Only You, Always, a supergirl fanfic

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This is basically my version of how the series ends this Season 6 based on the assumption that the writers are going to send Supergirl to the 31st century to explain her absence on Earth-Prime for the foreseeable future.

Spoilers up to the Season 5 finale because this was posted before the Season 6 premiere. Mostly canon-compliant, though technically semi-au after Season 3 Episode 1 because SuperCat.

Changes I made using the Crisis On Infinite Earths "reset":
1. Cat and Carter know that Kara is Supergirl
2. Cat is the Secretary of State, not White House Press Secretary

I have zero knowledge of the comics, so any similarities are accidental.

Dedicated to the indomitable SuperCat fandom.

Thank you!

A Supergirl Fanfiction:
"Only You, Always (or The Three Times Kara Refused To Say Goodbye To Cat And The One Time She Finally Had To)"
by: s16thunderjet

For months she had run from it.

She could never quite bring herself to fly across the country just to bid the other woman farewell. She still had a year, she thought, that first time she found out that she was needed in the future. There was no need to rush what would be their final time together after being stuck in a long-distance, mostly platonic, though mutually romantically unrequited situation for the past three years.

So Kara Danvers did what she always did when a very important conversation needed to be had: she procrastinated.

"Seriously, Kara. Just tell her." Alex Danvers had said that first time with a matching eye roll, the brunette completely flabbergasted at what she dubbed, 'The Slow Burn of the Millenium.'

"We just found out yesterday, Alex! I... I need to process... things..."

"What's there to process? We've already decided to go, right? I mean, that's why we're going to Midvale tomorrow to tell mom. Give her as much time to either prepare for us leaving or to leave with us."

"Yes, but..."

"We should really go on the weekend instead, you know. Mom's gonna be mad we'll fly in to talk and then fly back out."

"I can't. I promised Cat..."

Testament to how anxious and distracted she is, Kara suddenly jumped a few feet when her phone vibrated against her thigh, causing Alex to chuckle and almost choke on her water in the process. Beside Alex, Kelly Olsen rubbed and patted her back, smiling warmly, if a bit worriedly at her girlfriend.

"It's Cat! What do I do?" Kara nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she continued floating, looking at the pair with frantic eyes.

"What do you normally do when Cat calls you?" Kelly asked, putting on her psychologist hat.

"I answer. Always." Kara replied with conviction, lifting the phone to her ear.

"He- hello."

"What's wrong?"

"What... no-nothing's wrong... what do you mean... what's wrong?"

"You tell me. You answered the phone strangely just now."

"Oh, well, I was... I was in the air and I... uh, was about to land when you called so I guess I got jostled a bit." Kara floundered, causing Alex to almost fall off the couch as she laughed and wheezed as quietly as she could, Kelly trying valiantly not to giggle, but failing miserably as well.

"Uh, huh..."

"Why... uhm, why did you call?"

"I wanted to confirm that you were still coming this weekend. Carter returned early from his father's and it's all been 'Smithsonian this and Smithsonian that'."

"He's really excited, isn't he?"

"He missed you the last time you visited. He's also already dreading not seeing you for a long time once he goes off to university."

"Pfft. Georgetown is like 10 minutes away from your Colonial."

"I know. He's brilliant, that son of mine, but he can be such a drama queen."

"Huh, I wonder where he gets that from."

"Funny."

Kara could practically see the other woman's epic eye roll, causing an affectionate smile to bloom on her face. The receiver was muffled for a bit as a short conversation occurred between mother and son, one Kara respectfully tuned out despite her super hearing.

"Carter wants to know if you can come earlier than planned. He's got his PlayBox and XStation all set-up."

"I know you know they're called PlayStation and Xbox." Kara chided, even as she heard Carter exasperatingly correcting his mother.

"Whatever. So will you?"

"I'll be there. Friday night."

"In time for dinner?"

"If dinner is around eight-ish? I'm at a disadvantage with the time zones and all."

"Fine. Dinner at eight. Promise?"

"I promise, Cat."

"Carter says, 'Awesome!' See you, Kara."

"Give Carter my love. Bye." Kara beamed, eagerly looking forward to her now extended weekend with the Grants.

"See, it's not that hard."

"Tha- that's different, Alex! That's a 'Bye, see you later', not a 'Bye, see you never'." Kara sputtered, completely having forgotten that she had an audience.

"I swear, that conversation sounded like one between two parents planning a fun weekend with their kid." Alex quipped, wagging her eyebrows gleefully.

"That's not... shut up! Kelly!"

"Babe, stop picking on your sister. Her situation is really complicated. She's clearly stressed enough as it is."

"I dunno why. It's not like they're in a relationship."

"They're not?" Kelly teased, side-eyeing Kara, who groaned miserably in response.

"Not you, too."

"Kidding aside, even close friends have a hard time saying goodbye. So it's understandable what you're going through, Kara."

"Especially since we don't know when we're coming back or if we even can." Alex chimed in, commiserating with her clearly forlorn sister.

Kara deflated with a huff, leaning back into the couch as she stared listlessly through the ceiling, refusing to entertain the idea of never seeing her friend and mentor ever again, the woman who, without her realizing over the course of their friendship, she had completely fallen in love with.

It was eight months later when Kara was painfully reminded about her impending trip thanks to a not-so impromptu visit by her best friend and Legion member Winn Schott, Jr., also known as Toyman, the one who initially contacted her about the needed change in scenery.

"So no update at all?"

"The records still show that Kara Danvers resigned from CatCo Worldwide Media at the end of 2020. Over the next couple of weeks, she disabled all her social media accounts, citing the need for a 'cleanse'. No records appear after that. Then in mid-2021, rumors that Supergirl had gone on an off-world mission intensified when Superman and Team Flash arrived to help the Martian Manhunter, Miss Martian, Brainiac 5 and Dreamer in fending off an all-out attack by the White Martians. We're constantly trying to recover more data, but there's a reason why Brainy said this era is known in the future as the Dark Ages."

"And Nura Nal's vision?"

"She says the invasion still feels like it will happen in about a year's time. There is a development, though. She said that a brunette in a black suit and hood has appeared alongside you in more recent dreams. She confirmed it was Alex after I showed her a picture."

"Thanks, Winn. I really appreciate all that you're doing. I just wish we knew who we're fighting against and what would force me to stay in the future indefinitely."

"I wish I could do more. We've already reached out to the Lanterns and while there's some unrest in certain parts of nearby galaxies, they're also not getting the sense that it's as large-scale as Nura says. They're on high alert, though, because when a Naltorian says something's going to happen, you bet your ass it will."

That made Kara chuckle in earnest, thankful for Winn's enduring friendship despite the years they have spent apart. The pair shared a quiet moment on the balcony of The Tower, watching the sky become a riot of colors as the sun disappeared on the horizon, shades of yellow, orange and purple coalescing as day shifted into night.

"You should just tell her." Winn stated, leaning sideways on the railing to face the blonde.

"Tell who?" Kara turned, her trademark confused puppy dog expression decorating her features.

"Ms. Grant."

"H- how?"

"You seem tense and maybe a little panicked? I know the only person important enough to have that kind of effect on you, both as Kara and Supergirl, is Ms. Grant."

"I... it's complicated." She groused, practically slumping onto the railing.

"Why? I mean, OK, you said you've been friends for a long time and have been visiting her and Carter in DC on and off for the past few years. I know you'll miss her, but it's not like you can't live without her, right?"

The ensuing silence was deafening.

"Oh..." Winn whispered, eyes widening in surprise before softening at the agitated and melancholy look on Kara's face. She was clearly conflicted, unable to answer in the affirmative knowing that it would be an outright lie.

"Finally."

Kara's head snapped toward him so fast she would have gotten whiplash had it not been for her alien constitution. A flurry of questions was poised at her lips, but none of them came as she struggled to come to grips with all of her thoughts and emotions.

"Did you forget that I used to work at CatCo? Granted, I had my head up my ass for a bit, but while we were on that 'space and time' thing, I went on a deep introspection and realized quite a few things. I was gonna talk to you about them after we patched things up, but it kinda seemed like you were oblivious to them and I didn't think it was my place to call you on them, especially if you weren't ready."

"What are you talking about?" She asked despite already knowing what he was referring to.

"Your feelings for Ms. Grant."

"That far back... but we've only... I've only..."

"Sometimes, we can't see what's right in front of us until someone else points it out or we're about to lose it and we suddenly realize how important it is."

"How do you explain James and Mon-El... a- and William?" She countered almost half-heartedly.

"Who says you didn't like or love them, too? The question is: What is your heart telling you right now?"

Winn could see the moment everything slotted into place before Kara's brilliant blue eyes welled up with tears. He was about to reach forward, but found himself in a bruising embrace as the Girl of Steel's body was wracked with sobs.

"I don't know... why it took me so long to... and now I... I have to leave."

"You've still got about four months or so. Listen, there are some things that happen that we can't control, but those that we can? We have to make sure to do what we can while we can and to make the choices we can live with even when they hurt. That's the only way we can be at peace."

They stayed that way for a few more minutes; Kara relishing in the comfort freely offered by her best friend, Winn reveling in being able to support in his own small way the incredible woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Thanks, Winn. The future's been good for you. It's made you wiser." She smiled as she pulled back, wiping stray tears with the back of her hands.

"That's all Ayla and Mary. I guess being a husband and a father has given me much needed perspective." He shrugged, smiling in return.

A muted buzzing sound reached their ears. Kara reached down into one of her boot compartments for her phone, barely able to suppress a huge grin at the screen. Winn playfully rolled his eyes, already knowing who was calling.

"It's her."

"Obviously. Now's your chance." He squeezed her arm as he walked off the balcony and into the command center, smiling as she mouthed, 'Not yet, but soon' before raising the phone.

"Hey, Cat."

Award-winning Reporter Kara Danvers Retires
by Nia Nal

Pulitzer Prize winning Senior Investigative Reporter Kara Danvers is laying down her pen for good as she has resigned from CatCo Worldwide Media. The multi-awarded journalist made the announcement herself, penning a moving farewell that ran on both the National City Tribune and CatCo Magazine.

Kara began her career as Executive Assistant to then CEO Cat Grant before earning a Junior Reporter position in CatCo Magazine. She became a household name thanks to her fearless reporting that exposed Lex Luthor as the man behind a plot to take control of the United States; a conspiracy that included the impeached former President Phil Baker, the incarcerated terrorist hate group Children of Liberty and their leader Benjamin Lockwood, also known as Agent Liberty, and the invading Kaznian army lead by Red Daughter.

"To paraphrase one of the wisest and most amazing women I've ever known, 'In order to live extraordinary lives, we must keep daring, keep diving'. Well, this is me diving. National City, it's been an honor." She wrote.

No word yet on what her next endeavor will be, but we here at CatCo are sure that whatever it is, it will be super.

The spit take was glorious and spectacular, easily traversing the distance across their normally pristine white dining table and painting his light blue polo with spots of black. Carter Grant would have applauded vociferously if not for the fact that he was staring slack-jawed at the unlikeliest of culprits.

"I'm so, so, sorry, Carter. Oh, you'll need to change because those coffee stains are not going to come out."

"Uh, it's fine, but are you OK, Mom?" He asked worriedly, still a bit in shock at what just happened.

"Yes, Sweetheart. Just something I read." She waved him away, placing the tablet on the chair beside her while trying to appear unaffected.

Narrowing his eyes, Carter moved to stand and began unbuttoning his polo, going around his mother as if to go to his room. Once he neared her, however, he quickly bent down and swiped the tablet from the chair despite her protestations, skimming through the open article.

"Did you know?" He asked quietly, confusion coming off of him in waves.

"No, I didn't, hence the incident earlier."

"Why wouldn't she tell us?"

"I..." She was interrupted by her phone vibrating in her lap.

"It's Kara."

"Please put it on speaker." He pleaded, to which his mother obliged.

"Cat! Thank Rao I caught you before work. I..."

"You're on speaker, Kara. Carter's here with me."

"Hey, Carter! So I don't know if you guys have seen..."

"Mom and I just finished reading the article. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was going to tell you guys tonight after dinner because I wanted to do it in person. That article and my farewell ads on the Tribune and CatCo Mag were supposed to come out a month from now, but somebody forwarded the wrong proofs to the printers." She grumbled, murmuring something about people getting fired had it been actual news and not something akin to an announcement.

"Oh. Are you OK? Did something happen?"

Kara smiled fondly, the mix of relief and concern in his tone warming her heart considerably. The universe may have taken a lot of things from her, but she was utterly grateful for being given the chance to have this kind, sweet and caring boy in her life.

"I'm fine, Carter. We can talk about it more tonight if you want."

"OK. I gotta go change or I'll be late for school. Bye, Kara."

"Bye."

There was a bit of shuffling as the phone was taken off of speaker and Kara heard Carter's thundering footsteps as he rushed out the door. Quieter footsteps echoed after, followed by a door opening and closing before words dripping with so much sarcasm and disdain they could flood an entire city were uttered.

"I thought you were mentoring Ms. Nal? 'Super'? Honestly."

"Nia likes her puns, Cat." Kara chuckled heartily before sobering up a bit as she heard the other woman's rapid heartbeat blasting through the receiver.

"I'm fine, Cat. Really."

"Yes, you've said. I have questions." The slight wavering was unexpected, something Kara vowed to remedy as soon as she could.

"I know. I promise to answer them as best I can tonight. I really want to talk in person." She replied, unable to keep her yearning for the other woman from spilling out.

"I understand. Be safe and I'll see you later."

"I'll be there."

In stark contrast to their lively meals filled with joyous laughter and delightful conversations, dinner that night was a subdued affair as Kara explained the circumstances of her decision. There was no game of Settlers of Catan or streaming of a movie coming as Carter opted to head to bed early to process all that they had learned.

For her part, the Queen of All Media, because she is and forever will be that, was reduced to 'ohs', 'hmm's and 'ahs' as she allowed her son to steer the conversation, giving him the control he craved to battle the turmoil threatening to overwhelm him.

Kara was gracious and accommodating the entire hour and a half it took for them to get through all of Carter's questions and concerns, answering truthfully and without hesitation, something both Grants appreciated more than the Kryptonian probably understood.

They cleared the table and the kitchen after that, both blondes using the silence to organize their thoughts. Once they finished rinsing the dishes, utensils and various kitchen implements and loading them into the dishwasher, they knew they were out of time.

"Cat..."

"There's something you're not telling me."

She sounded apprehensive and maybe a tad hurt, staring Kara down despite the slight tremble in her petite frame. Her arms were crossed over her chest, hands gripping her own arms as she fought to compose herself.

"You don't have your overnight bag, which means you're not staying the weekend like you usually do, which in turn means that whatever you're about to tell me is going to change things even more than they already ha..."

"I'm in love with you!" Kara interjected, throwing caution to the wind and effectively stopping the other woman in her tracks.

"I think I have been for years now. I guess I just didn't realize it until... until I was faced with the reality of never having you and Carter in my life ever again. And I know it's unfair to tell you this when I'm leaving soon, but I didn't want to have any regrets. It's always been you, Cat."

Kara exhaled anxiously as she finished her declaration, eyes brimming with tears as she looked to the other woman for absolution, for anything other than revulsion or fury. Father Rao was on her side as the love of her life failed to hide a growing smile behind one of her signature glares.

"You idiot."

"Cat?"

"You beautiful, adorable, flying idiot!"

"Uhm..."

"I'm in love with you, too! Every since I met you, I... there hasn't been anyone else... only you, Kara. And I guess that makes me an idiot as well because I was so terrified of losing what we have... our friendship and makeshift family with Carter... that I didn't say anything when we could have been together all these yea..."

This time, her words were interrupted by a kiss, one that was chaste, yet heated, soft, yet impassioned, gentle, yet all-consuming. When they finally parted, they stared into each other's eyes and found forever looking back at them.

They knew that there was a lot they needed to talk about and that there were a multitude of things they needed to figure out, but they also knew, with absolute certainty, that they would do everything in their considerable power to make sure that everything would turn out all right.

BREAKING NEWS:
Secretary Cat Grant Steps Down, Rules Out Candidacy For President
by Nia Nal

In a move that sent shockwaves across the country, Secretary of State Cat Grant announced that she has stepped down from her post and is retiring from public office. She has long been considered as the presumptive Democratic nominee despite not formally announcing her candidacy. According to a high-ranking White House staffer, President Shaw and Secretary Grant were locked in the Oval Office for the better part of an hour before the President reluctantly accepted the resignation.

"Secretary Grant's impeccable service record, innate sense of justice and fairness, and her unwavering desire to make not just our country, but the entire world a better place is what made her the front-runner, the only choice, frankly, given that her approval ratings are higher than even the President's. The Democrats are scrambling. With President Shaw serving out her 2nd term, it looks like they'll need to build up Vice-President Plastino rather quickly." A Republican Congressional staffer said moments after the news broke out, admitting under the condition of anonymity that he absolutely would have voted for Secretary Grant despite his allegiances.

This is a developing story. We'll give updates on the situation as we learn more.

The portal opened suddenly, a rip in the fabric of space and time held steady by the stabilizing field. Winn monitored the readings, nodding to himself as the system all read green. Six figures stepped through, the portal closing behind them with a flash of light.

"Welcome, everyone. As some of you know, my name is Mon-El. Behind me and in the white and silver suit is Nura Nal. On the controls is someone you're all familiar with, Winn Schott, Jr.. We, along with a handful of others, are collectively known as the Legion."

He said formally though amicably, offering his hand towards a smiling Kara in a handshake, one that was readily interrupted by an openly glaring blonde in an all black ensemble, one he instantly recognized as the woman who challenged his mother and inspired an entire nation, himself included, to fight back against the Daxamite army.

"Yes, yes, thank you for having us now when is this invasion happening and what steps have you taken to prevent it and how can we help?"

The moment was so quintessentially, undeniably and unapologetically Cat Grant that they all burst into varying degrees of laughter, Mon-El included despite the very obvious slight towards him. Cat then sashayed towards Winn and started making inquiries, causing Kara to sigh blissfully, much to Alex and Carter's faux disgust.

"Told you." Nura Nal stepped up beside the possibly soon to be former Leader of the Legion and raised her hand to which he deposited some currency into.

"Right. Never bet against a Naltorian." Mon-El muttered.

"You bet that what... Cat wouldn't be here with us?" Kara eyed him, genuinely curious.

"Ah, no, that's what Winn calls a sucker's bet. No way was I betting against the two of you." He shook his head vehemently.

"Then what?" Eliza Danvers asked. Beside her, Alex, Kelly and Carter's interests were piqued as well.

"Nura said that as soon as Ms. Grant arrives, she'll take over and whoever the invading force is, well, they're as good as dead."

They all turned and watched as Cat barked out instructions at Winn, who was typing as fast as humanly possible. Schematics, defense plans, multiple lists of differing contents and importance and all manner of information was flashing onto a plethora of holoscreens as Cat put her experience as the former Secretary of State to good use.

Kara could not help the knowing grin that spread across her face.

"Oh hell yeah, we're gonna win."

The End

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All Supergirl characters copyright to DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment, CBS, The CW, Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, et. al.. They are used without permission. Please do not sue me, I don't have money.

Thank you!