Author's notes: Ah sorry for the delay, got distracted by one-shots ^.^ Thanks a lot for the encouraging comments. This one is a bit slow, but necessary for the build up. Hope you enjoy it.
Kara wakes up slowly, the sun rejuvenating her. She remembers her encounter with Max, and this time feels angry. Why could he just leave her alone? She sits up slowly, surprised to feel sore.
"Hey, hey, easy," Alex's soft voice comes, and Kara gives a small smile. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," when Alex comes in front of Kara she frowns. There was a faint bruise on Kara's face, near her eye.
"Maybe you should stay on the sun bed for longer."
Kara would have agreed if she hadn't suddenly remembered her job. Cat. THE EDITS! Kara suddenly sprang up from the bed, already unhooking herself from whatever wires and machines Alex had her own.
"See that's the opposite of taking it easy," Alex let her irritation show.
"I have to get to work, Miss Grant is going to kill me, I missed a deadline."
"I don't care, you were seriously hurt Kara, we don't know if that gas is still affecting you, you obviously haven't completely healed for some reason," Alex tried to reason with her sister, it had become more difficult recently. Since Myriad.
Lucy chose this moment to walk in and quickly caught on what was probably happening, "Supergirl, glad to see you awake," Lucy paused as she noticed the bruise on the girl's face, she turned to Alex who just shrugged, "We need to debrief about the situation."
"Not now Lucy, I need to get to work," Kara answered distracted as she checked her phone and found a few missed calls from Winn and James, and one from Cat. This was bad.
"Oh I'm sorry, is the DEO trying to protect their most important asset, and National City's hero, getting in the way of your job as an assistant?" Lucy let the sarcasm drip in her voice. Everyone was worried, why wasn't Kara?
"Junior Editor," Kara mumbled. Lucy had her don't-mess-with-me face, and Alex was not even going to have her back on this, "Lucy, I promise I'll be back right after I'm done with work, I've missed half the day already, and you know how much my job means to me."
Lucy's face softened, it was hard not to when it came to Kara.
Kara took it as a sign of approval, and moved to exit the room.
"Kara, please," Alex pleaded after her.
"Alex, I promise I will be back in a few hours. I feel fine now, and will call you if anything changes. I can take care of myself."
"Clearly not if you're going to Max Lord by your own choice," Alex replied. It took some digging but they managed to get the surveillance footage from Max's facility.
Kara glared angrily at Alex, and leaves.
"What has gotten into her?" Lucy asked confused, as she moves closer to Alex, who seemed a bit shaken up by her sister's response. She settles her hand on her arm in attempt to comfort her.
Alex ever so slightly leans into the touch, "No idea."
"Hey Kara," the barista at Noona's greeted her, then frowned. That seems to be the agreed upon reaction to seeing her today.
"Hi Jill, can I please get Miss Grant's latte? Extra hot,"
"Sure thing," a couple of people ahead of Kara in the line groaned, Kara looked down guiltily. Jill started at Noona's a couple of weeks ago, after Myriad, and was really nice. After hearing some of the stories from the other barista's about Cat, when Kara was rushing in one day, completely frazzled at being late, Jill made sure to always get Kara's order first; that saved Kara—and all of CatCo employees for that matter—from the wrath of a Cat Grant without her morning coffee, that early in the morning.
"Here you go, one devil's coffee," Jill joked as she handed Kara the large cup, Kara smirked, "and a pumpkin spiced latte with cinnamon on top, on the house," Kara's eyes widened in both surprise and happiness, but before she can reply, Jill added with a smile, "You're gonna need the coffee, love, you're late!"
Kara groaned at the reminder, "Thank you so much Jill, appreciate it." This was going to be a long day.
Cat was typing away at her computer when something made her look up. Kara was walking towards her office. It was a bit scary how much attuned to the girl she has become. Cat looked back down right away, to feign disinterest in Kara showing up finally, but she breathed in relief. Kara is okay.
"Miss Grant," Kara starts nervously from her position near the door. Cat refusing to look at her was causing knots in her stomach.
"I don't recall flexible hours in your new job description, or missing deadlines," Cat spat, still looking at her laptop. If this was anyone else, anyone else in the world, they would have been fired before even coming to the office. Hell, they would've been fired a long time ago. But this was Kara. Sunny Danvers who made her heart flutter every time she smiled. This was Kara, who was also Supergirl, who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Quite literally during Myriad.
"I'm so so sorry Miss Grant," Kara was already stumbling on her words, "I was going to work on it after pat—after coming home, but then I pass—I got really sick, and my sister took me to—to the doctor's," Kara grimaced at her own words. Maybe Alex was right, she is a terrible liar. She places the latte in her hand on Cat's desk.
Cat quirks an eyebrow at both the girl's admission that she was sick, and getting her a latte. One look at Kara, and Cat took back her earlier thoughts that the girl was fine. Forgetting her fear of germs, or her fake anger towards Kara, Cat immediately stood up, walked around her desk to reach the girl. Her hand, almost out of her control, went up to the girl's face, where there was clearly a bruise.
"Kara…" At Kara's widened eyes, Cat remembers herself and pulls back her hand as if being scorched. She stalked towards the balcony, an unspoken sign for Kara to follow.
Kara nervously followed. She had seen the fainting bruise when she was changing into her work outfit, and realized why Alex and Lucy were still concerned. As soon as she was in the balcony, Cat rounded on her.
"Kara," This was bad, she was calling her by her actual name, twice in a row now, "What happened?" Cat's hand again found its way to Kara's face, pushing some stray hairs back, and stroking the area around the bruise lightly.
Heart thumbing in her chest, Kara leaned into Cat's touch, then straightened herself right away when she heard Cat's heart rate speed up. Cat dropped her hand from Kara's face. Realizing that she had just crossed a line, a professional line that she had worked hard on drawing between her and Kara.
"Oh it's nothing, I just uhmm ran into a pole," Cat would have laughed at Kara's pathetic attempts at lying, if she wasn't really worried.
"Do you wanna try that again?" Cat replied irritated.
"Miss Grant, I-" Kara started fumbling with her hands.
"Okay," Cat decided to the give the girl a way out, "Just… Are you alright?" Kara was nervous, Cat recognized and decided not to push the girl who was insisting on keeping her alter-ego a secret.
"Yes! Yes, this is nothing pshhhh," Kara laughed nervously.
Cat took a few steps away from the girl, her lies putting distance between them again. Kara noted that Cat almost looked disappointed. Then of course, Cat put her professional mask back on, and walked back into her office.
"I expect those edits on my desk by the end of the day, Kiera. You're lucky I insist on setting deadlines a few days in advance. Don't let it happen again," Cat let the threat hang between them, even though she really didn't mean it. She wouldn't fire Kara because of missing a deadline because she had to deal with a crisis as Supergirl, but that didn't mean the girl couldn't do her job, that she very much insists on needing. They'll just have to work out better arrangements.
"Yes, Miss Grant," Kara let her head hang, "hmmm… Thank you Miss Grant."
Cat waved her off as she sat down at her desk, as if Kara isn't worth more of her time. Cat internally cringed at the brief hurt she saw on Kara's face as she walked out. She was learning to bite back her sarcasm, tone down the instinctual need to lash out, around the girl. Kara deserved better. She was a great assistant. She was a great person, Cat corrected herself. If she ever wanted something more with the girl, she is going to have to do a lot better. Cat suddenly stopped that train of thoughts. When has she started thinking of Kara as more than just an assistant, more than just someone she's mentoring? This just wouldn't do.
Kara didn't know what to make of her encounter with Cat. Miss Grant… When did she start calling her Cat in her mind anyway? Cat went from total—well, total Cat Grant—to concerned then straight back to dismissive. Kara subconsciously touched the spot on her cheek that Cat had touched, as if her hand print was permanently engraved there. She was surprised to feel pain. Have I ever even bruised before?
And what was up with her, her heartbeat had went out of control at the touch. She's always had a crush on Cat Grant, how couldn't she? But Cat Grant was an expert at driving people away from her, treating them as if they're nothing. But how she felt about Cat these days… Stockholm Syndrom, Kara mused.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Winn entering her office, "Kar-aaa," his words halted at the sight of his friend. She shot him a look. Don't. But he couldn't curb his concern. "What happened?"
"Nothing I can't handle," Kara gritted feeling a dull ache starting behind her eyes. That made her eyes widen. Was she getting a headache?
"What? What's wrong?"
"hmmm nothing, I just have to go—take care of a thing—Supergirl thing," Winn nodded in understanding, assuming a crisis that required Kara's special kind of intervention.
Kara hastily sped towards the stairwell, not waiting for Winn to reply. She didn't stop till she reached the roof, the sun immediately making her feel calmer. Taking a deep breath, she found that her forming headache had disappeared, and so has the slight ache on her face. See, all she needed was a little sun, natural sun, she added the last part on account that Alex wanted her to stay on the sun bed for longer.
Back at Noona's, Jill stepped out back to answer a phone call, "Yes, she was late today, but I made sure she got her drink…. Oh just so you know, she had a bruise on her face… Yeah it seems like it…" Jill pulled out a small lead box from her pocket, she opened the box revealing little specks of green dust lining the box, where there was obviously more before, "I'll stop by for a refill, Mr. Lord. This batch is done."
