Cat doesn't show up for work. No call, no email, nothing, she just doesn't show up. For the first few hours Kara lets herself believe she forgot some appointment, something Carter related, anything. Cat wasn't supposed to come in until ten that morning to begin with. Everything still runs like a well oiled machine because Kara knows how to make it so. By lunch though Kara stalks to James' office.

"Keep this company from dying in the next five hours. I need to find Cat."

"She's probably hungover somewhere."

Kara glares at him, "Just keep CatCo running for a few hours," she growls.

Fearful for the first time of the anger and fear in Kara's gaze, he'd nearly call it concern, he simply nods. Before he can blink Kara has disappeared and soon he sees Supergirl pass his window, "Be careful, kid," he mutters.

SCSCSCSCSCSCSCSC

Supergirl lands on the balcony of Cat's penthouse, something she's done more times than she can count in the last six months. Only Carter knows about them and Kara is always careful to ensure her enemies never find out.

Slowly she eases the balcony door open, surprised to find Carter sitting on the floor by the couch. Using her x-ray vision she finds Cat sleeping on the well-worn couch that seems so out of place in Cat's home. "Carter," Kara says quietly and the boy's head snaps up before he nearly rockets into the superhero's arms, "why aren't you at school?"

"Mom said I could stay home," he whispers, face pressed into Kara's shoulder.

"What happened?"

Carter looks up at Kara, "Grandma died last night, we never even knew she was sick."

Kara closes her eyes, hugs Carter closer to her, "I'm sorry, Carter."

The boy shakes his head, "I'm okay," he says, "but Mom is taking it pretty hard."

Nodding Kara kisses the top of his head, "Why don't you go take a nap?"

Carter nods, he's been up most of the night worried about his mom or crying over a woman who didn't even like him, he deserves a nap. "You'll stay with her?"

Kara smiles sadly, "I'm not going anywhere, buddy."

Kara rounds the couch and sinks to the floor after changing at superspeed. The penthouse is quiet then as Kara studies Cat while she sleeps. There are dried tear tracks on Cat's cheeks, smudges of mascara. Kara wishes, not for the first time that day, that she'd come home to Cat and Carter after last night's DEO mission.

"Hey," Cat's rough voice draws her attention, it's not like the roughness that exists when Cat wakes up. This is a roughness born of crying more tears than Kara cares to think about.

"Hey," Kara says, voice quiet as she reaches out and tucks a flyaway curl behind Cat's ear.

Tears well up in Cat's eyes, "I shouldn't feel like this. She hated me, hated what I did, hated everything that I am or care to be. She treated my son horribly. So why can't I stop crying?"

Kara rises, lifts Cat into her arms and then settles with Cat resting against her chest, "Because you loved her," Kara says simply. "No matter how she treated you, how much her distaste was evident she was always your mother and you always loved her." Cat dissolves into tears and Kara holds her closer.

Prompt: Column A- Concerned Column B- Vulnerable/Scared