Kara yawned, stretching her arms out across the pillows, scraping the headboard, feeling perfectly cocooned by her sheets and pleasantly sore, like she'd just finished sparring. She smiled as she thought about all the ways she'd earned that soreness. Kryptonians were known for their ability to go all night with very little recovery time, and now she knew Cat Grant was too.
She turned over, opening her eyes slowly. The bed was empty.
"Damnit," she sighed, rolling her eyes as she stretched again, hoping Cat had at least put the coffee on this time.
She listened in the stillness for a few moments, enjoying the warm comforter against her naked skin, until she realized just how quiet it was. Too quiet.
She shot up, peering out into the living room, the kitchen. Nothing.
Her heart sped up as she threw off the covers, forgetting clothes as she crept through the apartment, checking the bathroom, hoping she would find Cat there. She didn't.
Her stomach began to cramp as she spun around, walking through the kitchen, looking for something, anything, that would settle her fears and prevent her from panicking, but there was no note, no sign of intrusion or struggle. Cat's clothes were still on the rack. Her laptop sat open on the desk.
Kara went to it, hating to spy, trusting Cat completely, but wanting to see if she could figure anything out before jumping to the worst conclusions.
Several browser windows were open, but the first, the top one, told her all she needed to know.
She stopped breathing for a second, heart clenched, eyes pained.
The Daily Planet gossip page, the very one Cat had helped start, ran an article titled "Where is Cat Grant?" accompanied by three photos. The first showed them getting out of her Maserati back at Cat's garage, the day they'd gone to the lake together. The second and the largest of the three, though blurry and from a distance, showed them eating lunch with Carter, smiling, laughing. The third, a close up, was of she and Cat waiting on the curb for their car after lunch, eyes turned towards each other, telling a story, giving people plenty to read into, and they wouldn't have been wrong.
Kara's heart began pumping faster as she read the captions. "Still recovering from an attack or taking an extended vacation?" "Playing hooky with her son?" "Loyal flunky or love interest?" Kara was hit by a wave of nausea, something she'd only felt once, maybe twice, in her life. She fell into the chair, quickly clicking over to Cat's email. The first one open was from the board, asking if she could come in for another emergency meeting, if she "didn't already have lunch plans."
She sprung up out of the chair angrily, knocking it to the floor. There were so many parts of this to be upset about. The betrayal of privacy. The word "flunky." The fact that she hadn't seen the paparazzi or thought about being more careful. But the most pressing, the most terrifying, was that Cat had fled.
Kara cursed herself, hating how her super hearing failed her when she was unconscious, wishing she wasn't such a deep sleeper. But she'd let her guard down, and now, Cat was alone, out on the streets of National City somewhere, nothing to protect her other than her own ferocity in the face of being ridiculed.
Kara stumbled over to her phone, quickly dialing Cat's number, having memorized it long ago. It rang several times, then went to voicemail.
"Fuck!" she yelled, dialing again, heart threatening to detonate. Finally, she heard the wind pick up as Cat answered.
"Kara…"
"Where are you?" Kara shook, speaking between her teeth, more afraid than livid.
"I have to meet with the board," Cat sounded small on the other end. "There were...photos…"
"I saw. Are you in the car?" Kara asked, closing her eyes, as if she'd be able to picture exactly where she was and zoom straight to her before she could finish her next sentence.
"I took a cab," Cat reported. "Which, god knows, was a terrible idea. I haven't done this since…"
"What are you doing?!" Kara interrupted, getting a little more heated.
"I have to fix this," she swallowed. "The situation was fragile enough, and now…"
"So you just left?" Kara shook her head. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? How dangerous it is for you to be out there by yourself right now? How could you…"
"Look," Cat spat a little more seriously, then took a deep breath. Kara's eyes began to water. "You...care about me...because of everything that I am. Is that right?"
"Yes," Kara breathed, nostrils flaring, trying to maintain her calm, but failing.
"Well," Cat swallowed again. "CatCo is part of that. A major part. If I don't do something, set the record straight, I could lose…"
"You could die!" Kara choked. "And then, nothing else would matter."
"Kara," Cat breathed. "You have to trust me. I left because I knew you wouldn't want me to go, not without you, and that's not possible right now."
"You should have given me a chance," Kara defended. "At least tried talking before just...disappearing. After all we…"
"I'm not running," Cat spoke softly. "I just...need to figure this out."
"Cat…" Kara bit her lip, holding back tears. "I know this is hard. All of this, is so much harder than it should be. But...I…"
"They photographed my son," Cat clipped. "They've tried going after me, but never Carter, and now they have. And I won't stand for it."
"So…" Kara leaned against the counter, feeling dizzy. "Are you saying….what? This is...over?"
"No," Cat said firmly, shaking her head. "Of course it's not. I'm not saying that. But I don't know...how to do this...without something else falling apart."
Kara's fingers dug into the wood, creating deep grooves she knew would be permanent, but didn't care.
"I trust you," Kara breathed heavily, trying to sound strong. "Talk to the board. Get them to understand...it's your company. It's not like it's completely unheard of for two people who work together to fall…"
"I'm pulling up to the building," Cat told her.
"Okay," Kara swallowed. "Cat...whatever happens, whatever you need to do...I will work with you, like we always have. I will help make this right, help protect Carter, whatever it takes. Please. I...I love you...so…"
"I love you too," Cat spoke quickly before hanging up.
Kara stared at the phone. She clutched it in her hand, resisting the impulse to crush it. She felt her anger boiling, burning to the surface, until she couldn't contain it, opening her mouth, screaming as her eyes sent fire into the vase on the table, smashing it into oblivion, sending glass and flowers and water all over the room.
She closed her eyes, fighting back a sob, before turning back to the bedroom, pulling on her pajama pants and a cotton shirt. She didn't know what to do with herself. She knew Cat loved her. She didn't really believe she would walk away after everything they'd shared, after all they'd gone through to be together, and with everything that was at stake. But she also knew Cat had prioritized work, the company, over family before, over love. She'd regretted it, in part, but not completely. It was who she was, and it wasn't entirely selfish. CatCo was the tool through which she knew she could make a difference. Beyond her ego, beyond the desire to make something of herself and maintain her status quo was knowing that anyone else in her position wouldn't have the same heart, the same conscience, the same ethic about what to run and what not to run, like the Daily Planet, like so many other media outlets that just went for the biggest bang, the most horrifying angle, the shock and awe that made people more afraid than they needed to be and rarely informed more than titillated. CatCo was better than that, and it was because Cat Grant, with all of who she was, sat at the helm.
Kara paced into the living room, sinking into the couch, trying to convince herself that everything would be okay. She remembered Cat telling her that it was possible to have everything, just not all at once. She hoped that meant some way, somehow, she'd find a way to make the board see things for what they were, that she could run the company from anywhere until things were better, that she and Kara's relationship wasn't another crisis to be solved, but part of the solution, without giving away any of the details or revealing who she was.
As the minutes passed, she began to relax her muscles, to let go of the fear that any second, Cat would call her through the earpiece, the monster returning, seizing the opportunity to take her out before Kara could make it there in time.
She thought about all the love and good they'd sent into the world last night, all night, convincing herself that it should hold them over for at least the few hours they were apart. But what then? How long would they be able to be separated before the world began to retract and die and need them to replenish what had been lost? There would be times they'd have to be away from each other, when Cat was working, when Kara was fighting. She remembered everything was fine when she went to put out the fire and fight the twin giants, that they'd trusted Cat would be safe in the haven of her home, and she was. But that had only been an hour, tops. Who knew how long this would take. Maybe, Kara thought, it would get easier, take less time and sex and energy to keep the creature at bay and the world from falling off track again. She could only trust. Only hope.
She picked up her phone again and dialed another number.
"Hey," Winn answered after a few rings. "I just saw Ms. Grant pop out of the elevator and hightail it to the board room. Does that mean everything…"
"It's not okay," Kara shook her head, sniffing. "Go...The Daily Planet…"
She heard Winn typing in the background, keys pattering away, then silence as he read.
"Whoa," he finally gasped. "Oh...oh no. Oh...wait...huh?"
"Winn, I need you to watch out for her," Kara asked. "Please. She has the earpiece, but just...I'd feel better knowing you're on the lookout too, for anything out of the ordinary. Let me know. Okay?"
"Sure," he agreed, whispering into the phone as he held it in the crook of his neck, looking around at who else may be listening. "But...uh...Kara, is any of this...true? No, it's not. What am I saying? It can't...you...you wouldn't...right?"
Kara sighed deeply into the phone, refusing to answer, holding on to her promise to Cat, even if the whole world already knew by now.
"Oh..." Winn gulped again, taking some confirmation from her silence. "That's...wow."
"Winn, please," she breathed.
"You…" he swallowed. "I guess...I really didn't see it. I mean, really...but...hey, it makes sense. She is very...and you...you guys...ladies...women...you were really good at Taboo the other night."
"Winn!" she scolded softly. "I can't talk about this right now. Please, just call me if I need to be there."
"Got it," he nodded. "Will do."
"Thank you," she sighed. "I owe you so many potstickers when this is over."
"Just...be careful, Kara," he spoke, a little sadly. "I hope this doesn't mean you...you'll still work here. Right?"
"I hope so," she swallowed, wiping away a tear. Her phone buzzed. "I have to go. Alex is calling."
"Okay," he said.
She took another deep breath, bracing herself, as she clicked over to the other line.
"Alex..."
"Ozone depletion is up to sixty percent," Alex reported. "After dropping to an all time low of ten percent last night. You wanna tell me why?"
"Alex," Kara began slowly. "Just...stay calm…"
"Don't tell me to stay calm," she seethed. "Just get here. Now. Both of you."
"I…" Kara began to tell her Cat had broken quarantine, but figured she'd have plenty of time to do it when she arrived alone at the DEO.
"She what?" Hank boomed as Kara told them what happened.
"Look," Lucy showed him the iPad, screen displaying the Daily Planet article. He glanced over it, shaking his head before passing it off to Alex, who stared at it a bit longer.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" she shook her head, tossing it onto the center console.
"Of course I do," Kara breathed. "But if we don't figure out how to live our lives, what's the point? Are we just supposed to stay locked up in my apartment forever? The entity hasn't shown itself in days. Things are improving. You said yourself…"
"Kara," Alex looked at her sharply before she whispered. "You need to tell them."
"Alex," she seized up, shoulders stiffening, face turning red.
"Tell us what?" Lucy crossed her arms, staring at Kara.
Kara scoffed, turning around, pacing. "Can't we just…"
"We can go to a private room and talk," Alex repeated. "But you have to tell them.
Kara swallowed hard, closing her eyes, looking up at Hank, then at Lucy, then quickly away.
"No," Hank shook his head. "She doesn't."
"What?" Alex and Lucy both spoke, heads jerking towards him.
"I already know," he breathed, looking away from Kara, blushing a little as he tried to maintain his stoicism.
"You do?" Kara shook her head. "How…oh. You...you read Cat's mind. Didn't you?"
"Can someone please fill me in on what we are talking about?" Lucy insisted.
The four reconvened in an exam room, away from other eyes and ears, though Kara's embarrassment could have filled the entire bunker.
"What is going on? Lucy repeated.
Kara leaned against the table, hands braced over the cold metal, refusing to look up, shaking her head, unsure of where to start. She glanced up at Alex, cringing, pleading with her sister for help.
"Kara...has some powers...we weren't prepared for," Alex sighed. "And those powers...are connected to Cat...and to what's been going on with the planet."
"Excuse me?" Lucy's eyes went wide, turning to Alex and Hank. "And you two knew about this and didn't tell me? I am the assistant director here, not Alex! You two might have kept secrets in the past, but we're supposed to be a team now. How could you…"
"Because," Hank interrupted. "It's...sensitive. For Kara."
"She doesn't get to be 'sensitive,'" Lucy retorted, sounding like her father, hating herself for it, but pressing on. "What could possibly be so sensitive that she felt the need to..."
"Sex," Kara finally blurted. "Okay? When I have sex...it...has an effect on...everything."
Lucy stared at her a moment, jaw dropping, eyes darting as she tried to put the pieces together.
"Sex?" she shook her head. "How is that...wait...sex with...Cat?"
Kara crumpled over onto the table, crossing her arms beneath her head, burying her face in them as she kicked her red boots against the metal.
"Jesus," Lucy shook her head. "Okay. I get it. That is sensitive. And...strange."
"It's not something she needs to feel bad about," Hank demanded. "But we do need to figure out a way to talk about this that's not so…"
"Humiliating," Kara mumbled into her arms.
Alex put a hand on her back, thankful Kara didn't push her away.
"Their connection is what's defeating this presence," he confirmed. "And it's not just having an effect on the environment. Feuding tribes have begun to discard their weapons. North Korea just gave permission yesterday for the U.S. to inspect their missile silos. It's having an impact on society as well."
"How?" Lucy asked. "How can...sex...between two women...have such a powerful…"
"It's not just sex," Kara whispered, slowly lifting herself up from the table, still looking down.
Alex sighed. She continued rubbing her back as she began to accept the fact that her sister had fallen, deeper than she'd ever seen, more fully and completely than she'd ever expected. Lucy stepped a little closer too, eyeing her compassionately, looking up at Alex, then quickly back to Kara.
"You love her," Lucy sighed. "Does she…
"Yes," Kara sniffed, straightening out her shoulders, smoothing her cape. "But she's scared. We both are...for different reasons."
"I would be too if the survival of the planet was linked to the success of my relationships," Lucy shook her head. "I guess we all know how that would go."
Kara swallowed again, bringing her eyes to Lucy.
"I'm sorry," she breathed. "For all of this. I didn't mean for it to…"
"Don't apologize," Hank told her. "Love is the last reason anyone should ever apologize. You're two grown women. You have every right to love each other, regardless of what makes this situation unique. What we need to figure out is how to focus your power and Cat's empathic abilities, which I believe are what's amplifying your energy into the Earth. That's why the entity sees her as the target. Without her, your powers aren't strong enough to defeat it. It's really...quite remarkable."
"This is the longest we've been apart since the tornado," Kara swallowed. "It must be getting weaker. Cat just needs to get the board to understand why it's dangerous for her to be in the office until we find the right balance, and then…"
"But she's there now," Alex shook her head. "How does that help her case? And how do we know the entity won't attack while she's…"
"We don't," Kara shook her head. "But I have to trust her. I can't control her every move, and neither can you. She's powerful in her own right. We have to let her fix…"
The entire building shook. Glass shattered as beakers and test tubes fell, screens crashed, lights flickered. The four of them braced against the walls as the shaking continued.
"Earthquake," Hank shouted above the noise.
"Sir, Ma'ams," Agent Vasquez stumbled into the exam room. "There's a fault line opening up about a mile from here. It's spreading towards the city."
"Oh my god," Lucy gripped onto the bulkhead.
"Oceans are reported to have flooded streets in Miami and San Francisco!" another agent called out in the background. "Volcanic activity is imminent!"
"I have to go!" Kara huffed.
Alex grabbed her arm, stopping her before she could take off.
"We have your back," she breathed. "Please be careful."
Kara nodded, squeezing her hand, before zipping to the exits, which were blocked. She sped back to the main atrium, looking up, before flinging her hands to the ceiling, catapulting herself through the rock as she disappeared into the sky.