She felt the punch in her jaw harder than ever. She tried to hit the monstrosity back, but it felt like there was no power left in her arms; in her entire body. She started the battle confidently, thinking, hoping she had this. She'd fought one of these before. But now, it seemed like the Girl of Steel was going to lose. As she tried to stand up, her legs shaking and her vision blurry, the White Martian hit her one more time in the stomach and she collapsed on the hard pavement. She was gasping for air, but before she could process anything else, her sight went completely black.

-.-.-.-

The black SUV car was racing through town, while the DEO helicopter was a few meters further in the air, both searching for the superhero. Alex Danvers was holding her gun tighter than ever, as if this had never happened before, and spoke anxiously to J'onn over her earpiece.

"Do you have Supergirl in sight?" His voice was strong and it made Alex determined.

"Not yet, Sir," she responded. Her eyes circled the big opening in front of her, the tall buildings shining as the sun was rising. Then, close to the National City Park, she spotted a hole made in the ground and more wreckage around it. "I see where the fight took place, but no sign of either of them," Alex reported.

"Land there and search the grounds," the supposedly Hank Henshaw ordered.

"Copy that, Sir. Prepare for landing," the agent told the pilot.

He looked back at her, surprised. "Here? In the middle of the city?"

Alex considered this, seeing there really wasn't a place to land a helicopter, so she went for the nearest second option.

"Okay, then I'll go with a few more agents. Let down the ropes," she commanded.

They did as she said, and in no more than two minutes they were standing on the ground, close to the gap made in the pavement. "Williams, come with me," she told one of the agents, as he was loading his gun. "Phillips and Matthews go in the opposite direction. If you encounter the White Martian, shoot to kill."

The agents nodded and set off in their direction. Alex and Williams proceeded to search the streets for any signs of Supergirl or the other alien. It was a long search and to Alex it felt like hours until they found her at last. She was lying flat on the ground, bleeding from her head. Alex let her gun down and ran over to her sister.

"Director Henshaw, we found her," she reported as she tried to wake her. "She's unconscious with a head hemorrhage."

"Bring her in," he said and the black SUV soon turned into the small alley.

As they were putting her inside, Alex said, while looking around, "No signs of the White Martian, Sir."

"He got away again… Okay, let's focus on Supergirl's well-being for now," he said.

As soon as they got back to the DEO, a gurney was waiting outside to take Kara in. They hooked her to machines that would read her pulse, heartbeat and they'd take her though the CT machines to check for brain activity or any internal damage. Several hours passed until her results came back and the tests have been done, yet Alex hadn't left Kara's side once. She was still unconscious, but Alex sat down by her bed and unlocked her phone only to find a few missed calls from Cat.

"You've got a really caring boss, don't you, Kara?" she said more to herself and called the CEO back. She picked up after two rings.

"What happened to her?" she said directly, without any greeting formalities.

"Hello, Cat. Well, she was in a really bad fight with a White Martian, as I'm sure you know by now," she said, glancing at her sister.

"Of course I know, but why couldn't she defeat him?" She tried to sound angry that Kara missed an entire work day, but behind that the worry was crystal clear.

"We don't know yet. It was quite a long fight, longer than usual. White Martians are harder to defeat. Her powers must have blown out." Alex paused before she'd say the final part. "She's in a coma."

"A coma?" Her voice was shocked. "But… she's Supergirl; she's a superhero."

"Yeah, I know she's an alien and she can take more than most of us can, but… heroes sometimes fall."

The other end of the line was silent. "She's going to be fine, Cat. It happened before and she woke up."

"Well has she been in a coma before?" Her voice was now shaking, ever so slightly.

"No, not in a coma. But she was injured seriously before," Alex said in a severe voice. "And she'll wake up."

"How do you know that?" Cat raised her voice.

"I just know," she said simply. She hesitated, but she asked anyway. "Cat is there something going on between you and Kara?"

"That is none of your business," the CEO shot back.

"If there's something I need to know-"

"Then you'll know. Call me if anything changes." She hung up without further comments.

Alex closed her eyes and sighed. She looked at Kara. Her face was pale, lifeless. "Please wake up," Alex said at last.

-.-.-.-

She threw her phone aside, exhaling sharply. Her hands still shaking, she made her way to the balcony. As she leaned against the railing, she let the tears finally roll down on her cheeks. It was hard to love a superhero. Truly, painfully hard. Even though she was able to put it aside in order to work, she often worried for Kara. She knew she was strong and fierce; she was Supergirl. Yet, as Alex said it, heroes do fall. And when they do, it's terrifying. You think that they're invincible and they can fight anything. But they don't always win.

She thought back of her first meeting with Supergirl. At first she was surprised, looking at her with awe. She immediately recognized her. With or without glasses, she could recognize Kara from a mile away. She was able to manage her feelings in the office, and now the superhero who was saving the city was the same person. It was a whole other level. But she gathered her thoughts in order to perform her interview. And she managed to stay as she wished: cold, reserved and business-interested.

She tried shutting the feelings down of course, but she didn't succeed. They grew stronger by the day. So she locked them inside, keeping the same attitude as when they first met, even though she let down her guard here and there. She was dangerously close of giving in a few times. That's when and why she made it completely professional.

But it was becoming more and more serious. If she wouldn't see Kara every day, even if just for little tasks, she would start to miss her and wonder where or how she was. Whether she was safe, or hurt, whether she needed help or not, she would start to worry. She was dying to ask her, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

This whole thing happened before, and she got in contact with Alex back then too. That's when Alex found out that Cat was aware of Kara's identity. But Kara didn't know that she knew.

And now she was afraid it was too late. She was afraid she let her slip right though her fingers when she could've confessed several times. So many times.

She felt defeated.

-.-.-.-

It's as if she was awake, except she wasn't. She could hear bits of people talking around her, the machines beeping. She could sense when someone was touching her, a tingling feeling over her hand or cheek; something sharp inside her arm. But she couldn't see; she couldn't open her eyes. It's as if she was dreaming, but instead of images, she would register sounds and sensations. And those were nothing clear, just phantom perceptions. Everything was vague. She had no time reference points. She couldn't make out if what she heard had happened now or three days ago. Of course, she couldn't move. It felt like she was trapped. Trapped inside her own body.

The first person she registered talking to her, or near her, was Alex. She caught a few words that Alex said: she had been in a really bad battle and she was in a coma. If she were in a coma, how could she still be able to hear, to feel?

Alex then said one more word that stuck in Kara's comatose head: Cat.

The last memory she had of her boss was on her balcony. She had to give her some document to sign and they locked eyes. They looked at each other but then Cat's green eyes slipped to Kara's lips and the last thing she remembered was just how much she wanted to close the gap between them. She didn't care who they were to each other, or where they were. She just wanted to finally confess to Cat in the most honest way.

And with that last thought, all of Kara's senses shut down yet again.

-.-.-.-

"She's crashing," Alex announced in a stern voice. "Bring the paddles!"

A few nurses and a doctor came in but Alex said demandingly, "I can do it."

"Agent, you're family, you're not aloud," the doctor said.

"Give me the paddles!"

The nurse in charge handed them to her and after a couple of shocks the Kryptonian hero came back, her pulse low, but growing slowly. Alex was breathing heavily and she threw a piercing look to the doctor. "Thank you, nurse. I think you should stay near, just in case," she said, and the nurse nodded, exiting the room.

After everybody left, J'onn came in looking rather panicked.

"She's fine," Alex said.

"She just crashed, she isn't fine." Alex looked at him irritated. "It's been five days, Alex."

"What are you saying, J'onn?" she said, articulating on that last word. The dark circles under her eyes emphasized her menacing tone. She had been sleepless for the last three nights, the worries taking her over.

"Hey," he said. His eyes were vigilant. He drew closer to her, and said almost to a whisper, "Watch your words. I know this is a tough situation, but we still have to be careful, don't we?"

Alex continued to look at him threateningly. "I am not giving up on Kara. She's going to wake up."

Her phone started ringing and she took her eyes off J'onn.

"Cat?" Alex sat down in her chair next to Kara's bed, closing her eyes and putting her head in her hand.

"Anything new?" She was now letting her worried attitude out in the open with Alex.

The agent decided not to tell her about Kara's state in the last ten minutes. "No."

"And her brain activity?"

This time, Alex had no room for lies. "It's… it's decreasing."

Silence again.

-.-.-.-

Alex's last word hit Cat right in the guts, leaving her numb. For the last days, she couldn't think of anything but Kara. She did her work, laboriously, her assistant never leaving her mind. She couldn't hold it together any longer. But she also felt irrational, absurd.

"Alex, I need to see her," Cat said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You know it's not that easy."

"Well, one way or another I'm getting there," Cat said, her voice shifting to her well-known firm one.

"Cat, I can't just grant you permission because you're her boss, or just because you're Cat Grant."

She sighed. "Alex, I-"

"Are you in love with Kara, Cat?"

The truth was stinging. She never meant to fell for her assistant; she never meant to make anyone's life harder. But… you never mean to fall for anybody; that's just how it happens. It's not up to us.

And it hurt. The truth hurt, because what if this had been it for the superhero? Or worse, for Kara Danvers? The city wouldn't have just lost its hero, but Alex, her friends… she would've lost Kara. What she felt for Kara has gotten to a point where it would destroy her if she'd be gone forever.

"It took you a while," Cat said.

"Not exactly. I was just avoiding the truth, somehow."

"You too, huh? Well, I didn't choose for things to go this way, but they did. Now; I really need to see her."

"I'm going to run it by my boss. I'm gonna do my best, but I can't promise anything."

"Please, Alex, just try." Her voice was begging. It was a new side Cat Grant never showed Alex until now.

After she ended the call, she crashed in one of her balcony chairs and whispered, so silently only Kara's superhearing could've picked it up, "Please, Kara, come back."

Two mornings later, Cat's alarm woke her and she got up more tired than last night. Each night, she too, started sleeping less and less. Except… it was Saturday, and she didn't have work. She didn't have alarms on weekends. She suddenly became brisk.

Picking up her phone, she guessed right. "Alex?"

"I'm a miracle worker," the agent said confidently.

"What…?" Cat was still in a daze.

"I sent you the address. I'll be waiting for you outside."

Cat's eyes widened and she basically jumped out of bed. Before even going to the bathroom she called her driver to pick her up urgently. This was the fastest she'd ever gotten dressed and by the time she left the house, her driver was waiting outside.

She started being anxious on the way there, not knowing what to expect. When she got out of the car, she spotted Alex at the entrance. Despite her work outfit, her gun fiercely hanging from her belt, she looked worn out. And in her usually intimidating clothes for work, Cat wasn't particularly fresh either.

"Haven't been sleeping much?" Cat asked.

"At all."

Alex led her down a few halls, followed by an agent with an unavoidably long gun.

"Is he… necessary?" She asked Alex in a hushed voice.

"It's protocol, we don't know your criminal record," Alex joked, and gave a small smile. Cat also smiled a little, but it faded as soon as they arrived in Kara's room.

To Cat it was quite a shock to see her this way. She'd never imagined Supergirl –Kara- this way; hooked to machines and IVs, her heart rate showed on the monitors. She was wearing a hospital gown and a respiratory tube under her nostrils and around her ears. As she drew closer to her, she noticed her expressionless faces, her eyes, usually shining, were now shut and her mouth in an even line, not in the natural smile she always showed. Her jaw was bruised and she also had a big cut on the right side of her forehead. It was harder than she expected to see Kara this way.

"You can sit down, by her bed," Alex said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Cat nodded slowly and sat down. She glanced down at Kara's hand; her knuckles had yet to heal. Hesitantly and carefully, as if not to break it, she took Kara's hand in hers and her eyes started to fill with tears. She looked around the room, noticing the X-rays: she saw a brain scan and an abdominal one. She wasn't an expert in medicine but she's seen her fair share of scans enough to figure out if there was something wrong. Her brain seemed alright, besides the bleeding she'd suffered, but in her abdominal scan she saw what looked like liquid accumulation; blood.

She glanced back at Kara, and more hesitantly than ever, she raised her gown only to find a scar on her abdomen, indication that a surgery was performed. She closed her eyes, and shaking her head, she let down the gown.

For the first time, Kara seemed vulnerable.

With the tears rolling down her face, she touched Kara's cheek with the tip of her fingers, again afraid that she'd break from the lightest touches. And with an ever so fragile voice, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything; I should've. And I could've, but I was just so scared." Before she'd continue, her lips formed a small smile. "Yeah, for the first time, I was the one scared of confessing. So I never said anything and I realize how wrong I was. It… it might be too late."

She drew closer to her, to her face, touching their foreheads, her hand now pressed to her cheek. This was the closest they've ever been, yet it somehow felt familiar to Cat. It felt right. And as if she wanted no one else but Kara to hear, she whispered, "I'm in love with you, Kara Danvers, and I need you to come back. We all do."

She opened her eyes and kissing her forehead, she sat back down, wiping away tears. She sat there, holding her hand, until Alex came to escort her. "That would be it for today, Cat."

The blonde nodded and with a last look at Kara, she left the room.

"How was it?" Alex asked, as they traveled across the same halls they came in through.

"It was painful. And a bit shocking; to see her this way," Cat admitted.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You don't expect to see them this way."

"Indeed. Well, please let me know if, you know…"

"I will," Alex said and after a couple seconds' silence, she hugged the other woman. It was something they both needed; a bit of comfort and support to keep them going.

They both smiled and as Cat got in her car, Alex remained outside, for some fresh air. She needed a bit of space from the well-known hospital room she spent her days in lately. She hasn't even worked. Only watched Kara and performed tests that showed the same results.

-.-.-.-

The next and last person her senses registered were at first unknown. She felt the smallest grazes over her hand and cheek. As soon as the fragile voice, the mild touches were put together, piece by piece, she realized who was there, and Kara wanted more than ever to wake up. But she couldn't. She so desperately wanted to, but the universe didn't; at least, not yet.

She didn't hear much, either. As Cat's voice was quiet, it was even harder for her weakened senses to perceive. What she did hear, and most probably the most important words, was Cat telling her… telling her she had feelings for her.

Kara had been right- she wasn't the only one to feel this way. She wasn't delusional either, all those times spent on the balcony and she was right. There was something going on between them. Even though there were times when she wouldn't have cared, most of the time she was scared she'd cross a line. She would've never expected for Cat Grant, the Queen of all Media, to notice her in that way. But apparently, she did.

A while after Cat's visit, Kara started to feel something. She started to feel bigger and bigger pressure on her chest and waves of shock travelling throughout her. All at once, her eyes opened almost automatically and she inhaled sharply, as if she had had no air ever since the Martian punched her stomach. Only after she made sure she was breathing again, she truly looked around; Alex was sitting next to her bed, resuscitation paddles in her hands and a truly terrified expression on her face. There were some nurses, but as soon as she realized Kara was actually awake, Alex put down the paddles and embraced her sister tightly.

Kara put her hands around her too, but she was confused. "I thought I lost you," Alex said, her voice quivering.

"What… what happened?" Kara asked.

Alex backed up to look at her, and wiping away her tears, she said, "You remember you were fighting the White Martian?"

Kara took a moment or two to think. "Yeah, I remember vaguely that I was losing."

"And you did. He beat you up pretty good, and you were in a coma for a week. Until now, of course," she smiled widely. "How are you feeling?"

The pain started to flush over her now. "Pretty sore; my face and my abdomen hurt," she said as she drove a hand to her stomach.

"You had blood in there and we had to take it out. The scar is healing," Alex reassured her.

After she lied back down and actually took a minute to process everything, she finally said, "You know, I could feel and hear. I couldn't open my eyes or move or anything, but I could hear."

"Really? How's that?" Alex asked surprised.

"I don't know. I guess your brain just processes the information even if you're in a coma. You just… hear what people are saying," she said thoughtfully, and she finally remembered Cat. "Did Miss Grant come to see me?"

Alex smiled and she said, "She did, in fact. I talked to her on the phone every day."

"You did?" Kara was surprised but what she'd heard Cat say was starting to come back to her. Alex nodded and Kara continued. "I think I have some talking to do."

She pushed the blanket aside and wanted to stand up, but Alex immediately stopped her. "Hey, hey, you just woke up from a coma, you can't just leave."

Kara looked at her, her eyes begging, but Alex stood by her point. "One day, Kara, I promise. Just one day; we'll take you through the necessary tests, you'll get to exercise a bit. And if you feel stronger tomorrow, you can go talk to her."

Her sister nodded, still disappointed. "Can we start doing them now?"

Alex laughed and said, "You feel something for her?"

Kara's face went serious and really weighed the question. But she's had enough time to think about this. "I do."

"Alright then," Alex said. "Let's start testing you."

They went again though the basic tests; blood, pressure, heartrate, X-rays. By the time they finished those, it was getting dark outside.

"Hey, wanna watch the sunset?" Alex asked.

"More than you think," Kara laughed. Alex wanted to put her in a wheelchair, but the superhero opposed.

"I should start exercising."

And she did just fine until outside, where she sat down on a bench from where they could watch the sun set. They started talking about what had happened while she was out.

"What happened to the White Martian?" Kara asked curiously.

"We caught him, actually. Three days after he knocked you out, they spotted him around the place your fight took place, and Matthews took him out."

"That's good; I wished I could've kicked his ass, though; I would've put him in a coma," she said confidently.

"I dare remind you that's what you tried, and you kind of failed," Alex said and they both started laughing.

J'onn joined them shortly. "I hear you're recovering just well, Supergirl," he said, sitting down next to her.

"I am, Sir," she said, smiling.

"I suppose you'll be back on your feet in no time."

"You know it."

"And Alex," he said, turning to his agent, "I think we can put that talk behind us."

"Certainly, Sir," she smiled. "I apologize, I was pretty turned around."

"That's understandable. Have a good night," he said and she waved.

"You too," Alex said.

"What talk? What happened?" Kara curiously asked again.

"Nothing, I just called him by his real name. It was an accident, I was tired and it seemed to me like he'd lost his hope," she said.

Kara nodded and they continued talking, and after it started to get chilly outside, they went to bed. They both needed rest. As eager as she was to finally see Cat and talk to her, she fell asleep shortly after getting in bed.

In the morning, as the sun broke in her room, she got up with a smile. She was feeling stronger; she was feeling ready to finally leave her hospital bed.

Once she was dressed and fed, Alex walked her out. "Call me and let me know how it goes," her sister asked her.

"Definitely," Kara smiled and hugged her tightly. She was getting her strength back, bit by bit.

A driver took her to Cat's penthouse. They wouldn't let her fly yet, obviously. She was anxious; but anxious to see her. She was happy. She walked up the fancy stairs, and knocked on the huge, even fancier door. She exhaled and after a few moments, the door opened. In the doorway stood Cat, in a sweatshirt and home trousers. As soon as she realized who was in front of her, her eyes widened.

"Kara," she said in a quiet voice, but she broke and she jumped in Kara's embrace. The taller woman clasped the hug, taking in the well-known scent. She felt nothing but relief to finally feel this woman next to her again. They stood there for a while, for however long they needed to.

Once Cat backed up, Kara noticed she was crying. Kara furrowed her brow a bit, wiping away her tears. Cat looked almost as tired as Alex did, almost just as weary. "I think we should talk," Kara said.

Cat nodded. "I think we should."

She led her through the house, fancier than the stairs and door combined, but they didn't stop there. Holding her hand, Cat took her on the balcony. A place where, Kara liked to think, everything between them began.

"Take a seat, you must be tired," Cat said.

"I'm okay, I'm stronger now," Kara said and leaned against the railing.

"Of course you are," Cat smiled, approaching Kara.

"So you came to visit me," Kara started.

"I did… Alex told you?" Cat seemed just as surprised as Alex did.

"Yeah, but I also… I heard you. And I sensed you."

"But you were in a coma."

"And despite that, I still heard what was going on around me. I could feel touches. Of course, they were more like ghost senses. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn't. And I didn't know what was going on."

"I see… that's strange," Cat said, visibly zealous.

Kara nodded and looked down. She was yearning too, but she wanted to do this right. "Cat," she said, enjoying how that word sounded when she could finally say it to her, "I've had feelings for you for a long time now. And no matter how much I wanted to tell you, I was too conscious of the line that was between us." Cat furrowed her brow, biting on her lower lip. "I was too scared."

"You were scared?" Cat asked, raising her eyebrow. Kara tilted her head and Cat continued. "I've never been in this place before; I've never been really in love with a person, with a personality, only with a figure. But this time, I fell in love with your eyes, with your smile; with how you act when you're nervous, when you're happy, when you're surprised." Kara let out a small sigh, finally being able to feel what Cat was saying, not only hear. "I finally fell in love the right way, but you were… you. You were my assistant and I couldn't let myself to interfere with our work. You are Supergirl, you're someone who can lift buildings and fight monsters, you can do things I could never wish for. You're staggering, Kara and I was terrified."

By this point, Kara really didn't care anymore who they we're to each other. She didn't want to be Cat's assistant, she didn't was her boss to be Miss Grant. She wanted to be Kara and she wanted her to be just Cat. "Can we forget for a moment who we are to each other?"

"Yes, please," Cat said and then, Kara put her hand on Cat's cheek and drew closer to her. Slowly, she pressed her lips to Cat's and kissed her tenderly, savoring every moment of it.

Kara pulled away, watching as Cat's eyes slowly opened. She smiled widely, and Cat said, "God, have I missed that smile."

And with her smile still on, she kissed Cat again, more passionately this time. "And I missed you," Kara acknowledged.