Chapter 3

~~~Present time~~~

Kara's on the coach clutching her head in her hands.

Alex is leaning against the French window, her arms across the chest. She keeps silence mercifully giving her sister some time to collect her thoughts, but watches her critically.

"Oh, Rao. No way." Kara groans at last. "I really got drunk. And I ruined your evening!.."

"Not just mine," Alex specifies graciously. "Also Lucy's, since she had to deal with my rage instead of you. Maggie was worried, too. And apparently, J'onn and M'gann suffered as well. I had them both confirm ten times that everything' s gonna be okay with you."

Hearing that makes the Kryptonian wither in shame trying to make herself as small as possible, and Alex surrenders. "Come on, Kara. I'm just messing with you." she sighs. "Nothing too bad happened, after all. Everyone was worried but at the same time confident that you'd be alright. And we already agreed to postpone our get-together for a few days."

"B-but.. you and Lucy.."

"As for Lucy, she's safe and sound. Seeing you passing out I panicked and sort of lost my temper, but after I was convinced you're fine and there's no need for medical tests, I couldn't stay mad at her anymore. Technically she's not completely at fault here. So.. We're good." She chuckles dryly. "I'm sure she even managed to find some fun in this situation."

"Thank Rao." Kara feels a bit relieved. She gives Alex a small pout though. "But honestly, trying to make me feel even guiltier than I already am.. You know, fifteen minutes ago you weren't such a bully."

"Fifteen minutes ago it was pointless to be a bully." Alex looks away. "..Besides, I still needed to make sure you're okay."

Kara feels a surge of tenderness. Naturally, her caring and loyal sister has been worried about her till the very end of her hangover. She opens her mouth to thank her, but-

"Lucy told me, you know." Alex says quietly. "About Cat Grant."

Kara freezes instantly. Of course, she should've realized Lucy had to tell Alex the whole story. That means there's nothing left to hide, but all of it has to be discussed now, and that makes her slightly nauseous.

The alien has never been a coward, but now she's terrified to look up at her sister. What will Alex do? What does she think of her now, knowing her secret?

"..Are you mad?" she manages to say in a small voice at last.

"Not really. I'm.. hurt, I guess."

Kara's heart sinks. "I knew you would be. I'm so very sorry, Alex."

"No, it's okay. It's just.." Alex finally raises her head and gazes at her with those deep hazel deer eyes looking so vulnerable that Kara wants to cry. "I was so worried about you all these days knowing something was off, but you kept shutting me out. I know I can't expect you to tell me everything, and I- I respect that, I really do, but.. It took just one evening with Lucy Lane and you opened up right away. That makes me think that maybe.. you just don't trust me anymore. After.. After your aunt and everything.."

"Oh, Alex," Kara exhales. She's at her sister's side in a heartbeat, grabbing her shoulders. "Don't ever say that. I mean, ever. You are my closest person in the whole universe, and that will never change. If there's anyone whom I trust wholeheartedly, it's you, believe me!" she looks anxiously at the pale face before her.

Alex looks greatly relieved. "..I do believe you." she sniffles. "But then-"

Kara interrupts her: "As for prioritizing Lucy, you got it all wrong." she sighs and turns to the window, unhanding Alex. "What Cat means to me.." she shakes her head, struggling to find appropriate words. "Realizing my- my feelings for her.. Trying to fight them and failing, and accepting them in the end.. All of it was so complicated. And oh, Rao, hiding it from everyone, from you, of all people - it was so hard for me. But the truth is, I wasn't ready yet to share it with anybody. So all of it kept building up, it seems.. And Lucy just happened to confront me with right words at the right time. She just had to make a small cut, and everything tore along the seam."

"Well. That.. makes sense." Alex sighs. She clears her throat with a faint smile: "So Cat Grant, huh. I knew you admired her, but I never thought she could be your type."

Kara watches her intently. "Um.. I was sure you'd start this conversation with scolding me, saying how much risk it is, and that she's the worst possible choice ever..?"

"To be honest, Kar, those were my first thoughts after Lucy told me everything." the brunette replies. "But I had some time to ponder over it while you were sleeping like a log. Believe me, I wasn't - am not - thrilled, and I'm concerned. I mean, how could I not be? She is, well.. her."

"Still," she goes on when Kara opens her mouth to reply, "like I said, I had enough time to calm down a bit and think. And I understood there's no point in telling you all these things. It's your identity we are talking about; you are Supergirl, who deals with danger every day of her life, and you're also the person who worked in close tandem with Cat for two years. You know all the possible risks better than any of us do." she pauses. "And you can't choose whom to fall in love with. If your feelings are that strong they haven't faded out over months, apparently they are something that shouldn't be judged by others."

"Alex," Kara can't believe her ears. "You mean.. you approve?"

"I mean that before seeking of approval you need to do the main thing that, according to Lucy's words, you still haven't done: to sort it all out with Cat. Of course, only if you're absolutely sure she can be trusted, and you want to be with her."

"I trust her. And It took me a long way, but I'm 1000 percent sure I want her. Even though I doubt she would be interested in me, I want to take my chance. I always did. But, Alex.. You and J'onn have done so much to hide my identity from her. After all that, how could I possibly ask you to accept this situation? How could I reset to zero all of your efforts to keep me safe?"

Alex shakes her head. "You know what, little sis? You have enough other things to be concerned about, so don't worry at least about this one. We love you, and above everything else, we want you to be happy. You being an alien, a hero and the D.E.O. agent would not change that." she gives Kara a warm smile. "So I will trust your decisions. If you want to go to her, then go. If she rejects you, then at least you'll know there's nothing left but to move on. Just.. Whatever it turns out to be, no more suffering alone. I'm always right here if you ever need me, okay? For absolutely anything."

By this time Kara's eyes are filled with tears. She rushes to her sister and hugs her like her life depends on it. "Thank you," she whispers. "Thank you so much. I'm such a fool. I'm so sorry I tried to hide everything from you."

Alex is warm and soft across her, hugging her back just as desperately. "You are not a fool", she says affectionately. "You're just young and in love, same as me. It makes us vulnerable, but this is also what gives us strength."

"Yeah, I guess."

"By the way, speaking of 'worst possible choices ever.' " Alex drew back a bit. "Cat Grant is a hard case, indeed, but honestly, I would be much more horrified if you really fell for Mon-El!"

"I know, right?!" Kara agrees completely. She groans: "Ugh. I can't believe that throughout the whole dream I not only had no memories of Cat's existence, but also choose to be with a person she would absolutely despise. It's like I betrayed everything that she taught me.. Not to mention that I got fired from CatCo and acted like it's nothing. Man, I'd be devastated if I were fired from CatCo!"

Alex grumbles: "Oh, Kara, cut it out. It was just a dream! If I recall correctly, the goal of drinking that hellish swipes was to forget of the main reason of your sadness. What can I say? It worked perfectly well! Not only there was no Cat, but your brain slowly rejected everything associated with her."

"You're probably right. It explains why Lucy wasn't in my dream, either. Apparently, that's because she talked about Cat to me right before." Kara mutters thoughtfully. "Anyway.. All of it seemed so real that calling it to mind makes me sick. I don't want my life to be like that, Alex. I don't want to ever forget Cat and be someone that I'm not!"

"I know you don't, Kara." Alex says reassuringly. "And I'm sure you won't, whatever happens. Go get her."

"Thanks, sis. I will. I have no clue where she is, though. It may take some time to find her, but I'll manage."

"Oh, about that.." Alex gets something out of the pocket of her leather jacket. "Here you are."

"What's that?" Kara watches the piece of paper suspiciously.

"Well.. When I came to all these conclusions I just told you about, I asked Winn to trace Cat's recent phone calls to James." Alex looks quite pleased with herself. "Last several ones were from Paris. Sadly, I can't guarantee she's still there, but here's the address. For all we know, it's a rental apartment."

Kara is stunned. She looks at her sister with admiration, feeling so touched and grateful that she can't find the words to describe it. So she locks her in her arms again. "I love you," she mutters. "So, so much."

"I know," Alex replies warmly. "I love you, too."

Kara hugs her for another long moment. Then she leaves her side for a split second and reappears wearing her suit, taking the paper with address from her sister's hand gently.

"Well.. Gotta fly." she says with a smile.

"Go. I got your back here." the brunette reassures her.

Kara nods to her, and the last thing Alex sees is a blur of red and blue rushing out of the window.

"Good luck, Supergirl."