Conversations on a Balcony

94

A/N: Thank you, Chupeydupey for the "kitten is out of the bag" line. I blatantly stole it from your comment on the last chapter!

Translations:

/:zrhemin/ : intimate use of the female version of the word spouse.

Supergirl was sitting with George on the balcony of a low-key coffee shop that aliens in National City favored for its inclusiveness. He was halfway through his chocolate muffin and, to his embarrassment, had cried a river in front of the Girl of Steel, who, he quickly discovered was also the Girl of Hugs.

Supergirl was in therapy. George could hardly believe it and was grateful that she was confiding in him the way he'd confided in her. "It's one of the hardest things I've ever done," she said quietly, looking down at the coffee cup sitting between her laced fingers. "But things were… off… in my relationship and I needed to fix them."

"What made you go?" George asked.

"I have Survivor's Syndrome from the destruction of my home planet when I was a child. And I have PTSD from the bullshit I've had to deal with since I became Supergirl. My behavior toward my wife was…" She looked down and shook her head. "I made her feel like I didn't trust her to be faithful to me. But really, Georgie, it was nothing to do with her. That was just the incident that made me realize something wasn't right with me. I'm absolutely terrified of loss. My brain was telling me to just wait for it… that everyone would leave me eventually, including my wife. I'm still working on that."

"You're married. I didn't know," the young man said.

"I'm trusting you with that information," Kara replied with a smile. "That's not public knowledge."

But George frowned as he pointed at the TV inside the coffee shop, visible through the glass doors of the balcony's entrance. "Uh… Supergirl? Are you pregnant?"

"Huh?" Kara looked behind her and then she swallowed. Hard. "Oh shit."

And then her phone rang.

Xx

"Are you kidding me?" Kara demanded as she landed on Cat's office balcony and stormed into her office. "I'm barely showing. How did this leak? Who am I throwing into a FUCKING volcano?!"

The older woman slowly got up from her desk and went to her wife to rub her upper arms. Her office door was open, so she tried to calm the younger woman down. "Breathe, Supergirl. No one leaked anything."

Kara continued glaring for a long moment but then nodded and closed her eyes to breathe deeply. Then she looked at her wife again, baby blues frightened. "How did this happen, Cat-El?"

Cat went to the door to shut it and then picked up her tablet. "Good old-fashioned sleuthing," she said, opening an article and scrolling to the images embedded in it. These pictures are from every month for the last two years of your Supergirl career. The reporter is alleging… correctly… that your weight never fluctuates because of your powers." She scrolled to the last three pictures, one of which was from earlier that day.

Kara peered at them, then sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, pacing a little. "I'm obviously getting heavier in those pictures." She sighed unhappily. "SHIT."

"Once one of the media outlets picked it up, the others followed suit," Cat shrugged. "Our pregnancy is now breaking news."

"What do you want to do?" Kara asked.

Cat sat down on her sofa and patted the space beside her. Kara sat down, playing with the edge of her cape. "The kitten is out of the bag, so to speak…" The CEO grinned as Kara couldn't help but laugh softly. "So maybe we just let CatCo be the one to facilitate the official announcement. You stand in front of a podium and confirm that you're pregnant… and when the inevitable questions come about the father, you can just say that his identity will not be made public."

Kara's face darkened. "There is no way on this planet that I am lying about the fact that you are the mother of our child, Catherine."

"Well… just say other parent then. Listen, Kara," Cat said softly. "We talked about this eventuality when we were having Abby. I don't like it either but… we must maintain the separation between Supergirl and Kara Danvers-Grant. There's already a risk now because she and Supergirl will be pregnant at the same time."

Kara leaned forward and rubbed her hands over her face. "I don't like this... but ok, fine. Let's set up the press conference for tomorrow. Get this the hell over with."

Xx

"I thought you'd be with Cat tonight," Alex said as she rubbed her sister's back between her shoulder blades.

"I'm kicking myself in the ass for this," the hero replied. "And I know Cat isn't blaming me but… fuck, Alex." She adjusted her glasses and shook her head. "I didn't think that maintaining two identities would be so difficult." She looked at her sister and then looked down. "I'm… I'm thinking of hanging up the cape."

There was silence for a long moment and Kara looked back to her sister, whose face was the picture of shock. "Forever? Kara… you love being Supergirl."

"But if she just… goes away… then Cat and I will be safe. She could just… go on a mission off-world. I can't ask J'Onn to cover me again, especially not this early in the pregnancy."

"Honey," the director said gently. "Have you talked with Cat about this?"

"It's my decision," Kara sulked.

Alex laughed at that. "Jesus Christ, Doofus, you've been married over five years. Have you not learned by now that nothing is 'just your decision' anymore? In fact, if Cat hears you saying shit like that, you'll be sleeping in the spare room 'til Liv turns eighteen!"

The hero had the good sense to look sheepish that that. "Yeah, yeah… you're right. I'll talk to her."

The director frowned. "I know why you don't want to talk to her. She's going to tell you that hanging up your cape is the worst idea you've ever had."

"Shut up," Kara sulked again.

Xx

"Well…" Cat chuckled. "Congratulations, Kara Danvers-Grant. You've just won the worst idea you've ever had award!"

"Cat!" Kara protested as Alex sniggered behind her hand and Kelly quickly elbowed her. "If Supergirl just goes away, the speculation will stop."

The CEO shook her head. "Kara, if Supergirl goes away, the speculation will not be whether she's pregnant or not. It'll become a question of whether she fled because she's pregnant by some evil freakin' entity or something. You know that, Baby. We have to do this press conference and we have to do it now."

Kara got up and paced. "Just for the record, I think this is a terrible idea… but ok. I'll be at the podium in a few minutes."

Alex, Cat and Kelly took Cat's private elevator to the ground and stepped outside into the bright sunlight. Cat stepped up onto the small stage where the podium was waiting, and she caught everyone's attention by turning on the microphone and clearing her throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Supergirl will be here shortly to issue a brief statement. Please be patient."

Voices surged around her then and she looked up to find her gorgeous wife hovering about four stories up. She smiled and held out her hand toward the superhero. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Supergirl." She stepped back from the mic then as the hero glided lower and gently touched down. Camera flashes went off all around them and Cat let her hand brush against Kara's back briefly in silent support.

"Hi," Kara began. "It may or may not be a shock to you all to learn that I'm only a few weeks away from my thirty-third birthday so essentially, I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I've been Supergirl for almost nine years now and, while I love helping and protecting the people of National City, I also have aspirations of my own. Having a family is one of them, so to those of you who are wondering if I'm pregnant, the answer is yes. I'm pregnant and I'm thrilled about it." She shielded her eyes as the cameras all went off again. "I'll take some questions now."

Cat stepped forward then. "Let's keep them appropriate please."

"Supergirl! Will your baby be a full Kryptonian?"

"No," Kara replied. "As you know, the only other Kryptonian on Earth is my cousin and that would NOT be ok. My baby is half-human."

A round of chuckles went through the media and Cat had to stifle a grin of her own.

"Supergirl! Will your baby have powers like yours?"

"Yes, I believe so. Maybe not all of them but I expect powers to manifest at some point."

"Supergirl! Will you be releasing any information about the baby's other parent?"

Kara shook her head. "No, information about the baby's other parent will remain confidential, as will mine and my baby's identities."

"Did you get pregnant the old-fashioned way?"

The Kryptonian laughed softly. "That's for me to know and for you all to never know."

"Supergirl, are you a virgin?"

Kara rolled her eyes and Cat cleared her throat. "Next question please."

"Supergirl." Kara turned her head to find a reporter she'd bever seen before holding out a recording device. "Is this your first pregnancy? Do you have any other children?"

The question caught Kara completely off-guard, and she sucked in a breath as her eyes moved involuntarily to Cat. Her heart sank and she looked down then, a war playing out in her chest. She couldn't do it. She couldn't deny the existence of a part of her heart. "No," she said. "This is not my first pregnancy. Thanks, that's… that's all for today."

"Supergirl, you seem sad. Did you miscarry another baby?"

"How many other children do you have?"

"Does this baby have the same father as your other children?"

The Girl of Steel waved and shot into the sky and away. "That's it for today, Ladies and Gentlemen," Cat said and then turned off the microphone to go back inside. Just then, her phone dinged in her pocket and she pulled it out to look at the screen. It was a message from Kara.

I'm sorry, /:zrhemin/, but I couldn't deny Abby's existence. I'm going flying for a while to clear my head, but I'll be home later. I love you.

Alex looked at Cat. "Is she running?"

"Actually no," the older woman smiled. "She's doing what her therapist taught her to do. Take some time for herself to process stuff but to let me know when she's doing it. I'm fucking proud of her, Alex."

The director smiled. "Hug her for me when she gets home."

Cat grinned in return. "I will."