Kara slowly lowered them onto her balcony, gently setting Cat down next to the tall windows.
"I could get used to this," Cat breathed. "You flying me around. It certainly beats getting stuck in traffic."
Kara laughed nervously as she reached for the door handle, shaking it a bit.
"It sticks a little," she explained. "But...if I pull too hard...it breaks off."
"I'm more concerned that you leave it unlocked," Cat scowled. "Though I guess that does make sense. Can't have the neighbors seeing you like this, strolling through the lobby, cape and all."
"Exactly," Kara sighed, stepping aside to let Cat in. "After you."
Cat entered the apartment, taking in the spacious loft with her keen eye for detail, noting the mid-century modern chairs mixed with rustic, antique pieces, the turquoise refrigerator, the canning jar chandeliers. It was quaint, very kitsch, but also cozy.
"Wow. I'm not sure what surprises me more," she hummed, running her fingers across the oak kitchen table as she continued scanning the room. "That Supergirl doesn't live in a cave, or that I pay Kara enough to afford a place as nice as this."
Kara laughed again, blushing as she hurried to the kitchen counter, tossing some leftovers quickly into the trash beneath the sink, emptying a cereal bowl, throwing it inside the dishwasher.
"Um, thanks," she chuckled awkwardly. "But...why would I live in a cave? There's no Internet in caves."
Cat shook her head, smiling as it became more and more obvious that the two women she admired were the same person.
Crossing into the living room, she looked down at her bare feet against the cement floor. She had no shoes, no purse, nothing but the clothes on her back. She hadn't even begun running through the list of everything she'd lost or what sort of repairs might even be possible back at her penthouse. There'd be plenty of time to deal with insurance adjusters and contractors later.
"Can I get you anything?" Kara asked, feeling somewhat at a loss for how to do this. "Something to sleep in?"
Cat turned around to find the younger woman already changed into sweatpants and a gray, long-sleeved cotton shirt. She hadn't even noticed how quickly she'd flitted into the bedroom and back again.
"No," Cat shook her head, looking away quickly. "I've slept in my clothes plenty of times. Tomorrow I'll call Missy on the cell phone the DEO gave me, ask her to bring me a new one that clearly isn't bugged, be in touch with one of my personal shoppers to bring me a temporary wardrobe, toiletries, the works. For now...all I want is sleep."
She looked down at the soft, sage green sofa calling her name, though any surface would have sufficed at this point.
"You can take the bed," Kara insisted, grabbing an extra pillow and linens from a nearby storage closet. "I'm fine on the couch. I crash there most nights anyway."
"Thanks," Cat agreed, watching Kara tuck the fitted sheet into the couch, hair tied up in a ponytail. Her eyes settled on her neck, the way her soft, blonde wisps played against the freckle there. She'd noticed it many times, of course, finding it charming, wondering now if they were common for Kryptonians…
"Is there anything else I can get you?" Kara broke through her thoughts. "Water? Advil? I'm sure your head feels..."
"Just sleep," Cat breathed.
"Of course," Kara smiled sweetly, leading Cat into the bedroom, just past the sheer white curtain dividing the space. "Make yourself at home. Anything you need, just let me know."
Cat nodded slowly, suddenly feeling uneasy about letting Kara fetch things for her. She knew she'd need to get over it, but for now, her mind swirled with just how different everything felt, and at the same time, just the same as it had always been.
"I'll give you some space," Kara offered, looking back at her boss, who seemed so small sitting on her bed.
"Goodnight," Cat whispered.
Kara smiled again before pulling the curtain closed.
Kara could barely sleep that night. She stared up at the ceiling from the couch, holding the sheet over her chest, listening to the way her heart pounded, thankful Ms. Grant didn't have super hearing. Every half hour or so, she gave into temptation, allowing herself to listen past the curtain to the soft, oceanic rush of Cat's breath as she slept in the other room, in Kara's bed, where only a few nights before she had thought of her while...also not sleeping.
She tossed and turned until she finally passed out, only to be woken up at six a.m. by the sound of Cat giving Missy orders over the phone.
"Tell her to pull at least a week's worth of outfits from my usual list of designers, along with the full range of cosmetics I know she...I don't care what time the stores open, she will know how to reach them. My god, Missy, do you think they won't make considerations when they hear I'm spending thousands on a whole new wardrobe? Thank you. I expect it here before midday. No, that's for you to figure out…"
Kara sprang up from the couch, feet catching against the sheets as she struggled to break free, sprinting into the kitchen, flipping the switch on the coffee maker. She didn't have the super organic, antioxidant beans she knew Cat loved so much, but she figured crap coffee was better than no coffee.
Minutes later, Cat threw open the curtain, sauntering towards the kitchen, fingers pressed against her temples.
"Good morning," Kara smiled, handing her a mug.
"I wouldn't call it good just yet," Cat breathed. "What is this? Nevermind, don't tell me. Thank you."
She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of caffeine, hoping it would instantly cure the throbbing in her skull. Kara couldn't help but smirk as she watched Cat standing there in her kitchen, drinking coffee in her black pants and white button down shirt from the night before, hair tousled, mascara slightly smudged. Despite how dire the situation was, she was thankful for the opportunity to see her like this.
"You really don't need your glasses, do you?"
Kara jumped a little, realizing Cat had been watching her too.
"Oh, um," she swallowed, adjusting her specs. "No, not really."
"Then why do you wear them? Is that the trick? The thing that throws people off from recognizing you as...you?"
"Sort of," Kara breathed. "But it's more for protection. My dad... Earth dad...made them for me so I'd remember not to use my powers in public, before he…"
She remembered the story she usually told about him dying wasn't exactly true anymore. Alex continued trying to find out more about Project Cadmus, but with no luck.
"Sorry," Cat apologized. "I realize it's too early for so many questions."
"It's fine," Kara shook her head, eager to change the subject. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Fine," Cat nodded back, tapping her foot against the floor as she held her mug with both hands, trying to act casual.
"Can I make you breakfast?" Kara asked, going to her cabinets, realizing the options were limited. "I have...toast? Cereal?"
"You don't have to wait on me, Kara," Cat insisted. "We're not at work, and you're not my assistant."
"I know, but...you're in my house," Kara noted, as if Cat needed a reminder. "I want to make you feel as normal as possible."
"'Normal' is not being forced to stay under lock and key while National City's superhero is tasked with babysitting me," she sighed. "I'm afraid 'normal' is history."
"Well...we can try to make the best of things," Kara tried. "Why don't I order us something from Noonan's? I can pull up their menu on…"
"Stop," Cat clenched her jaw, setting her mug down on the counter. "I know you're trying to help, but I just...need to figure out how to feel about...all of this. How not to feel...all of this. I'm not used to being in such close quarters for an extended period of time with another person who's not my son, and even then it can be...difficult, at times."
Kara's brow furrowed with concern. She didn't know much about being an empath other than what Hank told them, but she could only imagine how overwhelming it must be.
"I understand," she whispered. "I mean...I don't, fully...I can't, because I'm not you, but...I'll try."
"Thank you," Cat breathed, looking up at the young blonde, trying to stay sympathetic to how she must also be feeling without seeking her own confirmation. "I just need a little time. I know that's difficult, given our circumstances."
"Of course," Kara nodded. "Listen, I'll be over here, just...doing my thing, and you can be wherever is comfortable for you. There's a desk there, by the window. It's small, but it should work."
Cat eyed the tiny white table and metal chairs behind the sofa. It wasn't her set up at CatCo, but it would have to do.
"I'll manage," she sighed, taking her coffee and bringing it to her new office.
By noon, Missy had arrived with an arm full of garment bags from Barneys. Kara helped clear some space on the clothing rack in her room before letting Cat hang her items, the bulk of which cost more than all of Kara's belongings combined. She pulled an extra table into the already tiny bathroom to expand their counter space, enough for Cat to lay out all the moisturizers, night creams, and other products she used to compose herself on a daily basis.
After Missy was dismissed, Cat went back to work on the new laptop she'd brought her, while Kara sat on a stool in the kitchen, answering a few frantic texts from Winn, letting him know she was fine and to not come check up on her, while she tried to occupy herself with anything but staring across the room at Ms. Grant as she busily typed away at her keyboard.
"I need to shower," Cat finally spoke after hours of silence, taking off her glasses and shutting her laptop emphatically. "May I…"
"Yes! Of course," Kara jumped up, ready to be of use to someone, given the radio silence from the police blotter and the fact that she couldn't respond to anything right now even if she wanted to. She turned it off and unplugged her headphones.
"Here's this," she said, handing Cat a towel before showing her into the tiny bathroom behind the kitchen, next to the washer and dryer. "And the shower…"
"I can figure it out from here," Cat informed her, reaching for the faucet and turning it on. "I did have an apartment in this part of town once. I get how the plumbing works."
"Great," Kara smiled, grinning a little too widely as she backed up into the doorway. "I'll just...leave you then."
She closed the door behind her, leaning back against it as she closed her eyes.
I'll just leave you then she silently mocked herself, taking her place back at the counter, trying to think of anything other than the fact that Cat was naked a mere few feet away.
She didn't have to use her powers to hear the sound of the shower curtain sliding back, the streaming water intermittently splashing as it hit skin. She thought about her boss dipping her head back, letting herself be immersed, renewed, hair slicked as rivers of warm water poured over her petite, muscular frame, older than hers, but no less in shape or capable of...so many things.
She bit her lip, standing abruptly, pacing back and forth, unsure where she should plant herself, not wanting to be in the way, but also not wanting to appear more uncomfortable than she was. They'd known each other for quite a while. Sure, this was...different...way different...than their previous interactions, but they weren't just boss and employee. They were friends. And they were forced to share this space for a yet to be determined amount of time. There was so much to discuss, to process, to try to figure out, together. But that would come later. Soon, Kara reminded herself. After Ms. Grant gets out of the shower. After she dries off and gets dressed and…
Before she knew it, she heard the faucet stop. Panicking, she hopped back onto the stool, grabbing her phone, opening up her calendar, her GPS, fumbling through apps like she had a purpose, while she tried to ignore the sound of hair being rung out, water splashing against the drain, the curtain sliding back.
She continued looking down at her phone as the door opened. Steam poured out from the tiny room, floating across the kitchen floor like ghostly clouds, fogging up her glasses. She kept her eyes glued to the floor as she heard footsteps circling behind her, until she could see two perfectly pedicured feet, toenails painted bright red, standing next to her. They paused there, refusing to move, a few cool drops of water hitting the cement.
"Kara," the voice attached to the feet sang, in the same needy, melodic tone that used to call 'Kiera' from her office, only much, much softer, impossibly softer, and only inches away.
Kara slowly raised her head and turned to face Cat, eyes trailing up strong, skinny legs, the white towel tightly wrapped around hips that curved perfectly, pleasantly, tucked beneath arms still damp, more curves quickly scanned over, beneath chest and neck, and finally, that wicked, knowing smirk.
Cat looked at her, eyes greener than she'd ever seen them. She stood there calmly, confidently, without makeup, waiting for a response, hair wet and wild as it began to dry.
"Yes?" Kara managed not to squeak.
"Can I use your blow dryer? I'd prefer not to look like a poor man's poodle, even if we are staying in...indefinitely," she breathed.
"Oh...yes! Of course," she popped back into the bathroom, retrieving the appliance from beneath the sink, handing it to Cat. "Here."
"Thank you," Cat smirked, playing with the ends of her short, blonde locks as she eyed Kara curiously. "You can go back to pretending to play with your apps now."
Kara's mouth fell open a bit as she watched Ms. Grant make her way back to the bedroom, hips swaying beneath ivory, pulling the curtain behind her. She swallowed, cursing herself for forgetting Cat was an empath. She could probably sense just how restless she was, how she was trying so hard to ignore the feelings creeping in every time Cat moved or smiled or spoke to her in that tone she seemed to reserve just for her.
Shit, Kara sighed.
It was dark now. Kara continued watch as Cat turned on the lamp in the bedroom, shadows cast across the curtain without making it translucent. Cat stretched behind it, arms reaching up as she let out a soft sigh, before dropping the towel to the floor.
Shit, shit, shit, Kara quickly turned away, clearing her throat as she hopped off the stool, seizing the opportunity to take her own very long, very cold shower.
Hours passed again. After a while, Cat opened the curtains, giving Kara the opportunity to quickly flit into her bedroom to get a change of clothes, before hopping back to the bathroom to change, Cat looking up from time to time even as she threw herself into work.
Kara spent the hours watching cute animal videos on her phone, taking moronic quizzes, anything to pass the time and the incredible, almost deafening silence. Her headphones were in so as not to disturb Ms. Grant and to ease the temptation to listen to everything she did, afraid Cat would sense it and start teasing her again.
Just as it was starting to work, she heard Cat talking to someone in the other room.
"I know you're scared, sweet pea," Cat spoke softly, lying on the bed with her laptop. "I wish I could give you a hug and tell you everything's going to be okay, but it's safer for you to stay with your father for now."
Kara took off the headphones and sat up so she could hear better.
"But you're with Supergirl, right?" Carter asked insistently. "She'll protect you from whatever this is. She'll figure out how to stop it."
Cat looked up suddenly, eyes meeting Kara's across the room.
Kara's breath caught. She nodded.
"Yes, I'm with Supergirl," Cat sighed.
"Can I see her?" Carter continued excitedly.
"I don't think that's…"
Before she knew it, Kara had spun behind the curtain, changing into her uniform. Cat eyed her, thankfully, as she came into the room and stood next to the bed, leaning down to join her on screen.
"Hi Carter," she waved. "Don't worry, your mom's safe with me."
"Thanks, Supergirl," he smiled widely. "Can I come see you, once this...whatever...is over?"
"Sure," she agreed. "But until then, I need you to be strong, okay?"
The young boy nodded, taking a deep breath, puffing out his chest a little, trying to look brave.
"I will," he promised.
"I love you, honey," Cat told him, putting a hand up to her mouth and the other on the screen.
"Mom!" Carter, blushed, rolling his eyes, embarrassed in front of his idol. "Love you too."
He quickly ended the call.
Cat held the lap top open for another minute, staring at the screen as she gathered herself, before closing and putting it aside.
Kara hesitantly sat on the bed facing her, hip just barely touching Cat's thigh, looking up at her boss as she kept her eyes shut, breathing deeply, rhythmically, doing everything she could to stay in control.
"He's scared," she whispered. "Less, now, thanks to you...but...I can still feel him hurting."
Kara reached out, taking Cat's hand, careful not to squeeze too tightly, unsure whether the extra touch would help or be too much given everything she was already feeling.
She watched Cat swallow, freezing at first, before softening a bit, gently squeezing her hand back. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
She looked up at Supergirl, her face full of so much compassion and concern it nearly broke her wide open. Kara had always shown her this, doing all she could to make her comfortable, make her smile, make her feel like she deserved to be happy, even when she treated her so harshly. But now, knowing those emotions came not just from Kara, but from Supergirl, backed by the intense desire to protect her and help her protect herself, it made Cat dizzy. Her skin tingled, tiny waves of electricity flowing up her arm from where they touched. She kept her eyes locked on Kara's, swimming in blue, taking in her strong, smooth cheekbones, the way her eyes smiled even when her mouth was still.
"How…" she swallowed, clearing her throat. "How did you get that scar...the one on your forehead? I've always meant to ask."
"This," Kara reached up and touched the small mark between her eyebrows. "Chicken pox. Turns out Kryptonians aren't completely impervious to all human diseases. I didn't get sick, actually, just...speckled. Other than that, I'm pretty much immune to everything. I could have healed the scar if I really wanted to, but...part of me wanted to keep it there so the other kids would think I was less weird, a little more like them."
"I see," Cat breathed, aware that their hands were still clasped, pretending not to notice. "The other children were mean to you?"
"Sometimes," Kara smiled sadly. "When I first got here, I wasn't as good at hiding. Everything was so new, I sort of stuck out because I was so excited by it all, the sounds, the smells, everything. It was a lot to take in."
"I can relate...sort of," Cat spoke. "When I was in school, I could feel every single thing my classmates were feeling. Jenny Ludman's crush on Tommy Marino, Amy Boulder's phobia of snakes, Jeremy Rosenthal's inability to sit still. I came home crying just about every day, and my mother...she told me that successful people knew how to keep their emotions in check. She said I was overly sensitive, that I would never amount to anything if I didn't learn how to play the game. I wanted to help others overcome their fears, ease their pain as much as I could, but instead I learned to compete, tear down anyone in my way as I rose to the top. By high school, I didn't have many friends left."
"Wow," Kara sighed. "That's...that makes sense, knowing your mother, but...I had no idea how hard it was for you."
"I never told her just how deeply I could feel things, but I think she knew," Cat nodded. "She didn't want me to be special, not in that way, didn't want me overshadowing her own work, and at the same time, she pushed so hard for me to make something of myself, so long as it didn't interfere with her own goals. I went into journalism thinking she'd at least take me seriously as a writer, but when I got into gossip, celebrity news, she turned up her nose. Little did she realize that was the only type of media I could handle back then. I couldn't have dealt with the agony of being a war correspondent or humanitarian relief reporter. That kind of thing was too difficult when I first started. It took years to hone the skill I have now of tuning everything out so I can do my job, deal with the nitty gritty details of real news without letting it infiltrate my senses and render me useless."
Kara slowly ran her thumb over Cat's pulse, keeping hold of her hand, gently tracing her wrist. Cat's eyelids fluttered, cheeks turning pink as she looked away.
"But you did it," Kara assured. "You made a career out of keeping people informed, educating them about so many important things. Maybe now there's a way for you to be less...hard on yourself."
"I don't think I'm hard on myself," Cat shook her head. "I just don't allow myself to feel as deeply as I could."
"Is that why you don't like hospitals?" Kara asked. "I remember, with Livewire...Leslie...in the hospital, you said you were a germaphobe, but you seemed really affected."
"Yes," Cat sighed. "Hospitals are like a radio turned up with all the stations coming in at once. I can feel all the pain, all the suffering, the grief. Even when my father died, I could only stay with him for a few minutes. I had to take a month's vacation to recover."
"Were you close with him?"
"Not really," Cat breathed. "He and mother were always traveling. He was barely around, and when he was, he always had some mistress or another on his arm."
"I'm sorry," Kara shook her head. "You deserved patience, to be told your abilities weren't something to hide or be ashamed of."
"What good is it to be an emotional basketcase?" Cat huffed. "I know there are times when emotions are necessary...clearly I'm not an automaton, I haven't killed off all those parts of myself...but if I don't hold back it's impossible to do what I do."
"I'm not saying you need to change everything," Kara clarified. "But...maybe you're missing out on something amazing, something no one else on this planet can do or feel. The truth is, you are special. It took me years to realize I didn't have to be afraid of what made me unique, that in fact, the world needed me to be all of myself."
"Yes, but you're Supergirl," Cat defended. "You're a hero. I'm just…"
"Also a hero," Kara whispered.
Cat couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling up, eyes sparkling. She looked down again at their hands together, the way Kara's knees were bent over the side of the bed, the ruffle of her red skirt.
Kara continued to brush her fingers against Cat's hand, their eyes drawn together, like magnets. All Cat wanted was to look away, to continue hiding, but it was nearly impossible when Kara looked at her this way, so beautiful and open and…
Her stomach growled loudly enough for anyone, super hearing or not, to notice.
Cat pulled her hand away, sitting up a little straighter.
"Well...that's not at all embarrassing," she groaned.
"I'm starving too," Kara laughed. "Can I order us something from Noonan's now? That cobb salad you like?"
"I suppose," Cat breathed. "Really, Kara, you don't have to take care of me like…"
"I want to," Kara said firmly, voice deeper, more sure of herself than before.
Cat ran her tongue across her teeth in her mouth, pursing her lips together and she exhaled through her nose.
"Alright," she sighed. "Thank you."
Kara got up off the bed, quickly changing back into sweats and a tee shirt, leaving her hair down, before ordering dinner.