Conversations on a Balcony

72


Kara and Carter looked at each other in utter shock.

"You're sure she said National City, Jenna? It's really important," the young man asked.

Chloe's roommate nodded. "Definitely. She was packing a bag and, when I asked her where she was going, she definitely said she was going to National City to meet her girlfriend."

"When did she leave?" Kara asked, taking a step closer to the young woman.

"Yesterday morning," Jenna replied with a frown. "What's this about, Carter?"

Kara and Carter exchanged another worried look. "There's something going on with Chloe," Carter said. "This…" he said, putting a hand on the hero's shoulder. "Is who she was talking about. Kara is my Mom's wife and Chloe seems to have… um… built up a fantasy of a relationship between them."

"Shit," Jenna said softly. "Not again."

"Again?" Kara asked, her voice higher and tight. "What do you mean… again?"

Jenna shook her head. "Chloe told me she was hospitalized when she was younger after stalking some guy at her high school. But she said she was taking meds and that she was ok."

Carter's hand tightened on Kara's shoulder. "We have to call Mom and then fly home."

The hero nodded, then looked back at Jenna. "Do you happen to have a number for Chloe's parents?"

Jenna looked hesitantly at her for a moment, but Kara smiled a little. "We're not trying to hurt her, but she can't go on like this."

"I know," the young woman sighed. "Ok, I'll text Carter with any information I can find."

"Thank you, Jen," Carter said. "I'll let you know when we find her."

Carter and Kara left the dorm building and walked briskly back across the campus square. "Your classes are starting soon," the hero said. "Stay here, ok? I'll keep you in the loop."

"/:ieiu/…" Carter began but Kara shook her head.

"Honey, there's nothing you can do. Let me and your Mom handle it, ok?"

"But I got us into this," the young man stated guiltily.

"What? No!" the blonde protested. "You had no idea that Chloe had mental health challenges. Your mom and I didn't see it either. This isn't your fault, Carter."

The young man looked unconvinced but nodded all the same. "Ok, I'll stay here but please… text me the second you know anything."

"I promise," Kara replied with a smile as she led him around the side of the building and behind a large dumpster. She pulled her glasses off, prompting her super suit to expand and shape around her body, then hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I'm going straight back to National City now. I'll update you as soon as I know anything."

"Ok, later, /:ieiu/"

Kara grinned and then shot away high into the atmosphere. Carter sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets as he suddenly wished he could go home too.

Xx

Kara activated her earpiece as she quickly crossed into Ohio. "Hey Siri, call Wifey."

"Calling Wifey," Siri dutifully replied.

The hero was passing through Missouri when Cat answered. "Hi, Darling."

"Cat-El, this is turning into a clusterfuck," Kara said succinctly.

"Tell me," Cat replied, just as crisply.

"Carter and I are good. We talked things out, but then he told me some things Chloe said that're really worrying…" The hero went on to tell her wife everything their son and Jenna had said.

"So, she's in National City now. I wonder if she showed up at our building," Cat said thoughtfully. "How far away are you?"

Kara looked down at the landscape below her. "Looks like I'm just clearing Arizona so about another five minutes."

"Come straight to the office please, Darling. I'm going to call the lobby of our building and see if she showed up there. I'll meet you on your office balcony."

"You got it. See you shortly, Cat-El. I love you."

"Love you too. See you soon." Cat hung up and immediate called the security desk for their penthouse. "Hi Mike, Cat Danvers-Grant here. Just calling to check in. Anyone show up there yesterday or today wanting to go up to the penthouse?" She listened a moment. "Earlier today? I see. And did she say what she wanted?" She listened again. "Kara, huh? Ok. Well, can you do me a favor please and call me right away if she shows up again? She's not welcome in our home but we ARE trying to track her down." She tapped her fingernail against her cheek. "No, no need to call the police. I'll take care of it. Thanks, Mike." Cat hung up and walked the short distance down the hallway to her wife's office. Kara was already sitting at her desk, going through her email but she got up and smiled at Cat as she followed her out onto the balcony.

They shared a lingering kiss and then Cat wrapped her arms around her, resting her cheek on her shoulder. "Chloe sucks," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Kara replied with a sigh. "Carter feels like this is his fault and I feel like it's mine."

"And in reality, it's no one's fault. Not even really Chloe's."

Just then, Kara's phone dinged, and she pulled it out of her back pocket. "Oh cool. Carter forwarded me a message from Chloe's roommate, Jenna. She was able to find a phone number for Chloe's parents. I'm going to call them." She hit the contact in the message and then put her phone on speaker as it rang.

"Hello?" a woman's voice sounded.

"Hi, my name is Kara Danvers-Grant. Am I speaking to Chloe's Mom?"

"Uhh… yes… this is Sheila Maines speaking."

"Mrs. Maines, thanks for taking my call. I need to talk to you about Chloe and I'm afraid it's a somewhat delicate situation. Just so you know, you're on speaker and my wife, Cat, is also with me."

"Ok," the woman replied uncertainly. "Is my daughter ok?"

"Physically, I think so, but Cat and I are calling because… well… Chloe seems to be under the impression that she and I are… in a relationship."

There was silence for a long moment. "My daughter is not a lesbian, Ms. Danvers-Grant," Sheila said, her tone a little harder than before.

Cat and Kara exchanged wincing looks. "And of course, I'm not suggesting otherwise, Mrs. Maines," the hero replied gently. "But Chloe was dating our son and when they came to visit us in National City at Christmas, she seemed to have… um… developed a… crush of some sort on me." Kara raised her eyebrows at Cat, who just shrugged back. "She told my son that she was coming to National City again because she and I are running away together… but I think you'll believe me when I tell you that's not at all true."

Again, there was quiet but then Sheila took a deep breath. "You know, don't you? That's why you're calling."

The younger blonde nodded to herself. "If you're referring to Chloe's previous medical history, then I'm somewhat aware, from her roommate, that she had some mental health challenges in the past." She sighed softly then. "Sheila, Cat and I aren't calling to get Chloe into trouble. We're calling because we're worried about her. Her obsession with me is not healthy."

"I know who you are, Kara," Sheila replied, her tone softer. "I've seen you and your wife on TV. I'm sure Chloe just has a case of hero worship."

Cat leaned back against the balcony wall and crossed her arms, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Sheila, but I don't believe that's true," she said.

"How do you know?" the woman asked a little snippily.

Kara sighed and rubbed at the stress crinkle between her eyebrows. "Because I know the things she's been saying. She's telling people I slept with her. I can assure you, Sheila, that's not something I would ever do and frankly, it's already caused an issue between me and my son that I had to go to Harvard to fix. So, the current situation is that Cat and I would like to offer our help to Chloe directly. This call is mostly just a courtesy to let you know what's going on."

"We also know that she showed up at the building where we live yesterday," Cat added. "I really don't want our two-year-old daughter being disrupted by this."

Sheila sighed. "Ok, thanks for the heads up. I'll call Chloe and see what she says. Can I call this number back later?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Kara replied. "This is my cell."

"Thank you," Sheila replied. "I'll call you back as soon as I can speak to her."

"Thanks to you too," the hero replied. "Talk soon. Bye." She hung up and leaned against the wall too, letting her shoulder press against her wife's.

"Hero worship…" Cat said. Then she burst into helpless laughter. "How fucking ironic."

"Tell me about it," Kara chuckled, shaking her head. She looked at her watch then. "Shit, I need to call Alex and explain why I never made it back to the DEO." She pecked her wife's lips. "By the way, you look gorgeous." Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh hey, remember when I was still your assistant, I got you cupcakes for your birthday? Did you keep the sticky note I left on it? Carter mentioned something about it."

The older woman grinned widely. "I'm never without it. It's in my wallet."

Kara grinned back. "Tonight, Beautiful, I'm going to show you just how sweet and amazing I think that is. Naked."

Cat swallowed hard and kissed her again. "I can't wait."