Kara was just finishing up a phone call with the principal of National City High School when a knock came at her door. "Come in," she called, hanging up the phone. She was surprised to see Cat Grant striding purposefully into her office.
"Ms. Grant! What are you doing here? I mean… sorry, that's a dumb question. I just didn't expect you to come to my office. Did I do something wrong? Did I miss a meeting?" Kara stammered.
Cat barely suppressed a smile at Kara's lack of composure. "Well, I do work here," she gently reminded the flustered girl. "And I was walking by, so I thought I'd stop by and give you these." She handed Kara several sheets of paper. "A few leads on possible stories."
She paused to study her former assistant, taking in the slumped shoulders, tired eyes, and a smile that didn't quite reach those eyes. Truth be told, she hadn't been walking by at all. She had purposely held these papers back yesterday, wanting an excuse to stop by this morning and see Kara. Cat told herself that she had wanted to make sure the girl was off to a good start today, but the truth was, she simply missed Kara's presence. The girl with the sunny smile and eternal optimism had gotten under her skin.
Kara's speech in her office the other day had profoundly moved her. After the events of Myriad unfolded, she learned that Kara – well, Supergirl – had volunteered to sacrifice her own life to save the planet, and that speech had been Kara's way of saying goodbye. The idea that it might easily have been the last time she saw Kara was terrifying. Had it not been for the heroics of an unknown government agent, Kara would be gone. That notion was unacceptable, unfathomable. (She wished she knew who the secret agent was, so that she could send flowers, or a few million dollars, in gratitude.) Cat needed the girl in her life. She needed… Kara's talents. At least, that's what Cat told herself.
After realizing she'd nearly lost the girl, Cat had made a decision. Kara deserved better than the way Cat had treated her. Cat had tried her hardest to push her assistant away, with cutting remarks and juvenile behavior. She'd hurt the young woman; that much was obvious. Still, Kara had done her job exceptionally well, maintaining a professional attitude and always trying to help Cat. Cat knew she had been unfair to Kara, and she vowed to make it up to her.
Right now, Cat was worried. Something was wrong with her Kara. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping – even worse, Kara's red-rimmed eyes gave an indication that she'd been crying recently. She cringed inwardly – when had the girl become "her Kara"? She was just protective of Kara, that's all. That bubbly, genuine personality left Kara vulnerable, and Cat just wanted to make sure she was okay. If she spent an extra moment admiring Kara's thin but muscular arms and stunning physique, well, she was just checking on the girl, making sure she hadn't been injured.
Kara glanced at the papers in her hand. "A doctor running a free clinic every weekend," she murmured. "A bus driver who stopped a kidnapping. These are great. Oh, and you even included the story I'm starting with, about the student who has raised $50,000 for the city's homeless shelters."
Cat nodded. "That one stood out to me too. It's inspirational to see a high school kid doing such wonderful things. And if you can get her to open up about her own experience in homeless shelters, it will make a fantastic article. Jessica seems like a great kid."
Kara smiled. "Well, of course it stood out to you. You made a pretty big contribution to her fund. The first thing anyone is talking about is how much you've helped."
Cat waved off the compliment, remarking, "Well, obviously it was a good business decision, because now they all want to talk to the CatCo reporter. Your story will be great for sales."
Kara nodded. It was so very… Cat Grant … to diminish her own contributions, and to pretend that she had ulterior motives. Cat would never admit to having a soft spot for anything, but Kara knew that she had a huge and generous heart. She had no doubt that Cat would edit out any comments about her own role in this endeavor before allowing the piece to run.
"Are you off to a good start?" Cat inquired gently. At Kara's surprised look, she backtracked. "I like to know that my employees are being productive. Are you running into any issues?"
"Oh… no, things are going fine," Kara replied, still confused by the gentle tone in Cat's voice. "I have several interviews scheduled for today."
"Good," replied Cat. "Take James Olsen with you and get some pictures of this girl." She didn't miss the wince, or the way Kara's face froze in panic at the suggestion. "Kara?" she asked gently.
"Um, I don't know if he – I think he's busy today. I'll send him tomorrow, or see if one of the other photographers can do it."
Cat stared at Kara for a moment, not buying the explanation. After a pause, she said, "All right. Good luck with the interviews."
Kara nodded, and Cat retreated toward the door. As she stepped outside, she paused. "And Kara? Give me an update before you go home tonight."
Cat walked purposefully back toward her office. She knew that if she slowed her steps, her feet would be drawn right back to Kara's office. Something was wrong, and she needed to find out what it was. After all, she couldn't have her employees distracted, could she? But perhaps now wasn't the time to ask. She would find out, however. She was Cat Grant. No one was better at digging out secrets.
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As the day wore on, Kara's story began to come together, while her body felt like it was falling apart. Kara was not used to functioning on so little sleep, and it was draining her normally endless reserves. Even the two large pizzas she inhaled at lunch time hadn't given her the boost she'd hoped for.
She had gotten one call from Alex, alerting her to a robbery in progress, but her assistance had been rather inelegant, to say the least. She landed awkwardly in front of the escaping robbers, managing to corral the two men only after one of the men landed a solid punch to her face. The fact that she felt the punch at all told her that she was running on fumes. Alex expressed concern at her slow reflexes, but Kara insisted she was fine, just distracted by her new job.
She should probably talk to Alex. Her sister – her hero – always knew the right thing to do. Maybe Alex could help her to keep the nightmares at bay. Maybe Alex could make her feel better about James. That, however, was not a conversation Kara was ready to have. She knew that Alex suspected she might be gay – Alex herself had come out years ago, and had always left the door open for conversations about Kara's own sexuality. But Kara had never been comfortable labeling herself, or talking about her own crushes. The topic of sex, frankly, made her very uncomfortable. As far as Alex knew, Kara's new relationship with James was off to a promising start, and she wasn't ready to explain to Alex why she had broken things off.
Kara was also not ready to talk with Alex about her nightmares. Alex had been so supportive, years ago, when Kara had first come to live with them. After Alex heard Kara wake up screaming one night, she had spent the next few nights curled around the Kryptonian, calming her down after each nightmare and coaxing her back to sleep. Kara quickly learned to depend upon Alex, who always knew what to do and how to help.
But Alex had her own life now, as well she should. In fact, Kara's last request of Alex, when she thought she would die bringing Fort Rozz into space, was for Alex to have the life that Kara's presence had always prevented her from having. Kara owed it to her sister to give her a little space, so that Alex could explore her own interests. And Kara didn't want Alex to know that Astra's death and Alex's attack were featuring heavily in these nightmares. How would her sister feel if she heard Kara pleading with Alex not to hurt her, or begging Astra to stay with her, and knowing that she had caused those nightmares? No, Kara couldn't put Alex through that. She would have to figure this one out on her own.
Just before 8 p.m., thoroughly exhausted, Kara returned to her office to wrap up work for the day. Knowing that Ms. Grant had asked for an update, she forwarded her notes from the interviews, and prepared to go home for the evening. Almost immediately, her office phone rang. Cat Grant's voice boomed with authority. "Kiera, when I asked you to check in, I didn't expect to read six pages of notes. I wanted a quick summary."
"I'm – I'm so sorry, Ms. Grant," Kara stuttered.
"I don't need your apology. Just come to my office and fill me in."
"Of course, Ms. Grant," Kara answered automatically, belatedly realizing she was speaking to a dial tone. She rushed to her boss's office.
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Cat had been waiting for hours to hear from Kara. The truth was, she was stalling, finding ways to keep herself occupied so that she would be around when the girl stopped by. Carter was spending the week with his father, and she was in no rush to go home to an empty house. And Kara had occupied her thoughts for much of the day, distracting her far more than she cared to admit. Kara's mid-day heroics had not calmed her fears – there was no way one of those men should have landed a punch. Something was very wrong.
As Kara approached the glass walls of Cat's office, the media mogul had a chance to examine the girl's condition. What she saw had her pursing her lips with concern. The girl was clearly exhausted, barely able to stay on her feet, and a slight bruise was blossoming around her left eye. Cat quickly moved to the couch, and gestured for Kara to sit down opposite her. She feared the girl would tire herself further trying to remain standing while they talked. She wanted Kara to be comfortable. She was going to figure out what was going on with the fledgling reporter, and she was going to help, whether Kara liked it or not.
"Ms. Grant, I'm sorry I sent you all those notes. I didn't know if you'd still be here this late, so I figured I'd wait until the morning to check in with you."
Cat shook her head. "Kara, just give me the quick version.'
"I spent several hours talking with Jessica and her family, and interviewed her teachers and friends as well. I definitely want to focus on what she's doing now, because her success has been amazing, but I think we can also use this to bring awareness to the problems of homelessness in National City. She shared a lot of stories with me about her own experiences."
Cat nodded. She had suspected that Kara would be a great interviewer. Kara's compassion and kindness always shone through, and Cat was not surprised that Jessica had opened up about her past. Kara would turn this into a captivating story of survival and hope.
"There's another angle that I'd like to explore as well," Kara continued, leaning forward eagerly. "Jessica's mother was a victim of domestic violence, and she turned to homeless shelters because she needed somewhere to go to get away from her husband. There's a story here, about this family's courage and the problems facing those who have been abused by family members. At least, I think so," Kara finished awkwardly, realizing that it was not really her decision to make.
Cat was silent for a moment, considering. "Where is the husband now?" she inquired. "Is the family in any danger?"
Kara shook her head. "Not at the moment. He was arrested; part of a botched armed robbery last year, and faces at least five years in jail."
"And the mother is willing to talk about her experiences?" Cat asked.
"She is," Kara confirmed. "She wants other women to know that there is a way out. She would like to share her story."
Cat nodded. It was a wonderful idea, with the potential to help so many. "Let's keep her anonymous, for her own safety. Who knows what will happen when her husband gets out of prison. If she knows anyone else willing to open up to us, we could make it a longer feature, highlighting a few stories and identifying the common issues." Cat paused, and then continued. "And Kara, find out what she needs. If she needs help filing divorce papers or getting a restraining order, let's hire a lawyer. If she needs a security firm, we will take care of it. If she is having trouble finding work, we can help her find a job. Let's do this right."
The smile that lit up Kara's face more than compensated for any potential costs. Cat couldn't hold back her own smile in return. "Good work, Kara," she acknowledged softly.
"Thank you, Ms. Grant," Kara replied, flummoxed. She was not surprised by her boss's generous offer, but she was shocked by the praise. Compliments from Cat Grant were few and far between. She eyed the woman warily, wondering briefly whether she'd stepped into the Twilight Zone. She knew that Ms. Grant was a genuinely wonderful person, but the sharp edges that usually masked these qualities had been thrown aside, and Kara wasn't sure why.
"Now, Kara," Cat began gently. She held the girl's gaze for a moment. "What else is going on?" she asked softly.
Kara gulped and looked around nervously. "Um, I'm – I'm not sure what you mean, Ms. Grant?"
"Kara," Cat said calmly. "You're exhausted, you haven't been sleeping, and there's a bruise on your face." At those words, Kara reflexively touched her cheekbone. "Something clearly happened with James, based on your reaction earlier, and it wasn't good." She leaned forward, meeting the girl's eyes. "So what's going on?" she implored.
She watched Kara try to figure out how to respond. The girl was clearly nervous, fidgeting and casting her eyes around the room. She could also see tears threatening to overflow, while Kara fought valiantly to keep them inside. Kara gulped, and then began, "Ms. Grant, I, um, …"
She was interrupted by the shriek of her cell phone. Glancing down, Kara sighed, "It's my sister. I'm sorry, Ms. Grant, I need a moment."
Cat nodded, content to wait the girl out.
"Alex, what's up?" Kara asked, stepping out into the bullpen.
"Are you up for one more fight today? We've got an alien a couple of blocks away from you, setting some fires."
"I'm on it, Alex." Kara closed her eyes, hoping she could summon up enough energy to complete the task. As to the conversation with Cat Grant, she knew she was in way over her head. She took a deep breath, and walked back into Cat's office. "Ms. Grant, I have to go. There's a… um… family issue."
"Criminal on the loose, Kara?" Cat asked drily.
"What? Uh – no! Um – what?"
"Kara," Cat said softly. "You're a terrible liar, and I'm tired of pretending."
"I don't know what you think, Ms. Grant, but…"
"Kara." Cat paused and looked into her eyes. Kara's stammering ground to a halt. "I know. Remember, I spent the day with your sister and adoptive mother."
"Know what?" Kara asked nervously. "I'm not sure what…"
"Go. Save the day. I'll be here when you're done."
"Ms. Grant, we need to talk about this… whatever you think you know… I'll come back soon."
"Please be careful, Kara," Ms. Grant said gently. As she watched the hero run out of the room, she headed for her liquor cabinet. She was going to need something a bit stronger than M&M's to get through this.