoes, cringing.
"It was just so beautiful," Winn says, tearing up again.
"Have you ever thought that, maybe, when you start a relationship, you can kinda, sometimes come on a little too strong?" Alex suggests as delicately as she can.
"A little too strong?" Winn repeats. "Well, pardon me for being excited about finding my potential soulmate."
"I just mean that the constant phone calls, declaring your love for someone after just a few days, it can be a bit too much for some people. You scare them away before they get to see what a sweet, funny guy you are."
"That's not the reason she broke up with me," Winn says decidedly. "It's because, look at me." He waves a hand at himself. "I'm ugly. No one wants to be with someone like me."
"You're not ugly," Alex says at the same time that Kara assures him, "You're so handsome, Winn. That's not why she broke up with you."
"It is," Winn insists. "If someone who looked like Kara did what I did, people would still kill to be with her. Kara could throw up on someone and they'd want to be with her."
Alex and Kara both wrinkle their noses in disgust, but then Alex gets an idea and sits up straighter. "I know what we can do," she says. "How To Lose a Partner In 10 Days."
"What?" Kara and Winn say in unison, glancing at each other in confusion.
"Winn just said that if you acted like he did at the beginning of a relationship, then it wouldn't matter. So, prove him wrong. Find someone, start to date them, then turn totally crazy and drive them away; prove to Winn that he needs to tone down his approach a little," Alex explains. "While you're doing it, you can make notes and turn it into an article, like a reverse how-to. So many people get too excited at the beginning of a relationship and end up scaring their partner away, so you could do all the things you shouldn't do, like being too clingy and calling excessively, and write it all down to be published in Composure. It's original, Lena will love it, and it might get you that promotion you're after. It's a win-win. And you can call it 'How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days'."
"Why 10 days?" Kara asks.
"That's how long Winn and Lyra were together."
Kara nods. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually. It could be fun. Though does it have to start today? It's Clark's birthday party tonight."
"That's even better!" Alex exclaims. "It's the perfect place to meet someone."
Kara mulls it over, smiles and reaches for her bag. "I'm sorry, guys, I have to go speak to Lena and see if she'll let me run with this. I'll see you later."
Lena gives the all clear. She thinks it's a great idea and says the readers will love it. She even alludes to giving Kara that promotion if she pulls it off well.
It's a lot of pressure for Kara, especially since Lena said that the magazine goes to press in 10 days so it's imperative that Kara really does find a guy/girl and lose them before then. Kara has never had a problem meeting deadlines before - she has super-speed, which helps - but usually her work only relies on herself. Now she's got to find someone, lure them in, flip the switch and convince them to break up with her. She's dependent on someone else and she can't use her superpowers to help her.
But it's only when she's in the elevator with Alex on her way to the top floor of the building in Metropolis where her cousin's birthday party is taking place that she starts to get nervous. She doesn't know how she's going to pull this off, and the dark blue cocktail dress that Alex has made her wear, claiming that it makes her look hot as hell and will get her a date in no time, is too tight and short for her to be even minutely comfortable.
"Would you stop doing that?" Alex hisses, referring to Kara tugging the bottom of her dress to try and make it longer. "You need someone to find you sexy tonight, and that is not sexy."
"But I feel like everyone can see my ass," Kara argues, giving one last tug at the back.
"Well, they can't, so stop."
The elevator doors open, revealing the room where the party is taking place. It's crowded; filled with men in suits and women in dresses (and a few suits), everyone holding drinks and mingling. Kara didn't know Clark Kent even knew this many people, but chances are that Lois Lane planned the party and invited all of Clark's friends, plus anybody who's a somebody. Famous faces draw attention, and Lois likes to stay in the spotlight. But there are so many people that Kara doesn't even know where to begin when it comes to finding a date and she has to swallow down her nerves.
"Keep your eyes on the prize tonight, Kara. The promotion that you've been working so hard for is at stake here, don't forget that." Alex is trying to be encouraging, but her words make Kara shake her head and step backwards.
"I can't do this."
"You can!" Alex takes her hand, pulls her over to the edge of the room. "You attract guys all the time, everywhere you go. Tonight isn't going to be any different, but instead of rejecting them because they're not your type, all you have to do is say yes. All you're agreeing to is a date, it doesn't have to go any further. And you're not even going to be the one to end it; he is because you're going to go all psycho on him. Honestly, you got this, Kara. I know you do."
"There you are!" The sisters turn when they hear Clark coming to join them. "I started to think you weren't coming."
"I wouldn't miss this," Kara says honestly. "Happy Birthday, cuz." She wraps an arm around Clark's back and buries into his side, mindful of the drink he's holding in his opposite hand.
"Thanks. Didn't you say Winn was coming with you?" Clark glances around at nearby faces for any sign of the IT guy.
"He was going to, but he didn't really feel up to it."
"He's going through a break-up," Alex explains.
"Another one?" Clark winces. "Is he OK?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Kara says, stepping away from her cousin. "He's upset, of course, but he'll survive."
"Poor guy." Clark shakes his head as though in disappointment. "And how are you two?"
"Good," Alex answers, at the same time that Kara says, "Nervous."
Clark frowns and looks between them suspiciously. "Why are you nervous? Is there something I should know about?"
"No," Kara mumbles. "It's a long story. You just enjoy your birthday."
"Ok..." Clark narrows his eyes at the sisters for a second, still suspicious, but he spots someone exiting the elevator a moment later who makes him forget all about it. "Jimmy's here! I should go say hi, but I'll catch you later."
As Clark leaves, Kara stops a nearby waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes and takes one for herself. Alcohol may not have an effect on her, but it still comforts her somewhat to have it in her hand. Alex also takes one, then turns to Kara.
"Anyone in here caught your eye?" she asks.
Kara glances around but shakes her head. "Not yet."
"There's a guy over there checking you out," Alex nods towards the edge of the room, where a young-ish man is leaning against the wall, staring at Kara's legs with a lecherous half-smile. "You could go say hi."
Kara pulls a face and turns away from him. "He only wants sex. I'm not willing to sleep with anyone for this promotion, and he probably wouldn't call me again anyway. That would make for a crappy article."
"What about him?" Alex nods to a man standing at the bar waiting to be served. "He's young, handsome, looks nice enough. He's glanced over here a couple of times, looking at your face. He seems promising."
Kara considers, sips her drink, and nods determinedly. "Wish me luck," she says, before heading over to the man at the bar.
The night has been a disaster.
It turned out, the man at the bar had been gay and had only been staring at Kara because he thought she was someone else. After that, Kara had met a man in his thirties, spoken to him for the better part of an hour before he casually mentioned his wife. Then she had been hit on by a woman so drunk that she had to excuse herself to throw up in a potted plant.
Now, Kara is with a man called Derek who seems like the perfect candidate. Normal, pleasant, available. They've talked about how they each know Clark and how they're both from pretty small families. Kara thinks she's found the ideal participant, and then Derek says... "Seeing as you and your sister aren't biologically related, would you ever consider a threesome?"
Kara's eyes widen and she feels her cheeks flushing crimson. "N- No! That's..." She fumbles with her glasses, shaking her head and feeling disgusted that he would even ask that. "I have to go."
Kara turns around, deciding that she is done. No one in this whole party is just normal and nice and single. No one would even be tolerable to fake-date for ten days, and Kara can't talk to half of them without feeling the need to go through a decontamination shower afterwards.
Two hours at the party and Kara has had enough. She storms towards the elevators, so desperate to leave that she decides she'll text Alex to say she's left once she gets downstairs instead of looking for her, and in such a haste that she forgets she's carrying a glass of champagne until she bumps shoulders with the person leaving the elevator, causing the liquid to splash out of the glass and all over the woman's dress.
"Oh my gosh," Kara looks at the dress, maroon and expensive-looking and with a huge wet mark all down one side. "I- I- I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and-" She turns to where a small table sits beside the elevator and puts her now-empty glass on there, then rummages through her clutch, where she always carries tissues. "I'll pay to get this dry-cleaned," she vows, dabbing the wet splotch with the tissue, because you're supposed to dab, not rub, right? Kara dabs away until she realises she's practically groping the woman because that's her breast.
She yanks her hand away as though she received a shock. "I'm sorry!" she says again, finally looking at the woman's face and seeing... "Oh golly." Kara adjusts her glasses, even more horrified now. "You're Cat Grant."
So what if Cat isn't technically invited to Clark Kent's birthday party? She would have been if not for Lois Lane's hatred of her and Clark's kind of sweet, kind of pathetic need to keep his woman happy at all times.
Besides, if Lois doesn't want just anyone turning up, then she shouldn't have put pictures of herself decorating the venue on Instagram, with the window behind her clearly showing a street in Metropolis. It wouldn't have taken a genius to be able to locate the building. Cat recognises the street outside from her days working at the Daily Planet, but even if she hadn't, anyone has access to Google Maps. But from the crowd of people outside the venue when Cat arrives, she knows that this was completely intentional on Lois' part. She wanted to create a buzz, make it seem like she's throwing an exclusive, invite-only party for her husband's birthday. And she succeeded.
As for how Cat gets into the building without an invitation? That's easy. She's Cat Grant, Queen of All Media. The man at the door doesn't even try to stop her from sauntering over to the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor.
Originally, Cat hadn't been planning on making an appearance at the party. While she may have a soft spot for Clark Kent, it's just not worth having to see Lois Lane's pretentious face in order to see him.
But with her mother's wedding in ten days and her bet that she'd be able to make someone fall in love with her before then, she doesn't have time to waste. She needs to find someone to date, like, yesterday, and with Carter at his father's for the week while his school is on vacation, Cat finally has the opportunity to go out without feeling guilty about leaving him. What better place to meet someone than at a party, where it's guaranteed there will be a lot of people?
And what better place than Clark Kent's party, where he may have an attractive sibling or cousin or friend in attendance?
She's already fashionably late, and hopes she'll be able to get out of there as quickly as possible. Less chance of bumping into Lois that way.
The elevator doors open and Cat lifts her head up high, straightens her spine and sweeps into the party venue, always liking to make an entrance.
Unfortunately for her, she doesn't see the woman on a mission striding towards the elevator from the left, who barrels into her before she has chance to react. Cat gasps and stumbles backwards from the force of the impact, then feels a cool liquid seep through her dress and reach her skin. She looks down to see a champagne flute in the woman's hands, empty now that its contents are staining her dress.
She grits her teeth, ready to launch into a rant about how the woman should have watched where she was going and how this dress probably costs more than that woman's monthly rent, but then she actually sees the woman and...
Blonde hair scraped into a bun, adorable/sexy glasses, cool blue eyes, a tiny scar on her forehead, the cutest look of horror that Cat has ever seen. Her anger dissipates on the spot.
"Oh my gosh," the woman breathes, staring wide-eyed at Cat's dress. "I- I- I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and-" Cat watches the woman put her empty glass on a small table, then rummage through her clutch. Before Cat even knows what the woman retrieves from there, she's being patted on the chest. "I'll pay to get this dry-cleaned," the woman promises, and Cat raises an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips as she realises the woman is using tissues to pat her dry. Her expression turns from amused to surprised when the woman pats a little higher so that she's touching her left breast.
It takes a moment for the woman to realise where she's touching, but when she does she launches backwards so fast that she practically turns into a blur for a second. She flushes an adorable pink and exclaims, "I'm sorry!" finally looking up and seeing Cat's face. The woman seems to recognise her immediately; seems to go pale when she realises who she's spilt her drink on and who she just felt up. "Oh golly. You're Cat Grant."
"The one and only," Cat confirms, allowing her eyes to flow over to woman in front of her. Slim and tall and gorgeous, with long legs poking out from a blue dress which really makes her eyes pop. 'Young' is another adjective that springs to mind, but she's not so young that she's incapable of making her own decisions. Not so young that it would be inappropriate for Cat to engage in some harmless flirting. "This hardly seems fair. You know my name, but all I know about you is that you like throwing drinks around... and that blue is most certainly your colour." Again, her eyes trail appreciatively over the girl's dress.
After looking down at herself and blushing slightly, the woman fiddles with her glasses and says, "Uh... I'm Kara. Kara Danvers."
Cat holds out her hand. "Well, Kara Kara Danvers, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Despite the fact that the joke is unoriginal and just awful, Kara emits a quiet giggle and takes Cat's hand in her own. "You too, though I wish it were under better circumstances."
Being a CEO, Cat has had to shake hands with many people. Some people have squeezed her hand to the point of pain, others have limply placed their hands in hers making it feel like she's shaking a dead fish; some people have hands as cold as ice, some have hands that are warm and clammy; some have greasy hands, some have hands so dry they feel like sandpaper. Most have hands that have Cat reaching for antibacterial hand sanitiser before they've even left the room.
Kara Danvers has hands that are warm, but not sweaty. Soft, but not greasy. Firm, but not bone-crushing. Kara Danvers has a handshake that Cat respects, and instead of letting the younger woman's hand go at the first possible opportunity, she uses their joined hands to pull their bodies a little closer together.
"Maybe I was in the right place at the right time," Cat proposes. Kara lets her eyes flicker to the champagne on Cat's dress, then tilts her head to the side with a confused frown. "See, I didn't really want to come to this party in the first place," Cat confides in a low voice. "And now I have the perfect reason to leave. I can hardly walk around in a stained dress all evening."
"Oh," Kara seems unsure, but hesitantly says, "Then... you're welcome?"
Cat smiles. This girl is cute without even realising it. She could watch her all day... she'll settle for the next hour or two though. "Not so fast. You see, you did ruin a $5000 Alexander McQueen. You may be getting me out of an undesirable evening, but I still think you owe me, don't you?"
Kara's eyes open comically wide as she looks down at the ruined dress. "Gee, Miss Grant, I'm sorry, but I don't think I have that kind of money."
"I don't want your money, Kara," Cat says, amused. "I just need to get home."
"Oh," Kara's brow furrows again. "So, you... do you want me to call you a cab?"
Cat tilts her head to the side in a manner that borders on patronising. "No, honey." She smiles, rubs her thumb over the back of Kara's hand. "I live in National City, which is at least an hour's drive from Metropolis. Do you really want me to go all that way alone?" She looks up at Kara through her eyelashes, but the girl still doesn't seem to get the damn hint. Cat rolls her eyes. "Honestly, Kara, attractiveness is only going to get you so far in life. You need to use that brain of yours. Would you like to accompany me to my home?"
Kara seems surprised somehow. "Oh! I... uh... you want me to come home with you?"
"I would like you to ride with me in my car," Cat nods. "Who knows, if that goes well, I might invite you inside. Would you care to join me?"
Kara hesitates, adjusts her glasses, opens her mouth, closes her mouth, releases a long breath, turns to look over her shoulder, adjusts her glasses again. Cat drops the blonde's hand and is about to retract her offer, not having the patience to deal with someone who clearly doesn't want her attention, but then Kara looks at her and says, "Yes?"
Cat cocks her hip to the side and rests a hand on it. "Not to sound like too much like a clichéd schoolteacher, but are you asking me or telling me?"
"T- Telling." Kara states, confident apart from the stutter.
Cat drops any flirtatious air she had created and looks at the younger woman seriously. "Kara, I'm not pressuring you. If you don't want to come, then all you have to do is say so." She wants to make that clear, seeing as Kara seems nervous and unsure and a little too much like the kind of person who would agree to things just because they don't want to seem impolite by saying no.
Kara thinks about it for a second, properly considers instead of nervously struggling for an answer. She looks over her shoulder again, glances around the room as though looking for someone who, in the end, she doesn't find. She turns back to Cat with more certainty. "I want to come."
Cat smiles and holds her arm out for the younger blonde to link hers through. "Come along, Kara."
Cat's driver picks them up around five minutes after she calls him. He hadn't had the chance to get very far in the short time that Cat had been at the party, but he doesn't question why she's coming home so soon, and he doesn't blink twice when Kara climbs in the car behind her. Cat pays him enough not to ask questions, but it's nice to be reminded that her privacy is respected by some people.
They drive for around ten minutes in silence. Kara looks out of the window, her hands wringing together nervously, while Cat watches her with mild concern. She doesn't want to make the younger woman uncomfortable and wonders if she's made a mistake inviting her along.
But it's only a car ride, Cat reminds herself. Perfectly innocent.
She watches Kara's hands twisting in her lap for a few more minutes before gently reaching out and settling one of her own over the top of them, stopping their movements. Kara snaps her head towards her, first surprised, then questioning.
"I don't want you to get a friction burn," Cat explains, only half teasing. Kara just smiles and swallows, but doesn't move her hands from under Cat's. "So," Cat says conversationally, attempting to put the woman at ease. "How do you know Clark Kent?"
"He's my cousin."
Cat raises an eyebrow, remembering finally why she had been at the party in the first place (to find someone who would fall in love with her), and what she had thought on her way in (maybe Clark would have an attractive sibling or cousin or friend). He certainly has an attractive cousin. Come to think of it, Kara would be the perfect date to take to her mother's wedding. Beautiful, impressionable, young enough that it will drive Katherine insane (which Cat would delight in), female (which would also drive Katherine insane - she said it was 'just a phase' when Cat had a girlfriend in college).
But, of course, Cat wouldn't prey on a girl so nervous to just sit in a car with her. She's not that predatory.
Still, Cat says, as un-seductively as she can, "Clearly your family has good genes."
"I guess?" Kara blushes and looks down.
"You seem nervous," Cat states. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way, though you need to learn to speak up for yourself, Kara. How was I supposed to know that you didn't want to-"
"Oh, no, it's not you, Miss Grant," Kara is quick to assure her. "It's just... a work thing."
"A work thing?" Cat echoes. She sighs, not unkindly. "Would you care to unload this 'work thing'? If it will make you feel better, I don't mind you talking to me about it. We've still got at least 45 minutes until we reach National City, we might as well use our time productively. First of all, where do you work?"
"Composure magazine."
Cat feigns offence. "You work for CatCo's competition? I mean, Composure is hardly the type of magazine that one would go to to catch up on current events, but in a society where trashy celebrity gossip is what sells copies, frightfully enough, Composure is one of CatCo's main competitors."
"Composure is the world's fastest-growing women's magazine," Kara says defensively, then smiles and pushes a few shorter strands of hair that have come loose from her bun behind her ear. "It wasn't my first choice, though. I actually had an interview at CatCo a few years ago; right after I left grad school. I was hoping to be your assistant."
Cat narrows her eyes, studies Kara more carefully. "I don't remember you, and somehow, I don't think you're the kind of person I would forget."
"Well, I never had the chance to meet you," Kara informs her. "I was told to leave right before my time slot. Something about you not wanting to see any more millennials."
Cat smirks. "Right." She doesn't remember the specific day that Kara is talking about, but it certainly sounds like something she would say. "Anyway, so you work for Composure. This is good, I have a little experience in the media world," she understates. "What's the problem that's got you so uncomfortable?"
"Well, I write the 'How to...' column, but... it's not what I want to do in the long-term. I want to write about things that matter, not things like 'How to get an ass like Kim K.'
"Understandable."
"My boss - Lena Luthor - said that if I do things her way for a while, prove myself to be a capable journalist, then I'll be promoted and be able to write about whatever I want. She's recently given me an article to write and told me that, if I do it well, I might finally get my promotion, but... I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it."
"Why not? Lack of talent? Lack of inspiration? Goes against your moral code?"
"A bit of the first one and a bit of the last one. I've realised that it's going to be harder than I thought, and I've realised that this is actually going to affect someone, and I don't think I'm comfortable with that."
Cat sighs and squeezes Kara's hand. "Kara, do you really think that I got to where I am today by being nice all the time? Every successful person has had to make the decision at some point about whether they're going to put themselves first, or other people. We've all had to do something that might have a negative impact on someone else, but will help ourselves. Sometimes you have to play dirty, be a little underhanded. We do it though because, at the end of the day, we believe it's for the greater good. If you do go ahead with this article, then you won't be the first person who's put their career first. But at the same time, you have to consider whether or not you'll be able to live with yourself. If you think that what you're doing is so awful that you won't be able to look in the mirror after it, then it's just not worth it. You just have to decide whether you think the pros outweigh the cons."
Kara chews on her lip and looks out of the window thoughtfully. She's like that for a few minutes, seeming so deep within her own mind that Cat doubts the younger woman would hear her if she spoke. Eventually, she turns back to Cat with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Miss Grant."
"Has your inner turmoil been resolved?"
"I think it has."
"Are you going to go through with the article?"
"Yes."
Cat smiles. "Good. I like a girl who rises to the occasion."
Kara, again, blushes and looks down, but the smile that breaks out across her lips can't be hidden that easily. "I don't regret it, you know."
"Don't regret what?"
"Ruining your dress." Kara nods to the champagne stain. "I mean, I feel bad of course, but I don't regret it. I got to meet one of my heroes because of it. You're a God in the journalism world and I've looked up to since, like, forever. Also, it wound up with me being in the same car as the most beautiful CEO in the country."
"I'm just the most beautiful CEO? That's not much of a compliment seeing as most CEOs are either old, balding or overweight. Or all three."
Kara looks to the side and nods as if to say 'fair point'. "Alright. The most beautiful woman in the country."
Cat turns to look out of the window, pretending to still be displeased. "Just the country? Alright..."
Kara laughs. "OK, OK, the universe!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Kara," Cat shakes her head in mock disappointment. "There's no way that you could possibly know that, unless you've done some interplanetary travel that I don't know about?"
After that joke, Kara is quiet for so long that Cat turns to look at her to make sure she hasn't passed out of something. But no, she's fine, albeit staring at her with eyes slightly wider than would be considered normal. "Pfft," Kara scoffs. "What? No! Of course not. That's... That would be... impossible." The younger woman looks down for a second; looks at Cat's hand which is still resting gently on top of her own. She removes one of her hands from the bottom of the pile and puts it on the top, beginning to fiddle with a ring on Cat's finger. "I just meant that you're absolutely stunning and I don't think it's possible for anyone to look better than you. I presume you're the most beautiful woman in the universe, although I obviously can't know for certain. You're the most beautiful woman in my universe though."
Cat doesn't know whether to cringe at the cheesiness of that last sentence, or melt at the sweetness of it. She goes with somewhere in-between. "Oh my. Kara Danvers, are you flirting with me?"
Kara flushes deeper than she has so far this evening. "Maybe."
Cat looks at her fondly. "How long do you think I'll be able to do that?"
"What?"
"Make you blush so adorably."
Kara, predictably, flushes slightly. "You're the great Cat Grant. So long as you keep saying nice things about me, I think you'll be able to make me blush."
That morning, Cat's mother had sarcastically called her 'the great Catherine Grant'. Now, Kara is calling her 'the great Cat Grant' with no sarcasm, no mocking.
Cat smiles and looks out of the window. She thinks she's found the perfect person who she can make fall in love with her in 10 days.
Kara hadn't actually planned on going into Cat's apartment, not wanting Cat to get the wrong impression and think she's looking for a one night stand. But Kara drank a lot of champagne at Clark's party, and even though she's Supergirl, she needs to pee just like anyone else. By the time the car pulls up outside Cat's building (which happened to be closer than Kara's), she bouncing up and down like a child.
Cat leads them through the building and to the elevator, with Kara following so closely and so impatiently that she's practically stepping on the CEO's heels. She really wishes that she could just use her powers to fly speedily to the nearest bathroom and relieve herself, yet obviously that's not possible.
And of course Cat lives in the penthouse, meaning the elevator ride is literally as long as possible. Kara is dangerously close to wetting herself when they finally make it into the Grant apartment and Cat points the way to the nearest bathroom. Kara throws her clutch onto the kitchen counter and rushes as fast as a human would be able to, having to put a lot of effort into not using her super speed.
When she emerges a couple of minutes later and makes her way back to the kitchen, which is where Cat had been when she'd rushed away, she finds the room empty. She uses her super hearing to try to locate the older woman, and hears her rustling around in a room down the hall. Her bedroom, maybe? Kara doesn't go to look, instead wandering into the living room, where she's greeted by huge floor-to-ceiling windows.
Awestruck by the incredible view of National City, she walks over to the windows to get a better look. So many lights, so many lives going on all in one place. It never ceases to amaze Kara, even if she has flown over this city dozens of times.
Another thing that Kara finds amazing is that she is currently standing in Cat Grant's apartment. It's insane, unbelievable, incomprehensible... not as incomprehensible as what Kara is going to do though.
See, she had gone to Clark's party with the intention of finding a lucky person to use for her How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days article. She had thought that she was leaving unsuccessfully, but then Cat had come along and...
It would be absurd. To lure in a woman like Cat Grant and then drive her away by acting insane. But, then again, Cat seems like the perfect person to choose. Cat is unobtainable to someone like Kara. Even if they did go on a date, it would never last much longer. Cat can do a million times better, and she probably knows it, so she won't hesitate in breaking up with Kara the minute that Kara acts a little loopy. It will make Kara's job that much easier.
Choosing one of the most powerful women in the country seems like a ridiculous thing for Kara to do, but Cat herself had said that sometimes successful people have to make difficult decisions for the greater good.
The pros outweigh the cons here, so Kara's mind is made up. She's going to lose Cat Grant in 10 days.
"The view is incredible, isn't it? It's one of the main reasons I chose this apartment."
Kara turns around at the sound of Cat's voice. The CEO has changed out of her stained dress and is now wearing some black skinny jeans and a white blouse. She still looks incredible, and Kara swallows.
"Not as incredible as this view."
Cat smiles and makes her way further into the room, so she's standing nearer to, but not quite next to, Kara. "You're a sweet talker, Kara."
Kara smiles and plays with her hands. "Just telling the truth," she mumbles. "Thanks for letting me use your bathroom."
"I'd rather that than have you urinate all over my seat of my town car."
"Good decision."
"Glad you approve."
"So..." Kara twists from side to side awkwardly. "It was really great to meet you, Miss Grant. I hope I'm fortunate enough to see you again sometime."
Cat smiles as though privy to a secret that Kara isn't aware of. "I'm sure you will be. Oh, and call me Cat."
"OK, Cat. I should be going. It's getting late and I have to be in the office tomorrow morning."
"I'll walk you to the door," Cat offers, leading the way.
Kara follows the older woman back through the kitchen and to the front door, which Cat opens for her and allows Kara to step through into the hall. "My driver should still be downstairs. He'll drive you to your home."
"Thank you so much, Miss... Cat."
"I'll see you soon, Kara," Cat says, leaning up and placing a quick kiss on Kara's cheek.
Kara grins and offers the older woman a wave, then makes her way to the elevator. It's only once the doors slide closed and she's on her way back down to the ground floor that she allows herself a mischievous smile, though.
See, she kind of accidentally-on-purpose made it so that she'd have to see Cat again. She left her clutch on Cat's kitchen counter, meaning she'd have to get it back at some time, meaning she'd definitely see the older woman and be able to begin her plan to drive her away.
She's going to get her promotion by the next week and a half. And it'll all be thanks to Cat Grant.
A.N: Anyone interested in this idea?