Things gor a little intense in this one I hope you like it

Chapter 5: Confession

Cat's phone buzzed on the desk as a text came in.

Can I stop by? –Lena

Of course, she typed back. Not two minutes later, a familiar figure appeared in her office doorway.

"Either you're Supergirl – in which case I want to know who does your hair – or you were already in the elevator when you texted." Cat greeted the brunette with a smile.

Lena grinned. "I was in the lobby, but I thought I should check anyway."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to ask you something," Lena replied, avoiding eye contact as she added, "But it's a little... delicate."

Seeing the younger woman fidgeting for the first time in her life, Cat knew whatever Lena wanted to talk about was important. "Alright," she acknowledged, standing and moving around the desk to join her friend. "Take a seat." She gestured to one of the couches, before asking, "Can I get you anything?"

"Just water, thanks." Lena took a seat, looking anxious as Cat joined her with their drinks.

Setting the glasses on the table, Cat settled down across from Lena. "What's going on?" she wondered.

"Kara was your assistant for a long time," Lena said slowly. "Right?"

Smiling slightly, Cat answered, "Longer than any other."

"Did you…" The brunette paused, hesitating. "I'm not sure how to phrase that. Did you notice her behavior changing sometimes?"

"Change how? Like did she zone out, or act strangely around certain people?" Cat considered. "Or are you asking me if Kara Danvers is gay?"

Lena's gaze snapped up, the shock in her eyes real. "What? No! That's not what I was asking. I –"

Cat smirked. "Relax, dear," she soothed. "I was only teasing."

Taking a breath, Lena leaned back against the cushion. "I mean did she disappear often? Like she did during our meeting…"

Cat paused, feeling weighed down as she realized what her friend was asking. Kara's secret was not for her to share, but she also wanted to be there for Lena.

Seeming to sense Cat's unease, Lena asked the question really wanted to ask. "Cat, is Kara Supergirl?" Her voice trembled at the end of the question, and in that moment Cat knew she couldn't lie to Lena.

"Yes," she said quietly. "It took me a while to see it; but eventually it became obvious." Shaking her head, she scooted forward, fixing the brunette with an intense look. "If you know her secret, then there are some things you need to understand, Lena."

Lena waited, her gaze unreadable as she processed.

"Her keeping this secret from you… It has nothing to do with you, or who people may think you are. I've been waiting for her to tell me the truth, because the first time I tried to confront her, it nearly broke her. You have to understand that her civilian identity is important to her; she cannot lose the ability to just be Kara Danvers. She doesn't tell us because she wants to protect us. It has nothing to do with not trusting us; it's her caring about our safety."

Nodding, Lena admitted, "Now that I know for sure, I don't really know what to do with that information. It was in front of me the whole time; I should have figured it out sooner…"

Cat hummed thoughtfully. A moment later, she stood up, an unexpected light in her eyes. "I think I know what to do."

Maggie and the Danvers sisters were relaxing on Kara's couch, watching a comedy on the television, when a knock sounded on the door. Though she was not expecting any more visitors, Kara excused herself to answer it.

The stunned silence after Kara opened the door was enough to make Alex and Maggie nervous. Hands already reaching for their respective guns, they turned to find Kara frozen in the doorway, her wide eyes fixed on the two visitors. They both calmed as Kara recovered herself.

"Miss Grant," Kara adjusted her glasses nervously. "Lena. Is everything okay?" She noticed the way Cat's hand touched the small of Lena's back, as if supporting her. But instead of easing the anxiety in her mind, Kara felt her insides burn with jealousy. She was well aware of how stupid a reaction that was, but…

"We're sorry to interrupt your evening," Cat addressed her former assistant. "But we were hoping to talk to you about something important."

"You were…?" Kara asked, bewildered and a bit overwhelmed. "I… Come in," she invited the CEOs in, trying not to let herself overthink whatever was coming.

Cat and Lena entered the apartment, and Kara closed the door before turning to face them. Before she could speak, Alex joined them – closely followed by Maggie. They had obviously sensed her distress and come to support her.

"Do you want us to leave?" Alex asked quietly, taking her little sister's hand in her own.

Before Kara could decide, Cat spoke up. "Actually, if it's alright with Kara, I was hoping you and Miss Sawyer would stay. You may be needed."

Kara murmured agreement, her eyes pleading with her sister to stay with her.

A comforting smile on her lips, Alex nodded. "Okay. Then why don't we all sit at the table and talk."

As the five women took their seats around the table, Kara's mind started preparing for the worst. Maybe Cat and Lena had discovered her crush on both of them, and they thought a clean break would be the easiest way to tell her they didn't feel the same way. Or maybe they had fallen for each other, and were here to ask her to be their maid of honor. She was just starting to picture the dress she would wear when Alex squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Cat was the one to break the silence. "We've come to confess something, Kara."

"Confess?" the blonde echoed, feeling sick. She didn't know what was coming, but she felt like her emotions were being played with. She couldn't stand the feeling.

Cat hesitated, so Lena took over. "Kara, tomorrow is the photoshoot," she began. "We just wanted you to know that we understand you can't be there."

"What do you mean?" Kara's eyes widened. "You… don't want me there? Did I do something wrong? Is it because –"

"Hush, dear," Cat cut off her panicked ramble. Her voice was gentle as she assured the reporter, "It's nothing like that."

Unable to take the sight of the tears gathering in Kara's eyes, Lena decided not to dance around the truth any longer. "Kara, we know you are Supergirl."

The admission had been very quiet, and for a moment Kara thought it had been a trick of her mind. But it wasn't; she had read Lena's lips as the CEO said the words she had feared for so long.

"Well, what else is new?"

Maggie's voice didn't quite penetrate Kara's shocked thoughts. Alex, though, turned to stare at her with incredibly wide eyes.

"Oh, come on, babe!" Maggie gave her girlfriend an exasperated glance. "You thought I wouldn't notice? What kind of crappy detective do you think I am?"

Alex didn't seem to know how to respond to that.

Kara was still dealing with her own anxious thoughts. There was no way she would ever have that special bond with either CEO again. They knew, and now they would only ever see her as Kara – never as the hero they respected and admired so much. That thought terrified her.

Reaching across the table, Cat took Kara's hand, catching the younger blonde's gaze.

Her eyes watering as fear overwhelmed her, Kara snatched her hand back and pushed herself to her feet. A nanosecond later, she was gone, having used her super speed to flee to the bathroom.

Alex was up in an instant, calling, "I'll check on her," over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hall.

After knocking gently on the bathroom door, Alex let herself in. Her heart clenched sympathetically as she spotted the Kryptonian sitting against the far wall, eyes red from crying. Hurrying to her side, Alex wrapped her arms around her sister and held her tight as Kara processed what had just happened.

Finally, Kara calmed enough to speak. "It's over," she sobbed. "Now they know I'm just Kara, nothing more. Cat will never see me as anything more than an employee, and Lena will never see me as anything but her friend." She laughed bitterly. "Everything is finally as it should be."

Alex wasn't fooled by her words. Kara was afraid and angry. "Okay, stop it," she backed away a bit and looked her sister in the eye. "Where is this lack of confidence coming from? Don't you see how much you are loved? You are worthy of love, so stop putting yourself down!"

Kara sniffed, and then confessed, "I feel like I let you – everyone, actually – down. Kal-El, Astra, all those people I couldn't help… It's already hard to deal with. And now the two women I care so much about know the truth! I don't know how to manage it all. I've never felt so powerless…"

"I know it's overwhelming, Kara," Alex sighed, pulling her sister closer. "But you know you can talk to me, right? I know I'm not the only one having a hard time with the Cadmus situation, and I know you've been feeling pressured about finding my dad. We need to stick together. Overthinking things is not going to help in any way. We need to be patient, and hold onto hope. We can get through it, Kara, if we stick together." Brushing a few stray strands of hair out of Kara's face, she added, "I believe in you."

Kara gave a grateful nod.

"And as for the two women sitting in your dining room… I don't know what they think, or what will happen in the future. But what I do know is that they chose to come talk to you instead of revealing your identity to the world. I get the feeling they care about you too much to ever use your secret against you." Alex smiled comfortingly. "You are an amazing, beautiful person, Kara. You deserve happiness. You just need to figure out what you want."

At that moment, a soft knock at the door distracted them.

"Are you guys okay?" Maggie's gentle voice asked them through the door.

Sighing, Kara let Alex help her up. Opening the door, she came face to face with her sister's girlfriend. "We're okay," she answered. "Thank you, Maggie."

Maggie looked relieved. As the two sisters exited the bathroom, she told Kara, "Your friends left. They said to tell you they were sorry for hurting you, and that they would email you."

"Oh." Kara was grateful for a chance to figure out her thoughts, but she hoped she hadn't pushed Cat and Lena away with her reaction. "Okay."

Alex and Maggie didn't stay long after that. Kara needed time to process, to plan her next move, and they willingly gave her space.

That night, as Kara lay in bed, she found two unread emails on her phone.

I hope you are feeling better. We didn't mean to hurt you; we just wanted to let you know that you don't need to cover for yourself tomorrow while you are with us as Supergirl. That is, if you still want to do this. I am so sorry, Kara. We should have done that differently. I care for you, and I hope I didn't lose you tonight.

I hope to see you tomorrow.

Lena

Kara felt tears welling up in her eyes as she read the first message. She wasted no time in opening the second one, as well.

My dear Kara,

I am truly sorry for the way things went this evening. You should know that it was my idea. Lena asked me if I knew anything, and I felt like I had betrayed your secret because – of course – I'd known for quite a while. But I saw the fear in your eyes when I came too close to the truth last time, and so I stopped digging. You were then – and are still – too important to to me to lose over something like that.

You must know your secret is safe with me. I would never do anything to put your life and the lives of those you care about in danger.

Again, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility for tonight's events. Don't blame Lena. Your friendship is as important to her as it is to you.

I hope to see you tomorrow.

Cat

Kara did not respond to either message, though the words comforted her. Hoping everything would be clearer in the morning, she let the peace of sleep take her.

That's it for this chapter, so how was it? Chapter 6 will be up tomorrow as usual!