"You okay?" Alex asked as she picked herself off the mat.
"Great." Kara said retaking her stance before attacking Alex again.
When Alex once again ended up on the mat, her twisted shoulder screaming in pain she said.
"Enough." Getting to her feet she asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Tell that to my shoulder." Alex mumbled grimacing.
"Sorry." Kara apologised before Alex asked.
"What's happened?"
"Adam and I, we had a fight. It was bad. What if I've lost him?"
"Kara all couples fight." Alex said.
"No they don't."
"Yes, they do."
"Jeremiah and Eliza didn't."
"Yeah, they did. Before you came they argued more. Then you came and they didn't want to fight in front of you so saved their arguments for when you weren't there, or wrote them down so you couldn't listen in with your super hearing."
"Which you know how?" Kara asked doubtfully.
"After dad died I was going through his study and found the reams of sheets that captured the fights."
"What did they fight about?"
"Loads of things, like mum not putting tools away in the correct place, dad leaving the car unlocked, dad working late, mom missing my soccer match. There were loads of really trivial things." Alex said.
"They always seemed so happy." Kara commented.
"They were. But that doesn't mean that every now and then things didn't boil over. It's natural and far healthier than keeping everything bottled up. So what did he do?"
"It wasn't Adam." Kara said sadly.
"So what did you do?" Alex pressed.
"Remember last night we went out after the slime incident?" Kara asked.
"Yeah."
"I kind of forgot that Adam and I were meant to be having dinner. I only remembered when I got home and saw what he did. I mean he went all out, home cooked meal, chocolate fudge cake, candles and everything."
"Oh, Kara." Alex said sympathetically.
"That's not the worse part." Kara confessed. "When I saw how much effort he had gone to I felt so guilty, only instead of apologising I kinda yelled at him for not phoning me to remind me."
"Smooth Kara, blaming Adam when you screw up."
"I know. I feel awful."
"What did Adam do?" Alex asked.
"He did what he always does, he was understanding and that just made me even more mad."
"Yeah, because understanding boyfriends suck." Alex said sarcastically.
"I asked him to be honest and tell me what he didn't like and when he didn't I pressed and pressed until he kind of broke and well we kind of got into a fight, covering everything from working too hard, to not folding the laundry properly." Kara said.
"You don't fold laundry." Alex pointed out, unable to understand why they would argue about it.
"I think that was Adam's point." Kara sighed.
"Although you didn't have it as an excuse growing up, at least now you do spend your time saving the world." Alex said sympathetically.
"I used that argument." Kara said. "Which seeing how sensitive Adam is about his career and life at the moment was kind of mean."
"And then?"
"I left."
"Where did you spend the night?" Alex asked.
"Around the city. Lots of crime last night."
"You could have come to mine." Alex pointed out. "You should have come to mine."
"I needed to clear my head."
"Have you spoken to him today?"
"No."
"Kara, you need to talk to him." Alex said.
"I really doubt he wants to talk to me. Besides he's probably barricading himself in, waiting for the KPS to show up."
"KPS?" Alex asked confused.
"The Kara Protection Squad. It's what he calls you and Hank. What if he has gone into hiding?" Kara asked panicked.
"Where's your phone?" Alex asked.
"Here, why?" Kara said giving Alex the device.
"You know you have seventeen missed calls and twenty three text messages from him?" Alex asked as she started typing.
"What are you doing?" Kara asked.
"Letting him know you are okay."
"No." Kara said.
"You don't want him to know you are okay?" Alex asked ignoring the protest and sending the message.
"Of course I do, but I need to apologise." She said before hearing her phone buzz. "In person, not by text."
"Huh." Alex said.
"Huh what?"
"He's not as dumb as I sometimes suggest. He figured out the message was from me."
"What did you say? What did he say?" Kara asked grabbing her phone off Alex.
"Sorry I'm a weird alien. I didn't mean to be an annoying freak." Kara said reading Alex's message out loud before looking at Alex. "I can't believe you sent that to him."
"Really? Because he could." Alex pointed out. "Just go home and talk to him."
"I can't, I have to go to work. Cat is going to kill me."
-00-
"Kira, my office." Cat said as she strode past Kara's desk and marched into her office.
"Yes Ms Grant." Kara said scampering after her.
"Shut the door." Cat instructed. "I am glad to see you already look guilty."
"Ms Grant, I know this is my fault and I will fix it. At least I hope I will. I will do everything I can. You have to believe me, I never meant for this to happen. I'm not even sure how it happened. But I will make it unhappen. I promise. Just please don't fire me until I have fixed this. Oh, that look, that look is bad. I recognise that look. I know you probably want to kill me right now, or throw your phone at me, but please don't. I know I screwed up and I know I don't really know how to fix it. But I will fix it. In fact I am going right now to fix it." Kara said rushing out of the office leaving Cat dumbfounded.
After recovering from her shock caused by Kara's outburst she picked up the pen Kara had given her a few weeks earlier and considered using it to bring her assistant back. But just as she was about to press it she decided she had seen enough crazy for one day and the subject she had wanted to discuss could wait until tomorrow.
-00-
"Hey." Kara said as she flew through the window.
"Are you okay?" Adam immediately asked standing. "I was so worried when you didn't come home."
"I thought you'd want some space." Kara said.
"No, I wanted to you. Please don't ever run off, well fly off like that again."
"I'm sorry I got mad with you." Kara said. "Especially as I was in the wrong."
"Neither of us came across well." Adam said.
"Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"About?"
"The laundry, the half open drawers, the crumbs in bed, the incorrect filing of glasses-" Kara started to list.
"None of that really matters."
"Yeah, to me. But it clearly does to you." Kara pointed out. "Do you really think I am so fragile I can't handle a bit of criticism?" Kara asked.
"What? No." Adam said before confessing. "But you're Supergirl. You have all these amazing powers and you light up a room when you enter. You could literally do anything. And I can't help but think that one day you'll wake up and realise I'm not good enough for you."
"All this time I thought I was the one with insecurities." Kara said ruefully. "I'm sorry, but Adam, I love you and I can't imagine my life without you. You telling me I'm annoying you isn't going to change that. All I want is for you to be honest with me." Kara said before drawing a breath and adding. "When I was taken in by the Danvers I think they were so worried I would break Eliza and Jeremiah never criticised me. I could pretty much do anything and I never got into trouble. Alex though, she got constant criticism for everything, including all my screw ups. I get why Eliza treated me differently, but it just made me feel even less normal. I think that's maybe why I like working for your mom so much. She doesn't care who I am, if I do anything wrong she will tell me."
"You want me to treat you like my mom?" Adam asked pulling a face.
"No. I just want you to be honest with me. Don't always try to protect me. it's like with your job. You didn't tell me how much you hated your job because you didn't want to worry me, but we are meant to be a partnership, we are in this together. Sometimes I just feel like I take and take and don't give."
"That's not how I feel." Adam said. "I never meant to shut you out. But if you want me to complain more, I can complain."
"I wouldn't say complain, just sharing concerns." Kara said.
"Concerns about anything?" Adam asked.
"Apart from food. That's a no go area." Kara smiled before asking. "Can I have a hug now?"
-00-
When Kara woke, sprawled across Adam's chest the next morning the sun was already streaming into the room. Content to just lie with Adam she shut her eyes until she heard an incessant banging.
"Coming." Kara mumbled as she rolled out of bed and threw on one of Adam's shirts before stumbling to the front door.
"You okay?" Alex asked when the door opened.
"Yeah, why?" Kara asked not sure why Alex looked so relieved.
"Because you were apparently acting really strange at work yesterday and now it is after nine and you aren't at work." Alex explained entering the apartment.
"After nine?" Kara asked wide eyed.
"Yeah. I'd ask why but the trail of clothes across the apartment gives me more information than I need or want." Alex said.
"Yeah, we-"
"Stop right there. Really don't want to know." Alex said putting her hand up. "I'm going to let James and Winn know you are okay and then you might want to consider getting to work before Cat fires you."
-00-
"Kira, so nice of you to turn up." Cat said as Kara rushed into her office with a latte.
"I am so sorry Ms Grant. I-"
"I don't want to know." Cat said silencing Kara. "But seeing how you have graced me with your presence, perhaps we can have the conversation I tried having with you yesterday, before you had some sort of melt down in my office."
"That is all resolved."
"It is not." Cat said.
"It's not?" Kara asked panicking. "But everything is fine now."
"Lying to me is never fine."
"Lying?" Kara asked confused. "I didn't lie."
"I have no idea what you were babbling about yesterday and to be honest I'm not sure I care."
"You don't? So Adam didn't...But you said I looked guilty."
"You did." Cat said before picking up on what Kara said. "What did you think Adam would have told me?"
"We kind of had a fight." Kara confessed. When Cat just stared at her she went on. "I thought he'd told you and you were mad at me."
"Have you broken his heart? Driven him from the city, again?"
"No."
"Then why would you get so worried over my reaction?"
"Adam is your son."
"I am aware of that." Cat said. "No reason to act like this is your first big fight." Cat said, but on seeing Kara's expression she asked in disbelief. "It is your first big fight? How is that even possible? You two have broken up three times now."
"We did that without fighting." Kara pointed out before asking. "Why would we fight?"
"Kira, every couple argues. It's natural. You and Adam will have several more in your lives."
"That's not exactly comforting."
"I'm sorry, would you like me to sugar coat life for you?"
"Well, no." Kara said before asking. "If you weren't wanting to talk about Adam what did you want to talk about?"
"Carter and the fact you and Adam have been hiding the fact he has a girlfriend from me."
"Oh that." Kara said casually. Seeing Cat's displeased expression though she quickly added. "That wasn't really our news to share. And Carter said he'd tell you."
"Did he tell you when he was planning on telling me?"
"No. It was implied it would be soon. I mean I kind of thought he would have told you when you collected him."
"Collected him?" Cat asked.
"From our place, after camping."
"You've known since then?" Cat asked. "And none of you thought to mention it?"
"Well, Adam was bound by the brothers' code of silence." Kara said.
"Brothers' code of silence?" Cat asked. "Even if that were a thing that I put any stock in, which I don't, it would not bind you."
"Heroes' code of silence?" Kara suggested. "I mean you did say you would not abuse your relationship with me."
"Did Carter tell Supergirl or Kara?" Cat asked.
"Sup..fine he told me."
"And yet you didn't tell me." Cat pointed out.
"Because Carter said he'd tell you."
"Do you know why, according to Carter, he didn't tell me?" Cat pressed.
"Um, he was embarrassed?" Kara guessed.
"Whilst true, not the excuse he used. The excuse he actually gave was you had found out and there was no way you'd be able to keep it from me. Which makes me wonder what else you are keeping from me."
"Nothing. I am an open book. I mean you know I can't lie very well."
"Whilst I agree you are the worse liar I have ever come across, there is a difference between actively lying and hiding information." Cat pointed out. "Hide something important from me again and your relationship with my son will not save you from the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Ms Grant."
"Good, then you may go and do the work you were meant to start two hours ago."
-TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
