A few months later, Supergirl has been diligently Supergirling-fighting aliens, growing closer to Cat Grant, working with the DEO, etc.-when she unwittingly stumbles upon some Red Kryptonite. We now find our intrepid hero a week into the throes of adverse reactions, base instincts, and ill-thought decisions… [dramatic organ theme music]
xxx
Cat Grant knew something was off. Or perhaps on. She couldn't tell which, or which was worse.
It wasn't exactly dark in her office: light was filtering in through the Venetian blinds at jarring blue angles. Those blinds had been closed when she'd left two hours ago. And the radio was softly playing some muted trumpet. That hadn't been on when she'd left two hours ago. And certainly when she'd left two hours ago, Supergirl hadn't been draped over her chaise in the smart black jumper version of her regular garish outfit smoking a cigarette looking uncharacteristically bored and sexy.
"Haven't seen you around in a few days," Cat Grant said, throwing her handbag onto the coffee table and leaning against her desk, trying to appear just as bored and sexy although it was just very strange and she could feel just a touch of consternation welling up in her throat. "Thought maybe you were too busy letting criminals walk free."
"You caught wind of that, did you. Figures." Kara-Supergirl, Miss Grant reminded herself-rolled her eyes.
"But that's not why you're here," Miss Grant said, watching, waiting, unaccountably tense.
"You're not a criminal I'm willing to let walk free." She put out her cigarette in a red-lipstick-printed whiskey tumbler that held about three mostly melted ice cubes and the ghost of bourbons past.
"I'm not a criminal at all, in point of fact," Miss Grant said, wondering at the gravel in Supergirl's voice.
"In point of fact, the individual you allege I let walk free was never convicted of anything by any American court. So I suppose it depends on one's definition of criminal." She was still reclining, languid.
"If you're here to debate law, the legal department opens at 8am. So you can be on your way."
"Not so fast," and she was right in front of Cat now in half a whoosh and half a breath. "Your criminality aside, you're not walking out of here."
"And what about you? Are you walking out of here?" Cat said. She should've whispered for their closeness.
"No one's going anywhere," Supergirl said, her hands now on the desk behind Miss Grant, trapping her.
"And I suppose a .32 pistol would be ineffective against you, if I were so inclined," Miss Grant said, sliding her fingers gingerly over its tiny pearl handle in the pocket of her mink coat that she hadn't taken off yet.
"I've never known you to ask a question you didn't already know the answer to," Supergirl said, mostly a sexy growl. Cat Grant paused and looked into Supergirl's eyes, which were dark and twinkling and odd. Supergirl had been weird lately, and Cat didn't know whether this encounter would lead to answers or questions.
"In that case, be a dear and step off me so I can take off this coat and get comfortable for whatever chat you're holding me hostage to have." Supergirl did not step off her. She slipped a finger under the collar of the coat and inched it down Miss Grant's shoulder. "Hold the phone, Supergirl. I don't let just anybody disrobe me."
"Luckily I'm not just anybody," Supergirl said as she continued disrobing her. "In fact, according to your glowing reviews," she paused to yank the coat indecorously the rest of the way off and pitch it toward the divan in a burst of controlled aggression, and Cat Grant could've sworn she saw a flash of red in her eyes. "I'm not anybody at all. I'm little more than a shared fantasy." She pressed even closer now and replaced her hands behind Miss Grant on the desk. "I'm Supergirl," she hissed, close to her face, "a fake name and a fake person, performing amazing feats for peanuts and praise. I'm half surprised you haven't tried to pat my nose and set up a little pillow for me at the foot of your bed." Her voice had grown increasingly heated and low and her breath increasingly wet against Miss Grant's cheek. Miss Grant swallowed to compose herself. She reminded herself this was a woman she trusted and generally had control over.
"To my credit, you're the one who suggested I whistle when I needed you." Supergirl laughed one laugh, which propelled her just slightly away from Miss Grant's body, and finally Cat could take a full breath. The reprieve didn't last long. She blinked, and Supergirl's hands were on her shoulders and her voice was in her ear:
"Well, we've all been young and stupid."
"Yes, and some of us get younger and stupider by the second, it seems," Miss Grant said before she could think better of it. And the hands that had been on her shoulders were now around her throat.
"You're certainly stupider," Supergirl said, squeezing just slightly and then releasing, rubbing her thumbs against the pale flesh. Cat Grant figured if her number was up, she wouldn't go silently.
"This is certainly a contrived little scenario you've got going to convince me you're not the Girl Scout I've reported you to be. I'm not the type to negotiate, but just for kicks, what say you tell me what you want from me and I pretend to throw out some counter-offers, you choose to let whatever the matter is drop, and we both move on with our lives." The hands did not move, just continued caressing one millimeter away from choking. But the face moved from beside her ear to look her in the eye.
"Consider it a professional courtesy. I'm tired of doing everybody's dirty work, and I'd like to tender my resignation."
"Two weeks notice and a written statement, please."
"That's what I figured you'd say. I guess I'll just have to go with Plan B." Before Miss Grant could ask, Supergirl again tightened her grip and said, "Surely you can find a reason to fire me." The grip tightened again, but Miss Grant was able to eek out:
"Please. Find me an employee who doesn't want to murder me, and I'll eat my hat." Supergirl laughed again, that one terrible laugh, and loosened her grip again.
"You're right. You certainly do have a way with people, you arrogant, self-serving, mean-spirited harpy." Cat Grant would've placed actual money on Supergirl's eyes being red. Also the insult stung coming from Kara-Supergirl, she reminded herself again-just a little, at least, but then Supergirl kissed her, mean and with a lot of tongue. And Miss Grant was confused more than anything. When the bombardment let up, she considered,
"Aha. I'm supposed to denounce you as a reprobate. Clever. Clever but ineffectual. I'll be shelving this for future blackmail. In the meantime, take a few days in Catalina, pull yourself together, and get back to your job of saving the city. I know at least three doctors who hand out lithium like Halloween candy-" Supergirl again kissed her, just as hard and unyieldingly, pushing her farther onto her desk. Miss Grant was surprised to find her own hands in Supergirl's hair, effectively pulling her on top of her on the desk. Supergirl pulled up slightly, her eyes flashing probably red.
"Am I to take this as a counter-offer?"
"Take it for what you will." Cat Grant found herself splayed out on the desk suddenly, Supergirl's knees on either side of her hips.
"Tell me I'm fired," Supergirl said, kissing her just below her ear.
"Administrative leave pending review."
"I'll take it, but I hate Catalina."
"There's no accounting for taste."
"It's been my experience that you account for everything."
"You've forgotten to take into account how much younger and stupider I've become recently." And it was Miss Grant who kissed Supergirl this time. She told herself she was keeping Supergirl distracted from murdering her and arched into her body. But then when she opened her eyes and saw Kara's were still closed, serene and soft and fluttering, she realized how ludicrous this all was. Whoever this person was on top of her was not really her friend. She was sick or toasted and would never really do any of these things. She lay back on the desk and pressed a hand to Supergirl's chest.
"Hey." Supergirl's eyes flew open and again flashed red, so very briefly.
"Another counter-offer? The Keys, perhaps?"
"Get me a cigarette, will you?" Supergirl eyed her suspiciously.
"We haven't even gotten to the good part."
"Don't pretend like you know anything about that, sweetheart." Miss Grant gave her chest a light push, and Supergirl slunk off her, as though her body were heavy and slow. But she did as requested, lit two at once, and placed one in Cat's lips, who had righted herself but was still seated on the desk. Supergirl hung back and leaned against the arm of the sofa.
"You gonna tell me why you put on the brakes? Or are you just a tease?"
"Here's the thing, honey," Cat Grant started and then paused, realigned her thoughts. "The two of us have the potential to bring out the best of each other or the worst of each other. It might behoove us to sort out which we're gonna try for before we have some quick, unsatisfying sapphic fling on my desk." Cat knew she'd chosen the wrong words-was 70 percent sure any words she could've chosen would've been wrong-when she saw that red flash again as Supergirl grabbed her by the bicep and manhandled her out to the balcony. Cat was pressed against the railing, Supergirl behind her with her hand now at the back of her neck.
"Get a load of this city, baby. This is how you see it from your high tower, all glittering lights and potential. Potential for stories and money. And then I fly over," she maneuvered Cat's neck so she would look to the sky. "And I'm this beacon. This symbol. This allegory. This benevolent goddess. And you presume-because that's what you do, that's all you ever do-that you have some magnificent insight, some preternatural tie, some control over me. We bring out the best of each other? My left foot! You're a coattail rider from way back, Cat. You wanna know what true power is? It's the power over life and death." And with that, Supergirl shoved Cat over the railing.
Cat didn't have time to think about all the awful things Kara had just said to her. She was too busy screaming. And thinking about all the awful things she'd ever done. And who would look after her sons.
And then Supergirl caught her, seven inches from splat.
"You can take all your counter-offers and put them in your pipe and smoke them, for all I care. I gotta blow. And don't you dare whistle for me." And Supergirl was gone.