Conversations on a Balcony
77
"To what do I owe this little visit to my balcony… Kara Danvers."
Supergirl suddenly had him by the shirt, pinned against the wall as she glared at him. "I don't think I like your tone," she growled.
'Now, now," Max replied with a smirk. "Take it easy, Girl of Steel. What is it I'm supposed to have done this time?"
Kara sighed and let him go, dropping him onto his own feet. "I REALLY need you to leave my wife and my company alone. CatCo is NOT going to support whatever little medical experiments you have going on at LordTech and Cat is not interested in being your sidepiece at corporate events."
Lord straightened his shirt and cracked his neck before turning and heading back into his office. Kara followed him; hands clenched into fists at her sides as she struggled to not throw him off the balcony. But she'd promised Cat so…
He poured two glasses of scotch and handed one to her before taking a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs in a seating group near his desk. "Firstly," he said. "I was sorry to hear about what happened to your daughter. I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been for you and Cat."
Kara blinked in surprise and then blew out a long breath. She took the seat across from him, draping her cape across her lap as she took a sip of the drink. "Thanks. Yeah, it was the most scared we've ever been in our lives."
Max nodded. "Look, I feel like you and I got off on the wrong foot from day one and that's on me, Supergirl. I never really saw you as human until I'd already tainted our relationship."
"We don't have a relationship, Max," Kara replied. "And I don't know if we ever can. You made kryptonite and I almost killed the love of my life because of it."
The dark-haired man nodded. "I know." Then he leaned forward and put his glass on the low coffee table. "Supergirl, I haven't revealed your identity to the world because, honestly, I'm not totally the monster you think I am. I've done things that are… morally questionable…" Kara snorted at that but let him go on. "But everything I did were attempts to put measures in place to protect humans from powerful and terrifying alien threats."
Kara shook her head and stood up, holding her hands out. "What the hell is so terrifying about me, Max?" she asked. "Is it the blonde hair? The blue eyes? I've been out as Supergirl for years and, other than the red k incidents, which YOU caused, I've done nothing but help people."
"I know," Max sighed. "And I'm sorry for my assumptions. I know that you and Superman are Earth's protectors… now."
Kara nodded slowly. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you, Max. I need… I just need you to leave Cat and me alone."
The man nodded and got up too. "I understand. But maybe in the future, we can work together. There's always some crisis or other popping up."
"Maybe," the hero replied quietly. "We'll see." She looked at the clock on the wall across the office. "I have to get going. I promised my kid I'd tuck her in."
"Hey, Kara?" Max said as she turned to leave. "It's not widely known, but I have a son myself so… I get it."
Kara just nodded and then stepped out onto the balcony to shoot up and away into the dark sky. She hit her earpiece. "Hey Siri, call Wifey."
"Calling Wifey."
Cat didn't answer so she hung up and headed straight home. When she got there, the older woman was standing on their bedroom balcony and she smiled as her wife touched down. "Sorry I missed your call," she said. "Abby needed one than one story tonight and I'd left my phone in the kitchen."
Kara chuckled and kissed Cat's temple before putting on her glasses and letting her suit melt away. "No problem. I'll just go and tuck her in." She ambled into her daughter's bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, smiling tenderly at her. "Hi, Baby. Mom said you got two stories tonight. Did you like them?"
"Yes," Abby replied solemnly as she squeezed her stuffed rabbit against her chest. "Very good, /:ieiu/."
"Cool. Well, it's time to go to sleep now, My Love." She leaned down and kissed the toddler on the forehead. "How much does /:ieiu/ love you?"
Abby grinned and stretched her arms out as wide as she could. "Dis."
"That's right, Honey. Bigger than the ocean, bigger than the sky, bigger than the universe." Kara kissed her daughter's forehead again. "Goodnight."
"Night. Wuv you," Abby replied with an adoring smile. Kara got up and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her to leave it just ajar. Then she went to join Cat on the balcony again.
"She's getting so big," the hero said.
"Almost three. Time is flying," Cat chuckled as she turned to wrap her arms around her wife's neck and kiss her gently. "How did things go with Max? Did he get the message?" She paused then. "He's still alive, right?" she teased.
Kara frowned and Cat ran a fingertip across the crinkle between her brows. "It was so fucking weird, Cat. He said he was sorry about what happened to Abby, said he was sorry for causing the friction between us and then said he hoped we could work together some time in the future."
It was Cat's turn to frown. "If he's trying to make nice with you, he must be up to something."
'Oh… without question," Kara chuckled. "I didn't buy it for one minute. Although… he did say something that surprised me more than the rest. I told him I had to leave so I could tuck Abby in, and he said that he has a son, so he got it."
"Huh," the older woman replied in surprise. "I didn't know that." She eased back and took Kara's hand then, leading her back into the bedroom. "How about a movie?" she asked. "I can make popcorn."
"I'd love to," Kara replied, going willingly. "This thing with Max can wait for another day."
"Or another millennium," Cat added, rolling her eyes as they strolled up the hallway to the living room. "You pick the movie. I'll get the wine and popcorn."
"Sure," Kara replied amiably as she kissed her wife's cheek. "Don't be long."
