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Kara had been pacing back and forth in front of Cat's front door for several minutes, trying to work up the nerve to knock.
Maybe she changed her mind.
She would have at least told you.
Maybe she asked someone else.
Who else could she ask?
Feeling the buzz of her phone in her pocket, she pulled it out and saw a message from the woman herself. Oh for the love of God, just come in already. The door is unlocked.
Kara blushed at the thought of Cat knowing how long she'd been standing out there, working up the courage to announce her presence, before another thought crossed her mind.
If Cat knew she was out there, why didn't she just let Kara in?
Reassured slightly by the idea that Cat was just as nervous as her, Kara opened the door and went inside.
Ellie was the first to greet her, all wagging tail and happy barks. Kara bent down to run her hands through the long golden fur. She looked around and spotted Cat in the living room with Carter, going over the list of everything they would need for their five day trip.
For his spring break this year Cat was taking Carter with her to London. She had a business meeting the first day, but the rest of their trip would be spent visiting historical landmarks and exploring the city. As Kara was the only person outside of his family Carter trusted to care for his dog, Cat had asked—demanded—that Kara housesit while they were gone. Kara, excellent at following Cat’s orders, had readily agreed, eager to help and also to spend time with Ellie.
Cat avoided her eyes, staring at her phone as she listed off all of Kara’s responsibilities for the next few days. Kara wasn’t listening, her mind racing with anxiety over what had happened the night before. Not to mention she’d already heard this list half a dozen times in the last week, even though she’d memorized it after Cat’s first explanation. She may or may not have spent the other times simply watching Cat’s lips form words.
But now, instead of that beautiful distraction, her attention was solely diverted to thoughts of the conversation they desperately needed to have.
“Miss Grant, can we talk?” Kara asked while Carter was distracted saying goodbye to his dog.
“Not now, Keira. We’re already running very late, thanks to you.” In actuality they would be getting to the airport even earlier than Cat had intended. During her first few weeks at CatCo Kara had quickly learned that on time for Cat Grant meant much earlier than the time that was given. She liked to keep everyone around her on edge.
Kara had also learned that when her boss didn’t want to talk about something, said thing would not be talked about.
When the Grants were gone and it was just her and Ellie, sleeping peacefully in her bed after her early morning walk, Kara looked around the empty living room and sighed. How was she supposed to forget what had happened when everything in this house reminded her of Cat?
The night before, Kara and Cat had attended a gala at Lord Technologies for the unveiling of his latest innovation for the city. Normally it was the assistant who attended these events with Cat, but seeing as the newest one had just been fired a few hours earlier, the job fell back to Kara. She didn’t mind. Of course she loved her new position, but still Kara missed seeing Cat all the time, now that she had been promoted and moved to an office on the other side of the floor.
It was much the same as the many other similar events they had attended together, Kara shuffling along behind Cat and whispering the names of other attendees as they approached, pretending she wasn’t at all affected when some of them were a bit too familiar with her boss.
Cat had had one too many glasses of champagne—she claimed this was in order to withstand the insufferable people who attended these parties, though Kara knew she was actually just nervous in crowds and the latest former-assistant had forgotten to give Cat her lexapro—and had insisted Kara accept a ride home in her town car.
"It's fine, Miss Grant. I can just get a cab, or walk. My apartment is completely out of your way."
Actually, seeing as she never ran out of energy and she didn't exactly have to worry about being mugged, Kara used to just walk home after these events. Once she became Supergirl she had taken to flying around the city a few times before heading home, possibly making a pass or several by Cat’s house to make sure she had gotten home okay. But Cat wasn’t supposed to know about any of that, and now that she knew how Kara planned to get home she explained that she couldn't allow a young woman to walk around the city alone at night, especially when there was a perfectly good car all ready to go.
"I pay him to drive me wherever I want, and there's not a chance I'm letting you get into a cab driven by some perverted stranger."
Kara's eyebrows rose, bemused as usual by Cat’s dramatics. Still, flushing with pleasure at the display of protectiveness, she allowed the other woman to drag her by the wrist into the car, if only to revel in the feeling of Cat’s skin against her own.
During the drive to Kara's apartment Cat once again went over the list of Kara's responsibilities for the days she and Carter would be gone, for the sixth time that week. Kara nodded along and responded appropriately in all the right places, though her concentration this time was actually out the window over Cat’s shoulder, trying very hard not to stare at the generous amount of skin Cat’s dress revealed.
Cat’s voice softened as the car pulled onto Kara’s street. “And Kara ...” Surprised by the slip, Kara’s gaze was drawn back to Cat, though she was careful not to let her eyes wander away from Cat’s. “Thank you very much for doing this.” Kara gawped a little at the remarkable display of gratitude from the other woman. She knew it was only the champagne, but she felt something fluttering in her chest all the same. “You do too much for me,” Cat whispered, and she was looking at Kara in a way the girl had only ever dreamed about. She wondered if this was actually a dream after all.
“It’s nothing,” Kara murmured in response, eyes shifting to her knees as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“It’s not,” Cat disagreed, and Kara’s head shot back up at the unexpected proximity of the other woman’s voice.
Cat leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her. A million thoughts of finally and is this happening? and so soft ran through Kara’s mind in an instant. Her eyes were just fluttering closed, her lips barely pressing back against Cat’s, when the door behind her was pulled open.
The driver was a professional, standing off to the side so he would never see into the back of the car and invade his client’s privacy, but still Cat pulled away sharply.
“Goodnight Keira,” she said, facing the front of the car. She sounded one hundred percent sober now.
Kara wanted to say so many things, but all she could manage was a stuttered “goodnight,” before she stumbled out of the car and watched as it drove away.
S
At ten months old, Ellie was a rather well behaved dog. She never jumped up on the furniture—though she did occasionally try to jump into people’s arms as if she were still a puppy—she didn’t chew on anything that wasn’t hers, and she obeyed every command. Kara suspected Cat had more to do with her training then she let on.
The only thing the young golden retriever had a problem with was noise—anything from the vacuum cleaner to fireworks to thunderstorms. They all had her barking nonstop until the noise was gone. Carter would pet her and talk to her when it happened, and she usually calmed to a low whine.
Kara had assumed the dog had grown out of it, and since no one had told her otherwise, she was out flying when the storm hit. She knew it was coming and wanted to be ready to help when the inevitable car accidents and power-outage chaos occurred.
Nearly an hour later the rain had finally started to let up, and the thunder was slowly moving away from the city. Kara flew to the window of the guest room, opening it in half a second and slipping inside. Though the suit was thankfully water-repellant the rest of her was dripping wet, and she made a mental note to wipe down the floor before the puddles could leave any marks for Cat to find. She rang out her hair as best she could in the guest bathroom before pulling on some regular clothes. She was just starting to button her shirt over the suit when she heard a loud, distressed bark down the hall. A split second later she was in Carter's room and opening the dog’s crate. Ellie hurried out and immediately jumped at Kara, who caught the sixty-five pound retriever like she weighed nothing more than a football.
"Hey, it's okay," she whispered to the frightened dog. "It's just thunder."
Ellie buried her wet nose in Kara's hair and whimpered pitifully. Holding the dog to her with one hand Kara tried not to laugh as she ran the other one through the long fur on her back. Kara rocked Ellie back and forth like she was soothing a baby, though she held the dog more like a koala. She remembered a song her mother used to sing to her as a little girl, one that never failed to calm her when she was frightened. Kara started singing it softly, the Kryptonese still falling easily from her tongue.
"Do you want some food?" she tried when the dog had stopped shivering, and Ellie's tail thumped once against her leg. "I know that always makes me feel better."
She bent to put the dog down, but sharp claws dug harder into the muscles of her shoulder and she immediately straightened up. "Shh, I got you."
Kara was actually kind of glad no one else was around. She got the puppy comments enough without anyone seeing her mothering an actual dog.
She started singing again as she made her way down the hall and out towards the kitchen. Ellie sniffed the air as they neared the living room, and started wiggling in Kara's arms. The superhero barely registered the difference; her grip didn't give even an inch.
It wasn't until they were in the room that she noticed the two people standing shell-shocked just a few feet away.
"K-Kara?"
Her arms slackened just enough for Ellie to jump down, completely oblivious to the tension in the room and running happily over to Carter. She tried to jump up into his arms as she had done with Kara, and nearly knocked him over. He kneeled down automatically to pet her, though his expression didn't change as he continued to stare at Kara in awe.
Kara realized in an instant what he saw. Long blonde hair free of any clips or ties; bright blue eyes no longer hidden behind large glasses; the symbol of the House of El underneath her unbuttoned Kara Danvers shirt, completely visible without Ellie to hide it. She remembered the song she'd been singing in her native tongue, a song they no doubt had heard.
Her wide eyes flitted from Carter to Cat to the dog. She was wholly unprepared for this situation.
Cat, however, had already recovered from the surprise of seeing Kara in such a state. "So, you're the reason she keeps jumping up." Her tone almost sounded bored, if not a little bit chiding.
"Uh, sorry?" Cat did not looked appeased. “So you’re home early.”
“Yes, well our original flight was delayed due to the storm, but thankfully I managed to get us seats on an earlier one.” Kara shuddered to think of how much that cost, though she knew it was nothing to Cat. “That was a lovely song you were singing. I can take a guess at what language it was.”
Kara looked down at the visible symbol on her chest again and winced at her carelessness.
Carter finally seemed to find his voice. "You're Supergirl?" he asked, awestruck.
“I,” Kara’s gaze shifted from Carter to Cat and back. “I am.”
“How come you never told me?” he asked and for a rare moment he actually sounded like the thirteen-year-old boy that he was.
Kara had so many partial answers to that question, she didn't know which to give him. It could be dangerous knowing her secret sometimes. She couldn't tell him and then ask him to keep it a secret from his mother.
Finally she settled on, “Well I know how much you idolize her—me—Supergirl, and I wanted you to be my friend as just Kara.”
Carter seemed surprised by this answer, clearly not expecting it.“Of course I like you as Kara. You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.” He hurried over and wrapped his arms around Kara in a hug that she eagerly returned, fighting the tears that pricked at her eyes. Cat stood by, watching the scene with an expression that could only be described as adoration.
Ellie, dissatisfied by the fact that everyone’s attention was not on her and remembering Kara’s earlier promise of food, ran into the kitchen and sat by her bowl. By now the thunder had faded into the distance, out of range of human ears and probably dogs’ too. She barked happily, glad that her whole family was together again.
"Carter, go feed your dog and take her outside. Kara and I have a few things to discuss."
He looked like he was about to protest, but she gave him the Mom Look and his mouth snapped shut. He looked over to Kara one more time, expression brimming with a million questions, before he went to take care of his dog.
When the front door was shut firmly behind Carter and Ellie, Kara turned to Cat and started to say, "Miss Grant I can explain—” but the other woman quickly cut her off.
“About how you tricked me that night in my office?” Kara hung her head in shame. “Or should I say attempted to trick me?” Kara looked back up at her, confused. “You didn’t honestly think I believed you, what with all the evidence to support my suspicions, and only one meager little alien trick to discount them?”
Kara knew she shouldn’t have been surprised that Cat had known all along. She was Cat Grant after all, a relentless journalist intent on uncovering the truth. And it wasn’t like Kara was exactly adept when it came to hiding it. Still, she had somehow managed to convince herself that Cat had bought the double act in her office all those months ago. She realized now how many hints Cat had been dropping about knowing her secret all along.
But Kara was also surprised with how okay she felt about Cat knowing. She felt relieved more than anything. With all the time she had been spending with her boss outside of work since Ellie’s arrival, Kara realized she had come to trust Cat in a way she didn’t the first time the woman discovered Kara’s secret. “I’m sorry I lied.” She held Cat’s gaze so she could see how sincerely Kara meant what she said.
Cat seemed to think very hard about something for a long moment, and then she sighed and moved to sit on the couch. Kara followed her, settling down with nearly an entire cushion between them, still uncertain where things stood between them after the kiss.
“I understand why you didn’t tell me. You weren’t sure if I would keep your secret.” Kara looked for a moment like she wanted to protest, but it wouldn’t have been entirely honest. “I would have,” Cat assured. “I will.”
“And my job?” Kara asked uncertainly.
“Well seeing as how you went to all that trouble to keep it …” Cat’s expression clearly said how much she didn’t understand the appeal of a lowly assistant job over life as a full-time superhero, but she held her tongue. “I’m not going to fire you—so long as neither of your jobs interferes with the other.”
Kara’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you, Miss Grant. I promise they won’t.”
Cat hesitated for another moment, looking … awkward? “And, about the other night,” Kara felt her breath catch in her throat, “I’m sorry for what happened. I had too much champagne, though that’s no excuse, and it won’t happen again.”
Kara was overwhelmed with despair for only a moment before a feeling of determination came over her. She gathered every ounce of courage in her body and said, “but what if I want it to?”
Cat opened her mouth to respond, then seemed to lose any grasp of the English language, and Kara could see the meaning of her words register on the other woman’s face.
The unexpected sound of the front door opening—Carter and Ellie returning from their brief walk—instantly brought Cat and Kara to their feet. He hurried into the kitchen to put food in the dog dish before joining them in the living room.
Cat cut him off before he could start his inquisition. “Alright Carter, you still need to unpack and take a shower before bed. Say goodnight to Kara.”
“But I have so many questions!” he argued, his attention on Kara.
“We can talk soon,” she assured him, hoping Cat would agree to let her keep that promise.
“Okay. Goodnight, Kara,” he muttered reluctantly.
“Night, buddy.”
He headed off down the hall, shoulders slumped a little with disappointment. When it seemed like Cat was going to follow after him Kara reached out, wrapping her hand around Cat’s and gently pulling her back. She leaned in part of the way and Cat gasped, so quietly that Kara wouldn’t have been able to hear it if she were human.
Her nose just barely brushing against Cat’s, Kara asked, “Can I kiss you?”
Cat stared into Kara’s eyes for a moment, searching for something. She must have found whatever it was because then she was nodding, eyelids fluttering shut as Kara closed the rest of the distance between them.
Their second kiss was longer, deeper, though still not enough for either of their liking. Carter could be heard moving around in his bedroom, Ellie in the kitchen, and there was still a lot they needed to talk about.
“I should go help him,” Cat murmured when they broke apart. Kara nodded, sad at the thought that she would have to leave. It must have shown on her face because then Cat said, “If you want to stay, we can finish our conversation when Carter’s asleep.”
Kara’s smile was warm and hopeful. “I’d like that.”