Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Kara, Kal,” Cat called when she walked into her penthouse apartment, dropping her bags as soon as she entered. “Kara are you here?” She had just arrived back from her imposed exile to a square state. It wasn’t as long as her therapist had recommended, but dealing with the new charge she found herself with took priority. Cat knew that the alien girl couldn’t stay with her at the ranch, there were too many people and she needed to be in National City in order to best arrange Kara’s cover story. She had Superman take the girl back to her home while she called for her jet. The woman didn’t hear a sound in her apartment, and she froze, cursing Kal’s name. If that slick-haired, self-righteous superhero has disappeared with her… She paused her rant mid-thought when she heard the barest of sounds coming from her bedroom.
Cat moved towards her bedroom. “Kara?” She called again, softly pushing open the door. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and located the terrified form of a frightened child huddled against the corner of her bed. “Kara?”
“It’s so loud,” the girl whimpered, pressing back into the wall, hard enough to cause the plaster to crack.
The woman winced but brushed it off, knowing that the plaster could be repaired. Kara needed help now. “What’s loud Kara?” She whispered, kneeling next to the girl.
“The sounds, outside, the noise.” The girl flinched again, causing more of the plaster to crumble, “There’s just so much noise, it’s so loud.”
Cat internally cursed herself. She had forgotten about the enhanced hearing, and had not prepared for the sounds of the large, bustling city. A few days more in the wilderness might have done the girl good, but the woman doesn’t look to the past to get lost in regrets. She likes to learn and keep looking forward. Cat inches slowly towards the frightened girl and reached out, pulling the younger blonde towards her chest, pressing a small ear right above her heart. She cupped a hand over the other ear and spoke quietly to the crying girl. “I know,” she murmured, “I know it’s loud, it’s loud for me too sometimes. Just try to close everything out and focus on my heartbeat, can you do that darling? Focus on my heartbeat and my breathing, the blood flowing through me and the air moving in my lungs, focus on that, filter out everything outside of this room.”
Kara let out a shaky breath and focused all of her senses on the older woman, doing as she requested. Eventually the sounds outside the penthouse diminished to a dull roar rather than piercing screams, and she continued to filter them out even further until all she could hear was Cat’s heartbeat and the breath in her lungs. They sat like that for several long minutes, Cat knowing that Kara needed comfort and reassurance. Eventually she nudged Kara lightly on the shoulder, gaining her attention. “Kara,” Cat whispered, “Where’s Kal?”
The girl blinked and scrunched her face for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know, he left. He was here with me for a little while but he got a message… a call I think, from someone named Lois. She demanded that he return and he left shortly after that.”
A deep anger filled Cat’s body, stirring deep within her as promises of retribution and disparaging insults were on the tip of her tongue. Large, watery blue eyes looked up at her pleadingly and Cat sighed, releasing her anger but promising retribution. “Should’ve known he wasn’t the best at making decisions,” the woman huffed, “Answering to every whim of that harpy after all…”
“Cat?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing, I’ll explain later,” she murmured, running her fingers through long, dirty blonde hair. “Right now though, we need to find a way to help you control your powers. How is your hearing?”
“I’ve muted everything but it’s still difficult.” Kara winced, “And the loud sounds can break through.”
Cat hummed and pulled away from the girl, softly urging her off the ground and towards the living room. “I am reluctant to say but I am woefully unprepared to deal with everything that comes with taking care of you,” the woman said, motioning towards the couch.
Kara flinched and curled in on herself on the couch. “Do you want me to leave?” She asked, her voice small.
“No, oh no Kara darling, no that wasn’t what I was saying,” the woman rushed out. “I was just saying that I don’t like being unprepared and I am upset with myself that I took information from Lois Lane at face value without trying to do any research on my own.”
“I… I’m not sure what you mean…”
“I want you to talk to me, to tell me what you’re feeling, what you know about yourself, that way we can work out how best to help you.”
The girl scrunched her face. “I, my mother told me some of what I would face, but she didn’t have time to tell me everything before... “ Kara’s voice trailed off. “My pod filled the gaps and Kal confirmed what I had learned. My cells expanded instantly when I was exposed to the light and radiation from the yellow sun. It’s younger and warmer than Rao. Kal was barely exposed to Rao, that’s why it took longer for his powers to manifest. Our skin is invulnerable, all of our senses are enhanced, super strength, super speed, flying, heat vision and… and X-ray vision.”
Cat paused for a moment, taking a second to fully comprehend that this girl, this small, young girl was one of the strongest beings in the world. It was a little mind boggling to the older woman. When Kara looked up at her with tears in her eyes and her hands clutched around her ears, she pushed away her feelings of wonder and inadequacy. Kara needed her, someone to turn to, someone to help her, to understand her. She needed a mother. “So all of your senses are enhanced, hearing, smell, touch, sight, taste? And your… vision is giving you trouble?” Cat clarified.
“It… it’s not bad right now,” Kara murmured. “It was really bad right after Kal left. I could see through everything, and I couldn’t control it. I could see through the people on the levels below us and down on the street. It was scary.”
“You were overwhelmed,” Cat said, softly stroking Kara’s hair. “Humans get overwhelmed too, though we don’t have the same response that you do. It happens when we’re stressed, when we’ve been through a trauma, or even a big change. I think you qualify under all of these circumstances. The term is called sensory overload I believe.”
“How, how do people deal with it?”
The woman hummed, “Well, many people developing coping techniques, ways to manage and be able to function in the world. You though, you will have to learn exceptional control to temper your abilities so that they help you, not hurt you.”
Kara nodded, knowing that her aunt spoke of such things from the military guild for how they trained the warriors. She wiped at her face, holding back the tears that threatened to fall thinking about her aunt. She straightened her back and looked Cat squarely in the eyes. “What do I do?” The girl asked, her voice wavering slightly but strong.
“Is there anything you can’t see through? Something that affects your senses, deadens them?”
The blonde tilted her head. “Lead,” she replied, “Kal said we can’t see through lead, so I’m guessing it would block super hearing as well.”
Cat nodded, adopting a thoughtful expression on her face. “My first instinct is to create a device, maybe glasses or a hat that would be lined with lead that could dull your senses enough so they wouldn’t bother you.” She got up and started to pace, “I don’t like that plan though. It would make you dependent on that device, something that you would think you needed when you don’t.” The woman stopped pacing and sat down next to the girl who was looking at her wide-eyed. “You are strong, Kara, beautiful, strong and astonishing. I can’t even imagine, everything you’ve seen, everything you’ve been through.” Cat softly held the girl’s cheek and could feel heat rising under her skin. “You can learn to control your powers without the need for something to limit them.”
“How?”
“Practice, hard work, determination. I’m not going to tell you that it’ll be easy, it won’t be. I will tell you though that I will do my best to help you, and protect you, your secret.”
Kara nodded and pressed herself closer to Cat again, taking comfort from the older woman. It was familiar, her embrace, familiar and yet different at the same time. When this woman hugged her it reminded Kara of her mother, loving and firm, but this woman, she held tighter, gripped harder. Her mother held her tight before sending her away from a dying planet. When Cat held her close, it felt as if she would destroy a planet before sending her away or letting anyone take her away. “Where do we start?” The blonde asked, pushing herself away from the older woman.
Cat hesitated momentarily, not wanting to bring up the topic but knowing that it couldn’t be avoided for much longer. “You know that I have… I have a son…”
“Carter right?” Kara murmured, brightening instantly, “I’m excited to meet him, I love kids. There weren’t many children on Krypton, but I would watch the few from the houses my parents were friendly with. I used to change Kal’s diapers when he was first born.” The blonde’s eyes grew sad, “It’s not going to be the same though isn’t it. All the children I knew on Krypton, they’re gone and I’m not the same here… I’m dangerous… I could hurt Carter, hurt you…”
“No, Kara, no,” Cat rushed out. “I believe in you, I believe that if it came down to it, you would do everything you could to prevent yourself from hurting me, hurting Carter, even to the point of hurting yourself. I have faith in you. What I want is to help you get to the point where you have that faith in yourself, where you wouldn’t have to hurt yourself as a means to keep from hurting others.” The woman softly took Kara’s hands and unfurled her fingers, softly brushing over the bruises that she had caused when her hands unconsciously clenched. “We’ll start working on things slowly. How is your hearing?” Cat asked.
“It’s… it’s not so overwhelming if I keep something as a baseline, like your heartbeat.” Kara scrunched her nose up, “I’m sure if I keep working on it, I can slowly acclimate myself to the sounds of the city.”
The older woman nodded, “Good, as for your x-ray vision and heightened sight, barring using lead to block your sight, you will have to keep using them and getting used to them. Use them as much as possible, though try not to invade anyone’s privacy.”
“Walking skeletons…” Kara whimpered.
“I know, it’s not the best option but it will push you to get control faster, and it will teach you how to use your abilities.” The blonde girl nodded hesitantly before grabbing at one of the pillows. Before she could stop herself, she had ripped the material, causing feathers to fly everywhere. She jumped back, knocking into the arm of the couch, causing it to break as well. “Kara, Kara, it’s okay,” Cat tried to reassure the distressed girl. “It’s okay, pillows, couches, they can be replaced. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“But, but…”
“No, it’s okay, you just need to learn control, it’s okay.” Cat reached out and grabbed the girl’s hand, squeezing it. “Squeeze my hand, slowly, I’ll let you know when you’re grip is tight enough.” Kara looked hesitantly at the hand placed in hers. “It’s okay Kara, you just need to learn control.” The girl started squeezing slowly until Cat tightened the grip on her hand, letting her know that it was tight enough. They practiced like that for another hour, helping Kara’s muscle memory learn how tight she could hug the older woman without hurting her. Cat helped her with other objects in the house, teaching the girl how to open doors without banging them into the wall, how to hold glasses without breaking them, how to hold silverware, move furniture, put clothes on without ripping them. The woman cherished each experience with the girl, wondering if this is what it would have been like raising Adam, what it would be like to raising Carter. When one of her older spoons snapped in the thirteen year old’s hand, Cat knew that taking care of Kara would be its own unique experience.
“You’re getting there Kara, we’ll keep practicing,” the woman said, softly rubbing the girl’s arms. “Now we really do have to talk about Carter. His father is going to be returning him in a few days, and I don’t want you to be afraid of being around him.”
“What if your… what if your ex-husband doesn’t like me around? What if he tries to take Carter from you?” Kara still wasn’t used to the idea of an ex- husband. Marriages on Krypton were permanent, divorce wasn’t an option. When she explained all of this to Cat, the woman had told her to hold onto her beliefs while learning to live in a new culture.
“Kara, Kara stop, it’s alright. I know my ex-husband, he doesn’t want to be a full time father, so I’m not afraid that he’s going to want full custody. And Carter is barely two years old, he’ll adapt.”
The blonde girl smiled, starting to believe what Cat was saying to her. “I can’t wait to meet him, Carter, not your ex, that would be weird. From what you’ve told me, he doesn’t seem very nice.”
“He was a terrible husband and is a mediocre father, but he’s not a completely awful person,” Cat admitted. “But we’ll be a family, the three of us.”
“ Zehdh,” Kara said, drawing a look of confusion from Cat. “It means family, or more closely home, belonging to something.”
Cat tilted her head and smiled, “I like that. Would you be willing to teach me more of your language, more of your culture? I don’t want you to have to give it up, but I also don’t want it to upset you.”
“I would love to teach you!” Kara squeaked out, her excitement evident in her reaction. “And Carter too if you wouldn’t mind.”
The older woman reached out and took both of Kara’s hand in hers, squeezing them tightly. “I want you to share as much of yourself as you want. Never be afraid of talking to me about anything.”
Tears filled Kara’s eyes again and she embraced the woman tightly. “Thank you Cat,” she gasped out, “I’m glad you found me.”
Cat could feel tears in her own eyes and she ran her hands through soft, dirty blonde hair. “I’m glad I found you too Kara. I’m so glad.”
“I’m surprised Catherine, I never pegged you for one to adopt a child.” Cat rolled her eyes at her ex-husband before turning her attention back to where Kara was cooing over her baby boy. She could tell that the girl was still frightened of hurting the toddler but most of her worries instantly went out the window when she saw bright blue eyes and brown curly hair.
“What can I say Aaron, you never really took the time to know me,” the woman said, eyeing her ex out of the corner of her eye. “Of course, what did I really expect, we were only married for three months after all. Long enough for me to get pregnant but not long enough for you to unpack your things.”
“We were better friends than we were husband and wife Kitty, though we may never really get back to the friends stage will we?”
Cat hummed, “I have other things to concern myself with. Two children and a growing media empire leaves little time for friends or anything else.”
“Mhm, I have to say I’m still surprised you adopted the girl,” Aaron said again, looking over to where the children sat. “Daughter of old friends of yours who died in a fire, who knows how traumatized that girl is going to be?”
The woman saw as Kara’s expression dimmed, indicating that she was listening to her conversation. “I trust Kara,” she said, “And I took her in. Daniel is in the process of drawing up the adoption papers as we speak. This really doesn’t concern you.”
“I guess it doesn’t,” the man chuckled, shaking his head. He raised his hand and smoothed back a stray strand of dark brown hair before standing up. “Thank you for giving me time with Carter while you were away. I’ll see you again in a few weeks for another visit.” He hesitated briefly, glancing from his ex-wife to the blonde girl she took in. “Just be careful Kitty.”
“Speak for yourself Aaron,” Cat smirked, “and don’t call me Kitty.” She ignored the man as he excused himself from the penthouse and focused on her two children. Kara’s mood improved after her ex-husband left and continued to play with Carter, carefully holding the boy on her lap as he babbled on with his two year old vocabulary and understanding about his toys. She moved to sit herself softly on the couch behind where Carter and her new charge were seated on the floor.
“Mama!” Carter squealed upon seeing the woman. “Look!” He exclaimed, pointing to his giant lego blocks in front of him, “Kara help me build.”
“I see that, Kara’s been a great help hasn’t she?” The woman asked, looking fondly at the two. Carter nodded his head, all the while turning back to his blocks. He snuggled down further into Kara’s warm arms, much like he would after his mother took towels out of the dryer. Kara would do instead of the towels, he didn’t have to wait for her to come out of the dryer. “Carter,” Cat called again, causing the boy to twist his head to look at her again. “Do you like Kara?”
“Mhm!” Carter replied, bouncing slightly, “She’s warm, like towels.”
“Yes she is warm isn’t she?”
“Smells nice too,” the boy mumbled, leaning his head into the arm holding him. He snuffled his nose on Kara’s skin, causing the girl to blush and giggle.
Cat chuckled, loving that Carter was so smitten with the girl. Hopefully his infatuation would make things easier. “Would you mind if Kara stayed with us for a while?”
“Kara stay?”
“Yes, as in she lives here with us, as part of our family.” The girl in question held her breath as the back and forth continued between the two Grants.
“Family?” Carter asked, not fully understanding his mother’s questions.
The woman slid down off the couch next to the two children and softly stroked her fingers through Carter’s soft, curly hair. “What would you say if I told you that Kara was going to stay here and live with us, and be your big sister?”
“Sister?!” Blue eyes lit up with excitement as his mother uttered the word. He knew what sister meant. He had been wanting one for a while, since watching some of the kids in his play group. Some had brothers, some had sisters, he liked the sisters better. Not the baby ones, they weren’t fun, but the big sisters. He started asking his mother for a big sister when he had learned what they were. Carter wasn’t sure why his mother kept telling him that it wasn’t possible to give him a big sister, especially when she brought one home with her. One that was warm and smelled nice, better than the others at the park. He turned his head to look into the blue eyes staring down at him and he grinned, clapping his hands with a squeal. “Big sister! Big sister!”
“Mhm, and Kara is very special,” Cat said, making sure that her boy was listening. “She traveled a long way for a long time to get here to be part of our family. One day you’ll understand how special.”
The excitement of returning home and getting a new sister overwhelmed the little boy and he soon fell asleep, his head falling on Kara’s shoulder and drool escaping his mouth. Kara looked over at Cat with wide eyes and the woman took pity on the girl, extracting the toddler from her lap. “Thank you Cat,” the blonde let out a relieved sigh as the woman chuckled.
“You’ll get used to him,” Cat smiled, moving to set Carter down in his room.
Kara followed and looked down at the sleeping child. “I don’t want to hurt him,” she whispered, a small smile on her face. “I love kids, I’ve always loved kids, I don’t…”
“You’ll be okay Kara,” the woman said, rubbing the girl’s arm. “I wouldn’t let you hold him if I didn’t believe in you. You just need practice holding him, maybe a pillow or bag of potatoes… They aren’t quite as wiggly as a toddler though, I’ll have to think on that.” Cat motioned Kara to follow her out of the room and back into the living room. “He reacted well to the news. He has been asking for a sister, but I didn’t think he knew what a sister was. Apparently Carter is brilliant like me so it won’t be hard for him to adapt.” She sat down on the couch and tugged the girl down after her. “There’s something I need to talk to you about,” Cat said once Kara was situated.
The girl tensed momentarily, but just firmed her spin. “Yes?”
“Nothing that needs you to be so tense, I don’t think anyway.” Cat took one of her hands with her right hand and ran her left soothingly down Kara’s arm. “I received a call from my lawyer, the adoption papers for you to legally live with us and all of your other important documents are almost ready. I need to know what you would like for your last name? I don’t think keeping your own surname will be wise, though I would let you keep it if you want. I know your cousin must’ve mentioned taking his last name, but I don’t advise that either. It would give him power over decisions in your life, and I don’t think he has earned that.”
Kara bit her lip, remembering Cat’s argument from a few days ago. Kal had left her with Cat, and it was her choice, but he was going to leave her with a different family as well, one that she didn’t know. He also left her by herself in a loud city to answer the call of someone Cat described as her unworthy nemesis. Kara didn’t fully understand Cat or Kal’s relationship with this other woman, but Cat had told her she didn’t have faith in the woman to make the best decisions in regards to Kara and so she probably wouldn’t trust Kal either. “I’m not sure,” Kara replied truthfully. She was unsure of what to do. She didn’t want to give up her own name, it was one of the last things she had from Krypton, from her parents.
“How were you given surnames on Kryp- on your world?” The older woman asked, not wanting to say the name in case it brought up bad memories.
“Surnames were developed from the ancestral tribes, later formed into houses,” Kara explained. “In my house, the house of El, I am the firstborn, and therefore heir of the house of El. For women, our last names were our father’s full name, so my father was Zor-El, eldest and head of the house of El. When women married, they had the choice to either retain their names or take their husband’s name. My mot- my mother, she took my father’s name, Alura Zor-El, but my Aunt Astra…” The girl’s eyes watered, but she quickly blinked away the tears, “She kept her name when she married. Both she and my mother were from the house Ze, so their names were Alura and Astra In-Ze.”
Cat was dying to ask about the girl’s family, her mother and father, her aunt that she mentioned, Superman’s parents. It had only been a little over a week that the girl had arrived on Earth, and though nearly 24 years have past since Krypton’s destruction, she knew that the wound was fresh to Kara, the loss was still fresh. “So what would you like to do?” Cat asked again.
“Can I take your last name?” She asked hesitantly. “I know you said that I would be part of your family, but I would like it to be official, to be a Grant.”
The older woman blinked away her own tears at the girl’s response. “If that is what you want, but you must know that it might put you in the spotlight. My media empire is growing, and there are talks of me doing a talk show on my television network. I know you aren’t familiar with these concepts, but it means that people might pay extra attention to you, the ‘orphaned girl’ that the ‘heartless’ Cat Grant adopted.”
“You’re not heartless, not to me,” Kara said, moving closer to the older woman. “And while I know I’m not completely aware of the risk, I know that you’ll do your best to keep me safe.”
Cat nodded her head, drawing the girl in for a hug, resting her chin on top of a blonde head. “I will keep you safe. Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight. I will do everything I can to help you Kara, everything.”