10 – Family

Kara stood quietly, her back still pressed against the rear wall of the room. She wanted so badly to use her x-ray vision to look at the suspects but her conscience got the better of her so she just waited patiently. She watched as Cat closed her eyes and listened to each suspect speak those ordinary, but to her terrifying, words. At first, there was no reaction from the older blonde but the fourth man spoke and, to Kara's shock, Cat's entire body jerked. The last two men spoke but as Cat reached out her hand to point, her knees unlocked.

Just short of using super speed, the hero shot forward and crouched, catching Cat as she fell and cradling her against her chest. "I've got you," she said, hearing Cat's heart thundering in her chest. "Just breathe. I've got you."

Detective West was quickly at their side too. "Miss Grant," she said softly. "I know this is hard but you have to verbally identify the suspect."

"Number four," Cat replied, breathlessly. "Number four. It was number four. I'm sure of it."

Kara kissed her temple. "You did it, Honey, it's over for now."

West took Cat's hand and squeezed it. "Well done, Miss Grant. We got him."

After a moment, Kara helped Cat to her feet and hugged her as close as she could. ADA Miller opened her briefcase and stuck some files into it before trading looks with the other lawyer. "See you in court."

Detective West led Kara and Cat back outside where they took a seat at her desk. Cat hadn't said anything since identifying the suspect and she was shaking like a leaf. "We're going to move ahead with the next phase," the detective explained. "We'll gather all of the evidence and when we're done we'll hand everything over to the ADA. It'll take a while though. Be prepared for that, ok?"

Finally, Cat spoke. "Thank you, Detective. We achieved more than I'd dreamed today."

West chuckled. "Thank your girlfriend. The lineup was her idea."

"Um… uh…" Kara smiled as Cat looked at her in shock. "Cat, deep down, you're a journalist at heart. Your brain is set to record all the time. I had a feeling you knew more than you realized."

Cat nodded tiredly. "You certainly know me, Kara." Then she looked at West. "Is there anything else you need us for right now or can we get going?"

The detective stood and rubbed Cat's arm. "You were amazing today, Miss Grant. Enjoy the rest of your day as best you can."

..

It was lunch time. Kara had eaten about four lunches and Cat was finishing up a sandwich made by Hailey. They were sitting in companionable silence, although they frequently exchanged loving looks.

Finally, Cat sighed. "I'm so tired, Kara. I know you don't need much sleep but could you maybe…"

"It would be my pleasure," the hero replied. "I think we both need a nap."

Cat's bedroom was large and airy and they both felt a sense of peace as they entered hand-in-hand. Kara led Cat to the bed and sat her down, cupping her cheeks gently as the older woman looked up at her. Dark circles under her eyes betrayed her exhaustion. The hero leaned over and kissed Cat gently on the lips, letting the contact linger for a long, sweet moment as she felt the smaller woman's arms come around her waist and tug her closer. She was standing between Cat's thighs now and the older blonde's eyes remained tightly closed when Kara eased back, just touching their foreheads together in silent support.

Cat's breath hitched. Then she sniffed. Then her chest heaved as great trembling sobs spilled from her. Kara climbed onto the bed and opened her arms. Cat curled into her chest, clenching her hand into the younger woman's shirt.

Kara rubbed her back slowly and gently as she slowly peppered her forehead and face with little kisses. "I love you so much," she murmured. "I'm so proud of you. You are the strongest, bravest, most amazing woman I have ever known."

Cat sucked in a deep breath and looked into Kara's eyes. "I love you too," she whispered thickly. "And I think I come in second."

A couple of hours later, Cat stirred and opened her eyes. The room was dimly lit but she had never felt as safe in her life. Kara was wrapped around her, pressed so tightly against her back that she could feel the rise and fall of the hero's chest with every breath. And yet it didn't seem quite close enough so she turned over and pressed herself chest to chest with her sleeping girlfriend. Instinctually, Kara's arms squeezed her and moments later, Cat was sleeping soundly again.

..

"Are you sure you feel up to this?" Kara asked as she waited for Cat to freshen up and change clothes. She ran a hand through her damp hair. She had her iPhone in her other hand and she was checking emails.

"Yes, I'm sure," Cat replied. "I feel a lot better than I did earlier, Sweetheart."

"Alright." The hero dialed a number and waited while it rang.

"Hey, Kara."

"Hey, Winn. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, thanks. How's Miss Grant?" Kara could hear the sound of a sewing machine through the phone connection.

"She's holding up," the hero replied. "Tired, emotional… but she's very strong."

"She is indeed." Kara could hear his smile. "So… the suit will be ready in about another thirty minutes or so…"

"Great," Kara nodded and then swallowed as Cat came out of the bathroom in a matching black lace bra and panty set, slipping into a robe as she walked to her closet. "Huh? Sorry, what was that, Winn?"

"I asked if you were coming over."

"Right," the hero replied, her voice an octave higher than normal. She cleared her throat. "Yes, Cat and I will come by and I'll change at your place if that's ok? We're taking a trip to Midvale. Eliza wants to meet her."

"Didn't Eliza already meet her during the Myriad thing?" the man asked, confused.

"Yeah, kinda," Kara replied. "But Cat and I weren't together at the time." She winced and waited as the sound of something dropping… yeah, it was the phone… came through the line.

"Sorry," he finally said sheepishly. "Um… I thought for a second you said that you and Miss Grant are dating."

The hero smiled as Cat emerged from her closet, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a soft grey V-neck sweater. She looked casually elegant and then really sexy when she added a pair of heels to finish the outfit. "We're not just dating," she replied. "I'm in love with her and I'm incredibly lucky that she feels the same about me."

Winn was speechless and a couple of squeaky sounds came down the line. He finally cleared his throat. "We can talk when you get here. I'm putting the finishing touches on the coat of arms now. I'm presuming Miss Grant knows…"

"Yeah, she knows. Thanks, Winn. See you in about twenty."

Cat perched her hands on her hips. "I should get him a gift," she said thoughtfully.

Kara smiled. "I'll take care of that," she replied. "Winn and I have some history so it's probably for the best."

Cat's eyes widened. "You didn't date him, did you?"

The hero stood and slipped into her shoes. "No, but he did try to kiss me once. It was awkward for a while but he's my best friend and I hope we've moved past it now. He such a wonderful guy."

"So Winn AND James?" Cat laughed. "Really, Kara?"

"James and I just… didn't fit in the end." Kara moved to Cat and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her gently. "You and I… fit."

"Yes, we do," the smaller woman replied with a big smile. "So… want me to call my driver to take us to Winn's?"

The hero shook her head. "We can take a cab. It's only fifteen minutes away. Makes more sense since Supergirl will be flying us back."

..

Cat stood next to Winn, twin smiles beaming at Kara as she left the bathroom and entered the living room. If it was possible, Winn had done an even better job on this suit than the last. He'd added softer material to her thumb catches, not that they'd chafed before… or that she was even capable of chafing…, and her skirt was practically seamless and fell in perfect layers over her thighs. "Winn, it's amazing," she said with a gentle smile. "Would you help me please?"

He nodded as he reverently took the heavy leather cape from her and attached it to the clips inside her shirt. He positioned it correctly on her shoulders and smoothed it into place behind her. Then he stood in front of her, just as he did the first time she'd put the suit on and squeezed her shoulders. "Kara, you look amazing in Supersuit 2.0" he grinned, making Kara laugh and Cat roll her eyes good-naturedly.

Kara wrapped him up in a hug and whispered her thanks again to him into his ear. Then she eased back and held her hand out to Cat who immediately took it and laced their fingers together. "Thank you, Winn," Cat added.

"Sorry about the other one," Kara chuckled. "I feel really bad about it."

Winn waved a hand dismissively. "You went in and out of that fiery, smoky building enough times to save over a hundred people. I'm proud of how it held up."

"Alright, we'd better get going if we're going to make Midvale in time for dinner," Supergirl stated.

Cat looked at her watch. "Kara, we're supposed to be there at five-thirty. It's five-ten now. Should we call Eliza and tell her we'll be late?"

The hero chuckled. "Nah, we'll make it." She picked Cat up and hovered them into the air as Winn opened the window. "Talk to you tomorrow, Winn. I'll be working from Cat's the next couple of weeks but we can Facetime."

"You got it," the man replied. "Be careful."

"Bye, Winn," Cat called back as Kara applied thrust and shot them off over the city. She closed her eyes and just trusted the hero to not kill them and very soon, they were touching down at Supergirl's childhood home. The house was pretty, Cat thought, and it was close to the beach. A little way away, she could hear the ocean waves.

Kara stood with her back to the house for a moment as she looked out over the sea, seeing much more than Cat ever would. She rested her hands on her hips and her cape swung gently in the breeze. The sun shone down on her, highlighting her hair even further. From the house, Eliza watched, still a little in awe of her foster daughter, turned amazing super hero.

Then she saw Cat move closer to Kara and their arms close around each other as they shared a brief kiss. It made Eliza smile.

"This is my first time here as Supergirl," Kara uttered softly as she and Cat eased back from their kiss.

"You haven't been here in eighteen months?" Cat asked incredulously.

"Oh no, Kara Danvers comes to visit every couple of months. But this is Supergirl's first time here. I think I've been resistant to wearing the suit here because of something Alex's Dad told me." She took Cat's hand and entwined their fingers as they walked toward the house. "Jeremiah gave me my glasses and told me they'd help me focus. They're lead lined so they inhibit my x-ray vision. He told me to stay hidden. To not use my powers because people weren't ready for me. I didn't get it at the time but as I got older, I did. And I never stopped wearing the glasses. For him."

They climbed the steps to the front door of the house but it was flung open and Eliza stepped out, pulling Kara into her arms for a hug of strength that was even impressive to the Girl of Steel. "Hello, Supergirl!" she beamed happily. Then she looked at Cat who was smiling a little nervously. Eliza simply stepped forward and hugged her too. "Hi, Cat. Welcome to the family."

The CEO looked shocked for a second but Kara just smiled. "Nothing gets past Doctor Eliza Danvers."

Eliza chuckled. "It was pretty obvious to me when I was in National City during Myriad that there was something between you. I just knew that you needed some time for it to grow."

"It's definitely grown," Kara grinned, kissing Cat's temple. "So…" she followed Eliza into the house, tugging Cat behind her. "What's for dinner? I'm starving!"

The two older women exchanged rolled eyes and then laughed.

Kara frowned. "What? It takes a lot of energy to fly, you know!"

The three women took seats at the dinner table and Eliza poured some wine for them. Then she pinned Cat with an honest gaze. "So, Cat, if my husband were here, I know he'd have some questions. The first one is… why do you think you are good enough to date my daughter?"

Cat's eyebrows lifted as Kara buried her face in her hands, groaning. "Eliza…"

But Cat held up her hand. "It's ok, Honey," she stated. "I got this…"