Over the years, Katherine had learned that silence played a more significant role in her life than the words spoken by others or herself. The silence she shared with her twin sister Elizabeth as they played together spoke better of their connection than their childhood babblings. The silence in the house after the funeral for Elizabeth and their mom was louder than the few words her father, Colonel Kane, would try to say to her. Her silence at West Point helped her to go far until her actions betrayed her and DADT forced her to make a choice. The silence she shared with the Gotham City night reminded her of the love she had for it before it was pierced with the screams of those in need.

Now, after realizing the two women she loved were one and the same, silence again dominated her. But this time it was because of how much was running through her head. As Renee was brewing a new pot of coffee, Kate thought back to the first time she met Linda. It was right after she had finished having coffee with Maggie. She was about to leave when she spotted Barbara on the other side of the café. At the time, Linda was just some brunette sitting with Barbara. Kate could even distinctly remember the first thing Linda had ever said to her.

***FLASHBACK***

"Do you normally drink two coffees at the same time?" Barbara's friend says this to me while keeping her eyes on her coffee, which had two containers of cream and three packs of sugar added to it since I came to the table. I look down and realize that not only did I grab my coffee but Maggie's too.

"What? Oh, no. I was having coffee with a friend of mine but she had to leave."

"Well, would like to join us?" asks Barbara.

"No, I was about to leave anyway when I saw you."

"Eh-hem. Babs, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" says the brunette. I watch her as she looks up at me and takes a sip of her sugar and cream-saturated coffee.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Kate Kane, meet Linda Lee-Danvers, an old friend of mine."

"Old? We hardly qualify as being old Babs." Barbara makes a face at Linda, who just rolls her eyes.

"I meant we've been friends for a long time."

"How did you two meet?" I ask.

"At college. I was starting my Master's when Linda was a freshman at Metropolis University." I look at Linda. She did look younger than Barbara but just a tad.

"Metropolis University, that's a hard college to get into," I say to Linda.

"It helps to be smart and have family living in Metropolis."

"Linda's cousin lives there. He actually works for the Daily Planet, like Linda."

"You work for the Daily Planet?" I ask her.

She shrugs and leans back in her seat. "It's not as big a deal as you think. Barb just likes to boast about it."

"I wouldn't have to if you did it yourself." Linda rolls her eyes from behind her thick black glasses.

While standing there, I decide to get a good look at her. Her brown hair is long and pretty, but it would look better if it wasn't up in a hair-tie. Her eyes are hidden behind black, thick-rimmed glasses that keep sliding down her nose. Even with her dorky glasses, it doesn't hide the fact her skin is flawless. I don't get why someone, who might have a chance to be gorgeous, would hide herself behind such a geeky look. But it doesn't matter to me and I mentally shrug it off and forget about it.

"You know Kate, Barbara and I did meet at college but it wasn't at the library or in a class." I pop out of my thoughts and pay attention to what Linda is saying. "Barb and I actually met at a fundraising gala. My cousin and his partner were covering the gala for the Daily Planet. His partner thought it would be nice for me to come, so she gave me a press badge and snuck me in. Barbara was there because she was covering the event for one of her classes. We ended up talking about some stupid sculpture and became instant friends. We've been practically inseparable ever since." Barbara and Linda smile at each other.

I'm about to tell Barbara that I have to go but Linda beats me to it. "I'm sorry Babs, it's the office." She holds her cellphone up. "I've got to go. We'll continue our conversation tonight at dinner." Linda stands up and puts her hand out to shake mine. I'm taken back by how tall she is. Linda has to be at least a good two inches taller than me, even with her slight slouch. I grab her hand in mine and shake it. Her hand is warm, almost hot in mine. "Nice to meet you, Miss Kane. I hope we meet again. See ya Babs." Linda takes her bag off her chair and slings it over her shoulder. She stumbles a little to the right from the weight of it. "See ya."

I watch Linda Lee-Danvers walk out the door and head down the sidewalk while pulling out her cellphone and calling whoever beeped her. "So Kate," I look down at Barbara, "what do you think of Linda?" I look outside at the passing cars and people walking to and from places.

"She's nice…if you like brunettes."

***END FLASHBACK***

Kate laughed at herself. You never think moments like that would lead to something so much more and so much deeper. As her mind wandered, she also thought about the first time she met Kara Zor-El/Supergirl. It was a slow night in terms of patrolling but they were still short-staffed. When Oracle had told Kate she was getting back-up, she was not thrilled.

***FLASHBACK***

"Back-up? I don't need back-up."

"Yes you do. So I asked someone if they could come help you."

"Who?"

"Me." I spin around to see a pair of feet a couple yards from my face. I follow the feet up to see they belong to none other than Supergirl. "Hello, Batwoman. I hope I didn't startle you?" I don't want to admit she did so I shake my head. "That's good." I watch as Supergirl descends onto the church's roof. "Oracle called me and said you might need help tonight." Just as she's mentioned, Oracle pops into my ear.

"So, what do you think? Is she cool or what?" Supergirl moves to stand next to me and looks over the ledge at the city below.

"It's hard to say. I've only just met her."

"You'll like her, Batwoman, trust me. She won't let you down."

"How can I be sure of that?"

"Because she's never let me down." I look at Supergirl scanning the city. I wonder how much of the city she can actually see with her super-vision. Speaking of super-powers, I'm sure she can hear everything Barbara is saying in my ear. I make my way around the corner of the roof and lean against one of the gargoyles that protects the church.

"Just because you trust her doesn't mean I do."

"I know, I know. Look, if you don't trust her that's fine, but she is going to help you."

"Can't someone else help me with the patrol?" I hear Barbara sigh on the other side.

"No, and that's final, Batwoman." Barbara cuts the connection before I have a chance to rebuke. I sigh and turn around to face Supergirl. To my surprise she's standing only a couple feet from me. With her being so close, it gives me a chance to get a good look at her.

She's dressed in what I assume is her official Kryptonian garb. It's all white and stops at her ankles. She stands tall (at least 5'9") with her arms crossed in front of her. Her long, blonde hair is tightly curled and stops a few inches below her shoulders. Her free-flowing hair covers a golden band that seems to wrap around her head and sits slightly above her eyebrows. But out of all her features, the one that amazes me the most are her eyes. They're light blue and remind me of Caribbean waters. And it's not just the color that amazes me but how intense they are. It feels like she is looking straight through me at my soul.

"Is there something you want?" I ask her.

She raises an eyebrow at me and shakes her head. "I just thought you should know why you're stuck with me."

"And…?"

"Batman is on a mission with the League, Nightwing is with the Outsiders, Red Robin is in Star City with Speedy, and Batgirl and Robin are investigating the Mad Hatter's escape."

"And what about in the 'Super' family?"

"Superman is on a mission for the League as well and Superboy is with Captain Marvel and Miss Martian. Are you satisfied?"

"For now. But aren't you supposed to be in DC or something?"

"I was but Wonder Woman was called into the League to handle some issue in Greece, and Kazakhstan doesn't trust Wonder Girl enough to finish the peace talks between them. So with nothing to do, I answered Oracle's call and came here." I move past Supergirl. I make sure I knock her in the shoulder as I pass her. Bad idea. Really bad idea. As soon as my shoulder hits hers a pain shoots through my arm. Oh yeah, she's invulnerable. I try to act like my arm isn't throbbing as I sit down on the other side of the gargoyle.

"How long are you going to be here helping me?" I feel Supergirl move behind me and stand next to where I'm sitting.

"As long as I'm needed." Great, that means she'll be around for a while. I get up and stand on the ledge to peer down at the cars and people.

"So what-" Before I even finished my sentence Supergirl takes off at super-speed and almost knocks me off the ledge. I stand there in shock for only a few minutes when she speeds back next to me and almost knocks me off the ledge again.

"Sorry, there was a robbery at a jewelry store and another at a department store I had to handle." I look at Supergirl. She's standing tall and fierce. Her face is serious and her eyes cold and stoic. To her, this is just another job. And I'm just her temporary partner.

***END FLASHBACK***

Kate had judged Supergirl so harshly that night. It wasn't until after a series of patrols and Supergirl reaching out to her as Kate that she started connecting with the Kryptonian. She rubbed her temples in a circular motion with the palm of her hands. Renee was right about the anger within the anger. Kate was mad at herself. Mad that she hadn't seen how much Linda and Kara were alike and mad that Linda/Kara hadn't trusted her enough to tell her the truth. She was debating which type of anger was stronger when she heard Renee clear her throat. Kate lifted her head and reached out for the coffee and the bottle of water.

"I know how you get headaches when you have a lot of coffee and no water." Kate set her cup on the coffee table and then chugged the water until it was nearly half empty. "How's that thinking of yours coming along?"

"Why didn't she tell me, Renee? Why didn't she feel she could trust me enough to tell me?"

"Consider her line of work. The same line you and me are in. You know telling others about us isn't something we do. In fact, it took you years being Batwoman before the rest of the Bat Clan found out who you were under the mask."

"If she had no desire to tell me, then why approach me as both Linda and Supergirl?"

"Subconsciously, or maybe not so subconsciously, we desire for people to know all of us. There is, however, something about telling someone something versus them figuring it out on their own. If they figure it out, it means they pay attention and they paid attention enough to see us or at least an important part of us. That could have been her way of passive-aggressively hoping you would see her. Or maybe she just needed your help as Supergirl and genuinely liked you as Linda. Unlike my predecessor, I don't believe everything is more than what you see." Renee blew on her coffee and sat back on the couch. "But the majority of the time, it is."

Kate sighed and took a sip of her drink; she let the liquid fall out of her mouth into the mug. Still too hot. "I guess it doesn't matter now, she's dead. And she's not coming back."

Renee let out a noncommittal grunt and nodded. "I suppose you're right."

X

"I need to know when she's coming back." Jason blinked a few times at the Amazonian pacing in his living room then decided maybe it was a good time to open another bottle of beer.

"Why? We know the machine is on a six month difference, or at least we think we do. If everything works out well she'll be back with us in no time."

"Do you really believe that?" Jason let the fridge close with a soft click before opening it back up and grabbing another beer. He handed it to Cassandra before answering her.

"I don't know what I believe. All I know is that Kara believed it. And if she believed then so can I."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at him then shook her head. "When did you get so hopeful?"

"You don't know me. I could've always been this way." Cassandra popped the beer cap off with her thumb and took a swig of it. She made a face before giving the bottle to Jason.

"I've heard the stories. You're not a hopeful."

"Kara was…is. She's kind of contagious."

Cassandra nodded with a sad smile and looked down at nothing, though her mind was on anything else but nothing. "Yeah, she was, wasn't she? Sorry, is." She walked over to Jason's couched and was about to sit on it when she got a good look at it. She chose a wooden chair in the corner instead. "This is safe to sit on, right?"

"It's stable."

"That not what I-never mind." Cassandra sat on the chair with trepidation, but just like Jason said it was sturdy. "I actually came here for more than just venting my fears." Jason made a quick humming sound in his throat before finishing off his beer. "Tomorrow at the Justice League Museum there's going to be a ceremony for Supergirl. Since you're one of the few people who knew-knows Kara as well as me, I thought it might be nice to go with you."

Jason sat back on his couch and crossed his arms. "Oh. What about Wonder Woman?"

"She's busy with something in DC. She won't tell me what but said it was important. Though, if I'm being honest, she's been distant since Kara died. I think she blames herself since she died saving her life. So, are you going to come with me or not?"

"Hm." Jason let his gaze wander into space as he thought over Cassandra's proposition. "Yeah. Okay. Might be nice, I guess."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "You're enthusiasm is overwhelming."

Jason's eyebrow quirked up as he smirked. "If you wanna see enthusiasm, you should take a closer look at that chair."

"Oh, I knew it!" Cassandra popped off the chair as Jason let out a loud roar of laughter before finally telling her that his enthusiasm was in carving the chair. Still didn't keep her from slapping him hard in the arm. "You know," Cassandra let herself fall on the couch, "I doubt Kara would approve of the things we joke about." She took her beer from his hand before he put his mouth on it.

"No, I suppose not."

Cassandra made a face after drinking some and set the beer on the floor. "Or your taste in beer."

X

Cat Grant's fingernails clicked against her desk as she stared at the footage for the Supergirl memorial episode. It would air next Monday at 8 pm and it needed to be perfect. But there was only so much highlight reels she could go through before getting fed up with the same stuff. She was writing notes on how to edit a piece of footage from Supergirl's last "save the day" effort in Gotham City when a soft knock garnered her attention.

"Hey, Cat." Jimmy stood in her doorway holding a bag of M&M's and a six-pack of chai cola. "Thought you might need a break." Cat slid her reading glasses to the top of her head and smiled at the ginger reporter.

"I suppose I could use one." Jimmy handed the bag of candy to Cat who poured out some on a coaster. Jimmy used his shirt to unscrew the colas' twist off caps. The two switched candy and drink while Jimmy got comfortable on the corner of Cat's desk. "How have you been lately, Olsen?"

Jimmy half-shrugged. "Better. I passed through the denial phase of grief pretty quickly. Though, I think Lucy is still teetering there after briefly stepping into anger and backpedaling to denial."

"Linda then?"

"Yeah. That's where Lucy is. Who knows how long she'll be there if they don't find Linda's body? What about you?"

"Since I was there at Themyscira, I've come to accept Supergirl is gone. Though I'm still waiting for her to swoop in and save the day. I almost got swiped by a car in DC. Half expected to see Supergirl's cape flutter past me after the prick. Linda," Cat took in breath, "I'm not sure where I am with her. I liked the girl despite her normally atrocious sense of fashion."

Jimmy chuckled and drank some cola. He shifted where he was sitting and saw what Cat was working on. "That for next week?"

Cat set her drink down. "Yes and I'm hating it with each passing minute."

"How come?"

"It's missing something. All I've got so far is a highlight real. If I wanted to show a highlight real, I would work for ESPN."

"What's so bad with a highlight real?"

"Nothing, if you prefer fluff pieces over real journalism. I'm looking for weight, James. For realness, whatever the heck that means. Millennials like that crap."

"Have you tried the archives?"

"That's where I got all of this." Cat made a sweeping motion to the couch in her office covered with archival boxes. "I've already gone through half of it and so far all I have is fluff."

"I don't mean PGN's archives. I meant the Planet's. I think we have some film that you don't. Overflow and all that."

"As great as that is, odds are it will probably be more fluff. Unless you have…" Cat slowly sat up straight then set her elbows on her desk and interlinked her fingers. "All of the footage of Supergirl I have is from the past three years. Would the Planet have anything before that?"

"Of course."

Cat had a smile on her face and looked at Jimmy in a way that filled him with trepidation about whatever she was going to say. "What about five years ago?"

"No, Cat. You can't show that."

"Why not? The 'Fight of the Century' was the story of the century. Supergirl, after having an episode due to PTSD, takes on nearly a quarter of the JLA and almost wins. For the first time ever we see the adorkable face of Supergirl crack."

"But Cat-"

"But nothing. It's my missing element. I know it. And I'm going to use it despite that look of disdain on your face."

Jimmy's lips curled in anger and he was about to say something he would probably regret when his phone went off. It was Lucy. "Fine, Cat. You get what you want. You get to ruin the last memory of Supergirl." Jimmy left her office quickly and looked at the text. He frowned then called Lucy. "Luce, what is it?"

"Can we-can we talk? I just need a friend right now." Lucy's voice cracked at the end. If there was one thing Jimmy rarely saw or heard, it was a Lane girl cry.

"Yeah, definitely. I'm on my way."


Flashbacks courtesy of Gettin' By, the story that started all this. Again, comments and critiques are well appreciated.