Drowning - Part One

Cat Grant was nervous, which wasn't a usual state of mind for her. She finished packing her gear into her gym bag and grabbed her keys off the table as she headed for the door.

"What in the world possessed me," she mumbled to herself. "To decide to take swimming lessons at this point in my life?" She shook her head but kept walking and a moment later, she was pulling out of her garage and heading for the exclusive Breathe Fitness Center and Spa. The membership fees were bordering on evil but the CEO more than felt it was worth it after the massage she'd received the previous week from a hot guy with strong hands and a toned body. She smiled a little to herself, wondering if her private swimming instructor would be just as attractive.

It was a typically warm and sunny day and Cat hummed along with the radio as she reached the parking lot and found a space. She was in a great mood, despite her nerves and there was a noticeable pep in her steps. Taking a few days off was just what the doctor ordered… literally. Cat's blood pressure had been so high that her physician had advised her to take a break. At first, she'd scoffed at him but, when she'd started experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains, she'd taken him seriously.

Cat walked through the landscaped outdoor area, past the coffee shop and to the reception desk where she scanned her membership card and accepted a pristinely laundered towel. She brought it to her nose, enjoying the subtle lavender fragrance as she headed for the changing room. The CEO was extravagant in some areas of her life but for her swimming lesson today, she'd decided on a sleek, black one-piece suit that was modestly cut. She stripped off her clothes and settled the suit's straps more comfortably on her shoulders, then slipped into her flip-flops, grabbed her towel and headed for the pool. It was a small pool, specifically tailored to those learning to swim and she was glad she wouldn't be in the main pool with everyone else.

Cat was setting her towel down on a chair when a peppy voice made her jump and spin around. "Hey, you must be Cat Grant."

Cat nodded dumbly for a moment as she was faced with a beautiful, young woman. She was taller than Cat by inches, with long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and the most captivating blue eyes the CEO had ever seen.

"Um… yes, I'm… yes," Cat replied softly as she shook the woman's hand.

"Great. I'm Kara Danvers. I'm your swimming instructor here at Breathe." The young woman smiled brightly. She was wearing a lilac colored polo shirt with the company logo at the breast and a pair of navy shorts. Cat envied her long, muscular legs.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Danvers."

The woman grinned. "It's Kara. What should I call you?"

"Miss Grant," Cat replied with narrowed eyes but Kara took it in her stride as she sat down to strip out of her own clothes.

"You got it, Miss Grant. So, have you ever had swimming lessons before?" She stood up and Cat sighed. Kara's body was just as gorgeous as she'd expected it to be. She was in a one-piece, red bathing suit, like a lifeguard's, which accentuated her tan and her swimmer's muscles. And suddenly, in the back of Cat's mind, Kara felt familiar to her but she couldn't place how.

"When I was a child," the CEO replied carefully. "My father tried to teach me but I didn't like it."

"Let me guess," Kara replied softly. "He threw you in at the deep end and expected you to doggy-paddle?" Cat's eyes widened. "You'd be surprised at the number of people I teach who are afraid of water for that very reason. Dads think it's cool and funny but sometimes it scares kids to the point where, as adults, they panic in water." She tilted her head. "Should I expect a small amount of panic from you, Miss Grant?" A small nod was her answer and she reached out to squeeze Cat's shoulder. "I promise," she said, ducking her head a little to meet Cat's eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you. I'm very qualified."

It was then that the older woman finally put the pieces together. "Oh!" she said. "Kara Danvers. You're an Olympic gold medalist. CatCo magazine ran a feature piece on you a couple of years ago."

The young woman smiled a little as she shrugged. "Another life ago, but yes."

"You were the youngest Team USA swimmer to win a gold medal... and you won... two?"

"Three," Kara replied, uncomfortably. "But enough about me. Let's get you settled. We'll take it slowly today and ease you into it."

"Ok," Cat replied with a nod and a deep breath. Her nerves flared again as she moved with Kara to the steps. The instructor stepped down into the shallow water and held out her hand to help Cat as she followed. The water was pleasantly warm and she kept a hold on Kara's hand as they moved further out to where the water was at Cat's chest level.

"Excellent," Kara grinned toothily. "You've passed step one. How do you feel?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "Like I just got into a bath."

The instructor laughed lightly. "Got it. Ok, now all I want you to do is to lean back and let yourself float. Buoyancy is a big part of swimming and finding that balance is important." She reached out and pressed her hand gently against Cat's back between her shoulder blades. "Just lean back into my hand and relax. Let your legs float too. I won't let anything bad happen." The CEO nodded and did as she was asked and as her legs came up, she felt Kara's arm ease under her knees to help support her. "Great job," the instructor praised. "You're floating. Now what I want you to do it to paddle slowly with your arms. Glide your hands through the water at your sides and feel yourself moving head first."

"Ok." Cat relaxed a little more and soon she was gliding along in the water with Kara walking next to her, arms still in place. Then she realized Kara had stopped moving and she was on her own with the instructor smiling and nodding. Cat reached the end of the pool and stood up, a smile crossing her lips.

"Awesome," Kara joined her and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Ready to move to the next step?"

"Sure," Cat replied, pushing her hair back from her face.

"Good, ok," Kara nodded. "This is the part that people sometimes don't like so I feel like we should get it over with." She suddenly crouched and ducked her whole body under the water, waiting for a count of five before standing back up again and swiping the water out of her eyes. "There we go. Your turn."

"Um..." Cat looked down uncertainly. "This may be where the slight moment of panic comes in," she admitted. "I don't even submerge myself in the bath."

The instructor smiled and moved closer. "May I?" she asked. Cat nodded, not really sure what she was agreeing to. "Ok, so Miss Grant, I want you to put your hands on my shoulders." Cat did as she was asked, feeling Kara's muscles shifting as she moved. "And I'm going to put my hands on your hips. Are you ok with that?" Again, Cat nodded and she suppressed a shiver as gentle hands settled at her sides.

They were only inches apart and the instructor's eyes twinkled in the overhead lighting. "Ok," Cat said. "What's next?"

"Next I want you to close your eyes, take a breath and hold it. That's all for now." Kara's resettled her hands on Cat's hips as she moved a little closer. "On three. One, two, three." She watched as Cat closed her eyes and held her breath. "Five, four, three, two, one. And let the breath out."

Cat opened her eyes and met Kara's smile at a much closer distance this time. "That was easy," she said.

"Good. Next step. This time, I want you to do that again but, this time, I'm going to lower us both under the water for just a moment, ok?" Cat tensed a little and Kara felt it. "It's ok, I've got you. I promise you'll be safe."

"Ok," Cat replied, trying to relax her shoulders. She suddenly realized that her fingers were clamped down on Kara's shoulder and eased back, clearing her throat. "Sorry."

"No problem." The instructor got a more secure grip on Cat. "Ready? One, two, three."

Cat closed her eyes, took a breath and let her knees unlock as she felt the pressure of Kara's hands on her hips easing them under the water. It was warm down there but cool air hit Cat almost immediately as the younger woman brought them both back to the surface. Cat let out her breath and smiled triumphantly. "I did it!"

"You did great, Miss Grant." The instructor smiled brightly. "Ok, we're going to do that a few more times until you're feeling comfortable. Then we're going to try staying under for a longer period. One of the things we need to learn to become an effective swimmer is breath control."

Over the next few minutes, Kara and Cat practiced longer periods under the water until, completely unexpectedly, Cat's mind suddenly flashed back to a distant memory. She was underwater. It was cold and black. She couldn't breathe... It caught her off-guard and she panicked, struggling in Kara's grip and fighting against her. But then strong arms were fully around her, holding her as Kara pushed them back to the surface. "Ok, it's ok, I've got you," she murmured against Cat's cheek as the older woman gasped for breath. Cat's fingers convulsed against Kara's chest. "Just breathe, Miss Grant. I've got you. You're safe."

For a long moment, Cat let herself be held as she calmed down but then she suddenly realized what was happening and she drew back, feeling Kara's arms release her as she backed away and then turned her face away from the instructor. "I'm ok," she said snippily when she felt blue eyes bore into her back as she turned. "Really, I'm fine. I just..."

"Remembered..." Kara said quietly. She waded towards Cat, then moved past her and leaned against the end of the pool to the CEO's right. "Memories have a lot of influence on us and, only when we conquer them, are we ready to move forward."

"And you'd know this how?" Cat replied with a sneer. "You're too young to have baggage like that."

Kara's face remained impassive but she shook her head. "No," she replied seriously. "I'm not." She took a deep breath and then the smile returned to her face. "Well, you did great today, Miss Grant. You're booked in again for tomorrow. I'll see you then if you're ok with that." She moved to the steps at the edge of the pool but paused then and turned to hold out her hand, her eyebrow hiking.

Cat sighed but accepted the hand and allowed Kara to help her out of the pool. Then the young woman handed Cat her towel before roughly drying herself and getting back into her polo shirt and shorts. "Goodbye, Kara," Cat said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

A bright smile was her reply and Kara lifted a hand in a wave as she strolled out the door.