Cat stumbled through the door to her palatial apartment, not drunk exactly, but always a bit unsteady on her feet after finishing a bottle by herself. Her head pounded, less from the wine and more from a long day of dealing with people whose vision was so much smaller than hers.
She kicked off her heels, leaving them along with her Birkin bag and custom-tailored Calvin Klein jacket in a trail across the floor as she made her way into the kitchen. She poured herself a bourbon with two ice cubes, standing barefoot against the cold marble as she downed half of it, licking the rim to keep the brown liquid from spilling over. With Carter gone, her place was completely silent, too silent, forcing her to deal with herself more than she cared to.
What's happening to me? she shook her head, thinking about the inappropriate things she'd said to Kara, especially bringing up Adam.
Truth be told, it did bother her, greatly, and not for the reasons it should.
She knew things hadn't gone far with them because every date they'd had was cut short by some catastrophe, and she was glad for that. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was. She also knew Kara was bound to end up with someone sooner or later. She was beautiful, smart, incredibly caring. Anyone but Adam is a better choice, she thought.
But now, thankfully, she could put that to rest, satisfied that there was nothing left to worry about. Adam had only called her once since he'd left town. She had a feeling they would see little of each other going forward. He didn't really need her. They'd made peace, but that was about all she could hope for, and it bothered her less and less.
Why? she asked herself, daring the question once more. She'd asked it a hundred times. You want her to be happy. But she doesn't want Adam, doesn't want James, doesn't appear to want anyone. And she's your employee. It's incredibly out of line to even be thinking about this, let alone bring it up to her, so why?
She thought about the ride home from the funeral, the way Kara tried to comfort her by saying anyone would be lucky to have her.
But she, like Kara, didn't want just anyone.
She pulled a container of leftover pasta from the refrigerator and began to pick at it, twirling it with her fork, forcing herself to eat, knowing if she didn't she'd only feel worse in the morning. She put it away after a few bites and went to the couch, picking up a blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders, remembering the way she felt with Supergirl's cape draped around her earlier that week.
Since that night, she hadn't been able to fully get that feeling out of her bones, shuddering whenever she thought about the way the Girl of Steel rubbed her arms and used her breath to keep her from freezing, thankful she trusted her enough, cared about her enough, to bring her to The Fortress without worrying about the repercussions. She hadn't even considered writing anything about it, even as other reporters hounded her for more details about that night, and that bothered her. She was one of the most notorious and respected journalists in the business. Anyone else would have killed for that kind of inside scoop and not thought twice about using it for their own advantage. But her loyalty to Supergirl, keeping her secret safe, was more important, and that made her feel both ecstatic and ashamed.
Just as she was about to head for bed, her eyes trailed up to the floor-to-ceiling windows across the room. Her heart stopped.
Slowly, silently, an enormous, swirling, black cloud pummeled toward her, ripping through the high rises in its path, felling one building, then another.
The walls began to shake. She stepped backwards, eyes fixed on the looming cyclone, trying to remain hopeful as her fingers shook, slowly reaching up to her ear, where she pressed the button.
"Supergirl," she breathed, terror filling her voice as the twister made contact with the windows, sending glass like sleet into the air, wind howling like a train smashing through her living room. She ran down the hall towards the bathroom, giving into what little knowledge she had about how to survive a tornado, knowing none of that really mattered since this one was bent on killing her.
Just as she reached the bathroom door, she turned around to see the funnel making its way down the hall, slowly now, as if it wanted to savor her fear, draw out the inevitable. Cat braced against the door frame with both arms, ready to let it take her, eyes brimming over with tears as she thought about all the things she'd never get the chance to say or do before leaving this life behind.
It was inches, seconds from all being over. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, only to feel herself swept away in the nick of time by strong arms tightly clutching her. She felt herself being flown faster than she'd ever flown, eyes still closed, blocking out whatever destruction lay in their wake.
They touched ground after what seemed like an eternity. She felt herself being lowered into sand, the cuts on her skin from broken glass stinging like salt on a wound. Her entire body was heavy and numb and raw all at once. She kept her eyes squeezed shut until she felt a warm hand checking her pulse, cupping her cheek.
She looked up to see Supergirl kneeling next to her, hovering above, shaking, looking equally terrified and yet fully in command.
"Cat, can you hear me?"
The sound was muffled. The deafening howl of the twister had taken a toll on her eardrums, but she held onto the voice trying to pull her back to present as firmly as she could.
"Cat...please," she repeated "Can you breathe? Are you…"
Kara leaned in closer, putting her hands on Cat's face, gripping her cheekbones, looking deep into her eyes, searching.
Cat coughed, sending a small cloud of dust into the air, sucking in the fresh, desert climate, replacing the decay that had crept into her lungs. Kara continued to hold her, wiping away the tears that streamed down her cheeks, even as Cat's face remained stunned.
Finally able to move, Cat reached up and touched Kara's shoulder. She continued to suck in air, breathing heavily as she anchored herself to the woman above, whose eyes sparkled even in a moment like this, full of terror, and still hope, pink lips wavering as she waited for her to respond.
Cat wrapped her arms behind her neck, pulling her closer, hugging her tightly, afraid to let go.
"I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner," Kara whispered, feeling the smaller woman tremble in her arms as she tried to sit her up.
"Stop…apologizing," she wheezed. "You saved me...again."
Kara cradled her against her chest as she continued to recover, pushing her short blonde hair back behind her ear, noting the wounds to her face and neck.
"We need to get you inside," Kara told her.
"Inside…" Cat breathed, finally looking around, trying to make out anything in the dark. "Where?"
Kara lifted her up, holding her across her body as Cat draped her arms around her neck again. She was so comfortable like this, like they'd been made to fit that way.
"The DEO," Kara swallowed, knowing she was about to take a big risk, the biggest yet perhaps, but also knowing she couldn't, wouldn't have it any other way.