"You're late." Cat commented as Adam and Kara walked into the lounge.
"You said six thirty." Adam said looking at his watch.
"When it comes to my mother you should be early, or just not turn up, but in this case definitely early. I thought you knew that Kira."
"But you had me tell your mother seven." Kara pointed out.
"I would not put it past her to turn up very early." Cat said before looking at Adam and saying.
"Adam I have warned you and I am sure Kira has warned you about my mother. Yet you have insisted on this meeting. So anything that happens is on you."
"She can't be that bad." Adam said as the doorbell rang.
"And there she is. Early as forewarned."
"Perhaps she is excited." Adam suggested.
"Oh she's excited. She has fresh souls to destroy." Cat said as Katherine was shown into the room.
"Kitty, I hope you don't mind that I'm early."
"Not at all. Mother, this is Adam."
"Hmm." She said looking at Adam before noticing Kara and asking. "What's your dimwitted personal hinderance doing here?"
"I invited her." Cat said feeling the migraine building.
"She's my girlfriend." Adam said protectively placing an arm round Kara's shoulders.
"Oh dear." Katherine Grant commented. "We should get dinner out of the way."
As Katherine Grant marched past the others to the dining room Cat turned to Kara and said.
"Please tell me you managed to get an appointment tomorrow."
"I got a two hour slot. With a follow up in two days." Kara said.
-00-
"So you dropped out of school?" Katherine asked Adam as they ate their main course.
"Um, yeah."
"Is no one in this family capable of achieving anything academically?" She asked looking at Cat.
"He already has one degree. Besides dropping out of school didn't so me any harm." Cat said trying to defend Adam and deflect attention away from him.
"That's debatable. Imagine what you could have achieved had you actually bothered to stay in school."
"I think it is important that people find their own way in life." Cat said calmly. "Even if that means that their insecure mothers become threatened by success."
"I suppose you have come back into your mother's life to get some sort of safety net." Katherine said looking back at Adam again. She timed the question so Adam's mouth was full meaning he could only mumble a short reply of.
"Um, no."
"What about you?" She asked staring at Kara.
"What about me?"
"What do your parents do?"
"This dinner was a chance for Adam to meet you, not for you to interrogate Kara." Cat interrupted.
"Ridiculous. Your son has chosen to date this poor excuse of an intern. Some one has to find out why, and if there is no good reason discourage it." She said. Sensing Adam was loosing his temper Kara put a hand on his and shook her head.
"Who Adam choses to date is a decision for him alone." Cat said.
"I disagree. You have created a world where the uneducated masses follow you. Who your son dates will matter to them." She then looked at Kara and asked. "So your parents?"
"They're dead."
"Recently?"
"No, a long time ago." Kara said feeling awkward. If the others thought the revelation might have given Kara a reprise they were wrong as Katherine immediately turned back to Cat and asked.
"Is that why you hired her? An act of charity? It would make sense, you clearly didn't hire her for her competency. And I imagine hiring Orphan Annie plays well with the board."
"I've already told you Kara is excellent at her job." Cat shot back as Kara kept hold of Adam's arm trying to keep him calm.
"So what did they do? Before they died." Katherine Grant forged on.
"My mother was a judge." Kara said.
"Really? Well that is respectable at least. Tell me do you think she would be disappointed by your chosen career?"
"That's enough." Cat said, her voice raised. "Your issues with career choices and disappointing parents are with me, not with Adam and not with Kara. If you want to criticise, book an appointment and do it. But do not come to my house or my office and criticise my family."
For a moment a chilled silence passed through the room until Katherine stood and said.
"I think I'll powder my nose."
The second the door shut Cat also stood and said.
"I need a drink and air, and hemlock." With that she left the room.
"You okay?" Adam asked when he and Kara were alone.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry. No more family dinners. Ever."
"It's okay I'm used to your grandmother. Besides your mom is actually saying nice things about me and getting my name right." Kara smiled. "I may go and check on her. She doesn't normally come out of these encounters unscathed."
-00-
"Ah Kira." Cat said from where she sat sprawled on the couch. "Drink?"
"I'm fine."
"I meant for me." Cat said waving her empty glass. "Although you should have one too, you are probably in as much need of it as me." She added as Kara took the glass and refilled it.
"Are you okay?" Kara asked as she handed Cat her drink.
"Of course I'm not. My mother is the devil." Cat commented, her words slightly slurred. "Which means I have the blood of satan running through my veins, but you probably know that better than anyone."
"You are very different from your mother." Kara said as she sat down on the couch.
"I'm sorry. You don't deserve to be treated like that." Cat said. "And you don't deserve how I am going to shout at you tomorrow as I vent, but that's life."
"Hey." Adam said as he entered the lounge.
"You escaped too?" Cat asked.
"I have." He said as he poured himself a drink. "Top up?" He asked Cat.
"Just bring the bottle." She instructed. "I long since discovered the more drunk you are the faster time goes. Get drunk enough and the evening will fly by and you probably won't remember it the next day."
As Adam sat on the couch with Kara between him and his mother he sighed. "Well this has been fun."
"Ha, this is my mother on a good day." Cat said as she downed another drink.
"We can't all stay here." Kara said after a few moments.
"Why?" Cat asked.
"Um, it's kind of rude."
"Were you at the same dinner as the rest of us?" Cat asked. "Rudeness is something my mother is completely comfortable with."
"What if she comes looking for us?" Adam asked.
"She'd have to notice we were missing first." Cat said pouring herself another drink.
As Adam downed his glass he saw Kara look at him. In response he shrugged and said.
"She's right it'll make the night go faster."
"Doesn't help me." Kara pointed out.
"It's not my fault you can't get drunk." Adam pointed out quietly.
"No, but it is your fault we're here." Kara said causing Cat to add.
"All because you didn't listen to us."
Adam never got a chance to air his defence as the lounge door opened and Cat's mother entered.
"Kitty did I not teach you any manners? You can't just abandon your guest."
"Apparently I did." Cat said, her voice very slurred. "Or not. They seem to be sitting next to me."
"I think it is time I left."
"No arguments from anyone here." Cat said, noticing her mother was not moving she added. "Would you like someone to show you to the broom closet?"
"You put my coat in the broom closet?" Katherine asked confused.
"I didn't mean for your coat." Cat said. Deciding to defuse the situation Kara jumped up and offered.
"I will find your coat. This way."
Giving Cat one last glance Katherine followed Kara out and waited impatiently for Kara to pass her the coat.
"Tell my daughter, when she is sober, that I am mortified by her behaviour." Katherine instructed as she took her coat.
"Your daughter is an amazing person who has achieved so much in her life. Some of that is because of you, but a lot is despite of you. Why can't you be supportive? Is that too much to ask?" Kara snapped. "Why can't you recognise her achievements rather than shoot them down? She inspires so many people, she changes the world for the better, but all do you criticise."
"How I treat my daughter is my choice, I do not need a lecture from a glorified, gold digging secretary. Perhaps if you actually had parents you would have learned manners." Katherine said before storming out.
-00-
"Good morning Ms Grant." Kara greeted as she entered Cat's office.
"What exactly is good about it?" Cat asked staring at the wall behind her desk.
"Um, well I have Advil." Kara said causing Cat to spin her chair round and remove her sunglasses as she looked at Kara.
"Why are you not hung over?"
"Um, I didn't drink last night." Kara explained causing Cat to ask.
"So you were sober the entire evening?"
"Yes."
"Interesting." Cat commented in the tone she used when she knew more than everyone else in the room.
"Interesting? Why interesting?" Kara asked nervously.
"Firstly, even Supergirl would need alcohol to survive an evening with my mother. Secondly I have had several messages from my mother demanding that I feed her your head on a platter."
"Excuse me?" Kara asked confused.
"My mother is demanding that I fire you. Apparently you raised your voice at her. I was assuming this unusual behaviour was due to you being drunk." Cat explained before falling silent and waiting for Kara's response. When Kara didn't say anything Cat prompted. "You may speak now."
"I may have lost my temper last night. She is so mean to you. Why can't she acknowledge your achievements. All she does is criticise. In fact it's not mean, it's cruel. She's your mother she should love you and praise you unconditionally not crush you without mercy."
"Are you done?" Cat asked.
"Um, yes. Sorry."
"My relationship with my mother is something that can not be fixed, only endured. Although completely unintentional she has driven me to be the person I am today and I would like to think I have learned from her enough that I raise Carter in a completely different way." Cat said.
"So am I?" Kara asked a few moments later.
"Are you what?"
"Fired." Kara said nervously.
"Why would you be fired?" Cat asked.
"Your mother asked you to."
"Your rant at my mother took place in your own time, outside of the office so has nothing to do with work. My regret is I didn't see it. Also my mother now dislikes you which has increased your value to me no end. So no, you're not fired. But I would recommend staying out of dark alleyways and witches conventions. And Kira?"
"Yes Ms Grant."
"Next time perhaps you should try throwing a bucket of water over her."
-00-
"Hey." Adam smiled as Kara sat next to him.
"Hey."
"How was work?"
"Well your grandmother wants me fired."
"She wants me disinherited." Adam replied. "I was thinking, next time we have a family dinner perhaps we can take Alex."
"Why?"
"She wouldn't stand for the way you were treated last night. She would have done something, like I should have done."
"I told you not to and Alex wouldn't either for the same reason."
"So why does she want you fired?"
"Um, I may have lost my temper with her."
"When?"
"Last night, when you and Cat were….bonding over whiskey. I said things I really shouldn't have."
"I am sure she deserved every one of them."
"That's not the point. I shouldn't have lost my temper."
"It's okay to let off steam."
"Not in an uncontrolled way, not for me. I have to be better than that. If I am not in control people can get hurt."
"You can't stay in control all the time." Adam pointed out.
"I have to." Kara said. "I need to go."
"Where?"
"Super stuff. I'll see you later."
-00-
"So what happened last night?" Alex asked as she slid into the chair opposite Adam scaring him as she did so.
"Geez, a little warning next time. Can't you constrain using your ninja tricks to the office?"
"Sorry." Alex half-heartedly apologised. "So what happened?"
"Kara didn't tell you?"
"If she had would I be asking you?"
"We had dinner with satan."
"Your grandmother is really that bad?"
"Yeah."
"What exactly did she do?"
"Criticise."
"You?"
"Um no. Mainly Kara and my mother. Now she want's Kara fired and me disinherited."
"Why?"
"Well I am just a failure and apparently Kara lost her temper last night and yelled at her."
"Kara?" Alex asked surprised. "What do you mean apparently?"
"I wasn't there? I mean I was in the house, just a different room."
"Where's Kara now?"
"She said she had super stuff to do."
"Um, no she doesn't."
"Could be something with Winn and James." Adam pointed out.
"I just spoke to Winn and he didn't know where Kara was." Alex said taking out her phone. "She's in an abandoned warehouse district. I'm going to check it out."
"Wait for me." Adam said hurrying after her.
-00-
As they pulled up in front of an abandoned warehouse Adam asked.
"You sure this is the right place?"
"Yeah." Alex said double checking her phone.
As they entered they saw Kara pounding a suspended truck.
"Oh my god, I'm dating Kara Balboa." Adam commented as a confused Alex called.
"Kara?"
"Alex? Adam?" Kara asked as she spun round. "What are you doing here?"
"Making sure you're okay. Something you want to talk about?"
"Like what?"
"Like why you are beating up an old truck and like why there is a pile of broken cars in the corner."
"It's to help me relieve stress." Kara said.
"You know you could just use one of the Kryptonite rooms at the DEO and use a punch bag like everyone else?" Alex said.
"Although that would be way less cool." Adam pointed out earning a glare from Alex.
"But then you and Hank would have that look." Kara said.
"What look?" Alex asked.
"The look you and Adam have now." Kara pointed out. "This way I can blow off steam without you having to worry about me."
"Firstly, randomly disappearing makes me worry about you. Secondly, I'll always worry about you." Alex said.
"You don't have to worry about me." Kara said. "This is so you don't need to worry about me. It gives me an outlet and lets me work through my problems."
"The fact you're here, using this place shows that you are not okay." Alex said.
"It's pre-emptive." Kara argued. "I'm letting off steam in a controlled way so I don't snap."
"How long have you been using this place?" Alex asked.
"Since Red Tornado."
"That was months ago." Alex pointed out.
"I know and it has helped me keep calm since then." Kara said putting her glasses back on. "But it does make me build up an appetite." She added smiling at Alex.
"Breathing makes you build up an appetite." Alex pointed out.
"So pizza?" Kara asked hopefully.
"Don't you think we should talk about this?" Alex suggested.
"No I'm good now." Kara said. Before looking from Alex to Adam and asking. "How did you find me anyway?"
"I followed her." Adam said laying the responsibility firmly on Alex.
"I'm a trained professional." Alex shrugged before turning and walking out of the warehouse.
"That doesn't really answer the question." Kara said as she hurried after Alex. "Are you tracking me?"
"You are sounding paranoid." Alex called over her shoulder.
"Sorry, wait, that wasn't a denial."
"Kara, get in the car." Alex said trying to sound like an impatient parent with a four year old.
"Sorry." Kara muttered, not entirely sure why she was apologising.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
